A one-vehicle accident occurred on Lewiston Road in front of the Town of Batavia fire station and the driver may have a minor injury.

"The vehicle then continued, unoccupied, across the street into the Tops parking lot," says the dispatcher.

It struck a parked vehicle and came to rest against it. 

Because multiple jurisdictions are involved, town and city fire were notified. A State Trooper is responding and so are Mercy medics.

Country star Brad Paisley joins members of the Genesee County Sheriff's Office prior to his recent show at Darien Lake with a Badge of Honor bracelet in support of WNY's fallen members of law enforcement and their families. 

Pictured with Paisley are Sgt. Tom Sanfratello, Deputy Brad Mazur and Sgt. Greg Walker, who is the chapter president for the Badge of Honor Association.

The association provides support for families whose loved ones in law enforcement passed in the line of duty and assists officers seriously injured in the line of duty. 

The bracelets can be purchased on the association's website.

Photo courtesy the Badge of Honor Association.

Press release:

The Oakfield Honor Guard returned Saturday, Aug. 20, from training with the staff of Sgt. Kenneth Newton, the 37^th  Colors Sergeant of the President’s Own Color Guard at Marine Barracks “8^th and I” in Washington, D.C.  The Guard trained in flag etiquette and drilled in ceremonial marching and maneuvering techniques.

“The knowledge that we received was certainly second to none,” 2^nd Assistant Chief Randy McIntire said. “From the very beginning, Lance Corporal James Shay and his staff, made our visit a priority. Just being in the presence of these Marines was a great privilege. It seemed that every Marine, from Lance Corporal to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert B. Neller, knew that the Oakfield Fire Department’s Honor Guard was ‘on deck’ and they were truly pleased to provide this training opportunity to us.”

The Honor Guard, consisting of Jeffery McIntire (lieutenant and former staff sergeant in the Marine Corps), Sean Downing and Randy McIntire (assistant chiefs), Casey Arnold, Tyler Hamm and Nate Klos (firefighters), also traveled to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to experience the changing of the guard. At the completion of the change, the Guard was afforded the privilege of interviewing Staff Sgt. Massey, 3^rd Relief Commander, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He spoke of the dedication and commitment of the Tomb Guards and answered many questions.

On completion of Friday’s training, the Oakfield Fire Department Honor Guard’s Lt. Jeffery McIntire presented a plaque thanking the Marine Barracks Color Guard Platoon for the opportunity to train with them and Chief McIntire read and presented a letter of thanks from the Village of Oakfield’s Mayor, Jason Armbrewster. Both of these items were gratefully accepted by Sgt. Newton on behalf of the Commandant and an invitation for the Honor Guard to return in the future was extended. Oakfield Fire Department T-shirts and patches were presented to members of the training staff.

The Honor Guard was treated with VIP passes to the Commandant’s Friday Evening Parade. The evening started in the presence of veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, each a guest of a Marine stationed at the Barracks. VIP seating was provided at mid-field for the parade. The “President's Own” Marine Band, the Commandant’s Color Guard, and Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, and the post’s A and B companies of approximately 200 Marines including the Silent Drill Platoon performed a number of patriotic musical pieces and demonstrated precision military drill. 

The Oakfield Fire Dept. Honor Guard is working toward the capability of assisting Genesee County fire departments in providing dignified services should a line of duty death occur. The Honor Guard formed following the Chief of EMS and firefighter Barry Miller’s death in the line of duty.

“We are grateful to our department for financially sponsoring our trip. We are thankful for donations made by H.E. Turner & Co. Funeral Home, M&S Tactical Solutions and First Choice Travel,” Assistant Chief Sean Downing said. “Support from the Village of Oakfield and the Town of Oakfield was also appreciated.”

A motor-vehicle accident with unknown injuries is reported on Oak Street at Burke Drive.

City fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 7:47 a.m.: Single vehicle. One patient, who will be a sign-off.

A Rochester resident who was apparently thrown from his vehicle in an accident last night on Clinton Street Road is listed in fair condition this evening at Erie County Medical Center, where he was taken by Mercy Flight after being found laying in the roadway.

While the accident remains under investigation, the Sheriff's Office reports that Derek E. Wilcox will be charged with DWI. Other charges are pending and the Sheriff's Office alleges that speed was a contributing factor to the crash.

Wilcox was reportedly eastbound on Clinton Street Road at 10:09 p.m. when his vehicle traveled off the north shoulder hitting a sign, a large tree and a junction box as it overturned in the embankment along the roadway and struck another tree.

The first people on scene called 9-1-1 and reported a pedestrian who had been struck by a car was lying the road.

First responders quickly determined that it was the driver, and not a pedestrian, who was on the pavement of Route 33.

A mobile home was damaged by debris from the accident. 

The accident was investigated by Sgt. Jason Saile and Deputy Micheal Lute. Town of Batavia fire, Batavia PD and State Police assisted at the scene.

(Initial Report)

A car has reportedly hit a pedestrian in the area of 5210 Clinton Street Road.

A man is reportedly down in the road.

