batavia

As friends and customers have found out her plans, people have told Kathy Ferrara, "This must have been your dream all along" -- becoming owner of Batavia's Original.

That's not the case, said Ferrara yesterday, hours after closing a deal with the previous owner, Jeff Reddish, of Rochester, to buy the popular local restaurant.

"I never planned on buying it," Ferrara said. "I just enjoyed what I did. I did it 100 percent. I was trustworthy. This wasn’t my plan. It was definitely that God wanted me here. I’ve tried leaving a couple of times and He made it really clear that this is where I’m supposed to be. He made this happen so only good things are going to come from that."

Before Batavia's Original was Batavia's Original, it was Pontillo's, Batavia's first pizza parlor, and Ferrara started working for Sam and Betty Pontillo 29 years ago as a waitress.

Sam and Betty, she said, took her under their wings and taught her the pizza business from top to bottom. She was trained in every job in the restaurant.

By the time Sam and Betty's sons took over, she was a manager.  

When that business collapsed in 2010, Ferrara was the one who broke the news to the staff.

When Reddish bought the business and the building at 500 E. Main St. out of bankruptcy, it was Ferrara that Reddish called to run the business.

"Jeff Reddish taught me the ins and outs of the business," Ferrara said. "He taught me how to make payroll and meet food costs together. He was a good teacher. He was great to work for, a really good boss, fair, basically let me do things the way we've been doing all these years."

Earlier this year, Ferrara asked Reddish, who owns restaurants in Rochester, if she could become a partner in the Batavia location.

"He wasn’t looking to sell," Ferrara said. "He wasn’t going to put it on the market. That wasn’t in his plan at all. I approached him and he said ‘I’m not looking to sell, but I would sell it to you.’ He’s the one who got the ball rolling and made it happen.”

Ferrara is a graduate of Pembroke High School and Genesee Community College. She is married with three children, Ashley, Mary-Grace, and Daniel, and one grandson.

Local ownership of the restaurant is important to Ferrara, she said. She will have more control over local promotions, support of local charities and organizations, and who she hires as vendors.

"Now that it is locally owned again, that makes a big difference," Ferrara said. "Everybody I’ve dealt with so far, the website designer, maintenance, plumbers, they’re all local. So everything is back local, in Genesee County, so that only helps the community."

She will keep the name, Batavia's Original, picked after Reddish learned he couldn't retain the name Pontillo's. Ferrara said it only makes sense.

"This is the original pizza of Batavia," she said. "It’s the same recipe. We haven’t changed any of the recipes."

The return of Pontillo's/Batavia's Original to local ownership will be celebrated with a ribbon cutting at noon on Saturday.

Ferrara said she will also continue Sam and Betty's tradition of taking good care of the staff and ensuring restaurant guests get great service.

"Everybody is treated fairly," Ferrara said. "It’s a fun environment to work. I always work around their schedules. The staff is mostly college students and high schoolers."

Being able to do more for the staff of 35 employees is another reason Ferrara was motivated to buy the business, she said. Taking care of employees pays off in better customer service.

"Anybody who comes here to eat will always leave with a good experience," Ferrara said. "Everyone who works here gives 100 percent. I get compliments all day long about the staff. People say they look like they love it here and they do. That’s something the Pontillos taught me, is how to treat the staff. Sam and Betty treated everybody like family."

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

Around 61 percent of firefighters get occupational cancer in the line of duty, according to an article in the NFPA Journal. (NFPA stands for National Fire Protection Association.)

Lieutenant Mahlon Irish Jr., of the City of Ithaca Fire Department, is one of those 61 percent. Irish was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014. Firefighters from four different counties traveled to Batavia City Centre on Monday to hear him share his story as a prostate cancer survivor.

“We have proof that there is a link between our job, whether it's volunteer or career, as a firefighter, and cancer,” Irish said. “We have proof that’s happening.”

Irish has almost 44 years in the fire service. He spent 30 years as a NYS Fire Instructor, served the City of Ithaca for more than 22 years as a firefighter and lieutenant, and past chief and current member of the Homer Fire Department.

“The risk doesn’t end when we hang up our gear,” Irish said. “Our exposure to some of these chemicals go on for [a long] time.”

Irish educates firefighters about the increased dangers of cancer. He said a lot of the information from studies he shared is relatively new.

“We did not know about a lot of this five years ago,” Irish said.  

Multiple chemicals are released in fires, including hydrogen cyanide, an extremely poisonous gas that was used in gas chambers.

