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Kayla Simone Foster, 27, of Brunswick Boulevard, Buffalo, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, reckless driving, speeding, and failure to keep right. Foster was allegedly observed driving in the wrong lane in excess of 55 mph at 11:52 p.m., Friday, on Route 33, Byron. Foster was stopped by Deputy Eric Meyer and also charged with tinted windows, failure to attach registration, and failure to notify DMV of change of address.

Cristina Gabriele Vella, 24, of Pat Street, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and speeding. Vella was charged following a traffic stop at 6:47 p.m. Saturday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Micheal Lute. Also charged with unlawful possession of marijuana was Nicholas Joseph Niedbala, 25, of Manitoba Woods Lane, Spencerport.

An employee at the Econolodge in Pembroke told dispatchers she had to lock herself in a closet because of the conduct of a person in the lobby.

The activity was described as "unwanted advances" by the female guest. 

The woman has apparently left the front desk area now, but the caller reports she kept repeating the phrase "the angels are with us."

She also reportedly "destroyed" the front desk area.

It's not known what room she is staying in.

Law enforcement is responding.

UPDATE 6:28 a.m.: The female has been located in front of the Flying J.

The Easter Bunny paid a visit to Foxprowl today. Owner Bill Hume sent in these pictures.

Reader submitted photos.

Brad Lamie and Kyle Palmer are putting the full meaning of full service back into the full-service gas station they took over at 100 W. Main St., Le Roy.

The station, now known as Le Roy Express, was full service before, but since buying the business, they've gone beyond just pumping gas for customers to also cleaning windows and checking oil, if needed, just like the old days of the gas station business.

"I think (full service) is what draws people, especially in the winter," Palmer said. "Nobody wants to get out of their cars and pump gas."

Lamie, from Elba, and Palmer, from Pavilion, have been spiffing up the business, which includes a car wash, and have even invested in matching shirts for themselves and employees (though not for the Easter Bunny, who paid a visit today).

The duo met while working together at Townsend Oil in Le Roy and when their boss decided to sell his gas station, they saw it as an opportunity to go into business for themselves.

"We've both always wanted to buy a gas station and this became available so we jumped on it," Lamie said.

A house becomes a home when it's filled with love, Pastor Vern Saile reminded the Odom family today during the dedication of their Habitat for Humanity restored house on State Street, Batavia.

"The Bible says unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain," Saile said. "I know the Lord has been building this house. ... I know much of the Lord’s love has been in every nail that’s been pounded into the wall and every board that’s been put up and everything that’s been painted and sanded and cleaned."

The Odoms -- Brandon, Tiffany, Madden, 9, and Maleeya, 1 -- expressed gratitude for their new home and Brandon said he will never forget the volunteers who helped with the project over the past 11 months while he put in 500 hours of labor into the project. He won't forget, he said, restoring the hardwood floor upstairs or putting in the tile of the backsplash in the kitchen.

"Brandon was meticulous in his work," said Jaylene Smith Kilner, executive director of Genesee County Habitat for Humanity. 

P.J. Riner, construction director, got a little choked up talking about the Odom family and Brandon's dedication to the project.

"He’s worked very, very hard," Riner said. "He’s been a joy to work with and I’m confident he’s going to be a key part of this community for a long time."

Brandon has worked at Home Depot for nine years and is a part-time as a bus driver.

For his part, Madden couldn't wait to show off his new bedroom to visitors following the dedication ceremony.

One of the next potential projects for Habitat, said Board President Lauren Casey, is the restoration of a house on Bloomingdale Road, Basom. The project is awaiting applicants from potential homeowners who qualify for a Habitat home.

Part of the tradition of a Habitat home dedication are symbolic gifts: bread, so the new owners may never know hunger; sugar, so the home is always sweet; light, so that the home never knows darkness; flowers, to fill the home with beauty; and, a Bible, so there is always a blessing on the house.

Lauren Casey

Sath Paul Dhanda, 37, of Clapsaddle Road, Bethany, is charged with two counts of obstructing governmental administration, criminal contempt, 2nd, and two counts of harassment, 2nd. Dhanda allegedly violated an order of protection. He is accused of spitting on and kicking the arresting officer, Officer Pete Flanagan. He was jailed on $5,000 bail or $10,000 cash.

