Thirty years ago — 1992

The state education commissioner says he will recommend about 150 school districts that should consider merging with neighbors in order to cut costs. Education Commissioner Thomas Sobel is also recommending that the Legislature give him the power to order school districts to consolidate even if they don’t want to. He’s highly unlikely to get his wish. The state currently has 717 separate school districts. That’s down from the 11,372 districts in 1870, but the pace of consolidation has slowed to a crawl since 1970.

Forty years ago — 1982

An illustration by Ronald Thurston, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Thurston of Andrus Street, Silver Creek, has been accepted for the Society of Illustrators annual exhibition in New York. The illustration will be on display at the Society’s 25th Silver Anniversary Annual Exhibition, March 15 through April 13, 1983. It will also be published in the Illustrators 25th Annual. Currently, Mr. Thurston is employed as an illustrator with the Tony Sikorski Studio in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Fifty years ago — 1972

The controversial Model Counties program, sponsored by Chautauqua Opportunities Inc., and aimed at uncovering federal programs from which the county can draw funds, was approved today by the Agencies Committee of the Chautauqua County Legislature.