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Opinion

Blaming state won’t bring jobs back

Commentary

Bush Industries is closing, leaving more than 200 people without work in the south of the county. In a region that has already absorbed losses from Truck-Lite and Serta, this is not just another closure. It’s a blow to the foundation of our community. And once again, instead of sitting with that reality and doing the hard work to solve it, our Republican leadership is reaching for a familiar script. Blame New York state. Sen. George Borrello and Assemblyman Andrew Molitor both pointed to “burdensome regulations” and the cost of doing business in New York as the ...

Sadness, anger and rage in family grief

Commentary

Last month, in this column, I wrote about the grief of the families going through the unexpected death of their children due to school shootings. This month, I’d like to explore that idea further, of what behaviors and thinking patterns happen to members of these families and all families dealing with traumatic losses. In my tenure as a C.D. Counselor, (chemical dependency), I had the privilege to work with many families. I had never dreamed of being a family counselor, helping those going through intense grief due to one thing or another. I’m going to go through a number of ...

Small world facing danger with disease

Commentary

Ebola in Africa. Hantavirus on a cruise ship. A measles outbreak kills 560 children in Bangladesh, sickens 60,000. Major diseases are making the news. We ask ourselves, is this the next big one? Maybe. We are certainly doing everything possible to make ourselves vulnerable. President Donald Trump pulled us out of the World Health Organization.They are the source of the most valuable information. Who is spreading what and how? He also canceled billions of dollars in research grants to universities. Anything we might have been ahead of we are behind now. Hundreds of scientists have ...

Council’s response bolsters mayor’s points

The OBSERVER’s View

Nick Weiser, councilman at-large, is the sharpest on Dunkirk’s legislative board. After coming aboard in 2024 — right as the fiscal crisis was beginning — he was the first council leader to scrutinize the budget, even helping other council members who had served numerous terms understand it. So it made sense that he issued the press release last week after city Mayor Kate Wdowiasz said she would no longer be attending council meetings in the future. Both Frank Torain and Gary Frederickson are still learning the ropes in their first five months while Michael Civiletto is still ...

UPMC is here for our communities

Peoples column

Editor, OBSERVER: The health needs of a community can change over time, especially in rural areas. What matters most is making sure people can get care close to home, when they need it. You may have seen that Bradford Regional Medical Center recently closed its inpatient and emergency department services. Changes like this can be difficult for patients, families and the community — and can raise questions about where to turn for care. At UPMC, our focus is to make sure care remains accessible, reliable, and easy to navigate. We are committed to supporting people where ...

Coach, teacher touched many lives

Commentary

When I was in fourth grade at the Babcock Elementary school in Silver Creek, I can remember our teacher telling us we had a new gym class instructor. Apparently he was fresh out of college (22 years old) and everyone was very excited to meet him! As it turned out, Mr. Curt Raymond would ...