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Darien

GC fire departments respond to Akron fire that destroys two barns

By Howard B. Owens

Four volunteer fire departments from Genesee County helped battle a blaze that destroyed two barns in Akron yesterday about 2:20 p.m.

Responding where Alabama, East Pembroke, Darien and Corfu.

Both barns were completely destroyed, along with their contents, which included tools, equipment and a Dodge van, according to a Sheriff's Office report.

The fire was discovered by Olivia Swendsen as she was tending her goats. It's believe egg incubator lights ignited the blaze.

It's possible the barns and some of the content was not insured, according to the report.

Police Beat: Darien man accused of sex with teen-age boy

By Howard B. Owens

Elijah, E. Albano, 28, of Darien Center (pictured), is accused of befriending a 15-year-old male, with the relationship turning sexual from October 2008 to May 2009. Albano is also suspected of providing alcohol and cigarettes to the minor. He is charged with a felony criminal sexual act in the third degree and endangering the welfare of a child and unlawfully dealing with a child, both misdemeanors. Albano was arraigned in Clarence and remanded to the Erie County Holding Center on $25,000 bail.

Brandon Rindell, of Corfu, allegedly called his girlfriend on a phone while she was at Daddio's Pub and threatened to go to the bar and stab her.  A short time later, the woman reportedly saw Rindell walking toward the bar and called Corfu Police.  Officer Daniel Zlotek responded and encountered Rindell outside the bar. Zlotek reported that Rindell appeared drunk and he had a knife in his pocket. Rindell is charged with menacing, aggravated harassment and resisting arrest.

Travis Johnson, 22, of Darien, is accused of hosting an under-age drinking party last night. He is charged with unlawfully dealing with a child.

Eric C. Garrett, 29, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt and trespass for allegedly entering the porch area of a female acquaintance's residence that he was barred from going near. He is being held on $2,500 bail.

Expect delays on routes through Pembroke, Darien and Corfu

By Billie Owens

Press Release:

Paving work slows traffic on Rte 77 in Pembroke, Darien and Corfu

A project to resurface a section of Rte 77 in the towns of Darien and Pembroke and a section of Rte 33 in the Village of Corfu began May 26. Variable message signs have been placed along the corridors to notify motorists. The scheduled completion date is this fall.

Motorists should expect one-way alternating traffic patterns controlled by flaggers during daytime hours. Due to the large traffic volumes along Rte 77 bound to and from the nearby theme park, camping resort and concert venue, restrictions have been incorporated into the contract to prohibit lane closures after noon on Fridays and all day Saturdays, Sundays and select special event days. Crews plan to start at the northern project limits.

Final plans are to resurface the 8.5-mile section of Rte 77 from Rte 5 in Pembroke to just south of Rte 20 in Darien and the 1.5 mile-section of Rte 33 within the Corfu Village limits. The top layer of worn, deteriorated asphalt will be removed with a milling machine and replaced with a new layer of asphalt and fresh pavement markings. The six-foot-wide shoulders will also be resurfaced. This paving work will extend the life of the pavement 8-10 years.

Motorists are advised to travel slowly and carefully through the work zone area.
Daily traffic reports can be accessed at www.travelinfony.com<http://www.travelinfony.com/

Police Beat: Eight arrests reported at Dave Matthews concert at Darien Lake

By Howard B. Owens

The following arrests were made at the Dave Matthews concert at Darien Lake:

David J. Brooks, 21, of Fairport, charged with harassment for allegedly striking a security officer.

Nicholas P. Gardone, 20, of Fairport, is charged with petty larceny for allegedly stealing concert tickets from the box office.

Edmund J. Bracker, 20, of Pittsford, charged with petty larceny for allegedly striking cotton candy.

Christopher P. Greco, 21, of Pittsford, charged with petty larceny for allegedly stealing cotton candy.

Conor C. McNamara, 22, of East Aurora, charged with harrassment for allegedly stealing a security officer in the back of the head with his elbow.

Joshua A. Ray, 22, of Pittsford, charged with DWI for allegedly operating a motor vehicle in the parking lot while intoxicated.

