His Erie-based biofuels empire is being sold. His debt keeps growing

Erie entrepreneur Samuel P. "Pat" Black III broke ground in 2006 for the Hero BX plant on East Lake Road, which became the center of his biofuels empire . The phrase "fuel for humanity" was incorporated into the Hero BX logo. Twenty years later, Black is selling his biofuels facilities to fuel a court-approved financial plan to help pay off a personally guaranteed loan of about $13.5 million. But even as Black's Lake Erie Biofuels, which does business as Hero BX, unloads more of the facilities, the debt has continued to grow, according to the latest court filing related to the collapse of the 84-year-old Black's financial holdings. A failure to satisfy the $13.5 million debt would put Black's personal assets at risk. Black has blamed much of his financial decline on his daughter, Sumi James-Black, 51, whom he adopted in 2019, when he was 77 and she was 44 . But Black's $200 million federal lawsuit against her has stalled as he awaits a ruling from a federal appeals court. Black's forced sale of his Hero BX facilities is the result of another federal lawsuit. Connecticut-based Siena Lending Group sued in federal court in Erie in May 2025 after

Two Sites Being Considered for Development of County-Run Homeless Facilities

Discussions are underway in an effort to develop facilities that Chautauqua County can use to house the homeless as part of a transitional housing program. That from County Executive P.J. Wendel, who recently provided an update on the situation as a way to move away from depending on local hotels and motels to provide that shelter. Wendel says he and others are talking about a possible site at the southern end of the county...

Corry volleyball among local teams to advance in PIAA state first round fall sports matchups

High school state first round of postseason: Girls volleyball: Corry 3 – Greensburg Salem 0 Maplewood 3 – Northern Cambria 1 OLSH 3 – Seneca 0 Oakland Catholic 3 – Warren 1 Girls soccer: Cathedral Prep 4 – South Park 1 North Allegheny 8 – McDowell 0 Boys soccer: Fairview 4 – Ambridge 1

State Announces $2.3 Million Resurfacing Project for Route 39 in Chautauqua County

The New York State Department of Transportation will undertake a $2.3 million project to resurface the entirety of Route 39 within Chautauqua County. Governor Kathy Hochul this week announced the project as part of $100 million in funding awarded for repaving projects in 68 locations across the state to help rejuvenate roadways impacted by the state's harsh winter weather. The local project will resurface Route 39 from U.S. Route 20 in the Town of Sheridan to the Cattaraugus County line in the Town of Hanover. This will also include the hamlet of Forestville. The project will begin next spring.

This Pennsylvania Tavern Serves Goat Balls Inside a Former Bank

A Pennsylvania tavern has a taxidermy skunk on display, an old bank vault used for private dining, and an appetizer called Goat Balls. The Skunk and Goat Tavern sits on Main Street in North East, a small Erie County town near Lake Erie. Its unusual name is only part of the story.

City Looking to Replace Damaged Trees

First Snowflakes of the Season Likely for Erie, Coudersport, Wellsboro, and the Laurel Highlands Friday and Saturday as Colder Air Follows Rainy Storm

ERIE, Pa. — Many parts of Pennsylvania are set to see the first snowflakes of the season later this week. A low-pressure system will bring widespread rain on Thursday, followed by colder air on its back side. That cold air could turn rain into snow or a rain-snow mix on Friday and Saturday. Forecasters stress that no major snowstorm is expected, despite some exaggerated snow totals circulating online.

United Way of Chautauqua County

The United Way of Chautauqua County is inviting the community to enjoy fun events this while supporting its 2026 fundraising campaign!. Friday, November 13, head to Northwest Arena for “Come Curling with Us!” from 5-8pm. This annual Curling Night fundraiser features a fun, beginner-friendly “total points” competition. The evening includes an opportunity to learn how to curl before the matches begin, making it a great event for first-timers and experienced participants alike.

Corry High School girls basketball pre-season

The Corry girls basketball team will open their season with their first game on December 8 against Edgewood at home. The Corry girls basketball team has been around for 54 years. They have won two District 10 titles. Last season they went overall 14-12 and with their conference games they went 5-3.

Agritourism Destination in Bemus Point

The Elysian Center will be celebrating a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony as an Agritourism Destination on November 17 at 9am. Located at 4578 Johnson Road in Bemus Point, The Elysian Center is creating a welcoming, sustainable destination that brings together equestrian experiences, agriculture, wellness, recreation, lodging, events, and tourism to strengthen individuals, enrich the community, and support the local economy. Join the community in celebrating this exciting new endeavor.

Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Announce Survey Of Unsold Grapes

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County’s Lake Erie Regional Grape Program has announced the 2026 Survey of Unsold Grapes. The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program surveyed growers in 2025 to find out how many grapes were not sold after harvest. This data was used to show the economic impact of the current market conditions on grape growers in Pennsylvania and New York. Data was collected, analyzed, and can be found in this article: 2025 Unsold Grapes Survey Results.

Rural Minds Founder Monitoring Developments Surrounding Farm Bill

The head of a national nonprofit organization based in Chautauqua County has been keeping tabs on developments surrounding the advancement of the Farm Bill. The measure, which has been stalled in Washington for the past three years, has cleared the Senate Agriculture Committee, but is yet to be taken up by the full Senate. Jeff Winton, founder and chair of Rural Minds, says there are two provisions in particular that are important to the organization. He says one of them deals with expanding broadband...

National Grid providing more than $2 million in economic development grant funding to bolster projects, foster growth across Western New York

Through its various economic development grant programs, National Grid supports the transformation of commercial districts, and long-underused properties in cities and towns across its service areas. And in recent months, the company awarded economic development grants totaling more than $2 million to six projects in Erie, Niagara and Chautauqua counties.

Trustee Says DA Has Requested Removal of Flock Camera Outside Village Hall

Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt has formally requested that Flock Safety remove the camera that's mounted on a pole outside Fredonia Village Hall. That from Village Trustee Ben Brauchler, who gave an update during Monday's Board of Trustees meeting. He says that while Schmidt's request is pending, the camera has apparently been disconnected. Brauchler was also hopeful that the Town of Pomfret would take action regarding two other Flock cameras "in the immediate vicinity"...

County Legislature Commends Local Advocate for Veterans

A Dunkirk resident who advocates for local veterans recently received a commendation from the Chautauqua County Legislature. During the panel's monthly meeting in October, Legislator John Penhollow presented the commendation to Lori Dispenza, who currently serves as a veterans service officer with the Chautauqua County Veterans Service Agency. In reading the proclamation, Penhollow noted Dispenza's record of supporting veterans since beginning her career in veterans services in 2014...

Nov. 17-24 Thanksgiving Food Drives and Events in the S. Tier

FeedMore WNY supplies food, perishables and operational support to more than 300 member agencies and food pantries across Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua Countries. For the past twenty-one years they have received the generous support of the WNY community as they present 97 Rock’s Operation Rock Out Hunger, hosted by DJ Jickster. Thanks to 97 Rock, Kaleida Health and 7 WKBW, 97 Rock’s DJ Jickster is headed back to the FeedMore WNY trailer to greet the public and accept donations.

Chautauqua Striders Awarded $150,000 To Expand Programming In Dunkirk

Chautauqua Striders has been awarded $150,000 to strengthen youth mentoring and social-emotional learning (SEL) programming in Chautauqua County. The funding is coming through the 2026 Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Fund and will have a particular focus on Northern Chautauqua County. Chautauqua Striders was selected as one of 20...