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A publically traded private equity firm based in France has acquired a portion of Empire Access, a Prattsburgh-based broadband company that provides Internet and TV service to several WNY communities, including Batavia and Le Roy.

It's unclear from the news release how much of a stake in the company Antin Infrastructure Partners acquired.

The release stated that the Wagner family, which has controlled Empire since 1946, will retain an ownership stake in the company and Brian Wagner will remain on the company’s board of directors. Jim Baase, Empire’s COO, will become CEO.

Antin's stock is traded in the European Union and the company reported more than $48 million in revenue last year and has more than $23 billion in assets.

Founded in 1896 in Prattsburgh, New York, Empire offers high-speed FTTP ("fiber to the premises") internet, voice, and digital TV services.

The company reportedly manages a network of 1,280 fiber route miles servicing more than 92,000 addresses and 24,000 customers.

Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in late 2022, subject to obtaining regulatory approvals.

“Empire is one of the preeminent FTTP providers in the regions we serve and the Empire-Antin partnership will enable us to grow more quickly," said Baase, quoted in the release. "With still a substantial opportunity ahead, we are excited to partner with Antin to help secure that future growth and provide high-speed broadband access to consumers across our footprint.”

Kevin Genieser, Senior Partner at Antin, promised growth for Empire with his company's investment. 

"Empire is uniquely positioned to leverage its expansive fiber network to provide broadband services to underserved parts of New York and Pennsylvania," Genieser said.

Citizens, CIT (a division of First Citizens Bank), and Webster Bank acted as lead arrangers on the debt financing for the transaction.

This past weekend twenty moms from the community who are caregivers to medically complex or special needs children were pampered at Personal Preference Salon and Spa in Le Roy, courtesy the non-profits Hope Rises and David's Refuge.

"So often, moms do not take the time for relaxation, and for moms of children who are medically complex or have special needs, it makes it that much harder to step away for self-care," said Hope Rises Founder Kate Glaser. "This was a great way for us to pour back into their cups and the smiles on their faces all day was the perfect result of the hard work and devotion that went into this."

Each mom received pampering services, including massages, pedicures, paraffin hand dips, manicures, makeup, hair style, meditation, and a brunch ahead of Mother's Day.  The charities also provided a goodie bag of gifts.

All of the moms are caretakers of a child or children who either have a life-threatening medical condition, are medically complex or have special needs.

Glaser said this was the first such event for Hope Rises but that the organization plans to do it or something similar again.

Photos and information submitted by Kate Glaser.

Eagle Star housing is "in the business of saving lives," Dennis Mahoney told the dignitaries and residents gathered Tuesday morning for the Liberty Square ribbon-cutting ceremony in Batavia.

Mahoney, a Vietnam veteran with PTSD and traumatic brain injury, said he isn't sure he would have made it without the assistance of Eagle Star.

His path to Liberty Square started with getting admitted to the PTSD program at the VA in Batavia.

"Getting there was a journey that took me decades," Mahoney said. "I was a great Marine but a horrible civilian. I didn't make the transition too well, but I also said the country didn't treat us too good coming home. That's been turned around greatly. Now I'm proud to be a veteran, proud to have served my country and served as well."

Mahoney's rocky journey after the war included a few encounters with law enforcement, he said.

"I was a mess when I came home," he said. "I'm not gonna use that as an excuse. Not all veterans did that. But I got myself together. And I wanted to make a life for myself. And I found that very difficult. I went from a hotel in Upstate New York with the intention of taking my life."

That attempt got him to a veterans hospital in Montrose, then transferred to Bath, and then Batavia.

Treatment in Batavia, he said, "literally saved my life."

But that wasn't the end of the journey.

"I had no idea what I was going to do," Mahoney said. "After I got out of treatment, I was totally lost. Eagle Star housing had something waiting for me (in Pembroke) where I could ground myself and look for a place to live. That was very difficult. I had no history. I had no way of marketing myself. My only talents were what I learned in the Marine Corps, so not very marketable."

Eagle Star's house in Pembroke is meant to be temporary assistance, but Mahoney held on until Liberty Square became available.

Now Mahoney has safety and security and he's also found a purpose in life.  He attends City Church, where he volunteers to help people with disabilities get to church and helps with food distribution.

He is grateful he found Batavia, he said.

"It's a great community. I found a life here. I've found things that I was able to do and I can give back to the community."

He credits Eagle Star and Liberty Square with rounding out a long and difficult journey to a better life.

"So many veterans with PTSD aren't making it every day," he said. "This facility, if we could replicate this all over the country, we would help veterans stay alive, not only prosper and find employment, but find a home that's affordable."

See also: Liberty Square apartments a 'much-needed' addition to Batavia

Photo by Howard Owens

The ribbon is cut, but Liberty Square, 554 East Main St., Batavia,  has been serving as a residence for as many as 28 veterans since December, and for Zach Fuller, executive director of Eagle Star Housing, that is "mission accomplished."

"Our mission is getting veterans back on their feet back into the community and interacting with the community," Fuller said.

Liberty Square is a collaborative project between Home Leasing, LLC, based in Rochester, and Eagle Star, with financial assistance from the State of New York through Homes and Community Renewal.

"We started the program for transitional 60-day programs, but we knew that if the veteran didn't have anywhere really to go from a transitional housing situation they would face difficulty and not have support services," Fuller said. "Working with New York State and the governor's office and HCR, where they came out with a program a few years ago with a housing-first model that allows us to get our veterans into safe housing. From here we're able to provide support services for them 24/7. We provide them with apartment furniture, any type of toiletries, and day-to-day needs they have. We're here to help them. We're trying to do everything we can to keep them on their progress path back to stability and back into civilian life."

The complex cost $12 million and includes 39 additional one-bedroom apartments, and eight two-bedrooms targeting people with a household income of 60 percent of the area's median income.

City Council President Eugene Jankowski said the complex is a welcome addition to Batavia.

"Every study that the City and the County has done since 2010 has identified housing as one of our main needs," Jankowski said. "I realized what projects of this magnitude require. It's a lot of work by a lot of people. I was talking to Zach earlier and he said when this project started, his son was a newborn. And now he's five years old. So it goes to show you how long and how much perseverance it takes to get a project like this off the ground."

That perseverance is paying off, he said, because "for our veterans and those who qualify, these apartments are going to be a much-needed addition to the city. They're going to provide a safe and comfortable space to call home."

Photos by Howard Owens

Zach Fuller.

A plaque in the rec room will honor Bill Mosman, the late owner of Mosman Paint, which stood on one of the properties now occupied by Liberty Square for more than six decades. Mosman served in the Navy during World War II.

After pleading guilty to an attempted burglary felony on Monday, Christopher L. Taylor decided he didn't want to admit to a prior felony that could impact his sentencing, so he tried to withdraw his plea.

That motion needs to be made in writing.

As a result of believing he didn't adequately understand the consequence of admitting to a prior conviction, he asked for a new attorney. Taylor should have a new assigned council by the time of his next court appearance next week.

In pleading guilty, Taylor agreed to pay restitution to his victim and he signed an order of protection.

His plea agreement would have obligated him to serve at least one and a half to three years in prison, avoiding a potential two to five years.

When Judge Melissa Cianfrini started the predicate felony process, a standard proceeding for any defendant who enters a guilty plea when they have a prior felony conviction, Taylor asked to discuss the matter with his attorney, Victor T. Mui.  At one point, Cianfrini mentioned she could hear what he was telling his attorney and suggested he lower his voice.  A short time later, she offered to let the two men meet in a conference room.

After the meeting, Taylor was unwilling to admit to the previous conviction.

According to documents read by Cianfrini, Taylor was convicted of attempted burglary 2nd in November 2016.

Taylor was indicted by a grand jury on a count of third-degree grand larceny, a Class D felony. He stole property valued at more than $3,000 on Jan. 16 in the Town of Pembroke.

Last year's Genesee County Fair was so popular there was actually a run on waffles one Friday night.

"The waffle person said they used his entire week's supply on that Friday," said Norm Pimm, treasurer of the Genesee County Ag Society. "There were people waiting in line for like an hour and a half for a waffle."

Pimm was speaking Monday at the Human Services Committee of the County Legislature during an annual review of the Ag Society.

"We had a little over 55,000 people at the fair this past year, which was a 52 percent increase over 2019," Pimm said.

It was the highest attendance on record and the 10th straight year of increased attendance. 

