A woman has reportedly died following a head-on collision on Route 19 at North Street Road, Le Roy.

According to Chief Deputy Brian Frieday, a vehicle was southbound on Route 19 when it slowed to make a left turn on North Street Road. Another vehicle behind that car tried to pass on the west shoulder and that driver apparently lost control of her car causing it to cross back across the southbound lane and into the northbound lane where it struck a northbound SUV.

The driver of the car that was attempting the southbound pass was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the SUV was transported to Strong with non-life-threatening injuries.

The name of the victim has not been released pending family notifications.

The accident is still under investigation.

Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance responded to the scene and Route 19 was closed between Seldon Road and West Bergen Road. (At the intersection of the fatality, Randall Road is west of Route 19; and across Route 19 to the east, the same roadway becomes North Street Road.)

UPDATE: The Sheriff's Office reports that Bonnie B. Dean, 77, of Churchville, died as a result of the crash. The other driver was identified as Penne M. Vincent, 56, of Fairport. Vincent was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital for treatment of her injuries. Dean was driving a 2008 Chevy Cobalt. Vincent was driving a 2013 GMC Terrain. According to the press release, Dean attempted to pass an uninvolved vehicle on the right, on the west shoulder and was unable to maintain control of the vehicle, causing it to cross into the northbound lane. The cause of the crash is under investigation by Chief Deputy Brian Frieday, Sgt. Andrew Hale, Sgt. James Deihl, Sgt. Jason Saile, Deputy Richard Schildwaster, Deputy Mat Clor, and Deputy Travis Demuth. Assisting at the scene were Le Roy Detective John Condidorio, and officers Gregory Kellogg and Stephen Cappotelli as well as Le Roy fire, Le Roy ambulance, and Mercy EMS.

Alecia Kaus/Video News Service contributed to this story. Photos by Alecia Kaus.

From Batavia Muckdogs:

BATAVIA – The Batavia Muckdogs are looking for the area’s best singers to perform the "Star-spangled Banner" prior to first pitch at Dwyer Stadium during our historic 80th season of professional baseball in Batavia.

The Muckdogs will hold open auditions at Dwyer Stadium from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 23rd. The team encourages individuals and groups to visit and give their best performance for the opportunity perform before the crowd during one of our 38 home games.

Those wishing to tryout must keep their performance under 90 seconds while using a traditional style with minimal creative variation. Vocalists must be a cappella, although instrumental auditions are welcome.

Individuals and groups wishing to audition must fill out an application form upon arrival at Dwyer Stadium prior to the audition. Singers and their immediate families will receive complementary game tickets on the date of their performance. For questions, please contact the Muckdogs at 585-483- 3647.

About the Muckdogs

Recognized as the birthplace of the New-York Penn League and one of it’s founding franchises, 2019marks the 80th season of professional baseball in Batavia, NY. Operated by Batavia Muckdogs Inc., the Muckdogs are the Class A Short Season Affiliate of the Miami Marlins and the only professional sports franchise in Genesee County.

The planned move of the Youth Bureau to St. Anthony's on Liberty Street, Batavia, is on schedule and the new program should open in time for the school year this fall, said Jocelyn Sikorski in an interview last week.

Sikorski is the director of both the city's and the county's Youth Bureau and the combined program will move from its current location at 12 MacArthur Drive, Batavia, this summer.

The Youth Bureau will go from a 1,800-square-foot building to more than 11,000 square feet of available space, and from a location practically on the outskirts of the City to one near the center of the city and closer to the underserved youth population on the Southside.

St. Anthony's has already become an important youth activity spot thanks to its owner, City Church, and the work of Ryan Macdonald, who leads youth and community activities on Tuesday nights.

Teen City will offer after-school programs to youths age 9 to 16, including a classroom/tech room, recreation room, gaming room, cafeteria, kitchen and full gymnasium during program hours, which are set at 2:30 to 6 p.m. from Monday through Friday during the school year, and 1 to 6 p.m. during the summer.

