Above, Charles Malone, Cornell Extension senior resource educator, with 4-H ACES Club members and a 4-H Energy Bike.

Submitted photo and press release:

Would you like to take “healthy living” to the next level? 4-H STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) specialist Charles Malone, along with the Genesee County 4-H ACES Club, created delicious, healthy smoothies using pedal power.

The Energy Bike can help tackle obesity by promoting healthy eating and lifestyles among youth and families. Charles Malone estimated that 12 hours of pedaling would total just 12 cents on a family’s electricity bill.

We learned that using the 4-H Energy Bike connected to a blender and a little pedal-power, you can mix delicious smoothies as you pedal. You just fill the blender with fruit and juice, hop on the bike and pedal for a short amount of time, a minute later you have delicious fruit smoothies for everyone! 

We all know that the key to healthy living is doing regular exercise, eating healthy food full of fruit and veggies, and of course trying to reduce our personal carbon footprint on the planet and promote renewable energy.

Bringing pedal-powered activities to our 4-H Club, which focuses on science and robotics, promotes renewable energy, biking, healthy eating, and teamwork, and puts everyone in an open, happy, and receptive state, ready to interact and learn. It’s green energy in action!

Learning about the energy bike taught us how to use our own muscle power and instantly achieve a delicious, healthy fruit smoothie. We also learned how to reserve, pack, unpack and transport the 4-H Energy Bike.

New York State 4-H currently has several energy bikes to help promote a healthy living program. A smoothie challenge is a good way to promote fun, health, and teamwork altogether.

The energy bike helps promote healthy living and STEM. 4-H’ers can learn to talk to visitors both about the way energy moves from muscle to bike to blender as well as about fruit smoothies as a healthy snack alternative. 

New York State 4-H Foundation, New York State Cornell Cooperative Extension and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County are a partnered program promoting the Energy Bike to 4-H camps, local 4-H clubs, schools and community youth programs.

If you want to learn more about the 4-H Energy Bike program, and perhaps host a fun event, and for more information contact Charles Malone, senior resource educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension, Genesee County at: cwm4@cornell.edu.

Photo by Alexandria Tarbell, 4-H ACES Club photographer.

There was a report of at least 10 people fighting in Le Roy at Craigie and Myrtle streets. Police responded and said parties were separated and he called for medics to respond to evaluate minor injuries.

A statement from Assemblyman Steve Hawley commemorating the founding of the Army.

“For nearly two and a half centuries the U.S. Army has courageously served our country. On June 14, 1775 the Continental Congress established the United Continental Army under the command of General George Washington to serve the United Colonies for a year.

“Today, we celebrate the 244^th birthday of the Army and in doing so celebrate the heroic sacrifices of all the men and women who have served in defense of our freedom and liberty. Across the nation we recognize and honor the more than 1 million active members of the unified Army and the 180,000 Army soldiers and personnel deployed overseas.

“I am proud to have served in the Ohio Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserves, reaching the rank of First Lieutenant, while always remembering my father, a World War Two veteran who fought as a member of Merrill’s Marauders in Burma.

“Loyalty, duty and selfless-service have characterized the Army since its inception. From the beaches of Normandy to the rolling hills of Afghanistan and Iraq, we bear in mind the brave men and women who have generously sacrificed so much for our country. In the spirit of solemn thanksgiving and praise, we wish a happy birthday to the U.S. Army.”

A statement on Flag Day from Assemblyman Steve Hawley:

“Today’s annual celebration of Flag Day is a reminder of the traditions, history, pride and respect given to the nation's symbol, Old Glory. On June 14, 1777 the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution declaring the Stars and Stripes to be the official flag of the U.S. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson passed a decree officially marking June 14 as Flag Day. 

“The celebration of Flag Day is a historic reminder of the struggles and triumphs that have made our country what it is today. By honoring our flag, we direct our minds to the ideals and principles that undergird our nation and are reminded of the many rights and privileges bestowed upon us as American citizens.

“Our country is proud of our flag and the principles of freedom and democracy it stands for at home and all across the world. The celebration of Flag Day on June 14 has been a long and honorable tradition and I hope many of you will join me this year in honoring the American Flag by displaying one at your home to show your love and pride in our great nation.”

