City Fire Crews were called to fight a fire at 420 Falconer Street around 10pm Monday night. Jamestown Police report that there were no injuries and the fire started as a grease fire. We'll have more details when they become available.
Wintry weather has returned to the Chautauqua region after a round of round of warm conditions with heavy rain and flooding last weekend. However... the National Weather Service has discontinued a Lake Effect Snow Watch that was scheduled to take effect late last night. Forecaster John Hitchcock in Buffalo says the latest weather information shows the winds will be coming out of the north--northwest... meaning areas to our south and west will get more of the white stuff. In fact... Hitchcock says Erie County, Pennsylvania... and, in northeast Ohio-areas are now under Lake Effect Snow Warnings. He says if you're traveling that way... drive with caution. Hitchcock said late Monday that we'll see up to two-inches of snow overnight... and, 1 to 3 inches tooday... so Winter is back. That also means we'll likely have a White Christmas with highs today only reach the mid to upper teens... and, the upper 20s on Christmas Day. Initially... forecasters were calling for snowfall totals locally of about 7 inches or greater possible in a narrow area of the county.
There are four partial road closings due to the melting snow and warm temperatures of the past weekend. The Chautauqua County Department of Public Facilities says Water Street between Route 394 and Elmwood Avenue in the town of Ellicott is closed due to flooding. DPF officials add that Kabob Road between Route 380 and Waterman Road in the town of Stockton is also closed due to flood waters. The third closing is Ross Mills road between Route 380 and the Gerry-Levant Road in the town of Ellicott... and, the fourth is the Poland Center Road between Route 394 and Route 62 in the town of Poland. DPF officials say the closings will remain in effect until the barricades are removed.
About 25-thousand utility customers in western and northern New York remain without electricity after a weekend ice storm knocked tree limbs onto power lines. Most of the outages early Monday afternoon are National Grid customers... including 11-thousand-700 in Jefferson County on Lake Ontario's eastern shore. About 75-hundred outages were still reported in Erie, Niagara and Orleans counties. About 50-thousand customers lost power after ice began coating trees Saturday from the Buffalo area to the North Country.
New York's health exchange has extended the sign-up deadline for insurance coverage starting January 1st by one day... giving applicants until shortly before midnight Tuesday. The exchange -- dubbed "New York State of Health" -- reports that by Monday morning, nearly 422-thousand people have completed applications for individual or family coverage. Officials add that 188-thousand-546 of them have enrolled in a plan. Locally... more than 300 were enrolled in October and November through the Navigator Program at Chautauqua Opportunities, Incorporated. Supervisor Melanie Booth says the site is fairly easy to navigate... but, it takes time. Booth says... if you do it on your own... make sure to have all you information that you need... including projected income... and, health care needs and expenses for the coming year. They include 136,783 with a commercial or non-profit insurer and 51,763 in government-funded Medicaid. Over the past week... almost 60-thousand more people completed applications... and 53-thousand enrollmed. For more information... contact COI at 661-9430.
The Chautauqua County Humane Society and Ellicott Town Police are asking for the public's help in solving a burglary in which the day's receipts were stolen from the Humane Society's Thift Store. Community Relation's Director Edwin Rodriguez with the Humane Society says someone broke into the store between the close of business last Friday, December 20th... and, the open of business Saturday... and, took all the cash from the register. If you have any information... call Ellicott Police at 665-7083... or the Humane Society at 665-2209.
Three men from central Chautauqua County have been arrested in connection with the theft of a significant amount of scrap metal from a town of Stockton location last September. Sheriff's officers say 29 year-old Christopher Harding of Sinclairville... and, a pair of 23 year-olds, Peter McTaggart, Junior of Sinclairville and Frank Orazio of Stockton... were taken into custody last weekend. They allegedly took the items from a Bear Lake Road location back on September 21st. The trio has been charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, petty larceny... and, criminal trespass. McTaggart and Orazio were issued appearance tickets for Stockton Town Court. Harding... who is currently in the Chautauqua County Jail on unrelated charges... will appear in Stockton Town Court at a later date.
It's Christmas Eve... and, that means it's the final day of the Salvation Army of Jamestown's annual Red Kettle Campaign. Bellringer Coordinator Major Richard Best says they still need some bellringers for today at various locations. Best told us yesterday that those slots include some major locations. Wal-Mart has the two, lone outside kettles. Best said were two hours available from 4 to 6 PM today at the Chautauqua Mall. But... you can sign up for just an hour if that's all the time you have. Salvation Army Captain John Merchant says -- going into today -- they're about 10-thousand dollars behind the 100-thousand dollar goal for this year's effort. However... Best says the response has been great... with more than 300 volunteers ringing the bells so far. If you have an hour or two available today... and, haven't had a chance to ring the bells yet... call the Salvation Army at 664-4108.
