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As part of the summer program at the Holland Land Office Museum, students who were members of the program participated in making a quilt. Each student drew a picture of their favorite item in the museum and then the picture was scanned into a computer and printed on a piece of cloth. The Museum Quilt Guild then sewed the pieces together. 

The quilt was presented to the museum today and will be placed on display.

Pictured are some members of the guild (not all guild members were present, and not all pictured participated in the quilt's creation). In the picture are, from left, Cheryl Doody, Jeff Donahue (executive director of HLOM), Jean Butzer, Ethyl Sojda, Dodie Morrison, Ann Gouinlock, Christine Hansen and Anne Marie Starowitz.

Starowitz was leader of the summer program and said the quilt was the highlight project of the summer.

With the planned yogurt plants for Alpina and PepsiCo in Batavia, there's nothing but opportunity ahead for regional dairy farmers, according to Kim Pickard-Dudley, general manager of the membership division of Upstate Niagara Cooperative.

More yogurt means more milk and farmers are ready to meet the demand, Pickard-Dudley said.

"We're obviously excited for this opportunity for farmers," Pickard-Dudley said.

Upstate built its own yogurt plant in West Seneca in 2006 and a year ago purchased a 100-year-old plant in Watertown.

Alpina and PepsiCo have both broken ground on sites in the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, though PepsiCo has yet to reach a purchase agreement with the GCEDC (negotiations are, we hear, currently going on at the Albany level) for the 81-acre parcel. 

Regional farmers will be able to adjust capacity to meet all the demand for milk to make yogurt, Pickard-Dudley said.

Whether that milk comes through Upstate or yogurt manufacturers go directly to farmers is unknown at this time, Pickard-Dudley.

"Farmers are always up for a challenge for meeting new demands on supply," Pickard-Dudley said.

Pickard-Dudley was in Batavia at the O-AT-KA offices on Monday to meet with Rep. Kathy Hochul, who discussed with Upstate representatives her bill to create a guest worker program to assist New York's agricultural industry.

Batavia PD is looking for the operator of this red pickup truck. The truck was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run property damage accident on Pearl Street. No further details were provided. Anyone with information should contact Officer Officer James DeFreze (email address removed as no longer relevant).

UPDATE 9:44 p.m.: Within an hour of this post going up, Officer DeFreze received information that helped him get in contact with the alleged operator. No further information available at this time. Officer DeFreze thanks the readers of The Batavian who responded for their assistance.

A female driver was transported to UMMC with a complaint of chest pain after this fender-bender on West Main Street at Porter Avenue shortly after 11 a.m. Police worked quickly to clear the scene, but traffic was tied up for about 15 minutes.

James E. Murray, 23, of 1 Cone St., Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal contempt, 2nd, unlawful imprisonment, 1st, strangulation, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Murray was arrested following the investigation into a domestic incident reported at 4:45 a.m., Monday. Murray was not on scene when police arrived at the alleged incident location. He turned himself in at Batavia PD headquarters at 2 p.m., Monday. He was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Lawrence D. Williams, 51, of 148 Hutchins St., Batavia, is charged with falsely reporting an incident. Williams is accused of calling the dispatch center at 10:46 p.m., Monday, and reporting a "gunfight" at a city address. Williams allegedly knew the information was false. Williams was jailed on $1,500 bail.

Sean P. Case, 34, of 50 S. Main St., Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct. Case was arrested following a report at 11:38 p.m., Monday, of a person on South Main Street near the Oak Street Extension yelling obscenities. Case was identified by witnesses.

Roger Lee Ballard, 18, of Liberty Street, Castile, and a 16-year-old of Route 362, Bliss, are charged with petit larceny. Ballard and the youth are accused of going into Kmart and taking several pieces of an Xbox gaming system out of their packages and concealing them in their pants and walking out of the store without paying for the items.

Aaron M. Zastrocky, 27, of 6870 Byron Holley Road, Byron, is charged with falsely reporting an incident, 3rd, and making a punishable false written statement. Zastrocky is accused of falsely reporting a vehicle stolen. Zastrocky allegedly signed a written statement reporting the vehicle stolen. Allegedly, the statement was false.

