Press release:

Fresenius Kidney Care, the dialysis division of Fresenius Medical Care North America and the nation’s leading network of dialysis facilities, invites the community to attend an Open House celebration from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 17, at its new Batavia clinic.

It is located in a newly constructed 8,000-square-foot state-of-the-art building at 4185 Veterans Memorial Drive in the Town of Batavia.

The clinic, which can treat a maximum of 102 patients a week, enables Fresenius Kidney Care’s local team of expert medical professionals to better serve the Genesee County area’s growing dialysis community. In New York, nearly 30,000 patients require dialysis treatment.

At the Open House, local experienced medical professionals available to discuss patient services and the latest dialysis treatment options, including:

• In-center dialysis – provides the reassurance of staff-assisted treatment and labs all in one place;
• At-home dialysis -- offers greater independence, convenience and health benefits to patients who would otherwise spend up to 12 hours a week in a center receiving the life-sustaining care;
• How the center’s care team meets patients’ physical and emotional needs by individualizing their care;
• How Fresenius Kidney Care Batavia strives to empower people to thrive on and live the healthiest, fullest way possible – with kidney disease treatments that fit in with life, not the other way around;
• How FreseniusRx renal-trained pharmacists can help dialysis patients manage their medications.

Tour the clinic and meet the treatment team and see the treatment rooms. Learn about other services offered at the center, such as hemodialysis travel services, and ongoing educational programs.

Light refreshments available.

About Fresenius Kidney Care

Fresenius Kidney Care, a division of Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), provides dialysis treatment and support services to more than 190,000 people with kidney disease every year whether in their own homes or at more than 2,400 facilities nationwide. Fresenius Kidney Care’s dedicated teams help address the physical and emotional aspects of kidney disease through personalized care, education and lifestyle support services. For more information about Fresenius Kidney Care, visit www.FreseniusKidneyCare.com.

About Kidney Disease and Dialysis

One in seven adults will develop chronic kidney disease, with many not detecting the condition until they have lost more than 90 percent of their kidney function. More than 660,000 Americans live with end stage renal disease, or kidney failure, which requires either a transplant or dialysis to remove waste from the blood, maintain safe levels of potassium and sodium and control blood pressure. Currently, 468,000 people in the United States depend on dialysis as a life sustaining treatment. The leading causes of kidney disease are high blood pressure and diabetes.

William G. Schultz, 45, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief -- intentional damage of property, and second-degree criminal trespass -- entering or remaining unlawfully in a dwelling. He was arrested on May 1 after an investigation into an incident that occurred at 2 p.m. on April 21 at Bill's Auto on Evans Street in Batavia. He was arraigned in city court and jailed on $2,500 cash bail or bond. Then at the jail while being processed he was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance. He was subsequently charged with criminal use of drug paraphernalia in the second degree; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; and introduction of contraband into prison in the second degree. He was due back in city court on May 7. The cases were handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens, assisted by Officer Marc Lawrence.

April M. Palmer, 33, Lake St., Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. She was arrested at 4:20 p.m. on April 14 following a shoplifting complaint at the Dollar General on East Main Street in Batavia. She was issued an appearacne ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on May 14. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Peter Post, assisted by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Ashley B. Farrell, 33, of Summit Street, Batavia, is charged with dog running at large and unlicensed dog. She was arrested at 3:08 p.m. on April 21 after her two dogs were found running at large in the city and they were unlicensed. She is due in city court on May 14 to answer the charges. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Samantha R. Jones, 34, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with dog running at large. She was arrested at 5:45 p.m. on May 1 on Oak Street. It is alleged that her dog ran at large without a leash onto another person's property. She was issued an appearance ticket for Batavia City Court and is due there on May 14. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Anthony L. Rice, 26, of Post Avenue, Rochester, was located and arrested by New York State Police on a bench warrant out of Batavia City Court. The warrant was issued April 25 after he failed to appear in city court regarding traffic offenses. He was turned over to Batavia PD and processed at headquarters. He was put in GC Jail on $1,000 cash bail or bond and was due in city court May 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Felicia DeGroot, assisted by Officer Miah Stevens.

Robert V. Howard Jr., 66, of Lockport Ollcott Road, Lockport, was taken into custody by Batavia police on May 5 from the New York State Police, who had stopped Howard for vehicle and traffic violations in Niagara County. NYPS determined Howard had a bench warrant for his arrest out of Batavia City Court. After his arraignment in city court, he was put in GC Jail or $500 cash bail or bond. He was due in city court again on May 6. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins.

