Approximately three acres in Bethany of trees and leaves were burned Monday night after flames jumped out of a controlled burn and raced along the hillsides of a resident's property.

A resident was burning leaves, according to Jim Bouton, with Genesee Emergency Services, which ignited leaves he didn't intend to burn. The fire, pushed on by gusting winds, spread quickly north and east.

Bethany Fire Department was initially dispatched at 3:50 p.m. to 10689 Bethany Center Road. Also responding were Alexander, Bethany, Stafford, Town of Batavia and Wyoming.

Crews were on scene for three hours.

No structures were damaged. Crews were able to keep the fire away from most of a private campground and picnic area, which included a travel trailer and pavilion. They also prevented the fire from spreading into a ravine.

(Initial Report)

A Le Roy truck driver escaped injury Saturday when the brakes on his semi went out and he lost control of the truck and it overturned on Route 19 near Fox Road.

Nathanael Edmund, 22, of Harris Road, was hauling corn at 1:16 p.m. Saturday down a hill on Route 19 and was unable to negotiate a turn after his brakes stopped working.

The load of corn spilled from the truck.

Responding to the scene was the Wyoming Fire Department, Warsaw Fire Department, Wyoming County Sheriff's Office and State Police.

The accident remains under investigation.

Crystal L. Kiebzak (inset photo), 30, of Darien, is charged with identify theft, 1st, criminal possession of stolen property, 5th, and unlawful possession of personal identification information, 3rd. Kiebzak was arrested after a three-month investigation by State Police into the suspected unlawful use of personal information to obtain merchandise at the Walmart in Batavia. Kiebzak is accused of using the identification of a relative to obtain more than $3,000 in merchandise.

Michael P. Murphy, 27, of 38 Columbia Ave., Batavia, is charged with assault, 3rd, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal mischief. Murphy is accused of punching and pushing another person during a domestic incident at 7:32 p.m., Monday. A child was allegedly in the vicinity of the incident. Murphy was jailed on $3,000 bail or $6,000 bond.

Linda L. Henry, 49, of 6 Maple St., Batavia, Michael J. Henry, 45, of 6 Maple St., Batavia, and Katrina L. Thigpen, 30, of 18 Maple St., Batavia, are charged with harassment, 2nd, and disorderly conduct. The trio were arrested following a police response by officers Jason Ivison and Eric Dibble to a report of a fight on Maple Street at 1:25 p.m., Monday. Thigpen is accused of punching another person in the face. Michael Henry is accused of pushing another person and causing that person to fall through a porch railing. Thigpen and Michael Henry were charged with harassment, 2nd. Linda Henry is accused of repeatedly yelling obscenities at police officers. She was charged with disorderly conduct.

Kevin J. O'Connell Jr., 32, and Samantha L. Johnson, 25, both of 466 Ellicott St., Batavia, are charged with criminal nuisance, 2nd, falsely reporting an incident, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, and moving from lane unsafely (O'Connell on the vehicle charges). Batavia PD officers Thad Mart and Darryle Streeter responded to a report of a car hitting a house at 3:35 a.m., Saturday, at 499 Ellicott St., Batavia. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene before officers arrived. The investigation revealed that a vehicle was northbound on Ellicott Street when the driver lost control of the car and it left the roadway on the northeast side of the road. The vehicle drove through a lawn at 451 Ellicott St. before striking and becoming stuck underneath the front porch at 449 Ellicott St. Following interviews with witnesses, officers identified O'Connell as the suspected driver. During the investigation, officers determined that O'Connell and Johnson allegedly hosted an underage drinking party at their residence. Johnson is accused of initially telling officers that her car had been stolen by an unknown person.

UPDATE, to add arrest out of Wyoming County.

Andre Roberts, 20, of Perry Road, Pavilion, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, and uninspected vehicle. Roberts was stopped by a Wyoming County Sheriff's deputy at 4:50 p.m., Nov. 8, on Keeney Road, Warsaw. He was jailed on $2,000 bail.

