The Batavia Rotary Club hosted its second annual meat auction Saturday night at the social hall of Ascension Parish on Swan Street in Batavia.
The event was sold out. Participants bought chances to win packages of meat, from hamburger to bacon and steaks to shrimp. Some tickets had more than one chance to win, with each prize often being available to more than one winner.
Joshua G. Bachorski, 35, of South Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd.
The arrest comes as part of an investigation into the sale and possession of crack cocaine in and around the City of Batavia.
Bachorski is accused of selling a quantity of crack cocaine to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force in December.
Members of the Drug Task Force arrested Bachorski on a sealed Grand Jury indictment warrant.
He was arraigned on the indictment in Genesee County Court and jailed on $20,000 bail or $30,000 bond.
The Drug Task Force was assisted by Sheriff's deputies and the District Attorney's Office.
A driver who was seriously injured in a fatal accident in Lockport at 1:08 p.m. Thursday has been identified by the Niagara County Sheriff's Office as Brandon W. Loucks, 28, of Batavia.
Loucks is recovering from his injuries at ECMC, NCSO reports.
The other driver was identified as Brian S. Ralph, 44, of Lockport.
According to the NCSO report of the accident, Loucks's box truck was eastbound on Stone Road and crossed the center line and struck a westbound passenger car.
Ralph was pronounced dead at the scene.
Loucks was taken by Mercy Flight to ECMC.
The investigation is continuing and no charges have been released.
Gary David Burney, 37, of North Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with robbery, 2nd, two counts of grand larceny, 4th, criminal contempt, 1st, criminal contempt, 2nd. Burney was allegedly located in the apartment of a person he is barred from contacting in any manner. He was arrested on a warrant stemming from a prior incident where he stole the keys, purse and vehicle of the person he was ordered not to contact. Burney was jailed without bail.
Jacob Jonathan Szumigala, 24, of Orchard Park Road, Oakfield, is charged with: DWI; vehicular assault, 2nd; aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st; speed not reasonable and prudent; consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle; violation of driving restrictions; driver's view obstructed; deposited refuse on a highway; and unsafe passing on left. Szumigala was charged following a three-vehicle, serious-injury accident on Main Street, Corfu, at 5:01 p.m. Thursday. (Previous report.)
Morgan L. Cox Sr., 50, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st, and aggravated family offense. Cox is accused of violating an order of protection.
Luis A. Ramos-Mecardo, 33, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal use of drug paraphernalia, 2nd. Ramos-Mecardo was stopped for an alleged traffic violation at 3:45 p.m. April 13 on Main Street, by Officer Christopher Lindsay.
Frankie McQueen, 27, of Broadway Road, Alden, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear in City Court and failure to adhere to terms of a prior sentence.
Terry O'Neal Brock, 18, of Wellington Avenue, Rochester, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, unlawful possession of marijuana, and speeding. Brock was stopped at 12:38 a.m. Sunday on Route 33, Batavia, by Deputy Jeremy McClellan.
Jorden Elizabeth Prescott, 23, of Ellicott Street Road, East Bethany, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and speeding. Prescott was stopped at 1:13 a.m. Saturday on Route 33, Bergen, by Deputy Howard Wilson.
Alexis R. Chavez, 19, of Pearl Street, Medina, is charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, unlawful possession of marijuana, and criminal use of drug paraphernalia. Chavez was stopped at 8:40 p.m. Friday on East Main Street, Batavia, by Deputy Matthew Bailey.
Shequan M. Williams, 26, of Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Williams was stopped by State Police at 10:34 a.m. Sunday in the Village of Alexander.
An elderly couple is lost in the woods in an area off Gilhooly Road, Alexander, perhaps on their own property.
The female caller plots in an area south of the driveway at 4277 Gilhooly Road.
The man is 90 and the woman is 85. The man is tired from prolonged walking but apparently has no other medical condition.
Alexander fire is responding.
UPDATE 6:35 p.m.: Somebody has apparently reached the couple and he can carry the male out and the female will walk out.
A caller reports that an unknown male tried to start a fight with his girlfriend in the area of 286 Ross St., Batavia.
The man may have displayed a knife.
A police officer is out with the woman now.
A pilot has called in an apparent brush fire in Bethany, near Ellicott Street Road and Paul Road, perhaps halfway to Bethany Center Road.
Law enforcement and Bethany fire chiefs are trying to confirm the location.
One small controlled burn was found in the area but the area is being checked further.
The plane was in contact with a Rochester tower in Monroe County, which relayed the information to Genesee County dispatch.
UPDATE 6:07 p.m.: A small controlled burn located at Route 63 and Clapsaddle. Still investigating.
