A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported in the area of 1499 Sumner Road, Darien. 

Darien fire and ambulance responding. 

An accident with five injured people is reported on the westbound Thruway at mile marker 399.9.

Pembroke and Indian Fall fire departments and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 7:01 p.m.: Traffic is backed up as a result of the accident. At least four of the occupants are said to be probable sign-offs.

UPDATE 7:22 p.m.: One child is being transported to Women and Children's Hospital in Buffalo. The other medics are back in service.

A two-car accident with one person with a neck injury is reported at Genesee Street (Route 33) and Boyce Road. Corfu Fire Department is responding along with Mercy medics.

Press release:

The Board of Directors of the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) will consider three projects at its August 12, 2014, board meeting.

Muller Quaker Dairy is planning to improve its data infrastructure with a new enterprise backup and test environment solution, a project which would retain 143 jobs. The benefitted amount of project the GCEDC board can assist with is $185,000 and the total project incentive request is $14,800 for sales tax exemptions only. The board will consider a final resolution for the project.

Batavia Shoes LLC is planning to purchase the assets, manufacturing facility and client lists of PW Minor, a manufacturer and distributor of leather footwear and orthopedic products located in the City of Batavia. The board will accept the application for the project and consider an initial resolution.

Calamar is planning to build a 117,000-square-foot, three-story building that will house 110 senior apartment units, a lobby and common rooms in the Town of Batavia. The company is investing $11 million which will create up to 200 temporary construction jobs. The board will consider an initial resolution that will set a public hearing for the project.

The GCEDC Board meeting will take place at noon and is open to the public. Meetings are held at the Dr. Bruce A. Holm Upstate Med & Tech Park -- 99 MedTech Drive, Batavia, NY, on the 2nd floor, across from Genesee Community College.

Would you like to make a difference in the life of a cancer patient? Genesee Cancer Assistance, Inc., has been in operation since 1995 and has strived to make the difference in the lives of Genesee County residents who have fought the courageous battles against cancer.

Our annual golf tournament is being held on Friday August 15, 2014 at the Batavia Country Club in Batavia and on behalf of the board of directors, the numerous volunteers and most importantly, the cancer survivors, we are asking for your support. If you're not aware, 100% of your financial support stays here in Genesee County.

This year's tournament is in memory of Patrick "Swaz" Suozzi & Jerry Martino!

The cost is $90 per player. Requested foursomes can only be made at registration, otherwise foursomes will be made up randomly. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m., with lunch served at 11 a.m. at the Halfway House (outside). Shotgun starts at approximately 11:45 a.m.

Registration deadline is Friday, August 11, 2014.

Lunch and dinner tickets will be distributed at registration. Soda and beer are included with lunch and dinner. The steak dinner starts immediately after golf with awards and prizes to follow in the Club House. Prizes are for a hole-in-one prize on all Par 3's, 50/50 raffles, and a putting contest.

For more information or questions, please contact John Gerace (585) 303-0407 or via e-mail at: johngerace@rochester.rr.com

We all expected P.W. Minor, one of Genesee County's oldest businesses, to close July 31.

That didn't happen.

Now it looks like the nearly 150-year-old shoemaker will be around for awhile longer yet.

Pete Zeliff and Andrew Young have purchased the assets of P.W. Minor and Sons and hope to soon to acquire rights to the P.W. Minor name so the company can continue selling shoes under that brand.

The new company will operate as Batavia Shoes, LLC, in the interim. 

There will be an official announcement of the deal Thursday, according to an invitation sent to local officials this morning by Genesee County Economic Development Center.

Zeliff is a local businessman known for his love of aviation. He is senior executive vice president and COO of EIF Renewable Energy Holdings, LLC, in Oakfield. He also branched into residential home development this year, building a housing community off Route 5 and Seven Springs Road in Batavia (the first house is nearly finished). Zeliff is a recent appointee to the GCEDC board.

Young is a local real estate broker and investor and was elected last year to the Genesee County Legislature. He is a member of the Genesee Gateway Local Development Corp., a nonprofit agency of GCEDC.

The details of the purchase have not been released yet, but Zeliff and Young confirmed the purchase is taking place. They said they couldn't say more at this time.

"We're going to run this company going forward and we're going to grow it and expand it," Zeliff said. "Our goal is to bring manufacturing back to Batavia and expand it."

A week of intense study and fun came to an end today for students of the Aviation Adventure Camp.

