Local News

On Saturday night around 10:24pm, Horseheads Police responded to a car vs pedestrian crash in the area of Grand Central Avenue and John Street in the Village Of Horseheads. Horseheads Police Chief Sean Murray says that when police arrived the driver of the vehicle had left the scene. The pedestrian was killed as a result. Following an investigation, police arrested 34 year old Louis R. Johnson of Horseheads. Johnson was charged with Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Motor Vehicle Accident, a Class D felony. He was remanded to th Chemung County Jail pending further court proceedings. The investigation is ongoing and police have not released the name of the victim at this tim…

According to a post on social media, LECOM Event Center will soon have more to offer, this time in the form of a new brewpub. The event center posted earlier this wweek that Draft River Brewing Company is expected to open this fall. The idea, founded by owner Marc Stemmerman, is said to be based on the idea of giving people yet another reason to come to downtown Elmira and visit with neighbors. Stemmerman plans to have live music, themed events, and other community focused events year round. In addition to a locally themed menu of food, Draft River will feature beers brewed by Elmira native and experienced brewer Pat Palmer. In addition to being open during events at …

The Chemung County Sheriff’s Office announces the arrest of 45-year-old Christopher S. Price of Elmira Heights for Burglary in the 2nd Degree, a Class C Felony, Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree and Petit Larceny, both Class A Misdemeanors, and Public Lewdness, a Class B Misdemeanor. According to the sheriff’s office, on May 20, 2026, at about 12:22 P.M., Chemung County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a residence on O’Hanlon Street, in the Town of Horseheads, for the report of a burglary. This was called in by a resident who had fled the home and called 911 after Price entered. Upon arrival, Deputies found that the front door of the residence had been damaged an…

A motorcyclist was injured while trying to avoid a car vs deer collision on Interstate 86 on Monday According to the Chemung County Sheriff's Office, at 8:22 A.M., police and EMS were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident involving a passenger vehicle that struck a deer in the eastbound lane of Interstate 86, between exits 50 and 51A, in the Town of Big Flats. While on scene, a single vehicle accident occurred involving a 37-year-old male operating a Harley Davidson motorcycle. The operator sustained life threating injuries and was transported to the Corning Guthrie Hospital for medical treatment. He was later transferred to Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pennsylvan…

Voters will go to the polls next week to decide on the Elmira City School District’s (ECSD) $160,727,766 budget proposal. A public hearing for the proposed budget was held at the administration building on Monday. The budget is a $5,382,859 increase over last year with a tax levy of 1.98 percent, which is under the state tax cap and only requires a 50 percent plus one—or a simple majority—to pass. Instruction and employee benefits are the top expenditures for the district at a combined $123,159,841. There are no additional propositions on the ballot. See the rest here

photo courtesy of City of Elmira website In a statement issued earlier today, Mayor Dan Mandell announced that Elmira City Manager P. Michael Collins is retiring from his position effective June 13, 2026. "I’d like to thank Michael for all his dedicated service to the city of Elmira over these past 12 years. I wish him and his family all the best in his retirement," Mandell wrote. Collins took over the position of city manager in 2016. Mandell also announced that City Chamberlain Charmain Cattan has agreed to serve as the Interim City Manager effective June 13, 2026, through the remainder of Collins' term, which lasts until December 31, 2027.

You won’t take more than a few steps inside Second Editions Bookshop at 112 South Main Street, Elmira (secondeditionsbookshop.com, (607) 733-3512) before spotting a few books you’ll want, then a distant shelf requiring further exploration. Books everywhere! This secondhand bookstore, with a comfortable seating area to consider your prospective purchases and put you in sight of even more temptation, has over 20,000 well-organized treasures awaiting discovery. “It’s amazing how many books and how many writers there are,” says Todd Hartman, who, with his wife, Bo, owns Second Editions. Both serious readers and longtime booklovers, they’ve had to make a disciplined transition…

