A motor-vehicle accident is reported on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 388.6 in the westbound lane with minor injuries.
A road sign reportedly went through the windshield of a vehicle.
A 10-month-old and a 3-year-old require medical evaluation.
Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS responding.
A pickup truck has gone off the roadway into the trees in the area of 791 Bloomingdale Road, Basom.
Unknown injuries.
Alabama fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE 1:41 p.m.: No injuries. Mercy EMS can go back in service.
Shots from yesterday's afternoon show of the Attica Rodeo.
The collectibles store Foxprowl is back at its original location, 440 Ellicott St., Batavia, after a couple of years of trying a location at Main and Jackson and pop-up stores and online sales.
After a barbershop that had moved into the location closed, owners Bill and Joy Hume saw it as an opportunity to get back to their roots.
"It’s a familiar spot," Bill Hume said. "I like the building and the location and I like the landlord so it was kind of obvious. It worked out good. It just happened to become available and I jumped on it. My gut instinct told me, go back home."
Added bonus, his stock of T-shirts with the 440 Ellicott St. address on them is back in style.
Yesterday, the Chamber of Commerce was on hand for a ribbon cutting with help from Batman's Penguin, Wolverine, Spider-Man & Velma from Scooby-Doo, all from WNY Superheroes and Cosplayers.
The grand-reopening yesterday also included appearances by Brenden Gillard, artist, voice actor, costume designer, and author. Anthony Zicari, comic writer and editor, was also on hand.
Bill Hume said he will bring in more celebrity guests and he's also looking to bring back Foxprowl Con, perhaps in the coming year, with some new ideas.
The Batavia Men's League Softball championship comes down to Tomkins Insurance vs. Skyworks this coming week.
On Thursday, in the semifinals, Tompkins beat T.F. Brown's Beers N Bombs 15-7. In the nightcap, Skyworks beat USPS 14-1.
Antwan Odom is charged with attempted assault, 1st, a Class C felony, and criminal possession of a weapon, 4th, a Class A misdemeanor.
Odom is accused of stabbing neighbor, friend, classmate and teammate Ray Leach, a star running back for the Blue Devils and a teammate of Odom's during the football and basketball seasons. Odom is one of the basketball team's top scorers and also a standout in baseball.
Leach's injuries are not life-threatening. According to his sister Whitney Leach, Ray Leach was stabbed four times in the back, twice in his abdomen, once in each leg, and also has a couple of other superficial cuts.
Leach was discharged from UMMC last night after being treated for his wounds.
In a press release, Batavia PD said Odom allegedly attacked Leach after Leach accused him of stealing personal property.
By the time police arrived on the scene at about 3 p.m., Odom had fled. He was identified as the suspect by witnesses and police learned he had returned to his residence, also on Ross Street.
Police said multiple young children and other family members were in the house and "all occupants were safely evacuated." Odom was taken into custody without incident.
Odom was transported to UMMC for medical treatment then arraigned in City Court. He was then confined to the Genesee County Jail.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information in reference to this case may contact Officer Cowen or the Batavia Police Department at (585) 345-6350, the confidential tip line at (585) 345-6370.
Previously:
Ray Leach, Batavia High School's star running back, was the victim of a stabbing today 153 Ross St., Batavia.
His sister Whitney Leach said her brother was stabbed four times in the back, twice in his abdomen, once in each leg, and also has a couple of other superficial cuts.
He was discharged from the hospital this evening following treatment and is expected to recover.
According to social media posts, the suspect is a teammate and also one of Batavia's top athletes. Both are heading into their senior years. Batavia PD has yet to release the name of the suspect.
Leach helped the Blue Devils win sectional titles in 2015 and 2016 and helped lead them to the cusp of a fourth straight title in 2017. He has also been a standout on defense.
Shortly after the incident today, Whitney Leach asked for the prayers of friends and family. Once she learned more about his condition, she said, "Pray that he will have a great recovery and we can get him back on the Batavia field (that's all he cares about, being able to play football)."
