Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) met with supporters at a rally in Albany Wednesday organized by the New York Farm Bureau and Grow-NY regarding the dangers of allowing farm workers to unionize.

Hawley, the former owner and operator of Hawley Farms in Batavia, is a longtime member of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and has been outspoken on the damaging effects labor regulations would have on the family farming industry.

“I was proud to stand with dedicated farmers, activists and producers yesterday in Albany as we push back against labor regulations being advanced by New York City politicians,” Hawley said.

“Our family farms are already struggling under suffocating minimum-wage mandates and low commodity prices, and to regulate an industry, which thrives off the necessity to operate unique hours at different times would be devastating.”

Net farm income is down 50 percent from just a few years ago and farmers have little to no control over the prices they receive for what they produce, unlike most manufacturers who can set their own prices.

According to a 2019 report from Farm Credit East, mandatory overtime would increase labor costs on farms by almost $300 million and decrease net farm income by almost 25 percent.

“We know what works best for our family farms and that is the ability to regulate their own labor to produce the best results. I will continue to stand in the way of harmful farm mandates as session nears its end next week,” Hawley concluded.

Photo: ​Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) meets with Maureen Torrey and Shelley Stein, on left, from Grow-NY at Wednesday’s New York Farm Bureau Rally in Albany.

Pierce Corbelli, winner of the 2019 Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation Scholarship.

To his surprise, the scholarship recipient shared a very similar experience to Outstanding Italian-American Tony Palmer at the 35th Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation Scholarship Awards Dinner Wednesday night.

“I realized I had a deeper connection with someone else sitting in this room … Mr. Palmer, you mentioned your family is from Apuzzi. My grandpa’s family is also from Apuzzi,” said Batavia High School Senior Pierce Corbelli during his acceptance speech.

As he received his award, Corbelli said he, like Palmer, had the pleasure of visiting Apuzzi, Italy, and connecting with his relatives. After his remarks, Corbelli and Palmer shook hands and exchanged congratulations.

The foundation’s dinner at Terry Hills Restaurant, Batavia, celebrated shared Italian-American heritage among Genesee County residents and recognized high school seniors and adults who have embodied Italian-American values through their contributions to the community.

The Paolo Busti Scholarship is given to an Italian-American graduating senior from a local school who has followed the example of pioneering landowner Paolo Busti (Oct. 17, 1749 – July 23, 1824), who was the principal agent of the Holland Land Company from 1800 until his death.

Corbelli was selected among eight candidates, and he will attend the University at Buffalo to pursue a mechanical engineering degree.

The family of Vincent Gautieri also offers a memorial scholarship in honor of Gautieri’s Italian-American legacy. Spencer Misiti (in photo above), of Notre Dame High School, won this award due to his meaningful experiences growing up Italian-American.

Misiti thanked the Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation and his family for their support, and he will attend Canisius College in the fall to study marketing and finance.

This year's Outstanding Italian-American Palmer was honored for his dedication to the community and demonstration of Italian-American principles. Palmer described his Italian grandparents as “the forebears of this heritage” who taught him about his cultural food, family and customs.

“I really think this nomination isn’t about me. It’s about my family,” Palmer said.

Palmer, a Batavia resident, thanked his wife, Margaret, for her role in raising their nine children and supporting their 22 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Palmer expressed gratitude to the foundation for this distinction, and he hopes his Italian traditions will be carried on by his ever-expanding family.

Below, is Tony Palmer, named 2019's Outstanding Italian-American at the 35th Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation Scholarship Awards Dinner.

(Photos courtesy of the Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation.)

The Batavia Muckdogs open their 2019 campaign at home at 7 p.m., Friday, which is the start of a two-game home stand against cross-Thruway rivals Auburn.

In the video, we talk with Tom Lawless, the new Muckdogs manager, and Dalvy Rosario, a top Marlin's prospect who is 19 and is expected to be the Muckdog's starting shortstop this season.

Last year in the Dominican Summer League, Rosario hit .257 with four home runs, 42 RBIs, 42 runs scored, and 26 stolen bases in 46 games.

