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Oil spill reported from accident on Thruway in Pembroke

By Howard B. Owens

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There is an oil spill on the Thruway in the eastbound lane in the area of mile marker 404 because of a truck accident.

It's unclear if a truck was carrying oil or if the oil comes from the engine. 

Two trucks may have been involved and there is heavy damage. There's no word yet on how large of an oil spill.

Pembroke fire and Indian Falls fire dispatched.

UPDATE 5 p.m.: There is oil leaking from "the last two tractor-trailers involved," a chief reports.

UPDATE 5:03 p.m.: The spill is 50 to 60 feet from a waterway. Department of Environmental Conservation being notified.

UPDATE 6:02 p.m.: Reader-submitted photos added. Apparently, only one truck involved. It was carrying 44,000 pounds of flour for a pizza shop.

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Law and Order: Woman wanted on warrant accused of possessing cocaine at time of arrest

By Howard B. Owens

Madalyn R. Muntz, 32, of Evans Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, criminally using drug paraphernalia, 2nd, criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument, and unlawful possession of marijuana. While conducting an investigation on Liberty Street, members of the Local Drug Task Force located Muntz. She was taken into custody on a City Court warrant and at the time of her arrest allegedly found in possession of cocaine, a needle, drug paraphernalia, and a device for smoking marijuana. She was also arrested by Batavia PD on the warrant alleged failure to meet requirements of sentencing on a prior conviction. Muntz was released after posting bail.

Jonathan Edward Stanton, 35, of Vine Street, Batavia, is charged petit larceny, criminal use of drug paraphernalia, 2nd, criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Police received a report of a suspicious male at the Rite Aid on West Main Street, Batavia. Upon investigation, Deputy Ryan DeLong and Deputy Brad Mazur determined Stanton allegedly stole $119.97 in merchandise from the store and was in possession of drug paraphernalia, a needle and marijuana.

Daniel E. Gubnitsky, 23, of Sheron Road, Greece, and Jennifer A. Schreiber, 18, of Batavia Stafford Townline Road, Batavia, are charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Gubnitsky and Schreiber were charged after police were called to investigate a suspicious vehicle parked at the VFW Hall at 25 Edwards St., Batavia, at 9:22 a.m. Thursday. 

Joseph M. Tornabene, 26, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Tornabene allegedly struck another person in the face during an argument reported at 2:30 p.m. Friday at a location on Dellinger Avenue, Batavia. Tornabene left the scene. The victim signed a complaint and Tornabene later turned himself in at Batavia PD headquarters. 

Cale Daniel Rice, 41, of Drake Street Road, Elba, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding and failure to notify DMV of a change of address. Rice was stopped at 1:06 a.m. Saturday on Route 98 in Elba by Deputy Eric Meyer.

Shamique D. Hubbard, 28, of Hamlet, North Carolina, is charged with DWI, driving while impaired by drugs, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Hubbard was stopped at 10:51 p.m. Sunday in the Town of Batavia by State Police.

Matthew J. Gaudio, 29, of Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and aggravated unlicensed operation. Gaudio was stopped by State Police in Darien at 10:14 a.m. Thursday. Following arraignment, Gaudio was ordered held on bail.

Ervin Finkley, 50, of Rochester, is charged with grand larceny, 4th, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and fleeing from an officer in a motor vehicle. Desiree Ghee, 31, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property. Norman C. Ghee, 53, of Rochester, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. The trio was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 1:27 p.m. Thursday in the City of Batavia. All three were ordered held on bail. No further details released.

Democrat vows primary fight after party leaders endorse opponent

By Howard B. Owens

Press release from Nick Stankevich:

There will be a primary, and I plan on being your next Congressman. The people of this district deserve the freedom to choose their candidate.

You deserve the freedom of a primary, and you deserve a rural candidate who lives in the district. I’ve shown you, my neighbors, that I have a plan to beat Chris Collins come November, and it starts with you.

