A caller at Walmart reports a suspicious condition -- a man attempted to purchase numerous iPads from the store.
Apparently, the purchase did not go through for some reason.
The man left in a gray Chevy Tahoe with Georgia plates.
A deputy is responding.
UPDATE 11:08 a.m.: The Tahoe is a rental.
Special teams play put Le Roy on the road to victory with two quick scores in the first quarter in a game that was unique in a couple of ways.
First, it was a home game played on the road. Second, it was played on a Sunday.
Regardless of the strange circumstances, the Le Roy team displayed vintage Oatkan Knights' dominance as it cruised to a 52-7 victory over Wellsville.
The game was played in Perry because Le Roy's home field won't be ready for players and fans after a major upgrade until this coming Friday's homecoming game, and the game was delayed until Sunday because of a massive thunderstorm that passed through Wyoming County right at game time Saturday night.
The game started early, about 10 minutes before the scheduled 3 p.m. time, and Le Roy scored before the official kickoff time when Jason Doemling scampered 39 yards on a punt return.
Later in the first quarter, Le Roy scored its second touchdown, to take a 14-0 lead, when Josh Laurie blocked a field goal attempt and returned it 75 yards.
Wellsville never again mounted a serious offensive challenge, until the team scored late in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach.
Laurie had quite the game. Besides the blocked field goal, he had two interceptions. He rushed for 96 yards on seven carries and scored two TDs in the process. He also was 7-13 passing for 148 yards and a TD.
Nate Flint also had an impact, going 85 yards on 11 carries with a TD. Dom Filio carried the ball nine times for 54 yards and two TDs. Luke Stella added 61 yards on six rushes.
Pass catchers included Reece Tresco, two for 87 yards, Filio, three for 34 yards and a TD, and Ryan Boyce, two for 27 yards.
Luke Hogle had five tackles and a sack, Canyon Roster, five tackles and Cole Biggins, five tackles.
To purchase prints, click here.
Peggy Zambito felt blessed that she, her daughter and her two young grandchildren walked away without any serious injuries from an accident on Transit Road in Elba a week ago.
This evening, she said she felt a sense of closure now that a person has been located, arrested and charged in the terrifying accident.
Jose Francisco Ortega-Hernandez, 46, of Transit Road, Elba, has been charged with: aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd; leaving the scene of a property damage accident; no insurance; unsecured license plate; uninspected motor vehicle; unregistered motor vehicle; failure to yield at a stop sign; inadequate brakes, and failure to report a motor-vehicle accident with more than $1,000 in damage.
Following his arrest today, he was arraigned in Town of Batavia court and jailed on $2,500 bail.
He is also being held on an immigration warrant for past driving offenses.
According to accounts Zambito shared exclusively with The Batavian earlier this week, she was a passenger in a vehicle driven by her daughter Mercy Caparco, and her two grandchildren, Maggie, 5, and Molly, 2, when they saw a red SUV flying toward the North Byron and Transit Road intersection. There was no way to avoid the vehicle, Zambito said, and, she said, the other driver couldn't have stopped in time, even if he had tried.
The SUV slammed broadside into the Ford Explorer the family was in and caused it to roll over several times.
It was only by the grace of God and the safety features of the Explorer that the two women and two children walked away without any serious injuries, Zambito said.
She hoped that publication of the story and photos from the accident would help lead to the arrest of the suspect.
The Sheriff's Office press release does not state how the suspect was located.
ICE Supervisory of Deportation Officer A. Castro assisted the Sheriff's Office in the investigation.
It was on a Saturday in September 10 years ago that I first drove into Batavia.
I returned to that event today to sort of mark the anniversary.
It was through a calendar item in the Gardener's Journal 10 years ago that I saw something about a Master Gardeners' Gala at the Cornell Cooperative Extension in a placed called Batavia.
"Batavia can't be too far of a drive," I thought, while sitting in my hotel room in Fairport.
