The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities has bought a natural gas pipeline that will bring the fuel from Mayville to the Carlson Generating Station in the city. That from BPU General Manager Dave Leathers... who says the board Thursday approved a contract to purchase the pipeline from Emkey Transporation of Erie, Pennsylvania for 5.4-million dollars. However... Leathers says the main company... Emkey Gathering... will continue to operate and perform maintenance on the pipeline and related equipment under a separate agreement. The system has been in use since 2001 when the BPU began using it's gas-fired generator to make electricity. Leathers says owning the system will provide "cost certaint for our customers the next 15-to-20 years.
A pair of state legislature mailers from incumbant State Senator Cathy Young is again raising the issue of sending these to constituents during a re-election campaign. Chautauqua County Democratic Committee Chairman Norm Green says... while it's perfectly legal... it's an "unfair" practice that benefits incumbants... and, at taxpayer expense. Green estimates the cost of the district-wide mailers to be about 50-thousand dollars. He says lesser funded challengers don't stand a chance. Green acknowledges that he supports Democratic Challenger Lee Hyson of Cattaraugus County... who is a private contract engineer who has "great fresh new ideas..." including term limits. However... he says Hyson can't match what Young is able to mail out. Green admits that Young is consistantly rated as one of the "most powerful" people in Albany... and, delivers for the district, and provides "great constituent service." He also questions the need for such a mailer at this time in the election cycle. Green says Young doesn't need to do this to get re-elected. He says it may take her election totals from "64-to-65-percent." The election is November 8th.
A spokesman for State Senator Cathy Young's campaign says Norm Green's statements are "patently false... " adding it's nothing but "fabricated partisan nonsense." In response... Bob Driscoll says Green and Lee Hyson are making a desperate attempt to mislead the public. Driscoll says the mailers were sent out in the proper time frame... and, says every rule was followed. He adds that while Young is fighting hard and working on behalf of the people in her district every day, her opponent has been "virtually nonexistent." He says the Young campaign has determined that Hyson... who does a lot of contract work outside the region... has only been at about seven events in district over the past seven months. Driscoll says Young stays closely in touch with her district... and, attends "up to seven events in just one day." He also says Hyson has not only aligned himself with "the radical New York City-controlled Senate Democrats... but, also questions how much he has even lived in the district over the past 16 years.
A young Jamestown couple has received the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce 'Person of the Year' award for 2016. Heather and Richard Turner III own Blackstone Advanced Technologies, a sheet metal fabricator.
Several hundred people attended the award ceremony Thursday night at SUNY Fredonia. The county chamber's 'Economic Development' award went to Peak'n Peek in Findley Lake, which welcomed back PGA golf this summer. Owner Nick Scott, Jr. says they bought the business out of bankuptcy six years ago. The Jamestown Chamber's 'Community Service' award went to Rick Huber, Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Association... on the front lines of fighting drug abuse. Huber thanked the association's supporters and staff. Among the other 'Community Service' awards was one presented to Habitat for Humanity by the Mayville-Chautauqua Chamber of Commerce.
Watchdog groups were in Albany Thursday calling on legislative leaders to hold hearings on corruption in state contracts, and to enact reforms. The recent indictments of former aides to Governor Andrew Cuomo on federal charges has dragged corruption in Albany back into the headlines. Dick Dadey, who heads the Citizens Union of New York, says they have a list of actions the Legislature could take to increase transparency and accountability in state government. Dadey says those reforms include competitive and transparent contracting for the awarding of all state funds and giving the State Comptroller the power to review and approve all contracts. He says they also want the state to give the public access to a list of all state contracts on a "data base of deals..." something six other states have already done. The most recent corruption scandal involves the awarding of more than one-billion dollars in state funds... and, allegedly involves a former top aide to Governor Cuomo... and, the president of the SUNY Politecnic Institute.
A state lawmaker says a recent bomb blast in New York City makes clear that the state should restrict access to explosives like Tannerite, commonly used in targets at some shooting ranges. Assemblyman David Buchwald, a Westchester County Democrat, sponsored legislation that passed the Assembly earlier this year that would restrict access to compounds sold with instructions how to combine them to facilitate a detonation. Tannerite is made by combining ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder. Buchwald says the materials are easy to buy and press reports indicate its residue was found in the Manhattan bomb that hurt 29 people last month.
Most police agencies in Chautauqua County will be taking part in the next STOP-DWI crackdown in the county....during Halloween weekend from October 28th through 31st. Sheriff Joe Gerace says the county was recently awarded funds to continue the crackdowns during the state's 2016-17 fiscal year. Gerace says extra patrols will be out looking for drivers who may be drunk or under the influence of drugs. Gerace says the State Police, along with most local police agencies in the county, will be taking part in the state-wide crackdown. In the last crackdown... held during the Labor Day weekend, there were two arrests for DWI along with 137 other vehicle stops, arrests and summonses.
A Gowanda woman has been arrested for allegedly causing a disturbance outside Silver Creek Central School... and, resisting arrest. Sheriff's officers say they were called to the scene on Dickinson Street just after 9 AM Thursday on a report of a disorderly person. Deputies say they saw 32 year-old Stephanie Hart yelling, and causing a disturbance in the school. Officers say they tried to calm Hart down and advised her several times to stop yelling. However... she continued to cause a disturbance.. and, as deputies tried to take her into custody... she physically resisted. Hart is also accused of biting the arm of one of the deputies, injuring him. The deputy was treated and released from a local hospital. Hart was arrested and charged with second-degree assault... resisting arrest... and, Disorderly Conduct. She was arraigned in Hanover Town Court... and, sent to the county jail in lieu of bail.
