Alexander

A man is reported to be stuck -- "not sure if he's inside or under" -- a bulldozer or some other type of machinery on Boyce Road. Mercy medics are responding along with East Pembroke Fire Department and mutual aid from Alexander. Mercy Flight is on ground standby in Batavia.

UPDATE 4:28 p.m.: "Patient is still trapped underneath a skidster," says a responder from Corfu Fire Deparment, adding that the patient is way back behind the house.

UPDATE 4:29 p.m.: The path back there is problematic because it's likely trucks would get stuck if they tried to drive on it.

UPDATE 4:31 p.m.: They need manpower to go back to the accident site with hand tools. They are to stage at their trucks for now. An investigator is called to the scene.

UPDATE 4:34 p.m.: Mercy Flight is cancelled.

UPDATE 4:35 p.m.: A rep for Case tractor / farm equipment is sought so responders can get information on how to work the machine's hydraulics.

UPDATE 4:41 p.m.: A man is at the scene who is either a rep for Case or who is knowlegable about the machinery in question, but he is told the State Police investigators must complete their work before he go back there.

UPDATE 5:09 p.m.: This is a fatal accident.

An Alexander man already serving time in state prison on charges out of Wyoming County was sentenced today on a burglary conviction out of Genesee County.

Nicholas Antonucci entered a guilty plea in June to a charge stemming from a violation of a court order. The order barred Antonucci from seeing a particular person and since he entered the residence with the intention of violating that order, his entry was charged as a burglary. 

As part of a plea deal, other pending criminal charges and uncharged crimes in Genesee County were dropped.

The deal limited any sentence handed down by Judge Robert C. Noonan to prison time served concurrently with his Wyoming County sentence, which is two-and-a-third to seven years.

Noonan gave Antonuccie a two-year sentence.

A minor-injury accident is reported in the area of 3193 Broadway Road. Alexander Fire Department and an ambulance are responding.

UPDATE 4:57 p.m.: The vehicle landed 40-feet down an embankment, facing south.

UPDATE 5:44 p.m.: Alexander is back in service.

Bob Will, of Leon, had one of the more interesting vehicles at the Steam Show in Alexander this weekend. He agreed to pose with his 1930s-era Ford pickup truck. Rusty gold, indeed.

To purchase prints of these photos, click here.

One year makes a big difference in high school football.

To start the 2012 season, Elba/Byron-Bergen had the size and experience over Alexander. The final score that opening game was 40-13.

The way Lancers Head Coach Michael Cintorino sees it, the Alexander players didn't forget that smackdown.

Yesterday in Alexander, the tables were turned and the Trojans came out on top 23-6 victory after dominating a rain-drenched second.

"I think the key to the game is Alexander returned an awful lot of guys who are very well coached," Cintorino said. "Their guys came ready to play. Not that we didn't, but they had a little fire in them from what happened to them last year against us. I think that stayed with those young guys and they put their time in during the off season."

The Lancers were powered last season by the legs of Zach DuBois and the arm of Zac Gillard. Both players graduated.

All but three of Alexander's 19 varsity players hit the weight room hard during the off season, said head coach Tim Sawyer. This year, the Trojans may lack the roster size of some other teams, but they can put some big guys on the field.

Senior running back Dylan Scharlau is 6' and 195 lbs. Quinn Furlong, at TE and LB, is an inch shorter, but the same weight. Alton Rupp and Will Burke check in on offense and defense at 190 and 195 lbs. On the offensive and defensive lines are anchored by Kelsey Patten (225 lbs.), Jonathon George (230 lbs.), Damien Hargraves (200 lbs.) and Alex Jewett (245 lbs.).

With Nelson Burke at QB and Zach Laird at wide out, the Trojans can also run and catch.

"Elba is a physical team," Sawyer said. "But we have some pretty good size this year combined with strength. I thought it was a good, even match-up."

The key to the game may have been the start of the second half, which didn't result in a score for Alexander (penalties killed their drive), but it did help turn the tide.

Up by three after Scharlau's 30-yard field goal gave Alexander a 9-6 lead to end the second quarter; the Trojans had the first possession of the third.

