Submitted photos and press release:

She is currently working full time as a Registered Nurse at UMMC Batavia Urgent Care.

Prior to the Urgent Care position, Elmore worked at WNY Batavia Pediatrics, and at Golisano Children’s Hospital in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Elmore is currently registered in the Bachelor’s of Science Degree Nursing Program at SUNY Brockport.

She is interested in a future career as a Family Nurse Practitioner or may enter a master’s program in Nursing Informatics.

Colleen Larson Dorchak (inset photo, left) has been awarded the 2021 St. Jerome Guild Health Professional Scholarship of $300.

She is a bachelorette prepared Registered Nurse receiving her degree with Highest Distinction, magna cum laude in 2019.

Dorchak is currently enrolled in the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Buffalo.

She is employed full time and recently promoted to Clinical Nurse Leader at the UMMC Chemical Dependency Unit, Hope Haven.  

The St. Jerome Guild offers annual scholarships to applicants who are currently employed at UMMC/RHH and are pursuing advanced degrees in health care fields.

These scholarships are funded through proceeds at the St. Jerome Center Gift Shop, located at 16 Bank St., Batavia.

Recently, the St. Jerome Center Gift Shop opened a satellite location at the UMMC Kiosk/Gift Shop located at 127 North St.

Press release:

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) has cosponsored a resolution condemning the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for 100 years of human rights violations and atrocities.

“For a century, the Chinese Communist Party has committed atrocities against millions of civilians without recourse,” Jacobs said. “From massacres, torture, and repression committed at the direction of Mao Zedong and continuing today with the enslavement, forced labor, and genocide of the Uyghur People in Xinjiang -- the Chinese Communist Party is one of the most prolific abusers of human rights.

Today, July 1st, 2021, marks the 100th Anniversary of the creation of the Chinese Communist Party. On this anniversary, the resolution Jacobs cosponsored (H.Res. 500) specifically:

• Condemns the Chinese Communist Party for 100 years of gross violations of human rights.
• Supports the inherent right of the Chinese people to self-determination and free political expression independent of one-party rule.
• Calls on the Government of the United States and like-minded allies and partners to support human rights in the People’s Republican of China.
• Looks forward to the day the Chinese Communist Party no longer exists.

“The Chinese Communist Party represents the greatest threat to their own people, and one of the greatest to the global community as a whole,” Jacobs said. “I condemn their ongoing persecution of the Uyghur people in the strongest possible terms and will continue to work with my colleagues to hold the CCP accountable.”

Acknowledging that she is at the starting line, longtime Batavia City Schools administrator Julia Rogers says she has great expectations for the district’s new Batavia Community Schools program.

“I think the biggest thing is that we want to get our outreach in many different areas,” said Rogers, a Batavia native. “Batavia Community Schools wants to be everywhere and anywhere so that people know that we’re here to support the community – even during the summer when we’re based at Robert Morris (building on Union Street).

Rogers was speaking during an interagency informational event in conjunction with Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse last week at The Recovery Station on Clinton Street Road.

She said the goal of Batavia Community Schools is to inspire student success in many different ways, exploring opportunities and activities beyond the classroom.

“We find that in order to encourage success in the classroom, you also have to support the families. And by supporting the families, we’re looking at all aspects – from integrated student supports, mental health, dental, medical, healthy lifestyles and also jobs,” she said.

The program’s framework is adaptable to communities of all sizes, she said, mentioning that Wayne County has launched one for its school district.

“For Batavia, it really works with our demographics,” she said. “We have all different needs in our community. We’re going to be working with elders and working with the young. Really, this goes beyond the academics of school.”

Rogers said that as someone who grew up in Batavia, she understands the community and most of its needs, but admitted “that I’m learning through this position that there are needs that I wasn’t aware of.”

“The initiative is going to continue to grow as we have evening and weekend programming lined up. We’re building this and we’re open to ideas from residents to help us move forward,” she said.

Several agencies participated in the event, including Richmond Memorial Library, Hillside Children’s Center, ACT, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Young Life and, of course, GCASA.

Sherri Bensley, assistant director of Prevention at GCASA, said she set up a “Hidden Mischief” test for parents – a mock teen bedroom that was “planted” with numerous illegal drugs (facsimiles), drug paraphernalia and drug references.

