A minor injury accident is reported on West Main Street at Woodrow Road, Batavia.
Mercy EMS asked to respond to evaluate a child.
The accident is blocking.
City fire also responding.
UPDATE 3:41 p.m.: The turn lane and one eastbound and one westbound lane are blocked.
Press release:
The City of Batavia Fire Fighters are proud to announce the winners of our sixth Annual Fire Prevention Contest. With more than 400 artwork entries from Batavia Schools, this contest was very difficult to judge.
The theme was: “LOOK. LISTEN. LEARN. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere.”
Congratulations to the following winners:
Grade K-1:
First Place -- Adam Laska -- St. Joseph School, Ms. Zambito, 1st grade
Second Place -- Savannah Conrad – St. Joseph School, Mrs. Case, kindergarten
Third Place -- Elliana Fava -- St. Joseph School, Ms. Zambito, 1st grade
Honorable Mention -- Ella Thaine -- S.t Paul Lutheran School, Mrs. Porter, 1st grade
Grade 2-3:
First Place -- Lillian McClellan -- St. Paul Lutheran School, Mrs. Porter, 3rd grade
Second Place -- Abilene Foss -- St. Joseph School, Mrs. Clattenburg, 3rd grade
Third Place -- Leo Russell – John Kennedy School, Mrs. Dobbertin, 3rd grade
Renee Smart, owner of Moon Java Cafe on Harvester Avenue, talked during a women-in-business meeting hosted by the Mancuso Business Development Group at her coffee shop last night.
The gathering was a chance for local women business owners to meet and share their experiences and how they took their businesses from concept to reality. The hope is that other women might be inspired to open local businesses.
Bev Mancuso, background in the top photo, led the discussion.
Diana Kastenbaum, owner of Pinnacle Manufacturing in Batavia.
Kim Argenta, whose business, Art Ah La Carte, is in its 10th year.
Once again, more than 400 cancer survivors and friends turned out at Batavia Downs for UMMC's annual Pink Hatters dinner.
The annual event, started more than 15 years ago, honors those who have survived cancer, primarily breast cancer, and supports those facing cancer and their friends and families.
The guest speakers this year included Lisa Lavrey, a physical therapist who spoke about lymphedema and reducing risks and managing symptoms, and Debbie Weiss, a cancer survivor.
The event also included vendors and a basket raffle.
A former Batavia resident who was arrested on drug dealing charges in August of 2017 will be allowed to miss his County Court date for sentencing because it will conflict with federal prosecution he's facing in Maine.
Until recently, local authorities were unsure where Quintin L. Spinks, 34, had gone. He was located in a federal detention facility in Maine where he faces an indictment involving other individual accused of dealing drugs and trafficking in weapons.
Spinks, in the federal indictment, is named in only count one of the indictments, for conspiracy to distribute a mixture of heroin and cocaine.
Attorney Thomas Burns told Judge Charles Zambito in County Court today, where Spinks appeared, escorted by state corrections officers, that his client sought a delay in sentencing for "strategic" reasons related to his pending federal case and a pending case in Monroe County.
While the delay might help his other cases, it may mean he can't make it back for his sentencing once those cases are resolved, so today he waived his appearance for his eventual sentencing. He will allow Burns to accept a sentencing on his behalf.
How the delay might help Spinks with his federal case was not discussed in open court.
Under a plea agreement, he can expect a prison term of under two years but there is no cap on his post-release supervision. He will also be required to pay the standard fines and make a $200 restitution to the county before he is sentenced.
He was arrested by the Local Drug Task Force on two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd.
He was arrested by federal authorities in Maine in June. His co-defendants are Rashaad McKinney, Deondray Warren, Sharoz Haywood, and Demario Boler. All face drug charges but McKinney and Warren also face federal weapons charges for making straw purchases of firearms -- buying guns using a fake name.
No date was sent for Spinks to be sentenced.
A person is apparently chasing a bike-theft suspect northbound on Walnut Street, Batavia.
There's no description of the bike thief.
UPDATE 8:43 p.m.: Police are out with the original caller on Walnut Street. No word on the bike thief.
UPDATE 8:48 p.m.: The suspect was last seen westbound on Main Street riding a pink and purple Roadmaster 10-speed.