"This doesn’t show on the scoreboard but I think this is huge," Sawyer said. "To start the third quarter, we’re going into a strong wind into a driving rain and possessed the ball for seven minutes. We didn’t get any points, but it chewed up their offensive advantage of the wind and all."

The rain and the wind stayed steady throughout the fourth quarter, when the Lancers offense was facing the western end zone. With the wind at their back, the Trojans were able to engineer two touchdown drives.

Burke hit Laird for a 17-yard pass for a TD and Scharlau pushed the pile forward on a goal line TD run, followed by a two-point conversion pass from Burke.

Elba/BB's lone score came on a pass from Garrett Chapell to Kyle Dougherty, giving the Lancer's a quick 6-0 lead.

Last season the 2-6 Trojans had a tendency to get down early and then find it difficult to battle back, so Sawyer as much pleased with the way his team won as he is with a 1-0 start to the season.

"They boys believed in themselves and kept battling," Sawyer said. "To be down early and finish the game 23-6, that’s a big step for our football program."

Both coaches said they have work to do with their teams.

For the Lancers, there's no one glaring issue, Cintorino said. There's a lot of little things, but mainly the mental errors need to be addressed.

Two fumbles in the second half were costly for the Elba/BB.

"I have confidence in this group and I think we can work on those kinks, coach them up, and get them were they need to be," Cintorino said.

It feels good, Sawyer said, to go into the next week trying to improve the team coming off a win.

"We made some mistakes," Sawyer said. "We have some things to work on. It's nice to get the win, but when I got into the team room, it's going to be like, 'Hey, we've got to shore some things up here.' "

On the game Scharlau carried the ball 26 times for 157 yards and two TDs, plus the 30-yard field goal. Burke was six for 11 for 178 yards and one TD pass. Burke also gave up an interception. He ran the ball four times for 29 yards. Laird caught the ball three times for 44 yards and a TD.  He had six carries for 36 yards. On defense, Patten had two sacks and four tackles. Laird had a sack, four and a half tackles and a forced fumble.

For Elba, Brandon Naylor gained 78 yards on 17 carries. Chapell was 4-13 for 40 yards and one TD. Austin Yockel caught two passes for 25 yards and Dougherty's one catch was the nine-yard TD reception in the first quarter. On defense, Naylor had 16 tackles and one forced fumble. Andy Underhill had 13 tackles and a forced fumble. Austin Hynes Fisher had six tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Dougherty had four tackles and an interception.

Other football action:

• Pembroke beat Charles Finney 41-0. The Dragons gained 300 yards on the ground. Dakota Swimline had 14 carries for 150 yards and three TDs. Cal Neurhor had eight tackles, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
• Batavia beat Edison Technical 22-0 taking command of the game in the first quarter, scoring 16 points. Nick Canzoneri carried the ball 16 times for 81 yards and two TDs. Brandon Stevenson gained 215 all-purpose yards. Dominick Mogazero and Trevor Rittstersback each had 12 tackles.
• Notre Dame crushed Holley 52-0. Tim McCulley came up big throwing for 229 yards and four TDs. He was seven for 10 passing. McCulley ran the ball eight times for 92 yards and one TD. Andrew Mullen taking over as lead man out of the backfield gained 151 yards and scored three times. The Irish had a total of 270 yards on the ground. He had one catch for 49 yards. Notre Dame scored 39 first-half points and notched one TD on Mullen runs in the third and fourth quarters. Cam Chamberlain gained 25 yards on eight carries. Josh Johnson had two TD receptions and gained 83 yards. Luca Zambito caught the ball twice for 47 yards and scored once. Chamberlain had eight tackles. Joe Zickl had five and a half.
• Oakfield-Alabama lost to Attica 45-6. Chris Nanni carried the ball 21 times, gained 72 yards and scored once. Chase Manzella notched 17 tackles. Attica, part of the Genesee Region League, returns with workhorse running back Matt Perry, now a senior, who ran for 228 yards and two TDs on 28 carries.

