In Years Past
In 1909, The Board of Lighting Commission had recommended the purchase of the property of the Jamestown Light and Power Company for $90,000. The board said the city could make a net profit of $26,000 a year from the merger. It would require about $35,000 to consolidate the two plants and hence an appropriation of $120,000 was asked.
A street car runaway down Main Street to Third caused considerable excitement in downtown Jamestown about 7:30 the previous evening. No one was injured and no great damage was done to the car. The trouble was caused by a combination of leaves and wet rails near Fourth Street. The car was in the charge of Motorman C.L. Goodrich and Conductor L.L. Soule. It sped down the hill at a rapid rate of speed despite the efforts to set the brakes and throwing the machinery into reverse. At Third Street it bumped a Newland Avenue car but did no serious damage.
In 1959, the distaff side of the Planned Progress Party ticket charged Jamestown Mayor Carl F. Sanford with not wanting to give women the chance to run for elected local office. Their statement said: "It seems to us, after listening to the Mayor at the recent meeting of the Political Study Group, that the defense he offered for himself, in not having any women on his ticket is rather 'weak.' To begin with, he stated that 'after the first year on council the members are ready for a divorce and by the end of the second year, their mates are ready to leave them.' Will the Mayor please disclose what council member is divorced because of council duties? Most of the City Council members have served more than one term. Why then, if there is so much marital strife, do they choose to run for a second or third term? It just doesn't add up."
Two Cleveland Ohio men were arrested in Athol Springs on charges of grand larceny, second degree, in connection with thefts from a Kennedy grocery store and a Hamburg liquor store on pretense of spilling change on the floors while buying merchandise with the cash register drawer opened. Their apprehension came about only through the alertness of Mrs. Barbara Russo, a clerk at Birchman's Superette, Fairmount Avenue, where a similar attempt was foiled by the woman who had been a victim of the ruse two years ago.
In 1984, in order to avoid the possibility of an antitrust lawsuit, Jamestown City Council members were to consider an ordinance designating more private electrical inspection firms to conduct examinations in the city. Richard L. Sotir, city corporation counsel, said that until now, Jamestown had only designated one firm - The New York Board of Fire Underwriters - to conduct electrical inspections for insurance companies.
Panama Central School district and its teachers had still not settled on details of a new contract, Superintendent Charles Pegan said. At its Monday night meeting, the district's board of education rejected the recommendation of John Watson, the fact-finder who had been hired to help settle the differences between the district and its teachers, Pegan said. The main areas of disagreement involved salaries and health benefits.
In 1999, the acquisition of 23 acres of wetlands to protect 1,750 feet of the north shore of the Chautauqua Lake Outlet-Chadakoin River had been announced by Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy. Executive Director John Jablonski III said the site was a concentration point for numerous species of migratory birds, including waterfowl, eagles and osprey. Jablonski said this wild area provided a pleasing contrast to the upstream developed shoreline of Chautauqua Lake, where only 13 percent of the property remained in a natural condition.
The Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament was on the move again, this time to the Chautauqua Mall in Lakewood on June 10-11. The famed 3-on-3 basketball event, which was in its 26th year nationally, was held in nearly 75 cities nationwide with several million people participating as players and spectators. The tournaments raised money for nonprofit groups and charities and gave basketball fans something to participate in.
