Winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph are expected tomorrow prompting the National Weather Service to issue a wind advisory.

The advisory runs from 7 a.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Rain is also possible on Tuesday.

The winds could result in some downed tree limbs and isolated power outages. Driving high-profile vehicles will be more difficult.

A fire that is thought to have started on the west side of the home destroyed a parsonage at 4131 Rose Road in Batavia late this morning.

"We lost our parsonage," said Faith Community Chapel Pastor Henry Pokrywa. "Firefighters responded promptly. Nobody was inside. The dog got out and they're still looking for the cat."

Retired Faith chapel Pastor Gene Demay and his wife, Rena, lived at the church-owned property with their pets.

They were at the chapel next door when the fire broke out and a passerby saw flames coming from the structure and called the Emergency Dispatch Center.

Town of Batavia Deputy Fire Chief Robert Tripp said they secured the natural gas line when they arrived on scene and waited for apparatus to arrive. They had difficulty accessing the origins of the fire because the house has a metal roof on top of asphalt shingles.

Tripp said they were able to send a crew inside initially, but then the interior became fully involved and a partial collapse of the roof on the south side made staying inside too dangerous so the crew was called outside.

At that point, until they could cut through the roof, the only points to fight the fire were windows and where venting occurred. Extensive overhaul will need to be done to ensure it's out and there's no rekindle.

"Don't put a metal roof over asphalt shingles," Tripp said. "Have one (kind of roof) or the other. Our saws are prepared for one style or the other. We have to switch out the blades to cut through both," which takes precious time to do.

"No one was injured, thank God," said Pastor Pokrywa. "We thank everybody for their prayers and we thank the firefighters and first responders."

Pokrywa added that the well-being of retirees Gene and Rena Demay "will be taken care of."

Once the fire was out, firefighters searched the flooded basement for the cat and found it alive. After getting a bit of oxygen, the cat was taken to a local vet for further examination.

Asked if the parsonage is a total loss, Deputy Chief Tripp said they have been unable to get inside yet to make that determination. There is significant smoke and fire -- not water -- damage to the first floor.

Firefighters responded with mutual aid from Le Roy, Alexander, and Stafford. Also responding were the American Red Cross, Mercy medics and Genesee County Sheriff's deputies.

Howard Owens was at the scene and contributed to this report. Photos by Howard Owens.

Pastor Henry Pokrywa

Tim Yaeger, the county's emergency management coordinator, carries books that were recovered by interior firefighters after the fire was out. These were the first items removed from the house. Several items were removed, including what looked like family photos that probably sustained water and smoke damage but appeared unburned.

Just as they've done all season, the Alexander Trojans dominated an opponent and came away with a victory, this time for the Class D sectional title.

The Trojans beat York/Pavilion 36-0 in Alfred on Saturday night.

Three backs for Alexander gained at least 100 yards. Fullback Hayden Walton had eight carries for 100 yards. Chris McClinic gained 106 yards on 12 rushes. And Terrez Smith, the game's MVP, ran seven times for 116 yards.

"(Winning the MVP in sectionals) means everything but I'm not the most valuable player," Smith said. "The team helped me a lot to get this trophy. I wouldn't have it without this team. It was a team effort."

It was nearly nine minutes into the first quarter before Alexander scored for the first time, on a 56-yard run by Smith. 

By half-time, York/Pavilion's fate seemed sealed with the Trojans up 29-0 after a 29 yard run by Smith, a McClinic eight-yard run, and an 18-yard pass from Dylan Busch to McClinic.

Busch completed six passes against one interception, on a tipped pass, on the night.

McClinic, Smith, Walton, Busch, Ty Wood, the Trojans are a team with exceptional talent at skill positions. It's something special, McClinic said, to be surrounded by such great teammates.

"You know you don't have to do it all yourself," McClinic said. "You know you have some skill guys around. That's wonderful."

Sawyer agrees it's special but the whole team is special.

"When 11 guys do their job then the team really benefits from that," Tim Sawyer, head coach, said. That's been our formula and guys know what they need to do and that they're accountable to each other. You add to that, they care about each other and makes for a winning combination for sure."

On defense, Jake Jasen had another big game with 15 tackles, Woods 11, Walton 9, plus a fumble recovery, and Nate Luker had eight tackles.

The Trojans won their first sectional title in program history two years ago and that seemed like an incredible team but Alexander hit a brick wall -- like a lot of Section V teams do -- when it came time to play Section VI for the regional championship.

That year Maple Grove came out strong and fast and left Alexander not much of an answer on its way to a 28-0 win.

