elba

Sara K.L. McCabe, 26, of Lincoln Avenue, Le Roy, is charged with felony DWI, aggravated DWI (children under age 15 in the car), driving without an interlock device and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. McCabe was stopped by Le Roy Police on Thursday after a witness complained of seeing a person in a car consuming alcohol. McCabe was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Geoffrey Charles Saxton, 28, of North Byron Road, Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08, failure to reduce speed and moving from lane unsafely. Saxton was charged following a one-car accident at Mullen and Morganville roads, Stafford, at 11:59 p.m., Monday.

Shuvon J. Williams, 36, of 5 Lewis Place, Batavia, and Rochelle V. Tomlin, 35, of 2 Lewis Place, Batavia, are charged with petit larceny. Both are accused of shoplifting from Tops Market on Wednesday.

Barbara Jean Alessi, 52, of Rand Street, Rochester, was arrested on a warrant stemming from a petit larceny charge. Alessi is accused of stealing from a business on Lewiston Road. She was taken into custody by the Rochester Police Department and turned over to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

Officials announced a moment ago that Watson Road in Elba, between Arnold and Strouts roads, is being closed (to through traffic) for the next three months for infrastructure work.

Whoever first said "Diamonds are a girl's best friend" never met Morgan Harrington.

For Morgan, life is about butterflies.

The Elba 9-year-old has taken the lead in a family project to find and catalogue as many types of caterpillars at the Harrington Greenhouses as possible.

There are 72 different species of butterflies and moths in Genesee County, and the Harringtons would like to find all 72.

"Now that we started this, we find that when we go through the nursery, we find them everywhere," said Morgan's dad, Aaron. "We're going to learn what we can about each of them."

Morgan -- who is assisted by her  8-year-old sister Madison -- uses field books to identify each kind of caterpillar, butterfly and moth she comes across. She keeps a log of each discovery, from the date of the find up through each stage of life for the insect -- from larva to caterpillar to winged creature.

"I really like it because I started doing it after one of my pets died," Morgan said.

Her simple explanation belies her obvious enthusiasm for the project. She can teach you more about butterflies in 30 minutes than you could learn in a high school biology class. Morgan can talk intelligently about each stage in the life cycle and identify on sight a dozen or more species, including what they eat and where they live.

"We decided to do this because we didn't want our kids growing up not understanding how things work in life," said Aaron, who runs the greenhouse business with his wife, Danielle.

The business in its current incarnation is 25 years old and was started by his father, though there was a greenhouse business on the same North Byron Road location years before that.

The Harrington's raise a variety of annuals, perennials, shrubs, bushes and trees, as much as possible without pesticides (though with non-native species of insects, pesticides are about the only option), and the butterfly project has made Madison and Morgan more aware of the insect species around them.

"It's good for them to learn the different types of beneficial and non-beneficial types of animals," Aaron said.

Even some caterpillars -- such as the rose saw fly -- are far too destructive to host plants, Aaron noted, but of course, monarch butterflies are beautiful and help spread pollen.

The girls have found a couple dozen monarch caterpillars, a few of which are already curled up in cocoons. When the butterflies emerge, Morgan said, she will take them to a nearby milkweed patch and release them (monarchs eat milkweed because the plant's sap produces a toxin in the caterpillars that birds avoid).

All of the caterpillars live in a shared aquarium where they can munch on preferred clippings of milkweed, walnut or willow leaves.

The shared housing has led to another lesson -- one variety of caterpillar will eat its siblings if given a chance.

"I always say I don't want my kids growing up to think fish comes square and already breaded," Aaron said. "I want them to see an animal's life cycle from beginning to end learn about it."

A possible structure fire is reported at 7554 Pekin Road in Elba. Elba Fire Department is on scene and the chief says nothing is showing. The fan over the stove reportedly caught fire and was unplugged but is still smoking.

This morning was the 2nd annual Elba 5K sponsored by First Presbyterian Church of Elba.

The men's winner was Michael Richenberg, 21, with a time of 17:34. That's a new course record. Richenberg has run 21 5Ks this season and won seven of them.

The women's winner was Stephanie Schmidt, 18, with a time of 20:14.

Tom Rivers, Daily News staff writer and author of the book "Farm Hands"

Stephanie Schmidt

Michael Richenberg

A silver SUV on Maltby Road reportedly struck two dogs and kept on going.

