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Seeing the long-term savings in Silver Creek

The OBSERVER’s View

For the second year in a row, the village of Silver Creek has made its disdain known for its contract with Hanover and Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department. Village Mayor Kathy Tampio says the 50-50 split with the town for the more than $632,000 agreement is unfair. During a meeting this month, Tampio said two-thirds of the responses from the Sheriff's Office are in the Town of Hanover, not the village. She further stated the Silver Creek population served by the Sheriff's patrol is approximately 2,600 residents, while the town population – including the village in its total – ...

The mice, St. David, and the knobs

Commentary

The story begins with a cat and a stove. Our Maine Coon, Finian, used to camp in front of the stove at night. It took me a while to realize he was on sentry duty. It was a particularly winter behavior. Although I never actively look for signs of a mouse resident, it finally occurred to me that ...

Nuclear offers solution to need for more power

Commentary

There has recently been a lot of interest in repowering the closed NRG generating plant in Dunkirk and making use of a new type of nuclear reactor called SMRs or Small Moveable Reactors. Today, it might be surprising to learn amid all the enthusiasm for wind and solar power generation that ...

Quippies

Commentary

Nin Privitera, former Fredonia resident, offers some offbeat takes on recent headlines: — A woman who was raised by monkeys in a South American jungle was shocked the first time she saw her reflection in a mirror. Big deal! For me, that was every day in junior high school. — The state of Tennessee just botched the execution of a 50 year old woman. She survived two lethal injections but authorities may try killing her again after consulting with Dr. Anthony Fauci. — President Trump may be on the verge of doing it again. The new title of a great patriotic song could soon be ...

Grateful for colors, season in October

Commentary

October is one of my favorite months. For several reasons. “The falling leaves drift by the window. The autumn leaves of red and gold.” (lyrics-Autumn Leaves) For the first couple of weeks of the month, I can’t wait to wake up, chow down the Frosted Flakes, swig a cup of Dunkin decaf and head outside. Everywhere I look, I see the collage created by Mother Nature. The fall air is crisp and cool as I walk the neighborhood. Kids are in school and save for the infrequent barking of the Goldendoodle down the block, it’s quiet. And I love quiet. The area is blessed with a few ...

Voting options change with the times

The OBSERVER’s View

How did the first Tuesday of November become the traditional Election Day? According to a Campaign Legal Center online article from 2021, Congress in 1845 selected the most convenient day to hold a vote for the greatest number of voters at the time — farmers. Saturdays and Sundays were religious days and Wednesdays were market days. Since farmers may have needed Monday to travel to a polling location, the first Tuesday after the fall harvest proved to be the most convenient day for most voters. Times have obviously changed, which led to early voting beginning in New York state in ...