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Law and Order: Police locate two people wanted on warrants from previous decade

By Howard B. Owens

Gari Lyn Fields, 33, of Lehigh Street, Rochester, is charged with failure to dim headlights and aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd. Fields was stopped at 2:21 a.m., Feb. 8, by Deputy Jeremy McClellan on Morganville Road, Stafford, and arrested on a warrant out of Town of Stafford Court from Sept. 4, 2007. Fields was held on $250 bail or $2,500 bond.

Eileen L. Biaselli, 58, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant from 2005. The warrant was discovered by Batavia PD officers during an investigation of an unrelated domestic dispute. Biaselli was jailed without bail.

Taylor Maya Miley, 20, of Heidt Avenue, Middletown, is charged with harassment. Miley allegedly threatened another person at Genesee Community College at 2:30 p.m., Feb. 8. 

Chevon Mae Duryea, 25, of Watercure Road, Nunda, is charged with petit larceny and possession of a hypodermic instrument. Duryea is accused of shoplifting from Kohl's Department Store. During the investigation he was allegedly found in possession of a needle. Also arrested and charged with petit larceny was Carl Abraham Goossens, 32, of Coverdale Road, Leicester.

Christine Ann Gelardo, 64, of Fargo Road, Stafford, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and possession of a controlled substance not in original container. Gelardo was arrested following the completion of an investigation stemming from an incident reported Sept. 27 on Fargo Road in Stafford. Also arrested and charged with possession of a hypodermic instrument was Daniel Leonard Pelton, 59, of Fargo Road, Stafford.

Katrina L. Drake, 26, of Locust Street, Lockport, is charged with disorderly conduct and aggravated unlicensed operation. Drake was arrested by Officer Peter Flanagan following a complaint of a fight in the roadway at 1:07 a.m. Sunday on Summit Street, Batavia.

Robert S. Sodja, 52, of Lake Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant out of City Court and jailed on $1,000 bail.

Jessie J. Sayyeau, 23, of Iroquois Street, Rochester, was arrested on a warrant out of City Court for alleged failure to appear and jailed on $1,000 bail.

Joseph M. Marsceill Jr., 31, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant by Batavia PD after being located by probation officers in a home of one of their probationers. He was released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Genesee Tourism: Visit your Local History Museum Series -- Le Roy Historical Society

By Genesee County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center

Tour this mansion-turned-museum for over 100 years of unique history! The Historic Le Roy house was built in 1822 by Jacob LeRoy and later owned by the chancellor of Ingham University, which was the first female university in the United States to grant a four-year degree.

Learn more in this week's historical society feature and be sure to pay a visit! The museum is open Monday -- Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with extended hours beginning in the Spring.

Historic Le Roy House, 23 E. Main St., Le Roy, NY; 585-768-7433.

Visit www.VisitGeneseeNY.com to learn more about Genesee County's unique attractions.

Two-car accident with injuries reported in the Village of Oakfield

By Howard B. Owens

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at Main Street and Gibson Street in the Village of Oakfield.

Oakfield fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 3:53 p.m.: A second accident is reported at Lewiston Road and Maltby Road. The initial report was no injuries, no possible minor injuries. Oakfield fire and Mercy EMS dispatched. The accident is blocking. On the first accident, we believe we heard that a patient has a complaint of back pain.

Pembroke Fire District hosts first awards and installation dinner in about 20 years

By Howard B. Owens

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David Olsen was named Firefighter of the Year for the Pembroke Fire District at the district's awards and installation dinner last night at Quality Inn & Suites in Batavia.

It's the first such dinner for the Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments in about 20 years.

Kevin Ross was named EMS Provider of the Year, but he was unable to attend.

The officers for 2017 are:

  • Firematic: Chief, Jamie Waff; Assistant Chief, Edwin Mileham Jr.; Assistant Chief, Greg Warren; Assistant Chief, James Garrett; Assistant Chief, Ed Swiatowy; EMS Captain-Pembroke, Kevin Ross; EMS Captain-Indian Falls, Lu Anne Mileham; Line Captain-Pembroke, Peter Sformo; Fire Police Captain-Indian Falls, Lu Anne Mileham; Training Officer, Colby Sanner;
  • Administrative officers for Pembroke: President, Greg Warren; Vice President, Randi Garrett; Secretary, Rachel Reiss; Treasurer, Brenda Swiatowy;
  • Administrative officers for Indian Falls: President, George Klotzbach; Vice President, Lu Anne Mileham; Secretary, Andrew Dibble; Treasurer, Lu Anne Mileham;
  • Directors: Brenda Swiatowy, Ed Swiatowy, Greg Warren, Autumn Waff, Randi Garrett, James Garrett, Tyler Smith, Amanda Smith;
  • Commissioners: Ron Tyx, Chairman, Heidi Librock; Secretary/Treasurer, Norm Waff; Jim Reinhardt, Colby Sanner, and Adam Schafer.

