A chimney fire is reported at 7231 Lyman Road, Bergen.

Bergen fire is responding with mutual from Le Roy.

The first chief on scene reports smoke coming from the structure.

At the same time as this call, Le Roy has a call in the village for medical assistance. Pavilion is being dispatched mutual aid.

UPDATE 6:54 p.m.: Le Roy is back in service.

UPDATE 7:14 p.m.: Bergen is back in service.

To purchase prints click here. If you click that link, you can also view a version of the slide show that includes captions.

A fire is reported at Oak Orchard Road and West Saile Drive.

A person reportedly ran into a business and said there was a fire and a person from the business called 9-1-1.

Town of Batavia fire responding.

UPDATE 1:27 p.m.: A chief on scene reports it's a controlled burn at Offhaus Farm. Batavia back in service.

Cold, wind and snow are in the forecast for this evening, though snowfall will be no more than four inches, according to the National Weather Service.

The wind chill factor will make it feel like it's 15 to 20 degrees below zero.

Winds of 15 to 25 mph will create blowing snow and add to possible white-out conditions. Visibility could be down to a half a mile at times.

Use caution when traveling and dress warmly.

A possible chimney fire is reported at 6842 Fisher Road, Oakfield. Flames were seen shooting from the chimney, but no flames or smoke are showing now, says a firefighter. The residence has been evacuated. Oakfield fire is on scene. Mutual aid response was cancelled but units are asked to stand by in their quarters from Alabama, Elba and East Pembroke.

UPDATE 10:41 a.m.: Oakfield fire back in service.

Press release:

United Memorial Medical Center and MVP Health Care® are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement which will allow United Memorial to be included as a network facility for MVP health insurance products purchased through the New York State of Health Exchange. The agreement was reached today, December 31st and will go into effect tomorrow, January 1, 2014.

As part of the Affordable Care Act, people who do not have health insurance through their job, or cannot afford the plan offered by their employer, now can use the “Healthcare Exchange” or “Marketplace” to compare plans and sign up. In New York State, residents are provided a list of insurance companies and plans to select from, based on their county of residence.

“We greatly appreciate the patience and understanding of our community as we are working to address the sweeping changes brought on by healthcare reform,” stated United Memorial’s CEO Mark C. Schoell. “I am pleased that we were able to bring the negotiation with MVP Health Care to a successful conclusion.”

Matthew MacKinnon, vice president, Network Operations, MVP Health Care said, “We are happy that United Memorial Medical Center is a participating provider for MVP products in Genesee County, including new Exchange coverage, and we look forward to continuing to serve residents of the Batavia area.”

Jason Berne, manager of Parmenter Tire near the airport, sent in this picture of a snowy owl that he said a researcher brought into the shop for he and his staff to see.

"They are beautiful," Berne said.

TV news crews have been out to the airport today. Jay Terkel, in comments on our story from yesterday, said there are so many cars driving slowly around the airport "it's like Lion Country Safari" out there.

Photo by Jay Terkel.

Photo by Dylan Brew.

A motor-vehicle accident is reported at Herkimer and Alleghany roads. A woman has a back injury but was able to exit the vehicle. Darien Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 12:30 p.m.: The location is determined to be one mile south of Herkimer.

UPDATE 12:36 p.m.: The address is 10971 Alleghany Road. Darien command reports the driver is an elderly female who is still seat-belted inside the vehicle, but is not entrapped.

UPDATE 12:49 p.m.: The patient is a sign-off. Responders will be back in service shortly.

There's no ball drop in Batavia, but it should still be noted that if you're celebrating New Year's Eve outside tonight, dress warmly.

The National Weather Service says an Arctic air mass moved across the lower Great Lakes last night and will remain in place for the next couple of days.

The cold air combined with gusty winds this afternoon and evening will making it feel bitterly, bitterly cold.

The wind chill factor will bring temperatures down to low single digits and as cold as -5 in some areas.

The NWS advises anybody outside during this time to dress in layers of clothing, which help trap body heat better than a single layer.

You should also wear a hat because significant body head can be lost through your head.

Many coaches will say that the key to winning is defense, and that’s exactly what propelled Batavia to their eighth consecutive Lions Club Tournament championship, 46-36.

The game featured two of the top players in the area -- Batavia junior Jeff Redband and Notre Dame senior Tim McCulley, and both squads dug deep into their bag of tricks to stop them.

The Blue Devils guarded McCulley tight all night, making it a point of emphasis to deny him an easy catch on a pass and forcing other players to make plays.

“Our defense was very solid,” said Batavia Head Coach Buddy Brasky. “I thought we did a really good job on McCulley for most of the game, so I was happy with our defense.”

Batavia’s defense enabled them to jump out to a 17-6 lead after the first quarter, helped out by 10 points from Redband.

Notre Dame would then switch from a 2-3 zone to a box-and-one to attempt to slow down Redband’s scoring prowess.

