There have been several minor vehicle accidents on the Route 19 bridge over the Thruway in the past 20 or 30 minutes.

Law enforcement on scene has requested Le Roy fire police to respond and shut down Route 19 at Griswold Road and at North Road.

Fire crews will be able to roll over the bridge to get in position, but will need to proceed very, very slowly.

Road crews are being dispatched to the bridge to salt the road.

There are at least three, and probably more, accidents being handled by troopers.

Only minor injuries have been reported.

Brenda Richardson, manager of Batavia's Coffee Culture location thought an empty room in their building was going to waste, so she suggested turning it into an event center available to the community.

Her bosses apparently liked the idea because Thursday evening, Chamber President Lynn Freeman joined her for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new room.

The room is available for rental for parties, meetings and other group gatherings.

The spacious room is decorated with paintings by local artists. The paintings are also for sale.

Among the handouts for chamber members at the ribbon cutting was a flier advertising the availability of the Coffee Culture store to a franchisee. According to the flier, for an investment of about $295,000, you could become the owner of your own coffee house right in Downtown Batavia. SBA loans are available.

A tractor-trailer vs. car accident is reported on the eastbound Thruway at mile marker 403.0. It's right on the county line. Mercy Flight is on standby. Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments, along with Mercy EMS, are dispatched. Unknown injuries.

UPDATE 6:06 p.m.: Dispatch spoke with the driver of the car who said injuries, if any, are minor. The car is in the median. The big rig is sitting sideways about a three-quarters of a mile east of the car, according to a responder.

UPDATE 6:12 p.m.: Mercy Flight is put back in service. A third vehicle is involved and it's on the shoulder of the roadway near the other car.

UPDATE 6:14 p.m.: A responder says it looks like five vehicles, plus the tractor-trailer, were involved in this accident. State Troopers are on scene.

UPDATE 6:22 p.m.: "We have medics up here, where are all the victims?" asks a responder. One person is boarded and collared, one is a sign off, and one other is inside a medic vehicle. Traffic is said to be backed up about three miles. They are going to try to corral the traffic into one lane so it can begin moving again.

At the invitation of Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer, Sen. John Flanagan was in Genesee County on Thursday to meet with local education leaders to discuss school funding.

In a press briefing after the meeting at Genesee Community College, Ranzenhofer and Flanagan said the focus of the discussion was on the inequality of state aid among districts statewide.

"Our obligation is to find some plan that is equitable," said Flanagan, chairman of the Senate Education Committee. "I will tell you flat out that coming here, working with Senator Ranzenhofer regularly, even before coming here, you get a much clearer picture about the stark realities in this area."

The lack of equitable funding often means that Upstate and rural school districts are not able to offer some of the programs that help lead to admission into better colleges.

"There is a growing divide between the haves and have-nots," said Michael Glover, district superintendent for the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. "We've actually watched our schools and the kids who attend them fall further and further behind."

Flanagan said one of the goals coming out of meetings such as today's is to craft a budget plan to present to the governor.

"Hopefully, we can get him on board early in the process," Flanagan said.

Medics have been dispatched to the Genesee County Jail for the victim of an assault.

The victim is unconscious but breathing.

City of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy EMS on scene.

A deputy has also been dispatched to the jail.

Her husband has forgiven her for shooting him in the knee and dozens of friends and family members sent letters of support to Judge Robert C. Noonan, but a 52-year-old Corfu resident will still spend three years in state prison.

The sentence is what Patricia Hardesty agreed to when she entered a guilty plea Sept. 22 to assault, 2nd, and it was the minimum sentence available to Noonan under the state's sentencing guidelines.

"This is kind of a sad case," Noonan said. "Everybody who has had any input to the court has said, 'please be merciful,' 'please don't send her to jail,' 'don't send her to prison,' 'send her to counseling or back to her family.' But I can't do any of that. I have no power to do any of that."

Hardesty shot her husband in the knee Aug. 1, 2010, during an argument at their home on County Line Road.

Typically in assault cases, Noonan is asked to sign an order protecting a victim for a period of time, but in this case, there was no request for such an order.

"It should have become clear to you before this event, and it should certainly be clear to you now, that you should never drink alcoholic beverages," Noonan said before Hardesty left the court room. "Whatever you do to stay away from alcoholic beverages, whether in prison or out of prison, that should be a very important thing for you to do."

In Week 10 of the NFL season, Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald caught seven passes for 147 yards. 

None of the entrants in our week 10 contest expected Fitzgerald to have such a good game.

So this week's winner was picked in a random drawing from all entrants in the contest.

The winner is Richard Suttell. Richard wins a double order of boneless wings and a small sub from Main St. Pizza Company. He has one week to claim his prize.

