State Police Troop-T officials say the investigation is continuing into a crash involving two vehicles and an oil tanker on the State Thruway in the town of Portland last night...
Several fire departments were sent to the scene of the crash on the Thruway eastbound near Matthews Road around 7:20 p.m. Officials indicate that the crash has left one person dead with four others being treated for injuries. The Thruway eastbound was closed for several hours overnight because of the crash from Exit 61 to Exit 59. State Police expect to release more details later this morning.
Several records were broke across western New York yesterday as temperatures soared into the lower 70s in some parts of the region...
That from Meteorologist Aaron Reynolds with the National Weather Service Office in Buffalo... who says they beat their old record high of 64 in 1955 with a 66-degree reading. Reynolds adds that there were several 70-degree readings reported across the Jamestown-area.
Reynolds says it got to just short of 70 at the County Airport near Jamestown. Here at our Media One Group stations in West Ellicott, we reached 71 while the sun was out a brief time early Tuesday afternoon. However, Reynolds says enjoy it because colder air returns when a cold front pushes through the area about mid-morning today. Reynolds says temperatures will only rise into the upper 30s on Thursday before they rise again on Friday and to near 50 on Saturday.
Local Congressman Tom Reed says he wants to work to solve the problems that have led to mass shootings in schools across the United States...
However, Reed says any talk about gun control is a non-starter in Congress. At the same time, Reed says he is committed to taking action that deals with the perpetrators of such heinous acts. The Corning Republican says those with serious mental health issues need to be identified and prevented access to guns.
Reed says he doesn't support-- nor does the majority in Congress-- the notion of bringing back the assault weapons ban of the mid and late 1990s. He also indicted some support for tightening up background checks on people because the accused Florida shooter: 19 year-old Nickolas Cruz, was able to purchase an AR-15 in spite of his troubled past. Reed says he also supports the students who have been protesting across the nation and Florida in particular, who are voicing the need for lawmakers to act on the issue. He made his comments during his weekly telephone conference call Tuesday with Southern Tier Media.
Are lawmakers who accept campaign contributions from the National Rifle Association serious about solving the nation's problem with mass shootings?
That question was put to the county's Congressman during his weekly conference call. An investigative report by Channel 7 in Buffalo shows that Tom Reed has received nearly $11,000 from the NRA during his time in Congress. He says he's always supported the Second-Amendment, and that's why the NRA donates to his campaign.
Reed did not indicate whether he has ever... or would return the donations. However, Buffalo Congressman Brian Higgins (who represented Chautauqua County at one time) has turned over about $5,000 he received from the NRA to organizations dedicated to stopping gun violence. Clarence-area Congressman Chris Collins has received $4,000 from the NRA during his time in office.
The U.S. government has acquired the two final land parcels needed for a New York veterans' cemetery that will eventually ease a burden for thousands of military families...
Democratic U-S Senator Charles Schumer is now urging the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to quickly begin work on the Western New York National Veterans Cemetery. The cemetery in Pembroke will serve the Buffalo and Rochester areas. Schumer says many families now have to travel about 100 miles to the closest veterans' cemetery, in Bath, New York.
An Erie, Pennsylvania man was arrested last weekend after a large quantity of marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms were allegedly found during a traffic stop...
State Police in Jamestown say they pulled over 21 year-old Matthew Ebach for speeding on I-86 near the city. While speaking to Ebach, Troopers say they saw marijuana in plain-view. A search of the vehicle uncovered 24 grams of marijuana, two bongs containing marijuana residue and just under three grams of psilocybin mushrooms. Ebach was arrested for Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, seventh-degree Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance and Unlawful Possession of Marijuana. He was issued appearance tickets for Ellicott Town Court.
A couple of the newest members of the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame have made a name for themselves in the sport of softball, mainly in college and the coaching ranks away from the area...
However, they say the coaching they received in high school, and the calibur of play... helped their development. Those are the feelings of Southwestern High School Graduate Sheila Lingenfelter-Gulas, who was co-captain of her softball team at Clarion State University in Pennsylvania.
That career took Gulas to the coaching ranks at Allegany College in Meadville, Pennsylvania and Wittenburg and Ashland in Ohio. She retired just this past year from Ashland after 18 years at the helm. She was joined by Falconer's Lori Franchina, who also made her mark in women's sports in college after a stellar high school career. Franchina was just inducted into the New England U-S Senior Softball Hall of Fame. Others honored during the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame dinner in Lakewood was retired Southwestern high school football and track coach, Fran Sirianni.
There were several other awards given out during Monday night's Hall of Fame induction dinner... including several legacy and "all-star" awards that recognized athletic accomplishments, and support of sports...
One was the James Sharp Legacy Award, which was given to our own Dennis Webster. Dennis was recognized for his support of the Hall of Fame and interviews with several members and inductees over the years. Congratulations Dennis!!
