Chris Merica, of Le Roy, shot this nine-pointer on the first day of the bowhunting season. His girlfriend, Jenna Read, who shared this photo, said, "He practiced so hard all summer for this exact deer! He’s been waiting quite some time for his trophy buck. I just wanted to give him a little shout-out, he earned this!"
Deer season is upon us and Kirsten Currier, owner of KMC Custom Cakes in Alexander, bagged her own kind of 16-pointer, this one made with butter cake, vanilla buttercream icing, and covered and carved with modeling chocolate.
The project took about 50 hours and the buck weighs 56 pounds. It was about two feet long and two feet high.
The engine of an airplane that went down in a swampy and wooded area off of Boyce Road in Corfu was recovered today after being dug out from under more than 10 feet of mud, Sheriff William Sheron said this afternoon.
"One of the biggest problems we've had," Sheron said, "is water going back into the hole. It's a very high water table right there."
The search for pieces of the airplane, which disintegrated on impact, Sheron said, is complete and the parts are being shipped to Nashville for further investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The search for human remains continues. Mud has been removed from the crash site, Sheron said, and crews will sift through it in an attempt to recover more remains of the deceased. That process will go through at least all of tomorrow and perhaps into Wednesday.
Attorneys Steve Barnes and Elizabeth Barnes died in the crash at about noon Friday when the 2009 SOCATA TBM-850 fell from the sky as it passed over Genesee County.
The cause of the crash remains undetermined. A few minutes before the plane veered off course and started a rapid descent, the pilot, Steve Barnes, told an air traffic controller "everything is fine."
The plane does not have what is commonly referred to as a "black box" but some flight data is recorded on the plane. Sheron said the recording disk is about the size of a SIM* card (like you have in your mobile phone) and it has not been located.
More personal items of the victims were recovered today. Sheron said the ID of one victim has been recovered and other items have been recovered that were personal to the individuals.
"My team is doing a very, very thorough job on collecting human remains," said Coroner Jeff McIntyre.
Today, he said, the team dug as far as the mini-excavator would go, McIntyre said. By that point, no other items related to the crash were being found so, he said, he's confident they've dug down as far as needed to recover any human remains.
The human remains are being sent to the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office for examination and DNA confirmation of the victim's identities.
*The acronym stands for subscriber identity module, or subscriber identification module.
Previously:
This afternoon, Sheriff William Sheron and Coroner Jeff McIntyre held a press conference in Corfu, near the site of Friday's plane crash that claimed the life of attorney Steve Barnes and his niece, Elizabeth Barnes, also an attorney.
Sheron said human remains have been recovered but the search continues.
McIntyre said the remains will be sent to Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office for positive identification.
Sheron said authorities are certain at this point that Barnes and his niece were on the plane and that they were the only two people aboard the plane.
The plane's impact created a 10-foot deep crater in a swampy area that is prone to fill with water and mud, making recovery difficult.
The recovery at the crash site could take another 48 hours.
The FAA is handling many of the duties that might otherwise be handled by the NTSB investigators and both Sheron and McIntyre are confident the investigation will be handled appropriately. The NTSB investigators are not traveling because of COVID-19 concerns. The wreckage will be transported to Nashville where NTSB investigators will examine it.
A one-vehicle accident is reported in the area of 1007 Francis Road, Bethany.
A utility pole was struck and wires are down.
A female occupant attempted to exit the vehicle and the caller advised the woman to say in the vehicle because of the possibility of live electrical wires. It's unknown if there are other occupants in the vehicle.
Bethany fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
Francis Road is being closed to through traffic.
UPDATE 10:37 a.m.: A chief on scene reports a pole in the road, live wires down, and asks National Grid to expedite its response. No ETA.
The Genesee County Coroner's Office has begun the process of recovering human remains from Friday's airplane crash site near Route 33 and Boyce Road in Corfu, according to Coroner Jeff McIntyre.
McIntyre said it will be a long process.
"I am unsure as to how long this will take, as the plane buried itself fairly deep in mud," McIntyre said. "My office arrived on the scene yesterday at 2 p.m. along with an aircraft recovery and salvage company contracted by the NTSB. We still have not found remains."
There are three coroners from Genesee County at the crash site along with the chief coroner from Orleans County, a forensic anthropologist from Wyoming County, along with volunteers from East Pembroke and Corfu fire departments, and staff from the Genesee County Emergency Management Office and the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.
