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The Muckdogs have split the first two-games of a three-game series with State College at Dwyer Stadium.

Saturday night the home team lost 7-4 despite a strong start by Alberto Guerrero, of Panama, who went six innings and gave up only one earned run on three hits, striking out seven.

This afternoon, the Muckdogs scorched the Spikes 8-3. First baseman Sean Reynolds hit his fourth home run of the season. He had two hits, two RBIs, and scored three times. The winning pitcher was Dylan Cyphert, who tossed two innings in relief and gave up two hits and no runs.

Photos are from Saturday's game, which would have been posted this morning with a game story but for the Stumblin' Inn fire.

The good guys will try to capture the three-game series tomorrow night. Game time is 7:05 at Dwyer Stadium.

Top photo: Reynolds slides into third, taking an extra base on a single to center by Denis Karas.

Once again, lots of music fans, lots of musicians, lots of music, and lots of fun at the Ramble Music and Arts Festival in Jackson Square and on Center Street, Batavia.

The bands performing during our visit to the festival yesterday were Lonesome Road, Sierra, Noah's Reign, Rock Soulgers, and The Bluesway Band.

A maroon Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck reportedly hit a mailbox and drove into a ditch in the area of 8055 Lake Street Road, Le Roy, and then continued on Route 19 toward Monroe County.

The license plate comes back to a Monroe County address.

Law enforcement is responding and Monroe County law enforcement being notified.

Video by Lucine Kauffman, with our news partner, WBTA.

Previously:

• Fully involved structure fire at Stumblin' Inn, Elba
• Fire destroys the storied Stumblin' Inn, a community landmark since the 19th century
• Excavator pulling apart Stumblin' Inn to help firefighters reach hot spots

An excavator is tearing down what remains of the Stumblin' Inn in Elba this afternoon while fire crews keep the smoldering wood wet and attack hot spots that flare up as they get air.

"The building was constructed in the late 19th century, balloon construction, and there was fire throughout the building," said Jim Bouton, deputy emergency management coordinator. "The only way to successful to get to the hot spots now is with heavy equipment to haul the building apart so they can get to these hot spots in the building, otherwise we’re going to leave here and there is a potential for this lighting back up and we don’t want that to occur."

Bouton explained that as the fire caused the roof to collapse, it created trapped hot spots that can't be reached without pulling the wood apart, and as that happens, air hits those pockets and feeds the fire.

Crews will keep working on the fire until there's no evidence of remaining hot spots.

Meanwhile, the Village of Elba remains closed to through traffic.

The cause of the fire is officially undetermined. Investigators suspect an electrical issue.

UPDATE 4:55 p.m.: In about a half hour, all equipment will be removed from the roadway, so it can be cleaned up, the chief says.

Previously:

• Fully involved structure fire at Stumblin' Inn, Elba
• Fire destroys the storied Stumblin' Inn, a community landmark since the 19th century

A fully involved structure fire is reported at 1 S. Main St., Elba, the Stumblin' Inn.

Elba fire dispatched. 

Batavia's Fast Team, Oakfield, Alabama, also dispatched.

UPDATE(S) (By Billie) 9:49 a.m.: Byron Fire Department is asked to stand by in its fire hall. Fire police are coordinating to shut down roads in the vicinity to accommodate fire equipment. National Grid and National Fuel contacted to shut down utilities. The upstairs apartment is in flames.

UPDATE 9:55 a.m.: Barre Fire Department is called to provide mutual aid.

UPDATE 9:57 a.m.: More Elba Fire Police are called to the scene. Firefighters are going to hook up a ladder in the back to attack the fire. "Can you get the owners off that back deck?!" one firefighter yells to another.

UPDATE 10:02 a.m.: "Smoke is changing. Smoke is changing -- gettin' darker!" a fireman says.

UPDATE 10:06 a.m.: "Presbyterian Church people are startin' to show up. They can get to the church but they can't get much farther," says a fire policeman. More fire police from Barre, Byron, Oakfield are to be called to the scene.

UPDATE 10:09 a.m.: All interior firefighters are ordered out of the structure.

UPDATE 10:10 a.m.: Mercy medics #2 and #3 are called to the Stumblin' Inn.

UPDATE 10:17 a.m.: Utility reps are on scene. All power is turned off. National Fuel rep is on scene. National Grid has a 30-minute ETA. Power needs to be shut off still. Byron is asked to send an engine to stand by in Elba's hall.

UPDATE 10:27 a.m.: Two Barre Fire Police have arrived. One will be deployed at Church Street, the other at Bridge. Tankers called to provide mutual aid from Bethany, Stafford and Alexander.

UPDATE 10:36 a.m.: A tanker from East Pembroke is called to the scene.

