When the family of a veteran places their trust in us, we consider it an honor. We're honored because a family is trusting us to care for their most prized possession, their loved one, a veteran. They do so because they know that we care.

Press release from AAA of WNY:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.245, up less than 1 cent from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.53. The New York State average is $2.55 – down 3 cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.68. AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

Batavia -- $2.58 (down 10 cents since last week)
Buffalo -- $2.60 (down 4 cents since last week)
Ithaca -- $2.41 (down 1 cent since last week)
Rochester -- $2.52 (down 3 cents since last week)
Rome -- $2.53 (down 3 cents since last week)
Syracuse -- $2.43 (down 3 cents since last week)
Watertown -- $2.55 (down 8 cents since last week)

Low winter demand for gasoline has helped to push pump prices lower. Meanwhile, total gas stocks around the country are growing and are more than 10 million barrels higher than last year. If stocks continue to grow amid low demand and low oil prices, motorists could see pump prices continue their descent as the country settles into winter.

At the same time, oil prices rose last week. OPEC’s global pact with large non-OPEC crude producers (including Russia) to reduce crude production by 1.2 million barrels per day for at least the first six months of 2019 is now in effect so the global glut of crude is expected to decline, helping to push crude prices higher. If crude prices continue to climb, motorists could see gas prices increase.

Supporting an organization which provides food to Third World countries has been an amazing process and ministry of the Indian Falls United Methodist Church, said Pastor Karen Grinnell.

The pastor said she first learned about Rise Against Hunger at a United Methodist conference in Syracuse.

The church has various fundraisers each year and accepts donations for the meals. This is the third year the church has raised money to purchase food and solicited volunteers to pack more than 10,000 meals.

Each meal costs 31 cents, said Andrew Moser, who came from the Greater Pittsburgh Region, where Rise Against Hunger is headquartered.

Rise Against Hunger International, a nonprofit hunger relief organization, was founded by a Methodist minister from Virginia in 1998, and since that time, more than 450 million meals have been packaged and shipped, Moser said. Food is sent to orphanages, clinics and schools in 74 countries, he said.

“We try to create opportunities in places where opportunities don’t exist,” he said.

More than 50 volunteers on Saturday came from local churches, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and the Oakfield-Alabama Girls’ Basketball Team.

All meals are identical and include rice, a vegetable mix, soy protein and a vitamin packet.

Kraft-Heinz is Rise Against Hunger’s biggest partner, Moser said. The company makes all the vitamin packages and donates them.

(Photos by Virginia Kropf.)

Top photo: Students from Oakfield-Alabama’s Girls’ Basketball Team were among more than 50 volunteers who packed 10,152 meals at the Indian Falls United Methodist Church on Saturday for Rise Against Hunger. Here, one cup of rice is measured and poured into a pouch to be packed with soy protein and a vitamin packet.

Andrew Moser, who runs Rise Against Hunger in the Greater Pittsburgh Region, explains the process for packing meals to dozens of volunteers Saturday at Indian Falls United Methodist Church. The church packed 10,152 meals, which will be sent to impoverished countries.

Pastor Karen Grinnell from Indian Falls United Methodist Church and Celinda McQuistion, who chairs the church’s participation in Meals Against Hunger, watch as volunteers get ready to pack more than 10,000 meals on Saturday morning.

The Women’s March which took place in Washington, D.C., in 2017 has created interest among women in Genesee County.

On Saturday, Erica O’Donnell, of Batavia, Kristie Miller of Darien and Dorothy Avery, of Bergen, have organized an event called “Women March,” featuring a march, speakers and informational booths by various nonprofit groups. The march will begin at 10 a.m. in Jackson Square, where music will be provided by the Women’s Resistance Choir from the GLOW region. 

The march is a family friendly event, Miller said, designed after the original march in Washington, D.C., and then was copied in cities like New York City, Seneca Falls, Buffalo and Rochester.

“A lot of people from the Batavia area traveled to the march in Seneca Falls,” Miller said.

“Last year, a mutual friend, Dorothy Avery, got a school bus to take women to Seneca Falls, and we said, ‘We can do this here,’ ” O’Donnell said. “You hear in the media about these events geared to the big cities, and we wanted to make one available for rural women.”

“We wanted an event which dealt with issues facing women in our community,” Miller said.

“Typically, if you live in the GLOW region, you have to travel to Buffalo or Rochester for a lot of things,” O’Donnell said. “But the experiences of people who live in those cities are different from the people who live in the GLOW region.”

After organizing in Jackson Square, the women will march down Center Street to Ellicott, then Liberty to Main and the City Centre, where speeches will continue and nonprofit organizations will have information available.

