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WJTN News Headlines

Three people are under arrest -- two on felony charges -- following a drug raid on the city of Jamestown's northside.  City Police Captain Bob Samuelson says members of the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force... along with the state Police C-NET Team... raided the home at 904 North Main Street late Wednesday afternoon... the second time they've raided that residence in the past two months. Samuelson says members of the Task Force, and city Police SWAT Team... spotted a third man -- 40 year-old Antwain Jackson of Locust Street, Lakewood -- jumping out a window.  Jackson had no drugs in his possession... but ,was arrested for obstruction.  Samuelson says it's also the second-time in the past few months that Wayne Leeper has been arrested for alleged drug trafficking.  He says it was late Spring... and, a "large amount" of marijuana was involved.  Samuelson says all three are being held... pending arraignment.  He says both Wayne and Javell Leeper.. who are related... are charged with third and fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance... second-degree criminal posession of marijuana... and, criminally using drug paraphernalia.

 

Acting Chautauqua County District Attorney Patrick Swanson will be seeking the maximum sentence for a Jamestown man who has been convicted of second-degree burglary for a break-in last September in the village of Fredonia.  Swanson, who first handled the case when he was an Assistant D-A last fall, says 47-year old Marcus Norman was a temporary worker in Dunkirk at the time of the break-in and had apparently targeted the upstairs apartment at 180 Lambert Avenue. At the time of the arrest... Norman was on parole for burglarizing the same house in 2011.  Swanson says the charge carries a sentence of 5 to 15 years... and, he will be seeking the maximum for Norman.  Sentencing has been tentatively set for September 22nd.

 

Also in Chautauqua County Court this week... Acting D-A Patrick Swanson says another Jamestown man ws sentenced to up to 10 to 12 years determinate in state prison on three drug-related crimes.  Swanson says Pablo Figueroa received up to eight years from Supreme Court Justice Paul Wojtaszak after being convicted of both third, and fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.  Figueroa faces another 2-to-4 years for fourth-degree grand larceny.  He's also looking at 5 years post-release supervision. In addition... Swanson says a Ripley man will spend at least 4 years in state prision for allegedly running a Methamphetime making operation.  He says John Rowicki-the-third received the sentence in county court on July 18th on one count of second-degree unlawful manufacture of Methamphetime.  Two more Jamestown men... Jimmy Graves and Eric Barbee... were each sentenced to 2 to 4 years in prison after being convicted of third-degree criminal mischief in separate cases.
 


Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton leaned heavily on her campaign theme of ``stronger together'' in making the biggest speech of her career last night.  Clinton took center-stage at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia to try and win the trust of a public that is skeptical of her honesty.  She also needed to project that she is an "approachable and warm" person as well.  That from Chautauqua County Elections Commissioner Norm Green... who is in Philadelphia for this week's convention. Green says she needs to keep saying "I'm the competent one."  He adds that he's "obviously" a partisan person... but, says when you look at the mistatements by Republican nominee Donald Trump... she is the competent one.  During the evening... a couple of speakers also tried to reach out to moderate and conservative Republicans who don't support Trump.   She became the first women in the U-S to be formally endorsed by one of the two major parties to run for president this past Tuesday.

 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the ``very soul of America'' is at stake in this year's presidential contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.  Speaking at his party's national convention last night... the Democratic governor said diversity is America's ``greatest strength,'' but that Republicans want to use fear to divide the country.  Cuomo, who served in President Bill Clinton's cabinet, noted his past work with Hillary Clinton, saying she would be a ``transformative'' leader for the country.  He also touted liberal victories in New York state, including a ban on fracking, paid family leave and a plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour.  During the 15-minute address to delegates Cuomo also honored his late father, former Governor Mario Cuomo, who delivered a memorable keynote address at the 1984 Democratic convention.

 

The Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia has had it's rough spots... but, overall has gone as well as could be expected.  And... Wednesday was one of the high-lights of the week's speeches and activities.  County Democratic Election's Commissioner Norm Green says one was the speech by Vice-President Joe Biden.  Green says Biden gave maybe the best speech he's ever seen by the V-P. Green adds that President Obama... who is one of the orators in public office... also, fired up the audience... emploring Americans to elect Hillary Clinton to the White House.  Clinton then made a suprise appearance after his speech.  As for the convention itself... Green says Philadelphia has been far more prepared than Charlotte, North Carolina had four years ago.  He says the "City of Brotherly Love" has been great to the delegates.  The rough spots during the convention came earlier in the week when several delegates of candidate Bernie Sanders interrupted some speakers and others.   Norm Green is at the convention with Dunkirk Mayor Willie Rosas... who has been an alternate delegate at the convention.

 

The U.S. Coast Guard station in Buffalo is getting a new commander as the current one heads into retirement.  A change-of-command ceremony was held late yesterday (Thursday) at the Templeton Landing restaurant on the Buffalo waterfront as Captain DuFresne was previously assigned as the deputy sector commander of Coast Guard Sector North Carolina in Wilmington, North Carolina.  Rear Admiral June Ryan, commander of the Cleveland-based Ninth Coast Guard District, presided over the ceremony.  The Coast Guard's Buffalo sector based on the city's Lake Erie waterfront covers a region stretching from the Cleveland area to the mouth of the St. Lawrence Seaway in northern New York.

 

This summer has been so hot and dry in upstate New York that the horse poop in the town of Throop is bursting into flames.  The state Department of Environmental Conservation says one of its enforcement officers responded on July 5th to multiple calls complaining of smell and smoke coming from a burning pile of horse manure at a property in the town of Throop.  Throop is in the Finger Lakes region... about 20 miles west of Syracuse.  The officer learned that the owners of a horse stable had been storing the manure in large piles that frequently spontaneously combusted in the excessive heat and dry conditions.  DEC officials say a shift in the prevailing winds carried the odor of burning manure it into the neighbors' windows.  It took three local fire departments two hours to douse the burning horse poop.