Above is the poster created by Elba Central School fifth-grader Jason Rowe. It won Second Place in the statewide Missing Children's Day Poster Contest.

Information from Missing Persons Clearinghouse, NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services:

A fifth-grader at Elba Central School named Jason Rowe took Second Place in the statewide Missing Children's Day Poster Contest, sponsored by Missing Persons Clearinghouse, NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services. 

There will be an award ceremony honoring Jason's achievement at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, at the school, located at 57 S. Main St., Elba.

There were a total of 302 entries from 49 school districts throughout New York.

Clearinghouse staff narrowed the entries to the top 60 for review by a panel of three judges, who made their selections independently without knowing the students’ names or schools they attend.

Judging the entries were DCJS Executive Deputy Commissioner Michael C. Green; Ellen DeChiro, an investigator with the special victim’s unit of the New York State Police; and Matt Frear, whose teenage brother Craig disappeared from Schenectady County in 2004.

“This year’s contest, more than any before it, was very difficult to judge due to the thought, creativity and high quality of work these students put into their posters,” Commissioner Green said. “In the end, this was a very difficult choice to make and all of these young students deserve recognition for their effort to raise awareness for missing children.”

The winning New York poster was created by Saranika Chakrabortty of PS 877 51st Avenue Academy in Queens. Hannah Hollenbeck from Howard A. Hanlon Elementary School in the Schuyler County Town of Odessa, was third.

All state entries are being displayed this month at the Empire State Plaza Concourse in Albany to mark this week's National Missing Children’s Day on Friday, May 25.

The winner of the National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest, sponsored annually by the U.S. Department of Justice, is chosen from among all the states' first-place posters.

History of National Missing Children's Day

May 25 was designated National Missing Children’s Day in 1983. On that date four years earlier, 6-year-old Etan Patz vanished in New York City. The boy’s disappearance gained wide publicity and created a groundswell of attention to the plight of missing children. Last year, a New Jersey man was convicted in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Patz and sentenced to life in prison.

Missing Children in New York

There were 17,114 children reported missing across New York State in 2017, with the vast majority of them reported by police as runaways. The overwhelming majority of these children returned home last year, but more than 2,000 missing children cases remain unresolved.

The Missing Persons Clearinghouse assists law enforcement agencies by providing training, case management guidance and investigative support, such as publicizing missing children cases. It also administers the state’s Missing Child Alerts, which are activated when a case involving a missing child under the age of 21 doesn’t meet AMBER Alert criteria.

Press release:

Genesee County Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is changing its daily operating hours, effective Monday, May 21. The new five day/week lobby hours will be 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

County DMV staff will continue to work on higher-than-anticipated transaction volumes and area auto dealer work in the last hour of the work day and with overtime resources.

Because of our County DMV’s reputation as a top-notch service center and expeditious processer of DMV records and changes, a significant number of adjacent counties' residents have also been coming to Batavia for their face-to-face transactions.

County Clerk/DMV staff and administrators recognize that the increased wait times and increase in transaction volumes make for a less than optimal situation, the change to this revised daily routine/access is an experiment to see if the wait times can reduce and the levels of frustration all around can be reduced/eliminated.

Genesee County wants to thank all our loyal citizens and customers for their continued use of our County DMV which enhances our state reimbursement revenue and controls or reduces the need for property tax revenue to support the overall $541,000 annual County Clerk/DMV division budget.

If Nathaniel D. Wilson Jr. did use a knife Thursday night to kill Terry J. Toote, as police believe he did, it wasn't the first time Wilson used a knife to attack another Batavia resident, according to the man he nearly stabbed in the back 12 years ago after a scuffle behind Biggie's Sandwich Shop on East Main Street. 

Louis Kingsbury said he barely escaped serious injury because Wilson mistakenly thought he had stabbed Kingsbury so he then fled the scene.

"I don't know how I didn't get stabbed because with the (surveillance) camera, actually, it looks like he's stabbed me," Kingsbury said. "In the investigation, he told the police that he thought he had stabbed me, that's why he stopped and took off running the opposite away."

The only thing cut was Kingsbury's shirt.

Wilson eventually entered a guilty plea to attempted assault and criminal possession of a weapon. The plea deal would have kept Wilson out of prison but Wilson, Kingsbury believes, committed other crimes while awaiting sentencing and so ended up being sent to prison for several years.

