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There are two power outages reported by National Grid in Alexander, one affecting 372 customers and the other 907.

About half of the Village of Alexander is without power and that outage area stretches down Route 98 to Attica Central School, also north to Hunn Road and east almost to West Bethany/Molasses Hill Road.

The outage affecting 907 customers is along much of Route 238 and also covers a substantial portion of Wyoming County.

Nearly all of the National Grid service area in Wyoming County (a panhandle down the middle of the county) is without power.

The power outages in Alexander started at 2:54 p.m. and are expected to be resolved by 5 p.m.

Mercy Flight transported a farmer worker to ECMC this morning after he was trampled by cows that were being inseminated on a farm at 8569 Oatka Trail Road.

His condition is guarded.

Le Roy Fire with UTV 61 and Le Roy Ambulance responded to the scene shortly before 10 a.m.

The man was unconscious when were dispatched to the scene.

His name has not been released. 

Information and photo provided by Le Roy Fire.

Alexander Supervisor David Miller informed the Town Board on Monday night that it's time for the town to update its comprehensive plan.

The current plan was approved in 2003.

A comprehensive plan is a document that is created by a community to help guide future planning and zoning decisions, setting goals for growth and defining the kind of community its members desire in the future.

Miller said potential members of the comprehensive plan committee include planning board members, zoning board members, along with representatives from key businesses in the community.

Anybody in the community can apply to serve on the committee.

Those interested in applying for a seat on the committee should contact Town Clerk Shannon Tiede at townclerk@townofalexander.com or (585) 591-2455 ext 101.

Eric Wagner, Alexander Town Board member, came to Monday's meeting after doing his homework, ready to ask Highway Superintendent Thomas Lowe why a proposed plow truck purchase was seemingly so expensive.

In the end, the board agreed to table the resolution to purchase the truck, and Wagner and Lowe along with the equipment committee members will meet to discuss other options.

The truck Lowe proposed would have cost $311,000 with a manual transmission.

First, Wagner questioned why Lowe wanted a manual transmission when Lowe, Wagner said, had previously told him a manual transmission would limit the hiring pool, eliminating people with disabilities, most notable people with knee or hip issues.

Then Wagner cited recent plow truck purchases the Town of Pembroke and Middlebury.  He said the Pembroke truck was almost identical and cost $275,000 and the Middlebury truck was $290,000.

He said another municipality got a quote from Western Star for an automatic transmission truck for $290,000.

Lowe said the biggest issue driving up the cost of trucks is the continuing rise in steel prices, especially over the past six months.

Wagner countered that the trucks he cited have been fairly recent purchases.

After a bit more discussion, the board agreed to table the purchase resolution for the time being until more research can be done.

 

The Town of Alexander Board appointed its third town justice in less than a year on Monday after its most recent appointment, Paul Tomaszewski, resigned, citing health reasons, without serving one session on the bench.

Tomaszewski was appointed in November to replace Ronald Merrill, who resigned after six months, deciding the job wasn't for him. 

The town spent $800 on Tomaszewski's training and he became a town justice on Jan. 1 but he never opened the required checking account to accept fines during his term.

The debate on Monday was whether Tomaszewski should be paid the nearly $2,400 salary he may be due in the first quarter of 2022 or if, legally, the board can withhold the pay since he didn't perform any duties of a town justice during that period.

Supervisor David Miller has a request in with the town attorney to advise the board on its legal obligations to Tomaszewski but the attorney, David DiMatteo, is currently out of the country.

"I don't feel that Paul should be paid for a quarter that he did not fulfill any duties of his appointment," said Board Member Laura Schmieder

Roy H. Haller, III said that since the town paid for his training, perhaps the town is legally obligated to pay him for the one-quarter of his term he served before his resignation, which is effective March 31. 

"I accept his resignation but technically, is he an employee? We sent him to school through the taxpayer's money, through the town's money, we paid for it all, and now ... this is two judges in a row," Haller said.

Schmieder made a motion to not pay Tomaszewski pending appropriate legal advice from the attorney.

Haller again expressed concern about the town's legal obligation.

"I think it's a bit tricky," Haller said. "He said he is resigning because of health reasons.  If he had resigned because he said he didn't like us but he said he resigned because of his health.  I do not  think we should get in a court fight over one-quarter of pay."

The resolution failed with only four board members present on a 2-2 vote.  Eric Wagner voted yes and Miller voted no.

When Tomaszewski was selected in November, there were two other candidates for the post, Molly Meek-Grimes, and Sarah Kohl.  Miller indicated they could both be considered to fill the new vacancy but a third candidate was at Monday's meeting: Troy Robbins.  

After a brief closed-door interview, Robbins was appointed with a unanimous vote of the board with no further discussion of the appointment.

Officials recently discovered that two residences on Broadway Road in Alexander were using the same numerical address -- 3248.

Steven Sharpe, director of emergency communications for Genesee County, addressed the Alexander Town Board on Monday to explain how the county will straighten out the issue.

"This causes confusion and the last thing we want is for emergency services to get confused about which residence they're responding to," Sharpe said.

Sharpe's office handles address assignments in the county because the addresses are linked to the 9-1-1 system.

There are three adjoining parcels with a set of three apartments nestled between the two properties sharing 3248.

Sharpe's plan is to renumber the property to the west 3238, the apartments 3240 zero with apartment numbers 1, 2, and 3, and the third parcel, 3248.

The 3240 address was originally assigned to the apartments but was not being used, Sharpe said.

Sharpe's office will send letters to the residents, which can be used with creditors and the IRS to make official changes to their mailing address, as well as the assessor's office, the county clerk, the town clerk, the county real property office, and the county's GIS map division (in the planning department).

Associated local fees, such as updating a gun permit, will be waived for the residents, he said.  He suggested the town waive any local fees, such as dog license fees, which the town board agreed to do.

"We think this resolves it with the least amount of conflict among the individuals," Sharpe said. 

The Alexander Fire Department got a legally necessary nod of approval on Monday night to purchase a new $488,572 new fire engine.

The 2023 Spartan Rescue Pumper will be financed by the Bank of Greene County and as part of the financing package, the fire department needed the Town Board of Alexander to pass a resolution supporting the purchase in order to get an exemption on sales tax.

The department will be replacing the current Engine 7, which is a 1998 Spartan. 

Department leadership researched various financing options and choose Greene because of the 2.74 percent interest rate and a lack of penalty for early payoff.

After a $200,000 down payment, the department will finance $284,660 of the purchase.

The new truck has a Cummins ISL 450 HP engine, Allison 3000 EVS transmission. It can carry 1,000 gallons of water and 20 gallons of foam. It pumps 1,500 gallons per minute.  The Harrison 6K generator can power the LED lighting system.

While LED lights are harder for Mercy Flight pilots to see, using LED lights saved the department a substantial amount of money because generators with greater capacity are more expensive. Department personnel will use flares at night when the truck is deployed to a Mercy Flight landing zone.

The department will attempt to sell the old engine but Assistant Chief/Department President Dean Hendershott said the current market is flooded with used fire apparatus.  He said they will try to get the best price they can for it.

Photo: Assistant Chief/Department President Dean Hendershott with a schematic of the new fire truck.

The body of Lewis Hyde, missing for three days, was recovered this afternoon after an extensive water search in Tonawanda Creek.

Batavia PD requested a search of the creek by City Fire's water rescue team and other first responders because Hyde's jacket was found near the creek yesterday.

The 29-year-old's body was recovered at 12:35 p.m. and positively identified as the missing man.

"At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Lewis Hyde," stated Batavia PD in a press release.

The release says there has been an extensive search for Hyde since he was reported missing and that the creek became a focal point of the search yesterday.  The first phase of the search included air reconnaissance. 

The water rescue team meticulously searched the creek between South Lyon Street and River Street starting early this morning.

There is an ongoing investigation by Batavia PD. There will also be an autopsy but investigators do not suspect foul play.

The release states:

The Batavia Police Department greatly appreciates the assistance of the City of Batavia Fire Department, Genesee County Emergency Management, New York State Police, ALERT – Advanced Local Emergency Response Team, Mercy EMS, Alden Fire, Niagara Frontier Search and Rescue, Massasauga Search and Rescue Team, Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center and the Genesee County Coroner’s Office in this matter.

A water rescue team from City Fire with assistance from other local agencies has been searching the Tonawanda Creek off of West Main Street, between South Lyon and River streets, for a missing Batavia man.

There is no reason to believe the man, Lewis Hyde, went into the creek, said Investigator Eric Hill, Batavia PD, but because he was last seen in the area and his jacket was found yesterday on the bank of the creek, officials decided it best to undertake a search.

"We're doing our due diligence and hoping we don't find him," said Hill.

By 12:30, crews had searched the north half of the creek and were halfway done with the south side, and Hyde had not been located.

If his body is not found in the creek, it provides hope he's still alive, Hill noted.

Hyde is described as being 5’10”, 180 pounds.

He was last seen at 2 a.m. March 11, wearing a tan coat, jeans, and black boots.

Anyone with any information is asked to please contact the Batavia Police Department at (585) 345-6350.

Anthony Daniel Micucci, 27, of Darien Alexander Townline Road, Alexander, is charged with five counts of criminal contempt 1st, criminal contempt 2nd, stalking 3rd, and stalking 4th. Micucci was arrested on a warrant for allegedly violating a complete stay-away order of protection. Micucci was also arrested by State Police on charges of stalking 3rd and two counts of criminal contempt 2nd.  He was jailed without bail.

Matthew Scott Williams, 34, of Hundredmark Road, Elba, is charged with harassment 2nd and endangering the welfare of a child. Williams is accused of head butting a person while in the presence of a child during a disturbance reported at 9:15 a.m., March 10, at a residence on Hundredmark Road, Elba

Michael Joseph Elmore, 31, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with obstructing governmental administration. Elmore allegedly refused to obey lawful orders by deputies during an investigation at Days Inn in Batavia at 4:45 a.m., March 13.

Michael Andrew Kos, Jr., 43, of Hampton Brook Drive, Hamburg, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater.  At 8:25 p.m., March 10, Deputy Nicholas Charmoun and Sgt. Andrew Hale were dispatched to the Kwik Fill on West Main Street Road, Le Roy, for a report of a suspicious condition behind the building. At that location, they located Kos and upon investigation determined he was allegedly too intoxicated to operate a motor vehicle. He was transported to the Genesee County Jail for processing and issued an appearance ticket.

Lauralee Pacer, 36, of Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear.  Pacer had previously been issued an appearance ticket. 

Shante R. Williams, 38, of Batavia, is charged with bail jumping 3rd. Williams was arraigned in City Court and released under supervision.

James D. Hooten, 33, of Batavia, and Brittanee J. Hooten, 33, of Batavia, are charged with petit larceny and conspiracy 6th. James and Brittanee are accused of shoplifting from the Kiwk Fill at 99 Jackson Street, Batavia. They were issued appearance tickets.

Shawn M. Twardowski, 39, of Le Roy, was arrested on multiple warrants for failure to appear for trespass and petit larceny.  Twardowski was arraigned in City Court and released under supervision.

Lyndsay T. Young, 38, of Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd. Young is accused of striking another person in the face causing a scratch under the person's eye at 2:34 p.m., March 4, at a location on State Street, Batavia. Young was issued an appearance ticket.

Jolene Y. Stevens, 33, of Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear. Stevens was arraigned in city court and released on her own recognizance. 

Rufus G. Johnson, 28, of North-Chili, is charged with petit larceny. Johnson is accused of stealing merchandise from a business in Batavia. He was allegedly located with the merchandise and arrested. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Matthew S. Williams, 34, of Elba, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and criminal contempt 2nd. Williams was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 1:03 p.m., March 11, in Elba.  His release status is unknown.  No further information released.

Prince Wilson Raul Cruz

Two men from outside Genesee County are in custody and charged with murder in the second degree in the double homicide in Alexander on Friday night.

The suspects are Raul Cruz, 18, of Warsaw, and Prince N.K. Wilson, 23, of Albion.

The men are accused of stabbing and killing two men in a bunkhouse at a dairy farm at 10216 Alexander Road, Alexander.

The names of the victims have not been released pending notification of next-of-kin.

Both Cruz and Wilson are being held without bail.

Wilson was located in Batavia a short time after the incident and taken into custody.

Cruz was the subject of a manhunt in Warsaw on Saturday and located in the afternoon in the Warsaw area.

The incident began at 9:59 p.m., Friday, when dispatchers received a report of a disturbance in the bunkhouse at the dairy farm.  A short time later, after deputies responded, smoke was seen coming from the bunkhouse and Alexander Fire was dispatched. The fire was quickly extinguished.  The Sheriff's Office release states the fire was set but doesn't clarify whether it was set for heat/cooking or another reason.

The Sheriff's Office reports that the two victims were found dead inside the dwelling upon arrival of patrols. 

Investigators believe this was an isolated incident and there was no threat to public safety. 

This is an ongoing investigation. Assisting are State Police, Warsaw PD, the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office, Albion PD, the Orleans County Sheriff's Office, and DEC. Assisting at the scene were Emergency Management and Alexander Fire.

In a hard-fought girls basketball game in which neither team ever managed more than a four-point lead until the closing seconds, Notre Dame fell to Sherman in the Far West Regional Championship for Class D. 

The final score: 35-29.

Judah Macdonald scored nine points, Avelin Tomidy, eight, and Emma Sisson, five. Maylee Green scored three points and had eight rebounds.

For Sherman, sophomore Paige Grotto led the way, scoring 24 points and being a strong defensive presence.

For more photos, click here.

Notre Dame hosted a 5K race along with a run and walk for families this morning with proceeds raised going to the school's athletic programs and GLOW Arc.

Sheriff's investigators are in the early stages of a homicide investigation at 10216 Alexander Road, Alexander, according to Chief Deputy Joseph Graff.

Late tonight, deputies responded to the Blumer Dairy Farm for a report of a disturbance. At about 10:20 p.m., Alexander Fire was dispatched for smoke coming from an employee bunkhouse and dispatchers informed responding units that the fire could be related to the disturbance. They were also informed that a person may have been stabbed at that location.

Graff declined to discuss the incident further while at the scene and said there will be a press release at some point with more information.

The bunkhouse is at the back of the farm property.

UPDATE: This is a double homicide, according to a statement from the Sheriff's Office.  The statement says this was an isolated incident and there is no threat to public safety. There was no further information released.

There may be a fire in an employee bunkhouse at the rear of a farm on Alexander Road in Alexander.

There is smoke coming from the structure.

It may be related to an ongoing law enforcement incident at that location where a person may have a knife injury.

Alexander Fire and Town of Batavia's ladder truck dispatched along with Mercy EMS.

UPDATE 10:24 p.m.: A chief on scene reports "smoke showing."

UPDATE 10:25 p.m.: Town of Batavia's response is canceled. 

Kevin Wolff

A senior corrections officer at the Genesee County Jail has been arrested and terminated after being accused of stealing more than $50,000 from the Sheriff's Employee Association.

Kevin D. Wolff, 51, of Stafford, is charged with grand larceny 2nd, a Class C felony.

Wolff worked for the Sheriff's Office for more than 20 years.

The association membership consists of corrections officers, emergency dispatchers, dog control officers, and jail cooks.

Wolff was arraigned in City Court today and released on his own recognizance.

The investigation into the alleged theft is being conducted by the Sheriff's criminal investigation division and is ongoing.

Daniel James Loster, 38, of Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged with obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest, criminal possession of a weapon 3rd, and menacing 3rd. Le Roy patrol officers received a complaint at 6:55 a.m. on March 4 of a man waving a knife at traffic on Lake Street in the Village of Le Roy.  He was arrested and jailed without bail.

Daniel James Loster, 38, of Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged with attempted petit larceny. Loster was arrested after Le Roy patrol officers responded to a call on Lake Street at 11:09 p.m., Feb. 26, of an attempted petit larceny. Loster was allegedly attempting to enter a vehicle in the driveway of a residence after being told multiple times the vehicle was not his. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Samantha Marie Neal, 31, of West Main Street, Le Roy, is charged with harassment 2nd. Neal is accused of striking another person with a collapsible dog training device during an incident reported at 3:06 p.m., Feb. 28, on West Main Street, Le Roy. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Sean Griffith Johnson, 53, of Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged with assault 3rd degree. Johnson was arrested by Le Roy PD following a report of a disturbance at an apartment building on Lake Street, Le Roy, at 8:07 p.m., March 7. Johnson was issued an appearance ticket.

Alexander L. Baldwin, 33, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Baldwin is accused of stealing merchandise from a department store on Veterans Memorial Drive at 12:47 p.m., Dec. 9.  He was issued an appearance ticket.  See previously: Man suspected of shoplifting seen fleeing Walmart

Jayson Lee Chamberlain, 37, no address provided, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Chamberlain is accused of violating an order of protection by placing a phone call to the protected party at 2:34 p.m., March 2. He was arraigned in Town of Oakfield Court and released on his own recognizance. 

Angelica Marie Stanley, 33, no permanent address, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance.  Stanley was allegedly found in possession of crack cocaine and adderal that wasn't prescribed to her at 11:10 p.m., March 8, on Liberty Street, Batavia, and arrested by Deputy Andrew Mullen with assistance from Deputy James Stack and K-9 "Rayzor."

Andrew Anh Sczepanski, 24, of South Lake Road, Bergen, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving to left of pavement markings, and moving from lane unsafely. Sczepanski was stopped at 11:44 p.m., March 8, on Route 33 in Batavia, by Sgt. Mathew Clor.

Michael E. Main, 38, no address provided, Oakfield, is charged with offering a false instrument for filing.  Main is accused of signing a supporting deposition in an ongoing investigation knowing the information was false at 10:30 a.m., Dec. 23, on Maple Avenue in Oakfield.

Three BOCES culinary arts students -- Liliana Espinoza, Tristan DiLaura, and Alexa Wolcott -- have had their heads in the clouds the past few months, dreaming up a meal that NASA astronauts might find comforting while they wait in quarantine before their next flight into space.

Their idea: Something with a Tex-Mex flair to suit the cuisine of Houston, where astronauts spend a lot of time.

The challenge: The meal must be low in calories, sugar, fat, and sodium.

Here's what they cooked up: A shrimp fajita with red lentil tortillas and a creamy avocado sauce; a side of cilantro lime cauliflower rice, and a Mexican chocolate brownie.

If they met the challenge, they could be among the final 10 teams to fly to Houston to prepare their meal for another panel of judges and the chance for a top-three finish, which comes with college scholarships.

Watch the video to see how they put their meal together and what they have to say about it.

A caller reported an unidentified fire at the Dolomite property at 8250 Gulf Road, Le Roy.

A first responder reported reaching a gate and being able to spot a possible fire in an unknown type of structure with heavy smoke.

Le Roy Fire dispatched with mutual aid from City Fire.

UPDATE 7:07 p.m.: A second alarm is requested.  Confirmed structure fire. Flames are getting larger.

UPDATE 7:09 p.m.: Second-alarm companies are Bergen and Pavilion with Stafford to fill in at Le Roy's hall.

UPDATE 7:11 p.m.: National Grid requested to the scene to cut power to the building.

UPDATE 7:24 p.m.: Mumford and Stafford tankers requested to the scene.

UPDATE 7:42 p.m.: Fire in the rear is knocked down.

UPDATE 7:43 p.m.: Southside fire is knocked down.

UPDATE 9:11 p.m.: Fire is out.

After a good run in 2021-22 that saw them secure another Section V title, the Oakfield-Alabama Hornets came up short in their attempt to make it to the state championships with a loss to Avon on Wednesday, 56-43.

No stats are available from the game.

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more, click here.