"There are a lot of youth on the Southside who want those services, who are utilizing those services with Ryan on Tuesday nights, so we’re going to meet the needs of the community as they are and serve those kids who may not be coming to the youth center because of its current location," Sikorski.

The move is expected to be completed in August.

Teen City is a joint project of the Youth Bureau, St. Anthonys's/City Church, the YMCA, and United Way.

"It’s worked out well," Macdonald said. "We love the kids. We think the kids, for the most part, love us. We’re looking for the whole community to be involved.

"We can’t do it on our own and that’s the key takeaway," Macdonald added. "The YMCA is going to be involved the Youth Bureau, the City and the County, United Way is going to be involved. I think that’s an important takeaway because not one entity can do it all on their own. If we work together at it we can get a whole lot more done."

With 100 kids showing up every Tuesday at St. Anthony's, Sikorski said there is ample evidence there is demand for a program like Teen City that is easier for more kids in the city to reach.

With the help of the school district, transportation will be provided to kids who might find St. Anthony's too far away to walk or bike to.

"The other positive is we're modeling the school's behavior and rules with what we’re developing so there will be consistency for these kids," Sikorski "They will know what their expectations are. It’s not going to be any different.

"This will be supervised and structured and it will be a safe place for those kids to go," she added.

The former Youth Bureau building will be taken over by City Schools. Superintendent Chris Dailey said near-term plans are for the high school to use the front parking lot and the building for storage during the ongoing capital improvement project.

The community garden behind the Youth Bureau building will be able to expand into the basketball court area.

Macdonald said he sees this as a positive move for what City Church offers at St. Anthony's and the children of the community.  The Tuesday night programs themselves are expensive to run and only survive because of the generous support of sponsors. Now the children of the area will have more options and more support.

"We’ve all needed somebody to speak into our lives, to love us, to care for us at certain points, and not to say the parents aren’t doing that but we want to add to it," Macdonald said.

The Batavia Youth Bureau moved to the former community pool location in 1998 after the City sold the Bank Street location, which housed the youth bureau and senior services, to the County, which took over the Senior Center at that time. Now it's moving to St. Anthony's.

Information from the USDA:

The Town of Le Roy is the recipient of an $89,000 loan and a $34,000 grant from the USDA's Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program to build Water District #11.

According to today's announcement by the USDA, in Washington, D.C., this project will extend public water service to eight residential users in the town who currently do not have safe potable water. The announcement did not specify where Water District #11 to benefit eight households is located.

The investment will eliminate health concerns, lower costs and provide better water quality and quantity as well as fire protection.

Le Roy's project is one of 40 approved in 20 states intended to improve rural water infrastructure. The investments will benefit 111,000 rural Americans, according to USDA.

“These investments will have a far-reaching, positive impact on rural residents, businesses and communities,” said Joel Baxley, acting assistant secretary for Rural Development. “Improving water and wastewater infrastructure enhances quality of life, helps support economic development and ensures that rural areas have safe and abundant water supplies.”

USDA is investing $82 million through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. Rural communities, water districts and other eligible entities can use the funds for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems. The projects must be in rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.

Press release:

A number of organizations that promote good mental health, such as Mental Health America (MHA), the National Council for Behavioral Health (NCBH) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), have set aside May as Mental Health Awareness Month.  

The Mental Health Foundation (MHF) has singled out a principal threat to good mental health as STRESS, defined as "our body’s response to pressures from a situation or life event" or, "the degree to which you feel overwhelmed or unable to cope as a result of pressures that are unmanageable

The causes of stress can vary widely, depending on an individual's sensitivities and life experiences, and some stress can even be beneficial, as when hormones, such as adrenalin, briefly cause a "fight or flight" response, so one can react quickly to dangerous situations.

However, when the stress is not short-lived, and persists over time or occurs repeatedly, leading to a nearly continuous state of "fight or flight," this can take a serous toll on one's body and mental health.

The potential avenues to stress-reduction are many, including: identifying the cause(s); making lifestyle changes; developing supportive relationships; adopting a healthy diet; engaging in mild physical exercise; moderating smoking and drinking; getting restful sleep; taking time for oneself; trying mindfulness meditation, and so forth.

