Pavilion

A Mercy Flight landing zone is being set up following the report of a motorcycle and deer collision in the area of 123 Transit Road, Pavilion.

Pavilion fire and Mercy EMS have responded.

Nicholas Tyler Stutes, 18, of Wyoming Road, Wyoming, is charged with third-degree assault. He was arrested at 11 a.m. on June 2 following a complaint and investigation of an assault on Big Tree Road in Pavilion. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong.

Jenna T. Girolamo, 18, of Sutters Run, Rochester, and a 16-year-old female from Churchville, are charged with making graffiti, a misdemeanor, and trespass, a violation. The two defendants were allegedly found trespassing in Buttermilk Falls, Route 19, Le Roy, at 7:40 p.m. on June 4. They were also found to have allegedly made graffiti in the same area. They were arrested on the charges and issued appearance tickets for July 18 in Town of Le Roy Court. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy J.M. Diehl, and Le Roy PD officers E. Blodgett and Dent.

A 17-year-old male from Byron and a 17-year-old male from Bergen are charged with trespass, a violation. The two defendants were allegedly found trespassing in Buttermilk Falls, Route 19, Le Roy, at 7:40 p.m. on June 4. They were arrested on the charge and issued appearance tickets for July 18 in Town of Le Roy Court. They were accompanied by two females (previously cited above). All were removed from the property. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy J.M. Diehl, and Le Roy PD officers E. Blodgett and Dent.

Smoke is reported in the residence at 6259 Shepard Road, with a cross of Transit Road, Pavilion, after a possible lightning strike.

Pavilion fire and Le Roy's ladder truck are dispatched.

UPDATE 9:11 a.m.: This is now a possible structure fire with a second alarm. Requested to the scene are Bethany's tanker, an engine from Le Roy and a tanker from Stafford, with an engine to fill in at Pavilion's Fire Hall. Le Roy's ambulance also requested to the scene.

UPDATE 9:14 a.m.: Perry Center, Perry, Wyoming and York also requested to the scene.

UPDATE(S) 9:23 a.m. (By Billie): This is now a working structure fire. The city's FAST team is called to the scene.

UPDATE 9:27 a.m.: The second platoon is requested to the city's fire headquarters.

UPDATE 9:29 a.m.: The homeowner is there and is an electrician employed by a power company and he already shut down power to the house so a response to the scene by National Grid will not be necessary, according to the scene commander.

UPDATE 9:34 a.m.: One engine from Bethany is called to stage in Texaco Town.

UPDATE 9:45 a.m.: Caledonia, which was just called to fill in at Le Roy's fire hall, is called to the scene along with Bethany. Bergen is called to fill in for Le Roy.

UPDATE 9:48 a.m.: Alexander's FAST team is called to the scene.

UPDATE 9:49 a.m.: Churchville is called to fill in at Bergen Le Roy; Elba is asked to fill in at Stafford. A second Alexander engine is called to the scene.

UPDATE 10:43 a.m.: The fire is under control. Command is starting to release some of the responding units.

A car vs. motorcycle accident with injuries is reported in Pavilion at Route 63 and Perry Road. Pavilion Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

David Zuppelli, of Batavia, submitted this photo of his father, Chester Zuppelli, playing Taps on Memorial Day 1944 in New Caledonia, South Pacific.

Here's a schedule for Memorial Day Ceremonies and the Batavia parade:

7 a.m. -- Genesee County Park (11095 Bethany Center Road, East Bethany) -- Vietnam Veterans Memorial (VVA #193)

8 a.m. -- Williams Park, City of Batavia-- WW I Memorial (wreath laying, rifle salute & Taps)

8:30 a.m. -- Batavia VA Medical Center

8:45 a.m. -- NYS Veterans Home

9:30 a.m. -- Upton Monument (routes 5 and 63) (wreath laying, rifle salute & Taps)

9:45 a.m. -- Batavia Cemetery, Harvester Avenue, City of Batavia (wreath laying, rifle salute & Taps)

10 a.m. -- Elmwood Cemetery, off Harvester Avenue and Webster Street in the city (AL #332)

10 a.m. -- CITY PARADE -- Begins at the Eastown Plaza traveling west along Main Street and ending at Jerome Center on Bank Street at 10:45 a.m.