Photo of two additional dogs that Welch had. Both are at the county animal shelter.
Suspected puppy abuser Brandon Welch made his first court appearance yesterday afternoon since his arrest Oct. 18.
The 23-year-old, who lives in an apartment on East Main Street in the city, was granted bail at his preliminary hearing.
It was requested by his private counsel, Frank Ciardi, on the misdemeanor charges of falsely reporting an incident in the third degree (for claiming he found the starving puppy); torturing/injuring/not feeding an animal; and owning/harboring an unlicensed dog.
Ciardi, whose criminal defense practice is based in Rochester, advocated his client's suitability for bail by noting that Welch has no criminal history, he's lived here two years and was employed in Churchville at the time of his arrest.
To Ciardi's right stood his diminutive client, silent and stoop shouldered; shackled and wearing orange jail uniform, with his head nearly shorn bald and his brown beard neatly trimmed.
City Court Judge Robert Balbick set Welch's bail at $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond, which was not opposed by First Assistant District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini.
The question of bail for the Class D felony charge of making a terroristic threat was deemed null and void after two witnesses could not get here in time to testify. The charge was brought after investigators learned that the defendant allegedly said he would shoot the next cop who came to his home.
Two female witnesses were to be served with orders of protection from Welch, subpoenaed and brought from the "other side of the state" to Batavia to testify about the threat they allege Welch made against law enforcement. That failed to happen by 11:30 a.m. yesterday.
As of the day before -- Tuesday afternoon -- Welch's case was docketed for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. Yet the pair of witnesses was apparently scheduled to give statements earlier -- in the morning -- and the deadline could not be met.
The first district attorney said not only were orders of protection requested, and subpeonas sought, but the people requested all of Welch's firearms to be turned over; she was concerned that only two of three known weapons were recovered in Welch's apartment by law enforcement after they got a search warrant.
Judge Balbick said there was no order on file concerning the firearms.
Cianfrini said she had supporting depositions showing that the defense was asked to turn over all weapons and ammunition.
"He freely handed over the weapons he had there," replied Ciardi.
But a third weapon, a rifle which Cianfrini referred to as a "30-'ott'-6" -- which is a caliber, a size of cartridge (.30-06) that is used in various kinds of weapons and is powerful enough to take down a moose -- was not recovered.
The rifle and ammo were missing and a rifle case was "found empty," she said, adding that this made the people uncomfortable because Welch had been seen in possession of the rifle.
Ciardi then asked: "Why would he turn over two weapons and not all three?"
He added that if Welch is released -- he makes bail -- he will advise him to turn over all weapons.
An emaciated 9.2-pound pit bull mix pup now known as "Opal" was brought to Batavia Police after it was found in Stafford Oct. 4. A tipster later led police to Welch.
Three other animals in his care were subsequently seized from Welch's home: a bearded dragon lizard, which, like Opal, is now in foster care; and two other mixed breed dogs, which Welch told Judge Balbick are part boxer and part German shephard, respectively. The canines appear healthy, albeit lean, and are at the shelter. They have an eager-to-please, energetic disposition.
Under Article 26 of the state Agriculture and Markets Law, the shelter is eligible to be reimbursed at a rate of $10 per animal per day for any seized animal in its custody, plus vet bills. Vet bills in Welch's case to date stand at $837.38 and counting.
The bond application sought was for more than $4,500, according to Animal Control.
Because Welch forfeited ownership of all four creatures, repayment for costs incurred and vet bills will not be sought and the security bond application was vacated.
Welch's next city court date is 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30, for discovery on the misdemeanor counts and pre-trial motions.
Inset photo above right: This is an example of the kind of lizard -- a bearded dragon lizard -- Welch kept before relinquishing ownership Wednesday. It is not a picture of the one that belonged to Welch.
Press release:
On Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Genesee County law enforcement agencies and the Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
Bring your pills for disposal to:
Only pills and other solids, like patches, can be brought to the collection sites — liquids and needles or other sharps will not be accepted. The service is free and anonymous; no questions asked.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows year after year that the majority of misused and abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including someone else’s medication being stolen from the home medicine cabinet.
In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash— both pose potential safety and health hazards.
