Smoke is reported in the residence at 24 Platt Ave., Le Roy.

Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance responding.

UPDATE 12:52 p.m.: The smoke is related to some sort of sewer work going on in the village. Le Roy fire standing down. A Le Roy chief informs dispatchers, "we may have a lot more of these in the coming weeks."

UPDATE 2:02 p.m.: The same kind of situation may be responsible for a call about smoke in the residence at 7 Elm St. Le Roy fire is asked to stand by in quarters until the chief confirms it.

UPDATE 2:09 p.m.: The chief confirmed this incident is also due to the ongoing sewer work. The Le Roy assignment is back in service.

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A car vs. school bus accident is reported in front of Dunn Tire store at 140 W. Main St. in the city. The bus has no passengers. There are no injuries. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.

From WBTA

Tom Turnbull, publisher of the Batavia Daily News, will become the new president of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

He replaces retiring Lynn Freeman, who steps down at the end of the month.

Freeman, 70, announced his retirement in June saying he wanted to do other things.

Turnbull has been publisher of the Daily News in Batavia since 2002. He holds a master's degree from the State University at Buffalo.

An inmate at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center has not eaten for 55 days, according to a caller to dispatch, and an ambulance is called to the facility at 4250 Federal Drive in the Town of Batavia.

The man is said to have "a severe sickness" due to "an apparent hunger strike." Because a Mercy rig is not available, an ambulance from Byron is responding.

UPDATE 11:51 a.m.: Byron is standing down and Mercy is now responding.

UPDATE 12:28 p.m.: The 28-year-old is being taken to UMMC.

UPDATE 3:50 p.m. (by Howard): We're trying to get more information on this situation and have been in touch with a spokesman for ICE. We can say at this point, it's 55 (or 50) meals, NOT days. More information to come, assuming it becomes available.

Town of Bethany residents heard for the first time Thursday night details from Department of Transportation officials on their plans to build a roundabout at Suicide Corners.

There were dozens of citizens in the room. None seemed to favor the roundabout proposal, even after a stats-packed presentation by the state's leading specialist on roundabouts.

"Yeah, something needs to be done, but I don't believe spending that much money is the way to go," said resident Jeff Bloomberg. "I think there are cheaper alternatives."

DOT officials said they looked at all of the alternatives -- from rumble strips to four-way stops -- and concluded a roundabout, at a cost of $2.6 million, is the only solution that addresses all of the issues that have contributed to so many accidents at the intersection.

Where East Road and Route 20 meet, there is a hill to the west that provides less than ideal visibility while a driver looking to the east can see for up to a mile.

Ironically, nearly all the crashes involve cars and trucks coming from the east.

"People get fixated on the hill and even though they can see a mile down the road (to the east), they miss the car 100 feet away," said DOT Project Engineer Eric Thompson (inset photo).

For the study period, going back to the 1990s, there have been 36 total crashes at the intersection and three fatal accidents. There have been 18 right-angle crashes (meaning cross traffic) and 14 of those have involved westbound vehicles.

The agency has tried widening the intersection, adding more signs and adding bigger signs, but nothing, Thompson said, has really improved the intersection much.

There isn't much you can do about inattentive drivers other than slow them down and lessen the chances of right-angle impacts, officials said.

A roundabout does that.

Rich Schell (second photo), the state's roundabout specialist, said that on a nationwide basis, roundabouts have reduced accidents where they've been installed by nearly 40 percent. The number of injury crashes by 76 percent and the number of fatal accidents by 89 percent.

Colorado is one of the nation's leaders, with 200 roundabouts now, in installing such intersections.

Schell referred repeatedly a DOT-installed roundabout in Mendon. The intersection, like Suicide Corners, is rural and involves a heavily trafficked highway with a lot of truck traffic.

During one woman's comments, Schell again pointed to the Mendon roundabout and the woman snapped, "I'm tired of hearing about Mendon. Let's talk about here."

"Well, I like to talk about success," Schell said.

The most serious accidents at Route 20 and East Road involve either northbound cars blowing right through the intersection or making a rolling stop and then continuing.

Only a roundabout, Schell said, addresses both of those issues.

Schell played a video of at least a dozen accidents at intersections that had red light cameras installed. Repeatedly, cars didn't even slow as they approached the red light, even with tractor-trailers in their path or four or five cars crossing in front of them.

"Red light cameras do not save lives," Schell said.

There's simply no device that can be installed at an intersection that solves the problem of distracted drivers. 

"Everybody has had the experience of driving through an intersection and saying, 'Damn, I just ran a red light,' " Schell said. "A roundabout demands your attention and that is what's needed at this intersection."