Last night, I stopped by St. Anthony's with no intention of covering anything. All I had with me was my iPhone but when I walked in, dancers from Divine Dance Studio were just about to start performing and then I watched Ryan Macdonald talk about "doing what you can do to make a difference" before giving away a bike to Alex Baker, so here are two short videos.

Batavia High Schoool Girls Softball will hold a Meat Raffle from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, June 21st, at the Sacred Heart Social Center, located at 17 Sumner St. in the City of Batavia.

Doors open at 6, first spin is at 7 o'clock.

Bring dollar bills, and a cooler for winnings.

The venue is handicapped/wheelchair accessible.

Price of admission is $10 (21 and over), and includes food and select beverages; cash bar available. There will also be a 50/50 and basket raffles.

Tickets can be purchased from players or parents, with a tentative deadline of June 6th -- so a "guesstimate" can be made of how much meat to purchase for the raffle.

Additional tickets, if available, can be purchased up to the day before the event.

Tables of eight or more can be reserved.

Call either Lori at 585-409-0452 or Steve Ognibene at 585-409-8358 to purchase tickets, or reserve a table (for eight).

Not too many 18-year-olds run for elective office and even fewer decide to challenge their dad's bid for reelection but that's just what Samantha Ianni plans to do in the May 21 Pembroke Central School District Board of Trustees election.

Dad, Art Ianni, facing reelection for the first time after a single five-year term, is fine with it. Though he really doesn't want to lose.

"I have a lot of respect for my daughter and her decision making has always been pretty good so I'm going to stick behind her," Ianni said. "At the same token, over the five years, I've developed a lot of relationships with people on the board. So, through my experience and knowledge, I think that I can finish."

That sounds like a challenge, he's told.

"At age 55,I might know a few more people than my daughter. But again, it'll be interesting to see what she brings."

For Sam, being young is an advantage, she said. She's only a year removed from high school and will be a student herself throughout her entire term, if elected, first as an undergrad in education at the University at Buffalo and then working on her master's in education.

She also thinks that while her classmates are pretty tied up with their own studies and possibly in college out of the area, the students who were just a year or two ahead of her might be around and they might be eager to come out and support her candidacy.

Sam was the student ex-officio member of the school board a year ago and in January one of her former teachers, Alexis Langheier, suggested to Sam that she run for the seat.

"I was talking to her about how school was going and everything and she brought it up to me," Sam said. "She was like, 'I think this could be a really cool opportunity for you. You would learn a lot. I think that you also have a lot to offer the board.' "

Art was bemused when Sam first mentioned the idea to him but quickly decided it was a good thing for her and the community.

"Well, after I laughed a little bit I said, 'You know, I'm happy that one of the products of the school, any student, would want to be that involved in their community and want to come back is a wonderful thing,'" Art said. "That's what we do as a school board. That's what we try to accomplish. It's cool that it's my daughter but any 18-year old who would run against me I would be very proud of."

There is only one seat open in this election and Art and Sam aren't the only candidates. There's also Jeanna Clark. (Strassburg before her recent marriage). 

The natural question for Art is whether having Sam on the ballot might split any potential vote against him but he said he doesn't think Sam running helps him. She could bring in her own voters.

"I'd like to think that my experience on that board will push me all the way through," Art said. "Sam may bring in another 50 voters, which may not be the whole scale but it'll be close. Yeah, it'll be close. It'll be heartbreaking either way. Someone's losing whether it's myself whether it's Sam whether it's the other one obviously someone is losing. So, yeah, I'll feel bad but not for long."

A two-acre parcel of land that's distinguishing feature is an abandoned road that used to lead to a bridge will be sold at auction at the end of this month.

The road used to lead to a bridge that connected South Jackson Street to Creek Road but that bridge was removed in the 1990s and never replaced.

Now, the Department of Transporation, which has owned the parcel since the bridge was built in the 1950s, has decided to sell it as surplus property.

Matt Worth, director of public works said the bridge, which was only 30 years old at the time it was removed, was in poor shape when it was taken out of service.  

It was built when the old railway lines that used to pass through Downtown Batavia were moved further south. The bridge was built over the railroad tracks in what may have been a joint project involving the City, the DOT, and the railroad company that owned the railway at the time. 

