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Press release:

Mercy Flight and Batavia Downs Gaming will host a fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Batavia Downs Gaming facility. Our first Big Hearts for Helicopters fundraiser will be held from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

The event will have a Valentine's Day-themed buffet dinner featuring roasted top sirloin beef with Merlot mushroom sauce, chicken Marsala, pasta primavera, mashed potatoes, vegetables, salad bar, desserts, coffee and soda. Dinner will be available from 6:30 tp 9 p.m. and there will also be a cash bar throughout the event.

There will be a Chinese and silent auction and the classic rock band Karma will play downstairs during the evening at Rush 34.

We are looking for auction items and gift baskets. If your business or organization would like to participate, please call Outreach Coordinator Lynn O'Donnell at (716) 864-5060 or (716) 626-4100.

FAX is (585) 343-3623.

Tickets are $40 per person and include dinner and $15 free play at the casino. They can be purchased at all Mercy Flight air bases, A & N Automotive, and at the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce on East Main Street in the City of Batavia.

Tickets are PRESALE ONLY so please reserve your spot by Feb. 13.

All proceeds will go to help Mercy Flight continue its mission of being a Beacon of Hope for the community when minutes matter.

Bring your sweetie out for a fine evening of great food, music and entertainment for a good cause.

From WBTA:

WBTA is experiencing a transmission failure and has lost the over-the-air signal.

WBTA can still be heard on the stream on the homepage at WBTAi.com or on our iPhone app which is available free at the iTunes store.

Repairs are under way and we hope to have service restored as soon as possible.

Thank you for your understanding.

UPDATE 6:51 p.m.: As of at least an hour ago, WBTA is back on the air. Problems fixed.

Got cat food? The folks at Petco want you to know the store on Veterans Memorial Drive has reopened. It was partially damaged in the Bed Bath & Beyond fire.

A one-vehicle rollover accident, with minor if any injuries, is reported on the westbound Route 490 at mile marker 2.5, between the Bergen and Le Roy exits. However, the occupants are unable to get out of the vehicle. Le Roy fire and and an ambulance are responding.

UPDATE 8:22 a.m.: The occupant(s) is out of the vehicle and unharmed. The ambulance is cancelled. There is another accident not far from this one in which a car is off the road, but no one is injured. A Mercy medic who was headed to that scene before being cancelled, said the road is covered with black ice. Both the Le Roy and Bergen assignments are back in service. The DOT is to be notified that the road conditions on the 490 "are just terrible."

Today the Genesee County Grand Jury, under what is known as Prosecutor's Information, filed two Class A misdemeanor counts against Michael V. Pontillo. This option is used when the grand jury fails to find evidence to support felony charges but does find sufficient evidence to file misdemeanor charges.

The grand jury accuses Pontillo of obstructing governmental administration in the second degree for allegedly intentionally obstructing, impairing or perverting the administration of law or other governmental function, or attempting to prevent a public servant from performing an official function by means of intimidation, physical force or by unlawful act. This allegedly occurred Oct. 30 in the City of Batavia.

In count two, Pontillo is accused of resisting arrest by intentionally preventing or attempting to prevent a police officer from effecting an authorized arrest of himself or another person.

As a result of the Prosecutor's Information, an infrequent determination in Genesee County, the grand jury directs the District Attorney's Office to return the charges to a lower court, in this case City Court.

These are the latest indictments issued by the Genesee County Grand Jury.

John J. Saddler is indicted on four counts. The first is for the crime of attempted rape in the first degree, a Class B felony, for allegedly attempting to engage in sexual intercourse with another person by forcible compulsion. This allegedly occurred Aug. 31 in the Town of Batavia. In count two, he is accused of touching the victim's genitals by forcible compulsion, a Class D felony. In count three, he is accused of forcing the victim to touch him on the genitals by forcible compulsion, also a Class D felony. In count four, Saddler is accused of unlawful imprisonment in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor, for allegedly restraining the victim in a motel room.

Dortha L. Penders is indicted for aggrevated driving while intoxicated, a Class E felony, for allegedly driving a 2008 Dodge while intoxicated on Sept. 22 on Route 5 in the Town of Batavia while a child age 15 or less was a passenger. In count two, she is accused of committing the same crime with a BAC of .08 or more, also a Class E felony, and while a child age 15 or less was a passenger.

Donald W. Sczepanski is indicted for driving while intoxicated, a Class E felony, for allegedly operating a 2004 Pontiac while intoxicated on Route 238 on Aug. 2 in the Town of Alexander. In count two, he is accused of committing the same crime with a BAC of .08 or more, also a Class E felony.

Thomas P. Lester is indicted for driving while intoxicated, a Class E felony, for allegedly driving a 1998 Dodge while intoxicated on Sept. 12 on Townline Road in the Town of Byron. In count two, he is accused of committing the same crime with a BAC of .08 or more, also a Class E felony.

Robert C. Hinett is indicted for driving while intoxicated, a Class E felony, for allegedly driving a 2003 Subaru while intoxicated on Aug. 23 on Lake Street in the Town of Le Roy.

The Grand Jury issued No Bill for Kiernan W. Kinney after considering evidence relating to possible charges of sexual abuse in the first degree for incidents which allegedly occurred on April 10 in the Town of Pavilion.

Tickets are still available but going fast for HomeCare & Hospice’s Third Annual Mardi Gras celebration on Saturday, Feb. 8 at Batavia Downs Grandstands Bar and Grille.

Proceeds from the event benefit the HomeCare & Hospice Foundation.

Tickets are $40 each, $70 a couple and include $15 in casino free play and a New Orleans-style buffet dinner. Tickets can be ordered online at www.homecare-hospice.org or by calling Linda Cummings, HomeCare & Hospice development manager, at 877-277-2615.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. A cash bar with drink specials will be available throughout the evening. The event will also include live musical entertainment by M.A.C. and a Chinese auction with a chance to win an overnight stay for two at the International Plaza Hotel in Toronto and two club-level tickets to the Buffalo Sabres game against the Chicago Blackhawks on March. 9.

HomeCare & Hospice’s Mardi Gras is sponsored by WBTA-AM 1490 in Batavia.

HomeCare & Hospice, a non-profit United Way agency, provides specialized medical care and social/emotional support for patients and families coping with life-limiting illness in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Genesee and Wyoming counties. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

A three-vehicle accident, which is blocking traffic, is reported at 7797 Oak Orchard Road. A tractor-trailer, SUV and van are involved. Two Mercy ambulances are called in. Extrication of a patient in the van will be required. Town of Batavia fire is responding along with mutual aid from Elba's rescue unit. Elba Fire Police are asked to shut down southbound traffic at Daws Corners and northbound Route 98 traffic will be shut down at West Saile Drive.

UPDATE 4:02 p.m.: The patient from the van has been extricated.

UPDATE 6:25 p.m.: The Town of Batavia's assignment is back in service. At least one person was taken to UMMC -- an adult female with a small puncture wound on her lower leg.

A furnace explosion, with smoke showing, is reported at 6394 Searls Road in Byron. Byron Fire Department is responding. Other units from other departments were called, but command on scene said they could stand down.

A car slammed into a tree, close to a house, at 8802 8807 Prole Road. One person, believed to be injured, is still in the vehicle. Several others -- from three to six subjects -- were seen running from the scene. The accident is just south of Route 5. Law enforcement and medics are responding.

UPDATE 11:13 p.m.: Stafford Volunteer Fire Department is on scene. "All units can back it down. One subject is in the vehicle and I've got him," says a deputy.

UPDATE 11:25 p.m.: Stafford fire is leaving the scene, in service. A tow truck is en route.

UPDATE 11:44 p.m.: Le Roy Ambulance is transporting the patient to Strong Memorial Hospital. The deputy is also going to Strong to follow up on the accident.

UPDATE 11:35 a.m. (by Howard Owens): The driver has been identified as Douglas J. Hanley, 23, of Batavia Stafford Townline Road, Batavia. Charges are pending. The accident was investigated by Deputy Frank Bordonaro.

A motor-vehicle accident, reportedly a T-bone with at least two injuries, is reported at Tesnow and Wright roads in the Town of Alabama. Alabama Fire Department is responding along with Mercy medics. This is east of the Tonawanda Indian Reservation.

UPDATE 6:16 p.m.: A rescue unit from Akron is requested to provide mutual aid to the scene. Indian Falls Fire Department is asked to shut down Tesnow at Akron Road and also Bloomingdale Road.

UPDATE 6:21 p.m.: A Mercy medic confirms two injured parties in a pickup truck. No extrication needed. Akron can stand down.

UPDATE 6:24 p.m.: A second Mercy ambulance is requested.

UPDATE 6:25 p.m.: The Highway Department will be notified that "salt is needed on this hill."

UPDATE 6:35 p.m.: Two patients transported to St. Joe's in Buffalo.

Press release:

The City Water Department will be making a water main repair in front of John Kennedy School today. This may result in a water service interruption on Vine Street (between North Street and Bank Street) and Evergreen Drive (between Vine Street and North Spruce Street). Water will not be turned off before John Kennedy School dismissal at 11:30 a.m. so school will not be affected.

UPDATE 2:38 p.m.: The main has been repaired.

A caller reports a suspicious condition in the Town of Le Roy. A man was seen putting "a small dog" in the trunk of his car. He was toting a rifle over his shoulder. Law enforcement is responding to check it out. "Several guys I talked to were out coyote hunting this morning," says an officer.

A two-car, head-on collision with injuries is reported at Route 262 and South Lake Avenue, Bergen. Bergen fire is responding along with medics.

Two accidents (possibly even one and the same) are reported in the area of 9600 Alexander Road. A vehicle is well off the road into a field. A gold van is parked at the side of the road to try and point responders to the damaged vehicle. Alexander fire is responding along with medics.

UPDATE 3:07 p.m.: It's on Route 98 north of Pike Road. A responder on scene says the driver is out of the vehicle and appears not to be injured. They are checking the vicinity to make sure there are no other accidents.

Songs of the South will be performed by local musicians at the Holland Land Office Museum at a fundraiser Friday entitled "Rebel Music Night." Can I get a hell yeah, y'all?

Come enjoy traditional Confederate Civil War songs and Southern Rock classics made famous by artists such as ZZ Top, The Outlaws, The Eagles, The Allman Brothers, The Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniels, Creedence Clearwater Revivial and Lynryd Skynryd.

Callin' all the loud and proud who cotton to music from below the Mason-Dixon line, the long-haired country boys, those Georgia peaches, Tar Heels, and their ilk. Or just people who want to support the museum and listen to some good tunes.

Cost is $7. Time is 7 to 10 p.m. The museum is located in the City of Batavia at 131 W. Main St.

The Charlie Daniels Band

Lynyrd Skynyrd

"I'm a Good 'Ol Rebel"

"The Bonnie Blue Flag"