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One person suffered a minor injury and three others were unhurt in a rollover accident on Route 63 on Saturday that was blamed on excessive speed for conditions.

The driver, Laura F. Schimpf, 18, of Bishop Street, Watertown, received a citation.

Her passenger, Lauren S. Aulet, 18, reportedly had minor cuts and glass in her eye.

Uninjured were Stephanie Kingsbury, 19, and Allison J. Cropsey, 18.

Schimpf was reportedly driving north on Ellicott Street Road near Route 20 in Pavilion when her car went off the east shoulder. The 2007 Hyundai sedan struck a snowbank and over turned, coming to rest on its roof.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Chris Parker.

(Initial Report)

The residents at 5645 Ebb Road, Byron, found something creative to do with the piles of snow plowed and piled up next to their driveway -- they built a snow dragon.

A car fire has been reported on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 387 in the westbound lane.

Town of Batavia Fire being dispatched.

UPDATE 7:20 p.m.: There's been only one call reporting the fire. Mile maker 387 is about 2/10ths of a mile east of the Byron Road underpass.

UPDATE 7:31 p.m.: A chief on scene reports no flames showing. Engine 21 is returning to quarters.

UPDATE 7:32 p.m.: Engines 23 and 24 arriving on scene. The fire appears to be out.

UPDATE 7:38 p.m.: Mechanical problems. Town of Batavia Fire back in service. The actual mile marker was 387.9.

Linda Tyczka never expected Minty Wellness to receive the kind of praise it has from meat eaters in Genesee County and beyond.

Among locals, "they're probably our biggest client base," Tyczka said.

Why wouldn't meat eaters embrace the gourmet restaurant inside the upscale hotel and spa in Darien Center?

Well, there's no meat served at Minty Wellness. It's an entirely vegan and raw food establishment.

Since opening last May, more and more local residents have been discovering Minty Wellness and telling their friends about the food.

"There are so many local people coming," Tyczka said. "We have a group reservation from a local bank. None of them are vegan. They just heard it’s a nice place and the food is good. We’ve taken the vegan menu past granola and beans. We try to do a little gourmet and it’s working well.”

The story of Minty Wellness begins more than three years ago at a raw food seminar in Maine. There, Tyczka met Mary Minihane, who makes her home in Ireland. The two women struck up a friendship and Mary suggested opening a vegan and raw food resort.

Her initial idea was to open it in Costa Rica, but after the women travelled there they couldn't find a suitable location, so Minihane started looking in California and Arizona.  Then she sent Tyczka information on property in the Poconos.

At that point, Tyczka said, "Hey, what about my place."

Tyczka and her husband David own 100 wooded acres in Darien. Minihane researched the market, liked its proximity to Buffalo, Rochester and Toronto, and agreed to back the construction of the facility.

The entire hotel, spa and restaurant are brand-new from the ground up. The eight hotel rooms are each unique, though the entire decor of the hotel is sleek contemporary with a touch of retro modern. The spare, uncluttered environment inside is immediately relaxing, which Tyczka said was the goal all along.

"I'm all about environment," Tyczka said. "It doesn't matter where I go, I want to be in a nice environment. We didn't just want to have a vegan hotel and just plain rooms. We wanted that experience to carry up into the rooms so people would be like, 'I can't wait to get to my room.'"

Some of what the spa offers includes Swedish massage, hot stone massage, soothing soak, Vichy massage and colon hydrotherapy. Laura Koepp is also on staff to offer Naturopathic therapy.

For those looking for an overnight or longer retreat, besides relaxing in the hotel, there are four golf courses within 15 minutes, plus nearby Darien Lake, as well as the wood areas for hikes or snowshoeing.

Overnight stays include a vegan breakfast.

As for the lunch and dinner menu, it features such delectable-sounding dishes Cajun Mayo Avocado, Linguini Alfredo, Tomato Dill Nori Roll and a vegan taco dubbed the "best taco ever."

"It's awesome to be acknowledged by the locals," Tyczka said. "It's one thing to pull people from Rochester, Buffalo and Toronto, but to be recognized by local people is just a really gratifying thing."

For the past seven months, the staff at Gillam-Grant Community Center on West Bergen Road, Bergen, has been hosting members of the community -- a dozen at a time -- for a tour and information session about the 30-year-old center.

