Fair warning: Don't pass a legally stopped school bus in the City of Batavia on Wednesday.

Of course, you should NEVER pass a school bus that is stopped to drop off or pick up schoolchildren, but on Wednesday, such negligence might make you more vulnerable to a ticket and hefty fine.

As part of a Governor's Traffic Safety Committee grant, Batavia PD will deploy marked and unmarked patrols in select areas looking for cars that decline, refuse or forget to stop for a school bus as required by law.

Officers on Wednesday will also be conducting speed enforcement in school zones.

Joshua L. Webster, 25, of 7882 York Road, Pavilion, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, leaving the scene of a property damage accident and failure to yield right of way; Jessica L. Engelhardt, 21, of 7882 York Road, Pavilion, is charged with falsely reporting an incident and offering a false instrument for filing, 2nd. Webster was allegedly involved in an accident at 4:15 p.m., April 9, on West Main Street near Tops Market. Webster allegedly fled the scene on foot. Webster was reportedly identified by readers of The Batavian after his picture at Batavia Downs was posted on the website. Engelhardt, who is reportedly married to Webster, is accused of falsely reporting the vehicle stolen in an effort to cover up her husband's involvement in the accident.

Eric M. Duda, 50, of 111 Liberty St., Batavia, and Summer Ogden, 36, of 123 Washington Ave., Batavia, are both charged with criminal contempt. Duda and Ogden are both accused of violating orders of protection that prohibit them from being in each other's company. They were allegedly found together during a residence check by the Probation Department. Both were jailed on $5,000 bail.

Evan Ryan Anderson, 30, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, driving with ability impaired by drugs and No/inadequate headlamps. Anderson was stopped at 11:50 p.m., Friday, on Route 5 in Pembroke by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Luke Anthony Bacon, 19, of East Avenue, Akron, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, unlawful possession of marijuana, speeding (82 in a 55 mph zone), and failure to keep right. Bacon was stopped at 12:18 a.m., Sunday, on Akron Road, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Mark Russell O'Gee, 58, of South Street Road, Le Roy, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. O'Gee is accused of violating an order of protection by entering a residence he was barred from entering.

Christopher Michael Ames, 40, of Maple Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and unlawful possession of marijuana. Ames was reportedly observed at 8:56 p.m., Friday, in a vehicle park behind an unoccupied building on Lewiston Road, Alabama, that is for sale. Upon further investigation by Deputy Chad Minuto, Ames was allegedly found to be in an intoxicated condition.

Kimberly A. Showler, 46, of 4 North Spruce St., Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Showler is accused of shoplifting from a store on East Main Street, Batavia.

Lesley Marie Brice, 33, of Miller Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Brice is accused of pushing and shoving another person during a verbal argument that allegedly turned physical at 6:24 p.m., Friday, at a location on Main Street, Pembroke. Also arrested in connection with the incident was Angel Victoria Ramos, 19, of Main Road, Pembroke, who is charged with harassment, 2nd. Ramos is accused of hitting another person during an argument.

After the tractor fire on Dorman Road in the Town of Batavia, I drove over to Cookson Road -- some of which is unpaved. I stopped in this wooded area and decided to make a picture. What may be notable -- by my memory, the past couple of years, this area has been knee-deep in water. When I was in California, we would have called this a drought condition, but according to U.S. Drought Monitor, we are not currently in drought conditions.

There is a wind advisory in effect for tonight until midnight.

Winds of 20 to 30 mph are expected, with possible gusts up to 50 mph.

The weather service warns that gusty winds will make travel difficult for high profile vehicles and may result in falling tree branches and blowing debris.

There is a 50-percent chance of thunderstorms tonight.

A "very small" grass fire is reported at 13 Woodland Drive in the Town of Batavia, which has its fire department on scene.

The broken water main in Elba has been repaired and water service restored.

Route 98 will remain closed for a couple of more hours while crews patch the roadway.

A tractor fire is reported at 9322 Dorman Road in the Town of Batavia, which has its fire department responding. It is not near any structures.

