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An accident involving a motorcycle is reported in the area of 3875 West Main Street Road, Batavia.

The motorcyclist is reportedly down in the road.

Town of Batavia Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 1:51 p.m.: No collision, according to a deputy on scene. A motorcyclist tried to break quickly after a car in front of him slowed suddenly, and he lost control of the bike.  The motorcyclist sustained minor injuries and will be transported for evaluation. 

There is no definitive cause that fire investigators have determined for the fire Sunday at Baskin Livestock, 9778 Creek Road, Batavia., said Tim Yaeger, Genesee County emergency management coordinator.

Yaeger said the origin appears to be in a bay area of the facility where paper -- typically paper that contained waste food items being converted at the factory into cattle feed -- is stored prior to shipment to a landfill. 

If that is the origin of the fire, what could possibly have caused the ignition of the fire is undetermined at this time.  There is no obvious ignition source.

There were no employees in the building at the time of the fire, Yaeger said.

Because Baskin Livestock is self-insured, fire investigators are unlikely to return to the scene for further investigation unless requested by the company, Yaeger said.

There is a fire suppression system installed in the building, Yaeger said, and Baskin Livestock is going to investigate to try and determine why is seems to have malfunctioned.

Photos by Howard Owens

The Jurassic Wonder Tour, a display of animated dinosaur models, stopped in Batavia over the weekend, offering a self-guided car tour of the pre-historic world through Genesee County Fairgrounds.

Photos by Howard Owens.

The Batavia Cemetery Association held its annual Ghost Walk on Saturday, which is both a fundraiser and a chance to provide area residents with an entertaining history lesson about the people who shaped the development of Western New York.

Photos by Howard Owens, Top photo, Michael Gosselin as Rev. John Yates.

Tim Buckman as Maj. Philemon Tracy.

Patrick Weissend as Joseph Ellicott.

Dan Snyder as Albert Brisbane.

The line for the Halloween trick-or-treat event at Dwyer Stadium on Saturday stretched from the front gate to State Street throughout most of the event.

Various businesses and organizations were spread out around the grandstands and onto the field handing out candy to costumed kiddies.  Many of the organizations had to send out members of their party to retrieve more candy from local stores after bringing only enough for 1,000 or 2,000 children.

The event was sponsored by the Batavia Muckdogs and the team's owners Robbie and Nellie Nichols. Robbie said that 2,100 kids and 5,000 families showed up this year. 

A caller in the area of Rite Aid on West Main Street and Lewiston reports an encounter with a man who may have had a gun who said he was a police officer chasing someone and was last seen heading toward Tops.

He is described as a thinner white male wearing jeans, a red windbreaker and a black of blue ball cap.

Troopers and deputies are responding with Batavia PD.

UPDATE 9:13 p.m.: A responding officer reports detaining a subject fitting the description behind Tops.

Mercy Flight/Mercy EMS hosted an open house at its facility on Call Parkway on Saturday, with Cub Scouts selling hot dogs, a craft room where kids could paint coupons, a basket raffle, a mum sale, games, and displays and apparatus from State Police, and fire departments from Town of Batavia, Stafford, Elba, Alabama, and Pavilion.

At 10 years old, throwing a baseball against the wall of a brick building, Brian Kemp never imagined he would someday own a 25-year-old business making custom T-shirts and that he would also own that building on Center Street, as well.

It's all very humbling, said Kemp, a Batavia HS graduate who spent much of his youth living in a house on School Street with a backyard that abuts the building that now houses T-Shirts Etc.

"To think like, I'm probably driving the people inside the building crazy," Kemp said during a 25th Anniversary celebration for T-Shirts Etc. on Thursday evening. "I'm not thinking of it as a kid like that but now if somebody started throwing a ball against my wall, I might say, 'Hey, what's going on?' you know. But I would have a little empathy for him because I did it, too."

Kemp and a partner, with the help of his girlfriend at the time, started T-Shirts Etc on the third floor of the Harvester Center three years after Kemp graduated from high school.  Soon they moved into a larger space on the first floor, then to the former WBTA building at Harvester and East Main, then to the former Newberry's building (now Eli Fish) on Main Street, and finally to his current location at 37 Center St.

