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A vehicle has reportedly run under the back of a semi-truck on the Thruway in the westbound lane at about mile marker 388.4 and a female is reportedly trapped in the vehicle that is under the semi.

Extrication will reportedly be required.

Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS dispatched. 

UPDATE 10 p.m.: The victim has self-extricated with minor injuries.

UPDATE 10:01 p.m.: Mercy Flight cancelled. Fire crews needed for fluid spills.

(Above, Hannah Tiede, Batavia, with instructor Bob Yates, and her new boss, Darryl Horzempa, of Stan's Harley-Davidson, where she interned and will work after graduation, and her parents, Meghan and Rich Tiede.)

When sports stars sign letters of intent to attend a university, the schools' athletic directors invite the media to cover the letter-of-intent signing but students moving onto careers rarely get the same attention.

Batavia CTE/BOCES corrected that oversight earlier this week by holding its first-ever signing day with three students who graduate this spring with jobs in their chosen careers already in place.

"As many of you know, we’re at a critical shortage of skilled workers these days," said Principal Jon Sanfratello. "There are many different avenues that kids have today, whether it’s going through school onto college or technical school or straight out into the workforce.

"And so we try to provide those opportunities for kids each and every day, so we have three great stories of these hard-working seniors who are going to go straight out into the workforce."

Hannah Teide, of Batavia, will be working at Stan’s Harley-Davidson in Batavia.

"When she first started coming into our shop I thought she was already friends with all of our employees," Horzempa said. "I thought if she's that enthusiastic about working in our shop, maybe I should give her a try and she's been that enthusiastic ever since."

(Above, from left are Todd Sloat, his parents, Rebecca and Richard Day, Bob Yates, and Jon Sanfratello.)

Jake Day signed with Sloat Tire. 

"Jacob approached and said he would like to stay and we were already thinking, 'what are you doing this summer?' " said Todd Sloat, owner of Sloat Tire, and a former BOCES student himself. "It worked out that we asked him to stay. It worked out and that's why we're here today."

(Above Jenna Montgomery signs with The Exchange in Attica with her are, from left: Renee Ackert, owner of The Exchange; Jenna’s father, Jim Montgomery; Jon Sanfratello; Jenna’s mother, Bethany Montgomery; and cosmetology teacher Mary Beswick.)

Jenna Montgomery signed with The Exchange in Attica. Beswick said what turned Montgomery around was a student was her internship at The Exchange, where she really started to shine and that carried over into her course work.

"She's so talented in what she loves to do," Ackert said. "She's fit in wonderfully at the salon."

Press release:

Youth Detective Rich Schauf retired today after 32 years of dedicated service to the City of Batavia and City of Batavia Police Department.

Schauf started his law enforcement career in June of 1983 as a Jailor at the Genesee County Jail. He was hired by the City of Batavia Police Department on Jan. 25, 1987, and promoted to Youth Detective on Oct. 20, 2003.

Schauf spent the majority of a career dedicated to the youth of the City. He was an integral part in the creation of several organizations designed to provide support services to the youth of the community.

A luncheon was held at City Hall to honor Schauf ’s 32 years of service and to wish him well in his retirement.

Jeremy J. Barnett, age 27, black male, 5’8” 135 lbs., black hair and brown eyes, LKA Chili Avenue, Upper Apt., Rochester, NY

Wanted for grand larceny, 4^th, bench warrant PL 155.30-1 (E felony) Batavia Town Court DOW 4/29/19

Jessica M. Horton, age 28, white female, 5’5” 130 lbs., brown hair and brown eyes, LKA Telephone Road, Pavilion, NY

Wanted for violation of probation, bench warrant CPL 410.40-1 (felony) Genesee County Court DOW 5/13/19

Isabella S. Lackey, age 25, white femal,e 5’1” 190 lbs., blond hair and blue eyes, LKA Emery Street, Fulton, NY

Wanted for endangering the welfare of a child, bench warrant, PL 260.10-1 (misdemeanor) Darien Town Court DOW 7/31/18

Wanted for bail jumping, 3^rd, arrest warrant PL 215.55 (misdemeanor) Darien Town Court DOW 9/17/18

Kimberly N. White, age 30, white female, 5’1” 110 lbs., black hair and brown eyes, LKA Wyoming Road, Covington, NY

