batavia

James R. Cooper, 32, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, endangering the welfare of a child and harassment, 2nd. The domestic incident occurred at a residence on State Street, Batavia. Cooper allegedly punched his girlfriend repeatedly and choked her. The dispute happened in front of their three children.

Christina A. Deluna, 35, of Central Avenue, Batavia, is charged with conspiracy, 4th, and criminal nuisance, 1st. Batavia police found Deluna walking in the area of Liberty Street and Ellicott Street. She was turned over to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and held without bail.

Jeffrey M. Currier, 33, of Knowlesville Road, Alabama, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st, assault, 3rd, and criminal obstruction of breathing. The incident occurred on Knowlesville Road. Currier is accused of causing physical injury to another person in violation of an order of protection.

Faye Lone, 56, of Basom, is charged with DWI and resisting arrest, class A misdemeanors, following a traffic stop. Troopers located Lone on Route 5 in Batavia traveling at a slow speed and partially driving on the roadway. After Lone was pulled over, she allegedly refused to cooperate with police. She was put in Genesee County Jail on $250 bail.

Tiffany A. Reed, 20, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and criminal mischief, 4th, following a domestic incident on Walnut Street in Batavia. Reed is accused of pushing a person and prevented the person from calling 9-1-1. She also allegedly made verbal threats to physically harm another person.

Christopher G. Landry, 41, of Ross Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, following a domestic incident on Ross Street. Landry allegedly shoved an individual during an argument.

David M. Schmeider, 21, of Highland Park, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Schmeider is accused of taking 24 cans of Budweiser beer off of a beverage truck when it was making a delivery to the Kwik Fill on Jackson Street in Batavia. Shortly after the incident, he was located at his residence drinking one of the beers and arrested. 

Felicia D. Ricks, 43, of Whitesboro Street, Utica, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, speeding and insufficient tail lamp following a traffic stop by Officer Stephen Cronmiller on Walnut Street, Batavia. Ricks was put in the Genesee County Jail.

Amanda R. Jurewicz, 29, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Jurewicz's 2-year-old son was allegedly found walking alone on the sidewalk of East Main Street in Batavia wearing only a soiled diaper.

Dahana D. Armstrong, 21, of Fisher Park, Batavia, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, criminal possession of marijuana, 5th, operating without insurance and operating without inspection. Armstrong was arrested following an investigation into a traffic stop by Officer Steven Cronmiller on Jackson Street in Batavia,.

Sergio E. Morales, 20, of Rochester, was arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana. Troopers allegedly detected the smell of marijuana after pulling over the vehicle for a traffic stop on Route 98 in Alexander. Morales was a passenger in the vehicle.

Robert E. Saari, 33, of Alleghany Road, Attica, was arrested on a bench warrant issued by the City of Batavia following a traffic stop on Main Street in Batavia. Saari allegedly failed to appear for an aggravated unlicensed operation ticket.

Patrick J. Woodrich, 44, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant issued by the City of Batavia for allegedly failing to appear for a third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation charge. Woodrich was located following a traffic stop on Clinton Street Road, Batavia, by Officer James DeFreze. 

Ted E. Kingsley, 42, of Sandpit Road, Alexander, was arrested on a bench warrant in the parking lot behind the City of Batavia Police Department. Kingsley allegedly failed to pay a fine.

Allen M. Barlow, 28, of Glenhaven Drive, Amherst, was issued an appearance ticket for allegedly leaving a dog in a vehicle in extreme heat for at least one hour on Route 77 in Darien.

Press release:

South Lyon Street, Raymond Place, Allen Street, Olyn Avenue and North Street from Naramore Drive to dead end will experience traffic closures for roadway resurfacing on Wednesday June 24 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.  

Residents are asked not to park on the road. 

Residents of these streets will have limited access to their properties during paving operations.  

Paving will begin on South Lyon Street, then over to Raymond Place, Allen Street, Olyn Avenue, and then to North Street.

All other traffic is asked to avoid these areas.

Community members provided their input on the final sites selected for the new location of the City's police station at the Police Facility Task Force's public meeting Tuesday night.

Businessman Vito Gautieri favored the Alva Place parking lot location, one of the final sites for the new police station.

"Alva can be made into a beautiful site," Gautieri said. "You could combine that site with the mall site. Alva should be your first consideration because you own it."

