City man now indicted for manslaughter in infant child's April death...
A Jamestown man accused of causing the death of a 16-month old child last April has now been formally indicted by the Chautauqua County Grand Jury for first and second-degree manslaughter. District Attorney Jason Schmidt has announced that 26 year-old Matthew Nuttall is accused of intentionally throwing Issac Benton onto a "Pack ‘n Play" playpen, causing the child's death. Schmidt says Nuttall was watching the infant at the time. He says "this indictment comes as the result of a comprehensive investigation conducted by investigators and juvenile detectives of Jamestown Police Department... and, because of the observations and suspicions of a very capable coroner who suspected abuse despite the story initially provided to first responders. Their efforts and professionalism deserve special recognition." Schmidt says Nuttal was ordered held on $1-million cash bail... or a $500,000 property bond. He is due back in Court in July for further pre-trial proceedings.
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D.A. Schmidt adds that "Isaac’s death was one of three child homicide cases occurring here in Chautauqua County during the month of April. What makes this string of tragedies even more difficult to come to terms with is that April was National Child Abuse Prevention Month meant to spotlight the need for increased public awareness of child abuse and neglect." He adds these are "preventable crimes... and, we cannot let this trend continue. If you see something which leads you to suspect child abuse or neglect, say something." He says you can report incidents to your local police or calling the statewide child abuse hotline at 1-800-342-3720.
Update: Bail set for city man who allegedly stole gun from Lakewood residence...
A city teen is now jailed on $5,000 bail after being found in possession of a stolen, loaded handgun following a gunshort complaint in Jamestown's southside early Wednesday morning. We earlier had reported that the gun had been taken from Lakewood-Busti Police. However... Chief Chris Deponceau says his department took a stolen gun report from a Lakewood resident... and, that was apparently who the gun was taken from. Jamestown police say they were called to the area of Broadhead Avenue and Kidder Street just after 1 a.m., and, spotted 18 year-old Anthony Rivera... who matched the description of the suspect. Police say Rivera was getting into a car in an effort to leave the area... and, refused to get out of the car several times. He was eventually removed by force without further incident. Officers searched him, and found the loaded handgun, and, a high capacity magazine. A background check on the gun found it had been stolen... and, Rivera was charged with third and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon... fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property... and second-degree obstructon.
Borrello on voters in some places rejecting electric bus purchases...
As New York continues moving forward with a mandate towards a fleet of 100% "zero-emission" school buses, a local state lawmaker is indicating that more taxpayers in the state are rejecting proposals by their respective school boards for new electric buses. Republican Senator George Borrello highlighted a recent vote on a proposal for electric buses for the Ithaca district... which is a fairly liberal electorate in the Finger Lakes area. Borrello says they voted down purchases because of the projected impact on taxes. The Sunset Bay Republican also pointed out that while there's $500-million in funding available for electric buses, it's not enough to make up for the cost of converting. He says the estimated cost to covert just the buses is about $20-billion. The state's mandate requires all new buses sold in New York to be zero-emission by 2027 and all buses on the road to be zero-emission by 2035.
Schumer says he'll have Senate vote on new, IVF Bill...
The Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate says they will take a new vote on the "Right To IVF" Act later today. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer of New York made the announcement Thursday... saying that the "hard-right has" threatened IVF clinics" in Alabama... and, there is worry that more reproductive freedoms will be ripped away from millions of Americans. Schumer says that's why he’s putting the new bill on the floor... and, adds that a successful vote on the measure would establish a nationwide right to receive, provide, and cover In-vitro Fertalization treatment. He says just over 10,000 New Yorkers had children via IVF in 2022, and more than 86% of people polled in the state approve of the method.
Yassou! Festival begins in Jamestown Friday...
Jamestown’s St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church will present its 40th ‘Yassou Festival’ this Friday and Saturday. Alexis Singleton is one of the principal organizers and says they’ll have something very special this year inside the church... and, that's 29 panels that include cultural and historical information for 5,000 years of Greek history. Singleton adds it's been loaned to them for the weekend by the Dimokas Foundation. She says that exhibit will be open from Noon to 5 p.m. both Friday and Saturday. The general hours for Yassou are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday. Under the huge tent next to the church there’ll be a full immersion in Greek culture and hospitality -- including the food. More information is available at YassouFestival.com.
