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The OBSERVER’s View

COUNTY Battery oversight just the beginning

The sale of nearly 12 acres of vacant land in Ellicott for battery storage likely won’t see any development for a few years as required studies are completed. And that’s a good thing, because a rash of fires at three such facilities in New York last year alone raises some questions about ...

COUNTY Start planning to spend our funds

County legislators had quite the discussion last week about how much more of your money the county should keep for a rainy day. In the past the county’s Financial Management Policy gave legislators a 10% range between 5% and 15% of the county’s budget where the county’s surplus should ...

DUNKIRK Muddling council offers no fixes

Did anyone else notice the irony of the Dunkirk Finance Committee meeting last month? During that gathering there were two topics: first was the city’s lack of paying bills it owed to the state for the retirement program. The second centered around complaints that those who owed money to the ...

CAMPAIGN Keeping an eye on truth, issues

The 2024 presidential campaign has had more than its share of drama, but it doesn’t hold a candle to what went down in 1968. That was the election where President Lyndon Johnson withdrew from the race, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated on the campaign trail, and rioting happened in the ...

CASSADAGA Too much trouble over concrete block

Cassadaga Trustee Cathy Cruver is exactly correct. What the village did to a business — Valley Outdoors — was not fair and quite questionable. Cruver brought up the topic last month after owner Adam Diate voiced his displeasure with the concrete blocks that surround a hydrant near his ...

Dunkirk Business boosts market in city

One of the reasons this region remains in a recession when compared to the rest of the United States is a lack of private investment. All too often here, governments and schools are relied upon to make improvements to the community. While that is often welcome, it is an unhealthy solution. ...