Gregory J. Summar, 27, of Eden, charged with harassment for allegedly striking a security officer.

Larry J. Marling, 21, of Albion, is charged with harassment for allegedly throwing a security officer against a parked car.

Brooks and Marling were taken to Genesee County Jail and held on $200 bail.

In other incident reports:

Andrea Klein, 28, of Liverpool, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The marijuana was reportedly found will investigating a motor vehicle accident in Pembroke this morning about 12:30 a.m.

Patrick Klein, 29, of Liverpool, is charged with criminal contempt and possession of marijuana following a traffic accident in Pembroke this morning about 12:30 a.m. The cause of the accident is reportedly an argument Klein was having with a woman in the car, whom he had been ordered not to have contact with.

Eric Zglinicki, 47, of Darien Center, is accused of firing a rifle near a residence, with at least one bullet traveling close to three people. He is charged with reckless endangerment. The alleged incident occurred yesterday around 7:20 p.m.

Joseph Puls, 22, of Alexander, was stopped for an alleged traffic violation in Alabama. Deputies say they found marijuana in his vehicle, which led to a charge of unlawful possession of marijuana.

Accident Reports: Tractor pulling wagon full of 17 people has trailer hitch break

By Howard B. Owens

Seventeen people, including 11 children, managed to avoid injury after a tractor ride went wrong Sunday night when the trailer hitch broke on the tractor pulling them down Conlon Road.

Gregory J. Luetticke, 46, of Le Roy, who was driving the tractor, did report an injury. He complained of neck pain.

Luetticke was reportedly pulling the wagon down a grass laneway on Conlon when the hitch broke. Luetticke said when the hitch broke, he steered to the west and lost control of the tractor, causing the tractor to overturn. Luetticke was ejected from the tractor and came to rest to the northwest. The wagon stopped moving.

In the wagon were Billie J. Kennedy, 31, Alexa M. Kennedy, 6, Madailein M. Blonski, 5, Ashley Bottonfield, 10, Erica Ulrich, 15, Amber A. Williams, 8, Dominque M. Williams, 14, Mariah A. Williams, 12, Teresa Annecharicle, 35, Tyler M. Annecharicle, 35, Isabell Annecharicle, 10, Nicholas Rogers, 6, Zachary M. Rogers, 10, Colleen M. Rogowski, 39, Allison M. Rogowski, 8 and Lauren E. Wood, 8.

Bradley Brooks, 25, of Spencerport, failed to negotiate a turn on South Lake Road in Bergen Sunday afternoon and drove his motorcycle into a ditch. Brooks was ejected from the bike. He was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Brian D. Whitmore, 25, of Darien Center, suffered a fracture in his arm and collar bone after striking a deer while driving his motorcycle eastbound on Conway Road in Darien. The accident occurred Wednesday about 9 p.m.

No injuries were reported in a single-vehicle accident last night at 11:30 p.m. on Quinlan Road in Le Roy.

The 1996 Dodge coupe was driven by Matthew Derooy, 20, of LeRoy. Deborah J. Derooy, 24, was a passenger.

Derooy reportedly driving the car westbound on Quinlan Road when he drove off the north shoulder and hit a support wire to a National Grid utility pole. The vehicle then continued through a field and landed in a ditch.

No apparent cause is cited in the accident report.

Police Beat: Man accused of stealing ex-girlfriend's cell phone

By Howard B. Owens

Brian P. Griffin, 24, of Batavia, is charged with grand theft and endangering the welfare of a child after he allegedly forced his way into the car of an ex-girlfriend, climbed over her children and grabbed a cell phone from her hand. The alleged incident took place Saturday around 7:20 p.m.  Griffin is being held without bail.

John C. Townley, 33, of Alexander, is charged with criminal mischief. Townley allegedly got involved in a verbal argument with another patron at MY Saloon early Saturday morning. Because of the disturbance, an employee reportedly asked Townley to leave the bar. Once outside, Townley reportedly punched a window of the building and broke it.

Cory J. Rigdon, 22, of Holley, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or higher and unlicensed operation of a vehicle. Rigdon was arrested after reportedly driving off the end of Hessenthaler Road in Byron on Sunday evening. Upon further investigation, deputies found he had a prior DWI conviction.

