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https://www.wrfalp.com/alternate-monthly-parking-begins-today-in-jamestown/
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Effective, Friday, April 1, monthly alternate parking will be in effect in the city of Jamestown.
Vehicles should park only on the odd-numbered side of the street during odd-numbered months and only on the even-numbered side of the street during even-numbered months.
Vehicles should be moved at 10 a.m. on the first day of each month.
The rule will remain in effect until the end of September.
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www.wrfalp
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20220401
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https://www.wrfalp.com/community-garden-clean-up-on-lakeview-avenue-taking-place-april-2/
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The community garden on Lakeview Avenue will be getting an overhaul Saturday, April 2.
Jamestown Public Market Director Linnea Carlson said they are partnering with the Jamestown Audubon Community Nature Center thanks to a grant from the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation to revitalize the garden, “So we’re replacing some of the garden beds that have aged out. The wood has gotten a little rotten. The beds need some help. But we’re also going to be weeding, turning the compost, and then preparing some native plant beds.”
Carlson said the ornamental plants that had been planted before were not conducive to the ecosystem, so native plants will be installed in June.
The event at the community garden located at Lakeview Avenue and East Sixth Street will take place 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Carlson added that sign-ups for a Grow Jamestown Community Garden plot are also available. Plots are $25 each. More information is available at jtownpublicmarket.org.
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www.wrfalp
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20220401
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https://www.wrfalp.com/free-rabies-vaccination-clinic-to-be-held-in-falconer-april-2/
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The Chautauqua County Health Department will hold a free rabies vaccination Saturday, April 2 in Falconer.
The clinic will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Village of Falconer Highway Building at 1 Coleson Drive.
Pre-registration is required for the drive-in clinic and can be done here: https://rb.gy/w06ofo
Vaccinations will be provided free of charge to all dogs, cats, and domesticated ferrets three months of age and older.
For animals receiving a rabies vaccine, the Humane Society will also be providing distemper shots, at no cost, to those animals who are in need of such vaccine.
During the clinic, the Chautauqua County Humane Society Pet Food Pantry will be conducting a pet food drive to help re-stock supplies. Monetary donations, cat or dog food; or cat litter will be graciously accepted. You don’t have to be participating at the clinic to donate.
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www.wrfalp
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20220401
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https://www.wrfalp.com/gov-hochul-state-legislators-miss-deadline-for-on-time-state-budget/
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Governor Kathy Hochul and State Legislators have missed the deadline for an on-time state budget.
WXXI News reports the Senate and Assembly adjourned until Monday, when they say they will try again to reach an accord.
The next hard deadline for the budget to be in place is Monday afternoon. That’s when the state comptroller needs to process payroll for 62,000 employees who work at state-run hospitals, prisons and other institutional settings.
In a memo to state agencies, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli warned that if the budget is not completed by 4 p.m., it will delay the direct depositing of checks for the April 7 payday.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said she’s hopeful the budget can be in place by then.
The biggest sticking point has been whether to include revisions to bail reform in the budget and make other changes to the landmark 2019 criminal justice reform laws.
The Senate and Assembly did not include unrelated items like bail reform changes to their proposed spending plans.
And criticism continues over the deal struck Monday between Hochul and the owners of the Buffalo Bills football team. That agreement would require at least $850 million of state money. Some lawmakers and Hochul’s political opponents said it is too big a giveaway to the wealthy owners of a lucrative sports franchise.
Proposals including a gas tax holiday and allowing restaurants to serve to-go alcoholic drinks along with takeout food are still on the negotiating table.
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www.wrfalp
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20220401
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https://www.wrfalp.com/listen-community-matters-chautauqua-lake-watershed-management-alliance-march-31-2022/
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WRFA’s Julia Ciesla-Hanley spoke with Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance (The Alliance) Executive Director Randall Perry about the organization’s 2022 coordinated work plan for Chautauqua Lake and its watershed.
More Posts for Show: Community Matters
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20220401
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https://www.wrfalp.com/listen-community-matters-mobile-market-csa-march-31-2022/
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Jamestown Public Market Director Linnea Carlson and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Minister Jessika Frederick talk about the return of the Mobile Market CSA program as well as the Grow Jamestown event happening in April.
More Posts for Show: Community Matters
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20220401
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https://www.wrfalp.com/listen-community-matters-tom-reed-march-31-2022/
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Congressman Tom Reed discusses U.S.-Canada trade and dairy in his weekly media call on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.
More Posts for Show: Community Matters
A listener supported, non-commercial, low power FM radio station in Jamestown, NY.
Congressman Tom Reed discusses U.S.-Canada trade and dairy in his weekly media call on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
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20220401
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https://www.wrfalp.com/nys-to-appeal-courts-rejection-of-redistricting-plans/
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Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James both announced they intend to appeal the Stueben County Supreme Court‘s rejection of the state’s current redistricting plans.
The Associated Press reports Judge Patrick McAllister issued a ruling Thursday ordering lawmakers to draw maps with “sufficient bipartisan support” by April 11 or have a neutral party draw the lines.
The state’s primary elections are scheduled June 28 and candidates have already begun campaigning in the new districts.
McAllister acknowledged in his opinion that trying to redraw the maps now could upend the election cycle. But he proposed that the state could delay its primaries to as late as August 23 without disrupting the general election.
He said the Republicans who challenged the map had proven “beyond a reasonable doubt that the map was enacted with political bias.”
The maps, drafted by lawmakers and approved by Governor Hochul, ensured that Democrats made up a strong majority of registered voters in 22 of the 26 congressional districts the state will have for a decade.
An appeal could send the case to a mid-level state appeals court or New York’s Court of Appeals, who could set the judge’s decision aside. All seven members of that high court were appointed by Democrats.
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20220401
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https://www.wrfalp.com/over-80-people-attend-seminar-on-refugees-at-robert-h-jackson-center/
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Over 80 people attended a program on refugees at the Robert H. Jackson Center Thursday night.
The event was hosted by St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, the New Neighbor Coordinating Committee, and featured members of refugee resettlement organization, Journey’s End. It was the first public discussion on issues around resettling people forced to leave their home country.
Journey’s End CEO Karen Andolina Scott said Thursday was the first formal meeting between her organization and the New Neighbor Coordinating Committee. She said they’re still in the information gathering stage of the process of looking into making Jamestown a refugee resettlement community, “But we loved everything that we had to hear today. It seems like the community is really excited about this and also taking it very seriously, which we appreciate. We did acknowledge some of the challenges in the refugee resettlement program which is always really helpful as well that people aren’t expecting something that the program isn’t.”
Scott said conversations still need to happen with Journey’s End national office and with New York State, “And then really thinking about the practicalities of, are there apartments ready and available for us that we could use? Is the school district ready? Are there community partners here that would be willing to share in this work? And then, what do we think the client will look like who will be really successful here? Is it the single clients? Is it large families? Is it someone with a particular medical need that maybe Jamestown has great facilities in helping to service.”
Scott said it was wonderful to see so many people come out for the event who are passionate about moving the process forward.
The full presentation will be re-broadcast on 107.9 WRFA at 2:00 p.m., Friday, April 1 and at 11:00 a.m., Sunday, April 3.
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20220401
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https://www.wrfalp.com/the-jamestown-mobile-market-csa-program-returns-for-a-second-year/
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The Jamestown Public Market is bringing back its CSA to help support the Mobile Market this year.
Public Market Director Linnea Carlson the CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, program was started last year as an effort to reach more people beyond the public market while supporting the Mobile Market.
She said when people sign up for the CSA, you’re not just supporting local farmers but supporting the Mobile Market, “Because some of that, your investment, goes into our general operating budget for things like gas and maintenance for our vehicle and that sort of thing. But what you get in return, for the 16 weeks that the Mobile Market runs, every Wednesday you come to St. Luke’s. We have a pick-up time frame. And you will get a crate of fresh fruit and vegetables.”
Carlson said 50 people signed up for the CSA last year and they hope to double that to 100 people this year.
Carlson said there are three levels to the CSA , with the first level being good for those who have never done a CSA and who want to introduce more seasonal vegetables into their diets, “We suggest that you start with our fun size which is the smallest. But then we have two sizes up. We have a family size and then a full size. And that depends on, you know, we recommend the full size for people who just absolutely love their vegetables and they know they’re going to eat the variety.”
Carlson said you can learn more about the Public Market programs and sign up for the CSA at https://www.jtownpublicmarket.org/.
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20220401
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https://www.wrfalp.com/city-council-to-hear-home-improvement-program-presentations/
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Jamestown City Council will hear presentations on some home improvement programs at its work session tonight.
Jamestown Renaissance Corporation‘s Mary Maxwell will do a presentation of the Paint Jamestown Program at the Housing Committee meeting at 6:45 p.m.
Chautauqua Home Rehab & Improvement Corporation Executive Director Joshua Freifeld will present at the full work session about new housing grant programs.
The Public Safety Committee will review two special event permit applications including one by the City for the 74th Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Allen Park on Saturday, April 16. The other event permit application is from the Jamestown Community Learning Council for a “Roll and Read” event scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to noon on Friday, June 10. That event will feature groups of children and adults walking to various stations around the city and listening to stories read by a community volunteer.
The City Council committee meetings start at 6:45 p.m. with the full work session beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the fourth floor Police Training Room. The work session will be livestreamed and all meetings are open to the public.
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20220404
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https://www.wrfalp.com/cornell-cooperative-extension-hires-new-4-h-youth-development-educator/
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Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County has announced Lindsey Crisanti has been hired as the new 4-H Youth Development Educator.
Crisanti is a former Pine Valley Central School student and a graduate of Alfred State College agricultural technology program and a SUNY Cobleskill Animal Science Program. Lindsey was previously employed by Premier Select Sires as a reproductive specialist.
She will work with current staff and volunteers to continue to develop the 4-H Youth Development Program at CCE Chautauqua, which currently reaches over 2,500 youth through short term special interest programming, and year long animal science programs.
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www.wrfalp
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20220404
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https://www.wrfalp.com/county-art-organizations-receive-108000-for-capital-project-grants/
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Chautauqua County art organizations received $108,000 in capital project grants from the New York State Council on the Arts.
The Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, which is the parent organization for WRFA, received $88,000 for sound, rigging and lighting system upgrades. Infinity Visual and Performing Arts received $10,000 for a display system installation, and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute received $10,000 for an access ramp installation.
The 116 Capital Projects that were funded across New York State range from innovative construction renovations to critical equipment updates that prioritize health and safety upgrades.
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www.wrfalp
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20220404
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https://www.wrfalp.com/homestead-cafe-destroyed-in-fire/
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A fire destroyed the Homestead Cafe in the town of Ellery early Sunday morning.
Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Officials report the Fluvanna Fire Department and mutual aid responded just after 2:00 a.m. to the fire at the restaurant located on Route 430.
Homestead Cafe posted on social media, “Thank you to all the first responders and volunteers on scene. This is a devastating loss we will be attempting to navigate in the upcoming days. ”
There were no injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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20220404
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https://www.wrfalp.com/second-covid-19-boosters-now-available-for-those-who-are-eligible/
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The second COVID-19 vaccine booster doses are now available at state-run mass vaccination sites. Eligible New Yorkers may receive either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for their second booster shot.
The State’s Department of Health guidance, which follows an updated recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), allows adults 50 years and older to receive a second booster of an COVID vaccine at least four months after their first booster. Additionally, adults ages 18 – 49 years who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for their primary vaccine and initial booster dose now may receive a second booster four months after their first booster dose. Also eligible for the second booster are New Yorkers 12 years and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.
To schedule an appointment at a state-run mass vaccination site, New Yorkers call 1-833-697-4829. People may also contact their pharmacy, local county health department, or healthcare provider to schedule appointments where vaccines are available. New Yorkers can also visit vaccines.gov, text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations. New Yorkers should make sure providers are administering second booster doses when scheduling their appointments.
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20220404
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https://www.wrfalp.com/wastewater-testing-finds-low-levels-of-covid-19-in-jamestown-dunkirk/
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The Chautauqua County Health Department reports that wastewater samples collected from Dunkirk and Jamestown Wastewater Treatment Plants detected low levels of COVID-19.
The samples were collected weekly since March 8, 2022.
The Health Department said people who are infected with COVID-19, whether or not they have symptoms, shed the virus in fecal matter. Wastewater testing is a non-intrusive and anonymous method to detect basic levels of COVID-19 in a community without relying on ill individuals to seek out testing.
Public Health Director Christine Schuyler said, “The wastewater surveillance program is an early warning system for managing COVID-19 as we transition to an endemic phase. Ongoing global surveillance gives us a better sense of how to respond to outbreaks of this disease because we can’t play catch up. We have to be prepared – not to isolate and quarantine people – but to mobilize staff and resources such as testing availability, PPE, the healthcare and long-term care systems, vaccination efforts, and first responders. A wastewater surveillance program is an important epidemiological tool in the communicable disease prevention toolbox.”
Raw (untreated) wastewater is collected weekly at the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities Wastewater Treatment Plant and the City of Dunkirk Wastewater Treatment Plant. Samples taken at the Jamestown plant represent waste from the entire City of Jamestown and the Village of Falconer. Samples taken at the Dunkirk plant represent waste from the entire City of Dunkirk. Samples are taken over a 24-hour period, then sent to the University at Buffalo Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering (UB) for analysis using Digital PCR technology.
