batavia

A 60-year-old Elba resident turned himself into police today, reportedly admitting he was the driver involved in a minor-injury, hit-and-run accident on Vine Street on Thursday night.

Craig Yunker, 60, of 6464 Transit Road, Elba, was charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and moving from lane unsafely.

Yesterday, Batavia Police issued a request for help in identifying the driver of a white pickup truck involved in an accident at 9:40 p.m., Thursday. The truck reportedly suffered heavy front-end damage in the head-on crash, but was reportedly able to drive from the scene.

The unidentified driver of the other car was transported with minor injuries to UMMC.

After turning himself in, Yunker was issued citations and ordered to appear in Batavia City Court at a later date.

A gas tank has fallen off a vehicle and is leaking in the roadway on Summit Street, near North Street.

Batavia City Fire Department is responding.

Dan's Tire is en route with a flatbed tow truck.

UPDATE 8:17 p.m.: City fire crew is returning to quarters.

Multiple fire alarms are sounding within the Harvester industrial center building at 56 Harvester Ave. Also, alarms indicating water flow problems are sounding.

Batavia City Fire Department is on location.

UPDATE 11:51 a.m.: The alarm company is in communication with dispatch. There has been no mention of smoke or fire.

UPDATE 12:01 p.m.: City fire crews are back in quarters.

When I heard there was going to be a Mexican Folk Art Festival in Batavia, I was excited about it, but I neglected to do one thing -- put it on my calendar.

The festival was March 19. The other day, Kelly Kiebala, director of GoArt, sent along a couple of pictures from the festival, and even though it's a little late, I thought them worth sharing. I'm hoping this is something GoArt will sponsor again in the future.

A 19-year-old woman suffered minor injuries following a head-on collision at 9:40 p.m. Thursday, and police are looking for the driver of the vehicle that struck hers.

The other driver was able to drive his car from the scene and fled before police arrived.

The driver is described as age 50 or older, white male. He was driving a white full-sized pickup, possibly a Ford. The truck should have extensive front-end damage.

The identity of the accident victim, who was transported by Mercy EMS to UMMC for treatment, was not released.

Anyone with information that might assist in identifying the suspect driver is asked to call Officer Marc Lawrence at (585) 345-6350.

Shane Wheeler, 31, of Sackett Road, Bergen, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, failure to reduce speed for hazard and moving from lane unsafely. Sheriff's Deputies responded to the area of routes 33 and 19 area following a complaint of a car on the road driving only on tireless rims. Upon arrival, deputies located fresh scrape marks on the roadway and followed the marks. An accident scene was located at the intersection of Lyman and Coward roads in Byron. The scrape marks continued north on Coward and onto the CSX railroad right-of-way. While searching the right-of-way, deputies discovered the vehicle had become stuck and was struck by a passing train. Wheeler was located, uninjured, and deputies determined he was allegedly operating the vehicle while intoxicated. The incident was investigated by deputies Howard Carlson and John Weis.

Grant A. Sundown Jr., 46, of Skye Road, Basom, is charged with felony aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st, DWI and aggravated DWI. Sundown was stopped at 8:25 a.m. Thursday on Lewiston Road, Oakfield, by Deputy Bradley Mazur.

Kevin Christopher Heschke, 25, of St. Marks Street, Le Roy, is charged with felony DWI and failure to keep right. Heschke was reportedly observed by a Le Roy Police officer swerving and driving left of the pavement markings on Church Street on Thursday night. Heschke reportedly fled his vehicle and was caught in a nearby backyard. He was jailed on $1,500 bail.

Jessica Marie Poodry, 22, of Bloomingdale Road, Alabama, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, reckless driving, and failure to notify DMV of address change. Poodry is accused of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident at 1:35 a.m. Friday on Gilmore Road, Pembroke. The accident was investigated by Deputy Jason Saile.

Koro Karanja Prince , 18, of Troy Avenue, Brooklyn, is charged with criminal trespass, 2nd. Prince is accused of being in an apartment at College Village after being banned from the property.

