The investigation is continuing into a fire in a pile at the  Ben Weitsman Recycling on Jamestown's westside this past weekend....  

 

Fire Battalion Chief Matt Coon says crews were called to the scene at 610 West Eighth Street just after 1:30 p.m. Saturday and, found heavy smoke coming from a pile in the center of the yard.  Coon says workers at Weitsman quickly directed them to the pile at the center of the yard.

 

Coon says it only took about 15-minutes to bring the blaze under control.  He says they used three hose lines to bring the flames under control and, adds they did some overhaul work in that area of the yard to prevent any re-ignition.  Coon says crews were there about an hour and, and off-duty shift was called in.  No one was hurt. 

 

 

A city man is jailed on $9,000 bail for allegedly driving drunk when he was involved in three motor vehicle accidents last Saturday night...  

 

State Police in Jamestown say two of the people in one of the cars had to be taken to the hospital.  Troopers say 29 year-old Ramon Pando was traveling on Route 394 between 7:15 and 7:30 p.m. when the accidents occured.  Two in the town, and one in the city.  Police say one accident sent 66 year-old Craig Underwood of Jamestown and 41 year-old Jennifer Hamilton of Georgetown, Kentucky to UPMC Chautauqua WCA hospital for treatment of minor injuries.  Pando was arraigned in Ellicott Town Court on several charges including Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated, Reckless Driving and, Leaving the Scene of a Personal Injury Accident. 

 

 

A Jamestown man is jailed without bail for stalking after allegedly threating the life of a woman for three days last week, then showing up at her house to harass her...  

 

City police were called to the scene of a reported domestic incident at the corner of Sprague and Adams Street just before Noon Saturday and, arrested 25 year-old Robert Tonkin.  Officers say they found Tonkin was sought on a bench warrant by Lakewood-Busti Police.  When they spoke with the female victim, she told them that Tonkin had been threatening her for some time.  He was arrested, and arraigned on charges of fourth-degree stalking, and aggravated family offense and, sent to the county lock-up.

 

 

Chautauqua County's representative to the State Assembly says he believes the State Legislative session that ended on June 20 was quite productive...  

 

But outside of the budget, Assemblyman Andy Goodell says much of the activity occurred in the last two weeks of the session.  Goodell says he was busy in those final weeks working as a floor leader.  Goodell was the featured speaker at last week's 50th anniversary dinner for Chautauqua County Rural Ministry in Dunkirk and, adds that he was disappointed that the legislature didn't deal with ethics reform.  He says there is some unfinished business and he expects lawmakers to return to Albany, possibly sometime in July.

 

 

There's just a month to go before the grand-opening of the new, National Comedy Center and, the start of the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival in Jamestown...  

 

The festival got a big shout-out on Twitter this past week by headliner Amy Schumer.  That was good news for Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson, who says there are still tickets remaining for Schumer's two performances on Friday, August 3rd at 7:00 and 9:30.  Gunderson says there are just a few tickets left for the program featuring some of the legends of Saturday Night Live.

 

That program with Dan Akroyd, Garrett Morris, and Laraine Newman takes place on Thursday night, August 2 at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts.  The only sell-out so far is the Lily Tomlin program on August 4.  For more information on tickets for the festival, and Comedy Center opening, go online to ComedyCenter.org.  Journey Gunderson made her comments for last weekend's Community Spotlight program on the five Media One Group stations.

 

 

Municipalities with infrastructure projects that protect or improve local water quality can get some of the $275-million in funding available from New York state...  

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced late this week that the grant funding is available through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act and the Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grants Program.  It's part of the state's $2.5-billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act.  More than $1-billion has been allocated through the 2017 act to improve water quality and services in communities across New York.  Projects eligible for receiving the state funding include water infrastructure projects that address toxins associated with harmful algal blooms, sewer overflows and contaminated water supplies.  Grant applications for the funding have to be submitted to the state Environmental Facilities Corp. by September 7.

 

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed legislation that allows immigrant parents to designate a "standby guardian" for their children if the parent is detained in New York or faces deportation...  

 

The Democrat signed the legislation at a community college in the Bronx on Wednesday, a day after a federal judge ordered immigrant families separated at the border to be reunited.  The measure passed by the state Legislature last week changes wording in a law that allows a parent to designate a guardian should the parent become incapacitated. The new law allows a standby guardian's authority to immediately begin when a child is separated from a parent.  Cuomo says the law is designed to offer increased protections for children separated from their parents as a result of the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" policy.