The PCR technology detects the number of SARS-CoV-2 RNA copies present in wastewater. During the three weeks of testing, levels were less than 800 copies per liter at both the Jamestown and Dunkirk wastewater treatment plants. According to researchers at UB, the number of copies per Liter is generally in the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands range when COVID-19 cases start to increase.
The COVID-19 Wastewater Monitoring program is being developed in partnership with the City of Dunkirk, City of Jamestown, UB, the New York State Department of Health, and the National Association of City and County Health Officials. Local data will be shared as a component of the Health Department’s weekly COVID-19 reports, and will also be included in the New York State Wastewater Surveillance Network Dashboard in the coming weeks.
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20220404
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https://www.wrfalp.com/arts-on-fire-neil-flory-of-jamestown-community-college-discusses-upcoming-events-april-1-2022/
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WRFA’s Anthony Merchant sits down with head of the music department at Jamestown Community College – Dr. Neil Flory.
They discuss upcoming musical events going on at the college for the month of April 2022, recent renovations to the music department, what else to expect before the end of the semester and much more.
https://www.sunyjcc.edu/events
More Posts for Show: Arts on Fire
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20220405
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https://www.wrfalp.com/listen-arts-on-fire-david-niles-talks-2022-banff-mountain-film-festival-april-1-2022/
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WRFA’s Anthony Merchant discusses the 2022 Banff Mountain Film Festival with Roger Tory Peter Institute’s Programs and Events Manager David Niles.
The two discuss the upcoming film festivals stop in Jamestown, NY, all the breathtaking moments viewers can expect, upcoming events at RTPI and much more.
https://www.banffcentre.ca/banffmountainfestival/tour
More Posts for Show: Arts on Fire
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20220405
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https://www.wrfalp.com/listen-arts-on-fire-filmmaker-travis-carlson-discusses-new-movie-mothers-day-april-1-2022/
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WRFA’s Anthony Merchant talks to Chautauqua County native and filmmaker Travis Carlson to discuss his newest film Mother’s Day and what it was like filming locally and doing a continuous one shot film.
The two also discuss growing up in Chautauqua County, what sparked Travis’s love for film, advice for aspiring filmmakers and much more.
Mother’s Day is now available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and streaming on video on demand
https://www.panamericanfilms.com/mothers-day
https://www.facebook.com/MothersDayFeature
More Posts for Show: Arts on Fire
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20220405
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https://www.wrfalp.com/jrcs-paint-jamestown-program-looking-for-funding-to-expand/
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The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation‘s ‘Paint Jamestown’ program is looking for additional funding in order to expand.
Neighborhood Project Director Mary Maxwell presented on the program to the City Council Housing Committee.
She said the program started in 2019 where if homeowners painted their houses with historic color schemes, they could receive a 25%, or $2,500, reimbursement on costs, “So, so far, the total for three years – we’ve done seven properties, $34,000 has been invested, $27,000 was (home)owner (invested), and the Jamestown Renaissance paid $7,709, which is 22%. So we’re getting a good return on our money.”
Maxwell said 8 applicants are signed up for 2022. She said the reimbursement rate has been raised to 30%, or $3,000. Currently, the JRC has $15,547 of the $24,000 needed for the program.
Maxwell said the program is currently only happening in the target areas due to staff and financial shortages, “That is Allen Park-UPMC has one. We’re moving out of that and going into the northside, so we’re about to present it to the northside people. I don’t like to present this and the Renaissance Block Challenge at the same time. People get confused. What I would like to see is some American Rescue funds and take this all over the city.”
Those looking for more information on the Paint Jamestown program may contact Mary Maxwell at mary@jamestownrenaissance.org.
City Council also heard a presentation from Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corporation Executive Director Joshua Freifeld on home improvement grant programs.
Freifeld discussed the Restore program, Access to Homes program, and Access to Heroes program.
In order to qualify, Freifeld said the homeowner has to be current on the house’s mortgage and taxes, as well as have homeowner’s insurance. He said homeowners also must meet any income requirements required. A 3-year lien is also put on the property to prevent the homeowner from selling the house immediately after work is done.
For more information on CHRIC’s programs, call 716-753-4650.
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20220405
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https://www.wrfalp.com/nys-appeals-court-issues-stay-in-redistricting-ruling/
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The Associated Press reports a trial court ruling that declared New York’s new congressional and legislative district maps unconstitutional was temporarily stayed by a state appeals court judge Monday.
The interim order from state Appellate Division Justice Stephen Lindley is in effect until Thursday, when oral arguments in the case are scheduled. Another decision on whether to extend the stay is expected later that day.
The order comes four days after a trial court judge in Steuben County threw the state’s primary season in turmoil by ruling the state’s districts were illegally gerrymandered to benefit Democrats. The ruling by
Judge Patrick McAllister on Thursday had given state officials until April 11 to submit new maps.
Governor Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders promptly appealed that decision.
Primary elections are scheduled June 28 and candidates are already campaigning in the new districts.
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20220405
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https://www.wrfalp.com/nys-starts-public-health-education-campaign-on-cannabis/
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New York State is starting a public health education campaign around cannabis.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the “Cannabis Conversations” will provide information on the state’s Cannabis Law, including who can consume, where to consume, and how to consume safely.
The campaign is intended to provide parents and caregivers with tools to protect youth, remind New Yorkers of the risks of driving while impaired by cannabis, and other messages to help keep New Yorkers safe and healthy as the new industry develops.
The messages will be distributed in English and Spanish through public service announcements on television, radio, transit, billboards, and social media. For more information, visit https://cannabis.ny.gov/cannabis-conversations
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20220405
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https://www.wrfalp.com/rep-tom-reed-announces-23rd-congressional-district-art-competition/
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Congressman Tom Reed has announced the kick-off of the annual 23rd Congressional District Art Competition. The contest provides students from across the district the opportunity to showcase their artistic talent to the community and Washington, D.C.
The annual competition is open to all high school students in the 23rd Congressional District. One student will have their original artwork displayed for one year in the United States Capitol and will have the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., for the Exhibition Opening Celebration of their artwork. Five student finalists will have their artwork displayed in Tom Reed’s Washington, D.C. office.
Framed artwork must be submitted to one of Congressman Reed’s district offices with the appropriate documentation by Friday, April 15, 2022. One piece of artwork can be submitted from each high school.
The Student Information and Release Form must be attached to the back of the artwork.
For the documents needed to submit your artwork or to schedule a day and time to drop off the artwork, contact Sharon Murphy at (607) 654-7566.
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20220405
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https://www.wrfalp.com/rtpi-presents-46th-annual-banff-film-fest-at-the-reg-tonight/
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The 46th annual BANFF Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour is showing at the Reg tonight.
The Roger Tory Peterson Institute is presenting the screening that starts at 7:00 p.m.
The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival began an outreach program in 1986 to bring the festival to other communities. Banff’s Festival organizers wanted to share the efforts and talents of the world’s finest mountain filmmakers with a larger audience.
The film screening ticket prices include a raffle ticket and chance to win prizes from World Tour and local sponsors.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for active military, students, children and senior citizens. Purchase tickets online at reglenna.com or from the Reg Lenna box office.
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20220405
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https://www.wrfalp.com/state-legislators-approve-budget-extender-continue-state-budget-negotiations/
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New York lawmakers approved stop-gap legislation to help keep state government running Monday as negotiations on the overdue budget continued behind closed doors.
The Associated Press reports Governor Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders, all Democrats, were unable to reach a deal on a state spending plan before the new fiscal year began Friday. The “extender” appropriations bill sent to the Legislature on Monday allows New York to meet payroll and other obligations through Thursday.
The state Senate approved the extender bill Monday afternoon, and the state Assembly approved it later.
Changes to the state’s bail system, child care subsidies and other policies were being discussed by state leaders as part of the roughly $216 billion budget.
Democratic State Senator Liz Kruger said she was cautiously optimistic that bills for the spending plan could be considered by the Legislature by Thursday.
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20220405
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https://www.wrfalp.com/borello-joins-lawsuit-against-gov-hochul-state-dept-of-health/
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State Senator George Borrello is part of a lawsuit against Governor Kathy Hochul and the State Department of Health over a proposed regulation regarding isolation and quarantining.
The lawsuit filed in Cattaraugus County Supreme Court is in regards to an emergency regulation under the State Department of Health that establishes isolation and quarantine procedures for those suspected of having a communicable disease. The proposed regulation had been adopted as an emergency regulation on February 22, 2022 and was due to expire April 22, 2022.
However, Borrello said the the regulation was also published in the New York State Register issued December 15, 2021, for adoption as a permanent regulation through the agency rule-making process. Borrello said it should have been something that came before the State Legislature, “With a bill to be discussed and debated. And in fact, there was a bill like that – Assembly Bill 416 by Assemblyman Perry. It’s actually been around for years, long before the Pandemic. And it basically would give power to public health officials to isolate and quarantine someone without due process.”
Borrello said the sponsor recently pulled that bill due to “backlash and controversy.”
He said Hochul is taking the language of that bill and trying to make it a permanent regulation under the Health Department, which he says is a clear violation of the separation of powers, “For me, if this is something the New York State Legislature, representing the people of New York State, wants to do, then bring it forward as a bill. Have it debated and discussed. Pass it. You be the one to tell the people you report to, the people who elect you, that you voted to have someone quarantined without due process. And if that passes muster, then so be it, but not as a regulation put forth under the radar by Governor Hochul and her Department of Health.”
Other petitioners in the lawsuit include Assemblymembers Michael Lawler and Chris Tague as well as the organization, Uniting NYS.
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www.wrfalp
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20220406
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https://www.wrfalp.com/casa-kicks-off-pinwheels-for-prevention/
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CASA of Chautauqua has kicked off its Pinwheels for Prevention Campaign as part of National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Throughout the month of April, CASA of Chautauqua is inviting the public to join the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign, which is a national awareness campaign created by Prevent Child Abuse America urging people to act to prevent childhood abuse and neglect by transforming awareness into action.
CASA of Chautauqua County Executive Director Kathy Park said that at any given time, there are over 100 children in foster care in Chautauqua County. She said CASA of Chautauqua County recruits, trains and supports volunteers who get to know children and the adults around them, and who advocate for the needs of those children in court and in the community.
Park added that a child with a CASA volunteer spends 20% less time in foster care, on average, compared to a child without a CASA volunteer. Studies show children with a CASA volunteer receive more services that are critical to their well-being and are four times more likely to find a permanent home.
People may take part in the campaign by purchasing a pinwheel for $2 or a pinwheel card for $1 from local convenience stores, restaurants, gas stations, libraries and more. The complete list of business participants are available at ChautauquaCASA.com.
All monies raised from the campaign are used to fulfill CASA’s mission of supporting volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children in Chautauqua County.
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20220406
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https://www.wrfalp.com/chautauqua-county-human-resources-director-is-resigning/
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Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel has announced that County Director of Human Resources Jean Riley is resigning April 16, 2022.
Riley said in release that she and her family are relocating away from Chautauqua County.
Riley was appointed as the Human Resources Director on August 10, 2020. A press release stated Wendel will soon begin the process of finding a replacement and will establish a bi-partisan search committee to help him find the next human resources director.
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20220406
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https://www.wrfalp.com/new-york-daily-news-state-legislators-may-begin-voting-on-state-budget-wednesday/
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State legislators may begin voting on parts of the state budget Wednesday.
The New York Daily News reports the budget is expected to exceed Governor Kathy Hochul’s initial $216 billion ask.
Insiders said both the Assembly and the Senate were mostly in agreement on a framework for changes to the state’s bail and discovery laws, an 11th-hour request from Hochul that has stymied and slowed down talks.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie were expected to present the pubic safety proposals to rank and file lawmakers late Tuesday evening.
Criminal justice advocates, fearful that changes to bail reforms enacted in 2019 will lead to more people being imprisoned simply because they are poor, pleaded with lawmakers to reject any overhauls.
One legislative source said that moving past the public safety reforms will allow negotiations on other issues including child care funding and subsidies and a potential suspension of the state’s gas tax to advance.
While the state’s revenue bill was one of the measures expected to be prepared late Tuesday, the gasoline tax reprieve and Hochul’s plan to fast-track licenses for a trio of downstate casinos were not likely to be included. They could still appear in other budget bills later in the week, the source said.
An agreement appears to have been reached on an overhaul of the state’s beleaguered ethics panel that has so far failed to appease good government groups.
At the same time, sources confirmed that an extension of a controversial tax abatement for real estate developers that Hochul was seeking after a revamped version in her original budget proposal was rejected appears to be off the table.
The governor on Monday defended the secretive nature of budget negotiations, maintaining that everything has been “normal” despite the delays and frustration from lawmakers over the last-minute inclusion of her public safety proposals and millions in state funds for a new Buffalo Bills stadium.
Hochul also defended the deal she struck with the Bills’ billionaire owners that could cost New York up to $1.13 billion in state subsidies despite backlash from political opponents and lawmakers.
She said, “It is not majority taxpayer-funded, I want to be clear on that. The state share is 43%. So that’s not the majority, but that’s historically low for any public financing from the state.”
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20220406
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https://www.wrfalp.com/tickets-on-sale-friday-april-8-for-john-mary-concert/
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Tickets go on sale Friday, April 8 for a WRFA Fundraiser concert featuring John & Mary.