Todd Yoggy remembers the Elmira of the eighties, when he’d come from Big Flats to hang out. “There was a lot to do here,” he says. “The whole downtown. You could walk to People’s Place”—Tommy Hilfiger’s first store—“but [the energy] went away.” And so did Todd and many others. But when Todd and his friend, Elmira native Charlie Hunter, both returned to the area a little over five years ago for family reasons, they got a happy surprise. “Now people are coming back,” says Todd. What changed? A man from Hazelton, Pennsylvania, who had a dream to sell his pizza dough across the globe, came to town. One day in 2006, Jim Capriotti visited the Elmira Wegmans store that stocked h…

ELMIRA - LECOM Event Center, formerly known as First Arena, has announced a new partnership with Southern Tier Events LLC which they say will bring a full lineup of community-driven events to the venue. In a post on social media, the event center says that this collaboration is "...all about creating more opportunities for people to come together, experience something new, and make LECOM Event Center a consistent destination for events year-round." Some of the events announced so far include: Spring Craft Fair Tattoo Convention Wedding Expo Holiday Craft Fair Small Business Saturday Craft Fair Amber Saltsman, the owner of Southern Tier Events LLC,, told WENY News that not…

Chemung County will be offering residents a limited electronics recycling voucher program to help facilitate a simple, organized way to dispose of common househols electronics at no cost. The program will be carried out in a partnership with the Chemung County Ag Promotions and REACT E-Cycling Inc. It will offer a way for county residents to dispose of items such as televisions and computer monitors free of charge. Additionally, residents can also dispose of other items such as computers, keyboards, scanners and printers weighing less than one hundred pounds, VCRs, DVD players, portable music players, cable or sattelite TV receivers and video game consoles. The program …

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Office of Special Investigation (OSI) is today issuing a Notification of Investigative Findings regarding the investigation into the death of Nathan Novakowski, who died on September 28, 2025 following an encounter with members of the New York State Police (NYSP) and Chemung County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) in Chemung County. About the Incident On September 28, 2025, a New York State trooper was dispatched to a 911 call reporting a domestic dispute. Upon arrival at the house, the trooper encountered Mr. Novakowski, holding a pair of scissors, standing next to his mother who was seated on the couch. His mother was screamin…

Moss Farms is located at 1255 College Ave in Elmira.

ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) — Earlier this month, Elmira City Council voted to change how some things work at their meetings, including eliminating the second public comment portion. However, not every council member agreed, and some are still speaking out. At the April 6 meeting, a resolution to amend and adopt city council rules and procedures was approved in a 6 to 1 vote. Councilmember Nick Grasso was the only person to vote 'Nay' and discussions about the change continued on Monday. Several adjustments were made but, the biggest change is the elimination of the second public comment portion, where residents could address any matters of city business. The first portion, which…

On Friday, 44 year old Juria S. Vanness of Ithaca was sentenced to to an "indeterminate term" of 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison, as well as a fine of $1,000 and a surcharge and fees of $385 for her part in a 2023 crash that killed. 25 year old Alexei G. Seymour of Millport on State Route 13 in the Town of Veteran. Vanness plead guilty to charges of vehicular manslaughter in the first degree, a class C felony in February, as stated in a release from the Chemung County District Attorney’s Office. According to the district attorney's office, Vanness was driving under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the crash. Her license had already been revoked because she…

Photo courtesy of Michael "Robby" Robertson ELMIRA - It’s not unusual for a crime which happened over one hundred and forty years ago to be forgotten. But now, one local murder victim will be remembered thanks to the efforts of the Chemung County Historical Society and a retired Elmira Police Chief. This morning, the area’s newest historic marker was unveiled near the intersection of Bancroft Road and Lena Place in the City of Elmira. The unveiling included remarks by Michael Robertson, retired Elmira Police Chief, highlighting the tragic story of Katie Bredehoft, an early murder victim in Elmira’s law enforcement history. Historical records indicate that the twenty three…

