Politico: After 10 years, jury still out on invasion of Iraq

A pair of tractor-trailers is involved in a collision on Route 20 at Sandpit Road, Alexander.

There are believed to be no injuries, though there is a fuel spill.

Alexander Fire Department is responding. Fire police are requested to the scene to shut down at least one lane of traffic.

UPDATE 6:51 a.m.: Pavilion requested to respond and stop all westbound tractor-trailer traffic at route 20 and 63.

UPDATE 7:56 a.m.: Route 20 is reopened and Alexander is back in service.

In this short video, St. Joe's fourth-grader Andres Mateos demonstrates the use of a Bo, a martial arts weapon from Korea.

Andres was one of many talented youths from Genesee County competing in the "Make Some Noise Area-Wide Talent Show" at Notre Dame High School last night.

Proceeds from this event will be donated to the Western New York chapter of "Make Noise 4 Kids," a nonprofit organization that raises money and awareness in the fight against pediatric cancer.

Here are some of the other performers:

Natalie Matuszak (Notre Dame) singing and playing the guitar for "I Wouldn't Mind" by He is We.

Nathan Beck (Notre Dame) singing and playing the original song "Can't Wait."

Kathryn Fitzpatrick (John Kennedy School) singing a cappella "Wizard and I" (from the Broadway musical "Wicked").

Matuszak and Gabrielle Linsey (Notre Dame) dancing to Rihanna's "Right Now."

Peter Kehl (Notre Dame) singing "Bring Him Home" from "Les Miserables" (dressed as Jean Valjean).

Laura Guiste (Batavia High School) singing "Love Story" by Taylor Swift.

Jon Korzelius, Tyler Hamm and Tristan Korzelius (all from Oakfield-Alabama) performing "The Pit and the Pendulum," a rock medley of original and popular rock songs.

Hailey Natalizia (Pembroke) singing "I'm Gonna Love You Through It" by Martina McBride.

Due to some technical difficulties, I was unable to take pictures of all the performers. My apologies and congratulations on a job well done to the following:

Keara Zerillo, Erin Phillips and Serena Strollo-DiCenso (St. Joseph School), who sang "Wings" by Little Mix.

Kyle Kendall (John Kennedy School), who performed a ball spinning act.

Fiona Beck (St. Joseph School), who sang and played "Don't Know Why" by Norah Jones.

Jake Krajewski, Tyler Barrett, Peter Kehl, Janelle Fancher and Lydia Moens (Notre Dame), who performed a short play called "The Legend of Krately House."

Tyler Hamm and Jon Korzelius (Oakfield-Alabama), who performed a drum duet.

Tracy Read and Beth Johnson-Walsh (Oakfield-Alabama), who sang and played the piano for "Hometown Glory" by Adele.

The winners of the contest were, left to right, Beck (first place), Cheverie (honorable mention), Phillips, Strollo-DiCenso and Zerillo (honorable mention), Kehl (third place), Korzelius and Hamm (second place) and Natalizia (pictured separately).

So as to fit them all in clearly, here is a picture from the other side:

Natalizia was happy to be another honorable mention.

As first prize winner, Beck was awarded $150. He donated his entire winnings to "Make Noise 4 Kids."

By two votes, Ralph Peterson has won the mayoral election in the Village of Corfu over incumbent Todd Skeet.

Peterson and Skeet have clashed for more than a year over administration of the village court and operation of the village police department.

Peterson garnered 99 votes today and Skeet received 97 votes.

Incumbent Al Graham lost his bid for reelection as a trustee with 82 votes. David Bielec got 121 votes and Keith Busch 115.

Both Peterson, Bielec and Busch ran on the Corfu United Party. Busch also had the Democratic endorsement.

Skeet was endorsed by both Republicans and Democrats, Graham was on the GOP line.

The two incumbents were often aligned on disputes with Peterson over administration of the court and police department.

David O’Connor ran unopposed for village justice and received 136 votes.

UPDATE: Elba's results.

It should come as no surprise that Notre Dame, the state's Class D champion in girls basketball has been ranked #1 in the final state rankings by the New York Sprotswriters Association.