I made the drive, and it was a bit more of a drive than I expected, but eventually, I found Batavia, and I found it charming.
I came out here looking for information on growing roses in Western New York (we were getting ready to move from Bakersfield, Calif.) and left charmed by this little city.
Little did I know then, that within two years, I would be starting an online news site for Genesee County and eventually moving here myself. But Billie and I are quite happy with that turn of events.
Thank you all for supporting our experiment in online-only news and embracing and accepting us as you have.
And yes, I've found it possible to quite successfully grow roses in Western New York.
The folks at Godfrey's Pond hosted an open house today, called Hunting and Fishing Days.
Eric Boyce had the best time for the men.
Kim Mills had the best time for the women (she also had the best women's time in the GLOW Corporate Cup).
Through three quarters of football, Pembroke battled Notre Dame to a draw, but when Jake Weatherwax dashed into the end zone from six yards out with five minutes left in the game, the Dragons were unable to answer and fell to 1-2 on the season, 34-27.
It was Notre Dame's first win of the season.
The Dragons and Irish were pretty evenly matched throughout the contest, with each team averaging 5.8 yards per play on offense and only being a minute apart on time of possession for the game.
Weatherwax finished with 187 yards rushing on 29 attempts (he scored four times) and Pembroke's Zach von Kramer had 187 yards on the ground on 27 attempts, and he had two TDs.
Pembroke's Reid Miano had 13 completions on 29 attempts for 209 yards and two TDs.
Notre Dame's Brendan Klotzbach was 8-19 in the air for 126 yards. He was intercepted once.
"Pembroke’s a great team," said Notre Dame Head Coach Rick Mancuso. "They’re very well coached and they have a couple of great athletes on that team. We knew we would have our hands full. Their quarterback threw the ball fantastic and Von Kramer is just a phenomenal running back. We had our hands full. There’s no doubt."
Von Kramer also caught a TD pass and gained 74 yards on three receptions.
Mancuso thought it was a great win for his team, which struggled a bit through the first two games of the season.
"I think we're getting better each week," Mancuso said. "We're not there yet, obviously, but I think the kids had a great week of practice."
Mancuso was impressed with the game Weatherwax had.
"Jake did a fantastic job," Mancuso said. "He's a gritty, hard runner. He makes great cuts. He reads the blocks. I thought he did a terrific job."
Defensively, Notre Dame played tough, but the team still has some holes to plug.
"Defensively, we brought it," Mancuso said. "We really worked hard this week on staying diligent to our plan and working hard and I thought the kids stuck with it. I thought they did a very nice job of executing."
Caleb Wolcott had 10 tackles and a sack. Brad Misiak had 10 tackles.
"We’ve got a lot to work on," Mancuso said. "I mean, they put up 27 points. I’m not ecstatic about that, but those are things we need to clean up and each week we’ll get better."
For the Dragons on defense, von Kramer had 12 tackles.
Four Notre Dame receivers had two catches each -- Ryan Moffatt, Nico Zambito, Misiak and Jordon Weatherwax. Moffatt gained 45 yards and Zambito gained 42.
To purchase prints, click here.
John Kennedy School hosted its annual Community Night on Friday evening.
Campbell Anderson, a senior at Batavia High School, pictured with Principal Scott Wilson, has qualified as a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist. As far as Wilson knows, he's the only semifinalist in the region and one of only 99 in Western New York.
Anderson is a candidate for West Point and the Air Force Academy. He's also a standout in track and cross-country. Wilson said one of Anderson's unique accomplishments was completing all of the match courses offered by the high school, including advanced placement calculus, by the end of his sophomore year. The school has arranged his senior schedule so he can also take classes at Genesee Community College. He remains at the top of his class.
Photo and info provided by Scott Wilson.
Press release:
Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) today announced $1,411,200 in federal funding from the Federal Aviation Administration for the Genesee County Airport, located in Batavia. The grant will assist the Genesee County Airport in funding the final phase of its airport construction project. The airport is building an aircraft-parking apron, a taxiway extension, and removing of a number of runway obstructions.
