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Jennifer Serrano told a deputy she was looking for a girlfriend's house in Darien and was lost after nearly hitting the deputy's car on Route 77 in the early morning of Aug. 11.

The 48-year-old Serrano has been accused of hitting and killing Connor Lynskey, 18, of Hinckley, on Sumner Road about 25 minutes before her encounter with Deputy Robert C. Henning. The encounter led to her arrest on a drunken driving charge but she never revealed to Henning or any of the court or jail officials she met that morning that she may have been involved in a hit-and-run accident.

Lynskey had been reported missing by the time of her arrest but his body wouldn't be found until 11:30 in the morning. A day after his death was reported, Sheriff's Officers investigators developed leads and identified Serrano as the suspected driver of the hit-and-run vehicle. She was located at her sister's house in Amherst. Deputies also seized the vehicle they believe she was driving at the time of the accident about 12:30 a.m. and her subsequent arrest for DWI at 12:55 a.m.

After the near collision on Route 77, Henning flipped on the emergency lights of his patrol vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. In his report of the incident, he said he could detect a strong odor of alcohol and that Serrano's eyes were glassy, according to a report he wrote and attached to the arresting document on file with the Genesee County Court.

The Batavian requested the document after District Attorney Lawrence Friedman discussed it during Serrano's last court appearance Sept.12. Judge Charles Zambito granted the request at a hearing, where neither Serrano nor her attorneys appeared to object to the document's release, this past Thursday.

According to Henning's report, Serrano failed multiple parts of a field sobriety test but her demeanor even before the test began indicated she may have been intoxicated, according to the report.

"Jennifer was swaying back and forth and leaned into the tire on the back of the vehicle multiple times to keep her balance while I was talking to her," Henning wrote. "Jennifer was also fidgeting while speaking with me. She was constantly moving her hands and rubbing them together."

Henning attempted a roadside Alco-sensor test but after Serrano blew once and it didn't register a reading, she wouldn't blow again. She also refused a Datamaster test at the Batavia Police Station and she refused three separate requests to submit to the test at Darien Town Court.

During the field sobriety tests, Henning reported Serrano swayed back and forth and had a hard time keeping her head still.

At one time during the test, Serrano reportedly said, "Am I moving my head? I can't even tell."

She wasn't able to complete a balance test without hold her hands out and she couldn't successfully walk heel-to-toe, according to Henning's report.

After the walk and turn, she reportedly told Henning, "I failed."

The report also reveals there was a passenger in Serrano's vehicle, though the person isn't named and if police obtained a witness statement from the passenger, it's not included in the court file.

Serrano said she drove from Silver Lake to Darien Lake to pick up her passenger after the Jason Aldean concert, according to statements Serrano reportedly made to Henning.

When Henning asked Serrano about consuming alcohol that night, Serrano reportedly said, "I had some earlier."

"What's some?" Henning asked.

The report says Serrano then said, "Umm, I didn't have any."

After informing Serrano he would conduct some tests, Serrano reportedly told Henning, "Well, listen, can you just let me hang here? You just let me hang here. You just all did your thing. You walked around. Could you just call my cousin, like talk to my cousin and just let me know."

Later she reportedly said, "My girlfriend's house is on this street. I pulled into the wrong driveway. I pulled out in front of you. Could you just do a solid, you know, like I promise you. Can we call my, you call my cousin and we follow you, and you follow me."

While trying to convince Serrano to submitted to a breath test, he told her, "It's another ticket if you refuse," and Serrano reportedly told Henning, "It's not another ticket if I refuse. "It's, it's, I'm doomed."

When Henning informed her she was under arrest, Serrano reportedly said, "Really? I've been kind to you. Oh, my God."

Later, after Serrano said she really didn't understand what was going on, Henning said he told her, " I believe that you are intoxicated to the point where you should not be driving a motor vehicle, OK? So I arrested you for that. Now you admitted to drinking. I don't know what. I don't know how much but that's basically what the field tests and the Datamaster can prove it."

Serrano said, "I don't understand how this is going to work out for me, like, you keep saying, 'it's going to be OK.' "

"It will," said Henning, who at the time didn't know about Lynskey. "It's not the end of the world. Look, the end of the world could have been that you got in a head-on collision tonight and either hurt yourself, hurt the passenger, or hurt someone else." 

All Serrano reportedly had to say at that point was, "I just pulled out of a driveway in front of you. I was looking for my girlfriend's house."