What may be surprising is the team the Fighting Irish beat in the first round of sectional play is ranked #5.

The Elba Lady Lancers made the top five despite being knocked out in the first round of post-season play.

Elba finished with a 19-2 record and came into the post season as the reigning state champions.

Notre Dame, with 21 wins, suffered only two losses on the season, both to Elba.  The case could be made that Elba should be ranked #2.

Ranked ahead of Elba was Oriskany (22-1) at #2, the team Notre Dame beat in the state finals, and Ford Edward (22-1), who lost to ND in the semi-finals is #3. The #4 team is Hammond (21-3), which lost to Fort Edward in regional play.

Sherman, whose coach Mel Swason, complained about Notre Dame being a private school, was ranked #8 with a 18-3 record.

Mt. Morris (16-6), which lost a Class D Section V consolidation game to Notre Dame, is ranked #11.

A car is on fire next to a residence at 8850 Hartshorn Road. East Pembroke Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 2:43 p.m.: A responder reports the car fire is fully involved.

UPDATE 3:05 p.m.: Fire is out.

Two women, descriptions not provided, received salon services at JCPenney and then decided not to pay for the work and they walked out into the mall. They are now sitting in a chair near the salon entrance and "the caller believes they may be under the influence." A police officer just arrived on scene.

The annual student art show by GCC's fine arts students opens at the Roz Steiner Art Gallery, GCC campus, March 25 and runs through April 25.

The opening reception is at 12:30 p.m., Thursday.

Photo, from left: Holly Hosmar, from Pike; Sarah Bosa, Buffalo; Petra Dietrich, Batavia; Josh Coughlin, Churchville; and, Nicole Crossett, Batavia.

If you're under age and want to buy booze in Batavia, good luck finding a server or clerk who will sell it to you.

Recently, Batavia PD spearheaded a compliance check at 10 local establishments that sell alcohol.

All 10 businesses carded the underage buyers and refused to sell liquor to them.

"The fact that all the establishments involved in the compliance check requested identification and refused to sell alcohol is a tribute to our local establishments, their management and employees," the PD said in a statement.

The program was conducted in conjunction with the GCASA Drug Free Communities Coalition and Genesee Community College’s Criminal Justice Program.

High school students from throughout the area were in the Genesee County Courthouse on Monday evening for the annual Mock Trial competition.

The results of the quarter-final round are not yet available because Dansville and Hornell were on travel restrictions because of weather. Those two schools are expected to meet at another location today.

Participating last night were Attica, Byron-Bergen, Batavia, Alexander, Pembroke and Le Roy.

The photos here are from Pembroke vs. Le Roy's first match (each team runs through the mock case as both the plaintiff and defense, scoring points on each side).

For Pembroke on Monday, the team was Erik Schoenecker, Brandon Kohorst and Ben Reiner as plaintiff attorneys. Their witnesses were Bryan Cox, Sabrina Sanner and Karen Glomb. In the second round, the defense was Christian Burns, Eva Reda-Kendrick and Jutsin Sformo. Their witnesses were Kayla Underwood, Jenna Lawson and Alison Reiner.

For Le Roy, on the defense side were Chris Trend, Danielle Branton and Sydney Chester as attorneys, and Sam Platt, Bailey Kennedy and Meghan Slocum as witnesses. The plaintiff attorneys were Emily Henderson, Dan Matthews and Verneeda Peete with witnesses Chris Trand, Eliza Harvey and Danielle Branton.

The case this year involves a student who enrolled in a technical community college and claims the school misrepresented the qualifications of the professors, the quality of the instruction, the availability of internships, the ability to find qualified employment and the nature of employment graduates actually obtained. The school is also affiliated with a student loan company that is apparently not fully disclosed and other financing options are not offered to students (though others are available). 

The semi-final rounds will be in Geneseo on Wednesday and the finals in Warsaw next Monday.

The regional finals, as happens every four years, will be in Batavia this year.