A deputy is dispatched to the area.

Douglas James Clark, 40, of 4224 Batavia-Elba Townline Road, Oakfield, is charged with assault, 3rd. Clark is accused of throwing a rock at a person at 4 p.m., June 24, in Batavia. The victim was injured.

Charles Joseph Finnin, 41, of State Street Road, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Finnin is accused of pushing another person during an argument.

Ronald Jason Scroger, 31, Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Scroger is accused of shoplifting from Walmart.

Katelyn Christen Kubala, 22, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Kubala is accused of shoplifting from Walmart.

Jason Lance Washington, 21, of Eller Street, Buffalo. Washington was turned over to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office by the Erie County Holding Center upon his release from custody on a bench warrant out of Bergen Town Court. The original charge is grand larceny, 4th. Washington was jailed in lieu of $1,500 cash or $2,000 bond.

St. Mary's Church, of Batavia, got a visit from the Blessed Virgin Mary Monday night. The church at 20 Ellicott St. was one of her last stops in Genesee County as she tours the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

The International Pilgrimage Statue of Our Lady of Fatima has been crisscrossing the Western Hemisphere for the past 64 years (there is another statue made for pilgrimages in the Eastern Hemisphere). It was sculpted in 1947 by Portuguese sculptor Jose Thedim, who based it on descriptions provided by one of the children who received visions of the Virgin Mary at Fatima, Portugal, in the summer of 1917.

According to Carl Malburg, one of the statue's custodians, the Bishop of Fatima commissioned the Pilgrimage Statue 30 years after the three children -- Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco -- received the visions.

"The idea came from the message," Malburg said. "It was meant for all the world, not just the people of Fatima."

"Fatima is not over," said Malburg's fellow custodian Patrick Sabat (pictured below), referencing Pope Benedict XVI. "There is a continued need for prayer and penance."

Addressing the people who attended Monday's service, he added: "Pope John Paul II said the message of Fatima is more urgent and more relevant now than it was in 1917."

Much of the content of the Fatima visions -- which began on May 13 and occurred on the 13th of every month until October -- deals with the harm that human sins do to the world, leading to war and destruction. The Virgin Mary reportedly told the children that if enough people carried out her instructions, there would be peace on Earth.

"Pope Benedict XV (who was Pope at the time of the Fatima visions) called Mary the Queen of Peace," Sabat said, adding that her intercession would work "when all human efforts at peace had failed."

Malburg, of Indiana, and Sabat, of the Philippines, escort the Pilgrimage Statue in its travels on behalf of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue Foundation, which is based in Munster, Ind. With permission from Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, they are making a 21-day trip through the Buffalo diocese.

Interestingly, the Buffalo diocese was the first place the statue visited in the U.S. on her very first pilgrimage in 1947. One of her stops was Our Lady of Fatima Church in Elba.

"And we thought, 'Why not bring her back?'" said Sally Ross, Ph.D, a member of St. Padre Pio Parish (which includes Our Lady of Fatima in Elba and St. Cecilia's Church in Oakfield).

Ross was the one who came up with the idea of bringing the statue back to Western New York for a pilgrimage. It all started when she, as a member of Our Lady of Fatima, did some research into how her church got its name. She learned three interesting facts about the Elba church:

1. The Pilgrimage Statue's visit in 1947.

2. It is the oldest church in the U.S. to bear that name.

3. The knoll in front of the church on which the Fatima Shrine is now located was once used by the Ku Klux Klan as a place to burn crosses.

Fact number three is especially interesting if you think about the Fatima message.

"Our Lady wants all her children to live together in peace and harmony," Malburg said. "She said that if we follow her instructions, there will be peace."

To that end, Sabat called everyone to be "Prayer Warriors."

"This is a different kind of war," he said. "It's a war of reparation for the sins of the world."

According to a pamphlet from the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue Foundation, fighting this war includes making each of one's daily sufferings a sacrifice in atonement for sin, praying the Rosary every day, and wearing the brown scapular as a sign of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Miracles and favors have been reported in areas the statue has visited over the years. One of the most famous of these miracles is the "Miracle of Tears," which refers to reports of the statue crying human tears in more than 30 instances.

While there may not have been any tears in Western New York so far, people have been affected by the statue. The pilgrimage isn't over yet, and Ross has already gotten some follow-up calls.

