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Large pallet fire reported at Ed Arnold Scrap

By Howard B. Owens

A "very large fire, larger than we had before," according to the East Pembroke fire chief, is reported at Edward Arnold Scrap Processors Inc., 2216 Angling Road, Corfu.

East Pembroke fire along with Corfu, Indian Falls, and Town of Batavia are dispatched in a second alarm.

UPDATE(S)(By Billie) 5:54 p.m.: Oakfield Fire Police are requested to shut down traffic at Angling Road and West Avenue.

UPDATE 5:57 p.m.: A reader sent in this photo above of the huge plume of smoke that is visible from Galloway Road.

UPDATE 5:59 p.m.: Per command, all firefighters responding are told this fire is to be fought defensively.

UPDATE 6:09 p.m.: All available manpower from Town of Batavia Fire Department is requested to stand by in quarters.

UPDATE 6:12 p.m.: Tankers are requested to the scene from Elba, Alexander and Alabama.

UPDATE 6:18 p.m.: Mercy medic #1 is asked to stand by in East Pembroke Fire Hall.

UPDATE 6:28 p.m.: All available manpower, including EMS, from Corfu called to stand by in quarters.

UPDATE 6:48 p.m.: Although smoke spewing from the scene is roughly half what it was, firefighters are having some difficulty fighting the blaze. Storage trailers that are stationed along an access road are preventing firefighting apparatus from reaching the north corner of the site.

UPDATE 10:08 p.m.: East Pembroke is back in service.

UPDATE 10:21 p.m.: Fire photos:

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Here's another reader-submitted photo, taken from Stannard Road, Alexander.

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Dan Ireland: UMMC making great strides in health care

By Howard B. Owens

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Dan Ireland, CEO of United Memorial Medical Center, had a steady stream of accomplishments to share with local health care leaders gathered Friday morning at Terry Hills for his annual State of UMMC presentation.

Ireland discussed the awards won by UMMC and staff members, the financial health of the organization, its successes in saving lives and preventing the spread of infections, and future plans for growth.

The hospital, now part of the Rochester Regional Health network, employes 880 full-time, part-time, and per-diem staff members.

In 2017, there were 22,000 emergency room visits, and nearly 100,000 medical visits total.

There were 576 births at the hospital.

"We’re touching our community in many different ways," Ireland said. "We’re making a difference to many patients."

He shared the story of Paul Boylan, a well-known figure in the local legal community as well as the UMMC community. Boylan was diagnosed with prostate cancer and chose the Lipson Cancer Institute for treatment.

After 28 rounds of radiation, Moylan, 78, is now cancer free.

"Paul credits Dr. Meri Atanas and all of the team at Lipson for the care he received right here at home, high-quality care, care that takes you through some of the biggest battles of your life," Ireland said. "Paul is very happy to be back practicing law, enjoying life and doing what he needs to do."

Ireland also shared the story of a staff member whose job includes educating portions of the population on health care. He found to talk with some people about health care, he needed to speak Spanish, so he learned Spanish.

"He did that on his own," Ireland said. "He made sure he had the right tools to give the right care to patients," Ireland said.

Then there is Andrea Sherwood, winner of the Josie King Hero Award. Josie King died in a hospital in Baltimore as the result of a medical staff mistake. Her mother, Sorrel King, created the Jose King Foundation, dedicated to helping hospitals eliminate mistakes that cost lives.

After Sorrel King spoke with UMMC staff at an event last year, she learned of actions Sherwood took to catch a mistake. She may have saved a patient's life.

It was Sherwood's job to administer contrast media to a patient for an MRI. As is the procedure, she reviewed the patient's lab results. Some patients, based on lab results, shouldn't receive contrast media. While an initial review of the results seemed to indicate it was fine to proceed with the procedure, Sherwood's instincts told her something wasn't right so she took extra steps to double check the lab results. It turned out, the wrong lab results had been provided for the patient. That patient could have been seriously injured or killed by the contrast media.

Other awards for the hospital have gone to the Wound Care Center, ICU, and the emergency room for stroke treatment.

