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Landmark Award 2017: Farmer’s Creekside Tavern and Inn

By Howard B. Owens

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Article by Cleo Mullins

Farmer’s Creekside Tavern and Inn has taken a Le Roy Landmark that was built in the 1820’s and after ten years Bill Farmer has created a four story building that will serve as a meeting place for many. It is a perfect blend of preservation with modern technology, comforts and conveniences. It opened this past spring. The original building was built of black Marcellus shale in irregularly sized stones that were dug from the Oatka Creek. It was always covered with stucco until the 1990’s. This building has served as a hat factory, bank office, law office and private home for Percy Hooker (NYS Senator), Harold Cleveland, and Dr. Knoll, who also had his medical office in the building. Later the building was used as a restaurant. I could not find a list of all the restaurants but I can name two (The Ganson House and Creekside Tavern. The stucco was removed while it was The Ganson House in the 1990’s according to an article.

In 2004 fire broke out and it took 200 firemen and 10 companies to put out the fire. After the fire, the owner Jim Gomborone put on a roof and windows. In 2007 Jim had hired Catenary Construction to estimate the cost to repair the building. Bill Farmer is the founder of Catenary Construction and is the senior estimator that came to the property. Bill Farmer said, “ without the roof, the building would never have survived”. Bill found the building in dire condition and the estimate with all the work that needed to be done was so high that the owner suggested that Mr. Farmer buy the building. Mr. Farmer could see the potential in this distinctive building that dates back to the 1820’s. Mr. Farmer and his son purchased the property in the fall of 2007 and on the day of closing the remainder of the south wall collapsed.

With the goal of salvaging as much of the original structure as possible, the rocks from the collapsed walls were saved to be used again. It took four full seasons of masonry work on the project.

The original shale walls and about 100 square feet of original floor, a fireplace, some window boxes and the two front entrances still remain. The rest of the building is a total reconstruction. The floor in the fine dining area call the Cleveland Room with the original fireplace is the original deep brown hemlock floor. Where the floor had been burned it has replacement boards. The next room also can be used as fine dining or a meeting room has the original striped floor of black walnut and a lighter maple. One area still has the scorched boards from the fire. The tavern is on the level beneath the street and has a copper beer system that they designed and had custom built with 18 taps of different beers. They have a spacious kitchen to prepare food for the fine dining area and the tavern. The top floor has three suites and each has rustic beams that came from the building. The beams had been taken down to be cleaned and evaluated and then were reset in the downstairs tavern and upstairs inn. The lowest level, next to the creek, has an outdoor bar with patio seating. The fine dining room, the tavern, and the patios can accommodate 400 people.

The Landmark Society of Genesee County is awarding Farmer’s Creekside Tavern and Inn the Preservation Award for the extensive renovation they have done on this historical building. 

Landmark Award 2017: 64 East Main Street in Corfu

By Howard B. Owens

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Article by Joan Bird

The Eck home at 64 East Main Street in Corfu is the recipient of the Landmark Society preservation award for Tender Loving Care.

Dean and Jennifer Eck purchased the home in 2000.The house has many Greek Revival touches as illustrated by the columns. This style was built between 1830-1860.

The clapboard siding and six over six windows in the front of the house are original. Also original are the door and beveled sidelights.

As I mentioned, the six over six windows are original and are made of rolled glass. The distortions in antique glass are part of the charm of old windows and a historic feature valued by their owners.

The exact building date of the house is unknown. It is believed that what is now the apartment is the original house. That portion of the house is all heavy timber construction built with square nails. The floors in this section are original to the house.

The foundation of this portion has been scored to look like stone.

The porch pillars in front have been rebuilt but remain the same size and shape as the original ones. The patriotic colors the home is painted reflect the feelings of the present owners.

As the owners worked on the home, they found a collection basin for spring water under the back porch. It was connected to a pump in the old kitchen.

As with most old homes, the Ecks have found many “treasures” as they look pulled down old walls and ceiling. These “treasures” include a pair of spectacles and a newspaper from 1927. It is fascinating to see the “news” of 1927 as well as the advertisements, especially the prices of certain items.

