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On Friday, city firefighters, members of IAFF Local 896, held their annual MDA "Fill the Boot" fundraiser in Downtown Batavia.

The results of the fundraising effort have not been released.

Photos by Frank Capuano.

On Thursday afternoon, Danielle Rotondo, general manager at Terry Hills, presented JT Turnbull with $16,228.55 -- the total of funds raised at a charity golf tournament held at the course on Saturday.

The funds will assist Turnbull with expenses related to lifestyle adjustments following a spinal injury while skiing in January.

Rotondo set a fundraising goal of $10,000 for the event.

There is also and ongoing GoFundMe campaign with a goal of raising $100,000 to assist Turnbull.

Previously: Terry Hills hosts golf tournament to assist JT Turnbull on his new journey

The Batavia Police Department honored the men and women who served the city of Batavia as peace officers on Wednesday at Officer Arthur J. Luplow's graveside.

Luplow served the city for 26 years, from the incorporation of the city in 1915 until his retirement in 1941.

He likely served as a village constable prior to incorporation.

He's described as a gentle giant—a big man who filled a big uniform once on display at the Holland Land Office Museum but whose final on-duty photo shows him holding the hands of two children, helping them cross a street.

Following his retirement, he was an exempt fireman and served as the organization's president. He was also active in Elks and a "formidable" cribbage player.

Luplow is buried in Grandview Cemetery.

There are approximately 50 people who retired from the police department buried in various cemeteries in Genesee County.

Police Officers Memorial Day was authorized by Congress and signed into law by President John F. Kennedy in 1961.

It is observed across the nation annually on May 15.

Troop A holds an observance each year at a memorial at the Batavia Barracks for troopers who have died in the line of duty.

At the start of every season, when asked, "Who are the players fans should really watch this season?" Batavia Muckdogs Manager Joey Martinez has the same trouble answering the question

He just can't seem to narrow the response down to two or three players.

"It's not fair to just pick just one. I can pick them all. I love all my guys," Martinez said. "I bet on them. I bet on us. You know, that's all I can do. That's all I know. I like them all."

He did try to single out a few players, starting with, "We've got a couple of arms out there that are pretty impressive."

There's Michael Benedict, Matt Misiti, Reed Marcum, and Garrett Brunstetter.

"Liam Ryan is pretty nasty. He's pretty nasty," Martinez said. "I watched him yesterday. He's pretty nasty."

He added, "I like the arms that we have, and we still got three or four guys coming. I'm looking forward to our William and Mary guy getting here. Anthony Greco. It looks like he's going to be a good guy.

Yet to arrive yet is a projected third baseman, Jake Butler.

"He's a very young guy with a very high IQ," Martinez said. "He has a great feel for the game."

Then he mentions Justin Austin and says, "I mean, the list goes on and on. We have got some really good players. I'm not even sure who else to say. The list goes on and on."

There are also a half-dozen or more returners, including local pitchers Bryceton Berry and Ty Woods. Trey Bacon, Garrett Beaver, Isidro Rosario, Lucas Lopez, and Tucker Beving are also returning.

James Bolton, from Webster, will make his Muckdogs debut this season. 

"I always have a lot of surprises and tricks up my sleeve, but I think our team is a little younger this year, a little bit more athletic, a little bit more speed," Martinez said. "We tried to make some adjustments in the offseason. So I would say more bats and balls skills. The pitching staff is looking good on top of that; I think, you know, with the Dogs, we are always gonna be competitive, man, you know, that's the only way I like it -- win or go home."

The Muckdogs open the season on Thursday in Jamestown, followed by an away game on Friday in Elmira, before the home opener against Elmire at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday. Fireworks will follow the game.

The team's first day game at Dwyer is on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. against Niagara Falls Americans, a new team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, and like Batavia and Elmira, the team is owned by Robbie and Nellie Nichols. The next home page after that is June 6 at 6:35 p.m. against Newark.  For the complete 2024 schedule, click here. For the current roster, click here.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Water Department will shut down the water around Jackson Street on Thursday, May 30, for a valve replacement.