Rumble strips might slow drivers, but that still doesn't mean they will be as attentive as they should be at the intersection. Rumble strips would not have saved the driver in one accident at the intersection who came to a rolling stop before proceeding.

Many area residents who have seen the roundabout at Oak Street question the raised red-brick median in the middle of the intersection. People have called it a design flaw and implied it's not well thought out.

The raised center serves a very important purpose, Schell explained after the meeting.

"That's important to keep cars from straightening out the curve and going 40 miles per hour through there," Schell said. "Curves dictate speed. There's a direct relationship. People don't like to hear their tires squeal, so putting a curb out there allows trucks to still get through but deflects cars and lowers their speed. Lowering speed is what it's all about."

Slower cars give drivers a better chance at driving defensively and more reaction time to avoid drivers who are ignoring the rules of the road, Schell said.

Even after Schell's presentation and a more than 30 minute question and answer period, the public speakers were uniformly opposed to the roundabout proposal.

"I am dismayed that the only solution that seems to be, at least according to the NY DOT, is a roundabout," said County Legislator Esther Leadley.

There was a sense, people said, that the decision has already been made.

"I think this meeting has been educational and it's got a lot of information," Frank Morris said. "I do think the DOT has turned a blind eye to everything but a roundabout. This meeting is just a formality. Your minds were all made up before we came in here. The input we put in here tonight, I don't believe it was welcomed and I don't believe it was taken seriously."

To some degree the very proposal of a roundabout can be traced back to a petition Tom and Debbie Douglas passed around several years ago.

And that's ironic, Tom Douglas (top photo) noted, because if the roundabout is built, it is his home that will be destroyed.

A firefighter, Douglas is all about safety, but he doesn't believe a roundabout is the logical next step for the DOT, not before rumble strips are tried.

"A simple solution, that I brought to you before, is rumble strips," Douglas said. "In 2004, I was standing right outside, on my front law and I watched that vehicle on East Road. I could see them. I heard the Jake brake. They were talking, having a conversation. They never even touched a brake. A rumble strip would have woken them up."

The couple has raised five children in their more than 200-year-old home. Even though DOT officials promise to do everything possible to find them a suitable replacement home to their liking, that's easier said than done, Douglas noted after the meeting.

He likes older homes, but doesn't want to repeat the massive amount of restoration work and expense he's already put into his house.

The house was once a road stop for weary travelers on historic Route 20.

Dave Carley, a town resident and architect noted that Route 20 was once the longest continuous highway in the nation. It's history goes back even further than English settlements.

The former tavern is more than just a building inconveniently located for new construction.

"It is a piece of our historical heritage in our town," Carley said. "(Tearing it down is) one of the things that happen and continues to happen across the country that we should not allow to happen. It's a beautiful old building."

UPDATE: There is a Facebook group now, Save the Douglas Home in East Bethany.

Dave Fleenor

A two-car accident with possible minor injuries is reported at Route 77 and Route 5, Pembroke.

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments responding along with Mercy EMS.

UPDATE 8:29 a.m.: The accident is not blocking and there may be no injuries.

UPDATE 8:30 a.m.: There is at least one person with injuries being treated.

This cottontail no sooner emerged from dense cover when it rose up on its hind legs to sample the green growth from which it came......

but rather than opting for fresh greens, it chooses some brown drying growth - not that it matters, for this is but an appetizer. His main course is waiting beneath the apple tree.

Regardless of the season, there is never a shortage of furry visitors to our yard and this time of year, be it rabbit, chipmunk, squirrel or woodchuck, they all come to feast on the apples.  

Unlike the rabbits and woodchucks, this red squirrel isn't limited to dining on the ground. I'm sure he would much rather have pine cones from a Norway spruce but he's learned to take what he can get. And speaking of woodchucks, that green growth in the background is a travel corridor, so to speak.....

it's one of my wife's flower beds and the woodchuck uses it for cover. Here he's slinking past the ferns and hostas on the way to his dinner. Once he's sure the coast is clear, he'll waddle out into the open and grab an apple. If undisturbed, he will then stand on his haunches and begin gnawing away.

