batavia

Crews are completing roadwork at the intersection of Lewiston and Park roads, creating a good deal of congestion in the area.

Richard J. Kubis, 30, of 25 Vine St., Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Kubis is accused of supplying cigarettes to two youths, ages 12 and 13.

Darlene McComb, 51, of 110 Bank St., Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. McComb was arrested on a warrant for an alleged Aug. 27 incident. McComb is accused of kicking UMMC emergency room staff.

Lawrence D. Williams, 50, of 15 Walnut St., Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Williams is accused of shoving a woman. Bail was set at $200.

Clinton J. Reese, 46, of 106 Ellsworth Ave., Batavia, is charged with aggravated harassment, 2nd. Reese is accused of threatening to kill another person.

Chelsie R. Dibble, 25, of Corfu, is charged with DWI and aggravated DWI. Dibble was stopped by State Police at 2:26 a.m., Sunday, on Akron Road in Corfu.

Carl F. Jenkins, 18, of Clarence Center, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Jenkins was stopped by State Police at 1:47 a.m., Saturday, on Route 238 near Route 20 in Darien.

Edmund Rogalski, 51, of Rochester, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI, and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle. Rogalski was stopped by State Police at 1:38 a.m., Thursday, on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation.

Mike Pratt and the Fighting Irish dominated the Oakfield-Alabama Hornets from Notre Dame's opening drive, when Pratt carried the ball on each snap resulting in a touchdown.

In all, Pratt had 234 yards on 18 carries and scored three times.

Notre Dame won 36-0 in the Saturday afternoon match-up.

It was also a big game for Nick Taylor, who had 16 carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

In all, Notre Dame rushed for 433 yards on 50 attempts.

On defense, Taylor also had six tackles.

The Hornets drop to 0-3 and Notre Dame moves to 2-1.

In other Genesee County football action Friday and Saturday:

Alexander (0-3) fell to Barker (1-2), 20-17. Jared Quinn threw two touchdown passes to John Winiecki for Alexander.

Pembroke (3-0) defeated Elba/Byron-Bergen (2-1) 6-3. For Pembroke, Caine Cole had 155 yards on 32 attempts, while Dylan Bordonaro had 85 yards on 13 rushes for Elba/Byron-Bergen.

After two shutout wins to open the season, Holley (2-1) lost to Attica (2-1), 26-23. For Attica, Brad Clark rushed for 247 yards on 32 carries. He scored twice, including the winning touchdown. 

Le Roy (2-1) dominated Perry (1-2), 56-20. Tommy McQuillen rushed for 186 yards on 10 touches and scored four touchdowns. Defensively, Brad Morgan forced a fumble and had nine tackles. Austin Steinbrenner added six tackles to go with two interceptions.

In a Saturday night game at Van Detta Stadium, the Batavia Blue Devils were 0-3 after losing to St. Mary's (2-1), 21-14.

More pictures from OA at ND after the jump:

A caller reported smelling smoke and seeing ash falling in the Batavia Downs parking lot.

City Fire and Town of Batavia Fire were dispatched.

A Town of Batavia chief reports seeing a haze in front of Kmart.

Another responder reports smelling smoke in the area of Redfield and Richmond.

A security guard from Batavia Downs reported smelling smoke, too.

Firefighters are checking the grandstand area.

Another responder reporting seeing a plum of smoke in the area of BJs.

UPDATE 11:53 p.m.: The source has been located. It's behind BJs. It's apparently some sort of controlled burn. City units put back in service. Only Town of Batavia's Engine 24 is going to the scene. A deputy is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 12:14 a.m.: Fire extinguished. Town of Batavia units back in service.

For the literary-minded of Genesee County, Present Tense Books and Gifts at 101 Washington Ave., Batavia, has become an important community hub.

Owner Erica Caldwell opened the shop five years ago, on Sept. 17, 2005, because she thought Batavia needed a bookstore.

Today, the store officially celebrated its fifth anniversary and Caldwell said its success has exceeded her expectations.

"I’m thrilled that we made it five years," Caldwell said. "That’s a great milestone and I’m thrilled that we’ve gotten so much support from the community."