Participants will include Diana Kastenbaum; Members of Woke GCC; Lauren Jimerson of Fairport, project manager of Iroquois White Corn Project; Tamara Leigh with Out Alliance of Rochester; Carly Fox with Worker Justice Center of New York; Debora McDell-Hernandez with Planned Parenthood of Batavia; Michelle Schoneman of East Aurora, founder of Citizens Against Collins; ChaRon Sattler-Leblanc with Moms Demand Action from Rochester and the Genesee region; and Vanessa Glushefski, deputy comptroller for the City of Buffalo.

O’Donnell said she thinks the event will be good for the city. Other marches across the country have been huge, she said. When she went to the march in Seneca Falls, hotels were all booked and stores sold out of everything.

“This is going to be a year-round effort to empower and support women,” O’Donnell said. “We are an organization, not just a march.”

Sisters, daughters, mothers and friends are invited to join the march.

Photo: Erica O’Donnell, left, and Kristie Miller are co-leaders of a Women’s March on Saturday morning. The march will begin at 10 a.m. in Jackson Square and feature speakers, a march to the City Centre, and information from nonprofit groups.

A fire was reported at 4080 Pearl Street Road, Batavia, the location of Summit Lubricants.

Town of Batavia fire dispatched and a chief on scene reported smoke but said that the sprinkler system appears to have put the fire out.

The building was evacuated.

UPDATE 10:28 a.m.: Fire is out. Starting overhaul.

It has been more than a decade since officials in the Village of Bergen first applied for a Main Street Grant, and finally, their efforts have paid off.

Mayor Anna Marie Barclay said she doesn’t know how many applications her administration and others before her have submitted in hopes of receiving a Main Street Grant from the New York State Housing Trust Fund. She believes what led to their success this time was the fact all Main Street property owners participated.

The grant of $474,750 will allow property owners to apply for amounts of $25,000 for an apartment and $50,000 for commercial space, up to a total of $100,000 per building to renovate or upgrade their buildings. Eligible buildings include the Masonic Lodge at 12 S. Lake St. to the railroad tracks on the west side of the street and Brett-Ashley Schmidt’s photographic studio across from the Village offices. Property owners must contribute a minimum of 25 percent.

Village Administrator Cortney Gale was first notified of the grant by Genesee County Economic Development Center in late December and called Barclay at home to tell her.

“He could hardly get the words out,” the mayor said. “We had been on the short list last year and held our breath, but then we didn’t get it.”

“We even contemplated if we wanted to go through the process to apply again,” Gale said.

Barclay said they had talked about joining with Le Roy to apply next year, figuring they would be turned down again.

“Everybody was kind of stunned,” she said.

There is still a lot of work to do before any money is received. Property owners must decide what their projects will be and a committee will have to be formed to oversee and approve those projects.

Gale said the committee could be formed by a group of community members or an outside firm might possibly be hired.

The village will contribute to downtown improvements with $17,000 in a Streetscape fund. This will be used to put signage on each building, keeping with a Victorian design; gooseneck lighting on each building front; and the upgrade of plantings on sidewalks and parking areas.

A telephone booth on the photography studio on the east side of Lake Street will be converted into a little library, where books will be available to the public.

“It is very encouraging to have so many property owners participate and buy into our vision,” Gale said.

“It is exciting and it is our job to support them to make sure the process is as easy as possible for them,” Barclay said. “We realize it must have been difficult for them to keep the faith. This is a commitment on their part, as well as ours.

Bergen Mayor Anna Marie Barclay and village Administrator Cortney Gale discuss their success in receiving a Main Street Grant after at least 10 years of trying.

(Photos by Virginia Kropf.)

Photos and article submitted by Coach Matt Holman.

It was a good day for ski racing on Saturday, cold with an overcast sky and no wind. A packed-powder race course turned slippery in the afternoon slalom and tested each racer's ability and the sharpness of their skis.

It was a good day for the Batavia Varsity skiers as they turned in some of the best runs of their season and careers. Led by Junior Aubrey Towner, who finished 13th, followed by Sophomore Lily Whiting, who finished 18th in the morning single-run Giant Slalom race. The afternoon brought a two-run slalom race in which Towner finished 12th and Whiting finished 14th, both career bests. The first time Batavia has had a pair of girls in the top 15 finishers in many years.

Zach Wagner also finished 12th in the slalom on the boys' side, a career best for the sophomore, 26th place finish in GS.

The Modified Team continues to improve with Lily Wagner taking the top team spot in GS. Ethan Bradley was Batavia's top slalom skier with Ben Stone finishing one spot behind.

