Erin Coles submitted this photo of Jasmine Wessel, of Alexander. Jasmine showed up at the hat and glove drive over the weekend with two suitcases full of stuff along with some additional bags of items she was able to collect from classmates and her Brownie troop.

Press release:

With much ambivalence, Genesee Community College announces that Jerry Kozlowski, associate vice president for Workforce Development, commonly known as The BEST Center (Business Employee Skills Training), has tendered his resignation. After Jan. 4, Jerry plans to spend more time with his family, and also continue his graduate school adjunct teaching responsibilities at Medaille College.

Under Kozlowski's management, The BEST Center has become a recognized regional leader in helping develop the skilled workforce that powers local economic growth. Seminars, workshops, and customized training programs are all designed to assist businesses improve the performance of their people and processes, and focus on long-term strategic success.

The BEST Center serves individual employees, large and small businesses, and seeks and secures federal, state and local grants. It offers multifaceted business development services through the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) where advisors provide free counseling to owners of start-ups and existing small businesses. The BEST Center has also partnered with five national professional online training programs with more than 450 high-quality courses for professional certification.

During Kozlowski's tenure, The BEST Center earned several distinctive awards including: the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce "Innovative Enterprise of the Year" and the American Association of Community Colleges "Community Economic Development Best Practices" Award.

Kozlowski began his tenure at Genesee Community College in 2000 as a faculty member in the business department. In 2002, he helped develop, found, and served as dean of The BEST Center, located in the newly built Conable Technology Building of the Batavia campus.

In 2004, Kozlowski assumed the managerial role of Genesee's network of campus centers, which included the construction and opening of the Lima location in October 2009. As dean of Genesee's six campus centers, he oversaw the delivery of academic programs in the four-county GLOW region (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming) covering 2,400 square miles and a staff of more than 30 people. This responsibility accounted for approximately one-quarter of the college's total enrollment.

In 2010, Kozlowski was promoted to associate vice president of Workforce Development, recognizing a decade of tactical planning and outreach in the areas of developing workforce services and regional economic growth.

Kozlowski was the recipient of the prestigious State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service in 2006. Additionally, Jerry is a member of the Leadership Genesee Class of 2004, and serves on the following boards: New York State Liaison for the American Association of Community Colleges; member-at-large, GLOW Workforce Investment Board; member, Genesee County Empire Zone Board; member, Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) Economic Development Focus Group; and chairman the Board of Directors for the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce. He is also a former business columnist for The Daily News in Batavia.

With his wife, Lee, Jerry Kozlowski resides in Clarence Center. He is a former executive of Tops Markets, Inc., and a retired officer of the Air Force with 25 years of service as a commander, instructor, speechwriter and program manager.

"I approach this new era of my professional career with mixed emotions," Kozlowski said. "Having traveled around the world and visited all 50 states, this is the longest I've been in one place. I've never worked with a finer group of people all dedicated to getting the job done. From the chambers, to the IDAs, the various boards I have served on, and certainly my colleagues at Genesee College Community -- I will miss the many relationships I have developed throughout the GLOW region."

A professional search for Kozlowski's successor is ongoing and will be announced soon.

A young man once granted a second chance following his arrest in Batavia on drug charges was sentenced to state prison today.

Rochester native Benjamin Santiago, 23, will spend the next two and a half years in prison for drug possession and parole violation.

Santiago was originally arrested at a Batavia motel back in June of 2011.
At the time, he was one of three men arrested in possession of 74 bags of heroin and cocaine.

Shortly after his arrest, Genesee County Court agreed to allow Santiago to plead guilty to a reduced charge that would carry no jail time if he completed a substance-abuse program.

Santiago never completed the program and never appeared back in court.

He was re-arrested in October for bail jumping. His sentence on that charge will be handed down next month will run consecutively with the term he was given today.

Nicholas A. Antonucci, 25, of Broadway Road, Alexander, is charged with burglary, 2nd, and criminal contempt, 2nd. Antonucci allegedly entered a residence at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, of a person with an active stay-away order against Antonucci. Deputies allegedly located Antonucci inside the residence. Antonucci was jailed without bail. (Prior reports on Antonucci)

Cody A. Patrizi, 22, of 16 Walnut St., upper, Batavia, is charged with unlawful dealing with a child. Patrizi is accused of hosting an underage drinking party, which was reported at 1:15 a.m., Sunday.

Jake P. O'Leary, 19, Sam M. Cassidy, 21, and Declan L. Brennan, 21, all of 8 Montclair Ave., Batavia, are charged with unlawful dealing with a child. The three men are accused of hosting an underage drinking party, which was reported at 12:04 a.m., Sunday. Numerous underage people were allegedly at the party drinking.

Richard L. Maston, 30, of 40 S. Main St., upper, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for allegedly failure to appear on a disorderly conduct charge. Matson was jailed on $500 bail.

Jennifer L. Stack, 26, of 48 S. Main St., Batavia, and Woodrow C. Horseman, 36, of 5049 E. Main St. Road, Batavia, are charged with petit larceny. Stack and Horseman are accused of stealing a shopping cart full of groceries from Tops Market at 3:17 p.m., Saturday.

Charles A. Larsen, 37, of Fisher Road, Oakfield, is charged with criminal trespass, 2nd. Larsen is accused of entering a residence on Swamp Road, Byron, and removing items that he owned. Larsen was jailed on $300 bail.

Alec Michael Frick, 23, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, speeding and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. Frick was stopped at 10:44 p.m., Saturday, on West Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Matthew Fleming.

Michelle Ann Bruner, 19, of Townsend Street, Akron, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Bruner is accused of harassing a victim in Basom in violation of a Family Court order during a property retrieval.

Joseph Lee Piedmont, 47, of Ross Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Piedmont is accused of pushing another person.

Leon C. Bloom Jr., 30, of Batavia, is charged with felony criminal contempt, 1st. While incarcerated at the Genesee County Jail, Bloom is accused of sending a letter to a person protected by court order from contact by Bloom.

Melissa Marie Morton, 27, of Maple Road, Basom, is charged with petit larceny and criminal contempt, 2nd. Morton is accused of stealing four PlayStation3 games from Kmart. When confronted by store security, Morton was reportedly cooperative and returned the items. At the time of the incident, Morton was allegedly with another woman she is barred by court order from contacting.

Patrick O'Neal Spikes, 31, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with bail jumping, 2nd. Spikes was located by Batavia PD at an address on West Main Street Road while officers were assisting NYS Parole on a matter involving another individual. There was reportedly an outstanding warrant for Spikes out of city court for alleged bail jumping. The person parole officers were attempting to locate was not in the residence.

Press release from Attica PD:

Two youths, ages 17 and 18, have been arrested and charged with criminal mischief in the 2nd degree for the damage to 28 vehicles at Upstate Chevrolet in Attica. The names are being withheld pending a determination of possible "youthful offender" status. Upon the request of police, the two youths turned themselves in at approximately 6:30 p.m. Both youths were remanded to the Wyoming County Sheriff's Jail on $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond.

A controlled burn at 9870 Perry Road "is no longer a controlled burn. It's a field fire moving toward the woods," according to an emergency dispatcher. Pavilion Fire Department is called. The location is between Black Street Road and Cole Road.

UPDATE 4:01 p.m.: "A call back from the resident indicates the fire is now mostly under control."

This morning I went out to DeWitt Recreation Area for the sunrise.

After a little time there, I went for a short drive and on the spur of the moment I swung into Grand View Cemetery, not expecting to find E.N. Rowell's monument (bottom photo).

A one-vehicle rollover accident is reported in the area of 590 Council House Road, on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation.

Alabama fire is dispatched.

UPDATE 10:29 p.m.: Chief on scene reports a vehicle on its side.

UPDATE 10:31 p.m.: One patient. No word yet on extent of injuries.

One of the items on my to-do list for awhile has been to go to DeWitt Recreation Area for sunset pictures over the lake. This evening, I made that trip.

Former professional wrestler Dick Beyer, aka The Destroyer and Doctor X, was at Main St. Pizza Company today selling copies of his book "Masked Decision" and signing autographs.

Previously: Main St. Pizza owner helping promote book of his idol, former pro wrestler 'Doctor X'

Oliver's Candies was packed today with kids and parents for Santa's annual visit to the store.

Outside there was also a petting zoo and the Batavia Jaycees sold hot dogs and local Girl Scouts sold cookies.

Part of Santa's busy schedule in Batavia today was a stop at Present Tense Books on Washington Avenue. Pictured with Santa are Trey, 3, Quinn, 8, Lilyanna, 3, and Gunner, 2.

Below Santa holds a great Christmas gift idea -- the board game Bataviaopoly. The game was just released and is a fundraiser for the Zonta Club of Batavia. It's available for sale at Present Tense.

Police are in the area of the Northside Deli after a caller told dispatch that a white male and a black male made threats to another person and either showed a gun or said they had one. The complainant is somewhere on Bank Street and the pair police are looking for were last seen sitting outside the deli, located at 162 Bank St.

Attica's normally outside of our coverage area, but since there's a good chance a Genesee County resident could help solve this crime, here's a press release from the Attica PD:

Sometime between 6:00pm, November 16th and 9:00am today unknown individuals caused damage with rocks to 28 vehicles at the Upstate Cheverlet Dealership on Main Street in Attica.  Damage is estimated over $50,000.  The Attica Police Department is reviewing video tape from the dealership and other area businesses and are in the process of enhancing these videos to identify the perpetrators.

There is no motive at this time however Chief Palillo would like the individuals to know that if this was a prank that got out of control now would be the time to come forward before the investigation gets to far.

As before if anyone has any information about this incident they are asked to contact the Attica Police Department at 585-721-5276, or the Wyoming County Sheriff's Department at 585-786-2255.  This information can be kept confidential.

NOTE: This is an updated press release from the Attica PD replacing the original one.

UPDATE: In response to a comment by a reader wondering about cameras at the dealership, Thomas Cockman, parts and service director for Upstate, left this comment on Facebook: "We have several cameras and are reviewing tape right now, we will catch the people responsible, they would do themselves a huge favor by just turning themselves in. If the police have to hunt them down, it will make it that much worse."

Friday was the gala opening of the annual Wonderland of Trees at the Holland Land Office Museum.

The event features trees decorated in themes selected by their sponsors, which are local businesses, government agencies and charities.

The Wonderland Of Trees will be open at HLOM through the holiday season.

Crash Team members were called to the scene of a fatal one-car accident in Elba yesterday evening, but their initial investigation reveals no reason why the Toyota Highlander driven by 69-year-old Vincentia Smith veered off the roadway and slammed into a tree.

All they know at this time is Smith was westbound on North Byron Road at 4:44 p.m. when her vehicle crossed the eastbound lane, went off the roadway and hit the tree.

There were no skid marks.

Smith was unconscious when first responder's arrived.  Mercy Flight was called, but she was apparently not stable enough for air transport, so she was taken to UMMC by Mercy EMS, where she was pronounced dead.

The location of the accident, North Byron Road, a tenth of a mile east of Log City Road, is just yards from where Elba resident Linda Brown was killed one year and eight days ago in a single-car accident.

It's too early to determine if there is any common factor between the two fatal crashes.

"It’s a straight road, you’ve got some hills, you’ve got some deer out here, any number of things could be a factor here, or not," said Investigator Timothy Weis. "It could be simply, she drifted off the road."

A medical examiner will try to determine if Smith, a resident of Miller Road, Elba, had a health issue that contributed to the crash and investigators will take a look at her car and try to determine if there were any mechanical issues.

"If (the mechanical inspection) comes back fine and the medical exam comes back fine, this could be one where we never know the reason," Weis said.

Assisting at the scene was the Elba Fire Department and State Police. The investigation is being conducted by Weis, Deputy Kevin McCarthy and Sgt. William Scott.

(Initial Report)

A woman is complaining of chest pains following a car vs. deer accident which just occurred at the intersection of Byron Holley and Cochran roads. Byron and South Byron fire companies are responding.

UPDATE 6:50 p.m.: The scene of the accident is determined to be a half-mile north of Cochran Road on Route 237.

UPDATE 7:17 p.m.: The victim was transported by Mercy medics to Lakeside Memorial Hospital in Brockport. The road is clear and the responders are back in service.

CORRECTION: Byron's ambulance responded to the scene and transported the patient to Lakeside.

A one-vehicle rollover accident, blocking traffic, unknown injuries, is reported in the City of Batavia at West Main and River streets. Mercy medics and city fire are responding.

UPDATE 5:27 p.m.: A woman in her 50s is being transported to UMMC. A car is on its roof and a flatbed tow is called.

UPDATE 5:45 p.m.: One person was a sign-off. The city assignment is back in service.

UPDATE 6:04 p.m.: Here's a statement made to Howard at the scene about what a witness saw:

Conor Wilkes: "I was riding right behind the car when it happened. I was behind the white Toyota and the (Ford) Ranger that was in front of her made an abrupt stop. I think she was trying to change lanes at the same time. But the Ranger stopped so suddenly that when she made the turn, the front side of her car clipped the back side of the Ranger.

"I think her front tire rolled up on the rear tire of the Ranger just right and flipped the car. The Toyota wasn’t speeding. It was just a (freak) accident. Normally it would be just a quick fender-bender and everybody’d be OK, But it just happened so quick.

"As soon as I saw it happen, I pulled to the side and called 9-1-1 and got those guys going pretty quick. I put my jacket on, I got out and looked around the car and looked to see how many passengers there were, how the car was. A couple of pedestrians helped out.

"I got the keys out of the vehicle and made sure it was secure. She seemed to be alright except she was upside down. And then we just waited for fire and EMS to come and extricate her. The woman in the Ranger was just flustered and the other woman in the Toyota just seemed concerned that she was now upside down."