A-1
The Sun / Thursday, November 20, 2014
FRONTIER STUDENTS SIGN NLI
PAGE B2
AND THE ERIE COUNTY INDEPENDENT • EST. 1875
PIER PIERCE GUIDES YOUNG EDEN SQUAD YOUN
CANDLESTICKS TO CHARLOTTE
PAGE B1
PAGE A2
VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.THESUNNEWS.NET
VOL 139 NO. 47
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014
Chautauqua County to feature on HGTV
Hamburg, and the rest of the Southtowns, are starting to dig out after a record-setting 80 inches of snow fall in three days.
Southtowns start to dig out after historic snow fall By Andrew Manzella THE SUN STAFF REPORTER
Western New York will not soon forget the snow event that claimed lives and tested the disaster services on-hand in Erie County. In places throughout the Southtowns, drifts reached mammoth heights of 60 inches in spots, which made the effort to clear roadways near impossible. At press time, 12 lives were lost in relation to the storm, most of which were caused by overexertion while shoveling snow leading to cardiac arrest and an inability for emergency services to obtain access to those in need. On the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 20, Boston Town Supervisor Martin Ballowe said that multiple emergency calls were made by Boston residents, but access could not be easily gained to those who called, including a pregnant woman. He stressed the importance of adhering to the travel ban that was in place since the previois Tuesday and reported that the county roads had, at that time,
$1.00
not been plowed by county plows. Boston recently made it known that the town would not be entering in another contract with Erie County to plow the county roads in exchange for payment, as the town has yet to be paid for their most recent season of plowing those same areas. Ballowe also reported that Boston, at the time of the interview, was receiving between three and five inches of snow per hour. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz joined Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Byron Brown in addressing Western New York about the state of the area affected by the storm on Thursday morning. Poloncarz urged people to stay off the road during the ban, as many residents were still trying to drive. He said that, on his way to address the media that morning, he saw seven incidences of vehicles stuck on affected roads. The county executive cited nonobservance of the advisories and bans as a main reason why roadways could not be cleared properly. Cuomo discussed the possibility of receiving federal
aid for damages caused by the natural disaster. While funding for the repair of damages caused by snow storms are not usually eligible for aid, the elected officials reported that they hoped to make this event an exception. Poloncarz reminded all municipal workers to document every penny spent in the endeavor to clear snow, so proof of the impact can be proved later. The National Hockey League announced Thursday, during the second round of the snow band, that the game at the First Niagara Center would not be happening on Friday as planned. Meanwhile, at the Ralph Wilson Stadium, an offer to the public was made for assistance clearing the snow filling the field for $10 per hour. During Poloncarz’s address to Western New York, reporters asked about whether or not he had made contact with the National Football League. Poloncarz responded sharply by saying he had not had time and that the emergency at hand was a more pressing matter than the football game. The Bills game was rescheduled for Monday in Detroit, against
the Jets. He said, “The Bills are a business, simple as that. ... I think if the NFL is trying to push the Bills to hold a football game, while we're in the middle of an emergency, shame on the NFL. Simple as that.” The winter storm, named "The Knife," and nicknamed "Snowvember" tested the strength of the communities in Western New York. As roofs collapsed, cars disappeared in drifts of powdery snow and medical emergencies surfaced, emergency responders worked around the clock to bring those in need to safety. Local snowmobile clubs brought food and supplies to those stranded in their cars, and medical staff at hospitals worked 60-hour shifts (or more) while their reliefs remained stuck behind the walls of ice and snow. As temperatures rise in the early part of next week, weather professionals warn that severe floods are likely. Residents are reminded to exercise caution when clearing snow, and request assistance when necessary.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
THE SUN
CANDLESTICKS ...........................SECT. SECT. A PAGE 2
POLICE BLOTTER ........................SECT. SECT. A PAGE 5
SECT. A PAGE 3 FESTIVAL ......................................SECT.
SECT. A PAGE 6 LEGAL NOTICE.............................SECT.
141 Buffalo St., Hamburg NY 14075
SECT. A PAGE 3 BULLDOGS...................................SECT.
LAKE SHORE............................... SECT. A PAGE 8
716-649-4040
OBITS ......................................... SECT. A PAGES 4
SPORTS ...................................SECT SECT B, PAGES 1-5
SECT. A PAGE 4 GOLF ............................................SECT.
CLASSIFIED ................................. SECT B, PAGE 7
www.thesunnews.net E-mail: news@thesunnews.net
The crew from the HGTV Network program “House Hunters” recently completed an episode in the Chautauqua Lake region. Local real estate Company 21 Turner Brokers worked with the production crew on the episode. Pie Town Productions, the company that produces House Hunters, sent a crew of three people to videotape the home buyers and their broker. Michelle Turner, with Century 21 Turner Brokers, worked with the production company for several months to find house hunters with an interesting list of criteria for a house. She said she had to provide the company information about the home market in the Chautauqua region: The budget specifications of the buyers, the competitiveness of the area, the challenges of buying a home there and details of the different neighborhoods they were considering. Mostly, the show requested details about the Chautauqua Lake region. “This is the exciting part,” said Turner. “The exposure that this show will bring to Chautauqua County cannot be measured in dollars. House Hunters wanted to know as much as possible. What makes it a great place to live, what are people’s favorite activities, what draws people to our area.” The three-person crew, consisting of a field producer, a sound engineer and videographer, along with Turner and the home buyers in town, spent several days taping the show. The couple was vid-
eotaped looking at several houses. “Working with them was a lot of fun, but also a lot of long days of being on your feet,” said Turner. “It took a lot of energy and patience, at the same time.” The crew also taped the buyers at several local establishments. Turner said that, in the end, more than 30 hours of footage was taped, which will result in the half-hour show that is aired on HGTV. The crew recently returned to videotape around the lake and county to highlight the region at peak fall foliage, to be included in the episode. It is expected to air on HGTV sometime in the fall/winter season. Pie Town Productions contacted Turner Brokers about a year and a half ago, saying it was interested in producing a show around Chautauqua Lake. The producers were looking for outgoing, energetic buyers that were in the market to buy a home in the area. The challenge for Turner Brokers was to find out whether their clients would successfully navigate the rigorous casting process and obtain approval to be featured in an episode; it took several submissions before they were successful. House Hunters is the No. 1 show on the HGTV Network, distributed to 98 million United States households. Episodes of House Hunters also have multiple airings, over several years.