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Vehicle reportedly hits Marshall's building and is attempting to flee

By Howard B. Owens

A vehicle that was apparently doing donuts in the parking lot has struck the Marshall's building on Veterans Memorial Drive and is attempting to leave.

The vehicle was last seen, possibly, attempting to leave the Clarion Hotel parking lot on Park Road.

It's described as a small, white SUV.

UPDATE 10:21 p.m.: A suspect vehicle has been stopped.

UPDATE 10:23 p.m.: A deputy reports a very small amount of damage to a pillar in front of the store, with skid marks leading up to it.

UPDATE 10:24 p.m.: Registration comes back to a residence in Holley.

UPDATE 10:25 p.m.: State Police confirms it believes it has the driver.

UPDATE 10:27 p.m.: A trooper is asking the deputy on scene to look for a license plate that may be missing off the vehicle. A female is in custody.

Rollover accident reported on Townline Road, Bergen

By Howard B. Owens

One person is trapped in a car following a one-vehicle rollover accident in the area of 7394 Townline Road, Bergen.

Unknown injuries.

Bergen fire and Byron ambulance responding.

UPDATE 3:45 p.m.: Byron is transporting one to the hospital and Bergen fire is back in service.

 

Driver refusing to move truck from Econo Lodge on Route 77, Pembroke

By Howard B. Owens

The manager of the Econo Lodge on Route 77, Pembroke, would like to get the snow removed from his parking lot, but a truck is parked in the lot and the driver is refusing to move.

A deputy is being dispatched.

The manager is requesting that if the driver refuses to move, that law enforcement have the truck removed.

Difficult travel conditions reported in Alabama

By Howard B. Owens

Authorities in Alabama are requesting a travel advisory because of near zero visibility. 

Alabama fire is on scene of a single-car accident at Route 63 and Route 77 with wires down. A wire is on a vehicle.  No injuries are reported.

Traffic is being closed at Ledge Road and 77.

It sounds like there are other property damage accidents in the area.

There is an accident, perhaps Route 63 and 77, with seven people in the vehicle. No injuries.

Mercy EMS is responding to Route 63 and 77 because of the wire on the car.

Traffic is being closed at Phelps Road by Pembroke fire.

UPDATE 1:18 p.m.: Traffic is being slowed at Kearns Road, Pembroke.

UPDATE 1:18 p.m.: A car has struck a pole at Marble Road, wires down.  

UPDATE 1:29 p.m.: National Grid is on location.

Minor injury accident on North Lake in Bergen

By Howard B. Owens

A motor-vehicle accident with a minor head injury is reported on North Lake Street and Bissell Road, Bergen.

Bergen fire and ambulance dispatched.

Accident reported at Clinton and East Avenue

By Howard B. Owens

An accident with a minor injury is reported at Clinton Street and East Avenue, Batavia.

A person has a cut.

City fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

The 25 most viewed stories for 2014

By Howard B. Owens

Here are the 25 most viewed stories on The Batavian of 2014:

It was another banner year in traffic to the site.

There were 6,153,368 visits to the site, up from 5,909,231 in 2013. We recorded 1,149,120 unique visitors to the site, up from 1,082,729 in 2013. And, there were 9,806,264 page views in 2014, compared to 9,794,627 the previous year.

The Batavian was once again the #1 online news source for Genesee County.

For the hardy, wintry weather doesn't stop city's Centennial Celebration

By Howard B. Owens

Cold, wind, snow, seems to have kept a lot of people away from the City of Batavia Centennial Celebration on Wednesday night, but those who braved the elements, there seemed to be plenty of fun to go around.

There was a bonfire and entertainment in what organizers dubbed Centennial Plaza in the parking lot of St. Mary's off Evans Street, and a swank party for those who bought tickets inside City  Hall.

To purchase prints, click here.

Car strikes tow truck at scene of accident

By Howard B. Owens

A car has struck a tow truck that was on scene with law enforcement at a previous accident at Oak Orchard Road and Edgerton Road, Elba.

A head injury is reported.

Elba fire and Mercy EMS are dispatched.

UPDATE 9:54 a.m.: Traffic is being shut down at Route 98 and the Elba Fire Rec Hall. It's also being shut down at Daws Corners.

The latest Flip Ad contest winner

By Howard B. Owens

Running from yesterday, into today, we had a Flip Ad contest running.

The winner is Elizabeth Geuss, of Batavia. She flipped the correct hidden code: John Gardner and was the 15th person to respond.

Watch for another Flip Ad contest some time next week.

Photos: Workers setting up for tonight's fireworks display off Evans Street, Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

Kind of like old vaudvillians, fireworks operators say "the show must go on."

Yes, it's cold, it's snowing, and we may get a bit of wind, but there will be a fireworks display in the City of Batavia tonight at 10 p.m. (Batavia Downs is also planning a display at midnight).

There will be three and four inch canisters used in the downtown display, and those lager ones could get obscured by the clouds, but otherwise, we should expect a good 18 minute show, a technician told me.

