Nearly 100 people showed up at Veazey Hill on Lockport Road in Oakfield today for Genesee County's inaugural "Snowbox Derby."

The rules are pretty simply -- you build a cardboard sled (you can use only cardboard, glue and duct tape -- and then ride it down the snow-covered hill.

Prizes were given out for fastest and most creative. 

There were dozens of entrants.

Some cardboard sleds were fast and quickly made it to the bottom of the 150-yard-long hill. Others barely made it past the starting line.

The event was organized by Sarah and Kevin Veazey.

To purchase pictures from today, click here.

More pictures after the jump:

More than 200 concerned residents -- not all from Alabama -- turned out Thursday night for a more than two-hour presentation on a proposed high-tech manufacturing park.

The park, known as WNY STAMP (WNY Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park) may be the Genesee County Economic Development Center's most ambitious project yet.

And while the handful of residents who spoke may have asked skeptical and probing questions, nobody at this meeting really spoke out against the proposal.

The 15-year-build-out plan calls for the creating of more than 9,000 new, permanent jobs in 6.1 million square feet of manufacturing space. There will also be 180,000 square feet of retail space and a new town hall and museum in the southeast corner.

GCEDC officials pitched the project as one that would create good-paying, 21st Century jobs (average annual wage, $58,000), reduce the brain-drain of youths leaving WNY, provide new revenue for community services, enhance the local infrastructure and potentially reduce property taxes.

Of course, these jobs and all of this new revenue in the community is only created if businesses decide to build new high-tech manufacturing plants -- such as flat screen monitors, computer chips and solar cells -- in STAMP.

Some residents wanted to know why GCEDC thinks -- especially with the seemingly slow adoption of Buffalo East by new companies coming to town -- that any manufacturers will set up shop in STAMP.

Mark Masse, project manager for GCEDC, explained that in the past couple of years, GCEDC has fielded a few inquiries about appropriate locations from the types of businesses that use STAMP, but because STAMP hadn't even completed the earliest of approval processes yet, the companies had to look else where.

"What they're interested in is 'speed to market,'"said Roger Pearson, lead consultant on the project.

He said they need to know that they can get their new plant open in 12 to 18 months, and right now, if a business committed to the park, it would take much longer than that before they could open.

That speed to market was a concern of John Hatch, too. He's a UB student from Amherst and he wants to work in the kinds of industries STAMP will hopefully attract.

"I'd like to see this happen so I can stay in the area," he said.

Macomber Road resident Mark Williams wanted to know if GCEDC had a guarantee from the New York Power Authority for the cheap hydro power these companies will want for their operations.

Masse said, "There's no guarantees in life. ...But, "if we had a significant client come in, the New York Power Authority is will to work with us to ensure power."

Others wanted to know who was going to pay for the infrastructure development that needs to take place to attract these businesses.

Pearson explained that a project like this is really "shovel ready lite." The goal is to get all of the permits and environmental review processes completed, decreasing the amount of time it takes to build a new manufacturing facility. Much of the infrastructure, he said, wouldn't be built until it was needed and those costs would be covered by developers.

Pearson warned that the project plan presented Thursday is still evolving and some aspects may change as it goes through the planning and permitting process, and some of the changes will be based on feedback from the community.

A draft environmental review is expected to be completed by the end of March, with the final review completed by the middle of July.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries has been reported on Route 63 between Clapsaddle and Bethany Center roads.

Bethany Fire Department is responding.

There are two cars involved in an accident on Route 20, Alexander, near Silver Road. At least one of them struck a cow.

Both drivers are complaining of back pain.

Alexander Fire and Mercy EMS are responding.

An off-duty trooper is on scene and reports several cows in the roadways, most of them on Silver Road. The owner of the herd is responding to the scene.

UPDATE 6:56 p.m.: There's a second, non-injury accident in front of Alexander's rec hall.

UPDATE 7:21 p.m: The cows are back in the barn and the roads are clear.

A two-car, minor injury accident is reported at Lake Street near West Bergen Road.

Le Roy Fire Police requested to the scene to shut down traffic on Route 19.

Le Roy Ambulance responding.

