On Monday morning, workers moved a construction fence off the sidewalk behind a group of office buildings on Washington Avenue, Batavia, that was erected late last week in preparation for the start of construction of the new Batavia police station.

Dr. Tom Mazurkiewicz said he and other businesses in the complex were upset with the placement of the fence and even just moving it off the sidewalk isn't good enough.

He claimed that city officials presented plans to the businesses showing the fence being placed in the parking lot, where space is striped for a second row of cars, keeping the first row open for business parking.

After the fence was erected, he said city officials told him OSHA requirements dictated the location of the fence and "the plan changed."

He doesn't believe there is an OSHA requirement for that particular placement of the fence.

"They're just lying about everything," Mazurkiewicz said. "It's a mess."

Brett J. Frank, the city's director of public works, declined this morning to comment on the situation, citing a meeting planned for Monday evening as the reason.

City officials will meet with representatives of the businesses, which are mostly medical offices, at 5:30 p.m. at the current Batavia police headquarters. Mazurkiewicz said the issue has also been added to the City Council agenda for Monday. That meeting starts at 7 p.m.

On Friday, City Manager Rachel Tabelski put out a statement addressing the parking issues:

“The City of Batavia Police Department will move from their 167-year-old converted mansion, known as the Historic Brisbane Mansion.  There have been no less than five studies conducted since 1991 to determine the future of the police station in Batavia, as well as a citizen task force commissioned to investigate possible site locations.  The location of the new facility was identified by the task force.

“Working with the construction team, the City will continue to provide the community and surrounding businesses, and their patrons with free parking with some restrictions in place.  The safety of the construction workers and those using the Alva lot is the highest priority.  At this time, the West Side of the Alva Parking Lot is available for medical/customer parking; the streets of Washington, State, Bank and Alva have free on-street parking as well.

“Patrons of Washington and State Street businesses without mobility issues are encouraged to park in the City Centre lot, leaving adjacent street parking for individuals who need access.  The City recognizes that parking will be inconvenient, but the goal is to minimize the impact on businesses and residents.  The City looks forward to project completion and appreciates everyone’s assistance and cooperation during the 18-month construction period.

The lack of parking is costing him business, Mazurkiewicz said.  He had seven clients cancel appointments on Thursday and Friday and two on Monday morning. 

He had one 90-year-old client try to walk from the open spaces behind Millenium Computer to his office, which is at least 150 yards across three grass outcroppings that disrupt the sidewalk.

He said city officials told him they would create three on-street handicap spaces, but Mazurkiewicz believes that many elderly patients either can't or won't parallel park if that's required to use those spaces.

"We need at least eight handicapped parking spaces," Mazurkiewicz said.

He said one customer told him, "I can walk 20 feet, but I can't walk 150 yards," and he added, "What about a mom with a baby in a car seat? That's 50 pounds. Is she going to carry it 150 yards?"

When asked what he expected in terms of parking availability once construction is finished, he said he didn't know. "They haven't told us," he said.

The city is building a $15 million, 21,000-square-foot facility at Alva Place and Bank Street. It is partially funded by a $2.5 million USDA grant and low-interest loan from the USDA.

Joanne Beck contributed to this story.

Press Release:

Come by the Holland Land Office Museum and check out our new mini-exhibit, "St. Joesph's Drum Core: 53 Years Later!"

From April to the end of September, view photographs, uniforms, and other artifacts relating to the nationally ranked local drum corps from the twentieth century!

Beginning in 1931 under the direction of Rev. T. Bernard Kelly, pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Batavia, the St. Joseph's Drum Corps was created and went on to be nationally ranked. Winning 8 New York State American Legion titles and other national titles! The drum crops were active until 1971. However, they have a reunion corps called the "Mighty St. Joe's" in Le Roy.

The exhibit includes uniforms, photographs, instruments, and much more of members of alumni of the Drum Corps.

The mini-exhibit is available during regular museum hours, Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. with regular admission. Come and check it out on your next visit to the Holland Land Office Museum.

Today, making bread is easy. You buy a loaf of frozen bread, defrost it, and bake it. In 1996, there was a machine called the Bread Machine. You would put all the ingredients into the machine and turn it on. It would mix the ingredients, time the bread to rise, and then bake the bread. Now, you can go to a supermarket and buy fresh bread.

In the ‘60s, my grandmother, Jennie Bellow, would bring her homemade bread to Batavia every Sunday. We all enjoyed her bread and took it for granted. On one of my Sunday sleepovers in Le Roy, I watched my grandma get out all sorts of things to make her white bread. Flour, yeast, and Crisco were some of her ingredients. She also took out a flat piece of wood, a towel, and five bread pans. I asked why she was getting everything out the night before, and she said I would find out the following day. 

