People across the nation on Thursday participated in a protest against the policies of the Trump Administration, including in Batavia.
The protest was scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. The Batavian did not arrive until 7:20 p.m., when about 50 people were still present.
One protester said there had been a much larger group of protesters at the start of the protest, but thunderclouds and rain had left "only the diehards."
Photos by Howard Owens.
Could one of the people you see in these photos be the next Steve Moses, the 2015 winner of the CBS reality series Big Brother?
More than 300 people turned up at Batavia Downs on Wednesday to try and repeat what Moses did in the show's 17th season when Moses won slot as a constant through an audition at Batavia Downs.
"He was from the Fredonia area, but he was going to college in St Lawrence up by Alexandria Bay. and of course, we're on the way right. Batavia is right on the Thruway, so he timed his run after spring break to be here for the audition," said Ryan Hasenauer, vice president of business development for Western Regional Off-Track Betting.
Channel 8 out of Rochester, a CBS affiliate, ran the auditions, which involved potential contestants waiting their turn to step into a black-curtained booth to be filmed making their pitch to the show's producers. The video will be screened by the producers and the finalist selected.
"Some people are very reserved, and a lot of people are Type A's like me, where they're very loud about it," Hasenauer said. "They get excited, and like that young lady was saying that you were talking to earlier, she was somebody who's watched the show for a long time, 12 years. Some of these people are geared up to do it. It's an exciting thing for us."
That young lady was Chelsea Dezuko, from Buffalo.
"I've been watching Big Brother since I was maybe, like, 13," Dezuko said. "It's something that me, my mom, my sister, we would do together. We would get together, sit on the living room couch. It was like the one excuse that we got to stay up late for school, like past our bedtime."
Big Brother is really the only reality TV series she's watched.
"Honestly, I'm not a huge reality TV person, but Big Brother just feels different," she said. "I feel like there are people of all walks of life who enter the Big Brother house. I love the competitions. Like one of my Big Brother idols is probably Nicole F. She's won the show before."
Tacido Curry, from New York City, was in Batavia to take his second shot at auditioning for Big Brother. He returned from a trip to Brazil to make it to the audition.
"I'm one of a kind," Curry said. "I'm a little bit different, so I needed to be on the show."
And he likes his shot.
"I've watched all the seasons, so I wish I were there all the time," Curry said. "I have a very strong personality. I lived in many countries. I am a world survivor. I survived lots of crazy things in my life. I was kidnapped three times. I was in the World Trade Center. I survived the tsunami and the fires of Notre Dame. I'm sure I can survive in the big house. I have a big resume, you know, to share with people and provoke people, too."
Chris Hadlock, from Victor, thinks he's got the resume for a slot on the show as well.
"I've been doing this stuff my whole life," Hadlock said. "I was a professional musician for 30 years. Now, I'm a helicopter pilot. I kind of miss the limelight a little bit, so if I can entertain the crowd, you know what I mean, on a national level, let's do it."
Oakfield-Alabama beat Notre Dame in softball on Tuesday, 8-4.
Savannah Durham got the win, going all seven innings, giving up six hits, one walk, two earned runs while striking out 12.
Working in law enforcement, the way Sheriff Joseph Graff sees it, is the most rewarding job anybody can have.
He's enjoyed everything he's done since joining the Sheriff's Office in 2005 -- road patrol, criminal investigations, chief of road patrol, chief of investigations, and, since Jan. 1, sheriff.
"All of my positions here have been super rewarding for me," Graff said. "You know, everything that I've done, my road patrol time was exciting, fun, and rewarding. Then all the roles I've had subsequent to that have really followed the same suit. So if you ask me, which one I like the best, I've loved them all. I've loved all my positions here. They've all been great. You know, they all have different facets and different parts that are exciting. And you know, certainly I've enjoyed it all."
The Batavian interviewed Graff on Wednesday to see how he's settling into his new role after five months on the job.
