Press Release:

The Batavia Police Department is seeking public assistance in locating a runaway 14-year-old girl. Za'mya Starkes was last seen on 03/28/2025 in Batavia, NY. 

She was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, and blue sweatpants with a white stripe. Za'mya is about 5'08" and 150 pounds with dark brown hair and brown eyes. 

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the Batavia Police Department at 585-345-6350 or the NYS Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 1-800-346-3543. 

Press Release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) board of directors advanced projects at the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park and Apple Tree Acres at its March 27 meeting.

Batavia Cold Storage, LLC proposes to build a 7,040 sq ft facility on three acres at the Ag Park.

The $800,000 investment will create a cold storage facility to manufacture ice to be bagged and stored for distribution to local companies. The project will create two full-time equivalent positions with an estimated annual salary range between $26,000 and $52,000.

Batavia Cold Storage, LLC is requesting a sales tax exemption estimated at $28,729, a mortgage tax exemption estimated at $7,200, and a property tax abatement estimated at $65,717 based on the incremental increase in assessed value via a new traditional 10-year PILOT. The project is estimated to generate $917,882 in local fiscal impacts, including payroll and tax revenues, for an estimated $12 local benefit for every $1 of requested incentives.

A public hearing on the proposed project agreements will be held in the Town of Batavia.

Appletree Acres, LLC is proposing to add a 20,000 square-foot expansion to an existing 50,000 square-foot warehouse in the Apple Tree Acres corporate park. A smaller version of the project was previously considered and advanced in December 2024. The now $1.237 million investment would create four full-time equivalent positions with an estimated annual salary range between $45,000 and $65,000 plus benefits.

Appletree Acres, LLC is requesting a sales tax exemption estimated at $58,800 and a property tax abatement estimated at $213,336 based on the incremental increase in assessed value generated by the expansion. The project is estimated to generate $3.1 million in local fiscal impacts, including payroll and tax revenues, for an estimated $14 local benefit for every $1 of requested incentives.

A public hearing on the proposed project agreements will be held in the Town of Bergen.

Will Bardenwerper, a resident of Pennsylvannia and Iraq War veteran, spent most of the summer of 2022 in Batavia, following the season of the hometown team, the Muckdogs, its second season in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.

Until 2021, Batavia was proudly one of the founding cities of the New York-Penn League. It was the minors. But it was professional. And many fans were initially disappointed to lose their team when MLB eliminated 42 minor league teams after the 2020 season

Then, Robbie and Nellie Nichols rode into town with a plan to revive baseball in Batavia.

Bardenwerper was here on a research project, so he could tell the story of small-town baseball through the eyes of its fans, players, and owners.

The result, a new book, Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America

The book explores the cultural and social significance of small-town baseball, using Batavia as a lens to examine broader themes about community, corporate greed, and America’s shifting values.

Bardenwerper weaves his life as a former Army Ranger who came home to a more divided America with his observations of baseball and the folks around the ballpark where they find a communal experience.

The book also critiques MLB’s increasing corporatization and detachment from its roots. Bardenwerper highlights how private equity firms and data analytics have prioritized profits over tradition, eroding the fabric of minor league baseball. 

Local names, besides the Nichols, in the book include Bill Kauffman, Bestey Higgins, Ginny Wagner, and Ross Fanara.

Jeremy Beer observes in Front Porch Republic:

The strength of Homestand lies in Bardenwerper’s portraits of such people, portraits that amount to a revealing exhibition of what 2020s small-town America really looks like. It’s scruffier than it was in its heyday, rougher around the edges, more hardscrabble, but still leavened by numerous intelligent, fascinating, and large-hearted residents. In all that it is much like the baseball now featured at Batavia’s Dwyer Stadium, which in its new, independent version is in many respects a throwback to the minor-league baseball of the 1940s.

As Kauffman tells Bardenwerper, perhaps being cut loose from MLB will turn out to be a blessing. With local ownership, local staff, and at least a few locally sourced players, the Muckdogs and the dozens of other independent minor- and summer-league teams dotting the American landscape can now shape their own futures in a way they never could have as cogs in the giant affiliated-baseball wheel. Perhaps the same can be said of their host towns. Corporate perfidy notwithstanding, communities no less than individuals have more control of their destines than they imagine—if only they will decline to cooperate in their own destruction.

The Batavian emailed Bardenwerper a few questions.  Below is our Q&A.

What about Batavia and the Muckdogs surprised you?
I was perhaps the most surprised by the ages of the Muckdogs fans on most nights. There was everyone from 80-something grandparents and great-grandparents to toddlers and everyone in between. I thought this was pretty neat and something that is definitely not nearly as common at major professional sports events. I was also struck by just how kind and welcoming everyone was.