"My thoughts and prayers go to the Barnes family during this tragic time," McIntyre said.
Previously:
When Mary Doktor heard the sound of an airplane clearly in distress passing over her house on Boyce Road yesterday just before noon, she looked up and saw a small plane passing overhead.
She knew it was too low to the ground and the engine was sputtering, making a strange "winding" sound.
"I knew it was going down and I thought, 'Thank God, he's not hitting my house,' " Doktor said. "That's what I thought. It was scary ... . Poor guy."
The plane, she said, was still relevantly level with the ground and the nose was not pointed down, she said.
She ran into her house to call 9-1-1 and then heard a boom.
"I ran back out and jumped in my car," she said. "I was scared at that point that somebody else's house was hit. I never even called 9-1-1."
The crash site was about a mile into the woods from Boyce Road. It wasn't possible for Doktor to get to the crash site but she could smell fuel in the air. There was no fireball, just a small plume of smoke rising in the air.
Steve Barnes, of Cellino and Barnes, and his niece Elizabeth Barnes apparently died in the crash, though the Sheriff's Office has not yet officially released the names of the victims.
Barnes was flying a 2009 SOCATA 700N, commonly referred to by aviators as a TBM-850, with the tail number N965DM, from Manchester, N.H., to Buffalo. Barnes had been in radio contact with Boston Center but apparently lost radio contact with air controllers there and a short time later made contact with air traffic control in Buffalo.
Once contact was established, a controller informed him to maintain 8,000 feet and asked him if everything is fine. "Yes, sir," Barnes responded. "Everything is fine."
A couple of minutes later, radar shows his plan veering north. The air traffic controller says, "965 Delta Mike, stop your descent, level your wings, maintain your altitude."
Twice more the controller tells Barnes to stop his descent. There is no response.
"965 Delta Mike, how do you hear?" The controller asks.
Within seconds, the plane disappears from radar.
"Radar contact loss," the controller says.
This afternoon, Sheriff William Sheron there was a change in plans for investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board to visit the crash site. The FAA is conducting the on-site investigation. The debris will be shipped to Nashville where it will be examined by the NTSB and the manufacturer.
TOP Photo: Genesee County Emergency Management vehicles parked this morning on land off of Route 33 near the crash site in Corfu.
Local businesses and community groups, as part of a project hosted by the Batavia Improvement District, have decorated Downtown with their Halloween scarecrows.
Genesee County ABATE sponsored a "Save the Headlights" fun run today, originating at Stan's Harley-Davidson in Batavia in support of breast cancer treatment and research. Funds raised from the event are being donated to Genesee Cancer Assistance.
A motor-vehicle accident is reported on Route 77 in front of the Flying-J.
Unknown injuries.
There is reportedly a post-accident verbal altercation in progress.
Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments dispatched along with Mercy EMS.
This year as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, city firefighters are wearing pink ribbon pins on their lapels.
"It's a small way to show them that they are the real heroes," Chief Stephano Napolitano said. "Everyone calls firefighters the heroes but breast cancer survivors, those people who are fighting breast cancer, and those who lost the fight, they are the real heroes."
Napolitano's late mother survived breast cancer so this is a cause, he said, that is near and dear to his heart.
Submitted photos.
Resurrection Parish held Confirmation on Thursday evening with Father Ivan Trujillo.
The confirmation service had been delayed from the spring.
The 2020-21 faith formation program begins Oct. 25 at Resurrection Parish and Jason Smith can be reached at resurrectionff14020@yahoo.com.
Smith is the teacher for confirmation and director of Religious Education at the parish.
Top photo: Sam Chmielowiec, Maxwell Tenney, Evan Preston and Elizabeth Kingston.
Photos and information submitted by Jason Smith.
Ariana deSae Frias is kneeling, anointed with holy chrism oil, signifying receiving the Holy Spirit.
Photo by JoAnne Meiser.
Sean Akin of Corfu landed this buck yesterday, the first day of bow hunting this season.
Photographer Jim Burns submitted these photos.
Press release:
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul visited UMMC on Wednesday to announce the hospital will receive a $200,000 state workforce development grant to help people enter the nursing career. The grant is part of an $18 million statewide project announced yesterday by the governor's office as part of Workforce Development Awareness Week.