To enter this week's contest, click here.

In a 3-0 vote Wednesday night, the Corfu Fire District Board of Trustees approved a resolution disciplining three people for alleged ethical violations and misappropriation of funds.

The vote came following a closed session in which the trustees met with members of an ethics review panel that looked into accusations that the district's treasurer, a former fire chief and a sitting trustee allegedly misused district credit cards and kept incomplete records.

The panel was appointed in September after a NYS comptroller's audit uncovered possible irregularities in the use and reporting of credit card transactions.

Based upon the findings of the ethics panel -- which reportedly uncovered possible further misappropriations not contained in the state's audit report -- the district's former treasurer, Shari Salim, was suspended from the district for two years; her brother, and former department chief Jeff Ammon, was suspended for one year, and their father, trustee Bob Ammon, was asked to resign from the district board.

The trio will also be asked to reimburse any funds due to the district, plus legal and accounting fees.

The district's recently retained attorney, Mark Boylan, of Le Roy, said after the meeting that the matter has also been turned over to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office for a possible criminal investigation. 

The resolution passed by the board also appoints a CPA to do a thorough audit of the district's books.

While the ethics panel's report indicates there was allegedly repeated personal use of the district credit cards by Shari and Jeff, it's unclear how much of that personal use was reimbursed to the district.  

One charge by Bob Ammon came under scrutiny. In 2007, Ammon reportedly made a $359.51 purchase at Dick's Sporting Goods. While listed in the report as a not approved purchase, Ammon reportedly told the ethics panel that the purchase was agreed to and paid for by the fire department. The purchase, he reportedly told the panel, was for exercise equipment for the fire hall.

The report states that while payments were made on the credit cards with other than district funds, some of those payments were late resulting in late charges on the district's cards.

There are also authorized purchases on the cards, allegedly, for which there are no receipts and no proof that the purchases were actually made.

The total of non-approved charges from 2004 to 2007 (the period reviewed by the panel, since the comptroller's office had looked at more recent dates) exceed $2,600, according to the report. Again, a substantial amount of that money appears to have been repaid with non-district funds, but the panel could not determine the exact amount that was repaid.

The district board, while it includes volunteers for the department, is elected by Corfu residents. The board collects taxes and manages some of the revenue used to help fund the fire department. The fire district and fire department are separate entities.

Only three members of the district board participated in the closed session because Bob Ammon recused himself and a fifth member was unable to attend because of health issues.

In local politics, there's no bigger name than Barber Conable.

The longtime Genesee County resident started his career as an attorney in Batavia, and eventually became a 10-term congressman who went on to lead the World Bank.

Besides championing creation of 401(k) accounts, Conable also sponsored legislation that eventually made microbreweries possible (though that wasn't his intent -- he just thought one of his constituents should be able to brew his own beer).

Conable remains highly regarded for his integrity and intelligence.

The Post Office in Batavia is named after him as is the Conable Technology Center at Genesee Community College.

Then, there is the matter of his stately house in Alexander.

Conable and his wife, Charlotte, purchased the home in 1959 and raised their four children there. Until recently, Emily Conable lived in the house, but with her youngest son going off to college, Emily decided to move out of the 2,772-square-foot residence and put it up for sale.

The remaining household items of Barber and Charlotte are also being auctioned off at Bontrager's (a number of items are up for auction tonight (see pictures below)).

The listing went to Paul and Mary Ellen Hartwick, of Nothnagle, who lived for many years across Main Street in Alexander and were friends with Barber and Charlotte.

The Hartwick's took me on a tour of the house today and clearly cherished their memories of the Conables.

The house has four bedrooms and was built in 1830 by an Alexander attorney, A.B. Harrington. Harrington also built, for his son, the house across the street where the Hartwicks now live.

"If we could make our living selling historic homes, that's all we would do," Paul said.

The house, at 10532 N. Main St., sits on a five-acre, park-like lot that zigzags from Main Road to Route 20.

The house is listed for $199,900.

Chair given to Barber Conable by the Brookings Institute.

Barber Conable's collection of license plates

Barber Conable's Cornell University yearbook (Conable is in the first column, lower right).

A book by Henry Kissenger, former secretary of state, signed to Barber Conable by Kissenger.

Members of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce gathered at Terry Hills this afternoon for the chamber's annual meeting and installation of officers.

Chamber President Lynn Freeman gave an update on chamber activities and spoke about the chamber's decision to partner with Tompkins Insurance to provide a new health insurance plan to members (key reasons -- the ability to offer monthly payments for members and eliminating a fee the chamber had to charge with the former plan).