This will be the 12th season Lawless has worked as a minor league manager since 1994. He's also been a hitting and infield instructor at the minor and major league level and he managed the Houston Astros in 2014 (70-92).

The former big-league ballplayer is best known for his bat flip after hitting a home run in Game 4 of the 1987 World Series (video below).

The Daniel King band playing ... for this episode of The Batavian Sessions.

Daniel now lives in Rochester but is from Batavia.

Bands interested in participating in The Batavian Sessions, email howard@thebatavian.com

A rider was reported unconscious following an ATV accident at Area 51 on Harlow Road and Mercy Flight has been dispatched.

East Pembroke Fire Department is responding.

A first-responder on scene indicated the patient had gained at least some degree of consciousness.

"He's not talking much," he said.

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) and Congressman Peter King (NY-2) reintroduced the "Renovate and Enhance Veterans’ Meeting Halls and Posts (REVAMP) Act."

This legislation will grant organizations access to federal funding for maintenance and improvements to veteran halls and posts.

American Legions and VFW Posts provide a place where veterans can come together to share their stories, get help with VA claims, and get involved in the community,” Congressman Collins said.

“I would like to thank Congressman Peter King for once again joining me in introducing this vital legislation that ensures our veterans have the resources they need to maintain and improve their facilities.”

“Veterans organizations like the VFW and American Legion continually provide and open their facilities to our communities,” Congressman King said. “It is only fair that we provide them with the opportunity to upgrade and repair these facilities to ensure continued use.”

The REVAMP Act allows organizations who are classified by the IRS as 501(c)(19) nonprofit organizations and comprised primarily of past or present members of the Armed Forces and their family members to be eligible for funding through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG).

This legislation uses existing CDBG funding to make veteran organizations eligible for that particular funding and does not add to the deficit.

Text of the legislation can be read here.

A statement from Assemblyman Steve Hawley on the Assembly passing legislation awarding driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants:

“This sends a dangerous message to society – it’s acceptable to enter our country illegally and continue to break the law because you will be rewarded.

"Downstate politicians continue to peddle handouts and shortcuts for everyone but the middle class. Felons get pay raises, illegals get driver’s licenses and sex offenders get voting rights. Make no mistake, this is a step toward allowing illegals to vote in our elections.

"Recent polling shows the majority of the state opposes this radical proposal but New York City politicians are more concerned with scoring political points against President Trump than following public sentiment – a disgraceful day in Albany.”

When Le Roy Board of Education members were warned that special education students were not making adequate progress, Denise Duthe asked, “When you look at where we are putting our money and where we are focusing our time, what are we doing? What do we need to do?”

Consultant Bonnie Whitney, Ph.D., responded, “Before you start more programs, I think we need teachers to be able to teach kids to think … There needs to be more intervention with just helping the students understand themselves.”

The special education program consultant update was a main focus at the Tuesday board meeting.

Whitney said that she and Le Roy special education faculty members have developed learning models for teachers of underperforming students with special needs.

“One of the observations that was very clear is our students were being helped to complete tasks. That’s not learning,” she said. “If the students cannot walk away and say, ‘I know how I did this,’ they haven’t learned.”

In addition to concerns about the lack of student progress in special education classrooms, Whitney spoke about compliance issues with New York State Department of Education requirements.

Due to poor data maintenance in past years, the district was only able to recover full state funding for special education programs from 2016 to 2019. Whitney said that Chelsea Eaton, the new director of special education and student services, will ensure future data collection is done correctly.

Whitney said, “It’s a mistake that we couldn’t recover completely, but we can move forward. Those are not easy processes to do.”

Whitney recommended new lesson plan templates for special education teachers to remedy student performance issues. The templates explain how instructors can better understand developmental disabilities, identify factors that disrupt learning, and set goals for students with special needs.

Whitney said special education teachers have been very responsive to improvements in compliance and program effectiveness.

“We really looked at whether the teachers are instructing the students to gain information to help them either cope with their disability, overcome their disability, but certainly not succumb to their disability,” Whitney said.