The event will help to kick off the 10,000 Maniacs 40th Anniversary concert weekend with a special live performance in the Reg Lenna’s Media Arts Studio on Friday, May 20. An opening performance will feature Chautauqua County music legend Bumpy Peterson.
John & Mary is a United States-based folk rock duo featuring John Lombardo and Mary Ramsey – both members of 10,000 Maniacs. The duo was formed soon after Lombardo and Ramsey first met in Buffalo, NY in December 1989.
All ticket proceeds will benefit WRFA-LP, a noncommercial, low power community radio station licensed to Reg Lenna Center for the Arts. The event is sponsored by Shults Auto Group.
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20220406
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https://www.wrfalp.com/npr-house-votes-to-hold-trump-aides-peter-navarro-dan-scavino-in-contempt/
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NPR reports the U.S. House voted Wednesday to hold former Trump White House aides Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino in criminal contempt of Congress after they defied subpoenas from the select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
The move comes after the Democratic-led panel last month approved a contempt report against Navarro, the former trade adviser, and Scavino, a former deputy chief of staff.
The 220-203 floor vote, cast largely along party lines, triggers a series of steps to send the criminal referrals to the U.S. attorney’s office, leaving the Justice Department to decide whether it will pursue prosecution.
Congressman Tom Reed said in a weekly media call prior to the vote that he would not be supporting the vote. He said he voted for a bipartisan committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the Capitol and that’s not what was approved, “And once Speaker Pelosi elected not to recognize the Republican members that were elected to represent us on that committee, they went down this partisan path of the January 6 committee today. And as I look at this, that has contaminated this entire process and therefore I will not be supporting this sanction today.”
Representatives Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, the only two Republicans appointed to serve on the select committee, were the only two from their party to vote for the referral.
Wednesday’s floor vote marks the third for a criminal contempt referral effort tied to the January 6 committee’s work. Previously, the House has approved criminal referrals for ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon and former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
So far, the Justice Department has only pursued prosecution for one of those cases, Bannon, who is now battling related criminal charges.
In each case, a subpoenaed witness could face up a year in jail for each contempt charge, plus fines of up to $1,000 each.
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20220407
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https://www.wrfalp.com/ny-post-hochul-state-lawmakers-fail-to-reach-budget-deal-wednesday/
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The New York Post reports Governor Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers failed to strike a budget deal on New York’s overdue 2023 fiscal plan Wednesday.
Lawmakers are looking to add another $4 billion in additional spending to Hochul’s record $216 billion plan, but details on the final proposal remained elusive as sources speculated that negotiations could extend beyond Friday.
After blowing past last Friday’s budget deadline, Hochul and the Democratic-controlled state Legislature on Monday passed a last-minute budget “extender” to fund payroll obligations through midnight Thursday.
The delay is due to legislators hashing out details of the controversial criminal justice policy as well as “a host of non-budget issues that were thrown into the mix.”
Lawmakers in the state Senate and Assembly were on track to meet privately to discuss outstanding issues Wednesday evening.
One measure still on the table is the controversial expansion of Kendra’s Law, which permits court-ordered Assisted Outpatient Treatment, or AOT, and community supervision in cases of serious mental illness. The amended provision could include the involuntary commitment of people with mental illness following a judge’s decision.
Lawmakers are also close to a deal on rolling back the state’s controversial bail reform laws, mulling changes such as making more hate and gun crimes bail eligible.
They’re deliberating a measure that would allow judges to consider an individual’s criminal history to determine whether they could cause harm to a person or group of people.
For the Buffalo Bills new stadium, Hochul’s $1.4 billion project will be funded with taxpayers covering $600 million and residents of Erie County chipping in another $250 million. The teams’ billionaire owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, will foot $550 million of the price tag.
Measures still under consideration include:
- An extension of the pandemic-era “alcohol to-go” law
- Relief for high prices at the gas pump
- A plan to revamp the state’s ethics agency, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics
- More spending for home care workers, distressed hospitals, and SUNY and CUNY students.
- Increased funding aimed at combating discrimination against Asian-Americans
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20220407
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https://www.wrfalp.com/state-dec-asks-people-to-take-down-bird-feeders-secure-garbage-to-avoid-conflict-with-bears/
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As black bears start to emerge from their dens for Spring, people are reminded to take down their bird feeders and secure garbage to avoid potential conflicts.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Wildlife Biologist Jeremy Hurst said repeated access to bird feeders and garbage can make bears bolder, “Bears are going to be out looking for food. They’re not voraciously looking for food coming out of the den, but they’re hungry and they need to find food. And so they can easily find it in bird feeders, garbage cans, and any pet food or livestock feed that you store outside. So those are really the targets so we want to try to remove from the outside space and make sure they’re not a problem for bears.”
Hurst recommends securing garbage either inside the house or inside a secure out-building until the morning of garbage collection.
Hurst reminds residents that feeding black bears intentionally is illegal, “It’s also illegal to continue to feed them incidentally through bird feeders and garbage after we warned you not to. Cause that can cause problems not just for you, it’s not just your garbage can that gets knocked over, but it’s your neighbors, and next door neighbors, and the whole community is impacted by how you keep your space.”
If you encounter a bear in your yard, the DEC recommends you contact the local DEC Wildlife Office in Buffalo at (716) 851-7010.
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20220407
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https://www.wrfalp.com/wrfa-rock-and-roll-rundown-april-7-2022/
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THE WRFA ROCK AND ROLL RUNDOWN
A listing of live entertainment events happening in the greater Jamestown area. Have an event you want us to know about? Use the contact page on our website or send an email to WRFA @ RegLenna.com.
THU APR 07
- Karl-Marks Revolution – Good Time Saloon – Jamestown
- Kody & Herren – The Gin Mill – Ellicottville
- Open Mic Night – The Wine Cellar – Jamestown
FRI APR 08
- Ion Sky unplugged – Big Inlet Brewing – Mayville
SAT APR 09
- Sydney Irving & The Mojo with South 62 – Lost Recording Studio – Jamestown
- The Elektra Kings – The Wine Cellar – Jamestown
- Tyler Smilo – Southern Tier Distilling Company – Lakewood
- John Cross Jazz Band – Group Ther-Happy – Lakewood
- Brian K Chase – Busti Tap House – Busti
- Adam McKillip – Big Inlet Brewing – Mayville
- Ion Sky unplugged – 64 On The Rocks – Dunkirk
- Movies at The Reg: CODA – Reg Lenna Center for The Arts – Jamestown
SUN APR 10
- Bob Henry – Big Inlet Brewing – Mayville
MON APR 11
- Jazz Night with Razz and Friends – Chop House on Main – Jamestown
WED APR 13
- Bluegrass Jam – Celoron American Legion – Jamestown
- Movies at The Reg: The Godfather – Reg Lenna Center for The Arts – Jamestown
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20220407
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https://www.wrfalp.com/ywcas-stand-against-racism-challenge-is-underway/
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The YWCA‘s Stand Against Racism Challenge is now underway.
YWCA Social Justice & Equity Director Alize Scott said the 21-day challenge is a great for people who are just starting their journey in learning more about racial equity and social justice and also for those who are farther along, “So it breaks it down by week, and then by day. And this year we are talking about four different topics. So critical race theory will be covered, living wage, film and television, and then reproductive rights. And again, everything is curated for you. There’s podcasts you can listen to, videos you can watch, articles you can read, and really just go at your own pace, and learn how you can also be involved in the action steps to moving forward on these justice issues.”
To register to take part in the Stand Against Racism Challenge, visit ywcajamestown.org.
You can hear the full discussion on the Stand Against Racism Challenge at 5pm tonight on Community Matters on WRFA.
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20220407
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https://www.wrfalp.com/arts-on-fire-jeff-lewis-of-south-62-talks-country-music-and-local-music-april-8-2022/
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WRFA’s Anthony Merchant discussed the music of South 62 with the bands vocalist Jeff Lewis. The two talked about the bands origin, how promoting your music has drastically changed throughout the years, creating amazing opportunities for yourself, playing with some of country musics biggest names, new music from South 62 and much more
www.tiktok.com/@south62band
www.facebook.com/South62Band
www.instagram.com/south62band
twitter.com/south62band
www.youtube.com/channel/UCnep1h9s23nU3v84AWy9jcg
More Posts for Show: Arts on Fire
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20220407
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https://www.wrfalp.com/listen-arts-on-fire-sydney-irving-talks-musical-beginnings-and-performing-in-jamestown-april-7-2022/
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WRFA’s Anthony Merchant spoke with Syracuse musician Sydney Irving about her April 9th show in Jamestown, NY, early influences, performing live versus playing with a backing band, future goals for her music, the enjoyment of creating a song in the studio and much more
sydneyirvingmusic.com/
www.instagram.com/sydneyirvingmusic/
www.facebook.com/SydneyIrvingMusic/
www.youtube.com/channel/UCgrAURN9nfYimODlhRxxt-Q
More Posts for Show: Arts on Fire
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20220407
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https://www.wrfalp.com/bpu-yard-waste-site-reopens-saturday-april-9/
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The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities Yard Waste Site reopens Saturday, April 9.
The hours of the Yard Waste Site this year will be 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays from April 9 through November 12; and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays from May 4 through September 28.
The Site is located at 1001 Monroe Street at the dead end of Monroe Street, off Eighth Street.
The Yard Waste Site is restricted to use by BPU Solid Waste residential customers only.
BPU Solid Waste customers who want to enter the Site must display a mint green-colored 2021-22 BPU Yard Waste Site sticker on the rear driver side window of the vehicle. The window stickers are available free-of-charge to BPU Solid Waste residential customers.
The window stickers are available at BPU Customer Service located at 92 Steele Street. Contractors will not be permitted to use the site.
At the Site, customers may discard leaves, grass clippings, mulch, plants/shrubs/bushes; tree parts and brush up to eight inches in diameter.
Metals, sod, concrete, rocks, dirt, lumber/wood, tires, drywall and other construction materials are not accepted.
For more information, BPU customers may call the Garbage Hotline at 716-661-1651.
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20220408
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https://www.wrfalp.com/girl-scout-summer-day-camp-returning-after-over-a-decade/
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Summer day camp is returning for Girl Scouts in the Jamestown area.
Girl Scouts of Western New York along with the Friends of Horton Hill announced that the camp will be available this summer for the first time in more than a decade.
The camp will take place at Horton Hill which is located at the Jamestown Service Center on Horton Road and is owned and operated by the Girl Scouts of Western New York. It sits on 49 acres of field, forest, and wetland.
This year’s camp will held July 11 through 15 and be volunteer-led. It will feature leadership and service programs; outdoor activities such as hiking and nature exploration; arts and crafts; and other activities.
Adult volunteers are needed for the program. To help, email fohh.gswny@gmail.com with your interest.
To register for the volunteer-led day camp go to www.gswny.org/camp and select the “NEW! Horton Hill Day Camp” drop down.
Registration for girls will be accepted until camp is full, or by June 15, 2022.
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20220408
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https://www.wrfalp.com/jamestown-dod-annual-action-plan-walking-tour-for-april-9-postponed/
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The walking tour planned for Saturday as part of public input on the City of Jamestown’s Annual Action Plan has been postponed due to anticipated inclement weather.
The Jamestown Department of Development said in a release they will announce a new date for the Ward 2 walking tour in the near future. The walking tours are an expansion of the required public input required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for cities that receive Community Development Block Grant and HOME program funds.
They also invited residents to take a survey on the Annual Action plan, which can be found here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2022COJ_AAP
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20220408
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https://www.wrfalp.com/ny-appeals-judge-could-rule-on-redistricting-case-friday/
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ABC News reports a New York appeals judge said he will “likely” rule Friday on whether to continue blocking a lower court ruling that declared the state’s new congressional and legislative district maps unconstitutional.
New York’s electoral landscape was thrown into question last week when a Republican trial court judge ordered the state’s Democrat-controlled legislature to redraw the district boundaries.
State Judge Patrick McAllister gave state officials only until April 11 to submit new maps, saying the districts they had drawn up were illegally gerrymandered to favor Democrats.
The ruling came even as candidates have begun campaigning in the disputed districts ahead of a June party primary.
State Appellate Division Justice Stephen Lindley has already issued a temporary stay on that ruling. He said he’ll decide sometime after Thursday’s hearing whether to leave the stay in place for now, pending more legal action in the weeks ahead.
He could also lift the stay, which would put state lawmakers on an incredibly tight deadline to come up with new maps. Judge McAllister has said if lawmakers don’t meet his deadline, he would appoint his own expert to draw up new maps. The state would likely cover the cost of a special master. Courts sometimes designate an attorney not directly involved with a case, known as a special master, to address such concerns.
Lawyers for the Assembly and Senate argued Thursday that the ruling should be blocked for at least 30 days, and criticized the trial judge’s decision to strike down largely uncontroversial Assembly maps.
Meanwhile, a lawyer for the Republican voters demanded that lawmakers or a court master start working up new maps soon.
Judge Lindley said his primary concern is ensuring New York is ready if appellate judges agree that the new Congressional maps — and potentially Senate maps — are unconstitutional and must be redrawn.
Lindley said that back-up maps could be tossed if the appellate court decides the contested maps pass constitutional muster. He said New York could hold its federal primary as late as around August 23 or 24.
Thursday’s hearing likely won’t be the final word on the main issue: whether the new maps are so politically biased toward Democrats that they violate the state constitution.