Ronnie L. Calloway, 24, of Hutchins Place, Batavia, is charged with third-degree assault. He was arrested on Oct. 23 after city police responded to 22 Hutchins Place. He was jailed on $2,500 bail and was due in Batavia City Court this morning (Oct. 25). The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins, assisted by Officer Felicia DeGroot.
Renee L. Sweet, 36, of Prestige Crossing, Batavia, and Danielle E. Winter, 29, of Park Street, Alden, were arrested at 1:58 p.m. on Oct. 20 on East Main Street in Batavia and charged with disorderly conduct. They were allegedly observed by two Batavia Police officers engaging in a physical altercation outside. They are due in Batavia City Court on Oct. 30. Sweet's case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen, assisted by Officer Arick Perkins. Winter's case was handled by Officer Perkins, assisted by Officer Cowen.
Thomas Allen Griffin, 31, of Ellicott Place, Batavia, is charged with second-degree criminal contempt. He was arrested Oct. 22 after allegedly violating a stay-away order of protection at 12:06 p.m. on Oct. 20 by being at the residence of the protected party. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on Oct. 30. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.
Katty Lee Jackson, 22, of East Main Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court on a ticket for criminal trespass. She was arraigned, then released on her own recognizance and is due in Batavia City Court on Nov. 8. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Nicole McGinnis, assisted by Officer Felicia DeGroot.
Harry R. Silliman, 54, homeless, is charged with second-degree criminal contempt for an alleged violation of a court order. At 4:57 p.m. on Oct. 19, Silliman was arrested for allegedly violating an order of protection. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and jailed in lieu of $1,000 bail. He was due back in court on Oct. 22. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Kyle Krtanik, assisted by Officer Chad Richards.
Submitted photo and press release:
We are pleased to announce the opening of WNY Pediatric Endocrinology at 7 Evans St., Batavia, on Monday, Oct. 29. (The practice is in the historic round brick building formerly occupied by Dr. Anna Lamb and staff.)
Our doctors are both certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics in Pediatric Endocrinology and have more than 10 years experience treating patients.
The doctors will be treating the following conditions:
The office will be open Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please call (585) 201-7112 to schedule an appointment and we’ll be happy to address your concerns!
You can also check us out on our website at www.wnypedsendo.com. We look forward to serving the local community.
Nadezhda (Nadia) Danilovich, MD, (left in photo) graduated from Gomel State Medial Institute in Belarus and completed her residency and fellowship at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. She is a member of the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Pediatric Endocrinology.
Shannon Fournter, MD, (right in photo) graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine and completed her residency at Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and her fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She is a member of the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Pediatric Endocrinology.
Press release:
Citywide leaf collection will begin Oct. 29 and will continue until Nov. 30.
Residents of the following streets can rake leaves to the parkway, but do not place in the street; these streets are Clinton Street, Oak Street, Main Street (including East and West Main Street), Pearl Street, South Main Street (between Oak Street and Walnut Street),Walnut Street, Richmond Ave (between Oak Street and Prospect Avenue). If your street has a route number (i.e. Route 5, Route 33, Route 63 and Route 98), then please keep leaves out of the roadway.
All other streets are asked to rake leaves close to the curb line, taking care not to block storm drainage structures/catch basins or not to block travel-way of streets.
Leaf operations typically have one crew on the Northside working from Grandview Terrace moving west, north of Main Street, and a second crew on the Southside beginning on River Street moving East in areas South of Main Street. A third crew will work using a vacuum along main roads and numbered routes. It takes about two weeks to go through the entire city.
Any resident with leaves can also bring them to the yard waste station until it closes for the season on Dec. 8. Beginning Nov. 5, the Yard Waste Station hours will be adjusted to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The Yard Waste Station is closed on Thursday, Nov. 22, for Thanksgiving.
Important Information About Leaf Collection:
Bureau of Maintenance, 147 Walnut St., Batavia
Phone: 585-345-6400, Opt. 1
Fax: 585-343-6199
www.batavianewyork.com
An unidentified individual broke into Chesley's Auto Service & Tire two nights ago and removed items from the business, according to Batavia PD.
Investigators are asking the public's assistance in identifying the individual.
The person who broke in approached Chesley's through the parking lot of a neighboring business, smashed a window out at Chesley's and entered the building.
What items were removed is not being released at this time.
