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WJTN Headlines for Monday Dec. 11, 2017

A woman had to be flown to a nearby trauma center after she was struck by a vehicle on Main Street in Falconer late yesterday. 
 
Chautauqua County Sheriff's dispatchers say Falconer fire rescue crews were called to the scene about 4:30.  The unidentified woman, who was walking at the time, was taken to a staging area to be flown to the hospital.  No other information was available Monday morning.
 
 
Four people suffered serious injuries when a Jeep Waggoner struck a skid-steer vehicle from behind on Route 430 in the town of Chautauqua early last Friday night. 
 
Sheriff's deputies say 33 year-old Larry Houser of Westfield was northbound in his Jeep about 5:45 PM when he came upon the Skid Steer, which was traveling in the same direction.  However, officers say the operator of the skid steer, 40 year-old John Weaver of Lineville, Pennsylvania, went to make a left turn into a driveway, and was struck from behind by Houser's Jeep. 
 
Deputies say Weaver was flown by Starlight to UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pennsylvania.  In addition, his passenger, 22 year-old John Baker of Mayville, along with Houser and his passenger, 28 year-old Tony Long of Mayville were all taken by ambulance to Hamot for their injuries.  No charges have been filed.
 
 
Despite a number of fiscal challenges, the city of Jamestown has been able to retain it's good credit rating for another year. 
 
That from Mayor Sam Teresi, who recently reported to the city council that Standard-and-Poor's let them know last week that their rating remained an A-Minus.  Teresi adds that S-and-P also gave Jamestown a "stable outlook."  He says it helps not only the city borrow money at a lower interest rate, but the Board of Public Utilities also.
 
Teresi thanked Standard-and-Poor's for it's confidence in the city and thanked others on his administrative team for preserving their bond rating at an "A" level.  He specifically named four people, led by Comptroller Joe Bellitto, City Administrative Services Directors Todd Thomas and the retired James Olson and Corporation Counsel Marilyn Fiore-Lehman.
 
Teresi says keeping a good bond rating in New York faces challenges, including never ending mandates handed down by New York state, and having to deal with the state's 2% property tax cap..
 
 
In New York state government news, Governor Andrew Cuomo has settled on a traditional state of the state address after shaking things up last year. 
 
The Democratic governor plans to deliver his speech before lawmakers in Albany on January 3rd, the first day of the 2018 legislative session.  Last year, following a period of tense relations with lawmakers, Cuomo took the state of the state on the road, with a series of speeches around the state. 
 
Cuomo will use the speech to lay out his agenda for 2018.  Meanwhile, Democratic Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda has introduced legislation to allow young immigrants brought into the country illegally as children to keep their driver's licenses after the federal program protecting them from deportation ends in 2018.
 
 
Temporary repairs were made by late Saturday on a major water main break in the heart of downtown Jamestown. 
 
Board of Public Utilities Water Division crews were called to the scene at the corner of Third and North Main Streets about 8 AM Saturday and found water flowing from the break. 
 
BPU Spokeswoman Becky Robbins says they received several calls about water in the street, and a couple of flooded basements.  The water was reportedly running downhill from Third Street to Harrison Street in Brooklyn Square. 
 
Robbins says water pressure was very low in the city until repairs were made by the afternoon.  There was discolored water in the system through mid-day Sunday.
 
 
Governor Cuomo's office is defending the administration's hiring practices amid scrutiny by the FBI. 
 
The Albany Times-Union reports Friday that FBI investigators have questioned people who were hired to work for the governor, but who on paper were listed as working for other state agencies.  That's a move that makes the Democrat's staff and budget look smaller than they really are. 
 
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi confirmed Friday that the administration received a subpoena months ago and has cooperated by providing documents.  Azzopardi called the investigation a "charade."
 
 
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer wrapped up another tour late last week of New York's 62 counties with a call for greater federal help for the state's craft beer industry. 
 
The Democrat visited a Columbia County brewery to discuss efforts to add New York to a list of states eligible for a crop insurance program for farmers who grow malt barley.  Schumer says malt barley is a risky proposition in New York.  He says that giving New York farmers greater crop insurance options will encourage more farmers to grow it. 
 
Demand for locally grown malt barley is expected to increase as brewers look for local ingredients to use in their beer.  Friday's visit to Columbia County, east of Albany, makes this the 19th year Schumer has visited each of the state's counties.