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Year In Review

Store Closing, Major Busts Highlight Top Stories Of 2018

By Eric Tichy 9 min read

The Post-Journal published thousands of stories on its pages over the past 365 days -- but none resonated with readers more than the sudden closure of the Sam's Club in West Ellicott nearly a year ago.

Coverage of the store's closure was read by more than 65,595 people on post-journal.com. What follows is a short recap of the 10 most read stories published by The Post-Journal over the past year and where those stories stand as the new year begins.

SUDDEN CLOSURE

Local residents, and most employees, were left shocked Jan. 11 after the company that owns Sam's Club announced with virtually no warning that it was closing or converting 62 stores across the country. The Sam's Club at 720 W. Fairmount Ave. in West Ellicott was among those that would close early in the new year.

Many who arrived to do some shopping were turned away by locked doors.

"The closest one, I guess is now in Erie, Pa.," one shopper told the newspaper. "I'm not going to drive out there in the winter. At Christmastime, and every other week, I would get paper products and the rotisserie chicken. There are so many things I come in for."

A frequent shopper from Warren County said she, too, was dismayed to find locked doors.

"I used to come in once a week sometimes, or every other week," the longtime shopper said. "I used to get gas here. There isn't any place to shop in Pennsylvania."

The store re-opened the following day with discounts in order to reduce stock. Many looking for deals showed up shortly before the store opened, causing a line to form around the property and traffic jams along Fairmount Avenue. Officers with the Ellicott Police Department were forced to do traffic control in order to keep vehicles flowing.

Several local politicians weighed in on the company's announcement to shutter many locations across the country.

"Like many in the community, I was alarmed and disheartened to learn of the sudden impending closure of the Sam's Club in Jamestown," state Sen. Cathy Young said Jan. 11. "This is a devastating blow to the store's employees and their families and to our area, which values all of its business and works to foster strong public-private partnerships."

The store officially closed Jan. 27. Sam's Club signs on the building and near Fairmount Avenue were quickly removed.

CITY SHOOTING

A shooting July 24 eventually resulted in the death of a Jamestown man. Officers were called to 114 Livingston Ave. in Jamestown around 9 a.m. and found a man, later identified as William J. Michishima, lying in the street with a gunshot wound. Michishima was taken to UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa., where he died the next day.

David F. Waggoner was taken into custody and first charged with attempted murder and assault. After Michishima died, charges were upgraded to second-degree murder following an indictment from a Chautauqua County grand jury Aug. 3.

Waggoner is set to go to trial early next year.

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WAITING FOR ANSWERS

In mid-July, friends and family mourned the loss of a 47-year-old Falconer man who drowned after entering Chautauqua Lake. For several days, emergency crews -- including dive team members and volunteer firefighters -- combed the lake for Timothy Yocum.

A photograph in the July 16 edition of The Post-Journal captured the moment a woman is comforted by another as crews used boats equipped with sonar equipment to search Chautauqua Lake.

Many relatives of Yocum remained at the Yacht Club in Lakewood as the search progressed. The Falconer man was located a day later in the lake.

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VIDEO DETAILS

SHOOTING

In an effort to quash rampant online speculation, the Jamestown Police Department on June 28 released video of an officer shooting a dog that charged without warning. The incident gardened widespread attention when first reported the previous day. But in order to show that the dog charged officers as they approached a Winsor Street home to search for a wanted man, police released video taken from across the street.

In the video, first provided to The Post-Journal, a dog can be seen wandering in the front yard as two officers approach. The pitbull-mastiff then notices the pair and charges the officers, one of whom fires two rounds from his service weapon. The dog died as a result of the shooting.

Capt. Robert Samuelson said video was released to remove any doubt that the dog charged officers, and that the shooting was necessary to prevent serious injuries.

"We wanted to release the video to clarify some of the questions that are out there," Samuelson said. "It's pretty clear that the dog charges. It's disturbing. It was pretty clear the dog was not friendly."

Though the 10-second video included no audio, it proved compelling to readers. The video received more than 18,000 views on The Post-Journal's Youtube page.

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DEATH RULED

SUSPICIOUS

The New York State Police in April ruled the death of man whose body was found off Route 20 in the town of Portland as "suspicious."

The discovery of the body April 21 came around the same time a Jamestown man went missing, prompting many readers to wonder if the man found was that of the missing city man. However, Jamestown police quickly said the two incidents were not connected. Indeed, not long after the body was found, state police identified the man as 47-year-old Brian Heyden, a known homeless man who frequently traveled from Brocton to Fredonia.

