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Catholic Charities still helping thousands

It’s been a challenging year for many in our community facing price increases, tighter budgets, and job cuts and the need for Catholic Charities’ services only continues to grow here in Chautauqua County. For more than 100 years, Catholic Charities has provided HOPE to our neighbors who may be struggling to make ends meet, or who are facing challenges impacting their health and well-being. Catholic Charities’ programs offered in Chautauqua County gave HOPE to more than 13,100 individuals of all ages and across all faiths last year alone. These programs include basic emergency ...

Taxing troubles: Village pays for poor decisions of past

Fredonia homeowners are soon to have a historic gargantuan tax increase imposed on them with virtually no resistance by their own choice. Notwithstanding, last year’s illegal and unprecedented tax of 6%, this dwarfs that by a factor of 12 times. If you go prior to last year you may as well say is 65 times the increase in one year. The justification for this — the same old New York state tired bureaucratic excuses – is that it’s illegal to lay off union employees, cutting services would degrade the village, and so on. Juxtaposed to these excuses are the existentialist ...

Trump’s insults, actions help grow his dislike

It appears that one of our consistent contributors to the opinion page has figured out why Democrats don’t like Donald Trump. He thinks it’s pragmatism. Oh really, it’s that simple? I won’t use the word “hate” as the writer did, mainly because it is actually “hate” that is one of the reasons we don’t like Trump. He harbors hate, resentment, revenge, for any and all who have dared to criticize him, he sees them as enemies. Congressional Republicans are even afraid to express disagreement. He’s not a president to do good for the country, he’s using his office to ...

German heroes executed for resistance

SCHONDORF AM AMMERSEE, Germany — Let’s pick up where we left off last week. In war, the people almost always lose in one way or another—with some making the ultimate sacrifice—regardless of whether their countries prevail. Ultimate sacrifices leave voids among families and friends that no one can fill. The war that ended in 1945 was no exception. Along the way are those showing determination, guts, and courage in the face of adversity that those of us who haven’t endured it can’t even begin to imagine. ≤ ≤ ≤ Speaking at the 100th anniversary celebration of ...

U.S. has to do more to keep up with China

Winning a war with China would not be easy. Should we be caught up in a war with China we will have a difficult time replenishing munition stocks and replacing combat losses. During World War II, the U.S. manufactured 300,000 aircraft. Today the total number of aircraft in the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps is 2,531. To put things in perspective, aircraft are more effective carrying more ordinance with stealth features. However, Pentagon practices concerning contracts often means that tooling and manufacturing capacity may not exist to increase the number of aircraft available and ...

The return of the natives

I like to write about the annual robins who nest on my back porch. I enjoy watching their month-long odyssey from the home building to the final fledgling fly-off. Last year’s model must have liked the neighborhood, because Rosie Robin (as I had named her) is back. And she has brought along two friends. I don’t know whether she is the same momma robin for sure, but she certainly looks like last year’s model … same red breast, same yellow bill, same black, beady, watchful eyes – amazingly just like the picture in my bird book. And her two sidekicks look identical, enough to ...