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A tractor-trailer and car collided on the eastbound Thruway by mile marker 396.9. All occupants are believed to be out of the vehicles. East Pembroke Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

A two-vehicle collision with possible injuries is reported at Route 98 and the Thruway entrance. There was air-bag deployment. Town of Batavia fire and Mercy medics are responding. Law enforcement is on scene.

UPDATE 4:06 p.m.: Town assignment back in service.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported in the area of 6150 Clinton Street Road. It's between Caswell Road and Route 237. Stafford Fire Department is responding along with Mercy medics. Responders are told to use caution upon approach because a utility pole "may be involved."

UPDATE: Two flatbed tows are called. National Grid is responding to repair a damaged pole. Sheriff's deputies are on scene. The Crash Management Team is called in. A patient(s) was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital University of Rochester Medical Center. The Stafford fire assignment is back in service.

Joe Hinz was named Firefighter of the Year for the Town of Batavia Volunteer Fire Department and Steve Coburn received the President's Award during the department's annual awards and installation dinner at Terry Hills last night.

Officers installed for 2017:

Line officers: Daniel J. Coffey -- chief, Chad R. Higgins -- deputy chief, Robert H. Tripp -- first assistant chief, Paul R. Dibble -- second assistant chief, Andrew Z. Mullen -- captain, David J. Tran -- lieutenant, Paul G. Barrett -- Safety Officer.

Corporate Officers: Michael D. Jones -- president, Nathan L. Fix -- vice president, Steven C. Coburn -- secretary, Donald F. Koziol -- treasurer, and directors are Paul G. Barrett, Gary D. Diegelman, Daniel P. Jacques, Robert J. Mullen and Timothy J. Yaeger.

Steve Coburn and Joe Hinz with department officers.

Some of the top responders making at least 100 calls in 2016.

Last night was the last official student art show for Deb Meier, an art teacher at Batavia High School for 31 years. She's pictured in the back row on the left, with some of the city schools students who won awards Friday night in the opening art show at Richmond Memorial Library for Student Art Month.

Meier said she will continue volunteer work with student artists because she thinks it's so beneficial to the kids.

"Art gives enjoyment to life," Meier said. "It gives meaning. The arts, even though we only celebrate it once a month a year with Youth Art Month, it's essential to our beings. We are no longer living in caves. We’re living in houses that are designed by architects, wearing clothes that are designed by fashion designers."

Art is all around us, she agreed.

"Yes, we just need to learn to see it."

What she's enjoyed most about teaching art she said is seeing the students blossom. 

"Seeing the realization, seeing the light bulb go off when they realize they’ve got it, they did something right, they took something and explored a new media or new idea in expression," she said.

A tractor is reportedly on fire at the Thruway interchange at Park Road and Oak Street, Batavia.

City fire responding.

UPDATE 7:47 a.m.: City fire on location. No fire at that location. 

A building at 9778 Creek Road, Bethany, is charged with smoke, but no fire seen.

Bethany fire along with Town of Batavia and Alexander dispatched.

The location is Baskin Livestock.

UPDATE 5:57 a.m.: Town of Batavia can go back in service. Alexander to continue. Owner reported blown-out motor on a furnace. 

UPDATE 6:28 a.m.: Bethany assignment back in service. 

James “Beef” Soggs, who coached youth sports pretty much year around -- football, basketball, baseball -- for two decades passed away yesterday at age 54.

He will be missed.

"He was always upbeat and very positive," said Buddy Brasky, who coached with him and against him in baseball, and worked with him as one of the coaches in his youth basketball program. "He never looked at anything in a negative way, which is why the kids loved him. He had a special way of making the kids feel good about themselves. He made them feel like a million dollars. Kids loved playing for him."

Dave Hall, who coached Little League with Soggs for 18 years, said he's never known a coach more dedicated to the kids. He said they talked daily, sometimes three or four times a day, about baseball or particular young athletes. Soggs always had the best interest of the kids at heart.

He got down to their level and communicated with them in a way they got, Hall said.

"He just had a way with the kids," Hall said. "He knew what to say. He knew when to put his foot down. He knew when to put an arm around a kid and give him a hug and show them a little love.

To meet Beef was to make a new friend. He always had a smile and a positive word.

"He was just a good-hearted guy," Brasky said. "You won't find anybody who has a bad thing to say about him. He just made you feel good when you were around him."

Rick Mancuso said the thing he admired about Soggs was he was into youth sports for all the right reasons.

"Beef was in it for the kids and you can't always say that about every coach these days," Mancuso said. "He always did the right things in the right way."

He said Soggs contributions to the community went beyond sports and went beyond Batavia.

"He did a lot for the community and for a lot of different people and the kids are better for it," he said.

Hall said he will miss his good friend. He already does. But he also said the community will miss him.  

Soggs, he said, had plans to coach in the minors this year so he could coach his grandson.

"He was looking forward to that," Hall said. "That's the sad part. He will miss that opportunity."

A washer fire with smoke showing is reported in the mobile home park on Lake Street Road in Le Roy. Le Roy Fire Department is responding with mutual aid from Bergen and Pavilion to 8769 Lake Street Road, Lot #12.

UPDATE 1:31 p.m.: A first responder on scene reports a light haze inside the structure.

UPDATE 2:11 p.m.: The Le Roy assignment is returning to service.

The JCPenney store in Batavia apparently has been spared from the ax that will come down on 138 of the company's stores across the United States.

The major retailer today announced that it will close three stores in New York State -- Dunkirk-Fredonia Plaza, Dunkirk; Westfield Sunrise, Massapequa; Palisades Center, West Nyack -- probably in the second quarter of the year which ends in July for J.C. Penney Co., but will continue to operate the store located in the City Centre Mall.

With its remaining 876 stores, "Penney's" will still have at least one location in 49 states and Puerto Rico. It has no stores in Hawaii. The chain's original store in Kemmerer, Wyo., at 722 J.C. Penney Drive isn't on the list and will remain open. 

The states with the biggest number of closings were Texas (nine), Minnesota (eight), Michigan (seven), Illinois (seven), Pennsylvania (six), North Carolina (five), Wisconsin (four) and Oklahoma (four).

A 40-year-old Batavia resident is facing multiple tax fraud, grand larceny and forgery charges following a joint investigation by the State Police and the Department of Taxation and Finance.

A former caregiver who bilked two elderly patients out of more than $308,000 from 2006 to 2011 and eventually pled guilty to four felonies, was sentenced to prison and is now free, but she's finding it difficult to pay restitution.

Heidi L. Schollard was ordered to pay $500 a month when she was sentenced to the maximum possible term in August 2012, which was concurrent sentences of two-and-a-third to seven years on three of the felony convictions and one-and-a-third to four years on the fourth.

She pled guilty to three counts of grand larceny, 3rd, which are Class D felonies, and a single count of grand larceny, 4th, a Class E felony.

She was released from prison Feb. 13 and was ordered to make her first $500 payment within 30 days of her release. She has so far failed to make any payment.

Public Defender Jerry Ader, representing Schollard in County Court yesterday, said Schollard only recently secured employment but will still find it difficult to make $500-a-month payments.

Apparently, while still in prison, Schollard petitioned the court for a modified restitution order, but that request was never acted on.

Whether the court can take action against Schollard was the point being argued in court yesterday and the reason for the hearing.

Ader's position was that based on statute since Schollard received the maximum possible prison sentence for her conviction, the County Court cannot impose new sanctions on her if she fails to meet the restitution requirements.  

Without the ability to impose new penalties, the court's only option, Ader said, is to make restitution a civil matter. The victims would need to seek restitution through civil, not criminal, courts. 

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman argued that since Schollard's sentence was concurrent and not consecutive, she didn't receive the maximum possible sentence under the law so therefore Judge Charles Zambito can take punitive action against Schollard if she fails to meet restitution demands.

Zambito said he wasn't going to rule on the issue from the bench and ordered both attorneys to file briefs in support of their positions laying out the legal arguments and case law to support their assertions.

The issue was scheduled for a further hearing at 1:30 p.m., April 10.

Press release:

The Comprehensive Plan Update will help guide future zoning and development decisions in Byron. What would you like to see for the future of Byron? Please complete a survey and return to the Byron Town Clerk (P.O. Box 9, 7028 Byron Holley Road, Byron, NY 14422) by March 31.

Survey forms are available at the Byron Town Hall, Byron Hotel & Trailhouse, Fullerino’s Pizzeria, Gillett’s Hardware or Gillam-Grant Center. The survey is also available online. You can link to the survey on the Town of Byron website:  http://www.byronny.com/  or go directly to the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ByronCommunitySurvey

Please only complete one survey (online or on paper). Thank you for your participation.

A car has struck a pole in the area of 10655 Molasses Hill Road, Bethany.

A line is arcing.

There are no injuries.

The road is being shut down.

Bethany fire is responding.

UPDATE 9:53 p.m.: Road being reopened. Assignment back in service.

The proposed federal spending plan released today by the Trump Administration cuts funding for the arts, which, as the Washington Post points out, will hit small rural communities, such as Batavia, the hardest.

The $148 million National Endowment for the Arts Budget -- 0.004 percent of the overall federal budget -- is funneled down the local level by the New York State Council on the Arts.

If cut, that funding will mean the elimination of grants for local arts groups, said Jennifer Gray, executive director of GO ART! She said there are 25 organizations and individuals in Genesee and Orleans counties who depend on those grants to provide arts events, about 70 a year, along with classes and programs that are enjoyed by more than 20,000 people throughout the two counties.

"If those programs are defunded, those programs will not happen," Gray said.

Early today, Rep. Chris Collins issued a press release expressing a couple of reservations about the Trump budget, particularly as it pertains to agriculture and the National Institute of Health, but did not address any other budget cuts, including eliminating the NEA. Twice today we emailed members of Collins staff requesting a comment on the topic from the Congressman and did not receive any response.

Elimination of arts programs could have far-reaching effects locally, including on education and business.

Steve Hyde, CEO of GCEDC, said he understands the balancing act the president must go through to arrive at a budget he believes is best for the country, but it's also true businesses are looking for communities where they might set up shop certainly take into consideration lifestyle issues for employees, which includes access to arts and entertainment opportunities.

Companies want to know that potential employees will want to move into a community that offers the lifestyle choices and amenities that attract top talent.

The arts, Hyde said, also play a key role in educating the future workforce.

"The arts help kids engage and it draws on those necessary critical thinking and creative thinking skills," Hyde said.

Gray also noted the potentially dire economic impacts of cutting arts funding.

"Our region will continue to become a cultural wasteland, which in turn drives away potential residents, potential property tax income, potential industry, the list goes on," Gray said. "We will be an area that supports methadone clinics before it supports the arts. Our children will have the options to get drug treatment over participating and thriving in the arts. The arts change lives, change regions, (it) lifts up the economy and drives tourism. Who wants to live in a region devoid of all that?"

Eliminating the NEA has been long been the goal of many social conservatives who not only say the NEA is wasteful spending, but that it also promotes artistic expression social conservatives find objectionable.

While the NEA is only a tiny portion of overall federal spending, the funds it disperses is also only about 1 percent of all the money spent on the arts in the United States. In smaller communities, though, where just as a matter of smaller populations, there are fewer people to support the arts and fewer rich patrons, the federal spending has a greater impact.

Gray doesn't know if defunding NEA will lead to the eventual demise of GO ART!, but even if it doesn't, she said, it will have a profound impact on the local arts community.

"Like all of Trump's policy's so far," Gray said, "it will devastate those people and organizations that need it the most. Poverty-stricken areas and low-income regions will further fall into the abyss of both cultural void and economic destitution."

DISCLOSURE: Howard Owens is on the board of directors of the Genesee Symphony Orchestra, which in the past has received grants from GO ART! that help fill budget gaps for the orchestra.

The Arc of Genesee Orleans Art Show & Film Festival will be held at Stuart Steiner Theatre, at Genesee Community College, on Saturday, March 18.

The campus is located at 1 College Drive in the Town of Batavia.

The artwork, courtesy of artists served by The Arc of Genesee Orleans, will be displayed at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Sprout Film Festival at 1 o'clock.

Register at the event to win a beautiful framed work of art!

For more information, contact Shelley Falitico at 343-4203 or visit geneseearc.org or arcoforleans.org.

This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regnant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the NY State Legislature and administered by GO ART!

When asked if he wanted to be a firefighter since he was a little kid, Stefano “Steve” Napolitano wasted no time in responding.

“One hundred percent correct,” he said. “When I was 6 years old, my uncle John – we lived in Long Island then – took me to the fire station where he worked and when I saw those giant, red fire trucks, I said, ‘Oh, my God.’ Ever since then,

Napolitano’s dream came true at the tender age of 18 when he was accepted as a volunteer firefighter with the Frankfort fire company, and he progressed through the ranks to become the deputy fire chief for the Village of Herkimer.

In less than a month, April 17^th to be exact, he will continue his firefighting journey when he begins his tenure as chief of the City of Batavia Fire Department.

“There is a renaissance that is taking place (in Batavia) and a quality of life improvement, and as far as public safety is concerned we want to enhance that to continue to attract industry and mom-and-pop businesses,” he said.

Napolitano, a Queens native who has lived in the Mohawk Valley for about 45 of his 50 years (he turned 50 on March 13^th), said he appreciated the thorough process that resulted in his hiring by City Manager Jason Molino.

