City homeless issue discussed during Monday night Council meeting...
The homeless issue has become an "all hands on deck" situation in the city of Jamestown... with a number of agencies working with the city to deal with the crisis... which has exploded in recent months.  However... finding an answer or answers so far has proven elusive.  Those are the feelings of Chautauqua County Homeless Coalition board member Gina Ward... who addressed the Jamestown City Council last night.  Ward says there are a number of reasons for it... and, she says they have started during some "street outreach" to the homeless to determine actual numbers, and why those people are homeless.  Ward says the homeless numbers began climbing during the pandemic... and, have continued to grow... due in part to the ending of the tenant eviction moratorium in New York.  She adds the big issue is getting the homeless connected with agencies that can help them.  City Council President Tony Dolce addressed the matter at the end of last night's meeting... and, says they are fully aware of what's going on.  He says some have even looked at the encampments, and spoken with some of the people living in those.  Dolce says the homeless problem has also stretched city resources thin... and, that's part of the reason why Mayor Kim Ecklund last Friday declared a "State of Emergency" in the city.

Man from Stockton identified as person killed in I-90 crash near Erie, Pa...
A crash involving a vehicle and a motorcycle on Interstate 90 in Erie County, Pa. last Friday resulted in the death of a Chautauqua County resident.  Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook confirms that the victim was identified as 57-year-old James Erickson of Stockton.  Cook says Erickson was westbound on I-90 -- near Erie -- when he went across the median and got struck by an eastbound vehicle. The crash remains under investigation.

Lakewood man arrested twice last weekend for domestic-related cases in Ellicott...
A Lakewood man was arrested twice last weekend in the town of Ellicott in connection with a pair of domestic-related incidents.  Ellicott Town Police say they arrested 42 year-old Joseph Krall for second-degree menacing and second-degree harassment shortly before 7 p.m. last Friday.  Officers were called to the undisclosed scene... where Krall allegedly threatened a female victim there verbally... and, then with a crow bar.  Krall was taken to County Jail pending centralized arraignment... and, he's to appear in Ellicott Town Court at a later date.
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The following day... last Saturday... Krall was again arrested after an alleged burglary.  Ellicott police found him allegedly breaking a padlock clasp off a garage door without permission to enter the garage.  He was again taken to the Chautauqua County Jail... this time on a fourth-degree criminal mischief... and jailed pending arraignment.

Ross cancels out of Friday night performance for Lucille Ball Comedy Fest; Stand-Up Showcase to fill in...
This Friday night's headliner for the annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival has had to cancel out... but, a popular program in the past will be replacing it.  Last weekend... the National Comedy Center announced that Jeff Ross... AKA "The Roastmaster General..." had to cancel out of his show.  With that... Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson says they have added another "Stand-Up Comedy Showcase" program at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts in it's place.  Gunderson says -- among those on hand -- will be Matt Cough, an Emmy-Award winning writer for the Daily Show... among others.  Ready to go for this Thursday night will be Nicole Byers.  Gunderson says there are still some tickets available for her show at The Reg.  She says Byers is well-known for her Netflix special "Big, Beautiful Weirdos... among others.  Gunderson adds they look forward to rescheduling Jeff Ross’ performance for a future festival.  All ticket buyers to this performance will receive a full refund.  You can buy tickets for the Stand-Up Showcase on Friday at ComedyCenter.org for $20 each.  

Stockton man arrested for criminal mischief...
A Stockton man has been arrested for allegedly damaging another person's property early Sunday morning in the central Chautauqua County town.  Sheriff's officers say they were called to the scene shortly after 4 a.m. on a report of a person damaging private property belonging to someone else.  Deputies say they investigated... and, arrested 39 year-old Justin Horton for third-degree criminal mischief.  Horton was taken to the county jail pending centralized arraignment... and, he'll be issued appearance tickets for Stockton Town Court at a later date.

Equal Rights Amendment to be on state ballot this November debated...
A proposed amendment to New York’s Constitution that's intended to protect abortion rights might appear on the ballot this fall without any mention of the word -- abortion.  That’s partly because of sharp disagreements about what the so-called Equal Rights Amendment would actually do, if passed.  The state’s Board of Elections, which is charged with writing easy-to-understand explanations of proposed laws appearing on the ballot, decided Monday that rather than try and interpret the amendment, they would simply repeat it's somewhat unclear language in material given to voters.  New York’s Constitution currently says that no person shall be subjected to discrimination based on race, color, creed or religion.  The proposed amendment would add to that list: ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and others including reproductive health care and autonomy.