Perhaps the most interesting “treasure” is a registry from 1890 of the students at the Corfu school. It’s fun to imagine how it came to be in the walls of this house.

Those who have worked with old homes know the challenges and the creativity needed to preserve the past.
this award to the Eck family. 

Landmark Award 2017: 11129 River Street, Pavilion

By Howard B. Owens

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Article by Cleo Mullins

This cobblestone home is the only one in Pavilion. William Henry purchased the land in 1829 and in a book about Pavilion it listed William Henry as a stone mason so it is likely he built this home. With its rectangular form, simple lines and ornamentation and the use of cobblestones, it is presumed that this residence was built shortly after 1829.

Over the years additions were added. Ten years ago Dave and Noreen Tillotson bought the house, barn and 160 acres as they owned a farm within a mile of the place and needed the land and barn. One of the first jobs on the house and barn was to clean up and make the barn ready for cattle. This is a present-day picture of the barn. Note the new roof, paint job and landscaping. Before there were only a few trees. This is a later picture but I wanted you to see the shape of the build. The larger cobblestones with less precision arrangement were used on the sides and back of the house.

The Gillard Construction Company of Berger was the contractor of this project. The roof was torn off and new rafters were put up in the house. This is the 2 story part of the house.

This is the one story part of the house where the kitchen will be. Note the square opening that they found in the house and retained it.

Now with the new roof the next year job was to replace all the windows (six over six) by Anderson.

The front door has been uncovered and now has a glass storm door to protect the original door. Notice the uniformed size cobblestones that were used on the front of the house. Note the original quoins, lintels, and windowsills that are cut from limestone. They had been painted over with white paint so it was removed.

This shows the addition to the house that have bedrooms, bath and entrance to the house.

Pictures of outside landscaping and the rail fence that is a type that would have been used in colony times. 21-22 They have added a garage and created a welcoming entrance.

When Noreen saw the living room of the house that featured the original mantel, original wood floors of old growth pine and the full original woodwork of the interior of this room she knew she wanted the home.

The fireplace uses carved limestone to line the front of the fireplace opening.

In this room, Noreen did all the removal of paint from the woodwork and then repainted them. She also stenciled the walls.

This is a picture of the original door and doorknob.

This is the room right of the entrance across from the living room.

In the kitchen they have left the original cobblestone walls exposed at the peak of both ends of the room and the beams that are exposed and running horizontally are original and part of the structure. It is a nice place to display crocks and other items. Note the square opening that we mentioned earlier, this was left so when you can see into the kitchen from upstairs. This is above the door leading to the upstairs. The steps were replaced to code and the upstairs has the old growth pine floors.

Note the deep windowsill due to the walls being over two feet thick.

This is pictures of the other end of the kitchen with the doorway going into the family room.

When the family room was added on, they left the original wall of cobblestone of the house as a wonderful work of art that could be appreciated and enjoyed each day.

A picture of this lovely home in winter.

The Landmark Society of Genesee County is giving the preservation award of restoration to Dave and Noreen Tillotson for breathing new life into a 1830 cobblestone home. 

Landmark Award 2017: 27 Summit Street, Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

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By Lucine Kauffman:

Ashley and David Bateman purchased their 1862 home at 27 Summit Street, Batavia in 2014. 

They obtained an early photo of the house and set out to restore the exterior as closely as possible to the original design. 

As you can see, their house closely resembles another house in Batavia built at the same time. This home at 314 East Main Street still has the original Second Empire style mansard roof. The windows and the layout are matches. 

Lovell Gibbs, son of Mormon pioneer Horace Gibbs, built this house at 27 Summit Street. At one point, Joseph Barnes of JC Barnes Clothing Store owned this house. 

And now, the owner of a present day clothing store, Pollyanna and Dot, owns this house.

When the Batemans bought the house, it was clad in yellow aluminum siding and the original windows had been replaced with vinyl. 

The original hitching post and carriage block survived and are currently located in the parkway between the street and sidewalk.

The crew that performed the recent street reconstruction reset the hitching post and carriage block when the project was completed.

