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Here's your Christmas Light pictures from Wednesday evening's meandering through Batavia.

Top, Roosevelt Avenue.

Roosevelt Avenue

River Street

Redfield Parkway

Bogue Avenue

Union Street

Vernon Avenue

Richmond Avenue

 

Friday is your chance to get inked and support a local charity.

High Voltage Tattoo & Piercing, 110 W. Main St., Batavia, will tattoo or pierce anybody who shows up at the door from 10 a.m. until there's nobody left to tattoo or pierce, and donate all of the proceeds to Community Action of Orleans and Genesee.

Tattoos are $25 and piercings are $15, with 100 percent of the fees going to Community Action.

Above, Lisa Vokes, a tattoo artist, and Mark Fanara, tattoo artist and owner, with a examples of the tattoos they will apply Friday for $25 each.

Tattoo artist Kevin Lockwood, not available today for a picture, will also have a series of tats available for people to choose.

All proceeds from jewelry and aftercare product sales will also be donated.

Free refreshments will be provided by Southside Deli, Michelle's Catering Co. & Bakery and High Voltage Tattoo.

Community action helps people from preschoolers to the elderly and those in between with a variety of services.

"Our community has treated us well and we would like to return the favor," Fanara said. "We hope people will stop in to help us raise money to help people and change lives."

Nedal Abdul Mansour, 48, of Jay Street, Rochester, is charged with possession and transport of more than 10,000 untaxed cigarettes, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, unlicensed operator, failure to keep right and moving from lane unsafely. Mansour was stopped for alleged traffic infractions at 10:51 p.m. Tuesday on Route 77 in Pembroke by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Mansour was allegedly found in possession of 15,650 untaxed cigarettes.

Ajayc Kweese George, 18, of St. Marks Avenue, New York City, is charged with trespass. George was reportedly told on Dec. 10 not to return to College Village property and allegedly did return at 10:03 p.m., Tuesday.

Marion G. DeFelice, 55, of Bernd Road, Pavilion, is charged with DWI, refusal to take breath test, unlicensed operation and failure to keep right. DeFelice was stopped at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Route 33, Town of Batavia, by Deputy Tim Wescott.

Earl Shateek-Anthony Lockhart, 19, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and harassment, 2nd. Lockhart is accused of shoplifting $85.86 from Walmart. Lockhart allegedly pushed a loss prevention officer who attempted to apprehend him and then ran out of the store. Lockhart was located a short time later by a Sheriff's deputy.

Jessica Lynn Barber, 26, of 647 Lapp Road, Alden, is charged with DWI, driving left of pavement markings in a no-passing zone and unlawful possession of marijuana. Barber was stopped at 12:36 a.m. Tuesday on County Line Road, Darien, by Deputy Patrick Reeve.

Jonathan Robert Hyman, 39, of Rose Road, Batavia, is charged with trespass. Hyman was allegedly found on a property on Rose Road without permission at 11:04 p.m., Dec. 9, looking in a window to a residence.

Brandon Cody McCoy, 20, of Angling Road, Corfu, is charged with harassment, 2nd. McCoy is accused of pushing another male during a domestic incident at 8:28 p.m., Monday.

Two brothers (Trystan and Max Sandvoss) bought a former horse farm in Bethany a year ago and are now raising goats and making cheese, according to a lengthy article in the Buffalo News.

No one was selling cheese they made from goats who grazed in the green fields of Western New York. "Here, between Buffalo and Rochester there's a bigger market than Seattle," Trystan said.

Spreadable chevre, in double cream, garlic, dill or other flavors? Fresh cheddar curds that squeak between your teeth? For those, First Light Creamery would have first dibs on local cheese fans' wallets.

So the Sandvosses moved to Genesee County in April 2010. They worked on their cheese labels, each bearing the name reflecting their double mission: First Light Farm and Creamery. They retrofitted the stables to house goats, built sanitary rooms for making, storing and packaging cheese. They reached out to nearby farmers to trade byproducts, like their whey (cheese runoff), for a couple of the pigs it would feed.

The Sandvosses aren't quite farmsteaders yet. Their young herd includes 45 goats, with 23 producing milk -- not enough yet to meet demand for their cheese, found at more than 10 farmers' markets this summer and outlets like Premier Gourmet, Farmers and Artisans and the Lexington Co-Op. So for now they blend their herd's milk with high-quality, organic Jersey cow milk from neighbor Brent Tillotson's farm.

So far they've sold pretty much everything they've made, Trystan said. Staffing their farmers' market booth puts them directly in touch with customers, and they appreciate the chance to explain the fine points of their labors.

The NYS DOT turned Ellicott and Court/Evans streets into a four-way intersection this morning while doing traffic light repair.

Bob Ammon wants his name cleared.

The longtime Corfu Fire District board member objected Tuesday night to media reports a month ago that he was disciplined by his fellow commissioners.

"I think my name was really disgraced and it really sucks," Ammon said. "I wanted to stay in my house and hide but I’m not because I did nothing wrong."

