A caller to dispatch reports a newer model Ford Mustang in the parking lot at 4300 Veterans Memorial Drive just rolled into a pickup truck and "there's nobody around."
A Sheriff's deputy is responding.
In another close game, Batavia came out on top on Thursday night by a 4-3 margin. The Connecticut Tigers were dressed as the Norwich Navigators as part of a Throwback Thursday promotion to honor the former New York Yankees Eastern League affiliate of the early 2000’s. There was a short back-and-forth in the first four innings, but afterward, the game would be deadlocked until the ninth.
Chris Vallimont made his second professional start in the game. His low pitch count limited him to throwing just two innings. Two runs scored in the bottom of the first from an RBI single from Nick Ames, and a sac fly two batters later from Darwin Alvarado to make it 2-0 after one.
Batavia would come back in a big way in the top of the fourth when Denis Karas came up with two on and two outs, he then unloaded on one to straightaway center field that cleared the 401’ wall in center to put the Muckdogs in front 3-2 going to the bottom of the fourth.
A pair of errors for Batavia in the bottom part of the frame would put Eric De La Rosa on third base with no outs. The first was a throwing error on a tough play by Demetrius Sims that put De La Rosa on second, then a low throw on a pickoff attempt by Manuel Rodriguez sent him to third. Alvarado was the next batter up. His single allowed De La Rosa to walk to home plate to score to knot the game at three.
The bullpens locked the game down after the fourth. John O’Loughlin struck out seven batters in his three and two-thirds innings of work to keep Batavia scoreless. Both games in the series have now seen Batavia strike out at least 13 times in each game. A combination of CJ Carter and Elkin Alcala were able to shut out the Navigators in the last three innings to seal the win.
Game three and the rubber match of the series takes place on Friday night from Dodd Stadium, it will be a 7:05 p.m. first pitch. Batavia then returns home to take on the Lowell Spinners (Boston) for a three-game set.
Press release:
The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) approved incentives for two projects at the agency’s July 12th board meeting. The combined projects are anticipated to create 20 new jobs and approximately $7.6 million in capital investment.
J. Rental is receiving sales, mortgage and property tax exemptions of approximately $723,000 to build a new 60,000-square-foot facility on 19.5 acres in the Apple Tree Acres business park in Bergen. The $6.3 million project will create 15 new jobs. For every $1 in public benefit, the company is investing $14 into the local economy.
Lancor Development Corp. is proposing to invest $1.3 million to build a 12,000-square-foot facility in the new Le Roy Food and Technology Park. The project would create five new jobs and retain seven jobs. Lancor is receiving sales and property tax exemptions of approximately $122,000. For every $1 of public benefit, the company is investing $28.5 into the local economy.
The board also accepted an application from Pearl Solar LLC for the construction of two 2MW community solar farms for a combined total of 4MW at 2901 Pearl Street Road. Both projects have the same address but would have separate parcel tax map numbers. Pearl Solar LLC would make an approximate $6 million investment and is seeking approximately $288,000 in sales and property tax exemptions.
Press release:
At its July 12th board meeting, the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) Board of Directors unanimously approved providing $10,000 for a feasibility study to determine uses for the Batavia City Centre site.
The GCEDC is collaborating with the City of Batavia and the Batavia Development Corporation in conducting the study. The city and the GCEDC also are applying for funding from Empire State Development’s Strategic Planning Program for matching funds.
“We continue to strongly support economic development initiatives in the City of Batavia,” said GCEDC Board Chair Paul Battaglia. “The redevelopment of Batavia City Centre site is critically important to the efforts to bring more capital investment and jobs to the region’s urban center as it has such a prominent footprint in the city.”
The intent of the study is to evaluate various redevelopment scenarios for the site, including remaining as a retail center. Other components of the study may include site planning, engineering, architectural renderings, cost estimates, permitting and financial analyses. The study also is intended to build off of current plans that have been developed for the site through the DRI process.
