A car fire is reported on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 386.5 in the eastbound lane.

The caller states she could see flames from the undercarriage and the male operator was getting children out of the car.

Mile marker 385.6 is about 8/10 of a mile east of the Clinton Street Road overpass.

Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 11:01 a.m.: First responder: Fire appears to be out.

UPDATE 11:03 a.m.: The drive shaft appears to have punctured the fuel tank. Fire is out. Engine 24 to respond for the fuel spill.

Despite blowing a cylinder today, Stafford's Jason DiSalvo managed to pull of a victory in one of motorcycle racing's most prestigious events, the Daytona 200.

AMAProRacing.com describes the race as challenging for all of the riders with multiple lead changes.

DiSalvo was in and out of the lead several times during the race.

“It’s really unbelievable after what the team went through today with everything with the engine. Those guys worked so hard, it was probably the biggest thrash in all of motorcycling history to get that bike put back together and ready to rock in time for the start. It’s just amazing. I’m almost a little bit speechless. As to how I feel about winning this race, I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. I have to thank a couple of people, one is the AMA Pro officials for letting us restart the race. I know there was some question about it, and then we were given the go-ahead, so I want to thank them for that, and then of course my crew. It’s just unbelievable—I watched that bike go back together in 20 minutes.”

Full Story.

A car has gone off the road and hit a tree in the area of 8481 North St. Road, Le Roy.

Le Roy fire and ambulance dispatched.

A first responder says there has been air bag deployment, but she says, "I haven't located the driver yet."

A deputy reports that the driver has apparently left the scene.

UPDATE 11:02 p.m.: The registered owner has been located and wishes to press charges against the driver. Police seem to have some idea who the driver is and are searching for him.

UPDATE 11:16 p.m.: The suspect has not been located yet. He is likely on foot and may be within the village boundaries.

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The Stafford Volunteer Fire Department held its annual installation dinner and awards ceremony at the Clarion Hotel in Batavia on Saturday night.

Above, Karen Nostrant, who received the Chief's Award from Fire Chief Dave Rumsey, dedicates her award to the late 3rd Assistant Chief Paul Hendel, who died Feb. 17 at the age of 49.

Brian Breemes (pictured below with Rumsey) was named Firefighter of the Year. Breemes achieved 226.7 hours of firematic/EMS activity.

Ben Fox won the EMS Achievement Award with 154 hours.

The most EMS training hours were achieved by Chris Scopano with 170.5 hours, while Chris Bobo had most firematic training hours at 126.17.

The department has 40 active members. Total activity and training hours for the department in 2010 was 3,880.48.

The department responded to 237 calls: Fire, 39, rescue and EMS, 146, hazardous condition (no fire), 10, service calls, 2, good intention calls, 28, and false alarms, 12.

More pictures after the jump:

Tom Laird, master of ceremonies.

Chris Bobo

Bill Taylor, "Best Patient of the Year." (Taylor volunteered many times to be the "victim" in training sessions).

Batavia police officers made 575 criminal arrests in 2010 and responded to 16,606 calls.

Chief Randy Baker released the department's annual report, which notes that patrols logged more than 100,000 road miles.

Officers also completed 1,685 hours of training.

There were 534 motor vehicle accidents in the city, with 98 reported as personal injury accidents. There was one fatality.

Major investigations included a fatal fire on State Street, the Wiard Plow fire and assisting Elmira police in the investigation of an infant's death.

Full press release after the jump:

DETAILS: The 2010 Batavia Police Department annual report has been completed and can be viewed on the Batavia Police Department’s Web site at www.batavianewyork.com. During 2010, the Batavia Police Department responded to 16,606 calls for service, logged over 100,000 miles on patrol and performed 1,685 hours of training. The police department handled approximately 534 motor vehicle accidents, 98 which were reported as personal injury and 1 fatal accident. The department handled 575 criminal arrests and 196 warrant arrests.

