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Boosters announce Gowanda School Hall of Fame Inductees

GOWANDA – The Gowanda Boosters Club is proud to announce the 2026 Gowanda Central School Hall of Fame Inductees. The Inductees will be honored on Sept. 18, beginning at 5 p.m. with Music & Social Gathering followed by the Induction ceremony at the Gowanda’s Historical Hollywood Theater. The Gowanda Area Chamber of Commerce will also present the 2026 Spirit of Gowanda winners. This is a free event open to the public which kicks off Alumni Weekend. The Inductees to be honored are Aaron Kroll, Sports Legend; David Smith and Barbara Dempsey, Distinguished Educators, James Andrew ...

House member wants Lake Erie renamed to Lake Pennsylvania

A Pennsylvania House member wants the federal government to change Lake Erie’s name to Lake Pennsylvania. Rep. David Maloney, R-Boyertown, is preparing a House Resolution that would ask President Donald Trump, Congress, and the United States Secretary of the Interior to take the necessary ...

Ferguson seeks Fredonia Hero Banners

The village of Fredonia plans to join the Hero Banner Program honoring local military veterans, Mayor Michael Ferguson said last week. The nationwide program puts photographs of veterans on banners in their hometowns. The city of Dunkirk instituted a Hero Banner Program in 2023 that proved highly popular, with more than 200 banners purchased and erected. Ferguson wants Fredonia to join the trend. “I have two people forming a committee — we’ve been talking, just trying to find time in their days to do this — for military banners,” Ferguson said Tuesday at a Board of ...

State lawmaker proposes ban on shock gloves

Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz is proposing a ban on shock gloves in New York state. The legislation comes a couple of weeks after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has awarded a $16.7 million contract to purchase 6,000 pairs of gloves that can deliver electric shocks, saying officers ...

Healing with Horses: Taking ride can be path to wellness

Through our featured newspaper column in the Dunkirk OBSERVER and Westfield Republican, along with support from a grant from the Westfield Fund, we have an opportunity to offer our community greater education and hands-on experiences centered around horseback riding, equine-assisted ...

Barker Commons has extraordinary past

I have decided to offer a short history of Barker Commons. ORIGINAL GRANT Originally the land in the center of the village, known as Barker Commons, was owned by Hezekiah Barker and his wife, Sarah Barker. On April 18, 1825, the Barkers deeded the land that is now Barker Commons to Zattu ...