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East Pembroke Board of Fire Commissioners reschedules meeting -- it's next Tuesday

By Billie Owens

NOTICE

The monthly meeting of the East Pembroke Fire District will be held next week.

The scheduled East Pembroke Board of Fire Commissioners monthly meeting was cancelled May 8 due to a large fire operation in the district.

The meeting is now rescheduled to be held beginning at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15, at the East Pembroke Fire District Hall, located at 8655 Barrett Drive, Batavia.

By Order of the
East Pembroke Fire District William R. Joyce, Secretary

All are invited to Jazz Sunday at First Presbyterian Church in Batavia

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Sunday, May 13th, is Jazz Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church in Batavia. It is located at 300 E. Main St.

Hosting the local jazz group, DSP, the church will sing such favorites as "Precious Lord," "Take My Hand" and "When the Saints Go Marching In."

The jazz combo will play before church and during the coffee hour afterward.

The Sanctuary Choir will sing "Wade in the Water" with their accompaniment.

Come at 10:30 a.m. for the pre-service music and stay through coffee hour for an inspiring time of worship and fellowship led by Pastor Roula Alkhouri.

Training Day: GC Emergency Support Unit learns how to rescue worker if he's trapped in a silo

By Billie Owens

Submitted photo and press release:

The Genesee County ESU Team (Emergency Support Unit) held a Confined Space Exercise at the Cargill Inc. facility located at 8849 Wortendyke Road, Batavia, on May 5th.

The ESU Team simulated a rescue of a worker in a product silo utilizing high-angle rope and confined-space skills and equipment. The Rescue Technicians scaled a 140-foot tower and entered a product silo descending approximately 70 feet to gain access to the simulated trapped worker.

Cargill’s commitment to the safety of their workers is second to none and this proactive approach in allowing local rescue personnel to train and hone their skills reinforces their commitment. The East Pembroke Fire Department and Mercy EMS assisted in the training event.

The Genesee County ESU team trains and drills monthly in addition to attending hazardous material and technical rescue programs regionally and nationally. The County ESU Team consists of volunteer firefighters from across Genesee County.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact your local volunteer fire department or the Office of Emergency Management Services at 585-344-0078.

Scholarship winner says her artistic journey has just begun

By Howard B. Owens

The Batavia Society of Artists opened its annual spring show at the Richmond Memorial Library.

Tessa Lynn, a resident of Batavia, received Virginia Carr-Mumford Scholarship.

Lynn believes art is the culmination of all of human history and like art of the ancient past, she tries to focus on visual stories that may inspire a more considerate future. After attending Genesee Community College, she plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. Eventually, she would like to illustrate books.

"My hope is to always keep creating art," she said. "I don't believe that there is ever a point where a creator should stop learning, even after years of practice and observation. My artist journey has only just begun."

Brian Kemp won first place in the member's competition.

Karen Crittenden, second place.

Third place went to Nicole Tamfer.

Rotary Baseball Tournament is Saturday at Dwyer Stadium

By Howard B. Owens

Attica, Notre Dame, Oakfield-Alabama, and Batavia are the four teams participating this year in the 20th Annual Rotary Baseball Tournament at Dwyer Stadium.

Attica and Notre Dame play at 10 a.m. and Oakfield and Batavia play at 1 p.m.

The consolation game is at 4 p.m. and the championship game is at 7 p.m.

The consolation game and championship game will be broadcast and streamed by WBTA.

Photo: Front row, Chandler Baker, Hunter Mazur, and Jordan Schmidt. Back row: Damien Bush, Tylor Ohlson, Christian Cleveland, Brendin Klotzbach, Sam Cusmano, Joey Aguglia, Matt Travis, and Logan Veley.