Coach Sawyer's hopeful this year's Trojan team can succeed where other Section V teams have failed when Alexander takes on Clymer in Clarence next week.

Clymer is 10-0 and ranked #1 in the state so Alexander is meeting a tough opponent again as it tries to advance to the state tournament.

"(Maple Grove) was just a little bit better than we were in the trenches and they dictated the play a little bit more," Sawyer said. "think we throw the ball better now than we did then because of pre-snap reads perhaps. Our defense has come a long way. Our defense is just outstanding.

"Coach McCracken is very thorough. The kids understand the system. Anytime you have a defense like we have it gives you a chance every week, so yeah, we're looking forward to the matchup for sure."

Top Photo: Head Coach Tim Sawyer embraces Terrez Smith as time expires in Alexander's Class D championship win.

Dylan Busch trots into the end zone of Alexander's final TD of the night. Busch snatched the ball out of the air after York's QB was hit from behind as he attempted a pass (next picture).

Chris McClinic

Terrez Smith headed for the end zone.

Chris McClinic

To purchase keepsake prints of photos, click here.

Hundreds of Alexander fans greeted the Trojans when the team bus arrived back at the school at 11:30 last night. The bus received a fire department escort through the village. (Photo submitted by Andrew Young.)

A church-owned house next to Faith Community Chapel is on fire at 4131 Rose Road, at the intersection of Rose Road and Route 98 in Batavia. Flames are showing. It has a metal roof. Churchgoers were on the premises when the fire broke out, but they are believed to all be out of structures. Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 11:38 a.m.: Flames have well involved the west side of the house and are shooting through the roof, according to a firefighter on scene. Alexander's Fast Team is called for mutual aid, along with Le Roy and Stafford fire departments and Mercy medics.

UPDATE 11:42 a.m.: A first responder has shut off the natural gas line on the property. They are clearing the parking lot of vehicles to accommodate emergency equipment. The American Red Cross is called to the scene.

UPDATE 11:48 a.m.: National Grid is called to shut down power. Traffic is being held at Route 98 and Rose Road.

UPDATE 3:09 p.m.: The family dog was rescued from the house before the fire spread but the fate of a cat was unknown. Throughout the fire and overhaul, it was believed the cat was in the basement. The basement was flooded and firefighters had to pump water out. We just received word the cat was found alive and was rescued.

UPDATE 3:25 p.m.: Town of Batavia assignment back in service.

Batavia Blue Devils faced the Wayne Eagles for the Class B Sec V Class final at St. John Fisher College Saturday night. Most everything has been falling Batavia’s way this season and that included the game's coin toss. Batavia won and elected to receive. 

On the game's opening kick Wayne went for an onside kick, or their kicker shanked it, no one was sure, but the play ended with Wayne recovering the ball in Batavia territory. The Batavia defense held Wayne and after three downs they punted but Batavia coughed up the ball again on a fumble. This time Wayne was able to capitalize on the turnover and scored. 

For the first time this season Batavia was behind in a game.

Late in the first quarter, Batavia was able to get up on the board with a touchdown, but in more uncharacteristic play, they failed to convert and missed the field goal. The first quarter ended Batavia 6 Wayne 7.  

After some back and forth Batavia was able to break through and score with four and a half minutes left in the first half, then again with three minutes left and again with 40 seconds left in the half. At the end of the first half Batavia led 28 to 7. 

Batavia made sure Wayne understood they were in charge and there was no way they were going to let them back into the game. Batavia started the second half scoring again only 20 seconds in. Batavia 35, Wayne 7. 

After a few substitutions by Batavia, they led by 49 to 7. Wayne was able to put a few more points up on the board in the fourth. 

The final score Batavia 49, Wayne 14.

Ray Leach hit a season-high with 344 yards and six TDs. Alec Rood ran for 59 yards.

Ethan Biscaro went 5 for 9 passing for 112 yards and 1TD and another interception on defense. 

 Taio lburi-Bethel had four receptions for 110 yards and one TD.

For more pictures of the game click HERE

Seven-year-old Christina Guiher demonstrates what she's learned in her karate lessons for judges during the sixth-annual Traditional Martial Arts Association Tournament at Le Roy High School this afternoon.

The Tournament consists of Sparring (point fighting), Individual Kata (forms), Team Kata, Weapons Kata, and Self Defense.

Tournament organizers are Soke William Cavalier (Livonia Tatsu Do School), Hanshi Dick Borrell (Borrell’s Karate Academy Batavia), and Renshi Fred Merica (Le Roy Karate & Self Defense Center/ Main Street Fitness). All three have been close associates and tournament/clinic organizers for the past 40 years.