Times Union: NY group pushes for open enrollment, school choice

A reader sent in this photo of game players waiting outisde of Game Stop in Batavia tonight for the release -- three hours from now -- of Call of Duty - Black Ops II.  A friend of mine posted on Facebook a similar picture of fans outside a Game Stop location in Los Angeles.

There's a report of a portion of woods on fire in the area of 10689 Bethany Center Road, Bethany.

Bethany Fire Department dispatched.

UPDATE 4:09 p.m.: Mutual aid is called from Wyoming County, Pavilion, Stafford and Alexander, plus a crew from the Town of Batavia is asked to stand by in quarters. A chief at the scene said "We've got a pretty good large area burning. It's not going anywhere but it's going to take awhile to put it out."

UPDATE 4:18 p.m.: A tanker from the Town of Batavia is requested. One company is bringing its Gator. The fire is getting bigger. "It's spreading pretty rapidly."

UPDATE 4:27 p.m. They are going to begin drawing from ponds, one from on property just north of the incident. There's a bridge which would provide access for equipment to fight the fire from another angle, but it is not strong enough for the tankers or brush trucks to cross. The northern border of the fire is near Route 20 and it's moving rapidly in a toward the Wyoming County border. They are calling for foot crews and hand equipment.

UPDATE 4:42 p.m.: Fire command says the eastern flank is nearly knocked down. They want crews to focus on the west side. They want to stop the fire "from going over the hill."

UPDATE 4:47 p.m.: The backside of the blaze is out and they will employ "Indian guns" to put out the hot spots. They will continue to focus on the west side.

UPDATE 4:49 p.m.: "The fire is out except for hotspots. A couple of us will stay back here until we can knock down the hotspots." Although another firefighter says there is still some advancing. A tanker from Town of Batavia is asked to stand by in Bethany's quarters.

UPDATE 6 p.m.: Fire under control, some units starting to break down.

UPDATE 6:47 p.m. Bethany and Stafford back in service.

View Larger Map

A fight, now broken up, was reported on Maple Street near Jackson Street. Police are on scene.

UPDATE 1:35 p.m.: An ambulance is called to the scene for a person with a laceration.

One elderly person commits suicide every 90 seconds, according to a statistic provided by the Genesee County Mental Health Association.

That's why they are helping the Genesee County Suicide Prevention Coalition to host an upcoming pair of workshops featuring Eric Weaver (pictured). He's the executive director of "Overcoming the Darkness," a Victor-based organization dedicated to providing education about and help for people with mental illnesses.

"Suicide Prevention in the Elderly" is the title of the workshops, which will take place Tuesday at ARC's Community Center, at 38 Woodrow Road in Batavia. There will be a workshop for providers from 12:30 until 4:30 p.m. and another one for friends and family members from 6 until 8 p.m.

Both are free and open to the public.

Caregivers, family and community members who attend either workshop will be equipped to help elderly individuals in danger of suicide by learning how to:

• Understand risk factors;
• Recognize warning signs;
• Learn how to have a discussion with the person if they suspect suicidal thoughts; and
• Learn about local resources available to help with prevention, managing risk factors and coping in the wake of a suicide.

According to Sue Gagne, of Genesee County Mental Health, people age 65 and older have a higher suicide rate than any other age group.

She believes the main contributing factors to be "financial concerns, concerns about managing the aging process, health concerns and loss of independence."

Millie Tomidy, also of Genesee County Mental Health, described the Genesee County Suicide Prevention Coalition as "a group of people from various professional backgrounds as well as individual community members who are alarmed by the prevalence of suicide and want to do something about it."

"The ripple effect from one death can devastate the entire community," Tomidy said. "The goal of the coalition is to educate in order to prevent future suicides, but also to have a unified response plan in place if (a suicide) should occur."

Weaver, a survivor of a mental illness himself, is widely recognized for his educational talks and training seminars for professionals, family members, churches, workplaces, community groups, schools, hospitals and other audiences.

The mission of his business, "Overcoming the Darkness," is to "reduce stigma, increase understanding surrounding the many challenges of mental health related issues, create a culture that openly discusses the topic of mental illness, suicide and suicide related behavior, and above all proclaim that there is hope and that a level of recovery is available to everyone, so that individuals and families will no longer need to suffer in silence" (from the Web site).

