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Two-car accident reported at South Main and River

By Howard B. Owens

A two-car accident with unknown injuries is reported at South Main and River streets in the city.

City fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 7:31 p.m.: There are no injuries.

Field fire with farm equipment in path reported in Byron

By Howard B. Owens

A fast-moving field fire is reported in the area of Byron Holly Road and North Bergen Road, Byron.

There is reportedly fire equipment and a propane tank in the field.

Byron and South Byron dispatched.

Elba requested to the scene. Clarendon requested to the scene.

UPDATE 12:38 p.m.: The propane tank doesn't appear to be in any danger now.

UPDATE 12:59 p.m.: Stafford's brush truck was requested and just arrived at the scene.

UPDATE 1:02 p.m.: Command reports the "fire is under control and out."

UPDATE 1:15 p.m.: Overhauling underway. Mercy rig called to firefighters' rehab area, 6332 Byron Holley Road. One lane of traffic is closed by law enforcement.

UPDATE 2:54 p.m.: The assignment is back in service; all remaining units returning to quarters.

Caller reports cat may have been shot by BB gun

By Howard B. Owens

An animal control officer has been dispatched to Sunrise Parkway in Oakfield, where a caller reports a cat may have been shot by a BB gun.

The caller does not have the cat.

No suspect information available.

UPDATE 11:53 a.m.: The animal control officer has spoken with the caller and provided advice on how to catch the cat. The officer had been unable to catch the cat to determine its injuries, if any.

GCEDC board to consider two projects at meeting Thursday

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The Board of Directors of the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) will consider projects for Freightliner & Western Star of Batavia, LLC, and CH4 Biogas (Genesee Biogas) at its July 14 board meeting.

Freightliner & Western Star of Batavia, LLC, is submitting an application in order to expand its operations, building a second location on State Street Road in the Town of Batavia. The project will include construction of a 30,000-square-foot warehouse and service center. The company will make a capital investment of approximately $4.35 million resulting in 30 full-time employees.

Ch4 Biogas (Genesee Biogas) plans to design, build and operate a biogas plant to support the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park in Batavia, which will convert organic waste produced by agricultural and food processors into renewable energy. The project will include installation of top-of-the-line equipment and technology to help the Finger Lakes Region reach its sustainability goals. The company’s capital investment will total approximately $19.25 million and create six jobs.

The GCEDC Board meeting will take place at 3:30 p.m. and is open to the public. Meetings are held at the Innovation Zone Conference Room at MedTech Centre -- 99 MedTech Drive, Batavia, on the first floor, across from Genesee Community College.

Accident with unknown injuries reported on East Main, Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

A motor-vehicle accident is reported on East Main Street, Batavia, near the McDonald's.

Unknown injuries.

City fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

A first responder says City Fire can respond non-emergency.

UPDATE 9:38 p.m.: Engine 11 clearing the scene. 

UPDATE 9:44 p.m.: Patient being transported to UMMC for evaluation.

Field fire reported on East Main Street Road

By Howard B. Owens

A field fire is reported behind the former Gravel Pit on East Main Street Road, Town of Batavia.

The address is 5191 E. Main Street Road.

That's next property east of the Genesee Valley Ag Park.

Town of Batavia Fire Department responding.

UPDATE 10:02 p.m.: A resident on Haven Lane reported the possible fire. A chief is investigating.

UPDATE 10:03 p.m.: A responder reports, "the fire was visible from north Ag Park Road, leading into Cedar Street."

UPDATE 10:18 p.m.: The location is now given as 5056 E. Main Street Road, the Genesee County Fairgrounds. Stafford's tanker is requested to the scene, non-emergency.

Car vs. pole accident reported in Bryon

By Howard B. Owens

A car has reportedly hit a utility pole at Warboys Road and South Byron Road, Byron.

Unknown injuries.

Byron and South Byron fire departments along with Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 4 p.m.: Southbound traffic being shut down.