The length of time the water will be off is unknown.

Water will be shut off on Ellicott from Liberty to Jackson and Jackson from Main to Ellicott.

As always, when the water is restored, it may be discolored.  Please refrain from doing any laundry until the water runs clear.

We apologize for any inconvenience, and the public’s patience is greatly appreciated.

Philip Klein is a successful film composer in Hollywood; still, it's nice to come home again and visit your alma mater.

Especially if the same high school orchestra that helped mold your talent is preparing to debut a piece you wrote and arranged.

"It's very meaningful to me, it's very special," Klein said. "My world in L.A. now. It is so fast-paced. Kind of crazy. So to come back here and just kind of have this moment that feels like a community again, you know, you don't really get that, and to share it with students. It's really special. It means a lot to me that they would even want something from me and that they would take the time to play it so well."

The piece is Flight of the Voyager, which tells the story of Voyager 2. The spacecraft was launched in 2018 and is the first craft to reach Uranus and Neptune and is the second craft to reach interstellar space.

The piece was written specifically for the Pembroke Concert Orchestra to perform.  It makes its international debut on May 30th at 6:30 p.m. in the Pembroke Junior-Senior High School Auditorium.

Klein graduated from Pembroke in 2003. He studied trumpet performance and composition at Northwestern University. In 2011, he was selected as one of six fellows with the Sundance Institute's Film Composing Lab. In 2009, he won Best Composing from the ATAS Foundation's College and Television Awards. He was a nominee in 2022 for best original score for an animated film, for Wish Dragon, from the International Film Music Critics. The same group named him Break Through Film Composer of the Year in 2021. He won the Alan Parsons Award in 2022 for Best Original Score Short Film (Who Goes There).

His film credits include Joker, The Mandalorian, Medieval, The Last Full Measure, Cicero in the Winter, and Clones Gone Wild, along with dozens of others where he participated in the scoring or orchestration.

"It's amazing to us that Mr. Klein wrote the piece for Pembroke, and our band director,  John Bailey, is wildly excited for our students to get to meet and work with him," said Superintendent Matthew Calderon.

At the rehearsal on Tuesday, Klein was clearly enjoying himself.

"It's a lot of fun for me to be back," Klein said. "First off, I mean, just to be in, in school with them again, and just the energy of seeing a group like that play together. And it's always fun to hear your piece of music played live for the first time. They did great; they worked really hard. And it's not an easy piece."

For Tom Turnbull, it was good to have his son, JT, back out at the golf course having a good time and to see all of the people who showed up to support JT on Saturday enjoying themselves despite the rain.

"That's what's important," Turnbull said.

It's also important, said Danielle Rotondo, general manager at Terry Hills, to help raise money to assist with JT Turnbull's adjustments to a changed life.

JT sustained serious injuries in a skiing accident on Jan. 27.  He suffered a spinal injury and can no longer walk.

Rotondo said the goal was to raise $10,000.

Tom Turnbull said all of the money—including donations through the ongoing GoFundMe campaign (now up to more than $76,000 with a goal of raising $100,000)—will help with home modifications, physical therapy, occupational therapy, any equipment he needs and any unpaid hospital bills.

"Every dollar will go to his journey to get better, and get adjusted to life," Turnbull said.

Tom Turnbull is amazed by Rotondo's support, saying the Rotondos are like a second family. Turnbull, former president of the Chamber of Commerce, works part-time at Terry Hills. He's also in two leagues. His wife, Michelle, plays in two leagues, and JT also plays in two leagues.

"This is our second home," he said.

Rontondo shared a similar view of the Turnbulls.

"The Turnbulls have been part of our family for years, whether through leagues, the Ladies' Association so I worked with Tom at the Chamber," Rotondo said. "When this happened, we all came together and said this is something we wanted to do for them. What better way (to help) than to put on a golf tournament?"

Turnbull said that JT has been doing well.

