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Politics is sour milk for upstate farms

Once again that huge, elitist tail that is New York City is wagging the sad emaciated body that is upstate New York. You may have read in a recent OBSERVER article that Democratic Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal who represents the Upper West Side of Manhattan and part of Hell’s Kitchen has teamed up with Democratic State Sen. Jabari Brisport who represents the 25th Senate District in Brooklyn to push legislation that would prevent the Department of Environmental Conservation from issuing new permits for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations or CAFOs that have 700 or more cows. New ...

The importance of Esprit De Corps

The importance of “esprit de corps” hit me recently as I was watching the workers on the sewer construction job now being built north of Stow on the west side of the lake. These French words refer to team spirit, to people respecting each other and working together for a common purpose. The construction workers on this job work as a team without a lot of shouting or being “bossed” around. They just do their jobs and expect those around them to do the same. It is obvious that they respect each other and like their jobs. One may be on a backhoe, another laying out the route ...

Drinking in the Fredonia Reservoir history

History of the Fredonia Water Works is interesting. It began in 1884 by the village of Fredonia acquiring lands and rights of way. The Map of the Fredonia Water Works Conduit Line and Location of the Reservoir is included as part of this article. Note the 7-foot high dam shown on the ...

Sponsors help build robotics program

The future of local robotics education is looking brighter thanks to generous support from community sponsors. Key contributions from organizations and businesses such as Dream It Do It and Miraclean have been pivotal. Their donations have not only helped young innovators refine their technical skills but also sparked plans to extend this opportunity to more schools across the county. Both Dream It Do It and Miraclean have expressed a clear, forward-thinking vision. They are committed to expanding the reach of robotics education by bringing hands-on STEM learning to additional ...

Without information, our world suffers

Ignorance. The word is derived from Latin, meaning 1) a lack of knowledge, and/or 2) a disregard for what is known. When applying the word as it might describe an individual person, there is a slight dichotomy here. The first definition is clear; an ignorant person just doesn’t have information needed to speak intelligently on a given topic. The second bears the implication that the ignorant person might be informed, but has chosen to disregard some, if not all, the available knowledge. The American public education system has a long history of providing access to information for its ...

Fredonia school budget revote: District misses rightsizing opportunities

Let’s cut to the chase. The Fredonia school district has received an 8% increase in state aid this year. The district can propose a zero percent increase in the tax levy that would cover the 1.9% capital project approved by voters last December with a near 2% extra to apply to the district’s highest priorities. Essentially, state funds are paying for both. The big question is why is the district asking for an additional 1.9% on top of that. It seems arrogant to have a revote just because they didn’t like the outcome. Funny it never works the other way when it passes. The ...