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is making its modest contribution by holding a Stress-Relieving Coloring Contest. A full-size version of the illustrated "Anchor of Hope" coloring page is available at their offices, 319 W. Main St. in Batavia.

Color the page and we will hang it in our lobby for the month. Enter your page in our Mental Health Month contest for a chance to win a gift basket full of items sure to relieve stress.  

Another FREE stress-relieving activity, "Keep Calm and Bingo On," will take place at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 30, at the ILGR Batavia office. Token prizes will go to those who indeed get to shout – calmly – BINGO!

ILGR in Batavia has moved into a news space; it's at 319 W. Main St. Batavia.

For more information, call Donna Becker at (585) 815-8501, ext. 411.

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is a member of the Western New York Independent Living Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.

Photo of Chris Young by John Shearer.

Submitted photo and press release:

After launching his first arena headlining tour last year, multi-platinum entertainer Chris Young is excited to announce the “Raised On Country World Tour 2019.”

Sharing the same name as his new single, which name-checks his predecessors and country music icons Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Joe Diffie, George Strait, Alan Jackson and Hank Williams Jr., Chris Young will perform at Darien Lake Amphitheater on Friday, May 24.

The first leg of the tour will include more than 25 shows from coast-to-coast through September.

Markets include Charlotte, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Phoenix, San Diego and more. He’ll be joined by special guest Dylan Scott, who kicks off the show at 7:30, along with Chris Janson, who takes the stage at 8:15. Young follows at 9:30.*

Darien Lake Amphitheater is located at 9993 Alleghany Road in Darien Center.

To buy tickets, click here.

*Times subject to change.

Check out Young's name-dropping hit "Raised on Country" below.

Here is the second episode of Batavia's Best Businesses with Nici Johnson. This time we feature The Eli Fish Brewing Co.

We are producing this series in partnership with WBTA AM/FM.  To view our first episode, Charles Men's Shop, click here.

Local business owners interested in more information: Call Lorne Way or Jim Ernst at WBTA at (585) 344-1490.

 

Press release from AAA: 

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.86, down 4 cents from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.87. The New York State average is $2.96 – down 1 cent from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $3. AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.83 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.88 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.89 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.89 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Rome -- $2.90 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.87 (down 2 cents since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.96 (no change since last week)

During this time of year, switching to the more expensive summer blend gasoline, ongoing refinery maintenance, and healthy consumer demand all contribute to pump prices increasing. A decrease, even by 1 or 2 cents is unusual. Motorists should expect an upswing in prices as we get closer to Memorial Day.

As far as crude oil goes, at the close of Friday’s formal trading session on the NYMEX, WTI decreased 4 cents to settle at $61.66. On the week, crude prices have moved lower because of global concerns around trade negotiations between the United States and China.

If total crude stocks continue to tighten, American motorists will likely see pump prices continue to increase this spring – alongside the global price of crude, as tightening supply amid robust global crude demand will increase the price per barrel of oil.

The Landmark Society of Genesee County presented its annual preservation awards Friday night at the First Presbyterian Church of Byron.

Photo: Matt Gray, partner, Eli Fish Brewing Co., Rev. James Renfrew, First Presbyterian Church, Jermey Liles, Oliver's Candies, and Bill and Lucine Kauffman.

Below, links to writeups and photos (or in the case of Eli Fish, a video) for each of the award winners:

• Landmark Society Preservation Award: Eli Fish Brewing Co.
• Landmark Society Awards, Oliver's Candies, Adaptive Re-use
• Landmark Society Awards, Kauffman residence, Elba, restoration
• Landmark Society Awards, First Presbyterian Church of Byron, tender loving care

Rev. Renfrew with the volunteers from the church who prepared and served Friday night's dinner at the church.

Matthew Liebler was awarded this year's Virginia Carr-Mumford Scholarship from the Batavia Society of Artists on Thursday at the BSA's annual spring show opening at the Richmond Memorial Library.

Liebler is from North Java and just completed his first year at Genesee Community College, where he's majoring in Digital Arts.

