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All grade levels return at Fredonia

This week at Fredonia Central School district, seventh-, eighth-, 10th-, and 11th-grade students returned to in-person instruction. With these grade levels being in the buildings, it marked a milestone for in-person learning in the district. Fredonia Superintendent Dr. Bradley Zilliox said the district has been receiving calls from other schools, wondering how the process is going. “I know some of our principals have received calls from people in other districts, wondering how we were able to put that in place,” he said. “I’ve also received calls from other superintendents ...

Chautauqua County not permitted to save, invest stimulus funds

While Chautauqua County has been awarded more than $24 million from the federal government through the latest stimulus package, that money will not be able to be used to lower taxes or put away for future use. During the legislature’s Audit and Control Committee meeting, Chairman Chuck Nazzaro, D-Jamestown, shared that the COVID task force will soon be discussing the best use of the funds received through the American Rescue Plan Act. “It can’t just go into the fund balance and be used to put it away for a rainy day. There are going to be guidelines to that,” he said. “We ...

US jobless claims fall to 684,000, fewest since pandemic

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to 684,000, the fewest since the pandemic erupted a year ago and a sign that the economy is improving. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that jobless claims fell from 781,000 the ...

Brighter outlook for US as vaccinations rise and deaths fall

More than three months into the U.S. vaccination drive, many of the numbers paint an increasingly encouraging picture, with 70% of Americans 65 and older receiving at least one dose of the vaccine and COVID-19 deaths dipping below 1,000 a day on average for the first time since ...

SUNY Fredonia eyes return to full in-person instruction for fall semester

State University of New York at Fredonia President Stephen H. Kolison Jr. announced Wednesday the university's plans to resume full in-person instruction for the fall 2021 semester. "I am hopeful as I read about positive cases declining in our region as a whole, more vaccines being approved, ...

COVID vaccine eligibility expands as Chautauqua County crosses 8K cases

Not since the earliest months of the COVID-19 pandemic did it take Chautauqua County more than 30 days to record 1,000 new confirmed cases. The county on Monday officially crossed the 8,000 mark, with 71 new cases recorded from Friday through Sunday including 21 in Fredonia, nine in Dunkirk and 18 in Jamestown. The county surpassed the 1,000 case mark in late October 2020, about six months into the pandemic. By early December, the county crossed the 2,000 case mark — and two weeks later, 3,000 confirmed cases were reported. By Jan. 22 of this year there were 6,000 confirmed ...