Community Spotlight, the area's longest running local public affairs radio program, airs on all six Media One Radio Group stations each weekend and is also available to hear in our Podcast Section.  Each week we sit down with a community leader or another special guest to talk about issues within our community.  


Weather Forecasts are available across our radio stations each day and also as your fingertips! 

Connect with The National Weather Service's Buffalo Office or with WGRZ-TV for accurate weather information!

 

 

 


 

WJTN News Headlines

A Baltimore man who has roots in Western New York... and, Chautauqua County... says the current situation in the riot-torn city is "really tragic."  Joe Twist also says the problems between Baltimore police and the black community have been "long-term.  Speaking Thursday with our Jim Roselle and Dennis Webster... Twist says the problems have become "systematic."  He says he has a number of friends who are African-American... and, they say they've been pulled over for what Twist calls 'DWB...' -- "driving while black...." Twist... who spoke to us from Peru where he's stopped on a business trip... says a former Congressman from the area believes the death of a black man who was in police custody was the "spark" that started the fire.  He adds the area of Baltimore where the riots and protests have taken place has a 50-percent unemployment rate.  Twist is also troubled by the fact there is a 10 PM to 5 AM Curfew for the ENTIRE city.  He says that could be lead to some economic hardship because many businesses will have to close early.

 

New York state lawmakers are taking a look at what can be done to address the state's heroin and opioid addiction crisis.  A bi-partisan Senate task force held the first of a series of statewide hearings Thursday in Yorktown in Westchester County.  Additional hearings are planned for Rochester, Lewiston and Albany.  Local Senator Cathy Young is a member of the task force.  The meetings are intended to allow lawmakers to hear from local leaders, residents and experts as they develop proposals to fight the addiction epidemic.  According to state figures... there were 91,000 medical admissions for heroin and prescription opiate abuse in New York state in 2013.  That's up from 76,000 five years ago.

 

New York education officials say they'll release some results of the statewide English and math exams earlier than usual, on July 1st.  The department says that making raw scores available at the start of summer will give schools and districts time to adjust summer lesson plans and prepare for fall.  Other information, including performance levels and results of individual schools and districts, will be released later in the summer.  One of the major criticisms of the assessments that New York gives to students in grades 3 through 8th each spring is that results are released too late to do any good.  Districts around the state say they had large numbers of students sit out this year's tests, which are also used in teacher evaluations.

 

The first event in a series commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Nuremburg War Crimes trial following World War-Two is set for next Monday night.  A public showing... and, panel discussion on the documentary "Liberty Under Law..." will highlight the naming of local native Robert H. Jackson as Chief U-S Prosecutor for the trial.  Jackson Center Director Jim Johnson says the showing of the final, 90-minute film will be the kick-off to a series of activities over the next 18-months. Johnson adds that a Northeast, Pennsylvania couple put together a "director's cut" that was viewed locally a few years ago.  However... they ran out of money... and, the Jackson Center headed up an effort to finish it.  Johnson says several Jamestown-area foundations helped provide the money to finish the documentary.  They include the Johnson and Sheldon Foundations.  Monday night's program begins at 7 PM.  In addition... Johnson thanked the county legislature for recently approving 25-thousand dollars in bed tax monies to help put on the 70th anniversary commemoration.

 

New York's governor says the state's plan to end the AIDS epidemic by 2020 will put the virus on the same list as polio, smallpox and other largely vanquished killers.  Governor Andrew Cuomo's comments came late Wednesday, the day a panel created by the governor to recommend ways to combat the virus submitted its final report.  The plan focuses on expanded HIV testing, treatment and the use of pre-exposure drugs that can prevent new infections in high-risk groups.  The goal is to drop the number of new HIV infections to 750 per year by 2020, compared to the 3,200 cases identified in 2013 and down sharply from the 15,000 new cases reported in 1992.  Cuomo says 153,000 New Yorkers lost their lives to AIDS in the last 35 years.

 

The Jamestown High School Band will celebrate its 90th anniversary with a concert this Saturday night at the school.  Current director of Bands, Meghan Murray, says Director Emeritus, Lou Deppas, will return to narrate and be guest conductor... and, more than 50 alumni will be back to play. The band was begun by Arthur Goranson in the 1924-25 school year.  His sister, Ebba Goranson, founded the A'cappella Choir in that same year.  The JHS bands have won a number of awards through the decades, including a state marching band championship just last fall.  Meghan Murray says she's been sharing the band's legacy with current members... so they realize they are "part of history."  during the celebration, Rick Lundquist, Director of the Jamestown Municipal Band, will be entered into the JHS Band's Hall of Fame.  The 90th anniversary concert begins at 7 PM Saturday at the Merton P. Corwin Auditorium.  Tickets are $5 at the door. 

 

The Mormon church in Jamestown has organized a 'first ever' Family History Fest for this Saturday.  Members of the public are invited to come... at no charge... and learn how to explore their family history.  Lou Rosinski is the festival director. The festival runs from 9 AM to 4 PM Saturday at the church at 851Forest Avenue.  Rosinski adds it's a 'Bring Your Own Device' event.  Wi-fi will be available for laptops, phones, and tablets to access the church's extensive genealogical records.  Other computers will be provided to connect to ancestry.com.  Rosinski belives there are good reasons to explore family history... the main one being we "get to know our ancestors better."  The full schedule of classes is available at cpoa.net/JamestownNYFH.  People can attend one class or spend the entire day.  Rosinski emphasizes while the church sponsors the fest... it is NOT a 'proselyting event'.  

 

The mayor of Celoron has won this year's third-annual Chautauqua Lake Association's Ice Pick competition.  Chairman and Founder of the Ice Pick competition... Peter Sullivan... says the pick fell through the ice on the lake at 1:59 PM on Friday, April 10th.  Each year... since it began... residents have entered to guess what day... and, time the ice pick will fall through the ice.  The pick is a wooden tripod that has a clock on it.  It's placed in a particular spot each year... and, people guess when it will break through the ice.  The winner was Celoron's Scott Schrecengost... who was within 12 minutes of the time the pick fell through the ice.  Second was Philip Brunskill... and third was Laura Stetzko.  The Ice Pick has become the "signature" fundraising event for the CLA... and, Sullivan says more than 500 people entered this year. 

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo's 1.5-billion dollar upstate economic development competition is starting.  The contest, dubbed Cuomo's `Hunger Games,' pits upstate regions against each other in a battle for one of three 500-million dollar prizes.  Officials in the seven eligible regions have until October 5th to submit their proposals for how they'd use the money to improve the local economy.  The Democratic governor announced the start of the competition on Thursday.  He says he hopes it brings out each region's best ideas for how to revitalize their local economy.  The seven eligible regions are the Finger Lakes, the Southern Tier, central New York, the Mohawk Valley, the Capitol Region, the mid-Hudson Valley and the North Country.  Western New York isn't eligible because of Cuomo's previous ``Buffalo Billion'' initiative.