A car has struck a utility pole at Colby Road and Route 20, Darien.

There are no injuries but the pole and wires are down in the roadway.

Darien fire dispatched.

UPDATE 12:13 p.m.: Alexander fire police are going to shutdown traffic at Route 238.

UPDATE 12:22 p.m.: Truck traffic is being diverted onto Colby Road to Route 77. The pole will need to be replaced. It's supporting service to the house at that location.

UPDATE 12:37 p.m.: Roadway reopened. All Darien units back in service.

A one-vehicle rollover accident is reported on Bank Street Road near Cockram Road, Byron.

No word on injuries.

Byron fire and South Byron fire dispatched.

UPDATE 11:51 a.m.: Road conditions are not good, according to a first responder. Elba fire requeted to the scene to assist.

UPDATE 11:53 a.m.: The vehicle is off the road. All responding units from Byron and South Byron are parked at the side of the road. The road is not blocked. Elba can stand down. Mercy EMS on scene.

Press release:

A chimney fire that is said to be contained, though flames are showing, is reported at 6516 Keller Road, Pavilion.

The location is between Roanoke Road and Transit Road.

The family cannot evacuate because of an elderly resident.

Pavilion fire along with Le Roy and Stafford dispatched.

UPDATE 10:27 a.m.: The homeowner told a first responder he believes the fire burned itself out. Responders warned about road conditions.

UPDATE 10:28 a.m.: Working fire in stove pipe. It's contained to the pipe. The family being assisted with evacuation.

UPDATE 10:32 a.m.: No smoke in the residence.

While a travel ban related to yesterday's blizzard-like conditions was lifted last night, this morning a travel advisory remains in effect and is expected to remain in place until 7 p.m.

A winter storm warning is in place until 7 p.m. though the current forecast doesn't show much snow for Batavia today. That, of course, could change.

The photo above from a reader is of a truck rollover accident at Lewiston and South Main in Oakfield that occured around 10:30 p.m. The road is still closed but should reopen soon. The truck was carrying 80,000 pounds of blueberries. Complicating the effort to get it up right were the powerlines overhead. National Grid installed a new utility pole at that location overnight.

Updates on closings (for our prior post on closings, click here):

• The Richmond Memorial Library will remain closed today.
• WW at First United Methodist Church on Lewiston Road, Batavia is cancelled.
• Pembroke Diagnostics -- 860 Main St., Corfu
• Cardiac Rehab --  215 Summit St., Batavia
• Le Roy Lab Services -- 3 Tountas Ave., Le Roy (Le Roy Primary Care remains open)
• Town Hall in Darien is reopening today, but delayed by two hours. UPDATE: Town Hall closing at noon.
• Classic Optical -- 44 Batavia City Centre, Batavia
• The Divine Tree -- 19 Main St., Le Roy
• Chassix is open and employees are asked to report for work.
• UMMC Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine Center is closed.
• High Voltage Tattoo & Piercing -- Closed today
• Celebrate Recovery Meeting (at Northgate Free Methodist Church) for today, Jan. 31, is cancelled.

Send closings and cancelations to howard@thebataivan.com.

UPDATE 9:01 a.m.: We just spoke with Tim Yaeger, emergency management coordinator. He said the forecasters with the National Weather Service say they expect a lake effect snow band that is currently south of Genesee County to shift north sometime this morning. The band should stay south of the Thruway. This could mean more snow and wind for Batavia, and if the shift does occur, certainly for the southwestern part of the county. He said, "they used words like two-thirds of the county" could be hit by the band. "It's sunny now but we don't want anybody to get lulled into the idea that the storm is past," Yaeger said. The travel advisory and state of emergency remain in effect. He said county officials will reevaluate the situtation around noon.

UPDATE 9:35 p.m.: There's a report of drivers stuck at the Flying J getting agitated. Drivers are reportedly yelling at each other.

Press release:

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the Genesee County Highway Department and Emergency Management Services, has issued a travel advisory for all of Genesee County. Motorists are encouraged to avoid all unnecessary travel due to the significant accumulation of snow combined with strong winds and sub-zero wind chill temperatures and zero visibility at times.

 Advisory is in effect from 9 p.m., Jan. 30, until further notice.

Sheriff Sheron reminds motorists that dark traffic signals that are not working are to be treated as a four-way stop. 

Twenty-one vehicles, including a State Police patrol vehicle, were involved in an accident that shutdown the Thruway through Le Roy this afternoon.

Injuries were reported but no details have been released.

Several people involved in the accident were transported by van to the Ontario Service Center where they were evaluated by Mercy medics and interviewed by Troopers.

Le Roy Fire, Town of Batavia Fire, with assistance from Caledonia and Monroe County, responded to the scene.

