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If you drive past the Original Red Osier Landmark Restaurant in Stafford and think its holiday lights have a bit more twinkle this year, your eyes are not deceiving you.

Owners Tim Adams and Steve Foster are adding lights this year. Last year, they had a million lights on display and decided this year to boost the number to more than 1.5 million, but when they learned the DiSalvo family was taking the year off from its annual Christmas light display, the decided to add even more lights.

Soon, they'll have installed more than two million lights.

And Adams and Foster are doing all of the installation themselves.

"It makes you feel good," Foster said. "People drive by and say how good it looks and they think we've had help. We've done it all ourselves."

"Every light passes through our hands," Adams said.

With the DiSalvos' Fargo Road display on hiatus, Adams and Foster have decided to host two community days, Dec. 4 and Dec. 11. They are inviting children and their parents to walk the grounds and take in the lights. Santa will also be on hand to greet the children. Light viewing and the visit with Santa are free.

Red Osier will also open its smaller catering trailer, the lunch trailer, to serve sandwiches, cookies and hot cocoa.

Also, the restaurant will be open on Thanksgiving, serving traditional Thanksgiving dinners, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting local charities.

Residents at 43 Tracy Ave. report an unknown type explosion in their basement.

They've been advised to evacuate.

City fire responding.

UPDATE 11:56 a.m.: Possible furnace malfunction. No smoke or flames at this time. Investigating.

Two men have reportedly been seen beating a small dog, possibly a terrier, in the area of Liberty Street.

The two men, both wearing dark clothing, are reported to now be in the area of the Pok-A-Dot.

Police are responding.

UPDATE 2:21 p.m.: Police said they arrived within two minutes of the initial call and no one was around, neither was a dog.

UPDATE 4:45 p.m.: Nicole Johnson witnessed this event and says, “Saw the whole thing at the Pok-A-Dot. Dog got away and weaving in and out of traffic on Ellicott Street. The two were chasing the dog, not beating it. Rest assured. They were hugging and kissing it when they finally got it. The young boy was in his socks running down the street to get the dog. The dog was safe! And happy to be caught by the two. No abuse was seen.”

Press release:

The New York State Department of Transportation will hold an information session on Tuesday, Nov. 28 to discuss proposed plans for a project to improve safety at the intersection of Route 77 and Ledge Road in Alabama, Genesee County. The meeting will be held in an open house format from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Alabama Fire Hall, located at 2230 Judge Road. No formal presentation will be given.

The preferred alternative is to build modern roundabout. The proposed project will improve safety at the intersection by reducing crashes. A preliminary layout of the roundabout will be available to view and discuss with NYSDOT representatives.

Construction is slated to begin in the spring of 2019.

The location is accessible for people with disabilities. If anybody requires special accommodations to participate in this public outreach, please contact Colleen Williams by Nov. 20 at 272-3363 or by e-mail at colleen.williams@dot.ny.gov

Bank Street is closed today for water line repairs.

The work will result in service disruption for some water customers in the area.

UPDATE 1:46 p.m.: Bank Street is reopened.

Investigators have yet to determine how a fire started Friday night that destroyed a barn and killed livestock at 1239 Judge Road in Alabama.

There was an initial report that somebody was seen running from the scene just before the fire broke out but Investigator Chad Minuto said no witnesses interviewed so far corroborates that story.

"We don't know where that report came from," he said.

Minuto said several interviews have been conducted and there are several more to take place to try and uncover what people know or saw. At the time, investigators from the county's Emergency Management Service are sifting through evidence to try and determine the cause and origin of the fire.

There is no evidence to emerge yet that the fire was intentionally set.

All of the horses and cows that were in the barn have been accounted for, Minuto said, but all of the rabbits, goats, and sheep, except either one goat or sheep, perished in the fire. That goat or sheep came out of the barn after the fire was out and Minuto said it's his understanding that animal may not be in good health.

Andrew Young Jr., the Alexander High School student who came up with the idea of a toaster that shoots toast onto a plate, leading to a spot as one of five finalists in a nationwide contest with a $250,000 prize, was featured on WGRZ's morning news show today.

