Ryan Davis, a standout with the Alexander Trojan's basketball team, signed a letter of intent yesterday to attend college and play basketball at Division III D'Youville College.

Davis will major in Business Management.

Photo: Tricia Davis, Ryan Davis, Mike Davis, and Alexander Head Coach Wayne Hanley.

Submitted photo and information.

Eli Fish Brewing Company in Downtown Batavia hosted a Farm-to-Pint "Tap Takeover" on behalf of the Buffalo Niagara Brewers Association on Sunday.

By chance and circumstance, I've been spending a lot of time at Eli Fish recently, and it was a Sunday, so I thought I'd have a little fun with the video. I shot the video entirely hand-held (no stabilizer or tripod), with a 50-year-old 50mm lens, so only manual focus, using a shotgun mic I'd never used before. It was, indeed, fun experimentation and practice. And it was a fun event.

For brewers here to check out this video, you might also like to see Episode #2 of Batavia's Best Businesses, Eli Fish Brewing.

Submitted photo, press release and video:

In support of National EMS Week, Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) joined Assembly Minority colleagues at a press conference held by Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C,I,Ref-Schoharie) today in Albany to unveil legislation that would exempt volunteer firefighters and EMS workers from state income taxes (A.7655).

Hawley, a veteran and longtime member of the Assembly’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has introduced similar legislation to provide tax relief for active duty service members (A.1956).

“The upcoming Memorial Day weekend is just one example where volunteer firefighters and EMS will be working around the clock, spending precious time away from their families, to protect our community in the face of dangerous situations,” Hawley said.

“Sadly, more and more volunteer fire companies are being forced to close their doors, leaving their neighbors without the precious services they provide and we need to do something about it. These dedicated and brave individuals deserve our help and I implore Assembly leadership and our colleagues in the Majority to join us in getting this passed before session adjourns next month."

To be eligible for the state income tax exemption, a volunteer must:

• Be in good standing;
• Have a minimum year of service with the fire department;
• Be certified by the Chief Emergency Service Coordinator of their county;
• Attend at least 55 percent of department activities.

Benjamin Santiago Jr., 30, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. After a larceny investigation at Crocker's Ace Hardware in Le Roy, Santiago was arrested May 18 for allegedly stealing $800 worth of tools from the store at 3:25 p.m. on May 14. He was released on an appearance ticket and is due in Le Roy Town Court on June 13. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy James Stack.

Heather Nicole Holbrook, 34, of Byron-Holley Road, Byron, is charged with: criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; endangering the welfare of a child; aggravated unlicensed operation in the third degree; and having an indequate muffler. At 10:08 p.m. on May 16, deputies conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of West Main Street and River Street in the City of Batavia. Following an investigation, Holbrook was arrested. She is accused of operating a motor vehicle while her driver's license was suspended and while in possession of a controlled substance, with two children as passengers. She was issued appearance tickets and is due in Batavia City Court on May 29. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Erik Andre, assisted by Deputy Robert Henning.

Heather Nicole Holbrook, 34, of Byron-Holley Road, Byron, is charged with failure to appear. She was arrested on a warrant out of Batavia City Court and arraigned at 10:58 a.m. on May 17. She is accused of failing to appear in Batavia City Court on May 9. She was released on her own recognizance and is to return to city court on May 29. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Peter Flanagan.

Michael David Senay Jr., 25, of Overlook Drive, Batavia, is charged with: third-degree menacing; fourth-degree criminal mischief; criminal obstruction of breathing; unlawful imprisonment in the second degree; and second-degree harassment. At 9 p.m. on May 17, following the investigation of a domestic incident in the Town of Batavia, Senay was arrested. He was arraigned in Batavia Town Court. He is due back in court on June 11. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Joshua Brabon.

Lee Christopher Clark, 39, of 8202 Lewiston Road, upper, Batavia, is a convicted sex offender charged with failure to report a change of address/status within 10 days as required. It is alleged that Clark failed to register Internet accounts with the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services within 10 days. He was transported to the GC Sheriff's Office for processing and released on an appearance ticket returnable to Batavia Town Court on June 4. The case was handled by GC Sheriff's Deputy Travis DeMuth.

Sara Tea Cupler, 26, of Starr Road, Pavilion, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree and unlawful possession of marijuana. Cupler was arrested at 8:33 p.m. on May 18 after a call to the Emergency Dispatch Center for a welfare check on a female unconscious in a vehicle on South Lake Road, Pavilion. Cupler was released on an appearance ticket and is due in Pavilion Town Court on June 4. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy David Moore, assisted by Deputy Andrew Hale.

Robert G. Whitehead, 28, of Ellsworth Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a bench warrant out of Batavia City Court on May 13. He is accused of failure to appear in court on Sept. 13, 2012. He was arraigned at 1:54 p.m. and then put in jail in lieu of $1,000 cash bail or $2,000 bond. He was due back in city court on May 16. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens, assisted by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Katrina Lynn Drake, 29, of Locust Avenue, Lockport, was arrested on May 21 and charged with trespass. It is alleged that at 5:39 p.m. on May 9 there was a disturbance on Tracy Avenue in Batavia and Drake allegedly went onto a porch and kicked a door. She is due in Batavia City Court on May 21 to answer the charge. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Officer Felicia DeGroot.

Bryan Jose Alvarado-Arce, 22, of Studley Street, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Alvarado-Arce was arrested at 6:29 p.m. on May 17 after a traffic stop on Townline Road in Bergen. He was a passenger in the vehicle. He was released on an appearance ticket and he is due in Bergen Town Court on June 5. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy James Stack.

Submitted Write-up and photos 

This past weekend hundreds of runners, with a large contingent from Genesee County, took part in the 10th annual Sehgahunda Trail Marathon at Letchworth State Park. 

The course, which is comprised of 26.3 miles, starts at the Mount Morris Dam Visitor Center, and runs along the Finger Lakes Trail, ending in Portageville. There are between 3,000 and 4,000 feet of climbing and has been described as one of the hardest trail marathons on the East Coast. The race is organized by YellowJacket Racing of Rochester. 

The wet spring made this year’s course extremely muddy and much more difficult. Three years ago, the race was extended to a two-day event, with the second day being comprised of an additional 5K, 10K, and 15K. For those who dare to attempt to complete both days and succeed, they complete a grueling 72 kilometers in two days, known as the “Sehgahunda 72."

Miranda Betances (top photo) of Batavia was the first female to cross the finish line on Saturday, completing the Trail Marathon in 4:51:19.

Chad Minuto and Stephen Konieczny, of Batavia, were two of 26 competitors who successfully finished both days of racing, becoming Sehgahunda 72ers. 

Gabriel Abdella, of Batavia, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last year, successfully completed the trail marathon on Saturday in a time of 6:48:43, and also completed the 15K (9.3 miles) on Sunday. Abdella is an Adirondack 46er, and he and his wife, Michelle, recently hiked Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. 

Full results and more information about the race can be found at yellowjacketracing.com.

This photo and one above it, Gabriel Abdella.

Stephen Koneiczny & Chad Minuto

Finishers of Sehgahunda 72    

Press release:

In a rematch of the 2018 NJCAA Men’s Lacrosse National Championship game, #3 Onondaga Community College and #1 Nassau Community College Lions needed overtime to settle the 2019 edition.

In the end, Offensive Most Valuable Player Percy Booth scored the game-winning goal with 17 seconds remaining, to give Onondaga their third-consecutive National Championship, defeating Nassau 7-6 on Sunday afternoon at Genesee Community College.

In a game that went back and forth throughout its entirety, the two teams played in a defensive match with goaltenders. Frank Delia (Onondaga CC) and both Gunnar Luckoski and Anthony Kennin (Nassau CC) played outstandingly well throughout the National Championship game.

Percy Booth from Onondaga had a hat trick on the day, including scoring the game-winner in the overtime period. Kyle Worsley scored two goals and added an assist for the Lazers. Karl Flinter also scored for Onondaga. Frank Delia made 19 saves between the pipes for Onondaga.

Liam Muldoon led the way offensively for Nassau scoring a pair of goals. Justin Roderka also scored two goals. Dan Rooney scored one goal and tallied three assists and Matt Russo also scored for the Lions.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM members include:

• Jackson Kranzy – Howard CC
• Tim Russell – Howard CC
• Jack Watsic – Howard CC
• Eli Doyle – Harford CC
• Tyler Wagoner – Harford CC
• Moriah Yousefi – Harford CC
• Liam Muldoon – Nassau CC
• John Ehlers – Nassau CC
• Justin Rodereka – Nassau CC
• Gavin Kesserling – Onondaga CC
• Phil Barilla – Onondaga CC
• Eli Dandelaught – Onondaga CC  
• Offensive Most Valuable Player – Percy Booth (Onondaga CC)
• Defensive Most Valuable Player – Frank Delia (Onondaga CC)
• National Coach of the Tournament – Eric Miccio (Onondaga CC)

Press release:

A total of 120 teen leaders from New York State, including six from St. Joseph Catholic School and Notre Dame High School in Batavia, targeted Altria Group executives and shareholders on Thursday, May 16^th, with an anti-tobacco, anti-nicotine message for the fourth consecutive year.

