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Officers Marc Lawrence and James Defreze prepare coffee during a Coffee with Cops event hosted by Batavia PD this morning at Tim Hortons.

Philip J. Briatico conducts the Genesee Valley Wind Ensemble at 4 p.m., Sunday, at Elba Central School.

The concert will include pieces by Samuel Barber, Danny Elfman, John Philip Sousa, Mark Camphouse, among others.

Rep. Chris Collins, who was the first member of Congress to endorse Donald Trump for president, has been named to the executive committee of the Trump transition team, according to NBC journalist Frank Thorp.

Thorp posted a screen shot of a memo on Twitter.

The team is comprised of elected officials, business leaders and family members.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries and entrapment is reported at 304 Akron Road, Pembroke.

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 2:49 p.m.: Mercy Flight requested to the scene. An engine out of Akron requested to the scene.

UPDATE 3:01 p.m.: Mercy Flight #9 is on the ground.

Two brothers from Monroe County already facing felony charges from alleged attacks in Byron and Bergen last month are facing new charges after further investigation. 

Scott M. Lamagna, 25, of Fairport, and Jonathan J. Lamanga, 18, of Webster, have been charged with coercion in the first degree.

The Lamagnas allegedly attacked a person in the parking lot of Playmates in Byron at 1:42 a.m. on Oct. 9 and then drove to the 7-Eleven in Bergen and got into an altercation with a man and a women inside the store. When one of the victims, who had reportedly already been injured, said he was going to call the police, the victim was allegedly punched in the face.

The victim of the Playmates incident reportedly suffered serious injuries.

Following their initial arrests on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12, both brothers were jailed on $25,000 bail apiece.

They were initially charged with second-degree assault.

Micheal S. Lytle, 27, and Sarah P. Lytle, 33, both of Tracy Avenue, Batavia, are charged with charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 4th. The couple is accused of using a stolen debit card to make several purchases totaling $790 on Oct. 11 and then making another $74 in purchases on Oct. 12.

Jordan Deskins, 19, of County House Road, Albion, is charged with petit larceny. Deskins is accused of shoplifting from Kmart.

Ajia Rae Hasenauer, 23, of Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and falsifying business records, 1st. Hasenauer is accused of taking cash from a friend to register that friend at a hotel, then not registering that friend's name and placing the cash in the till.

Alexander Edwin Dills, 26, of Ellicott Street Road, Pavilion, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana, no front plate and uninspected motor vehicle. Dills was stopped at 11:41 a.m. Wednesday on Route 77, Corfu, by Deputy Chris Parker. During the traffic stop, Dills was allegedly found to possess two smoking pipes with marijuana, a marijuana grinder, a marijuana cigar and paper containing approximately four ounces of marijuana.

Kari W. Adams II, 32, of Covington Road, Leicester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and speeding. Adams was stopped at 5:12 a.m. Wednesday on Route 63, Pavilion, by Deputy Jeremy McClellan.

Leonard E. Aguayo, 29, of Affinity Lane, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, and speeding. Aguayo was stopped at 3 p.m. Tuesday on Route 33, Byron, by Deputy Kevin Forsyth. Upon investigation, Aguayo was allegedly found to have 12 failures to appear on traffic citations from seven different dates. Based on the alleged detection of the odor of marijuana, Aguayo consented to a search of his vehicle and was allegedly found in possession of marijuana. Aguayo was jailed on $500 bail.

Craig L. Fien Jr., 44, of Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny and resisting arrest. Fien is accused of stealing a microwave oven and vacuum cleaner from Target. When confronted by Target security, Fien allegedly push passed security personnel and attempted to flee the premises. Fien was apprehended by an off-duty police officer who detained him until troopers arrived. He was jailed on $300 bail.

The men and women who served in the United States military will be honored today at several local ceremonies.

• 9 a.m. -- Genesee County Park
• 10 a.m. -- Batavia VA Medical Center
• 10:30 a.m. -- NYS Veterans Home
• 11 a.m. -- Upton Monument
• 11:30 a.m. -- Jerome Center
• 12:30 p.m. -- Genesee Community College

Statement from Assemblyman Steve Hawley:

On Veterans Day, Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) is urging his constituents and all New Yorkers to take some time tomorrow and thank a veteran or current service member for their dedication and sacrifice to preserving our way of life. Hawley, the son of a veteran, served seven years in the Ohio Army National Guard and Army Reserves and reached the rank of 1^st Lieutenant.

“Military service runs deep in my family and Veterans Day will always hold a special place in my heart,” Hawley said. “Whether it be my annual Patriot Trip to Washington, D.C., to give back to local veterans or my efforts in Albany, I try to improve the lives of our active military and veterans consistently throughout the year.

"Our veterans display a tremendous amount of sacrifice and dedication to preserving our way of life and their actions have helped shape our country into the pinnacle of liberty and success. I encourage all my constituents and New Yorkers alike to take time tomorrow to thank a veteran for their service and pray for those who are still fighting overseas.”       

Hawley is a true champion in Albany for our current and retired military members and serves as the Ranking Republican Member of the Assembly’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Hawley sponsors several pieces of legislation to make the “Campaign Service Medal” more inclusive, help veterans start small businesses, and remove admission fees for veterans to state parks. Hawley also played a pivotal role in ushering in the Veterans Buy-back Bill that allows vets to purchase up to three years of military service back from the state in exchange for a credit toward their public pension.

A structure fire is reported in the second-story apartment at 226 Ellicott St. Fire could be seen from the window. City fire command reports bulk of fire is knocked down, checking for extensions. Elba's rescue unit was called to respond as was Alexander's Fast Team but both services were canceled. Town of Batavia is asked to stand by in quarters.

UPDATE 12:15 a.m.: Fire is out. Town of Batavia released from standby.

UPDATE 6:28 a.m.: Press release:

On Friday, Nov. 10, at 11:49 p.m., the City of Batavia Fire Department was called for a report of smoke and fire coming from a second-story window at 226 Ellicott St., City of Batavia. Upon arrival at 11:52 p.m., firefighters found fire coming from a second-story window of a two-story, wood frame structure. The first story houses a hair salon and the second story is a single-family apartment. Firefighters forced the second-story door and made a quick interior attack of the fire with a handline. The fire was contained to the room of origin and called under control a 12:15 a.m. There was no one home at the time of the fire. The two residents that reside there are being assisted by the Red Cross. The City of Batavia Fire Department was assisted by the Alexander Fire Department, Elba Fire Department, Town of Batavia Fire Department, Genesee County Emergency Management Office, and the City of Batavia Police Department. The fire remains under investigation by the City of Batavia Fire Department. 

The Boy Scouts of Troop 6017 in Elba hosted a dinner Sunday honoring veterans and first responders.

This was the third year the scouts served up spaghetti at the Fire Hall.

Submitted by Aidan McClurg.

Press release:

On Tuesday, Nov. 22, the Genesee County STOP-DWI Advisory Board will sponsor its inaugural STOP-DWI Awards Luncheon at Terry Hills Restaurant & Banquet Facility. Seven young people from districts in the county will be honored for their commitment to the community for entering the Board’s STOP-DWI Poster Contest. There are First-, Second- and Third-place winners in two grade categories, six through eighth and nine through 12, as well as a Grand Prize Winner. Additionally, the luncheon will recognize two Top Cop Awards and a Coordinator’s Award.

The Following Young people will be recognized for their STOP DWI poster submissions: sixth- through eighth-grade winners; Jessica Andrade, Isabella Biviano, Taylor Hutton and Grace Shepard. The ninth- through 12th-grade winners are Isabella Riner and Morgan Harrington. The Grand Prize Winner whose artwork will appear on two billboards in Genesee County in November is Kallie Totten, an eighth-grader from Elba Central School.

Batavia Police Officer Matthew J. Wojtaszczyk and Genesee County Sheriff Deputy Rich Schildwaster are receiving the Top Cop Award for going above and beyond with DWI arrests during a 12-month time period. They are also being honored for their dedication to keeping our community safe. Genesee County Sheriff Gary Maha is receiving the Coordinator’s Award for his outstanding commitment to our community for the last 49 years.

Registration and refreshments will begin at 11:30 a.m. The program and luncheon will begin at noon. Seating is limited. If you are interested in attending the luncheon, contact the Genesee County Youth Bureau at (585) 344-3960 no later than Nov. 15th.