Batavia HS boys track improves to 4-0

By Howard B. Owens

From Coach Nick Burk:

The Batavia Boys track team improved to 4-0 on the season with a solid 103 - 38 Victory over visiting Wellsville at Vandetta Stadium today.  Eric Davis won the 110 Hurdles (15.2) and the 200m (23.5). Jonathan Liciaga won the Long Jump (20' 7 1/4"), Triple Jump (39' 1"), and the 100m (11.5). Anthony Ray won the Shot (55' 8 1/4) and the Disc (156-4).  Ethan Biscaro won the High jump (5-6), Joey Gefell won the 400 Hurdles (1:04.4), Andrew Cunningham won the 1600m (4:55.0), and Nick Neid won the 3200m (11:07.0).  The 4x800 relay of Zak Jantzi, Mario Rosales, John Bruggman, and Nick Neid won with a very good time of 8:36.3 and the 4x100 Relay of Colton Martin, Jonathan Liciaga, Joey Gefell, and Eric Davis also won with a time of 46.1.

Batavia continues to improve and have Quality performances each week.  The Blue Devils are displaying toughness, not only from our veteran athletes but from many of our young athletes as well.  The Boys Track team will try to finish their league season undefeated when they host Eastridge next week.  

Batavia man needs his bike back

By Howard B. Owens

Doug Goodwin's bike was stolen from County Building #1 (DMV/Probation) sometime between 8:15 and 9 a.m., Monday. It is blue Giant Roam 2 with yellow and white stripes.

It is a 27-speed bike with hydraulic disk brakes and is equipped with a giant headlight and speedometer and had an Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle sticker on it. The picture is of a similar bike. Goodwin is offering a $100 reward for the return of the bike. He can be reached at (585) 993-6761.

UPDATE 12:28 p.m.: As a result of a reader tip, Batavia PD has recovered Doug's bike. He says, "It's in the same mint condition that it was when it was stolen."

Dan Ireland: UMMC making great strides in health care

By Howard B. Owens

Dan Ireland, CEO of United Memorial Medical Center, had a steady stream of accomplishments to share with local health care leaders gathered Friday morning at Terry Hills for his annual State of UMMC presentation.

Ireland discussed the awards won by UMMC and staff members, the financial health of the organization, its successes in saving lives and preventing the spread of infections, and future plans for growth.

The hospital, now part of the Rochester Regional Health network, employes 880 full-time, part-time, and per-diem staff members.

In 2017, there were 22,000 emergency room visits, and nearly 100,000 medical visits total.

There were 576 births at the hospital.

"We’re touching our community in many different ways," Ireland said. "We’re making a difference to many patients."

He shared the story of Paul Boylan, a well-known figure in the local legal community as well as the UMMC community. Boylan was diagnosed with prostate cancer and chose the Lipson Cancer Institute for treatment.

After 28 rounds of radiation, Moylan, 78, is now cancer free.

"Paul credits Dr. Meri Atanas and all of the team at Lipson for the care he received right here at home, high-quality care, care that takes you through some of the biggest battles of your life," Ireland said. "Paul is very happy to be back practicing law, enjoying life and doing what he needs to do."

Ireland also shared the story of a staff member whose job includes educating portions of the population on health care. He found to talk with some people about health care, he needed to speak Spanish, so he learned Spanish.

"He did that on his own," Ireland said. "He made sure he had the right tools to give the right care to patients," Ireland said.

Then there is Andrea Sherwood, winner of the Josie King Hero Award. Josie King died in a hospital in Baltimore as the result of a medical staff mistake. Her mother, Sorrel King, created the Jose King Foundation, dedicated to helping hospitals eliminate mistakes that cost lives.

After Sorrel King spoke with UMMC staff at an event last year, she learned of actions Sherwood took to catch a mistake. She may have saved a patient's life.

It was Sherwood's job to administer contrast media to a patient for an MRI. As is the procedure, she reviewed the patient's lab results. Some patients, based on lab results, shouldn't receive contrast media. While an initial review of the results seemed to indicate it was fine to proceed with the procedure, Sherwood's instincts told her something wasn't right so she took extra steps to double check the lab results. It turned out, the wrong lab results had been provided for the patient. That patient could have been seriously injured or killed by the contrast media.

