Chautauqua County leaders have begun the budget process for 2020 and County Executive George Borrello is hoping to bring in another zero-tax increase spending plan....
Borrello says he held his annual budget "kick-off" with department heads this week, tasking them with bringing in "no increase" budgets because state mandates continue to increase.
Borrello says the county's general operating budget will again be more than $250-million and, he hopes to keep his proposal around that number. He says it's good to see the current year's budget pretty much holding the line on spending and revenues. Borrello noted one concern is over areas that aren't "under our control..." such as payments from the Seneca Nation of Indians, which have been delayed the past two years. He says the Seneca's are apparently appealing their state payments again. Borrello says he expects to present his 2020 budget proposal at the County Legislature meeting on September 25th and, lawmakers will begin their review.
Chautauqua County's top-elected official says he hopes the motion passed last week by the County Legislature opposing wind turbines in Lake Erie sends a strong message to state leaders in Albany....
WKBW TV is reporting that a California company called "Diamond Generating Corporation" wants to locate 50-plus turbines in the lake, offshore from the town of Evans to the Pennsylvania State Line. County Executive George Borrello says he checked out the company online and found they're a "front company" for Mitsubishi. Borrello says he's not surprised that companies are looking to locate wind farms on the lake, but it's important to let the state know that the county is opposed to any such proposal. County lawmakers passed the motion opposing wind turbines in Lake Erie by an 18-0 vote.
Local Congressman Tom Reed says it's up to local governments as to whether or not wind turbines are located in any particular community....
Reed was asked about his stand in the wake of last week's vote by county lawmakers to oppose the location of wind turbines in Lake Erie. The Corning Republican addressed the issue of wind energy during Tuesday's weekly telephone conference call with Southern Tier Media. Reed says wind power is part of his "all of the above" energy policy, which includes renewables and the use of fossil fuels. He says "just because it's wind..." doesn't mean I'm against it.
The premier cancer hospital and research facility in Western New York is now one of the top 20 in all the United States....
U-S News and World Report is out with it's rankings of 885 cancer hospitals and overall, it ranks Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo number-14 in the country. Roswell's President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Candace Johnson says they're very pleased with the recognition.
Johnson says they are especially thrilled because they ranked higher than many major cancer centers in much larger markets. She says they have worked hard to provide "cutting edge" care to their patients. Going forward, Johnson says Roswell will continue to push innovation in cancer surgery and treatment. She believes they will continue finding cures for more forms of cancer, adding great strides have been made in the past 3 to 5 years. Johnson adds they were also classified as "high performing" in the survey in both Colon and Lung Cancer surgeries.
Safety Concern Closure...
Potter's Terrace on East Third Street in downtown Jamestown has been closed because of safety concerns. The owner of the property, The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation, says a recent examination revealed some structural problems which will now be evaluated. The terrace has been dedicated as a memorial for AIDS victims. The Renaissance Corporation is looking for community input on re-establishing the memorial. Contact Pete Miraglia at the Renaissance Corporation for more information.
New York has banned the manufacture, sale or possession of 3D-printed guns and other types of undetectable firearms under a measure signed into law by the state's Democratic governor....
Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday also signed new rules for the safe storage of firearms in homes with children. The new rules require guns to be locked in secure storage or made harmless with a trigger lock if anyone under 16 could access the weapon. Exceptions will be made for teens with licenses to hunt or use a firearm. The two bills are among several gun control measures approved by lawmakers earlier this year. On Monday, Cuomo signed legislation extending a waiting period from 3 to 30 days for potential gun buyers whose instant background check yields inconclusive results.
Drug-policy reform advocates say New York's latest marijuana decriminalization law doesn't do enough to address the legacy of discriminatory drug law enforcement.....
The bill, signed into law Monday by Governor Andrew Cuomo, makes possession of less than two ounces of marijuana a violation subject to tickets and fines, and includes automatic expungement of past convictions for low-level offenses. But, the Drug Policy Alliance's Melissa Moore says the new law still gives police wide discretion to continue making arrests.
Moore advocates for legalization and regulation. Proponents of the new law say expunging past low-level convictions will help address disparate impacts of past enforcement practices. Moore adds that there have been about $900,000 arrests for low-level marijuana charges in New York over the past two decades. In addition, Moore points out that simply reducing misdemeanors to violations doesn't stop the underground trade in marijuana, estimated at 3-billion-dollars-a-year in New York. But legalization and regulation could bring in about a billion dollars a year in new tax revenue.
Jamestown native Jordan Basile will be doing double-duty in the coming year....
Not only will he be field manager for the Jamestown Jammers re-entry into the Perfect Game Collegiate Summer Baseball League but Basile will also be coaching the Jamestown Community College baseball team. Athletic Director George Sisson says Basile comes to JCC with over 25 years of playing and coaching experience at the junior college, Division-One, two and three, and professional levels. He coached the past two years at Patrick Henry Community College, where his team was one game away from the College World Series with a 38-16-1 record. In his two seasons at Patrick Henry, he had a combined win total of 64-32.
