elba

More than 500 National Grid customers along the Route 98 corridor from Batavia to Elba are without power.

The power outage spreads like triangle from the City of Batavia, where the tip starts, up to the Village of Elba, where the base of the triangle stretches east and west.

Power is expected to be restored by 2:15 p.m.

The outage caused one person to become briefly trapped in an elevator at the Hampton Inn. (Back-up generators corrected the problem.)

Radio traffic indicted the problem is a power line that stretches under the Thruway.

In the past hour, calls for trees and utility poles down have subsided, and the wind seems to have died down a bit, but a strong wind warning remains in effect until 4 p.m.

There are about a dozen locations where power outages have been reported, most significantly in Elba, where 871 National Grid customers are without power. The power outage was reported at 8:48 a.m. and no ETA for when power will be restored.

Above, what's left of a tree that blew down on Lewiston Road in Oakfield. Below, a contractor saws off a large broken limb from a tree on Wortendyke Road, Town of Batavia, that was hanging precariously over the roadway.

A tree is partially blocking the roadway at 4695 Barrville Road in Elba. Elba Fire Department is en route.

The Town of Elba has a new phone system, according to Supervisor Lucine Kauffman. 

The new, automated phones at Elba Town Hall required the town to change its phone numbers.

Here are the new numbers:

Town Hall main number: 585-757-2762. Callers will receive a message with the extension menu for all of the Elba Town officials and departments.

Town Hall Fax number: 585-757-9921

Town Court Fax number: 585-757-9200

The changes took effect today.

Frank James Davis, 31, of East Rochester, is charged with petit larceny. Davis is accused of entering the Totem Pole Smoke Shop at 10:50 a.m., March 3, loading 15 cartons of cigarettes into a basket, then walking past cashiers and then running out of the store without paying for the cigarettes. The cigarettes are valued at $502 and the basket is valued at $10.

Davis is also accused of stealing $204 worth of Winston Lights on the same date from Arrow Hawk Smoke Shop. Davis was charged with petit larceny for that alleged crime.

Jennifer L. Coombs, 27, of 103 West Main St., Le Roy, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Coombs is accused of slashing three tires on a car in November.

Andrew Paul Dentinger, 20, of Broadway Road, Alexander, is charged with unlawful dealing with a child. Dentinger is accused of hosting an underage drinking party. Deputies responded to an address on Broadway Road, Alexander, at 12:58 a.m., Saturday to investigate the party.

David A. Burr, 23, of Elba, is charged with criminal mischief, 3rd. Burr is accused of intentionally damaging the front door of T.F. Brown's restaurant at 1:40 a.m., Sunday. Burr was jailed without bail.

Janie B. Burgess, 57, of 7 Maureen Drive, Rochester, is charged with DWI, unsafe turn. Burgess was stopped at 10:13 p.m., Saturday, on Oak Street by Officer Chris Camp. Burgess was jailed on $500 bail.

Daniel G. Crane, 34, of 9395 Upton Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and inadequate lights. Crane was stopped at 12:52 a.m., Sunday, on Main Street by Officer Dan Coffey.

Mark D. Hoerbelt , 42, of 152 State St., Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and inadequate headlights. Hoerbelt was stopped at 12:43 a.m., Friday, on West Main Street by Officer Matthew Fleming.

A 16-year-old resident of Wood Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. The youth is accused of stealing an iPod in January while at Batavia High School. The youth was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Jennifer L. Stack, 25, of 12 Oak St., is accused of failing to pay a fine. Stack was convicted in May on an unnecessary noise charge. She was released on $100 bail but allegedly failed to appear at her next court appointment.

Scott C. Brown, 22, and Ashley M. Yunke, 31, of 11 1/2 Wood St., are charged with criminal nuisance. Brown and Yunke are accused of hosting a party where people under 21 were allowed to drink. They were arrested at 12:20 a.m., Sunday. They were jailed on $500 each bail.

Amanda A. Barclay, 23, of Oakfield, is charged with false report of an incident, 3rd. The alleged incident occurred at 4:27 a.m., March 18, in the City of Batavia. Barclay was arrested by State Police on Thursday. No further details were released.

Jared C. Reese, 31, of Stafford, is charged with controlled substance not in original container and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Reese was stopped by State Police at 6:09 p.m., Thursday, on Route 33, Stafford. No further details were released.

Joanna M. Morgan is indicted on charges of DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, endangering the welfare of a child and a felony count of DWI (DWI with a child in the car, or "Leandra's Law"). Morgan is accused of driving drunk with a child under 15 in the car on Dec. 12 in the Town of Le Roy.

Ricky D. Newbould is indicted on charges of felony DWI and felony driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. Newbould is accused of driving drunk on Dec. 18 while in the Town of Elba.

Tamara L. Butler is indicted on charges of  DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st. Butler is accused of driving drunk on Aug. 7 in the Town of Oakfield.

Charles W. Wilder is indicted on charges of felony DWI and felony driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. Wilder is accused of driving drunk on Oct. 24 in the Town of Oakfield.

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.