A disturbance is reported in the parking lot at BJ's Wholesale Club plaza. A caller to dispatch reports that a person keyed her car and now the two parties are arguing. No word on how it all began. Law enforcement is on scene. The location is 8330 Lewiston Road, Batavia.
A car vs. pedestrian accident with injuries occurred at 144 State St. The location is between Park and Richmond avenues in the city. City fire, Mercy medics and police are on scene.
Press release:
During these unprecedented times, the United Way of Genesee County (UWGC) has secured numerous grants and donations, which are being used throughout the county for COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.
The UWGC matched a crisis grant from National Grid and awarded mini grants to nine agencies in Genesee County who are supplying resources and services to the community.
Additionally, event sponsors for the cancelled 2020 Day of Caring requested their monies be used where needed the most and not be returned. These funds have been added to the donations received from individuals and small businesses and more grant awards will be made.
This week the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo awarded from the Western New York COVID-19 Community Response Fund to the United Way of Genesee County $25,000 to distribute to entities who are supplying the community with resources and critical services.
The Western New York COVID-19 Community Response Fund was created by the philanthropic community to support nonprofits addressing immediate needs in response to the COVID-19 crisis in the eight counties of Western New York.
Recognizing that a lot of the burden of the response is falling on community-based and grassroots organizations, the Fund created a microgrant program to rapidly deploy resources to small urban and rural organizations that provide hands-on assistance to community members.
Intermediary organizations in each county that are recognized as trusted voices and partners identified the microgrant recipients for awards that typically range from $500 - $2,500.
The following nonprofits will receive funding from this gracious gift:
The newest funding received is an award of $1,000 from the Kiwanis Club of Batavia to purchase food for the UWGC’s weekend food program, the Backpack Program.
The United Way of Genesee County is overwhelmed with gratitude for each and every gracious donor who has stepped up and said "I want to help."
Accompanying the gratitude for donors is the abundance of gratitude for each volunteer who has worked food distributions, picked up donations, ran food drives and so much more.
Together we do make Genesee County stronger.
For those who would love to support the efforts of the United Way of Genesee County, please contact Executive Director Tammy Hathaway at (585) 343-8141 or email: tammy.hathaway@uwrochester.org
D'Andre J. Cramer, 21, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with third-degree coercion and third-degree assault. Cramer was arrested at 10:46 p.m. on May 7 after a domestic incident on Dellinger Avenue. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and is due in Batavia City Court on June 5th. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Kevin DeFelice.
Michael R. Ostrander, 55, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment and third-degree menacing. Ostrander was arrested following an incident in the 400 block of East Main Street, Batavia, at 10 p.m. on May 18. It is alleged that he touched a person and threatened another. He is due in Batavia City Court on June 16. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Adam Tucker, assisted by Officer Peter Flanagan.
Jamar T. Shipp, 31, of Niagara Street, Niagara Falls, is charged with aggravated harassment. Shipp was arrested on May 19 after an investigation and arraigned at 4:07 p.m. in Batavia City Court. It is alleged that at 5:21 p.m. on May 9 during a phone call that Shipp threatened to physically harm a female. He was released on his own recognizance and is due to return to city court on July 1. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Alex Roberts.
Matthew W. Barber, 52, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with unauthorized use of a computer. Barber was arrested at 9:26 a.m. on May 21 after an investigation into an incident that occurred at 12:15 a.m. on May 19 in the 700 block of Ellicott Street, Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on June 9. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Joshua Girvin.
Christopher Parker, 31, of Morse Place, Batavia, and Joshua Williams, 30, of Portland Avenue, Rochester, are charged with: unlawful possession of marijuana in the second degree, a violation; criminal possession of marijuana in the second degree, also a violation; and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a misdemeanor. The duo was arrested by City of Batavia Police Officer Wesley Rissinger and the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force after a traffic stop (location and time not provided) on May 21. They were issued appearance tickets and are due in City of Batavia Court on June 16.
