A Dementia Care Conference for families and loved ones will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27, at Terry Hills Restaurant & Banquet Facility in Batavia.

It is free and open to the public but registration is required. Call 1-800-272-3900 to register.

Terry Hills is located at 5122 Clinton Street Road.

The event is offered by the WNY Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association and it is sponsored, in part, by a grant from the New York State Department of Health.

Vendor tables and sponsorship opportunities are available.

There are three areas of focus:

1. The Basics of Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia
2. Legal & Financial Planning for Dementia
3. Caregiver Resources

A caller to dispatch reports three girls about 8 years old are walking westbound on West Avenue in Elba and they are allegedly taking other people's mail and carrying it with them.

UPDATE 3:12 p.m.: The caller "is concerned that they are going to be injured," perhaps due to their proximity to oncoming traffic.

UPDATED 5:25 p.m., Oct. 16: Here's the email we received from a parent; we withheld the name.

Please post an update on news of the trio of Elba girls stealing mail.  

I'm one of the fathers of the three girls that were delivering the mail in Elba on Saturday. I just wanted to leave a note saying that my daughter and I went door to door and apologized for the action. I realize the person who called it in to the sheriff thought they were stealing the mail but they were delivering it to the front door of each home trying to be helpful. I have discussed it with my daughter and she knows the consequences of her actions.

Matthew D. Derrick, 31, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with: third-degree criminal possession of a weapon; first-degree menacing; endangering the welfare of a child; and second-degree harassment. On Oct. 8 at 10:30 a.m., Batavia Police responded to 335 Bank St. for the report of a male with a knife threatening to harm other people. Upon arrival, Derrick was taken into custody. Further investigation revealed that Derrick allegedly possessed a corkscrew and threatened a 14-year-old male with the corkscrew. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and jailed without bail. He was due back in court on Oct. 11. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Demetri C. Stewart, 23, of Lewis Place, Batavia, is charged with intimidating a witness -- instilling fear of physical injury. He was arrested at 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 6 on Lewis Place for allegedly threatening a witness in an open investigation in which he is a suspect. He was jailed without bail. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Marc Lawrence, assisted by Officer James DeFreze.

Samantha Hicks-O'Connell, of Ellsworth Avenue, Batavia, is charged with allowing her dog to bark habitually. She was arrested on Oct. 7, a day after a complaint that she left her dogs outside barking for an extended period of time. She was issued an appearance ticket for Oct. 18 in City Court. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Amber Marie Shea, 27, of Platten Road, Lyndonville, is charged with first-degree falsifying business records and fourth-degree grand larceny. Shea was arrested on these charges following an investigation in which it is alleged she stole from her employer on Aug. 15 on West Main Street in Batavia. She was issued an appearance ticket and released. She was due back in City Court on Oct. 11. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Kevin DeFelice, assisted by Officer Nicole Salamone.

Amber Marie Shea, 27, of Platten Road, Lyndonville, is charged with identity theft and petit larceny. Shea turned herself in on an arrest warrant and was directed to appear in City Court Oct. 11. The charges stem from an investigation in which it is alleged that Shea stole a debit card on Aug. 21 and used it on West Main Street in Batavia without authorization. The case was handled by Batavia Police Sgt. Dan Coffey.

James M. Jurek, 44, of North Main Street, Mount Morris, is charged with: aggravated unlicensed operation; DWI -- common law; aggravated DWI with a BAC of .18 percent or more; open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle; and improper signal. Jurek was arrested at 7:13 p.m. on Oct. 5 on West Main Street in Batavia. Jurek was allegedly found to be operating his vehicle while intoxicated and with a suspended driver's license. He was jailed and due back in City Court on Oct. 6. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Nicole Salamone, assisted by Mitchell Cowen.

Dean E. Walter, 56, of Ellicott Avenue, Batavia, is charged with second-degree criminal contempt and second-degree burglary. Walter was arrested at 2 p.m. on Oct. 6 following an investigation. He allegedly had contact with a protected party who had an order of protection. Walter had been ordered to have no contact with the individual. He was allegedly located inside the protected party's residence. He was jailed without bail and was due in City Court on Oct. 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Kevin DeFelice, assisted by Officer Jason Davis.

Andre K. Tiejan, 45, of 4070 Dominion Drive, Erie, Pa., is charged with criminal trespass. He was arrested at 11:26 p.m. on Oct. 6 on Dewey Avenue in Batavia after being told to leave the residence of a female acquaintance and allegedly refusing to do so. He was issued an appearance ticket for Oct. 11 in City Court. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Frank Klimjack, assisted by Officer Jason Davis. 