Join us for a tea party on September 21st at 11 a.m. The courtesy of a reply is requested by September 13 due to limited seating. For tickets please call or visit us online at: www.SweetEcstasyBakery.com. We're located at 201 E. Main St. -- Batavia (Bank Street Entrance). (585) 813-3652

Sweetland Pines Golf Course, 5795 Sweetland Road, Stafford, NY: Sweetland Pines is a par 3 golf course, great for beginners and experienced golfers working on the short game. Relaxed golf game, average play is about 1 hour and 20 minutes, leaving the golfer time to enjoy the rest of the day. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Adam Miller Toy & Bicycles, 8 Center St., Batavia, NY: Feel like a kid in a toy store again, or treat your kids to the greatest toy store they will ever see. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Bourbon & Burger Co., 9 Jackson St., Batavia, NY: Batavia's newest burger joint offers more than two dozen different types of tasty hamburgers. Our menu also includes a variety of sandwiches, appetizers and an extensive beer list, plus a full bar. We have a $20 gift certificate for $12.

Dave's Ice Cream, 3872 W. Main Street Road, Batavia, NY: Dave's offers only locally purchased products, including Perry's hard ice cream in a wide variety of yummy flavors, with a wonderful assortment of toppings and homemade waffle cones. Different soft-serve flavors are offered weekly. We have a $10 gift certificate for $6.

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 $12.

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 $12.

Daphne's Restaurant, 241 Swan St., (Off Rt. 63/Ellicott St.) Batavia, NY. Daphne's is destined to become a favorite for any who enjoy something special in a dining experience. Formerly the old St. Nick's Social Club, now unrecognizable to those who used to frequent the club, Daphne's provides you with a warm, inviting atmosphere and decor, which complements the array of wonderful dishes. We offer homemade seafood and pasta dishes, meatballs that are addicting as well as large salads, hot sandwiches & homemade potato chips. Fresh desserts are prepared in our own kitchen (tiramisu has been the top seller so far). We have a $20 gift certificate for $12.

Smokin' Eagle BBQ & Brew, 9 Main St., Le Roy, NY. The kind of downhome, laid-back and comfortable place that just feels right. Open daily for lunch, dinner and drinks, this eatery and bar features a variety of eats and drinks that are outstanding. Specializing in smoked meats -- each meat is dry rubbed with a proprietary mix of seasonings, then smoked slowly in their on-site smoker for maximum flavor and tenderness. With a variety of appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, combo platters and entrées, there's always plenty of choice for even picky eaters. Great food, frosty brews and some of the best folk around call the Smokin' Eagle BBQ & Brew their favorite -- make it your favorite today! Don't forget to ask about our catering! We have a $20 gift card for $12.

Ficarella's Pizzeria, 21 Liberty St., Batavia, NY: Dine-in, drive-thru or delivery. Featuring fresh, hearth-baked pizza since 1985, plus wings, pasta and more. We have a $20 gift certificate for $12. (Good only at the Batavia location.)

Sweet Ecstasy Bakery & Cafe, 201 E. Main St., Batavia, NY. A retail and special-order bakery and cafe located in Downtown Batavia inside Seymour Place. Offering a wide variety of items such as cookies, filled cupcakes, quick breads, pies, breakfast pastries, daily. On Fridays, Sweet Ecstasy Bakery offers fresh artisan bread like baguettes, sourdough and rye starting at noon. The custom cakes are out of this world with 3D characters or gorgeous wedding cakes to suit any budget. For all your sweet treats, we have a $10 gift certificate for $6.

Palm Island Indoor Water Park, 8250 Park Road, Batavia, NY: The newest family fun center in Genesee County, featuring a hot tub, monsoon lagoon pool and play area, tipping buckets, water slides, arcade with 15 games and birthday party rooms. We have a pair of gift certificates worth $40 in merchandise or services for $20.

The Color Salon, 35 Center St., Batavia, NY: Our attention to detail, combined with the focus on precision haircutting techniques will ensure that your hair will be your best accessory when you leave The Color Salon. We offer all hair care services including cuts, color, highlights, up-dos, as well as waxing services. We carry products such as KMS and Paul Mitchell. Now available: Bella Taylor purses! We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Bohn's Restaurant, 5256 Clinton St., Batavia, NY: Fine dining in an atmosphere of casual elegance. Lunch and dinner, steak, prime rib and seafood. Ask about Bohn's catering services and banquet facility. We have a $25 gift certificate for $15.

Blue Pearl Yoga, 200 E. Main St., Batavia, NY: Stretch your body and soul with yoga. This offer is for $20 off one private yoga session -- a $60 retail value. We have a gift certificate for $20 off one private session.

Santino's Pizza, 2 Main St., Oakfield, NY: We're pizza and a whole lot more! Voted #1 Pizza in Genesee County in blind taste test! Santino's features pizza, wings, subs, wraps, ice cream, and more! We have a $20 gift certificate for $12.

