Le Roy Christian Community Project hosted a three-on-three basketball tournament today at Le Roy Physical Therapy. Here are some shots from one of the games.
There were nine teams and about 30 players participating.
New location, new recipe, but same big success this year for the annual Pancake Days breakfast put on the by Kiwanis Club of Batavia.
Because of remodeling at the First Presbyterian Church, the event was moved to Daphne's on Swan Street this year.
Top photo, Sheriff Gary Maha pours out another batch of pancakes.
Andre Dunlap pauses from serving to enjoy his own breakfast.
Matt Landers, Anita Strollo (who chaired the event this year) and Dunlap.
Travis Sick serves breakfast.
Ben Falker, a 16-year-old who was seriously injured in an ATV accident in Corfu in August, is the focus of a fundraiser Sunday (Oct. 27) at Holy Name of Mary Church in East Pembroke.
"Ben's Brigade" will hold a chicken BBQ, Chinese auction, 50/50 raffles, and bake sale to help his family offset the medical expenses. It all begins at 11 a.m.
He is the son of Kenny Falker and Cheryl Kelso Falker-Spencer, and a student at Pembroke High School.
There will also be other food items for sale and music. The East Pembroke Fire Department is preparing the BBQ, which costs $10. The Chinese auction will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and T-shirts will also be for sale.
The church is located at 8656 Church Street, which is between Main Road (Route 5) and Angling Road.
For more information, contact Brian Fix at 815-9512 or Don Newton at 813-4033.
"Ben is working miracles but still has a long road to recovery," organizers say. "Please help Ben and his family in their time of need."
What if you could enjoy Vegas-style casino games without having to leave Genesee County, for only a small fraction of the cost, without risking any money, and all for a great cause?
Friends and relatives of the Reis family, who lost their lives in a tragic fire at their home in Byron in 2008, invite you to "Reis Family Memorial Casino Night" on Saturday, Nov. 9.
The event will be held at Polish Falcons, at 123 Swan St. in Batavia. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the casino will be open from 7 until 9:30 p.m. Drinks and hors d'oevres will be included.
Games such as blackjack, craps, and Texas hold 'em will be played. If you don't know how to play, the dealers will teach you.
Players will be "cashing in" for Chinese auction tickets instead of money. The Chinese auction will take place at the end of the night and include baskets donated mostly by local restaurants -- although there are some surprises as well, such as a flight for two around Letchworth State Park.
"That's one of our high-roller gifts," event organizer Brendan Lougheed said. "We're hoping for others as well."
Lougheed said there are about 60 tickets left. People can buy them at the door, but are encouraged to pre-order.
Tickets are $65 each. While this seems like a lot, Lougheed puts the cost in perspective.
"You can learn and play new games that would cost a lot more at a casino," he said. "You get to enjoy all you would enjoy in Vegas for less money and without having to worry about losing your money."
Proceeds will be used to fund the scholarship created by the Reis kids' grandparents in honor of the family. It is awarded each year to multiple Byron-Bergen High School students who plan on attending two- or four-year colleges, are involved in the community, and are in need of financial assistance.
Unfortunately, the funds for the scholarship have diminished. That's where "Reis Family Memorial Casino Night" comes in.
Lougheed was a classmate of Emily Reis, one of the children. Through her and her younger brother, he became close with the family.
"They were wonderful people all around," he said. "They worked very hard (since they were raised by a single mother). And their grandparents are the sweetest people in the world."
To pre-order tickets or request more information, contact Lougheed at 721-8955 or e-mail loughebf@gmail.com.
Photo courtesy of Brendan Lougheed.
Here's a bit of a surprise -- The Batavian's new mobile app, released earlier this week, is ranked #25 in Top Paid News and Magazine Apps. It's the only local news app in the top 25. The overall national ranking is #151. The average rating is 4.2.
If you have a Droid smartphone, click here to download it.
If you've downloaded it, please rate it.
Three people were arrested on burglary charges early Friday morning after a Lockport Road, Oakfield, resident reported intruders in his barn, confronted them and then reported the individuals fleeing.
