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Accident with injuries reported on the Thruway in Le Roy
A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported on the Thruway in the westbound lane in the area of mile marker 382.5.
Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance initially dispatched.
A Le Roy chief on scene reports three patients, all still in the vehicle.
Bergen dispatched mutual aid with extrication equipment.
UPDATE 11:14 a.m.: Mercy Flight requested to the scene.
UPDATE 11:16 a.m.: Mercy Flight out of Batavia is unavailable. Mercy Flight out of Buffalo is 20 minutes away. A chief says, "too far away." Mercy Flight is canceled.
UPDATE 11:18 a.m.: Patients have been extricated.
UPDATE 11:29 a.m.: A third ambulance requested to the scene, emergency mode.
No serious injuries after bicyclist struck on Main Street, Batavia
A bicyclist suffered minor injuries about 1:30 p.m. today after being struck by a pickup truck at the intersection of Main and Bank streets, Batavia.
The rider had a complaint of ankle pain and was transported to UMMC for evaluation.
Photo: Courtesy our news partner, WBTA.
Batavia woman, 19, killed in accident on Pearl Street Road
A 19-year-old Batavia woman died this morning after her 2004 Dodge Neon struck a tractor-trailer on Pearl Street Road at Wilkinson Road, Batavia.
Tori Nigro was pronounced dead at the scene by Coroner Karen Lang.
Investigators believe Nigro, who was northbound on Wilkinson Road, failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection.
Her car struck the truck's passenger-side wheels. Her vehicle came to rest in the eastbound lane of Route 33 and the truck came to a controlled stop just east of the intersection.
No charges have been filed.
An investigation by the Crash Management Team is ongoing. Assisting in the investigation are Deputies Kevin McCarthy, Andrew Hale, Eric Andre, and Investigator Chris Parker.
Assisting at the scene were the East Pembroke Fire Department, Corfu fire, Town of Batavia fire, and the Fire Coordinator's Office.
Car, deer accident, with hunter firing shots, reported on Galloway Road
An accident with injuries and possible shots fired reported on Galloway Road, between Downey Road and Kelsey Road, Batavia.
The report is that a driver swerved to miss a deer and a hunter fired at the deer.
Town of Batavia fire dispatched but to stage at Fire Hall.
Mercy EMS dispatched.
Deputies are responding.
UPDATE 11:05 a.m.: Per a deputy on scene, Town of Batavia fire assignment is back in service.
UPDATE 4:06 p.m.: Per the Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble, reports of hunters firing rounds in the area were not substantiated. Initial investigation indicates a driver was eastbound on Galloway Road when two deer ran in front of the vehicle from the north, causing the driver to swerve. The driver struck a fire hydrant, shearing it off, in the area of 3321 Galloway. There were no injuries.
Law and Order: Employee accused of stealing drugs from UMMC
Janet L. Gatley, 48, of Niagara Falls Boulevard, North Tonawanda, is charged with falsifying business records, 1st, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, petit larceny, and violation of public health. Gatley is accused of stealing numerous controlled substances from UMMC, where she was employed. The alleged thefts were investigated by Batavia PD and the State Attorney General's Office.
Jordan J. Schunk, 18, of Alexander Road, of Alexander, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Schunk was allegedly found in possession of marijuana while in DeWitt Recreation Area after hours, at 8:58 p.m. Monday.
Jammie Lee Brown, 26, of Gates-Greece Townline Road, Rochester, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Brown is accused of grabbing and pushing another person while at a gas station on Route 19, Town of Le Roy, at 4:31 p.m. Thursday. Brown was jailed on $250 bail.
Kenneth Carl Niles, 26, of Route 88 North, Newark, is charged with petit larceny. Niles is accused of shoplifting from Walmart. Also charged, Scott James Gunkel, 38, of North Main Street, Newark.
Collin Wickings, 24, of Bergen, is charged with first-degree sex abuse. Wickings is accused of sexual contact with a child less than 11 years old. Wickings was arrested as a result of an investigation by State Police. No further information released. The investigation is pending.
Large pizzas lead to large donation to Genesee Cancer Assistance
Today, Vic Marchese, owner of Main St. Pizza Company, presented a $3,309 donation to Genesee Cancer Assistance. The funds were raised in October through the sale of large pizzas -- delivered in a pink pizza box -- with $1 from each large pizza sold going to the charity.
