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Opinion

Purple Heart Trail Is Worthy Of Support

In Our Opinion

A trail to honor the efforts of area veterans is in the works. An advisory committee envisions a three-year project that will create a trail from the Dunkirk Lighthouse and Veterans Museum to the Yorkers Museum in Sherman for Purple Heart recipients. According to a press release, the plan is to gather donations, grants and sponsorships this year; complete the Dunkirk Lighthouse site in 2026; and finish the Sherman site in 2027. “The Chautauqua County Purple Heart Trail will be a lasting tribute to the veterans who shed their blood for our many freedoms,” the trail committee ...

Thumbs Up To Falconer Teacher; Thumbs Down To A Bad System

In Our Opinion

Kudos to Molly Gustafson, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Temple Elementary School in the Falconer Central School District, for her work spearheading the Temple Sunshine Closet. The non-profit’s mission is to help alleviate hunger, improper clothing or a lack of necessary hygiene products for students to help get the children’s school careers off on the right foot. The organization has received 501(c)(3) status and has an independent board, of which Gustafson is president, to allow the group to receive outside grants for supplies. “It’s an awesome project and undertaking to ...

Vatican’s Reversal Of Holy Apostles Merger Is Good For City

In Our Opinion

The reversal of the merger of Holy Apostles Parish with St. James Roman Catholic Church comes as a surprise. That’s no slight toward the Save Holy Apostles Parish group who banded together quickly, raised money and made a compelling argument that Holy Apostles Parish is strong enough to remain on its own and that the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo hadn’t followed Canon Law when it sought to merge the church. The prospect of taking the appeal to the Vatican was a prospect that likely scared off many parishes scheduled for closure or to be merged - but not for the Holy Apostles ...

Moving Crisis, Homeless Teams To Jamestown Is Good Move

In Our Opinion

Chautauqua County legislators recently approved the rental of more space in Jamestown’s City Hall by the Department of Mental Hygiene and Social Services. It’s a good decision. The move brings the county’s Mobile Crisis Unit as well as its homeless team and family center case management team into City Hall. The Mobile Crisis Unit, a group of behavioral health professionals including a social worker and peer specialist who can provide care and short-term management for people who are experiencing several behavioral /mental health crises, has been located in West Ellicott since ...

It’s Time To Rethink Nation’s Stance On Immigration

Letters To The Editor

To The Reader’s Forum: “These are the times that try men’s souls” wrote Thomas Paine during a rather dark time in the American revolution. We are also enduring a dark period, with masked and armed men sweeping up people on America’s streets for little more than speaking a foreign tongue. I can’t help but wonder if my German and Irish ancestors would have swept up some 200 years ago if such policies had been in effect then. Thousands have been deported under the Trump administration without hearings and often sent to countries where they have no ties. The overall figures ...

One Person Can Make A Difference

Local Commentaries

In 1971, the Art Metal plant in Ashville closed. What was to be done with it? There were not many companies interested in taking over a 1 million square foot manufacturing facility in Upstate New York. The county had taken over the responsibility for the building through its Industrial Development Agency (IDA,) but for three years this shell of a huge manufacturing facility remained empty. Then, one day, a faraway company from the State of Indiana called and expressed interest in taking a look at it. On the day that a person from Cummins Engine came to take a look at the plant, a ...