There are only 12 days left to vote. You can vote every day on every Internet-connected device you access. Visit AndrewsInvention.com for more information and a link to the voting page.

Press release:

On Thursday, Nov. 16, the City of Batavia Water Department will be repairing a water leak on the main water line on Bank Street.

Water service will be interrupted on Bank Street from East Main Street to Washington Avenue.

Bank Street will be closed to traffic at 8 a.m. from East Main Street to the entrance of the Mall parking lot until repairs are complete. Please avoid the area if possible. Every effort will be made to keep water service interruption to a minimum.

This work may result in a period of discolored water in this general area after service is restored. Residents should check to make sure water clarity has returned before resuming activities such as laundry which may be impacted.

Olivia Bezon's classmates cheered when Engine 11 pulled into the parking lot at St. Joseph's School this morning with the first-grader as a passenger.

As a winner in the City Fire Department's fire protection poster contest, Olivia got the ride in the fire truck this morning as part of her prize.

The secret to a long life, according to Margaret Gallagher, who celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday at The Manor House, is faith, family and friends.

Gallagher was born Nov. 14, 1917, in Batavia. She attended Lincoln Street School, St. Joseph's, and Batavia High School.

Her parents were Frank and Mary Anne Canty-Gallagher. She grew up with three sisters and a brother. Her sister Rita is 102.

She's been a member of the St. Joseph Ladies Society since 1952.

During her working life, she was a secretary at the vocational school on West Main Street, the state Health Department, the VA, and Darch Noonan Law Office. She also worked for Robert C. Noonan for 20 years.  

Noonan, accompanied by his wife, Marcia, read a proclamation from Assemblyman Steve Hawley commemorating Gallagher's 100th birthday.

Photo: Joyce Myers, Gallagher's longtime caretaker, and her granddaughter Avery Kelly, help Gallagher blow out the candles on her birthday cake.

Press release:

We are encouraging the Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming communities to commit or recommit to healthy, tobacco-free lives by participating in the American Cancer Society Great American Smoke out on Nov. 16.

“The most important thing smokers can do to improve their health is to quit cigarettes and other forms of Combustible tobacco,” said Cindy Perry, director of Health Education, Wellness, and Outreach at Community Partners. “As leaders in promoting health and wellness, we are showing our support for people who take those first steps toward making a plan to quit.”

Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. About half of all Americans who keep smoking will die because of the habit. Each year more than 480,000 people in the United States die from illnesses related to tobacco use. This means smoking causes about 1 out of 5 deaths in the United States annually.

According to Patricia Crowley, Drug-Free Coalition of Orleans project director, “tobacco is one of the strongest addictions one can have, about 40 million American adults still smoke. We used to encourage smokers to quit cold turkey on a single day. However, current evidence shows that quitting is a process. It starts with a plan, often takes time and requires a lot of support.”

On Nov. 16th, Tobacco Free GLOW is partnering with local organizations to raise awareness and encourage people to contact the NYS Quitline at 1-866-697-8487, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide support as people make their plan to quit.

Medina Memorial Hospital will have a tobacco cessation resource table set up in the lobby between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for the Orleans County communities. Wyoming County Partners For Prevention has invited tobacco control specialists from Roswell Park Cancer Institute to provide cessation education to community partners at Valley Chapel Church between 10:30 a.m. and noon.

“Partners For Prevention wants to help the people in our community to be healthy and happy,” said Lydia Dziedzic, Wyoming County Partners For Prevention community educator. “During this year’s Great American Smoke-out, we hope everyone will join us – and encourage their friends, family, and colleagues to join us – in committing or recommitting to year-around, tobacco-free lives.”

Bergen volunteer firefighters and Mercy EMS medics responded to an accident on Bovee Road, Riga, at 5:45 p.m. where a young male driver was pronounced dead as a result of a single-car accident.

The driver's car reportedly struck a tree.

The name of the driver has not yet been released.

