The 49-year-old mother of three who drove drunk a year ago and killed a Hinckley teenager, leaving him to die alone in ditch in a cornfield off Sumner Road, was given the maximum possible sentence today in Genesee County Court.

Jennifer Serrano was convicted by a jury on July 2 of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, and misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. Connor Lynskey was killed sometime after midnight on Aug. 11 on Sumner Road while walking back to a campsite after attending a country music concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center with friends.

But before she was sentenced, Serrano had to listen to the tragedy she has wrought on Connor's family and hear firsthand of his mother's heartbreak.

Donna Lynskey read her remarks at the podium in a packed courtroom, with her husband, Michael, gently holding her right elbow, and Connor's brother, other relatives and their priest holding large portraits of Connor -- in his soccer uniform, suited in a senior high school photo, smiling in khaki shorts and a light-colored shirt.

A Mother Tells A Courtroom About Her Son

"I want you to know who Connor was," she said.

By last summer, the 18-year-old had completed his freshman year with honors at Siena College in Loudonville and he planned to become a rural doctor. At the time of his death, he had one week left of his summer vacation before he was scheduled to return Aug. 19 for his sophomore year and training as a resident assistant in the freshman dorms.

He had already been accepted into Upstate Medical University’s Medical Doctor Program during his senior year at Holland Patent High School, where he had a 95.35 GPA and was the president of his class.

Connor was also captain of his soccer team, named to the Center State Conference All-Star Team for soccer, and was the Division 1 Player of the Year in 2017 for the Center State Conference.

In his honor, Connor’s soccer coach now gives out the Connor Lynskey Award to a player on the Holland Patent Varsity Soccer Team at the end of the season. The award reads that it goes to “someone who always gives 100 percent at everything he does; doesn’t take shortcuts; always leads by example; is kind; a leader off and on the field; a good musician; does great in school; is an excellent runner; and always treats people with respect."

Connor also participated in track and field in high school, was a talented saxophone player, both in his high school wind ensemble and jazz band. His classmates voted Connor as the most likely to succeed in his graduating class.

"Not once was there ever a phone call home from school that Connor had misbehaved," Donna Lynskey said. "At all parent-teacher conferences and open houses, the comments that were made about Connor were glowing – respectful, kind, intelligent, and the list goes on."

He also enjoyed kayaking, skiing, swimming, pickup games of football and soccer, climbing the Adirondack Mountains, and February breaks in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

He was employed at his family's restaurant where he started as a landscaper and dish washer and then moved up to carver, cook and banquet server. He took pride in working with his father and helping out his family.

On several occasions Connor talked about wanting to be a foster parent when he got older. He wanted to help kids who were less fortunate. He always came home inspired whenever he volunteered at the soup kitchen in Utica, his mother said.

"He stated to our priest that he enjoyed being an altar server because that is when he felt closest to God," Lynskey said.

Connor’s favorite place to go was Ager Falls (in Lyons Falls) to swim, discover, explore and slide down the rocks.

"We are grateful that the Sunday before Connor was killed we went there as a family one last time and took some priceless photos of him," she said.

In fact, 2018 was the best summer of his life. He had grown into an impressive young man. He had spent a week on Montauk Point with his cousin, aunt and uncle. He ran the 15K Boilermaker Road Race in Utica with his cousins and uncle. And he traveled to Lima and Machu Picchu, Peru, where he spent close to three weeks learning the culture with newfound Peruvian friend, Manu, from Siena College. Connor had already made plans to travel to Peru again in 2019.

"Above all Connor was a kind and caring person," his mother said. "Connor was the one to find time to travel to his grandmother’s house just to check in on her and play a game of rummy or seeing what he could do to help her around the house.

"He was the one to take time out of his busy schedule to hand write his grandmother letters via snail mail (USPS) to let her know how he’s doing at college since she doesn’t email or text."

The aspiring doctor was also full of joy.

"When you were around him you couldn’t help but feel his happiness and his love for life," his mother said. "He wasn’t loud and boisterous. He was a listener, a thinker. He had his grandfather’s steel blue eyes and his father’s wonderful sense of humor. ... He was the mysterious light that others followed. We all relied on him."

His biology study group at college said they could count on Connor to liven things up when they were stressing out because he'd tell a silly joke like "Under what?" to try and get someone to say "Under where?" even though they'd heard the gag a hundred times.

"​He had a way about him that brought happiness, peace and inclusiveness," Lynskey said. "Connor seemed to have a deeper understanding about life than most people."

