A Rochester man is in custody on charges related to thefts from two local liquor stores in August and November in Batavia.

Willie A. Dozier, 49, of Terrace Park, Rochester, is charged with two counts of burglary, 3rd, and two counts of conspiracy, 5th.

Dozier is accused participating in the left of $500 cash and a credit card from the back office of Mr. Wine & Liquor in the Tops Plaza on Aug. 12.

He is also accused of stealing a box of cash from Plaza Spirits in Batavia on Nov. 16.

In both cases, Dozier appeared to be working with a partner -- hence the conspiracy charges -- but no other arrest was announced yet in the case. Police say the investigation is ongoing.

Dozier was also arrested in Monroe County on charges related to similar crimes there.

He was jailed without bail.

Growing grapes and making wines is probably the last thing Bob and Ingrid Bowen expected to be doing after retirement.

Even Bob can’t believe the turn of events.

He and his wife both worked at Xerox, but after their four boys went to college, Ingrid announced she wanted a horse.

That started the search for a farm in the country.

“John Mortellaro of Batavia was a family friend and he said he knew about a place near Elba,” Bob said. “The farm had been abandoned, the house was a mess and the place was overgrown, but my wife loved it.”

“It was pretty dilapidated,” Ingrid said.

The Bowens retired in 2011 and bought the farm, renovated the house, cleared the land and built a barn.

Then Bob started thinking about what to do with the land, and he has always liked wine and had made wine as a hobby. He realized Genesee County doesn’t have the kind of weather needed for grapes, but he went to Cornell, where they have a grape research facility and took a course on becoming a vintner.

“In 2012, we planted the vineyards with three grapes from Cornell with code names,” Bob said. “They were developed to grow in cold country. Our weather here is colder, because we don’t have hills and lakes to keep the temperature moderate.”

The first year, temperatures were down to zero, with a wind chill of minus 30, Bob said.

“We lost 120 vines and there was nothing we could do,” he said.

The Bowens already knew they didn’t want to rely solely on grapes, and had planted acres of apple, cherry, peach and apricot trees, along with blueberries and raspberries.

They hired Augie Katrencik, of Macedon, as winemaker. He has 10 years of experience in the business and has been a longtime friend of the Bowens.

On Sunday, the Bowen’s officially opened their winery at 6870 Norton Road with an open house.                   

The Bowens specialize in fruit wines, with apricot, peach, peach and honey, pear, pumpkin and spice, and Traminette* available now.

In June, they will have available blueberry, Dechaunac, Diamond, spiced apple and even tomato wine.

“If you’ve never tried tomato wine, you’re in for a surprise,” Bob said. “It doesn’t look like V8.”

Kim Shay, of Victor, said she loved it.

“It’s very good,” she said.

The idea came from Katrencik, who said his grandparents used to make tomato wine.

Later in the year, the winery will have red raspberry and blueberry.

The Bowens are thrilled to be the first winery in Genesee County and are purchasing everything they can for the business locally. This includes contracting with Hodgins Printing to make their labels.

Bob said they will be at the Downtown Batavia Public Market this summer and at the Genesee County Fair. He is in discussions with local retail liquor stores to carry their wines.

Circle B Winery will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays. They can be contacted on Facebook, online atCircleB6870@gmail.com or by calling (585) 773-4473.

Top photo: Ingrid and Bob Bowen stand in their vineyard at 6870 Norton Road, Elba, where they estabished Genesee County's second winery. They held their premier open house on Sunday.

(*To find out more about Traminette the cold-hardy, fungal resistant, hybrid white grape developed by Cornell University, click here.)

CORRECTION: This story originally said the Bowen's winery is the first winery in Genesee County. Autumn Moon Winery in Bergen opened a couple of years ago.

Visitors from throughout the area attended an open house on Sunday at Circle B Winery, the second in Genesee County. From left, Ken Winburn, of Phelps, Kim Shay, of Victor, Linda Wester, of Farmington and Joe Attinello, of Farmington, sample the wines.

Photos by Virginia Kropf.

A person has been struck by a car on Buell Street in the city.

