Registration is open for the Arc GLOW Friends and Family 5K, scheduled for Sept. 17 in Elba.

This is the 18th year of the event, which helps raise funds for Arc GLOW and raise awareness off the agency's programs to child, adults, and families with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Funds raised also contribute to the Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarship.

Registration is $20 per 5K entrant and $15 for the fun walk.

The after-party includes music, food, children's activities and the "Taste of the County."

To register, click here.

File photos from 2021 by Howard Owens

Press release:

GO ART!, on 201 E. Main St. Batavia, is soon to host two new art exhibitions. In the ground floor's Tompkins Bank of Castile Main Gallery, witness Rebecca Graham's “Traditional Mixed Media in a Digital World,” a series of subject-driven works that evoke warm nostalgia for analog experience. This show will run from Sept. 7 through Oct. 29, with a reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept 17.

The second floor's Rotary Room gallery will feature works of various media by the GLOW Creatives, a group of artists that are collaborating (with each other, with GO ART!, and two other area arts councils) on a two-year grant-funded series of art projects intended to engage four rural Western NY counties. Sculpture by Susan Ferrari Rowley, photography by Keith Walters, painting by Dan Butler, and digital artwork by GO ART! marketing coordinator Austin Retzlaff will be featured. To learn more about the collaboration, please visit goart.org/glowcreatives. With an opening reception on September 15th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the show runs from Sept. 7 to Oct. 29.

Please visit https://www.goart.org/upcoming-exhibitions for more information on these and other anticipated gallery exhibitions at GO ART!

Eric P. Doleman, 52 of Corfu, is charged with petit larceny. Doleman is accused of stealing merchandise from Walmart valued at $128.04 on Aug. 23.  He was arrested by State Police and released on an appearance ticket.

Donald Cooper, 39, of East Main Street, Le Roy, is charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Cooper was arrested by Le Roy PD in relation to an incident reported at 1:31 p.m. on Aug. 22 at a location on East Main Street Road, Le Roy.  The details of the incident were not released. He was ordered to appear in Town of Le Roy Court on a later date.

Jeffery Guy Ellinwood, of Genesee Street, Le Roy, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Ellinwood allegedly violated an order of protection at 4:30 p.m., Aug. 19.  He was issued an appearance ticket.

Boot camp every weekday for the last six weeks has been worth it, Greg Burgess says.

Only, instead of a typical camp filled with burpees and jumping jacks, this one focused on future careers in food, beverage and advanced manufacturing and service technician sectors.

“I thought it was really good, I came for electrical,” he said Thursday morning after receiving his completion certificate at the BOCES campus in Batavia. “We learned to read prints and schematics — understanding schematics. It was really helpful, and good troubleshooting. I think that was the best part.”

Perhaps the next best part was that it didn’t cost Burgess a penny. This was a Genesee Valley pre-apprenticeship program that was designed to assist companies with recruitment and training. His employer, Georgia Pacific, sent Burgess to obtain additional skills that he will need for a job as a technician with his company’s maintenance department.

The 29-year-old is moving up the ladder, having been promoted once already. He is a testimony that high school drop-outs — he left Alexander High in 2011 — can go on to become successful in a field.

Advertisements for the program are one thing, Director of Workforce Development Richard Turner said, but “it's another thing when you've got proof positive that this education works, and that you got a start from here.”

“So you're our advertisement, here's the referral for what we're trying to get to get people. And the more and more we do this, more and more people are going to have confidence in us,” he said.

Burgess was one of seven graduates of the program. There were eight guys in the beginning, however, one had some personal issues and left the program, but with a job at Darien Lake, said longtime BOCES teacher Rich Monroe. He emphasized the large pool of jobs available for anyone with some trade skills.

“There's a vast amount of opportunity in advanced manufacturing and food processing, especially in Genesee County. We've got just a cornucopia of different opportunities here, and that's where this all kind of started with economic development, not having enough qualified people to do technical jobs,” he said. “So we started with this two years ago. And last year was our first attempt at doing what will be called boot camp. And it's really to try to address either incumbent workers that are trying to move a step up within the company, maybe they’re maintenance personnel, maybe they’re a production person, and they get the go-ahead from their boss to say, you know, we’d like to have you try this because we see something in you.”