UPDATE 10:52 a.m.: More fire police are called in from Stafford, East Pembroke and Alexander. They are going to post someone at Drake Street Road and Weatherwax Road, and then at Pekin Road and "back out to Townline." National Grid is arriving on scene.

UPDATE 10:57 a.m.: All occupants are believed to be safely out of the building.

UPDATE 11:03 a.m.: The Elba chief said the first started on the northeast corner of the first floor and flames were shooting out of three windows when they arrived. Now there is heavy black smoke showing but no flames. More fire police out of Orleans County are called in. "People are sneakin' by" laments the Elba Fire Police commander.

UPDATE 11:38 a.m.: All eastbound traffic will be closed at Route 262 per fire command. Law enforcement is requested to the fire command center.

UPDATE 12:07 p.m.: Power to the village is shut off.

UPDATE 12:56 p.m. (By Howard): The chief reported the fire under control about 10 minutes ago. Extensive overhaul underway. Power will be restored to the village shortly.

UPDATE 1:11 p.m.: Red Cross requested to the scene to assist one adult.

UPDATE 2:04 p.m.: Firefighters are packing up. An excavator is arriving on scene to finish demolition of the building.

UPDATE 5:45 p.m.: Roadways are being reopened.

UPDATE 6:30 p.m.: Elba assignment to 1 South Main St. is back in service.

A motor-vehicle accident with unknown injuries is reported at Galloway and Lewiston Roads, Batavia.

The initial report was for multiple vehicles but law enforcement on scene reports only two vehicles involved. One is off into the woods with two occupants unable to exit.

Two ambulances requested to the scene, one non-emergency response.

Town of Batavia fire dispatched.

Starting with this payroll, 22 Genesee County employees will no longer have money deducted from their paychecks to help support the Civil Service Employees Association, a union that represents 214 county employees, according to County Manager Jay Gsell.

The change is a result of a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling that week, Janus v. AFSCME  (analysis by SCOTUSBlog), that struck down rules that allowed fees to be charged to non-union members who were employed by a government agency under terms of a collective bargaining agreement.

There are four unions representing 353 county employees, Gsell said, but only CSEA was receiving fees from non-members.

Interim City Manage Matt Worth said there are no City of Batavia employees who are covered by collective bargaining who are not members of their respective unions.

According to a Gannett News Service report, 31,000 state employees from throughout New York, will cease paying the fee this week.

Federal employees covered by collective bargaining are not required to pay the fee, and according to Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the majority opinion in Janus, 28 states prohibit such fees.

Unions at the federal level and in these states have not been thrown into “pandemonium” nor has there been “conflict and disruption” without these fees, Alito noted.

The suit over union fees that eventually made its way to the justices was initiated by Mark Janus, a child-support specialist for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. He objected to the fees because they went to such political speech intended to influence government agencies on issues such as salaries, pensions, and benefits for government employees.

That, he said, violated his First Amendment rights by forcing him to support speech that did not necessarily conform to his personal views.

“In simple terms, the First Amendment does not permit the government to compel a person to pay for another party’s speech just because the government thinks that the speech furthers the interests of the person who does not want to pay,” Alito wrote.

Alito noted that public spending, including the “mounting costs of public-employee wages, benefits, and pensions” – has skyrocketed in the past four decades. As a result, collective bargaining has gained a new political significance making the issue of fees to support that speech a bigger First Amendment issue.

In her dissenting opinion, Justice Elena Kagan warned that the ruling could disrupt “thousands of ongoing contracts involving millions of employees.”

UPDATE 5:50 p.m.: The county schedule for payroll deductions for union fees are: 

• AFSCME: $18.76 bi-weekly
• DSA: $22 bi-weekly
• SEA: $15.55 bi-weekly
• CSEA: bi-weekly range is $18.73 - $30.15

Three people were taken into custody around noon at Park and Oak, Batavia, after being stopped as shoplifting suspects.

Charges are pending and their names have not yet been released but police said they recovered a cache of goods allegedly stolen from Tops Friendly Market and Walmart.

The groceries from Tops included, officers said, steaks, lobster, shrimp, a large roast, gluten-free pizza, and several household items, including toilet paper.

The items recovered that appeared to be stolen from Walmart included archery bows.

The suspects appear not to be local residents.

A caller had followed the red van from Tops until police initiated a traffic stop at Park and Oak. The caller reported observing the driver of the red van pounding the steering wheel in an apparent realization they had been caught.

Police are still investigating and will release more information later.

Premier Genesee Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, the former county nursing home on Bank Street, Batavia, was hit by two air conditioning outages this week, according to the facility's director, but the AC is working now and portable ACs are being delivered to help improve cooling on the third, fourth, and fifth floors.

The first outage was only for a couple of hours on Monday and it was repaired that day. Yesterday, the outage lasted longer and residents were moved from the upper floors to the first-floor mall during repairs and re-cooling the building, said Executive Director Christine Schaller.