Top three photos released by State Police. Bottom two photos courtesy a reader.  If you have photos to share of the accident, send them to howard@thebatavian.com

(Initial Post)

UPDATE: Reader submitted photo added below.

This video was shot around the one o'clock hour.

App Users: Click here to view the video on TheBatavian.com.

In order to enact a travel ban today, Bob Bausch, chairman of the Genesee County Legislature, signed a letter at 2 p.m. today declaring a state of emergency and that state of emergency is expected to be in place through tomorrow.

The travel ban could be lifted this evening, though, said Tim Yaeger, emergency management coordinator. 

"It was busy," Yaeger said. "It came in fairly quickly around noonish and started hitting very quickly. It has started to subside a little bit. Now, it's quieted down quite a bit. We're expecting the lake effect to move south but then reenter back into Genesee County tomorrow during the day."

Besides enabling the sheriff to declare a state of emergency, it gives county officials additional power, though Yaeger said there's no plans to, say, impose a curfew or ban alcohol sales. The county has also not used the state of emergency to ask for assistance from other counties or the state.

"We're continuing to monitor it at the point that we checked with our highway department superintendent and he's checking with the municipalities," Yaeger said. "But because the amount of snow at this point is manageable, we're going to continue to manage that. But that option is always open but at this point (no assistance) is needed."

Even as the snowfall slows down, the county remains on a ready footing. Each county fire department has personnel at their fire halls, City fire has extra personnel on duty, and the local law enforcement agencies have extra officers on patrol.

The Emergency Management Center is operating as a command center but Yaeger said it is at a "level 3" standard of operation.

"We are open and active and we're monitoring the weather and monitoring phone calls that are coming in the different situations so we have good situational awareness of what's going on in the county, so we can react to any of needs that may come up," Yaeger said.

The travel ban serves two primary purposes, Yaeger explained. It helps keep the public safe but it also helps keep first responders safe.

"The weather is our concern with the public out there," Yaeger said, "then the first responders trying to do their their work, to respond to emergencies, first to gain access there and then to be in these elements is extremely dangerous."

In this weather, it's especially important for first responders to get to stranded motorists quickly and safely.

"Because of the extreme cold you cannot be in those elements, or be in a vehicle and not be able to move and not have heat in your car," Yaeger said. "It is not safe at any point."

A reader from Byron shared this photo and the photo immediately below.

If you have a photo to share, send it to howard@thebatavian.com. You can also try to send video or upload your video to YouTube and we can share it.

Andrea Brown said she took this photo about 12:30 p.m. on Route 77. "I was stuck along with other drivers for almost three hours until we all braved it to get home. I live in Attica so after I got past this, I sat in a gas station driveway along with a few others for another hour then finally made it home, getting here at about 4 p.m."

George F. Anderson, 38, of 61 Myrtle St., Le Roy, was arrested by the Le Roy Police Department on Jan. 29 and charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor. It is alleged that Anderson failed to exercise reasonable diligence in maintaining control of a 4-year-old child by failing to be aware that the child left the apartment for about 40 minutes and was found crying in the common area of the apartment with no shirt on. Anderson was issued an appearance ticket to appear in Le Roy Town Court at a later date.

Craig L. Fien Jr., 46, 17 Mill St., rear apartment, Le Roy, was arrested by the Le Roy Police Department on Jan. 29 and charged with one count each of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, a Class E felony, and fifth-degree conspiracy, a Class A misdemeanor. It is alleged that between September and January, Fien knowingly possessed stolen property consisting of one pump shotgun (color black), belonging to the victim and he allegedly refused to return the gun to the victim when the victim asked then demanded that he do so. Fien was arraigned in Le Roy Town Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Steven C. Kazmierczak, 34 of 92 Gilbert St., Le Roy, was arrested by the Le Roy Police Department on Jan. 17 and charged with one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, a Class A misdemeanor. It is alleged that during a Probation check of Kazmierczak's residence, he was found unlawfully in possession of a shotgun due to a prior felony conviction. Kazmierczak was issued an appearance ticket and released to answer the charge in Le Roy Town Court at a later date.

Juaquin E. Davis, 23, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with first degree criminal contempt. Davis was arrested at 2:20 p.m. on Thomas Avenue in Batavia after he allegedly violated a Batavia City Court order of protection. He allegedly did so by being in the presence of a protected party and engaging in a verbal altercation with that protected party. He was arrested and issued an appearance ticket for Feb. 5 in City Court. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider.

