A Cattaraugus County woman is missing after being treated at WCA Hospital in Jamestown Saturday morning... and, city police are asking for the public's help in finding her. Jamestown Police Captain Bob Samuelson says 50 year-old Roseanne Hardiman of Allegany was released from the hospital early Sunday... but, he says neither her family nor friends have seen or heard from her since. Samuelson says Hardiman... a white female with brown hair... was last seen leaving WCA's Emergency Department. Samuelson says the family is concerned about Hardiman's well-being... but, he says they believe a friend whose not familiar with the family may have picked her up. Foul play is not suspected... but, they do want to confirm that she is safe. Anyone with information is asked to call City Police at 483-7537... or the Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office at 938-9191.
There's "extremely good news" for motorists in Jamestown who use West Third Street between the Third Street Bridge and McDaniel Avenue. That portion of the street... along with a smaller section of McDaniel from West Third to Fairmount Avenue will soon be completely resurfaced by the state Department of Transporation. Mayor Sam Teresi reported on the 250-thousand to 300-thousand dollar job... which begins Wednesday... at last night's City Council work session. Teresi says the project wasn't supposed to be done until 2015... but, the DOT found the resources to do it... and, the city has agreed to assist. Teresi says the work will involve milling of those streets... and, then an overlay of pavement will be put down. He adds the DOT will also be resurfacing the two-block section from the West Third Street bridge to Monroe Street. That section is also a state roadway. Teresi says the bad news is the work will necessitate a minor course change for the Lucy-Town Half-Marathon. He says city police and the Public Works Director Jeff Lehman have already begun work on that.
A natural gas issue is the apparent cause of a house explosion and fire at a home on Lakeview Road in the town of Ripley. Ripley fire crews were joined by four other departments at scene about 11:30 AM Monday. First Assistant Ripley Fire Chief Brian Chess says... fortunately... no one was inside when the single story house was blown apart. Chess says no one was hurt... including firefighters. He says the home owners returned to the house just after the explosion took place. Ripley was assisted at the scene by South Ripley, Westfield, and Sherman fire crews... along with both the Crescent and Fuller Hose Companies from Northeast, Pennsylvania. Chautauqua County Fire Investigators are trying to determine the exact cause.
County Executive Greg Edwards says a third-party fact-finder's report on the county's contract dispute with it's largest union is a "good compromise." Edwards says that he hopes the report will be accepted by CSEA Local-6300 to end nearly two-years of negotiations that resulted in an impasse last year. A Fact Finder was appointed last November... and, the final report was recently issued. Edwards says he accepted the Fact Finder's Report last Friday. He says the last contract expired in December of 2011... and, both sides started far apart. However... Edwards says his administration and the CSEA had gotten much closer before the impasse was declared by the union in 2012. He says the ball is now in the CSEA's court... and, he understands they will be meeting sometime later this week. The fact-finder is recommending a four-year contract would include no wage increases for years 2012... and, 2013. There would be a 41-cent per hour increase in 2014... and, a 2-percent increase in 2015. Employee health insurance premiums would be frozen for 2012 and '13... and, there would be increases in 2014 and 2015. There would also be an option for a higher deductable health plan.
An audit by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has found that hundreds of inmates in upstate county jails received more than 500-thousand in improper benefits. DiNapoli's auditors found 351 inmates in Chemung, Onondaga, Orange, Schenectady and Warren counties received state unemployment insurance benefits of nearly 325-thousand dollars.
Leaves are now in full color in the Catskills and some other parts of upstate New York. State tourism officials say peak color has arrived in the Catskills, with bright shades of red, orange and yellow around the region. Trees across a large swath of central New York are at the mid-point of changing color this weekend. Some interior sections of the Adirondack Park are past peak, though peak color can be found on trees around the edges of the 6-million acre park. Trees in the New York City region to the south are just changing now.