Department training topics included firearms, defensive tactics, taser, emergency response team techniques, domestic violence, patrol procedures, DWI detection, DNA procedures and interviewing techniques. The emergency response team, which includes members of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department, traveled to Verona, NY to train with the New York Tactical Officers Association and competed in a SWAT team competition in Erie County in September of 2010.

Major cases and investigations for the year included, a fatal fire on State Street in February, an industrial fire in May at the old Wiard Plow Factory building. Three juveniles were arrested and sent to Family Court after an extensive investigation. Detectives worked with the Elmira Police Department investigating the death of an infant. Detectives also worked with the Kansas City Missouri police department to arrest a sex offender who was texting an underage female in Batavia. An investigation was completed and a subject arrested for fraudulently obtaining $58,000 from an elderly female. Major trials were held for Andre Scott who was convicted and sent to prison for arson and attempted murder for a fire started at a multifamily residence in 2008. Dalton Wilkie was convicted on federal charges for soliciting sex online from what he thought was a minor in Batavia. He was actually contacting a Batavia Police Department Detective.

The county drug task force, which includes a detective from the Batavia Police Department, investigated 95 drug cases, made 86 arrests and executed 18 search warrants. One of the drug investigations coordinated with the FBI disrupted a major methamphetamine drug ring in Genesee County.

Detectives monitored on average 60 Level I, II and III sex offenders in the city.

The juvenile office worked with GCASA on National Night Out, Project 365 and alcohol compliance checks.

Traffic patrols funded by the NYS Governors Traffic Safety Committee for Buckle Up New York and STEP resulted in over 300 hours of extra traffic patrols. The local STOP DWI committee supported over 400 hours of special DWI patrols which resulted in over 439 vehicle stops. There were 48 DWI arrests made by the department in 2010.

The crime rate for the city for Part I crimes at 34.93 per 1000 of population remained relatively stable. There was a slight decrease in the crime rate in 2010 from the crime rate of 37.20 in 2009. Part II crimes, a new rate monitored by the department, was 58.67 and increased slightly from the rate in 2009 at 55.18.

Awards received by department members in 2010 include Officer Camp Kiwanis Club Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for the Batavia Police Department. Officer Mileham was given the GCASA Law Enforcement of the Year Award for his dedicated service to Drug Court.

Hiroshige Yamabe, an exchange student at Batavia High in 1988-89, currently lives in Japan and has been in contact with his former host family following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the country two days ago.

Yamabe sent the following e-mails to Jason Smith. Smith said Yamabe has visited Batavia frequently since his high school years. He currently works for Boehreinger Pharmaceutical in Japan.

March 11:

"It was horrible experience in my life. But mostly people in Tokyo are OK. But we can not go back home, just staying at the office. Anyhow, I am responsible for confirm the production sites/plants close to the centre of origin. Hope phone line will be improved. thank you."

March 12:

Dear all,

Thank you so much for your concerns. Yes, I tried to call Jason and James but not made it. Then I called to the funeral home.

We are all safe. Last night I stayed at the office waiting for the recovery of transportation. We could not catch the taxi and I saw people made a long line. Even though catching the taxi, then it seemed to be a heavy traffic. When I come back home this morning by subway, I did not see so much damage on the building except some items fell down.

In Tokyo now all the infrastructure are fine. But the northern part is terrible. Boehringer Japan Group has three plants in Narita, Yamagata and Fukushima. I am a little bit worried about Fukushima Plant. Cause it is just few kilometre away from the nuclear plant. Anyway, I shall be quite busy for the next few weeks. Thank you again and get in touch.

Kind regards,

H. Yamabe

P.S.
Now we have a little shaking again...

UPDATE:  Here's a new e-mail from Hiroshige:

Thank you, Jason. Just I talked with my mother. My brother & sister's family, they are all safe. I just concerned about my colleagues' family in Northern part area in Japan has anything wrong. Public transportation is not recovered. So I am still in the office at mid-night. But pretty fine.

A motor-vehicle accident with minor injuries is reported on Lewiston Road, just south of Galloway Road.

Oakfield Fire Department is on location and Town of Batavia Fire Department is called to respond. Mercy medics are also called.