The teams will next compete on Wednesday at Swain in a two-run GS race.

Team Picture: L to R: Ben Stone, Aubrey Towner, Lily Whiting, Lily Wagner, Ethan Bradley, Zach Wagner, Coach Matt Holman, Assistant Coach Bill Bradley

Zach Wagner

Aubrey Towner

Lily Whiting

To apply send a cover letter and resume along with at least three news-related writing samples to howard@thebatavian.com.

About six weeks after breaking one Genesee Region USBC record, the Toyota of Batavia team eclipsed another one in league bowling action this past Thursday.

Sparked by 300 games by left-handers Jason Gallo and Rich Wagner, the quintet registered 3,580 for its three-game series in the Toyota of Batavia league at Mancuso Bowling Center to break the existing record by eight pins.

The previous mark was 3,572 by the Terry Hills Restaurant team on Feb. 25, 1986 at Mancuso's.

On Nov. 29 of last year, the Toyota team posted a 1,271 game, which broke the Terry Hills' record of 1,220. Members of that Terry Hills team were Joe Trigilio, Fred Gravanda, Don Buckley, Jerry Martino and John Gravante.

While Gallo and Wagner added to their 300 game totals en route to 763 and 756 series, respectively, righty Josh Elliott led the way with a 781 series -- 244-279-258.

Nathan Cordes added 280-269--740 while Leon Hurd rolled 540 to round out the scoring.

For more high scores around the Genesee Region for the week ending Jan. 12, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.

Press release:

The Centers for Independent Living in Buffalo, in Niagara Falls and in Batavia will join our sister Centers for Independent Living (CILs) nationwide, the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), and chapters of the grassroots disability rights advocate ADAPT to participate in a national conference from 3 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday Jan. 15.

The occasion is the reintroduction of the Disability Integration Act (DIA, S.910, H.R. 2471) in Washington, D.C. This bill would make more enforceable the right of people with disabilities, who require long-term care, to live in the least restrictive and most integrated setting, (usually outside of institutions), a principle from the Americans with Disabilities Act asserted by the U.S. Supreme Court's "Olmstead v. L.C. and E.W." decision.

So that the nationwide public can tune in, as well, NCIL and ADAPT will be making a video and audio of the introductory event available to stream online. An American Sign Language for the Deaf Interpreter and live open captions will be visible on the streaming video, and a live Spanish translation will be available by phone on a conference call line.

It was thanks to the ongoing efforts of ADAPT that Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) set Jan. 15^th as the date to reintroduce the DIA in the new 116th Congress. It is the hope of disability rights advocates that the enthusiasm generated by this early introduction will help build momentum for the DIA in this new Congress.

Local friends of disability rights are invited to observe potential history in the making: at Western New York Independent Living (WNYIL), 3108 Main St., Buffalo; at Independent Living of Niagara County (ILNC) at 746 Portage Road in Niagara Falls; and at Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR)'s brand new office at 319 W. Main St. in Batavia.

Refreshments will be served, and participants will be urged to contact their elected federal legislators to encourage them to support the DIA.

For more information, call Marykate Waringa at (716) 836-0822, ext. 146. 

The Western New York Independent Living Inc. family of agencies offer an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.

GO ART! announces its third annual juried art show entitled "Art of the Rural." Entries will be accepted March 7 –  9. No entries will be accepted after March 9.

Exhibit dates are March 14 -- May 4.

There will be an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 21, at GO ART!, located in the historic Seymour Place building at 201 E. Main St. in Downtown Batavia.

This juried show is open to all artists. All works must be ORIGINAL and created by the submitting artist. Previous entries are not permitted. Any media is acceptable, no larger than 3' X 4'.

All entries must be accompanied by an entry form, and dropped off to GO ART! at Seymour Place.

Fees are due at drop off. GO ART! members may submit up to five works for $30; $5 for each additional work. Non-members may submit up three works for $30; $5 for each additional work.

A jury of selection will review all entries and will choose artwork to be displayed in the exhibit. Notification of the jury's decisions will be made March 12. All results will be sent via email unless otherwise requested. Please make sure to provide a valid email address to receive your jury results.

Cash prizes will be awarded and announced at the opening reception.

For questions please call585-343-9313 or email info@goart.org

For application: visit  www.goart.org/juriedshow

On a night of subpar shooting, the host Batavia High Lady Devils rode their tenacious pressure defense to a 47-29 victory over Greece Olympia in Monroe County Division 4 varsity girls’ basketball action.