Early the next morning, I watched her make her bread. I had no idea it would take all day. First, we would measure the flour, put the yeast in warm milk, and add one scant wooden spoonful of Crisco. We would mix the ingredients by hand, which is called kneading. The towel was to cover the dough, hoping it would rise. Finally, the bread was ready for the pans. The result was beautiful but so time-consuming. My grandmother was born in 1900, and making bread was a way of life for women in the 1900s as it was in the 1800s.

One of the first things Joseph Ellicott did as a local agent of the Holland Land Company was to have mills, both grist and saw, built in Batavia to encourage settlement. Before the erection of the gristmill in Batavia in 1804, the people sometimes did not have bread or anything to make it from. Flour was brought on packhorses before the roads were of such a character as to allow better transportation. The Tonawanda Creek dam was used to power a sawmill and, a little later, a gristmill.

Both corn and wheat grain had to be ground for bread and other foods. The grindstones at the gristmill reduced corn to meal and wheat grain to flour. “Rye and Indian,” made from cornmeal and rye flour, was the only bread the early settlers could make. Grinding the grain into flour for the pioneers meant a journey to the gristmill by ox sled in both summer and winter.

I wonder if the giant stone doughnuts that stood on East Main Street near the corner of Ross Street could have been gristmill stones. Many years ago, they were at the entrance of a burned house. I can remember them always being there; after the fire, they disappeared.

In the Holland Land Office Museum, there is a colonial kitchen. You can imagine our early settlers cooking in the kitchen using a fireplace. Upon request, you can view a reflector oven. This was one way the early settlers made bread. A reflector oven is a box usually made of tin designed to enclose an article of food on all but one side to cause it to bake by capturing radiant heat from an open fire and reflecting the heat toward the food. The next time you buy freshly baked bread at your local supermarket, think of the time it took to make bread from “scratch!”

I treasure the memories of cooking and baking with my grandmother. I know how to make her bread from scratch, but it is not the same not having my grandmother next to me in her cobbler apron showing me how to knead the bread.

Press Release:

The Byron-Bergen, Elba, and Oakfield-Alabama learning communities are teaming up to “stick it to type one diabetes”. All three districts have students and staff affected by Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and are working together to make a big impact at the largest T1D event in the world.

On Sunday, May 19, the three communities will come together at Sea Breeze Park for the annual JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) One Walk. The global initiative raises millions of dollars for T1D treatments and cures but, for this team, it’s personal. 

“Oakfield-Alabama is proud to partner with our neighboring school districts and community members to support this cause,” said Oakfield-Alabama Superintendent John Fisgus. “So many people are affected by Type 1 Diabetes, and it is so important to raise awareness and join forces in these events.”

“I have two daughters, Sophia and Mckenna, with Type 1 Diabetes and I’m so grateful for the support from their Oakfield-Alabama school community,” said ‘Stick It’ team captain Mary Hughes, herself a staff member at Byron-Bergen. “I’m also amazed by how the Byron-Bergen community rallied to support me and my family when my second daughter was diagnosed last December.”

The same month that Hughes’ second daughter received her T1D diagnosis, Michael, a kindergarten student at Elba was also diagnosed. 

"The Elba community has been amazing during Michael's new diagnosis and has allowed his friends in school to learn about Type 1 Diabetes,” said Michael’s mother, Ashley Diehl. “Mary and I have been friends for years and now our children are in this together. We've joined forces to bring awareness to Type 1 Diabetes so others can look out for signs of diabetes in people who are undiagnosed and so our friends and family can help us work toward a cure.” 

“Elba Central School is pleased to participate in the walk to raise funds for JDRF,” said Elba Central School District Gretchen Rosales. “One of the cornerstones of Elba Central is to come together for our school family; when one of our Lancers is in need, we are all ready to help. Similarly, the Byron-Bergen and Oakfield-Alabama school districts operate with a shared mission - our school families support each other. I am pleased to join with Mr. McGee and Mr. Fisgus and the three-school community to fight for the collective future of all families in need. We are proud to be united in this effort.”

Each year the JDRF One Walk brings over 900,000 participants together worldwide, but team “Stick It” isn’t stopping there. Members of Team “Stick It” are heading to the Buffalo Marathon on May 26. Michael’s father, Jimmy Diehl, and Byron-Bergen Director of Instructional Services Betsy Brown will both run the half marathon. Oakfield-Alabama SRO Jordan Alejandro, Byron-Bergen SRO Josh Brabon, Byron-Bergen Athletics Secretary Mary Hughes, Byron-Bergen High School Counselor Kristie Holler, and Oakfield-Alabama Teacher Jen Prichett will run the full marathon to raise awareness for T1D.

“Byron-Bergen is all about taking action to support our community,” said Byron-Bergen Superintendent Pat McGee. “I’m proud to see the Bees hit the pavement with our friends and neighbors to raise awareness and support for our community members living with Type 1 Diabetes.”