“After a number of discussions with our partners on this effort, we came to the conclusion that a feasibility study would build upon and advance the goals of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative,” said GCEDC President and CEO Steve Hyde, who also serves on the DRI advisory group. “In essence, a study will help create a vision for what the site could be and we believe that the information and analysis resulting from the study will generate interest among the development community.”
Press release:
The Oakfield-Alabama Central School District’s Board of Education held a special board meeting on Friday, July 13 to appoint Michael Crumb as the Interim Superintendent effective July 30 until Jan. 4, 2019. Crumb replaces Mark Alexander who recently announced his resignation to accept a position as Director of Transportation for Akron Central Schools.
Matt Lamb, Oakfield-Alabama Central School District’s Board president, said, “The Board is duly impressed with Michael Crumb’s background and experience. We are confident that Michael will guide our District through these next five months as we begin our formal search process for a Superintendent of Schools.”
Crumb retired in 2017 after serving the Spencerport Central School District for 19 years where he worked as an assistant principal, assistant and deputy superintendent, and superintendent.
“I am extremely honored to have been asked by the Oakfield-Alabama Board of Education to provide leadership and support during the upcoming transition,” Crumb said. “Further, I am excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the staff, parents and school community on the education provided to each of the District’s students.”
Kevin MacDonald, District superintendent of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, assisted with the interim search and will also act as the final search consultant. He noted that the Board will develop and implement a rigorous process that will help determine the best candidate.
Press release:
The Genesee County Youth Bureau is seeking applicants for the Genesee Youth Lead Program. Applicants should be a Genesee County high school student entering their freshman through senior year.
The program is focused on developing leadership skills within an individual through each specific session and through hands-on experience. Each session will have a different focus on our community and leadership.
The Youth Lead Program will take place at GVEP BOCES beginning Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and will be held once a month on the second Wednesday of each month.
The program dates are Oct. 10, Nov. 14, Dec. 12, Jan. 9, Feb. 13, March 13, April 10, and May 8.
Youths who complete the program are encouraged to use the skills and information gained through their experience to support the communities in which they live.
The selection process will be done through an application and interview process by the staff. The class size is limited.
The program will cost $75 for each student. If there is an economic hardship please contact the Genesee County Youth Bureau.
Applications for the program can be found here.
Please contact the Genesee County Youth Bureau with questions at (585)344-3960 or at youthbureau@co.genesee.ny.us.
An accident with injuries is reported at Ellicott Street and Liberty Street, Batavia.
City fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE 10:39 p.m.: Roadway cleared about 10 minutes ago. Rear-end accident just east of the railroad tracks that cross Ellicott Street.
Twenty-five years ago, at age 38, Norm Itjen decided to become a corrections officer in the Genesee County Jail figuring it would be the kind of job that would offer security and help him reach retirement.
Tuesday, he proved his hunch right. He retired and was given a warm send off by his coworkers, and colleagues within the Sheriff's Office and Batavia Police Department.
A native of Elba and graduate of Elba High School, and currently the mayor of Elba, Itjen's first career was as a maintenance worker at St. Jerome's Hospital. He also had a security officer job before taking the civil service exam and getting hired at the jail.
The best part of the job, Itjen said, was the people he met.
"Through the years, I've become president of our local union, president the New York State Deputy Sheriff's Association," Itjen said. "I met people all over the state and made lots of lifetime friends."
Over the years, many people have started their employment with the Sheriff's Office at the jail and later moved onto road patrol. That wasn't part of Itjen's plan.
"At the time, I wore glasses," Itjen said. "At that time you couldn't work on the road if you wore glasses. And then my age also played a factor."
Now at retirement age, Itjen says he has plenty to keep him busy. Besides being mayor, he likes camping, golf, and he's a volunteer at his church in Morganville.
"I also have a beautiful granddaughter," he said.
Corrections officers, Sheriff's Office command staff, several deputies and Batavia PD officers, saluted Itjen as he walked out of the Genesee County Jail for the last time.
On his last day of duty, Itjen shakes hands with Officer Kyle Krtanik, working his first day of duty with Batavia PD.
We're only in July and Batavia has already exceeded its "normal for a year" number of days of highs reaching 90 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Normal is six days of 90 degrees or higher. Batavia has reached that mark seven times so far.