The spring show's first-place award went to Richard Ellingham for "Dusk Reflection."

David Burke received a second-place award for "The everchanging beauty of this body that I share with every living thing." He also received a third-place ribbon for "Still life with skull and mannequins."

Last evening, the Batavia Blue Devils advanced to the finals (following their close win to Oakfield-Alabama) between the Le Roy Oatkan Knights.  Alex Hale pitched the first five innings while Andrew Francis closed on the mound for the duo to have a complete game.

The first three innings showed no score from either team, until the bottom of the fourth as Batavia scored five runs. Sam Sallome, Trevor Zewan, Andrew Francis, Josh Weis, and Luke Grammatico each had a hit and RBI. Later on in the sixth, Luke Grammatico would score again with his second hit and RBI. Alex Hale and Jake Humes came to home plate as well.

Batavia was calm, cool, and collected throughout tonight and having continuous hits led to many runners on base, which turned into plenty of scoring opportunities. They were defensively sound. Batavia led Le Roy in hits 12-3 and one error to Le Roy’s three. Final score 8-0.

After the match, Sam Sallome was announced 2019 Rotary Tournament MVP.

Story submitted by Thomas Ognibene.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Batavia beat Oakfield-Alabama 5-4 with a bottom-of-the-seventh bunt in an opening round game of the annual Batavia Rotary Club Tournament.

Earlier today, Le Roy beat Notre Dame 8-2.  

Batavia and Le Roy face each other at 7 p.m. in the championship game.

Christian Arieras Wilson, 21, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with promoting prison contraband in the first degree, fifth-degree conspiracy and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree. Following an investigation into smuggling contraband into the Genesee County Jail, Wilson was arrested, released on an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on May 20. It is alleged that Wilson delivered a quantity of a controlled substance into the jail in a concealed manner at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 19. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy McClellan.

Michael Shawn Wahl, 53, of Jordan Avenue, Rochester, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree and possessing or transporting or offering for sale unstamped cigarettes. At 10:32 p.m. on May 10, following a traffic stop on Indian Falls Road in Pembroke, Wahl was arrested. Allegedly, he was driving a motor vehicle and his driver's license was revoked and he possessed unstamped cigarettes for sale. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Town of Pembroke Court on May 28. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Joshua Brabon, assisted by Jenna Ferrando.

Tammy Kay Zasowski, 51, of Clinton Street, Elma, is charged with petit larceny. Following an investigation of a larceny on Shanks Road on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation, Zasowski was arrested. It is alleged that she stole cigarettes at noon on May 3. She was released on an appearance ticket and is due in Alabama Town Court on June 5. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Krzemien.

Ira Leroy Mercer, 72, of Oakwood Road, Rochester, is charged with possession of unstamped cigarettes for sale. At 10:32 p.m. on May 10, Mercer was arrested on Indian Falls Road in Pembroke following a traffic stop. He allegedly possessed unstamped cigarettes that were for sale. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Town of Pembroke Court on May 28. The case was handled by Genesee County Sherjiff's Deputy Joshua Brabon, assisted by Jenna Ferrando.

Ramon S. Gilliam, 44, of Main Street, Le Roy, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree, and having an uninspected motor vehicle. Gilliam was arrested following a traffic stop for uninspected vehicle at 9:04 a.m. on May 10 on East Main Street Road in Batavia. He is due in Batavia Town Court on May 23. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy James Stack, assisted by Deputy Ryan Young.

Joshua Dale Thomas Jr., 34, of Post Avenue, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana in the fourth degree. At 12:29 a.m. on May 11, Thomas was arrested on Route 490 in Le Roy. He was the passenger in a motor vehicle stopped for alleged vehicle and traffic violations. "During the stop criminal indicators were observed which led to a subsequent search of the vehicle and its occupants." Thomas was allegedly found in possession of more than two ounces of marijuana. He was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Le Roy Court and is due there on June 4. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Mullen.