“Because of what is burning today, we are seeing more and more hydrogen cyanide,” Irish said.

Fires 20 or 30 years ago were “natural fires,” mostly wood, Irish said. They are seeing more hydrogen cyanide being released, because of carpets, plastics, TVs, and other objects that are burning.

Irish spoke about the contamination of firefighters' bodies from today’s fires and how it affects them. He recommended for firefighters that go into a fire, they need to shower and wash their gear immediately afterward.

“[Chemicals] still get there,” Irish said. “They penetrate our turnout gear, our undergarments, all the way through T-shirts and gets to our skin.”

Stefano Napolitano, Batavia’s fire chief, said they are looking to enact different methodologies and techniques to reduce the exposure.

“Cancer doesn’t know career or volunteer,” Napolitano said. “Cancer doesn’t know urban, suburb and rural.”

Irish shared his story about issues of being diagnosed, his pre-and post-radical prostatectomy surgery, and the physical, mental and financial impacts of living with prostate cancer.

“I am living with cancer and I made the choice to not let this cancer negatively affect my life,” Irish said. “It has affected my life in some ways I can’t change, but I choose to make it on the positive side.”

Irish showed the audience multiple hoods, comparing them, discussing which ones would protect firefighters the best. 

The protesters chanted "no more burnt fingers" and carried signs in support today of the invention of Andrew Young Jr., which is a toaster that shoots the toast onto a plate after it's perfectly browned.

Andrew came up with the invention after watching his grandma burn her fingers trying to get toast out of a toaster and entered his idea into a national contest sponsored by Frito-Lay that, if he wins, could lead to a $250,000 prize for the Alexander High School student.

"For far too long, people have suffered with burnt fingers from their toaster when the technology has been invented for us," said the young inventor's father, Andrew Young. "According to Andrew, we can make it happen."

The "protest" today was held to draw more attention to his invention and get people to vote for it in the contest.

To vote, go to AndrewsInvention.com and click on the Vote for Andrew button.

Batavia resident Tom Williams, Andrew's Invention supporter said, "I do agree that this protest is long overdue. For far too long, people, especially grandmas, have been suffering from toaster-burnt fingers when the technology to avoid it has been right in front of us. It took Andrew 'Thomas Edison' Young Jr. to bring us out of the Dark Ages."

The protesters want to remind you: You can vote daily and you can vote once each day from every device you own. You have six days left to vote.

Photos and information provided by our news partner, WBTA.

      Cory Jackson

Cory D. "Stacks" Jackson, 34, of Oriole Street, Rochester, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd. 

Jackson allegedly sold crack cocaine to an agent of the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force on two occasions in August in the City of Batavia. 

He was arrested on a sealed grand jury indictment during a traffic stop on Pearl Street yesterday. 

He was ordered held without bail.

Jackson was identified as a suspect during an investigation into the sale, transportation and possession of crack cocaine in the City of Batavia.

Assisting in the investigation was Batavia PD, the Sheriff's Office, and the District Attorney's Office.

      Lionel Anderson

Lionel J. "Chicago" Anderson, 45, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Anderson is accused of selling crack cocaine on two occasions in August to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force. 

Anderson was arrested at his residence last week. 

He was jailed without bail and held for further court proceedings.

Anderson's arrest comes as part of an investigation into the transportation, sale and possession of crack cocaine in and around the City of Batavia.

State Police, Batavia PD, and the District Attorney's Office assisted in the investigation.

John J. Caez-Gonzalez, 30, of Exchange Street, Geneva, is charged with first-degree criminal contempt, aggravated family offense, and second-degree burglary. Caez-Gonzalez allegedly had contact with several individuals he was ordered by court order not to contact at 7:44 p.m. Nov. 14 at a location on State Street. Caez-Gonzalez was also charged with second-degree criminal contempt stemming from an alleged incident reported at 12:02 p.m., Nov. 15.

Anna R. McCue, 30, of Norris Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI and moving from lane unsafely. McCue was reportedly involved in an accident at 6:28 p.m. Nov. 10 on Bank Street, Batavia. The accident was investigated by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

The City of Batavia ranked favorably when compared to other cities in New York State in taxes per capita and expenditures per capita, despite receiving less in state and federal aid, according to 2016 local government and revenue statistics compiled by the Empire Center, an independent, nonprofit think tank located in Albany.

“While I haven’t taken a real close look at the report, I can say that it does reflect positively on the city’s budget compared to other cities based on the rankings,” City Manager Jason Molino said this morning.

The Empire Center’s report lists the city’s per capita dollar amounts for taxes, debt, revenue and spending and breaks them down into 33 different categories. It has Batavia’s population in 2016 as 15,465.

The city’s assessed value per capita was $35,595 – less than the Upstate area’s medium city average of $40,516 – and its taxes per capita were $803 – less than the $921 Upstate area average. The $803 figure is on the low end of the state’s rankings at 39^th out of 61 cities, other than New York City, and 27th out of the Upstate area's 48 cities.

What that means is that residents of 38 other cities in New York and 26 other cities in the Upstate area paid higher taxes on a per-person basis.

Furthermore, Batavia’s debt per capita was $653, well below the $1,640 Upstate area medium city average, ranking 51^st across the state and 39th in the Upstate area.

On the revenue side, Batavia received $1,903 per capita in total revenues, less than the $2,301 city average, which ranked 44^th in the state. The city received $193 in state and federal aid per capita, again much less than the average of $356 and ranking in the mid-40s across the state.

The report showed Batavia’s total expenditures per capita to be $1,479, more than $500 less than the state city average of $2,051, which resulted in a ranking of 52^nd out of 61. Among expenditures, only Batavia’s spending for utilities per capita was higher ($229 compared to $154) than the average.

City Councilman Adam Tabelski said the report's "key indicators -- taxes, debt and spending -- are things that are directly under our control, and the objective data shows that we're managing things well."

According to its website, the Empire Center’s mission is to make New York a better place to live and work by promoting public policy reforms grounded in free-market principles, personal responsibility, and the ideals of effective and accountable government.

Super double in central location with great curb appeal and nothing to do but collect rent! Lower apartment is an extra large three bedroom with large room sizes and plenty of storage-would make an excellent owner occupied unit. Upstairs unit is in perfect condition and features 2, possible 3 bedrooms! Basement is accessible to both units and has laundry hookups. Separated utilities and loads of parking!

All mechanicals updated within last 7/8 years approximately. Both apartments are very clean appealing and command excellent rents -- whether it's an investment or place to start and have help paying mortgage its definitely one to look at!

Come check this one out and start your New Year out right Call Lynn Bezon at Reliant Real Estate today or click here to get the full listing.

The theft of a cash box from Plaza Spirits in Eastown Plaza in Batavia last Thursday had a familiar ring to Kevin Rathod, owner of Mr. Wine and Liquor in the Tops Plaza, so he went back and reviewed his own surveillance video from a similar theft in his store this past August.

In that video, at least one of the suspects looks to be the same man suspected in photos from the Plaza Spirits heist.

According to Rathod, two men worked in tandem one afternoon in August to enable one of them to steal a casher's purse from a backroom. The thieves made off with $500 cash and a credit card. The credit card was used to run up $1,100 in charges, including purchases at another local liquor store.

Batavia PD confirmed the crime was reported in August and it's possible the larcenies are related.

At least one of the same men, using the same mode of operation, appears to have been involved in a theft from a liquor store in September in Rochester, according to this 13WHAM report. In that case, the accomplices allegedly made off with $10,000. 

The system these alleged thieves are using, Rathod said, is for one subject to distract an employee or employees while the other scouts for something to steal and then makes off with the item.

"I think local business owners should be aware of what's going on," Rathod said.

Below, video shared with The Batavian by Rathod. Note that we edited it to remove as much as possible views of an unrelated individual who walked into the store. The suspect who looks similar to the suspect in photos from Plaza Spirits is the man in the white T-shirt.

Press release:

The Justice for Children Advocacy Center in Batavia has been awarded re-accreditation by National Children’s Alliance following an extensive application and site review process.

As the accrediting agency for Children’s Advocacy Centers (CAC) across the country, National Children’s Alliance awards various levels of accreditation and membership to centers responding to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient, and put the needs of child victims of abuse first. Accreditation is the highest level of membership with National Children’s Alliance and denotes excellence in service provision.

Accredited CACs must undergo a re-accreditation process every five years to ensure that best practices are continually being applied. With accreditation standards being updated in 2017, re-accreditation this year reflects the Justice for Children Advocacy Center’s commitment to providing high-quality, evidence-based services to children and families impacted by violence.

Long, successful history

The Justice for Children Advocacy Center has a long and successful history of providing services to children and families in the GLOW region. In 1992, Genesee Justice, a department of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, helped establish a multidisciplinary team to serve the unique needs of children in Genesee and Wyoming counties alleged to have been physically or sexually abused.

In 1998, with the support of many dedicated members of the community and the multidisciplinary team, the Justice for Children Advocacy Center opened its doors at 108 Bank St. in Batavia. The goal of the Justice for Children Advocacy Center is to provide a child-friendly location to offer forensic interviews, medical examinations, mental health counseling, and advocacy services to children from birth to age 18 and their non-offending family members regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or financial status.

Since 1998, approximately 2,500 local children have received services at the Justice for Children Advocacy Center, and in 2016, a total of 239 local children benefitted from the services available.

Comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate services

As an Accredited Member of National Children’s Alliance, the Justice for Children Advocacy Center is dedicated to providing comprehensive, coordinated and compassionate services to victims of child abuse.

National Children’s Alliance awards Accredited Membership based on a CAC’s compliance with 10 national standards of accreditation to ensure effective, efficient and consistent delivery of services to child abuse victims.

Accredited Members must use a functioning and effective multidisciplinary team approach to work collaboratively in child abuse investigation, prosecution, and treatment. National Children’s Alliance also considers standards regarding a center’s cultural competency and diversity, forensic interviews, victim support and advocacy, medical evaluation, therapeutic intervention, and child-focused setting.

Proven dedication

“Because the Justice for Children Advocacy Center and members of our multidisciplinary team are so dedicated to responding to child abuse, we recognize the importance of maintaining accredited status from the National Children’s Alliance," said Theresa Asmus-Roth, Justice for Children program coordinator.

"Re-accreditation not only validates our organization’s dedication to proven effective approaches of child abuse intervention and prevention, but also contributes to consistency across the child advocacy center movement as a whole. A team response to child abuse is what we stand for, and it is our entire team that allows us to provide the highest level of care and service to children and families in our community.”

Teresa Huizar, executive director of National Children’s Alliance, said: “The Justice for Children Advocacy Center is to be commended for its continued commitment to effectively serve victims of child abuse. As the national association and accrediting body for Children’s Advocacy Centers across the country, our goal is to ensure that every victim of child abuse has access to high quality services that result from professional collaboration.

"By requiring Accredited Centers to undergo re-accreditation every five years, we ensure that evidence-based practices are being implemented and the highest quality of service is being provided."

What the mission is about

The mission of the Justice for Children Advocacy Center and Justice for Children multidisciplinary team is to seek to reduce the incidence of child sexual and physical abuse, to minimize trauma to alleged child victims, and to promote healing for victims and their families by collaborating with a variety of professionals to provide services at a single child-friendly facility.

The Justice for Children Advocacy Center and Justice for Children multidisciplinary team work to improve the response to child abuse by eliminating multiple interviews and examinations of children, providing quick access to medical and mental health, victim advocacy, and support services for children and families, and enhancing multidisciplinary communication and coordination with a singular focus on the best interest of the child.

Arsenio Youngs, 27, of Medina, is charged with criminal sex act, 2nd. Youngs is accused of a sex act with a disabled person in the City of Batavia. The complaint was made to State Police at 4:31 p.m., Nov. 1. Youngs was also charged with the same crime in the Town of Perry based on a complaint to State Police at 10:01 a.m., Nov. 1. Youngs was released on his own recognizance. No further details released.

Erika L. Gilson, 37, of West Main Street, Le Roy, is charged with felony DWI, three counts of felony aggravated DWI, and felony driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. Gilson was stopped at 3:05 p.m. Wednesday on West Main Street, Village of Le Roy, by Le Roy PD. Gilson was accused of driving while intoxicated with three children in the car under age 16. She was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Shane M. Nugent, 32, of West Middlebury Road, Wyoming, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, and failure to keep right. Nugent was stopped at 2:19 a.m. Saturday on Warsaw Road, by Le Roy PD.

Daun Elizabeth Monachino, 58, Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, improper left turn, improper right turn, and no left side mirror. Manachino was stopped at 4:34 p.m. Sunday on Richmond Avenue, Batavia, by Deputy Richard Schildwaster, following a citizen traffic offense complaint.

Tyler Lee Walls, 21, of Viking Way, Brockport, is charged with menacing. Walls allegedly threatened another motorist during a road rage incident reported at 1:36 p.m. Sunday on Warboys Road, Bergen.