10:45 a.m. -- UMMC -- Jerome Center:

• Memorial Day ceremonies: Invocation; National Anthem with Batavia Concert Band; G.A.R. Order of the Day; Veterans Service Organizations Commemorations; wreath laying with Gold Star Mothers; Honor Roll with drum roll; rifle salute; Taps; Benediction; "God Bless America."

Noon -- Hansen Brothers Grave -- Grandview Cemetery on Clinton Street Road, Batavia (MCL #951)

Participating organizations:

Hansen Borthers Marine Corps League Detachment #951

Glenn S. Loomis American Legion Post #332

Veness-Strollo Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1602

Disabled American Veterans Chapter #166

Vietnam Veterans of American Chapter #193

Sons of Union Veterans Abraham Lincoln Camp #6

Here are more local Memorial Day ceremonies/parades:

• ALEXANDER: Parade begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Alexander High School and travels to the cemetery on Railroad Avenue with a ceremony to take place at the cemetery following the parade.

• BERGEN: Parade at 9 a.m. beginning at the Fire Hall (Route 19 & Hunter Street), traveling south on Route 19 to Hickory Park with ceremony to take place at the park immediately following the parade.
•  
• BYRON: Parade at 11 a.m. from Terry Street to Swamp Road with a ceremony immediately following at Byron Cemetery.

• CORFU: Parade at noon from Corfu Fire hall on Route 33 to the Intermediate School on Route 77. Ceremony immediately following the parade.

• ELBA: Ceremony at Maple Lawn Cemetery at 10 a.m. No parade. The Elba Historical Society Museum will be open for tours after the ceremony.
•  
• LEROY: Parade at 10:30 a.m. from the American Legion to Trigon Park with a ceremony at Trigon Park at 11 a.m. following the parade.

• OAKFIELD: Parade at 11 a.m. from the Oakfield Fire Dept. to Triangle Park with ceremony to be held at Triangle Park.

• PAVILION: Ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Town Park at intersection of routes 63 and 19. No parade.

No parades/ceremonies for the following:

• Alabama

• Bethany

• Darien

• Pembroke

• Stafford

Daniel R. Ruffner, 30, was arrested in Pavilion on May 7 by Troopers and charged with misdemeanor assault, 3rd, and criminal mischief after he allegedly caused a shoulder sprain and broke a victim’s prescription sunglasses during a physical altercation at a residence on Telephone Road. Ruffner was processed at State Police barracks in Batavia and issued an appearance ticket returnable to the Town of Pavilion Court on May 24.

Bradley Hering, 23, was arrested in Alabama on May 7 by Troopers and charged with driving while intoxicated. Hering was located a short time after a call was dispatched reporting his vehicle was off the roadway on Bloomingdale Road in the Town of Alabama. He was administered the standard field sobriety tests which he allegedly failed. Troopers reported detecting the odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from Hering. He was transported to State Police barracks in Batavia for processing which allegedly revealed a BAC of .14 percent. He was issued a uniform traffic ticket returnable to the Town of Alabama Court on May 24.

Bobby Gary Mullen, 39, of Oak Street, Warsaw, is charged with failure to pay fine/restitution/surcharge. He was arrested on a bench warrant out of Genesee County Court for allegedly failing to pay a fine stemming from an incident July 8. He was turned over to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office by Wyoming County Sheriff's Department after a traffic stop in Warsaw at 11 a.m. on May 10. He was released after his arraignment. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Rachel Diehl.

If you've ever driven into Pavilion on Route 63, you've surely seen this old barn.

Pavilion High School hosted its annual DWI drill for seniors in advance of the prom to remind students about the dangers of drinking and driving.

The drill simulates a fatal DWI accident with the cooperation of the Pavilion Fire Department and Sheriff's Office. Mercy EMS, the coroner and volunteers from Bethany and Wyoming also participated.