Batavia could see temperatures as high as 90 degrees again on Sunday and Monday.
All signs point to a tight labor market in Genesee County with more than 1,000 known job openings and only 1,100 people considered unemployed.
While local companies struggle to find workers, Genesee County's labor force size may have shrunk.
Labor force participation has declined from May 2017 (the most recent month of data available), when it was 29,900, to 29,500 in May 2018. It was 30,400 in 2016 and 30,800 in 2015. The highest level since 1990 was 33,800 in 2009.
The decline could reflect Baby Boomers retiring, out-migration of prime-age workers, or a number of prime-age workers still sitting on the sidelines. There are not detailed enough statistics for a small county to say.
Nationally, the labor force participation rate is 62 percent, well below the pre-recession level of 66 percent. At the same time, wages have started to go up but not as fast as inflation.
Genesee County's unemployment rate -- as a measure of prime-age working people who either have a job or are looking for work -- was 3.8 percent in May, lower than a year ago, at 4.4 percent, but the same rate as May 2016.
It is the lowest unemployment rate in the GLOW region.
The lowest rate for May since 2000 was 3.5 percent in 2001 and the highest was 7.5 percent in 2012.
That reflects 1,100 people in the county who don't have adequate work but want work. The highest that number has been since 1990 was 2,700 in 1992.
The number of employed Genesee County residents in May was 28,400, down from 28,600 a year prior. It was 29,200 in May 2016 and 29,400 in May 2015. The highest its been since 1990 was 32,300 in 2006.
The Job Development Bureau has 1,036 job listings. That may not reflect all of the job openings in the county.
The sector with the highest number of listed job openings is agriculture, with 307, followed by manufacturing, 222, healthcare, 193, and retail, 65.
Every major employer in Genesee County has openings to fill, with many at hourly rates from $15 an hour to $25 an hour.
Back in 2014, when we did a story about job listings at the agency, there were only 279 listings. In April 2017, Director Scott Gage said there were 760 jobs listed.
The Job Development Bureau, 587 E. Main St., Batavia, is hosting a mini job fair from 10 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, July 24.
Call Dolce Panepinto at 716-852-1888 immediately. We understand how life altering a work injury can be, and we are here to help.
Press release:
Batavia’s premier consumer-run human service and advocacy agency for people with disabilities, Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) will hold an ADA Picnic to celebrate the 28th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Open to the general public, and offering FREE food, fun, and games, the event will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 26, at Kiwanis Park, 3808 W. Main Street Road, Batavia.
Contributing to the fun will be the University Heights Art Association (UHAA), which regularly partners with ILGR on the ARTiculations Ability Exhibition in the Independent Living reception area. Artists with disabilities are given the opportunity to display and sell their artwork at the Center. UHAA will bring projects and materials that will enable picnickers to creatively celebrate the birthday of the ADA.
To ensure that we have enough food and materials for the fun, if you plan to attend, please R.S.V.P. to Donna Becker at (585) 815-8501, ext. 411.
At the time the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed in 1990, a patchwork of laws existed to protect the civil rights of citizens with disabilities only in certain situations, such as access to airports, fairness in housing, and non-discrimination by federally funded institutions.
The ADA broadly bars disability-based discrimination in employment, telecommunications, by state and local governments, in places of public accommodation such as stores, restaurants, banks, theaters, hotels, and stadia, among other protections.
This has made it the single most important body of law for a particular population, the disability community, since the protections for racial and ethnic minorities and women of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which inspired some of the ADA’s provisions.
We look forward to having you celebrate with us, but please remember to R.S.V.P.!
Press release:
New York gubernatorial candidate Larry Sharpe (L), will meet with citizens of Batavia to share a Sunday afternoon of music and fun on July 22.
Joining Larry will be Lieutenant Governor Candidate Andrew Hollister and Mark Glogowski, who is running for the 139th District NY Assembly seat. Music will be provided by the Old Hippies.