He may have been released a couple of years ago but available records are incomplete. He may have been adjudicated a youthful offender, as an 18-year-old, at sentencing in 2005, which could explain the lack of records.

Wilson was arrested in the City of Batavia two years ago on a charge of criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd. He was transferred from the Genesee County Jail to state prison on a sentence of one and a half to three years in May 2016.

The incident behind Biggie's began when a tenant of motel apartments to the east of the sandwich shop ran across the street to the pet food store, where Kingsbury worked. The tenant told Kingsbury that somebody, while fighting with his girlfriend, had punched and broken the illuminated sign in front of the motel.

The pet food store and the apartments were owned at the time by Ken Mistler and Kingsbury was and still is an employee of Mistler.

Kingsbury ran over and found Wilson hiding behind Biggie's.

When he confronted him, according to Kingsbury, Wilson said, "What are you going to do about it, cracker?" He then lunged at Kingsbury.

There was a scuffle and at one point, Kingsbury had him in a headlock and then Wilson managed to break free. Kingsbury said he saw him pull out a knife.

"Thank God, it was like one of those butterfly knives, so he was kind of fidgeting with it and trying to open it," Kingsbury said. "I realized it so I was able to react when he came at me and tried to stab me. When he missed, that time I said 'I'm out of here.' "

Kingsbury ran toward the motel and he said he could feel Wilson right behind him lunging at him. After he felt the knife catch his shirt, Wilson stopped his attack and ran toward the woods to the north and through the woods toward the house where Kingsbury believes Wilson's grandmother lives to the east.

Others in the area had already called 9-1-1 and police were on the scene quickly but couldn't find Wilson. It was some days or weeks before Wilson turned himself in.

When he was sentenced, Wilson was ordered to pay $864 in restitution to Mistler for the broken sign, according to a probation letter Mistler received. Kingsbury doesn't believe full restitution was ever made.

According to police, Wilson, who has been charged with murder, stabbed Toote in the middle of Toote's chest and Toote died that night. In the fight, Wilson was shot in the leg by another person, allegedly by 17-year-old Samuel R. Blackshear. Jennifer K. Urvizu-Hanlon, 41, is accused of supplying the gun to Blackshear.

Local entertainer Jonathan Blades visited Batavia Downs yesterday for the Preakness and stopped by a table set up by the Western OTB to sign a petition asking the State Legislature to approve a bill that would take advantage of Monday's Supreme Court ruling throwing out federal prohibitions on state-regulated sports wagering. The bill would make sports betting legal at off-track betting locations and casinos.

After reading Monday’s story in The Batavian about policies in five local school districts that prohibit individual school board members from sharing their views in public forums, such as news stories, the attorney for the New York State School Boards Association suggested that maybe something has been lost in the translation.

The NYSSBA’s policy recommendation seems clear: “ … whenever communicating about issues related to the district, each board member should clearly state that he or she is communicating a personal opinion and is not speaking for the board.”

Somewhere along the line, some school districts have turned this into a restriction on speech even by individual board members.

The fact that individuals don’t give up their First Amendment rights when elected to any public office, including school boards, could perhaps be more clearly communicated, suggested Jay Worona, deputy executive director and general counsel for the NYSSBA.

“We’re the glad that you wrote the story,” Worona said, “it helps to remind us what the perspective of the press is related to covering their respective stories. Although board members, in the absence of being specifically authorized to speak on behalf of the board, may not do so (speak for the board). They certainly are not precluded from providing the press with their individual perspectives if they choose to do so.”

Further research by The Batavian on the topic also reveals the NYS Board of Education, as expressed in nearly a dozen rulings since 1978 by education commissioners, clearly supports the right of board members to speak freely. Ruling after ruling states, “Individual board members are entitled to express their views about issues concerning the district and engage in partisan activity, provided school district funds are not used.”

In our research, The Batavian also found another document from the NYSSBA that more clearly states that individual board members retain their free speech rights. 

“Individual school board members and other school officials, acting in their personal capacity, have the same right as any other member of the community to express their views on public issues,” the document states.

Yet, in Genesee County, there are five school districts – Alexander, Byron-Bergen, Le Roy, Oakfield-Alabama, Pavilion – that have articulated policies prohibiting individual board members from publicly stating their views outside of board meetings.

After reading The Batavian's story, Rick Blum, policy director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said he was baffled that elected bodies had such rules and the elected officials accepted such restrictions.