In response to Gautieri, Marc Staley, chairperson of the Task Force, said you have to consider the businesses that share the lot and the disruption the police station may cause. If the police station was built there, Staley feared businesses would relocate. 

Rose Mary Christian, city council member, preferred the 35 Swan St. location, the other final site for the new police station. Christian stated the site would be the best location because it's larger and has the possibility of commercial development.

Other community members had concerns not directly related to the two final sites.

Charles Ruffino, former county legislature member, expressed his concern for the future of the new police station as a whole and its cost effectiveness. Ruffino believed the task force should consider a location where the City of Batavia Police Department could share services with the Genesee County Sheriff's Office. 

"If you wanted a police station stand-alone, you could design a building adjacent, nearby or connected in some way with the County Sheriff," Ruffino said. "If in the future you want to have a combined public safety type of operation that serves the whole county, then you're in business. However, if you build something far away and it costs $12 to $14 million then you're out of luck."

Diane Kastenbaum, vice president of the Genesee County Landmark Society, was interested in the future of the current police station. Kastenbaum wanted to make sure the facility wouldn't be destroyed if it was sold. In response, the Task force agreed to include her concern when they submit their recommendation to City Council.

The Task Force, composed of eight committee members, has been meeting monthly since December to evaluate potential sites for the new police station. The committee developed a set of criteria to rank each site. Some of the criteria included if the location provided good proximity to Downtown, adequate parking and sufficient security for police vehicles. They started out analyzing 12 possible locations and have narrowed it down to Alva Place and Swan Street. 

The cost for a new station is approximately $10 to $12 million. Due to the poor condition of the current station, it would cost less money to build a new station than to renovate the current one.

Moving forward, the Task Force will meet one more time before submitting its recommendation for the new police station site to City Council.

An attorney representing the Clarion Hotel and members of the community voiced concerns regarding the application submitted by ADK Hospitality, LLC, to Genesee County Economic Development Center for incentives to build a hotel at Batavia Downs.

A public hearing was held Monday night by the GCEDC to gain input from the community on the application they received from ADK, a private developer seeking to build a hotel at Batavia Downs, requesting approximately $630,000 in incentives.

Vivek Thiagarajan, attorney representing Clarion owner Chat Patel, argued that when his client looked into applying for GCEDC incentives to build the Palm Island Indoor Waterpark in 2012 he was told the project would be denied funding because it was not considered a tourist destination. Thiagarajan argued that ADK's hotel is not a tourist destination and Batavia Downs should not receive tax incentives either. 

"There is no tourist destination about the hotel itself," Thiagarajan said. "Maybe the name makes it look like it's affiliated with Batavia Downs but the hotel is merely just like any other hotel. As a result, the public shouldn't be forced to fund something that only benefits the private owners of that hotel."

Thiagarajan also argued that the purchase price of $600,000 is less than the $630,000 in incentives the project would receive from the GCEDC.

In addition to Thiagarajan's opposition, John Sackett, a past county legislator, questioned whether the hotel would create full-time jobs and believed the hotel should be built without incentives.

A representative from the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters expressed concern over whether Batavia Downs and ADK would use union construction workers to build the hotel. The union agreed it would support the hotel project if union construction workers were used.

A variety of local businesses wrote letters in support of the proposal. The businesses included Sport of Kings Restaurant, Harness Horse Breeders of New York State, Sloat Tire Shop, Genesee Feeds, Nothnagle Realtors, Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, WNY Harness Horsemen's Association and U.S. Foods. The businesses stated that Batavia Downs is a primary asset for attracting tourism and the addition of the hotel would bring more people and business to the community.

Anthony Baynes, managing member of ADK, provided details on the hotel project and the economic impact it would have on Genesee County. In the presentation, Baynes stated the $5.5-million hotel will be a four-story structure with 84 rooms. Itl will also be connected to Batavia Downs Gaming and complement the design elements of the new gaming entrance. There will be no restaurant or bar in the hotel.

"The hotel will positively impact Batavia Downs and local tourism on a permanent basis," Baynes said. "It will generate incremental gaming, banquet, food and beverage revenue at Batavia Downs, which will result in increases in tax collection, jobs preserved and additional jobs created."

According to Michael Nolan, vice president of Western Regional Off-Track Betting, the corporation that owns Batavia Downs, the hotel will help the gaming industry expand and allow them to compete with other casinos that are building hotels.

The hotel will result in the creation of 23 jobs. There also will be more job growth due to the number of wedding and conventions Batavia Downs will host because of the hotel.

"We think our banquet facility is going to multiple 10 times due to the hotel," Nolan said. "It's well within reason that there will be 50 jobs coming with the addition of the hotel."

According to statistics provided by Hotel & Leisure Advisors, a national hospitality consultant firm, the total impact of the new gaming revenue, new food and beverage sale and increased banquet business will be $2.6 million for the first year of operation. In the first 10 years of operation, the impact will be $31 million.

The GCEDC Board of Directors is having a special public meeting to consider a final resolution for the project. The meeting will be held at 11:15 a.m. on Thursday at the Innovation Zone Conference Room at MedTech Centre.

A woman who played a business role in a shop on Ellicott Street that became a flash point for a local spike in synthetic drug use in summer of 2012 received a probationary sentence from a federal district judge today. Amber Snover had entered a guilty plea stemming from her arrest three years ago.

The 24-year-old Rochester resident was an associate of Charles Fitzgerald, who was identified by authorities as the owner of the 420 Emporium, at 400 Ellicott St., Batavia.

Snover admitted previously to using a communication facility to facilitate a controlled substance. She was sentenced to five years probation and must forfeit her share of $771,109 seized in a raid July 25, 2012, of the residence in Greece she shared with Fitzgerald.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Noto, who handled the case, said that Snover used a telephone to order various synthetic controlled substance analogues for delivery and sale at the Batavia location of the chain of head shops.

Empire Access is one of the area’s leading telecommunications companies, providing the latest advances in technology to residential and business customers. We offer cost-saving solutions for lightning-fast Internet, phone, security and home automation over a dedicated fiber optic connection. This state-of-the-art fiber service is Now Available in the City of Batavia.

Give us a call today at 888-868-4002 OR visit our Web site: www.empireaccess.com

Trees and power lines are down due to a line of thunderstorms that swept through Genesee County early this morning.

As of 9 a.m., National Grid has reported hundreds of customers affected from the power outages in Le Roy, Pavilion and Attica. There are also scattered outages in other areas affecting less than 10 customers each.

Law enforcement advises motorists to use caution because debris could still be blocking some roads.

(Storm damage on North Street in Le Roy. Photo taken by Lucie Griffis.)

Gilbert Street at the corner of West Main Street in Le Roy is closed due to power lines down across the street. According to Tom Wood, 2nd assistant chief for Le Roy Fire Department, three power lines are down. Residents are waiting for National Grid crews to restore their power.

Pictured below a tree down on South Jackson Street, Batavia.

Timothy C. Williamee, 45, of Clay Street, Le Roy, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, and endangering the welfare of a child, both class A misdemeanors, following a domestic dispute at the residence. Williamee allegedly threw an item at the victim while a small child was being held and put his arm around the victim's neck when the person attempted to leave. He was put in the Genesee County jail on $1,000 bail.

Linda L. Snyder, 32, of Central Avenue, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and harassment, 2nd, after an incident on June 12 on Liberty Street in Batavia. Snyder allegedly grabbed a juvenile by the shoulder during an altercation. Snyder is also charged with obstructing government administration following an incident on June 19 in Wendy's parking lot, Batavia. She is accused of attempting to prevent Batavia police from detaining a juvenile suspect who was allegedly involved in a criminal mischief complaint.

Richard H. Armstrong, 57, of Norwood Avenue, Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 percent or greater, driving over hazardous markings and moving from a lane unsafely. Armstrong was pulled over by Deputy Chad Minuto after he was seen driving into a grass median and crossing the center line on Route 19 in the Town of Le Roy.

Shawn R. Klineline, 32, of State Street Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI and speeding. Klineline was arrested by Deputy Joseph Corona following a traffic stop for alleged speeding on Route 237 in Stafford. 

Ronald M. Gerspach, 31, of Indian Church Road, West Seneca, is charged with DWI, driving a motor vehicle with greater then .08 BAC and moving from a lane unsafely following a single motor vehicle accident. Gerspach reportedly failed to negotiate the curve onto Snipery Road, Darien. He was accused of being intoxicated and arrested by Deputy Richard Schildwaster.

John D. Maloy is charged with aggravated DWI, speeding and moving from a lane unsafely following a traffic stop on Route 237 in Stafford.

Mark D. Tooley, 32, of Main Road, Stafford, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and harassment, 2nd. Tooley was arrested following an incident on Main Road where he allegedly slapped another person who was holding a child. He left the scene and was later arrested by police. He jailed on $500 bail.

Henry W. Horton, 22, of West Sweden Road, Brockport, is charged with petit larceny and a class A misdemeanor. Horton allegedly took $97.51 worth of merchandise from Walgreens in the Village of Le Roy on June 14. He was jailed on $250 bail.

Jeremy D. Holmwood, 23, of Angling Road, Corfu, was arrested on a warrant issued by the City of Batavia. Holmwood was stopped by Deputy Richard Schildwaster for an alleged traffic violation on Alleghany Road in the Town of Pembroke. He was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. He was jailed on $2,000 bail.

Shannon L. Guiste, 44, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny following a shoplifting complaint on Veterans Memorial Drive, Town of Batavia. Guiste is accused of attempting to steal $661 worth of merchandise from a department store. 

A teenager, of Walnut Street, Batavia, was arrested on a bench warrant issued by Batavia City Court. After being released under supervision, the youth allegedly violated the conditions by failing a drug test. He was put in Genesee County Jail.

David B. Thompson Jr., 45, of Naramore Drive, Batavia, was arrested following a neighbor's complaint of his dogs habitually barking at the residence.

Morgan S. Fallon, 18, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal tampering, 3rd, following a domestic dispute. 

A teenager from Batavia is charged with no bell or signal device on a bicycle, failure to keep right and obstructing governmental administration, 2nd. He was seen by Officer Kevin DeFelice riding his bicycle and impeding traffic on Jefferson Avenue and warned to ride properly on the street. After he continued to ride improperly, he was arrested.

Riders of all ages and their horses competed in the Genesee County Agricultural Society's first Summer Kick Off Classic Horse Show at the fairgrounds this Sunday.

The horse show had 44 English and Western classes and six sweepstakes classes. 

Proceeds from the show will be used to repair stalls and add a schooling area for horses to exercise at the fairgrounds. The Agricultural Society hopes to make the horse show an annual event.

Madison Drysdale wins First Place trophy in the Open Walk-Trot English Showmanship Class. 

Stella and Cherie Glosser show off their award ribbons they won in the Hunter Hack classes.

Liz Osborn sang the national anthem.

Show managers Crista Boldt and Amanda Gallo.

Mercy Flight & Mercy Emergency Medical Services held their annual open house Saturday afternoon at Home Depot in Batavia to showcase services they provide to the community.

Fire departments and law enforcement agencies in the county participated, too.

Children enjoyed getting a close-up look at fire trucks, ambulances and Mercy Flight's helicopter. The City of Batavia Fire Department offered child safety checks. Batavia police did a demonstration on bike safety and state troopers did a rollover-accident simulation.

“The open house is basically for kids to see the backside of EMS, so if an ambulance or helicopter comes they are not afraid," Lynn O'Donnell, Mercy Flight & Mercy EMS outreach coordinator. "Kids get to meet the crew members so they know we are all a part of the community and here to help out."

In addition to the tours, they had a Chinese auction and sold merchandise and food to help raise money for Mercy Flight's mission sponsor program, which assists people who cannot afford to pay medical transportation bills.

Stan's Harley-Davidson held its Cruise-In Car and Bike Show this afternoon. A variety of vintage, rare and customized motorcycles and cars participated in the show. Eight trophies were given out this year.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today announced that a bill he introduced to provide tax incentives to renovate "zombie" properties in the City of Batavia, A.7570-A/S.5196A, was passed by the Assembly and Senate on Thursday.

The legislation establishes a program giving property-tax assessment incentives to residents of Batavia who purchase and renovate dilapidated single-family properties. The program, if successful, could be allowed in other cities statewide.

“I was pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Senator Ranzenhofer to ensure that this legislation passed both houses before the end of session,” Hawley said. “Zombie properties have plagued Batavia for years and this is a monumental step toward addressing the issue. Residents who purchase these dilapidated properties will be given a property-tax exemption to help alleviate the financial burden of repairs made to the home.

"This will ensure that home renovation costs do not exceed property value. Also, the legislation protects against large real estate companies buying many properties and subdividing them into apartments or multiple-family dwellings. The bill will now be sent to the governor for his signature. If it receives his approval the program will take effect immediately.”

Senator Michael Ranzenhofer carried the bill in the Senate and Hawley applauded his efforts and said he is pleased to have worked with him.

“By spurring redevelopment of vacant homes, this innovative program will help to benefit all taxpayers," Ranzenhofer said. "For prospective home buyers, it will provide a real incentive to make costly repairs to a distressed home. For neighbors, it will make their street a better place to live and prevent their home values from being depressed.

"For all taxpayers, it will help to dilute the burden of property taxes by adding more properties with higher valuations to the tax rolls,” Ranzenhofer said. “I am hopeful that the Governor will sign it into law.”

Melanie Case submitted this photo of fireworks after the Muckdogs' opening night game at Dwyer Stadium. I don't think I've ever seen a better photo of fireworks at Dwyer.

A two-car crash with injuries is reported in front of Safelite AutoGlass in the Eastown Plaza parking lot, Batavia.

The driver of the Cadillac SRX is being evaluated for injuries.

According to Sgt. Matt Lutey, the driver of the Cadillac was traveling eastbound through the parking lot and the driver of a Dodge Avenger was traveling southbound heading toward East Main Street. One of the drivers allegedly failed to yield for the other driver.

City of Batavia firefighters, Mercy medics and Batavia police responded.

Photographs submitted by a reader.

This afternoon there was a disturbance in Wendy's parking lot in Batavia possibly involving youths said Batavia's Police Chief Shawn Heubusch.

The parking lot was blocked off on both sides. Officers from the Batavia Police Department and Genesee County Sheriff's Department were on scene. The situation is currently being investigated.

Press release:

The Genesee County Libertarian Party is pleased to announce our endorsement of Lisa Whitehead to be a candidate for Batavia City Council Ward #2.

At approximately 5 p.m. there was a bear sighting near South Main Street and Wortendyke Road in the Town of Batavia. NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and police are at the scene. Updates will be posted as they become available.

UPDATE 10:40 a.m.: There has been no further information from the DEC.

Terrence D. "Spaz" Butler, 33, of Swan Street, Batavia, has been arrested on a sealed indictment warrant for allegedly selling crack cocaine on two occasions.

Butler was taken into custody when located as a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Le Roy PD at midnight Saturday in the Village of Le Roy.

Butler is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd.

Butler was jailed on $25,000 bail or $50,000 bond.

Mark W. McWethy, 47, of Pearl Street Road, Batavia, was arrested on warrants stemming from the alleged sale of oxycodone to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force and for allegedly possessing drugs with the intent to sell during a traffic stop on Law Street, Batavia, in August 2014.

At the time of the stop, McWethy allegedly possessed heroin, with the intent to sell, and cocaine.

He was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th.

McWethy was jailed on $25,000 bail.

Michael A. Hahn, 36, of Lincoln Avenue, Attica, was arrested on a warrant out of Town of Darien Court for allegedly selling methamphetamine to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force.

He is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 5th, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 5th, and criminal sale of a controlled substanc, 7th.

Hahn was jailed on $1,000 bail.

A white SUV and green Chevy Cruze collided at a four-way stop at the intersection of Bank Street and Washington Avenue. According to Sgt. Christopher Camp, the SUV was heading south on Bank Street and the Chevy Cruze was heading east on Washington Avenue. There were no injuries.

Support your local farmers at your downtown farmacy in Downtown Batavia!

The Public Market is held on Bank Street & Alva Place Parking Lot from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Thursday from June 18th - Sept. 24th.

There you'll find fresh baked goods, vegetables, fruit, fresh cut flowers & herbs, dog treats, maple syrup, homemade sausage, jerky & smoked meats, handmade clothing, quilts, wooden toys & planters, pulled-pork sandwiches, hot dogs & BBQ sauces, and much more...

We'll have Master Gardeners from Cornell Cooperative Extension, drawings every week for a free gift basket!
 

SPONSORS: Java Farm Supply, DelPlato & Casey Law Firm
Interested vendors should call 585-344-0900
Market brought to you by: Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District