Press release:

The Wellness Committee at Elba Central School is sponsoring its second annual Walk to School Day on Wednesday, Oct. 5^th. About 100 students from Elba Central School will join schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day.

Parents, teachers and community members will join them. They will gather at 7 a.m. at the Elba Baptist Church, located at 31 S. Main St., Elba. Upon arrival to the school cafeteria at about 7:20 a.m., there will be special activities associated with the walk.

Genesee County's Safety Officer, Tim Wescott, will give a talk to the students. There will be a healthy light snack that has been donated by Harrington’s Produce, Yancey's Fancy Cheese, Alpina Yogurt, and Post Farms. Every student participant will be allowed to enter a drawing to win a backpack full of school supplies. They will also be given a one-day pass to the YMCA. Thank you to our sponsors!

Walk to School Day raises awareness of the need to create safer routes for walking and bicycling. It emphasizes the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and concern for the environment. This event builds connections between families, schools and the community.

The Wellness Committee at Elba Central School organizes events such as this to promote health and wellness among our staff, students and community through healthy events.

For additional local information, please contact Jennifer at jmanley@elbacsd.org, 757-9967

For additional information, please visit these websites:

Walk to School Day in the USA:    www.walkbiketoschool.org              

National Center for Safe Routes to School:    www.saferoutesinfo.org

From the Attica Police Department:

On Sept. 29, Officer Phillips of the Attica Police Department responded to a motor-vehicle accident at 4:47 p.m. on Market Street in the Village of Attica.

During the investigation of the accident, Victoria Bakos, 46, of Seward Road, Alexander, initially told the officer that she had been driving and was arrested for DWI. After further investigation it was determined Bakos was not the driver and was covering up for her boyfriend -- 44-year-old Robert Geandreau, also of Seward Road, Alexander, who had multiple DWIs in the past and a suspended driver's license.

Bakos was arrested for hindering prosecution in the third degree and Geandreau was arrested for DWI, first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, operating a motor vehicle without an ignition interlock device, unlicensed operator, refusal to take breath test and fail to yield right of way. Bakos was issued an appearance ticket to appear in person at the Attica Village Court at 10 a.m. on Nov. 14.

Geandreau was put in Wyoming County Jail on $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. He was to appear at the Attica Village Court at 10 a.m. this morning (Oct. 3). Officer Phillips was assisted by NYS Trooper Lunser and Officer Zufall from the Attica Police Department.

Press release:

Join the Batavia Bulldawgs for their last home game this season on Saturday, Oct. 8, at 2 p.m. at Van Detta Stadium in Batavia. They will play against Akron.

This will also be an opportunity to assist one of their own, whose family is challenged by serious illness.

Savannah Heick, a Mini CheerDawg, has been going through a tough time. She is fighting PANDAS -- pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal -- which she was diagnosed with last season.

Since then, she and her family have been traveling to medical specialists in New York, New Jersey and Ohio. Currently, she is said to be seeing "an amazing specialist" in Cleveland and it has helped "tremendously." With all the battles she faces, she continues to work hard and has been doing an incredible job cheering on the Dawgs.

As you can imagine, this fight has caused some financial burdens for the family.

All Bulldawgs and CheerDawgs, families and supporters, community members, friends -- please come out and help one of our own!

Along with the contents of a donation jar that will be located at the concession stand, the Bulldawgs will donate ALL 50/50 raffle prizes to Savannah's family.

Go Bulldawgs!

Misty Dawn Souza, AKA Misty Dawn Smith, is indicted for the crime attemped second-degree robbery, a Class D violent felony. She is accused of going into the Smoke Rings Smoke Shop, located at 449 Shanks Road, in the Town of Alabama, on May 20 with the intent of forcibly stealing property, engaging in conduct which "tended to effect the commission of such crime," while aided by another person who was present. In count two, she is accused of the same and in the comission of the crime or the flight from it, causing physical injury to a person who was not a participant in the crime. In count three, she is accused of the same, while displaying what appeared to be a pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, machine gun, or other firearm. In count four, she is accused of second-degree assault, a Class D violent felony, for intending to cause physical injury to another person, causing such injury to such person or to a third person by means of a dangerous instrument. In count five, she is accused of the same crime as in count four, and in the course of and futherance of the commission or attempted commission of a felony or the immediate flight thereafter causing phsical injury to a person other than one of the participants.

