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Ramble moved to T.F. Brown's

By Howard B. Owens

Because of the weather, the Ramble Music and Arts Fest has been moved indoors to T.F. Brown's on E. Main St.

There is an indoor stage for eletric bands and the acoustic bands are playing on the patio.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the region.

Eleven arrests reported at Nickelback concert at Darien Lake

By Howard B. Owens

Josephine A. Boltz, 25, of 174 Burch Ave., of Buffalo, is charged with DWI following a minor property damage accident at Darien Lake Theme Park during the Nickelback concert. Boltz reportedly had a BAC of .08 or greater.

Other arrests associated with the Nickelback concert:

Joshua R. Handy, 25, of 6 Williams St., Mt. Morris, charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Nolan R. Boughton, 24, 188 Canal St., Lyons, was charged with harassment for allegedly striking a security officer while being escorted from the concert venue.

A 16-year-old from Hamburg was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Richard W. Randall, 32, of 4349 Cemetery Road, Marietta, was charged with charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly fighting inside the concert venue. He is held on $100 bail.

Benjamin Q. Antonucci, 18, of 4192 Broadway, Alexander, charged possession of alcohol by a person under 21.

Christopher J. Burger, 18, of 9393 Stady Road, West Valley, charged with possession of alcohol by a person under 21.

Erica A. Taylor, 31, of 1802 Lodi St., Apt. 2, Syracuse, charged with criminal possession of marijuana and endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly smoking marijuana in front of her 13-year-old daughter.

Michael Boland, 25, of 1802 Lodi St., Apt. 2, Syracuse, charged with criminal possession of marijuana and endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly smoking marijuana in front of his girlfriend's 13-year-old daughter.

Matthew J. Pentycofe, 22, of 29 Spencer Court, Batavia, charged with harassment for allegedly pushing and fighting with security guards inside the concert venue. He was held on $300 bail.

Peter B. Vanderwall III, 19, of 47 Seneca Street, Waterloo, is charged unlawful possession of marijuana and with endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly smoking and possessing marijuana in front a child under 17 years of age.

Mercy Flight dispatched to scene of one-car accident in Darien

By Howard B. Owens

UPDATE: Jeremy M. Pysher, 19, of 730 Exchange Road, Attica, was seriously injured and is in critical condition at Erie County Medical Center following a one-car accident on Route 238 this morning at 8:42.

The Genesee County Sheriff's Office is investigating the crash in which Pysher, driving a 1991 Chevrolet Lumina, drifted across the southbound lane and off the west shoulder of the roadway. The car struck a tree "virtually head-on" and twisted around the trunk of the tree before striking a second tree.

The car caught fire, but the fire was contained to the rear of the engine compartment. 

Pysher suffered unspecified injuries as well as burns to his lower legs.

He was transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC.

The location of the accident on Route 238 was appoximately 4/10 of a mile south of Griswold Road in Darien.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by Deputy Eric Seppala with assistance from Sgt. James Meier, Sgt. William Scott and Investigator Timothy Weis. Also responding to the scene were the Corfu Police Department, the Darien Fire Department and members of New York State Corrections.

Original post:

A car reportedly hit a tree on Route 238 just south of Griswold Road in Darien.

At least one person is trapped in the car and extraction tools are needed. Mercy Flight has been requested. The car was also reportedly smoldering.


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Hit-and-run against motorcycle on Walnut St. injures two people

By Howard B. Owens

An apparent hit-and-run driver injured two people tonight after reportedly rear-ending a motorcycle as it slowed to pass over an unpaved area of Walnut Street.

A witness, Joe Elmore, of Walnut Street, said he heard a loud crack followed by a woman's "blood curdling" scream, and he rushed from his back yard out to the roadway.  He assisted the driver and his female passenger, trying to get a passing BMW to call 911 and and follow the hit-and-run driver. He doesn't believe the BMW driver did either.

Elmore said he screamed at a semi-truck driver to stop and put on his flashers, and he did, to slow down traffic.

The location of the accident, about 143 Walnut St., is the start of a road construction area where the pavement has been completely removed and replaced by stones. There is an at least four-inch drop from the paved area to the rocky surface.

Both Elmore and T.J. McAllister, who lives adjacent the accident scene, said cars continue to come flying down Walnut as if there's no construction at all.

Elmore said the motorcycle driver told him that he slowed when he hit the unpaved area, but the car behind him didn't and plowed right into him.

"He said he did everything he could to protect his girlfriend," Elmore said. "He broke his leg just trying to hold up his bike."

Just in the five minutes or so Elmore, McAllister and myself stood there talking, after the accident scene had been cleared, at least a half dozen cars passed in each direction driving at or above the normal speed limit. One car hit the bump so hard something fall off of it.

Elmore said he wanted attention brought to the street so that people will be more aware that they need to slow down.

A few minutes earlier, while McAllister and I talked, he pointed to a police car pulling away and said, "This was bound to happen. See how bumpy it is. Look at that police car and how much it's bouncing even as slow as it's going. People come through here going twice as fast. It's just crazy."

No official report on the accident is available at this time.


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Mercy Flight announces open hiring for ground ambulance service

By Howard B. Owens

Mercy Flight announced job openings tonight, thanks to its new ground ambulance service, which is scheduled to start serving Genesee County Sept. 1.

We received the following announcement from Wade Schwab with Mercy Flight at 9 p.m.:

Mercy EMS, a ground ambulance service operated by Mercyflight of Western N.Y.  is seeking qualified individuals to fill numerous job opportunities.

The company will be providing ambulance service to all of Genesee County as of September 1st.

The positions will be EMT's, paramedics, paramedic shift supervisors and dispatchers.

There will be open job fairs at the Mercyflight Batavia base at 4781 E. Saile  Dr. Batavia on Wednesday 07/15 and Thursday 07/16 from 6pm until 8pm and on Saturday 07/18 from 9am until 11am.

Anyone interested in these local job opportunities is welcome to attend one  of the sessions.

We'll need to wait until Monday to talk with officials with Mercy Flight to see how the open hiring and job fairs squares with statements previously indicating the organization was looking to hire many, if not all, of Batavia's ambulance personnel.

Muckdogs Falter in 8-1 Loss

By Mollie Radzinski

Batavia (11-11) was lack-luster on both sides of the plate, which led to a 8-1 loss to the Renegades (15-7).

Mahoning Valley’s lead was manageable at two runs throughout the game, but a five run 8th proved to be too much.  One walk and two errors from Batavia and two doubles and two base hits off of Renegade bats accounted for the big inning.

The Muckdogs plated one in the bottom of the 8th when Ryan Jackson reached on an error, moved to third on a single by Guillermo Toribio and came home on a pass ball.

Andres Rosales (1-1, 11.57) got the loss in one inning of relief work, giving up two runs on two hits with one strikeout.   Christopher Corrigan went four innings in the start with three hits and two strikeouts.

D’Marcus Ingram had half of the Batavia hits, finishing 2-for-4 with a double.  The two teams play again same time, same place tomorrow.

Go Art! names new executive director

By Howard B. Owens

Kelly Kiebala is the new executive director for Go Art!.

She replaces Linda Blanchet, who retires at the end of the month.

Most recently, Kiebala is executive director of the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce, and previously she spent nine years as program director for Go Art!

(Originally reported by WBTA.)

(Note: This almost seems like a trade -- We give Orleans County Pat Weissend (who is becoming branch manager for Bank of Castile in Medina), and Orleans gives back to Genesee County with Kiebala.)

Prior planning averts fire disaster in Darien

By Howard B. Owens

The fire wasn't serious, but a good fire alarm system and regular fire drills certainly demonstrated this morning in Darien how a good fire plan can save lives and protect property.

The 5:30 a.m. fire started in the bedroom of Jeremy Rademacker when a halogen lamp was accidentally kicked to the floor and left on.

The fire alarm in Jeremy's room sounded, but because the alarm is wired into a house-wide alert system, both his father and sister were awakened by the alarm. All three people exited the house safely, with Mr. Rademacker closing the door to the bedroom on the way out, and they met at a pre-designated spot.

The fire caused $10,000 to $15,000 in damage.

WBTA interviewed Genesee County Emergency Manager Coordinator Tim Yeager who credited the family with smart smoke detector installation and prior planning with averting disaster.

Le Roy photographer's work put on display by Go Art!

By Howard B. Owens

Darrick Coleman, a Le Roy resident who often shares his photos on The Batavian, has some of his work on display at the Shirt Factory Cafe in Medina now through Aug. 31.

There is an opening reception July 18 at 6 p.m.

The show portrays "the beauty that can be found in many backyards in Western New York through all four seasons, but in particular Mr. Coleman's backyard," according to the press release.

The exhibit, titled "Out of Doors," is sponsored by The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.

The Shirt Factory is located at 115 W. Center Street, Medina.

Bergen woman accused of stealing more than $58,000 via the Internet

By Howard B. Owens

A Bergen woman is accused of stealing more than $58,000 using Internet transfers from an acquaintance.

Renee E. Rowan, 45, of 7527 Gilbert Road, Bergen, allegedly initiated four different transfers of at least $9,000 each.

Rowan was arraigned in Le Roy Town Court and is held in Genesee County Jail on $10,000 bail.

The investigation was conducted by Deputy Matthew Butler and Investigator Timothy Weis, with assistance from Deputy Joseph Graff.

UPDATE: I'm not sure if this is related or not, but a reader points out that Rowan owns staubitzofbuffalo.com (WHOIS database).  The other domains that seem affiliated with that business are registered via an off-shore source that apparently hides the true identity of the domain owners. Here's the WHOIS for hartmanmodelboats.com and loyalhannadockyard.com and taubmansonline.com. All three sites have contact information for Rowan.

UPDATE: I just spoke to Investigator Weis and he said the alleged theft was unrelated to Rowan's businesses and there is no further investigation going on related to those businesses.  He said Rowan allegedly had direct access to the victim's account, but it wasn't business related.

Police Beat: Stafford man allegedly threatens Village of Corfu court staff

By Howard B. Owens

Karl Matthew Churchill, 29, of 6018 Main Road, Stafford, is charged with harrassment. Churchhill allegedly made a threatening phone call to the Village of Corfu Court after receiving a traffic ticket for allegedly tinted windows.

Robert E. Magoffin Jr., 37, 3717 Broadway Road, Alexander, is charged with DWI with a BAC of .08 or greater. Magoffin was allegedly doing 84 m.p.h. in a 40 m.p.h. zone on Route 20 in Darien when he was stopped.  He was ordered to appear in Darien Town Court on Aug. 18.

Recovery going well, light work day

By Howard B. Owens

Thanks for all the well wishes on my previous post about my cataract surgery yesterday (I even got some well wishes via e-mail from the Daily, which was nice).  It went well -- I've had more painful dentist visits ... like every dentist visit. This was completely painless (here I was freaked out for weeks for nothing). 

A silver-haired guy who came back to the pre-op/post-op room told the nurse that very thing, which I found somewhat reassuring, and then when I was being wheeled out, he said to me, "Hey, it's nothing, buddy."  And he was right. So if you ever find out you need cataract surgery (you don't have to be old to need it, but if you live long enough, you eventually will), just know it's nothing to worry about.

A little pain yesterday afternoon, but I've been fine since.

Dr. Alan Siegel put in a new lens that corrected the vision in my right a little bit, so now my prescription glasses aren't just quite right in my right eye, but I can't see out of my left without them. I'm seeing OK overall. 

I'll be doing a little light work today. I expect I'll be in the office from 1 to 5 p.m. for anybody who needs to pick up gift certificates. I am planning on attending the Muckdogs game tonight (you should, too -- it's always great fun at Dwyer and there are fireworks tonight).   I bet I make it to at least some of The Ramble tomorrow.

If you see me out and about, forgive me my dorky old-man sunglasses (needed to fit over my regular glasses, and apologies to any old men who wear them whom I just offended!).

Harnessing the sun and wind for coffee and canines

By Loren Penman

 Last year on thebatavian.com, you may have read about Dick Gammell of Canadice Construction Corp. and his efforts to make his construction company more cost effective, more independent, and more environmentally friendly by developing a wind/ solar generator that powers hand tools and small pieces of equipment at work sites.  His idea has gotten lots of press in the past 12 months, including news stories on Binghamton, Buffalo and Rochester TV stations, an article in the “Industry News” section of The Rhode Island Builders Report, a front page story in The Journal of Light Construction -- in all, 11 pieces.  You even can see the generator in action on YouTube! 

Now Dick has some new ventures (that you may hear about first right here).

On Saturday, June 6th, western New York’s original off-grid cafe opened in Springwater.  Theresa’s Sunshine Cafe is located at 8148 South Main Street, across from the fire hall, and is open Tuesday - Friday, 6:00 AM - 2:00 PM and for breakfast only on the week-end (closed Monday).  Every part of the Sunshine Cafe is electrified solely by the sun and the wind!  While customers enjoy a solar cup of coffee, they can recharge their electric vehicles!  (see photo)

 

Canadice Construction also is playing a unique role in this year’s Rochester Homerama which opens Saturday, July 11th at Somerset Hill in Victor.  Eight members of the Rochester Homebuilders’ Association, including Dick, will exhibit their “barkitecture” -- stylish and creative doghouses which will be auctioned off to benefit Lollypop Farm.  Dick’s contribution, called The Big Green Dog House, is a fully insulated doggie condo and short-term, back-up green power generator all in one!  Built with power tools electrified completely from the sun and wind, The Big Green Dog House is constructed with recycled lumber and has an outdoor outlet for human convenience.  Of course, it has excellent curb appeal!  (see photo)

Dick Gammell and Canadice Construction continue to demonstrate innovation and efficiency in energy consumption.  To learn more, head to the company website: 

http://www.canadiceconstruction.com/

Haunted Night Out in Batavia

By Robin Walters

Ok so it is not Halloween yet, but according to some young folks at our picnic tonight, they say their house is haunted. They were thankful for the crosses that Pastor Charlie Piscitello and his wife Judy from the Batavian Christian Fellowship church gave them tonight at our weekly picnic.  However, we did hear haunting stories of troubles folks are going through. There were stories of abuse, job loss, broken relationships and so much more. The youth of Elba Baptist church were with us tonight to provide uplifting music.

 

It was a busy night! We had about 30 folks attend 

Pastor Charlie Prays and gives a young boy hope!

Bridget always has hugs for the kids!

Even the pet ferret made it to the picnic! 

Ok this is me, Miss Public Relations Director with my new friend Joey. He helped me knock on doors to invite people to the weekly picnic. I love where God has led me to with volunteering with Care-A-Van. As you know we are a non profit organization and are  just like other agencies who rely soley on private donations. Paul states if God gives a vision, he gives provision. We all see the hard times folks are facing right now. Care-A-Van goes forth to brighten their days and give them hope. We are always looking for folks to come on board to help us out. If you feel you are being led to volunteer within the community to make a difference, come join us!

We will be going back on Sunday afternoon for street church, where Pastor Glenn Bloom of the Elba Baptist church will be giving the message. Boy, God is good! Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement! We truly do appreciate it!

Today's Deal: Larry's Steakhouse, Alex's Place, Enchanted Florist, T.F. Brown's, Valle Jewelers

By Howard B. Owens

Larry's Steakhouse, 60 Main St.  The name says it all -- Larry's is a great place for steak. Larry's is a fine dining atmosphere with a great menu and outstanding service.  We have a $50 gift certificate for $25.

Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia, N.Y.: People come from all over the region for a fine dinning experience at Alex's. Alex's is best known for its ribs, of course, but Alex's seafood is also a favorite of the restaurant's diners. We have a $50 gift certificate for $25.

The Enchanted Florist, 202 E. Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: Brighten up your home or office with flowers!  We have a $20 gift certificate for $9.

T.F. Browns, at 214 E. Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: T.F. Brown's is a great place for a good meal, good friends and to catch up on what's going on in the sports world. The patio is open. It's also a great place to host group events.  See the ad on the left side of the page for contact information. We have a $20 gift card for $10.