"I don’t understand how elected officials are not allowed to talk to their constituents," Blum said. "It doesn't make sense to me. If you are an elected representative, elected to run and administer a school board or any government agency or public office, you need to do it in a representative, democratic way."

Since the story appeared Monday, The Batavian has spoken with one local school official about speech restrictions.

Alexander Superintendent Catherine Huber, Ed.D., said -- in a single statement -- that board members both can and can't speak freely: They can't share their personal views on district business; and, they have the ability to express opinions. (NOTE: We will have more from this 45-minute interview in later stories.)

"Recently we did a board retreat and the board established norms, which you also probably saw on our website, and one of the norms that the board established was that they would speak with one voice," Huber said. "They would speak with one voice on matters related to the school district.

"Board members individually don't have power on their own. They have power and they come together around the board table. That is not the same as their inability to express an opinion. Anybody has the ability to express an opinion. But in terms of commenting on district business, the board members only can speak with that same one voice as a board and not as individuals and they've designated the superintendent, as they probably have in most school districts, as the spokesperson for the district."

In the interview, we compared the "one voice" policy to Communist China. Huber's only response, "You have the policies and I know you have the policies from the other school districts as well."

When The Batavian pointed out such a policy negates dissent or individual views, Huber responded, "It's in keeping with our policy. An important thing to keep in mind, too, is that one of the central jobs of a Board of Education is that they get to approve a policy. So Boards of Education approve the policy that talks about things like who is the spokesperson for the board."

When The Batavian tried to talk with Alexander board members after an April 23 meeting, Huber stepped in, and board members reiterated, that only she could speak to reporters, a communication transaction Huber confirmed during Wednesday's interview.

After that encounter and subsequent communications with the district, The Batavian decided to survey the seven other school district's in the county expecting to find Alexander's policy was an anomaly. What we found is, it is not. While the policies of Batavia, Pembroke, and Elba are, arguably, the anomaly, there are five districts willing to openly state board members can't speak freely.

There does seem to be some confusion in Elba about the policy. While Superintendent Keith Palmer said, "Board members should emphasize to the media when asked to speak as a board member that they can only speak as a private citizen," which is in keeping with NYSSBA guidelines. When, however, The Batavian attempted to send interview questions to Elba's lone school board candidate, Candy Bezon, she declined to answer citing board policy.

The story about board member speech restrictions seemed to surprise NYSSBA's Worona. He indicated he didn't know such policies existed at school districts in New York.

The NYSSBA serves 660 school boards in New York and provides information, training and advice on matters affecting school boards to its members.

Worona said if there is a lack of clarity among school boards, it something NYSSBA should address.

"We want to make sure our school boards are judged by what they do not how they do it," Worona said.

It's reasonable for school boards to have a designated spokesperson, whether that's the board president or the superintendent, because a spokesperson is likely to be the person with the most knowledge and information about a particular topic, but a board designating a spokesperson should not be confused with the right of individual board members to answer questions, or for reporters to ask them.

Board members, of course, have a right to decline interview requests for their own personal reasons.

“Some board member who wishes not to speak the press may not do so, not to be difficult, but because they don’t feel comfortable with that media," Worona said.

Some school district and board policies may not necessarily reflect that nuance, Worona said.

There's no nuance, however, in the decisions issued by NYS Board of Education commissioners going back to 1978 when a commissioner ruled on the appeal of Rita Wolfe. 

Wolfe was a Cold Spring Harbor School Board member who sent letters to residents of Cold Spring Harbor encouraging them to vote against a proposed school budget, an action the commissioner ruled was not illegal since Wolfe lobbied residents at her own expense.

"Although an individual board member or those members holding a minority view are not entitled to have their opinions published at the district's expense in board publications, this does not mean that the individual board member may not communicate his views at his own expense."

The Wolfe decision (which, given it is from 1978, is not available online) is cited in several subsequent commissioner decisions. Decisions that either site Wolfe or state the same principle include the application of Katrina Dinan, application of Rhea Vogel, the appeal of Kevin R. Allen, the appeal of Jeremy J. Krantz (which also notes that school district employees enjoy the same right to publicly express their personal views), the appeal of Guilaine Leger-Vargas, the appeal of Dione Goldin (which involves comments Goldin made to a newspaper reporter), the application of Kaila Eisenkraft, the appeal of Glen W. Johnson, the appeal of Vincent Wallace, and the application of Julianne C. Gabryel.