The "Growing Gillam-Grant" programs provide insight into what Gillam-Grant is about through the stories of the seniors, adults and children who have benefited from and contributed to Gillam-Grant.

"We share the stories so people understand what we do," said Peggy Swapceinski, executive director.

It's also a chance for members of the community to provide feedback on programs and services so Gillam-Grant can evolve, Swapceinski said, and continue meeting the community's needs.

Gillam-Grant provides programs that vary from adult education and senior meals, to children's day camps and crafts. The current newsletter also promotes an upcoming theater performance, bus trips and fitness classes.

Growing Gillam-Grant sessions are by invitation, but open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the center. To request an invitation to a future event, call (585) 494-1621.

Photos: Above, Loren Penman explains some of Gillam-Grant's programs, and below, Shirley Wade tells the story of a Gillam-Grant patron.

Regional GOP leaders expect to name a candidate to run in a special election for Chris Lee's former seat within eight or nine days, said Nick Langworthy, Erie County GOP chairman following a two-hour meeting of county chairs at Batavia's South Beach Restaurant.

"We need to nominate somebody in short order because we believe the election will be held some time in the next six to eight weeks," Langworthy said.

Added Monroe County Chairman Bill Reilich, "Governor Cuomo is not Governor Paterson. He knows we need representation in Washington."

Last year, residents of the 29th Congressional District went eight months without representation because Gov. Paterson refused to call a special election. In that case, Democrats feared losing the seat to Republicans. In this case, some Democrats think they have a fighting chance to take the 26th District.

The GOP county chairs said candidates for the Republican nomination will be interviewed in one week by 21 GOP leaders from throughout the region.  

Any candidate who wants to be considered, Langworthy said, should contact his or her county chair and provide a letter of intent and resume.

"All candidates will be considered," Langworthy said.

Also attending today's meeting were: Mike Norris, Niagara County; Ed Morgan, Orleans County; Gordon Brown, Wyoming County; and Don Read, representing Genesee County while chairman Dick Seibert is on medical leave.

A snowmobiler was injured this evening in the area of Transit Road, east of Dublin Road.

The accident was reported at 9:20 p.m.

The injured rider was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy Flight.

Bethany Fire responded with mutual aid from Alexander and Stafford.

UPDATE: The Sheriff's Office has released additional information: The rider was Steven L. Klien, 41. He was ejected from his snowmobile for an unknown reason while traveling in a southern direction on a marked trail. Klien was then struck by a snowmobile operated by Michael K. Owens, 39. Klien suffered a cut on his leg and a possible broken leg. The investigation is continuing, but alcohol is not considered a factor.

My route back from the Snowbox Derby included Bliss Road, above, and Pekin Road, below.

Nearly 100 people showed up at Veazey Hill on Lockport Road in Oakfield today for Genesee County's inaugural "Snowbox Derby."

The rules are pretty simply -- you build a cardboard sled (you can use only cardboard, glue and duct tape -- and then ride it down the snow-covered hill.

Prizes were given out for fastest and most creative. 

There were dozens of entrants.

Some cardboard sleds were fast and quickly made it to the bottom of the 150-yard-long hill. Others barely made it past the starting line.

The event was organized by Sarah and Kevin Veazey.

To purchase pictures from today, click here.

More pictures after the jump:

More than 200 concerned residents -- not all from Alabama -- turned out Thursday night for a more than two-hour presentation on a proposed high-tech manufacturing park.

The park, known as WNY STAMP (WNY Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park) may be the Genesee County Economic Development Center's most ambitious project yet.

And while the handful of residents who spoke may have asked skeptical and probing questions, nobody at this meeting really spoke out against the proposal.

The 15-year-build-out plan calls for the creating of more than 9,000 new, permanent jobs in 6.1 million square feet of manufacturing space. There will also be 180,000 square feet of retail space and a new town hall and museum in the southeast corner.

GCEDC officials pitched the project as one that would create good-paying, 21st Century jobs (average annual wage, $58,000), reduce the brain-drain of youths leaving WNY, provide new revenue for community services, enhance the local infrastructure and potentially reduce property taxes.