Football next Friday and Saturday:

• Finney is at Alexander, Friday, 7 p.m.
• Notre Dame at Oakfield-Alabama, Friday, 7 p.m.
• Le Roy at Bishop Kearney, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
• HF-L at Batavia, Friday, 7:30 p.m. (we'll cover this game)
• Pembroke at Elba/BB, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

A medical problem prompted a call for Mercy Flight at the annual Alexander Steam Show and it has just landed in a field across from the main entrance on Gillette Road.

There were three nearly simultaneous calls for medics at the show, for abdominal pain, a diabetic issue and some other medical issue -- as opposed to an accident or disturbance.

One patient was a sign-off, another was transported by Alexander ambulance to UMMC, and the remaining patient is being readied for flight.

Alexander fire and Mercy medics also responded to the scene.

UPDATE 12:22 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne and destined for Buffalo General Hospital.

Jason Daniel Lang, 29, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. Lang is accused of stealing merchandise from Walmart during two separate visits. Lang was jailed on $2,500 bail. (For previous coverage of Jason Lang, click here).

Donald William Schulz, 34, of Garden Springs Drive, Mount Sterling, Ky., was arrested on a bench warrant for alleged failure to pay fine. Schulz is accused of failing to pay a fine or restitution on a manslaughter charge. Schulz was extradited and returned to Genesee County and is being held in Genesee County Jail pending arraignment in County Court.

Daniel Johnston Duryea, 32, of Grant Avenue, Humbolt, Neb., is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or higher, moving from lane unsafely, failure to keep right and driving left of pavement markings in no passing zone. Duryea was stopped at 12:33 a.m., Sunday, on Route 238 in Alexander by Deputy Jason Saile.

Marc Harry Rice, 35, of Judith Drive, Cheektowaga, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or higher and failure to keep right. Rice was stopped at 8:13 p.m. Saturday on South Alleghany Road, Corfu, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

MacKenzie Douglas Barrett, 17, of Eagle St., Medina, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. Barrett is accused of stealing about $2,000 in cash since June while employed at Darien Lake Theme Park.

Wesley C. Burgess, 29, of Jefferson Street, Attica, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Burgess allegedly possessed a bag of marijuana and a pipe with marijuana residue while passing through a checkpoint at 12:08 a.m. Saturday on West Main Street Road, Batavia.

With only 19 varsity players this year, Alexander's Head Coach Tim Sawyer hopes what the team lacks in quantity it will make up in quality.

"We don't have a lot of kids, but they're definitely a tight-knit group," Sawyer said. "They care about each other and they work hard together.

"We've got a chance every week and it's nice for a small school like us to be able to say that," he added.

The offensive and defensive lines will be anchored by Johnny George and Kelsey Patton, a pair of three-year starters now in their senior year.

"They're both about 250 pounds," Sawyer said. "They're pretty strong. Those guys love the weight room. It's nice to have some size there."

At tailback, Dylan Scharlau brings 205 pounds of strength to the job and Tyler Laird isn't far behind him in ability or strength.

Sawyer said he would like 24 or 25 varsity players, he also sees hope going forward in the JV team, which has 30 players this year.

Last year, the Trojans were 2-6. Sawyer thinks his team this year can improve on that record.

"We had a lot of growing pains last year," Sawyer said. "I think I have 12 seniors on this year's team. They're excited. They've worked hard. We've got quality kids."

The top three pictures are from the watermelon relay, a drill Sawyer said is also designed to keep practice fun. The drill came right before the dinner break and watermelon was the dessert. Drop the watermelon and your team will have to deal with grass blades mixed in with the melon. Despite some coaches best efforts to jar the melons loose, not one broke.

A pair of utility poles are broken in two and leaning, but not in the roadway, on Railroad Avenue in the Village of Alexander. A downed power line is in a field. Traffic is being closed to Railroad Avenue at Route 98 and at Sandpit Road. Also, traffic will be blocked at Sandpit and Dry Bridge roads. Alexander Fire Department is on scene. National Grid is aware of the problem and a crew will be responding.

UPDATE 5:02 p.m.: National Grid is on scene.

UPDATE 7:08 p.m.: The roads are reopened. Alexander is back in service.

