elba

Melissa R. Piazza, 27, of Central Avenue, Batavia, is charged with trespass. Piazza was allegedly found going through vehicles on Pearl Street at 1:23 a.m., Dec. 2.

Victor D. Albert, 55, of Clinton Street, Buffalo, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Albert was charged after police were called to Batavia Downs at 1:34 p.m., Sunday, to investigate an incident and Albert was allegedly found in possession of marijuana.

Joshua Micheal Bratcher, 26, of Fargo Road, Bethany, is charged with obstructing governmental administration and unlawful possession of marijuana. Bratcher was arrested after Batavia PD was dispatched to the area of 17 Central Ave. for a report of several people fighting.

Woodrow C. Horseman, 40, of South Main Street, Batavia, was arrested on two warrants. The warrants stem from charges of petit larceny and criminal trespass in two separate incidents. Horseman was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Darrell Smith, 49, of Pearl Street, Batavia, is charged with failure to pay fine. Smith turned himself in on a warrant.

Jacklyn M. Ganzhorn, 29, of Central Avenue, was arrested on a warrant. Ganzhorn was arrested when located on Alva Place for alleged failure to appear in court. Ganzhorn was held on a bail.

Nikki L. Stonebraker, 28, of Liberty Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant. 

Joshua A. Porter, 19, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with unnecessary noise. Porter is accused of hosting a loud party in his residence, which was reported at 12:06 a.m., Dec. 8.

Cheryl M. Lyons, 51, of Tracy Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant. Lyons is accused of violating terms of probation. She was arraigned and jailed.

Joey A. Evans, 26, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 5th. Evans allegedly possessed property stolen from another individual.

Jaylyn S. Strong, 21, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, driving a vehicle without stop lamps, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, and unlicensed operator. Strong was stopped at 10:40 p.m., Dec. 1, on East Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Chad Richards.

Robert S. Sodja, 52, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Sodja was arrested on a warrant.

Harry T. Gibson, 52, of West Main Street, was arrested on a warrant. Gibson is charged with petit larceny. Gibson was sentenced in City Court to six months in jail, to run concurrent with a sentence out of Town of Batavia Court.

Bradley R. Jordan, 23, of Colby Road, Darien, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, 3rd. Jordan allegedly entered and started a vehicle that didn't belong to him at 6:55 p.m., Nov. 16, at 4 Treadeasy Ave., Batavia.

Martin F. Jones, 45, of State Street, is charged with petit larceny. Jones allegedly stole a phone from a residence on State Street at 9:30 p.m., Nov. 27.

Andrei Peter Sliker, 25, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Sliker was allegedly found in possession of cocaine and buprenorphine during at traffic stop initiated by Deputy Eric Meyer at 7:45 a.m. Dec. 23, 2015 on Route 5 in Stafford.

Amandarae L. Moore, 29, of Route 31, Albion, was arrested on a warrant. Moore is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation in the Town of Elba.

A vehicle reportedly struck a tree, flipped over and is now on its wheels in the roadway in the area of 4619 Ford Road, Elba.

Unknown injuries.

Elba fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATED: Reader-submitted photo added. Only minor injuries reported.

Article and photo submitted by Drew Muehlig.

President-elect Donald Trump isn’t the only one putting a transition team together. Elba Central School has worked diligently over the last year and a half to get its administrative team together. Friday night, the school hosted a “Meet the Principal’s Night,” giving the community an opportunity to meet the new “team” face-to-face.

First there was new Superintendent Keith Palmer who came over from his post as high school principal at Pembroke Central School. Palmer was hired prior to the 2015-16 school year.

“As a fairly new superintendent, it is fortunate to be in a position to hire your administrative team,” Palmer said.

That team is made up of Elementary Principal Carol Bush and Junior-Senior High School Principal Mike Langridge.

“Both bring unique strengths to the District that will have a direct and immediate impact on learning,” Palmer continued. “Carol’s knowledge and experience with literacy along with her ability to speak Spanish has already benefited our most needy students at the elementary level. As an Elba alumnus, Mike brings established relationships and credibility with the faculty and community. His focus on rigorous and challenging coursework for all students will continue to prepare our high-schoolers for both college and career.”

Bush, former coordinator of the Center for School Improvement and Professional Development at Orleans/Niagara BOCES, boasts 14 years in the field of education with time as a Spanish teacher, literacy specialist and coordinator of student services and curriculum. Providing ECS students with the best possible learning experience is her top priority.

“Creating an environment that is conducive to learning and meets the needs of all students is critical,” Bush explained. Each day, teachers and students enter our school building with an array of personalities, interests, expectations, skills and talents. As the instructional leader, it is my job to recognize these unique attributes and nurture them so they may grow to their full potential.”

Langridge, former principal at the O’Connor Academy at Monroe #1 BOCES, plans to continue that same effort at the high school level.

“We will provide the opportunities and support for all students to be ready to take on their post-secondary life with the skills, abilities and character necessary to find success,” Langridge said.

Those opportunities that Langridge speaks of are far more numerous than they were when he graduated from Elba Central School in 1998.

“Students have greater access to Advanced Placement courses, ACE (Genesee Community) courses, BOCES, small class sizes, a family atmosphere in which we take care of one another, and, thanks to mergers with local districts, extracurricular options my friends and I only dreamt of as students,” Langridge added.

Many of those former students now make up the core community in Elba, fueling the growth and success of the school.

“There is a great sense of pride that exists in Elba, not only as a strong school community but also as a family,” Bush said. “Everyone is truly invested in the academic, social and emotional well-being of our students and provide a remarkable support system for one another. I continue to be amazed by their dedication and commitment.”

It seems that with their respective backgrounds and skills, Palmer, Bush and Langridge are poised to lead Elba Central School into the future.

“Carol and Mike are strong leaders and I look forward to the progress we will make in providing our students with the best education in Western New York,” Palmer said.

Photo: Mike Langridge,Carol Bush and Keith Palmer (photo credit, Michael Augello).

In their first meeting of the season, Notre Dame prevailed Wednesday night at home over archrival Elba, 43-34.

Margaret Sutherland led all scorers with 21 points and Calli McCulley added 16 for Notre Dame.

For the Lancers, Emily Reynolds scored 12 and Madison Howard scored 6.

It was the first win for new Head Coach Tom McCulley.

Elba's Dean Norton has been replaced as president of the New York State Farm Bureau in an election held this evening at the bureau's annual meeting.

Norton, a dairy farmer, has been president and face of the farm bureau for eight years, representing the bureau not just in New York but in Washington, D.C., and around the nation.

The membership instead elected David Fisher, who owns a large dairy farm in St. Lawrence County, as president.

The nominees were Norton, Fisher and Mark Dunau.

(Information via the NY Farm Bureau's Twitter postings.)

UPDATE: Press release:

During the New York Farm Bureau State Annual Meeting in Albany, voting delegates elected David Fisher, a dairy farmer from St. Lawrence County, as the new president of the organization.

Fisher and his family have operated Mapleview Dairy in Madrid, N.Y. for four generations. He has served on the New York Farm Bureau Board of Directors for the past five years and previously was president of St. Lawrence County Farm Bureau. A graduate of Cornell University, Fisher earned a degree in Animal Science.

Fisher replaces Dean Norton who served as president for the past eight years.

“I am humbled that the farmer members of New York Farm Bureau have placed their confidence in me to lead this great organization. My family has a long history with Farm Bureau, and I am excited to work on behalf of our diverse membership to increase the value and visibility of New York agriculture. I would also like to thank Dean Norton for his service and commitment to New York Farm Bureau,” said David Fisher, president of New York Farm Bureau.

Vice President Eric Ooms, a dairy farmer from Columbia County, was re-elected to his position.