The arguments are “just a skirmish along the way,” according to former U.S. Rep. John Faso, a Republican who has been helping muster support for the lawsuit challenging the maps’ legality.
A hearing for more arguments has already been scheduled for April 20.
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20220408
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https://www.wrfalp.com/state-legislators-gov-hochul-announce-state-budget-deal/
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New York State legislators and Governor Kathy Hochul have come to an agreement on a $220 billion state budget.
Hochul announced the agreement nearly a week after the budget was due. Lawmakers were expected to begin voting on bills Thursday night and finish those on Friday.
The agreement includes some changes to the state’s bail reform laws, the renewal of a popular pandemic-era rule that allows restaurants to serve alcoholic drinks to go, and a temporary halt to the state’s gasoline taxes.
The changes in bail reform include making several gun-related crimes once again eligible for bail, and to ease some of the timelines on discovery laws, which require that prosecutors provide defendants with evidence against them.
Hochul said there’s also agreement to amend Kendra’s Law, to make it easier for judges to refer mentally ill defendants to mandatory hospitalization or outpatient treatment. The agreement will also include funding for 1,000 additional psychiatric beds and mental health treatment.
The governor agreed with legislators to spend an additional $4 billion in the budget on programs, including expanded access to child care, although it stops short of the universal child care plan backed by some in the Legislature.
Hochul said home health care workers will receive a $3-an-hour wage increase as part of a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar package to raise the pay of health care workers. A plan known as Coverage for All, which would provide government-subsidized health care to undocumented workers, will be limited to those workers who are over the age of 65.
Hochul said the budget will devote 15% of total spending to the state’s rainy-day fund to be used if there’s a future economic downturn.
The budget will also include the suspension of two of the state’s taxes on gasoline, worth 16 cents a gallon, from June 1 until the end of the year. Hochul said the spending plan also includes the continuation of a middle-class tax cut and a property tax rebate.
New Yorkers ordering takeout food will once again be allowed to also order alcoholic drinks to go. The measure, which sunsets in three years, requires that all alcohol be secured in a container with a lid or cap. Full bottles of wine or liquor will not be permitted to be sold.
Liquor store owners, who opposed the measure, will get some concessions, including being allowed to open on Christmas Day.
The spending plan also creates a new state entity to oversee ethics. It will replace the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, or JCOPE, with a new commission that will continue to be appointed by the governor, Legislature and other statewide elected officials. The state’s law school deans will vet the choices.
Lawmakers were also poised to approve a deal that Hochul struck with the NFL and owners of the Buffalo Bills football team to fund at least $850 million in expenses for building a new stadium, in exchange for the team continuing to play in Buffalo for another three decades. Critics say the agreement, which could reach $1 billion when other expenses are counted, is too big a taxpayer giveaway to a well-funded league and the billionaire team owners.
Hochul defended the deal, saying some of the money will come from a gaming-related settlement with the Seneca Nation of Indians.
And voters will have a say in November on whether to approve a $4.2 billion environmental bond act that would help combat climate change.
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20220408
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https://www.wrfalp.com/listen-community-matters-brian-papalia-april-7-2022/
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Chautauqua County Humane Society‘s Senior Program Director Brian Papalia fills us in on what’s new at the agency.
More Posts for Show: Community Matters
A listener supported, non-commercial, low power FM radio station in Jamestown, NY.
Chautauqua County Humane Society‘s Senior Program Director Brian Papalia fills us in on what’s new at the agency.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
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20220408
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https://www.wrfalp.com/listen-community-matters-eddie-sundquist-april-7-2022/
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Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist sat down with us to talk about the state budget, including bail reform, as well as other issues including where things stand with cannabis.
More Posts for Show: Community Matters
A listener supported, non-commercial, low power FM radio station in Jamestown, NY.
Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist sat down with us to talk about the state budget, including bail reform, as well as other issues including where things stand with cannabis.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
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20220408
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https://www.wrfalp.com/listen-community-matters-tom-reed-april-7-2022/
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Congressman Tom Reed discusses his thoughts on the federal budget, the January 6 Select Committee, as well as Russia and Ukraine in his weekly media call.
More Posts for Show: Community Matters
A listener supported, non-commercial, low power FM radio station in Jamestown, NY.
Congressman Tom Reed discusses his thoughts on the federal budget, the January 6 Select Committee, as well as Russia and Ukraine in his weekly media call.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
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20220408
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https://www.wrfalp.com/listen-community-matters-ywca-stand-against-racism-april-7-2022/
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The Jamestown YWCA‘s annual Stand Against Racism challenge is taking place during the month of April. YWCA Social Justice & Equity Director Alize Scott tells us more.
More Posts for Show: Community Matters
A listener supported, non-commercial, low power FM radio station in Jamestown, NY.
The Jamestown YWCA‘s annual Stand Against Racism challenge is taking place during the month of April. YWCA Social Justice & Equity Director Alize Scott tells us more.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
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20220408
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https://www.wrfalp.com/city-council-to-learn-about-proposed-program-to-reduce-feral-cat-population/
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Jamestown City Council will learn more about a proposed Community Cats program at its work session Monday night.
Chautauqua County Humane Society‘s Executive Director Kellie Roberts will present on the program which will be an attempt to humanely and ethically reduce the feral cat population of the City.
The pre-file staff report says cats will be trapped, neutered or spayed; vaccinated, and returned back to the area they were found in so that they cannot reproduce or spread disease.
The city would contract with the Humane Society in the amount of $5,000 to do the program. Funding is already allocated in the City Budget.
Council also will learn about two American Rescue Plan funding proposals related to public safety.
One resolution proposes using ARP funds to purchase 63 Glock 17 service pistols and 12 Glock 19 service pistols for $9,643. The staff report said 26 Jamestown Police officers have traded in current duty weapons with 44 officers purchase their current duty weapons, which both help offset the cost of the new guns.
Another resolution proposes using $40,000 in ARP funds to purchase mobile data terminals for 12 police vehicles. The staff report said the current data terminals are outdated, failing, and cannot be upgraded.
Council also will hear a presentation by Northwest Arena on “The Zone” project.
The City Council meeting will be held at the Northwest Arena with committee meetings starting at 6:45pm with the Housing Committee and other committees meeting at 7:00 p.m. The full Council work session begins at 7:30 p.m. The meetings are open to the public and will be livestreamed at jamestownny.gov.
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20220411
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https://www.wrfalp.com/jamestowns-74th-annual-easter-egg-hunt-takes-place-saturday/
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Jamestown’s annual Easter Egg Hunt returns this Saturday in Allen Park.
The free event will take place at 11:00 a.m. in the playground areas of the park on West Virginia Boulevard. The event for kids ages 12 and under will feature 300 prize eggs and candy for all participants.
The Easter Bunny and Whiffy the Tarp Skunk also will make special appearances.
No registration is necessary. For more information, contact the Jamestown Parks and Rec Office at 716-483-7523.
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20220411
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https://www.wrfalp.com/nys-proposing-changes-to-wild-turkey-hunting-regulations/
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New York State is proposing changes to wild turkey hunting regulations that the DEC says will give hunters more turkey hunting opportunities.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said the proposal, if enacted, would not be in place until later this year.
A proposal scheduled to take effect this fall, would change the minimum shot size from #8 to #9 for turkey hunting statewide, to account for advances in shotshell technology. Previously, shot sizes smaller than #8 were prohibited because they lacked the kinetic energy down-range to humanely harvest a turkey. Recent advances in shotshell technology use heavier metals such as tungsten alloy, tungsten-iron, or bismuth. These heavier shot types, sometimes referred to as “Tungsten Super Shot” or “TSS,” maintain enough energy to humanely harvest a turkey. In terms of kinetic energy, #9 tungsten can have the same weight as #5 lead shot and achieve a higher pellet count.
The DEC is accepting public comment on these regulatory proposals through June 5, 2022. Comments can be sent by email to wildliferegs@dec.ny.gov with “Proposed Turkey Regulations” in the subject line; or by mail to Joshua Stiller, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754.
For more information, visit the DEC proposed regulations page at https://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/propregulations.html
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20220411
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https://www.wrfalp.com/state-senator-borrello-assemblyman-goodell-speak-at-chamber-breakfast-on-state-budget/
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State Senator George Borrello and Assemblyman Andy Goodell shared their initial takes on the 2022-23 State Budget at the Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast Friday.
The two legislators appeared via Zoom to attendees of the annual breakfast as the State Legislature was still in session and voting on budget bills at the time of the event.
Assemblyman Andy Goodell said the $220 billion deal reflects a huge increase in spending in recent years, “Last year, the majority raised taxes by about $8 billion. And this year the state has received a lot of, I mean, billions and billions of dollars in Federal stimulus funding. So that’s what’s funding this huge increase in spending.”
Senator Borrello said the budget process was dysfunctional with the Democrats seeming to not be able to get out of their own way.
Borrello also criticized how policy issues, like bail reform, were discussed as part of the budget process, “But they do that to provide cover for some of their members who can say, ‘Well, it was part of a massive budget bill. I had to vote yes on it,’ or ‘I had to vote no on it,’ however it is. But the bottom line is, is this is probably the biggest topic for New Yorkers everywhere from the tip of Long Island to North Country.”
Borrello added that Governor Kathy Hochul‘s release of a 10-point plan shows that even she’s aware of the need to fix some of the issues happening in courts due to bail reform.
The full comments by Borrello and Goodell will be aired on this Thursday’s Community Matters at 5pm on WRFA.
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20220411
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https://www.wrfalp.com/two-jps-teachers-to-be-honored-by-western-new-york-educational-service-council/
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Two Jamestown Public School teachers will be honored by the Western New York Educational Service Council.
Jamestown High School English as a New Language paraprofessional, Celia Wilson, will receive the Award for Excellence for Support Staff Services. Bush Elementary School First Grade teacher April Shoup will receive the Award of Excellence for Teaching. Both will be honored at the WNYESC’s 16th Annual Awards Banquet on April 26th.
The annual banquet honors teachers, support staff, administrators and Board of Education members. Nominations highlight how the nominee demonstrated dedication and exemplary service to the district and the regional educational community, how the individual demonstrated leadership, how he or she made a difference in the district, and why he or she is an outstanding member of the district.
Mrs. Shoup has taught for seven years in Jamestown and is a member of the Bush Elementary School Building Leadership Team, K-8 Literacy Curriculum Advisory Committee and Spirit Committee.
Mrs. Wilson has also been with Jamestown Schools for seven years. She assists in classrooms, works on ENL skills with 15-20 students per semester, translates during Regents exams and helps to communicate with families.
WNYESC is a non-profit educational organization affiliated with SUNY at Buffalo representing 70 school districts in an eight county region.
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20220411
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https://www.wrfalp.com/city-council-learns-more-about-proposed-program-ordinance-to-reduce-feral-cats/
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Jamestown City Council members learned more about a proposed program and ordinance to reduce the number of feral cats in the city.
Chautauqua County Humane Society‘s Executive Director Kellie Roberts presented on the Trap, Neuter, Vaccination, and Return; or TNVR, program. She said community cats are cats that are not owned, “So they may be feral, you know, not tamed cats, or they may be friendly cats that just don’t have a home. And we know that they are all around the city and some people are taking care of them right now. But we have been working on this ordinance to make it more official. That it’s okay to do that and what the rules are for that type of program.”
Roberts said the lack of veterinary services in the area made it hard to get the program going before, but were able to arrange surgery slots with Operation Pets in Blasdell, New York that only cost $25 per cat, “And the way that the program works, is that folks in the community who we call colony caregivers, you know they feed these cats, they take care of them, watch out for them, a lot of animals have been spayed and neutered on their own as it is already. So we want to help them and we want to let people know it’s okay to do that.”
Roberts said the Humane Society estimates the cost of the two-year pilot program to be $16,000 and has applied for grants from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation to go toward that in addition to the proposed $5,000 from the City. The City’s funding is already in the 2022 budget. Roberts said while the pilot program will only take place in Jamestown, the Humane Society will continue to help cats found outside of the city at their Strunk Road location.
Public Safety Committee Chair Brent Sheldon said the program is a way to humanely reduce the number of stray cats in Jamestown, “And also to reduce the number of rabid animals. It’s very expensive. If you’re bitten by a stray cat, they cannot catch that cat to be treated for rabies, so that would be a cost savings there. Some of you may have seen that there was a rabid fox in Washington D.C. over the weekend that bit, I believe, nine people. So we’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had a lot of rabid animals in Chautauqua County but there are some programs out there that can help reduce those numbers.”
Council’s Finance and Public Safety Commitees also approved two resolutions using American Rescue Plan funding to purchase 75 new service duty pistols in the amount of $9,643 and $40,000 to purchase mobile data terminals for 12 police vehicles.
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20220412
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https://www.wrfalp.com/nys-attorney-general-james-files-motion-against-real-estate-firm-in-investigation-of-donald-trump/
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State Attorney General Letitia James filed a motion Friday to force real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield to comply with the investigation into former President Donald Trump.
The AG’s office said Cushman & Wakefield is a publicly traded, global real estate firm with billions of dollars in annual revenue that provided real estate services in connection with Trump Organization properties for many years. Those services included appraisals and brokerage services for properties that are relevant to the Office of the Attorney General’s investigation.
The OAG says Cushman has refused to comply with subpoenas for information related to its appraisals of three specific Trump-owned properties — the Seven Springs Estate, Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles, and 40 Wall Street — and information about Cushman’s larger business relationship with the Trump Organization.