For more information or to reserve a space, call 344-2611.

Photo from www.overcomingthedarkness.com

Local law enforcement have been in the Village of Oakfield, particularly in the Farnsworth Avenue area, this morning investigating several acts of criminal mischief.

There are reports of cars being spray painted and at least one vehicle had all four of its tires slashed.

It was a sweet repeat for Notre Dame Senior Jeffrey Antolos at the New York State Cross-country Championships at Elma Meadows. Jeffrey won the Class C race to become only the 5th Section V cross-country runner in history to ever win more than one XC State Title.

Jeff's time of 15:41 beat out second place by 26 seconds and was the 7th fastest time of the day. Jeff will next compete at the NXN Northeast National Qualifier on November 24 at Bowdoin Park in Wappinger Falls.

The girls' team made ND history by placing 4th in Class D to become the best placing XC state team in ND's history. The Irish were led by 9th-place finisher Laurie Call who covered the course at Elma Meadows in 19:42. Anna Warner's third state meet garnered her a 20th place finish with her time of 20:09. Emily McCracken wasn't too far behind in taking 29th place with her time of 20:35.

Shelby McGinnis rose up to run her best race of the year with her time of 21:38, good for 54th place. Rose Flumerfeldt was again ND's 5th girl, running 24:33 and placing 93rd, with Madison Gluck closing out her high school cross-country career with a time of 25:28 and a 99th-place finish, while Emily Sherman took advantage of the day to run 26:16 good for 105th place.

Congratulations to all the runners and their parents on a great 2012 cross-country season, one of the best in NDXC history!

Photos by Bare Antolos.

Jason Micheal Kone, 31, of Townline Road, Byron, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, violation of probation, aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, operating with a suspended registration and operating without insurance. Kone was stopped at 1:51 p.m., Sunday, on Townline Road, Byron, by Deputy Chris Parker. At the time of the stop Kone was allegedly found in possession of a pipe containing marijuana. Kone was also arrested on a warrant out of Monroe County for alleged violation of probation and turned over to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Christina J. Larsen, 37, of 6024 Fisher Road, Oakfield, is charged with felony DWI, felony aggravated DWI, improper left turn, uninspected motor vehicle and unregistered motor vehicle. Larson was stopped at 7:21 p.m. Sunday on West Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Jamie Givens.

Nicholas C. Klippel, 28, of 80 Walden Creek Drive, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Klippel is accused of threatening to "murder" another person.

Steven A. Earl, 27, of 8017 Bank Street Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to yield right of way. Earl was stopped at 2:02 a.m. Sunday on South Swan Street, Batavia, by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Richard L Coughlin, 59, of 17 Fisher Park, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st, and menacing, 3rd. Coughlin is accused of putting another person in fear of physical injury by yelling and screaming while in close proximity to that person and raising clenched fists. Coughlin is accused of violating an order of protection issued by Family Court.

Michael L. Valle, 31, of 146 Bank St., Batavia, is charged with attempted burglary, 2nd, criminal contempt, 2nd, and criminal mischief, 4th. Valle is accused of attempting to break into the residence of a person protected by a court order causing damage to a window screen and exterior light. Valle was jailed on $20,000 bail or $40,000 bond.

Brian D. Stotts, 35, of East Main Road, Le Roy, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, unlawful possession of marijuana and running a red light. Stotts was stopped Saturday in Le Roy by a Le Roy police officer.

Bobbie Jo Hudson, 28, of Banks Road, Churchville, is charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation, driving on a suspected registration, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, failure to keep right, and uninspected motor vehicle. Hudson was stopped at 2:25 a.m. Friday on Route 19, Bergen, by Deputy Eric Seppala.

Lucas G. Yauchzee, 23, of West Bergen Road, Bergen, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Yauchzee's arrest stems from the investigation of an alleged domestic incident Oct. 20. He was allegedly found in possession of LSD and marijuana. The case was investigated by Deputy Brian Thompson and Trooper J.J. Pitz.

