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They are hoping to sell a lot of spaghetti dinners and auction off a ton of pies on Saturday, Feb. 13, to boost the coffers of the Ambulance Fund for the Alexander Volunteer Fire Department.

Ambulances don't come cheap. These slick, state-of-the-art, life-saving rigs can easily cost $150,000 or more and Alexander's Ambulance Service will need a new one in the not too distant future, according to event organizer Lorrie Gammack. Plus, it costs about $5,000 a year to keep the ambulance service going so fundraisers like the one planned next month are critical, she said.

The fire department will be putting on a spaghetti dinner at the Fireman's Recreational Hall from 5 to 6 p.m., followed by a pie auction hosted by the Alexander Methodist Church. The hall is located at 10505 Main St. in Alexander.

"Several businesses and individuals throughout the Alexander community have donated pies and other baked goods that will be auctioned," Gammack says. "The need of the fire department is great. ... We are hoping that on this night the community of Alexander will be able to come together and support our first responders."

The flier urges you to "Sweeten the Pot" in order to "Help Those Who Help Us!"

And for the gluten-averse or the allergic, a gluten-free option is available! Just call Lolly at 585-591-1761.

Pre-sale tickets are available by contacting Deb Spiers at 585-813-3319. Make checks payable to the Alexander Fire Department Ambulance Fund.

Press release:

Community Action of Orleans & Genesee is again offering Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) at its Batavia office. April 15 is the deadline to file taxes.

This program is designated to help those with low to moderate income with their tax preparation and filing.

Trained volunteers are in the Batavia office, located at 5073 Clinton Street Road, on Feb. 4 through April 14.

Please call 343-7798 to schedule your appointment. 

This is a volunteer program offered free of charge. FREE E-Filing available, too!

A two-car accident with injuries is reported on eastbound Route 490 at mile marker 3.4, near exit #2. Bergen Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

A food truck has rolled over at 8715 Lake Street Road, Le Roy. The driver is out and complaining of minor injuries. Le Roy fire and ambulance are responding.

An accident is reported at 127 Jackson St., between Morton Avenue and Maple Street, and there is possible entrapment and perhaps injuries. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 7:08 p.m. (by Howard): Two vehicles involved. One person transported to UMMC. One vehicle received front-end damage and the other vehicle had a banged-in door on the passenger side. Firefighters needed to pry open the driver-side door and help the driver from the vehicle, who was then loaded onto a stretcher. Police had not yet determined the cause of the accident. Jackson Street has a dusting of snow covering a thin layer of ice.

City firefighters responded to 13 Chestnut St. after the odor of gas was reported in the basement. They discovered the strong smell of gasoline and are checking for the source. Neighbors are asked to check their basements, too, and the responders will be "popping some manholes" to check for the source of gasoline.

UPDATE 6:47 p.m.: Command on scene tells a dispatcher "We're going to need to have someone from Waste Management notified. We have the strong odor of gasoline in the sanitary sewer here."

UPDATE 7:13 p.m.: A caller reports the smell of gasoline "flooding the basement and making alarms go off" at 129 Liberty St., which isn't far from the Chestnut Street incident. City fire is responding and the first platoon is called to stand by in headquarters.

UPDATE 8:11 p.m. (by Howard): Spoke with Capt. Bob Fix at the scene. The resident at 13 Chestnut came home to the smell of gas in the house. It was coming up through the drainpipe and seems to have originated in the sewer system. There's no indication how gas might have gotten into the sewer system. "Even a small cup (of gasoline)" could have caused the odor, Fix said. A wastewater crew is responding to the scene to flush the system. Residents on Chestnut are being asked to run a little water down their drains to clear out their own systems. There's no present danger. The call on Liberty was unrelated and the result of a faulty detector. The first and third platoons have been called in to fill in at the Fire Hall with two city trucks tied up on Chestnut until the sewer is flushed. Chestnut is closed to vehicle traffic until crews have completed their work.

UPDATE 9:11 p.m.: City assignment back in service.

A man is allegedly refusing to leave the ATM machine outside the Five Star Bank at 390 W. Main St., Batavia, and refusing to let others use the machine after complaining that it "ate" his ATM card. A dispatcher said a teller informed the irritated customer their machines are not the kind that can take the cards and not allow them to be retrieved. Police are responding.

A one-vehicle rollover accident is reported on eastbound Route 490 at mile marker 3.9. A person is trapped inside. The vehicle is smoking. Bergen Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 2:42 p.m.: The Bergen assignment is back in service.

A fully involved garage fire is reported at 10231 Perry Road. It is attached to a house. Pavilion and Le Roy fire departments are responding. The location is between Heffer and Telephone roads.

UPDATE 8:26 p.m.: This is now a working house fire. Stafford is also called to the scene and asked to provide a crew to fill in at Pavilion's fire hall. Bethany Fire Department is also called to respond.

UPDATE 9:01 p.m.: Fire police are called to Route 20 (Telephone Road) and Perry Road for traffic control and/or to close the roadway to northbound traffic.

