batavia

The Batavia Muckdogs hosted auditions Thursday for community members to sing the National Anthem at the start of a ballgame sometime this season. In this video, Jessica Beal, of Batavia, auditions and Kerri Schmidt, director of sales and marketing for the Muckdogs, explains a little about the process.

Last year, the Batavia Muckdogs hired Cooper Thomson, trained in Australia, as new head groundskeeper. But visa issues delayed his arrival in Batavia, so he didn't get to work on the field the two months before the season that is ideal for getting it ready for professional ballplayers.

This year, he's back, and he's here early. He said both the players and the fans will be pleased with the field in 2019.

Previously: Muckdogs hire minor league groundskeeper with major league dreams

Thursday was United Way's annual Day of Caring, where people volunteer for various projects around the county.

UMMC's annual Teddy Bear Clinic was Wednesday in Batavia. Here's a video for you (warning: cute kids).

The movie version of the Memphis Belle is based at the Warplane Museum in Geneseo but it often flies to other parts of the country for airshows, like one recently in Virginia. The airfield in Geneseo is grass, so when it returned to Western New York, it landed in Batavia because the field in Geneseo was soggy.

While it was at the Genesee County Aiport, several people asked me to go out to the airport and take pictures of it.  On Tuesday, while driving down East Saile Drive, I thought, I have a little time, I should stop.

Good timing. The pilots showed up while I was setting up my camera for video.  They were there to fly it back to Geneseo. I got a tour of the plane, an interview with Craig Wadsworth, and shots of it departing. 

Other news the past couple of days delayed my efforts to edit the video but here it is.

Mobile app users can tap here to view the video on YouTube.

This colorful cutie landed on the person of reader Karen Laney while she was outside gardening today.

She lives on State Street Road in Batavia. Laney said the friendly avian is "very obviously a hand-raised bird."

She would very much like to find the owner of this affectionate pet and hopes the owner will contact her via email and make arrangements to reunite with it.

Her email is nclaneys@gmail.com

UPDATE 12:04 p.m., Friday, May 24: Karen Laney, whom the bird landed on, sent us this good news a minute ago: "A person who knew the owner saw the post about the bird in the Batavian and bird and owner have been reunited! Thanks so much for getting the word out!" You are welcome. We are glad!

Submitted photos and press release:

Boy Scouts from Troop 6069 with the help of some of the Cub Scouts from Pack 6069, placed flags in front of the headstones of veterans at the Batavia Cemetery on Wednesday, May 22nd.

There were 16 scouts and eight leaders in attendance. The Troop has been working with the Historic Batavia Cemetery Association for the past several years on this project. It is a pleasure for the Scout Troop to provide this service to their community.

This was the first time that the Cub Scouts have been invited by Troop 6069 to help them with this community service project.

Assistant Scoutmaster Brown made sure to take the Cub Scouts to the grave site of Samuel Wood who is buried there. Wood is the namesake of Iroquois Trail Council's Cub Scout Resident Camp located in Pike. He was the first Eagle Scout recorded in Genesee County.

Boy Scout Troop 6069 is chartered through the First Presbyterian Church in Batavia, and it meets at Jackson Primary School.

  

Eli Fish Brewing Company in Downtown Batavia hosted a Farm-to-Pint "Tap Takeover" on behalf of the Buffalo Niagara Brewers Association on Sunday.

By chance and circumstance, I've been spending a lot of time at Eli Fish recently, and it was a Sunday, so I thought I'd have a little fun with the video. I shot the video entirely hand-held (no stabilizer or tripod), with a 50-year-old 50mm lens, so only manual focus, using a shotgun mic I'd never used before. It was, indeed, fun experimentation and practice. And it was a fun event.

For brewers here to check out this video, you might also like to see Episode #2 of Batavia's Best Businesses, Eli Fish Brewing.

