Icy conditions improve as temperatures pass freezing mark in Jamestown area
Road conditions have improved in the Jamestown area as we move into the Noon hour today after a thin sheet of ice covered cars, sidewalks... streets and other places in the area. We have reports of a hand-ful of minor accidents... and, several cars off the road. No injuries have been reported. Our Winter Weather Advisory ends at 1 p.m.
Three city residents arrested for meth possession during traffic stop...
Three people from Jamestown have been arrested after allegedly being found in possession of varying amounts of methamphetamine during a traffic stop. City police say a patrol stopped the car in the area of East Second and Kipp Streets shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday for a traffic violation. Officers say they found the driver -- 30 year-old Devan Huntington -- and his passengers... 27 year-old Janie Blakey... and, 43 year-old Tracy Griffin... were each in possession of a small quantity of meth. They add that Blakey tried to give them a false name to conceal her identity while having an active City Court warrant for her arrest. All three were taken into custody. Once arriving at the jail... officers say they also found Huntington in possession of a large amount of meth that he had been concealing. Police say Huntington tried to destroy the evidence... but, they recovered just over 51-grams of the illegal drug. Huntington is charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance... and tampering with physical evidence. Blakey is charged with second-degree criminal impersonation... and, both she and Griffin are charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Both Huntington and Blakey were jailed pending arraignment... and, Griffin was issued an appearance ticket for city court.
Nine jurors seated so far for Mater attempted murder trial...
Nine jurors have now been seated for the trial of the man accused of stabbing world-reknowned author Salmon Rushdie multiple times at Chautauqua Institution. District Attorney Jason Schmidt's office says four more jurors were seated Wednesday... along with the five others seated on Tuesday. Schmidt says three more jurors... and, four alternates need to be chosen for the local trial in Chautauqua County Court. Matar is charged with second-degree attempted murder... and, second degree assault in connection with the stabbing on the Institution stage in August of 2022. The New Jersey man is accused of running onto the stage... and, stabbing Rushdie several times... leading to permanent injury... including the loss of an eye.
Gillibrand critical of Trump administration's hiring freeze in wake of ongoing understaffing of Soc. Security, VA, and Medicare...
New York's Junior U.S. Senator is blasting the Trump Administration's hiring freeze as making a bad situation worse. Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand says there is already an major understaffing of Social Security... the Dapartment of Veteran's Affairs... and, Medicare. Specifically... Gillibrand noted that staffing at the Social Security Administration is already at a 27 year low. She adds that "millions of people rely on Social Security, Medicare and VA benefits through-out New York state. Gillibrand says Mr. Trump’s hiring freeze risks increasing application processing times, wait times for appointments, and hold times for phone calls. She says she's written the administration to get some answers as ranking member of the Senate's Aging Committee. Gillibrand is asking what kind of impact are going to be seen on people who are entitled to those benefits. The executive order was followed by a Jan. 28 email to 2-million federal employees offering them the option to resign, which would further cripple these agencies’ ability to serve the American people. She added that "I am calling on President Trump to reverse course immediately."
Dunkirk Common Council approves hiring of new fire, and police chiefs...
The city of Dunkirk has a new police chief and fire chief. The Common Council Tuesday unanimously approved the appointment of Chris Witkowski to lead the city's Police Department, and Nick Barter to head up the Fire Department. Witkowski says he and Barter are ready to hit the ground running... and, he already has some goals. Those are a comprehensive review of the department, and, create new goals due to the city's budget constraints. Barter says there's a lot his department needs to get accomplished, including maintaining staffing levels throughout the course of the year. He says a "walk-in" resolution the council passed at the end of the meeting will help with that to get firefighters trained, and keeping staffing where it needs to be. The "MOU" is a memorandum of understanding authorizing the city to enter into an agreement with the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Office of Fire Prevention and Control. Witkowski and Barter fill the positions that were previously held by Dave Ortolano and Mike Edwards, who both retired in late 2024.
O'Boyle named as interim Westfield Academy and Central School District Superintendent...
The Westfield Academy and Central Schools have named a new, interim superintendent familiar to the Jamestown-area. The Westfield school board announced on it's Facebook page that Shelly O'Boyle has been named to fill in from Feb. 1 to Aug. 1... as the search for a permanent superindent is underway. O'Boyle was formerly superintendent of the Frewsburg Central district. The Facebook post says "with a wealth of experience and a passion for education, she will be a tremendous asset as we continue to work toward excellence for our students and community."