Graff is a congenial and cheerful guy who has always been approachable, even on crime scenes and at serious accident scenes.
"I guess I have always tried to, whether it's people in the community or you guys (reporters), or anyone, give people the same amount of respect that you get from them,"
As a field training officer, Graff said that was the same ethic he tried to pass on to the rookies in his care.
Graff grew up in Stafford in a Catholic household, attending Byron-Bergen Central School for a year before transferring to St. Joe's. He graduated from Notre Dame and then attended St. John Fisher, where he studied finance and economics.
He wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but felt drawn toward law enforcement. In 1999, he landed a job with Genesee County Probation.
"Patrol jobs were fewer and farther between," Graff said. "Then, you know, at that time in department, life, in society, not a lot of people were retiring. The attrition rate was low. Retirements weren't as frequent as it is now. So I was on the deputy sheriff's list, and when an opening became available, I got hired as a deputy sheriff."
That was in 2005. He worked road patrol until 2015, when he was promoted to chief deputy of road patrol. In 2019, long-time lead criminal investigator Jerome Brewster retired, so Graff returned to investigations as chief deputy of that unit.
When did you first start thinking about becoming a sheriff some day?
"I think it's something that you always think about. You know, when you walk through the door on day one," Graff said.
Do you think all deputies think about becoming sheriff?
"I think they do. I think they should. I think when you do this job, that's something that you kind of always have in your mind, you know, 'Well, yeah, someday I want to be the sheriff.'"
He added, "As I progressed through my career, I had in my mind, always thinking of the end game that, yeah, something I would like to be the sheriff of Genesee County, which, I'm humbled and I'm honored by that."
And, he said, he felt ready for the job when the time came.
"I think having the two roles that I had before this, chief of the road, chief of the Investigation Division, really gave me a front row seat to how the operations work here," Graff said. Then once you get that job, certainly there are other doors. There are those moments of discovery of different things that you have to learn. I'm not naive to the fact that there is still to learn, but, you know, I felt prepared going into it, and certainly having good people around who you know, who have good thoughts and good insights, helps."
Undersheriff Brad Mazur, who also served as undersheriff for Sheriff William Sheron, has been a big help with the transition, Graff said.
"He's been invaluable," Graff said. "All the leaders that we have here at the Sheriff's Office, in the communications division, Animal Control, Genesee Justice, the CAC (Child Advocacy Center), the jail, the road patrol. The Sheriff's Office is more than you know. I'm glad we have established people here who are good leaders that I can trust."
As for goals, the Sheriff's Office, Graff said, has a tradition of community service.
"I want to maintain that, but at the same time, law enforcement has changed even in the course of my career," Graff said. "There's more to do. With the evolution of law enforcement and the changes in law enforcement, I want to make sure that we're staying in step with that and we're still able to provide the community with the services that we should be providing."
For example, he said, just from the time he started in investigations until now, things are "vastly different."
"The opportunities for investigative leads are much higher, but at the same time, we have different types of crimes that we're looking at, too," Graff said. "I don't want this to all be about investigations, but I'm just thinking that in the future, I want to make sure there are offices prepared to handle anything that comes our way."
One aspect of the job that has changed over the past 20 years is that today, there is a greater emphasis on officer wellness.
"I don't want to just say officer wellness. I want to say, our whole-department wellness," Graff said. "I think historically, law enforcement hasn't had a great track record of recognizing (wellness) and taking care of (wellness). We have become more cognizant of that in recent years. That's something that's on our radar and that we're working to better recognize the tolls that this profession takes. We're trying to be better, recognize that, and assist (officers) along the way."
Outside of public safety, what can law enforcement do to make society better?
"Certainly, public safety is our primary mission. ... We're also in the building community relations business, too. I think a perfect example of that is our SRO (school resource officers) program. They're certainly there for the safety aspect of schools, but they also build those relationships with the students in the schools. Those students relate to the deputy that's in the school as a person, and that certainly helps in that in the direction of public safety, too."