There will be a public hearing at 5:30 p.m., Nov. 21, where the public can speak on the question of whether the county government should pass a resolution to override the state's property-tax cap.

The County Legislature is considering passing the resolution as a safety valve in case budget constraints require it to increase the tax levy above the state's 2-percent limit.

Passage of the resolution does not mean the tax levy will increase above the tax cap amount, but it will provide the legislature with that option if during budget discussions it's deemed necessary.

The hearing will be held in the Old Courthouse, 7 Main St., Batavia.

Students from all of the high schools in Genesee County were provided a 20x32-inch canvas by Batavia's Original with an invitation to paint their school's mascot. The winning team -- the art class from Oakfield-Alabama -- received a pizza party.

The artwork will be displayed inside of the restaurant. 

Pictured above are: Haily Davis, Olivia Carroll, Hope Kollarik, Mrs. Leah Peca, Emily Staniszewski, Makayla Hichey and Lakin Woodward.

Photos and information provided by General Manager Kathy Ferrara.

The Town of Batavia's level of staffing -- primarily in its engineering department -- and substantial tax increase came under fire Wednesday night, but Supervisor Gregory Post and the four council members stood up to the questions by communicating a strategy that focuses on providing the services necessary to ensure long-term sustainability and growth.

Eight people attended last night's public hearings on the town's sewer and water rates, and preliminary budget, the latter an $8.5 million spending plan (including fire, sewer and water districts) that calls for a tax levy of $1 million for 2017.

The proposed tax rate of $2.64 per thousand of assessed property value is an 86-percent increase over last year's tax rate of $1.42 per thousand -- with last year bringing the first town property tax in 35 years.

Water and sewer rates also are expected to increase in 2017, by about 3 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

The session began with town residents Joseph Jaszko and Mitchell Strong seeking answers regarding the town's engineering department.

"How many engineers do we have, and why are we paying them a quarter of a million dollars, plus vehicles, plus their insurance?" Jaszko said, noting that he is on a fixed income. "We never had all these people in the Town of Batavia before. Where do you think this money is coming from?"

Strong, who owns Strong Forge & Fabrication in the City of Batavia, followed up with the question "Why does the town need all these engineers and the city doesn't?" Both men inquired about the number of town employees overall.

Post, as he as stated previously at meetings leading up to the public hearings, said his many years of experience in local government has brought him to a point where having qualified, full-time professional engineers on staff is more beneficial to the town than contracting engineering firms on an as-needed basis.

"These P.E.'s are the biggest problem solvers and components necessary for us to carry out our strategic plan -- to build a model to sustain our community," said Post, adding that two full-time engineers and two full-time engineering technicians are among the 23 people employed full time by the town.

"I feel I did the best that I could do having witnessed 30 years of the town not having a full-time engineer," he continued. "Since our inception of this plan, we have attracted some pretty extraordinary development and leveraged money from numerous grants and loans, which have increased the town's assessed valuation by 40 percent."

The supervisor added that shared services agreements with other Genesee County towns -- in the areas of code enforcement, inspection, licensing and engineering services, for example -- result in money coming back to the Town of Batavia.

"A portion of some of these positions are paid by other communities," he said.

The 2017 budget is about $400,000 greater than last year's, and the 2017 tax levy of $1 million is a half-million dollars more than last year's. The new budget shows a $475,000 contribution from the town's unexpended fund balance.

Post said that leaves about $1.3 million left in the fund balance account.

"All costs to operate this community have doubled in the past 10 years, and they will continue to increase," he said. "It wouldn't be prudent to not have an unexpended fund balance at a $1.2 million baseline."

Strong said when he found out that the tax rate was going to jump from $1.42 to $2.64, "some bells started going off."

"That's why I'm here tonight," he said. "I'm not questioning how you run your business, but 87 percent (actually 86) in one year ... that's crazy."

Post countered by saying the tax rate should have been $2.84 per $1,000 last year, but the board opted for less.

He did say that the $2.64 proposed for 2017 "carries us through the year 2020."

"Our engineers and financial consultants are projecting true costs, looking at the levy versus reserves, and (have determined) that we could keep it at that rate," Post said. "We're anticipating a substantial increase in revenues and would be able to maintain the unexpended fund balance at $1.2 million."

