City Council, Sundquist, further discuss homeless situation...
Jamestown city leaders are talking with everyone... including officials in other cities... that are dealing with a huge increase in the number of homeless people. That from Mayor Eddie Sundquist... who calls this a "new challenge..." because these people are not those who are "typically" homeless. Sundquist told the City Council at last night's work session that there are usually 25 to 30 people at any one time in the city. However... he says there are now "encampments" of 50 to 70 people. Sundquist held a meeting Monday on the matter... and another will be held tonight with local clergy members. In fact... Sundquist says -- in some of his discussions with other mayors -- they have told him that linking up the "faith-based" community with service providers is one way to deal with the issue. He adds that city officials are working on a meeting later this month with the Chautauqua County Homeless Coalition about the problem.
Dolce reminds public of Public Safety Forum this Wednesday; no council meeting next Monday...
A public forum on Jamestown's gun violence and other public safety issues is set for this Wednesday night at Christ First United Methodist Church. City Council President Tony Dolce is hosting the session... which had been in the works for some time... but, took on added urgency with last months fatal, drive-by shooting on the city's northside. Dolce reminded lawmakers, and the public during last night's meeting about the forum... which is scheduled for Darrah Hall at Christ First... beginning at 6:30 PM.
---
Dolce also informed city lawmakers that there will be no second work session next Monday night because Mayor Sundquist and some other council members cannot be there. He says he's asked the mayor and department heads to get any additional measures to be acted on at the Sept. 26 voting session to get them in early so council members can get any questions answered.
Two men arrested for allegedly stealing car last weekend, and one being found with loaded handgun...
Two men were arrested Sunday afternoon after they were found to be in possession of a stolen car in Jamestown... and, the driver had a loaded handgun with him. City Police say they responded to a report of a stolen car from a local businesses driveway just after 3 p.m. last Sunday... and, say they located the vehicle in the area of North Main and Sixth Streets. They stopped the car... but, the driver, 30 year-old Nelson Hernandez of Jamestown, immediately got out of the car and began walking away. Hernandez is accused of disobeying police commands, and he was quickly arrested. Police say they then found the loaded handgun in Hernandez's possession. Officers say his passenger, 26 year-old Deven Redeye of Steamburg, was also arrested without incident. Hernandez was also found to have a valid order of protection against him... and is prohibited from carrying a firearm. He was being held pending arraignment for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree criminal contempt... and, fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. Redeye is also charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.
Woman from Sinclairville arrested for menacing with a shotgun...
A Sinclairville woman has now been arrested for allegedly firing a round from a 20-gauge shotgun in the area of a man... and, almost hitting him. Sheriff's officers were initially called to the scene on Waterman Road in the town of Stockton last Aug. 28, and, investigated. Deputies Monday afternoon took 19 year-old Kaelyn Hayward of Route 60 into custody for first-degree reckless endangerment... and, second-degree menacing. Hayward was taken to the county jail for centralized arraignment... and, was issued appearance tickets for Stockton Town Court.
Retired YMCA Director Eckendorf reflects on career...
The retired, long-time director of the Jamestown Area Family YMCA's is reflecting on his 44 years with the local organization. However... it didn't start out that way. Mark Eckendorf was on his way to becoming a teacher at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania... when he decided it wasn't for him. Eckendorft says he had dropped out, and went to work in Erie, Pennsylvania when he got a chance to get together with a friend who was working at the local "Y." He later finished his degree... and, soon after got a job as Camp Director for the Jamestown Y... and, one of his first tasks was to rehabilitate Camp Onyahsa, which had fallen into disrepair and he thought "what have I gotten myself into?" Eckendorf retired earlier this year... and, has been replaced by long-time 'Y' employee, John Barber. Eckendorf recently spoke about his tenure with the YMCA with our Andrew Hill and Russ Diethrick on at broadcast of The Times of Your Life.
Gas prices in Jamestown-area down again... now just under $4 a gallon...
For the first time in several months... the average price for regular, unleaded gasoline in the Jamestown-area is below $4 a gallon. The AAA East Central's Gas Price Report says the price is now just over $3.99 a gallon... a drop of nine-cents over the past week. However... it's still about 65-cents higher than the same time last year. AAA says the lower cost of crude oil remains the big reason for the on-going decline. The price is now down to $86.79 a barrel. The national average price for a gallon of gas fell 7-cents in the past week to reach $3.71... a level not seen since the beginning of March.
