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A motor vehicle accident with possible serious injury is reported in the area of 8966 Alleghany Road, Corfu, which is just north of Cohocton Road.

Corfu Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 6:32 p.m.: A second ambulance requested to the scene.

UPDATE 6:36 p.m.: Corfu command asks for a check on the availability of Mercy Flight.

UPDATE 6:38 p.m.: Mercy Flight #8 out of Batavia is available and is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 6:43 p.m.: A landing zone is being established at Route 77 and Cohocton Road.

UPDATE 6:53 p.m.: The patient may be a child.

UPDATE 9 p.m.: According to Corfu Chief Greg Lang, the child suffered a possible back injury and was flown to ECMC by Mercy Flight.  The child's father may have fallen asleep at the wheel.  His Chevy sedan hit a driveway and went airborne, rolling over three or four times. He sustained a head injury and was transported to an area hospital by ground ambulance. There is no other information available at this time.

Given a chance to explain why she thinks Donald Trump didn't commit any crimes in his alleged payment of hush money to a porn star, Rep. Claudia Tenney passed.

Instead, a spokeswoman for Tenney reiterated the congresswoman's attack on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. 

In a press release on Friday, Tenney called Bragg "Soros-backed" -- a controversial phrase that the Anti-Defamation League has characterized as antisemitic because it casts Soros, who is Jewish, as the leader of a conspiracy and a "puppet master."

Meg Deenen, a spokeswoman for Tenney, defended the use of the term based on a $1 million contribution George Soros made to Color of Change PAC, which backed Bragg in his Democratic primary campaign for District Attorney.

News broke Friday that the former president was indicted by a New York Grand Jury for allegedly paying $130,000 in hush money to Stormy Daniels, a former adult film actress whom Trump was reportedly involved with, though Trump has denied an affair.  If the payment was made and was intended to help his 2016 presidential campaign, it violated campaign finance laws.

Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, has already been convicted and served a prison term on similar charges, and may be a witness against Trump in the case.  Cohen has claimed he was working at Trump's direction in making the alleged payment.  

A Grand Jury was investigating similar charges against Trump when Bragg took office in 2022. Bragg was reportedly dissatisfied with the strength of the case at that time, and two prosecutors in his office resigned over the disagreement. Bragg reopened the investigation after members of the Trump organization were convicted on tax fraud charges.

Trump's attorneys have reportedly confirmed the pending indictment against the former president, but it has not yet been unsealed, and we don't know what specific charges it might contain.

Tenney called the indictment a "witch hunt" and "a political persecution with purely malicious intent" in a press release, but offered no facts or evidence to support her claim.

She also attacked Bragg for allowing "violent criminals to walk the streets, downgrading 52 felony charges to misdemeanors."

Bragg is one of a cadre of District Attorneys in large cities across the nation pushing progressive reforms in criminal prosecutions. Critics of such policies -- including Tenney -- say crime is increasing in these cities.  Progressive policies likely cost Chesa Boudin, the district attorney in San Francisco, one of the most progressive cities in the U.S., his job. He became hugely unpopular, characterized as "soft on crime," and was ousted in a recall election.

Bragg made headlines when he took office with his "Day One" memo in which he said the prosecution of low-level offenders, including low-level felonies, was clogging an already overburdened court system.  He asked prosecutors to concentrate on violent crimes. 

According to at least one poll, Bragg's policies are not going over well with New York City residents. The conservative editorial board of the New York Post has attacked Bragg's policies.

But when asked why Tenney believes Bragg's policies, which she attacked, are related to the potential prosecution of Trump, Tenney did not respond.

The Batavian contacted Tenney's staff after receiving the press release Friday because of the "Soros-backed" phrase in its first sentence.  The tendency in some circles to paint Soros as the source of evil is widely considered to be antisemitic. 

The ADL states:

Even if no antisemitic insinuation is intended, casting a Jewish individual as a puppet master who manipulates national events for malign purposes has the effect of mainstreaming antisemitic tropes and giving support, however unwitting, to bona fide antisemites and extremists who disseminate these ideas knowingly and with malice.