A lot of people -- a whole community, really -- he said, helped him reach this milestone.  He gave credit to his former partner John, his former girlfriend, Heather, and to his ex-wife, Beth Kemp.

"Beth and I were married for seven or eight years," Kemp said. "We're not married anymore but it was a great time that helped me turn the business into where we are today. We moved the company three times, so she was a very integral part of the business."

Kemp also said he couldn't sustain any success without his employees.

"I have a great crew that has weathered the storm of the last few years," he said. "My current crew consists of my son Parker who runs the print production department, Melissa Flint, who runs the embroidery, shipping, and receiving departments and lastly, Mikah Burdic who is currently working as a production assistant.  I am truly honored to work daily with my crew that puts in the work on a daily basis, producing quality products for our customers.  I come here to the shop, hang out and make stuff, and these people make it enjoyable."

His younger sons, Myloh, 10, and Aslan, are also helping out in the shop these days, he said.

He noted that a lot of his customers were at the celebration.  

"All these relationships with our business are personal and have all impacted on my life," Kemp said. "I've got these great boys and this amazing business that we call home here in Batavia. We got our own little piece of Batavia. It's been fantastic."

Photos by Howard Owens.  Top photo, Kemp, left, with Tom Turnbull, Chamber of Commerce interim president.

Fire investigators believe, preliminarily, that a malfunction in a furnace at 8920 Batavia Stafford Townline Road is the source of a fire that destroyed the home this morning.

The structure was fully involved before firefighters were dispatched shortly before 8:40 a.m.

"(The furnace is) propane-powered and forced hot air," said Tim Yaeger, Genesee County Emergency Management Coordinator. "(The homeowner) had left to go and give assignments to her crews for the business that they run here. When they came back, she said she smelled something funny, something hot, and one of her employees saw smoke exiting from the garage. They entered the garage, opened the door into the house and there was heavy black smoke in the house itself. So right now we're leaning towards, based on an investigation, preliminarily, we're looking at the furnace that may have had a malfunction."

Nobody was injured as a result of the fire and an employee reportedly rescued two dogs from inside the house.

The initial dispatch for the fire reported that two people had entered the house and may be trapped but when a Stafford assistant chief was first on scene, he informed dispatchers that both people were out of the house and that it was believed nobody was in the house at that point.

Town of Batavia Chief Chris Strathearn said the heavy, tall column of black smoke from the fire was visible well before he arrived on scene. He called for a second alarm.

Companies dispatched included Town of Batavia, City Fire, Stafford, Le Roy, and Alexander's FAST Team. Mercy EMS, Sheriff's Office, and State Police assisted at the scene.

The ranch-style home was built in 2016 and is owned by William and Stacy Corcoran. The 2,387-square-foot house sits on a 3.7-acre parcel. The Corcorans also own other adjoining farm property. 

Photos by Howard Owens. For more photos, click here.

Town of Batavia Fire dispatched.

UPDATE 8:34 a.m.: There was initially a report that two people had re-entered the house and were entrapped.  They are now reported out of the house.  There was also an explosion reported not attached to the structure.  A second alarm is requested.

UPDATED 9:20 a.m.: The fire has been knocked down.

UPDATE 11:05 a.m.: Batavia Stafford Townline Road has been reopened.

The Pembroke Dragons improved to 7-1 by defeating CG Finney/Christian Northstar 47-12 Saturday.

Tyson Totten rushed for over 200 yards for the fifth time this season. Felski added three touchdowns while Sean Pustkulla caught a 48-yard pass from Cayden Pfazler for TD right before halftime. 

Nate Duttweiler had a sack and forced a fumble on defense while Cayden Pfalzer had an interception with Joe Gibson recovering a fumble. 

Tyson Totten, Jacob Von Kramer, Jayden Mast, Octavius Martin, Jacob Dulski, Caleb Felski, Jayden Bridge, JJ Gabbey and Cayden Pfazler all had five or more tackles on the day. 

Photos courtesy of Kim Dulski.

