A past criminal offender has been arrested for allegedly firing a shotgun into a group of people on Jamestown's eastside... and, wounding one person. City police were called to the scene at 177 Barrows Street about 11:30 Am Saturday on a report of shots being fired. On arrival... officers say they spotted the suspect, 29 year-old Demetrius McBride, running into a house at 172 Barrows. Police set up a perimeter around the area... and, called McBride out. He eventually gave himself up... and, police say further investigation revealed that McBride and another person were earlier involved in a dispute on the street. At some point... officers say it escalated, and McBride retrived a shot-gun from his home... and, returned to the scene where he fired two rounds towards several individuals. One person suffered a non-life threatening leg wound. That person was treated at WCA Hospital. Police got a search warrant... and, later found the 12-gauge shotgun used in the alleged shooting. McBride was arrested for second-degree assault... and, criminal possession and use of a firearm. He was arraigned Sunday morning... and, sent to the county jail without bail.
A two-story home sustained moderate damage from an early weekend fire in the town of Chautauqua. Sheriff's Department dispatchers say Chautauqua Fire crews were called to the scene at 68-84 Card Road about 3:30 PM last Friday... and, found fire and smoke coming from the upper levels of the house. Mayville, Ashvile, Sherman and Hartfield were called in for mutual aid. Dispatchers say it took about 30 to 45 minutes to bring the flames under control. No one was hurt... and, no injuries were reported. The cause is under investigation.
The Jamestown Airport is now called the Greater Chautauqua -- Jamestown Airport - Robert H. Jackson Field. The new name was made official this past weekend during a ceremony at the airport... hosted by County Executive Vince Horrigan... who read last February's legislature resolution approving the renaming of the facilities -- 41 years after the new terminal building was named after the late U-S Supreme Court Justice. Horrigan called it a "special day..." which was made extra special by the arrival of a C-47 plane... similar to the one that brought Jackson back to the area following the Nuremberg War Crimes trial after World War-Two. Local Actor Robert Terreberry portraited Jackson during the ceremony... which highlighted Jackson's ascent based on his "small town values..." Terreberry read a portion of the speech Jackson gave when he returned to the Jamestown-area following the trial. State Assemblyman Andy Goodell noted the importance of what Jackson did on a world-wide stage. That was bringing "American Jurisprudence in the context of a World War."
In addition to renaming the County Airport... and, celebrating the local legacy of World War-Two... the ceremony was also a chance to introduce the new air carrier... which will begin service on November 1st. Initially... Sun Air Express was to begin flying out of the airport -- near Jamestown -- on October 1st. However... that date was pushed ahead so some final detail work could be done. Sun Air's President Phil LeFevre... was on hand for Saturday's festivities... and, says some of those details were just finalized. Sun Air is a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based airline... which will replace Silver Airways. LeFevre says they'll be providing service to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania once their up and fully running. County Public Facilities Director George Spanos says Sun Air will begin by providing 24 weekly round trips... which will includes flights each weekday... and, two flights each on Saturdays and Sundays.
Chautauqua County Sheriff Joe Gerace is warning residents of a possible e-mail scam involving the confirmation and the availability of downloaded Delta Airlines E-Tickets. Gerace says they're received a complaint about the suspicious e-mail... which a resident received on September 30th. Gerace says the e-mail had a "ZIP" file attachment stating that the ticket was attached, and had the number - ET-14406096. However... he says Delta Airlines says their E-Tickets start with numbers NOT letters. Gerace says the e-mail was sent from the e-address.. "custservice@sofaartfair.co."... which the air carrier says is NOT associated with them.
With the Medicare open enrollment beginning in just a few weeks... the Chautauqua County Office for the Aging will be hosting a series of county-wide public information forums beginning this week. Agency director Dr. Mary Ann Spanos says seniors need to review their health insurance coverage. Chris Cheronis, who coordinates Office for the Aging's HI-CAP program, says you can expect changes especially when using Medicare Advantage. Cheronis says there are changes each year... mainly because health care costs changes -- and, with that -- what they are able to cover also changes. Three public forums will be held this week. The first is Tuesday, October 7th at the Findley Lake Community Center, Thursday, October 9th at the Harvest Chapel in Fredonia... and, Friday October 10th at St. NIcholas Greek Orthodox Church in Jamestown. Mediare Open enrollment begins October 15th.
U-S Senator Charles Schumer says federal airport agents should take the temperatures of passengers arriving from West Africa to prevent Ebola from spreading in the U-S. The New York Democrat says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should train agents to conduct screenings on passengers arriving at U-S airports from Ebola-affected countries. The screenings would include questionnaires and a check to determine if the passenger has a fever. Finally... Schumer says a database of anyone who recently visited West Africa should be created for hospitals to use.
A couple of cooler days didn't seem to deter the crowds for this year's Fall Festival, put on by the Harmony Historical Society at Blockville. Society President, Lyn Nagle, assessed the results late Sunday afternoon, saying they always have 'good people' who have a 'good time'. She says visitors particularly enjoy the food and the demonstrators. Nagle also announced that next year the festival will be held two weeks earlier... on the third weekend of September. She says cold weather will be less likely on that weekend. In the meantime, the Harmony Historical Society will be working on enlarging the library and putting in a handicapped accessible bathroom. They've received a couple of grants for the project.
New York's Board of Elections says registration deadlines are looming for state residents who intend to vote Nov. 4. Elections include governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller, 213 seats in the state Legislature, many judgeships, congressional seats and local contests. Ballot propositions would change the legislative redistricting process, authorize legislators to read electronic bills instead of printed bills, and authorize $2 billion borrowing for computers in schools. According to the board, mail-in registration forms must be postmarked by midnight on Oct. 10 and received by no later than Oct. 15. The registration form can be found at state and federal offices and downloaded from the board's website at http://www.elections.ny.gov. Would-be voters can also register in person by Oct. 10 at county boards of elections and many state agency offices.
New York's third annual youth deer hunt will take place over the Columbus Day weekend. The state Department of Environmental Conservation says seasoned hunters can take the opportunity to serve as mentors to younger generations during the weekend. During the hunt, 14- and 15-year old junior hunters may take a deer of either sex with a firearm when accompanied by a licensed and experienced adult mentor. About 15,000 to 20,000 eligible junior hunters are expected to participate in the 2014 youth deer hunt. In the past two years, an estimated 60 percent of eligible junior hunters participated and DEC estimated that they took more than 1,400 deer.