Batavia, 10-1, made just seven of 43 attempts from the field in the first half, but held a 20-16 lead thanks to a swarming zone defense and full-court press that created numerous turnovers and forced Olympia into taking difficult shots.

Olympia led 10-7 after the first quarter as Batavia went 2-for-20 and went up 14-7 after Batavia missed its first nine shots of the second quarter.

But things quickly turned Batavia’s way as a three-pointer by senior guard Ryann Stefaniak ignited a 13-0 run that put the Lady Devils up 20-14. A layup by junior forward Emma Krolczyk, two free throws by senior forward Jenae Colkey, two more baskets by Stefaniak and a steal and layup by sophomore guard Mackenzie Reigle completed the burst.

Batavia broke it open in the third quarter, outscoring the Lady Spartans, 12-2, behind Krolczyk’s eight points, to take a 32-18 lead.

Stefaniak tallied nine of her game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as Batavia pulled away. She also had four rebounds, three blocks and three steals.

Krolczyk finished with 12 points while Byrn Wormley had four points, four assists and two steals; Colkey had five rebounds and three steals, and Reigle had four steals and three assists to go with her four points.

For the game, Batavia was 19-for-70 from the field and 5-for-17 from the free throw line.

Junior guard Janelle Miller and senior center Leah Stewart each had eight points for Olympia, 3-8.

The Lady Devils play two games on the road next week – Tuesday at Brighton and Friday at Pittsford Sutherland.

Comfortable and solid City colonial in nice neighborhood. Easy to see and super affordable – this 3 bedroom bath and a half home features very spacious room sizes.

Downstairs is open and great for entertaining but very homey. Some hardwood floors and gorgeous unpainted woodwork really give this home charm. Upstairs bedrooms are all large with closets and attic is already partially finished and with a little paint could be amazing extra living/play space!

Mechanically sound with nothing urgent to tackle but what you want to do! Enjoy the front porch that has the forever trexx decking to enjoy the neighborhood or have your morning coffee on the back deck to enjoy the peacefulness of the cute back yard -- either way come check out a really nice home!

Call Lynn Bezon today - 585-344-HOME or click here to view the this listing.

From Volunteers For Animals:

Tomorrow will be your first opportunity to check out dogs who have been participating in a new behavorial training program developed by Volunteers For Animals and the Orleans Correctional Facility.

All the dogs from The Path to Home Program will be at the Genesee County Animal Shelter during adoption hours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow, Jan. 12th. The shelter is located at 3841 W. Main Street Road, Batavia.

There will be someone from Orleans Correctional Facility who is familiar with the dogs on hand to answer questions about the canines. The volunteers are excited about this opportunity for the public to meet the dogs and check out their progress.

The existing foster program for dogs could only handle approximately four to six dogs, with fostering done in private homes. No formal dog obedience training was easily available in these private homes.

So Volunteers For Animals applied for and received a grant from Maddie's Fund in order to start this unique prison-based program. The grant has helped pay for supplies, food and medical care for the dogs. In addition, each dog will get a crate, bedding, leash, collar, training treats, and food provided by Volunteers For Animals.

Volunteers For Animals will be pulling dogs from high-kill shelters and locally who may be in need of behavioral support to become more adoptable. More at-risk dogs will now be able to go to Orleans Correctional Facility for the fostering and basic obedience training to help their socialization.

At the prison, dogs will live with selected inmates who will care for them 24 hours per day for approximately 12 weeks. 

A certified dog trainer will also provide 1.5-hour formal weekly training class for the dogs, with extra sessions if needed, and the inmates will work daily to reinforce the formal training.

At the end of the training period the dogs will have an opportunity to take the test for "Canine Good Citizen." All dogs in The Path to Home Program will be crate trained, have basic obedience skills, and good house manners.

These dogs would love to meet you tomorrow!

• "Max" (right)

• Retriever Mix

• 2 year old/ Neutered Male

• Estimated graduation date: 1/23/2019

  Max is very bright, learns quickly and is good with most dogs but enjoys rough play. He would do best in a home with no small children. Max is crate trained.

• 

• "Shannon" (left)

• Pit Bull Terrier Mix

• Adult/ Spayed Female

• Estimated graduation date: 1/23/2019

  Shannon is a calm dog who is good with most other dogs. She is housebroken and crate trained.

Press release:

The Adult Educational Opportunity Center (AEOC) is visiting every Genesee Community College campus center in January to help any current or potential student through College Entry Point and FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Workshops.

The remaining events are listed below; any current or potential student can attend these workshops:

Batavia Campus -- 1 College Road, Batavia

• Wednesday, Jan. 30, from 9 a.m. 'til 5 p.m.