Benjamin Santiago Jr., 30, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. After a larceny investigation at Crocker's Ace Hardware in Le Roy, Santiago was arrested May 18 for allegedly stealing $800 worth of tools from the store at 3:25 p.m. on May 14. He was released on an appearance ticket and is due in Le Roy Town Court on June 13. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy James Stack.

Heather Nicole Holbrook, 34, of Byron-Holley Road, Byron, is charged with: criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; endangering the welfare of a child; aggravated unlicensed operation in the third degree; and having an indequate muffler. At 10:08 p.m. on May 16, deputies conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of West Main Street and River Street in the City of Batavia. Following an investigation, Holbrook was arrested. She is accused of operating a motor vehicle while her driver's license was suspended and while in possession of a controlled substance, with two children as passengers. She was issued appearance tickets and is due in Batavia City Court on May 29. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Erik Andre, assisted by Deputy Robert Henning.

Heather Nicole Holbrook, 34, of Byron-Holley Road, Byron, is charged with failure to appear. She was arrested on a warrant out of Batavia City Court and arraigned at 10:58 a.m. on May 17. She is accused of failing to appear in Batavia City Court on May 9. She was released on her own recognizance and is to return to city court on May 29. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Peter Flanagan.

Michael David Senay Jr., 25, of Overlook Drive, Batavia, is charged with: third-degree menacing; fourth-degree criminal mischief; criminal obstruction of breathing; unlawful imprisonment in the second degree; and second-degree harassment. At 9 p.m. on May 17, following the investigation of a domestic incident in the Town of Batavia, Senay was arrested. He was arraigned in Batavia Town Court. He is due back in court on June 11. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Joshua Brabon.

Lee Christopher Clark, 39, of 8202 Lewiston Road, upper, Batavia, is a convicted sex offender charged with failure to report a change of address/status within 10 days as required. It is alleged that Clark failed to register Internet accounts with the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services within 10 days. He was transported to the GC Sheriff's Office for processing and released on an appearance ticket returnable to Batavia Town Court on June 4. The case was handled by GC Sheriff's Deputy Travis DeMuth.

Sara Tea Cupler, 26, of Starr Road, Pavilion, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree and unlawful possession of marijuana. Cupler was arrested at 8:33 p.m. on May 18 after a call to the Emergency Dispatch Center for a welfare check on a female unconscious in a vehicle on South Lake Road, Pavilion. Cupler was released on an appearance ticket and is due in Pavilion Town Court on June 4. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy David Moore, assisted by Deputy Andrew Hale.

Robert G. Whitehead, 28, of Ellsworth Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a bench warrant out of Batavia City Court on May 13. He is accused of failure to appear in court on Sept. 13, 2012. He was arraigned at 1:54 p.m. and then put in jail in lieu of $1,000 cash bail or $2,000 bond. He was due back in city court on May 16. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens, assisted by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Katrina Lynn Drake, 29, of Locust Avenue, Lockport, was arrested on May 21 and charged with trespass. It is alleged that at 5:39 p.m. on May 9 there was a disturbance on Tracy Avenue in Batavia and Drake allegedly went onto a porch and kicked a door. She is due in Batavia City Court on May 21 to answer the charge. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Officer Felicia DeGroot.

Bryan Jose Alvarado-Arce, 22, of Studley Street, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Alvarado-Arce was arrested at 6:29 p.m. on May 17 after a traffic stop on Townline Road in Bergen. He was a passenger in the vehicle. He was released on an appearance ticket and he is due in Bergen Town Court on June 5. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy James Stack.

Submitted Write-up and photos 

This past weekend hundreds of runners, with a large contingent from Genesee County, took part in the 10th annual Sehgahunda Trail Marathon at Letchworth State Park. 

The course, which is comprised of 26.3 miles, starts at the Mount Morris Dam Visitor Center, and runs along the Finger Lakes Trail, ending in Portageville. There are between 3,000 and 4,000 feet of climbing and has been described as one of the hardest trail marathons on the East Coast. The race is organized by YellowJacket Racing of Rochester. 

