The Chautauqua Lake Lady Thunderbirds are State Champions in Class C girls Basketball after they beat Hoosic Valley 47-36 at Hudson Valley Community College. Jenna Einink had a double double for Chautauqua Lake with 11 points and 15 rebounds.
The Red Raiders came up just short in their effort to win a first-ever Class-AA State Championship at Glens Falls. Jamestown lost to Green Tech of Section 2, 54-to-49 in a game heard on WJTN. Zach Panebianco led all scorers with 20 points. Jamestown finishes their season 18-and-5.
A Westfield man has been arrested for allegedly snowmobiling while intoxicated after his sled almost struck one vehicle... then hit a Chautauqua County Sheriff's Department patrol car. Sheriff's Deputies say an officer and K-9 Drage were on patrol shortly before 1 AM last Saturday when the incident occured. The officer involved says he spotted the snowmobile... operated by 28 year-old Michael Trippy of East Main Street... fail to stop at the side of Route 430 at Bloomer Road. He says the sled nearly struck a westbound vehicle... and, continued on along the road. The deputy turned on his emergency lights to stop the snowmobile... but, the operator allegedly kept going... and, struck the officer's car. No one was hurt in the accident. Upon investigation... the officer found Trippy to allegeldy be drunk. Trippy was arrested and arraigned on charges including Snowmobiling while intoxicated, reckless operation... and, Failure to stop before crossing a highway. Trippy was sent to the County Jail where he posted bail.
A Frewsburg man is jailed without bail for allegedly being found in possession of a set of metal knuckles during a traffic stop on Jamestown's southside last weekend. City police say they stopped the vehicle in the area of South Main and Kidder Streets just after 5:30 PM Saturday for an alleged traffic infraction. Officers say 22 year-old Justin Shafer allegedly gave them a false name... and, birthdate. When they found out his real identity... police say they found he was sought on three city court warrants. They also found the metal knuckles in Shafter's possession. He was arrested without incident... and, arraigned on a Felony count of criminal possession of a weapon... and, false personation. Shafter was then sent to the county lock-up.
Despite our brutally cold Winter... the maple syrup season in Chautauqua County is underway. The Maple Producers of the Chautauqua Region held their annual Chautauqua Maple Promotion Day last Friday to promote the state's upcoming Maple Weekends... which start next weekend. This year... it was held at the Dye Syrup Company in South Dayton. Maple Producers President Linda Fairbanks of Fairbanks Maple in Forestville says... given the weather... they've had an unusual start. Fairbanks says they're off to a decent start... having produced 250 to 300 gallons of Syrup so far. One of the owners of the Dye Syrup Company -- Jenny Dye -- says they started tapping trees in mid-February. But... she adds they haven't had the success the Fairbanks have so far. The producers say they need a few days of about 40 degrees during the day-time hours... and, about 32 at night for a good run. The syrup so far is dark to medium in color. The annual Maple Weekends are March 22nd and 23rd... and, March 29th and 30th.
U-S Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is asking the Department of Agriculture to keep open 250 offices nationwide that help farmers. Ten of those offices are in New York state. Gillibrand said farmers depend on the County Farm Service Agency offices to navigate the USDA's system and sign up for programs. She said this is especially true now because of changes to dairy and specialty crop programs under the 2014 Farm Bill. Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said it's not right for farmers to drive four hour round trips to their local USDA office.
Six percent of New York state school districts are planning to ask voters to approve budgets that exceed the 2-percent property tax cap. The New York State Association of School Business Officials says about 32 districts will seek to raise taxes beyond the state-established limit... meaning the budgets will need a supermajority of at least 60 percent to pass. In Jamestown... the first draft of the 2014-15 budget includes a 16-percent increase. Last year... 28 school districts tried to override the tax cap and 10 of them succeeded. Budget votes for the 2014-15 school year take place May 20th. This is the third year of district budgeting to be guided by the 2011 tax cap. It generally limits increases in the tax levy to 2-percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less, but is customized for each district based on certain exemptions.
Billionaire developer Donald Trump says he is not running for governor of New York. Trump said on Twitter last Friday that he will not run for governor but has ``much bigger plans in mind.'' Michael Cohen, Trump's special counsel, confirmed that Trump will not run. Trump has been flirting with challenging Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo for some months. But... he has said he would run only if he faced no rival for the Republican nomination. Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino announced this month that he will seek the Republican nomination for governor. On Twitter... Trump said that the New York Republican Party leadership is ``dysfunctional.'' New York Republican State Committee spokesman David Laska says party officials are sorry that Trump ``won't be bringing his talents to the gubernatorial race.''
Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly's cancer has returned. The Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo said in a statement Friday that the cancer was found when the former NFL star came in for follow-up testing after having oral surgery to remove cancerous cells last year. The statement says the hospital's head and neck cancer specialists are determining a course of treatment. Kelly spent 11 seasons with the Bills before retiring following the 1996 season.