The Enchanted Florist, 202 E. Main St., Batavia, NY: Whether you need just the right gift or a memorial or just want to brighten your own home or workplace, The Enchanted Florist can put together just the right floral arrangement for you. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

O'Lacy's Irish Pub, 5 School St. Batavia, NY: In Irish pubs, it doesn't get more authentic than O'Lacy's. Be sure to try the homemade chips. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Scooter's Restaurant in Le Roy, 140 W. Main Street Road (Route 5), Le Roy, NY: Come see us at Scooter's family restaurant with our friendly atmosphere and homestyle cooking! We offer classic American food with breakfast, lunch and dinner served all day. We also offer a full take-out menu anytime. We have a $10 gift certificate for $6.

Greg'ry's Bakery, 13 N. Lake Road, Bergen, NY: The bakery offers a variety of the finest cakes, cookies, pies, cupcakes, breads, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and so much more. Each treat is made the same as it has been for decades and baked right here. Come in and sample some for yourself! We have a $10 gift certificate for $6.

The Mane Attraction Salon and Spa, 99 Main St., Batavia, NY: offers "Affordable Luxury" in downtown Batavia. We pride ourselves in the great customer service we give to the entirefamily. Men, women and children are all welcome either by appointment or walk-in. We offer all hair care services including cuts, color, highlights, lowlights, perms, styling/updos, facials, leg and back waxing, Shellac Polish System, manicures and pedicures. We are the only salon in Batavia that has an airplane chair for kids' cuts! Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Viking Valhalla Restaurant & Rose Garden Bowl, 21 Buffalo Road, Bergen, NY: Open for lunch Monday through Sunday, and dinner Friday and Saturday evenings. Dinner favorites are our succulent prime rib and Friday fish fries! We are always happy to help plan your special occasion -- wedding, shower, rehearsal dinner, stag party, graduation, company function, banquet, family or class reunion. We have a $20 gift certificate for $12.

SOLD OUT

Workers have begun resurfacing the city-owned School Street parking lot. The area has been milled and cleaned and new asphalt will be laid soon, weather permitting.

The council approved the $30,000 project Monday.

Press release:

The Alabama Town Clerk and Assessor offices will be closed Tuesday, Sept. 17 and Thursday, Sept. 19 for paving of the parking lot. The offices will reopen on Monday, Sept. 19.

Click here to Like Kreative Design Kitchen & Bath on Facebook and register for the contest.

With all six of his starters returning from last year, Jeremy Mettler thinks the Batavia volleyball team can make a good run at a sectional title this season.

In his 14th year as head coach of the varsity squad, Mettler described his team as scrappy, one  that makes opponents work for their points.

That attitude was certainly on display Wednesday night when the Blue Devils fought back from seven-point deficit to force the rubber match into an extra-point ending.

Even in the loss there was a measure of victory because Mettler said he purposefully set up his girls with a tough early season schedule to better prepare them for sectional play.

Hilton, last night's opponent, is a bigger school with some taller players and heavy hitters.

"The best moment of the game was, when we switched sides in the volleyball game we were down 13-6 and at one point we were down 21-14 and we fought back and took them to 26-24," Mettler said. "It just shows this team is not going to give up. They're going to scrap and make you earn every point you get."

Last night's scores (Batavia in bold): 11-25, 25-18, 25-20, 14-25, 26-24.

Batavia's record so far on the season 2-2 overall, but 2-0 in their division.

Mettler said he teaches his players to be aggressive servers and that was on display in the final match when Ashlee Yasses and Tessa Engel each went on five-point runs.

"That's the kind of thing I look for my team to do," Mettler said. "I expect them to get at least three points every serve."

Mettler said Tessa Engel and Haley Case were hitting the ball from the outside well and Madison McCulley made some key kills.

"Bri Mazurkiewicz came off the bench to start a nice run in game four," Mettler said. "It's nice to get kids coming off the bench that contribute right away and help quite a bit."

Batavia has three tough games coming up: at Spencerport on Friday, Brockport at home on Monday and then a rematch with Honeoye Falls-Lima -- the team that knocked Batavia out of sectionals last year -- at home one week from today. Game time for home matches is 6 p.m.

Batavia plays in the Monroe County League in Division 4.

Here are the standings in the Genesee County League -- Division 1: Pembroke (3-0), Notre Dame (2-0), Byron-Bergen (2-0), Alexander (2-1) and Attica (1-1). Oakfield-Alabama leads Division 2 with a record of 1-1. Le Roy, in the Livingston County League, has no league record and is 2-1 overall to lead its division and Pavilion, also in Livingston County's league, leads its division with a 3-0 record.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

Kristen L. Brightenfield, of South Byron, and James M. Kavanagh, 23, of Chili, are charged with one count each of burglary, 3rd and grand larceny, 4th. Brightenfield and Kavanagh were arrested following a lengthy investigation by Le Roy PD into a burglary in April 2012 at the old Jell-O Factory, 57 North St., Le Roy.

