You'll want to keep an eye on the sky today.
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has all of Western New York including Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties under a slight risk for severe weather. Forecaster Dan Kelly with the weather service's Buffalo office says there are two rounds of storms on the way one is moving through during this time period, and the other will bring a cold front through the area around mid-afternoon.
Thunderstorms late this afternoon and evening may become severe, with damaging winds and possible some hail being the primary severe weather threat.
An alleged trespassing at an apartment house on Jamestown's eastside early last evening has led to the arrest of two people one for alleged drug possession.
City police were called to the scene at 207 Spring Street shortly before 6 p.m., and, found the suspects identified as 40 year-old Wilfredo Castrillo and 38 year-old Jennifer Aldrich. Officers say the pair did not have permission to be inside the apartment.
In the course of identifying both Aldrich allegedly gave a false name. She was allegedly found in possession of a quantity of Methamphetime, cocaine and marijuana.
Police say both were charged with second-degree criminal trespassing while Aldrich was also charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possesion of marijuana.
New York state has committed about $14-million towards building the new National Comedy Center in downtown Jamestown and, it will now also help spread the word about the new attraction through the state's tourism promotion arm.
Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke before a standing-room only crowd early Thursday afternoon at the center to announce the $500,000 program which will be run through the "I Love NY" program.
Cuomo says backing the National Comedy Center's construction has been part of his three-part strategy to get the entire state's economy going. He says it's part of their program to create and boost "national attractions" in the upstate region that have been devastated by the loss of people and manufacturing jobs.
Cuomo was introduced by Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi who praised the governor for making the upstate economy a priority of his administration. Teresi says he's worked with five governors during his time in public service, and says none of them was more "zeroed in" on boosting the upstate economy than Andrew Cuomo.
Cuomo was joined by the head of his economic development office Empire State Development Executive Director Howard Zemsky. Zemsky says Cuomo turned economic development "180-degrees" a few years ago by having the state's 10 regions compete for funding for projects they develop.
They were also joined by State Senator Cathy Young, Assemblyman Andy Goodell and, County Executive Vince Horrigan and, several dignitaries from the north county. The comedy center is to open in the late Spring or Summer of 2018.
A nearly three-year old conservative business organization is blasting Governor Cuomo's pledge of half-a-million dollars more for the National Comedy Center.
In a statement released late Thursday Reclaim New York's Doug Kellogg said the center would be "a better fit at the State Capitol, it’s the perfect punchline to Albany’s complete joke of an economic strategy."
The group which claims to be non-partisan says Cuomo can't claim with a straight face this is "a good use of tax dollars" and a model for repairing the region's economy.
The New York state Board of Elections says it will hand over some voter information to President Donald Trump's commission investigating voter fraud, becoming the first state to largely comply with the request after initially balking.
The Board voted late Wednesday to provide data like voter names, birthdates, addresses and voting history after determining it had no lawful reason to deny the request.
Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo said in June the state would not comply. The commission then filed an open records request for voter data already available to members of the public who file such requests.
The state will not provide voters' Social Security numbers because of state voter privacy laws. Thirteen states and Washington, D.C., still say they won't comply with the information request. Three others are reconsidering their denials.
Ex-New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver can ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review his case rather than go straight to a retrial.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Thursday that the Democrat can ask the high court to review his case. The Second-Circuit tossed out his public corruption conviction in July, citing a recent Supreme Court decision. But it also said there is sufficient evidence to conduct a retrial. A government spokesman says prosecutors still plan to retry the case as soon as possible.
Prosecutors had opposed Silver's request for the Second-Circuit to suspend the effect of its decision long enough for a Supreme Court review. The 73 year-old Silver originally was convicted in a $5 million scheme and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
