batavia

City fire responded to Liberty Street for a transformer arcing and National Grid has been called to the scene.

Until it's repaired, Liberty Street between Ellicott and School streets is closed.

Here's some shots from a late afternoon drive through East Pembroke, Indian Falls and Pembroke.

Above, on Stegman Road, Batavia.

Pratt Road

Little Indian Falls Road

Indian Falls Lake

Slusser Road

They called him the Bellevue Bomber because he had "one of the most devastating lefts" seen in Schenectady in a long time, but alas, in a 1947 bout billed as the "fight of the year" in Schenectady, Mike Sallee fell to Tony Barone in a five-round decision.

"Hard-hitting Barone, who was the aggressor throughout, hit Sallee almost at will and came close to ending the scrap in the first round," according to a newspaper account of the match.

Sallee -- who had notched 38 KOs as an amateur prior to meeting Barone -- began his boxing career with the Batavia Boxing Club as Micheal Saquella.

The boxer's son, Alan, came across our series on local boxers and sent us information about Sallee.

Alan doesn't know why his father fought under the name Sallee (pictured left above with two unidentified men), but he had a pretty good record. As an amateur going into the Barone fight, he had been in the ring 55 times with 44 wins. Beyond that, there isn't much available his fighting history that we can find. He's listed as club member #35 in Butch Zito's write-up on the Batavia Boxing Club, but there's no further information on him in the book.

He appears to have transferred Schtady as some point in his boxing career and hailed as a local boxer in the Schenectady papers of the period.

The pre-fight write-ups on Sallee are glowing in their appraisal of his ring prowess, but it was also clear he was in for a tough scrap with Barone.

"With both lads packing dynamite in either fist and boasting fine records, the betting is quoted as even money," wrote an unidentified sports reporter. "Plenty of dough is expected to change hands no matter who wins as both welterweights have a lot of followers."

If you come across Batavia boxing history in your family, send clips and pictures to howard@thebatavian.com.

Rickelle Chugg is looking for help locating "Romeo."

The missing dog was last seen Saturday night leashed up outside his family's home on Jackson Street.

"Romeo" has escaped before, but always came back home. Not this time. He hasn't been taken to the shelter, Chugg said.

Anybody with information can call Batavia PD at (585) 345-6352.

John Dwyer will be honored at 54th Popcorn Ball with the theme of "Cork & Forks" focusing on food and wine pairings!

St. Joseph Catholic School is pleased to announce that John Dwyer will be recognized with the Outstanding Alumni Award at the 54th Popcorn Ball to be held on Oct. 26th.

This year’s theme will be “Corks & Forks” and will feature food provided by Alex’s Place of Batavia paired with wine from Heron Hill.

The menu will include a salad course, paired with dry Riesling, followed by Chicken Piccata paired with Heron Hill’s signature Eclipse White. Pork Tenderloin will be served with a Pinot Noir, followed by a flank steak complemented with a Cabernet Franc. A fruit and cream dessert served with a Late Harvest Vidal Blanc ice wine will finish the meal.

In addition to honoring Dwyer, the school will recognize Michael Falcone with the “Spirit of St. Joe’s Award,” and Tim and Wendy English will be named “Volunteers of the Year.”

John Dwyer is a 1946 graduate of St. Joseph’s School, a 1955 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, and a veteran of the Army. He is the former president of Thomas & Dwyer Shoe Stores and the former chairman and later, the executive director of the Genesee County Industrial Development Agency. Mr. Dwyer has chaired dozens of boards and advisory committees, including, the Genesee United Way, the Notre Dame H.S. Board of Trustees, founder and president Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, and four foundation boards including Children’s Home, Genesee Community College, St. Jerome Hospital, and the Notre Dame HS Educational Foundation. He has been a staunch supporter of Catholic Education and the Church, supporting not only St. Joseph’s School, but Notre Dame HS and Genesee Community College. Mr. Dwyer served as a trustee of the Diocesan Catholic Charities Board for nearly 30 years. He has been a trustee and finance chair for both St. Joseph’s and Resurrection Parish. Mr. Dwyer was awarded the 2012 Outstanding Regional Director by the University of Notre Dame Alumni Association for his leadership on the UND Senior Alumni National Board of Directors.