"He has got the most fantastic attitude," Turnbull says. "He's kept Michelle and me going for these last three months. He hasn't had hardly any bad days the whole time. He's looking forward. He's driving a car and being out here, and he's going to want to play wheelchair sports, and it's just really amazing. He still has a sense of humor. He still gives his parents a hard time."

JT said seeing all of the community support for him left him nearly speechless.

"It's unbelievable," he said. "The support we've received from my family and my friends, the entire community, it just goes to show you what a great place this is to live here in Batavia."

An 81-year-old man whom investigators believe was injured during an attempted burglary of his residence on Tuesday morning reportedly exchanged gunfire with a deputy who responded to 7924 Lewiston Road at 3:41 a.m. to a reported burglary.

Neither the deputy nor the resident, identified as Gregory Poole, were injured in the incident.

According to the Sheriff's Office, a deputy -- not identified -- responded to the call and was approaching the home when he confronted a person outside the residence. The deputy identified himself, and the person fired a gunshot in the direction of the deputy. The deputy returned fire while continuing to identify himself, but the person continued to fire his gun.  

The deputy took cover and called for backup. 

Upon the arrival of a second deputy, the person was taken into custody without further incident. 

The Sheriff's Office says that neither the deputy nor the subject were struck by gunfire, and neither sustained an injury as a result of the gunfire.

The type of firearm used by the subject has not been released.

Poole was reportedly injured in a struggle with the burglary suspect.

It's believed the burglary suspect fled the scene before the deputy arrived. The area was searched, but the suspect was not located.

Once Poole was released from the hospital, he was charged with reckless endangerment in the first degree and menacing a police officer. He was arraigned and released on his own recognizance.

The Sheriff's Office states that the investigation into both the burglary and the gunfire is ongoing.

Batavia PD is investigating a burglary at Batavia Marine and Sporting Supply Store, 411 West Main St., that occurred during the early morning hours of May 27.

Patrol officers responded to a burglary alarm at 2:30 a.m. and, upon arrival, discovered evidence of forced entry into the building.

Further investigation revealed that the property was taken from the building.

The police did not release the nature of the property taken.

Detectives responded to the scene to gather additional evidence.

Anyone with any information regarding the incident is asked to contact Detective Jason Ivison by calling 585-345-6350 or submitting by clicking here.

Batavia Marine has operated by appointment only since July.

Previously: By appointment only: Mike Barrett winding down after 50-plus years at Batavia Marine

When you want to take a dip in a pool or grill hot dogs, rain isn't your friend.

But a bit of precipitation didn't dampen the spirits on Saturday of Dominick Comelio and Brian Bater, who were celebrating the 20th anniversary of their business, Deep Blue Pool and Spa, located at 4152 W Main Street Road, Batavia (Valu Plaza).

Bater said it's been a good business, especially in Batavia.

"I started working for Danny Dugan at Denny's Pool World in 1984," Bater said. "He was kind of my mentor. Along the way, Dominick and I started a service business called BNR Pool Service. We opened that around 1990. We did all the service work for 15 years, and then we decided to go into the retail side of it. Now, we continue to have a large service department, and we also do the retail side."

The first location was in Warsaw, and within two years, Comelio and Bater moved their location in Batavia. In 2010, they decided to expand and opened a store in Henrietta.

"We decided (a couple of years later) it was too much for us," Bater said. "We wanted to consolidate back down and focus on the Batavia region and our customer base here."

Camelio said he's enjoyed the pool business.

"It's fun, it's exciting. There's always something new to work on and make people happy," Camelio said.

The driver of a 2012 Ford Focus involved in a collision with a tractor-trailer on May 17 at Ellicott Street and Jackson Street in Batavia, has a received traffic citation following an investigation by Batavia PD.

Emma Durnham, 24, of Avon, was cited for allegedly passing a red traffic light. 

Durham and a passenger, not identified by police, were seriously injured in the accident, but both have been released from the hospital and are expected to make full recoveries, according to police.

