There is a winter weather advisory in effect until 1 a.m. and weather radar indicates a winter storm is going to continue to pass right over Genesee Count for a while yet.

Lake effect snow of 1 to 3 inches is expected.

I just drove from Bergen to Batavia on Route 33, rarely going faster than 15 mph, often in zero-visibility circumstances. Roads are covered in snow and snow drifts are developing on some roadways.

There have been a number of minor accidents reported this evening.

Press release:

Due to inclement weather, all classes today -- Wednesday, Feb. 13 -- are cancelled at Blue Pearl Yoga. 

Classes will resume and the studio will reopen on Thursday, Feb. 14.

A two-vehicle collision with injuries is reported on Read Road in Pembroke, north of Genesee Street. East Pembroke Fire Department is responding along with Mercy medics.

There are two huge bay garages with oversized overhead doors, one heated. Separate storage or equipment rooms if needed. Upstairs features large, nicely finished, 3 rooms and small kitchenette – could be extra office space or living quarters!

This place will surprise you with how nicely done with endless possibilities! Easy to see! Call Lynn Bezon today 585-344-HOME.

The Elba Central School Drama Club presents Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" this week with performances on Friday and Saturday.

Performers, in a cast of 45 people, include Lindsay Augello as Belle, Garrett Sinemus as Beast and Young Prince, Devyn Reigle as Gaston, Carolyn Sybertz as Lumiere, Herman Sinemus as Cogsworth, Lucy LoBello as Mrs. Potts, and Elliott Walsh as Chip. Steve Hawley is the narrator.

Performances are in the Elba Central School Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Friday, and Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m. The school is located at 57 S. Main St., Elba.

Presale tickets are $6 for students and seniors and $8 for adults, available at Roxy's Music Store and the ECSD Office.

All tickets are $10 at the door.

Press release:

Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced they will be putting on their very own Woodstock Tribute with “BATAVIASTOCK,” taking place on Saturday, July 20th. The show will consist of five tribute bands of artists who played at the original Woodstock Festival and will be headlined by Melanie, who actually performed at Woodstock in 1969.

Other performers include: Green River Revival – A Creedence Clearwater Revival Tribute, Abraxas – a Santana and Sly & the Family Stone Tribute, The Who Show – a Who Tribute, and Piece of My Heart – a Janis Joplin Tribute.

Concert Headliner Melanie hails from Queens and was one of only three women who performed solo at Woodstock in the summer of '69, playing on the first day of the festival. Known for her hits "Brand New Key," "Ruby Tuesday," "What Have They Done to My Song Ma," and "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," she continues to perform across the country. She will be joined by her daughter, Layla.

Tickets will be available at www.BataviaConcerts.com beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14th. Individual pre-ale tickets will be $10 for General Admission while VIP tickets will again be just $15. Concertgoers will be able to purchase tickets in the Premium Section directly in front of the stage for $20. Tickets can also be purchased at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel at the Lucky Treasures Gift Shop located in the lobby.

“With the original Woodstock festival celebrating its 50th anniversary, we were inspired to put on an event that showcases tribute acts from that iconic concert,” said Henry Wojtaszek, CEO/president of Batavia Downs Gaming. “We are so pleased to welcome Melanie, who performed at the original Woodstock, to our stage as well.”

Hotel room/ticket packages will be available. Purchase of a hotel room on the night of a concert using the code BS720 includes two VIP tickets to the show while supplies last. Each concert ticket is also redeemable once at Player’s Club in the three days following the concert for $10 Free Play to be used on one of Batavia Downs Gaming’s 800+ gaming machines. The concert is held Rain or Shine. Additional information may be found at www.BataviaConcerts.com under the BataviaStock event.

Longtime rival Notre Dame stopped Elba's effort to finish the regular season undefeated Tuesday night, beating the Lancers on their home court, 59-47.

Elba is now 18-1 and the Lady Irish are 18-2. Both teams have 13 league wins and so finish the regular season tied atop the Genesee Region.

Entering Class D2 sectional play, Elba should be the #1 seed as it shoots for its third consecutive sectional title.

Notre Dame is ranked #6 in Class B1. Batavia High School is ranked #1 entering into sectionals.

For the Irish, Callie McCulley scored 23 points and had 13 rebounds. Stevie Wilcox scored 12 points and had seven rebounds. Morgan Rhodes scored 10 points and Amelia McCulley scored eight.

UPDATE: Stats for Elba: Taylor Augello, 19 points and eight rebounds. Maddie Muelhig, 13 points, and Leah Bezon, seven points and seven rebounds.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at North Byron Road and Transit Road, Elba.

Elba fire and Mercy EMS dispatched. Byron's ambulance also requested to the scene.

Press release:

Ricky Palermo’s tireless efforts to raise money for spinal cord research will be recognized when he receives the prestigious Major Donald Holleder Award at the 70th annual Rochester Press-Radio Club Day of Champions Children’s Charities Dinner, Wednesday, April 3, at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center.

The award is named after Holleder, a former Aquinas Institute and U.S. Military Academy football star who was killed in a Vietnam War battle while attempting to rescue several wounded members of his battalion. It is presented annually to an individual who exhibits the character, courage and achievement displayed by Holleder.

Palermo, a former three-sport most valuable player at Byron-Bergen High School, was paralyzed in an automobile accident in 1981. Since 1997, he and his foundation have held an annual golf tournament and auction that has raised more than $1.4 million. The funds have been contributed to The Miami Project, a pioneering spinal injury research organization, as well as to local organizations, such the Batavia YMCA bike program for people with neurological challenges.

Palermo will be honored at the dinner, which features 2018 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs as the Coca-Cola Sports Personality of the Year and other award winners.

Tickets for the dinner are $135, with a table of 10 available for a discounted price of $1,250.  To reserve tickets or packages, call 585-340-1460. Credit cards or money orders are accepted as payment. 

The club gratefully acknowledges its corporate sponsors: Coca-Cola of Northern New England, ConServe, the Democrat and Chronicle, ESL Federal Credit Union, the Rochester Red Wings, and the Rochester NY Sports Commission.  

Photo: File photo, Ricky Palermo with his cousin John Curtiss.

A hazardous weather outlook is in effect for Genesee County tonight and a wind advisory is in effect from 1 a.m. through 10 p.m. on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service says winds will be from the west at 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 57 mph, making driving difficult and possibly resulting in minor property damage. Homeowners should secure personal property.

Mixed precipitation is forecast with additional snow and sleet accumulations of an inch or less. Expect snow and/or ice covered, slippery roads and reduced visibility.

In response to a request for information on the lack of a snow fence and plow times on Route 98 the day of a double fatal accident in Elba, the state Department of Transportation issued a statement today that didn't address either issue.

A spokesman did not respond, after several hours, to The Batavian's request for information on those specific issues.

Here's the DOT's official statement about the crash Feb. 2 that took the lives of mother and son, Teresa M. Norton, 53, and Thomas M. Norton, 22, both of Albion:

This was a tragic incident. DOT’s primary focus is highway safety, which includes snow and ice preparation and response. We maintain thousands of miles on highways statewide and follow snow and ice guidelines to address severe winter weather in Upstate New York. DOT’s maintenance crews were working diligently throughout that weekend in Genesee County, engaged in snow and ice operations on state highways.

The accident occurred within days of significant snowfall when the wind was blowing at about 30 mph through the county. There were significant snow drives across patches of Route 98 that afternoon, including one where Teresa Norton's 2008 Suzuki slide sideways through heavy snow and was hit broadside by a pickup truck.  

Both mother and son were pronounced dead at the scene.

Scott J. Hinze, 52, a registered sex offender who lives on West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with failure to report a change of address within 10 days -- a felony, and falsifying business records in the first degree, also a felony. On Feb. 11 at about 11:20 p.m. Hinze was arrested after an investigation. He allegedly failed to register his address change as a sex offender within 10 days to the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Sex Offender Registry. Hinze also allegedly falsified a sex offender address change document at the Genesee County Jail in the City of Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court and is due there March 4. On the charge of falsifying a business record document at the jail, he was issued an appearance ticket for March 5 in Batavia City Court. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Erik B. Andre.

Aaron L. Heale, 37, of 25 N. Lake Ave., Bergen, was arrested on Feb. 11 by the Le Roy Police Department and charged with one count of criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge comes after a complaint on Feb. 5 from a local car wash that Heale was allegedly slumped over at the wheel of his car in the wash bay. When the Le Roy police found Heale, who is on parole, he was allegedly slumped over at the wheel and awoken by the officers. During the investigation it was alleged that Heale unlawfully possessed the hypodermic syringe inside the vehicle. Heale, who is currently in Genesee County Jail on an alleged parole violation, was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Le Roy Town Court on March 14.

Jeffery J. Williams, 25, of 25 Ravine Ave., Rochester, was arrested on Feb. 10 by the Le Roy Police Department and charged with two counts of petit larceny and three counts of attempted petit larceny. The charges are based from an investigation which started on Nov. 11 when it was reported that numerous vehicles in the Bacon/Pleasant Street area were entered and items allegedly stolen. During the investigation, it was determined that Williams was visiting a person in Le Roy when he allegedly entered at least five different vehicles during the early morning hours, stealing items from two of the vehicles and ransacking three others looking for items to steal. Williams was issued an appearance ticket to be in Le Roy Town Court on March 5.

Pictured above is "Root Man," a painting by David F. Burke of Bergen.

Bergen artist David F. Burke and fellow artist Daniel Hogan, a friend he met at Genesee Community College in 1975, will both have their paintings on display at The Little Theatre Cafe in Rochester from Feb. 23 through March 23.

The exhibit is titled "Looking at Nature Through Imagery and Abstraction."

An opening reception will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24. The cafe is inside Little Theatre 2 & 3 back complex on Winthrop Street and there's additional parking just past Hart's Grocery.

Below is an untitled painting by the artist Daniel Hogan.

Press release:

Tops Family Markets and Dole Packaged Foods LLC are excited to launch the third annual Learning Garden contest granting two elementary schools in either Upstate New York, Vermont or Northern Pennsylvania a Captain Planet Foundation Learning Garden. The contest will begin Sunday, Feb. 17 and will run until Saturday, March 16.

Tops shoppers can enter their school for a chance to win by visiting topsmarkets.comor https://captainplanetfoundation.org/contest/topsmarkets/and filling out the contest application. Two lucky schools will win a comprehensive Learning Garden complete with lesson kits filled with supplies, a schoolyard garden, fully equipped garden cooking cart, and strategies for summer garden maintenance.

The Learning Garden program provides a context for multidisciplinary learning, ranging from Nutrition and Science to Social Studies, Math, and Language Arts. Students benefit by expanding their palates, taste-testing healthy foods, and learning about food origins.

“Dole is very excited to be partnering with Tops Friendly Markets again to bring two lucky schools Learning Gardens. It is so important for children to learn about where their food comes from and develop healthy eating habits at an early age,” said Larry White, vice president -- Sales, Dole Packaged Foods. 

“So many subjects can be taught in the garden and hands-on garden learning is an excellent way to support student understanding of natural systems, food origins, and healthy eating,” said Leesa Carter, president & CEO of Captain Planet Foundation.

“Captain Planet Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that kids are armed with an understanding of the natural world in which they live, and we are thrilled to be partnering again with Tops and Dole Packaged Foods to provide two lucky schools in with Project Learning Garden.”

“Tops Friendly Markets is excited to partner with Dole and the Captain Planet Foundation for a third year. We are committed to supporting educational excellence and the hands-on garden and curriculum is an integral part of the conversation when teaching kids learn where their food comes from,” says Diane Colgan, senior VP of Marketing & Decision Support, Tops Friendly Markets. “We encourage every elementary school to consider entering for their chance at winning this great free resource.”

About Dole Packaged Foods

Dole Packaged Foods LLC, a subsidiary of Dole International Holdings, is a leader in growing, sourcing, distributing and marketing fruit, vegetables and healthy snacks throughout the world. Dole markets a full line of innovative packaged, frozen and dried fruit. The company focuses on four pillars of sustainability in all its operations: water management, carbon footprint, soil conservation and packaging. For more information, please visit dolesunshine.comor doleintlcsr.com.

About Tops Friendly Markets

Tops Markets LLC is headquartered in Williamsville and operates 159 full-service supermarkets with five additional by franchisees under the Tops banner. Tops employs over 14,000 associates and is a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont. For more information about Tops Markets, visit the company's website at www.topsmarkets.com.

About Captain Planet Foundation (CPF)

Based on the critically-acclaimed animated series "Captain Planet and the Planeteers," CPF was cofounded in 1991 by media mogul Ted Turner and producer Barbara Pyle. Since then, the Captain Planet Foundation has played a critical role in helping to ensure that the next generation of business leaders and policy makers are environmentally literate citizens who leverage technology and information to manage and protect the air, land, and water upon which all life depends. 

CPF is a grant-making foundation that has funded over 2,000 hands-on environmental education projects withschools and nonprofits that serve children in all 50 U.S. states and in 25 countries internationally. More than 1.4 million children have directly participated in and benefited from these educational projects. In addition to its Small Grants Program, the Captain Planet Foundation also operates the following programs: Project Learning Garden, Project Hero, Youth Voice, and the Institute. For more information:www.captainplanetfoundation.org.