"We're being cautious with what we're releasing as part of the investigation," Capt. Eric Balon of the New York State Police told The Post-Journal at the time. "But at this time we are treating the death as suspicious."

What made the incident even more unusual was that it occurred the same day another body was discovered in the area. Busti resident Wilfredo Rodriguez-Colon was found on Swanson Hill Road in Randolph around 5:30 p.m. The two deaths were not connected, state police said.

As late as June, police were still looking for information regarding Heyden's death.

Meanwhile, 73-year-old Marylou Johnson was charged in Cattaraugus County on Sept. 21 in the death of Rodriguez-Colon. She faces charges of manslaughter, vehicle manslaughter, assault and driving while intoxicated. News of Johnson's arrest became the sixth-most read story on its own in the newspaper.

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KEEPING HOPE

A Warren County family expressed hope July 12 that 23-year-old Sven Blumquist would turn up after he went missing while attending the Great Blue Heron Music Festival in Sherman. The Conewango Township, Pa., man was last seen venturing into the woods in search of music when he went missing.

Blomquist's sister, Heather Burkett, spoke to The Post-Journal in the days following as several police agencies searched fields and ponds for the missing Warren County man.

"It was his favorite music festival. He wouldn't miss it," Burkett said at the time. "He pretty much just walked away. He heard music and wanted to go listen. He got up and went and never came back."

Burkett drove from her home near Pittsburgh when she learned her brother had gone missing. Local K-9 units were summoned to the Blue Heron grounds to assist in the search efforts.

"Never in his life has he ever done anything like this before," Burkett said.

In a joint statement, the owners of the Blue Heron expressed concern for Blumquist's whereabouts and his safe return.

"We've done everything possible to support the family and friends of Sven who have been here every day this week," the statement read in part. "We have always invested in the safety of our patrons, and there has never been a situation as serious as this before."

In the following days, Blumquist's body was discovered by first responders near the Blue Heron grounds.

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HOME DESTROYED

IN BLAZE

Readers were intrigued by a massive fire that destroyed a home at 67 S. Alleghany Ave. in West Ellicott on Sept. 28. The incident was reported around 2:20 a.m. by a neighbor who spotted the blaze.

Firefighters from Celoron, Lakewood, Busti, Fluvanna and Kiantone were called to help douse the blaze.

The story was boosted by video from The Post-Journal that showed massive flames coming from the home just as firefighters arrived on scene. The fire, which appeared to have started near the garage before spreading, was knocked down in about a half hour.

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JHS TEACHER RESIGNS

Few details were released Nov. 28 after Jamestown High School teacher Scott Lumia resigned. The Jamestown Public Schools Board of Education announced it had accepted Lumia's resignation in a statement.

"At tonight's Board of Education meeting, the board accepted the resignation of employee Scott Lumia," Superintendent Bret Apthorpe said at the time. "I understand there may be questions about the nature of the resignation, however, as with any district personnel matter we cannot comment on specifics. We can only confirm, as with every personnel matter, that is brought to the district's attention, the district investigates any concerning report and works with state and federal law enforcement authorities if necessary, and as appropriate, with the best interests of our students at the forefront."

Sources told The Post-Journal that the FBI was looking into the situation. Lumia was put on leave Nov. 21; he began his tenure with the district in 1999.

Lumia's resignation, along with a separation agreement, was unanimously approved by the school board. The former teacher's attorney declined to comment.

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OPERATION MELTDOWN

The announcement of a large methamphetamine conspiracy ended up being one of the most read stories of the year. Local, state and federal officials held a press conference at City Hall in Jamestown on June 19 to announce the arrest of more than a dozen area residents tied to the drug ring where methamphetamine originating from Mexico found its way to Chautauqua County.

The conspiracy dates as far back as 2010, though the recent charges were the result of an investigation into drug trafficking beginning in November 2017.

The investigation was called "Operation Meltdown" and included federal indictments to at least eight local residents in addition to other arrests connected to drug trafficking.

Federal prosecutors said the drugs were manufactured in Mexico and shipped to California before arriving in Western New York through the mail.

Local and federal authorities touted the charges as a collaborative effort to combat rampant drug use not only in Jamestown but across the country.

"This is a great example of the collaborative effort in the results that we can achieve," Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings said in June.

In 2016, more than 7,500 people in the country died as the result of a methamphetamine overdose.

"It remains a serious problem in our country and in our community," said Joseph Karaszewski, criminal chief for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Starting at /week.