batavia

When reporters for a national publication focused on justice system reform looked for a county to illuminate the changes in jail population due to pandemic-related fluctuations, they settled on Genesee County and an inmate they thought illustrated the shifting priorities of the system.

The selection of Matthew Reed to help tell the story of a person who might have been mistreated by the system drew attention locally.  

Reed's name is familiar to anybody who regularly pays attention to published arrest reports.

In this case, Reed was highlighted for his conviction on a petty larceny charge -- he stole, as the story noted, $63 in bedsheets from Target. His example was perhaps colorful because his sentencing was delayed for months because of the closure of the Town of Batavia court during the pandemic. When he was eventually sentenced by Town Justice Andrew Young in May he was ordered to serve six months in the Genesee County Jail. (With good behavior, he should be out in about a month).

Reed told reporter Beth Schwartzapfel of The Marshal Project he thought the sentence under the circumstances was unfair.

Reed doesn’t understand the point of sending him to jail now, only further destabilizing his life. “They could have at least offered me drug court or some type of rehab or something,” he said in an interview from the Genesee County Jail last week.

While it's true Reed wasn't offered an opportunity for drug court or rehab, in Genesee County -- at least -- it's up to a defendant's attorney to ask the court to consider those options prior to sentencing, something Reed said his attorney didn't do even though he asked him to make that request.  Reed's attorney, Michael Guarino, told The Batavian after a recent court appearance on another matter that he did make that request, and it was rejected by the DA's office.

The Marshall Project story leaves the impression that stealing some bedsheets was Reed's only crime and he was given a harsh sentence after being left in limbo for months while awaiting his sentence.

That isn't the whole story, however.  In October 2020, Reed also admitted to a criminal charge of bail jumping in the third degree.  He was sentenced in May on both charges.  

While Young didn't give a reason for his sentence of six months for Reed, according to a recording of the proceeding obtained by The Batavian from the Town of Batavia Court, Young was made aware of the 38-year-old Batavia resident's prior criminal history, including multiple failures to appear and parole and probation revocations. 

These issues came up because Reed was requesting a delay in his sentencing over concern he wanted to collect one more disability check before going to jail so he could have some money on his books. This fact isn't mentioned in the Marshall Project story.

Assistant District Attorney Kaitlynn Schmit objected to the delay out of concern Reed wouldn't make a future court appearance.  She also brought to Young's attention a letter Reed had sent the court earlier asking that his case be expedited.  He was distressed by the COVID-related delay in his sentencing. 

While Reed's criminal history as an adult is lengthy, the prior arrests are all for relatively minor offenses, such as trespassing, harassment, and disorderly conduct.  His sentences over the years have included time in jail, community service, fines and probation. His longest sentence appears to have been 365 days in 2008 on a scheme to defraud conviction. 

Reached via email, Schwartzapfel said none of that -- not even the bail jumping charge included in his May sentence -- was relevant to the story she was writing.

The story's thesis is captured in the article's 28th paragraph:

The pandemic underscored what reform advocates have been saying for years: Cramped and filthy jails are the wrong place for most people who have been arrested.

In an email to The Batavian, Schwartzapfel wrote: 

To answer your questions, yes of course I did a criminal history search on Reed, and I knew he had also been charged with bail jumping, which is a very scary-sounding way of saying, he missed a court date. I could have included that, as well as the list of other priors (almost all years-old petit larcenies), but it wasn't really relevant to the point, which was, he stayed out of jail during the pandemic when he would have otherwise gone to jail; and now, months later, he's serving a delayed sentence.

While ADA Schmit is on leave, The Batavian reached out to District Attorney Lawrence Friedman for background on the case and the policies of his office on cases like this.  Asked about Schwartzapfel's characterization of her story, he said:

“Missed a court date” is a very nice sounding way of saying “bail jumping”.

Regardless of how old his priors are, they still factor in the determination as to what is an appropriate sentence.

Leaving out any other charge that was pending against him certainly misleads the reader about the nature of Reed's sentence, especially bail jumping.