The object was to see how many of these things parents could find in the three to five minutes they were given to search the bedroom.

“Once they do that, we do a presentation and show them different things that kids have hidden, such as a stash can or drug references that parents don’t know about,” Bensley said. “It has been a program that we have taken throughout Genesee and Orleans counties -- to schools, open houses and those type of things. It’s really a popular program right now that is providing valuable education to parents about the drug culture.”

Photo at top: Julia Rogers, center, Batavia Community Schools coordinator, greets Erin Mattison, left, and Halee Potter, educators with ACT, a Community Action of Orleans and Genesee program that offers a curriculum geared to helping those from the ages of 11 to 21 make responsible choices when it comes to sexual health.

Photo at bottom: Carla Laird, front, and Melissa Vinyard search for drugs and drug-related items during a "Hidden Mischief" exercise offered by GCASA at the recent informational fair at The Recovery Station.

Disclosure: Mike Pettinella is the media specialist for GCASA.

Press release:

Crossroads House volunteers are moving full steam ahead as they prepare for their annual Garage Sale at 11 Liberty St. in Batavia.

Donations of items are being accepted on Mondays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The sale will be on Thursday, July 29^th from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, July 30^th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, July 31^st from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

There will be a presale on Wednesday, July 28^th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Admission for the presale is $5 per person aged 16 years or older.

We have a wide variety of new, next to new, and vintage treasures for your shopping enjoyment, and all items are priced to sell!

For more information on donations to our sale, please call Jackie at (585) 734-0125. (No early birds, please.)

Peter Yasses has won last week's Republican Primary for the Town of Byron supervisor position.

The incumbent today said he learned, following a hand count of all the ballots (including absentee ballots), that he drew six more votes than challenger Gerald Heins.

A Genesee County election office spokesperson confirmed Yasses' victory, with the official final tally at 90-84.

At the end of voting last Tuesday, Yasses held an 82-78 lead.

Yasses said he expects another challenge in November from Heins, who he said is starting his own party.

"It looks like it's going to be Republican (Yasses) against his party," Yasses said, who noted it will be a repeat of what happened in the general election two years ago.

Asked for a statement concerning the outcome, Yasses said, "I think solar has divided the town a bit, and I think he (Heins) sent out a letter with half-truths to it that helped him more than I thought it would. Hopefully, he'll be straight with the people in November instead of half-truths again."

The election office spokesperson also confirmed that Heins has registered to run in November under the Byron Independent party.

Phone calls to Heins seeking comment have yet to be returned.

Official results of the other Republican Primary races in the county are as follows:

Town of Bethany Town Justice -- Vote for any Two (Republican): Joseph Nowakowski 66, Jeff Wolak 58, Nicole Szymkowiak 40, Christopher Hausfelder 27, Peggy Johnson 24.

Town of Stafford Clerk – Vote for One (Republican) -- Barbara Radley 187, Julie Scheuerlein 38.

Press release:

Genesee County’s STOP-DWI coordinator announced today that Genesee County police agencies, including the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, City of Batavia Police Department and the Village of Le Roy Police Department, will participate in special efforts to bring awareness to the dangers of impaired driving.

The statewide STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaignwill start Friday, July 2^nd and will end on Monday, July 5^th.  

The Fourth of July is a perfect time to celebrate with family, friends, food and fireworks, but all too often the festivities turn tragic on the nation's roads. The fact is this iconic American holiday is also one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to impaired-driving crashes.

The STOP-DWI July 4th High Visibility Engagement Campaignis one of many statewide initiatives promoted by STOP-DWI NY and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

The Statewide STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign also targets Memorial Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Holiday Season, Super Bowl weekend and St. Patrick’s Day.

Highly visible, highly publicized efforts like the STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign aim to further reduce the incidence of drunk and impaired driving.  You can help to make a difference by having a Sober Plan! Impaired driving is completely preventable. All it takes is a little planning.

Press release:

Community Action of Orleans and Genesee has received a $155,500 grant from the Muriel H. Marshall Fund through the Rochester Area Community Foundation for its “Door Through Door” specialized transportation program in Genesee County.

This funding will apply to the July 2021 through June 2022 program year. 

“This funding has allowed us to continue these critical services for elderly and frail residents of Genesee County, despite the rising costs of fuel and insurance along with decreased ridership due to COVID,” says Executive Director of Community Action, Renee Hungerford. “We are grateful to the foundation for continued support of our program."

