A person has been struck by a forklift at a location on Transit Road in Elba.
The victim is having trouble breathing.
Elba fire and Mercy EMS responding.
Mercy Flight is unavailable due to weather.
UPDATE 9:44 a.m.: Elba fire is back in service.
UPDATE: The patient was transported by ground ambulance to Strong, according to the Sheriff's Office. There is no further information available at this time.
A working structure fire is reported at Kaiser Wilcox Corp. at 7062 S. Lake Street Road, Bergen.
The fire has gone to a second alarm.
Bergen fire, Le Roy fire, City of Batavia's Fast Team dispatched. South Byron requested to fill in at Bergen.
City fire's third platoon requested to the station.
The company sells and repairs heavy construction, power and farm equipment, and lawn mowers, plus it sells supplies for them.
UPDATE(S) (By Billie) 11:06 p.m.: Mercy medics are called to the scene in non-emergency mode.
UPDATE 11:12 p.m.: Mutual aid is requested from Churchville, Mumford, and Brockport.
UPDATE 11:17 p.m.: "We could use more help," says fire command. The assignment has gone to a third alarm. A firefighter reports there is now fire in the second story of the building. Rehab for firefighters is being established.
UPDATE 11:21 p.m.: Elba is called to fill in at Bergen's fire hall. Command calls for electricity to be cut. One engine from Caledonia is asked to fill in at Le Roy Fire Hall.
UPDATE 11:30 p.m.: Due to a number of hazards present, Chili's rescue unit is called to the scene.
UPDATE 11:37 p.m.: Fire command has ordered all interior firefighters out of the building out of concern for their safety. "Be aware we have a steady flow of diesel fuel going into the water mixture here," reports a firefighter.
UPDATE 12:08 a.m.: National Grid has arrived to shut off the power.
UPDATE 12:32 a.m. (By Howard): An emergency management coordinator has asked dispatch to have a DEC representative call him.
UPDATE 12:37 a.m. (By Howard): Photos added, the only two I could get from the road. We weren't allowed in to get more photos. The chief, we were told, wouldn't be available to interview for an extended period of time. We'll try to get more information about the fire in the morning. There was no smoke showing at the time I left, and a minute ago there was discussion on the scanner of the fire investigation starting.
UPDATE 1:08 a.m.: Elba is responding to the scene. Earlier, Wyoming County Correctional Facility was unable to secure a crew to respond and assist with equipment pickup.
Statement released by Nate McMurray:
Good afternoon,
Nearly all the votes have been counted and Chris Collins will be returning to Washington to represent the people of New York’s 27th Congressional District. After discussing the matter thoroughly with counsel and weighing our options, we believe it’s in the best interest of this community to end this chapter and move on to the next.
I offer Mr. Collins my concession.
It was a hard decision. Part of me wants to fight. I can’t just smile and pretend this was all fair. And so my concession comes with a warning. Mr. Collins, you won by the slimmest of margins (less than half a percent), in a district designed to ensure anyone with an “R” next to their name, even an indicted criminal, could win a decisive victory.
Still, you almost lost. To win you had to resort to extreme measures—lying about me and my family, hiding from the media and the people you represent, and refusing to face me in the time-honored tradition of a public debate. Your strategy was by your own admission cowardice and partisan politics.
So I will be watching. We will all be watching. We are not going anywhere.
Together, with countless supporters across this district and throughout the country, we built something special. We ignored the naysayers and fought like hell for what we believed in.
We learned that at the grassroots level, the people have the power to break the political machine when we work together. We had the largest partisan swing of any first-time state or federal candidate in the country and one of the largest swings period. Together we set the foundation for incredible things to come.
We built this movement from the ground up via potlucks and picnics. I’m proud that we did this with little to no outside support. We raised over $1.2M in primarily grassroots donations in just over 3 months. Our campaign funds came from mechanics and farmers, school teachers, office workers, students, and senior citizens. There are few feelings more humbling than to have someone squeeze your hand at a campaign appearance, and tell you, “I just donated five dollars to your election. It’s all I can afford.”
For the first time in a very long time, the people of the 27th District felt that their voice was heard and that their vote mattered. My heart will not permit me to abandon those wonderful people.
So today, I am proudly announcing that I am forming an organization called Fight Like Hell. Fight Like Hell will be a voice for those thousands of Western New Yorkers who feel excluded, disenfranchised, and apathetic -- those who continue to reach out and ask what they can do, what’s next.
We want to take what we’ve learned and the tools and resources we’ve gathered and pay them forward by empowering more good people to run for office. I want more people to understand who their local leaders are (and how they can hold them accountable). Among other things, we will host Town Halls where residents will have a chance to share their voice, whether or not your Congressman thinks it’s important for you to do so or continues to hide
Beyond that. Mr. Collins' future in Washington remains murky. He says that he will finish his term, but as we know, Mr. Collins is not the best at keeping promises. Let me say it here first: when the time is right, I will run for office again.
I have met a lot of disappointed people since the election. I have felt a great deal of sadness. But be of good cheer. We are not what Mr. Collins represents. And we are not what the opportunistic politicians and pundits who supported him represent.
We ARE what those thousands of folks who stood up to him by standing on corners, writing postcards, and knocking doors in the cold represent. We ARE are what those Republicans who took a chance on a lanky Democrat represent. We ARE what the folks who are already gearing up for the next fight represent. Indeed, we ARE what America represents. We are hope, we are kindness, we are decency, and integrity.
Sure, we lost. But if we lost with integrity and fighting for Unions, the middle class, and healthcare for every American, so be it.
Stay strong. Protect it from the wind. But let that light glow.
With love, gratitude, and joy,
Nate
The attorney for the teenager accused of shooting murderer Nathaniel Wilson in the leg on May 17 on Central Avenue reached an 11th-hour plea agreement with District Attorney Lawrence Friedman today, saving his client a trial on felony assault charges.
Jury selection was scheduled to begin today for Samuel Blackshear, 17, who was indicted by a grand jury on counts of attempted assault in the first degree, assault in the second degree, and two counts of criminal possession in the second degree.