The Batemans removed the aluminum siding during the start of their second year in the house. Dave did much of the work on the house himself.  They chose a seven color historic paint scheme.

The side porch was an addition sometime after 1902. Dave resided the side porch with wood siding after using the original clapboard to replace an area next to the front porch that had rotted.

They discovered that some of the architectural details were taken off when the siding was put on. The exterior has been almost completely restored to the original design with the exception of a small balcony above the side porch that will be recreated eventually.

Each peak has its own details.  The two side peaks feature different sunburst patterns.  The front peak features an original stained glass window.  The far back peak, only visible from across the street had been cut into for a vent and was recreated using shadow lines.

The house was built with Second Empire style features, and later was “modernized” with late Victorian features such as fish scale siding and a leaded glass window.

The trim on this peak was reconstructed and painted in a coral shade to pop out.

The original rope trim and scrollwork around the windows remains intact. &

The leaded glass window next to the front porch was added after 1902 when the front living room was widened.

The porch was enclosed with storm windows cobbled together.  Dave removed the windows and will eventually build screens.

The scrollwork on the front porch gable was missing, but Dave was able to replicate it using a shadow, or stain, on the house.

The front doors are massive and ornate. The beveled glass and panels make an elegant entrance. &

The transom window brings light to the foyer.

A curved stairway hugging a curved wall graces the foyer. The Drews (previous owners) stripped and refinished the front doors, treads and bannister which were all painted.

So many details make this house special.

The Batemans had the English oak wood floors refinished.

When the Batemans took up the wall to wall carpeting they found that the floors were in pretty good shape but the wood floor grates had been cut through.  Gene McMaster rebuilt the registers and refinished the floors.

The baseboards and doorway trim are elaborate. The Batemans had a local mill cut custom knives to match the baseboards and trim so they could repair the areas where it was missing.

A previous owner removed the pocket doors in between the living and dining rooms. The Batemans found this “fretwork” in the attic, probably from the 1880s/1890s and re-installed it in the opening.

Dave re-framed the leaded glass window in the front living room where water damage had rotted it.

Handsome French doors lead out onto the side porch.

The fireplace in the living room was added by a previous owner sometime after 1920.

The house’s interior walls were completely covered with wallpaper. Removing it and painting proved to be an arduous task but gives the house a fresh look. 

The brass, dragon-themed gas fireplace in the dining room dates to 1886 but is no longer functional. 

An Eastlake rocker has been passed down through several owners of the house.

A large beveled glass French door leads into the kitchen.

The kitchen is housed in an addition. The Batemans gutted the room to build their dream kitchen.  They installed new, red tiger wood floors.

An island serves as a practical work and dining space.

It also serves as an architecturally interesting focal point. Dave installed the white subway tile himself.

Brass accented lighting warms the kitchen area. The Batemans chose an imported Italian marble countertop. The Statuarietto marble arrived in one large piece.

They had the mill create new baseboards to match the rest of the house.

The reproduction brass drawer pulls and glass knobs lend warmth to the white cupboards.

The original glass doorknobs dress up the solid wood doors throughout the house.

The Batemans inherited an assortment of skeleton keys which they use on the still functional locks throughout the house.

Some of the 19th century lighting fixtures remain in place.

Some, but not all, of the original slate sidewalks were salvaged from the recent street and sidewalk reconstruction and installed in the walkway up to the house.

The Landmark Society of Genesee County is pleased to honor Ashley and David Bateman for their loving renovation of their home at 27 Summit Street.

Landmark Award 2017: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church of Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

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Press release:

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church of Le Roy congregation is celebrating their 200th year this year. In 1867 they decided to replace the original church and purchased land on Main Street where the Upham’s flour mill stood. They reasoned by using the foundation of the mill as the church’s foundation it would result in a savings on the building cost. The Patterson Manufacturing Company of Warsaw, New York constructed this church using Andrew Jackson Warner’s design. Mr. Warner was one of Rochester’s best know architects. The church is constructed of limestone with limestone quoins. The Gothic features of this building are the buttresses at the towers, gabled roofs and lancet windows. Also observe the rose window with its quatrefoil pattern openings. St. Mark’s formally opened in December 1870.