The truck driver, Michael Johnson, 48, of North Tonawanda, was not cited and was not injured in the collision.

The accident was reported at 9:30 p.m. on May 17, and Batavia PD, along with City Fire, Oakfield Fire, Town of Batavia Fire, and Mercy EMS. Due to a shortage or of ambulances at the time, volunteer crews from Byron and Darien responded to the city to assist with other calls.

The Ford Focus was reportedly southbound on Jackson Street and allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Ellicott Street and was struck by a southbound tractor-trailer (note: Jackson runs north and south, Ellicott Street (Route 63 is considered a north-south road).

The Ford Focus came to rest in the gas lane (but did not strike a pump) of the Kwik Fill at 99 Jackson St., and firefighters had to extricate both occupants.

The Sheriff's Office Crash Management Team assisted with the accident investigation.

Previously: Tractor-trailer vs. car accident reported at Jackson and Ellicott, Batavia

The men from Genesee County who fought in the War of 1812, the Civil War, and the wars of the 20th Century are well represented in the Holland Land Office Museum.

The men who served the cause of freedom starting in 1776 are less well represented, and the HLOM, with the help of the Anna Ingalsbe Lovell Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, hopes to provide visitors to the museum information on those men who fight for liberty and then helped settle Western New York.

On Saturday, DAR members presented Tyler Angora, HLOM curator, with a check for $700 -- a $500 grant from DAR and $200 from the local chapter -- to create a display honoring the patriots who settled present-day Genesee County and immediately contiguous towns.

"There are a lot of people buried here but why did they come here? What did they do to help found our county?" said DAR member Robin Ettinger. "This is what our project is about."

In the past, DAR members identified all the patriots who purchased property from the land office and those names are already listed in a book in the research room. There are also men who acquired land in the county before the Holland Land Office started selling plots. 

Western New York was not part of the colonies at the start of the Revolution.

The Senecas did not cede control of Western New York until the Treaty of the Big Tree in 1797. In the treaty, the Senecas agreed to establish residences on reservations in the territory and receive $100,000 (about $1.8 million today) for 3.75 million acres of land. 

The Holland Land Company participated in the negotiations after acquiring rights a portion of the territory from Robert Morris in 1792. 

Joseph Ellicott started surveying the land in 1798. Two years after Ellicott completed the survey, new settlers were able to buy plots of land in Genesee County (then, all of Western New York).

The project involved creating a slideshow of names and background information on the patriots to display on a flat-screen TV in the War Room.

"Right now, the only Revolutionary War piece that we have is the drum (acquired by a prior, now defunct DAR chapter)," Angora said. "We do talk about it on tours and stuff, but people don't actually get to see the men; they don't get to see their history. Ryan (Duffy, HLOM director) and I don't personally have the time to do that (put the display together). We're running the entire museum. We've wanted to expand this because the rest of the War Room has all the veterans listed except this part."

He said the TV will show a slide show of the men sharing their stories and showing their connections to this county and how they built this county, Angora said.

"We've researched them and we found a lot of men who purchased large plots, multiple plots in certain sections," Angora said. "Once the land office was here, they started flooding into this area to start farming because it was wilderness and it was a good opportunity for those patriots to come and build their lives here."

DAR members concentrate a lot on history and geology because in order to become a member, you must document that you have an ancestor who was either a patriot or supported a patriot at home.

Most of the patriots were farmers, but they were also mill owners, tavern owners, and shopkeepers.

"There's a lot of farmers and they just came out this way and had to have that tenacity to -- especially the women -- to say let's go out there and build log cabin. So the whole focus is what these guys did, who they were in the war, and they came out here and settled our area."

In a town hall meeting at the American Legion Botts-Fiorito Post #576 in Le Roy on Thursday, Sen. George Borrello drew a clear distinction between upstate interests, represented chiefly by Republicans, and downstate interests, represented mainly by progressive Democrats.