UPDATE 4:50 p.m.: The fire is out. All units returning to service.

UPDATE: Joe Valone, owner of Pheasants on the Flats, was mowing his property this afternoon when he looked down and saw flames popping out from his engine compartment. He tried to extinguish the fire himself, but couldn't. By the time firefighters arrived, the entire compartment was engulfed in flames. The tractor is a 1957 Ford that Valone had restored about two years ago.

A motorcycle accident with possibly serious injuries is reported at 6328 Route 19 in Bergen. Bergen Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 12:07 p.m.: Law enforcement is responding. Traffic is impacted.

UPDATE 12:10 p.m.: Fire police are called to shut down traffic on Route 19. The motorcycle is on fire.

UPDATE 12:12 p.m.: Southbound Route 19 will be shut down at Sackett Road. The accident is between Sackett and Bissell roads, by the gun club, on the bridge.

UPDATE 12:16 p.m.: A crew from Churchville is requested to fill in at the Bergen Fire Hall.

UPDATE 12:23 p.m.: The motorcycle fire is out.

UPDATE 1:36 p.m.: (Provided by Howard, who is at the scene.) This was a fatal accident. One man from Monroe County was killed. There were no other injuries. According to Sheriff's Deputy Chief Jerome Brewster, a 2006 Honda motorcycle was headed northbound on Route 19 north of the Village of Bergen when it collided with another northbound vehicle. Witnesses said the motorcyclist had been speeding. Upon impact, "the motorcycle dropped to its side and skidded quite a distance down the roadway before hitting a guard rail, ejecting the driver," Brewster said. The victim was dead by the time emergency crews arrived. The other vehicle was a full-size SUV.

UPDATE 2:20 p.m.: Authorities say the roadway will be reopened in about a half hour.

UPDATE 2:57 p.m.: Route 19 is reopened. Bergen units are back in service.

UPDATE: The driver has been identified as 26-year-old Gregory P. Healy, of 18 Keith Terrace, North Chili. Healy was riding a 2006 Honda and investigators believe he attempted to pass a 2007 Toyota SUV at a high-rate of speed in a no-passing zone.  Healy's bike struck the SUV's left rear tire. The motorcycle tipped and skidded into a guardrail over Black Creek on the highway's west edge. Healy was ejected. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Coroner Roberrt Yungfleisch.  The driver of the SUV, Denine Scott of Batavia, was not injured.  The investigation is being handled by Deputy John Baiocco, Sgt. James Meier and Sgt. William Scott of the Crash Management Team. Bergen Fire assisted at the scene.

A water main has broken in the Village of Elba and crews expect repairs, which will start at 11 a.m., to take all day.

The break in the 20-year-old line appears to have occurred in the area of 25 North Main St.

Water to a portion of the village will be shut off at 11 a.m.

Traffic on Route 98 will be rerouted during the daylong repairs.

For the 40th straight year, business and community leaders gathered to honor a group of hard working and visionary people who help enrich life in Genesee County.

The chamber of commerce awards ceremony was held at the Clarion Hotel again this year and more than 300 people attended.

Stories about the 2011 winners:

• Geneseean of the Year thrives on helping people become all they can be
• Baskin Livestock blossomed from a good idea, labor and luck
• Adept Equipment Services -- the 'go-to-guys' for all things mechanical
• Graham Corp. puts high premium on small community and its workers
• Arctic Refrigeration Co. of Batavia heating things up
• Palm Island Indoor Water Park making a big splash

If you're unable to view the slide show, click here. 

To purchase prints of these photos, click here.

A vehicle fire is reported on the eastbound Thruway between mile marker 375 and 378. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Le Roy medics are responding.

UPDATE 7:26 p.m.: It's a white Ford Escort. UPDATE 7:35 p.m.: Le Roy medics are back in service. There were flames coming from the vehicle, now there's just some smoke, and they're watering it down to cool it off.

The Oakfield Historical Society Museum officially opened for the season today with two new displays -- one about World War II on the home front and the other on the five major fires in Oakfield in the 1800s. The fire department's vintage pumper, purchased in 1863, was rolled over to the museum to display during the open house.

The event coincides with the book the historical society just published called "Main Street Ablaze." The museum is located at 7 Maple Ave. in the Village of Oakfield.

If the Pok-A-Dot isn't already world famous, it soon will be.

A crew from the international version of the Travel Channel stopped by the legendary diner Friday to film a segment for part of an episode on Upstate New York.

"Most people in the world, when they think of New York, they think, ‘oh, the city,’ but there’s actually a lot more to it than that," said the show's presenter, Julian Hanton (the bloke in the sunglasses in all the pictures -- and we can say bloke, because the crew is from the U.K., though Hanton is originally from New Zealand).

The Pok-A-Dot was suggested by the tourism agency and the crew. Hanton said they wanted to get places in the more rural communities, though they have visited Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Rochester.

The seven-part show will visit seven states, giving international viewers a wider perspective of the United States, according to Hanton, but he doesn't expect the shows to air in the U.S. (although, they might).

Top Photo: The crew with Joanne Cox, Jennifer Hodgins, Nicci Johnson and Lisa Hodgins. Below, Jim Disalvo with Hanton and WHAM13's Sean Carroll interviewing Hanton.

We've evidenced prolific bird life so far this spring. This robin was perched in the cottonwood while singing its praises of the day as I snapped the photo.

A male cardinal appears to be on the lookout high in our apple tree. Actually he was listening for the whistle of a female -- after she made a flyby, off he went in pursuit.  

For the second consecutive year, the bluebirds are nesting nearby -- this female was flitting about in our backyard.

The telltale red marking on the back of its head gave away this northern flicker perched in the sumac.

He seems to be sizing up the sumac drupes...something I've not seen before. We usually see them probing the soil for grubs.

A lone mourning dove poking around the stubble

This duck-like creature is actually a coot, member of the rail family. Instead of webbed feet, it possesses three long pointy toes, which enable it to run across the water and matted vegetation.

Often seen with ducks, the coot is an excellent swimmer and diver, feeding mainly on aquatic vegetation.

Members of the "Tale for Three Counties" committee were presented with the Richmond Memorial Library's 2012 "Friend of the Year" award today at a public reception in the library's Gallery Room.

This award is given each year in recognition of a person or group that has gone above and beyond in support of the Richmond library. According to Paula Haven, Teen Services librarian and staff liaison to the Friends of the Library, "A Tale for Three Counties" met the criteria.

"This is their 10th anniversary," Haven said. "Not all library programs enjoy such longevity."

"A Tale for Three Counties" began when a group of public librarians from Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties got together and proposed an idea for an area-wide book discussion program. Over the years, they have garnered the support of such organizations as Genesee Community College, GoArt!, the Genesee Valley BOCES School Library System, Wal-Mart and Time Warner.

Each year, participants read and discuss books that meet the following guidelines (taken from the program's website): 

• It must be a work of fiction
• It must appeal to both adult and teen readers
• It must have literary merit as evidenced by professional reviews or awards
• It must present the theme of rural family life or local history
• It must have issues or topics to discuss
• It must introduce a new or relatively unknown author to readers

Another perk of this program is that the authors come to the area to give talks every year (click to read an article on the Garth Stein visit in 2010).

Here are some quotes from authors who have visited Genesee County for this program:

"Call: My agent on the phone telling me that my book 'The Call' had been chosen as the one book for 'A Tale for Three Counties.'

"Action: Cheered and then gladly accepted.

"Result: Was greeted so warmly by all involved with the Tale I considered that the place was possibly enchanted and I had crossed over into a better world."

-Yannick Murphy, author of "The Call"

"I really had the sense, during the three days I participated in the Tale for Three Counties, that the program was reaching all sorts of people who otherwise would not be reading literature, opening their minds to its possibilities and encouraging future explorations of books while also uniting the community. It was a great honor to participate in such a worthy program."

- Hillary Jordan, author of "Mudbound" 

A Batavia man was taken by Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center today where he is in stable condition following an accident at 1:24 p.m. on R. Stephen Hawley Drive.

Joseph C. Wenzel Jr., 54, of Thorpe Street, Batavia, told investigators that as he was heading east, he swerved to avoid a small animal, possibly a possum, in the roadway.

An investigation by Deputy Jonathan Szumigala indicates that Wenzel's 1990 Chevy Van went off the south shoulder and then Wenzel over corrected causing him to lose control of the vehicle.

The van struck a fire hydrant and overturned, pinning Wenzel inside.

Town of Batavia volunteers responded and cut the windshield out of the van so Mercy medics could gain access to the patient. Firefighters then cut the roof off the van to extricate Wenzel.

Wenzel may have suffered a head injury, but he was also taken by Mercy Flight to a trauma center as a precaution in case of internal injuries.

Szumigala indicated on his report that possible traffic citations are pending.

A motorcycle accident with minor injuries is reported in Alabama at the curve where Ledge and Reuben roads meet. Alabama Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

This is the final story in a series about the 2011 award winners of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

One of the most satisfying meals Donna Saskowski ever had was simple fare -- pork chops, Tater Tots and corn. It's one she has never forgotten although it was 20 years ago. A gentleman named Curtis cooked the food at his apartment for his special guest, the lady who worked at Genesee County ARC, and who still does, now as the executive director.

Saskowski, who is the chamber of commerce 2011 Geneseean of the Year, could sense the great pride Curtis had for his accomplishment -- from setting the table and serving the food, to having a pleasant conversation and saying a fond farewell. Guest and host became friends. And Curtis, who is still served by ARC, remains Donna's friend.

Seeing people like Curtis, who is developmentally disabled, accomplish new things, learn a skill or develop a hidden talent gives meaning to Donna's work, helps motivate her and keeps her grounded.

Her inclination to help others improve their lives was fostered in no small part by her mother, the late Helen A. Trowbridge, who was a full-time registered nurse, mother of nine children, working farmer, community volunteer and a graduate of Clown Alley. Yes, Helen attended clown school in her 50s and loved entertaining people, for free, at the ARC, nursing homes, hospitals, etc. With her loud suits and zany bag of tricks, "Gorgible" the Clown made a big impression on her big family to do for others.

Donna grew up in Corfu on the family farm, which is still operated by family members today. Both her parents held full-time outside jobs and also raised crops, chickens, dairy cows and black angus cattle. In other words, "all the things my parents needed to keep nine kids fed and give us activities. It was good," she said.

After graduating from high school, Donna went to college to become a social worker and was briefly employed after getting married. But she decided to stay home and raise two daughters until they entered school. Then she looked for part-time work and landed a job as a residential assistant at ARC after "cold calling" the facility seeking an application.

It was, as they say, a good fit.

"They help me, they give me a lot of inspiration and make me feel good about myself," Saskowski said.

When the people in the ARC community get the support and services they need, they often have new experiences that are life-changing.

"Suddenly, they realize -- maybe because they haven't had other opportunities in their life -- the level of skill they have, how much of a contributing part of the community they can be.

"Sometimes people with developmental disabilities aren't given those opportunities and so they kind of lack confidence or the courage to step up. They know they can do it, but I don't think -- because we often don't have faith in them -- that they want to express it."

When they do, the results can be amazing. Donna has a couple of art works in her office, and there are others displayed elsewhere in the facility on Walnut Street, that show real talent, and certainly beauty.

Events like the Challenger Dance and the Sprout Film Festival also give her clients a chance to blossom.

And that helps her stay energized and focused so she can advocate for them effectively.

In addition to her work at ARC, Donna is active in the community. She is currently serving as secretary for the Batavia Rotary Club, which she joined in 2004, and is a board member of the Regional Action Phone Network.

In 2006, she was named a Leadership Fellow at the Community Health Foundation of Western New York and that was a tremendous experience for her. It enabled her to meet leaders from throughout the region and engage them in a dialogue about the state of health care and health in general.

She has also been a Girl Scout leader and served on the board of the YWCA. She is a member of Leadership Genesee's Class of 2005.

She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in Social Work from the University of Buffalo and was named Social Worker of the Year in 2010 by the Western Division of the New York State Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

Donna is highly regarded for her leadership, exceptional ability to work collaboratively, and her commitment to community development.

She lives in Darien with her husband, Paul.

As for being named Geneseean of the Year, Donna is most pleased.

"I have a great support system or else I wouldn't be able to do the things I do -- my staff here, but especially my family, my husband. If he didn't cook all those meals and do all those things when I was in graduate school, and raise the kids for three and a half years, it would have been a tough go. And he did that."

The Haskell Company, general contractor on Project Wave, and PepsiCo both pledged today to hire, whenever possible, local subcontractors, and say they've been following that practice from the beginning.

In fact, both companies say they have a non-binding agreement with the Genesee County Economic Development Center to hire local workers.

Union representatives from Rochester held a press conference today outside the building site at the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park and insisted that Haskell is not awarding enough contracts to builders from Western New York.

Dave Young, president of the Rochester Building and Construction Trades Council, as well as business manager of IBEW Local 86, told reporters to just walk through the parking lot (if allowed) and check license plates on the trucks pulled up behind the construction trailers.

"Pepsi has hired an out-of-state general contractor who is bringing up employees from Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia," Young said. "They're bringing them from everywhere but right in here New York State."

Young made his remarks flanked by union members -- Young said he represents 15,000 workers, 15 percent of whom are out of work -- and in front of a backdrop of earth movers grading the construction site.

The earth movers are owned and operated by Zoladz Construction, based in Alden.

Young (pictured) said the one solid piece of evidence his group has is a video he and some colleagues produced yesterday during their walk-through of the construction site parking lot.

When pressed to name out-of-state contractors who have been awarded contracts, Young named one, an electrical contractor out of Kentucky, but said he couldn't remember the names of the others.

He said the bid process for construction work such as this lacks transparency, which makes it hard to know for sure who is being hired for what jobs.

Yesterday, Steve Hyde told The Batavian that 50 percent of the contracts for the project have been awarded and 80 percent of those have gone to Western New York contractors.

Dave Balz, a VP with Haskell, said he didn't have the information in front of him to be able to confirm Hyde's numbers, but said Haskell is firmly committed to hiring local labor on all of its projects.

"In my experience, every community is concerned about the local work force and the local workers," Balz said. "We respect that concern. Local contractors with a good safety record are always welcome to bid on our projects."

Haskell signed a non-binding agreement with GCEDC to hire qualified subcontractors from the local area (which covers Genesee County as well as the surrounding counties), Balz said.

According to Scott Gilmore, a spokesman for Pepsi, the company signed a "local labor pledge" with GCEDC.

"Our pledge is to use a fair and competitive selection process for the construction of the new manufacturing facility, with a view to using as many New York State and local subcontractors and suppliers as reasonable," Gilmore said in a statement.

"As with any pledge of this nature, it is not legally binding, but it is a reflection of the goals and standards we seek to maintain as we proceed with development of the state-of-the-art dairy and yogurt production facility in Batavia, New York."

Gilmore also wrote, "We are committed to providing a measurable, positive impact to the Upstate local community and surrounding areas through the use of available, competitive local labor as we construct a state-of-the-art dairy and yogurt production facility in Batavia, New York."

Among Young's request is that GCEDC create a local labor requirement in its contacts with businesses, saying that the Monroe County IDA has such a requirement in its contracts.

The Batavian spoke briefly with a spokeswoman for COMIDA who said at first the claim was true, but when asked if such agreements were binding, she said she would need to double check. We've not yet heard back from her.

As for the video presented by the union, Balz said he would let it speak for itself, adding, "We are still early in a very long-term project to build a state-of-the-art yogurt plant. As things proceed on site, we intend and will take action on our pledge to do our very best to include local participation."

Previously: Union officials making waves over alleged out-of-state hiring practices of Wave Holding