The annual week-long camp exposes students going into ninth through 11th grade to potential career options in aviation and is held at the Genesee County Airport.

It's sponsored by the Business Education Alliance of Genesee County.

Today's class ended with a short graduation ceremony after participants competed in a final model helicopter flying contest.

This is the fourth year for the camp.

Press release:

Marshalls, one of the nation’s largest off-price retailers with more than 900 stores currently operating in 43 states and Puerto Rico, will open a new store in Batavia on August 21, 2014. Marshalls shoppers in Batavia will find top-quality, on-trend fashions and the most sought-after designer brand names at unbelievable prices in ladies fashion, shoes, accessories, men’s apparel, home, juniors, kids apparel and accessories, luggage, beauty and more!

“The new Batavia store will be stocked with a new, fresh assortment of the designer and brand-name merchandise that shoppers love, every single week,” said Richard Sherr, president of Marshalls. “Our buyers are fashion experts with a keen sense of style and are passionate about finding the most coveted merchandise for our shoppers for so much less!”

GRAND OPENING

Join us on August 21st from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. to be part of the grand opening excitement and find the amazing deals for the whole family. Enjoy the festivities including giveaways, gift card prizes, and more. 

STORE FACTS & FEATURES

·      Location: Towne Center at Batavia

·      24,479 square feet

·      Regular store hours:

o   9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday

o   11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays

·      Designer fashion at unbelievable prices

·      THE CUBE: A hip, in-store boutique of contemporary fashions

·      Shoe Mega Shop: Featuring designer and brand-name shoes for the whole family

·      Bright and fresh in-store experience every time you shop

·      Single queue checkout for faster shopping

With over 10,000 new items arriving to the Batavia store every week, it’s like entering a whole new store with every visit. Unlike department store buyers who shop seasonally, our buyers are in the market weekly looking for merchandise opportunities. They work with more than 16,000 brands and designers annually in over 60 countries to offer a mix of top-quality, fashionable pieces from the most sought-after designer brands as well as unexpected treasures from around the world.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

In addition to providing a new shopping option for local residents, the new store will add approximately 60 full- and part-time jobs to the area.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

In celebration of its new Batavia location, Marshalls will contribute to the local community by presenting a $5,000 donation to Catholic Charities at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 21st 7:30 a.m. Marshalls also has national and local partnerships with charitable organizations around the country including JDRF and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) today announced $118,137 in federal funding for three local fire companies. The local fire companies are the Depew Fire Department, the Bergen Fire Department, and the Upper Mountain Fire Company. The grants were allocated through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG), which is designed to help first responders improve their capability to respond to fires and emergencies of all types.

“Providing the necessary funding for our first responders is an excellent use of federal resources,” Congressman Chris Collins said. “Our local heroes need the proper resources to do their jobs and protect our communities. Many small fire companies are unable to purchase necessary equipment upgrades due to financial limitations. This funding will provide new breathing apparatus, nozzles and hoses, equipment to prepare for chemical fires and hydraulic rescue tools creating more efficient and effective first responders. I am proud I was able to help secure this money.”

Specifically, the funding will be used to purchase a new Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) filling station for Bergen Fire Department. Depew Fire Company will use the funds to replace aging hoses and nozzles, some of which have not been upgraded since the 1960s, and purchase foam educators to better prepare for chemical fires. Upper Mountain Fire Company will purchase hydraulic rescue tools.

A couple hundred Mini Coopers passed through Batavia this morning as part of a cross-country tour from San Francisco to Boston. The tour is sponsored by Mini Cooper.

The group is planning a stop today in Le Roy at the Jell-O Museum.

UPDATE: Reader submitted photo of Mini Coopers parked at Le Roy HS.

New York Times: Obama Allows Limited Airstrikes on ISIS

Chip O'Hara, from Auburn and representing First Niagara Bank, dusted the field in the GLOW Corporate Cup 5K race at Centennial Park today. O'Hara ran the race in 15.58.

About 700 runners and walkers entered the event.

Three youths about 12 to 15 years old are reportedly breaking into vehicles on Mills Street in the City. Batavia PD is responding. One of the youths is said to be wearing a yellow shirt.

UPDATE 5:44 p.m.: Two are in custody.

