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A van and a pickup have collided at Bank Street Road and Batavia Elba Townline Road in the Town of Batavia.

There are possibly no serious injuries but as a precaution, a responding chief asked dispatchers to check the availability of Mercy Flight.

One person is trapped in a vehicle but is conscious and alert.

Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS responding. Elba requested to provide fire police to assist with traffic control.

UPDATE 10:30 a.m.: Mercy Flight requested to the scene.

UPDATE 11:50 a.m.: One person was transported to an area hospital by Mercy Flight; two were taken by ground ambulances to hospitals. One person at the scene was a sign-off. Town of Batavia has cleared the scene. They are opening up the roadway. State Police are investigating the accident.

Press release:

• Genesee County received one new positive case of COVID-19.
  • The positive individual resides in Darien.
  • The positive individual is in their 30s.
  • The positive individual was not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • Zero of the previous community positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Nine new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • No individuals are hospitalized.
• Orleans County received zero new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • One of the previous community positive cases has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Nine new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • Two of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility. We do not separate them out to protect their privacy.    

Press release:

Today Nate McMurray, the Democratic nominee in the 27th congressional district, held a press conference with supporters on the status of his race and his path to victory in November.

“I am amazed and grateful for the support, and especially blown away by our victory here in Ontario County. On Election Day we were down by 42 points across the district, and now we are down to a mere 5 points, maybe even less,” McMurray said. “Even though Jacobs received significant support from President Trump -- including numerous robocalls, tweets, and a live Town hall the night before Election Night -- even though he outspent us on commercials 10 to 1 and is able to privately fund his campaign, and even though we ran a progressive campaign in the reddest district in New York, Jacobs only won by a small margin.

"All things considered, he should’ve maintained his 42-point lead from election night. Make no mistake, while my opponent has claimed victory time and again prior to tens of thousands of votes being counted, attempting to silence countless voices of people in this district, he knows, and Trump knows, Jacobs is limping into Washington. This is the foreshadowing of our clear path to victory three months from now, when an additional 150,000 or more people will be casting their ballots.

“While Jacobs is about to serve one of the shortest congressional terms ever, the next three months are critical. Now Jacobs must address the critical issues facing our region that he avoided on the campaign trail. Will Jacobs continue to defend President Trump and how he has handled COVID-19? Will Jacobs continue to claim Trump is doing a great job for our region when Western New York has one of the worst job markets in the country? It is our job to hold them both accountable. It is our job to continue to stand against the daily lies being told and to fight for our democracy.

“A critical part of our fight is to ensure that when 150,000 additional people cast their ballot this November, every vote is counted. Due to massive confusion during this Special Election, people struggled to receive their ballots in time to no fault of their own, and as a result, thousands of ballots were thrown away and not counted. This is unacceptable. We must do better.

"It is imperative we make this process simpler, more accessible and more transparent and get county boards of elections the critical resources they need to process a growing number of unprecedented absentee ballots. Trump and Jacobs are already trying to suppress our votes and silence our voices, but we will continue to advocate for truth and to fight like hell for the people of the 27th."

Stacey Foose shared this photo of geese roaming around DeWitt Recreation Area yesterday. She said they were getting close to the playground. She said, "I thought maybe they wanted to go for a slide or try to climb the monkey bars. LOL."

William A. "Billy" Sheron III, of Buffalo, died two days ago at Strong Memorial Hospital after a brief illness.

Sheron was born in Batavia on April 24, 1984, and graduated from Batavia High School in 2002. He became a certified public accountant after earning a bachelor's and master's degree from SUNY Oswego.

According to his obituary, Billy was a compassionate and kind-hearted man who loved his family and friends to no end.

He was an avid golfer, a valued member of The Genny and enjoyed grilling, fantasy football, and the Buffalo Bills. Steaks and chicken wings were his specialties. The animated TV classic "The Simpsons" always kept him laughing, and we can’t forget his love for Kendrick and Ophelia.

Sheriff Sheron declined to comment this morning.

For his full obituary, click here.

CORRECTION: In a previous version, we misstated the name of Billy Sheron's mother. It has been corrected. We regret the error and apologize to Karen M. Maskell and the Sheron family.

