Bethany

An orange tractor sits in a field recently cut and baled along Ellicott Street Road in Bethany.

A barn off Mayne Road near Ellicott Street Road, Bethany.

Rolled bales of hay off Bethany Center Road, Bethany.

Two tractors on a farm on Cook Road, Pavilion. The top three photos were taken on Wednesday. This photo was actually taken on Monday.

Matt Mondoux, a resident of Grand Island and an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, is walking for Lou.

Mondoux, who passed through Genesee County yesterday, is walking the width of New York, all the way to Yankee Stadium, in order to raise money for research into Lou Gehrig's Disease.

"When you see a bunch of people who aren’t getting the kind of help you think they deserve, you realize they need somebody who isn’t directly effected by the disease to help out," Mondoux.

Lou Gehrig's Disease wasn't something Mondoux paid much attention to until a friend was diagnosed and he started doing a little research.

He said reading the blogs of victims raised his awareness and concern for people who have been afflicted.

"Reading up on it, I got kind of emotionally attached," he said. "It was kind of sad that even though I’m a New York Yankee fan, I didn’t know exactly what Lou Gehrig’s Disease was."

Mondoux served 10 years in the Army, but works now at a Seneca-Niagara casino. While he said his employer has been exceptionally supportive of his walk, the 14 days he's taking for the trek is an unpaid leave of absence.

People along the route have already been incredibily supportive, he said.

While he stopped in Bethany and spoke with a reporter, somebody drove up and handed him $2, apologizing that he didn't have more money with him.

A guy walking down the road in a Yankees uniform gets a lot of attention, Mondoux said.

Once he arrives at Yankee Stadium, Mondoux will attend a game using donated tickets. He hopes to be able to get all of the Yankee players to sign his jersey.

If he can raise $2 million, he said, he would like to donate the jersey to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown to help raise awareness of Lou Gehrig's Disease.

"I'll even give them my lucky hat," he said.

He bought the Yankees cap on Sept. 11, 2001, just outside of New York City -- he could see the towers burning that day from where he was, he said.

"It's been with me everywhere," he said. "It's been with me in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wore it the day my daughter was born. It's been everywhere, from Europe to Las Vegas."

Now it's going to Yankee Stadium.

To donate and to track Matt's progress, visit Walking4Lou.com.

The name Sath Paul Dhanda is a familiar one to area residents who read crime blotters in local media.

He's been arrested numerous times, most recently in April for going to his mother's home in Bethany in violation of a court order.

His mother, his attorney and even Judge Robert C. Noonan want to see Dhanda turn his life around, but all acknowledge, whatever future Dhanda has, it is in his own hands.

"Alcoholism has destroyed my once promising life," said the 31-year-old Dhanda during his court appearance today. "Twelve years ago, I had every opportunity to do whatever I wanted. I had the money. I had the family. I had the support. I could have done whatever I wanted with my life."

Before sending Dhanda to prison for one-and-a-quarter to three-and-a-half years for his conviction on criminal contempt in the first degree, Noonan said he's never dealt with a defendant who has the level of Dhanda's addiction to alcohol.

"The type of person you are today, if you went away to prison for two years, the day you got out you would be drunk," Noonan said. "You have that much lack of control."

William Harper, Dhanda's attorney, acknowledged that his client has a drinking problem and said that all of Dhanda's legal problems stem from drinking.

But, Harper noted, throughout all of his ins and outs with the legal system, the system has never adequately dealt with Dhanda's underlying mental health issues.

In 2006, Dhanda, who has a broad scare that wraps around the front of his skull, suffered a serious head injury.

"I question whether what Sath does he does entirely voluntarily," Harper said. "Does he volitionally engage in the behavior that gets him into trouble? I would submit that it's difficult to determine."

Dhanda's mother, during the victim's statement portion of the sentencing hearing, described a series of treatment programs that have been "temporary fixes."

They've sometimes given her hope, but haven't really helped Sath.

She said he needs long-term treatment and he needs to get away from Batavia.

"A GCASA counselor told me to concentrate on my other two sons because there is no hope for Sath," she said.

She described her son as smart, articulate and with a talent for golf and cooking, but when he drinks "he becomes a monster."

She said she and his bothers want to look forward to a day when "people aren't looking for his name in the police blotter."