Law enforcement is responding to Route 19 and Junction Road in Pavilion for two goats reported to be in the roadway.

UPDATE 7:23 a.m.: "Out with two goats," says an officer to dispatch.

The call started with "two cows and a horse" in the road at Stubb Road and Route 19, Pavilion, but now deputies are informed there are "several animals" in the road at that location.

Dispatchers are trying to contact a farmer in the area.

Deputies are responding.

UPDATE 10:47 a.m.: One of the owners of the property has been located and "he's working on a plan." Earlier, a deputy told dispatch, "we also have a bull to deal with."

A single-car accident with minor injuries is reported at 10642 Perry Road in Pavilion. The car struck a tree. Pavilion Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 1:42 p.m.: A first responder says car is in the woods. A second ambulance is called to the scene.

Doug Yeomans has once again produced a masterpiece, and once again of the dragon on the Emerald Models property on Transit Road in Pavilion.

This was taken at 5:30, a morning or two ago.

Doug Yeomans took this picture. It's of the metal dragon sculpture on Transit Road in Bethany, Pavilion sunrise, yesterday morning.

CORRECTION: A reader, admittedly being nitpicky, wrote to say this dragon actually sits on the Pavilion side of Transit Road, not the Bethany side.

Dannie Sims, 60, of Church Street, Basom, is charged with fourth-degree grand larceny. He was arrested at 1:56 p.m. on Feb. 10 after it was alleged that he stole a wallet from a female at Walmart. It contained cash and credit cards. He was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and jailed without bail. The case was investigated by Deputy Chad Minuto, assisted by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Nathan A. Buchholz, 37, of Albion, was arrested by Troopers for fourth-degree criminal mischief after he allegedly struck and broke the glass mirror off a Dodge Ram truck during a custody exchange Feb. 15 in the Town of Batavia. Buchholz was issued an appearance ticket returnable to the Town of Batavia Court on March 3.

Stephen M. Smith, 26, of Mill Street, Batavia, is a registered NYS Level 2 sex offender who was charged with failure to report a change in 10 days, first offense, on Jan. 11. Following a joint investigation between the Batavia PD and NYS Parole, it is alleged that Smith had an active Facebook account that he had not registered with the Sex Offender Registry within the required 10-day reporting period. He was already in jail on a parole violation. He was being held on $50,000 and was due to appear in court this afternoon. The case was investigated by Batavia Police Officer Eric Hill.

A 16-year-old resident of Boyd Road, Pavilion, was arrested Feb. 15 at 2:53 p.m. and charged with petit larceny. This followed the investigation of a shoplifting complaint on Veterans Memorial Drive, Batavia. The teen allegedly stole merchandise from a department store by passing all points of purchase without rendering payment. The defendant was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court. The case was investigated by Deputy Rachel Diehl, assisted by Deputy Jason Saile.

A 17-year-old resident of Boyd Road, Pavilion, was arrested Feb. 15 at 2:53 p.m. and charged with petit larceny. This followed the investigation of a shoplifting complaint on Veterans Memorial Drive, Batavia. The teen allegedly stole merchandise from a department store by passing all points of purchase without rendering payment. The defendant was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court. The case was investigated by Deputy Rachel Diehl, assisted by Deputy Jason Saile.

A 17-year-old resident of Tower Road, Wyoming, was arrested Feb. 15 at 2:54 p.m. and charged with petit larceny. This followed the investigation of a shoplifting complaint on Veterans Memorial Drive, Batavia. The teen allegedly stole merchandise from a department store by passing all points of purchase without rendering payment. The defendant was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court. The case was investigated by Deputy Rachel Diehl, assisted by Deputy Jason Saile.

A possible serious injury rollover accident with entrapment is reported at Telephone and Perry roads. Pavilion Fire Department and Mercy medic #1 are called to respond.

UPDATE 2:08 p.m.: Minor injuries, but subject is unable to exit vehicle.