The cost to taxpayers for all the SROs in the county exceeds $1 million. Is it worth it?
"Absolutely. The safety of probably our most vulnerable population, our kids, should be a top priority for everyone. The SROs in the schools certainly provide that safety aspect. But as we were talking about a minute ago, I think the relationships they build in the schools, that they build with the students, probably have unseen benefits. You can't really put a number on it, or put a financial price on, just the benefits of having someone there who they know they can go to, builds a trusting relationship with police, which is obviously super important for a community."
Graff and his wife Erin celebrated their 20th anniversary in January. They have three daughters, Gabrielle, who is now in college, and Gianna and Lila both attend Byron-Bergen.
He credits his mom and dad for his work ethic.
"I always believed that if you're going to put your name on something, you want it to be right," Graff said.
He's proud to live and work in a community that supports law enforcement, he said.
"I think we're very fortunate that I live and work in a community where we have the support of our community," Graff said. "It's not like that in other places in the country. I am very grateful that we have the community support that we have here in this county. I think anyone who lives here feels that support. I think it's a great place to live. The weather can be a little shaky now and then, but I love winter. I do love winter. So that doesn't bother me at all."
Any final thoughts?
"I'll tell you, I'm super proud of the Sheriff's Office and who we are and what we do," Graff said. "I still love to come to work every day. I'm excited about opportunities in the future. I want everybody to be as proud of the Sheriff's Office as I am. I guess that's one of my goals."
A motorcyclist died at the scene of an accident that was reported at 6:46 p.m. on Monday at Route 19 and the I-490 on-ramp in Le Roy.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Duane L. Girdner, 65, of Rochester, was traveling northbound on Route 19 on a 2005 Vespa Motorcycle when the bike struck the rear passenger side door of a 2015 Chrysler 300, driven by Sara J. Stevens, 25, of Livonia, that was northbound approaching the on-ramp.
Steven allegedly failed to stop for a stop sign and failed to yield to oncoming traffic, pulling out in front of Girdner's bike.
The collision threw Girdner into the side of the vehicle, causing serious physical injuries. He was pinned under his Vespa until bystanders, Le Roy Fire, and Mercy EMS responded and administered life-saving measures.
Girdner succumbed to his injuries roadside and was pronounced dead by the Coroner's Office at the scene.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, and no charges were announced. The Crash Management Team is handling the investigation. Assisting at the scene were the Le Roy Fire Department, Mercy EMS, Le Roy PD, and multiple bystanders.
The Salvatore's Pizzeria chain, with more than 30 restaurants in the Rochester region, celebrated the opening of its first location in Genesee County, at Lewiston and West Main, Batavia, on Monday.
The new owners of the location are Kevin and Kari Consaul of Churchville.
Kevin said he's excited to open in Batavia because of the warm welcome he's received from the community.
"Over the past eight months, I witnessed vibrant energy throughout Batavia, in this community," Kevin said. "That lets me know that we made the right decision to be in Batavia -- things like, 'when are you opening,' and 'I love this pink roof,' and the best is, 'I love your pizza.'"
Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, go HERE or call 585-250-4004.
Shad Nowicki, an Ellicottville resident who has gained a national reputation as a pop artist specializing in vivid portraits of movie characters, appeared at Foxprowl Toys and Collectibles on Ellicott Street, Batavia, on Saturday.
He met with fans and discussed his work for six hours.
Owner Bill Hume said Nowicki "has been commissioned directly by many celebrities to do work for them and is very well-known in the Comic-Con circuit."
John F. Innes III, age 61, of Stafford, who passed away on March 29, was honored today with a truck memorial parade on Saturday from the Genesee County Fairgrounds through Stafford.
More than 50 trucks participated in the parade.
It was organized by Bruce Scofield, owner of Scofield Transfer & Recycling Inc., where Innes worked for nine years.
"He was like family to everyone at Scofield Transfer & Recycling," Scofield said. "He was a great employee. He never called in sick the entire time he worked for me."