Thomas Sousa, 55, of 7th Avenue, St. Petersburg, Fla., is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. At 2:51 a.m. on May 10 on South Lake Road in Bergen, Sousa was arrested after a traffic stop for alleged vehicle and traffic violations, which included failure to keep right. He was issued appearance tickets and is due in Bergen Town Court on June 19. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Mullen, assisted by Deputy Erik Andre.

Today, the Le Roy Oatkan Knights took on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to kick off the 21st Annual Batavia Rotary Club High School Baseball Tournament at Dwyer Stadium.

Tim McMullen and Tommy Saunders held the mound for Le Roy, while David Russo and Spencer Misti pitched for Notre Dame.

Giavanni Caccamise, Reece Tresco, Tim McMullen, Kenny Saunders all recorded a hit and RBI, while Ryan Friend had two hits and RBIs to make it 6-1 Le Roy after two. Zachary Cocking had the lone RBI for ND in the first.

Later on in the fifth inning, Tommy Saunders and Austin Saeya came home safely and scored. It was 8-1 Le Roy after five.

Spencer Misti, David Russo, Andrew Moore, all collected hits while Alex Totton had a RBI and hit of his own in the final inning of the game.

Le Roy led ND in hits 9 to 8 and was defensively strong overall only allowing two errors. With Le Roy’s 8-2 win they will move on to the championship game at 7 o'clock tonight to face the winner of Oakfield-Alabama and Batavia.      

Photo submitted by Dylan Brew.

A driver told Deputy Kevin Forsyth yesterday that the sudden appearance of a spider on his leg startled him and while trying to brush the spider away he lost control off his car, causing a rollover accident on Route 98 near Rose Road at 1:30 p.m.

The driver, Richard J. Amico Jr., 21, was uninjured in the accident.

He was driving a 1998 Buick sedan, which left the east shoulder of Alexander Road and struck an embankment causing it to become airborne. It rolled end-over-end and came to rest on its roof on the north side of the driveway at 9071 Alexander Road.

Amico was cited for an alleged unsafe lane change.

Town of Batavia fire responded to the accident.

One of Batavia's newest businesses held a ribbon cutting on Thursday with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce -- the  Rest & Revive Float Center at 596 E. Main St.

Partners Gary VanValkenburg and Brandon Buckle converted the former location of The Bed Room, where they sold beds, into a place where people can come and float in water field with epsom salts to help them relax and deal with any number of different health issues.

To find out more, watch the video.

Super solid and well maintained, country cape cod home on almost an acre! Back yard has wooded back drop and plenty of room to roam! Inside features 2 bedrooms down with full bath for those that need one floor living, as well as two rooms upstairs for extra bedrooms or storage space or guests! As you enter home, there's an extra large and spacious bonus/mudroom that can be whatever you want(toy room, family room or entertaining/dining if needed! Great home for the money-easy to see, call today Lynn Bezon today - or click here for more information on this listing.

Above, today's meeting at the Arc Community Center where project site coordinators met their volunteer team captains planning for the Day of Caring.

Submitted photo and press release:

On Wednesday, May 22nd, the United Way of Genesee County will host the 12th Annual Day of Caring. This year, 38 local businesses, totally more than 400 volunteers, will be working on service projects throughout Genesee County.

The event will kick off at 8 a.m. at Dwyer Stadium, with donuts and coffee complements of Batavia Dunkin Donuts. Following an energetic opening ceremony, the volunteers will head to their assigned project at one of the 40 agencies participating in the day.

Upon project completion, the day will wrap up with a volunteer celebration at Terry Hills Restaurant at 3 p.m. Stories will be told, volunteers will be fed and everyone can enjoy a slideshow of the day provided by Carlson’s Studios.

In total, nearly 2,400 man hours will be spent making the Genesee County community a better place to live.

Some of the workplaces that would be good to visit:

• Genesee County Park
• ABCD Day Care on Brooklyn Avenue
• Batavia Community Garden -- Youth Bureau
• Crossroads House
• GO ART!
• Grandview Cemetery
• Tops Friendly Markets Food Drive
• Arc/Lions Club Bike Project at Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle