Mia Schrader, a student at Batavia Middle School, read her winning essay yesterday on what the American Flag means to her during a Flag Day ceremony at the VA Hospital in Batavia.

Students at the school wrote essays and made paper flags for the veterans and took part in the celebration yesterday, which included a performance by St. Joe's Brass Band.

All of the student essays were bound into the book to leave at the VA Center for the veterans to read and one copy, along with a Certificate of Appreciation, was given to Stephen Stanko by Frank Panepento. Stanko is a Vietnam veteran, serving in Vietnam from 1967-69 with the Marines.

Mia said she appreciated the flag because it symbolizes the sacrifices others have made so she can live in peace and security and pursue an education and the activities in life she enjoys.

"I think if you can’t talk to the people who have served us and thank them in person for what they have done, then look to the American flag," Mia said. "That is definitely a way to thank the people who have served us."

Listen to Schrader read her essay (mp3).

An accident is reported at Route 5 and Indian Falls Road. Eastbound traffic is being shut down. East Pembroke Fire Department is on scene and Mercy medics are responding. Mutual aid for traffic control is requested from Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments.

UPDATE 2:31 p.m.: A trooper deputy at the scene said the silver pickup truck was eastbound on Route 5 when a black pickup truck (not pictured) attempted to turn left off of Indian Falls Road onto Route 5. Possibly due to either speed or inattentiveness, the silver truck came up quickly on the black pickup truck and tried to avoid crashing into it by swerving. The silver truck hit and broke a utility pole and then struck a parked, unoccupied dark-blue sedan (in photo on right). No one was injured. The accident is being investigated.

A Le Roy resident was arrested after police investigated complaints that he was repeatedly allowing groups of people in his residence for the purpose of smoking marijuana.

Jason Lee Perry, 22, of Myrtle Street, Le Roy, is charged with one count of criminal nuisance in the second degree. He was jailed on $3,000 bail.

Le Roy PD says this was an ongoing issue and such gatherings occurred on a regular basis. Police said they received multiple complaints from neighborhood residents who were concerned and bothered by it.

The Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality alert for today, which is in effect until 10 p.m.

Air quality levels in outdoor air are predicted to be greater than an Air Quality Index value of 100 for the pollutant of ozone.

When pollution levels are elevated, the Department of Health recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects. People who are especially at risk are those with pre-existing respiratory problems such as asthma and heart disease.​

Dispatchers have received multiple calls on some sort of disturbance at North Lyon and West Main streets. Batavia.

A female was reportedly kicking one of the vehicles.

A silver SUV left north on North Lyon with all participants leaving in the vehicle.

Bella Wilder, and below, Wayne Bennet, perform during the "Bergen's Got Talent" competition at the annual Bergen community picnic today.

Here's something I hadn't seen before: Bergen has a "Library in the Woods" in its park.

Elba Central Schools parents and teachers organization hosted its first Muckers and Sons event -- with real Elba muck supplied by a local farmer -- at the school today.

(Apologies to the folks in Elba -- I only have one picture because I had an incorrect setting on my other camera, so all of the pictures on that camera were overexposed.)

Investigator Ron Wilson volunteered to be the guy who got tasered today to demonstrate the nonlethal method for subduing suspects for dozens of people who turned out today for the Troop A open house at the Batavia Barracks of the State Police.

The taser demonstration was one a of a dozen similar events staged by troopers during the open house, held to as part of the 100th Anniversary of the State Police.

Troop A is especially proud of the anniversary because it is one of the four original troops in the state, and it's always been based in Batavia, thanks to lobbying by the local Chamber of Commerce in 1917.

The garage at the barracks was also opened for historical displays, including classic and vintage patrol cars.

(This 1983 Dodge sedan brought back memories -- it's just like the patrol vehicles we had when I was a Law Enforcement Specialist in the Air Force.)

Karie Schmigel wipes a tear away during a ceremony dedicating a memorial bench for her daughter, Sgt. Shaina B. Schmigel, this afternoon at War Memorial at St. Jerome's in Batavia.

Sgt. Schmigel, a paratrooper, died in a training exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C., May 30, 2014.

During her military career, Schmigel served in Iraq in 2011 and earned the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, and Army Good Conduct Medal.

With a jump of 6' 8", Byron-Bergen's Brandon Burke became the New York State Class D2 champion in the high jump today. Burke also took second place in the triple jump and the long jump. 

