City man arrested for alleged assault with a hammer...
A man from Jamestown has been arrested for allegedly assaulting another person with a hammer early Wednesday morning. city police say they were called to an eastside address shortly before 1 a.m. for an assault complaint. Officers say they spoke with the victim on arrival... and, found them with a severe head larceration after being struck. Police say their investigation determined that 29 year-old Austin Thayer had hit the victim... and, he was later found inside the residence. While officers were arresting Thayer... he tried to ingest a suspected controlled substance before throwing it into a toilet. Officers were able to take him into custody... and, during a search... found him in possession of a quantity of fentanyl. Thayer is charged with second-degree assault... third-degree criminal possession of a weapon... tampering with physical dvidence... and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was jailed pending arraignment.
WACS District institutes lock-out after Westfield Memorial Hospital reports disorderly person inside...
A report of a disorderly person in the area late this morning led to the Westfield Academy Central Schools to go into a lock-out. Westfield Police say they... and State Police, along with the Sheriff's Office... were called to Westfield Memorial Hospital about 10 a.m. on a report of a disorderly person inside. Out of an abundance of caution... police say the Westfield schools activated their Shelter-in-Place, Hold-in-Place... evacuate, lock-out, and lock-down -- or SHELL Protocol to ensure the safety and security of students and staff. The district activated a lockout... which is a security measure intended to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the school while normal activities continue inside the building. However... there was no direct threat to the school associated with the incident. Westfield police say the situation at Westfield Memorial Hospital was resolved without further incident... and, the school lock-out was lifted.
County Legislature to get detailed look at Wendel's 2027 budget proposal tonight...
Chautauqua County lawmakers will see County Executive P.J. Wendel take the wraps off his tentative 2027 budget plan during their monthly meeting in Mayville tonight. Two legislators from the north county shared their expectations about the presentation, which is slated for 6:30 p.m. at the beginning of the legislature’s monthly meeting. Dunkirk Democrat Robert Bankoski has been among those pushing for using more the county's undesignated fund balance to lower taxes, and he believes that may happen, because he's been hearing from residents that having a $37-million to $38-million undesignated fund balance is "too high." Silver Creek Republican Tom Harmon believes most people will be "pleasantly surprised" with Wendel's proposed spending plan after getting a "peek" at the budget. Wendel's office says his presentation will reflect his "focus on affordability and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars." Wednesday's presentation is themed "Putting Money Back in Your Wallet."
BPU GM proposes local law to create new, "Digital Infrastructure Division..."
A new, sixth division is being proposed by the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities that will own, and operate the BPU's new, open-access fiber network. Work on creating that network is continuing through October. BPU General Manager Kris Sellstrom explained the proposal at Monday night's City Council work session. Sellstrom is asking for a local law allowing creation of what will be called the Digital Infrastructure Division... and if you sign up the end of October you get 90-days of free service. So far... he says out of 4,000 sign-ups they've only had 150 people opt out. In addition to owning and operating the fiber network... Sellstrom says the new division would also support future digital infrastructure initiatives. He says the board will govern the new division which will be maintained as a financially self-sustaining operation separated from the BPU’s other divisions... and, will be supported by users of the system. Under the open-access model... Sellstrom says the BPU will own and operate the fiber-optic infrastructure while participating Internet Service Providers will offer retail internet service, billing and customer support. The ISPs are currently FiberSpark and SumoFiber with various plans and rates offered by the providers. For more information... go-on-line to Jamestownbpu.com/fiber.
Sheldon announces run for Chautauqua County Leg. in Jamestown's District 12...
A current member of the Jamestown City Council has announced he's running for the Chautauqua County Legislature this Fall. Ward-One Republican Brent Sheldon says he's running for the District 12 seat because he "knows the people and the issues well. I will work to reduce county taxes, create job opportunities... and, increase public safety for our residents." Sheldon says he's been a City Councilman for 15 years... and, has served as chairman of the council's Finance... and, Public Safety Committee.s He's currently on the finance and housing committees. The City Council is not up for a vote this year, but, will be in 2027. Before retiring in 2019... Sheldon worked for the county's Department of Health and Human Services as a public health sanitarian. He's running against incumbant Democrat Fred Larson for the District 12 seat in November.
Jamestown woman arrested for southside domestic incident...
A woman from Jamestown has been arrested for allegedly damaging another person's property during a weekend domestic dispute. City police say they were called to a southside address shortly before 5 a.m. last Sunday... and, spoke with the parties involved. They soon after arrested 30 year-old Teanna Morano for fourth-degree criminal mischief. Morano was taken to the city jail... pending arraignment.
