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Woman tells Dodgeson Road resident her car hit something

By Howard B. Owens

A caller reports that a woman came to her house with a facial injury and said her car had struck something and asked her not to call for help before wandering off.

It's unknown what she struck or the exact location of the possible accident.

Alexander fire is being dispatched to the area of 3393 Dodgeson Road, Alexander.

Law and Order: Warsaw man accused of stealing handgun and jewelry from Gilhooly Road home

By Billie Owens

Gary Wayne Hensley, 44, of Burke Hill Road, Warsaw, is charged with second-degree burglary -- illegal entry of a dwelling, and fourth-degree grand larceny -- theft of a firearm. He was arrested Oct. 16 and arraigned in Alexander Town Court. He is being held in jail without bail due to prior felony arrests. It is alleged that on Sept. 7 at about 10:45 a.m. he entered a residence on Gilhooly Road in Alexander and stole a handgun and jewelry. He is due to appear in Alexander Town Court on Nov. 12. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Loftus.

Gregory James Baker, 39, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with three counts of second-degree criminal contempt for disobeying a mandated court order at 4:57 a.m. on Oct. 4. Baker was arrested Oct. 15 following an investigation.He was arraigned in Batavia Town Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy David Moore.

Gregory James Baker, 39, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with second-degree criminal contempt. Baker was arrested Oct. 15 following an investigation of a mental health call from a location on Pratt Road to dispatch at 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 4. He was arraigned in Batavia Town Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Jared Swimline, assisted by Deputy Andrew Mullen.

Rear-end accident on Alexander Road sends two people to the hospital

By Howard B. Owens

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A driver is suspected of following another car too closely on Route 98 in Alexander on Sunday at 7:02 p.m. when it struck another car that was also traveling northbound near Dodgeson Road.

Possible charges are pending following a blood analysis, according to the accident report filed by Deputy Brock Cummings.

James J. Moscicki, 39, of Geise Road, Attica, was reportedly driving a 1991 Ford sedan when the car struck a 2005 Pontiac sedan on Alexander Road. The Pontiac was driven by Laqueasha M. Taylor, 26, of Bank Street, Batavia.

After being struck, Taylor's vehicle began to spin, heading in a northwest direction and came to a rest on the west side of the road facing south.  Moscicki's vehicle continued traveling northwest and struck a fire hydrant. It then came to rest on the west shoulder facing north.

Both Moscicki and Taylor were transported by Mercy EMS to UMMC for evaluation of complaints of pain in their arms and shoulders.

Athena M. Short, 28, a passenger in Moscicki's vehicle, was not injured.

Illustration: Accident report drawing of the accident scene.

Notre Dame and Alexander head into Class D final game Friday undefeated

By Howard B. Owens

 

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Notre Dame went on a romp Saturday afternoon against Canisteo-Greenwood gaining 526 rushing yards and scoring seven touchdowns to remain undefeated on the season with a 49-6 win over the Redskins.

Jed Reese scored three of the TDs on 12 carries for 237 yards. Gabe Macdonald rushed for two TDs. He carried the ball seven times for 149 yards. Alex Totten and Dylan Warner each had second-half touchdowns, with Totten gaining 80 yards on seven carries and Warner picking up 39 yards on four carries.

Canisteo managed only 178 total yards, 87 on the ground and 91 passing.

Dakota Sica led the defense with 12 tackles. Macdonald had 10 and Reese had eight. Reese also intercepted a pass in the end zone to thwart a Redskins' drive.

Do you know who else is undefeated in Section V Class D? The Alexander Trojans.

The Trojans also had a big win this weekend, beating Cuba 56-7, setting up a big end-of-the-season showdown Friday night under the lights at Alexander High School. The two teams will be battling to become the number one seed in sectionals for Class D.

On Friday, the Trojans jumped to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and kept the ball rolling in the second quarter to go into the half up 42-7.

Dylan Busch was 15 for 20 passing for 287 yards and four touchdowns. He threw one interception. Kam Lyons caught six of those passes for 95 yards. Josh DeVries had two for 69, Ty Woods, three catches for 53 yards, and Connor Hollands had a big night at tight end, filling in for the injured Devin Dean, with two catches for 41 yards.

In the ground attack, Alexander spread the ball around with eight ball carriers picking up a total of 231 yards and scoring four TDs.