I can’t understand the logic behind the contention that, because he hadn't been sentenced for so long, he shouldn't have been sent to jail.

AUTHOR DISCLOSURE: I first met Matthew Reed years ago while outside of our former downtown office and he asked me for money.  I gave him money then and two or three times in the next couple of weeks when he asked for money, usually with some story about his disability check being late or the funds not being available to pay his rent or needing money for food.  After three or four times of this, I told him I couldn't give him any more money.  Eventually, he stopped asking for money, including in the past year when I would see him almost daily in the area Ellicott Street and Liberty Street.

In the story, Schwartzapfel writes:

In the Genesee County Jail in New York, where Reed recently began a six-month sentence for petit larceny, there were, for a time, only 35 people jailed, down from 90 before the pandemic, according to data compiled by the Vera Institute. Defendants had court dates pushed off, and judges went to extra lengths to allow people to wait at home rather than in jail. (New York’s bail reform law also went into effect in early 2020 and reduced jail populations even further.) By March, there were 54 people jailed in the county lockup.

The numbers and actual events in 2019 through June of this year tell a more complex story, however.

It's true that prior to the pandemic, the Genesee County Jail inmate population did hit 90, and even higher at times, but the reduction in the jail population initially had nothing to do with the pandemic and the data doesn't suggest the pandemic had much impact on the inmate population other than delaying inevitable criminal convictions.  

The average number of inmates -- convicted and being held pre-sentence -- rather than "creep up" actually declined from April through June (The Marshall Project story was published in early June).

Long before any local judge had heard the term COVID-19, they were starting to obey a directive from the state court system to begin implementing bail reform.  The Assembly and Senate passed the new limits on bail for criminal defendants in the summer of 2019 and even though the law wouldn't officially take effect until Jan. 1, 2020, judges and town justices were directed to take the new guidelines into consideration when deciding on bail for newly arrested defendants.  Defense attorneys were well aware of this directive and were sure to remind judges of the new guidelines at every opportunity. 

The Genesee County Jail population started dropping around August 2019 when there were 85 inmates in the jail.  By December, that average daily count had dropped to 55.  In February of 2020, when the novel coronavirus was still a distant threat, the local jail population fell to 37 and would remain at or about that level throughout the regional height of the pandemic.

In December 2020, when the total new number of COVID-19 cases in Genesee County peaked on Christmas Eve at 101, the average daily number of inmates hit its highest number since the beginning of the year, 42.  As the number of new cases locally began to drop and more people were out and about, the average daily population of the jail did start to increase, hitting a total of 55 in April. 

March and April were the first months in the previous 10 when more than 300 crimes were reported in Genesee County in a single month.

The drop in crime in 2020 could be a factor -- as some local officials think --  of police reluctance to interact with people unless absolutely necessary.  But, perhaps, a lot of would-be criminals were equally reluctant to interact with other people, meaning fewer victims.  Or with less activity in the community, there were just fewer opportunities to do something wrong.  We'll never know for sure but the fact remains, the lower the number of crimes reported, the fewer people arrested, the fewer people held in jail (with or without bail reform), and the fewer people convicted of crimes.

The other factor was for much of 2020, most courts in the county were closed. That created a backlog of arraignments, plea agreements, trials, and sentencing. 

"We're still pushing to sentence people convicted from more than a year ago," said Friedman. "If you think about what happened here, no courts, no grand jury for four months last year, we're playing catch up."

One tangential result of the delay in court cases, Friedman said, is it is much harder to get defendants to accept a plea.  Why accept a plea, he noted, when you know the court calendar is jammed and you can put off going to jail just waiting for your case to get called before a judge?

Fewer people accepting pleas means fewer people in jail.

It's Schwartzapfel contention that she didn't intend to single out Genesee County as treating convicted criminals more harshly but to use Genesee County as an example of a national trend.

"I intended to use it as a county that was very much in step with how most other counties are handling jail populations post-pandemic," Schwartzapfel said.

