In our pursuit of covering a wide variety of local high school sports, we took in a Batavia High girls volleyball game on Friday.
The Blue Devils (3-6) dropped the match to Brighton 25-23, 25-22, 25-23.
More photos after the jump:
An individual was arrested on Main Street a few minutes ago. He was apparently wanted on a warrant out of Wyoming County. There is no further information available at this time, and Officer Eric Hill said the department does not usually put out press releases on out-of-county arrest warrants, so there may be no further information available.
Adam W. McGill, 32, of Medina, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, criminal use of drug paraphernalia (scales), 2nd, and unlawful possession of marijuana. McGill was arrested by State Police in the Town of Batavia at 10 p.m., Wednesday. Arrested at the same time and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), 5th, was Dianne M. Gallegher, 41, of Shelby.
Ann K. Pokornowski, 50, of 520 Ellicott St., Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Lauren K. Pellegrino, 28, of 129 Jackson St., Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Pokornowski and Pellegrino are suspected of becoming involved in a dispute over a mobile phone. Pokornowski allegedly damaged Pellegrino's phone and Pellegrino allegedly pushed Pokornowski.
Donald F. Stillwagon II, 25, of 142 Pearl St., Batavia, is charged with felony assault, 2nd, obstructing governmental administration and harassment, 2nd. This list of charges is a correction issued by Batavia PD on a report from yesterday.
David W. Wells, 21, of Bergen, is charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation, moving from lane unsafely, failure to stay in designated lane, speed in excess of conditions, violation of a conditional license. Wells was arrested by State Police at Strong Memorial Hospital for the alleged violations that reportedly occurred at 2:26 a.m., Sept. 17, in the Town of Byron. No further details were released.
Care-A-Van Ministries held their annual Back to School cookout for the GCC students.
The Care-A-Van band provided music, Pastor Dale Gooch from the Emmanuel Baptist church was on hand to give a great message and the Young Adult group from New Hope was on hand to give out goodie bags and notebooks to the students. Care-A-Van will be visiting the dorms once a month to take treats, prayers and encouragment to the students this upcoming school year.
Vic Marchese has achieved something few small business owners ever get to claim -- in just five-and-a-half years after opening Main St. Pizza Company, he now owns the building.
"I'm just shocked by how much business we're doing," Marchese said. "It's good. It really is. I'm thankful. I'm thankful to the guy upstairs, I guess."
The success has meant, however, that the original Main St. Pizza space at 206 E. Main St., Batavia, has gotten crowded. Marchese said he needs to expand. He certainly needs to expand the kitchen, he said, but he would also like more seating area.
"It's crazy, but on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, I'll have 20 or 30 people standing out there," Marchese said.
Marchese has thought about putting in a dining room upstairs, but said it would be more cost effective to open up a dining area in the basement. He would also like to acquire space in front of the building from the city and put in a deck or patio for diners.
Marchese didn't make the building purchase on his own. His nephew, Paul Marchese, owner of Marchese Computers on Ellicott Street, is co-owner of the building.
The acquisition comes just in time for Vic to celebrate National Pizza Month in October, a promotion he's getting fully behind, with one lucky customer becoming eligible to win a big screen TV.
Marchese said he loves food, pizza, especially the pizza business. He's been at it for more than 35 years. He worked 20 years in somebody else's pizza shop, then ran Vic's Doghouse on Park Road for nine years, and now Main St. Pizza.
"I really love what I do," Vic said.
Ken Mistler, whose downtown building ownership dropped from 10 properties to nine with the sale, said it was Vic's idea and he supported it because he believes Marchese will be a responsible downtown landlord. Mistler noted that if a poor owner got a hold of a building such as the one Vic bought, it could bring down his own property values.
"I was glad to sell it to him because I'm sure he's going to take care of the building," Mistler said. "He will be an asset as a landlord downtown."
UPDATED: 2:43 p.m.
Shortly before 2 p.m., Batavia police descended upon South Beach restaurant downtown after receiving a call that a patron suspected of attempting to steal food had trashed the lunch buffet.
Suzanne Corona, 41, the woman who made headlines a few months ago for having sexual conduct with a man at a local park, leading to a rare charge of adultery, was allegedly observed filling baggies in her purse with food items from the lunch buffet.
Louie Kingsbury, an employee of South Beach owner Ken Mistler, was summoned to the restaurant and he confronted Corona.