Attorney General James said, “Cushman & Wakefield’s work for the Trump Organization is significant to our ongoing investigation into Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization’s financial practices. There should be no doubt that information about Cushman’s appraisal work for the Trump Organization is relevant to our efforts and that Cushman — like any other party — cannot defy a lawful subpoena because no one is above the law.”
This motion follows a request filed Thursday to hold Trump in contempt for his refusal to comply with a court order to produce documents in response to a subpoena served on him by the Office of the Attorney General as part of its ongoing investigation into his financial dealings.
The motion for contempt, filed in New York County State Supreme Court, seeks to impose a $10,000 fine on Trump for every day that he continues to violate the court’s order to produce these documents.
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20220412
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https://www.wrfalp.com/over-1700-illegal-guns-removed-in-nys-as-part-of-interstate-task-force/
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An Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns has removed 1,753 firearms in the state in its first three months.
Governor Kathy Hochul said that’s a 20% increase in the overall number of guns seized due to increased cooperation and communication from the state and regional partnership.
She said New York State Police, New York City Police Department , the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and law enforcement agencies from New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Ohio, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New Hampshire continue to meet and share information to stop the flow of illegal guns across state lines and prevent further gun violence that is plaguing cities across the country.
From January through March, State Police have doubled the numbers of guns seized and increased the number of gun tracing investigations by 75 percent. State Police have also recovered 20 ghost guns and conducted 167 gun tracing investigations in the first three months of 2022. From these cases, NYSP forwarded 35 investigative leads to 17 states in which a resident of that state was arrested in New York for illegally possessing and trafficking of firearms.
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20220412
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https://www.wrfalp.com/prendergast-library-audubon-present-the-amazing-monarch-series/
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The Prendergast Library and Audubon Community Nature Center will present “The Amazing Monarch Series” at the library.
The series, which is part of the Murray L. Bob Community Education Initiative, is a three-part educational workshop. Participants can learn all about Monarch butterflies and how to care for them. The workshops will be held on April 21st, May 25th, and July 20th at 5:30 pm.
On Saturday, April 23rd the library will be participating in the GROW Jamestown Garden Fair Earth Day Event. Library staff will provide crafts, mobile makerspace, as well as information about upcoming programs at the library.
To learn more about the Murray L. Bob Community Education Initiative, visit the library’s website at prendergastlibrary.org/bob-programs
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20220412
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https://www.wrfalp.com/ward-3-annual-action-plan-walking-tour-takes-place-april-12/
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The City of Jamestown’s Annual Action Plan Walking Tour in Ward 3 takes place Tuesday, April 12.
The tour will start at 6:00 p.m. at the large pavilion in Jackson-Taylor Park. Director of Development Crystal Surdyk announced the Ward 2 walking tour has been rescheduled to 12pm, Saturday, May 7th. That tour will start at Washington Middle School.
The walking tours are an expansion of the required public input required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for cities that receive Community Development Block Grant and HOME program funds.
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20220412
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https://www.wrfalp.com/cbs-ny-redistricting-lawsuit-goes-to-appeals-panel-april-20/
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CBS News reports an State Appeals Judge has declined to slow down New York’s primary elections amid a battle over the state’s redistricting plan, but said he would allow a lower court judge to hire an expert to draw up alternative congressional district maps in case the disputed ones ultimately get tossed.
The ruling by state Appellate Division Justice Stephen Lindley on Friday essentially hands the decision about the constitutionality of the redistricting plan over to a higher court, while creating one possible contingency for keeping the elections on schedule. Lindley sits on the state’s mid-level appeals court in Rochester.
Lindley’s ruling said the state board of elections can still accept petitions filed by candidates running for office in the new districts.
New York’s primary season was potentially upended the previous week when Judge Patrick McAllister declared that new political district maps heavily favoring Democrats had been drawn up illegally.
He ordered the Legislature to quickly redraw the district boundaries, or he would appoint a neutral expert to do it for them.
That ruling has been put on hold while the state appeals.
An appeals court panel has scheduled another hearing for April 20. The case could ultimately be decided by New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals. The primary has been scheduled for June 28.
In his ruling Friday, Lindley said he would allow McAllister to retain a neutral expert to draw up a new congressional map, if he wishes to do so, to be used if the Legislature’s maps are eventually struck down.
Lindley said the legislature could also draw up a contingency map, if it desires.
If they survive court challenges, the maps will mean re-election trouble for several Republican House members, while scrapping the maps could affect House Democrats’ efforts to maintain their majority.
The contested lines would give Democrats a strong majority of registered voters in 22 of the 26 U.S. congressional districts New York will have in 2023. Republicans, who now hold eight of the state’s 27 seats in the U.S. Congress, would only have an advantage in the remaining four districts.
The state is losing a congressional seat due to the 2020 Census data; New York fell just 89 residents short of holding onto all 27 of its districts.
Lawyers for the state Senate and Assembly assured Lindley on Thursday that the maps will pass constitutional muster.
Legislative leaders have said they don’t plan to redraw the maps, and defended them as reflecting population loss in former Republican upstate bastions.
Lindley said Thursday he was chiefly concerned about the prospect of allowing voters to pick candidates based on unconstitutional maps, and said New York must be ready for the possibility of congressional primaries delayed as late as August 23 or 24.
The state judge also struck down the Assembly and Senate maps on procedural grounds.
But Lindley did not allow backup plans for legislative maps in his Friday order. He said there was “less need” for a court master to draw up new legislative maps because the lower court didn’t find they were unconstitutionally gerrymandered.
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20220413
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https://www.wrfalp.com/city-rec-baseball-registrations-extended-to-april-14/
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The Jamestown Parks and Rec Department will continue to accept registrations for the City Rec Youth Baseball League until Thursday, April 14.
Registrations will be accepted at the Parks, Recreation & Conservation Department office located at 145 Steele Street between 8 a.m. to Noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Phone calls for registration will also be accepted for those unable to stop at the Parks Office.
The program cost is $5 and is open to boys and girls ages 7 to 12 years old. Children of 7 years of age will only be allowed to play in the outfield. The age determination date is APRIL 30, 2022.
For more information, contact the Recreation Office at 716-483-7523.
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20220413
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https://www.wrfalp.com/fund-in-memory-of-lexy-hughan-established-at-crcf-for-infinity-performing-visual-arts/
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A fund in memory of the teenager who died following a hit-and-run accident on December 31 has been established at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.
Infinity Performing and Visual Art’s Lexy Hughan Memorial Fund will be administered by CRCF and will distribute grants annually to the arts organization. This is the first fund at the Foundation that is set up to directly benefit Infinity.
According to Infinity’s Executive Director Shane Hawkins, the fund will support classes and additional programming, with input from Hughan’s parents, as to what would have been important to Hughan.
Lexy Hughan began taking piano and dance lessons at Infinity at the age of 3. Over the years, she expanded her artistic journey with a variety of instruments, dance classes and art.
Lexy was only 15 years old when she died.
Proceeds from Infinity’s fundraising event, featuring autographed sports memorabilia, has led to the creation of an agency endowment fund to enrich the lives of future Infinity students.
Contributions to the fund were also raised by Hughan’s classmates at JHS through a flower sale at the high school. Class representatives also reached out to all the Jamestown Public School buildings to take up a collection in Hughan’s memory. In total, they raised $2,000 to be added to the fund.
Donations to Infinity’s Lexy Hughan Memorial Fund can be made through the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation by mailing a check to 418 Spring Street, Jamestown or online with a credit card at crcfonline.org.
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20220413
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https://www.wrfalp.com/ny-lt-governor-brian-benjamin-resigns-following-arrest-on-campaign-finance-fraud-charges/
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CNN reports New York Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin resigned Tuesday after being arrested and indicted on campaign finance fraud charges.
Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement that she had “accepted Brian Benjamin’s resignation effective immediately. While the legal process plays out, it is clear to both of us that he cannot continue to serve as Lieutenant Governor. New Yorkers deserve absolute confidence in their government, and I will continue working every day to deliver for them.”
Benjamin was appointed to his position by Hochul after she took over the state’s top job from Andrew Cuomo following his resignation last summer. Hochul, who just completed contentious budget negotiations in Albany, will now come under scrutiny over the vetting process that preceded her decision to elevate Benjamin, who finished fourth in the 2021 Democratic primary for New York City comptroller — a campaign in which prosecutors now say he sought and received illegal contributions. Benjamin is also accused of lying on a background check that followed Hochul’s decision to make him her top deputy.
Despite stepping down, Benjamin will, in accordance with state law, remain on the primary ballot as the endorsed candidate of the Democratic Party.
A senior state party official defended Hochul against criticism of her vetting process, referencing prosecutors’ allegation that Benjamin had lied on his official background check.
“The US attorney made clear in his indictment today that one of the things was an issue was Brian Benjamin’s lack of honesty in the vetting process,” the official said. “I don’t know how you fault the governor or her vetting team, frankly, for getting misinformation. She does not have access to investigations ongoing in the US attorney’s office.”
Benjamin is running against two other Democrats, Ana Maria Archila, a longtime progressive leader supported by the liberal Working Families Party, and Diana Reyna, a former member of the New York City Council.
In a joint statement, Reyna and Congressman Tom Suozzi, who is challenging Hochul in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, cast Benjamin’s arrest as a mark against the new governor.
“Today’s bombshell is an indictment on Kathy Hochul’s lack of experience and poor judgement,” Suozzi and Reyna said. “Hochul’s first decision was to pick her LG, who she entrusted with leading her failed bail reform effort, negotiating the budget and last week said she had the utmost faith in him despite many reports of investigations into his conduct in office.”
According to an indictment unsealed Tuesday, Benjamin was indicted on multiple counts, including bribery and honest services wire fraud conspiracy, bribery, honest services wire fraud and two counts of falsification of records, for an alleged conspiracy that took place while he was a state senator.
A source familiar with the matter says Benjamin turned himself in to authorities Tuesday morning. Benjamin pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court and is out on $250,000 bond, according to court documents.
In a statement confirming his resignation, Benjamin’s attorneys said he “will focus his energies on explaining in court why his actions were laudable, not criminal.”
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20220413
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https://www.wrfalp.com/sheridan-man-dies-after-falling-off-cliff/
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A Sheridan man died after falling off a cliff by Lake Erie Tuesday morning in the town of Sheridan.
The Chautauqua County Sheriffs Office said 66-year old Gregory Meadows fell about 50 feet over a cliff’s edge to the shoreline of Lake Erie.
Multiple law enforcement and emergency agencies responded and were able to rescue him from Lake Erie. Meadows was taken to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.
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20220413
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https://www.wrfalp.com/federal-transportation-mask-mandate-extended-until-may-3/
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The Federal transportation mask mandate is being extended for another 15 days.
CNN reports individuals traveling aboard airplanes, trains and on public transportation in the United States will be required to wear a mask until at least early May.
The mandate is now set to expire on May 3. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday that it was keeping its mask order in effect, and the Transportation Security Administration announced it was extending the mandate for an additional 15 days.
TSA said in a statement, “CDC continues to monitor the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, especially the BA.2 subvariant that now makes up more than 85% of US cases. Since early April 2022, there have been increases in the 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases in the United States.”
In its own statement, the CDC said, “In order to assess the potential impact the rise of cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations and deaths, and health care system capacity, the CDC Order will remain in place at this time.”
According to the latest estimates from the CDC, BA.2 caused 86% of new COVID-19 cases nationwide last week.
In Chautauqua County, the County Health Department reports the seven day average positivity rate at 1.2% with the CDC level of “low” for the week of April 3 through 9. The wastewater surveillance testing results in Dunkirk and for Jamestown show a decline in the amount of COVID-19 in samples taken on April 5.
We’ll be discussing more about how COVID-19 has affected Healthcare over the last two years on this month’s Community Conversation at 6pm on WRFA.
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20220414
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https://www.wrfalp.com/former-chautauqua-county-executive-jack-glenzer-has-died/
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Former Chautauqua County Executive Jack Glenzer has died.
Dr. John “Jack” Glenzer died Sunday, April 10 at UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was 91.
He had served as Chautauqua County’s second County Executive and first Republican County Executive from November 25, 1983 through December 31, 1989.
County Executive PJ Wendel said Glenzer left a great legacy including his work in County Government in terms of the infrastructure of roads and bridges, “He was instrumental in the establishment of the South County Transfer Station in Falconer. But I know one of the things that was commented on from Andy Goodell as he followed Jack (as County Executive) was Jack’s ability to establish a solid team of individuals to work with him in various department head positions and leadership positions throughout the county.”
Glenzer also served as a member of the U.S. Army, a Fredonia Village Trustee, and County Legislator. He was also a past chair of the Chautauqua County Republican Committee and a longtime professor at the State University of New York at Fredonia.
State Senator George Borrello posted on social media, “So very sad to learn of the passing of my friend and political mentor, Dr. Jack Glenzer. He is the person that first got me involved in politics back when I was still in high school. He was a wonderful man who’s wisdom was only exceeded by his kindness and humor. He told me so often how proud he was of me. It meant the world to me coming from a legend like Jack. He served our community so well as an educator, public servant and a true leader. His legacy lives on in all of us. RIP my friend.”
Funeral arrangements for Jack Glenzer are being handled by Larson-Timko Funeral Home in Fredonia.
Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel shares comments on the passing of former Chautauqua County Executive Jack Glenzer
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20220414
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https://www.wrfalp.com/public-meeting-on-reactivating-lakeside-park-rt-394-in-mayville-scheduled/
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A public input session on a draft plan to bring activity to Lakeside Park and Route 394 in Mayville has been scheduled for Monday, May 25.
The Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth, the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation, and the Village of Mayville are holding the meeting where people can learn about the draft Master Plan for Lakeside Park and the West Lake Road corridor. People also will be able to provide feedback on the Mayville Strategic Waterfront Activation effort.
County officials said in the press release that the park facilities have degraded over time and some of the properties surrounding the park are underutilized. They said there is a growing need to assess Lakeside Park and the West Lake Road corridor, and identify necessary and opportune improvements.
The Master Plan will outline possible facility enhancements and funding opportunities, and is intended to identify improvements that could be achieved within a 5 to 10 year timeframe.
The meeting on Monday, May 25th will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Carlson Community Center located at Lakeside Park.
A presentation on the community surveys and project input that shaped the draft plan will be given, followed by community feedback through an open house setting. Light refreshments and drinks will be provided.
The link for additional project information can be found here: https://bartonloguidice.mysocialpinpoint.com/mayville-waterfront
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20220414
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https://www.wrfalp.com/robert-h-jackson-center-board-extends-president-kristan-mcmahons-contract/
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Robert H. Jackson Center President Kristan McMahon‘s contract has been extended for an additional three years.
The Center’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to extend the contract through April 2025. At the conclusion of this next contract, McMahon will be the longest-serving president in the Center’s history.
McMahon was appointed President in April 2019. In her first three years, she has completed a major extension of the center’s historic mansion, providing a new public entrance and accessibility upgrades. She also is spearheading a second major renovation, moving the offices of the staff to the second floor of the historic mansion the Jackson Center calls home, which will make way for new exhibit and program spaces on the first floor.
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20220414
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https://www.wrfalp.com/rotary-donates-14-pairs-of-language-interpreter-earbuds-to-jamestown-schools/
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The Rotary Club of Jamestown has donated 14 pairs of Ambassador Interpreter earbuds to Jamestown Public Schools for use with English as a New Language students and staff.
The earbuds allow students and staff to hear conversations translated in real time during class time, with families, and during the school day.
As an interpreter, the earbuds actively listen for someone speaking nearby and translates their speech into the native language through an app on a cell phone or computer. The earbuds have the ability to translate 20 languages and 42 dialects.
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20220414
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https://www.wrfalp.com/the-chautauqua-centers-begins-move-of-dunkirk-offices/
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The Chautauqua Center has begun moving its Dunkirk offices into a new space.
The 314 and 319 Central Avenue locations have been moved and closed with the new building being located at 75 East Third Street.
The move is taking place in a multi-phase process with physician, behavioral health, and dental offices and support staff already relocated to the new site. The New York State Department of Health recently certified the facility as fit to serve patients.
Administrative and billing offices will be moved at a later time. The “garden” floor of the new building, where those operations will be located, is still under construction and is expected to be open by July 2022.
TCC officials say The Chautauqua Center Pediatrics offices at 1134 Central Avenue will remain where they are for the foreseeable future. Also, the new Waterfront Pharmacy location will open in another phase later this year.
The move does not affect TCC’s Jamestown location.
For more information, visit The Chautauqua Center website at www.tcchealth.org or call (716) 484-4334.
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20220414
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https://www.wrfalp.com/wrfa-rock-and-roll-rundown-april-14-2022/
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THE WRFA ROCK AND ROLL RUNDOWN
A listing of live entertainment events happening in the greater Jamestown area. Have an event you want us to know about? Use the contact page on our website or send an email to WRFA @ RegLenna.com.
THU APR 14
- Karl/Marks Revolution – Good Time Saloon – Jamestown
- Open Mic Night – The Wine Cellar – Jamestown
FRI APR 15
- Hanna & Horton – The Wine Cellar – Jamestown
- Jamie Smith – Southern Tier Brewing Company – Lakewood
- Derek Davis Duo – The Cooler – Sherman
- Backlog – Warren American Legion – Warren
SAT APR 16
- Backlog – Sneakers Bar – Jamestown
- Jamestown Thunder Drum and Dance Circle – Tree of Life Wellness Center – Jamestown
- Derek Davis Duo – Group Ther-Happy – Lakewood
- Adam McKillip – Southern Tier Distilling Company – Lakewood
- The Growlers – Big Inlet Brewing – Mayville
- Model Citizen – Captain Ale – Dunkirk
SUN APR 17
- Open Mic with Bob Henry – Big Inlet Brewing – Mayville
MON APR 18
- Jazz Night with Razz and Friends – Chop House on Main – Jamestown
WED APR 20
- Bluegrass Jam – Celoron American Legion – Jamestown
- Movies at The Reg: The Worst Person in the World – Reg Lenna Center for the Arts – Jamestown
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20220414
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https://www.wrfalp.com/city-opens-application-process-to-artists-to-design-install-murals-on-spring-street-ramp/
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The City of Jamestown is inviting artists to submit applications to design and install murals on the Spring Street Parking Garage.
The City received a $5,000 grant from Art Services, Inc. for this project as well as provide a point of entry to designing a dedicated public art platform for Jamestown.
Applications will be accepted between May 1 and 4:00 p.m., May 15, 2022. Late submissions will not be accepted. The selected artist will be announced no later than May 31, 2022.
Two informational site visits will be held at 2:30 p.m., Friday, April 29 and at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 4.
For more information, contact City Principal Planner Ellen Shadle at 716-483-7657. Information is also available online at jamestownny.gov/public-art/
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20220415
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https://www.wrfalp.com/jamestown-parks-open-for-season-april-15/
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City of Jamestown Parks open for the season as of Friday, April 15.
All facilities and bathrooms will be open for use to the public.
For more information on events, amenities, and pavilion rentals, you may call the Jamestown Parks Department at (716) 483-7523, email them at parks@jamestownny.gov, or visit https://www.jamestownny.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/
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20220415
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https://www.wrfalp.com/listen-community-matters-kellie-roberts-april-14-2022/
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Chautauqua County Humane Society Executive Director Kellie Roberts spoke with WRFA’s Julia Ciesla-Hanley to explain more about how a proposed Trap, Neuter/Spay, Vaccinate, Return (TNVR) program for cats would work in the City of Jamestown.
More Posts for Show: Community Matters
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20220415
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https://www.wrfalp.com/listen-community-matters-state-legislative-breakfast-april-14-2022/
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The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce held its annual State Legislative Breakfast on Friday, April 8, 2022. State Senator George Borrello and Assemblyman Andy Goodell appeared via Zoom to discuss their initial thoughts on the new 2022-23 State Budget agreement.
More Posts for Show: Community Matters
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20220415
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https://www.wrfalp.com/nys-cannabis-control-board-approves-52-conditional-cultivator-licenses-to-farms/
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The State Cannabis Control Board has approved 52 conditional cultivator licenses to farms.
These are the first adult-use cannabis licenses granted in New York State and they advance the Seeding Opportunity Initiative.
Governor Kathy Hochul said the approved licenses are from a pool of more than 150 that have been submitted to the Office of Cannabis Management following the March 15 opening of the online application portal. She said the OCM is reviewing applications on a rolling basis and to get them to the Board for approval as quickly as possible.
In February, Hochul signed legislation creating the Cannabis Conditional Cultivator Licenses and then in March, she announced the Seeding Opportunity Initiative, which positions equity-entrepreneurs to be the first to make adult-use cannabis sales in New York with products grown by New York farmers.
Under the Initiative, these initial equity-entrepreneur, retail owners must meet two prongs of eligibility to qualify. First, they must have a cannabis-related conviction that occurred prior to the passage of the Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act (MRTA) on March 31, 2021, or had a parent, guardian, child, spouse, or dependent with a pre-MRTA cannabis-related conviction in the State of New York. Second, they must also have experience owning and operating a successful business in the State of New York.
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20220415
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https://www.wrfalp.com/rep-tom-reed-one-of-398-members-of-congress-sanctioned-by-russia/
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Congressman Tom Reed is one 398 members of the U.S. House of Representatives included in a sanctions list by Russia.
Newsweek reported also included on that list is several Republican representatives who have been accused of making comments sympathetic to Russia, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the list of sanctioned members of Congress was a response to the United States placing sanctions on 328 members of the Russian State Duma, the country’s lower house of parliament, on March 24.
No explanation was given for how Russia chose the names for its list. Last week, Greene and Gaetz were two of only three House representatives who voted against banning the import of Russian oil.
The U.S. sanctions on the State Duma members target their property and assets, as well as banning them from dealings with American citizens. Few details were made available about Moscow’s sanctions against American politicians, aside from that they would “mirror” the U.S. measures and ban those on the list from visiting Russia.
Reed issued a statement saying, “We were proud to be on the list of House Members to be officially sanctioned by Russia. Being put on this permanent ‘stop list’ by a dictator like Putin can only be seen as a badge of honor. Watching the atrocities that Putin is committing on a daily basis against the people of Ukraine is heartbreaking, and it must stop. American leadership must project to Russia that we will achieve peace through strength.”
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20220415
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https://www.wrfalp.com/senator-chuck-schumer-touts-10-million-in-waterfront-infrastructure-projects-in-dunkirk/
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U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer touted $10 million in funding for waterfront infrastructure projects in Dunkirk Thursday.
Schumer, in a visit to the Dunkirk harbor, said that the funding is part of the Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus, which includes $8 million in funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, “There’s $1.1 million for Barcelona Harbor. There’s $1 million for Cattaraugus Creek and $5.9 million for Dunkirk Harbor. Why is Dunkirk Harbor so much more? Cause every body will be dredged. You know the silt has really just gathered up and it hasn’t been cleared for a very long time. So we’re doing that in all three harbors. But in addition, in Dunkirk harbor they’re going to work on the breakwater, which we’ve needed for a long time and it’s so important for keeping this harbor strong and vital.”
Schumer said $2 million also will go to the Village of Mayville to construct a new water well, replacing existing contaminated wells.
He added that former mentor and Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan always decried the fact that New York state always sent more tax dollars to Washington D.C. then it received back, “He called us a ‘donor state.’ However, this is the first year that we are getting more dollars back than we sent. For every dollar we sent to Washington, we’re getting $1.59 back. That’s the first time every and that’s why having a Majority Leader from New York State is a darn good thing.”
When asked where things are with the Federal Infrastructure Bill, Schumer said that bill has now been signed with money becoming available in September 2022.
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20220415
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https://www.wrfalp.com/several-easter-egg-hunts-planned-for-saturday-april-16/
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Several Easter Egg Hunt events will be taking place Saturday, April 16 in Chautauqua County.
The Chautauqua Safety Village will hold its 10th annual Easter Carnival from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The carnival takes place at the village on the Ashville BOCES campus.
Admission is $5 per person and free for children age 2 and under. Admission includes games, crafts, train rides, and a bounce house and cars track. Children can hunt for candy at the different buildings and also visit the Easter bunny where families can take their own pictures.
Those who purchase a 2022 Safety Village membership before this event, will receive free admission and be able to use the Fast Pass Lane. More information is available at chautauquasafetyvillage.com
In the village of Falconer, the Linda K. Memorial Easter Egg Hunt will take place at Falconer Park on Saturday. The event is at 10:00 a.m. with all ages welcome. Participants are asked to bring their own basket. For more information, email falconer@netsync.net
And the City of Jamestown will hold their free Easter Hunt Hunt at 11:00 a.m. in Allen Park. That event takes place on the playground areas on West Virginia Boulevard and is open children ages 12 and under.
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20220415
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https://www.wrfalp.com/watch-listen-community-conversation-healthcare-covid-19-2-years-later-april-14-2022/
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On April 14, WRFA continued its series of Community Conversations, this time focusing on Healthcare in Jamestown and Chautauqua County and the impact COVID-19 has had on area healthcare services.
WATCH
The discussion included a panel of representatives from the healthcare community, including: Breeanne Agett, Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services; Cecil Miller, UPMC Chautauqua; and Steven Cobb, Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County. It will be moderated by WRFA Public Affairs Director Julia Ciesla-Hanley.
LISTEN
Funding for the Community Conversation is made available by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Rescue Plan Act stabilization grant fund.
More Posts for Show: Community Matters
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20220415
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https://www.wrfalp.com/listen-arts-on-fire-songwriting-kickstarting-and-performing-with-mike-brunacini-april-15-2022/
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WRFA’s Anthony Merchant was joined in studio by Jamestown musician Mike Brunacini. The two chatted about Mike’s upcoming album “Summer’s End”, the way Mike writes songs, knowing what your talents are, why it will be great to have the new album on vinyl and so much more.
https://mikebrunacini.wixsite.com/mikebrunacini
https://mikebrunacini.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/mikebrunacini
https://www.instagram.com/mikebrunacini/
https://www.facebook.com/mikebrunacini
More Posts for Show: Arts on Fire
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20220418
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https://www.wrfalp.com/5000-covid-19-test-kits-available-for-local-non-profits/
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5,000 COVID-19 rapid test kits will be distributed to Jamestown non-profits and organizations.
The City of Jamestown, in conjunction with Chautauqua County, announced a new shipment of kits.
