Three facing drug charges after Fredonia traffic stop

March 27, 2026

Three Chautauqua County residents are facing drug charges after the Fredonia Police Department conducted a traffic stop after a vehicle was seen violating New York state laws. During a lawful probable cause search of the vehicle at 8:54 p.m. March 20, officers recovered a large quantity of illegal narcotics after the stop at Main Street and Cleveland Avenue. The operator of the vehicle, Angela Waldemarson of Westfield, was found to be in possession of a small quantity of cocaine. She is charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance as well as vehicle and ...

State announces expansion plans for city labeling facility

March 25, 2026

Empire State Development on Wednesday announced that Ultrapak, LLC is expanding its Chautauqua County operations, modernizing its long-term facility in the city of Dunkirk. Supported by up to $120,000 in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits, the $800,000 project will integrate ...

Dead python leads to charges for Gerry man

March 25, 2026

GERRY --- A town resident is facing animal cruelty charges after Chautauqua County sheriff's deputies found a dead ball python in his residence. On March 19 at about 06:30 p.m. deputies were dispatched to a Route 380 address. After an investigation, it was found that Austin Billick, 23, neglected to care for the reptile, which was found deceased inside its enclosure with no food, water or heat source that is required for a ball python’s survival. Billick was charged with overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance and will answer charges later ...

Dunkirk man pleads guilty to theft of COVID funds

March 25, 2026

A Dunkirk man has pleaded to the theft of government funds. U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jesus Ramos, aka Manny, 42, entered the plea to U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr. It carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who is handling the case, stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, co-defendant Lamont Brown recruited others to apply for unemployment assistance compensation through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program for which they were not entitled. In July 2020, Ramos ...

Possible bus strike may impact students next week

March 25, 2026

A looming strike could possibly impact local school districts in the coming days. On Wednesday, Teamsters school bus workers at First Student yards across the country voted by an 88% margin to authorize a strike should the company fail to negotiate a fair contract. With an expiration date of Tuesday, the National Master Agreement covers more than 17,000 members represented by 96 Teamsters locals. “The Teamsters Union has been consistently raising the standards within the school bus industry for decades, and this contract will be no different,” said Matt Taibi, Director of the ...

UPDATE: Dunkirk man charged after gunshot hits officer in vest

March 24, 2026

A Dunkirk man is facing charges after gunshots were fired while a search warrant was being executed before sunrise Tuesday with one of those shots striking a Dunkirk police officer in the vest during the incident. Dunkirk police reported Tuesday night that Christopher M. Marcinkowski, 39, ...