Their actions, centered outside the Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Va., and areas nearby, focused on why the tobacco giant baited consumers and public health officials with the promise of withdrawing pod-based nicotine products from the market in order to combat teen vaping use, only to invest billions in an e-cigarette company.

“Altria blamed nicotine pods and fruity flavors for fueling a surge in teen vaping,” said Brittany Bozzer, coordinator of the Reality Check program of Tobacco-Free GLOW. “If that’s the case, then why did they invest in Juul, the company that made these types of e-cigarettes so popular?”

Altria Group poured $12.8 billion into the e-cigarette company Juul Labs. This investment will allow Juul products to be displayed alongside regular cigarettes in the nation’s retail outlets, a combination that undercuts earlier promises Altria made with former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb to clamp down on the youth vaping “epidemic.”

“Despite what they say, Altria spends billions marketing their deadly products right in front of us, first cigarettes and now Juul,” said Krysta Hansen, a Notre Dame High School sophomore and Reality Check champion.

“Their goal is to create a new generation of customers—just in a different product. Enough is enough, already!”

The demonstrating teens represent Reality Check of New York and some were dressed in waders and carried fishing poles with a fresh catch of Juul nicotine pods and Marlboro cigarettes dangling from them.

Eight Reality Check teens and two youth leaders were given shareholder proxy tickets and went inside the meeting to address corporate tobacco executives and ask questions.

Some youths took their stories right to the biggest fish – the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Altria Group, Howard Willard.

They want Altria executives, as well as the entire tobacco industry, to know that they won’t be “Fuuled” by Big Tobacco investment in Juul and will continue to carry out the awareness-raising work they start in Richmond in their communities back home.

Public health officials and youth leaders for Reality Check, who have successfully fought to eliminate youth-attracting marketing tactics like colorful packaging and candy flavors in cigarettes through the years, see this as their next big battle to reduce teen tobacco use.

Studies show that kids who shop in stores with tobacco marketing, such as gas stations and convenience stores, are 64 percent more likely to start smoking than their friends who don’t.

Reeling in more information:

Findings on youth tobacco use and tobacco industry marketing in places where children and young adolescents can see it indicate:

• The average age of a new smoker in New York is 13 years old, and 90 percent of adult smokers say they first tried smoking by age 18.
• The U.S. tobacco industry spent an estimated $9.5 billion on advertising and promotion of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in 2013. This includes nearly $220 million annually in New York State, or nearly $602,000 a day.
• Stores popular among adolescents contain almost three times more tobacco marketing materials compared to other stores in the same community.

Last week's Altria shareholders demonstration was a joint effort between Reality Check NY, No Limits of Nebraska, and Counter Tools of Chapel Hill, N.C., a nonprofit organization that provides training to public health workers who are working on point-of-sale tobacco control.

Reality Check is a teen-led, adult-run program that seeks to prevent and decrease tobacco use among young people throughout New York State.

In preparation for demonstrating on Thursday, the Reality Check youth spent all day Wednesday learning about tobacco control policies; how the tobacco industry contracts with retailers; and how they can stand up, speak out and make a difference in the fight against Big Tobacco.

For more information about Reality Check, visit realitycheckofny.org.

The New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Tobacco Control funds Tobacco-Free GLOW to increase support for New York State’s tobacco-free norm through youth action and community engagement. Efforts are evidence-based, policy-driven, and cost-effective approaches that decrease youth tobacco use, motivate adult smokers to quit, and eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke.

• Declutter Your Life - May 25th 
• Find Your Purpose - June 22nd
• Successful Time Management - July 13th

Tickets are $29 for one workshop. $79 for all THREE workshops. Click here for tickets.

Press release:

East Bethany – Spots are still open for Environmental Science Camp at the Genesee County Park & Forest!

This weeklong adventure includes wildlife surveys, field and stream studies, outdoor recreation, a K9-assisted investigation, a field trip, and more. This camp is for students entering seventh – 10th grade.

Camp meets Monday through Friday, July 8th – 12th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Interpretive Nature Center at the Genesee County Park & Forest. All materials, lunch and snacks are provided each day along with a camp T-shirt.

Cost is $95/camper for the entire week. Registration deadline is Monday, June 24th.

To register, download the registration form from our website here.

Print it out and return the completed forms with payment to:

(Main Office)

Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center

153 Cedar St.
Batavia, NY 14020

For more information visit our website here, or contact Shannon Lyaski at Shannon.Lyaski@co.genesee.ny.us or (585) 344-1122.

Press release:

The Genesee Country Farmers' Market @ The Downtown Batavia Public Market opens for the season on Friday, June 7th, at the market's location on the corner of Bank Street and Alva Place in the Downtown Batavia Business District.

Market hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays with the season running from Friday, June 7th, through Friday, Oct. 25th.

"This year marks the fourth year of collaboration with BID (Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District)", says Market Manager Mike Bakos, "The Market will remain a three-day per week 'Grow-Your-Own' market, featuring the freshest locally-grown produce along with unique specialty items from local artisans.

"Vendors are excited about the upcoming market season with many of last year's vendors returning along with some new additions. The market will once again participate in the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), DUFB (Double-Up Food Bucks), NYS FreshConnect, WIC and Senior Farmer's Market Check Programs. Stop by and talk directly to the people that grow your food."

The market is committed to its Mission of "providing a family-friendly environment where the residents of the Greater-Batavia area and Genesee County can shop for fresh, locally-grown, produce and specialty artisanal items" -- and its Vision of "making the Genesee Country Farmers' Market @ The Downtown Batavia Public Market a WNY Destination."

Parties interested in joining the market to become a Seasonal Vendor or Day Vendor may contact Sharon Brent at (716)-560-0853 or by email at sharon_brent@hotmail.com or Mike Bakos at (716) 866-4958 or by email at mbakos@rochester.rr.com.

Qualifying charities, service-groups, or 501c3 organizations that would like to participate in the market may obtain a FREE market stall by contacting the market at (716) 866-4958 or by email at mbakos@rochester.rr.com.

Press release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley's office:

Following increasing pressure from Downstate lawmakers to overturn an 80-year law and allow farm workers to unionize, Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) is again calling for statewide public hearings to be conducted by the Assembly before any vote is proposed to make such a sweeping change to one of New York’s largest industries. 

The former owner/operator of Hawley Farms in Batavia was one of the first legislators to sign onto the Assembly Minority’s letter requesting public hearings on unionization.

“Growing up as a generational farmer in Western New York and eventually owning and operating our family farm, I am confident that unionization would harm our industry and force more family-owned operations to close,” Hawley said.

“Farming is unique in its demands, its work schedule, its earnings structure and its labor needs, and to impose blanket requirements to make it congruent with other industries simply may not work in the agricultural model.”

Hawley, a longtime member of the Assembly’s Agriculture Committee, has been in conversations with Chairwoman Donna Lupardo (D-Binghamton) to hold public hearings for several weeks.

“I suspect that the New York City lawmakers pushing this legislation have very little experience on a farm and we need statewide hearings to ensure that current farmers, their employees and members of the agriculture community are heard before any decisions are made,” Hawley said.

Alannah Gross accepts her diploma from Donna Ferry, chair of the Board of Trustees of Genesee Community College, during GCC's 51st commencement ceremony Sunday inside the Call Arena.

Earlier, Gross sang "God Bless America" during the opening of the ceremony (photos below).

This year's keynote speaker was Lesli Myers-Small, superintendent of Brockport Central School District and author of "Life's Leadership Lessons," a Ted-X speaker, an NYS Woman of Distinction, who has gained a degree of fame for her rap videos for students in her district. 

A key theme of her commencement speech came from the musical "Hamilton" and the song "I'm am not throwing away my shot."

I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Hey yo, I’m just like my country
I’m young, scrappy and hungry
And I’m not throwing away my shot

Myers-Small recalled the day in May 2012 when she pulled into the parking lot of Brockport Central School District for her interview for the superintendent's job. She remembered that she was trying to do something as an African-American woman that nobody in Monroe County had ever done before.

"Doubt, fear, and anxiety reverberated in mind," Myers-Small. "I thought it absolutely impossible. I will never become the chief executive officer of a public school district."

But she didn't leave. She sat in her car a moment and thought. She remembered all the people who had paved a way for her, and those who had raised her and mentored her and guided her and prepared her for this moment. 

"I heard a quiet still voice, 'girl, either go hard or go home.' "

Myers-Small told the students no matter who they are, where they come from, whatever hardships they might face, don't quit.

"When contemplating opportunities, remember that what is possible for me is possible for you. I cannot, will not, did not throw away my shot."

Lesli Myers-Small

Press release from AAA:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.85, down a penny from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.92. The New York State average is $2.96 – also down a penny from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $3.01. AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.84 (up 1 cent since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.89 (up 1 cent since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.87 (down 2 cents since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.89 (no change from last week)
• Rome -- $2.89 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.86 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.96 (no change from last week)

The Energy Information Administration’s latest demand reading for gasoline dropped to 9.1 million b/d, a level typically seen in the fall or winter. The drop is approximately 800,000 b/d lower than the previous week and 400,000 b/d lower than this time last year. Part of the decline in demand is likely due to recent inclement weather in the Rockies and Midwest that may have kept American motorists off the roads more than usual during the spring.

However, pump prices will likely rebound as we head into the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. AAA predicts nearly 43 million Americans will be traveling for the long weekend – with the majority, 37.6 million, taking road trips. In New York State, 2.65 million people will be traveling for the holiday, an increase of 3.5 percent from 2018. A record 2.39 million will be traveling by car and nearly 183,000 by air. 73,000 will be traveling by other modes of transportation.

On Saturday, Botts-Fiorito American Legion Post #576, hosted the American Warrior Festival, organized by Dan Clor, leader of the rock band Weapon-X. The party included a cornhole tournament, open bowling, and later in the night, live rock-'n'-roll.

A Le Roy police officer has been asked to meet a caller on headquarters who said she was at the park by Le Roy High School and smelled an odor and walked over to a male in his backyard skinning a pig.

UPDATE: Le Roy PD Chief Chris Hayward said this morning that this was a man working on his doctorate. There is no violation of the law at this time.

Sen. Rob Ortt visited Reyncrest Farms in Corfu on Friday as part, he said, of regular visits to farms in Upstate New York to learn more about the potential impact of the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act.

He said he feels obligated to do it because the supporters of the bill, who have no farms or farmworkers in their districts, aren't doing it and they're not holding hearings on the bill in Western New York.

"We know that the sponsor is not visiting farms," Ortt said "She doesn't have a farm in her district. So I'm trying to fill that void to push back on some of these narratives that are being justified as to why we need to have this legislation in New York."

Ortt is the ranking Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee. He's also a potential candidate for the Republic primary race in the 27th Congressional District.

Sen. Jessica Ramos, chair of the Senate Labor Committee, and a first-term representative from Queens, is the Senate sponsor of the bill. She did visit Genesee County a few weeks ago and met with farmers and farmworkers and tried to prevent the press from covering her visit. She heard from many farmworkers who said they didn't support the legislation because it would mean they would make less money.

The bill, as written currently, would give farmworkers the right to join labor unions, as well as mandate an eight-hour workday and 40-hour work week. Both farmers and farmworkers say it is the cap on work hours that will do the most economic damage.

Earlier this month, Ortt lead a roundtable discussion of the bill and afterward indicated a willingness to negotiate on both of those main points. Friday he said that willingness is based on the feedback he's getting from farmers who tell him, he said, that if passage of such a bill is inevitable, then can it at least be made less draconian?

So far, he said, he's seen little willingness by the sponsors to negotiate.

Reyncrest is exactly the kind of family-owned dairy farm that stands to be most severely hurt by the legislation if it passes as is, he said.

"They have three farmers, (ages) 28, 26, and 25 -- a new generation, right? The next generation of farmers here to keep this going," Ortt said. "But they need to be able to sustain each of those individuals. This farm needs to be profitable for all three of those family members and if they can't make it a go, maybe they're unable to continue on and that impacts consumers.

"That impacts folks here in New York State who want to buy their products from New York State farmers, who want to buy their products from locally grown farms, locally grown here in New York. And so every time we add onto the burden here, and especially when it's being done by people who haven't stepped foot on a farm, who don't understand the dynamics of what they're doing, now I think that should be a real cause for concern for all New Yorkers."

Sunny's in Batavia is closing its doors for the last time tonight.

Late this afternoon, Skinny Rose wasn't at the restaurant and Tiny Rose declined to comment about the closing.

A motorcyclist reportedly hit debris in the roadway on Randall Road, Stafford.

The driver is reportedly down but alert. 

Stafford Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

Local officials, including Rep. Chris Collins, were on hand Friday for an open house and ribbon cutting at Batavia's newest medical clinic, Fresenius Kidney Care, on Veterans Memorial Drive, just north of Home Depot.

The new facility will be staffed by 20 healthcare professionals and able to treat 102 patients per week.

It opens tomorrow.

Director of Operations Kenneth Crine said Fresenius came to Batavia because the current dialysis clinic is typically booked to capacity.

"I felt excitement for being able to provide needed dialysis services in a community that has a need for that," Crine said. "I think Batavia has been in that situation for a little while, where the current facility is kind of full and people have been displaced because of that, and being able to provide a center where people can have access to convenient healthcare is really important to me. So, you know, I feel good about that."

Kenneth Crine and Chris Collins