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Bravo to wetlands law challengers

Let’s pick up where we left off on Labor Day weekend 2025. In the court battle over New York’s new wetlands law, Round 1 goes to the challengers. Bravo. ≤ ≤ ≤ You, faithful reader of this column, will recall how devastating the law can be for Chautauqua County, particularly because of the law’s impact on Chautauqua Lake. The law has the potential to turn the lake into a weed farm, hinder growth of lakefront-property values, and have the effect of driving up property taxes for those owning land not along Chautauqua Lake. You, faithful reader of this column, will ...

Continuing education in humor gets serious

Long car drives are good for sweeping out the sticky cobwebs. Lottsa time to think. On my way back from the writing conference I recently attended in Dayton, I had 375 highway miles to review the stimulating weekend, to relive many new stories. The conference’s real name is the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop. It is named for Erma, the housewife humorist and distinguished alumna of the University of Dayton, the conference venue. She began writing for her school newspaper in junior high school. And never quit. Dayton is a Catholic University. It was Brother Tom Price, Erma’s ...

Finding middle ground with politics in schools

In 2024 the liberal Brookings Institute did a national poll of students and adults to determine how they perceived the possible presence of political bias in our schools. Both groups were asked whether, in their view “public schools tend to promote: 1. Liberal political viewpoints, 2. Politically neutral and/or balanced viewpoints, or 3. Politically conservative viewpoints.” The results indicated most adults believe our public schools present neutral or balanced viewpoints. However, adult views on school political leanings are heavily influenced by party affiliation. Republicans ...

April’s importance to U.S. history

Looking closely at the month of April reaching all the way back to the beginning of this country and the many significant events bringing us to 2026. We find a great many events that were monumental to the United States of America. The first being the musket volley at Concord Bridge on April 19, 1775. This event was the very first in our country under the idea that we would be free from British rule. This moment was the actual first shot fired beginning the American Revolution. As years passed by and we grew into the country being envied by every other nation around the globe, certain ...

Spring construction starts on bridge

If you have driven over the Chautauqua Lake Bridge lately, there are signs that spring construction work has started. The wooden railing along the centerline of the bridge to protect workers as they walk has been completed, cranes have started to put platform barges back into the water, and some more concrete removal has started on the south section on the Bemus side. From what I have heard, DOT officials are hoping to finish completing the restoration of the pavement and railings on the south side of the bridge this summer. If they can achieve that goal, then next winter we would be ...

Spring construction starts on bridge

If you have driven over the Chautauqua Lake Bridge lately, there are signs that spring construction work has started. The wooden railing along the centerline of the bridge to protect workers as they walk has been completed, cranes have started to put platform barges back into the water, and some more concrete removal has started on the south section on the Bemus side. From what I have heard, DOT officials are hoping to finish completing the restoration of the pavement and railings on the south side of the bridge this summer. If they can achieve that goal, then next winter we would be ...