As many as 250 people will receive a free Christmas dinner today at T.F. Brown's, courtesy of the Mancuso family, Joe Teresi and the Lions Club. The tables for the noon meal were already near full just before 12. There were plenty of children there, too, all eager, surely, for Santa's visit.

Pictured is Pat Mancuso, son of Rick Mancuso. Pat is a sophomore at Medaille College and home on break.

 I thought I would finish out the series with a bit of humor. Thank you again to everyone who stopped by The Batavian booth and said hi.

An elderly woman driving southbound on Route 77 has apparently had a seizure while driving.

Mercy EMS is being dispatched to the Thruway overpass at Route 77.

The driver was first reported by a caller to the dispatch center for alleged erratic driving. She almost hit a stop sign, realized it was in front her and backed up and pulled back into traffic, going southbound in the northbound lane of Route 77.

A Sheriff's deputy pulled behind her minutes later and reported she was driving 12 mph and not stopping.  He requested that State Police block the intersection at the Thruway.

A Trooper did manage to get to the intersection just before the driver arrived and stopped traffic.

The driver -- born in 1934 according to the scanner report -- was going up the bridge at 5 mph. She then hit a guard rail.  The next call said she had run into a snow bank.

A law enforcement officer then reported she was in a seizure and asked dispatch to expedite Mercy EMS. 

The woman has a pulse, according to a law enforcement officer on scene, but is unconscious.

UPDATE 12:55 p.m.: Mercy Flight is being dispatched.

Bing Crosby, White Christmas

Bing and David Bowie, Little Drummer Boy

John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Happy Christmas (War is Over)

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, many happy days for one and all.

A car is reportedly on its side at 7636 Maple Street Road in Basom. There are no reported injuries at this time.

Corfu Fire is being dispatched to report of a house fire at 2491 Angling Road, Corfu.

Also dispatched, East Pembroke and Batavia Fast Team.

First responder: "We have a fully involved house fire."

UPDATE 6:33 p.m.: Angling Road at Route 33 is being shut down. Everybody is reported out of the house.

UPDATE 6:40 p.m.: A full crew from Corfu is on scene. The roads are ordered shut to traffic. Two hand-lines are requested.

UPDATE 6:44 p.m.: Fire knocked out; air ventilation under way.

UPDATE 7:02 p.m.: Report is now, "Fire contained to one small area."

UPDATE 9:14 a.m., Friday: We received a fire report from the Sheriff's Office.  The house was a multi-unit dwelling owned by David Martino. The apparent cause of the fire was a space heater that overheated. Additional information left by firefighter Bruce Ross in a comment below, as well.

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A car is on its roof on the Thruway following a single-vehicle accident.

Le Roy Fire and Mercy EMS are responding.

No word yet on injuries.

UPDATE 1:44 p.m.: A reader sent in the mobile phone picture. No word as yet on whether there are any injuries and it sounds like Le Roy Fire is back in service.

Last night's shots fired on Tracy Avenue was likely no random act of violence, according to Batavia Police Det. Richard Schauf.

"Our investigation right now is leading us toward a possible relationship as opposed to a road rage incident," Schauf said during a press conference this morning. "Based on early investigation and comments that were made, it's looking more pointed than random."

At 10:30 p.m., two 18-year-old men were driving on Tracy Avenue being followed by a truck, when they pulled into a driveway to try and evade the tail, somebody in the truck opened fire on the car. The car, a 1999 Mazda 626, managed to plow through a snow bank and escape the scene of the shooting.

Neither occupant was injured. One of the victims is a Town of Batavia resident and the other is from the Village of Albion.

Police are looking for a person of interest and have sent bulletins to law enforcement agencies throughout New York.

Schauf said that based on the number of shots fired at the car, the shooting was intended to actually cause harm instead of just intimidating the young men. The two people may still be in some degree of danger with the shooter still at large.

The police have the name of the person of interest, but are not releasing that information.

While the 18-year-olds are being cooperative, Schauf said, their first statements were the most useful in identifying the person of interest.

"Initially in the excitement of it, there were some statements made by the victims that led to a person who might be of interest," Schauff said. "As the investigation has gone on it hasn't been as clear as it was during the initial excitement."

To help identify the likely shooter and uncover a connection, police are interviewing the youths as well as their friends to try and retrace their steps yesterday.

There is no definitive description of the shooter's truck, if it was indeed a truck. Police are unsure if  there was one person or more than one person in the vehicle.

Police would like residents to report any unusual driving they saw last night in the area of Tracy and East avenues. 

Shauna L. McDonough, 39, 504 West Center St., Beech Haven, N.J. is charged with DWI, aggravated driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and unlicensed operation. Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a single-car accident on Route 63 off Fargo Road. The car was reportedly well off the roadway. Sgt. Greg Walker investigated the accident and determined that McDonough was traveling at an unsafe speed and was allegedly driving drunk.

A 17-year-old girl from Batavia has been charged with petit larceny. She allegedly stole from her employer, Kmart.

Tammy J. Alexyn, 34, of 48 Longs Lane, Corfu, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and driving left of the pavement markings. Alexyn was stopped on Brown Road in the Town of Batavia by Deputy Jason Saile at 1:34 a.m. today.

Kristy L. Sherman, 23, of Bloomfield, has been charged by State Police with harassment. The alleged harassment took place in Le Roy Dec. 18 at 8:31 p.m. No further information available.

An accident with injuries has been reported at Bank Street Road and Batavia-Elba Townline Road.

Mercy EMS and Elba Fire have been dispatched.

An Oak Street resident is accused of assaulting his girlfriend both in her car and later at the Batavia Police station, where she had gone to report the first alleged attack.

Michael P. Gattuso, 28, of 108 Oak St., upper, was jailed on $1,000 bail after being charged with assault in the 3rd degree and criminal mischief in the 4th degree.

Gattuso is accused of punching out the windshield of his girlfriend's car, hitting her in the head and then following her into the police station after she drove there to report the crime. Once inside the police station, while his girlfriend was on the phone with Genesee County dispatchers, Gattuso reportedly started punching her in the head again.

The alleged attack occurred at 5:50 p.m. yesterday.

Several police officers responded to the station and took Gattuso into custody.

Was a truck driver using a laptop computer in his cab prior to striking a disabled vehicle on the Thruway on Dec. 12?

State Police are using computer forensics to try and answer that question.

The driver of the disabled vehicle, Julie I. Stratton, 33, of Snyder, was killed in the accident.

The Buffalo News reports:

State Police want to know why the operator of the tractor-trailer wasn’t able to avoid Stratton’s car, which was disabled in a collision with a deer a few minutes earlier, when several other vehicles were able to swerve around her.

The News also confirms that Stratton placed a call to 911 prior to the truck striking her car.

Police responded to a report of shots fired in the City of Batavia at 10:30 last night and say that a car was struck by the bullets.

Investigators reportedly have identified a person of interest in the case.

There were no injuries reported.

Area law enforcement agencies have been notified to be on the look out for the person of interest and warned that the person may be armed.

UPDATE 8:54 a.m.: Police have released additional information about the case.

The car that was shot at was occupied by two 18-year-old men. They reported being followed by what appeared to be a pickup truck on Tracy Avenue.

In an attempt to get away from the pickup truck, the driver pulled into a driveway. It was then that a person in the truck fired at the car. The driver plowed through a snow bank to try and get away.

Neither occupant was struck, but the car was damaged. Police are examining the car in an attempt to recover any evidence.

Batavia Police are planning at press conference at 11 a.m. to answer media questions and release any new information, if available.

A 13-year-old boy apparently ran out in front of a car near the intersection of Washington and Tracy avenues in Batavia yesterday evening and was hit by the vehicle.

He was taken by Mercy Flight to Children's Hospital in Buffalo with a head injury.

The boy is identified as James N. Difalco, of 41 S. Main St., Batavia.

The accident was reported at 6:38 p.m.

No charges have been filed against the driver, but the investigation is continuing.

UPDATE: Relatives tell WBTA that James is in guarded condition.

No deal of the day today or tomorrow, but we will have one Saturday.

Today will be a normal coverage day. Tomorrow, I may or may not have the scanner on at different times of the day.  If anybody hears about something we should report on, text me or call me. My mobile number is at the bottom of the page.

Glad to make your acquaintance, I'm Tess. Happy, healthy and housebroken, too. I'm an adult female, black Labrador retriever/mix. I'm a people dog, a dog's dog and a children's dog. So I get along nicely with all and I'm considered very friendly and playful. Note the word "very."

I do need some structure to learn good manners to help me watch my Ps and Qs, and I need some leash work. I'm in Kennel 36 hoping for some new BFFs.

I'm sweet but a little skittish. You might be too if you were ambling along and got your paw stuck in a "leg hole trap." My paw has healed up and looks good, but now I'm a little nervous about the world we live in.

I need a comforting family who will give me time to adjust. My name is Lilla and I'm a lovely calico. But technically speaking, I'm an adult, spayed female, domestic-shorthair cat. Cage 62.


Volunteers For Animals
PO Box 1621
Batavia, NY   14021
www.vol4animals.org <http://www.vol4animals.org>

Working in partnership with:
Genesee County Animal Shelter
3841 W. Main Street Road
Batavia, NY   14020
(585)343-6410

Adoption Hours:
Sunday - Friday 1 - 3 pm (closed on Thursdays)
Wednesday 7 - 9 pm
Saturday 11 - 1 pm

A traffic stop by State Police on Bank Street near College Road about 7:30 this morning led to the detention of 12 individuals who may have entered the country illegally.

All 12 are from Mexico, according Mike Gilhooly, spokesman for Immigration Control Enforcement.

Ten of the individuals were turned over to the U.S. District Attorney for criminal prosecution, one suspect is already awaiting a court hearing on a previous charge of entering the country illegally and the 12th was a minor who was turned over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement for processing.

One of the group had previously been deported, Gilhooly said.

The names of the individuals were not immediately available.

The driver of the white van was not picked up by immigration, Gilhooly said. He referred us back to State Police for information on that person and we are awaiting an answer to our e-mail on that subject.

Thank you to a reader tip for bringing this item to our attention.

Great Kutz, in the Valu Plaza, 4152 W. Main St. Road, Batavia, NY: Men, enjoy a $5 haircut again with this offer exclusive to The Batavian. (gift card can be applied toward other services, but not products).

The Enchanted Florist, 202 E. Main St., Batavia, NY: Now in stock: A big selection of poinsettias and stunning wreaths. We have a $20 gift certificate for $9.50.

T.F. Brown's, at 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 card for $10.

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.

Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia, NY: People come from all over the region for a fine dining experience at Alex's. It's best known for its ribs, of course, but Alex's seafood is also a favorite of the restaurant's diners. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

The Color Salon, 35 Center St., Batavia, NY: Susan Francis, the owner and stylist at The Color Salon reminds women, "your hair is your greatest accessory." Francis has more than 20 years of experience helping women get the best hair color. We have a $50 gift certificate for $25.