“Our team’s goal is to educate our friends and family about Type 1 Diabetes and the research that is needed to find a cure for our kiddos and people everywhere,” said Hughes. 

For more information about these events or Team “Stick It”, visit the JDRF “Stick It” team page. 

Terry Anderson, a journalist and a Batavia High School graduate who gained international attention after being taken hostage by an Iranian-backed terrorist group, has died in Greenwood Lake, in the Hudson Valley.

He was 76 years old.

Anderson was the Beirut bureau chief in 1985 for the Associated Press when he was kidnapped by armed men who dragged him from his car after he dropped off a tennis partner following a match. The pistol-wielding men yanked him from his car and pushed him into a Mercedes-Benz.

The terrorists were reportedly members of Hezbollah, an Islamic Jihad Organization in Lebanon. He was reportedly blindfolded and beaten and kept in chains and moved to 20 different hideaways in Beirut, South Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley.

His release came 2,454 days later following intense lobbying by his sister, Peggy Say.

Anderson and Say were born in Lorain, Ohio, where their father, Glen, was a village police officer. While still children, their parents moved to Batavia, where their father worked as a truck driver and their mother, Lily, was a waitress.

After Anderson was kidnapped, Say didn't feel the case was getting enough attention from the U.S. government and the United States. She launched a national campaign to raise the awareness of people to the plight of her brother and other hostages held by Hezbollah.

Say, who had returned to Batavia after relocating for a time, enlisted fellow journalists, humanitarian groups, world figures, and U.S. citizens in the cause, which led to the nation being festooned with yellow ribbons. 

She also received assistance from many fellow Batavia residents, such as Anne Zickl, who died in 2014.

Say died in 2015 at age 74.

Terry Anderson's daughter Sulome told the New York Times that Anderson died following complications from a recent heart surgery.

Anderson's last public appearance in Batavia was in February 2011 to dedicate the International Peace Garden.

Press release:

Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature unveiled the final state budget Saturday, including a payroll tax credit for local news outlets, modeled on the Local Journalism Sustainability Act, in the sweeping package. With the passage of this bill, New York is now the first state in the nation to incentivize hiring and retaining local journalists. This game changer for the local news industry comes just months after the launch of the Empire State Local News Coalition, an unprecedented, grassroots campaign powered by more than 200 community newspapers across the state.

Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, the Senate bill sponsor, said: “I’m elated that our first-in-the-nation Local Journalism Sustainability Act is passing in the state budget. A thriving local news industry is vital to the health of our democracy and it’s our responsibility to help ensure New Yorkers have access to independent and community-focused journalism. Thank you to Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Governor Hochul, our Assembly Sponsor Woerner and the over 200 local publications of the Empire State Local News Coalition who helped pass our bill. Our efforts will help ensure that our democracy will not die in darkness.”

"Without local news coverage in our community, there would be a lot that our local governments do that voters would never know about nor have any way to realistically question; there would be no accountability," said Howard Owens, publisher of The Batavian.  "We created Early Access Pass to give the community an opportunity to support local journalism and help us hire more reporters. This tax credit will help those dollars, along with our vital sponsor support, go further, and should open the door for us to hire more reporters, which is the legislation's primary purpose. We're hopeful this legislation will help ensure Genesee County continues to get the local news coverage it needs and deserves.

"I also want to thank our local representatives, Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Sen. George Borrello, for their support of this critical piece of legislation," Owens added. "They both recognize the importance of local news coverage to our community and understand the crisis state the local news industry is in."

The program--$30 million per year for three years--allows each eligible newspaper and broadcast business to receive a 50% refundable tax credit against the first $50,000 of an employee's salary, up to a total of $300,000 per business. $4 million will be allocated to incentivize print and broadcast businesses to hire new journalists. The remaining $26 million will be split evenly between businesses with fewer than 100 employees and those with more than 100 employees, ensuring that hyperlocal, independent news organizations can access these funds. 

After stalling for years, the Local Journalism Sustainability Act catapulted into a top legislative priority this session following the early-2024 founding of the Empire State Local News Coalition and the coalition’s mobilization of support from hundreds of New York hometown papers as well as a broad range stakeholders from around the country, including the Rebuild Local News Coalition, Microsoft, and El Diario. Organized labor, including NYS AFL-CIO, CWA District 1, and national and local news guilds, also played a critical role in mobilizing support for this historic bill. 

"The Empire State Local News Coalition is thrilled by the state budget’s inclusion of a payroll tax credit for local news outlets modeled on the Local Journalism Sustainability Act. New York is now the first state in the nation to incentivize hiring and retaining local journalists–a critical investment given that hundreds of New York’s newspapers have closed since 2004, leaving too many New York communities without access to vital local information. The objectivity of this credit shows that there is a fair way for public policy to support local news without jeopardizing journalistic integrity. This program is a model for other states across the U.S. to follow as communities across the country raise their voices to save local news,” said Zachary Richner, founder of the Empire State Local News Coalition.