Reward hiked to $1,550 for info to arrest and convict man who publicly stomped cat to death

By Billie Owens

The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a tall white man who stomped a cat to death on Main Street, Batavia, Dec. 3 has been increased to $1,550, according to Volunteers for Animals.

According to a witness, the man was walking a large, dark brown German shepherd near the Raceway Mini Market in the 600 block of East Main Street at the time of the incident. It was about 6:30 p.m.

The cat suffered numerous injuries, including a broken spine and crushed skull from being stomped, and wounds from the dog.

The initial reward was $500.

Batavia Police encourage anyone with information to call their confidential tipline at 345-6370.

 

Three vehicles crash at Wortyndyke and West Main Street Road

By Billie Owens

A three-vehicle accident, unknown inuries, is reported at the corner of West Main Street Road and Wortendyke Road. Mercy medics and East Pembroke Fire Department are responding.

UPDATE 3:08 p.m.: A responder reports heavy traffic there and says the accident is blocking the roadway.

UPDATE 3:11 p.m.: Fire Police are called to handle traffic.

UPDATE 3:43 p.m.: The East Pembroke assignment is back in service.

For first time, local person who OD'd on heroin revived by city firefighter with Narcan

By Howard B. Owens

In August, City Fire Chief Jim Maxwell announced plans to equip medics in his fire department with Narcan, a drug that can potentially save the life of a person who has overdosed on heroin or other opiate-based drugs.

Saturday, for the first time, a life was saved in the city when a firefighter administered Narcan to a middle-aged female resident.

The woman apparently overdosed on heroin.

The firefighter, Ryan Whitcombe, said the call came in shortly after noon Saturday for an unresponsive female.

When firefighters arrived, they found the woman unconscious on the floor of her residence. She wasn't breathing.

Whitcombe was informed by others at the residence that the woman may have suffered a narcotics overdose.

After consulting with other first responders, he agreed the best course of action was to administer Narcan, generically known as naloxone hyrdochloride, which he sprayed into the woman's nostrils.

The fast-acting drug did its job.

"Over the period of a minute or two, her breathing started to come back," Whitcombe said. "Little by little her breathing came back to the point where she became conscious and was breathing on her own without assistance."

When a person ODs on heroin or an opiate-based prescription medication, the drug shuts down brain function that controls breathing. The person literally forgets to breath. Narcan stimulates that portion of the brain and the person will start breathing again.

As Maxwell explained to council members in August, there's no known downside to administering the life-saving drug.

"If it's not an opiate overdose, you can't hurt the patient," Maxwell said. "You can't overdose on it or anything along those lines, so if it's a false recognition and they administer it, it doesn't do anything to the patient."

Narcan, clinically considered "an opioid antagonist," can also be used to revive people who have overdosed on prescription medications that are opiates.

Photos: Set-up nearly complete for city's birthday celebration tonight

By Howard B. Owens

"Centennial Plaza," in the St. Mary's parking lot on Evans Street is just about all ready for tonight's revelers as Batavia celebrates the 100th anniversary of its incorporation. 

Fireworks are planned for 10 p.m. and will be launched from behind the fire hall.

There's plenty of wood ready for the bonfire.

Jeffrey Deats, charged in Baby Chandler's death, died Monday

By Howard B. Owens
Jeffrey Deats and Chandler Zuchs

Jeffrey Deats, the Batavia resident arrested Dec. 18 following the investigation into the death of a 6-month-old boy, died Monday, Batavia PD announced this afternoon.

Deats was found hanging from a bed sheet in his Genesee County Jail cell the night of Dec. 21. CPR was performed by jail staff and Deats was transported to UMMC and later ECMC.

As a result of his death, the criminal case against Deats is closed, Chief Shawn Heubusch said.

Chandler Zuchs died Dec. 14 while in the care of Deats.

At the time, Deats believed he was the father of Chandler, though after his arrest, DNA test results surfaced that showed an Albion resident was the infant's father.

In his statement to police during the investigation, Deats said the boy's mother, Michelle Zuchs, of Tonawanda, alternately told Deats he was the father and wasn't the father, and finally told him she had DNA test results back, apparently leading Deats to believe he was the father.

One account Deats gave of how Chandler may have suffered brain damage, which was the cause of the baby's death, was that he fell down the stairs of his Olyn Avenue home while carrying Chandler.

Deats was 28 years old.

For previous coverage, click here.

Forecast is for heaviest snowfall in the morning

By Howard B. Owens

From 13WHAM's weatherman Marty Snyder:

Lake effect snow has been falling through Wyoming County this morning. That band will gradually lift north into Genesee County by the late afternoon. It will first line up through the southern towns of Genesee County. Throughout the evening, the band will continue to move northward to along the Thruway, and closer to Batavia. By tomorrow morning, there is the potential of 6 inches of snow in the heaviest portions in the lake effect band, then another 6 inches of snow later in the day. It is very important to note that many parts of Genesee County will see much less snow than this maximum amount, since they will remain outside the focus of the most intense snow.

A lake effect snow warning will remain in effect from noon today through 10 a.m. on Friday for Genesee County.

13WHAM is The Batavian's news partner.

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