As often happens in these sorts of projects, the various agencies wind up owning a piece of the project but only until the project is completed. For some reason, and Worth said he doesn't know why (this was well before his time with the City), the DOT never turned the street over to the City of Batavia for maintenance. 

The two-acre parcel is surrounded by City of Batavia property. It's zoned R-2, which means a two-family residence can be built on the land.

Here's a DOT press release about the auction:

The New York State Department of Transportation today announced it will host a public auction for two parcels of vacant land. The auction will be held on Thursday, May 30, 2019 at the State Office Building located at 1530 Jefferson Road in Henrietta. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the auction will begin at 10:30 a.m.

To register, bidders must present a certified or bank check for the deposit required on the property for which they intend to bid. The property, deposit and starting bid price are as follows:

Property 891 is 0.53± acres of vacant land located on the north side of Beahan Road near its intersection with Chili Avenue, in the Town of Gates, Monroe County. It is irregular in shape and improved with a snow plow turn-around. Access to the parcel is gained via Brooks Avenue Extension. Bidding will commence at $20,000. The deposit required to bid on this property will be $2,000.

Property 894 is 2± acres of vacant land located along the southern side of South Jackson Street, in the City of Batavia, Genesee County. The parcel is irregular in shape, contains broken pavement and overgrown brush. The parcel does not have physical access to South Jackson Street. Bidding will commence at $7,000. The deposit required to bid on this property will be $700.

Prospective bidders can find more information by visiting our website at http://www.dot.ny.gov/r4surplus or by contacting Jeremy Button at (585) 272-3326.

Below: DOT supplied image of the parcel

Just watch.

Press release:

As part of its 2019 triennial review, the Genesee County Department of Planning will hold a series of public meetings to present and gather comments on the draft revisions to the Smart Growth Plan. There will be three meetings as follows:

• Monday, June 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Pembroke Community Center, 116 E. Main St., Corfu
• Tuesday, June 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Pavilion Town Hall, 1 Woodrow Drive, Pavilion
• Wednesday, June 19, at 6:30 p.m. at Genesee County Building 2 – Large Conference Room, 3837 W. Main Street Road, Batavia

On May 9, 2001 the Genesee County Legislature adopted the Smart Growth Plan. The Plan is a mitigating action of potential significant environmental impacts of the Genesee County Water Supply Project upon the viability of agriculture in Genesee County.

Smart Growth Development Areas throughout the county were designated based on their access to transportation, minimal conflict with County Agricultural Districts and State-regulated wetlands, feasibility of extending public water service, and the potential for extending public infrastructure to support development.

The Plan requires that it be reviewed every three years by the Legislature and that recommendations for its revision be made at that time.

During this review, the Town of Pavilion proposed changes to the Development Area Boundaries. Two substantive text changes are also being proposed as part of this review. The meeting will focus on the modifications being recommended to the County Legislature by the Planning Department.

For individuals with disabilities, requests for reasonable accommodations should be made with at least five days’ notice. Call the Genesee County Planning Department at (585) 815-7901 or email at Felipe.Oltramari@co.genesee.ny.us

All aboard! Thomas the Tank Engine invites little engineers to go full steam ahead for a weekend of engaging activities and fun adventures at Day Out With Thomas: The Steam Team Tour 2019. Children are invited to spend the day with their friend Thomas when the #1 Engine pulls into Medina on May 17. Day Out With Thomas: The Steam Team Tour 2019 is presented by Mattel.

Day Out With Thomas is a fun-filled event that provides children of all ages the opportunity to climb aboard and take a ride with Thomas as well as participate in Thomas & FriendsTM themed activities.

The tour, now in its 24th year, will make 37 stops across the United States and Canada, and is expected to welcome nearly one million passengers this year. For one weekend, little engineers and their families are invited to take a 25-minute ride on their favorite engine, meet Sir Topham Hatt, Controller of the Railway and enjoy a day of Thomas & Friends fun with crafts, photo ops, and more.