Lionel J. Anderson Sr., 44, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. Anderson allegedly tried to enter a residence on Dellinger Avenue at 10:55 p.m. Sunday after being told to leave. He allegedly pushed one of the residents. He was jailed on $5,000 bail or $10,000 bond.  (UPDATE: Though the reported times are different, Det. Eric Hill confirms this arrest is related to this report last night).

Adrian P. Morris, 36, of South Street, Le Roy, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and inadequate headlights. Morris was stopped by Le Roy PD on West Main Street, Le Roy.

William J. Hixenbaugh, 26, of Le Roy, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Hixenbaugh was allegedly involved in a fight in the Village of Le Roy on Friday.

Lisa M. Volk, 21, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Volk is accused of shoplifting at Walmart. She allegedly took $40 worth of nail polish.

Jessie Benedict Joy, 20, of Telephone Road, Pavilion, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle, driving while using a mobile phone, driving left of pavement markings. Joy was stopped at 3:43 a.m. on Telephone Road, Pavilion, by Deputy Ryan Young.

Richard Andrew Germony, 30, of Wildwood Place, Buffalo, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to pay fine. Germony is being held in the Genesee County Jail pending his next court appearance.

Andrew C. Webster, 22, of Gillete Road, Alexander, was arrested on a warrant for allegedly failure to comply with court-ordered treatment. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Kathryn M. Yark, 18, of Harlem Road, of West Seneca, is charged with criminal possession property, 5th, and unlawful possession of a personal ID, 3rd. Yark was arrested on a warrant and released back to a treatment program.

Jennifer L. Stack, 29, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. Stack was allegedly involved in an incident Feb. 4 on West Main Street, Batavia, where she threatened another person and violated an order of protection. Stack was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Yolanda E. Johnson, 29, is charged with West Main Street Road, Batavia, turned herself in on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a traffic citation.

Maggie S. Dipilato, 21, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief. Dipilato was arrested following an investigation into a domestic incident. Dipilato allegedly struck a male in his face damaging his eyeglasses. She was jailed on $500 bail.

Gerard H. Altenburg, 21, of Main Road, Corfu, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, and moving from lane unsafely. Altenburg was arrested following an investigation into a motor-vehicle accident on Gilmore Street, Pembroke, reported at 9:04 p.m. Friday. The accident was investigated by Deputy Ryan DeLong. Altenburg was jailed on $1,500 bail.

Robert C. Paris, 26, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and failure to stop at stop sign. Paris allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign on Redfield Parkway, Batavia, at 2:14 a.m. Saturday and was stopped by Deputy Ryan DeLong.

Jacqueline Jane Kurcoba, 38, of Pittsford Mendon Road, Mendon, is charged with DWI and insufficient tail lamps. Kurcoba was stopped at 1:14 a.m. Sunday on Lewiston Road, Alabama, by Deputy Eric Meyer.

Kyle Lee-Maddison Michaels, 18, of Overlook Drive, Batavia, is charged with trespass. Michaels allegedly refused to leave the BOCES campus on State Street Road, Batavia.

Ann Marie Schiegel, 38, of Porter Road, Medina, was arrested on a warrant stemming from two counts of petit larceny. Schiegel was jailed on $250 bail.

A 17-year-old resident of Byron is charged with unlawful surveillance, 2nd. The youth is accused of using a mobile phone to view a female victim in a woman's bathroom stall.

Coty Lee Kimmel, 22, of Alleghany Road, Corfu, is charged with criminal possession of a stolen property, 4th. Kimmel allegedly possessed a credit card belonging to another person without permission.

A panel of legislators and an audience of school board members and administrators who gathered in Pavilion on Saturday morning all seemed to agree that cuts in state aid to schools, mandates, and a restrictive property tax cap are hurting school districts.

School districts are in financial dire straights and can't continue to tap into reserves to provide the same level of services to students and their families was the general message of the discussion.

"What we would like to see, because we know the property tax cap is so low, what we would like to see in the Senate Republican Caucus, is eliminate the GA (Gap Elimination Adjustment) fully this year and add to the Foundation Aid so that we can fund our schools," said Sen. Cathy Young, who represents Cattaraugus County and is chair of the State Senate's Finance Committee.