John O'Shea was arrested for the burglary shortly after it occurred and is currently serving a sentence in State Prison. Brightenfield and Kavanagh are accused of being accomplices. Investigators executed a search warrant at a location in Monroe County and allegedly recovered stolen property. DNA evidence linking Brightenfield and Kavanagh to the crime was also reportedly found at the scene. Both suspects were arraigned and released on their own recognizance.

Rachel Lynne Chatley, 18, of Angling Road, Corfu, is charged with petit larceny. Chatley and a 17-year-old friend (name withheld by the Sheriff's Office) are accused of shoplifting $115.55 worth of merchandise from Walmart.

Christopher John Naugle, 44, of Appletree Avenue, Bergen, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Naugle is accused of throwing a lit cigarette at another person and hitting that person in the face with it. During the investigation, Naugle was allegedly found in possession of marijuana and a pipe with marijuana inside of it. Naugle was jailed on $300 bail.

Buffalo News

There are some years that are better than others for onion growers.

This year is one of the others.

Paul Mortellaro, co-owner of G Mortellaro And Sons in Elba, said this year's harvest will be about 60 to 75 percent of an average year and about 50 percent of a good year.

That sounds about right, said John Torrey, of Big-O Farms, Elba.

Wind, cold and rain either blew away or drowned a good portion of the onion crop this summer.

"The onions were thinned so much by the wind that you're not seeing a lot of small bulbs, but you're not seeing a lot of tonnage because there's not a high enough plant population," Mortellaro said.

Big-O runs a huge onion operation and Torrey agreed that wind and water were a problem this year.

"We've had our challenges during the growing season," Torrey said. "While we're in the midst of a full harvest, we're probably going to have a little below average yield."

The price for onions right now -- a market largely determined by Western growers -- is from $9 to $11 per 50-pound bag, Mortellero said. That's decent, but of course local onion growers would like to see it go higher.

Onions are a slow crop to bring to maturity and harvesting them is a slow process, too. The harvest started in July and will continue through October.

Out on the muck today, I met Elizabeth Buck and Courtney Hill, researchers from Cornell. They are assisting in a project to test four different kinds of possible treatments to combat rhizoctonia. Rhizoctonia is a fungus that goes after the roots of onions. (Pictured above, Hill; Buck is pictured in the slide show below).

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UMMC announced this evening that its urgent care facility in Le Roy will reopen at 11 a.m., Monday.

The facility closed at the beginning of June. At the time, UMMC officials said it would be closed for two weeks because of a plumbing problem.

In tonight's announcement, officials said, "The service was suspended for several weeks following the unexpected absence of two care providers, making it impossible to support both the Le Roy and Batavia sites concurrently. "

The new hours will be 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.

From UMMC's statement:

United Memorial continues to be committed to providing care for the Le Roy community. Credentialing new providers with the insurance companies proved to be a lengthy process and we appreciate the patience and understanding of our loyal patients. United Memorial Medical Center has proudly provided healthcare services to the residents of Le Roy for several decades. Three years ago, the first Urgent Care Center in Genesee County was opened in Le Roy by United Memorial. Both the Urgent Care Center in Le Roy and the Urgent Care Center at 16 Bank St., Batavia, have been fully accredited by the Joint Commission.

UMMC is a defendant in a federal lawsuit filed by start-up urgent care provider, Insource, with offices in City Centre. The suit alleges that UMMC has engaged in unfair business practices to try and shut Insource out of the Genesee County market.

Previously: Insource and UMMC appear to be classic case of the disruptor vs. the disrupted

The case of Stephen R. Barbeau, town supervisor for Le Roy, will be heard in Bethany Town Court, Judge Robert C. Noonan ruled this afternoon.

Barbeau is charged with second-degree harassment for allegedly pushing local business man Peter A. McQuillen to the ground during a heated discussion on McQuillen's property in August.

Noonan granted the motion for a change of venue because both judges in Le Roy, Darryl Sehm and Dan Dimatteo, recused themselves from the case and the ADA for Le Roy, Kevin Finnell, has a conflict of interest.

Barbeau nor this attorney Larry Andolina appeared in court on the matter.

No date for Barbeau's next court appearance was set.

Previously:

• Town of Le Roy supervisor arrested following alleged incident with neighbor
• Barbeau and McQuillen feud building for months