UPDATE 6:20 p.m.: Residents burning sticks in their backyard were told to put the fire out, which they did. The Bethany assignment is back in service.
When Rep. Chris Collins is in Batavia around noon and has time to stop for lunch, he usually makes that stop the Pok-A-Dot. Today, he had with him Greg Ibach, undersecretary/marketing and regulatory programs for the USDA (center). Joining them for lunch were Dana H. Coale, deputy administrator of the USDA, and Peter Fredericks, associate market administrator for the Northeast Market Area for the USDA.
They had just come from Wyoming County where Collins hosted a roundtable discussion for dairy farmers. They then toured the Rudgers Registered Jerseys Farm in Attica.
Before lunch was served, Ibach spoke with The Batavian about a few issues that concern local farmers.
Farmers across the nation are nervous about new protectionist trade policies but Ibach expressed optimism that things will work out favorably for agriculture.
"I’m a farmer from Central Nebraska," Ibach said. "My children and grandchildren are our fifth and six generations to grow up on our family farm. Through the years, as we’ve seen great growth opportunities for export agriculture, we always seem to hit up against phytosanitary barriers, quotas, or tariffs that have limited our true potential to grow agriculture markets. We, as farmers in the Midwest, have always asked the government to do something about those barriers and of export markets. This is administration is trying to do something about it."
He said he understands the anxiety and shares the anxiety, he said, but progress with KORUS (the free-trade agreement with South Korea) and the reports he is getting on NAFTA negotiations are positive for farmers.
"I’ve got to believe the world still wants to be consumers of U.S. products," Ibach said. "If they understand that the ticket to be able to continue to ship to us is that they expand our opportunities, I think we will be successful here and I think we’ll see even higher growth rate for agriculture commodities down the road. We may have to suffer a little bit here in the short term but we will get the benefits in the long term."
Many farmers have specific complaints about NAFTA but few want to see the agreement torn up. Locally, farmers complain about limits on the Canadian dairy and produce markets. Ibach said he understands those concerns and believes they are being addressed in negotiations.
"I'm confident we will reach an agreement that is better for everybody," Ibach said.
Another big concern for local farmers is immigration. They continue to struggle to find a sufficient and stable workforce.
Ibach said its a concern shared by farmers and ranchers across the nation, especially when it comes to temporary worker visas for employees who need to be on their farms year around.
"We're trying to work with Congress and the Department of Labor to understand those needs," Ibach said. "Secretary (Sonny) Perdue has a senior advisor who works on this issue every day. We’re trying to try to help find programs and adjustments that can be made to address agriculture worker concerns."
One of Ibach's areas of specialty is expanding ag markets to the rest of the world and he said he sees great opportunity in Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam, India and Africa.
"The entire continent (Africa) is projected to have quick, high growth," Ibach said. "At the same time, they have a lot of poverty. We're just starting to see a middle class emerge. With their agriculture, just with them trying to feed themselves, there is room for us to work with them on that and have them accept the technology out there as far as biotech to allow them to grow themselves as well as be customers of ours."
Here's a press release from the office of Chris Collins about the dairy roundtable:
Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) today hosted USDA Under Secretary Greg Ibach for a dairy roundtable in Wyoming County and tour of Rudgers Registered Jerseys Farm. Collins and Ibach discussed the 2018 Farm Bill, NAFTA negotiations, and other issues that impact local dairy farmers.
“With the release of the Farm Bill and ongoing NAFTA talks, it is my hope that our region’s dairy farmers will soon see some relief,” Collins said. “Agriculture is the backbone of our region’s economy and it is essential that we implement policies that help our farmers succeed. I thank Under Secretary Ibach for traveling to my district to talk about important issues that face Western New York dairy farmers.”
“As a fifth generation farmer myself, I appreciate the many ways that Rudgers and other Western New York dairies contribute to their communities and the region,” Ibach said.“The American dairy industry faces challenges from a number of directions. USDA will continue to listen and work hand-in-hand with producers of every size and our Congressional partners, like Congressman Collins.”
This week, the House Agriculture Committee favorably reported the 2018 Farm Bill, which includes important reforms to the Margin Protection Program (MPP). This program provides critical protections to dairy farmers as milk and feed prices fluctuate, and proposed changes will allow farmers to receive more coverage at less cost.
The Farm Bill also strengthens investment in trade promotion initiatives, designed to build upon our current agriculture exports. This week Collins sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer urging him to put an end to Canada’s Class 7 pricing program. As NAFTA negations continue, Collins pledged to work with the Trump administration to get rid of this program, which has created an unfair playing field and has essentially eliminated U.S. exports of certain dairy products.
