Twenty years ago — 1999 Convenience store owners seeking to force New York to collect taxes on reservation sales of cigarettes and gasoline to non-Indians lost a round in state court recently. Acting state Supreme Court Justice Conrad Lang ruled that the Pataki administration’s no-tax ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 A story in today’s OBSERVER is a 50-year remembrance of the day in 1949 when a young local woman, 18-year-old Betty Latimer of Fredonia, became National Cherry Pie Champion at a bakeoff in Chicago. As far as is known at this point, Betty Latimer Schwertfager’s ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 When man first landed on the moon 30 years ago, President Nixon had a speech all ready in case man could not get off again. A contingency statement was prepared for Nixon, an eerie, poignant tribute that he would deliver while the astronauts were still alive but when ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 In the biggest personal injury award in U.S. history, a jury ordered General Motors Corp. to pay $4.9 billion to six people severely burned when the gas tank of their 1979 Malibu exploded in flames in a rear-end collision. The verdict came after a 10-week state court ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce has announced staff appointments for the newly-formed countywide chamber of commerce. Pamela Lydic has been appointed as executive vice president. Amy Vercant was appointed as director of public relations. The CCCC is the ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 In an OBSERVER photo, Lindsey Palmer and Sally Dunst are shown looking over the book they produced together. The two sixth-grade students from Fredonia Middle School were notified that they created the winning book in the James Prendergast Library-sponsored Write and ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 Fredonia Village Police were dispatched to Water and Liberty streets after callers reported children chasing a monkey. Officers Patrick Ambrose and John Romanik were told upon arrival that a monkey was loose near Canadaway Creek. The pint-sized fugitive apparently ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 A proposal to have an outside firm manage the city wastewater treatment plant is still under consideration, according to Dunkirk Mayor Robert Kesicki. Chris Surma, an operator at the plant, inquired about the status of talks with American/Anglian Environmental ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 Matthew Panas, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bohdan Panas, 4576 West Main Road, Fredonia has been selected to perform with the national performing organization known as “The Sound of America Honor Band and Chorus.” The students will experience that cultures of six ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 The Fredonia Police Department and the Burger King Restaurant on Route 60 presented their first Operation Good Citizen Award to a village youth. Kristen Green, daughter of Beth and John Green, received her free meal certificate from Officer Pat Ambrose and Burger ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 The red brick facade of the former Welch Building on West Main Street in Brocton is just that: A facing that covers a potentially dangerous piece of property. There is some discussion of the village acquiring the property through eminent domain proceedings. Brocton ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 Twenty-three-month-old Brendan Cole Bardo of Silver Creek is prominently displayed on the box that contains the Fisher-Price Nesting Action Vehicles. Brendan’s mother, Karin, had sent his photo to the Fisher-Price Co. in East Aurora. Last July, when Brendan was 11 ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 A 25-year-old dream has become a reality in the town of Ripley. The town is in the process of obtaining funds for the New York State Gateway-Thruway project and with the County Legislature’s support, the project just took a significant leap forward. The county ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 NRG Energy Inc., the new owner of the Dunkirk Steam Station, envisions the facility playing a key role in the company’s drive to become one of the top power producers in the Northeast. With other acquisitions pending, NRG anticipates being the number one provider ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 Pamela Clemens, a teacher at Northern Chautauqua Catholic School, was named the Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year by the associates from the Wal-Mart store in Fredonia in appreciation for excellence in education. Ms. Clemens was given a special Teacher-of-the-Year ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 The Lakeshore Marine Detachment recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new memorial grove dedicated to the late Roy DeGolier, a founding member of the Lake Shore Marine Detachment who passed away five years ago. The sign bearing Mr. DeGolier’s name ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 Doctors still make house calls in the village of Westfield, according to Westfield Memorial Hospital CEO Barbara Malinowski. After nearly 60 years of service to 13 surrounding towns and villages, the hospital completed its fourth expansion — a $4.5 million ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 Marshall Hall Sr., owner of Marshall’s Famous Hot Dogs, told the Dunkirk Common Council he is interested in property in the area of Fillmore Drive and Main Street near the D & F Plaza for a restaurant. Mr. Hall is in negotiations with the firm that owns the ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 From Ad News ..... The Sewer’s Choice recently opened another location at 337 E. Fairmont in Lakewood, across from the Chautauqua Mall. The Sewer’s Choice has been in business in the Dunkirk/Fredonia area for 11 years and the Fredonia store will remain open. ...

Twenty years ago — 1999 The lives of Thaddeus Kosciuszko and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King were separated by more than 100 years, but in the eyes of Dunkirk resident Jesse Thomas, the two men have a great deal in common. Mr. Thomas is hoping to call attention to the connection between the ...