The parking lot at East Bethany's Presbyterian Church was overflowing today as holiday shoppers swarmed over the crafts and goods being offered by vendors throughout two floors of the church.

A scene on Little Canada Road, East Bethany, early this afternoon.

John P. Wittkopp, 35, of Columbia Avenue, Batavia, is charged with sixth-degree conspiracy and fourth-degree grand larceny -- value greater than $1,000. On Oct. 31, Wittkopp responded to Batavia PD and was arrested after an investigation into an incident that occurred at 4:21 p.m. on Oct. 27 on Main Street in Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket, released, and is due in Batavia City Court on Nov. 13 to answer the charges. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Jason Davis.

Jamie M. Ficarella, 42, of Liberty Street, Batavia is charged with sixth-degree conspiracy and fourth-degree grand larceny -- value greater than $1,000. On Oct. 31, Ficarella responded to Batavia PD and was arrested after an investigation into an incident that occurred at 3 p.m. on Oct. 28 on East Main Street in Batavia. She was issued an appearance ticket, released, and is due in Batavia City Court on Nov. 13 to answer the charges. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Jason Davis.

Breanna C. Toal, 22, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and falsifying business records in the first degree. Toal was arrested Oct. 28 following an investigation into a report that she stole from her employer while working at 7-Eleven on East Main Street in Batavia. She was processed and released on an appearance. She is due in city court on Nov. 13. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jason Ivison.

Aaron L. Klein, 47, no permanent address, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Klein was arrested on three counts of petit larceny following an investigation into property that was stolen from a residence on Montclair Avenue in the City of Batavia, shortly after midnight on July 26. He was already being held in Genesee County Jail on unrelated charges. He was issued an appearance ticket for city court and is due there Nov. 13. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jason Ivison.

Olivia J. Paganin, 29, of Myrtle Street, Le Roy, was arrested on Nov. 1 by Le Roy Police Officer Kellogg on a Batavia City Court warrant. The defendant was then extradited to Batavia PD, arraigned in city court and put in jail. Paganin is due in city court at a later date. The case was handled in Batavia by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Jason Davis.

• Slow down, particularly at dusk and dawn;
• If you see one deer, be prepared for more deer to cross the road;
• Pay attention to deer crossing signs;
• Always buckle up — every trip, every time;
• Use your high beams to see farther, except when there is oncoming traffic;
• Brake if you can, but avoid swerving; this can result in a more severe crash;
• Remain focused on the road; scan for hazards, including animals;
• Avoid distractions; devices or eating might cause you to miss seeing an animal;
• Do not rely on products such as deer whistles; they are not proven effective;
• If riding a motorcycle, always wear protective gear; keep focus on the road ahead.

Mark Lewis Agency - State Farm, 8331 Lewiston Road, Batavia. Call today 585-343-4959 > Click here to visit us online <

An East Rochester resident being held at the Buffalo Detention Facility in Batavia was denied her asylum request following a continuation of her deportation hearing Friday morning.

Immigration Judge Steve Connelly ruled that an intellectual disability, unlike mental health issues, is not sufficient grounds for asylum in the United States. While acknowledging the 21-year-old is at a fifth-grade reading level, the defense failed to prove there is persecution in Mexico of people with intellectual disabilities.

Connelly found that the possibility of the stepfather of Abigail Hernandez moving to Mexico to help care for her, plus the possibility of care from her grandmother or other relatives, proved she had sufficient family structure to be cared for in Mexico.

Hernandez was arrested after posting threats of violence against students at her high school on Facebook. Hernandez pled guilty to a lesser, nonviolent offense, and Connelly said although there was no evidence that she is a future threat, in the current environment, such threats must be taken seriously.

Hannah Vickner Hough, representing Hernandez, has 30 days to appeal the decision. In the meantime, Hernandez will be held at the detention facility.

Information via The Batavian's news partner, 13WHAM. For the full story, click here.

More than a year ago, Warner, a resident of Oakfield, retired from the station due to ill health.

Warner, who hosted the morning show "Main and Center," is being cared for at Crossroads House.

Those who wish to send Warner a card of support can mail it, in care of Crossroads House, to the Crossroads House mailing address: P.O. Box 403, ​Batavia, NY 14020.

Sara Menke, of Caledonia, a student at Batavia CTE in the Animal Science program, explains to her parents, Linda and Jason, how she cares for a French agora rabbit in her class during an open house Thursday night.