"It took a few hours to cool down the upper floors due to extreme outdoor heat," Schaller said. "We will continue checking all room temps routinely today and taking other measures to keep everyone cool."

Lisa Sofia, CEO of Premier Healthcare Management, has informed staff that 20 portable air-conditioning units have been ordered for the Batavia facility. Five are expected to arrive today and 15 on Saturday.

The units, Schaller said, will be used to assist in keeping the upper floors cool during the current heat wave.

Schaller shared an internal memo from Director of Nursing Tina Ferrando about the situation yesterday. She said state officials arrived at 1:45 p.m. to survey the situation.

"They took temperatures, interviewed residents and staff, as well as myself," Ferrando wrote. "(They) saw our plan in action -- all residents from upper units (3, 4, and 5) being comfortably cared for on the first floor -- using the mall walk, main dining room, and rehab dining rooms. It went well. We were doing everything we said we would and they seemed pleased with that."

The Batavian contacted the state's spokesman for the Department of Health. He didn't immediately have information available but said he would look into it and get back to us.

Ferrando said upper floor temps were checked about 7 p.m. and had fallen to below 81 degrees, so staff began moving residents back to those units. They were back in their units by 8:15 p.m.

"All residents were kept comfortable, enjoyed ice water, lemonade, juice, popsicles, ice cream, and other refreshments all day," Ferrando wrote, "with movies and music."

She promised supervisors will stay on top of the situation, regularly checking temperatures and immediately report any temperature increases.

UPDATE 2:30 p.m.: Statement from the State Department of Health:

“Ensuring the well-being of all nursing home residents is of the utmost importance of the state health department.  We are investigating concerns related to the Premier Genesee Rehabilitation and Nursing’s air conditioning system.  The Department will continue to closely monitor the situation.”   

Press release:

State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer is encouraging students to continue growing, learning and developing – even though school is out of session until September – by participating in his Summer Reading Program.

“As the school year comes to an end, students are turning their thoughts away from books to vacation," Ranzenhofer said. "This program is a great way to promote literacy and keep children’s minds active when they are not in a classroom. I encourage students to read all summer long by participating in the Summer Reading Program."

The theme of this year’s program is Libraries Rock! Students and parents can participate by visiting Senator Ranzenhofer’s website, ranzenhofer.nysenate.gov.

Evidence shows that children who stop reading over the summer often fall behind when they return to class in September. More than 2.2 million students participated in summer reading at New York libraries last year.

WXXI: Schumer introduces bill to allow veterans to fundraise outside post offices

Press release: 

As Genesee Community College's 50th graduating class crammed for finals, one student worked harder, practiced longer, collaborated more, and without realizing it she embodied the College's "Beyond Expectations" brand with quiet dignity and integrity seldom seen.

Lifelong Bergen resident, Lauren E. Stumpf was born in 1994 with cerebral palsy, and has relied on a wheelchair for mobility for most of her life. But this challenge never much slowed Lauren down, nor dampened her spirited disposition.

With hard work and dedication, she has enjoyed great success. She graduated from Byron-Bergen Schools in 2012 and months later enrolled at GCC with plans to earn a degree in Human Services.

Lauren's determination has always been a mark of her character and integrity, first by proving her doctors wrong by far exceeding their projected life expectancy of just five years. Then at GCC she excelled in her coursework and quickly made friends across campus.

Several months before graduation, Lauren decided she wanted to make the ceremony even more special by surprising her family and friends with another significant accomplishment -- walking across the Commencement stage to accept her degree.

To that end, Lauren began doing exercises to strengthen her muscles, and she contacted her friends who were enrolled in GCC's Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program. Together, with guidance from their professors, they helped Lauren by monitoring her progress, educating her about proper posture and exertion levels to ensure she rested appropriately and did not injure herself.

As Lauren proudly walked across the stage, the crowd cheered, applauded and many people jumped to their feet with enthusiasm and support. She shook hands with keynote speaker Kristina Johnson, Ed.D., the new SUNY Chancellor, whose speech included a message about optimism and rising to her own challenge of being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Lauren's determination inspired the GCC's admissions office to capture her story in a short video that would illustrate her resolve. It also will inspire others to meet their challenges head-on and realize the many resources available to help make their dreams a reality.

Lauren's story is proof that good news travels fast and far. After posting Lauren's story on the College's social media channels, there were more than 4,500 views in just one week. This included a message from Buffalo State College who is looking forward to having her on their campus this fall, as she begins her next challenge.

Lauren will be enrolled in Buffalo State's Special Education program, in part, as a tribute to her close friend who also enrolled in the program but sadly passed away before she graduated.

"After Buffalo State, I want to get a job as a special education teacher and possibly go back to GCC as a professor for the Developmental Disabilities class," Lauren said.

