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Submitted artwork by thangka artist Joanna Angie as featured in new exhibit at GCC's Roz Steiner Gallery called "Meditation."

Press release:

The schedule is now in place for artists and exhibits that will be featured in the Rosalie "Roz" Steiner Art Gallery this fall at Genesee Community College, and thangka (Tibetan buddhist painting) artist Joanna Angie will display her works from Aug. 22 – Sept. 24 to begin the season.

Evident in her artwork, Angie has a strong sense of connection to Tibetan spiritual practice. Through thangka, a traditional Tibetan form of religious art dating back to the 11th century, Joanna seeks to convey images of compassion, community and knowledge.

"What I found in the Tibetan spiritual practice and thangka paintings was a natural sense of connection," Angie said. "The images stand for qualities we can develop such as compassion, community and knowledge, knowing there was no good judging me, just cause and effect."

Angie is the daughter of an Italian immigrant who escaped Mussolini's wrath and was proud of his American citizenship. After her father's death when she was just 14 years old, faith slowly came to her and school teachers and college professors became new guides in her life. After graduating Bennett College, Angie opened a gourmet food business, but became very sick by the age of 28. Relocation to Massachusetts exposed her to a Tibetan healer and a hatha yoga teacher, giving her new opportunities to heal and figured immensely into her healing process.

As a community-engaged artist, Joanna has worked on numerous projects including the public art project to commemorate the Centennial of the Pan-American Exposition in 2001. She was an active member of the Community Outreach Committee for the 2006 visit to Buffalo by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama and in 2005, 2007 and 2010; she was an active participant in Beyond/In WNY Exhibitions, collaboration between visual arts organizations in the Western New York Region. Her mural commissions include work at Carnegie Hall Towers and William Hurt's residence in New York City and at St. Paul's Cathedral and The Buffalo Club in Buffalo.

Founder of the Buffalo Arts Studio and acting director from 1991-2012, Angie has exhibited her work at galleries in Buffalo, including Anderson Gallery, Buffalo Arts Studio, CEPA, El Museo, Hallwalls, Contemporary Arts Center, Himalayan Institute of Buffalo, Insight Gallery; as well as the Kenan Center in Lockport, Olean Public Library Art Gallery and the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn.

In addition to its aesthetic beauty as a work of art, thangka serves as an object of devotion, an aid to spiritual practice, and a source of blessings to those who meditate upon it. Joanna's exhibition "Mediation" will be shown Aug. 22 – Sept. 24 and an opening reception is planned for Sept. 8 beginning at 1 p.m. The exhibition will close with a reception on Sept. 24 beginning at 1 p.m. during GCC's Homecoming festivities.

The Roz Steiner Art Gallery will continue to host natural and historical works through the fall with the following exhibits:

• Oct. 6 – 28 -- "On Watch": A curiosity in the process of knowledge formation drives the conceptual framework for Timothy Frerichs' artwork. Through his site-specific installations, he seeks to address and inform ways of responding to and observing the natural world. With the idea that "to categorize is to know," he explores how gathering objects for information and the creation of knowledge constitutes and develops into a reality, particularly in terms of how culturally accepted concepts evolve and become mainstream.

The Exhibition will begin with an opening lecture and reception at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 6.

• Nov. 10 – Dec. 16: "A Celebration of Native American Heritage": A comprehensive survey of Native American Heritage spanning 150+ years, this exhibit features a diverse collection of regional artifacts on loan from the Rochester Museum and Science Center as well as artwork from contemporary Native American artist Carson Waterman. Waterman's art and public murals can be found in and around Western New York, as well as at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. For more information on all upcoming events at the Roz Steiner Art Gallery visit www.genesee.edu/gallery or www.facebook.com/gccgallery

There will be an NRA Safety and Firearm Education Camp from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Alabama Hunt Club on Sunday, Aug. 14.

The hunt club, located at 1854 Lewiston Road in Alabama, is sponsoring the event. Cost is $5 per person or $20 per family. Lunch will be provided for all participants.

Registration and fee payment starts at 9, with a required Shooting Safety Course instruction beginning at 9:30.

That will be followed by:

• Archery shooting
• Paintball shooting
• Air rifle shooting
• .22-caliber rifle shooting
• Trap shooting
• And muzzleloading rifle shooting

To ask questions or for more information, call Dema at (716) 632-1264.

A three-car accident with minor injuries is reported at the intersection of Alleghany and Judge roads in Alabama. It is blocking traffic. Alabama fire and Mercy medic #2 are responding.