Additionally, Collins and Ibach discussed with farmers the unfair and complicated H-2A visa system that treats workers on certain types of farms different than it treats those on dairy farms. As a strong advocate for year-round legal work status, Collins and Ibach voiced commitment to finding solutions so dairy farmers can depend on a reliable and willing workforce.
Collins added: “I always enjoy meeting with our region’s dairy farmers and thank the Rudgers family for their hospitality and honest discussion about what we need to do to get this industry back on track. I look forward to continuing our work together on ways to strengthen and grow our dairy economy.”
The County's Parks Department hosted an annual Earth Day event at DeWitt Recreation area, which included events for children, a nature walk, park cleanup, and of course, plenty of people showed up to fish.
The lake is at near record-high levels, which is quite a turn around from about a year ago when you could walk on dry land out to the island.
This is a painting by Noah North of Oliver Vaughn, a resident of Darien who died at age 14 in 1833.
I stopped by to see it today at the Holland Land Office Museum because until a few days ago, I hadn't heard of North, who, it turns out, is a painter from Alexander of some minor national renown. His name has never come up before, at least in my presence, in any discussion of local artists.
The painting of Vaughn is one of North's earliest when he was still being trained by M.W. Hopkins, of Albion.
He is recognized among collectors and art historians as a folk portrait artist (also called "naive" or "primitive").
He relocated to Ohio where he continued to pursue his portrait career and then returned to WNY, married a woman from Darien, and settled in Mt. Morris, where he eventually adapted to the new medium of photography (working in daguerreotype).
Within the region, North's work can also be seen at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester and the Genesee Country Museum in Mumford. His work is also in the collections of the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Folk Art, and the Shelbourne Museum in Vermont.
For the next four hours, one of his paintings is available on eBay for $9,000.
East Bethany resident Rick Hale holds up a scrimshaw horn he made himself, one of a few antique and reproduction pieces he brought to the Oakfield Historical Society's annual open house today to display. His collection included handmade rifle reproductions and 500-year-old powder horns (below).
Jim Ferris, of Alabama, demonstrates how a pioneer could have light any time as long as he had something to make into a wick and animal fat to render into an oil.
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For questions or additional information, contact Tracy Lyons with AWC via email tracy@strengthinnumbersent.com or by phone: 585-409-3926; or contact Dan Clor, AWC founder, Strength in Numbers Entertainment via email danclor@strengthinnumbersent.com or by phone 714-742-0204.
Nearly 100 firefighters and other emergency responders were at the Fire Training Center today to participate in four different classes to help them be better prepared for accident and fire responses.
Gary Hearn, regional emergency manager for Amtrak (bottom photo), taught a class on train passenger emergency response procedures.
There was advanced instruction for emergency medical technicians taking place in another classroom.
In still another classroom, the first day of two days of training sponsored by Tompkins Insurance on emergency vehicle operations.
And out in the back of the training center, the Firefighter II class spent eight hours learning about and practicing accident victim extrication.
"There can be severe damage, so they need to learn as many tricks as possible to get these folks out as quickly as possible," said Jim Bouton, deputy emergency coordinator.
The training center is often a busy place, Bouton said, but today was a little extra busy.
"Quite often the building is full but we’re out here on a back road and nobody sees us," Bouton said. "Sometimes, though we have a tremendous number of programs going on. Today we just happened to have every single classroom and training area filled."
Just a real awesome ranch at City's edge! There is curb appeal galore with this large corner lot that has an adorable private back yard....stepping stones, pond, landscaped and cute storage shed with decked patio. Inside bright and airy with gorgeous hardwood floors throughout -- all freshly painted walls and woodwork.
This home features super-spacious bedrooms, dining area and living room with huge bay window and end wall that has pretty gas fireplace with lots of built in shelves for all your keepsakes! There is oversized side entrance/utility area with laundry and an absolutely HUGE attic area that will surprise you with all its room. Easily could be that hideaway space to hang out or just an abundance of storage space -- you choose!
This is truly an amazing patio home with no maintenance! Visit Lynn Bezon from Reliant Real Estate at the open house this Sunday from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. or click here for more information on this listing.
Genesee County's CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) hosted a casino night fundraiser at Terry Hills this evening. The advocacy program provides legal assistance to children in the court system due to neglect or abuse.
The event was sold out.
Genesee County has a lot going for it, several positive check marks, in a new "community report card" from ACT Rochester but a big surprising negative: Arts, Culture, and Leisure.
The Rochester-based nonprofit agency scored Genesee County with a red mark and trending down in the report released today.
For anybody who participates in arts and culture in Genesee County, that might be a surprise.