"I wish I could have recorded them, (as they talked about the message)," she said. "Even just the timbre of their voices...it's just incredible."

As much of an impact as the statue has had, Sabat and Malburg were both very clear that Catholics do not worship Mary or statues.

"A statue's just a piece of wood," Malburg said. "And the person it represents (Mary) is not divine. But we do talk to her and ask her to pray for us."

He also said that he sometimes meets fundamentalists who object to giving this type of honor to Mary. To this he replies, "You have a guardian angel, don't you?" His point is that Catholics talk to Mary the same way most Christians might talk to their guardian angels.

"Mary is still the greatest catechist (teacher of the faith)," Sabat said. "She's a role model for all Christians, and we continue to imitate her virtues. Our goal is to be as close to Christ as possible, and she was the closest person to Christ there ever was."

St. Joseph's Church welcomed the Pilgrimage Statue at Mass this morning. It is heading to Orleans County today, but will return for a visit to the New York State Veterans' Home on Aug. 19. All total, it will make seven more stops throughout the region before the pilgrimage concludes on Aug. 22.

For more information, go to www.pilgrimvirginstatue.com.

Supplemental Video: Malburg and Sabat on local news show in Cincinnati

Christopher Michael Lambert, 31, of Elm Street, Batavia, is charged with burglary, 2nd. Lambert is accused of entering a residence on Log City Road, Elba, after being told to stay away. Lambert allegedly stole money and a new Garmin GPS unit. Bail was set at $25,000.

Jenea Marie Macleod, 27, of Genesee Street, Corfu, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, operating an ATV on a public highway and no headlights on an ATV. Macleod was stopped at 10:08 p.m., Saturday, on Genesee Street in Pembroke by Deputy Howard Carlson.

Tracy Lynn Polak, 40, of Aldercreek South Road, North Tonawanda, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, operating with registration suspended or revoked and driver's view obstructed. Polak was stopped at 10:36 p.m., Wednesday, on Route 77, Corfu, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Jonathan David Eldred, 27, of Main Road, Akron, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument. Eldred was arrested at 10:46 p.m., Friday, at a residence on Bloomingdale Road, Tonawanda Indian Reservation, when he was allegedly found in possession of heroin and a needle during an investigation into an overdose.

Austin M. Heineman, 17, of Marble Road, Akron, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, operating out of class and failure to keep right. Heineman was arrested following an investigation into an accident that was reported at 12:43 a.m., Saturday, on Sandhill Road, Alabama, by Deputy James Diehl. In the accident, Heineman was reportedly driving south on Sandhill Road when he lost control of the car and it overturned. His passenger, Timothy Ryan, 17, was transported to UMMC with non-life threatening injuries.

Mitchell Gregory Hoinski, 25, of Boll Street, Sloan, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Hoinski was reportedly involved in a motor-vehicle accident at 11:42 p.m., Friday, in the parking lot of Darien Lake Theme Park. Hoinski reportedly attended the Rascal Flatts concert earlier in the evening. 

Marissa Tomczak, of Elba, the daughter of Tim and Lynn Tomczak, is the 2011 Elba Onion Queen.

Tomczak won the crown over a field of eight finalists.

First runner-up was Marissa Pangrazio, of Elba, the daughter of Barbie Pangrazio. Second runner-up was Jamie Pcionek, of Oakfield, the daughter of James and Joyce Pcionek.

The other finalists were: Sydney Gallip, of Elba, the daughter of Stacey and Todd Gallip; Gretel Kauffman (bottom photo), of Elba, the daughter of Bill and Lucine Kauffman; Meg Stucko, of Elba, the daughter of Marty and Amy Stucko; Elizabeth Shuknecht, of Elba, the daughter of Robin and Dale Shuknecht; and Jenna E. Brown, of Byron, the daughter of Kathleen Miller and Gary Brown.

Gretel Kauffman is a correspondent for The Batavian and is currently auditioning four-year universities. She plans to major in journalism.

UPDATE 12:15 a.m.: The winner of the Mustang raffle is Edith Bezon, of Byron. No word yet on whether she'll take the car or the cash.

The Elba Onion Festival is unde rway, with all the fun, games, live music and great food that highlights the event every year.

A big crowd was on hand Friday night for the festivities.

The festival continues today, including the crowning of the Elba Onion Queen at 7 p.m.

Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer has a heck of a fastball.