UPDATE 9:42 p.m.: Joel Murcin, who owns the property, said he was charging a battery for a skid-steer loader and had gone out to buy a new battery. When he returned, he went to check on the battery that was being charged. "I was either going to put the new battery in or try to start it," Murcin said. "When I went to take the clamps off the battery from the charger, it was arcing -- almost like welding sparks -- and the rubber hose or rubber coating or whatever was burning." There was no fire extinguisher around, "so I ran up and got one out of the garage and by the time I got halfway down the hill I could see flames, orange inside there, so I just stopped. And in the meantime, while I'm doing all this, I called 9-1-1 to tell them it was fully going and helped keep (dispatchers) updated." Murcin lives at 10235 Perry Road with his wife and 3-year-old daughter, who stayed inside their house. No one was harmed. The house where the fire occured, at 10231 Perry Road, was built in 2009. The family lived there for seven years while their current place, adjacent to it, was being built.

UPDATE 10 p.m.: Pavilion Fire Chief Sean Vogt said firefighters responded to a reported garage fire and that quickly went a second alarm for a fully involved structure fire. When they arrived they found "heavy fire coming out of every window and door." Cold weather and an uphill, ice-covered driveway challenged the seven crews that responded.

A motor-vehicle accident is reported on Fisher Road at Maltby Road. Injuries are reported. Oakfield Fire Department is responding along with Mercy medics.

A car vs. pole accident is reported at 7759 E. Main Street Road, Le Roy, at the Country Club. The female driver has a minor head injury. The utility pole is broken and sparks are said to be arcing from it. Le Roy fire and ambulance are responding.

UPDATE 3:57 p.m.: Fire police are requested to shut down traffic on East Street Main Road at South Street and at Asbury Road.

UPDATE 4:28 p.m.: The driver is being transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.

UPDATE 5:03 p.m.: The roadway is being reopened.

A car vs. bus accident is reported at Railroad Avenue and Main Street in Alexander. No injuries are reported but Mercy medics are called to the scene for evaluation. Alexander Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 4:29 p.m.: This involved a school bus. The few children onboard were evaluated by medics and deemed unhurt. Their parents are en route to pick them up and then the assignment will be back in service.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today introduced one of 17 resolutions aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in state government at a press conference held by Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,C-Canandaigua) in Albany.

Hawley proposed requiring a two-thirds majority of the house to pass a message of necessity, but all of the 17 reform measures were defeated by the Assembly Majority during today’s Legislative Session.

“It is unacceptable that these reforms were unanimously defeated by the Assembly Majority, especially after the slew of corruption cases that stained Albany last year,” Hawley said. “Our top priority should be restoring faith in government and increasing our openness and transparency but it has become clear that the Assembly Majority does not care at all about ethics reform.

“I have been an outspoken opponent of messages of necessity because they are the antithesis to good government and usually accompany controversial legislation such as the SAFE-Act. All legislation should be properly vetted and debated before a vote is taken, but messages of necessity rob us of that procedural safeguard. Until we make major changes to how the house functions, we run the risk of entrenched corruption continuing in Albany.”

David Lavalle Andrews , 28, of State Street, Batavia, was arrested at 1 p.m. on Jan. 14 after allegedly failing to appear in Town of Batavia Court nearly two years ago after being released on bail. Andrews allegedly failed to turn himself in within 30 of a court appearance scheduled on Feb. 27, 2014. He is charged with third-degree bail jumping and is now in Genesee County jail. He was to appear in Batavia Town Court today. The case was handled by Deputy Thomas Sanfratello, assisted by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Edward Jordan White, 20, of Michigan Street, Lockport, is charged with second-degree bail jumping. He was arrested at 9 a.m. on Jan. 12 and put in Genesee County Jail for allegedly failing to appear in County Court on April 7, 2015, for a felony proceeding and then not turning himself in within 30 days of the court date. The case was handled by Deputy Thomas Sanfratello.

Dennis Wayne Narvaez, 34, of Bank Street Road, Elba, is charged with speeding (77 in a 55-mph zone), refusal to take breath test, driving while ability impaired by alcohol (DWAI), and aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. Narvaez was arrested at 1:09 a.m. on Jan. 9 on Clinton Street Road in Stafford following a traffic stop. The case was handled by Deputy Kevin Forsyth, assisted by Deputy Howard Carlson.

A 16-year-old who lives on Porter Avenue in Batavia was arrested at 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 10 and charged with petit larceny. The arrest was made following a complaint of shoplifting at Kohl's. A 14-year-old accomplice was also allegedly involved. The defendant was released with an appearance ticket. The case was handled by Deputy Matthew Fleming.

An ATV struck a steel barrier on Chapel Road, just north of Route 262, in Byron. Unknown injuries. The caller reports not seeing an operator of the ATV in the vicinity. Byron and South Byron fire departments are responding. The location is just north of the old railroad bed. Command on scene tells responders to approach in non-emergency mode. "It appears this accident occurred some time ago. We're still looking in the brush here. ... I don't think there's anyone to be found here," command says. Law enforcement is responding, too. Mercy medics' response was cancelled.