A Miracle Child

After their first child, Michael Jr., was born the doctor told the Lynskeys they would not have any more children. But nearly six years later Connor was born.

And his big brother Michael took great pride in teaching his little sibling things he needed to know.

"Connor was Michael’s protégé," she said. "They played sports, video games, fantasy football, and the game of life. They were best friends. When they were together, it was as if they had their own language that only they understood."

Connor's medical school ambitions were modeled after his brother's, who had blazed the trail to medical school before him. They planned to open their future medical practice together in Upstate New York.

Almost three years after Connor’s birth, his sister, Meghan, was born.

"Connor will always be her guardian angel," his mother said. "From the time Meghan was born, Connor took his role as big brother seriously and guided her every step of the way."

Their Lives Are Shattered

Connor was killed sometime after midnight on Aug. 11 last year. They received a phone call about 9 a.m. that morning that Connor was missing.

“Missing? What do you mean? He went camping with his friends. How could he possibly be missing?” she told the caller.

His parents quickly left on the three-hour trip to Darien Lake, praying the whole way there was some misunderstanding. It just didn’t make sense to them that their responsible, reliable son was missing. They called the area’s hospitals and they prayed. By 11 a.m. “we were at a loss. We knew something was terribly wrong.”

As they crossed Sumner Road, they noticed the road was closed and a police car had its lights flashing. As they came closer, they noticed several police cars at the side of the road with their lights on. “This couldn’t be.” Then an officer approached their vehicle and told them they could proceed no further.

I explained “My son is missing. Did you find my son?”

Lynskey paused at this point and swallowed hard, fighting back tears.

She told the officer her son’s name and the officer said yes, they had found her son. "Can we see him?" she asked. “He stated ‘no you cannot.’ “

“Is he dead?” she asked, “and he shook his head yes. 'Are you sure? Are you sure he is dead?' And the officer replied ‘I am sure.’ "

“That’s when our lives were shattered. Unless you have experienced the loss of one of your children, you cannot understand or even begin to imagine the anguish. Our world fell apart. The shock was overwhelming. To think that Connor had worked so hard for his short 18 years … and it was taken away so quickly. All of his hopes and dreams were extinguished. He would never be able to help the people of Upstate New York that he so wanted to."

They tried to fathom how someone could hit him and leave him in a ditch to die.

"At first we thought it must have been a young driver – someone under age 25 whose brain hadn’t fully developed yet, somebody who did not realize the extent of their actions," she said.

But after they came to learn the killer was a then-48-year-old mother of three, with a passenger in the car – another mother, she said they "lost their faith in humanity."

Things Have Different Meanings Now

Everything in their lives has changed – "from the meaning of songs on the radio, to the patterns of the clouds in the sky, the actions of the birds around us, the meaning of the butterflies flying near us, to the pain of waking up in the morning and realizing it isn’t just a nightmare. This is our reality.

"Little by little, we are trying to rebuild our lives. It's a slow process. I'm told by others who’ve lost children that the pain never subsides. All you can do is learn to live with the pain and try to put the shattered pieces back together. We cannot get through it; but we are trying to live forward.”

The Way It Appears

"According to court testimony, it appears it wasn’t enough for the defendant to consume 22 to 29 alcoholic beverages on Aug. 10 into the early morning hours of Aug. 11," Connor's mother said. "She then decided to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, turning it into a deadly weapon. It appears that it wasn’t enough for her to decide to leave my son in the ditch on Sumner Road to die alone.

"It appears that if she had stopped and called 9-1-1 my son would have had a chance at survival. It appears that didn’t matter to her or the passenger in that vehicle. The only concern they had was for themselves.

"Even after nearly hitting a police vehicle and watching the body cam video of the field sobriety test, I was perplexed and disgusted. How could a person who just hit a human being and left him at the side of the road be laughing and smiling? And even after all that the defendant has shown no remorse and took these charges to trial."

Lynskey then quoted from a transcript of a phone call that Serrano had with someone named "Dennis" while in Niagara County Jail: “I know that I did the stupidest thing I could have possibly ever done. But I’ve done stupider and this is a horrible accident.”

Connor's mother finds it "absolutely despicable" that Serrano chose to drive drunk, killed her son, left him in a ditch to die, then took the case to trial and tried to blame Connor for his own death.

"She has no regard for human life except her own," she said.

She then asked Judge Charles Zambito for the maximum sentence allowable by law: four-and-two-thirds to 14 years in state prison.