Albion Campus Center -- 456 West Ave, Albion

• Tuesday, Jan. 15, from 9 a.m. 'til 12 p.m.
• Tuesday, Jan. 22, from 9 a.m. 'til 12 p.m.
• Tuesday, Jan. 29, from 9 a.m. 'til 12 p.m.

Arcade Campus Center -- 25 Edward St., Arcade

• Thursday, Jan. 17, from 9 a.m. 'til 3 p.m.
• Thursday, Jan. 31, from 11 a.m. 'til 7 p.m.

Dansville Campus Center - 31 Clara Barton St., Dansville

• Tuesday, Jan. 15, from 11 a.m. 'til 4 p.m.
• Thursday, Jan. 17, from 11 a.m. 'til 4 p.m.

Lima Campus Center -- 7285 Gale Road, Lima

• Tuesday, Jan. 22, from 9 a.m. 'til 2 p.m.

Medina Campus Center -- 11470 Maple Ridge Road, Medina

• Thursday, Jan. 17, from 9 a.m. 'til 12 p.m.
• Thursday, Jan. 24, from 9 a.m. 'til 12 p.m.

The complete calendar of AEOC support workshops, financial aid sessions, College Entry Point events and more is available at www.genesee.edu/aeoc/.

One of the most popular workshops the AEOC offers are the "FAFSA Fests" (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). During these sessions, anyone can receive help in completing the FAFSA and TAP (Tuition Assistance Program) forms. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact the AEOC office at 1-888-394-2362 or via email at AEOC@genesee.edu to reserve a seat in any session and to learn about what information and materials are required for participation. 

All of the AEOC services are free and available to anyone, not just students of Genesee Community College. With dozens of events taking place throughout the Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties, the AEOC is readily available. For a complete list of AEOC workshop and other events, visit the new calendar of events online here.

To learn more about any of these AEOC services, please visit here or contact the AEOC office at 1-888-394-2362 or via email at AEOC@genesee.edu.

Submitted photo and press release:

The Genesee Justice office, part of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, received a nice donation Wednesday from Pastor Vern Saile at the Northgate Free Methodist Church in the amount of $2,732.11 from a day of giving they did through the church.

The money will be used partly for staff trainings and also for program expenses not covered by any other funding received by the office.

"We are very appreciative to be chosen as the recipient of this check to fill existing gaps in our programs," said Tammy Schmidt, financial management assistant, Genesee Justice / Child Advocacy Center.

Top photo: Pastor Vern Saile, of Northgate Free Methodist Church, and Cathy Uhly, program coordinator for Genesee Justice.

Pre-need funeral accounts in New York State are considered assets of the individual, not the funeral home. Each year, those that have prepaid their funerals with a funeral home receive a tax document for the interest earned in the previous year.

If you have an account with any of our funeral homes, and did not receive your statement, please call us. We'd be happy to assist you.

UPDATE 1:13 p.m.: Last night was another new record for 'Shooting for a Cure." The event raised $30,000.

In its eighth year, Pembroke's "Shooting for a Cure" girls basketball reached a significant milestone Thursday night, topping $100,000 raised for cancer research.

The total amount raised this year hasn't been released yet but Mike Wilson said last night that organizers knew more than $19,000 had raised, putting the cumulative total over that $100K mark.

"These girls this year, they attacked it. I can’t say enough about this team," said Wilson, who was head coach the first year of the fundraiser in 2011. "They lead the charge. They really do. They’re the ones out pounding the pavement. They’re the ones out in Batavia, and on Transit Road, and Rochester, and Buffalo, and they’re on social media using it the right way for all those good things.

"They have really spread our mission. I’m so proud of this group. They’re a young group but they’re so mature in the compassion and love they have for the people in our community. It’s awesome."

Thursday night was also the night the community could celebrate a new job for Brianna Johnson.

It was Johnson who, in 2011, while on a team bus returning from a softball game, said the school should do something to support Coach Ron Funke's wife, Toni Funke. She and teammates talked with Wilson and the idea for Shooting for a Cure was born.

Today, Johnson starts a new job on the cancer research team at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo.

"For Brianna to have that idea and then to move on to something in the medical field, doing cancer research, it’s come full circle," Wilson said. "They just hired her. Her intake meeting is tomorrow, so when we’re down presenting our check to Candace Johnson and the Roswell staff, Brianna is going to be there signing up to become a member of that team.

"They’re going to find a cure for cancer with Brianna on that team. She’s so passionate about this. I’m very proud of her."

As for the game, Notre Dame beat Pembroke 50-31.