News roundup: UMMC records $3.4 million profit

Posted by Philip Anselmo on June 17, 2008 - 12:40pm
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From the Daily News (Tuesday):

  • United Memorial Medical Center reported a $3.4 million profit for 2007, its fourth straight year in the black, according to President and CEO Mark Schoell. For more facts and figures check out the article by Paul Mrozek.
  • Agricultural reporter Tom Rivers has an interesting piece on the front page about the not-to-friendly named 'armyworms' and their threat to local wheat harvests.
  • I had some trouble working out the details of an article about the Genesee County Public Defender's Office that could lose "hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds." Reporter Paul Mrozek writes that in order to receive the state funding, the county "must spend at least one dollar more for the two programs than it did in the previous budget year." It seems strange, but apparently the state is demanding that the office spend more money in order to receive more money. What's more strange is that the threshold is measured by a single dollar.
  • The town of Batavia dedicated a new guardrail erected at a curve in Stegman Road near Route 5 last night. That curve was the site of an accident that injured one friend and killed another nine years ago. After much petitioning by one of the accident victims, Jamie Beedham of Oakfield, the town finally put up the guardrail two weeks ago. "My goal is if the guardrail can save one life, I will have been successful," she told reporter Kristen Kotz.
  • Among the items on the Batavia Town Board agenda for its meeting Wednesday is a potential contribution of $225,000 by the town to aid the development of the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park that is planned to go up near the fairgrounds. You can download the complete meeting agenda by clicking here.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

Posted by Melissa George on June 18, 2008 - 12:13pm
Please note: the article in the Daily News about the Guard Rail was a little misleading.

The Town of Batavia did not dedicate the guardrail. The dedication was set up by Tara Pariso and Jamie Beedham. Nine years ago on June 16th, Jamie Beedham and Kristi Luthart were leaving Tara's house when they lost control of the car on Stegman road and hit a tree. Two months after the accident, Kristi lost her life to her injuries.

In 2006 Tara and Jamie became members of the Batavia Area Jaycees and learned about the community service this organization does and they asked the president at that time, Melissa A. George about the steps needed to be taken to erect a guardrail in hopes it would prevent any more deaths.

Melissa told them to do some research on how many accidents have taken place and contact the Town of Batavia and Department of Transportation to see what is needed to install a guardrail.

Two years later after many letters, phone calls, and emails later the Town of Batavia installed a guardrail on Stegman Road.

Those in attendance Monday night were friends and family of Kristi Luthart and those who's life has been changed because of that curve in the road.

A plaque that read "In memory of those who were killed or injured on this road" was in installed on a tree directly behind the guardrail.
Posted by Philip Anselmo on June 18, 2008 - 2:16pm
Thank you very much for that clarification, Melissa.

—Philip