The odor of rubber burning in the library at John Kennedy School caused a fire alarm to sound and the school was evacuated. City fire crews are on scene investigating.
UPDATE 2:49 p.m.: School officials have called the police to provide traffic control. It is apparently congested.
UPDATE 3 p.m.: The city assignment is back in service. There was a "burn out" in the rooftop.
Heidi A. Pahl, 42, of French Road, Attica, is charged with driving while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle with a BAC of .08 percent or more. She was allegedly involved in an accident at a restaurant in the City of Batavia at 9:18 p.m. on April 25. The vehicle was located at a relative's house in the Town of Alexander a short time later. An investigation revealed that she was allegedly intoxicated at the time. She was arrested and released with appearance tickets for Alexander Town Court on May 31. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Krzemien, assisted by Sgt. Ron Meides.
Alexandria M. Provens was arrested on April 24 on an outstanding bench warrant issued by the Town of Byron Court for failure to pay fines. She was arraigned before Town of Stafford Court and jailed in lieu of $2,000 bail. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Richard Schildwaster.
Ellen Marie Martinez-Brayley, 28, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with violation of Family Court Act. She was arrested on an outstanding Family Court warrant and arraigned April 25 and released. She is due back in court at a later date. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Richard Schildwaster.
Keiyana S. Clark, 35, of Bronx, was arrested April 23 by state police for petit larceny after she allegedly took more than $270 worth of clothing from Target. Clark was allegedly observed selecting multiple clothing items and hiding them in a large reusable bag; Clark then paid for the items in her cart but failed to remove the items concealed in the bag. Clark was arraigned on $200 bail. She is scheduled for Town of Batavia Court on May 10.
Amanda M. Rumble, 28, of Clipnock Road, Stafford, is charged with petit larceny. She was arrested at 5:50 p.m. on April 25 as the result of a shoplifting complaint at Walmart. She allegedly stole $86.63 in merchandise. She was issued an appearance ticket for a later date in Town of Batavia Court. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Richard Schildwaster.
The Batavia City Council handed out its annual awards at last night's meeting.
Above, Debbie and Dan Fischer, owners of WBTA, receive the Business of the Year Award from Councilman Adam Tabelski.
For more on the awards, click here.
Don and Pam Hirons, Homeowners of the Year, with Councilwoman Patti Pacino.
Tonya Passamonte and Adam Steadman, Homeowners of the Year.
Employee of the Year, Officer Chad Richards, and Volunteer of the Year, Larry Barnes, were unable to attend the meeting.
A bedroom fire is reported in a residence at 189 S. Main St. City fire is responding. A neighbor called dispatch and said her neighbor yelled her bedroom was on fire. A first responder reports smoke is showing. Fire police are to shut down South Main at River Street.
UPDATE 6:06 p.m.: The call has gone to a second alarm. It is a working structure fire. Alexander's FAST team is called in, along with Darien's rescue unit. Town of Batavia Fire Department is asked to stand by in quarters.
UPDATE 6:12 p.m.: Mercy medics are called in. National Grid is notified -- No ETA.
UPDATE 6:13 p.m.: All off-duty personnel called to headquarters. National Fuel is notified; one of the natural gas sources could not be shut off -- ETA less than 30 minutes. Command reports fire is knocked down.
A two-car accident is reported at 3310 W. Main Street Road, just west of Wortendyke Road. A person suffered a minor back injury. Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding along with Mercy medics.
UPDATE: A female was transported to UMMC with back pain.
The Batavia City Council will be asked tonight to reaffirm its five-year commitment to community improvement during a discussion about continued funding of Vibrant Batavia.
Vibrant Batavia grew out of the City's Community Improvement Plan, approved by the council in 2012.
The plan was to undertake a series of initiatives aimed at creating stronger neighborhoods, "reenergizing the sense of pride that defined Batavia for so many years, yet which has, to a certain extent, become dormant," City Manager Jason Molino wrote in a memo to council in advance of tonight's meeting.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
The proposed funding for the next two years of activities:
The remaining two years of the Vibrant Batavia plan would include hiring a new coordinator, neighborhood initiatives for Summit Street, an open house with an architect on best practices for home improvements, more neighborhood initiatives in the second year, coffee talks, publication of positive stories about Batavia, a community-wide yard sale, support for neighborhood groups, and landlord and homeowner workshops.
Over the first three years of Vibrant Batavia, it received local resident and business support and more than $135,000 in donations, mostly for the Centennial celebration, and more than $50,000 in revenue from the publication "Vibrant Times."
