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WJTN News Headlines for Tues., Mar. 1, 2022

City man receives 27 years and three months in prison for enticement of a minor...
A Jamestown man will serve the next 27 years and three months in federal prison following his conviction for enticement of a minor.  U.S. Attorney Trini Ross announced Monday that 35 year-old Richard LaFrance was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 327 months in prison and lifetime of supervised release.  Prosecutors say LaFrance met a 14-year-old Minor victim in April of 2019, and began communicating with her through e-mails and texting.  They say communications between LaFrance and the minor were sexually explicit and included LaFrance requesting that the victim send him naked pictures.  In addition... LaFrance met up with the minor victim on at least two occasions and engaged in sexual intercourse. 


City Council rejects proposed revaluation...
Now is not the time to do a property revaluation in the city of Jamestown.  City Council members made that 'loud and clear' at last night's voting session... unanimously rejected a plan to use $285,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to hire an outside firm to do the reval.  Council President Tony Dolce says "there's never a good time" to do one... but, added this is an especially bad time with the area coming out of the COVID pandemic, and inflation has been on the rise.  At the same time, though, Dolce did note that lawmakers understand a full, property revaluation will have to be done sometime down the road.  City Assessor Lisa Volpe has told the council that there is a possibility of doing one "in-house."  However... that would require extra personnel.  Dolce says they may be able to hire some people, temporarily, for less than the cost of an outside firm doing it. 


Council approves two new appointees for BPU...
The city council last night also approved two, new residents to sit on the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities.  However... former Council members Tamu Graham-Reinhardt and Tom Nelson are well-known to lawmakers... and, they were approved unanimously.  Council President Dolce says that was the big reason for the affirmative vote... along with their knowledge of city government, and having open lines of communication with them.  Graham-Reinhardt and Nelson were appointed by Mayor Eddie Sundquist after his first two appointments last month... Shawn Connor and Sabrina Gustafson... were turned down in 4-4 tie votes.  The confirmed appointees will replace Greg Rabb and Jim Olson... who were not reappointed to the BPU.


Home sustains moderate to heavy damage in fire...
Jamestown firefighters made fairly quick work of a structure fire on the city's southside late last Saturday night.  City Fire Battalion Chief Roger Sigular says crews were called to 166 Baker St. just after 11 p.m., and, found fire coming out of the second story window and heavy smoke conditions.  Sigular confirmed the blaze was brought under control in about 30 minutes.  He says damage was moderate to heavy inside the home.  One person was living in the home... and, no one was hurt.  An off-duty shift was called in to assist, and the cause is under investigation. 


Wendel says there will be no county-wide mask mandate for schools...
Local counties in New York state will still have the option to require masks in schools once the current mandate is lifted on Wednesday.  However... Chautauqua County will not be among them.  That from County Executive P.J. Wendel... who reacted Monday to the news from Governor Hochul.  Wendel says it's time to get more normalcy in schools... but, adds people should still be careful.  He says they have distributed thousands of test kits to check children who are feeling ill, or came in close contact with a positive COVID case.  In that case, Wendel says keep the child home like you would if they had a cold or flu.  He says the decision was made by his COVID-19 Response Team.


Gas prices again up in Jamestown-area...
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is causing "uneasiness" in the global oil market... and, again pushing gasoline prices up this week.  AAA's East Central Gas Price Report says prices in the Jamestown-area are 5-cents higher for regular, unleaded fuel to start the week at just over $3.75 a gallon.  However... at least one station in the area is charging $3.80 a gallon.  AAA says crude oil spiked briefly to over $100 per barrel before settling back into the mid-$90s.  The increase in the global price of oil has led to higher pump prices in the U.S.  The national average for a gallon of gas has risen to $3.61... which is 8-cents more than a week ago.


Little Theater to host it's first show since state of pandemic...
For the first time since the pandemic began two years ago, the Lucille Ball Little Theater of Jamestown is putting on a show.  That from Little Theater Board President Jim Foley, who says they're able to put on "Almost, Maine" with the help of donors and grants that have helped them "weather the storm."  Foley is also the director of the play that opens Friday night at the East Second Street theater.  "Almost, Maine" was written by John Cariani... and, is a series of vignettes that Cariani wrote all about love.  Nine couples, many of them well-known in the local theater community, have been rehearsing the vignettes separately for COVID safety.  The show is this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.. with the same schedule March 11-13.  Tickets are $22 and are available through the Little Theater website or Facebook.