The Chautauqua County Fire Investigation Team is looking into the cause of a fire that destroyed a home in the Town of Busti. The Sheriffs Department says that just after 3pm Sunday a fire was reported at 788 Wellman Road. No one was home at the time of the fire. The single family residence was a total loss and the person living there is being assisted by the Red Cross.
A Lakewood Man was arrested Sunday on multiple drug related charges. The Chautauqua County Sheriff's and Jamestown Police SWAT Teams executed four search warrants simultaneously in the Village of Lakewood, Town of Ellicott and City of Jamestown. Authorities say they found over 150 Marijuana Plants worth more than 160 thousand dollars at 288 Southland Avenue Lakewood, 24 Melivin Avenue and 51 Boulevard in Celeron, and 70 West 13th Street in Jamestown. All four properties are owned by 48 year old Jeffrey Boardman of the Lakewood Address. The Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force has charged Boardman with Criminal Posession of Marijuana and Unlawfully Growing Cannabis. He was arraigned in Town of Busti Court and sent to the county lock up. During the investigation authorities found evidence of another Marijuana Growing Operation. More people are expected to face charges. The Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force encourages anyone to call 1-800-344-8702 when they observe narcotics related activities in their area.
Three people were hurt -- at least one critically -- in a two-car, head-on crash on Pelton Road in the town of Sherman early last Saturday morning. Sheriff's Officers say they, and Sherman Fire rescue crews, were called to the scene about 2:30 AM. Deputies aren't sure which vehicle crossed the center line... but, say 19 year-old Dakota Bird of Ripley was southbound when his vehicle crashed into a northbound vehicle... driven by 21 year-old Ronald Miller of Mayville. Officers say both drivers had to be freed from the wreckage using the "Jaws of Life." Bird was rushed to Westfield Hospital... then flown by Starflight Helicopter to the Hamot Medical Center in Erie where he's in critical condition. Deputies say Miller was flown from the scene to Hamot by Stat Medivac. Officers adds that a passenger in Miller's car... 20 year-old Stephany Cloutier... was taken by ambulance to Hamot. However... another passenger... 20 year-old Robert Gilbert escaped injury. Miller and Cloutier also remain at Hamot... but, their conditions are not known. The Sheriff's Department Reconstruction Team was called in... and, the investigation is continuing. Charges are pending.
A Jamestown man is jailed after he was stopped by city police for allegedly failing to obey a traffic control device... and, gave officers a false name. City police say they stopped the vehicle early last Saturday morning at the intersection of South Main and Kidder Streets. But... when officers asked the driver for his identification... he couldn't produce it... and, allegedly gave police a false name. Officers were later able to identify him as 29 year-old John Kennedy of Jamestown. They say Kennedy had a suspended driver's license... and, was trying to hide his identity. He was arrested on charges of failure to obey a traffic control device, aggravated unlicensed operator, and false personation. Kennedy was taken to city lock-up in lieu of bail.
New York conservation officials report 19 accidental shootings last year involving hunters statewide, the lowest total on record. Two of the shootings were fatal. The Department of Environmental Conservation says total incidents were down from 23 the year before. The average per 100,000 hunters the past five years has dropped more than 70 percent since the 1960s. Last year... 14 accidental shootings were self-inflicted. Hunters are required to take a free safety course to get a license in New York.
More than half of the 13-thousand, new recycling bins being distributed to Jamestown residents have been delivered... and, a number of them are already using them. That from Board of Public Utilities General Manager Dave Leathers... who says the BPU had been working on a new, dual-stream program for the past six-months. Leathers says the idea is to make a major improvement on the 35-percent compliance rate they have right now. He says they looked at a number of models across the country... and, decided on an incentive program. Once the new program is fully-implemented... residents who recycle at least once a billing cycle will be charged 10-dollars a month for garbage pick-up. If you don't... you'll be charged 20-dollars. The current rate is 12-dollars-10 cents per billing cycle. Leathers says they're very encouraged by the fact that a lot of people are already using the new, orange bins. Leathers says the bins use a radio transmission scanning bar so the proper bin gets credited for having left out recycleables. If you have further questions on the program.. you can call the Garbage Hotline at 661-1651... or Communications Coordinator Becky Robbins at 661-1680. Leathers made his comments on this past weekend's "Community Spotlight" program.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has upped the ante in Albany's long-running effort to get cities, towns, villages and counties to consolidate or share services. Under his new plan... if there's no cost-saving plan from local officials, then there are no rebates to local homeowners. The municipal officials who would be on the hook for executing the plans say they support the concept, but foresee challenges. Cuomo's budget proposal calls for tax rebates this year to eligible homeowners who live in jurisdictions that stay within the 2-percent cap on property tax increases. Cuomo wants to increase the pressure in the second year, when local governments and school districts also would be required to come up with a cost-saving plan for consolidating or sharing services like law enforcement and firefighting.
