Some of the best, worst of the week
Here are some of the best – and worst – of the week:
BEST
GIANT TURNOUT – On a sunny Tuesday evening, more than 300 residents from Dunkirk and the rest of northern Chautauqua County attended the celebration for the Whispering Giant’s return to its location on Lake Shore Drive near the city water plant. “We have learned through (sculptor creator Peter Wolf Toth), through his attitude toward this restoration, that nothing is as bad as it seems; anything is possible. With a little hard work and positive thinking we can really do tremendous things in this community,” said Gina Kron, who helped spearhead the restoration by reaching out to Toth last spring.
CITY TRADITION – For the 21st year, Dunkirk took part in National Night Out, which allows residents to interact and meet with members of the law-enforcement department. “This is a time when we can get the community out and talk about crime prevention,” Police Chief David Ortolano said, noting about a dozen officers and several firefighters were on hand for Night Out. “The police officers come out on their own time and get a chance to meet and greet on a positive note with members of the community.”
DERBY DECADE – Our applause for the Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club, which completed its 10th annual walleye derby last weekend. By all accounts from our outdoors writer Gene Pauszek, there was plenty of praise for the event from participants and volunteers are to be saluted for their efforts. By the way, Bob Kaus reeled in a 10.92-pound walleye for the win.
WORST
REFUSING TO PAY – Both Hanover and the village of Fredonia look like non-team players when it comes to the region. Both municipalities have not paid their dues to the Chadwick Bay Regional Development Corp. It is not a significant sum of money, which makes the lack of payment even more petty. We need leadership and communities that work together, not divide.
Some of the best, worst of the week
Here are some of the best – and worst – of the week:
BEST
JURY SERVICE – Not everyone will agree with the jury’s decision that found Jason Wells guilty of manslaughter and not second-degree murder, but we still should respect their decision. Listening to the vivid details of how someone took someone else’s life is excruciating. The details were hard to hear. Yet the jury, after all that testimony, was able to find a position that all members agreed upon and didn’t rush to judgment. We applaud the jury for taking its time and weighing both sides of the issue.
HORSESHOE CHAMP – Congratulations to Pat Spruce, 53, of Gowanda. He was a winner in the World Horseshoe Tournament, which ran July 14-26 in Hamburg. This makes him one of 11 New Yorkers who are World Champions in the men’s division.
FRESH AIR – We want to applaud the Marsowicz family of Dunkirk. Sara and Jeffrey, along with their 11-year-old son Nicholas, welcomed Sequan Roberts, 9, from New York City to their home here in Western New York. Sequan is part of the Fresh Air program that brings children from the Big Apple to rural and small-town communities to get a different experience of life. This was the Marsowicz family’s first year participating. By all accounts it was a positive one for both the family and Sequan.
WORST
EXECUTIVE SESSIONS – Both Pine Valley and Forestville school districts this week have new interim school superintendents. We have nothing against either individual. We are taking issue with the process. In both cases, the school board met in executive session, which is permissible, but then after the executive sessions called for a meeting and appointed the new interim chiefs. If you are planning on making a hire after your executive sessions, you need to notify the public beforehand that you will be holding a public meeting. You can’t just go ahead and have a meeting without the proper notifications. That’s a violation of the Open Meetings Law.