Crude oil makes up the lion's share of commodities rumbling over railways traversing Genesee County. Ethanol is number two. And if a railcar carrying one of these highly volatile products derailed, it would not be good.

"Neither one of those things are really good products for us to see 100-car trains going through with 30,000 gallons on each one," said Tim Yaeger, county Emergency Services manager, who gave a review of his department Tuesday at the Public Service Committee.

"That's a lot of product going through. Bakken is down to one to two shipments a day; it was up to three, to four, even five at one time, but petroleum prices drive that."

(Bakken oil comes from a massive shale formation primarily in North Dakota, but it is also found in Montana and two Canadian provinces.)

And yet any rail disaster here now would likely be more ably dealt with than in the past.

There's a couple of reasons for that.

Firstly, the railroad operator, CSX, is more concentrated these days on public safety that in moving products swiftly. That's the sense Yaeger said he got from attending a CSX hazardous material outreach training program, which he lauded as "excellent."

"I can tell you that CSX really impressed me -- their commitment to safety, their commitment to communities," Yaeger said. "It used to be their number-one goal was to get the train moving again. Now it's really safety and making sure that the community is safe before they worry about moving trains again."

The emphasis on beneficial PR is probably, at least partially, rooted in the call for industry-wide reform that followed the company's disastrous derailment accident in Lynchburg, Va., in May 2014 in which tankers carrying crude oil caught fire along with the James River.

At the time, a former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said it was a "wake-up call" for a slow, ineffectual federal rule-making process that failed to protect Amercians in a time when the amount of crude oil being moved by rail in the United States quadrupled in less that a decade.

"They've showed their weaknesses over the years," Yaeger acknowleged. "They show their ability now to respond better and integrate with the local communities as well. I was pleased."

Secondly, in conjunction with CSX training, representatives from the Department of Environmental Conservation traveled throughout the state in the spring developing emergency response plans for the entire rail system in the State of New York, working with local officials in each county.

"Basically, they come in and look at hazards within that area -- with about a five-mile buffer on either side of the tracks -- and find out what type of infrastructure is in the area -- schools, hospitals, things like that in the community -- and then identify the resources that we need to respond to that area," Yaeger explained to the committee.

In his CSX disaster training, Yaeger said he learned that "the entire heat signature goes up, not outward. So our concern, the fire service concern, is that we can't get near it because the amount of BTUs that come off the material is difficult. We have to basically wait for it to burn down.

"Luckily, 'the whip' -- its path -- is not that long. If we have a spill or a movement downhill or into a waterway ... it's a bad event, (but) it's really impressive to see what happens when that catches fire and we have multiple products. The actual damage is about 500 to 1,000 feet, so although it looks terrible, it's not that bad and that heat is going straight up."

Today, first responders in the fire service have full masks to wear to protect themselves from the fumes in fighting this type of conflagration. But they also have a different view about the appropriate response, as compared to, say, the state.

"The state has a different philosophy," Yaeger said, "that we're going in and save the day. And talking to the experts, you're going to be fried before you get close enough to try and do any of those things."

Rather, firefighters are going to use water to cool the exposures first, cool the tanks, and keep them from exploding. (This is known as a B.L.E.V.E -- pronounced "blevy" -- or Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion, which is an explosion caused by the rupture of a vessel containing pressurized liquid above its boiling point.) 

Foam is not going to be employed initially.

"When the fire's out, we try and suppress the vapors, and then we'll be applying the foam."

Useful, too, is a new software program in the Emergency Services office to track "any shipment of cargo through this county," Yaeger said. 

Genesee County training for reaction to volatile commodity spills on highways or railways is continuing with sessions in Baltimore, and Pueblo, Colo.

Overall, emergency response education is strong and productive, with 344 students having participated this year in state programs at the local fire training center, and 22 students completed advanced EMT classes.

On the communications side, Emergency Services is testing pagers with new technology that allows them to switch between 800 megahertz (emergency dispatch radio) and VHF (paging) frequencies. They can be purchased, in conjunction with the Sheriff's Office, with government grant money.

After the county switched to the new emergency dispatch system, procedures changed; certain channels were no longer available and this created issues with first responders who were out of radio range.

The new pagers being tested are not radios. Those paged to respond to a call can't speak on them, but they can hear emergency dispatches and the directives of the incident commander on scene.

Before, responders would be paged on their pager, but then have to get within range of an 800 megahertz radio frequency to hear the emergency dispatch conversations. The new pagers are like "little scanners" that can switch between the two banks "to hear both sides of the conversation." They cost a couple of hundred dollars more than the old pagers and would only be provided to key individuals who "are always responding."