He said at first Corona denied taking anything and started showing him empty pockets in her purse, but then food allegedly fell out of the main compartment.
"At that point, I gave her two choices," Kingsbury said. "Either you can pay extra for the food, or I'm calling the cops. She got unruly, so I said I was calling the cops."
Then, Kingsbury said, Corona allegedly started to dump the baggies full of food back into the buffet, so he had to try to restrain her.
In the tussle, according to Kingsbury, Corona fell over a chair.
Mistler had to have all of the food in the buffet dumped out. Police asked for a retail estimate of the food's value.
Corona reportedly came into the restaurant with another woman and they sat at a booth, but did not order any food before Corona approach the buffet. The other woman is not believed to have been involved.
Officer Ed Mileham said Corona has not yet been arrested, but charges are pending.
Mercy EMS was called to the scene. Corona reportedly complained of back pain. She was seen holding the back of her head and neck. She was transported to UMMC.
Howard Owens contributed to this story.
A Pearl Street resident was jailed without bail last night after allegedly biting a Batavia Police officer on his arm.
The officer, Sgt. John Peck, was treated and released at UMMC.
Charged with assault, 2nd, and resisting arrest was Donald F. Stillwagon II, 25, of 142 Pearl St., Batavia. (Charges modified to: felony assault 2nd, obstructinog governmental administration and harassment 2nd.)
The incident began at 10:13 p.m. with a report of a family domestic problem at that address. Stillwagon was reportedly involved in a fight with another family member and at one time was allegedly choking the other family member. He was then restrained by a family member when police arrived.
Peck attempted to arrest Stillwagon, which is when the suspect allegedly bit Peck, causing a pretty deep cut, according to Detective Pat Corona.
Police have recently responded to other calls at this residence, Corona said.
The incident remains under investigation and additional charges may be pending.
Sheriff's deputies and state troopers assisted in the incident.
A Batavia Police officer was reportedly bit on the arm after responding to a reported fight at 142 Pearl St.
The incident originated as a 9-1-1 call from a female who said two people were fighting (we think, two men). One of the subjects was reportedly on top of the other at one point choking him.
A short time after police arrived, an officer requested an ambulance for a reported injury to a police officer.
Mercy EMS is in route.
GO ART! will feature the artwork of Alfie Batt at its 10th Annual Community Arts Awards Gala on Oct. 2.
Batt’s original artwork on the event theme “A Prelude to a Winter Solstice” will be seen on all the gala materials and also on display there.
He has an eye for artwork and enjoys showing his creative side, especially making mosaics. He entered his mosaics on display by participating in the GO ART! exhibit at The Shirt Factory in Medina.
Alfie attends The Arc of Orleans County’s Day Habilitation Program during the day and enjoys sharing his artwork with all visitors. Alfie is well known for his love of animals and volunteering for the Orleans County 4-H Fair. He also enjoys taking scenic photographs of the landmarks in Orleans County and sharing its history with residents and visitors.
Recently, GO ART! introduced Alfie to art classes at Shawn’s Gate Studio in Medina and his discovery of acrylics opened a whole new world to him. Batt is quite proud of his accomplishments and has enjoyed sharing the opportunity with his peers.
For more information on the GO ART! Gala, call 585-343-9313, email info@GOart.org, or visit www.GOart.org.
Organized locally, the Genesee County CROP Hunger Walk has set a goal of 150 walkers, and hopes to raise $8,000 to help stop hunger and poverty, in our community and around the world, through self-help initiatives.
CROP is an acronym for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2 and the walk starts at 9. It's at the Salvation Army offices at 529 E. Main St. in Batavia.
The walk is approximately 3K in length, an easy walk on city sidewalks, beginning and ending at the Salvation Army, with an optional restroom stop at the YWCA on North Street. Maps will be provided.
Twenty-five percent of the funds raised will stay in Genesee County, to be used for Community Action and the LeRoy Pantry and Help Fund.
Each walker is also encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item the morning of the walk for the Food Pantry at the Salvation Army.
The remainder of funds raised will go to Church World Service, the sponsor of the CROP Walk, to be distributed in the United States and around the world to fight hunger. If sponsors wish to designate a different recipient for the funds, the list of alternative organizations will be provided. Funds may also be designated for Catholic Relief Service.
A Pancake Breakfast will also be held at the Salvation Army from 8 to 11 a.m. on the morning of the walk. The breakfast is open to the community, not just walkers. Cost is $3 for adults, $1 for children 10 and under.
Honorary WALK Chair Tom Rivers will be at the breakfast signing copies of his book, “Farm Hands." Books will be available for purchase, with proceeds donated to CROP.
Genesee County joins some 2,000 cities and towns nationwide in community CROP Hunger Walks, proclaiming solidarity with millions of neighbors around the world who have to walk to live -- as well as with those served by local food banks, which share in the funds raised by CROP Walks.
For more information about the Genesee County CROP Walk, or for sponsor forms, contact Beth Stich at 344 3176, or any of this year’s team members (below).
The 2010 Genesee County CROP Walk Team: Roula Alkhouri -- Nancy Arras -- Dorian Ely -- Ron Hallman -- Bob Knipe -- Robert & Patricia Kurtz -- John McGowan -- Jim & Martha Morasco -- Beth Stitch -- Jackie Wilson.
The Women's Auxiliary of the Batavia Salvation Army will host a Swiss Steak Dinner & Basket Auction on Saturday, Nov. 13.
It will be held at 529 E. Main St. in Batavia to benefit the Thanksgiving and Christmas programs. Take-outs start at 4:30 p.m.; dinner is at 5.
Tickets are $8 and will only be available until Oct. 29. Contact 343-6284 or 345-1663 for more information.
A two-car accident with injuries, blocking traffic, has been reported at Route 98 and Batavia-Elba Townline Road.
Mercy EMS and Town of Batavia Fire are responding.
The injuries do not sound serious at this time.
Christopher Paul Rutherford, 26 of Cowen Road, Piffard, is charged with petit larceny. Rutherford is accused of giving a free oil change and tire rotation and balance to a friend. The alleged incident occurred at 2:04 p.m., Aug. 20.
Thomas Michael Ford, 21, of Brockport-Spencerport Road, Brockport, is charged with petit larceny. Ford allegedly stole engine oil and a tire rotation and balance from Walmart. Ford is accused of receiving the service on April 1.
Edward M. Davis, Jr., 45, of 23 Oak St., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Davis is accused of sending text messages to a person he was ordered not to contact. Davis was jailed on $1,000 bail.
Ashley Evette Mercado, 20, Watson St., Batavia, was picked up on a bench warrant from a previous trespass charge. Mercado was allegedly involved in an unrelated incident, leading to police contact and discovery of the warrant. Mercado was jailed on $250 bail.
Tonight's Batavia City Council meeting was a conference meeting. The following items were discussed (no votes were taken):
Cedar Street reconstruction
In September 2009, the City Council authorized the Cedar Street reconstruction project. It is being paid for by federal highway money and will cost $2.8 million.
A total of 15 engineering firms were considered for a contract to provide engineering services for the project. A committee is recommending that Buffalo-based Erdman Anthony get the contract for $220,000 in engineering services.
Redevelopment
The Batavia Planning and Development Committee approved a residential redevelopment plan previously recommended by the City Council. At its next business meeting, the council will be asked to pass a resolution authorizing the plan.
It calls for foreclosed properties to be transferred to the Batavia Housing Authority so that the property can be deeded, under specific conditions, to qualified low-income families.
City budget
In keeping with Batavia's budget audit consultant, the City Council will need to adopt a resolution at its next business meeting to set up several reserve funds. These include: employee benefit accrued liability; self-insurance health benefit plan; workers' compensation; retirement contribution; and reserves for Dwyer Stadium repair.
The city has $3.5 million in compensated absence liability, with $1.3 million potentially due immediately, if the high number of employees eligible to retire actually did so. The resolution would authorize a transfer of $150,000 to the benefit accrued liability fund.
Another resolution would authorize the transfer of $100,000 to the self-insurance fund.
With $284,000 in potential workers' comp liability, another resolution would transfer $200,000 from the general reserve fund to the workers' comp liability fund.
Another resolution would transfer $150,000 for public works equipment and $50,000 for fire department equipment for future purchases.
The council is also being asked to transfer $200,000 to the retirement reserve fund.
Finally, the council is being asked to transfer $60,000 to the Dwyer Stadium repair reserve fund.
Go Art! presents “A Prelude to a Winter Solstice” at its 10th annual Community Arts Awards Gala Dinner & Auction at 6 p.m on Saturday, Oct. 2 at the Batavia Party House, 5762 E. Main Road (Route 5), Stafford.
Each year, GO ART! recognizes the extraordinary contributions in art and culture made by individuals and organizations in the Genesee-Orleans region at this unique event. This year’s honorees are:
Tickets are $25/person, and advance reservations are required. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and a fabulous buffet while local band Buffalo Road Show with Bill McDonald provides musical entertainment. A Silent Auction and other drawings will be held all evening. Dress is Business Casual.
This year’s Gala Raffle features three Grand Prizes:
Plus, your raffle ticket enters you in drawings held throughout the evening for a variety of valuable prizes from area businesses such as Pudgie’s Lawn & Garden Center, Shirt Factory Café, Pauly’s Pizza and more.
Raffle Tickets are $5 each or five for $20, and are available at GO ART! and various other locations in Genesee and Orleans counties; call GO ART! for a list at (585) 343-9313 or check online at www.GOart.org. Raffle tickets will also be available at the event. For more information, call (585) 343-9313 or email info@goart.org.
The Community Arts Gala is generously sponsored to date by: National Grid; CY Farms/Batavia Turf; O-AT-KA Milk Products Cooperative; Tops Friendly Markets; The Batavian; Dick Seymour; ESL Federal Credit Union; Lawley-Genesee; Max and Jane Mason; GCASA; Janice Cummings and Delores Johnson.
Peaceful Genesee -- formerly the Coalition for Nonviolence (see April 29 article) -- is sponsoring "Restoring Dignity: Skill Building for Transforming Conflict," an all-day event that is free and open to the public, on Monday, Sept. 27.
It runs from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the YWCA, at 301 North St. in Batavia.
The theme of the event is Restorative Justice, which focuses on the needs of victims, perpetrators and the community as a whole rather than simply on punitive measures. The program will offer people an overview of Restorative Justice, demonstrations in recent initiatives, videos, role plays, discussion of humane conflict resolution, and more.
Refreshments and coffee will be served, and participants will have an hour for lunch. Pre-registration is not required.
For more details, contact William Privett at wprivett.paxchristi@gmail.com.
Friday night, lights are on, stadium is packed and it's Homecoming Week. It couldn't have been a better scenario for the Batavia Blue Devils football team as they upset visiting Penfield 20-14 Friday night in high school football action for their first victory of the season.
Senior running back, Ryan Pyatt led the offense for Batavia by rushing for a career high of 124 yards on 17 carries in his first varsity start.
Quarterback Aaron Gugel rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and he completed 4 of 10 passes for 44 yards and a touchdown.
Sophomore wide-out Justin Washington had two receptions for 34 yards including a 10-yard touchdown reception. Mitch Francis added two receptions for 10 yards and another reception on a 2-point conversion. Francis also had a big day on defense by intercepting a pass and returning it for a 70-yard touchdown. He also had a kick return for 45 yards.
Kyle King led the defense for Batavia with 9 tackles, 2 for a loss. Kris Jones added 7 tackles, 2 for a loss. John DiFante added 4 tackles for Batavia and recorded an interception as well.
Nick Costanza scored for Penfield on a 32-yard run and David Roque caught a 37-yard reception from from QB Kyle Covley to give Penfield their 14 points.
Batavia improves to 1-3 while Penfield falls to 0-4.
DOG FOUND NEAR KWIK FILL. Very nice friendly male dog. The animal shelter told us he's a Norwegian Elkhound. He had on an electronic collar but was running loose through traffic. Please call 345-1249.
Batavia PD is asking for help in identifying the man in this picture. Investigators wish to speak to him related to a possible larceny at Tops Market. No further details were released.
A Covington man is being accused of trying to convince Walmart employees that he was a federal law enforcement agent.
Why isn't clear, but Nikko C. Gambino allegedly entered the Batavia Walmart on two occasions wearing clothing with law enforcement markings, displaying a badge and saying, the first time, that he was looking for robbery suspects, and a second time saying he was looking for a fugitives.
Following an investigation, members of the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force along with officers from the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office, conducted a search of Gambino's Covington home and reportedly found articles of clothing with law enforcement markings and a metal badge.
Gambino was charged with two counts of criminal impersonation, 2nd, and one count of falsely reporting an incident.
He was jailed on $5,000 bail and additional charges may be pending.
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