Man armed with Machete arrested following alleged domestic incident...
A Jamestown man police say was armed with a machete has been arrested following a domestic incident on the city's southside early Sunday morning.  City police were called to the scene at 111 Barrett Ave. just after 4 a.m., and, the door was answered by Angel Figueroa.  Officers say Figueroa had a confirmed order of protection to stay away from the home, and the victim inside.  Police say he had the machete with him, and wouldn't allow anyone else to go to the door.  Figueroa was arrested for second-degree criminal contempt, and second-degree unlawful imprisonment.  He was taken to the city jail pending arraignment.

County Court Sentencings reported...
A Jamestown man has received 2 to 6 years in state prison after pleading guilty to third-degree burglary.  District Attorney Jason Schmidt's Office says Benjamin Catalino received the sentence from Acting County Court Judge John Lamancuso.  Schmidt says his office was assisted by Jamestown police in the investigation.  In addition... a Salamanca man has been sentenced to one-and-a-third to 4 years in jail for second-degree attempted assault.  The Chautauqua County District Attorney's office reports that 35 year-old Brennin Reynold received the term from Acting County Court Judge Stephen Cass.  Reynolds pled guilty to the charge.  He has previously been arrested for third-degree assault in another case in the city of Salamanca back in January of last year. 

NYS okays easing social distancing requirements in schools...
New York state is easing reopening restrictions on schools to allow most students to sit closer together, as long as they continue to wear masks.  The change released late last week is expected to allow schools to bring more students back in to buildings, and reduce their reliance on distance learning.  That's good news for local districts, who were waiting on the state to clarify what needed to be in place before allowing the decreasing their distancing from 6 to 3 feet.  Jamestown Superintendent Kevin Whitaker recently said that conflicting infection rates was the big issue because the coding was different between the federal and state governments.  President Joe Biden has made it a priority to full reopen Kindergarten through 8th grade schools by the end of April.  However... superintendents in New York had been frustrated by the state's delay in acting on revised federal CDC guidelines that say students wearing masks can safely sit just 3-feet apart in the classroom instead of 6 feet.

Reed, Gaetz both subjects of new House Ethics probes...
The House Ethics Committee is investigating sexual misconduct allegations involving two Republican members... and, one of them is local Representative Tom Reed.  The A-P and other news outlets reported confirmation of the probes late Friday into allegations against Reed, and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.  Reed was accused of being drunk when he rubbed a female lobbyist's back and unhooking her bra without her consent at a networking event in a Minneapolis pub in 2017.  The Corning Republican apologized to the lobbyist, Nicolette Davis, shortly after the story became public.  He said the incident occurred "at a time in my life in which I was struggling."  A spokesperson for Reed said in a brief statement that he was cooperating with the investigation.  Reed also recently stepped down from his position as Co-Chairman of the bi-partisan Problem Solver's Caucus.  Gaetz has denied any wrong-doing after the New York Times reported he was the subject of a federal investigation.  That investigation centers around whether Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him.  The Times also reports that investigators are looking into whether Gaetz violated sex trafficking laws.  He has not been charged with a crime.

NYS Legislature approves legislation requiring Nursing Homes to spend more on patient, resident care...
After a deadly year in New York's nursing homes, state lawmakers have passed legislation that could potentially force facility owners to spend more on patient care.  Rules passed in recent days as part of a state budget deal would require for-profit homes to spend at least 70-percent of their revenue on direct patient care.  Home operators will also face limits on their profit margins.  The nursing home industry has blasted the new revenue requirements. 

Jamestown City Parks opening this week...
The city of Jamestown's parks system has been getting some early use with the nice weather... but, they were to officially open this Friday.  The parks were essentially shut-down last year due to the pandemic.  That from Mayor Eddie Sundquist... who says they have added the necessary Summer help to open the parks up... and, he says they are ready to go -- without a playground program this year.  Sundquist says there wasn't enough time to get a playground program in place for the Summer... so that won't take place again until 2022.  If you are planning a group outing or activity... Sundquist says contact the Parks and Recreation Department first to obtain a permit to hold an event or tournament. 

New Parks Manager busy with crews working to get parks open...
It’s been a busy first six weeks for the Jamestown’s new Parks Manager, Dan Stone.  A fast breaking spring has lead to the early opening of all the city’s parks.  Stone is happy to give the opportunity to people who’ve been penned up in the pandemic.  He says people should still wear masks and socially distance outside their own family unit, and they will keep "things as clean as possible on our end."  Stone adds the city is renting pavilions this year, and they are filling up quickly.