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WJTN News Headlines for Mar. 5, 2020

Local Congressman Tom Reed was part of the overwhelming majority in the House that voted for an $8.3-billion measure to provide funding to battle the coronavirus outbreak in the U-S.  

The Corning Republican says the bill came out of discussions by Capitol Hill negotiators to hash out the bill.  Reed was one of 14 members of the House Problem Solvers Caucus that met with the President's point-man in the issue -- Vice-President Mike Pence -- and, they all agreed it needed to be a "clean bill."

Reed says members of the caucus -- which he co-chairs -- later addressed the national media and, also called at that time for a bill dealing strictly with Coronavirus to be passed.  He says they also talked with the vice-president and Homeland Security officials about how to deal with travelers coming from "high risk" areas and, ensuring their are propertly screened.  As for the Senate, leaders are pressing for a vote in that chamber by the end of the week.


With growing concerns about the Coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that the State University of New York's and the City University of New York's study abroad programs in China, Italy, Japan, Iran and South Korea have been suspended.  

He adds those students will be brought back home.  Cuomo says there are about 300 SUNY and CUNY students in those five nations right now.  Meanwhile, Cuomo announced the tests for two families in the Buffalo came back negative.  But, the number of confirmed cases is growing.  In addition to a 50-year-old attorney from Westchester County, his wife, two of his children and a neighbor who drove him to the hospital tested positive.

A Falconer man has been arrested for allegedly setting an early morning fire last Sunday that destoryed a house on East Pearl Street.  

Ellicott Town Police say they were among the first-responders called to the scene to the house at 217 Pearl shortly before 3 AM.  Officers say the Falconer Fire Department put out the blaze and, the Chautauqua County Fire Investigation Team ruled the cause was arson.  Police investigated and, it was determined that 24 year-old Cody Dustin had started the blaze.  He was arrested for third-degree arson and, was issued an appearance ticket for Ellicott Town Court.

A Jamestown man -- arrested last Sunday by State Police for domestic violence -- was taken into custody early yesterday morning for allegedly burglarizing a city business.  

Jamestown police responded to the scene at Dave's Classics on East 2nd Street shortly after midnight.  On arrival, 31 year-old William Purdy was reported detained in the office by an employee.  Police say Purdy was seen forcing entry into the automotive shop and, he was also found to possess a quantity of methamphetamine and stolen property.  Officers took him into custody pending arraignment without incident. 


A retired captain with the Jamestown Police Department and his wife escaped injury after the duplex they're living in east of Nashville, Tennessee was destroyed one of the tornados that hit the region early Tuesday morning.  

Westfield native's Lee and Lori Davies had gone to bed late Monday night but, Lee says their dog needed to go outside, and when he got back, he turned on the television, and learned about tornados moving in the television.  When they learned one was heading up their road, they sheltered inside the laundry room.  He says they heard was sounded like a loud explosion when the tornado hit the house.

Davies says their side of the duplex is still fairly intact and, he says their restoration company is coming in to help salvage items before the rest of the structure collapses.  He says the back part where their neighbor lives was pretty much destroyed.  Davies says they are staying at one of the handful of hotels in the area still open after the twisters struck.


A Jamestown man has pleaded guilty to his role in a shooting in January of last year that sent another man to an Erie Pennsylvania hospital with a serious gunshot wound.  

Chautauqua County District Attorney Patrick Swanson says 32 year-old Rasul Bonds entered the plea in front of County Court Judge David Foley this week to second-degree attempted assault.  Swanson say Bonds may not see much more jail time in the case.

Swanson says the other defendant involved was sentenced to five-years in state prison.  The unidentifed victim was walking with two other people during the early morning hours of January 30th of 2019 at the corner of North Main and West Ninth Streets.  Jamestown police said the victim was shot in the face and, was rushed to UPMC Hamot Medical Center in Erie.  Bonds was released following his guilty plea on Tuesday.  He's to be sentenced sometime in May.  Swanson praised city police for their hard work on a "very difficult case."


A woman from Westfield faces up to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing nearly $1.5-million from a health care agency that she served as business manager for.  

U-S Attorney James Kennedy, Junior says 42 year-old Alicia Raynor entered the plea before U.S. District Court Judge John Sinatra to wire fraud and filing a false tax return.  Prosecutors say Raynor was a business manager for Compassion at Home, Incorporated where her duties included managing company finances and payroll.  However, she opened an account with Intuit, a payroll and payment processing service and used that to divert money from the company to her own account between August of 2015 and June 2016.  She was also accused of getting $1.2-million in payments from the company that she did not report as income for from 2013 through 2016.