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

A rollover car accident is reported on R. Stephen Hawley Drive near Batavia Stafford Town Line Road. The car rolled over several times, according to a witness at the scene. There is entrapment. Mercy Flight out of Buffalo is airborne. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy Medics are responding. It is not blocking traffic.

UPDATE 1:36 p.m.: The vehicle is a full-size Chevy van. It's on its side. They are going to take out the windshield to rescue the patient. The van is leaking fuel. Mercy Flight has a 10-minute ETA, and the landing zone will be just east of the campus on a grassy hill.

UPDATE 1:45 p.m.: The patient is a male, approximately 50 years old. He lost consciousness but is now conscious. He's complaining of back and arm pain. He will be transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.

UPDATE 1:47 p.m.: The patient has been extricated.

UPDATE 1:50 p.m.: Mercy Flight has landed.

UPDATE 1:54 p.m.: A flatbed tow truck is requested. The van came to rest 30 feet off the roadway on the driver's side.

UPDATE 2:01 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne but the destination has been changed to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo.

UPDATE 2:06 p.m.: Town of Batavia fire is back in service.

UPDATE: We'll have more pictures from the scene with our follow-up story, pending release of accident report from the Sheriff's Office.

Accused bank robber Jonathan A. Mills has officially been named a suspect in the April 6 Pavilion Five Star Bank robbery.

The Genesee County Sheriff's Office requested and has been granted an arrest warrant by Town of Pavilion Justice Philip Werner for Mills, who is currently being held in the Columbia County Jail in Hudson.

Mills, with a listed address of 115 Maryland Ave., Rochester, is a possible suspect, along with possible accomplices, in other bank robberies around the state.

The Genesee County warrant accuses Mills of robbery, 3rd, a Class D felony, and grand larceny, 4th.

Authorities believe Mills is the man who stepped into the Pavilion bank about 3:30 p.m., April 6, and presented the teller a note, claiming he had a gun, and demanding money.

Investigators have not said how much money the robber received from the teller.

The suspect then ran from the bank and jumped into a car, according to witnesses, driven by another African-American male.

The second suspect has not been identified.

The operation matches a robbery in Greene County on Monday, which eventually led to the arrest of Mills.

A 24-year-old Batavia resident is accused of intentionally ramming a police car and then running from officers during an incident in the city overnight.

David L. Andrews, of 19 Holland Ave., Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 2nd, reckless endangerment, 2nd, resisting arrest, unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, 3rd, and 19 vehicle and traffic violations.

Andrews was reportedly wanted on an arrest warrant out of city court.

He is being held in the Genesee County Jail without bail.

The incident started at 12:28 a.m. when Officer Chris Camp attempted to initiate a traffic stop on Court Street.

Allegedly, Andrews did not stop his vehicle and Camp initiated a short pursuit down West Main Street.

At some point, Andrews allegedly hit a police vehicle and then fled on foot. The pursuit area included Holland Avenue, Montclair Avenue, Lacrosse Avenue, North Lyon Street and Allen Street.

Assisting Batavia PD were Sheriff's deputies and state troopers.

Assisting from Batavia PD were officers James DeFreze, Jason Ivison and Lt. G.Q. Steele.

A driver is accused of making an abrupt U-turn, leading to a minor-injury accident at 7:23 p.m., Wednesday, on Route 19 in Le Roy.

Injured was June S. Wood, 58, of Pavilion.

Wood was cited for allegedly making a turn without a signal.

The other driver, Jack E. Benson, also of Pavilion, was not injured.

Wood was reportedly southbound on Route 19 when she allegedly tried to make a U-turn without signaling. Benson reportedly tried to swerve into the northbound lane to avoid striking Wood's car, but a collision ensued.

Wood did not require transport to a hospital.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Matthew Fleming.

Robert Anthony Holley, 41, of Overlook Drive, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and harassment, 2nd. Holley is accused of grabbing his son, throwing him to the ground and kicking him during an argument. Holley is also accused of throwing his wife to the ground when she reportedly tried to stop him. Holley was jailed on $500 bail.

Uriah Ian Charles Smoke, 27, of Bloomingdale Road, Basom, is charged with reckless endangerment, 2nd, and criminal mischief, 4th. Smoke is accused of failing to appear in the Town of Alabama Court following his release from the Erie County Correctional Facility and was arrested on a warrant.

David Christopher Dodd, 23, of County Road 132, Ovid, is charged with two counts of aggravated DWI (child passengers under 16), operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs and failure to stop at a stop sign. Dodd was arrested following a report at 9:05 p.m., Wednesday, that a vehicle was operating erratically on Park Road. Dodd was stopped by Deputy James Diehl.

Staff and students of Genesee Community College were on R. Stephen Hawley Drive yesterday picking up roadside garbage. Within two hours, the group gathered more than 17 bags of garbage from along the shoulders of the roadway.

The project is part of the lead-up to Saturday's Cool Kids! ECO-Fest at GCC. On Saturday, you'll be able to come by the Batavia campus and drop off your old electronics for recycling and get the pressure on your tires checked.

Pictured, Kevin Manne, left, Donna Rae Sutherland, Keisha Magruder, Dayami Cruz, Lori Sutch, Michael Garrett and Stephen Morsch. Also participating but not pictured was Tom Klotzbach.

Besides her meeting with the Alabama Fire Department this afternoon, Rep. Kathy Hochul made five stops in Genesee County today.

One of her visits included a tour of Batavia with City Manager Jason Molino and other city officials. The tour ended with a visit to Batavia's landmark sewage treatment plant.

Hochul told city officials she was very impressed with the progress Batavia is making, from the Masse Gateway Project to downtown redevelopment.

"It's a city that's moving forward," she said.

Other stops by Hochul included making a donation of books from the Library of Congress to the Byron-Bergen Public Library, a tour of the trans-load warehouse on Mill Street and a talk with seniors at 400 Towers.

Below, a completely gratuitous picture of one of the treatment ponds, covered by clouds.

Two giant multinational companies received millions in taxpayer subsidies to launch "Project Wave" in Batavia on the promise of creating local jobs and stimulating the local economy, but so far, according to Dave Young, it's not happening.

Steve Hyde, CEO of the Genesee County Economic Development Center, disputed Young's claims saying that Wave Holding has made a committment to hire a majority of local construction workers and that as of last week, 50 percent of the contracts had been awarded with 80 percent going to local firms.

Young is a union man -- president of the Rochester Building and Construction Trades Council, as well as business manager of IBEW Local 86 -- and he will hold a press conference at 10 a.m., Friday, at the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park to try to draw attention to the number of out-of-state workers being employed by Wave Holding, LLC.

"There are a lot of construction workers in our area who are out of work," Young said. "This isn't a union or non-union issue. It's a community issue."

Young and Anna Dumont, executive director, Rochester Building and Construction Trades Council, released a pair of videos Dumont said were shot this morning at the job site of Project Wave showing numerous out-of-state license plates on what they say are the cars of construction workers employed by building contractor Haskell and its subcontractors.

We received no reply to an email this afternoon to PepsiCo asking for comment on the situation.

Pepsi along with Germany-based Theo Muller Group formed Wave Holding to introduce a new Greek-style yogurt product to the United States and are spending more than $206 million to build a 363,000-square-foot facility.

The plant will initially employ nearly 200 people and could eventually employ as many as 600 people.

Wave Holding received more than $11 million in tax abatements for the project and the GCEDC has been able to channel millions more into building the ag park and ensuring the park has sufficient infrastructure to support operations there.

Young suggested GCEDC should adopt rules similar to those he claims are already in place in Monroe County -- if you get tax breaks for your project, you need to hire local workers.

"That's true of all IDA subsidized projects in Monroe County," Young said. "Some go union and some go non-union, but either way people in our community get to go to work every day. They earn paychecks that support their families. This is truly a community issue."

Hyde, who answered a couple of questions even though he's out of town on vacation, said the GCEDC supports local labor.

"We have done everything we can to encourage local labor and are a huge fan and advocate of local labor," Hyde said. "We have done so with Wave many times."

Young claimed the unemployment rate among construction workers in Western New York is about double the rate of the rest of the work force.

The problem with out-of-state workers (and Young thinks some of the workers at the site aren't even U.S. residents) is that they send their wages back home rather than spend the money here.

Studies, he said, put the multiplier effect of locally based construction work at three to seven times the worker's wages.

"They're paying taxes, going to local stores, getting things fixed locally, sending their kids to local schools and colleges," Young said.

Young said he hopes public attention on the matter will get Haskell to hire more local workers.

Meanwhile, throughout the construction of the Alpina yogurt plant, the parking lot -- including today -- has been consistently filled with vehicles with New York license plates.

In separate press releases today, the Environmental Protection Agency and federal lawmakers moved to assure the public that every possible safety measure is being taken to deal with a toxic plume in Le Roy.

The EPA announced that ongoing testing has confirmed earlier results about the concentration levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) in ground water and the location of the plume. 

Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Kathy Hochul hailed the EPA for agreeing to further testing to see if the plume has moved into Livingston County.

It was created in a 1970 train derailment and came to renewed public light this winter when environmentalists with renowned environmental litigator Erin Brockovich visited Le Roy in response to local health concerns.

While even members of Brockovich's team ruled out a connection with the TCE plume and an outbreak of movement disorders among a few students at Le Roy High School, it appeared that the EPA had made no real progress at the Superfund clean-up site.

Both press releases are available after the jump (click on the headline to read more):

From the EPA:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made available today the results of ground water sampling taken in December 2011 at the Lehigh Valley Railroad Derailment Superfund site in Le Roy, New York. This sampling is part of an ongoing investigation of the nature and extent of the contamination from that site.

The results, currently available online, are consistent with previous results from quarterly sampling. These results continue to show that the heaviest contamination is in the western end of the plume area, the source area, with concentrations tailing off as the area moves to the east toward Spring Creek.

In previous work, the EPA installed granulated-activated carbon treatment systems on 35 private wells affected by the contamination. The EPA also sampled for contaminated vapors in nearby homes and installed vapor intrusion mitigation systems in eleven homes that needed them based on the testing. The mitigation systems have been effective in controlling the vapors.

This sampling data, along with previous data already publicly available, is being analyzed as part of an overall investigation that will allow the EPA to determine the extent and concentration of contamination and what actions may be needed to control or cleanup the contamination.

A report detailing all of the testing and summarizing all of the results is expected this summer. As part of the ongoing investigation, the EPA is working to develop plans to conduct further sampling to more specifically identify the eastern edge of the contamination to ensure that the contamination is not impacting areas east of Spring Creek.

“Protecting the health of people who live and work near the Lehigh Valley Superfund site is our highest priority,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA regional administrator. “We are working with local residents and business owners to ensure that the contamination is not entering their homes and businesses.

"The work at the Lehigh Valley site is being done under the Superfund law, which operates on the principle that polluters bear the full costs of hazardous waste cleanups, rather than passing the expenses to taxpayers."

Levels of trichloroethene (TCE) in the ground water range from 6,000 parts per billion in the immediate spill area on the western end of the plume to 14 parts per billion toward the eastern edge. The EPA continues its work to ensure that the vapors from this contamination are not seeping into homes or buildings, similar to the way that radon gas can, and causing vapors at unacceptable levels.

The Lehigh Valley Derailment Superfund site is the location of a Dec. 6, 1970 train derailment, where approximately one ton of cyanide crystals and approximately 30,000 to 35,000 gallons of TCE spilled on to the railroad right-of-way. The spilled TCE contaminated soil and the ground water beneath the site. The plume of contaminated ground water extends approximately four miles to the east and southeast of the site. Exposure to TCE can have serious health impacts, including liver damage and increased risk of cancer. The Lehigh Valley Railroad will pay the cost of the cleanup, not taxpayers.

For the ground water sampling results, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region2/superfund/npl/lehighvalley/relateddocs.htm.

For more information about the site, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region2/superfund/npl/lehighvalley/.

From the office of Kathy Hochul:

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Congresswoman Kathy Hochul (NY-26) today announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will conduct further testing to confirm that the eastern boundary of an underground TCE contaminated plume, caused by a Lehigh Valley Train derailment in 1970, does not extend beyond Spring Creek near Caledonia-Mumford Central School, located only a quarter of a mile east of Spring Creek on North Street.

“This testing should bring relief to Western New York homeowners who worried for decades about what this derailment might mean for the health and safety of their families,” Schumer said. "We’re pleased that the EPA is stepping up to the plate to get some answers once and for all, and will continue to do everything we can to ensure that the areas impacted by the Lehigh Valley spill are safe and secure.”

“For over 40 years, the residents of Livingston, Monroe and Genesee counties have worried about the effects of the train derailment at the Lehigh Valley site,” Congresswoman Hochul saod. “Senator Schumer and I hope that today’s announcement by the EPA to continue testing will bring reassurance to these communities that everything is being done on the federal level to ensure that the health and safety of Western New Yorkers is our top priority.

"And the release of the December 2011 report today will hopefully provide residents with the answers they need to know that this area is a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.”

After hearing from local officials in the Town of Caledonia in Livingston County, Hochul and Schumer urged the EPA to conduct additional soil gas sampling in Caledonia, east of Spring Creek. The sampling will help the EPA determine if the plume is spreading eastward beyond Spring Creek toward the Caledonia-Mumford Central School by assessing whether there is evidence of TCE vapors in the subsurface area over the underground water table. If TCE vapor is detected, the sampling results will then help the EPA determine where to place permanent underground monitoring wells. The EPA expects to begin the soil gas sampling within the next few months, and may begin as soon as May.

The EPA also announced today that in response to a letter from Congresswoman Hochul, Senator Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand earlier this year, they will publicly release the results of ground water sampling taken last December at the Lehigh Valley Railroad Derailment Superfund site in Le Roy, New York. A copy of the letter can be found here.

The Lehigh Valley Railroad Derailment federal Superfund site is the location of a train derailment in 1970 that spilled one ton of cyanide crystals and approximately 30,000 gallons of TCE along portions of Gulf Road, the former railroad bed, and the properties next to the railroad crossing in the Town of Le Roy. The TCE leached into the underground water table, creating an underground TCE contaminated plume that covers approximately 4.5 square miles. EPA ground water testing reveals the underground TCE plume extends approximately four miles to the east, toward the Town of Caledonia. The site was added to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1999.

By all accounts, when Don Sage climbed aboard an Alabama Fire Department engine a couple of weeks ago, he was all smiles, like a kid getting to blare the siren for the first time.

It had been several months since Sage -- a former chief and former fire district president with more than 50 years of fire service under his belt -- had been out on an emergency call.

Sage has been out on one other call since, but he says he'll go on more as he gets his health back.

"To me, being a volunteer fireman is a good way to serve your community and help your neighbor," Sage said. "That's what life is all about, isn't it?"

The 70-year-old Alabama resident was seriously injured July 7 in a head-on collision in East Pembroke. Sage suffered massive internal injuries and would eventually have a leg amputated.

When he arrived via Mercy Flight at Strong Memorial Hospital, doctors gave him only a 30-percent chance of surviving.

Sage has three children, including two sons who are also volunteers with the Alabama department.

Brian Sage said it's good to see his dad back out responding to calls.

"On that first call, he was barking orders, so I knew he was back," Brian said. "It was good to see him back."

In his 50 years, Sage said he's been there to help other people, "but I never needed help myself, and when I did, my brothers and sisters (in fire service) came through for me."

As I was getting ready leave, Don Sage pulled me aside and said, "I know you're going to do a little write-up. Be sure to mention that I'm here only by the grace of God. That's important to me."

Photo: Don Sage is back row, left. Next to him are, Bill Schutt, Tony Mudrzynski, Todd Thompson, Gloria Abrams, Ralph Bauer, Hank Mudrzynski, and front row, Brian Sage, Kasey Thompson and Kaitlyn Allen.

When there is an emergency call on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation, the Alabama Volunteer Fire Department never shirks its duty -- the volunteers suit up, jump on their trucks and head out to whatever emergency is toned out.

Even though, for a number of years, there's been no money coming in to support the department from residents of the reservation.

For years, the department has lobbied the Bureau of Indian Affairs for some reimbursement of its expenses -- something not uncommon across the nation, and even in Western New York.

Today, Rep. Kathy Hochul announced that after some efforts on the part of her staff, the bureau has agreed to reimburse the department for its calls on the reservation up to $69,000 a year.

"There are a lot of people over there who need our services," said Past Chief Bill Schutt. "This was never about not providing those services, but getting funding for those services. They are part of our town and they're our neighbors. We've never considered not going there."

Hochul announced the agreement during a brief visit with the Alabama firefighters at their fire hall today.

The department has a budget of $180,000, mostly funded by a fire district tax levied against town landowners, but since the reservation is sovereign land, residents there don't pay the tax.

Schutt said exactly how the new pot of money will be allocated in the department hasn't been decided yet, but there's always equipment to replace or repair.

The department has about 50 volunteers, two of whom live on the reservation, according to Schutt.