Typically held over two weekends in Medina, this year’s event is being held just one weekend and is jam-packed with fun for the kids! Your wristband to the grounds includes:

• 25-minute (approximate) ride with a talking Thomas the Tank Engine;
• Meet & Greet with Sir Topham Hatt, Controller of the Railway;
• Thomas & Friends Imagination Station featuring a variety of activities;
• For the first time, children can meet Thomas’s new friend Nia in the form of a10-foot inflatable – perfect for photo opps! Nia appears in the Thomas & Friends episodes as one of the newest members of the Steam Team, joining Thomas, Percy, and the other engines at Tidmouth Sheds. Nia is always a helpful friend, and especially loves to help animals;
• A "Passport to Adventures" booklet for children to track their journey at the event and receive a special prize upon completion;
• Thomas & Friends-themed activities including toy play, photo ops, and more;
• Bounce houses, balloon artists, character sketch artists, storytelling, video viewing, scheduled professional magic shows, a mini train ride and more.

Train rides with Thomas depart every 45 minutes, rain or shine. Departure times begin at 9:15 a.m. through 5:30 p.m. each day of the event. Tickets for Day Out With Thomas are $23 plus tax for ages 2 and up. Tickets include the train ride with Thomas, all of the Thomas & Friends activities on the grounds as well as admission to the Medina Railroad Museum. Wristbands for entry will be provided to all ticket holders upon arrival. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.medinarailroad.com

Thomas the Tank EngineTM is the star of Thomas & Friends the award-winning global brand franchise enjoyed by families in more than 160 territories and in over 55 languages across multiple touch-points and formats, including: 500+ original TV shows; 12 feature-length films; 27 websites in 13 languages; apps; toys (ranked number one property in the preschool toys category in the United Kingdom and Australia and number two in the United States); consumer products; publishing; live attractions and much more.

About the Medina Railroad Museum; located in the old New York Central freight depot in Medina, NY, the Medina RR Museum is one of the largest freight depot museums in New York State. The building itself was built in 1905-06 and is one of the largest (301 feet by 34 feet), last surviving wooden freight depots in the United States.

The Museum’s train has five passenger cars and two first-class cars that ride out on the tracks to Lockport and back several times per year for special events. Train season is March through October, with special Polar Express rides after Thanksgiving through mid-December. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday year-round. Closed on Mondays and major holidays. To contact the museum, call (585) 798-6106 or visit www.medinarailroad.com

Arthur M. Osborne, age 52, white male, 5’9” 150 lbs., brown hair, blue eyes, last known address: NW 52nd St., Lauderhill, FL

Bench warrant: wanted for assault 3rd PL 120.00-1 (misdemeanor) and endangering the welfare of a child PL 260.10-1 (misdemeanor)

Batavia Town Court date of warrant, 4/29/14

Timothy J. Callihan, age 55, white male, 5’8” 160 lbs., brown hair brown eyes, last known address: S. Washington Ave., Ludington, MI

Bench warrant: wanted for DWI VTL 1192-3 (misdemeanor) Bergen Town Court, date of warrant, 10/13/06

Rita K. Cintron, age 28, black female, 5’1” 135 lbs., black hair brown eyes, last known address: S. Iowa Ave., Atlantic City, NJ

Bench warrant: wanted for criminal trespass 2^nd PL 140.15 (misdemeanor) Batavia Town Court date of warrant, 12/15/08

Lewis L. Clayton, age 33, white male, 5’10” 170 lbs., brown hair, hazel eyes, last known address, Campground Road, Lauderdale, MS

Bench warrant: wanted for criminal nuisance 2^nd PL 240.45 (misdemeanor)  Stafford Town Court, date of warrant, 9/11/06

Tanya M. Cook, age 35, white female, 5’7” 210 lbs., blond hair, blue eyes, last known address, Hilton Parma Corners Road, Spencerport, NY

Arrest warrant: wanted for aggravated unlicensed operation 3^rd degree VTL 511-1a (misdemeanor) Alabama Town Court, date of warrant, 4/4/19

If you are able to assist the Sheriff's Office in locating these people, the Sheriff's Office asks that you do not approach these people and that you call (585) 343-5000 with information that may assist in locating the suspects.

Sometime after 2 p.m., we noticed the site was running slow. At a little before 4:30, I opened a ticket with our hosting service. That is pretty much the precise moment the site went completely offline.

Servers going down is part of the business and I wasn't too worried. They go down for a bit, get a swift kick from a tech, and start running again. After a couple of hours, I thought it really unusual that it wasn't up and running again but still expected we would be back online soon.

When we weren't back up after five hours, I was pretty unhappy and stopped dealing with support by email and got them on the phone. They got two senior engineers on the phone with me and I got my IT guy on the phone.  

