Early voting

Chautauqua County Board of Elections Commissioners Luz Torres and Brian Abram announced there will be four poll sites open for early voting.

These sites include the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds, the Chautauqua Mall, the Robert H. Jackson Center and the Board of Elections office.

Each location will have signage that will indicate the entrances to the poll site. All registered voters in Chautauqua County are able to visit any one of these four early voting poll sites to cast their ballot early.

All four sites will be open the same hours: Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m., Monday and Tuesday from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Early voting runs for nine days from Saturday, October 29 through Sunday, November 6. Early voting is not available on Monday, November 7.

All Early Voting sites are handicap accessible and do have a Ballot Marking Device for voters with disabilities.

Voters who cast their ballot early will not be able to cast a ballot during subsequent Early Voting days or on Election Day.

If you request an Absentee Ballot, recent law changes will prevent you from casting your ballot using the voting machine during Early Voting or on Election Day.

If you come to the poll site and want to vote, you will only be able to vote a Provisional Affidavit Ballot, which can be counted if you have not already returned your Absentee Ballot.

Visit votechautauqua.com to view sample ballots and learn more information about election day.

The event from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. will have kittens available for adoption. The reduced fee is $50.

Humane Society Senior Programs Director Brian Papalia said the agency is running out of space between the number of foster kittens that are ready to be spayed or neutered and those coming in through surrender.

All animals adopted from CCHS are spayed or neutered, up to date on vaccines, microchipped, and have had a dose of flea treatment.

For more information, visit chqhumane.org.

The current total assessed value of 381 Fairmount Avenue is $9.26 million. Washington Prime Group attorneys argue that the assessed value should only be $827,500 with a full market value of $1 million.

According to the Jamestown Post-Journal, this is now the fourth attempt by Washington Prime Group to reduce its taxable assessment in state Supreme Court, having previously filed in 2020, 2021, and updated a filing in March of this year.

Washington Prime Group had emerged from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year following its CEO stepping down, completing the company’s financial restructuring and the implementation of its plan of reorganization.

Target Corporation is also petitioning in Supreme Court to get the assessment lowered on the former Kmart store it purchased on Fairmount Avenue.

The current assessed value is $3.4 million. Attorneys for Target are petitioning to reduce to assessment to $1.7 million, saying the assessed value of the property is higher than other similar properties.

Target purchased the property at 975 Fairmount Avenue for $3.15 million in October 2021. The former Kmart in that location closed in October 2019.

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet

One of America’s largest retailers of closeout merchandise and excess inventory, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet offers name-brand merchandise at up to 70% off including food, cleaning supplies, personal care items, hardware, floor coverings, books and more.

CNBC reports the filing made in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas states the company’s estimated assets ranged from $1 billion dollars to $10 billion dollars as did its estimated liabilities.

Reuters was the first to report that the Columbus, Ohio-based company, formed in 2014 following a spin-off from mall giant Simon Property Group Inc, was preparing to seek bankruptcy protection.
The company was in talks for roughly $100 million of so-called debtor-in-possession financing to aid operations during bankruptcy proceedings.

Fallout from the pandemic last year forced Washington Prime to close some properties for a time and relax collection of rent from its tenants, squeezing the mall owner’s finances.

The number only involves counting votes and absentees that had been received through the end of the day, Monday.
Early Voting Ballot Totals for the past three days include:

• Saturday – 1372
• Sunday – 1191
• Monday – 4480

There’s also been 8433 absentee ballots returned.

The combined total for Early Voting or Absentee ballots returned is 12,913 – accounting for 23% of the expected voter turnout for this year in the county.

Early voting continues at three locations this week in the county, including the Chautauqua Mall in Lakewood.
FOr more information visit www.VoteChautauqua.com.

Sears announced Monday morning it was closing dozens of stores as part of its bankruptcy process and the location at the local mall was one of the 142 stores on the list.

According to the company, a liquidation sale will begin as soon as the next couple of weeks.

Sears also owns Kmart and while some of those stores were also on the list to be closed down across the country, it didn’t include the location in West Ellicott.

The loss of Sears is yet another major hit to the local retail business in the area. Earlier this year the SAM’s Club on Fairmount Ave. in West Ellicott was closed down by its parent company Walmart. And just a short time later it was announced that the Bon Ton in the Chautauqua Mall would be closing. Monday’s announcement by Sears creates a double whammy for the Chautauqua Mall in less than a year.

The national trend of online shopping and less reliance on department stores is being blamed for the closure.

It’s not known how many local employees will be affected.

According to the Post-Journal, Sears was first introduced to Jamestown in 1929 and began operating in the Chautauqua Mall in 1970 when it was first opened to the public.

Sears Holdings released a list of the stores that are to be shuddered and it includes 13 Kmart stores and 33 Sears stores. However, neither the Kmart in West Ellicott nor the Sears store in the Chautauqua Mall in Lakewood are on the list.

The company also said it is continuing to evaluate other stores and more closings could take place.

The latest list of closings comes after the company announced in May that it was closing 15 Kmart and 48 Sears stores due to low sales.

The format for the contest was a blind taste test where each community’s water was assigned a number, then the public was invited to try each one and vote for their favorite.  Ronny Raindrop, the contest’s mascot, was present passing out balloons to kids and mingling with the volunteer judges adding to the festive atmosphere. The event is co-sponsored by the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services, the County Water Works Association and the County Water Quality Task Force.

Bill Boria, Senior Water Resource Specialist for the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services said, “Judging was very close making it tough for judges to decide which water was the best because they are all very good.  This really supports the fact that our water operators work very hard to deliver the highest quality water possible to their customers.  But water is all too often taken for granted until it becomes polluted or is not there when we turn on our taps.  We all have a responsibility to conserve and protect our water by being careful what we do around our homes and businesses.”

Jamestown will now go on to the regional competition and compete against other county winners from Western New York.  Schuyler and all of Chautauqua County wish Jamestown the best of luck as they compete for the title of Best Tasting Water in New York State.

For more information about your drinking water, ask your water provider for their most recent Annual Water Quality Report, which includes information about where your water comes, what it is tested for and the results of those tests.  You may also contact the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human services at (716) 753-4481 or visit http://www.healthyCHQ.com.

However,  by late Thursday afternoon the list of stores was released and neither the Kmart on Fairmount Ave. in West Ellicott or the Sears inside the Chautauqua Mall in Lakewood were listed as locations that would be closed.

But even though a total of 15 Kmart stores and 48 Sears stores in other areas of the country that have been deemed “non-profitable” and are slated for closure in September by Sears Holdings, the company said a small group of stores were pulled from the list for further evaluation and more closing announcements could be forthcoming.

Retail outlets have taken financial hits in recent years due to the growing popularity of buying items and goods online from retailers like Amazon. The Bon-Ton in the Chautauqua Mall has already fallen victim to the trend and will close later this month. The West ellicott Sam’s Club on Fairmount ave. also closed down earlier this year.