Farmersville man killed in truck-motorcycle accident...

A Cattaraugus County man was killed when his motorcycle struck a pickup truck that was pulling onto Route 98 in the town of Farmersville.  Sheriff's officers in Little Valley say 68 year-old John Hermann of B-&-S Road, Farmersville, was southbound just after 10 a.m. Thursday when the accident occured.   Deputies say the truck... operated by Richard Carson of Franklinville... was entering Route 98 from a private driveway.  However... Hermann was unable to avoid the collision... and, the bike struck the driver's side of the truck.  Officers say Hermann was flown to the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo... where he was later pronounced dead.  The accident remains under investigation.

Edwards says his final budget will again include tax rate lower than the one he inherited in 2006...

Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards say his 2014 budget proposal will again hold the property tax rate below the level of the 2006 budget that he inherited.  Edwards today says he and his department heads recently finished up their second-set of sessions on the spending plan... which is due later this month.  He also complimented them for the job they've done in cutting the local share of tax costs once again this year.  Edwards says it "says a lot about the people I have working for me."  The county's current property tax rate is $9.15 per $1,000 full value... while it was $9.22 in 2012.  It had dropped to $8.18 in 2010.   In 2006... the rate was $9.49 per $1,000.  Edwards says they've been able to keep the rate below 2006 levels in the wake of a number of increased costs projected for 2014.  As an example... he says fuel costs are projected to increase by $1.5-million next year.  Edwards says he's finishing up a first draft of the more than $230-million spending plan this week... and, will have the final, preliminary budget ready for the legislature's review by the Sept. 25 deadline.