The suspects were taken into custody following a short high-speed chase.
Charged with burglary, 3rd, and unlawful possession of marijuana are Scott R. Miller, 20, Evan J. Shaffer, 20, and Hayden K. Ettinger, 19. Shaffer is also charged with unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, 3rd, and four traffic violations.
The possible barn break-in was reported at 2:32 a.m., Friday. The property owner went to his barn and reported finding three young men inside. They were allegedly in the process of removing electrical wire and copper tubing.
The caller reported two males fled and foot and he observed a red Pontiac Sunfire stop near his residence, do a U-turn and head off westbound on Lockport Road.
Deputy Joseph Corona located the suspect vehicle allegedly traveling at high speed on Lockport Road. He turned to pursue the vehicle, activating his emergency lights.
The Sunfire allegedly failed to stop and turned northbound on Fisher Road.
Eventually, the car did stop on Fisher Road and Corona found the three suspects in the vehicle.
Property found in the car is believed to come from a neighboring garage. The investigation is ongoing with additional charges possible.
Shaffer was bailed on $5,000 bail or $10,000 bond. Bail for Ettinger was set at $10,000 or $20,000 bond, and for Miller, $25,000 or $50,000.
Assisting in the case are Investigator Tim Weis, deputies Frank Bordonaro, Kevin McCarthy, Patrick Reeves and Chris Parker along with Juvenile Officer John Dehm and the State Police.
The Le Roy Oatkan Knights advanced to the Class C Sectional Semifinals with a win over Dansville, 26-12.
The Le Roy offense has traditionally been a run-based team under Head Coach Brian Moran. However with the growth of junior quarterback Mike McMullen, the Knights have become more pass-oriented this season. But Le Roy failed to get their passing game going early and we saw the return of old-fashion Knight football.
The Mustangs got off to a solid start, taking the opening kickoff 65 yards on 10 plays before Le Roy made a goal line stand to deny Dansville at the one-yard line.
After Dansville failed to capitalize on a McMullen interception, the Knights began to slowly pound away with their running game. The duo of Peter Privitera and Tom Kelso chipped away on a nine-play drive, capped off by a three-yard Privitera run to take a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Nick Egeling recovered a fumble on the Dansville 26.
This time the Knights only needed six plays for Privitera to punch in another score, this time from four yards out to go up 12-0.
Kelso carried the load early in the second half, racking up 91 of his 95 yards in the first half before Privitera came in to close out the game.
The senior bounced back after only managing 28 yards in last week’s loss against Cal-Mum. This week, Privitera ran the ball 28 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
“Peter ran hard tonight,” Moran said. “That’s good for us. It’s good to have him around this time of year.”
After Le Roy seemingly took control of the game, the Mustangs responded, taking their next drive 83 yards, which was capped off by a 53-yard hook up from Ethan Mapes to Brad Quibell on third-and-six to cut the deficit in half, 12-6.
Le Roy looked as if they would crush any momentum from the Dansville touchdown as they came out for the second half, but McMullen fumbled the snap on a fourth-down play, giving the Mustangs the ball at the Knights’ 45-yard line.
Dansville needed only four plays before Mapes found Gage Koch on a 13-yard pass to tie the game at 12 early in the third quarter.
With the passing game struggling, the Knights continued to rely on the running game. Le Roy took their next possession and ran the ball 11 consecutive times before McMullen finally found his touch, hitting Ryan McQuillen on a beautiful 28-yard touchdown catch-and-run play. Egeling then found himself on the receiving end of a McMullen pass to pick up the two-point conversion, making the score 20-12.
The fourth quarter saw both teams struggle to sustain any success on offense, with Le Roy going three-and-out on three straight possessions, and Dansville turning the ball over on two straight, including Koch racing 25 yards before fumbling the ball away at midfield with just over eight minutes to play in the game.
After going 1-for-8 passing in the first half for just 42 yards and an interception, McMullen finally found his touch.
The junior found Egeling once again, this time capitalizing on Dansville stacking the line of scrimmage expecting the Knights to pound away on the ground. The pass netted 29 yards, down to the Mustang 11-yard line.
