batavia

Press release:

The public is invited to "Duty 1st with David Bellavia: Serving Country and Community," a talk by the Medal of Honor recipient at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12. The event will kick off with a ceremony as Staff Sgt. Bellavia is honored by the Niagara Falls community with a key to the city.

Following the talk, he will sign copies of his book "House to House: A Soldier's Memoir," which will be for sale onsite during this event at The Rapids Theatre, 1711 Main St., Niagara Falls.

The will serve as a fundraiser for a new nonprofit organization created by Bellavia, called Deuce Deuce Relief Fund Inc. The fund benefits soldiers from Bellavia's prior Task Force in Iraq (Task Force 2-2), supporting soldiers and their families who are experiencing hardship or require other assistance.

"Duty 1st with David Bellavia” is Deuce Deuce's inaugural fundraiser and is generously hosted by The Rapids Theatre. General admission tickets are $22 (Deuce-Deuce). Doors will open at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are available online through EventBrite, with a link at DavidBellavia.com.

Highly in demand, Bellavia has been speaking around the country throughout the summer, and now his community has an opportunity to hear him speak at the Oct. 12 event.

About David Bellavia

David Bellavia is the only living Iraq veteran to receive the Medal of Honor, which is our country’s highest military honor.

For the June 25 Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, the Western New York community supported Bellavia’s dream of being surrounded by every living member of his Task Force when he received the honor.

More than 750 of his neighbors donated funds to make that dream a reality. Bellavia has said, “The Medal of Honor is for all who served with me in Iraq.”

He served three military campaigns: Kosovo 2003; and Operation Iraqi Freedom I; and Operation Iraqi Freedom II.

Bellavia is a graduate of Lyndonville High School in Orleans County and the University of Buffalo. He resides with his family in Western New York.

Press release:

Notre Dame High School is proud to announce that its 2019 Athletic Hall of Fame Induction will be held on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Notre Dame High School.

This fall’s program will begin with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. followed by a dinner at 6:30. The alumni student-athlete, contributor, service awards and 1967-1969 Varsity Wrestling program recognition portion of the program to follow at 7 p.m.

Tickets for this annual event will be $45/person and a table for 10/$400.

Tickets will be available through the Notre Dame Advancement Office [585] 343-2783, ext. 106, or visit the Community Tab on the Notre Dame website.

Notre Dame High School is located at 73 Union St. in the City of Batavia.

Inductees to be honored will include:

• Richard O’Connor -- Class of ‘64
• Robert Beyer -- Class of ‘80 
• Amy Dwyer -- Class of ‘83
• Maureen Del Plato Braunscheidel -- Class of ‘97
• Christopher Sabato -- Class of ‘98
• Jennifer Sutherland Forsyth -- Class of ‘00

Members of the 1967, 1968 and 1969 ND Varsity Wrestling Teams

• Edward Dwyer – Contributor Category
• Dan Coughlin and Kris Coughlin and Patty Panepento Daansen – Service Recognition

Jill Pettigrew puts the finishing touches on a sidewalk mural she painted on the walkway leading into the new musical garden in the side yard between the Seymore Place (GO ART!) and the YMCA on East Main Street.

Installation of the musical instruments in the grant-funded musical garden is nearly complete. No word yet on when it will be open to the public.

This afternoon, Sarah and Casey Stockwell install a display for the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce on East Main Street, Downtown Batavia, as part of the Business Improvement District's annual scarecrow contest.

Sarah is in accounting and HR at the Chamber. Steve Falitico, the chamber's membership development director, helped design the display.

Press release:

The sets are being built, the costumes are being bloodied and now the talent has been cast for next month's production of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at Genesee Community College!

Brodie McPherson, director of the show and also GCC's instructor of Theater Technology, released the cast list today (Sept. 27) for what promises to be the college's biggest theater production of the season!

GCC's Forum Players Theatre Company will perform Richard O'Brien's “The Rocky Picture Horror Show,” Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17, 18, and 19 at 7:30 p.m. and again Sunday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. in the College's Stuart Steiner Theatre.

