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Court rejects water lawsuit in village

State Supreme Court Justice Grace Hanlon was apparently not impressed with the arguments of the trio of Fredonians who sued the village over its Sept. 10 water decision. Hanlon rejected all three of the grounds claimed by James Lynden, Gladys Sedota and Marie Sedota in the lawsuit that sought to overturn the September Board of Trustees resolution. The resolution declared that Fredonia planned to connect with the North County Water District, and shut its own water plant and reservoir. The plaintiffs claimed the resolution was a violation of the State Environmental Quality Review Act ...

Fredonia’s proposed tax hike up to 4%

Fredonia’s trustees plan a 2026-27 budget with a 4% tax increase, after their final meeting Wednesday about the proposal. A proposal by Fire Chief Joshua Myers to cut $125,000 from his ambulance revenue projections was immediately set aside. Erlyssa LeBeau, Fredonia’s treasurer and ...

No easy way out for struggling entities

Addressing Dunkirk’s Common Council last month, Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel offered insight into what could be the start of something big. With officials from four north county municipalities at the table — including the city, village of Fredonia and towns of Dunkirk and Pomfret ...

Fire closes Fredonia bakery until further notice

A Fredonia bakery and cafe has announced it is closed until further notice after a Thursday afternoon oven fire. Butterlow posted the sad news shortly after the fire on its official social media page. “We are so beyond grateful for the Fredonia Fire Department for the services that they provided to keep our staff and building safe during the unexpected fire,” the post states. “We are all safe and we appreciate all of the support from the community as we move through this time.” Butterlow’s post concluded that “we will be back soon!” The village fire department reported ...

Deputies involved in Mina shooting back on duty

The two Chautauqua County Sheriff deputies who have been essentially cleared in an officer-involved shooting in Mina are back on duty and have been for a while. On June 18, 2025, shortly before 4 p.m. a deputy went to 2900 Mina French Creek Road in response to a 911 call reporting a domestic dispute. The deputy encountered 66-year-old Mark Bemis, who was in the garage, holding a shotgun. The deputy took out his service weapon and instructed Bemis to drop his weapon. Bemis fired a shot into the air, and the deputy took cover behind a tree. For the next several minutes, the deputy – ...

Area leaders call for action on homeless issue

State and area leaders are calling on New York state to act and assist in the growing homeless crisis in Chautauqua County. On Thursday, state Sen. George Borrello and Assemblyman Andrew Molitor, joined by a bipartisan coalition of local and state officials across the county, have sent a ...