Patrick D. Neaverth is indicted for the crime of second-degree burglary, a Class C violent felony. He is accused of knowingly entering or remaining unlawfully in a house on Kingsbury Avenue in the City of Batavia on Aug. 13 with the intent to commit a crime therein. (In July, he was indicted for the same crime at the same location, which occurred in March.)

Press release:

Cornell Cooperative Extension Genesee County will present a Cheese Tasting and Evaluation workshop at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Extension Center at 420 E. Main St., Batavia. If you love cheese, then you won’t want to miss this two-hour class!

Learn all about the cheese making process while sampling a variety of cheeses, all made in New York State!

The cost to attend the class is $15 per person and class size is limited! The last class sold out quickly, so be sure and register today. To register and for payment information, please contact Samantha at 585-343-3040, ext. 123 or sls428@cornell.edu. Registration deadline is Nov. 3.

All information about the workshop can be found by clicking here. 

The class (6:30 to 8:30 p.m.) will be presented by Carl Moody, Dairy Processing Specialist with Harvest New York. Carl is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and holds a bachelor’s degree in Food Science. Following graduation, he worked at the Friendship Dairy in Friendship, NY, and most recently held a position as a quality assurance manager for 13 years with Lactalis American Group Inc. (Sorrento Cheese) in Buffalo.

For more information about Harvest New York, visit http://harvestny.cce.cornell.edu/.

The Oakfield Alabama Central School Alumni Hall of Fame Committee will honor the Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2016 at an induction dinner and ceremony Oct. 22 at the high school. It is located at 7001 Lewiston Road in Oakfield.

Tickets are on sale now and only available through Oct. 9. Cost is $15. You can buy them at the high school main office, Warner's flower shop on Main Street in Oakfield or by contacting committee member Jamie Disalvo at bak2good@hotmail.com or by sending payment to Disalvo at: 7604 S. Pearl Street Road, Oakfield, NY 14125.

Doors for the event open at 5:30 p.m. and it begins at 6 o'clock.

The Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding OACS alumni who have achieved distinction in their lives after high school through significant contributions to their career, community or through personal achievements.

A group of people is reportedly lost in the woods north of Roberts Road near Sour Springs Road, Town of Alabama.

Alabam fire dispatched to assist.

UPDATE 6:11 p.m.: There is a woman and two other people. They plot to an area near a pond and not far from a small parking lot.

UPDATE 6:18 p.m.: There is 35 minutes of daylight left.

UPDATE 6:26 p.m.: They're not on a trail. They're in heavy brush, but they can hear the airhorn and they're going to start walking toward it.

UPDATE 6:28 p.m.: They are walking toward south, Walkers Road because that is a shorter walk.

UPDATE 6:44 p.m.: They're out of the woods.

Once again, hundreds of runners and walkers turned out for the annual Run of the Acorns at Genesee County Park.

The event features 5K and 10K races and was sponsored this year for the first time by Alex's Place.

Proceeds benefit the county parks.

City police are responding to Bank Street for a report of shoeless juvenile females wearing bathrobes jumping in mud puddles in front of a residence unsupervised. No word on if they're giggling.

Press release:

On Thursday, Sept. 29^th more than 100 Genesee County 4-H members and their families gathered for the 2016 Achievement Night celebration. It is the last 4-H event of the year and officially marks the end of the 2016 4-H program year.

Achievement Night is a time to honor the work and accomplishments of 4-H members, highlighting their progress and growth in their given project areas. We would like to extend a thank you to everyone who came out and made this year’s 4-H Achievement Night a success! 

Five 4-H volunteers were nominated for outstanding 4-H volunteer awards:

• Tim Adams
• Julie Ehrmentraut
• Todd & Amanda Hofheins
• Elizabeth Johnson-Walsh

The Genesee County 4-H Office awarded 22 county medals to youth who demonstrated exceptional work in a specific project area.

