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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bergen fire, along with Stafford and South Byron dispatched.

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

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs Gaming

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

City of Batavia firefighters responded to West Main Street, Batavia, in front of Tops, this afternoon, after at least three ducklings were seen falling into a storm drain. Three ducklings were rescued.

Press release:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.90, up 1 cent from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.81. The New York State average is $2.97 – also up 1 cent from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.95. AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.84 (no change since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.89 (up 2 cents since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.90 (no change since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.90 (up 2 cents since last week)
• Rome -- $2.91 (no change since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.89 (up 1 cent since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.96 (up 1 cent since last week)

Switching to the more expensive summer blend gasoline, ongoing refinery maintenance, and healthy consumer demand are all contributing to the increase in pump prices across the country.

While price increases have tapered off this week, remember that Memorial Day is on the horizon. Current factors are likely to continue playing a role in price increases, so American motorists should expect to see prices continue to ascend in the weeks ahead.

Although oil prices inched up at the close of trading on Friday, crude saw losses last week after new concerns about U.S. oversupply emerged. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) weekly petroleum report revealed that domestic crude inventories jumped significantly — by 10 million barrels.

Crude inventories have not been this high since September 2017, according to EIA’s data. An all-time record high for domestic crude production in recent weeks (after concerns of dwindling supply) contributed to the substantial growth in U.S. crude stocks.

Growing domestic crude stocks could play a role in helping to keep gas prices low this summer, since crude comprises roughly 50 percent of the cost American motorists pay at the pump. However, if crude exports from the U.S. increase this summer, the domestic crude that could be used to make gasoline for American motorists will be siphoned off to meet restricted supply in the global crude market.

A garage fire is reported at 64 Union St., Batavia.

When City fire arrived on scene, the commander reported smoke showing.

It's a detached garage.

The third platoon is requested to fire headquarters.

UPDATE 1:19 a.m.: Fire is under control. Starting overhaul.

Genesee Comnunity College hosted its 38th Annual Fashion Show on Saturday evening in the Call Arena.

Hundreds of people turned out to Batavia Downs on Saturday to watch the running of the Kentucky Derby.

Terry Hills hosted the annual Derby Day fundraiser for the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation on Saturday.

A two-car accident with injury is reported at Route 33 and Route 19, Bergen.

Traffic is blocked.

Bergen fire, Bergen ambulance, and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 11:41 a.m.: A first-responder on scene reports no injuries but vehicles are blocking.

This evening's sunset as seen from Bank Street Road looking over the Genesee County Airport.

Chilly, damp weather didn’t deter conservation enthusiasts who attended the 35^th annual Spring Into Nature event at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama last Saturday.

Nearly three dozen organizations that participated were spread throughout the refuge’s shops, the Visitors’ Center on Casey Road and outside. Visitors came from across Western New York for the yearly heralding of springtime.

The purpose of the event is to connect people with nature and conservation, said Wildlife Refuge Specialist Kate Brenner.

Spring Into Nature 2019 was dedicated to Robert Schmidt, a volunteer for more than 20 years on the refuge, which primarily serves as a nesting, feeding, resting and staging area for migratory waterfowl. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wlidlife Service.

There was plenty of food to purchase; and numerous activities, presentations and demonstrations geared to every age took place during the day.​ These included a bald eagle watch, archery, and more.

Alabama volunteer firemen brought a fire truck and visitors were encouraged to thank a firefighter for their service.

Among the activities for children was building a toad abode, making pinecone bird feeders, face painting and animal origami (the art of Japanese paper folding).

For the Alabama-Basom Methodist Church, the day provided the opportunity to earn money to benefit the church. Nearly every year the event has taken place, the church has had a bake sale there. They offer everything from pies, cookies and cupcakes to muffin bread.

Marion Green, who will be 85 this summer, has been going to the church since she was 2. She proudly held up one of the muffin breads she made for the sale.

Money made from the bake sale goes toward putting county water in the church, Green said.

To learn more about Iroquois National Wlidlife Refuge, click here.

Photos by Virginia Kropf.

A one-vehicle accident with injuries and entrapment is reported in Bergen on West Sweden Road at Evans Road. Bergen Fire Department is responding, along with Mercy medics.

UPDATE 3:36 p.m.: The patient was extricated and is being transported to Strong Memorial Hospital.

A memorial for Sgt. Duane Arthur Downey, who died March 18, was held at Elmwood Cemetery this afternoon.

Downey, a former Batavia resident, was active duty in the Army Airborne from 1968 to 1970 and in Vietnam for six months in 1970. He was awarded Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, M-16 Rifle Sharpshooter Badge.

He earned his Bachelors of Arts degree in Photography from Rochester School of Technology and worked for Kodak and most recently lived in Bethlehem, Ga. 

When Matt Gray and Jon Mager first conceived of FreshLab, the restaurant incubator inside Eli Fish Brewing Company, they envisioned providing a kitchen space for aspiring restaurateurs  who had food service experience, experience in food prep, industry knowledge, and a creative idea they wanted to try on a small scale before moving into launching a restaurant.

That's exactly what FreshLab is getting, Gray told the Batavia Development Corp. board Friday morning, with John and Jill Kratz, who are opening Eat Well Grill in June in the vacant space at FreshLab.

John is the long-time general manager of Bob Evans and Jill works at St. Joseph School but has also been running a food preparation business on the weekends using the kitchen at the YWCA.

Eat Well Grill will provide salads and bowls similar to what Jill has been preparing for her business Commit to Well, with proteins from beef, chicken, and shrimp to go with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables.

It's a paleo diet. While it's healthy for everyone, it will be especially good for people with dietary problems, John and Jill deal with in their own family, which is how they got involved with creating the recipes for their dishes in the first place.

"There are a lot of great food options in the community but we think what is missing is something that is nutritionally sustainable," John said. "What we're looking to provide is something in the framework of sustainability."

As much as possible, ingredients will be locally sourced, John said.

Commit to Well has a strong customer base already and the Eat Well Grill will fill a need for those customers by providing meals when they're needed.

"I know a lot of my customers like the meal prep service but sometimes they forget to order and they're calling me at the end of the weekend to see if there is anything left over," Jill said. "They need something at lunch or at the end of the day and they're not thinking ahead because we're all very busy."

A walk-in and order grill is just what those customers need, she said.

John said, and Matt confirmed, demand for meals that fit this nutritional value is a growing trend across the country and in larger urban areas, including Buffalo and Rochester, it's increasingly common.

Examples from the menu: 

• The Greek, a salad with romaine and kale, quinoa, grilled chicken, cucumber, tomato, olives, and feta cheese;
• Caveman Cobb, a salad with romaine and arugula, napa cabbage, cucumber, tomato, corn, red onion, steak, and walnuts;
• Green Goddess, a salad with arugula, spinach, romaine, cucumber, hard-boiled egg, bacon, and grilled chicken;
• Spicy Shrimp, a bowl with rice, napa cabbage, arugula, carrots, tomato, grilled shrimp, sriracha sauce, and green onion;
• Happy Garden, a bowl with rice, romaine, carrots, tomato, cucumber, broccoli, beets, and grilled chicken;
• Good Harvest, a bowl with quinoa, spinach, arugula, beets, red onion, feta cheese, grilled chicken, and walnuts.

Gray said the Eat Well Grill will be a great match at FreshLab with Eden Cafe and provide customers a good alternative to the Eli Fish menu.

The BDC board approved Eat Well Grill for a small business loan for $25,000 from the BDC's revolving loan fund.  

The grill will employ two or three people. John will work at the grill full-time and Jill will continue to work at St. Joe's while running the meal-prep business out of the YWCA kitchen on weekends until the business grows enough to move into a single, larger space.

Photo courtesy FreshLab.