There's a second call on Clinton Street Road in the same vicinity for a car into a house.

Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 10:43 p.m.: The person reported in the road was the driver of the car. He was apparently thrown from the car after it left the roadway, while heading north, striking a mobile home, a couple of trees and rolling over in the ravine along the west shoulder. The driver was taken by Mercy EMS to the airport. He will be transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC. His injuries appear to be serious. Route 33 is being shut down now at East Avenue. NOTE: We're withholding photos that clearly show the vehicle involved until the morning, by which time we should have the press release from the Sheriff's Office with more details.

One person was arrested on Aug. 19 during the Brad Paisley concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.

Daniel J. Golba, age unknown, of Sebring Drive, Depew, was charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly fighting with security guards while being ejected from the venue. He is due in Town of Darien Court on Sept. 6.

Shawn Thomas Rushok, 17, of Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with first-degree sex abuse. He is accused of having "inappropriate sexual contact with another person" on May 24 in the Town of Le Roy. He was arraigned on Aug. 15 in Le Roy Town Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy John Dehm.

Gannon David McNall, 20, of Centerline Road, Varysburg, is charged with public lewdness. He was arrested on Aug. 15 after allegedly being observed masturbating in the parking lot of a Batavia department store on Veterans Memorial Drive at 5:39 p.m. He was released on an appearance ticket returnable to Town of Batavia Court at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Michael Lute.

John Kauffman Stone, 49, of Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment. The defendant was arrested for allegedly pushing and slapping another person on West Main Street Road, Batavia, at 8:52 p.m. on Aug. 14. He was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and jailed on $500 bail. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Robert Henning, assisted by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Michael John Jarmuz II, 26, of Idlewood Drive, Tonawanda, is charged with second-degree criminal impersonation and second degree aggravated unlicensed operation. The subject allegedly gave the arresting officer his brother's information during a DWAI/drug arrest at 3:06 a.m. on Aug. 13 on Oak Orchard Road, Elba. The subject's "common law" stepmother reported to the arresting officer two days later with the subject's correct information. The subject allegedly gave his brother's information because he had a suspended driver's license and a warrant from another county. He is due in Elba Town Court on Sept. 7. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Chris Parker, assisted by Deputy Eric Meyer.

Bradley Edward Moore, 18, of Manning Road, Holley, is charged with petit larceny. The subject allegedly stole two cartons of cigarettes from a smoke shop on the Tonawanda Indian reservation at 2 p.m. on June 6. He is due in Alabama Town Court on Aug. 30. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Chris Parker.

Gina Lynn Avino, 41, of Haven Lane, Batavia, was arrested Aug. 19 on a bench warrant out of the City of Batavia PD following the investigation into a motor-vehicle accident in the Town of Batavia on that date at 3:25 p.m. on West Main Street Road. The case was handled by Sheriff's Dpeuty Michael Lute, assisted by Dpeuty Rachel Diehl.

Genesee County Master Gardeners will be hosting their annual Fall Garden Gala from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, 420 E. Main St. in Batavia.

There will be a plant sale featuring hardy perennials, house plants and local field grown Mums. Fall is a good time to plant many perennials as they will have several months to grow a strong root system. There will also be a Chance Basket Auction, free soil pH testing and plenty of gardening advice from Master Gardeners.

There will be a “Flower Arrangements from the Garden” demonstration at 11 a.m.  Learn how to artfully arrange fresh flowers from your garden. A variety of fresh flower arrangements created by Master Gardeners will also be available for sale.

Don’t miss your chance to pick up some great plants for your garden! Plant sale starts promptly at 10 a.m. No early birds please. Due to the drought, the number of plants we have to offer this fall may be limited. The Chance Auction drawing will begin at 12:30 p.m.

For more information contact Brandie Schultz at CCE of Genesee County, (585) 343-3040, ext. 101, stop by the Extension office at 420 E. Main St. in Batavia, or visit our new CCE website http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/gardening or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CCEofGenesee.

A first responder on scene confirms a working garage fire at 25 Trumbull Parkway. City fire is responding. A dispatcher says several callers report hearing explosions inside the garage.

The 35th Annual Donald R. Carroll Toys for Kids 5K Run/Fun Walk was this morning at a new starting point Kibbe Park on Oakland Street Batavia. 

Many local sponsors helped support the event, Beth and Brian Kemp of T-Shirts Etc. were directors of today's race.

There were 72 participants. The winner was Eric Boyce pictured below with a time of 17.50. Other top-five finishers are: second place -- Zak Jantki, 18:05; third place --Mike Richenburg, 18:08; fourth place -- Kevin Sheehan, 18:15; and fifth place -- Andy Cowan 19:22.

Top woman was Kimberly Mills, with a time of 19:44.

An accident with possible injuries is reported on Lockport Road at Quaker Hill Road, Elba.

Elba fire and Mercy EMS responding.

Genesee Cancer Assistance held its annual golf tournament fundraiser at Batavia County Club today and with the support of numerous volunteers, the nonprofit hosted a couple hundred golfers and bocce ball players.

