Center Street Smoke House, 20 Center St., Batavia, NY: Authentic Southern BBQ, from ribs to brisket with all the fixin's. We have a $20 gift card for $10.

T.F. Brown's, 214 E. Main St., Batavia, NY: T.F. Brown's is a great place for a good meal, good friends and to catch up on what's going on in the sports world. "If it happens in sports, it happens at Brown's." We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Settler's, 353 W. Main St., Batavia, NY: Settler's has a 25-year history of serving great, affordable breakfasts, lunches and dinners to Batavians. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Alabama Hotel, 1353 Lewiston Road, Basom, NY: A historic and legendary tavern and restaurant. The Alabama Hotel is famous for its fish fries, but also serves a variety of top-quality entrees, featuring Certified Angus Beef. Now with expanded hours. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Cruiser's Creamery, 140 W. Main Road, Le Roy, NY: For the best homemade ice cream, gelato and Italian ice, cruise down to Cruiser's Creamery. It's worth the drive! We offer soft serve, sundaes, razzles, milkshakes and more! Try an old-fashioned Banana Barrel! Our waffle cones and bowls made fresh daily. Hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Drive-thru and patio seating. We have a $10 gift certificate available for $5.

Stafford Trading Post, 6173 Main Road, Stafford, NY: Lunch or dinner, Stafford Trading Post offers a variety of fresh, homemade meals, as well as snacks and drinks. Now in a new, expanded location. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50. Gift certificates valid on menu items only. Not applicable to in-store purchases.

Alli's Cones & Dogs, 7063 Lewiston Road, Oakfield, NY: Full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu; all-you-can-eat salad bar; ice cream served year-round; eat-in or take-out. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Red Osier, Route 5, Stafford, NY: Truly, one of the landmark restaurants of the area. Red Osier features prime rib carved table side. We have $25 gift certificates for $12.50.

Delavan's, 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.

SOLD OUT

The owners of property with a barn in Oakfield decided to burn it down this afternoon, then at some point about 45 minutes ago decided it would be best if firefighters extinguish the remainder of the dying blaze. Didn't catch the address. A crew from Oakfield Fire Department responded in non-emergency mode.

UPDATE 4:04 p.m.: Oakfield firefighters who responded to this call are back in service.

An explosion in a garage located at 7665 Swamp Road in Bergen has sparked a possible structure fire. The garage, which is attached to the house, is full of smoke. Bergen and Le Roy fire departments are responding along with Mercy medics.

UPDATE 3:47 p.m.: A second platoon of firefighters from the Town of Batavia is called to standby in its fire hall. National Grid is called to the scene. The Bergen fire chief has called for power saws and an infrared camera. Brockport is called to fill in at Bergen's hall.

UPDATE 4 p.m.: The homeowner asked about the status of the fire. The chief says "It doesn not appear to have made it into the house yet." An engine and more manpower from the Town of Batavia is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 6:52 p.m. (by Howard): The house is a total loss. The amount of items stored inside kept firefighters from entering the house and the attack was conducted strictly from the outside. While the fire is now smoldering with much of the house still standing, the only way, according to Chief Paul Cummings, to ensure the fire is completely out is to knock down the structure with a backhoe. That process started around 6 p.m. We'll have complete coverage later tonight. 

UPDATE 8:47 p.m.: Swamp Road is reopened.

Photo submitted by reader Doug Waite.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported in Oakfield in front of 6475 Albion Road, just north of Lockport Road. Oakfield Fire Department is responding along with medics.

UPDATE 3:50 p.m.: At least one person has been transported to UMMC with injuries, apparently non-life threatening. Two tow trucks have been called in. Law enforcement is at the scene.

UPDATE 3:58 p.m.: All units are clearing the scene, back in service.

A Rochester man heading westbound on Lockport Road reportedly said he was looking at his GPS and didn't see a stop sign at the intersection with Route 98 before his pickup truck slammed into the minivan of a Albion resident.

Neither driver was seriously injured.

David Youngman, 55, of Yankee Court, Rochester, was cited for alleged failure to stop for a stop sign.

His truck struck a minivan driven my Marcia Zambito, 59, of Allen Road, Albion.

