Plow crews in the city of Jamestown have been working around the clock to get all side streets cleared... and, further clean-up main thorough-fares. That from Mayor Sam Teresi as he updated the City Council on snow-fighting efforts... which he says began in earnest early last Thursday morning. Teresi says there is always "room for improvement..." but, adds that few communities can deal with "constant, heavy snow" over the course of four days like the area has. The immediate Jamestown-area received anywhere from about 37 to 41 inches... in many cases it depended on the elevation. Teresi adds that dealing with heavy snowfall in a more densely-populated city is much different than in suburban and rural areas, due to street congestion, hills, and narrower streets. Teresi says, years ago, city leaders had the good sense to put Alternate Parking rules in place during the Winter months to allow plows to get down streets that might otherwise be unpassable. He praised the work of the Public Works... and, Parks Departments... as well as residents, who were generally very patient while waiting for crews to get to their streets.
The Jamestown Fire Department is urging residents to clear their sidewalks and fire hydrants after our huge snowfall since last Thursday afternoon. Fire officials say keeping sidewalks clear will aid them with fire and rescue calls... and, keeping hydrants cleared of snow will also save time for firefighters.
Temperatures warmed to above freezing yesterday... and, much of the snow from a passing weather system ended by late morning. However... we're not done with winter and another arctic blast on the way. The National Weather Service says the latest storm brought a 3 to 6 inch general snowfall, after a lake effect storm that produced nearly three-feet of snow in some locations. Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan says the storms have kept plow crews busy around the county. Forecaster Kirk Apfell with the National Weather Service says a shot of real arctic air is expected to reach the area by mid-week. Apfell says this will be the coldest air of the season... and, the coldest we've seen since the height of last Winter. He says the colder air will also bring more lake effect snow... but, he adds it's still too early to predict how much snowfall will hit the area.
The House Intelligence Committee will look into cyber threats such as the hacking of the Democratic National Committee... and, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. However... Speaker Paul Ryan says any investigation ``should not cast doubt on the clear and decisive outcome of this election.'' Local Congressman Tom Reed says he's seen nothing definative showing the Russian's interfered with the election. However... he echoes Ryan's sentiments... adding he supports a bi-partisan look into the allegations. The Obama Administration has already ordered it's own investigation... and, Reed says the investigation should be given time to find all the facts. Reed says he would also have no problem with naming a special bi-partisan panel to look further into the matter, if need be. However... he says those should not be "politically charged" hearings. Speaker Ryan's statement came after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate Intelligence Committee will investigate the matter. Reed made his comments during his weekly telephone conference call with Southern Tier Media.
An Ashville man who is a registered sex offender on parole has been arrested for allegedly using social media when he should not be. Sheriff's officers say 35 year-old Joshua Glover was arrested late last week for failing to register, or notify the registry of a change in status. Deputies say Glover was found to have been using a Facebook account since August of this year. Officers say that using Facebook account is a violation of the registry... and, conditions of his parole. Glover was previously in the Chautauqua County Jail for a parole violation. The Sheriff's Office has filed a warrant as a detainer at the jail for this new charge. Glover will appear in Chautauqua Town Court at a future date on this new charge.
No one was hurt after a Norfolk-Southern freight train struck a car that became stuck on the tracks near the Franklin Avenue railroad crossing this past Sunday night in Dunkirk. This is the third train related crash in the city since last September. Dunkirk Police and Fire units responded to the crash involving the westbound train around 9:45 PM. Dunkirk Police Chief David Ortolano says the car apparently got hung-up on the tracks. Ortolano says the first accident involved a train-and-pedestrian back on September 28th near the Middle Road crossing. It claimed the life of a 37-year-old woman. In addition... a motorcycle was damaged after an encounter with a train near the Route 60 crossing on October 6th.
The organization operating New York's electrical grid says holiday lighting is expected to add 750-800 megawatts of energy use this season. The New York Independent System Operator says the electricity used by holiday lighting is approximately 4 percent of the New York's average hourly demand for electricity. The organization says the statewide impact of holiday lighting is equal to powering up to 800,000 homes. But the usage is significantly lower in recent years thanks to more energy-efficient LED lights. The Environmental Protection Agency says Energy Star certified decorative lights feature LED technology that uses 75 percent less energy than conventional incandescent lights.
Work continues on the Athenex project in northern Chautauqua County... although much of it is going on behind the scene. County Executive Vince Horrigan says he took part in a conference call about the project last Thursday... and, it included representatives from the company that plans to locate the pharmaceutical manufacturing plant on a site off Route 5 in the town of Dunkirk. Horrigan says Athenex... a high-tech pharmacutial company... is currently going through the permitting process. He says they have resolved an issue involving some power lines that will be required for the plant that will employ nearly 900 employees. The top county official doesn't expect ground-breaking to occur until sometime next year. His best guess... possibly next Summer.