Community Action of Orleans and Genesee has a number of programs to fulfill their mission of providing services, with dignity and respect, that help people become self-sufficient. Program details can be viewed by visiting here.

The CATS transportation program is undergoing a downsizing and restructuring process, including consideration of pursuing more economical vehicles, in response to increased costs and competition along with reduced ridership. 

Rochester Area Community Foundation engages philanthropists and community partners to improve our eight-county region by promoting philanthropy that helps to create an equitable community and strengthen our region’s vitality. Since 1972, the Community Foundation has awarded more than $500 million in grants and scholarships. For more information, visit here.

A power outage affecting more than 4,600 National Grid customers is reported in the northeast section of Batavia into Byron, Stafford and East Bethany.

A crew has yet to be assigned. There is not yet an ETA for repairs.

A dispatcher informed Batavia PD that several traffic lights are not functioning in the area.

UPDATE 11:08 a.m.: Dispatch has received calls from people concerned about the light being out at Route 33 and Batavia Stafford Townline Road. The concern is that people "coming over the hill" will not see the lights are out. A trooper is advised but the dispatcher said callers have been advised multiple lights are out in the area and law enforcement may not be available for that specific intersection.

UPDATE 11:21 a.m.: Statement from Batavia PD: "There is currently a power outage affecting some areas of the City. Remember that if you approach a traffic signal that is not functioning to treat it as a 4-way stop."

UPDATE 11:30 a.m.: The estimated power restoration time for the Batavia-to-Byron outage is 1:15 p.m. For the outage to the east, the restoration time estimate is 12:45 p.m.

UPDATE Noon: Statement from National Grid -- "Earlier today a faulty piece of equipment at a substation resulted in the loss of electricity service for around 4,800 customers in the Batavia area. Our crews are making repairs and they should all be restored at around 1 p.m."

UPDATE 1:41 p.m.: It appears power has been restored to both areas.

While not giving up on the Town of Batavia location completely, Brandon Lewis, owner of The Firing Pin in Bergen, figures he’s fighting a losing battle as far as developing an outdoor shooting range at the 22-acre parcel he owns at 3269 Harloff Road.

Acknowledging restrictions that come with the necessary special use permit from the Town of Batavia Planning Board and solid opposition from homeowners in that area, Lewis said he is changing up his game plan for the property.

“We’re going to move forward with some of our other business ventures as it does look less and less likely every day (that a shooting range will become a reality there) just because of the requirements set forth by the town,” Lewis said on Monday afternoon.

“(The revised plan) would include some of the other ideas I had, maybe not as full bore as I wanted to. I do like the property and I would like to keep it.”

Lewis, a Brockport resident who grew up in Genesee County, introduced his idea to place a shooting range/training facility, modest drive-in movie theater and small campground in March to the Genesee County Planning Board.

Since then, he has appeared before the town planning board on a few occasions but the proposal has been stuck in the mud for several reasons: planners’ justifiable request for specific details of Lewis’ plan; Lewis’ questioning of the constraints of the special use permit and; most notably, Harloff Road area residents’ objections to the shooting range over, primarily, noise and safety concerns.

“It’s not so much the town, but I don’t want to run a business where every neighbor is pitting against me,” Lewis said. “That’s certainly not how my shop in Bergen is. I think the community quite likes us out there.”

He said he understands the planning board is “just trying to do their duty” but isn’t ready to invest several hundred thousand dollars in an unreceptive environment.

“I just think no matter what I do, the residents – the locals – are just going to be against it. My neighbor here, Chris (Mosier) at Area 51. He’s been there how many years? And they’re giving him trouble, too,” he said.

Lewis said he continues to look into how he can proceed with the campground and drive-in ventures.

“The camping was never intended to be a 200 or 300 spot campsite. It will be like 20 spots at the most, and will be like dry camping or boondocking, basically,” he said. “It’s just a spot to do it inexpensively. There won’t be sewer. A lot of people questioned that project, too. Once we unveil the full project of it, they’ll see that there’s nothing to be worried about.”

On the drive-in, he said it could become a major undertaking.

“If you want to show current release movies, just the projection equipment alone is like $200,000 or $300,000, if not more,” he said. “Again, I’m not going to spend a half a million dollars needed to do everything to put in a drive-in, and then in a few years the neighbors say, ‘No, we don’t want it anymore,’ and they pull the special use permit.”