Douglas S. Hofer, 53, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Hofer was located inside a residence on Oak Street while partols were on an unrelated matter at 10:25 a.m. on Oct. 8. A marijuana bong was allegedly located on the coffee table in the same room as Hofer. He was taken into custody. A subsequent search of his person led to the alleged discovery of a crack pipe and heroin. He was arrested and processed and put in Genesee County Jail in lieu of $2,000 cash or bond. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer James DeFreze, assisted by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Akeem R. Gibson, 26, of Washburn Street, Lockport, is charged with petit larceny. Gibson was arrested at 2:45 p.m. on Sept. 3 after he allegedly stole the tip jar from the Southside Deli in Batavia on Sept. 3. She was issued an appearance ticket for City Court on Oct. 25. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Garrett, J. Ditzel, 22, no permanent address, was arrested at 3:39 p.m. on Oct. 6 at 40 Batavia City Centre following a shoplifting investigation at a local business. He was charged with petit larceny and was due in City Court on Oct. 11. The case was handled by Batavia Police Sgt. Dan Coffey, assisted by Officer Kevin DeFelice.

Cathy Jean Tarey, 61, of Starr Road, Wyoming, was arrested at 2:15 p.m. on Oct. 12 and charged with petit larceny. She allegedly stole merchandise from Marshall's in the Town of Batavia. She was released with an appearance ticket returnable to Batavia Town Court on Oct. 24. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Forsyth.

Kevin John Milbrand, 52, of South Lake Road, Pembroke, is charged with trespass. The defendant was arrested at 12:15 p.m. on Oct. 11 on South Lake Road, Pembroke, for allegedly trespassing on posted property without permission. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Stephen J. Turkasz, 26, of Brookhaven Lane, Batavia, is charged with failure to appear in court after an appearance ticket was issued to answer a charge of criminal mischief. This stems from an incident at noon on Oct. 4 on Edwards Street, Batavia. He was arrested on a warrant out of City Court. He was jailed in lieu of $1,000 cash or bond and was due back in City Court on Oct. 11. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Sarah L. Marcello, 24, of State Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant out of City Court for failure to appear for a traffic summons issued July 7 on State Street, Batavia. She posted bail and was released and is due back in City Court at a later time. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Marc Lawrence, assisted by Christopher Lindsay.

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra, led by new conductor S. Shade Zajac, opens its 2016-17 season tomorrow at 4 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church in Batavia.

The concert will feature performances by the winners of the annual Young Artists Competition, Jackie Hager, cello (top photo), and Jarod Yap, piano (second photo).

The program includes a piece by New York composer Dana Willson, "A Shortcut Home," along with Concerto in D Minor, by Lalo, Concerto in A Minor, by Schumann and "Scheherazade," by Rimsky-Korsako.

Purchase tickets online on the GSO website.

A two-car, minor injury accident is reported in the area of 3714 Pearl Street Road, Batavia.

Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 10:12 p.m.: Two people being transported to UMMC with minor injuries.

Batavia Police are responding to State Street after a woman complained that her neighbor was "shining a light on her while she was in her driveway."

Press release:

Benefits volunteer emergency responders receive as a reward for their service is no longer subject to federal income tax, withholding and reporting. On Sept. 21 the Senate Finance Committee approved legislation exempting these nominal benefits. 

Language from the Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act (VRIPA), which excludes property tax benefits and up to $600 of other types of benefits for the 2017 tax year, was added to the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act. The Committee approved the benefit by a voice vote. The amendment was sought by senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Susan Collins (R-ME), the sponsors of VRIPA (S. 609/H.R. 2752).

“On behalf of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) I’d like to thank senators Schumer and Collins for their work on this important legislation, which will help local emergency response agencies recruit and retain volunteer personnel,” said NVFC Chair Kevin D. Quinn. “On average a volunteer firefighter in the United States donates services worth more than $18,000 to the community that he or she serves. It is common sense to clarify that the nominal incentives that volunteers receive as a reward for their service should not be taxed by the federal government.”

The NVFC will continue to work to identify opportunities to pass VRIPA before the end of the year and will provide updates if and when votes take place on the House or Senate floor. In the meantime, you can use the NVFC’s Legislative Action Center to contact your U.S. Representative and Senators to ask them to support VRIPA.

WANTED: Your gently used coats, sweaters, parkas and such for women, men, boys, girls and babies, too. All humanity!

Bahama Bay Salon and Spa in Downtown Batavia is having a winter coat drive through the month of October to benefit the Genesee County YWCA.