The event, hosted by the Genesee County Libertarian Party will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at T. F. Brown's (214 E. Main St., Batavia). Tickets are $20 and include a buffet lunch to be served at 2 o'clock.
Proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Sharpe campaign. Music will begin at 1 p.m. and continue until 2:30, at which point the candidates will make their remarks and answer questions.
The event will also include a basket raffle and silent auction for the benefit of the Genesee County Libertarian Party. Results will be announced at 3:50 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online here:
For more information regarding this event or to purchase tickets directly, please contact Deborah Kerr-Rosenbeck as 585-356-1712.
Larry Sharpe (L) is a Bronx native, a Marine Corps veteran, an entrepreneur, and a management consultant with 15 years of experience mentoring international executives, entrepreneurs and sales people.
He is also a teacher, previously serving as a guest instructor for business management and leadership at institutions such as Yale University, Columbia University, Baruch College and John Jay College.
He is running for Governor of New York in order to make education more effective through innovation, reform the criminal justice system to focus on rehabilitation, and build an economy that works for all of New York State.
To schedule Larry for an interview, contact Lauren McKinnon at (347) 916-7732, or lauren.mckinnon@larrysharpe.com.
For more information about Larry Sharpe’s plan for New York, visit http://www.larrysharpe.com/.
Press release:
Girl Scouts of Western New York will recognize eight honorees at the 2018 Women of Distinction Dinner & Awards Ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 20, at 5:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Buffalo.
The public is invited to attend this top women’s event of the year. (To purchase tickets, click here.)
The 2018 Women of Distinction are:
The honorees were nominated by members of the community because of their demonstrated leadership in their careers and in their communities through public service. These women are considered role models for all girls, and in accepting this award, they commit to mentoring the young women involved with the Women of Distinction event.
This program is part of the nationwide Girl Scouts of the USA program and is designed to recognize the achievements of women, provide mentoring opportunities for older Girl Scouts and fund local Girl Scout educational opportunities and programs for girls 5 to 17 years of age.
“Our outstanding 2018 Women of Distinction honorees have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and are both personally and professionally committed to making our world a better place,” said Judith A. Cranston, CEO of Girl Scouts of Western New York. Each of the 2018 honorees exemplify what it means to be aG.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ and are an inspiration to the next generation of female leaders.”
This event is open to the community. Tickets and sponsorship information can be found at gswny.org. Proceeds from this event benefit programming for girls throughout Western New York.
About Girl Scouts of Western New York
Girl Scouts of Western New York (GSWNY) serves nearly 15,000 girls and 7,000 adult volunteers across the GSWNY jurisdiction, including Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties. The council’s administrative service centers are located in Batavia, Buffalo, Jamestown, Lockport, Niagara Falls and Rochester.
Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. Through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, girls discover their personal best and prepare for a positive future, connect with others in an increasingly diverse world and take action to solve problems and improve their communities.
A Le Roy native will be attending his 65th class reunion today and debuting his newest book at the O-at-ka Festival.
Bill Brown worked on a secret project, now declassified, for a nuclear-powered bomber which could fly continuously for 30 days. His book, “The Atom Plane and the Young Lieutenant” is a true story of Huron’s United States Air Force military service at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio.
Brown was privileged to play an engineering role in the testing of critical components of the General Electric X-211 nuclear turbojet.
Very little is known today about the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion project, which spanned 10 years and the expenditure of $1 billion, Brown said. This was a highly advanced technology program conducted during the 1950s Cold War to provide a continuous 30-day flying bomber ready to respond to any attack on the United States, he said.
Although the nuclear-powered bomber never became an operational weapon system, the technology advancement was a major contribution to the nation’s military and civilian air and space programs, Brown added.
The author complements the story with several interesting experiences at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, including aircraft and security incidents, along with a flying saucer investigation.
“These were indeed adventurous years exploring the challenge of the unknown,” Brown said.
Brown will donate proceeds from his book sales at the O-at-ka Fest to the Le Roy Historical Society. The book will be for sale in the Le Roy Historical Society’s booth and at Amazon.com.
