City Fire is being asked to set up a landing zone for Mercy Flight at UMMC.

No word on the nature of the medical emergency.

Mercy Flight has a five- to eight-minute ETA.

UPDATE 11:19 a.m.: The landing zone is being moved to the Little League field.

UPDATE 11:26 a.m.: Mercy Flight has landed.

UPDATE 11:35 a.m.: Mercy Flight is in the air.

Our rose of Sharon bushes range in color from red and white to lavender and red and one is pure white. We started them as small shoots no more than 18 or 20 inches in 2004. Today the largest stretch nearly nine feet. That's not surprising, being that they were planted over heaps of compost.

There was a time when most of the wildlife attracted to the rose of Sharon seemed to be Japanese beetles, which I crushed with relish. As the blooms became more prolific, the visitors became more pleasing to the eye. That was especially the case this year with butterflies, bees and hummingbirds visiting on a regular basis. In the above photo, a pollen-covered bumble bee begins to emerge from a rose of Sharon bloom.

An Eastern tiger swallowtail comes in for a landing... 

and spreads its wings. Don't know if it was gathering nectar or simply taking in the sun's warmth. Maybe both.

We've always enjoyed the rose of Sharon, one reason being they provide color from mid to late summer. Now, with their blooms fading, we know the summer is nearly over and the first frost just around the corner!

An accident at Main and Bank streets in Batavia is reportedly blocking traffic.

There are no injuries reported.

Meanwhile, Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding to an accident on the Thruway in the eastbound lane at mile marker 390 (near the Batavia off-ramp). There are reportedly minor injuries in that accident.

When I did the story on the Batavia Wastewater Treatment Plant I didn't get around to taking a walk on the nature trails off Donahue Road, behind the plant.

The trails are maintained by the treatment plant staff and open to the public for hiking (no hunting, trapping or fishing allowed).

This even, I took Pachuco for a walk and brought my camera along. To give you idea of what's there, here are a few of the photos I took.

Jeffrey J. Cervone, 43, no permanent address, is charged with petit larceny. Cervone is accused of stealing a bottle of Bacardi from Mr. Wine and Liquor at 5 p.m., Wednesday. Cervone reportedly left the scene in a pickup truck, which was later stopped on Lewiston Road by a Sheriff's deputy. Cervone was a passenger in the truck and was placed in Batavia Police custody. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Scott G. Tooley, 26, of 199 S. Main St., Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Tooley is accused of pushing a woman to the ground while she was holding a child. Neither the woman nor the child were injured. The incident was reported at 10 a.m., Tuesday.

Rebecca Nicole Bethune, 22, of Hundredmark Road, Elba, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Bethune is accused of hitting another person in the head with her fist. The incident was reported at 2:10 a.m., Tuesday.

Jeffrey David Whitmore, 21, of Sandpit Road, Alexander, is charged with menacing. Whitmore is accused of pointing a shotgun at a person during a car repossession. The incident was reported at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday.

Michael Abdullah Jamil, 27, of School Road, Byron, is charged with unlawful imprisonment, 2nd, criminal mischief, endangering the welfare of a child, petit larceny and harassment, 2nd. Jamil was arrested following an alleged domestic incident at 5 a.m., Wednesday. Among the accusations are that he disabled a phone in an attempt to prevent a call to police.

A former Batavia resident who has had a few run-ins with the law the past couple of years is back in jail, this time with bail set at $15,000.

Robert J. Eppolito Jr., 29, of 61 Church St., Apt. #2, Le Roy, is being charged with one count of assault, 2nd.

Last night, Le Roy Police responded to multiple calls about a disturbance in the area of Bacon and Lake streets.

Eppolito is accused of striking another person several times on the head and face with his fists, knocking the victim to the ground and then kicking the victim in the face with his foot.

The victim reportedly suffered a possible eye socket fracture.

In September, 2009, Eppolito was accused of having sex in public with a woman and in a separate incident of slamming another woman against a wall.

Eppolito lived in Oakfield at the time.