What an individual reporter can do about government policies that prohibit free speech by elected officials may be limited; though courts have found, such as in Chicago Reader v. Sheahan that government agencies can't argue that alternative newsgathering resources are available as an excuse for refusing direct access to a primary source. Yet this is what Attorney Jennifer Schwartzott -- who represents Alexander, Byron-Bergen, and Pembroke -- suggested when defending school districts' speech policies.

"Community members who are interested in what the local board members have to say can attend board meetings when the members discuss issues, share their opinions, and make decisions," Schwartzott said in response to questions emailed to her last week about individual board member rights.

Speech restrictions, however, abridge the rights most directly of school board members.

David C. Bloomfield, J.D., professor of Education Law at Brooklyn College and The CUNY Grad Center, and author of a book on education law written for community members who wish to better keep tabs on their local school boards, said board members who wish to challenge the speech restrictions might best be served by going to the NYSSBA to get information to bring back to their fellow board members. If necessary, however, they might need to file an application or appeal with the education commissioner.

"The new information (the decisions mentioned above that we found since the last story, with the help of Bloomfield) seals the deal," Bloomfield said. "Rather than speculating, it’s right there, spelled out in black and white. A district shouldn’t even discourage board members from speaking out. The First Amendment should be exercised."

There is no specific state law, such as the Freedom of Information Law or the Open Meetings Law, that addresses directly a board member's right to speak freely but such a law shouldn't be necessary, said Robert Freeman, director of the state's Committee On Open Government. "We have the First Amendment.

“If a board member is speaking out, it’s up to the board to take action, and I don’t think a board would, if they thought about this, because I think a board would recognize the right of a board member to speak out, absent not representing himself or herself, as speaking for the board,” Freeman said.

Later he added, “If a board member wants to speak out then I think he or she should and challenge the policy.”

If board members won't protect themselves, it will be up to voters to make changes, said the Reporters Committee policy Director Blum.

"I think the public is going to have to elect people who are going to change school board policy," Blum said.

Cindy Morgan, as she's done in past years for the Elba Senior Prom Drill, played the distraught mother who arrives at an accident scene to find her daughter is dead.

The prom drill is organized by the Elba Volunteer Fire Department with an eye toward making the accident response appear as realistic as possible so students get a stronger impression of the dangers of distracted driving or drinking and driving.

Morgan plays her part well, screaming things like, "She's still breathing," "Nobody performed CPR. How come nobody is performing CPR?", "My daughter is going to college."

The Western New York Tech Academy, at Byron-Bergen High School, hosted its first mentor's breakfast Friday morning and handed out three significant awards for the first time.

Isaac Ladley, a junior in the program, received the first-ever Professional of the Year award. Pictured with Ladley are faculty members Miranda Wharram-Santillo, Thomas Schulte (principal), Mariah LaSpina, Kathryn Beaumont, and Sean Madden.

The breakfast was followed by a business fair and mock employment interviews.

Liberty Pumps was selected as Business Partner of the Year. Pictured are Jeff Cook, David Williams, Robyn Brookhart, Dennis Burke, and Thomas Schulte.

The Mentor of the Year is Gina Lathan. Pictured with Lathan, a student she mentored, Rebecca Haniscewski, and Thomas Schulte.

Nancy Glazier and Garry Wilson led a group of farmers on a pasture walk Thursday on property Wilson rents off of Transit Road in Stafford to raise beef cattle.

Wilson said by fall he will have more than 70 head on the 200 acres he grazes.

Glazier, a small farm specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension, said the purpose the pasture walk was to review Wilson's practices and perhaps advise him on changes he's considering to make better use of the land and give the grass a chance to grow and rest.

"It's a good way to learn is when you walk and talk," Glazier said.

Wilson's farm is based on Warsaw Road in Le Roy, where he once raised horses. He switched to cattle about six years ago.

He sells the beef he raises from his farm. He said while it's not certified organic, it's all raised "natural" and the meat is butchered at three local shops.

"I have 600 pounds of fresh ground beef in my freezer right now that is 98 percent (lean) for $3.50 a pound. I sell it from the freezer like that. Great stuff."

During the walk, he told his fellow farmers that raising beef is "just a hobby." Later he explained, "It's a hobby because, yeah, I enjoy it. That's why I call it a hobby."

He said was raised around cows and farming is in his blood.

"I enjoy being outside every day in the sun," Wilson said. "Even in the middle of the winter in a blizzard. I enjoy going out and feeding the cattle."

