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Construction -- or rather, destruction -- has begun on the Masse Gateway Project.

The project is intended to turn the old factory buildings of Masse-Harris/Harvester into modern office and light industrial space. The first phase involves knocking down the buildings at the end of Masse Place to create an entryway into the facility.

The project is expected to cost $3.1 million and is being partially funded by a $1.5 million RestoreNY grant. Mancuso Development Group, the property owner, will cover the balance of expenses.

The project is expected to lead to productive use of all the old factory buildings in the complex, as can be seen in the artist rendering below. Included in the concept was a portion of the old Wiard Plow factory building, which was destroyed in an alleged arson fire in May. A representation of the destroyed structure can be seen in the lower right of the rendering.

A Holley man who suffered a head injury in an ATV accident last month was booked by State Police on drinking and driving charges Tuesday.

Twenty-five-year-old Keith A. Carpenter was among three ATV riders charged with DWI in connection with the July 18 accident at 6137 Merrill Road, Byron.

Carpenter was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy Flight with head trauma and other injuries, according to Lt. David Denz. Tuesday was the first opportunity since Carpenter was released from medical care to book him on the charges.

According to Denz, Carpenter was riding an ATV and following Theodore C. Vierling, 21, of Holley, when Vierling slowed to make a turn. Carpenter didn't notice Vierling slowing and ran his ATV into the back of Vierling's ATV. Carpenter was ejected from his vehicle.

Vierling was not injured in the 8:03 p.m. accident but he was also charged with driving while alcohol impaired.

Carpenter was charged with DWI and operating with a BAC of .08 or greater.

Also charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater was Edward G. Kuhn, 20, of Holley. Kuhn was following Carpenter on his ATV, but not involved in the accident.

Sandra L. Chilano, 50, of Dodgeson Road, Alexander, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. Chilano is accused of writing out cash refunds to herself while employed at Petco. The total amount of cash refunds allegedly exceeded $1,000. The 11 separate alleged incidents occurred between June and August.

Debra J. Overton, 47, of Hague Street, Rochester, is charged with DWAI (drugs), aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle and failure to keep right. Overton was stopped at 9 p.m., Monday, by Deputy Tim Wescott.

Dedra Ann Berg, 35, of Lasaille Avenue, Kenmore, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Berg is accused of going to the house of her boyfriend's victim on Overlook Drive, Batavia, in violation of an order of protection out of the Village of Kenmore. Berg reportedly has similar charges pending in the Village of Kenmore Court.

John Robert Douglas, 30, of Lasaille Avenue, Kenmore, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Douglas allegedly went to the house of a person on Overlook Drive, Batavia, whom he was ordered not to contact by the Town of Grand Island and Village of Kenmore courts.

UPDATE: On Monday, we reported the arrest of Brenda Lea Freida, 43, of Munger Road, Holley, on a DWI charge. Yesterday, the Democrat and Chronicle reported that Freida is a director of instruction in Holley Central Schools. The D&C reported that she is currently on a voluntary leave of absence. At the time of her arrest, Frieda had a pending case in Genesee County for a prior alleged DWI.

An inmate at the federal detention facility in Batavia, who was already in trouble for reportedly using illegal tactics in debt collection, has been accused by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo of operating a collection agency from inside the prison.

News report:

Lamont Cooper, 38, formerly of Lancaster, operated CMC Recovery Services, Inc., d/b/a Legal Action Recovery in Buffalo, from prison in violation of a May 2009 court order barring him from the collection industry, according to the felony complaint. He was barred after an earlier investigation determined his business regularly used threats and intimidation against consumers.

The complaint alleges that Cooper’s collectors routinely pose as law enforcement and threaten to arrest consumers unless they make arrangements to pay the company immediately. The complaint further alleges Cooper’s involvement in the scheme continued after he was taken into federal custody in October 2009 for being found in violation of the terms of his release from a 1997 drug conviction.

There's been something in the air the past couple of days that has the feel of "fall is almost here." Perhaps it's the drop in humidity.

Fall, of course, means more than gold, brown and yellow leaves. It also means football.

For local high school programs, practices are now in full swing.