As a little girl Krista Marie Robusto would watch her mom in Rotary shows and think, "Oh, gosh, I want to do that someday."

About 10 years ago, Krista was the lead of the Batavia Rotary's production of the "Wizard of Oz."

Now, Krista Marie -- just Krista Marie to her fans -- is living in Nashville and hitched to a rising star.

Tonight, her band, The Farm, plays at Frost Ridge Campground in Le Roy.

Krista Marie, Nick Hoffman and Damien Horne were friends in Nashville, all working professionally -- Krista pursuing a solo career and Hoffman toured with Kenny Chesney and Horne with John Legend. The three young artists decided to try writing some songs together.

Soon, their songwriting projects evolved into putting some serious thought into forming a band.

"When we finally decided to be a group we looked at each other and said, 'OK, we've got to be all in,' " Krista said. "We said, 'we're going to be betting the farm.' That was the little bell that went off and we said, 'OK, betting the farm,' and that's it, The Farm."

The Farm was signed with Warner Brothers and they were off and running. The first song the trio wrote together, "Home, Sweet Home," became the band's first hit single.

The last three years have been filled with nearly nonstop touring, and though The Farm has played two gigs in Rochester, tonight is The Farm's first shows "inside the county lines," as Krista put it.

"I'm super excited," she said.

"Every time I come home I absolutely remember how lucky and how grateful I am to be from Western New York," Krista said. "The people are great. The food's amazing and it's just really awesome. I'm really, really proud to be a hometown girl from Upstate New York."

Krista grew up in Alexander and attended Alexander Central School through 10th grade before starting home school. Her mother and father owned and operated Pat's Meat Market in Batavia. They were both musicians and performers and Krista's father was an internationally acclaimed accordian player.

All of those influences -- along with the Rotary shows, singing in church, dance lessons at That Dancing Place -- all pointed her in the direction she wanted to go, which is performing country music.

"If you're from here you know how country we are," Krista said. "I grew up riding and in 4-H and my dad was a butcher. I grew up riding horses, got into four-wheelers and motorcycles, and we have beautiful farmland up here. It's as country as it gets. I live in Nashville, Tennesee now and I'm always bragging on what awesome country we've got up here."

Krista is feeling pretty good about the trajectory of her career -- a career that started playing country music locally with Richard Fink and Johnny Cummings, including a series of summer-long gigs at Darien Lake Theme Park (she hopes The Farm can play there as soon as next summer) that helped her earn the money to buy her first motorcycle.

She said she's very grateful for Genesee County making her into the hometown girl she still is, even on any stage anywhere in America.

"I grew up with the Rotary shows and I grew up singing in church and I grew up riding and showing horses at the Genesee County Fair," Krista said. "I raced mini-stocks at the Genesee County Fairgrounds, so all of this is who I've become and it's a big part of who I am today."

The Farm takes the stage at Frost Ridge at 7 p.m., opening for Jerrod Niemann.

Krista Marie and her mother, Barb Galliford, with a school bell that was once belonged to Krista's grandfather (it may have been a school bell for a school in Batavia originally). It was a gift to Krista today from her family. Barb said, "Of course I'm proud of her, and my thing is whatever you do, try to do it well and with all your heart, and she's done that."

A two-car accident is reported at 9864 Alexander Road. It is blocking traffic. One person is said to have chest injuries. There was air bag deployment. The location is between Peaviner and Lang roads. Alexander Fire Department and its Ambulance Service are responding.

UPDATE 6:18 p.m.: Alexander ambulance is transporting one patient to UMMC.

UPDATE 6:26 p.m.: The patient is a 41-year-old female with chest pain.

Every year, guests of Skyline Campground in Alexander square off against guests of Lei-Ti Campground in Bethany in a horseshoe tournament. Today was the first meeting of the two teams this year at Skyline. Next week, the tournament moves to Lei-Ti.

Featured in our shots are George Siano, of Florida, and Roy Hovey, of Rochester.

Skyline's cheering section doing the wave.

Ryan Christopher Riggi, 18, of North Street, Le Roy, is charged with criminal mischief 4th. Riggi is accused of destroying jail property while incarcerated.