Today Chemung County Executive Chris Moss announced his idea for a six month proposal to ease the pain of residential energy and gasoline costs for county residents. Moss's plan would eliminate the four percent county tax on residential energy sources and services via a temporary exemption and cap the four percent county sales tax on gasoline purchases at $300 per gallon. Moss says the County Budget Office estimates these measures will save consumers approximately $2.5 million over the six month period from June 2026 through November 2026. "While we understand that the impact won't be huge, the continual rising prices surrounding home energy and gasoline have left many…

ELMIRA, NY (WENY) — On Thursday, January 15th, at the Chemung County Industrial Development Agency meeting, the board voted to approve a public hearing regarding plans for the former Booth School in Elmira. The Booth School building changed hands in October 2025, with a new developer looking to turn it into market-rate housing. “It's going to be approximately 58 units. Maybe we’ll try to add a couple more. We're looking to work with some of the people investing in the area, like Rye Bar/The Garage, so we're trying to reciprocate the same beauty, provide the same kind of things for the neighborhood,” said one of the developers with the Booth School Project, Jaison Sanchez.…

An Elmira fashion fixture is making a comeback, and it's packing a musical punch. The Underground Fashion Outlet pop-up, spearheaded by Andy and Kim Hilfiger, will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 30 to May 3 at the LECOM Event Center, 155 N. Main St., Elmira, according to a community announcement. Andy Hilfiger, brother of fashion icon Tommy Hilfiger, views the event as a homecoming. The event will take place on the same site of People’s Place, a store Tommy Hilfiger opened in 1969. The pop-up shop will feature a mix of vintage and modern clothing and accessories, including items from Andrew Charles, a fashion brand founded by Andy and Kim Hilfiger. In addition to shopp…

The Elmira Police Department is reminding residents to utilize the City’s designated Safe Exchange Zone, located in the parking lot of City Hall at 317 E. Church Street, for all online marketplace transactions. The Safe Exchange Zone was established approximately eight months ago in response to a series of robberies linked to online sales arranged through platforms such as Facebook Marketplace. Since its implementation, the location has been an effective tool in reducing these incidents. However, the department has recently investigated two new robberies involving the sale of a cell phone and a PlayStation 5. In both cases, the transactions were arranged to meet in areas …

by Carol Houssock (Chemung, NY) Regional racers and fans had held their breath for months, hoping that someone would step up and either buy or lease Chemung Speedrome. The track had run weekly racing programs since the spring of 2001. George Nichols and Dan Mathews recently reached an agreement with track owner, John White, to lease the facility for 2026. The late start has the team pushing hard to put the countless pieces in place for the May 1st opening. On the two prior Saturdays, April 18th and 25th, they will hold open afternoon practice sessions, with exact times to be determined. While more details are released frequently, the track will run on Friday nights at 7…

Almost three years to the day, former Elmira Police Chief Anthony Alvernaz has filed a lawsuit against the city, mayor, and city manager. As of publication, the specific allegations in the lawsuit have not been made public; however, the lawsuit involves civil rights and employment matters. Read more here

The New York State Police, in coordination with the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and the Elmira Police Department Drug Enforcement Unit, arrested a Chemung County parolee following a parole compliance check that led to the discovery of a large quantity of illicit cannabis. Polics say on January 14th, parole officers assigned to a G.I.V.E. initiative in Chemung County located approximately 30 pounds of suspected cannabis while conducting a compliance check at a residence on Wheaton Road in the town of Erin. Based on probable cause developed by parole, members of the New York State Police Troop E Violent Gangs and Narcotics Enforcement …

Miriam Osorio announced that she is running for the Democratic nomination in New York’s 124th State Assembly District on Friday, Jan 2. She will be running against Christopher Friend, who is the incumbent. Source

VAN ETTEN — Aside from normal organizational business at the first town board meeting of the year, one Van Etten resident said she spoke on behalf of many others when it comes to harassment concerns throughout the town. “Today, we’re sitting in unity to address an issue that should not be town business, that has impacted residents across this community,” resident Rebecca Rekczis said. “I’m speaking on behalf of those who are unable to be present today, but have been directly affected.” People from all walks of life, many who have never interacted before, are here for one reason, she continued, speaking to a packed room. “Ongoing harassment that continues to spread and esc…