Throughout the mother's statement, Serrano seemed to pay attention and she looked at Lynskey as she spoke. Serrano wore heavy bangs and had her hair in a topknot pinned unneatly on her head. She had on eyeglasses, wore dark slacks and an ivory blouse. She was flanked by her two attorneys. She did not cry -- at first.

No Plea Deal Ever Considered

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman spoke next and said this case is the first time in his nearly 38 years of working as a prosecutor that he made absolutely no plea offer.

The reason is because when he spoke to Connor's mother initially about the case and told her that the maximum this defendant was facing was four-and-two-thirds to 14 years, she couldn’t comprehend how that could be possible.

"I had to agree with her," Friedman said. "That sentence is woefully inadequate."

But it's possible because of the way the statute is written and by Serrano's decision, some say a calculated one, to refuse a Breathalyzer test, not report the accident and therefore not be subjected to BAC mandatory testing.

Based on testimony at trial, had her BAC been known, Friedman, Lynskey and subsequently Judge Zambito all said they had no doubt it would have been above .18 percent – which would make the crime a first-degree vehicular manslaughter charge – a Class C felony – with a sentence of five to 15 years. If you add the two-and-one-third to seven years for leaving the scene of an accident, she could have faced seven to 22 years.

"Concurrent sentencing would constitute a horrible failure to recognize what the defendant did by fleeing the scene," Friedman told Zambito.

The district attorney reminded the court that the defendant ignored pleas from her own passenger about striking something in the roadway and drove off. When she nearly struck a deputy's vehicle a short time later, she refused a BAC test.

"She knew what she had done," Friedman said. "She knew this was not just a minor DWI."

After she was arrested for DWI and her license was taken, she still got into her Jeep Wrangler and drove on the Thruway to her home in Chautauqua County, Friedman said. Ultimately it was her passenger's husband who reported the accident, the DA said, and the passenger contacted an attorney who then called Genesee County Sheriff's Office to check on a hit-and-run accident.

Friedman said he read the letters submitted to the court by Serrano's friends and family, but the person described is not a person capable of committing the acts in this court case.

"That person is not someone who simply engaged in an uncharacteristic lapse of judgment -- her decisions, her choices, her actions showed over and over a callous disregard for human life -- of others, not just Connor’s," Friedman said. "She continued to drive while intoxicated after striking Connor, causing his death, after her license was suspended, while she was still under the influence of alcohol."

This point prompted Serrano to twist uncomfortably in her chair, slump over the table and sob.

"Then she tried to convince a jury that Connor was responsible for his death, which a unanimous jury did not buy beyond a reasonable doubt," Friedman said.

He then read more quotes from transcripts of her jailhouse phone calls: "I feel so guilty, I feel so bad for that mother." In an effort to blame her passenger she says “the princess couldn’t walk two miles to the tent. …. I’m just pissed, you know, I take my blame in it. I shouldn’t have driven. But you know what Babs? We had a tent pitched at Brook’s house on 77, two miles up the road and the bitch didn’t want to walk. The princess didn’t want to walk.  … I am responsible for my own choices. ... I deserve everything I get."

"Truer words were never spoken, your honor, she deserves everything she gets," Friedman added.

'She Knows She Is Really Messed Up'

Her attorney Frank LoTempio said it's been "a tough road for everyone involved." He perfunctorily apologized to the Lynskey family for their loss.

Then he told Judge Zambito that the person who has been portrayed in the Genesee County courtroom is not the person Serrano really is. He characterized her as remorseful and said "she knows she is really messed up" -- a fact underscored by her attempted suicide a few days after the incident.

"She never had an issue with the law before," LoTempio said. "She's not a monster as Mr. Friedman portrayed her to be. ... This is a successful businesswoman who was strained by going through a difficult divorce. She will make a difference when she gets out. She's a very, very, very good person.”

LoTempio said a consecutive sentence, versus a concurrent one, is “not at all” appropriate in his client's case. He even cited a case from January where Zambito sentenced someone involved in a serious injury accident while intoxicated to six months in prison and five years probation. This is the kind of balance Zambito should consider today, he added hopefully, and noted that his client has already been behind bars for a year to date.

But Zambito was unpersuaded after reviewing all of the case materials and the letters from family and friends on both sides. He acknowleged that he had wide latitude in sentencing.

"Connor Lynskey appeared to be an outstanding young man with a bright and luminous future," Zambito said. "His death amounts to an immeasurable loss to his family, his friends and the community. Who’s to say whose lives he might have touched had he been able to live."

