batavia

Batavia's First Presbyterian Church will be alive with rousing holiday spirit when "Christmas with Vox, a Festival of Carols" comes around on Friday, Dec. 20.

"Vox Lumine," a professional chorus group made up of 25 members from all over Western and Central New York, is performing for the public free of charge at the church, at 300 E. Main St. in Batavia.

Ann Emmans, minister of music at First Presbyterian, says this is going to be "the church's gift to the community."

"We had ('Vox Lumine') at the church for a concert in May," Emmans said, "and it was delightful.  We thought, 'What would be more wonderful than to have them back for Christmas?' "

Costs are being covered by the church's memorial donation funds from the last few years.

The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. and will probably run about an hour and a half, according to "Vox Lumine" first tenor Mark Ross.

A reception with Christmas cookies and punch will follow in the church's fellowship area.

The performance will feature 17 Christmas songs, including classics such as "Carol of the Bells" and "Joy to the World" and lesser know works, as well as pieces with different ethnic backgrounds (including Polish and Italian).

Emmans stressed that the music is "non-commercial" and has a "sacred character."

"It's more about the joy of the season," she said.

"(The Christmas season) is a time when people appreciate music even more than they normally do," Ross said, "because it's associated with the events of the holiday."

"Vox Lumine" was formed in March 2010 by founder and director Brandon Johnson, D.M.A, director of choral activities at Houghton College.

Ross, of Batavia, said they have done concerts as far east as Ithaca and as far west as Orchard Park.

Because members live in scattered locations (the member living at the farthest distance from Batavia is from Syracuse), Johnson sends the music to each of them individually. They will come together in two rehearsals between now and Dec. 20 to "meld" (in Emmans' words) what they have learned together. So each will quite literally bring his/her own voice to the performance.

A Houghton graduate, a member of First Presbyterian Church for 41 years and currently commissioned lay pastor at Stone Church Presbyterian in Bergen, Ross is very happy to be a part of the upcoming performance. It coincides with his retirement from New York Central Mutual Insurance, where he worked for 27 years as an insurance adjustor.

"It's a wonderful combination," he said with a smile on his face.

For more information, call the church at 343-0505 or e-mail Emmans at HEmmans@aol.com.

Pictured Emmans and Ross at the First Presbyterian Church sanctuary.

Top photo submitted by Mark Ross.

Samuel R. Smith, 27, of Townline Road, Bergen, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Smith was allegedly involved in a motor vehicle accident at 9:22 a.m., Sunday, and his children, ages 7 months and 3, were not secured in any sort of child restraint in the back seat at the time of the collision. The arrest report did not indict whether the children were injured or not.

Amanda Ann Mull, 29, of Mill Street, Akron, was arrested on bench warrants related to charges for aggravated unlicensed operation and following too closely. Mull is accused of failure to appear on the charges. She was arrested following her release from the Erie County Jail where she was held on unrelated charges. She was arraigned in Town of Batavia court jailed on $300 cash bail or $500 bond.

The Baby Jesus that was reported missing from a manger scene at All Babies Cherished yesterday has been found.

A woman who read about the missing Baby Jesus on The Batavian yesterday told her husband about the incident when he arrived home from work last evening. The woman's husband said he spotted it in a bush near a snowbank on Hutchins Street on his way home. He then went to Hutchins Street and retrieved the plastic Baby Jesus.

Tammy Arneth, executive director of All Babies Cherished, says the Batavia couple plans on returning the Baby Jesus to the nativity scene at 445 Ellicott St. on Thursday.

Sheriff's Office K-9 "Pharoah" is nearing the end of this career, and while he no longer works every day, he is available when needed and handler Brian Thompson hopes that's the case until October of 2014.

Pharoah's successor, Destro, and new handler Deputy Chris Erion, graduate from the K-9 Academy on Dec. 17.

The former Niagara County police dog was recently recertified, Thompson said, and that certification expires in October.

Thompson said it will be good for Destro to work with the older, more experienced dog once in awhile, and besides, Pharoah does like to work. It will drive him a little crazy just to sit at home.

"I'll have to work with him more in my off time," Thompson said. "Not letting him work would be like putting an ADD child in a room with one block and telling him to have fun."

Pharoah was put to work today when K-9s from the State Police and Livingston County were not available to help search for a burglary suspect on Batavia Bethany Townline Road.

A house was broken into and the homeowner returned to the burglary in progress and only heard the back door close as he entered the house.

Deputies were on scene quickly, but no suspect was spotted.

Thompson said he found only one possible suspect footprint and Pharoah didn't pick up a scent trail to follow. Thompson said it's probable that the burglary had a car nearby and was able to make a quick exit from the area.

"He's a good dog," Thompson said. "He's ready to work if he's needed. He would have found this guy if he was out there to find."

What's missing from this picture? Try, Baby Jesus.

Believe it or not, somebody actually stole Baby Jesus from the nativity on the steps of All Babies Cherished at 445 Ellicott St., Batavia.

Director Tammy Arneth's one wish for Christmas is just to get the Baby Jesus back.

"We survive just on donations," Arneth said. "I need to spend our money on diapers and baby formula. I can't justify buying another Baby Jesus."

All Babies Cherish is a faith-based organization that is supported by local churches. The goal is to assist women who have chosen to give birth to a child rather than get an abortion.

Arneth has been with the agency for 15 years.

She's shocked that somebody would steal their Baby Jesus. While she filed a police report, she said she isn't looking to get anybody in trouble. She would just like to see Baby Jesus returned.

(NOTE: This is among the stories lost to a server glitch. I was able to recover a copy of the story from Google's cache, but the original group of comments are lost.)

Pamela Morrow, 53, of Linwood Road, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. At 8:35 p.m., Sunday, Sheriff's Dispatch received reports of an erratic driver heading west on Route 5 through the City of Batavia. The car reportedly moved right several times and struck curbing. A witness reported the car turning left on Park Road about the time Sgt. Ron Meides was leaving the Sheriff's Office complex, though Meides did not see the vehicle. The car proceeded to the Batavia Downs parking lot where Meides located the car a short time later. Two witnesses told Meides that they had seen the car strike two parked vehicles before parking. Meides located Morrow inside Batavia Downs and brought her back to the car.

Frank Lynn Morrison, 32, of Bridge Road, Elba, is charged with sexual abuse, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Morrison is accused of subjecting a female child under age 14 to sexual contact. Morrison was jailed on $15,000 bail.

Lorraine Ellen Pillo, 48, of Summit Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Pillo is accused of shoplifting from Walmart.

Marion Jermaine Spivey, 31, of Elmhurst Place, Buffalo, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Spivey is accused of punching another person in the face while at the Clarion Hotel in Batavia at 6 p.m., Nov. 30.

Kevin J. Compton, 52, of Clipnock Road, East Bethany, is charged with resisting arrest and harassment, 2nd. Compton was arrested by State Police for an alleged incident reported at 4:56 p.m., Nov. 24. No further details released.

The Batavia Boys basketball team beat Williamsville South today in a game scheduled as part of the Niagara Falls Cataract City Classic, an invitational tournament for the top prep teams in WNY.

Jeff Redband led the Blue Devils to a 58-46 win with 18 points. Justice Fagan contributed 13 and Malachi Chenault added 11.

Batavia jumped out to an early 34-18 lead, but the game tightened in the 4th period with Williamsville closing in at 40-35. From there, Batavia pretty much controlled the game and put Williamsville away.

Mendon has always presented a challenge for the Batavia High School girls basketball team, often over the years snatching double-digit victories over the Lady Devils, which was why Head Coach Marty Hein put the Vikings on the schedule early in the season.

It was a chance for Hein to see where his team stood.

The verdict? Not really different from what he said about his team in the pre-season: The Lady Devils lack bench depth and until the younger players step up their game, Batavia will struggle against teams that can rotate seven or eight players.

"Some of the girls will understand that we've got to work hard and work our way to having a deep bench like Mendon does," Hein said. "Hopefully, we'll be there by mid-season."

To start the game, the Lady Devils looked like the dominate team and held a lead until just about a minute left in the second period, and even through most of the third period, Batavia kept the game within a basket or two.

Then the wheels came off. The plays didn't run as smoothly, the passes weren't as crisp, if not higher risk, and the steals came easier for the Vikings.

"Todd's (Todd Julien) a very smart coach," Hein said. "He didn't use any time-outs (in) quarters one, two and three because he didn't give any opportunity for my girls to get a rest. He knew the longer I kept my starters on the floor, the sooner they were going to wear out."

The final score: Mendon 43, Batavia 36.

Sam Cecere led Batavia in scoring with 14 points. Mendon's Darby Kreienberg presented a challenge for the Lady Devils. She scored 26 points.

Maddie McCulley, who hit a clutch three late in the second period just when it looked like the Vikings might be poised to pull away, suffered what appeared to be an ankle or foot injury early in the third period. She returned to the game a few minutes later and Hein said she'll be fine.

"When we play one-three-one she's down at the bottom with some giants so she takes a beating sometimes," Hein said.

Top photo: Essence Williams drives for a successful layup.

Maddie McCulley

McCulley and Alley Phillips scramble for a loose ball.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

An accident involving a pickup and another vehicle is reported at Route 33 and Wortendyke Road. There are injuries and it is blocking traffic. East Pembroke Fire Department is responding along with two Mercy rigs. Mercy Flight is called to the scene.

UPDATE 11:21 a.m.: Extrication is needed as soon as possible. A landing zone will be set up in a nearby yard.

UPDATE 11:25 a.m.: There's heavy traffic congestion in the area.

UPDATE 11:31 a.m.: Mercy Flight has landed. The patient to be airlifted is conscious and alert. Extrication of victim(s) will "easily be five to 10 more minutes."

UPDATE 11:39 a.m.: A third ambulance is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 11:50 a.m.: Extrication has been completed. One person is being transported to UMMC; another is being taken to UMMC Erie County Medical Center. Mercy Flight is airborne.

UPDATE 11:58 a.m.: Mercy Flight is going to ECMC.

UPDATE 12:10 p.m.: The East Pembroke assignment is back in service.

UPDATE 1 p.m. (by Howard): Trooper Steven Brady said the initial investigation indicates that the sedan was eastbound on Route 33. The truck was westbound. The sedan driver didn't see the oncoming truck before executing a left-hand turn onto Wortendyke. The sedan was T-boned. There were circumstances at the time of the accident that would have prevented the driver from seeing the truck, Brady said. "He simply didn't see it." There was another car making a right-hand turn, which may have distracted the sedan driver for a moment. East Pembroke Chief Don Newton was the first emergency responder on scene. He said he requested Mercy Flight primarily as a precaution for the patient in the passenger seat because of the heavy impact on that side of the car. There's no indication at this time that the injuries are serious. The driver of the sedan and the truck were transported by Mercy EMS to UMMC with minor injuries.

Rick Fleming will conduct the Genesee Symphony Orchestra in a holiday concert Sunday at St. Mary's.

The program features compositions by Leroy Anderson, Mozart, Bach and David Rose as well as a performance by the Oakfield-Alabama Elementary School Chorus, directed by Danielle Mileham.

The concert begins at 4 p.m.

Fleming is an associate professor of music and director of bands at Buffalo State. He is founding conductor of the Erie County Chamber Winds and conductor of the Buffalo Silver Brass Band.

These photos were taken at the orchestra's Friday night rehearsal.

Friday night was the first night of Taste of the Holidays. The festivities included a chance for visitors to the tent on Jackson Street to sample food from area restaurants and visit with other vendors. Bus rides to the Holland Land Museum Office to see the Wonderland of Trees were also part of the event.

The event continues today from noon to 3 p.m. and will include carriage rides and a scavenger hunt.

Children can also visit Santa today in City Centre.

The beds of two pickups were filled with donated toys today for Santa to deliver to local boys and girls who might not otherwise get many presents under their trees, no matter how good they've been. The annual toy drive is sponsored by WBTA, Ken Barrett Chevy, the Salvation Army, the Batavia Fire Department and numerous local businesses.

Pictured are Tim Stengel, Art Smith, Corinne, Sarah, Colleen, James, Joan Stevens and Lt. Jeff Whitcombe.

Batavia High School opens its performance of "The Brother's Grimm Spectaculathon: Not your Disney fairy tales" at 7:30 tonight in the high school auditorium.

Tickets are $10 at the door ($8 for students).

There is a second performance at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

(submitted photos)

A vehicle that was the subject of an erratic driver report has apparently crashed in the area of 1669 Main Road, Corfu.

As dispatchers were relaying description and direction information to a responding deputy, the caller informed a dispatcher that the car went off the roadway.

The car reportedly crossed to the north side of Main Road and took out a utility pole, according to a first responder, then crossed back to the south side and struck a tree and rolled over.

The driver is out of the vehicle and appears to have suffered only minor injuries.

Twin Cities ambulance medics were passing by at the time of the accident and are evaluating the patient.

East Pembroke Fire Department and Mercy EMS responding.

Route 5 is being shutdown at Route 77 with Indian Falls responding for traffic control.

Wires are reported down in the roadway. National Grid is notified, but no ETA.

Andrew Lucas Kosiorek, 41, no address provided, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal trespass, 3rd, and obstruction of governmental administration. Kosiorek was arrested after being allegedly located in a garage on South Main Street at 12:30 a.m., Nov. 28. Kosiorek allegedly tried to flee from police at the time of his arrest. Upon being taken into custody he was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance. He was jailed on $2,500 bail. Also charged with criminal trespass was Damien R. Graham, 41, no residence.

Norman S. Malkimos-Gonzalez Jr., is charged with menacing, 3rd. Malkimos-Gonzalez is accused of threatening to shoot another person while in the area of 85 Main St., Batavia, at 4:10 p.m. on Nov. 22. Malkimos-Gonzalez was later located in the area of Ellicott and Jackson and taken into custody. No weapon was found.

Morgan L. Cox Jr., 21, of 119 State St., #4m Batavia, is charged with criminal intent to damage property and harassment, 2nd. Cox was arrested following an investigation into an alleged domestic incident at 12:59 p.m., Nov. 28.

A 16-year-old resident of West Main Street Road, is charged with petit larceny. The youth is accused of stealing $85.07 in merchandise from Tops.

Thomas W. Morey Jr., 38, of 10631 Main St., Alexander, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 4th. Morey was allegedly found in possession of two firearms during a traffic stop at 6:26 p.m. Nov. 25 on West Main Street, Batavia, by Officer James DeFreze. Morey reportedly has a prior felony conviction.

Christina S. Baudanza, 37, of 154 Jackson St., Batavia, is charged with disobeying a mandate. Baudanza was arrested following an investigation into an alleged domestic incident.

Matthew A. Beccue, 44, of 4 Elm St., Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, moving from lane unsafely and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle on a public highway. Beccue was stopped at 8:32 p.m. Nov. 22 on East Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Chad Richards.

Taraleen T. Tundo, 29, 10901 Marsh Road, Bethany, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Tundo was allegedly found in possession of suboxone without a prescription during a traffic stop at 12:40 p.m. Nov. 21 on Ellicott Street, Batavia, by Officer John Kirbis.

Antonio Lester James, 22, of Avenue A, Rochester, was arrested on a bench warrant. He is accused of failure to appear in County Court on a grand larceny, 4th, charge. James was being held in Monroe County Jail and turned over to the Sheriff's Office. James was arraigned in County Court and sentenced by Judge Robert Noonan to a state prison term.

George A. Booth, 50, of Rural Route 1, Hinton, W. Va., was arrested on a warrant stemming from a criminal possession of a forged instrument charge. Booth was arrested in West Virginia and extradited to New York. He was arraigned in Town of Alexander Court and jailed on $5,000 cash bail.

Timothy R. Benbynek, 48 of Corfu, is charged with trespass. Benbynek was arrested at 816 Gabbey Road, Pembroke. No further details released.

William H. Englert, 47, of Caledonia, is charged with DWI. Englert was stopped at 9:55 p.m. Dec. 1 on Bernd Road, Le Roy, by State Police.

Allissa A. Fodge, 23, of Bergen, and Megan C. Marchese, 26, of Bergen, are both charged with grand larceny, 3rd. The alleged incident was reported Oct. 18. Fodge and Marchese were arrested by State Police. No further details released.

H.E. Turner Funeral Home hosted its annual service of prayer and remembrance at Grace Baptist Church tonight for those who lost loved ones during the past year.

Above, Pastor Donald Shirk.

Joshua Smith, H.E. Turner.

Pastor Mark Hurlbut.

This is a copy of a photo, like the one below, that I acquired last night at auction through Bontrager's.

It was shot Dec. 4, 1940.

The photographer was William Seaver. He resided for a time at 21 Ellicott Ave., Batavia. His office was at 90 Main St., Batavia.

We can assume, I think, that this picture was taken from his office window. The exquisite sharpness and detail of the photo suggests he was using a quality, large format camera (the single sheet of film was likely 8x10, much larger than 35mm film). 

The block you see is the south side of Main Street from Court Street (where the Hotel Richmond stood) to perhaps Jackson Street or just west of Jackson Street.

Seaver's office would have been approximately where Hillside Children's Center is now, on the west end of the mall.

Comparing it to the photo below, Seaver used a wider angle lens for the 1940 shot than he did for the 1927 shot. In 1927, he used some sort of telephoto lens. I don't know 8x10 format lenses all that well. It appears he used a wider angle lens in 1940 than he did in 1927 based on the crop and compression of space.

When I stopped by the County History office today, Larry Barnes, the city's historian was there. He had seen the 1927 shot before. It's in his book "Batavia Revisited." He had never seen the 1940 shot before.

I'm not sure if there are any descendants of William Seaver still in Batavia, but it would be something if his negatives still existed. These are high-quality photographs and it would be a shame if his negatives (and who knows what else he shot) were lost.

This geneology page says "William Seaver registered for the World War I draft on 12 September 1918 in Batavia, Genesee County, New York. He was age 45, born 18 May 1873. 

In 1910, he lived at 35 Center St., Batavia. In 1920, he lived at 21 Ellicott Ave., Batavia, and 1930, he was a lodger residing at 102 West Main St. In each census he was single, even at age 56, so perhaps he has no descendants.

There was also a William Seaver who lived in Batavia before the photographer. He was the first captain of the first fire department and a president of the Village of Batavia in 1838. That Seaver appears to have published a book in 1849 called "A Historical Sketch of the Village of Batavia."

The older William Seaver, judging by the genealogy site, was the uncle of the photographer William Seaver. The photographer's father was David Seaver, the son of a William Seaver born in 1789 in Peru, Mass., and died in Batavia in 1871.

To aid in seeing the pictures at a higher resolution, I've put them into a slideshow below. I recommend viewing them in full-screen mode.

More than 50 vegetable farmers from throughout WNY were at the Cornell Extension in Batavia today for "Tunnel School."

Tunnels, also called hoop houses, are like greenhouses. They're large enclosed structures allow plants to be grown in-ground but protected from the elements.

"What we're trying to do is help vegetable farmers grow over a longer season," said Judson Reid, a senior extension associate. "We really trying to help farmers increase their profitability with some of the technology we're talking about here today."

Tunnels allow farmers to plant vegetables earlier in the spring and harvest later in the fall, and because the plants are irrigated and aren't hit with rain water, the vegetables often come out looking better, which makes them easier to sell.

Not just growing vegetables but topics such as pricing and marketing where discussed in some depth by the farmers.

"One of my co-presenters said earlier today that farming is about marketing, business and growing, in that order," Reid said. "It's really fun to talk about plants, growing, soils, but really, we can never neglect markets.We have to focus on our marketing ability to improve our profitability."

Paul Fenton, owner of Fenton Farms in Batavia, was among the local farmers at the workshop and he said he was getting a lot of good information from the presenters.

"We're here because we want to extend our growing season and improve quality," Fenton said.

He said he's planning on growing cherry and  grape tomatoes.