Richard G. Medwid, 27, of Alexander Road, Alexander, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and unreasonable speed. Medwid was reportedly involved in a one-vehicle accident on Route 98, Town of Batavia, at 12:55 a.m., Sept. 15.

Driving back from Genesee County Park this afternoon, Billie and I headed down Francis Road and spotted a man on the side of a cliff digging. It wasn't hard to guess what he was doing, so I stopped to talk with him. Yup, Bob Lann, of Spencerport, was digging for fossils.

What I didn't know is that this old railroad cut in Bethany is recognized as a good spot for fossil hunting.

Lann is a veterinarian and amateur fossil hunter. This was his first trip to Bethany.

Based on a little Google search, I came across a fossil hunting blog by James Heaney. He says Western New York -- and Lann said this, too -- is a great place for fossil hunting, especially from the pre-dinosaur ages. A guy named Robert Eaton also has information online about fossils in the Genesee region.

Below, Lann displays portions of a trilobite he found today and a bit of coral.

While I was out with my film cameras today, I came across Mark Dougherty and Wayne Newton on my street with their old Ford trucks. That seemed like a suitable subject for film photography, and these are both beautiful old trucks.

After taking pictures of the first two Veterans Day observances this morning, at Genesee County Park and the VA center, I decided to go home and exchange my digital camera for a couple of my film cameras. Just to do something different, produce some pictures at the historical Upton Monument that had an old-time feel. 

I was shooting with a Nikon F, loaded with Ilford XP2 400 and a Contessa range finder loaded with Kodak Ektar 100. Both cameras are fully manual.

Two people were taken to regional hospitals by Mercy Flight after an accident at 2:40 p.m. on West Main Street at the turn-in for Valu Plaza.

Both people, the driver of one car and his passenger, had non-life-threatening injuries. The driver was taken ECMC and the passenger to Strong Memorial Hospital.

A third person, the driver of a red Chevy Avalanche involved in the crash, was taken to Strong by Mercy EMS.

Reportedly, the driver of a blue Chevy Aveo was making a left-hand turn from the westbound lane into Valu Plaza. He allegedly pulled in front of the red Avalanche.

City and Town of Batavia fire departments responded and Sheriff's deputies are investigating the accident.

Information and photos provided by Alecia Kaus.

Veterans and supporters gathered in five locations in Genesee County today for observances in honor of the men and women who have served in the United States armed services.

Here are pictures from the Genesee County Park and Veterans Administration hospital.

A fire in the woods is reported off Pratt Road. East Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments are responding. A firefighter on scene says "It looks like it's going pretty good."

UPDATE 11:22 a.m.: From as best as I can glean, this is a four-wheeler or some other piece of equipment which caught fire at the rear of a property in some grass, near a tree line. Firefighters will use fire extinguishers to put it out.

UPDATE 11:30 a.m.: The crews are back in service.

We're getting requests for information regarding a number of police cars heading through Le Roy with lights and sirens. 

It's for a domestic incident. We generally don't report on domestic incidents off the scanner.

However, we will tell you this involved a gun. A phone may have been shot. It doesn't sound like any injuries.

At this time, it sounds like responding law enforcement units (deputies and troopers) have the situation under control.

If there's an arrest, there will likely be a press release and we'll report on that when released.

Students from Penn State are on Batavia's street corners today and tomorrow morning collecting spare change from passing cars as part of there charity drive on the behalf of pediatric cancer.

The students are part of a group called THON, which was first organized at Penn State in 1977. The group has raised more than than $89 million for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. Last year alone, students raised $10 million.

The students came to Batavia this weekend because one of the members, James Leisenring, is from Genesee County.

They will be collecting change until 4 p.m. today and tomorrow morning before heading back to State College, Pa.

Each year, THON culminates its fundraising efforts with a 46-hour dance marathon. For more information, visit THON.org.

Pictured is James Metz, of Butler, Pa., and below, Rick Mancuso, who happened to stop at the Hess Station and then found out about the fundraiser and kicked in a donation.

Bottom photo of participating students submitted by Lisa Rapone.