An EF 1 Tornado touched down in Warren County, Pennsylvania Saturday. The Warren Times Observer reports that the Tornado touched down sometime between 6:35 and 6:45pm in Scandia. The National Weather Service confirmed the twister had a width of 40 yards and a path of two miles. There were reports of three different funnel clouds Saturday, but this was the only one that touched down according to Todd Lake, head of Warren County Emergency Management. There were no injuries or signifcant damage beyond some downed tree limbs and damage to some outbuildings.
"Smart Growth" and Sustainable Economic Development were the focus of a recent conference hosted by Governor Andrew Cuomo in Buffalo. Mayor Sam Teresi was among the presenters at the one-day event to talk about what's been done in Jamestown... and, the city's winning application for a 10-million dollar Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant. Teresi says the main focus of this program was "Smart Growth..." and, locating development where the infrastructure is already available. Teresi says the featured speaker was former Maryland Governor Parris Glendenning... who is considered the "father of Smart Growth." He says Glendenning used the basics of Smart and Sustainable growth to help boost Maryland's cities. As for Teresi... he spoke about some of Jamestown's recent projects using existing structures, and their application for the 10-million dollar state award. Late last week... Teresi told us that the state had selected H-R-and-A Consultants of New York City to work with the city... and, put final plans together for 5-to-8 projects that'll benefit from the award. He made his comments on this past weekend's "Community Spotlight" program on the Media One Group stations.
The Jamestown 'Fall Festival of Bands' had to move inside because of weather Saturday night. Instead of marching on Strider Field... the seven bands stood and performed inside the fieldhouse at Jefferson School. The director of the JHS band, Meghan Murray, said it went as well as it could. As for the two-time state champion Jamestown band, Murray says the young people know the challenge they are up against... having moved to the top 'National Division' in the field band conference. No scores are given for an indoor show... just descriptive comments. Jamestown was rated 'outstanding'. Falconer was rated 'excellent'.
New York regulators say they're requiring a full environmental review of permits that allowed fuel transporters to turn Albany into a major hub for crude oil rail shipments from North Dakota to East Coast refineries. The Department of Environmental Conservation says Friday it will require Waltham, Massachusetts-based Global Partners to restart its environmental review process given significant new information about benzene air emissions and the hazards of crude oil transport. Environmental groups that have harshly criticized DEC's quiet approval of the company's original application in 2012 without public hearings hailed Friday's action as a victory. The action comes a month after the Environmental Protection Agency accused the company of violating air pollution standards at the Port of Albany. Global said it was in compliance with standards.
Work will begin soon on a parking lot repair project at the Chautauqua-Jamestown Airport just north of Jamestown. The project was given a recent boost by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand... who late last week made official a 745-thousand dollar grant for the project. County Executive Vince Horrigan says the parking lot has fallen into disrepair... and, is badly in need of the work. Horrigan says the contracts will be finalized shortly, and hopefully the project will be done before Winter begins. He expressed his appreciation to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for their efforts. In addition to the funding for the Chautauqua County project... the Senators also announced 150-thousand dollars for the Cattaraugus County Airport in Olean. Schumer and Gillibrand say that will receive 150-thousand dollars to buy new snow removal equipment in preparation for the winter season.
A Ripley man faces a criminal possession of a weapon charge after he was allegedly found with a switchblade in his possesion during a fight in the village last week. Sheriff's officers and Westfield Police were called to the scene on South State Street about 5:30 PM Tuesday. Deputies say they interviewed 21 year-old Brandon Murphy... who was allegedly found with the switchblade-style knife. Murphy was issued an appearance ticket for Ripley Town Court at a later date.
U-S Senator Bernie Sanders says a fellow liberal champion in New York is running in one of the most important congressional races in the country. The independent senator from Vermont is speaking at a rally for Democrat Zephyr Teachout on Friday in New Paltz. Teachout is running against Republican John Faso in a high-profile race for the open swing seat. Sanders has continued to support selected Democrats since ending his presidential bid. Teachout became a liberal standard bearer during her surprisingly strong 2014 primary challenge to Governor Andrew Cuomo's re-election bid. The Vermont native appeared at Chautauqua this Summer. Faso served in the state Assembly for 16 years and became the chamber's minority leader.
Pennsylvania's unemployment rate rose again last month, and it now lags the national unemployment rate by the widest gap in more than three decades. The state Department of Labor and Industry said late last Friday that Pennsylvania's jobless rate rose to 5.7 percent in August. That's the fifth monthly increase in the last six months. The national rate was 4.9 percent in August. Pennsylvania's rate hasn't lagged the national rate by a bigger gap since 1981. Meanwhile, a survey of employers found that seasonally adjusted non-farm payrolls slid by about 900 jobs in August, remaining below 5.9 million and March's record high.
