Organizers will be collecting new, unwrapped toys, a bag of non-perishable groceries for St. Susan’s Center or a bag of care-package items for military men and women. The collected items will be used in place of  a traditional cover charge – meaning there is no cost to attend and a simple donation will suffice.

The event will feature live music from local performers Thee Audience, Big Leg Emma Trio, Gina Vecchio, Haley Restivo, We Speak Canadian, and Alex Kates.

There will be a Chinese auction.

Organizers say the even is kid friendly event and will feature a craft tables for the kids as well as Christmas cards for them to make to send to soldiers.

For those who can’t make the event on Sunday but still want to help, there are also toy and food drop off locations around Jamestown for anyone that would like to donate prior to the event. Drop box locations will be at Chautauqua Music, Jones Bakery, Cibo, Shawbucks Press Box Restaurant and Viaduct Vintage.

More details can be found on Facebook or at Chautauqua Music on E. 2^nd St. in downtown Jamestown.

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY – Thousands of National Grid and NYSEG customers found themselves without power for more than two hours last night. Customers from Busti to Randolph lost power around 5:55 p.m., with over 6,000 homes without service in the affected areas. The National Grid website said power was restored by around 8:30 p.m.

HOMELESS PERSON’S MEMORIAL DAY RECOGNIZED WEDNESDAY NIGHT

JAMESTOWN – A candlelight vigil was held at St. Susan Center in Jamestown last night to raise awareness about the homeless in our area.  The Chautauqua County Homeless Coalition, along with the National Coalition for the Homeless, held its third annual Longest Night Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day with several people on hand. The event is held on the longest night of the year to highlight the issue of homelessness, not just on a national level, but also in Chautauqua County.

Each night since 1990, on or near the first day of winter and the longest night of the year, the National Coalition for the Homeless has sponsored such vigils to bring attention to homelessness and to remember those homeless friends who have died while homeless.

BWB DONATES $12,500 TO WNY FOOD BANK WITH $5,000 GOING TO ST SUSAN’S

JAMESTOWN – The Buffamante Whipple and Buttafaro, accountig firm is making note of its 40th year in operation by giving back to its communities. This week the announced that it would be donating $12,500 to the Food Bank of Western New York, with $5000 of that money to be used to purchase food that will go directly to the St. Susan Center in Jamestown.

On Monday, members of the BWB branch in Jamestown stopped by the St. Susan Center to not only drop off their donation, but to also hand-deliver 30 bags of food that was collected during a recent food drive.

The St. Susan Center occupies part of the Gateway Center building on Water St. in Jamestown. The Center provides a nutritionally balanced meal seven days a week, including traditional holiday meals on Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. In recent years, the number of meals served has grown significantly. On average, St. Susan’s serves more than 300 meals each day in the Jamestown area.

For more information about the St. Susan Center in Jamestown, or to find out how you can help, call or visit St. Susan online at www.stsusancenter.org.

HIGGINS, DOT ANNOUNCE NEW PILOT FATIGUE RULES

BUFFALO – Representatives Brian Higgins joined other members of the Western New York congressional delectation yestersday to welcome the announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) of the completion of landmark new rules to address pilot fatigue. Congressman Higgins said the new rule was long over-due, with the National Transportation Safety Board having identified pilot fatigue as a problem for over two decades.

Pilot fatigue was a contributing factor in the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407, which took place in Clarence Center outside of Buffalo in February 2009.  After the tragedy, Western New York Representatives, along with the Flight 3407 families, led a fight for legislation to reform aviation safety.

GOODELL CALLS ON CONSTITUENTS TO COMPLETE 2011 SURVEY

JAMESTOWN – Area Assemblyman Andy Goodell is urging his constituents to fill out his 2011 Legislative Survey and return it to his district office either by mail, or in person. The poll was recently mailed to households in Chautauqua County in an effort to gain important feedback from Chautauqua County residents on important issues facing New York state.

The survey deals with critical issues, such as budget priorities, job creation, education, energy policy, and other key issues.  In addition to several questions, the survey contains several opportunities to provide additional comments and suggestions.  The survey responses will be used to help guide legislative policy next year.

Anyone who did not receive a copy of the survey in the mail can request a survey by contacting Assemblyman Goodell’s office at 664-7773, by e-mail at goodella@assembly.state.ny.us, or by stopping at his office at Fenton Building, 2 East 2^nd Street, Suite 320 in Jamestown.

Homeowners in Chautauqua County will see their property taxes increase by just two-percent next year. That after the Chautauqua County Legislature spent nearly two hours yesterday in budget hearings and another three hours last night in deliberations, before finalizing a budget that brings the tax increase for next year’s budget under the two-percent cap mandated by New York State.