Couple marries where they first met -- in Save-A-Lot

By Howard B. Owens

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Tim and Sabrina Walton got married today in the same spot where they first met.

That would be in the produce section of the Save-A-Lot in Batavia.

Then, Tim was an assistant manager and Sabrina was a just-hired cashier.

“He just looked at me," Sabrina said of that first meeting. "He just gave me this look and not long after that he said he would marry me some day.”

Yes, Tim, said, he was smitten, but it was something more than that.

“I’d never seen anybody like her," Tim said. "It was just one of those feelings where you just know.” 

Judge Robert Balbick performed the ceremony.

The idea of getting married in the grocery store started out as a joke, Sabrina said, but Tim credits his father with promoting the idea that they should do a small, inexpensive service.

"He was the one who talked with us about doing something small and instead of spending thousands of dollars on a wedding, we could take that money and put that toward our family and still have it have meaning in what we did," Tim said.

Speaking a family, it's immediately a big one. Sabrina's four children are Dominick, 17, Cody, 14, Tyler, 12 and Emma, 11. Tim's two children are Caylin, 15, and Olivia, 11.

They recently moved into a six-bedroom house in the City of Batavia.

Sabrina now works at a local dental clinic and Tim is manager of the Save-A-Lot in Le Roy.

Tim said his bosses were gracious in the support of the idea.

Sabrina beamed and said, "We did it."

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One arrest reported at Journey concert at Darien Lake

By Howard B. Owens

The following person was arrested by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office during the Journey concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Saturday.

Anthony M. Stanton, 38, of Hayden Street, Buffalo, was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of a quantity of marijuana.

Collins warns against seeking simplistic answers to complex problems during lunch break at the Pok-A-Dot

By Howard B. Owens

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Rep. Chris Collins was in town today for a meeting at the VFW and we caught up with him afterward at the Pok-A-Dot. Collins often stops at the Dot for breakfast, but hadn't tried the Dot's famous beef-on-weck before today*.

We asked Collins for his thoughts on the tragic events of the past week and what Congress might be able to do about events like these.

He said these are complex issues that, unfortunately, too many people want to politicize or try to solve with simplistic suggestions.

"If you’re going to talk about tragedies, the shootings, the murders, what we need to do is come together as a nation, address the root cause of our problems and hope people can come together," Collins said. "That doesn’t mean it's solved overnight, but that’s the direction we go, with a conversation together, identifying root causes, finding the solutions."

Collins, who is supporting Donald Trump for president, doesn't think the present administration is up to the task.

"The biggest problem we have is we have is a president who isn’t interested in that (finding common ground)," Collins said. "He politicizes every tragedy. He tries to make political points out of every tragedy, and in doing so he’s divided our country like it’s never been divided before."

Collins hopes the next administration will do better.

“The next president, whoever that is, has to bring our nation together," Collins said.

As for root causes, there are many, Collins said, such as mental health, terrorism and racism.

"Unfortunately, the country is just not working together," Collins said. "We’re finger pointing. We’re pointing fingers where maybe they don’t belong and very simplistically and very shamefully, suggesting simplistic insulting solutions as if that’s the solution when it’s not. This is tough stuff, whether it’s mental health, whether there are racial issues or not in that police department or not or this individual situation or another. It’s not simplistic, broad-brush stuff. It’s hard work."

CORRECTION: An aide says I'm wrong about the beef-on-weck. All three of us, he said, had a beef-on-weck together on the day of the primary election in 2012 and they've been "hooked" ever since. 

Photos: Local businessman Louis Andolora snaps a picture of Collins to add to his "Cyber Pok-A-Dot" page and then poses for a picture with the congressman.

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Photos: Sixth Annual Jerry 'Rat' Cone Memorial Run

By Howard B. Owens

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More than 100 riders came through Batavia today, with a police escort, as part of the sixth Annual Jerry “Rat” Cone Memorial Run to Benefit Crossroads House.

The ride took them down Main Street, with a turn down a driveway that brought them around the Crossroads House and back onto Liberty Street.