In June, 2010, Eppolito was accused of endangering the welfare of a child and harassment, 2nd, while a resident on Maple Street, Batavia.

This past Monday, law enforcement officials were heard on the scanner chatting about Eppolito being released from jail that day.

The following people were arrested by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office in connection with the Chris Brown concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Wednesday.

Deparis C. Banks, 19, Pelham Road, New Rochelle, is charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly causing a disturbance after being ejected from the venue.  Banks was jailed on $100 bail.

Candise J. McKeiver, 21, Parkway Drive, North Chili, is charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly causing a disturbance after being ejected from the concert.

Passion V. Madlock, 22, Kerns Street, Buffalo, is charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly causing a disturbance while being ejected from the concert.

Nicholas J. Macaluso, 19, Oak Street, Bellmore, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and possession of alcohol with intent to consume after allegedly punching a security guard in the head and being under age 21 in possession of alcohol.

The following people were issued citations for allegedly possessing alcohol under age 21:

Kathryn E. Ziolo, 19, Amsdel Road, Hamburg
Kayleigh J. Forger, 19, Lorric Lane, Spencerport
Paul F. Grabowski, 19, Eaglesfield Way, Fairport
Lauren E. Milione, 19, Wedgewood Road, Newton, Mass.
Michelle A. Kay, 19, Pratt Street, Reading, Mass.
Brandon M. Angelo, 18, Red Hickory Drive, Rochester
Jamie M. Szafranski, 20, Frederick Road, North Tonawanda
Shelby M. Visniesky, 19, Kelvin Drive, Tonawanda
Sarah S. Signorelli, 18, 17th Street, Niagara Falls
Tyler M. Pulli, 18, Upper Mountain Road, Lewiston
Morgan A. R. Chrysler, 18, Mount Hope Road, Lewiston
Crystal L. Jensen, 20, Maple Road, Williamsville
Sean P. Talty, 18, Londonderry Lane, Getzville
Ashley L. Dipietro, 17, Misty Lane, East Amherst
Courtney A. Davis, 18, High Manor Drive, Henrietta
Briana M. Julian, 20, Bronson Hill Road, Avon
Matti M. Kwietniewski, 18, Aldrich Place, Buffalo
Cameron J. Cirincione, 17, Licia Lane, Webster

Earlier this week, Batavia City Schools sent a letter to parents of students at Batavia Middle School notifying them that school has been placed on a "School in Need of Improvement" list by U.S. Department of Education.

This morning, Superintendent Margeret Puzio explained to The Batavian what the letter meant.

As part of "No Child Left Behind," passed in 2001, schools that receive federal aid must ensure certain "subgroups" perform adequately on standardized tests.

Subgroups are groups of students considered disadvantaged, such as students with disabilities, minority students, students who speak English as a second language. 

If a school has 30 or more students qualifying for a subgroup, then the school must meet the standardized test requirements for that subgroup in order to receive continued federal aid.

None of the elementary schools, with only about 300 students each, are large enough that any of the so-called disadvantaged groups have 30 or more students, but the middle school, with 500 students, does.

One such subgroup is students with disabilities.

Within the past year, the state stopped giving schools 34 bonus points on standardized tests for students with disabilities, also the raw score to pass the test has been raised, and the test has been made longer.

Puzio called this a "Bermuda Triangle" for school districts and Batavia isn't alone in falling into the trap.

Because the middle school's students with disabilities subgroup didn't meet the requirements of the standardized tests the last two rounds, the district was required to notify all parents of middle school students that the school is now considered a "School in Need of Improvement."

Also, in order to continue receiving federal aid, called Title I funds, the district must divert some of its Title I money into a program to help disadvantaged students, and in this case help students who are economically disadvantaged.

The district will be required to hire a contractor -- perhaps Sylvan Learning Centers -- to come in and offer tutoring and other help to economically disadvantaged students.

Participation by economically disadvantaged students is optional and entirely up to the parents of the students as to whether their children will participate.

At the end of a sometimes tense meeting, the Corfu Fire District Board of Trustees voted to appoint an ethics panel to look into alleged financial improprities by the district's treasurer and a former fire chief.