The Batavian asked Tenney's office, "Is it Rep. Tenney's intention to perpetuate an antisemitic stereotype by saying Alvin Bragg is 'Soros-backed'?' and if she thought Bragg was prosecuting Trump in order to do the bidding of Soros?

Deneen responded, "It is ludicrous to suggest that stating who George Soros’s donations have supported and criticizing his pro-crime policies is anti-Semitic. The accusation is completely preposterous and, frankly, wildly inappropriate."

The Batavian asked multiple questions in its email, not just about the "Soros-backed" statement, but for the evidence Tenney believes exists that would exonerate Trump. What evidence does she have in her possession, that gives her confidence the Grand Jury is less than impartial and acting with Bragg to pursue a political prosecution?  We then followed up with similar questions, after receiving the response above, and noted that to whatever degree Soros might be involved with Bragg, it seems irrelevant to the prosecution of Trump unless Tenney has evidence or facts to back up the assertion.

Neither Tenney nor Deneen responded to the additional questions.

The "Soros-backed" trope appears to be a GOP talking point in defense of Trump, and Soros responded to it, stating, "As for Alvin Bragg, as a matter of fact, I did not contribute to his campaign, and I don’t know him."

Writing for the Spectator, Oliver Wiseman said the GOP may be side-stepping the charges against Trump with the phrase "Soros-backed," but it isn't completely without relevance.

"There’s nothing far-fetched or conspiratorial about calling Bragg Soros-backed. Soros gave $1 million to the Color of Change PAC, which backed Bragg’s election. Soros’s son, Jonathan, gave directly to Bragg, as did his wife. And Soros has been a vocal supporter of progressive prosecutors like Bragg around the country. It may be a deflection for Republicans to talk about Bragg’s ties to Soros, but it doesn’t mean they don’t exist."

Here is the full press release from Friday:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today released the following statement in response to the indictment of former President Donald Trump: 

"Soros-backed District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s witch-hunt targeting President Donald Trump is a political persecution with purely malicious intent,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “Bragg has repeatedly allowed violent criminals to walk the streets, downgrading 52% of felony charges to misdemeanors. Yet now he has decided to spend precious taxpayer dollars and resources on this outrageous case against Donald Trump, and only after he announced he was running for president. Every American should be concerned about this gross abuse of power and the politicized two-tiered system of justice we now have in America. I once again call on Governor Kathy Hochul to act. Uphold the rule of law and remove Alvin Bragg from office for, among other things, his failure to enforce the law and his blatant politicization of the criminal justice system. ” 

Photo: File photo of Claudia Tenney by Howard Owens.

A pedestrian has been struck by a vehicle in the area of 370 West Main St,, Batavia.

A first responder reports the patient is conscious and alert.

City Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

Southbound traffic is blocked at Union and West Avenue. 

A shed fire with smoke and flames showing is reported at 10950 Bowen Road, Alexander.

Alexander Fire, Darien Fire, and Attica Fire dispatched.

In 2018, Le Roy started phasing out the traditional ranking of top students based on GPA, instituting instead a system that would also take into account challenging coursework.

A senior could no longer skate by on easy electives or study hall to preserve a high GPA.  In the new system, students would need to acquire points in Advance Placement classes, for example, to achieve Summa Cum Laude.

High School Principal David Russell, who was hired after the 2018 revisions, introduced modifications to the Laude System to the Board of Education at its last meeting that would further encourage students to aim for high achievement instead of competing with classmates.

"We want to push students to make sure they're pushing themselves," Russell said.

The proposed revisions would be based on the total number of credits a student takes and a cumulative GPA.  Each course would be valued the same as the number of credits the course is worth on a transcript. Students taking AP courses and CTE courses that have college credit would continue to receive an additional five points added to their average for that course. 

The maximum possible score would be 36 total credits with a 100 GPA. To achieve Summa Cum Laude, a student would need at least 32 credits and a 95 GPA.  Magna Cum Laude would be 30 credits and a 90 GPA.  Cum Laude would be 28 total credits and an 85 GPA.

Cum Laude is Latin for "with distinction."  Magna Cum Laude means "with great distinction," and Summa Cum Laude means "with highest distinction."

The Class of 2023 will be the last class to graduate under the Top 10 system.  The classes of 2024, 2025 and 2026 are under the Laude system but will be eligible to move up to a higher Laude if they qualify for a higher Laude under the proposed revisions. If the revisions are approved, the Class of 2027 would be the first class to graduate under this new Laude system.

The goal of the Laude system is to give every student who makes the effort, regardless of life or career goals -- whether in a STEM field, the arts, or athletics -- to graduate with a Laude distinction.  Every pathway, Russell explained, gives students who work hard to achieve distinction for the effort.

"One of our fundamental pillars as a public school is to create opportunities for whatever pathway students take on, we're helping prepare them for whatever future they want to go into," Russell said.

The Laude system, Superintendent Merritt Holly noted, is the antidote for "senioritis."

"When we look at the class rank, what we're in right now, that one ends at the end of the first semester," Holly said. "So in January, the Top 10 is really set and done at that point. One of the things you'll hear from the committee and our teachers always is 'senioritis' sets in. As Dave mentioned, what I like about this is it can run all the way up to the end of the school year."

The class rank system does require some hand calculation, Holly said, which is why the class rank is set after the first system.  And Russell noted that the class rank is made public, which encourages students to compete against each other.

In the Laude system, only the student, his or her parents, and school counselors will know if a student is headed toward a Laude tier.  There is no competition.

"That (competition) can really be unhealthy at times," Russell said.

The rank system also produces the graduation speakers -- the valedictorian and salutatorian.  In the new system, students can nominate themselves or others to speak at graduation.  School administrators will review those nominations to ensure those truly worthy of speaking will be given the opportunity to be selected as class speakers in a vote of their peers.

The Board of Education will vote at its April 11 meeting on whether or not to accept the proposed revisions.

Photo: Principal David Russell. Photo by Howard Owens.

By policy, every student in the Le Roy Central School District has an opportunity to be served a lunch or breakfast every school day that is healthy and meets established nutritional guidelines.

If they can't pay for it, there's no shame.

These two policies sometimes contradict each other. In circumstances where a child isn't eligible for a free or reduced-price meal but doesn't have any money -- even if they haven't paid for previous meals -- they get served if they step into the meal line.  No staff member is allowed to remind a student of past-due bills.  That's the district's "no shaming" policy.

However, the district is now in the red on unpaid meal bills this school year to the tune of $2,751.58, Superintendent Merritt Holly informed the Board of Education at this past week's meeting.

Currently, staff members are contacting families with unpaid bills.  If a family reports back, "geez, we're really going through a rough time right now," the parents are encouraged to apply for the free or reduced-priced meal program.

"Many times, family situations change," Holly said. "Our job is to help families and bring them in through it."

There are families who aren't paying the bill but don't qualify for the program, so they're expected to pay their past bills. 

"Right now, there's no conversation or take anybody in small claims court are doing those type of things," Holly said. "We're trying to generate, 'Hey, are you aware?' Then if we can, we will work out a payment plan for those families. Sometimes, they're not aware that their child has racked up that bill."

If a parent or guardian doesn't want to keep running up the tab, they can inform the school in writing not to serve a meal to their children.

Even for students not getting free or reduced-priced meals, breakfast and lunch in the cafeterias on each campus are inexpensive. 

At the elementary school, breakfast is $1.70.  At the middle/high school, it is $1.75.  Lunch is $2.25 to $2.40.

Holly said the district tries to be as nice as it can be about approaching parents with bills for unpaid meals, but even so, they've had at least one parent indicate she was offended by the debit letter.

The district has been helped at times by community members making donations to pay meal balances for families, Holly said.

The current no-shaming policy was approved by the Board of Education in 2022 and prohibits students from being stigmatized while in line to get a meal, and students can't be required to wear wristbands, hand stamps or other identification to indicate they have an unpaid meal bill. 

Parents are supposed to be notified when a student has reached five unpaid meals and informed they can apply for the free or reduced-price meal program.

Any student from a home receiving government food assistance or aid for needy families automatically qualifies for the free or reduced-price program.  Other families may qualify but must submit an application and be approved by the district.

The district also has a policy that states, "The Le Roy Central School District wishes to establish a school environment that promotes wellness awareness and is conducive to healthy eating and physical activity for all." The policy is aligned with state and federal guidelines.

It was sun, sand and crashing waves in Batavia Downs' Park Place Event Center on Saturday night, where the Beach Party Boys, a tribute band honoring the legacy of the quintessential Southern California surf band, The Beach Boys, put on a rocking show.

 The Beach Party Boys ran through all the Beach Boys' biggest hits for a near-capacity crowd.

Previously: 'Good Vibrations' expected at Batavia Downs on Saturday with Beach Party Boys in concert

Photos by Howard Owens

The Batavian was awarded first place for Best Online Breaking News coverage on Saturday by the New York Press Association for its coverage of Winter Storm Elliott.

The stories of the storm that led to the award were written by Howard Owens and Joanne Beck.

The primary stories considered for the award were: 

• Alabama has its own Christmas story to tell, and stranded travelers aren't 'home alone'
• A community of emergency response assists those in need during storm
• County's smallest department kept travelers fed, warm, and safe during Winter Storm Elliott
• Coverage of Winter Storm Elliott: Friday and Saturday
• Generosity of time, goods and hospitality appreciated, municipal costs to be submitted for federal aid
• Stranded travelers offered a warm home and holiday hospitality by Oakfield couple
• UPDATED: Strong Winds bringing trees down, knocking out power throughout Genesee County 

Second place in the Online Breaking News category went to the Albany Times Union for a deputy-involved shootout, and third place went to the Queens Chronicle for Winter Storm Elliott coverage.

To see all of The Batavian's coverage of Winter Storm Elliott and its aftermath, click here.

The Easter Bunny, an easter egg hunt, and a buffet breakfast -- Easter was celebrated today at Batavia First Presbyterian Church.

Photos by Howard Owens.

The David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena was full of racing fans and the roar of engines on Friday night for Xtreme Ice Racing night, sponsored by the Batavia Muckdogs and CanUSA.

Muckdogs/CanUSA owner Robbie Nichols said as many as 200 more people wanted to attend but tickets were sold out by Friday morning. He said there may be two nights of racing next year so more people can enjoy the event.

Photos by Howard Owens

Oakfield-Alabama held a fundraiser for cancer research at Roswell Cancer Institute in Buffalo with its Bald for Bucks event in the high gym on Friday.

Top photo: Colton Ketchum, talking with Zach Watts from My Cut Barbershop in Batavia, was the first batter up to get his impressive curly red locks shaved off, which he said he did so he and a friend could participate together. 

The My Cut crew focusing on Colton includes Ray Williams, Connor Hyde-Hamilton, and Victor Thomas (in back).

This is the first time Oakfield-Alabama hosted the event since 2018.

Besides the crew from My Cut, barbers from Canzoneri’s and stylists from Jagged Edges participated in the event.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Gavin Snyder raised the most money, $1,050, among all the students who participated.

Jackson Burndett

D.J. Anthony, from Buffalo, kept the crowded lively during the event.

Alaina Williams gets sparkle strands in her hair from a stylist with Jagged Edges.

A program at the WNY Tech Academy, housed in Byron-Bergen High School, is called Einstein Days, but the relative focus of the program isn't on mass and energy. It's on how to get ahead in the business world.

"Many of our pathways have a business focus," said Catherine Bennett, principal of the academy. "Among our pathways are marketing and social media, accounting, and entrepreneurship. One of the things that we like to do here is, we like students to participate in developing the skills that they're learning in those pathways. This is a kind of marketing and social media twist, but they're all participating no matter what their pathway."

Einstein Days are held twice a month at the school, and today's program asked students to work in teams to develop a sales pitch to a group of judges on a plan to best market the tech academy to students in area schools.

The students have to come up with a plan, build a visual presentation, and select speakers to make the pitch.  A professor from Genesee Community College coached them on public speaking.

"They researched everything there is that was available to them about the Tech Academy, their own experiences about how they were recruited," Bennett said. "Every team formulated a different idea."

The team in the photos is comprised of Dave Tetrault from Cal-Mum, Kendra Sanders from Batavia, Cameron Caroccio from Geneseo, Benjamin Taromind from Avon, and Jeremiah Cicatelli from Byron-Bergen.

"What I want them to get out of this is developing skills, confidence, public speaking, teamwork, collaboration, all the things that will make them valuable workers," said Bennett.

The Basom resident passed away unexpectedly on March 21 at age 38. He had three children.  He was a baseball coach, dog trainer, volunteer firefighter and emergency dispatcher.

The Oakfield-Alabama Little League is holding a prize raffle with a grand prize of a lifetime NYS Hunting and Fishing license or $500 cash.  Other prizes include an autographed Thurman Thomas Football, free pizza, cornhole boards and membership in the Oakfield Rod and Gun Club.  Tickets are $20 with the drawing to be held May 27 at the Alabama Hotel. To contact the league, click here. There are tickets available at Elba Central School, the Alabama Hotel, from board members, and the board meets at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at The Goose.

A charity basketball game, with all proceeds benefiting the Merkel family, is set for April 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Oakfield-Alabama High School.  The game will be played between the O-A faculty and deputy sheriffs. Tickets are $2 for students and $3 for adults.

A GoFundMe campaign has reached its target goal of $30,000 and is still accepting donations.

To read Andrew Merkel's obituary, click here.

Merkel was laid to rest on Monday. 

The top photo below is from the Sheriff's Office. The other photos are reader-submitted.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, C - Batavia) joined fellow legislators today in the presentation of new school safety proposals they hope to implement statewide. Following a statewide tour with input from several education professionals, mental health professionals, parents, law enforcement officials and the public, the Assembly Minority Task Force on School Safety & Security is offering changes to increase law enforcement’s presence in schools, better address mental health in schools and harden infrastructure at schools.

“We’ve seen too often, both in this state and nationwide, that our children are the primary victims of school attacks, yet we haven’t had a comprehensive response plan until now,” Hawley said. “My colleagues in the task force have done extensive research and collaborated with dozens of professionals across multiple disciplines to help find ways to fill in the cracks and look after our children better, and their proposals are all entrancing. I am fully committed to investigating and implementing these proposals to ensure our kids are safe as they do their work.”

Hawley himself is also pushing his legislation (A.2023), which will help recruit more retired experienced law enforcement officers to serve as school resource officers by increasing the outside income cap from $30,000 to $50,000. To combat the cost of employing these officers, a high percentage of it will be eligible for reimbursement by the state.

“New York’s children are amazing, achieving trailblazers. They deserve all the opportunities to succeed in a safe and protected environment. We can provide that to them here and now,” Hawley concluded. The Assemblyman’s further comments can be viewed here.

A house fire is reported at 3134 Lockport Road, Oakfield.

Smoke and flames showing.

Oakfield Fire with mutual aid from Elba Fire responding.

UPDATE 3:56 p.m.: Town of Batavia's Ladder 22 requested to the scene.

UPDATE 4:33 p.m. by  Joanne Beck: A quick response from Oakfield fire helped contain the small fire to the exterior of the house. The origin of the fire may have been a chimney. Response came from Oakfield and Elba fire departments. Both are clearing the scene, and Batavia ladder 22 was canceled before it arrived on scene.

Photo by Howard Owens.

Kyle J. Schroeder, 26, of Clinton Street Road, Batavia, was arrested on four bench warrants issued by Batavia City Court on March 22 by Officer Wesley Rissinger. The bench warrants stem from four separate incidents.  Schroeder is accused of entering a residence on April 23 on Liberty Street, Batavia, and stealing a pack of cigarettes. He was arrested on April 24 and issued an appearance ticket. Schroeder was arrested on April 29 and accused of driving while under the influence of drugs and of criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. He was arraigned in City Court and released. Schroeder was arrested on Aug. 25 after patrols were dispatched to the rear of a business on East Main Street to check a report of a man "tweaking out."  After being identified, Schroeder was arrested on bench warrants for alleged failure to appear. He was also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th after allegedly being found in possession of crack pipes and baggies. He was arraigned in City Court and released. Schroeder was arrested on Oct. 20 on a charge of criminal mischief while at court on another matter. Schroeder allegedly kicked and damaged an electrical lock box on the exterior of a business on Jackson Street so he could charge a mobile phone.  He was arraigned and released under supervision. On Jan. 28, Schroeder was arrested on multiple warrants related to the previous arrests.  Following his arrest on March 22, Schroeder was arraigned in Centralized Arraignment Court. His release status is unknown.

Christine M. Caplis, 42, of Clinton Street Roa, Batavia, is accused of failure to appear and was arrested on a bench warrant on March 23 by Officer Sam Freeman. Caplis was arrested after Freeman spotted her walking on Summit Street in Batavia. She is accused of failure to pay for services at a local restaurant on Nov. 5., 2021. She was arrested on six subsequent bench warrants related to the original charge. Arrest dates: Dec. 28, 2021, June 26, 2022, Aug. 13, 2022, Sept. 18, 2022, Oct. 7, 2022, and Feb. 18, 2023. Following her arrest on March 23, Caplis was arraigned in Centralized Arraignment Court, and her release status is unknown.

Marquis K. Saddler, 32, of Post Avenue, Rochester, is charged with tampering with evidence, criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd, criminal possession of a controlled substance 4th, failing to yield to an emergency vehicle and illegal turn signal. Saddler is accused of throwing a narcotic out of the driver's side window during a traffic stop on March 13 at an unspecified time on Naramore Drive. Saddler was arraigned in Centralized Arraignment Court and held in the Genesee County Jail.

Alexander C. Schwartz, 27, of Harwin Drive, Rochester, was arrested on a bench warrant for failing to appear and is charged with bail jumping 3rd. Officer Kevin Defelice arrest Schwartz on March 22. Schwartz was transported from the Niagara County Jail to Batavia City Court, where he was arraigned and remanded to the Genesee County Jail in lieu of bail.  Schwartz was first arrested on Nov. 13 and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation 1st and speeding.

Jamie L. Broadbent, 40, of W Main Street, Batavia, was arrested on a bench warrant. Broadbent is accused of failure to appear on a grand larceny 4th charge. She was arrested Sept. 10 for allegedly stealing an electric bicycle. She was issued an appearance ticket and is accused of failing to appear as ordered to answer to the charge. She was arrested on the warrant by Office Megan Crossett on March 21.

James A. Reinhardt, 54, of South Lake Road, Corfu, is charged with aggravated DWI, failure to keep right, moving from lane unsafely, and failing to use designated lane. Reinhardt was stopped at 2:22 a.m. on March 18 on West Main Street, Batavia, by Officer John Gombos. Reinhardt was issued an appearance ticket.

Joanne M. Robbins-Lockwood, 55, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI and operating with no headlights. Robbins-Lockwood was stopped at 9:20 p.m. on March 17 on Ross Street, Batavia, by Officer John Gombos. She was issued an appearance ticket and released.

Johnney L. Shannon, 64, of Creek Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled 7th. Shannon was stopped on Washington Avenue on March 19 by Officer John Gombos. Gombos requested the assistance of Officer Stephen Quider and K-9 Batu. Shannon was allegedly found in possession of several bags of narcotics inside the vehicle. Also arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled 7th was Loretta L. Baer, 51, of Wood Street, Batavia. Both were released on appearance tickets.

Haley M. Larnder, 23, of River Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled 7th. While arresting Larnder on a bench warrant, Officer Wesley Rissinger allegedly found Larnder in possession of a narcotic. Larnder was issued an appearance ticket and turned over to the Sheriff's Office on the warrant.

Michael S. Veihdeffer, 50, of South Royal Parkway, Lockport, is charged with DWI and equipment violations. Veihdeffer was stopped at 1:45 a.m. on March 19 on West Main Street Road by Officer Joseph Weglarski. He was issued an appearance ticket and released to a third party.

Curtis Middlebrooks, Jr., 33, of Bloomingdale Road, Alabama, is charged with harassment 2nd. Middlebrooks was arrested by Deputy Jonathan Dimming in connection with an incident reported at 6:55 p.m., March 18, on Bloomingdale Road, Alabama. No information was released on the nature of the incident. He was arraigned in Centralized Arraignment Court and released on his own recognizance.

Brian Carl Valyear, 18, of Alexander Road, Alexander, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Valyear was arrested at 12:27 a.m., March 18, on Alexander Road, by Deputy Trevor Sherwood after Sherwood was dispatched to investigate a report of a vehicle blocking the roadway.  Valyear was released on an appearance ticket.

Jason Howard Freeman, 41, of South Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Freeman is accused of possessing narcotics when he was taken into custody on an unrelated charge on Nov. 2 on West Main Street, Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Weldon Jarreau Ervin, 31, is charged with assault 34d and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Ervin is accused of recklessly causing an injury to another person during a disturbance reported at 8:30 a.m., March 26, at a location on Alleghany Road, Pembroke. He also allegedly took the vehicle of another person without permission.  He was ordered to appear at a later date in Town of Pembroke Court.

Jason S. Hall, 33, of Medina, and Terry L. Depoty, 34, of Albion, are both charged with grand larceny 4th and criminal possession of stolen property 4th.  Hall and Depoty were arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported in the Town of Batavia at 11:20 a.m., March 29.  Hall was released on an appearance ticket and Depoty was ordered held in jail. The State Police did not release more information on the arrests.

Michael J. Mess, 30, of Alexander, is charged with grand larceny 3rd and insurance fraud. Mess was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 9:30 a.m. on March 15. He was released on his own recognizance. The State Police did not release any further information.

A 30-year-old Batavia woman agreed to a plea deal this week stemming from welfare fraud-related chages.

Chandah Sundown entered a guilty plea in Batavia Town Court to one count of disorderly conduct.

The plea satisfies her arrest previously on charges of filing a false instrument in the first degree, 11 counts, and one count of grand larceny in the third degree

She was arrested for failing to report that the father of her children was also residing in their home and earning an income. 

Sundown was given a one-year conditional discharge and has made full restitution of $8,353.

The Genesee County Department of Social Services asks that anyone suspecting welfare fraud can report it by calling (585) 344-2580, ext. 6417 or 6547.  All calls are confidential.

Amelia McCulley's dominance on the basketball court is certainly part of the reason she will enter William Smith this fall, but it is her academics that won her scholarships to the liberal arts school in Geneva.

McCulley signed a letter of intent on Wednesday to play basketball for the Herons.

In her senior season at Notre Dame, McCulley led Section V Girls Basketball with 88 three-point shots, which is the second most all-time in the section.  She was fourth in points per game with 24.4 and fifth in steals with 104.

In her career at Notre Dame, McCulley scored 1,449 points, which is the second-highest total in school history in Girls Basketball.

Photo: McCulley after signing the letter with her mother, Amanda, and her father, Tom McCulley (also Notre Dame's head basketball coach for the girl's team). Back row, Athletic Director Mike Rapone, brother Matthew McCulley, and John McCulley, her uncle and AAU coach.  Photo by Howard Owens.

