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Foundation steps up in food crisis

It’s not unusual to see an increase in demand for food assistance during the holiday season. However, the increase this year has been, and is expected to continue to be, far greater than is normally seen. Much of this is due to rising food prices nationwide and the impact of the government shutdown. According to Diane Hannum, Executive Director of Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation (NCCF), “Local pantries are seeing more neighbors turn to them for food. This increase began even before the SNAP pause. Seeing this level of need is heartbreaking, but it is exactly why the Northern ...

Hazards of walking are evident in village

I write in response to the article “Unfriendly Paths: Ferguson irate over crosswalk ignorers” (Nov. 20). Mayor Ferguson stresses that people have the right to cross the road, and that drivers must stop and allow them to cross, as this “is the law across the United States of America, not just in New York State.” I write as a daily walker, a lifelong and avid pedestrian. I’m a walker without a driver’s license, one who never sat behind the wheel of a car. I’m very well-travelled – all on the sidewalks of Fredonia! I often face drivers unwilling to wait. They hurry to ...

American side of Niagara Falls still lacking love

Imagine you have never been to Niagara Falls and you are visiting the area for the first time. You visited the Canadian Side of Niagara Falls first, then came to the American side after a small stroll on the Rainbow Bridge. You feel lost and disappointed with your experience here compared to your experience on the Canadian side. You are not alone. That’s how many first-time tourists feel about it. Now the million-dollar question is: why does the American side of Niagara Falls look like a tourist place that needs more love? Like many of you, I was curious about this question too. I ...

Rounding Third: The legacy of Thanksgiving leftovers

Our post-Thanksgiving dinner has become a family ritual. Friday’s dinner even has its own name: “TurkeyPile.” Now that I look at the word in print, it doesn’t sound particularly appetizing does it? But it is old-fashioned wonderful. The holiday itself has its own heady anticipations. It’s hard to beat the aroma of that roasting gobbler, especially when there is a remaining bouquet of pumpkin and apple pies still hanging in the air. Those scents enhance the long-awaited, bronzed big boy as he comes out of the oven. There’s nothing quite like that mouth-watering eagerness. ...

Thanksgiving adds to nation’s unity

November is known for more than just our annual Veterans Day celebration. Beyond the history of the end of a great war that involved many countries around the globe is knowledge of other extreme tragedy such as the maritime event of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a lake freighter that steamed through all of the great lakes carrying valuable cargo for supporting the country’s industry and even energy needs. The ship sank to the bottom of Lake Superior during a horrific storm, losing all of its crew. November also brings us the traditions of Thanksgiving celebrated on the last ...

Catholic ‘message’ consistently inconsistent

I have read the “Special Pastoral Message” on Immigration issued by the U.S. Catholic Bishops who are the leaders of the American Church. While I can understand their concerns the Pastoral Message misses the point as I will soon explain. The message states “Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons.” It then states the “Church’s teachings rests on the foundational concern for the human person created in the image and likeness of God.” As a Catholic I fully agree with those statements and also that we have a compassionate God ...