The panel will make a recommendation to the district board on how to handle the matter.

The alleged improprieties were disclosed publicly by the NYS Comptroller's Office on Monday in a report that accused the district board of not keeping proper financial records and not reviewing them properly, which led to the board not catching alleged unauthorized use of district credit cards.

The ethics panel will include David Saleh, a volunteer firefighter who often helps the district and the Corfu Fire Department (a separate entity from the district) on legal matters. Saleh is past president of the Genesee County Bar Association.

Pushing hard for the board to take action on the matter was Greg Lang, president of the Corfu Fire Department.

While Lang (in the background of the bottom photo) never explicitly called for the district to fire its treasurer, Shari Salim, he did talk about the fact he has been contacted by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office regarding a possible criminal investigation. He said he was expected to call the Sheriff's Office today and report the results of the board meeting. What happened, he said, could determine whether the Sheriff's Office would open an investigation, or whether he would ask for such an investigation.

"I'm going to have to do what I have to do," Lang said several times.

“I’m telling you right now, if this thing doesn’t go right, we’re going to lose members," Lang said at one point. "There’s no question about it. You guys up there ain't good for nothin' if you ain't got members back here. ...I've had members call me, I've had members come up to me and say, 'I'm not going to be in a fire department where this is going on.”

Salim (in the second photo, far end of the table) is the daughter of district board Chairman Bob Ammon and the brother of Jeff Ammon, the former Corfu chief also named in the comptroller's report for allegedly using a district credit card for personal purchases.

She is a paid staff member of the district, drawing a stipend to serve as treasurer and secretary.

Ammon, a former chief, has also twice been named firefighter of the year for Corfu.

Salim reportedly admitted to the state auditor that she used the credit card for personal purchases. What wasn't clear from the report -- and came out at the meeting -- was that Salim and Ammon paid back the district prior to the audit. However, the board never found out about the purchases or the payback until after the auditor started going through the books.

The district board, while including 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.

At one point during the meeting, Bob Ammon (sitting in the foreground, second photo) became visibly distraught and made an impassioned speech about the toll the finance matter has taken on him. He said it was "tearing him up" over what it meant for his kids, the department and said he'd received threats.

"I thought we were a sisterhood or a brotherhood, but the crap I hear – my phone rings constantly," said Ammon, who's been with the department for 52 years. "'What’s this I read on Facebook?' they say. 'What’s this text message about?' It's terrible.

"I was told I was going to be friggin’ arrested the other night," saying later that if the board failed in its oversight, "we screwed up."

"We do the things we can do and I’m sorry," Ammon added. "I’ll apologize if I’m the guy who is going to get arrested and go to jail. I just turned 70 years old and they’re going to come, with my broken knee, and lock me up? I’m just sick about it."

It was that kind of talk -- the rumors of arrests and threats of arrest -- that drove Saleh (foreground, bottom photo) to get involved in Thursday's meeting, the attorney said.

"There are a couple of things that really crawled under my skin," Saleh said. "For months we've been hearing about allegations of criminal conduct and people are going to get arrested, but I read the audit report and I see nothing in there that indicates any criminal conduct."

Lang wondered how it could not be a criminal matter, saying it seemed to him that using somebody else's credit card without permission would be stealing.

"There's been talk of a credit card policy," Lang said. "Do you really need somebody to tell you not to use a credit card?"

One of the recommendations by the auditor was that the board write a credit card policy, which the board said it would do in its written response authored by Ammon.

As for whether there is criminal conduct, Saleh said in order for the use to be considered criminal there would need to be proof of intent and he said from reading the audit report, he didn't see the intent.

After some more back-and-forth over whether there was criminal conduct, Bruce Fauth basically said, "enough."

"There is a direct implication on the fire district and therefore the fire department," said Fauth (inset photo). "Therefore, I don't care about the criminality of it. I care about whether it's right or wrong and how it reflects on the fire department."