Anson Torpe Arenas, 43, of Lexington Parkway, Rochester, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, driving left of pavement, driving a vehicle without a valid inspection, insufficient tail lamps, and driving with alcohol in a motor vehicle. Arenas was stopped at 6:16 p.m. Saturday on Townline Road, Bergen, by Deputy Ryan DeLong.

Shawn William Cross, 46, of Craigie Street, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Cross was arrested following a report of a car vs. deer accident at 9:18 p.m. Friday on Perry Road, Pavilion, by Deputy Travis DeMuth.

Jenna Leann Hernandez, 21, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding, driving left of pavement marking, and driver's view obstructed. Hernandez was stopped at 2:16 a.m. Saturday on Wortendyke Road, by Deputy Howard Wilson.

Jeremy Sheehan, 35, of West Bergen Road, Le Roy, is charged with menacing, 2nd. Sheehan allegedly displayed a handgun to a resident in a nearby apartment at 1:18 a.m. Thursday at a location on West Bergen Road, Le Roy. He was jailed on $1,000 bail or $3,000 bond. 

David Michael Bratt, 38, of Carolina Avenue, Lockport, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, moving from lane unsafely, and driving left of pavement markings. Bratt was stopped at 12:54 a.m. Wednesday on Lewiston Road, Alabama, by Deputy Ryan Young. 

Kari Ann Marble, 26, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Marble is accused of shoplifting from Kohl's Department Store on Veterans Memorial Drive in Batavia at 11:58 a.m. on Nov. 9.

Sarah A. Cheek, 33, of Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Arrested as part of the same incident was a 16-year-old on an execution of a bench warrant. The incident was reported at 10:48 a.m. Sunday on Route 237, Byron, by State Police. No other details released.

Christina M. Sarratori, of North Chili, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd. Sarratori is accused of entering an enclosed area at 8315 Park Road, Batavia. The incident was reported to State Police at 12:52 a.m. Saturday.

Amanda M. Volkman, 32, of Byron, is charged with assault, 3rd, obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest. Volkman is accused of attacking a person with intent to cause serious physical injury. The complaint was reported to State Police at 11:45 p.m. Thursday at a location on Caswell Road, Byron. Volkman was held in jail. No further details released.

Mary B. Thompson, 34, of Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Thompson was charged by State Police based on an incident reported at 4:31 p.m. Nov. 15 on Pearl Street Road, Batavia.

Erica O'Donnell and Mike Plitt, with the Genesee County Democratic Party, were outside of Richmond Memorial Library this morning collecting food for a Thanksgiving Food Drive sponsored by the party.

The food will be donated to the Workers Justice Center for distribution to the center's clients, all residents of the GLOW region.

While the Democrats aren't planning another pickup location, donors may contact the party through its website and arrange a pickup of donations.

"It’s the season for giving," O'Donnell said. "We’re trying to get out the word that as Democrats we’re here and we’re helping out in the community."

This afternoon Premier Genesee Center for Nursing and Rehab hosted a Community Game Day, giving residents a chance to play games with vistors, staff, and each other.

Above, Winnie Cook plays Trouble with staff member Rachel Flint, and below Randy and Mary play checkers.

More than 500 music students from the eight-county region were at Batavia High School today for the NYSSMA Zone 2 Area All-State Music Festival.

NYSSMA is the New York State School Music Association.

There were performances by the orchestra, concert band, treble choir, and mixed choir.

Participating local students were:

Alexander: Nicholas Allen, Cayna Bliss, Carson Daley, Kathleen Nolan, Eric Stroud.

Batavia: Margaret Andersen, Cameron Bontrager, Eryn Dunn, Lydia Geiger, Elise Hoerbelt, Madison Hoerbelt, Karissa Kesler, Mary Murphy, Adeena Riedel.

Byron-Bergen: Stephanie Buell.

Le Roy: Margaux Carmel, Katie Dessert, Caleb McGee, Megan Privatera, Alex Wynn.

Notre Dame: Sam Bowman.

Oakfield-Alabama: Jules Hoepting, Justina Pruski, Lauren Reding.

Pembroke: Eli Fox.

 

John Brown shows off his LED-lit Christmas sweater during today's chowder fest, a fundraiser for Arc of Genesee Orleans, at the Arc's community center on Woodrow Road, Batavia.

Until today, I had not seen this Little Free Library that has sprouted at 5 Redfield Parkway.  I'm not sure how long it's been there.