Photo and info submitted by Patrick McGee.

In 2016, the Dolce Panepinto team fought for and recovered more than $17 million in settlements and awards for our injured clients. As always, we worked extremely hard to get the best possible outcome for our clients and are proud to have had the opportunity to help them. We would like to congratulate our clients and wish them the best as they continue to move forward beyond their injuries. Here are some of the litigation highlights.

• A $2 Million settlement was reached on behalf of a Local 22 Plumber who suffered a serious back injury. Our client was on a ladder installing cast iron pipe overhead when a length of pipe broke loose and struck him.
• A $1.2 Million settlement was reached on behalf of a Local 210 Laborer who suffered a serious back injury. While unloading a forklift, a section of drywall fell on our client, striking him in the back and knocking him to the ground.
• A $1.2 Million settlement was reached on behalf of a District Council 11 Painter who suffered serious back, neck, shoulder, and knee injuries. Our client was painting a bridge when a large cable fell from above striking him on the head, cracking his hardhat and knocking him onto his knees.
• A $1 Million settlement was reached on behalf of a Local 210 Laborer who suffered serious neck, back, and shoulder injuries. While performing demolition work, he slipped on a chunk of wet concrete and was injured.
• A $850,000 settlement was reached on behalf of a Local 210 Laborer who suffered a serious knee injury. Our client was part of a team working on the bed of a moving flatbed truck, removing traffic cones from the highway when a stack of cones on the truck tipped over and fell on him.
• A $800,000 settlement was reached on behalf of a construction worker who suffered a serious back injury. Our client was carrying a heavy piece of industrial equipment when he slipped on hazardous debris. 

Darien Lake Theme Park hosted the Color Me Rad 5K for this year today. The event is a fundraiser for Special Olympics.

More than 1,000 people participated in the 5K.

A motorcyclist is down in the area of 5050 Ellicott Street Road, Batavia. Minor injuries are reported. A vehicle may also be involved in the accident. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding. The location is between Sheppard Road and Bethany Center Road.

UPDATE 11:45 p.m.: The adult male motorcyclist is being evaluated; very minor, if any injuries. A small child, maybe about 5 years old, was a passenger on the bike and was not injured. A small pickup truck towing a trailer collided with the motorcycle, but the driver was not injured. There is minor damage to the motorcycle.

Kendra Lamb is passionate about dairy farming, so much so that she speaks at conferences, participates in education programs, serves industry groups and now she, and her family, are in a commercial promoting dairy. It started airing June 1 on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel.

The commercial was produced by Dairy Good, a national trade group that represents family-owned dairy farms, such as Oakfield-based Lamb Farms.

Leslie and Gordon Lamb started the farm in 1966 with 110 cows and it has since grown to 2,400 cows. Kendra’s husband, Matt, runs the home farm, but they have  expanded to five other locations.

Dairy Good contacted Kendra about the commercial two and a half months ago and said she was excited to do it.

“Since I became a mom, I’ve become passionate about talking about what we do,” Kendra said. “I think that as people get further removed from agriculture, there’s a distrust with what you don’t know.”

Kendra said she wanted to do the commercial because there is a lack of understanding.

“Farmers haven’t always been good at talking about what we do,” Kendra said. “That’s become my role on the farm.”

Kendra said she shares pictures on their Facebook page to show their values at the farm.

“That’s what people care about these days,” Kendra said. “They want to see the person behind the product. They want to know that you care, and we do.”

Kendra also guides free tours throughout the farm, showing the facilities and cows being milked, providing an educational experience for visitors to learn where their food comes from.

The farm is always improving sustainability, Kendra said.

A methane digester was installed in 2010 that powers the whole farm, creating green energy from cow waste.

“We’re always improving [sustainability] but we don’t do a good job talking about it,” Kendra said.

Kendra said 97 percent of the dairy farms in the United States are family-owned.

“Hopefully those that see our commercial see that we are family farms, even though we are bigger than what people picture when they picture a family farm,” Kendra said. “We care about taking care of the cows. We are proud to produce a high-quality product.”

Friday afternoon was member appreciation day at Copart in Le Roy and The Batavian was invited out for some BBQ and a tour.

I first became aware of Copart in the early morning of March 26, when a car caught on fire behind the electrified and locked gate, which made it difficult for firefighters to gain access, so the fire spread to other vehicles, so it was interesting to learn more about the facility.

One of the managers, Scott McCumiskey led the tour.

