Breaking News

Peoples column

People’s column

Maintain tradition of court access Editor, OBSERVER: The editors last week in the OBSERVER’s View said that the Town of Arkwright, in the midst of construction plans, should jointly build a new Town Hall with the Town of Villenova. With the establishment of the Town of Sheridan in 1827, every residence in Chautauqua County became within an hour’s walk of a Town Hall and the Courts retained within. At that time, court access was a concern as the heads of household in Chautauqua County were predominantly farmers negotiating property rights. This was not the rule among New York ...

Some dirty details on green energy

Editor, OBSERVER: Did you know your green energy is not so green? Here again are some facts that should shock you. Let's get started. — Did you know that in the average wind turbine base there is 165 to 200 tons of steel, in just one base. There is 850 to 900 cubic yards of concrete or 600 to 1,000 U.S. tons in each base. Not sounding so very green. — Now let's move on to oil used. This will shock you. A 5-megawatt wind turbine uses 700 gallons of oil in each turbine and oil has to be changed every nine to 16 months, enough to change your car's oil 700 times or 3.5 ...

People’s column

Power being taken away from voters Editor, OBSERVER: The eyes of the world are upon us as we try to navigate our way through this chaotic new administration. My fear is that our nation will descend into another civil war, and we’ll be unable to celebrate our 250th anniversary. If we are somehow able to start over, here are a few recommendations: Set term limits for every elected office. Set Supreme Court terms at 15 years. Allow only public funds for election campaigns, with no more private donations. Prohibit the president from granting pardons and issuing executive orders. ...

People’s column

Latest decisions ‘best hope’ for U.S. Editor, OBSERVER: Ronald Reagan spoke of the USA as the “last best hope of mankind.” What if we are correct that we are the “last best hope of mankind?” That’s a big responsibility. If so, don’t we have a duty to fulfill that responsibility? On election day we dodged a bullet. The “elite” left spent billions to force their radical agenda on us while weaponizing the government against those who opposed it. We fulfilled one aspect of our duty to preserve the USA when we voted. If you believe the left is going to ...

People’s column

Keeping some peace for nature Editor, OBSERVER: This response is about the piece that was in the Dunkirk OBSERVER on Jan. 3 regarding year-round motorized trails. Legislator Dan Pavlock, R-Ellington, stated “I know it’s an uphill battle and there’s a lot of naysayers, but where do we stand on a more all-season type of trail. Lauren Sharp with the county Department of Planning said there are trails in the county that are open year-round, but mainly for hiking, biking or horseback riding. “As far as other motorized vehicles – side-by-side, four-wheelers, things like ...

People’s column

Fredonia project due to lack of action Editor, OBSERVER: After having read the OBSERVER’s View article (Dec. 7-8) covering the upcoming vote on Fredonia’s capital project, I felt the need to respond to shed light on several items the article conveniently didn’t mention. First, the idea of sharing Forestville’s auditorium completely misses the point on much of the improvements that will take place should proposition 2 pass. While Forestville’s auditorium is without question a first class facility, I’m not sure how sharing that venue addresses the need for larger ...