Hayden Walton led the team with 10 carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Ty Woods had three carries for 45 yards and one TD. Jay Morrison had six carries for 50 yards and one TD. Josh DeVries had two carries for 41 yards.

Defensively, Ethan Heineman had eight tackles. Hayden Walton had six tackles. Ty Woods and Nolan Quackenbush each had fumble recoveries on defense.

The Trojans Sophomore kicker Eric Cline was once again perfect going eight for eight on the PATs.

Also on Saturday, Batavia lost to Greece Arcadia 26-7.

In eight-man football, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba beat Dundee 56-6. Joshua Cramer gained 147 yards on 19 carries and scored one touchdown.

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Two dozen GC fire volunteers learn 'fireground strategies and tactics'

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Responding to concerns over the length of firefighting training programs, the NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control has redesigned the Fire Officer I (FOI) program into five individual modules. Completion of all five modules will earn the participant a Fire Officer 1 certificate. 

The latest offering in the Fire Officer program held at the Genesee County Fire Training Center was "Fireground Strategies and Tactics for the First Arriving Companies." 

The Fireground Strategies and Tactics course prepares fire officers to act as the leader of a company or as an initial incident commander. The students received instructions in both fire and non-fire emergency operations with an emphasis on risk vs. benefit analysis while conducting operations.

The fifteen-hour module was completed by 26 volunteer fire personnel, nine of whom earned their Fire Office 1 certification. 

The 24 Genesee County participants were:

ALEXANDER

  • Anthony R. Johnston (FOI)

TOWN OF BATAVIA

  • Russell S. Borden
  • Bryan A. Moscicki
  • Ian A. Sanfratello
  • Tyler J. Stewart

BETHANY

  • Gregory W. Johnson (FOI)
  • Peggy J. Johnson             
  • Rick J. Klunder III (FOI)
  • Christopher M. Page (FOI)
  • Corrie A. Rombaut             

BYRON

  • Victor L. Flanagan (FOI)

CORFU

  • Dean T. Eck (FOI)
  • Daniel P. Smith (FOI)

ELBA 

  • Jennifer A. Cardinali             
  • Timothy J. Hoffarth             
  • Christopher P. Lane             
  • Michael Pfendler  (FOI)
  • Michael J. Schad (FOI)
  • George M. Underhill             

LE ROY

  • Jared Chick
  • Thomas Feeley

SOUTH BYRON 

  • Nicole M. Boldt
  • Chase A. Cone
  • Vito J. Muoio

Visit your local fire department to find out more about volunteer opportunities.

ATV accident with possible serious injuries reported in Alexander

By Howard B. Owens

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An ATV accident with possible serious injuries is reported on a trail across from 9932 Seward Road, Alexander.

Alexander fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 12:48 a.m.: A landing zone is being set up for Mercy Flight.

UPDATE 2:45 a.m.: The patient was transported to ECMC via Mercy Flight. Her name has not yet been released. An investigator at the scene described her injuries as potentially life-threatening. She is a woman in her 30s who lives in the area but apparently was not familiar with the trail she went down. Deputies have yet to determine if she went down the trail by mistake, thinking it was another trail, or exactly what happened. At this time, investigators believe her ATV hit a chain in the private laneway that was stretched across the trail. The driver was wearing a helmet. She was with another person who was also on an ATV at the time of the accident. The Sheriff's Office will issue a press release with further information sometime this morning.

UPDATE 9:45 a.m.: The operator was Michelle G. Buckenmeyer, 33, of Alexander. She was pronounced dead by the Erie County Medical Examiner's Office at 4:06 a.m. The crash remains under investigation. The investigation is being conducted by Investigator Howard Carlson, Deputy Nicholas Chamoun and Deputy James Stack. Assisting at the scene were members of the Alexander Volunteer Fire Department, Mercy EMS, Mercy Flight and Ron and Newt's Towing Service.

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Two arrests made in Sunday's sobriety checkpoint on Route 20 in Alexander

By Billie Owens

From NYS Police, Troop A:

On Sept. 22, the New York State Police conducted a sobriety checkpoint on State Route 20 in the Village of Alexander.

The purpose of the checkpoint is to deter drunk driving.