In other action, the Board:

— Recognized the varsity baseball and track and field teams for their athletic and sportsmanship achievements during the spring sports season.

— Discussed the breakfast and snack packages that will be provided for elementary Summer Academy students. A new feature of this summer learning program is that students are allowed more flexibility in attendance as they participate in the academy.

— Developed a new District-wide School Safety Plan, which is open for public comment until June 23.

This morning a group of farmers and farm workers gathered in the parking lot of Farm Credit East before heading to Albany to participate in a rally against a proposed bill that would give farm workers the right to join unions and restrict their working hours to eight hours a day and 40 hours a week.

A Le Roy police officer has been dispatched to the Main Street bridge over the Oatka Creek to investigate a report of "three young kids" jumping off the bridge into the creek.

UPDATE 5:21 p.m.: An officer is clearing the scene after speaking to the juveniles. 

The Batavia City Council may consider exploring a “brighter” future for its residents through participation in the National Grid LED Streetlight Conversion program.

At Monday night’s Business Meeting at City Hall, the board heard from Paul Gister, customer and community management manager for National Grid, who presented three options designed to save money and direct more light upon city streets.

Gister said the power company offers three options for towns and villages in Upstate New York.

In this case, the City can:

-- Purchase the lighting system owned by National Grid;
-- Opt-in when a high-pressure sodium fixture fails and replace it with an LED;
-- Pay the net book value of its remaining high-pressure sodium fixtures on roadway lighting only (not decorative or post-top lamps) and change it to LED.

“There are currently 946 fixtures owned and maintained by National Grid that could be converted to LED, with the net book value of about $1.50 per head,” Gister said. “That puts the value at around $1,500.

“Since the value is less than the energy efficient dollars that National Grid would pay out (that would be a viable option for Batavia).”

Gister said that National Grid pays in the $50 to $100 range per fixture for LED conversions, which translates into at least $47,000 in incentives to the City.

He also noted that National Grid would provide the labor for the conversions while City officials would choose the wattage (or strength) of the LED bulbs, which provide better lighting more efficiently.

The program started in Massachusetts about four years ago, Gister said, and came to Upstate New York in 2016 after authorization by the NYS Public Service Commission.

The Town of Batavia was one of the first municipalities to sign up for the program (in 2017) and since then 10 towns and villages in this area have converted, Gister said.

“And the remaining 40 or so are somewhere in the process – either considering it or getting ready for conversion,” he said.

City Council President Eugene Jankowski touted the savings, improved lighting and incentives as reason to discuss the matter further.

Council Member Adam Tabelski noted that many communities are buying back the complete light fixtures from National Grid and finding significant savings.

“I’d like to look at both options, and if any analysis has been done, I’d like to see it,” he said. “If we owned the infrastructure, maybe we would realize more savings.”

To which Jankowski replied that Council should look at all the options.

Gister said he hopes that Council would eventually provide National Grid with a recommendation and move forward with the LED conversion. If that happens, the utility would bill the City for the net value of the fixture heads, approximately $1,500.

In the case of the People v. Antwan Odom, the District Attorney wants the defense attorney to shut up -- at least when it comes talking to reporters -- and the defense attorney wants the DA disqualified from the case.

In other words, the case of the People v. Antwan Odom has been reduced to two attorneys squabbling about what happens outside the courtroom.

The attorney vs. attorney dispute dates back to May 3 when Odom's attorney Frank Housh told reporters that he would defend his client by trying to show jurors that the fellow student Odom allegedly stabbed on Ross Street on Aug. 4.

In court on May 3, Housh said he intended to file a motion to get evidence introduced, in order to mount a self-defense claim, that impeached the character of Ray Leach, the local football star Odom allegedly cut with a knife multiple times, so outside of court, reporters asked him to clarify his motion.

"The fact that Ray Leach is known in the community to be a violent person, to be a confrontational person, who confronted (Odom) -- by the prosecution's own admission -- he was the first aggressor," Housh said outside of court on May 3. "He went to my client's house and called him out and beat him into unconsciousness.