All of the vendors ran out of food multiple times, Pimm said.

Several shows drew larger participation, including the open beef show, the open swine show, and the draft horse show, with 12 six-hitch teams. Some of the teams came from Virginia, Vermont, and Canada.

"There's also a waiting list of teams that want to get in, but we just don't have any more facility," Pimm said.

The Ag Society board will attempt to outdo itself in July with new attractions and events.

This year's fair will include radio-controlled race cars that children can operate. The six cars are sponsored by local businesses. There are also going to be pony rides, a trick dog show, three kids' days with children's entertainment and possibly free rides on the midway, a petting zoo, and some sort of entertainment every day, including the return of karaoke, and a couple nights of fireworks.

"We're gonna have a Country Jamboree," Pimm said. "We're gonna have three country acts in a row starting like midday, rolling through the night. The last band is gonna be a Waylon Jennings tribute band that's really, really good."

During the year, especially in the summer, the Ag Society is putting the fairgrounds to good use to generate revenue, Pimm told the committee.

Saturday night stock car races are continuing with a new operator. The New York Junior Beef Producers are planning a show. There are six large horse shows planned over the next few months.  And once again, the fairgrounds will host the career-development event, GLOW With Your Hands.

There will also be three food truck rodeos -- on June 17, July 8, and Aug. 26.  The food truck rodeo is looking like it will be popular, Pimm said, so the board is planning on adding trucks. The nights will include live entertainment.

With all of the activity, there are several upgrades to facilities that the Ag Society is planning. The total investment will come to $250,000 this year, Pimm said.

Top Photo: Norm Pimm provides an update during the Human Services Committee meeting this week. Photo by Howard Owens.

Recruitment and retention continue to be the biggest challenge for Mercy Flight Inc., especially in its ground operations in Genesee County, Mercy EMS, said Scott P. Wooton, executive VP and treasurer of the Buffalo-based non-profit.

On Monday, Wooton delivered the agency's annual report to the Human Services Committee of the County Legislature.

It's a competitive job environment with record-low unemployment in the region and rising wages throughout the nation, and not as many young people are choosing an EMT career path, he said.

"As wages continue to rise in part-time and even entry-level positions in other industries, it's imperative that the EMS system is able to continue to offer competitive wages and benefits for long-term sustainability," Wooton said.

It's difficult to remain competitive, Wooton said, when the Federal government is not increasing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to keep up with rising expenses.

"The stress on the EMS system as a whole could approach a breaking point," he said. "This is almost verbatim what we had in our report last year. It continues to be the number one challenge in EMS."

The pandemic has also made recruitment and retention more of a challenge.

"We feel that there may be folks who are choosing other occupations as opposed to one which will put them in the way of this virus and other such situations," Wooton said. 

Mercy Flight recently gave its employees an across-the-board 5.9 percent raise, he told the committee.

"We intend to continue to champion the courageous men and women who do choose EMS as their way of life, and will lead the charge ensuring that they're adequately compensated for their service," Wooton said.

As for numbers for the fiscal year, Mercy Flight was called upon 209 times in Genesee County. Of those, 123 resulted in patient transports. There were 72 of those 209 calls for service canceled by the requesting agency and 14 canceled due to weather.  

For Mercy EMS, there were more than 10,000 calls for service resulting in more than 7,000 patient contacts. Those contacts included both transports and lift assists.

"These figures are down about five percent as compared to pre-COVID numbers," Wooton said. "We feel that essentially, some patients would rather choose to delay care at times, especially during the pandemic, rather than having our service coming and assist them. Certainly, we tried to make it a point of public information that's not the right thing to do. When you need an ambulance, when you feel you need an ambulance, certainly you need to call and at the very least let our first responders give you sort of a checkout and see what your condition is."

The pandemic has also hampered community outreach, Wooton said. There have been fewer safety training classes and events, fewer ground training sessions for firefighters, fewer career days, and fewer DWI drills at high schools.

"Those are very impactful, and we were able to fit in a few in the previous fiscal year," he said. "All were canceled the year before. We're looking forward to getting back and doing those again, as well as our participation in various third-party open houses in recruitment demonstrations."

Wooton also addressed the recent fatal accident in Elba that claimed the life of Mercy Flight Pilot James Sauer.

"This is the first time that this has ever happened, and God willing, the last time that it will ever happen that we've lost one of our own in the line of duty," Wooton said. 

He had just come to the meeting from Sauer's funeral in Churchville.

See also: Mercy Flight pilot killed in Elba crash on Tuesday lauded as 'top-class human'

He said Mercy Flight voluntarily grounded its aircraft out of an "overabundance of caution and safety" following the accident, and Mercy Flight Central has been filling in for emergency ambulance service.

"We suspended all of our flights not only just to ensure that we're able to ensure the mechanical functioning of our helicopters, but also to give our providers time to process and integrate."

Mercy Flight tentatively plans to return to normal operations on Thursday, he said.

Photo above: Scott P. Wooton presents Mercy Flight's annual report to Genesee County Legislature's Human Services Committee Monday. Photo by Howard Owens.

James Sauer, the Mercy Flight pilot who died Tuesday when the Bell 429 he was flying crashed just off Norton Road in Elba, was laid to rest today following a funeral service at Open Door Baptist in Chili.

Hundreds of first responders from throughout Western New York attended the service.

The 60-year-old husband, father, and grandfather lived in Churchville. He retired from the New York Army National Guard after 40 years in 2020. During his career Sauer also worked as a Rochester police officer, from 1993 to 2001, and for 17 years as a pilot for the State Police, retiring in 2021.  He also worked for a time with the Holley Police Department.

He joined Mercy Flight in October 2020.

"Mercy Flight was his retirement job," said Scott P. Wooton, executive VP and treasurer of Mercy Flight Inc., during an emotional statement this afternoon at the Genesee County Legislatiure's Human Services Committee meeting. "He joined Mercy Flight out of a wish to continue to serve his community with his special skills.

"Not only was he an outstanding aviator, a top-class aviator, absolutely, but he was a top-class individual as well, a top-class human. He was a man who loved his family, loved his friends. And he's gonna be greatly missed."

Photos by Howard Owens, except inset photo (social media photo) and second photo.

 Press pool photo courtesy Democrat and Chronicle.

A grackle nibbles on seeds at a backyard feeder in Batavia. 

Photo by Howard Owens

A first-year travel cheer team from Pembroke, aged 9 to 13, have competed in a total of four competitions and won first place in all four.

Kelly Abramski, one of four coaches for the teams, said the project began with cheerleaders from the Pembroke Youth Association football team and that the girls worked hard all winter.

"The big news here is our little squad from Pembroke is traveling all the way to Virginia Beach to compete in the nationals this weekend," Abramski said. 

UPDATE: Additional information in this press release:

Batavia resident, a former coach at Notre Dame, has announced new basketball clinics for children in kindergarten through their senior year in high school called Back to Basics.

For players K-2, 3-4, and 5-6, clinics will be Saturday mornings.

On Monday evenings, clinics will be held for players 7-8 and 9-12.

Clinics are $30 per session or $200 for all eight sessions.

Registration is open at www.basicbasketballclinic.com

I will have current high school and college coaches and players helping me," Pero said. "I'm really looking forward to it."

A woman sustained serious injuries in Darien this evening when the car she was in left the roadway on Erie Street and struck a utility pole and a house before the operator attempted to drive away from the scene. 

He could only get his 2005 Toyota TC another 500 feet down the road before it stalled.

The driver, Michael J. Antonucci, 39, of Darien, and the other two passengers were not seriously hurt. In fact, one of them, with blood dripping down his face, declined medical attention at the scene and walked home.

Both rear passengers were pinned in the vehicle and could not self-extricate.  One of them was seriously injured and identified as Tanya L. Captain, 34, of Darien.

The other passengers were Shawn M. Kwiatek, 43, of Darien, and Steven N. Zink, 30, of Darien.

Captain was transported to Erie County Medical Center by Mercy Flight Central, which was filling in for Mercy Flight of WNY, presently standing down following a fatal accident earlier this week involving one of its helicopters.

At the time of her transport, Captain's injuries were considered life-threatening.  The Crash Management team responded to the scene because of the seriousness of the injuries to Captain.

"Right before she got loaded in a helicopter, she was talking with paramedics," said Sgt. Kyle Krzemien of Genesee County Sheriff's Office. "Right now we're still not 100 percent, but I would say for right now, we're just gonna go with life-threatening until we hear otherwise."

Krzemien said the vehicle was westbound on Erie Street when it crossed the double center line and hit an embankment before becoming airborne. The vehicle then struck a utility pole, shearing it from its base, and, because of the speed of the vehicle, continued southwest until it struck the front porch of a house at 1390 Erie St.  The driver then tried to drive out of the front yard of that house, going back East on Erie Street, and only getting 500 feet down the road before it stopped, the sergeant said. 

There was a power outage in the area that included the traffic signals at Route 20 and Route 77.  At the time of publication, 11 National Grid customers remained without power and power was not going to be restored before 4:30 a.m., according to National Grid.

Criminal charges are pending against Antonucci, according to the Sheriff's Office.  The investigation is ongoing.  

Darien Fire and Corfu Fire responded to the scene along with Mercy EMS.

(Initial Report)

Top photo: A car after it struck a utility pole and a home on Erie Street in Darien Sunday evening, the damage caused by the accident, and Mercy Flight Central removing one seriously injured woman from the scene. Photos by Howard Owens.

A car has struck a utility pole in the area of 1390 Erie Street, Darien.

There are multiple injuries and two people require extrication.

There is at least one serious injury.

Responding units are asked to enter the scene from Tinkham Road because wires are down in the roadway.

Darien Fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 7:12 p.m.: An engine from Corfu is requested to the scene.  Dispatchers checking on availability of Mercy Flight

UPDATE 7:54 p.m.: Mercy Flight Central has landed near the scene.

UPDATE 8:03 p.m.: Mercy Flight has departed with one patient, and is headed towards Erie County Medical Center.

Celebrating 110 years of serving the people of Genesee County, the YWCA held its first Women of Inspiration Awards brunch on Saturday at the Batavia Country Club.

Honored were Rev. Roula Alkhouri, pastor of Batavia First Presbyterian Church, Maureen Notaro, principal at Jackson Primary School, Marci Redband, accounting specialist at Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union, and Jacquelyn L. Swinarski, a retired teacher and community volunteer.

Rev. Roula Alkhouri
In 2000, Alkhouri made history as the first Syrian-American woman ordained in the Presbyterian Church.  She has served the community as a strong advocate for building bridges between people, according to Donna Blake, who nominated her for the award. Blake said she is committed to YWCA's mission of eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, and freedom for all.  She created Los Samaritamnos, a group that provides food, transportation and support for detainees released from the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia. 

Led by Alkhouri, Batavia Presbyterian has built supportive relationships with Crossroads House, Jackson School, Justice for Children, the Alzheimer's Association, and the Little Free Pantry.

During the pandemic, she encouraged her congregation through regular online video messages and services, and members of the congregation encouraged others by delivering cards to nursing home residents. 

In her acceptance speech, Alkhouri admitted she was "down in the dumps" because both her father and mother had recently passed away and her brother was diagnosed with cancer.

"I was at a low point," she said. "All I wanted to say was, 'No, I'm not inspired at this moment.' But then I remembered the power of community. And that's the word that I want to leave you with today -- that community is so important for all of us."

Maureen Notaro
Nominated by co-worker Brian Sutton, Notaro was honored as a role model for students and staff of all ages. 

"I have worked with her for five years and I have witnessed students flock to her, admire her, and strive to make her proud by listening to her sound advice and guidance," Sutton said. 

Notaro credited her mother, a single mom, with instilling in her and her sisters a sense of empowerment. 

"She taught me and my sisters that the world could be ours if we were determined and persistent and never gave up on our dreams," Notaro said. "She taught us that everyone has a story and never to dismiss what someone has to say, and that everyone deserves the right to be respected and treated respectfully. She taught us never to judge anyone and to have an open mind. She taught us that all people are equal and that what matters is how a person treats others. I realized that my mother surrounded us with strong supportive women and led by example."

Marci Redband
Redband was nominated by her husband Tom Redband.

"When I read the nomination criteria for the Women of Inspiration, which includes how the nominee inspires others, how she serves as a role model for women and girls, how the nominee contributes to her community, and how the nominee promotes the mission and vision of the YWCA -- it was a no brainer when I read this," Tom said. I immediately thought of Marci Redband."

He praised Marci, who has coached high school sports -- including alongside her husband until a season ago at Elba in basketball -- since college graduation, as one of the best female role models he has ever met.

He said she contributes to her community as a coach, including that Elba girls basketball team, which won five straight sectional titles under the combined leadership of the Redbands.

"Marci's passion and drive were to encourage and lead these young women to not sell out themselves to society's expectations of what women are supposed to do and act like, and instead push themselves to become their best selves," Tom said.

Marci said that 10 years ago, she was struggling, struggling to get through college, and a counselor encouraged her to reach out more. Marci responded by pointing how involved she was in her church. The counselor told Marci she needed to get out of her comfort zone.

The next day, she got a call to become an assistant softball coach at Elba. 

She said sometimes God places something right in front of you and you've got to do it.

"The biggest lesson that I took from (being a coach) was that consistency, and showing up and being a calm face for some of these young women, is the best thing that you can do for them," Marci said. "It was a life-changing moment for me. And it was how I met my husband."

Jacquelyn L. Swinarski
Swinarski was described as the "energizer bunny" of Robert Morris when she taught kindergarten there for 30 years. She was a role model for other teachers. 

She organized the annual 4th-grade Architectural Drawing Contest for the Landmark Society. She was active in the Batavia Teachers' Association. She's volunteered at Crossroads House and organizes the Mega Garage Sale. She volunteers in the community more than 50 hours a week. And, she's been involved in fundraising at St. Joseph's School.

Swinarski encouraged people to treat other people better and to volunteer.

"When you volunteer, you give yourself to others," she said. "When someone does something to you, it's wonderful for a moment but then it's gone. When you do something for someone else, you always find people that are gracious, and loving, and you make more friends."

Millie Tomidy-Pepper, executive director of the YWCA presented Synia Morrison, a senior at Batavia High School, with the first ever Frances G. Francis Scholarship. Francis was founder of the YWCA in Genesee County,

The winning piece in this year's NY-27 Congressional Art Competition was executed with exemplary technical skill and creative energy, said Mary Jo Whitman, education/SCR director for GO Art!, and competition judge.

The winning painting was a self-portrait by Sarah Durkin, a senior at Iroquois High School. Whitman praised it its technical execution in part because of the difficulty of the medium, oil pastel.

"It's not just traditional portraiture but putting it in the setting and the way she executed the interior of the car,  the complementary colors between the blues and the reds, the sunset in the car," she said. "It was just very well executed and had a kind of very postmodern feel to it."

Heller was unable to attend today's event because she was at a university accepting a scholarship.

Second place went to Kaylee Ziobro of Eden HS, and third to Kendall Heller, also of Iroquois.

Heller's painting will hang in the hallway that leads from the congressional office to the Capitol Building for a year, said Rep. Chris Jacobs, who was on hand to meet the young artists who entered the competition and present the awards. 

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story reversed the names of the first and third place winners.  It's corrected now. The Batavian regrets the error.

Colton Yasses tossed a five-inning no-hitter today to help lead Oakfield-Alabama to a 13-0 victory.

He struck out 14 of the 15 batters he faced. 

Yasses was also 2-4 at the plate, scoring two runs.

Kaden Cusmano also had two hits. He also knocked in three runs and scored a run. 

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Leaves are reportedly burning out of control in the yard at 84 Gilbert St., Le Roy.

Le Roy Fire responding.

UPDATE 1:47 p.m.: A Le Roy medic on scene reports that people are pouring water on the fire attempting to get it out.  "It doesn't appear out of control," she says.  The burn area is about 200 to 300 feet.

ABBAmania, Canada's top ABBA tribute band, played Batavia Downs on Friday night, with a Cher tribute artist opening the show.

The Oakfield-Alabama Hornets shut out Attica in baseball on Thursday for a 6-0 victory.

The Hornets notched 14 hits with catcher Aiden Warner going for 4-4. Colton Yasses was 2-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Bodie Hyde also had two hits.

Hyde tossed a complete game (seven innings) shutout, striking out 13 batters and giving up only two hits. He walked to batters.

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more, click here.

Friday was "Drive Your Tractor to School Day" at Elba Central School and several students did just that,

Photos by Debra Reilly.