Quentin L. Gibson, 32, of Glendale Drive, Lockport, is charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation, no headlights, and obstructed view. Gibson was stopped at 11:47 p.m., April 7, on West Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Eric Foels.

Tyler D. Price, 24, no permanent address, was arrested for alleged failure to appear on a ticket.

Emily J. Walker, 24, of Sherman Stedman Road, Sherman Town, was arrested on a warrant. Walker allegedly violated terms of Drug Court. She was jailed on $100,000 bail.

Blake Riley Pahuta, 19, of Alleghany Road, Corfu, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and improper right turn at an intersection. Pahuta was stopped at 12:28 a.m., Thursday, on South Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Jason Ivison.

Terry Lee Lamere, 52, of Buffalo Road, Bergen, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear. 

Donald C. Hale, 58, of Townline Road, Byron, criminal contempt, 2nd, turned himself in to police in connection with an investigation into his alleged attempt to contact a protected person.

Brandon J. March, 32, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. March was allegedly found in possession of marijuana at 7:46 a.m., March 31, at a location on Cone Street, Batavia, by Officer Frank Klimjack.

Joseph M. Marranco Jr., 46, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Marranco allegedly stole prescription pills from another person. He was jailed on $5,000 bail, $10,000 bond.

A 17-year-old resident of Holland Avenue was arrested on a warrant and jailed on $2,500 bail.

Aaron M. Talbot, 35, of Pearl Street, Batavia, is charged with menacing, 2nd, harassment, 2nd, and criminal possession of a weapon, 4th. Talbot was allegedly involved in a fight at 5:50 a.m., April 4, in which he struck another person and displayed a knife.

Press release:

Raymond F. Cianfrini, attorney, announces that he will be retiring from the practice of law effective May 1. Clients, friends and colleagues are invited to an open house at his office at 31 Main St., Oakfield, from 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 28.

Cianfrini, who has been engaged in the general practice of law in Oakfield since 1972, recently reflected in a letter to clients:

“When I began my law practice in 1972, I never imagined that I would still be in Oakfield 45 years later doing what I enjoy. I have always considered it an honor when clients put their trust in me to assist them in resolving their legal matters. I would like to thank you for your confidence in me over the years. It has been a pleasure to assist you.”

DelPlato Casey Law Firm LLP (Attorneys Michael A. DelPlato and Peter M. Casey) will continue to serve Cianfrini’s clients at the office location at 31 Main St., Oakfield.

Press release:

The next START-UP Genesee Think and Drink event will take place at Genesee Community College (GCC) featuring small business resources and access to capital specialists. The FREE event is the fourth of series of networking opportunities for entrepreneurs and small business professionals. The event hosted by GCC will take place in Room T119 from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 20.

The program will include remarks by the following:

• Barb Shine, a leadership development trainer and serial entrepreneur. Shine will offer highlights of GCC’s upcoming Small Business Ownership Series, a program recommended for all entrepreneurs as well as current managers of small business.
• Peter M. Casey, Esq., who is a START-UP Genesee sponsor and partner at DelPlato Casey Law LLP and Batavia Development Corporation Board officer, will address legal considerations when starting a business.
• Leanna DiRisio, The Hidden Door owner, and Sam Campanella, certified business adviser for the Small Business Development Center, will share their stories about starting and growing a business.

“The course was intentionally designed for the busy self-starter who might be wondering where to begin or for the early stage operator needing a little more guidance,” Shine said. “Our goal is to shape an action plan for your business initiative.”

“It’s vital to consider the business structure as you enter a venture and equally critical to protect your assets,” said Casey.

Representatives from local banking institutions will be on hand and other creative lending sources will be on display.

START-UP Genesee is intended to assist all types of businesses from early stage planning to site selection, access to capital and product development or diversification.

The Think and Drink series is sponsored by:

• Canandaigua National Bank
• Tompkins Bank of Castile Insurance Agencies
• Feed Maxick CPAs
• Merrill Lynch of Batavia
• University at Buffalo New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics, Life Sciences and Material Informatic
• Del Plato Casey LLP

Mercy EMS is finding its current ambulance staging area at St. Jerome's on Bank Street a little cramped and not conducive to keeping ambulances ready to roll in all kinds of weather, so it's planning a new 11,500 square foot facility off Route 98, just north of the Thruway, in the Town of Batavia.

The new facility will cost about $2 million and the site plan was reviewed and recommended for approval last night by the County Planning Board.

