batavia

While I was in Settler's this afternoon, four waitresses came out carrying a birthday cake and brought it over to a group of people at one of the tables.

The cake was for Mary Vangalio, who turns 99 on Friday. Pictured with her is her nephew, Mike DiMartino.

State Police, joined by law enforcement representatives from throughout the region, gathered at the Batavia Barracks on West Saile Drive in Batavia this morning to honor the men and women of Troop A who gave their lives in the line of duty.

In the 40 years since the first service, six more names have been added to the granite monument outside the barracks, including Kevin P. Dobson, a 14-year veteran struck and killed during a routine traffic stop in Tonawanda in 2011.

The names of the fallen are:

Trooper James B. Losco, 1925
Trooper Robert Roy, 1927
Trooper Arnold T. Rasmussen, 1927
Trooper Thomas L. Corbett, 1931
Sergeant Homer Harrison, 1933
Trooper Jerome B. Nugent, 1933
Sergeant Harry Adams, 1951
Trooper James D. Conrad, 1966
Trooper Richard Weltz, 1970
Investigator Thomas L. Buck, 1981
Trooper Gary E. Kubasiak, 1982
Trooper Joseph A. Longobardo, 2006
Trooper David C. Brinkerhoff, 2007
Trooper Jill E. Mattice, 2010
Trooper Kevin P. Dobson, 2011

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If you can't view the slide show, click here. To purchase prints of these photos, click here.

Batavia's younger players are coming into their own just at the right time, said head baseball Coach Rick Saunders -- just as the Blue Devils enter sectional playoffs.

The team won a first-round playoff game Tuesday at Dwyer Stadium over Greece Olympia, 12-5.

"They struggled with the bats the first time they’d seen varsity pitching and now we’ve won five out of our last six," Saunders said.

The Blue Devils jumped to a quick 7-1 lead in the first two innings Tuesday, but then Greece Olympia made it look like they might make a game of it with four runs in the fifth.

But Saunders said his #5 seeded team responded well against the #12 seed, rallying for five runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning.

"(There were) two positive things," Saunders said. "When you play a team that’s a lower seed than you, you have to jump out to an early lead. Then you need to tack on runs to put them away, and when they made their come back to get back in the game, we tacked on five in the sixth to put them away. That’s how you win big games. That was the key."

Batavia (13-7) will face Greece Arcadia in a round two game at 4:30 p.m., Friday, in Greece Aracadia. The winner of that game will play a semi-final game next Tuesday against either Pittsford-Sutherland, the #1 seed, or Geneva.

In the game, Tommy Prospero was 2-3 with a walk and two stolen bases. Ryan DiMartino was 2-4 with a double and two RBIs. Zach Hale, who was also the winning pitcher, going 4 1/3 innings, was 2-4.

Saunders likes his team's chances of advancing.

"We’ve played all these teams," Saunders said. "Our pitchers have got to throw strikes. It’s basic baseball, pitchers throw strikes and if we can play good defense we can play with anybody. When we've that this year, we've won. When we haven't, we've struggled."

In other Section V baseball today, Alexander plays Warsaw in Warsaw; #2 seed Pembroke plays Bishop Kearney in Pembroke; Pavilion plays Canisteo-Greenwood in Pavilion; #2 seed Oakfield-Alabama plays Cuba-Rushford in Oakfield; Le Roy plays Granada in Le Roy; and on Friday, Notre Dame plays Prattsburgh at Dwyer Stadium.

If you can't view the slide show, click here.  To purchase prints of these pictures, click here.

A 48-year-old Batavia woman was injured in a motor vehicle accident at 8:15 a.m., Monday, in the Town of Middlebury after another driver allegedly failed to stop for stop sign.

Patricia E. Chaya, 48, was transported to UMMC for treatment.

Chaya was heading south on East Bethany Road when Rebecca A. Tallman, 21, of Telephone Road, Le Roy, allegedly failed to stop at the intersection of West Middlebury Road and East Bethany.

Tallman was issued a traffic citation.

The accident was investigated by the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office.

Bethany Fire Department responded to the scene.

An 19-year-old Batavia resident who broke into three local businesses said in court today that a proposed sentence of up to 14 years in prison on his burglary convictions was "a harsh punishment for somebody my age."

Judge Robert C. Noonan told Trevor M. Pilc, formerly of 404 Jackson St., Batavia, that he agreed, but added, "you've made your own bed and negotiated your own disposition."

Noonan then sentenced Pilic to two-and-a-third to seven years on two counts of burglary in the second degree, with the sentences to be served consecutively.

The prison term will be served concurrently to a similar sentence on burglary convictions in Wyoming County and with a one-and-third to four year sentenced Noonan imposed for a violation of probation conviction.