Parents, to purchase prints of these photos to ensure you have them for years to come, click here.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) recently joined his legislative colleagues and members of the business community at a press conference in opposition to a hidden utility tax. The 18-A Utility Assessment was enacted in 2009 and was set to expire this year, although the governor’s Executive Budget includes an extension of the tax. Hawley sponsored Assembly Bill 382 to repeal the tax as soon as it was enacted, receiving 17 bipartisan cosponsors, and noted the strain the surcharge puts on both families and businesses.

“This tax hurts every family, senior and job creator who pays utility bills in New York State,” Hawley said. “It was a bad idea when it was passed and it’s an even worse idea to extend it. This is an example of state government saying one thing and doing the exact opposite. That’s why I have sponsored legislation to repeal the tax, and that’s why I was proud to stand with my fellow Assembly members and business leaders urging that this tax expire as promised.”

In attendance at the press conference were representatives from the Business Council of New York State, Inc., Manufacturers Association of Central New York, National Federation of Independent Business, Unshackle Upstate and the New York Farm Bureau.

Cuomo to strapped towns, schools: Merge

The students at Jackson School took a trip to Candyland today, guided by teachers, staff and City Schools Superintendent Chris Dailey, who played King Candy in the play written by two Jackson teachers.

The play -- "Reading is a Sweet Treat" -- was all about the adventures of reading and honoring the students who did the best in reading recently.

Candy was distributed to teachers for the kids at the end of the play CORRECTION: The bags contained books.

The children seemed to have a blast throughout the whole performance.

The National Weather Service is warning of possible hazardous weather in Western New York over the next few days.

Snow is expected, followed quickly by rain with slick spots on untreated roads.

Winds are expected to gust at 40 to 45 mph through Tuesday.

There is rain, sleet and snow in the forecast through the week.

Stephanie A. Wixson, 26, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Wixson was arrested by State Police at the Walmart in Warsaw for allegedly stealing a woman's purse that had also been stuffed with other merchandise. The value of the items was $292.76.

Stephen W. Thweatt, 32, of Alexander, is charged with criminal mischief 2nd, a Class D felony, Thweat is accused of causing more than $2,000 of damage in October to the interior of a residence where he previously lived. Thweatt was arrested by State Police, Warsaw, with the assistance of the Genesee County Sheriff's Office. Thweatt was jailed in Wyoming County without bail.

Manuel L. Valdez, 35, of 2 Miller Ave., Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Valdez was taken into custody on an arrest warrant out of Batavia City Court.

Robert L. Stanley, 53, of Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Stanley is accused of pushing a juvenile to the ground and then kicking the juvenile Saturday on Ganson Avenue. Stanley was located by Batavia PD on Sunday and taken into custody.

Kasean L. Shannon, 20, of 115 Jackson St., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st. Shannon allegedly went to the residence of a protected party. Because of a prior criminal contempt conviction in the previous five years, the charge is elevated to a felony. Shannon was jailed without bail.

Russell Lowther III, 55, of 541 E. Main St., Batavia, is charged with menacing, 2nd, and criminal possession of a weapon, 4th. Lowther is accused of threatening another person with a knife.

Matthew James Cronin, 24, of Crushing Street, Fredonia, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, failure to keep right, driver's view obstructed and no or inadequate exhaust. Cronin was stopped at 12:14 a.m. on West Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Keith Andrew Hamilton, 46, of Scribner Road, Penfield, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to keep right. Hamilton was stopped at 2:46 a.m. Sunday on Richmond Avenue, Batavia, by Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello.

Joshua Paul Moore, 22, of Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Moore was a passenger in a vehicle stopped at 1:51 a.m. Sunday on Main Street, Batavia, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Moore was allegedly found to have a small quantity of marijuana concealed in his pants.

Jackson Ray Snow, 23, of Milestrip Road, Irving, was arrested on a bench warrant out of Pembroke Town Court. Snow was stopped for an alleged traffic infraction in Brant and turned over to the Sheriff's Office on an active warrant by Brant PD. Snow was jailed on $1,000 cash bail or $2,000 bond.

Latisha Renee Woods, 25, of Syke Road, Rochester, was arrested on a bench warrant for alleged unlicensed operation. Woods was stopped on I-490 in Rochester for allegedly using her mobile phone while driving and was turned over to the Sheriff's Office on a bench warrant out of Town of Elba Court. She was jailed on $800 bail.