Lynskey, a promising medical student, according to his family, had attended the Jason Aldean concert with friends and family. They were all camping at Darien Lakes State Park. Lynskey was walking with members of his group when he decided to run ahead on Sumner Road and catch up with a friend. That was the last time anybody saw him alive.

We've always had a policy of disclosing when things going on in our lives might disrupt news coverage, even when those events are medical in nature.

This is one of those times.

Since August of last year, I've had afib and this morning I'll be admitted to Unity Hospital in Rochester where, after some tests and if those tests go well, doctors will administer a medication that may correct it. The potential side effects of the medication require that I remain in the hospital where I can be monitored for at least three days.

So, until perhaps Thursday morning, I won't be in town. Billie will be here monitoring the scanner as usual. We have some coverage lined up. I'm expecting some documents that will enable me to write a couple of stories while I'm in the hospital and I can do any other stories that come up that don't require me to travel, but I won't be available for breaking news or event coverage. We'll do our best to get these covered through other means while I'm gone.

Rep. Chris Collins, under federal indictment on charges of securities fraud, has kicked off his resurgent campaign with an ad attacking Democratic candidate Nate McMurray for supposedly having something to do with a free trade agreement with Korea, which Collins falsely claims has cost the United States 95,000 jobs.

In 2010, South Korea and the United States entered a free trade agreement commonly known as KORUS. 

Collins is apparently getting his statistic from a 2016 report by the union-backed Economic Policy Institute, which has a record of calculating job loss estimates solely on a balance-of-trade figure. 

Such a calculation ignores the increase in exports, the lower costs of imports, the jobs created from increased trade, and an assumption that the imports would have been made in the United States if not for the trade agreement. It is not a survey of how many actual workers, if any, were terminated after the trade deal.

Scott Lincicome, an international trade expert with the conservative Cato Institute, has written a couple of times about EPI's flawed methodology. 

EPI used the same methodology to make false claims about jobs lost to China. 

Writing about a similar report in 2012, Lincicome said:

I really shouldn't give the "study" an iota of bandwith, but because it will undoubtedly be mentioned by ignorant journalists or opportunistic politicians looking to respectively score a few cheap page views or scare a few unwitting voters, here's all you need to read:

• My 2010 blog post dismantling of EPI and its study (including boatloads of links from myriad scholars decrying EPI's asinine "trade deficit = job losses" methodology); and

• Today's quick dismissal of the EPI report by the U.S.-China Business Council.

The claim of 95,000 jobs lost is also contradicted by steady economic growth in the United States since 2010, including 95 straight months of job growth. Since 2010, the U.S. economy has added more than 18 million jobs.

According to a U.S. Trade Representative report from 2015, KORUS had increased U.S. exports to Korea by nearly $25 billion annually to that point. 

"U.S. auto exports to Korea increased by 208 percent by value between 2011 and 2015," the report states, "more than 14 times faster than the increase of U.S. auto exports to the world (up 14 percent), thanks to Korea’s 50-percent tariff reduction (from 8 percent to 4 percent) when KORUS entered into force."

In 2016, the USTR reported that total, two-way trade with Korea had increased to $144.6 billion, with $63.8 billion in exports and $80.8 billion in imports.

A trade deficit does not translate into job losses, however. It means Americans are buying more because of greater availability or lower prices. It doesn't mean those products would have been made in the United States.

The Batavian tried to contact the communications director for the Collins campaign this morning and got no response. We reached out to Chris Grant, who works for the campaign, and he referred us to a statement Collins issued to the Buffalo News.

This is a real video of Nate McMurray that he removed from social media because he didn’t want to defend his efforts to promote a Korean-U.S. Free Trade Agreement that shipped nearly 100,000 U.S. jobs overseas. Nate McMurray needs a new video to explain why he opposes President Trump's policies that are protecting American jobs and American workers. Hopefully, he’ll leave that video up.

Via text message, The Batavian pointed out to Grant that the statement didn't address Collins's false claim about the number of jobs lost and we got no response.

Collins made his claim as part of a campaign commercial (see video above) that attacks McMurray's past employment as an attorney for U.S. companies in Korea.

According to the Buffalo News story, McMurray helped U.S. companies trying to open up the Korean market to their exports.

McMurray learned to speak Korean while working there. He married a Korean. He's said that the Collins' ad is xenophobic. He shared this on Twitter yesterday:

"I watched that ugly attack ad with my son. His mom is Korean. My son speaks Korean. He looked at me with a grave sadness on his face. He felt what I felt. Neither of us said a word."