• Be protected from toxic chemicals;
• Request an OSHA inspection, and talk with the inspector;
• Be trained in a language you understand;
• Work on machines that meet safety regulations;
• See copies of the workplace injury and illness log;
• Get copies of test results done to find hazards in the workplace;
• Be provided required safety gear, including but not limited to: hardhat, gloves and harness;
• Report an injury or illness, and get copies of your medical records If you or someone you know has been injured or fallen ill due to unsafe work conditions. 

Call Dolce Panepinto at 716-852-1888 immediately. We understand how life altering a work injury can be, and we are here to help.

Multiple units of the Batavia Police Department and the Genesee County Sheriff's Office converged on the Southside of the city at Central and Pringle avenues around 11:30 p.m. after reports by residents of gunshots fired.

Officers then began searching nearby streets such as Cherry and Wood in their investigation.

At this point, law enforcement has not been able to locate anything suspicious.

UPDATE 12:17 a.m.: The sound of more suspected shots were heard a few minutes ago in the same vicinity. Law enforcement is on scene.

UPDATE 12:30 a.m.: At this point, nothing located.

The Central Avenue murder and attempted murder investigation stemming from last night's melee on Central Avenue in the city took an unexpected turn today.

A 48-year-old local businesswoman and a 17-year-old boy, who was found this afternoon at her residence on West Main Street Road in the Town of Batavia, were arrested in connection with the shooting of Nathaniel D. Wilson Jr.

Jennifer K. Urvizu-Hanlon, owner of La Mexicana store in Valu Home Plaza, is accused of providing a gun to Samuel R. Blackshear during the confrontation on Central Avenue last night; and Blackshear allegedly shot Wilson in the leg with that gun.

Urvizu-Hanlon is charged with criminal liability for conduct of another/criminal possession of a weapon, 2nd.

Blackshear is charged with attempted murder, 2nd, attempted assault, 1st, assault, 2nd, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, 2nd.

Additional charges are possible.

According to Batavia Police Chief Shawn Heubusch, police were able to charge Urvizu-Hanlon based on video evidence. A video camera installed on Central Avenue earlier this week captured the entire incident. Urvizu-Hanlon, Heubusch  said, was on Central Avenue at the time of the incident.

"Her activities at the scene were she provided the weapon that was used in the shooting," Heubusch said.

Asked if the video showed her physically transferring the weapon from her possession to Blackshear's, Heubusch said, "I can't disclose that information as that's probably going to be part of the legal process." 

Urvizu-Hanlon was the registered owner of the gun and permitted bearer of the weapon, Heubusch said. He did not say whether the weapon was recovered during searches today but did say evidence was recovered from the searched locations.

Heubusch said investigators have yet to discern the nature of the relationship between Urvizu-Hanlon and Blackshear.  

Blackshear and another unidentified male were located at Urvizu-Hanlon's residence this afternoon.

That residence is a small yellow house on property owned by Upstate Toyota and next door to the dealership. Urvizu-Hanlon is a rental tenant.

Heubusch said, however, that investigators have not established that Blackshear was living there. He is officially listed as "no permanent address" and Heubusch said he tended to stay with other members of the community, as well.

Wilson, the man injured by the gunshot, was arrested after being released from the hospital and charged with murder in the stabbing death of Terry J. Toote, a 41-year-old Batavia resident whose last known residence was on West Main Street.

Urvizu-Hanlon, Blackshear, and Wilson are all being held without bail.

Batavia PD was able to bring all three into custody in less than 17 hours after the stabbing and shooting.

"Our guys did phenomenal police work," Heubusch said. "We had a lot of a lot of evidence to go through. They had a lot of witnesses to talk to. And it's still not done. But I'll tell you that they did a tremendous job overnight, and taking care of all of the issues that were at hand, and handling the other calls for service."

Heubusch also credited the assistance of the Sheriff's Office, State Police, the Orleans County SWAT (which assisted the Genesee County ERT), the Department of Environmental Conservation, and city fire for assisting at the scene last night and throughout the investigation.

"I can't speak highly enough about the cooperation in this county," Heubusch said. "Any time you need something, you give the sheriff or somebody else a call and they're going to send some people your way."

Another subject who was found at the West Main Street Road residence was released after questioning and is not a suspect, Heubusch said, though he may be a witness.

There is still investigative work to be done and Heubusch is asking witnesses to come forward and residents in the area who have video of the incident to supply it to investigators.

That said, it is likely that the primary suspects from Thursday night have all been arrested.