"There’s no space," said Mercy EMS General Manager Bill Schutt of the current location. "We’re in essentially four old hospital rooms there. There’s very limited parking space, obviously, if you’ve been there. In winter times, it’s especially difficult. Ambulances have fluids in them, medications that need to be kept warm, so you’re trying to run heaters inside them to warm them while parked outside. We don’t have any space there to hold meetings, do training, any additional private spaces, very limited crew space."

The new facility will have eight interior parking bays and additional spaces with electrical hook-ups for ambulances to park outside in emergency overflow situations.

The location, 2.2 acres being split out from an 8.6 parcel, is part of the Gateway II project on Call Parkway, just off of Oak Orchard Road.

Schutt said the new location will have no effect on response times.

There will also be expanded crew space, a meeting and training room.

The new location will also include a purchasing department that will house regional purchasing for Mercy Flight.

Also on Thursday's agenda:

• The board recommended approval of two new commercial buildings on a parcel just north of Home Depot, abutting the Thruway, at 4181 Veterans Memorial Drive. The buildings will be a 12,600 square foot facility that will house medical offices and a 7,500 square foot building that will contain three spaces. Two will be restaurant spaces. The $1.2 million project is being undertaken by Holland Trotta out of Rochester.  A spokesman for the developer told planners that the large space was originally intended for a well-known local restaurant, but those plans changed. The signage on the architectural drawings in the planning board packet for the smaller building show an urgent care business and a Mexican chain restaurant, Qdoba Mexican Eats.
• The board recommended approval of a conditional use permit for 17.4-acre, 2-megawatt solar farm at 2901 Pearl Street Road, Batavia. 
• The board recommended approval of a nine-month moratorium on the planning and construction of solar farms in Stafford, giving officials time to review policies and zoning plans for such facilities.
• The board recommended approval of a site plan review for a new 29,456 square foot paddock at Batavia Downs to be constructed on the east side of the race track. The previous paddock was removed to make room for construction of the new hotel. Currently, stables, are being used for paddock space. Paddocks are where horses and drivers are prepared for each race and return to after the race for washing and testing (winning horses are tested for banned substances, as required by the gaming commission). 

Sgt. Terrence Irvin, from Batavia, second from left, is a Marine Security Guard currently deployed to Brussels, where he served recently as part of the security contingent for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, middle of the picture. Irvin is currently serving as a guard attached to the State Department. Following his discharge in 2019, he hopes to become a NYS State Trooper.

Two people suffered minor injuries in an accident just before 7 p.m. at Main Street and Jefferson Avenue, Batavia.

City fire, Batavia PD and Mercy EMS responded.

No further information available at this time.

After opening a year ago in Attica, Amanda Dixon decided her consignment shop, Second Hand Heaven, might get more business in the bigger city of Batavia, so she's opened her doors at 315 Ellicott St.

The shop offers a wide range of used items for sale, from furniture and household goods to clothing and toys, as well as art, books and DVDs.

Owning her own business, Dixon said, allows her to keep her 2-year-old child with her during the day, which she couldn't do working for an employer.

Plus retail is a people business.

"The people I've met are amazing," Dixon said. "It's really nice. I like it."

An accident involving a semi-truck and car is reported in the area of 5901 Route 20, Bethany.

No word on injuries.

There's heavy front-end damage is reported to a vehicle. The tractor-trailer went down a culvert and is in water. It's 80,000 pounds loaded. A heavy wrecker will be needed.

Bethany fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE(S) (By Billie) 12:34 p.m.: This accident involved a tractor-trailer and farm equipment. According to a deputy at the scene, two tractor-trailers were eastbound on Route 20 and nearing a hill. The tractor-trailer that was behind the foremost one decided to pass at the hill. After doing so, the trucker came upon a tractor that was towing a manure spreader. The farm tractor had just made a left-hand turn into the driveway of a farm but the manure spreader was still in the roadway when the passing tractor-trailer clipped the rear of the manure spreader, tearing off the spreader's rear axel. The tractor-trailer continued off the north shoulder of the roadway into a guard rail and down a deep culvert into a creek filled with water. The trucker suffered a big bump on his forehead. The deputy said citations will be issued. They have a lot of manure to clean up on Route 20 as a result of the accident.

UPDATE 12:52 p.m.: The Bethany assignment is back in service.

