In an exclusive auction, Bontrager Real Estate & Auction Service is offering this stunning A-frame-style house on a half acre wooded lot in Corfu.

The 2,784 sq. ft. home is located at 8858 Lover's Lane. 

It features four bedrooms, two baths and a 24x36 two-car garage, along with a fireplace, wood stove and hot tub.

The open house is from 4 to 6 p.m., Thursday.

The auction is at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 2.

The Town of Batavia Fire Department is gearing up for its 12th Annual Harley-Davidson Raffle.

The raffle drawing is July 30 at the fire hall on Lewiston Road. Once again, there will be great food (from Alex's Place this year), live music, a beer tent and, of course, the raffle.

The Harley this year is a 2011 Fat Boy Low. Tickets, if you can still get them, are $20 each. For information on availability, write to tbfdraffle@townofbataviafire.com or call 344-3284, ext. 12.

Besides the Harley, four tickets will be drawn for cash prizes of $500 each.

Pictured are 2nd Assistant Chief Nate Fix, front left, firefighter Josh Finn, firefighter Ben Fisher, back left, firefighter Scott Washburn and Chief Randy McIntier.

This grand old barn is on Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road, just inside the townline of Oakfield.

I spotted this giant field of hay bales off Bank Street Road this morning on my way to the fire in Bergen and made a mental note to return at my first opportunity to take pictures. That opportunity arrived this afternoon.

According to Donna McAuley, for 45 years she managed to live her life without ever getting so much as a traffic ticket, and now she has people drive past her house and yell "crack head."

McAuley was arrested July 13, 2010 and accused of being part of a methamphetamine ring that included a dealer from Le Roy now serving more than 17 years in a federal prison.

McAuley was charged, along with four others, of conspiracy with intent to distribute narcotics. She was facing a maximum sentence of 40 years and a $2 million fine.

A few weeks ago, the charges against McAuley, aka Donna L. Boon, were dismissed.  

The Batavian spent a few weeks trying to get an explanation for the dismissal from the U.S. Attorney's office in Western New York and today we managed to contact Brett Harvey, who was prosecuting the case.

Harvey said he can't discuss the specifics behind the prosecution's motion to dismiss the charges because of the ongoing investigation (two defendants in the alleged ring still face charges), but that the case was dismissed "without prejudice."

That means the federal government could refile charges against McAuley, Harvey said.

"We dropped complaint, but have we have leave to pursue additional charges if circumstances warrant," Harvey said.

McAuley's Rochester-based attorney said he doesn't think that's going to happen.

"Donna McAuley's life has been in turmoil for more than a year, including the execution of a search warrant of her home," Robert Napier said. "In the end, the government concluded it does not have sufficient legal basis in which to pursue an indictment before a grand jury. 

"My conclusion," Napier added, "is that the government did not have enough evidence to pursue any charges against Ms. Boon."

According to Napier and McAuley, no drugs were found in her home at Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road when it was searched as part of an early morning raid by local and federal law enforcement on July 13, 2010.

That day, local law enforcement and the DEA and FBI along with Bill Hochul, the U.S. Attorney for Western New York, held a press conference attended by region-wide media. They announced the arrests of McAuley along with Donald G. Vanelli, 47, of 8394 Lake St., Le Roy; David H. Cohen, 49, of 918 Goodman St., Rochester; Andrew W. Chapman, 40, of 5 Cedar St., Batavia; and Kerry A. Ball, 51, of 7202 Meadville Road, Basom.

Vanelli eventually entered a guilty plea. The former Road Agents motorcycle club president admitted to procuring from suppliers and distributing between 5 and 15 kilograms of methamphetamine from 2004 through July 2010.

He was sentenced to 17 1/2 years in federal prison.

The charges against two of the three other defendants are still pending (at time of posting, we didn't have details on which two).

McAuley has admittedly mixed feelings about media coverage of her case being dismissed.

She feels vindicated -- she is adamant that she was not involved in any meth dealing and was not criminally associated with Vanelli, whom she characterized as a friend of 15 years.

She would also just like the case to go away, get her life back and not draw further public attention to her name.

And her name has drawn some attention.

It's been part of media reports every time Vanelli's case has made it through the federal court system.

It came up again when her husband, 62-year-old James Henry McAuley Jr. (aka "Mitch") was charged in a racketeering case stemming from the baseball-bat beating of a man in Rochester more than five years ago and an alleged plot to murder members of a potential rival motorcycle gang.

According to federal authorities, Mitch McAuley, who is currently confined to Elkton Federal Corrections Facility in Elkton, Ohio, on other charges, is vice president of the Rochester Hells Angels.

Donna McAuley said that even with her ties to Mitch McAuley and Donald Vanelli, she herself has never been involved in criminal activity. She has held down respectable, professional jobs for most of her adult life, she said, and she came to Genesee County 15 years ago to establish a reputation for herself as a good citizen.

The case against McAuley was apparently based entirely on wiretaps that recorded conversations between her and Vanelli. FBI agents claimed McAuley and Vanelli used a coded language to arrange for meetings to exchange drugs and/or cash. For example, there was one time when Vanelli, supposedly out of meth to sell, received a call from  McAuley.

According to the transcript, McAuley said, "I, um, what did I want last night, oh geez, I don't know, oh my friggin', I, can you stop by today and check my lawn mower? This mornin'?"

Agents took that to mean that McAuley had acquired a supply of meth.

Vanelli allegedly went to McAuley's house later that morning and when returned to his own home in Le Roy, allegedly arranged for a customer to make a buy.

McAuley said her contact and conversations with Vanelli were never about drugs. There was no coded language. Vanelli was just a longtime friend.

Robert Napier said his client is "an innocent, hard-working professional."

A bear was spotted in the area of Ham and Knowlesville roads, Alabama, this afternoon.

The reader who saw it didn't have a camera at the moment, but is keeping an eye out in case a photo opportunity presents itself.

A 39-year-old Ellicott Street resident is in jail following an alleged domestic incident during the early morning hours in which a victim reportedly received cuts to his hand.

Taken into custody was Andrew A. Crimes, of 334 Ellicott St..

The name of the victim, who was transported by Mercy EMS to UMMC, has not been released.

The alleged incident occurred near the intersection of Ellicott Street and Goade Park at 12:21 a.m.

Crimes was charged with assault, 3rd, menacing, 2nd, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation and harassment, 2nd.

Following arraignment in Batavia City Court, Crimes was jailed on $5,000 bail.

(initial report)

Frank Nichols Vitagliano, 28, of Luther Road, Silver Springs, is charged with a felony count of DWI, refusal to take a breath test and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Vitagliano allegedly drove past officers at the front gate of the Buffalo Federal Detention Center on Federal Drive and entered the parking lot. Vitagliano's vehicle was stopped and detained by several detention center officers. Vitagliano was jailed on $1,500 bail.

Randy L. Sanfratello, 41, of 3322 W. Main St. Road, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Sanfratello is accused of failure to appear in Batavia City Court and was arrested on a warrant.

Rebecca L. Santiago, 25, of 5955 Main Road, Stafford, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation. Santiago is accused of failure to appear in Batavia City Court and was arrested on a warrant. She was jailed on $250 bail.

Brandon M. Maldonado, 22, of 35 Maple St., lower, Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 2nd. Maldonado was arrested on a bench warrant related to his criminal trespass, 2nd, charge out of Batavia City Court. Maldonado allegedly violated probation and failed to report to Genesee County Jail on June 25 as directed by the court. Maldonado had been sentenced to intermittent jail time. Maldonado was released after posting $500 bail.

Matthew R. Hernandez, 18, of 129 State St., Batavia, is charged with menacing, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Hernandez is accused of displaying a knife in a threatening manner toward a young child during an alleged incident at 7 p.m., Friday.

Mark Laney, 31, of S. Pearl Street, Oakfield, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Laney was reportedly observed operating an ATV at 9:46 p.m., Saturday, in a parking lot at 49 S. Pearl St., Oakfield. Upon investigation by Deputy Howard Carlson, Laney was found to allegedly be driving drunk.

Amanda Le Carlacci, 20, of East Eden Road, Eden, is charged with possession/consumption of alcohol by a person under age 21. Carlacci was cited during an investigation at 10:20 p.m., Saturday, into a report of an underage drinking party at 710 Broadway Road, Darien.

Amber Marie Williams, 20, Broadway Road, Darien, is charged with possession/consumption of alcohol by a person under age 21. Williams was cited during an investigation at 10:20 p.m., Saturday, into a report of an underage drinking party at 710 Broadway Road, Darien.

Anibal Rodriguez, 55, Brayton Street, Buffalo, is charged with forcible touching. Rodriguez is accused of grabbing the intimate parts of a woman while at Darien Lake. Rodriguez was jailed on $500 bail.

A 17-year-old of Dean Road, Depew, is charged with petit larceny. The youth is accused of stealing a carton of Marlboro cigarettes valued at $59.50 from the Arrowhawk Smoke Shop on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation.

Call of Duty II is one of the hottest video games on the market, and at least one person in Batavia has a copy that doesn't belong to him.

The game, a version known as Modern Warfare II, was stolen from a residence on Maple Street within the past week, along with an Xbox console and a controller.

The residents were out of town from the July 12 thru 18, returning home early this morning to find that their house had been broken into and the Xbox, controller and game all missing.

Nothing else was touched.

"Sometimes when a report like this appears in the press, a parent or somebody is alerted and they notice a child has something that they can't explain where or how they got it," Det. Pat Corona said.

To reach Corona with any tips, call (585) 345-6373.

A possible house fire is reported at 7463 Town Line Road in Bergen. Bergen and Le Roy fire departments are responding along with Mercy EMS. The location is between Pocock and Jerico roads.

UPDATE (6:27 a.m.): There is smoke showing. It is a vacant house. Churchville Fire Department is also responding. Brockport is asked to fill in in Bergen.

UPDATE (6:36 a.m.): "May Day! May Day! May Day! There's a guy in the basement!" says a firefighter on scene. The fire is in the basement. "One of the subjects fell in through the floor." Route 262 between Jerico and West Bergen roads will be shut down. Now the person is out of the basement.

UPDATE (6:45 a.m.): The fire is knocked down.

UPDATE (7:05 a.m.): The fire is out, checking for extensions.

UPDATE 8:52 a.m. (by Howard): The fire is suspicious in nature and is under investigation. The volunteer firefighter who fell was not injured. The last couple of steps going into the basement gave way, causing him to fall and a ladder was used to get him out. The house has been vacant for about two years. It has no electricity or gas.

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Someone has reportedly been stabbed on the street, prompting City of Batavia police to respond to a location on Ellicott, just south of Hutchins Street. The victim, an adult male with a laceration to his right hand and middle finger, has just arrived at UMMC via Mercy EMS.

UPDATE 12:55 a.m: The incident may be a domestic situation and the suspect is in custody, according to a police officer.

In the words of that iconic sitcom father, Frank Barone, “Holy crap, it’s hot!” I just got back from a ride in the Wrangler with the top down. I think I got too much sun. I could go dunk myself in our little pool in the back yard, but instead (at least for now), I’ve taken refuge in an air conditioned room in the house, to try to update you on the discussions about Le Roy’s community pool, as promised.

First, let's get this out of the way...Yes, we have a pool at my house. We purchased one from Target Memorial Weekend 2010 because it was really hot. After we purchased it, we learned that it required a 4-foot fence around it, no closer than 12 feet away and that the fence could not have any gaps big enough for a tennis ball to fit through. Whew, check! The house came with that. Oh yes, but we also needed electricity with proof that it was inspected and approved by a certified electrical inspector and an alarm on it. I think that covers the code, but please (now for the disclaimer) don’t quote me, you should really check with your local code enforcement officer because I think I forgot something in here and s/he would know much better than I. Welllllllllll, after the cost of the ditch-witch rental, the parts for the electric, the inspection, the alarm, the permit, and whatever else we had to do our $200 pool turned into about a $1,000 pool. I think it relevant to bring this up here because I saw in the Le Roy Pennysaver at the end of June a PSA by the Town reminding everyone of the codes involved with owning a pool. Not to sound too sarcastic (those of you who actually know me, know I am quite sarcastic), I wonder why there are fewer of these “inexpensive” backyard pools out than there were last year (or at least that’s my observation). Next disclaimer, this, of course, is nothing against the Town or any local government or code enforcement officer. I know from my experience that this is actually state code that is left upon local municipalities to enforce. They are just doing their jobs.

So, this blog is really about the Le Roy Community Pool that regional residents (from all over the area, not just Le Roy) raised funds to build a few decades ago. The pool has fallen into disrepair and was closed by the previous Village Board. My community is divided over what to do next.

On one side, are those who feel our taxes are too high (they are kind of high compared to the nation) and that we can no longer afford to pay for things like a community pool. Some of those on this side against it feel that it is used by a small number of people and that the rest of us should not have to pay for it. Also, there are pools in neighboring communities that we can use. There is also the issue of the recent property tax cap and how this might affect our ability to raise revenue in the future.

On the other side, are those who feel that a municipal pool brings a sense of community to an area and that such amenities may also attract new residents with families to purchase homes and move here. The community pool has been instrumental in teaching people how to swim over the years, and that’s a task of significant importance when you have a body of water running through your Town (used here because, after all, the Village is a part of the Town). It’s a place where people can go to cool off safely on a day like today. Recently there has been some publicity around people disappearing, almost drowning, or swimming near anglers in the creek. There may be some on this side who believe that if the pool were working these incidents would no longer occur. I’m not one of those; however, I do believe that if the pool were open there would be fewer incidents AND more people would know how to swim, hopefully reducing accidental drowning.

If you were at our Village Board meeting a few days ago, on Wednesday, July 13, you heard a letter read to everyone by Village Clerk/Treasurer Sharon Jeary from local attorney Mike Welsh. In the letter, Mr. Welsh outlined what needs to be done in order to bring the pool up to code and added a couple of bonuses (repairing a wall on the pool that has a crack in it and updating the bathroom/locker room facilities, neither of which are needed for code). A very generous local family has pledged $17,000 to our community to complete these repairs if the Village and Town make a commitment to maintain the pool after that. Many local contractors have volunteered their time, labor and supplies to complete this project. Many local people have volunteered to fund raise to keep the pool going so that the taxpayers are not burdened too heavily by it. You also heard members of the business community speak up in support of the plan and fundraising.

Recently our mayor gathered the figures for running the pool in its last two years of operation, 2007 and 2008. The Village paid for wages, benefits, equipment, permit, telephone, repairs, electric, heat, supplies, and insurance (property and liability) for a total of $26,231 and $37,513, each year respectively. The Town paid for a portion of the pool facilities, pool programs, American Red Cross, advertising, supplies, and pool employees, and were also responsible for the vending machine(s), for a total of $30,985 and $25,775, each year respectively. The pool was able to generate some revenue through memberships and swim lessons each year to reduce the grand total spent by taxpayers across both municipalities to $47,225 and $54,680 each year respectively.

Mike Welsh also outlined in his letter that he estimates it will cost $11,000 for yearly maintenance. There are many from the community who have stated at board meetings that they feel that a modest rise in membership fees would help significantly. There are also those who believe that a food stand would help in generating revenue, as it apparently does in other local areas. There are also many talented individuals living here who are willing to donate their time and supplies to help “spit shine” to make the pool look more aesthetically pleasing.

Again, it is no secret that I am one Village Board member in support of the Village running the pool. I believe it is our responsibility to ensure public safety through swim lessons and also to help provide a safe outlet for kids’ activities in the summer and after school. The pool would enhance our current outstanding recreation program. It is true that we do not have the tax base that we had in the past; much of our industry has closed or downsized, however, this should not be a barrier to our providing for our community (as has been suggested by some). In my humble opinion (OK, I really can’t do this without at least one more acronym), IMHO, it is up to us as a board and as a community to figure out how to capitalize on what we do have… which are, concerned and talented citizens who will donate time/effort/money, great shopping and restaurants, a nice village atmosphere.

Now that you have the monetary figures and a brief outline of both the argument and the remedy I hope that you will attend the Village Board meeting on Wednesday, July 27 at 7 p.m. to hear Mike Welsh and other community leaders speak in more detail about this proposal. I hope that you will speak up if you are able, no matter which side of the argument you are on, because I believe in democracy! Most of all, though, I hope that if you are in support of the pool you understand that your presence and your voice are greatly needed and ideas are always appreciated!

As always, and especially since this one is very long, thank you for reading! Thank you, Howard Owens, for hosting my blog.

Jennifer Keys

trusteekeys@rochester.rr.com 

Note: A few days ago Drew was moved up to Quad Cities.

A full tank of gas has reportedly leaked from a vehicle at the Kwik Fill, corner of Jackson Street and Ellicott Street.

The car is reportedly parked next to the gas pumps.

City fire is responding.

UPDATE 4:07 p.m.: Only about a quart of fuel spilled. It's cleaned up. Ladder 15 staying on scene until AAA tow arrives.

A caller on Tracy Avenue reported smoke behind a house on Bank Street and City Fire has responded to investigation.

It was possibly an unintended fire, such as a controlled burn.

The address originally reported was 154 Bank St.. A first responder reports the fire is behind 148 Bank St.

UPDATE 4:03 p.m.: Fire's out. City Fire back in service.

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It was a beautiful day for a parade and festival in Le Roy on Saturday, and the entire parade route was jammed with people and the festival grounds were grounded.

Those who attended were treated to some real community spirit, great music, fantastic food and lots of fun.

UPDATE: I'm experimenting with an application that allows me to publish slide shows of photos. I'm hoping it will both be easier than my current message and improve the viewing experience. Below, you should see what looks like a video player. You can click through the photos individually, or on the lower right there's a button to open the slide show in full-screen mode, allowing you can see larger versions of the photos (which is part of my goal). I'm curious how this works for people.

Callers reported seeing smoke in the area of 7450 Boyd Road, Covington, and Pavilion chiefs responded to investigate. Upon approach, they spotted a large column of smoke and an orange glow. Once on scene, the first chief confirmed it is a fully involved garage fire.

The fire has spread to the house.

Besides Pavilion, Alexander, Le Roy and Stafford are responding along with the City of Batavia Fast Team. Mutual aid is also requested from departments in Wyoming County.

UPDATE 12:22 a.m.: City of Batavia's Fourth Platoon requested to stand by at the fire hall.

UPDATE 12:44 a.m.: The fire is pretty much knocked down. Crews checking for extensions and interior firefighters preparing to enter. It is believed all occupants are out.

UPDATE 12:50 a.m.: Red Cross requested to the scene to assist two adults.

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