Richard D. Hanes (inset photo, right), head shaved, constrained by shackles and wearing orange jail clothes, swiftly entered the courtroom when the side door swung wide open, and was told by a deputy to take a seat next to his attorney, Frederick Rarick.

The 36-year-old former Orleans County resident is accused of beating Morgan to death in his apartment at 111 Liberty St., Batavia, on July 24. He is charged with murder in the second degree, a Class A-1 felony, and has pled not guilty.

Under the plea offer, Hanes faced a minimum of 15 to 20 years in state prison.

Rarick told Judge Charles Zambito that he discussed the plea offer with his client and Hanes rejected it.

Zambito said today was the plea cut-off date and after today the offer would no longer be available and he asked Rarick if his client understood that. Rarick said he did.

Zambito also cited the "severe brutality" exhibited in this case and then set a trial date of Monday, July 22, with jury selection to begin the week before.

With the trial date set and the case dismissed, Morgan's loved ones abruptly stood and left the courtroom, causing a commotion as they did so. A couple of young women shouted out homophobic slurs and one said "Scumbag! Hope you get 25 years to life!"

A deputy quickly followed the group outside, telling them not to shout out.

One woman sobbed uncontrollably outside the courtroom as others tried to comfort her.

Investigators in the case have said the attack on Morgan was "exceptionally violent" and it happened "in an extremely short period of time." The motive, if there was one, was not clear, but detectives say they believe the attack was planned.

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

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

In November, a Batavia police spokesman said Hanes was living at 5 Thorpe St., Batavia, a rooming house for clients of GCASA, at the time of Morgan's murder. (For previous story, click here.)

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman previously told The Batavian that there were witnesses in the area at the time of the murder who identified Hanes as the attacker. He said the people's case also includes scientific evidence, items of physical evidence, and surveillance video from various locations that follow Hane's path after the crime.

Morgan was a 47-year-old Batavia native with a large, tight-knit family that includes five grandchildren and many friends.

For Tim Adams, owner of Adams Welding and Manufacturing in Stafford, donating steel for a class project at Oakfield-Alabama High School is a chance to help students discover a possible career.

For the students, it's a chance to explore a trade and learn new skills.

For the Genesee County Fair, they'll receive new gate racks.

You might call it a win-win-win.

"Any chance kids have for an opportunity to learn a skill or an opportunity to if something is something they want to do in a future career, whether it be welding, electrical, plumbing, or carpentry, any kind of skilled trade, I don't see that as a bad thing," Adams said. "Perhaps they will fall in love with it and like it."

While not necessarily calling it a career just yet, Cierra Tiede said she went from being fearful of welding to really enjoying it.

"It was pretty cool," Tiede said. "I've done another welding projects before, but this was a bigger scale and it was cool to see it all come together in the end."

Instructor Todd Hofheins said it was a great project for the students to learn how to work together as a team, to divide up their labor, coordinate, and ensure all of the five racks are uniform in size and quality.

"The racks need to hold close to 2,000 pounds so they've got to be done properly," Hofheins said.

Without the donation of steel from Adams, the project wouldn't have been possible, Hofheins said.

Above, Jolene Morales, who does tailoring and alterations at Golden Coin Laundry & Dry Cleaning, in addition to sewing custom bathing suits.

Threads of the Batavia community are sewn into the eye-catching swimsuits flaunted on numerous fashion show stages.

The careful hand of Jolene Morales stitches custom swimwear items for models to wear at events as large as the Buffalo Fashion Show, Fashion Week of Rochester and Miami Swim Week.

For about two years, Morales has been a tailor for Golden Coin Laundry & Dry Cleaning in Batavia and a Batavia-based company called Blue Coral Swimwear. Her love of sewing, however, began when she was 10 years old.

“I’ve been doing this so long that this is what I’ve always done," Morales said. "This is my passion. When I’m not here, then I’m sewing at home.” 

Prior to running the tailoring and alterations department at Golden Coin, Morales sewed for PetSmart in Brockport, the P.W. Minor shoe manufacturer in Batavia and a wallet retailer in Nashville, Tenn. Morales has learned how to sew professionally through her work experiences, trial and error and collaborations with designers.

Morales joined Blue Coral Swimwear during her first year at Golden Coin because Callista Gifford-DeHart, the daughter of Golden Coin owner Margaret Gifford, is the founder and designer for Blue Coral. Gifford-DeHart started the company in 2014 in Delray Beach, Fla., and launched her first line the following year. 