John Tullar, 30, of Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana following a traffic stop on Pratt Road.

Jeffery S. Leonard, 22, of Tonawanda, is charged with DWI, a BAC of .08 or greater and ticked for failure to stop at a stop sign. He was cited early Sunday morning on Pearl Street in Batavia.

Darian hog farmer concerned about Swine Flu news impact on prices

By Howard B. Owens

Commodity traders pushed down the price of hogs yesterday and the trend continues so far today, which has Charlie Miller, owner of Willow Ridge Farms in Darien, just a little worried.

Miller's operation sells 200 to 250 hogs every week, and the worldwide recession had already sent prices down from 80 cents per pound two months ago to around 70 cents. Yesterday, prices dropped to 66 cents.

The reason? Panic over Swine Flu.

Never mind that health officials state flat out that the disease cannot be transmitted from eating food. Commodity traders -- who place bets on the anticipated future price of items -- believe the flu scare will deepen a trend of over supply in pork.

Miller said as of this morning, the cash market, the current price of hog meat, had not yet been effected.

"We have six families involved in ownership and operations of the farm," Miller said. "When things don't go well in the market, it impacts more people beyond just individual needs. And it also impacts everybody we do business with."

The National Pork Producers Council reiterated points made by the National Center for Disease Control that eating pork cannot transmit the disease to humans. Further, there is no evidence that the current strain was contracted by humans from pigs.

Miller noted that the current outbreak shouldn't even be called Swine Flu because it is a different strain with more in common with Avian Flu. "It should be called North American Flu," he said.

The World Health Organization has identified only 79 cases worldwide, and the only reported deaths have been in Mexico, according to ABC Radio News.

"Often times things like this happen and people get worried and emotional," Miller said. "I encourage people to use the information from groups such as the Center for Disease Control to make their food-buying decisions."

Photo Illustration courtesy Flickr member The Pug Father.

Teen-age sisters from Pavilion killed in afternoon accident in Darien

By Howard B. Owens

Two sisters, age 16 and 17, were killed instantly when their vehicle was broadsided by a pick-up truck hauling a car on a trailer at the intersection Sumner Road and Route 77 in Darien, the Sheriff's office reports.

Sarah M. Protulipac, the older sister, was driving a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier west on Sumner when she reportedly failed to stop at the intersection.  Gretchen Ann Protulipac was a pasenger in the car.

The accident occurred at 12:35 p.m. Genesee County Coroner Jack Taylor pronounced the girls dead at the scene.

The truck was driven by Robert J. Pool III, 28, of Lockport. His passenger was Trina L. Vekich, 40, of Lockport. Neither Pool nor Vekich were injured.

Deputy Lonnie Nati, Sgt. James Meir, Investigator William Ferrando and Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble along with members fo the Crash Management Team investigated the accident.

Darien Lake's Spring Spin

By Billie Owens

Darien Lake’s Spring Spin “One Good Turn to Benefit Another” 
is set for May 29-31.

Charities from across Western New York have signed on to participate in Darien Lake’s first ever Spring Spin fundraising event.


 More than 100 organizations have begun selling tickets for $19.99, a discount of $16 off the regular admission price of $35.99. Each participating charity will receive $5 from each ticket sold. The top three sellers will also receive cash prizes as an added donation.

Event Date and Time
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Former Darien resident returning home to open ice cream shop

By Howard B. Owens

Press Release:

DARIEN CENTER -- Dave Riker is coming home to the Darien area and opening a 
new business, Darien Cafe and Ice Cream Shop.

Riker, formerly known as Zymowski, and his wife, Tammy, have purchased the 
former Beachy's Restaurant at 1415 Broadway (on Rte 20 just east of Rte 77). 
They closed on the property March 13, with plans to reopen the restaurant 
under its new name in May.

"It's a business opportunity that allows us to be closer to family and old 
friends in the Darien, Alden, Batavia and Attica areas," Riker noted.

