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When I drove down Redfield Parkway this evening, I saw several homes with nice Christmas lights, but I took only one picture tonight because it was just so darn cold for wandering around with a tripod.

City Fire is responding to The Manor House on East Main Street, where somebody reports smelling something burning.

An apparent drunken driver hit a snow plow in the area of Kelsey Road.  Crews tried to keep him in the area, but he successfully negotiated a three-point turn and fled on Pratt Road toward Route 5.

Witnesses did provide dispatch with a plate number.

The number comes back to a Kelsey Road resident with a suspended driver's license.

If you're a low- or moderate-income home owner and your property needs some TLC, they city may have a program soon to allow you catch up on all that deferred maintenance.

The grant program could help you with home repairs and improves on such things as replacing a water heater, replacing electrical systems or re-roofing.

But first, the city needs to know if you're interested. There will be no grants unless enough property owners step forward and request an application.

City Manager Jason Molino said the city is looking for 40 or more property owners to express an interest in the home rehabilitation.

If you think you might qualify, call Jodie Freese at 345-6333 to request an application.

The application is two pages and the package contains more information on the program. The completed forms must be returned to the consultant reviewing the applications by Jan. 31.

Funding for the program will come from the federal government through the Community Development Block Grant process, but the city must prove there are enough interested and qualified homeowners with sufficient need.

The program is part of the city's wider community building efforts to improve neighborhoods and local home values.

"This is the sort of thing that can be contagious and what we hope is that this will sort of catch on and filter into other areas," Molino said.

The program will provide up to $24,500 per structure. If the homeowner doesn't sell his property within five years, the grant does not need to be repaid.

Homeowners who do sell within that time frame, will be required to repay the grant.

The provision, Molino said, is to lessen the interest of speculators in flipping grant-improved homes, but when funds are repaid, the money will just go back into the grant program to assist other home owners.

Based on previous experience with a similar program on Jackson Street some years ago, Molino is hopeful this program will bring about a broad range of home improvements.

But ongoing success requires sustained effort, Molino said.

"To build on it, you need to continue to do it. It's not a one-time fix," he said.

To qualify, homeowners need to meet specified income criteria. For a sole-occupant, the very low income level is $13,050, and the upper level is $34,800.

The two-occupant range is $14,900 to $39,750, and the scale goes all the way up to eight occupants, with a range of $24,600 to $65,600.

The very-low income qualifiers will receive priority funding if approved. Applicants will be required to provide proof of income.

I took this picture of Kibbe Park during my driving around this morning.

Buyers: Please remember the six-month rule -- please don't buy a gift certificate you bought within the past six months.

Center Street Smoke House, 20 Center St., Batavia, NY: Authentic Southern BBQ, from ribs to brisket with all the fixin's. We have a $25 gift card for $12.50.

Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia, NY: People come from all over the region for a fine dining experience at Alex's. It's best known for its ribs, of course, but Alex's seafood is also a favorite of the restaurant's diners. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Kravings Kafe, Valu Plaza, W. Main Street, Batavia, NY: Recently opened, it offers soups, salads and sandwiches, fresh and flavorful; Monday through Saturday. We have $10 gift certificates for $5.

Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern, 107 Evans St., Batavia, NY: To me, Delavan's is one of those restaurants where you want to eat frequently until you try everything on the menu. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Great Kutz, in the Valu Plaza, 4152 W. Main St. Road, Batavia, NY: Men, enjoy a $5 haircut again with this offer exclusive to The Batavian. (gift card can be applied toward other services, but not products).

T.F. Brown's, at 214 E. Main St., Batavia, NY: T.F. Brown's is a great place for a good meal, good friends and to catch up on what's going on in the sports world. "If it happens in sports, it happens at Brown's." We have a $20 gift card for $10.

Jackson St. Grill, 9 Jackson St., Batavia, NY: Try the fresh, skinless haddock fish fry on Fridays. We have a $10 gift certificate for $5.

Sallome's Italian Deli, 40 Oak St., Batavia, NY: Wraps, subs, paninis and pasta as well as pizzas -- Sallome's offers a tasty variety of Italian deli items for eat-in or take-out.

NOTE: If you've never bought Deal of the Day before, or are otherwise unfamiliar with the rules and process, click here.

SOLD OUT

Ladder 15 and Engine 12 have responded to an apartment with report of smoke inside.

The resident is disabled.

First responder reports, "nothing showing."

(I didn't catch the address).

UPDATE 1:15 p.m.: Ladder 15 back in service.

In answer to a request from The Batavian, Steven C. Sharpe, director of emergency communications for the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, sent along this note about call volume at the dispatch center yesterday:

On December 10, 2009, the Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center received 1,004 telephone calls, of which 354 were 911 calls.  Our busiest period was from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. when we received 400 calls of which 165 calls were made to 911.  During that same time period there were 442 radio transmissions to and from dispatch.  To put it in perspective, during that four hours we received or answered the radio every 33 seconds, a telephone call every 36 seconds, a 911 call every 87 seconds.  We dispatched a total of 268 incidents, however many of these responses involved multiple agencies such a police, fire, emergency medical services, highway departments, and utilities.  According to our records there were 107 calls for service created for cars off the road or disabled vehicles, but many of the jobs involved multiple vehicles.  There were 56 property damage and/or personal injury accidents that were dispatched.  

