AARP hosted a dinner and presidential-debate watch at Go Art! on Wednesday evening. There was a good turn out for the dinner, I was told, but nearly everybody left before the debate started (which is when I showed up) so they could watch it at home.

A fire alarm has sounded in Hickory Hall at College Village and the Town of Batavia Volunteer Fire Department is responding. The address is 8170 Batavia Stafford Townline Road.

UPDATE 8:32 p.m.: Firefighters are responding to a "confirmed report of burnt food" in room H-102.

UPDATE 8:36 p.m.: A firefighter on scene says they are "trying to determine why the alarm went off. I don't believe (the reason) was cooking."

UPDATE 8:50 p.m.: No update on what set off the alarm, but the assignment is back in service.

A car-pedestrian accident is reported at 505 E. Main St. in front of the 7-11 store in the City of Batavia. The city fire department is responding and medics are on scene.

UPDATE 7:38 p.m.: City fire is back in service.

A fight in front of Genesee Community College, by the Clock Tower, is just now breaking up and it reportedly involves 15 people. Campus security is on scene and multiple law enforcement officers are responding.

UPDATE 4:48 p.m.: The fight has reignited. An ambulance is requested for injured victims.

UPDATE 4:50 p.m.: A law enforcement unit on scene reports other officers responding may disregard the call. They have the situation under control.

UPDATE 4:52 p.m.: Mercy medics are put back in service as they are deemed not needed.

UPDATE 5:18 p.m.: Subsequently, medics were again called to the scene, in non-emergency mode. One 19-year-old male who was allegedly involved in the fight is being taken to UMMC with lacerations to his lips and an injured left hand.

Enjoy food from all of your favorite restaurants at “A Taste of Genesee” at St. Joseph School’s 53rd annual Popcorn Ball at 6 p.m. on Oct. 13.

This year’s menu:


• Seafood Bisque from Terry Hills
• Fried Calamari from Alex's Place
• Smoked Chicken Wings from Duke's Smokin' Bone

• BBQ, Ribs from Clor's
• Pulled Pork Sandwiches from Center Street Smoke House
• Mini Beef on Weck from T.F. Brown's
• Mini Beef Wellington from Larry's Steak House
• Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo from Bob Evans
• Eggplant Parmesan & Pasta Primavera from Penna's Catering.



Along with DJ Frank Gioia and great prizes like 2013 season passes to Darien Lake and Palm Island Indoor Water Park, we will also being honoring outstanding alumni Judge Robert Balbick and M&T Regional President Dan Burns and volunteers Jamee Logsdon, Maria Streeter, and Michelle Cryer.

All proceeds will benefit St. Joseph School and the event is open to the public. Tickets are $60/couple or reserve a table of 10 for $250. For more information: Please visit http://www.sjsbatavia.org/st-joseph-school-popcorn-ball.html

GO ART! presents its 12th annual Genesee-Orleans Community Arts Awards Gala Dinner & Auction at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6 at Terry Hills Golf Course and Banquet Facility, 5122 Clinton St. Road (Route 33), Batavia.

Reservations are still being accepted.

Each year, GO ART! recognizes the extraordinary contributions in art and culture made by individuals and organizations in the Genesee-Orleans region at this unique event. This year’s honorees are:

Community Arts Awards:

Pat Burk
Chris Busch
Holland Land Office Museum
Le Roy Barn Quilt Project
Lorie Longhany
The Mason Family
Bill McDonald
Medina Sandstone Society

GO ART! Board of Directors Special Recognition:

Linda Blanchet

Tickets are $25/person, and advance reservations are required. Enjoy plentiful appetizers and desserts while local band “The Old Hippies” featuring Bill McDonald provides musical entertainment.

Silent auction and raffle drawings will be held all evening. Dress is business casual.

This year’s Gala Raffle features three Grand Prizes:

• 14K yellow gold pendant with 3/4 CT pear-shaped tanzanite and 1/4 CT TW diamonds on 14K 18-inch box chain, from Lambert’s Design Jewelers, compliments of Jim and Tina Lambert; Value $1,400
• One-year full gym membership to Next Level Fitness, compliments of Ken and Andrea Mistler; Value $300
• $250 Gift Certificate from Roxy’s Music Store
• AND your ticket enters you in drawings held throughout the evening for a variety of valuable prizes.

Raffle tickets are $5 each, or five for $20, and are available at GO ART! and online at www.GOart.org. Tickets will also be available at the event. Winners will be selected in a random drawing at the GO ART! Gala on Oct. 6; you do not need to be present to win. For more information, call 343-9313 or email info@GOart.org.

An alleged hit-and-run accident in Genesee County has led to the arrest in Wyoming County of a man wanted in Texas.

Taken into custody by the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office and held on $25,000 bail was Guy J. Bontrager, 41, of 3269 Humphrey Road, Varysburg.

In Wyoming County, Bontrager is charged with unlicensed operation, aggravated unlicensed operation and operating a vehicle without an interlock device.

Bontrager's license had allegedly been revoked because of a prior DWI conviction.

Sgt. Daniel Hummel, Wyoming County, stopped Bontrager on Route 77 in the Town of Sheldon after receiving a report in Genesee County on Friday of a hit-and-run accident.

During the traffic stop, a records check indicated that Bontrager has a warrant for his arrest in Texas. The Wyoming County Sheriff's Office did not indicate whether he would be extradited on that warrant.

There's no information yet on whether Bontrager also faces charges in Genesee County.

The following three suspects were accused of shoplifting at Kmart on Tuesday at 8:14 p.m.:

Chrisina Maria King, 19, of South Main Street, Castile, is charged with petit larceny. King is accused of shoplifting from Kmart.

Lisa Marie Uvenio, 34, of Borden Avenue, Perry, is charged with petit larceny. Uvenio is accused of shoplifting $56.88 in merchandise from Kmart.

Ashley Nicole Dumbleton, 17, of Lamont Road, Gainsville, is charged with petit larceny. Dumbleton is accused of shoplifting at Kmart.

A barn at 3105 Countyline Road, Darien, was destroyed in an overnight fire that required firefighters from eight area fire companies to be on scene from just before 2 to just after 6 a.m.

Darien Fire Department, with mutual aid from Corfu, Alexander, Pembroke, Indian Falls, Crittenden, Bennington, Alden and Batavia City's FAST Team all responded to the scene, along with Emergency Management Services and Mercy EMS.

Trustees from Attica prison responded to help with clean up once the fire was out.

The intial call came in at 1:53 a.m. The barn was reportedly "already on the ground" according to a Darien chief when first arriving on scene.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

UPDATE: The property is owned by J. Daniel Oles and Jane M. Oles. The cause remains unknown, possibly electrical or overheated damp hay. The barn is described as a storage barn. It contained an Allis Chalmers Combine, John Deere Round Bailer, corn planter, three freezers, tools and supplies for the farm. There was no natural gas or propane run to the barn, electricity only. The barn was last entered at 8 p.m by Andrew Oles, who saw or smelled nothing out of the ordinary. The initial caller reported seeing the second floor "lit up and on fire" when she called. Alden firefighters were first on scene.

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Local residents are being warned once again by the Sheriff's Office to be on the alert for scammers.

According to the Sheriff's Office, a person or persons have been calling area residents posing as a Microsoft employee and telling them their computer system has been compromised, potentially with a virus.

The caller then attempts to guide the person through a series of steps supposedly meant to fix the problem, but may actually give the caller remote access to the computer system.

Once a malicious person has gained such access it's possible to capture passwords, steal identity or install malicious software.

Three such calls have been reported locally and the Sheriff's Office is aware of similar scams being run on residents on Niagara County.

In all reported cases, the Sheriff's Office said, residents became suspicious and terminated the call.

Any resident who has questions about potential telephone scams are encouraged to contact local law enforcement.

A fight involving six people is reported at 5 Dellinger Ave. in the City of Batavia. One or more of the participants is said to have fled the scene westbound on Main Street in a green Ford Explorer. Police are on scene.

Press release:

The Cancer Services Partnership of Genesee and Orleans County will hold its annual cancer awareness program, Pink Hatters, on Thursday, Oct. 11 at the Clarion Hotel, 8250 Park Road, Batavia.

A Chinese Auction will be held from 4 to 6:30 pm. Hors d’oeuvres and dessert stations will available from 5 to 7 pm. Cancer survivors will be recognized and prizes awarded for the best pink hats. “Breadtime Stories” will be presented by the evening’s featured speaker, Chet Fery.

The evening is a colorful, celebratory event filled with laughter. However, when survivors stand up based on the number of years since they received their cancer diagnosis, an awe-inspiring hush fills the room. Women who are currently battling the illness are applauded with support. Women who have been cancer free for 20 years, 30 years or longer provide hope to everyone.

Tickets are $20 each and available by pre-sale only. Call the UMMC Healthy Living Department at 344-5331 for registration information. Reservations are available for tables of 10.

Payment and registrations must be received by Oct 4. This event is funded in part by a grant from Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Western New York.

The Cancer Services Partnership is a grant funded program which provides access to free colorectal, breast and cervical cancer screenings for men and women, age 18 to 64, who are uninsured or underinsured. United Memorial manages the Partnership for Orleans and Genesee counties.

Press release:

The historian who captured the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for history in 2011 will bring his expertise to Genesee Community College this month, while the Batavia campus will simultaneously host a travelling exhibit exploring the life of Abraham Lincoln.

Columbia University history professor and author Eric Foner, Ph.D., regarded as the leading contemporary historian of the post-Civil War Reconstruction period, will share insights from his award-winning book "The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery" on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at a free lecture in the Stuart Steiner Theatre at 1 p.m. Immediately following the lecture, Foner will sign copies of his book.

"I am thrilled at the prospect of having Dr. Foner visit GCC. It is not often you can rub elbows with a Pulitzer Prize winner," says Derek Maxfield, who not only teaches GCC history courses, but has been the college's resident historian and coordinator or numerous Civil War initiatives throughout the past 18 months.

"As a historian, I recognize him as a giant in the field. His work on the Civil War and Reconstruction has shaped my own interpretation in important ways, and his newest book is destined to define the standards by which other works will be measured."

Foner's presentation coincides with an exhibit exploring Lincoln's influence from the Civil War through modern times. Using personal journals, official documents and other printed materials, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History used a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to assemble "Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, a Man for All Times."

This impressive display has been traveling the country and sharing the life, accomplishments and the legacy of the revered 16th U.S. president. Interestingly, Foner was among the experts consulted during the development phase of the exhibit. The display in GCC's Alfred O'Connell Library will be open for free public viewing from through Oct. 28.

The Fiery Trial is essentially a political biography of Lincoln, delving into the president's personal convictions, and Foner "is able to provide the most thorough and judicious account of Lincoln's attitudes toward slavery that we have to date," according to a 2010 review in The New York Times.

Kirkus Reviews cites Foner as "particularly impressive in explaining the hesitations, backward steps and trial balloons -- including placating slaveholding border states and proposing colonizing blacks outside the United States -- that preceded his embrace of emancipation."

Foner is one of only two persons to serve as president of the three major professional organizations: the Organization of American Historians, American Historical Association, and Society of American Historians, and he is one of only a handful of authors to have won the Bancroft and Pulitzer Prizes in the same year.

He has written 19 critically acclaimed books, dozens of highly praised literary and historical articles, reports and editorials, and has served on editorial boards for several prestigious publications. Additionally, his mastery of scholarly research and presentation has earned him invitations to appear on television and radio shows, including as the on-camera historian for "Freedom: A History of Us," on PBS in 2003.

To learn about Foner's extensive accomplishments, visit his Web site: http://www.ericfoner.com/

The exhibit and Foner's visit continue GCC's commitment to exploring the Civil War and its enduring ramifications 150 years after the official ceasefire. Numerous lectures revolving around the war, a weekend long reenactors encampment, a Victorian Yule Celebration and the development of a topic-specific blog were offered last year, and several more enterprising initiatives are planned for the current academic year. A summary of the Civil War commemorative events at GCC's Batavia Campus also includes:

• Lecture: The Search for Good Ground and Fair Weather: The Role of Climate and Topography in the Civil War. Wednesday, Oct. 3, Batavia Campus, 7 p.m. Presented by Aaron Wheeler, Ph.D., of Capital Community College.
• Lecture: Among the Many Fires: Trials, Opportunities and Experiences of Native Americans in the Civil War. Wednesday, Nov. 7, Batavia Campus, 7 p.m. Presented by GCC History instructor Dan Hamner.

A hunter is lost in the woods somewhere off the dead end of Judge Road in Alabama. Emergency dispatch is in phone contact with him and help is on the way to try and locate him.

UPDATE 2:18 p.m.: Just around the bend, on Feeder Road, he says he parked his green Subaru and went into the woods across the road from where it's parked. That's in the Tonawanda State Wildlife Management Area.

UPDATE 2:22 p.m.: The hunter is said to possibly be walking along where power lines are strung up. Law enforcement is going to sound their sirens at the junction of Feeder and Judge.

UPDATE 2:25 p.m.: The hunter can hear the siren. They are going to turn their lights on to help guide him, but the area "is pretty dense" with trees.

UPDATE 2:45 p.m.: Dispatch has lost phone contact with the hunter and hope he's able to call them back.

UPDATE 2:57 p.m.: About five minutes ago, an officer said "We have the subject and we're taking him to his vehicle and we'll be clear." It's not clear if this statement pertains to the hunter. If not, of course, we'll update further.

Le Roy PD suspects that a Buffalo-area man who is accused of stealing $700 worth of baby formula and two boxes of diapers intended to sell the products on the black market, or as the press release put it, at "unscrupulous locations."

A store employee at the unnamed retail location in Le Roy is credited by police with providing crucial information to help catch the alleged shoplifter.

Taken into custody and charged with petit larceny was Edward P. Clark, 23, of Lakeview.

According to Le Roy PD, a store employee spotted an alleged shoplifter leave the store and contacted the dispatch center with a description of the individual, his vehicle and plate number.

As Le Roy PD gathered information at the scene of the alleged crime, law enforcement units in the area were notified of the suspected crime and description of the alleged perpetrator.

After about 10 minutes, a vehicle matching the description was located and stopped by a Sheriff's deputy and state trooper on Route 5, westbound toward Batavia.

The items that were alleged to have been stolen were found inside the vehicle.

The tote contained 44 containers of baby formula.

Clark was jailed on $1,000 bail.

A 22-year-old Le Roy resident who broke into a friend's house and stole a PS3 game system has 30 days to show Judge Robert C. Noonan he "gets it."

Eric Bratcher, of 7 ½ North St., Le Roy, entered a guilty plea to third-degree burglary after originally being charged with burglary, 2nd, and offered a chance at a "split sentence" (possibly six months in jail and five years probation).

After his guilty plea, he was released under supervision of Genesee Justice with certain requirements for his conduct, including no drug use.

The next time Bratcher came before Noonan, he was accused of smoking marijuana while out of jail under supervision, so Noonan sent him back to jail to await his sentencing.

At that hearing, according to Noonan, Bratcher "editorialized" that he didn't see why it was a big deal. "It was just a little weed," according to Noonan.

Since that time, while in jail, Bratcher has reportedly been going through some rehabilitation programs and making progress.

Rather than sentence him today, Noonan gave Bratcher 30 more days to show what sort of progress he can make. He remains jailed without bail.

Noonan could send Bratcher to state prison.

"I'm not certain it won’t come around to the point where a split sentence could be possible," Noonan said. "I’m going to have to be shown something that Mr. Bratcher gets it and I just haven’t seen it yet."

Noonan expressed concern that Bratcher doesn't understand he committed a serious crime.

"You haven't shown me that you understand that you went into somebody's house and -- even though it was a friend and even though it was just a PS3 that was stolen -- the statement he gave on the condition of his residence before he had any idea it was you (was) 'it looks like a burglary,' " Noonan said. "It doesn't look like a friend who just happened to wander into a friend's house."

There isn't much new news in Genesee County so far this morning.

There was a massive fire in Wyoming County over night, in Castile and several fire departments from Genesee County responded.

A 25-year-old restaurant, the village offices and town offices along with some apartments were destroyed. There is some concern for the safety of at least one person, though no confirmation of injuries or fatalities. Water had to be trucked in because the water main to the village is being repaired, so fire hydrants were not working. Here's coverage from WIVB and WHAM13.

We don't know what winter will bring weather-wise, but no matter how cold it gets, we can expect to pay 3 percent less for natural gas to heat our homes and businesses, National Grid announced yesterday. It's the lowest price level in eight years.

And Genesee County Economic Development Center shared this video created by Buffalo Niagara Enterprise to promote the Genesee Valley Agribusiness Park.

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