elba

Along Maltby Road, Elba.

Bliss Road, Oakfield.

Gorton Road, Alabama.

Mercy Flight is being dispatched to a medical emergency in the area of 6400 Oak Orchard Road.

Law enforcement was on scene and requested a medical response for a laceration to the neck.

Elba Fire responded and requested Mercy Flight after arriving on scene.

The flight is coming from Buffalo and the ETA is 20 minutes.UPD

UPDATE 11 a.m.: Route 98 is closed in both directions in order to secure a landing zone for Mercy Flight, which now has a 10 minute ETA.

UPDATE 11:15 a.m.: Mercy Flight is on the ground.

UPDATE 11:29 a.m.: Mercy Flight is in the air. Elba fire police working on getting Route 98 reopened.

The beat is thumping, the energy is high, and the sound is thunderous as hundreds of tiny feet stomp the floor and just as many tiny hands smack together enthusiastically. Two hundred children chant, "We will, we will, READ YOU!" in deafening unison.

Welcome to Reading Month at Elba Central School.

In past years, the students have celebrated books in more traditional ways. This year, elementary art teacher Stephanie Rudman decided to mix things up a bit by inviting children's entertainer Glenn Colton to perform for the students. Colton's hour-long show entertained both students and teachers alike with silly jokes, oldies music references, and a message that reading can be fun.

Rudman says that she had remembered Colton performing at Elba years ago, and decided to bring him back in order to add a more musical aspect to the month.

The Orchard Park-based entertainer performs in about 250 locations per year, mostly staying in the Western New York area. He has a variety of educational concerts available, featuring themes such as bullying, cyber safety, and staying drug-free. Along with writing songs, he has also authored two children's books, "Mr. Ducky Wucky -- The Wonderful Secret" and "Browser the Mouse and His Internet Adventure." 

For more information on Colton's shows and book signings, go to www.glenncolton.com

Driving back from a meeting in Alabama this afternoon, I took a turn down Malby Road and wound up passing this barn in Elba. I've passed it before, but the snow on the shingles seemed like a nice touch.

A motor-vehicle accident, thought to be a head-on collision, has occurred on Pekin Road, Elba, in the area of the curve. There is one person trapped inside. The front passenger has a head injury and is conscious.

A responder on scene says the injuries are minor.

Elba Fire Department and Mercy EMS are responding.

UPDATE 12:22 p.m.: Fire police are requested to shut down traffic on Pekin Road.

UPDATE 12:49: Mercy medics are en route to UMMC. Elba fire units are back in service. Tow trucks are called in. The road has reopened.

A landing zone for Mercy Flight has been set up at Route 262 and Transit Road in Elba.

Route 262 is closed.

Elba Fire responded to set up the landing zone. Mercy EMS is on scene.

There was apparently an auto accident in the area, but we have no futher details. It's a medical emergency.

UPDATE 9:55 a.m.: Mercy Flight is in the air and going to Strong. The road will reopen shortly.

Robert Thigpen, 35, of Patriots Landing, Rochester, is charged with two counts of tampering with a witness, 3rd, and criminal contempt, 1st. Thigpen was picked up by Batavia Police on a bench warrant and turned over to the Sheriff's Office. Thigpen was jailed pending a court appearance today. (For previous coverage of Thigpen, click here.)

Taylor Robert Benjamin, 18, of 139 Christina Drive, North Chili, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana, 5th, a misdemeanor. Benjamin was arrested by Le Roy police following a complaint of youths gathering under the pedestrian footbridge between Church and Mill streets. As an officer approached, he reportedly observed Benjamin lighting a glass pipe and inhaling the smoke from it.

Ryan T. Daley, 28, of 57 Elizabeth Ave., Hamburg, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, refusal to take breath test and inadequate lights.  Daley was stopped at 8:05 p.m. Thursday on East Main Street by Officer Thad Mart.

A 17-year-old resident of Mechanic Street, Elba, is charged with petit larceny. The youth is accused of stealing $42.81 in merchandise from Kmart on Saturday.