"These are not the Kennedy Democrats," Borrello said during an opening statement. "These are not like my father and my grandfather, who were Democrats because that was the party of the working class, right? This is no longer the party of the working class. These are folks who truly believe that we should be pushing toward socialism. And that's no joke. We have committed socialists in our New York State Legislature, people who are endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, the DSA. We have people who truly believe that, quite frankly, none of us are smart enough or enlightened enough to understand what's good for the greater good."

He covered a range of topics in the evening, from the push to ban natural gas, crime, the shortage of healthcare workers, Thruway revenue and MTA revenue, the safety of elections, climate change and solar farms.

The first question to Borrello was about assisted suicide for terminally ill patients.  Borrello said he is against it because it represents a slippery slope toward a lack of respect for the sanctity of life.

The natural gas ban and climate change are examples, Borrello said, of radicals pushing an agenda that is unrealistic. He thinks the push for solar panels across the state isn't about climate change but about profits.

"They've become so desperate to try to virtue signal that we're going to cure climate change here in New York State that they've created so many lucrative incentives that have resulted in a glut of projects and an inability for those projects to really be fed into the system," Borrello said. 

The revenue from these projects is the result of public support, he said.

"Unfortunately, the only profit comes from taxpayer subsidies," Borrello said. "If there weren't state and federal taxpayer subsidies of renewable energy, there would never be another industrial wind or solar installation ever built anywhere in the country, period."

While he disagreed with renewable energy subsidies, he expressed support for the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

"I believe those incentives are good when you're doing something like some of the great projects that have come to Genesee County under the great economic development organization you have here," Borrello said. "You want to give incentives to ensure that we get some some great new jobs and economic activity that's great, but not for a solar installation."

Helen Hanes asked about the shortage of healthcare workers, and Borrello tied part of the problem to the $2.5 billion New York is reportedly spending on migrants in New York City (Borrello called them "illegal immigrants" but the migrants in NYC are mostly asylum seekers in the country legally), and Hanes pushed back on that assertion. 

Borrello made two points that he thinks directly tie into fewer healthcare workers -- nurses who lost their jobs because of their refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the fact they haven't been hired back, and the need for more young people to be encouraged to seek out the medical field as a career option.  He also suggested that poorly regulated Medicaid spending creates greater expense and burden on hospitals.

"One of the biggest challenges that (hospitals) face is that people on Medicaid using the emergency room as if it's the primary care physician for non-emergency situations," Borrello said. "Talk to any health care professional, they will tell you that that's the problem."

In response to a question, he said there is a longstanding problem -- not just with the current administration -- of governors taking money from the profitable Thruway Authority and giving it to the money-losing Transit Authority in NYC.  He said one of the problems with the MTA is the city's unwillingness to deal with toll avoiders.

As for elections, Borrello said voters said citizens should have confidence in New York's elections and that there is very little fraud, certainly not enough to sway a presidential or statewide election, but there are areas of concern, such as "ballot harvesting," which he said allows third parties to pick up completed ballots from residents and deliver them to election commissioners. He's also concerned about a Democratic push to make voter registration automatic when people get a new driver's license, which has no check on citizenship.

On crime, he said progressive reforms are creating more crime, and it's hurting most of the people they say they most want to help -- marginalized populations in urban communities.

"It's unfortunate that the people that they say that they want to help the most, you know, the people that are low income, people that are who are members of minority communities, the people they claim to have in mind whenever they make these ridiculous laws and regulations, they are actually the ones that are probably hurt the most by spiraling crime," Borrello said.

An agenda of smaller government and greater freedom is what most New Yorkers want, Borrello said.

"New York needs to be safer, more affordable, and ultimately a better place to live because we need less government, not more government," Borrello said. "That's the fundamental difference between the way I think, and I think most of you think, and what my colleagues downstate think. They think the government is the answer for everything."

It's time for spring cleaning, and for Genesee County's community organizations, that's where volunteers on the Day of Caring prove invaluable.

They paint, pull weeds, clean and scrub, trim and rake, pick up debris -- just about anything that will help or beautify a community organization's property.