At the close of the session, which lasted about 90 minutes, Strong said he had a clearer understanding of the process, but encouraged the town to shave expenses.

"They have to look at cost reduction," he said. "My customers are constantly after us to cut costs."

Meetings are Open to the Public

Post said he welcomed the public input at the meeting, and advised all town residents that the Town Board meets every Wednesday around 5 p.m. for work sessions at Town Hall on West Main Street Road, and that board meetings are on the third Wednesday of the month, starting at 7 p.m. All meetings are open to the public. More information can be obtained by contacting the town clerk at 343-1729.

Two people are in custody and two more men are at large as the result of a reported home-invasion attack on residents at their Central Avenue home in the City of Batavia.

The alleged attack occurred at about 11 p.m., Oct. 28. and involved several people and resulted in at least two people being treated and released at the hospital.

According to witness statements obtained by The Batavian, several family members and a friend were at the residence on Central Avenue when they heard a knock on the door. 

When one of the residents answered the door, four men rushed in and started hitting one of the men in the home.

All four men were later identified to police by the victims. One claimed to have been stabbed several years ago by one of the suspects.

The suspects scattered when one of the victims grabbed a bat from the kitchen and began striking the back of one of the suspects.

According to Det. Eric Hill, the suspects were armed. He did not say what the weapons were, except to say the suspects did not have guns.

Taken into custody were Daniel J. Gilbert, 25, of Tracy Avenue, Batavia, and Marquis K. Saddler, 26, of West Bergen Road, Le Roy. Both are charged with first-degree burglary and second-degree assault.

Still at large are Oliver Thomas (second photo) and Adante Davis (top photo). The police are seeking the public's assistance in locating Thomas and Davis. Investigators have obtained warrants for their arrests.

When the suspects fled, at least two family members jumped into a vehicle and began to drive. The witness statements are a little unclear about the intention of the family members or they offer contradicting statements about what happened next.

The car struck either a moving vehicle or a vehicle parked in the middle of Central Avenue. 

After the collision, one of the suspects, who may have been talking with somebody in the vehicle, was hit by the family member's car. He was treated and released for injuries sustained in the collision.

Hill also confirmed that Batavia PD is investigating another home invasion crime reported Nov. 3 on Vernon Avenue. Hill said there is no evidence at this time that the two incidents are related. He said that investigation is still pending and he couldn't provide further information.

Police are asking that anyone with information on the whereabouts of Thomas and/or Davis to contact Batavia PD at (585) 345-6350.

Dawn M. Piasta, 61, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd. Piasta was arrested on a sealed indictment. She is accused of selling crack cocaine to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force while in the City of Batavia. She was held on the warrant pending arraignment in Genesee County Court.

Jessica R. Reddy, 24, of McVean Road, Darien, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd. Reddy is accused of selling hydrocodone to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force while in the Town of Pembroke and in the Town of Alexander. Reddy was held pending arraignment in Genesee County Court.

Michael A. Saeli, 47, of Scribner Road, Pembroke, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana, 3rd, and unlawful growing of cannabis. Saeli is accused of having 87 marijuana plants growing on his property with an aggregate weight of more than eight ounces. He was issued an appearance ticket.

To see a graphic representation of how Genesee County voted yesterday, at least based on preliminary results, you can visit the county's GIS map and drill down by precinct on any race of interest.

For the presidential election, one precinct in the center of the city was an island of blue in a sea of red.

To get started, you need to enter a street address in the search box on the right of the map.

At a time in the evening when the outcome of the national election was still in doubt, both local Democrats and Republicans expressed hope that regardless of the final results, the country would come together and support whoever won the presidential election.

The Democrats were gathered at the Dibble Family Center to watch both national and local election results coming in and the Republicans were at Terry Hills.

"The country has to, number one, accept the democratic process that we just went through and realize that things are never as good as they seem nor as bad as they seem," said Rachael Tabelski, the chair of the Genesee County Republican Women and wife of Adam Tabelski , who won his race for City Council (both, pictured above). "In the words of my friend, Rome survived for 500 years, so we’re going to be just fine. Everybody needs to just relax and move on and hope it’s better for all of us no matter who the victor is."

For Democrats, especially, there was a sense that this was a historic election, a chance to elect our first woman president.

Diana Kastenbaum, herself running for Congress against incumbent Chris Collins (who won), said as the campaign wrapped up today, she and her daughter were in Rochester and decided to stop by the grave of Susan B. Anthony, whose activism helped secure women's right to vote.

"It was just amazing," Kastenbaum said. "It was like everyone converged on this one spot, putting stickers on her gravestone. It was just so phenomenal and I was so glad to be there with my daughter. It reminded me, when we were at the Democratic National Convention together, to see the first woman nominated for president of the United States. It was just so emotional for me."

Michael Plitt, chair of the Genesee County Democratic Committee, said he was primarily focused on local races, from supporting Kastenbaum, the first local candidate for congress in many years, to City Council race and other various town and village elections.

He said he's concerned the rancor of the 2016 campaign will make it harder to attract local candidates.

"It’s great to see people voting," Plitt said. "I hope it encourages more people to get involved locally. I think the mudslinging and all that at the national level kind of turns off local participation, which is not good. There are lots and lots of races. There are village councils. They are town boards. They are always coming up and it’s hard to get people to run for these seats due to the negativity at the presidential level."

Kastenbaum's husband, Hiram Kasten, an entertainer who performs all over the nation and is host of a weekly radio show on WBTA, said he thought a lot of the negativity might be the fault of the media, who always seem to want to cast an election as a horse race and obsess over tiny margins of votes.

"I think they exaggerated things," Kasten said, and then complained about the early night coverage concentrating on swing states before even the first vote was counted. 

Few at the Republic gathering spoke in terms of "a historic election," even as network election coverage was starting to show Donald Trump was on a path to victory.

It was an election, many said, including William Zipfel, where many voters saw it as a chance to throw off the shackles of Washington politics and change the direction of the country.

Zipfel said he disagreed with pundits who characterized this as the most important election in our lifetimes.

"I don’t think that’s the case," Zipfel said. "I’m not sure we’ve seen the most important election of our lifetimes. Things always change. If you look historically, some of our forefathers, some of them went through what we would probably consider the most important of a lifetime. Reagan-Carter was perhaps one of the most important elections, so it remains to be seen."

John Duyssen, a Town of Le Roy board member, farmer, and former deputy sheriff, said he was all-in for Trump in this election, even as he acknowledged the campaign was, at times, less than civil.

"I'm sick of negative campaigning, sick of all the mudslinging," Duyssen said. "There's been a lot of he-said, she-said bickering BS and not enough of what are we doing to do with this country and how to lead this country, and what are we going to do for trade, what are we going to do for our military, what are we going to do for our retired people, and what are we going to do really with this health insurance. Don’t tell me you’re going to fix it. I’m sick of hearing fix it for the last 20 years. Our rates just keep going up. I wasn’t impressed with any of the campaigning to be honest with you, but I think Trump’s the guy."

With the election still in the balance at 10 p.m., Duyssen said he hoped the country would come together despite the brutal campaign no matter who won.

"No matter what those two do, every day we’re going to awake and go to work," Duyssen said. "We’re going to continue to feed our families and we’re going to continue to pay our bills. A good leader steps up and leads our country. I hope Clinton and Trump, whichever one pulls it off, that’s really what they do and lead this country the way they’re supposed to lead and not their special interest and everything else. Represent the people."

Eugene Jankowski, president of the Batavia City Council and a retired police officer, also hopes for unity.

He supported Trump and opposed Clinton.

"I think either way, we wake up tomorrow, either way, we need to go forward," Jankowski said. "Nobody is going to be happy. One side is going to be upset that their candidate didn’t win. It’s a whole process, not just one person that runs our country. We have a legislative process. It’s up to them to listen to the will of the people and make the best choices on each issue that comes up.

"I don’t see where that process is going to be stopped in anyway shape or form by one person getting in the White House. Our country is great because we have checks and balances to prevent person from becoming a dictator. So no matter who gets in, both sides should be able to air their grievances and go through the process and they should be aired out in Congress through the House of Representatives like we’ve done for 200 years."

Diana Kastenbaum, center, and Hiram Kasten at the Democratic gathering.

David Saleh announces election results for the GOP.

Adam Tabelski speaks to fellow Republicans after it was clear he was going to win the City Council election.

