Breaking News

The OBSERVER’s View

Portland: Closed session left public out

We have been quite complimentary of how the Portland Town Board handles meetings in recent years. But this month was not one of them. Braden Carmen, OBSERVER reporter, sat through the meeting on June 12 and was told there would be an executive session regarding a contract at the end. He found out on June 17, Portland’s board had taken action to leave the Chadwick Bay Intermunicipal Water Works. That same evening he learned about Portland’s decision, he witnessed Brocton take public action on the same topic. What’s wrong with this picture? Portland entered into an illegal ...

HANOVER: Bright spots start to emerge

Silver Creek and Hanover have received positive news in the recent week as three important properties are going through makeovers. Earlier this month, area elected officials celebrated the new Hideaway Bay resort, which makes the area a destination. Just as important is the expected transformation of the former TLC-Lakeshore Hospital that was announced late this week as well as the effort that will take place on the deteriorating old Silver Creek school. Work on that eyesore in the village on Main Street could begin this fall, according to developers. Thomas Whitney, Executive Director ...

BASEBALL Properly rewriting the record books

In a distant corner of Pittsburgh’s sprawling Allegheny Cemetery, you have to march up a steep hillside to find the grave of Josh Gibson. It’s a flat stone, set in the ground, and has Gibson’s game engraved on it, his dates of birth and death and the words “Legendary Baseball Player.” It’s decidedly low-key when you consider that, indeed, Josh Gibson is among the most legendary of baseball players, his feats on the field spoken of in awe. He was among the greatest hitters the game has ever seen, not merely hammering hundreds of homers, but swatting them way out of the ...

TURBINES IN LAKE Arkwright offers unique perspective

Of all the towns to take a stand against turbines in Lake Erie, Arkwright may be the most unique. It was one of the first locations to allow windmills to be built upon its hills. To say the least, it has been a bit of a financial windfall to the town. Each year, the town receives approximately $300,000 as part of an agreement to host the turbines within the limits of Arkwright. Landowners also receive healthy payments from the developers who lease the land for the placement of turbines. But that is exactly one of the reasons its board is against the placement of the turbines in the ...

NEW YORK STATE: Red flag notices need equality

We can’t disagree with the need for extreme risk protection orders. Otherwise known as red flag orders, an extreme risk protection order allows a court to seize a person’s firearms if a judge agrees with a request by police or family members that a person is a danger to themselves or others. A temporary extreme risk protection order is issued by a local state Supreme Court justice, and if issued, must be followed until the judge listens to both sides at a hearing to determine whether a final ERPO shall be issued. That hearing usually takes between three and 10 days after an initial ...

NEW YORK STATE Missing the picture with cameras

Legislation introduced in the state Assembly this spring is the latest step in a troubling trend — law enforcement by camera. Assemblyman Fred Thiele, D-Sag Harbor, recently introduced the Protect our Pedestrians Act (A.10169) to amend the state Vehicle and Traffic Law to create owner liability for failure of an operator to comply with stop signs in the villages of Upper Brookville and Flower Hill in Nassau County and East Hampton in Suffolk County. You may ask why a bill affecting three villages on the other end of the state affects us here in Chautauqua County. The answer is ...