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Finding upsides to losing downstate connection

Commentary

Did you ever have a fantasy about something happening that you knew could never happen but that it would be nice if it did. Well, back in February, Minnesota Gov. Mike Walz said something that started me fantasizing. Speaking of the then ongoing strife between ICE officers and residents in Minneapolis he mused that the political tensions might represent a “Fort Sumter” moment leading to an unraveling of the union. As is usually the case with Walz he got things wrong, but his remark got me thinking along another path on how upstate New York might secede from downstate. Now there ...

Expensive round trip to priceless laughter

Commentary

I was backing out of a downtown parking space when something flashed on my dashboard. The mileage calculator changed to a wrench. OMG. What’s wrong? This is not good. It was late Tuesday, and I was leaving for Dayton Thursday morning. I was heading for the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop – a professional, fun, and stimulating conference. I couldn’t wait. And now this? It was almost 5 p.m., so I drove directly to my mechanics. Rick and Mark have kept me safely on the road for more than 15 years. On my way to their shop, I glanced up at the oil sticker on the windshield. ...

Embracing new start for WCA Home

The OBSERVER’s View

Word of a new beginning at the WCA Home in Fredonia brought plenty of enthusiasm from area leaders and community residents. Last Sunday, it was announced the historic facility on Temple Street would be brought back to life as the new Northern Chautauqua County Headquarters for Aspire of WNY. According to the news release on Sunday, the partnership is the culmination of a multi-year effort by the WCA Home board to secure a mission-aligned nonprofit organization to continue the building and organization’s legacy of human services and community support. On March 10, Aspire of WNY and ...

April Fools: Is this the future of football?

Commentary

Editor’s note: This was submitted as an April Fool’s piece. In an unexpected move that stunned fans across Western New York, owners Terry Pegula and Kim Pegula announced this morning they have agreed to sell the Buffalo Bills to former hedge fund manager and pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli. Shkreli, who was released from federal prison in 2022 after a securities fraud conviction, said “I’ve paid my debt to society” and called the purchase “a redemption story.” He promised to “modernize football economics.” The reported $9.8 billion deal — which sources ...

It all changed on Easter 1958

Commentary

I think that we all experience a day, or event, which changes our lives forever. Maybe it’s that teacher who inspires us to become all that we’re capable of being. Or that girl or guy who upon meeting we know is the one, whose unconditional love guarantees a lifetime of happiness. Or, sadly, a moment in combat leaving psychological wounds which can never heal (PTSD). In my case, it was Easter Sunday in 1958. Although my memory is mostly shot because of a combination of COVID and age, I can recall some things vividly, that day being one of them. I woke up to a glorious, sun-kissed ...

Lawmakers do not deserve a pay hike

The OBSERVER’s View

Surely, New York’s Democrats can’t be serious with yet another proposal to increase legislative salaries. Unfortunately, at least one is. Sen. James Sanders, D-South Ozone Park, is proposing a new increase in lawmakers’ salaries from $142,000 to $180,000. We’d say the bill is an April Fool’s Day joke, but it was introduced March 2 instead of April 1. It’s only been three years since state legislators gave themselves a $32,000 raise in exchange for a $35,000 limit on outside income. Sanders says state lawmakers have earned the raise by overseeing one of the largest state ...