The day is coming, according to Mark Peterson, president and CEO of Greater Rochester Enterprise, when the I-90 corridor from Buffalo to Albany will rival any high-tech corridor in the world.

Peterson made his bold prediction at the Genesee County Economic Development Center's annual luncheon at Genesee Community College.

More than 100 people attended the 90-minute event that featured presentations by GCEDC executives and elected officials -- both predicting a bright future for economic development in Genesee County and complaining about New York's hostile environment to business.

Peterson said high tech will be drawn to Western New York through the cooperative efforts of the industrial development agencies in Genesee, Orleans, Niagara and Monroe counties.

GCEDC CEO Steve Hyde (pictured above) echoed Peterson in his closing remarks.

"We will help bring back manufacturing to Western New York and we will do it with high tech, green tech and advanced manufacturing," Hyde said.

With five shovel-ready projects, Genesee County is poised to employee 3,000 more people, Hyde said.

"That's more than double the existing manufacturing work force in Genesee County," Hyde said.

He added that once the Alabama STAMP project is completed and completely built out, Genesee County will employ 9,300 more people.

"But it's not just about jobs," Hyde said. "It's about building a tax base."

Hyde said that process is already benefiting Genesee County.

"We have 114 active projects," Hyde said. "That's up 65 percent from 2005. Those projects collectively pay out $4.5 million annually into the tax jurisdictions of Genesee County, towns, schools and the city."

A little bit of old Batavia is going to come back to a new bar on Jackson Street, according to co-owner Derek Geib.

Geib and partner Michael Hyland are busy renovating 9 Jackson St.

Longtime residents will remember the building as the one-time Silver Slipper, and later the Candlelight, before becoming Fuel.  The location was most recently the Jackson St. Grill/Belladessa's.

As a restaurant, Silver Slipper's once gorgeous mahogany bar was boarded over and the back bar painted white.

Geib and Hyland have removed all of that clutter and the dark-brown wood of the bar and walls, as well as a large mirror behind the bar, are visible again. The partners have also partially exposed the brick wall of the original structure.

The duo will dub their new establishment "Bourbon & Burger Co."

And the name reflects what Geib, most recently co-owner of Matty's Pizzeria, hopes people will think of when they think of the tavern -- a place to drink and a place to eat.

"It will be a bar and I don't want people to think just 'food,' Geib said. "I want them to get the idea that it's both."

As for the food, though, Geib is aiming high.

"We'll have the best burgers in town," Geib said. "If you ask 10 people where their favorite place to go for a burger, you'll get eight different answers. We want to be the number-one answer."

If the liquor license process goes according to plan, Geib thinks the doors on Bourbon & Burger Co. will open by May 1. The new tavern's application is going before the Batavia City Council for consideration at Monday's meeting.

Lt. Eugene Jankowski, day-shift supervisor for the Batavia Police Department, recently received a trophy for a sharpshooting contest he participated in last month.

The award was for Jankowski's efforts in the 2011 International Defensive Pistol Association Indoor National Championships held at the Smith and Wesson shooting sports center in Springfield, Mass.

Jankowski tells us, "It was my first major IDPA match and I won First Place Sharpshooter in the Stock Service Pistol Division. This win now moves me up to Expert Class. My goal is to be in the Master Class by the end of the year.

"I used a standard Glock, model 34, 9 mm. Other than caliber, it's very similar to my police duty pistol. This match is one of only two national matches held each year and there were approximately 300 shooters in attendance."

For more on the IDPA, click here.

Be advised that the Town of Batavia Water Department will be upgrading the water-metering system. Workers will add a radio device onto the outside of existing water customers' homes.

This project is under way and will continue for another month.

If you have questions, please contact the water department at 343-1729, ext. 209.

For Batavia-area residents working in Monroe County, unless they specifically earmark their United Way donations for Genesee County, the money will remain in Rochester.

The formula for divvying up the funds has been changed, starting with the next pledge campaign. United Way's fiscal year runs from March 31 to April 1 of the following year.