Anyone with information in reference to the case may contact Detective Thad Mart at 585-345-6372 or the Batavia Police Department at 585-345-6350, the confidential tip line at 585-345-6370.
Press release:
The Batavia Bulldawgs Youth Football and Cheer program is excited to announce that three Bulldawg teams have made it to the Niagara Orleans Football Association (NOFA) 2018 Championship Games. Games will be played this Saturday, Oct. 27, at Veterans Memorial Baseball Park in Medina.
The Bulldawgs Mini Division (8-9 year olds) finished its regular season undefeated with a record of 9-0. This past Saturday they defeated the #4 seeded Tri Town Trojans 19-0 in the playoff round to advance to the championship.
The Mini Bulldawgs are the #1 seed with a 10-0 record and will face the #2 seed Newfane with a record of 9-1.
The Bulldawgs are coached by Head Coach Jed Davis, assisted by Frank Gioia, Scott Lazarony, and Bobby Darch. The Mini game will kick off at 11 a.m.
The JV Bulldawgs (10-11 year olds) finished with an impressive 7-2 regular season record to earn the #4 seed in the playoffs.
After successfully beating the #1 ranked Albion Purple Eagles this past Saturday with a 20-6 win, they will face the Holly Hawks who are ranked #3 with a 9-1 record entering the championship round.
The JV Bulldawgs are coached by Head Coach Brian Mruczek, assisted by Aaron Fix, Justin Smith, Kenny Griffin, and Al White. The JV championship game will kick off at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Also finishing with an undefeated regular season of 9-0 the Varsity Bulldawgs entered into the playoff contest as the #1 seed against the #4 Albion Purple Eagles. Playing through the cold and rain this past Saturday, the Bulldawgs capped off a 34-0 win against Albion to make it to the Championship Game against the #2 seed Tri Town Trojans.
Tri Town has a record of 9-1 with their only loss being against the Bulldawgs in regular season play. The Varsity Bulldawgs are coached by Head Coach John Marucci, assisted by Jerry Smith, Eddie Woods, Michael Almekinder, Chez Rolle, along with junior coaches Evan Cummings and Kaiden Marucci. The Varsity Championship game is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m.
The Bulldawgs would like to invite any and all of the Batavia community to come out and support these amazing young athletes on their championship quest. Come join the CheerDawg cheerleaders as they lead the Bulldawg fans and supporters in the stands.
Games times again are 11 a.m. (Mini), 1 p.m. (JV), and 3 p.m. (Varsity) this Saturday at "Medina Vets Park," located at 335 W. Oak Orchard St., Medina.
A 23-year-old City of Batavia man suspected of starving and neglecting a puppy found by a Good Samaritan in Stafford on Oct. 4 has been arrested.
Brandon Joseph Welch was arrested in the afternoon on Oct. 18 at his residence, 679 E. Main St., apt. 4H, and jailed without bail for allegedly making a terroristic threat to police, among other charges.
Batavia police executed a search warrant at his apartment in connection with the animal abuse case of a pup Volunteers for Animals at the shelter dubbed "Opal." That animal is now in foster care.
According to Batavia Police Det. Eric Hill, police got the warrant after receiving a tip from a witness.
Welch initially told police that he had found the puppy, a fawn-and-white colored female weighing only 9.2 pounds when rescued. The dog was not able to stand on its own and was covered in urine and feces, and was severely dehydrated and malnourished.
The police investigation determined Welch was "supposed to be caring for the dog," Hill said.
Welch said "he was going to shoot the next police officer who came to his apartment," Hill said, and police recovered firearms in Welch's possession.
Welch is charged with making a terroristic threat, which is a Class D felony, as well as falsely reporting an incident in the third degree (for claiming he found the animal); torturing/injuring/not feeding an animal; and owning/harboring an unlicensed dog.
He was arraigned the same afternoon, last Thursday, and is due in Batavia City Court tomorrow, at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24.
The case was investigated by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Jason Davis.
Opal, meanwhile, is looking like a different creature since she's been in foster care and received veterinary care and some decent nutrition. The pictures below -- sitting up smart and standing up strong on all fours, -- were sent to us yesterday by Volunteers for Animals. (Love those ears! Note the wagging tail!)
As a matter of precaution, the county's Emergency Response Team was called to a residence on Lewiston Road in the Town of Batavia early this morning to help arrest two men who were accused of threatening another person in the Town of Alabama earlier in the morning.
The incident meant Route 63 was closed to all traffic, and residents in the area were told to shelter in place, from about 5:30 a.m. until 10 a.m.
Taken into custody were Kevin M. Fossum, 52, and Charles L. Beach, 50. Both were charged with aggravated harassment, 2nd, and menacing, 2nd.
Fossum is the primary resident at the house where he was arrested, and Beach is apparently a friend and a roommate.
Fossum is accused of threatening a person over the phone at about 2:30 a.m. and then a short time later showing up at that person's home in Alabama with Beach and making specific threats against that person. That person claims Fossum possessed a firearm during the confrontation.
Since that subject knew Fossum, deputies responded to his residence on Lewiston Road. They approached with caution because of the possible presence of a firearm.
When deputies did not make contact with the men inside, even though Fossum's car was in the driveway, ERT was dispatched.
Sgt. Andrew Hale said Fossum has become known to deputies recently because of other calls to his residence. He is a retired Army Ranger and a black belt.
"He has serious credentials," Hale said.
Hale said that because of the possibility of a firearm, Fossum's recent behavior, and Fossum's background, ERT and extra officers were called in as a matter of caution, not that an actual threat was made against officers or a more serious immediate conflict.
At some point, while the incident progressed, Fossum, apparently unaware of the police presence, got in his vehicle with an apparent intent to leave the residence. At that point, he was taken into custody.
Officers were unable, however, to make contact with Beach. They were unsure of what Beach was doing inside the house. He could very well have been sleeping, Hale said.
Eventually, officers made contact and Beach exited without incident and was taken into custody.
A search warrant was obtained, and the house, yard, and car were searched. No weapons were recovered.
Neighbors told investigators, Hale said, that Fossum was not known to possess firearms.
Fossum was jailed on $7,500 bail, and bail for Beach was set at $5,000.
The Sheriff's Office was assisted by Batavia PD, ERT, the Orleans County Emergency Response Team, and the State Police.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
In "Kitchen Confidential," Anthony Bourdain famously advised diners, "never order fish on a Monday."
That works out well for Todd and Grace Fannin, who over the summer opened a new seafood restaurant in Batavia with a plan to make sure their fish is always fresh by buying it from the fish market in Buffalo on Wednesday and Thursday and serving it all by Saturday night.
"That's advice we live by because when we do have our liquor license and we are open seven days a week, we are going to have a tighter menu," Todd said. "Our menu is going to be a shorter menu the days we're closed now, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday."
With a little over two months in business under their belts, Todd and Grace like the way things are going and the response they've received from local diners so far.
"We wanted to bring something that Batavia had a need for," Todd said. "There was a customer base here that nobody tapped into. There are the burger joints and the pizzerias and the Smoke House and the Italian restaurants. We thought Batavia had a need for something of this nature that would appeal to a certain audience and we found that audience."
This is the fourth restaurant the couple has opened over the past 30 years. The previous ones were on the shores of Lake Ontario and while they also specialized in seafood, they were seasonal. Fishtales is their first attempt to run a seafood restaurant year around.
The location is 107 Evans St., Batavia, the same location as The Little Ridge and Delavan's previously.
Even without a liquor license yet and little marketing, people are finding the restaurant and the crowds are growing.
"We've had a couple of really great Friday and Saturday nights recently," Grace said. "The best we’ve had. I would say the business is building right now and that was our goal."
In recent weeks, flounder and snapper have been popular, along with tuna, cod, trout, and scallops (there's also steak and chicken on the menu).
"Last Friday, it was not your typical Friday fish fry crowd," Todd said. "It was a younger crowd, a full house and they were going for more of the sauteed and the broiled dishes. Our crowd is changing and yet it's growing."
Some local restaurateurs have shied away from seafood because customers demand freshness and they feared Batavia might not support seafood sufficiently to manage the product properly, but Todd said it's all about listening to your customers and paying attention to what they want. He felt confident he could make it work in Batavia.
"We don’t cut corners here; we try to put a good product out and I think people are starting to notice that," Todd said. "At least that's the feedback we get."
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