One of the features of the tournament this year was a floating green challenge -- a small green floating in the middle of a lake. If a golfer could land a ball on the green -- at $5 a try, he or she could win a new driver. If nobody made it, each entrant would have a chance to win through a drawing. No word on who the winner was yet.

Joe Gerace, a stalwart among Genesee Cancer Assistance volunteers, insisted on working the tournament, as he usually does, as a marshal. He's pictured below with Peter Guppenberger, who came within feet of hitting the floating green with his shot above.

A caller who lives on Bank Street called city police earlier today and accused her neighbor of stealing a white, wooden church replica from her garden. Now she reports that she just witnessed the neighbor whom she accused of stealing the church earlier, taking pieces of the church inside her house. Police are responding to speak with the complainant again.

Zachary Dabb, 23, of Westwood Road, Alden, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI (BAC .18 percent or higher) and open container of alcohol while operating a motor vehicle.

The charges stem from an accident last night around 9 in which Dabb was the operator of motor vheicle that struck the east side of Burger King on West Main Street in Batavia.

Dabb told police he thought he was in another one of his vehicles, which has a standard transmission. Thinking the vehicle on Thursday night was in neutral, Dabb took his foot off the brake, causing the car to move forward and collide into the east side of the building.

Following field sobriety ptests, Dabb was allegedy determined to be driving while intoxicated and was arrested on the charges. He was processed and released on an appearance ticket. He is due in Batavia City Court on Aug. 31. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Chad Richards, assisted by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

According to our news partner WBTA, a lucky patron inside the restaurant had just gotten up to get a beverage when the vehicle crashed into the building.

Press release:

After being interviewed by the Western New York Council of the Communications Workers (WNY CWA), Diana Kastenbaum was endorsed by the union on Wednesday, Aug. 17th. She is the Democratic candidate in the NY-27 Congressional District race.

Kastenbaum is an avid supporter of the CWA and marched in solidarity with Local 1133 in a rally at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo earlier this month.

“I am honored to be endorsed by a union that does so much to help working families throughout my district," Kastenbaum says. "I stand with the WNY CWA in their fight for fair contracts, wages, and for bringing jobs back home.”

This is the third union to have endorsed Kastenbaum. She has also been endorsed by NYSUT and the UFCW Local One.

There were a reported 23,900 jobs in Genesee County in July, according to the NYS Department of Labor. That figure is 100 jobs below the number of a year ago in July.

Overall, New York added 131,000 jobs year over year. The Buffalo area added 4,400 jobs and Rochester added 700 jobs.

The region's unemployment rates for July have not yet been released.

At the start of the recession in 2008, the July report for Genesee County tallied 24,600. That number fell as low as 23,000 in 2013.

Goods-producing jobs in Genesee County held steady year over year, but service-producing jobs in the county fell from 19,900 to 19,800. Government jobs also fell from 5,500 to 5,400. Education and Health Services gained 100 jobs, going from 2,700 to 2,800.

In the past week, a handful of local business owners have told The Batavian they are finding it hard to find qualified candidates for open positions.

A car has struck the Burger King building at 230 W. Main St., Batavia.

Unknown injuries.

City of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 9:14 p.m.: Law enforcement on scene reports no injuries.  

There is a reported smell of burning plastic and smoke coming from the building at 7959 E. Main Street Road, Le Roy.

Le Roy fire and Bergen's ladder truck dispatched.

UPDATE 6:29 p.m.: City of Batavia's Fast Team, a tanker from Pavilion and Le Roy's ambulance requested to the scene for a possible structure fire.

UPDATE 6:33 p.m.: Assignment can be held to the equipment that is on the road.

UPDATE 6:36 p.m.: The Fast Team response is canceled. 

Joshua Dent, after a decade with Merrill Lynch, has joined the ranks of small business owners in Genesee County, becoming an independent investment advisor with an office in the First Choice Travel building at 3080 W. Main Street Road, Batavia.

"A big reason for the move is it changes my role from working for somebody else like I have for 13 years now (he was with Edward Jones before Merrill Lynch) and I'm a small business owner just like a lot of my clients," Dent said.

As his own boss, Dent said he can offer more services to his clients, set his own fee structure and take on clients with smaller investments that larger agencies tend to avoid. He thinks that model, with all the small business people in Batavia, is a much better fit for the local community.

Dent has developed strong community ties since joining Merrill Lynch's branch in Batavia. He worked with his colleagues there organizing the GLOW Corporate Cup and serves on the board of the YMCA.

Eventually, he'll develop a new brand name for his firm, but he'll affiliate with Raymond James, to access that financial services firm's technology and resources; day-to-day operations and decisions will be entirely his own.

"I like having the ability to determine the clients I work with and the pricing of their assets under management," Dent said. "It offers a lot more flexibility. When you're the one who owns the business, you get to make those decisions and price things more appropriately. Sometimes with clients at other firms, you have to have high minimum fees or high minimum account values. Those things kind of go away when I'm calling the shots."

Dent's new office number is (585) 418-4163.