Throughout this campaign, I’ve promised you honesty and accountability, and that’s why I am staying in the race. I’ve committed to you not to divide us on partisan politics, but to unite on the values that make us all Americans.

I encourage you to listen to all candidates, to learn about who we are and what we stand for, and choose the candidate that you want to be your next Congressman.

You’ll learn that I believe in family, in accountability, and in you. Imagine a Congressman who does not hide in Washington or does not believe that this is the next step in a political career. I’m running because we can do better.

I came back to Western New York to take care of my family and my family’s business. I’ve taken what I learned from business school and experiences throughout my career in business to invest in new technology and grow my family’s small business. Our small businesses can do better. They deserve the chance to grow and to thrive.

Imagine a Congressman who does not worry about your political party, how much money you make, or what you look like. A Congressman who only cares about ensuring every single person in Western New York is doing better than they were before, and a Congressman who ensures our children can do better than we ever believed.

I’m looking forward to meeting you on the campaign trail and learning how to make Western New York a better place. Remember, this is about your values, your voice, and your vote.

Accident reported on Main Road, East Pembroke

By Howard B. Owens

A vehicle reportedly struck a tree and rolled over in the area of 1677 Main Road, East Pembroke.

There is heavy damage to the vehicle, according to a first responder, but the occupant is reported out and walking around.

East Pembroke fire and Mercy EMS responding.

Local effort begins to create police officer 'Crisis Intervention Teams' to deal with mental health issues

By Howard B. Owens

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Local leaders in law enforcement, fire services, mental health and other crisis intervention professionals met at the Fire Training Center on Friday to help map out what services and resources the county has available to people with mental health issues.

The goal is to find ways to get people in the midst of a mental health crisis help before it becomes a law enforcement issue, and when a mental health issue does involve police officers, those officers have the training and resources to deal with it effectively.

Don Kamin, director of the Institute for Police, Mental Health & Community Collaboration in Rochester, along with Martin Giuliano, led the discussion.

Kamin's program is four years old and was created and funded by the State Senate. Both Monroe County and Erie County already have such programs in place, and it's now Genesee County's turn for organizing the program and providing training. 

In a couple of months, Kamin and his team and his team will return to start training a group of officers in local law enforcement who will be part of a Crisis Intervention Team. They will undergo 40 hours of training, on top of the 15 they've already received in their law enforcement academy, in dealing with subjects suffering from mental health issues.

"Number one, we want to train them on how to recognize mental illness and other disorders and then how to de-escalate that," Kamin said. "Also, just as important, give them more knowledge of the local system."

There are a number of mental resources available in Genesee County that could assist officers in the field but knowledge about those resources isn't evenly distributed through local law enforcement. One of the program's goals is to map out all of those resources and provide officers with the information.

"It's a good opportunity for us to take a step back and see what other communities are doing so that when we bring the report back to the Genesee County we can say 'hey, over here in Monroe County, over in Westchester, or over in Albany County, they're looking at these practices. Have you considered moving in that direction?' " Giuliano said. "We can try to integrate the best practices throughout New York State and get them spread to all the different communities."

New York's program is part of a national trend toward providing police officers with additional mental issue crisis intervention training -- this year the state's law enforcement academies will require 20 hours of training -- and creating crisis intervention teams.

"The goal here is to divert people from the criminal justice system when at all possible and get them the support they need," Kamin said. "This isn't a get out of jail free card. If folks, regardless of the level of mental illness, commit a serious crime they're going to be arrested; they're going to 14 West Street, but many times they don't need to be sent there and we want to intervene."

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Vehicle on fire in cornfield off Lake Street Road, Selden Road, Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

A caller reports that he wasn't in an accident, but his car is on fire and it's in a cornfield off of Lake Street Road and Selden Road, Le Roy.

Le Roy fire dispatched. A chief request the first engine out be the brush truck.

UPDATE 7:07 p.m.: Because of the distance off the road, more brush trucks requested to the scene. It is a working fire. Pavilion, Bergen and Stafford all requested to the scene.