"So, under those circumstances, to say, when the prosecution is admitting that he was the first aggressor, to say that his history of violence and intimidation is irrelevant is simply absurd. We should be able to bring that up because it goes to the circumstance of his justification."

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman included the quote in a May 8 filing with the court requesting a gag order on both attorneys in the case.

In court today, Housh also revealed that Friedman filed a grievance against Housh with the state courts for "unprofessional conduct."

"Now I feel there is a parallel prosecution by the elected District Attorney of me and my client," Housh said. 

He said that raises a sufficient conflict of interest that Friedman should be disqualified from continuing as the prosecutor on the case.

That motion was continued until Odom's next court appearance on July 2.

Friedman, according to court discussions today, filed a one-sentence objection to the motion for disqualification.

Today, Friedman complained to Judge Charles Zambito that Housh was trying to get him disqualified from the case for following through on his ethical obligation to file a grievance over what he saw as unprofessional conduct.

Friedman said that as far as he knows nobody is prosecuting Housh and that he is not prosecuting Housh by following his "ethical obligation to report ethical misconduct."

"He says I'm seeking his disbarment," Friedman said. "I'm not seeking his disbarment. I followed through on the ethical obligation I have. All I wish to do is make sure he is able to remain professional and does nothing to violate professional conduct."

In his filing with the court, Friedman asserted that Housh's statements about Leach violated the rules of professional conduct, specifically the rule that prohibits attorneys from making statements could prejudice a jury, including statements relating to the character or credibility of a witness.

In the Order to Show Cause, Zambito ordered Housh and Friedman to show why they shouldn't be barred from "making statements to the media regarding anything involving this case."

The Batavian has filed a memo with Zambito objecting to the order. While judges in criminal cases can restrict what attorneys can say to the media, such orders, according to prior case law, can't be overly broad; can't apply to parties other than the attorneys in the case; and should consider how much time before the trial the statements are made.

In addition, both attorneys can use the jury selection process to identify potential jurors who should be disqualified because media exposure has tainted their view of the case. 

Gag orders can act, courts have found, as a form of prior restraint (the government censoring speech before the speech is made), which violates the First Amendment. 

While cases such as Gentile v. State Bar of Nevada have given courts leeway to restrict speech by attorneys because of their special access to information, in order to issue a gag order, courts have ruled that: a judge must make specific findings; consider less drastic alternatives; and narrowly tailor the order to address identified harm.

(For support of statements about gag orders in this story, see this brief filed by attorneys for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in another criminal case).

Courts have repeatedly found that a free press is essential to ensure fair trials, as in the 1965 case, Sheppard v. Maxwell.

"A responsible press has always been regarded as the handmaiden of effective judicial administration, especially in the criminal field," the Supreme Court said in its ruling. "The press does not simply publish information about trials, but guards against the miscarriage of justice by subjecting the police, prosecutors, and judicial processes to extensive public scrutiny.’’

In CBS Inc. vs. Young, a case that vacated a gag order, the court found that the newsgathering rights of a free press extend beyond the courtroom to include access to sources and court documents.

Asked to comment on the gag order by Zambito, an attorney for the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press, Sarah Matthews, provided the following statement:

Although courts may restrict what attorneys can say about a case outside the courtroom, it raises First Amendment concerns when courts issue broad gag orders on attorneys that go beyond what the ethics rules require and actually bar any discussion of a case.

Meanwhile, Housh has shown he's fearful of even being seen nodding in the direction of a member of the press since Zambito issued the Order to Show Cause.

A few days after the order was delivered, a reporter ran into Housh at a local restaurant and Housh made it clear he didn't want to be seen talking to the reporter, and today when that reporter entered the courtroom and gave Housh a friendly wave, Housh shook his head as if to say, "don't even wave at me."

Press release:

Empire State Development (ESD) today announced its investment in the continued growth of Tompkins Metal Finishing Inc. located in Batavia, Genesee County.

