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News Headlines for Fri., June 12, 2015

Ashville man killed in truck-motorcycle crash on Route 474 in Ashville...

An Ashville man was killed when his motorcycle crashed into a light truck hauling a trailer Thursday morning near Ashville.  Sheriff's officers say 41 year-old Richard Jensen was eastbound at an apparent high rate of speed about 7:30 a.m. near the intersection with Magnolia Road.  Deputies say the Kingsview Enterprises truck... operated by 21 year-old Tyler Borowski of Bradford... was westbound when he apparently turned in front of the motorcycle.  Officers say Jensen laid the bike down... and, it skidded about 125 feet before hitting the front of the truck.  Deputies say Jensen had been thrown from the bike... and was later pronounced dead at the scene. An accident reconstruction team was brought in... and, officers interviewed an eyewitness before ruling on the accident.  Route 474 between the four-corners in Ashville... and, Magnolia Avenue... was closed for about 3-and-a-half hours.  Deputies say charges are pending.


CASAC, HOPE Chautauqua receive major grant for opiate, heroin abuse prevention programs... 
A pair of drug abuse prevention agencies in Chautauqua County have received a major grant to help better address prescription opiate and Heroin abuse... and prevent opiate overdoses.  The Chautauqua Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Council... and, HOPE Chautauqua... Thursday announced they are receiving a $627,300 grant to be used over a 4-and-a-half year period.  HOPE Chautauqua Coalition Coodinator Julie Franco... who says the major focus of the grant will be prevention among 12 to 25 year-olds.  Franco says they'll be surveying students in middle and high schools to find out prevalence of use, and then they'll survey 17 to 25 year-olds.  Franco says the funding will be used to build staff... and, do assessments of the opiate and heroin problem in the county among youth and young adults.  As a result... she says they hope to create and implement the tools to reverse the trend of drug abuse... by looking at what interventions work.  The coalition is one of 10 such entities in New York State to receive a Partnership for Success grant from the state Office on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services... and, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.


State Legislators now home for the weekend with just a few days left in the session...

New York lawmakers have headed home for the weekend without reaching a compromise on the extension of New York City's rent regulations.  Members of the Assembly and Senate left Albany Thursday and plan to return Monday, the day the law governing the city's rent stabilization policies expires.  A short-term extension of the law by six months or a year is one idea being floated by lawmakers.  That would give lawmakers more time to consider more significant changes.  The Assembly has already approved a four-year extension that also strengthens the rules governing how landlords can raise rent on vacant units.  The Senate has yet to consider any proposal.  The rent rules cover approximately one-million units in and around New York City.  The Legislature plans to adjourn its 2015 session Wednesday.


Holiday Valley official calls ski resort data breach a "criminal attack..."

A bank's credit card division turned up irregularites that led to the discovery that a Cattaraugus County ski resort had a data breach.  That from Spokeswoman Jane Eshbaugh with the Holiday Valley Ski Resort... which reported the credit and debit care breach late Wednesday.  With that... Eshbaugh says visitors to the resort between last Oct. 17 and June 2 of this year... are being urged to watch their credit card statements.  Eshbaugh says Holiday Valley was one of the "common points of sale" and that started the investigation.  Holiday Valley officials are calling the breach a ``criminal attack'' that affected credit card and debit card purchases of food... recreation... retail and lodging transactions.  Eshbaugh says Holiday Valley will provide a year of free credit repair services to card holders whose credit was harmed.  The service will be available beginning June 17.  Eshbaugh says... at this point... it appears some 60 cards were affected.  She says they're always careful in setting up their security systems... but, adds cyber criminals have become "very clever."  Eshbaugh says Holiday Valley notified the Secret Service of the breach when they discovered it last week... and, hired cyber security experts to contain it and protect against future attacks.


Assembly passes Medical Malpractice legislation extends claim period...

The state Assembly has passed legislation that would let victims of medical malpractice file claims later than allowed now.  Current law requires filing claims within two-and-a-half years after the act, omission or improper treatment.  The legislation would start that clock when an injured patient discovers, or should have discovered, that the injury was caused by malpractice.  It would cap the claims period at 10 years after the alleged malpractice.


Tornado confirmed in WNY Wednesday night when severe weather came through the region...

The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado caused some of the damage left behind when severe storms rolled across western New York, knocking out power to more than 10-thousand utility customers.  A weather service team sent to the town of Farmington concluded Thursday that a tornado rated EF-0 with winds 60 to 70 mph touched down just before 10 p.m. Wednesday and was on the ground for a half-mile.  Emergency officials say high winds knocked over two barns and sent a silo nearly 300 yards into a cemetery in Farmington, in northern Ontario County 15 miles southeast of Rochester.  About 12-thousand homes and businesses in Ontario and neighboring Monroe County lost power.  RG&E says about 2,300 remain without power Thursday, most of them in Monroe County.  There were no injuries reported.