Hope Center of Le Roy opens with multiple programs for the community

By Howard B. Owens

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It's the vision of Rev. Henry Moore and the team at the Hope Center of Le Roy that the new ministry 42 Main St. will provide the community with a place of hope and help.

"We just want to show God's love through all of us and everything that we're doing," Moore said. "That's a lot of what we're based on, the fact of God's love and things will take shape from there."

The Hope Center, which is still just barely furnished, offers several programs for the community already.

There is L.I.F.T., which stands for Ladies in Faith Together. It's a program for single moms, where single moms can meet and support each other, share a meal, and grow in faith together.

The King's Table provides support for caregivers of children with special needs. 

"A couple of ladies who have special needs children took it upon themselves to start the program," Moore said. "Since then they've begun to bring families in and it gives them an opportunity to just meet together."

Fresh Start Literacy is a program for children to get extra help with reading.

"We really feel like this is going to be a powerful one because so many families have children who struggle to read," Moore said. "It's tough in a school atmosphere to get one-on-one help. We're willing to offer that."

Moms United in Prayer is a chance for women to pray together on a regular basis for children and schools.

Annually, the center offers Go Pro Spa Day and the Prom Dress Give Away.

Planned programs include Celebrate Recovery, a disaster relief program, children and teens programs and a New Life Clothing Center.

Much of Moore's ministry is based on the work, including the Prom Dress Give Away, he was doing with the Living Waters Church.

The Hope Center is now a separate nonprofit, and Moore is seeking donation and community support. The Hope Center has also started a building fund with the hope of eventually owning its own building.

"What we really want to do is get the community involved get all the churches to come together," Moore said. "I mean, no one person has a vision to make everything happen. One of the things we found was that someone has a vision and they don't know how to make it happen. We want to help that."

The rest of the leadership team includes Donna Friedman, Pat Bedford and Amy Bolton.

The motto of the Hope Center is that "hope is more than a wish. It is a confident expectation."

Moore said it's his goal to see the new ministry provide that kind of confident expectation to the Le Roy community.

Notre Dame falls to Naples, 72-59

By Howard B. Owens

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Notre Dame lost its home game Class D1 semifinal playoff game to Naples on Saturday, 72-59.

Nico Zambito scored 15 points for the Fighting Irish. Gabe Macdonald scored 14, and Ryan Moffat scored 11.  

For Naples, Evan Bay scored 20 and Cole Rathbon scored 18. Bay hit five three-pointers.

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Scoreless 2nd quarter for Blue Devils foreshadows upset loss to HFL

By Howard B. Owens

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The #3 seed in Class A2, the Batavia Blue Devils, was up Saturday in a Section V playoff game played in Batavia, by the #6 seed, Honeoye Falls-Lima, 48-41.

While Batavia jumped out to a 17-7 first quarter lead, behind the hot hand of Tee Sean Ayala, who scored 13 of his 20 points in the first eight minutes, HFL seemed to have figured out how to slow Ayala down. HFL held Ayala to seven points the rest of the way.

Worse, the Blue Devils didn't score at all in the second quarter and were held to 10 points in the fourth quarter -- a quarter in which HFL seemed to find it impossible to miss a shot, scoring 17 points.

Naz Pratt scored nine points for the Blue Devils and Antwan Odom scored six.

Top scorer for HFL was Garret Ruff with 13.

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Notre Dame, Elba, Oakfield-Alabama advance in Section V girls basketball playoffs

By Howard B. Owens

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Notre Dame beat Addison in a Saturday afternoon Section V girls basketball playoff game at Notre Dame.

The final, 45-31. 

Margaret Sutherland scored 20 points for the Lady Irish. Callie McCulley scored 13 and Morgan Rhodes scored seven.

Also, in girls basketball Saturday:

  • Byron-Bergen lost to Red Creek, 69-65. Emily Kaczmarek scored 17 points for the Lady Bees. Dana VanValkenburg scored 14, Kelsey Fuller, 12, and Julianna Amesbury, 8. For Red Creek, Katie Smith scored 19;
  • Elba beat Whitesville, 56-21;
  • Letchworth beat Pembroke, 56-40;
  • Oakfield-Alabama beat Cal-Mum, 56-31.

Car in ditch on Main Road, Pembroke

By Howard B. Owens

A one-car accident is reported in the area of 246 Main Road, Pembroke. 

The vehicle is in a ditch and is smoking.

Unknown injuries.

Pembroke fire and Indian Falls fire along with Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 12:22 p.m.: Subjects are out of the vehicle. The vehicle is no longer smoking.

Vehicle in the water off of Chick Road, Darien

By Howard B. Owens

A vehicle has reportedly gone off the road and is in the water at Chick Road and Attica Road, Darien.

Darien fire and Darien ambulance dispatched.

UPDATE 11:15 p.m.: The vehicle was unoccupied.

UPDATE 12:30 p.m., Sunday: There was a search of the area last night and this morning. The operator was eventually located, safe.

Pembroke preserves undefeated record in playoff game against Gananda

By Howard B. Owens

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Pembroke remained one of three undefeated Class C basketball teams in the state Friday with a 67-58 win over Gananda in a Section V playoff game.

Jamil Marable scored 20 points, Reid Miano, 18, and Lucas Kohorst, 17. 

Pembroke is now 21-0 on the season.

Also on Friday night, in Class D, #4 ranked, lost to #5 ranked Avoca, 73-59.

In girls basketball, Batavia beat Geneva, 57-48. Pavilion beat Naples, 56-29.

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Judge calls man who beat and choked dog, attacked woman, a threat to society

By Howard B. Owens

Agreeing with the prosecution that Shawn M. Twardowski, 35, formerly of Bank Street, Batavia, is a threat to society, Judge Charles Zambito sentenced him to two-and-a-half to five years in prison.

Zambito expressed the hope that while in prison, Twardowski will take advantage of programs available to him to help him with his mental health issues and substance abuse problems.

"Until you address those issues, you need to be removed from society," Zambito said.

A year ago, Twardowski was arrested for strangling and punching a beagle, attacking a woman at that location, stealing and attempting to disable her mobile phone and then, upon police arrival, barricading himself in a bedroom. 

He previously pled guilty to a burglary charge after first undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.

Zambito expressed dismay that Twardowski thought it appropriate to attack the beagle and the woman merely because the woman allowed the dog to lick a bowl.

The judge said Twardowski's record goes back to 2005 and is filled with charges related to violence, resisting arrest and violating court orders.

His attorney, Michael Locicero, said he wasn't not making excuses for his client's behavior but offered up as mitigating circumstances for his behavior, years of untreated mental health issues, his substance abuse, and a recent diagnosis of Huntington's Disease.

Twardowski told Zambito he didn't wish to make a statement in court.

The sentence was the middle range between the minimum available to Zambito and the maximum possible sentence in the case.

City Schools superintendent addresses community concerns about school safety in letter sent home with students

By Howard B. Owens

If parents notice an increased police presence at Batavia City Schools, it's not in response to any specific threat, Superintendent Chris Dailey said today in a letter sent home with students after school.

"This is meant to be a positive and proactive step as our police department continues to look for ways to engage with our students in prevention and support," Dailey wrote.

The letter addresses heightened concern in the community about school safety after last week's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida and reports of a student last week who officials believed made verbal threats at the BOCES campus.

The letter may be in response to numerous social media posts asking questions about more police officers on and around local campuses and unconfirmed rumors of threats made on social media specific to local schools.

"Our country is recovering from the tragedy in Parkland, Florida," Daily wrote. "It is only natural to have questions about the safety and security of our students and staff in BCSD.

