A formal ground-breaking has been held on a nearly $2.9-million project to consolidate a local company's operations in the Mason Industrial Park just outside of Jamestown....
Chautauqua County officials joined with officials from the Stannard Group to get a look at construction of the group's new, 26,000 square facility on Industrie Drive in the town of Ellicott. Deputy County Executive for Economic Development, Mark Geise, praised the Weaver family for staying in the Jamestown-area.
Stannard Group President Dean Weaver praised Industrial Development Agency officials -- led by Rich Dixon -- for working so well with them to find the location. He says they'll be bringing Weaver Materiel, Naco Truck Leasing and, Stannard Properties together in the new building, which he says will allow them to economize operations, and have all 34 employees under one roof. The new property totals about 5.5 aces in the south county industrial park that is close to some of their vendors, as well as Interstate 86. Stannard is celebrating it's 75th year of operation and, was started by Dean Weaver's grand-father in Buffalo in 1944.
Two "game changing" projects have being given priority status to receive funding from the state's Regional Economic Development Council program....
One of those, the $15-million re-development of the former Furniture Mart Building in downtown Jamestown is one of them. County Executive George Borrello adds the second one is to re-purpose an existing building to become a hops, barley and grain processing facility.
Borrello says the county, so far, has had 11 such projects recommended for priority status by the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council since the governor began the funding competitions several years ago. He says the Gebbie Foundation is seeking 1.8-million dollars for the Furniture Mart project, which would be developed by Buffalo-area Developer Peter Krog. Borrello says the recommendations now move on to the state with a final decision expected later this year.
A Southwestern Central School Board member is accused of possessing a hand-gun without a permit....
Ellicott Town Police say the school's Resource Officer received information Wednesday that the image of a pistol was displayed on social media by a juvenile from the district. However,police say no threats were made to anyone or the school. Town police say their investigation revealed that 57 year-old Richard Hartmann, Junior had the pistol in his home without the required permit. He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, and issued an appearance ticket for town court.
Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone says he's never seen two separate fatal traffic accident so close to each other -- and, involving rescuers from the same fire department....
Quattrone says the tragic morning Wednesday began at 4 AM, when police were called to the scene on Interstate 86 in the town of North Harmony, near Exit 7.
The second accident occured about six-hours later at the intersection of Route 394 and the Magnolia-Stedman Road, where a pick-up truck allegedly ran a stop sign -- and slammed into a commercial vehicle. Quattrone says that vehicle was westbound on Route 394 when the cab was hit, and, the driver -- 63 year-old James Ellis of Jamestown -- was pronounced dead at the scene. In the first accident, Quattrone says the operator, 66 year-old Tommy Hyde of Warsaw, New York, was killed. While the Magnolia-Stedman Road was used as a detour for the earlier accident, Quattrone says the detour was taken down before the second crash.
The case of a north county woman accused of stabbing a teenaged girl to death earlier this year will go to trial next January....
That from Chautauqua County District Attorney Patrick Swanson, who says 26 year-old Ashlyann Lopez-Lopez of Dunkirk is charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of 15-year-old Jefrena Brown last May 15th. Swanson says a tentative trial date has been set for January 7th. Brown died the following day at the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo. Swanson did not comment further on the case.
A February trial date for the insider trading case against a Western New York Congressman who was an early supporter of President Donald Trump appears to be in jeopardy...
Representative Chris Collins did not say outside court whether the prospects of a Manhattan trial in early 2020 might affect whether he runs for reelection next year. But, the Republican expressed confidence he'll be exonerated on charges he leaked information about a biopharmaceutical company as friends and family dodged $800,000 in stock losses. He also predicted that if he seeks re-election, he'll win that battle, too. Collins represents a district in the Buffalo-area. He pleaded not guilty to the latest iteration of an indictment after prosecutors streamlined the case to speed the trial. But, it became clear at a hearing Thursday that thorny legal issues might force a trial delay.