JoAnne McInerney from Tompkins also spoke about the state of the health insurance industry and the trend away from co-pay plans to higher deductible plans.

A pair of top executives from the company behind a development in the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park in Batavia were on hand this morning to see the first of several tons of dirt get moved from one spot to another.

Even without a purchase agreement to buy the 81-acre parcel from GCEDC, the company is apparently eager to get this project under way immediately to meet a deadline for product production of early 2013.

The company wants site grading completed before the worst of winter hits.

While the executives did not want to be identified in publication, sources in the dairy industry have fingered PepsiCo as the company likely behind "Project Wave."

It makes sense.

According to a story in the Oct. 14 edition of the Wall Street Journal, Pepsi is embarking on a partnership with a yogurt company based in Germany in an effort to enter the fast-growing yogurt market in the United States.

This would be Pepsi's first foray into the U.S. dairy business, but fits an overall strategy laid out in the business press for Pepsi to grow market share in nutritional foods as the market for soft drinks declines.

The Jacksonville, Fla.-based firm that has led Project Wave through the regulatory process and start of construction is Haskell Architects and Engineers. On its website, Haskell lists PepsiCo as among its clients.

While the executives at the construction site this morning asked that their names not be published, an internet search of one of the executive's names confirmed he is an employee of PepsiCo.

The executive made it clear, however, that Batavia is only one site among four under consideration and his employer hasn't made a final decision on which site it will construct its plant.

It is, however, the site that is being bulldozed. And the company seems eager, and has big plans, to enter the U.S. yogurt market by 2013.

According to Project Wave specs, the plant will eventually employ 600 people working three different shifts on 16 production lines.

Assuming it opens on schedule in 2013, the plant will initially employ 180 people working on three production lines.

Both executives praised GCEDC and the Town of Batavia for having this shovel ready site available.

"There are only three of our four sites in the northeast that would be ready this quickly for production," one executive said. "These shovel-ready projects are key to attracting big companies."

Mike Wheeler, the project's architect, was also on site this morning and reiterated the importance of having all of the regulatory approvals in place, along with the infrastructure necessary for the project to get started right away.

"My hats off to these guys," Wheeler said. "They put the community in the best possible position for this project."

When an as-yet-unnamed company breaks ground on a development project Wednesday morning, it could mean as many as 600 new jobs in Batavia some day, and it will mark the end of a 15-day sprint to get the project pushed through the local and state regulatory process.

At the end of Tuesday's Town of Batavia Planning Board meeting, where a site plan and a change in the parcel map were approved, Chris Souzzi, VP of business development for GCEDC, said the swiftness of the approval process proves why shovel-ready business parks are so important.

"We can see now why we need these parks," Souzzi said. "Here we have a company that wants to build this fast, and in 15 days, you (the planning board) just approved a site plan. That's huge and that's why they're here."

Michael Wheeler, representing "Project Wave," as the secretive food-processing development is known, said the fact that the nine-month-long environmental review process had already been completed for the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, plus the review was a spot-on match for the kind of site contemplated in Project Wave, were huge factors in the client picking Batavia.

That said, not much is in writing yet.

The company has yet to close escrow on the 81-acre parcel and land in Avon and two already graded parcels in Pennsylvania are still, at least marginally, in the running for the big plant.

And the plant is big. In phase one, it will exceed 300,000 square feet, and if built out fully will have a 120-foot high cold storage tower (modeled after a similar automated storage tower owned by Wegmans near the airport in Rochester).

On day one, if it opens on schedule in January or February of 2013, the facility will employ 180 people and operate three production lines. At full build-out, the plant will employ 600 people on 16 production lines, all working in three daily shifts.

Grading and foundation preparation work begins at Wednesday morning and the unnamed company wants to see work completed by the end of December, according to Wheeler.

"At that point, it just gets so miserably cold up here that us Southerners can’t work any more," said Wheeler, who lives in Florida.

The company isn't scheduled to take possession of the property until the fall of 2012, when it will start moving in its production equipment.

UPDATED to add a picture I forgot to post last night of Mike Wheeler, left, and Paul Marchese.

Genesee County's two Catholic elementary schools are apparently planning a merger, according to a letter sent home to parents.

The letter obtained by The Batavian was sent to parents of children at St. Joe's in Batavia and Holy Family in Le Roy. It states:

Local leadership has agreed that the schools will reconfigure next September for the beginning of the 2012-13 school year. Following a thorough analysis of several reconfigurations, the model emerging as one of the favorites: Pre-K to 8 and an after-school programs at the current St. Joseph School site; Pre-K and an after-school program at current Holy Family site.