After many years of planning and delay the cornerstone ceremony was held in September,1957 for a whole new addition which included classrooms, meeting room, offices, restrooms and another boiler room to heat this the new structure. This was formally consecrated in 1961.

It was not until 2000 when the floor of the nave was sagging that the church foundation was inspected and found the original beams from the mill had either rotted off the foundation or were inadequate to hold the weight of the building. In 2002 a capital fund campaign was successful in raising money for the foundation, remodeling the Undercroft and kitchen. In 2003 the Altar window, that shows the biblical story of the angel St. Mark above the lion, was refurbished. In 2006 the Rose Window was refurbished.

In 2007 the church added a memorial chapel with a columbarium. It was decided that the best location for the memorial chapel would be in the tower room adjacent to the nave. This area was in need of restoration and repairs including re-plastering, repainting the walls, refinishing the woodwork and upgrading the light system. The added beauty of the beautiful blue Stained-Glass windows in this area makes for a prefect Memorial Chapel.

The Landmark Society of Genesee Co. preservation award for Tender Loving Care is given to St. Mark’s. 

Plea deal in the works for Batavia woman accused of distributing cocaine

By Howard B. Owens

A 39-year-old Batavia woman accused of distributing cocaine is likely to avoid a trial and prison time, though some time in jail is still a possibility.

Denielle Mancuso, of West Main Street Road, appeared in County Court this morning on her plea-cut-off day (the last day a defendant has to accept a plea deal before the case goes to trial).

Assistant District Attorney Kevin Finnell said the plea offer of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree with a "shock-cap" probation (which means six months in jail or four months of intermittent incarceration followed by five years of probation). 

Her attorney asked that she be evaluated for judicial diversion, which Judge Charles Zambito granted. That means she will be evaluated for the program and if accepted would be instructed in conduct and procedures she would have to follow for a set period of time.

Mancuso was arrested in June following an investigation by the Local Drug Task Force and charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, and one count of criminal nuisance, 1st. 

She is accused of providing cocaine (not necessarily a sale) to an agent of the task force.

She's next due in court Oct. 16. If the judicial division program isn't approved and she doesn't accept the plea offer, a trial is set for Dec. 4.

Law and Order: Akron man accused of taking vehicle, selling tools without permission

By Howard B. Owens

Jeri Carlton Lobur, 51, of Hoag Avenue, Akron, is charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and petit larceny. Lobur is accused of using another person's vehicle in Pembroke without permission and then selling power tools that were stored in the vehicle without the owner's permission.  

Dominic Daniel Czerniak, 18, of Wyvil Avenue, Scottsville, is charged with criminal possession of a marijuana, 4th, and speeding. Czerniak was stopped at 6:18 p.m., Monday, on Main Street, Corfu, for an alleged traffic violation by Officer Richard Retzlaff. Czerniak was allegedly found in possession of more than two ounces of marijuana.

Aaron D. Swimline, 31, of Alabama, is charged with felony DWI, speeding and unlawful possession of marijuana. Swimline was stopped at 10:44 p.m. Sunday on Route 63 in the Town of Shelby by State Police.

Semi-truck and car involved in accident at Oak and Richmond

By Howard B. Owens

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A car vs. semi-truck accident is reported at Oak and Richmond, Batavia.

Unknown injuries.

City fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

The roadway is blocked.

UPDATE 10:30 p.m.: A male ran from the accident heading west on Richmond Avenue. No description available.

UPDATE 10:33 p.m.: The person who fled is described as a white male with dark hair and dark clothing in his mid to late 20s.

UPDATE 11:16 p.m.: Police believe the sedan was westbound on Richmond Avenue and that it failed to yield for a red light. It struck the cab of the truck and spun so that the rear of the car struck the trailer. Sgt. Chris Camp said the driver is adamant that he was alone in the car. Witnesses told police he was the driver, but that somebody did run from the car. The driver was evaluated at the scene. He was not seriously hurt. The roadway was reopened at about 11 p.m.

