Get ready for the possibility of nearly a foot of snow late tonight into Wednesday night. The National Weather Service has now issued a Winter Storm Warning from 10 PM TODAY through 4 PM Wednesday. Forecaster Tom Paone in Buffalo says the predicted storm track will bring the system close enough to Western New York to produce between 6 to 10 inches of snow -- at least. Paone says there will not be any lake effect snow involved with this storm because of much of Lake Erie remains ice covered. Forecasters say we're looking at 3 to 5 inches of snow tonight... and, overnight into Wednesday.
The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities is ready to launch it's new Residential Recycling Credit Program, which provides an incentive to bring up the number of residents who recycle. BPU Communications Coordinator Becky Robbins and General Manager Dave Leathers updated the City Council last night on the program's roll-out. Robbins says the BPU hopes to begin distributing new, orange bins next week that'll be used to accurately determine who is recycling on a regular basis... and, who is not. Robbins told lawmakers the bins will include a Radio Frequency Identification tag that will identify each household... and, whether they're recycling items at least once a month. They will be tied in to the BPU's current software... and, the resident's current account. Leathers says a committee has been working on the program... and, decided to increase garbage fees to 20-dollars per month. But... those who recycle will only pay 10-dollars. Currently... Leathers says says less than 35-percent of the city's residents recycle... and, while the BPU doesn't have a goal... they'd really like to get those numbers to 80 to 90-percent by the end of the year. Leathers says if they can get most people to recycle... it would significantly reduce the amount of money the BPU has to pay in tipping fees at the County Landfill. He adds they are also paid for the recyclables they turn over. If you have any questions... you're asked to call BPU Customer Service... or check the BPU's website.
The current propane gas shortage and price spikes is proof the U-S needs to strengthen both energy development and infrastructure to avoid such problems. Those are the feelings of local Congressman Tom Reed... as temperatures nose-dive in the northeast again this week. A Winter Storm is again on the way beginning tomorrow night. Reed says the shortage is proof that this is a --- "ramification for not having a comprehensive energy plan." He adds that it's also proof of the need to boost natural gas production in New York. Reed says propane is a by-product of natural gas. The Corning Republican says the shortage is primarily related to the lack of infrastructure to move the heating source to areas of need. As for what Congress can do -- right now -- to help deal with the lack of propane... Reed says there's not much right now. He says they can only make sure there's no "price gouging" taking place... and, he adds there's no evidence of that taking place right now. He made his comments during his weekly telephone news conference with western New York Media.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah says he expects the state trial of medical marijuana to be up and running within a year. Shah told lawmakers at a hearing today that the research is intended to examine the drug's effectiveness in patient treatment, for example with pain in stages of cancer. Shah testified as part of hearings on Governor Andrew Cuomo's 137.2-billion dollar budget. He says the goal is to provide evidence of value not only for New York but for the country.
U-S Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand say they've successfully petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use 11.5-million dollars to buy concord grape juice for use in domestic nutrition programs such as school lunches. The U.S. grape industry has a surplus of Concord grapes used to make juice due to a large 2013 crop. The senators wrote to the USDA to help purchase some of the surplus to ensure that prices remain stable for the industry ahead of the 2014 harvest. New York has 281 growers and over 9,700 acres of Concord vineyards in western and central New York and the Finger Lakes. The purchase will also benefit growers in Washington, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arkansas, Missouri, and Indiana.
Country superstar Jason Aldean is bringing his ``Burn It Down Tour'' to the New York State Fair on August 30th. Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. Saturday at the State Fair Box Office and via the fair's online ticket seller, etix.com. Aldean performed to a sold-out audience at the 2012 State Fair. His appearance this year will close the fair's grandstand concert series. Aldean has sold more than 8.5-million albums and has notched 12 Number-#1 hits. His 2014 ``Burn It Down Tour'' will trek to about 50 cities this year, including several Major League Baseball stadiums. His last tour had sellouts at some of the nation's most legendary venues, including Madison Square Garden, Wrigley Field and the Hollywood Bowl.