For the seventh time in seven games, the Oakfield-Alabama/Elba Aggies scored at least 38 points on their way to a dominating win.

Only once has an opponent scored more than one touchdown against the Aggies.

This time, OAE beat Notre Dame 48-0.

Scoring:

• Bodie Hyde runs for 2 yards.
• Bodie Hyde passes to Kyle Porter for 55 yards.
• Bodie Hyde runs for 67 yards.
• Noah Currier runs for 27 yards.
• Bodie Hyde runs for 27 yards.
• Noah Currier runs for 33 yards.
• Noah Currier runs for 41 yards.

Avery Watterson hit six of seven point after attempts.

Hyde was 7-9 passing for 154 yards, a TD and an interception.

Currie rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns on 12 attempts.  Hyde gained 145 yards, scored three times, on 12 carries.

Porter had three receptions for 74 yards and a TD.

"This was a great game to wrap up the end of the regular season with," said Head Coach Tyler Winter. "It was a solid performance on the scoreboard and we took a step in our team's process.  However, there is still plenty to take back to the film room and dive into as we prepare for our second season."

The Fighting Irish finish the regular season 4-3.

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more, click here.

In a season in which no opponent has even come close to beating Batavia, for the fourth time in seven games the Blue Devils held a challenger to fewer than seven points.

This time it was Newark/Marion that Batavia dominated for a convincing 54-6 win.

Scoring: 

• Ja'vin McFollins 30-yard pass to Aidan Anderson.
• Cam McClinic, six-yard run.
• McFollins 6-yard pass to Brendan Burgess.
• Anderson, 3-yard run.
• McFollins 15-yard pass to Carter McFollins
• Anderson, 6-yard run.
• Newark scores on a kickoff return.
• Bronx Buchholz 30-yard run.
• Devan Flanagan, 7-yard run.

McFollins was 10-11 passing for 141 and the three TDs.

Mekhi Fortes gained 67 yards on six carries. McClinic, 54 yards and a TD on six carries. Anderson 34 yards and two TDs on five carries.  Bucholz, 45 yards and a TD on three carries.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

Bethany, Alexander, Town of Batavia dispatched.

Second alarm, Stafford, Pavilion, Le Roy, and City of Batavia FAST Team dispatched.

Photo by Howard Owens.

The Le Roy Oatkan Knights shut down Letchworth/Warsaw/Perry in football on Friday, 21-0.

Tony Piazza scored all three of Le Roy's touchdowns on runs of 36 yards, three yards, and six yards, leading to three successful point after attempts by Andrew Pocock.

Piazza finished with 102 yards rushing on 13 carries.

Drew Strollo gained 87 yards on 22 carries.  Strollo was 3-4 passing for 31 yards.

Piazza also led the way on defense with nine tackles and a sack.

Photos by Ed Henry.  Top photo: Le Roy’s Bryce Lathan drops another kickoff returner.

Tony Piazza posted three TDs to power the Le Roy offense.

LeRoy’s Jack Lathan (51) contests a Let-Saw-Perry pass.

Tony Piazza drops the L-S-P QB.

Le Roy speedster Maverick Cook.

Drew Strollo spots his receiver downfield.

Jackson Fix cuts back on this run.

Manny Fisher breaks free.

Keegan Park (72) and his teammates halt this run. 

The Alexander Trojans finish the regular football season at a perfect 7-0 after a perfect shoutout when over Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen on Friday, 43-0.

Touchdowns were scored by:

• Christian Kissell on a 9-yard reception.
• Ricky Townley scored on a 1-yard run.
• Kaden Lyons scored on a 1-yard run.
• Benny Merrill on a 12-yard reception.
• Tyler Marino scored on a 2-yard run.
• Mason Bump scored on a 3-yard run.

QB Trenton Woods was 7-11 for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns and an interception. 

Tyler Marino gained 71 yards on nine carries. Rickey Townley finished with 55 yards.  Kaden Lyons added 40 yards rushing.

Benny Merrill led the Trojans with three receptions for 57 yards and a TD.

The Trojans have outscored their opponents 282 to 29 on the season.

