A Jamestown man faces several charges -- including Felonies -- after he was arrested for allegedly possessing a stolen handgun, and illegal narcotics during a traffic stop late Saturday afternoon. City police say a patrol spotted a vehicle parked on the wrong side of the street at the intersection of Prendergast Avenue and Crossman Street about 3:30 PM... and, began a traffic stop. Officers say they found the driver, 34 year-old Shanis Garcia-Guzman, in possession of a small amount of Heroin, and marijuana, and a hypodermic instrument. During the search... police say they also found the stolen, 9-millimeter hand-gun, within reach of four youths inside the car. Garcia-Guzman was arraigned on charges including second-degree criminal posession of a weapon... fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property... and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He was sent to the county jail without bail.
Three people were hurt... but, not seriously... when their car collided with another vehicle on the Cassadaga-Stockton Road in the town of Stockton late last Saturday night. Sheriff's officers say 60 year-old Jeffrey Ball of Clymer was westbound about 10:20 PM when his car crossed the center line for an unknown reason. Deputies say the driver of the on-coming vehicle, 52 year-old Salvatore Sciascia of Cassadaga, swerved left to avoid a crash... but,the passenger sides of the two cars collided. Officers say Ball's vehicle continued across the road and struck the bank, and a tree on the south side of the road. Ball and his wife, 60 year-old Holly Ball, and another passenger, were taken to Brooks Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Sciascia and his young passenger were not hurt. Jeffrey Ball was ticketed for fail to keep right in Stockton Town Court.
A new parts maker for a St. Cloud, Minnesota bus manufacturer will soon be located in a vacant, commercial building on Jamestown's northside. City Development Director Vince DeJoy says New Flyer of America, Incorported, will be locating the facility in about 40-thousand square feet of the former Quality Markets store on Fluvanna Avenue. DeJoy says New Flyer, which is based out of Winnipeg, Canada, will rent the space from Shults Real Estate Group. DeJoy says the city, the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency, and New York state began working on the project early in 2016. The effort to get New Flyer began after Shults was unable to land a local Toyota dealership. DeJoy adds it's "amazing" how the company has been able to convert the old supermaket into a bus parts manufacturing facility... and, he says the expect to be up and operating in about two-weeks. The project became big news last Friday when Governor Andrew Cuomo announced another 39 businesses -- including New Flyer -- had joined START-UP NY across the state. Cuomo says New Flyer is a leading maker of heavy-duty buses.
A state trooper was not hurt in an alleged shooting incident last Saturday night in the town of Arkwright. State Police Captain Eric Balon... who is Zone-Three Commander for the State Police... says the incident occured about 6 PM on Route 83. Balon tells The Post-Journal that a trooper was running radar at the scene -- near Route 60 -- when he heard a gunshot. The trooper said he turned and reportedly saw a hand pointing a gun outside a window of a nearby residence and fire a second shot. Balon says the man "wasn't pointing the gun right at the trooper, but it was in his general direction." Balon says troopers and Chautauqua County Sheriff's Officer took the unidentified shooter into custody. No motive has been determined.
A Cattaraugus County man has been sentenced to just-over a year in prison for being found to be in possession of a weapon while he was a convicted Felon. Retiring U-S Attorney William Hochul, Junior has announced that 53 year-old Salvatore Faliero of Franklinville received the sentence from Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny. In addition, the defendant was sentenced to 15 months in prison -- to be served concurrently -- for a violation of his supervised release. Hochul says Faliero was on federal supervised release following a 2009 conviction of accessory -- after the fact -- when he was arrested on the gun charge. Prosecutors say state Troopers investigated a complaint back on November 29th of last year that Faliero was shooting a firearm from his vehicle. Two other complaints were also filed before Troopers were able to pull Faliero over... and, find a loaded rifle in the back seat. Faliero had been convicted in 1985 of possessing illegal drugs, and in 1998 for attempted burglary.
He wasn't endorsed by the National Rifle Association... but, Democratic Congressional Candidate John Plumb says he is a "staunch supporter" of the Second Amendment. Plumb, who is a Captain in the U-S Naval Reserves, answered criticism of his stance on the right to bear arms during a candidates forum on the Media One Group's "Community Spotlight" program. The Jamestown-area native says he is a hunter... and, -- given his military service -- has a weapons background. However... while he is a strong supporter of the second-amendment... Plumb does not believe that people on terrorist "No fly" lists should have access to guns. He sys its "absurd" that the discussion can't even be held in Congress. Plumb says his stance on the right-to-bear arms is another position that his opponent... incumbant Republican Tom Reed of Corning... has misrepresented. Reed recently received the endorsement of the NRA for his opposition to any further gun control. Reed and Plumb held their first one-on-one debate in Elmira last Friday night. They'll face off again in Mayville tomorrow night.
New York state's new online Department of Motor Vehicles system is proving to be a big hit. The state says New Yorkers have used the system to make more than 1.4 million DMV reservations since it went online in 2013. Many DMVs are seeing big increases in the number of people who use the system to schedule a time to visit instead of waiting in line. The online system also provides more than 60 services, allowing many motorists to complete their transactions without having the travel to the DMV. Officials say the website has helped reduce wait times at the state-run DMV offices to 30 minutes, down from an average of 72 minutes in 2013.
New York state will award local governments $45-million dollars to help them upgrade and modernize their emergency 911 systems. Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration announced the funding on Friday. Counties across the state can apply for the money. It can be used to modernize and upgrade existing 911 systems, expand emergency radio coverage or support 9-1-1 dispatch centers. New Yorkers pay a phone bill surcharge to support local 911 systems, but the state has regularly spent the money on other things. A coalition of county leaders and 911 center officials is urging lawmakers to dedicate more money to 911 systems, which they say are struggling to keep up with the proliferation of cellphones.
The statue of Robert H. Jackson that now stands outside the Jackson Center was officially rededicated Saturday evening. The event also marked the 15th anniversary of the Jackson Center. The keynote speaker was Tanja Beyer, attorney for the Consulate General of Germany in New York City. She recalled Jackson's role at the Nuremberg war crimes trials 70 years ago. The statue, created by Dexter Benedict of Penn Yan, New York... was moved earlier this year from Love School to the corner of 4th and Prendergast, downtown.
The Jamestown High School Red Raider Marching Band... in its first year in the National Class... finished 8th out of 8 in the state championships in Syracuse Sunday. Jamestown's show, 'Crazy Train', earned 87.75 points. Arlington,from the lower Hudson Valley, won the class with a score of 96.75.
The Falconer Marching Band also competed at the show at the Carrier Dome in the Small School 3 division, finishing 11th, with 66 points.