Gerald Earl Hensel, 57, of S. Pearl St., Oakfield, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Hensel was arrested at 12:25 a.m., Friday, after a report of a sick or intoxicated driver heading into Batavia from Oakfield. Hensel was taken into custody at the Genesee County Jail, where he had reportedly gone to pick up an inmate scheduled for release.

Kristen Antwan Miller, 32, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with falsifying business records, 1st, and grand larceny, 4th. Miller allegedly stole money from Radio Shack in Batavia and falsified business records in an attempt to conceal the crime.

New York Times: Ruled a Threat to Family, but Allowed to Keep Guns

Team leaders step up in big games, and that's what Mel Taylor did Sunday to help the Fighting Irish secure a St. Patrick's Day victory in the Class D Girls State Championship game at Hudson Valley College in Troy.

"I figured Mel would come up big today," said Head Coach Dave Pero. "She struggled yesterday, and she’s the type that if she struggles once, she’s not going to struggle a second time."

Notre Dame beat Oriskany 52-40 to capture the team's second state championship (the first came in 1999). It was Pero's first state championship as head coach of the Lady Irish.

Taylor finished with 24 points and was named MVP, but it was her 12 points in the first half that put Notre Dame in a position to win.

"Mel is great ball handler," senior Riley Norton said. "She’s very smart. She sets up our offense. Without her, we know we wouldn’t have gone anywhere. It was a team effort, but Mel played amazing tonight. It was a great night (of) play, amazing."

As usual, the Fighting Irish defense made it very hard for an opponent to take many shots and then keep them off balance when they do, but like the semifinal game against Fort Edward, the Lady Irish couldn't get many of their own shots to drop, except for Taylor.

On Taylor's back, Notre Dame carried an 18-18 tie into the half.

"In the locker room we all said, 'just keep shooting' " Norton said. "Miss as many as you want because it’s going to happen. It’s always going to happen. If you get down on yourself then obviously you're not going to score."

Norton, who finished with 14 points, only hit three of her 10 three-point tries on the game, but two of those came early in the third quarter to help spark a rally that put Oriskany in a deep hole.

The Irish outscored Oriskany 22-10 in the quarter.

"We tried to wear them down with our press and they finally collapsed for about two minutes, and that’s all it takes in a game like this," Pero said.

For several of the girls, this is their second state championship in 12 months. Some of the team played on the 2012 softball team.

For Laurie Call, this was her third state championship. She also has a patch on her jacket for cross-country.

"It feels pretty great, but I just take it one thing at a time," said the junior from Oakfield. "I'm just so blessed and honored to be doing this."

While Call is credited with three points total for the game, she is many ways the spark plug of the team. Her main contribution -- defensive play that makes it hard for opponents to organize their offenses -- isn't something that gets measured on stat sheets.

Call is an aggressive, in-your-face defender. That aggression got her into foul trouble against Mt. Morris in the Section V Class D consolidation game, but she learned her lesson.

"I kept saying today – no steals, just pressure," Call said. "I just kind of kept that in my head the whole day."

Notre Dame's playbooks are written around defense -- keep the other team close, because eventually, you will start scoring.

"You can't turn them (shots) down," Pero said. "Maddie Mancuso, who’s coming off the bench, she shot five threes in the first half. They’re all great looks. They went in and out. I told her at half-time, you keep getting them, you keep shooting them. One drops, that’s three points. That’s our motto, we’ve got to keep shooting the basketball."

Shea Norton also contributed to the defensive effort with nine rebounds. She also added six points.

Oriskany's leading scorer, Christina Graziadei, was held  to four points. Only one Redskin managed double-digit scoring, and that was sophomore guard Madison Zizzi, who had 11.

Ever since the Section V playoff win against Elba, the Lady Irish have been playing with more and more confidence each game.

Going into that big match with their chief rival, the Lady Lancers were defending state champions and had beaten Notre Dame five straight games, including the first two regular season games this year.