In addition, representatives to the State Board of Directors were elected, too. This concluded the annual two-day long meeting where resolutions were discussed and voted on to set NYFB’s 2017 public policy agenda.

Those elected include Pat McCormick of Wyoming County, re-elected as District 2 Director; Lin Davidson of Tompkins County was elected as District 4 Director; Jacob Schieferstine of Oneida County was re-elected as District 6 Director; Dean Casey of Rensselaer County, re-elected as District 8 Director; Chris Kelder of Ulster County, re-elected as District 10 Director; Kristen Brown of Orange County as the new Young Farmer and Rancher Chair on the State Board and Phyllis Couture of Cattaraugus County was re-elected as the Promotion and Education Chairperson on the State Board.

In addition, New York Farm Bureau handed out the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Awards to two worthy individuals who have made an impact on New York Farm Bureau and agriculture in this state. The awardees were Chris Fesko of Skaneateles, N.Y. and member of Onondaga County Farm Bureau, and Michael DellaRocco of Melrose, N.Y., a member of Rensselaer County Farm Bureau.

Finally, New York Farm Bureau announced two recipients of the James Quinn Award that recognizes extraordinary efforts by individual Farm Bureau members during the course of a given year “to serve and strengthen agriculture”.  The honorees were Joe and June Swyers of Livingston County Farm Bureau and Brad and Carolyn Almeter of Wyoming County Farm Bureau.

Three Lancers scored in double digits Monday night in the home opener for Elba against archrival Notre Dame, a game won by Elba, 72-34.

Tucker Bezon put up 19 points and Henry Pflaumer had 17 and Shane O'Halloran added 12. Pflaumer knocked down four three-point baskets.

For Notre Dame, Ryan Mukkat scored 11 points, anchored by a trio of three-point baskets.

Tonight, the Notre Dame girls host the Elba girls in their newly renovated gym. Game time is 7 p.m.

Stacey Dawn Mancuso, 46, of Jamison Road, Elma, is charged with two counts of felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, and no right and no left turn signal. Mancuso was stopped at 2:22 p.m. Sunday on Pratt Road, Batavia, by Deputy Richard Schildwaster. A passenger in the vehicle was reportedly 5 years old, leading to a charge under Leandra's Law. She also allegedly had a prior DWI conviction within the past 10 years. She was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Daniel John Moore, 36, of Asbury Road, Pavilion, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and criminal mischief, 4th. Moore was arrested after deputies responded to a report of a domestic incident in Pavilion at 8:10 a.m., Nov. 30. Moore allegedly had physical contact during the argument with a person who had called 9-1-1 and Moore allegedly terminated the 9-1-1 call. He reportedly left the scene before deputies arrived and was later located that night and arrested.

Dylan Michael Cobernus, 20, of Maxon Street, Brockport, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and speeding. Cobernus was stopped at 10:37 p.m. Wednesday on Route 98, Elba, by Deputy Ryan DeLong.

Devan Dashaun Hazel, 22, of Lewis Place, Batavia, is charged with trespassing. Hazel is accused of trespassing on College Village property at 5:43 a.m. Sunday.

A 17-year-old resident of Harris Road, Le Roy, is charged with criminally using drug paraphernalia, 2nd, criminal impersonation, 2nd, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument and unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was arrested following an investigation by Deputy Micheal Lute into an incident reported at 11:30 p.m. Dec. 5 on Route 77 in Pembroke. The youth was jailed on $2,500 bail or $5,000 bond.

Taheed Mical Moffett, 31, of Arnet Boulevard, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal use of drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of marijuana. Moffett was arrested after deputies were dispatched at 12:11 a.m. to the Econo Lodge on Route 77, Pembroke, to check the welfare of an individual.