Michael Falcone is a 1930 graduate of St. Joseph School and operated Falcone’s Electric in Batavia for more than 60 years before retiring at the age of 92. Mr. Falcone learned the value of hard work at an early age and after graduating from Batavia High he starting working with his mother to transport farm workers. He would start his route at 6:30 a.m. with his last stop wrapping up around 11 p.m. Mr. Falcone has been a strong supporter of the Church, St. Joseph School, Notre Dame High School, Genesee Community College and Christ the King Seminary.

Tim and Wendy English are co-owners of the local Subway franchise and have donated hundreds of hours to the school. Wendy has served on SOS or Supporters of St. Joe’s and has worked on the Walk for Education and the Penny Carnival. Tim has spent many hours assisting with the Mammoth Sale, making numerous pick-ups on the weekends for the fundraiser. The couple has three children, Emily (SJS Class of 2014), Aaron (SJS Class of 2017), and 2-year-old Avery.

The 54th Annual Popcorn Ball will be held on Oct. 26 starting at 6 p.m. at the school. Tickets can be purchased at the school or at Alex’s Place and are $35/person or $60/couple. A table of 10 can be purchased for $250. Ticket prices include food, wine, beer, soda and coffee. There will be a $500 cash raffle, Chinese Auction, and 50/50 drawings.

For more information call 343-6154 or visit www.sjsbatavia.org.

Kevin Michael Lampman, 40, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with menacing, 2nd. Lampman allegedly pointed a loaded shotgun at another person during an argument. He was jailed on $2,000 bail.

Ian J. Blake, 26, of Le Roy, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana, 5th. Blake was allegedly found in possession of a baggie of more than 25 grams of marijuana while on Lake Street, Le Roy. Blake was jailed on $2,500 cash bail or $5,000 bond.

Faith Brenda Obeirne, 45, of Mount Read Boulevard, Rochester, is charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Obeirne was arrested in Monroe County on a warrant out of Town of Batavia Court. She was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Saul Doynseday Standsblack, 35, of Parker Road, Alabama, is charged with burglary, 2nd, and forcible touching. Standsblack is accused of illegally entering a residence on Bloomingdale Road, Alabama, and forcibly touching the intimate parts of a person inside the residence. Standsblack reportedly left the residence on foot and was located a short time later by deputies Matthew Fleming and Jason Saile and taken into custody. Standsblack was jailed on $10,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond.

Colin Michael Borgus, 21, of Savage Road, Churchville; Kaci Lynn Sciarabba, 20, of East North Street, Geneva; and, (name redacted upon request), 21, of Queensland Drive, Spencerport, are charged with criminal possession of marijuana, 5th. The three people were allegedly found at 10:05 p.m., Oct. 3, in a car with the windows down in a public parking lot in Oakfield smoking marijuana.

A motorcycle accident, with minor injuries, is reported at Lewiston and Galloway roads. Mercy medics and Town of Batavia Fire Department are called to respond.

City police are in the parking lot by JCPenney, tasked with locating a 2008 black vehicle out of compliance with the law. "Our caller feels the need to inform us that (it) has an expired inspection sticker," says the dispatcher.

Emisha Marie Milton, 19, of Thurston Road, Rochester, is charged with petit larceny. Milton is accused of shoplifting at Walmart.

Jacob Lamar Jenkins, 32, of Manitou Road, Rochester, is charged with petit larceny. Jenkins is accused of shoplifting at Walmart.

Christopher Brian King, 22, of Pearl Street Road, Batavia, is charged with aggravated harassment, 2nd. King is accused of contacting a person by phone after being told not to contact that person.

A Dellinger Avenue resident has been arrested and accused of dealing crack cocaine.

Amanda J. Slack, 26, is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, following a nine-month investigation by the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force.

Slack is accused of selling a quantity of crack to an undercover agent.

A grand jury issued a sealed indictment and Slack was arrested yesterday and jailed on $10,000 bail.

Usually, a second career is something you do later in life. For Richard Calkins the second career came first and now it's time to go back to his first career.

Today was Calkins worked his final shift as a senior corrections officer in the Genesee County Jail.