Collins was arrested Aug. 3 and charged with securities fraud. A few days later he suspended his campaign. Earlier this week, he announced he would not cooperate with GOP efforts to remove his name from the ballot in November and then announced he would resume actively campaigning for reelection. As far as we know, he made his first public appearance in the district today in Newstead. About the event, he tweeted: 

It's great to be back on the campaign trail meeting with constituents across NY-27. Voters have a clear choice in November. We must keep this seat in Republican hands to continue advancing President Trump's America first agenda.

The First Presbyterian Church in Batavia celebrated its 209th anniversary today by hosting a Scottish Heritage Festival. The festival featured food, ancient highlander games and toys, bagpipes (Carol Romanowski, top photo), and a lecture on Protestant churches in Batavia by Genesee County Historian Michael Eula, Ph.D. (second picture with Mike Stuart). 

Bottom photo: Ludia Gundel, age 7.

The Alzheimer’s Association, WNY Chapter, sponsored today's Walk to End Alzheimers in Batavia. The route started and ended at Premier Genesee Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on Bank Street. Hundreds of people turned out, though this morning organizers did not have an exact count of participants.

For decades, the former Presbyterian church in East Pembroke has looked weathered and beaten and neglected but owner Wes Winters had decided it's time to restore the exterior.

So far he's removed the old siding, painted the trim and the bell tower and installed some windows. This week he will start installing new clapboards (wood, not vinyl). 

He described the project as "weatherizing."

"It was pretty sad," Winters said. "We needed a new roof on the tower and the clapboards had long since seen their paint go away. It was just time."

His father bought the building in the 1970s and converted the basement into two apartments and divided the sanctuary into two floors as storage for his construction business.  

His son David is assisting with the restoration project.

The sanctuary was built in about 1854 and the bell tower was added in 1857.

The original bell -- cast in the 1870s in Troy -- still hands in the tower. The last time it was rung was just a few weeks ago. A friend of his son's got married nearby in East Pembroke. At the start of the service, Winters' son texted him and he rang the bell five times and then when the couple was pronounced husband and wife, he rang it again five times.

The stained glass was apparently removed when the congregation left the church.

Winters doesn't have immediate plans for the sanctuary but said it might be appropriate for apartments or retail.

"We're not going to sell it," he said, adding that the building will stay in the family.

This is a commemorative plate found in the church building. The inscription on the back says the church was built for $3,200. Rev. D.C. Houghton was the first pastor. A tornado Sept. 30, 1921, tore off the spire and it was replaced by a dome. The Baptists and Presbyterians of East Pembroke merged in 1962 and formed the East Pembroke Federated Church. Photo submitted by David Winters.

The Batavia Blue Devils continued their dominance of opponents this season, this time with a 41-26 win over Windsor.

Ray Leach ran for 230 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries and added 97 more yards and a TD on four receptions, for 327 all-purpose yards.

Ethan Biscaro was 10-11 passing for 140 yards and two TDs.

Taiyo Iburi-Bethel had a 71-yard touchdown run.

Josh Barber had nine tackles, including a sack. Alex Rood and Ethan Biscaro each had eight tackles and a sack and Biscaro added an interception.

Also on Friday night, Alexander beat Bolivar-Richburg 52-0 and Pembroke lost to Perry/Mt. Morris 30-8.

UPDATE Saturday, Sept.22: Officials corrected the stats for Ethan Biscaro; the story originally stated he had a perfect 10-10 passing. The figure was revised today to 10-11.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

Le Roy overcame its own mistakes and capitalized on the mistakes of the Red Raiders in a 15-7 win over their archrivals Friday night.

The Oatkan Nights limited Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen to 146 total yards on offense and snagged four interceptions, which helped negate Le Roy's own turnovers and opportunities squashed by penalties.

Kyler LaCarte rushed for 59 yards and a TD on 23 carries. Jake Hill gained 29 yards on nine carries, and Cineque Robinson scored a TD on three yards. Jake Hill was 12-16 passing for 97 yards. Reece Tresco caught four passes for 34 yards and Cody Lytle caught three for 43.

Anthony Leitten had six tackles and Bobby Locke had five tackles. Lytle had two interceptions. Tresco and Robinson (top photo) pulled down the other two interceptions.