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Chief Jamie Waff received an Award of Appreciation for his years of service to the district.

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Genesee Region Cheerleading Championships

By Destin Danser

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Ten teams from the Genesee Region, including six from Genesee County gathered at Alexander High School Saturday for their annual championship competition. 

Representing Genesee County were teams from Alexander, Byron-Bergen, Elba, Notre Dame, Oakfield-Alabama, and Pembroke. Results listed below. 

Ronald-McDonald Individual Competition:

  1. Madeline Rowley -- Holley (pictured below)
  2. Kelsey Daniels -- Holley

Team Competition Division I:

  1. Holley
  2. Attica
  3. Byron-Bergen

Team Competition Division II:

  1. Kendall
  2. Elba
  3. Notre-Dame

Photos by Destin Danser. Click here to view or purchase photos.

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Rollover accident with minor injuries reported on Lewiston Road, Oakfield

By Howard B. Owens

A rollover accident with minor injuries is reported on Lewiston Road just north of Fisher Road in Oakfield.

Oakfield fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 8:29 a.m.: A chief reports a Mercy medic on his way to work is on scene and has checked out the patient and Mercy EMS can go back in service.

Three-car collision reported in front of Batavia Downs

By Billie Owens

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A three-car accident with air-bag deployment and possible injuries is reported in front of Batavia Downs on Park Road. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 11:29 p.m.: No injuries. A car was stopped in front of the Downs' entrance to unload passengers and another vehicle rear-ended it, then another vehicle rear-ended the second vehicle -- a chain reaction.

Accident with injuries reported at Dodgeson and Seward roads, Alexander

By Billie Owens

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A one-vehicle accident with injuries is reported in Alexander at Seward and Dodgeson roads. Alexander Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 9:34 p.m.: Darien is asked to stand by in its own fire hall because Alexander "is working a serious injury accident."

UPDATE 10:10 p.m.: This is a fatal accident. According to Sheriff's Sgt. Jason Saile, the vehicle appears to have drifted off the roadway for unknown reasons and struck a tree. The victim was not wearing a seat belt and had no pulse when first responders arrived. Speed does not appear to be a factor, Saile said. Identification is pending until notification of family.

UPDATE 11:46 p.m.: We're informed by the Sheriff's Office that family notifications have taken place but we have not yet received the name of the victim yet.

UPDATE 12:45 a.m.: The victim is Jayson W. Dersham of East Main Street Road, Batavia.  The cause of the accident has not yet been determined and it remains under investigation.  Dersham was pronounced dead at the scene by Coroner Jeff McIntire.

HLOM's new director fascinated by the treasures he's finding in the museum's collection

By Howard B. Owens

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Ryan Duffy decided in high school that he wanted to work in a history museum.

Now, he's running one.

Duffy is the new director of the Holland Land Office Museum in Batavia and yesterday the museum held a reception to welcome him to his new job.

He started Jan. 17 and said he's already fascinated by what he's finding in the museum.

"I go upstairs every day to work on some things and I find something new that I find I’m amazed that it’s here, that you would expect to be some place much bigger than here," he said.

One reason Duffy is going through the collection is he's trying to plan future exhibits, which he said may focus on local history, or he may explore cooperative efforts with other museums for exhibits with ties to Genesee County, but not specifically Genesee County. He's currently working on a possible World War I exhibit and he's found some items he was surprised might be part of the local collection, such as a war department document. He said he's also impressed with the range of military uniforms the museum owns, representing all branches of service spanning the history of the country.

To help get more people to visit the museum, he's exploring the idea of trivia nights and more family-oriented events.

Duffy, originally from Eden, received his BA in history from St. Bonaventure University. He received a master's dpegree in history from Bowling Green University and a Master's Certificate in Museum Studies from SUNY Buffalo State College.

"I’ve become more and more interested in local history as I’ve gone along, so I thought, ‘I’m still in Western New York -- it’s still my history in that regard,’ " Duffy said, explaining why he applied for the job when he heard HLOM was looking for a new director. "I still feel a connection to it and I get to do what I actually want to do.”

Photos: Sno-Packers host annual bikini rally

By Howard B. Owens

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No snow? No problem for the Genesee Sno-Packers, who went ahead with their third annual Bikini Snowmobile Rally at their clubhouse in Oakfield.

The event is a fundraiser for the Roswell Cancer Institute.

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Collins backing legislation to gather data on firefighter responses to help spot cancer trends

By Howard B. Owens

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Research released last year concluded that firefighters suffer incidents of cancer at a higher rate than the general population and Congressman Chris Collins thinks more data needs to be gathered to help researchers figure out why.