Justin Zane Baker, 22, of Webber Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Baker allegedly pushed a woman several times during a domestic dispute at 6:25 a.m., Sunday.

A 16-year-old resident of Angling Road, East Pembroke, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and possession of alcohol while under 21 with intention to consume. The youth was arrested following a traffic stop at 7:48 p.m. Saturday on Angling Road by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Eric Thomas Wolford, 18, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI, possession of alcohol in a motor vehicle, endangering the welfare of a child and failure to yield right of way. Wolford was stopped 7:46 p.m., Saturday, on Angling Road, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Craig Edward Blake, 59, of Sliker Road, Corfu, is charged with DWI, failure to keep right, unauthorized display of amber lights, refusal to take breath test. Blake was stopped at 12:23 a.m. Sunday on Park Road by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Douglas Westley Green, 54, of Woodlands Way, Brockport, is charged with petit larceny. An investigation by Deputy Joseph Graff into thefts over a period of time at Stan's Harley Davidson led to the identification of Green as a suspect.

Melissa M. Lesage, 31, of 31 Buffalo St., Bergen, is charged with failure to appear in court as directed. Lesage was taken into custody by Rochester Police and turned over to Batavia Police on a warrant from 2007 for failure to appear as directed on an alleged traffic violation. Bail was set at $300.

Lamar Randall, 25, of 266 E. Park St., Albion, is charged with failure to appear in court. Randall was arrested on a bench warrant. Bail was set at $350.

Justin E. Cratsley, 22, of 115 State St., Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and criminal contempt, 2nd. Cratsley is accused of harassing a person he is barred from contacting at the YMCA on Saturday.

Sabrina Zinni, 36, of 219 North Spruce St., Batavia, is accused of showing up for a court ordered work detail under the influence of alcohol. She was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Andrew Z. Perdock, 24, unknown address, is charged with petit larceny. Perdock is charged with petit larceny. Perdock was arrested by State Police at 12:53 p.m. Saturday and held on cash bail. No further details released.

Yolanda M. Skeet, 32, of 24 Allegheny Road, Corfu, is charged with felony DWI under Leandra's Law. Skeet was stopped for allegedly speeding on the Thruway by State Police. She allegedly had a 9-year-old child in her car and a BAC of .08 or greater. Skeet was jailed in Ontario County on $2,500 bail or $5,000 bond.

Howard and I both had a chance to stop over at Genesee Community College for Tech Wars 2011 on Thursday. Howard took some photos, I took some video.

Many thanks to the NXT Lego team members and their coaches for sharing their work with The Batavian.

Here is the video (with a scenic view of the space behind the college to close it out):

For previous coverage, see:

Float in Elba Onion Festival parade gives a 'FIRST' look at LEGO League

Elba students build robots one Lego at a time  

Elba's FIRST Lego League invites robot fans to a maze race at GCC

Photos by Howard Owens

A pair of men from Holley were jailed after allegedly menacing a woman in Elba using their trucks and a gun.

Charged with criminal mischief, 2nd, which is a felony, menacing, 2nd, and reckless endangerment, unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child were William E. Grathouse, 37, of Holley-Byron Road, Holley, and Edwin D. Roniger Jr., 37, of East Lee Road, Holley.

According Deputy Matt Butler, at 7:40 p.m. Thursday, on North Byron Road, Elba, Grathouse and Roniger used their pickup trucks to try and block a car driven by a woman from proceeding north on North Byron Road.

Grathouse then allegedly drove his truck into her car and forced it off the road.

Grathouse also allegedly pointed a pistol at the woman while she was in her car.

Both men were jailed on $10,000 bail.

Nothing says spring more than baseball.

Today, in Oakfield, I came across Ryan Byrnes and Joe Colon, both originally from Elba, having a first catch of the season.

They said nothing felt better after a long winter than tossing a ball around.

