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WJTN News Headlines for Jan. 24, 2018

An accidental fire has heavily-damaged the upper portion of a two-story home near Frewsburg...  
 
Frewsburg Fire Chief Nick Niles says crews were called to the scene at 1205 Bunce Road around 12:30 yesterday afternoon.  Niles says a passerby called 911 shortly after the residents had left the home.  He says there was a lot of smoke when they arrived.
 
However, Niles says fire did break out once crews got inside, and the home was opened up.  He says it took about 20 minutes to bring the blaze under control.  Niles says the 35 to 40 firefighters on hand were able to confine the flames to the upstairs area.  He says there was a lot of water damage to the first-floor of the home.  Niles says mutual aid was called in from Kiantone, Busti, Kennedy, Gerry and Lakewood.  He says the last companies on scene left about 5:00.  No one was hurt in the fire.  Niles says while the cause appears accident, it remains undetermined at this time.
 
 
 
Fire damage was confined to the basement area of a home in the city of Dunkirk late Monday afternoon...  
 
Dunkirk Fire Chief Mike Edwards says they were called to the scene at 28 St. Hedwig's Avenue about 4:20.  Edwards says that crews responded to a report of smoke coming from the basement, and found flames in the back side of the basement and put the flames out quickly. Edwards says there were no injuries.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.
 
 
 
An overheated chimney stove pipe is the apparent cause of a fire late Monday night that's damaged a town of Gerry home...  
 
Chautauqua County Fire investigators say Gerry fire crews were called to the Jonathan Easton home at 2642 Gerry-Ellington Road about 9:30.  Gerry was assisted at the scene by Falconer, Fluvanna, Ellery Center, Sinclairville and Ellington fire crews in getting the fire out.  The Fire Investigation Team was called in and determined the fire was accidental due to the overheated chimney pipe, which caught nearby combustible materials on fire.  They says the flames then cause the house rafters to catch fire.  No injuries were reported.
 
 
 
It's been a nightmare past couple of weeks for the Jamestown Public Works Department with equipment break-downs at a time they were trying to clean-up from the most recent snowstorm...  
 
DPW Director Jeff Lehman and Equipment Manger Pat Monahan discused the matter with the City Council's Public Works Committee Monday night and later told the full panel that several pieces of old equipment were out-of-service for some time.
 
During his report later in the meeting, Mayor Sam Teresi noted that this is why his administration is looking at selling the Board of Public Utilities' Wastewater Treatment Plant to the Jamestown Local Development Corporation.  Teresi says the JLDC would issue bonds to create a funding source to raise about $16-million for such purchases.  He says it's time to stop "wasting taxpayer dollars" on equipment that should have been replaced "a long time ago."  The proposal was brought to the City Council last month by the city's Bond Counsel Kenneth Bond of New York City as a way to raise capital to make improvements at the Wastewater Treatment plant, and other city infrastructure.  A fund would also likely be created to stabilize taxes.
 
 
 
The Ellicott Town Board will hold a special meeting this Thursday to approve five members for the new, joint Zoning and Planning Board...  
 
That from Town Clerk Mike Erlandson, who says the meeting will be held at Noon Thursday.  The action comes after the town board approved dissolving the planning committee with the zoning panel.  Lawmakers made the move to avoid duplicative meetings for businesses and others that had to go before both panels previously.
 
In addition, Erlandson says Celoron residents will have the chance to pay their town, and County property taxes in the village next weekend.  He will be at the village hall to take tax payments on Saturday, January 27th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m..
 
 
 
Moderates from both sides of the political aisle were key to ending the brief government shut-down and may be pivotal in preventing another one in early February... 
 
That from local Congressman Tom Reed, who says the Problem Solvers Caucus he co-chairs, met for an hour-and-a-half last weekend to discuss different proposals to address the issues, including an agreement over improved border security, and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program better known as DACA.
 
Reed says the group of Senate moderates, called the "Common Sense" group, numbers about 20 in all.  The Corning Republican says he will continue to be a voice for the Problem Solvers on "the right..." while co-chair Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, will do so on the left.  Reed says that an agreement on DACA may not be that far away.  He says there are at least a few in the hard-right Conservative Freedom Caucus who are now willing to discuss the matter.
 
 
 
The United Way of Southern Chautauqua County celebrated a major victory last night, getting the ball "over the goal-line" in the 2017 General Campaign...
 
That's General Campaign Chairwoman Jane Cleaver-Becker after it was announced that the United Way had easily surpassed it's $1.325-million goal in the effort.  Becker says it took a big effort to reach the goal, and she says both United Way staff and hard-working volunteers made it happen.
 
There was a "football theme" to this year's United Way Celebration, which was held at Jamestown Community College's Sarita Week's Reception Room in the Arts and Sciences Building.  Becker says they were very pleased to have about 300 new donors to this past year's campaign.  More on that later today.  The United Way supports more than three-dozen programs at about 20 member agencies.