Twenty years ago — 1998

Players and coaches from the Dunkirk Midget Marauders football team were honored during a recent city council meeting for their championship season. The team captured the title in the Lake Shore League. Mayor Robert Kesicki said this was a “proud moment for the city of Dunkirk” and he commended the players for their “excellence in the area of sportsmanship and prowess on the athletic field.”

Thirty years ago — 1988

A number of state and local officials participated in ground-breaking ceremonies Nov. 2 for the 700-bed medium-security Lakeview Correctional Facility on Lake Avenue near Brocton. The construction of the prison, which has been called the biggest capital project in the history of Chautauqua County, is expected to create 425 permanent jobs with a total annual salary value of $13.8 million. It is estimated that the prison will bring 204 new households and 551 new residents into the area on a long-term basis.

Forty years ago — 1978

The city of Dunkirk plans to make an offer of $35,000 for the purchase of the First Church of Christ Scientist on Washington Avenue for use as a new historical center. Meanwhile, city development director John Hiller plans to meet with leaders of the Historical Society of Dunkirk to convince them that a new building would be better than the church. Mayor Gilbert Snyder, who is opposed to buying the church, said he will file a purchase offer of $35,000 with Rusch Realty, which is seeking buyers for the church property. The asking price reportedly is $50,000. A new museum building is being proposed on public land between the Dunkirk Senior Center and an apartment building currently under construction.

Fifty years ago — 1968

A million dollar school and monastery in Westville, NJ, will be dedicated Nov. 9 in memory of the late Archbishop Celestine Damiano, a native and former resident of Dunkirk, who received his early education in this city.