"I enjoyed everything that happened, but I'm going back to my original profession," Calkins said. Even though it might be 31 years late, I'm going back to what I originally went to school for."

Calkins is going to become, once again, a diesel mechanic.

After mechanic school in Ohio, Calkins moved to Kentucky to start his career, but family circumstances brought him back to Batavia.

Sgt. Bill Scott and the late Dick Dietzman helped Calkins get his first job with the Sheriff's Office, as a part-time animal control officer. He started Nov. 11, 1982. In 1983, he transferred to the jail and was promoted to senior corrections officer in 1987.

Sheriff Gary Maha praised Calkins in a statement for his dedication to his job and willingness to take on additional tasks, such as contributing to jail renovation and maintaining the jail's records. During his career, Calkins received three commendation awards and a meritorious award for continuous service.

“Senior Correction Officer Calkins has been a valued employee for 30 years with the Sheriff’s Office and everyone here wishes him all the best for his future,” Maha said.

It was a challenge sometimes, Calkins said, dealing with some of the people who come through the jail, but it was also a rewarding job.

"It was something where you always think you could make a difference in somebody's life and you strive to make a difference in people's lives," Calkins said.

He said he couldn't thank enough Scott and Dietzman for opening the door to him for his second career. Now to begin the first.

If you're heading north, be aware that Oak Street heading north has been mired in traffic jams all day.

Road reconstruction at Oak and Park seems to be the cause for the delays.

Currently, traffic is piled up from Park all the way to Richmond and at times even to Main Street.

UPDATE 4:45 p.m.: Southbound Route 98 is being shut down at West Saile Drive because of traffic congestion.

UPDATE 5:17 p.m.: Howard spoke with the construction supervisor on duty who said the work is supposed to be done at nighttime, but the temperature must be 50 degrees or higher. With colder nights lately, they had to do the work during the day to keep the project schedule on track.

Leon C. Bloom, 31, of 122 State St., Batavia, is charged with burglary, 2nd, strangulation, 2nd, assault, 3rd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Bloom is accused of unlawfully entering a dwelling of a family member Sept. 22 and assaulting and strangling the victim while children were present.

David Lee Langdon, 27, of 219 N. Spruce St., Batavia, is charged with forcible touching and unlawful imprisonment. Langdon was arrested following an alleged domestic incident. No further details released. Langdon was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Trevor M. Rich, 32, of 13 Clay St., Le Roy, is charged with disobeying a mandate. Rich is accused of violating an order of protection.

Terry L. Ritchey, 41, of 8927 Alexander Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding and unlawful possession of marijuana. Ritchey was stopped at 11:50 p.m. Wednesdayon Jackson Street, Batavia, by Officer Jason Davis.

Carla L. Spikes, 23, 39 S. Pearl St., Oakfield, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Spikes is accused of being involved in a domestic incident with a city resident.

William Edward Atherton, 62, of Pearl Street, Oakfield, was arrested on a warrant related to an alleged violation of probation. Atherton was arrested in Warsaw and arraigned in County Court then released to County Probation.

Daniel Thomas Henning, 33, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Henning allegedly stole $40.85 in merchandise from Walmart.

Devon L. Heveron, 21, of Medina, is charged with DWI and unlawful possession of marijuana. Heveron was stopped at 2 p.m. Tuesday on Route 63, Town of Pavilion, by State Police.

Carrie A. Stewart, 33, of Attica, is charged with petit larceny, criminal trespass, 3rd, and false personation. Stewart was arrested by State Police Batavia at Target. No further details released.

Ten adults living in rental property on Ellicott Street, Batavia, were displaced tonight after a sewage leak was discovered in the basement of their apartment building.

City fire was called to 665 Ellicott St., Batavia, at 7:45 p.m. for a pump detail, but when firefighters arrived what they discovered wasn't just water in the basement, but sewage as well.

The cause of the sewage leak wasn't determined, said fire Capt. Greg Shilvok, adding that many times such leaks can be minor and easy to repair, but until it is, the residents need to be evacuated.

The landlord will repair the leak in the morning.

In the meantime, the Red Cross assisted with relocating the residents to temporary shelter and the landlord was also able to provide overnight accommodations to some of his tenants, Shilvok said.

City fire cleared the scene at 10 p.m.