And to that GCC remarks, "Bring it on! We can't wait to see you."

Photo by Howard Owens.

News of the theft of urns from the Batavia Peace Garden has prompted community members to come forward and help both with the replacement of the urns as well improving security at the park.

Carol Grasso told WBTA this morning that Michael Tomaszewski, owner of Tomaszewski Funeral & Cremation Chapel, has offered to replace the urns.

Another anonymous donor has offered to help pay for security cameras and improved lighting.

"Michael Tomaszewski, he's such a great guy; he goes so much for our community," Grasso said. "He called Paula (Savage) up and he said, 'I'm going to replace those for you.' We were just the ecstatic. He was kind enough to do this for us. He's just always been such a good supporter of the Peace Garden."

As for security, the Peace Garden board had already decided to purchase a video camera and lighting but still needed to raise more money for it. The anonymous donation helps.

"It's not cheap, you know, and then you have to have them installed," Grasso said. "We don't have any money coming into the Peace Garden. Everything we do is through donations and fundraisers. We're very fortunate to have a community that is supportive of us."

Grasso thinks it took more than one person to steal the urns.

"They were two huge, large -- they probably come up to your waist, that's how big they are," Grasso said. "They are heavy and solid granite. They're just beautiful, black. They are just gorgeous ... whoever took them, it had to be a couple of people because you can't just move them."

WBTA is news partners with The Batavian.

A caller is apparently distraught after hitting a raccoon with her car in the City of Batavia.

A dispatcher has asked an officer to stop and speak with her to calm her down and "let her know it's OK."

No location was given for the accident.

UPDATE 1:40 p.m.: About 10 minutes ago, the caller decided "she's moving on" after determining that she suffered no injuries and her vehicle is not damaged.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported in the area of 6499 Lyman Road, Bryon.

Byron and South Byron fire departments dispatched.

UPDATE 8:22 p.m.: There is one truck off the road into the trees. 

UPDATE 8:23 p.m.: One patient, outside the vehicle.

Bill Buckenmeyer crossed the finish line first in the annual Fourth of July Kiwanis 5K at Centennial Park in Batavia.

More than 280 runners and walkers participated this year.

A two-vehicle accident is reported at Route 98 (Quaker Hill Road) and Lockport Road, Elba, with possible serious injuries.

One vehicle rolled over. Two people are entrapped.

Mercy Flight requested to the scene. Town of Batavia fire requested to the Elba rec hall to set up a landing zone.

Elba fire and three ambulances dispatched.

UPDATE(S) (By Billie) 3:13 p.m.: An ambulance from Byron is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 3:49 p.m.: One person is being transported to Strong Memorial Hospital via Mercy Flight.

UPDATE 4:02 p.m.: Preliminary details indicate a pickup truck and a sedan collided at the intersection after one of the vehicles failed to yield the right of way. Two people were in each vehicle. In addition to the person airlifted to Strong, two others were transported there by Mercy medics. All three suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The fourth person involved was a sign-off. The Byron ambulance was called in for evaluation and rehab for firefighters. No firefighters were injured.

UPDATE 4:36 p.m. (By Howard): The roads are being reopened. A trooper on scene State Police will release more information tomorrow.

Photo: Paul Draper and Stephen Kowalcyk, co-directors of the 2018 Batavia Ramble Music and Arts Festival.

Press release:

The 2018 Batavia Ramble Music & Arts Festival will be held on Saturday, July 7th, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. This year we will have two main stages that will feature live performances from 34 local bands & artists.

The "Eli Fish" stage will be located in Jackson Square and the "Center Street" stage will be located in the parking lot across from Center Street Smoke House.

Along with musical performances, we will also have local artists, craft vendors and food trucks lined up all along Center Street.

As always, The Batavia Ramble is free to the public so bring a chair and a few friends and come and check out the biggest show in Batavia! For additional information, please email Paul Draper III at TheBataviaRamble@gmail.com

The 2018 music lineup:

 Eli Fish Stage:

• Ghost Riders
• Me & Red
• Koko & The Moon Crickets
• Justin Williams Band
• Shotgun Pauly
• Trolls 2.0
• Genesee Ted
• Driven
• Zero
• Old Hippies
• Sierra
• Noahs Reign
• Bluesway Band
• Warren Skye & Friends
• Eagle Creek
• Justin Crossett Band
• Audibull

Center Street Stage:

• J. Hopkins
• Grizzwoode
• PD3
• Dave Holnbeck
• Steve Kruppner
• Kruppner Brothers
• Jenny & Michelle
• Beethovan's Dream Group Again
• The Live Bait Band
• The Pedestrians
• Lonesome Road
• Rock Soulgers
• Gretchen & The Girls
• Blues Daddios
• Mercury Express
• Conspiracy Theory
• We are Groot