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Former Wiss Hotel awning restored and hung at the Smokin' Eagle

By Howard B. Owens

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The journey for the old awning on the former Wiss Hotel to the Smokin' Eagle was a lot longer than a trip across the street and down the block. It involved a $1 auction purchase, some BOCES students, the chance discovering of a historic photo and a lost cat.

Once the decision was made to tear down the Wiss, the Eagle's co-owner, Jay Beaumont, asked Bob Lathan if the village could save the awning. Beaumont had some vague idea that he might want to install it somewhere on the Eagle building at some point.

Once saved, it was added to the Village's surplus property auction, and with no other buyers, Beaumont was able to purchase it for $1.

Then it sat in the DPW lot for eight months because the awning was in pretty bad shape and Beaumont had no real idea what to do with it or how to restore it. Then through a chance meeting with a BOCES official at his daughter's volleyball game, he found out there was a group of students at BOCES who would love to take on just such a restoration project.

Once those wheels were in motion, Beaumont began to wonder what words once appeared on the awning. There was blank spot for the sign, but no sign.

He called one of the building's former owners, Don Pangrazio, and he had no idea. The next day, Pangrazio saw a post on the website Le Roy Then and Now. It was of the Wiss in the 1930s and included the awning.

The sign read, "Tap Room."

Mystery solved.

And Beaumont acquired a copy of that photo. The photo now hangs on the wall of the Eagle, next to an enlargement of the portion of the hotel with the awning. 

When Beaumont got the enlargement back, he looked it over carefully just to see what he might see, and he saw a sign in the window that read "John Hepps."

About this time, Beaumont's cat went missing. He loves his cat and he was pretty upset. The cat went missing on Father's Day. He had us post about the missing cat on The Batavian and he put up fliers around Le Roy.

On Monday, July 4, still missing his cat, Beaumont went down the Eagle in the morning to hang the pictures. His partner Jon Marcello stopped by and Beaumont said, "hey, look at this," pointing the sign with "John Hepps" on it.

Marcello did a quick Google search and found he had been a contractor in Le Roy.

That evening, Beaumont gets a call from a woman, Rose Marie Betts, who thinks she found Beaumont's lost cat. Beaumont drove over to her house thinking, "this is another false lead."

But it wasn't.

Overjoyed, he took his cat home. She was home. She was safe and she was in good health.

"My couldn’t believe that cat came out of the woods that day," Beaumont said.

Beaumont drove back to Bett's house to give her a reward. She refused the money. He decided, well, maybe he could give her a gift certificate to the Eagle.

He told her he was co-owner of the Smokin' Eagle, "but before I could go any further, she goes, 'My grandfather used to own the Wiss and his name is John Hepps.' I was on a high with the cat, but that took me to the next level. My mouth dropped. I couldn’t believe it."

So Betts and her daughter, Christine, were guests of honor last night at the official unveiling of the restored owning inside the Eagle, which also served as the fourth anniversary of the business and a customer appreciation night.

Top photo: Jon Marcello pulls the string releasing the balloon-filled cover on the Wiss awning for its official unveiling.

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Beaumont, with the mic, speaks after the unveiling.

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Nine arrested reported at Brantley Gilbert concert

By Howard B. Owens

The following people were arrested by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office during the Brantley Gilbert concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Friday

Timothy S. Jankowiak, 36, of Chestnut Street, Franklinville, is charged with third-degree assault after allegedly striking another person and fracturing that person’s nose.

Justin P. Schmid, 19, of Fletcher Road, Akron, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of a quantity of marijuana.

Jacob W. Grier, 18, of Chestnut Street, Medina, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of a quantity of marijuana.

Jamison A. Mandile, 30, of West Elm Street, East Rochester, is charged with second-degree harassment after allegedly punching a security officer in the face with a closed fist.

Jordan M. Bucci, 20, of County Route 26, Parish, is charged with is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of a quantity of marijuana.