Armekco Devanta Austin, 19, of Monica Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, and criminal trespass, 2nd. Austin is accused of being inside a room at College Village after being banned from the property.

Joshua M. Gaudioso, 22, of 3232 Fillmore Ave., Caledonia, is charged with obstructing governmental administration, 2nd, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Le Roy Police assisted Sheriff's deputies in locating Gaudioso who was wanted on a warrant. Gaudioso allegedly struggled with officers when located. Following his arrest, a bag of marijuana and a pipe were allegedly found on him.

GCEDC has landed its first business for the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park in Batavia. It is a Bogata, Colombia-based dairy product company that will use the plant to expand its yogurt business into the United States.

According to South American news reports, Alpina Productos Alimenticios will invest $15 million in the project and will initially hire 50 people at the plant.

Established by two Swiss entrepreneurs in 1945, Alpina runs nine industrial facilities across Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, and has commercial presence in more than 12 countries. 

The product line, which generates about $740 million in annual revenue, includes beverages, milk, baby food, desserts, cheeses, cream and butter, and fitness food products.

"The Alpina brand is a symbol of pride not only to Colombians but to the entire Andean region," Alpina President and CEO Julian Jaramillo (pictured) told La Republica. "We hope to build a new frontier for growth in the U.S. market, based on the properties of innovation, quality, nutrition and sustainability associated with our products and our presence in places where we already operate."

But it's not a 100-percent done deal, according to Genesee County Economic Development Center CEO Steve Hyde.  

The company intends to purchase a 10-acre parcel with a phase I construction plan for a 28,000-square-foot yogurt manufacturing facility.

The company picked one of the newest parcels in the park, so there is still a little bit of work to be done to get it completely shovel ready, including extending one of the roadways.

The purchase is contingent on that work being completed on schedule, and if it is, Hyde said, construction on the plant should begin in August.

The 10-acre parcel will give the company room for expansion.

"They've got a real footprint for future growth," Hyde said.

According to the La Republica article, Alpina has achieved growth rates in Venezuela and Ecuador of 15 and 20 percent and his hoping for the same level of success in the U.S.

Jaramillo believes per capita consumption of yogurt in the U.S. is low, which he sees as an opportunity to capture new consumers.

Hyde said the company, which he described as really family oriented, has done a lot of market research and has determined the northeastern part of the U.S. has a fast-growing Hispanic population, so they were looking at five sites in New York and three in Pennsylvania.

Batavia having a nearly shovel ready park combined with the region's high number of quality dairy farms were attractive to Alpina.

"It kind of proves the thesis that you've got to have that shovel ready site that clusters industries or companies won't even come," Hyde said. "They won't take the risk. They've got to be able to build and go."

The project is part of a $50 million plan by Alpina to expand its business.

“We’ve been waiting for exactly the right moment to make a major push into the U.S. market, and today we found the right location to achieve our strategic goals,” said Alpina Foods, LLC, Managing Director Carlos Ramirez Zavarce.  

Below is a video the company produced for YouTube that has received more than 500,000 views.

City fire is being dispatched to Vine and North streets for a minor-injury accident.

Dispatch describes it as "very minor injuries," but there are fluids leaking and police on scene requested the fire department.

Mercy EMS responding non-emergency.

James Kenneth Goodenow, 40, of South Academy Street, Wyoming, is charged with petit larceny. Goodenow is accused of shoplifting from a store on Lewiston Road, Batavia. He was jailed on $500 bail.

Brian Thomas Kerwin, 23, of Country Lane, Geneseo, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Kerwin was charged following a traffic stop at 6:09 p.m. Wednesday on Route 19, Le Roy, by Deputy Joseph Graff.

Nicholas Shawn Andrews, 32, South Lake Road, Pavilion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Andrews was was charged following a traffic stop at 6:09 p.m. Wednesday on Route 19, Le Roy, by Deputy Joseph Graff.

