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It's a rather unexpected trip, but Billie and I are boarding a plane in the morning bound for California.

We will return Tuesday, Dec. 17.

As is typical when we travel, I'll have my computer and stay connected to The Batavian and will have some news to post.

Alecia Kaus, Bonnie Marrocco and Nick Sabato will also be contributing stories. Alecia will be monitor the scanner for us.

Sheriff's Office K-9 "Pharoah" is nearing the end of this career, and while he no longer works every day, he is available when needed and handler Brian Thompson hopes that's the case until October of 2014.

Pharoah's successor, Destro, and new handler Deputy Chris Erion, graduate from the K-9 Academy on Dec. 17.

The former Niagara County police dog was recently recertified, Thompson said, and that certification expires in October.

Thompson said it will be good for Destro to work with the older, more experienced dog once in awhile, and besides, Pharoah does like to work. It will drive him a little crazy just to sit at home.

"I'll have to work with him more in my off time," Thompson said. "Not letting him work would be like putting an ADD child in a room with one block and telling him to have fun."

Pharoah was put to work today when K-9s from the State Police and Livingston County were not available to help search for a burglary suspect on Batavia Bethany Townline Road.

A house was broken into and the homeowner returned to the burglary in progress and only heard the back door close as he entered the house.

Deputies were on scene quickly, but no suspect was spotted.

Thompson said he found only one possible suspect footprint and Pharoah didn't pick up a scent trail to follow. Thompson said it's probable that the burglary had a car nearby and was able to make a quick exit from the area.

"He's a good dog," Thompson said. "He's ready to work if he's needed. He would have found this guy if he was out there to find."

What's missing from this picture? Try, Baby Jesus.

Believe it or not, somebody actually stole Baby Jesus from the nativity on the steps of All Babies Cherished at 445 Ellicott St., Batavia.

Director Tammy Arneth's one wish for Christmas is just to get the Baby Jesus back.

"We survive just on donations," Arneth said. "I need to spend our money on diapers and baby formula. I can't justify buying another Baby Jesus."

All Babies Cherish is a faith-based organization that is supported by local churches. The goal is to assist women who have chosen to give birth to a child rather than get an abortion.

Arneth has been with the agency for 15 years.

She's shocked that somebody would steal their Baby Jesus. While she filed a police report, she said she isn't looking to get anybody in trouble. She would just like to see Baby Jesus returned.

(NOTE: This is among the stories lost to a server glitch. I was able to recover a copy of the story from Google's cache, but the original group of comments are lost.)

Those of you who think you should look into your back yard this time of year and see a blanket of white should get your wish by Wednesday morning.

A lake effect snow advisory is in effect from 4 p.m., Tuesday, through 1 a.m., Wednesday.

An inch is expected to fall Tuesday evening, followed by two to four inches Tuesday evening. Storm totals could reach five inches.

Winds will be 15 to 25 mph from the west with gusts up to 35 mph.

Visibility will be reduced to a quarter of a mile at time.

A server glitch caused us to lose anything and everything posted to the site since 6:05 p.m. -- your comments, my stories, any classified ads posted. I'll endeavor to rewrite the stories -- instead of getting a little more sleep before we head to the Buffalo airport. You'll need to repost anything you still want posted to the site.

Pamela Morrow, 53, of Linwood Road, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. At 8:35 p.m., Sunday, Sheriff's Dispatch received reports of an erratic driver heading west on Route 5 through the City of Batavia. The car reportedly moved right several times and struck curbing. A witness reported the car turning left on Park Road about the time Sgt. Ron Meides was leaving the Sheriff's Office complex, though Meides did not see the vehicle. The car proceeded to the Batavia Downs parking lot where Meides located the car a short time later. Two witnesses told Meides that they had seen the car strike two parked vehicles before parking. Meides located Morrow inside Batavia Downs and brought her back to the car.

Frank Lynn Morrison, 32, of Bridge Road, Elba, is charged with sexual abuse, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Morrison is accused of subjecting a female child under age 14 to sexual contact. Morrison was jailed on $15,000 bail.

Lorraine Ellen Pillo, 48, of Summit Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Pillo is accused of shoplifting from Walmart.

