batavia

Heidi L. Harder, of Montclair Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. She was arrested following a shoplifting investigation into an incident at 2:19 a.m. on Feb. 6 at Tops Friendly Market in Batavia. She was issued an appearance ticket to be in Batavia City Court on Feb. 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Peter Flanagan.

Paul Kittisack, 53, of South Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. He was arrested at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 6 after he allegedly shoplifted from Tops Friendly Market on West Main Street in Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket to be in Batavia City Court on Feb. 19. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Above is just a sampling of the nice things available for auction at St. Paul Lutheran School on Saturday. Photo courtesy of St. Paul's.

St. Paul Lutheran School is holding their annual auction on Saturday, Feb. 9th. The doors open at 3:30 p.m. and bidding begins at 4 o'clock.

The auction is to be held at St. Paul Lutheran Church and School located at 31 Washington Ave., Batavia.

Items to be auctioned are theme baskets, handmade items, craft items and certificates. There is also a bake sale. The Snack Shack will be open!

The proceeds will benefit the school's tuition fund.

As part of National Grid's preparations, the company is postponing a planned power outage in a portion of Batavia on Friday night and early Saturday morning, said spokesman David Bertola. Assuming the forecast holds, the outage, which will affect about 600 customers along the West Main Street corridor, will take place Feb. 15 and 16. Bertola said based on the forecast, National Grid's personnel will be deployed to storm coverage.

Press release:

With strong winds carrying gusts of up to 60 mph in the forecast for Western New York, National Grid is increasing its evening and overnight staffing and will have line crews report for duty earlier than normal tomorrow morning. The company is prepared for the upcoming weather and provides the following safety tips so customers can be prepared as well.

Electricity & Generator Safety

• If a power outage occurs, customers can notify National Grid online to expedite restoration.
• Never touch downed power lines; always assume they are carrying live electricity.
• Downed lines should be immediately reported to National Grid at 1-800-867-5222 or to your local emergency response organization.
• Generators used to supply power during an outage must be operated outdoors to prevent the buildup of deadly carbon monoxide. Before operating a generator, be sure to disconnect from National Grid’s system by shutting off the main breaker, located in the electric service panel. Failure to do this could endanger our crews and your neighbors.
• Customers who depend on electrically powered life support equipment, such as a respirator, should register as a life support customer by calling National Grid at 1-800-642- 4272. (In a medical emergency, always dial 9-1-1.)
• Keep a number of working flashlights and an extra supply of batteries in your home and be sure to charge all electronic devices.
• Please drive carefully and use caution when driving near any crews working to restore power.
• Be sure to check on elderly family members, neighbors and others who may need assistance during an outage.
• Click here for a video of National Grid’s storm preparation and restoration process. 

A power line is reportedly on fire on Otis Street in the City of Batavia.

City fire responding. 

UPDATE 1:31 p.m.: City fire on location. Smoke showing. It's a high-tension line against a tree, arcing and burning.

Press release:

Batavia Girls Fastpitch Softball (BGFS) recently received a very generous grant from the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation for $1,000. BGFS is actively fundraising to be able to purchase and install a new scoreboard at Lions Park, home field of the Batavia Stingers, and this grant will definitely help in the effort.

BGFS fields teams, known as the Batavia Stingers, at the 10u, 12u and 15u level in a Genesee Region Fastpitch Softball League.  While only in our third year of existence, BGFS has seen continued growth and has big plans for improving the field at Lions Park over the next couple of years. 

BGFS is very grateful to the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation for not only this generous grant but for the partnership that the Batavia Dick’s Sporting Goods Store has formed with the Stingers the past two seasons. The Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation and Batavia Dick’s Sporting Goods Store see the important role BGFS plays in providing young ladies a healthy and fun outlet in the community and has pledged to help BGFS reach its full potential.

There will be an in-person registration at the Batavia Dick’s Sporting Goods Store on Saturday, Feb. 9^th, from 10 a.m..- 2 p.m.  Parents interested in signing up their daughters and learning about our program are encouraged to attend. More information about BGFS can be found by checking out our Facebook page, Batavia Girls Fastpitch Softball, which has a link to our online registration site. 