Alexander D. Kibler, 21, of School Street, Batavia, is charged with: speeding; driving while ability impaired by drugs; possession of alcohol in a motor vehicle; and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree. Kibler was arrested at 1:24 a.m. on Jan. 19 on Walnut Street in Batavia after Batavia police conducted a traffic stop on a gray 2014 Jeep. Police subsequently allegedly found Kibler impaired by marijuana. He was issued traffic tickets and is due in City Court on Feb. 6. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins, assisted by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Dorothy Gray De Roque, 46, of Mechanic Street, Elba, is charged with: DWI -- first offense; refusal to take breath test; and speed exceeding posted 55 mph. De Roque was arrested at 2:23 a.m. on Jan. 27 on Ford Road in Elba. She was stopped for speeding and allegedly found to be intoxicated and failed to submit to a breath test. She was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and released on her own recognizance. She is due in Elba Town Court on Feb. 27. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Mullen, assisted by Deputy Erik Andre.

Taylor L. Finnin, 26, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and failure to appear. Finnin was arrested Jan. 26 on multiple arrest warrants after Batavia police were called to a South Main Street, Batavia, address on an unrelated matter. Finnin was arraigned in City Court and jailed in lieu of $1,000 cash bail or bond. Finnin is to return to court at a later date. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Press release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley, 139th Assembly District: 

As a result of the high flux of controversial legislation that has passed the Assembly in recent weeks including expanding abortion, free college for illegal aliens and stricter gun control, Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) has written Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) requesting that his "Two New Yorks" legislation be passed through committee and come to the house floor for a full vote.

“This is an idea that has been discussed for many years, and one which is especially popular throughout Upstate New York,” Hawley said. “It has become abundantly clear in recent years that the New York City voting bloc has forgotten Upstate and is imposing their radical left-wing agenda on all of us, whether we like it or not.

"And that is deeply troubling. This bill simply gives citizens a say on the direction of their state. If Downstate politicians really don’t need upstate, as many of them claim, then there’s no harm in at least asking the question if we should be divided.”

Hawley's Jan. 29th letter to Speaker Heastie reads:

I am respectfully requesting you to help facilitate reporting my legislation, A.1687, out of the Local Governments Committee on to the floor for a vote.

A.1687 would provide for a non-binding referendum on the questions "Should New York be divided into two States?" to ascertain from our constituents their thoughts on the division of New York into two separate states. This bill would help us and out citizens to gauge the support, or lack of supports, for this initiative.

I have received a myriad of contacts on this issue -- especially in light of the measures that have been jettisoned through the Legislature in the past two weeks. Many believe we already have "Two New Yorks."

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Above, the Resurrection Parish team from Batavia at the 2019 Catholic Charities Appeal workshop.

Press release:

About 50 Appeal parish volunteers, clergy, and Catholic Charities’ staff attended a volunteer training workshop on Jan. 23 to help kick off the 2019 Appeal in support of Catholic Charities in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties.

The event was held at Batavia Country Club in preparation for the annual campaign, which carries a goal of $11 million.

During this month's training workshop, a Hero of Hope Partner Award was presented to Wyoming County Court Judge Michael Mohun. Judge Mohun was selected for his work in collaborating with area human service agencies and community organizations to find resources to help those who come before him having committed a crime to move towards a healthy, safe and law-abiding life.

In addition, former client Sarah Veazey shared how her and her daughter have benefited from counseling received from Catholic Charities.

The patron saint for the 2019 Appeal is Saint Faustina. Working under the theme “Help your neighbor find hope,” Appeal volunteers from Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties will begin reaching out to individuals and businesses in the community to encourage their support of the Appeal.

It helps fund Catholic Charities’ 70 programs and services across 61 sites in Western New York, along with a number of programs and ministries through the Fund for the Faith. 

“Funding is critically important in Catholic Charities’ efforts to continue providing programs and services to our most vulnerable neighbors across Western New York,” said John and Ruthanne Daly, 2019 Appeal general chairs.

“Achieving this year’s goal takes a significant amount of hard work and commitment by our parish volunteers, but with our collective strength and support, we can ensure that the communities of Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties can continue to turn to Catholic Charities for help.”

This year’s Appeal Week will take place April 7-14 throughout the eight counties of Western New York to celebrate the support of those who have made contributions to the Appeal, and to encourage those who have not already donated to do so. Volunteers will continue to work to achieve the final goal until the conclusion of the 2019 Appeal on June 30. 

To make a donation to the 2019 Appeal or for more information contact Catholic Charities at (716) 218-1400 or go to ccwny.org.

Catholic Charities provides a range of services in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. These services include basic assistance; counseling for individuals, couples and families; Domestic Violence program for men; Our Kids: Parent Education and Awareness Program; and outreach to homebound seniors through Friendly Phones in Orleans County and Friendly Phones and Home Visitation in Genesee County.

Catholic Charities provided assistance which impacted more than 152,000 individuals, Catholics and non-Catholics alike during the past year, including nearly 3,300 individuals in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. Donors from these three counties contributed $474,408 to the 2018 Appeal.

Catholic Charities’ offices are located at:

• 25 Liberty St., Suite 7, Batavia
• 243 S. Main St., Albion
• 6470 Route 20A, Bldg. 1, Perry

About Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities has helped individuals and families in need since its founding in 1923. That need is varied and widespread – from emergency assistance to mental health counseling and treatment, and from specialized services for older adults to help with job training and education. Catholic Charities empowers children, families and seniors to achieve meaningful, healthy and productive lives. In all situations, Catholic Charities delivers support to meet immediate needs, and then assesses clients for other needs to ensure long-term success.

An excellent steward of the contributions it receives, Catholic Charities earns highest-possible ratings from Charity Navigator for transparency and sound fiscal management and is a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity. Catholic Charities also receives highest ratings from the Council on Accreditation for quality service. For more information, visit ccwny.org.

Below, John Dwyer opens the Appeal workshop with a introductory remarks. He is a trustee emeritus on the Catholic Charities Board of Trustees and has been involved with the Appeal for years.

Photos in Batavia from about the one o'clock hour.

Top photo, Batavia Downs.

Main and Ellicott

Jackson Street

Parking lot at the courthouse.

Ellicott Avenue

Tonawanda Creek off of West Main Street.

Centennial Park.

Centennial Park.

Genesee Community College

State and North

State Vets Home

Press release:

The state mandated 30-day public review period has begun for Agricultural District No. 3 in the towns of Le Roy, Pavilion, Stafford and Bergen.

The Genesee County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board announced that Agricultural District No. 3 would embark on its eight-year review with a 30-day public review period beginning on Jan. 26.

As with every eight-year review, landowners with lands in the district under review will be asked to complete a worksheet where they will be given the option to enroll or withdraw property from the district. Only entire parcels can be included or excluded.

Landowners will receive the worksheet, along with a letter, informational brochure, and map of the current district boundaries in the next couple of days. Each landowner will have until Monday, Feb. 26^thof this year to mail the worksheets to the Department of Planning in the envelopes provided.

This deadline also coincides with the deadline for the Annual Enrollment Period which allows for inclusion of predominantly viable agricultural land to any of the County’s Agricultural Districts pending review by the Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board. In addition, nearby landowners that are receiving Agricultural Tax Assessments and are not part of the Agricultural Districts Program will be mailed a letter and form inviting them to join the program.

During this 30-day period, a map of the District will be on file and open to the public in the office of the Genesee County Clerk and at the Genesee County Department of Planning. Any municipality whose territory encompasses the above Agricultural District, any State Agency or any landowner within or adjacent to the District, may propose a modification of the District during this period.

The District and any proposed modification will be submitted to the Genesee County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board for review. Consequently, a public hearing on the District and any proposed modifications will be held on Wednesday, May 8, at 5:30 p.m. at the Genesee County Old Courthouse, 7 Main St., Batavia.

At the conclusion of this review, the Genesee County Legislature will vote on any modifications to the District and send the proper materials to the State Department of Agriculture and Markets for recertification. The public is encouraged to attend all open meetings.

By enrolling land in the Agricultural Districts Program, participating farmers can receive relief from nuisance claims and certain forms of local regulation. Enrollment is free and voluntary.

For a free informational brochure, please contact the Genesee County Department of Planning. Phone: (585) 815-7901; Fax: (585) 345-3062; Email: planning@co.genesee.ny.us. Visit on the web here. 

Dessert in the Stacks is back! It will be held a Woodward Memorial Library in Le Roy from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8. Sample delicious desserts and visit with friends.

Local restaurants, bakeries, caterers, and stores donate the desserts and you get to sample as many of them as you would like!

Desserts so far include: assorted chocolates from Oliver's Candies; apple and cherry pies from Gre'gry's Bakery; vanilla raspberry and lemon torte cakes from Elegant Cakes; chocolate lush pie and peanut butter pie from Red Osier Original Landmark Restaurant; and savory pizza from Pastore's.

There will also be delectable treats from D & R Depot, Farmer's Creekside Tavern & Inn, GAMS Simply Sweet and Savory Bakery, The Divine Tree, and Tops Friendly Market.

New this year are samples of coffee, hot chocolate, and Munchkins from Dunkin' Donuts.

We are still adding to the list of desserts as area caterers, restaurants, and bakeries donate to this event.

Tickets for this adults-only event are $8 each or 2/$15 and must be purchased in advance.

Get your tickets now! This is an event you don't want to miss.

Woodward Memorial Library is located at 7 Wolcott St. in the Village of Le Roy

Phone is 768-8300.

The Town of Alabama Republican Committee is seeking candidates for the following positions that are up for election this November:

• Genesee County Legislator – District #1
• Town Supervisor
• Town Highway Superintendent
• Town Council Member – two seats
• Town Clerk
• Town Justice

Interested residents should contact Town Republican Chairman Earl LaGrou at 716-912-8195 or plagrou1@hotmail.com before Feb. 8.