"We are doing it to support victims of domestic violence as October has been designated Domestic Violence Awareness Month," says Shirley Puleo.

The business is located at 2 School St.

Hours are Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., closed Sunday.

For salon services, call for appointment. Phone is 345-9644.

Several local artisans have gotten together to sell their homemade items from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 15-16.

The location is 5444 Ellicott Street Road (Route 63), East Bethany.

Some items include home decor, fall decor, fine art done on reclaimed wood, refinished/painted furniture, repurposed items, jewelry, and flavored popcorn.

Discover all-handcrafted rustic and primitive decor, and pottery, too.

A large, pure white, neutered male German shepherd was found wandering around this morning at 6289 Westacott Road, Stafford. He is reportedly "good natured."

If you own this dog, know him or can help, please contact Reggie at (585) 721-4180.

Press release:

Members of the Oakfield-Alabama Lions Club will be at Denny’s Restaurant on Main Street in Batavia on Wednesday, Oct. 19, to raise funds as part of Denny’s Benefit Night. From 4 to 9 p.m., Denny’s will donate 20 percent of all pre-tax sales directly to the club. Funds will be used to support the Oakfield-Alabama Lions program for vision screening.

According to Bill Barbur, president of Oakfield-Alabama Lions Club, “Money raised on October 19 will allow Lions to meet pressing needs in our community including screening school children for visions problems and aid for furnishing eyeglasses and hearing aids to the needy.

"Lions members thank everyone who contributes to this important work. This year were able to purchase our own SPOT eye screener and to date have screened 265 students with 23 having been referred for further testing. You are truly helping Lions make a difference in our community.”

The Oakfield-Alabama Lions Club has 29 members and meets on the third Thursday of each month at 6:45 p.m. at the Oakfield Hotel on South Pearl Street in Oakfield.

Lions clubs are a group of men and women who identify needs within the community and work together to fulfill those needs. For more information or to get involved with the Oakfield-Alabama Lions Club, please contact Bill Barbur at 585-948-9882 or Bonnie Woodward at 585-739-2928.

Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with more than 1.3 million members in approximately 45,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit the website at www.lionsclubs.org.

Press release:

New York Sea Grant is reminding Great Lakes residents that Saturday, Oct. 22, is a National Prescription Drug Take Back Day for dropping off unused medicines at collection sites statewide. The goal is to keep the pharmaceuticals out of the freshwater Great Lakes system that provides drinking water to 42 million people in the United States and Canada.

"The simple act of dropping off your unused prescription drugs at a nearby collection point helps reduce the impact of such substances as antibiotics, hormones, contraceptives, antidepressants, cosmetics, and vitamins on the aquatic environment and on human health," says New York Sea Grant Coastal Education Specialist Helen Domske.

More than 350 tons of prescription drugs were dropped off at more than 8,000 sites across the United States on the Fall 2015 collection day.

For the complete list of authorized collection sites for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, visit the U.S. DEA National Take Back Day Initiative website here.

Collection hours at all sites are 10 a.m to 2 p.m.

In Genesee County, you can drop off unwanted drugs, no questions asked, at these locations:

• Batavia Police Department, 10 W. Main St., Batavia
• Genesee County Sheriff's Office is conducting a drop-off at the Pembroke Town Highway Barn at routes 5 and 77, East Pembroke
• Village of Le Roy Police Department, 3 W. Main St., Le Roy

MORE INFORMATION:
Domske is a 2016 Western New York Distinguished Scientist and author of the Undo the Environmental Chemical Brew: Keep Unwanted Medications and Chemicals Out of the Great Lakes guide with tips on how citizens can keep unwanted pharmaceuticals and personal care products out of Great Lakes waters. Find more information online at www.nyseagrant.org/unwantedmeds.

Research by New York Sea Grant and other science organizations has tracked the feminization of fish populations downstream from wastewater treatment plants to estrogen and its components found in prescription drugs.

A New York Sea Grant-funded, two-year research project that began in February 2016 is examining the effectiveness of advanced water treatment options, environmental levels and potential effects of pharmaceuticals in New York waters. Stony Brook University research Anne McElroy noted earlier this year, "The number of pharmaceutically-active ingredients (API) and their known or suspected active metabolites in coastal waters is in the hundreds and continues to increase. Data collected from our project will help to fill important data gaps and enhance knowledge about sewage-derived APIs and their effects on fish behavior and how well advanced wastewater treatment technologies reduce API discharges and mitigate these effects."

The biannual National Prescription Drug Take Back Days are an initiative of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in cooperation with law enforcement agencies nationwide.

