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The Indian Falls United Methodist Church will host Genesee County's only drive-thru opportunity to see a live Nativity Scene. It's at Pembroke Town Park from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 2.

You and your family are welcome to experience the story of Christmas with live actors and animals while staying within the comfort of your own vehicle. Enjoy provided refreshments while a narrator leads you through the story of Christmas!

Plus, be entered for a chance to win a handmade Nativity decoration or a Christmas dinner!

Donations for the Corfu Food Pantry will be accepted and gratefully appreciated.

The park is located at 8799 Alleghany Road in Pembroke.

Press release -- Public Health Column:

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month! Did you know that radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), if you smoke and live in a home with high radon levels, your risk for developing lung cancer significantly increases. Testing your home for radon is the only effective way to determine if you and your loved ones are exposed to toxic levels of this poisonous gas.

Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas. It has no smell, taste, or color.  Radon forms from the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water and circulates into the air you breathe. When radon is formed under homes and buildings, it can penetrate through cracks in the foundation, leading to high levels of radon, especially in enclosed areas.

Sarah Balduf, environmental health director of Genesee and Orleans counties, further explains how radon can seep into your home.

“Radon can enter your home through cracks in the foundation, walls, joints, dirt floors, opening of sump pump, in well-water supply, and from gaps around suspended floors and pipes," she said. "Any home can have high radon levels, whether it is old or new, has a basement or is built on a slab.”

Test Your Home

Testing your home with a short term radon test kit is the quickest way to determine if your home is at risk. The Genesee County Health Department has an allotment of short term test kits that are free of charge for Genesee County residents. These test kits are easy to use and contain basic instructions on how to receive the most accurate results when testing your home for radon.

The EPA recommends placing the test kit in the first livable floor of your home. If you do not spend time in your basement, place the test kit in the first level of your home. Avoid testing in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room. The humidity created in these rooms may interfere with the radon test results.

Once you have located where you will unseal the test kit, place it at least 20 inches off the ground. Be mindful to place the test kit in an area where pets or children will not disturb it. All windows and doors must remain closed (except for normal entry and exit) throughout the duration of the test. This will allow for the greatest concentration of radon to build up within your home.

Mail Test Kit in Timely Manner

Once the test kit is complete, reseal the test kit canister and mail it to the lab in a timely manner. A self-addressed envelope will be provided with the kit. f the test is not received by the lab within 7 days, the test results will be inconclusive.

Test kits are also available through the New York State Department of Health, some County Health Departments and local hardware stores.

Balduf explains that “If your home does have an elevated level of radon (4 picocuries per liter of air [pCi/L] or greater), you should contact a certified radon mitigator to install a radon reduction system in your home. These systems should only be installed by a certified radon mitigator. Radon reduction systems can be a low cost and effective way to reduce the level of radon in your home.”

Home Buyers -- Know Results of Radon Test

When purchasing a new house, make sure the seller completes a radon test kit and has the results available. If you are building a new home, make sure to have radon-resistant construction features installed and tested prior to moving in.

The Genesee County Health Department Radon Program offers short-term radon test kits for residences in Genesee County. The program also offers educational materials and in-services programs on the danger of radon prevalence, and mitigation options for new or existing homes which are all available at no charge.

This holiday season; share the gift of good health by encouraging your friends and family to test their homes for radon. The only way to know if there is radon in your home is by completing a simple test kit that may save your life.

For More Information

For more details about the program or to receive any of these services call the department at 585-344-2580, ext. 5555, or visit http://www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/health/radon2.html.

For information about services that your local health department provides visit:

• Genesee County Health Department at: 344-2580, ext. 5555, or visit their website at www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/health/index.html

Press release:

We are happy to announce that Ascension Parish in Batavia is hosting a Christmas Bazaar to be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 17 Sumner St. in the Community Hall.

This event will feature Mrs. Claus’s Café, Visits with St. Nicholas, Used Book Sale, Basket Raffle and Placek Sale.