Organizations receiving the test kits include the YMCA, the YWCA, the Salvation Army, the Prendergast Library, Jamestown VA Clinic, the Boys and Girls Club, the Mental Health Association, Chautauqua Opportunities Inc., Hillside Children’s Center, PreventionWorks, and Evergreen Health Services.
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20220418
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https://www.wrfalp.com/a-cut-above-art-exhibit-opens-at-st-lukes-episcopal-church-wednesday/
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An art installation on grief and healing opens at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church this Wednesday.
“A Cut Above” by Jamestown native Lindsey Erickson opens at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 27 at the church on 410 North Main Street and will include a silent auction of five of her art pieces. The auction will benefit the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County’s Art in Recovery program.
The art collection is part of St. Luke’s exploration of grief and loss. Erickson said of her work, “It is important not to rush through grief, but sometimes even after the hard time passes, there can be this residual darkness that shrouds our vision. How do you lift this veil after a time of despair that refuses to fully evaporate? For me, art has been an incredibly healing source after a time of deep darkness….The art has given me something positive to focus on.”
You can also view Erickson’s artwork on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/linden.tree.papercutting/
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20220418
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https://www.wrfalp.com/april-18-is-tax-day/
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April 18 is your final day to file taxes for 2021 without an extension.
While April 15 is usually the due date, tax payers got a couple more days to file because of the Emancipation Day holiday in the District of Columbia.
One major change for filing this year is the child tax credit, which went up to $3,600 last year for children under 6 and up to $3,000 for kids ages 6 through 17. For those who chose the option to get half of that monthly, the IRS should have sent a 6419 notice to get the rest of the credit.
Filers also should have received a 6475 from the IRS from the third round of stimulus payments.
Experts also remind filers to not forget to deduct any donations made in 2021, even if they aren’t itemized.
If you notice a mistake after the deadline, you can file an amended return with the IRS. And if you need more time to prepare your return, you can file an extension with the IRS for free online that gives you until October 17 to file.
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20220418
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https://www.wrfalp.com/lgbtq-initiatives-receive-additional-funding-advancements-in-state-budget/
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Governor Kathy Hochul has announced major advancements in equity initiatives for the LGBTQ+ community as part of the enacted 2023 State Budget.
The Budget includes $13.5 million for the Department of Health to support the LGBTQ+ community and more than doubles annual LGBTQ+ Health and Human Services funding. It also requires all state agencies that collect information about a person’s gender to provide an option for people to mark their gender as ‘X’ on state forms and include that information in data collection. The budget also enables transgender New Yorkers to change their names or gender designations on marriage certificates without leaving their dead names on them.
Hochul said, “The past two years have been hard for us all, but especially hard for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers who have always been forced to deal with levels of isolation due to homophobia and transphobia. That’s why it’s so important that our newly enacted budget presses forward in the fight for equality with historic levels of state funding and initiatives for LGBTQ+ equity.”
The 2023 Budget includes $13.5 million for the Department of Health – an increase of $8 million over the prior fiscal year – to support the LGBTQ+ community and network of providers, with direct health services, cultural competency education and training, organizational capacity building and transgender wellness initiatives.
The Budget also invests $12.5 million — an increase of $3.7 million over the prior fiscal year — to support the Division of Human Rights‘ efforts in protecting New Yorkers, including the LGBTQ+ community, from unlawful discrimination based on who they are. The Division of Human Rights uses investigation, prosecution, and education to enforce and promote the Human Rights Law, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, age, race, national origin, disability, and other specified classes.
The State Budget also directs $25 million for Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes (SCAHC) grants. Additionally, benefits will be expanded for victims of hate crimes, who will now be able to obtain up to $2,500 in reimbursement – an increase of $2,000 from past years.
The Division of Human Rights will create a Hate and Bias Prevention Unit, first announced in Governor Hochul’s State of the State Address, to provide a coordinated, rapid, and community-focused response to hate and bias incidents. The unit’s general charge will include leading efforts around public education and outreach, serving as an early warning detection system in local communities, and rapidly mobilizing to areas and communities in which a bias incident or incidents have occurred.
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20220418
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https://www.wrfalp.com/lincoln-elementary-school-staff-raise-9423-for-american-heart-association/
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Lincoln Elementary School students and staff raised over $9,400 dollars for the American Heart Association through the Kids Healthy Heart Challenge.
This is the fifth year of the challenge and Lincoln School has raised $29,309 towards the American Heart Association over the years.
As a reward for exceeding their goal of $5,000; top student donors had the opportunity to dump pails of slime over Principal Katie Russo and Physical Education teachers, Chris Hammond and Aaron Zwald.
During the four weeks of the Kids Heart Challenge, Mr. Hammond and Mr. Zwald focused more on every day fitness activities and less on sports and skills-related activities with the students. For two weeks, students participated in fitness stations and the teachers discussed the positive impact that these activities have on cardiovascular health. The teachers also discussed different heart-healthy activities that students can do at home, as well as heart-healthy foods they can eat.
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20220418
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https://www.wrfalp.com/municipal-broadband-feasibility-study-results-unveiled-thursday/
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The City of Jamestown and Jamestown Board of Public Utilities will present the results of a Municipal Broadband Feasibility Study this week.
The presentation will go over the findings of the broadband study, as well as a discussion on the next steps going forward.
Mayor Eddie Sundquist said in a statement, “The potential for municipally-owned broadband infrastructure is critical to address the digital divide and attract investment. This study charts a bold path forward and makes affordable, high-speed internet for all Jamestown residents much closer to reality.
The presentation will take place at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, April 21 in the Fireplace Room of the Prendergast Library.
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20220418
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https://www.wrfalp.com/chautauqua-institution-ywca-jamestown-partner-on-chautauqua-county-book-read/
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The YWCA of Jamestown and Chautauqua Institution are partnering on the inaugural “Chautauqua County Book Read.”
The book “Caste: The Origins of our Discontent” by Isabel Wilkerson has been chosen for the community read.
Chautauqua Institution’s Senior Vice President & Chief Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Officer Amit Taneja said community groups have been working on how to engage more people in Chautauqua County in creating a more inclusive and just society.
He said YWCA Executive Director Amanda Gesing reached out to the Institution after she learned that they would be hosting author Isabel Wilkerson this summer, “And so she reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, can we collaborate on this?’ and I said, ‘Great!’ because I had been thinking about how do we get everybody in Chautauqua involved and so that was sort of the birth of that program idea that everybody in Chautauqua County is reading the same book, focused on issues of justice and inclusion. And hopefully it sparks a lot of good conversation in the community.”
Taneja said the book touches on a lot of topics that society is struggling with and the hope is that the book discussions would give space to talk about things that are difficult, “Cause a lot of times I think fear of disagreement or opposition keeps us from talking about difficult things when really if we want to move the needle forward we need to come together in the spirit of mutual understanding even if we disagree on a few things so that’s kind of the hope out of this and this book gives us the tools to do that.”
Taneja said the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System has copies of Wilkerson’s book available for those interested in taking part. People who are interested in participating in a group discussion, whether in person or online, can register at https://www.ywcajamestown.com/chqbookread. The discussions will be scheduled for May 16 through 27.
Also, Chautauqua Institution is holding a “Chautauqua County Day” on Thursday, July 21 where county residents are eligible for free admission and parking in order to attend the live lecture by author Isabel Wilkerson. That lecture will take place at 10:45 a.m. at the Amphitheater on the Chautauqua Institution grounds. Tickets for this day will be available beginning June 1 by calling the Chautauqua Institution Ticket Office at 716-357-6250. Free parking is only available with ticket orders made by July 11.
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20220419
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https://www.wrfalp.com/county-legislators-hear-proposals-on-suspending-gas-sales-tax/
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County legislators heard initial proposals for how they could give consumers a break on gasoline sales tax.
County Attorney Stephen Abdella and County Finance Director Kitty Crow presented to the Administrative Services Committee on the proposals.
Abdella said while the state doesn’t allow counties to entirely suspend sales tax on motor fuel, Chautauqua County could suspend the 4-percent sales tax rate or a fixed amount per gallon rate such as 8-cents, 12-cents, or 16 cents a gallon.
He said if the county chooses a fixed-rate per gallon, there is a proviso by the state to adjust the fixed rate if the price of gasoline drops below what the sales tax percentage rate would be versus the fixed rate per gallon, “If we were to set a fixed rate of 16-cents which is roughly based on $4 a gallon, and when I say roughly it’s because if the price at the pump is $4 our tax is not on the full $4 because part of that $4 is a state and federal tax and our tax is not applied as a tax on a tax.”
He said at $4 a gallon for gas, the county receives 14.8 cents on a gallon and not 16-cents.
Crow recommended going with the fixed rate of $12-cents per gallon option as they estimate the county would still meet budget projections for sales tax, thus not hurting municipalities in their budgeted sales tax revenue figures, but still giving consumers a break on the cost of gas.
The Administrative Services committee opted not to create a resolution on the matter given that the Audit & Control Committee also will hear this presentation at its meeting at 8:35 a.m. on Thursday, April 21st.
Abdella said a resolution would need to be pre-filed by 10:00 a.m. this Friday in order to appear on the Legislature‘s voting agenda for April 27. He said an emergency resolution could be introduced on the floor next week as well.
The State is requiring resolutions on the gas tax issue 30 days in advance of them being implemented, versus the usual 90 days. The changes would not go into effect until the start of the next sales tax quarter, which is June 1st. The County Legislature must submit a resolution to the state by May 2nd in order to meet the June 1st implementation date.
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20220419
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https://www.wrfalp.com/rep-tom-reed-concerned-with-ukraines-ability-to-farm-access-to-gas-and-oil/
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Congressman Tom Reed expressed concerns over whether Ukraine, the European Union’s “bread basket,” will be able to farm this season and how long their access to gas and oil will hold out.
Reed, speaking in his weekly media call, said he had recently been part of a bipartisan delegation, that traveled to Germany, Denmark, and Poland, including Poland’s border with Ukraine.
He said his concern includes the issue of gas, oil, and food, as we head into the growing season, “If Ukraine is not allowed access to the actual development of their crops, and then distributing those crops through the Black Sea, which is now cut off and under Russian control, you have a tremendous effect to the security of Ukrainian people as well as the European Union, as well as the inflationary impacts on the world food prices that could potentially coming down the pipeline.”
Reed said gas is still flowing from Russia and servicing Ukraine and the European Union, “As Russia controls that valve, very concerned that as this goes and if this lingers, Putin’s war lingers into the winter, we could have a genocide level type of event of a magnitude that’s even beyond the level of genocide that’s occurring here today.”
Reed referred to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “proxy war” between democracies of the West and Russia and China, saying that the United States needs to make sure our NATO partners know they can rely us.
Congressman Tom Reed will hold a “Farewell” Town Hall meeting tonight from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Kiantone Fire Department located at 2318 Stillwater Frewsburg Road. The event is open to the public.
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20220419
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https://www.wrfalp.com/reuters-u-s-supreme-court-rejects-case-on-the-limit-to-state-and-local-tax-deductions/
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Reuters reports the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a bid by four states, including New York, to hear a case on the limit to state and local tax deductions.
The justices turned away an appeal by New York, Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey after a lower court threw out their lawsuit. The lower court held that the U.S. Congress had broad authority over taxes and did not violate the U.S. Constitution by placing a $10,000 limit on the amount of state and local taxes that individuals may deduct on federal income tax returns.
President Joe Biden‘s administration opposed the four states.
The deduction limit, known as the SALT cap, was part of a Republican-backed federal tax law signed by former President Donald Trump in 2017 that slashed the corporate tax rate and implemented an income tax cut for individuals, which tax policy experts said benefited wealthy Americans the most.
Democrats had opposed the law, which was expected to reduce federal revenues by $1.5 trillion over 10 years. Capping the deduction disproportionately affects high-tax, often Democratic-leaning states, with New York estimating its taxpayers would pay $121 billion of extra federal taxes from 2018 to 2025.
The four states sued Trump’s administration in 2018, calling the cap an unconstitutional attempt to interfere with states’ taxing power and coerce Democratic-leaning states to cut taxes and the services they pay for.
The Manhattan-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year rejected the states’ arguments, ruling that they did not show that their injuries were significant enough to give rise to a constitutional violation.
Most of the 2017 law’s individual tax provisions, including the SALT cap, expire after 2025.
Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement, “Four years ago, former President Trump and a Republican controlled Congress launched an economic attack on New Yorkers. Their tax plan handed major giveaways to big corporations, while raising taxes on middle-class families here in New York… Leaders in the White House and Congress have the power to undo the damage caused by the Republican tax plan and restore the full SALT deduction to help middle-class New Yorkers. With costs rising and New Yorkers hurting, I urge our leaders in Washington to address this critical economic issue as quickly as possible.”
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20220419
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https://www.wrfalp.com/take-me-out-to-the-ball-games-feminist-origins-discussion-at-robert-h-jackson-center-tuesday-night/
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The Final 2022 Turner Series program called “‘Take Me Out To The Ball Game’s’ Feminist Origins” will take place at the Robert H. Jackson Center tonight.
St. Bonaventure University former Interim President and current Jefferson Educational Society Scholar-In-Residence Dr. Andrew Roth will present the program at 6:30 p.m.
The program is free and open to the public.
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20220419
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https://www.wrfalp.com/chautauqua-watershed-conservancy-receives-51000-capacity-grant/
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The Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy will receive a $51,000 capacity grant from the State Department of Environmental Conservation.