There was a lot of discussion over how much interest and fees was accrued on the credit cards -- the report said $1,600 -- and how much interest has been paid -- the report said $380 has been paid.

It's unclear how the rest of the balance was paid. The report states that Shari Salim and Jeff Ammon repaid the amounts they allegedly charged on the cards.

An examination of interest accrued and payments made will be part of the investigation by the ethics panel, which will require it to examine all of the credit card statements.

The panel will also look at the purchases, whether the district's sales-tax exemption was used, whether the personal use as a "mistake," what documents may have been altered and why the board wasn't made aware of the personal use.

After the public meeting, the district board went into closed session, permissible to discuss personnel issues, and after the closed session announced the formation of the ethics panel with Saleh heading up the investigation.

Lang questioned whether Saleh -- whom he said is friends with Ammon family -- could be impartial.

Saleh said it was his goal to be impartial and he promised an objective examination of the district records.

"I want to do this as a member, not as a lawyer," Saleh said. "I want us as a group to do this right so we set a precedent as to how we're going to handle this if it comes up again in the future. This is too painful for everybody involved for it to be done the way it's been done."

A caller reports to dispatch that two vehicles in the parking lot of UMMC have their gasoline flaps open and have had fuel siphoned out of them. City of Batavia police are investigating.

Press release:

Genesee Community College has hired Andrew Crofts as its new sports information coordinator. He will serve as the first staff member dedicated exclusively to the position covering all aspects of the college's robust athletic teams. He brings a wide range of experience in the sports communication field, as well as a local appreciation for Genesee Community College and its athletic program.

Crofts has covered sports for WBSU-FM in Brockport and as an intern at 13WHAM Television in Rochester. His experience includes reporting on the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Rochester Red Wings, as well as many local college and high school teams. Andrew also served as a play-by-play announcer for WBSU Radio, calling Brockport College football, basketball and baseball. He was twice named a national finalist for "Best Sports Play by Play," presented by Collegiate Broadcasters, Inc. He was also ranked in the top ten of collegiate sportscasters according to Sportscasters Talent Agency of America in 2009.

A native of Batavia, Andrew attended Batavia City Schools from kindergarten to high school, where he graduated in June of 2005. While in high school, Andrew was a member of the football and baseball teams. He currently resides in Batavia.

Crofts' education includes a year of undergraduate work at Genesee Community College starting in the fall of 2005. He then moved on to The College at Brockport in the fall of 2006, and earned a bachelor's degree in Broadcasting Communications in the spring of 2009, graduating in the communications studies National Honor Society.

Andrew is an avid sports fan. He enjoys both playing and watching all sports. His favorite teams are the New York Yankees, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Sabres and the Syracuse Orange. He has also coached baseball at the Little League level. When he is not watching or playing sports, Andrew enjoys relaxing and watching movies.

Margaret (Peggy) Sisson, athletics director, explained why Crofts is an important addition to the communications team at GCC.

"Athletics at Genesee Community College are thriving," Sisson said, "Last year, our women's soccer team went to the national championship game, men's lacrosse and men's golf were ranked fourth in the nation, women's basketball and women's volleyball advanced to the national championships in Illinois and Wisconsin, and men and women's swimming and diving advanced to the national championships in Buffalo, New York.

"In total, seven teams advanced to the national championships. Having Andrew on our team will help us bring the latest Cougar news and the accomplishments of student athletes to the community better than ever before."

A two-car accident with minor injuries is reported at Town Line and Maple roads. Town of Alabama Fire Department and Mercy EMS responding. One person is complaining of a leg injury and requests an evaluation.

UPDATE 4:17 p.m.: An ambulance from Oakfield is also requested to the scene. The accident is blocking the roadway.

UPDATE 4:32 p.m.: A 17-year-old girl is being transported to UMMC complaining of rib pain. There was air-bag deployment in her vehicle and the steering wheel broke. Another patient is also being transported there.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at the intersection of Lewiston Road and Veterans Memorial Drive. One driver is said to have lost consciousness but is now alert.

Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy EMS are responding. A responder at the scene says the vehicles are blocking traffic. Two flatbed tow trucks are called.