Zambito was taken to UMMC by ground ambulance with a complaint of pain in her leg and arm.

Youngman was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital, because he's a Rochester resident, with a complaint of chest pain.

(initial report)

A fire that destroyed a barn on West Bergen Road, Le Roy, on Friday night, remains under investigation.

It was spotted by a neighbor just before 8:20 p.m., who alerted the owner, Brian Boneberg, who then called 9-1-1.

The blaze was small when it was fist spotted, but spread quickly.  

By the time Le Roy Chief Mike Sheflin arrived on scene, the barn was fully involved.

The structure was less than 100 feet from a house and Sheflin praised the volunteer crews who kept the flames from spreading.

"We had a fast response from our firefighters and we were able to control the fire quickly," Sheflin said.

Strong water flow from the nearby hydrants also helped the responding departments swiftly beat back the flames, Sheflin said.

No injuries were reported.

Besides Le Roy, responders included Pavilion and Caledonia. Stafford filled in at Le Roy's hall and York filled in at Pavilion's hall.

Le Roy Ambulance was also at the scene.

(Initial Report)

Photo below submitted by a reader.

A serious motor-vehicle accident with at least four injured people is reported in Elba at Route 98 and Lockport Road.

Two Mercy Flight helicopters are en route, one from Batavia, one from Buffalo.

Elba Fire Department and Mercy medics are also en route.

UPDATE 10:27 p.m.: The Buffalo helicopter is canceled per the first responder, but the Batavia helicopter is definately needed. Fire police are told to shut down traffic at Route 98 at Old Route 98 and also at Route 98 at Ridge Road.

UPDATE 10:35 p.m.: Mercy Flight out of Batavia is also canceled.

UPDATE 11:38 p.m: There are no serious injuries.

A fully involved barn fire is reported in Le Roy at 8029 W. Bergen Road. All available Le Roy equipment is called in, including mutual assistance from Bergen and Pavilion fire departments. Le Roy medics are also en route.

A 16-gallon oxygen tank is reported to be inside, according to the homeowner.

UPDATE 8:25 p.m.: An engine from Churchville is called to fill in at Bergen's fire hall. Monroe County Water Authority is to be notified that some of their hydrants will be used in fighting the blaze.

UPDATE 8:29 p.m.: An engine from Stafford is called to fill in at Le Roy's fire hall.

UPDATE 8:43: A pumper truck from Caledonia is on scene, too, and fire police are mustering to handle nearby roadways.

UPDATE 11:52 p.m.: Le Roy Fire back in service.

While no part of tropical storm Irene -- surely, you've heard about it by now -- is expected to reach Genesee County, National Grid is mobilizing all of its resources to respond to the potential havoc the storm could bring to the state's power system.

Reader Paul Schwartzmeyer spotted this caravan of National Grid line trucks heading east on the Thruway through Genesee County this morning.

We also received this press release from National Grid. The power company says the storm could disrupt natural gas and power transmission in Upstate New York.

Press Release:

ALBANY, NY -- National Grid is actively preparing for the potential effects of Hurricane Irene, which meteorologists currently expect to reach the northeast this weekend.

Depending on Irene's track, portions of National Grid's Upstate New York service area could experience damaging winds, heavy rain and flooding that could cause power outages and affect the natural gas delivery system.

National Grid already has activated its storm emergency plan, which includes calling in extra crews; pre-staging crews and materials to areas anticipated to be most severely impacted; reaching out to customers, including those on life support, to urge them to prepare for the storm; identifying low-lying, flood-prone areas and facilities for monitoring and potential isolation; holding multiple planning calls; and ensuring that key areas such as operations and customer call centers are appropriately staffed.

National Grid also is reaching out to state, regional and local officials to inform them of advance plans and keep the lines of communications open before, during and after the storm.

"We know that our customers always depend on us to restore their electricity or gas service as quickly as possible, and especially during major storms," said Ellen Smith, National Grid chief operations officer.

"We are hard at work preparing for whatever Irene may bring and will keep our customers informed throughout this event. We also want our customers to be ready for Irene, and urge them to start preparing now so they will be safe during and after the storm."

National Grid offers the following tips for customers to minimize inconvenience and maximize safety in the event that storm-related service interruptions do occur:

Keep National Grid's power outage reporting number handy -- 1-800-867-5222 (Upstate New York) -- in case it's needed.

Natural gas customers should call 1-800-892-2345 to report gas emergencies for Upstate New York.

Customers also can stay in touch with National Grid by following the company on Facebook, Twitter and on our website www.nationalgridus.com.

Power outage information also is available on the company website at www.nationalgridus.com. At the site, go to "Outage Central," and select your state.

Listen for important announcements on television and radio from emergency officials about possible evacuations or other emergency procedures.

Keep a number of working flashlights, extra batteries and at least one battery-operated radio since National Grid provides news media with timely information regarding service restoration efforts.

If you depend on electric-powered life-support equipment, such as a respirator, make sure that you have notified National Grid. If you have a medical emergency always dial 9-1-1.

Prepare a family emergency kit that includes, at least water, a three-day supply of food, a can opener, first-aid kit, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation, wrench or pliers to turn off utilities, local maps, cell phones with chargers, prescription medications and glasses, matches in a waterproof container, paper and pencil.

Customers using generators should make sure their wiring system is disconnected from the system before operating the generator. When using a portable generator, make sure the main circuit breaker in the electric service panel box is in the "off" position.

If you have a fuse box instead of breakers, pull out the main block, remove the fuses and reinsert the empty block. This is necessary to prevent your generator's electricity from going back into the system, which could endanger the lives of line crews and your neighbors. Also, it's required by the National Electrical Code.

Be sure to only use generators outdoors. Exhaust fumes contain poisonous carbon monoxide and can kill or cause serious injury.

Before lowering a TV antenna or satellite dish, make sure to turn off and unplug the TV, and avoid power lines.

Turn your refrigerator and freezer to their coldest settings ahead of time to keep food fresh longer in the event of a power outage.

Prepare your business by securing the exterior of your building. Inside, cover and move equipment and furniture to a secured area. Protect data with backup files. Make plans for supplies and services so that you are prepared to work with limited supplies of cash, water, sewer or power for at least two weeks.

National Grid is an international energy delivery company. In the U.S., National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, and manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA).

It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the Northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. National Grid also owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation that provides power to more than one million LIPA customers.

Press release:

The Route 20 bridge over Tonawanda Creek in the Town of Alexander will close on Monday, Aug. 29, to undergo steel repair work for approximately three weeks. 

The structure is located between Route 98 and Brookville Road. A detour is posted directing motorists to take Route 98 south to Stroh Road to Sandpit Road back to Route 20. All local traffic will be permitted up to the work site on both sides.

Work includes general repairs to the floor-beam connections and other steel components of the structure.

For real-time travel information, call 511 or visit www.511NY.org <http://www.511NY.org>.

Press release:

Please be advised that Batavia City Council will hold a meeting with the Batavia Town Board on Wednesday, Aug. 31. It will begin at 7 p.m. at the Batavia Town Hall, 3833 W. Main St. Road, to discuss the City / Town Charter Task Force consultant's recommendation.

Two Rochester residents were charged with various offenses Thursday after the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force initiated a traffic stop on the car they were in.

Arrested where Abdullah H. Shareef, 30, of Locust Street, and Michael D. Brewer, 41, of Grand Avenue.

Shareef was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, plus unregistered, uninsured and uninspected motor vehicle.

Brewer was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Both suspects were issued appearance tickets.

Sara K.L. McCabe, 26, of Lincoln Avenue, Le Roy, is charged with felony DWI, aggravated DWI (children under age 15 in the car), driving without an interlock device and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. McCabe was stopped by Le Roy Police on Thursday after a witness complained of seeing a person in a car consuming alcohol. McCabe was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Geoffrey Charles Saxton, 28, of North Byron Road, Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08, failure to reduce speed and moving from lane unsafely. Saxton was charged following a one-car accident at Mullen and Morganville roads, Stafford, at 11:59 p.m., Monday.

Shuvon J. Williams, 36, of 5 Lewis Place, Batavia, and Rochelle V. Tomlin, 35, of 2 Lewis Place, Batavia, are charged with petit larceny. Both are accused of shoplifting from Tops Market on Wednesday.

Barbara Jean Alessi, 52, of Rand Street, Rochester, was arrested on a warrant stemming from a petit larceny charge. Alessi is accused of stealing from a business on Lewiston Road. She was taken into custody by the Rochester Police Department and turned over to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

Batavia police are looking for two males allegedly involved in a fight behind the board of education building on Washington Avenue.

One is described as wearing a white shirt and red shorts and the other male is reportedly wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans.

The initial call had 30 people involved in the fight. When the first police car arrived on scene, everybody took off running.

A head-on collision, with one victim complaining of chest pain, has been reported on Route 5 at Powers Road in the Town of Batavia.

The road is blocked.

East Pembroke Fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 6;30 p.m.: A second ambulance is requested to the scene.

A Level 3 sex offender who is accused of committing new criminal sex acts against a child was denied his request for lower bail today.

Anthony L. Nicosia Jr., 54, of Albion Road, Oakfield, is being held in the Genesee County Jail on $15,000 bail or $30,000 bond.

The bail was set in the Oakfield Town Court.

Judge Robert Noonan gave both the prosecutor and defense an opportunity to speak to the bail issue, but then seemingly cut off the discussion saying that as a matter of law, the only thing he could do at this stage of the proceedings against Nicosia is decide whether the bail set by the lower court was excessive.

It's not, Noonan ruled, and he can't lower it at this stage.

Assistant District Attorney Will Zickl argued that bail certainly shouldn't be reduced, if anything it ought to be raised.

Zickl said the alleged victim has been interviewed further since Nicosia's arrest and detailed more alleged assaults. There is the possibility, Zickl said, of further criminal charges.

It's also possible, Zickl indicated, that there may be additional victims.

Nicosia, who was arrested earlier this week and charged with criminal sex act, 3rd, forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child, was convicted of sexual abuse in the first degree in April, 1995.

Just about everybody knows the story of the day Frank Sinatra stopped in Batavia, but what about the day Johnny Cash stopped in Corfu?

It was mid-March, 1985 and the Cash tour bus pulled into the former Super Duper and John and June loaded their carts with groceries, stopping for autographs and pictures along the way.

The story is one of hundreds reprinted in Entertaining Genesee, a new book by County Historian Susan L. Conklin (photo, right) and research assistant Judy Stiles.

The book covers Genesee County residents who sought fame and fortune on stage, screen and in music as well as recounts the famous and nearly famous who passed through the area.

It's the 11th book published by the county's history department -- each paid for by the procedes of the sale of the previous book and funds from the Genesee County Historians Society.

The book is $20 and available at the history department in the old fire house on West Main Street in the City of Batavia.

Using reprinted stories from local newspapers (mostly the Batavia Daily News), letters, telegrams and other periodicals, the book recounts local brushes with the entertainment industry.

Of course, Tom Beers and Joey Pero are in there, but so is Harry Crosby, an actor who garnered some fame in New York City in the early 20th Century, and Miss Mary M. Howard, who wrote a march played by John Philip Sousa.

There's also articles on the times Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong and Tommy Dorsey came to Batavia. Some of the stories are of the "wish I could have been there type," such as Armstrong's appearance. Satchmo arrived late because his bus broke down, and then played for 700 fans until 5 a.m. Admission was only a buck fifty (tax included).

The next book from the history department, scheduled for 2014, will be called "Criminal Genesee."

A tour bus returning from dropping off passengers at the Buffalo Airport broke down this morning on West Main Street at the intersection with Ellicott Street.

The call came in at 9:04 a.m. and the bus wasn't moved until after 11 a.m., causing a bit of a traffic jam for eastbound travelers.

The driver reportedly told Officer Eric Dibble that he was concerned the bus was experiencing mechanical difficulties, which is why he didn't drive on the Thruway back to Rochester.

No passengers were on the bus at the time of the breakdown.

The plans for growth are aggressive, even lofty, according to Batavia City Manager Jason Molino, but if GCEDC is successful in building the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park to capacity, it could be a boon for Batavia's sewer system and the ratepayers who support it.

The increase in revenue could potentially allow the city to both lower rates -- already among the lowest sewer rates in Western New York -- and fund replacement of aging sewer lines.

Even though the agri-park is in the Town of Batavia, the sewer effluent flows at some point through the city to the city-operated wastewater plant. The town pays the city a fee to ship effluent from the town to the plant. Every thousand of gallons of effluent that flows to the plant will generate $2.81 for the city. (NOTE: Paragraph re-written to clarify the agreement between the town and the city.)

It would take only one O-AT-KA Milk Products-sized plant to make a huge difference, Molino said.

"If you were to see something like another O-AT-KA come in overnight, you could see a huge benefit," Molino said.

The city manager's remarks followed a special meeting of Batavia City Council where the council unanimously approved a plan to provide sewer service to the agri-business park (Councilman Bill Cox recused himself because of a potential conflict of interest).

The development of the park received a significant boost this spring when Alpina Products agreed to build a new yogurt factory on the site. Escrow on the sale of that parcel is expected to close Monday.

The sewer agreement between the city, Town of Batavia and the Genesee County Economic Development Center is key to closing the Alpina deal. 

It calls for the GCEDC, with a contribution from O-AT-KA, to use state grants to build a sewer system for the agri-business park and the O-AT-KA facility. The system would include two new pump stations -- one within the jurisdiction of the town and the other within city limits on O-AT-KA's property. The city and town would take possession of the completed pumps and sewer lines.

Just expanding capacity for O-AT-KA is a huge benefit to the city, Molino said.

"O-AT-KA is our biggest sewer user, our biggest water user," Molino said. "It is one of the largest employers in the county. It gets a larger sewer line to discharge into, so they’re not constrained anymore and they have the opportunity to grow. That infrastructure is coming to us free, no cost to the city users. The other thing is that Ellicott Street (sewer line) is going to be open now for greater growth. So we’ve got two opportunities there."

Some of the sewer lines in Batavia are up to 50 years old. 100 years old, many more are at least 50 years old. It's infrastructure that needs to be replaced pretty soon. And while the city has one of the most aggressive capital improvement projects for its sewer and water systems in the state, there is still a huge need to move quickly to replace old lines.

"To me, that’s really exciting (if the agri-park is successful), to be able to do sewer line after sewer line project, to replace aging infrastructure," Molino said. "That's really exciting."

During the council meeting, Steve Hyde, CEO of GCEDC (inset photo), told the council that the current gravity system on the Ellicott Street line, the one currently used by O-AT-KA, can only handle 500,000 gallons per year and O-AT-KA needs significantly more capacity to grow. The expansion will give O-AT-KA up to 2.5 million gallons per year of potential flow.

He said the agreement with Alpina is a huge step forward for the project and Genesee County.

"When is the last time we saw a major manufacturer come into the greater Batavia area?" Hyde said. "Maybe 40 or 50 years? We’ve seen a lot of them move out, but not too many move in. Maybe this is the start of something good for our community."

It could also be the basis for pushing forward consolidation between the town and city, one council member observed.

The joint agreement has the Town of Batavia buying sewer capacity from the city and reselling it to agri-park tenants.

The town and the city already have a joint agreement in place for processing effluent in the city's wastewater plant, but the agri-business park highlights the difference in sewer rates between the town and the city.

The town's rate is $5.35 per thousand gallons. If the city and town consolidated, town landowners, including agri-park tenants could potentially pay the city's current retail rate of $3.14 per thousand gallons.

An agri-business park plant producing 15,000 gallons per day would save nearly $12,000 annually paying the city's rate.

Regardless of the rate paid by agri-park tenants, the effluent is all flowing to the same treatment plant, and the quality and efficiency of that plant is the main reason city rates are so low, Molino said.

"That plant is a resource that I don’t think people understand," Molino said. "It’s a special plant. It’s 350 acres. It’s one of the largest lagoon plants east of the Mississippi. It doesn’t use chemical treatment. It’s natural treatment, so there’s no chemical cost. Only four people run it, seven days a week. You find me a sewer plant that has low labor costs like that, low treatment costs -- that's why our sewer rates are some of the lowest in Western New York."