Police responded to Jefferson Avenue at about 1:15 this afternoon after a caller reported a youth had a handgun stashed in a backpack.
Officers were told the youth had "brandished" the gun in Austin Park.He was with a group of other teens and police performed a stop on the group in the parking lot behind Tim Hortons, ordering them to the ground with guns drawn until the backpack could be retrieved.
Upon investigation, it turned out the backpack contained a paintball gun.
A juvenile was taken into custody and will be turned over to a parent.
The City of Batavia will file an application with the State of New York to fund a feasibility study on the possible expansion of the Falleti Ice Arena.
The study will look at expanding the size of the building to add a second ice rink and possibly a field house suitable for indoor soccer, lacrosse, flag football and other indoor sports.
The study will look beyond just what Genesee County will support but whether an expanded facility can bring in more tournaments and attract sports tourist dollars from throughout the region, including Rochester and Buffalo, said Interim City Manager Matt Worth.
"That's probably the key as much as anything," Worth said, "to capture a tournament that would draw from both of those cities and be convenient. Absolutely that will probably be the key to it."
The impetus for the grant request came from parents involved in hockey at Falleti.
"The hockey parents there they are organized and are very interested in expanding that," Worth said. "Nowadays, virtually all these ice rinks are built with two sheets of ice. It's the most economical way to do it. Usually, for tournaments, things like that, it's ideally at least two sheets of ice."
The grant would come through the state's portion of Community Development Block Grant funding and a feasibility study would cost from $30,000 to $50,000.
The study would look at the demographics of the region, the need, the opportunity, the viability of an expanded facility and what, if any, economic impact it might have on Batavia. The study would also help determine the anticipated cost of expansion and how it might be funded.
The City Council approved an application for the grant at its meeting Monday night.
"The planning grant is to determine the feasibility of adding an additional sheet of ice to the ice rink as well as the possibility of a field house, which would be basically an indoor turfed area that would be available for indoor soccer, lacrosse, flag football, things of that nature, to see if the community in the sporting area, if there's enough interest, enough economics to support that type of investment," Worth said.
Batavia’s bats were kept to season-low numbers on Wednesday night. It was evident from early in the ballgame that hits would be few and far between for the Muckdogs. Chance Kirby was making his New York-Penn League debut with the Connecticut Tigers. Kirby, a strikeout artist in high school and in the GCL, had a career day for the Detroit affiliate.
Through the first five innings of the game, Kirby struck out a total of 12 batters. Only three outs were recorded by something other than a strikeout. He was nearly unhittable. Batavia was able to sneak one hit in, a Luke Jarvis single to center field in the third inning. Kirby struck out the side in the fourth and fifth to make for his highest streak of six Ks in a row. The 12 strikeouts that he recorded are the most that any opposing pitcher has recorded in a start this season against the Muckdogs.
The Tigers opened up the scoring in the second inning with a solo shot from Nick Ames that cleared the deep right field wall. Humberto Mejia worked himself into a bases-loaded jam after that but was able to escape it to keep the deficit to just one.
The third inning would yield more runs for the Tigers. After Mejia retired the first two batters of the frame, Ames ripped a two-out double for his second extra-base hit of the game. Then a walk to Eric De La Rosa set up Darwin Alvarado for a two-run double to make the score 3-0 after three. From then on, the Muckdogs’ bullpen would only give up one more hit in the game.
The offense, however, did not get their start until the seventh once Kirby had left the game. The Muckdogs only got one runner to first base (the Jarvis single). Michael Donadio started things off in the seventh for Batavia with a leadoff walk. After two quick outs, JD Osborne came back to the dish for his first game since June 28th. He smacked an RBI double over the right-fielder’s head to put the Muckdogs on the board, and help Batavia avoid a second straight shutout. After that spot in the game though, the ‘dogs only pushed one more runner on base thanks to a walk. The Muckdogs set a season low for hits in the game with just three.
The second game of the series takes place on Thursday, a 7:05 p.m. first pitch from Dodd Stadium. Chris Vallimont, the Marlins’ fifth-round pick is expected to make his second career start for the Muckdogs.
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