Daniel L. Russell, 36, of 152 S. Main St., Batavia, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. Russell was stopped at 2:09 a.m., Sunday, on West Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Rachel A. Fromwiller, 27, of 164 Main St., upper, Akron, is charged with throwing refuse on a public highway (littering), DWI and refusal to take a breath test. Fromwiller was arrested after Officer Kevin DeFelice received a complaint of a woman in a car at Wilson Farms on Pearl Street who may need assistance. Following an investigation, Officer DeFelice made the arrest.

A Central Avenue resident who admitted last month to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd -- a drug-dealing charge -- will spend four years in state prison, Judge Robert C. Noonan ruled today.

Derek Leach, 31, of 29 Central Ave., Batavia, was arrested in March following a parole check of his residence.

When law enforcement searched the apartment, investigators reportedly found numerous bags of cocaine.

Leach was on parole at the time of his arrest and he entered a guilty plea Nov. 7.

Also arrested with Leach were Eric Williams, 45, of 219 Washington Ave., and Randy G. Leach II, 24, of 58 South Main St. The status of their cases is not available at this time.

Patrick Raymond Krieger, 21, of East Main Street, Corfu, is charged with menacing, 3rd, reckless endangerment, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. Krieger was arrested following an investigation by Deputy Jason Saile and Deputy James Diehl into a 9-1-1 hang up call in the Village of Corfu at 3:50 a.m., Saturday. Krieger is accused of grabbing the steering wheel of a vehicle he was riding in and jerking it in an alleged attempt to scare or cause harm to the female driver. The vehicle nearly struck a tree and a mailbox when the driver lost control of the car. Krieger then allegedly took the ignition key and shoved it into the neck of the woman and made threats of physical harm. When the woman wouldn't exit the vehicle, Krieger allegedly grabbed her by her throat and hair and threw her out of the car and onto the ground. Krieger was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Nicholas J. Pascucci Jr., 21, of Main Road, Stafford, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 5th, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, unlawful possession of marijuana and inadequate stop lamps. Pascucci's vehicle was stopped by Le Roy Police on Friday afternoon for an alleged traffic violation. The officer suspected there may be narcotics in the car and requested the assistance of the Sheriff's K-9 unit. The K-9 reportedly alerted on the vehicle and Pascucci was found allegedly to be in possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. Pascucci was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Willie C. Armstrong, 40, of Tolland Avenue, East Hartford, Conn., is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Armstrong was charged following a traffic stop at 4:30 p.m., Nov. 20 on State Street, by Deputy Brian Thompson.

Christopher Nathaniel Johnson, 24, of Salina Street, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Johnson was charged following at traffic stop at 8:41 p.m., Saturday, on Route 33, Bergen, by Deputy Brad Mazur.

A 68-year-old man was injured Sunday evening after he was struck by a car while he walked through the crosswalk on Park Road at Batavia Downs.

Douglas Aiken, of Morrow Road, Pavilion, was taken by a Mercy EMS ambulance to the Genesee County Airport and then transported by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital.

Aiken was alert and conscious at the time of transport, according to Sgt. Greg Walker, Sheriff's Office. Walker said Morrow complained of head and shoulder pain. His injuries were not believed to be life threatening. He was taken to Strong as a precaution given the nature of the accident.

The driver, David L. Reeb, 60, of Corfu, had slowed while approaching the crosswalk, but did not stop, Walker said.

Reeb was cited for alleged failure to yield to a pedestrian.

A 10-year-old passenger in Reeb's station wagon was not injured, nor was Reeb.

Walker said the accident was the first car-pedestrian accident he can remember at the crosswalk outside Batavia Downs since the Downs reopened.

(Initial report)

A motor-vehicle accident with serious injuries is reported on Veterans Memorial Drive in front of Batavia Downs. Veterans Memorial Drive is being shut down, and so is the opposite end of that street, which becomes Park Avenue.

Staging area is in the parking lot of Kmart. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

Mercy medic on scene requests Mercy Flight to stand by in the hangar.

UPDATE 7:22 p.m.: Mercy medics are transporting a patients(s) to the hangar now. The parent of a victim is said to have arrived in the parking lot at Kmart.

UPDATE 7:26 p.m.: Officers are reopening Park Avenue.