The following subjects were arrested and released to appear in the Alexander Town Court at a later date:

John E. Manser, 56, of Canandaigua, is charged with driving while intoxicated.

Brian J. Swimline, 50, of Pembroke, is charged with driving while intoxicated.

Approximately 210 vehicles traveled through the checkpoint. In addition to the two DWI arrests, eight traffic tickets were issued for various violations of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law.

We would like to thank all the designated drivers and those that chose to use hired transportation for keeping the roadway safe on this date.

GO ART!'s annual Open Studio Tour is Sunday

By Billie Owens
GO ART!'s annual Open Studio Tour in Genesee County will be held on Sunday, Sept. 22. Time is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
 
Help GO ART! bring back weekend drives, artist style.
 
Hop in your car and travel to some amazing art studios in our county.
 
Some of our artists will be located at public venues since they do not have a studio. Please feel free to support all these locations by buying art, food or a drink from them!
 

For a map of the tour locations, click here.

Maps can also be purchased for $5 at GO ART!, located at 201 E. Main St. in Downtown Batavia.

This year's Genesee County participants are:

  1. David Burke art (David Burke, Ell Bee Arts (Lyndsay Baker), Miranda Fix (Linda Fix), at GO ART’s Tavern 2.o.1, 201 E. Main St., Batavia;
  2. Ivy Lane/The Potter’s Nest (Jean Grinnell) – 3384 Broadway Road, Alexander;
  3. Art a la Carte (Kimberly Argenta) – 39 Jackson St., Batavia;
  4. Shelley Acquard Moore art (Shelley Acquard) – 9510 Alleghany Road, Corfu;
  5. the ART of Mandy (Mandy Humphrey), 20 Main St., Le Roy;
  6. Julie Lambert Coleman – 44 Summit St., Le Roy;
  7. Eric Wulfgang – 23 Lincoln Ave., Le Roy;
  8. Bethany Arts and Antiques (Terry Weber) – 5769 Ellicott Street Road, East Bethany.

For more information, contact GO ART! at 343-9313, or email Executive Director Gregory Hallock at: ghallock@goart.org

Alexander Girls Varsity Volleyball Team loses to Perry

By Billie Owens
From Sarah Sheffield:
 
The scores for the game Alexander High Schoool Monday (Sept. 9) were:
 
Perry 25-25-20-28-25
Alexander 23-22-25-25-11
 
For Alexander, Kiersten Przybylski had five aces, eight kills and 20 assists. Sam Sawyer had eight aces and seven kills for the match. Alexander is now 0-1 overall.
 
For Perry, Trinity Parker played amazing defense with five solo blocks as well as contributing three aces and five kills. Mercedes Alderman led the offense with eight kills, four aces, as well as 10 digs on defense. Leah Fisher continues to push herself to get 19 assists for the match. Perry is now 1-2 overall.

 

Notre Dame starts promising season with decisive victory

By Howard B. Owens
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With QB 1 Colin McCulley out of action for six weeks after suffering a broken collar bone in a preseason scrimmage, Notre Dame called on Gabe Macdonald on short notice to take over the reins of the team's offense and Macdonald delivered in a 35-16 win at home Saturday over York/Pavilion.

Macdonald, taking snaps for the first time in a regular-season game, was 6 for 7 passing for 153 yards and two TDs. He also rushed for 37 yards on eight carries and scored a two-point conversion.

Jed Reese and Mark Sanders also helped pick up the offense. Reese rushed for 208 yards and two touchdowns on 22 attempts. Sanders caught two passes for 127 yards and two TDs and rushed three times for 39 yards and a TD. He also had an interception on defense and eight tackles.

Macdonald had nine tackles and two interceptions on defense.

The Fighting Irish surged to an early 19-0 lead but in the middle of the third quarter, York/Pavilion made some adjustments stopped ND's momentum, making the score a more competitive 19-16 at the half.

Reese also sat out several minutes of game time during this stretch with an injury.

"We came out so high and we have high expectations and they were doing a great job early on," Head Coach Joe Zambito said. "Then Judd got a little nicked up and it hurt us a little bit there for awhile but he came back, and he's a tough kid, and he came back into the game.

"York did a good job. I told their coach they could have quit and hats off to him because they did an awesome job and we just came out and our kids played a good football game in the second half."