Nonetheless it is "untenable" to weigh the value of someone’s life in reaching a sentence. All life is valuable. He acknowleged the defendant has no prior criminal history.

For the Judge, the Facts Speak for Themselves

"The most important factors are the facts of the case itself," the judge said.

He agrees with the prosecution that the defendant was highly, highly intoxicated. She was driving the vehicle that struck and killed Connor Lynskey.

"As to the question of Connor walking in the roadway, with all respect to the jury, it doesn’t matter," Zambito said.

Serrano drove with an open container of alcohol in the vehicle. Her passenger said when they were stopped on Route 77, she either fell asleep or passed out.

Testimony of the defense expert did not indicate she did not see Connor; she should have known she hit something. She should have seen him. The front right fender was torn off, flew over vehicle, the windshield smashed, the passenger side mirror was broken off.

Later, she tried to talk her way out of getting arrested by Deputy Henning, Zambito said, citing her ties to law enforcement. When that was not successful, she became verbally combative. She refused testing and did not report an accident, which allowed her to avoid mandatory testing, therefore her degree of intoxication is unknowable.

Then she still drove after her license was revoked that night following the near-accident with the deputy. She didn’t go to the police, she talked to an attorney. Her friend finally reported it.

"Her actions are so egregious, they outweigh mitigating factors," Zambito concluded.

He was singularly unimpressed with the letter she wrote on her own behalf to him.

"Your statements are so nuanced, to express regret without admitting guilt, maybe it was written by your attorney," Zambito said.

She mentions having "no intent" – none is required, he noted, and "to say you expected to be found not guilty, tells me you still don't feel guilty."

Indeed, she writes as if she's being wrongly persecuted  – that she’s been treated unfairly by the DA, law enforcement. The overall correspondence lacks sincerity, he told her.

"I do try to be balanced, I'm not what anybody would call a hanging judge, but I can’t find any reason not to give the maximum possible," Zambito said.

So he wrapped matters up by declaring she will serve two-and-one-third to seven years indeterminately on the conviction of second-degree vehicular manslaughter and the same amount of time consecutively for leaving the scene of an accident -- a total of four-and-two-thirds to 14 years, along with a $2,000 fine. 

Serrano studied her hands and picked at her nails as the minutae was read.

Upon release, her NYS driver's license will be revoked for one year for the manslaughter conviction. For the misdemeanor DWI, her prison sentence is one year to run concurrently, with a $500 fine and a license revocation of six months.

For aggravated unlicensed operation in the second degree, she'll serve 180 days concurrently and pay a $500 fine.

Post-release conditional discharge was set for three years and she must have an interlock ignition device on her vehicle once she receives her driving privileges back.

She'll also pay: a $50 DNA fee; $75 surcharge on misdemeanor DWI conviction; a Crime Victim Assistance Fee of $25; $195 DWI and vehicle and traffic law surcharge.

All fines must begin being paid within 60 days of release at the rate of $100 a month.

Serrano did not look back at anyone in the gallery as she was led out of a courtroom side door to begin serving her sentence.

'Connor's Way' -- 'Something Good'

Also, Connor's mother announced the creation of "Connor's Way" -- "to help something good come out of this" -- established by her son's friends and family members. It will offer "scholarship opportunities to graduating high school seniors and to future medical students who want to work in underserved communities, and also help families in need."

Photos: Still frames taken from video by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.

Story based on video and audio provided by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.

A motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene this evening an accident on Sliker Road, Pembroke.

The Sheriff's Office is investigating the accident and will release more information later.

The victim is described as a middle-aged male.

Pembroke fire and Indian Falls fire along with Mercy EMS responded to the scene.

Photo and information: Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! You have a right to safe workplace. Federal laws state that your employer must provide a work area with no known health or safety hazards. You also have the right to: 

• Be protected from toxic chemicals
• Request an OSHA inspection, and talk with the inspector
• Be trained in a language you understand
• Work on machines that meet safety regulations
•  See copies of the workplace injury and illness log
•  Get copies of test results done to find hazards in the workplace
•  Be provided required safety gear, including but not limited to: Hardhat, gloves and harness
•  Report an injury or illness, and get copies of your medical records If you or someone you know has been injured or fallen ill due to unsafe work conditions. 

Call Dolce Panepinto at 716-852-1888 immediately. We understand how life-altering a work injury can be, and we are here to help.

Update: Aug. 19, 4 p.m.

Keddy Chandran, project director for NextEra Energy Resources, headquartered in Vero Beach, Fla., said he is working on an open house for Byron residents that will take place on Sept. 10 at a site to be determined.