In an era of mega-chains, and now e-readers, there's plenty of competitive threats, but Caldwell said Present Tense has done well filling a quite little niche for the customer who prefers the bookstore experience and doesn't want to drive to Buffalo or Rochester to get it.

"You have no idea of the number of people who came in and thank us for saving them a trip," Caldwell said.

While it's a small shop, so there isn't the massive selection you might find in one of the mega-chains, there isn't anything Caldwell said she can't get for customers, often the next day and without any shipping costs.

For Caldwell, running the store isn't just about business success. She said one of the greatest joys is getting to know her customers.

"I enjoy talking with people about books," Caldwell said. "It's great to see all the people who love to read. People come in and I know what they’re reading and they know what I’m reading."

Michael Dorobilala, a student at Robert Morris, thought his time in a plane flying over Genesee County today was "awesome."

The best part?

"Going down because it gives you a swoosh of excitement and you’re like tingly."

Michael was one of 60 kids to show up at the Genesee County Airport today to get a first-hand experience flying a small airplane. The Young Eagles event was sponsored by Experimental Aircraft Association chapters out of Buffalo and Rochester.

The EAA has been running the Young Eagles worldwide since 1992, when the idea was launched with the goal of getting one million children at the throttles of a small plane by the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight. To date, more than 1.6 million kids from 90 countries have been through the program.

Rochester Chapter President Norm Isler said the EAA wants to not only expose kids to aviation, but to show them a practical use for math and science.

Pilot Mary "Willie" Mattocks said, to her, being able to fly is a privilege, so a program like Young Eagles is a chance to give back.

The flight is more than a tag-along ride. The children actually are given a chance to fly the plane.

"It's a fantastic event for children," said Mattocks, who owns her own Piper Cherokee and has been flying for 20 years. "It gives them an introduction to flying and I think it stays with them for the rest of their lives. They get just such a lot of pleasure out of it."

As for Mattock's assessment of Michael, she wrote in his log book, "Michael will be an awesome pilot. Keep going with the math and science. Straight and level at 2,500 feet. Executed turn at Darien Lake."

On Friday, Megan Houseknecht sported an eye-catching face painting at John Kennedy Elementary School's Community Night.

The annual event is organized by the Parent Group at the school, located at 166 Vine St. Its purpose according to Parent Group President Jen Houseknecht, is to "welcome our kindergarten families and to reinforce what the community and our school have to offer."

Displays of school programs included:

The school Post Office, represented by Lydia (left) and Kaetyn, both pictured below.

 

Representatives from the Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union with information on the Junior Banking Program, which allows kids in grades K-5 to set up primary savings accounts through in-school branches. This is a hands-on and fun way for them to learn how to be responsible with their money.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS:

Patti and Jim Pacino were there on behalf of the Kiwanis Club, an organization of volunteers dedicated to fostering community values and to the service of children and young adults. Patti takes advantage of the opportunity to advertise an upcoming pancake breakfast.

Representing the Batavia Fire Department were Tom Douglas (left), Chuck Dodson (center) and Chuck Hammon.

Diane (left) and Tammy -- whose last names are omitted by request -- for the YWCA.

Mark Fitzpatrick, the new program director at the YMCA, set up a hoop-jumping exercise for the kids and provided information on YMCA programs.

Mary Ellen DeFelice, of Cornell Cooperative Extension, couldn't wait for people to check out her "germy" ground beef.

Robin Ettinger, recruitment manager, for Girl Scouts of America. 

Kristen Drilling and Robin Cotler held down the fort on behalf of Images in Dance, a Batavia dance studio for kids and adults located at 29 Liberty St. For more information, please visit their website: www.imagesindance.com.

Bethany Gabriele of Cain's Tae Kwon Do is pictured here holding a board that was filled with circles a moment before, until an enthusiastic "karate kid" kicked them out one by one.

Outside the school, City of Batavia Police Detective Rich Schauf kept vigil by his car outside as kids checked out the back seat.

Close by, a couple of adventurous young fellows manned the wheel of a vehicle from Wormley Contracting and Development.

OTHER FUN STUFF:

Kids got free "tattoos" from Houseknecht.