The 2016 Genesee County 4-H County Medal Recipients were:

Public Speaking:

-        District Public Presentations -- Melissa Keller, Becky Kron, Clare Mathes, Colton Tarbell, Torrance Tillery

-        Regional Horse Communications -- Alianna Baris, Alexandria Tarbell

Clothing & Textiles: Caroline Pelton

Horticulture: Melissa Keller

Poultry: Jillian Brewer, Celeste Brownell, Cheyanne Isaman, Clare Mathes, Teagan Mathes

Rabbit: Amelia Brewer, Christopher Swartzenberg, Maggie Winspear

Sheep: Becky Kron

Visual Arts: Bekki Allen

Outstanding Club Secretary: Elizabeth Rindell, Green Thumbs Club

State’s 4-H International Exchange Participant: Katie Ewert

If an informal show of hands lines up with the results of a post card survey of residents and the Darien Town Board holds true to its pledge of neutrality, then it looks as though a proposed $24.8 million project to supply public water to two-thirds of the population in the Town of Darien will not come to fruition.

About 40 of the estimated 65 people who attended an informational meeting this morning (and into the early afternoon) at the Darien Fire Hall lifted their hands in opposition, while only 10 indicated they were for the proposal, which estimates show would cost property owners, at the outset, $1,275 annually in debt service and water usage costs.

At a similar meeting attended by about 230 people on Wednesday night, Town Supervisor David Hagelberger said the show of hands indicated a 60 percent against, 40 percent in favor outcome.

Hagelberger said that the current opportunity to get public water to the 2,095 town residents who have well water is probably a "go or no go" situation.

"We've been working for 10 years at this, and today we're at a point where it is much less expensive than any of the previous alternatives," Hagelberger said. "If this doesn't go through ... it could be another 20 to 30 years."

The supervisor said the board has been working with the Monroe County Water Authority for the water supply and the USDA Rural Development to get funding for what would be called Town of Darien Water District No. 6, noting that the USDA's approval of a $6.8 million grant is necessary to bring the costs to an affordable level.

He also stressed that the board wants to carry out the wishes of its residents.

"This is an issue of whether you want this to go forward or not," he said. "People have asked us over the past couple years to get water, and we've spent a lot of effort and a lot of time to get to that point. Now, we're in line for funding, but it only works if you want it."

The board contracted wilth Steve Mountain, of Mountain Engineering, to gather pertinent cost, funding and water supply data to present to property owners in order for them to make an informed decision.

Mountain (in top photo) shared for about an hour from a PowerPoint presentation, reinforcing Hagelberger's view that now is an opportune time to create the water district because of low interest rates (currently 2.25 percent on an $18 million loan paid over 38 years), an abundant supply of water (coming from Lake Erie and administered by Monroe County), and the willingness of USDA Rural Development to offer the grant.

The projected $1,275 annual cost to the typical household to be served is broken into two parts -- $914 for the project debt distribution ($712,850 per year divided by 780 household units) and $361 for water supply and operations and maintenance cost based on current water rates. Mountain said the figure could go down, depending upon an increase in the number of units or additional grants, or up as water rates increase.

Darien residents would pay slightly more than those in recently formed water districts in Stafford, Pavilion, Oakfield and the Town of Batavia due to the need to build two water towers and a pump station.

"The topography in Darien and having to build the pump stations drives up the cost," he said.

He also informed residents that costs of the initial connection, such as meter charges, account setup fees, service lines to the residence, and well abandonment and/or separation fees, would be at least $2,000.

Businesses would be treated in the same manner as homes in computing costs, while farms would be given special consideration when it comes to usage, Mountain said.

Questions from the residents primarily dealt with costs, with some worried that the expense would ulitimately be higher than anticipated. 

Tim Hack, who moved with his family to the town last year from Kenmore, said his taxes went up by $1,000 this year and he could see them increasing to $7,000 or more should this go through.

"We have a well with a filtration system, and the water is good," Hack said. "If I want taxes this high, I could live in Clarence Center, Williamsville or Amherst. And how can you guarantee that the $914 won't go up, with delays, cost increases in materials and the bidding process?"

Mountain responded by saying that the $914 is a fixed price -- "If it goes higher than that, then the project stops," he added -- and that contingencies have been included in the project budget.