UMMC has also received an award from Univera for taking steps to reduce hospital-acquired infections.

"About 10 years ago when they put this tool in place it seemed like it would be impossible to beat, to get that number down to where the benchmark should be," Ireland said. "Last year, Univera said, 'you not only got that number down, you beat the benchmark and now have the lowest (score) in Western New York.'”

In November, the Joint Commission on Accreditation initiated a surprise four-day inspection of UMMC, looking, Ireland said, around every corner and "under every rock." They do everything the can, he said, to find issues, what they call "findings."

"They also told us that they never come in without some findings," Ireland said. "They have to find something. So they did. They found 18 items they wanted us to work on, to make some corrections. As an administrator, of course, I asked the surveyor, '18, good, bad?' 'Well, we did the math and most organizations your size have about 40. You had 18 and we worked really hard to find those 18.'"

UMMC is also undertaken other steps to improve patient safety, including a meeting every morning among senior staff to review the previous day's safety alerts.

The process, because of the extra attention to identifying potential safety problems, has meant in 2017, the number of safety issues identified has gone up.

That creates more opportunities to correct problems, Ireland said. The goal is to get it down to zero.

Anybody can alert the hospital to a safety event, including every member of staff and patients who have access to the patient portal online.

As of Friday, it had been 71 days since a serious event was reported, and it had been 200 days before that without a serious event (the longest streak yet under the new reporting system).

A serious event is defined as one that increases the length of a patient's stay or changes the course of care.

In the area of fighting infections, the hospital also tracks infections as a result of using an IV in a patient's neck -- a very rare procedure because of the health risks associated with it. It's only used when absolutely necessary.

There have been no infections as a result of the procedure since 2013.

C-Diff infections have also been greatly reduced. While the trend across the nation is for C-Diff infections to increase at hospitals, it has declined dramatically at UMMC, Ireland said.

As for UMMC's future, there are plans a new $18 million ICU/Radiology wing, a new urgent care clinic in Le Roy, an improved urgent care in Batavia, and the partnership with the YMCA for a healthy living campus in Batavia.

M&T Bank to close branch in Elba

By Howard B. Owens

Statement from a spokeswoman for M&T Bank:

We are closing the Elba branch at 7133 Oak Orchard Road effective on Aug. 7, 2018, as we continue to optimize our branch network in order to best meet the evolving needs of our customers. All employees have been offered positions at other nearby M&T branches.

Customers who utilized the Elba branch can bank at the nearby Oakfield branch (which is 5 minutes away) or at any other M&T branch or ATM, via our Telephone Banking Center (1-800-724-2440), online at www.mtb.com and our via our Apple and Android mobile apps. We will have a digital ambassador at the branch for 90 days to assist customers to enroll and learn how to use our digital products and services, so they can bank with us at their convenience.

Technology continues to change how people bank. Although branches are still critically important to customers, the entire industry is faced with declining traffic due to the increase in banking conveniently online and in the mobile channels. Customers expect to be able to access financial services when, where and how is most convenient for them. We look to continue to grow and enhance our relationships with customers by further investing in these banking solutions.

We have consistently made investments in ways to enhance the customer experience across all of our platforms. This year, we are investing in several enhancements designed to meet the changing needs of our customers, so they can bank with us when, where and how they want to. These include:

·         Improved Mobile Banking capabilities, with Insta-Balance and Alerts that allow you to customize and more closely monitor your accounts

·         Easy account openings using a mobile device

·         Zelle P-to-P payments – receive and send money to millions of Zelle users through the M&T app

Springtime is a fine time to adopt a friend at the animal shelter

By Billie Owens

Spring is here and nature is, well, springing up all over the place. Bright green, pops of yellow, soft pink blossoms. The bees are buzzing and the birds are flitting.

But over at the Genesee County Animal Shelter, Serena and Boots are just sitting. Waiting for a friend, you, anybody really (Volunteers for Animals notwithstanding), to stop by and say 'hi,' or better yet take them home.