“We weren’t finding [Redband] in the zone like we had practiced,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Rapone. “So we switched and I think it worked pretty well for the most part.”

The Irish managed to hold the Blue Devils to just 27 points in the first half, but they were unable to find their own shooting touch and trailed 15 at the break.

“Our defense wasn’t the problem,” Rapone said. “When you hold a team to 46 points, you should probably win the game.”

The Blue Devils began to show some fatigue late in the fourth quarter, and Notre Dame got two big baskets from McCulley and Covel to cut the lead to 11, but Batavia found a way to put points on the board.

The Blue Devils got a three-pointer from Jerrett Laskett and tournament MVP Justice Fagan scored two of his 12 points to push the lead back to 16 at the end of the frame.

“Justice [Fagan] and Jeff [Redband] are our two best players and we depend on them for a lot of things,” Brasky said. “They don’t come out of the game very often, and that shows late in games. I can’t take Justice or Jeff out and fatigue sets in.”

Redband finished the game with a game-high 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who improve to 5-2, and have won four straight.

Despite the strong defensive effort from Batavia, McCulley still had a strong outing, scoring 18 points, grabbing six rebounds and blocking four shots.

“Tim is a very good player and he worked hard for every single one of his points,” Rapone said. “Covel and [Josh] Johnson started to hit some shots in the second half, but we need other guys to step up.”

Covel pitched in nine points and five rebounds, while Johnson scored eight points and played well defensively while shadowing Redband all night.

Notre Dame falls to 5-2 on the season.

Top photo: Jeff Redband drives for a layup trailed by Tim McCulley.

Malachi Chenault scores for Batavia during first period.

Josh Johnson

McCulley blocks a shot.

Lions club member Bill Hayes hands out the game's MVP trophy to Justice Fagan. Members said the Lions Club is grateful to Bill Hayes and his company, Turnbull Heating & Air Conditioning, for being a major sponsor of the tournament.

Cousins Josh Johnson and Justice Fagan played against each other for the first and last time of their high school basketball careers. Fagan was the tournament's MVP.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

Photos by Howard Owens

Snowy owls have become Batavia's latest tourist attraction. Birders are driving out to the Genesee County Airport from miles around to see the majestic raptors.

"It's very special to come out and see such an unusual bird," said Leslie Phillips, a Rochester resident who read about the "irruption" of snowy owls in Batavia through an e-mail discussion list for birders.

Irruptions are the irregular southern migrations exhibited by bird species that typically winter in Canada and the extreme northern United States, according to Cornell University's Project Feederwatch.

She was among six or seven birders who were on State Street Road this afternoon with scopes and binoculars watching the owls perched on snow banks or fence posts.

David Genesky, a conservationist who specializes in raptors, spent much of the day trapping the owls on behalf of a national snowy owl research program.

By 5 p.m. he had caught eight and believed there were at least two more in the airport area. (CORRECTION: It's eight for the season, three on Tuesday.)

Genesky collected a feather, for a DNA sample, and weighed each bird before banding it and releasing it. The whole process took about five minutes per bird.

"Personally, I just want to make sure the species is OK," Genesky said. "There's a lot of talk about global warming and climate change and how it would effect their nesting areas, and for me personally, that's what I'm concerned about."

Genesky said the collection of snowy owls at the airport is a great opportunity for the public to see one of the great birds of the wild up close.

"They've been as steady as can be for the last month," Genesky said. "People have come from miles away and gotten good looks at them."

Sharon Leising hasn't had to travel far this winter to see the owls. She lives on State Street Road, and when she heard about the trapping project today, she had to meet up with Genesky and learn about what he was doing. She was at the Emergency Training Center when Genesky brought one of the birds in for cataloging (inset photo; photo courtesy Sharon Leising).

"This is so exciting, to have something like this happen in our area," Leising said. "They're such beautiful birds."

Typically, snowy owls make their homes in the Arctic and don't often congregate in such numbers in the northeast.

"This year is probably is biggest number in 40 years," Genesky said. "It's very rare to get this many birds in the Northeastern United States.  The Western states have fewer birds. They seem to have concentrated here."

Genesky said the local snowy owl population seems to be in good shape.

"Believe me, these birds are all healthy," he said. "They're not starving."

While there may be as many as a dozen snowy owls in the airport area, that number will thin soon to one or two as the birds establish their territories for the rest of the winter. Grenesky said anybody interested in seeing the birds should get out to the airport soon.

Leslie Phillips

A lake effect snow advisory for Genesee County had been issued by the National Weather Service from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday. Three to five inches of snow are possible, with a quick burst of lake effect snow expected Tuesday morning, and winds are expected to be 15 to 25 mph out of the Southwest. Visibility may be as low as a half mile at times.

The weather service says travel conditions will quickly deteriorate with snow-covered roads and poor visibility in snow and blowing snow.

With lake effect snow, the weather can vary from locally heavy snow in narrow bands to clear skies just a few miles away. If traveling across the region, be prepared for rapid changes in road and visibility conditions.

The hazardous weather advisory says:

"An area of low pressure moving from the Ohio Valley to the mid-Atlantic and Southern New England will bring widespread accumulating snow to the region Wednesday night through Friday. Very cold weather will persist much of the week from Tuesday night through Friday. Wind chills will occasionally become very cold -- especially toward the end of the week."

Justin Samuel Fagan, 26, of Ellicott Street Road, Batavia, is charged with assault, 3rd. Fagan allegedly punched another person in the head causing that person to lose consciousness while at the Blue Dog Saloon on Attica Road, Darien, at 12:55 a.m. Sunday. Fagan allegedly fled the scene and was later located by a state trooper in Batavia.

Christopher Michael Rheinheimer, 24, of Chick Road, Darien, is charged with DWI, moving from lane unsafely, unreasonable speed and refusal to take breath test. Rheinheimer was reportedly involved in a motor-vehicle accident at 1:29 a.m. Saturday on Attica Road, Darien, which was investigated by Deputy Jason Saile.

Sutton Ken Carhart, 19, of Clipnock Road, Stafford, is charged with unlawful dealing with a child, 1st. Carhart allegedly provided alcohol to several people who were under age 21.

Jacob Michael Risewick, 20, of West Bergen Road, Le Roy, is charged with unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under age 21. Risewick was allegedly in possession of alcohol while at an underage drinking party on Clipnock Road.

Amanda Ashley Stranc, 22, of Alleghany Road, Darien, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speed not reasonable or prudent and moving from lane unsafely. Stranc reportedly observed a motor vehicle accident while driving on Attica Road, Darien, at 1:30 a.m. Saturday, and lost control of her car, becoming involved in a secondary motor-vehicle accident, while attempting to stop and assist the other motorist. The accident was investigated by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

A 17-year-old resident of Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged with unlawful dealing with a child, 1st, and criminal trespass, 2nd. The youth allegedly hosted an underage drinking party at 8341 Harris Road, Le Roy.

Elijah Absalon Seelay, 18, of Old Meadow Road, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Seelay is accused of possessing marijuana while at an underage drinking party at 8341 Harris Road, Le Roy.

Mitchell Robert Mulford, 20, of Attridge Road, Churchville, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of alcohol. Mulford was arrested at an alleged underage drinking party at 8341 Harris Road, Le Roy.

Miguel Angel Dejesus, 66, of Perry Road, Pavilion, is accused of violating a release under supervision contract. Dejesus was jailed on $2,000 bail or $5,000 bond.

Danny Jay Torok, 26, of Dodgeson Road, Alexander, is accused of a violation of a Family Court act. Torok is accused of failure to appear for a scheduled Family Court appearance.

Philip Robert Perry, 27, of Ellsworth Avenue, Batavia, is charged with failure to pay fine imposed by court. Perry is also charged with promoting prison contraband, 1st, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Perry was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance while being processed into the Genesee County Jail.

A six-wheel truck hauling propane rolled over on Route 19, south of Route 20. The truck is on its side. The driver is said to be confused and has a head injury with a couple of lacerations. The truck is leaking fuel. Pavilion Fire Department is responding along with Mercy medics. Le Roy fire is asked to stand by in Pavilion's hall. Winds are 11 mph out of the Northwest. Traffic will be stopped at Pavilion Center Road.

UPDATE 1:41 p.m.: Route 19 will be shut down at Route 20.

UPDATE 1:44 p.m.: The driver's employer, Griffith, was contacted and a rep has arrived on scene. The truck had 50 gallons of propane remaining in its tank at the time of the rollover. County emergency management team members will be responding and are staging at the fire training center. "All those civilian people -- I want them far back behind the line. I don't want them hanging around there,"  says the Pavilion chief.

UPDATE 1:56 p.m.: Pavilion command cancels the county emergency unit's response.

UPDATE 2:33 p.m.: The driver was taken by ground ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital. Firefighters are cleaning debris from the roadway.

Amy Vlack sent in this picture of the snowy owl that's been hanging out at the Genesee County Airport this winter.

A possible electrical fire is reported at 4346 Drake Street Road, the lower apartment, Elba.

Smoke is coming from the washer or the dryer.

Elba and Town of Batavia fire dispatched.

UPDATE 8:39 p.m.: Fire is out. Town of Batavia can go back in service, per Elba chief.

UPDATE 8:53 a.m.: Elba back in service.

An ambulance is requested to the Tim Horton's parking lot where a person has slipped and fallen, suffering a possible head injury.

City fire also responding.

UPDATE 8:21 a.m.: City fire back in service.

UPDATE 8:25 a.m.: The woman who slipped is being transported to UMMC with complaint of hip pain and back of the head pain. No loss of consciousness.

A car has hit a building at 852 Bloomingdale Road, Basom, the Arrowhawk Smokeshop, and a person is reportedly unconscious.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 8:40 a.m.: Alabama back in service.