The GOP's local winners, William Sheron, sheriff, Charles Zambito, county judge, Steve Hawley, Assembly, Scott German, treasurer, and Adam Tabelski, City Council.

The next Sheriff, Bill Sheron, second from left, and his family.

Incumbent Republican Adam Tabelski recorded a resounding victory Tuesday night, outpolling his Democratic opponent Duane Preston in all six wards to hold onto his Councilman-At-Large seat on the Batavia City Council.

Tabelski, 37, a former mayor of the Village of Medina, tallied (unofficially) 2,660 votes to 1,979 for Preston, a Batavia businessman who currently serves as the chair of the city's Planning & Development Committee.

UPDATE (by Howard): The initial totals for this story came from canvassing conducted by the GOP. The county's election site reports totals of 2,776 for Tabelski and 2,006 for Preston.

The unofficial ward totals were as follows:

Ward 1 -- 564-447
Ward 2 -- 292-173
Ward 3 -- 613-478
Ward 4 -- 599-365
Ward 5 -- 226-174
Ward 6 -- 366-342

"I'm really excited -- excited and ready to keep working for the residents of this city," Tabelski said at Terry Hills Restaurant, the Republican Party's election-night headquarters. "I work hard throughout the year, and when the election comes around, the results will speak for themselves."

Tabelski has held the seat since January when former Council member John Deleo left to run (successfully) for a seat on the Genesee County Legislature.

An account manager for Wendel Engineering, he has many years of experience in the political arena, having served as a trustee and then mayor in Medina for five and a half years, and having worked for a state legislator for 12 years.

He said that winning every ward was a "great feeling," but it's not something to dwell upon.

"I'm more concerned about smart planning, and I believe the city is on the right track," he said. "And I want to be part of the process going forward."

Tabelski said he wants to keep taxes "as low as possible" but noted that residents want services, and it's "a balancing act" to weigh the services provided against the cost of such services.

Preston, a longtime Batavian, said he appreciated the chance to run for the position, and hopes his stance of no more tax increases hits a chord with City Council going forward.

"We gave it a try," Preston said at Dibble Family Center, host of the Democrats' election-night gathering.

"I think I shook it up a bit. We've had tax increases in nine out of the last 10 years -- all 10 if you county the trash (pickup). At least I hope it's in Council's head that we don't need to raise taxes every year, and that we can think outside of the box."

Adam Tabelski gives a brief "acceptance speech" at Terry Hills Restaurant after being informed of his win over Duane Preston in voting for the Batavia City Council Councilman-At-Large seat. Preston, left, and Michael Plitt, the new Genesee County Democratic Party chairperson, converse at the Dibble Family Center. Photos by Mike Pettinella.

Notre Dame may be looking at a 2016-17 ice hockey season without a player or players who Section V officials deemed was inappropriately recruited or influenced to attend the school.

Kathy Hoyt, executive director of Section V, confirmed Section V officials held a hearing on the eligibility of the player or players. She declined to discuss details. She said the school has appealed the decision and New York Public High School Athletic Association will consider the appeal next week.

A source said two players were affected. Another Section V official who is not authorized to speak on behalf of the section said he was aware that players had been deemed unduly recruited or influenced, but he didn't know how many players were affected.

Hoyt said regardless of the outcome of the process, Notre Dame will retain its 2015-16 Section V Class B crown. 

The only question is whether the players will be eligible for the 2016-17 season.

The Batavian received no response to our request for comment made via email yesterday and today from either Notre Dame Athletic Directory Mike Rapone nor Head Coach Marc Staley.

A source says the complaint that led to Section V holding its hearing came from a team outside of Genesee County.

The names of the players involved have not been released.

The Memphis Belle, a New York State Police rescue helicopter, was in Batavia today for a short training session with City of Batavia firefighters in the parking lot next to Falleti Ice Arena. The training, which did not include any flying, covered the apparatus on the helicopter and how it worked and how the helicopter was used in various rescue scenarios.  

The helicopter crew is Trooper Jamie Schweiger and Trooper Adam Marciniak (top photo, left and center). Dan Cordell, a Department of Environmental Conservation forest ranger, is a trained crew chief, and he was also on hand to talk about his role in rescues. A crew chief directs much of the operations during a rescue.