“Using federal funds to support local infrastructure projects will help establish an environment that promotes future economic development and employment opportunities,” Congressman Collins said. “This $1,411,200 grant will provide Genesee County with the funding it needs to complete the final phase of its project. Grants like these allow for more efficient and effective airport operations that will benefit our region for years to come.”
“This crucial FAA grant will allow Genesee County to complete Phase 3 of our Airport project, which includes the removal of the old terminal building and hangar,” said Raymond Cianfrini, chairman of the Genesee County Legislature. “We appreciate our partnership with Congressman Collins and look forward to giving him and our community a tour of the completed project.”
The Congressman’s office remains available to assist any local government pursuing a federal grant.
As part of the GLOW Corporate Challenge last month, organizers put together a T-shirt design contest and this year, based on volunteer votes, Freed Maxick came up with the winning design. The prize was a $500 donation to the charity of their choice, and staff chose the UMMC Foundation and the Justice for Children Foundation.
Photo: Sam Schafer, Carmela Piazza, Liz Renz, Lori Aratari, Steve Tufts, Jason Armbrewster, Kim Mills (who also had the fastest women's time), Olivia Engel and Tim Moag. Aratari is with UMMC, Ambrewster with Justice for Children, Tufts and Piazza are with Merrill Lynch representing GLOW Cup, and the others are with Freed Maxick. Each charity received $250 and the balance of the proceeds from the event benefit the YMCA.
In a rare Thursday night game, the Alexander Trojans moved to 3-0 on the season, defeating Holley 41-14.
Job Smith gained 107 yards on only four carries for the Trojans. Derrick Busch had three receptions for 103 yards and Dustin Schmeider caught two passes for 71 yards. Sharing the point-after duties, Grant Cox kicked three through and Hannah Paolucci hit two attempts. On defense, Schmeider had five tackles and eight assists.
TDs were scored by Chris McClinic, Busch, P.J. Brennan, Smith, twice, and Mitchell Gordon.
Tonight:
Tomorrow, Le Roy is the home team against Wellsville, but the game is being played in Perry at 7:30 p.m.
Somebody knows who was driving this vehicle at 10:40 a.m., Saturday, when it T-boned a car with two small children in it at the intersection of North Byron Road and Transit Road, Elba.
The driver fled the scene and the vehicle was found in a wooded area the next day off of Spoil Bank Road, in the mucklands.
The car had Ohio plates that didn't match the VIN number. There were receipts for Verizon calling plans in the vehicle.
Peggy Zambito, the grandmother of the two children, said her family is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the driver.
It's a miracle and only through the grace of God, she said, that she, her daughter, Mercy Caparco, and her two grandchildren, Maggie, 5, and Molly, 2, were uninjured in the accident.
The Ford Explorer Caparco was driving rolled over multiple times and narrowly missed hitting a fire hydrant and a tree.
The other driver, Zambito said, was speeding and though they saw him coming, couldn't avoid getting hit.
"I knew he was going so fast he wouldn’t have been able to stop if he tried," Zambito said.
Zambito said the safety features of the vehicle -- strong seatbelts and side airbags -- helped keep them all safe.
"I will always be haunted by the face of my daughter looking, craning her neck as we're rolling over to look (at her children)," Zambito said. "She said, 'Mom, I don't see blood. I don't see blood.' That will haunt me to my dying day."
She was able to find her mobile phone and call 9-1-1 as soon as the car stopped rolling over.
"I'm a retired nurse," she said. "I tend to stay calm in an emergency and then fall apart later."
The rear axle with a tire attached snapped off and landed 30 feet from the vehicle.
"It's a miracle we were able to just get out of that vehicle," she said.
Incredibly, the insurance company originally said it wouldn't total the car, but only pay for repairs, but then later today, Zambito said, she got word the decision was being reconsidered by another department.