City fire on scene reporting one person down in the roadway.

The first Batavia PD officer on scene asked for another patrol to respond.

City fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 12:14 a.m. It turns out the patient may not have been struck by the vehicle according to a police officer on scene. The patient may have been trying to ride on top of the car or had jumped on the car. The driver may know the patient. The patient is a 19-year-old male. He was transported to UMMC with road rash and for evaluation of a possible head injury. The investigation is continuing.

A fire is reported at 6875 Ellicott Street Road, Pavilion.

The fire reportedly started with an ATV in a shop. A house is 20 feet from the shop.

Ellicott Street Road is being closed.

Pavilion fire, Stafford fire, Bethany fire, Le Roy fire, and Alexander's Fast Team dispatched.

UPDATE 10:20 p.m.: The fire started with a four-wheeler in the shop and the first unit on scene reported a fully involved structure fire, according to Pavilion Chief Dewey Murrock. "It was pretty intense heat," Murrock said. "The first truck in, we watered down the house and then watering down the garage." (The siding of the house sustained heat damage.)

In addition to the ATV, two tractors and another piece of farm equipment were lost.  

UPDATE 10:35 p.m.: Route 63 is being reopened.

UPDATE: Photos submitted by Judy Johnson

"I just know how difficult it is to live in the State of New York and I want families all across the state to know that that I care personally," Molinaro said during a press conference at the ARC Community Center or Woodrow Road.

"I've been able to achieve some success in my life, but most importantly, I never forget where I came from. There are good and decent people who just want a government and a governor that will stand up for them."

Molinaro, running for governor, took a few shots at Cuomo during the 10-minute conversation before an event where he talked about a program in Dutchess County that provides a broad range of assistance and recognition for citizens with special needs.

The day before, Cuomo, while proclaiming New York the leading progressive state in the nation, said, “New York is the alternative state to Trump’s America and we’re proud of it.” Molinaro said he doesn't even know what that statement means.

"I really lost track of the number of irrational things the governor has said," Molinaro said. "I mean, quite frankly, two weeks ago he announced he is the government. Then he announced that he was raised by immigrant middle-class citizens, and then he said that he was, in fact, an undocumented citizen himself. He also says that he pays property taxes. None of those things have ever been proven true."

Later in the conversation, Molinaro said -- echoed by Assemblyman Steve Hawley, who was hosting his visit to Batavia -- that if Andrew Cuomo wants to run against President Donald Trump, then he should go do that. He's running to represent the people of New York.

"I really think we need to talk about where this state has been over the last seven years," Molinaro said. "I was somebody who, when he came into office, was thinking that this governor was going to sweep in a new day. Instead, we have this entrenched new normal. I think New Yorkers, regardless of party affiliation, know that there's a question of competency. And certainly, there's a question of whether or not the state is any more affordable today than it was seven years ago. It is not."

Molinaro was critical of Cuomo's economic development efforts, which has focused on billions of dollars in tax breaks and grants for private enterprise, including: a $10 million prize to Batavia; support for the Western New York Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park in Alabama; and the agribusiness park in Batavia.

"First, we have seen this economic development model on trial for the last several months," Molinaro said. "It is clear that the governor's chief assistant sold his office to the highest bidder and was brought to justice. It was as a result of what is an unaccountable process that allows the governor to hand out dollars to private interests. It's going to be on trial again over the next several months in the Buffalo Billion corruption scandal. It is not appropriate for a democracy to have any one person have the kind of authority and latitude with no transparency."

He said New York needs procurement reform and a database of deals so people can actually see how economic development money is being spent.

"No we shouldn't be taking money from taxpayers to give to private interests to compensate for the fact that the state of New York took too much money from taxpayers to begin with," Molinaro said. "That's not economic development. It's a form of money laundering.

"At the end of the day, this is their money. This is taxpayers' money to begin with. We're supposed to be grateful that he's giving it back?"

Molinaro said the State needs to decrease the burden it places on everyday New Yorkers. He said taxes need to be lower; the cost of doing business in New York need to be lower and that government should invest in the people of New York.

