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WJTN News Headlines

A Mayville man has been arrested for allegedly driving drunk when he almost struck several highway construction workers on Valley Street in the village Wednesday afternoon.  Sheriff's officers say they got a complaint that 50 year-old Larry Moore of Potter Road was seen driving erratically shortly after 1:30 PM.  Deputies say Moore then almost hit the highway workers.  Officers say Moore was located and stopped on Valley Street... near Route 394... a short time later.  After an investigation... deputies say it was determined that Moore was highly-Intoxicated, and was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated.  Further investigation showed that Moore had previously been convicted of Felony DWI this past June 16th.  He was also accused of driving while intoxicated with a suspended driver's license.  Moore was arraigned in Chautauqua Town Court... and, sent to the county jail on 15-thousand dollars cash bail.

 

The past two years have been tough on New York state's roads and bridges... and, a number of local projects are underway thanks to two programs.  State Department of Transporation Commissioner Matthew Driscoll says money from one has already been awarded in Chautauqua County.  During a recent appearance in Jamestown... Driscoll said the need to fix the roads is way Governor Andrew Cuomo created the one-billion dollar PAVE-New York program. Driscoll says PAVE-New York does not replace the annual Consolidated Highway Improvement Program funding.  But... he says it's meant to suppliment it.  Driscoll says the county is receiving 853-thousand dollars in PAVE dollars.  He says the other program is BRIDGE-New York... which is more targeted, and will be used for about 200 spans state-wide.  No local bridges have been targeted for BRIDGE-New York funding... but, some is being used to put up a new Route 219 Bridge at the Cattaraugus-Erie County border.  Back to PAVE-New York... the city of Jamestown is receiving 200-thousand dollars in funding from that program.

 

An outside review of New York's $178-billion dollar pension fund for public workers shows it has been managed responsibly for the past three years but needs more staff and higher pay to continue the quality performance and cut costs for outside advisers.  The second review of the Common Retirement Fund since it was rocked by a pay-to-play scandal says it continues to meet ethical and conflict-of-interest standards.  Michigan-based Funston Advisory Services has conducted both reviews.  State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, the fund's sole trustee since the 2007 scandal, said Thursday the mandated periodic reviews help ensure the problem doesn't recur.  The fund covers more than 1 million workers and beneficiaries. It has 37 people on the investment staff and paid $561 million in management fees last year.

 

Looking at how decisions you make impact the "longer-term" is a major part of how the former head of Dupont says she's tried to make decisions for the companies she's worked for.  Former Chief Executive Officer Ellen Kullman... who led the multi-national company for seven years... retired last October.  Kullman was yesterday's featured lecturer at Chautauqua Institution on the theme of "Moral Leadership..." and, tells our Dennis Webster the company began that view under former President and CEO Ed Woolard in 1988. Kullman says Woolard established a "moral culture" that filtered from the "top down" in the company... even internationally.  She says she continued that to the point of teaching the people who worked with Dupont around the world to do things the way they do in the U-S.  Kullman says a lot of people in those countries began wanting to work for Dupont because "they learned."  In looking for good managers... she says she looks for how well they listen, and how they get input.

 

Western New York-based Tops Friendly Markets is buying five supermarkets in the Hudson Valley and one in north central Massachusetts.  The company said Wednesday that it has entered into an agreement with Stop & Shop to acquire its stores in Rhinebeck, Wappingers Falls and New Paltz... and, in Gardner, Massachusetts.  It also has an agreement with Hannaford to buy stores in LaGrangeville and Carmel (Car-MEL).  The purchases will bring the number of stores operated by suburban Buffalo-based Tops to 171... along with five other supermarkets operated by franchisees.  The Gardner store will be the company's first in Massachusetts.  Tops has stores in the Jamestown-area.

 

Festivities for the 20th annual Laurel Run begin this morning in Jamestown.  The run starts with the traditional flag relay from The Resource Center's major facility in Jamestown, to Dunkirk. The relay ends with a group of employees from the Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility.  Laurel Run itself will take place on Saturday in Silver Creek.  One of the creators of the run, Wayne Hotelling, expects about 500 people at this year's event... and, adds he's hoping they'll have that many between both runners and walkers.  Laurel Run is named after Wayne Hotelling's daughter, who has Down syndrome.  For more information, or to register, you can go online at laurel-run.com.  All money raised goes to improve the lives of people with disabilites.

 

State Representative Kathy Rapp of Warren has voted again against a bill imposing more than $750 million in new taxes to pay for the 2016-17 state budget.  The Republican also voted against the measure back in late June... saying she's "extremely disappointed by the level of spending in this year’s budget."  Rapp adds that taxpayers can't "afford a 5-percent increase in spending in their own budgets... and, the state shouldn’t ask them to foot the bill for more spending by Harrisburg."  She adds that "inistead of higher taxes and higher spending, we should be cutting spending and living within our means."  Rapp says the 31.6-billion dollar state budget represents a 1.6-billion dollar increase in spending over the prior fiscal year.