Thank you to the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation and our Batavia Dick’s Sporting Goods Store not only for the generous grant but for promoting and supporting youth sports in our community.

Icy covered trees throughout the region today, including behind the Upton Monument at Main and Ellicott in Batavia.

There's a weather advisory for tonight. Expect more ice through the morning.

Our very own marketing expert and graphic artist Lisa Ace, who lives in Batavia, sent us this photo of her backyard table this afternoon, festooned with a skirt of icicles.

With today's freezing rain, emergency responders were busy countywide with reports of frozen trees and wires down, and vehicles off the roadway. Fortunately, no serious injuries reported thus far.

A driver who was westbound on North Street in the city was unscathed after a frozen tree fell onto his Pontiac Grand Am windshield.

Police at the scene said he was lucky because if he had been headed eastbound at the same location when the tree fell, the heaviest part of the trunk and its branches would probably have been more dangerous. The tree fell on North Street east of Vine shortly after 5:30 p.m., blocking the roadway.

Edward Ryan Loper, 30, of West Bank Street, Albion, is charged with fourth-degree grand larceny and misapplication of property. Loper was arrested on Feb. 5 and arraigned at 3:41 p.m. in Pavilion Town Court. His arrest follows an investigation by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office into an incident that took place on Hartwell Road in Pavilion on Sept. 23. Loper allegedly stole property from an individual with a value in excess of $1,000. Loper also is accused of misapplication of property that belonged to the same individual. He was brought in from Orleans County Jail, where he was incarcerated on an unrelated charge, for the arraignment. Loper was subsequently put back in Orleans County Jail and bail was set for Genesee County Jail for $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond. He is to reappear in Town of Pavilion Court on March 5. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Lute, assisted by Deputy Kevin Forsyth.

James Albert Chase, 39, of Oak Street, Batavia, is registered Level 3 sex offender who is on parole. He is charged with failure to report a change within 10 days -- with a previous conviction for the same offense. Under NYS Penal Law COR 168-F subdivision 4: An offender has 10 calender days to register "...any change of address, Internet accounts with Internet access providers belonging to such offender, Internet identifiers that such offender uses, or his or her status of enrollment, attendance, employment or residence at any institution of higher education." Chase was being held on a parole violation in Genesee County Jail at the time of his arrest on Feb. 4. He was arraigned then jailed without bail. He is due in Batavia City Court tomorrow (Feb. 7). The case was handled by Batavia Police Det. Eric Hill.

Bryan Michael Beach, 35, of Dolbeer Street, Perry, is charged with first-degree criminal contempt, second-degree harassment and aggravated unlicensed operation in the second degree. He was arrested on Feb. 5 for allegedly shoving a person at 5:20 p.m. on Feb. 3 on Lewiston Road in Batavia, in violation of an active order of protection. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy James Stack.

Hayley N. Giles, 21, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment. Giles was arrested at 12:58 p.,m. on Feb. 3 following an investigation of a domestic incident involving siblings. Giles are released on an appearance ticket. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens, assisted by Officer Jason Ivison.

Jonathan A. Bell, 34, of Evans Street, Batavia, is charged with: driving while intoxicated -- common law; failure to stop at stop sign; refusal to take a breath test; unlicensed operation; and aggravated unlicensed operation in the third degree. Bell was arrested at 11:12 p.m. Feb. 4 on Washington Avenue in Batavia after being involved in a one-vehicle crash. He was processed and released with traffic tickets and is due in Batavia City Court on Feb. 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen, assisted by Officer Nicole McGinnis.

Eric K. Ricks, 40, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. He was arrested at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 1 on Thomas Avenue in Batavia after Batavia police were called to a residence for an altercation. At that time, he was allegedly found to be in possession of marijuana. Ricks was issued an appearance ticket for Batavia City Court Feb. 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Chad Richards.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Police Department assisted the Genesee County Office for the Aging with delivering meals to seniors who participate in the Meals on Wheels Program in the City of Batavia yesterday.

Officer Jason Davis, along with his wife, Office for the Aging employee Wendy Davis, delivered several meals to City residents.