The fire district's attorney, Mark Boylan, said it was not the intention of the commissioners to "discipline" Ammon when they voted to seek his resignation from the board Nov. 16.

Commissioner Linda Tucker read the minutes from the previous meeting and the word "discipline" was not used in the resolution asking Ammon to resign, nor was it used in the section calling for the suspension from the fire department of Jeff Ammon and Shari Salim.

Jeff Ammon and Shari Salim are accused of inappropriately using district credit cards for personal purchases. The money was repaid to the district, though some question remains about late fees accumulated related to the charges.

The use of the cards was first publicly addressed in a NYC comptroller's report and then further researched by a fire district ethics committee.

Both the recommendation that Jeff Ammon and Shari Salim be suspended and the request for Bob Ammon to resign came from the committee.

Tuesday, Bob Ammon said he won't resign.

"I've lived in this community my whole life," Ammon said. "I thought many of you were my friends at one time. I wish I could get this back to being sensible again and move on."

Following the Nov. 16 meeting, both The Batavian and the Batavia Daily News reported that Bob Ammon, Jeff Ammon and Shari Salim were "disciplined" by the commissioners.

Boylan told Ammon that nobody with the district told either publication Ammon was being disciplined. It was, he said, "a misunderstanding" of the board's action.

The ethic committee's report did mention Bob Ammon in connection with one use of a district credit card where there were no receipts for the purchase. It was a charge at Dick's Sporting Goods. Ammon said he purchased equipment, with board authorization, for the fire department's exercise room.

Tuesday's meeting was often emotional with years-old issues being argued and some tears from Sandy Ammon, whose Bob's wife and the mother of Jeff and Shari.

"We've had three phone calls in the last month from other departments asking us to join," Sandy said. "The other departments are sticking behind them (Jeff and Shari). Go to these other departments and see what they're saying. We've been getting phone calls and my son and daughter have been getting phone calls.

"Most of you have had a grudge against the Ammon family for years," Sandy later added, "and now they’re out of the fire department."

Bob Ammon said the turn of events have been painful for his son, a former chief and former firefighter of the year.

When Jeff took his lights off his car, there were some tears, Ammon said.

"He told me, 'Dad, I did wrong, but I didn't do nothing to those people.'"

One fact related to the credit cards not previously reported and mentioned by Sandy, is that when the district applied for the credit cards, the district used Jeff's and Shari's credit history to get approval for the cards.

Boylan told Bob Ammon that pending a final CPA audit, the case is pretty much over and nothing has been referred to the District Attorney's Office nor the Sheriff's Office for a possible criminal investigation. There is no criminal investigation, he said.

Before adjourning, the board voted 4-0 (Ammon recused himself) to reduce Shari's suspension from the department from two years to one year. Under NYS law, the board doesn't have authority to suspended somebody for more than one year.

Also on Tuesday, district voters elected a new commissioner to a five-year term.  Bruce Fauth, the only name on the ballot, received 36 votes. Jeff Ammon received 14 votes as a write-in candidate.

A deer has jumped through a window of a residence at 12 Myrtle Street, Le Roy.

One report said it had been confined to a bedroom.  A later dispatch said, "it's running around the house."

Le Roy Police and State Police responding to the scene.

A Le Roy office inquired to double-check the kind of tag to issue if the residents wish to keep the deer.

UPDATE 8:17 a.m.: An environmental conservation officer is on scene.

When I first posted this Tuesday morning, I accidently used a link to The Batavian's Facebook page. Despite that, a great number of people found the Shop Batavia page and liked it and a lot of people registered for the contest. The link on the graphic above is now corrected, and it is correct below.

Click Here to register and "like" Shop Batavia.

Do you think all mobile phone use while driving should be banned?

New York Times: U.S. Safety Board Urges Cellphone Ban for Drivers

As of 7 p.m., more than 450 children had arrived at the DiSalvo residence on Fargo Road in Stafford to see Jim DiSalvo's spectacular Christmas light show.

Jim said it was the biggest turn out ever. 

Boy Scout troops from throughout the region were a big part of the attendance.

This year, high school students earning community service credits conducted tours of the multi-acre light display.

I was able to get out and about after sunset this evening. Here's a few of the houses I photographed in all their Christmas light splendor.

Above, Vine Street.

Ellicott Street

Ellicott Place

Backyard, Ellicott Place

Ellicott Place

Trumbull Parkway

Elm Street

Elm Street

Elm Street

Bank Street

Bank Street

A Corfu resident is among four correctional officers from Attica who are accused of assaulting an inmate and then conspiring to cover up the alleged crime.

Keith Swack, 27, of Corfu, was indicted by a Wyoming County Grand Jury on charges of gang asault, 1st, conspiracy, 4th, tampering with physical evidence and official miscounduct.

The inmate allegedly assaulted suffered serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, including broken bones.

Also charged with Sean Warner, 27, of Belfast, Matthew Rademacher, 29, of Wyoming and Erik Hibsch, 28, of Gainsville.

All four men were arraigned in a Wyoming County Court and jailed on $25,000 bail each.

The four officers are accused of concocting a plan to assault an inmate and carrying out the assault on Aug. 9. The men are accused of then preparing false physical evidence to help conceal the crime. 

Warner is also accused of submitting false statements concerning the events to his superiors. Warner is also charged with offering a false instrument for filing.

The indictments followed a four-month investigation by State Police, the Inspector General's Office, and Department of Corrections.

Jackie Davis and Wayne Younge, of Summit Physical and Occupational Therapies, spent their hour ringing a bell for the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign dressed as a present and Christmas tree. The duo said they usually dress up for their hour at the kettle, but this year when they found out the would be ringing together, they decided to develop a coordinated costume.

A dryer fire has been reported at Genesee Community College on the main campus.

An evacuation is in progress.

Town of Batavia Fire Department is dispatched to the main circle entrance.

UPDATE 9:21 a.m.: Genesee County Emergency Services on scene. Building evacuated. Fire units told to use service entrance. The dryer is near the loading dock.

UPDATE 9:26 a.m.: Fire is out.

Patrick Shawn O'Neill, 46, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, is charged with coercion, 2nd. O'Neill was arrested following an investigation into a complaint that allegedly occurred Sunday morning in Bethany.

Brandy L. Hare, 30, of 38 Rochester St., Bergen, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and passed stop sign. Hare was stopped at 2:24 a.m. Tuesday on Clinton Street by Officer Darryl Streeter.

I was thrilled to get this email from Brian Staebell, marketing director for Roxy's Music, and wanted to share it. Brian clearly gets what we're trying to do with Shop Batavia.

I was very excited about Shop Batavia when you showed it to me and even more after getting in and seeing how easy it is to manage your products and business listings. I’m looking for ideas where we can help each other promote our businesses together. I think if Shop Batavia is successful, we’ll be successful. We’ve already seen sales through the site. We received one direct order for a music stand and another customer saw our guitar starter pack on the site and decided to stop in and buy it. Reaching out to the the local market through shopbatavia.com  is an additional avenue to promote our business in conjunction to our existing website. Being able to drive sales both online and in store is very important to us, this service does that and more. So far, Shop Batavia has been successful for us.

As I said before, when Shop Batavia came along, I felt like it was an unexpected gift -- a great chance to create a new revenue avenue for The Batavian so we can continue to grow the business. But I also was excited because Shop Batavia brought to local businesses some really powerful marketing tools -- tools that through other avenues can be difficult, confusing and/or expensive, but here they were in one place, affordable and accessible.

The real power of Shop Batavia, though, will be realized when we have widespread participation from local businesses. The more businesses using Shop Batavia, the more local residents will want to use it as a shopping guide, restaurant guide, community bulletin board, business directory and online shopping mall.

All boats will rise together -- for local businesses and for local residents.

It was great to read Brian's email and see that he understands the success of Shop Batavia isn't just about success for a business venture of The Batavian's, it also means a success for his business, for all the local businesses it serves and for the people who use the site to shop local businesses.

If you haven't checked out Shop Batavia yet, click here. Nearly 100 businesses have already signed on for accounts and there are new products, services and savings available every day.

There was praise all around in Batavia City Council chambers Monday night as five council members commemorated their final meeting and their colleagues thanked them for their service.

Leaving are Frank Ferrando and Marianne Clattenburg, who were elected to the Genesee County Legislature, and Sam Barone, Bill Cox and Bob Bialkowski.

"The majority of this body is leaving and the majority of the body will be new and most of them are here (tonight)," Bialkowski said. "I can only wish them well. I commend them for their interest and dedication to serving the community."

Nearly every council member spoke about how tough it was to serve on the council a few years ago -- Ferrando said it wasn't fun to come to meetings -- but how much has changed in the past couple of years.

"Whenever we've left a meeting, we always left respecting every one's opinions and we will always be friends," said Rose Mary Christian. "I want to thank you all for serving our city."

Ferrando said the council has done some good work over the past few years that all members can take pride in.

"I think one of the good  things that happened is what we’re sitting in right here," Ferrando said. "What happened with this building is that it transformed our Main Street. I think that’s a very positive thing. It’s going to be more obvious as the years go on."

Photo: Front, from left, Frank Ferrando and Marianne Clattenburg; back, Sam Barone, Bill Cox and Bob Bialkowski.

For the first time this season, I had some time to get out in the evening and snap some Christmas light pictures. Hopefully, I'll get out more between now and Dec. 25. (If there are photographers in Le Roy, Bergen, Oakfield, Corfu, etc., who have DSLRs and tripods who want to take pictures from their villages, we'd love to see them -- every year it's been hard for me to get beyond Batavia and I'm suspecting this year won't be any different).

Above, Jackson Street

Washington Avenue

Lewis Avenue

Ganson Avenue

Maple Street

Highland Avenue

Kibbe Avenue

Elmwood Avenue