She said the first thing he did after arriving at the hospital was ask to see Head Coach Brennan Briggs and Briggs did visit him in the hospital.
He was treated at UMMC.
Chief Shawn Heubusch said Batavia PD will have a press release tonight about the incident.
Nashville-based Blackjack Billy made its third appearance in five years at The Ridge in Le Roy, waiting out the rain with their fans and then rewarding them with another rockin' show.
The band's new single is "Straight Line Sober" (video embedded below).
Alicia Forti with her daughter, 12-week-old Paisley during the Big Latch On, a celebration of breastfeeding moms sponsored by the Healthy Living Team at UMMC, at Cary Hall on Friday.
About 40 mothers participated in the event, which included an opportunity to learn about various programs that may assist mothers, as well as fun activities such as a selfie station. Parents could also have firefighters check the installation of their child car seats.
Thomas Greenwald encourages daughter Lilly, 5, to make an angry face with a mask in the selfie station.
Jessica Thomas-Heizyk with Klara completing paperwork at the child safety seat check.
Chris Bobo, City Fire, checking the base of a car seat.
Speed may have been a factor in an accident at 2:08 p.m. Thursday, on Fargo Road, Bethany, according to an accident report released by the Sheriff's Office.
Ronald J. Maniace Jr., 24, the driver, suffered minor injuries and was transported to UMMC for evaluation.
No citations have been issued. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
According to the report, Maniace was driving a 2007 Chevy sedan southbound on Fargo Road. He was unable to negotiate a curve in the roadway, perhaps due to speed, and the sedan went off the west shoulder. Maniace apparently overcorrected and steered into the northbound lane. As he attempted to move back into the southbound lane he lost control of the vehicle and he went off the south shoulder and struck a tree.
The accident report was prepared by Sgt. Andrew Hale.
More than 860 runners and walkers -- a new event best -- participated in the GLOW Corporate Cup 5K on Thursday.
Batavia Downs was the top corporate team led by race winner Collin Mulcahy with a time of 16:43.
Kimberly Vona, also representing Batavia Downs, was the top female with a time of 18:25.
Collin Mulchay
Kimberly Vona
Batavia Downs
Tompkins Financial/Bank of Castile
UMMC
City of Batavia
The driver suspected of leading State Police on a chase down the I-90 into Batavia yesterday has been accused of assaulting a police officer and ordered jailed without bail.
Adeb Said, 49, of Port Richey, Fla., was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court on additional charges of: reckless endangerment, 1st; aggravated assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon; criminal mischief, 2nd; and criminal mischief, 3rd.
The woman who was reportedly a passenger in Said's 1997 Mercedes Benz, Tara A. Hackrott, 35, of Williamsville, was turned over to the Cheektowaga Police Department on an outstanding warrant.
Said's next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 27.
Said is accused of leading police on a chase from Henrietta to Kelsey Road in Batavia after being suspected of shoplifting. When the Mercedes exited the Thruway, the vehicle allegedly spun out and was surrounded by law enforcement vehicles. Said then allegedly drove aggressively toward a State trooper who fired his service weapon at the vehicle. The Mercedes continued on Park Road and was chased to Kelsey where Said and Hackrott reportedly tried to flee on foot before quickly being captured.
Previously:
Lucas Birkby, a 17-year-old from Darien powerlifter recently won a USAPL regional event at Riverworks in Buffalo, where he broke state records and qualified for the nationals in October where he will be ranked #1 in his class.
A student at Genesee Community College, Lucas has been training on his own at home in his garage and he lifted more than any adult at the meet in Buffalo.
His bench press was 420 pounds, with a squat of 620 pounds and a deadlift of 600 pounds. The previous records for 16- and 17-year-olds were 276 in the bench, 403 in the squat, and 375 for the deadlift. His totals even eclipsed the "equipped" category state records, which were set in 1969.
The USAPL is a drug-free lifting organization.
By winning the regional event, Lucas now has a coach, Carley Skarupinski of Mustache Fitness and Barbell, who will help prepare Lucas for the national meet. Skarupinski was director of the Riverworks event.
Photos and info submitted by Scott Birkby.
Graham Corporation employees took on a special cause this past week -- donating backpacks and other school supplies to be distributed to local schoolchildren through the Salvation Army.
Student Transportation of America agreed to park a school bus on the Graham property so the 250 local employees could have a convenient place to drop off their donations.
Julie Roloson, human resources director, said the Graham community wanted to take on a new challenge to support the local community.
"Graham takes great pride in how many events and donations we can make locally and this happened to be one that we tried for the first time and we hope it will be very successful year after year," Roloson said. "We’re extremely proud to participate."
As the YMCA and UMMC have developed their plans for a new Healthy Living Center at Main and Bank streets they've found they could have available as much as 7,000 square feet to accommodate new space for the Genesee County Senior Center and the Office of the Aging.
County staff, led by County Manager Jay Gsell are working with the Y and UMMC on determining if such a merger of operations would be feasible.
Rob Walker (top photo), director of the Genesee Area YMCA in Batavia, and Dan Ireland, CEO of UMMC, brought the plan to members of the Legislature during the Human Services Committee meeting on Monday as part of a review of the progress on the Healthy Living Center plans.
"What we want to do is have a meaningful discussion with Jay and the team about what option does that present," Walker said. "How can that space be filled? How can it integrate with the community living area?"
The facility will be 85,000 square feet and contain community space, exercise space, a pool, a gym, meeting rooms and an interior walking/running track.
There will also be what Walker and Ireland called a "community living room" in the middle of the building with access from Main Street that will be open to all members of the community, without requiring a Y membership or the services of UMMC. The community living room will be a hub to access services at the facility or just meet with other community members.
The UMMC portion of the building will provide primary care, Ireland said, as well as a residency teaching program, behavioral health and crisis intervention, telemedicine, cancer prevention outreach services such as breast and colon cancer screenings, diabetes, cardiac conditions, dietary education, education services for team members and community.
The goal, Ireland said, is to increase the integration of services across the spectrum of needs for community members, and partnering with the Office of the Aging will help enhance that integration.
"A fully integrated network doesn’t just mean us getting other doctors or other specialists," Ireland said. "It means integrating services within the community. It’s integration with the YMCA and sharing resources and services to touch the community. It means integrating with the Senior Center and the Office of Aging."
Construction on the new YMCA portion should begin in 2019 and once the new Y portion of the building is open, the existing Y can be torn down and the UMMC portion of the building can be added.
If the county decides to integrate its senior, and perhaps its youth, programs, with the Healthy Living Center, it would be up to the county to decide what to do with the existing Senior Center building on Bank Street. Walker acknowledged it is a county asset.
Walker addressed the future of the building while answering questions about access to the new building for seniors using county services.
"Does the current building need to exist?" Walker said. "If it does, it does. But if it doesn't, that helps the flow of access."
The legislature is not being asked to take any action at this time and members were comfortable with letting Gsell and staff continue the discussions.
Tomorrow starting at 6 p.m. the place to be is GO ART!, 201 E. Main St., Batavia, where the night's guest bartenders will be Howard Owens of The Batavian and Chris Kalin of WBTA.
Billed as a competition, our goal is to raise as much money as possible for local arts, so come, be merry, enjoy a few drinks, leave tips on the bar.
Press release:
The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) voted to approve incentives for the construction of two 2MW community solar farms for a combined total of 4MW at 2901 Pearl Street Road. The developer, Pearl Solar LLC will invest approximately $6 million investment and will receive incentives of approximately $472,000 in sales and property tax exemptions.
“While we were concerned about the fact that the project will only create one job, there are other temporary economic impacts such as construction and installation jobs as well as benefits to the local community in approving a renewable energy project of this nature,” said GCEDC Board Chairman Paul Battaglia.
Among the benefits of the project include: an enhanced property tax payment through a 15-year PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) resulting in approximately $311,000 in property tax payments to Genesee County and the Pembroke school district; energy discounts of 10 percent for local residents who sign an agreement with the company to purchase solar energy from the project(s); and, a community benefit agreement in which Pearl Solar will make a $50,000 donation to the Genesee County STEM2 STAMP workforce development program when the two projects are completed.
“This project fits into our local economic development strategy and marketing alignment as we are finding that renewable energy is becoming a preference item for site selectors or companies conducting site location searches,” said GCEDC President and CEO Steve Hyde. “The project also will have no carbon footprint, providing environmental benefits to local residents and just as important it aligns with Governor Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) initiative.”
A trooper was pursuing two individuals on the Thruway and one rider dumped his bike at the I-490.
At some point, the individual wrestled with the trooper but it's not clear when or where.
He is a black male wearing jeans and a multi-colored jacket.
The other motorcycle exited the Thruway at the 490 and fled in an unknown direction of travel. It's unknown if he circled back and picked up the rider.
Troopers and deputies heading to the area.
A K-9 is requested.
UPDATE 12:03 a.m.: All responding units have switched to L.E. Secure. We won't hear any more about this incident.
Local library directors are asking Genesee County to provide $48,000 in funding in its 2019 budget, which would restore the county's share of funding to 2011 levels.
Without committing, either way, several members of county's Human Services Committee on Monday questioned why towns in the county that don't have libraries aren't doing more to assist funding libraries since their residents certainly use libraries, whether it's the Richmond, Haxton, Corfu, Woodward, or Hollwedel libraries.
"You need to make a presentation to GAM (Genesee Association of Municipalities) because there are still significant portions of the county that are not contributing to the libraries," said Robert Bausch, chairman of the County Legislature. "I hate to say that certain people in certain towns are dumber than other people so, therefore, they don’t need libraries. I don’t think that’s true but the bottom line is, this has gone on now since approximately 1986, so this has gone on for 30 years and these other towns have not stepped up."
Suzanne Schauf, director of the Hollwedel Memorial Library in Pavilion, suggested that because of towns without libraries -- such as Bethany, Alabama, Alexander, and Elba -- aren't legally obligated to pay for libraries, any funding that comes from the towns could be precarious and subject to political whim.
Bethany, she said, used to make a contribution to the Pavilion library, but then somebody said the wrong thing to somebody, somebody else got mad, she said, and the funding was cut.
To secure more funding from these towns, libraries would need to recharter to incorporate these towns either in a library district or as part of an appropriate school budget.
That can be a lengthy process, though the Corfu Free Library rechartered as a school district library and became the Corfu Public Library in 2016.
Bausch was actually part of the committee 30 years ago that came up with the formula for the county to provide financial support to all of the libraries. The original plan was for the county share to be $60,000, or $1 per resident.
Over time, that share was reduced and is now less than $48,000, though the county's population is 58,000.
More than half the money goes to the Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia and though that is the largest piece of the funding pie, said Director Robert Conrad, it is the smallest portion of the library's revenue stream.
The county share is generally used for the purchase and upkeep of technology and purchasing new books.
The Legislature is asking that the topic be placed on the next GAM agenda.
About half the Village of Le Roy will lose power for up to a half hour while crews work on downed power lines along Lake Street Road near Orcon Industries.
About 35 minutes ago, a Waste Management truck coming through the area hit power lines and pulled them down. Before crews could get in place to shut down traffic, more trucks came through the area and pulled down more lines, according to Le Roy Police Chief Chris Hayward.
Le Roy fire and Le Roy PD along with National Grid are on scene.
UPDATE 4:59 p.m.: National Grid has control of the scene now. Le Roy fire is back in service.
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