On Sunday, drivers who choose to travel on the Thruway will pay 5 percent more, and those who use EZPass will be getting less of a discount.

The toll charge change is part of a Thruway Authority effort to raise money to pay for $2.1 billion in improvements to the Thruway's roads and bridges, according to the D&C.

Assembly Transportation Committee Chairman David Gantt, D-Rochester, said the toll increases have pushed more motorists off the Thruway and to local roads, limiting the amount of revenue raised by the toll increases.

"There's no reason for them to be raising tolls on the Thruway," Gantt said. "It runs people off, they still don't meet their goals, so what benefit is it to them?"

The Canadian woman who allegedly led local law enforcement on a high speed chase through Genesee County and into Orleans County on Dec. 19 has been charged with a series of vehicle infractions and a misdemeanor steaming from the incident.

Crystal Pinnock was arraigned today in Stafford Town Court before being released to Orleans County for arraignment on charges in that county.

Pinnock was charged with:

• Town of Le Roy, speed over 55 mph and unsafe passing.
• Town of Stafford, unlawful fleeing of a police officer (a misdemeanor), speed over 55, failure to yield to emergency vehicle, driving left of pavement markings and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving.
• Town of Batavia, speed in zone, driving left of pavement markings.
• City of Batavia, speed in zone, reckless driving (misdemeanor) and three counts of passed red light.

State Police will also press charges for alleged infractions in Elba.

Previously:

• Woman who reportedly crashed through border crossing chased through Genesee County
• Border Patrol says it notified local law enforcement of alleged illegal border crossing

Elected officials from just about every jurisdiction in Genesee County gathered in the County Courthouse this evening for a mass swearing in ceremony administered by County Court Judge Robert C. Noonan and Family Court Judge Eric R. Adams.

Every official who was elected or re-elected this past November was invited to attend and be sworn in for his or her new term.

Above, Gregory H. Post is sworn in as Town of Batavia supervisor by Judge Noonan.

After the jump, more pictures. 

NOTES: I didn't get everybody. I missed all of the County Legislature because I was late and then I had camera problems.  Second, I'll do by best to ID each official correctly, but will correct as people provide me with any corrections.

Marianne Clattenburg is sworn in as council member at large for the City of Batavia.

Paticia A. Buczek, Town of Alabama Justice.

Janet I. Sage, councilwoman, Alabama.

William J. Cleveland, Alabam, councilman.

Teressa M. Morasco, Town of Batavia, town clerk.

Daniel G. Underhill, Town of Batavia, councilman.

Patti A. Michalak, councilwoman, Town of Batavia.

Deborah A. Bell, councilwoman, Town of Elba.

Kermit Arrington, Town of Le Roy, town justice.

Kelly J. Lathan, councilwoman, Town of Le Roy.

Thomas A. Graham, Town of Oakfield, justice.

Dennis R. Beedham, Town of Oakfield, justice.

Ronald O. Zarbo, Town of Pavilion, councilman.

Donald L. Mullen, Town of Stafford, councilman.

County Legislature, Robert J. Radley.

An electrical box is reportedly smoking at 70 Main St., in Le Roy.

Le Roy Fire has been dispatched and mutual aid has been requested from Bergen.

UPDATE 8:16 p.m.: A police officer who entered the building reportedly told dispatch that there is no fire, but fuses keep popping.

UPDATE 8:20 p.m.: Firefighter on scene and says no smoke, no fire and the thermal camera shows no heat.  Another firefighter, "it looks like the only problem is we've got a burnt fuse."

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Center Street Smoke House, 20 Center St., Batavia, NY: Authentic Southern BBQ, from ribs to brisket with all the fixin's. We have a $25 gift card for $12.50.

Kravings Kafe, Valu Plaza, W. Main Street, Batavia, NY: Recently opened, it offers soups, salads and sandwiches, fresh and flavorful; Monday through Saturday. We have $10 gift certificates for $5.

Matty's Pizzeria, 4152 W. Main St., Batavia, NY: Matty's is another Batavia favorite for pizza and wings. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern, 107 Evans St., Batavia, NY: To me, Delavan's is one of those restaurants where you want to eat frequently until you try everything on the menu. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

NOTE: If you've never bought Deal of the Day before, or are otherwise unfamiliar with the rules and process, click here.

F. Peter (Pete) Balonek of Elba was honored Monday night at the Elba Town Board meeting for his 33 years of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals. The instructor at SUNY Brockport and locally renowned strawberry farmer served as chairman of the ZBA for the past 15 of those years. 

He is retiring so he can spend winters in Florida.

Town Supervisor Lucine Kauffman presented him with a plaque and a hug, saying, "We may be able to fill your vacant position, but we'll never find anyone to replace you."

Balonek described his time serving on the board as "interesting."

