A motor-vehicle accident with unknown injuries is reported in the ara of 3371 Maltby Road, between Fox Road and North Pearl Road, in Oakfield.
Oakfield fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE 4:17 p.m.: An Oakfield chief requests Mercy EMS continue to the scene for evaluation of one patient.
Press release:
“I don’t know how to fix all of our problems, but anyone can tell you that if you are about to remodel an old house, the first thing you should do is replace any rotten boards,” "Fix It" Larry Piegza says. “People are saying that the Republican Party is not the same party (as) it was 20 years ago and many people feel that Chris Collins is part of the problem.
"He doesn’t stand for the basic values moral Republicans believe in, nor does he put New York first. He is not making our health insurance affordable. We are drowning in taxes and Collins just voted on a tax bill that raises NYS residents’ taxes. Let’s start our remodel today.”
Fix It Larry Piegza began his campaign to run for the Republican nomination for New York State’s 27th Congressional District with the launch of FixItLarry.org. A computer-technician-turned-entrepreneur, he started a small software business in his attic with $10,000. He feels he is a great candidate because he sees firsthand how tough it is for small businesses to survive under government regulation.
Despite this, he has a 15-year track record of growing his company with no deficit spending. The company now employees 25 people. He feels that Western New Yorkers will benefit from his good decision-making skills and his strong desire for a balanced budget – both for New York state and the country.
“Many people are saying we’ve drifted from believing in good fiscal responsibility, ethical values, and a government that stays out of our lives. People are saying they’d like to see us return to these values. I’ve shown that I can make good fiscal decisions that aren’t at the expense of another person. I’d love to help restore the party to a strong ethical foundation,” his Facebook page states.
A West Seneca native, Larry went to Orchard Park schools and has lived in Western New York his entire life. Married for 19 years to a graduate of Pembroke High School, Larry has a daughter, 13 and a son, 15, that he likes to take outdoors year round, from sledding at Chestnut Ridge, hiking in Letchworth State Park, or visiting his in-laws in Batavia.
“This is a beautiful area and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. But we need a change in leadership if Western New Yorkers are going to survive,” Fix It Larry says. “Raising NYS taxes will not help New Yorkers. Voting to repeal without replacing our health care will not help us survive. The GOP is endorsing pedophiles, which is not a Christian value, and therefore Chris Collins needs to go.”
Press release:
There is a water main break on Richmond Avenue in front of Van Detta Stadium. Crews are on site to make repairs which will take several hours. Please be advised that Richmond Avenue will be closed to traffic between Union Street and Verona Avenue until repairs are complete.
The same technology that is changing how you watch a basketball game or movie on your home television is also making surgery safer and more efficient at United Memorial Medical Center.
Two operating rooms at UMMC have been outfitted with a 4K camera system from Olympus and 4K large-screen monitors from Sony.
"We are one of the few hospitals in the region who has it," said Dr. Andrea Zucchiatti, a surgeon at UMMC. "Nobody in Buffalo has it. Nobody in Syracuse has it. Nobody in Albany has it. They have one in Auburn and Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong has it and we have it."
The medical camera is an improvement over previous high-definition systems not only because of the higher and more detailed resolution but also because more light can get in through the lens, allowing for brighter exposures in dimly lit areas of a human body.
Zucchiatti said the technology allows surgery to be performed faster -- the patient is under sedation and in the operating room for less time -- and incisions can be smaller.
"We can perform safer and more efficient surgeries," Zucchiatti said.
Mike Randall, WKBW's chief meteorologist and an actor, performed a reading of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens last night at the Richmond Memorial Library. In Randall's live solo performance he takes on the role of 25 characters from the story.
Local community members met in City Council Chambers last night to discuss and map out their ideas on how to improve Downtown Batavia.
The public meeting is part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, the $10 million state prize won by Batavia, to help make improvements to downtown.
Community members discussed options to help establish priorities for how the $10 million might be spent.