Jake F. Dumas, 23, of 260 Whalen Road, Massena, is charged with trespass. Dumas was allegedly told to leave Billy Goats bar and then refused to leave.

Tony C. Bigtree, 23, of 167 Helenea Road, Hoagansburg, is charged with trespass. Bigtree allegedly refused to leave Billy Goats bar after being told to leave.

David William Santry, 21, of Robin Court, West Seneca, is charged with unlawful dealing with a child, 1st. Santry is accused of providing alcohol to people under age 21 at a party on July 6.

Lisa M. Randall, 45, of Kelsey Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Randall is accused of shoplifting at Target.

Terry A. Espinosa, 42, of 26 Ganson Ave., Batavia, is charged with disobeying a court mandate.  Espinosa is accused of allowing her children to have contact with a male acquaintance in violation of a Family Court order.

Patrick Leslie Gugluzza, 34, of Broadway Road, Alexander, was arrested on a bench warrant for alleged failure to pay fines related to charges of DWI/drugs, following too closely, criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument.  Gugluzza was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Alexander fire is being dispatched to an unknown type fire in a field behind 2831 Broadway Road, possibly near a gas well.

UPDATE 9:55 p.m.: Chief on scene confirms controlled burn.

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Charlotte Conable, the wife of the late Barber Conable, passed away yesterday in Sarasota, Fla., after a long battle with cancer. She was 83.

Conable was a graduate of Lafayette High School, Cornell University and George Washington University and wrote the books "Women at Cornell: The Myth of Equal Education."

Charlotte Williams was born in Buffalo. Her honors included being named a Woman of Distinction, an honorary doctorate from Genesee Community College, and being included in Feminists Who Changed America, 1963-1975.

She was a board member of the Women’s Hall of Fame, Seneca Falls and a trustee of Cornell University.

In 1952, Charlotte married Barber Conable, who would be elected to Congress, representing Batavia and parts of WNY, in 1964. He served 10 terms, earning the reputation as the "most respected member in Congress." In 1986, Ronald Reagan appointed him president of the World Bank.

Barber Conable died in 2003.

Charlotte Conable is survived by the couple's four children, Anne, of Bennington, Jane Schmieder, of East Bethany, Emily, of White Hall, Md., and Sam, Sarasota, Fla.

Services will be held in Alexander at a time to be determined.

(Full Obituary)

A Pomeranian is reportedly tied outside to its doghouse on Brookville Road in Alexander and has no water, which is a dangerous condition in this hot weather -- 82 degrees wth a heat index of 87. An officer will be responding to check on its welfare.

UPDATE 11:09 a.m.: An animal control officer reports the dog is not outside at this time and it does have water.

It allegedly took 25-year-old Christian John Finkney, a Wyoming resident, a mere 22 minutes to get from the Erie County line to Wyoming early Sunday morning while riding his motorcyle.

That's a distance of nearly 25 miles.

A deputy allegedly clocked his bike at times during the high-speed pursuit at 140 mph.

Finkney faces a laundry list of charges following his arrest by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Reeves originally picked picked up a speeding motorcycle at 1:15 a.m. while running radar on Route 20 going 80 in the 55 mph. The deputy attempted a traffic stop, but the motorcycle allegedly sped up and started passing passenger vehicles.

The operator was observed allegedly swerving in and out of his lane as he sped east through Darien and Alexander.

The bike driver then reportedly turned onto Molasses Hill Road and started heading south into Wyoming County.

He was eventually stopped on Route 19 in Wyoming.

The State Police and Wyoming County Sheriff's Office assisted in the alleged pursuit along with Deputy Frank Bordonaro.

The South Academy Street resident was taken into custody without incident.

Finkney is charged with:

• DWI
• Driving with a BAC of .08 or greater
• Unlawfully fleeing a police officer
• Reckless driving
• Speeding
• Failure to yield to emergency vehicle
• Speeding in zone
• Passing in no passing zone
• Failure to keep right
• Unlicensed operator

He was issued an appearance ticket and ordered to appear in Town of Darien Court on July 11 at 5 p.m.