Molino lists 15 accomplishments for Vibrant Batavia, including bringing community groups together, five coffee talks in which 50 residents attended, more than a dozen neighborhood activities, the Centennial celebration, a bike rack project, a community-wide yard sale and publication of "Vibrant Times."
The winners of last week's Mr. Batavia contest at Batavia High School presented their checks to the charities of their choices today in the school's library.
Above, Mr. Batavia Ross Chua presents a check for $2,055 to his father, Dave Chua. Dave is with the Batavia Kiwanis Club and leads the club's 5K team, which raises funds for research into autism.
Micheal Hughes, one of two second-place finishers, presented a check for $1,020 to Jaylene Smith-Kilner and Jessica Maguire Tomidy for Habitat for Humanity.
Dwayne Fonda presented his check to Chuck Marra, with the American Red Cross.
A mixed group of local First Responders participated in the premiere Police and Fire Hockey Tournament last Friday and Saturday at the Harborcenter in Downtown Buffalo.
The event featured 12 teams composed of police officers and firefighters. Participating organizations included Buffalo police, Buffalo fire, Niagara Falls police, Niagara Falls fire, Niagara County Sheriff's deputies, Town of Tonawanda police, Genesee County Sheriffs deputies, Batavia police, Batavia fire, Lackawanna police, Lackawanna fire, NY State Department of Corrections, and Hamilton (ON) fire.
Team members included: front, (from left) Dave Tran -- Town of Batavia Fire Department; Kevin Czora -- Batavia Police Department; Ryan Whitcombe -- City of Batavia Fire Department; Pete Welker -- Genesee County Sheriff's Department; Back (L-R) Stephen Cronmiller -- Batavia Police Department; James Diehl -- Genesee County Sheriff's Department; Matt Lutey -- Batavia Police Department; Jeff Whitcombe -- City of Batavia Fire Department; C.J. Lindsay -- Batavia Police Department; Arick Perkins -- Batavia Police Department; Russ Borden -- Town of Batavia Fire Department; Paul Dibble -- Town of Batavia Fire Department; Connor Wilkes -- Town of Batavia Fire Department; and Dan Coffey -- Batavia Police Department/CBFD.
Aaron Christopher Lyons, 19, of East Main Road, Le Roy, is charged with: driving while ability impaired by drugs, first offense; driving while intoxicated, first offense; failure to stop at a stop sign; speeding in excess of 55 mph; and unlawful possession of marijuana. The defendant allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign and was speeding on Main Road in Le Roy at 2:05 p.m. a.m. on April 23. After a brief investigation, the defendant was arrested for allegedly driving while his ability was to do so was impaired by drugs and for unlawful possession of marijuana. He was released on appearance tickets and is to be in Le Roy Town Court on June 20. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Young, assisted by Christopher Parker.
Brad L. Ohlson, 39, Union Street, Batavia, is charged with third degree assault. The defendant was arrested on a bench warrant. He allegedly failed to comply with the conditions of his release on the charge, stemming from an incident at 9:30 a.m. on April 18, and was turned over the the Batavia Police Department. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Young.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, in cooperation with the Richmond Memorial Library and the aid of the nonprofit Richter Family Foundation, is offering free books mailed to every child’s home -- once a month, from birth up to 5 years old -- if the child lives in the Batavia City School District.
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a 60-volume set of books beginning with "The Little Engine that Could." Each month a new book will be mailed, in the child’s name, directly to the home.
Dolly Parton started this program in 1995 in her native East Tennessee area. The program proved to increase early literacy in children and was taken nationwide in 2000, and soon after, worldwide. This program is now available to all children 0 to 4 residing in the Batavia City School District. The program is also available in many neighboring areas here in Genesee County. (Previous coverage)
Robert Conrad, Library director for the Richmond Memorial Library, is very excited about this program now being available to children in this school district. Not just for the help it provides for young children but for the fact it expands the scope of what a library is.
“Fundamentally this changes the way a library works, book are not just stored here at the library but are sent to directly to the home for the children to keep,” Conrad said.
Andrea Fetterly, Youth Services librarian explained how even for an infant, who is too young to read this program provides benefits. She says that, with their own book that they can look at and turn the pages they start to learn how stories are laid out and communicated. This helps in the child’s learning and development. Of course, the best way for an infant or small child to enjoy and learn from a book is to have a loved one read it to them and share the experience.
If you would like to sign a child up for the program, call or visit the Richmond Memorial Library, 19 Ross St., Batavia, or (585) 343-9550. You can also visit online.
To celebrate this great new free book program the library will host a special Story Time with surprise guest teaders April 26th at 6:30 p.m. Library staff will be on hand to help register children for the program and there will even be refreshments for all in attendance.
The Imagination Library is a not-for-profit that needs to partner with local not-for-profits for a selected city or town to provide books for this program. If you are interested in sponsoring a geographical area please visit this Web site.
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Town of Batavia Fire Department is among several in the county holding open houses today, as part of a Recruit NY drive for volunteer fire departments.
Batavia's open house continues until 4 today.
Volunteer departments play a vital role in the health and safety of our community. To find out more about volunteering for your local department, visit ReadyGenesee.com.
As part of an Earth Day observance, volunteers came out to the DeWitt Recreation Area in Batavia to help with spring cleanup.
The walk around the park was about more than just trash pickup. It included a guided nature walk led by Amy Jessmer, from Albion, with a degree in environmental science from SUNY Brockport, where she is currently working on her master's degree. Jessmer spoke about native and non-native species and the environmental balance of the lake and surrounding habitat.
The water level of DeWitt is exceptionally low. George Squires, retired from the county's soil and water department, said he doesn't believe he's seen it this low since the 1980s.
The Government Appointed Historians of Western New York are holding their annual meeting at Rochester Club West@Bohn's restaurant in Batavia today.
Above, Robert Lowell Goller, Aurora town historian and East Aurora village historian, talks about maintaining independence as a municipal historian. Other speakers covered topics on digital changes in the local history field, controversies, scandals surrounding the papers of Warren G. Harding and discovering early Masonic treasures in Upstate. Micheal Eula, Genesee County Historian, gave the first talk of the day on a brief overview of local history in action.
Eugene Jankowski Jr., of Batavia, finished First Place Senior in the Tactical Division in the 2016 Colt USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals at the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle and Pistol Club, Las Vegas, held April 15-17.
A total of 301 competitors from all over the world braved 40-mph wind gusts and completed 12 stages of fire requiring the use of rifle, pistol and shotgun over three days. Paper, steel and flying clay targets were arranged anywhere from 7 to 400 yards in a unique maze of walls, hard cover and natural terrain.
USPSA (United States Practical Shooting Association) has more than 25,000 active members and more than 400 affiliated clubs. USPSA is the largest competitive shooting organization in the United States.
Video highlights can be seen by clicking here.
A free, first responder awareness workshop on trauma, PTSD and suicide prevention will be offered at the Genesee County Fire Training Center on Tuesday, May 10.
Two sessions are available: 2:30 to 5 p.m. or 6 to 8:30 p.m. The fire training center is located at 7690 State Street Road in Batavia.
Seating is limited. Please register by May 3.
The workshop will be presented by Cattaraugus County Sheriff Timothy S. Whitcomb.
Sheriff Whitcomb has been in law enforcement for 26 years. He is a former adjunct professor of Criminal Justice for Jamestown Community College and St. Bonaventure University. Presently, he instructs through local academies and the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services. He has a master's degree in Counseling Education and is a certified police instrutor in the areas of Interview and Interrogation, Basix and Advanced Juvenile Officer Training, Investigation of Sex Crimes and Law Enforcement Response to School Violence.
For more information or to register, contact the sponsoring organization -- the Mental Health Association of Genesee and Orleans Counties at 344-2611 or via e-mail at sgagne@mhago.org
The workshop is being offered in partnership with the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Genesee County in conjunction with the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and Genesee County Emergency Services.
The Business Improvement District held its annual meeting and awards at the City Church's Generation Center on Center Street, Batavia, this afternoon.
Above, Beth Kemp and Brian Kemp, owners of T-Shirts Etc., accept one of the two Business awards handed out.
BID Director Laurie Oltramari borrowed from the movie "Moneyball" to talk about focusing on our strengths as a business community and not trying to compete with the big companies on their terms.
Felipe Oltramari, Genesee County's director of planning, delivered a keynote speech, pointing out the Batavia's highest value properties are all downtown. One mixed-use property Downtown is worth more than Walmart in tax revenue. He recommended finding ways to add density to Downtown.
Java Farm Supply, represented by John Bookmiller, also won a BID Business Award.
Kristen Merriam, who works for Charles Men's Shop, was honored as Volunteer of the Year.
Besides a potentially great idea, Georgann Carrubba has one of the key things investors look for in a startup CEO -- passion for an idea that she thinks will make a big change in people's lives.
Though the product she hopes to bring to market is decidedly less sexy than some tech gadget, she thinks her sincerity is what swung a panel of judges in her direction two days ago when they awarded her the $25,000 top prize in the 2016 Rochester Venture Challenge.
The lifelong Batavia resident said she could hardly believe she won, standing on stage in front of 300 people with young men who came to pitch ideas for drones, mobile phones and gaming.
She had been through this kind of competition before, at Buffalo's 43 North, where tech inventions carried the day.
"I was in complete shock," Carrubba said. "I'm looking at each side of me and it's all technology again. And they're good people and they believe in their products as much as I do, so I was completely caught off my game. When they asked me to speak, I cried. I had to compose myself to say a couple of sentences because I truly did not think we would win. It was a tough competition."
Not only is Carrubba's product less sexy than a tech gadget, it addresses an issue that doesn't even get a lot of attention among the pantheon of people's medical issues that are the subject of telethons, ribbon wearing and 5K races.
We're talking about colostomy and ileostomy patients, people who have bags attached to a hole in their abdomen to collect their bodies' waste.
There are some 800,000 ostomy patients in the United States (perhaps as many as 5 million worldwide), and another 50,000 to 65,000 are given the procedure each year. The surgeries are the results of cancer, disease or accidents and the range of ages includes the very young and the very old.
Up until now, these patients have been saddled with a bulky bag that is prone to leaks and odor and reduced mobility and activity, including sexual activity.
Carrubba became a visiting nurse in 2004 and dealt with many patients who struggled with their ostomy equipment and dealt with the embarrassment of their situation often by avoiding socializing and outside activities.
She thought in this day and age, why hasn't something better come along?
There had been no significant advance in ostomy care in 60 years.
One evening in 2011, she was sipping coffee at her sister's house and glanced down at a bowl and an idea popped into her head.
"I went home, went to bed, said my prayers and the next day made it in my garage," Carrubba said.
What Carrubba invented -- and secured a patent on -- is a cup-like device that attaches to the diaphragm in the patient's abdominal opening and collects waste. It is secure, airtight and waterproof.
She has a patent pending on a sensor that will be included in the cup so patients will be alerted on an iPhone or iPad when the bag inside the cup needs to be changed.
To go along with the device, called a Choice Cap, patients will be able to purchase biodegradable bags, and perhaps eventually, bags that can be flushed down any toilet, and decorative covers that can match anything from a wedding dress to swimsuit to boxers or a slinky nightgown.
After six design changes in the prototype, Carrubba is ready for the Choice Cap to go through trials with actual patients. Even though the product doesn't require FDA approval, she wants that kind of rigor in the trials so she and her team can collect the feedback and make any design changes needed before going into production.
She hopes to have the Choice Cap on the market by early 2017.
A journey that began with a spark of inspiration hasn't necessarily been easy or straightforward. Carrubba has never run a business and didn't really know the first thing about starting a business.
She got together with her cousin, Eugene Tenney, an attorney in Buffalo, to help form a company, originally to be called Carten, but it turned out that name wasn't available, so it became Tencar, a company she plans to keep based in Batavia.
She then went to the Innovation Center at the Med-Tech Center, where the Genesee County Economic Development Center staff helped her form an advisory board, provided information and introductions for the startup communities and services in Buffalo and Rochester.
The competitions taught her a lot about the business world, she said, but admits that while she'll remain CEO, she really isn't qualified to be COO or CTO or CFO or any of the other C-suite positions.
She was particularly grateful to High-Tech Rochester for the training and mentoring program that preceded the competition, and she said the encouragement she received from Theresa Mezzullo and Rami Katz of the investment firm Excell Partners was particularly helpful.
It was Katz who advised Carrubba to just be herself during the pitch, so she showed up in her nurses scrubs and spoke from her heart.
What drivers Carrubba, she said, isn't the allure of entrepreneurial success, or even the potential $2.4 billion domestic market for her product, but the hope of making people's lives better.
"I was never one of those, 'I'm going to invent something and be a millionaire,' " Carrubba said. "No, no, no. I was a nurse. I've always been a nurse. Truth be known, probably a lot of my employers don't like me because I've always been on the side of the patient, whatever is best for the patient. I've always been a patient advocate."
Press release from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office:
The Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force, comprised of police officer from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, Batavia Police NET officers, and the Le Roy Village Police Department, concluded an investigation into the sales of heroin in and around the City of Batavia with the arrest of a Batavia man on Thursday evening.
David T. Riley Jr., 33, of East Main Street, Batavia, is in jail, charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a Class B felony, and two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, also a Class B felony.
Riley was arrested at his residence on a Genesee County Grand Jury Warrant, which followed an extensive investigation into illegal drug sales in the Tracy Avenue area. The defendant was allegedly selling heroin in the Tracy Avenue area. The investigation is continuing and further charges and arrests are possible.
Task Force members were also assisted in the investigation and arrest by the Genesee Countyu DA's Office, the Probation Department, uniformed officers of the City of Batavia Police Department.
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