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Surviving Olympic glories of past

Commentary

The Olympics have barely begun and I’m almost comatose. Coverage from Milan and Cortina during the afternoon, prime time, and late night have my eyeballs operating in the glued position. Holy biathlon. I’d forgotten how many events are covered. For the first time though, while watching these Olympic Games, I realized that I don’t envy any of the beautiful young athletes anymore. I absolutely, positively cannot imagine attempting any of those death-defying sports. Every surface they challenge is hard. My firm mattress is as far as my imagination can take me. Either they are ...

Minnesota quite culpable for current mess

Commentary

Minnesota — a state that has given America outstanding personages like movie legend Judy Garland, authors F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis, 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Joe Mauer, Charles Schulz the creator of Peanuts and influential vice presidents and senators Hubert Humphry and Walter Mondale — has descended into a clown show marked by corruption and continuous demonstrations, headed by Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey that must have Hubert and Walter spinning in their graves. Leaders of The Democratic, Farm, Labor Party had apparently both ignored ...

Show God’s love, not your judgment

Peoples column

Editor, OBSERVER: This is an open letter of response to a commentary published in The Post-Journal and the OBSERVER “Finding clarity in protests over ICE.” The writer taunts “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes” Really? What an immature response to the fatal “prize” awarded by the unrestrained, untrained, out of control ICE agent who shot Renee Good at point blank range! No ICE agent is empowered to be judge, jury and executioner for the “stupid game” of not following instructions. You are blaming the victim. And this is an Immigration Customs Enforcement agent! What ...

Heritage closing needs some compassion

Commentary

I hope that if you are reading this, you or your loved ones never need to live in a nursing home. I hope you are never forced to make that agonizing decision for your mom or dad, or find yourself in a hospital bed waiting for a skilled nursing bed to open up while the world feels like it is closing in. But for many, that day comes. As someone who has dedicated 26 years of my life to working at Heritage, I feel compelled to address the disheartening negativity and public criticism directed at our staff and management following the news of the Heritage Village closure in Gerry. It is ...

COUNTY: DMV closings set to bring benefits

The OBSERVER’s View

For those needing the assistance of the Department of Motor Vehicles in the coming days, this is an important reminder: the office will be closed Friday until Feb. 18. It is not just in Chautauqua County, it is statewide as a new, modernized DMV software system known as DRIVES is implemented. “This temporary closure is an important step toward improving the overall DMV experience for our residents,” said Chautauqua County Clerk Greg Carlson. “By preparing in advance and allowing time for a smooth transition, we can help ensure our customers receive more efficient and reliable ...

SUPER BOWL: Buffalo witnesses a map to a title

The OBSERVER’s View

For many Western New Yorkers, this weekend’s Super Bowl was not one to embrace. It came three weeks after the bitter loss to the Denver Broncos that included a questionable interception and borderline pass interference penalties. That’s tough to get over. But having to watch rival New England — with six titles — in the big game may have been worse. While the Patriots deserve lots of credit for their stunning turnaround — from four wins to 14 — not many in this region could stomach them winning another championship. Seattle, with its dominant defense, ended the ...