This seems to indicate, then, that other counties nationally are not locking away many convicted criminals, which is counter to the narrative of the Marshall Project story, or, as the local data indicates, Genesee doesn't fit the national trend and wasn't a good example to use in the story.

The number of sentenced inmates being held in the Genesee County Jail dropped precipitously in 2020 and has remained relatively low. The highest average daily count of sentenced inmates in the Genesee County Jail in 2021 peaked at 11 in March, not even half of the lowest numbers of 2019.

The delays in sentencing have been the largest contributing factor to the drop in total inmate count locally (Schwartzapfel leaned on total population counts, not the different segments of pre-sentenced and sentenced inmates), so contrary to the impression left by the Marshall Project Story, Genesee County is not rushing to lock up new convicts.

But this isn't the doing of judges, as the Marshall Project Story states, it's the response of defendants that are leading to delayed jail sentences, Friedman said.

"Because of what has happened and we're still very slow in courts, people don't have the same incentive to accept a plea offer," Friedman said. "They think, 'let things go. Time is on my side."

Meanwhile, if your concern is bail reform, something Schwartzapfel said was not a focus of her story but does matter if your goal is to reduce the number of people held in jails, the local crime data offers little assistance to either side of the debate.

Crime dropped dramatically in 2020, the first full year of bail reform, but that almost certainly has more to do with the pandemic than anything else and the pandemic may have masked bail reform's full effect on crime.  On the other hand, crime rates in four of the first six months of 2021 exceed the rate of 2019 but dropped below both 2019 and 2020 in June. So it's a mixed bag with too little data -- and the available data is tainted by other factors -- to lead to any meaningful conclusions.

The headline-grabbing unintended consequence of bail reform is anecdotal, not statistical, such as the repeated arrests of Devon Wright and the frustration of County Court Judge Charles Zambito at his inability to hold him, legally, in jail.

One clear result of bail reform, Friedman said, is, again, people are less likely to accept a plea offer.

"If I'm out on the street, why should I go in and plead guilty and go to jail," Friedman said. "When people are already in jail, they're more likely to say, 'Let's get this done.'"

The other downside of bail reform, according to Kevin Finnell, Friedman's first assistant, is that when defendants don't show up for court, judges can't issue warrants like they used to. They first have to reschedule the hearing and give the defendant up to another month to appear.

Since judges started implementing bail reform, the number of people held in jail before sentencing has been cut roughly in half, if not less.  There are still 30 to 40 people a month held in jail who have yet to be convicted of the crime that led to their confinement.  Bail reform isn't benefiting as many defendants as the public seems to believe.

Friedman has a sense that there are at least some defendants who, because of bail reform, have used the opportunity to re-offend, and that concerns him.

"Anecdotally, we all know of cases involving people who have been on the street who wouldn't have been otherwise and they continue to commit criminal offenses," Friedman said. "I can’t give you statistics or how many would have been locked up before bail reform. But I don't think you can say, 'Well, people who have been released, they're not committing crimes anymore because obviously, that's not the case."

A tractor-trailer turning left from Oak Street onto Main Street tonight had its entire rear wheel assembly detach from the trailer.

An officer explained that to keep a trailer from becoming a runaway vehicle if it detaches from the truck, the rear wheels are supposed to lock up. Tonight, the rear wheels on this brand new trailer locked up for no apparent reason.

Press release from Erica O'Donnell:

For too long, women working under and alongside men in power have had to silently endure harassment, abuse, and worse. Those days are over. No one, even those who hold some of the most powerful positions in the country, are above the law. It is long past time for Governor Cuomo to be held accountable for his behavior. He should save taxpayers the time and money involved in impeachment proceedings and resign immediately. If he refuses, I encourage my friends in the NYS Senate and Assembly to begin those proceedings without delay.

A Batavia resident figures he missed being involved in a serious accident by one second with a car "easily going 100 mph" on Bank Street Road yesterday.

"(The car) had to swerve towards college road," David Austin told The Batavian in an email. "I thought for sure he was going to wipe out but he corrected and I could hear him accelerate. Scared me more than I have ever been. If I would have made that turn 1 second later I probably wouldn't be here."