Mammot Road neighbors Darrin Wojna and Dan Janis agreed wilth Hack.

"Taxes are high enough and there is nothing wrong with the well water," Wojna said.

"When I moved out here my taxes were $1,800. Now they're up to six grand," Janis said. "Now they want to tack on $1,275 a year in taxes plus two grand to hook into it?"

Tony Mateszewski, who moved back to the town after a 30-year absence, said he calculated the cost over 38 years at $50,000.

"I can put in several deep wells for $50,000," he said. "And what about maintenance fees and inspection of my well? I have a perfectly good well and I don't need Erie County water."

The Goodmans -- Eric and Trina -- questioned the town board's process of paying for engineering and other services before coming to the residents, and also the sending post cards (requesting a yes or no vote) to property owners. Hagelberger responded by saying the board needed to get cost estimates because "you would have asked us 'how much does it cost?' " and will validate all post cards returned to the town clerk. 

Trina Goodman said she believes the board is leaning toward passage of the proposal, and said she will go "house to house" to find out what residents really want.

Again, Hagelberger said the board has no preference.

"If you have a preconceived notion that the board is in favor of this, then if so, why are we spending all this time and are here today?" he asked in reply.

In the end, tabulations from the 868 post cards that were mailed out will give the board clear direction. At least, that's what Hagelberger is hoping for.

"The last thing we want is a 50-50 split," he said. "We're doing this for the residents. We're not doing this to the residents. We're looking for a majority, (understanding) that some people are going to be unhappy no matter what."

Mountain said should the district be formed -- after either legal petitions by property owners or a vote of the town board, a public hearing and passage of a resolution -- it would take up to another three years before construction is complete.

Jason Eric Jones, 42, of Main Road, East Pembroke, is charged with petit larceny. Jones was arrested following the investigation into an employee theft at 9:34 p.m. on Sept. 23 on Main Road in East Pembroke. Jones allegedly stole money from the cash register at a business. He was arraigned in Pembroke Town Court and in to appear there again on Oct. 11. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Rachel Diehl, assisted by Deputy Kyle Krzemien.

Nivek Quadir Tisdale, 19, of Albemarle Street, Rochester, is charged with trespass. Tisdale was arrested at 4:34 this morning (Oct. 1) on a bench warrant out of Town of Batavia Court for failure to appear. He was jailed on $250 cash bail or $2,000 bond. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Mathew Clor and Deputy Chad Cummings.

Robert Lawrence Drozdowski Sr., 34, Main St., Alexander, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. At 10:45 a.m. on Sept. 28, Sheriff's deputies responded to Drozdowski's residence for a report of a disturbance. After a brief investigation into the complaint, Drozdowski was allegedly found to be in possession of a glass smoking pipe containing burnt marijuana residue. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Town of Alexander Court on Oct. 11. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Richard Schildwaster, assisted by Deputy Kyle Krzemien.

Press release:

Batavia High School will hold its annual Open House on Thursday, Oct. 6^th from 6:30 p.m. until approximately 8:30 p.m. All parents of BHS students are invited to attend.

Beginning at 6 p.m. parents may pick up their child’s schedule in the Main Lobby to follow for the evening. Senior parents are encouraged to stop by the Counseling Center during the evening to discuss the College Application Process.

Please attend our annual Open House and be a part of your child’s high school experience.

It was a cool misty night at Van Detta Stadium where the Batavia Blue Devils hosted the visiting Wilson Wildcats for their homecoming game. First half was a bit quiet where both teams' offense could not put points on the board until there was only 1:51 left in the second quarter. J’Zon Richardson (pictured above) picked up a fumble and 75-yard-run touchdown to give Batavia the lead 6-0 after two quarters of play; two-wopoint conversion was no good.

Late in the third quarter Ray Leach recovered a fumble with one minute left on the clock and ran 70 yards for a touchdown to increase Batavia’s lead to 12-0. No extra points were scored afterward.

In the fourth quarter Cody Dioguardi ran in a 15-yard dash from Jerry Reinhart to increase the lead and secure the win for Batavia, leading 18-0. Extra point was no good.