Lucas Daniel Allen, 20, of Horsehoe Lake Road, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Allen was charged following a traffic stop at 10:07 p.m. March 30 on Caswell Road, Byron, by Deputy Joseph Graff.

Mitchell Andrew Cummings, 19, of Byron Road, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Cummings was charged following a traffic stop at 10:07 p.m. March 30 on Caswell Road, Byron, by Deputy Joseph Graff.

Carrie Ann Rucinski, 25, of West Avenue, Medina, is charged with petit larceny. Rucinski is accused of shoplifting six items from Kmart on Tuesday.

In 1983, a Henrietta resident bought a small beverage company in Batavia with a vision for building a chain of stores that would offer customers a wide selection of handcrafted and imported beers.

Batavia Beverage Corporation became Angotti Beverage Corporation and Tony Angotti was on a path toward what is now three stores in the Rochester region, including the widely known Beers of the World in Henrietta.

That success has landed Angotti the prestigious honor of Small Business Person of the Year for the area's 14-county Small Business Administration district.

The Democrat & Chronicle published a story about Angotti today.

"I've always been a nut for imported beers and something different," he said Tuesday. "I always dreamed of something different, something that was not available in upstate New York. So I started bringing in beers, sometimes obscure beers, that nobody knew anything about and some are very well-known brands today."

...

"The population today is not like it was years ago when our fathers and grandfathers used to go a bar and say 'give me a beer' and didn't even know what they were getting," Angotti said. "To them a beer was a beer. But today we have a very sophisticated drinking population that is looking for something unique, something different."

A pair of local entrepreneurs who plan to open a teen nightclub in the former location of PowerHouse Gym on East Main Street, Batavia, say a major financial hurdle has been overcome and they're ready to move forward.

After initially announcing plans in January, just two weeks later, the venture had to be put on ice when Tim Walton and Mike Marchese learned they would need to install a $50,000 sprinkler system in the 7,350-square-foot facility.

Walton announced this week that additional, unnamed, investors are now involved in the project and Walton and Marchese have $100,000 available for the project.

Most of that fund is being bankrolled by Walton and Marchese, Walton said, but the local investors are willing to put in more money if needed.

"We don't want to cut corners," Walton said.

No opening date was announced.

"We've got a plan, contract and partnership that allows us to have direct access to over 20,000 teens in Western New York," Walton said. "We're going all out to make this a success."

Walton also announced a partnership with local DJ Marc Tillery.

"The move to buy into the DJ company was a move I made to allow us to have our own disc jockey company rather than have to hire out," Walton said. "I partnered with Tillery as a way to have more access to the current music, club mixes and even recording artists. Tillery has some connections with Hollywood stars, EA Sports, Boyz II Men, New Edition and his most recent connection is Island Def Jam recording artist Kenny Klassix."

Walton and Tillery previously joined forces in local marketing, as Walton bought out Tillery's advertising marketing company and merged it with his screen-printing business, TopLine Shirt Company.

Meanwhile, Walton has also sold out his interest in the DJ operation at Falleti Ice Arena to Firland Management.

The ice arena DJ operation was a venture he had gotten involved with in 2001. 

"I had a great time doing it while I did," Walton said. "It was great working with Rich Nobles, Dee Gugel, Bob Filighera and everyone else."

James Sunser, Ed.D, currently VP for Continuing and Extended Learning at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, has been named the new president of Genesee Community College.

He's expected to start his new job on Aug. 1 at a starting annual salary of $177,832.

The 51-year-old veteran educator replaces Stuart Steiner, Ed.D, who is retiring after 36 years as president and 44 years serving the college.

"We looked for all the qualities that Stu had given us over the years and tried to get a match," said Charles R. Ruffino, chair of the board of trustees. "No one is going to match Stu Steiner. He's one of a kind, but we were looking for a person is who is passionate, who lives and breathes community colleges, and who has financial experience."

