James Christopher Francis, 45, of Falconer Street, North Tonawanda, is charged with menacing a police officer, criminal possession of a weapon 3rd, menacing 1st, and criminal mischief.  At 2:32 a.m. on Aug. 12, deputies responded to Buffalo Street, Bergen, for a report of a man threatening people with a knife. Deputies were able to disarm the suspect and take him into custody. James was held pending arraignment.

Matthew Aaron Howe, 34, of Country Route 64, Hornell, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, moving from lane unsafely, and inadequate plate lamps. Jpw was stp[[ed at 10:57 p.m. on Aug. 1 on Broadway Road, Bethany, by Deputy Zachary Hoy. Howe was issued an appearance ticket and released.

Tahja Denise Allen, 22, of Schreck Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .18 or greater.  At about 12:45 a.m. on Aug. 7, the Sheriff's Office received a report of a vehicle on a ditch at the Darien Lake campground. Deputy Zachary Hoy was dispatched to investigate. Allen was identified as the driver. Allen was issued an appearance ticket.

James Edward Brown, 43, of Maltby Road, Oakfield, is charged with sex offender failure to provide a photograph.  Brown is accused of failing to provide his photograph to the NYS Sex Offender Registry while being classified as a Level 2 Sex Offender. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Brandon Roddy Brade, no age provided, no residence provided, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd.  Brade is accused of violating an order of protection at 12:19 a.m. on Aug. 8 at a location on Phelps Road, Pembroke. He was held pending arraignment.

Tonya Roselynn Hadsell, 31, Clair Carrier Road, Friendship, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. At 3:46 p.m. on Aug. 8, Deputy Leah Bezon and Deputy Zachary Hoy were dispatched at the Dollar General on Route 63 in Pavilion to investigate a possible intoxicated driver.  As a result of an investigation, Hadsell was allegedly found in possession of Fentanyl. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Cheryl Ann Maines, 55, of Chadlee Drive, Brockport, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, improper left turn, and unsafe turn. Maines was stopped at 12:40 a.m. on Aug. 10 on Park Road, Batavia, by Deputy Jacob Kipler. Kipler was issued an appearance ticket.

Malik Isiah Ayala, 32, of Walnut Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Malik is accused of stealing merchandise from Walmart at 4:10 p.m. on Aug. 13. He was arraigned and released.

Brandi Nichole Arbia, 39, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with grand larceny 4th and offering a false instrument for filing 1st. Arbia is accused of stealing $2,372 in SNAP benefits. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Noah Stuart Smith, 19, of Chipman Place, North Tonawanda, is charged with criminal mischief 3rd. Smith is accused of intentionally damaging a mobile phone while at the Chris Stapleton Concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center at 10:45 on July 12. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Ahmire Dionzlyer Morgan, 19, of Delsan Court, Buffalo, and Raequan Ariz Reed, Sr., 28, of Delsan Court, Buffalo, are charged with grand larceny 4th. Morgan and Reed are accused of stealing merchandise from a retail store on Veterans Memorial Drive. The Sheriff's Office did not release the name of the store.

Chad J. Evans, 34, of Weever Street, Rochester, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and three counts of aggravated unlicensed operation. Evans was stopped at 2:05 a.m. on Aug. 17 on East Main Street, Batavia, by Deputy Jacob Kipler. Evans was held pending arraignment.

Joseph Michael Flanagan, 39, of Lawrence Road, Hilton, is charged with DWI, failing to yield the right of way on a left turn, and failing to yield the right of way when entering a roadway. Flanagan was stopped at 2:22 a.m. on Aug. 17 on Park Road, Batavia, by Sgt. Mathew Clo. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Brandon Michael Crawford, 22, no address listed, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and speeding. Crawford was stopped at 1:41 a.m. on Aug. 10 on Route 5, Batavia, by Deputy Jeremiah Gechell.  He was issued an appearance ticket.

Press Release:

GLOW With Your Hands organizers are seeking 15 additional volunteers to support the coordination of 1,000 students from across the GLOW region for the 6th annual career exploration event being held on Tuesday, September 24 at the Genesee County Fairgrounds in Batavia.

“The success of GLOW With Your Hands is made possible through the generosity of volunteers in a variety of event-day roles, including tour guides for individual schools, and support at the entrance at the fairgrounds, parking and lunch areas,” said GLOW With Your Hands Co-Chair Karyn Winters said. “We are fortunate to have so many volunteers already registered but we need more to cover all our bases.”

The annual GLOW With Your Hands event provides students with hands-on career exploration in high-growth and high-demand careers. Activities such as welding, bricklaying and heavy equipment operation, and interactions with employers provide students with the insight to explore career opportunities with companies across the region.

“We’re tremendously excited to once again welcome so many companies and students to GLOW With Your Hands. The commitment and dedication of so many volunteers is what makes this amazing event possible,” said Angela Grouse, GLOW With Your Hands Co-Chair.

Registration for volunteers is available by emailing Karyn Winters at kwinters@geneseeny.com or filling out the volunteer form at www.glowwithyourhands.com/manufacturingvolunteers.

Click here for more information

In two years, the Songbirds, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band, has gone from playing for a couple of dozen people at a block party in Batavia to headlining at some of Western New York's top music venues.

On Monday, they closed out, as headliners, the Oakfield Labor Daze Music & Food Festival, drawing, likely, in the area of hundreds of fans for a three-hour set of all the best of Fleetwood Mac along with some deep tracks.

Previously: It's more than just ‘Rumours’ that Songbirds pay tribute to Fleetwood Mac

Photos by Howard Owens.

After the parade, on a beautiful blue-sky Labor Day, the third and final day of the music portion of the Oakfield Labor Daze Music & Food Festival opened with power trio Salvatore, an Albion-based band, followed by Elvis impersonator Terry Buchwald. 

Photos by Howard Owens.

More than 50 years after the war ended, Vietnam War veterans in Oakfield, at long last, have an appropriate memorial in Triangle Park.

A new granite bench in the park was dedicated on Monday during the final day of the Oakfield Labor Daze Music and Food Festival.

About 18 months ago, an Oakfield resident, George Norway, sat in Triangle Park in his electric wheelchair with a sign on the back.

It read, "Shame on Oakfield."

When people inquired, he disclosed he was upset with the fact that in the park there were memorials to veterans of the world wars and Korea but nothing honoring the sacrifices of Vietnam War veterans.

Norway was not himself a veteran but he had seen friends and family go off to war and was not happy that they were forgotten.

Jill Klotzback, Robyn Gage and Laurie Nanni, along with members of the Oakfield Historical Society, got together and began to plan an appropriate memorial.

After the company they were working with to create the memorial more than doubled the price of the monument, Justin Calarco Smith of H.E. Turner spoke with the company's distributor and he was able to get the bench for less than the original quote.

Before the bench was unveiled, Assemblyman Steve Hawley spoke about how Vietnam veterans were forgotten, ignored, even shunned after the war.  He recalled that for the first five years of his annual trip to Washington D.C., the Patriot Trip, there were never Vietnam War veterans who took the trip.  Over the past few years, their numbers have been increasing. When the tour stops at the Vietnam War Memorial, Hawley speaks with those veterans and thanks them for their service and apologizes on behalf of the nation for how they were treated upon their return. "Thank you for your service and welcome home," he says.

The brother and sister-in-law of George Norway then placed a bouquet of roses on the bench to dedicate it.

Photo by Howard Owens

Press Release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) drafted a letter to Gov. Hochul yesterday requesting that the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) regulation delay its enforcement start date from January 1, 2025.

Following conversations with constituents and local business owners who rely on trucks for their operations, Hawley has learned that the implementation of the program – which resulted from an effort to curb excess emissions from shipping trucks – is already producing problems businesses are struggling to accommodate in this short timeframe. Hawley is asking for the delay until the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority conducts and concludes the highway and depot charging needs evaluation.

“The New York State Automobile Dealers Association (NYSADA) and the Trucking Association of New York (TANY) have already expressed concerns with the regulation’s implementation next year, and their claims need to be heeded” Hawley said.

“As a government we need to start listening to all stakeholders who will be affected by decisions New York State makes.  In this case, it would appear that truck dealers and trucking businesses have never been consulted. Unfortunately, this happens over and over again with the State of New York” Hawley said.

Previously:

• New electric vehicle regs frustrate local waste hauler as he finds a way to keep moving forward
• Looming EV truck regulations to bring financial, logistical concerns to Genesee County

Photos by Howard Owens

Photos by Nick Serrata.

The Oakfield Labor Daze Music and Food Festival has two main components. We've covered the weekend's music.  Here's a look at the other part of the festival -- all the good food being served up by about a dozen vendors.

Monday's Schedule:

• 10 a.m.: Parade
• 11 a.m.: Salvatore
• 1 p.m.: Terry Buchwald (Elvis)
• 4 p.m.: Songbirds (Fleetwood Mac)

And food vendors all day.

Like any serious collector of vinyl records, Cheektowaga resident Joe Spath comes across many decades old records with little to no value—copies of the soundtrack to “South Pacific,” for example, or any Mitch Miller LP. Ditto Burl Ives. To say these records are a dime a dozen is to overstate their value.

That's why Spath grabs those records from the pile when he finds them to turn them into wall art.

Using computer-guided cutting tools, Spath turns the vinyl records into tributes to legendary artists, such as Chuck Berry, Paul McCartney, Elton John, ABBA, the Bee Gees, and so on.

He carves an artist's image or logo into the record and prints out a faux record label he downloads from the Web to cover over the original less desirable label.

Spath is one of the vendors this weekend at the Oakfield Labor Daze Music & Food Festival.

He started cutting records about 12 years ago. 

"I've been doing this because it makes people happy," the Navy veteran said Sunday.

A former DJ, Spath said he has cataloged in his collection of "keepers" 8,000 LPs, 2,000 45s, 1,500 CDs, and even a lot of cassettes.

The collection spans the 1940s to the 2000s and pretty much every genre of music.

"Variety is the spice of life," he said.

There are close to three dozen vendors at the festival this weekend.

Sunday night's headliner, Nerds Gone Wild -- perhaps Western New York's most popular cover band -- thrilled all their fans who turned out in Triangle Park for their headlining performance on the second day of the Oakfield Labor Daze Music & Food Festival.

While waiting for the band make its grand entrance, one woman from Arizona approached a reporter and praised the festival. She couldn't believe all the music was free. And she loved all the food options. She said she extended her vacation an extra week just to see Nerds in Oakfield.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Hazzard County, a Buffalo-based country music band, got a late start due to heavy rain, lightning, and thunder but still put on an all-out performance for music fans Sunday in Oakfield.

Photos by Howard Owens.

The Eaglez, an Eagles tribute band, performed Sunday afternoon at the Oakfield Labor Daze Music and Food Festival.

The band's set was cut about 20 minutes short by a torrential downpour.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Press Release:

As someone in recovery for more than four decades, Linda Ackley knows what those struggling with substance use are going through.

Now in her 22nd year at UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse), Ackley is a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor currently is serving as a “tech.”

A dedicated employee, her experience and compassion have made a difference in the lives of her clients at the agency’s Atwater Community Residence and Detox Center.

It was in her mid-20s when Ackley came to grips with her excessive drinking and -- leaning on what she calls “her higher power” -- found the strength to put those days behind her.

“I went back to school and got my diploma (she had dropped out after becoming pregnant at the age of 16),” she said. “Then, I went to Genesee Community College and got my associate’s degree in social work, and from there I went to Brockport and got my bachelor’s degree in mental health/social work.”

Since then, she obtained her master’s degree and has worked tirelessly to counsel and mentor people seeking to break free from the grip of substance use.

“When you’re trying to relate to young people who are in the program, it makes a big difference if you can tell them that you’ve been there; that you know what the heck they’re going through,” she said. “If they find out that your book smart, they’re going to give you a hard time. They’ll say, ‘You don’t know how I feel.’ Yeah, you do know how they feel when you’ve been there.”

Ackley’s work ethic has transferred to her daughter, Carrie Anne, who also works at UConnectCare. She also has a son, John, who lives in Genesee County. Her other son, Francis, died in 2001.

When not at work, Ackley and her longtime partner, John, rescue animals – primarily cats.

“We've been saving the animals for years,” she said. “That’s my big thing now. I’ve got 12 of my own after I fixed them and got them all sets, and four kittens that I’m fostering right now.”

Ackley said she is proud of her granddaughter, Julietta, who is enrolled at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs in pursuit of a PhD.

“I raised her, although not my blood, right along with my other grandchildren (after Francis died),” she said. “I’ve had her for 20 years and she’s doing great.”

Ackley suffered a severe injury to her right arm years ago while working at Genesee County ARC (resulting in replacement of the bone from the shoulder to the elbow), but that hasn’t slowed her down. She also underwent heart surgery earlier this year.

“They put a watchman into my left valve,” she said, adding that she returned to her job several weeks later.

As far as working at UConnectCare is concerned, Ackley said “this place is just like family.”

“It’s a great place to work,” she added. “We all work together and do our best for our clients.”

She said she encourages those in recovery – young people who have come through UConnectCare – to pursue a career in substance use or mental health counseling.

“We had two people here that were in the program that I encouraged to get into recovery, and after that come back here to work,” she said. “Guess what? They’re back here working.”

The path to recovery begins with U. At UConnectCare, we want you to work with us. For more information on employment opportunities, go to www.uconnectcare.org.