The Notre Dame game was the only local game on Saturday.

On Friday:

Alexander beat Lyons 48-14. Hayden Walton had 11 carries for 86 yards and two TDs. Jay Morrison, six carries, 72 yards and a TD. Ty Woods, seven carries, 54 yards, and two TDs plus 25 yards receiving. Dylan Busch 4-for-4 and 127 yards passing, with two TDs. Devin Dean had 10 tackles and two sacks. Nick Kramer, eight tackles, one fumble recovery. Eric Cline 6-for-7 on PATs.

Batavia 42, Wayne 12 (click here for game coverage)

Le Roy 46, Wellsville 14: Andrew Englerth carried the ball for 88 yards on nine rushes and scored at TD. Nate Andrews, seven times on the ground for 75 yards and a TD. Kyler LaCarte, nine carries, 55 yards, and a TD. Alex Panepento, three carries, 34 yards, and a TD. Jake Hill was 5-6 passings for 82 yards and two TDs. Cody Lytle had two receptions for 14 yards and two TDs. Tom Saunders had 10 tackles.

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Video: WNY Gas & Steam Show in Alexander

By Howard B. Owens
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Motorcycle driver dies following accident in Alexander on Saturday

By Howard B. Owens

A motorcycle rider from Saegertown, Pa., succumbed over the weekend to injuries he sustained in an accident on Route 20 in Alexander on Saturday.

According to State Police, Frank L. Eckart, 65, was eastbound on Broadway Road and was slowing for the intersection with Route 98 when he lost control of his bike.

Eckart was ejected from his 2005 Harley-Davidson along with a 61-year-old passenger, whose name wasn't released.  

Mercy Flight transported Eckart to Erie County Medical Center where he later died as a result of his injuries.

The accident was investigated by State Police. 

Alexander fire assisted at the scene.

Driver for Alexander-based school bus company wins Heroism Award

By Billie Owens

Submitted photo and information from Student Transportation of America:

ALEXANDER -- Bus driver Vikki Boyce Czechowicz, who works for Alexander-based Student Transportation of America, received the Heroism Award recently from the NYS Education Department.

She is at left in the photo above with her manager Tonya Phillips.

The Herosim Award is one of several honors Czechowicz has received since rescuing 17 children from a school bus that became engulfed in flames after its engine caught fire May 28 in Sheldon, Wyoming County.

According to the bus company, which provides transportation for Genesee County schools, Czechowicz, who lives in Wyoming County, was proceeding through her morning route for the Attica Central School District on Maxon Road in Sheldon when she noticed smoke coming from under her dash.

She radioed dispatch that she was evacuating the 17 students (K-12) who were on the bus. She was on her way to pick up two more students when the mishap occurred.

After the children had exited the bus, which she attributed to their prepardedness and ability to listen and obey instructions, Czechowicz went back inside to check for sleeping students. As she came to the front of the bus, she saw the flames coming from the engine area and within minutes the school bus was fully engulfed in flames and the front tires exploded. No one was injured.

“It was due to this driver’s quick thinking and school bus safety training that all the students were safely evacuated,” said Paul Overbaugh, director of Pupil Transportation, NYS Education Department.

Marine vet wishes he had 'do-over' to get to know two fallen comrades who were Notre Dame schoolmates

By Billie Owens

Above, Marine veteran and former Batavia resident Jim Heatherman. Photo courtesy of Jim Heatherman.

Editor's Note: Eighteen days apart in 1968 two 1964 Notre Dame High School graduates were killed in Vietnam. Today, on the 51st anniversary of one of their deaths, their classmate and fellow Vietnam vet Jim Heatherman remembers them and wishes he got to know them better.

Story by Jim Heatherman.

It has been 50 years since I was a Marine lieutenant in Vietnam. It doesn’t seem like it but it’s true. Longer still since I graduated from Notre Dame High School in Batavia. I think of those days often. Notre Dame was a fine school but certainly not heaven on Earth.

My friends and I were by no means angels when we went to school there. I remember helping to make hydrogen sulphide in the chemistry lab, which permeated the entire school with the smell of rotten eggs and nearly caused an evacuation.

Don’t get me wrong. I am a proud graduate of Notre Dame in 1964, a college graduate later, and a Marine Vietnam combat veteran later still.