Scoring droughts in the second and fourth quarters proved the Lady Lancers' undoing Monday night in Letchworth as Elba dropped a western regional playoff game to Whitesville, 50-40.

Elba jumped out to an early lead and played with confidence in the first quarter, but by the half -- after scoring only one basket in the first half of the second quarter -- was down 17-29.

With a fast start in the third quarter, Elba managed to briefly tie the game and ended the third down by one, 34-35.

Using a combination of fast breaks and defensive control of the boards, Whiteville (20-3) dominated the fourth quarter, however, to end Elba's season at 19-4.

Jamie Marshall had 8 points, Meg Stucko 8, McKenzie Bezon 7, and Marissa Pangrazio 6.

More pictures after the jump. To purchase these pictures, click here.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to cap the annual salaries of school district superintendents and if his proposal goes through, one Genesee County superintendent could see a nearly $90,000 cut in pay.

Under the cap plan, all of the other county superintendents are earning less than what Gov. Cuomo's plan says they could earn.

Currently, the highest paid school superintendent in the county is Pembroke's Gary Mix. He earns $232,307 per year.

For a school district the size of Pembroke's, according to Cuomo, Mix's pay should be capped at $145,000.

WBTA's Geoff Redick spoke with Mix.

"I understand that the governor is politically ambitious," says Mix. "He's picked a group of people -- the 700 superintendents in New York -- that in many communities, particularly in small communities, they can often be among the more highly compensated people in the community."

Mix says he grew up the oldest of eight children. His father was a postal worker who also took many odd jobs to support his large family.

So, "I understand the feelings about other people's compensation and benefits," says Mix. "(But) education is crucial, it's important. I hope we truly value it."

On the other end of the spectrum, Elba's Jerome Piwko might want to ask for a raise. He's making only $81,120. While Elba's student population is a rather small 494, Cuomo's plan says Piwko could have his pay capped at $135,000. 

That puts Piwko's pay nearly $55,000 under Cuomo's proposed pay scale. That's the largest disparity between Cuomo's cap proposal and what a current Genesee county superintendent is earning.

For the rest of Geoff's story, click here.

Kenyada R. Peterkin, 29, of Saxton Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, aggravated unlicensed operation, unlicensed operation and unlawful possession of marijuana. Peterkin was arrested following a traffic stop by members of the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force. He was allegedly found in possession of crack cocaine and marijuana. Peterkin was jailed on $1,500 bail.

A 17-year-old from Asbury Road, Pavilion, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. The youth allegedly violated a court order by hitting another person during an argument.

Matthew Joseph Dahl, 19, Tinkham Road, Darien, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving left of pavement markings in a no-passing zone and inadequate headlights. Dahl was stopped at 2:06 a.m., Saturday, on Tinkham Road, Darien, by Deputy Jason Saile.

Stephen Daniel Golembiewski, 32, of Main Road, East Pembroke, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving left of center pavement markings and obstructed rear plate. Golembiewski was stopped at 1:13 a.m., Sunday, on Indian Falls Road, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Jenna Alexandra Kavanagh, 18, of Guaymar Circle, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Kavanagh was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during a traffic stop on Thursday by Deputy James Diehl.

Brandy Rose Douglas, 31, of South Main Street, Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation and driving left of pavement markings in a no-passing zone. Douglas was stopped at 12:17 a.m., Friday, on Chapel Road, Byron, by Deputy Jason Saile.

My route back from the Snowbox Derby included Bliss Road, above, and Pekin Road, below.

For the second time this season, the Lady Lancers came up just points short against Notre Dame, dropping an emotional rematch in Elba, 43-40.

Notre Dame remains undefeated at 15-0 and Elba drops to 12-3.

The Lady Irish were led by Liz Geandreau, who scored 15 points with seven rebounds, and Riley Norton, 11 points and seven rebounds.

For Elba, Meg Stucko had 14 points and 16 rebounds and Racheal Cook scored 12 points.

To purchase pictures from this game (site template a little messed up right now, but site otherwise working) click here.

More pictures after the jump: