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Today, the 3rd Battalion, 19th Special Forces presented $6,400 and the unit's “Holy Grail” cup to Dr. Caryn Dilandro, a PTSD Program psychologist at Batavia VAMC.

The 3rd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) once drilled as an Army National Guard Special Forces unit out of the Niagara Air Reserve Station. It later disbanded in 1975 as the Vietnam War was winding down. The special forces group recently raised $6,400 on Veterans Day specifically for the Jack. H. Wisby PTSD Center located at the VA WNY Healthcare Center in Batavia.    

Submitted photos and information.

A tanker truck is on its side, in a ditch, in front of the Flying J on Route 77 in Pembroke.

No injuries are reported. The driver is out and walking around.

No leaks are reported. The tanker is hauling motor oil.

The tanker is leaning against a utility pole. National Grid requested to the scene.

Traffic is not blocked.

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments responding. Mercy EMS can go back in service.

UPDATE 11 a.m.: A heavy wrecker is on scene and the plan originally was to use big airbags to help lift the truck so it could be uprighted. But when a DEC officer arrived he ordered that the oil be drained from the truck into another tanker before it is lifted out of the ditch. A trooper on scene would not provide information on the accident. We are attempting to get more information about the cause. One northbound lane is closed while crews work on removing the truck. The tanker contains 6,500 gallons of motor oil. The trucking company is from Limerock, Pa., though the truck has Ohio plates and the trailer has Idaho plates.

Deputies have a car stopped, with the assistance of Le Roy PD, that was reportedly driving eastbound on Route 5 from Batavia and through Stafford at a high rate of speed and nearly caused multiple head-on collisions.

Patrols were about to deploy spike strips when a Le Roy officer reported the car was stopped west of the Village.

Multiple patrols were responding with lights and sirens.

There's no report, at least that we've heard, of damage or injuries.

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra performs its annual Holiday Concert tomorrow (Sunday) at Byron-Bergen High School featuring young artist winner Raymond Feng.

Showtime is 4 p.m.

The program includes: "Overture to the Marriage of Figaro" (Mozart), "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (Vince Guaraldi), "Concerto  No. 3 in C Major" (Prokofiev) (Feng on piano), Canadian Brass Christmas, holiday favorites, "Sleigh Ride" and "Christmas Festival" (Leroy Anderson).

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, $7 for students, and $35 for a family with children 12 and under.

More than 50 local children were invited to Walmart today to "Shop with a Cop."

Off-duty officers from the Sheriff's Office, Batavia PD, and State Police volunteered their time to help the children pick presents for their families or themselves.

Funds for the event were donated by Batavia PBA, Genesee County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, New York State Troopers PBA, CSEA, the City’s “Jeans for Friday,” Bonarigo and McCutcheon Law Office, Bohm-Calarco Smith Funeral Home, Town of Batavia Fire Department, and Statewide Machinery/House O’ Laundry.  

Each child received $100 for shopping and Walmart provided staff to wrap the presents.

Top photo: Deputy Andrew Mullen with Dena, 8.

Sheriff William Sheron had a lot of fun shopping with Will, 14.

Santa arrives at Walmart.

Trooper Jeff Bebak.

Mauler, 7, shopping with Deputy Rachel Diehl.

Tyler, 4, shopping with Trooper Frank Velletta.

Deputy Chad Cummings.

Chastin, 10, shopping with Officer Frank Klimjack and his mother Jen Styer.

Officer Stephen Cronmiller with Clare, 1.

Sgt. Jason Saile with Bailee, 6.

Detective Eric Hill was joined by his wife Nicole and Aubury Towner, an Explorer, to shop with Preston, 9, Isabell, 7, and Estella, 3.

Pembroke fell to Attica in a Friday night matchup in Attica, 55-59.

Attica's Dawson Nelson led all scorers with 16 points. He also had 15 rebounds and two assists. Tyler Meyer added 13 points and Frankie Biscelgilie scored 15.

For Pembroke, Trevor Vaughn scored 14 points and Jarrod Ludwig scored 10 points.

From Attica Head Coach Rob Crawley:

"Attica Held Pembroke to five field goals in the second half, but Pembroke was 20-22 from the free-throw line. 

"I am incredibly proud of our team tonight. With it being such a later season opener for us, I was very concerned about going up against a well-prepared and well-coached team like Pembroke. We kept our composure from start to finish which shows a lot of growth from our players.

"We used our depth tonight nine players scoring for us. Bisceglie hit back-to-back 3s to start the second half. Nelson did a great job inside as well. All of our guys stepped up and accepted their role tonight to help us get the win."

High Voltage Tattoo & Piercing is hosting its annual holiday fundraiser but instead of hosting one big tattoo marathon, owner Mark Fanara is selling gift certificates with all proceeds going to abused and neglected children in Genesee County.

Fanara said 100 percent of the price of the gift certificates will go to Justice for Children and Genesee CASA and the gift certificates will be sold at a discount. If you spend $20 for a gift certificate, you will receive a $25 gift certificate, for $50, get $60, for $100, get $125. There is no limit on gift certificates.

The sale lasts through Dec. 23.

High Voltage Tattoo is located 110 W. Main St., Batavia.

Photo: Heather Violet and Mark Fanara.

The Elba and Notre Dame early-season matchup at Elba was everything you expect an Elba vs. Notre Dame game to be: raucous crowd, and a battle to the end between two talented teams.

This time, the Lancers came out on top 52-48, but it wasn't easy.

The Fighting Irish built up a 10-point lead, thanks to some hot shooting from Lucas Calarco and Spencer Masiti, and led 33 to 27 at the break but Elba kept the pressure on throughout the second half and seemed to wear Notre Dame down by the fourth quarter.

"We shot the ball pretty well," said Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Rapone. "Our biggest thing tonight is we didn’t execute the last four minutes. We took some bad shots. We made some bad turnovers and made a few defensive mistakes. When you’re doing that on the road, you’re not going to come out on top against a good team."

The Lancers were led by Jon Boyce, who scored 28 points and snagged 19 rebounds.

"John's one of the best players in Class D basketball," said his Coach Ciaci Zambito "The way he worked, the way he's gotten himself into shape and just his dedication, he deserves a game like tonight. He went out on his last home game against Notre Dame and I think he made a statement for himself. I'm super proud of him."

With Elba down two key players, Colton Dillon and Gregory Huntington, Boyce said he knew his role on the team but that didn't put any pressure on him.

"It sometimes feels like it's on me but then again it's not on me because I look at our team, I look at who is out there, who's out there playing with me," Boyce said. "Everyone knows their roles. We all have our own strengths."

This game, freshman Zack Marshall stepped up and contributed 11 points, hitting three three-point shots in the second half to help give Elba the boost it needed to mount a comeback.

For Notre Dame, Gabe Macdonald scored 15 points. Misiti and Calarco each scored nine points.

To purchase prints, click here.

Head Coach Buddy Brasky has warned us that, at least at the start, this will be a challenging season for the Batavia Blue Devils and the team got off to a rocky start with a 43-39 lose to Honeoye Falls-Lima.

An 18-point fourth-quarter rally might be something for Batavia to build on, but it wasn't enough to overcome HFL's 15-point lead at the end of three quarters.

Batavia was beset by turnovers early in the game and went through one four-minute period in the second quarter without hitting a basket.

The team has lost a key component of the offense with Antwan Odom out for the season after getting arrested late in the summer and Mason McFollins, Ethan Biscaro, Cam White, and Caeden White are all out of action, too.

The team is also off to a slow start because the football team had such a great season, reaching the state championship game, so prior to last night's game, Brasky had been able to lead only four practices with a full squad.

Luke Grammatico led Batavia's scorers with 11 points, including a pair of threes in the fourth quarter. Zach Gilebarte scored eight points and Joe Martinucci added six.

For HFL, Trevor Chamberlain scored 19 points and Josh Vogt scored 16.

Photos by Steve Ognibene. To view or purchase photos click here.

CORRECTION: In the origianl version of our post, we switched the first and second place winners.  Our apologies to Rick.

The Batavia Society of Artists held its opening reception Thursday night at the Richmond Memorial Library of its Winter Art Show.

Rick Ellingham won First Place for his painting, "Adirondack Sunset."

The show runs through Dec. 27.

Karen Crittenden won Second Place with her picture, "Bug."

State of Politics Blog: Erie County Bans Smoking In Bus Shelters, Cars With Kids

Mary DelPlato is hoping a reader can help her recover her stolen bicycle, if not provide information to the police that leads to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrator.

DelPlato said the bike looks just like the one in the photo but older.

She said it was stolen off of her front porch on Holland Avenue sometime between 7 and 8:30 p.m. on Monday.

If you have information that can assist in the case, call Batavia PD at (585) 345-6350.

The Lions Club of Batavia is promising area basketball players a more competitive tournament with a revamped tournament format and for fans that should mean closer, more intense games.

The club has expanded the field this year to eight teams -- four teams in the small-team division and four teams in the large-team division. This should make games more competitive and lead to some potentially interesting matchups.

For example, if Batavia beats Roy-Hart in its first game it would face either Le Roy or Attica, teams that are natural rivals but Batavia rarely if ever plays.

Notre Dame and Elba have one of the most storied rivalries in the region and could potentially face each other in the championship game but both will face tough first-round opponents in Oakfield-Alabama and Mt. Morris.

"Our kids look forward to this tournament every single year," said Buddy Brasky, the Batavia head coach who will be taking a team to the tournament for the 29th consecutive year. "They talk about right from the get-go. They want to know when is the Lion’s Club’s Tournament? Who’s playing? Who’s in it? It’s really important to them.

"We play in Monroe County so we don’t get a chance to play the area schools very often. We see them in summer at camp. We play some spring league. They really look forward to playing the area schools, the tough area schools, in the Christmas tournament."

It's not a foregone conclusion, as it has been in recent years, that Batavia will be crowned champion. Brasky's squad has only five seniors and one of his biggest scorers, Antwan Odom, is out for the season because of legal issues. Brasky also said there have been some key injuries.

Roy-Hart comes from a tough Section VI and is coached by Joe Pawlak, Notre Dame grad who played in the tournament in 2008, with a loss to Batavia, so he knows what to expect.

"I’m really blessed to have been able to play in it and now coach it," Pawlak said.

If Batavia survives Roy-Hart, the Blue Devils will either face Le Roy or Attica.

Le Roy is anchored by four-year starter Reece Tresco, who is a 6-foot, 4-inch guard/forward who is a threat to score from anywhere on the court and tough under the boards.

Attica has 10 seniors on its squad and Coach Rob Crowley said with five or six big guys on the team and five or six guards, he will be able to play whatever brand of basketball an opponent puts on the court, adjusting his team's look to meet any challenge.

"We can mix in different brands of basketball and match every team and be competitive against every team," Crowley said.

In the small-team division, Mt. Morris is coming off a 15-win season and returning almost all its top players from that squad. Head Coach Brian Stout said he's expecting a quality year from his players.

They open against the Elba Lancers, always a tough squad and this year featuring one of the top players in Section V in 6-foot, 4-inch forward/guard Jon Boyce, along with returning stars Colton Dillon and Collin O'Halloran.

"I’m excited to see what his (Boyce's) senior season holds," said Elba Head Coach Ciaci Zambito. "We've gone from young and inexperienced last year to now one of the older teams experience-wise in the area."

Mike Rapone, Notre Dame's legendary head coach, said he's got the biggest team he's ever led. There are nine players on the roaster who are at least 6-foot, 1-inch tall, including 6-foot, 7-inch returning starting center Keith Szczepanski.

That is no guarantee of anything, however, Rapone said, especially after losing last year's two leading scorers.

"That (size) doesn’t necessarily always translate into what we want it to be, but hopefully it will this year," Rapone said.

Oakfield-Alabama is a young team (only two seniors) with coach, Ryan Stehlar, so their tournament game will be a test and give fans some idea of what to expect on the season.

The Lions Club Tournament is played at Genesee Community College and that's one reason that the players who get to play in the tournament look forward to it. It's a big stage and prepares them for what they might face in post-season play.

It's also the premier fund-raising event for the Lion's Club, which is another reason you should attend.

The first four varsity games are Thursday, Dec. 27. 

• Attica vs. Le Roy, 4 p.m.
• Mt. Morris vs. Elba, 5:30 p.m.
• Oakfield-Alabama vs. Notre Dame, 7 p.m.
• Roy-Hart vs. Batavia, 8:30 p.m.

The consolation and championship games will be played Dec. 28, with consolation games at 4 and 5:30 p.m. The championship game in the small-teams division is at 7 p.m. Tipoff for the large-team division is 8:30 p.m.

Top photo: Frank Biscelie, Attica, Joe Martinucci, Batavia, Charlie Birgham, Roy-Hart, and Reece Tresco, Le Roy.

Spencer Misiti, Notre Dame, Jon Boyce, Elba, Cameron Regal, Mt. Morris, and Joey Burdick, Oakfield-Alabama.

Snow squalls are expected to pass through the area this afternoon and early evening, according to the National Weather Service.

This could create areas of low visibility, and potential whiteout conditions, at times with brief periods of localized heavy snow and slick, snow-covered roads.

A cold front is crossing the region this afternoon, into early evening, resulting in lake effect snow from both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario that will move inland. This will affect the evening commute, particularly between about 4 to 6 p.m.

Students in the Batavia City School system are showing slow, steady progress in proficiency on that state's standardized tests, Molly Corey, executive director of Curriculum and Instruction, told trustees Tuesday night during her report.

One way Corey tracks the district's progress is a comparison to scores in other small city school districts.

For the second year in a row, Batavia ranks #1 in eighth grade in the English Language Assessment, and first in seventh grade, compared to 14th a year ago. The district is second in third, fifth and sixth grades and fourth in grade four.

For math, the district is second in third grade, first in fourth, fourth in fifth, third in sixth, fifth in seventh, and in grade 12, eighth.

There are 15 other schools in the ranked comparison, though the names of the schools are blanked out in Corey's report.

Overall, Corey indicated she is happy with the improved performance of district students.

"I’m a believer having continual improvement," Corey said. "Though we want things to change dramatically, it’s that slow, steady climb that will get us there."

In ELA performance, the district is showing improvement in grades three through eight, with grade three going from 22 percent proficiency in 2012-13 to 46 percent this year. Grade four, has gone from 34 percent to 39 percent, grade five, 28 to 32 percent, grade six, 32  to 47 percent, grade seven, 26 to 35 percent, and grade eight, 35 to 45 percent. 

In math, there's an improvement at every grade level except eighth grade. For third grade, from 25 percent to 55 percent; grade four, 37 to 64 percent, grade five, 27 to 42 percent, grade six, 17 to 43 percent, grade seven, 24 to 35 percent.

In eighth grade, the students have gone from 10-percent proficiency to 8 percent, though the eighth-grade students achieved 18 percent in 2014-15 and 21 percent in 2015-16.

To help improve math performance, Corey is planning on taking a leadership team to a seminar at Stanford University where a nationally recognized math teacher will provide instruction on deep mathematical thinking. The goal she said is to make mathematical thinking a bigger part of the learning culture in the district.

"We have a solid team throughout the district that got us here and we want to be thinking about what we can do above and beyond to change that culture, to change that mindset, and it starts with the leadership team," Corey said. "We have our dream team here in Batavia and I'm excited to see what is going to happen in each and every building."

Marco Marascio, project manager for Campus Construction Management Group, provided the trustees of the Batavia City School District an update Tuesday on construction projects that are part of the Vision 2020 capital improvement plan, which voters approved in March.

In addition to demolition of Van Detta Stadium (top photo), the foundation is being dug for the new locker rooms, while across the street, the playground is being moved and replaced with a new parking lot. At John Kennedy School, the foundation has been laid for the classroom expansion.

The $26.7 million in districtwide projects are being completed without an increase in local property taxes.

Photos courtesy Marco Marascio.

This fall, not only were Batavia High School sports teams finding success in competition, the athletes were succeeding as well in the classroom, Athletic Director Michael Bromley told the school district board at their regular monthly meeting Tuesday.

Across 10 fall sports, the school had 75 students qualify as scholar-athletes, Bromley said, meaning they scored at least above 90 percent in academic standing. Many of the athletes, he said scored ranked over 95 percent.

"Only five kids this fall were on academic probation," Bromley said.

Bromley's presentation was an annual review of the athletic department.

Each fall, there are seven girls sports programs in grades seven through 12 with 17 total teams (including JV and modified), and there are three programs for the boys in the fall with eight total teams.

In the winter, there are four girls programs, 10 teams, and six boys programs, 15 teams; and in the spring, two girls programs and seven teams and five boys programs and 13 teams.

In all, there are 78 coaches in the district.

"It's always a challenge to find coaches who are available to do the work at the time of day that we do what we do," Bromley said.

For grades seven-12, 53 percent of the students participate in at least one sport during the school year. That's higher than the 39 percent rate in 1999 but lower than the highest level of the past 10 years, which was 57 percent.

For all this activity, athletics isn't even 2 percent of the district's total budget.

In some sports, such as hockey, the school combines with other schools to create a team. In the case of gymnastics, BHS wouldn't even be able to offer the sport if not for merged programs since there are only five girls participating.

The merged wrestling program -- with Attica -- has won consecutive Section V championships, which has helped the program retain athletes while attracting new participants. There are now 15 wrestlers at the school and the merged program is moving up to Division 1 where they expect to continue to be competitive.

One thing Bromley looked at doing was using the gym walls to bring more recognition to players who achieved All-State or All-Greater Rochester honors. But realized that could get expensive so he found a program that allowed him to put a touch-screen TV outside the gym. It contains a wealth of information about BHS athletics, including the latest schedules, pictures, and recognition for all of the school's standout athletes and Hall of Fame members.

It has the added bonus of being available online.

Bromley said that as far as he knows, this is the first such touch-screen TV for school athletics in the state.

A committee assigned with selecting an engineering and architectural firm to plan and oversee construction of new Genesee County Jail has narrowed their search to two closely matched firms, Assistant County Manager Matt Landers told members of the Public Service Committee on Tuesday.

The two firms -- out of four that initially applied for the job -- are both so competitive, Landers said, that the committee has sent them more questions and asked for reference checks.

Rather than getting just references suggested by the companies, which will tend to be references from those believed to be positive, the committee is requiring reference contacts for the most recent jails the companies have been involved in building in New York.

"It's a good problem to have," Landers said. "They both scored very well."

Once the reference checks are done, the committee will interview the firms one more time and the committee hopes to have a recommendation to the County Legislature by the end of July.

Besides designing the jail, the firm selected will help with the site selection process and with hiring a construction manager.

The county has been moving toward building a new jail for a few years with cost estimates ranging from $35 million to $52 million.

The current jail doesn't meet current state standards, has damage related to age, lacks modern features, is undersized, and can't house female inmates.

Landers and Sheriff William Sheron cochair the jail committee. Of the eight other members, two are members of the Legislature and the remaining members are key county department heads.

BHS Drama Club presents a stage adaption of "It's a Wonderful Life" this weekend, featuring Cameron Bontrager as George Bailey, in the classic story of a man who stayed in his small town only to reach a point where felt his life hadn't made a difference, then learns what a difference he did make with the help of his guardian angel, Clarence.

Featured cast:

• George Bailey - Cameron Bontrager (senior)
• Mary Bailey - Eryn Dunn (senior)
• Clarence - Riley Macdonough (sophomore)
• Janie Bailey - Macayla Burke (junior)
• Pete Bailey - Colin Dunn (freshman)
• Tommy Bailey - Marla Schlaggel (freshman)
• Zuzu Bailey - Kayla Stone (freshman)
• Mr. Potter - Michael Bartz (freshman)
• Potter's Secretary - Fay Pimlada Pattarachaidaecharuch (exchange student) 

The adaption was written by Doug Rand from the original screenplay by Francis Goodrich, Albert, Hackett, Frank Capra and Jo Swerling.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors.

Police are looking for a suspected shoplifter in the area of State Street, Batavia.

The subject is suspected of stealing an item from JCPenney, running from the store, and knocking an elderly female over as he fled.

He is described as a black male with a black backpack and camo pants.

An ambulance is requested to the store for an elderly female with a hip injury.

UPDATE 1:39 p.m.: A suspect is apparently in custody.