Genesee Cancer Assistance held its annual gofl and bocce ball tournament at Batavia Country Club yesterday. This year, in memory of Joe Gerace, one of the agency's founders and a tireless supporter and volunteer.

There were 97 golfers and 18 bocce ball players, plus 30 volunteers, on hand for the festivities.

The event raised more than $15,000 for Genesee Cancer Assistance.

Photos and information submitted by Kayla Underwood.

So adorable -- Spacious Cape Cod in the Town of Batavia on a sleepy dead-end street. Three bedrooms, one and a half baths, with first floor master bedroom and bath. Large living room with efficient wood-burning insert in beautiful natural stone fireplace and custom mantle. Gleaming hardwood floors. Country kitchen, dining room overlooks private back yard with mature trees. Built in fire pit -- detached 2-1/2 car garage. Beautiful three season enclosed porch, first floor laundry. Recent remodel with new siding, windows and metal roof in last two years, new bathroom and cozy upstairs bedrooms -- large walk-in closet.

Nothing left to do but move in and it's in remarkable condition.Truly a must see! Public water and sewer-workshop in semi-finished basement is everyone's dream. Call Nancy Crocker today or click here for more information on this listing.

Community Action of Orleans & Genesee hosted its fourth annual Children's Carnival in Austin Park today, with local agencies providing crafts, games and activities for local families.

Press release:

Today, Aug. 18, Batavia City Council Libertarian Candidates Lisa Whitehead, Mark Potwora and James Rosenbeck submitted ballot petitions totaling 378 signatures. That is more than double the requirement set by the Board of Elections. A total of 378 Batavians say "Change the Direction in This Election."

Thank You to those who signed, without your support this would not have been possible. Lisa, Mark and Jim will continue to visit with Batavians to hear your concerns and work with you to shape a financially responsible direction for the City of Batavia. Please learn more at www.facebook.com/Liberty4Batavia.

Thank You to Those who Donated Time/Material/Equipment to Help Make the Fair a Success: 
Adams Welding and Fabrication, Alexander Equipment, Batavia Legal Printing, Batavia Police Department, Batavia Restaurant Supply, Bethany FD, Caledonia Diesel, Cedar Street Sales & Rental, Coco Landscaping, Cold Springs Construction, Cowgirl Couture, Dan Duyssen Farm, Dave & Brenda Dermody, Deb's Bakery, Empire Tractor, Genesee Co. Ag. Society Mounted Patrol, Genesee Co. CCE – Master Gardeners, Genesee Co. Photo Club, Genesee County Sheriff's Department, Genesee Speedway, Genesee Valley Penny Saver,George & Swede, Godwin a Xylem brand - Batavia, Greg Post - General Contracting, Gui's Lumber, Harrington Produce, Hazlet Services, Home Depot – Batavia, J&H Weber Services, James Foss & Family, Java Farm Supply, Jeff Condidorio – Bread Delivery, J L Kingdon Mechanical, Joe's Pro Shop, Jim & Pam Johnson & Family, L.D. Stevens Golf Carts, Land Pro, Lor Rob Farms, M&J Anderson Concessions, Milton Cat - Batavia, Monroe Tractor, Paul Figlow Productions, Paul Hirsch, Photography by Susan Meier, Posy Power Peddler, Pudgie's Lawn & Garden, Scofield Rolloff Service, Scott Adams Trucking, Smitty’s Amish Sheds, Solid Gold Productions, Southern Tier Fire Extinguishers, Stafford FD, Sterling Tent & Awnings, Summer Kick Off Classic Horse Show Volunteers, The Batavia Daily News, The Batavian, The Original Red Osier Landmark Resturant, The Rope Guys, The Swartz Family, Todd & Amanda Hofheins, Town of Batavia FD, Town of Oakfield, Tractor Supply, Valu Home Center, Walmart - Brockport, WBTA, WCJW, Wright Beverage Distributing, WYRK.

On behalf of the Genesee County Agricultural Society we would like to thank our wonderful volunteers and the community for supporting the 2017 Genesee County Fair! 
*We apologize for anyone we may have missed* 

City fire is responding to the County Courts Facility, at 1 W. Main St., which is evacuated, because a smoke alarm went off.

A fire with flames showing is reported at 3 McKinley Ave., Batavia.

The fire is reportedly in the bathroom.

City fire responding.

UPDATE 9:24 p.m.: Fourth Platoon requested to headquarters.

UPDATE 9:34 a.m.: Command reports "the situation is under control; beginning overhaul."

UPDATE 10:30 a.m.: City fire's response time was under two minutes and Chief Steve Napolitano said the city crew's fast, aggressive action saved the house. “The guys put a good knock on the fire and confined it to the room of origin," he said. A grandfather and two grandchildren were home at the time the fire was discovered. They safely evacuated before fire crews arrived. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

UPDATE: Photos by Frank Capuano.

About 50 kids took part in the 2017 Batavia Jr. Blue Devils Summer Basketball Camp this week at John Kennedy School. The young players came to the camp from throughout the county.

Photo submitted by James Fazio.

Press release: 

Genesee County STOP-DWI Coordinator Matt Landers announced today that the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, City of Batavia Police Department and the Village of Le Roy police Department will participate in a special enforcement effort to crackdown on impaired driving.

While we spend the Labor Day holiday and the end of summer celebrating with our loved ones, law enforcement officers across New York State will take to the roads in an effort to stop impaired driving, prevent injuries and save lives. The statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown efforts start on Aug. 18th and will end on Sept. 4th. New York State Police, County Sheriff and municipal law enforcement agencies across the state will be out in force.

Research shows that high-visibility enforcement can reduce impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent. Sobriety checkpoints play a key part in raising awareness about the problem.

According to new data released by NHTSA, the nation lost 35,092 people in traffic crashes in 2015, ending a five-decade trend of declining fatalities with a 7.2-percent increase in deaths from 2014. The data showed a 3.2-percent increase in drunk driving fatalities, resulting in 10,265 deaths in 2015, compared to 9,943, in 2014. The vast majority of drivers involved in these crashes were behind the wheel of a passenger car or SUV.

The STOP-DWI Labor Day Weekend Crackdown is one of many statewide enforcement initiatives promoted by the New York State STOP-DWI Association with additional funding from our STOP-DWI Foundation and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. Throughout the remainder of the year the Statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown Campaign will also target Halloween and the national Holiday Season in December.

While STOP-DWI efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the numbers of alcohol- and drug-related fatalities, still too many lives are being lost because of crashes caused by drunk or impaired drivers. Highly visible, highly publicized efforts like the STOP-DWI Crackdown Campaign aim to further reduce the incidence of drunk and impaired driving. Have a safe and happy Labor Day Weekend!

A residence at 404 S. Jackson St., Batavia, that was destroyed in a fire March 8 is finally coming down.

A demolition crew started its work this afternoon.

One worker said there have been people coming by today and applauding their work.

The bank that took possession of the property is paying for the demolition.

UPDATE: Photo by Steve Ognibene:

An unknown type of fire is reported behind a residence in the Barbary Coast Mobile Home Park, located at 7862 Clinton Street Road. Byron and South Byron fire departments are called to respond, mutual aid to the Bergen call.

UPDATE 1:37 p.m.: The Bergen chief on scene says South Byron can stand down; the other unit can continue in non-emergency mode.

UPDATE 1:39 p.m.: The chief puts the assignment back in service.

Press release:

The second ARTiculations Ability Exhibition -- a forum for artists with disabilities in Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties to display their work publicly -- will open at Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) in Batavia on Sept. 5^th.

Titled “Faces and Places,” it features the work of two artists: Gary Appis, whose paintings depict rural landscapes and farm scenes; and Timothy Logston, whose detailed graphite portraits feature celebrities as well as the artist’s family members.

A product of a partnership between ILGR and the University Heights Arts Association (UHAA), the Exhibit will be on display through Dec. 3rd.

The opening reception is on Friday, Sept. 8th from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at ILGR’s office, 113 Main St., Suite 5, in Batavia.

Other artists with disabilities residing in the Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming County areas are encouraged to submit their work to this juried competition, as there will be additional ARTiculations planned quarterly exhibits in the future.

For more than a year, ILGR has been “art partnering” for people with disabilities with the UHAA, a group of artists in North Buffalo with a commitment to community that places art in businesses and nonprofits through an established ARTpartnering program.

The organizers are pleased to note that the ARTiculations Ability Exhibitions has “mapped” into UHAA’s system by placing a plaque with a Quick Response (QR) code scatter bar graph that can bring up information about it when scanned by your smart phone.

For questions on the event, please call Emily Dale at (585) 815-8501, ext. 400.

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is a member of the Western New York Independent Living, Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.

Genesee County added 100 more jobs in July, in a year-over-year comparison, according to data released today by the NYS Department of Labor.

In July 2017, there were 23,700 jobs in the county, compared with 23,600 a year ago.

Over the past decade, the highest job count for July was in 2014, with 23,800 jobs. 

The state added 18,800 jobs in July, according to the report.

A potential plea deal for a man accused of taking a woman's mobile phone and punching a beagle was put on hold in County Court this morning after his attorney expressed reservations about his client's ability to comprehend the court proceedings.

Attorney Micheal Locicero said that based on a recent mental health evaluation and his own conversation with his client this morning, he's concerned that Shawn M. Twardowski is confused by the proposed plea deal.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Zickl objected to a request for a detailed mental health examination.

"There didn't appear to be an issue when the defendant was seeking a judicial diversion," Zickl said. 

After a sidebar with the two attorneys, County Court Judge Charles Zambito said he would like more information from the counselors at the Mental Health Association who examined Twardowski.

Zambito did not grant what's known as a 730 exam, which is a mental health exam aimed at determining a defendant's mental fitness to proceed with a legal case. 

"I want more information, more specifics," Zambito said.

Twardowski, 34, was arrested Jan. 26 following an incident on Bank Street where Twardowski allegedly strangled and punched a beagle and stole a woman's mobile phone, then when police arrived, barricaded himself in a bedroom. He allegedly struggled with officers once they gained access to the room.

A follow-up hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., Sept. 1.

Genesee Community College’s new Student Success Center and Richard C. Call Arena are finished with construction just in time for the start of the academic year and the 50th anniversary.

The dual construction project of the new facilities began last spring, costing $25 million. Donna Rae Sutherland, the associate director of Marketing Communications, said more than $5 million was raised by the community.

“We’re very proud, grateful and pleased to have this new space available for community use, as well as student use,” Sutherland said.

The 18,478-square-foot Student Success Center is an addition of the Technology building, becoming the new “front door” of the campus.

Sutherland said the plan was to take all of the student services and bring them in a more cohesive place. The new building is home to GCC’s success coaches, staff members who are specifically trained and assigned to designated students to assist them throughout their entire academic career. These coaches assist students from the first phase of admissions, financial aid and academic advisement, through the process of earning their degrees, graduation, or helping them transfer or secure career placement.

“A few months ago, Financial Aid was in one part of the building, Admissions is across the hallway and down a little bit, the Career Services is on another floor,” Sutherland said. “We had all these student services in one building, which is great, but then you have to climb the stairs and find them. People weren’t sure where to start.”

Having offices in different parts of buildings was hampering student success, Sutherland said.

“The Student Success Center is a model that we think is going to become something other colleges may be interested in,” Sutherland said. “Maybe it will become a model for the nation.”

Now that the old space is vacated, the next step is to repurpose that space for student success and need, Sutherland said.

Shelitha Williams, the associate vice president of Student Services, said students are excited about the new center because of “the idea that their experience is now streamlined. They don’t have to go to five offices, they have seven departments now under one roof.”

The coaches will proactively introduce themselves and identify themselves as a resource to the students of GCC.

“What sets us aside is the intentional engagement, instead of reacting to students' concerns,” Williams said.

The new Richard C. Call Arena is located on the west side of the Batavia Campus and is not connected to the main building. Sutherland said the new facility is the largest, open, flexible floor space in the GLOW region. The 45,000-square-foot arena will be open to the community to rent for events, but the student need will come first.

“We talked to the people in the community and it was recognized that there’s not really a big events center,” Sutherland said.

Some of the athletics were moved into the new building, while some are in the main building. They are currently working out the logistics of being able to rent out the facility in order to make the public space available.

“We are just getting ready to open up the facilities towards other types of events,” Sutherland said. “Anything from a home show, to a tractor show, to a coin show, to all kinds of public events. Whatever a convention center might offer in Buffalo or Rochester, we will be looking for the same.”

There may be some limitations due to it being a college campus, but they are open to different events.

The first big public event in the new Richard C. Call Arena will be on Sept. 23. The Genesee Symphony Orchestra will put on a special concert with new music. The concert is free and will be open to the public. 

Photos above taken by Maria Pericozzi.

Photo above provided by Donna Rae Sutherland.

Matthew McCracken, who was babysitting a 2-year-old child at the time of the incident, and previously pled guilty in the case.

He had been charged with attempted criminal mischief, 4th, harassment, 2nd, attempted arson, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child, for the incident at 10 1/2 Clay St., Le Roy, the night of Dec. 24.

This is his second felony offense.