Marion Jermaine Spivey, 31, of Elmhurst Place, Buffalo, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Spivey is accused of punching another person in the face while at the Clarion Hotel in Batavia at 6 p.m., Nov. 30.

Kevin J. Compton, 52, of Clipnock Road, East Bethany, is charged with resisting arrest and harassment, 2nd. Compton was arrested by State Police for an alleged incident reported at 4:56 p.m., Nov. 24. No further details released.

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A tractor-trailer accident is reported in Texaco Town. The driver is semiconscious and has an arm injury. He needs to be extricated. They need a small ladder to get up to the cab and pop the door open. The roadway is "extremely slick." Fuel is leaking; the product being hauled is unknown.

Sheriff's deputies are on scene along with Pavilion fire and Mercy medics. The junction of routes 20 and 63 will be closed; Bethany fire is asked to shut down southbound East Road at Route 63. As in several places in the county, highway maintenance crews are requested to salt the roads ... "It is nothing but a skating rink..."

A one-car rollover accident is reported on eastbound Route 490 at mile marker 490.1. There are two victims, one is unconscious in the back seat. Head and back injuries reported. Le Roy fire and ambulance are on scene, along with a second ambulance from Mercy and state Troopers. There is black ice in the area.

UPDATE 2:03 a.m.: The vehicle is on its roof in the median. Both patients are loaded into the ambulances; both are going to Strong Memorial Hospital. A flatbed tow is called in. Le Roy is back in service.

A weather advisory has been issued for tonight, starting at 9 p.m. through 11 a.m. Monday, with a freezing drizzle potentially making travel difficult.

Accumulations of up to a 10th of an inch are expected.

Any untreated roadways could mean hazardous driving conditions.

More than 150 people have already downloaded our new iPhone app.

Today, a problem that was preventing news alert notifications from going out was fixed, so now those users will actually get the alerts we send out.

To download the iPhone version, click here.

To download the Droid version, click here.

The annual community Christmas tree display is set up in Oakfield.

Donna Bartolf with the tree from her community group, Oakfield Community Jolly Seniors.

NOTE: I would have made the tree lighting in Elba tonight if not for the fire in Le Roy.

For the first time, Le Roy residents gathered at the former site of the Wiss Hotel for a Christmas tree lighting. The tree was donated by Andrew Lathan, owner of Lathan Tree Service and was decorated with ornaments from members of the community.

A working house fire is reported at 8261 Gully Road in Le Roy. Le Roy Fire Department and Ambulance Service are responding, along with mutual aid from Bergen, Stafford and Pavilion. The location is at the curve, between Oatka Trail and Hebbard Road. The house has been evacuated.

UPDATE 6:39 p.m.: The city's Fast Team is called to the scene. Command says the interior fire is pretty much knocked down except the second story.

UPDATE 6:44 p.m.: Oakfield is called to stand by in the city's fire hall. The Town of Batavia Fire Department is called to stand by in its own quarters. An extension ladder is needed at the scene to access the second story at the rear of the structure.

UPDATE 6:49 p.m.: Stafford "will be the standby crew for the district." National Grid is called in.

UPDATE 6:55 p.m.: They will be working to open up the roof line. South Byron is asked to stand by in its own quarters, at the request of Stafford.

UPDATE 7:01 p.m.: Fire Police will be providing traffic control at Route 19 and North Road.

UPDATE 7:08 p.m.: Howard is at the scene and says it's not a big blaze. A small portion of the roof caught fire due to overheated wood around the stovepipe at the roofline.

UPDATE 9:10 p.m. (by Howard): Firefighters with a thermal imaging camera have checked the roof line and report no more hot spots.

Twelve-year-old Max McKenzie, a student at Le Roy Middle School, bested a field of 225 participants to win the Le Roy Winterfest 5K today.

The Batavia Boys basketball team beat Williamsville South today in a game scheduled as part of the Niagara Falls Cataract City Classic, an invitational tournament for the top prep teams in WNY.

Jeff Redband led the Blue Devils to a 58-46 win with 18 points. Justice Fagan contributed 13 and Malachi Chenault added 11.