An open letter from the Elba Volunteer Fire Department:

On behalf of the Elba Fire Department and Elba Joint Fire District, we would like to thank all the fire departments in Genesee County and all the fire companies that came from other counties to help us with the fire on Thanksgiving Day. We also would like to thank all the businesses, organizations, and community people who brought food and beverages. There were a lot of firefighters, EMS, personnel and fire police as well as the Power Company and fuel company. Because of the great cooperation we got from all of these people, the fire went smoothly. With it being a holiday, we also say thank you to all the volunteers who gave up their time with family members and for the understanding family members who supported them. The cooperation and community spirit and support of the people of Elba and surrounding areas was phenomenal. Thank you again. 

Kayleigh Jean Allen, 24, of North Byron Road, Elba, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and moving from lane unsafely. Allen was charged following an investigation into an accident reported at 2:36 a.m. Saturday on Route 98 in Alexander. The accident was investigated by Sgt. Jason Saile.

Maria Luisa Martinez, 21, of Chestnut Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Martinez is accused of stealing $70.18 in merchandise from Kohl's.

In farming, there's little time to dwell on losses and already the Torreys are moving on after a fire caused more than $3 million in losses to their Big O Farms onion packing and storage facility in Elba yesterday.

They're still shipping onions from two other facilities they own and making plans to replace the equipment lost in yesterday's fire.

"That’s what we’ve got to do," said Mark Torrey, who stopped by the scene of the fire at 5520 N. Byron Road this afternoon to meet an insurance adjuster. "That’s what keeps you going today. We got up this morning and had to figure it out. We had loads we had to get out today. We had to figure out how to get them out. We actually started working on that yesterday afternoon."

There were three lines of onion-packing equipment in the building, Torrey said. Some of the equipment was installed within the past year. The property is assessed at more than $400,000 and each line costs more than a half-million-dollars each.

"It's not something you can just buy off the shelf," Torrey said.

Most of the equipment is manufactured in Europe, so even if suppliers have already assembled the parts, it will take some time to get everything to Elba and get it installed.

Meanwhile, the Torreys still have onions from this season's crop to get to market and some 70 employees to keep working.

A few employees posted on Facebook about how sad they were about the fire and praised the Torreys as good people to work for.

"A lot of these people have worked for us for a long time," Torrey said. "They’re working in the other places (today), but yeah, we’ve got a lot of good employees and you try to treat them right."

The fire may have started with a tractor that was stored on the southeast corner of the building and had its engine block plugged into an electric socket to keep it from freezing. Nearly every fire department in the county, along with companies from Monroe and Orleans counties, responded to the Thanksgiving Day fire. There is reportedly a community effort underway to organize an event to recognize the volunteers.

Local contractor Vito J. Gautieri also was at the facility today. He built the plant in 1958 for the Ognibene family. He came with a model of a truss used in the main arched barn. The county's online property database doesn't list the size of the facility. Gautieri said it was greatly expanded from what he originally built, but he estimated the entire space to be about 25,000 square feet.

"It's the first building I ever built that burned down," Gautieri said.

Torrey acknowledged it's a difficult loss, but that the business will continue as usual.

"This is a big set back, but we’ve still got people, we’ve got product we’ve got to pack," Torrey said. "You’ve just got to get doing it and that sort of keeps your mind off of this today."

Previously:

• Barn fire reported in Elba
• Photos: Big O, Torrey Farms barn fire, Elba, Thanksgiving Day, 2016
• Torreys keep farming all in the family
• Large onion processing plant in Elba total loss after massive fire

It's been more than 12 hours since the first alarm sounded for a barn fire at  5520 N. Byron Road in Elba and volunteer firefighters are still on scene.

On Thanksgiving Day.

It was a massive fire. It consumed the entire onion packing and storage facility owned by the Torrey family. It's a facility that 15 years ago was owned by the Ognibene family, hence the name of the business location, "Big O Farms."

The facility is just a mile or so north on Transit Road from the Elba Mucklands, where the Torreys are one of the largest onion growers in the county.

Family members told firefighters that most of the recent season's crop was stored at other locations, so while about 1,000 crates of onions were lost, most of this season's harvest was not in the building.