In terms his investigation team, Yaeger said workers are continuing their certifications and they are looking to retool how they do business in light of "the cancer issues that were coming out of the fire service."

Example: there are now more detailed processes in place for handling contaminated gear -- evaluating what gets bagged, what gets disposed of, what gets sent out and cleaned and brought back into service.

As regards fire records management, Yaeger said that 18 fire departments and first responders are now using the same records management system. Le Roy Ambulance Service is expected to join soon. 

Public Service Committee Member Rochelle Stein asked how that was going, if it's serving the communities' needs and if everybody likes it.

" 'Like' is a subjective term," Yaeger quipped, and that got a laugh. He offered the word "tolerate" in lieu of "like" and credited Bill Schutt, West Battalion coordinator for the Genesee County Emergency Management Office, for deftly handling the customer-service aspect of things.

"We're 100-percent reporting," Yaeger noted. "That's very important to New York State. Everybody's reporting their incidents. We're breaking some records. We had some issues, but it's working well."

Treynada T. Costley, 31, of Rochester, was arrested by Corfu Police at 6:52 p.m. on Aug. 3 following a traffic stop of Route 77 just south of the village. Costley was charged with aggravated unlicensed operator, 1st, criminal impersonation and numerous vehicle and traffic law violations. Corfu Police Officer Peter Scanio's plate reader hit for suspended registration on the vehicle Costley was driving. The driver failed to produce a license and allegedly repeatedly gave the wrong name to Officer Scanio as well as assisting officers. During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that the operator, later identified as Costley, had impersonated her sister and had 35 (31 on 11 dates) suspensions on a revoked non-driver ID only. Costley was put in Genesee County Jail in lieu of $500 cash or $1,000 bond. The NY State Police and Genesee County Sheriff's Department assisted Officer Scanio in this investigation as well as Officer Mike Petritz, of Corfu PD.

Anthony Willem Everett Begemann, 18, of Lake Road -- West Road, Hamlin, is charged with possession of alcohol under age 21 with intent to consume. At 8:55 p.m. on Aug. 3 while at the Fifth Harmony concert at Darien Lake, Begemann allegedly possessed vodka. The defendant was issued an appearance ticket for Darien Town Court and charged with possessing alcohol, under age 21, with the intent to consume. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Timothy Wescott.

Press release from the city's Department of Public Works:

A water main tie-in is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 5, on North Street at Summit Street. This is part of the Summit Street Reconstruction Project. This work will require North Street to be closed to traffic from Bank Street to Ross Street until the tie in is completed.   

Water service will be interrupted on North Street from Bank Street to Ross Street, Seneca Avenue and part of Tracy Avenue. Water service should be restored by early afternoon. 

This may cause temporary discolored water in the area or low pressure. Please check to make sure that water clarity has returned before doing any laundry or other activities which could be adversely affected.

Thank you for your cooperation.

A caller reports a black car is parked with a dog inside it near the entrance of Wal-Mart. Law enforcement is responding. It's a 2013 Chevy Impala and the engine is running.

"The caller is not concerned about the welfare of the dog," says the dispatcher. "She's concerned about the dog putting the car in gear and running into pedestrians."

From our news partner WBTA:

According to Katie Sergel, the assistant director at the Holland Land Office Museum, Interim Director Jeffery Fischer has decided to step down from his position.

Sergel says that the Board of Directors are still talking with Fischer, determining if he will continue working with the Museum and, if so, to what capacity.

This is the second museum director that has left the position in less than a year after the previous Executive Director Jeff Donahue resigned in October after holding the office for five years.

The Holland Land Office Museum has made no official comment on the circumstances of Fischer’s departure or any possible replacements, however Board President Don Burkel told WBTA that they are currently in the process of looking for a new director. 

Assistant Director Sergel did say they are creating several new, exciting exhibits for the museum, including a Muckdogs exhibit that is already in the works.

