Voices of the people still matter when it comes to local government. Within days after unveiling a proposed Fredonia budget that included a 17% property tax increase, Mayor Doug Essek had a change of heart after hearing plenty of criticism through social media and around town. He sent ...
The irony is inescapable. ConnectGen, a Texas LLC, is proposing to develop 1,500-2,000 acres of Agricultural and Forested land for the South Ripley Solar Project. Last month, Texas was hit with massive power outages precipitated by an unrealistic energy policy that was too dependent on ...
Thirty years ago — 1991 The honorary degree which was to have been awarded to Lucille Ball in May of 1989 will be awarded posthumously this May after approval was granted by the State University of New York Board of Trustees. The Jamestown-born actress would have received SUNY’s honorary ...
We have all learned to do some things in new ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these practices have been difficult while others are full of success. Dunkirk’s drive-through rabies clinics is one of these items that has worked very well. Within the last month, the latest clinic ...
We are blessed with fertile farm lands. And the area of which I am most familiar, is our Chautauqua/Cattaraugus/Erie County area. Many of our neighbors and friends are directly involved in agriculture. What a contribution they are making to the local economy and to the health and well being of ...
Thirty years ago — 1991 Four Forestville Central School Spanish students have recently returned home from an eight-day tour of Mexico. They are David Jordan, Patrick Binzel (German exchange student) and Polly Hall. They were accompanied by their instructor, Ruth Ann Panzica. Forty years ...
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. That old axiom must be ringing in the ears of local school board members and district superintendents as they finish their 2021-22 budget proposals and look ahead to future years. New York is promising a lot with its recently passed ...
I’d like to share with you my personal experience with my parents care and the importance of sharing instructions for their end-of-life care. I took care of my parents to varying degrees for 16 years and knew them well. Like a good hospice nurse, I made sure they discussed their healthcare ...
When people live somewhere long enough, they often forget what they love about it. The next time you take a drive locally, pretend you’ve never been here before. Try to see the area through the eyes of a stranger. Think about the features that draw you to visit other places. Think about the ...
Thirty years ago — 1991 A law requiring all cats to be immunized against rabies will, in all likelihood, go into effect in Chautauqua County sometime this summer. This is the word from the county health officials in Mayville, who say that if just one case of raccoon rabies is detected in ...
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has suggested a 90-day moratorium on immigration to give Congress time to make the issue a priority. He is right to try to inject a sense of urgency in tackling the issue. Most Americans cannot fathom living in a place where it seems preferable to live in ...
Having been diving through the internet and ending up with a sheaf of papers on the plant, (we’ll get to those in a second), I must say I have no interest in eating, smoking or ingesting coltsfoot. I love this little wildflower and search for it every spring because, you know, it’s the ...
Thirty years ago — 1991 Veteran running back Kevin Mack and radio analyst Doug Dieken were the guests of honor at the fourth annual Cleveland Brown Backers sports banquet at the Dunkirk Moose Club. More than 110 members attended the event, which featured the awarding of a $500 scholarship ...
Speculation has already begun to swirl. Will Chautauqua County be teamed again with the Buffalo region or will there remain a strong Southern Tier bond for a Congressional district in 2023? Add in the uncertainty that comes with nearly four weeks of silence from current U.S. Rep. Tom Reed and ...
There is no shortage of personal protective equipment, but the need remains great for a number of providers. That was more than evidenced at Westfield Memorial Hospital. On Tuesday evening, the facility helped area first response departments take in some of that important gear. “Today ...
There is much about the closure of the Gowanda Correctional Facility that does not make sense. That shouldn’t be surprising seeing New York state government is involved. Now that the last prisoners are out of the facility, though, now is the time to stop thinking about what New York state ...
For the first few months they were available, COVID-19 vaccinations were the hottest ticket in Chautauqua County. Clinics would be announced and fill up within minutes. Is that trend reversing? A clinic at Jamestown Community College announced late March 29 did not fill up quickly. In ...
To begin to understand why so many people died in New York City at the start of the World Health Organization’s global health emergency (Jan. 30. 2020), one must first look at the city’s hospitals, and in particular, its municipal health system. It’s called NYC Health Hospitals (NYCHH), ...
Thirty years ago — 1991 Special Metals President Donald Muzyka lifts the first shovel of dirt on the site of a $15-million, 40,000 square-foot addition to the company’s plant on Willowbrook Avenue in Dunkirk. Special Metals currently employs 59. The expansion, expected to take 18 months ...
A new county-owned ambulance in the north county will play an important role in backstopping volunteer fire departments in the region. Chautauqua County recently obtained a new ambulance by giving the village of Silver Creek $5,000 a year in Advance Life Support credits for six years to pay ...