A car just rammed into the back of a school bus at East Main and Vine streets. Unknown injuries, but no children are on the bus. Batavia fire and Mercy medics are responding.
UPDATE 4:28 p.m.: The assignment is back in service. There were no injuries.
At 7 a.m., when Officer Kevin DeFelice came on duty, it was about 20 degrees, but the forecast was for sun, so DeFelice, the officer in Batavia PD assigned to bike patrol, decided it was a good day to hop on two wheels rather than toil behind one.
DeFelice spent his shift on the bike on a day where the high eventually hit 35 degrees.
With the sun out and the snow melting, it did feel like spring, even though the forecast makes tomorrow look more like a temporary reprieve rather than an end to winter. There's a chance of snow the following six days in the forecast, but no anticipation of the unrelenting, bitter cold that has been such a part of this winter.
DeFelice can get around the city pretty quickly on his bike. After the shot above, he rode out to East Avenue near Clinton to assist with a traffic stop on a vehicle that matched the description of a warrant suspect (turned out to not be the person police were looking for).
The Batavia City School District is pleased to offer the Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) Program for students and will continue to operate the program in the 2014-2015 school year, pending State funding. UPK provides an opportunity for four-year-old children to be involved in half-day, developmentally appropriate educational classes at no cost to their families. The District offers morning and afternoon programs, Monday through Friday, during the school year. (If the YMCA is selected to be the Community Based Organization to provide UPK in 2014-15, there will be an option to select a “wrap around” program consisting of Child Watch in the morning followed by UPK in the afternoon from12:30-3:00, then School Aged Child Care afterward. There would be a charge for the morning Child Watch and afternoon Child Care programs.) If new State regulations are passed, the District may offer a full day UPK program in the 2014-15 school year.
Children who are residents of the District, are four (4) years of age on or before December 1, 2014, and who are not enrolled in a special education program with the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership (GVEP) are eligible to apply. Letters/applications have been mailed to all known eligible families, but also are available at the District Registrar Office in the administrative wing of Batavia High School, or by calling 343-2480 ext. 2008. They can also be downloaded from the District’s website, www.bataviacsd.org, by using the pull-down menu at the top of the page labeled “Parent,” or the Quick Link labeled “Parent Resources,” then clicking on the link for Universal Pre-K. Applications should be returned by April 4, 2014, however, late applications will be accepted if there is an opening.
Press release:
Batavia Youth Football is pleased to announce that it has affiliated with the Greater Rochester Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. In doing so BYF has been granted the opportunity to field a youth football team, with participants from Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties.
This new team will reach out to all players from all four counties with no stipulations.
Teams associated with the GRPWLSI are the Chili Lions, Fairport Jr. Red Raiders, Greece Chargers, Hamlin Hornets, Irondequoit Scream’n Eagles, Monroe County Redskins, Ogden Bears, Webster Wildcats.
The season consists of seven games, all of which are played on Sundays. The games are refereed by certified NYS Section V referees according to NYS Section V rules. Each quarter is 10 minutes in length, including special teams.
The primary function of the GLOW Pop Warner youth football team and cheerleading squads will be to teach the fundamentals of the game of football and cheerleading as well as respect for education, and to develop strong, smart, responsible, healthy young men and women.
We want to develop our player’s appreciation for, and understanding of, leadership, teamwork and discipline.
Pop Warner football was founded in 1929 near Philadelphia. Since then, the participation has increased. Pop Warner football has had more than 250,000 participants, steadily increasing each year.
GLOW Pop Warner is looking to field three teams, Mitey Mite, Jr. Pee Wee, and Pee Wee with age ranges from 7 to 12 years old. It does not matter if the town where the child comes from has a NOFA or CYFL team, they will still be eligible to participate.
GLOW Pop Warner youth football team and cheerleading squads are revamping their long accustomed uniforms to a more modern styling, similar to that of the Oregon Ducks.
Season long rate for both football players and cheerleaders is $50. Registration with be held at T.F. Brown’s in the side room of the main entrance on Saturday and Sunday, March 22 & 23, and March 29 & 30. Registration forms may be completed prior to registration dates and brought with the registrar. These registrations can be located on the Pop Warner Web site, at the top of the page under “Forms & Admin” – 2014 Player/Participant Contract.
REGISTRATION:
Saturday March 22, 2014 (9 a.m. – 12 p.m.)
Sunday March 23, 2014 (11 a.m. – 3 p.m.)
Saturday March 29, 2014 (9 a.m. – 12 p.m.)
Sunday March 30, 2014 (11 a.m. – 3 p.m.)
SAFETY FIRST:
Our athletes will compete with kids similar in age and weight. According to Pop Warner National Football, football is safer than soccer. Pop Warner has 12 percent fewer injuries per capita among 5-15 year olds than organized soccer in the same age range (**U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, NEISS).
NO PERSONAL STATISTICS:
The GLOW Fighting Ducks will only recognize the athletic accomplishments of the team, not the individual. Unlike other leagues where the main focus is on the competitiveness of winning and molding the next superstar, we will not track personal tallies of touchdowns, or yards rushing per game. We won’t count sacks or blocked kicks. We applaud the athletic efforts of the team to reinforce the importance of team work, with each member. Our goal is to show that each young person is an integral part of our team, and always will be.
If you have questions, contact Marc Lawrence, GLOWFightingDucks@gmail.com, or (585) 300-8213.
The duo accused of breaking into a house on Park Avenue in the city on Jan. 14 were indicted yesterday afternoon by the Grand Jury on three counts in connection with the alleged crime.
Nathaniel R. Davis, 18, and Akeem M. Simmons, 23, are accused of first-degree burglary for allegedly entering a house at 28 Park Ave. illegally with the intent to commit a crime, and one of the participants, Davis, was armed with a handgun. Both defendants are also accused of criminal use of a firearm, 1st, for allegedly possessing a loaded weapon during the commission of the crime.
No weapon was found on Simmons.
These are Class B violent felonies.
In count three, the men are accused of fourth-degree conspiracy, a Class E felony, for allegedly agreeing with one another to commit the crime.
The defendants were taken into custody in less than an hour after the burglary was first reported at 11:28 a.m.. Davis, who was allegedly armed, was caputured about 100 yards from the residence. Simmons was captured after a manhunt which lasted about 45 minutes.
According to Batavia PD Det. Rich Schauf, it didn't appear that anything was stolen.
Previously:
Nikkia M. Phillips, 27, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, was arrested Wednesday afternoon on a bench warrant issued by Batavia City Court for alleged failure to appear at a previous court date on a charge of second-degree aggrevated unlicensed operation of a vehicle. She was jailed on $500 bail or $1,000 bond and is to appear in city court on March 12.
Christopher Lee Taylor, 25, of Frost Avenue, Rochester, was arrested today on a warrant out of Town of Elba Court for aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, 3rd, and no/inadequate headlights. The violations allegedly occurred on Maple Avenue in Elba on Feb. 11. He was jailed with bail set at $250.
Justine Denae McWethy, 27, of Richmond Avenue, Batavia, was arrested Tuesday night for petit larceny for allegedly stealing $73.85 in merchandise from Walmart. She was issued an appearance ticket and is to appear in Batavia Town Court on March 27.
Ronald Louis MacGregor Jr., 45, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, was arrested Monday afternoon for petit larceny for allegedly stealing $29.88 in merchandise from Walmart. He was issued an appearance ticket and is to appear in Town of Batavia Court on March 27.
A garage fire was quickly knocked down within the last half hour at 2999 Batavia Oakfield Town Line Road. Oakfield fire responded, along with mutual aid from Town of Batavia and East Pembroke, and Alabama had a crew stand by in Oakfield's quarters. A portion of the roadway for eastbound traffic was also closed.
UPDATE 3:30 p.m.: All responders are back in service.
This protest sign appeared for a time today in front of the Upton Monument at Main and Ellicott streets.
It's gone now.
The City Manager's office has the sign. If the person who placed it at the intersection wants it back and can prove ownership, it will be returned, County Manager Jay Gsell said.
"There's so many things that are not appropriate about that sign," Gsell said.
Such as: It was placed without permission; permission would need to be granted by the city, state and county; the veterans consider the location hallowed ground; nobody knows who placed the sign.
(The person in the picture is just a pedestrian who happened to be in the area at the time the picture was taken.)
The Salvation Army's Mobile Pantry Program begins in April. It will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on the first Wednesday of every month through December at the Salvation Army headquarters, 529 E. Main St., Batavia. You are welcome to come early at 9:15 a.m. for coffee and conversation.
The dates of the Mobile Pantry Program are:
Press release:
First Community Interfaith Institute. Inc., (a spiritual and cultural organization plus a teaching church based in Southeast Rochester) is paying homage to a former Batavia resident for its Women’s History Month observation at 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 9, 219 Hamilton St. in Rochester.
Mary Bailey (1932-2005) was a trustee of First Community Interfaith Institute, Inc. She was one of the Institute’s strongest supporters and she worked for the success of First Community Interfaith Institute, Inc.
She was the mother of Sylvester Johnson and the grandmother of Stacey Johnson. In 1986, Sylvester, Stacey and a friend of Stacey were killed in a sudden and tragic car accident involving an emergency vehicle outside the current Six Flags at Darien Lake.
Until she passed, Mrs. Bailey was instrumental in organizing the annual Sylvester and Stacey Johnson Memorial in both Batavia and Rochester. First Community Interfaith Institute, Inc., was founded in 1970 by National Minister Lawrance Lee Evans under the philosophy of “Doology.” It offers spiritual and cultural programs all year round, and as a teaching church, it operates a tutoring program geared to the needs of both youth and adults.
Press release:
There are currently two water main breaks on Union Street near Robert Morris School and near the Notre Dame athletic field. Crews are on site to begin repairs.
You could call it a springboard for spring rolls.
Paul Berardini is providing his cousin, Josh Gaylord, kitchen space at Big Pauly's Pizza, to launch his sushi business, Yume Sushi.
Gaylord had tried to secure financing to open a restaurant at the former Delavan's location on Evans Street, but that fell through, so Berardini stepped in to provide a launching pad for the aspiring entrepreneur and sushi chef.
"I can't thank him enough because obviously I tried doing it myself and it wasn't in the books for right now," Gaylord said. "I think starting out small is the best idea."
Space is cramped and the production needs of the pizza and wing cooks in Pauly's sometimes means Gaylord gets shifted from one table to another, but he has a place to start (rent free), his own phone line, a business name and checking account. He's in business.
And it's already quite a business. With more than 500 followers on Facebook, Gaylord is already fielding about as many orders as he can handle by himself.
"It's best to order ahead," Gaylord said.
Gaylord and a buddy started going to sushi restaurants in Buffalo and Rochester about eight years ago and decided they would learn to make sushi themselves with the hope of eventually opening a restaurant in Batavia.
"We just thought Batavia needed something like this," Gaylord said, but admits he wasn't very good at creating sushi dishes at first.
His friend eventually fell away from making sushi and moved to Flordia to escape New York's winters, but Gaylord stayed and kept learning.
He's entirely self-taught, but with recent special dinners at Sweet Ecstasy Bakery and just making sushi for friends in Batavia, he's developed quite a following. He hopes with the help of Pauly he can get his business rolling and eventually secure enough financing to open his own location.
"It's a passion of mine," Gaylord said. "I really like doing it. I like introducing new foods to Batavia. A lot of people think sushi is just raw fish. It's nothing to do with raw fish. Sushi means rice that's been vinegared with some sort of meat. It can be steak or chicken or even a vegetible."
Yume Sushi is open from lunchtime through 8 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Order ahead by calling (585) 297-9656.
Jason Lang, 30, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny, reckless endangerment, unlawful fleeing a police officer and reckless driving. Lang was arrested in Ontario County for an incident reported at 1 p.m. Monday at Pearl Vision in Eastview Mall. Lang allegedly stole two pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses valued at $358. He allegedly fled from police. He later turned himself in to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office. He was arraigned in Victor Town Court and jailed on $5,000 bail, $10,000 bond. (Source: Finger Lakes Daily News / Click here for previous coverage of Jason Lang).
Aaron Michael Bove, 23, of East Buffalo Street, Churchville, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. Bove allegedly stole $1,000 in cash from a business in Bethany while there cleaning the establishment.
A 16-year-old resident of North Bergen Road, Bergen, is charged with harassment, 2nd. The youth allegedly struck another student in the head during a class at Byron-Bergen High School.
Daniel Paul Hinca, 18, of Railroad Avenue, Alexander, John M. Francis, 20, of Vernon Avenue, Batavia, and a 17-year-old resident of Vernon Avenue, Batavia, are charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The trio were allegedly found in the rear parking lot of 80 Vernon Ave., Batavia, following a complaint about people in a vehicle who appeared to be smoking marijuana. The three defendants were allegedly found in possession of a bag of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Roger L. Lashure Jr. is indicted for first-degree criminal contempt, a Class E felony. He is accused of violating an order of protection. It is alleged that on Oct. 8 in the City of Batavia Lashure slapped a woman in violation of the court order not to have contact with her.
The Grand Jury returned no bill against Steven A. Desmore, who was accused of two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, 3rd, for incidents which allegedly occurred Oct. 15 in the Town of Le Roy.
Press release:
Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation today reacted to media reports of the Seneca Nation of Indians’ purchase of 32 acres in the Town of Henrietta as a potential site for a gaming casino.
“Today’s announcement by the Seneca Nation of a significant land purchase in Henrietta for a casino gaming facility should not come as a shock to anyone,” said Michael P. Nolan, executive vice president/COO of WROTB. “Despite the fact that the casino compact of 2002 specifically allows them to operate only three casinos in the region, the Senecas never had any intention of abiding by the terms of that agreement. This land purchase only reinforces that point. The compact also provides that they will not use any of the Seneca Settlement Act funds for another casino. The use of these funds for another casino shows another potential breach of the compact by the Senecas.”
In 2002, the Seneca Nation signed a gaming compact with the State of New York, under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which allowed the Seneca Nation to operate three “class III gaming” casino facilities. The Seneca Nation currently operates casinos in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Salamanca.
With the land purchase by the Seneca Nation, Nolan believes that community opposition will grow exponentially.
“There is already significant opposition to the casino from residents of Henrietta, the business community, church and civic organizations, and a multitude of town boards and county legislative bodies throughout the region,” Nolan said. “Now that the Senecas’ intentions have taken a much more serious turn with the land purchase, I fully expect opposition to grow in terms of both numbers and intensity.”
Nolan vowed to work with local communities and opposition groups to stop casino gaming in Henrietta.
“This region is oversaturated with casino gaming, and another facility will cause irreparable harm to thousands of businesses, families, and municipalities throughout the region,” Nolan said.
Owned and operated by 15 Western New York counties and the cities of Rochester and Buffalo, Western Regional OTB is a public benefit corporation with headquarters in Batavia, NY. WROTB owns and operates 31 branches, as well as Batavia Downs Gaming, a standard bred racetrack and gaming facility.
Press release:
Vibrant Batavia and City leaders have scheduled meetings to include four designated neighborhoods in the series “Bringing Neighborhoods Together.” The purpose of the series is to follow up from the Coffee Talk hosted last fall and allow more opportunity for questions and sharing concerns. Other topics will include crime prevention and brainstorming on street-wide events and beautification projects for the Spring 2014. Postcard invitations will be mailed to residents within the designated neighborhoods.
Bringing Neighborhoods Together will encourage discussions about neighborhood concerns and start to list projects that will build confidence and pride in their community. Candidates will be recruited in each neighborhood to lead future neighborhood functions, such as block parties, neighborhood clean-up, neighborhood garage sales, etc.
Refreshments and snacks will be served at each of these events hosted 6-8 p.m. at City Hall. Residents living in the designated neighborhood are invited to attend on the following dates:
Southside (South of Ellicott Street, east of Tonawanda Creek)
Date: March 19
West Wedge (Southwest of the Tonawanda Creek)
Date: March 26
West End (North of Tonawanda Creek, west of Oak Street)
Date: April 2
Central Park District (North of Main Street, east of Oak Street and west of Bank Street)
Date: April 9
Vibrant Batavia is a community network organized to celebrate the past, build on the present and to create a more vibrant future. The volunteers work side-by-side with the City of Batavia, NeighborWorks® Rochester and the business community to strategically improve the City's neighborhoods and to promote a livable community of choice.
It's been another chilly day in Genesee County, but at least the sun's been out.
There is a wind-chill advisory in place for tonight starting at 6 p.m. Single-digit temperatures combined with winds of 10 to 15 mph should produce a wind chill of minus 15.
Photo: Kibbe Park, Batavia.
Three trees were removed by National Grid contractors today from Farrell Park as part of a project by the city this winter to take out 31 problem trees.
Two of the trees were diseased and the falling branches presented a hazard for children playing in the park. Another tree was a black walnut and the walnuts on the ground were a hazard for children, but also some youths were throwing them against the bathroom building and pavilion causing damage and trying to flush them down the toilets, causing damage.
The city intends to plant new trees, perhaps cherry or some other springtime flowering tree.
Joshua Lee Baltz, 37, of Tracy Avenue, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Baltz allegedly was found to be carrying marijuana while entering the City Court facility.
John Robert Gerhardt, 64, of Centerline Road, Varysburg, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and moving from lane unsafely. Gerhardt was stopped at 6:32 p.m. Friday on River Street, Batavia, by Deputy James Diehl.
Lisa M. Durham, 42, of Thorpe Street, Batavia, is charged with misapplication of property and falsifying business records, 1st. Durham allegedly rented merchandise from Rent-A-Center and pawned it at Pawn King.
Steven Michael Meyers, 34, of East Bethany - Le Roy Road, Bethany, is charged with menacing, 2nd. Meyers allegedly displayed a firearm during a dispute with another person.
Jenae M. Macleod, 29, of Genesee Street, Corfu, was arrested on a bench warrant out of City Court. Macleod was located by deputies from the Erie County Sheriff's Office during an investigation of an incident and discovered to have an active warrant. She was turned over to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, arraigned, and jailed on $500 bail.
Tracy A. Hilton Sr., 33, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Hilton was allegedly involved in a domestic incident at 12:07 a.m. Saturday.
Tyler D. Macey, 18, of Grandview Terrace, Batavia, is charged with strangulation, 2nd, acting in a manor likely to be injurious to a child and assault, 3rd. Macey is accused of being involved in a domestic incident.
Joshua A. Laraby, 23, of Byron, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and a traffic violation. Laraby was stopped at 5:56 p.m. Friday by State Police.
Daniel J. Laudico, 20, of Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to keep right and speeding. Laudico was stopped at 1:02 a.m. Sunday on North Byron Road, Elba, by State Police.
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