Emergency Order #11-2020
I issue the following emergency order(s) for the period of May 27, 2020 through May 31, 2020. This order continues the following issued under Emergency Order #10, which was effective May 22, 2020.
Expect to see updates of this order as we receive changes to restrictions from the State of New York.
As a reminder to the public, City emergency orders are required to be reissued every five days. In addition, the City of Batavia has a separate document titled Local State of Emergency Proclamation that is required, lasting up to 30 days.
An outline of the Phase One partial reopening is available here.
Martin D. Moore, Ph.D.
Manager, City of Batavia
A criminal mischief complaint was called into the Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center a few minutes ago. A man who lives on Walnut Street in the city says his neighbor purposely cut down shrubs, which the complainant claims are his, and that this sort of thing is an ongoing problem. City police just arrived.
A scissor lift with a person inside has tipped over in the parking lot between the Tops mall and Batavia Downs.
The location is a maintenance shop.
City fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
Mercy Flight on ground standby.
UPDATE 7:21 a.m.: The location was a maintenance area behind Batavia Downs. The patient was extricated and transported to Strong by Mercy EMS.
While it's not unusual for recently constructed sidewalks to buckle in the heat, the number of faults in the sidewalk along Cedar Street since it was installed in 2013 is unusual, said City of Batavia Public Works Director Matt Worth.
It's also unexplainable.
Worth -- wasn't appointed public works director until after the project was completed -- indicated a combination of factors could cause the buckling, including the spacing of the joints, the nature of the subsurface, and the chemistry of the cement.
The buckling is caused by the cement expanding in the heat of the sun beating down on the pavement.
It's been an issue ever since the project was completed, Worth said. While there are as many as six buckle points along the path now, eventually, the issue will resolve itself as repairs are made and pressure is relieved on the cement.
There's nothing to suggest, Worth said, that the contractor who installed the sidewalks, shares any liability.
City crews will repair the broken sections, he said, at a fraction of the cost of hiring a contractor to do the work.
The middle of an economic lockdown may not seem like the ideal time to open a new restaurant but when it's something you were planning and dreaming about before a global pandemic was announced, that's what you do as soon as you can.
Gilliana's Diner, on Jackson Street, in the former location of Sylvania's, opened yesterday.
"We're super excited," said Jill Antinore, who owns the new eatery with her husband Mark.
Jill said they purchased the restaurant Feb. 1 then the global health emergency hit and the County Health Department wasn't issuing health permits. They had to wait until the Health Department was able to give them the OK to open.
Opened for breakfast and lunch -- except on Friday when they offer a dinner menu -- Jill described the diner as "a breakfast place with Italian specialties."
Available for takeout now are typical breakfast items, such as bacon and eggs, and items such as "The Godfather," which is egg, provolone, Italian sausage, sweet or hot peppers; and "Italian eggs in Purgatory," which is two eggs poached in homemade tomato sauce, with cannellini beans, peppers and onions.
The lunch menu includes tripe, homemade meatballs, agrodolce, and parmesan chicken wings.
Hours are Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Friday 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. The diner is closed on Wednesdays.
The phone number is (585) 201-7772.
City fire's Christine Marinaccio hands out masks to a family that stopped by the city's mask distribution point at the Fire Hall this afternoon. Councilman Bob Bialkowski, to her right, said the distribution started out with 100 cars lined up and there had been a steady stream of cars coming through the drive-thru distribution point.
The masks were acquired by Genesee County Emergency Management and provided to the city for distribution to residents.
More face coverings will be available to the general public Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Police Headquarters on West Main Street.
City Manager Martin Moore.
Resident Greg Bruggman gets stocked up with masks and hand sanitizer.
As the weather warms, several local restaurant owners, who have been operating under coronavirus lockdown conditions for two months, are looking to outdoor -- al fresco -- dining as a way to attract more customers while maintaining social distancing.
City Manager Martin Moore said he's interested in exploring the idea further. Currently, restaurants won't be able to reopen under the governor's plan for the post-lockdown economy until Phase Three. Moore said he would like to explore giving restaurants a way to serve more diners, besides curbside and delivery.