The following info is from the Genesee County Office for the Aging website;

“Home Delivered Meals are available to any Genesee County resident 60 years of age or older who is incapacitated due to illness, surgery, physical handicap or advancing age, AND is unable to prepare their own meals, AND is without support of family, friends or neighbors for meal preparation. Services are available based on need without regard to income.

Meals are delivered Monday through Friday between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. There is no delivery on holidays. Services may be discontinued at any time, or can be interrupted if needed for vacations or hospitalizations.

To see the monthly menu, go the County Office for the Aging website here and click on Menus on left side of the home page. To see the February menu, for example, click here.

Everyone that receives a meal has the opportunity to contribute. The suggested contribution is $3 per single meal and $4.50 for a double meal. No one is refused service for inability to contribute.

Referrals may be made to the Home Delivered Meals Intake worker by calling (585) 343-1611.

Press release:

As part of an upgrade that will improve reliability and resiliency for our western New York customers, National Grid is planning a brief power interruption in the City of Batavia, beginning at approximately 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 8 and lasting until around 2 a.m. on Feb. 9.

The planned, temporary interruption will take place as the company replaces damaged equipment on a utility pole. This level of work cannot be completed while the electric system is energized. The interruption will impact approximately 500 commercial, industrial and residential customers in the City of Batavia on streets that intersect with Main Street. Customers who will be impacted include those in neighborhoods that stretch from Redfield Parkway to Ellicott Avenue throughout much of the city’s 3rd and 4th Wards.

National Grid is contacting all impacted customers via automated phone messages to ensure that they are aware of this planned, temporary power interruption.

In the event of inclement weather, National Grid will conduct additional outreach to customers, and alert them that the work will be rescheduled for Feb. 15 to Feb. 16. 

UPDATE, Wednesday, 10:30 a.m.: National Grid will be making calls to residents at about 4 p.m. today.

Every year, the University at Buffalo’s Dental School participates in a national event called “Give Kids a Smile Day,” in which children ages 1 to 18 who do not have access to dental care can receive free dental services.

This year, the Dental School has chosen Batavia city schools to participate in the event on Saturday, Feb. 9. These include Batavia City School District, Notre Dame High School and St. Joseph’s Regional School.

Coordinating the event is Paula Fischer, Rural Dentistry Program project coordinator at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, and a Batavia resident. Also a resident of Batavia is Dr. Joseph Zambon, dean of the Dental School.

It is not too late to sign up for the free program, Fischer said.

A bus will leave the parking lot at JCPenney at 9 a.m. to take children to Buffalo. Fidelis, a major event sponsor, has made the bus available, Fischer said.

To sign up, call Paula Fischer at (716) 829-6240.

UB Dental’s Give Kids a Smile event offers free dental care, including exams, cleanings, fillings, extractions and orthodontic consultations (braces).

In addition, other services offered are hearing and vision screenings and healthy eating demos. Every child and parent will receive oral health supplies and lunch bag.

Both Zambon and Fischer grew up in Batavia and are thrilled to be able to offer this free service to their community.

“Every year the dental schools GKAS event grows, and this year we were discussing expanding its reach, and I immediately thought of Batavia,” Fischer said. “I reside in Batavia with my family and I currently serve on the City of Batavia Youth Board.

"My children attended John Kennedy Elementary, St. Joseph Regional School and Notre Dame High School. I reached out to Wade Bianco, Karen Green and Julia Rogers to assist with getting the word out. They were excited to offer this opportunity to their students and families.”

The first Give Kids a Smile Day started in 2002 in St. Louis, Mo., where free dental care was delivered to nearly 400 children. The American Dental Association recognized that this grassroots effort had great potential to raise awareness nationally about the importance of oral health to overall health, and about the staggering need that exists among millions of children who go without care, Fischer said. 

So, in 2003, Give Kids a Smile evolved into a nationwide program with the collaboration of the American Dental Association, Henry Schein, Proctor & Gamble and DEXIS. UB Dental School has been participating since 2003. Thousands of dentists and volunteers give their time to provide free oral health education, screenings and treatment to underserved children, Fischer said.

Since 2003, more than 5.5 million children have been cared for by more than half a million volunteers.