As part of the industrial plating company’s modernization project, it has installed a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment and recycling system at its Apollo Drive location.

The updated system will reduce water usage by as much at 80 percent. The facility upgrade will allow the company to add another shift, resulting in the creation of up to 10 new jobs; 100 jobs will be retained, 30 of which had been at risk.

Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, “Tompkins Metal Finishing’s decision to continue its expansion in Genesee County reflects the success of our strategic support for growing and revitalizing the Upstate economy, especially by adding jobs and opportunity.”

To help ensure Tompkins Metal Finishing Inc. continued success, ESD is providing the company with up to $150,000 through the Excelsior Jobs Program in exchange for job creation commitments. Tompkins Metal Finishing Inc. is investing $900,000 in the facility upgrade which they expect to be completed by the end of this year.

Tompkins Metal Finishing Inc. President Allen Tompkins said, “Without this tax credit it would have been much more difficult to invest the $900,000 in our state-of-the-art wastewater treatment and water recycling system. This new system and the investment from ESD will allow us to continue our growth in Genesee County and will allow us to recycle our water for years to come.”

Established in 1955, Tompkins Metal Finishing Inc. is operating in a new state-of-the-art 65,000-square-foot facility. In addition to offering its customers high-quality products, Tompkins Metal Finishing Inc. owns a fleet of trucks, allowing them to deliver those products efficiently to customers throughout Western New York. They service clients in the aerospace, communications, transportation, electronics, optical, medical, machine, defense and protype fields.

State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer said, “It is always great to see new jobs being created. The investments that the State is making in our community to grow new manufacturing jobs is crucial. I am appreciative of the commitment that Tompkins Metal Finishing Inc. is making to Genesee County.”

State Assemblyman Stephen Hawley said, "Tompkins Metal Finishing has been a hallmark business in our community for many years and I am pleased to witness their further expansion that includes renewed efforts toward improving environmental stewardship.

"The Finger Lakes Region is on the rise, and I commend any company or organization, which creates jobs and contributes to our overall success as Tompkins Metal Finishing has done for many years. I look forward to touring their new state-of-the-art wastewater system and wish them the best of success moving forward.”

City Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. said, “It’s exciting to see a long-established company like Tompkins Metal Finishing Inc. continue to grow and invest in Batavia. Not only are they creating new jobs they’re also protecting our fragile environment in the process. I commend Tompkins Metal Finishing for their forward thinking and continued commitment to the community!”

Steven G. Hyde, GCEDC President & CEO, said, “The investment being made by Tompkins Metal Finishing demonstrates their commitment to building high-quality industrial plating products, and high-quality careers in Genesee County. This investment reinforces that Governor Cuomo’s strategy and plan to grow manufacturing jobs and capital investments to the Finger Lakes region is working. We want to thank Tompkins Metal Finishing for their continued investment in our community.”

For more information about Tompkins Metal Finishing Inc., click here.

Accelerating Finger Lakes Forward

Today’s announcement complements “Finger Lakes Forward,” the region’s comprehensive blueprint to generate robust economic growth and community development. The State has already invested more than $6.1 billion in the region since 2012 to lay the groundwork for the plan – investing in key industries including photonics, agriculture‎ and food production, and advanced manufacturing.

Today, unemployment is down to the lowest levels since before the Great Recession; personal and corporate income taxes are down; and businesses are choosing places like Rochester, Batavia and Canandaigua as a destination to grow and invest in.

Now, the region is accelerating Finger Lakes Forward with a $500 million State investment through the Upstate Revitalization Initiative, announced by Governor Cuomo in December 2015. The State’s $500 million investment will incentivize private business to invest well over $2.5 billion – and the region’s plan, as submitted, projects up to 8,200 new jobs. More information is available here.

Press release:

The Genesee County 4-H Program is seeking volunteer judges for the following events at this year’s Genesee County Fair:

• Kennedy Building Exhibits: Judging times are Friday, July 12^th, 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 13^th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Two-hour time slots are available on July 13^th. Volunteer judges receive a fair parking pass and meal coupon. No experience is necessary! Exhibits may include: crafts, artwork, photography, sewing, baked goods, horticultural projects and more!
• 4-H Livestock Costume Contest -- Saturday, July 13 at 6 p.m. 4-H’ers will be dressing their project animals up in fun costumes & accessories; help us decide who is the most creative, most humorous, has the best craftsmanship, the best team, and overall champion!

Interested in helping? Contact the 4-H Office for more details 343-3040, or email genesee4h@cornell.edu

Press release:

Richmond Memorial Library will kick off its summer reading programs for adults and youth on June 24! This year’s theme is “A Universe of Stories” and our programming will highlight outer space, inspired by the 50^th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.

We are excited to offer programs for adults, children and the whole family through August!

The library is excited to kick off summer reading in partnership with the Batavia Concert Band.

On Monday, June 24, conductor John Bailey will share a preview of the band’s season at 7 p.m. at Richmond Memorial Library. On Wednesday, June 26, the Batavia Concert Band will kick off its 94^thseason with “Sounds from A Universe of Stories,” at 7 p.m. at Centennial Park (or GCC’s Stuart Steiner Theatre in case of rain). For more info about the band, visit bataviaconcertband.net.

Adult Summer Reading - BINGO!

Back by popular demand, Summer Reading BINGO will return for adults from June 24-Aug. 17. The program will feature a BINGO board full of reading and library challenges. Participants will get a weekly prize entry for each square they get stamped and a grand prize entry for each BINGO (five completed squares).

This year’s grand prizes include a chance to attend an Afternoon Tea with the Richmond Reads author Silas House, as well as a Book Lover’s basket! Our seven weekly prizes will include gift cards to local businesses and there will be prizes for participation as well.

As a bonus, the first 20 participants to register will receive a paperback copy of "Southernmost" by Silas House, the Richmond Reads selection for 2019. All prizes are made possible courtesy of the Friends of Richmond Memorial Library.

BINGO square challenges include everything from attending a library program to watching a documentary to reading a book with “sun,” “moon” or “star” in the title (in keeping with our theme!). The goal of the program is to help you get to know the library better as you step out of your “reading comfort zone” -- as one patron said about last year’s program, “I enjoyed that it was at my own pace yet encouraged me to read more…it encouraged me to step out of my normal reading genres.”

We welcome all patrons 17 and older with a valid library card to participate in our Adult Summer Reading program! All information and rules will be provided with registration. Visit the library for a sneak peek at our BINGO Board for 2019.

Our Reel Discussions series over the summer will feature space related films, such as “The Martian” (2015), “First Man” (2018) and “October Sky” (1999).

Children's Summer Reading - A Universe of Stories!

Read and Bead is back! Our Summer Reading program will help kids to fight boredom and discover new worlds! Bring your kids in and sign up! They'll get a necklace with starter beads and their Summer Reading record. For each 15 minutes of reading, they get a new bead. At the end of each week, we reveal a new special bead!

Kids who complete the program will end the summer with prizes including special books.

Start the summer with our Constellation Kick-Off on Friday June 28th with an indoor planetarium! Our Family Fun Fridays continue throughout the summer with visits from the Rochester Museum and Science Center, Buffalo and Brandy, Animals in Space (reptile show), Checkers the Inventor, and a Traveling Farm!

We cap off the summer on Aug. 9th with African Drumming, Dancing and Storytelling! We will also have the classic beauty "Belle" reading stories to kids on July 16th, and two Homeschooler Meet and Greet gatherings on July 19th and Aug. 2 at 1 p.m.

For 8-12 year old kids, we have a Nailed It! program at 3 p.m. each week. With limited supplies and time, they will have to be creative and work fast! On Thursdays at 10, it's STEAM Time! Explore tech gizmos, science gadgets and have fun. Register for each program by calling us or stopping in.

Teens can enjoy some cookies and book discussion in our low-pressure "What are You Reading? Book Club" on Fridays at 10. Come with a book you're reading or one you love! This is a fun, friendship-building group that encourages the love of reading.

Youth Summer Reading Program runs from June 24th to Aug. 10th.

For information about all upcoming events and library services, visit batavialibrary.org

Richmond Memorial Library continually provides access to physical and virtual resources and services that meet the educational, informational and recreational needs of its diverse community in a safe and comfortable environment. Learn more at www.batavialibrary.org

Submitted photo and press release:

SENECE FALLS -- Apache hideaway. Hippodrome. Death drag. Shoulder stand. Back bend. These are some of the daring moves that visitors to the 2019 Empire Farm Days will see demonstrated by 14-year-old, award-winning trick rider Courtney Jean Schum.

The teenager, who lives in Alexander, is known as “Courtney Jean, the Trick Riding Machine” (in photo above) and she will make her first visit to the agricultural and rural living event at Rodman Lott and Son Farms in Seneca Falls on Wednesday, Aug. 7.

Her shows will be at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Runnings Round-Up live horse demonstration ring.

Courtney Jean has thrilled crowds at the International Plowing Match and Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and at rodeos in Canada and New York State. Courtney Jean won an Ontario RAM Rodeo Tour Finals Champion Buckle in 2017.

Next January, she will compete in the trick riding competition at the International Professional Rodeo Association Finals in Oklahoma.

Courtney Jean, who is also an accomplished barrel racer, is part of Tanglefoote Stables LLC, operated by her mother Sue Dominesey-Schum at Alexander and in Sheldon.

The Runnings Round-Up live horse demonstrations at Empire Farm Days feature a different presenter each day. (Emma and Jack Minteer and their wild-to-mild American Mustangs will be the featured presenters on Tuesday, Aug. 6. On Thursday, Aug. 8, meet volunteers and equines with Begin Again Horse Rescue (based in Lima)).

Below, selected quotes. For the fuller context of each quote, watch the videos.

Thank you to Western and New York for love and support
David Bellavia opened the press conference acknowledging all of the Western New Yorkers who have contacted him over the past 72 hours and then discussed how the men who served in Vietnam didn't benefit from a warm homecoming, and that many veterans do not get the recognition they deserve.

"I just wish that more Vietnam veterans, Korean War veterans, everyone guys at V.A. hospitals. can feel half the love that Western York has given to me, and most importantly. the Gold Star families in Western New York and Rochester. These men and women have given up their sons and daughters and there's really, it's not just Memorial Day, it isn't one day a year for these families; it's every single day. And we still live with that and we still think about them. And you know I think about them, too."

The benefits of military enlistment
"If there's anything that can come out of this, hopefully, young people in Western New York will we'll see their country as more worthy than anything else in their life. We are a very special institution, the United States Army, and I encourage as many people to look at that as an opportunity to better themselves but more importantly better their communities and their country."

The call from the president
Bellavia said he was told in August that he would be receiving a call from a top official in the Department of Defense, though he didn't know why. When the call was repeatedly delayed, he admitted to some frustration

"I really didn't know who that could have been. It could've been Secretary of the Army. It could've been Secretary of Defense. But that senior member of the DoD was very difficult to get on the phone. So no offense to Secretary of the Army; I'm sure he's a busy person. But he can't be that busy because there was a very difficult time to get that individual to allocate time. I had no idea that the senior member of the DoD, he was the senior member of the DoD, being the commander in chief.

"It was pretty humbling. It was pretty life altering.

"I lost my dad a year ago and yesterday would've been his 75th birthday. It was pretty crazy that the White House announcement came on his birthday, but my dad was my hero. I loved him. I spent every day talking to him. When I deployed my dad would, he would type up play-by-play of the Buffalo Bills games as if I had no access to get scores in the Army. He would take the time to write me a six-page letter single-spaced (letters) on every play. I would read these no matter where I was, Kosovo, Germany, or Iraq and we just talked about the Bills no matter how bad the day was, it was about the Bills.