The other situation is when students are recently graduated from school, or maybe they attempted college, and it really wasn't their thing, he said. This was a no-cost opportunity for them to explore something at no risk.

“All they had to do was show up for 96 hours, seven to 11 every day. And the other important thing is that we were there, and each one of them is partnered with a company. So it really is that academic experience, along with hands-on experience. Is this something you think you want to do? We're giving them every opportunity to explore it.”

The program trains students in a wide variety of mechatronic simulation settings to prepare them for in-demand careers throughout the region. Along with the in-class instruction, the students also received paid, on-the-job training and an opportunity for full-time employment with local employers.

The training was provided at no cost to the students and companies due to grants secured by Genesee Community College, Genesee Economic Development Council, and the Workforce Development Institute. Participating employers for the 2022 program include Arctic Refrigeration, Bonduelle, Darien Lake, Georgia Pacific, O-AT-KA Milk Products, Tambe Electric, and Upstate Niagara Cooperative.

The Genesee Valley Pre-Apprenticeship Program is primarily funded through the SUNY Reimagine Workforce Preparation Training Program and is supported by the Genesee Valley BOCES, Rochester Technology Manufacturers Association, Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program, GCC, Genesee County Economic Development Center, GLOW Workforce Development Board and Workforce Development Institute.

“Thanks to partnerships between our workforce training providers and employers, opportunities like the Genesee Valley Pre-Apprenticeship Program are creating a fast and successful path for more and more of our talented young people to join rewarding, growing careers in mechatronics,” added GCEDC Vice President of Business and Workforce Development, Chris Suozzi.

Top photo: Erik Kesler, Joseph DePalma, Zaric Boyce, Joseph Abrams, Brayden Hickey and Greg Burgess; (Back Row) Rich Turner, Jay Lazarony (GLOW Works), Tish Williams (GCC), Bob Coyne (RTMA), Rich Monroe (Genesee Valley BOCES) and Chris Suozzi (GCEDC). Photo above: Graduate Brayden Hickey receives his diploma from Rich Turner as Bob Coyne waits in line to offer congratulations Thursday at Genesee Valley BOCES. Photos by Joanne Beck.

Batavia Downs Gaming's new warehouse and cold storage building at the south end of the Park Road facility is complete. The 5,000-square-foot, $1 million structure provides a central location for the corporation's varied food, beverage and hospitality inventory.  From left are Ashley Bolsei, warehouse manager; Scott Kiedrowski, vice president of operations; and Ryan Hasenauer, marketing director.

Bolsei and Hasenauer stand outside the loading dock of the building, which was constructed by Ed Hulme General Contracting of Warsaw.

Photos by Mike Pettinella.

Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. leaders are taking steps to address the company health insurance policy that has been a media hot button item in recent months.

The corporation’s board of directors this morning approved a resolution to spend up to $25,000 to extend a contract with the Connors LLP law firm of Buffalo, with the goal of reaching a “global solution" to the health insurance matter.

“I’ve been instructed (by the board) to come back in September with a plan to globally address the healthcare issue for the whole company,” WROTB President/Chief Executive Officer Henry Wojtaszek said following the meeting at the Park Road facility. “We’re working on a nice, fair global solution to whatever healthcare (is permissible) and that includes the board and entire corporation.”

Wojtaszek said lawyers are negotiating with the New York State Attorney General’s office.

“He’s (Terry Connors) prepared a memo that he’s provided to the attorney general and he’s provided advice to our board,” he said. “Talks with the attorney general are continuing.”

Published reports about the “gold plated” health insurance plan given to board members have prompted protests from Western New York politicians and government officials – present and past. Until June of last year, all board members (and three retired ones) were receiving health insurance plans that cost the public benefit company an average of more than $10,000 per year.

The board, at its June 2021 meeting, voted unanimously to eliminate company-sponsored health insurance benefits for directors appointed on or after July 1, 2021. So, as of today, the majority of the board members are still receiving fully-paid health insurance.