For the Red Raiders, Bryce Yockel gained 106 yards.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

Press release:

“Everyone knows Chris Collins will not do a good job representing NY27 from a jail cell. He is not going to care about getting a great Farm Bill or making the middle-class tax cuts permanent while contemplating up to a 150-year jail sentence,” Larry Piegza said.

“Republicans who want to vote for an ethical pro-Trump candidate should vote NY Reform Party this year. I have offered to give my congressional salary to charity after I pay for my Washington, D.C., expenses just because I want to show voters that I am not in this for the money.”

The NY Reform Party chose to break from tradition this year and not endorse Chris Collins due to the fact that the Office of Congressional Ethics had “substantial reason to believe” that he had broken the law. Collins was found to have tried to pass legislation in Congress designed to help his company, Innate Immunotherapeutics.

This turned out to be a sound decision as Collins was arrested on a different charge related insider trading concerning the same company.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if a quarter of the Republican Party votes Reform Party in this district this year," stated Charlie Flynn of the Reform Party selection process before Collins’ arrest. "We have the better conservative candidate.”

Recently, Piegza spoke on NPR with Evan Dawson and at “Left, Right and Center,” a political discussion group at the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church. After this appearance, he has seen donations to his campaign pick up. His campaign currently has $220,000 available, double the amount that the Democrat Nate McMurray has on hand. He anticipates that that number will grow if he can get either candidate to debate him.

“I understand why Chris Collins won’t debate me, he has to prepare for his trial and never met with his district since he took office," Piegza said. "What I can’t figure out why Nate seems to have changed from his #DebateNate stance to #NeverDebate.

"I offered to debate him in Batavia two weeks ago. Some reporter should ask him why he won’t. This is an interesting contrast to the fact that I am advocating for an online town hall, where residents can contact me 24/7.”

A two-car accident, unknown injuries but it is blocking, is reported in the area of 3080 W. Main Street Road, Batavia.

East Pembroke fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 11:49 a.m.: No injuries. There's a bit of debris in the roadway.

UPDATE 12:12 p.m.: One person being transported to UMMC for evaluation.

It was pretty clear at a gathering of local leaders at County Building #2 on Thursday night that few elected officials in Genesee County's towns and villages are happy with the county's plan for how it will share sales tax revenue.

It was also clear that the county has few options.

The current plan is for the county to cap the amount of sales tax revenue it annually sends to towns at villages at 2018 levels for 40 years.  

Sales tax revenue has been a significant portion of revenue for local jurisdictions -- it's 51 percent of the Town of Le Roy's revenue, for example -- enabling local officials to hold down property taxes.

Now those officials fear the economic impact of seeing sales tax revenue shrink relative to rising costs and what it will mean for property owners in their jurisdictions.

"This agreement is a burden on the towns and villages," said Michael Plitt from the Town of Darien. "It will mean towns have to impose higher property taxes or cut services."

From the county's perspective -- as shared by Bob Bausch (top photo), chair of the County Legislature -- the county has few alternatives.

• The state is forcing the county to build a new jail, which will cost local taxpayers $50 million, or more, plus interest, over 40 years;
• The state is imposing new requirements, called "Raise the Age," for how criminal defendants ages 16 and 17, are handled by law enforcement, the courts, and corrections, which will cost the county $2 million to $3 million a year -- a cost the state says it will reimburse the county for but only if the county stays under the property tax cap;
• The county is facing $75 million in expense to replace aging bridges and culverts.

The county's proposal for sharing sales tax revenue capped at the 2018 rate is an explicit attempt to keep more sales tax to help pay for the new jail.

Bausch pointed out that 80 percent of every property tax dollar collected locally goes to cover state-mandated expenses. Legislator Andrew Young added that the county has only two revenue streams -- property tax and sales tax; and with property tax, the levy is capped so the county doesn't have the option to raise property tax to pay for the jail, that leaves sales tax as the only option.

Young also pointed out that Genesee County is the most generous county in the state for sales tax with towns and villages. Maybe if its share was more in the middle of the pack over the past 10 years, the county wouldn't be in the situation it's in now.

One of the chief objections to the plan for town and village leaders is that the agreement would last 40 years.

Rob LaPoint, deputy supervisor in the Town of Pavilion, calculated inflation going back to 1977 and pointed out that a dollar 40 years ago is worth 25 cents now, at that rate, the county will gain $625 million over 40 years.

"You could build 10 jails for that," LaPoint said.

Both Bausch and Young indicated the county is willing to adjust the 40-year time frame. Young said he favors 15 years.