What are some of your favorite memories from that summer you spent watching the Muckdogs and hanging around Batavia?
Watching the beautiful sunsets over the left field fence while enjoying a cold Eli Fish beer and talking to the friends I made is my favorite memory.

Why do you think the collegiate league Muckdogs are drawing as well as or better than the professional Muckdogs did?
I think this is due to Robbie and Nellie’s hard work as owners determined to make the ballpark experience a fun one for people of all ages every night, and their work to really get the community involved by reaching out to local schools and other groups to make them a part of the game by having things like Little Leaguers playing catch with the players before the games, run the bases, perform the national anthem, and things like that.

You’re very critical of major league baseball in this book. Why?
For a lot of reasons, but of most relevance to this book was their decision to snuff out baseball in 42 cities that had supported it for over a century in many cases, all to save about $700,000 per team they cut, while at the same time paying individual MLB players nearly a billion dollars.

Were baseball people reluctant to go on the record criticizing MLB and the elimination of 42 minor league teams?
Yes, many of them all seemed afraid of suffering professional repercussions if they were perceived as being critical of MLB and the commissioner.

What kind of feedback are you getting from the people you wrote about in this book?
The feedback has been almost uniformly positive, which is really gratifying.

This book is as much about community as it is baseball. That makes it unique in the long and rich history of baseball books, doesn’t it?
I think so. About 80% of the book takes place off the field, in the bleachers and elsewhere in Batavia, and so while there is baseball in it, it is about more than baseball.

The Pavilion Volunteer Fire Department held its annual awards banquet on Saturday.

Department Officers:

• Bryen Murrock, Chief
• Codey O'Neill, 1st Assistant Chief
• Tom Garlock, 2nd Assistant Chief
• Captain, Chris Holley
• Captain, Kelly Murrock
• Lieutenant, Shane Freeman
• EMS Captain, Amanda Holley
• EMS Lietenant, Dave Clor
• Safety Officer, Dewey Murrock
• Fire Police Captain, Ken Weaver
• Fire Police Lietenant, Don Roblee, Jr.

Social Officers:

• Hunter Schiske, president
• Dave Clor, vice president
• Ken Weaver, treasurer
• Ashli O'Neill, recording secretary
• Kelly Murrock, financial secretary

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Volunteers for Animals hosted a vendor fair at Batavia Downs on Sunday.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Steve Kruppner, formerly of The Bluesway Band, debuted his new band, JMS Trio, at Center Street Smoke House on Saturday evening.

Photos by Howard Owens.

The Xtreme International Ice Racing Series visited the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena on Saturday evening.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Photos by Melissa Brooks

The Western New York National Cemetery Council hosted a final Vietnam Veteran Memorial ceremony on Saturday in accordance with a proclamation signed by President Donald Trump during his first term in 2017.

The proclamation was to confirm this nation's commitment to the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, which began on Memorial Day 2012 and will continue through Veterans Day 2025.

The Vietnam War lasted from 1955 to 1975, with the U.S. escalating involvement in 1962. Former President Barack Obama signed the original proclamation to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the war on May 28, 2012.

At the time of the signing, Obama said, “You were often blamed for a war you didn’t start, when you should have been commended for serving your country with valor. You were sometimes blamed for misdeeds of a few, when the honorable service of the many should have been praised. You came home and sometimes were denigrated, when you should have been celebrated. It was a national shame, a disgrace that should have never happened. And that’s why here today we resolve that it will not happen again.”

It was a wet Saturday, but GO Art!'s Art Stroll in Downtown Batavia went ahead as scheduled.

Photos by Melissa Brooks.

Rob Gogolack was grateful on Saturday for the turnout at a pulled pork dinner sale at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Batavia to help raise money to modify his car so he can drive it.

Gogolack, a resident of Attica, has been diagnosed with ALS and, as he puts it, "my legs don't want to work." 

The modification would enable him to operate his car like a motorcycle.

"We're going to get hand controls for my car because I drove a motorcycle, Gogolack said. "The hand controls that I'm getting work like a throttle. Throttle it up like a motorcycle, push it forward, and that's the brakes. So, since my legs don't want to work and my upper body does -- gotta do what you gotta do."

The modification will cost about $6,000. He's already paid more than $300 for a training class.

