City woman arrested for shoplifting-robbery arrested again for having drugs in jail cell...
A city woman accused of robbery in stealing merchandise from the TOPs Supermarket on Washington Street is now accused of trying to injest drugs she was trying to hide from police. Jamestown police say they had arrested 27 year-old Nicole Grimm for allegedly stealing items from TOPs just before 4 p.m. Thursday... and, threatening employees with what appeared to be a "dangerous instrument." As she was being taken to city court this morning... officers were advised that Grimm might be in possession of a controlled substance while inside her cell. While in court... she was committed to the county jail. And... while awaiting paperwork inside the holding room... Grimm allegedly took a clear baggie of cocaine out of her bra and tried to injest it in front of officers. After a brief struggle... police confiscated the baggie. Grimm was then taken to the county jail on her commitment paperwork. She'll be returned to city court on new charges of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance... and, tampering with physical evidence. Grimm was jailed Thursday for first-degree robbery... third-degree criminal possession of a weapon... seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance... and, resisting arrest.
With election final, and certified, Ecklund sets sights on transition to Mayor's office...
With her election as mayor of Jamestown now secure... Republican Kim Ecklund can focus on her transition to the city's top-elected position on Jan. 1. Ecklund defeated incumbant Democrat Eddie Sundquist, 2,443 to 2,247. The final, certified vote posted by the Chautauqua County Board of Elections changed little from where it was on election night. Ecklund now has to choose an administration... and, transition from her job at eSolutions to the fourth-floor of City Hall. She says she's balancing closing up her current job, work on council, and moving into the mayor's office. Ecklund will become the second-ever woman mayor of the city... and, the first Republican woman to do so. The late Carolyn Seymour was the first. However... Ecklund becomes the first woman elected to a four-year term. Seymour served one, two-year term in the 1990s. She's also the first council member to be elected since Dick Kimball in the 1990s.
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There were no signifcant changes from the counting of the absentee and affidavit ballots on any of the races in Chautauqua County. There was a one-vote change in the county legislature District-1 race. Dunkirk Democrat Marcus Buchanon had an 809-to-729 lead over incumbant Republican Kevin Muldowney after the initial count last Monday. The final... certified vote gives Buchanon the nod, 809-to-730.
City announces start of "BusPatrol" initiative to get drivers to stop illegally passing school buses...
The city of Jamestown is officially launching it's new Bus Safety Initiative to protect children and prevent the illegal passing of school buses. Mayor Eddie Sundquist says "BusPatrol" is a joint, nationwide safety initiative with local law enforcement. Earlier this month... he says the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation announced the rate of school bus illegal passing is at an "epidemic level." Sundquist says state surveys show that an estimated 50,000 cars illegally pass stopped school buses daily. He says the Jamestown Public Schools will be the first to implement the program locally... and, it will go into effect following a 30-day warning period. Sundquist says "all cameras, installation, maintenance and program management are provided at no cost to city residents through our partnership with BusPatrol. The program will be entirely and exclusively funded by violator revenue over a five-year term." In addition to automated enforcement technology... the Jamestown schools will also have access to additional safety features such as GPS tracking, and emergency response solutions. It is illegal to pass a stopped school bus in New York State.
Woman arrested following domestic incident early Thanksgiving morning...
A woman is accused of breaking multiple items belonging to another person during a verbal domestic dispute on Jamestown's westside early Thanksgiving Day morning. City police were called to the location shortly after 5 a.m. for a domestic dispute. On arrival... officers spoke to a person who told them that 21 year-old Beyonce Acevedo broke the items. After speaking with both parties... police determined that the items broke did belong to the victim. Acevedo was arrested on two counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief... and, was taken to the city jail pending arraignment.
Some PA state officials to receive automatic pay raises -- starting a week from today...
A Pennsylvania law that delivers automatic pay raises for state officials will pay dividends next year for lawmakers, judges and top executive branch officials. The law will give more than 1,300 officials — including Governor Josh Shapiro, 253 lawmakers and seven state Supreme Court justices — a pay raise of 3.5% in 2024, matching the latest year-over-year increase in consumer prices for mid-Atlantic urban areas, as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And that's on pace to be more than what the average Pennsylvanian will get. The average year-over-year increase in wages for Pennsylvanians was 2% through the middle of 2023, according to federal data on private sector wages. The new, higher salaries required by a 1995 law take effect next Jan. 1 for the executive and judicial branches... and on Dec. 1 for lawmakers.