The four of us were on the phone together for more than four hours. We can't find the problem. There are no errors in any of the logs. Individually, every component of the server is handling requests as expected.

We did notice that pages with a single story load immediately. Pages with just a few stories load slow but they load.

So we've cut The Batavian's home page back from 20 stories to just 10. The fact that you're seeing this post shows that, yes, you can once again get to the home page. But it does have only 10 stories on it. It's not possible, it seems, to use the "next" button at the bottom of the page to get past that point.

One of our most popular sections is obituaries and that section is loading just fine.

We're all going to bed and will work on this issue more in the morning.

UPDATE 9:30 a.m.: The issue appears to be resolved. It turns out there was an old, no-longer-used connection to facebook.com, that was timing out.  It's been disabled and everything seems back to expected performance.

Rodney Lee Harmon Jr., 42, of Church Street, Elba, is charged with: vehicular assault in the second degree; driving left of pavement markings; moving from lane unsafely; reckless driving, and driving while ability impaired by drugs. At 3:16 p.m. on April 15, after the investigation of a motor-vehicle crash in which the car struck a house on Oak Orchard Road in Batavia, Harmon was arrested. Harmon and his passenger were allegedly involved in a domestic incident while Harmon was driving a Chevy Cruze southbound on Route 98. The vehicle crossed over the hazard warnings into the northbound lane of travel and exited the highway, crashing into the north side of a house. Harmon was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital and evaluated. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Town of Batavia Court on May 27. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy McClellan, assisted by Deputy James Stack.

Wesley Thigpen, 38, of Vine Street, Batavia, is charged with first-degree sexual abuse. He was arrested on May 1 after an investigation into an incident that occurred in December on Vine Street in Batavia. He turned himself in upon request, was arraigned in Batavia City Court, then released under supervision of Genesee Justice. He is due in court again at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 23. The case was investigated by Batavia Police Det. Thad Mart.

Christopher T. Sprague, 25, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of third-degree burglary. He was arrested on May 3 for allegedly attempting to burglarize the Salvation Army Thrift Store at 98 Jackson St. in the City of Batavia on Dec. 23. Also on May 3, he was charged with the same crime for allegedly burglarizing Bill's Auto at 101 Evans St. in Batavia. After his arraignment, he was released on his own recognizance but he is in GC jail on other charges. He is due in Batavia City Court on the burglary charges June 6. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk, assisted by Det. Eric Hill.

Jonathan Wayne Arce, 35, of Wyoming Street, Wyoming, is charged with: driving while intoxicated; DWI -- operating a motor vehicle while having a BAC of .08 percent or higher; moving from lane unsafely. At 7:11 p.m. on May 3 on Francis Road, Bethany, Arce was arrested on these charges. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Bethany Town Court on May 21. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Mathew Clor, assisted by Sgt. John Baiocco.

Donald G. Cooper, 35, and Christine A. M. Wark, of School Street, Le Roy, were arrested by Le Roy police on May 3 and each was charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor. Cooper was also charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. At about 10:30 p.m. on May 3, Le Roy Police Department received a complaint of two young children sitting on the side of the road on Route 19. When patrols arrived, they located two children, ages 8 and 10. Police were able to identify and locate the parents of the children. It was "discovered that the children were allegedly sent out of the residence to burn off some energy while retrieving a discarded item located on the side of the road approximately a half mile from their residence. During the investigation, an unsecured firearm and bullets for the firearm were located in the residence...in a location that was accessible to both children." Paraphernalia for smoking marijuana was also found in the residence, in a location accessible to both children. As a result of the significant disregard for both children's well-being..." both Cooper and Wark were arrested, without incident. After arraignment in Town of Le Roy Court, the defendants were released under supervision of Genesee Justice. They are due back in Town of Le Roy Court on June 4 to answer the charges.

Steven D. Smires, 23, no permanent address, was arrested on May 2 by the Le Roy Police Department and charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor, and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. In the same incident, Leah M. Burrus-Stewart, also no permanent address, was arrested and charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child. At about 11:30 a.m. on May 2, Le Roy PD received a complaint of a subject smoking marijuana in a vehicle with two small children inside. Upon arrival, patrols found Smires and Burrus-Stewart inside along with a 3-year-old child belonging to Burrus-Stewart and a 9-month-old baby that belonged to the couple. Police also allegedly located marijuana and paraphernalia for smoking it inside the vehicle. It was also discovered that the family did not have housing and had been living in the vehicle. Both adults were arrested without incident and Child Protective Services was contacted to assist with the children's care. The couple was arraigned in Le Roy Town Court and jailed in lieu of $750 bail each. They are due back in Le Roy Town Court on June 4 to answer the charges.

