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Region relies on PBS, NPR

This is a letter I sent to U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy. I cannot believe Congress is considering a bill to defund NPR/PBS (No Partisan Radio Partisan Services Act) Is Congress really going to waste time trying to limit these broadly accessible media outlets that provide preschool children’s programs to children without access to preschools, improve public safety by networking first responders and issuing weather alerts to remote communities (your WARN Act would depend on this service) and for communities without access to cultural events? PBS offers a plethora of cultural ...

Sounding the Alarm in Chautauqua County

Last week, my wife Melissa and I responded to a home fire in Sinclairville and provided immediate assistance to two residents - including comfort kits, blankets and more. Just the day prior, we responded to a multi-family fire in Jamestown to assist the families in their recovery – they shared with us that there were no working smoke alarms in the home at the time of the fire. In our roles as Disaster Action Team members for the American Red Cross of Western New York, we are often on the scene alongside first responders and witness the devastating and long-term effects caused by home ...

Easter in the assassination culture

Weeks ago, a former resident of Chautauqua County on social media posted a meme from VoteBlue picturing President Trump and a circle drawn around his ear lobe with a caption reading: “The most hated POS in the world, second only to Shitler.” Despite the gratuitous vulgarity and ignorant comparison, I brushed it off until I saw the results several days later of a survey revealing that nearly 50% of left-leaning Americans feel the murder of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk is somewhat justified. The Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University’s ...

Best to say no to wind/solar/BESS

Given the amount of information available from around the world proving how economically destructive wind/solar/BESS energy is – it seems a bit self-defeating that New York State still pushes it. State politicians and citizens are either ignorant of the economics, or they don’t care because they have other personal interests in mind. Wind and Solar are absolutely unreliable power sources, so BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems) must be added to the grid – at great expense – as backup for all-to-common periods of low wind and solar generation. BESS just adds to the already ...

Lay ministers can help with Catholic Church’s priest shortage

A recent article in the Buffalo News told the story of Catholic Churches in the Diocese of Buffalo whose parishioners are appealing the closing of their parishes. One of these parishes happens to be St. Rose of Lima in Forestville. Following extensive preparation these parishes appealed directly to the Vatican and recently received letters stating that their appeal will be considered by the Dicastery of the Clergy. The Dicastery of the Clergy is an office of the Holy See that among other duties studies problems resulting from the shortage of priests that could deprive Catholics from ...

More than a penny for your thoughts

Last Friday, it was yet another foray into the piled-up boxes in the garage. I am determined to get through the last of my mother’s stored items that landed here last fall… from her last rented storage unit. Friday was a success. A friend and I emptied, sorted, and dispatched a dozen boxes. Some of the boxes were light, some heavy, but there was one large covered laundry basket that felt like it was nailed to the floor. Each tug on it required a loud grunt. WHAT did she store in this thing? The answer was layers of glossy coffee table books, 3 and 4-pounders. Plus a porcelain piggy ...