UPDATE 3:18 p.m.: A second ambulance is called and there are three patients.

UPDATE 3:22 p.m.: Mercy Flight is called to respond. A second Town of Batavia fire crew is called to set up a landing zone in a field behind BJ's Wholesale Club.

UPDATE 3:36: Mercy Flight has landed in the field. A victim who was trapped inside a vehicle has been extricated.

UPDATE 3:40 p.m.: A 61-year-old woman is being transported to UMMC.

UPDATE 3:43 p.m.: A second patient is being transported by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital.

UPDATE 3:55 p.m.: The third patient is on board Mercy Flight, which is headed to Strong Memorial Hospital.

UPDATE 3:58 p.m.: All Town of Batavia fire units are back in service.

If you've never thought of Frost Ridge Campground in Le Roy as a great place to see live music, it might be time to change your perception.

Last summer, one of several live shows in the open-air music venue was Confederate Railroad.

On Sept. 23, country music superstar Marty Stuart -- a multi-talented, five-time Grammy Award winner -- and his Fabulous Superlatives will stop at Frost Ridge for a show that already has people from all over the Northeast requesting tickets.

"Each year we do this it just seems to get bigger and now we're really trying to grow it," said David Luetticke, who bought the campground in 2008 with his brother Greg.

Live music shows started with local bands a few years ago, which helped the brothers meet Brian Chase, who was able to bring in several regionally popular bands and he was also able to help them book W.C. Edgar, a former sideman for Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson.

The Edgar connection led to the hit-making country band Confederate Railroad getting booked at Frost Ridge last June.

The booking agent for Confederate Railroad also represents Marty Stuart, so when it turned out that Stuart would be passing through Western New York, the agent called David and Greg to check on the availability of a tour date.

After the show was booked, word spread fast among Stuart's fans. VIP seating was sold out before the tickets were even printed and there's only six premium seats left. The first ticket sold went to a fan from Germany.

The brothers -- fellow refugees from Southern California -- have been slowly making improvements to Frost Ridge, adding more recreation programs and reconfiguring the park. They're pretty proud of this music venue -- they call it "Jam at Frost Ridge" -- that's coming to fruition on their secluded and rustic property.

"It has amazing acoustics," Greg said. "Every sound engineer that comes through here says the acoustics are amazing. Anywhere you go on the hill, it doesn't lose the sound at all."

Aaron Tippin has already been booked for next June and the brothers' hope to add more big name acts to the lineup.

Opening for Stuart will be Bush Hogs and Closing Times. Gates will open at 3 p.m. and the music starts at 4:30. Frost Ridge is located at 8101 Conlon Road.

Ruby Shooz will play Frost Ridge on Sept. 17.

Tickets can be purchased online with no service charge at frostridge.com.

There's a new thrift store in the city.

Volunteers of America has opened a resale shop in East Town Plaza, next to Aldi's.

The 13,600-square-foot store employs nine people and offers up the usual variety of thrift store items, from clothing and used books to furniture and housewares.

Store manager Jamie Reece said VoA offers a variety of services to help people who need a restart in life -- from work experience programs and new wardrobes to victims of domestic violence.

VoA is also interested in working with and assisting other charities in Genesee County.

"We're still reaching out to the other non-profits," Reece said. "We're trying to work with the other non-profits in the area, anyway we can help."

Kathryn Balbick-Bellamy won the Democratic primary for the Third Ward City Council seat Tuesday.

She beat Dan Jones 46-19.

Balbick-Bellamy was the party-backed candidate, with Jones deciding to run after party leaders made their nomination choice.

In Darien, winning the Republican primary for town board were Kathryn Phelps and Michael Fix. Phelps had 74 votes, Fix 70, with David Riker picking up 13.

In Bergen, Michael Johnson won the Republican primary for highway superintendent with 108 votes over Chad Roggow, 52.

In Alexander, William Schmieder picked up 108 votes while Roy Haller had 111, giving them both wins in the town board Republican primary over Eric Wagner, who had 93 votes.