batavia

Former Batavia resident Jeff "The Buddha" Van Buren has purchased the Gambler Pro Tour and is on the road following the pool-players circuit in order to visit billiard rooms and sign up players.

“The Gambler Pro Tour is positioned to elevate the sport of billiards to the next level," says Van Buren, in his press release.

The GPT has an ambitious plan for events to take place in Western New York, Northern Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

He says the tour will attract seasoned veterans and amateurs, as well as, reach out to those who are new to billiard competition. Coverage of the events will be taped and edited for local cable broadcasting.

The Gambler Pro Tour was formed last year by Dan Dennis. Two events were held in Florida and Georgia. Ten more were planned with 10K each in added money. In May of this year, Van Buren, with expansion on his mind, struck a deal with Dennis to purchase the tour. The transfer took place with Catherine Jenkins, of the Mt. Dora, Fla.,Chamber of Commerce, recording the transaction.

Room owners will not be required to add money for semi-pro events. Many events will have no added money. This will take the lure away for seasoned players and give amateurs a chance at cashing in on events.

According to Van Buren, Gambler Pro Tour is not seeking to compete with established pool tours and does its best not to enter markets where there is already a popular tour in place like the Lone Star Tour in Texas, Great Southern Billiards Tour, Joss Tour, Tiger SE Tour, and the newly formed Action Pool Tour.

Van Buren, who now resides in Fort Myers, Fla., is the commissioner of the Pool Hustler Series, and founder of the Shooters Tour that covered Upstate New York. In addition to owning a pool room, he operated the Shooters Tour for 10 years. It grew to 1,000 players holding 30 to 40 events per year with all sponsorships coming from outside of the industry. He was well-known for holding charity events, his favorite being the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

To find out more, phone Van Buren at 239-822-5255, email him at poolhustlerseries@yahoo.com, visit online at www.GamblerProTour.com

We've received reports from three readers who felt a small earthquake in Batavia.

It's possibly related to a 5.9 shaker that struck Virginia within the past 15 or 20 minutes.

Police have yet to determine how a 17-month-old toddler fell from a second story window at 18 East Ave., Batavia, at around 7:47 p.m., Monday.

The toddler, who fell onto asphalt below the window, sustained non-life threatening injuries, according to a statement released by Batavia Chief of Police Randy Baker.

The child was transported by ground ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.

The toddler was in a second-story room with a 4-year-old at the time of the fall. The mother, who was at the residence, was not in the room.

There were no witnesses to the fall.

(initial report)

A toddler reportedly fell from the second-story window of a residence on East Avenue earlier this evening.

The condition of the child is not available at this time.

The child was taken by ground ambulance to UMMC.

The exact circumstances of the fall are not available at this time.

If you've ever used Google Maps, then you probably know what "Street View" is.  For those who don't or haven't noticed Street View before, it's a service of Google Maps that allows you to "navigate" along a street on the map, seeing what buildings are on the street.  The theory, supposedly, is that if you ever travel to that street, you'll see better the landmarks and such to help you find what you're looking for.

Much of Batavia was already mapped by the Google "Street View Car" -- seen above -- but the car is apparently back in town today.

I spotted it on Court Street this morning (link for Street View example). Andy Pedro sent in this picture of the car Violet Lane.

A wrecking crew is tearing down the Batavia Elks Lodge building today.

The property was purchased by United Memorial Medical Center in December to make way for "future growth." It will become a vacant lot with grass and plants in the meantime.

Richard W. Rumble Jr., 26, of 9229 County Line Road, Akron, is charged with with aggravated DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, unsafe backing and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Rumble allegedly backed into a car at a restaurant on West Main Street, Batavia, and then left the scene. Batavia Police Officer Kevin DeFelice stopped Rumble's car a short time later. The alleged incident was reported at 11:04 p.m., Saturday. 

Darik Robert Michael Orbaker, 19, of Elm Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal contempt, 1st. Orbaker allegedly violated an order of protection by being in the presence of the protected person.

John Thomas Harley, 32, of Gordon Street, Buffalo, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation and operating with a suspended license. Harley was stopped at 5:10 p.m., Sunday, on Route 77 at Darien Lake by Deputy Chris Parker. Harley was then turned over to law enforcement out of Erie County on a family court warrant.

Gary Robert Murray, 55, of Gorton Road, Basom, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Murray is accused of recklessly damaging the car of another person during a confrontation with that person.

Timothy Philip Maher, 20, of John Street, Rochester, is charged with trespass. Maher was allegedly found at Darien Lake Theme Park Campgrounds at 6:50 p.m., Aug. 6, trespassing from site to site.

Jason Louis Buoni, 21, of Barton Street, Rochester, is charged with trespass. Buoni was allegedly found at Darien Lake Theme Park Campgrounds at 6:50 p.m., Aug. 6, trespassing from site to site.

Batavia was visited by a pretty spectacular rainbow this evening. Here's two pictures. If you took pictures of the rainbow, mail them to howard (at) the batavian (one word) dot com. We'll add them to this post.

Reader submissions:

No name attached with this submission.

Submitted anonymously.

Submitted by Diane Cox.

Submitted by Janet Richardson.

Submitted by Brett English. He said, "This was taken off my Dad's porch in Darien while we were parking cars for the concert."

Submitted by Nate Fix. Taken at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.

Submitted by Lusanne Simard.

Submitted by Ashlie Hackett.

Submitted by Walt Kershenski, Stafford Town Clerk.

Apparently, Nate Fix got his hands on some magic zucchini beans seeds this spring.

It's not like he has Beanstalks reaching up to the clouds above, but Sicilian zucchini typically grows to about 10 inches in length. What Nate is harvesting this summer are zucchinis that exceed 3 1/2 feet in length.

Nate and his wife Kayte plant a garden every year, but they've never had zucchini grow taller than daughter Hannah, who is 3 1/2.

Nate said they used organic fertilizer and did nothing out of the ordinary. He said perhaps a reader knows why this year's zucchini grew so massive.

Photos courtesy Nate Fix.

Summer in the City 2011 had it all -- sun, classic cars, a big crowd, a competitive 5K, food, dunk tanks, face painting and other fun along with some great entertainment.

Slide show of more than 70 photos below (be sure to click the button on the lower right to view in full frame).

To purchase photos from this event, click here.

Summer in the City is under way. It's a beautful day. Come on down.

Thanks to Ken Mistler for roof access to the WBTA building at Main and Center, and to Louie Kingsbury for taking me up there.

A three-car accident is reported on the westbound Thruway at mile market 386.6. Uknown injuries. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy EMS are responding.

UPDATE 2:33 p.m.: A Mercy medic on scene reports there are no injuries.

Batavia has a new cheerleader. Her name is Julie Pacatte and she believes Batavia has a bright future and she's ready to help.

"We have to believe in ourselves," Pacatte said. "Statistics show Batavia is not a bedroom community. It's not dependent on Buffalo or Rochester. It has an opportunity to be self sufficient and take care of its own."

Pacatte has eight years experience working in community development in Upstate New York and understands the cynicism of many who think Western New York, if not the entire northeast, is doomed.

Pacatte, who started her new job Thursday as economic development coordinator for Batavia Development Corporation, believes Batavia has a lot going for it. It's centrally located, is supported by a strong agricultural sector, has a vibrant local business community and is a beautiful place to live and work.

Part of her job, she said, will be to help local business owners, if they need it, become re-energized about growing their businesses.

"There is hope for the future," Pacatte said. "There are resources available. There are resources for people to be creative in this city, to work hard and try new things. There's support for that in this city and that's what I would define as the small business owner."

The new position is funded through a partnership between the BDC and the City of Batavia. The $90,000 annual budget for the position -- Pacatte's salary is $60,000 a year -- is being funded through a fund withdrawal from the BDC's revolving loan program and a $10,000 contribution from the city. 

Part of Pacatte's job is to make the position self-sustaining within two years by bringing in grants and aid for development projects in the city.

It's not a task that Pacatte finds particularly daunting.

"I'm all for a challenge," she said.

While Pacatte and her husband have made a commitment to stay in Clarence while their daughter, just entering ninth grade, finishes high school, Pacatte said she's fully committed to helping Batavia grow.

"Batavia is at the crossroads of Western New York," Pacatte added. "I really, really believe there is an opportunity here, and there is an opportunity to inspire the independent thinkers, those who want to see progress."

Lindsay Kuhn, of Smoke Ridge Organics and Butterflies, visited the Richmond Memorial Library on Friday afternoon for the children's summer reading program. Kuhn brought with her a box of butterflies -- 55 of them stored in wax envelopes ready for release into the wild by the children. After about a 20-minute talk on the different kinds of butterflies, why they're important to the environment and their life cycles, each child was given a butterfly to release.

Press release:

United Memorial Hospital will host a free Health Fair from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20 at Cary Hall, 211 E. Main St., Batavia. The fair has been planned to coincide with the City of Batavia’s “Summer in the City” event.

Rochester radio’s WBEE 92.5 FM will host a live remote with personality Steve Hausmann from the Bee’s Morning Coffee Club from 2 to 4 p.m. They will host live on-air interviews, play games, and give away prizes.

The Health Fair will feature free screenings provided by United Memorial’s Healthy Living Department for total cholesterol, blood pressure, body fat analysis, and blood glucose. (Please fast for two hours prior to the blood glucose test for accurate results.) Dr. William Guthinger will provide free prostate health checks for men.

United Memorial’s Infection Prevention Department will provide information, appropriate hand-hygiene education, and demonstrate the detection of organic material using ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) on surfaces.

Complimentary hot dogs and beverages will be also be available.

Under the tent, several community partners will offer information, free giveaways and games. Participants include the YMCA, YWCA, Genesee County Department of Health, HCR Home Care, Cancer Services Partnership of Genesee and Orleans Counties, UMMC’s Summit Physical and Occupational Therapy, Community Action Center of Genesee and Orleans, UMMC’s Maternity Department and lactation consultant, Catholic Charities, Independent Living of Genesee Region, the Veterans War Memorial Committee, UMMC Foundation, Fidelis, Brighton Securities, Planned Parenthood, the NYS Department of Public Service, Genesee County ARC, Procair/UMMC Sleep Lab, and Dr. Jeffery A. Goldstein.

At least five people showed up to Present Tense Books on Thursday as a result of the Genesee Cash Mob effort organized by Chris Charvella.

There may have been more customers come in because of the novel effort to promote local businesses, said owner Erica Caldwell, but only five people said specifically that they came in because of the "cash mob."

"I know some of them hadn't been in the store before and I think it's fantastic if it gets people to visit a store they hadn't been in before," Caldwell said.

It's hard to say, said Caldwell, if the business day was bigger than normal.

"There is no normal," she said. "Business fluctuates so much day to day, there is no baseline to compare it to."

But that's almost beside the point, Caldwell indicated.

The key of the Genesee Cash Mob idea is to promote the idea of shopping locally at independently owned businesses, which Caldwell fully supports.

"It was definitely worth it," Caldwell said.

And she figures being the first cash mob effort, the participation will only grow. She didn't have high expectations for a big return, being the business selected for the first week.

"It was wonderful being the first business selected," Caldwell said. "I'm very proud of that because it means we must be doing something right."

The following streets in Downtown Batavia will be closed from 8 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. on Saturday: 

Bank at Washington
Main at Upton Monument
Main at Liberty / Summit
Jackson at Ellicott
Center at School
Court at Ellicott
Jefferson at intersection of Tonawanda Valley FCU and Wendy’s parking lots
Wendy’s - Main Street entrance

For the Don Carroll 5K,  barricades set up at:

Post Office / Police Station parking lot at Jefferson (3 p.m.)
Jefferson and Washington Avenue (at noon)
West side of Jefferson along Austin Park - cones at 8 a.m.

Main Stage: Will be located in front of Wendy’s / County Building #1 on Main Street facing east. Entertainment: begins at 2 and ends at 10 p.m.
Featured: Terry Buchwald “Elvis”, Ghost Riders and Shama Lama

Vendors: Crafters and nonprofits will be located on Main Street. Food and commercial vendors will be on the northside of Main Street from in front of Larry’s Steakhouse west to corner of Main and Jefferson. KidsZone will be in front of City Hall in the parking lot. Commercial and nonprofits will be on south side of Main Street from Jackson Street west to Court Street.

Super Cruise: Vehicles will be on both sides of Main Street from Jackson Street east to Liberty / Summit. Overflow of vehicles will be parked on Jackson, School  Center and Bank Streets.

Valeriya Melnichuk, a foreign exchange student who worked as an intern for Genesee Justice over the summer, will return to her home in Kyrgyzstan with a few big impressions of Batavia.

First, the people are friendly.

Also, in her time at Genesee Justice, she saw first-hand the benefits of educating drunken drivers about the dangers of DWI.

Genesee Justice also opened her eyes to ways her own country's justice system could better assist victims of crime.

And one observation that might not surprise some readers: American sure go easy on their criminals.

The 19-year-old Melnichuk is a student at American University in Central Asia. She is majoring in international and comparative politics with a minor in law.

She speaks Russian, Kyrgyz, French and English, and her English is nearly flawless.

Her first visit to Genesee County was in 2008 when she was an exchange student at Pembroke High School.

When she graduates she hopes to work in her home country on public policy, particularly as it relates to law.

The internship at Genesee Justice, she thought, would give her a perspective on how policy devised at one level of government impacts local government.

For example, the provision of Leandra's Law that requires convicted drunken drivers to install ignition interlock devices could have used a little more policy study before being implemented, Melnichuk said.

The law, while well intended, will eventually bankrupt the interlock device companies, she said, because it's too easy for drivers to claim they can't afford the devices, and if a judge agrees, the device is provided and installed at the expense of the company.

"There's too many people who get them for free," Melnichuk said. "They tell the judge they can't afford it, but they drive a nice car and they can afford to get drunk. I see the good idea in it, but they're too easy to get for free."

Two ideas that Melnichuk would like to take back to Kyrgyzstan are rooted in the restorative justice mission of Genesee Justice.

First, Melnichuk she thinks that it's a good idea to require people convicted of DWI to be educated on the dangers of DWI, to have their progress monitored and to require them to do some community service.

"It's not just letting people pay a fine or go to jail," she said. "They have to think about what they've done."

Second, she believes it's a good idea to provide a victim assistance program. Genesee Justice helps victims understand the criminal justice system, walks victims through court proceedings and ensures they get restitution.

She recalled one case this summer where a poor family in Batavia that relies strictly on bicycles for transportation, had a son's bike stolen.

Genesee Justice, while looking for a donated bike, found the stolen bike and returned it to the boy.

"That's a small thing, but it helps a lot," she said.

It's also a part of small-town life that Melnichuk, who comes from a city of one million people, came to appreciate.

In Genesee County, almost everybody knows somebody else that you know, and people are friendlier.

"It's not like my home city or New York City, where everybody is in a hurry," Melnichuk said. "Here people will smile and say hello even if they don't know you. In the city, you rush through and it's good if you still have your purse after you run through a crowd."

Still, Melnichuk is surprised at the seemingly light sentences convicted criminals get in New York.

She said maybe it's just the way she was raised -- strict parents who gave her the freedom to pursue her dreams, but required discipline, or a school system that required uniforms and wouldn't allow students to talk during class or sass teachers -- but she thinks the sentences given to convicts are pretty minimal.

"Your prisons are pretty nice," Melnichuk said. "Compared to back home, they're a lot nicer. And here, some person will commit some horrible crime and they'll get just seven years. Me, I would have given them 25 years."

With her internship nearly done, the observations made and the lesson's learned, Melnichuk is ready to return home a week from Sunday, but she said she has really enjoyed her time in Batavia.

A hand-painted sign on the back of Main St. Pizza Company on East Main Street, Batavia, has the local zoning board's blessing, according to shop owner Vic Marchese.

He said that the zoning board approved a variance for the sign on Tuesday, even though the county planning board had recommended disapproval.

The sign was painted by local muralist Vinny DelPlato earlier this summer. It was only after Delplato completed the work did Marchese learn the painting, considered a sign, not art work, needed city approval.