The alleged driver of that car was James Matthew Lepore, 23, of Rio Grande Drive, North Chili.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Lepore failed to stop for a deputy who spotted his car exceeding the 55 mph speed limit on Route 33 in Stafford.  The deputy pursued and the car continued into the Town of Batavia and then into the city before heading north on Route 98.  There law enforcement successfully deployed a spike strip and the car was forced to a halt.

According to the arrest report, Lepore "recklessly engaged in conduct that created a grave risk of death by unlawfully fleeing a deputy in a motor vehicle and intentionally went into the opposite lane of travel causing other motorists to swerve out of the way to avoid a head-on collision, all while traveling at speeds in excess of 90 to 100 mph."

After the stop, Lepore was allegedly found in possession of an unregistered firearm and a controlled substance. 

Lepore is charged with:

• Reckless endangerment in the first degree
• Criminal possession of a firearm
• Unlawful fleeing a police officer in the third degree
• Criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th
• Speed in excess of 55 mph
• Plus, 21 traffic offenses.

Lepore was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and under terms of bail reform released on his own recognizance.

The lead investigators in the case are Deputy Travis DeMuth and Investigator Kevin Forsyth.  Assisting in the incident were Sgt. Andrew Hale, Investigator Howard Carlson, Investigator Joseph Loftus, Investigator Ryan DeLong, Deputy Kyle Krzemien, Deputy Josh Brabon, Deputy Kyle Tower, Deputy Andrew Mullen with K-9 "Frankie," members of Batavia PD and the State Police.

Lynn Bezon said she was driving on Center Street yesterday when she spotted the reflection of the mural at Glass Roots reflected in the window of Center Street Smoke House and had to stop and snap a picture.

Peace Garden committee members spent numerous hours over two months painting and decorating 100 stones and seashells as an art project for the garden only to have it destroy in one night vandals.

Paula Savage, the founder and director of the Peace Garden, said the final installation of the stones and shells was completed on July 20. That was a Tuesday.  By Wednesday evening, every single painted stone and shell was missing, she said.

"Needless to say, we are saddened and disappointed that someone would vandalize the garden in this manner not to mention the time, effort, and expense that was put forth to acquire all of the materials and design this lovely artwork," Savage said.

Savage did not report the crime to Batavia PD.

"The reason I did not file with the police is that I assumed with the stones all being missing there would be none remaining for them to guard and we were not planning to replace them," she said. "Now I realize I was wrong to assume that."

Photos submitted by Paula Savage.

Kristin Renee Forte, 33, Alandale Avenue, Rochester, is charged with grand larceny 3rd, eight counts of offering a false instrument for filing 1st, and five counts of forgery 2nd. Forte is accused of omitting wages she earned while working when filing for SNAP benefits.  She allegedly received $3,767 in SNAP benefits she was no eligible to receive.   The case was investigated by Social Services Officer Robert Riggi.  Forte was arraigned and released on her own recognizance. 

Jay Daniel Lucas Schutt, 33, of South Pearl Street, Oakfield, is charged with harassment 2nd. At 11:30 p.m., Saturday, Schutt allegedly tackled and wrestled with another person on the ground at a location on South Pearl Street, Oakfield. Schutt was issued an appearance ticket.

(name redacted upon request), 24, of Cayuga Creek Road, Alden, is charged with evidence tampering, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a controlled substance, driving while impaired by drugs, and speed not reasonable and prudent.  xxxx was arrested following an investigation into a single-vehicle accident at 5:36 a.m., March 1, on County Line Road, Darien.  xxxx was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance and a semi-automatic handgun.  xxxx was released on an appearance ticket.

Andrea Elizabeth Tucker, 23, of Payne Avenue, Tonawanda, is charged with harassment 2nd. Tucker is accused of making threats and hitting another person while at Darien Lake at 4:11 p.m., July 27.  She was issued an appearance ticket.