“We’re incredibly proud of the 200 newspapers in our coalition, which built an unprecedented grassroots movement in support of saving New York’s local news industry in a few short months. We’re especially grateful to Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, whose tireless advocacy for this tax credit was instrumental in moving it through the legislative process. The coalition thanks Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, Assembly Sponsor Carrie Woerner, and the entire legislature for supporting this industry-saving policy, and we look forward to continuing our advocacy for local news in the years to come," Richner continued. “Other states and stakeholders interested in replicating this playbook and hearing about lessons learned should reach out to us at info@savenylocalnews.com.”

Since launching in February, the coalition has quickly mobilized stakeholders across the state to rally behind the bill. In addition to rallying with grassroots advocates in Westchester and Albany, members led petition drives, letter-writing campaigns, editorials, and advertisements, sounding the alarm on the decline of local journalism.   

New York’s leadership on this issue could change the course of local journalism in the U.S. The budget’s inclusion of this tax credit comes at a watershed moment for the journalism industry: New York State has experienced hundreds of newspaper closures in the past few decades. 

A 33-year-old Lockport woman has been charged with murder by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office for allegedly causing the death of Michael Poole and then attempting to conceal Poole's body in a remote area of the town of Alabama. 

Kathryn A. "Kat" Henry is charged with murder in the second degree, a Class A-1 felony, which carries a potential sentence of 15 years to 25 years in state prison. 

The body of the 59-year-old Poole, from Olcott, was found in Alabama on March 19 during an investigation into a report of a missing person from Niagara County.

Henry is accused of conspiring with another person in the death of Poole. The other suspect is not yet named and has not yet been arrested, but charges are expected. The Sheriff's Office said there is no concern for public safety.  The suspect is already in custody on another matter.

Henry is also charged with:

• Assault in the first degree, a Class B felony
• Concealment of a human corpse, a Class E felony
• Hindering prosecution in the first degree, a Class D felony
• Tampering with physical evidence, a Class E felony
• Conspiracy in the second degree, a Class B felony
• Conspiracy in the fourth degree, a Class E felony

Henry was arraigned on Friday and ordered held without bail.

Carley Shepard drove in five runs on three hits to lead Alexander past Alden 16-13 on Saturday at Alden.  

Shepard’s biggest hit was a bases-clearing double to the left field gap in the fourth inning. 

The rest of Alexander's offense was also strong, as the team landed 22 hits on the day.   

Madison Boyce, Melanie Bump and Faith Goodenbury had three hits each during the contest.  Meanwhile, Emily Pietrzykowski, Melissa Sawyer, Claudia Ripstein and Lillian Szymkowiak notched two hits each on the day.

On the bump for Alexander, Emily Pietrzykowski pitched five solid innings, only allowing one earned run and striking out two Bulldogs. Madison Boyce earned the win as she hurled four two-hit innings while striking out 6 Bulldogs.

"We needed this one," said Coach John Goodenbury. "We knew that we haven’t been playing our best ball lately.  We needed to put our feet down and turn things around. They did just that today, and I am proud of these girls.  It was a very cold day as it was snowing off and on throughout the game, and we were missing our starting third baseman, but our girls battled through it and beat a very good and well-coached team on their home field.  Our team had at least one hit today, which was nice to see.  It felt like the ball had been going straight to fielders for putouts in our last three games, but not today.  We are looking forward to our showdown with Oakfield on Monday."

Stats:

• Carley Shepard: 3-for-5, 5 RBIs, 1 Run, Double, SB
• Madison Boyce: 3-for-5, 2 RBIs, SB
• Faith Goodenbury: 3-for-4, 2 Runs, RBI, SB
• Melanie Bump: 3-for-5, 3 Runs, Double, SB
• Emily Pietrzykowski: 2-for-4, 3 Runs, 2 BB, 4 SB
• Claudia Ripstein; 2-for-6, 1 Run, 2 RBIs
• Melissa Sawyer: 2-for-5, 2 Runs, 2 RBIs, Double, 2 SB
• Lillian Szymkowiak: 2-for-5, 1 Run

Pitching:

• Emily Pietrzykowski: 5 IP, 6 hits, 1 Earned  Runs, 4 BB, 2 Ks
• Madison Boyce: (W) 4 IP, 2 hits, 3 Earned Runs, 3 BB, 6 Ks

Batavia Norte Dame smacked around 21 hits on Friday afternoon, leading to a 14-5 win over Lyndonville in Girls Softball.