A possible house fire is reported at 7635 Telephone Road. The homeowner called dispatch and said the house was full of smoke. Pavilion Fire Department is responding along with mutual aid from Le Roy. The location is between South Street Road and Asbury Road.

UPDATE 2:34 p.m.: The first responder says "I've got a lot of smoke." A second platoon is called.

UPDATE 2:35 p.m.: Mercy medics are also called along with mutual aid from Stafford, which is sending a tanker to the scene and a fill-in crew at Pavilion Fire Hall. The occupants are out of the home. The first floor is fully involved.

UPDATE 2:43 p.m.: Bethany is responding, too. National Grid is called. A power line is down and dangerously close to firefighters -- "about five feet away."

UPDATE 2:50 p.m.: Bergen is called as well as Town of Batavia. Caledonia, which is to fill in for Le Roy, will also be asked to help access or set up apparatus to aid the firefighters.

UPDATE 2:53 p.m.: National Grid is asked to expedite the response because "there are power lines down all over the place.

UPDATE 2:56 p.m.: National Grid has a 15-minute ETA. Firefighters can't access part of the structure until power is shut off. "There's a power line right in front of it, can't access the east side at all."

UPDATE 3:01 p.m.: National Grid is on scene.

UPDATE 3:04 p.m.: Wyoming County dispatched Perry to the scene. The power is cut off.

UPDATE 3:10 p.m.: Firefighters are told there is gunpowder inside the home along with guns and propane cylinders.

UPDATE 3:21 p.m.: Alexander is on scene.

UPDATE 3:41 p.m.: The American Red Cross is called to provide emergency assistance to one adult. Churchville is called to fill in at Le Roy's Fire Hall.

UPDATE 4:12 p.m.: Inmates from the Wyoming Correctional Facility are being transported to the scene to help.

UPDATE 4:20 p.m.: Brothers James Lawrence Bearce and Kenneth Vincent Bearce lived in the house, along with a couple of dogs, which they saved. Along with brother Jack, they were traveling musicians years ago and had a recording studio in the structure. Ken said he's not sure how much of their inventory of recording tapes are salvageable, ditto for tools that were kept in the basement.

It was a long sales process, but Kate Gonzalez is now officially the owner of Clor's Meat Market.

She's happy to finally get the deal done, even though she's already been working 15-hour days during the transition.

It's been worth it, she said, because Clor's is already experiencing business growth.

"We've added pizza and wings," Gonzalez said "Sometimes at night, it seems like we've become just a pizza and wing shop. The pizza and wing business has grown astronomically. Sometimes we can hardly keep up with it."

All the good stuff about Clor's -- the fresh meat, the chicken BBQ recipe -- all stay the same, she said.

Chuck Gugel, who acquired Clor's from Bud Clor in 1999, has moved to the Southwest with his wife, who needed to go to a drier climate for health reasons. His sons, Ryan, Aaron and Kyle, have stayed on with the business, as has Janis Lear as store manager.

Gonzalez has also hired a full-time baker and some of the store's counter space is now filled with fresh baked goods. The catering menu has also been expanded.

"I think the business is just going to keep growing and growing," Gonzalez said.

More than a year ago, Gonzalez acquired The Enchanted Florist on East Main Street, and her son Curtis Heatherman now runs it (and helps with Clor's). Kate's daughter Rachael Heatherman is helping to run Clor's.

Part of her motiviation for buying and expanding these businesses, Gonzalez said, is to create a legacy for her son and daughter and grandsons so they can benefit from successful local businesses someday. 

Pictured: Rachael Heatherman, Janis Lear, Curtis Heatherman, Michael Hyde Jr., and Kate Gonzalez.

Each June, one of the most stunning sights in Batavia came as you made a corner on West Main Street and were confronted with the sight of a giant Catalpa tree in full flower near Colonial Boulevard.

A blue sky and a shock of white flowers made for a beautiful scene, even amid cars, trucks and business signs.

The tree came down this morning to make way for retail development next to a planned new Tim Horton's between West Main and Lewiston Road.

I can't think of any place else in Genesee County that has a Catalpa tree in easy view of the public. There's apparently no tree museum around, either.

Previously: Photos: Tree on West Main Street, Batavia