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News Headlines for Mon., July 6, 2015

City man seriously hurt in town of Ellicott crash...

A Jamestown man is being treated for serious injuries after his car struck another vehicle from behind... and, his car rolled over in a ditch in the town of Ellicott early Sunday night.  Ellicott Police say the 52 year-old man... who was not identified... was northbound on the Peck-Settlement Road shortly before 5 p.m.  Officers say the driver tried to pass a car in front of him... but, his vehicle struck the other car... and, it went into a ditch.  It then overturned.  Police say the man was flown by Starflight Helicopter from the scene to the Hamot Medical Center in Erie, PA.  His condition was not available.  Ellicott police are continuing to investigate.


Jamestown man arrested for allegedly spying on, and taping women intimately in Wegman's Supermarket...

A Jamestown man has been arrested for allegedly using a cell phone camera to photograph intimate areas of women shoppers -- without their knowledge -- in the Wegman's Supermarket in West Ellicott.  Town police say they were called to the scene on Fairmount Avenue on this past Saturday on a report of a suspicious male filming women inside the store.  Officers investigated... and, found that 33 year-old Daniel Bass, Junior of Prospect Street... was putting the cell phone inside a shopping basket while it was recording.  Bass was arraigned for second-degree unlawful surveillance... and, sent to the county jail on $2,000 bail.


Horrigan says budget process is underway in the county...

With a half-a-percent increase in the county's sales tax just a couple of steps away... the 2016 budget process is off to a solid start.  That from Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan... who says he met this past week with Budget Director Kitty Crow, and other members of the county's financial team to officially begin the effort.  Horrigan says they are also beginning to implement the recommendations of the county's Deficit Reduction Commission.  He says the sales tax increase tops the list.  One of the next ones is looking at consolidating local services... and, next is finding what services can be privatized.  However... Horrigan says he's not in a position to talk about those, yet.  Horrigan says that would be similar to what's been done over the past two years with the former Chautauqua County Home.  He says working with employee unions will also be part of the cost-cutting equation.  Once the sales tax increase from 7.5-to-8-percent is enacted... he says another goal of the commission will be attainable.  That's having a "structurally-balanced" budget.  Horrigan made his comments for this past weekend's "Community Spotlight" program.


Number of New York counties overriding state Tax Cap declining...

New York's comptroller reports that counties overriding New York's 2-percent property tax cap have declined steadily over four years from 15 to six.  First applied to local governments in 2012... the cap generally limits tax levy increases to 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower.  The report shows total collections in the 57 counties outside New York City increased from $5.13-billion in 2012 to $5.4 billion in 2015.  That's an overall increase of 5.3 percent.  Chautauqua County has been below the cap each year.  Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says if inflation keeps declining they'll have to tighten their budgets more.  Municipal boards can vote to override the caps. School districts need voter approval.  New York City is excluded.


County Mental Hygiene officials "thrilled" over extension of grant for Tapestry program...

A program that brings several agencies together to help troubled youth in Chautauqua County is being expanded for an additional three years.  Local Congressman Tom Reed late last week announced that the county Department of Mental Hygiene's "Tapestry Program" was awarded a one-million dollar grant by the U-S Department of Health and Human Services.  Mental Hygiene Director Pat Brinkman says they're thrilled to again be getting the grant... based on the initial seven-year, $9-million grant.  Brinkman says they used that initial grant as a "spring-board" to getting the extension.  She says Tapestry provides youth with counseling, suicide prevention and other resources.  She says federal officials have been impressed with both the collaboration... and, how efficiently they've been able to use the money.  Reed says the program "makes sure kids have access to the best possible chance for a quality of life, and provides them with the resources they need to thrive."  Brinkman says the need is still "tremendous..." both short and long-term.  Reed says the expansion of Tapestry's comprehensive wellness program will bring it to all county school districts.


Jamestown Garage fire destroys building, and car inside...

No one was hurt when fire broke out in a car being worked on in a garage on Jamestown's westside Sunday afternoon... and, destroyed the car, and garage.  City Fire Battalion Chief Roger Sigular says firefighters were called to the scene at 95 Hallock Street about 3 p.m., and, found the garage heavily-engulfed in flames.  Sigular says they were unable to save the garage, and a vehicle that was inside.  However... the home -- which was not attached -- was not damaged.  Sigular says the homeowner was working on the car... and, that apparently triggered the blaze.  He says firefighters were at the scene just over an hour.