The wet spring made this year’s course extremely muddy and much more difficult. Three years ago, the race was extended to a two-day event, with the second day being comprised of an additional 5K, 10K, and 15K. For those who dare to attempt to complete both days and succeed, they complete a grueling 72 kilometers in two days, known as the “Sehgahunda 72."

Miranda Betances (top photo) of Batavia was the first female to cross the finish line on Saturday, completing the Trail Marathon in 4:51:19.

Chad Minuto and Stephen Konieczny, of Batavia, were two of 26 competitors who successfully finished both days of racing, becoming Sehgahunda 72ers. 

Gabriel Abdella, of Batavia, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last year, successfully completed the trail marathon on Saturday in a time of 6:48:43, and also completed the 15K (9.3 miles) on Sunday. Abdella is an Adirondack 46er, and he and his wife, Michelle, recently hiked Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. 

Full results and more information about the race can be found at yellowjacketracing.com.

This photo and one above it, Gabriel Abdella.

Stephen Koneiczny & Chad Minuto

Finishers of Sehgahunda 72    

Sunny's in Batavia is closing its doors for the last time tonight.

Late this afternoon, Skinny Rose wasn't at the restaurant and Tiny Rose declined to comment about the closing.

Local officials, including Rep. Chris Collins, were on hand Friday for an open house and ribbon cutting at Batavia's newest medical clinic, Fresenius Kidney Care, on Veterans Memorial Drive, just north of Home Depot.

The new facility will be staffed by 20 healthcare professionals and able to treat 102 patients per week.

It opens tomorrow.

Director of Operations Kenneth Crine said Fresenius came to Batavia because the current dialysis clinic is typically booked to capacity.

"I felt excitement for being able to provide needed dialysis services in a community that has a need for that," Crine said. "I think Batavia has been in that situation for a little while, where the current facility is kind of full and people have been displaced because of that, and being able to provide a center where people can have access to convenient healthcare is really important to me. So, you know, I feel good about that."

Kenneth Crine and Chris Collins

An invitation from Bob Bialkowski, Batavia City councilman at large:

This is an invitation to all members of the community to participate in this year’s Batavia Memorial Day parade on Memorial Day Monday May 27^th.

The City of Batavia is sponsoring the parade and we are looking forward to another great turnout.

The parade will kick off at 9:45 a.m from the Eastown Plaza on East Main Street and end at the Alva Place parking lot downtown. People can then attend the Veterans Memorial Service at the Memorial site across the street at the Jerome Center.

Any veterans wishing to participate in the parade can just show up at 9:15. Veterans needing a ride in the parade please contact me.

Any groups wishing to participate please let us know as all are welcome. Please keep the theme of respect to all our veteran and first responders.

Let’s show our support to our veterans and first responders! Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy our annual parade.

Thank you,

Bob Bialkowski

585 409-3624

A one-vehicile accident with minor injuries is reported at Route 63 and Batavia Stafford Townloine Road. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 2 p.m.: A second ambulance is called to the scene and a first responder reports there are three patients.

UPDATE 2:06 p.m.: The second ambulance is cancelled; two patients are sign-offs.

UPDATE 2:21 p.m.: One person was transported to UMMC.

A caller reporters that two men are lying in the grass near Blondie's Sip 'n' Dip on East Main Street Road, Batavia, and they were hitting themselves.

Now they've stopped and are just lying in the grass.

A deputy has been dispatched.

Janet Root opened her art show of fabric art Thursday night at GO ART! called "Innovations." The show runs through July 6 in the main gallery.

During the show openings, Thursday, Valerie Antonetty and Katie Elia served as guest bartenders with their tips benefitting GO ART!

A mixed-media show by Lydia Zwierzyanski and Megan Peters (not available for photos) also opened Thursday.

In the bar, there is now a member's art show on display, including work by David Burke (top painting).