Eight people were arrested during and following a drug raid in a troubled neighborhood on Jamestown's north side early yesterday morning.
City Police Captain Bob Samuelson says members of the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force the state Police C-NET Team, and the JPD SWAT Team executed a search warrant at 853 Prendergast Avenue about 6 AM.
Samuelson says investigators found several people and about three-quarters of a pound of marihuana inside. He says there was also just over $3,500 in cash.
Samuelson says all five suspects found inside the home, 39 year-old Angel Ortiz-Rodriguez, 41 year-old Elizabeth Rodriguez, 23 year-old Steven Eliel-Rodriguez, 20 yer-old Telly Ortiz, Junior and, 23 year-old Joshua Stam were each arraigned and sent to the county jail.
The other three arrested outside the residence have been identified as 20 year-old Eileen Rodriguez, 31 year-old Hector Montanez, and, 47 year-old Duane Sikes. If the 853 Prendergast address sounds familiar, Samuelson says that's where a man was shot and killed last June.
Samuelson says pot trafficking is also still an issue in the city. Anyone with information on any illegal drug trafficking in the city is asked to call the Task Force at 483-TIPS that's 483-8477 or use the JPD Tips 4-1-1 app.
A Dunkirk man has been arrested in Mayville for allegedly selling Heroin to undercover agents with the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force in the north county city over the past several months.
Task Force members say they arrested 28 year-old Angel Tirado Lopez of East Fifth Street Wednesday on a Dunkirk City Court warrant. Agents say Lopez was arraigned in city court on charges of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and third-degree criminial sale.
Task Force members say he was then sent to the Chautauqua County Jail without bail pending further action of the court.
Authorities continue to ask the public to report suspicious or narcotics related activity in their neighborhoods by calling 1-800-344-8702 or 363-0313. Police say all calls are kept confidential.
The county legislature has approved a resolution to begin the process of renewing the county's additional 1% sales tax.
Lawmakers in Mayville unanimously approved the measure without much fanfare during Wednesday night's monthly meeting. The intial home rule legislation approved by the state legislature in 2015 has helped plug a 6-million dollar "structural deficit" in the county budget. County Executive Vince Horrigan says this is the first-step in the process.
Horrigan says the additional tax which makes the county's overall sales tax 8% plugs the hole in the budget, and also allows the county to take advantage of additional hotel capacity, and special events such as the LECOM Health Challenge PGA Web.com tounament at Peek 'n Peak.
This year's LECOM Challenge was also awarded $75,000 in occupancy tax money to help put on the July event.
The county's Director of Planning and Economic Development, Kevin Sandvige, says it's part of growing the tournament budget to 2.5-million dollars.
Beer-maker Labatt says it will relocate its U.S. headquarters from its current location in Buffalo to another Buffalo building, which it's restoring in a partnership with the owners of the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills.
Labatt USA said Wednesday it will be the anchor tenant at the nearly 100-year-old former manufacturing plant in the city's Cobblestone District. Along with its 56 employees, Labatt will have space for a restaurant and pilot brewery where beer drinkers will be invited to taste and influence new beer development.
The 70,000-square-foot building was recently purchased by Pegula Sports and Entertainment, which plans a mix of retail, commercial and residential space.
The Fredonia Police Department is making some changes in how they will be handling "illegal activities" during the weekend formerly known as "Fred Fest."
"Fred Fest" was a Spring party that occured in and around the SUNY College at Fredonia. That from Police Chief Brad Meyers who announced the changes prior to the unsanctioned event that gets underway today and, continues through Saturday.
Fredonia Police will also be posting the arrests on the police department's Facebook page. The "non-FredFest" event has been a major headache for police and Meyers hopes that the advance notice of the changes will help curb the number of arrests.
About 100 people were on hand for last night's annual Volunteer of the Year reception to help honor 16 people for their outstanding volunteerism in the Jamestown-area.
The program was hosted by the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County at the Boys and Girls Club of Jamestown. The volunteers were named by their organization for the efforts from mentoring at-risk children, to delivering hot meals to local Seniors. United Way Executive Director Tori Irgang says the volunteers also come from a variety of backgrounds.
Each of the United Way's member agencies select a volunteer but, in some cases chose two because it's hard to select just one. Among those honored at last night's event were Leroy Trice with Chautauqua Adult Day Care Jean Shiffer and Sherwood Martin from the American Red Cross Misty Johnson and Clark Poppleton with Family Service of the Chautauqua Region and,Marie Carubba with The Resource Center.
A New York community college president who was recorded disparaging an alleged victim of sexual assault has retired, just before a vote to consider firing him.
Niagara County Community College says James Klyczek notified the board of trustees of his retirement shortly before a special meeting Wednesday evening in which the trustees were to decide whether to remove him as head of the two-year college located north of Buffalo.
In a statement... the board's president called Klyczek's reported words and actions inconsistent with the college's values. WKBW-TV of Buffalo aired a recording in which Klyczek is allegedly heard calling a middle-aged woman who reported being sexually assaulted near the campus library "too stupid to follow (her) instinct." Klyczek doesn't have a public phone listing and couldn't be reached for comment Thursday.