Scofield said more than 250 people attended a celebration of life after the parade.
Photos by Howard Owens.
Will Bardenwerper's book about baseball in Batavia and America has been getting national attention and is currently ranked #17 on Amazon's list of best-selling baseball books.
The book, "Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America," is resonating with readers and reviewers.
That may signal, Bardenwerper said, that people are looking for small-town values of community.
"I think it speaks to the fact that maybe there is a real hunger for these kinds of places where people can come together for an affordable price and have a good time and kind of put some of the division that we find in our society behind us for a few hours and just have fun," Bardenwerper told The Batavian during a book signing at Eli Fish Brewing Co. on Saturday evening.
There have been several book reviews of Homestand published, including in major publications such as the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.
The book addresses the growing divide in America between the corporatist world of Major League Baseball and the grassroots game in places like Batavia, which lost its historic minor league team when MLB broke with tradition and consolidated its minor league affiliates. That decision turned out to make baseball in Batavia better with the arrival of Robbie and Nellie Nichols, owners of the revived Batavia Muckdogs of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.
If highlighting that dichotomy has ruffled any feathers in the executive suites at the MLB, Bardenwerper hasn't heard about it.
"I don't know to what extent it is or isn't on their radar," Bardenwerper said. "If it is, I'm guessing they just kind of would like it to go away."
If you missed Bardenwerper at Eli Fish, there is another book signing Saturday (today) in Medina at Author's Note Bookstore, as part of Independent Bookstore Day. Bardenwerper will be in store from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Other authors participating are Doogie Horner from 10:30 to noon and Mylisa Larsen from noon to 1:30 p.m. Author's Note is located at 519 Main St., Medina.
Genesee County will receive $61,096 as its share of a record distribution of profits for the first quarter by the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation.
The distribution to all 17 municipalities that control the OTB for the first three months of 2025 is $2,864,269, breaking the previous record, set in 2023 of $2,269,956.
The distribution for the first quarter of 2024 was $2,003,522.
"We've been very creative in our marketing," said Byron Brown, president and CEO of WROTB. "We have been marketing to individuals who are large players in our advertising campaign. We've been able to reduce the cost of advertising while increasing the number of television spots that we receive and the quality of service that people receive when people come here -- the friendliness of the staff, and the quality of the restaurants, is keeping people coming back."
The Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation is taking on the IRS in tax court over an employee retention tax credit that is worth about $5 million to the corporation.
The Internal Revenue Service's position is that the OTB is a government agency and, therefore, not eligible for the pandemic-era tax credit.
"We are not supported by the government. We don't report to the government," said John Owens, OTB's acting legal counsel. "We've made the argument that there have been other matters in which we've been held not to be an agency, that we're not and that we should be entitled to (the tax credit)."
The board approved a resolution to hire Lippes Mathias LLP, a Buffalo law firm, and the only firm to bid on the project, to represent WROTB in tax court. The agreement authorizes an hourly payment up to $200,000 to handle the case and a $250,000 contingency fee if the firm wins the case.
The credit is available to eligible employers that paid qualified wages to some or all employees after March 12, 2020, and before Jan. 1, 2022.
One of the arguments that Batavia Downs is a business is that the corporation received a PPP loan during the pandemic, which was a program not available to government agencies.
"We were determined to be eligible for that, and that was fully vetted," Owens said. "We had opinions of counsel, and everyone said, yes, we were eligible for the PPP."
About three weeks ago, a minor -- a person under 18 years of age -- was found on the gaming floor at Batavia Downs, a violation of state law.
Officials at Batavia Downs self-reported the violation. The result was a $10,000 fine.
Since that violation, all guests at Batavia Downs are being asked to present an ID to prove they're over 18 to enter the gaming floor.
