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JESSICA FINCH Associate Editor

• GREAT LITTLE SPOT - I found a hidden gem in Eggertsville. Ettaro's Cookies and Desserts is a quaint eatery with enough coffee drinks to satisfy even my addiction. I was also eyeing a piece of carrot cake that I will have to return for. I just wish I had come across it sooner. Just two weeks ago, my boyfriend, his sweet tooth and I wanted to enjoy a Saturday afternoon with dessert and coffee. I was pressed trying to think of a place close to my apartment. Ettaro's would have been perfect, locat- ed at 602 Grover Cleveland Highway.

In describing the cafe to Dan, he cut me off, asking when we could go there. With my birthday being today, I decided we'll be back to celebrate with a relaxing cup of coffee and cake. Our two vices.

No offense to the Amherst Town Board, but anything will be better than last year's birthday. It occurred on a Monday when the board met, and I watched from my seat in the drafty Town Hall as the minutes ticked away. Needless to say, I was quite grumpy when the board adjourned just after midnight.

• FAITH IS RESTORED - Last week, local news channels announced disturbing information about a gang presence in town. The news from Iraq was again nothing but bad news, with more soldiers killed. CNN was reporting horrible crime after horrible crime. And I wondered - what is wrong with people? Depressed and concerned about the future of this country, I left the office to meet with two Amherst Middle School students on Thursday. Both are featured in this week's paper and are amazing young girls. But the small action of one restored some of my faith in humanity. After Breonna Jackson and I concluded the interview, we talked in the hallway about her upcoming dance recital. She excused herself, saying, "Someone dropped their money." She walked down the hall to retrieve a single dollar bill. I thought - and almost said - "Well, that's lucky for you." Then she continued down the hall to the office to return it to lost and found.

I doubt that anyone will go to the lost and found seeking that lost dollar, but she knew it wasn't hers and that she had no right to keep it. I was impressed. In awe, actually. Her decision appeared instant, no second thought to pocketing that small amount of money. I wonder how many people would do the same these days faced with a similar decision? I hope that Breonna has taught us all to be a bit more honest and do the right thing when it counts.

• HABITAT FOR HUMANITY - Amy Inzina of East Amherst spent her spring break alongside 24 other Ashland University students, in Columbus, Ga., as part of the Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge. The Ashland crew overcame weather obstacles, from blizzards to tornados, and constructed one of 10 homes that were built during the course of a week. They were assigned to build the frame, side it and shingle the roof.

"The most enjoyable thing is at the end," Inzina said. "When you see the progress that you have made over the week, you feel like you truly accomplished something."

Inzina, a sophomore at AU and daughter of Donna and Richard Inzina, plans a similar trip next spring.

"It is important to provide a helping hand whenever possible," Inzina said. "It really does make a difference."