Joan Marie Paro, 48, of Humphrey Road, Fultonville, is charged with attempting to evade or defeat tax. Paro is accused of possessing more than 8,000 untaxed cigarettes (40 cartons), which is more than the 400 untaxed cigarettes adults are allowed to possess under NYS law. Paro was stopped at 12:39 p.m. Sunday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Chris Parker.

Shaneeka R. Wroten, 21, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment ,2nd. Wroten turned herself in on an arrest warrant out of City Court.

James E. Wroten, 47, of Olyn Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Wroten was allegedly involved in a domestic incident at 11:25 p.m. Monday. Wroten was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Summit Street, Batavia, was repaved today.

Interesting auction for car restoration enthusiasts starting at 4:30 p.m. at 27 Summit St., Batavia. A portion of estate of a man who restored cars is being sold. It includes manuals, tools and parts. There are also some household items and antique furniture.

The auction is being conducted by Bontrager's.

Jennifer Gray uses chalk to create a drawing of a cow on the sidewalk outside Batavia city Hall this afternoon. Gray was drawing to help promote the city's first Sidewalk Painting Festival this weekend. The event starts next Friday and will run concurrently Saturday with Summer in the City. So far, 15 artists have signed up and as many as 15 more are expected to register when they show up Friday. The artists will use chalk to transform the sidewalks around City Hall. The event is sponsored by Vibrant Batavia.

CORRECTION: Added "next" in front of Friday. The event is next weekend, not this weekend.

The northbound lane of Lewiston Road, between Main and Park, was resurfaced and re-striped today to create a turning lane for the new Tim Horton's location. Traffic was delayed in the area during the work.

In a move that will make it possible for the county to sell its nursing home, the Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday approved a resolution declaring the facility "surplus property."

The nursing home is running at an annual deficit of $4 million and the state is doing everything it can, according to legislators, to ensure it continues operating at a loss so it will be sold.

County Legislature Chairman Ray Cianfrini said the county really has no choice but to sell the nursing home.

The county approached UMMC about buying the nursing home and the hospital's board had no interest in acquiring it.

The county also sent out at least 30 letters, Cianfrini said, to nonprofit agencies to see if any of them wanted to run it and there were no affirmative responses.

"We're pretty much down to our last option, which is to see if there's interest from a for-profit group that would want to buy our facility," Cianfrini said.

A private company would receive higher Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, be able to reduce personnel expenses (potentially, no union, and lower pension costs), accept a wider variety of patients, thereby increasing revenue, and seek other money-making opportunities not available to a government agency.

If the county keeps the nursing home, or is unable to sell it, the burden on local taxpayers is only expected to grow as the state cuts off just about all of the remaining subsidies it provides to the county to help maintain the nursing home.

Cattaraugus and Orleans counties recently successfully sold their nursing homes, Cianfrini said, so the legislature is hopeful the same thing will happen here.

"We're looking at it from the standpoint that it's fiscally irresponsible for us to try to continue to operate it," Cianfrini said.

If a flood came along big enough to wash away the Holland Land Office Museum, the county would have bigger problems than worrying about the loss of an historic structure.

The building is irreplaceable, which had Ray Cianfrini, chairman of the County Legislature, wondering during Wednesday's Ways and Means Committee meeting, whether the county should spend $8,457 a year on flood insurance (The policy also covers county offices at 15 Main St.).

"If you lose the building, you're not going to replace it," Cianfrini said. "It's a loss, but we don't own anything inside. Are we spending good money to go after something we don't need?"

County Attorney Chuck Zambito said it's entirely a policy decision for the Legislature to make, but flood insurance covers more than just a total wipeout of the building (The current structure isn't even the original land office building, which was destroyed by fire in the 19th Century).

A flood could do a lot of damage to the building without washing away the main structure.

"What's more likely to happen is you're going to have significant damage and you'll need to repair it rather than tear down the building," Zambito said.

Committee Chairman Bob Bausch agreed.

"One issue we should be aware of is that in my lifetime that building has flooded at least twice," Bausch said.

The policy through Wright National Flood Insurance in St. Petersburg, Fla., has a $10,000 deductible on the land office on a $1,000 deductible on the office at 15 Main.

The buildings are covered under a separate policy for casualty and liability and damage other than flood.

Another reason for the insurance policy, Zambito said, is that for the county to file a claim with FEMA in the event of a disaster, if a building is within a flood zone and it didn't have flood insurance, FEMA could deny the building owner any assistance.

At the end of the discussion, the committee unanimously approved a resolution recommending the Legislature authorize purchase of the insurance.