On Thursday, hundreds of volunteers started the morning at Dwyer Stadium before dispersing to nearly 40 locations throughout the county, including Crossroads House, the Community Garden, GO ART!, Gillam Grant Community Center, the International Peace Garden, Machpelah Cemetery, Purple Pony, and many other locations.

These photos are from the Batavia Girls Fastpitch Softball field at Lion's Park, the Pathway of Life Garden at Grandview Cemetery, and the Historic Batavia Cemetery.

The event is organized by United Way.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Batavia High School recognized six of its student-athlete seniors Wednesday who will continue both their academic and athletic careers at colleges and universities.

Cole Grazioplene is heading to Brockport State College, where he will play D-III baseball. His parents are Andrea and Jeffery Grazioplene.

Owen Halpin will attend St. John Fisher University and play D-III soccer. He is also receiving a presidential scholarship.  His parents are Graham and Jill Halpin.

Giana Mruczek will attend Keuka College where she will play D-III softball. She is also receiving a partial academic scholarship. Her parents are Brian and Erika Mruczek.

Casper Steward, a NYS champion in wrestling, is heading to West Point where he will wrestle in D-I. He is receiving a full athletic scholarship. His parents are Rick and Katie Stewart.

Anna Varland will attend Robers Wesleyan University, where she will play D-II soccer. She is receiving athletic and academic scholarships. Her parents are Nate and Julie Varland.

Noah Whitcombe is signing with Niagara University where he will play hockey. He is receiving an academic scholarship.  His parents are Jeff and Shannon Whitcombe.

Two people sustained serious injuries in a three-vehicle accident, one of them a tractor-trailer, on Route 77 and McVean Road in Darien at 7:14 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Sheriff's Office said the investigation is ongoing but reports that a 2022 Subaru was attempting to make a left-hand turn off of McVean onto Route 77. The tractor-trailer was northbound on Route 77. It appears the Subaru failed to yield the right of way to the truck. 

As a result of the collision, one of the occupants of the Subaru was thrown from the vehicle and struck by a passing Ford Escape that was southbound.

The Subaru was driven by Brittany N. Smith, 30, of Macedon. She was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy EMS for treatment of her injuries.

The occupants were Kayleigh E. Williams, 30, of Rochester, who sustained serious injuries and was transported to Strong by Mercy EMS, and Ariana P. Dupra, 30, of Fairport, who sustained serious injuries and was transported to Strong by Mercy Flight.

Both Williams and Dupra are listed in critical condition.

The tractor-trailer was a 2002 Peterbilt with Ontario plates. The driver, Lyndord E. Yoder, 37, of Sebringville, Ontario, was not injured.

The 2018 Escape was driven by Brandon G. Schoener, 25, of Grand Island, and occupied by Allyson A. Schoener, 23, of Grand Island. Neither were injured and denied medical care at the scene.

Route 77 was crowded with concert traffic at the time of the accident, according to responders.

The investigation is ongoing and no charges, if any, were released. The Crash Management Team responded to the scene, which was closed to through traffic for several hours. Assisting at the scene were Darien Fire, Corfu Fire, Pembroke Fire, East Pembroke Fire, Mercy EMS, and the Corfu Police Department.  An off-duty City Fire officer assisted with the Mercy Flight landing zone.

Previously: Critical injuries reported on Route 77 in Darien

At least two critical injuries were reported in an accident on Route 77 at McVean Road in Darien at about 7:30 p.m.

The accident involved a semi-truck and two passenger vehicles. There is entrapment and a passenger injection.

Multiple ambulances and Mercy Flight dispatched.

There are also minor injuries and people in another vehicle not injured.

Darien Fire and Corfu Fire dispatched.

There's a concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center and traffic has slowed the emergency response.

A semi-truck rollover accident is reported on Route 262 near Chapel Road, Byron.

Fuel tanks are leaking.

Byron and South Byron fire departments dispatched.

UPDATE 1:45 a.m.: The driver would like to be evaluated by a medic.