New York Sea Grant, a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971. For updates on New York Sea Grant activities, www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube links.

Press release from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office:

The Genesee County Sheriff's Office is advising citizens to be aware of a scam targeting local area residents and businesses. The scam involves a phone call from a utility company claiming that the customer is overdue on their utility payments and that their service will be shut off within an hour if they do not make an immediate cash payment in person to their representative.

They are using a realistic call-back number and automated message that resembles an actual utility company's message and slogan. Once you contact the representative at the number given, and follow the prompts, the customer service person with whom you speak will demand that you make a cash payment to their representative in person to avoid the shut off.

This is a scam to steal money from you; the legitimate utility companies contacted advised that they will never send a representative to your home to collect overdue payments in person, or ever meet you at a specified location to receive payments from a customer.

Utility companies also indicate that they do not take payments with a "green dot" card or by Western Union. Payments for legitimate service will be made through the utility company website, call centers and by mail.

Please contact your utility company at the number provided on your bill or in the phone book if you have questions regarding the legitimacy of a service employee or communication from the company.

According to a specialist in aging services and Medicare at the Genesee County Office for the Aging, "this year is utter chaos with Medicare Advantage Plans as FIVE out of six companies selling in Genesee County have dropped at least one plan."

"We have been slammed with calls (as many as 43 within hours!) from people seeking guidance on what to do," she says.

So they are holding four Medicare Open Enrollment Vendor fairs during Medicare Open Enrollment (Oct. 15 through Dec. 7) to help people sort through the maze. ​The fairs are provided through grant funds from the NYS Office for the Aging, the Federal Older Americans Act, and generous support of the Genesee County Legislature.

Charts will be available at the vendor fairs (and in the Office for the Aging) comparing ALL available plans for 2017. Reps from local Medicare Advantage Plans and AARP Medigap will be present to help attendees understand the changes for 2017. They can help sign you up if you wish to choose a different plan or company. And Medicare trained/certified counselors from the Office of the Aging will be there to answer questions and offer unbiased assistance.

The fairs are scheduled as follows:

• Monday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Paddock Room at Batavia Downs, 8315 Park Road
• Wednesday, Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Oakfield Community and Government Center, 3219 Drake St., Oakfield
• Tuesday, Nov. 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Office for the Aging, 2 Bank St., Batavia
• Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Office for the Aging, 2 Bank St., Batavia

Construction began this week on the new Dunkin' Donuts location on West Main Street, Batavia. The location is on the south side of the street, across from Redfield Parkway and next to Barrett's Batavia Marine.

Officially, it's the last day to register to vote, but with a couple of qualifications to that statement.

First, if you are mailing in your registration form or having another person drop it off for you at a town hall, today is the last day. If by mail, it needs to be received by Oct. 19, with a postmark of today.

Second, the state allows local registration tomorrow. That means, you need to register in person, no drop-off registrations, at a town hall. In the City of Batavia, the location is the Fire Hall on Evans Street.

There are four candidates who have qualified for New York's presidential ballot:

• Hillary Clinton
• Donald Trump
• Jill Stein
• Gary Johnson

Other key races are U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, State Senate, CIty of Batavia Councilman at Large (click here (pdf)) for a complete list of offices on local ballots and the candidates in each race).

Richard Siebert, one of the county's elections commissioners, has said that he's expecting a record turnout for the Nov. 8 election.

"We’ve had a lot of activity," Siebert said. "We had a strong turnout in the primary. We had a 40-percent turnout on the Republic line in the primary. There’s been a lot of interest, both for Trump and for Hillary in our county. We normally experience anywhere around 70 to 72 percent in a presidential year. I think this year we will exceed that."

Up for grabs in New York for the presidential election are 29 electoral votes, which is 5.3 percent of the total electoral votes in the nation, and a little overf 10 percent of the 270 needed to win the presidency.

Two days ago when workers for National Grid went to a residence on Liberty Street to turn off the electricity, they found themselves locked in the basement.

They reportedly heard the resident outside the basement making threatening statements, but no charges were filed.

Today, National Grid returned to the same apartment, the same basement, to reconnect electric service, but not wishing to take any chances, they requested a police presence while they were on scene.

The electricity was reconnected without incident.

Cody Towner, a former Town of Batavia fire volunteer, joined 226 other cadets today as the latest graduates of the Basic School of the New York State Police Academy. The cadets are the 204th graduating class.

Towner will join Troop C, based in Sydney.

A blue sky and fall colors starting to pop in the BJ's parking lot in Batavia.

The new Hotel at Batavia Downs opened for business today.

The ribbon cutting for the new facility won't be until early November.