batavia

With all six of his starters returning from last year, Jeremy Mettler thinks the Batavia volleyball team can make a good run at a sectional title this season.

In his 14th year as head coach of the varsity squad, Mettler described his team as scrappy, one  that makes opponents work for their points.

That attitude was certainly on display Wednesday night when the Blue Devils fought back from seven-point deficit to force the rubber match into an extra-point ending.

Even in the loss there was a measure of victory because Mettler said he purposefully set up his girls with a tough early season schedule to better prepare them for sectional play.

Hilton, last night's opponent, is a bigger school with some taller players and heavy hitters.

"The best moment of the game was, when we switched sides in the volleyball game we were down 13-6 and at one point we were down 21-14 and we fought back and took them to 26-24," Mettler said. "It just shows this team is not going to give up. They're going to scrap and make you earn every point you get."

Last night's scores (Batavia in bold): 11-25, 25-18, 25-20, 14-25, 26-24.

Batavia's record so far on the season 2-2 overall, but 2-0 in their division.

Mettler said he teaches his players to be aggressive servers and that was on display in the final match when Ashlee Yasses and Tessa Engel each went on five-point runs.

"That's the kind of thing I look for my team to do," Mettler said. "I expect them to get at least three points every serve."

Mettler said Tessa Engel and Haley Case were hitting the ball from the outside well and Madison McCulley made some key kills.

"Bri Mazurkiewicz came off the bench to start a nice run in game four," Mettler said. "It's nice to get kids coming off the bench that contribute right away and help quite a bit."

Batavia has three tough games coming up: at Spencerport on Friday, Brockport at home on Monday and then a rematch with Honeoye Falls-Lima -- the team that knocked Batavia out of sectionals last year -- at home one week from today. Game time for home matches is 6 p.m.

Batavia plays in the Monroe County League in Division 4.

Here are the standings in the Genesee County League -- Division 1: Pembroke (3-0), Notre Dame (2-0), Byron-Bergen (2-0), Alexander (2-1) and Attica (1-1). Oakfield-Alabama leads Division 2 with a record of 1-1. Le Roy, in the Livingston County League, has no league record and is 2-1 overall to lead its division and Pavilion, also in Livingston County's league, leads its division with a 3-0 record.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

Kristen L. Brightenfield, of South Byron, and James M. Kavanagh, 23, of Chili, are charged with one count each of burglary, 3rd and grand larceny, 4th. Brightenfield and Kavanagh were arrested following a lengthy investigation by Le Roy PD into a burglary in April 2012 at the old Jell-O Factory, 57 North St., Le Roy.

John O'Shea was arrested for the burglary shortly after it occurred and is currently serving a sentence in State Prison. Brightenfield and Kavanagh are accused of being accomplices. Investigators executed a search warrant at a location in Monroe County and allegedly recovered stolen property. DNA evidence linking Brightenfield and Kavanagh to the crime was also reportedly found at the scene. Both suspects were arraigned and released on their own recognizance.

Rachel Lynne Chatley, 18, of Angling Road, Corfu, is charged with petit larceny. Chatley and a 17-year-old friend (name withheld by the Sheriff's Office) are accused of shoplifting $115.55 worth of merchandise from Walmart.

Christopher John Naugle, 44, of Appletree Avenue, Bergen, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Naugle is accused of throwing a lit cigarette at another person and hitting that person in the face with it. During the investigation, Naugle was allegedly found in possession of marijuana and a pipe with marijuana inside of it. Naugle was jailed on $300 bail.

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Pam Kilgore hung this 9/11 tribute in front of her house on Morton Avenue today. She said her husband painted the tribute sign four years ago.

Terry Hills hosted the 5th Annual Hackers for Helicopter golf tournament today to benefit Mercy Flight.

The event served as a tribute to first responders. Mercy Flight pilot Brian Smith spoke of the dedication and sacrifice of first responders on behalf of their communities and said that all first responders consider it an honor to serve. Joining him were crew members William Hockenberry and Susan Thompson.

Skydivers also parachuted onto the ninth fairway to help kick off the event.

The skydiving team of Mike Maly, Bob McEvoy, Tim Allen, Bill Zipfel, with Nichols and Anthony Maly holding the flag. Mike Maly is a Buffalo firefighter and Zipfel is a member of the Genesee County Sheriff's Office. Both wore their uniforms for their dive.

Law enforcement is scouring the vicinity of Walmart following a reported larceny at that store. The subject of the search is a blond, white female, about 25 years old, wearing a "blue sparkly" shirt. She was seen within the last 15 minutes trying to get into a 2007 white Saturn Vue, but when she realized she was being pursued, she fled on foot. She was last spotted behind Office Max. (The vehicle is described by the manufacturer, now Chevrolet, as a compact SUV crossover.)

UPDATE 12:16 p.m.: Officers believe they have located the suspect at her residence in Le Roy. (The vehicle, driven by a possible accomplice, is registered to a person in Le Roy, too.) The landlord told officers that the tenant entered the dwelling and was not seen leaving, but she's allegedly not answering the door. "We'll get a warrant," one officer tells another.

UPDATE 12:32 p.m.: The suspect is in custody.

John Matthew Stassen, 67, of Moscow Road, Hamlin, is charged with petit larceny. Stassen is accused of stealing a gas can full of gas from a vehicle that was parked in the Batavia Downs parking lot at 7:32 p.m., Aug. 26.

A motor-vehicle accident occurred in front of Denny's restaurant on West Main Street in the city. There's one minir injury due to air bag deployment. Law enforcement is on scene for traffic control. Mercy medics and city fire are also there. Two flat-bed tow trucks are needed.

UPDATE: Photo submitted by Doug Yeomans.

UPDATE: Photo submitted by Joe Bradt.

Join us this weekend for our open house to celebrate our 20th anniversary of being in business, and our 1st anniversary of being in our new showroom! Stop by to see our new 3,000-square-foot showroom of the latest in kitchen and bathroom products. We will have several promotions on cabinetry and countertops that will run thru the month of September!

Refreshments and several door prizes to win all weekend. Sale hours are Friday 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Book your order by the end of September and we'll install it before the holidays!

Kreative Design Kitchen & Bath is located at 5582 E. Main Road, (corner of Fargo Road and Main Street Road) in Batavia. Visit us online at: www.kreativedesignkitchenandbath.com or by calling (585) 345-0012.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing fire hydrants on Monday Sept. 9 from approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the general area south of West Main Street and west of Jackson Street.

Homes and businesses nearby will be affected. These tests may result in a temporary discoloration of water in that area. As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored. If you do experience a discoloration of your water, run cold water for about five minutes or until clear.

Katherine J. Briggs, 34, of 172 S. Main St., #112, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 3rd. Briggs allegedly damaged property of another person during an argument. The alleged incident was reported at 2:16 a.m., Saturday.

Kyle E. Kirtley, 24, of 6 Pine Tree Road, Central Square, is charged with assault, 3rd. Kirtley is accused of punching another person in the head several times causing substantial pain. The alleged incident was reported at 2:16 a.m. Saturday at 172 S. Main St., Batavia. Kirtley was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Tracey Lynn Brewer, 48, of Columbia Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Brewer is accused of shoplifting at Walmart.

Sara Marie Zilliox, 38, of South 7th Street, Lewiston, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Zilliox was charged following a traffic stop at 1:05 a.m. Saturday on Lake Road, Bergen, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Christine Marie Osborne, 38, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Osborne is accused of stealing $62.78 in merchandise from Walmart.

Mark Anthony Rebmann, 24, of Exchange Street, Attica, is charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Rebmann is accused shoplifting $24.99 in merchandise from Kmart. During the investigation by Deputy Joseph Graff, Rebmann was allegedly found in possession of heroin.

April Marie Palmer, 27, of East Main Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a grand larceny, 4th, charge.

Dale A. Hollwedel, 26, of 9983 Francis Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, refusal to take breath test and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle. Hollwedel was stopped at 1:42 a.m. Thursday following a complaint in the MacDonald's drive thru by Officer Jason Davis.

Kimberly M Volk, 24, of 111 Liberty St., Apt. A, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Volk is accused of shoplifting at Tops.

Willie F. Irvin II, 31, of 22 Trumbull Parkway, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Irvin is accused of verbally threatening another person while on State Street. He was jailed on $750 bail.

Jason E. Carpenter, 35, of 137 State St., Batavia, is charged with disobeying a mandate. Carpenter allegedly contacted another person in violation of an order of protection.

Rosemary R. Waters, 27, of 23 Forrest Ave., Oakfield, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th.  Waters allegedly picked up a mobile phone from the floor during an altercation and threw it back down, breaking it.

Froylan Hernandez, 26, from California, is charged with trespass. Hernandez was arrested by State Police following a report at 2:14 p.m. Aug. 10 on Wilkinson Road, Batavia. Hernandez was jailed on bail. No further details released.

Maurice G. Leach, 37, of Rochester, is charged with petit larceny. Leach was arrested in the Town of Batavia by State Police. No further details released.

The following individuals were arrested by State Police at 11:30 p.m. Friday at a location in the Town of Bergen, and charged with trespass: Alana M. Diefendorf, 16, Olivia R. Sweet, 16, Jacob M. Hillabush, 19, Danielle C. Zelazny, 17, Joseph T. Burr, 20, Dakota Troy Harlach, 20, Hannah M. Feary, 19, Kyle K. Shultz, 19, Daniel J. Ognibene, 19, Payton V. Conley, 18, Richard S. Streiff, 19, and Matthew C. Ferris, 18. Diefendorf, Sweet, Hillabush, Zelazny and Burr were also charged with possession/consumption of alcohol under age 21.

Today workers just about completed installing the Dick's Sporting Goods sign on the former Lowe's building.

Syracuse-based COR Development received $1.8 million in local tax breaks in order to retrofit the building so Dick's could come to town and compete against existing locally owned sporting goods stores.

One store, Fisher Sports, has already closed because of the preferential treatment given to COR by the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

Dick's is expected to open within a couple of months.

Shawn P. Wolcott, age 10, succumbed to injuries sustained in an accident on Ledge Road, Alabama, on Saturday.

The Sheriff's Office received notification of the boy's death late yesterday.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, said Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble.

Wolcott was a resident of Batavia, living on Maple Street with his father, who was also injured in the accident.

The father, Shawn P. Wolcott Sr., was treated and released for his injuries at Erie County Medical Center.

Wolcott Sr. told investigators that his car jerked to the right, causing it to go off the roadway striking a utility pole.

The car hit the pole on its side causing the rear half of the car to shear off. The boy was sitting in the rear passenger seat.

Shawn was taken by Mercy Flight to Women & Children's Hospital in Buffalo.

Previously: Batavia boy seriously injured in accident in Alabama

Dustin C. Nicometo is indicted on a count of burglary, 3rd, and Michael A. Nicometo is indicted on two counts of burglary, 3rd, and one count of grand larceny, 3rd. Together, they are indicted on another count of burglary, 3rd, and two counts of grand larceny, 3rd. The defendants are accused of entering business properties in Le Roy and stealing electrical wiring and components.

Matthew J. Cronin is indicted on a felony count of DWI and felony driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. Cronin is accused of driving drunk March 18 on Route 5 in the Town of Batavia. He is accused of having a prior DWI conviction in 2010 in West Seneca.

Press release:

The water department will be repairing a water line on West Avenue this morning. This work may affect water service for residents on West Avenue, and Woodrow Road from Main Street to West Avenue during the repair. This work may also cause a period of discolored water in the immediate area so residents are advised to avoid activities such as laundry until water clarity has returned.

UPDATE 11 a.m.: The break is repaired.

Here's a little fact about Genesee County you may not know: Batavia's largest food processing plant is kosher.

Kosher, as in certified by a rabbi.

That means no animal -- except fish -- products are used in the plant's food production, as in no cow or pig parts to make gelatin.

A few days ago as I passed through the Tops check-out line with six containers of Frut Up (I really wish they would sell this in a six-pack container), the cashier said, "did you know there's tilapia in this?"

Heck, up to that point, I didn't even know what tilapia was. Some sort of fish, I recalled dimly.

When I got home, I read the label a little closer. Yup, tilapia is listed. So is "kosher gelatin."

If you know your history of Jell-O (and who doesn't in Genesee County), you know gelatin was originally made with from pork and pork skins, horses, and cattle bones or cattle hides. 

Those are all animals that in a kosher kitchen can't mix, even a single molecule.

As it turns out, you can also make gelatin from tilapia, and since observant Jews can mix fish and dairy, if you want fruity gelatin with your yogurt, and you want it to be kosher, you need tilapia to do it.

Rabbi Doctor David Sheinkopf inspected the Muller Quaker plant in Batavia and as a result, the yogurt products Frut Up and Corner can be sold as "Certified Kosher," according to Scott Gilmore, spokesman for PepsiCo.

"Taste is important and we use the best ingredients," Gilmore said. "We aim to make the best tasting yogurt on the market, but consumers told us it (kosher yogurt) was important to them and we wanted to honor that request."

Batavia residents Will Jakes II and Julio Morales were outside the Pok-A-Dot this afternoon belting out a few tunes. It was a beautiful day. There's a bench outside the restaurant, so it seemed to them like a good place to hang out and jam.

BTW: Jakes recently welcomed his grandson into the world, Will Jakes IV.

Just three weeks after being released from state prison, John J. Saddler, 26, has been accused of attempting to rape a young woman while in a motel room on West Main Street Road, Batavia.

According to state police, the young woman had been hanging out at the motel with friends and relatives Saturday evening when she joined a group of other women who were talking with Saddler in his room.

After awhile, the other women left, leaving the alleged victim alone with Saddler. He allegedly locked the door and tried to force himself on her.

Saddler is charged with attempted rape, 1st, criminal obstruction of breathing, forcible touching and unlawful imprisonment.

While Saddler was allegedly trying to rape the young woman, a group of people who had been with her and Saddler returned to the room and found the door locked.

That was apparently a violation of the motel's rules, according state police, so Saddler opened the door and "acted nonchalant."

The alleged victim later told another woman what happened, but didn't go to the State Police barracks on West Saile Drive until the next day.

According to state police, the woman was hesitant to come forward for fear of reprisals from Saddler's family.

Saddler is being held on bail in the Genesee County Jail.

On Aug. 11, Saddler was released from the Collins Correctional Facility after serving nearly six years on a pair of felony assault charges.

One of the assault charges stemmed from an incident in October 2006. Saddler was accused of assaulting a Batavia police officer and damaging a police vehicle by jumping on top of it after an officer found he possessed marijuana.

Press release and photos submitted by Douglas R Mellentine:

The "Ghost Riders Drum & Bugle Corps" based in Batavia, NY, took home the coveted "1st Place World Title" in the "Mini Corps" competition. The Drum Corps Associates World Championships were held at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium this past Labor Day weekend in Annapolis, Md.    

The "Ghost Riders" were formed in 1996 to compete in the "DCA World Championships." This is the 18th consecutive appearance for the "Ghost Riders" -- a record that may never be broken by anyone else. They own two 1st Place titles, the first in 2000 and now again 2013.  

Many hours of preparation went into achieving this goal. They defeated the reigning Champion "Star United" from Indianapolis, an undefeated corps, who has held the title for the past six years. This year was no exception for them, "Star United" was on their game as well.

Special mention must go to the following for their contributions to this achievement. 

First, a Huge Thank You to the membership who have worked so hard to make this a reality.

Second, special thanks to The Salvation Army of Batavia, who allow us to use their facility for winter rehearsals. 

Third, Thank You to Donny Allen our music arranger and instructor, who painstakingly gets us to a level we need to be, in order to achieve such a lofty goal. 

And finally, thanks to the neighborhood near Clinton Street and Grandview Terrace, who through the summer months, hear the sounds of music coming from GRC (Ghost Riders Central) in the backyard at 63 Clinton St.

As director and founder of "Ghost Riders Drum & Bugle Corps," I could not be happier.  Not only to win this title, but to observe the friendships and camaraderie this fine group of individuals has developed throughout the years. As we always say "GO GHOST"!!!