"I think this was actually the third (violation)," said Byron Brown, president and CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting. "The first one was $1,000, I believe. The second one was $5,000, and the third one was $10,000. We took immediate action after each of these to make changes. But after the third one, we went to the ID and the all-visitor policy."
The new ID policy was approved by the New York State Gaming Commission.
Staff at the state's Gaming Association informed WROTB executives that there is a push to implement an ID requirement for casinos statewide. The association's position is that requiring ID should be voluntary.
"We have already implemented it," Brown told the board during Thursday's meeting. "It's going smoothly, and whichever way it goes with the state, we are ahead of the curve, and we are IDing all customers that come into the property, and hopefully that will put us in a position where we no longer incur any fines from minors being able to find their way onto the gaming floor."
ID is being required of all customers to ensure that no youth is able to "present" as older than 18, Brown said. There was initially some push back from regular customers but that has faded, Brown said, as IDing becomes the new normal.
"We don't want to give away our money that's being earned by being fined again," Brown said. "Our security does a good job. Sean and his team do a good job. So things are going very smoothly with that at this point."
The Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation is close to hiring a new chief financial officer, President and CEO Byron Brown said after Thursday's board meeting.
The search is necessary in order to replace CFO Jackie Leach, who is retiring.
Brown said the board authorized the use of a search firm that specializes in working with CFO candidates who have gaming experience.
"So we've got additional resumes, including an internal candidate, and we hope to be able to make a selection in the very near future," Brown said.
The board is also looking to hire a new general counsel to replace Henry Wojtaszek, who served both as CEO and general counsel.
"We had a number of highly qualified resumes for general counsel," Brown said. "We did not have to utilize a search firm for the General Counsel. We are very close to selecting someone for general counsel."
Board President Dennis Bassett commended the board, particularly those members who have participated in search committees.
It's been nearly 10 months since the board agreed to buy out Wojtaszek's contract, along with Leach's and that of VP of Operations William White.
"We will have brought on board a total of seven senior-level executives into this organization when we're finished with the chief financial officer and legal counsel, and there has been tremendous activity to make sure that we get a good cross section of those members that have agreed to serve on committees," Bassett said. "I think the process has gone very well, and I would like to thank each and every board member who has taken the time to participate in the selection process."
Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. and the union representing OTB branch employees have reached a new two-year bargaining agreement that will give the branch employees two 3% annual raises.
The OTB board approved the proposed contract on Thursday. The Public Service Employees Union local must also approve the agreement.
As part of the agreement, WROTB executives agreed not to close any branches during the first year of the agreement.
"That was a big concern with the branch employees. When we met with them, they were concerned about the future of the branches," said Steve Casey, chief of staff to the CEO.
Under the terms of the agreement, the union and OTB management will form a committee to investigate ways to cut costs, as some branches are losing money.
The goal of the committee would be to "make sure we can achieve long-term stability," Casey said.
Casey said negotiations for the new contract took about six months.
The PSEU also represents employees at Batavia Downs, and there are separate negotiations for a new bargaining agreement with them. In all, about 52 percent of the corporation's employees belong to the union.
"We had good discussions with the union and their labor representative, Antonella Rotilio," said Byron Brown, president and CEO of WROTB.
Expansion of healthcare services, the limited number of dialysis clinics in the region, Medicaid expenditures, and naturopathic medicine — healthcare topics were top of mind for many in the audience of Wednesday's Town Hall Meeting in Darien, hosted by State Senator George Borrello.
The first speaker was a man named Tim who said that when his kidneys failed, his wife donated one of her kidneys to him, and that required him to be on dialysis for 18 months. It was hard, he said, to access clinics in the area. There had been one in Mount Morris, he said, but when the doctor left, the clinic closed.
Borrello, representing the 57th Senate District, said he's discussed the clinic shortage with providers and the biggest issue isn't a lack of willingness to expand -- hiring doctors is a major issue, and Borrello blamed the state's arcane licensing system.