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" will feature GCC students representing many majors and four different countries, as well as a GCC alumnus. Audiences will enjoy the talent, style and a little craziness from the following:

• Tiago Marques, of São Paulo, Brazil, as Frank-N-Furter
• Runo Suzuki, of Hokkaido, Japan, as Janet Weiss
• Samuel G. Rigerman, of Batavia, as Brad Majors
• Benjamin Reiner, of Pembroke, as Riff Raff
• Lacey Sloat, of Bergen, as Magenta
• Fu Kikuchi, of Fukuoka, Japan, as Columbia
• Chris Barbis, of Pavilion, as Rocky Horror
• Jack Diskin, of Le Roy, as Eddie and a Phantom
• Grant Calcote, of Le Roy, as Dr. Everett V. Scott and a Phantom
• Josh Pacino, (GCC classes of 2008 and 2009), of Batavia, as The Narrator
• Marissa Carbonell, of Batavia, as Trixie The Usherette and a Phantom

And playing Phantoms throughout the productions will be:

• Marissa Carbonell, of Batavia
• Sam Ciesla, of Hamburg
• Haylea-Ann Nicole Self, of Brockton
• Brittany Mayes, of Medina
• Jessie Pierce, of Batavia
• Tiffany Smith, of Arkport
• Brandon Ribbeck, of Warsaw
• Ai Jitozono, of Nagasaki, Japan
• Ayaka Nakamura, of Osaka, Japan
• Francesca Pieter, of Willemstad, Curaçao
• Alyssa Young, of Brockport
• Andrew DeMeo, of Staten Island

This show will take full advantage of all the high-tech sound and lighting equipment at the College's state-of-the-art theater. The full scene and costume shops provide dynamic sets, clothing and special effects to take this production over the top. In addition, special "Goodie Bags" to be sold for $5 are in development as is some pre-show, intermission and post-show opportunities for the audience to interact with the cast.

"This show promises to be among the most memorable experiences not only for GCC's Forum Players, but also for our audience and supporters. It really is not to be missed," McPherson said. "Everyone should enjoy the perfect prelude to the Halloween season with a performance that is 'out of this world!' "

Tickets for "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," performed by GCC's Forum Players Theatre Company, are: $8 for adults; and $5 for seniors (55+) and students (16+) and GCC faculty/ staff. GCC students with ID are $3, and GCC alumni with ID will receive a $2 discount on an adult ticket.

To reserve seats, contact the GCC box office today at boxoffice@genesee.edu or (585) 345-6814. Seating is limited and advance reservations are strongly advised. The show is designed for mature audiences only.

Photographer Ray Williams shared these photos with us that he took today at the sand wash at DeWitt Recreation Area in Batavia.

Autumn Miles, a survivor of domestic abuse and an advocate for adoption, was the guest speaker Thursday night at the annual All Babies Cherished banquet at Quality Inn & Suites.

She is the founder of Autumn Miles Ministries, an organization based in Dallas devoted to spiritually challenging the way women think.

Miles covered a range of topics, including her Biblically based pro-life message, saying at one point, "God is pro-life."

All Babies Cherished is a pregnancy center on Ellicott Street in Batavia.

Taken yesterday evening.

A car vs. bicyclist accident is reported in front of the Holland Land Office Museum, 131 W. Main St. in the city. City fire, Mercy medics and police are responding.

UPDATE 12:32 p.m.: The bicyclist was evaluated at the scene. No injuries; he was not transported for medical care. A first responder said it appears the bicyclist was at fault and he was given a warning but not cited.

Press release:

The members of the Museum Quilt Guild of Batavia will soon be enjoying the talents of renowned quilter and instructor, Linda M. Poole, of Milford, Pa., when she visits the guild for three days next month. The public is also invited.

Author of "Painted Appliqué: A New Approach," Poole stays busy as a quilt instructor, lecturer, and fabric designer, and her life revolves around photography, writing, painting and sewing.

To see her work, visit her website.

She has a passion for travel, teaching and sharing her experiences with people around the world. She has taught throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey and Italy.

The guild is very lucky to be able to invite instructors of this caliber to the area every other year, opposite their biennial quilt show. In the past, such names as Wendy Butler Berns and Paula Nadelstern have visited.

Most of the members would never get an opportunity to learn from these well-known instructors without traveling to larger venues.

Poole will be teaching classes using her “painted appliqué” technique.

On Thursday, Oct. 17, the class is titled “Acorn Wreath." On Friday, Oct. 18, the class is “Monarch Butterfly.” Classes will be held from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Batavia First United Methodist Church, 8221 Lewiston Road, Batavia.

There are still openings in the classes, and you don’t have to be a guild member to attend. Fee for each class is $60, plus a $35 fee for a kit containing almost everything needed for the class.

Poole will be presenting a lecture titled “A Quilted Journey Around the World” at the guild’s regular meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the VA Medical Center (Building 4, west end, second floor), 222 Richmond Ave., Batavia. The public is welcome to attend. Admission fee is $5.

For more information on the classes or the guild, contact Martha Lorshbaugh: 585-993-0357 or lorshbaughm@gmail.com, or visit the guild website.

