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Strong neighbors grow communities

In Westfield, we are surrounded by quiet beauty — vineyards rolling toward the lake, a Main Street steeped in history, and neighbors who still wave from their porches. Yet beneath this familiar charm, many of us sense something missing. We live near one another, but not always with one another. We share a town, but not always a shared life. This is not just a Westfield story. It’s something felt across small towns everywhere. But here, the possibility for renewal is at hand. Over the years, social life in many communities has thinned. Churches and civic groups have fewer young ...

Holiday and deer season part of heritage

It is just past Thanksgiving and another deer season is upon us. Many around here will likely spend some time at deer camp that day. In reflecting back, though I have no historical proof of it, I have always thought that the pilgrims likely ate venison along with turkey on that first Thanksgiving Day. Looking forward to deer season, I guess, is part of my DNA. I was once Chairman of the Subcommittee on Fish and Wildlife in the State Assembly. Every year we would have discussions with the DEC Division of Fish and Wildlife about setting the fish and wildlife seasons in New York, ...

Rural hospital funding far from restored

You have to hand it to U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy. Not everyone would be willing to go out in the rain and stand in front of a microphone to tell us temporary funding for rural hospitals that offsets only one-third of permanent funding cuts is a win. Langworthy called the $50 Billion Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) “one of the largest federal investments in our history to support rural healthcare.” Why was this bill necessary? Because the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a bill Langworthy voted for, made drastic cuts to Medicaid, an important funding source for hospitals and ...

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 ...