"I come from a place called Tivoli," Molinaro said. "When I moved there in 1989 with my family I told my granddad we were moving to the middle of nowhere. I have always lived and worked with people who feel a little bit left out. I'm here today because there are citizens all across the state with disabilities who often feel a little bit left out. Help is on the way. I care deeply about the fact that too many parts of the state and too many families across New York feel that their government doesn't listen."

He said because of his background and experience in government, which includes time in the Assembly, he knows how to make New York work for everybody.

"I understand and I know the way government's supposed to function," Molinaro said. "I've spent every day of my adult life bending government to serve its people. I know that this government, in particular, New York state, is too big. It's too bloated. In many ways, it's too arrogant. We have to focus on making it easier for families. You know I didn't grow up in a famous political family. I wasn't born into money. I am a middle-class New Yorker."

To win, Molinaro knows he will have to bridge the gap of a Republican-leaning upstate and a Democratic-leaning downstate, where most of the voters live.

He said he can do that by being true to himself.

"I'm a pragmatic person and no matter where it is, I begin from my perspective, my goal, is to find commonality," Molinaro said. "What I want New Yorkers to know is that at the very least I intend to redefine what it means to be in government; to redefine the way government functions and to redefined democracy in the state of New York.

"I'm not running to be the governor of a political party. I'm running to be governor of the State of New York. I want residents, regardless of ideology, to know that they're going to have a government and a governor that's going to listen to them and strive hard to bring people together."

City police are out with a possibly injured Rottweiler at 2 Cedar St. but don't yet have it in custody.

The officer says the dog appears friendly.

The dog may have a leg injury.

Justify won the Kentucky Derby, which seemed to please many race fans at Batavia Downs yesterday.

Below, Mary Foster and Alyssa Park, winners of the hat contest, with Henry Wojtaszek, Western OTB president, and Scott Kiedrowski, VP of operations.

Mandy Humphry cut a bright red ribbon yesterday afternoon in front of the former Bank of Le Roy building on Main Street in Le Roy to celebrate her new business, The Art of Mandy.

The business, on the second floor, offers adult classes for anybody of any age 2 and older.

"I decided to open the studio because there’s nothing like this in Le Roy and this is where I live," Humphrey said.

Humphrey has a degree in art studio and painting and she earned her master's from RIT in art instruction. She worked in public schools but decided she preferred to working independently.  

The Art of Mandy offers classes for kids and adults in drawing, painting, watercolor, photography, calligraphy and more, Humphrey said. She also hosts private events and birthday parties (bring your own beverages) and she will also go to offices and homes for parties.

Sometime in the 1940s, Leslie Krajeski's uncle purchased three oil-on-canvas portraits of people who were once prominent citizens in Genesee County -- Alfred Cary, and James and Susan Kelsey. The artist did not sign the portraits.

Alfred Cary was a brother of Trumbull Cary, Batavia's original postmaster and founder of the Bank of Genesee. He was born in Connecticut in 1777 and died in Batavia in 1855. He donated the land in Oakfield for the former Cary Seminary. James and Susan Kelsey were residents of Alexander and were associated with the Genesee Wyoming Seminary, which opened in Alexander in 1845.  

Krajeski called The Batavian after we did a piece about Noah North, a mid-19th century portrait artist from Alexander who painted portraits primarily in 1830s and 1840s in Genesee County and in Ohio. She wondered if these portraits could have been by North.

The portraits, however, do not seem to match the style of North. North was known as a folk artist. His style was flat and spare. Also, he painted primarily on wood. These portraits, on canvas, include backgrounds and shadows and details not visible in the North paintings available for comparison.

So, does anybody know who might have painted these portraits?

UPDATE 10 p.m.: Oops, Trumbull was not the first postmaster.  City Historian Larry Barnes provides this: " James Brisbane, appointed July 21, 1802, was the first.  Trumbull Cary came to Batavia in 1805 as an 18-yr-old teenager.  He was not appointed to the postmaster position until 1815.  However, there is a twist to the story.  Although Trumbull was not the official postmaster until 1815, in practice he discharged the duties of a postmaster beginning in 1805 when he worked as a clerk first for James Brisbane and later for his brother, Ebenezer Cary.  Ebenezer was the first official postmaster after James Brisbane."

For Cinco de Mayo yesterday, Cedar Street Sales and Rentals, served up $1 tacos to store visitors. The proceeds, along with any donations, are going to the local YWCA to help the 109-year-old service organization out of its financial difficulties.

Press release:

This is an open invitation to all members of the community to participate in this year’s Batavia Memorial Day parade on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28^th.

The City of Batavia is sponsoring the parade and we are looking forward to another great turnout. The parade will kick off at 9:45 a.m. from the Eastown Plaza and end at the Alva Place parking lot.

People can then go to the Veterans Memorial Service at the memorial site across the street at the Jerome Center.

Any veterans wishing to participate in the parade can just show up at 9:15. Any veterans needing a ride in the parade please contact me.

Any groups wishing to participate please let us know as all are welcome. Please keep the theme of respect to all our veteran and first responders.

Let’s show our support to our veterans and first responders.

Thank you,
Bob Bialkowski
Councilman at Large
(585) 409-3624

Press release:

The New York State Department of Health announced today that an international traveler from Europe who has been confirmed to have measles visited multiple venues in New York State potentially exposing others to measles on April 30^th, May 1^st and May 2^nd.

Anyone who visited the following locations may have been exposed:

• Old Country Buffet, 821 County Road 64, Elmira, on April 30^th between 1 and 4 p.m.;
• Ontario Travel Plaza on NYS Thruway (I-90) in Le Roy, on April 30^th between 4 and 6:30 p.m.;
• Sheraton Niagara Falls, 300 3^rd St., Niagara Falls, from 5:30 p.m. on April 30^th to 9:30 a.m. on May 2^nd;
• Niagara Falls Urgent Care, 3117 Military Road, Suite 2, Niagara Falls, on May 1^st between 3 and 6 p.m.;
• Exit 5 on Interstate 390 in Dansville, on May 2^nd between 9:30 a.m. and noon.

These times reflect the period that the infected individual was in these areas and a two-hour period after the individual left the area, as the virus remains alive in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours.

Individuals are considered protected or immune to measles if they were born before 1957, have received two doses of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, have had measles disease, or have a lab test confirming immunity. Individuals who are not immune to measles and were exposed are at risk for developing measles. The risk of developing measles is low for people who have been vaccinated or are immune.

All individuals who were exposed, especially those without immunity or who are not sure if they have been vaccinated, should monitor for symptoms of measles. Symptoms include a fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis or runny nose.

Symptoms usually appear 10-12 days after exposure but may appear as early as 7 days and as late as 21 days after exposure. Individuals should contact their health care provider if they develop measles symptoms.

To prevent the spread of illness, the Department is advising individuals who may have been exposed and who have symptoms consistent with measles to contact their health care provider, a local clinic, or a local emergency department before going for care. This will help to prevent others at these facilities from being exposed to the illness.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus that is spread by direct contact with nasal or throat secretions of infected people. People first develop a fever, then may have a cough, runny nose and watery eyes, followed by appearance of the rash. People are considered infectious from four days before to four days after the appearance of the rash.

The single best way to prevent measles is to be vaccinated. Individuals should receive two doses of MMR vaccine to be fully protected. If a person is unsure if they are immune they should contact their healthcare provider.

Typically, the first dose of MMR vaccine should be given at 12-15 months of age and the second dose should be given at 4 to 6 years of age (age of school entry), although individuals may also be vaccinated later in life. In New York State, measles immunization is required of children enrolled in schools, daycare, and prekindergarten. Since August 1990, college students have also been required to demonstrate immunity against measles.

Health care providers should report all suspected cases of measles to their local health department. More information about measles can be found at https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/2170.pdf

Somehow Barney, who never goes out of the house, got out of his house on Fargo Road, between Clapsaddle Road and Sweetland Road, in Stafford.

Barney weighs 13 pounds, is an American shorthair and is declawed.  

"He's very friendly and deeply missed," said Adam Reich.

