Fire at Thayer Street apartment house quickly contained...
Quick work by Jamestown firefighters prevented flames in one part of an apartment house from causing serious damage to much of the multi-unit structure. City Fire Battlion Chief Matt Coon says crews were called to the scene at 111 Thayer St. about 4 this morning... and, found Jamestown Police helping residents getting out of the structure. Coon says the blaze broke out in Apt. 6 on the third-floor. He says it only took about 10 minutes to bring the flames under control. He says Jamestown police were helping occupants out of the home on arrival, and everyone was accounted for. Coon says the fire was completely out in about an hour. He says the apartment involved was vacant at the time. Coon says there were no injuries reported... and, an off-duty shift of 12 firefighters was called in to assist. He says the seven people living in the four occupied apartments will be able to return to the dwelling. The cause is under investigation.
Weather Service reports record warmth for May, Friday afternoon thunderstorms drench southeastern County area...
The month of May set a new record for warmth in Western New York... smashing the previous record. It was propelled by some record heat over the past week... which included a 91-degree day earlier this week. Forecaster Aaron Reynolds says the average, daily temperature was 65-degrees... which is about 8.1-degrees above normal. Reynolds says a strong ridge of high pressure was just off to our east, and that brought warm, moist air in from the south for the latter part of the month. The change in the weather pattern Friday afternoon triggered some severe thunderstorms in the Kennedy, town of Poland, and Randolph areas. There were flooded basements... and, some high water and flooding on Interstate 86... and, Route 60 and 394. The latest forecast is coming up shortly.
Lakewood lawmakers reject herbicide use in close vote...
The Lakewood Village Board has voted against treating the waters of Chautauqua Lake -- adjacent to the shoreline of the village -- with herbicides. The vote comes after a couple of special meetings on the issue by the board. A statement drafted by officials, and voted on by the panel, states that lawmakers "believe that further study of the interaction between the early killing of curlyleaf pondweed and Eurasian milfoil and the creation of harmful algal blooms is necessary." The measure further states that the Chautauqua Lake Partnership's target date of early May has "come and gone..." and, that many of the conclusions arrived at in the Final Environmental Impact Statement relied upon treatment in May." The measure was approved 3-to-2 with Mayor Cara Birritierri, and board members Ted MaCague, and Doug Shuttee, voting for it. Board members Ellen Barnes and Randy Holcomb voted not to approve the statement.
County Elections officials to take part in regional exercise to strengthen elections systems...
Chautauqua County elections commissioners will be taking part in a regional exercise next month by the state to strengthen the New York's election infrastructure. Commissioners Brian Abram, Norm Green and County Information and Technology Director Jon DeAngelo will be attending the June 6th meeting in Monroe County. Abram, the GOP Commissioner, says it's one of six regional tabletop exercises that will be held across the state that will focus on cybersecurity prepardness and response to threats to election systems. Abram says they and the state want to make sure that votes are tallied and counted the way they should be. The regional exercises are being sponsored by the State Board of Elections and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, along with the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, State Police and State Intelligence Center.
Borrello says getting a big enough, private sector workforce is biggest challenge so far in first year...
The biggest issue Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello says he's seen during his first six-months in office is developing and retaining an adequately trained workforce. Borrello made his comments during the county Chamber of Commerce's annual Executive Breakfast at Moonbrook Country Club -- north of Jamestown -- Friday morning. Borrello adds there are plenty of resources to help the workforce issue... but, adds there is more that could be done with higher education in the area. He says -- in business -- if you say your mission is failing the community you "need to something else." Borrello adds it's part of finding a "balance" between providing a four-year, $80,000 scholarship to one student... and, then a person who needs $3,500 to apply for a CDL License can't find the money. He says the best thing the "average citizen" in the county can do to help the area is encourage their kids to come back to the county once they complete college or a trade school.
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Borrello also talked about a number of other matters... including progress on the new Athenex pharmacutical plant in the town of Dunkirk, and the repowering of the NRG Plant in Dunkirk. He also talked about expected budget challenges heading into 2019.
Sports Betting legislation deadline coming soon...
New York state could become one of the nation's leading sports betting markets - but time is running out for lawmakers who want to legalize wagering on athletic events this year. The legislative session is scheduled to end June 20, giving lawmakers only three weeks to hammer out the details of any proposal to regulate and tax wagers. A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling struck down a federal ban on sports betting in most states. Lawmakers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have already voted to permit sports betting and dozens of other states are considering the step.
