Local Columnists

I once claimed that I probably read 200 books a year. It was an estimate, a response to a Writer’s Digest mail-in (pre-online) course on writing ficti...

Angie and I are not quite true empty nesters. Our oldest son Sam is finishing up graduate work at St. Bonaventure and student teaching at an area scho...

“I expect I told you I bought a Land Rover and am driving to Australia.” With this singular declaration, my late wife’s mother begins a letter to her ...

The clergy abuse crisis engulfing the Buffalo Diocese and the Catholic Church is horrifying, from the unthinkable scope of the abuse to the staggering...

OK, I confess. I like to get holiday lights up in the living room early. Like right after Halloween. I like the glow when I’m watching Hallmark movies...

What extremist ideology has produced the most deadly attacks on American soil since 9/11? If you answered “radical Muslim terrorism,” you’re wrong. Ac...

We did not exactly know what to expect when we decided to organize Cattaraugus Gives, a day of online giving in Cattaraugus County, for the first time...

History will record that, by narrowly taking control of the House of Representatives in 2018, the Democrats avoided what could have been a catastrophi...

Many Americans, who appear to know — or care — less and less about our nation’s history, nevertheless are likely to have at least a vague understandin...

I recently worked on a feature story that turned my thoughts toward the nature of friendship. The piece was about two long-time friends, Thom Torrey a...

The League of Women Voters of Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties was delighted to co-sponsor last Thursday’s 23rd Congressional District debate with th...

Thursday night’s debate between Rep. Tom Reed and Democratic challenger Tracy Mitrano was the most electric political event I’ve ever been a part of i...

Is it just me or does the marketing for kids cycle faster than a washing machine? About the time I’m tracking down gifts with popular character themes...

(Note: For Halloween, I wanted to share a special version of one of my most published, special stories with the readers who follow me now that I’m hom...

It was somewhere out west, Denver, I think. My husband, Gordy, enrolled in a weeklong class to maintain his certification as a rural appraiser, one of...

It’s hard to be poor. It’s hard to struggle to keep a roof over your head and food on the table. The struggle is real, and it’s made harder by misunde...

Republicans are understandably distraught when they hear the mainstream media endlessly repeating the mantra that there will be an historic “blue wave...

My 6-year-old son, Preston, who happens to have Down syndrome, started kindergarten in August. I felt it was the perfect opportunity to share what sch...