Zambito realizes the red SUV that struck them may have been driven by a migrant worker, perhaps undocumented, which is why he fled, but she also realizes, she said, most migrant workers are decent, hard-working and family oriented. Perhaps if this story makes the rounds or a worker sees the posters the family plans to post at the Yellow Goose in Elba, somebody will come forward and identify the driver.
Apparently, one person did tell a deputy who he thinks usually drives the vehicle, but that person has witnesses who say he was at work at the time of the accident, Zambito said.
The newly constructed terminal and hangar at the Genesee County Airport received the Phil Brito Airport Project of the Year award last night from the Aviation Management Association.
File photo.
Alan J. Hargrave, of Pavilion, died this morning about 20 minutes after arriving at UMMC following an accident reported at 9:47 a.m. on Angling Road, Corfu.
Hargrave and his brother, John S. Hargrave, had just dropped off a load of scrap at Ed Arnold Scrap Processors and were heading south when Alan suffered some sort of medical issue that caused him to lose control of the vehicle.
The truck, which was hauling an empty flatbed trailer, struck a tree.
Alan Hargrave was unconscious and not breathing when Deputy Lonnie Nati first arrived on scene.
Nati and Don Newton, chief of the East Pembroke Volunteer Fire Department, extricated Hargrave from the vehicle and began CPR and deployed a defibrillator and Alan Hargrave began breathing.
He was placed in a Mercy EMS ambulance for further emergency treatment before being transported to UMMC.
Coroner Karen Lang was requested to respond to UMMC, where she pronounced that Alan Hargrave had died.
John Hargrave, who suffered cuts and abrasions in the accident, was transported to ECMC for evaluation.
The accident is being investigated by the Sheriff's Office. Corfu fire and East Pembroke fire and Indian Falls fire assisted at the scene.
The County Legislature took its show on the road on Wednesay, holding its regular full body meeting at the Oakfield Community and Government Center.
It was a chance for the Town of Oakfield to show off its expanded and remodeled Town Hall.
Barry Flansburg, town accessor, said town officials wanted the new facility to be more than just a town hall, instead one could host multiple agencies and services as well as community groups and serve as an emergency command center if needed.
That's why it's called, now, officially, the Community and Government Center.
"This is the ultimate shared facility," Flansburg said.
As an example for the planned flexibility, Flansburg noted, the panel seating area has 10 chairs, not just the five necessary for the town board. This gives the Legislature room to meet there, and it also allows all town officials a seat at the table, so to speak, for town meetings, which Flansburg said helps foster better communication and collaboration.
The new courts facility not only hosts the Town of Oakfield Town Court but the Town of Elba's, as well. The facility is certificated to a standard that it could host the County Court if ever required to do so.
The board just approved on Tuesday night a request by the court of the Town of Alabama to hold a jury trial in the courtroom next month, since Alabama's court isn't really well suited to jury trials.
There is also a small kitchen (and break room for staff) that will be available to community and civic groups that want to use the community/meeting room for events or meetings.
The highway department also has expanded space and motion-controlled LED lights have been installed in the bays.
Flansburg said that when visitors come into the town offices, they notice that all of the officials have offices and desk space no bigger than what they had before and are surprised.
"This wasn't about giving us bigger offices," Flansburg said. "This is a community space and we wanted it to be for the whole community."
The offices did receive new carpet, wallpaper, paint and fixtures. There's also improved security in the foyer.
The project cost $3.1 million. The town planned it for eight years, saved money to help fund it, and are able to pay the bonds through existing cash flow and the rent the Town of Elba pays for the courtroom. There is no new tax burden on Town residents to pay for the facility, Flansburg said.
A serious injury accident is reported in the area of 2164 Angling Road, Corfu.
A victim is trapped in the vehicle.
Corfu fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
The accident is reported as car vs. tree.
UPDATE(S) 9:56 a.m. (By Billie): Mercy Flight is called to the scene and a landing zone is to be set up just east of the location, possibly in the roadway.
UPDATE 10 a.m.: Traffic is to be shut down at Route 33 and Angling Road.
UPDATE 10:01 a.m.: The helicopter will land on property next to a barn, off the roadway.
UPDATE 10:02 a.m.: Mercy Flight has an 8 minute ETA.
UPDATE 10:06 a.m.: The address given now is 2176 Angling Road. A second Mercy ambulance is called in non-emergency mode for a subject with lacerations.
UPDATE 10:21 a.m.: Mercy Flight was canceled. A 56-year-old male will be taken by ambulance to UMMC after suffering a heart attack. Another is being treated at the scene for cuts and abrasions. A source at the scene says two brothers had just finished taking a load of scrap metal to a processing company when the driver seemed to suffer some sort of medical condition and appeared to faint, which caused the truck to veer into a tree head on.
UPDATE 10:28 a.m.: The ambulance, in which medics have been treating the patient, is now leaving the scene for UMMC.
A couple of weeks ago, we reported on the donation by p.w. minor of 27 pallets of shoes to the flood victims in Louisiana. The program that accepted the donation of the shoes, Sole2Souls, produced this video about the distribution.
The turnout was low, lower than expected, in a pair of primary elections held yesterday that if not for some prior planning from the county's election commissioners could have cost county taxpayers $17,000.
Four people voted in the Reform Party primary for the 61st State Senate District, and all four votes went to incumbent Michael Ranzenhofer, who apparently was facing a write-in challenger, but there were no write-in votes in Genesee County.
In the Working Families primary for the same race, the Democrat's nominee Tom Loughran defeated Andrea Liszka 1-0.
All of the voting was carried out at the Elections Office in County Building #1. If Commissioners Dick Siebert and Lorie Longhany hadn't devised a new policy for small elections, the balloting would have been held at locations in each of the county's towns. By setting up one polling location, the county was able to hold the primaries at essentially no cost.
In explaining the plan a week ago to county legislators, Siebert said the turnout was expected to be only 15 to 16 voters.
"That might be a high estimate," Longhany said.
Thomas Wood, 1st assistant chief for Le Roy Fire Department, a former chief and longtime volunteer with the company, can't remember a time when his department was called on to respond to back-to-back fires.
It didn't help that it was a fairly hot day and the second fire was fought from atop a metal roof.
His brother, Bill Wood, also a former chief, described the rooftop as "unbearably hot."
"That's why we called in Brockport and Avon and used the City's Fast Team as a regular fire unit," Wood said. "Most of our guys had already fought one fire. We were calling in extra units. Our guys were dropping from the heat."
The first fire was reported on Starr Road, Pavilion, at about 1:50 p.m. It involved a six-unit apartment complex and a quick response by Pavilion and Le Roy firefighters helped contain the fire to a single apartment.
The fire appears to have started in the kitchen area, according to Emergency Management Coordinator Tim Yaeger. The cause remains under investigation.
Nobody was home at the time the fire was reported and residents in two other units were evacuated, including one who was sleeping in an upstairs bedroom and awoken by Deputy Chris Parker.
A dog may have perished in the fire, though several other pets were rescued.
The second fire, at a plastics factory on Lent Avenue, Le Roy, was reported about 3:10 p.m.
Most of Le Roy's equipment hadn't even cleared the Pavilion scene yet.
The Lent Avenue fire was sparked by a welder making repairs to the roof of the factory.
The fire burned about 40 feet down, Wood said. It produced quite a bit of smoke, but little flame.
"It's just an odd to have two, like hit that quick, and have to use so many people," Wood said.
There's no damage estimate available yet for either fire.
Bergen, Stafford and Caledonia also responded to the Lent Avenue fire.
The response to Pavilion also included Stafford, Bethany and Alexander along with the Office of Emergency Management.
Town of Batavia was asked to stand in at Stafford's fire hall.
Previously:
;
Copyright © 2008-2022 The Batavian. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service