These job numbers do not reflect the number of calls we transferred to the New York State Thruway for disabled vehicles and accidents on the NYS Thruway.  What is also not captured is the number of calls we received from callers telling us they were leaving their vehicles in municipal or private parking lots nor the calls we received regarding road conditions and travel advisories.  One way to help out the dispatch center is to have your listeners/readers call 585-345-3000 extension 3300 to hear the Road Conditions Update.  They can also read the different definitions for Travel Advisory, Road Closings And Travel Bans at the county website located at http://www.co.genesee.ny.us/dpt/sheriff/weatheradvisory.html
 

The travel advisory for Genesee County has been lifted by Sheriff Gary Maha.

However, roads to both the north and south continue to be subject to drifting and blowing snow and caution is advised.

In the hubbub of yesterday's storm, I never got around to posting links of the audio recorded by WBTA of the court proceedings Tuesday when Michael J. Wells received a 12.5 year sentence for his part in the mid-June M&T bank robbery in Elba.

WBTA received permission from Judge Robert Noonan to record the victim's statements, but the full audio was not available until late yesterday morning.

Interestingly, I just received a phone call from an M&T press relations representative expressing concern that the media had reported the victims' statements, "making them relive" the events, and released their names.  That's ironic because Theresa Claybourn used her statement to specifically criticize her former employer for the company's indifference to what she did that day and what she's been through as a result of that very traumatic event.

I've spoke with Theresa yesterday and know she WANTS people to hear what she had to say.   Both Claybourn and Patty Hackett specifically OK'd the recordings. If either one of them had objected, it's likely that Judge Noonan would not have authorized the recording.

Here are the links to the mp3 files.

Theresa Claybourn

Patty Hackett

I drove around Batavia a bit this morning -- lots of people shoveling and snow blowing this morning.

And, of course, the roundabout is plowed.

City Fire has been dispatched to 228 Summit St., Batavia -- UMMC -- for a fire alarm.

There is a report of smoke in Suite 5.

The thumb print of lake effect snow coming off of Lake Erie has settled over Wyoming County this morning, but the radar over Genesee County is clear.

The National Weather Service forecasts a partly sunny, but windy morning, with a 40 percent chance of some snow in the southern parts of the county.

Winds will whip at 20 to 30 mph with gusts of 40 mph. Temperatures will hit the low 20s.

The current temperature in Batavia is 16 degrees with a wind chill factor of minus 1 degree.

There is a 70 to 80 percent chance of snow in Batavia early this afternoon, dropping off to 40 to 50 percent later in the afternoon and into the evening. The wind will die down only slighly.

 From the National Weather Service:

..LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING HAS EXPIRED...

THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

LAKE SNOWS HAVE MOVED SOUTH. JUST SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED FROM NOW ON.

The five Le Roy residents arrested this morning in connection with a suspected meth lab at 28 Clay St. have been charged and ordered held in Genesee County Jail on $75,000 bail each.

All five where charged criminal possession of a controlled substance in the second degree.

Sheriff Gary Maha announced this evening that 500 grams of methamphetamine were found at the residence.

Previously:

• Unnamed tipster leads investigators to suspected meth lab in Le Roy
• Five arrested in Le Roy in connection with possible meth lab

Traffic is reportedly at a standstill on Route 63 near Johnny's bar.

Dispatch reports numerous calls, but the dispatcher says, "we're trying to figure out what's going on out there."

Law enforcement is in route.

UPDATE: The situation on Route 63 sounds like a mess. There is a jack-knifed truck holding up traffic, and (unrelated) one truck driver is filing a complaint against another truck driver for assault.

UPDATE 8:10 p.m.: Westbound Route 20 is being closed so that a DOT plow can be extracted from a ditch.

UPDATE 8:15 p.m.: Looking at the radar map, the storm is well south of Batavia. The heaviest concentration of snow is falling from Attica up to Bethany. Darien and Alexander are on the border of the storm.

UPDATE 8:44 p.m.: A driver stuck on Richmond Avenue called for a tow. He was told: Four-hour wait.

UPDATE 9:47 p.m.: It sounds like the car mentioned in the update above has been freed from its snow  bank. Also, it sounds like a truck in Pavilion is blocking traffic now.

UPDATE 9:57 p.m.: Route 63 is open again. Also, a law enforcement officer in Texas Town is reporting one of his suspects is eight-months pregnant and is feeling pressure and discomfort. We don't know why she was arrested. She's being taken to UMMC.

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Emergency crews responded to a report of a rollover accident on the Thruway and when they got there, there was nobody in the car and nobody around, but the car was on its roof.

Meanwhile, a semi-truck on Route 33 is reportedly "driving people" off the road. He happens to be heading toward a roadblock set up earlier this evening because of a jack-knifed truck near Seven Springs Road.

Also, inmate trustees are clearing Porter Road so law enforcement has access to the jail.

There continue to be reports of accidents, cars and trucks stuck in various locations.

UPDATE 6:08 p.m.: Route 33 is open.

UPDATE 6:13: Route 19 is open.

The lake-effect snowstorm hitting Genesee County isn't expected to abate for a few more hours, according to the National Weather Service.

A band of heavy lake-effect snow will continue from the towns south of Buffalo and -east across central and southern Genesee County. Expect this band to remain nearly stationary through early evening before settling farther south into the more distant south-towns later this evening, finally moving out of the area by late evening.

The storm is expected to continue dropping one- to two-inches an hour. Strong winds will create near blizzard conditions.

Meanwhile, there are still lots of drivers out on the roadways and reports continue to pour into the Dispatch Center of cars stuck in ditches.

A travel advisory issued by Sheriff Gary Maha remains in effect, recommending only necessary travel due to weather conditions.

Downtown, it's pretty much white-out conditions now.

A young man walks down Center Street wearing shorts.

Adam Miller, like most downtown businesses, is open.