Sunser is himself a product of community college education. According to a press release, Sunser graduated from Onondaga Community College in 1984, later obtaining a BS degree from Syracuse University, an MS degree from SUNY Brockport, a certificate of advanced study from the University of Rochester and his doctorate in 2010 from UR.

Neither of Sunser's parents attended college, but he told GCC's publicity office that his parents felt it was important for him and his sisters to attend college.

"My father was a very smart man and loved to learn," Sunser said. "Even though he didn't have a great deal of formal education, he was passionate about the importance of learning, and he urged me to get as much education as I could, and do as much good for other people as I could."

Sunser's family had limited financial resources, so he enrolled in Onondaga.

"A community college made all the difference in the world to me," he said. "My community college education gave me confidence, and opened up a world of opportunities."

His father, Carl "Sonny" Sunser, passed away in 1995 at 64 years of age.

"He would be very proud," Sunser said.

Prior to his current position with Onondaga, Sunser was was VP of finance, and it's that financial experience that was important to the search committee, said Ruffino.

"We’re looking at some difficult times, so we wanted a person who knows finances and would be able to cope with the possible problems coming up," Ruffino said.

Sunser's community activities in the Syracuse area include volunteering on the: YMCA of Greater Syracuse's Education Advisory Board; Syracuse City School District's Construction Advisory Council; Education Committee of Central New York Works; American Red Cross; and Onondaga Stop DWI.

Sunser and his wife, Roseann, a teacher, currently reside in Clay, a Syracuse suburb. They are parents of three children: Ryan, 23; Sean, 20; and Casey, 17. His hobbies include reading, especially books on leadership and history, golf, basketball and spending time with family and friends. The family plans to relocate to Genesee County this summer.

A farm supply company on Route 98 in Batavia will receive nearly $60,000 in tax abatements to help fund expansion and create four new jobs within the next four years, the Genesee County Economic Development Center has announced.

Monroe Tractor, 7941 Oak Orchard Road (the corner of Route 98 and West Saile Drive), plans to add 6,000 square feet to its existing 16,800-square-foot facility.

The total project cost is $514,000.

GCEDC said the tax abatements will not only create four new jobs, they will help retain 20 jobs.

For this project, according to GCEDC, for every $1 of tax abatement, $313 will be returned to the local economy over 10 years.

The Henrietta-based company, which has 11 locations in western and central New York, will receive a $39,287 property tax exemption and an estimated $20,000 sales tax exemption on materials used in the construction project.

The property tax exemption is designed to offset the increase in assessed value the project will generate.

Matthew Joseph Stefani, 21, of Dodgeson Road, Alexander, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Stefani is accused of pushing another person to the floor during an incident at 3:19 a.m., Saturday.

Ronald M. Schutt Jr., 25, of Washington Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding (95 mph in a 55 mph zone), moving from lane unsafely, unlicensed operator, refusal to take breath test. Schutt was stopped at 3:36 a.m., Saturday, on Route 63, Town of Batavia, by Deputy Howard Carlson.

Christopher Aaron Saddler, 27, of Lydun Drive, Albion, was arrested on a warrant related to an aggravated unlicensed operation charge. Saddler was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for an alleged traffic violation in the Town of Oakfield. He was wanted on a warrant out of Batavia City Court and turned over to Batavia Police.

Michael Anthony Sweet, 25, of Walden Creek Drive, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Sweet's car was stopped at 1:43 a.m., Saturday, in the area of 5267 Route 33, Batavia, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Reeves reported that he could smell the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the car. Sweet, the report reads, "eventually produced the suspected marijuana." 

Amy Elinore Bluhm, 23, of Morrow Road, Covington, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. Bluhm's vehicle was stopped by Sgt. Greg Walker for allegedly traveling 70 mph in a 55 mph zone. Upon investigation, it was determined that Bluhm was allegedly driving on a suspended license and had a warrant out for her arrest. Bluhm was jailed on $500 bail.

Rebecca Ann Piechowiak, 21, undisclosed address, Darien, is charged with petit larceny. Piechowiak is accused of shoplifting from Target on at least three separate occasions. 