"This is great," Gogolack said of the fundraiser. "I'm a firm believer that what comes around goes around. We've been going to this church for almost 20 years now, and with that, said -- it is just really hard to put words into it, because, like, the baskets. First of all, we didn't even want to do the baskets. We're just going to do the dinner. Then everybody just came together. Hey, I got some baskets for you. I got some baskets for you. I get it. Well, now, as you can tell, there's like 50 or 60 of them out there. So I feel very, very blessed."

St. Paul Lutheran is located at 31 Washington Ave., Batavia. The dinner goes until 8 p.m. There is also vegetarian lasagna available.

Jim Banish would probably give anything not to have the story that serves as a foundation for his nonprofit first responder training efforts, yet he has promised his family and himself that brother Joey didn’t die in vain.

Banish, a former police officer for 27 years and founder of New York Law Enforcement Assistance Program (NY LEAP), used the tremendous pain of his brother’s death by suicide as the impetus for doing what he could to improve the mental health and wellness of active or retired law enforcement members and first responders.

“I really want to offer them hope, I want to offer them knowledge, and I want to offer them a platform where they can go and get the help that they need themselves to live a long and healthy, happy life. Our life expectancy in law enforcement is 58 years old; it’s about 20 years less than the national average, and I don't think that's fair,” Banish said to The Batavian after a workshop Friday at Genesee County’s Emergency Management Training Center. “So my ultimate goal is to really bankrupt the retirement system with retired cops. But I want to give them hope, and I want to give them light, and I want them to know it's okay not to be okay, and you can go get help and break that stigma and make sure that they're not getting punished for asking for help.”

He and co-presenter Andy Carrier drove up from Georgia to talk to the class of nearly two dozen people from the county Sheriff’s Office, Dispatch Center, Batavia City Police, Department of Corrections, Emergency Management, and Mental Health.

They talked about the compounding effects of dealing with crisis and the physiological effects of trauma, including heart disease, panic attacks, irritable bowel syndrome, nausea, fatigue, and hippocampus shrinking and hardening.

“PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) is now a line of duty injury,” Banish said. “It has a physiological effect. With trauma, it has a hippocampus injury. When we’re exposed to the amount of trauma that we’re exposed to, it hardens the lining of the hippocampus.”

These effects can be proven with an MRI test, he said, and is “a physical injury.” The good news is that it can also be reversible with treatment.

Banish, who grew up in Buffalo, knows about how trauma can affect a person. His brother had been with the New York State Police for 15 years when he ended his life. It was not only inconsolable grief for the family, but guilt that Banish suffered with for years afterward, he said.

“The day was April 1, 2008, which was the day my brother went home at lunch and shot himself and took his life with me responding to that scene shortly thereafter it happening,” Banish said. “It left me with a lot of questions and a lot of hurt and a lot of pain in my life. And I had been a police officer at that point for 10 years, and he had 15 years on, and ascended to the rank of lieutenant, he was moving up pretty quick.”

Through his own struggle while self-medicating and isolating for the next few years, Banish discovered that there wasn’t much out there in the way of resources for police officers when they especially needed it, he said.

“I wanted to start helping other police officers after I got help. I didn’t realize that it also encompassed corrections officers and dispatchers and fire, because they all see so much trauma, we all do in this field of first responders,” he said. “So after NY LEAP got launched —in 2017 — we started hosting post-critical incident seminars around the state. We started training other people to do what I was doing and to train them to be good peers and to get them the resources. Then, I started working with different clinicians throughout the state. And then I started going around the country, and I’ve been as far as California and Louisiana and all over the country to help spread the word.”

He and Carrier reviewed signs of distress, including an increased consumption of alcohol to self medicate; restless nights or days, depending on one’s work shifts; problems at work and not performing well; constant agitation; lashing out at others; destruction of home life and pushing loved ones away while isolating; and deep depression.

While those signs are being felt and exhibited, the officer or responder may also struggle with not knowing where to go for help or the potential repercussions for doing so, they said. There’s a fear of being fired, how administrators and co-workers may treat you, that firearms may be taken away, placement in a mental health facility, and/or of not knowing who to trust.

Current law enforcement culture is that:

• You can handle anything.
• Rub some dirt on it, and get back in the game.
• Laugh it off, make a joke, and it will help you get over it.
• Don’t ever let any other member know something is bothering you.

In addition to addressing suicide and PTSD, NY LEAP staff also aim to reduce the rates of divorce, alcohol abuse, cumulative stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. Evidence-based techniques and services are provided through education and training to help first responders live healthier and happier lives and be more productive and effective at work, the material states. 

Healthy officers and responders are better equipped to improve relationships with the communities they serve, which in turn helps to create cost savings for departments. NYLEAP was created by peers, for peers, to help fight the stigma associated with first responders asking for and receiving help by having open conversations about mental health and the impact of trauma, the material states.