In other developments, the board:

• Approved the purchase of $50,000 worth of $20 gift cards from Tops Friendly Markets to be used toward a promotion for the Hotel at Batavia Downs for eligible hotel stays through the end of the year.

• Announced that $61,498 in surcharges generated in July will be distributed to member municipalities. Also, it was reported that Batavia Bets’ revenue is down 16 percent this month as compared to last August, and 17 percent for the year as compared to this time in 2021.

• Learned that management is looking to reduce the number of summer concerts from 11 to nine next year in an effort to attract top name bands and, hopefully, eliminate tribute bands. “The purpose is to possibly spend a little bit more money to get bigger bands, for lack of a better term, in order to attract bigger crowds,” Wojtaszek said. When asked if security was an issue this year, he said the combination of Genesee County Sheriff’s deputies, Batavia Police Department officers and the Downs’ security staff handled things well.

• Reported that the Park Road Reconstruction Project is moving along, noting that crews were laying the binder on the east side of the road and that sidewalks are being put in on both sides. “We expect the road to be open after Labor Day and we expect substantial completion -- 97-98 percent of the project -- done by September 20^th,” Wojtaszek said. (See photo below).

A car has reportedly struck a pedestrian on West Main Street, Batavia, at Union Street.

No word on injuries.

City Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 12:05 p.m.: There has been no additional information transmitted for an update.

There's always a job to do in the Oakfield Volunteer Fire Department -- or any volunteer fire department in the county -- and if you can do a job, there is a job for you to do.

You should volunteer.

Not every job involves rushing into burning buildings or pulling injured passengers from mangled cars. Some jobs involve keeping track of people and materials or just cleaning up the fire hall.  All the jobs help the department fulfill its mission of keeping Oakfield safe.

That was the message Department President Joshua Finn and Chief Sean Downing conveyed when they invited a couple of local reporters to the Fire Hall on Monday.

They also wanted to show off the department's new rec room, which is also integral to Oakfield's effort to recruit more members.

"Some of the things that we want to do is get video game systems up there and have it way more comfortable so that we can get younger kids to have a spot, a place to hang out," Finn said. "Why not hang out here and play video games? If they're at least 16 they're able to go on calls, or those that might be, say, 14 are not able to go, but they may be up here with their friend. Now their friend goes out on the call, they hang back. You know, we hope they think and say hey look, that's pretty cool. Their friend is gonna come back and kind of say, 'Hey, I was at this car accident. It was cool. I got to help save a life,' that sort of thing, because if that does happen, we're hoping that it translates into the kids that are upstairs wanting to join."

Besides the kids, Finn believes Oakfield is a community with a generous spirit.  He suggests there are more people in the community who could and would volunteer if they just understood the need and the opportunity.

"I look at our community especially, and we have a lot of great people," Finn said. "The Oakfield Betterment Committee. That organization is fantastic, the things they do. I look at Suzy Zeliff who's running The Goose here in town, and what she has produced is unbelievable. We have a lot of great community members, and there's so much that we (the department) can offer people. Like Sean said, we have maybe 20 members that legitimately will respond to a lot of the calls out of a population of 5,000 residents. That's half of 1 percent."

An example of somebody from the community stepping forward to fill a need that wasn't being met was Ed Spence, a retired City of Batavia firefighter, who offered to become the department's chaplain.  He's helped a lot, being somebody for members to talk with after difficult scenes and performing religious functions within the department, Finn said. 

Downing noted Oakfield is not unique among local volunteer departments and maybe a little bit better off on staffing than some others, but that doesn't mean the need for more people in all parts of the organization isn't real.

"Everybody is struggling to get people during the day," Downing said. "You might get two people. Other times you get an EMS call for a stubbed toe or something and we get 13 people showing up. So, I mean, it's like it's feast or famine. So what we're trying to do is entice new members to come into the department."

Both Downing and Finn acknowledge that the training requirements for a firefighter or EMT can be pretty daunting, which is why they're suggesting people look for other ways they can help the department (though they also need people to join willing to go through that department).  They're also working with the county to find ways to streamline the training for people who might be willing to respond to a fire scene to help but not actually get involved in fighting the fire.  They can drive trucks, run pumps, help with hoses, and get nowhere near the fire.  But there are still risks involved in being on a fire scene, so some training is essential. 