Pictured, Fred Hamilton, Lori Kurek, Sue Underwood, Nickie Fazio, and Vic Marchese.
BHS Drama Club preparing to perform 'Sally Cotter'
Batavia High School's Drama Club performs "Sally Cotter and the Censored Stone," a parody by Dean O'Carroll, next weekend.
Showtimes are 7:30 p.m., Dec. 1 and 2, and 2 p.m. on Dec. 3.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at the door.
The cast:
- Sally Cotter, Eryn Dunn
- Sally's Mother, Tanner Kolb
- Reubenon Ryebread, Cameron Bontrager
- 1st Censor, Madeline Keenan
- 2nd Censor, Alicia Scroger
- Dave, Pierce Corbelli
- Harmonica, Elise Hoerbelt
- Ursa Malaise, Parise Ricks
- Ed Molar, James Weatherbee
- Professor Athena McDonaldsa, Tanner Kolb
- Professor Shiftia Shape, Aubrey Towner
- Professor Albatross Underdrawers, Evan Bellavia
- Aaron A. Ardvarkovich, Gavin Tucker
- Shea'mon Canavan, AT Thatcher
- Navel Longfellow, Samuel Rigerman
- Polly Pixie, Emily Kilner
- Poppy Pixie, Riley MacDonough
- London Liverwurst, Lillian Whiting
- Val Crabby, Courtney Lougheed
- Gerry Boyle, Oliver Havens
- Freesia Chestnut, Jordyn Mott
- Kitty Ball, Macayla Burke
- Chloe Crane, Claire Griffith-Sarkis
- Patty Petronia, Laura Lepkowski
- Hedgerow the Owl, Phoebe Fryer
GCC's Forum Players stage 'Strong Kids' on Dec. 1
Genesee Community College's Forum Players will perform "Strong Kids" Children's Theatre at 7 p.m., Dec. 1, at the Stuart Steiner Theater.
The musical celebrates confidence and believing in one's self while simultaneously addressing bullying, peer pressure, and rejection often faced by children today. It is a musical compilation of poems, new and original monologues, and some classic favorites from "Hairspray," "The King and I," "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," "Wicked," and "The Lion King."
The cast of "Strong Kids" are all GCC students and includes singers, dancers and soloists.
The cast:
- Abanoor Abdi, Vocal Ensemble, Rochester
- Celeste Brownell, president of Forum Players 2017-2018, Vocal Soloist, Vocal Ensemble, Dance Ensemble, Bergen
- Chrisjon Canty, Vocal Soloist, Vocal Ensemble, Rochester
- Marissa Carbonell, Vocal Soloist, Vocal Ensemble, Dance Ensemble, Batavia
- Emily Carey, Vocal Ensemble, Medina
- Joseph Cartwright II, Dance Ensemble, Hunt
- Jamie Crawford, Dance Ensemble, Mount Morris
- Jack Diskin, Vocal Soloist, Le Roy
- Kayla Lander, Dance Ensemble, Dance Soloist, Mayfield
- Troy McCrorey, Vocal Ensemble, Chester, S.C.
- Liliam Montilla, Vocal Soloist, Vocal Ensemble, New York City
- Rebecca Naber, Dance Ensemble, Hamburg
- Erin Phillips, Vocal Soloist, Batavia
- Cameron Sanzo, Dance Ensemble, Batavia
- Jennifer Schreiber, Dance Ensemble, Rochester
- Cody Taylor, Vocal Soloist, Dance Ensemble, Vocal Ensemble, Medina
- Taylor Wilson, Vocal Soloist, Vocal Ensemble, Dance Ensemble, Cheektowaga
- Maki Ishikawa, Vocal Soloist, Vocal Ensemble, Japan
- Sayaka Miura, Vocal Soloist, Chiryu City, Japan
- Natsumi Sasabe, Dance Ensemble, Vocal Soloist, Japan
- Akane Hagiwara, Dance Ensemble, Japan
"Strong Kids" is directed by Maryanne Arena.
Tickets to see "Strong Kids" are available now and are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors (55+) and GCC faculty/staff. Students and children pay $3, and GCC alumni with ID will receive a $2 discount on an adult ticket. To reserve seats, contact the GCC box office at boxoffice@genesee.edu or (585) 345-6814.