The annual open house is a chance for parents and the community to see what students are learning at the school and what programs are available to career-minded students.

Press release: 

The Oakfield-Alabama Central School District’s Board of Education (BOE), has named three finalists in the search for the district’s next Superintendent.

Matt Lamb, president of the Oakfield- Alabama Central School District’s BOE, said he is pleased with the high-quality candidate pool and is enthused about the potential the three finalists have to offer.

“Choosing the best superintendent for our district is the board’s main priority,” Lamb said. “The field of candidates was diverse, which made narrowing the field very difficult. We are confident that one of these individuals will be the best candidate for our school district and community.”

The three finalists are John C. Fisgus, Frank Bai-Rossi and Kathleen E. Affigne, Ph.D.

Fisgus is currently the principal of Royalton-Hartland Middle School, in the Royalton-Hartland Central School District (RHCSD), where he has served since 2008. His responsibilities as principal include supervising and hiring all instructional and support staff, developing and managing a building budget as well as assisting with the district budget development process. Fisgus created honor courses in all four academic core subjects within the middle school and is the facilitator of the district’s Professional Learning Community Team. Prior to that, he served as the assistant principal at Lake Shore Middle School. Fisgus began his career in education in 1998 as an eighth-grade math teacher at Depew Middle School in the Depew Union Free School District. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Secondary Mathematics Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Fisgus earned a Master of Science in School Administration from Canisius College and holds a New York State School Administrator/Supervisor and School Administrator Certificate.

Bai-Rossi is the principal of the Phelps-Clifton Springs Middle/High School, where he has served as principal since 2014. As principal, Bai-Rossi supervises and evaluates a staff of 100. During his tenure as principal, graduation rates have increased to more than 90 percent, and a number of AP and accelerated classes were added at the high school and middle school. In the summer of 2015, Bai-Rossi also managed a large construction project at the high school. From 2007 until 2014, he was the assistant principal at Penfield High School. Bai-Rossi began his career in education in 1995 at Hillside Children’s Center as a special education teacher. He continued his career as special education teacher at Greece Central Schools and also served as a special education building leader. Bai-Rossi earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Alfred University, a Master of Science in Elementary and Special Education from Nazareth College and a Master of Science in School Administration from Canisius College. He is certified as a New York State School District Administrator/Supervisor and School Administrator.

Kathleen Affigne, Ph.D., is the interim principal for Fort Montgomery Elementary School in Highland Falls. She is responsible for all aspects of prekindergarten through second grade instruction, budgeting, professional development, evaluation and implementation of New York state mandates and budgeting. From 2014 until 2018, Affigne served as the assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and pupil personnel services for the Millbrook Central School District. During her tenure as assistant superintendent, Affigne implemented district and building level data teams to analyze data sets to inform curriculum and instruction decision-making. Previously, she was the director of instructional services for the Warwick Valley Central School District in Warwick. Affigne began her career in 1984 as an instrumental music teacher for grades 4-8 in the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Bridgeport, a Master of Science in Music Education from Central Connecticut State University, and a doctorate in Educational Administration and Policy Studies from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. She earned a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration from SUNY New Paltz.

Final rounds of interviews with the three candidates are set for Nov. 14, 15 and 16 at the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District. Candidate meet and greet forums will be held from 4-4:30 p.m. in the Oakfield-Alabama High School Auditorium on the following dates:

• Kathleen Affigne, Nov. 14
• John C. Fisgus, Nov. 15
• Frank Bai-Rossi, Nov. 16

The anticipated start date for the new superintendent is January.

Kevin MacDonald, District Superintendent of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, who is acting as search consultant, said the Board has developed and implemented a process that will help determine the best candidate.

“This is a rigorous search process,” MacDonald said. “The finalists will visit the district to tour and meet with staff and community members. The process concludes with the Board meeting to make a final decision.”

Press release:

Nate McMurray, Democrat and Working Families Party candidate in NY-27, will be visiting all eight counties this weekend as a part of his grassroots Get Out the Vote effort to talk to as many voters as possible across the district. He will travel to the counties in the following order: Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Ontario, Monroe, Livingston, Wyoming. The tour will end with a GOTV rally with Talia Shire, an Oscar-nominated actress of two of the most successful movie franchises in history, the "Rocky" and "Godfather" sagas, at the campaign’s headquarters in Hamburg.

McMurray will be at Tim Hortons, 20 Main St., Batavia at 8:45 a.m., Sunday, for 30 minutes.