Volunteers can also help with social media, fundraisers, and with serving on the fire board.  Finn mentioned one local businessman who has a family member in the department that he's hoping will take an interest in becoming a board member. His business experience could be invaluable, Finn summarizes, and with the financial strains in the department, more business experience on the board could be helpful.

"As years go on, one of the things that I've brought up is this building isn't getting any younger," Finn said. "We don't have a plan right now. That's one of the things that we've been talking about."

Clearly, Downing and Finn hope people will read this article and decide to at least explore the idea of helping out the Oakfield Volunteer Fire Department, or the department of the town where they live, and Downing encourages readers to visit ReadyGenesee.com.

"Come check us out," Finn said. "Come check us out on a Monday night. We're here. If you live in Genesee, on a Monday night, every county department in Genesee County has either a meeting or a training night. Check out your department. Everybody in the community knows somebody who's a member, ask them what they need. Find somebody that you know on Facebook.

"Especially in a small town like Oakfield, everybody knows somebody. You know, there are so many different things that we need help doing," he said. "Come check us out. And you know, there are so many things that go on in the volunteer fire service that people don't realize. Come check us out."

Previously: New report addresses growing crisis in county's fire and EMS coverage

Top Photo: Oakfield members and family members hang out in the department's new rec room on the second floor of the Fire Hall.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Chief Sean Downing, Jamie Lindsley, president of the Oakfield Betterment Committee, Joel D'Alba, owner of Albion Pools, Tonisha and Andrew Pilc, Mike Harding, Attica Furniture, and Joshua Finn, president of the department's board of directors.

The rec room cost in excess of $12,000 was paid for almost entirely by donations and volunteer labor.  The Oakfield Betterment Committee was able to use its non-profit status to be a recipient of donations, such as $5,800 from The Home Depot.  D'Alba, an Oakfield resident, and somebody who would volunteer if training requirements could be modified so he could drive a truck and run a pump, made a cash donation.  Tonisha and Andrew supplied both volunteer labor and the effort and inspiration to get the project off the ground from consulting with local developers to lining up donations.  Harding made a cash donation and also donated the eagle and flag painting to hang in the rec room.

Photos of what the second-floor room looked like before the remodel.

It’s a familiar-sounding story for most executive directors of Crossroads House: though the job is primarily administrative, it’s the care, compassion and the easy-going homey environment that lures one in to embrace the mission and the home.

Charlotte Crawford is no different in that respect; she wanted to be involved with caregiving ever since she was a child, she says. Her path to the nonprofit strays a bit, however, because she didn’t purposely pursue a permanent position. Quite the opposite, in fact, as she admits she was ready to “retire, retire,” with no inkling to look back.

“My husband laughed at me and he said, ‘You're never going to retire.’  And he's probably right. Because as long as I can find something I'm passionate about, I'm going to keep doing it. And this place, I'm exceedingly passionate about,” Crawford said during an interview at the house on Liberty Street, Batavia. “My father passed away here 11 years ago. And the care that he received from the people that were here was bar none. I'd worked in a hospital and I didn't see care like that. And the vast majority of the people here have no real medical training. These are people that have a desire and a true passion to help other people. They just want to give.”

A registered nurse since 1979, Crawford has worked in many different scenarios, from nursing in a hospital and home care to working in doctors’ offices and providing long-term services. Through it all, she experienced something completely different than at Crossroads House, she said. It wasn’t until she saw how death could be done — with peace, dignity and lessened fear while doing, eating and being what one wants — that she wanted in.

Crawford was a board member for two and a half years before accepting the interim executive director role in March 2021.  Here’s the “funny” thing, she said: “My intent was only to be interim until they hired somebody else.”

“And then I got in here, and I loved the place to begin with,” the Darien resident said. “When I got in here, and actually got to work with the amazing volunteers, and the other people in this house, I was just blown away at the care and compassion. And I had to become part of it.”