"The most challenging part," he said, "is when you're emotionally involved. Once there was, I guess you could call it, a neighbor confrontation, and I had to be the mediator. So that was difficult."

"He's a good guy, a fair guy," said Wade Chamberlin, town council liaison to the ZBA.  "He's a good leader. He'll be hard to replace."

Ryan Tenney, who admitted to embezzling more than $100,000 from his former employer, Elcon, Inc., still hasn't been sentenced for his crimes.

While his attorney would like to delay his sentencing at least one more time, Judge Robert Noonan ruled this morning that the sentencing scheduled for 9 a.m. Jan. 4 will stay on the court calender.

"I'm not yet certain Mr. Tenney should be out (of incarceration) in long-term treatment," Noonan said. "It won't take much from Hope Haven to report a rules violation to go straight to sentencing."

Tenney was released from jail on Dec. 2 to enter substance abuse treatment at Hope Haven. A report on his progress was not available to Noonan this morning, so even though Hope Haven is recommending Tenney now be placed in Trapping Brook, another treatment house, Noonan didn't want to delay the scheduled sentencing.

Tenney's attorney Gary Horton said after court that a bed could open for Tenney at Trapping Brook within days.

Previously:

• Batavia man admits to stealing $106,000 from employer
• Elcon owner says he needs embezzler's help to work computer accounting system
• Tenney jailed, but not yet sentenced in embezzlement case
• Judge tells embezzler: get help or go to prison

Two people accused of dealing cocaine were arrested at the Days Inn at 200 Oak St., Batavia, early this morning.

Both were arraigned in City Court at 11 a.m.

Taheed M. Moffett and Lekisha M. Avant are both charged with criminal possession with intent to sell and criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Judge Robert Balbick set bail for Moffett at $50,000 and for Avant at $15,000.

According to First Assistant District Attorney David Gann, if convicted, Moffett will have a second felony conviction. He also has a pending robbery charge.

Moffett, who was not represented in court by an attorney, which is common at this stage of criminal procedures, asked for reduced bail.

"I've been at every court date and haven't been late for one court date," Moffett said. "I hope that can be taken into consideration. I'm not a flight risk. I have family in the area and I've been coming to court."

Later, Moffett said he didn't understand why he was arrested.

"I know you've got nothing to do with this, Judge Balbick, but I didn't possess anything," Moffett said. "The other person had it."

Balbick explained that the state will have to prove its case at a preliminary hearing, but for now he was being arraigned on these charges.

Avant said she's only had a prior disorderly conduct charge, and that she lives with her mother and recently completed Job Corps.

If convicted, Moffett could be sentenced from two to 12 years, according to Gann. Avant's possible sentence is nine years.

Earlier today, Sheriff Gary Maha said there will be a press release forthcoming about the raid at the Days Inn at 12:30 a.m.  At this time, we don't know if any other individuals were involved.

UPDATE 12:30 p.m.: The Sheriff's Office has issued a press release on this case:

Moffett is 25 and a resident of 33 Turner St., Rochester. 

Avant is 22 and a resident of 314 Woodbine St., Rochester.

Members of the Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force executed a search warrant over night on Room 121 of the Days Inn.  Batavia Police received a tip about crack cocaine sales at the hotel. The Sheriff's Office says more than $1,000 in crack cocaine was found in the search.

Gregory M. Brew, 24, of 4799 Linden Road, E. Bethany, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, operation on a conditional-use permit. Brew was arrested by Deputy Frank Bordonaro after it was determined he had allegedly been driving a car found at the edge of the road on Bethany Center Road at 2:30 a.m. yesterday.

Sath Paul Dhanda, 29, of 5458 Clapsaddle Road, Bethany, is charged with harassment, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Dhanda was arrested Christmas Eve at 10:36 a.m. after Deputy James Diehl responded to a call of a reported disturbance at the Travel Lodge. Dhanda allegedly spit on someone. He also allegedly damaged a TV set at the hotel.

Weather Underground tells us there is a 40 to 60 percent chance of snow the rest of the day. Weather.com puts the odds at 10 percent in its forecast.

The one thing they both agree on: It's going to be cold. Expect temperatures in the low to mid teens. Wind will come from the west at 5 to 8 mph.

Witnesses tell us they saw Batavia Police and Genesee County Sheriff's patrols as well as other vehicles show up in force at the Days Inn in Batavia about 12:30 this morning.

Sheriff Gary Maha confirmed this morning that there was a drug raid at the location in execution of a search warrant, but said no further details are available until later today, when a press release comes out.

The subjects have not been arraigned yet.

Batavia will advance to the next round to play Notre Dame in the annual basketball tournament sponsored by the Batavia Lions Club. The Blue Devils beat Albion 63-55 and improved the team record to 5-1. Andrew Hoy scored 16 points. Justin Washington added 12 points and seven rebounds for Batavia. Co Co Irvin tacked on 13.