Serena is a spayed adult pit bull terrier mix who absolutely loves to play outside, and on a day like today, who wouldn't?

Playing fetch with a ball is her favorite thing. Unless she's eating dinner, which is then her favorite thing, or palling around with her people, which is also a favorite thing.

So basically whatever Serena is doing at that moment is her favorite thing. Such is a dog's life and attention span. 

Boots, a spayed tiger and white domestic shorthair cat, takes the long view of our sweet old world, making patient mental notes of the global continuum, parsing in her own way the values and actions she holds dear.

Like chin scratching, the importance of which cannot be overstressed.

This "quiet and docile...very sweet" feline is all set to get out of the shelter and make patient mental notes in a much better place -- like your windowsill or lap.

Genesee County Animal Shelter

3841 W. Main Street Road, Batavia

Hours

Sun., Mon., Tues., Fri.: 1-3 p.m.

Wednesday: 1-3 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

Closed Thursdays

Saturday: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Tea parties gone wild for Mother's Day at GO ART! -- Mad, crazy and in drag, too

By Billie Owens

GO ART! is hosting wild and crazy tea parties the day before Mother's Day on Saturday, May 12.

For All Ages

Join the Mad Hatter and the March Hare for a crazy day-before-Mother's-Day tea party.

Make sure to wear your prettiest, favorite or funniest hat.

There will be dainty tea sandwiches and toothsome desserts along with a selfie station and, of course, tea (juice for those who don't want tea).

Open to all ages.

Two sittings available: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; or 1 - 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 per person for GO ART! members and $18 per person for non-members. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Adults Only (21+)

Adult Tea Party with Vivian Darling -- Drag Queen Extraordinaire, 5-6:30 p.m. (Photo above.)

The Queen of Hearts demands you join her for tea!

Make sure you wear something red because we all know how much the Queen loves red and your don't want her to say "off with their head!"

Scrumptious tea sandwiches, sublime desserts and two very adult beverages are included with the purchase of a ticket.

(Long Island iced tea anyone?)

Additional "adult" drinks will be available for purchase from the bar.

This event is intended for guests 21+.

Tickets are $30 for GO ART! members and $35 for non-members.

GCC creates a new tradition -- 'Serving Beyond Expectations' -- to honor faculty and staff

By Billie Owens

Press release:

For five decades, Genesee Community College has celebrated its graduating classes at commencement, and the College is excited about the upcoming 50th annual graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 20.

The College, however, is also pleased to be introducing a new tradition this year.

On Wednesday, May 16, at 1:30 p.m. in the Richard C. Call Arena, the "SUNY GCC Employees -- Serving Beyond Expectations" ceremony will formerly recognize the many outstanding achievements of GCC's faculty and staff.

Among the highest honors are recognizing the recipients of prestigious 2018 State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor's Award for Excellence, which includes the following:

Award for Excellence in Faculty Service

  • Timothy P. Tomczak, professor/director of Social Sciences

Award for Excellence in Professional Service

  • Tara E. Conrad, assistant registrar
  • Amy A. Masters, technical specialist/financial aid retention

Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Service

  • Joseph L. Ziolkowski, assistant professor, Photography and Art

Award for Excellence in Teaching

  • Candice S. Vacin, associate professor of Psychology
  • David W. Johnson, instructor of Biology

Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching

  • Carol E. Geiselmann, adjunct instructor
  • Raymond A. Boucher, adjunct instructor

Award for Excellence in Classified Service

  • Raymond J. Strzelecki, building maintenance supervisor

"Genesee Community College has long had a reputation for being a great place to work," GCC's President James M. Sunser said. "In the spirit of commencement and the hard work and commitment of our students, we have also wanted to recognize the dedication of our faculty and staff who consistently go beyond expectations in helping our students succeed.

"This new event is the opportunity to honor the many GCC employees whose passion and compassion are on the job every day."

It should be noted that some College offices will be closed the afternoon of May 16 to accommodate the new awards ceremony.

