Jamestown police officials say a 25 year-old city woman is the person who died in an apartment house fire that occured on the northside Wednesday morning. Police Captain Bob Samuelson says fire crews were called to the scene at 105 Stowe Street just after 7 AM. Samuelson says a neighbor to the apartment that caught fire called in the alarm... reporting there was smoke in that part of the house. When crews arrived... he says they found smoke in the common hallway that led to a back apartment. Fire Lieutenant Nate Alm says firefighters had the small blaze out quickly... and, there was extensive damage in the apartment. Samuelson says investigators determined late yesterday that the fire was accidental. The victim has not been identified... pending notification of next of kin. Alm says Alstar Ambulance and the local Red Cross responded to the scene. Volunteers are helping one person living in the home... which housed four apartments. No other injuries were reported. Alm says fire crews were at the scene about two-hours.
A Jamestown man is jailed without bail on 15 separate charges following his arrest in connection with a high-speed chase... and, car crash in the city late last month. Police say 24 year-old Bryan Bobe (BO-Bee) was arrested on multiple-warrants following his release from a Rochester-area hospital. Bobe had been treated at the medical center since the January 20th accident. Officers say Bobe led police on a pursuit -- during which he allegedly ran through several red lights... and, stop signs. His car struck a pick-up truck on Foote Avenue. The other driver was not hurt. Police say Bobe faces charges... including two Felony counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. He was arraigned... and sent to the county lock-up.
Three Jamestown residents are jailed for allegedly receiving more than 6-pounds of marijuana shipped from Texas to their southside residence. City Police Captain Bob Samuelson says they recently received notification from the U-S Postal Service in Buffalo about a large, suspicious package mailed from out of state -- later found to have the pot inside -- being sent to 352 Foote Avenue. Samuelson says they... along with the state Police C-NET Team... and, Postal Inspectors... began a joint investigation. Samuelson says... once the delivery was made... the JPD SWAT Team raided the home... and, arrested the three people inside. Taken into custody were 31 year-old Kelvin Thomas... 30 year-old Saran Best... and, 22 year-old Lesha Strudwick. Samuelson adds the marijuana was also located. He says it's a significant amount... but, not the largest shipment ever received here. Samuelson says Thomas, Best and Strudwick were all arraigned in city court on second-degree criminal possession of marjiuana charges... a Class-D Felony. They were sent to the county jail where they're being held without bail.
Residents in the Jamestown-area woke up yesterday to maybe the coldest air temperatures so far this Winter season. Forecaster Dave Thomas with the National Weather Service in Buffalo says no records were broken... but, every place in Western New York -- especially the lower elevations -- were well below zero. We had reports of 18-below in Lakewood... 22 and 25 below in parts of the Ellington area... and, minus-28 in Watts Flats. However... Thomas says the day-time temperatures will continue to go up through the end of the week before dropping again.
Thomas says there were two key factors that played into the very cold temperatures overnight Wednesday. One was high pressure that kept the skys clear... and, there was a good 10 to 12-inch snowpack to provide further cooling. However... once the sun came out, temperatures warmed up to about 25 by mid-afternoon.
New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is proposing legislation that bans a form of plastic pollution that is becoming a major threat to the Great Lakes and other waterways. New York would become the nation's first state to pass a ban on the use of 'microbeads' in beauty and cosmetic products. Dr. Sherri Mason, a local researcher on plastics pollution, says microbeads are becoming a major pollution problem. Microbeads are commonly found in products that include facial scrubs, shampoo and toothpaste. Mason, who is a Chemistry Professor at the SUNY College at Fredonia... says the Attorney General's office reached out to her after hearing about her research. Assemblyman Robert Sweeney of Long Island is taking the lead on introducing the measure in the State Legislature.
A couple of the most recent clues allowed a Mayville man to find the 2014 Winter Festival Treasure Hunt Medallion in the village of Westfield. Community Coordinator Debbie Marsalla with the Mayville/Chautauqua Community Chamber of Commerce says the ICE Medallion was found at the Lincoln/Bedell statues in the downtown park Tuesday. Marsella says Mayville's Tom Cole, Junior found the medallion in Abraham Lincoln's hat. However... Cole won't be able to be on hand to receive his 250-dollar prize prior to the lighting of the ICE Castle to start the festival on Friday night. Marsella says Cole was able to determine from earlier clues that the location was somewhere in Westfield... so he began looking around the village's parks... and found the medallion. She felt that Clue-#9... which mentions Grace Bedell's name... would be the one someone would be able to find the medallion with. The castle lighting will kick-off the two-and-a-half day festival... which will also feature fireworks at Lakeside Park at 8 PM Saturday.