Many of my family grew up, lived, and died in Batavia. My brother, Pat, and I regularly visit their gravesites although I now live in Tulsa, Okla. My friend, Dave Reilly, has written wonder articles for The Batavian reminiscing those youthful days in Batavia.

Incidentally, we older people think in our minds and hearts that we are still young people living back in the 1960s. We try to ignore the pains in our knees...and, well, everywhere else, too.

I don’t think we spent much time thinking of the world situation including Vietnam when we were in high school. We were accepting our role as average teenagers thinking mostly of driving, girls, and sports. Since most of the girls didn’t particularly care for us we were able to focus mostly on the other two things.

Of course there were other guys in our class who were better looking, smarter, and all around cooler than we were and they got the girls. I wonder whatever happened to them. And then we had other classmates who were not members of our group and we didn’t think much about knowing them at all.

One of them was Daniel Bermingham (inset photo, left), who I remember as a pleasant person but not particularly cool...like we thought we were. (He was killed on Aug. 23, 1968 in Vietnam.)

Another was Thomas Welker (inset photo, below right), who with others was bussed into Notre Dame daily from a farm community.

Like Dan, Tom was an outsider to our group and we hardly got to know him. Unfortunately that did not change through four years of high school. I’d like to think that we are now wiser than we were then. That is our blessing but it is also our curse.

Well I graduated from Notre Dame, went on to college and joined a Naval ROTC unit. When I graduated from college I was happily commissioned a Marine 2nd Lieutenant. I come from a Marine Corps family so that result was expected and inevitable.

After additional training at Quantico, Va., I got orders to WESTPAC Ground Forces. That meant Vietnam, of course. I was fortunate to survive my combat tour in Vietnam as an infantry platoon commander and battalion staff officer.

I spent several more years in the Marine Corps and then returned to civilian life. I got married and had five children. They all went to Catholic school, too, and are all college graduates.

The four boys are Marine combat veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan, later became federal agents, and one is now a United States Attorney.

My daughter is a wonderful teacher in a Catholic school in Tulsa. I go there and mostly talk about Revolutionary and Civil War battles, although the kids want to talk about Vietnam, too. I have 15 grandchildren. I go to many, many sports events. I think often how blessed I am to have that family.

Then I think of Dan and Tom -- the guys that we never really got to know in high school. When most of us were happily running off to college in 1964 they were both preparing to join the Navy.

Dan became a member of a Naval Construction Force battalion -- the Seabees -- and was eventually sent to Vietnam. People in those positions rarely die in combat but Dan was killed.

He is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery in Batavia, only 50 yards from my grandparents. I want to visit there often and leave a memento.

Tom received medical training in the Navy and became a Corpsman. Eventually he was sent to Vietnam and, of course, assigned to a Marine infantry unit.

As a Marine myself, I can tell you that no one is more revered by the Marines they serve than the Navy Corpsmen. They are always known as “Doc.” Tom was killed on a patrol with the Marines he served. He is buried in Attica.

I read in an article that his mother never really recovered from the loss of her son. I’m sure she is not alone.

Looking back now, I think of two things. As a very fortunate head of a family of 27 people today, I think of the void and unfulfilled promise that was cut down for Tom and Dan and so many others in Vietnam. The wives, children, and grandchildren that never were. Also, as a wiser and a bit more humble person now, I think that just being the goofy teenagers we were in those days should not have been an excuse for not knowing and appreciating our Notre Dame classmates, Tom and Dan, more.

Yet I’m sure we are not alone either. Wouldn’t it be nice after all these years to have a do-over?

Inset photos courtesy of Dave Reilly.

Burning tires reported at residence on Railroad Avenue in Alexander

By Billie Owens

The Department of Environmental Conservation called the Genesee County Dispatch Center to report the possibility of tires being burned on Railroad Avenue in Alexander. A first responder checked it out and found the location to be 3543 Railroad Ave.

Alexander Fire Department was called to respond, but the first responder on scene says he spoke to the homeowner who said he would put the fire out.

"He's just got a small fire burning here and he's going to put it out now," the first responder says.

No police response warranted, but DEC will follow up for a report tomorrow.

UPDATE 4:53 p.m.: Fire is out. Assignment is back in service.

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