Gap Elimination Adjustments were a prime target during the panel discussion. The program is a product of 2010-11 fiscal year when state funds were tight and Foundation Aid was being cut. While the word "gap" might imply the program was meant to replace what was being lost in Foundation Aid, for most school districts in the state, the program just meant fewer dollars to fund programs.

For the region, GA has cost school districts more than $140 million over the past five years. For the current fiscal year, those school districts are underfunded, officials say, by $21,447,597.

Meanwhile, the complicated tax cap formula limits any increase in school district revenue to .12 percent.

David Little, executive director of NYS Rural Schools, said there are districts that a year ago didn't need a voter-approved tax cap override, but this year, with the exact same budget, will need to go to voters for approval.

Until 2010-11, school districts were kept on a level playing field across the state through Foundation Aid. It's a complex formula but accounts for publication, household income, district size and cost of living to arrive at the size of an annual grant to school districts to ensure they have enough operational revenue.

Over the past five years, as the figures above indicate, Foundation Aid has been slashed drastically, and GA hasn't closed the gap.

The issue of mandate relief was raised early in the discussion by Paul Alioto, superintendent in Dansville, and several of the panel members responded.

Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer said he was on a task force that came up with a list of 51 mandates that could be targeted for elimination, but as soon as you start to dig into them one-by-one, you find each has their constituency, people who will fight tooth and nail to keep it alive.

One of his pet mandates to eliminate is one that requires a third audit of district financial records. It costs districts from $10,000 to $100,000 annually and in Ranzenhofer's view, it's unnecessary. He was able to get a bill through that exempted the state's smallest school districts, but subsequent attempts to exempt more districts have been stymied.

"We have to be able to get (a reform) through both houses," Ranzenhofer said. "It seems like common sense to me, but there is somebody in the Assembly majority who feels it is a good idea to have these audits."

Young said mandates around special needs students are particularly contentious. Many of the mandates could be shifted to a federal budget responsibility, but at the local level, people fear change. At the local level, it's often easy to see how mandated spending on even one special needs child might lead to the elimination of an advanced placement class, which creates local conflicts, but it's difficult to shift expense responsibility to the federal government.

David Little said New York's funding formula is backward compared to just about every other state in the Union. In New York, the state picks up only about 40 percent of the cost of education; in other states, the school district is on the hook for less than 40 percent and the state covers the rest of the expense.

And that's something that could be fixed easily, Little said, at least in theory, though the politics of it are much more tricky. The state mandates a pension program that is state run, but the school districts pay into the program. If the state covered pension expense, Little said, that 40/60 split would flip. It would lift a huge expense burden from school districts.

Assemblyman Bill Nojay took aim at standardized testing. He said children need a broad range of experience and the ability to think critically. The system, he said, is forcing children at a younger and younger age into silos -- "you're going to be a doctor, you're going to be an engineer ... "

He said he was in China recently and their standardized testing is even more rigorous, and people there complain about it.

"For what purpose?" Nojay said. "No matter how good the standards, we are teaching to the test, for lack of a better term, and the obsession with testing, in my judgment, and the Chinese experience, it's not good for child development. It is immensely counterproductive to the development of a society."

Assemblyman Steve Hawley said the drift in education is being driven by a progressive agenda that is hurting America in a lot of ways, and he spoke at length about increases in the minimum wage and problems with the healthcare system.

He shared a story about a call from a restaurant owner who employs 27 servers. An increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour will cost that restaurant owner an additional $105,000 a year.

The owner also recently had a waitress and cook who fell in love and she became pregnant. The waitress did have health insurance, so the owner set her up with an appointment with a health insurance navigator. he waitress reported back that the good news was, she was going to get health insurance. The bad news was that in order to qualify, she couldn't work more than two days a week, and the child's father, a full-time cook at the restaurant, couldn't work more than three days a week.

"We've lost our way in this state with hands out instead of hands on, actually working," Hawley said. "This is not the America we grew up in. It's not the free enterprise system we all prospered under, or tried to prosper under, and that movement over the last seven years across this state is going the wrong way and it's hurting education."