Beth Ann Jeffers is indicted on two counts of promoting prison contraband in the first degree, a Class D felony, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, a Class B felony, one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 4th degree, a Class C felony, and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Jeffers is accused of introducing or being in possession of dangerous contraband while in a criminal detention facility, namely the Genesee County Jail at 14 West Main St., Batavia. She is accused of being in possession of cocaine, Fentanyl, both with the intent to sell it. She is also accused of being in possession of Pregabalin.

Some business owners would look at the destruction of a fire ripping through their store and be ready to throw in the towel, but not Brandon Lewis.

Three days after flames erupted in his building, the owner of The Firing Pin on Buffalo Road in Bergen is already looking forward.  He's going to rebuild.

When a reporter quipped, "you can build back better," Brandon said, "absolutely."

He was pretty young when he opened The Firing Pin in 2013, and though he had worked in the industry, this was the first firing range and gun shop he owned.  Now he's got some experience as he contemplates a fresh start.

"Not that I have all the answers, but I've got at least 10 years' worth of more answers," Lewis said.

The fire was spotted just before 5 p.m. on Friday. A customer noticed some smoke coming from a backstop in the firing range and alerted an employee.  Some employees tried attacking the hot spot with fire extinguishers but quickly realized the effort was futile, so they dialed 9-1-1 and evacuated the building.

Everybody got out of the firing range and retail shop safely.

Once the rubber in the range got going, Lewis said, it was an extremely difficult fire to put out.  Firefighters battled until about 9 p.m.

"I can't thank the Bergen volunteers enough," Lewis said. "I mean, they're incredible. They came, and that's the only reason there's anything here to look at now."

The walls are still standing, but Lewis said professionals will need to evaluate how much of the building, which contains a lot of wood construction, can be saved.

"The important thing is the concrete looks salvageable," Lewis said. "The electrical infrastructure, the plumbing, the septic system, all that is some of the most expensive parts of the building, and that all looks saveable."

The fire got into the rafters and spread across the building, so the store sustained a good deal of smoke and water damage.

All of the firearms in the store were safely retrieved.

"They're at a secure off-site storage location right now under armed guard," Lewis said. "A lot of the ammunition was saved. Luckily, the fire didn't get anywhere close to where the ammunition was stored."

The business is open on a limited basis, Lewis said, particularly for customers who purchased firearms and were waiting on registration with the Clerk's Office before picking them up.

Lewis already has a tentative meeting set up with the town's planning board.  He's also working on trucking a portable firing range up from North Carolina so he can provide range service for his customers during the rebuild.  He had been planning an expansion anyway, acquiring a couple of neighboring acres and including a possible indoor/outdoor firing range.  He said he will talk about sound and safety issues with the town with a possible outdoor firing range in place during the rebuild.

There's also the annual freedom festival in June. That, he said, will go on as planned even if it means setting up 20 tents.

The planned After Hours event with the Chamber of Commerce, scheduled for April, may need to be rescheduled, he said.

While Lewis expects insurance to cover all of the property losses, that doesn't replace any lost business in the coming months.  He said he isn't worried about it.

"We're gonna be okay," Lewis said. "I just have so much faith in this community and not just Genesee County, but like the gun community and not just the community in general, but all of Western New York. We've got an amazing customer base behind us. And I know they'll be there to support us."

He said members who stay current on their dues or sign up for new memberships will get their names memorialized in some way, such as a plaque, in the rebuilt business.

Information about membership can be found at nytfp.com.

The mother of one of his employees set up a GoFundMe page to help assist, and Lewis said he's grateful for the support.

"I'm too modest, I guess. I don't feel right setting that up myself, but someone else felt like it was necessary, and I'm forever grateful to them," Lewis said. "But I'm putting it out there now, so you know, for anybody who donates, we're gonna donate half of that money, whatever is raised, to the Bergen Fire Department because, like I said, we'd be looking at just a pile of rubble completely if it wasn't for them and all those volunteers. It was amazing. I always knew I had a lot of customers that were firemen, but I saw it on Friday. I saw how many of my customers showed up in turn-out gear to save this place. It was touching."

Photos by Howard Owens.