"Yes, I am a victim, and will continue to have sleepless nights and see him as he is now, but I also have pleasant memories," she said. "I recall his last Mother's Day message that he wrote, 'you have a very tough job. Yes, I mean me.'"

Dhanda said he takes full responsibility for every violation and the most recent criminal contempt charge, even if he doesn't remember what happened.

"Nobody made me go to my mother's house and nobody poured alcohol down my throat," Dhanda said.

"I've hurt loved ones and I love them so much I can't believe I do these things when I drink," he added. "Nobody wants to overcome these problems more than me. I want everybody in the community to know that I'm not the kind of person who just runs around looking for the latest buzz. Things happen and I don't know why sometimes."

Just a year ago, Dhanda said local golf pros told him he still had the talent to turn pro and that he knows his life still has potential, even if he's blown many opportunities and burned many bridges.

"I still have the desire and the drive and determination," Dhanda said. "I know I have inside of me the drive for success, and not just careerwise, but in every aspect of my life. I know I can win back the love of my family and the respect of the community."

The view from West Bethany Road as our late afternoon storm rolled in.

A tractor fire is reported at 10071 Bethany Center Road, Bethany.

The tractor is reportedly near a barn.

Bethany Fire is dispatched.

UPDATE 11:12 a.m.: It's a skid loader. It's been moved from the barn, but still close to the structure.

UPDATE 11:14 a.m.: Fire appears to be out. Units can respond non-emergency.

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Linden resident Dick Harris bought is first Triumph motorcycle in 1955, and once he got that feeling of the open road and the wind in his hair, he hasn't spent a lot of time looking in the rear view mirror.

Harris, the son of a preacher, owns several versions of the legendary motorcycle now, including six that run and one he's restoring.  

In the room of his home where he stores the bikes, are pictures of Triumphs and places he's been, a shelf full of trophies he's won and a map of the United States. It traces the route to and from California he took during one of his three cross-country trips on a Triumph.

Just yesterday, the 78-year-old Harris went for a 150-mile ride.

"Every day that's nice, I try to get out," said the Linden native.

He left home at 17 and set out for Arizona, where he lived for a year. When he was 21 and discovered he liked riding motorcycles, he didn't exactly consult his preacher father.

"I didn't get on a bike until I was older, so my father didn't have much to say about it," Harris said.

He did get his dad to take a ride on a Triumph much later, when he was 80 years old.

While Harris didn't follow his father into the ministry, three of his four sons inherited his love for motor bikes. The picture below is of his son Dan's house, also in Linden.

Asked why he's enjoyed riding his bikes all these years, Harris kind of shrugged and said, "I don't know. Freedom, I guess. I like to get out on the road."

Rachel Ingutti, a member of the educational staff at the Seneca Zoo brought a collection of snakes, lizards, salamanders and a tortoise to the Interpretive Nature Center at the Genesee County Park in Bethany today.

The turtle below is a new addition to the Interpretive Nature Center, giving visitors a live animal to view (rather than just the interesting collection of stuffed species on display at the center).

Driving down Bethany Center Road, Bethany, this morning, I thought this clump of Queen Anne's Lace with the view behind it looked interesting.

As I was finishing with the pictures, a man in a pickup pulled up, giving me the impression he was the property owner, wanting to know what I was doing. I told him I thought these flowers might make for an interesting picture. He said, "You can call them flowers. To me, they're weeds." And drove off.

Right in the same area, I took the picture of the tree below.

A one-car accident with possible minor injury has been reported in the area of 10056 East Road, Bethany.

Bethany Fire Department and Mercy EMS responding.

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Deborah An Dixon-Thatcher, 52, of North Lyons Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 3rd. Dixon-Thatcher is accused of breaking the windows, headlights and taillights out of her estranged husband's 1997 Nissan pickup truck while it was parked at a residence in Bergen at 1:55 a.m., Monday.

Hope Renee Conibear, 37, of Gibson Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to keep right and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Conibear was reportedly involved in a motor vehicle accident April 23 on Hutton Road, Town of Oakfield. The accident was investigated by Deputy Jason Saile.

Joseph Robert Waala, 38, of North Randolph Street, Arlington, Va., is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Waala allegedly damaged a metal fire hose box at 8250 Park Road, Batavia. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.

