The Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the State Police, are continuing to investigate a police-involved shooting that claimed a life Monday afternoon in the village of Fredonia....
Fredonia Police Chief Brad Meyers says police responded to 76 Liberty Street around 1:45 PM to assist Fredonia Fire with a medical call at the location. According to Meyers, the man, armed with a knife, attacked one of the officers. The officer retreated to the street and shot the man who was pronounced dead at the scene by a county coroner. Meyers says its was a difficult situation.
Meyers says the officer has not been identified. However, he did indicate the officer, a 15-year veteran of the department, has been placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation. Police involved shootings are very rare in Fredonia. Ryan Wysong, a nearby resident, heard the gunshots and knew something wasn't right. Wysong says he heard a total of four shots that were fired. The last police involved shooting in the village was when a police officer was shot in the leg in 2003.
An unidentified female was flown to a regional hospital for treatment of serious injuries following an altercation in the town of Hanover Sunday evening....
Sheriff's deputies were called to an undisclosed address and, arrested 41 year-old Kenneth Monture -- of Jamestown -- for allegedly striking and kicking the female at 11 PM. Officers say Mercyflight took the victim to Erie County Medical Center for her injuries. Monture was charged with second-degree assault and sent to the county jail without bail.
Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello says he will be reviewing the recommendations issued from a countywide task force that's been focused on the county's opioid crisis...
The Countywide Alliance for Enforcement and Rehabilitation, or CAER, recently issued a report entitled - "2018 Summary and Recommendations." Borrello tells us that he is pleased with the work of CAER and will be discussing the recommendations with the County Legislature.
Among the recommendations is combining the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force with the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force. Borrello says he agrees that the two task forces need to either merge or work more closely together. He's hopeful that the major stakeholders will work towards one of both of those outcomes. Another recommendation is adding a full-time investigator to the District Attorney's Office. Besides the recommendations, the task force reports that drug overdose and drug-related deaths in the county appear to have dropped during the past year. Direct overdose deaths were down from 29 at this time last year, to 10 this year.
Grants totaling $2.6 million have been awarded to 28 organizations around New York state to support projects that address environmental and health concerns in low-income and minority communities...
The money is from the Department of Environmental Conservation's environmental justice community impact grant program. Money will be used to clean up vacant lots, create organic urban farms, improve waterways, expand environmental education and promote community-owned solar. Since the program began in 2006, 145 organizations have received almost $5 million for projects addressing environmental issues in their communities, including research and outreach projects.
Two young women who have been able to forge major collaborations in their professional lives in Chautauqua County have been given one of the county Chamber of Commerce's most prestigious awards...
Dunkirk's Monica Kemp-Simpson and Jamestown's Simone Sellstrom are this year's co-recipients of the Pam Lydic Coalition Builder Award. Sellstrom is a midwest native and, moved here to become Communications Coodinator at Jamestown Community College more than 6 years ago. Most recently, she has worked with the Small Business Development Center at JCC to distribute a social media guide and, says their help has been vital.
Simpson is a Forestville native, who is program manager for the Fredonia Technology Incubator and, has worked on a number of programs and projects in the north county area. But, she says she's also very proud of what she's been able to do with the local "young professionals" group. The Pam Lydic Awards were presented at last Friday's annual meeting of the chamber at the Chautauqua Harborfront Hotel in Celoron. The main speaker at the event was hotel owner--operator David Hart.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has vetoed a measure that would have allowed big lottery jackpot winners in New York to remain anonymous....
Bill sponsors wanted New York to follow the lead of a handful of other states that give jackpot winners the option of anonymity so they can avoid being besieged by people seeking money. The bill would have applied to jackpots over $5,000. Cuomo said in a veto message issued late Friday that people should know there are actual lottery winners and that the state is not merely padding its coffers. The governor says winners seeking anonymity in New York can form a limited liability corporation.
A New York City resident who won a $344-million Powerball jackpot last month told newspapers he wished he could remain anonymous.
A Sherman man has been arrested for drunk driving, speeding and having no headlights early Sunday morning in the town of Sherman....
Sheriff's officers say a patrol stopped 24 year-old Martin Hostetler on Route 76 shortly before 2:30 AM for speeding and, he was found to be intoxicated. Hostetler was arrested and, after processing was released with traffic tickets for Sherman Town Court. He was charged with driving while intoxicated, aggravated unlicensed operation, speed in zone, and no/inadequate headlights.
Two committees of the New York state legislature will examine the level of mental health services provided in the state's juvenile justice system...
The Assembly's Committee on Children and Families and the Committee on Mental Health are scheduled to hold a public hearing on the topic later today in Albany. The meeting will focus on the level of care given to juvenile offenders struggling with some type of mental health challenges. Experts, advocates and relatives of offenders are expected to participate. Findings from the hearing could play a role next year as lawmakers take up a variety of reforms to the juvenile justice system. Critics say too many youthful offenders don't get the mental health help they need.
