A Kennedy man escaped serious injury after a coughing spell caused him to pass out... and, his car crashed into a power pole and a tree in the town of Poland. Sheriff's officers were called to the scene on Route 394 at Stone Road shortly after 2:30 PM Tuesday. Deputies say the driver, 63 year-old David Johnson, Junior, was eastbound when he started coughing uncontrollably before passing out. Officers say the vehicle went off the southside of the roadway, and then struck the National Grid pole head-on... shearing if in half. Deputies say live wires came down, both across the road, and on top of several vehicles parked in a driveway. Johnson's vehicle then traveled another 100 yards through a lawn before hitting a tree head on. Officers say Johnson was was wearing his seatbelt saving him from life-threatening injuries.... but, he was taken to WCA Hospital for treatment of a fractured nose. Route 394 was shut down for several hours while National Grid restored power to about 20 customers. Officers say charges are pending.
It was a smooth opening day of classes for the Jamestown Public School system Tuesday. That from School Superintendent Tim Mains... who says today will be a full-day of classes after just half-a-day on Tuesday. Mains says he saw excited students and teachers for the Tuesday's opening. He reported to the school board last night that he had a chance to check-out what was happening at most of the district's schools. Mains says... other than the fact today will be a full-day in all nine of the district's schools... he reminds all motorists in the city that the speed limit is 20 miles per hour in all school zones. He says, thankfully, there were no problems with traffic or speeding Tuesday. He says their buses worked fine... and, student drop-off and pick-ups went off without incident. Mains adds that today will also be the opening day for the Jamestown District's Universal Pre-K program. He adds there are also two new classes this year for 3 year-olds in Pre-K. More on that later today.
It's been a relatively smooth start to the new school year in the Southwestern Central School District. Superintendent Maureen Donahue says they had a full day for all grades Tuesday... and, adds the opening went well. There was a minor glich came with the yellow "schools in session" warning lights signaling the 20-and 30 MPH speed zones for the three schools on the campus. Donahue says they are aware that those lights have not been working. However... there is a firm in Toronto they have to work with to get them back operational. They hope that'll be done before the start of school today. Donahue says it's not a matter of them simply "flipping a switch" there.
A Jamestown man taking two young children to school Tuesday morning is accused of driving drunk after his car was involved in a property damage accident on the city's westside. Jamestown police were called to the scene at Washington and West Seventh Streets about 7:45 AM on a report of a car leaving the scene of the crash. Officers say their investigation revealed that 32 year-old Christopher Troutman was allegedly operating the vhicle in an intoxicated state. Police say they also found Troutman was taking the kids to school when the accident occured. He faces two counts of Aggravated DWI with a child under 15 in the car... and, endangering the welfare of a child... along with leaving the scene of a property damage accident... and, DWI. He was arraigned and sent to the county jail without bail.
New York's 2.7 million students head back to school this week... and, -- after teaching -- health and safety will be a big emphasis during the early school year. That from President Tim Kreamer of the New York State School Board's Association... who says students and teachers can again expect a dozen emergency drills during the new school year. In addition... Kreamer adds there are more requirements this year. Kreamer adds that four of the drills during the current school year have to be lock-down drills. He says there is safety training required for teachers and staff that has to be done by September 15th. Kreamer says the focus will be on violence protection, and mental health disturbances. He says there are now new issues... including abuse and violence in the home... that kids are bringing to school with them now that teachers have to be ready for. He adds any possible threats of violence now have to be reported to parents and guardians.
New York's attorney general says his office is investigating Mylan Pharmaceuticals... which has been criticized for steep price increases for its emergency allergy treatment EpiPen. A-G Eric Schneiderman said Tuesday that a preliminary review shows the company "may have inserted potentially anticompetitive terms" into sales contracts with schools. EpiPens are used in emergencies to treat severe allergic reactions to insect bites and foods like nuts that can lead to anaphylactic shock. The price has grown to $608 for a two-pack, up more than 500 percent since 2007. The drugmaker says it will launch a generic version that will cost $300. Canonsburg, Pennsylvania-based Mylan N.V. says more than 700,000 free EpiPens have been distributed to over 65,000 schools... and it has dropped a previous purchase restriction for schools that wanted more at discounts.
The U-S House of Representatives is back in session... and, Congress is expected to act on a measure that deals with an issue Chautauqua County's representative fully supports. Local Congressman Tom Reed says plans are for lawmakers to vote sometime this week on the "Survivor's Bill of Rights Act of 2016..." which helps the victims of sexual assault. Several years ago... one of Reed's nieces was the victim of such an assault... and, this legislation includes some measures he pushed for. Reed adds that the bill also sets national standards for the management of rape kits... and, requires that victims are provided with information about those procedures. He says victims would also be notified about potential destruction of the kit they used before that occurs. Reed says the U-S Senate has already overhwhelmingly approved a similar version of the bill. He says the "Survivor's" bill also calls for developing a working group to improve the processes used to address sexual assault's nationwide. Reed made his comments during his weekly telephone conference call.
The State Fair has ended its 12-day run with the highest attendance total in the annual event's 175-year history. Governor Cuomo was at the fairgrounds in the Syracuse suburb of Geddes Monday to help state and local officials celebrate the record-breaking year. By the time the fair ended Monday night.. more than 1.1-million people had visited the fair. That tops the previous record set in 2001, when just over 1 million attended. This year's attendance increased by 23 percent over the 2015 State Fair.