“It has been a long process; we started in September of last year,” he said. “They did an outstanding job of vetting people, and by the grace of God, I was fortunate enough to be chosen. I look forward to working with an outstanding group of individuals in the fire department and those who are part of the executive team.”

Napolitano sees himself as a “boots on the ground-type firefighter” but he also has continually taken steps to educate himself on the finer points of firefighting.

A mechanical engineer by trade, he has used his expertise to design fire trucks, consult on fire equipment and coordinate major projects. He said he has spent hundreds of hours in classroom training en route to becoming a certified code enforcement officer and state fire instructor.

His varied background – he’s been with the Herkimer fire department for 25 years -- also includes a stint as deputy director the Herkimer County Office of Emergency Services from 2008-2015, where he assisted with local disaster and emergency management plans, the county 9-1-1 dispatch communication center and the administration of the county’s mutual aid plan, mutual aid radio system and state fire training.

In 1996, he founded Advanced Technologies, a company that served as a regional fire equipment distributor offering quality products at fair market prices. He recently sold it to Herkimer Industries, a divison of the Herkimer ARC, a nonprofit agency servicing those with disabilities and special needs. Napolitano continues to serve as a consultant to company officials.

Calling his hiring “a promotion in so many ways,” Napolitano said he looks forward to meeting the 40 or so members of the Batavia department and “coming in to enhance the great things they are already doing.”

“Just look at the department’s Facebook page and you can see how much they are involved in community service projects,” he said.

He also credited Dan Herberger, who had been serving as interim chief, for doing an “outstanding job.”

Napolitano leaves behind a chief and co-workers in Herkimer who have nothing but respect for his knowledge, ability and positive outlook.

“Steve is very well regarded, and very knowledgeable in apparatus, as a state fire inspector, an EMT and deputy chief,” said Herkimer Fire Chief John Stanfelner.

“He was one of my go-to people. I’ve always said that I don’t know everything, so I go to the people who do know. If you ask him a question, he will give you the right answer or do what it takes to give you the answer.”

Napolitano said he is working with a couple of real estate agents to find a place to live in Batavia.

He has two children – a daughter, Alyssa, who just took a job at Oswego State College, and a son, Steve, a third-year student at St. Lawrence University in Canton.

And, by the way, he said to the best of his knowledge he is not related to former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano or Fox News TV personality Judge Andrew Napolitano.

Press release:

Following a successful contest to have a logo created for The Ellicott Trail, Town of Batavia officials are hoping to use a similar method to select a new town logo. Ideally, the logo would incorporate the town's rich history and rural nature, while giving a nod to recent development.

The original Town of Batavia included practically the entire Holland Land Purchase, which was nearly all of Western New York. The town was formed by act of the Legislature, March 30, 1802. Alexander, Bergen, Bethany and Pembroke were set off in 1812, and Elba and a part of Stafford in 1820. The first town meeting was held at the tavern of Peter Vandeventer (now Newstead, Erie County) March 1, 1803.

Today the town is home to nearly 7,000 residents, a number of farms, shops, parks, and industrial parks. The town is bisected by the Tonawanda Creek, Interstate 90, and a number of state routes including routes 5, 33, 63, and 98 which has given the town its current slogan "All Roads Lead to Batavia."

The new logo will be used on a wide range of applications including but not limited to exterior signs, town vehicles, and the town's website.

Entry deadline is April 30.

• Entries must represent well in black and white format but full-color entries are encouraged.
• Entries must include the verbiage "Town of Batavia" and establishment date (1802).
• In addition to the name and date, an additional graphic element or design solution is encouraged.

To submit entries:

• Hard copy entries sent to: Teressa Morasco, 3833 W. Main Street Road, Batavia, NY 14020;
• Electronic submittals via email to: logo@townofbatavia.com; emailed as JPG files, no smaller than 500KB / no larger than 3MB;
• There is no limit to the number of entries one person or team can submit;
• No entries will be returned;
• Winning entries become the exclusive property of Town of Batavia for its unlimited use;
• All entries must include designers name, address, contract phone number.

This is the town's current logo:

An accident with possible minor injuries is reported in the area of 7793 Townline Road, Bergen. 

Bergen fire and ambulance responding. 

UPDATE 7:50 a.m.: Confirmed injuries. Extrication for at least one person required. 

Here's a different take on a snowstorm picture. Matthew Bailey and Heather Lewis got engaged recently but hadn't yet gotten their engagement portraits taken, so today, in the midst of a snowstorm on Tracy Avenue, they thought it would be the perfect time to have their official engagement pictures taken. They will be married May 12. Bailey was recently hired as a corrections officer in the Genesee County Jail.

Photo submitted by Melissa Barone.