By RICHARD MORRISROE Public entities and the Fourth Estate — the press — have a long history. Our First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution guarantees the rights an independent press, to act as a vanguard against government overreach and corruption. I understand why the press has a ...

One thing you can say about humanity is we have always lived in the modern world. Whatever we had whether it was a beautiful home with air conditioning and plush furniture, or a cave in the forest where we crouched from bears, it has always been the best the modern world has had to offer. ...

An article headlined “Goodell accused of racist language,” which is typical of those Democrats in Albany and Washington, appeared in the OBSERVER on July 21. The only thing that I can observe that Goodell stated was real world and working world. How can anyone honestly say that those words ...

The Bush administration’s 2007-08 “Great Recession” caused hardships for job seekers, instability in the business community, devastating losses for some home mortgagees, and stress on personal budgets. The corrections taken during the Obama administration began a slow but steady ...

Truth is complicated and difficult to explain while lies are simple and require no explanation. To my knowledge, there are several laws that we need to follow to govern the village. We are required to follow the charter as well as the state laws. If something is covered by the charter, we ...

Editor’s note: Former State University of New York at Fredonia professor and OBSERVER columnist George Sebouhian was preparing to write his life story when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2013. He died three years later, having left behind hundreds of pages of research notes, poems and ...

The front page headlines of the July 31 OBSERVER in bold type stated, “Gard goes unfiltered: Village attorney critical of trustees (Roger) Britz, Essek in report.” At the July 29 board of trustees meeting “village attorney” Dan Gard spoke for just over four minutes telling the public ...

I know there are homes without books. I doubt if I’ve ever been in one. In fact, I can’t imagine what it would be like to live there. Books are here as my friends: to relax and bring me pleasure, to stimulate and, frequently, to educate. At the moment I have four stacked on the table ...

Oh, what a paradise Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his friends have in store for us. The Democrats passed and Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA/the Act). We’re to become “carbon neutral” by 2050, by 2030 70% of our energy will come from ‘renewables’ ...

By PETE HOWARD A recent New York Times article by Gina Kolata offered a detailed and highly disturbing account of what emergency care professionals experienced in the aftermath of the El Paso massacre. Such reporting is especially important in this era of “compassion fatigue” where the ...

My column today is an open letter to our six grandchildren, and to grandchildren, friends and folks everywhere. A short time ago, I started to write a letter to my six grandchildren. However, before I finished my letter, I was invited to speak to a local group of junior and senior high school ...

I find it very difficult to go to sleep at night. Once I get to sleep I’m fine. It’s just getting there is often a problem. If I could just turn off the music in my head I think it would help. You’ve heard of people “with a song in their heart?” I have a song in my head. All the ...

Let me start with this disclaimer. If this column does not come up to the usual level of excellence that you have come to expect, it is due to Russian interference in our democracy. The disappointment that you might experience today may be due to the same evil Russians who deluded me in the ...

I find it very difficult to go to sleep at night. Once I get to sleep I’m fine. It’s just getting there is often a problem. If I could just turn off the music in my head I think it would help. You’ve heard of people “with a song in their heart?” I have a song in my head. All the ...

With summer in full swing in upstate New York, I, like many of you, am turning to our region’s lakes to cool off, relax with family and friends, and seek connection with the environment. Unfortunately, harmful algal blooms, or HABs, have already started cropping up in our lakes. Red Jacket ...

To ignore the plight of animals — domestic and captive wild — in the “entertainment” industry, those caught in cruel leg-hold traps or snares, those raised for food or their pelts under deplorable and inhumane conditions, those used in painful laboratory experiments, those given away ...

Respect missing at meetings Editor, OBSERVER: What is going on with the Fredonia mayor, the trustees and village attorney? The recent calling out of officials is wrong. This should be talked about in closed doors, not on TV or in the newspaper. This is all about politics and the ...

In the last few weeks there has been both good news and bad news in the battle between total dependence on renewable “green” energy and a sensible energy policy in New York state. First the bad news. I’m sure that many of you have read the recent OBSERVER story that the price of ...

Continuing our series of What We Believe statements, this month we stop at the 3rd Commandment: “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.” The Sabbath is the day of rest for Christians from work and toil to focus on worship, prayer and meditation. As the Sabbath Command was given, as ...

“Heavy, heavy, what hangs over? Fine or super fine?” It was a common game at birthday parties (later extended to showers as well where there was a tendency to grow more ribald) when I was growing up. The presenter or hostess would hold a gift over the head of the recipient and chant the ...