In addition to the SUNY Chancellors Awards, the new "Serving Beyond Expectations" Ceremony will also recognize employees with extensive years of service at the Longevity Awards with benchmarks of 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service to the College.

And, the College also created a whole new segment of recognition with seven unique categories of service in the newly adopted "Cougar Awards" in the following areas.

Spirit and Community Award -- celebrates exemplary school spirit

Innovation Award -- recognizes one who's implemented idea made a positive impact on GCC

Cougar Salute -- honors a supervisor or manager consistently demonstrating GCC's core values

Teamwork Award -- praises superior performance by a department or cross-functional team

Rookie of the Year Award -- acknowledges the outstanding achievements of a new staff member

Inclusive Excellence Award -- commends a significant role in embracing the diversity, equity and inclusiveness of the campus community

President's Award -- distinguishes the efforts and services of an individual in support of the college's mission and strategic priorities

The Cougar Award nominees are secret until the awards ceremony and recipients will be named live during the event.

Lastly, but no less important, the "Serving Beyond Expectations" Ceremony recognizes the numerous accomplishments and contributions made by GCC's faculty and staff throughout the past academic year.

The number and breadth of these achievements exemplifies the quality and compassion that seems near endemic across all departments and divisions at GCC. Forty-four members of GCC's staff, and many of them with multiple honors and recognitions are listed under the general Awards category.

From professional presentations to serving as a panelist, board member, keynote speaker, juror, volunteer, evaluator, singer, exhibitor and even earning a certified drone piloting license -- GCC staff members are an active collection of top-notch professionals motivated by passion, patriotism and the idea of making the community a better place to live and work.

Cold milling of Lehigh Avenue postponed due to equipment breakdown

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Please note that the cold milling operation planned for Lehigh Avenue today has been postponed due to milling equipment breaking down. Work will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

Sincerely, 

Brett Stevenson -- Streets Supervisor 

Bureau of Maintenance, 147 Walnut St., Batavia

Phone: 585-345-6400, Option 1

Fax: 585-343-6199

www.batavianewyork.com

Plow Days in Elba continues to grow in popularity

By Virginia Kropf

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When the Esten family of Elba decided to organize a plow day 17 years ago in honor of their late father, they couldn’t have imagined how popular the event would become.

On Saturday and Sunday, the 18th annual Plow Days took place at the farm of John Torrey of Route 98, Elba, with close to 60 old tractors.

It was Louis Esten who came up with the idea for Plow Days, and in recent years his son and daughter-in-law Nick and Mandy Esten have done much of the work. It takes the better part of a week to move all of Torrey’s tractors out of the barn and set up for the event.

“We think it’s important for people, especially the younger ones, to see how things were done in the old days,” Louis said.

The lineup of red tractors on the front lawn attracted passersby each day, even someone from Erie, Pa., and Syracuse. Antique tractor collectors came from Genesee and several neighboring counties.

One of the oldest tractors to take part was Louis’s 1938 W30 McCormick Deering.

The Estens estimate they plowed nearly 75 acres of ground with the old tractors.

Top photo: Chuck Esten, of Albion, sits on one of his antique tractors with his grandsons, Benjamin, 5, and Joshua, 16, during Plow Days Saturday and Sunday. Esten’s brother Louis, of Elba, was instrumental in starting Plow Days 17 years ago.

Photos by Virginia Kropf.

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Local leaders learn how Dutchess County thinks differently about people with special needs

By Howard B. Owens

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For two years in a row, Dutchess County hosted the Winter Special Olympics -- not for the tourism dollars it might bring it but because of how the event might transform the people of the community.

"We wanted to engage Dutchess County residents in a volunteer way to help and understand and appreciate that anyone with any ability can achieve great things," said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro on Thursday during a talk at the Arc Community Center on Woodrow Road in Batavia.

Getting people to "Think Differently" about people with special needs has been a mission for Molinaro for the past several years. He regularly gives talks around the state about the programs, policies and practices Duchess County has enacted under his leadership.

More than 100 government and nonprofit agencies have passed resolutions to adopt the Think Differently commitment.