The following individuals were arrested and charged with trespassing for allegedly being on privately owned property at 5447 Main Road, Stafford, without permission: Ryan W. Caltagirone, 20, of Ellicott Street Road, East Bethany, Donald M. Fagan, 19, and Joshua T. Gilbert, 18, both of Ellicott Street Road, Batavia, and two 17-year-olds and three 16-year-olds, all from Batavia.

Katrina Le Brandes, 20, of South Main Street, Perry, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or higher. Brandes was arrested following an investigation of a reported domestic incident at 3:55 a.m. on Buckman Road, Bethany, by Deputy Jason Saile.

A car has struck a utility pole and at least one person suffered minor injuries in an accident on Cacner Road, Bethany.

Bethany Fire Department is responding.

So I headed out to Francis Road this morning to see if I could get a picture of an intrepid deputy rounding up cows.

There were no cows, but there was this lost beagle. 

Deputy Lonnie Nati picked him up and delivered him to the animal shelter.

The beagle was wandering about 3/4 of a mile south of Lei-Ti Campground. It was a good distance from any nearby home, so not sure where he belongs (could be a she, I didn't check).

No tags. The pooch, very friendly and calm, has a large softball seized growth on its left rear hindquarter.  

More than 2,160 National Grid customers have been without power for an hour and repair crews are unlikely to restore power before 10 p.m.

The effected area covers from just east of the city limits to Morganville and the eastern edge of Stafford down to Little Canada and East Bethany at Roanoke Road.

The outage may be related to a power line reported down and burning on Main Road, Stafford, at 8 p.m.

Erika L. Brumsted, 24, of 5079 Batavia-Bethany Townline Road, East Bethany, and Steven C. Shaw, 24, of 2692 Dunham Road, Varysburg, are charged with petit larceny. Brumsted and Shaw are accused of shoplifting from Tops Market.

Terry David Czworka, 48, of Black St. Road, Pavilion, is charged with DWI, aggravated driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, failure to keep right, moved from lane unsafely, possession/consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Czworka was stopped at 1:19 a.m., Saturday, on Asbury Road, Pavilion, by Sgt. Brian Frieday.

Timothy John Hagen, 27, of Walden Creek, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Hagen is accused of violating and order of protection.

Brian P. O'Grady, 46, of Lymon Road, Bergen, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. O'Grady is accused of violating an order of protection. O'Grady allegedly made several phone calls to his estranged wife that did not pertain to their child.

Robert K. Geandreau, 38, of 404 Ellicott St., Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, failure to keep right and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. Geandreau was stopped at 7:54 p.m., Saturday, on Ellicott Street by Officer Kevin DeFelice.

Brenden M. Mullen, 26, of 11 Holmes Ave., Batavia, is charged with DWI, no inspection and refusal to take a breath test. Mullen was stopped at 2:38 a.m., Saturday, by Officer Eric Dibble.

All of the photos from this weekend are now available for purchase of prints.  Click here.

The photos include the clean up at Genesee County Park, the tree planting in Austin Park, the track meet at Van Detta Stadium and Saturday at the Carnival.

Again, prints can be purchased by clicking here.

Also, the first weekend in April was also a busy weekend and I never let anybody know the pictures were available for purchase.

That weekend included Eco-Fest, GCC women's softball and men's baseball, the Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner, the fundraiser for Brooklyn Sputore, the Le Roy Fire Department dinner, the Easter Bunny at Oliver's, and I also included the Easter egg hunt at Centennial Park.

To purchase prints of those pictures, click here.

Remember, we offer prices on prints well below the suggested retail price.

Dozens of volunteers came out to the Genesee County Park this morning to walk the trails and pick up trash and debris as part of the park's annual spring clean up.

The top two pictures were taken from almost the same spot on Bethany Center Road, Bethany. The bottom photo was taken on Mayne Road.

A car has hit a tree in the area of 9546 Creek Road in Bethany. There are believed to be minor injuries. There was air bag deployment.

Bethany Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

The location is across from Old Creek and Putnam roads.

UPDATE 12:05 p.m.: There is debris all over the roadway. Fire police are shutting the road to traffic.

UPDATE 12:49 p.m.: The driver was transported to UMMC with minor injuries. They are cleaning up the roadway.

UPDATE 1:14 p.m.: The roadway is being reopened to traffic.