Photos of examples of Poole's quilts from her website.

An important safety message from the city's fire chief

“In a typical home fire, you may have as little as one to two minutes to escape safely from the time the smoke alarm sounds,” said Stefano Napolitano, fire chief of the City of Batavia Fire Department. “Escape planning and practice can help you make the most of the time you have, giving everyone enough time to get out.

      Andrew Said

A suspected shoplifter accused of leading police on a high-speed chase from Rochester to Batavia more than a year ago entered a guilty plea to attempted assault in the first degree in Genesee County Court on Wednesday afternoon in exchange for a guaranteed prison term of no more than 10 years.

Andrew A. Said, 49, and a native of Buffalo and a resident of Florida at the time of his arrest Aug. 3, 2018, entered his plea on an Alford basis. That means he would not admit in open court to the underlying events of the charge but acknowledged that if the case went to trial, he would likely be found guilty by a jury.

Said was indicted in May on counts of: attempted aggravated assault upon a police officer; first-degree attempted assault; first-degree reckless endangerment; third-degree criminal mischief; second-degree criminal mischief; unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle; driving while ability impaired by drugs; aggravated unlicensed operation in the third degree; reckless driving; operating an unregistered motor vehicle; operating a vehicle without insurance; and uninspected motor vehicle.

The plea satisfies all of the counts, including a count pending in Batavia City Court stemming from an incident in the jail.

In county court yesterday, Said he would only factually admit to being in Batavia and driving a vehicle in Batavia at the date and time specified in the indictment.

As for the rest of the facts of the case, as part of the Alford plea process, First Assistant District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini recited the narrative the prosecution would present to a jury at a trial.

She said Said is accused of driving a 1997 Mercedes into Genesee County sometimes at speeds in excess of 100 mph in a reckless manner that forced some other vehicles, including State Police patrol vehicles, off the roadway.

After Said's Mercedes exited the Thruway in Batavia, Cianfrini said State Police were able to execute a "box-in" maneuver at Exit 47, but Said threw his car into reverse, slamming into a patrol vehicle. Then the defendant is accused of putting the car in drive and accelerating quickly and driving straight toward a Trooper who had exited his vehicle. The action forced the trooper to dive out of the path of the car for his own safety.

Said then led troopers on a high-speed chase over city and town streets, again hitting speeds in excess of 100 mph at times, until he tried to ditch his car at a property on Kelsey Road in the Town of Batavia.

As part of the plea, Said was required to agree to pay restitution to the State of New York to damage to patrol vehicles, which exceeds $7,000. There may also be a claim for restitution from the property owner on Kelsey Road where Said and a passenger were apprehended.

City firefighters are called to investigate a possible controlled burn by the nature trail at DeWitt Recreation Area off Cedar Street.

UPDATE 12:47 a.m.: Firefighters are in the area investigating. The caller reported two bicycles in the vicinity of the blaze.

Kaleb J. Bobzien, 21, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with first-degree criminal contempt. He was arrested at Batavia City Court at 1:39 p.m. on Sept. 24 when he appeared for sentencing on an unrelated matter. Bobzien is accused of violating a stay away order of protection at 4:43 p.m. on Sept. 15 on Dellinger Avenue. He was processed and arraigned in city court then put in Genesee County Jail on $10,000 cash bail or bond. Bobzien is due to return to court on Oct. 4. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Wesley Rissinger, assisted by Officer Jason Ivison.

Andrew J. Rock, 33, of North Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree criminal contempt. Rock was arrested following an alleged violation of an order of protection. The incident allegedly occurred at 9:59 p.m. on Sept. 4 while the defendant was an inmate at Genesee County Jail. He is currently incarcerated there. He is due in Batavia City Court on Oct. 1. The case was handled by Batavia Police Sgt. Matthew Lutey.

Austin M. Hejza, 24, of Argus Drive, Depew, is charged with: criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; unlawful possession of marijuana; and running a red light. On Sept. 24, Hejza turned himself in the Batavia Police Department on an arrest warrant out of City of Batavia Court. He was processed at BPD and arraigned at 1:31 p.m. in city court before being released on his own recognizance. Hejza is due back in court on Oct. 8. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Wesley Rissigner, assisted by Officer Jason Ivison.