In addition there will be children games including snowman bowling, jingle boxes, treasure chest and many more. There will be more than 25 vendors just in time for holiday shopping including Perfectly Posh, Tastefully Simple, Chiselwood, along with handmade items for sale. Each vendor will have a door prize to give away to a lucky winner.

Admission and parking are free.

Volunteers for Animals will benefit from your participation in Photos with Santa at PETCO in Batavia.

The nonprofit organization that helps homeless animals at the Genesee County Animal Shelter will get 100-percent of the proceeds from the event, which will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2 and 16.

PETCO is located in Town Plaza at Batavia on Veterans Memorial Drive.

This is a "fully digital experience" and your photo will be emailed to you and ready to share within minutes.

Cost is $9.95 -- a donation that will help local pets find homes this holiday season.

Join the Volunteers for Animals and Santa this Saturday or on Dec. 16 at PETCO and help our furry friends.

Press release:

City leaf collection crews are in their fifth time around the city this final week of leaf collection.

Any city resident who has leaves to be picked up is encouraged to get their leaves out to the parkway near the curb by Friday, Dec. 1.

Any resident who has leaves can also bring them to the yard waste station on Law Street through Dec. 9, after which the station will close for the season. It is open until then from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Important Information About Leaf Collection:

• Leaf piles must be clear of sticks and other debris;
• Grass clippings, flower pottings, branches, and pumpkins cannot be picked up and residents are encouraged to bring those items to the Yard Waste Station on Law Street;
• Leaves should not block traffic;
• Leaves should not be piled near intersection corners. This causes sight issues for motorists/bicyclists/pedestrians;
• Keep leaf piles clear of drainage ways and catch basins. Blocked drainage leads to localized flooding;
• Leaves should not be piled around mail boxes, power poles, fences, fire hydrants or other obstacles;
• Do not park on leaf piles. The heat from a vehicle exhaust system could start a fire;
• Do not wait to get your leaves out. The city will normally collect leaves twice within the month of leaf collection;
• If it is snowing, the city plows first. If it continues to snow, then leaf operations will be suspended;
• There is no leaf pickup in the spring.

A house fire is reported at 865 Gabbey Road, Town of Pembroke. Several callers to dispatch, including the homeowner and neighbors, report flames coming from the residence. The location is between Lyman and Marble roads.

It is four-unit apartment complex, with heavy fire on the east side and no exposures, says a first responder on scene, noting a fire hydrant is in front. All residents are out.

National Grid is called to the scene. Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments are called along with Darien, East Pembroke, Corfu, and Town of Batavia. Alabama is asked to send a tanker to the scene and a crew to fill in at Pembroke's Fire Hall. The city's Fast Team is also responding and its second platoon is to report to city headquarters.

UPDATE 9:56 p.m.: Pembroke command: "Fire knocked down; checking for extensions."

UPDATE 10:32 p.m.: Jamie Waff, chief of Pembroke Fire District, said shortly after 9 p.m. firefighters were called to a working house fire. When he arrived on scene the east side of the four-unit apartment building was engulfed in flames, which is where the "electrical bank" was located. But the fire had not spread upstairs. All tenants were out. Firefighters quickly made a "good attack" on the structure and were able to get out three pet cats who lived there. They knocked down the blaze and Waff said "very minimal damage" was done inside and minimal damage was sustained in the attack. Waff said, including stand-in and fill-in units, 10 fire companies responded. One tenant was not home at the time the fire broke out, but all residents will be displaced by the fire tonight. The county's Emergency Management Office is handling the situation. "The guys did an excellent job doing a knockdown on the second floor, pulling the ceilings down," Waff said.

A group of about 30 people are reportedly fighting outside at 16 Highland Park. Unknown if weapons are involved. Dispatch has received mutliple calls about it. City police are responding. Three people are detained on Central Avenue.

UPDATE 8:29 p.m.: Backup law enforcement is requested to respond to Central Avenue in response to the public fight that occurred in the area.

