Western NY News Now

App users, tap here to watch video report. PORTLAND – The FBI is now working to help the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office identify a body that was discovered in the north county last fall. Sheriff Jim Quattrone, in an interview with WNY News Now on Tuesday, explained that the federal ... read more

NORTH EAST, Pa. (Erie News Now) – The eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 in Erie County, Pa. are closed due to a motor vehicle crash involving a tractor trailer with a spilled load on the roadway, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said late Wednesday morning. The highway is closed from ... read more

ELLICOTT – Three men wanted in connection with a North East, Pa. homicide were arrested this week at a Chautauqua County hotel. The Sheriff’s Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force, the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force and the Town of Ellicott Police Department executed a search warrant on a room ... read more

CARROLL – A Frewsburg woman is facing charges after police say her Pitbull died due to her alleged negligence. Town of Carroll Police in a news release allege 33-year-old Amanda Wickstorm left her mixed breed Pitbull outside without food, water or shelter resulting in its death. Additionally, officer say Wickstorm ... read more

App users, tap here to watch video JAMESTOWN – We will finally shake loose those lake snow showers going into ... read more

JAMESTOWN – Those behind the lawsuit against New York’s statewide mask mandate say the case isn’t specifically about wearing a mask, but rather, stopping what they call an overreach of the executive branch. On Monday, a State Supreme Court Judge ruled the state Department of Health didn’t have the legal ... read more

ERIE (Erie News Now) – If the colder temperatures and more snow in the forecast doesn’t excite you, you aren’t alone. Local travel agents are busy this time of year as people flock to warmer weather for winter vacations. After working in the travel industry for decades, Ann Denny, owner ... read more

NEW YORK – No more number two pencils. The College Board has announced the SAT is shifting to an online format. The standardized college-entrance exam is going digital for American students in 2024 and international students in 2023. It will still take place in a proctored setting, but students have ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – High school students in the Washington D.C. area held a walk out to change some of the COVID policies in the classroom. Some said the district’s policies have been too lax, but they’re not the only students fighting for change.     During the school day a handful of Banneker Academic high school students in D.C. were spotted outside the classroom, but there’s ... read more

JAMESTOWN – This year’s United Way fundraising campaign is in the books, with the non-profit group meeting their goal and raising more than $1.3 million dollars. The annual effort kicked off in September as part of a joint effort with the United Way of Northern Chautauqua County, in order to ... read more

MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County had recorded its lowest unemployment rate since the late 1990s. According to New York State Labor Department data, the unemployment rate in December was 3.5 percent. That figure is down nearly one percent from the month before. The DOL says over 49,000 county residents are marked ... read more

RIPLEY – One of Chautauqua County’s first large scale solar energy projects is moving forward after the county Industrial Development Agency approved tax incentives for the development. Known as a Payment In Lieu of Taxes agreement, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development Mark Geise explains the incentive helped pave the ... read more

ELMIRA HEIGHTS, NY (WENY) – Congressmen Tom Reed, (R-NY23) was in Elmira Heights on Tuesday, as he promoted investments made to improve New York State’s rail system. Reed toured the CAF USA facility, and touted how the money from the federal infrastructure bill would not only be a worthwhile investment, ... read more

HARRISBURG, PA. (Erie News Now) – Tuesday in Harrisburg, some Pennsylvania lawmakers expressed their frustration over partisan gridlock in the state legislature.  There were nearly 3,000 bills introduced in 2021, however, only 100 passed. Of those that passed, 20% dedicate or name roads and bridges around the commonwealth. Some lawmakers are ... read more

MAYVILLE – A 66-year-old man has plead guilty to a 2021 rape in Dunkirk. The Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office announced the plea to third-degree rape on Tuesday. Prosecutors say James Miller was arrested in July 2021 following the alleged crime in May of that year. During sentencing, which is ... read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wild volatility in the stock market this week has put heightened scrutiny on the Federal Reserve’s meeting Wednesday and whether the Fed will clarify just how fast it plans to tighten credit and potentially slow the economy. With high inflation squeezing consumers and businesses, the Fed is expected ... read more

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) – Pfizer is enrolling healthy adults to test a reformulated COVID-19 vaccine that matches the hugely contagious omicron variant, to see how it compares with the original shots. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech announced the study on Tuesday. COVID-19 vaccine-makers have been ... read more

By CAROLYN THOMPSON  NEW YORK (AP) – An appeals judge temporarily restored New York’s mask mandate Tuesday, a day after a judge in a lower court ruled that Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration lacked the constitutional authority to order people to wear face coverings.  Judge Robert Miller in New York ... read more

App users, tap here to watch video report. JAMESTOWN – A local family was forced to leave their home of seven years after they say their landlord failed to make needed repairs to the apartment, resulting in the building being condemned.  Gerald Bay and Ashley Vincent, who have been renting ... read more

App users, tap here to watch video report. MAYVILLE – As election officials across the nation struggle to find voting site poll workers, those in Chautauqua County are looking to the next generation of voters to get involved. Tuesday is National Poll Worker Recruitment Day. At the Chautauqua County Board ... read more

App users, tap here to watch video report. JAMESTOWN – Jamestown Police Lieutenant Sam Piazza is once again sounding off against a shortage of police officers for the Jamestown Police Department.  Piazza spoke during Monday evening’s City Council work session. He explains that the shortage, a problem he considers to ... read more

App users, tap here to watch video report. SALAMANCA – Police in Cattaraugus County are looking for a missing 51-year-old man. According to WNY Missing and Unidentified Persons, Shawn Siago left a rehab facility in White Deer Run near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. He was last seen on January 6 in the ... read more

App users, tap here to watch video JAMESTOWN – There will be more in the way of lake effect ... read more

App users, tap here to watch video report. ELMIRA, NY (WENY) – With mobile sports betting now legal in New York State, you can place bets virtually 24-7 on your phone or tablet. For many, it’s fun, exciting, and super convenient however what if you have a gambling problem? The Finger ... read more

App users, tap here to watch video report. WASHINGTON D.C. – Congressional Democrats and President Biden have faced hit after hit with some of their key legislative priorities not passing through.  From the Build Back Better legislation, to voting rights and on top of inflation issues, political analysts said things aren’t ... read more

App users, tap here to watch video report. ERIE (Erie News Now) – A 23-year old’s murder is making headlines across the nation: Lauren Smith-Fields who was killed on a date that she arranged from a dating app called Bumble. It’s raising awareness to the dangers of dating. Especially on ... read more

App users, tap here to watch video report. HARRISBURG, PA. (Erie News Now) – 2022 is the year Pennsylvanians will elect their next Governor.  Governor Tom Wolf is unable to run for another term, opening the door for several hopeful candidates. One of those hopeful candidates is former Republican Mayor ... read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden responded to a question about inflation on Monday by calling a Fox News reporter a vulgarity. The president was in the East Room of the White House for a meeting of his Competition Council, which is focused on changing regulations and enforcing laws to ... read more

By ROBERT BURNS and LORNE COOK WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon ordered 8,500 troops on higher alert to potentially deploy to Europe as part of a NATO “response force” amid growing concern that Russia could soon make a military move on Ukraine. President Joe Biden consulted with key European leaders, ... read more

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A New York judge ruled Monday that the state’s mask mandate can’t be enforced, after it was reinstituted by Gov. Kathy Hochul over concerns about a winter surge of coronavirus cases.  State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Rademaker said in his decision that the state Department of Health ... read more