Valle Jewelers, 21 Jackson St., Batavia, N.Y.: Need a gift? Need some sparkle? Valle's has a large selection of jewelry and gifts starting at under $25. We have a $50 gift certificate for $25.

A $1 PayPal service fee applies on items more than $10 and .50 cents on items below $10.

Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value.  People who have won a certificate in the past 30 days are not eligible to win a certificate from the same business as before.  By state law, gift certificates cannot be used for alcohol purchase.

How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Ideally, the winner will arrange to stop by my office on Main Street to pick up gift certificate. Mail is an option, but it would be better to hand you the gift certificate. 

If you want to be notified via e-mail of future Deals of the Day, sign up for the Deals of the Day e-mail list by clicking here.

Merchants: If you would like your business featured in Deal of the Day, call Howard Owens at 260-6970.

Alex's Place

SOLD

Larry's Steakhouse

SOLD

Valle Jewelers

SOLD

T.F. Brown's

SOLD

The Enchanted Florist

Charter review may bump consolidation

By WBTA News

At this point, all signs are go for the City of Batavia’s revised charter proposal to be on the voting ballot in November. And that means a vote on the consolidation of the city and town will have to wait.

The nine-member Charter Review Commission met last night at City Hall. The focus of the meeting was to vote on whether to put the charter proposal up for a popular vote in November. The commission did not officially move to do so; they’ll wait until Aug. 24 to decide. But Commission Chairman John Roach says they’ve already got a majority within the commission who want to move forward with the charter.

Besides, says Roach: “The consolidation people should have been aware that we have a charter commission that legally has precedence.”

One of the new additions to the charter is the ability of city council to appoint committees to work on issues outside of council meetings. Currently, every issue before the council must be debated in regular meetings. Roach says an approach-by-committee would streamline city operations.

“Most bigger governing bodies have sub-committees,” said Roach. “It makes things a little more efficient. Instead of nine people arguing over every little detail, you have a committee of three or four who work it out.”

Roach said he doesn’t believe a committee approach would stifle the public comments that have become a staple of regular city council meetings. He says citizens would simply have to attend more meetings, like the committee appointees, if they wanted to voice their opinions.

Batavia policemen honored for role in nabbing bank robbery suspect

By Billie Owens

Today members of the Batavia Police Department received a Certificate of Merit from New York State Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

They were specially recognized for their part in swiftly apprehending an armed robbery suspect involved in the M&T Bank robbery on June 18 in Elba.

Officers pictured from the left are Lt. Jankowski, Sgt. Kleinbach, Officer Davis, Officer Mullen and Chief Baker.

Batavia police assisted the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department, NYS Police and other law enforcement officials responding to the call.

Assemblyman Hawley also honored members of the Sheriff's Office on Wednesday and also plans to present Certificates of Merit to State Police next week.

Batavia police due retro pay raise

By WBTA News

Some back pay is due Batavia Police Officers who have been working without a contract for the past four years.

The state Public Employees Relations Board has issued an arbitration finding that gives city police a retroactive pay raise of 1 percent for the period April 2005 to March of 2006. A raise of 2-percent has been directed for the period April of 06 to March of 07.

City Manager Jason Molino declined to comment on the award pending receipt of the final report.

www.perb.state.ny.us/pdf/ia2009-10/ia2007-003.pdf

Personal downtime today and tomorrow

By Howard B. Owens

Today at 9:45 a.m. I report to UMMC for cataract surgery (right eye).

Obviously, I won't be posting much this morning, nor even on the computer much all day.  Tomorrow will also be mostly a day off.  I'm hoping by Saturday, I'm ready to get out and about a bit. If so, I'll probably head over to Ramble, either just as a fan or maybe shoot some video, depending on how I feel. I should be back to a normal routine by Monday.

In the meantime, the crack news crew at WBTA will post news as necessary, and my wife, Billie Owens, will be available for breaking news, if needed.

Today's Deals of the Day is already posted and I have tomorrow's ready to go.  Whether there is an e-mail with tomorrow's depends on whether I post it or Billie does, so don't count on an e-mail for that one (if you're on that list).

Top Items on Batavia's List

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