The location of the accident is in Bergen's fire district, though in Monroe County.

Monroe County Sheriff's Office is investigating the accident.

The stretch of road is near another fatal accident in August where a woman's car struck a tree.

The Batavian's news partner 13WHAM assisted with this story.

Eric M. Donohue, 29, of Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree forgery and identify theft. Donohue allegedly used a fraudulently obtained credit card to make a purchase at a business in the Tops Plaza at 6:21 p.m. on May 26, and also signed the name of the individual who name was on the credit card.  He was jailed without bail.

Armando M. Teruel, 33, of Black Spruce Court, Amherst, is charged with second-degree harassment. Teruel was arrested in connection with an incident reported Oct. 29 on South Main Street, Batavia.

Press release:

Leadership Genesee is thrilled to announce that this year’s recipient of the Leadership Genesee Outstanding Alumnus Award is Erik James Fix, LG Class of 2009. The award is presented annually to a Leadership Genesee Alumnus who works to fulfill the mission of Leadership Genesee.

Nominees are program graduates who promote and market the mission of Leadership Genesee, are active in community leadership activities to promote the well-being of Genesee County, and who actively participate in Leadership Genesee initiatives. Erik will receive his award Nov. 30 at the Leadership Genesee 2017 Graduation Celebration at Terry Hills.

Erik, the regional director for the United Way of Genesee County, was nominated for the award by Jocelyn Sikorski (’07), who noted that “Erik is that person that you seek out for advice and foresight on endeavors. He is always actively listening to what is going on, addressing issues with others to fix things or change them for the better. He is well respected for being the caring individual that he is.”

Even before experiencing LG as a participant in 2009, Erik has been active in the program since 2002. At the time, Erik was the camp director for YMCA Camp Hough, and helped in facilitating LG’s Outdoor Leadership Challenge day each year. Since taking part in the program, Erik has served on numerous design teams and committees, and continues to champion the Outdoor Leadership Challenge day session. He has been a part of the Curriculum Committee, Alumni Day Committee, Our Business Our Economics day session and the Encouraging the Leader Within Day session. Additionally, Erik co-presents Facilitation Skills Training, a free alumni enrichment opportunity offered by LG.

“I believe in the mission of the organization of encouraging the leader within,” Erik shared. “I believe there are many talented people in our community who have the ability to lead and I enjoy working with them to grow their leadership skills.”

Erik was hesitant about taking part in the program for nearly 10 years.

“I didn’t feel I would find value in the program. Every month I learned something new about my community. I gained a better sense of how I could contribute to my community’s success and made long-standing friendships. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to make our community better and grow their own leadership skills.”

Personally and professionally, Erik strives to make a difference in our community. Jocelyn says the community has benefitted “tenfold” since Erik took the helm at the United Way, with increased partnerships, new programming and continued investment in youth.

Erik also volunteers in many capacities, including the Rotary Club of Le Roy (REA Milne Board Member), the BEA Board of Directors, Junior Achievement, Le Roy Youth Football board member, and Le Roy Little League volunteer manager. Erik also coaches the swim team at GCC and was named Region 3 Coach of the Year for three straight years.

Leadership Genesee Program Director Peggy Marone said, “I have witnessed a lot of growth in Erik since he began working with Leadership Genesee. I always thought he’d be a great candidate for the program but whenever I’d mention it to him he’d do the ‘I’m already a leader in the community’ thing that many people do.

"Working with Erik over the years at Camp Hough, I began to see him become more philosophically involved with Leadership Genesee. His network was growing and he was getting to know more people because of LG. When he applied to participate in 2009, I was thrilled and we’ve had a great working relationship ever since.

"He has helped the LG organization grow especially when it comes to our curriculum. He is one of the few people that I seek out for advice and conversation regarding facilitating groups effectively. Erik is very deserving of this award, I couldn’t be more pleased for him.”

In addition to his many activities in the community, Erik enjoys running, golfing and family vacations with his wife, Susan, and three sons, Brady, Jackson and Carter.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) praised the announcement of new veteran license plates. The new service branch-specific license plates are available for all branches of U.S. military service: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marines.         

