Chautauqua County fire investigators believe that arson is the cause of multiple fires at a location on Engdahl Road -- near Edson Road -- in the town of Charlotte Wednesay night. That's the word from Chautauqua County Sheriff Joe Gerace. He says three departments battled the fires that damaged two campers and an ATV. Fire crews from Sinclairville, Gerry and Ellington responded to the call just before 9 PM Wednesday. The fires were located several hundred feet off the roadway. Gerace says if anyone has information about the blazes... they should contact the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office.... or the We-Tip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME. If your tip leads to an arrest and conviction... you may be eligible for a reward of up to one-thousand dollars.
He has made the decision not seek a second term... but, Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan says there's still a lot to do in the remaining 10 months in office. Horrigan made the announcement at the end of his fourth, and as it turns out, final State of the County message Wednesday night. After the address, Horrigan indicated that he had been thinking about ending his career in county government for about a year. He wants to spend more time with his wife Barbara and their family in Florida. Horrigan feels his administration has accomplished a lot in the last three years... and the time is right. He says there's always going to work to get done... but, he believes there are plenty of talented people to carry on that work here. Horrigan says there is still a lot to do in his remaining time in office. Among his top goals, taking home a 20-million dollar grant award in the final round of the State Municipal Consolidation and Efficiency Competition.
The major political parties in Chautauqua County are now looking for candidates interested in running for the County's top-elected office. County Legislator David Wilfong of Jamestown... who is also the chairman of the Chautauqua County Republican Committee... says that Vince Horrigan has accomplished a lot in the past three-plus years. Wilfong says one of the qualities the party will be looking for in a candidate is the willingness to work with others. County Democratic Chairman Norm Green, who attended Wednesday night's meeting, indicated that they have some people interested in running, although he would not give out any specifics.
New York state plans to dedicate 32-million dollars in federal funding to improve public transportation in the state's rural areas. Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration announced the grants on Wednesday. They'll go to counties, cities and tribal governments who agree to use the money for intercity bus lines, regional transportation authorities and other public transportation programs. The Democratic governor says reliable transportation systems are critical to the accessibility and economics of rural New York. He says the money will help connect rural areas around the state to smaller cities. Specifically... the funds could pay for new buses, vehicle maintenance facilities or features such as bus shelters, communication systems or security.
Governor Cuomo is proposing a $25 million cut to programs that fight cancer, diabetes and other health threats. The Democratic governor's administration says specific reductions, to be made by state health officials, would make health programs more efficient. Lawmakers are skeptical about the proposal in Cuomo's budget. Democratic Sen. Liz Krueger says Cuomo should say which programs will be cut before the budget is approved. The American Cancer Society opposes reductions, noting one program facing cuts funded 25,000 breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screenings for poor New Yorkers last year. The administration says the cuts wouldn't affect a separate $16 million program dedicated to breast cancer screenings. Last year... Cuomo proposed big investments in cancer screening after his girlfriend, celebrity chef Sandra Lee, successfully battled breast cancer.
Invasive species will be the focus of a special series of programs next week at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown. Conservation technologist, Elyce Henshaw says they want people to know about the problems non-native species can cause. RTPI will present programs on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6 PM. Monday's program will be about 'birds and invasives'. The Friday session will talk about White Nose Syndrome in bats. On Wednesday, Elyce Henshaw will describe the problems caused by earthworms consuming leaves on the forest floor. The series wraps up Saturday, March 4th from 10 to 3, with a day of education, training and fun activities. All events are free at RTPI on Curtis Street in Jamestown. They are being presented in conjunction with National Invasive Species Awareness Week. More information at rtpi.
The current tenant of the former Quality Markets Warehouse in West Ellicott has now purchased the entire facility from the previous owners. Hackman Capital Partners and Calare Properties have jointly announced that the Jackson Avenue Warehouse at 133 Jackson Avenue has been purchased by Regal Service... a 100-percent employee-owned transportation company. Officials with Hackman say Regal will continue to occupy all of it's nearly 288-thousand square-foot distribution facility. Regal is a 51 year-old company that serves several multinational manufacturing companies, as well as the food industry. The company has occupied space in The Jackson Avenue Warehouse since 2011 and, after several expansions, took over the entire facility in early 2014. Regal has additional facilities in New York, western Pennsylvania and Maryland. Hackman Capital founder and Chief Executive Officer Michael Hackman says the "Jackson Industrial Building's location, high bays and abundant loading capacity made it a great fit for Regal when they first leased space in it six years ago. We're thrilled it has continued to meet their needs and very pleased with the sale."
Jamestown police have responded to a number of domestic violence, and disturbance calls in recent days... including one where a child was being held while two people were having an altercation. That call came from 101 Lakeview Avenue shortly after 8 AM Tuesday... where a physical altercation took place between 27 year old Antonio Sanders and a female. During the fight... police say Sanders choked the victim while holding a one year old child. Sanders was later found at a different address... and, arrested for criminal obstruction of Breathing, Aggravated Family Offense, and second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child. He was then sent to the City Jail pending arraignment.
Jimmy Fallon has donated 100-thousand dollars to help fund the art program at the high school he attended, with some of the money going toward the school's TV studio. The host of NBC's "Tonight Show" is a 1992 graduate of Saugerties High School in upstate New York. Fallon tells The Associated Press in a statement that he's glad to be able to give something back. He adds: "And if anyone there wants to return the favor with a statue of me or something, I'm totally cool with that, too." While there's no word on a statue, district Superintendent Seth Turner thanked Fallon for the gift and joked that he's willing to completely eliminate Fallon's disciplinary record in return.