What was in the building was all of the company's sorting and packing machines, all of which were destroyed in the fire.

"Obviously, these agriculture-design buildings have no built-in protection systems, so that’s a game changer for us," said Tim Yaeger, emergency management coordinator. "Then not having the adequate water supply for us initially, we were playing catch-up the entire time."

Clearly, the fire started in the southeast corner of the building. The cause, however, is unknown. Yaeger said investigators will look at electrical and equipment as the potential spark that lit the inferno. 

Elba crews were first on scene and started an exterior attack. Yaeger said that it's possible even by that time, given the wide-open spaces inside the building, the fire could have spread extensively.

It didn't take long for flames to reach the west end of the building, and a short time later, five- and six-foot high flames could be seen flitting through the roof.

Heavy equipment was brought in to knock down walls and open holes in the roof to help firefighters get water onto the fire.

But all morning, the water supply was a major obstacle to fighting the fire.

There was only one low-volume fire hydrant in the area, so as many as 20 tankers were called in from four counties to help shuttle water from fill sites (ponds, generally) and to porta-ponds set up on North Byron Road.

"Some of the primary fill sites weren’t adequate because of the drought we had this past summer so they had to establish and look for other fill sites, which unfortunately were further away," Yaeger said. "Some points were four, five, six miles away."

While nobody wants to be dragged away from friends, family, parades and football to fight a fire on Thanksgiving Day, the timing of the fire had one benefit: plenty of manpower. Many volunteers were home today instead of at work on a typical Thursday.

"I was fearful on the way here when the alarm came in, you know, people go away, go to visit family, a lot people go out of town, so I was concerned about what our manpower situation was going to be," Yaeger said. "Surprisingly, it may have worked in our favor. We had more than adequate manpower."

Every fire company in Genesee County was mobilized in some way for the fire. If the department wasn't on scene, and most of them were, they were acting as standby or fill-in for the departments who did respond.

Responding from the county included Elba, Byron, South Byron, Bergen, Oakfield, Stafford, Alabama, Alexander, Le Roy, East Pembroke, Bethany, Pembroke and Indian Falls, with Darien and Pavilion placed on standby or fill-in.

Departments from Orleans County, including Albion and Barre, responded, as well as Brockport from Monroe County and inmates from Wyoming Correctional Facility.

All volunteers, all giving up all or a portion of their Thanksgiving to fight a fire.

But Yaeger suggested we not concentrate on the sacrifice of the volunteers.

"It’s difficult, but our hearts and thoughts go out to the business owner," Yaeger said. "That’s the primary concern. We don’t ever want to see this kind of destruction. It’s a total loss. That’s our real thought. For the firefighters, to be away from their families is difficult, but that’s what we do. In times of need, the fire services have got to be there and we were. It’s unfortunate it was today."

Previously: 

• Barn fire reported in Elba
• Photos: Big O, Torrey Farms barn fire, Elba, Thanksgiving Day, 2016
• Torreys keep farming all in the family

Photos from the fire that broke out about 7:30 a.m., today, at Big O Farms, a property of Torrey Farms, where onions are processed.

We'll have more coverage later. Initial coverage, here.

Give thanks for our volunteer firefighters.

A barn fire is reported at 5520 N. Byron Road. Elba and Byron fire departments are responding. "It is believed to be 'The Big O', which is the onion growing company's name. Smoke is seen coming from the structure.

UPDATE 7:35 a.m.: This is a confirmed, working barn fire. Town of Batavia Fire Department is called to stand by in Elba's fire hall. Bergen, Oakfield and Stafford are also called to the scene.

UPDATE 7:39 a.m.: This has gone to a third alarm. Alabama, Alexander, Bethany and East Pembroke fire departments are also called to the scene, along with the Town of Batavia's ladder truck.

UPDATE 8:05 a.m.: South Byron Fire Police are called to shut down traffic at North Byron and Transit roads. Churchville is asked to fill in at Bergen's fire hall.