"My dad would always tell me something and I always thought he was just uncool because he's my dad but he'd always say, 'way to go.' He'd say, 'way to go, man.' That's what my dad would say. No one else has ever said that to me in my life because it's not something you would expect anyone to say. But as the whole conversation with the president he's going on, I'm not even listening. I'm just kind of...but at the end of it, he said. 'Good job. David. Way to go, man.' That's what the president said and I haven't heard anyone say that to me but my father and it just brought me right back down to Earth."

On being an Iraq War veteran
Bellavia acknowledged that the Iraq War is a controversial war and that many people believe the United States entered the war because of faulty intelligence.

"Listen, you know I'm not going to pretend to write -- the narrative the Iraq war as well established but the Iraq veteran has nothing to apologize for. The Iraq veteran has served with the same, in the finest traditions of any other generation at war. And, you know, there's a whole lot of men and women who -- Yeah, everything's changed. I have to represent those people because that's what we have to do.

"I can't tell you that looking back and seeing how a lot of people tend to look at the valor of a generation and say well are these good wars or bad wars. Iraq veterans are walking around with chips on their shoulder because they're regarded as part of the bad war the war of choice, the war that was based on bad intelligence and you know we're free to think and decide whatever you want. I think the narrative is written on that. But I would just caution us to not make the veteran feel the weight of that. I don't think it's their responsibility. Ninety-nine percent of these men and women served with honor and distinction and we really shouldn't have to apologize for where our nation sends us to fight."

Thoughts on the battle that led to the Medal of Honor
"When you go through a graveyard and you see someone born and died on the same day, you know, I always see that on a tombstone and think, you know, that's got to be horrible and I just imagined how someone could explain to my son why I chose to do this. I wanted someone to be able to articulate to my kid that it's not that I don't love you, it's that I love these guys, too. We're in this together and that's why it's so important to me to tell as many Gold Star families that if the roles were reversed their sons would be talking to my mom, and their sons would be talking to my kids, and their sons would be saying, 'don't forget what your son did.' "

On veterans and being a veteran
"I happen to believe that veterans make the best neighbors you can have. I think we make great employees. I think we make great teachers. I think we make great friends. 

"I'm forever grateful to the United States Army they gave me purpose and direction they gave my life meaning and value. I'm a better human being because of my service. And I think most of the people that I've served with can all tell you the same thing. And I encourage any man or woman that wants to become an individual in their community to serve the United States military."

On how he's changed since Fallujah; veterans are anti-war (from the interview)
"You know, I never saw the enemy as people. I think, now, when I have, when you have children, you think you know, obviously, you want your guys, America, the good guys, to be OK. But I also think back to, I don't want the enemy's children to take the road that their dads took. I don't want my kids to be fighting in conflicts with another generation. ... What are the things that we can do, especially when it comes to acknowledging that a lot of people think that war guys, veteran guys are pro-war, that we love this. You know, we're pretty anti-war. I mean, I don't know of any veteran that you've talked to that is like, 'this is the greatest thing in the world.'

"We're violently anti-war but with the goal, the end state is that we won't do this anymore. I mean, if you would've told me that I would join the Army because my son and daughters would also get to have this experience, I never would have done it. It's not worth it. You fight so that it stops here and it doesn't continue. And it would be heartbreaking to know that this is going to go on for another 25 years."

We also asked about his political future and he suggested he will not be a candidate for Congress in 2020. He said he believes the Army will keep him busy for the next 18 months to two years with Medal of Honor appearances.

Cassidy Jane Hackett, 21, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, is charged with fourth-degree attempted grand larceny. It is alleged that at 1:23 p.m. on May 9 that Hackett attempted to withdraw $1,500 from a person's bank account. She was arraigned, released on an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia Town Court on June 24. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Travis DeMuth.

Jessica Nicole Weiss, 28, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and endangering the welfare of a child. Weiss was arrested after allegedly stealing merchandise from Walmart at 2:29 p.m. on June 10 while her 8-month-old son and 3-year-old daughter were with her. She was issued an appearance ticket for June 27 in Batavia Town Court. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Mathew Clor.