Hinsdale man arrested on rape and other sex-related charges...
A man from Cattaraugus County faces several sex-related charges after allegedly raping and sexually abusing a minor in the town of Hinsdale late last week. Sheriff's deputies in Little Valley say they took 36 year-old Scott Vaughn of Route 446, Hinsdale into custody last Thursday morning on a warrant issued out of County Court. Officers say they arrested Vaughn - without incident - on charges including one count of first-degree rape... two counts of first-degree sexual abuse. He's also charged with second-degree rape... preditory sexual assault against a child... and, endangering the welfare of a child. Vaughn was taken to the Cattaraugus County Jail and held on bail pending further court proceedings.
Stockton man arrested on sex abuse charges...
A Stockton man has been arrested on a warrant for allegedly sexually abusing another person. Sheriff's officers say they took 41 year-old Joshua Dash of Dean Road into custody last Saturday morning on charges of first-degree sexual abuse, and second-degree unlawful imprisonment. Deputies say Dash was taken to the county jail pending arraignment.
Bus driver shortage today forces CVCS to cancel three routes today...
A local school district is faced with an unexpected bus driver shortage... and, is not able to transport students on three routes today. In a phone call to district residents Sunday evening... and, in a message posted on their Facebook page... the Cassadaga Valley Central School District said it would not be able to transport students who ride buses 181, 182 and 187 today. Parents are being asked to bring their children to school and pick them up, or access Google Classroom from home.
City Council to begin deliberations on 2022 budget tonight...
The Jamestown City Council will begin deliberations tonight on Mayor Eddie Sundquist's proposed $38.9-million 2022 budget proposal. The spending plan does include a tax levy increase... but, keeps the tax rate at $23.69 per $1,000. It also uses about 3-million dollars in American Rescue Plan funding to take on three areas in the coming year... including an unprecidented number of capital projects... with over 40 proposed. He says there are also seven new positions proposed as part of "succession planning" (for future retirements), and cyber security. There are seven new positions in total... including one in the area of IT. Sundquist says there are only two people in that entire department right now. He adds the funding needs to be used in specific areas... such as parks projects under the rescue plan's rules... and, are spending just over $1-million in ARPA funding for those projects. Sundquist says three of the new employees would be parks staff to help maintain the city's expanded parks programming. The budget session begins at 6:30... the regular council work session at 7:30 p.m.
Forestville man arrested after alleged physical altercation...
A north county man faces several charged following an alleged physical altercation in the town of Hanover late last week. Sheriff's officers were called to a home in Forestville about 2:30 p.m., and, found that 24 year-old Daniel Baez had gotten into a fight with another person. He was charged with two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, second-degree harassment... and, criminal obstruction of Breath or Blood Circulation. Baez was taken to the county jail for Centralized Arraignment... and will be released pending an appearance in Hanover Town Court.
Federal government says two-thirds of all New Yorkers now fully-vaccinated against COVID...
The latest federal figures show nearly two-thirds of New York residents are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. About 12.7-million of New York's 20 million residents are fully vaccinated. That's according to data released Saturday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccination rates are highest in the southern and eastern part of New York state: more than three-quarters of residents in Hamilton County in the Adirondacks are fully vaccinated. But... vaccination rates are lowest in western and central counties: just 38% are fully vaccinated in Allegany County.
Postal Workers express concerns over recent, and new changes made by Postmaster General...
More changes have gone into effect this month at the U.S. Postal Service... and some New York postal workers worry about how these policies will impact the avalanche of mail this holiday season. The Postal Service's new service standards — which went into effect on Oct. 1 — include moving away from air mail delivery for first-class mail. It's expected that mail traveling less than a thousand miles will reach its destination in three days, and mail traveling more than 1,900 miles will take about five days. The Postal Service says these efforts are meant to cut costs but John Tabak with the American Postal Workers Union says these changes are regrettable... because the money isn't there to fully make those changes. Other new changes to the Postal Service include cuts to office hours. Chuck Zlatkin of the New York Metro Area Postal Union says it remains to be seen what impact these changes will have on the busy holiday months ahead. He is concerned these changes will lead to privatizing the Postal Service. These latest changes are part of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's 10-year plan for the service, called "Delivering for America," which aims to avoid $160-billion in losses by 2030 and includes modernizing the vehicle fleet as well as investments in processing facilities.