Chandran said two sessions will be scheduled – from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 5 to 7 p.m.  He and other company representatives and solar experts will be on hand to provide details of the project and answer questions.

“We’ll be set up with our poster boards (to provide information),” said Chandran, adding that the company will be sending out mailers and posting ads to notify the public of the meeting place.

“We seek public involvement throughout the process,” he said. “It’s important to have a good relationship with the community.”

Chandran said NextEra Energy Resources said several factors led them to the Town of Byron, including available transmission lines, lack of environmental constraints, land favorable to solar and reaching agreements with land owners.

He said that his firm will be requesting a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes agreement) with the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

“In this way, we can direct revenues to the town, county and school district (providing) more (money) than what the land does in its current use,” he said.

He also hopes to forge a separate Host Community Benefit Agreement with the Town of Byron that would generate funds for sought-after local projects.

Chandran would not say how many farm owners have entered into contracts with his company and would not comment on the specifics of the lease agreements with the farmers. He did say that the projects are designed for a 30-year window.

As far as town and county input is concerned, Chandran said that the Town Board and Genesee County each could nominate one representative to serve on the Siting Board.

---------------

The Town of Byron is in the process of hiring an attorney as it waits for officials of Excelsior Energy Center LLC to schedule an informational meeting about a proposed 1,500- to 2,000-acre, 280-megawatt solar energy project.

Town Supervisor Roger Rouse today confirmed that the Town Board will be utilizing legal services as it navigates the details of the plan, which is being constructed under Article 10 of the state Public Service Law.

“This being an Article 10 (project), we really end up being on the outside workings of it,” said Rouse, who said he anticipates a presentation by the company soon, but didn’t know the exact date.

Last week, the board was advised by a civil engineer to seek legal counsel familiar with Article 10 and its many requirements.

According to information on the New York State Energy Research & Development Agency website, electric generating facilities larger than 25 megawatts are sited per the Article 10 law, which guides the NYS Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board) about authorizing construction and operation of major electric generating facilities.

The Article 10 process features four steps – public involvement program (informational meetings), preliminary scoping statement (details of the project), formal application to the Siting Board, and siting board decision (to issue or deny the certificate).

In April, Excelsior Energy Center, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC, revealed that it hopes to have the solar farm operational by 2022. Construction is expected to take between nine and 12 months.

Excelsior’s website proposes that the solar array will create 300 to 350 jobs during construction, with the $40 million construction labor budget resulting in three to four full-time permanent jobs.

Through land agreements with town farm operators, it will support farms with 70 current employees while generating “millions in revenue to the county, town and school district to invest in infrastructure, additional services, and resources for residents.”

The solar farm also will feature a 20-megawatt/four-hour energy storage system that will charge exclusively off the solar array, according to the website.

Developers contend that the Town of Byron “possesses the critical elements required for a strong solar and energy storage project, including a strong solar resource; existing road infrastructure, access to transmission infrastructure, and available land in an area well-suited environmentally to host such a project.”

The Batavian left a message with an Excelsior Energy media relations representative this morning, seeking more information from someone close to the project.

Kayla McIntire shared this photo with us of sunset at Dwyer Stadium during Friday's Muckdogs game.

Press release from Cornell Cooperative Extension in Batavia:

Attention vegetable gardeners -- late blight has been confirmed in Genesee County!

This is a disease of tomatoes and potatoes so if you have either crop in your garden, you should be inspecting your plants and spraying with a preventative fungicide.

For home gardeners, chlorothalonil is usually the best preventative fungicide.

For those who grow organically, a copper product would be an option. The product label should list late blight and tomato/potatoes (whichever you are treating).

Remember – if you find late blight it is probably too late to save your plants.

Bag up diseased plants ASAP, preferably when the sun is shining and if possible, when the plants are dry. Let them cook in the sun in garbage bags, then dispose of them. DO NOT compost plants. The spores are airborne so leaving your plants alive will infect your neighbor's plants.

If you need help identifying it, please bring a sample to your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office – preferably in a clear, plastic bag.

Here's a PDF brochure to read about it here.

For more information visit this website.

Photo from the 2019 State Fair Dog Show, from left: Corinne Rhoads, Essie, Eva Rhoads, Madison Harrington, Dexter. 

Submitted photo and press release:

Congratulations to the Genesee County 4-H members who participated in the 4-H Dog Show at the New York State Fair on Saturday, Aug. 17.

Representing Genesee County 4-H were: Madison Harrington and her dog Dexter; Eva Rhoads and Essie; Eva Rhoads and Avery; and Riley Smith and Cash. 