Through a combination of cuts and increasing projected revenue, the panel finalized a spending plan that would result in a property tax increase of 18 cents per thousand assessed value, bringing the tax rate to $9.08 per thousand in 2012. Legislature Chairman Fred Crosscut said it was only through a bipartisan effort that the budget came in below the cap.

“The big thing tonight that I saw is the bipartisan support for the cuts and for the adoption of the budget. We just continued to work away at it tonight and we now have a budget,” Crosscut said, adding, “We’re under the tax cap and I can sit here and say I’m proud of both sides of the isle tonight.”Lawmakers were able to bring the budget down to two-percent by adding five amendments to the revised budget that came out of the panel’s audit and control committee last week. That revised plan called for a property tax increase of 5.66-percent – nearly seven-percent lower than the 12.6-percent originally called for in the county executive’s budget.

Last night the full legislature voted to increase sales tax projections by another $400,000 and also use $400,000 more from the county’s fund balance. In addition, it cut $300,000 in the 2012 contingency fund and another $250,000 in IGT funding from the County Home. Twenty-thousand dollars was also cut by reducing the legislature clerk position to part-time status. The legislature also restored $150,000 to the county airport budget. In all, $1,220,630 in property tax money was removed from the Audit and Control committee’s revised budget, putting the budget under the tax cap by $5,730.

The amended budget passed by a vote of 20 to 5. It will now go before the desk of the county executive, who will either sign off on the spending plan or veto it.

MAJORITY LEADER CALLS BUDGET ‘TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE’

One of the lawmakers who voted against the amended spending plan was majority leader Larry Barmore. The Gerry Republican said the spending plan was totally irresponsible, using a major slight of hand to accomplish the goal of staying below a 2 percent property tax increase.

“There’s absolutely no way that we could get under this tax cap without a bunch of smoke and mirrors,” Barmore said prior to voting against the spending plan. “Some of the cuts that we made tonight that were actually cuts will, in the long run, cost us more money than we saved by the cuts that we made. We stole from all our surplus funds. We one-time funded most of the changes in tonight’s budget and that will push probably $10-13 million in additional deficits into next year…. Basically we performed a major slight of hand.”

Jamestown’s Chuck Nazzaro disagreed Barmore’s, saying the amendments to the initial spending plan were based on sound assessments, especially an overall increase of $940,000 in sales tax projections over what the county executive had initially budgeted.

“The numbers aren’t inflated,” Nazzaro said. “We owe to the tax payer to estimate the best we can. It’s not a perfect science. You don’t want to over-estimate, but at the same time you don’t want to under-estimate because if you under-estimate, then you’re passing along a tax increase that should not be there.”

Nazzaro, who sits on the legislature’s audit and control committee, was one of two democrats who provided significant input during the budget deliberations. The other being minority leader Rudy Mueller, who was persistent in trying to find ways to reduce the property tax increase.

SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT GETS $500,000 IN RESTORATIONS

Not everyone walked away from last night’s vote feeling relieved. Chautauqua County Sheriff Joe Gerace saw funding for his department slashed by nearly $1.3 million in the county executive’s proposed budget.  While the legislature restored $500,000 of that money, Gerace reiterated during the public hearing that it wouldn’t be nearly enough for his department to provide adequate public safety in 2012. Despite the Sheriff’s plea for full restoration, lawmakers were committed to only restoring $500,000. Legislator Barmore did introduce an amendment to eliminate the restoration, but it was voted down 21 to 4.

ST. SUSAN’S CENTER TO HOLD

The St. Susan Center in Jamestown will be holding their “Volunteer & Community Open House” night this evening.  The Center will also be honoring their many volunteers and handing out various awards to those community members who sacrifice their time and energy to make the Center a special place. Special guest tonight will be Senator Cathy Young.

Opening its doors in 1984, The St. Susan Center soup kitchen has been providing nutritional meals everyday to community members who face various challenges.

The Center also serves as a safe haven for the physically, mentally and emotionally challenged individuals in the community who feel isolated.

WOODSONGS PERFORMANCE TONIGHT AT THE LABYRINTH

Don’t forget that a new episode of the Woodsongs Coffeehouse Radio Hour with Ken Hardley will be recorded tonight at the Labyrinth Press Co. in Jamestown. Musical guests tonight include  No Outlet and John Latini. The show begins at 6:45 p.m. and will wrap up at about 8:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend. It will be broadcast a week from tonight right here on WRFA.