"We have this ridiculous, long process of actually licensing those folks as if somehow being a doctor in Pennsylvania is so much different than being a doctor in New York," Borrello said. "One time, it took us a year and a half to get a surgeon who wanted to move from Pennsylvania, who had been practicing for 16 years as a surgeon, to New York to go practice only. In general, it took a year and a half to get through the red tape of the state government. My point is that we make it more difficult for people who want to get into that profession to come here."
Chetna Chandrakala, chief financial officer for Oak Orchard Health, asked Borrello to support a proposal that is currently part of the state budget bill that is designed to increase federal Medicaid reimbursements by restructuring the tax on health insurance. Health insurance providers would be reimbursed for the tax from the increased federal funding, so the proposed tax would not affect premiums for Medicaid and Essential Plan programs. However, it could result in a small increase for private plans. The proposal could generate $50 million for Federally Qualified Health Centers, allowing for expanded services and fee schedule increases (more information).
Chandrakala acknowledged the people seeking an increase in services and said, "We want to be able to provide that help, that medical help, but health centers are not getting the rate increases."
Borrello expressed frustration that out of a $260 billion state budget, not enough is being done to assist the people in the state who most need help paying for healthcare.
"Some of the most vulnerable people in our communities -- senior citizens, those with chronic disease, people with mental health issues, and the developmentally disabled are not getting enough help," Borrello said. "So, where is all this money going if it's not going to those folks? Yes, we should --your reimbursement rates should be increased. And there is certainly money to do that."
Borrello said that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo cut Medicaid payments, and Gov. Kathy Hochul has tried addressing the issue, but it hasn't been enough to keep pace with inflation.
One issue plaguing Medicaid, Borrello said, is what an organization known as the Empire Center has identified as the "missing million."
Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the percentage of New Yorkers getting at least some of their healthcare coverage through Medicaid has increased to 37% of the population.
In 2022, Empire Center determined that there were 6.6 million people enrolled in Medicaid and another one million on the Essential Plan; however, Census Bureau data indicates only about 5.5 million New Yorkers are income eligible for any level of Medicaid assistance, so enrollment was two million higher than the demographic estimates would suggest, with about one million of that excess being attributed to Medicaid.
The Empire Center urged lawmakers to investigate the disparity to ensure Medicaid eligibility guidelines are being properly enforced. Some of the people in that missing million could be people who purchase health insurance through the Marketplace but pay the premiums without any Medicaid coverage.
"Empire Center FOILed the qualifications for all people on Medicaid, and the Department of Health, particularly the division of Medicaid, refused to respond to that full request for over a million people," Borrello said. "That means there are a million people in New York we can't prove actually exist that are qualified. If we cut that alone, we could give you all the money you needed."
A naturopathic medicine provider, who provided a first name of Michael, asked Borrello to support a bill that would provide licensing in New York for naturopathic doctors.
Borrello said that while he wasn't familiar with the current proposed legislation, he supports the idea in concept.
"On the surface, I would say I would support that. The more people who are providing more diverse medical health and advice, I think, is a good thing," Borrello said.
He acknowledged that there may be opposition from associations representing doctors and nurses, and they may have good reasons to lobby against the bill, but that doesn't mean there can't be negotiations and compromise.
"There's got to be a way to find a common ground there to see if there is some kind of modification that will allow it to happen," Borrello said.
While issued at the national level are outside of a state senator's job description, Borrello agreed to address questions about those issues, as well.
On other topics, one person asked how voters could help fight the "progressive movement" in the state.
"You know, I think the vast majority of New Yorkers all want the same thing," Borrello said. "They want to be able to live affordably and safely here in New York State. And there is definitely this far-left progressive movement that's based in New York City that is pushing back against that. And the best way to fight is to help educate your friends and neighbors across the state, people that you know."
He said nearly everybody belongs to some statewide association that enables them to interact with people around the state, and Upstate residents should use those networks to help inform others about the impact of progressive policies.
On the proliferation of solar farms in Upstate, Borrello called the initiative a "green energy scam."