Today, Blackshear entered a guilty plea to one count of criminal possession of a weapon with the understanding that he could be granted youthful offender status, which could mean probation or a 1 1/3 to four-year prison term, but if he isn't granted YO he faces at least three and a half years in state prison.
Whether Blackshear is declared a youthful offender will be entirely up to Judge Charles Zambito, who will issue his decision at Blackshear's sentencing at 2:30 p.m., Jan. 23, and Zambito, given the severity of the criminal possession of a weapon charge, can only reach that conclusion if he's convinced there were mitigating circumstances to justify Blackshear's possession of a loaded handgun.
Blackshear did not have a license to possess a handgun and at 17; he's too young to obtain a license to possess a loaded handgun.
His attorney, James Hinman, of Webster, will argue, he said, that there was justification, the mitigating circumstances necessary for Zambito to reach that conclusion.
Outside of court, Hinman explained that the video obtained from the pole camera placed by Batavia PD on Central Avenue just a day before the incident shows Wilson stabbing 41-year-old Terry J. Toote twice (Friedman said Toote was only stabbed once), killing him, and after dropping the knife, Wilson picks it up, walks into the middle of Central Avenue and starts approaching three other people in the street.
Toote, according to Hinman, is Blackshear's uncle. Friedman said he doesn't believe that is accurate.
"The video clearly shows (Wilson) threatening those other three people with that knife," Hinman said. "That is clearly, to me, a circumstance under which using deadly physical force to defend someone else is permitted under the law."
If the case had gone to trial, Hinman was expected to argue that Blackshear was justified in shooting Wilson but that only would have been a defense on the assault charge and the criminal possession of a weapon with intent to harm another person charge.
As Friedman explained after the hearing, "As you heard the defense attorney say, they were going to raise a justification defense, defense of yourself for others, and that would address the attempted assault first, the assault second, and also the one weapon possession charge that requires intent to use unlawfully, because if you are justified in the use then it wouldn't be unlawful use. But he realized that there was no defense to the possession of a loaded firearm outside of your home or place of business."
Wilson and Blackshear were two of the three defendants taken into custody after the May 17 incident. Also arrested was Jennifer Urvizu-Hanlon, 48, a Batavia businesswoman who owned a Mexican grocery store in the Valu Plaza.
Urvizu-Hanlon is accused of giving her licensed handgun to Blackshear at the Central Avenue scene.
She is charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, both Class C violent felonies.
Her attorney, Christian Kennedy, has indicated at previous court appearances on her behalf that he also intends to raise the justification defense if the case goes to trial.
Hinman thinks that in defending his client he could easily have convinced a jury that Blackshear was justified in shooting Wilson.
"All I would really need to have done is play the video, identify who Mr. Wilson is, who's Sammy, and that should have been the end of it," Hinman said.
Friedman said what Blackshear pled guilty to was actually one of the more serious charges of the indictment.
"It's a Class C violent felony," Friedman said.
If Blackshear fails to abide by the terms of his release on bail while awaiting sentencing he could lose his chance for youthful offender status and the maximum prison term for the charge is 15 years in prison.
Friedman said he couldn't discuss whether at this point whether he will support, oppose, or be neutral on Blackshear's application for youthful offender status.
So far, Friedman said, he's satisfied with the outcomes of the prosecutions in the Central Avenue cases.
"We have taken care of two of the three defendants and I obviously feel they were appropriate dispositions," Friedman said. "As you know Nathaniel Wilson pled guilty to murder and got 20 to life."
CORRECTIONS: We corrected the sentencing options for Blackshear to include that he may still receive a prison sentence even if declared a Youthful Offender and that if YO is not granted the minimum term is 3 1/2 years. We corrected the first name for Terry Toote. While Mr. Hinman said that Mr. Toote was stabbed twice, Mr. Friedman says he was only stabbed once. On two occasions, Mr. Hinman has referred to Mr. Toote and Mr. Blackshear's uncle, Mr. Friedman said he doesn't believe that's accurate.
Previously:
A Stafford man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly struggling with a Le Roy police officer and leading him on a chase behind the Tops Market at 128 W. Main St., Le Roy.
Todd M. Englerth, 46, criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, criminal possession of a control substance, 7th, obstructing governmental administration, 2nd, assault 3rd, and resisting arrest.
The incident began at 1:50 p.m. when the police officer spotted a white Ford pickup parked in the fire lane, a no parking zone, in front of the store.
Englerth was reportedly sitting in the passenger seat when the officer approached. The passenger told the officer that the driver, whom he identified as Phillip J. Severino, of Corfu, was in the store.
According to the officer, during the interview, he observed brass knuckles in the armrest of the pickup in plain view.
When Severino came out of the store, the officer interviewed both Severino and Englehart in an attempt to determine who owned the brass knuckles.
During the investigation, the officer discovered Severino was allegedly in possession of a loaded handgun. Severino was detained and placed in the officer's patrol car.
The officer then attempted to detain Englerth, who allegedly refused to comply with the officer's verbal commands and then physically resisted.
The officer informed Englerth he was under arrest and Englerth allegedly continued to resist.
Multiple citizens attempted to assist the officer in restraining Englerth, according to Le Roy PD's report on the incident.
Englerth reportedly broke free and ran.
The officer gave chase and he shot his taser at Englerth but with no effect.
Englerth reportedly ran into the woods behind the store. There was another struggle and the officer deployed his taser again, this time with effect.
Englerth was taken into custody as a result.
During the investigation, Englerth was allegedly found in possession of cocaine.
The DEC's K-9 assisted in the investigation.
Severino and Englerth were arraigned in Le Roy Town Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice.
Severino, 42, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd.
Le Roy PD was assisted by the Sherif's Office and State Police.
Le Roy PD also thanked the citizens who attempted to assist at the scene.
A four-vehicle accident, unknown injuries, is reported in the area of mile marker 397.8 in the eastbound lane of the Thruway.
East Pembroke fire and Mercy EMS responding.
UPDATE 6:07 p.m.: A second ambulance requested to the scene, non-emergency.
UPDATE 6:12 p.m.: The East Pembroke chief is requesting Pembroke fire to shut down the Thruway, eastbound, at the Pembroke exit. "It would probably be better for them to get off in Pembroke and back on in Batavia," he said. He said traffic is already backed up to Route 77.
