pembroke

Wires are reportedly arcing in the area of 857 Main Road, Pembroke.

That's across from Yancy's Fancy cheese factory.

The caller says the wires are arcing pretty strongly.

"The caller said the last time this happened the factory lost power," the dispatcher said.

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments dispatched.

UPDATE 8:26 a.m.: A chief says there's no fire, "but you can see where it was touching." National Grid has been notified.

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Pembroke High School has no varsity boys soccer team and a group of students at the school think that ought to change.

More than three dozen students and parents crowded into the district's board meeting Tuesday night to make sure the trustees clearly understand, there is support and desire to see boys soccer return to the school.

Tina Curtis (pictured above), the mother of one of the boys who wants to play soccer for his school, presented a feasibility study that shows soccer is a lot less expensive than football and isn't likely to sap talent from that squad.

The study was requested by the school administration after a group of boys in the school began making their wishes known.

"The boys came tonight to let the board and the district know that their interest is sincere and that they would really like to have the ability to play soccer in high school," Curtis said.

The trustees will discuss the proposal at their March 22 meeting.

Pembroke, though it has a girls soccer team, has been without a boys team for about 15 years.

That robs many boys of a chance to participate in varsity sports in the fall, Curtis said, because most of the soccer players have no interest in playing football or running cross-country.

Her study found that of the 29 boys in the school who expressed an interest in playing soccer, only four play football and only one runs cross-country.

Pembroke is the only Section V Class C school without both soccer and football.

In Genesee County, only Pembroke and Oakfield-Alabama don't have boys soccer. Alexander recently started a boys soccer team.

The study notes that with league and section permission, schools can combine teams, and both O-A and Alexander officials have expressed interest in exploring the idea of a combined team with Pembroke.

While football costs Pembroke $43,000 a year, the cost of a soccer team wouldn't be much more than $6,000. Cross-country costs $6,500 and boys volleyball, $4,000, according to the study.

"The administration agrees with us that the cost of funding soccer here Pembroke is not substantial," Curtis said. "That’s not a big barrier to bringing it back to school."

The biggest barrier, Curtis said, is the decline in school enrollment, but that's a problem similarly sized schools throughout Section V are facing. Their solution hasn't been to eliminate sports, but to combine programs -- merging JV with either modified or varsity programs, for example.

For Pembroke football, the program has declined from 71 JV and varsity participants in 2000 to 49 in 2010. In both years, that participation level represented 28 percent of the school's male population. In both years, Pembroke won 70 percent of their games.

According to the study, schools with both varsity football and soccer have better football winning records than schools with only football programs.

Schools with both programs don't really compete for students, the study found.

"Holley Central School and Alexander Central School added a football or soccer program to their existing fall sports," reads the report. "In conversations with Alexander and Holley athletic directors, it has been observed that the impact on the existing sport was negligible. In the words of James Palermo, Holley's athletic director, over the 10 years the school offered both programs, the crossover was insignificant. Soccer players and football players are two different types of kids."

Gabriel Birkby (pictured, inset) said he and a lot of his friends just want to play soccer.

"We have a lot of great guys, well-rounded men who are kind of deprived of a high school sporting experience," said Birkby. "I’m kind of hoping that the board and administration see it in favor of the students so that a soccer team is reestablished here Pembroke."

He said the boys will continue to let trustees and administrators know that they are serious about wanting to play soccer.

"I think (it will take) a lot of convincing and a lot of the boys pushing toward getting a team," he said. "If there’s no push there’s going to be no pressure on the board to try and get a team in there."

Nicholas Michael Lyons, 30, of Allegheny Road, Pembroke, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Lyons is accused with fighting with another person at 7:11 p.m., Monday, and hitting that person.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to cap the annual salaries of school district superintendents and if his proposal goes through, one Genesee County superintendent could see a nearly $90,000 cut in pay.

Under the cap plan, all of the other county superintendents are earning less than what Gov. Cuomo's plan says they could earn.

Currently, the highest paid school superintendent in the county is Pembroke's Gary Mix. He earns $232,307 per year.

For a school district the size of Pembroke's, according to Cuomo, Mix's pay should be capped at $145,000.

WBTA's Geoff Redick spoke with Mix.

"I understand that the governor is politically ambitious," says Mix. "He's picked a group of people -- the 700 superintendents in New York -- that in many communities, particularly in small communities, they can often be among the more highly compensated people in the community."