"If it is a 15-year agreement in place, I know I won't be around, at least I hope not," Young said. "The Legislature in 15 years might decide to take more money."

The county isn't obligated under state law to share any sales tax revenue with the towns and villages. Bausch pointed out that the county could make the amount to share an annual budget decision.

Bausch said without an agreement, he couldn't obligate future legislatures to any particular amount of revenue share.

Some in the audience expressed concern that the City is getting a better deal than the towns and villages. While the amount of new sales tax revenue that will flow to the City will be restricted under its agreement with the county, it is not capped.

The City has more leverage because it can legally override the county sales tax and impose its own sales tax, something the villages and towns can't do.

However, Steve Barbeau pointed out that the City doesn't have that much leverage because most of the sales tax in the county is generated by businesses outside of City limits. 

Legislator Marianne Clattenberg said the City has much higher expenses than the towns and villages. It has its own police department and fire department but it is also the site of most of the tax-exempt property in the county, including the jail, the courthouse, the Old Courthouse, and County Building #1, yet the city must protect those buildings with its police and fire departments and plow the roads that lead to them without collecting the property tax to pay for those services.

David Hagelberger, supervisor for the Town of Darien, wanted to know why the county didn't deal with the jail issue sooner. Bausch said the county wasn't was aware of the looming issues with the jail, but that while it owned the County Nursing home, losing $2 million to $3 million, it really didn't have the ability to deal with the jail or roads and bridges.

While Hagelberger shared many of the same concerns about the length and nature of the agreement and burden it will create for local jurisdictions he also said, "the jail is really all of our problems" and that one way or another everybody in the county was going to have to help pay for it.

Also unique to Genesee County in New York is the county's responsibility for all of the roads and bridges in the towns and villages, which ends up being a cost savings for local jurisdictions, something Carol Glor, supervisor for the Town of Oakfield, said she appreciated.

"We just got two new bridges in Oakfield that are worth well over $2 million," Glor said. "There is no way we could have taken on that expense in our budget."

Press release:

There have been many Batavia High School homecoming games played in the Daniel A. Van Detta Stadium at Woodward Field, but plans for the homecoming football game against Attica on Friday, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m., will make this one particularly memorable.

“We wanted to honor the legacy of the stadium as well as thank the community for their support of the 2020 Vision Capital Project,” said Batavia City School District (BCSD) Superintendent of Schools Christopher J. Dailey.

The District-wide capital project includes a transformation of the current stadium and grounds and features increased track and field lanes; the replacement of grass with a synthetic field; a new press box, bleachers, and score board; and expanded parking. Construction is expected to begin next month and be completed by August 2019.

First, however, with recognition and gratitude in mind, District Athletic Director Mike Bromley proposed and the District quickly approved an expansion of the traditional Homecoming festivities.

First, all fans will be admitted for free and, due to the anticipated overflow crowd that is expected, a bus shuttle will be available at approximately 10-minute intervals from the main bus loop in front of Batavia High School from 6:30-7:30 p.m., then again returning fans to BHS at the conclusion of the game. At half-time, in addition to the traditional Homecoming Court announcements, there will be a brief ceremony to acknowledge the distinguished past while looking forward to an illustrious future.

Bromley, issuing a special invitation, said,  “Anyone who has performed at Van Detta Stadium through the years -- including but not limited to students and staff who have been involved in football, soccer, track and field, lacrosse, cheerleading, and pep band -- are invited to be part of the celebration and step out on the field one more time when we call all former participants down from the bleachers for the half-time ceremony.”

“We always look forward to Batavia Homecoming, and this year we are also looking forward to honoring the outstanding history of athleticism, school and community spirit, sportsmanship, and, of course, wins, at the Daniel A. Van Detta Stadium at Woodward Field,” Superintendent Dailey said.

“We anticipate many more years of the same once the stadium is renovated, and can hardly wait to start building those memories!”

Deputy Corey Mower, resource officer for Pavilion Central Schools, shared this early morning picture from the school of the sun rising behind the flagpole.

Earlier tonight a caller on State Street reported a disturbance involving a large group of people at State and Lewis with the suggestion "you better send anybody."

Multiple units from Batavia PD, the Sheriff's Office, and State Police responded.

There was no physical altercation though some officers have remained on scene as area residents have continued to mill about in their yards with several people gathered at 131 State St.

At 9:30 p.m., even with officers there, a caller reported to dispatch that there was another disturbance though officers could not confirm any other disturbances in the area.

Witnesses said the disturbance started with a group of youths and then the adults got involved.

That has been the pattern most of the week they said.

The first disturbance was after Friday night's football game.

Police have made no arrests and no injuries have been reported.

Local government agencies are enjoying an additional $4.84 million in new revenue derived from projects approved for assistance from the Genesee County Economic Development Center since 2006, according to a report by CEO Steve Hyde to the County Legislature yesterday.

A key tax abatement awarded to qualifying projects is Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT). While PILOTS afford companies some temporary tax relief on the increase in the assessed value of a property, the company is making PILOT payments and as the PILOT matures, new tax revenue is also generated.

Hyde said once all of the current PILOT projects on the books mature, additional tax revenue will surpass $7.5 million.

IN 2017, school districts in Genesee County received an additional $2.93 million in revenue from GCEDC projects, the county an additional $1.26 million, and local governments, $640,000.

"For every dollar, the county invests in economic development, we're seeing about $25 coming back in property taxes," Hyde said.

While GCEDC generates revenue for itself from fees charged to businesses that it assists, Hyde said it also relies on the financial support of the county, which has been reduced by 33 percent in recent years.

Meanwhile, GCEDC's workload has increased and the agency is actively marketing WNY STAMP in Alabama, which Hyde said continues to generate interest among site selectors, but for that $50 million project the IDA has only been able to budget $50,000 for marketing.

"That’s a bit of challenge right now but we work it and we’ll continue to work it," Hyde said.

GCEDC's support for business projects, Hyde said, have added 2.38 million square feet in new construction and another 1.28 million square feet in renovated space.

The number of PILOT projects in Genesee County in 2002 was 38. The peak was 2010 with 99. The number has fallen off steadily since then to 71 in 2017.

"Just because the number of our PILOTs are trailing off the past few years doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing," Hyde said. "It’s a good thing. It means we're graduating projects."

GCEDC is also working to help to finalize financing for the Ellicott Station project in Batavia. Hyde said it's the most complicated financing scheme he's worked on, and bringing state and federal requirements into line is a challenge. He's meeting today with the chief financial officer for Savarino Companies to work on some of those details. The IDA may need to adjust its initial PILOT plan for the project to help bring the pieces together.

The project has been delayed for months because of the difficulties faced by Savarino, the city and GCEDC in putting the financing package together.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley helps Bill Wakeman with his bag as he prepares to board the Trailways bus for Hawley's 11th Annual Patriot Trip to Washington, D.C.

The trip is a chance for veterans to visit war memorials in the nation's capitol. Each year, Hawley hosts two busloads of veterans on the trip.

In a statement issued after the departure, Hawley said: “Each of us owes our local veterans a tremendous debt of gratitude for their service and sacrifice to defend the values and freedoms we hold dear.

"I am so grateful to be able to share the unforgettable experience of visiting our nation’s capital with these brave men and women each year on our Patriot Trip, and look forward to continuing this tradition for many years to come.”

The players participating in the first season of youth flag football in Batavia got a special visit after their practice yesterday at Williams Park, Batavia, from Preston Teague, director of community relations for the Buffalo Bills.

Otis Thomas, one of the parents who organized the new league in Batavia, sponsored by the NFL, said Teague has been instrumental in promoting flag football youth leagues in Western New York, and has been helpful and supportive in getting the program in Batavia started. Teague said there are now 6,000 children participating in NFL-sponsored leagues in WNY.

Teague came with swag, handing out a few prizes to players who provided correct answers to trivia questions about the Bills, including a game football, an autographed hat, and an autographed cleat. All of the players also got other items including rubber footballs, yearbooks, towels, stickers and magnets.

Previously: Pair of football dads bring new NFL flag football league to Batavia

Carson Caton, 10, from Le Roy, won the game football, from the first game of the season, for knowing that Josh Allen is the highest drafted QB in Bills history.

A natural gas leak has been reported at Alpina Foods on Ag Park Drive, Batavia.

The building has been evacuated.

Town of Batavia fire dispatched.

National Fuel has been notified. No ETA.

A woman with a large bag has reportedly just left the Totem Pole on Ledge Road in Basom with a stash of stolen cigarettes.

The thief jumped into a maroon four-door sedan with a white male driver behind the wheel and headed east on Ledge Road.

Law enforcement is responding to the area to look for the vehicle.

UPDATE 8:43 p.m.: A BOLO (be on the lookout) for the vehicle has been issued to local law enforcement. It is a 2015 Nissan Sentra, color red.