John Franklin McLaughlin Jr., 44, of Old Route 17, Salamanca, is charged with second-degree harassment. The defendant was arrested for allegedly ounching a person in the face at 7 p.m. at the Main Gate at Darien Lake Amusement Park on Alleghany Road. He was due in Darien Town Court on Aug. 1. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Tanner A. Dahl, 19, of Westfield, was arrested by State Troopers for possession of a forged instrument, 3rd, operator of motor vehicle impaired by drugs, 1st, when he was stopped on Colby Road in Darien July 30 for non-functioning tail lights. Dahl was found in possession of an open container of moonshine and a fake Pennsylvania Driver’s License in the name of T. Dahl after Troopers detected the odor of marijuana emitting from his vehicle. Dahl failed the standard field sobriety tests administered to him. He was transported to UMMC for a blood sample, which he refused. A breath sample of 0-percent BAC was obtained. Dahl was issued an appearance ticket and uniform traffic tickets returnable to the Town of Darien Court on Aug. 9.

Michael T. Dibble, 25, of Corfu, was arrested by State Troopers for: felony driving while intoxicated -- with a previous conviction; felony first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation -- alcohol; criminal possession of controlled substance, 7th; failure to keep right; moving from lane unsafely; and use of vehicle without ignition interlock device.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 29, Dibble was traveling northbound on Angling Road in a Chevrolet Cobalt when he crossed over the center line in the path of a tanker truck causing a collision, according to the Troopers' press release issued Tuesday.

Dibble was in and out of consciousness at the scene and was taken by Mercy Flight to ECMC. 

Troopers, investigating the scene located a white powdery substance that appeared to be heroin. Dibble was unable to perform any standard field sobriety tests or evaluations due to his injuries but gave consent to draw blood at the hospital. Dibble was listed in stable condition with a broken left forearm and a leg injury.

He was issued uniform traffic tickets returnable to Pembroke Court at a later date. The driver of the truck was not injured.

Everyone is invited to City Church's first big event at its new property "St. Anthony's -- A City Church" for "The Picnic in the Parking Lot" starting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4.

It's located at 122 Liberty St. in Batavia. There will be food, live music, kids' activities and more.

"We've really pulled out all the stops on this one," says Pastor Marty Macdonald in a Facebook message about the event. "I'm excited about it, about the people who will be here, the music. ... We have enough food to feed half the city...Let's get to know one another."

In another mesaage, aimed at dispelling "myths" that apparently have sprung up about City Church's plans for St. Anthony, the pastor says the beautiful, historic wooden pews inside the sanctuary are staying put, so too are the finely crafted stained-glass windows, which add "architectural splendor" to the whole place. And the existing church on Main Street Downtown will remain open. A third City Church Sunday service, to be held at St. Anthony's, will be added at some point, time to be announced.

City Church closed escrow on the former Roman Catholic parish and school this spring.

Press release from the City of Batavia Police Department:

The Batavia Police Department has been made aware of an IRS Scam involving phone numbers associated with the City of Batavia Government Offices.

The scammers state that they are with the City of Batavia and that they are collecting for the IRS.

They then ask for funds to be transferred into an account within an hour to prevent arrest and / or additional charges. The caller ID shows an actual phone number associated with the City of Batavia. City Officials were made aware of the scam by a subject in New York City who had received several calls.

The City of Batavia is not collecting funds for the IRS.

The Batavia Police Department is urging citizens to not provide any personal information over the phone and to never transfer money to anyone unless the recipient can be verified.

Below is a list of things that the IRS will not do per their website: https://www.irs.gov/uac/newsroom/phone-scams-continue-to-be-a-serious-threat-remain-on-irs-dirty-dozen-list-of-tax-scams-for-the-2016-filing-season

The IRS will never:

• Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
• Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
• Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
• Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:

If you don’t owe taxes, or have no reason to think that you do:

• Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
• Contact TIGTA to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page. You can also call 800-366-4484.
• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" in the notes.

If you know you owe, or think you may owe tax:

• Call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you.

Making the deck.

Directly supervised, precision cutting of boards.

All of the campers of the 2016 Camp Hard Hat, along with instructors.

Submitted photos and press release:

Fourteen rising eighth-, ninth- and 10th-graders are building a bridge this week at Genesee County Park & Forest.

They are using math, process thinking skills, battery power tools, directly supervised use of cutting tools, and using all necessary safety equipment and the power of teamwork to do this.

Camp Hard Hat is live and in action Aug. 1-5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Interpretive Nature Center at Genesee County Park & Forest in East Bethany.

In a partnership with Business Education Alliance of Genesee County, Business Education Alliance of Livingston County, Business Education Council of Wyoming County, and GVEP Building Trades, instructors Rich Monroe and Jared Radesi teach campers principles of design, construction and safety.

Campers will complete the bridge late Thursday morning. The newly finished bridge will be placed on the Wetland Trail in Genesee County Park & Forest on Thursday afternoon. Campers come from Erie, Wyoming, and Genesee counties.