Central Avenue resident accused of selling crack cocaine
Joseph B. James, 36, of Central Avenue, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd.
James is accused of selling crack cocaine to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force on two occasions last month.
Task Force members arrested James at the County Courts Facility while he was being sentenced in an unrelated case.
He was jailed without bail.
His arrest comes following an investigation into the sale, transportation and possession of crack cocaine in the City of Batavia.
The District Attorney's Office assisted in the investigation.
Fourth attacker in Central Avenue home invasion pleads guilty
The final defendant in a four-man team involved in a home invasion of a residence on Central Avenue in October 2016 entered a guilty plea to attempted burglary in the second degree in Court today with an agreement to serve five years in prison.
That's the sentence his compatriots received after their guilty pleas earlier this year.
Adante Davis will be sentenced at 1:45 p.m., Dec. 21.
Davis managed to evade capture for a year while Daniel Gilbert, Marquis Saddler and Oliver Thomas all agreed to guilty pleas and are now serving five-year prison terms.
The attack occurred at about 11 p.m. Oct. 28 last year. The four men entered the apartment and, according to witness statements obtained by The Batavian, several family members and a friend were at the residence when they heard a knock on the door.
When one of the residents answered the door, four men rushed in and started hitting one of the men in the home. A resident chased them off with a baseball bat and then there was a confrontation in the street before all four men fled the scene.
Caller says bullet hit business building in Bergen
A caller from Insurance Auto Auctions, at 7149 Apple Tree Ave., Bergen, says a bullet hit their building about an hour ago.
A deputy is dispatched.
Batavia's Original, formerly Pontillo's, returns to local ownership
As friends and customers have found out her plans, people have told Kathy Ferrara, "This must have been your dream all along" -- becoming owner of Batavia's Original.
That's not the case, said Ferrara yesterday, hours after closing a deal with the previous owner, Jeff Reddish, of Rochester, to buy the popular local restaurant.
"I never planned on buying it," Ferrara said. "I just enjoyed what I did. I did it 100 percent. I was trustworthy. This wasn’t my plan. It was definitely that God wanted me here. I’ve tried leaving a couple of times and He made it really clear that this is where I’m supposed to be. He made this happen so only good things are going to come from that."
Before Batavia's Original was Batavia's Original, it was Pontillo's, Batavia's first pizza parlor, and Ferrara started working for Sam and Betty Pontillo 29 years ago as a waitress.
Sam and Betty, she said, took her under their wings and taught her the pizza business from top to bottom. She was trained in every job in the restaurant.
By the time Sam and Betty's sons took over, she was a manager.
When that business collapsed in 2010, Ferrara was the one who broke the news to the staff.
When Reddish bought the business and the building at 500 E. Main St. out of bankruptcy, it was Ferrara that Reddish called to run the business.
"Jeff Reddish taught me the ins and outs of the business," Ferrara said. "He taught me how to make payroll and meet food costs together. He was a good teacher. He was great to work for, a really good boss, fair, basically let me do things the way we've been doing all these years."
Earlier this year, Ferrara asked Reddish, who owns restaurants in Rochester, if she could become a partner in the Batavia location.
"He wasn’t looking to sell," Ferrara said. "He wasn’t going to put it on the market. That wasn’t in his plan at all. I approached him and he said ‘I’m not looking to sell, but I would sell it to you.’ He’s the one who got the ball rolling and made it happen.”
Ferrara is a graduate of Pembroke High School and Genesee Community College. She is married with three children, Ashley, Mary-Grace, and Daniel, and one grandson.
Local ownership of the restaurant is important to Ferrara, she said. She will have more control over local promotions, support of local charities and organizations, and who she hires as vendors.
"Now that it is locally owned again, that makes a big difference," Ferrara said. "Everybody I’ve dealt with so far, the website designer, maintenance, plumbers, they’re all local. So everything is back local, in Genesee County, so that only helps the community."
She will keep the name, Batavia's Original, picked after Reddish learned he couldn't retain the name Pontillo's. Ferrara said it only makes sense.
"This is the original pizza of Batavia," she said. "It’s the same recipe. We haven’t changed any of the recipes."