The couple has operated Betty's Diner near Utica for the past four years. 
With Betty's being an old 1950s-style diner with limited space, he said they 
often dreamed of having a larger eating establishment. When visiting family 
in the area this past winter, they saw the "For Sale" sign at Beachy's, and 
decided to jump at the opportunity to both grow in the restaurant business 
and be closer to "home."

Riker got his first taste of the restaurant business as a teenager washing 
dishes at an Old Forge eatery in the Adirondacks. He dreamed of being a 
restaurateur -- but ended up working as a dealer and pit boss in Las Vegas, 
and then running his own printing business there. Tammy, in the meantime, 
worked in administrative positions in a number of industries before becoming 
a typesetter and layout artist for their print shop. Then, finally returning 
to that dream, the Rikers came back to New York and threw themselves into 
running the little restaurant in the Utica suburb of Marcy, he said.

Darien Cafe will be open seven days a week, Riker said, employing up to 16 
people, and offering a full restaurant menu in addition to the ice cream 
shop's frozen delights and fast foods like hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza.

During the summer season the restaurant hours will be from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., 
and on concert nights, until 1 a.m. A full menu will be available, including 
breakfast from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., he said, and the main dining room will be 
open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, and up to 8 p.m. on Fridays.

Prison worker from Darien charged with inappropriate sexual contact

By Brian Hillabush

A 60-year old Darien Center man has been charged with one count of committing a criminal sexual act in the third degree as well as one count of official misconduct after an investigation into an incident at Albion Correctional Facility.

Samuel E. Williams is receiving the charge after the State Police and Department of Corrections investigated an allegation made by a female inmate in the fall of last year, stating the civilian employee made inappropriate sexual contact.

Williams is scheduled to appear in Albion court on March 24.

Darien teen in trouble for Internet activity

By Brian Hillabush

It might be obvious to most, but you should probably stick to logging in to your own Internet accounts. In fact,  you can get in trouble for logging in to another person's Web site accounts and making changes. 

A Darien teenager is learning that lesson right now as 17-year old Brittany N. Barto was issued a ticket to appear in Darien Town Court on March 24 after logging into somebody else's account, where she made unspecified changes.

According to The Buffalo News, it caused the victim "a substantial inconvenience." 

Spring Into Nature at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

By Dorothy Gerhart

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Alabama, NY, will be holding its Spring Into Nature celebration on Saturday, April 25 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Admission and parking are Free.

 Located at the refuge headquarters on Casey Road the event offers activities for the whole family with over 20 nature related exhibits plus live birds of prey, retriever demonstrations, guided bird walks and door prize drawings. For the kids there will be crafts, face painting and nature activities. Guest speakers include: Wendi Pencille on wildlife rehabilitation (more are being finalized). In addition, spotting scopes will be set up at Cayuga Overlook with volunteers on hand to help identify birds in the area, including bald eagles. 

Planned exhibits include: Ducks Unlimited, the Lower Great Lakes Fisheries Resources Office, Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, the New York State Bluebird Society, Ron Pastor – custom flies, Erie Canalway Heritage Corridor, Niagara County Trappers (NYSTA) the Historical Club of the Tonawanda Reservation, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, the Buffalo Audubon Society and more.

Please contact refuge staff at 585.948.5445 or visit our web site at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/iroquoisfor further information.

Iroquois NWR is located midway between Buffalo and Rochester, NY and is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Individuals with disabilities and any other person who may need special assistance to participate in this program should contact the Refuge at 585/948-5445 or at the Federal Relay No. 1-800-877-8339.

 
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.
 