Two plays later, the pair hooked up once again, this time on a nine-yard scoring toss to go up 26-12 with just 2:32 remaining.
“We had to make a play,” Moran said of his play selection. “We have some good athletes and obviously when they started taking that safety out of the middle of the field, we knew we had to do something to take advantage of that."
McMullen went 4-of-6 in the second half to finish 5-for-14 for 112 yards on the night.
Kelso would seal the game on defense, sacking Mapes for a loss of 17 yards.
Mapes finished 8-of-16 for 153 yards, two touchdowns and interception, while Ryan Hurlburt ran for 66 yards on 13 carries for Dansville (5-3).
Egeling had strong all-around game for the Knights, picking up 52 all-purpose yards, two touchdowns, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Le Roy (7-1) will advance to the semifinals to face top-seeded East Rochester/Gananda after they defeated Elba/Byron-Bergen, 34-6.
In other local high school football action:
Wayne 38, Batavia 21
Batavia's Brandon Stevenson ran for 153 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns, while also throwing for another. Wayne scored 32 points in the second half, after trailing 8-6 at halftime.
East Rochester/Gananda 34, Elba/Byron-Bergen 6
Steele Truax scored the Lancers' only touchdown on a 59-yard run.
Wellsville 26, Attica 25
Seventh-seeded Wellsville scored a touchdown with :43 seconds left and added a two-point conversion to oust second-seeded Attica in the Class C Semifinals.
Top photo: A Dansville player coughs up the ball during a kick-off return, leading to Le Roy's second TD score (Privitera scoring below; #20 on Dansville is not listed on the team roster).
To purchase prints of photos, click here.
A former director at GCASA is apparently no longer working for the drug and alcohol treatment agency after being arrested earlier this month for allegedly driving while impaired by drugs.
John T. Walker, 50, of Old Meadow Lane, Batavia, was arrested following a report of an erratic driver in the city at 5:07 p.m., Oct.14.
Until recently, Walker was listed on the GCASA Web site as director of clinical and residential services. He reportedly listed his employer at the time of his arrest as GCASA.
John Bennett, executive director of GCASA, said he could not comment on personnel matters.
Police responded to a complaint Oct. 14 of an erratic driver after a witness reported seeing a 2000 Chevy Tracker leave the roadway for about 25 yards on East Main Street near Tractor Supply. The driver appeared unable to maintain his lane, according to the witness. The witness followed the Tracker to the parking lot outside Eastown Beverage, at which point the driver parked and walked into the store.
"As he walked, his gait was slow and unstable," the witness wrote.
At that point, Officer Felicia DeGroot arrived on scene and approached the male driver. Officer Jason Davis arrived on scene and conducted a field sobriety test.
According to court documents, Walker passed a breath test but allegedly failed the field sobriety test.
He was taken back to the police station and processed for alleged driving while impaired by drugs, first offense, which is an infraction.
Walker has not yet appeared in City Court on the charge. He's not scheduled to appear until Nov. 6, yet he appears to be out of a job.
We attempted to contact Walker for comment. In the arrest report, Walker apparently gave officers his work phone number and the only home phone number listing we could find has been disconnected.
Law enforcement just intercepted a suspect driving a burgundy Ford Escape on southbound Route 19. The driver's mother had reported that her son stole her vehicle. She followed him in her blue Jeep Liberty. The chase went on for about 10 minutes.
"The mother's awfully excited. We're telling her to stay in the vehicle," says a dispatcher.
Press release:
State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer has started a new campaign to protect taxpayer dollars by launching a petition drive to encourage the State Assembly to pass a bill that would prohibit Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards from being used by welfare recipients to purchase alcoholic beverages, lottery tickets and other non-essential items.
“While New Yorkers have always been willing to lend a helping hand to those in need, we don’t like seeing taxpayer money being wasted,” Ranzenhofer said. “There is no law to prevent public assistance from being used to purchase beer, cigarettes or lottery tickets. It’s time to close this loophole in State law.”
The Public Assistance Integrity Act (S.966) would prohibit using EBT cards for tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, lottery tickets, and ATM cash withdrawals at liquor stores and casinos. Senator Ranzenhofer is a cosponsor of the legislation. The bill passed the State Senate on June 18th. The State Assembly has not taken action on the bill.
“I was proud to vote for this measure in the Senate, but our job is not yet done. That’s why I am launching a new petition drive to encourage the State Assembly to take action on this bill,” Ranzenhofer said. “I encourage residents to join my campaign to protect your dollars by signing my petition.”
Residents can sign the petition by visiting ranzenhofer.nysenate.gov.
EBT cards work like a debit card for welfare recipients, containing both a Food Stamp and Cash Assistance component. Strict regulations guide what can be purchased for Food Stamps. Cash assistance is intended to pay for items not covered by Food Stamps, such as soap, toothpaste, school supplies and toiletries. Currently, there are no restrictions on the use of Cash Assistance.
Federal aid received by New York may be at risk if the State Assembly does not pass the bill. The federal government has mandated states implement a fraud prevention system by Feb. 2014. If New York State does not act accordingly, the Federal government will penalize the State by cutting federal funding for Cash Assistance by 5 percent or $120 million.
Photo provided by The Batavian's news partner, WBTA.
#5 Batavia Blue Devils (3-4) at #4 Wayne Eagles (4-3)
Class B Quarterfinal – Tonight at 7.
After facing a brutal Monroe County League schedule in which Batavia lost four straight games to Class A schools, the Blue Devils came away with two straight road wins to close out the regular season.
Batavia is led by do-it-all senior Brandon Stevenson, who has nine total touchdowns on the season. Stevenson splits time as a quarterback and a running back, and has scored on a pass, rush, receiving, interception return and kick return this season. He is also coming off of a solid outing a week ago, rushing for 204 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns in a 13-7 victory over Greece Olympia.
On the other side, Wayne enters sectional play on a two-game losing streak, and has failed to beat a team with a winning record this season.
The Eagles are led by quarterback Nathan Currier, who has thrown for 1,082 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. He has a number of weapons at his disposal, including dual-threat running back Justin Morrison. The senior has 757 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns, while adding 300 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. Currier’s favorite target is Mike Hollenbeck, who has 13 receptions for 307 yards and seven touchdowns on the year.
If the Blue Devils limit their turnovers and can get a big game from Stevenson, look for Batavia to spring the upset and advance to the next round.
#5 Dansville Mustangs (5-2) at #4 Le Roy Oatkan Knights (6-1)
Class C Quarterfinal – Tonight at 7:30.
Le Roy looks to bounce back from a difficult loss to rival Cal-Mum a week ago that cost them an undefeated season and the top seed in Class C.
These Knights may not look the same as past Brian Moran-coached teams. Le Roy is traditionally a running-based team, but this season they are led by quarterback Mike McMullen. The junior has thrown for 1,025 yards and 19 touchdowns this season, and was named Section V Class C Offensive Player of the Week in a losing effort a week ago.
McMullen’s favorite target has been junior Ryan McQuillen, who has 336 receiving yards and half of his 20 receptions have gone for touchdowns. Jon Pierce has also been a reliable weapon, making 13 catches for 256 yards and five touchdowns.
Despite the new high-flying attack, Le Roy still has a strong running game. Both Peter Privitera and Tom Kelso have had strong seasons, rushing for 587 and 460 yards respectively, while scoring six touchdowns apiece.
Dansville comes in with a strong record, but has yet to beat a team with a winning record. In two games against teams with winning records they have been outscored 59-6, including a 42-0 loss to Wayland-Cohocton last week.
The Mustangs have a strong running game, led by a stable of backs, including Ryan Hurlburt, Evan Dieter and Gage Koch. They also have a solid defense, which has given up the third-fewest points in Section V (67) this season.
#8 Elba/Byron-Bergen Lancers (3-4) at #1 East Rochester/Gananda Bombers (6-1)
Class C Quarterfinal, Tonight at 7.
Elba/Byron-Bergen picked up a big win against Finney last week to squeeze into Class C sectional play.
