A city man has died from injuries suffered in a weekend canoeing accident on the Conewango Creek in the town of Poland. State Police in Jamestown tell Erie News Now the 35 year-old man -- who has not been identified -- was riding in the canoe near Kennedy just after 6 PM Saturday when it overturned, and he fell overboard. Troopers say the victim was in the front seat when the accident occured. The vcitim was pulled from the water by his friend, who was in the second-seat of the canoe. He was given first aid and rushed to UPMC Chautauqua Hospital in Jamestown for treatment... then transferred to UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he later died. No other details have been released.
The search continues this morning for a man reported missing on Chautauqua Lake prior to the beginning of an afternoon storm on Sunday. The Chautauqua County Sheriff's Navigation Unit was called to the scene for a male overboard shortly before 2:30 PM. Deputies say the County Water Emergency Team assisted in the search along with Bemus Point, Ashville and Lakewood Fire Departments. The search was stopped last night due to weather, but resumes today.
There are no new cases of the coronavirus reported in Chautauqua County over the past day for the first time in several days. Interim County Executive P-J Wendel says the total number of confirmed cases remains at 200 after four added last Saturday. Wendel adds there are 27 active cases... with three of those hospitalized... and, 165 people have now recovered. There are now 745 cases under quarantine or islotation orders... and, there have been 19,747 negative test results to date.
The two men representing Chautauqua County in the New York state legislature have introduced legislation giving the Board of Regents -- not Governor Cuomo -- the final say on how schools will reopen in the Fall. State Assemblyman Andy Goodell says he and State Senator George Borrello recently introduced the measure, giving the authority back to the regents... which would then provide the guidelines to the local school boards. Goodell says the state may be able to provide COVID guidelines... but, local districts should be able to decide what works best for them.
Goodell says he's talked with some local education leaders about the situation... and, he says they've already been looking at ways to keep students, teachers and staff safe. The governor has provided two basic guidelines for schools to reopen... an infection rate of 5-percent or under, and, that the districts be in a region that's in Phase-Four of reopening. Schools are required to submit their plans to reopen to the state by the end of the month.
Governor Andrew Cuomo says the number of people hospitalized in New York with the coronavirus continued to drop to one of the lowest levels since the pandemic began. Cuomo says there were at least 720 people hospitalized in the state, the lowest since March 18th and down slightly from Saturday. The number of deaths in the state rose slightly to 13. Daily statewide statistics show New York with more than 500 newly confirmed cases, representing about one-percent of all tests performed. New York, once a pandemic hotspot, has so far avoided a surge in new cases like those plaguing other states in the South and West.
New York State's second-in-command says Chautauqua County's recent surge in the number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases is concerning. However... Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul says she does not anticipate a rollback in Western New York's regional reopening process. Hochul says with more people getting outside now, there will be infections, but the key is containing the spread.
Hochul says the availability of more testing is one reason why she does not believe the region will go backwards. He says they can also identify the people those positive cases came in contact with, and get them to quarantine. However... Hochul does say that -- quote -- "if people start getting complacent... then we're going to be in trouble." Chautauqua County has now seen it's 200th confirmed case last weekend, and there have been 63 new COVID-19 cases over the past 12 days.
Two people from Cattaraugus County face drug and other charges in Salamanca after police found two active "one-pot" methamphetamine labs inside their car. Sheriff's deputies in Little Valley say they pulled over 20 year-old Olivia Marsh of Delevan on Washington Street late last week... and, during a search of the car they allegedly found several items used in making meth. Officers say they were assisted by members of the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force, and the Salamanca Police Department in the investigation. The passenger, 26 year-old Preston Quinn of Salamanca, is charged with Felony third-degree unlawful manufacturing of methamphetamine. Police add that Marsh faces several traffic charges, including aggravated unlicensed operation. More charges are pending.
Pennsylvania's unemployment slid a bit down in June after hitting a pandemic peak in April, but it was well above the national rate even as payrolls rebounded by more 230,000. The state Department of Labor and Industry reported Friday that Pennsylvania's unemployment rate was 13-percent in June, down four-tenths of a percentage point from May's adjusted rate. The state's rate went over 16-percent in April, the highest rate in over four decades of record-keeping.