Free Nature Programs at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

By Dorothy Gerhart

 

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge invites everyone to “Go Outside” and enjoy nature. As spring arrives office hours for Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge will be expanded to include weekends 9:00 am to 5:00 pm from Saturday, March 28 through May 9. This is in addition to our regular office hours of Monday – Friday 7:30 am – 4:00 pm, except holidays. The refuge office/visitor contact station, located at 1101 Casey Road, Alabama, NY has maps and other information about the refuge as well as exhibits of native wildlife. Be sure to stop by the Flyway Nature Store, operated by the Friends of Iroquois NWR, Inc., for unique gift ideas for yourself or the nature lover in your life.
            Weekend hours will coincide with the spring schedule of “Iroquois Observations”, a series of free nature programs which are presented in partnership with the Buffalo Audubon Society. On March 28 the season opens with a bald eagle watch and an owl prowl. Visitors are invited to join knowledgeable volunteers at Cayuga Overlook for the bald eagle watch, 1 pm – 4 pm to view one of our two nesting pairs of bald eagles. Spotting scopes are provided. That evening bring a flashlight and join the nocturnal trek to look for owls, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm. Pre-registration is required for the owl prowl. Please, contact refuge staff at 585-948-5445 to register. Programs are free and open to the public. 
            The refuge’s nature trails, overlooks and fishing areas are open sunrise to sunset, seven days a week, year-round and provide many opportunities to view wildlife or just relax and take in the natural beauty the refuge has to offer.
            For further information or a schedule of nature programs contact refuge staff at
585-948-5445 or visit our website http://www.fws.gov/northeast/iroquois and click on the link for “annual calendar” and scroll down to “Iroquois Observations”.
            Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge is located midway between Rochester and Buffalo, NY and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
 
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.
 

Car hits tree in Darien

By Philip Anselmo

While we were out covering the mobile home fire in East Bethany earlier this afternoon, we received reports of a two-car crash out in the town of Darien. Fortunately, nobody was injured, but one of the cars had apparently run into a tree. So, already on the road, we drove out to take a photograph. Here's the car and the tree:

Not exactly what we had expected.

While we were on the scene, however, we got to talking with a fellow who told us that this corner (County Line Road and Sumner Road) is a frequent site of accidents. What might the county do to make the roads safer here?

Democrat meet and greet draws a crowd

By Philip Anselmo

Party supporters packed into the Democratic headquarters last night in the Genesee Country Mall. They came for signs. They came for cider. They came to meet their candidates.

I was there to meet some of the candidates, too, though I was mostly hoping to run into Alice Kryzan. Unfortunately, the congressional candidate wasn't expected to arrive until sometime around 6:30pm due to a plane delay—the event started at 5:00pm—and I had to head out before then.

No matter. I had a chance to chat with a couple other candidates.

Larry Stabell is running to keep his seat as judge for the town of Darien. Stabell told me that his work with the department of corrections made him interested in the position and capable of doing it well.

We soon got to talking about what's going on out in Darien. Stabell told me that the town is currently facing a problem with its school districts: it's got four of them, none of which are in Darien. All the school kids are going in different directions, he said. This in a town where the population is maybe 3,200.

Darien used to be a farming community, he said. But it has since become "somewhat of a bedroom community for Rochester and Buffalo." The town has about 10 to 15 new homes going up every year, and is down to maybe eight or nine full-time farmers.

Of course, they've got Darien Lake Theme Park, which means that at any given time, you could have ten times the population of the town packed in there, and those folks "come out to have a good time," he said. That's the prime reason why the judge in Darien never wants for work, in the summer months especially.

I also had a few minutes to chat with Le Roy Councilman Tom Stella, who is also running to keep his seat. Stella told me that things have been pretty quiet in Le Roy over the past few months. Most of the major projects have gone through, including the Walgreen's and the Wal-Mart. What they'll be looking at next is something called the Farmland Protection Program, which would allow landowners—farmers in particular, but not exclusively—to get their land placed on a protection list that would say it could only be used for farming, never for development.

Should be interesting to see how that plays out.

How to post Darien news

By Howard B. Owens

If you have news about Darien to share, tag your post "Darien" and it will appear on this page. More help here.

Beer bottle damages a vehicle in Darien

By Philip Anselmo

30-year-old Jonathan J. Connolly, of Darien, was sent to Genesee County Jail last night pending $1,000 cash bail and facing three charges and potentially more.

Conolly was accused of throwing a beer bottle at an on-coming vehicle on Sumner Road, causing damage. He was charged with misdemeanor fourth-degree criminal mischief and two violations: consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle and throwing refuse on the highway.

Genesee County sheriff's deputies said that more charges may be pending.

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