Several restaurants in Batavia -- Roman's, T.F. Brown's, Islands Hawaiian Grill, O'Lacy's Irish Pub, Center Street Smoke House, for example -- have patios. Settler's has a patio-like space in front of the restaurant and owner John Spyropoulous would like to put it to use. Main St. Pizza Co. has in the past offered seats and tables on the sidewalk and that might be an option for other locations, but with social distancing requirements, restaurants might be looking for more space.
That could mean adjoining or nearby city-owned parking lots or Jackson Square.
Moore said he would have to check with code enforcement about using city property for restaurant use.
Derek Geib, owner of Roman's, Bourbon and Burger Co., and The Coffee Press, is eager to offer outdoor dining. Roman's has an open patio and a patio with retractable windows. While Bourbon and Burger and The Coffee Press don't have patios -- though they can offer sidewalk dining -- both have easy access to Jackson Square. So do Eli Fish, Center Street and the newly opened Gilliana's, but Geib thinks all restaurants that want to participate should have access to diners in Jackson Square.
Matt Gray, the owner of Eli Fish, is also eager to see Jackson Square opened up to diners, with tables spaced at least six feet apart, of course. Gray also owns Alex's Place and he said if there was customer interest, he would explore creating a dining area in the restaurant's parking lot.
The rub for most restaurant owners, however, is the ability to serve alcohol, especially on city property. The would require both the state and the city to make allowances for alcohol service but the state did recognize the importance of alcohol sales to restaurants at the start of the lockdown. Restaurants are allowed to sell alcohol during the lockdown during curbside pickup and delivery.
Moore said if the state would allow it and there is no local law that prohibits it, he is open alcohol sales in Jackson Square or in a designated space in a city-owned parking lot.
“If they give us some kind of ability for our restaurants to have more customers, we’re definitely going to explore every angle to try and make that reality," Moore said.
On a statewide basis, the New York Restaurant Association is supporting outdoor dining and today issued this statement:
“As parts of the state have begun the reopening process and other regions are progressing towards that goal, the New York State Restaurant Association is urging the state to allow restaurants to reopen for outdoor dining during phase two. Just this week, outdoor dining was included in phase one in Connecticut’s reopening.
Additionally, we are formally asking for expanded outdoor dining capabilities, an emphasis on social distancing requirements over capacity limits, and allowing continued sales of alcohol to-go. Just about every restaurant in the state is teetering on the edge of financial hardship, and we need to do everything possible to keep them afloat.
“To do our part, NYSRA, our members, and all restaurants in the state will continue to follow stringent sanitation practices to ensure the safety of our patrons and staff. That’s the promise that we’re making to our guests, who we can’t wait to serve again.”
Press release:
U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Guillermo Torres-Acevedo, 23, of Batavia, who was convicted of enticing a minor to travel to engage in criminal sexual activity, was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison (7 years) and 10 years supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan A. Tokash, who handled the case, stated that on Nov. 25, 2018, the defendant, then a 22-year-old man, had sexual relations with the victim, a 14-year-old girl. Torres-Acevedo was arrested the following day for, among other charges, rape in violation of New York Penal Law.
Following his arrest, the defendant persuaded the victim to travel with him out of state to continue their relationship. On Nov. 29, 2018, Torres-Acevedo picked up the victim from school in Genesee County and drove her to Pennsylvania, where they had sexual intercourse. Under Pennsylvania law, that constituted the crime of statutory sexual assault.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff William A. Sheron Jr.; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Eric Laughton; the Pennsylvania State Police, under the direction of Commissioner Lieutenant Colonel Robert Evanchick; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.
Previously: Batavia man pleads guilty to rape in Amber Alert case
A Batavia Country Club today, Dave Barone, an avid golfer for nearly 60 years, sank his first hole-in-one.
The perfect shot came on the 178-yard 17th hole. Barone was swinging a 4 hybrid.
He finished the round at 79 strokes.
In his foursome were Rod Allen, Johnny Lowe, and Doug Cecere.
Photo and info submitted by Doug Cecere.
POTSDAM -- The State University of New York at Potsdam will recognize nearly 900 candidates for graduation with a special virtual Commencement celebration at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 23.
The SUNY Potsdam Class of 2020 will be honored in an online ceremony and watch party on the traditional Commencement day, until the College is able to safely hold an in-person event honoring all of this year's bachelor's and master's graduates at a later date.
The graduates include:
During Commencement, SUNY Potsdam honors students who have either earned their degree or are eligible to graduate during that calendar year. To learn more about Commencement at SUNY Potsdam, visit http://www.potsdam.edu/commencement.
About SUNY Potsdam:
Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges -- and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence.
The College currently enrolls approximately 3,600 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit http://www.potsdam.edu.
Nazareth College students named five Genesee County stundets to the Spring 2020 dean's list.
They are:
A student's grade-point average must be at least 3.5 or above, and they must complete 12 credit hours of graded work that semester in order to be included on the dean's list at Nazareth
Nazareth College's academic strengths cross an unusually broad spectrum of 60 majors, including education, health and human services, management, the fine arts, music, theater, math and science, foreign languages, and the liberal arts.
The coeducational, religiously independent, classic campus in a charming suburb of Rochester challenges and supports 2,000 undergrads and 800 graduate students.
Nazareth is recognized nationally for its Fulbright global student scholars and commitment to civic engagement. Rigorous programs, an uncommon core, experiential learning, career skills, and a global focus prepare graduates for not just one job, but for their life's work.
Retired dispatcher, who started his career with Batavia Police Department 30 years ago today, was honored by members of the force for his service to the department and continued support of its mission.
Photos by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.
BEXLEY, OHIO -- Capital University is pleased to announce Natalie Rogers, of Batavia, was named to the Provost's List for the spring 2020 semester.
To be named to the Provost's List, full-time, degree-seeking students must have achieved a grade-point average of at least 3.70.
Located in the Columbus, Ohio, neighborhood of Bexley, Capital University is a private, four-year undergraduate institution and graduate school. Capital prepares students for meaningful lives and purposeful careers through a relevant liberal arts core curriculum and deep professional programs.
Influenced by its Lutheran heritage, Capital places great emphasis on the free and open exchange of ideas, seeking out diverse perspectives, active participation in society, leadership and service. With a focus on rigor and experiential learning, the University capitalizes on its size, location, and heritage to develop the whole person, both inside and outside the classroom.
Route information from Bill and Jeanne Freeman:
Cruising for Mercy Flight is a car-cruise fundraiser that will be held on Sunday, June 7, escorted by Genesee County Sheriff's deputies.
Participants -- including classic automobile enthusiasts, hot rodders, vintage car owners, and people with way cool rides -- will assemble at the Genesee County Fairgrounds at 5056 E. Main St. Road (Route 5) in Batavia, and the procession will leave at approximately 1 p.m.
And this cavalcade surely must include thankful everyday operators who carry a valid license to drive in New York, have a vehicle that has adequate gasoline in the tank, is inspected, insured and runs.
They can all rally around Mercy Flight, a really good reason to enjoy some fresh air with people for a change, whether the weather cooperates or not weather weather permitting.
The Route
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR MERCY FLIGHT!
We would like to thank the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, especially Undersheriff Brad Mazur, the Genesee County Agricultural Society, and the Batavia and Le Roy police departments!
We certainly appreciate your support in being a part of this cruise. Be careful on your way home.
We sure hope to see everyone next month.
Stay Healthy and Be Safe,
Bill and Jeanne Freeman
UPDATE 12:28 p.m. May 21: A Mercy Flight Helicopter on a truck and trailer will be in the convoy, being held "in memory of all the former cruisers that have passed before us." A goodwill collection for Mercy Flight will be taken at the start of the event.
Here are the rules:
Questions, call Jeanne Freeman at (585) 548-7197 before June 7.
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