The Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office has now identified the man killed when his pick-up truck slammed into a manure spreader being hauled along a road in the town of Charlotte.
Deputies say they were called the scene on Charlotte Center Road about 9:40 PM Wednesday, after the truck -- driven by 64 year-old Jack Abbey -- struck the spreader. Officers say Abbey died at the scene. The spreader was being pulled by a southbound tractor, operated by 49 year-old Jason Johnson of Sinclairville. He was not hurt. Local fire departments and the Chautauqua County Accident Reconstruction Team assisted police at the scene.
The historic Impeachment trial of President Donald Trump is scheduled to begin next Tuesday in the U-S Senate and one member says she would like to have witnesses testify.
However, it's still unclear if that will happen or not. New York's Junior U-S Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who will be one of the body's "jurors" in the matter, believes there should be witnesses. The Democrat says if there are no witnesses, it's not a trial. Several Senate Republicans and the president maintain that the Impeachment articles, delivered by House leaders Wednesday are nothing more than a "hoax."
Just before formal Impeachment matters got underway in the U-S Senate, the panel overwhelmingly approved the new U-S, Mexico, Canada Trade Agreement. The USMCA was approved, 89-to-10 and is being called an improvement on the 25 year-old North American Free Trade Agreement. However, not everyone is happy with it. New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand says it has three flaws, the first being that nothing in it addresses climate change.
Gillibrand also says the USMCA is a "giveaway" to Mexican pharmacutical companies at the expense of U-S citizens. Thirdly, she says she doesn't see the bill boosting manufacturing the way the Trump Administration says it will, especially for Upstate New York. Gillibrand voted against the USMCA when it was taken up earlier this week by the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee. However, the overall committee approved the measure before the entire Senate approved it.
New York's two U-S Senators are calling on the Army Corps of Engineers to priorize funding in the coming year for a feasiblitly study to help protect Chautauqua Lake.
Democrats Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand Thursday announced that they have sent a letter to the Corps, calling on them to support funding in it's 2020 Work Plan for the study. Schumer and Gillibrand say the lake, and it's surrounding communities suffer from continued environmental, public health, and economic damage caused by repeated harmful algal blooms. They add that the study would allow the Corps to evaluate excessive phosphorous runoff that causes the blooms... and, they would be able to study flood risk management measures, assess ecosystem restoration efforts, and address the accelerated erosion along it's tributary streams. They says that erosion has resulted in excessive sediment deposition, which also impairs the lake’s water quality. Both Schumer and Gillibrand were successful in pushed to get the Chautauqua Lake Feasibility Study into the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018.
Local Congressman Tom Reed has been selected to chair President Donald Trump's re-election campaign in New York State.
The announcement has been made by Donald J. Trump for President, Incorporated, and the Republican National Committee. National Campaign Manager Brad Parscale says "our New York Trump Victory leadership team will work to elect Republicans across the state." Reed says he's honored to serve the president as a chairman for his New York campaign. The president’s agenda of creating jobs and making America more safe and secure resonates with New Yorkers." Reed defeated Tracy Mitrano in a decisive victory in November of 2018.
Chautauqua County's Congressman says he is optimistic that local and regional elected officials may be able to pursuade Truck-lite Corporation to keep it's manufacturing facility in Falconer open.
Corning Repubilcan Tom Reed confirmed this week that he's been in contact with Chautauqua County Executive P-J Wendel and, others about the announcement that the vehicle lighting company was looking to cease those operations by the end of the year.
Reed says he's optimistic because all of Truck-Lite's statements so far have emphasized that the move is "tentative..." which he hopes will provide a "window of opportunity" to get company officials to change their minds. In a printed release, the company noted that the "level of productivity" at the Elmwood Avenue plant was a factor in their decision. Truck-lite, which manufactures vehicle lighting, started in Jamestown in the mid-1950's and currently has 10 manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe.
The annual 'Doors Open Jamestown' is Saturday. Zach Agett, Marketing and Events Manager for the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation, says 17 places are taking part this year.
One of the added locations this year, the new Chamber of Commerce office at the corner of Third and Main. The chamber's Sheila Webster says one of the features there will be 'Imagine Jamestown' a part of the Jamestown Strategic Partnership, that asks people what kind of city they want. The other locations this year are: the Audubon, Busti Mill, the Harbor Hotel, Sports Hall of Fame, the Doubletree, Fenton History Center, Prendergast Library, the Lucy-Desi Museum, Martz-Kohl Observatory, Marvin House, the Reg, the Jackson Center, the Peterson Institute, DAR House, and the Children's Activity Center. Each location will have a raffle prize, and there'll be a chance to win some overnight stays at the Doubletree, as well. (WJTN will be doing the "Times of Your Life' broadcast from the Sports Hall of Fame from 10 to 11 AM).
New York has become the 10th state in the U-S to allow adopted adults unrestricted access to their original birth certificate, a step that will help some investigate their family histories.
A new law effective Wednesday does away with restrictions dating back to the 1930s that required adoptees to seek a hard-to-get court order to access their original birth records. Those rules had originally been intended to protect the privacy of parents who relinquished their children. But, attitudes have shifted about the rights of adopted individuals, and social media and DNA technology have made it easier for long-separated relatives to connect.
With five days left in the competition, the village of Fredonia is in first-place in the Final-5 of the 'Small Business Revolution.'
That from Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer Todd Tranum, who adds, though, that "larger communities are close behind. “We are in day three and, cannot let up. We are up against communities three times larger than ours! We must maintain the momentum if we are going to win this." Fredonia was announced as making the Top 5 in the competition for a half-a-million dollar first-prize. Tranum says people need to continue to vote on-line at "smallbusinessrevolution.com”