Lewis said he hasn’t contacted the planning board to have his referral placed on an agenda yet.

“I’m just regrouping – working with some of my other friends who are small business owners and seeing what kind of collaborations we can do together. I’m just trying to get something going out here so we can use the property and keep improving it,” he said.

As far as the outdoor shooting range is concerned, Lewis said he believes there is “a definite need” and he’s exploring other locations.

“We showed that there was a need for an indoor range like we offer (in Bergen) and I think the same thing – what we could do with an outdoor range, we still want to do,” he said. “We’re looking at properties that are more suited or better for us. If we can find a spot that’s great, we’re going to move forward with it. If anyone has land that could hold a 1,000-yard range, have them call me at (585) 494-0333.”

Previously: All jammed up. Shooting range proposal's lack of progress, commentary irritate Town of Batavia planners

Press release:

Empire Access announced today that it has been named Fastest Internet Provider in the United States for 2021 by PC Mag, beating out national and regional internet providers.

The PC Mag Fastest ISPs 2021 award is presented to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the United States that offer the fastest internet speeds to their customers. To compare ISPs, PC Mag uses a Speed Index score.

This score measures download and upload speeds in megabits per second and averages the download and upload together to come up with the PCMag Speed Index (PSI). This scoring system compares service providers nationwide. Higher Speed Index scores represent faster internet service. For the entire United States, Empire Access led all ISPs with a score of 366.2, while its closest competition, Google Fiber, scored 300.3.

“We’re honored to be ranked number one in the nation for the fastest Internet speed,” said Jim Baase, COO of Empire Access. “We take great pride in providing our customers with fast, reliable fiber optic internet service.”

The complete PC Mag article and test results can be found here.

Empire Access is a fast-growing fiber optic telecommunication service provider, offering high-speed internet, digital television, phone and security services to homes and businesses -- all enabled by fiber optic technology -- to more than 25 communities in Upstate New York and Northern Pennsylvania.

Fiber optic service is far more reliable and not prone to slow downs plagued by cable. Each customer has their own dedicated, non-blocking connection and is not affected by congestion and weather. Empire Access offers internet download speeds up to 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) for highly demanding needs. Gigabit internet is perfect for video streaming, gaming, and downloading large files.

Along with fiber optic-based internet service, Empire also offers a complete array of communications and security services:

• Home and business phone service – including various plans with business options for toll-free numbers, phone systems, voice mail and more;
• TV Service – delivering 100-percent digital picture quality, crystal clear HD channels, Restart TV, Whole Home DVR capabilities and additional features;
• Security and home automation – such as 24/7 video monitoring and in-home or business-based automation, the ability to remotely manage security, lock and unlock doors, control appliances, adjust heating/cooling and more from a smartphone, tablet, or computer;
• Advanced business services – enterprise Wi-Fi, business email, audio and video conferencing, dark fiber and metro ethernet.

For more information or to speak with an Empire Access Fiber Optic expert, please call 1-800-338-3300 or visit www.empireaccess.com.

If you have an emergency, we advise the public to call 9-1-1 from a wireless / cellular phone. We can still process wireless calls from these service areas.

If you do not have access to a wireless / cellular device, please contact the Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center at (585) 343-5000.

Press release:

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) is joining members of the Republican Study Committee and Texas Governor Greg Abbott for a trip tomorrow to the Southern Border with Former President Trump.

“The Biden-Harris Administration has completely failed to properly secure our Southern Border, and their efforts to roll back successful policies put in place by President Trump have resulted in a massive crisis,” Jacobs said. “Under their watch, we have seen three consecutive months of 170,000+ illegal encounters, record-setting drug seizures, and spikes in human trafficking. Their actions have emboldened the cartels and harmed the safety and security of border communities and our nation.”

Jacobs will be traveling to McAllen, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley sector. This sector is consistently considered the epicenter for illegal entries, in part due to the intense terrain and dense forest cover. On their trip, Jacobs, RSC members, (Former) President Trump, and Governor Abbott will be briefed by border patrol and receive a tour of the Southern Border.

Jacobs had previously traveled to McAllen, Texas in 2019, where he met with border patrol agents and toured the Southern Border and detention facilities.