Collins is sponsoring legislation that will task the Department of Health and Human Services with creating a nationwide database to track and retain information on the emergency responses of firefighters, both career and volunteer. 

"I like to call this good common-sense legislation," Collins said during an announcement event at the Town of Batavia Fire Hall on Lewiston Road. "We know Congress is very divided these days, but this is a piece of legislation that will be bipartisan. There is no difficulty whatsoever in getting both Republicans and Democrats to step forward something that is very commonsense and very low cost."

The legislation is backed by firefighter groups both in New York and across the nation. It is in response to a CDC report (pdf) based on a study of 30,000 career firefighters in three large metro departments who served from 1950 to 2010 as well as data from 18,000 current firefighters. The six-year study found a greater number of cancer diagnoses and more cancer-related deaths among the cohort. These were mostly digestive, oral, respiratory, and urinary cancers. Firefighters may also be exposed more frequently to asbestos, increasing the rate of malignant mesothelioma.

Firefighters tend to respond to many instances where not only asbestos might be present, but a whole range of hazardous materials.

Dan Coffey, Town of Batavia's fire chief, said helping HHS gather the data may not be much of a burden on volunteer chiefs. Currently, every firefighter who responds on every call is logged and if there is suspected exposure to something hazardous, that is also logged and kept on file forever. If there are additional data points HHS requires, that may mean a little more work, but he said he would just have to wait and see about any additional burden, if any. 

He thinks the effort is worth it, he said. 

"It is very important and something that hits near and dear to us," Coffey said. "There has been a lot of discussion about higher cancer rates in this profession and certainly that would lead to a little more comfort knowing why we have higher rates and hopefully that leads to better equipment and protection and reduces the rate among firefighters."

Winter weather advisory issued for Sunday

By Howard B. Owens

Freezing rain, snow and wind are in the forecast for Sunday from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m., Monday.

Snow accumulation could range from four to seven inches.

Winds will be from the northwest at 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

Blowing and drifting snow on top of icy conditions are expected.

Visibility could be as low as a half mile at times.

Sponsored post: Frequently asked workers' compensation questions

By Lisa Ace

Having a hard working, experienced legal team fighting for your best interest is not just a privilege of the rich and powerful. Dolce Panepinto, P.C., is proud to level the playing field for working families. Our team of experienced, approachable attorneys includes laborers, an ironworker, labor organizers, and civil rights advocates. We are a full service personal injury firm created by, and for, workers. In addition to personal injury, our firm focuses on workers’ compensation, Social Security disability, and all injury-related matters.

Attorney Kristin Allen has put together responses to some of the most commonly asked workers’ compensation questions. For more info, or if you have been injured or would like to file a workers’ compensation claim, please contact Kristin today at 585-815-9003 for a free case evaluation. 

1. How do I know if I have a workers’ compensation claim?
If you have been hurt at work, are in pain because of a repetitive motion you must perform as part of your job, or are sick due to something you were exposed to at work, then you most likely have a workers’ compensation claim. Contact our office for a free case evaluation as soon as possible as there are time limits you must adhere to in order to file a claim.

2. How long do I have to file a workers’ compensation claim?
You are required to report your injury to your employer within 30 days. There is also a two-year time limit to file a claim with the Workers’ Compensation Board. Failure to adhere to these time limits can result in a denial of your claim.

3. How much does a workers’ compensation attorney cost?
Workers’ compensation fees are generated on a contingent basis. This means that we only receive payment if we generate money in connection with your workers’ compensation claim, and what we take is a small percentage that is paid directly to us out of any amount awarded to you. You will never pay us anything out-of-pocket. More information on contingent fees can be found here (LINK: http://www.dolcepanepinto.com/2013/07/contingent-fee-agreements- explained/). Additionally, our attorneys can explain our attorney fees in greater detail.

4. Do I really need to look for work while I am receiving workers' compensation benefits? Even if I have a permanent disability and I have been approved for SSD?
Any time a claimant has a partial disability, whether they are temporarily or permanently partially disabled, a claimant must look for work within their restrictions in order to keep receiving lost wage benefits. This is true, even if you are actively receiving Social Security disability benefits. If you are out of work and receiving partial disability lost wage benefits, then it is your obligation to attempt to get a job. If you find a job but make less money than before you were injured, you may be entitled to reduced earnings. This means there are times that you can return to the workforce and still receive workers' compensation lost wage benefits.

There are several employment resources that may help you with your job search or retraining. They include: ACCES-VR, Genesee County Job Development Bureau, or any One-Stop Career Center, etc. There are also many online websites that aid in local job searching.

5. Am I able to receive an award for pain and suffering as part of my workers' compensation claim?
No, there is no award for pain and suffering when you file a workers' compensation claim. The workers’ compensation system is in place to compensate workers for lost wages and medical treatment only.

6. Is a workers’ compensation claim my only option if I am hurt at work?
In New York State, you cannot sue your employer but in some circumstances, a personal injury lawsuit can be filed in addition to a workers’ compensation claim. This includes, but is not limited to, injuries sustained in a work-related motor-vehicle accident, constructions injuries, or injuries sustained at a location not owned by your employer. Our team of attorneys at Dolce Panepinto will assess your claim to ensure that every legal avenue available to you is pursued.

7. I have a job that involves repetitive work and now I have pain in my hands and shoulders, is this covered by workers' compensation since I did not actually have an injury on any particular date?
Yes, depending on what your job entails, a worker can develop an injury over time due to repetitive work. This is considered an "occupational disease" and a claim for medical treatment and lost wages can be filed. This should be filed with the Workers' Compensation Board within two years of when you knew or should have known it was work-related.

8. I work in a very noisy environment and I am noticing that I have hearing loss from it. Can I file a claim for loss of hearing? When do I file it?
Yes, this is called "occupational hearing loss." You have two years and 90 days from when you stop working in the noisy environment to file a claim for hearing loss. The test for loss of hearing must be done at least 90 days after removal from the noisy workplace.

If you or a member of your family has been injured, please contact us today at 585-815-9003.

Next weekend's 'Strike Out' bowling tournament for Crossroads House is dedicated to the late Joe Gerace

By Billie Owens

The 21st annual bowling tournament known as the Betty Ellison Memorial "Strike Out" for Crossroads House will take place next weekend -- Friday, Saturday and Sunday Feb. 17-19 -- at Mancuso Bowling Center, located at 214 Main St. in the City of Batavia.

This year it is dedicated in memory of Joe Gerace, longtime Crossroads House supporter and champion in community service and volunteerism.

Each five-person team fee is a total of $100 ($20 per person).

Lane times are: Friday at 6 p.m.; Saturday at 3 and 6 p.m.; and Sunday at 1 p.m.

Secure registration and payment can be made at the Crossroads House website: www.crossroadshouse.com (choose the Events tab).

Registration forms are also available at MBC or at Crossroads House, 11 Liberty St., Batavia.

For additional information, call Cindy at 993-0584 or Tara at 409-0136.

Batavia Players presents The Magic Kingdom On Broadway VIII

By Howard B. Owens

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This weekend and next, Batavia Players, now in its 85th season, is presenting "The Magic Kingdom On Broadway VIII." The musical review features performances from a variety of Disney productions, including "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," "A Spoonful of Sugar," "A Whole New World," "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," songs from "Frozen," and songs from "High School Musical," plus several other numbers. 

The cast includes 37 local dancers and singers from age 8 to 40. The show consists of five segments with a 15-minute intermission and a total run time of an hour and 45 minutes. The show is appropriate for theatergoers of all ages.

There is a performance at 56 Harvester today at 7:30 p.m. and tomorrow at 2 p.m. Next weekend there are performances on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $13 for students and seniors. 

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Scoreboard: Elba scores 71 to beat at Lyndonville

By Howard B. Owens

Boys Basketball 

  • Alexander 69, Attica 56 FINAL
  • Byron-Bergen 48, Holley 33 FINAL
  • Elba 71, Lyndonville 43 FINAL
  • Hornell 70, Le Roy 55 FINAL
  • Cal-Mum 91, Warsaw 41 FINAL
  • Mt. Morris 77, Pavilion 56 FINAL
  • Newark vs. Batavia – PPD due to weather

Girls Basketball

  • Pavilion 54, Mt. Morris 46 FINAL
  • Cal-Mum 47, Warsaw 34 FINAL
  • Hornell 73, Le Roy 38 FINAL

Hockey

  • Victor 5, Notre Dame 0 FINAL

New Golden Gopher debuts in Pavilion

By Howard B. Owens

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On Senior Night, with a girls and boys basketball doubleheader, Pavilion officially unveiled its new Golden Gophers logo, with their gopher mascot carrying the flag.

In the girls' game, Pavilion prevailed over Mt. Morris 54-46. Mt. Morris won the nightcap over the boys 77-56.

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Freezing rain advisory for tonight and tomorrow morning

By Howard B. Owens

The National Weather Service is predicting freezing rain starting at 11 p.m. with an advisory in effect through noon Sunday.

An accumulation of a 10th of an inch is possible.

Lows will be in the lower 30s overnight and upper 30s Sunday afternoon.

Driving and walking conditions could be hazardous.

Top Items on Batavia's List

Part-Time Children's Library Clerk Haxton Memorial Public Library is seeking a Part-Time Children's Clerk 19 Hours a week $15.00/hr. Interested applicants please go to www.co.genesee.ny.us for an application or come to the library at 3 North Pearl Street, Oakfield. Any questions, please call at (585) 948-9900
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