"This is not about climate change," Borrello said. "This is about money. Some folks on Wall Street figured out about a decade ago, this is a guaranteed return on their investment. 'Why should we risk our money in the market when we're guaranteed a return on investment courtesy of the taxpayers?'"
He said none of these farms would get built anywhere in the nation without taxpayer subsidies because there is no profit in wind and solar.
The statement is partially true.
Warren Buffett has said, “We get a tax credit if we build a lot of wind farms. That’s the only reason to build them. They don’t make sense without the tax credit.”
However, recent analyses show that the cost of building new wind and solar farms is now competitive with, or even lower than, building new fossil fuel plants—even without subsidies. For example, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and Lazard both report that, on an unsubsidized basis, new wind and solar projects can be as cheap or even cheaper than new natural gas or coal plants in many regions of the United States.
The topic of guns came up, with one person complaining about the difficulty of getting a pistol and wondered why the state "caters" to people who oppose gun rights.
"You know, we live in a blue state, right? And even though, if you look at the map, most of the state is red, the high population centers are blue, and that's where most of the leadership comes from," Borrello said. "They absolutely cannot stand the Second Amendment."
He said the state's leadership is trying to kill gun rights by a thousand cuts.
"The most recent thing was background checks for ammunition purchases, all these ridiculous things that, in the end, really aren't stopping any crime," Borrello said. "If you could say, 'Yeah, look, crime is plummeting in New York State thanks to all these gun laws.' But that's just not true. Crime is up, so restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens is the goal."
The ammunition background check was initiated in 2023, and so far, only 0.55% of transactions have been denied.
In 2024, crime in New York City declined by 3%. Statewide, since the pandemic, homicides in the state have declined by 53%. Gun violence declined by more than 26% in 2024 compared to 2023. Those stats do not necessarily prove that any particular gun law is contributing to the reduction, as there may be other social and economic factors at play.
One person praised the effort of DOGE, the controversial Elon Musk-initiated effort to reduce the size of the federal government, and asked for a similar effort in New York.
Borrello said he is supporting a bill to create a Commission on Government Efficiency. He said it would operate differently from DOGE because it would be a commission that would investigate waste.
"It would be made up of folks who are already in the system," he said. "I think it's a good idea. Like I said, there is so much money being wasted."
To those who said they were unhappy about the elimination of the federal Department of Education, Borrello said he was a strong supporter of public schools and that it was his understanding that while the DOE was being closed, its essential funding, such as Title 1, would remain.
The Town Hall wrapped up on a friendly note with a self-professed socialist endorsing any potential run by George Borrello for Congress.
"My name is Sam, and I live in Genesee County," Sam said. "I grew up here. I am a card-carrying socialist, and I want to say that out loud in this room, because I own a gun. There's a gun under my bed. I hunt. My husband is going to a gun safety course on Saturday run by socialists. So I think it's important to close the divide a little bit. We are not the evil left, and you are not the evil right. In fact, if you were to run for Claudia Tenney's spot, who won't answer emails, who refuses (to attend) town halls, who will not hold town halls, I would vote for you."
Borrello said he appreciated the comment.
"Here's the thing, folks, and maybe we'll close on this, what divides us is so small compared to what unites us, and we've kind of forgotten that," he said. "I mean, we've got to try to figure out the things that separate us and how we can at least agree to disagree. We used to be able to agree to disagree. That was what made America different from every other country in the world, because in other countries, when you disagree, it's time to go to war. We had the ability to agree to disagree, and we've lost that. I'd love to see us try to get back to that. I'd love to have a friendly conversation and discuss the things that we agree on and disagree on, and then agree to disagree."
A 40-year-old Le Roy woman is facing a reckless endangerment charge in connection with a house fire reported at 4 Union St., Le Roy, on Monday at 10:55 a.m.
Det. Kaden Vangalio and Officer William Riley, Le Roy PD, were the first on scene, and helped an elderly woman, the suspect's mother, from the burning building.