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Village of Oakfield exploring idea of paying for fire service through separate district

By Howard B. Owens

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When the Oakfield Fire Department signed up eight new members a couple of years ago and then came to the village with a request for $18,500 to buy gear for the volunteers, Mayor Jason Armbrewster started to rethink how fire services are funded in Oakfield.

"Eight new members, that should be great news," Armbrewster said. "But to us as a board, we’re like, 'How are we going to come up with $18,500?' That’s when I was like, 'Why should we be controlling that destiny? Why should new members be a hindrance to our fire department?' ”

The village held a public hearing last night -- more of a fact-finding and public feedback process -- to explore the idea of getting the village out of the fire department business and forming either a fire district or a fire protection district.

One village resident wanted to know if this idea would save residents money.

"It’s not about saving money," Armbrewster said. "It’s about providing a better service."

Trustee David Boyle pointed out the idea could help provide both better fire protection and better services through the village for residents. He said the village has already had to cut other services just to keep the fire department going.

Currently, the fire department is part of the village and the Town of Oakfield contracts with the department for fire protection outside the village, paying for it with its own fire district. The fire district is a separate tax for town residents. The town accounts for more than 50 percent of the fire department's budget.

If the village decided to go ahead with the idea, it would need to decide whether to set up a fire district, which would need to happen jointly with the town, because it would cover both the town and the village, or a fire protection district, which would cover only the village. Then both the town and the village would contract with the Oakfield Fire Department (or conceivably, some other department) for emergency services.

The struggles for the department now include replacing aging fire apparatus, maintaining the fire hall at a cost of $18,000 a year, and recruiting volunteers.

Ambrewster said in his talks with other departments where recruiting isn't as difficult, good equipment and recruiting seem to go hand-in-hand.

Dan Luker, a longtime member of the Oakfield department, said he had one simple question: Why?

He said his mind wasn't made up on the proposal, but he was skeptical of the need.

"I don’t see where changing the structure of raising taxes is going to change people wanting to volunteer," Luker said.

Trustee John Igoe said he is also on the fire department board and he isn't sure the fire department will survive under the current arrangement.

Igoe, who said he will abstain on any vote on the proposal, said insolvency in a couple of years is a real possibility. 

"It comes to the point that maybe we have to look at shutting the doors because we don’t have any more money to keep the light and heat on because what we receive as a department isn't enough," Igoe said.

No decisions were reached at the meeting, but after two years of kicking the idea around, Armbrewster said a decision needs to be made soon.

"I either want to move ahead or say we’re not going to do this," Armbrewster said.

Photo: John Igoe and Jason Armbrewster.

UPDATE Sept. 26 5:15 p.m.: John Igoe's name was corrected in the story; it is not John Igor. The Batavian regrets the error.

Accident reported on the Thruway in Pembroke

By Howard B. Owens

An accident with possible injuries is reported on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 403.

Pembroke fire and Indian Fall fire along with Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 12:27 p.m.: A Mercy medic on scene has requested Mercy Flight.

UPDATE 1:34 p.m.: Mercy Flight has a three-minute ETA.

UPDATE 1:49 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne, destination not specified. Assignment back in service.

Collins meets with labor secretary to discuss visa program for farm workers

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) met with United States Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta today to discuss expanding the H-2A Agricultural Visa program. This program allows agriculture employers to hire workers on a temporary basis to fill seasonal jobs. 

Under the current program, America’s agricultural employers that require year-round workers are met with challenges as it relates to finding a legal, experienced workforce. The H-2A visa program does not currently provide a category for year-round livestock workers, including dairy. Both crop and livestock farmers depend on affordable labor, yet an oversight in the H-2A program has put the latter at a disadvantage when it comes to obtaining workers.

“I’ve talked with hard-working farmers across Western New York who are struggling because they are unable to retain year-round workers,” Collins said. “Our dairy farmers especially are burdened with an H-2A program that does not allow them to hire the individuals they need to milk cows, feed livestock, and maintain the herd.” 

The agriculture industry is vital to the Western New York economy. Collins’ Congressional District includes almost 5,000 farms, which produce more than $1 billion of products sold each year.

