Two families burned out of Willard St. home in Christmas Day fire...
A Christmas Day fire has extensively damaged the first-floor of a two-story apartment house in Jamestown... leaving two families at least temporarily homeless. City Fire Lieutenant Donald Mowry says crews were called to the scene at 100 Willard St., near the corner with Allen, just after 1 p.m. Mowry says the flames on the first floor had a good head-start... with smoke and heavy fire showing on arrival. He says they pulled one hand-line... and, knocked the flames down in about 15 minutes. However... he says the second floor sustained only smoke and heat damage. He says both apartments were occupied when the blaze broke out. Mowry says the residents of the first floor apartment were sleeping at the time... and, one had to be treated for smoke inhalation at WCA Hospital... while a firefighter was treated for minor burns. Mowry says the first floor is uninhabitable due to the fire damage... and, services have been cut to the entire building. The Red Cross is helping the victims. The cause is under investigation. Crews were at the scene just over two hours.
Car runs into pillar at Fredonia Rite Aid...
A car struck a pillar in front of the Rite-Aid store in Fredonia when the driver accidentally hit the accelerator pedal this past Tuesday morning. State Police say 79 year-old Maxine Gens of Fredonia pulled into the Rite-Aid parking lot... and, saw a car backing out. Police say Gens meant to stop, but instead hit the accelerator... and, crashed into a pillar at the front of the store. Gens was taken to Brooks Memorial Hospital for treatment of an ankle injury. Gens' son, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was not hurt. No charges have been filed, and police say the building sustained no structural damage.
New York National Guard will conduct more than 11,000 military funerals by end of 2014...
The New York National Guard says its military honor guards expect to conduct 11,300 funerals for veterans of the Army and Air Force by the end of 2014. Last year... New York National Guard Honor Guards provided funeral services for 11,585 families of military veterans. Officials say the lower number for 2014 appears to be due to the decline in the number of World War-Two... and, Korean War-era veterans still living, as well as cutbacks following a temporary budget reduction in October 2013. Under federal law..., any American who has served in the armed forces and wasn't dishonorably discharged is eligible for military funeral services. Since being organized in 1999... the National Guard honor guards have participated in more than 100,000 military funerals across New York.
One of the last WWII veteran's who was at Pearl Harbor attack passes away...
Another member of the "Greatest Generation" has died in the Jamestown-area. But... Joe Panebianco not only fought in World War-Two... he saw the events that triggered America's involvement. The U.S. Navy veteran was serving on-board one of the ships anchored at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Panebianco passed away at Hultquist Place last Friday at the age of 96. Panebianco was a Machinest 2nd Class on board the U.S.S. Trevor that fateful day. He remembers getting ready for church... and running up deck-side where he saw a Japanese zero flying low over his ship... which was anchored in a cove... not far from the line of battleships that were attacked. Panebianco says they were later ordered to search for Japanese subs and mines once the attack was over. Panebianco talked in detail about that day on WJTN's "The Times of Your Life" in 1994 with other World War-Two veterans. He re-told the story in 2011 on the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day. Panebianco later served during the war in the South Pacific.