Wanted for aggravated unlicensed operation, 3^rd,  bench warrant VTL 511-1a (misdemeanor) Pavilion Town Court DOW 2/5/19

Wanted for bail jumping, 3^rd, arrest warrant PL 215.55 (misdemeanor) Pavilion Town Court DOW 4/2/19

No photos available:

Taylor M. Miley, age 22, black female, 5’5” 280 lbs., brown hair and brown eyes, LKA Heidt Avenue, Middletown, NY, wanted for harassment, 2^nd, bench warrant PL 240.26-1 (violation) Batavia Town Court DOW 4/11/17, wanted for bail jumping, 3^rd, arrest warrant PL 215.55 (misdemeanor) Batavia Town Court DOW 10/26/17

Peter Carey, age 46, asian male, 5’5” 145 lbs., black hair and brown eyes, LKA 78^th Street, Niagara Falls, NY, wanted for aggravated unlicensed operation, 2^nd, bench warrant VTL 511-2a4 (misdemeanor) Darien Town Court DOW 3/21/19, wanted for bail jumping, 3^rd, degree arrest warrant PL 215.55 (misdemeanor) Darien Town Court DOW 4/29/19

If you are able to assist the Sheriff's Office in locating these people, the Sheriff's Office asks that you do not approach these people and that you call (585) 343-5000 with information that may assist in locating the suspects.

A traffic stop in the City of Batavia last night by police officers working a Neighborhood Enforcement Team detail yielded a cache of drugs and a pair of felony arrests.

Germayne D. Sessions, 25, of Cummings Street, Rochester, is charged with: criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd; criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th; unlawful possession of marijuana; promoting prison contraband, 1st; falsify business records, 1st; criminal impersonation, 2nd; driving without a license; and a license plate violation.

Sessions was allegedly found in possession of crack cocaine and marijuana during the traffic stop. At the jail, he was allegedly found in possession of nine bags of heroin. He is also accused of providing police officers with a false identification.

Shakerra B. Walker, 18, of North Goodman Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd. She was allegedly found in possession of 35 baggies of crack cocaine.

Both Sessions and Walker were jailed without bail.

Participating in the traffic stop, along with Batavia PD, were the Sheriff's Office and members of the Local Drug Task Force.

The U.S. Marshall's Office says a man who is accused of running over his ex-wife multiple times with his truck, seriously injuring her, May 17 could be in the Batavia or Albion area.

Crime Stoppers Buffalo is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of Shane Hescox, a 5-foot, 11-inch, 190-pound white male.

His last known address is 8422 Carol Court, Wheatfield, in Niagara County.

Investigator Brent Novak said Hescox has known ties to Batavia and Albion. 

He also has a violent criminal history, Novak said, and though he's not known to have a weapon, citizens should not try to apprehend him.

Novak said he has several tattoos, including the ones seen on his neck as well as tattoos on his fingers.

Hescox is wanted by the Niagara County Sheriff's Office and the Marshall's Service and is facing a charge of assault in the second degree.

People with information that could lead authorities to locate him should call Crime Stoppers at (716) 867-6161 or call 9-1-1.

The Batavia Muckdogs hosted auditions Thursday for community members to sing the National Anthem at the start of a ballgame sometime this season. In this video, Jessica Beal, of Batavia, auditions and Kerri Schmidt, director of sales and marketing for the Muckdogs, explains a little about the process.

Last year, the Batavia Muckdogs hired Cooper Thomson, trained in Australia, as new head groundskeeper. But visa issues delayed his arrival in Batavia, so he didn't get to work on the field the two months before the season that is ideal for getting it ready for professional ballplayers.

This year, he's back, and he's here early. He said both the players and the fans will be pleased with the field in 2019.

Previously: Muckdogs hire minor league groundskeeper with major league dreams

Thursday was United Way's annual Day of Caring, where people volunteer for various projects around the county.

UMMC's annual Teddy Bear Clinic was Wednesday in Batavia. Here's a video for you (warning: cute kids).

The movie version of the Memphis Belle is based at the Warplane Museum in Geneseo but it often flies to other parts of the country for airshows, like one recently in Virginia. The airfield in Geneseo is grass, so when it returned to Western New York, it landed in Batavia because the field in Geneseo was soggy.

While it was at the Genesee County Aiport, several people asked me to go out to the airport and take pictures of it.  On Tuesday, while driving down East Saile Drive, I thought, I have a little time, I should stop.

Good timing. The pilots showed up while I was setting up my camera for video.  They were there to fly it back to Geneseo. I got a tour of the plane, an interview with Craig Wadsworth, and shots of it departing. 

Other news the past couple of days delayed my efforts to edit the video but here it is.

Mobile app users can tap here to view the video on YouTube.

Press release:

Election law changes have resulted in an earlier Primary Election date. The Primary Election will be held on June 25th. Because of these calendar changes the following deadlines for registering to vote, if eligible, are the following:

May 31, 2019, is the last day to register in person at the Genesee County Board of Elections, which is located on the third floor of County Building #1, 15 Main St., Batavia, for the June 25th Primary Election.

Mail registration forms must be postmarked by May 31, 2019, and received by the Board of Elections no later than June 5, 2019.

Applications for absentee ballots must be postmarked by June 18, 2019. June 24, 2019, is the last day to apply in person at the Board of Elections for a Primary Election ballot. June 25, 2019 (Primary Election Day) is the last day to deliver a local Primary Election ballot in person to the County Board of Elections, by close of polls (9 p.m.). The Primary election will be held from 12 to 9 p.m..

There will be a Primary Election on June 25th in the following jurisdictions;

• City of Batavia for City Court Judge on the Republican, Conservative and Independence line.
• Town of Alexander for Town Clerk on the Republican line.
• Town of Bergen for Town Clerk on the Republican line.
• Town of Bethany for Town Justice on the Republican line.
• Town of Byron for Highway Superintendent on the Conservative line (opportunity to ballot)
• Town of Pembroke Town Justice on the Republican line.

There are no other Primaries in any other jurisdictions. You must be a registered party member to be eligible to vote in any of these local primaries.

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for most of Western New York, including Genesee County, until 2 p.m.

Strong winds that could cause damage are expected with this storm.

The National Weather Service encourages people to be prepared to seek shelter if a thunderstorm approaches.

Winds of 45 mph are possible.

Today's edition of The Batavian Sessions features Delano Steele performing "By My Side."

If you're in a band and would like to be included in The Batavian Sessions, email howard@thebatavian.com.

Batavia City School District

Budget passes 378 to 172.

Two trustees elected: Peter Cecere, 452 votes; and John Marucci, 421.

Le Roy Central School District

• Prop. 1, district budget, passes 338 to 70
• Prop. 2, capital reserve fund, passes 348 to 122
• Prop. 3, transportation policy, passes 360 to 108
• Prop. 4, library budget, passes 368 to 40

Three candidates won school board seats. Denise Duthe and Peter Loftus won three-year terms with 337 and 330 votes each; Christine Dowell wins a two-year term with 295 votes. Write-in votes: Bruno DeFazio, Jeff Gephart, Walter McBurney, Stan Barringer, William S. Jaszcz, Darcy Porter and Bob Dawley.

Tracy Mortorana won a seat on the Woodward Memorial Library Board of Trustees. Stephanie Ball and John Wilson received write-in votes.

Byron-Bergen Central School District

• Prop. 1, district budget, passes 285 to 107
• Prop. 2, bus purchase, passes 293 to 90
• Prop. 4, capital reserve, passes 282 to 103
• Prop. 4, school Vehicle reserve, passes 277 to 106

Three board members elected: Kimberly Carlson, 328 votes, Yvonne Ace-Wagoner, 314, Jennifer VanValkenberg, 331.

Pavilion Central School District

District budget passes 117 votes to 20.

Two candidates elected to the school board, Kevin Stefan, 121 votes; and Becky Dziekan, 117.

Alexander Central School District

• Prop. 1, district budget, passes 136 to 46
• Prop. 2, bus purchases, passes 134 to 49
• Prop. 3, capital reserve fund, passes 128 to 55
• Prop. 4, capital reserve fund, passes 127 to 54
• Prop. 5, school bus reserve fund, passes 129 to 52

Brian Paris is reelected to the school board with 145 votes. There were eight write-in votes.

Elba Central School District 

• Prop. 1, district budget, passes 137 to 30
• Prop. 2, school bus purchase, passes 132 to 34
• Prop. 3, capital projects, passes 132 to 33

Trisha Werth and Michael Zuber were elected to the Board of Trustees. Dean Norton was elected to finish an unexpired term of a board member who resigned.

Oakfield-Alabama Central School District

District budget passes 169 to 25.

Board members elected: Matthew Lamb, with 172 votes; and Justin Staebell, 166.

UPDATED 1:53 p.m.: The results from Pembroke Central School District are listed below.

Pembroke Central School District

Pembroke CSD budget passes 378 to 107.

As darkness fell Tuesday night, members of local law enforcement and volunteer firefighters stood down from a search for Mark Dibble, a 58-year-old Indian Falls man who was last seen at 6 a.m. at his mother's house on Alleghany Road.

Dibble didn't make it into work this morning and nobody apparently had any contact with him after he was seen getting out of his truck wearing work boots and jeans (a shirt description isn't available). Chief Deputy Brian Frieday said Dibble left his wallet and mobile phone in his truck.

The family became concerned when Dibble didn't come home from work and they realized he hadn't been heard from all day.

Before the search began, family members tried locating him by checking with friends and at places he might frequent.

Volunteers from fire departments in Alabama, Indian Falls, Pembroke, East Pembroke, and Darien all responded to the scene along with personnel from the Genesee County Office of Emergency Management. Erie County provided a helicopter to assist in the search and two state troopers used a drone to supplement the aerial reconnaissance. State Police and the DEC also provided K-9s to assist in the search.

Frieday said a decision will be made in the morning about how, when, and where to continue the search in the morning.

UPDATE 8:30 a.m.: The search will resume this morning, according to Chief Deputy Brian Frieday.

Previously: Search and rescue team deployed to find missing man in Indian Falls

Photo of Mark Dibble provided to law enforcement by his family.

On Tuesday, members of Troop A, New York State Police, held their annual Memorial Day Service in remembrance of their colleagues who gave their lives in the line of duty. 

Ryan Davis, a standout with the Alexander Trojan's basketball team, signed a letter of intent yesterday to attend college and play basketball at Division III D'Youville College.

Davis will major in Business Management.

Photo: Tricia Davis, Ryan Davis, Mike Davis, and Alexander Head Coach Wayne Hanley.

Submitted photo and information.

Eli Fish Brewing Company in Downtown Batavia hosted a Farm-to-Pint "Tap Takeover" on behalf of the Buffalo Niagara Brewers Association on Sunday.

By chance and circumstance, I've been spending a lot of time at Eli Fish recently, and it was a Sunday, so I thought I'd have a little fun with the video. I shot the video entirely hand-held (no stabilizer or tripod), with a 50-year-old 50mm lens, so only manual focus, using a shotgun mic I'd never used before. It was, indeed, fun experimentation and practice. And it was a fun event.

For brewers here to check out this video, you might also like to see Episode #2 of Batavia's Best Businesses, Eli Fish Brewing.

Submitted Write-up and photos 

This past weekend hundreds of runners, with a large contingent from Genesee County, took part in the 10th annual Sehgahunda Trail Marathon at Letchworth State Park. 

The course, which is comprised of 26.3 miles, starts at the Mount Morris Dam Visitor Center, and runs along the Finger Lakes Trail, ending in Portageville. There are between 3,000 and 4,000 feet of climbing and has been described as one of the hardest trail marathons on the East Coast. The race is organized by YellowJacket Racing of Rochester. 

The wet spring made this year’s course extremely muddy and much more difficult. Three years ago, the race was extended to a two-day event, with the second day being comprised of an additional 5K, 10K, and 15K. For those who dare to attempt to complete both days and succeed, they complete a grueling 72 kilometers in two days, known as the “Sehgahunda 72."

Miranda Betances (top photo) of Batavia was the first female to cross the finish line on Saturday, completing the Trail Marathon in 4:51:19.

Chad Minuto and Stephen Konieczny, of Batavia, were two of 26 competitors who successfully finished both days of racing, becoming Sehgahunda 72ers. 

Gabriel Abdella, of Batavia, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last year, successfully completed the trail marathon on Saturday in a time of 6:48:43, and also completed the 15K (9.3 miles) on Sunday. Abdella is an Adirondack 46er, and he and his wife, Michelle, recently hiked Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. 

Full results and more information about the race can be found at yellowjacketracing.com.

This photo and one above it, Gabriel Abdella.

Stephen Koneiczny & Chad Minuto

Finishers of Sehgahunda 72