"The video evidence that we received and that we viewed was pretty clear," Heubusch said. "We do not believe that there are any outstanding suspects in this case."

Whether the incident last night is related to prior incidents on Central Avenue over the past few weeks is still unclear. There may be some connection, Heubusch said, but it's not clear which prior incident threads to a connection with this incident.

"We're still investigating as to what was the motive leading up to it," Heubusch said. "There was a large disturbance that took place down there. There was a fight between several individuals -- the deceased, the suspect that was arrested for that crime, as well as a suspect that was arrested for the shooting. There were other individuals involved in punching and kicking and that sort of thing. But it looks like there was a large fight."

Heubusch agreed it's striking that of all four individuals police have connected to this incident -- Toote, Wilson, Blackshear, and Urvizu-Hanlon -- none are residents of the Central Avenue/Pringle Avenue area of Batavia, though all four have long-standing ties to the community.

Why Central Avenue has become a flashpoint in the past several weeks is hard to pinpoint, but Heubusch said police are doing what the can to address the issues.

"I certainly can't deny that there are problem areas," Heubusch said. "That is something that we have been anxiously working on to try to solve the issues in that particular neighborhood. When it came to our attention that there were several instances of disturbances down there we took measures to increase the lighting in that area. We took measures to put up a street camera down there, which was essential in capturing the evidence that led us to the conclusions here. So you know we did as much as we possibly could."

Ultimately, brighter lights, cameras, and more patrols won't solve neighborhood problems without the cooperation of the residents who live on problem streets, Heubusch acknowledged.

"We would like to see is more community interaction," Heubusch said. "If you see something you need to give us a call. Don't be afraid to take back your neighborhood, so to speak. That's what we need. We need people to be proactive. We need neighbors to take care of neighbors and not hide from things like this. We will do whatever we can to protect you but come forward; otherwise, we can't charge these folks and get them out of your neighborhood."

Top photo and second photo, from a vigil on Central Avenue, by Howard Owens. The next photos of the vigil courtesy our news partner 13 WHAM.

A person of interest from last night's crime scene at Pringle and Central avenues has been detained.

He was located in a little yellow house next to the Batavia Toyota dealership on West Main Street Road earlier this afternoon.

Law enforcement closed the road and surrounded the house.

Traffic on Route 5 in the Town of Batavia near the Batavia Toyota dealership was blocked in both directions for at least a half hour due to the law enforcement action.

UPDATE (By Howard) 5:04 p.m.: Photos added. Top photo: the house where we believe the person of interest was found and detained. Below, La Mexicana store, located at 4152 W. Main Street Road in Valu Home Plaza. We have few confirmed details, but the store is part of the investigation. This afternoon, the Emergency Response Team entered the store to search it. Batavia Police Chief Shawn Heubusch said use of ERT was merely a precaution since there was at least one weapon used in last night's incident.

Nathanial D. Wilson Jr., 30, with a last known address on Chestnut Street, Batavia, has been charged with murder in the second degree in the stabbing death last night of Terry J. Toote, 41, of West Main Street, Batavia.

Toote suffered a knife wound to the center of his chest. Wilson suffered a gunshot wound to his leg.

Police are looking for the suspected shooter. There is a person of interest police would like to interview.

Det. Eric Hill said he couldn't comment on whether any weapons were recovered.

After Toote was stabbed, other people in the area came to his aid. People were yelling "call 9-1-1, call 9-1-1" and a citizen started performing CPR and continued CPR until Mercy EMS arrived on scene.

Police have not said what precipitated the confrontation last night but don't believe it is connected to an incident a couple of nights earlier where a group of people were jumped by a number of other people, at least two with baseball bats and one person with a gun.

Toote has a criminal record. He was recently released from state prison on a conviction for attempted sale of a controlled substance. He was charged in Orleans County. That was a second felony offense for Toote, according to Orleans Hub. He was arrested in Batavia in 2014 on a harassment charge.

We haven't been able to confirm yet whether Wilson had any prior arrests.

The incident started some time before 11:30 p.m., Thursday. A witness who lives on Pringle Avenue said she heard people walking down Pringle talking loudly. One said, "I apologized. I apologized." When the group reached Pringle and Central, she said it sounded like the argument escalated, then she heard three gunshots. She said when she looked down the street she saw an SUV leaving the scene quickly.

Another witness said there was a car parked on Highland and the driver yelled, "They shot my boy. They shot my boy." And then that vehicle left.