This was the first of three public meetings. The public will also be invited to offer their opinions through online surveys.
The meeting was facilitated by Edward Flynn, planning division director for Labella Associations in Rochester.
Press release:
It is with a powerful sense of sadness and loss, tempered by pride in our past and the hope of a faithful and resilient people for the future, that the Genesee County Baseball Club (GCBC), the nonprofit that has owned the Batavia Muckdogs of the Class A New York-Pennsylvania Professional Baseball League, announces that control of the franchise has been transferred to the New York-Penn League.
The transfer was officially approved by the GCBC's 23-person all-volunteer board.
The league is seeking a buyer for the franchise. Under terms of the transfer, the Rochester Red Wings, who have managed day-to-day operations of the club since 2008, will receive 50 percent of any sale price, and the GCBC will receive the other 50 percent, minus legal fees and the 10 percent share of sale proceeds that will be kept by the league. The name “Muckdogs” will remain property of the GCBC.
Batavia is the last of the original cities of the New York-Penn League, which was founded at a meeting in the Hotel Richmond in Batavia and began play in 1939 as the PONY (Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York) League.
The ongoing geographic expansion of the league, which now stretches from Aberdeen, Md., to Burlington, Vt., and from Staten Island to Morgantown, W.Va., has made it tremendously difficult for the smaller Upstate New York cities that once formed the heart of the league to survive. Lodging and travel costs have become prohibitive for small-market teams in the western part of New York State.
The sole remaining longtime Upstate New York franchise is in Auburn, which entered the league in 1958.
Brian Paris, president of the Genesee County Baseball Club, thanked the Rochester Red Wings:
“We are deeply grateful to the Red Wings for their absolutely pivotal role in preserving NYP League baseball in Batavia for these last 10 years — which included the franchise’s fourth league championship in 2008. Naomi Silver, Gary Larder, and the rest of the Red Wings organization are great people and have been a pleasure to work with.”
Paris also praised the Batavia fans, noting that for years, the team had annually ranked in the top half of the league in per-capita attendance.
“Batavia has a great core of fans,” he said. “Dwyer Stadium is the friendliest ballpark in America.”
He saluted the hundreds of local businesses that have supported the team over the years, noting that “in best grassroots fashion, small businesses have been the advertising backbone of this team.”
It is not yet clear where the franchise will play ball in the summer of 2018. That decision is up to the league. But Paris expressed the hope that when June 2018 rolls around, a team called the Batavia Muckdogs—whether as a member of the NYP League or perhaps a summer league for top college players--will take the field at Dwyer Stadium.
An ambulance has been dispatched to the toll booths on the New York State Thruway in Pembroke for an employee who has reportedly suffered an electrical shock.
No word on the extent of injuries, if any.
Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments also responding.
UPDATE 3:11 p.m.: The patient suffered minor burns on her fingers and was transported to ECMC. She was plugging something in to an electric outlet when she was shocked.
A semi-truck driver lost control of his rig on Ellicott Street Road in Bethany at about 9 o'clock this morning and slid off the roadway.
No injuries were reported.
The accident was in the area of 5902 Ellicott Street Road.
Bethany fire responded.
Photos by Glenn Adams.
Austin L. Wester, 23, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with four counts of forgery, 3rd, one count of petit larceny, and possession of a hypodermic instrument. Wester was arrested on a warrant for allegedly taking another person's checks and cashing those checks by forging that person's signature. At the time of his arrest, Wester was allegedly found a needle in his pocket. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.
Davon S. St. John, 19, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. St. John allegedly stole property from T.F. Brown's.
(Name redacted upon request), 18, of Ridge Road, Elba, and (name redacted upon request), age and address not released, were charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Xxx and xxx were charged following a traffic stop by Christopher Lindsay at 8:32 p.m. Dec. 8 on Liberty Street, Batavia.
Shawn M. Twardowski, 35, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal contempt, 2nd. While Twardowski was an inmate at the Genesee County Jail on Nov. 18, and again on March 26, he allegedly sent letters via postal mail to a person he was barred from contacting in any manner.
