The opening of a new transfer station in Warren County, Pa., sparks a radical idea here in Chautauqua County — is it time to privatize the county’s waste transfer stations? Chautauqua County currently has four transfer stations: one in Falconer, one in Fredonia, one in Sherman and one at ...

New York state Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul has a close connection with Chautauqua County. As a Buffalo-area resident, she has spent many summers enjoying the wonder and beauty of our region as well as Chautauqua Lake. Hochul also understands an important dynamic. If something is good for Jamestown, ...

Rationing of medical treatment is viewed by many Americans as unacceptable. Making health care decisions based on anything but need is seen as immoral. That is as it should be. But as researchers race to develop vaccines against COVID-19, the specter of rationing is being raised by ...

Residents who appreciate dividing lines for their communities may not be happy with recent decisions by municipalities that provide ambulance service. The latest to make a call on that issue, that may hurt their neighbors, was Silver Creek. Earlier this week, the board voted unanimously to ...

Without rodeo, dinner goes on It is almost like Buffalo without the Bills. This year, Gerry is without the rodeo as the event was canceled — like many other events — due to COVID-19. This would have been the weekend for the 76th annual event. There will be no action at the grounds. No ...

Hanover Town Board has put a law on the books that will be tough to enforce. Last week, officials approved a noise ordinance that is aimed at quieting the propane cannons that are going off throughout the day and night. Its passing did not come with full support as Town Board members Wayne ...

It is easy for some to read about the concerns of county Legislator Terry Niebel, R-Sheridan, regarding mail-in voting and automatically assume Niebel’s concerns are political in nature. In neighboring Pennsylvania a political fight is forming after President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit ...

There was some unneeded anxiety last week in the city of Dunkirk. When the Department of Public Works closed on Wednesday afternoon, many were asking questions. Some of those individuals were residents while others were workers, even those in City Hall. While the matter is something that is of ...

Many U.S. colleges and universities are preparing to reopen for the fall semester, with in-person classes scheduled widely. It is understandable that many students, parents and college officials are on edge. Science is on their side in a way. COVID-19 seems to be most dangerous for older ...

Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care helps hundreds of families in our community through a family’s most heart-wrenching times each year. For one man recently, the thought of facing the end of his life without his hospice caretaker was too much to bear and the man tried to wander away. ...

As colleges and schools prepare for a possible reopening in late August or early September, testing for COVID-19 has become a more important issue. How do educational institutions keep everyone safe and will there be enough tests for all students and staff? It is an issue the United ...

Common Council is setting the agenda when it comes to what is getting the attention in the city of Dunkirk. In meetings over the last two months, there has been discussion on overtime, opposition to wind turbines and the approval of having a paralegal become a union position. While we do not ...

County Legislator Terry Niebel, R-Sheridan, is on the right track when it comes to the county’s 2021 public safety budget. When the County Legislature’s Public Safety Committee met last week, Niebel suggested some major restructuring to the county Probation Department and the Sheriff’s ...

Marsha Beach, city fiscal affairs officer, did not mince words when addressing Dunkirk Common Council on July 7. Financially, she painted a bleak picture. There is a severe cash flow problem, she said, and the city could end up having to borrow money to make ends meet. Think about that. A $24 ...

Gowanda, through a ceremony last week, proved once again that not only is it a caring community, but a grateful one as well. In unveiling a new helicopter pad and rescue truck, the elected officials, volunteers and those in attendance offered their thanks to former state Sen. Catharine ...

Pope Francis is telling Roman Catholic leaders they must do what most people—including the overwhelming majority of the church’s faithful — would do without being told: report cases of sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults to the police. A long awaited manual of guidance from ...

Neither Gov. Tom Wolf nor Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York state want to give up their emergency powers. Similar executive actions last week provide proof why they should do just that. Both governors took steps to limit bars and restaurants as coronavirus cases climbed in some parts of ...

Businesses that were forced to close during the COVID-19 crisis from March to early May are definitely deserving of some assistance. In Dunkirk a number of businesses were recipients of a portion of $190,000 that was distributed by the city’s Planning and Development Department in federal ...

Small Business Revolution, as noted in last weekend’s OBSERVER, did not make a return trip to Fredonia as was planned earlier this month. Due to COVID-19, the cast and crew decided the show would be done remotely instead. “It certainly is a new experience. It’s amazing that we were ...

It is good news that schools in Chautauqua County should be able to open in September with at least some form of in-person learning. Now, the hard work begins. School districts have until July 31 to submit reopening plans to the state Department of Education. There is much yet to be ...