Those with longer memories than mine might recall we celebrated St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 6, 2019. Let’s continue those festivities as 2020 draws close to an end. The original Saint Nicholas was born in Greece around 280 A.D. He became bishop of Myra, a small Roman town in modern Turkey. ...

The Chinese government is implementing a nationwide social credit system. The system is troubling. The social credit system tracks a person and assigns him a score. The score is supposed to measure his trustworthiness. The Chinese government has already implemented this system regionally and ...

The Ripley solar project is expected to create up to 220 jobs at the peak of construction and which will be mostly out of state and when completed would have two to four full-time positions and would cover around 2,000 acres. It is a 270-megawatt project. Show me another industry that ...

This commentary is regarding a recent column in the OBSERVER headlined “Trump’s troubles are just beginning.” Her articles for the past four years have been a constant attack on the president of the United States. The writer is on a constant hate campaign against this president. The ...

Before we get into this article on chemical dependency with adolescents between 13 to 19, I would like to give a “warm fuzzy” to a special friend. Every once in awhile, God sends out certain angels to help us in our mission as we go through our trials and tribulations. These people are ...

For the second time in the past month, a commentary has been published in our local paper which takes aim at our county legislators with a venomous tone that mirrors our destructive national discourse (Nov. 20). Regarding our county legislators, the editor states: “If it were not so ...

By FRED JOHNSON Walk beside the rail lines that stretch along the Lake Erie plain from Lackawanna to Erie, Pa., and you’ll see trees, vineyards and underbrush bestrewn with ragged streamers of plastic and other garbage. If you walk for a bit longer, you are likely to be passed by the ...

One or two cold rainy days early in September and I remember the years when it felt like everyday was that way. “There’s nothing to do” I’m sure, as a youngster, I said that hundreds of times – as did my daughters when summer weather turned nasty and they were forced to spend time ...

It's Thanksgiving again, one of the few days when families, from near and far usually come together to celebrate. However, this year will be a little different because of the continuing pandemic, “chicken little” government agencies like the CDC, and the actions of totalitarian leaning ...

One of my favorite magazines is National Geographic History. It features interesting, well-written and documented articles covering a variety of topics including some great biographies. And the accompanying photographs are exceptional, This month, for example, NGH showcased the renowned ...

Issues regarding the 2020 presidential election have begun to work their way through courts. Some issues are constitutional issues, so it’s time to review constitutional provisions that may come to the fore. Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution provides: “Each State ...

I don’t expect to gain a large group of followers for what I write here today. I am talking about what I believe is true, and I’m sure that many will not agree with me. This, however, is an opinion piece, and I must be honest with my opinions. In his book “This Thing Called You” Ernest ...

“When you have a dream, keep walking in that direction.” When I was a boy, that was the advice I would be given by some of the “old timers.” I have never forgotten those words. I believe the source of that advice came from conviction based upon experience. You know, the “old ...

I don’t know about you but, as to politics, I am glad the election is over and things are returning a bit to normal. The presidential election campaign was too long, too contentious and too all-consuming. I feel out of breath. At my age, enough is enough. OK, we might have disagreed on ...

The incompetent, self-destructive behavior of the Democratic Party in Chautauqua County is stunning in its unrivaled stupidity. Luz Torres has been the deputy commissioner at the Chautauqua County Board of Elections for two years. She has performed admirably. We are fortunate to have such a ...

We all know about Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when the sales for Christmas shopping are supposed to be the best. I don’t know about you but, once I finally dared to try the stores on that fateful day, I found all practically empty. Where were the people? Now I read that the ...

There is a significant chance that Democrat Party operatives stole the election from Donald Trump. The implications of such a theft are interesting. The Democratic Party hoped to gain control of the country for a generation by fundamentally changing the American people, Congress, and the ...

There’s no need for the dust to settle from the 2020 election to see one of the casualties. It’s the last shred of credibility of much of the national press. It’s gone. Gone. One need not be a current-events expert to understand this: If anyone doubted that much of the national ...

The holiday season is just around the corner. Unfortunately, however, the coronavirus is here in our area now. We have seen a spike over the last month in the number of reported positive cases and hospitalizations. As your mayors of Dunkirk and Fredonia, we are urging each of you to take a ...

An article recently in the OBSERVER was headlined, “More benefits for low income families on the way from SNAP.” The article stated: The State of New York and the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is making more than $ 100 million in additional emergency food assistance to ...