Collins said one area of the H-2A program that needs improvement includes changing eligibility to include year-round agricultural operations such as dairy, nursery, and fresh-cut operations. The meeting with Secretary Acosta was based on the fact that the Department of Labor (USDOL) has the ability to make rule changes that would immediately amend program guidelines.  

“I urged Secretary Acosta to take action on this issue now. Western New York’s and America’s farmers can’t continue to be burdened by these ineffective rules and regulations while waiting for Congress to act,” Collins added.

Collins was joined by Members of Congress from across the United States who also discussed streamlining the H-2A application process. Recommendations presented would reduce redundancies and improve operating efficiencies.  

“I am committed to working with President Trump, Secretary Acosta and my colleagues in Congress to make the necessary reforms that are good for our agriculture industry, and in turn, good for our economy.”

Friend sets up fundraising page for Brudz family

By Howard B. Owens

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A friend of the family of Lorne Brudz has set up a fundraising page to assist them following the death last week of the Batavia High School senior.

Ken Schady said his intention is "help the family with expenses, as no one plans to bury their own children and therefore have no funds put aside for such an event."

He set the fundraising page on Free Funder.

"I chose Free Funder because Go Fund Me takes 5 percent of the proceeds and I wanted to get as much money as possible to the family," he said.

The funds are designated for Lorne's mother, Colleen Brudz.

Lorne's funeral services are today.

To get to the fundraising page, click here.

Batavia's baseball historian Bill Dougherty passes

By Howard B. Owens

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Most baseball men attain their legendary status on the field. Bill Dougherty attained his sitting at a typewriter.

Dougherty was Batavia's baseball historian, digging deep into the lore and stats of how the game was played locally over the past 150 years or so. Much of his work can be found in his book, "A View from the Bleachers: Batavia Baseball."

Dougherty passed away Sunday.

"Bill Dougherty was the kind of person every community should have, a dedicated, passionate, knowledgeable, local historian," said Bill Kauffman, a friend of Dougherty's and himself a historian. "His primary interest was baseball, so his work was also responsible for Major League Baseball rewriting its record book and including the name of Vince Maney, who was the only Batavian to ever appear in a Major League Baseball game."

In 1912, Ty Cobb was suspended and the players on his Detroit Tigers team decided to go on strike. The commissioner ordered the game played so the Tigers had to hire replacement players. The shortstop that day for a game in Philadelphia was listed as Pat Meany. Dougherty was able to find the evidence and prove that Pat Meany was really Vince Maney.

Dougherty was a member of the Notre Dame Sports Boosters, Society of American Baseball Research, Board of Directors of the Genesee County Baseball Club and a life member of the Stafford Volunteer Fire Department. He was a graduate of Batavia High School and Alfred State College.

"He was a great guy," Kauffman said. "He was full of energy and enthusiasm and wit and mischief and we’re really going to miss him."

Previously: 

Law and Order: Felony DWI arrest made in Alexander

By Howard B. Owens

Marcos Cacho-Velaz, 37, of Depew Street, Rochester, is charged with felony DWI, unlicensed operation, 3rd, refusal to take breath test, failure to dim headlights, and drinking alcohol in motor vehicle. Cacho-Velaz was stopped at 10:28 p.m. Saturday on Alexander Road, Alexander, by Deputy Jeremy McClellan.

Rachel Lynn Crawford, 32, of North Winton Road, Rochester, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. Crawford was arrested on a warrant for allegedly driving without a license on March 7. She was arraigned in City Court, paid a fine, and was released.

Two car accidents later, woman charged with attempted assault for trying to run down man in domestic dispute

By Howard B. Owens
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      Lakara Johnson

An apparent domestic dispute led to two motor-vehicle accidents in Batavia yesterday afternoon and resulted in the arrest of a 27-year-old city resident on assault charges for allegedly trying to run over a man in the parking lot of a business on East Main Street.

Lakara D. Johnson, of Highland Park, was charged with attempted assault, 1st, unlawful imprisonment, 1st, and reckless endangerment, 1st.