Slide show of more pictures from Friday night below (click on the button lower right to view in full-screen mode). To purchase photographic prints from this event, click here.

A motorcycle accident with injuries is reported in Elba at Norton and Bridge roads. Elba Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 5:41 p.m.: The driver complained of right hip pain and was transported to a hospital via private vehicle. Elba fire and Mercy units back in service.

An elderly female fell out of her wheelchair and struck her head on the pavement at the intersection of Oak Orchard and Hundredmark roads in Elba. Mercy EMS and Elba fire responding. Mercy Flight is responding to transport the victim.

UPDATE: Mercy Flight landed a few minutes ago.

UPDATE 8:31 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne and headed to Strong Memorial Hospital.

A 19-year-old Batavia man was injured Saturday after he lost control of a go-kart he was driving on Barrville Road, Elba, and was ejected from the vehicle.

Jacob T. Bell, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, was transported to UMMC in a private car with cuts on his face.

Bell was reportedly southbound on Barrville Road at 7 p.m. when he crossed over into the northbound lane to allow another vehicle to pass. Bell said he overcorrected and lost control of the go-kart.

No citations were issued.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Timothy Wescott.

A hay fire has rekindled at the site of yesterday's barn fire. That was at 4103 Batavia-Elba Town Line Road in Elba at the Post dairy farm.

Elba Fire Department is responding.

Basic elements -- wind, water and fire -- were all critical factors in a blaze that destroyed a 160-year-old barn on Batavia-Elba Town Line Road on Thursday afternoon.

The Elba fire was called in at 4:15 p.m. and the first Town of Batavia chief on scene reported only smoke coming from the barn.

Two minutes later, flames began shooting out the front door of the barn and within another minute they covered nearly a quarter of the roof. Even a quick response by a group of Genesee County volunteer fire departments couldn't beat the windswept flames from engulfing the front barn of Post Farms and spreading to a second attached barn.

Complicating matters for firefighters was the lack of public water on Batavia-Elba Town Line Road. 

Eventually, Elba Fire Chief Brian Russell would request every single tanker from all 17 fire departments in Genesee County to the scene along with tankers from Orleans, Livingston and Wyoming counties, not to mention a couple of milk trucks drafted into duty to bring water from nearby ponds.

"When you’re flowing this much water on a barn fire you just go through water really quick," Russell said. "It just takes time to fill up the trucks and bring them back in."

In temperatures that exceeded 90 degrees and humidity that raised the heat index above 100, water was also essential to firefighter safety. First, Elba's auxiliary brought in refreshments and then the Salvation Army set up a rest and recovery station. A portable pool was also set up that firefighters could get in as a way to cool off.

More than 100 firefighters responded to the scene. The large contingent helped ensure crews could remain fresh.

"You’re wearing a lot of equipment and a lot of gear," Russell said. "It doesn’t take long for a body to get overheated."

Russell was grateful for the mutual aid from more than 20 departments throughout the region.

"Mutual aid is key in any situation like this, from manpower, the other trucks, water, you’ve just got to have the other departments responding," Russell said.

A Sheriff's Office investigation concluded that the fire started by exhaust from a skid loader in one of the barns.

The barn was full of hay and straw, which complicated firefighting efforts even further.

The barns are part of Post Farms, a dairy farm. The second attached barn contained calves. They were all evacuated safely. No livestock was hurt as a result of the fire.

One firefighter suffered a minor case of heat exhaustion and was taken by Mercy EMS to UMMC. He is reportedly fine.

The Post Farm has been in the family since the 1890s, when Stu Post acquired it. It's currently owned by Jeff Post.

His grandmother, Louise Post, spoke with reporters and the family is devastated by the loss of the barns and the contents.

"I think they are all very sorry to have this happen, not only the ones who work here, but the remainder of the family," Louise said.

"We lost a lot of history and a lot of product," she added.

While the fire was in progress, neighbors complained about the water situation on Batavia-Elba Town Line Road. The fire, they said, is exactly why either the Town of Batavia or the Town of Elba needs to bring public water to the road.

Plus, the well water on the road is undrinkable.

Douglas Clark and his wife said they've been drinking nothing but bottled water for 15 years, and when farmers are spreading manure, their bathing water smells pretty bad.

"I also work with these farmers and I support these farmers, so what am I supposed to do?" Douglas said. "The town ought to put water right down this road."

