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Opinion

HALT Act inaction invites dangers

The OBSERVER’s View

Common-sense choices in upstate are often not embraced by downstate Democrats with ties to New York City. It is a chief reason the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Committee to reform the severely flawed act and help address the ongoing staffing crisis in New York’s prisons has not happened. Republicans, however, are attempting to keep the pressure on due to safety concerns and understaffed positions. “After years of policies that have driven correction officers out of the workforce and made our prisons more dangerous for both staff and inmates, it’s ...

Ten years later, a finish line appears

The OBSERVER’s View

A long journey appears to be reaching an end. On Monday, Kaleida Health announced that initial site work on the new $224 million state-of-the-art new hospital will begin on East Main Street in Fredonia. This month marks 10 years since the project was first announced. It has been a long time coming. “It’s exciting to be underway. We are deeply grateful to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her continued support of this project,” said Don Boyd, president and chief executive officer of Kaleida Health. “This investment in our new hospital will ensure that individuals and families in ...

America’s wins are always golden

Commentary

Sitting in the living room fixed on the TV as the clock ticked down and the game between the USA and Canada Men’s Hockey teams was advancing to overtime, brought my memories full circle to 1980 as a group of us stood on tippy toes as the clock counted down during a game that represented so much more than just an amateur hockey game, or even the fact that it was at an Olympics held closer to home than I had ever witnessed. It was a contest of world domination. It was a contest of democracy versus communism. Much like the times of the late 1970s, portions of American life were ...

New York State Do not expand Raise the Age law

The OBSERVER’s View

A 24-year-old Jamestown man has been indicted by a Chautauqua County Grand Jury in relation to a shooting on East Second Street in July 2025. The other person charged in relation to the same shooting is also 24. Imagine a future in which both of those are tried in Family Court. It’s entirely possible if some Democrats have their way. Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, D-Brooklyn, is proposing the creation of a new “New Young Adult Offender” status that would cover individuals between the ages of 19 and 25 under the states’ Raise the Age program. Raise the Age went into effect in ...

Mother Nature interferes with warfare

Commentary

Sometimes we think that, as humans, with all of our technology, we can conquer anything. It just takes a hurricane or a flood to remind us of who really is in charge. The same is true in warfare. You can have all of the fancy software and technology in the world—but war still takes place over real terrain in real places. I was thinking of this recently when the war news came out that some 200 oil tankers were trapped, stuck in the Persian Gulf because of the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. Through that strait runs 20% of the world’s oil, so with its closing, oil prices jumped ...

Still working for fix to homeless problem

The OBSERVER’s View

Only in New York state is coming up with an acceptable letter to send to state officials about an unacceptable situation considered progress. But that’s the situation we’re in when it comes to housing the homeless in hotels. Sen. George Borrello and Assemblyman Andrew Molitor put together a roundtable discussion with about 20 local elected officials, police officials and county officials to discuss alternatives to housing the homeless in hotels like the Quality Inn in Falconer or the Comfort Inn in Ellicott on the outskirts of Jamestown. Borrello said during the meeting he ...