Mix says he grew up the oldest of eight children. His father was a postal worker who also took many odd jobs to support his large family.

So, "I understand the feelings about other people's compensation and benefits," says Mix. "(But) education is crucial, it's important. I hope we truly value it."

On the other end of the spectrum, Elba's Jerome Piwko might want to ask for a raise. He's making only $81,120. While Elba's student population is a rather small 494, Cuomo's plan says Piwko could have his pay capped at $135,000. 

That puts Piwko's pay nearly $55,000 under Cuomo's proposed pay scale. That's the largest disparity between Cuomo's cap proposal and what a current Genesee county superintendent is earning.

For the rest of Geoff's story, click here.

LeeAnna M. Kiefer, 18, of Transit Road, East Bethany, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Kiefer is accused of being involved in an incident on Big Tree Road in Pavilion where she allegedly punched another person in the head and face.

Stephanie Marie Macchia, 33, of Munzel Road, Medina, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Macchia was involved in a traffic stop by Deputy Patrick Reeves at 11:57 p.m., Friday, on Route 77 in Pembroke, and found to allegedly be in possession of marijuana.

A fuel spill has been reported at the Flying J on Route 77 by the Thruway exit.

At the time of the call, the fuel had not been shut off.

A first responder reported "significant saturation."

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments are responding.

A 29-year-old Pembroke man was arrested today on a sealed grand jury indictment for allegedly selling cocaine to an undercover agent on two separate occasions.

Arraigned before Judge Robert C. Noonan this afternoon was Brandon R. Brade, of Genesee Street, Pembroke.

Brade was taken into custody at his place of employment, where he has worked for two months, he told Noonan.

"I'd kind of like to keep my job," Brade said, asking for a bail lower than the $50,000 requested by Assistant District Attorney Will Zickl.

Noonan set bail at $10,000 and gave Brade a week to hire an attorney (Brade said he could afford to hire his own) before his next court appearance.

Brade is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance, 3rd.

According to a Sheriff's Office press release, Brade allegedly sold quantities of cocaine to an agent of the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force.

Zickl asked for the high bail because of Brade's prior record, which includes convictions for DWI (2005), resisting arrest (2002) and stalking (2000).

Noonan said Brade will get another shot at a lower bail after Genesee Justice files a bail evaluation report, which would require Brade's cooperation.

The smell of smoke is reported inside a residence at 8409 Indian Falls Road in Indian Falls. The basement of the home is flooded, too.

Oakfield, East Pembroke and Pembroke fire units are called.

UPDATE 8:03 p.m.: Assignment back in service.

Firefighters are responding to an area near the juncture of routes 20 and 238 for a missing 73-year-old man. He has gone unaccounted for for five hours.

All Darien fire crews and medical personnel are called to the scene. Alexander fire is standing by in its quarters. Alexander, East Pembroke and Alden are also participating in the operations, along with Mercy EMS.

The area is near a creek and the East Pembroke Water Rescue Team is deployed. Fire police are rerouting traffic. A helicopter is also deployed. The man's cell phone was called but it's not on, or not working, and therefore not trackable. They are going to contact the phone company to determine the last known location of phone service.

UPDATE 7:33 p.m.: A responder on scene says "They are sending a generator and lights to the area of the ATV." Also, several ATV riders are searching the area, too.

UPDATE 8:15 p.m.: Bethany requested to fill in at Alexander's hall.

A fully involved car fire is reported on Route 77 in front of the Econo Lodge. That's located at 8493 Alleghany Road in Corfu.

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire are responding.

UPDATE 5:52 p.m.: The driver is out of the vehicle and is OK.

Dustin M. Locicero, 26, formerly of 16 Gibson St., Bergen, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 4th, and four counts of identity theft. Locicero, currently an inmate at the Elmira Correctional Facility, is accused of possessing a stolen credit card at the Wilson Farms store, 8132 Buffalo Road, Bergen, on March 18, and allegedly using it to make three separate ATM withdrawls and one merchandise purchase. The investigation was conducted by Deputy Dana Richardson and Investigator Timothy Weis.

Stephen John Farrell, 44, of the Bare Hill Correctional Facility, Malone, is charged with burglary, 3rd, and criminal mischief, 4th. Farrell is accused of using force to enter a Bergen business during the early morning hours of Feb. 11. The entry door was damaged. Farrell was arraigned in Genesee County Court and bail was set at $10,000.