Gregory Hallock, director of GO ART!, said he definitely disagrees with the assessment.
"There is a ton of stuff happening in Genesee County," Hallock said. "We have murals all over the county. You can walk an art trail downtown. We have the Genesee Symphony Orchestra, Batavia Players, the Wind Ensemble, the Concert Band. We have breweries. That is art and culture. It's everywhere. It's in architectural design. Our building (GO ART! in Seymour Place downtown) is not only historical, it's an architectural accomplishment. There is just art everywhere."
He then started listing off more arts and culture in Genesee County, such as Genesee Community College's art gallery and theater, and the museums, and the restaurants, and the art schools and dance studios.
"That's a lot," he said. "One of the biggest things is you don't realize it's here. It's everywhere. Art is all over the community."
Hallock moved to Batavia from Buffalo and he said he thinks there is a more active arts community in Batavia than there is in the bigger city.
None of those things, however, are measured by ACT Rochester.
Ann Johnson, the initiative's director, said the report card tries to work with objective, quantifiable data that is accessible through public records. It would be cost prohibitive to survey every county's arts group, even if every county has an art group, to get a complete picture.
What is measured in the report for arts and culture is tourism spending per resident ($1,576), recreation spending per resident ($205), and the number of art teachers in the county's school (with 77, higher than most other counties in the state).
Genesee County tends to beat out other counties in the region in all these counties but not the rest of Upstate.
Johnson acknowledged that the data doesn't capture everything about a community's art and culture activity and how a community might feel about it. The numbers measure, in reality, whether people are coming to a community for arts and culture and leisure. It doesn't measure what local residents are spending for local arts and cultural events.
"I don't think Genesee County should feel at all that all that the red is a negative indication," Johnson said. "It is actually what the data shows us when we add up the indicators in that category. It shows up as red."
Tom Turnbull, president of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce said the report reminded him of the old aphorism, "there are lies, damn lies, and statistics."
There's more to tourism and culture in Genesee County then can be captured in numbers and there is no comparison for a rural community when measured against larger counties.
"Anybody trying to base what goes on in tourism based solely on statistics is not really getting the whole picture of what is going on," Turnbull said. "Just compiling stats and trying to make a point I think is really irrelevant. I think it is unfair to us."
Potentially, a person who might think of relocating to Genesee County, or worse, a site selector for a big company, might find this report online and get a negative impression of Genesee County as a place to come and enjoy arts and entertainment.
That is a concern, said Steve Hyde, CEO of Genesee County Economic Development Center.
"I'm all about trying to change the image and enhance the image of this community," Hyde said. "We're really focused on growth we've had that focus for years. We've made a lot of progress but it's a marathon, not a sprint. When reports like this come out, where they may not have all of the relevant facts in order to make a judgment, it is rather weak and distorts reality."
Coming out of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Process, Hyde said he witnessed firsthand how the local arts community on growing and enhancing what they do, including GO ART!, Batavia Players, and Batavia Showtime.
"I look at those trends and they are very good trends for arts, culture, leisure and the local economy," Hyde said. "We are active and engaged and working to make things better. That's the point I would make to a site selector, that we are engaged more than (what) a couple statistics might show that comes out of a book."
To pick up on comments by Hallock, Genesee County has a lot to be proud of in this category:
What did we forget?
Photos: File photos.
Earth Day Celebration at DeWitt on Saturday
Earth Day is your chance to take care of your planet and your wild neighbors! Join us at DeWitt Recreation Area in Batavia for our “Earth Day Celebration” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 21st.
Help clean up the park to keep the habitat safe and healthy for wildlife! Learn to make cool stuff from recycled materials. Enjoy wild games and a naturalist-guided hike to see where animals live and discover what good things you can do for them!
Scouts can earn badge requirements and service hours! Help keep the community ecologically healthy and undeniably beautiful! Meet at Pavilion 2 for all activities. Celebration is FREE and open to the public.
Please preregister for activities by calling 585-344-1122!
Earth Day Night Hike at Genesee County Park & Forest
Celebrate the magic of spring with our Earth Day Night Hike at the Genesee County Park & Forest from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 21st!
Meet at the Interpretive Nature Center and explore the forest by moonlight as we search for animals, hear nature folklore and listen to the wild chorus of the night. Visit the headwaters of Black Creek and find out why April’s moon is called the Fish Moon.
Create a memory this Earth Day! Cost is $5/person, $10/family. All ages welcome. Preregistration is required, call 585-344-1122 to register!
For more information visit our website at http://www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/parks/, or contact Shannon Morley at Shannon.Morley@co.genesee.ny.us or (585) 344-1122.
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