North county man arrested in town of Dunkirk drug raid...
A Dunkirk man has been arrested following a drug raid in the north county city early Tuesday morning.  Sheriff's officers say an investigation by narcotics investigators with their department... along with Jamestown and Dunkirk... led to execution of a search warrant at 219 Townsend St. shortly before 6:30 a.m.  Inside... police found 63 year-old Hector Quinones... along with 22.5-grams of cocaine and scales and packaging material used for the sale and distribution of narcotics, which was seized.  Quinones was arrested on two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance... and, second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia.  He was taken to the Dunkirk Police station... and, later arraigned in city court.  If you have any information on drug or other suspicious activity... call the Sheriff's Office at 1-800-344-8702... or 664-2420.  For Jamestown police... call 483-TIPS... that's 483-8477.

Sheriff's Office gets reaccreditation from NYS Sheriff's Association...
The Corrections Division of the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office has been reaccredited by the New York State Sheriff's Association.  Sheriff's Association Executive Director Peter Kehoe recently presented the award to Sheriff Jim Quattrone during the county legislature's December meeting.  Kehoe noted that corrections officers have been under a lot of scrutiny this year after a couple of high-profile cases this year.  He adds that it's a difficult job because they need to protect the public, and the inmates themselves.  Kehoe says they also have to respect the fact that some in their charge may be innocent.  Kehoe says their Board of Assessors reported to him that the county jail and corrections officers met and exceeded the standards they set.  Sheriff Jim Quattrone praised jail staff and other who put together their application... and, says part of the job is making sure inmates are ready to be released back into the community because 90% to 95% of them will be released into the local area once they're freed.  Quattrone is also president of the Sheriff's Association.  Kehoe says the accreditation is difficult to achieve... with only half of the state's Sheriff's Departments receiving it.

City teen arrested following domestic incident...
A 19 year-old man from Jamestown has been arrested for allegedly damaging another person's cellphone during a domestic dispute on the city's northside.  Jamestown police say they were flagged down by a person who told them about the domestic shortly after 12:30 p.m. Monday.  Officers say they spoke with the victim on arrival... and, learned that Marcus Merced had intentionally damaged the victim's cellphone.  In accordance with mandatory state arrest laws... Merced was for fourth-degree criminal mischief.  He was arraigned and released on his own recognizance.  

Dunkirk formally expresses interest in hosting "advanced" nuclear power plant...
Communities across upstate New York had until just recently to formally show interest in being a host community for an advanced nuclear facility.... and, the city of Dunkirk is the only one in the Western New York region to do so.  Mayor Kate Wdowiasz confirms that the city has responded to the New York Power Authority's Request for Information it issued in late October.  Wdowiasz says she's heard enough positive feedback to go forward... which gets them to the next step of determining if they have enough land, and if it's an "ideal community" to host one.  Wdowiasz says it will be some time -- maybe two months or so -- before the city finds out whether it will get that opportunity.  The site the city of Dunkirk is proposing is the mothballed NRG plant.  Wdowiasz says one of the variables is whether NRG, which still owns the property, would be willing to have the city use it.

AAA predicts record holiday travel for Christmas and New Years...
The Christmas and New Year's holiday seasons will be busy for American travelers... with a record number expected to travel 50 miles or more between now and Jan. 1.  That from AAA West Central... which is expecting more than 122-million Americans to travel during this period...most by car.  AAA Spokesperson Elizabeth Carey says about 90% of travelers will be driving to their destination... and, the number flying will be just over 8-million... which is up considerably from last year.  With that... AAA's Beth Steves says... get to the airport at least two hours early.  However... if you're going to fly out of any of the New York City Metro Airports... or Atlanta... you should arrive even earlier just to be safe.  Travel Advisor Dan Fisher says... make sure you're car's maintenance is up to date... and, check tire pressures before heading out.  Fisher also says you should have an emergency kit with you in your car that includes a cell phone charger... and, jumper cables.  AAA says gasoline prices -- nationwide -- are down to their lowest point since 2020.

JHS raises $5,600 in Penny Wars to benefit Schnars family...
Students and staff at Jamestown High School recently presented a check for just over $5,600 to the Schnars' family from this year's Penny Wars fund-raiser.  The annual effort raises money for a charitable cause during the Christmas season... and, this year it went to the family of Jamie Schnars... who passed away earlier this year after a courageous battle with cancer.  The presentation was made this week to Schnars' sister Bonnie, a JHS behavior specialist, and Jamie’s children, Oliver and Lilly.  The JHS Senior Class led the way this year... raising $1,841.