Other awards for the hospital have gone to the Wound Care Center, ICU, and the emergency room for stroke treatment.

UMMC has also received an award from Univera for taking steps to reduce hospital-acquired infections.

"About 10 years ago when they put this tool in place it seemed like it would be impossible to beat, to get that number down to where the benchmark should be," Ireland said. "Last year, Univera said, 'you not only got that number down, you beat the benchmark and now have the lowest (score) in Western New York.'”

In November, the Joint Commission on Accreditation initiated a surprise four-day inspection of UMMC, looking, Ireland said, around every corner and "under every rock." They do everything the can, he said, to find issues, what they call "findings."

"They also told us that they never come in without some findings," Ireland said. "They have to find something. So they did. They found 18 items they wanted us to work on, to make some corrections. As an administrator, of course, I asked the surveyor, '18, good, bad?' 'Well, we did the math and most organizations your size have about 40. You had 18 and we worked really hard to find those 18.'"

UMMC is also undertaken other steps to improve patient safety, including a meeting every morning among senior staff to review the previous day's safety alerts.

The process, because of the extra attention to identifying potential safety problems, has meant in 2017, the number of safety issues identified has gone up.

That creates more opportunities to correct problems, Ireland said. The goal is to get it down to zero.

Anybody can alert the hospital to a safety event, including every member of staff and patients who have access to the patient portal online.

As of Friday, it had been 71 days since a serious event was reported, and it had been 200 days before that without a serious event (the longest streak yet under the new reporting system).

A serious event is defined as one that increases the length of a patient's stay or changes the course of care.

In the area of fighting infections, the hospital also tracks infections as a result of using an IV in a patient's neck -- a very rare procedure because of the health risks associated with it. It's only used when absolutely necessary.

There have been no infections as a result of the procedure since 2013.

C-Diff infections have also been greatly reduced. While the trend across the nation is for C-Diff infections to increase at hospitals, it has declined dramatically at UMMC, Ireland said.

As for UMMC's future, there are plans a new $18 million ICU/Radiology wing, a new urgent care clinic in Le Roy, an improved urgent care in Batavia, and the partnership with the YMCA for a healthy living campus in Batavia.

Tea parties gone wild for Mother's Day at GO ART! -- Mad, crazy and in drag, too

By Billie Owens

GO ART! is hosting wild and crazy tea parties the day before Mother's Day on Saturday, May 12.

For All Ages

Join the Mad Hatter and the March Hare for a crazy day-before-Mother's-Day tea party.

Make sure to wear your prettiest, favorite or funniest hat.

There will be dainty tea sandwiches and toothsome desserts along with a selfie station and, of course, tea (juice for those who don't want tea).

Open to all ages.

Two sittings available: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; or 1 - 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 per person for GO ART! members and $18 per person for non-members. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Adults Only (21+)

Adult Tea Party with Vivian Darling -- Drag Queen Extraordinaire, 5-6:30 p.m. (Photo above.)

The Queen of Hearts demands you join her for tea!

Make sure you wear something red because we all know how much the Queen loves red and your don't want her to say "off with their head!"

Scrumptious tea sandwiches, sublime desserts and two very adult beverages are included with the purchase of a ticket.

(Long Island iced tea anyone?)

Additional "adult" drinks will be available for purchase from the bar.

This event is intended for guests 21+.

Tickets are $30 for GO ART! members and $35 for non-members.

Cold milling of Lehigh Avenue postponed due to equipment breakdown

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Please note that the cold milling operation planned for Lehigh Avenue today has been postponed due to milling equipment breaking down. Work will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

Sincerely, 

Brett Stevenson -- Streets Supervisor 

Bureau of Maintenance, 147 Walnut St., Batavia

Phone: 585-345-6400, Option 1

Fax: 585-343-6199

www.batavianewyork.com

Mercy Flight dispatched to East Pembroke for man who fell from silo

By Howard B. Owens

A man inside outside a silo on West Main Street Road, Batavia has reportedly fallen approximately 40 feet and suffered a leg injury.