A rollover accident with a minor injury is reported on Silver Road, just south of Route 20, in Bethany.
A Bethany chief on scene reports the driver is out of the vehicle. Traffic is not blocked.
Bethany fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
What if Ethan Biscaro wasn't injured in the first quarter Saturday of Batavia's Class B state championship football game at the Carrier Dome?
Could Batavia have maintained its early lead, its early momentum, and held off Joseph Girard and the Glens Falls Indians, instead of losing 55-32?
We'll never know.
Biscaro's injury certainly isn't the only reason Batavia lost. The Blue Devils made their mistakes and missed their opportunities but, truth be told, Girard is one heck of a quarterback.
To whatever degree last week's game against Skaneateles and their athletic QB Patrick Hackler prepared the Blue Devils to face an athletic, strong-armed QB, it wasn't enough. Hackler was good but he wasn't Joseph Girard III good.
Experienced sportswriters in the press box were raving about Girard by the fourth quarter, the best high school quarterback they've ever seen, some of them said.
Girard showed arm strength, touch, accuracy, and savvy on the field, as well as strength and quickness that enabled to him to turn what looked like sacks for lost yards into gains, into first downs, and even into touchdowns.
For example, with Batavia leading 14-0 in the second quarter, Girard, from Batavia's 19-yard line, tries a keeper to his right and finds the path cutoff and he appears pinned in a corner near the sideline but he swings out wide into his own backfield and starts running toward the far side with Cam White in pursuit. Just as it appears White would snag his jersey, somehow Girard steps ahead of him and now has the entire defense beat on the far side of the field. He scores to give Glen Falls its first six points.
"He is a great football player, obviously a division one athlete," said Batavia Coach Brennan Briggs. "We had our opportunities, I think, and you know, he was very difficult to get a hold of. We simulated all we can in practice but at the end of the day, you have got to come up your make plays."
While officially, Girard gained only 15 yards on the ground on 15 carries, with two TDs, he was 10-18 passing for 314 yards and two TDs on passes.
All this and it was still a big game for Ray Leach, who for the third game in a row gained more than 400 yards, this time picking up 410 yards on 30 carries. He scored three touchdowns and he was clearly exhausted in the second half and playing on sheer determination.
"He's just a tough kid, he loves football," Briggs said. "He wanted to be out here so he did whatever it took to be out here."
With 1,645 yards over the final four games, Leach ends the year with 2,826 rushing yards, breaking the season Section V record of Hornell's Austin Dwyer, 2,826 yards, set in 2009.
A former Blue Devil who played for Batavia last year when the team opened the season in the Carrier Dome said a factor in that game was the heat on the field. As the game wears on the Dome warms up.
Ironically, the Carrier Dome is not air-conditioned.
Leach said he and his teammates were feeling the heat.
"The temperature was a little different than we've been playing and we had to get used to the heat," Leach said. "It's definitely a big adjustment. We're a little tired. I just had to rely on my line and keep on the ball hard."
Leach could be seen at one point in the third quarter with his hands on his knees. The sign of a winded athlete. Still, Leach went on to break off a couple of long runs in the second half, including an 80-yard touchdown run that avoided contact with every Glens Falls player on the field.
The turning point, if there was one, may have been Biscaro's injury. Batavia went on to score on that drive, thanks to a 46-yard pass from Leach to Taiyo Iburi-Bethel on the first play after Biscaro left the field. But that didn't reveal how unsettled the offense would become without Biscaro.
That score gave Batavia a 14-0 lead but it was clear how much things changed on the next Blue Devils' possession, which began with a successful onside kick. The play calling was slow and a combination of Leach and Alex Rood in the backfield lacked the tempo and organization of a Biscaro-led offense.
The Blue Devils were unable to convert that opportunity into points on the board and with Glens Falls scoring on its next possession, momentum seems to have shifted in the Indians favor.
Briggs said losing Biscaro hurt on both sides of the ball.
"He's a huge part of our offense and our defense so there's no question about it, that hurt a lot but, hey, I'm the football coach and you've got to figure out how to get it done and I didn't do that."
Biscaro did take the field to start the second half but Batavia was still unable to get back in rhythm, and after taking another hit that sent him to the turf in pain, Biscaro was once again lifted from the game.
Briggs tried a few different looks with the offense with Biscaro out -- Leach along in the backfield, Leach at QB with Rood at running back, Rood taking the snaps, along with reverses, flea-flickers, end-arounds, and the offense wasn't able to execute consistently.
One of Batavia's touchdowns in the fourth quarter came after a pass to Andrew Francis bounced off his hands, into the air and toward the end zone. Iburi-Bethel grabbed the pop-up fly, turn, ran and scored.
That and Leach's 80-yard run where among the few bright spots for the Batavia offense without Biscaro.
Briggs blamed himself, not the dropped passes, the fumbled snaps, the miscommunication on the field.
"We ran a lot of wildcat stuff with Ray but obviously everybody's keying on him," Briggs said. "He's not a pure passer back there so we tried to do a few different things. But you know, it didn't totally work out but again we've got to get some stops and you know maybe I should have been a little better prepared for that."
Iburi-Bethel finished with four catches for 82 yards and a TD. Leach had one reception for a 28-yard TD. Biscaro was 5-6 passing for 70 yards and TD.
Besides Girard's heroics for Glens Falls, Trent Girard, one of six Girard cousins in the game, caught seven passes for 183 yards and a TD. David Barclay had two catches for 93 yards and a TD. Aalijah Sampson carried the ball 23 times for 135 yards and four touchdowns.
Batavia had 538 yards and 25:37 time of possession while Glens Falls had 464 total yards and 19:25 time of possession.
For Batavia, Cam White, Joseph Martinucci and Alex Rood all recorded sacks.
Joshua Barber had eight tackles.
Photos by Jim Burns.
For more pictures, click here.
A hunter is reportedly lost in the Alabama Swamps.
Alabama fire dispatched.
A command post is being set up at Sour Springs Road and Roberts Road.
Law enforcement also dispatched.
UPDATE 9 p.m.: Dispatchers are checking on the availability of the State Police helicopter to assist in the search.