Corey O. Armstrong, 46, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana.
Armstrong was stopped by Batavia PD while driving in the city on Tuesday. Armstrong was wanted on a warrant stemming from a sealed Grand Jury indictment.
During the traffic stop, Armstrong was also allegedly found in possession of marijuana.
Armstrong was arrested as the result of a Local Drug Task Force investigation into the possession, transportation and sale of crack cocaine in and around the City of Batavia.
Following arraignment in County Court on the indictment, he was jailed without bail.
Press release:
As the volunteer lists keep growing, Progressive Democratic Congressional candidate Nicholas Stankevich has opened his first district office. The work space is located at 56 Harvester Ave. in Batavia, Genesee County. Renovated from a former industrial work space, the Stankevich campaign has scheduled an Open House and the official opening to be Thursday, Dec. 21st, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
“Our intention is to provide a great place for our volunteers to work on our campaign as we begin the important process of taking back the 27th Congressional District,” Stankevich said. “We will win this election only with the hard work of our volunteers and pressing the important issues that greatly influence the families of this district.”
The office is housed in the old Massey-Harris plant. Designed as a workspace for volunteers, the office will be used on a continual basis to house volunteer activities for the Stankevich campaign.
“This office is really what this campaign is all about,” Stankevich said. “Our district used to be full of manufacturing jobs like those that were housed in this facility. Today, we have to develop 21st century jobs, educate our young people, train them in new technologies and opportunities that provide a strong livable wage. That is how we will bring back our communities in Western New York.”
Office Hours are daily, but dependent on the volunteer schedule. The Open House is a great way to grab a cup of coffee with the candidate to discuss the issues of the 27th Congressional District.
Andrew Young Jr., the 14-year-old Alexander High School student who saw a commercial for an invention contest while watching the Ellen Show and decided to enter his idea for the "Toaster Shooter," has won a nationwide contest sponsored by Frito-Lay.
The grand prize is $250,000.
"We are blown away," said Andrew's father, Andrew Young Sr. "I don’t know that’s kind of hit us yet. We thought we did a good job and we though we might have won but we didn’t allow ourselves to think we had won so we’re still waiting for it to sink in, including Andrew."
Andrew is in school this morning and not available for comment.
Speaking of school, that's the plan for the $250,000 prize.
"He's not going to be able to buy the Lamborghini like he thought he would," said his father, laughing. "It's a college fund. It's 100 percent a college fund. He wants to go to M.I.T. so we're going to need every penny of it."
Andrew was among five finalists selected to compete in a voting contest. For more than a month votes were collected on the MyDreamVention.com website with multiple votes per person, per device allowed.
The Youngs worked hard to promote the contest locally and in Rochester and Buffalo to help drive votes.
Press release:
Following on the heels of a successful art show at GO ART! last month, a few employees/moms at Batavia High School (who will be remaining anonymous) decided that they wanted to make sure that the rest of Eian Windham's artwork sold out.
Eian has had a challenging couple of years and these moms felt that this show/sale, located in the BHS library, would bring exposure to his outstanding photography and would give him the happiness that he deserves.
These BHS employees who refer to themselves as Moms4Good only needed to ask the BHS administration once and they were supportive and completely on board!
The public is invited to stop into BHS anytime during the next two weeks to purchase some really spectacular photography. All of it is mounted and some are framed but all is reasonably priced and would be a perfect holiday gift!
This Thursday, Dec. 14th, the public is also invited to a double treat. The BHS Winter concert, starting at 7 p.m. will be followed by a reception and art sale.
"Most of the prints are under $20 and they are really gorgeous," says one of the organizers.
The event will be held in the library all day on the 14th, but the reception will be after the concert at 8:30 p.m.. The concert begins at 7 p.m., but arrive early for the best parking and seating.