UPDATE 8:31 p.m.: Three units that were called were subsequently told to disregard.

A man inside a feed store in Bergen is complaining of rib pain after what he says was a train vs. pickup truck accident. It occurred on Buffalo Street near Route 19. Bergen fire and medics are responding.

UPDATE 7 p.m.: "I have located the vehicle; checking on it now," says a first responder.

UPDATE 7:03 p.m.: "The truck is not on the railroad track; it's just east," says a first repsonder.

Eddie L. Miles Jr. is indicted for the crime of unauthorized use of a vehicle in the second degree, a Class E felony. It is alleged that on May 18 in the City of Batavia that, knowing he did not have the owner's consent, he took, operated, exercised control over, rode in or otherwise used a vehicle -- a 2000 Mercury Sable. In count two, Miles is accused of criminal contempt in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor, for allegedly intentionally disobeying or resisting the lawful process or other mandate of a court. In Special Information filed by the District Attorney, Miles is accused of having been convicted of the crime of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in the third degree, a Class A misdemeanor. The Special Information filing says he was convicted of that on Nov. 13, 2007, in Town of Pembroke Court, which was within 10 years of the crime alleged in count one of this indictment.

Garnet R. Lyon II is indicted for the crime of aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree, a Class E felony. It is alleged that on Sept. 22 in the Town of Stafford that Lyon drove a 2002 Toyota on Route 237 while knowing or having reason to know that his license to drive in New York was suspended or otherwise withdrawn by authorities. It is also alleged that he was under the influence of alcohol or a drug at the time. In count two, the defendant is accused of DWI, per se, as a misdemeanor, for allegedly driving while intoxicated. In count three, Lyon is accused of DWI, per se, as a misdemeanor, for having a BAC of .08 or more at the time.

Bryan B. Flanagan is indicted for the crime of driving while intoxicated, as a Class E felony. It is alleged that on July 13 in the Town of Darien that Flanagan drove a 2002 Chrysler on Route 77 while in an intoxicated condition. In count two, he is accused of DWI, per se, also as a Class E felony, for allegedly having a BAC of .08 or more at the time.

Nicholas E. Kaiser is indicted for the crime of driving while intoxicated as a Class E felony. It is alleged that on Aug. 13 Kaiser drove a 2017 Ford on West Main Street in the City of Batavia while intoxicated. In count two, he is accused of DWI, per se, as a Class E felony, for allegedly having a BAC of .08 at the time.

Join us for the annual meeting of The Landmark Society of Genesee County at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29th, at GOART!, located in historic Seymour Place at 201 E. Main St. in Downtown Batavia.

Local resident and Landmark Board Member Richard Beatty will be presenting a program on the historic Buffalo Landmark designed by Frank Lloyd Wright -- the Darwin Martin House.

Located in the Parkside neighborhood of Buffalo, the restoration of the six-building complex is nearing completion. The project began in 1992 with the goal of returning the estate to its 1907 condition.

Beatty, a senior docent at the house, will tell the story of the rebuilding and restoration of one of Wright’s greatest early works.

A colored sketch of the Brisbane mansion or former City Hall by Don Carmichael and a sketch of the former St. James Rectory by Gail Thomas will be raffled off. For the suggested donation of $5 you can have a chance to win both of these framed sketches. The drawing will take place at Wednesday's meeting.

The pictures that we are having in the raffle are on display at GOART! in the hallway as you go to the bar area.  Come to the meeting and buy a ticket and you may go home a winner!

Our by-laws state that a person can be a director for two terms and then need to take a one year off the board and can then be re-elected. The treasurer doesn’t have this restriction.

In order to amend our by-laws to allow a director to serve three terms, we need a 2/3 affirmative vote of the members at a membership meeting.

We will be voting for three directors to serve a three-year term.

These are some of "The Boys of Battery D," the first draftees from Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties before they were sent off to serve in World War I. It was taken in October 1917. Do you recognize any of them?

