Pa. man accused of trafficking several guns to Jamestown-area pleads guility...
A man from Western Pennsylvania has pleaded guilt to a federal firearms charge in connection with illegally transporting more than three dozen guns to the Jamestown area from mid-2022 to early 2023. U.S. Attorney Trini Ross announced Wednesday that 28 year-old Christian Collazo of New Castle, Pa. entered the plea before U.S. District Court Judge John Sinatra, Jr. to conspiracy to traffic in firearms... which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Prosecutors say that Collazo transported, or attempted to transport... firearms to the Jamestown-area. They add that the firearms included pistols, AR-style rifles, handguns, revolvers, and high-capacity magazines. They add that Collazo trafficked a total of approximately 40 firearms... and, used social media to conduct firearms-related conversations and traffic those guns. During these conversations, Collazo would send photos of guns to potential buyers. Ross says the case is being prosecuted under the new criminal provisions of the Bi-partisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted, and the President signed in June 2022. Collazo is to be sentenced next August.
Preliminary cause released in home and garage fire in Fredonia...
Carelessly discarded smoking materials is listed as the apparent cause of a fire that heavily damaged a home and garage in the village of Fredonia late Monday night. Chautauqua Count Fire Investigators say Fredonia fire crews were called to the scene at 411 East Main Road shortly after 10 p.m. Mutual aid was also called in to help extinguish the blaze... which began in the garage and spread to the nearby residence. No one was hurt. Investigators add that two neighoring homes suffered exterior siding damage. A resident of the house told investigators that a they had discarded the smoking materials... but, the cause remains under investigation.
City woman arrested after becoming unresponsive from illicit drugs, leaving children unattended...
A Jamestown woman staying at a westside hotel has been arrested for allegedly passing out from drug use... and, leaving her children unattended. Jamestown police were called to the unidentified location just after Noon Monday... after complaints of children being heard screaming and crying inside a hotel room. Police spoke with staff at the hotel... who said they heard the cries for roughly 40 minutes and checked on the children to find the mother sleeping , and she could not be awakened. They also said they saw drug paraphernalia in the bathroom of the room. Upon officers arrival... it was found that 43 year old Noel Luciano was abusing prescribed medications while also under the influence of Methamphetamine... and fell asleep... leaving her three children unattended. Luciano was arrested on three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child... and, one count of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. She was jailed pending arraignment.
County planners and IDA announce new "Live CHQ" effort to attract workers...
A brand new effort to build up the workforce in Chautauqua County had its official launch Tuesday at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown. The new program is called "Live CHQ." The Economic Development Coordinator for the county, Nate Aldrich, explained what it’s all about... noting that it's a combination of keeping good workers, and finding new ones to fill current openings. A slick two-minute video showing all the best facets of Chautauqua County is one part of the campaign. It will also include digital marketing, a website, social media and traditional advertising in regional markets. Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency Chief Executive Officer, Mark Geise, says jobs are here, waiting to be filled. The initial rollout of "Live CHQ" has cost around $100,000... and, was jointly funded by the IDA and The Partnership for Economic Growth. Nate Aldrich says they have enough funding to continue the effort for three years. The new website is LiveCHQ.org. A companion program called ‘Choose CHQ’ focuses on business development in the county.
Ecklund says first-ever "Sound the Alarm" program a success...
The first-ever "Sound the Alarm" program to distribute new smoke detectors to homes that need them in Jamestown was a big success. Those are the feelings of Mayor Kim Ecklund... who praised the work of the local Red Cross for putting together the program. Ecklund says the program was hosted on a Saturday in late March... and, she thanked the nearly 60 volunteers who helped to install the smoke detectors in those homes. Ecklund adds that the Red Cross is looking to do more programming with the local community... including young people. She says that could include CPR training... and, another smoke detector give-aways. Ecklund says the Red Cross had identified Jamestown as one community that had a large number of house fires compared to other communities.
County, village of Fredonia, issue boil water order for Fredonia water customers...
Chautauqua County and Fredonia village leaders have announced a boil water order for all customers of the Fredonia water system until further notice. Mayor Mike Ferguson says this includes customers in the town of Pomfret. The reason is the scheduled cleaning of the tank at the water treatment plant resulted in water with elevated levels of turbidity entering the distribution system. He says the water could contain harmful microbes... and, boiling the water kills bacteria and other microbes that may be present. For more information... contact the village of Fredonia at 679-2307... or the County Health Department at 753-4481.