Batavia jumped out to an early 34-18 lead, but the game tightened in the 4th period with Williamsville closing in at 40-35. From there, Batavia pretty much controlled the game and put Williamsville away.

Mendon has always presented a challenge for the Batavia High School girls basketball team, often over the years snatching double-digit victories over the Lady Devils, which was why Head Coach Marty Hein put the Vikings on the schedule early in the season.

It was a chance for Hein to see where his team stood.

The verdict? Not really different from what he said about his team in the pre-season: The Lady Devils lack bench depth and until the younger players step up their game, Batavia will struggle against teams that can rotate seven or eight players.

"Some of the girls will understand that we've got to work hard and work our way to having a deep bench like Mendon does," Hein said. "Hopefully, we'll be there by mid-season."

To start the game, the Lady Devils looked like the dominate team and held a lead until just about a minute left in the second period, and even through most of the third period, Batavia kept the game within a basket or two.

Then the wheels came off. The plays didn't run as smoothly, the passes weren't as crisp, if not higher risk, and the steals came easier for the Vikings.

"Todd's (Todd Julien) a very smart coach," Hein said. "He didn't use any time-outs (in) quarters one, two and three because he didn't give any opportunity for my girls to get a rest. He knew the longer I kept my starters on the floor, the sooner they were going to wear out."

The final score: Mendon 43, Batavia 36.

Sam Cecere led Batavia in scoring with 14 points. Mendon's Darby Kreienberg presented a challenge for the Lady Devils. She scored 26 points.

Maddie McCulley, who hit a clutch three late in the second period just when it looked like the Vikings might be poised to pull away, suffered what appeared to be an ankle or foot injury early in the third period. She returned to the game a few minutes later and Hein said she'll be fine.

"When we play one-three-one she's down at the bottom with some giants so she takes a beating sometimes," Hein said.

Top photo: Essence Williams drives for a successful layup.

Maddie McCulley

McCulley and Alley Phillips scramble for a loose ball.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

An accident involving a pickup and another vehicle is reported at Route 33 and Wortendyke Road. There are injuries and it is blocking traffic. East Pembroke Fire Department is responding along with two Mercy rigs. Mercy Flight is called to the scene.

UPDATE 11:21 a.m.: Extrication is needed as soon as possible. A landing zone will be set up in a nearby yard.

UPDATE 11:25 a.m.: There's heavy traffic congestion in the area.

UPDATE 11:31 a.m.: Mercy Flight has landed. The patient to be airlifted is conscious and alert. Extrication of victim(s) will "easily be five to 10 more minutes."

UPDATE 11:39 a.m.: A third ambulance is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 11:50 a.m.: Extrication has been completed. One person is being transported to UMMC; another is being taken to UMMC Erie County Medical Center. Mercy Flight is airborne.

UPDATE 11:58 a.m.: Mercy Flight is going to ECMC.

UPDATE 12:10 p.m.: The East Pembroke assignment is back in service.

UPDATE 1 p.m. (by Howard): Trooper Steven Brady said the initial investigation indicates that the sedan was eastbound on Route 33. The truck was westbound. The sedan driver didn't see the oncoming truck before executing a left-hand turn onto Wortendyke. The sedan was T-boned. There were circumstances at the time of the accident that would have prevented the driver from seeing the truck, Brady said. "He simply didn't see it." There was another car making a right-hand turn, which may have distracted the sedan driver for a moment. East Pembroke Chief Don Newton was the first emergency responder on scene. He said he requested Mercy Flight primarily as a precaution for the patient in the passenger seat because of the heavy impact on that side of the car. There's no indication at this time that the injuries are serious. The driver of the sedan and the truck were transported by Mercy EMS to UMMC with minor injuries.

Rick Fleming will conduct the Genesee Symphony Orchestra in a holiday concert Sunday at St. Mary's.

The program features compositions by Leroy Anderson, Mozart, Bach and David Rose as well as a performance by the Oakfield-Alabama Elementary School Chorus, directed by Danielle Mileham.

The concert begins at 4 p.m.

Fleming is an associate professor of music and director of bands at Buffalo State. He is founding conductor of the Erie County Chamber Winds and conductor of the Buffalo Silver Brass Band.

These photos were taken at the orchestra's Friday night rehearsal.