A slew of vehicle accidents are reported back-to-back on Route 77, south of Indian Falls Road.

"I've got cars blowing through here, going into the ditches in front of me," says a frustrated fire chief.

There are numerous injuries. Multiple ambulances are called.

"We've got a mess here Batavia," says a responder.

Corfu Fire Department is called to shut down the Thruway interchange with Route 77. Alabama Fire Department is shutting down Akron Road at Route 77. Pembroke Fire Department and Mercy medics are also responding.

The initial call was for a one-car rollover accident with minor injuries at 8155 Alleghany Road. The vehicle was on fire but that was quicky doused. The driver was said to have a minor injury.

Then, as if instantly, the pile-ups started.

"Like my brother says 'Welcome to the money store! Come on in and take what you want!'" says a responder.

State Troopers are on scene.

UPDATE 3:45 p.m.: Two victims have neck injuries and a total of five people need to be transported. A fourth ambulance out of Akron is called. A separate accident scene, involving one vehicle, is called further south on Route 77 over the Thruway overpass. Five tow trucks are called to Route 77.

UPDATE 4:14 p.m.: Patients being transported out, tow trucks coming into the scene.

UPDATE 4:25 p.m.: Corfu back in service.

UPDATE 4:58 p.m.: Pembroke and Indian Falls clearing. There is a report of another car off the road about a mile north of the scene.

A one-car rollover accident with four victims is reported at Route 19 and Court Road in the Town of Covington. Pavilion Fire Department, Le Roy Ambulance and Mercy EMS are responding.

The accident occurred "at the curve" there. Pavilion-Warsaw and Court roads are being shut down to traffic.

One of the victims has back pain.

More cars have crashed at the same location as an earlier incident in Basom. It's in front of the Alabama Tee Off driving range, 6655 Alleghany Road.

Callers are not sure if this is a four-car accident or two accidents each involving two cars. Injuries appear to be minor. One person is said to have back pain.

Alabama Fire Department and Fire Police are called along with Mercy medics.

Traffic is being shut down at Judge Road and Route 77 and Ham Road and Route 77.

UPDATE 2:47 p.m.: The roads are reopened. The scene is clear. Alabama units are back in service.

A car is reportedly on fire at 6744 Mud City Road in Byron. It was inside a detached garage, but was moved outside, apparently before igniting the building.

Fire crews from Byron, South Byron are called in. Town of Batavia's Fast Team was cancelled.

The location is between Mill Pond and Cole roads.

A head-on motor vehicle-accident is reported at 6655 Alleghany Road in Basom. It involves two or three vehicles. There are minor injuries. Victims are walking around. One of the cars rolled over.

Alabama Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding. It's in front of the Alabama Tee Off driving range.

UPDATE 12:47 p.m.: Fire police are shutting down traffic at Judge Road. They are also at Lewiston and Alleghany stopping southbound traffic on Alleghany, which is blocked. There are three victims, one of whom needs extrication.

UPDATE 12:50 p.m.: One person has suffered serious arm lacerations.

UPDATE 12:58 p.m.: A third ambulance is requested from Oakfield.

UPDATE 1:01 p.m.: The Oakfield assignment is cancelled.

UPDATE 1:08 p.m.: All traffic is shut down on Alleghany Road, between Judge and Ham roads. Two victims are being transported to Medina Hospital.

UPDATE 1:28 p.m.: The third victim was extricated and is en route to ECMC.

UPDATE 1:45 p.m.: All Alabama fire units back in service.

A snowplow has accidently struck a natural gas pipeline meter behind the Kmart store at 8363 Lewiston Road. It's leaking fuel.

The Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding and will access the scene through the Batavia Downs' parking lot at the rear of the property.

Kmart and Batavia Downs' management have been notified and so has National Fuel Co., which is sending in a crew but no ETA is given.

Winds are reportedly 5 mph from the southwest.

UPDATE 11:39 p.m.: A City of Batavia fire engine is called to respond as mutual aid.

UPDATE 11:49 a.m.: A responder reports that the natural gas leak has been stopped. Crews are asked to check the store's warehouse again to ensure no natural gas fumes are inside.

