Cassadaga Valley Central School officials say they have had an outpouring of support from the community following the death of a High School senior who lost his life in a tractor accident on Saturday. Chautauqua County Sheriff Joe Gerace says 18-year-old Alan Harding died after a tractor he was operating on some property near 28th Creek Road overturned. Gerace says the victim was pulling a log when the tragic accident took place. Cassadaga Valley Central School Superintendent Charles Leichner says that school counselors and representatives from local churches are available for students today. He says Alan had a very "likeable personality... and was always positive and supportive to other students. Funeral arrangements have been set for Alan Harding. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11 AM Thursday in St. Mary of Lourdes Catholic Church in Bemus Point. The family will receive friends from 3 to 7 pm Wednesday in the Lind Funeral Home in Jamestown.
Roughly half of Jamestown's residents would be eligible to rent housing in a proposed housing development on the city's northside. Jamestown City Council members, and the public, got the chance to learn more about the Jackson-Spring development tentatively proposed for the area of Eighth and Spring Streets. The Cleveland, Ohio developer involved has been working with Citizens Opportunity for Development and Equality -- also known as CODE -- on the proposal. Housing Committee Chairwoman Marie Carubba says the plan is for 27 apartment units. Carubba adds that... since the most recent meeting with the developer, and neighbors to the project -- those who attended are now strongly behind the proposal. She says there's the realization that the 10 to 11-million dollar project would be good for that part of the city. City Council Finance Committee Chairman Tony Dolce was at the meeting... and, he emphasized that no one will be evicted from the properties being proposed for the project, and Eminent Domain would not be used to obtain them.
Advances in Global Position Satelite technology has resulted in a number of advances... but, has also helped local municipalites track code violations. That's been seen in the town of Ellicott... where Supervisor Pat McLaughlin says they've been able to find at least 40 violations over the past year or so. McLaughlin says one of the first items he's been working on since last Fall's election is updating the town's code. However... he tells our Terry Frank they've also found a number of times where people made improvements without a permit. McLaughlin says he's been working on updating the code with Deputy Supervisor Janet Bowman... and, Code Enforcement Officer David Rowe. He adds, though, that once they know of a violation... residents have 30-days to respond. McLaughlin says they've even found a cabin in a wooded area that was built without the proper permits. He says they're also looking to update their fee structure because Ellicott's are lower than 70-percent of the other towns across the region. McLaughlin made his comments during this past weekend's "Community Spotlight" program.
In nearly two years since New York colleges were told to adopt policies defining consensual sex and rights of rape victims, the number of schools under federal investigation for handling of sexual violence increased from four to 25. That six-fold state increase even exceeded national numbers that showed a tripling of schools under such investigations to 164. Experts say the dramatic increases reflect better reporting rather than an actual uptick in sexual violence on college campuses. Critics argued that for years many U.S. colleges hid such crimes behind federal privacy laws in an effort to publicly protect their brands. At the State University at Albany... which opened a dedicated Advocacy Center for Sexual Violence in 2014... officials say the number of alleged victims seeking help increased from 23 to 150.
Chautauqua County's congressman says he expects House members to take on the budget when they return to Washington this week. Corning Republican Tom Reed says he will support a budget that takes on the national debt crisis since it's impacting everyone. Reed also believes one area that should be cut is foreign aid. He says it could make a big difference. Reed says a "simple cut of 25-percent" would save 150-billion dollars during one year. He says that's one good area to look at. However... Reed says one exception is funding for Israel. He says he would also like to see the federal government go to a bi-annual budget process. The Congressman made his comments this afternoon during a conference call with Southern Tier Media.
The New York Farm Bureau says Governor Andrew Cuomo's plan to give farm trucks a break on Thruway tolls that could save farmers 5-million dollars annually for three years is a ``drop in the bucket.'' Spokesman Steve Ammerman says the more pressing concern is the plan to gradually increase the hourly minimum wage to $15 an hour. He says that could cost farmers $500-million a year. The toll credit would apply to vehicles weighing up to 26-thousand pounds that are owned by someone who's primarily a farmer. Ammerman says that qualifies small farm trucks for the credit, but the Farm Bureau wants the limit increased to 92-thousand pounds. The state Comptroller's office reported that as of 2012 New York had more than 35,500 farms making over $5.4 billion in commodity sales.
A mayor in New York state wants his city to be the first in the U.S. to offer a supervised injection facility, where heroin users would be able to shoot up under the care of a nurse. Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick tells The Associated Press the facility, which would also connect addicts to recovery services, is one piece of a new approach he wants his city to take against the scourge of addiction. At similar facilities in Canada, Europe and Australia, medical professionals step in if a user overdoses. There are legal and political challenges in the U.S. Myrick needs state permission to open a supervised injection site, and his proposal is certain to face significant opposition. Myrick backs a law enforcement strategy that prioritizes treatment over arrests. State health officials haven't responded to a request for comment.
