Motorist helps locate and save Silver Creek child found Tuesday on State Thruway...
The parents of a four-year-old child were arrested after State Police responded to a report of the child being seen wandering on the side of the road on the State Thruway in Silver Creek.  Troopers say they were called to the scene in the westbound lanes of the I-90 shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday.  Police say a motorist had spotted the child... stopped and called 911... and, kept the child out of the roadway until they arrived.  Troopers later arrested the parents... 31 year-old Robert Lyman and 30 year-old Mikayla Miller... who live near the Thruway.  Child Protective Services was making an unannounced visit... and, discovered the child was not in the residence... and, began looking for the four-year-old.  They then saw the emergency lights on the Thruway... and troopers reported they had the child... and, the youngster was okay.  Lyman and Miller were both charged with endangering the welfare of a child... and, the child was turned over to family members.

Schumer and Gillibrand write letter, calling on Trump to release emergency funds for SNAP...
The two U.S. Senators representing New York say they have written a letter to President Donald Trump... calling on he and Congressional Republicans... to release funding for the federal SNAP program.  Democrats Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand hosted a joint, virtual press conference Thursday morning... calling on Mr. Trump and majority leaders in both chambers... to fund the program -- which ends temporarily -- at the end of the day today.  Schumer says there's money available to use... and, he adds it's something the Trump administration and the GOP leadership wants.  He and Gillibrand say that even the U.S. Department of Agriculture... which administers the Supplimental Nutrition Assistance Program... say they could keep funds flowing to the program.  The senators say they have co-authored legislation that would authorize those funds to be used until the current shut-down ends.  Gillibrand adds the "Big Beautiful Bill" slashes $186-billion from SNAP... and, they're trying to use the shutdown to move the program in that direction.  Schumer and Gillibrand claim Republicans are using the shut-down to score "political points."  They add that during the last shutdown during Trump's first term in office... he agreed to use emergency funding to keep SNAP in place.

Langworthy says it's time for Congressional Democrats to "come to their senses..."
Local Congressman Nick Langworthy maintains that -- "Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats forced this shutdown -- and they can end it today by changing their ‘no’ votes and making sure 42 million Americans don’t go hungry.  The President cannot legally fund programs that Congress hasn’t appropriated."  He added that -- "Democrats have a choice to make: stand with needy American citizens or continue prioritizing benefits for illegal immigrants.  I voted to keep the government open with a clean continuation of funding, and I hope Senate Democrats come to their senses before more Americans are hurt by their partisan games."

Chautauqua County reports new details on $1-Million for two housing projects from Empire State Development Corp...
We've received more details on a $1-million state grant to boost housing initiatives in Chautauqua County.  The county's Department of Planning and Development says two major projects are receiving the grant through the New York State Empire State Development's County Infrastructure Grant Program.  In a press release Thursday... county officials said the funding will be used to advance "transformative housing and infrastructure projects" in Dunkirk... and, Westfield.  The project in Westfield is receiving $200,000 to support infrastructure costs to relocate sewer infrastructure for the Homesteads at Dunkirk Landing housing development project in the north county city.  The remaining $800,000 will be used for infrastructure improvements for the Welch’s Building redevelopment project in the village of Westfield.  The funding will go toward electrical service upgrades, underground vault seal-offs, sidewalks, landscaping, and lighting improvements to create 46 new housing units.  Deputy County Executive for Economic Development, Mark Geise says -- "this funding award gets two very important housing projects over the finish line, and enables the County to get one step closer to meeting the housing needs of the community."  

Geise says "Blueprint for New York" report verifies that taxes and regulations hurt business and job growth in the state...
A new report by the Public Policy Institute of New York State reaffirms the stance of Chautauqua County leaders that a number of outside factors are hindering economic development not just in the county... but, the entire state.  More than 550 economic development officials and business leaders were surveyed as part of the report called -- "Blueprint for New York -- Creating a Roadmap for Change."  County Industrial Development Agency Chief Executive Officer, Mark Geise, says their responses overwhelmingly point to the overall cost of doing business in New York as the primary barriers to growth... including to labor costs, compliance, workforce, and access to capital, among others.  Geise adds that New York has the second-most business regulations, behind only California... and, says the county is supporting the Business Council of New York State and the state Economic Development Council in calling on lawmakers to make "immediate" improvements in order to make New York more business friendly.  The Blueprint report also indicates that jobs in New York have grown by 7.3% from 2014-2024, which is lower than the national average of 12%.