The letter states that a name has not yet been selected for the reconfigured school.

The letter is signed by Kevin Robertson, principal of Holy Family, and Karen Green, principal of St. Joseph School.

The reason for the merger, according to the letter, is driven a lot by the declining elementary school population in Genesee County.

The number dropped by 7 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to the letter.

"We need to meet the spiritual and pastoral needs of all of our parishioners," the letter says. "That requires a more equitable distribution of parish income."

Discussions among local leaders began in the early fall, according to the letter, which invites parents to provide feedback on various options for curricula and programs in the reconfigured school.

Three people were reportedly fighting in the parking lot of McDonald's restaurant in Le Roy. Police are now on scene. Two of the individuals left and are walking toward "the eagle." They are described as youths, one has long brown hair.

UPDATE 3:56 p.m.: The police have been provided with two names, both males.

This information is provided by Geoff Redick of WBTA.

After absentee ballots have been counted, Democrat Pierluigi Cippolone has officially won the election for Batavia City Council Ward 4.

Cippolone wins the election over Republican incumbent Bob Bialkowski, by a final count of 233 votes to 217.

Bialkowski had won the balloted election by just two votes last week. But more than 50 absentee ballots had remained uncounted. Officials counted those ballots, and the final results were announced this morning.

All official results will be posted as they become available from the Genesee County Board of Elections.

A couple of years ago this 6x6 bull elk was bugling in the mountains of Colorado when bowhunter Jack Chmielowic Jr. first laid eyes on him. It was a moment in time he wanted to remember. In recreating the moment, he would need someone  with experience and a meticulous nature who provides quality work. Not long after arriving back in Genesee County he placed a call to Doug Harloff of Back to Nature Taxidermy. 

Several months later the process was complete and Jack Chmielowic, above left, was quite satisfied with the outcome. That's Doug on the right. 

"It's hard to believe 24 years have elapsed since I began my own taxidermy business here in Oakfield," Harloff said. "During that time, my business has grown and I've mounted fish, upland game, waterfowl, small game, bear, buffalo, antelope, elk, caribou and thousands of deer heads. Every day is really neat because there is something new to work on and I am never bored."

While he enjoys working in his studio, there was a time when taxidermy was the farthest thing from his mind.

"After graduating from Batavia High in 1984 I worked on my dad's farm for a year. The following year I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, and while I didn't give it a whole lot of thought at the time, I suppose there was the possibility of going to college after I did my hitch," he said.

But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he would have the opportunity to receive an education while still serving in the military.

"I was stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina when I first met the Reynolds, an elderly couple who had their own taxidermy business. I just walked into their shop one day and eventually we became good friends. After a while they took me under their wing, introducing me to the old-school style of taxidermy.

While it was a bit primitive by today's standards, working with them gave me the basic knowledge of mounting fish, birds and deer heads. Nowadays, a person can spend a lot of money on tutition to attend a professional taxidermy school or training. Needless to say, I was very fortunate to have met the Reynolds."

While the Reynolds taught Doug Harloff the art of taxidermy, what he didn't reallize at the time were some of the realities and responsibilites of running his own shop and the costs involved. 

"When you take into consideration the outlay for supplies, electric, heat, advertising, just to mention a few, by the time you're done paying the bills, you're not that far ahead at the end of the day. If I stopped to figure out the amount of time I invest in each mount, I would cringe if not for the fact that what really matters is the end product.

"To take a downed animal and bring it back to a lifelike state, (and) in the process recreate the customer's wildlife encounter is an endeavor requiring practice, patience and a great deal of tolerance. It has been a learning process and, in my estimation, it has become an art form as well."

One of his future goals is to become heavily involved in state and national taxidermy organizations and to enter his work alongside the best competing with the best taxidermists in the country and to have his work critiqued by those considered tops in the business.

"A quality mount takes time and for this reason, as well as a backlog of job orders, a customer should expect to wait a year to 18 months to get their mount back. I will not and do not rush to push my mounts out the door. It's hard enough making sure the tanning process worked (one lesson I learned the hard way a while back). Now I am basically doing a double tan on all my mounts, which of course takes a lot more time."

Harloff is well aware that, due to the sluggish economy, money can sometimes be tight and a full shoulder mount might be out of the question. For this reason he offers an affordable option called the European skull mount.

In this process he utilizes dermetid (flesh-eating) beetles which clean the skull before he lightens them to a bone-white finish.

"It's a very neat and cool looking mount," he said, a statement underscored by the number of requests for such a mount.

"Seven years ago I expanded my business into offering a high quality, very clean deer processing operation where a hunter can drop off his deer and have the venison cleaned, trimmed and vacuum sealed.