The first games of the season are scheduled for Sept. 3.

On that date, Holley will be at Oakfield-Alabama for a 7 p.m. game; Hornell will be in Batavia for a non-league game at 7 p.m.; In another non-league match up, Le Roy is in Livonia at 7:30 p.m.

On Saturday, Attica visits Notre Dame for a 1:30 p.m. league match up. Also at 1:30, Pembroke is at Alexander and Barker is at Elba/Byron-Bergen.

More pictures from today's practice for the Notre Dame squad after the jump:

Three 14-year-old boys have been charged with setting the Wiard Plow factory fire, which destroyed a good portion of the historic structure May 8.

Because the boys are juveniles, their names are not being released by law enforcement. Two of the boys face two counts each of arson, 3rd, and the third member of the trio faces one count of arson, 3rd.

The first two boys are accused of starting an early afternoon fire in an abandoned office in the old factory. The 1:40 p.m. fire was quickly extinguished by the Batavia Fire Department after a passerby reported seeing smoke coming from the building before the fire had much chance to spread. 

All three were allegedly involved in starting a second fire in the evening -- reported at 7:40 p.m. --  which quickly engulfed a good portion the structure causing an estimated $288,000 damage.

Lead investigator Det. Kevin Czora along with other members of the Batavia Police Department, the fire department, New York State Fire and the Genesee County District Attorney's Office spent three months building the case against the suspects. Detectives conducted numerous interviews and gathered physical evidence.

The three juveniles, because of their ages, have been referred to Genesee County Family Court to answer the charges.

Besides the arson charges, all three were also charged with burglary, 3rd, criminal mischief, 2nd, and conspiracy, 4th.

For previous coverage, click here.

There were no injuries in an accident at Ellicott and Jackson streets a short time ago.

Officer Chris Camp said the accident investigation is preliminary and no information is yet available.

The clouds yesterday and today have been fantastic. I've really wanted to get out into the countryside and look for interesting things to photograph, such as barns. Unfortunately, my time has been limited. I did manage to drive down Sanders Road in Stafford today and spotted this barn under a great sky and hiding a bit behind a cornfield.

For most of yesterday and today, Bank Street was closed, and from the looks of it, the closures will continue. Sewer replacement has reached Bank and Washington. The road is blocked by a big ditch and heavy equipment. The project -- which will eventually include resurfacing -- is expected to go on into the fall.

A woman has reportedly suffered cuts on her head following an ATV accident in the area of 10972 Roanoke Road, Pavilion.

Pavilion Fire and Mercy EMS have been dispatched.

The Batavia Muckdogs did not play as scheduled Tuesday against Williamsport because the field at Dwyer was deemed too wet.

As a result, fans will be able to enjoy back-to-back double-headers tonight and Thursday, both beginning at 6:05.

In the NY-Penn league, double-header games are scheduled for only seven innings.

A mother whose under 15-year-old daughter admitted to her that she exchanged allegedly pornographic images with a 24-year-old Kansas man tracked the man down online and turned him over to Batavia Police.

The man is a registered sex offender. A Wichita Police investigation, after receiving the report from Batavia, indicates he may have victimized other youngsters around the nation.

Two Batavia girls were allegedly involved in exchanging pornographic images with Shane McClelland, of 1800 East 201st St., Wichita, Kansas.

McClelland was taken into custody by Wichita Police.

Based on the possibility of additional victims in other locations, the investigation is being turned over to federal law enforcement.

Conversations with the girls in Batavia reportedly began in January 2010 and continued into August 2010. Over time, the online conversations allegedly escalated into sexually explicit communications.

McClelland is being held in Wichita on additional charges and alleged parole violations.

At least a half dozen local nonprofits showed up for an open house this afternoon at the former Cristina's Restaurant and Lounge building on Ellicott Street.

Owner Chuck Brumsted says a total of 15 groups have contacted him about a possible donation of the fire-damaged property.

Brumsted, who's still in Florida, wanted to give nonprofit leaders a chance to see the site, taking stock of both its potential and the work that needs to be done to fix it up.

Genesee ARC, GCASA and GCC were among the groups represented today.

For Genesee ARC and GCASA, both organizations are looking at a potential business location to give clients a chance to get work and entrepreneurial experience. 

Maryann Arena from the GCC theater program said she was there to check out the possibility of a downtown theater location. It could give students a chance to learn about a variety of theater production techniques -- bringing more young people downtown in the process.

Pam La Grou, representing GCASA said the site might give her agency's clients a chance to learn how to start and run a business, perhaps a coffeehouse.

"We're just in the exploratory phase," she said.

For Genesee ARC, the location represents the chance to open a retail location for the products the agency's clients produce, from pet beds to baked goods.

"We're always looking for more space," said ARC's Donna Saskowski.

The property obviously needs a lot of work to become something any organization could occupy, and all of the non-profit representatives said that's certainly a consideration before deciding to make a formal application to get ownership.

Saskowski said that Genesee ARC also realizes there are a lot of resources in the community to help reduce costs, such as possibily using the property as an opportunity for construction students at BOCES to practice their trade.

"We certainly have to invest and that is the give-and-take," Saskowski said. "We have to look at the cost per square foot to remodel. It would be an investment. And could this be an investment that we could free up other facilities, or turn another facility over, perhaps that we’re leasing or something like that. It certainly takes a lot of study."

Brumsted said today that given the range of potential applicants for the property, "It's going to be a tough choice."

Bill Hume is living his dream.

What started with a Star Wars and KISS memorability collection when he was a child, has blossomed into his own retail store on Ellicott Street.

The 39-year-old entrepreneur started selling pop culture collectibles on Ebay in 1998, eventually had a 20x20 stall at Antique World in Clarence and now has 1,000-square-foot store at 440 Ellicott St.

"It's been progressively building and culminated in a store back in my home town," said Hume. "This was the ultimate dream, though I didn't know it would ever be feasible."

Hume benefited from a flexible landlord and the ability to buy all of his store fixtures cheaply.

The store, named Foxprowl, opened just over a week ago.

He said customers from Buffalo, who bought collectibles from him in Clarance, have already started showing up at his new location to browse his expanded inventory.

The story contains a wide variety of pop culture items, from figurines for Star Wars, KISS (of course), Star Trek, Spider Man, Superman and Austin Powers to toys and games tied to many of the most popular movies and TV shows of the past 30 years.

"I guess I was born at the right time," Hume said. "I just got sucked up into the whole pop culture thing in the late '70s"

He acknowledges that his kind of specialty retail store can find it hard to survive. But he's hoping with his ability to keep his expenses low, expansive resources for obtaining new inventory, and a loyal following from his previous years in business, he can make a go of it at his new location.

A one-car accident with an injury has been reported off Route 19, in the eastbound on ramp to the 490, in Le Roy.

Le Roy Fire and ambulance are responding.

The call came into Monroe County. Genesee County Emergency Dispatch has not received any calls about the accident

One person may have suffered a head injury. A person is reported at the side of the road holding another person.

UPDATE 8:50 p.m.: No accident was found. A fire chief spoke with a trooper who had been patrolling the area and the trooper had seen a disabled vehicle pulling a trailer and a person was beside the road working on the vehicle. Perhaps that's what the caller saw. Monroe County received only one call. Le Roy Fire and ambulance are clear.

There are nine home dates left in the 2010 Batavia Muckdogs season.

Will these be the final professional baseball games played in Batavia, the birthplace of the New York-Penn League?

At 6:05 p.m., the Muckdogs (34-26) open a double-header with Williamsport (35-27), followed by Wednesday and Thursday games with their division rival. Both teams are two games out of first place in the Pinckney division.

Jamestown is in first with a record of 37-25. The Jammers will be in Batavia on Sept. 2 for one game.

Fifth-round draft choice Nick Longmire remains among the league leaders in hitting, with 39 runs scored, five triples, eight homers and 44 RBIs.

Infielder Joey Bergman is among the top 10 hitters with a .315 average.

Justin Edwards leads the pitching staff with a 2.81 ERA while Andrew Moss has notched six wins.

Zach Russell, with a 1-3 record and 2.38 ERA is expected to start tonight's first game.