“Our veterans have made a tremendous sacrifice for our country and our state,” Hawley said. “This is an opportunity for each of them to be recognized for the commitment they’ve made for all of us. As the start of a new session approaches, I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass more legislation that will inevitably improve the lives of our veterans across the state.”

The new custom plates, made available for the first time in New York, join a number of others offered in the Veteran and Military series, including the Purple Heart Recipient, Vietnam Veteran and War on Terror Veteran license plates.

In order to purchase a custom plate, New Yorkers are required to validate their military service with a copy of their discharge papers (DD-214 or equivalent documentation) and mail a copy with a completed application, found here.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) was recognized earlier this month for an exemplary commitment to the policies endorsed by the New York State Conservative Party.

The party’s executive committee determined the score based on each state legislator’s voting record across a diverse sample of legislation from this year’s session. Hawley had the highest score with a rating of 92 out of 100.   

“I am honored to be presented with this rating by the Conservative Party of New York State,” Hawley said. “This rating exemplifies the discipline and commitment to the policies that we must support if we intend to develop a stronger and healthier economy for job seekers and job creators alike.

"Policies such as keeping taxes low so more money stays in the pockets of our families and cutting red tape so businesses can hire, expand, and operate profitably are all measures I voted for and I believe will inevitably bring economic growth to our state.”

A link to the full list of rankings can be found here.

A car was reportedly run off the road by a car trying to pass a fire truck on Route 33 near Route 237 in Stafford.

Possible injuries are reported.

The accident was called in by the crew of Town of Batavia Ladder 25, who witnessed the accident.

The car passing continued.

Stafford fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 6:42 p.m.: The victim vehicle has also left the scene. No injuries. With the victim leaving, there's nobody on scene for a report, so law enforcement responding back in service. All responding units back in service.

Police are continuing to investigate an attempted robbery reported Saturday night on West Main Street, and though some subjects were located a short time after the incident was reported, no arrests have been made.

Det. Todd Crossett also confirmed there was a robbery earlier that evening on Harvester Avenue.

He said it hasn't been determined yet whether the incidents are connected, or if they are connected to an incident in late October where a man was splashed or sprayed with some sort of liquid (he wasn't injured).

The attempted robbery Saturday involved at least four males on bicycles.

An off-duty police officer working at Towne Center of Batavia that night spotted four males on bicycles riding in front of Dick's Sporting Goods shortly after the attempted robbery was dispatched to police.

Sheriff William Sheron was already in the area and deputies responded and the subjects were detained after they had entered Target.

The victim of the attempted robbery was treated at the scene for a possible eye injury.

After The Batavian reported that incident, a person called dispatch to report she had been robbed earlier in the evening on Harvester Avenue. In that case, the perpetrators got away with $20.

The incidents remain under investigation, Crossett said.

A one-car accident with injuries is reported on Route 98 at Federal Drive, Batavia.

The vehicle is off the road.

Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 12:29 p.m.: The vehicle is 40 feet of the road in a swamp. A chief requests a couple of firefighters in boots to walk the people out of the swamp.

WBTA is promoting multimedia producer and afternoon news anchor Alex Feig to operations manager for the radio station, co-owner Dan Fischer announced today.

Feig assumes his new duties Nov. 27, which include becoming the morning news producer and anchor for all news breaks through 12:30 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays. He will also produce and anchor the Saturday morning newscasts.

The change means Fischer can "retire" from anchoring early morning news.

As Feig settles into his new role, additional duties will include weekly preparation of the "talking points" memo for other station announcers to inform them of information to be shared with listeners during their broadcasts. He will also oversee production standards for commercial and promotional items.

"Deb (Fischer, co-owner) and I have great confidence in Alex," Fischer said. "Please join us in congratulating him on this promotion."

Fischer will anchor afternoon newscasts starting Nov. 27 and continue to supervisor a relaunch of WBTA's website into a more mobile-friendly format.