Flames of an unknown origin have destroyed a church in the village of Brocton.  Brocton firefighters were called to the Tri-Church Parish at 35 East Main Street just before 1:30 Sunday morning.  Sheriff's Department Fire investigators say fire crews found the structure fully-involved on arrival.  Brocton called in Westfield... Stockton... Dunkirk... East Dunkirk... Fredonia... and, Portland fire crews.  The Fire Investigation Team was later called in to help look for the cause, and origin of the fire.  Officials say the scene was cleared by early afternoon Sunday... but, the cause remains under investigation.  There were no reported injuries as a result of the fire... or, during fire fighting efforts.

 

A Frewsburg man seen crawling on a street on Jamestown's eastside faces a weapon's possession charge following his arrest early yesterday morning.  City police were called to the area of East Second and Tiffany Streets about 2 AM Sunday for a man crawling in the road.  On arrival... they found the man... 35 year-old Timothy Himes... highly intoxicated.  Further investigation also revealed that Himes had a "gravity knife" in his possession.  He was arrested and charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a knife... and, sent to the city jail pending arraignement.

 

With just over two weeks to go before he leaves office... Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards says he still has plenty of work to do yet.  Edwards will leave office effective Monday, November 18th, to become the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Gebbie Foundation in Jamestown. Edwards says he will not announce his choice to fill the office on an interim basis until his final week in office.  The Busti Republican says he will work with his successor to achieve a smooth transition.  Edwards says Chautauqua County has always had a "smooth transition" from one administration to another... and, he wants to make sure this one is, too.  County Legislator Vince Horrigan of Bemus Point... and, Fredonia businessman Ron Johnson are running for County Executive on Tuesday, November 5th.  The entire, new 19-member county legislature is also up for a vote.

 

The state will operate a hotline for New York residents who have trouble voting on Tuesday.  Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says his Election Day hotline with help people facing language issues, polling place barriers and other potential civil rights problems.  Voters can report issues or problems at the polls to the attorney general's hotline at 800-771-7755.  Polls will be open until 9 PM Tuesday.  Schneiderman says his Civil Rights Bureau has fielded hundreds of complaints from voters since the hotline was launched last year.

 

Republican Ron Lemon has announced his candidacy for the newly-formed Chautauqua County Legislative District 16 seat.  The district incorporates the towns of Carroll, Kiantone and Poland. He will be on the ballot as a candidate with both the Chautauqua County Republican and Conservative parties.  Lemon has previously served as a member of the county legislature from 2007-10 and as legislative clerk in 2011. He has been the pastor of Koinonia Christian Fellowship in Frewsburg for 14 years... and, a Frewsburg Central School bus driver for 10 years. Previously... he worked for Truck-Lite  for more than 18 years.  As a county legislator, Lemon served as chairman of the Human Services Committee, a member of the Administrative Services Committee, a member of the Chautauqua County Home Ad Hoc Committee and a member of the Welfare to Work Reform Committee.  He will opposed Democrat incumbant Tom Erlandson... who currently represented the Frewsburg-area on the legislature.

 

There is a high-profile Chautauqua County Legislature race in the north county... featuring a former mayor of Fredonia who has announced his candidacy.  Republican Michael Sullivan says he would take the same approach to county government spending as he did as Mayor.  In a statement... Sullivan says he would continue a "need versus wants" analysis of all spending. Sullivan also says he favors creation of a North County Water District.  He is running against Democrat Janet Keefe.  Keefe is the wife of the current Fredonia Mayor... and, past county legislator Stephen Keefe.

 

City police officials were a little surprised this past month when they uncovered two, smaller Methamphetime Labs in Jamestown.  However... Chief Harry Snellings says there has been an uptick in the number of "one-pot" labs that have sprung up in the region.  Snellings says these types of labs are very different than the first... and, more traditional lab found several years ago on Palmer Street.  He says they're smaller... and, not as easy to detect. Snellings says the ingredients for "Meth" also haven't changed much.  Those include Sudafed... Lithium from batteries... and, Hydrous Ammonia.  Snellings says the lab found at 57 Spruce Street was discovered when one of the batteries used caught fire... and, the suspects tried to put it out with water.  He and other city officials met this week with residents in the area... and, told them the county's HazMat Team was going to check the air quality around the house... and, they were going to ask the state to check the soil for contamination.  In the other case on Spring Street... Snellings says city police were assisting with a parole check when they discovered the other "Meth Lab."  The chief spoke on this past weekend's "Community Spotlight" program.

 

Nuclear regulators may cite an upstate New York nuclear plant for a safety violation over an incident earlier this year in which plant operators lost the ability to cool the water surrounding the reactor core.  The Post-Standard of Syracuse reports that the April 16th incident at the Nine Mile Point Unit-1 in Scriba lasted 31 minutes.  Inspectors from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission blamed the incident on mistakes that began with a contractor opening the wrong circuit breaker.  They said the water temperature in the reactor rose from 118 degrees to 145 degrees before operators managed to restart the cooling system.  The NRC said Friday it may cite the owner for violating safety regulations.  Plant owner Constellation Energy Nuclear Group said improved safety procedures have already been implemented.