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WJTN News Headlines for Aug. 7, 2018

Chautauqua County's top-cop says he has concerns about Governor Cuomo's recent announcement that he has appointed a workgroup to draft legislation for a regulated adult-use marijuana program...  
 
Cuomo says he wants the state legislature to consider a measure in the 2019 session.  County Sheriff Joe Gerace says he doesn't agree with the move to legalize the recreational use of pot.
 
Gerace, who is seeking another term as Sheriff, says he also disagrees with the conclusion of a study led by the State Department of Health that says the positive impacts of a regulated marijuana market outweigh the potential negative impacts.  Gerace says he says sometimes the desire for "revenue outweighs common sense."  Unfortunately, he says there are members of the public who have the attitude that it should be legalized but, he still has a problem with it.  Gerace adds he believes that marijuana may be a "gateway drug" for some users.   
 
 
Jamestown fire investigators are still investigating the cause of an early morning fire Monday that destroyed a vacant, three-story house on the city's eastside....  
 
Jamestown Fire Battalion Chief Andrew Finson says crews were called to the scene at 429 Allen Street shortly before 2 a.m. and, found the structure fully-engulfed in flames.  Finson says crews had to take a "defensive" stance due to the volume of flames and set up three lines to put out the blaze.  He says firefighters remained at the scene until 7:00.  The city's Department of Development was called in and, determined that an emergency demolition should be done.  The street was closed for a few hours while the demolition was taking place.  No electric service was hooked up to the home.  No injuries were reported. 
 
 
A Cattaraugus County teenager is being held on $5,000 bail for damaging two law enforcement vehicles early Sunday morning....  
 
Sheriff's officers in Little Valley along with Seneca Nation Marshalls, were called to Low Banks Campground in Cold Spring to investigate a large underage party.  On arrival, deputies saw several underage drinkers and began to dispurse kids from the party safely.  Officers say witnesses saw 18 year-old Nicholas Becker become upset after deputies confiscated his large amount of alcohol.  Becker allegedly smashed out the window of a Sheriff's K-9 patrol vehicle with the K-9 inside and, also the window of a Seneca Nation Marshall's vehicle.  The K-9 was not injuried but, Becker faces several charges, including two counts of felony criminal mischief. 
 
 
A federal program designed to help improve educational outcomes for elementary and middle school students were in the spotlight Monday in the Jamestown school district....  
 
Local Congressman Tom Reed was at Love Elementary School to hear more about what the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program is doing for local students.   21st Century Grant Program Director Amanda Gesing says they have the program in the Love, Ring, Fletcher, and Bush Elementary Schools, and Jefferson and Washington Middle Schools.
 
Gesing says the nearly $2.9-million Jamestown gets comes mainly from the federal government but, goes to the state which then doles out the funding.  The district is receiving $579,000 each year over a five-year period.  Gesing says the program helps them provide teachers to give more "personal attention" to students who need some extra help after school or during the summer.  She says the teachers specialize in literacy intervention for students considered at-risk of falling behind.  
 
 
The 3rd annual Chautauqua County Farmer-Neighbor Dinner is a week from today (Tuesday, August 14th) at the Grandview in Ellington....  
 
The event is an opportunity for farmers and consumers to enjoy a 'farm to table' dinner of local products.  Several awards will be presented: Agricultural Producer, Friend of Agriculture and a new one, Legacy Producer.  The guest speaker will be Paul Trowbridge, a lifetime farmer from Corfu, New York, and author of the popular column 'From the Tractor Seat.'  Tickets are $20 and can be reserved by calling Deb Kelley at the Soil and Water Conservation District in Jamestown at 664-2351.  The dinner begins with a social hour at 5 p.m., dinner at 6.  The meal will be prepared by Robert Cross of Three C's Catering.  (WJTN's Dennis Webster will emcee the event.) 
 
 
The 500-plus 'I Love NY' highway signs at the center of a spat between Governor Andrew Cuomo and federal transportation officials are going nowhere fast....  
 
The Federal Highway Administration says the signs arrayed in groups along the state's highways have to be removed because they contain too much information and could be distracting.  The Cuomo administration said earlier this year that the signs would come down.  But, to date, no signs have been removed, despite the threat by the federal agency to withhold $14-million in transportation funding if they aren't gone by September 30.  Cuomo's critics say the Democrat wasted taxpayer dollars on the $8-million project.  The governor has said the signs have helped boost the state's $100-billion tourism industry.
 
 
Republican lawmakers in New York will hold hearings into recent decisions by the state parole board to release some high-profile offenders...  
 
The state Senate's GOP majority announced the move Monday.  No dates have been announced.  Lawmakers say the hearings will focus on several parole decisions, including one earlier this year to release 70-year-old Herman Bell, a former Black Liberation Army radical who killed two New York City police officers in 1971.  The hearings will also examine Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo's decision to restore voting rights of thousands of former inmates.