A winter storm front moved through Genesee County this morning dropping two or three inches of snow.  

The forecast for the rest of the day is a bit of wind and maybe a little light snow. 

All four occupants are safely out of a car that rolled over in the area of 6937 Ellicott Street Road, East Bethany.

Three occupants are walking around and one is waiting in a car with possible glass in his or her eye.

Pavilion Fire and Mercy EMS is responding.

If all goes well, Genesee County could become a foreign-trade zone by year’s end.

That would be a boon for some local companies, including those looking to grow their business in international markets because it evens the playing field with foreign competitors, according to proponents.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center Board has approved a request to take the initial steps to establish a foreign-trade zone (FTZ) here.

Although this has been in the works for some time, new federal rules have made it easier to move forward, according to Chris Suozzi, vice president of business development at GCEDC.

The application process takes about eight months and it’s quite extensive. Applicants are screened by the Foreign Trade Zones Board of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

"The whole county can be deemed a foreign-trade zone, instead of targeted areas of the past,” he said. “We would act as a public utility. There are fees associated with this for filings, attorney fees, application fees, etc. Those numbers aren't known yet. That will be part of the application process.

"Each (business) applicant has to be able to recoup those costs – realize at least $10,000 in savings – to justify participation.”

A business would have to do its own due diligence to determine if the math works in its favor, Suozzi said.

There are several economic advantages of a FTZ, including reduced customs, deferral or avoidance of duties and federal excise taxes, tariff inversions, weekly customs entry and reduced value on scrap, waste and obsolete products.

Participants are able therefore to reduce the costs of doing business in the United States – distribution, manufacturing as well as non-manufacturing activities – thereby reducing the attraction or need to do business at a foreign site. Companies also have an opportunity to grow sales through increased exports.

The GCEDC maintains that not only will existing companies stand to benefit from a FTZ, but it will serve as an incentive to attract other companies. GCEDC officials are exploring the possibility of expanding the trade area to the entrie GLOW region, which includes also includes Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties.

"A lot of U.S. companies can grow their sales internationally, instead of maintaining the status quo, they can grow both by retention and the attraction of new businesses,” Suozzi said.

Liberty Pumps is an example of one local manufacturer that is keen on establishing a FTZ. Suozzi said he would like to meet with any business interested in learning more about foreign-trade zones.

"We’ll set up a meeting and walk you through it,” Suozzi said. He can be reached at (585) 343-4866, ext. 11, or e-mail to csuozzi@gcedc.com.

With mere days until Cupid shoots his arrow, it's only natural that love is in the air in even the most unlikely places -- including Harvester Avenue. "Love Lines," an original Batavia Players' production written and directed by Patrick Burk, will honor St. Valentine through a series of monologues about romantic correspondence before cell phones. 

Although love is a familiar theme for a show, the venue is anything but old.  "Love Lines" will mark the debut of the Batavia Players' new black box theater on Harvester Avenue.  Burk says that the actors have found the small, intimate setting to be very comfortable: 

"It's been wonderful. It's great having our own theater space, and having all of our costumes right here. People are getting very excited. It feels like home."

Rather than having a plot, the show is made up of monologues by 15 different characters. Most of the monologues -- with the exception of one, which is about love through modern technology -- consist of, you guessed it, love lines.

A few classic love songs are mixed in throughout the show, as well as ongoing piano accompaniment by Jeffrey Fischer (pictured above). The show doesn't need a plot to convey its message, which is that love can take on many different forms, and can affect everyone.

Burk gives the example of a friend's parents who shared their first names with Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Like the presidential couple, the other Ronald and Nancy had a relationship in which letters played a role.

"It shows the juxtaposition of how an unknown subway conductor and the most powerful man in the world can experience the same thing," he says.

Although all of the monologues are about love, not all of them center around traditional infatuation. The objects of affection featured range from Jane Austen to the aforementioned Reagans to the novel "Wuthering Heights."

A large part of the show is autobiographical: Burk's parents only met twice before marrying, resulting in over 150 love letters exchanged throughout their six-month engagement. These letters were the inspiration for the show, which Burk has been piecing together over the past several years. 