Park police have requested the assistance of a state trooper at Darien Lakes State Park to help with a raccoon that won't stop trying to get into a camper's tent at site #17.

Press release:

• Genesee County received one new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 244 positive cases.
  • The positive individual resides in Batavia.
  • The positive individual is in their 70s.
  • The positive individual was not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • Two of the previous community positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Fifteen new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • No individuals are hospitalized.
• Orleans County received one new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 272 positive cases.
  • The positive individual resides in Clarendon.
  • The positive individual is in their 80s.
  • The positive individual was not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

This past weekend, United Travel Baseball's 12U team, based in Genesee County, played in the Lancaster Legends Classic and beat the Clarence Red Devils, 9-3 to claim the Gold Bracket Championship.

The team is comprised of players from Batavia, Alexander, Oakfield, and Pembroke and include: Landen Santini, Austin Humphrey, David Schnaufer, Jayden Bridge, Hayden “Meat” Schroeder, Mason Vigiano, Jaxon DelPriore, Leo Egloff, Mason Wells, Nolan Ball, Kylan Ball, and Anthony Pellegrino.

The Team is coached by Jason Ball, Joey Santini; Statistics -- Mike DelPriore; and Equipment Manager -- Dom DelPriore.

With no live gigs to play, Le Roy's Justin Williams has been using his time at home to write some instrumental tracks. Today he released "July Morning."

The song was mixed by Joe Lambert, of Batavia.

Williams said the song is inspired by the need to have a bright spot in our daily lives in these times.

"I've written several instrumentals during these strange times," Williams said. "It just felt natural during these divisive times to let the music do the talking. The video was fun to make as well. More on the way. Just gonna keep releasing as singles for now. May put out as an EP at the end of the year."

Williams is a singer/songwriter/lead guitarist and he has released music with Butterscotch, Exit 47, and a pair of solo EPs, as well as playing on other artists' albums (BC Psychos, JJ Lang Band, among others). Additionally, he has written music for advertising (Ryan Heating and Plumbing, The YNGodess Shop, among others). Typically, he can be found performing with Justin Williams & Forward Progress, The Shaking Bones, as a solo acoustic performer, and occasionally with The BC Psychos.

Since we are currently not in ordinary times, you can find Justin and Laura Williams performing on Tuesday evenings at 7 on the Justin Williams and Forward Progress Facebook page.

Press release:

New York Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization, unveiled the results of a member survey that found 65 percent of the state’s farms and agribusinesses have been negatively impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 500 NYFB members participated in the informal survey conducted in mid-June that asked a dozen wide-ranging questions about the rural economy, health and safety of farm families and their employees as well as access to necessary personal protective equipment (PPEs). Respondents also described how they were personally affected.

Here are some key findings:

• 43 percent of farms have lost sales during the pandemic.
• More than a third of farms and agribusinesses (37 percent) are experiencing cash flow issues.
• Almost half (47 percent) say they have reduced spending to local vendors and suppliers or will do so in the future.
• An overwhelming majority of farms (84 percent) have a plan in place to train and assist their employees to mitigate the spread of the virus.
• 46 percent of respondents say they are concerned about their mental health or that of someone they know.

“What we found with this survey is that no farm was untouched by the pandemic or the economic fallout,” said New York Farm Bureau president, David Fisher. “All of this underscores the need to continue to invest in our food system while also making health and safety a priority.

"Farmers are doing their best to make sure food production doesn’t stop, but we need to maintain the ability to process, distribute and market what we produce. As the state and federal governments look toward potential budget cuts and additional COVID-19 assistance, agriculture must be a part of the discussion. It really does take all of us working together to have a strong, sustainable food system that supports the farm community and feeds yours.”

Press release:

Chris Jacobs was sworn into the United States House of Representatives today at 10 a.m. on the House Floor by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Jacobs assumes New York’s 27th Congressional District seat.

“Our district has been without representation and leadership for far too long – today that finally ends and the people of NY-27 have representation again. I am deeply grateful and honored that the voters have put their trust in me, and I am eager to get to work fighting for them and their needs in Congress,” Jacobs said.

“Whether it is fighting for our region's small businesses, or supporting our great family farms, or working to update infrastructure and rural broadband access -- I promise to serve this district with honor and integrity. I care deeply about our Western New York Community, and I look forward to helping our region reach its full potential,” Jacobs said.

