UTV operator killed in Villenova crash last weekend is identified...
A Westfield man has now been identified as the person killed in last Saturday night's fatal, Utility Terrain Vehicle crash in the town of Villenova. Sheriff's officers say 64 year-old William Shreve was operating the UTV just after 11:30 p.m. when the vehicle went off Dye Rd., and, slammed into a tree. Deputies say Shreve was the only person in the vehicle when it crashed... and, he died at the scene.
Mayville Winter Festival set to be held President's Day Weekend...
Final preparations are underway in the village of Mayville for one of the biggest winter festivals in Western New York. The annual Mayville Winter Festival is slated for this coming Presidents' Day weekend, Feb. 16-18 at Lakeside Park. Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Heitzenrater says there will be plenty of offerings available for those in attendance... even though there won't be an ice castle. Heitzenrater says... the past few years... the chamber has worked hard with the Mayville/Chautauqua Chamber to put together a festival full of activites that's not as dependent on an ice castles. Heitzenrater says there will be no traditional ice castle at this year's event due to unseasonably warm temperatures that's led to a lack of ice on Chautauqua Lake. However... Festival Chairman Brian Pender says they do have a backup plan in place... with a wooded castle they debuted a few years ago. The rest of the weekend will feature 25 vendors, several food trucks, a polar plunge, live music and a fireworks display, among several other activities. The festival was started about 50 years ago by Pender's grandfather, the late Don Hogan.
Pair of women arrested following traffic stop in Jamestown...
Two women have been arrested on drug-related charges stemming from a weekend traffic stop on Jamestown's southside. City police say their Violence Interdiction Unit conducted the stop near the intersection of Newland and Barrett Avenues late last week for a traffic infraction. Officers say they found both 44 year-old Sandra Pavlock... and, 35 year-old Kelsey Staszewski in possession of a quantity of methamphetamine. Both women were taken into custody without incident... and, taken to the city jail where police located another 13.6-grams of meth in Pavlock's possession. She ws charged with third-degree criminal possession of a Controlled Substance... and, was jailed pending arraignment. Staszewski was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a Controlled Substance... along with traffic citations. She was issued an appearance ticket for city court.
Borrello among state legislature Republicans calling for more study of electric powered buses before mandate kicks in...
New York State Republican lawmakers are looking to "pump the brakes" on the state's implementation of its electric school bus mandate. During a Monday press conference in Albany... they unveiled proposals to allow for the completion of a pilot program, cost-benefit analysis and other feasibility assessments. Among the legislators was Senator George Borrello, who says school officials are "increasingly concerned" about the cost of the mandate that was enacted in 2022. Borrello says there about 800 districts in the state that have 50,000 school buses... which he says would cost around $20-billion to convert and build all buses to be electric. Borrello also cited other problems associated with electric vehicles, such as poor reliability and limited operability in freezing temperatures. He says the range is only about 100 miles in ideal conditions. Borrello... a Republican from Sunset Bay... says his proposal would allow schools to test how electric buses perform. The electric school bus mandate requires new school bus purchases to be zero emission by 2027 and all school buses in operation to be electric by 2035.
Gas prices in Jamestown-area hold steady, while national prices goes up 5-cents...
The price for gasoline in the Jamestown-area is remaining stable this week... while the national average is up about a nickle a gallon for regular, unleaded. That from AAA East Central's Gas Price Report... which says the local price this week is just under $3.50 a gallon. That's virtually the same as last week... and, about 20-cents lower than a year ago. Nationally... the price is up 5-cents to $3.19 a gallon. Seasonal demand increases, higher costs for oil, and routine refinery maintenance have pushed pump prices higher. AAA says the Energy Information Administration reports that the demand for gas is up... wile total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by just over 3-million barrels a day.
City man arrested for DWAI...
A Jamestown man has been arrested for allegedly being found to be driving on the city's northside while under the influence of drugs. City police say officers spotted the vehicle... driven by 34 year-old Steven Gustafson-Solinger... on Fluvanna Avenue -- near Washington Street -- about 7 p.m. last Friday with no headlights or tailights on. Officers say they saw that Solinger appeared to be under the influence and gave Standardized Field Sobriety Test's to which he failed. He was taken into custody and transported to the city jail for processing. Solinger's BAC came back .00 BAC... and, a Drug Recognition Expert then conducted a Drug Influence Evaluation. He was charged with DWAI-Drugs and other traffic violations.
Suozzi wins NY House District 3 run-off to replace Santos...
Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election Tuesday in New York for the U.S. House seat that was left vacant when Republican George Santos was expelled from Congress. Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip to retake a seat he held for three terms before giving it up to run, unsuccessfully, for governor.
