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It was a rockin' good time at the Alexander Tractor Pull on Saturday night, including a performance by the band Red Creek. The show marked the 40th anniversary of Fran Norton, a drummer and Alexander resident, playing with the band, perhaps the longest run by a musician with a single band in Genesee County. 

A motorcycle is reportedly in a ditch on Transit Road near Sweetland Road, Stafford.

Unknown injuries.

Stafford fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 8:14 p.m.: A first responder reports no motorcycle in a ditch. The dispatcher says the caller was not familiar with the area and was guesstimating the location. The first responder is asked to check the area.

UPDATE 8:16 p.m.: The caller plotted to a location north of Route 5, so a responder is asked to check that area.

UPDATE 8:21 p.m.: Several responders in multiple locations. No accident located so far.

UPDATE 8:29 p.m.: Stafford assignment back in service. 

While incidents involving apparent synthetic-drug use in Genesee County have dropped dramatically since the closure of the 420 Emporium, on Ellicott Street, in July 2012, the use of drugs created in clandestine overseas labs to mimic more common street narcotics is still an issue locally, according to officials.

A federal agent revealed in a press briefing in Buffalo today that there are "a couple" of ongoing investigations in Genesee County into the sale and distribution of Flakka (aka Alpha-PVP).

"The investigations involve Genesee County people," said Special Agent Brad Brechler, with Homland Security, but he offered no further details.

Brechler and Special Agent Frank Zabawa conducted a briefing for a few members of WNY media in Buffalo today to discuss what they're seeing in the region regarding synthetic drugs and how federal authorities are responding.

The issue is much bigger in Buffalo and Niagara County than it is in Batavia, a point seemingly underscored by Brechler when pointing out that the first arrest in WNY for the sale and transportation of Alpha-PVP was in Genesee County in January 2013, but in that case the two suspects were from the Steuben and Niagara counties, not Batavia, and there was no suspicion in that case of the drugs being sold locally. Batavia was just a convenient meeting place for dealer and distributor, Brechler said.

Greg Walker, head of the Local Drug Task Force, said in a separate interview today that the task force has not been involved in the current federal investigation into the local sale of Alpha PVP, but he said there have been recent indications of synthetic drugs in and around Batavia, such as deputies coming across subjects with medical conditions that suggested chemical injection of some type or subjects behaving strangely.

It's not been common or widespread by any means, Walker said.

Flakka is described in media reports as a potent hallucinogen that officials consider addictive and dangerous.

The primary country of origin appears to be China, the agents said, and that's a trade the Chinese government is doing little to stem.

"The Chinese say one of their main industries is researching chemicals for the world," Brechler said. "Until a drug is illegal in their country, they're not interested in doing anything about it."

The drug is easily obtainable over the Internet. Often, the Chinese drug manufacturers will provide U.S. dealers with Web sites, and when federal authorities seize a drug-trade Web site, the Chinese companies will have a new Web site with a new domain name set up for the same dealer in a matter of days.

Online ordering, however, does not necessarily translate into widespread sales to users.

Most online sales go to distributors.  

Users tend to be cautious about getting purchases traced back to them and most distributors require a minimum order of 25 grams, Brechler said. 

That would cost from $300 to $350, a steep price for an addict.

Those 25 grams have tremendous street value, however. A gram typically sells for $80 to $120, making 25 grams worth at least $2,000.

"The drug is so addictive, you will see people hosting house parties and just giving it away," Brechler said.

Dealers also convince their buyers that it takes a special connection in China to get the drugs.

"Some users don't realize how easy it is to get," Brechler said.

Flakka is now a controlled substance, but that doesn't make it any easier to detect when it's coming into the country. The favored port of entry is the JFK Airport because JFK deals with the highest volume of overseas mail. It's easier to slip a package through just because of the massive amount of mail officials must sort through.

Drug-sniffing dogs won't detect it and the package sizes tend to be small.

As part of an investigation, agents purchased a supply of synthetic drugs from a Chinese company and it arrived with four large pills inside. Three pills were benign chemicals and one contained the drugs, but agents e-mailed the distributor to ask which pill was their order.

"Your drugs are in the blue pill," was the reply.

"The Chinese are open about it in their e-mails," Brechler said. "Some of the more sophisticated dealers in the U.S. use coded communications, but they don't always use code and talk about it openly because of the gray area legally of drug analogs."

Synthetic drugs are illegal either because they've been identified as controlled substances, or their chemical make up is clearly intended to mimic a controlled substance. Those are known as analogs and are governed by another set of laws.

Because synthetic drugs are changing constantly and are easy to distribute and hard to detect, one of the most important responses to the drug isn't enforcement, the agents said, it's education.

Homeland Security provides bar owners, schools and concert venues information on how to recognize a possible overdose on a synthetic drug and how to provide immediate treatment until medical professionals arrive.

There was no indication from the agents when and if arrests will be made in connection with the local investigations.

Top Photo: the agents hold recently seized drugs. Bottom photo, an agent demonstrates a device that can detect synthetic drugs. It uses a laser that can detect the chemical makeup of a substance inside a bag so the agents do not need to open the bag and risk their health and safety. The device can only identify a substance already in the federal database of chemical compounds that are controlled substances or analogs, otherwise, the device reports an "inconclusive" test.

A two-car accident is reported on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 397.5.

That's by the Pembroke Service Area.

One vehicle is reportedly on fire.

East Pembroke fire and Mercy medics dispatched.

UPDATE 7:58 a.m.: Minor injuries reported.

Press release: 

Less than a century ago, Batavia’s downtown was bustling with industry, where innovators relocated from New York City to mass produce farm implements to World War II incendiary bombs. These factories employed thousands of workers and took advantage of easy transportation, the railroad and nearby markets. But, the bygone era left a wake of deteriorating buildings, vacant lots and ground contaminants within City limits, a.k.a brownfield sites. Today, City leadership proclaims robust performance-based tax incentives available for the taking to return these underutilized or abandoned locations into vibrant mixed-use places.

In April, the New York Department of State (DOS) officially designated Batavia’s central corridor a Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) listing five strategic redevelopment sites. On a parallel track, the City’s local development corporation encouraged Councilmembers to adopt real property tax exemptions and they chased other tax credits to motivate real estate investment. Bold incentives are now in place.

“We could stand by and let these properties continue to decay the neighborhood or do something about it,” City Manager Jason Molino said.

Do something about it, they have. The City has worked to increase its bond rating to A1, turned a multimillion dollar deficit into a balanced budget with capital reserves and secured more than $5,000,000 in grants to improve existing industrial areas, upgrade infrastructure and study the longtime stagnant community.

A Community Improvement Plan was released in 2012 emphasizing an upgrade in housing stock followed by local adoption of real property tax exemptions that offer 12-year tax-bill discounts for converting non-residential buildings into mixed-use spaces. Shortly after, a sizeable $265,000 New York State Department of State BOA grant enabled local activists to grease the skids even further.

“It took four years but, the grant allowed us to hire a consulting team and organize a local Steering Committee to define market opportunities, investigate the ground and write a plan to move our central business corridor into the 21st century,” Molino said. “We know our small city can offer the conveniences and experiences of a larger city, but at an affordable price.”

The challenge was to determine if the real estate community would invest in the area. Now, the market reports and community confidence suggest they will.

The expert-led and community-inspired BOA plan was formally adopted by City Council in June 2014 and handed off to the City’s local development corporation to implement. The Batavia Development Corporation (BDC) immediately retained Harris Beach PLLC, a known deal-maker in the State to guide the efforts.

“It’s funny how the BOA designation appears like a badge of honor,” said Julie Pacatte, BDC coordinator. "It reads like a proclamation from DOS. In truth, it’s bittersweet. Sad we have these blighted areas but happy it sanctions bonus tax credits rewarding investment.”

Gaining access to that tax credit program is a whole different process, according to Pacatte.

The BDC Board authorized cash reserves to extend environmental investigation and to hire Harris Beach and LaBella Associates to prepare the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) application. DEC serves as the gatekeeper to request access to the State tax credit program.

“It is a 643-page document enumerating data with compelling narrative to justify access to the program,” Pacatte said. “The BDC Board is clearly determined to advance the BOA plan.”

Unfortunately, their ambitious goal to go to market last year was stalled by expanded data collection, typical land assembly delays and uncertainty with the BCP as it under-went reform during the State’s budget process. Nevertheless, advocates still believe Batavia remains milestones ahead of other communities.

“The BDC’s approach is aggressive and recommended,” said Bob Murray, partner, Harris Beach PLLC. “To enter the BCP prior to marketing the property assures a preferred developer significant refundable NYS tax credits potentially worth up to 64 percent of total costs incurred for remediation, site preparation and new capital expended on that parcel. Not many communities are as proactive and committed.”

The BDC has released its first request for proposals addressing “Ellicott Station” a four-acre downtown redevelopment area that has confirmed acceptance to the BCP. The proposals are due next month, by Aug. 12.

“It was a no-brainer to spend the time and money necessary to line up these credits,” said Ray Chaya, BDC Board president. “No longer do we need to stand by to wait for investors, we are bringing the ROI to them.” 

For more information, visit the BDC Web site.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today criticized Gov. Cuomo’s moratorium of roadwork done by private contractors during the Independence Day weekend. The governor announced in a press release last week that private contractors working on state roads and highways would have to cease work and remove equipment not behind a permanent barrier starting July 3 at 6 a.m. until July 5 at 10 p.m.

“I certainly understand the need to make last weekend’s travels as convenient as possible for motorists but it is unfair and burdensome to small businesses to ban them from making a profit for three days,” Hawley said. “This added a large cost to local businesses by denying a potential three days of work and mandating that equipment be moved without reimbursement from the state. Gov. Cuomo should not be penalizing the private sector for a bad traffic experience he had during a holiday weekend several years ago.

"This is another example of how Downstate issues are projected throughout the state and inconvenience those in Western New York who are only marginally affected. If we are truly open for business, we should keep our actions consistent with our words and stop burdening small businesses trying to survive.”

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for the northern half of Genesee County, including Pembroke, Batavia and Le Roy, starting immediately.

The National Weather Service has spotted a storm on doppler radar moving into the area that is capable of producing 60 mph winds. It's moving northeast at 55 mph.

A local quilter is getting some posthumous recognition in a place far from home -- Guayaquil, Ecuador.

The daughter of Toni Fietz, a Bethany native, is the U.S. Consul General posted in Guayaquil. Tricia Fietz arranged for the show as part of a celebration sponsored by the Embassy for U.S.'s 239th birthday.

The show is being held through July 24 at Museum of Modern Art and Anthropology (Museo Antropologico y de Arte Contemporanea) and an opening reception was attended by U.S. Ambassador Adam Namm.

The exhibition features eight large quilts, seven wall-hangings, a quilted tablecloth and a work-in-progress on a quilting frame to illustrate the process.

Toni Fietz, who passed away in July 2012, became an avid quilter after a visit to the Genesee Country Museum in Mumford, where she saw quilting being demonstrated. She was a member of the (Holland Land Office) Museum Quilt Guild and the Log Cabin Quilt Guild.

Press release:

The ECMC Foundation provided grants totaling $219,424 to area organizations that help advance the quality of workforce and educational programs and services in Genesee County and the GLOW region (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties). ECMC Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles with a mission to provide investments aimed at facilitating improvements that affect educational outcomes, especially among underserved populations.

The recipients include Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, Western New York Tech Academy, Genesee Community College (GCC) and the Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation (GGLDC). The Foundation pledged dollars to assist these organizations to help underprivileged residents in the GLOW region in obtaining better access to workforce development training and college programming.

“These grants will not only improve the quality of our region’s many educational programs and services, but also provide both high school students and adults with the critical tools and training they need to be successful in the workforce,” said  Tom Felton, president and chairman of the GGLDC. “We look forward to working with the ECMC Foundation in disbursing the funding to these very worthy organizations.”

The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, which received $100,000 of the grant, will use the funds to improve training programs for high school and adult students pursuing careers in-demand manufacturing fields, as well as purchase new machinery for its training facilities. The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership is one of 38 cooperative school districts in New York State that provides shared educational programs and services to its component school districts, including the Batavia City School District.

“The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership is honored to be included as a recipient of the ECMC Foundation grant,” said Kevin MacDonald, district superintendent of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. “This grant aims to provide adult and high school students with new opportunities to gain employable skills.

"The scope of this grant is vast. This program will be open to high school students who attend any of the 22 component school districts served by the Partnership, as well as any student enrolled in the Partnership Adult Education Program. Our goal is to help highly skilled workers meet the emerging needs of industry within our region.”

Chuck DiPasquale, director of Programs, Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, said: “This grant will be utilized to make improvements to the machining and welding programs at both Genesee Valley Educational Partnership’s career and technical education centers. High school and adult students will have the opportunity to be trained on the latest and most up-to-date equipment and technology. Upon completion of the program, students will be highly qualified and ready to meet industry standards.

Western New York Tech Academy, an early college high school supporting grades 9-14, was awarded $61,710. The Academy will use the funds to enhance training programs for its at-risk students through the purchase of new workplace equipment and furniture for its classrooms.

“It’s our mission to create learning environments that support a cultural shift away from the traditional classroom and toward today’s workplace,” said Tom Schulte, principal, Western New York Tech Academy. “This can only happen if the physical space supports it, and it’s through the generosity of the ECMC Foundation that will allow us make this shift a reality.”

Genesee Community College (GCC), the recipient of a $44,390 grant, will purchase new equipment to support lab and "hands-on" learning activities in its food-processing educational programs.

"GCC's newest degree, Food Processing Technology AAS, gives residents in our rural community an opportunity to secure well-paying jobs -- such as production and quality control supervisors and safety and storage technicians," said Rafael Alicea-Maldonado, Ph.D., GCC's dean of Math, Science and Career Education.

"These are excellent careers in the burgeoning food-tech industry which are also 100-percent made in America. Funds from the ECMC Foundation will help us purchase the state-of-the-art equipment necessary for this new program including refractometers, salt, moisture and lacticheck analyzers and ebulliometers."

Lastly, the GGLDC will receive $13,324 to facilitate the coordination of the various activities of the grant recipients, including overseeing reporting requirements as stipulated in the agreement with the ECMC Foundation to monitor and track progress of each initiative.

There's nothing in the circumstances surrounding the death of a 54-year-old Cheektowaga resident, whose body was found in a car at a location on Bloomingdale Road, July 4, to suggest foul play, said Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster, Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

Pending the results of a toxicology from the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office, which will likely take months to complete, investigators suspect the death of Jennifer L. Pinsof was a suicide, Brewster said.

There is evidence to suggest she took a quantity of prescription pills that caused her death. It's possible, said Brewster, her two dogs died from ingesting the same medication.

Pinsof was seen in a surveillance video parking her car at a business on Bloomingdale Road about 1:30 p.m., July 3, and reaching into the back seat and grabbing something, Brewster said. The Sheriff's Office received a call about her being in the car, unresponsive, about 6 p.m., July 4. The car had not moved during that time.

At the time of her death, Brewster said, police in Cheektowaga were looking for her to question her about a fire at her residence July 3.

Because available evidence points to a possible suicide, completing the toxicology will be a lower priority for the crime lab in Rochester, Brewster said, which is one reason it will take so long to get back results.

The investigation remains pending while authorities await those results.

A Rochester-area man who authorities have identified as a member of the Hell's Angels and whose criminal activity gives him ties to Genesee County entered a guilty plea in Federal District Court yesterday to being an accessory after the fact to an assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering.

Timothy M. Stone, 35, of Gates, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $125,000 fine.

Stone first made news locally as part of a five-man operation caught by deputies allegedly stealing scrap metal from Ed Arnold Scrap Processors in Corfu.

He is identified by authorities as an associate of James Henry McAuley Jr. (aka "Mitch"), reputedly a Hell's Angels leader. McAuley was reportedly married to Donna L. Boon (aka Donna L. McAuley). Boon, of Batavia, was originally identified as a suspect in a meth ring headed by Donald G. Vanelli, reportedly a one-time president of the Road Agents Motorcycle Club. Vanelli is currently in federal prison as a result of his arrest in a joint FBI and Local Drug Task Force investigation into the meth trade in and around Batavia in July 2009.

Stone's guilty plea stems from his participation in an assault at Spenders Bar, in Rochester, on May 31, 2006. A patron was assaulted with a baseball bat. Federal authorities say Stone was aware that Spenders had video surveillance equipment and that the assault was recorded and stored on a computer. In the early morning hours of June 2, 20016, Stone forcibly removed the hard drive and took it from the bar. He later destroyed the hard drive and baseball bat in order to hinder the police investigation. 

In all, 10 members of the Hell's Angels were indicted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for WNY. Members and associates were charged with a variety of crimes, including drug trafficking, racketeering and accessory offenses. To date, two other defendants – Richard E. Riedman and Paul Griffin – have been convicted of narcotics conspiracy charges. McAuley, Robert W. Moran Jr., and Gina Tata have charges pending stemming from the alleged assault at Spenders Bar.

Prosecution of the scrap metal heist was handled by federal authorities and the defendants were convicted.

A pea combine accident is reported in the area of 7736 Oak Orchard Road, Batavia. 

The 60,000-pound machine has rolled over in a ditch and is resting against a utility pole. 

No injuries reported. 

Town of Batavia fire responding.

Area youngsters who enjoy basketball are encouraged to sign up for the Batavia Junior Blue Devils Basketball camp, which starts Aug. 10.

The five-afternoon camp at Batavia Middle School is open to boys and girls grades 3-8.

The cost is $60 per player, which includes a camp T-shirt.

Participants are asked to bring their own basketball every day.

Coach Jim Fazio, Junior Blue Devil's youth director, will lead the camp and coaches will include current and former Blue Devils players.

