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Current update: 12:42 p.m.

Despite warning signs for patrons and training of employees regarding certain people with physical disabilities not being allowed on the Ride of Steel at Darien Lake, Sgt. James Hackemer was able to embark on the rollercoaster.

Hackemer should have been able to see a warning sign

The victim of a tragic roller coaster accident at Darien Lake Theme Park this afternoon was 29-year-old James Hackemer, of Gowanda. He is a veteran of the Iraq War and a double-amputee. One of his legs was removed at the hip, and other below just above the knee.

The Ride

A 29-year-old meth cook from South Byron accepted a plea bargain today that could lead to a three- to five-year prison sentence, rather than the maximum 10-year sentence he was facing.

Matthew Zon pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance, 2nd, for his part in the meth lab

It’s a familiar story with a surprise twist for one Batavia-based nonprofit.

Volunteers For Animals had been planning its first-ever vendor fair for early April in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and rendered all public activities dead. That’s the familiar part for so many organizations that had to press