UPDATE 9:10 p.m.: Command post being moved to the parking area on Sour Springs Road.
UPDATE 9:34 p.m.: The State Police helicopter is not available.
UPDATE 9:50 p.m.: A fire chief is out with the hunter now and is calling 9-1-1 from his mobile phone so dispatchers can help plot the easiest way for them to get out of the swamp. There was a second person in the swamp, the hunter's brother, looking for him, but he's not lost.
UPDATE 10:19 p.m.: Chief says, "we're going to go back the way we came in. I can't get through this swamp."
UPDATE 10:36 p.m.: The hunter and rescuer are out, safe, and at the command post.
We're just a couple of minutes from kickoff at the Carrier Dome in the Class B state championship game between the Batavia Blue Devils and the Glens Falls Indians.
We spoke with a former Batavia player before the game who played in last season's opener at the Carrier Dome and he said on that September day it got hot inside the dome. Something to watch for this game -- whether the colder November weather helps keep it cooler in here or if it gets hot and then the effect that has on players. Ironically, the Carrier Dome is not air-conditioned.
Other keys: Can the Blue Devils keep Indians QB Joseph Girard III in the pocket? And if they can, pressure him while the secondary maintains coverage? Turnovers good be key in a potentially high-scoring game.
On the Batavia side, it's likely all about Ray Leach, who has gained more than 1,200 yards and scored 22 touchdowns in the last three games. Even if Glens Falls slows Leach, Batavia still has weapons in Ethan Biscaro, Alex Rood and Taiyo Iburi-Bethel.
It looks like Batavia comes into the game with the bigger line on offense and defense.
Check back shortly for updates or tune in to WBTA for the broadcast or WBTAi.com for the live stream.
-----
Opening kickoff to Batavia is out of the back of the end zone. Batavia starts on the 20-yard line. Leach on the first play, six-yard gain. Leach gets the first down on the next play. On the third play, Leach turns the corner and carries the ball to the Indians 23-yard line, with the last 15 yards gained coming while dragging defenders with him. Leach gains just two on his next carry. Holding penalty. First and 20. Pass to Taiyo Iburi-Bethal for a five-yard game. Leach out wide, pass from Biscaro, he gains 10 before an Indian defender grabs his jersey. Leach drags him five yards and then breaks the tackle. Leach breaks two more tackles and scores. Extra point missed. 6-0 Batavia.
Batavia kickoff out of bounds. Glens Falls starts on its 35. Joseph Girard passes on the first play. Dropped by Trent Girard on the far side. Joseph Girard barely backs it to the line of scrimmage after being held in the pocket and trying to run up the middle. Girard sweeps right and on the run heaves the ball far downfield and the pass is incomplete. Andrew Francis with good coverage. Glens Falls punts. No return.
Batavia starts on its own 26. Leach up the middle on the first play. Two-yard gain. Leach has nowhere to go on the second-down play. He barely makes it back to the line of scrimmage. Biscaro on a long pass to Iburi-Bethel. Complete at the 50-yard line. Iburi-Bethel on an end of round, nine-yard gain. Biscaro from shotgun, fakes a pass to a wideout and then darts up the middle for a three-yard game. First down. Biscaro from the shotgun sacked on a blitz. Second and 16. Biscaro on a keeper, collapses before he reaches the line, untouched and is on the field being tended to by a trainer.
Biscaro limps off the field. He was holding his knee. Third and 17. Leach takes over at QB. Snap to Leach and Leach heaves a high-arching pass intended for Andrew Francis, bounces off his hands and Iburi-Bethel picks the ball out of the air and streaks into the end zone. Touchdown. Leach scores on the two-point conversion. 14-0 Batavia.
Batavia recovers an onside kick at the Glens Falls' 45 yard line. Leach starts at QB and runs off the snap for a three-yard game. Timeout Batavia with 2:47 left in the quarter.
Leach at QB, and he hands the ball to Rood, who gains three yards. Leach back at QB. He drops the snap, recovers, breaks a tackle and sweeps to the nearside and gets back to the line of scrimmage. Fourth and 4. Leach on direct snap, sweeps right and gets six yards. Empty backfield, snap to Leach, runs left and gains three. Clock under 20 seconds, direct snap to Leach who tries running to his right and is tripped up in the backfield and flags fly. Holding on Batavia, 10-yard penalty. That's how the quarter ends. 14-0 Batavia.
Second and 19 for Batavia to start the second quarter. Leach takes the snap, long pass intercepted by Girard and he's tackled on the seven-yard line. Girard misses a pass two passes and then scrambling, nearly sacked in the end zone, on the run throws a long pass to Davi Barclay, complete at Batavia's 33-yard line. Handoff to Aalijah Sampson runs left and carries the ball to the 19-yard line for a first down. Sampson gets handoff again, carries the ball to the four-yard line. First and goal. Girard fakes the handoff and tries to run off tackle and stopped at the line of scrimmage. Batavia's defense again blocks up the middle of the line and Sampson stopped for a one-yard loss. Third down. Sampson rolls out to his right and is pursued. Cam White is on his tail and he reverses direction and as White reaches for him he seems to just take an extra step and eludes White, runs to far sideline, down the line, and into the end zone. Touchdown The extra point is blocked by Andrew Francis. 14-6, Batavia still leads.
Kick to Leach on the five-yard line. He returns it to Batavia's 27. Rood is QB on the first possession. Hands off to Leach for a two-yard gain. Incomplete pass from Rood. Intended for Iburi-Bethel. Rood takes the snap, drops back and feigns pass and then decides to run. Two-yard gain. Batavia will punt on 4th and 7. No return. Glens Falls takes over on its 29.
First and 10, Sampson on the carry for four yards. Girard hits Trent Girard the Indians have first and 10 at the 48-yard line. Girard with a completion to Sampson, nine-yard gain. Girard with plenty of time in the pocket, long pass intended for David Barclay but it falls beyond his diving reach. Girard rolls out, forced to turn back toward the right side and is tackled from behind for a loss by Josh Barber of a yard. Fourth and one. Timeout. There is 5:20 left in the half. Girard has to scramble and his pursued through the backfield, he runs right, gets the first down and cuts back to the middle past nearly every Batavia defender. Before he reaches the end zone with a Batavia player close, he dives and looks like he gets the ball over the line but a ref 15 yards away rules him down at the one-yard line. Sampson scores on the next play and then runs the ball in for the two-point conversion. 14-14.
There is 4:55 left in the half. The kickoff goes out the back of the end zone. Batavia's ball on its own 20. Leach drops the handoff and recovers his own fumble on the 17-yard line. Second and 13. Leach up the middle, finds a hole, cuts to his left, gets a good block and finds open field. He stumbles and recovers, three Indians pursuing him, he heads toward the sideline and outruns a lone defender for a score. That's an 83-yard TD run. Timeout before the extra point. Leach on the carry for a two-point try and he's stuffed at the line. 20-14, Batavia leads.
Batavia again tries an onside kick. The Indians get first and 10 from their own 49-yard line. Girard with a pass to Sampson, complete. Leach tries to shove him out of bounds but he stays on his feet and finds some space. He's tackled at about the 10-yard line. Sampson with the carry to the three-yard line. Sampson with the ball again and sweeps to the left, tackled at the one-yard line. Sampson up the middle for the score. Extra point is good for a 21-20 lead for the Indians. The first time all season Batavia has trailed.
According to our photographer on the sideline, Jim Burns, Ethan Biscaro is being taken by his parents for medical treatment. He's out for the remainder of the game.
Batavia takes over on the 20. Leach breaks free for again to the 38-yard line. Leach with the next carry for a five-yard gain. 2:06 left. Batavia has no timeouts left. On a flea-flicker, Leach throws down to the 20, intended for Iburi-Biscaro, incomplete. Leach with the carry. No gain. Flag on the play. Illegal formation declined. Fourth and three, Batavia will punt. Line-drive punt with a favorable Batavia punt. A 47-yard punt, ball down on the five-yard line.
Sampson on the carry from the five, three-yard gain. Girard is sacked, bringing up third and 17 but Glens Falls lets the clock run out on the half.
The half ends with Glens Falls leading 21-20.
During half-time, Ethan Biscaro was warming up. Apparently, in consultation with his parents, the decision has been made to let him play in the second half.
Batavia's kickoff to start the second half goes to Girard at the 20 who brings it back to the Indians 38, first and 10. Movement by Batavia on the line. Flag. Five-yard penalty. First and five. Girard drops back to pass and seems to have plenty of time to pass and then faces pressure and heads toward the far side and steps out of bounds for a short game. Pass for a first down, ball on the Indians 48. Girard rolls out and throws across the middle of the field to Trent Girard, complete to Batavia's 30. Sampson tripped up in the backfield by Batavia, second and 13. Girard drops deep, scrambles and just before reaching the line, throws a bullet at the knees of a receiver who drops it. Girard begins in the shotgun, scrambles, long pass to the far side, pass broken up by Iburi-Bethel. Fourth and 13. Girard's pass into the end zone, complete for a touchdown to Barclay. Francis wants an offense pass interference flag but doesn't get it. Extra point good. 28-20, Glens Falls.
Batavia starts on its own 20. Biscaro is at QB. Handoff to Leach, five-yard gain. Leach stopped at the line. Pass wide to Iburi-Bethel on the nearside, gain to the 33, making it first and 10. Leach up the middle, five-yard gain. Leach bottled up at the line, but gets two yards before being pushed back. Biscaro has Iburi-Bethel wide open down the middle with a pass to the 35 but Iburi-Bethel drops the pass. Batavia in punt formation. High deep punt by Francis. Glens Falls gets the ball on their own 21.
First play, Sampson dropped for a loss. Girard with a bullet to Trent Girard at the first-down marker on the far side. First down. Girard sacked by Iburi-Bethel. Two-yard loss. Girard on the run finds Trent Girard wide open on the 30. Rood makes a shoe-string tackle on the seven-yard line to save a touchdown. Sampson up the middle. Batavia claims a fumble but doesn't get the call. Ball on the two. Sampson again dropped for a loss. Ball on the three. Third and goal with 4:01 left in the third. Girard rolls right with two defenders in pursuit, on the two-yard line, they lunge at him and he sidesteps the tackle attempt and scores. Extra point is good. 35-20.
Iburi-Bethel with the return. Batavia's ball on the 33-yard line, first and 10. Leach with the carry, out to the 39. Leach breaks two tackles on the way to the Indian's 42-yard line. First and 10. Leach with the ball, picks his way to the 29. First and 10. Leach off the left side, gain of three. Leach looking tired. A blitzer gets past him and sacks Biscaro, there is a fumble but Biscaro recovers. Biscaro passes to Zack Anderson back to the original line of scrimmage. Fourth and 10. Biscaro sacked. He drops the ball. The fumble is recovered by a Batavia lineman and Biscaro is again down on the turf but limps off the field. Glens Falls takes over on downs on their own 37.
Indians call timeout after lining up in formation. Five seconds left in the third quarter.
Trent Girard with a reception for a first down.
End of the third, 35-20, Glens Falls over Batavia.
Girard loses three on a keeper. On the next play, Girard again eludes the rush but his pass falls incomplete. Girard finds Trent Girard 10-yards out, who is wide open and with no defenders behind, touchdown. Extra point is good. 42-20.
OBSERVATION: Girard is a much better QB than what Batavia saw in Patrick Hackler last week, and Hackler is very good. Girard has a better touch, can also throw bullets, throw down the field on the run without under-throwing his targets, and is very hard to contain or catch in the backfield.
On first and 10 at the 15, direct snap to Leach, who eludes all tackles and carries the ball to the 50 before stepping out of bounds. Leach on the next carry, three-yard gain. Iburi-Bethel on the end-around, big gain out to the 30. Leach, direct snap, hands it off to Iburi-Bethel who breaks a tackle in the backfield and gains a couple of yards. Leach on direct snap runs to the outside and gets enough yardage for the first down but flag on the field. Holding on Batavia. Rood in the shotgun, pump fakes, looks downfield. Iburi-Bethel is wide open. The pass is on the numbers. He drops the ball. Third and 12 with 8:47 to go. Rood swings right, pursued by Terrell Bonner-Welch who hits him from behind. Rood lost the ball but he appears to have been down. There is a penalty against Batavia. 4th and 19. Rood drops back, in the grasp of a defender, he spins and tosses the ball down the middle of the field and finds Daemon Konieczny but well short of a first down. Glens Falls takes over on downs at their own 42.
Girard is sacked for an 11-yard loss. Girard sacked again, ball now on the 21. Glens Falls will punt.
With 6:12 left, down 42-20, Batavia starts on its own 43. Leach runs left, picks up about 10 where he breaks a tackle, and he changes direction heading toward the far sideline, picks up a couple of blockers and steps out of bounds at the 21. Leach with the ball, heads to his left and finds nothing but open field to the end zone. Touchdown. Two-point try fails, 42-26 Glens Falls.
Batavia tries an onside kick but a whistle blows at the line of scrimmage. Illegal motion. Batavia will kick again from the 35. The kick fails to travel 10 yards before going out of bounds at the 40. Five-yard penalty on Batavia, first and 10 from Batavia's 35.
Sampson with the carry for four yards. Sampson with a 25-yard carry but a flag on the play. Block below the waist, 10-yard penalty on the Indians. Sampson again, big gain, to the 22. First down. Great backfield tackle on Sampson sweeping to the left, loss of two. Sampson breaks a tackle and finds some space but Iburi-Bethel catches him and comes over his back, hanging on, trying to strip the ball, and Sampson shakes him off and scores. Extra point is no good, 48-26 Glens Falls.
Time left, 3:44.
Rood at QB, hands off to Leach, sweeping left and a five-yard gain. Ball on the 25. Batavia tries a tricky play, with snap to Rood, hand off to Leach, pitch to Iburi-Bethel who heaves the ball downfield well beyond any receivers or defenders. Rood scrambles stops, turns to throw just pass the line, and lineman T.J. Guy intercepts giving Glens Falls the ball on Batavia's 16.
Sampson on the sweep to the left. Nobody touches him. Touchdown. Extra point makes it 55-26. There was a late flag on Sampson run, a personal foul that will be enforced on the kickoff.
Glens Falls kicking off from Batavia's 45. The kick skips through the end zone.
First play from the 20, Leach with the ball, untouched through the line, all the way to the end zone for an 80-yard TD. Leach stopped on the two-point try. 55-32, Glens Falls.
Leach is exhausted.
Penalty on Batavia's kick. Try again from the 35. And another penalty. Encouragement. Ball on the 30. After two failed onside attempts, deep kick to Sampson who bobbles the ball but recovers, and carries the ball to Glens Falls 41-yard line. Sampson with the carry, six-yard game. Sampson with a first-down carry. Sampson, no gain. Less than a minute to play. Time will expire with Glens Falls up 55-32.
Here's the hardware they're playing for.
Officials in Corfu neglected to properly manage budgets and accounting for the village's sewer fund according to a recent office by the state's comptroller's office.
The three key findings of the audit:
There is no accusation of malfeasance in the report.
The auditor found that the lack of realistic budgets led to a gap between actual revenues and expenditures. The board did not "adequately consider the effect that problematic cash flow issues and the formation of two new sewer districts would have on the annual budgets," according to the report.
The auditor said estimates were inadequate because the board anticipated the village would receive additional revenue from new sewer districts sooner and greater amounts than it actually did. The board also underestimated expenses.
The clerk-treasurer, according to the report, did not include a cash flow analysis in her reports to the board.
"In addition, the Clerk-Treasurer recorded that the sewer fund owed the general fund $61,0003 as of May 31, 2017, but she could not explain the purpose of these entries or provide evidence for their accuracy," the report reads. "As a result, we question the accuracy of her records."
These discrepancies would have been detected by the board with annual audits but board members told the auditors that the board did not hire a CPA annually for an audit as a cost-saving measure.
Annual audits are required by law.
The audit did find that sewer customers were billed properly and the proper amount of sewer rents were collected.
In a letter to the auditor from Mayor Joseph Johnson, the board said it would correct the discrepancies by adopting the auditor's recommendations, including drafting more realistic budgets, develop a multi-year financial plan, and hire a CPA to annually audit the district's financial records.
There was robust private-sector job growth in Genesee County in October, according to recent statistics from the NYS Department of Labor, with 200 new jobs.
There are a reported 16,700 jobs in Genesee County compared to 16,500 a year ago.
The total number of jobs in the county, including government jobs, is 22,400, with the government sector losing 100 jobs year-over-year.
Average quarterly wages for all sectors increased from 2017 to 2018 in the second quarter from $9,921 to $10,107. Third quarter wage reports are not yet available.
The Genesee County unemployment rate is 3.3 percent for October 2018, matching the September unemployment rate but an improvement over the 4.5 percent rate of 2017.
Unemployment is a measurement of the number of county residents who are actively seeking employment divided by the total number of people considered part of the labor force (the employed and people seeking employment).
The county's labor force is 29,500, down from 30,400 the previous month but up from 29,100 the prior year.
The total number of employed Genesee County residents, working anywhere in the region, is 28,600, down from 29,400 a month ago but up from 27,700 the prior year.
One thousand people are listed as unemployed, unchanged from the prior month a 300 fewer than a year ago.
The unemployment rate for GLOW is 3.3 percent, down from 3.4 the previous month and 4.7 percent a year ago.
The state's unemployment rate dropped from 3.8 to 3.6 month-over-month and from 4.4 the prior month.
The nation's unemployment rate is 4 percent.
A vehicle is off the road at Route 20 and South Street Road, Pavilion, and injuries are reported.
Mercy Flight is requested to the scene.
Pavilion fire and Mercy EMS responding.
UPDATE 8:07 a.m.: Le Roy also responded and is now back in service.
UPDATE 8:10 a.m.: Roadway is open. Pavilion is back in service.
Linda Stoiber and Peggy had plenty of pie to give out to guests of City Church this morning at the Generations Center on Center Street, Batavia, as part of the church's annual Thanksgiving Day feast for community members.
More than 250 people attended today's meal.
Below, Dennis Stoiber serves up some turkey.
When you're a high school football player, it's something special to get to practice on Thanksgiving Day. It means only one thing. You're playing for a chance to win a state title.