A 40-year-old Alexander resident is facing federal charges for allegedly producing child pornography.

Christopher Brown is facing up to 15 years in prison.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan P. Cantil, who is handling the case, in April 2020, a law enforcement officer working online undercover discovered a sexually explicit video, which included a prepubescent female who appeared to be between 9 and 11 years old.

The IP address was traced to the defendant’s Dodgeson Road residence in Alexander. On July 17, a federal search warrant was executed at the residence. Investigators seized several items, including three cellular telephones and a computer. In addition, a DVD was recovered that contained explicit video of child pornography that he allegedly produced.

Investigators also reportedly recovered four firearms, including two rifles, two pistols and ammunition.

The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and is being detained.

The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.

Press release:

• Genesee County received three new positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 243 positive cases.
  • The positive individuals reside in Batavia, Bergen and Corfu.
  • Two of the positive individuals are younger than 20 and one is in their 50s.
  • The positive individuals were not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • One of the previous community positive cases has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Fifty-one new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • No individuals are hospitalized.
• Orleans County received two new positive cases of COVID-19, maintaining a total of 271 positive cases.
  • The positive individuals reside in Ridgeway and Murray.
  • Both of the positive individuals are in their 30s.
  • The positive individuals were not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

• Thirteen new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
• Three of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility. We do not separate them out to protect their privacy.

Paul Grazioplene, owner of Extreme Streetwear in Batavia, was among the vendors Sunday in the Batavia Downs parking lot for a craft show and flea market. A couple of dozen vendors set up booths for the event.

Press release from AAA: 

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.20, which is the same as a week ago. One year ago, the price was $2.89. The New York State average is $2.27 – a penny higher than last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.89.

AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.23 (no change since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.21 (up 2 cents since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.18 (up 1 cent since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.23 (up 2 cents since last week)
• Rome -- $2.30 (up 2 cents since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.20 (up 4 cents since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.28 (no change since last week)

According to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gasoline supplies are down. As supplies tighten, pump prices could continue to rise, depending on demand.

With New Yorkers taking road trips within the state to avoid a quarantine, demand within the state is up and that is reflected in this week’s gas prices.

Analysts suspect that decreasing crude stocks could mean that crude production is beginning to meet demand and could reduce price volatility, as coronavirus outbreaks continue to grow worldwide.

From GasBuddy:

"Similar to watching the Cubs game last night with a quiet and empty stadium, gasoline prices have been quiet last week as markets await the next chapter in the coronavirus situation," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

"As cases continue to rise, the likelihood rises that gas prices will stabilize and demand may continue to see small decreases, which is the name of the game behind gas prices.

"I wouldn't expect much movement until we either see more states being impacted again or we see cases start to drop, either one would provide clarity to where we stand now. For now, motorists are still 'stuck' with the lowest summer gas prices in 16 years."

A one-vehicle rollover accident is reported in the area of 7743 Sackett Road, Bergen.

A pole was struck. Lines are down in the roadway. There is no sparking.

The car is on its roof but the driver is out of the vehicle.

Bergen fire and ambulance responding.

UPDATE 10:56 p.m.: No injuries. 

Photos by Philip Casper.

With a grant from GO ART! the Elba Betterment Committee host live music in the village park featuring the Jimmie Leggs Trio.

Le Roy resident Katie Orlando shared her photo with us of comet NEOWISE as it passed earth in the evening sky last night.

The comet is expected to be visible at night until July 26.

For more information about viewing from NASA, click here.

If you take a good, clear picture of the comet, email the photo to howard@thebatavian.com

Press release:

• Genesee County received two new positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 240 positive cases.
  • The positive individuals reside in Batavia and Le Roy.
  • One of the positive individuals is in their 20s and one is in their 60s.
  • The positive individuals were not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • Two of the previous community positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Five new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • No individuals are hospitalized.
• Orleans County received zero new positive case of COVID-19, maintaining a total of 269 positive cases.
  • Eight new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • Three of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility. We do not separate them out to protect their privacy.

The YWCA in Batavia held a vigil on Wednesday at its North Street location to rally against racism. Featured speakers included Rev. Shiela Campbell McCullough and local businessman Brandon Armstrong.