Madison and Dexter won Grand Champion Grooming and Handling A Senior. Eva and Essie won Reserve Grand Champion Grooming and Handling B Senior. 

For more information about the Genesee County 4-H Program, please contact the 4-H Office at genesee4h@cornell.edu or (585) 343-3040, ext. 131.

Submitted photo and press release:

Shoppers may have noticed the bearded gentleman with the ear-to-ear smile at the Batavia Public Market. Mike Vickner and his wife, Jan Goodenbery, of “Rooted in Joy” sell the best of the season harvested from their farm located in Oakfield.

They have fruits, vegetables (especially garlic!), flowers and delicious baked goods. They also provide “pet-the-bunny therapy,” he says with a grin.

Dedicated to providing food grown in an environmentally sustainable manner (no chemicals, only natural fertilizers, and “chickens that live a chicken’s life”) Vickner believes in preserving the Earth and her bounty with his own Hippocratic oath of “do no harm.“

In addition to his passion for farming, Vickner is committed to his role as a caregiver at Crossroads House here in Batavia and its Board of Directors has graciously proclaimed Rooted in Joy as their official market farm.

As members of the Crossroads family, Mike and Jan will provide information at their stand about upcoming community events and fundraisers to support the Crossroads mission of providing the very best in comfort care for residents in Genesee, Wyoming, and surrounding counties.

“We’ll see you at the Market!”

Press release:

Genesee Chorale begins another season Sept. 9, with rehearsals 7 to 9 p.m. on Mondays leading up to Dec. 13 and 15 concerts.

Rehearsals are at St. James Church, 405 E. Main St., Batavia.

Chorale members come from throughout Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming, Livingston, Erie and Monroe counties. All voices are welcome.

The featured work this year is "Lauda per la Nativita del Signore," “Laud to the Nativity,” by Ottorino Resphigi.

The work is based on a poem by Jacopone da Todi (c. 1230-1306), a Franciscan friar who wrote a number of laudi (poems of praise) in his native Umbrian dialect, and is thought to have also written the Latin poem "Stabat Mater Doloroso."

“Lauda per la Nativita del Signore puts considerable emphasis upon the birth of Jesus in a scene of poverty and humility,” said Chorale Director Ric Jones. “Jacopone’s poem is in the form of a short play, with parts for an angel, a shepherd and Mary, as well as a chorus.”

The remainder of the concert programs feature well-known Christmas songs centered around the theme of Jesus born in humility. Selections include "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," "Angels We Have Heard on High," "Gesu Bambino," "Rise Up, Shepherd" and "Silent Night."

For further information, contact Janine Fagnan at (585) 250-5483 or e-mail janine4him@gmail.

Submitted photo and press release:

Family, friends and the local community are bonding together again for the Second Annual “Fight WITH Ike” Euchre Tournament & Raffle on Saturday, Sept. 14 at the Excelsior Hook & Ladder Co. in Le Roy. The benefit is being held in honor of Batavia local Ike Styer.

Ike is battling stage 4 brain cancer known as glioblastoma and has been unable to work while undergoing several treatments to fight this aggressive disease.

While he has the everlasting support of his loving wife, Jen and young children, Chastin and Hailey, it’s time to show Ike he also has the support of this great community. You can help by donating or attending this fun, family event.

Donations in the form of themed baskets, gift cards and other prizes are graciously being accepted on or before Sept. 10.

They can be dropped off at Grace Baptist Church - 238 Vine St., Batavia. Or call for pick up: Linda Styer (585) 813-3351.

All are welcome to attend and show support by joining in the euchre fun, or just taking part in the rest of the festivities.

To name a few, there will be music, a video gaming truck, good eats, and raffles including 50/50, gift cards and hotel stays, and many themed baskets. There will be something for everyone!

• Saturday, Sept. 14 @ 3 p.m.
• Excelsior Hook & Ladder Co.  -- 10 Lent Ave., Le Roy
• Cost is $30 for Euchre, T-shirt, food & festivities OR $20 minimum donation for food & festivities.

Euchre spots are limited so call or text: Peggy Paladino (704) 254-4663.

To follow more about Ike’s journey, visit the “Fight WITH Ike” Facebook page.

Submitted photos and press release:

Northgate Free Methodist Church hosted its second annual Base Camp this past week. Pastor Daniel Calkins created and implemented a tremendous program for more than 100 children who were enrolled in this year's camp.