Jennifer L. Shaw, 33, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Shaw was arrested at 3:10 p.m. on April 22 on West Main Street in Batavia after an investigation of an incident in which she allegedly left two children unattended in a running vehicle in a parking lot. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on Tuesday, May 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Felicia DeGroot.

William G. Schultz, 45, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia. At 11:15 a.m. Schultz was arrested on Evans Street in Batavia on an unrelated charge. While being searched, he was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court then jailed in lieu of $2,500 cash bail or bond. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens, assisted by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Stanley F. Wenzel, 30, of Hutchins Place, Batavia, is charged with dog running at large. He was arrested on April 26 and is due in city court for arraignment on Tuesday, May 7. It is alleged that on April 7 at 4:28 p.m. a dog that Wenzel was in possession of got loose and attacked another dog on Hutchins Place. Wenzel was issued an appearance ticket. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Tiesha Deon Doward, 32, of Prune Street, Batavia, was arrested on May 4 on a warrant out of Batavia City Court after police responded to an incident on Prune Street. They executed a bench warrant that was issued after she failed to appear in court April 24 on a petit larceny case from 2018. Doward was given an appearance ticket and is due in city court on Tuesday, May 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police officers Marc Lawrence and Peter Flanagan.

A 16-year-old who lives in Batavia is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. The youth was stopped at 12:22 a.m. on April 20 on West Main Street in Batavia for vehicle and traffic violations. During the traffic stop, the youth was allegedly found in possession of marijuana. The youth was arrested and released to a parent and is due in Batavia City Court on Tuesday, May 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Marc Lawrence, assisted by Officer Peter Flanagan.

Paul W. Zeches, 30, of Oak Street, Batavia, was arrested on April 30 when he responded to Batavia Police Department for an unrelated matter. He had an active arrest warrant out of Batavia City Court for an unspecified incident that occurred on Feb. 28, 2017. He was arraigned, he pled guilty and was released. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens, assisted by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Anthony R. Piazza, 28, of Pratt Road, Pembroke, was arrested at 2:15 p.m. on April 30 on a bench warrant out of Batavia City Court. The warrant was issued after he failed to appear in court on a misdemeanor traffic ticket. He was released on his own recognizance and is due in city court May 30. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

A 48-year-old Batavia woman can expect to spend two years in state prison after admitting today in County Court to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

The charge stems from a May 17 incident on Central Avenue when Jennifer K. Urvizu-Hanlon gave her licensed handgun to Samuel Blackshear, now 18, who shot Nathaniel Wilson, who had just stabbed to death 41-year-old Terry J. Toote.

Wilson is serving a 20-to-life prison term on his murder conviction. Blackshear was sentenced to three years in jail.

Urvizu-Hanlon owned La Mexicana grocery store at the time of her arrest.

According to information that came out at Blackshear's sentencing, surveillance video shows a black sedan on Central Avenue sometime before the incident. At one time, the driver got out and retrieved what looked like a handgun from the truck. The car left Central Avenue and returned. It leaves again and reappears just before Wilson shows up on the street. After Wilson stabbed Toote, Blackshear is seen moving toward Wilson, who is turning to leave. Blackshear sees the sedan and walks over to it and is handed the gun by the driver.

Nobody has seen the gun since the shooting, a point of contention at Blackshear's sentencing. It may have been thrown into a creek. 

As a result of the incident, Urvizu-Hanlon lost her pistol permit and as a result of the conviction, she will not be able to obtain another permit.

The term of the plea agreement is that Urvizu-Hanlon will receive a determinate sentence of two years. The length of her parole, one-and-a-half to three years, will be at the discretion of Judge Charles Zambito when she is sentenced at 1:30 p.m., July 12.

If Urvizu-Hanlon had gone to trial on the charge, she would have faced up to seven years in prison.

First Assistant District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini said the two-year prison term is based on her lack of any prior criminal record.

There will be mitigating information that is discussed at the sentencing that Zambito may consider on the length of her post-release supervision.