Wilson put some points back on the board with 51 seconds left in the game. Quarterback James Totten did a lateral pass to Ricky Gamble, who threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Jervon Johnson. Two-point conversion was good, but time ran out for the Wildcats and Batavia picked up their fifth-straight win.

Ray Leach carried the ball 18 times for 110 yards. Anthony Ray had 11 tackles, four for a loss of yards and one sack on the night.

The Spirit Stick was won by the Senior Class and Quentin Branciforte was named King and Alyssa Juliano was named Queen.

For more photos and to purchase prints click here.

Highlighting some of the region’s top instrumental musical talent, the Musical Memories evening is always one to remember. This year the St Joe’s Reunion Ensemble and The Mighty St. Joe’s Alumni Drum Corps are celebrating 85 years of entertaining at local, regional and national venues. 

The City Church provides an acoustically stunning setting in the historic former Mancuso Theater. This year the show will be opened by The Batavia Jazz Ensemble. Other bands appearing will be The Hamburg Kingsman Drum Corps, Parkside Avenue Brass and The Hit Men along with The St Joe’s Reunion Ensemble and Alumni Drum Corps.

The concert is always a night of great fun and wonderful entertainment. There will 50/50 and Mega raffles as well so come on out and enjoy a great evening of entertainment for a great cause.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts promptly at 7 o'clock. Advance sale tickets of $5 for general seating and $10 for preferred seating can be purchased at T.F. Brown's, Roxy’s Music Store, Valle Jewelers, The Prospector Restaurant in Attica and Crossroads House. Tickets can also be purchased securely online at https://dailynewstickets.com/e/crossroads-house-presents-musical-memories/tickets

Ticket holders will also get discounts at our ticket partners: Center Street Smoke House, T.F. Brown's, Main Street Pizza Company and Big Pauly’s Pizza. We’ll see you on the 8th!

Press release:

The City of Batavia Police Department has become aware of the reports of people reporting suspicious activity involving people allegedly dressed as clowns. These reports are similar to those other police departments in the area have received.

At this time the City Police have responded to a handful of such complaints and all have turned out to be false or unfounded. The Police Department is working closely with the City of Batavia School District in regards to reports that were made to the District. At this time there is no credible information that leads to any credible threat.

The public is asked, as always, to report any suspicious activity they may see or hear, but do not attempt to detain or interfere with anyone based on the way they are dressed or appear. The public is further reminded that making certain false allegations could be criminal in nature and all investigations into such events shall be taken seriously. 

This is the official Bergen Boy School Troop 31 neckerchief, which C.M. Barons shared with us in response to a post the other day about the eastern massasauga rattlesnake being listed a threatened species. 

Barons said his mother, Virginia, designed the neckerchief while C.M.'s father was troop leader in the late 1960s.

The design features the snake, the white ladyslipper orchid (also a rare species in the Byron-Bergen Swamp).

Boy Scouts often trade patches and neckerchiefs at jamborees and other events and Barons said the Troop 31 neckerchief is highly sought-after.

The Swallow Hollow Nature Trail, located on Knowlesville Road inside Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge is a fun little adventure for nature lovers. The 1.3-mile trail is a virtual biology field trip, offering an incredible variety of wildlife and natural environments. This is not only an enjoyable trail for some exercise, but has many opportunities to learn about animals and trees that inhabit the refuge.

The trail's education mission recently took another step with the addition of an audio tour which enhances the visitor’s experience. There are several audio tour signs along the way that help you get facts or answers about certain aspects of the trail. Each audio session is about a minute long and provides interesting information about where you are standing. A combination of the audio and visual is a strong learning tool. On a recent visit, this blogger learned that you walk through three different habitats along the trail: forested wetlands, upland hardwood forest and the emerging marsh. In addition to the audio tour, the trail features many educational signs that shed insight on the nature that surrounds you.

Another great bonus is that the Swallow Hollow Nature Trail is wheelchair accessible, with one half of the trail located on a boardwalk, and another half of the trail smooth cinder walkway.

If you still have a thirst for knowledge after your nature walk, go over to the nearby Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge Interpretative Center for some fun learning opportunities.

Visit www.VisitGeneseeNY.com to learn more...