UPDATE 10:55 a.m.: The fire departments are returning to service. "Law enforcement will handle it from here," command says.

City fire crews are at a house on Clinton Street where they just extinguished a "a big porch fire." They are checking for extensions. A second platoon was asked to report to fire headquarters. Didn't hear the exact address. 

UPDATE 7:13 a.m.: Code enforcement requested to the scene. 

UPDATE 8:11 a.m.: Clinton Street assignment back in service. Estimated $2,500 damage. The cause was an overheated light fixture.

A pedestrian was reportedly struck by a black pickup truck at the intersection of Bank and Main streets in Downtown Batavia a few minutes ago. The truck then reportedly went into the JC Penney parking lot at the mall before leaving there and turning left onto Washington Avenue. City fire, police and medics are responding.

UPDATE 7:15 p.m.: The pickup driver did not flee the scene, rather drove to a safe location nearby. A Mercy medic happened to get on scene soonest and said the patient was transported to a hospital before a determination was made as to medical condition.

UPDATE Sunday morning: The pedestrian succumbed to his injuries. The victim is identified as Joseph W. Ogozaly, 58, of Batavia. Following the accident, the patient was transported by Mercy EMS to a Mercy Flight landing zone and transported to Strong Memorial Hospital. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. The investigation is ongoing and no charges against the driver have been placed at this time.

A working fire is reported at the Brigman Apartments at 6275 E. Main Road, Stafford. Several calls have been made to dispatch and flames are now through the roof. It is believed to have started in a rear apartment. It's gone to a second alarm. Stafford Fire Department is responding along with Le Roy, Town of Batavia, the City's FAST Team, Pavilion, and South Byron. South Byron is also requested to provide a crew to stand by in Stafford's fire hall.

UPDATE 8:35 p.m.: The third platoon is called to city fire headquarters.

UPDATE 8:52 p.m.: A witness at the scene reports seeing no flames or smoke at this time and believes the fire may be out.

UPDATE 9:14 p.m. (by Howard): The fire seems to have been caused by faulty insulation installation around a water heater. There were flames showing when firefighters arrived on scene. The attic had some damage. The structure was saved.

Press release:

BATAVIA – Mary’s drug addiction has cost her everything: her family, her friends, her job and, she fears, her life. She has been in and out of therapy, support groups and abstinence from cocaine. Feeling frustrated and very much alone with no options left, Mary called the Care & Crisis Helpline.

She talked about her dilemma of not being able to stay clean while her addiction was killing her. A trained Helpline listener quietly took it all in and offered the support and referrals that Mary needed.

This is no fictional tale. Mary’s call was one of more than 7,300 that the Helpline received since it began a year ago. As of midnight Jan. 1, the service has fielded calls from depressed, lonely, distressed, frustrated or otherwise unhappy people with a desperate need to talk about their troubles. And for the last year someone has been on the other end of the line 24 hours a day.

“We have continuously updated our knowledge about what’s going on in Genesee County to be able to help people no matter what their concern is,” Helpline Manager Holly Baxter said. “From autism and heroin use to cancer, family issues and broken relationships, Helpline staff really is here for anyone with any type of crisis.”

According to Baxter, there are many stories that are all too real for those struggling through the myriad of ills that plague society. Without the patient support of a trained listener, those people could have ended up in worse shape, or dead. There was the caller who was upset because he broke his sobriety on Christmas after a 14-month abstinence. After doing so well he decided to stop going to support group meetings and counseling. The listener talked about the importance of staying with treatment and encouraged him to call whenever he felt like drinking.

Another caller was still arguing with her husband while she was on the phone. She was upset that he stayed too long at a friend’s house while she was home sick with their kids. The listener calmed the caller down to the point where she felt she could resume her discussion with her husband. Another caller had completely different family issues. She has suffered from low self-esteem and depression ever since her father abused her as a child. Her parents are divorced and her dad, who lives out of state, has wanted her to visit. She talked over options with the listener to identify what is best for her life.

The stories are many and varied. The issues are real. And Helpline staff has been in place now every day, even on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. The Care & Crisis Helpline supplements coverage for other local agencies including Genesee County Mental Health after-hours calls, Stop DWI, Genesee County’s Medicaid Fraud Line and YWCA’s Domestic Violence Crisis & Prevention Services program.

The Helpline took 7,353 calls last year, including 3,929 for Genesee County Mental Health crisis, 382 that were suicide related, 466 domestic violence crisis calls and 1,555 for crisis information and referrals. Those numbers reflect the instances that someone in need received the support he or she was seeking.

Contracts are still available to agencies, organizations and businesses, Baxter said.

“To serve as a safety net for people in crisis in Genesee County and the surrounding area,” she said. “We have a fully trained staff, a toll-free number and access to more than 220 dialects and languages. The Helpline ensures that you have somebody available 24/7.”

For more information, call (585) 344-4400 or (844) 345-4400, or go to ywcagenesee.org for a live Chat option.