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The OBSERVER’s View

COUNTY Snowfall brings hope for snowmobiling

√If this weekend is any indication, we have officially ventured into the winter season. With that snow comes a number of events so many cherish — and venture to our region to partake in. With more than 400 miles of groomed trails over rolling foothills, open meadows and majestic state forests, Chautauqua County is a snowmobiler’s paradise. Based on previous winters, the snowfall over the weekend was a welcome sight. But before taking to that site, the state Department of Motor Vehicles reminds riders to register their snowmobiles as those must be renewed annually. DMV allows ...

DUNKIRK: Expense items miss scrutiny

Big-ticket items continue to be ignored when it comes to Dunkirk’s fiscal problems. Earlier this month, a proposal was floated to bring back parking meters to help with city revenues. Let’s try to get this straight. A city facing an $18 million budget crunch is aiming to raise between $5,000 to $10,000 in additional added revenue. Noting a need “to generate something” will not even come close to fixing what ails city coffers. “It’s just so we’re trying every which way we can to help ourselves,” said councilwoman Nancy Nichols. That statement is nowhere near being ...

SHOP LOCAL: Support Small Business Saturday

On Saturday, Chautauqua County will join the rest of the nation in celebrating Small Business Saturday. It’s a celebration too big and too good to pass up. Geared to the start of the holiday shopping season and coming on the heels of Black Friday blowouts at national big-box retailers, the sole focus of the day is to encourage consumers to shop at locally owned and operated enterprises and thereby contribute to the myriad benefits that practice produces. American Express began Small Business Saturday in 2010, and in 2011, the U.S. Small Business Administration wisely joined in as a ...

FREDONIA Diver makes splash with state title

For six years, Elizabeth Pucci-Schaefer of Fredonia consistently exhibited excellence as a member of her area high school swim teams. In her final contest before graduating, she became a state champion. Pucci-Schaefer dominated in finishing with a score of 503.5 to win the State and Federation 1-meter girls diving title in Webster. “I’m very relieved,” she said about winning the state championship. “It took me five tries, but I finally did it. We’re going to have pizza and wings with my family so I just can’t wait. … I just feel awesome.” Her next journey, however, ...

Thanksgiving Counting our holiday blessings

Too often, we prosperous, free Americans take our many blessings for granted. Nearly all of us enjoy material wealth that is the envy of billions of people in other lands. We are free to do nearly anything our hearts desire, as long as our actions do not harm others. Our nation itself is a blessing. Our government is our servant. Public policy is meant to benefit us, not the other way around, as is the situation in many other countries. We govern ourselves by consensus, in effect - providing any agreement by the majority is not detrimental to those who happen to be in the minority. ...

SCHOOLS: Students take lead on more sharing

Our county’s population loss is being acutely felt in rural school districts, where the fairly small but steady population loss makes it difficult to provide elective courses and extracurricular activities that were common as recently as the mid 1990s or early 2000s. Shared sports teams have helped keep extracurricular options open for students, with few mergers working as well as those involving Clymer, Sherman and Panama students. That’s particularly true of the schools’ merged football team, which once again is in the midst of a deep state playoff run. Merging other sports ...