UPDATE 12:39 p.m.: Barney decided it was time to come home. He's safe.

A car versus motorcycle accident with possible serious injuries is reported at 519 Genesee St. in Darien, at the intersection of South Lake Road. Darien Fire Department is responding along with Mercy medics. Mercy Flight #7 out of Batavia is put on ground standby.

Corfu Fire Police are requested to the scene in case needed to set up a landing zone. Law enforcement is on scene; vehicles are off the side of the road, not blocking traffic.

UPDATE 12:20 p.m.: Mercy Flight response is canceled, along with Corfu Fire Police, per command.

UPDATE 12:23 p.m.: A tow is called for the motorcycle, but not the car.

UPDATE 12:27 p.m.: Mercy medics are put back in service.

UPDATE 1 p.m.: The motorcyclist was transported by Darien ambulance to ECMC with a compound fracture of an arm and other non-life-threatening injuries. The female driver of a Dodge Dakota pickup truck was also transported there for evaluation. Sheriff's Sgt. Jason Saile said the truck was eastbound westbound on Genesee Street when it slowed to make a left turn onto South Lake Road. The motorcyclist was behind the truck. The truck driver said she used her turn signal. The motorcyclist says she did not. The truck driver slowed and attempted the left-hand turn and collided with the motorcycle, which attempted to pass on the left. The motorcyclist was ejected and may have struck his arm on a Direct TV satellite pole in the yard adjacent to where the accident occurred. The motorcycle ended up in a ditch.

The commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Alexander is on a mission to get the Alexander School District to reconsider implementing a tax exemption for Cold War veterans.

Eric Radder spoke at Wednesday's school board meeting.

"I notice we’ve got all four service flags up here, so obviously Alexander supports its veterans," Radder said. "I’m here to discuss and implement it and bring it back as a point of discussion."

Several tax jurisdictions in the county have adopted the exemption, including the Town of Alexander and the Village of Alexander. 

Qualified veterans who apply can get an exemption on a small portion of the assessed value of their property. The typical exemption is 10 percent off the accessed value with a maximum of $6,000 exempt from the jurisdiction's property tax. In Alexander, both the town and village adopted the higher tier exemption, which is 15 percent off the accessed value with a maximum exemption of $12,000.

More than two years ago, the school district held two public forums on the proposed exemption. The first forum, said Board President Reed Pettys, was lightly attended because of a snowstorm. The next forum had 30 to 40 people attend, Pettys said, and the public was evenly divided between support and opposition.

While the perception is that the Alexander School Board voted against the exemption, Pettys said since the community was divided on the topic, the board just never took the issue up again.

Pettys agreed Wednesday night to go with another board member to the VFW's board meeting Thursday to publicly discuss the proposal again.

He said a lot has changed since the board last considered the idea -- there are two or three new board members, including one -- John Slenker  -- who is a veteran and more jurisdictions, including other school districts, have passed it.

"I think we’ll discuss it at the next meeting and see if we can get a public forum," Pettys said.

The exemption, Radder said, would help keep veterans in the community.

"You could retain the veterans who bring a set of values that they learned in their military training experience and then in return benefit the community at large," Radder said.

Sunday's Genesee Symphony Orchestra concert in the auditorium at Elba Central School will feature soloist Mimi Hwang on cello performing Elgar's "Concerto for Cello & Orchestra in E-minor."

Hwang, a resident of Brighton, winner of both the Banff and the Evian International String Quartet Competitions. She has performed with such quartets as Tokyo, Colorado, and Ciompi at Duke University in North Carolina, and was a participant of both Beijing and Los Angeles philharmonics. She also played at the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra.

The orchestra, under the direction of S. Shade Zajac, will also perform Wagner's "Siegfried's Death & Funeral March," Howard Hanson's "Symphony No. 2 'Romantic,' " and Holst's "St. Paul's Suite for String Orchestra."

The concert, "Romantic Masterpieces," begins at 4 p.m.

Tickets are available through geneseesymphony.com, GO ART!, Roxy's Music Store, The YNGodess Shop, and Smokin' Eagle BBQ  & Brew in Le Roy.