Of course, these jobs and all of this new revenue in the community is only created if businesses decide to build new high-tech manufacturing plants -- such as flat screen monitors, computer chips and solar cells -- in STAMP.

Some residents wanted to know why GCEDC thinks -- especially with the seemingly slow adoption of Buffalo East by new companies coming to town -- that any manufacturers will set up shop in STAMP.

Mark Masse, project manager for GCEDC, explained that in the past couple of years, GCEDC has fielded a few inquiries about appropriate locations from the types of businesses that use STAMP, but because STAMP hadn't even completed the earliest of approval processes yet, the companies had to look else where.

"What they're interested in is 'speed to market,'"said Roger Pearson, lead consultant on the project.

He said they need to know that they can get their new plant open in 12 to 18 months, and right now, if a business committed to the park, it would take much longer than that before they could open.

That speed to market was a concern of John Hatch, too. He's a UB student from Amherst and he wants to work in the kinds of industries STAMP will hopefully attract.

"I'd like to see this happen so I can stay in the area," he said.

Macomber Road resident Mark Williams wanted to know if GCEDC had a guarantee from the New York Power Authority for the cheap hydro power these companies will want for their operations.

Masse said, "There's no guarantees in life. ...But, "if we had a significant client come in, the New York Power Authority is will to work with us to ensure power."

Others wanted to know who was going to pay for the infrastructure development that needs to take place to attract these businesses.

Pearson explained that a project like this is really "shovel ready lite." The goal is to get all of the permits and environmental review processes completed, decreasing the amount of time it takes to build a new manufacturing facility. Much of the infrastructure, he said, wouldn't be built until it was needed and those costs would be covered by developers.

Pearson warned that the project plan presented Thursday is still evolving and some aspects may change as it goes through the planning and permitting process, and some of the changes will be based on feedback from the community.

A draft environmental review is expected to be completed by the end of March, with the final review completed by the middle of July.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries has been reported on Route 63 between Clapsaddle and Bethany Center roads.

Bethany Fire Department is responding.

There are two cars involved in an accident on Route 20, Alexander, near Silver Road. At least one of them struck a cow.

Both drivers are complaining of back pain.

Alexander Fire and Mercy EMS are responding.

An off-duty trooper is on scene and reports several cows in the roadways, most of them on Silver Road. The owner of the herd is responding to the scene.

UPDATE 6:56 p.m.: There's a second, non-injury accident in front of Alexander's rec hall.

UPDATE 7:21 p.m: The cows are back in the barn and the roads are clear.

A two-car, minor injury accident is reported at Lake Street near West Bergen Road.

Le Roy Fire Police requested to the scene to shut down traffic on Route 19.

Le Roy Ambulance responding.

A winter storm front moved through Genesee County this morning dropping two or three inches of snow.  

The forecast for the rest of the day is a bit of wind and maybe a little light snow. 

All four occupants are safely out of a car that rolled over in the area of 6937 Ellicott Street Road, East Bethany.

Three occupants are walking around and one is waiting in a car with possible glass in his or her eye.

Pavilion Fire and Mercy EMS is responding.

Rumors of Chris Lee flirting with women, and possibly more, have swirled around him since his 2008 campaign for Congress, the Buffalo News reports today.

Several people contacted the campaign of Lee's Democratic opponent in 2008, Alice J. Kryzan, to say they had firsthand knowledge of Lee cheating on, or attempting to cheat on, his wife, two sources with knowledge of the campaign said.

Kryzan decided against pursuing the accusations because she didn't want to run a dirty campaign, the sources said.

Lee's alleged behavior reportedly drew the attention of House Majority Leader John Boehner. According to various reports, including the Buffalo News, Lee was allegedly behaving inappropriately toward female lobbyists. Boehner reportedly told Lee, "knock it off."

Boehner has told reporters that Lee resigned on his own with no pressure from leadership.

Politico reports that Lee's sudden departure caught the GOP by surprise.

House Speaker John Boehner and other top Republicans were unaware of the brewing scandal before Gawker posted the story early Wednesday afternoon, meaning party leaders were caught flat-footed when the controversy broke.

“Lee’s people tried to handle it internally,” a senior Republican aide said of Lee and his staff, adding that such a move was “a big mistake.”