There is smoke reportedly coming from a wall both inside and outside at 6280 Clinton Street Road, Bergen.

Bergen fire, along with Stafford and South Byron dispatched.

UPDATE 3:32 p.m.: The fire was apparently contained within a wall. It appears to be out. Checking for extension.

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs Gaming

Representatives from Western Regional Off-Track Betting (WROTB) reported today (May 6) that a record $2,039,088.30 was wagered on the Kentucky Derby through their outlets including BataviaBets.com, OTB Branches and EZ Bet Locations.

In particular the Empire branch in Rochester, saw significant growth, up 27 percent from the previous year. And wagering was also very strong at Batavia Downs Gaming and Hotel, up 7 percent there.

Batavia Downs hosted three separate parties with a full house of happy, gambling revelers enjoying the Run for the Roses. The Park Place Party served an all-time high 751 dinners; well eclipsing the 605 meals sold last year. Thurman Thomas’ Sports Bar “34 Rush” had their highest single day total for sales.

Down on the gaming floor, $4 million credits were played which was the second highest in their history. The week ending Saturday saw the highest credits played total of all time, with $18.3 million in Credits Played, beating the previous best seven-day period of $17.4 million.

The results of the 145th Kentucky Derby may have been controversial with the subsequent disqualification of Maximum Security, who was first under the wire, but according to Henry Wojtaszek, president and CEO of WROTB, Derby Day 2019 was unbelievable all the way around.

“The wagering, party and gaming numbers are a continuation and reflection of the solid year Batavia Downs has been experiencing,” Wojtaszek said. “We could not have pulled this off if it wasn’t for our dedicated OTB branch and Batavia Downs staff, who worked tirelessly on Derby Day. We appreciate the solid support from our loyal customer base.”

WROTB is already gearing up for the second jewel of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown to be held on May 18 at Pimlico racetrack.

Among the events scheduled for Preakness is the $15 Trifecta special that will take place in the Park Place Event Center at Batavia Downs from 4 to 7 p.m.

Live harness racing return to Batavia Downs on Wednesday (July 24) for the meet that will run through Saturday (Dec. 14).

Four churches in the Corfu/Pembroke area are combining efforts to make people aware of hunger in their own hometown.

On Saturday, May 11, the Corfu United Presbyterian Church, Indian Falls United Methodist Church and St. Maximilian Kolbe Church Corfu and East Pembroke are sponsoring a Walk Hunger Away 5K.

Deborah Russ, of Corfu, a member of the Corfu United Presbyterian Church, is the event organizer, with help from volunteers in the other churches.

She explained there used to be a Crop Walk in Genesee County, which is an international effort to fight hunger.

“But there is such a need in our own area,” Russ said.

Proceeds from Saturday’s 5K will be divided among three food programs in Corfu, Pembroke and Falls.

The Corfu United Presbyterian Church maintains a food pantry, which is open at 9 a.m. the third Saturday and at 5:30 p.m. the last Wednesday of each month.

The Pembroke Bagged Meal Program provides weekend meals to more than 65 children in the Pembroke Central School District.

“We started out with middle school and have expanded to include high school kids,” Russ said. “Now we are hoping to include the primary school.”

St. Maximillian Kolbe Church supports the Food Pantry with a monetary donation every month, Russ said. She said a lot of senior citizens benefit from the Food Pantry.

The third program to be helped by Saturday’s walk is the Rise Against Hunger, for which Indian Falls United Methodist Church packs thousands of meals for people in developing nations.

Russ said it is their hope participants in the Hunger Walk will get sponsors, but it isn’t a requirement.

“We just want people to come and learn about hunger,” she said. “They can walk with no money or they can make a $5 donation.”

There are no expenses incurred so every penny made will be distributed to the three programs.

Also on Saturday, the Corfu Girl Scout Troop 42035 will sponsor a food drive at the Corfu United Presbyterian Church.

Donations of nonperishable items or single-serve items for the Pembroke Bagged Meal Program are suggested. Examples of requested single-serve items are mini cereal bars, fruit cups, granola bars, noodle/pasta cups and juice boxes.

For information, contact Valerie Mutka at (585) 813-4075.

Registration for the Hunger Away 5K is at 9:30 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m. The route starts at Corfu United Presbyterian Church and returns there. It is located at 63 Alleghany Road.

The walk is unique in that six stops are planned along the route, where walkers can stop and learn important facts about the three programs the 5K supports.