More pictures after the jump:

In the first game Monday night of the annual basketball tournament sponsored by the Batavia Lions Club, Notre Dame beat Perry 52-41.  The Irish are now 5-0. Vinny Zambito scored 19 points.

More pictures after the jump:

A heavy band of lake effect snow is hanging around northern Erie and Genesee Counties longer than expected, according to the National Weather Service, which has upgraded its storm watch from an advisory to a warning.

The Buffalo NWS office says the storm is moving slow and will dump more snow on the region -- up to seven inches, especially from Buffalo and Oakfield southward.

The lake effect snow will shift to the south some time after 7 p.m. when an Arctic front moves through the region.  That front will bring gusts up to 40 mph and rapidly falling temperatures.

The warning is effect until 9 p.m.

Reader Janice Stenman sends the following report:

We just returned from Eastern Hills Mall via Thruway. Traffic moved at between 15-20 MPH. It took us over an hour to drive between Depew and the Pembrooke exit.

From the Thruway Cam pic I just grabbed (right), the Pembroke section of Thruway looks uncongested, though visibility looks low.

Be careful out there.

In a blog post, GCASA's executive director David Markham muses that perhaps society would be better off if marijuana were legal and taxed.

But it's no libertarian turn by Markham. He also suggests that the legal drinking age should be raised to 35.

Markham cites a recent study that looks at the benefitial impact of drinkers and drug users substituting cannabis.

I found this study interesting because I have observed the use of cannabis in my private practice clients who often report beneficial effects. It seems to me that cannabis is less toxic and has fewer behavioral and social negative consequences than alcohol. I have also noted that cannabis seems to have fewer adverse side effects and better symptom relief than prescription drugs.

Winds and lake effect snow is drifting into Genesee County, which has prompted the National Weather Service in Buffalo to issue a winter storm advisory through 10 a.m. tomorrow.

While snow accumulation will be measured only in inches, the cold blast, wind and wet white stuff blowing around could make road travel more difficult.

The sharp cold front is expected to hit Batavia this afternoon. Wind gusts could reach 40 mph.

The quick drop in temperatures could cause road ice to develop quickly.

This is an advisory from the NWS, which means the storm is not expected to be big, just big enough to encourage extra caution.

UPDATE 12:14 p.m.: County road crews report heavy snow in the southern part of the county. "It's a different world down here," said one.

UPDATE 12:55 p.m.: Here's a shot of what downtown is looking like about now.

UPDATE 2:27 p.m.: A report out of Pembroke: Conditions deteriorating. Visibility greatly diminished.

A Batavia woman is the first person in Western New York charged with an enhanced felony DWI under a new statute that took effect Dec. 18 known as "Leandra's Law."

The law turns a misdemeanor DWI into a felony DWI if children are in the car.

Michelle T. Crawford, 24, was reportedly picked up by State Police in the Town of Marilla in Erie County.

Troopers were alerted Sunday afternoon to a domestic dispute in the Town of West Seneca in which the woman involved drove away with her three children, and she was reportedly agitated and had been drinking. The initial report had her heading back to Batavia.

Shortly after the initial report reached State Police, a trooper spotted a vehicle matching the description of the one that left West Seneca on Clinton Street near Two Rod Road.

Following a traffic stop, Crawford was charged with felony DWI, three counts of endangering the welfare of a child and other traffic offenses. Crawford allegedly refused a breath test.

She was jailed in the Erie County Holding Center on $25,000 bail.

The children, ages 4, 3 and 17 months, were picked up by a relative.

Police now have a suspect in the case of shots fired on Tracy Avenue last Wednesday. It's the same person they've been looking for all along; he's now formally a suspect.

And he's also suspected of stealing a truck from Western NY Concrete on East Main Street prior to the shooting.

The truck was found on Ellicott Avenue about three hours after the shooting, according to Det. Richard Schauf, and police believe it's the same truck used by the alleged shooter on Wednesday. The truck is being checked for evidence.

There's no new information available on the suspect.

Police are also not saying how many shots were fired, just that several hit the car.

Detectives now want to talk to a third person they believe was in the car with the two 18-year-olds mentioned in previous reports. The third person is male and a teenager. He has not made himself available for an interview. It's not believed he was wounded during the attack.

Law enforcement agencies throughout Western New York have been advised to be on the lookout for the shooting suspect.

Police also continue to try and retrace the steps of the occupants of the car in an attempt to further the case.

The condition of a boy hit by a car on Washington Avenue last Wednesday has improved, according to Det. Richard Schauf of the Batavia Police Department.

Thirteen-year-old James Difalco is now listed in stable condition at Buffalo Women's and Children's Hospital, Schauf said this morning.

Difalco sustained a head injury when he reportedly ran into the street and was hit by a car. The driver has not been charged.