“The statistics are continuing to grow at alarming rates in terms of number of deaths by suicide; along with the frequency of PTSD, cumulative trauma, alcohol/substance use disorders, and other mental health concerns that may be caused by the day-to-day stress and trauma from the job,” it states. “In 2022, the number of reported deaths by suicide in law enforcement outnumbered felonious line of duty deaths by near triple rates. Our goal is to equip officers and first responders with the tools needed in order to provide individual and group peer support within their own agencies and with other responders throughout the state.”

Banish and Carrier recommended several books, including “Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement” by Kevin Gilmartin, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” by Viktor Franks, and “Invisible Heroes,” by Belleruth Naparstek.

The duo was excited to announce the debut of Valor Station, a behavioral health treatment center exclusively for first responders seeking help for mental health issues, to be opening Monday in Augusta, Ga. The goal is to open other sites throughout the country in the future, Banish said.

“It’s about us creating a place for us,” he said. “It’s built by first responders for first responders. It has taken a lot of time and effort. We’re gonna take care of each other and keep this going.”

His parents took a recent tour of the place and were greeted with a large memorial photo of their beloved late son Joseph, alongside his framed uniform. That’s a reminder for all that this young lieutenant’s life meant something, and he did not die in vain, brother Jim said.

“I promised my parents he won’t be forgotten,” Jim said.

Genesee County Mental Health Director Lynda Battaglia invited NY LEAP to offer the workshop as an overview of what officer wellness is, and to spotlight the very real need out there to take care of this county’s first responders, she said.

“What they see every day, what they respond to every day, builds up day after day, week after week, year after year, and a person can't carry that alone. They have to be able to process what they have seen and what they've been exposed to, and the only way to do that is by talking about it,” Battaglia said. “So talking with mental health, talking with a peer, somebody that's walked in their shoes, a clinician who understands, knows how to process trauma, I want to highlight officer and first responder wellness in the county because it's extremely important. We need it.”

Battaglia said she feels this topic overall is off to a good start, with officer wellness programs having already begun at the Sheriff’s Office and Batavia Police Department, and now this mixed group of attendees. As Carrier emphasized to them: “I want to let first responders know that it’s okay to get help.”

Reilly Schwenebraten and Erica Jeremy love reading, and they love teaching children to read, which explains their enthusiasm for organizing the Wocott Street School Book Fair and PARP Fest.

PARP stands for Pick A Reading Partner.

Schwenebraten is a Pre-K teacher at the Le Roy school,l and Jeremy is a teaching assistant.

"We actually spend the whole month focused on reading and activities," Jeremy said. "Then, to culminate the month, we have this event for an hour and a half on Friday night to bring the kids in a lot of free activities."

There is dancing, games, face painting, pizza, and other snacks for the kids. The student bookstore is also open.

"Our theme this year was 'Rock Out With A Good Book,' said Schwenebraten. "All of our activities have been based around music. So on Mondays, it was Move It Monday, where we were dancing throughout the day. Tuesday was Name That Tune Tuesday, where we'd play a song, and they'd have to guess it. On Wednesdays, we would dress up in different themes. Then, on Thursday, we had guest readers. So we drew in people from the community to read to our kids in lunch,  and then on Fridays, we would all wear our PARP shirts."

Why is reading important to you?

Jeremy: "Reading is important to me because it's the basic fundamental of everything you will ever learn, whatever career you want to go into, whatever job you want to have, whether you're reading a book, whether you're reading song lyrics, whether you're reading a map, whether you're reading recipes, you've got to have that knowledge to be able to go anywhere in life."

Schwenebraten: "Reading is important to me, because it brings a lot of memories for me, just with my family and how important reading was for my mom, and what I want to bring to my kids, and obviously what I bring to my students, and just like Erica said that it's the basis of all skills that you need for life, is to read. So finding ways to bring enjoyment and allow children to have enjoyment through reading is really important, and so motivating them to do that is our goal this month."

Erica Jeremy, a teaching assistant, and Reilly Schwenebraten, pre-K teacher.

Photos by Debra Reilly.

American women of every race, social stratum and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways.

And so begins the proclamation that Genesee County's Legislature presented to a group of county women leaders Wednesday as symbolic support and awareness of the contributions made by women to society over the years. 

The proclamation continues:

WHEREAS, American women have played and continue to play a critical economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of the life of the Nation by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working inside and outside of the home, and

WHEREAS, American women were particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, humanitarian, and cultural institutions in our Nation, and

WHEREAS, American women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and especially the peace movement, which creates a fairer and just society for all, and

WHEREAS, each department within Genesee County includes influential women whose dedication, expertise, and leadership continue to strengthen and empower women by, demonstrating resilience, innovation, and commitment to excellence across all sectors. 