Copart specializes working with insurance companies to acquire and sell "total loss vehicles." That's the bulk of its business, but it also sells vehicles that have been donated to charity. 

All auctions are conducted online and buyers must be members, and either a licensed dealer or affiliated with a licensed dealer. Different condition cars tend to have different kind of buyers, buyers that specialize in each kind of vehicle, such as those that can be driven off the lot, those that can be repaired and resold, those good only for parts and those that are nothing but scrap metal.

An insurance loss car might sit on the lot for 30 to 90 days until the insurance company releases it for sale. Sometimes that release for sale might take months or years, depending on the legal case a vehicle might be involved in.

Cars donated to charity are usually sold within a week of arriving on the lot.

Copart has 190 locations worldwide, including in Canada and Europe, with 125 in the United States, including three in New York. The Le Roy location's territory stretches from Syracuse to Buffalo. The company was founded in 1982 in Vallejo, Calif., by Willis J. Johnson, who remains chairman of the board. It is now based in Dallas.

Vehicles involved in serious-injury or fatal accidents might sit in the lot for months or years while civil cases remain pending. The cars are sealed in plastic and tagged as a potential biohazard. Only insurance company or attorney representatives can then enter the vehicle.

Most of the vehicles involved in the March 26 fire have been sold, probably for scrap metal, but these few remain.

Copart also takes in and resells boats, as well as other vehicles, such as semi-trucks, trailers, RVs, and buses.

This bus was destroyed in a fire more than a decade ago and it's been sitting on the Copart lot ever since. The insurance company has not yet released it for sale, presumably because there is a civil case still pending.

      Jaequele Tomlin

A melee on Holland Avenue on Friday evening involved multiple underage youths and a BB gun, and when police arrived, two adults got involved, and then, there was a kitchen fire.

The result: Two adults and one juvenile arrested, at least one person taken to a hospital, and a ruined dinner.

The adults charged were Jaequele M. Tomlin, 22, of East Main Street, Batavia, and Lionel J. Anderson Sr., 45, of Oak Street, Batavia.

Tomlin is charged with disorderly conduct, attempted assault, 2nd, obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest.

Anderson was charged with disorderly conduct.

Batavia PD, along with troopers and deputies, responded to a report of multiple individuals involved in a fight with at least one weapon involved at 4:37 p.m.

Once police arrived, another fight broke out.

That fight allegedly involved the adults, and Tomlin allegedly then fought with officers on scene.

A 16-year-old is also charged with criminally using drug paraphernalia.

A witness said the fight started on Holland Avenue, with several youths taking off their shirts and engaging each other in a physical fight.

One youth reportedly shot another youth with a BB gun.

The person shot was a juvenile and his name has not been released.  

Police said there was one injury as a result of the shots, but did not specify who was shot. The victim was treated and released at UMMC.

As police were attempting to sort out the incident, a kitchen fire broke out at 23 Holland Ave. and a woman came out of the house complaining that with all the commotion, she wasn't able to pay attention to cooking dinner.

City fire was already on scene to assist with medical issues and firefighters quickly dealt with the fire and kept it from spreading.

The fire seems to have started with a pot on the stove and spread to the wall behind a microwave.

Tomlin was ordered held without bail.

Police say the investigation is ongoing and they don't anticipate releasing more information until the coming week.

(Initial Report)

The Batavia Downtown Public Market season has started and the market will be open three days a week this year, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Above, one of the vendors, Charleen Satkowski, of Harper Hill Farm, of Darien.

Creek Road near Lehigh Avenue, Batavia, is closed for culvert replacement.

Even though signs warn of the closure as far back and East Road, people are still driving all the way down to the barriers, even semi-trucks, according to a Creek Road resident, who thought it might be a good idea to remind residents of the closure.

The closure started Wednesday and is expected to last for seven to 10 days.

It would mean a lot to Frank Panepento if you would come out to the VA Center in Batavia at 1 p.m. on Sunday to celebrate Flag Day with our veterans.

It will mean a lot to him because it means a lot to the veterans living at the center.

Panepento helped organize the event, which will include a motorcycle procession from Stan's Harley-Davidson and a presentation by students from Batavia Middle School, who wrote essays on what the flag means to them. 

The BMS Art Department also created flags for the veterans.

"For the residents in the hospital, just to know that someone cares about them is huge," Panepento said.

St. Joe's Brass Ensemble, which Penepento leads, will also play.