Hannah Tenney and Mia Treleaven each had four hits. Tenney had three RBIs and scored a run. Treleaven had an RBI. Sofia Falleti had a single, double and three-run blast over the center field fence.  Falleti finished with three runs scored and six RBIs.  Gianna Falleti contributed three hits, two RBIs and scored twice.  Loretta Sorochty, Katie Landers and Cayleigh Havens each had two hits, with Landers scoring three runs and Havens scoring once.

Press release:

Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced that the Fur Ball Gala Fundraiser on Saturday, April 13th, raised $30,000 for Begin Again Horse Rescue in Lima and Whispering River Rescue in Gasport.

Over 90 baskets donated by local companies and individuals were raffled off to the more than 200 persons in attendance.  Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas took pictures with attendees while they enjoyed food and drink.  Attendees danced the night away as they enjoyed music from DJ Jimmy B.

The charities will use the funds from the gala to support their work, which includes caring for horses, donkeys and other farm animals. 

“After the success of last year’s event, we were excited to welcome even more people to our event this year, with our attendance going over 200 people.  We are indebted to local businesses and community members who came together in support of the Fur Ball Gala,” said Jacquelyne Leach, CFO for Western OTB / Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel and Jody Coffta, General Manager of Food & Beverage for Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel. “We want to thank all the volunteers, our staff and the many vendors who donated food and beverages for this event.  This was truly a great team effort.  To all those who contributed baskets for the raffles, please know we could not have done this without you.”

For those interested in getting involved with this year’s local animal organizations, information for each can be found here:

Begin Again Horse Rescue https://www.beginagainrescue.org/

Whispering River Rescue https://www.whisperingriverrescue.com/

Makenzie Rich was one of more than 70 middle and high school students to attend Friday’s Rainbow Resilience Youth Conference in an effort to not only gain more information and understanding about mental health and potential suicide issues as part of the LBGTQ community but also to help others struggling with similar issues, she says.

"There's a lot of youth struggling, especially in the LGBTQ-plus community. Everyone needs help, eventually. And it's important to know that you can ask for help. And there are people that are willing to help you as long as you're willing to reach out,” Makenzie, 17, said during a break from a suicide prevention workshop at Genesee Community College. “Today's amazing, it turned out really nice. We had a big group of participants. The workshops, I think, are very informational. It's a lot of help and just things that you wouldn't really realize in daily life.”

Katelyn Zufall was conducting the suicide prevention workshop, and was pointing out “some of the little things that you wouldn’t see to realize when someone is struggling and how you can help them by realizing those little signs,” Makenzie said. She offered some suggestions for what one can do if concerned about another person’s mental status.

“Just checking on your friends, checking on your family. Little signs, like they're giving away things that are important to them. They're just, all of a sudden, extra happy after seeming kind of gloomy for a while. Just check in,” she said. “And anyone that you are comfortable talking to, just check in with anyone.”

Bottom line: open communication is “super important,” she said. 

Zufall reviewed a list of Dos and Don’ts, such as Do validate the person’s feelings, ask if you can help, be patient and let them know you care. Don’t interrupt or speak over the person, tell how they should feel, jump in with solutions, be scared of their feelings or critical and blaming.

Open about her own identity as a lesbian, Makenzie, a junior at Batavia High School, has had her own family struggles, she said. 

“Not everyone in my family is super supportive,” she said. “But with GLOW Out!, I have a great support system. And I have a lot of friends that I am very thankful for. And people that I can reach out to. But family was a big struggle for me for a while.”

GLOW Out!, established in the spring of 2019 with the sole intention of creating the first Pride Festival in the four-county GLOW region, provides education and awareness of and around the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other) community, creating and maintaining a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment for LGBTQ individuals.

Sara Vacin is executive director, and one of her programs is a safe-space youth center at First Presbyterian Church in Batavia. It is there that local students and families have met and forged supportive networks, branching out to other initiatives, including a state-wide conference in Albany attended by several local students, including Makenzie.

Her efforts seem to be helping.

“I have a stronger connection with my family,” she said. “There are still times where I struggle a little bit, but I know who I can reach out to when those times are hard.”

The day was a filled with workshops, a panel and full representation from Genesee County Mental Health, Vacin said. There was a clinical supervisor, two nurses, a therapist and two care managers there throughout the day.

“What was really cool was that they were not just here in the beginning or the end, but were here all day providing information,” she said. “And it speaks volumes about Genesee County, and that they wanted to participate.” 

A total of 72 students attended, with the largest contingent from the Byron-Bergen school district, she said. 

The Genesee County Youth Board honored some of the community's most dedicated and service-oriented teenagers at the board's annual Youth Recognition Dinner on Thursday at Terry Hills.

The youth were recognized for their accomplishments and their volunteer efforts in their schools and communities.

The Youth Worker of the Year Award went to Ally Terranova Laura Williams. Both Terranova and WIlliams are social workers in the Elba Central School District. They were recognized for creating a supportive environment for students and families and establishing the Helping Hands Food Pantry, which has helped address food insecurity for some district families. 

Bonnie Duthe was named Youth Volunteer of the Year. Duthe is a volunteer at the Batavia Community School's Heart of Kindness Center. 

The board also honored the county's School Resource Officers.

Youth Recognition Award winners:

• Hannah Baldwin 
• Chase Banser 
• Anayiah Bautista 
• Liam Campbell 
• Leah Childs 
• Sydney Dundon
• Keegan Fisher
• Finn Halpin 
• Paige Harding 
• Lauryn Hawkins 
• Lucas Hoisington 
• Grace Nickerson
• Paige O’Brien
• Stephanie Onderdonk 
• Emily Pietrzykowski 
• Makenzie Rich 
• Kate Ricupito
• Lilly Senko 
• Jessica Sosnowski

School Resource Officers honored:

• Jordon Alejandro 
• Sean Ancker 
• Connor Borchert
• Joshua Brabon
• Eric Meyer
• Patrick Reeves
• Trevor Sherwood
• Miah Stevens 
• Kyle Tower 
• Ryan Young

At Thursday's annual meeting of the Business Improvement District at Center Street Smokehouse in Batavia, My Cut Barbershop was honored as business of the year and Sara Tenney was named the BID's volunteer of the year.

My Cut is located on the first floor of the Masonic Temple building, 200 E. Main St., Batavia.

Press Release:

Applications are now being accepted for the 2024 class year of United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes’ Leadership Development Programs. The following programs are accepting applications: Latino Leadership Program, African American Leadership Program, Emerging Leaders Program, and Pride Leadership Program. The application deadline is May 31.

United Way’s Leadership Development Programs champion the advancement of African Americans, Latinos, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and emerging professionals in board and leadership positions across the region. Each participant is encouraged to enrich their personal and professional leadership skills, learn the principles of boards of directors, gain an understanding of community opportunities and challenges, foster genuine communities of belonging and inclusivity, and broaden connections through networking.

“If you thrive on engaging, learning, and networking with diverse and like-minded individuals driven to enhance organizations and impact communities, I encourage you to explore United Way's distinctive leadership programs. Upon completion, you'll join over 2,000 program alumni who are paving the way for meaningful change," states Dr. Sheila Strong, director of leadership development and equity.

The Leadership Development Programs will commence this fall, and spaces in each cohort are limited. Reserve your seat now. The tuition fee is $600, and scholarship assistance may be accessible for individuals demonstrating financial need. 

For further information and to apply, visit unitedwayrocflx.org/get-involved/leadership-development. Please direct any inquiries to leadershipdevelopment@unitedwayrocflx.org.

Press Release:

On Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., law enforcement agencies across Genesee County and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will provide the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. 

There will be three locations across the county where citizens can dispose of their medications. Sharps will only be accepted at the Batavia location which moved from the Alva lot this year. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. 

The Batavia Police Department, in conjunction with United Memorial Medical Center, will be accepting prescription drugs and sharps at the Batavia Police Department, located at 10 W. Main Street, Batavia. 

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office will accept prescription drugs ONLY at the Pembroke Town Hall, 1145 Main Rd. Corfu. 

The LeRoy Police Department will accept prescription drugs ONLY at their headquarters at 3 West Main Street, LeRoy. 

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. 

Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, there are many other ways to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs every day, including the 11,000 authorized collectors that are available all year long. 

The Batavia Police Department Headquarters has one for everyday collection of drugs located in the lobby at 10 West Main St., Batavia. Containers are also located at the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office on Park Rd, Batavia, and the LeRoy Police Department. 

Sharps are accepted at United Memorial Medical Center, 127 North Street, Batavia. 

The FDA also provides information on how to dispose of prescription drugs properly. More information is available here: www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines. 

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or the April 27 Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com.

A reader submitted this photo and said Spencer Wuest took a picture of a porcupine this past weekend while walking in the woods in Alexander.

Minor injuries are reported after a vehicle struck a building at 4814 Ellicott Street Road, Batavia.

The location is Brach Machine.

The vehicle is reportedly elevated on a bollard.

Town of Batavia Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE:  A 28-year-old man may have suffered a medical issue while driving on Ellicott Street Road when he lost control of his pickup truck, according to Deputy Jeremy McClellan. He sustained an apparent shoulder injury and was transported to UMMC for evaluation and treatment. McClellan said a code enforcement officer responded to the scene and determined the building remains structurally sound.

