Two-family house extensively damaged in fire on Jamestown's westside...
Fire has heavily-damaged a two-family home on Jamestown's westside... chasing half-a-dozen six people from the residence last Saturday morning.  City Fire Battalion Chief Roger Sigular says fire crews were called to the scene at 218 Jefferson St. -- near Isabella --  about 4:30 AM.  Sigular says that they found heavy fire coming from the second-floor windows... but, he says all six people living there were out of the home safely.  He says there's a lot of fire and water damage to the structure.  Sigular says an off-duty shift was called in to assist at the scene.  He says crews were at the scene for about two-hours... and, the cause has been traced to residents plugging space heaters into extension cords.

Local police, FBI, investigating day-time robbery at Five Star Bank in Lakewood...
Lakewood-Busti Police are investigating a brazen... late afternoon robbery that occured at the Five Star Bank on Fairmount Avenue at the intersection with Mall Boulevard.  Police tell the Jamestown Post-Journal the masked bandit apparently entered the bank around 4 p.m. Friday... and, the male suspect allegedly displayed a gun... and, told employees that he had a bomb stapped to himself.  He then demanded cash... and fled the bank in a late model Ford F-150 model pick-up truck.  Police say it was maroon colored with tan trim.  The truck reportedly fled south on Mall Boulevard.  No one was hurt... and, the robber is still at large.  Lakewood-Busti Chief John Bentley was heading up the investigation... and, not available for comment late yesterday.  If you have information on the case... call Lakewood-Busti Police at 763-9563.

Liuzzo makes it official: he's running for mayor in Jamestown...
First-year Jamestown City Councilman Andrew Liuzzo has announced that he's running for mayor in the upcoming election.  Liuzzo... who is an at-large council member... says he ran well over a year ago because he got tired of complaining about the direction the city has being going in.  He says there have been a number of good things that have happened -- including the new National Comedy Center -- however, he says the citys' current trajectory won't be able to sustain many of those positive developments.  He says he has not discussed getting the GOP nomination to run for mayor... adding he needed to announce his intentions now in case there is a primary because of new election laws in New York State.  Incumbant five-term Democratic Mayor Sam Teresi has not yet made an announcement of his intentions.

Reed says Chautauqua County on the right path for Workforce Development during Chamber event...
Chautauqua County is on the right path to developing the workforce needed in the new American economy.  In fact... local Congressman Tom Reed says the county is on the "cutting edge" of workforce development.  Reed made his comments during the county Chamber of Commerce's annual Congressional Luncheon in Mayville Friday afternoon.  He also praised the chamber and Manufacturer's Association for making this a priority... and, in position to take advantage of local, state and federal resources.  He says local officials need to identify what skills are needed locally, and determine the best resources to train those workers.  Reed says he first saw DW Lisk Manufacturing in Clifton Springs collaborate with Finger Lakes Community College about seven-years ago to grow it's workforce, and retrain others for new jobs at the plant.  He says he sees such collaboration in Chautauqua County between the chamber... the Manufacturer's Association... local industry... and, the local colleges.  The Corning Republican was also bouyed by Friday's announcement that some 304,000 jobs were added to the nation's economy last month... and, he says there is now a huge national demand for employees.  The congressman spoke about a number of issues from breaking Washington's political gridlock... to invasive weed issues on Chautauqua Lake.

Reed visits Jamestown Boy's and Girl's Club during stop in county...
While he was in Chautauqua County... Congressman Reed visited the Winifred Crawford Dibert Boy's and Girl's Club in Jamestown to talk with officials, and the children that take part in their programs.  Reed says... while it's important to meet with local leaders and residents... children can also provide a view of things that needs to be taken back to Washington, D.C.  Reed says it's important to hear what's on their minds, and show them you care about them and that they succeed in life.  Reed says he's happy to have provided some significant funding for community programs -- like those at the Boy's and Girl's Club -- in the past, and, he says he wants to make more funding available for such youth programming in the future.

Flood Watch in effect for Chautauqua County starting Sunday night...

We're shifting gears, from extreme cold to a major warm up.  As a result, the National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Southern Erie counties from late Sunday night through late Wednesday night.  Meteorologist Heather Kenyon at the Weather Service says it's a combination of snow melt and rain that may lead to ice jam flooding.  Kenyon says temperatures will be above freezing, and there will be some rain... starting Monday night.  Due to the recent lake effect snow event in western New York this past week, liquid amounts in the snow pack average 2 to 4 inches.  Ice jams will be possible.  Rainfall during the watch will average between a quarter inch to a half inch.