She was hired as the permanent director on June 15. As with many others who have dedicated their hearts to the place, Crawford has a personal and professional background there. Her father was not at the House for long — just four days — and yet during that time, Crawford had the opportunity to be something unique to her ill father after tending to his medical needs at home for so long

They watched old videos, and made dad his favorite chocolate pudding, and eggs just the way he liked them. There was relief, and even some fun, she said.

“The experience was amazing,” she said. “I went from being a caregiver to being a daughter. It was like a weight had been lifted. It was very peaceful here.”

She has quickly gone from a near-future retiree to an executive director with a mission or two. A big goal is to further educate people about the uncomfortable topic of death and to raise awareness of what Crossroads is all about.

So what’s a key element of dying that people should know?

And her other mission? To remain as executive director for as long as she can. She’s committed to the long haul, she said.

“I love the fact that I can come down here and talk to them, making sure they get what they need, making them feel like it’s their home too,” she said. “My goal has always been to help people, and my niche is medical. Everyone gets to be like family; I love that. This is home.”

Crawford credits founder Kathy Panepento for establishing in 1998 what surely will be her biggest legacy: an end-of-life comfort care home with the mission “to help you live your best life until your last breath.”

The biggest challenge so far, Crawford said, has been retaining a large core of volunteers for the round-the-clock resident care, plus helping with fundraising, housekeeping, property maintenance, office work, and gardening duties.

Other new staff includes Director of Development Vicki Johnson and Volunteer Coordinator Ashley Manuel. They will also be profiled in this series.

Top photo: Charlotte Crawford in one of her favorite places at Crossroads House -- a resident's room. Photos by Joanne Beck.

While calling hours proceeded inside the Gilmartin Funeral Home Wednesday for Dan DiLaura, tow trucks from Dan's Tire and Auto Service were parked on West Main Street in honor of the long-time local businessman.

DiLaura passed away Sunday at age 68.

A 1971 graduate of Batavia High School, DiLaura opened his first auto shop at 23 on West Main Street, Batavia. Over the years, his business ventures grew until he built Dan's Tire in Batavia City Centre.

For his full obituary, click here.

That’s the way LoCicero, a Batavia resident in his fourth year of recovery, ended his six-minute talk this afternoon at the annual Overdose Awareness Day hosted by the GOW Opioid Task Force at Austin Park. He was able to pack a powerful message into his speech -- reflecting the event’s theme of reducing the stigma attached to addiction and letting people know that help is right around the corner.

Now a case manager at The Recovery Station operated by Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, LoCicero (photo above) shared that changing the perception of himself was key to his road to recovery.

“Today, we're speaking vaguely from a person's point of view that's been afflicted with the disease of addiction, and their capacity to change that perspective,” he said. “Ultimately, what stops the person from this change? And, maybe when someone is scratching at the fronts of their eyes to see themselves follow through with the decision, a change or a commitment, they fall short again, and again, ultimately not feeling as if they could succeed despite the best and most pure of intentions?”

He talked about the agony felt by the person caught up in substance use and for their families. As a result, he said, that person “can die for this or die for change, a desire to feel different -- the very nature of an overdose or instant gratification, and why many of us have gathered here today.”

Upon realization that someone has a problem, LoCicero said it then becomes a matter of perspective – and the change in that perspective can be accelerated by the encouragement from those who care.

“Once perspective may be supported by ‘I’ statements, such as I am, I can't, I won't, I come from this, I'm cut from that cloth, this is my culture, stay in your lane. This will never happen or workout for me,” he said. “But, despite all of that, a person will say to themselves if I just had X, Y and Z, I could do this. If the light could just shine down on me. I could do this and make a difference in my life.

LOVE AND SUPPORT ARE VITAL

“Because it's my life. What X, Y and Z boil down to being mostly in every case is our common and essential needs -- love and care support, personal needs that allow one the opportunity to self-actualize and become their dream.”

LoCicero said that once he saw his life through a different filter – “and put in some effort” – his perspective changed and his life changed “nearly instantly.”

He said his breakthrough to believing in himself has led to a desire to help others do the same thing.