Anyone who has lived in our area for any length of time, especially along the Tonawanda Creek, knows that the waters can be unpredictable at times. We only have to look back just a few weeks for another example. There have been many instances when its flow has overreached the banks of the creek and invaded the surrounding properties. The most extensive of these floods in Batavia occurred 80 years ago during a spring thaw.

Batavia has seen many high flood waters in its history. In 1887, there was a flood called at the time “the greatest flood Batavia has seen in years,” and in 1902 the waters damaged the Walnut Street bridge, in what was called a “record breaker,” and even the flood of 1959 caused considerable hardship. 

However, in March 1942 it would see its greatest flood in its history. That March there was still a good deal of snow on the ground of the city. In typical Western New York fashion, a large snowstorm came through on March 15, added to the white coverage. Yet, on the following day, the temperatures rose quickly and the snow changed to rain. 

The precipitation caused much of the snow drifts to begin to melt, especially in the hills near Attica and along the tributaries of the Tonawanda. The creek soon flooded as water poured in Alexander and filled the low areas that bordered the creek. One particular area that was hit hard was the streets south of Ellicott Street in Batavia. 

Water-filled streets like Jackson, Swan, Hutchins, and Otis. As the water flowed under the Walnut Street bridge, then still open to vehicular traffic, it spread to West Main Street and to the northern side streets. 

Many of the residents of those streets were forced to evacuate their homes as the waters continued to rise, and many sought out friends or relatives living in higher points in the city. 

The Red Cross stepped in to assist and helped 225 families find safe and dry lodgings. Those without another place to go were given shelter at the YMCA and school buildings that were unaffected. The only effective means of travel along many of the streets of Batavia, looking more like the canals of Venice, Italy, were boats and canoes and other forms of watercraft. 

Most homes had cellars full of water, and in some worse cases, the waters reached the first floors. The people living in the flooded areas could not return home for several days, but when they did return they were met with severe damage to their homes and properties. 

In the end, the Tonawanda Creek crested at 14 ½ feet, the highest in history. In total, nearly $500,000 in damage was caused.

The 1942 flood, among others, caused the city to strongly look towards how to better manage the waters of the Tonawanda to prevent a similar deluge. Flood control improvements were authorized in 1948 within the Flood Control Act passed by Congress. 

The improvements were completed by late 1955. Some of the improvements included: widening the creek to upwards of 100 feet, adding a retaining wall, clearing the channel, extra bank protection in suspectable areas, and improvement of existing drainage systems.

Staff and leadership of CCOR — Companion Care of Rochester — celebrated the return of an office to Batavia Thursday with a meet-and-greet open house at the agency’s satellite office that serves Genesee and Orleans counties.

This is CCOR's second licensed office, and it has landed at 32 Ellicott St. downtown. While recruiting efforts may have been hampered during those pandemic months, Communications Manager Brooke Findlay said the agency now has built up a local base of 860 aides.

“I feel like during COVID, as with a lot of other agencies, we certainly felt the struggle. But I would say in the last several months our recruiting efforts have really been ramped up. And we've been able to find some really great candidates and onboard more people than we had in the past couple of years,” she said. “We want people to know that we are a family-owned and operated company. We've been serving Western New York for 27 years.

“And we just want to be able to be the people in the homes that are taking care of our clients when their loved ones can't be there,” she said. “We just are excited to kind of be making this appearance in Genesee County and serving the residents of Batavia.”

The agency was founded by Al Gauvin of Rochester, who remains involved as board chairman. 

The Ellicott Street office opened in late August 2023 to serve both home care service clients and people looking for work as personal health care aides and managers. Findlay said tuition-free training and certification are provided so that employees can become personal care assistants.

Services include grocery shopping, meal preparation, household chores and companionship, as well as assisting folks with hands-on care, such as bathing, getting in and out of bed, and personal care needs. Aides don’t dispense medications, she said. 

Care is provided in the home, apartment buildings or independent living communities for clients, she said. CCOR’s goal is a simple and continuous one, Chief Operating Officer Molly Dillon said.

“Our goal is to reach underserved areas where we have a lot of great team members,” Dillon said. “And we already have a lot of great clients out in Genesee County, and we're looking to have more of a presence out here. We're very excited to be back in Batavia. We've had an office in Batavia in the past, and it's really been a big, close-to-home kind of location for us. So we're just really excited to be here right now.”

She further explained the Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Program, which is “where people can take care of a friend or a family member and the consumer is kind of leading the care, hiring, and oversight.” Through that program, the agency has more than 350 aides comprised of family members and friends of clients.

“And we provide payroll processing, some training and support programs,” she said. 

A staff of five people and 12 local aides work out of the Batavia office, and “we’re always bringing on more,” she said. 

Clients typically get started by phone or through the website by completing a needs assessment, which is right on the home page. This allows staff to learn what clients are looking for. You are most likely to begin with Amber Tower, who wears two hats: billing specialist and office coordinator. 

