Community Spotlight, the area's longest running local public affairs radio program, airs on all six Media One Radio Group stations each weekend and is also available to hear in our Podcast Section.  Each week we sit down with a community leader or another special guest to talk about issues within our community.  


Weather Forecasts are available across our radio stations each day and also as your fingertips! 

Connect with The National Weather Service's Buffalo Office or with WGRZ-TV for accurate weather information!

 

 

 


 

WJTN News Headlines for Jan. 5, 2018

The National Weather Service is continuing a Winter weather advisory through early Saturday morning...  
 
As the lake effect snow continues to fall in the region, Forecaster Heather Kenyon from the Buffalo office says we may see up to 8-inches of the white stuff by Saturday.
 
Kenyon adds that a Wind Chill warning will be in effect through Sunday morning as Northwest winds continue to blow through the area.  She says they'll continue through much of the weekend... and, will drop to 20 to 30-below zero at times.  Kenyon says the high today will only be in the low single digits.  In addition, she says to make sure to keep covered up because frostbite is possible within 30 minutes. 
 
 
 
Sherman school officials are praising a school bus driver whose quick actions prevented serious injury or worse to a bus full of students that caught fire near Mayville Thursday morning...  
 
School Superintendent Mike Ginestre says the unidentified driver's training led to students being taken off the vehicle as it was traveling along Parker Road shortly after 7:00.  Ginestre says the driver acted at the first sign of trouble, and evacuted the bus before flames broke out. He says that another school bus that was in the area came to pick up students within three minutes.  He says the children were then taken right to school.  Ginestre says students on-board were aged between kindergarten and high school seniors.  He adds that the cause of the fire is still under investigation, while officials thanked the driver, head of the bus garage and, firefighters from the Sherman Fire Department for their amazing work and training in keeping the kids safe. 
 
 
While it was highly-political, Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi says Governor Cuomo's annual State of the State Address was a "great speech" that ended on a good note...  
 
Teresi was in Albany for the governor's annual address... and, says it was a "more traditional" speech compared to the past few when the governor went out, and delivered speeches in different parts of the state.  He says he was "heartened" by Cuomo again boosting current regionalism efforts to cut costs to localities.
 
Teresi says there is also real support for the governor's call to sue the federal government over the recently approved GOP Tax Overhaul bill.  He says caping the State and Local Tax deduction up at $10,000 will be harmful to state residents, including Jamestown.  Teresi is hopeful that the strategy will "moderate the impact" of some items in the tax plan.  Teresi say he believes the tax reform measure will actually drive more deficits, increase interest rates and drive more inflation.  He says that will have a direct, negative impact on state aid to schools and municipalities.
 
 
Local State Senator Cathy Young is blasting Governor Cuomo's State of the State Address, in which she says he "laid out a very liberal, New York City-focused agenda"...  
 
Young issued the printed statement late Wednesday... saying that -- in a year in which the state is facing a significant budget gap -- there is no room for wish-list items for "narrow political interests."  The Olean Republican says it's "crucial" that infrastructure investment and economic development dollars are distributed equitably, strategically and to regions of our state that need the greatest stimulus.  She says the GOP will oppose any efforts to unfairly favor one region over another or runs counter to the values of the majority of upstate voters.
 
 
 
 
Underperformance by it's essential air carrier the past three years may lead to termination of the program at the Chautauqua County Airport near Jamestown on January 16...  
 
County Airport Manager Ron Almeter says the U.S. Department of Transportation has told Southern Airways Express that it is ending it's EAS program that day because the airline has not been averaging the 10 daily passengers it needs to keep the program going.  Almeter says Southern got a preliminary order back in late September, and a final order in late December.
 
Almeter says the county, along with Southern Airways and others, are appealing the ruling on the $2.1-million annual subsidy so that some operational changes can improve ridership.  He says one of those is again basing one plane at the airport.  Southern Airways contracted with the DOT, and Chautauqua County, to provide service starting in 2016.  However, Almeter says the air carriers the past three years have only met two-thirds of it's ridership standards.  In the past, the county has worked with U.S. Senator Charles Schumer to keep the service in place.
 
 
 
A city man was arrested after police allegedly found him in possession of methamphetamine in the parking lot of a convenience store on Jamestown's southside Wednesday afternoon...  
 
City police say they were investigating a suspicious situation in the parking lot of the 7/11at 321 Hazeltine Avenue when they found 31 year-old Brandon Smith operating a vehicle on a suspended license.  It was determined through further investigation that Smith was also in possession of a quantity of Meth, and he was arrested.  He faces charges of third-degree aggravated unlicensed operator... and, felony third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. 
 
 
 
A Sherman couple has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child at a laundromat in the village early last month...  
 
Sheriff's officers say 42 year-old Mike Barringer and 33 year-old Hollie Petroff were with their 5 year-old daughter at the laundromat when Barringer allegedly was seen helping Petroff and their daughter over a wall separating the laundromat and a locked storage facility. Deputies say he also climbed over the wall and committed criminal mischief in another storage unit.  They add Barringer and Petroff slept inside the locked storage area overnight with their daughter.  In addition to the endangerment charge, Barringer was also charged with third-degree burglary and fourth-degree criminal mischief.