A former Orleans County resident whom investigators believe planned the murder of Raymond Morgan before beating him to death in his apartment at 111 Liberty St., Batavia, on July 24, was charged in Genesee County Court today with murder in the second degree.

Richard D. Hanes, 36, entered a not guilty plea before a courtroom packed with Morgan's family and friends as well as several police officers and detectives from Batavia PD. He was shackled and dressed in the green jumpsuit of the Department of Corrections and accompanied by a pair of corrections officers.

"Right now we don't have a motive," said Det. Kevin Czora after Hanes was arraigned on the single count of second-degree murder. "All we know is that it was an exceptionally violent attack that happened in an extremely short period of time. I believe it was premeditated from the evidence that we've collected, and what we know, but as of right now we do not have a motive."

Hanes has been in state custody since July 26, two days after the murder, on an alleged parole violation. He is being held at the Attica Correctional Facility.

He was convicted in Orleans County in 2003 of burglary, 3rd, attempted robbery, 2nd, and grand larceny, 4th. His parole on those charges expires Dec. 7.

According to a police spokesman, Hanes was living at 5 Thorpe St., Batavia, a rooming house for clients of GCASA, at the time of the alleged murder.

The evidence against Hanes, according to Czora and District Attorney Lawrence Friedman, is wide-ranging.

"There were witnesses in the area who, when this happened, identified him," Friedman said. "That's how it got started. So we have that. There are various items of physical evidence that were found and connected to him. We've got surveillance video from various locations that follow his path after the crime. There are also various items of scientific evidence."

Hanes is scheduled to remain in state custody until early December. Judge Charles Zambito ordered him held without bail but Fred Rarick, representing Hanes, said he reserved his right to make a bail application at a later date. Hanes will next appear in County Court on Jan. 9 for a hearing on any motions that have been filed.

Though Morgan had his own trouble with the law, he was a 47-year-old Batavia native with a large, tight-knit family locally, including five grandchildren, and a large network of close friends. Victor Thomas said they're all relieved to see the case reach this stage after months of waiting for justice to be served.

"This is the first step," Thomas said. "At least we start to see some justice; at least we got a name; at least we have a charge; at least we've got a prosecutor and somebody who is going to fight for us."

While police identified a suspect early in the investigation and gathered several items of physical evidence, formal charges were delayed until DNA could be analyzed.

Friedman said, because of ethical guidelines, he couldn't discuss that aspect of the case but he said the important factor was just making sure all of the evidence was ready for a successful prosecution.

"I can say that the delay was a matter of completing the investigation," Friedman said. "Fortunately, we had the luxury of time knowing that he was being held on a parole detainer and we knew what our timeline was as far as when we needed to have a grand jury presentation to make sure that we were at this point before he got released by parole."

He said he understood the desire of family and friends to see an arrest made quickly.

"Obviously, I've known all along that there are a lot of people who are very interested in this case, family members, people who are anxious to see something happen and we're maybe at times troubled by the fact that that wasn't happening quicker," Friedman said. "But my position has always been in this case and others is, we're going to do it right rather than doing it quickly. We're not going to jump the gun before we've got everything in order."

Todd Crossett, Batavia PD's assistant chief, said patrol officers and detectives put in more than 800 hours on the case so far (and the investigation isn't done).

"This is a culmination of many hours of work from patrol officers doing an excellent work at the initial crime scene and then going to the detectives," Crossett said. "Anything that came into the department, they were on it. Long, long hours, especially when it initially came in, long hours of chasing everything down. I think because of that hard work in the beginning that's why we ultimately got to where we are."

There has been speculation, Czora acknowledged, that there may have been other people involved in the murder of Morgan. He said every lead along those lines has been pursued and so far there is no evidence of any other people being involved.

The investigation doesn't end with the arraignment today, Czora said.

"There are countless numbers of pieces of evidence that we've obtained and processed and continue to process even still to this day," Czora said. "Our investigation continues even after this arraignment. It's just been an extensive amount of work that needed to be accomplished."

Top photo: Friends and family wearing T-shirts in tribute to Ray Morgan.

The Independant Living Center of the Genesee Region is calling for entries of artwork to be exhibited in the "Art of the Town" free public art display on Wednesday, Nov. 7.

The exhibit will be from 5 to 8 p.m. at Moonjava Cafe, 56 Harvester Ave., Batavia.

For information and submission guidelines, contact Cathy DeMare at (585) 815-8501, ext. 400.

The exhibit is presented by ILCGR, Moonjava Cafe and the University Heights Arts Association.