“After seeing this section of the Southern Border two years ago during the Trump Administration, I am looking forward to returning and receiving an update on how the situation has unfolded under President Biden’s watch,” Jacobs said. “Securing our Southern Border and enacting smart policies requires lawmakers to see the crisis firsthand and hear directly from those on the ground. I look forward to a productive and informational experience, and I am honored to be joining (Former) President Trump for this critical trip.”

A Batavia man who has been arrested multiple times since 2019 but has remained out of jail apparently because of the state's bail reform law was admonished by Judge Charle Zambito today that he is "walking a fine" line while his cases are pending.

Zambito was shown a photograph provided by Genesee Justice that apparently showed Devon Wright, 19, received a traffic ticket for alleged aggravated unauthorized operation. The ticket, Zambito said, indicated that Wright was outside of his residence at night in violation of his terms of release.

It was expected that Wright would enter a guilty plea today in relation to his multiple charges but his attorney, Nathan Pace, said he needed more time to explain the charges and plea to his client. After much haggling over a date -- finding a time that fits into both Pace's calendar and the court calendar -- the parties agree to be back in court at 11:45 a.m., July 19.

After the appearance date was set, District Attorney Lawrence Friedman raised the issue of the email from Genesee Justice with the attached photo.

Friedman noted that at Wright's last court appearance -- after Wright was arrested on a weapon's charge -- he asked that Wright's bail be revoked. He renewed that request today.

Zambito read to Friedman the language of the current bail statute. The law would require Zambito to conduct a bail hearing, at which time Wright could challenge the evidence against him and present his own evidence, and even after the hearing, if Zambito determined new bail requirements were required, Zambito could only set the minimum bail necessary to assure Wright's appearance at future hearings.

"The one thing Mr. Wright has done," Zambito said, "is appear in court when he's told to appear. He may be out committing crimes but he's been here when he needs to be here. I can't change the law. I don't like it myself."

At Wright's May 24 hearing, Zambito also expressed frustration with bail reform law.

"It's impossible under the current bail reform laws," Zambito said then. "It seems Wright is a clear and present danger to the community as long as he is out and he continues to get arrested." 

But, Zambito added, "the law doesn't allow a judge to consider community safety when setting bail. I'm frustrated. I think every judge in New York State is frustrated."

In the past 21 months, Batavia PD has reported the following arrests:

• In Nov. 2019, Wright was accused of violating an order of protection and charged with criminal contempt.
• Later that month, Wright was charged with larceny, harassment, and endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly stealing money from a person less than 17 years old while in City Centre.
• In March 2020, Wright allegedly caused a disturbance at the Sunoco Gas Station on West Main Street in Batavia and was charged with burglary, assault, and criminal mischief.
• The next month, Wright was accused of running down a person on Highland Park in Batavia while driving a silver sedan. He then allegedly fled the scene on foot. When taken into custody, he allegedly resisted arrest and damaged property at the police station. He was charged with attempted assault, 1st; resisting arrest; obstructing governmental administration, 2nd; criminal mischief, 4th; criminal nuisance, 2nd; and harassment, 2nd. Wright answered to the charges in City Court and bail was set at $10,000 cash, $20,000 bond, or $50,000 partially secured bond. It's unclear if he posted bond or bail but he was released from custody.
• In May 2020, Wright was accused of sexual conduct with a person less than 15 years old and charged with two counts of criminal sexual act in the second degree and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
• In July 2020, Wright was arrested on a pair of warrants, one for alleged failure to pay a fine, the other for an alleged failure to appear in court.
• Wright's most recent arrest came earlier this month. Wright was arrested on a Batavia City Court Warrant and charged with second-degree menacing, criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, and second-degree harassment. He allegedly threatened several individuals in a vehicle with a weapon.

After reminding Friedman of the constraints of the law, Zambito asked if Friedman wanted a hearing on this latest apparent violation of the terms of Wright's release and Friedman said no. 

In speaking to Wright, Zambito noted that the picture couldn't be authenticated and that may be a factor in why Friedman wasn't requesting a hearing because "if he could confirm when the picture was taken he would not only be asking that your bail be pulled but he would be asking for new charges."

He then told Wright, "You're on curfew. You need to be home at 9 p.m., not 10 after nine and you can't be out driving. Your privilege has been revoked."