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Finding upsides to losing downstate connection

Did you ever have a fantasy about something happening that you knew could never happen but that it would be nice if it did. Well, back in February, Minnesota Gov. Mike Walz said something that started me fantasizing. Speaking of the then ongoing strife between ICE officers and residents in Minneapolis he mused that the political tensions might represent a “Fort Sumter” moment leading to an unraveling of the union. As is usually the case with Walz he got things wrong, but his remark got me thinking along another path on how upstate New York might secede from downstate. Now there ...

Expensive round trip to priceless laughter

I was backing out of a downtown parking space when something flashed on my dashboard. The mileage calculator changed to a wrench. OMG. What’s wrong? This is not good. It was late Tuesday, and I was leaving for Dayton Thursday morning. I was heading for the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop – a professional, fun, and stimulating conference. I couldn’t wait. And now this? It was almost 5 p.m., so I drove directly to my mechanics. Rick and Mark have kept me safely on the road for more than 15 years. On my way to their shop, I glanced up at the oil sticker on the windshield. ...

It all changed on Easter 1958

I think that we all experience a day, or event, which changes our lives forever. Maybe it’s that teacher who inspires us to become all that we’re capable of being. Or that girl or guy who upon meeting we know is the one, whose unconditional love guarantees a lifetime of happiness. Or, sadly, a moment in combat leaving psychological wounds which can never heal (PTSD). In my case, it was Easter Sunday in 1958. Although my memory is mostly shot because of a combination of COVID and age, I can recall some things vividly, that day being one of them. I woke up to a glorious, sun-kissed ...

April Fools: Is this the future of football?

Editor’s note: This was submitted as an April Fool’s piece. In an unexpected move that stunned fans across Western New York, owners Terry Pegula and Kim Pegula announced this morning they have agreed to sell the Buffalo Bills to former hedge fund manager and pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli. Shkreli, who was released from federal prison in 2022 after a securities fraud conviction, said “I’ve paid my debt to society” and called the purchase “a redemption story.” He promised to “modernize football economics.” The reported $9.8 billion deal — which sources ...

The newspaper and local sports

This week I opened the newspaper, and there on the front of the Sports Page was an incredible photograph of three girls from Frewsburg with hands raised celebrating their State Championship in basketball for the second year in a row. It wasn’t just the photograph but also the write-up which made the article so powerful. There was an analysis of how the game played out, how the team rallied, what the coach had to say, and, of course, the euphoria that swept the crowd and the small community of Frewsburg upon being named State Champions once again in Class C Girls Basketball. I have ...

Economy drives people out of state

Across New York, families and businesses are facing an affordability crisis that is making it increasingly difficult to live, work, and stay here. High taxes, rising energy costs, burdensome regulations and the ever-growing cost of living are pushing people to leave the state. The data tells a troubling story. Since Governor Kathy Hochul took office in 2021, more than 1,045,000 people have left New York for other states through domestic migration. Recent data shows that in just the past year alone, New York lost more than 137,000 residents to other states, bringing the five-year total ...