Maria Branche "hits the greens" at the mini-golf station. 

Quinton, left, succeeds at getting whiffle balls into one of the Target Drop buckets.

Here's Quinton again, victorious.

Kennedy Kolb and a friend (hiding behind the curtain) entertain themselves and passersby with Puppet Theater.

The Parent Group officers in charge of organizing Community Night were Houseknecht (president), Sherri Wahr (vice president), Jill Halpin (treasurer) and Sheri Kolb (secretary).

Batavia Police were investigating a fender bender in the parking lot of Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union when a woman pulled up and said there was a propane tank in her car that was leaking. Batavia Fire was dispatched to the scene to deal with the situation.

A two-car accident, with air-bag deployment but minor injuries, is reported at Seven Springs Road and East Main Street Road in the Town of Batavia.

It is blocking the roadway. Police, firefighters and medics are responding.

One person complains of back and chest pain.

David P. Neibert, 23, of Albion, is charged with DWAI-Drugs, two counts of criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument, criminal possesion of a controlled substance and several vehicle infractions. Neibert was charged following a head-on collision on Route 98 near West Saile Drive on Wednesday. Neibert's pickup truck hit a Thruway maintenance truck driven by Nick Ciccarelli, 42, of Lancaster. Ciccarelli was uninjured in the accident. A passenger in the Thruway truck, Kevin Thompson, 40, of West Seneca, transported himself to Mercy Hospital for a possible neck injury.

Thomas John Bressinger, 42, of Countyline Road, Darien, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th, and harassment, 2nd. After coming home from work on Thursday, Bressinger is accused of breaking a computer monitor, punching holes in the wall next to his wife's head, kicking her and threatening to kill her.

 

Even in this morning's downpour, contractors were out on Ellicott Street milling the intersections in preparation for resurfacing.

Funeral services have been set for Jacquelyn Dawson, the 65-year-old retiree of the Genesee County Court, who died Tuesday following a two-car accident at 9:15 a.m. on Oak Street, Batavia.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at noon Saturday at Resurrection Parish (St. Mary’s site), 18 Ellicott St. Calling hours at Gilmartin, 329-333 West Main St., are from 4 to 8 p.m., Friday.

Full obituary.

The driver of a white pickup truck needed to be extricated from his vehicle after he apparently swerved into oncoming traffic on Route 98 and nearly hit a Thruway maintenance truck head on.

The driver, whose identity is not available, was transported to an area hospital by Mercy Flight.

There were no injuries reported in the Thruway truck.

Witnesses and State Police say the pickup truck driver was southbound when he crossed into the northbound lane. His small truck caught the left front fender of the Thruway truck and nearly sheared off the front wheel.

The pickup truck came to rest about 100 yards down the road, rolling down (but apparently not rolling over) an embankment.

Route 98 was closed in both directions between Park Road and West Saile Drive.

After chasing a story in Corfu that didn't pan out, I took a look at the fabulous late afternoon sky and decided to drive around a bit and see what interesting features of Genesee County I could find to photograph. It was actually on my drive back to Batavia, with the sun setting quickly, that I decided to stop and photograph this barn on Pearl Street Road in the Town of Batavia.

On Monday, the Batavia City Council gave out its annual awards. Above left, Jeff Gillard receives the Volunteer of the Year award.

Confidential Secretary Jodie Freese, left, and Financial Clerk Teri Gass were named Co-Employees of the Year.

David Allen and his girlfriend Carol Emerson received the Homeowner of the Year award.

Photo unavailable: Brian Kemp of T-Shirts Etc., Business of the Year.

A woman involved in a two-car accident on Oak Street, Batavia, this morning has died as a result of her injuries.

Jacquelyn B. Dawson, 65, of 5175 Sunset Terrace, died at Strong Memorial Hospital after being transported there by Mercy Flight.

Dawson's car was hit at 9:18 a.m. by a pickup truck at the intersection of Oak and Union streets.

The driver of the truck, Kelly Creegan, of 48 South Main St., Elba, was also transported to a hospital.

The accident remains under investigation by Batavia Police. So far, there have been no charges or citations issued.