“It’s what we can do for folks, (show that) we care about suffering with the disease of addiction, a disease of a lifestyle, and we can contribute to optimal conditions necessary for growth and opportunity by making folks aware of our want and commitment to help, most importantly, proving to them that it's possible,” he said.

LoCicero said those in attendance representing human services and health agencies want nothing more but to reach out to those struggling with addiction and “have you join the community – your community – or at least to reduce your potential for harm.”

In closing, he shared a three-step approach that pulled him out of bondage.

“If you can put yourself in front of God, you will find a miracle. If you work hard enough and grind hard enough, you may find your cure. If you be yourself, that's the only way you can find change and find happiness. If you do all three of these things, and if you ask for help, undoubtedly you will recover.”

PETTIT: PREVENTING DEATHS ARE A PRIORITY

Paul Pettit, public health director for Genesee and Orleans counties, (in photo above), applauded the work of the GOW Opioid Task Force, the three-county partnership of agencies that has been is place for the past five years.

“Preventing opioid overdose deaths … is one of the priority goals of the GOW Community Health Improvement Plan,” Pettit said, mentioning that drug overdose is the leading cause of injury mortality in the United States. “The opioid epidemic is an urgent and serious public health and public safety issue.”

Nationally, more than 100,000 people died of drug overdoses last year, and worldwide, the number approached 600,000. And, after trending down in 2018 and 2019, the numbers are increasing once again, he said.

“In Genesee County, there were 15 fatal opioid overdoses in 2020 – 15 too many,” Pettit said, “with six in Orleans County and seven in Wyoming County.”

He cited the rise in fentanyl and synthetic opioids and in concurrent stimulant use, especially cocaine.

“The takeaway from this is that people are dying of fentanyl overdoses when they only mean to take cocaine or another stimulant, and might not know they are at risk of an overdose at all,” he said.

BENNETT: OPEN ACCESS TO TREATMENT

GCASA Executive Director John Bennett shared that the Overdose Awareness Day initiative, which was started in Australia in 2001, now is celebrated internationally, with 367 events in the U.S. and around 600 outside of America’s borders.

“It’s an honor for us to be able to present this to our community,” he said. “As I go to the different booths here today, I am hearing people having good conversations with community members. It’s all about reducing the stigma of people with addiction. It's about giving people who've lost loved ones a place to talk about-- without stigma, without shame and without guilt -- in a really kind, positive and friendly zone.”

Bennett pointed the agency’s recently-opened Detox Center on East Main Street as a place “that is already saving lives.”

“We offer open access; you can just walk in and we’ll see you. Just last Thursday, I think we have seven admissions,” he said. “Doing events like this in the community brings awareness. So, my advice is if you need help, there's open access centers all around Western New York. Go to one of them, and they'll get you where you need to be. Or call me. My number is 585-815-1850 and I'll find you a place.”

Other speakers were Christopher Budzinack, a residential counselor at GCASA’s Atwater Community Residence, who spoke about his recovery from addiction and jail time, and Niki Lang, who read a letter and poem written by her son, Jason, who died in 2017 due to substance use disorder.

More than a dozen agencies had booths at the event, including Mental Health Association of Genesee and Orleans counties, Genesee County Office for the Aging, Batavia Community Schools, Genesee County Mental Health, Genesee Justice, National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, Job Corps, Rochester Regional Health, CORE, Restore, Genesee County Health Department, Oak Orchard Health, Suicide Prevention Coalition, Care-A-Van Ministries, Horizon, Fidelis Care, Molina Healthcare and WNY Heroes (for veterans).

Disclosure: Mike Pettinella is the publicist for GCASA.

The Rev. Vern Saile, pastor of Northgate Free Methodist Church, giving the invocation at Overdose Awareness Day.

"The Groove" belts out covers of classic rock songs -- from left, Joe Gagne, Pete Gomez, Neil Gagne and Bob Smith.

Messages of hope form the pieces of the puzzle at the National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence. Erin Egloff, left, and Kaitlyn Mellina provide services in the Finger Lakes region.

Melody McMaster brightens up the day for 8-year-old Avi at the face painting booth.

The team from Rochester Regional Health (parent of United Memorial Medical Center) is ready to share with the public.