(Initial Report)

Below is a slide show of more than 60 photos from the fire. Click on the button in the lower right to expand to full screen mode. Pictures may be purchased by clicking here.

A barn fire is reported by the homeowner at 4103 Batavia-Elba Town Line Road. Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding along with Mercy medics.

Smoke is showing and a second alarm is called.

UPDATE 4:17 p.m.: Units are also called from Elba, Oakfield, East Pembroke, Alabama and Corfu, which is standing in at Town of Batavia's hall.

UPDATE 4:21 p.m.: The location is just west of Pekin Road.

UPDATE 4:23 p.m.: This is a working fire, fully involved. "If you got somebody, roll," says the chief. National Grid is called in.

UPDATE 4:26 p.m.: Fire police are called to shut down the roadway.

UPDATE 4:32 p.m.: The site is determined to be in Elba's fire district and Elba is in charge of command.

UPDATE 4:37 p.m.: A tanker from South Byron is called in.

UPDATE 4:44 p.m.: Tankers requested from Bergen, Stafford and Bethany.

UPDATE 4:47 p.m.: The Elba Fire Department's Ladies Auxiliary is called to provide cold refreshments for the responders. A pumper tanker and all available manpower out of Barre is requested. There's no ETA for National Grid. A tanker from Clarendon is called in.

UPDATE 4:56 p.m.: A second ambulance is called in.

UPDATE 4:59 p.m.: "The firefighters are going to need more water on the back of the building or they're going to lose the milking parlor."

UPDATE 5 p.m.: "The platform is shutting down." The chief asks for a list of all tankers at the scene.

UPDATE 5:02 p.m.: Tankers are requested from Darien, Pavilion and Corfu. A tanker out of York is called to stand by in Pavilion. It's the Post barn.

UPDATE 5:07: Every tanker is Genesee County is at the scene, with the exception of tankers from Darien, Pembroke and Indian Falls. Now those three are called in, too.

UPDATE 5:10 p.m.: A grass truck from Byron is called in. Indian Falls was already on scene. A unit from East Shelby in Orleans County is going to stand in at the Oakfield hall. Any available tanker in Livingston and Wyoming counties is requested.

UPDATE 5:23 p.m.: It is confirmed that all electrical power to the barn has been cut.

UPDATE 5:25 p.m.: The chief wants Elba Highway Department contacted to bring a load of stone to the scene.

UPDATE 5:29 p.m.: The barn is owned by Jeff Post, who is the fourth-generation family member to own it. The barn was built at the turn of the 20th Century by Leo Post. It is on a dairy farm. The barn was built around 1850. Stewart Post acquired the farm around 1890.

UPDATE 5:34 p.m.: Rescue manpower from Bergen and Albion requested to the scene.

UPDATE 5:39 p.m.: There are two barns on the property. Both are total losses.

UPDATE 5:40 p.m.: Food and beverage for 75 to 100 firefighters are requested.

UPDATE 5:42 p.m.: A third ambulance is called in, non-emergency mode.

UPDATE 6:30 p.m.: Inmates from Wyoming Correctional Facility are being assembled for transport to the scene to help out. The Salvation Army is expected to the scene in about 40 minutes, presumably to help the auxiliary provide food and beverages.

UPDATE 8:30 p.m.: Some Town of Batavia units returning. All out-of-county tankers released. In-county tankers to remain on scene.

UPDATE 10:03 p.m.: Elba command breaking down.

UPDATE 10:05 p.m.: Somebody just stole a pickup truck belonging to a fire police volunteer who was stationed at Pekin and Batavia-Elba Town Line Road. The truck, which has fire police lights on it, was last seen heading east on Batavia-Elba.

UPDATE 10:13 p.m.: The truck has been returned. "The guy thought it was his brother's truck."

UPDATE 10:26 p.m.: All units back in service.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Elba and Genesee County officials along with a group of veterans and residents were on hand at the Maplelawn Cemetery in Elba this evening to dedicate a new Veterans' Memorial Garden.

A landing zone for Mercy Flight is being set up at Watson and Strouts roads, Elba, for a man who was injured after falling 15 feet from a ladder.

The man, working at a residence in the area, may have internal injuries.

Elba Fire and Mercy EMS are on scene.

UPDATE 8:15 a.m.: Mercy Flight on the ground.

UPDATE 8:28 a.m.: Mercy Flight in route to Strong.

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