He is conscious and alert.

Mercy Flight #7 out of Batavia is in route.

East Pembroke fire and Mercy EMS on scene.

CORRECTION: The patient fell outside of the silo.

Basketball Camp to be held at Batavia city schools this summer, deadline to apply is June 25

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Batavia High School Coach Buddy Brasky will hold Basketball Training Camp at the Batavia city schools this summer. Gym locations to be announced at a later date.

Brasky will be joined by: skills / shooting instructor Tim Sullivan; Tom Redband -- girls varsity coach at Elba HS; Matt Shay -- boys varsity coach at Pembroke HS; Billy Truitt -- former Division 1 and professional basketball player; and Bill Pitcher -- longtime area basketball player and coach.

This is a five-week program that will emphasize offensive skill development. The program is open to anyone, male or female, from grades 7-college. Cost for the program is *$350.

(*Sibling Discount: First sibling full price, each one after is $175. Team Discount: $325 per player for teams of five or more attending.)

Registration deadline is June 25. A $50 deposit secures your spot. Don't delay; we have sold out every year for the past five years.

Basketball Training Camp will be held from July 9th - Aug. 10th. There will be two sessions:

  1. Monday/Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for boys in grades 9-college.
  2. Tuesday/Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Friday from 9  to 11 a.m. for boys in grades 7 and 8, and girls in grades 7-college.

Players must bring their own basketballs.

For an application call or text Buddy Brasky at 585-356-4050 (cell) or email mbrasky@bataviacsd.org

Or to view the training camp flier and print/mail the attached application form, click here (PDF). Make checks payable to: Three Season Basketball.

Why this camp? This camp is for the experienced and serious player only. Compare this camp -- with 40 hours of pure basketball instruction -- to St. Bonaventure Camp's 32 hours. Compare the cost of the Batavia camp to Syracuse camp's price of $595. The benefit of repetition -- your player will be receiving instruction and the instilling of positive habits over a five-week time period, not three to four days like most camps.

Offensive skill development will include:

  • Ball-handling -- stationary and on the move
  • Shooting -- 200 to 500 shots per day
  • 1 on 1 moves: single direction, double direction, triple direction
  • On the move: wrist roll series, change of direction series
  • Post-move series
  • Point guard instruction
  • Full court and 1/2 court game situations
  • Layup series

About Coach Brasky

Under the direction of Head Coach Buddy Brasky, Batavia High School has won 11 league titles, six Sectional titles, and has reached the state semifinals four times over the last 18 years. He has been awarded Section V Coach of the Year six times; Monroe County Coach of the Year five times; and All-Greater Rochester Coach of the Year. Over this time he has developed numerous collegiate players including NJCAA & NCAA D3 All-Americans.

Photo: File photo from 2014 camp.

Law and Order: Man accused of burglary extradited from Tennesee

By Howard B. Owens

Dylan James Perry, 36, of Kingsbury Avenue, Batavia, is charged with burglary, 3rd, and petit larceny. Perry is accused of entering a business on Route 20 in Darien on Dec. 4 and stealing money. He was located in Manchester, Tenn., and extradited to New York.

Michael Joseph Panepento, 21, of North Street, Le Roy, is charged with assault, 3rd. Panepento is accused of punching another man several times in the head causing substantial swelling, bruising, and a cut, during an argument at a home in the Town of Pavilion at midnight April 28.

Jennifer A. Noll, 38, of Harvester Avenue, Batavia, is charged with soliciting alms in violation of Batavia Municipal Code. Noll is accused of asking people for money near Kwik Fill at 99 Jackson St., Batavia, at 10:22 p.m. April 30.

Darien Leonard Rhodes, 25, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Rhodes was allegedly found in possession of marijuana at 5:10 p.m. May 1 at a location on Dellinger Avenue.

Steven M. Morales, 42, Lewiston Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Morales was charged following a traffic stop where he was allegedly found in possession of a glass crack pipe with residue. He was stopped at 1:21 p.m. May 3 on Central Avenue by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Erin M. George, 30, of Horseshoe Lake Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, and speeding. George was stopped at 2:13 a.m. April 27 on Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Angela Reanee Bateman, 45, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminally using drug paraphernalia, 2nd. Bateman was charged following a report into a disturbance on Pringle Avenue at 4:11 a.m. May 1 by Sgt. Eric Bolles.

Miguel E. Alvarez, 23, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and unlawful possession of marijuana. Alvarez is accused of stealing the property of another person on Maple Avenue on April 25. He was allegedly found in possession of marijuana at the time of his arrest.

James C. Emerson, 56, of Church Street, East Pembroke, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear. He was arrested in Wayne County and turned over to Batavia PD. He posted bail and was released.

Ahdeosun Richaud Aiken, 19, of Ellicott Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Aiken is accused of damaging property during an argument at 1:45 a.m. May 3 at a location on Hutchins Street, Batavia.

Nicholas Matthew Erway, 21, of East Robinson Road, North Tonawanda, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, stopping on a highway. Erway was allegedly found sleeping behind the wheel of his vehicle at 12:04 a.m. May 6 while it was stopped on Route 77 in Alabama by Deputy Howard Wilson.

June Ann Weinart, 28, of Freeman Road, Byron, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding, moving from lane unsafely, and open container. Weinart was charged following a traffic stop at 3:23 a.m. Saturday on Batavia Stafford Townline Road, Batavia, by Deputy James Stack.

Bruce Kenneth Ames, 51, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unnecessary smoke/vapors. Ames was stopped at 8:20 p.m. May 1 on Ellicott Avenue by Deputy Austin Heberlein. He was accused of having unnecessary smoke/vapors coming from his vehicle. Ames was allegedly found in possession of a green leafy substance that he identified as marijuana.

Kevin Wayne Napier, 34, of Kendall, is charged with bail jumping, 3rd, and aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. 

Richardo Sampel, 48, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st, and Emily D. Schramm, 32, of Alabama, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Sampel and Schramm were arrested together in Alabama by State Police on an incident reported at 10:17 p.m., April 24. Both were ordered held in jail. No further details released.

Sarah J. Ehrman, 38, of Scio, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled, 7th, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Ehrman was arrested May 3 in the Town of Alexander by State Police. No further details released.

Milling of pavement on Lehigh Avenue, Batavia, begins Tuesday

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Please be aware that all motorists using Lehigh Avenue within the City of Batavia will experience travel delays on Tuesday, May 8th, between the hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Roadwork involving the milling of pavement will begin at Ellicott Street, working toward Creek Road. Local traffic will be permitted to and from their residence/property but should plan accordingly for delays.

All residents/businesses within the work area are asked not to park on the roadway during the day.

Once milling is complete, the roadway will be prepared for paving. An additional memo will be issued with specific dates and times for this work.

Please contact the Bureau of Maintenance with any questions. Phone: 585-345-6400 (Option 1); Fax: 585-343-6199.

Thank you for your cooperation in advance.

Batavia PD looking for owner of lost ring on Richmond Avenue

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

An engagement/wedding ring was turned in to the Batavia Police Department after it was found on the sidewalk on Richmond Avenue on 05/05/2018. If you believe you are the owner of this ring, please contact Officer Ivison at (585) 345-6350 with a detailed description and/or pictures of the ring.

Two of Batavia fire dispatched to two accidents

By Howard B. Owens

A Mercy medic has been dispatched to what was first reported as a non-injury, property-damage accident involving two cars at 4857 Ellicott Street Road, Batavia.

Town of Batavia was also called to deal with a fuel leak.

Town of Batavia has also just been dispatched to an accident on Assemblyman R. Steven Hawley Drive and Medtech Drive for a two-car accident.

Mercy EMS also summoned.

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