The return of Pontillo's/Batavia's Original to local ownership will be celebrated with a ribbon cutting at noon on Saturday.
Ferrara said she will also continue Sam and Betty's tradition of taking good care of the staff and ensuring restaurant guests get great service.
"Everybody is treated fairly," Ferrara said. "It’s a fun environment to work. I always work around their schedules. The staff is mostly college students and high schoolers."
Being able to do more for the staff of 35 employees is another reason Ferrara was motivated to buy the business, she said. Taking care of employees pays off in better customer service.
"Anybody who comes here to eat will always leave with a good experience," Ferrara said. "Everyone who works here gives 100 percent. I get compliments all day long about the staff. People say they look like they love it here and they do. That’s something the Pontillos taught me, is how to treat the staff. Sam and Betty treated everybody like family."
Photos by Steve Ognibene.
Photos: Protest in Batavia against 'burnt fingers'
The protesters chanted "no more burnt fingers" and carried signs in support today of the invention of Andrew Young Jr., which is a toaster that shoots the toast onto a plate after it's perfectly browned.
Andrew came up with the invention after watching his grandma burn her fingers trying to get toast out of a toaster and entered his idea into a national contest sponsored by Frito-Lay that, if he wins, could lead to a $250,000 prize for the Alexander High School student.
"For far too long, people have suffered with burnt fingers from their toaster when the technology has been invented for us," said the young inventor's father, Andrew Young. "According to Andrew, we can make it happen."
The "protest" today was held to draw more attention to his invention and get people to vote for it in the contest.
To vote, go to AndrewsInvention.com and click on the Vote for Andrew button.
Batavia resident Tom Williams, Andrew's Invention supporter said, "I do agree that this protest is long overdue. For far too long, people, especially grandmas, have been suffering from toaster-burnt fingers when the technology to avoid it has been right in front of us. It took Andrew 'Thomas Edison' Young Jr. to bring us out of the Dark Ages."
The protesters want to remind you: You can vote daily and you can vote once each day from every device you own. You have six days left to vote.
Photos and information provided by our news partner, WBTA.
Rochester man suspected of selling crack cocaine in Batavia
Cory D. "Stacks" Jackson, 34, of Oriole Street, Rochester, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd.
Jackson allegedly sold crack cocaine to an agent of the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force on two occasions in August in the City of Batavia.
He was arrested on a sealed grand jury indictment during a traffic stop on Pearl Street yesterday.
He was ordered held without bail.
Jackson was identified as a suspect during an investigation into the sale, transportation and possession of crack cocaine in the City of Batavia.
Assisting in the investigation was Batavia PD, the Sheriff's Office, and the District Attorney's Office.
Oak Street resident accused of dealing crack cocaine
Lionel J. "Chicago" Anderson, 45, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Anderson is accused of selling crack cocaine on two occasions in August to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force.
Anderson was arrested at his residence last week.
He was jailed without bail and held for further court proceedings.
Anderson's arrest comes as part of an investigation into the transportation, sale and possession of crack cocaine in and around the City of Batavia.
State Police, Batavia PD, and the District Attorney's Office assisted in the investigation.
Law and Order: Man charged with violations of a court order
John J. Caez-Gonzalez, 30, of Exchange Street, Geneva, is charged with first-degree criminal contempt, aggravated family offense, and second-degree burglary. Caez-Gonzalez allegedly had contact with several individuals he was ordered by court order not to contact at 7:44 p.m. Nov. 14 at a location on State Street. Caez-Gonzalez was also charged with second-degree criminal contempt stemming from an alleged incident reported at 12:02 p.m., Nov. 15.
Anna R. McCue, 30, of Norris Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI and moving from lane unsafely. McCue was reportedly involved in an accident at 6:28 p.m. Nov. 10 on Bank Street, Batavia. The accident was investigated by Officer Christopher Lindsay.
Today's Poll: How do you grade Donald Trump's presidency?
How do you grade Donald Trump's presidency?
Today marks the return of our Daily Poll. I hope. I stopped doing a poll because sometimes coming with a good poll question could be time-consuming. Now that the first phase of building our new mobile apps is done,* perhaps a daily poll is a task I can take on again.
*I finished the principle coding on the Android version of our app last night. I hope to be able to release it within a week or so. You can download the iOS version of our app by clicking here.