Six supervisors from the Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center were on hand at the opening of the County Legislature meeting yesterday evening to accept a proclamation from Chairman Ray Cianfrini declaring April 9-15 as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.

Cianfrini said the proclamation recognizes the hard work and dedication of Genesee County's emergency dispatchers.

Batavia Bootery, located inside Charles Men's Shop in Downtown Batavia, held its official grand opening last night. Cutting the ribbon, with Dave Howe and Don Brown, is Pete Zeliff, owner of local shoe manufacturing company P.W. Minor. 

For more on the store opening, click here.

When you step into the new Batavia Bootery, the experience will be top rate and you will find only quality shoes in stock, say proprietors David Howe and Don Brown.

The new shoe store at 210 E. Main St. is a joint venture between Charles Men's Shop (the establishment of Howe and Brown) and local shoe factory P.W. Minor.

The store's grand opening is this evening from 6:30 to 8.

"Quite frankly, P.W. Minor was looking to have a strong presence in their own community," Howe said. "I think Mr. Zeliff (Pete Zeliff, owner of P.W. Minor) has really made a strong commitment to the community and he wanted to make a commitment to Downtown. As proprietors of Charles Men's Shop, Don and I like anything that is going to help Downtown businesses."

Howe expects the new shoe store to draw on and expand the customer base of the 70-year-old clothing store, which Howe said has a strong local following, but also draws customers from Buffalo and Rochester.

But with limited space, Charles Men's Shop wasn't able to sell shoes to its customers.

"I think a good shoe store has been sorely lacking in Downtown," Howe said. "When Pete approaches us, I said I can't tell you the number of times people have come in to buy a new suit, whether they have a new job, are going to a job interview, a funeral or a wedding, and when we've finished packing the new jacket, shirt and tie, they say, 'I need a pair of shoes.' " 

Now those customers will be taken to Batavia Bootery, Howe said. There, both men and women will find a complete line of high quality, long-lasting, comfortable shoes sold by a knowledgeable, friendly staff. While featuring shoes from P.W. Minor, other companies shoes will also be available, to offer a price range from moderate to higher end, but all shoes from other lines are selected for their quality, comfort and foot health benefits.

"Our customer service is second to none," Brown said. "We're professionals. We got to all the big shows. You're not getting that kind of service in a mall or a big box store. The knowledge, you can't get that from a bunch of stars left by Millennials online."

Batavia Bootery will be the flagship store for p.w. minor, carrying every shoe the 150-year-old local manufacturer carries, including the new Abrams Boots line and the Batavia Boot and Shoe collection, both high-quality brands for the stylish dresser.

The store will also carry the same quality, orthopedic shoes that has made P.W. Minor famous, but in styles that have been upgraded to more attractive and fashionable designs since Zeliff took over the company and saved it from near closure.

Since Zeliff has taken over, he's moved production back to the United States from China and continues to hire more workers and ramp up production as the sales staff finds new customers across the country.

The craftsmanship of P.W. Minor shoes is really impressive, Howe said. They are made to last a lifetime.

"This is a wonderful example going forward of what can be done in America by American workers," Howe said. "I think that’s really cool. Although we’re just a tiny part of what P.W. Minor is doing. We’re really proud to be associated with them and what they’re doing to bring back American workers and American products."

With the passage of the new state budget, there is some relief for local charities looking to conduct raffles, according to Assemblyman Steve Hawley, but not all the reforms in the state gaming law that he would like to see.

Last year, many local charities, most particularly, volunteer fire departments, discovered their traditional fund-raising raffles were potentially in violation of state gaming laws, so most of the raffles were shut down.

Hawley introduced legislation aimed at making these charity raffles legal, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoed the bill after it was passed by the Assembly and Senate.

This year, Cuomo included some reforms in his budget request and with passage of the budget, those reforms also passed.

The changes will allow charities to accept raffle payments by cash or check and to advertise the raffles on the Internet.

Charities will still be prohibited, however, from selling raffle tickets online.

"Those are the big changes and they will be somewhat helpful, but not (in) the place where I’d like to see it," Hawley said.

He is introducing legislation this session to try and get online ticket sales and credit card sales legal for charity raffles.

Interview with Assemblyman Steve Hawley conducted by our news partner, WBTA.

A large crew from National Grid is on Center Street today replacing a utility pole that has been leaning significantly since the windstorm last month. During the storm, power was out in the area and authorities closed Center Street and School Street.