Tom Redband, an entrepreneurship teacher at the high school, has opened this opportunity up to his students and they have agreed to offer their services to set up, collect money and even order prints after they are sold out.
"What a great way to start off this magical holiday season with some beautiful music and artwork to benefit a great young man," says an organizer.
A tractor fire, near the maintenance building, is reported at the Stafford Country Club.
Stafford fire responding.
A 17-year-old Basom resident admitted in County Court today to threatening to shoot troopers and deputies during an incident on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation on Sept. 30, and of trying to seriously hurt or kill a person with a motor vehicle in the City of Batavia on Aug. 28.
Isaac Abrams entered guilty pleas to making a terrorist threat, a Class D felony, and reckless endangerment in the first degree, also a Class D felony.
There is no sentencing cap on his possible prison term, which is a maximum of seven years, but the sentences on both charges would run concurrently, according to the plea agreement.
Abrams was being held in Genesee County Jail on $25,000 bail, but after listening to both attorneys on his bail status, County Court Judge Charles Zambito agreed to release Abrams under the supervision of Genesee Justice with a curfew of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. He must continue to reside at his mother's residence on Skye Road during the term of his release or get permission from the court to move.
First Assistant District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini argued that Abrams has demonstrated a poor record of obeying the lawful commands of police officers, first in the Aug. 28 incident in the city and then during his confrontation with troopers and deputies Sept. 30.
His attorney, Vanessa Guite, said that Abrams has been successfully participating in Alcoholics Anonymous, completed his high school education while confined, and she added that that her client's second arrest was a real wake-up call for him.
"You can see from his demeanor in court that he is taking this deadly serious," Guite said.
In October, Abrams became a father. He has yet to see his baby, Guite said.
While out of jail, Guite said, "He will be fully engaged in taking care of his baby."
Details of the incident that led to Abrams' arrest in the City of Batavia on Aug. 28 are not available. There was no press release at the time of his arrest and today the Batavia PD computer system is down so the information isn't available. (Correction: There was a press release, but Abrams' name was redacted from the initial release by Batavia PD, so we couldn't find the prior publication.)
Abrams was originally charged with three counts of attempted assault in the first degree, along with the reckless endangerment charge, obstructing governmental administration, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd.
UPDATE: At 5:46 p.m., Aug. 29, Batavia PD responded to a disturbance at Burger King at 230 West Main St., Batavia, where a person was reportedly struck by a vehicle. Abrams reportedly fled the scene and was apprehended on West Main Street.
His plea satisfies all six charges along with any pending traffic tickets.
As for the Oct. 30 incident, Deputy Andrew Hale handled the case and Hale said today that the arrest was the culmination of about a week of deputies dealing with Abrams.
He said there was an incident at a gas station on the reservation where Abrams allegedly got into a fight with a patron and the owner of the gas station asked Hale to arrest Abrams, whom he said was previously barred from the property, for trespass.
There was another incident, Hale said, where Abrams allegedly hit an employee at a smoke shop. The State Police handled that incident.
Hale sought an arrest warrant for Abrams and received it Oct. 30.
That day, there was a traffic accident on Route 77 and traffic was redirected down Meadville Road. According to Hale, Abrams and his friends, whom Hale said had all been drinking, decided to set up a roadblock and charge a toll for motorists coming onto the reservation.
Troopers responded and Abrams and his friends challenged the troopers to a fight. Hale was notified and he responded because he had the warrant for Abrams.
Upon his arrival, Abrams was positioned behind cars, near a house and a tree line.
According to Hale, Abrams yelled, "You want to play with guns. I'll play with guns."
He also threatened to shoot Hale and Deputy Lonnie Nati.
He then started to reach into a vehicle and Hale said he warned Abrams not to reach for a gun. At that point, Abrams went into the residence and Hale and Nati circled around to the back of the house. When Abrams came out, there was a brief confrontation and then Hale and Nati managed to take Abrams into custody.
No weapons were recovered at the scene, but the house was not searched because the deputies did not have a search warrant for the residence.
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