A hundred years ago, the first World War I draftees from Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties were fresh arrivals at Camp Dix, NJ. Initially, most were together in the same barracks and the same unit, Battery D of the 307th Field Artillery.

The picture was provided by Terry Krautwurst, who researched and wrote a history project titled "To End All Wars," which he then donated to the Genesee County History Department.

The project contains the biographies and documents on the 66 men and one woman from Genesee County who died in service during The Great War.

Krautwurst's latest post on his blog about Genesee County and that war is entitled "The County and the Kaiser. (The website, incidentally, also contains the honor roll biographies and many documents.)

The full unit photo of the men is numbered to help with ID, and three complete lists of the names of all the men from the three counties drafted in September 1917.

"I’m hoping that descendants and others able to recognize these men (either from memory of their grandfathers or from old family photos) will help put names to the faces in the photo so that the majority will be identified and thus properly honored by next November 11," Krautwurst says.

Click here to check out the post and get information about identifying the soldiers. Or you can start at the blog’s home page, here.

To contact Krautwurst, his email is:   tkwrite@bellsouth.net

Press release:

The Genesee Society of Model Engineers will host the club's Annual Holiday Open House on Saturday, Dec. 2nd, at the club's facilities located at 50 Main St. (Route 63), Oakfield (above the M&T Bank). The FREE event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The club's facilities feature operating layouts in O Gauge (Lionel), HO & N scale as well as push trains for the little ones.

Refreshments will be served and club members will be available to answer your model railroading questions. A great family-oriented event filled with photo-ops and fun for kids of all ages.

Stairway access only.

"The Christmas holidays seem to bring back those childhood memories of a model train around the Christmas tree," says club President Mike Bakos. "Our members are keeping the tradition of trains and the holidays alive. We invite you to visit and enjoy one of Genesee County's best kept secrets."

This year's Open House will be one of the many "Ornament Stops" featured as part of the "Deck the Halls -- Christmas in Oakfield" celebration.

Starting at 11 a.m., the first 50 families to register at the village's Triangle Park will receive a small grapevine wreath. They can then embark on an ornament hunt by visiting many of the village's local clubs and businesses while gathering ornaments for the wreath.

The ornament hunt is just one of many activities that will be taking place in Oakfield throughout the day.

The Genesee Society of Model Engineers clubhouse is open Tuesdays evenings from 7 to 9. Business meetings are held the last Tuesday of each month. Visit www.gsme.org.

Press release:

The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership is pleased to announce a new partnership between its School Library System and an international game company called LUPO.

Based in Helsinki, Finland, LUPO publishes "Space Adventure," a narrative storytelling game that allows players to role-play as they complete collaborative tasks while on a space mission.

The goal of this project is to lead local classes in exploring game design as a way to promote critical thinking and creative expression of student understanding.

Over the next year, School Library System staff will pilot this game in component school districts as this game’s primary rollout in the United States.

SLS staff will provide training for librarians and teachers.

“LUPO’s 'Space Adventure' will be a strong addition to our existing library of over 400 games selected for instructional use in the classrooms of the Genesee Valley region,” said SLS Director Christopher Harris.

“ 'Space Adventure' combines creative storytelling with science and community planning to create a narrative experience that can be customized by the teachers to address different areas of the curriculum."

For more information about LUPO visit lupoworld.com  

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The School Library System is a program of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership operates as a Board of Cooperative Educational Services offering shared programs and services to 22 component school districts located in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston and Steuben counties in New York state.

Press release:

Genesee County Highway Department will be replacing the Pratt Road bridge over the Tonawanda Creek, with a likely construction start date of May 2019.

As a design of the replacement is underway, a public information meeting regarding the project will be held at 7 p.m. on Dec. 7th at the East Pembroke Fire Hall, located at 2623 E. Main Road in the Town of Batavia.

Timothy J. Hens, P.E.
Highway Superintendent