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On Being Creatures of Habit

I was thinking the other day about how all living beings are creatures of habit. I remember, as a kid, bringing the cows in for milking. We would open the back door of the barn, and most of those cows would head right for their stall. There were 30 or 40 cows, but each knew which stall was theirs. That always amazed me, as cows, in many other ways, could be very stubborn. But, they were “creatures of habit” when it came to the stall that they called “home.” Then, I thought of our dogs. I am the first one up in the morning—probably a throw-back to those early days when I ...

Randolph resident questions school finances

The people of this district have been patient long enough. We have asked questions. We have attended meetings. We have voted. Yet the fundamental question remains unanswered: Where did the money go? Taxpayers deserve transparency, not deflection. They deserve accountability, not excuses. And they deserve leadership that recognizes public trust is earned—not assumed. If district leadership cannot provide honest answers, demonstrate responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and rebuild the confidence of the community, we must seriously consider whether new leadership is necessary ...

A Job Means Almost Everything

When Martin Luther (the originator of the Protestant Reformation), in the early 1500s, wrote that any honest vocation is pleasing to God, one has a glimpse of what is known as the “Protestant work ethic.” A job brings some independence from parents to a high school graduate or college graduate. A job allows one to support oneself and then a family. A job instills a sense of discipline and self-worth. Unfortunately, Chautauqua County’s employment has fallen from 64,000 to 50,000 in just the past 15 years or so. (Prior to 2010, Chautauqua County had a remarkably stable employment ...

I’m not Tevye, but I like how he thought

One of my favorite musicals since it arrived on the stage scene in 1964, and hit the Big Screen in 1971, is Fiddler on the Roof, the story of a poor Jewish family struggling to maintain their religious beliefs and teachings in a settlement of Imperial Russia set around 1905, about the same time as the Russian Revolution. It is a tale based on a real-life milkman who author Sholem Aleichem, writer of a series of Yiddish short stories titled Tevye and his Daughters, once met somewhere 1894 and 1914, in a small Jewish-only settlement. When the story became a musical, the opening one-word ...

A decade of Shades of Pink is a Legacy that Lives On

On behalf of the WCA Foundation, we are honored to celebrate the 10th and final year of the Shades of Pink Golf Tournament—a decade of compassion, generosity, and impact in our community. Through the vision and dedication of Steve and Anne Sischo, this tournament has raised more than $100,000 to support cancer care at UPMC Chautauqua. Anne, a breast cancer survivor herself, wanted to help others facing cancer. Today, the Shades of Pink Golf Tournament has grown into a powerful community tradition—funding essential services such as mammograms, patient navigators who provide ...

What does patriotism look like?

I hope you’re feeling a little more patriotic. The visiting international spectators at the FIFA matches should have stirred something in all of us. The Fourth of July, despite the strange weather, managed to break through the clouds long enough to remind us there is still much worth celebrating. Oddly, there are Americans who seem to hold their own country in contempt. Yet talk to many new citizens who escaped communist or socialist governments, and you’ll often hear a very different perspective. They still see the United States as a remarkable experiment in human freedom. I ...