Candidly Speaking: County DSS commissioner discusses homeless, housing assistance, shelter space

October 3, 2026

 MAYVILLE - The Director of Community Mental Hygiene Services for Chautauqua County, Carmelo Hernandez, stated that the situations of homelessness and those being unhoused did not occur suddenly - nor will solutions be found quickly. However, Hernandez shared insights the general public may not know about the homeless situation, which has become a serious point of contention in the county. Hernandez said that because of cutbacks on the NYS side of funding, the county has had to shoulder a larger portion of the cost of housing individuals and families who are facing homelessness, ...

Clerk asks state Attorney General to resolve NYC ticket issue

October 3, 2026

A Chautauqua County official is asking the state Attorney General to address the problem of dozens of traffic citations being issued to a local resident for violations in New York City based on a license plate that he doesn’t have. Last month, County Clerk Gregory Carlson sent a letter ...

Local visitation fight leads mother to push for Kyra’s Law

October 3, 2026

A local mother is seeking more protections both locally and on the state level for herself and her child following continued open cases of abuse and child custody. Tonya Purlow has been working through the courts and judicial system to protect her son from his father, who was recently indicted on three counts of first-degree rape and three counts of third-degree rape. Purlow has been diagnosed with PTSD and has receipts and papers that she shared with The Post-Journal and will be shared with the judge and courts, detailing abuse and some incidents on Facebook, including her son's ...

UPDATED: Man rescued from vehicle after pickup plunges into Barcelona Harbor after chase

October 2, 2026

WESTFIELD - A Rochester man faces charges after leading police on a chase that ended up with a truck being driven into Lake Erie. At 6:47 a.m. Friday, Westfield police officers saw a motor vehicle stopped in the eastbound lane of East Main Street obstructing the normal flow of traffic. ...

City to dedicate Riverwalk bike path in honor of Tony Dolce

October 2, 2026

The Greater Jamestown Riverwalk bike path will now serve as part of the legacy of longtime City Councilman Anthony Dolce. The city will rename the path in Dolce’s memory during a public ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 3:30 p.m. The community is invited to join Dolce’s family, friends, ...

GOP pushes through COLA raises for county managers

October 2, 2026

MAYVILLE – A county law that is designed to give county managers raises tied to the Cost Of Living Adjustments has been updated, but only with Republican support. During the Chautauqua County Legislature meeting, lawmakers voted 11-6 to update a local law relating to the management salary plan by providing for an annual adjustment of management salary ranges based upon the consumer price index. The legislation states, “The County Legislature finds that maintaining current and competitive salary ranges within the Chautauqua County Management Salary Plan is necessary to support ...