Highs and lows: Some of the best, worst of the week
Here are some of the best – and worst – of the week:
BEST
BASEBALL TRIP – The Dunkirk Marauders may have lost the game to the Cairo-Durham Mustangs last week, but there was more to this game than just the score. The Marauders were able to play their game in Cooperstown, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. To top it off, coaching the Mustangs was Tom Karnes, a former teammate of Marauders coach Frank Jagoda. Karnes and Jagoda both played on the 1977 Marauders baseball team, which won a Section 6 Class B-BB Super Sectional Title. The game marked the only time Karnes was able to play against his alma mater. It was a special day indeed.
FORESTVILLE FLAG – Longtime Forestville resident and veteran Elmer Crowell recently donated a flag to fly in the village’s center greenspace. The previous flag was tattered from the harsh winter. Thank you to Crowell for stepping up and getting the flag replaced. On a side note, if any residents have a tattered flag, please give it to a local American Legion Post or Boy Scout Troop for proper disposal.
HELPING AUTISTIC CHILDREN – April is Autism Awareness month. With that in mind, we applaud the Boys and Girls Club and a group of SUNY Fredonia students for serving autistic children. For several weeks, local college students in the Special Education Department were volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club on Monday nights, when a special night was set aside for autistic children. The Monday nights have come to an end. We thank those who were able to make this happen for the short time period.
WORST
EBT CASH WITHDRAWALS – State lawmakers are busy patting themselves on the back for halting public assistance recipients from making Electronic Benefit Transfer card payments or cash withdrawals at liquor stores, beer wholesalers, casinos, racetracks and stripclubs. But yet people on welfare can still withdraw cash and spend it at liquor stores, beer wholesalers, casinos, racetracks and stripclubs. They just can’t use the ATMs at those locations. And this is a fix? Either ban cash withdrawals all together or require a receipt for where the money is spent. Anything else is pointless.
Highs and lows: Some of the best, worst of the week
Here are some of the best – and worst – of the week:
BEST
BADGE OF HONOR – We thank the Badge of Honor Association for giving signs to Dunkirk in memory of police officers killed in action. In Dunkirk, Lt. Mark Elfman died Oct. 1, 1961 from gunfire while responding to a domestic dispute. Lt. J. Harry Knollman struck his head on Feb. 6, 1932 while investigating a burglary and later died. Patrolman George Nelson died Oct. 17, 1920 when he was shot and killed after he interrupted a burglary of a warehouse. May the officers never be forgotten for their sacrifice.
BRANT BIRTHDAY – Congratulations to the town of Brant. The southern Erie town recently celebrated its 175th anniversary. The town was named after Seneca Nation Chief Joseph Brant in 1839. To mark the celebration, the U.S. Post Office issued a special cancellation.
400TH WIN – Earlier this week, Westfield baseball coach Doug Kaltenbach won his 400th game. He has been coaching for more than 20 years. Kaltenbach has made quite a difference in the lives of Westfield Academy Central School students. His longevity and commitment to the school deserves applause.
WORST
WESTFIELD ISSUES – The Westfield Village Board is dealing with a host of issues. Mayor Michael VandeVelde is accused of entering a contract with Ambit Energy to replace Energy Mark to become the village’s energy provider, without board approval. The village board, meanwhile, is accused of having an illegal meeting to protect village administrator Vince Luce from being let go by the mayor. These elected officials need to remember they were elected to serve people, not serve their own agenda.