Community Spotlight, the area's longest running local public affairs radio program, airs on all six Media One Radio Group stations each weekend and is also available to hear in our Podcast Section.  Each week we sit down with a community leader or another special guest to talk about issues within our community.  


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WJTN News Headlines

Improvements that are part of an expansion project at a West Eighth Street scrap metal yards aren't coming fast enough for many residents in that area of the city.  At least one questioned whether the Ben Weitzman Company should have been allowed to locate at the old Weinstein Scrap Yard site at all.  However... city lawmakers say the property is zoned for such use.  However... they also said they would look into making sure a project to reduce dust and noise from the site are undertaken.  Outlet Avenue resident Rhonda Swanson outlined six issues they have with Ben Weitzman... including increased truck traffic to and from the site, and the previously mentioned dust. Swanson also told lawmakers that there's been a "dramatic increase" in noise from equipment... and other parts of the operation.  She also says the dust and other materials have contaminated the nearby Chadakoin River due to run-off from the site.  The city's Planning Commission approved Weitzman's expansion plans late last fall with what Development Director Vince DeJoy called a "rigorous" review.  In all fairness... DeJoy and council members say Weitzman has been behind on the project because of the harsh Winter.  Jamestown Renaissance Corporation Executive Director Peter Lombardi said he shared the residents concerns... and, urged city lawmakers to strictly monitor the Weitzman site during... and, after the expansion project.

 

Temperatures are near 50-degrees with sunshine yesterday afternoon... but, the warm-up's not going to last much longer.  Another Winter storm is on the way... and, will begin moving into the area tonight.  That from Forecaster John Hitchcock with the National Weather Service in Buffalo... who says low pressure will develop over the plains early tomorrow... then move into the Ohio Valley.  Hitchcock says... from there... the system -- which will include a general snowfall -- will move into our region. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch from late tonight through Wednesday night.  However... Hitchcock says... how much snow western New York is affected will depend on the storm's track.  He says the heaviest snows will be on the northern side of the system... and, we're expected to be in that area right now.  Hitchcock says snowfall totals will be 7 to 12 inches from late Tuesday night through Wednesday evening.  The moderate to heavy snow may produce very difficult travel conditions.

 

A panel created by Governor Andrew Cuomo to look into New York's rollout of the controversial Common Core curriculum is recommending capping the amount of instructional time that can be used for standardized tests and test prep.  The panel Monday also recommended that the state Legislature ban standardized ``bubble tests'' through second grade.  Cuomo assembled the panel last month amid widespread complaints by parents and teachers that New York rushed the rollout.  Teachers argue they will be unfairly punished if students do poorly under the new assessments and others question whether the standards will really elevate student achievement.  The state's Board of Regents approved changes to implementing Common Core educational last month but backed off on a plan to delay a teacher evaluation measure.

 

The north county man accused of selling an illegal assault weapon to an undercover state trooper has been found guilty.  Time-Warner Cable News in Buffalo reports jurors in the Benjamin Wassell trial delivered a verdict early Monday afternoon.  The jury began deliberations last Friday.  The Silver Creek man was indicted last year on five counts of possessing and selling illegal weapons... stemming from the alleged weapon sale in January of 2013.  The judge dismissed two of those five counts before the jury got the case.  Wassell was found guilty of all three remaining counts, and will be sentenced in May.  He was initially charged with violating the state's SAFE Act.  However... that charge was dropped prior to his indictment.

 

A group of prominent, local businessmen and community leaders has announced that junior hockey will be returning to Jamestown for the 2014-2015 season... and, beyond.  During a press conference at the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena Monday afternoon... the new Jamestown Area Hockey Associates announced the new team would be part of the North American '3' Hockey League.  JAHA President Dr. James Cirbus says it's a "top level" Tier 3 league in the North American Hockey League association.  The JAHA is buying a franchise from Michigan that will be part of the NA3HL.  Cirbus says it's "a great geographical fit for the new Jamestown team, whose immediate rivals will be teams in Cleveland and Pittsburgh."  Cirbus adds that -- "today's announcement represents the culmination of many hours of hard work with a dedicated group of local guys sharing a common vision of promoting hockey."  New arena General Manager Brian Cersosimo says they're "very pleased" that hockey will be returning to the arena.  The local group also announced a "Name the Team" contest that runs through March 24th.  For more information... contact the arena at 484-2624.

 

The state's NY-Sun initiative has awarded $28.6 million to 37 projects across the state... including 29 photovoltaic projects that will add 33.6 megawatts of solar power generation capacity.  Governor Andrew Cuomo says that under the NY-Sun initiative, a total of 299 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity has been installed or is under development in the past two years.  Awards are available for a growing number of projects because of the steady decline in solar costs in the past two years, which allows project incentive amounts to be reduced.  Earlier this month... The Solar Foundation, an independent, nonprofit research organization, ranked New York fifth in the nation in the number of solar jobs per capita, with more than 5,000 jobs in 2013.