"Their actions, along with the efforts of LeRoy Fire, EMS, and all assisting agencies, ensured that all occupants were safely evacuated and no lives were lost," said Le Roy Chief Greg Kellogg.
The occupants of an adjoining unit, a mother and son, were also displaced by the fire.
According to Le Roy PD, Kelcia Storey admitted to smoking crack cocaine on Sunday night in a second-floor bedroom. In the morning, she allegedly attempted to light a cigarette using two broken lighters while sitting on her bed. Investigators believe this attempt ignited the mattress and surrounding materials, sparking the fire.
Storey allegedly left the residence and drove to Rochester to purchase more crack cocaine. She drove her mother's vehicle to Rochester. She allegedly admitted to using her purchase before driving back to Le Roy on a revoked driver's license.
Kellogg credited Vangalio and Riley for the investigation that led to Storey's arrest.
Red Cross is assisting the residents.
The department thanked Le Roy Fire, Genesee County Emergency Management, along with the mutual aid companies that responded to the scene for their teamwork and professionalism.
Photos courtesy Le Roy PD.
Adrienne S. Bechtold, 29, of Vine Street, Batavia, Jacob W. Patterson, 29, of Vine Street, Batavia, and Rebecca I. Patterson, 58, of Batavia, are charged with multiple crimes. (Note, the charges are not specified by person in the press release and it's unclear which charges apply to all and which might apply to only a single individual). The charges are, six counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd, three counts of promoting prison contraband 1st, two counts of tampering with physical evidence, three counts of conspiracy 4th, two counts of criminally using drug paraphernalia, one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, moving from lane unsafely, and insufficient turn signal. On April 15, deputies conducted a traffic stop on the Thruway near mile marker 390.9 after observing alleged traffic violations. Deputies reportedly became suspicious of criminal activity after observing "several criminal indicators," so they requested the assistance of Batavia PD K9 Batu. As a result of the search, narcotics were allegedly located in the vehicle. After the search, one of the suspects produced more narcotics that the person had concealed on his or her person. The three people were transported to the Genesee County Jail for processing. At the jail, more narcotics were allegedly found on Bechtold and Jacob Patterson. They are accused of possessing two ounces of cocaine as well as fentanyl. Rebecca Patterson was released on an appearance ticket. Bechtold and Jacob Patterson were held pending arraignment. The investigation was conducted by Deputy Nicholas Chamoun, Deputy Alexander Hadsall, Deputy Jeremy McClellan, and Officer Stephen Quider, Batavia PD, handler of K-9 Batu.
Carrie Ann Stewart, 44, of Park Road, Batavia, is charged with burglary 3rd and petit larceny. Stewart is accused of entering and remaining in Walmart with the intent to commit a crime at 8:31 p.m. on April 14.
Michael Anthony Fanizza, 31, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass 2nd. Fanizza is accused of entering another person's residence in Oakfield and remaining there without permission at 1:20 pm. on April 18. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Michaela Ruth Bohn, 25, of Clinton Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and speeding. Bohn was stopped at 11:44 p.m. on April 19 on Clinton Street Road, Bergen by Deputy Jonathan Dimming. He was issued traffic tickets and released.
Batavia police officers or seeking the public's assistance with an investigation into an incident in the parking lot of the East Main McDonald's on Easter Sunday that led to one man being stabbed.
When police arrived on scene, one male was located at that location.
The other male, who sustained a knife wound, was not at the scene when police officers responded to the report of a disturbance. He was latter located at a residence in the city. His injuries was not life-threatening. CIty Fire and Mercy EMS responded to the residence and the person was transported to a hospital in Rochester for further treatment.
All subjects believed to be involved in the incident have been identified and police say there is no ongoing risk to public safety.
Investigators are encouraging possible witnesses to come forward.
Tips can be provided by calling 585-345-6350, the confidential tip line at 585-345-6370 or by clicking here.
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