The actual rehearsals took no time, compared to the effort of putting the material together. The actors first saw their scripts less than three weeks ago. They rehearsed through a workshop-style format, a style that Burk says he would like to try again.

"It's been an interesting experience," he says. "I've enjoyed it immensely."

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11 and 12 at the Harvester 56 Theater on Harvester Avenue. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors, and can be purchased at the door or at www.showtix4u.com.

Holy Family School of Le Roy celebrated Catholic Schools Week with a trip to Mancuso Bowling Center this week, following a Mass at Notre Dame High School.

Here is some footage of the students getting their games on -- and thank you to Lorie Longhany, who teaches art at the school, for indirectly providing the title of part four:

Catholic Schools Week -- which has been observed annually for many years (at least since 1889 at Holy Family) -- was actually last week, but the bowling outing and the Mass at Notre Dame were rescheduled due to bad weather. Pictures of the Holy Family crew at Mancuso's will be posted soon, along with photos of St. Joe's kids celebrating at the YMCA.

The purpose of Catholic Schools Week, according to Holy Family Principal Kevin Robertson (affectionately known as "Mr. Rob" to the students), is to give kids and staff the chance to celebrate their Catholic identity "in a way they don't get to the rest of the school year."

Kids, teachers and parents in Catholic education celebrate this annual, weeklong tradition with fun events at the schools and out in the community.

"A lot of these activities are geared toward teamwork," Robertson said. "It gives the kids a chance to work together and just have fun."

This is the third year in a row Mancuso's has welcomed Holy Family students in for Catholic Schools Week, according to physical education teacher Amy Drakes.

Drakes was in charge of coordinating this event, which she sees as a valuable opportunity to mix the different grade levels so that they can work together. She feels it's a great way to showcase the tight-knit bond between students for the community.

"The great thing about our school is that everyone knows each other," Drakes said. "Having all the (elementary and middle school) grades together is nice, too. You see a different side of the seventh- and eighth-graders when they're working with the little kids."

"There's a great sense of family and community (in the Catholic school setting)," Robertson said. "The kids get a strong foundation for morals and values, and they're conscious of the need to treat others with respect, and to be fair and productive."

Though most Holy Family students are Catholic, the school welcomes and includes students who are not Catholic as well.

"We have non-Catholic students, and we include them in everything we do," Robertson said, "but we also respect their beliefs. They can participate in the activities we have outside of school if they choose to do so -- but if they choose not to, that's understandable."

Education at Holy Family, as at other Catholic schools, goes beyond the classroom. Recently, the kids worked on fundraising efforts for Catholic Appeal's Week (see Feb. 7 announcement). Robertson said they will continue to have many activities through Catholic Appeal's Week, which is April 10 through 17.

Visit the Holy Family School website for more information.

SUPPLEMENTAL VIDEO:

St. Joseph School students enjoy the "bouncy house" at the YMCA:

Rumors of Chris Lee flirting with women, and possibly more, have swirled around him since his 2008 campaign for Congress, the Buffalo News reports today.

Several people contacted the campaign of Lee's Democratic opponent in 2008, Alice J. Kryzan, to say they had firsthand knowledge of Lee cheating on, or attempting to cheat on, his wife, two sources with knowledge of the campaign said.

Kryzan decided against pursuing the accusations because she didn't want to run a dirty campaign, the sources said.

Lee's alleged behavior reportedly drew the attention of House Majority Leader John Boehner. According to various reports, including the Buffalo News, Lee was allegedly behaving inappropriately toward female lobbyists. Boehner reportedly told Lee, "knock it off."

Boehner has told reporters that Lee resigned on his own with no pressure from leadership.

Politico reports that Lee's sudden departure caught the GOP by surprise.

House Speaker John Boehner and other top Republicans were unaware of the brewing scandal before Gawker posted the story early Wednesday afternoon, meaning party leaders were caught flat-footed when the controversy broke.

“Lee’s people tried to handle it internally,” a senior Republican aide said of Lee and his staff, adding that such a move was “a big mistake.”

Meanwhile, Lee's former staff is now under the supervision of Clerk of the House of Representatives. All of Lee's offices are remaining open to handle constituent matters.

