Celoron-Boat Fire-#2  6AM                  7/6

 

No one was hurt, but there were tense moments on Fourth of July evening when a boat caught fire on Chauauqua Lake near the Celoron boat launch...  

 

Sheriff's deputies say the department's Marine Division was called to the scene shortly before 8 p.m. and, they found that the occupants had been able to put out the flames.  Officers say another boater came by and picked up the occupants and, took them back to shore.  Sheriff's Department Marine Officers assisted and towed the disabled vessel to shore as well. 

 

 

A Jamestown man charged with setting over a dozen fires-- including 12 in the city and one in Slippery Rock Pennyslvania-- is looking to have charges dropped in Warren County.... 

 

The Warren Times Observer reports 21 year-old Johnathan Young made it from New York to Slippery Rock by stealing a vehicle from a garage in Warren. The newspaper says Young's attorney filed a motion to dismiss in early June with arguments to be heard today. However, that hearing has been post-poned until July 24. The Jamestown Post-Journal says officials in Chautauqua County are waiting to see what happens in Pennsylvania before prosecuting Young. 

 

 

The Chautauqua Lake Association is NOT against using herbicides on the weeds in the lake...    

 

Doug Conroe, the association's executive director, says there is a role for such treatments, but they're not needed right now.  Speaking during a pre-July4th interview, Conroe said weed harvesting could be 'fully effective' if it were 'fully funded.'  But, they'd need about three times the current $700,000 budget.  With the additional money, the number of harvesters could be taken from six to nine.  Herbicides were applied to a small part of the lake near Bemus Point earlier in the season.  That effort was sponsored by another organization, the Chautauqua Lake Partnership.

 

 

A city man was arrested for allegedly assaulting a person in front of a toddler on the Jamestown westside early yesterday morning...    

 

Officers responded to the scene shortly before 1 a.m. at 50 West 9th Street and, found 28 year-old Rick Dye took the unidentified female victim's phone, held her down and, punched her in the face.  Police report the incident occurred in front of a 4 year-old child. Dye was taken into custody to city jail pending arraignment. 

 

 

Two Clarendon, Pennsylvania men have been arrested for allegedly becoming disorderly and then damaging property at a Jamestown fast-food restaurant...  

 

City police were called to the Burger King restaurant at 651 Foote Avenue on a report of the two men -- 50 year-old Robert and 47 year-old Tony Thompson -- being disorderly.  Police say Tony Thompson was trying to drive off when they arrived, and he was stopped.  He was found to be drunk and, further investigation showed that Robert Thompson had damaged a door and wall while leaving.  Both were arrested, and taken to the city jail.  Tony Thompson is charged with driving while intoxicated and Robert is charged with third-degree criminal mischief.

 

 

The foundation has now been poured and set for the new Athenex pharmacutial plant on Route 5 in the north county town of Dunkirk...  

 

Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello says it's another significant milestone in construction of the huge, 320,000 square-foot facility.  A German company -- M-&-W Group -- is overseeing construction of the 1.5-billion dollar project.  Borrello says he's also keeping an eye on the need for new housing development in the area for the approxmiately 900 people to be employed there.

 

Borrello says the county's Industrial Development Agency has been involved with one housing project in the city of Dunkirk, just across from where the plant will be located, called Battery Point Villas.  He says it's the first private housing development that he has seen in the north county in many years.  There is a lot of interest in the Athenex project in Albany.  The state provided a $200-million grant to help get the project moving. 

 

 

A bi-partisan measure to boost the use of Hospice and Palliative Care in the United States has been approved in a House Subcommittee...  

 

That from co-sponsor, local Congressman Tom Reed, who crafted the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act with a New York City-area Democrat.  Reed says the bill was recently approved by the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee.

 

Reed says the legislation involves three key areas, including the promotion of training to provide such care.  He says it also promotes awareness of Hospice and what it does and, boosts funding for both Hospice and Palliative Care.  Reed says Hospice in the Corning area provided very good care to his dying mother and, adds that he himself has become a Hospice volunteer in his home area.  The Corning Republican made his comments during his weekly telephone conference call with Southern Tier Media.

 

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo is directing the state university system to continue policies that promote racial diversity among students after the Trump administration said the federal government will let schools leave race out of admission decisions....  

 

The Democratic governor on Thursday directed the chairmen of the boards of trustees of the City University of New York and State University of New York to prepare a report by August 15th on how they'll increase diversity on campuses.  Cuomo said the Trump administration's move to rescind affirmative action guidelines is "a blatant attempt to limit the participation of minorities in higher education."  Cuomo said the SUNY system has long embraced diversity and encouraged social mobility.  He noted that SUNY is nearly 45 percent minority and CUNY is 76 percent minority.

 

Our heat wave will end later today, but New York state environmental officials are still asking anglers to be considerate of heat-stressed fish....  

 

Trout and salmon are cold-water fish that suffer when water warms up above 70 degrees.  They tend to seek refuge in pockets of cold water created by springs and small feeder streams.  The Department of Environmental Conservation is asking anglers not to disturb fish gathered in unusually high numbers because they're likely seeking relief from heat stress.  The agency also recommends avoiding catch-and-release fishing for heat-stressed trout because they're unlikely to survive no matter how carefully they're handled.  DEC says more heat-tolerant species like smallmouth bass are less prone to heat stress.