Throughout the week, they enjoyed visits from the City of Batavia Fire Department, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, Seneca Park Zoomobile and the Le Roy-based ART of Mandy.

The camp consisted of a half-day program for 4- and 5-year-olds, and a full-day program for children ages 6 to 14.

The children took part in worship, morning and afternoon chapel, and focused on a sport of their choice, in which they not only learned skills of that sport, but focused on developing team building and positive attitudes while working with other peers.

Pastor Calkins is the Next Generation Pastor at Northgate. Beginning in September, he will be reinstating a Middle School Base program on Wednesday nights, and a High School Base program on Sunday nights.

He also hosts a weekly Sunday night group for college-age and young adults called “Ember,” from 8 to 9:45.

All of these groups take place at Northgate Free Methodist Church’s South Campus, located at 350 Bank St., Batavia. For more information, please email Pastor Calkins daniel@northgatefmc.com or visit this website.

Press release from AAA: 

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.62, down 3 cents from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.84. The New York State average is $2.82 – down 2 cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $3.

AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.76 (down 7 cents since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.78 (down 2 cents since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.75 (down 2 cents since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.77 (down 2 cents since last week)
• Rome -- $2.80 (down 3 cents since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.70 (down 2 cents since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.75 (down 2 cents since last week)

Although pump prices continue to fall this week, growing demand amid tightening stocks have helped to slow down the pace of the decline nationally. With prices down across the region, it appears as though the highest gas prices of the year are behind us.

However, demand is still high with summer tourism season ongoing. Motorists could see a spike in pump prices over Labor Day weekend, the final long weekend of the summer.

Other issues that could push prices up include hurricane season if a refinery is damaged and tensions in the Middle East.

Workers are giving the clock tower on the post office in Le Roy a much-needed paint job.

Photo by Mary Margaret Ripley.

From Senator Charles Schumer:

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced Saturday that the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has awarded a $23,337,281 contract to a company in Victor to begin construction on Phase 1A of the Western New York National Veterans Cemetery in Pembroke.

The nation's newest veterans cemetery will be located at 1232 Indian Falls Road in the Town of Pembroke. The cemetery site was originally 132 acres, then they purchased adjoining 60-acre and 77-acre parcels, closing on those early last year. Phase 1A construction encompasses 65 acres of the cemetery's total 269 acres.

“The awarding of this $23 million contract to Ontario County-based Global Urban Enterprise clears the way for the construction of the long-sought and sorely needed Western New York National Veterans Cemetery to, at long last, get underway," Senator Schumer said.

"Making this cemetery come to reality has been and remains one of my top priorities, and I won’t stop fighting until it comes to fruition."

Phase 1A of construction will create 4,000 gravesites, including roughly 2,500 gravesites for casket interments, and 1,500 in-ground sites for cremated remains.

When it is time to complete the project, Global Urban Enterprise in Victor will partner with Syracuse-based Hueber-Breuer Construction, along with other subcontractors to do the work.

Schumer said the establishment of the Genesee County cemetery is a well-deserved opportunity to honor the more than 96,000 veterans and family members in this region who will have a proper military burial at a site close to their homes, families, and communities they served and defended.

It will be the first and only of its kind in the Buffalo-Rochester area and will save thousands of military families from having to travel more than 100 miles in some cases to visit their loved ones at what is now the closest veterans' cemetery in Bath.

“This contract and the cemetery’s construction soon getting underway helps guarantee Western New York’s military veterans will have a proper burial, at a site close to the homes, families, and the very communities they dedicated their lives to defend and serve,” Schumer said.

According to guidance provided by the VA, the first burials are expected to occur at the cemetery by November/December 2020.

Veterans with a qualifying discharge, their spouses, and eligible dependent children may be buried in a VA national cemetery. Also eligible are military personnel who die on active duty, their spouses and eligible dependents.

Burial benefits available for all eligible veterans, regardless of whether they are buried in a national cemetery or a private cemetery, include a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate, and a government headstone or marker.

Sen. Rob Ortt on Saturday, in announcing his run for the NY-27 congressional district, hung his star -- his Bronze Star -- on his military service and what he said are his conservative credentials as a "battle-tested warrior."

It's a phrase he is using on his campaign signs, he used in his speech and in his remarks to the media after his announcement.

Ortt came to Batavia, which he said is the heart of the district, and made his announcement in front of City Hall, where just a month ago, Medal of Honor winner David Bellavia received the Key to the City.