Toote was pronounced dead at UMMC by County Coroner Donald Coleman.

While Wilson was being treated at UMMC, investigators developed information that indicated Wilson was allegedly responsible for stabbing Toote. Once he was released from medical care, he was taken into custody and then arraigned this morning in City Court on the murder charge.

Shortly after midnight, there was a disturbance at the hospital. Family and friends of Wilson and Toote were involved, according to police. The hospital went on lockdown as a precaution. There were no weapons displayed or threatened. The parties were separated. No charges have been filed.

Central Avenue has been a hotspot of disturbances recently so just about 24 hours before the stabbing and shooting, police activated a recently installed camera, which became critical in gathering evidence for this case.

"Due to these issues, the Department installed a video surveillance camera in the area and had the street lighting enhanced," Batavia PD said in a statement. "The street surveillance camera was instrumental in this investigation. The Department has also received several other videos showing the incident from witnesses who will remain anonymous. These, too, were instrumental in aiding in this investigation."

The case is under active investigation and Hill said police have been busy following up on leads.

From the press release:

The Department would like to thank the New York State Police, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (ENCON), City of Batavia Fire Department, Mercy Medics and Genesee County District’s Attorney’s Office.

Anyone with information in reference to the case may contact Detective Thad Mart at 585-345-6372 or the Batavia Police Department at 585-345-6350, the confidential tip line at 585-345-6370 or online at http://www.batavianewyork.com/police-department/webforms/report-suspicious-drug-or-criminal-activity.

More information will be released at the conclusion of the investigation.

CORRECTION: We initially pubished the suspect's name incorrectly. The correct last name is Wilson. The story has been corrected.

From the Genesee County Economic Development Center:

Ignite Buffalo invites small businesses throughout Western New York to apply for the chance to grow your business.

We know how challenging it can be to build and grow a small business. How do you secure funding? How do you make the most effective decisions? How do you find the best suppliers, employees, and partners?

To help you navigate these and other challenge our partners have launched Ignite Buffalo.

It's a chance to tell your business story to possibly secure over a year's worth of business mentoring, training, and up to $100,000 to develop and grow your small business in Western New York.

This grant opportunity is presented by 43North in partnership with national and local partners, including: facebook, M&T Bank, Intuit Quickbooks, AWS, WordPress.com, WOO COMMERCE.

A total of 27 grants will be awarded, ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.

All applications must be submitted by June 13 at 12 p.m. EDT.

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Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27), member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, applauded the advancement of 40 bills out of the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees to help combat the opioid crisis. Collins worked with his colleagues to address two specific problems related to the opioid epidemic, the over-prescription of opioids and fraud.

Collins worked with Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) and Congressman Peter Welch (VT-At Large) to author an amendment that passed the Energy and Commerce Committee that improves the quality of care Medicaid patients receive.

Their bipartisan work will require states to identify and address inappropriate prescribing and billing practices under Medicaid to decrease the likelihood that an excess of these drugs will make their way into communities.

“We’ve seen the devastating impacts of the opioid epidemic in every community across our nation,” Collins said. “These harmful drugs can fundamentally change who you are and rob you of your ambition, dreams, and dignity. It is our responsibility to do everything we can to prevent addiction from happening in the first place, which is why we need more reporting and accountability from the state level.”

“The opioid crisis is devastating families in San Diego and across the country. We need to do more to address the root causes of the epidemic,” Rep. Peters said “This amendment, led by Rep. Collins, Rep. Welch and me, will help identify patterns of overprescribing and inappropriate billing through Medicaid by using data already collected by states. Most important, it will direct states to remedy any practices that indicate abuse and help reduce the likelihood that opioids reach our communities.”

“Families and communities in Vermont are struggling with the scourge of opioid addiction,” Welch said. “To contain this epidemic, the federal government must have a multi-prong strategy that includes attacking the root cause of overprescribing. Our bipartisan legislation requires state Medicaid programs identify and educate outlier providers writing an excessive number of opioid prescriptions.”

Additionally, Collins co-authored a bipartisan piece of legislation that stops payments from Medicare prescription drug programs if a pharmacy is being investigated for fraud by the Inspector General. This bill, The SENIOR Communities Protection Act, was reported favorably from the Ways and Means Committee.

Collins added: “If there is any suspicion of a person fraudulently prescribing opioids, we must quickly take action and get to the bottom of the situation before providing any compensation. There are so many factors that have contributed to the opioid epidemic, and I’m proud of the meticulous work that we have done to address all of these issues in order to prevent over-prescription and fraud.”

For more information on yesterday’s Energy and Commerce Committee hearing and to read a copy of the amendment by Reps. Collins, Peters and Welch, click here. For more information on H.R. 5676, The SENIOR Communities Protection Act, click here.

A victim of a gunshot wound is reported at Central and Pringle avenues in the city. CPR is in progress. City police and fire responding.

UPDATE 11:37 p.m.: The gunshot is unconfirmed. A victim of a stabbing is transported to UMMC. City and state police have Pringle Avenue and Central Avenue cordoned off.

UPDATE 12:05 a.m.: Several witnesses at the scene say they heard at least three gunshots. A witness on Pringle Avenue says she heard people arguing; one person said she heard "I apologized; I apologized." When the subjects got to Pringle and Central Avenue, a witness reports hearing the argument escalate. Then she heard three gunshots. Then she saw an SUV peel off. Another witness said she heard a group of people on Pringle Avenue and they were screaming "Call 9-1-1; call 9-1-1." Another witness says there was a car parked in a driveway on Highland and the driver yelled: "They've shot my boy, they've shot my boy!" before peeling off in a vehicle. Yet another witness says he saw a shirtless white male running from the area. We've only confirmed with law enforcement that there is a stabbing victim; it is not confirmed there is a shooting victim."

UPDATE 12:10 a.m.: The state Department of Environmental Conservation is on scene with personnel and a canine capable of detecting gunpowder residue. A press conference is imminent.

UPDATE(S) (By Howard) 12:49 a.m.: We'll have a little more information in a bit, but two things: There are two victims. The gunshot victim was transported to UMMC by private vehicle. At about 12:30 a.m.; UMMC was placed on lockdown.

UPDATE 1 a.m.: Assistant Chief Todd Crossett briefed reporters at the scene on what police know at this time. Police were dispatched to Central and Pringle for a report of a man down in the street. They located a man who was the apparent victim of a stabbing. A second victim was transported to UMMC by private vehicle.

"Anyone with information is asked to call 9-1-1 and then we will get an officer out to talk with you as soon as we can," Crossett said.

Crossett said there is no information at this time to indicate this incident is associated with the one at Jackson and Central a couple of nights ago where four people were assaulted with baseball bats and a pistol.

"But obviously, it's still really early (in the investigation)," Crossett said.

In recent weeks, Batavia PD has given Central Avenue more attention, Crossett said, with increased patrols during the day and patrols stationed on the street when available at night.

"We've done some different things with increasing the street lights, making them brighter," Crossett said. "We've just recently moved our street camera down here. So we've done some things to try to get a handle on this to see what's going on down here."

There's no information yet available on the victims as far as description, age, race, gender. They are both in serious condition. 

Given the early nature of the investigation, Crossett was not able yet to provide descriptions of other people who may have been involved or how many people were involved.

UPDATED 5 a.m.: One victim has died, according to Crossett. He didn't say which victim.

It will be an exciting day sometime in June when the Holman family -- Matt, Maren, and Reya, who is 3 months old -- can finally move into their new home on Edgewood Drive, Batavia.

Five years ago they put their names on a waiting list for their planned home to become a construction project for the BOCES building trades program, they finally got to draw up plans with an architect a year ago.

After 11 months of building, the 1,800-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath house with a finished basement is nearly complete.

"Obviously they did a phenomenal job around here," Matt Holman said. "The teachers kept them in line the way that good teachers do. It's been a phenomenal process. They take care, so it's just a good value for everybody and that is evident in the work."

The building trades program gives students interested in construction work an opportunity to learn about construction both from a residential standpoint and a commercial standpoint. The students do the work under the supervision of teachers coupled with classroom construction on what they're doing and why.

Affordability was a big reason Mat and Maren turned to BOCES for their new home construction.

"We've been through the last four or five (BOCES houses) and we saw the quality of work they did," Matt said. "That was the tipping point. We knew the potential cost savings but we wanted to be sure that the quality was where we wanted to be."

It is and now they will have a new home for their infant daughter.

"We did it all for her," Matt said. "She's the reason we're here."

David Russell was auctioneer last night for the Stafford Garden Society's annual spring plant auction in the courtroom at the Stafford Town Hall. The society has about 50 members and has been conducting the plant auction for at least 20 years, according to a member.