The Batavia Blue Devils (12-0) held a walk-through practice this morning at the Batavia Middle School gym, rehearsing plays and defensive schemes in preparation for that championship match up with the Glens Falls Indians (10-2) at noon Saturday (Nov. 24) inside the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.
"It was a special thing to practice on Thanksgiving and my father and I always talked about it, saying, 'wow, you know, think about it, some high school teams are practicing today,' " said Head Coach Brennen Briggs, son of Section V Hall of Fame Coach Jim Briggs. "It's finally us, so you know the hard work has paid off with all these guys and we're excited to get out there on Saturday."
Batavia got to the state final by outscoring the #1 ranked Skaneateles Lakers 54-49.
That game was the first time all season the Blue Devils faced a standout, strong-armed, athletic quarterback, in Patrick Hackler. As they turn their attention to the Indians, they're again facing a top-ranked QB, Joseph Girard III, who has a 63-percent completion rate on the season.
Again, he's big and athletic (he's all-time leading scorer in Basketball for Glens Falls, with 3,306 career points, and just signed a basketball scholarship with Syracuse).
He's also not the only member of the Girard family on the team. He's one of six cousins from a family with 75 years of athletic history in Glens Falls.
Briggs said facing Hackler and Skaneateles definately helped his team be better prepared to defend against Girard and the Indians.
"Obviously it's a very good football team over there," Briggs said. "You know we're game-planning for their quarterback and their skill positions. It's going to be a tough test for us. I think we'll be up for the challenge and you know we're hoping to get another good day of work in tomorrow."
The game plan for Batavia will come as no surprise to Glens Falls Head Coach Matt Shell: Give the ball to Ray Leach and make the Indians stop him.
So far in the postseason, every other opponent of the Blue Devils has found that impossible.
Leach has 1,223 yards rushing and has scored 22 touchdowns over the past three games, including eight touchdown performances against both Cheektowaga and Skaneateles (state playoff records). He was handed the ball 50 times against the Lakers. He set a new state record (breaking his previous week's record) with 474 yards rushing. His 50 points scored is a playoff record for New York.
Leach also intercepted a Hackler pass on defense, with Andrew Francis snagging another key interception to open the third quarter and allow Batavia to extend its lead by two touchdowns for the first time in the game.
The interceptions, perhaps, made the biggest difference and highlight a weakness for high school teams that live by the pass. Even the best high school quarterbacks are more prone to turnovers than top running backs.
Batavia's big line will be ready to pressure Girard and with Leach, Francis, and Taiyo Iburi-Bethel in the defensive secondary, the Blue Devils have the tools to disrupt the passing game.
"If we do what we do by taking care of the football, as we've done, then it should be pretty good for us," Briggs said. "I think that we've got some guys out there that are hungry to get the football once it's in the air so hopefully we can put some pressure on him, contain him, and create some turnovers."
At the end of today's practice, Briggs and his coaches told their players -- enjoy Thanksgiving with their families, be thankful for what they've got, recognize the unique position they're in -- a chance to play for a state championship, take care of themselves and be ready to go on Saturday.
If you're not attending the game, you can listen to the WBTA broadcast (UPDATE: WBTA will stream the came on WBTAi.com) or check The Batavian for updates.
A vehicle has reportedly struck a utility pole at Judge Road and Hutton Road, Oakfield.
Unknown injuries.
Oakfield fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
Carjacking suspect Constantine Murrell, 35, a parolee from Rochester, entered a not-guilty plea at his arraignment today in Genesee County Court on counts of second-degree robbery and second-degree assault.
Murrell is accused of forcibly taking a car from a woman at the Kwik Fill, 99 Jackson St., Batavia, on Sept. 25.
He is also charged with reckless driving and unlawful fleeing a police officer.
After allegedly stealing the sedan, Murrell is accused leading police on a chase through city streets that reached 65 mph.
The chase came to an end when the stolen vehicle struck another car at Redfield Parkway and Richmond Avenue, which caused it to careen into a tree and the recently installed sign at the entrance of VA Medical Center.
The car then caught on fire.
The woman who had been driving the car was not physically injured.
Murrell was released from prison in April after serving an eight-year sentence for a 2010 kidnapping conviction in Rochester. He also has a previous drug conviction.
He reportedly told police after his arrest that he didn't know how he wound up in Batavia on Sept. 25. He said he had gotten into a truck with a man he didn't know in Rochester to do the drug K-2 and that the man left him in Batavia. He told police he panicked and just wanted to get back to Rochester.
“(I) couldn’t figure out how I would do it," Murrell is quoted in a court document as telling police. "I was at the gas station and saw an old lady in a white car at the gas pumps. I figured that it would be pretty easy to scare her and take her car.”
Judge Charles Zambito reaffirmed Murrell's bail status. He is being held without the possibility of bail. He will reappear in County Court on Jan. 23 for a hearing on pretrial motions.
There was no discussion of any potential plea offer.
The Batavian's news partner, 13WHAM contributed to this story.
Photos and article submitted by Anne Marie Starowitz.
I have been in a classroom since 1955. As a kindergarten student at the East School on Main Street in Batavia, I was evaluated by a checklist of questions: Could I tie my shoes, skip, and did I play well with others? We all know that has changed over the years.
My next memories were at St. Joseph’s Elementary School, where I learned Gregorian chant and how to diagram sentences. We didn’t have a gymnasium so recess was definitely my favorite subject because it was
Traditional teaching was the norm, a teacher at the front of the room lecturing and students taking notes. D’Youville College was different in the late ‘60s. First of all, very few students owned a typewriter; our papers were handwritten or if you were lucky your roommate had a typewriter.
You lined up in long lines to try to get the required courses for your major. It took weeks to get your grades in the mail. When I graduated the job, market was flooded; I was one of thousands who wanted to be teachers. The Vietnam War influenced many students to stay in college.
I was so lucky to land my first job at the Wolcott Street School in Le Roy. I finally had my own classroom. I was not the student anymore; I was the teacher. I had my stack of ditto masters and I was ready to create my worksheets. How lucky to have the hand-operated Ditto machine available to make my copies. As the children would say those dittoes smelled so good.
I wanted to be a hands-on teacher. My first year in third grade the Social Studies curriculum was learning about the regions of the world. The first area I had to teach was the deserts of the world. So, I brought in sand, bought every possible cactus plant I could find and prepared a display on a long table. We did a mural with a map to go behind the table. The children created a papier-mâché camel. They were so engaged.
I wanted the children to feel what it was like to live in a desert. I turned the thermostat in the classroom to about 85 degrees. I did not know my thermostat controlled the 12 classrooms on my floor. I bet those kids (and the other teachers) never forgot the lesson on deserts! I was lucky that I was given the opportunity to try new things. I always believed if you were excited to be a teacher, your students would be excited to learn.
When I taught in Batavia I again worked with a wonderful principal, Andy Steck. He supported my teaching style. He accompanied my class to New York City and always supported my trips to Albany. I retired in 2007 and for the next 11 years I continued to teach. I borrowed teachers’ classrooms who were ill or at a meeting. In 2017, I changed from a substitute teacher back to a classroom teacher. This time I am very happy to be on the faculty of St. Joseph School as their second-grade teacher.
My life has come full circle.
Times have changed and with the passing years many programs have come and gone. Technology has impacted the way we teach and how the children learn. Nevertheless, the teachers are the same as they were back in my day, 46 years ago when I was a first-year teacher: Teachers are in the classrooms for one reason, the children!
Ann Marie Starowitz is author "Back in the Day: Snapshots of Local History,The Way I see It!." The book is in its final printing and is available at 20-percent off the original price at the Holland Land Office Museum bookstore.
As part of "Shop Small Saturday" in Downtown Batavia this weekend, The Yngodess Shop is hosting a benefit for the Sheriff's Office K-9 Fund and to honor the memory of "Destro," the dog who worked patrol with Deputy Chris Erion for five years before dying in early October.
The Sheriff's Office has identified a possible replacement for Destro but is also planning on acquiring a second dog and training a new handler, and funds raised through this event will help with the effort.
Yngodness owner Chris Crocker said the event at her shop Saturday will include tastings and specials to share.
Erion will be at the shop from 5 to 7 p.m. for a meet-and-greet.
"Please stop by and show your support for this great cause," Crocker said.
Photo courtesy the Sheriff's Office.
Two weeks after election day, with most of the outstanding ballots in the NY-27 counted, challenger Nate McMurray has pulled within 1,384 votes of Rep. Chris Collins but it's unlikely there are enough ballots left to be counted for McMurray to overtake the Federally indicted congressman.
McMurray has not conceded the race, though Collins has declared victory.
In Genesee County, in the count of provisional, military, absentee and emergency ballots, McMurray gained 71 votes on Collins, making the split 11,471 for Collins to 8,705 for McMurray. Third-party candidate Larry Piegza finished with 627 votes.
According to the McMurray campaign, and multiple other news reports, McMurray gained votes in nearly every, if not every, county in the district since election day two weeks ago.
In a statement this afternoon, McMurray thanked his supporters and vowed to continue the fight, claiming potential irregularities. He said he and his attorneys are discussing the situation and will decide what to do after Thanksgiving.
In election law in other states, when the margin separating two candidates is less than 1 percent, an automatic recount is required or a candidate can request a recount. New York law provides no mechanism for requiring a recount.
"We have seen extensive irregularities in the voting process, especially pertaining to absentee ballots, and there are issues that need to be addressed, not only for this election but for all elections in the future to ensure voters are not disenfranchised and that every voice is heard," McMurray said.
The Collins campaign has not sent a statement about the outcome of the election to The Batavian.
In Genesee County, the recount is a bipartisan affair, overseen by Richard Siebert for the Republicans and Lorie Longhany for the Democrats, with observers from both parties watching the entire process, from ballots being opened to votes being tabulated.
In Erie County, which is where McMurray picked up most of his additional votes to close the gap, which was 2,241 votes districtwide when Erie County started its vote count yesterday morning, Republican Commissioner Ralph M. Mohr told the Buffalo News the process there is similar to the process locally.
The Tuesday process began around 10 a.m. in a stark room at the Board of Elections on West Eagle Street. Officials first ran through a scanner the emergency ballots that somehow were jammed or encountered other problems in the machines on Election Day.
Then Mohr explained the process by which a bipartisan team from the board would open the ballots and prepare them for machine scanning. Officials lined up approximately 16 workers at carefully staged positions on both sides of a long table, with Democrats observing Republicans and vice versa.
“We have here a bipartisan team,” Mohr explained to a crowd of campaign observers and reporters, asking Democrats and Republicans assigned to the counting table to raise their hands.
Erie County officials counted 5,588 absentee ballots, 1,454 affidavit ballots, and 433 emergency ballots, with McMurray picking up 3,279 votes and Collins 2,422. There are more ballots to count but McMurray would need nearly all of the remaining his ballots to go his way in order to pull out a victory and that is statistically improbable.
Collins is expected to be sworn in for his fourth term in January even though he faces an ongoing investigation by the House Ethics Committee, will be in the minority party, serve on committees, and awaits a Federal trial on charges that he exchanged in securities fraud, wire fraud, and lied to the FBI about his role in an alleged scheme to illegally use corporate insider information to assist family and friends in dumping stock they owned in Innate Therapeutics. Collins served as a member of the board of directors of the Austrailian biotech company.
He was also once the company's second-largest shareholder but in a recent disclosure by the company, Collins isn't even listed among the top 20 shareholders.
At one time, Collins reportedly held 3.8 million shares of the company's stock.
By law, members of Congress must disclose their stock trades within 30 days of the transaction.
On June 20, Collins sold between $15,000 and $50,000 shares of stock (as specific as he's required to be on the disclosure form).
On that date, Innate was trading at 28 cents a share. If he sold $50,000 worth of shares, he sold less than 180,000 shares. It's unclear when and how he disposed of his other outstanding shares (which would have been enough to keep in the top 20 shareholders of Innate if he retained the shares).
In a news report about the stock disclosure, his campaign spokeswoman called these facts "fake news."
Collins is expected to go on trial for his insider trading charges in February 2020. He vows to beat the charges and continue to serve in Congress.
Copyright © 2008-2022 The Batavian. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service
