batavia

City Fire is being dispatched to 4 James St., Batavia, to investigate smoke coming out of a pipe that is protruding from the back porch.

This is the scene of a dryer fire last week and an abatement company is on scene doing clean up and workers noticed the smoke.

There is no visible fire.

UPDATE 12:05 p.m.: Engine 14 and Ladder 15 back in service.

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A woman was taken to the hospital by Mercy Flight following a two-car accident on Oak Street at about 9:15 a.m.

No details are available yet on the accident.

Northbound traffic was blocked at Oak and Richmond for about an hour.

A truck driver out of Syracuse is being charged with DWI after reportedly taking his rig down Union Street this afternoon and hitting some trees.

City Councilman Bob Bialkowski brought up the incident at Monday night's council meeting, congratulating Chief Randy Baker and his department on a swift arrest of the apparently wayward driver.

Bialkowski said he was on Union at the time of the alleged incident, heard a loud noise -- louder than the sound of a small airplane crash, he said -- and turned around and saw the truck coming down the roadway with a gaping hole in the side of its trailer. The driver, he said, was trying to look in the side mirror to see what happened.

Taken into custody was Darren D. Jones, 45, of 168 Parkside Ave., Syracuse.

He was charged with aggravated DWI in a commercial vehicle and disobeying a traffic control device.

City police said the first report of an erratic truck driver came in about a semi exiting the Thruway. Jones was pulled over on West Main Street.

There is a weight limit on Union, according to the police press release, and Jones allegedly ignored it.

The report says Jones' truck had significant damage.

A pesky raccoon running amouk in a trailer park has prompted a frustrated resident(s) to call on the law to remedy the situation.

Dispatch says it has no means of catching said menace and will not resort to shooting the varmint inside a trailer park, thus leaving open the specter for makeshift remedies.

Other information, such as what trailer park and where it is, was not heard.

Kelly Jo Spenton, 37, of 6047 Transit Road, New York, is charged with petit larceny. Spenton is accused of stealing the contents of another person's mail. The alleged offense occurred at 39 S. Pearl St., Apt. 1, Oakfield on Aug. 24.

Zachary Ryan Morath, 19, of Summerfield Drive, Lancaster, is charged with DWI and failure to keep right. Morath was charged following a car accident on Route 5 in Darien at 7:40 a.m., Saturday. The investigation was handled by Deputy Jason Saile.

Larry S. Yoho, 38, of Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 2nd, harassment, 2nd, and aggravated harassment, 2nd. Yoho was arrested by State Police for an alleged incident at 10 Maple St., Batavia, at 9:23 p.m., Sept. 6. Yoho was jailed, but the bail amount -- if any -- was not provided. No further details available.

Valerie S. Wells, 44, of Medina, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and moving from lane unsafely. Wells was stopped by State Police on Park Road, Batavia, at 5:35 p.m., Thursday.

A non-injury accident has been reported at Ellicott and Hutchins streets, Batavia.

At the same time, City fire is responding to a fire alarm at Armor Building Supply on Ellicott near Cedar.

UPDATE 8:08 a.m.: No Fire. All fire units back in service.

Driving back from the YWCA on Sunday afternoon, I noticed the great sky over Batavia and remembered that I've been wanting to take another shot at getting a picture of the William Morgan monument on a cloudy day. While I was stopped on Harvester snapping away at Morgan, I noticed the clouds reflecting off the windows of the Harvest Center and thought that that would make for a good shot, too. (If you want to see a bigger version, I'll post it to VuFindr.com some time in the next week, probably.)

Below is the shot I came up with of old Morgan, but a bit different than the one I imagined getting.

As part of its year-long 100th Anniversary celebration, the Batavia YWCA opened the time capsule in the cornerstone of its North Street building Sunday afternoon.

The cornerstone was laid in 1967 and the time capsule probably hasn't been opened since (it took a mason four hours to dislodge it).

Executive Director Barbara Hale said that the local YWCA thought it would be fun to peak inside the time capsule, which contained old newspapers, photos, the Batavia club's original application to join the YWCA and a scroll of donors who contributed to the building fund.

"What was of interest to me was the number of three-generation families that have been involved with YWCA, mine being among them," Hale said. "My dad’s name was on that roll."

All of the items found in the time capsule will be returned to a new box along with some items from the current time and bricked back into the corner of the building, Hale said.

Above, Hale, left, with City Council President Marianne Clattenburg, and Shirley Lasuer with Nora Sands, look over some other items of historical interest to the local YWCA, including a picture of the organization's founder and the original charter certificate.

A Batavia High student has $3,000 more toward her college education after driving a harness racehorse to victory Saturday night at Batavia Downs.

Kaley Falkowski, paired with professional driver Jim Mulcahy, bested four other high school students racing in Batavia Downs first-ever scholarship challenge. A total of $7,500 was awarded to the students.

Taking second was Eric Harrower (Batavia High School) with Ron Beback Jr., earning $2,000. Tyler Pingrey (Notre Dame High School) with Jim Graham earned a $1,200. Mike Norway (Oakfield-Alabama High School) with Michael Baumeister finished fourth and earned an $800 scholarship, while Emily Sallome (Batavia High School) and Mike Pokornowski finished fifth and will receive a $500 scholarship.

More pictures related to the scholarship race and other scenes on Saturday at Batavia Downs after the jump:

A man at 127 Pearl St., Batavia, was taken to UMMC by Mercy EMS this morning after he was reportedly burned while lighting a pilot light for a water heater.

When he tried to light the pilot, there was apparently a quick, small explosion, but no fire followed.

City fire responded at shortly after 9 a.m.

Because it was an accident and no fire, there is no publicly available report with the victim's name or age or medical condition.

City of Batavia Police are responding to a number of calls about a male casually sitting on a porch with a rifle in hand.

The address is 133 South Swan St., north of Sumner Street.

At least 10 callers have voiced concerns about the situation.

Downtown business owners were on Main Street this morning decorating the sidewalks for fall, putting out hay bales and pumpkins, cornstalks and mums.

Above, Carrie Lawrence from Valle Jewelers delivers mums for planting in front of The Daily Grind.

The merchants will host a wine walk Oct. 2. For more information, click here.

Ken Mistler has hung his giant American flag from the Carr's building for 9/11, which is officially designated as Patriot Day.

Pictured above is a recent mission trip in which Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists and Non-Denominationalists helped out the residents of a small Peruvian village suffering from severe poverty.

This missionary group included Fr. Gus Calvo -- second from left in front -- the pastor of Batavia's Anglican Community Church (see January article on his first service).

Having recently returned from this trip, Calvo was happy to share the experience with The Batavian and extend information about the program to anyone in the area who might be interested in next year's trip.

Calvo has been going on these missionary trips -- most of which last about 12 to 14 days -- on an annual basis for the past seven years. It all started when he was working in Honduras under the supervision of another missionary leader.

"My friend and ministry colleague Jeff Miller and I met in Honduras," Calvo said. "Our leader later left that area, so we got together and decided to put together a team each year for mission trips."

They then contacted SAMS -- the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders -- an organization that sponsors various projects in needful areas. All of the missions Calvo has been involved in these last seven years have been acquired through them.

Since getting started, Calvo and Miller have worked with participants from about 55 different churches, with an average of 15 to 18 people from each church. This past trip was a deeply ecumenical project that included people from the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Albany and Philadelphia, the Episcopalian Diocese of Albany and CANA (Anglican), as well as members of a Methodist Church and a Non-Denominational Church.

Destinations are usually South American countries, although last year's trip was to Texas for Hurricane Ike relief work. Calvo said that he and Miller are looking at a couple of South American locations as possibilities for next year.

The trip to Peru took the team to seven sites, including the village pictured above. This village was home to marginalized indigenous people who had been forced out of their homes in the Andes Mountains by a terrorist group.

"The government granted them a stretch of land to live on," Calvo said, "but it's basically a wasteland. On top of that, their circumstances force them to live in cardboard boxes -- literally. These homes are about 10-by-10, and some of them house multiple people."

Like all of these trips, this one was preceded by a year of careful planning, a key aspect of which was needs assessment.

"We always ask [the people in need of assistance], 'What are your needs?'" Calvo said. "That way they have some ownership. We respond by incorporating them into the project. We provide the materials, but then they put it together."

The whole approach is very different from the patronizing attitude that might come to mind when you think of missionaries -- namely, of being a major blessing to the "ignorant savages" they're visiting. Calvo and his fellow missionaries always go into the mission with the idea of mutual benefit.

"It's not just that we're a blessing to them. They're a blessing to us as well."

A major benefit that members of these trips experience is the opportunity to deepen their faith.

"One of the most common comments from religious leaders of all denominations is that American faith is six miles wide, but only about an inch deep," Calvo said. "These trips add depth to one's faith. After coming back from them, people are more invested and involved in their churches, and they know their faith in a more intimate way."

Throughout the course of each trip, every participant is asked to provide a five- to ten-minute reflection -- in the morning or in the evening -- on a given Bible passage or on an insight gained from working with the poor and needy.

Faith, according to Calvo, is the primary component of these missions, both in terms of personal and extra-personal benefits.

On the personal level, the Christian missionaries get to experience faith in action, discover what unites them with Christians of other denominations, and study passages of Scripture in a way that, in Calvo's words, "probes the many layers of Gospel passages, as opposed to superficial surface presentations."

The extra-personal benefits have to do with the sacramental nature of their faith.

"We follow Jesus' model of spreading the Gospel through word and sacrament," Calvo said. "We tell people about our faith and about the love of God, but we also show them what it looks like. Our work is also sacramental in the sense that there is something visible and tangible going on, but at the same time there are things connected to it that can only be perceived through hearts of faith."

Calvo welcomes anyone in Genesee County who thinks he/she might like to be a part of next year's mission, and he encourages people to form prayer groups in support of missionaries at their respective churches.

"That way the whole church walks together," he said. "It gives people the chance to be missionaries right at home."

But before someone goes off on a mission trip, there are some necessary steps to take.

"You want to discern the nature of the call," Calvo said. "Pray about it, consult your pastor, and then if you find that God really is calling you to work with us, contact me."

All applicants will need to go through a screening process and formation time. A mission trip of this sort requires a certain level of spiritual maturity and strength (pastoral endorsement will certainly improve people's chances of being chosen for the mission).

"A lot of people think of a mission as a sort of vacation with a purpose," Calvo said. "But you're really stepping out of your comfort zone and going to strange places."

In particular, he emphasized the suffering and poverty missionaries encounter in their travels.

"It's one thing to see suffering in movies or commercials, or even to learn about it through training programs. But when you actually see it up close, that brings out a whole new level of emotionality."

The aforementioned Peruvian village was a case in point.

The population suffered from high rates of tuberculosis, physical disabilities and HIV/AIDS. Social problems such as alcoholism, drug abuse, lack of education, and unemployment are prevalent.

Malnutrition is also a problem -- so much so that it's not uncommon to see 12-year-olds the size of 5-year-olds.

And that's not the worst of it. This area also sees a lot of child abduction, which is followed by trafficking in the slave market.

Needless to say, you've got to have pretty thick skin to get involved in something like this.

In the end, though, this is another means of deepening one's faith and Christian identity. Calvo sees the experience of suffering (as distinguished from the evils of it) as having the power to draw people closer to Christ and His suffering.

"We're able to find meaning in suffering," Calvo said, "because we're united in Christ's suffering. Personally, I find it helps me to redefine my humanity. [Suffering] can be a stumbling block for many people, but it can also be a stepping stone to a higher level of faith and a different way of thinking. And as Christians, we know that ultimately we will be released from pain and suffering."

Any person and/or church in the Batavia area interested in getting involved with Calvo in his SAMS missions should -- after a period of prayer, discernment and pastoral consultation -- contact him at 584-3694, or e-mail calvo_gus@yahoo.com.

Photos submitted by Gus Calvo

Following a joint investigation by Batavia Police detectives and the U.S. Secret Service, a Batavia businessman has been charged with fraud.

Nicholas Salvador, 46, of 20 Park Ave., Batavia, owner of East Main Sunoco, is being charged with two federal crimes related credit-card fraud.

The investigation is related to the arrest in March of Dustin Hurlburt, 32, of 21 Elm St., Warsaw, who was accused of operating a complicated scheme to buy building materials at Armor Building Supply using credit-card numbers obtained at the gas station where he worked and reselling the material.

Salvador is accused of using credit-card information of more than one person, and on more than one occasion, to purchase building materials at Armor Building Supply on several dates in 2009.

Det. Kevin Czora headed the investigation in Batavia.

Kids in a backyard at 112 Tracy Ave., north of North Street in Batavia, are believed to be responsible for a fire there. It is now out.

Still, city fire is responding.

A medic walked over from the United Memorial Medical Center to see what was causing the smoke and flames. An irate neighbor also complained about the fire, which is apparently a "controlled burn" of sorts.

At first, it was thought to be a house on fire, then something outside burning. Firefighters are investigating the incident.

Batavia Police Department officers are also on scene.

UPDATE (7:49 p.m.): Firefighters are returning to quarters after informing the homeowners that controlled burns are not allowed within city limits.