Pictured is the âMiracle in the skyâ photo taken during Holy Week.
Editor’s Note: Today, the OBSERVER continues its look back at the top stories of 2020 and the way they will shape the coming year. Editor’s Note: Today, 20 for 2020 looks at stories about area residents that were among the most-read in the newspaper this year.
Chautauqua County is home to 134,000 or so people, depending on the time of year and just about every one of them has an interesting story to tell.
Here are five of our favorites from the past 12 months.
FREDONIA MAN PAYS OFF SCHOOL LUNCH DEBT
Dudek is pictured with Flip, his pet rabbit.
Dunkirk Animal Clinic on Lakeshore Drive recently welcomed Dr. Mark Dudek as the new associate veterinarian.
Dudek grew up in the Dunkirk/Fredonia area. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in biology from the State University of New York at Fredonia. He graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine May 2020.
He enjoys treating zoo companion animals and is very skilled in the area of small animal dentistry.
His pets include his dog Angie, his rabbit Flip, and his hamster Goober. In his spare time he enjoys outdoor activities including hiking and kayaking.
jwhittaker@post-journal.com
OBSERVER File Photo
Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel is pictured in March declaring a state of emergency with other county officials in Mayville. Several schools decided to go to a remote learning model shortly after.
From March to now, everywhere we went in 2020, COVID-19 was there.
Just last week, news has come that the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are set to be administered to residents at Heritage Ministries’ skilled nursing facilities in Chautauqua County as the county has begun receiving doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Lisa Haglund, Heritage president and CEO, said the organization will receive the vaccines as part of the federal government’s partnership with CVS and Walgreens. Pharmacists from the two national chains are scheduled to go into long-term care facilities to administer the doses to residents and staff.
jward@observertoday.com
Operational costs at the State University of New York at Fredonia have gone up due to COVID-19.
During a semester “pretty much dominated by COVID,” State University of New York at Fredonia President Stephen Kolison reported a hefty price tag associated with the virus that topped $1 million.
“We saw a significant impact on students and staff,” Kolison told College Council earlier this month. “It also impacted student life and residential life … However, operational costs have gone up because of COVID, We had to spend a lot of money on protective equipment to keep things safe so that students can have a healthy place to come to school and people to work.”
Andrew James
Andrew James
It’s been said that Christmas is the season of miracles. Foremost among the latter is the miracle of the Christ child’s birth. The Immaculate Conception. How about the “Miracle on 34th Street,” that 1947 flick starring Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, the unforgettable Edmund Gwenn as ole St. Nick and Natalie Wood as the young child. Send for it on Netflix, gather the family together and pass the popcorn. Then there’s the miracle, or rather miracles, of 2020. Five year-old Jamie and his sister Annmarie, aged 4, (pseudonyms for obvious reasons), were really looking forward to Christmas and a visit from the bearded man in red who, they hoped, would bring each coloring books, crayons and puzzles along with a car for him and doll for her. But the chances of that happening were slim to none. Their single mother was unemployed, and while she did her best and showered them with love, her kids were lacking in those material possessions commonplace amo