Reaction in Genesee County to Lee's resignation and allegations from the Internet news site Gawker.com -- that Lee sent a shirtless picture of himself to a woman he met through Craigslist -- has been one of shock and disbelief.

County Legislator Ray Cianfrini said Lee was a guy he had high hopes for.

"From everything I could gather he was a rising star," Cianfrini said.

"He was appointed to Ways and Means in his second term, so obviously, he had some respect (in Washington), so for him to self-destruct like this is a real disappointment."

Legislator Jay Grasso said, "We all worked really hard for him, so I'm disappointed."

Dean Norton, president of the Farm Bureau, said Lee's departure from the House is a potential set back for the agriculture interests in New York, both because of Lee's quick rise in power and his expressed interest in the ag business.

"We were looking forward to to having an ally on the Ways and Means Committee who would bring ag funding issues to the forefront," Norton said.

Batavia's Town Supervisor Greg Post had a little bit different take.

Post heard a talk-show host complaining about the fall of another leader and Post said, "He's not my leader. He's my representative."

"My comment would be that I'm not surprised by the higher percentage of failures in elected positions," Post said. "It's an accurate representation of what our nation has evolved to over the past 50 years. This isn't the same country I grew up in."

We also asked for a comment from Elba's Bill Kauffman, writer and iconoclastic historian, author of nine books, including "Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette," and  a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal. Here's Kauffman's response:

"For 20 years, Genesee County was represented in Congress by Barber B. Conable, a thoughtful, rooted, humane man who was exactly what the Founding Fathers had in mind. The series of Erie County hacks who have succeeded him -- Bill Paxon, Tom Reynolds, and now the Shirtless Wonder -- have been disgraces.

"I'd love to see a decent, honorable insurgent Republican from one of the rural counties take on whichever humdrum timeserver the GOP bosses choose. And I hope the Democrats run a vigorous populist instead of a suburban liberal who gets the shakes when he/she crosses the Pembroke town line."

Tomubari Godswill Gbaraba, 18, of 262 14th St., Buffalo, is charged with rape in the first degree. Gbaraba is accused of having forced sexual intercourse with an 18-year-old victim at College Village. Gbaraba was jailed on $50,000 bail.

Christine A. Woika, 37, of 82 Gilbert St., Le Roy, is charged with reckless endangerment of property and endangering the welfare of a child. Woika is accused of placing a jacket and other clothing in an oven in an apartment and leaving the oven on. The clothes started to burn and if they had caught fire, the fire could have spread causing at least more than $250 in damage. Woika is also accused of allowing herself to become incoherent to the point that she had to be transported to a hospital while she was caring for a 2-year-old child.

John Weston Boddy, 19, of Junction Road, Pavilion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Boddy is accused of possessing marijuana while on Pavilion Central School property. He was issued an appearance ticket by Deputy Brian Thompson.

A 17-year-old, of Roanoke Road, Pavilion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth is accused of possessing marijuana while on Pavilion Central School property. He was issued an appearance ticket by Deputy Brian Thompson.

Gary Frank Caccamise, 64, of Attica, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle. Caccamise was reportedly spotted by Deputy Brian Thompson allegedly drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle. Upon further investigation, Thompson allegedly found Caccamise in possession of marijuana.

Gerald George Ryder, 50, of Bloomingdale Road, Alabama, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th, and harassment, 2nd. Ryder is accused of punching a woman in the head and then smashing her wooden bookcase during an incident at 2:30 a.m., Saturday.

 A 37-year-old Bergen man was reportedly killed Thursday night in a snowmobile and car accident in Riga, Monroe County, according to WHEC.

The accident occurred around 10 p.m. on the Buffalo Road bridge over the CSX tracks when a westbound car, for an unknown reason, crossed the center line and hit the group of three of snowmobile riders head on.

The name of the deceased and the two riders with him have not been released. One other rider was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital and the third was not injured.

UPDATE: The deceased has been identified by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office as Thomas Bushman, 37. The second snowmobile driver, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, is Craig Heberle, 19. The uninjured rider is John Heberle, 37.