Once clients, models and pageant contestants order their personalized swimsuits online, Gifford-DeHart sketches a look and sends the designs to Batavia. Morales then properly sizes the material, delicately cuts the fabric and sews the pieces together. After the labor-intensive two-week process, Gifford ships the finished products to customers nationwide.

“Between doing the bathing suits for [Blue Coral], I also do the regular tailoring," Morales said. "Right now, it’s wedding and prom season, so at one time I had six wedding gowns and five prom dresses."

“When I’m working on the bathing suits, it has to be one-on-one with just them because of the type of material it is. It’s not like working with normal material. It is very slippery, and it’s very high quality.”

The precision and detail of Morales’s tailoring do not go unnoticed. The outfits have received positive feedback from women of all body shapes who express their confidence and body positivity in the swimwear. Customers report “how much they love them, and how comfortable they are,” Gifford said.

Blue Coral launched in 2015 and expects demand for its swimwear to increase, which may lead to an expansion of the sewing department at Golden Coin. Since tailoring is becoming a lost art in Genesee County, Morales thinks it’s worthwhile to educate her children and other students about sewing and alterations.

A key to Morales’s success is that Blue Coral and its customers prefer hand-stitched products to mass-produced, factory manufactured swimwear.

The need for local expertise is the reason Morales is currently tailoring outfits for the 2020 season with the latest materials and threads. She is excited for her new pieces to debut at the Washington, D.C., Swim Week Fashion Show in late July.

To find out more about Blue Coral Swimwear and to shop, click here.

Below, an example of a custom-made swimsuit fashioned by master seamstress Julie Morales by Blue Coral Swimwear.

A 31-year-old Gates resident who police believed approached two girls near Wolcott School last Saturday appears to have done nothing that warrants criminal charges, Le Roy PD officers have determined following a detailed investigation.

The man was fully cooperative with police, authorities said.

He allowed investigators to examine all of the electronic devices along with his websites and other electronic data and no concerning photos or other data were found.

The FBI assisted in the investigation.

According to Le Roy PD, the man said he understood the concerns his actions raised and realized it was an error in judgment to approach the girls, whom he thought were older than they actually were.

The man is apparently developing a portfolio of piercing photos.

He was in Le Roy on Saturday primarily to photograph the replica of the Statue of Liberty and the Oatka Creek.

The Le Roy Central School District has been thoroughly briefed on the investigation, Le Roy PD said in a statement.

"After consulting with the FBI, the District Attorney's Office and the parents of the student who allowed the photo to be taken, no charges will be placed at this time," the statement said.

NOTE: While Le Roy PD released the name of the subject of the investigation, since he is not being charged with a crime, The Batavian does not consider it appropriate to publish his name.

Continuing an annual tradition started by Frank Panepento five years ago, Batavia Middle School students wrote essays about what the American flag means to them and then three winners were chosen to read their essays today, Flag Day, at the VA Center in Batavia.

The winning essay was by Tosh Spillberg, who received a bike and a season pass to Darien Lake Theme Park. Second and third places were Landon Hamilton and Trevor Tryon, who also received season passes to Darien Lake. Panepento purchased the prizes.

Student Transportation of America provided the students with a free bus ride to and from the VA Center.

Multiple law enforcement units are in pursuit of multiple motorcycles in the area of Corfu and Darien.

The motorcycles broke up in multiple directions with at least one heading north, one south, and one heading west into Erie County.

The riders have been identified as members of a motorcycle club.

One rider sideswiped a truck and took off a mirror.

One rider entering the Village of Corfu was fleeing in excess of 100 mph. The bikes are passing on the right and on the center line.

One westbound rider is described as a black male on a red motorcycle.

UPDATE 2:04 p.m.: The northbound motorcycle turned off of Route 77 and is now west on Route 5 and entering Erie County. Erie County does not have a car close to the chase area.

UPDATE 2:05 p.m.: The deputy in pursuit of the motorcycle on Route 5 in Erie County is breaking off the pursuit. 

UPDATE 2:08 p.m.: A deputy is apparently with one rider who had been part of the group and is running his identification. There is reportedly a rider who is part of the club at the security office at Darien Lakes. One deputy reports, "I had a total of four take off on me." Another says there was a group of five he was behind, and one he stopped.

UPDATE 2:16 p.m.: At least one rider was seen stopping to change clothes and is now wearing a black jacket with an orange shirt. He is described as a black male in his mid-40s. At least one of the plates of the bikes involved is from Maryland.

UPDATE 2:56 p.m.: Another rider was spotted going into Erie County at a high rate of speed -- a black male, black helmet, red bike.

Air Force Academy grad Nic Ready is expected to make his professional baseball debut tonight with the Batavia Muckdogs, reports the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Ready, a slugging third baseman, was drafted last week in the 23rd round by the Miami Marlins. He drove in 224 runs in 216 games for Air Force.

The Muckdogs open their season at 7:05 p.m. against the Auburn Doubledays.

A search of more than four years is about to come to an end for Iroquois Trail Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

The local Boy Scouts organization has been looking for consolidated, easily accessible, visible office space since at least 2015 and now has a pending purchase offer for a commercial building at 102 S. Main St., Oakfield.

The purchase agreement is contingent, among other things, on the council receiving approval on a site plan to convert the retail space into office space.

The location was most recently the site of a secondhand store, All About Yous.

"The advantage is mainly to our customer base, which is access," said Director Jim McMullen. "And it gives us an opportunity to house each of our staff in a workable space. We're pretty crowded right now."

Currently, the council has a small space in Downtown Batavia and an office in Lockport.

The new location will combine those, giving staff more room, and giving the scouts space for leaders and parents to pick up materials. It will also provide the council with a place to hold meetings.

A couple of years ago the council thought it had found a new office on West Main Street Road in Batavia but that deal didn't come together.

"It's been tough to find, space that is appropriate to our needs and is also on an easily accessible route," McMullen said following a meeting of the Genesee County Planning Board, which recommended approval of the site plan.

Don Ames said the scouts have owned their own office space for decades.

The purchase is also contingent on the building passing an engineering inspection and the property getting confirmation for tax-exempt status for nonprofit ownership.

The property is a little more than a half acre. The building on the property was built in 1998 and is 2,400 square feet. It's assessed value is $117,000.

Also on Thursday, the planning board recommended approval of a special use permit for a five-megawatt solar farm at 5103 Ellicott Street Road, which is currently farmland owned by Donald Partridge. The location is 20 acres and the facility will be built and run by Trousdale Solar LLC and will provide sufficient solar power for 750 to 1,000 homes.

Under the Community Distributed Generation Program, the solar energy would be distributed to customers through National Grid and the customers would receive solar credits against National Grid bills and pay Cypress Creek (the company administering the program) separately for the solar power. The overall cost to customers who sign up for the program will be lower than what they're currently paying, according to documentation from Trousdale Solar.

Bill Pitcher has been an umpire for high school and youth baseball in and around Batavia for 50 years.

Judge Charles Zambito was in no mood today to give a Batavia man with prior burglary convictions and an admission to a string of burglaries in the City of Batavia late last year much of a break on his sentence in County Court.

Christopher Tyler Sprague, 25, will serve at least three and a half years in state prison and could serve as much as seven, under the terms of his sentence today.

Zambito could have given Sprague up to 15 years in prison but chose not to make his sentences consecutive on his conviction on two counts of third-degree burglary.

Sprague was arrested in January, accused of burglarizing several businesses in Batavia in December.

He also served a stint in state prison on a burglary conviction in 2012 and was arrested on burglary charges in 2016 and served a term in prison on a felony criminal mischief conviction.

Today, Sprague vowed he was ready to turn his life around and asked for a second chance.

"If you can't show me mercy, please do it for my fiancée, my siblings, and my mother," Sprague told Zambito. "Please consider a Willard (rehabilitation) sentence so I can get home as soon as possible and help me get help and get into rehab.

"Your honor," he added, "I'm sincerely ready and willing to change, to change my life around."

Sprague said he had a job on a farm waiting for him once he's out of jail and that he intended to fully compensate his victims.

"I feel horrible for the acts I did and I take full responsibility for what I did," Sprague said.

Zambito said the defendant's criminal record left him unconvinced that he could rely on Sprague to really turn his life around.

"I look at your record and you tell me you've turned a new leaf and you're going to take care of your substance abuse problem but you've already served multiple state sentences for burglary," Zambito said.

Zambito also ordered Sprague to pay restitution, with interest, of $3,897.48, in increments of $100 a month starting 60 days after his release from prison.

For the second time this year, the actions of a stenographer in the Grand Jury room is causing difficulties for District Attorney Lawrence Friedman in the Genesee County Courtroom.

Today, Friedman moved to have what had been a sealed indictment on burglary, trespass, and forgery charges dismissed because a stenographer spoke to grand jurors about the case while the prosecutor was out of the room.

Friedman must now have a new grand jury hear the case against Malik Ayala at a later date.

Ayala was in court today to deal with matters related to his pending case -- criminal possession of stolen property -- and he was also arraigned on these new charges from the sealed indictment.

The counts in the indictment were burglary, 2nd, criminal possession of stolen property, 3rd, and forgery.

Immediately after the charges were read, Friedman made a motion to dismiss the indictment because a court stenographer had jeopardized the integrity of the proceeding. 

Freidman said he had previously informed Public Defender Jerry Ader, who is representing Ayala, that he would move to have the indictment dismissed but with the court's permission to resubmit the case to a grand jury.

He gave Ader a choice -- to present it to the current grand jury, which is the one that heard the case the first time, or waits for a new grand jury to be empaneled.

Ader asked that the case be presented to a new grand jury.

In March, Friedman revealed during another court proceeding that a stenographer had been using an audio recording device on her machine to record grand jury proceedings.

Friedman had another appointment after Ayala's case and was not immediately available for questions, so we don't know if this is the same or a different stenographer.

Ayala was arrested in November along with his brother TeeSean Ayala after the two men were stopped in a car that had pulled into the driveway of County Manager Jay Gsell where they reportedly tried to dispose of a handgun.

During today's proceedings, Judge Charles Zambito told Ayala that he had been informed that Ayala had violated the terms of his release-under-supervision contract. He said that Ayala is accused of testing positive for marijuana and alcohol consumption May 7 and May 14, and for marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol May 28, and that he was arrested on a petit larceny charge June 7.

Zambito had the option to terminate his release under supervision but based on updated reports from Horizon the judge decided it was better to allow Ayala to continue treatment. He warned Ayala that if there are further violations, he would put Ayala in jail and impose bail.

Ayala's status could change when and if a new grand jury indictment is returned.

David Bellavia will not become on June 25 the first Batavia resident to receive the Medal of Honor. That distinction goes to Charles Franklin Rand, who is also considered the first volunteer to sign up to fight in the Civil War.

In this video, Ryan Duffy, director of the Holland Land Office Museum, tells us about Rand.

Press release:

Representatives from Batavia Downs today announced a new program that will provide a 25-percent discount to active first responders at Batavia Downs Restaurants.

This includes local, county and state police, volunteer and paid firefighters, and ambulance service providers, paramedics/EMTs, and correctional officers.

Discounts will be valid on food and soft drinks but will not include alcohol.

Active first responders must show their service ID card to receive the discount for them and one guest. The discount program is available starting today.

“We are so pleased to be able to extend this offer to first responders in our area,” said Scott Kiedrowski, vice president of Operations at Batavia Downs, who also oversees the Food & Beverage Department.

“We value their contributions to our communities in keeping us safe and healthy. This discount is a token of our gratitude."

The cases of three men arrested on drug charges in Batavia were heard in Genesee County Court this morning.

Locicero is charged with: criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, a Class B felony; criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, a Class D violent felony; and two Class A misdemeanors -- criminally using drug paraphernalia, 2nd, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th.

He was arrested in May by the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force and is accused of selling fentanyl to a task force agent; and he was allegedly found in possession of an illegal knife, a crack cocaine smoking device and suboxone.

On Feb. 22, the 27-year-old resident of Dewey Avenue, Rochester, was reportedly found in possession of a quantity of fentanyl, crack cocaine and cash at a residence on Hutchins Street, Batavia.

Jones was arrested by the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force and his bail was set at $50,000 bail, which Judge Charles Zambito continued today.

At his arraignment, his attorney Marty Anderson said his client pleads not guilty.

On March 27, probation officers allegedly found 56 bags of crack cocaine at a house on Liberty Street, Batavia. Lee was one of five individuals arrested as a result of the investigation.

Lee’s $40,000 bail bond was also continued by Judge Zambito.