There will be a threat of ice jam flooding for portions of Western New York, including Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Southern Erie counties now through Friday night...
That's the word from Meteorologist Jon Hitchcock of the National Weather Service. He says a Flood Watch will run from 10 this morning through late Friday night. Hitchcock says ice jam flooding can happen very quickly. About a half inch of rainfall is possible during the watch, but Hitchcock doesn't expect any general flooding. He adds though that residents living near a creek need to keep an eye on that creek both Thursday and Friday. The threat of ice jam flooding will ease by Friday night as cold air returns to the area.
Preparations are well underway in the north county to deal with any potential ice-jam flooding that could occur with the arrival of a January thaw...
That from Chautauqua County's Emergency Services Director John Griffith, who says much of the prep work is taking place in the village of Silver Creek and other areas of the north county. Griffith says the county's Public Facilities Department already has a "long-arm" excavator working to break up the ice in Silver Creek. Still, he says residents should pay attention to all broadcasts, and other emergency alerts.
Griffith says he's been in touch with other agencies and says additional resources are available should be needed. He says those include the state Department of Homeland Security. He says county officials will continue to monitor any developments during the watch and will assist should flooding develop.
Two people people were sent to the hospital when the driver of a mini-bus lost control of the vehicle and it crashed through a guard rail and rolled down an embankment in South Valley...
Cattaraugus County Sheriff's deputies were called to the scene at the intersection of Bone Run and West Perimeter Roads shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday. Officers say the driver of the Corvus Bus and Charter vehicle, 55 year-old Louis Gagliardo of Olean, lost control of the vehicle as he approached the intersection and the bus rolled onto it's side as it went down the embankment. Deputies say Gagliardo, and a bus monitor, 57 year-old Tracy Treadway of Cuba, were taken to UPMC Chautauqua WCA Hospital for treatment. A four-year-old who had been picked up for pre-school was not hurt. Gagliardo was charged with failure to stop at a stop sign.
Investigators believe a medical emergency may have been the reason the driver of a car in the town of Charlotte Tuesday morning crashed into a ditch and snowbank...
Sheriff Joe Gerace says fire rescuers and police found the driver, 65 year-old Charles Troutman of Randolph, dead inside the vehicle after putting out a fire inside the car. Gerace says they believe the fire was not suspicious. The Sheriff's Ofice reports their 911 center was notified by a passerby of a vehicle on fire off the road in a ditch on Mill Creek Road shortly after 9:00. Sinclairville Fire responded initially and put out the fire. The Sheriff's Office and the Chautauqua County Fire Investigation Team found that Troutman was dead when they arrived. Gerace says the accident is still under investigation.
One city firefighter was injured during a fire that broke out in a two-family home early yesterday morning...
That from Jamestown Fire Battalion Chief Andrew Finson, who says the firefighter was taken to UPMC Chautauqua WCA Hospital for treatment after he got some debris in his eye. He says crews were on scene just before 1 a.m. and were quick to stop the blaze. Finson says no other injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is believed to electrical in nature.
Fieldbrook Foods Corporation in Dunkirk has issued a voluntary recall of 20 cases of the Tops brand of Orange Cream Bars and 320 cases of the Meijer Purple Cow brand Orange Cream Bars...
Officials say that's due to the possibility that the product may be contaminated with Listeria. The recalled Top's Orange Cream Bars were sold in Tops retail stores located in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Vermont. The recalled Purple Cow Orange Cream Bars were sold in Meijer retail stores located in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.
The director of a propane gas trade group says it hasn't received any complaints of alleged price gouging during the recent cold spell, despite claims by New York state officials that prices may have been inflated...
Shane Sweet with the New York Propane Gas Association says propane prices typically are higher in winter, but he says any increases are "nothing close to price gouging." New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Tuesday that he was launching an investigation into extended delays in delivering propane to customers and possible price gouging during the recent cold spell.
Village lawmakers in Fredonia have approved a resolution for engineering work to install an emergency waterline replacement to eliminate the problem of discolored drinking water on portions of six streets...
Trustees earlier this week unanimously approved the resolution to have O'Brien and Gere Engineering of Syracuse to handle the design work for the project. That from Mayor Athanasia Landis, who says the next step is is for the firm to put together a design for the project. The total cost of the service is not to exceed $153,000. Dr. Landis says once the design work is completed, then the village can go out to bid. She says the process will take about a year to complete. The village is optimistic that it will be able to received an emergency loan through the state.
New York lawmakers want to know how much money the state is making off daily fantasy sports...
A committee of the state Assembly met Wednesday in Albany to review the status of the online games and their impact on the state's finances. Two years ago, lawmakers passed new regulations for daily fantasy sports to resolve concerns that daily fantasy sports companies were engaging in false advertising and illegal gambling. The Legislature also imposed new fees and taxes on the industry.