"This really is the heart of the district," Ortt said. "We wanted to make a point, we wanted to be here in Genesee County, in Batavia, because if you think about Genesee County, Orleans County, Livingston, Wyoming even parts of Ontario, it's rural New York. It's rural America.

"Those are the values that we talk about all the time that we're losing in places like Albany and Washington, D.C. These are values that our party talks about defending all the time. And I think it's important that you are actually where those folks live. This is the heart of the district in my opinion."

Ortt talked at length about his decision to serve in the military after 9-1-1 and take part in the War on Terror and what his service meant to him.

"I was lucky to return home to Meghan and my family but I wear a constant reminder on my wrist of four of my brothers in arms who were not so lucky," Ortt said. "That is what motivates me and inspires me to this day. These men and countless others died for an idea that we refer to as America. My commitment to that idea did not end when I took off my uniform."

Ortt said he is fully committed to defending President Donald Trump, that he wants to go to Washington to support the president's agenda. He said he supports tighter border security, accused Democrats of being for "open borders," and said he wants to build a wall along the Southern border.

"I deployed to the Southern border as part of Operation Jumpstart," Ortt said. "I know what our Border Patrol is up against. We need to build the wall. We need to increase funding for border security of all kinds. And we need to close the loopholes that are allowing people to cut the line and waltz in here consequence-free."

Ortt said Democrats in Washington are pushing a radical agenda and he wants to go there and fight it.

"Albany, and by extension New York State, is a stark warning to the rest of the country," Ortt said. "We already know here what the Democratic Socialist agenda is: Higher taxes. Open borders. Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. Unionization of our farms. Abortion on demand, more rights for criminals, and more gun control for our law-abiding gun owners."

Ortt said he has been named through multiple years the most conservative member of the Senate and that he is experienced in standing up to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

"I will do the same to the extreme radical Speaker of the House," Ortt said. "You all know who I'm talking about. She runs the Democratic policy agenda and she has never seen a camera she doesn't like. And she's a New Yorker.

"Her name is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She has a couple of deputies, too: Nancy Pelosi and her America-hating squad members Ilhan Omar and  Rashida Tlaib. I look forward to meeting all of them."

Earlier in his speech, Ortt accused some Democrats of hating America and said, "If you don't love this country, you're free to leave. Our borders work both ways."

After these statements and statements about how well he believes the country is doing under Trump, Ortt said, "So if you hadn't guessed it, I support President Trump. And I'm not afraid to talk about his agenda and all the good that I believe he's doing for this country."

He concluded his speech with, "I am Robert Ortt. I'm a conservative warrior. I'm a battle-tested patriot and I will never back down from the fight. I'm not running for Congress to have a seat at the table. I'm running for Congress to flip the table over."

At no time during his speech did he mention the incumbent congressman, Chris Collins, who is facing a House ethics investigation and a federal trial on insider trading charges and has yet to announce whether he will seek reelection. Asked about Collins after his speech, Ortt said he is committed to the race and will run in a primary against Collins should Collins decide to try and retain his seat.

"This race is wide open and I think it's so important that we have a strong conservative veteran voice, a battle-tested leader, in this race," Ortt said. "I think it's important for the people of this district and I think it's important for our country for our president."

Also left out of Ortt's comments were the names Chris Jacobs, Beth Parlato, and David Bellavia. Neither Jacobs nor Parlato have yet to make a public appearance in Batavia, but both are running in the primary election on June 2020. And while there is a "Draft David Bellavia" movement among a group of Republicans in the district, Bellavia has remained neutral on political questions since receiving the Medal of Honor.  He is currently serving the Army in publicity and recruiting capacity and is prohibited from making statements about his political plans. It's unclear when his status will change and what his intentions might be toward the seat.

The video contains Ortt's full remarks, including the discussion with reporters after the event.

After Ortt's announcement, Jacobs released the following statement:

“I want to welcome my friend Rob Ortt to the campaign for New York’s 27th district. As a conservative who has created jobs, I’m running for Congress because our community needs a fighter for small businesses who can help President Trump enact better trade deals and stop the illegal immigration crisis. I intend to run an issues-based campaign focused on my record protecting taxpayers, cutting fees and defending the 2nd amendment and I welcome Rob to that conversation.”

A one-vehicle rollover accident, with minor injuries, is reported on Ellicott Street Road at Roanoke Road, Pavilion.

The driver is out of the vehicle and walking around.

Pavilion units can respond non-emergency.

Pavilion fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

An ATV accident is reported at 6880 Albion Road, the location of Lamb Farms, in Oakfield.

One patient, reportedly conscious. 

Oakfield fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.