More than a dozen local nonprofits rely on help from the United Way. Recipients include the Salvation Army and the Genesee/Orleans Regional Concern. Each year they receive a portion of funds based on the estimated percentage of people who commute to work in Rochester (since Genesee County falls under the umbrella of the Rochester-area United Way).

As expected, about $20,000 in so-called "commuter dollars" will be forthcoming this year.

But thousands of dollars could be rerouted to Monroe County charities for the 2011-12 pledge drive and beyond unless people designate Genesee County as the intended recipient of United Way funds.

"The best we can do is word of mouth -- we don't have money to market and tell people that this is required or we don't (get to) keep the money here," said Jamie Beedham-Rada, regional director of the United Way.

The option for designating funds for a particular county was not included on pledge forms until now.

The code number 9022 must be noted on donor/pledge forms, including those filled out online.

"Their thinking is that big donors, like Xerox, etc., don't have as many workers, donations are down, and there are fewer dollars to go around," Beedham-Rada said. "So unless they use the 9022 code number, the money will stay in Rochester.

"That's our concern -- we could lose thousands and thousands of dollars, Beedham-Rada said. "The fix is easy, but if people don't know, the money won't come back. And without United Way funding, many local agencies would be in dire straits."

Emergency personnel responded around 2 p.m. to a call of a woman suffering some sort of heart condition at the Thruway travel plaza.

Once on scene, a Pembroke/Indian Falls chief informed dispatch that the woman was feeling a good degree of stress because her daughter is in Japan.

"She just learned her daughter is OK," the chief said.

Today, Japan was hit by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake followed by a huge tsunami.

Business Owners: Interested in this type of ad? Contact Howard Owens at howard@thebatavian.com

A motor is reportedly on fire inside an attached garage of the "co-generation building" at the Genesee County Nursing Home.

The address is 278 Bank Street in Batavia.

City Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 1:58 p.m.: Apparently the situation was handled without much ado. The fire truck is back in quarters.

A former Batavia resident who was caught in Wisconsin posing as an attorney and stealing money from his supposed clients admitted his crimes in a Milwaukee Court on March 3.

Thomas J. Lyon faces a two-year prison term and then will still need to answer to alleged probation violations out of Monroe County.

Lyon was previously convicted in Monroe County for grand larceny.

Facing 11 criminal counts, Lyon entered a guilty plea to charges of practicing law without a license, theft, identity theft and forgery. The remaining charges where dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

The case made headlines in Wisconsin because Lyon reportedly bragged to an associate that he was like Frank Abagnale Jr., the former con artist depicted by Leonardo DiCaprio in the hit movie, "Catch Me If You Can."

In addition to posing as an attorney -- even making court appearances -- Lyon also assumed the identity of a deceased notary public. Police also accused him of running a prostitution ring, but Lyon was never charged with any crimes related to those allegations.

Previously, Lyon was arrested in Genesee County on an alleged bad check charge.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 7.

Previously: Milwaukee's accused "Catch Me If You Can" fake attorney has Batavia roots

Stephen Wade Thompson, 33, of West Main Street, Attica, is charged with criminal mischief. Thompson is accused of slashing tires on two vehicles in the Town of Alexander.

A 17-year-old resident of South Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. The teen is accused of getting into a fight with another person at 9:25 p.m., Thursday, in the area of 4133 Veterans Memorial Drive, Batavia.

Amy Lou Platten, 41, of Main Street, Corfu, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Platten is accused of violating an order of protection.

David Bellavia has started a petition drive to get his name on the ballot for the March 24 special election to replace former "Craigslist Congressman" Chris Lee.

Unable to secure a GOP or Conservative line in the race, Bellavia is apparently going to try and do it the hard way -- gathering 3,500 valid signatures from NY-26 voters.

A letter has gone out, according to D&C reporter Jill Terreri, seeking volunteers to help the Batavia resident gather signatures.

Meanwhile, Jack Davis has taken out ads on WBTA seeking support for his petition drive to have his name placed on the ballot.