Press release from the governor's office:
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that, during Workforce Development Awareness Week, New York State has been awarded an $18 million federal grant to fund educational opportunities that train New Yorkers for in-demand jobs, support entrepreneurs, and help small businesses recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
New York was one of just eight states to receive the funding -- made available through the CARES Act -- and received the most of any state that was awarded a grant.
"The coronavirus pandemic is far from over, and as we continue to fight against this deadly virus, we must also respond to the economic devastation it has caused," Governor Andrew Cuomo said. "With millions of Americans out of work, we must use every resource available to train New Yorkers to compete -- and succeed - in this difficult economic situation.
"Our workforce is the bedrock of our economy, and I know that this funding will help bridge the gap between education and industry, allowing us to build back better by uplifting both individuals looking for jobs and small businesses across the state."
"We are making success accessible ensuring New Yorkers have the training and skills they need to seek new jobs and opportunities as we continue to battle this pandemic," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "Our ongoing workforce development initiative is supporting efforts to improve the economic security of women, youth and other groups that face significant barriers by making job placement more inclusive and leaving no New Yorker behind.
"We are sending a clear message to New Yorkers that they will have the training and skills they need to succeed as we build back better, smarter and stronger for the future."
The New York State Department of Labor will partner with the Office of Workforce Development, Empire State Development, New York's ten Regional Economic Development Councils, the State University of New York, and the City University of New York to allocate the federal grant funding on programs that support New York's continued economic recovery.
Educational programs will focus on developing the skills needed to succeed in emerging growth industries like tech, logistics, and advanced manufacturing, and supporting entrepreneurs. New York's multipronged approach will include four elements:
1) Education for Hard-Hit NYC: In New York City, which was among the worst-hit COVID-19 communities, the CUNY system will assist in training residents with the digital skills needed for in-demand sectors such as data analytics, cybersecurity, advanced logistics/supply chain, digital marketing and communications, and software development.
2) "Stay Near, Go Far" at SUNY: At 30 community colleges across the State, SUNY will leverage its existing "Stay Near, Go Far" initiative to train New Yorkers in high growth industries, including technology, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing, and provide them with the entrepreneurial skills needed to open their own businesses.
3) Entrepreneurship Boot Camps: Building on its existing resources, Empire State Development will host a series of intensive workshops and boot camps to train entrepreneurs and small business owners on how to run their own business during - and after - the pandemic.
4) Industry Focus, Regional Results: The Department of Labor will issue a competitive Request for Proposals and work with New York State's 10 Regional Economic Development Councils to identify industry-driven programs that either train job seekers to meet current local employment needs or are designed to address future economic and workforce development needs.
With winter on the horizon, Chuck Martin has found a location for indoor dining in Batavia for his BBQ stand, Angry Charlie's.
In June, Martin and partner Ken Prufrock opened Angry Charlie's at a location on West Main Street. By a week from Tuesday, they hope to be ready to open at 341 Ellicott St., Batavia, at the corner of Ellicott and Swan, the former location of Pasquale's Italian Eatery.
The restaurant will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
There will be indoor dining for about 25 people and as long as the weather holds, a couple of picnic tables outside.
The change will also allow Angry Charlie's to free up its food trailer for catering and events.
There will also be a couple of menu changes: brisket every day, smoked haddock on Fridays, and (whether permitting) BBQ chicken on Saturdays. There will also be a children's menu.
Previously:
A 28-year-old Buell Street resident is charged with attempted murder in the second degree after a person showed up at UMMC's emergency room on Aug. 25 with an apparent stab wound to his chest.
Police say the victim sustained a life-threatening injury that would have resulted in his death if not for immediate medical attention.
Officers determined, using evidence obtained through an investigation and an interview with the victim, that the stabbing occurred outside the water plant on Lehigh Avenue.
Jamie Dutton was identified as the suspect. He is also charged with assault in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd. He was ordered held on $100,000 bail or $200,000 bond.
The Batavia resident is currently being held in the Orleans County Jail on unrelated charges.
Batavia PD was assisted in the investigation by the Orleans County Sheriff's Office. Also assisting were the Orleans County Probation Department and the Orleans County Jail.
The investigation is ongoing and anybody with information that may assist in the case is asked to contact Det. Jason Ivison at (585) 345-6313.
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