Cody James Sundown, 20, of Sailles Plank Road, Irving, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Sundown was arrested on a bench warrant out of Town of Pembroke Court. Sundown is accused of damaging another person's vehicle on Nov. 27.

Matthew Scott Williams, 23, of 21 Maple St., upper, Batavia, is charged with a violation of probation. Williams was taken into custody at 7:47 p.m., Thursday. Williams was wanted on a bench warrant out of Town of Elba Court. He was jailed on $5,000 bail. (For previous arrest reports on Williams, click here.)

Kenyada R. Peterkin, 29, of Saxton Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, aggravated unlicensed operation, unlicensed operation and unlawful possession of marijuana. Peterkin was arrested following a traffic stop by members of the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force. He was allegedly found in possession of crack cocaine and marijuana. Peterkin was jailed on $1,500 bail.

A 17-year-old from Asbury Road, Pavilion, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. The youth allegedly violated a court order by hitting another person during an argument.

Matthew Joseph Dahl, 19, Tinkham Road, Darien, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving left of pavement markings in a no-passing zone and inadequate headlights. Dahl was stopped at 2:06 a.m., Saturday, on Tinkham Road, Darien, by Deputy Jason Saile.

Stephen Daniel Golembiewski, 32, of Main Road, East Pembroke, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving left of center pavement markings and obstructed rear plate. Golembiewski was stopped at 1:13 a.m., Sunday, on Indian Falls Road, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Jenna Alexandra Kavanagh, 18, of Guaymar Circle, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Kavanagh was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during a traffic stop on Thursday by Deputy James Diehl.

Brandy Rose Douglas, 31, of South Main Street, Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation and driving left of pavement markings in a no-passing zone. Douglas was stopped at 12:17 a.m., Friday, on Chapel Road, Byron, by Deputy Jason Saile.

A slew of vehicle accidents are reported back-to-back on Route 77, south of Indian Falls Road.

"I've got cars blowing through here, going into the ditches in front of me," says a frustrated fire chief.

There are numerous injuries. Multiple ambulances are called.

"We've got a mess here Batavia," says a responder.

Corfu Fire Department is called to shut down the Thruway interchange with Route 77. Alabama Fire Department is shutting down Akron Road at Route 77. Pembroke Fire Department and Mercy medics are also responding.

The initial call was for a one-car rollover accident with minor injuries at 8155 Alleghany Road. The vehicle was on fire but that was quicky doused. The driver was said to have a minor injury.

Then, as if instantly, the pile-ups started.

"Like my brother says 'Welcome to the money store! Come on in and take what you want!'" says a responder.

State Troopers are on scene.

UPDATE 3:45 p.m.: Two victims have neck injuries and a total of five people need to be transported. A fourth ambulance out of Akron is called. A separate accident scene, involving one vehicle, is called further south on Route 77 over the Thruway overpass. Five tow trucks are called to Route 77.

UPDATE 4:14 p.m.: Patients being transported out, tow trucks coming into the scene.

UPDATE 4:25 p.m.: Corfu back in service.

UPDATE 4:58 p.m.: Pembroke and Indian Falls clearing. There is a report of another car off the road about a mile north of the scene.

 A 23-year-old snowmobile rider was seriously injured Tuesday evening after the vehicle he was riding struck a tree.

Nathan C. Swimline, of Boyce Road, Pembroke, was transported to ECMC by Mercy Flight with internal injuries.

Swimline was riding his snowmobile at 6:39 p.m. eastbound on Genesee Sno-Packers secondary trail GS 207, East Pembroke, when his vehicle traveled off the south side of the trail and struck a tree. Swimline was partially ejected from the snowmobile. 

According to the accident report, Swimline has five years experience with snowmobiles and was driving a 2004 Polaris Switchback, 700cc.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

UPDATE: According to ECMC patient information, Swimline is out of intensive care and listed in stable condition.

(Initial Report)

A 17-year-old resident of Mechanic Street, Byron, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. She is accused of forcing a door open, punching a hole in a wall. The youth was jailed on $100 bail.

Amy Lou Platten, 41, of Main Road, Pembroke, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Platten allegedly violated an order of protection.

Predictably, the weather is creating hazardous road conditions. There are at least four accidents now -- and cars have careened off the roads in several other places countywide.

One car is well off the road on the westbound 490 at the Bergen exit.

Another accident is reported on the Thruway at mile marker 399.9, eastbound. Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments responded. Air-bag deployment, no injuries.

Alabama Fire Department is responding to an accident on Alleghany Road, just south of Ham Road. Car, with heavy front-end damage, and a tractor-trailer.

Route 5 overpass of the Thruway. Driver only, no injuries, heavy front-end damage.

A possible chimney fire is reported at 2185 Route 5. A passerby called dispatch and said heavy smoke, with a yellow-brown hue, was pouring from the chimney.

East Pembroke and Pembroke fire departments are responding.

A firefighter said it is possible that they've responded to that address previously for the same kind of report but the heavy smoke was due to the type of wood the residents burn.

UPDATE 4:20 p.m.: This was not a chimney fire. Responders are put back in service.

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Either a tire or brakes on a propane truck on the Thruway near mile marker 401 has caught fire.

The explosion occurred shortly after the first call to Pembroke Fire Department went out.

UPDATE 7:54 a.m.: Fire is knocked down. Another Pembroke and Indian Falls unit requested to the scene for traffic control.

UPDATE 8:09 a.m.: The fire is under control and crews are cooling down the truck. Now there is a report of a motor-vehicle accident just west of the fire scene in the eastbound lane. There are no apparent injuries.

UPDATE 8:15 a.m.: Mercy EMS requested to the scene to evaluate a driver. There was heavy interior damage to the car and air-bag deployment. The car rear-ended a tractor-trailer.

Damion Michael Frye, 35, of 3662 Route 19 South, Warsaw, is charged with resisting arrest, escape and trespass. Fry is accused of refusing to leave The Eagle Hotel after being asked to do so by security. Le Roy Police responded and officers Robert Tygart and Emily Clark reportedly approached Frye and he was reportedly given several opportunities to leave. When he allegedly refused, he was placed under arrest. Frye allegedly refused to cooperate with the officers and struggled when they tried to place him into custody. Deputies from the Sheriff's Office responded to assist. Frye was Tasered by Deputy Frank Bordonaro. There was then a short foot pursuit before Frye was taken into custody. Frye was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Kenyada R. Peterkin, 29, of 323 Saxton St., Rochester, is charged with menacing, 3rd, criminal mischief, 4th, and endangering the welfare of a child. Peterkin is accused of going to the residence of a woman whom he knows at 5:30 p.m., Friday, and damaging her personal property. He also allegedly threatened the woman there with heated cooking oil. A child present at the time.

Robert L. Williams Jr., 20, of 337 Ellicott St., Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Williams was allegedly involved in a disturbance in the parking lot of Days Inn, 200 Oak St., Batavia. He was reportedly advised to leave and refused, shouting obscenities. When Officers Darryl Streeter and Eric Bolles attempted to arrest Williams, he allegedly struggled with officers.

Cody Lee Niccloy, 19, of Summit Street, Le Roy, is chargd with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, moving from lane unsafely and speed not reasonable for conditions. Niccloy was involved in a property damage accident at 2:47 a.m., Friday, at 7982 Byron Road, Stafford. Upon investigation by Deputy Eric Seppala, Niccloy was allegedly found to be intoxicated.

A 17-year-old resident of Route 237, Byron is charged with petit larceny. She is accused of stealing an iPod Touch from the locker room at Le Roy High School.

Chantel M. Garrett, 18, of Batavia-Stafford Townline Road, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Garrett is accused of punching another student in the face while in a dorm room at College Village.

Kevin John Milbrand, 46, of South Lake Road, Pembroke, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Milbrand was allegedly involved in a fight with another Pembroke resident.

Jeannie M. Mobley, 35, of 10 Hall St., Batavia, is charged with DWAI, aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, and unsafe backing. Mobley is accused of backing into another at car at 5:48 p.m., Sunday, near the Clinton Street entrance of Eastown Plaza.

A truck is on fire in the driveway of a house at 8077 Marble Road in Pembroke. It is close to other vehicles, the garage and the residence.

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments are responding. Akron is asked to stand by in its fire hall. The location is between Gabbey and Akron roads, but closer to Akron Road, across from Larry's Greenhouses.

UPDATE 5:44 p.m.: The fire appears to be out. Akron is asked to stand down. The call is being limited to the tanker en route, non-emergency mode.