There are a variety of ways to pay for the service, including Medicaid, long-term care, insurance, and private pay, Dillon said. 

“And we also do work with a lot of long-term insurance companies as well,” she said, as Findlay added, “We’ll work with the insurance company or the Medicaid contract to make sure that they get the services.”

Prospective employees may also search for open positions and submit applications on the website. Findlay said client safety is part of the process.

“We do background checks; we also do the training in-house. So we're spending 40 hours with the aides. When they come to us for employment, we’re doing that training with them,” she said. “So we are able to kind of interact with the people for a solid week before they're being sent into a client's home.”

For more information, call 585-219-4427 or email info@CCORhome.com.

When Becky Almeter isn’t at the helm of her Batavia family business as new owner of Hodgins Engraving, she’s at the helm of the family’s sailboat.

An East Bethany resident and daughter of Bob and Mary Lu Hodgins of Alexander, Almeter has also stepped up to lead the youth sailing class this summer, sponsored by the Oak Orchard Yacht Club, where her father is beginning his third year as commodore.

Sailing has been in Almeter’s blood since she was a child, when her parents took the family on trips all over the world.

“I grew up on the docks of Oak Orchard Yacht Club,” Almeter said. “When my parents first got our family sailboat and brought it to Oak Orchard, we were there all the time living aboard during the summer. It was our home base, and from there our family sailed all over Lake Ontario and beyond, including a trip to the Bahamas during which my two brothers and I were homeschooled on the boat.” 

Sailing is not only fun, relaxing and a great way to spend a sunny day, but there are other important reasons Oak Orchard Yacht Club at Point Breeze has sponsored a long-standing youth sailing program, Almeter said.

Children ages 9 to 18 are taught the basics of sailing and water safety, have fun and create lasting memories in a day camp setting, she said. 

A member of the very first youth sailing class in 1992, Almeter. took the youth sailing program for several years as a student, and then earned her U.S. Sailing Certificate to teach, returning as instructor for several years.

After leaving the area for college, she completed her U.S. Coast Guard Captain’s 6-pack commercial license and worked on the water in various capacities. She has sailed on Lake Ontario, in Florida and the Caribbean, cruising and racing, she said.

Almeter and her husband anticipate spending much of their summer on the creek with their five children. Oldest son Joe has been in the sailing program for the past three summers, and this year he will be joined by his sister Abby.

“I am excited about directing the program, because it was such an integral part of my childhood, and I hope my children can have a part of that same experience,” Almeter said. “My memories of my childhood at Oak Orchard Yacht Club were fun, carefree summers spent swimming, sailing, going to Brown’s Berry Patch for slushies, candy and ice cream, running around playing games on the club lawn and on the playground. I didn’t know it then, but while I was having all that fun, I was creating deep bonds with my friends, learning confidence and self-sufficiency, learning how to read weather, how to feel comfortable on open water, general ‘rules of the road’ for navigating creek traffic and countless other smaller things that kids absorb through engaged activity. 

“In this busy day and age, when it’s a much more difficult time to be a kid, I feel like this program is able to give kids back a little more time and space — to turn off the screens, and step away from devices — to simply be kids a little bit longer,” she said. “Having fun, learning skills hands-on, being active and engaging in teamwork, all the things that enrich their minds and bodies in a back-to-basics way.”

The youth sailing program is a win-win for both parents and kids, she said. It builds many life skills, including teamwork, weather and wind awareness, knot tying, boat handling and more. Also, it is a healthy activity that gets kids outside, while having tons of fun and making new friends. The program is an opportunity to provide an activity kids can enjoy for a lifetime, she said.

Oak Orchard Yacht Club is at 1103 Archbald Road, Waterport. Dates are July 8 to 12 and 15 to 19 for Session 1 and July 22 to 26 and July 29 to Aug. 2 for Session 2. Camp is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Campers bring their own lunch.

Instructors are U.S. Sailing certified with a low student-to-instructor ratio, and decide where to sail and take a lunch break each day, based on the weather and curriculum. They follow the latest safety guidelines, including a mandatory swim test for all campers.  Parents can often watch their young sailors from the pier at Point Breeze.

Cost is $460 for one session of 10 days or $685 for two sessions. Discounts available include a sibling discount, OOYC member discount and early registration discount by May 1. Families should contact the Yacht Club to discuss pricing.

Registration can be done online at ooyc.org and clicking on Youth Sailing from the top banner. Once registration is completed, an invoice and any necessary paperwork will be sent by OOYC. A current medical form, waiver and safety agreement must be completed for each camper.

“I am truly honored to be leading the sailing program this year, and am looking forward to a safe, fun program for all our sailors,” Almeter said.

More information can also be obtained by contacting her at 585-813-7259 or email beckya@hodginsengraving.com.