"Beating Elba just showed us we can do anything," Norton said. "We knew in our hearts we could beat them, but they came back and beat us the two times during the season. After we beat them, it was just 'thank the Lord,' and we were ready to go. We were ready to come here."

There's no doubt the Elba game helped propel the Irish forward, Pero said, but the whole season has been full of games that helped prepare his team for state-level competition.

"Our schedule really played a part of this post season," Pero said. "Not only playing Elba three times, and Romulus, but Plattsburgh was a great team in our first opening round game. They’re going to be a team to beat down the road. Then playing Batavia at the college in the Rotary Tournament, all of those things are a plus for us. We use those every game to talk about who we have to play and what we have to do. We look back at those and compare them to what we have here, it really forces the girls to focus on what they have to do to win."

When it came to crunch time Sunday afternoon, Taylor said she was so focused she didn't even realize her team had built a commanding 10-point lead. 

Before that run, she said, she gave her teammates a pep talk.

"I didn’t want another Mt. Morris," Taylor said. "I didn’t want us to go down and lose confidence. I told everyone pull it together. It’s zero zero. That shot you missed never happened. We have short memories as athletes. We need to get over it so we can keep shooting and eventually they’ll go in."

The girls all said it felt like a dream once they realized victory was in their grasp. Norton said she wasn't counting on a win until the final 16 seconds, with a 12-point lead, but even then, she still couldn't believe it.

"I was sitting on the bench and I looked at everybody and I’m like ‘we just won?’   This feeling, I can’t describe it. I’m overjoyed. It’s just an amazing feeling."

Top photo: Taylor, Riley Norton, Shea Norton and Laurie Call celebrate as time expires.

Taylor in for a lay-up in the first quarter.

Driving up the lane, Taylor passes during third-quarter action.

Riley Norton and Mel Taylor wait for Shea Norton to take her second free throw during the closing minute of the game.

Pandemonium reigned for several minutes after time expired on the championship game.

When the team returned to Batavia, the caravan of players, fans and parents were given a police and fire escort down Main Street.

Following the return home, a victory party at T.F. Brown's.

Two slide shows below. One from inside the arena, the other, post-game celebrations. NYSPHSAA rules prohibit any media outlet that received credentials from posting photos for sale, so I can't sell the photos in the first slide show. You can purchase prints from the second slide show. To do that, click here.

Spring Story Times at the Richmond Memorial Library start Tuesday March 19th and run until May 23rd.

• Tuesday Toddler Time: Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. (walkers – 3 years)
• Early Toddler Time: Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. (walkers – 3 years)
• Wednesday Toddler Time: Wednesdays 10:30 a.m. (walkers -- 3 years)
• Preschool Story Time: Thursdays at 10 a.m. (ages 3-5 years)
• PJ Story Time: Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. (all ages)

To register or for more information call the Library  343-9550, ext. 4, or stop in at the Children's Room desk during Library hours: Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Parents may also register online: www.batavialibrary.org

Register early, as group size is limited. Spring registration is not required for those already registered for the Winter Story Time Session.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at routes 19 and 5. Le Roy fire and ambulance are dispatched.

UPDATE 3:07 p.m.: Only one person is injured, and complains of head pain. Caledonia's ambulance is called in because Le Roy is out on another call.

UPDATE 3:30 p.m.: The patient is with Caledonia medics. Not sure if the person will be transported. The roads are open and traffic has cleared. Le Roy ambulance is back in service.

This was just sent in by a reader:

"We have lost a smooth coat Chihuahua. She got loose late Sunday (this) morning. The dog was last seen around the corner of Main and River. If you see her please call Wendy at 585-409-4617."

Thank you so much,

Wendy

UPDATE 3:25 p.m.: A lost dog was found in Valu Plaza and is at the Mexican food store. Not sure if it's the chihuahua or not, but an officer is called to the location.

UPDATE: The tiny canine is still missing. Wendy posted this in comments yesterday afternoon:

"It was not the dog. We are still looking for her. If you see her, she probably won't come to you. Please call with any sightings. Owner's number is 993-1050. She is about 5 lbs, reddish tan with white around her neck."