UPDATE 8:17 a.m.: Alexander, Darien, Pembroke and Indian Falls are asked to have crews stand by in their respective fire halls in case needed. Two tankers out of Brockport are requested to the fire.

UPDATE 8:48 a.m.: National Grid is on scene. Barre is responding. Attica is asked to fill in at Alexander.

UPDATE 9:12 a.m.: "We have rolling flames," says a firefighter.

UPDATE(S) 10:49 a.m. (by Howard): When I left the scene 20 minutes ago, the fire was still burning. Fire crews are likely to be on scene all day.  I'm going to start working on my pictures and head out later for follow up.

UPDATE 11:14 a.m.: This story from 2013 contains some shots of onion processing in this building.

UPDATE 12:23 p.m.: Le Roy's rescue engine is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 12:32 p.m.: Pavilion being requested to fill in at Le Roy's hall. (CORRECTION: Pavilion asked to stage in their own hall to cover Stafford and Le Roy)

UPDATE 1:36 p.m.: A man just showed up with "a bunch of Thanksgiving dinners" for the firefighters.

UPDATE 1:42 p.m.: Le Roy returning.

UPDATE 2:23 p.m.: Alexander is returning.

UPDATE 2:36 p.m.: Several other departments have been released, including all of the out-of-county departments

UPDATE: More coverage here.

UPDATE 4:59 p.m.: Town of Batavia's Ladder 25 is back in service.

James D. Pontillo is indicted on four counts of falsifying business records, 1st, and one count of grand larceny, 4th. Pontillo is accused of filing false business records with Pathstone related to Section 8 housing by filing a false information sheet, a request for tenancy approval, owner responsibility form and lead paint disclosure form. In the course of these filings, he's accused of defrauding the agency of more than $1,000.

Michael J. Jarmuz II, is indicted on a count of driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol, aggravated unlicensed operation, criminal impersonation, 2nd, four counts of forgery, 2nd, forgery, 3rd, and two counts of offering a false instrument for filing. Jamuz is accused of driving while under the influence in the Town of Elba on Aug. 13. He was allegedly driving while his privilege was suspended. He allegedly provided a false identity when stopped and provided a false identity when submitting to a blood sample, a fingerprint record and a patient record at UMMC.

A car vs. deer accident is reported in the area of 7373 Pekin Road, Elba.

Injuries are reported. 

Elba fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 9:19 p.m.: A Mercy medic first on scene reports minor injuries. All responders can come in non-emergency.

The Boy Scouts of Troop 6017 in Elba hosted a dinner Sunday honoring veterans and first responders.

This was the third year the scouts served up spaghetti at the Fire Hall.

Submitted by Aidan McClurg.

A resident at 21 Main St. in the Village of Elba reports the larceny of political signs from his front lawn. Sheriff's deputies are responding to the complaint.

A car in the area of 5117 N. Byron Road, Elba, has rolled over after reportedly striking a deer, but the caller reports no injuries.

Elba fire dispatched, and as a precaution, Mercy EMS dispatched.

Investigators have spent the day trying to track down new leads that might help them discover who was involved in yesterday's robbery of the M&T Bank branch in Elba.

The robbery was reported at 2:35 p.m. yesterday and seems to have involved two men dressed in masks, gloves and hoodies who fled in a stolen car before switching cars about a block away from the bank.

Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster said a team of investigators spent the day canvassing the area looking for witnesses or images from surveillance cameras that might assist in developing leads.

Investigator Joseph Graff told our news partner 13WHAM that investigators are also checking with costume shops to see if any connection can be made between the masks and gloves the suspects were wearing and a recent purchase.

Brewster said the Sheriff's Office is conferring with the FBI and law enforcement in Monroe County.

The initial getaway car was stolen from a car dealership in Rochester and had a stolen plate on the rear of the car.

Anybody who might have information that can assist in the investigation can call the Sheriff's Office at (585) 343-5000.

Photo released this afternoon of the second suspect.