Michael Todd Dibble, 19, of Indian Falls Road, Pembroke, is charged with unlawful dealing with a child and unlawful possession of marijuana. Dibble is accused of hosting an underage drinking party at his home.

John E. Hehnen, 55, of Dorsch Road, Akron, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to keep right. Hehnen was stopped at 12:23 a.m. Sunday on Akron Road, Town of Pembroke, by Deputy Jason Saile.

Edwin Leroy Stancliff, 31, of Alleghany Road, Pembroke, is charged with a felony count of DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater (second offense), failure to keep right, unlicensed operation, aggravated unlicensed operation. Stancliff was stopped at 1:44 a.m., Sunday, in the area of 1405 Little Falls Road, Pembroke, by Deputy James Diehl.

George Aden Vancleef, 48, of Oak Street, Akron, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to dim headlights and driver's view obstructed. Vancleef was stopped at 12:36 a.m. Sunday on Akron Road, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Andrew L. Dailey, 28, of Washington Street, Spencerport, is charged with a felony count of aggravated DWI, a felony count of driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, moving from lane unsafely. Dailey was allegedly spotted in his car stopped in the middle of the intersection of Roanoke and Sweetland roads, Stafford, at 10:12 p.m. Saturday by Deputy Matt Butler.

A 17-year-old resident of Fairport is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was stopped for alleged traffic violations at 5:31 p.m. Sunday, on I-490, Bergen, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Reeves alleges that he could smell the odor of burnt marijuana come from the car. The youth was allegedly found in possession of marijuana.

Richard Dewey Smith, 18, of Macedon, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Smith was a passenger in a car stopped for alleged traffic violations at 5:31 p.m. Sunday, on I-490, Bergen, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Smith was allegedly found in possession of marijuana.

A 16-year-old from Ontario is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was a passenger in a car stopped for alleged traffic violations at 5:31 p.m. Sunday, on I-490, Bergen, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Smith was allegedly found in possession of marijuana.

Anthony James Aina, 39, of Allen Road, Albion, is charged with DWI, refusal to take breath test and consumption of alcohol in a vehicle. Aina was stopped at 12:47 a.m. Monday on Oak Orchard Road, Elba, by Deputy James Diehl.

Ronald M. Odessa, 38, of Batavia, is charged with DWI and a one-way road violation. Odessa was stopped at 2:20 a.m. Saturday in the City of Batavia by State Police.

A trailer in Batavia that apparently hadn't been occupied for seven years and had no electricity or heat source caught fire Friday night.

The rear half of the trailer was destroyed.

A Sheriff's Office report says how the fire started is "unknown."

The blaze, at 9427 Alexander Road, was reported at 9:12 p.m. by a motorist from Attica.

The trailer is owned by Richard Hale, who told investigators that there was nothing of value in the trailer except some old lawn furniture and appliances.  

Hale, who lives on the property, said he didn't see or hear anything suspicious prior to the fire being reported.

Town of Batavia fire along with Alexander fire departments responded to the scene.

The Local Drug Task Force busted a suspected drug dealer late Friday night and it turns out to be the same man who was wounded in an unexplained shooting on Indian Falls Road nearly a year ago.

Taken into custody was Carlos A. Torres Jr., 35, of West Main Street, Batavia.

He was stopped at 9:45 p.m. on Lyon Street, City of Batavia, for suspected traffic violations. He was found to allegedly be driving under the influence of drugs and allegedly carrying cocaine, crack and heroin with an estimated street value of more than $7,000. 

"The weight of the powder cocaine, along with the number of bags of both crack and heroin, on top of his $4,000 (in cash), is significant for this county," said Sgt. Steve Mullen, head of the task force.

Torres came to the attention of investigators in May 2010 when he showed up at UMMC with gunshot wounds. 

At the time, he claimed he had been walking down Indian Falls Road when a car pulled up behind him, somebody demanded his wallet, then shot him. He called a friend who drove him to the hospital.

At the time, investigators couldn't corroborate his story. No shell casings were found in the area and no witnesses were located.

Eventually, Torres became the target of a drug investigation, which lasted about six months.

Torres was charged with one count of inadequate muffler, one count of improper or unsafe turn, one count of driving while ability impaired by drugs, one count of unlawful possession of marijuana, three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd (intent to sell), and two counts of criminal possession possession of a controlled substance, 3rd (aggregate weight of the powder cocaine and crack).

Participating in the investigation and arrest were uniformed members of the Sheriff's Office, City of Batavia Police, Orleans County Major Crimes Task Force and the Gensee County District Attorney's Office.

A few motorcycle enthusiasts have found a way to bring thousands of riders to Genesee County this summer with a Round-up Rally on Aug. 12, 13 and 14 in the Clarion Hotel's south parking lot

Dave Kasinski proudly wore a shirt that reads, “It’s In Our Blood” with a silhouette of him, his brother and his son standing next to their bikes beneath the words.

Kasinski used to ride motorcycles during his college days but the hobby faded when it came time to raise his family. A few years ago, he took hold of the handlebars again and hasn’t looked back.

“When my son Sam went off to college, he ended up getting a motorcycle and so did I, so we could go riding,” Kasinski explained with a smile. Soon, his brother was riding along with them, too.

The trio has gone on trips to meet up with fellow bikers before -- that’s how they came up with the idea to host a similar event in Genesee County.

“That’s the thing, we’ve done it,” Kasinski said. “We pick two or three events a year and we just take a ride. That’s the whole fun part about owning a bike. No one wants to just ride around and around their own hometown forever.”

So in an effort to bring other riders here, Kasinski – with some help from the chamber of commerce – is hosting the Round-up Rally with plans to send riders downtown and throughout the county to check out what we’ve got to offer.

“Batavia has a lot to it – if you look at a map and see how all the streets come from different directions like Route 98, 63, 20, 33, 5 – every direction you could come from. We said, ‘Let’s bring 'em in from all over Western New York!’”

One event, aptly named Cruzin’ the County, aims to get bikers to do just that.

Businesses that aren’t located in downtown Batavia can sign on as sponsors of the event and then they’ll get the opportunity to have their place put on a map handed out to the riders. Places like Alli’s Cones and Dogs in Oakfield, Red Osier in Stafford and the Log Cabin in Corfu have already signed on.

“The map will show all the locations they (the riders) can go,” Kasinski explained. “It will also have an area for the business owners to put a stamp on it once a rider gets there. When riders come back to the Rally with a full sheet stamped, they can enter their map into a big cash drawing.”

The Cruzin’ the County cash winner will be announced at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13.

Riders will also have the option to participate in the Rally Mug Club. Round-up Rally planners are working to create a logo to be printed on coffee mugs. Riders who get the printed mugs can enjoy discounts at restaurants and bars in Batavia. Eight different places will be printed on the mug.

“If you’re not from Batavia you don’t know the places in the city,” Kasinski said. “But if you have a list and a map, and a choice of location, and a discount for having the mug, you’ll try somewhere new.”

On the last day of the Round-up Rally, Kasinski and his crew are planning a Poker Run to benefit a charity.

“We’ll pick a few locations from Cruzin’ the County and we’ll start at the Clarion,” he said excitedly. “Then, riders will go out to each place and get a poker card. At the end of the day, whoever comes back with the best poker hand will win a prize.”

There are still sponsorship opportunities available for the Round-up Rally, and planners hope this first year is a huge success.

“What we’re hoping to see is a little more sponsorship from the members in the city,” Kasinski said. “At minimum, if they would be willing to sponsor a rider they would be recognized for it and the charities we pick would do so well and the Round-up Rally would have an awesome first year.”

For more information, visit their Web site or contact Dave Kasinski at 585-768-7260 or John Kasinski at 716-683-7647.