UPDATE 7:34 p.m.: This was a car vs. pedestrian accident involving one victim, the pedestrian. The person is being transported via Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital. The patient is said to be alert, complaining of shoulder and head pain.

A person contacted dispatch saying he jumped from the second floor of a residence on Tracy Avenue and suffered an ankle injury.

There was reportedly a party at the residence at the time.

Law enforcement on scene and the person has been located. Mercy EMS dispatched.

The ambulance dispatched to Summit Street for better access to the patient's location.

UPDATE 4:24 a.m.: Patient being transported to UMMC.

Five people were jailed Friday, charged with grand larceny and accused of shoplifting from Kmart during a busy Black Friday morning.

The five suspects are all from Buffalo and were reportedly in a rented car when they went to the store at 8363 Lewiston Road.

The suspects were allegedly removing two HD TVs, two mobile phones, video games and numerous cosmetics when confronted by Kmart security.

The suspects fled, leaving behind much of their allegedly ill-gotten booty and headed toward Walmart.

One suspect was found in the Office Max parking lot.

The suspects reportedly tried discarding some of the allegedly stolen merchandise as they fled.

Arrested, charged with grand larceny, 4th, and jailed on $2,500 bail each were:

• Amanda P. Stephens, 25, of Schreck Avenue
• Brittanie S. Wofford, 24, of Hiddell Street
• Crystal M. Snow, 45, of Wohlers Street
• Jazzmen S. Welch, 21, of Goemble Avenue

Also charged, but released under supervision of Genesee Justice, was Emma M. Mills, 36, of Clay Street, Buffalo.

The case was investigated by Deputy Christopher A. Parker, with assistance from Deputy Daniel VanValkenburg, Investigator William Ferrando and State troopers J. Bryman and J. Jackson.

When Rep. Kathy Hochul stopped into Adam Miller Toy and Bicycles this afternoon, a constituent asked her what could be done to create more jobs. "Shop in local stores so they can expand and hire more people," Hochul said.

That was the theme of Hochul's visit to Batavia and Le Roy on Saturday.

While Saturday was dubbed as a "shop local" day by a group of national conglomerates, Hochul said it didn't really matter who was behind the push. The important thing was that this holiday season it's important for consumers to remember to spend at least some of their gift-giving dollars in locally owned stores, which provides more benefit to local communities than big box retailers.

Hochul stopped in at Adam Miller, Charles Men's Shop and the Enchanted Florist in Batavia, and then went out to Le Roy where she did some Christmas shopping at Vintage and Vogue and then visted the Jello Museum, where she also found a couple of gifts.

Ace ag reporter Tom Rivers was at Coffee Culture this morning with his son Ruben signing copies of his book "Farm Hands." The book is based on a series of articles Rivers wrote for the Batavia Daily News about his efforts to get out and work the fields, experiencing firsthand what it's like to be a farm hand. Rivers said so far the book has sold 5,500 copies. If you don't have your copy yet, it's available at Present Tense books and the Holland Land Office Museum.

There was a minor accident in the city -- reportedly no injuries -- at Main Street and Dellinger Avenue just before 4:30 p.m. One lane of traffic was blocked for about 20 minutes. No further information available.

Betty Sommer, a resident of Williamsville, worked in Batavia for five years, driving passed a former drive-thru bank location on East Main Street near Clinton Street thinking every day, "that would make a great coffee location."

"Finally," she said, "I decided to do it."

Sommer opened Kick-Ass Coffee nearly two weeks ago, on the same day sewer line construction began on East Main, cutting down on her visibility, but she said new customers have been finding her shop. It is a kiosk in East Town Plaza, standing alone, across the parking lot from Aldi's.

The coffee, she said, is fresh brewed from Latin American beans roasted in Buffalo and all of the ingredients in her breakfast sandwiches and subs are fresh. She bakes her own biscuits and muffins.

"Everything tastes just like you made it yourself at home," Sommer said.

Oscar Donaldo Ramirez-Castanon, 33, of Lewiston Road, Batavia, is charged with forcible touching. Ramirez-Castanon is accused of grabbing the breasts of a woman and trying to kiss her against her will. Ramirez-Castanon is currently jailed on a rape, 1st, charge.

Lori E. Connolly, 54, of 8819 Batavia Stafford Townline Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI and unsafe lane change. Connolly was stopped at 7:42 p.m., Monday, on East Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Kevin DeFelice.

Rachel Emma Pitz, 19, of Market Street, Attica, is charged with petit larceny. Pitz is accused of stealing $67.49 worth of merchandise from Kmart. 

Ashley Marie Budziszewski, 25, of Broadway Street, Oakfield, is charged with petit larceny. Budziszewski is accused of stealing $40.45 worth of merchandise from Kmart. 

Stephen Theron Ferry, 20, of Knowlesville Road, Oakfield, is charged with trespass. Ferry is accused of trespassing on Allen Foods property.

Jason Lee Cramer, 27, of Central Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Cramer is accused of shoplifting from Kmart.

Lamar Ateef Randall, 26, East Park Street, Albion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Randall was taken into custody on a warrant issued by Batavia City Court. Upon a search during his arrest, Randall was allegedly found in possession of marijuana.

Rather than mob a mall, golf enthusiasts mobbed local golf courses the day after Thanksgiving to take advantage of unseasonably warm weather.

Lisa Fickel, director of marketing for Terry Hills, said the course buzzed like a spring day this morning with golf carts zipping all over the place.

Above, Tim Braunscheidel watches his shot fly down the first fairway at Terry Hills. Braunscheidel was out for a round of golf with his father, Dave and their friends Scott Gibson and Dan Grefreth.

Nobody mobbed local stores today. There were no big sales. It was pretty much business as usual, and the shop owners we spoke with said business was pretty good.

"Black Friday is really about the big box stores," said Erica Caldwell, owner of Present Tense Books. "Our big weekend was our holiday open house last weekend."

The Christmas shopping season is still important to Present Tense, Caldwell said. There will be a lot of presents bought in the store, but no one-day big event will drive sales.

It's the same at Valle Jewelers where Mary Valle said so far they've sold one Christmas present. The rest of the sales -- and sales have been good of late, she said -- have been for birthdays, weddings and anniversaries.

Neither Caldwell nor Valle have big expectations for the nationally promoted "shop local" effort scheduled for Saturday.

"I'm curious to see if it has an impact," Valle said.

When you are ready to shop local this holiday season, check out the list of sponsors of The Batavian in the left rail (or just look at the ads on the page). There's a ton of great gifts to be found at local shops and a gift certificate from a local restaurant makes a great stocking stuffer.

By the time I made it out the shopping center on Veterans Memorial Drive, the Black Friday crowds had subsided, but the mall's developer, Cor Development Group, had brought in a horse-drawn wagon for customers. Santa was supposed to show up later in the afternoon and the company is planning a fireworks show for this evening.

I've had a couple of conversations recently that reminded me how fortunate we are to live in Genesee County.

The first was with a gentlemen who came into Delavan's on Friday night. He's from Ohio but visits Batavia regularly for business. He's decided to buy a small home here rather than always packing for a hotel stay.

"I love Batavia," he said. "It's a great little city. The people are friendly, the crime rate is low, there's a lot beautiful old homes around and it's a nice area."

The other conversation was with Jeff Stephen, the dairy industry expert. Stephen had no idea I was from California when we started to talk, but he began to compare Batavia to the so-called Golden State. Batavia, he said, was a great place for a company to set up business compared to California. We have good schools, the cost of living is so much lower, it's less crowded and people in Western New York, unlike California, he said, really appreciate their jobs.

San Diego, my hometown, can call itself America's Finest City, but I think where I live right now has it beat hands down.

There's a lot of advantages to living in Genesee County that are easy to forget as we go about our day-to-day business. Every community has its problems, and it's easy as we struggle to solve them to let them become bigger in our minds than they actually are, or to forget about all of the good things around us.

All of us in Genesee County have a lot to be thankful for, from the place we live, to the neighbors who are always ready to help, to the friends we stand by and who stand by us, to the families we cherish.

On behalf of myself, Billie, Lisa Ace and our correspondents, we want to thank both our readers and our advertisers for making it possible for us to live and work in America's Finest Little City. We wish you and yours the very best. Happy Thanksgiving!