On Feb. 23, Pilc entered a guilty plea after reaching a plea deal for burglarizing four Batavia establishments -- Neptune Gardens, Batavia's Original, Blondie's and the Batavia Youth Bureau building.

Pilc was ordered to pay $11,800 in restitution to the businesses and two insurance companies.

"I realize what I did was wrong," said Pilc, who came to court in state prison-issued khaki slacks, a pressed white shirt and heavy shackles on his wrists. "I've hurt the business owners and their families and my family both financially and emotionally. I think it's a harsh punishment for a person my age, but I accept the consequences for what I've done."

Pilc and his accomplice, Michael A. Ames, 19, of 508 Dale Road, Dale, were arrested in September, aided by tips generated by the release of a video surveillance tape posted on The Batavian.

Ames is also serving  four-and-two-thirds to 14 years in state prison, concurrent with his sentence out of Wyoming County.

Press release:

District parents and students are encouraged to attend Open House events at the Middle School, John Kennedy, and Jackson building sites. 

We hope to have parents and students tour the buildings where students will attend next year and meet some of the staff. Also, this is a great time to sign up for newly forming parent groups at each of the schools. 

Details are as follows: May 30 -- Next year’s fifth-graders and their families are welcome to tour Batavia Middle School. Short presentations will occur in the school auditorium at 4 and 5:45 p.m. Refreshments will be served and tours will be informal. Be sure to sign up to participate in the parent group for parents of fifth- and sixth-grade student. Also,the YWCA will be at the middle school on both days with information on their after-school child care program for the 5/6 House.

Next year’s second-, third-, and fourth-graders and their families are welcome to tour John Kennedy School. Short presentations will occur in the school auditorium at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and tours will be informal. Be sure to sign up to participate in the parent group for parents of second-, third-, and fourth-grade students.

May 31 -- Next year’s sixth-graders and their families are welcome to tour Batavia Middle School. Short presentations will occur in the school auditorium at 4 and 5:45 p.m. Refreshments will be served and tours will be informal. Be sure to sign up to participate in the parent group for parents of fifth- and sixth-grade students. Also, the YWCA will be the middle school on both days with information on their after-school child care program for the 5/6 House.

Next year’s pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first-graders and their families are welcome to tour Jackson School. Short presentations will occur in the multipurpose room at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and tours will be informal. Be sure to sign up to participate in the parent group for parents of pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first-grade students.

Driving down Creek Road this evening, I saw something head of me in the road. As I got closer, I thought it might be a turtle and just about that time, a car coming from the opposite direction was stopping.

John Volpe jumped out of the car and scooped up the snapping turtle and carried it over to the side of the road.

Volpe then called his father and told him about the turtle, which he said had a slight deformity in its shell and might be a female.

He told his dad his location and said he would wait for him.

Volpe explained to me that he and his father often rescue turtles. He said they would take the turtle home, ensure she (or he) is healthy. If healthy, and a female, they would hold her until she laid her eggs, then release her back into the wild, then raise the babies.

"Turtles mean a lot to us," Volpe said, who is Native American.

When his father arrived, Mary Volpe jumped out of the minivan and grabbed the turtle's shell from behind and carried it over to a plastic carry-all.

We're a bit tardy in publishing this, but last week the Landmark Society of Genesee County gave out its annual awards in drawing contest, which is open to fourth-graders from throughout the county.

The first-place winner was Esmeralda O'Campo, center, from Elba Central School for her relief artwork of 4899 Ford Road, Elba. She receive $50, a framed certificate and a copy of the book "The Architectural Heritage of Genesee County."

The second-place winner was Isabella Riner, left, from Elba Central School for her mixed media artwork of 39 S. Main St., Elba.

The third-place winner was Gabrielle Root from St. Joseph School for her mixed media artwork of the E.N. Rowell House in Batavia.

Second- and third-place winners received $25, a framed certificate, and a copy of "The Architectural Heritage of Genesee County."

Honorable mentions were Trinity Aponte, Lauryn Engle, Morgan Harrington, Trevor Matthison, Adryona Miller, and Harmony Parker.

The guest judges this year were Sharon and Don Burkel, of Batavia. Sharon Burkel is an architectural historian and currently serves on the City of Batavia Historic Preservation Commission. Don Burkel is the Executive Director of the Batavia Business Improvement District (BID). Both are members of the Landmark Society. 

A group of geese were behind Settler's -- as there often is -- and keeping cool in the Tonawanda this afternoon.

The temperature today is 76 degrees with humidity at 56 percent.

Thunderstorms are expected between 6 and 8 p.m.

Temperatures are expected to climb into the 80s by Wednesday with lots of sun.

A North Spruce Street resident sent in this picture of a pair of ducks that found the family pool behind their house quite inviting this morning.

I stopped by the Ag Park this afternoon just to see how construction is coming along -- Haskell has made some visible progress on the Pepsi/Muller Project Wave plant.

I happened to be on hand when some bedrock was blasted from the ground.

Perhaps not surprisingly, this sign warns that only Pepsi products are allowed in the construction area.

For those keeping score, it look like a majority of the vehicles in the employee parking lot had New York license plates.

Meanwhile, most of the work for the new Alpina plant is now taking place inside the new building. Alpina is on schedule to start producing yogurt in Batavia some time in August.

I didn't get a picture, but the Marktec building is completed.

A fully involved car fire is reported in the Batavia Downs parking lot, located at 8315 Park Road, behind Kmart. Town of Batavia Fire Department is "well on the way."

UPDATE 12:05 p.m.: A responder at the scene reports two adjacent vehicles have been impacted by the blaze.

UPDATE 12:11 p.m.: A firefighter says the blaze has been contained to the fully involved vehicle. Law enforcement is called to the scene to take a report.

UPDATE 12:52 p.m.: The car fire is out. Town of Batavia is back in service.

The Town of Batavia Republican Committee is accepting nominations for the annual “Community Citizen Award” that will be awarded at the Town Picnic which will be held the Town of Batavia Kiwanis Park on Friday, June 22.

The deadline to nominate someone is Friday, June 1.

This is meant to honor a resident of the Town of Batavia who has dedicated his or her time and support to the betterment of the community.

There is no particular requirement to receive this award, we ask that you submit your name of nominee, why you believe the nominee should be recognized and how they have excelled in the community. This can be done on a sheet of paper or you can obtain a Nomination Form by contacting a committee member.

This is a good opportunity to honor someone from the past for community service or some recent achievement or recognition received by a town resident.

The committee to select the recipient of the Community Citizen Award is Teressa Morasco- teressamorasco@yahoo.com,  Kathy Jasinski – kjasinski19@gmail.com or Sharon White – cccsgrandma@yahoo.com.

Please let them know if you have any questions or would like to submit a nomination.

Law enforcement and medics are responding to a call of a 16-year-old male roadside in a vehicle at 5109 Ellicott St. in the Town of Batavia who is vomiting and nauseous due to a possible overdose from smoking incense.

UPDATE 8:25 p.m.: The boy is being transported to UMMC with a complaint of severe overdose of an intoxicant known as "Spice." He is reportedly experiencing "twitchiness" and general nauseousness.

A two-car accident with unknown injuries is reported at West Main and Oak streets in the city. Two flatbed tow trucks are called. City fire and Mercy medics are responding. Police are on scene. Fluids are leaking.

UPDATE 11:42 p.m.: City fire is back in service. No one was transported to a hospital; they were "sign offs."

FYI...Howard will soon board a plane in Buffalo and head to Chicago. He is attending a small conclave of independent online news publishers from across the nation. He returns this Sunday afternoon.

The Batavian welcomes digital photos taken by readers at events this weekend. We will take a look at submissions and may post them on the Home Page on Sunday -- or on Saturday if time permits.

Meanwhile, I'll be listening to the scanner and posting items as warranted.

Have a great weekend! The weather is supposed to be really nice.

A 40-year-old Batavia woman who bilked two elderly patients out of more than $308,000 faces up to seven years in prison and significant restitution after pleading guilty this morning to four felonies.

Heidi L. Schollard, 161 Bank St., Batavia, entered a guilty plea to three counts of grand larceny, 3rd. Each Class D felony carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, but under the plea deal, Schollard's sentences will be served concurrently.

She also entered a guilty plea to grand larceny, 4th, a Class E felony with a maximum sentence of four years.

Schollard is ordered to repay $265,131 to one elderly victim and $43,000 to another, plus $23,414 to the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance and $2,485 to the Department of Labor.

Schollard was initially arrested in December 2010 for allegedly stealing about $250,000 from a Batavia resident.

She was out of jail during the proceedings in that case and was arrested again in March and accused of defrauding another elderly person. The alleged victim in this case is a resident of Alabama.

In both cases, Schollard was reportedly a caregiver for the victims.

Sentencing is set for 9 a.m., Aug. 9.

The Sheriff's Office is looking for assistance in locating Paul J. Doctor. Doctor allegedly failed to comply with a release under supervision contract and an arrest warrant was issued by Genesee County Court related to two counts of burglary.

Warrant Officer Eric Olson asks that anyone with information that may assist in locating Doctor to call (585) 343-0911.

UPDATE:  Paul Doctor turned himself in May 21.