Dandre Bud Browning, 27, of Stevens Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .80 or greater, and speeding. Browning was stopped at 12:03 a.m., July 25, by Deputy Zachary Hoy on Pearl Street Road, Batavia.

Angela Flowers, 50, no residence provided, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd for allegedly disobeying a subpoena by failing to appear in court. Flowers was issued an appearance ticket.

Kim Mobley, 58, no residence provided, is charged with petit larceny. Mobley allegedly stole multiple items from Save-A-Lot. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Antonio Goodson, no age provided, no residence provided, is charged with petit larceny. Goodson allegedly stole items from a local business on East Main Street, Batavia.  Goodson was issued an appearance ticket.

Jacqueline Hale, 33, no residence provided, is charged with assault 3rd.  Hale allegedly punched another person multiple times in the facing causing injury.  Hale was issued an appearance ticket.

Russell Blummer, 48, no residence provided, is charged with harassment 2nd. Blummer was arrested following a disturbance complaint on Thorpe Street at 9:58 p.m., Sunday.  Blummer allegedly punched a victim.  He was released on an appearance ticket.

Patrick Waite, 53, no residence provided, is charged with DWI and refusal to take a breath test. Waite was stopped at 6:05 p.m. at an undisclosed location in the City of Batavia by a police officer. Prior to the stop, police received a traffic offense complaint.  Waite was released following his arrest.

Nathan Royse, 29, no residence provided, is charged with menacing 2nd and criminal possession of a weapon. On Saturday, while on Willow Street, Batavia, Royce allegedly menaced another person with a real or imitation pistol.  Batavia PD was assisted by NYS Parole in the investigation. Royce was also charged with speed not reasonable, reckless driving, failure to stop at a stop sign, not wearing a helmet, and an uninspected motor vehicle.  Only 23, Royce was arraigned in Batavia City Court following an investigation into events that occurred July 19.  Royce allegedly fled from police in that incident. 

Ronnie Allen, 34, no residence provided, is charged with criminal mischief 4th and endangering the welfare of a child.  Allen was allegedly involved in a neighbor dispute at a location on South Main Street, Batavia. Allen is accused of breaking the door of a neighbor's residence.  He was issued an appearance ticket.

Matthew Olcott, 42, no residence provided, was arrested on a City Court warrant and held in County Jail on an unrelated warrant from the Sheriff's Office.

Francisco Martinez, 48, no residence provided, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear.  Martinez was arraigned and released on his own recognizance.  He is scheduled to appear on July 28 for sentencing.

Tommy Crawford, 32, no residence provided, is charged with criminal trespass 3rd and criminal impersonation.  Crawford is accused of entering and remaining unlawfully in a residence on Jackson St., Batavia, at 1:26 p.m., July 3, and he then provided police with a false name during the investigation.  Crawford was issued an appearance ticket.

Rosemary Waters, 35, no residence provided, is charged with criminal trespass and criminally possessing a hypodermic instrument.  Waters is accused of remaining unlawfully in a condemned residence on Jackson Street on July 3.  She was issued an appearance ticket.

Press release:

On August 1, 2021, at approximately 5:00 a.m. officers from the City of Batavia Police Department were dispatched to RRH-UMMC’s emergency department for a report of a gunshot wound.  Officers interviewed the victim, a male, who arrived at the hospital seeking treatment. The victim is in his early 40’s and officers believe that the victim was the target of the crime, and this was not a random act. The location of the incident is unknown. The victim was transported to Strong Hospital in Rochester where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released.  Anyone with any information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Matt Lutey at 585-345-6311.

The collegiate-player version of the Batavia Muckdogs finished out its inaugural season in a way that was rare when professional ballplayers passed through town -- with a stadium full of fans excited to see a team they embraced in 2021 because the team embraced this city.

"It’s been great," said Tom Turnbull, a regular Dwyer Stadium visitor, and local community leader. "You can see the spirit, the vibe, the college kind of rah-rah that the players have and it’s carried over into the stands. People are just happy to have the Muckdogs back. It’s just been a wonderful year. They’ve been a part of the community and when you go to a concession stand and the owner is working the cash register, you know they’re invested in the city. It’s been fantastic."

For a Thursday evening, the stands were packed and there was a palatable excitement in the air.

"We’re thrilled, my wife and I pleasantly surprised," said owner Robbie Nichols during a conversation at a table where fans were bidding on player jerseys. "You can sea from the crowd tonight the support we’ve recieved. We had a short season to put it together. You’ll see next season, this place will be packed every night."

The reason for the success, Nichols noted, is the team -- not just Nichols and management staff, but coaches and players -- have gotten involved in the community over the past couple of months, in a way the pro players of the previous era never did.

Community is what is also about Nichols said.

"We always say, my wife and I are the holders of the keys but this is a community team," Nichols said. "You see people over there in line, talking, having a beer, people bringing their grandkids to the game, and that’s what it’s all about.  It’s America’s game. It’s about bringing your family to the ballpark and Batavia answered the bell and this crowd is amazing."

Community is a big reason Nichols announced before last night's game that he's offering Coach Joey Martinez and two-year extension on his contract.

"It’s community first," Nichols said. "Wins and losses are important but it’s how we are out in the community, attending events and doing things. I think our team did a great job this year and we want to continue that. That’s what I want to continue. I like working out in the community helping everybody we can especially special olympics, challenger division baseball, the parades we did, reading to people, the veterans, all the stuff we did, that’s what I’m most excited about."

The players enjoyed the year, too.  Players who have more college eligibility after this season have said they want to come back to Batavia next year.  That will go a long way building a stronger baseball organization.  Martinez only had a short time after the Muckdogs joined the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League to recruit players and few potential players knew anything about Batavia. After this season, Nichols noted, that will change. He said this year's players will go back to their schools and tell the best players on their teams, "you want to go to Batavia."

“I think the team is really going to improve next year," Nichols said.

This year, the Muckdogs finished just out of the running for a playoff spot with a final record of 22-19, one game behind Geneva for the coveted second playoff spot of the Western Division. If not for a rainout and some rescheduling confusion with Geneva, maybe the Muckdogs would have had a better shot at the playoffs, but last night's loss to Niagara wouldn't have helped matters.

Starter Julian Pichardo, who has been the ace of the staff this season, got hurt by three first inning errors and gave up a couple of solid base hits allowing Niagara to score three first-inning runs.  Pichardo battled through 3 1/3 innings giving up four hits, three runs (only one earned), and striking out two.  He finishes with a 4-2 record and a 2.46 ERA.

Abner Benitez had a big night at the plate going 3-5 and driving in five runs.  He finishes the year with a .282 BA and 27 RBIs.

"Next year going to have win early and win often (to make the playoffs)," Nichols said.

Photos by Philip Casper. Top photo: Dewey wishing there was more Muckdogs’ baseball in Batavia this year.

Young fans at Dwyer catching some up close pregame action while the players warm up.

Charlie Szykowny & Julian Pichardo

Coach Jose ’Skip’ Martinez after being offered a 2-year contract extension by Robbie Nichols

Charlie Szykowny 

Dancing on the dugout with Dewey

Blair Frederick charging towards first after a successful bunt

Blair Frederick crossing home plate 

Daniel Burroway

Julian Pichardo thanks the fans as he walks off the field for the last time in 2021

Press release:

A decorative arbor has been constructed at the site of the Batavia Peace Garden located behind the new Court House adjacent to Tonawanda Creek.  The arbor is part of continuation plans to extend the Peace Garden along Main Street.  It marks the entrance to the Batavia Peace Garden Memory Walk.  Barb Toal, a co-founder of the Peace Garden, first had the vision to expand the Peace Garden several years ago.  The Peace Garden Memory Walk was created in 2016 and is dotted with flowering trees and benches paying homage to deceased loved ones who have touched the lives of Peace Garden volunteers.  Visitors can walk along the path and read their individual stories at each site.

Toal “Our community is very supportive of this beautiful garden.   I reached out to several local businesses for their support and the response was overwhelming.  Tri-County Welding built the structure and donated the steel.  Select Collision painted the structure.  The labor for the arbor was financed by Chapin Manufacturing.  The concrete base was donated by Western New York Concrete and the installation was completed by The Bridge Addiction Recovery Group, Ron Burroughs, and Toal Plumbing.   This garden is truly blessed by the generosity of our community and we are so grateful for that because it takes a village to keep this garden going and maintained.  Volunteers are always welcome and appreciated to help with all our activities. Discussions are underway to connect the Peace Garden Memory Walk to the existing Ellicott Trail Toe Path.  If and when that happens it will complete our vision.”

Press release:

We are very grateful to the David M. McCarthy Memorial Foundation for their decent donation of a new AED Defibrillator and Medical Emergency bag for our Bulldawgs organization. The David M McCarthy Memorial Foundation has done so much for so many youth organizations in our community. On behalf of our Board of Directors, coaches, athletes, and families we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! 

Photo:  Mr. Mike McCarthy, Brian McCarthy & Pete Stevens from the foundation's board along with our Mini football division team and Bulldawgs board members.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Water Department will be making repairs to a water main on Williams Street on Friday July 30. The water will be shut off the length of Williams street starting at around 8:30; we plan to have it restored by 3:00.

This may cause discolored water in the general area, please refrain from doing laundry until the water is clear.

As always, we appreciate your patience.

Local author Bill Kauffman spoke at the Holland Land Office Muesum last night about the life and accomplishments of Barber Conable, the former congressman who served his hometown Batavia and surrounding areas in Congress for 20 years.

One congressional historian said Conable was as highly and widely respected as any member of Congress in the last half of the 20th Century.

Kauffman, who was good friends with Conable, said Conable was "the greatest political figure our region has ever produced."

This month University Press of Kansas released The Congressional Journal of Barber B. Conable, Jr. 1968-1984 and Kauffman is the editor of the book.  

"To me he was kind of what James Madison and those guys had imagined what a congressman might be like and obviously, precious few have ever lived up to that kind of standard," Kauffman said.

Press release:

Summer Rec at Farrall, John Kennedy, Lambert and Williams parks will be cancelled today, Thursday July 29th due to thunderstorm bands expected to hit throughout the day. Summer rec anticipates being open Friday July 30th unless otherwise communicated to families.

Summer Rec will avoid cancelling in advance unless there is a threat of unsafe weather conditions (Flooding, Safety Threat, Heat-Index Risk or Thunder/Lightening storms)

For further questions regarding Summer Rec, please contact the GLOW YMCA (585) 344-1664
 

Bureau of Maintenance Superintendent Raymond Tourt today confirmed what many Batavia residents have been complaining about on social media for several days: foul ordors.

The odors were emanating from the ponds at the Waste Water Treatment plant and were more prevalent on Sunday and Monday, Tourt said in an email. 

Maintenance work at the plant has played a role but so has weather, Tourt said.

"Even with adding a supplemental air compressors the odor seemed to hang low and drift  further than the norm but this does happen on occasion even if we were not replacing the air lines," Tourt said. "These were hot and humid days and we think that the weather played a part in the ponds being noticed further from the WWTP.  

"It is unfortunate, but we have incurred delays of materials.  For this reason the contractor advanced the project as far as they could until the supply chain could catch up. Manufacturers and distributors are struggling to make their commitments and this is one of the projects that was impacted due to the supply line being disrupted.   

"All materials appear be at the site or have confirmed delivery to be delivered this week.  Work will resume on Monday  and optimistically will be completed through the months of August and September.  This project remains a priority and we would like to see it completed as soon as possible."

Press release:

The Bureau of Inspections will be closed on Thursday, July 29th between the hours of 1:00pm and 4:30pm on Friday, July 30th for mandatory training. Documents may be dropped off at the Clerk’s Office.  The Bureau of Inspections will reopen on Monday, August 2nd at 8:30am.