Celoron man pleads guilty to child porn

February 12, 2026

A Celoron resident has pleaded guilty to charges involving child pornography. U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that 41-year-old Jose Perez pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that on Dec. 15, 2022, a search warrant was executed at Perez’s residence after he uploaded a child pornography file to Dropbox, an electronic service provider ...

City crews battle King Street fire

February 11, 2026

A basement blaze at 170 King St. in Dunkirk had the attention of responders around 2 p.m. Wednesday. Upon arrival, crews heard smoke detectors activated and found smoke coming from a rear door leading to the basement of the two story, two-unit home. Firefighters ensured everyone had safely ...

County sheriff’s office, AXON partner to assist in public safety

February 11, 2026

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office has announced a new partnership Wednesday with AXON to deploy its Community Request integration with Ring smart camera devices. This partnership allows the Sheriff’s Office to invite Ring users to voluntarily share camera footage that may assist ...

Victims named in Sunday’s horrific Route 60 crash

February 5, 2026

A Sinclairville woman died in Sunday's horrific two-car crash on Route 60 in the town of Gerry, Chautauqua County sheriff's deputies reported late Wednesday. At approximately 6:18 p.m., the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office and multiple other agencies responded to the accident with serious injuries. Upon arrival and through investigation at the scene, it was determined that a vehicle was traveling north in the southbound lane of Route 60. A second vehicle was traveling south in the southbound lane, and the vehicles struck each other head on. The sole occupant of the northbound ...

Extreme cold coming late Friday to region

February 5, 2026

An extreme cold watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for late Friday to Sunday morning. Forecasters say dangerously cold wind chills, as low as 25 below zero are possible. The coldest wind chills are expected to be late Friday night through Saturday. Dangerously cold wind ...

Fire crews battle South Dayton blaze

February 4, 2026

Crews from numerous area fire departments, including Forestville, Cassadaga and Gowanda, battled a fire at 536 Route 83 in South Dayton. The call came in at 6:45 a.m. Wednesday as a chimney fire and spread to portions of the structure. Photos by Dan Kohler