Animal attraction in the form of Frega's Funny Farm of Stafford.

Photos by Mike Pettinella.

Workers were still framing atop the third floor of the Ellicott Station apartment complex in Batavia early this evening.

The apartments are part of a $22.5 million project that includes a brewery/restaurant and office suites.

The four-story apartment building will contain 55 units, including 52 with balconies, and nine units meeting Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. There will be 37 garage parking spaces and 44 surface parking spaces, a laundry room, an elevator, a community room, bicycle storage, and an enclosed ADA playground.

The developer is Savarino Companies, a firm in Buffalo that specializes in rehabilitating brownfield properties and old industrial buildings. 

The apartments are expected to house workforce residents with $30,000 to $40,000 in annual earnings.

For previous coverage of Ellicott Station, click here.

Vincent “Vincenzo” "Vinny" DelPlato, 65, whose art has enlivened much of Batavia for decades, including Jackson Square, has passed away.

He died Aug. 22 due to complications of diabetes, according to an obituary published today.

While the Jackson Square murals may be his best known, he painted murals on other Batavia buildings -- some of which have been covered in recent years -- as well as a giant mural in Oakfield depicting the village's history.

The obit:

Vin was a talented artist. He saw the beauty in God’s creation. With his paints and brushes, he tried to capture that beauty on canvas, whether it was a portrait of someone’s loved one, a family pet, or the ever-changing scenes of nature. He created true works of art to be admired for years to come.

In 2009, he painted a mural inside what was becoming Next Level Fitness at Main and Jackson streets, inspired by a famous photograph (photographer unknown) of men eating lunch on a beam on the 69th floor of the RCA Building under construction in Manhattan in 1932 (see video below).

File photos by Howard Owens.

Press release:

The 2022 Fall series of Books Sandwiched In will take place on Wednesdays in September at Richmond Memorial Library. Join guest speakers for reviews of best-selling non-fiction books from 12:10 p.m. to 1 p.m. Coffee, tea and refreshments will be served at each session and participants do not need to read the book in order to attend! This program is built around the lunch hour, so attendees are also invited to bring their lunch. There will be a door prize at each session.

Wednesday, September 7 at 12:10 p.m. – Richmond Memorial Library Teen Librarian Felicia Cecere will review Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner.

Currently in week 56 on the New York Times bestseller list, Japanese Breakfast indie pop star Zauner “presents a full-length account of her viral New Yorker essay to share poignant reflections on her experiences of growing up Korean-American, becoming a professional musician and caring for her terminally ill mother.” (from NoveList summary)

Wednesday, September 14 at 12:10 p.m. - Retired professor and community volunteer Barb Shine will review The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine by Janice P. Nimura.

“Elizabeth Blackwell believed from an early age that she was destined for a mission beyond the scope of ‘ordinary’ womanhood. Though the world at first recoiled at the notion of a woman studying medicine, her intelligence and intensity ultimately won her the acceptance of the male medical establishment. In 1849, she became the first woman in America to receive an M.D. She was soon joined in her iconic achievement by her younger sister, Emily, who was actually the more brilliant physician.” (from publisher summary)

Wednesday, September 21 at 12:10 p.m. - Office for the Aging Director Diana Fox will review The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson.
 Bryson “turns his attention inwards to explore the human body, how it functions and its remarkable ability to heal itself. Full of extraordinary facts and astonishing stories, The Body: A Guide for Occupants is a brilliant, often very funny attempt to understand the miracle of our physical and neurological make up.” (from publisher summary)

Wednesday, September 28 at 12:10 p.m. - Jason Smith, Superintendent of Batavia City Schools, will review His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope by Jon Meacham.