Now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Genesee County Legislature resoundingly embraces Women’s History Month. Their continuous contributions made to Genesee County captures the spirit of women’s determination and clear, forward thinking by demonstrating creativity, courage and forging career paths for women of all levels of society.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Genesee County Legislature proclaims March 2025 as “Women’s History Month”. A month to take notice and appreciate the hard work women have done, and continue to do.

With a theme of "It Starts Here," this year's recognition of National Public Health Week placed emphasis on the importance of "making a difference in our homes, communities, and state."

Genesee County legislators took a few moments during their Legislature meeting Wednesday to underscore that importance with a proclamation for the contributions of public health professionals and highlight important health issues that impact local communities.

Legislator Gregg Torrey read the citation for the upcoming week in April, which stated in part:

WHEREAS, public health initiatives, including chronic disease prevention, communicable disease prevention, environmental health, health education, emergency preparedness, and efforts to address health disparities, play a crucial role in improving quality of life; and

WHEREAS, National Public Health Week provides an opportunity for residents to learn about key public health concerns and success stories that are essential to building a healthy community. These efforts include immunization programs, nutrition education, maternal and child health programs, safe housing initiatives through the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, mental health promotion, substance use prevention, disease surveillance, rabies prevention through vaccination clinics, smoking and vaping education, and strengthening community resilience through emergency preparedness; and

WHEREAS, collaboration between government agencies, healthcare providers, community organizations, businesses, and individuals is essential to addressing public health challenges and building a healthier future for all; and

WHEREAS, the residents of Genesee County recognize the essential role public health plays in their everyday lives, and we commend the dedication of public health professionals, first responders, and community partners who work to protect and promote the well-being of all.

Now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Genesee County Legislature hereby proclaims April 7-13, 2025, as Public Health Week in Genesee County and encourages all residents to participate in activities that promote health and wellness in our community.

A former chief operating officer for Western Region Off-Track Betting Corp. will receive $550,000 in a settlement stemming from a lawsuit he filed against the corporation in August 2021.

Michael Nolan alleged the victim of retaliation because he raised concerns about some corporation practices, such as health insurance for board members, the distribution of tickets to sporting events, misuse of funds, and improperly responding to Freedom of Information Law requests from reporters.

He was fired on Dec. 18, 2020.

In his initial filing of the suit, he sought $14.5 million --  $4.5 million for violating his First Amendment rights, another $4.5 million for breaking the state’s Civil Service Law, and an additional $5.5 million for emotional pain and suffering.

According to court documents, the case was settled through mediation on March 17 pending WROTB board approval.

Nolan began his career with WROTB in 2011 and was promoted to chief operating officer in 2017.

On Thursday, the board agreed to pay the settlement with $150,000 cash and an insurance policy covering the other $400,000.

Press Release:

The Genesee County Youth Bureau sponsored the 36th Annual Youth Conference at Genesee Community College on March 20.

This conference is offered on an annual basis to local seventh- and eighth-grade students in Genesee and Orleans County in an effort to address pertinent social issues of interest to middle school-aged youth. There were 340 seventh-and eighth-grade students in attendance.

This year we focused on promoting and fostering healthy relationships, mental well-being, and how social media affects one’s mental health. 

Our interactive keynote speaker, Logan Taylor of Y.B.Normal?, spoke on the importance of respecting differences, having healthy boundaries, and the significance of coping skills. His presentation titled “You Matter” emphasized the importance of having a mental health routine and being the best version of yourself. Logan highlighted several important skills throughout his speech including leadership, critical thinking, teamwork, empathy, adaptability, and problem solving.

A total of 22 different workshops were offered to students. These workshops included a variety of human service organizations from Genesee County. The workshops were tailored to be interesting, engaging, and hands-on while addressing the theme of the conference. Topics addressed in the workshops included, Self-Defense and Personal Safety, Social Media Awareness and Online Safety, Mechatronics, Building Confidence Through Geocaching, Musical Theatre and Public Speaking, Healthy Relationships and Empowerment, and many more.

Members of the Youth Conference Committee are extremely grateful to the workshop presenters who volunteered their time to educate our area seventh and eighth graders. We are also grateful to the following businesses/organizations that provided discounts or donations for the conference…Genesee Community College, GCEDC, and Subway.

For more information on the annual Genesee County Youth Conference or to find out how you can participate in the next event, call the Genesee County Youth Bureau at 585-344-3960.