A 17-year-old, of Derby Road, Derby, is charged with trespass after allegedly reentering the concert venue after being ejected and told not to return.

Justine Daniels, 24, of McKinstry Street, Albion, is charged with third-degree assault after allegedly striking another person and causing loss of consciousness.

Evan D. Magierski, 26, of Prospect Street, Forrestville, is charged with trespass after allegedly reentering the concert venue after being ejected and told not to return.

James E. Mussaw Jr., 31, of State Road, Webster, is charged with third-degree criminal trespass after allegedly entering the back stage area and then entering the stage.

Structure fire reported at 16 Bank St., Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

There is a report of smoking coming out around the chimney at 16 Bank St., Batavia.

Maintenance crews tried putting it out but were unsuccessful.

City fire dispatched.

UPDATE 10:25 a.m.: Fire is out. Overhauling now.

UPDATE 10:41 a.m.: Code enforcement requested to the scene.

UPDATE 10:42 a.m.: First Platoon requested to headquarters.

Structure fire reported on West Main Street Road at Kelsey Road in abandoned building

By Howard B. Owens

A possible structure fire is reported in an abandoned white building on West Main Street Road at Kelsey Road, Batavia.

There is smoke coming from the roof and through a window.

East Pembroke fire and Town of Batavia fire dispatched.

The fire is going to a second alarm.

UPDATE 10:19 a.m.: It's a BBQ. Town of Batavia response canceled; second alarm canceled.

Pellegrino's thanks Batavia PD for service to the community with a free lunch

By Howard B. Owens

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I was in Guy Pellegrino's office late this afternoon and Guy and I even talked briefly about events in Dallas and he didn't mention this at all, but Batavia PD posted a thank you on their Facebook page: A thank you for a surprise lunch delivery to the police station from Pellegrino Auto Sales and City Church.

On the Pellegrino page, Pellegrino acknowledged the thank you and said, "Thank you Batavia Police Department for all you do!"

Edward M. Gutowski

By Howard B. Owens

Edward M. Gutowski 1934 – 2016 of Cheektowaga, NY, following a short illness and a long life in  service of others.

Loving son of the late Edward H. and Agnes (Pryzbyl) and devoted husband of the late Dorothy (Kowal) Gutowski.

Loving father of his sons, Edward A. (Mary) and Alan J. (Jennifer),daughters, Paula A. (Steve) Noyes and Laura L. (Michael) Russo. Also, seven adoring grandchildren, as well as nephews and nieces. Brother of Donald (Barbara), Patricia (David) Brant and Gerald (Donna).

Retired Service Technician from Sears, Roebuck & Co. after 42 years of dedicated service. Long-time parishioner of St. Francis of Assisi R. C. Church and dedicated past volunteer for Habitat for Humanity (Orleans). Lover of all things God-given: family, nature, music, art and baseball.

Calling hours at C. B. Beach & Son Mortuary, Inc., 4 E. Main St. Corfu, NY, Monday, July 11from 4 to 8 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, 18 West Main St. Corfu, NY, Tuesday, July 12 at 9:30 a.m.

Internment service for family at Evergreen Hill Cemetery Corfu, NY following mass.

Donations can be made to Habitat for Humanity.

Police looking for driver of car believed to have left cats at Batavia MS

By Howard B. Owens

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Batavia PD is asking for the public's assistance in identifying the driver of this car.

The driver is suspected of leaving two cats in a cage in the parking lot of Batavia Middle School on June 18.

The police are investigating the incident as a possible animal cruelty case.

Two black and white cats were left there in the cage on a hot day with no food or water. 

If you have information to share, contact Officer Lindsay at (585) 345-6350

Rollover accident reported in Bergen

By Howard B. Owens

A one-vehicle rollover accident is reported on South Lake Road, Bergen, just north of Creamery Road.

Unknown injuries.

Bergen fire and ambulance dispatched.

UPDATE 9:19 p.m.: Bergen back in service. No word on injuries, if any.

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