The incident started when police were called to Main and Center for a two-car accident. By the time police arrived, one of the vehicles had left the scene. Officers then received a report of a second motor-vehicle involving the suspect vehicle. The driver allegedly tried to hit a male who had managed to get out of the vehicle and instead struck a picnic table at the business.

The vehicle again fled the scene and was located on Howard Street.

Johnson was located on Colorado Avenue and taken into custody.

She was arraigned in City Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice pending further court proceedings.

Hydrant testing scheduled Thursday for Pearl Street, South Main, River

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

On Thursday, Sept. 28, one of the businesses in industrial park will be conducting a fire pump test. This work may result in a period of discolored water in the general area of Pearl Street, South Main Street and River Street. Residents should check to make sure water clarity has returned before resuming activities such as laundry which may be impacted.

Announcing The Batavian's new mobile app for iOS

By Howard B. Owens

Today, The Batavian is releasing its new mobile app for the iOS platform (iPhones and iPads). You can download it through this link from your iOS device.

This is a completely homegrown app. I decided two years ago I could no longer ignore mobile publishing.

My initial impulse was to try and raise money for development, but as that started looking really difficult, I weighed that difficulty (and spending a lot of time with an uncertain outcome) against just writing all the code myself. The actual code writing started 18 months ago. First I built all the backend (server stuff) to support the app (building the Deal of the Day program was a "getting my feet wet again in programming" exercise), then eight months ago I started building the actual app.

It was every bit as hard as I anticipated, which is why I had avoided the idea for years, especially going through two eye surgeries and now a dislocated knee.  

The future of news is mobile. It makes a lot of sense. People with smartphones and tablets always have the world with them, including their local community, and they like to check in frequently to find out what's going on. On the other hand, local news on mobile is still a specialty product, a niche. I think the website is going to be our dominant news and business promotion platform for several years yet, but I also don't want to lose out to mobile when it becomes a bigger part of how people access local news.

The people interested in mobile news, studies show, want fast, smooth access to check the latest headlines. The Batavian's new mobile app is designed to meet that need for those people looking for a fast and convenient mobile news experience. We've streamlined news delivery and what we ask in return is that those who use the app regularly pay just $2 a month for a subscription.

We also use the app to help promote local businesses. Our shoplocal.thebatavian.com local business directory is featured on the app. The directory is now only a framework for the long-term goal of creating a model for business-promotion-as-a-service for mobile and social networking, to bring local readers and local businesses together in a friendly, safe and mutually beneficial environment.

For those on Android: I don't expect to have the Android version of the app completed anytime soon. I'm guessing three months or a little longer. Most of the code that makes the iOS app is the same for Android as it is for iOS, but there are some significant differences to work through. I have some other business tasks to attend to while continuing to cover local news, so my available time for coding is limited.

Download the iOS app.

Pembroke will get win Friday after Geneseo throws away 2017 season in apparent drug scandal

By Howard B. Owens

The Pembroke Dragons get a night off, get to skip a road game and they will pick up a win this Friday because Geneseo High School has forfeited its entire season over an apparent drug scandal.

This Friday's game was supposed to be Geneseo's homecoming game, too.

Geneseo Superintendent Tim Hays announced the district was scrubbing the team's season this afternoon.

"A number of players have been dismissed from the Geneseo High School Varsity Football Team," Hayes said in a statement. "These dismissals stem from serious violations of the District's Code of Conduct and Athletic Eligibility Standards.

"Due to the number of student-athletes involved and the serious nature of this incident, pursuant to our Athletic Code and New York State Public High School Athletic Association standards, the remainder of the varsity football season will be forfeited."

The Livingston County News reported today that police are investigating a report that a player brought OxyContin pills to Friday's game against Bolivar-Richburg. The player allegedly distributed the pills to teammates.

Geneseo won that game on the field 26-24 but that game will now revert to the loss column with the Geneseo Blue Devils giving up that win as well.

Pembroke moves to 5-1 on the season and next plays Attica on Oct. 6 at home.

"The Geneseo Central School District is committed to upholding the highest standards of excellence in all of our academic, extracurricular, and athletic programs," Hayes said. "We will continue to work with all of our student-athletes to ensure that their actions represent the expectations of the District and our community."

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