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Opinion

SOUTH DAYTON: Dissolution plan worth watching

The OBSERVER’s View

With recent discussions of a consolidated northern Chautauqua County municipality, it is interesting to see what is happening in the village of South Dayton in Cattaraugus County. In recent months, the entity has considered dissolution. Tonight, the Village Board plans a public hearing on the ...

Catholic Charities brings hope to needy

Commentary

By DAN MECCA For more than 100 years, Catholic Charities has stood alongside Western New Yorkers during some of the hardest chapters of their lives. Today, nearly one in every 10 people in our region will be touched by its work. That’s not just a statistic. It represents children, ...

Making progress on Code Blue site

The OBSERVER’s View

We’ve been critical of the lack of progress on transitional housing programs for the homeless in Chautauqua County in recent weeks. Transitional housing is still moving too slowly for our liking, but it’s good to see the county beginning to push for increased services in the north ...

Lessons learned on a trip to Ohio

Commentary

Recently, we took a road trip to Ohio with another couple. It was a good break from the winter doldrums. We stopped to see old friends, renew old memories and revisit old, familiar places. Ohio seems like it will never end. There are places of beautiful rolling hills, but then there are the ...

COUNTY: Waivers no factor in smoking rates

The OBSERVER’s View

Chautauqua County officials want to push the remaining organizations that have indoor smoking waivers to go smokefree. Smoking indoors in public places became largely illegal in New York state with the passage of the Clean Indoor Air Act on July 24, 2003, banning smoking in most workplaces, ...

Energy mandates hurting upstate

Commentary

New York’s winter deep freeze and record-breaking snowfalls are a stark reminder that reliable, affordable energy isn’t optional — it’s essential to keeping families warm, communities safe, and the economy running. Yet the policy choices made in Albany are out of step with those basic ...