Michael E. Weichman, 24, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with: petit larceny; obstructing governmental administration in the second degree; and conspiracy in the sixth degree. He was arrested at 11:06 a.m. on Sept. 18 after allegedly shoplifting from Dollar General on East Main Street in Batavia and attempting to flee from police. Weichman is due in Batavia City Court on Oct. 1. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jordan McGinnis, assisted by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Steven M. Lindner, 46, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. He was arrested at 6:48 p.m. on Sept. 23 after allegedly shoplifting from a business on East Main Street in Batavia. He is due in Batavia City Court on Oct. 1. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Sean Wilson, assisted by Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Fire Department’s origin and cause team under the command of Captain Martin Hinz has determined through a systematic process of comparison examination, reconstruction of the fire scene, witness statements and a detailed examination of fire debris the cause of the following incidents in 2019:

• July 4 -- 13 Hutchins St.: Under investigation
• Aug. 26 -- 337 Bank St.: Accidental, cooking related
• Aug. 31 -- 18 East Ave.: Accidental, electrical
• Sept. 17 -- 511 Ellicott St.: Accidental, cooking related
• Sept. 18 -- 11 Garfield Ave.: Accidental, mechanical failure
• Sept. 23 -- 1 City Center (Island Hawaiian Grill): Accidental, spontaneous combustion

Chief Stefano Napolitano commends Captain Hinz and the other members of the investigation team for their dedication and diligence in determining the origin and cause of these fires.

The process of investigating is never easy, however, it is imperative that a determination is made so as to bring closure as well as enhance the possibility of not repeating the cause if possible.

The City of Batavia Fire Department was assisted in part by City of Batavia Police and the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control.

The state Commissioner of Mental Health has determined that a 23-year-old Rochester man accused of setting his girlfriend and her apartment on Maple Street in Batavia on fire in June 2018 is mentally competent to stand trial.

The next step in Plush Dozier's case is a Huntley Hearing to determine evidence admissibility. This afternoon in Genesee County Court, Judge Charles Zambito set the hearing for 2 p.m. on Nov. 14.

Dozier (inset photo, right), who is charged with first-degree arson and attempted murder, was put into the custody of the Commissioner of Mental Health for treatment and reevaluation by Zambito in May after three psychiatrists examined the defendant.

Although two of the doctors found Dozier capable of understanding the charges against him and the court proceedings, all three agreed he suffers from schizoaffective disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and is prone to paranoia and hallucinations.

"All three doctors who evaluated him said he could snap at any time," Zambito said in May.

Dozier is also accused of menacing a police officer after an alleged violent incident while in local custody two months after his arrest.

See previous coverage:

• Man accused of arson and attempted murder will receive mental health treatment before case proceeds
• Law and Order: Rochester man accused of menacing officer and damaging door of Sheriff's Office vehicle
• Grand Jury Report: Man accused of arson and attempted murder in Maple Street fire
• Arson and attempted murder charged in Maple Street fire

Visit our website for a schedule of all of our upcoming shows and special events. (www.BataviaPlayers.org)

Harvester 56 Theater, 56 Harvester Ave., Batavia

 

The mission of Batavia Players Inc. is to bring affordable theater to the community by making theater accessible to everyone with a variety of quality productions, to enhance artistic growth of participants and encourage audiences to think, feel and develop an appreciation for theater.

Niasia S. Jiggetts, 28, of Thomas Avenue, Batavia, is charged with two counts of second-degree assault -- both victims less than 7 years old. The crime is a Class D felony.

Jiggetts was arrested on Tuesday (Sept. 24) and arraigned at 10 a.m. in Town of Batavia Court following an investigation into allegations that she intentionally struck a 5-year-old with an object, causing injury to the child.

The incident allegedly took place on Thomas Avenue at noon on June 30.

The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Investigator Howard Carlson.

Subsequently, at 10:15 a.m. yesterday she was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court on the other count of second-degree assault.

That case stems from an investigation into an incident on Sept. 21 at the Batavia Meadows apartment complex in which Jiggetts allegedly intentionally struck a 3-year-old with an object, causing injury to the child.

She is due back in Batavia Town Court on Oct. 21.

The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Investigator Howard Carlson, assisted by Investigator/Youth Officer Timothy Westcott.

Press release:

The "All Weather Gang" founded by Batavians -- the late John Hodgins and Don Grieger -- originally known as "The Group of Two"
has grown to 12 members.

For nearly 40 years the AWG has wandered the back roads of Western New York, painting the unnoticed, the ignored and the unappreciated.

Their show titled, "CAUTION! -- Men Working -- paintings by the All Weather Gang," will be held at the Richmond Memorial Library during the month of October.

A reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., Monday, Oct. 7.

Batavian Kevin Feary and former Batavian Bill Mancuso are also "Gang" members participating in the show. A book entitled "The All Weather Gang" written by Mancuso is in the library's collection.

The library is located at 19 Ross St. in the City of Batavia.