"It's convenient for someone having taxidermy work done, as it eliminates having to make two stops. For this reason I've built a walk-in cooler and limit what I take in on a daily basis."

In addition to the traditional cuts of venison he offers fresh sausages, jerky, snack sticks, venison jalapeno hot dogs and venisom ham.

Despite his workload, Harloff has found time to help the down and out.

"A few years ago I also began working with the vension donation program. It allows a hunter, if he or she so chooses, to donate their deer to the Western New York food bank to help feed local needy families. All a hunter needs to do is have their deer freshly harvested and legally tagged before dropping it off. It is an organization which I am proud to be affiliated with."   

Doug would like to extend his thanks to all his past customers and wish everyone a safe and enjoyable deer season. You can reach him at Back to Nature Taxidermy, 585-356-9905.

All Elba residents are invited to a bullying prevention information session at Elba Central School on Thursday, Nov.17. Topics will include a review of current code of conduct, school response to bullying, prevention strategies, and parent resources. The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

The information session will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Library Media Center. For more information, call Kelly Carlie at 757-9967, ext. 1602, or Donna Lougheed at 757-9967, ext. 1603.

There was no dispute at the Village of Oakfield trustee meeting Monday that the village has seen an uptick in crime in recent months.

There was also no clear indication on what trustees, or village residents, think should be done about it.

Mayor Richard Pastecki called the meeting a fact-finding session.

Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble (lower inset photo) attended the meeting to provide information on options from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office -- ranging from a full-time, Oakfield-dedicated deputy to a part-time, extra patrol similar to one used for the Village of Bergen.

"We've had a lot more problems out here, there's no doubt about that," Dibble said. "Over last several months there has been a lot of activity up here, and I don't think that's a surprise to anybody who is here."

About eight village residents attended the meeting.

Jeremy Yasses (top inset photo), one of the chief proponents of increasing Sheriff's patrols in the village, said something needs to be done about the increase in crime and extra patrols make the most sense to him.

"We have a local problem," Yasses said. "We have a big local problem in the village and ignoring it won't make it go away. There is a group in the village that is constantly causing problems."

Heroin, Yasses said, is a big part of the local crime problem.

Yasses said he thinks the only logical solution is an increase in Oakfield-dedicated patrols, and while he stopped short of advocating for a full-time deputy in Oakfield -- like the village had a decade ago -- he did float a proposal to tax village property an extra $36 per year to raise $25,000 for a part-time patrol.

"I’m not looking to raise taxes, but I know, just for me, I’ll give up a few extra coffees per year just to have some extra patrols," Yasses said.

Mike Cianfrini, the Town of Oakfield supervisor, also attended the meeting but said he didn't support spending money on extra patrols.

"I'm adamantly opposed to the idea," Cianfrini said. "Nobody disputes that there is an increase in crime, but this is simply a knee-jerk reaction.

"It’s a feel-good measure," Cianfrini added. "If I thought if it would solve the problem, I’d be the first one sitting with Jeremy saying we’ve got to do this, but bringing in an extra road patrol for four hours a night a couple of days a week, the criminals are just going to go inside.  They’re not going to rob a house while a sheriff is right in front of them."

Of course, Dibble said, criminals don't typically commit crimes right in front of a uniformed deputy sitting in a patrol car, but a full-time deputy in Oakfield would certainly have its law-enforcement advantages, Dibble said.

"A deputy could respond in 30 seconds rather than 10 minutes," Dibble said. "I've got to believe that would make a difference."

A shift-dedicated deputy would also know the community better and interact with the community more.

Contrary to a suggestion by Cianfrini that a deputy couldn't -- for Constitutional reasons -- interview more people, Dibble said, "We can talk to anybody any time."

"A good officer can engage a person in conversation and learn a lot," Dibble said. "You would be amazed at what you can discover when you engage people."

Increased patrols would also mean increased traffic tickets, which can lead to the discovery of other crimes, either property crimes or drug crimes.

As for the latest crimes, Dibble said he spoke with Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster about Oakfield on Monday morning.

The recent burglaries and robberies in Oakfield are the subject of active investigations, Dibble said.

"We have several suspects and hopefully we will be able to make some arrests in the next few weeks," Dibble said.

The two burglary suspects arrested in Pavilion over the weekend may have Oakfield ties, Dibble said. Investigators will also look at them as possible suspects for crimes committed in Oakfield.

Pastecki said he remembers what the village was like when he worked in probation and officers made regular arrests in Oafield, but then things improved.

"It has turned into a wonderful village," Pastecki said. "That's why we're looking at whatever we need to do to be proactive and do something to maintain that feeling of security that everybody wants."