The grant is part of $3.375 million in Conservation Partnership Program Grants which represents record funding for 51 Land Trusts.
The announcement, made during New York State’s Earth Week celebration, includes 80 grants funded through New York’s Environmental Protection Fund and will leverage an additional $2.7 million in private and local funding to support projects that protect water quality and farmland, boost public access for outdoor recreation, and conserve open space.
The Land Trust Alliance administers the Conservation Partnership Program in coordination with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
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20220420
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https://www.wrfalp.com/jamestown-school-board-passes-93-8-million-budget-no-tax-increase/
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The Jamestown School Board approved the 2022-23 School District Budget at its meeting Tuesday night.
The $93,893,354 budget, which has no tax levy increase, now goes before voters for approval at the polls on Tuesday, May 17.
Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said there are three big themes in the budget with the first one being learning loss recovery, “Our kids have suffered a great harm over the course of the past two years with this Pandemic and all the things that came with it, both in academics, this is why we have things that addresses learning loss – additional teachers, AIS teachers, additional staff for students, social workers, counselors are also there.”
Whitaker said the addition of those staff also help with mental health support for students. The budget adds a total of 40 new student support staff.
The third theme of the budget, Whitaker said, is the ability to add those positions with no property tax increase, “Connected to that with our reserve funds, we are trying to maintain that tax impact reduction across the next five to ten years. So with those reserves, our aim is to smooth out any future dips in state aid so we don’t have to go to the taxpayers and increase taxes in order to get needed equipment or capital project repairs or anything in the future.”
A group of citizens led by Bishop Leecroft Clarke who had previously spoke before the school board on the need for a Community Navigator for the African-American community were in attendance Tuesday night.
Clarke said there were three emerging facts when studying data about demographics and education in Jamestown, “The first one is, 72% of our student population are from low-income families. It’s telling us something. The second thing is, the drop-out rate for Jamestown High School is twice that, in terms of percentage, double compared to New York State. And more notable, students of color have a higher drop out rate.”
He said the third fact is that students of color had a lower success rate for passing Regents exams. Clarke and the citizen group thanked the board for including that navigator position in budget.
A public hearing on the budget will be held at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 10 at the Jamestown High School Auditorium.
The School Board also recognized former Jamestown School Superintendent Dr. Bret Apthorpe with the unveiling of his photograph in the Board of Education Board Room. Dr. Apthorpe retired from the district at the end of the 2019-2020 school year.
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20220420
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https://www.wrfalp.com/jcc-holds-annual-earthfest-april-20/
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Jamestown Community College is holding its annual Earthfest 2022 Wednesday, April 20.
The event takes place from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. with this year’s theme “Protect Our Pollinators.”
Activities on campus will include music, educational displays and exhibits from a host of local environmental organizations, student groups, and public agencies.
The featured presenter, Jeff Musial of Nickel City Reptiles and Exotics, will perform at noon. He will display a variety of exotic animals during his interactive program. The lineup also includes a live-animal exhibit from Mike Morton of Sundance Kids Farm, and Royal Fern Nursery will have information on the importance of native plantings.
JCC’s Earth Awareness Club has sponsored Earthfest each April since the 1990s. All proceeds from Earthfest 2022 will benefit the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy and The Bee Conservancy. For more information, visit sunyjcc.edu/event/earthfest-2022.
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20220420
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https://www.wrfalp.com/live-poultry-shows-exhibitions-banned-to-help-stop-spread-of-avian-bird-flu/
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The State Department of Agriculture and Markets has banned all live poultry shows and exhibitions to try to stop the spread of Avian Bird flu.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, a highly contagious, fatal, flu-like disease of poultry, has been spreading across the state since February. Cornell Cooperative Extension said in a release that as of April 19, New York has seen the disease in 8 domestic flocks: One commercial, one captive wild birds, and the remainder were backyard flocks. Over 10,000 birds have died or have been euthanized.
These positive cases started in the eastern region of the state but have moved westward over the spring season.
In March, the State Ag Department announced the state would proactively ban all live fowl shows and exhibitions. This meant that fairs, public hatching events, fowl shows, and other events like them would not be allowed until further notice. This ban was expanded April 14 to include all fowl auctions and other events where people can purchase, sell, swap, or trade fowl. The reasoning behind this update was the same as the original notice from March: to limit the congregation of poultry from different farms and homesteads to reduce the spread of disease. At this time, the ban does not include individual farms selling poultry, farm supply stores, chicks being shipped into the state from hatcheries, poultry processors that operate under a 5A or USDA Exemption, or live bird markets.
While both bans are in place until further notice, the situation will be re-evaluated at the end of May.
In the meantime, it’s important that poultry owners remain on high alert for any unusual illness or deaths in their poultry flocks.
Any suspicious illness can be reported to the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets by calling 518-457-3502 or contacting the Cornell Cooperative Extension Office in Chautauqua County at 716-664-9502.
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20220420
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https://www.wrfalp.com/planning-commission-approves-site-plans-for-west-third-street-redesign/
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The Jamestown Planning Commission unanimously approved the site plans for the West Third Street Redesign.
Planning Commission member and Jamestown Director of Public Works Jeff Lehman said the $500,000 project is set to begin in May and continue until the end of summer.
The project includes new sidewalks, driveway aprons, and new lighting from Hall to Hallock Street. New trees will be planted as well to replace the “Cathedral Oaks” that were removed at the end of 2020.
Funding for the project comes from American Rescue Plan lost recovery monies.
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20220420
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https://www.wrfalp.com/jldc-reviews-funding-requests-for-whirly-bird-fest-international-ordnance-technologies/
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The Jamestown Local Development Corporation heard downtown programming funding requests for Whirlybird Festival and a loan request from International Ordnance Technologies at its monthly meeting Wednesday.
IOT Owner and President Tammy Snyder presented her request of a $90,000 loan to repair a heat-treat furnace which had broken down. IOT manufactures machine gun links.
City Economic Development Coordinator Stephanie Wright said with the furnace being operational, it will allow IOT to close on a multi-million dollar contract with a nationally recognized company, “To produce a much needed link. And IOT will be equipped to pursue a product line with two other nationally recognized companies. And these new contracts will create at least seven new positions, high quality, high paying jobs, full-time jobs at IOT.”
IOT currently employs 35 people at its facility on Harrison Street. The loan is for 7 years at a rate of 4%. IOT has also requested $90,000 from the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency.
Whirlybird Festival Organizer Miki Girts requested $38,700 in funding with $12,500 of that being an upfront loan for an actual grant request of $26,200.
He said the money would help fund four days of free entertainment downtown that includes live music, live art demonstrations, comedy, and art vendors. The event will take place at the Wintergarden Plaza on North Main Street as well as several indoor locations from August 10 through 13. Around 35 acts are currently scheduled for the festival.
No action was taken at the meeting on either request as there was not a quorum. Jamestown Director of Development Crystal Surdyk anticipated that the board would take action by Friday, April 22.
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https://www.wrfalp.com/kiantone-business-one-of-52-in-nys-granted-license-to-grow-cannabis/
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A Kiantone business is one of 52 businesses granted a conditional license to grow cannabis in New York State.
The ReLeaf Market, located on Foote Avenue Extension, got the news Thursday, April 14 from the state. Owner Kerry Trammel said one of the qualifications required to get the license that the Releaf Market met was that they had been growing hemp for two years.
She said while Kiantone has opted out of allowing retail dispensaries and consumption lounges, the cultivation of cannabis is still legal in the town.
Trammel said that ReLeaf Market is only licensed to grow cannabis at this time, “Basically, we’re cultivating the cannabis so that when dispensary licenses are given out, they have a product that they can purchase from us and sell to the communities.”
She said that they can cultivate up to one-acre of a farm they have in Chautauqua County or grow in a greenhouse that has a maximum size of 20,000 square feet. If both are done, the grow space is limited to 30,000 square feet, “We can hold a cultivation license, the conditional cultivation license, for two years. And after that two years we can already be applied for one of the other licenses that has come out or apply for the cultivation license to continue. So we have an option. Hopefully, those licenses will be out before the two years are up.”
Trammel said the whole process of starting to grow cannabis is highly regulated, “It’s going to be modeled more like the medical side of it – lots of security, everything is tracked seed to sale, so we’ll have bar codes on everything and fences around all of the property. So, yeah, it’s a lot of work to get done in a short amount of time.”
Trammel said they hope to start planting by June 12 with the hope that some dispensaries will have received licensing so that they can sell their product by the end of the year.
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https://www.wrfalp.com/marvin-house-luncheon-to-feature-author-walt-pickut-on-his-book-the-first-counterspy/
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Local Author Walt Pickut will discuss his new book, “The First Counterspy” at the Marvin Community House today.
Pickut, a New Jersey native, now lives in Jamestown. He has multiple undergrad degrees including in the fields of biology, chemistry, and communications as well as graduate training in cardiopulmonary physiology and mass communications.
Pickut is a freelance writer and has served as editor and contributing editor of the Jamestown Gazette.
The noon luncheon at the Marvin House is $20 for members and $22 for guests. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 716-488-6206.
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https://www.wrfalp.com/sen-borrello-introduces-bill-to-refund-suny-cuny-tuition-for-students-dis-enrolled-due-to-no-vaccination/
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State Senator George Borrello has introduced a bill to refund tuition to SUNY and CUNY students who had to leave school due to not being vaccinated against COVID-19.
Borrello said SUNY gave students 35 days to get vaccinated or file for an exemption, “So in 35 days, it basically blindsided these students. They had to make a decision. And about 1,500 of them were kicked out of school. And now, here’s the part that the law deals with, SUNY kept their money. They said, ‘You paid for your tuition and we’re not giving you your money back even though we kicked you out of school.’ So, my bill is pretty simple – give them their money back.”
Borrello said other private schools gave several months for students to comply a vaccination requirement. He added there is a companion bill on the issue in the State Assembly as well.
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https://www.wrfalp.com/u-s-justice-dept-files-appeal-in-mask-mandate-overule-for-public-transportation/
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NPR reports the U.S. Justice Department is appealing the ruling by a federal judge that voided the mask mandate for public transportation.
DOJ spokesperson Anthony Coley said a notice of appeal had been filed in light of the determination by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that wearing a mask “remains necessary to protect the public health.”
The CDC said it had asked the DOJ to appeal. The public health agency continues to recommend that people wear masks in all indoor public transportation settings and says “wearing masks is most beneficial in crowded or poorly ventilated locations, such as the transportation corridor.”
The Biden administration had previously insinuated that it might appeal the ruling by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle after checking with the CDC.
The department’s decision to appeal comes just two days after Mizelle ruled that the CDC had exceeded its authority and had failed to follow proper rule-making procedures.
After the judge’s ruling on Monday, many airlines ditched their requirements for passengers to wear masks while traveling.
New York state will still require masks on public transportation despite the ruling by Mizelle.
Governor Kathy Hochul made that announcement in a press conference in Syracuse, saying that because of omicron subvariants and rising cases in the state, it is necessary to maintain a mask mandate for buses and bus stations, trains and train stations, subways and subway stations and airports.
Masks will also be required in the following locations:
– State-regulated health care settings
– State-regulated adult care facilities and nursing homes
– Correctional facilities
– Homeless shelters
– Domestic violence shelters
According to Hochul, cases of COVID-19 are on the rise with an average of 40 cases per 100,000 people. She says there are around 1,400 people currently hospitalized with the virus across the state.
Despite the increase, the governor says the current cases are nowhere near where they were in January and she does not expect the current spike to reach that level.
In Chautauqua County, the County Health Department‘s weekly report for April 20 shows one person hospitalized and an increase in the 7-day average positivity rate to 3.8% from last week’s rate of 1.2%.
Wastewater monitoring levels in Jamestown and Dunkirk both remain unchanged from the previous week and reflect low levels of COVID-19.
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https://www.wrfalp.com/wrfa-rock-and-roll-rundown-april-21-2022/
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THE WRFA ROCK AND ROLL RUNDOWN
A listing of live entertainment events happening in the greater Jamestown area. Have an event you want us to know about? Use the contact page on our website or send an email to WRFA @ RegLenna.com.
THU APR 21
- Arts on Fire LIVE with Feverhawk – WRFA Radio – 107.9 FM and streaming on Facebook and Youtube
- Open Mic Night – The Wine Cellar – Jamestown
- Adam McKillip – Wicked Warren’s – Warren
FRI APR 22
- PA Line – Balloons – Ellicottville
SAT APR 23
- Bucked Up – Shawbucks – Jamestown
- A Strange Kind of Sunshine – Celoron American Legion – Jamestown
- Tyler Smilo – Southern Tier Distilling Company – Lakewood
- Mark Connors – Group Ther-Happy – Lakewood
- Alex Kates – Busti Tap House – Busti
- Movies at The Reg: The Tragedy of Macbeth – Reg Lenna Center for the Arts – Jamestown
SUN APR 24
- Open Mic with Bob Henry – Big Inlet Brewing – Mayville
MON APR 25
- Jazz Night with Razz and Friends – Chop House on Main – Jamestown
WED APR 27
- Chautauqua Jazz Revival – Roger Tory Peterson Institute – Jamestown
- Bluegrass Jam – Celoron American Legion – Jamestown
- Movies at The Reg: Everything Everywhere All at Once – Reg Lenna Center for the Arts – Jamestown
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