"There are stories from time to time of students potentially threatening to do violent acts at our schools," Dailey continued. "We, along with the Batavia City Police Department, always look into any allegations of this sort and have found no credible threats against our district."

Dailey said the district is actively involved in emergency response and planning with local law enforcement.

The events in Florida, he said, provide an opportunity to review procedures and plans and make adjustments as necessary.

To read the full letter, click here.

Batavia Kiwanis celebrate 95 years of serving the community

By Howard B. Owens

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Submitted photo: Matt Landers, president of Batavia Kiwanis, with a dessert tray commemorating the club's 95 anniversary.

Press release:

Today, the Kiwanis Club of Batavia celebrated its 95th Anniversary. The club’s rich history of performing community service projects for the children of the Batavia community has left its mark in a variety of ways.

The club received its charter from Kiwanis International on Feb. 22, 1923, with 56 original members, including the former Batavia Mayor, Ashton W. Caney, and many other community businessmen and professionals.

The mission of Kiwanis is to serve the children of the world, and as one of their first projects, the Kiwanis Club of Batavia started a fresh air program where they sponsored bringing children from the cities into the country for a week. The club began recognizing the top 10 students from Batavia and Notre Dame High Schools in 1944 and continues to do so today.

The club’s largest project during their first half-century included raising over $42,000 to assist in building the city pool at MacArthur Park, which was dedicated in 1962. Following the pool project, the club sponsored the development of Kiwanis Park in the Town of Batavia. The park was dedicated in 1977, and most recently the club helped to convert the park to one that offers specialized equipment for children with developmental disabilities.

During the second half-century of the club’s existence, a most significant impact was realized through the Bidding on a Brighter Future Gala event that raised a combined total of nearly $200,000 over five years to assist the Justice for Children Advocacy Center in securing a permanent home. These funds are presently being utilized to renovate a building that will meet the service needs related to assisting children who have been physically or sexually abused.

Other projects started by the Kiwanis Club include a Soap Box Derby, an ice carnival, Farm City Days, a ski tow in Attica, and the Golden Olympics for seniors.

The club continues to work tirelessly for the community in a variety of ways. Monies raised through their Pancake Day, Spaghetti Dinner and 5K for Autism Awareness are distributed to local children-centric organizations. Money from those projects also funds several annual community events: Easter Egg Hunt, Thanksgiving Morning Skate, Holiday Tote Project and AMBA Blood Analysis. The club supports Meals on Wheels by delivering meals on a weekly basis, as it has done for nearly 20 years.

Most recently in partnership with Genesee County, club members volunteered to maintain the outdoor ice rink at DeWitt Recreation Area on Friday nights so the community would have the opportunity to skate under the lights on a weekly basis. The club also partners with the Genesee County Bar Association to recognize outstanding law enforcement professionals from the Batavia Police Department, Genesee County Sheriff’s Department, State Police Troop A and the Le Roy Police Department at their Annual Law Day Dinner.

The Kiwanis Club of Batavia currently has 43 members and is proud of the long-term membership of Kiwanis Past Lieutenant Governor Richard Rung since 1973, as well as that of local Past President Donald Lewis since 1965.

Woman who attempted to steal from State Street Road business given shock probation

By Howard B. Owens
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       Ann Capuano

A 32-year-old Montclair Avenue resident had a litany of excuses this morning for Judge Charles Zambito for why she missed drug treatment appointments, including transportation issues, before breaking down in tears.

Zambito sentenced Ann Marie Capuano to shock probation, which means six months in jail followed by five years on probation.

In June, Capuano agreed to a guilty plea to a Class E felony of attempted burglary.

Three months earlier she had broken into a State Street Road business and brandished a knife. She then tried to escape on a bicycle.

Later, she admitted to being on drugs at the time.

She was released from custody under Supervision of Genesee Justice and was scheduled to participate in drug treatment.

In treatment, she was accused of stealing medication from another patient.

Zambito told Capuano this was her last chance and the next step would be state prison.

Via our news partner, WBTA.

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