Meanwhile, Lee's former staff is now under the supervision of Clerk of the House of Representatives. All of Lee's offices are remaining open to handle constituent matters.

Reaction in Genesee County to Lee's resignation and allegations from the Internet news site Gawker.com -- that Lee sent a shirtless picture of himself to a woman he met through Craigslist -- has been one of shock and disbelief.

County Legislator Ray Cianfrini said Lee was a guy he had high hopes for.

"From everything I could gather he was a rising star," Cianfrini said.

"He was appointed to Ways and Means in his second term, so obviously, he had some respect (in Washington), so for him to self-destruct like this is a real disappointment."

Legislator Jay Grasso said, "We all worked really hard for him, so I'm disappointed."

Dean Norton, president of the Farm Bureau, said Lee's departure from the House is a potential set back for the agriculture interests in New York, both because of Lee's quick rise in power and his expressed interest in the ag business.

"We were looking forward to to having an ally on the Ways and Means Committee who would bring ag funding issues to the forefront," Norton said.

Batavia's Town Supervisor Greg Post had a little bit different take.

Post heard a talk-show host complaining about the fall of another leader and Post said, "He's not my leader. He's my representative."

"My comment would be that I'm not surprised by the higher percentage of failures in elected positions," Post said. "It's an accurate representation of what our nation has evolved to over the past 50 years. This isn't the same country I grew up in."

We also asked for a comment from Elba's Bill Kauffman, writer and iconoclastic historian, author of nine books, including "Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette," and  a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal. Here's Kauffman's response:

"For 20 years, Genesee County was represented in Congress by Barber B. Conable, a thoughtful, rooted, humane man who was exactly what the Founding Fathers had in mind. The series of Erie County hacks who have succeeded him -- Bill Paxon, Tom Reynolds, and now the Shirtless Wonder -- have been disgraces.

"I'd love to see a decent, honorable insurgent Republican from one of the rural counties take on whichever humdrum timeserver the GOP bosses choose. And I hope the Democrats run a vigorous populist instead of a suburban liberal who gets the shakes when he/she crosses the Pembroke town line."

Tomubari Godswill Gbaraba, 18, of 262 14th St., Buffalo, is charged with rape in the first degree. Gbaraba is accused of having forced sexual intercourse with an 18-year-old victim at College Village. Gbaraba was jailed on $50,000 bail.

Christine A. Woika, 37, of 82 Gilbert St., Le Roy, is charged with reckless endangerment of property and endangering the welfare of a child. Woika is accused of placing a jacket and other clothing in an oven in an apartment and leaving the oven on. The clothes started to burn and if they had caught fire, the fire could have spread causing at least more than $250 in damage. Woika is also accused of allowing herself to become incoherent to the point that she had to be transported to a hospital while she was caring for a 2-year-old child.

John Weston Boddy, 19, of Junction Road, Pavilion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Boddy is accused of possessing marijuana while on Pavilion Central School property. He was issued an appearance ticket by Deputy Brian Thompson.

A 17-year-old, of Roanoke Road, Pavilion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth is accused of possessing marijuana while on Pavilion Central School property. He was issued an appearance ticket by Deputy Brian Thompson.

Gary Frank Caccamise, 64, of Attica, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle. Caccamise was reportedly spotted by Deputy Brian Thompson allegedly drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle. Upon further investigation, Thompson allegedly found Caccamise in possession of marijuana.

Gerald George Ryder, 50, of Bloomingdale Road, Alabama, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th, and harassment, 2nd. Ryder is accused of punching a woman in the head and then smashing her wooden bookcase during an incident at 2:30 a.m., Saturday.

 A 37-year-old Bergen man was reportedly killed Thursday night in a snowmobile and car accident in Riga, Monroe County, according to WHEC.

The accident occurred around 10 p.m. on the Buffalo Road bridge over the CSX tracks when a westbound car, for an unknown reason, crossed the center line and hit the group of three of snowmobile riders head on.

The name of the deceased and the two riders with him have not been released. One other rider was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital and the third was not injured.

UPDATE: The deceased has been identified by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office as Thomas Bushman, 37. The second snowmobile driver, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, is Craig Heberle, 19. The uninjured rider is John Heberle, 37.