“John Lewis, who at age twenty-five marched in Selma, Alabama, and was beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, was a visionary and a man of faith. Drawing on decades of wide-ranging interviews with Lewis, Jon Meacham writes of how this great-grandson of a slave and son of an Alabama tenant farmer was inspired by the Bible and his teachers in nonviolence, Reverend James Lawson and Martin Luther King, Jr., to put his life on the line in the service of what Abraham Lincoln called ‘the better angels of our nature.’ Integral to Lewis's commitment to bettering the nation was his faith in humanity and in God - and an unshakable belief in the power of hope.” (from NoveList summary)

Books Sandwiched In is free to attend and all are welcome, no registration is required. Sessions will be recorded and available to view on the library’s YouTube page at youtube.com/richmondmemlibrary. Richmond Memorial Library is located at 19 Ross Street in the City of Batavia. Books Sandwiched In is sponsored by The Friends of Richmond Memorial Library.

Press release:

Corn silage harvest is approaching. The way corn silage is harvested and stored is a single event that affects your operation for the entire next year. Are you prepared to set your operation up for success? Plan to attend one of the following free on-farm Corn Silage Pre-Harvest workshops to hear the latest research-backed strategies you can implement on your dairy this corn silage season. No registration is necessary.

Speakers and topics include:

• Joe Lawrence Dairy Forage Systems Specialist; PRO-DAIRY: Success of harvesting quality forage out of the field; best practices for monitoring corn dry down and kernel processing.
• Kirsten Workman Nutrient Management and Environmental Sustainability Specialist; PRO-DAIRY: Why collect field (or more precisely) yield data?
• Manuel P. Marcaida III Crop and Soil Data Specialist; Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP); How to collect accurate yield data?
• Jodi Letham Field Crops, Forages, Nutrient Management and Soils Specialist; NWNY CCE Team: What can we do with accurate yield data? 

Friday, Aug. 26, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Noblehurst Farms, 2795 Stewart Road (CR-58), Linwood

Friday, Aug 26, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Lamb Farms, 6880 Albion Road, Oakfield

Press release:

Capture a summer day with a visit to the butterfly meadow and a journey into the world of Monarch Butterflies with the Watching Monarchs program at the Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center on Saturday, Aug. 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. 

See how butterflies are tagged and released as part of a nationwide Monarch Butterfly conservation project.

This program is recommended for ages 4 and up. Kids explore the meadow with nets and bug catchers!

The cost is $5 per person or $10 per family. Pre-registration is required; call 585-344-1122 to reserve your spot.

Press release:

GLOW With Your Hands is partnering with AQS Redemption Inc. to collect bottles and cans to help fund career exploration programs. The returns will go into a workforce development fund at GLOW Works, Inc. and be available for use toward future workforce programming in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties.

“GLOW Works, Inc. was created to help fund programs for workforce training and development for the future workforce in the GLOW region, including the annual GLOW With Your Hands event (to be held next on September 27^th at the Genesee County Fairgrounds),” said Jay Lazarony, GLOW With Your Hands Co-Chair. “On behalf of the GLOW With Your Hands committee, we appreciate AQS Redemption Inc. for its participation and support of this initiative and encourage the community to consider supporting this effort to benefit our youth.”

AQS Redemption Inc., is a NYS Bottle and Can Redemption Company that will be coordinating the collections. Residents can schedule complimentary pick-ups or drop off their redeemable bottles and cans at the company’s location at 1 North Main Street in Elba, NY.  Businesses can also host a bottle and can drive at their workplace.  Residents and businesses can call at 585-250-0870 or email aqsredemption@gmail.com to find out more information.

“This is all about investing and participating in the success of our area youth and their future career aspirations,” said Quinn Schrader, CEO, AQS Redemption Inc.  “It’s a great way for our company to support the future workforce needs of businesses across our region.”

To kickoff Cans for Careers, a special donation station will be setup at the Batavia Downtown Business Improvement District's First Annual Box Car Derby on August 27^th starting at 9:30 AM. Local youth ages 7-13 years old built their own box cars and will race them down Ellicott Avenue.

“What better way to kick off this program than at the first annual box car derby where area youth will display their ingenuity and skills in designing and racing their own custom-made box cars,” said Chris Suozzi, GLOW With Your Hands co-chair.  “That’s what GLOW With Your Hands is all about and more importantly matching the skills of our youth with the needs of companies and businesses looking for the next generation of their workforce.”

For more information on how to be a part of Cans for Careers, please visit glowwithyourhands.com/cans-for-careers.