The Lancers will face a top-seeded East Rochester/Gananda, who played an impressive conference schedule, playing all seven games against Class B schools.
Elba/Byron-Bergen will need a strong overall game, starting with quarterback Garrett Chapell. The sophomore has thrown for seven touchdowns in his first season as the starter.
He will need help from the running game, from both Brandon Naylor and Steele Truax. Naylor is coming off of a superb game against Finney last week, rushing for 140 yards on 11 carries and scoring three touchdowns in the win. Truax has scored two touchdowns in the last two games.
East Rochester/Gananda has a balanced offense, starting with quarterback Zach Hauser, who has thrown 14 touchdown passes this season. His favorite target has been junior receiver Andrew Fischer, who has caught nine of Hauser’s touchdown passes.
The Bombers also boast a strong running game, headed by Jake Miller and Kendrick Watson. In last week’s victory over Wayne, Miller ran for 242 yards on 18 carries while Watson ran for 148 yards and a touchdown.
#3 Alexander Trojans (6-1) vs. #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1)
Class D Semifinal, Saturday 1 p.m. at Caledonia-Mumford
Two of the three teams that took a share of the Genesee Region League championship will square off with a chance to go to the Class D finals.
This will be a rematch from earlier this season, which Notre Dame won easily, 41-12.
However since then, Alexander has rolled to four straight victories, outscoring opponents 172-23.
Notre Dame is coming off of their only loss of the season, a 28-14 loss to Attica, in which star quarterback Tim McCulley was held in check, completing only 12-of-34 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown.
In the first matchup, McCulley dominated the game, throwing for 175 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for another 107 yards and two touchdowns. However, Alexander’s quarterback Nelson Burke struggled, only completing 2-of-11 passes for 12 yards and two interceptions.
Burke has had a strong season otherwise, completing 32-of-63 passes for 527 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Trojans will rely heavily on the G-R League’s leading rusher Dylan Scharlau, who has racked up 1,297 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. Scharlau also picked up 166 yards and two scores in the first meeting.
The Fighting Irish will need another strong game from McCulley, who has thrown for 1,347 yards and a school-record 25 touchdown passes. The senior quarterback is also the team’s leading rusher with 488 yards and six touchdowns.
McCulley has a trio of receivers to throw to. Senior tight end Charlie Herbert has caught a team-high 22 passes for 391 yards and five touchdowns, while junior Josh Johnson has made 19 grabs for a team-leading 436 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Luca Zambito has made 17 catches for 244 yards and five touchdowns.
The winner of the quarterback battle between Burke and McCulley could be the deciding factor in who advances to play for the Class D crown.
Winds from the southwest of 25 to 35 mph are forecast for Saturday between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Gusts could reach 55 mph.
Daytime temperatures are predicted to be around 50 degrees with chance of rain.
Next week, look for a new feature on The Batavian: "Ask the Local Doctor."
This will be a new weekly feature on The Batavian sponsored by Insource Urgent Care.
Readers of The Batavian are invited to e-mail medical questions to askthedoc@thebatavian.com and the professional staff at Insource will review the questions and pick one each week to answer in the "Ask the Local Doctor" weekly column.
Insource is tied into a network of local providers as well as partnering with some of the leading clinics and specialists in Western New York such as the Dent Neurologic Institute, Excelsior Orthopedics, UB Neurosurgery and Dr. Ross Sherban, a spine surgeon with Simmons and Sherban Spine and Orthopedics.
The column will give readers access to this broad and deep wealth of local medical knowledge so that a range of medical issues can be addressed.
If a reader's question is selected, the reader will be eligible to receive a free flu shot from Insource.
Of course, questions will be published without the name of the reader who submitted the question.
The e-mail inbox is open. Submit your questions to askthedoc@thebatavian.com
If you're a Android smartphone owner, download The Batavian's new breaking news app from Google Play.
In the first two days since we released it, there have been 30 downloads, which I think is pretty darn good.
We've submitted the app to Apple for inclusion in the iTunes store. It could take two or three weeks for the app to be approved (knock on wood that it will be).
It's a very simple app. Right now, it's just a feed of what appears on our home page and the ability for us to send you push notifications.
And that's really the point of the app: Push notifications, or alerts. If you download the app, we will use push notifications to alert you to breaking news, important news, features and important sports stories. We won't do it for every minor scanner call and routine press releases. Some stories will be a judgment call, but the idea will be to alert you to things posted that we want to draw your attention to and hope you'll want to be sure and know about right away.
City firefighters, members of IAFF Local 896, have been volunteering their time to help with the revitalization of a house on Harvester Avenue by Habitat for Humanity.
Joining in the tasks today were Dave Adams, Tim Stengel, Chuck Hammon, Mike Dorgan, Adam Palumbo, Nathan Kinne, Mark Mikolajczyk and Christina Marinaccio.
Top photo, Kinne and Palumbo. Bottom, Marinaccio and Stengel.
Press release:
In the mood to see ghosts, vampires, and zombies this weekend? Then stop by Batavia Sports Park on Bank Street Road for the third annual Soccerween Tournament sponsored by New York Premier Soccer. Games start at 8 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m.
Soccerween brings together soccer players ages 9 to 14 for a weekend of fun competition. Park coordinator Ted Hawley says, “The accent is on the fun in this tournament. It’s a great way to celebrate the end (for some) of the soccer season.”
Teams typically choose a theme and each player dresses accordingly.
“We’ve had teams of Smurfettes, Cat in the Hat, and The Hulk,” Hawley said. “The coaches even get into the spirit and can often be seen wearing costumes.”
Trophies are awarded for Most Creative Costume and Best Dressed Teams/Coaches.
New York Premier Soccer organizes this event for travel- and premier-level teams. Each team is guaranteed at least three 7v7 or 9v9 games in a one-day tournament format.
“Aside from fostering team camaraderie, Soccerween is a great way to celebrate the season in a fun, healthy atmosphere,” said Robin Apholz, event coordinator. “Dozens of teams participate each year in what is becoming one of our most popular tournaments.”
Soccerween is free and open to the public. Food will be available to purchase at the park. For more information contact Ted Hawley at 585.343.3329. For additional information on New York Premier Soccer contact rapholz@globalpremiersoccer.com
A Batavia man accused of robbing the 7-Eleven on East Main Street in Batavia was denied a chance at bail today after pleading not guilty to the two felony counts against him.
Michael C. Kraatz, 34, is accused of robbing the convenience store Oct. 6 and is indicted on counts of of robbery, 2nd, a Class C violent felony, and grand larceny, 2nd, a Class C felony.
Kraatz was originally indicted on lesser charges, but the grand jury elevated the robbery charge and District Attorney Lawrence Friedman sought an elevated grand larceny charge after reviewing the statute and the alleged facts of the case.
"That (the robbery charge) was elevated based on testimony at grand jury that the robbery victim has suffered physical injury," Friedman said.
As for the grand larceny charge, Friedman said Kraatz was appropriately charged with third-degree grand larceny when he was arrested, but in an unusual quirk of the penal code, the same set of circumstances also apply to the higher level charge.
"He was properly charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree based on coercion and threat to cause physical injury or serious physical injury or the threat of death in the future," Friedman said. "In examining the statute, I discovered that not only does that spell out grand larceny in the fourth degree, but it also spells out grand larceny in the second degree. It's somewhat of an unusual situation, but the same elements make up grand larceny in the second degree."
Kraatz entered not guilty pleas to both counts today.
When Kraatz was originally arraigned in City Court, because of his prior felony convictions, the lower court judge did not have the authority to set bail. County Court Judge Robert C. Noonan could have set bail today, but ordered Kraatz held without bail.
The next scheduled court appearance for Kraatz is Dec. 13, when attorneys are expected to argue any motions in the case.
Also in County Court today, Jon T. Magliocco, entered not guilty pleas to the 17-count indictment filed against him. Magliocco is accused of being 21 or older and having sexual relations with a person less than 17 years old. He is being held on $50,000 bail.
Copyright © 2008-2022 The Batavian. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service
