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The OBSERVER’s View

EDUCATION: A new battle in classrooms

Just about every adult in America who attended a public school has passed through a history class, and maybe they had an aptitude for the subject, had a teacher who inspired them to dig deeper, or were turned off completely by a clock-punching instructor who offered little more than a dry recitation of dates and names. Over the last couple of years, history classes in middle schools and high schools have become yet another battlefield in America’s ongoing culture wars. Some parents and activists have argued that they are hotbeds of indoctrination that drive students to loathe their ...

DUNKIRK Leaders finally focus on spending

City of Dunkirk council members have started their work on Mayor Kate Wdowiasz’s proposal that increases taxes 108%. Obviously, there is plenty to scrutinize. For her part last week, Councilwoman Natalie Luczkowiak of the First Ward noted some suggestions she would like to see in the budget process to get the tax rate lowered. “Make sure the administration costs reflect only the employees we have now and not a full staff,” she said in a statement. “Anything in the budget for hopeful future employees or employees needing to hire to fill the usual spots should be deleted. We ...

FREDONIA Growing need seen for annual challenge

It is up to you, Fredonia. The annual Feeding Fredonia Challenge is underway and runs through Oct. 18. Residents are encouraged to purchase nonperishable items, such as pasta and pasta sauce, canned fruit and vegetables, beans, soup, cereal, peanut butter, canned meats such as tuna and chicken, and other similar items, then donate them at participating collection sites. Food may be dropped off at any site displaying a Feeding Fredonia Challenge poster. The drive is used to replenish the shelves of the church’s food pantry, recently renamed “Fred Basket,” located at the church ...

COUNTY: Realistic budget for EMS, safety net

We’re glad to see funding for two vital programs properly funded in this year’s county budget proposal by County Executive PJ Wendel. The first is the county fly car program, which hasn’t met its budget since the county began the program in 2017. The program was billed as being cost-neutral, something most governments who find themselves in the ambulance or EMT business find is easy to say and hard to accomplish. At the same time, the program has proven indispensable to county residents who get quicker emergency response and to volunteer fire departments who often struggle to ...

DUNKIRK History of ignoring reports was a sign

New York state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli last week issued his annual report on schools and municipalities that are facing or are on the verge of fiscal stress. Missing from the list? Both the cities of Dunkirk and Jamestown. Both municipalities, the report noted, had not filed annual financial reports or the data was inconclusive meaning a fiscal stress score could not be calculated by DiNapoli’s office. Of course, both entities are facing troubles. Dunkirk is in the worst situation after borrowing $16 million from the state to make ends meet for this fiscal year. In the ...

Fredonia Water: Options needed following neglect

We understand the emotion from the Save Our Reservoir group in terms of Fredonia maintaining local control over its water system. Change is always worrisome — and sometimes it is troubling to rely on partnerships. But here’s the reality. Most of the leadership in the Save Our Reservoir group is made up of former administrators, elected trustees and mayors who by lack of action were responsible for the deterioration of the failing system over the decades. Water did not just become an issue over the last year, it has been a longtime major dilemma that has needed to be dealt with but ...