The idea of Think Differently started for the father of three -- Eli, 16 months, Jack, 8, and Abigail, 14 -- late one afternoon when Molinaro came home from work and his wife told him that Abigail was in her room crying.

Alarmed, Molinaro rush to her side to see what was wrong.

"I can't do it," she said. "I will never be able to do it."

She said all of her friends could do it. But she couldn't do it.

"I can't tie my shoes and I'll never be able to do it."

Molinaro reached down, expecting to do what he thought any good father would do at that point -- tie her shoelaces.

Then his wife appeared in the room and said, "you can't do it. You have to think differently about how we teach her."

In an instant, Molinaro realized how he related to his daughter needed to change.

"I realized at that very moment what I was doing as a dad was failing my daughter," Molinaro said.

That lesson soon carried over to how he viewed the thousands of families in his county who also dealt with issues related to their special-needs members. One day it became apparent how daunting it could be when it took three people on his staff to help him figure out how to get a Medicaid waiver for his daughter.

"I couldn’t imagine how difficult it was for an average family to maneuver through a bureaucratic maze this state creates," Molinaro said.

That's how the Think Differently campaign was born in Dutchess County.

About 100 community leaders heard from Molinaro, who is also a candidate for governor, during the forum on Thursday.

Molinaro explained that he appointed a deputy to be an advocate for people with disabilities. They looked at how housing was delivered; how law enforcement was trained; what businesses could do differently; and what services could be delivered to better assist these families.

Molinaro said a school official was shocked the day his deputy called the school district about a problem involving a student and the school official wanted to know why a county official was calling about a school district issue. Molinaro's deputy explained his job to her and the problem got fixed.

The county has created a Think Differently website that uses a questionnaire to help guide families to the assistance and services they need.

There is now a database in the emergency dispatch center that provides dispatchers with information about people at each address in the county with special needs so first responders can arrive on a scene with more knowledge about health concerns, interaction-requirements, or mental health issues.

The county launched an effort to train local business owners about how to better serve people with special needs; how to hire and train people with disabilities; and how to make Dutchess County more welcoming to tourists who need extra assistance.

"We say to businesses all the time, 'this isn’t just good,' " Molinaro said, " 'it’s great, quality-of-life stuff that is great for business.' "

To assist employers who might hire special-needs employees who can only work part time, bus routes have been changed.

The Hudson Valley Renegades, the New York Penn League team, now hosts a training camp each year to teach the fundamentals of baseball to anyone regardless of ability.

The community college now has a program called "Think Ahead," that provides educational opportunities for people with disabilities.

Each year now, the Dutchess County Fair, has a special day for people with who might have a hard time getting around or have a hard time dealing with sensory overload, so access is modified, the lights and music on the midway is turned off, and the members of 4-H are trained how to work with people with disabilities.

Molinaro said that people from throughout the Northeast come to the fair for that unique day.

"We had a family from Ohio because they had never been able to take their kid to a fair," Molinaro said.

The annual film festival in Dutchess County is now a big hit. Children who had never been to a movie theater before are given the chance to enjoy the movie-theater experience.

Molinaro recalled talking with a mother who thanked him for the opportunity to take her child to a movie because she said she had never had the courage before to take her to a theater.

"I thought about the words she said," Molinaro said. "She said it took her courage to bring her daughter to the movies. Now there are some really awful movies but I don’t remember ever needing the courage to see them. It began to embody for us what Think Differently really means. That this mother needed to summon the courage to bring her daughter to a movie.

"Even the smallest activity becomes a challenge for some families and some individual, so creating the environment where people don’t need to feel courageous to do something -- that is what Think Differently is about."

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Spring Physical Education network meeting is June 5 at Pavilion Jr./Sr. High School

By Billie Owens

The Spring Physical Education meeting for teachers countywide will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5, at Pavilion Jr. /Sr. High School. It is located at 7014 Big Tree Road in Pavilion.

Here is the schedule:

9 -11 a.m. --  Technology in PE: Presenter -- Nancy Stauber

  • Google Classroom: (Classroom, Forms, Quizzes, Sheets) announcements, links, videos, photos, study guides, quizzes, surveys, assignments, data collection and presentation, grading, …(Google Expedition) virtual reality field trips, anatomy;

  • Pear Deck: program that combines slides, video, photo, graphs, class questions with live answers, interactive in many ways to engage students;

  • Apps: Learn a variety of apps to use in a PE setting;

  • Music: Amazon, Pandora, etc.: How we can be efficient in incorporating music into our lessons.  

***This is a make and take session: bring a quiz/survey/study guide…. and we will be creating during the session.

11:15 a.m. – noon -- Care to Share and extra time to work on technology projects.

Please bring ideas to share with your colleagues.

Lunch: On Your Own

1:15 – 3:15 p.m. -- Outdoor Education Presenter -- Shannon Morley

  • Shelter Building (also known as debris huts)

  • Fire Building 

  • Geocaching

  • Outdoor Scavenger Hunts

Come prepared to be outside and be involved.

Registration Links

GRTC Link: For Alexander, Attica, Batavia, Byron-Bergen, Elba, GVEP, Le Roy, Notre Dame, Oakfield-Alabama, Pembroke, St. Joe’s, NYS School for the Blind, Wyoming Districts   https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=18433&I=2772175

TCTRC Link: For districts of Avon, Caledonia-Mumford, Dansville, Geneseo, Keshequa, Letchworth, Livonia, Mt. Morris, Perry, Warsaw, Way-Co, York

https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=18433&I=2772031

Questions? Contact: Marianne Witkowski—Pavilion PE Teacher & PE Network coordinator mwitk@pavilioncsd.org; Juanita Henry, director GRTC jhenry@bataviacsd.org; or Pat Mullikin, director TCTRC pmullikin@avoncsd.org

Mercy Flight dispatched to East Pembroke for man who fell from silo

By Howard B. Owens

A man inside outside a silo on West Main Street Road, Batavia has reportedly fallen approximately 40 feet and suffered a leg injury.

He is conscious and alert.

Mercy Flight #7 out of Batavia is in route.

East Pembroke fire and Mercy EMS on scene.

CORRECTION: The patient fell outside of the silo.

Alexander resident accused of raping coworker

By Howard B. Owens
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Domingo Gomez-Gomez

A 50-year-old Alexander resident who may not be in the country legally is accused of raping a coworker and then, when deputies showed up to investigate the rape report, he is accused of presenting them with forged documents.

Domingo Gomez-Gomez, 50, of Alexander Road, Alexander, is charged with rape in the first degree, possession of a forged instrument, and offering a false instrument for filing with intent to defraud. 

The alleged rape was reported about 1 a.m. on April 28 after Gomez-Gomez forced a female coworker to have sexual intercourse with him. 

When he was questioned by Deputy Investigator Joseph Loftus and Investigator Christopher Parker, Gomez-Gomez allegedly produced numerous false instruments to identify himself. 

He was arraigned Saturday and jailed on $100,000 bail or $200,000 bond.

ICE is investigating whether Gomez-Gomez is in the country legally.

Basketball Camp to be held at Batavia city schools this summer, deadline to apply is June 25

By Billie Owens

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Press release:

Batavia High School Coach Buddy Brasky will hold Basketball Training Camp at the Batavia city schools this summer. Gym locations to be announced at a later date.

Brasky will be joined by: skills / shooting instructor Tim Sullivan; Tom Redband -- girls varsity coach at Elba HS; Matt Shay -- boys varsity coach at Pembroke HS; Billy Truitt -- former Division 1 and professional basketball player; and Bill Pitcher -- longtime area basketball player and coach.

This is a five-week program that will emphasize offensive skill development. The program is open to anyone, male or female, from grades 7-college. Cost for the program is *$350.

(*Sibling Discount: First sibling full price, each one after is $175. Team Discount: $325 per player for teams of five or more attending.)

Registration deadline is June 25. A $50 deposit secures your spot. Don't delay; we have sold out every year for the past five years.

Basketball Training Camp will be held from July 9th - Aug. 10th. There will be two sessions:

  1. Monday/Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for boys in grades 9-college.
  2. Tuesday/Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Friday from 9  to 11 a.m. for boys in grades 7 and 8, and girls in grades 7-college.

Players must bring their own basketballs.

For an application call or text Buddy Brasky at 585-356-4050 (cell) or email mbrasky@bataviacsd.org

Or to view the training camp flier and print/mail the attached application form, click here (PDF). Make checks payable to: Three Season Basketball.

Why this camp? This camp is for the experienced and serious player only. Compare this camp -- with 40 hours of pure basketball instruction -- to St. Bonaventure Camp's 32 hours. Compare the cost of the Batavia camp to Syracuse camp's price of $595. The benefit of repetition -- your player will be receiving instruction and the instilling of positive habits over a five-week time period, not three to four days like most camps.

Offensive skill development will include:

  • Ball-handling -- stationary and on the move
  • Shooting -- 200 to 500 shots per day
  • 1 on 1 moves: single direction, double direction, triple direction
  • On the move: wrist roll series, change of direction series
  • Post-move series
  • Point guard instruction
  • Full court and 1/2 court game situations
  • Layup series

About Coach Brasky

Under the direction of Head Coach Buddy Brasky, Batavia High School has won 11 league titles, six Sectional titles, and has reached the state semifinals four times over the last 18 years. He has been awarded Section V Coach of the Year six times; Monroe County Coach of the Year five times; and All-Greater Rochester Coach of the Year. Over this time he has developed numerous collegiate players including NJCAA & NCAA D3 All-Americans.

Photo: File photo from 2014 camp.

Third annual Precision Ag Day at GCC to bring about 120 GLOW students to campus Thursday

By Billie Owens

Press release:

On Thursday, May 10, starting at 9 a.m., more than 100 high school students from across the GLOW (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties) region will be participating in high-tech, agricultural career experience at Genesee Community College, hosted by The BEST Center.

The third annual Precision Agriculture Day at the College's Batavia Campus features a wide array of presenters from the industry who will share information on the latest technological, science, engineering, and agricultural trends including drones, embryo transfer, precision farming and processing, GPS/GIS, auto steering and robotics.

This emerging technology is anticipated to create new employment opportunities in the future. High schoolers from 13 districts across the four counties have the opportunity to discover more about these potential and exciting career pathways and will be checking out how these technologies are used in their own backyard of Western New York.

The Precision Agriculture Committee, chaired by Nathan L. Rudgers, senior vice president of Business Development at Farm Credit East,was formed in 2015.

The committee, comprised of local precision agriculture consultants, agricultural leaders, as well as high school representatives, has been providing guidance and input on the development of programs to address the educational and awareness needs of this growing field.

Advances in technology have resulted in agricultural systems collecting data and using it in multiple operations all controlled through a computer, tablet or smart phone. This technology has created education and training opportunities, but there is a lack of skilled workers.

Enter The BEST Center, which is working to provide multiple educational opportunities in this growing arena.

The BEST Center provides businesses and organizations with customized training solutions ranging from supervisory skills to technical training. The Center also offers numerous professional and personal development courses for individuals, including classroom and online opportunities.

Law and Order: Man accused of burglary extradited from Tennesee

By Howard B. Owens

Dylan James Perry, 36, of Kingsbury Avenue, Batavia, is charged with burglary, 3rd, and petit larceny. Perry is accused of entering a business on Route 20 in Darien on Dec. 4 and stealing money. He was located in Manchester, Tenn., and extradited to New York.

Michael Joseph Panepento, 21, of North Street, Le Roy, is charged with assault, 3rd. Panepento is accused of punching another man several times in the head causing substantial swelling, bruising, and a cut, during an argument at a home in the Town of Pavilion at midnight April 28.

Jennifer A. Noll, 38, of Harvester Avenue, Batavia, is charged with soliciting alms in violation of Batavia Municipal Code. Noll is accused of asking people for money near Kwik Fill at 99 Jackson St., Batavia, at 10:22 p.m. April 30.

Darien Leonard Rhodes, 25, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Rhodes was allegedly found in possession of marijuana at 5:10 p.m. May 1 at a location on Dellinger Avenue.

Steven M. Morales, 42, Lewiston Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Morales was charged following a traffic stop where he was allegedly found in possession of a glass crack pipe with residue. He was stopped at 1:21 p.m. May 3 on Central Avenue by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Erin M. George, 30, of Horseshoe Lake Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, and speeding. George was stopped at 2:13 a.m. April 27 on Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Angela Reanee Bateman, 45, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminally using drug paraphernalia, 2nd. Bateman was charged following a report into a disturbance on Pringle Avenue at 4:11 a.m. May 1 by Sgt. Eric Bolles.

Miguel E. Alvarez, 23, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and unlawful possession of marijuana. Alvarez is accused of stealing the property of another person on Maple Avenue on April 25. He was allegedly found in possession of marijuana at the time of his arrest.

James C. Emerson, 56, of Church Street, East Pembroke, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear. He was arrested in Wayne County and turned over to Batavia PD. He posted bail and was released.

Ahdeosun Richaud Aiken, 19, of Ellicott Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Aiken is accused of damaging property during an argument at 1:45 a.m. May 3 at a location on Hutchins Street, Batavia.

Nicholas Matthew Erway, 21, of East Robinson Road, North Tonawanda, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, stopping on a highway. Erway was allegedly found sleeping behind the wheel of his vehicle at 12:04 a.m. May 6 while it was stopped on Route 77 in Alabama by Deputy Howard Wilson.

June Ann Weinart, 28, of Freeman Road, Byron, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding, moving from lane unsafely, and open container. Weinart was charged following a traffic stop at 3:23 a.m. Saturday on Batavia Stafford Townline Road, Batavia, by Deputy James Stack.

Bruce Kenneth Ames, 51, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unnecessary smoke/vapors. Ames was stopped at 8:20 p.m. May 1 on Ellicott Avenue by Deputy Austin Heberlein. He was accused of having unnecessary smoke/vapors coming from his vehicle. Ames was allegedly found in possession of a green leafy substance that he identified as marijuana.

Kevin Wayne Napier, 34, of Kendall, is charged with bail jumping, 3rd, and aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. 

Richardo Sampel, 48, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st, and Emily D. Schramm, 32, of Alabama, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Sampel and Schramm were arrested together in Alabama by State Police on an incident reported at 10:17 p.m., April 24. Both were ordered held in jail. No further details released.

Sarah J. Ehrman, 38, of Scio, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled, 7th, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Ehrman was arrested May 3 in the Town of Alexander by State Police. No further details released.

Milling of pavement on Lehigh Avenue, Batavia, begins Tuesday

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Please be aware that all motorists using Lehigh Avenue within the City of Batavia will experience travel delays on Tuesday, May 8th, between the hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Roadwork involving the milling of pavement will begin at Ellicott Street, working toward Creek Road. Local traffic will be permitted to and from their residence/property but should plan accordingly for delays.

All residents/businesses within the work area are asked not to park on the roadway during the day.

Once milling is complete, the roadway will be prepared for paving. An additional memo will be issued with specific dates and times for this work.

Please contact the Bureau of Maintenance with any questions. Phone: 585-345-6400 (Option 1); Fax: 585-343-6199.

Thank you for your cooperation in advance.

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Tourism Marketing Assistant Position The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, serving as the official tourism promotion agency for Genesee County, NY is seeking an experienced marketing professional to assist in the overall Chamber tourism and marketing initiatives for Genesee County. https://visitgeneseeny.com/about/join-our-team
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Town of Batavia Court Department is seeking a part time as needed Court Officer. Court Officers are responsible for maintaining order in the court room and court facility during proceedings. Please send resume to Town of Batavia, Attention Hiedi Librock, 3833 West Main Street Road, Batavia, NY 14020. Complete job description is available on the Town web site or at the Town Hall Application deadline is April 15, 2024.
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