A city woman is jailed after allegedly stabbing another person during a domestic incident last weekend on Jamestown's southside. City police were called to the scene on Baker Street shortly before Midnight Saturday night, and learned that 21 year-old Kiara Smith-Villa had stabbed the unidentified person with a knife. Officers also learned that the victim had an order of protection for Smith-Villa to keep away. The victim's immediate condition was not released. Smith was sent to the city jail on charges of second-degree assault and aggravated criminal contempt, pending arraignment.
A Jamestown man faces several charges after he was allegedly caught driving nearly 20 miles an hour over the speed limit with three-times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood. Sheriff's officers say they stopped 35 year-old Jeffrey Bohall on Manchester Road in the town of Kiantone last Friday night for going 54 miles an hour in a 35 mile zone. Deputies say they found Bohall had two previous DWI convictions, making the new charge a Felony. He was also charged with consuming an alcoholic beverage while operating a motor vehicle. One of the conditions placed on his license was that he not operate a motor vehicle without a alcohol interlock device installed... and the car he was driving did not have one. Officers say Bohall also had a blood alcohol content of 0.26-percent... making this arrest aggravated driving while intoxicated. He was released to a sober party and will be back in the town of Kiantone Court at a later date.
A statewide event called "Child Care Day of Action..." was held locally late last week in Chautauqua County. The county's two state lawmakers held a news conference in Irving to call for the release of federal CARES Act funding to local child care providers. State Senator George Borrello and Assemblyman Andy Goodell say the state received millions of dollars, but has failed to release most of the funding.
The founder and executive director of Chautauqua Lake Child Care Center, Beth Starks, spoke about the challenges child care providers in Chautauqua County are facing because of the pandemic. Starks says "every single day that we're open, we continue to lose money, and there's very little support." She says most providers have "only weeks left" before they will have to close their doors. Starks says child care was in a crisis situation before COVID-19 and in the past four months, the situation has gotten much worse. Borrello and Goodell were also joined by Chautauqua County Executive P.J. Wendel.
Like many other events, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce will be going virtual when it comes to the 2020 Chamber Awards Banquet. The event usually attracts more than 300 people... which is too large for an enclosed space. That from Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Todd Tranum... who says this year's banquet will also be memorable because it will feature keynote speaker Amanda Brinkman of the Small Business Revolution. Tranum says Brinkman's appearance will serve as a prelude to Small Business Revolution's fifth season featuring the village of Fredonia which is expected to launch in November. The 2020 Chamber Banquet will be held on Thursday, October 8th.
Rhetoric at the Republican National Convention claimed chaos in American cities. President Donald Trump, who delivered his remarks to a crowd gathered at the White House, called for "law and order," and said the country could not allow "mob rule." But the reality is far more complicated. Experts point out that violent crime has remained stable and low, although homicides have risen a bit in some cities during the pandemic. In many major cities... there was looting and property destruction during the height of the George Floyd protests, but order was restored months ago in most places.
Escape Rooms Jamestown will open in a new location on Wednesday. Owner, Cathy Johnner, says they'll now be operating downstairs at 100 East Second Street... the same building that houses the Dikeman-Young Gallery... where she and her staff spent the summer rebuilding the space for four escape rooms. And they'll have a new entry way filled with vintage arcade games that people can play before or after their 'escape' experience. Because of COVID-19, Johnner has reduced the number of people in each escape to four... and limited the time to 45 minutues. She thinks that'll allow family and friends who are already socializing to come out and do something fun. Masks will be required. The new Escape Rooms' Grand Opening will run for a week, with special pricing each day... including the Labor Day weekend. More information and reservations are available at escaperoomsjamestown.com.