A 17-year-old resident of Wolcott was charged with grand larceny 3rd and unauthorized use of a vehicle. At 12:38 a.m. Oct. 15, Le Roy police officers received a report of a stolen vehicle on Selden Road, Le Roy. Officers were able to track the location of the vehicle using its OnStar system. A short time later, the 2020 Chevy Silverado was located in the Town of Cheektowaga and was reportedly occupied by the 17-year-old.  He was arrested by Cheektowaga PD and turned over to Le Roy PD. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Joseph T. Martino, 30, no permanent address, is charged with four counts of petit larceny. At 1:37 p.m. Oct. 8, Martino allegedly stole merchandise from a local business on East Main Street, Batavia. He is also accused of shoplifting three separate times from two businesses on Jackson Street, Batavia on Oct. 2. He was issued an appearance ticket on all arrests.

Aaron T. Hendershot, 26, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Hendershot is accused of violating an order of protection by being at the home of the protected party at 1:39 p.m. Oct. 10 on Ellsworth Avenue, Batavia.  He was issued an appearance ticket.

Marcella F. Greene, 38, of Bliss, is charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle. Greene was arrested on a warrant issued in connection with an incident reported at 3 p.m. April 23 on East Main Street, Batavia. He was arraigned in City Court and ordered held on bail and ordered to appear again on Oct. 27 appearance.

Tammy L. Cicatello, 52, of Batavia, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, and following too close. Cicatello was allegedly involved in a property damage accident at 9:55 a.m. Sept. 1, on Oak Street. She was arrested on Oct. 6 by Batavia PD. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Christine M. Caplis, 42, of Batavia, was arrested on a bench warrant. She was arraigned in City Court and ordered held on $5,000 bail, $7,500 bond, or $10,000 partially secured bond.  No information released on the nature of the warrant. 

(name redacted upon request), 32, of xxxx, xxxx, xxxx. xxxx is charged with DWI, obstruction of governmental administration, failure to dim lights, drinking alcohol or using cannabis in a motor vehicle on a highway, and unregistered vehicle. xxxxx was stopped at 10 p.m. Oct. 6, on Route 20 in Darien by Deputy Alexandar Hadsall. He was ordered to return to Darien Town Court at 1 p.m. Oct. 20.

Seth Alan Wilt, 18, of Richley Road, Corfu, is charged with grand larceny 4th and petit larceny. Wilt is accused of stealing more than $1,000 worth of merchandise from his employer at 8363 Lewiston Road, Batavia (the former Kmart location) and of stealing $724.45 in merchandise from the same location. The thefts were reported at noon on Sept. 1. He was arrested on Oct. 12 by deputies Mason Schultz and Nicholas Charmoun. He was released on an appearance ticket. 

James Preedom, 38, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 1st, harassment 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child. On Oct. 14, State Police responded to a report of a disturbance at a residence in the Town of Batavia and arrested Preedom as a result. He was released under supervision.

Justin Cowell, 40, of Batavia, is charged with four counts of criminal contempt 2nd, acting in a manner injurious to a child, unlawful dealing with a child, and selling tobacco to a minor. Cowell was arrested by State Police on Oct. 20 in connection with an incident reported at 2:08 p.m. Oct. 3 in the Town of Batavia. He was ordered held in jail. No further information was released.

Charles L. Dockstader, 76, of Basom, is charged with two counts of course of sexual conduct with a child less than 11 years old. Dockstader was arrested by State Police on Oct. 19 in connection with an incident reported at 12:02 p.m. Oct. 12 in the Town of Alabama.  He was ordered held on bail. No further information released.

Earl B. Benson, 34, of Byron, is charged with DWI. Benson was stopped at 10:17 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Town of Byron by State Police. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Keona R. Thomas, 33, of Stafford, is charged with DWI.  Thomas was stopped at 2:22 a.m. Oct. 16 in the Town of Stafford by State Police. Thomas was released on an appearance ticket.

Town of Batavia Planning Board unanimously approved special use permits and site plans for two solar projects on Alexander Road at their meeting on Tuesday.

The projects are located at 9183 Alexander Road, known as the Pike Road Solar Farm Project, and 9071 Alexander Road.

The resolutions passed by the board entitle San Francisco-based Renewable Properties (RPNY Solar 6, LLC) to construct and operate the solar projects.

If the owner/operator changes, the special use permit must be reviewed again by the planning board.

Before a building permit is issued, the company must finalize a host community agreement with the Town of Batavia to include annual payments of $2,500 per megawatt for 25 years with a 2 percent annual escalation of payments or a lump sum payment approved by the Town Board.

The resolution includes provisions on grading and landscaping.

There are also provisions to handle any changes to the development plan.

The company must certify the completed project complies with the special use permit, applicable codes, and industry standards.  

There must also be sufficient funds on deposit to remove the installation and restore landscaping in accordance with the decommissioning plan.

The company must remove the installation at the end of its useful life in accordance with the decommissioning plan.

Town inspectors will be allowed reasonable access to the property during construction to check drainage and stormwater provisions.

Renewable Properties must abide by the required landscaping plan.

The project must be fenced and locked. The fire department will be provided keys.

A year after the project goes into operation, Renewable Properties must return to the planning board for a review of the special use permit.

Finally, Renewable Properties must obtain and retain appropriate insurance throughout the life of the project.

The Batavia Blue Devils boys soccer team won its first-round sectional game in Class B on Tuesday, beating Geneva 2-0.

Batavia came into the game as the #9 seed and Geneva was the #8 seed.

Goals were scored by Alex Bartz, assisted by Owen Halpin, and by Quintin Cummings, unassisted.

Submitted photo.

Next up: #1 seeded Hornell at Hornell on Saturday. Game time is 6:30 p.m.

The future of Oddey, the French bulldog that reportedly overdosed on narcotics three times in May and June, may soon be resolved while the criminal case against Oddey's owner, Cassandra Elmore, will likely remain pending for some time.

Elmore appeared in City Court today with her public defender Jamie Welch.

Welch indicated he needs more time to file motions in light of new evidence (he didn't specify what the evidence is), new discovery turned over by the District Attorney's Office (again, not specified), and his recent receipt of lab reports (he didn't indicate what the lab results reveal).

He indicated the charges of injuring an animal under New York's Ag and Markets Law are more complicated than typical penal statutes and required more research. 

Judge Thomas Burns agreed it is a complicated case and gave Welch until Nov. 25 to file his motions, and gave Assistant District Attorney Jenna Bauer until Dec. 8 to file her answering papers.  He set a hearing date on motions for Dec. 15 at 1:30 p.m.

If that's all there was to the case, Oddey would be guaranteed at least two more months of confinement at the Genesee County Animal Shelter, but after the motion dates were set, Welch said there was one more thing to discuss.

His client, he said, was willing to meet with representatives of the "animal rights" group following the case -- referring to Volunteers for Animals. He said he didn't know if there were any respresentatives in court today -- there were -- but invited them to stop by the Public Defender's Office and pick up a copy of his card so they could discuss the future of Oddey.

Burns said it was wonderful news that there are options for Oddey.

"Options are good," he said.

Bauer said, "I believe that's the top concern of everybody here."  She suggested that if an agreement could be reached regarding Oddey, a status appearance date be set so the issue could be resolved sooner than two months from now.

After meeting with the attorneys at the bench, Burns said the case will remain on the calendar for Dec. 15, but if an agreement is reached before then, the case can be recalled and the Oddey matter could be resolved in that appearance.

The case was then adjourned.

Previously:

• Woman charged after dog treated repeatedly for narcotics overdose
• Vet told police Oddey was showing signs of drug intoxication during emergency visit
• Elmore asks for time to hire attorney while Oddey waits at shelter
• Warrant issued for woman accused of letting dog OD after she fails to appear in court
• Law and Order: Woman charged in dog's drug overdose arrested again after traffic stop
• Woman in dog overdose case again fails to show up for court appearance
• OPINION: Due process often neglects animal victims
• Woman in dog OD case who skipped court appearances, arrested on warrant, held on bail
• Dog abuse case postponed after VFA letter received
• Woman facing charges after dog ingested narcotics says 'real case' will come out