The camp focuses on offensive fundamentals such as shooting, passing and dribbling, as well as sportsmanship, fair play and safety. There will be daily contests and full court games.

For more information and to sign up, download the registration form (pdf).

Press release:

The Batavia Bulldawgs Youth Football & Cheer program will hold its 5th Annual Extreme Youth Football and Cheer Camp. This year’s camp cosponsored by Extreme Streetwear will be held at GCC Fields this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 9-11.

Walk-up registration still available. Cost for the camp is only $30.

Campers will receive quality instruction from USA Football certified coaches, a camp T-shirt, and lunch at the end of camp on Saturday July 12th.

Camp on Thursday and Friday will run from 4 to 6:30 p.m. with check-in at 3:30 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon with check-in at 8:30.

The camp is open to ALL athletes no matter what league affiliation between the ages of 5 to 13 years old by Dec. 1st. Birth certificate is required.

Camp training is stationed-based -- campers are divided by age and experience level so each athlete receives the right level of instruction and support. The Bulldawgs staff and volunteers will teach techniques, skills, and appreciation for all football positions and cheerleading in a fun positive way!

For more information, please contact League Commissioner Barry Warner-585-217-1213; Cheer Director Kinu Fortes 585-813-3219; or by e-mail at bataviabulldawgsfootball@gmail.com

Among the charges 27-year-old Eric J. Flowers is facing is resisting arrest. Once he was subdued by troopers, medics were called to the scene, and his head was bandaged, but he insisted he wasn't injured and refused all further medical treatment, according to Troop A spokesman James O'Callaghan.

A trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop on Flowers on Seven Springs Road on Tuesday for alleged vehicle and traffic violations, including non-transparent side windows, an unsafe turn and no turn signal.

According to State Police, Flowers, a resident of Batavia, did not stop his vehicle for more than a mile, then he pulled into a driveway and fled into a wooded area. 

Troopers chased Flowers on foot and deployed a Taser to help with his apprehension.  

No members of law enforcement -- deputies assisted at the scene -- were injured in the incident.

Besides the suspicion that Flowers was driving drunk (he refused all BAC tests), he was also allegedly found in possession of items with marijuana and heroin residue in his vehicle.

Flowers is charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operator, resisting arrest, unlawful possession of marijuana, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, assault 2nd, with intent to cause injury to a police officer, side windows non-transparent and unsafe turn.

He was jailed without bail.

From Tim Hens, county highway superintendent:

Routine oil and stone work to begin tomorrow on Bank Street Road north of Five Corners (Townline Road) and Transit Road (Bank Street to Route 262) in the towns of Batavia, Elba and Byron.

Additional roads getting oil and stone within the next two weeks include:

• Bennett and Simonds roads, Town of Darien
• South Lake Road  (Cochocton to Route 5), Town of Pembroke
• Akron Road, Town of Pembroke
• Knowlesville and Ham Road, Town of Alabama
• Barrville Road, Town of Elba
• North Byron Road (Barrville Road to Route 98), Town of Elba
• Creek Road (City of Batavia to Putnam Road), Town of Batavia
• Attica and Darien-Alexander Townline roads, Town of Alexander
• Covell and Hartwell roads, Town of Pavilion

Motorists are urged to travel at 35 mph or lower while oil cures and until loose stone can be swept from the roadway.

Robert P. Nowak, 58 of Pembroke, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th, and harassment, 2nd. Nowak's wife reportedly called 9-1-1 during a domestic dispute Saturday. State Police responded and Nowak allegedly locked the doors and refused to come out. Troopers set up a perimeter with the assistance  of the Sheriff's deputies and Corfu PD. Nowak was taken into custody without any injuries. State Police said alcohol was a factor in the incident.

Kenneth M. Gray, 23, no permanent address, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property. Gray was allegedly in possession of a vehicle reported stolen in the City of Batavia on June 29. Le Roy PD observed the vehicle being operated in the village and initiated a traffic stop. 

Bradley W. Achman, 19, of Elma, is charged with trespassing. Achman allegedly entered private property to gain access to a concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.

Lonnie Ford III, 44, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with loitering. Officers Kevin DeFelice and Marc Lawrence were on Hutchins Street investigating an incident when Ford was observed walking down the middle of the street toward the officers. According to Police, Ford's actions (the actions are not specified in the press release) prevented the officers from exercising their duties. Ford was issued an appearance ticket.

Steven F. Marra, 22, of Gabbey Road, Corfu, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and inadequate headlamps. Marra was stopped at 2:52 a.m. on State Street, Batavia, by Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk.