batavia

John Deleo and Kathy Briggs had one word for those who think the City of Batavia should invest in its future: No.

On a pair of resolutions aimed at improving the quality of life and business climate in Batavia, Deleo and Briggs steadfast stalwarts in opposition, decried the expenditure of public money on the projects.

Each resolution passed by votes of 7-2.

The resolutions passed by the council extend the economic development services agreement for two years with Batavia Development Corp. and provide Vibrant Batavia with two years to become self-sustaining.

There was one growth-related measure that garnered yes votes from Deleo and Briggs. Deleo made a motion, seconded by Briggs, to eliminate the assistant city manager position.

The motion failed 2-7.

Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian, outspoken as always, extolled the virtues of economic development and the work of Vibrant Batavia.

"We need all the development we can get," Christian said. "We need all the revenue, we need the sales base, we need everything we can get. We need everything working this year at this time because if we don't go forward, we're going to go backwards. We're going to be in a hole and we're never going to get out."

Prior to the meeting, council members received a memo from City Manager Jason Molino called "Budget Sustainability," which made the case for the city investing in economic development and neighborhoods.

For the past several weeks, budget discussions have been dominated by voices advocating for slashing in the three areas of city spending intended to help the city grow: The assistant city manager position, the BDC and Vibrant Batavia.

Molino's memo argued that without investment in growth, Batavia will be doomed to decline.

"Public revenue needs an employed community, so the right question is not necessarily where should we be trimming the City workforce budget, but rather, the right question is: Are City resources optimally structured to reposition Batavia as a great place to raise a family, start and operate a profitable business, and in general, appeal to families," wrote Molino.

Pierluigi Cipollone, a small businessman, argued in favor of investment over retrenchment. 

"We've got to make an investment," Cipollone said. "Mr. Molino sent out a memo talking to the revenue side of the profit and loss of the balance sheet. We need to invest to get what we want for Batavia. In the old days, we had civic groups that did a lot of what we want, but those civic groups have gone away for the most part. We need to get some of that back. When the pride returns, businesses will return."

Deleo said that he was both being responsive to his constituents and standing by the cost-cutting promises of his campaign by opposing the growth initiatives. 

It's not the job of government, he said, to invest in economic development.

"We're going to be leaner," Deleo said. "We're not going to reach into the pockets of our poor senior residents."

Briggs said she attended last week's annual luncheon for Genesee County Economic Development Center and came away impressed by the economic development efforts of the local agency.

"They're bringing business into the county, and Batavia is part of Genesee County," Briggs said. "I'm like, OK, GCEDC seems to be on track. That's what I gathered from that meeting. We do have somebody who is going to do the job of economic development, GCEDC."

Other council members pointed out that the focus of GCEDC is something that is completely different from the BDC. The BDC is focused on the city, which includes mostly brownfield development demands. GCEDC handles the entire county and most of its developments are greenfields outside of city limits.

Briggs also mentioned that the city is served by the Business Improvement District, but Councilman John Canale pointed out that BID works strictly Downtown, whereas the BDC serves the entire city.

The funding approved for Vibrant Batavia -- $45,000 for one year and a smaller amount in year two -- also comes from a different pot of money than originally proposed. Rather than being drawn from reserve funding, a portion of the city's revenue share from Batavia Downs will be used to back the nascent community booster group.

The group will also be asked to pay for a new $10,000 slide in Austin Park by donating $5,000 back to the city and raising the remaining $5,000.

While the resolutions for the BDC and Vibrant Batavia assume two-year commitments for the city, Molino, upon questioning by council members, said the council will have the option to reduce or eliminate funding next year by passing another resolution.

Press release:

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Alpina NBA All-Stars Yogurt is sold in select regional and independent retailers including A&P, Pathmark, Waldbaum's, Super Fresh, The Food Emporium, ShopRite, Shaw's, and Lowe's Markets.

Alpina Foods manufactures a variety of dairy products available in retailers throughout the United States, including Shaw's, Wegmans Food Markets, ShopRite, Duane Reade, Western Beef, and other national, regional, and independent food retailers. For a full list of retailers, visit www.alpinaus.com.

UPDATE: In response to our question, a spokeswoman for Alpina says the new product will be manufactured at the Batavia plant, and, there's another new product announcement coming later this month.

Eric Raymond Westermeier, 27, of Alleghany Road, Darien, is charged with felony driving while ability impaired by combined drugs and alcohol, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation and unlawful possession of marijuana. Westermeier was arrested following an investigation by Deputy Chad Cummings into a vehicle off the road at 10:11 p.m. Sunday on Erie Street, Darien Center.

Timothy O. Lee, 34, of Erie Street, Le Roy, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and speeding. Lee was arrested following a traffic stop in the Village of Le Roy. He was allegedly found in possession of cocaine.

Terry L. Travis Jr., 32, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, is charged with resisting arrest, criminal obstruction of breathing, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful imprisonment. Travis was allegedly involved in a domestic incident at 11:30 p.m. Saturday. He was jailed on $3,000 bail.

Jessica L. Ford, 24, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Ford allegedly violated an order of protection by contacting the protected party. Ford was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Dale E. Banfield, 53, of Chestnut Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal tampering and resisting arrest. During a supervised property exchange, Banfield allegedly became verbally abusive toward the other party and grabbed the drawer from a nightstand and threw the contents across the room. As officers attempted to arrest Banfield, he allegedly pushed the officers and attempted to tackle one of them. After a brief struggle, Banfield was subdued and taken into custody. He was jailed on $5,000 cash bail or $1,000 bond.

Donna Marie Kroft, 61, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Kroft allegedly stole groceries and other items from Tops Market by concealing the items in her purse and inside her coat.

Michael L. Williams, 35, no permanent address, is charged with criminal contempt, assault, 3rd, and aggravated criminal contempt. Williams was arrested on a warrant for the listed charges. He was reportedly found by Batavia PD officers hiding in a stairwell at a residence on Jackson Street, Batavia. He was jailed without bail.

Linda B. Gratton, 66, of Downer Street, Baldwinsville, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on an aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, charge. Gratton turned herself in. She posted $500 police bail.

Kristen S. Buchholz, 32, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and disorderly conduct. Buchholz was allegedly involved in a verbal dispute with administrators at Batavia Middle School. She was jailed on $100 bail.

Marcos A. Torres, 32, of Cherry Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful imprisonment, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. Torres was allegedly involved in a domestic incident. He was jailed on $2,500 bail or $5,000 bond.

Cheryl A. Kowalik, 54, of Alexander Road, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on an issuing a bad check charge. Kowalik turned herself in to Batavia PD and posted $500 bail.

Bradley W. Howard, 24, of Honeysette Road, Mayville, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a DWI charge. Howard turned himself in to Batavia PD and was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Stephen Gary Hall, 69, of Murray Street, Mt. Morris, is charged with possession of more than 400 untaxed cigarettes. Hall was stopped for an alleged traffic violation at 11:16 a.m. Friday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Also charged were Bernard Leonard Brock, 65, of Hopkins Street, Mt. Morris, and Edith May Donohue, 74, of Columbus Avenue, Mt. Morris.

Victoria Joanne Supple, 42, of Stroh Road, Attica, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, refusal to take breath test and failure to keep right. Supple was stopped at 2:03 a.m. Saturday on Buffalo Street, Alexander, by Deputy Andrew Hale.

Darien Lamont Anderson, 20, of Egret Drive, Henrietta, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Anderson was charged following an investigation by Deputy Chad Commings at 7:11 p.m. Saturday into a vehicle pulled off the road on Route 33, Bergen.

Lauren E. Scalzo, 19, of Bergen, and two 17-year-olds, were charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The arrests were made by State Police at 1:30 p.m. Sunday on Sumner Road, Darien.

Marco A. Hernandez, 21, of Stafford, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and unlawful possession of marijuana. Hernandez was stopped at 6:28 p.m. Sunday on Route 98, Batavia, by State Police.

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Two Batavia High School athletes competed in the state indoor track championships this weekend. Devon Koepp (pictured) finished sixth in the weight throw with a distance of 58' 8" (He is the Section V record holder at 60' 5.") and Kaylee Cassidy finished sixth in the 1,600 medley.

In a world of infinite possibilities, there are an infinite number of ways the Batavia Blue Devils basketball team could have won its Class A2 Section V championship game Sunday evening at Blue Cross Arena.

A three-pointer from Jeff Redband could have dropped rather than rim out. A pass following a steal from Greg Mruzcek to Redband could have hit its target rather than skipping out of bounds. A 35-footer from a School of the Arts guard doesn't swoosh in as the shot clock winds down. One more layup, one more put back, one more backdoor cut, just one more of something positive could have turned the game around.

The one reality, though, is School of Arts won 45-36.

The Silver Eagles won not just because of a few bad breaks for the Blue Devils, nor because Batavia failed to execute on some of its basketball fundamentals. They won because they're a good team.

For the Eagles, Sergio Alicea sliced up the defense with his speed, deft ball handling and smooth shooting stroke. His 14 points were the product of three threes and a dunk that didn't seem possible from the 5'8" guard until he did it.

Christian Simmons, the tournament MVP, added 12 points, hitting five of eight from the field.

The Silver Eagles kept Batavia's offense off balance by switching up its defense, moving quickly to the ball and closing passing lanes.

"Give them credit," Head Coach Buddy Brasky said. "They went box and one to triangle and two to one three one and it kept us out of our rhythm. We didn't make very many good basketball plays. They key on Redband; they make everything tough on him and somebody else has to step up and we didn't get anybody else who stepped up."

The Blue Devils went into the half down 26 to 18, but Brasky told his team they could win it.

"We needed to have a quarter, the third quarter, which is normally our best quarter during the year where we kept them to single digits and we could get right back in the game," Brasky said. "We did that. We actually took the lead. I think it was 27-26, then they hit a three and then a three toward the buzzer. That to me was the key to the game. We had taken control of that game and then they scored six points. We went from up one to down five."

SOTA went the first seven minutes of the third quarter without a basket before hitting that pair of threes.

The Eagles then went on a run and opened up another big lead.

Batavia mistakes made things a little easier on SOTA.

The rebounding could have been better, Brasky said. The team worked on it in practice leading up to sectionals, knowing they would be playing more athletic teams. 

The passing could have been better. It's something the team works on all season --  fake the pass to make a pass, improve passing angles on the dribble, hit the open man more quickly while he still has an open look.

That meant, Brasky said, that the Blue Devils were forced to take more forced shots as time expired on the shot clock.

"When you're playing a team like that, who's athletic and in the passing lanes, and they go for steals, they anticipate, you've got to do those types of things," Brasky said.

The mistakes add up.

"Jeff tried to do what he could, but it wasn't enough," Brasky said.

With his team falling behind and struggling, Redband stepped up his game in the 4th quarter, going coast-to-coast on several transitions and driving the line when teammates dished it to him or taking the open jumper when offered.

"We were down by nine or 10 and I wasn't going to go out not shooting and just being passive, so I just trying to do everything I could," Redband said. "I didn't play very good tonight, but I tried. I tried. At least I tried."

Actually, Redband scored a game-high 20 points and if a few things would have gone differently in the last couple of minutes, he would have scored more.

He, along with Jerrett Laskett, was named to the all-tournament team.

Redband was part of one of the special seasons in Blue Devils basketball history and he helped create some of the magic in 2013 when Batavia had a shot -- but came up short -- at a state title. A buzzer beater by Redband, among his first of the more than 1,000 varsity points he would score, is what sent Batavia to states.

Since then, Batavia has made it to the sectional title game twice, but hasn't been able to secure a win.

"I realize now I didn't truly appreciate winning a sectional my sophomore year," Redband said. "I realize now after losing finals two years in a row, that was something really special. I didn't really need to work for it at all my sophomore year, and I worked my butt off my junior and senior year and I realized how special it is to play here (Blue Cross Arena) and win sectionals."

Now, the university-bound Redband's high school career is over. It's a somber moment to contemplate.

"I love this team," Redband said. "High school basketball is just, it's like the greatest thing. I grew up with these guys, playing Junior Blue Devils, playing modified, all throughout, and it's crazy to think I'm never going to play with them again."

He also appreciated playing for Buddy Brasky.

"He's great," Redband said. "He motivates us. He's always willing to open up the gym any time of year. People see him yelling, but he's really like, he loves us. He really likes us as players, so I loved playing for him."

Brasky said at the beginning of the season, he thought this was a team that could win a sectional title. It should have won a sectional title. It was, he said, the best team in the bracket. It just didn't get the job done.

"I told them in the locker room, this is one of the most enjoyable teams I've ever coached because they were a true team," Brasky said. "Nobody cared who got the credit, nobody cared if they didn't play, everybody really cared about the team. A team like that should be rewarded, but you know, it's not always fair. In sports, one team wins, one team loses. They were a true team and they were really enjoyable to coach this year."

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Howard Zemsky was the keynote speaker Friday at the Genesee County Economic Development Center's annual meeting, which was held at Batavia Downs this year. He is acting president, CEO and commissioner of Empire State Development, New York’s economic development agency.

Some 300 people attended, including business and economic development leaders from Erie and Monroe counties.

Zemsky's primary message was that Gov. Andrew Cuomo fully supports economic development in Upstate, in Genesee County and is particularly bullish on the STAMP project.

"We're all in," Zemsky said. "We love what you're doing. It's extremely impressive. I couldn't be more proud of what you have accomplished, and your vision and your commitment and your collaboration on your strategic approach. The governor is all in on what you're doing and is very excited about it."

He noted that Brooklyn is undergoing a renaissance, driven by people like his 22-year-old son who now think urban areas such as Brooklyn are the place to be. If Brooklyn can experience a turnaround, so can Batavia, he said.

"I'll tell you this, if Brooklyn can become cool, Batavia can become the center of the next generation of chip fabrication. Period. End of discussion," Zemsky said. "Because compared to Brooklyn being cool, Batavia being center of a high-tech world is a relative layup."

GCEDC Steve Hyde also provided his annual update on the progress of the GCEDC over the past year and the projects it continues to work on, such as STAMP and the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park.

A motor-vehicle accident, unknown injuries, is reported in front of Miss Batavia Diner, 566 E. Main St. It's in the turning lane. City fire and Mercy medics responding.

It takes money to run a city, and economic growth is what allows a city to provide services for its resident, City Manager Jason Molino believes.

As the City Council wraps up its 2015-16 spending review, Molino is hoping council members will take some time for a serious and in-depth discussion of the revenue side of the budget picture.

"The revenue side of the budget needs focus and we need to understand how to grow that so we enhance and sustain the local economy so that we can provide quality services to residents," Molino said in an interview today. "To sustain a budget we need to ensure a consistent and steady revenue stream. This means the tax base is growing and people have more disposable income."

Molino has written a memo for council members titled "Budget Sustainability (pdf)." It lays out the case for ensuring the city takes steps to improve the economic health of Batavia.

The budget discussion so far has focused mainly on cost containment. The council has taken little time to focus on revenue, Molino says in the memo, but the reason the budget reflects a $250,000 reduction in spending isn't because of cost containment goals. It's because of anticipated declines in revenue.  The city is being forced by local economics to cut spending.

That should give council pause as it considers how to handle programs meant to improve the economic vitality of Batavia, such as the Batavia Development Corp. and Vibrant Batavia.

"Public revenue needs an employed community, so the right question is not necessarily where should we be trimming the City workforce budget, but rather, the right question is: Are City resources optimally structured to reposition Batavia as a great place to raise a family, start and operate a profitable business, and in general, appeal to families," Molino writes in the memo.

There are troubling signs in Batavia's economic outlook, Molino notes.

• The city's taxable assessed value of property is not growing;
• Median family income is below average and poverty is high, according to Moody's Investor Services;
• Three of the city's six census blocks are classified "highly distressed areas";
• Five of the city's six census blocks are deemed "low-income."

"A balanced approach to the city budget needs to include strong initiatives that will provide cost containment, but also strategic direction that will improve the quality of life," Molino writes. "Growth in the tax base and resident income are the lifeblood to supporting municipal services, as well as improved quality of life for City residents. All of our focus must be on retaining our households and repositioning Batavia in the coming years to attract more households and businesses."

There are those who believe it's not the role of government to "create jobs" or focus on economic growth. Molino disagrees.

"If you look at the past 10 years, the amount of economic growth, the big job growth, has been the result of public-private partnerships," Molino said. "The ag park, seven years in the making, is the first industrial development in Genesee County in the last 50 years. That came about because of cooperation between the city, county and town, all of us working together."

A local government that is focused on streamlining the process and marketing a community's assets is going to have more success than one that doesn't, Molino said.

"I think the attitude needs to be what are the reasons we should be doing this and not what are the reasons we shouldn't be doing it," Molino said. "It's the responsibility of a municipal government to reposition the community. If you're completely absent from funding economic growth, the community is going to be absent from opportunities for economic growth."

The city's budget is roughly $16 million and that spending, which provides all of the municipal services residents have come to expect from their local government, is entirely dependent on how well the local economy does. Without investment, not only is growth difficult, but a precipitous decline is a real possibility.

While there's no portion of the property tax levy going into funding Vibrant Batavia or the Batavia Development Corp., the amount of money needed to keep those growth projects going is less than 2 percent of the city's planned spending.

"Sure, we can reduce spending by another 10 percent, but if you don't have a vibrant community and a vibrant business base, all you're going to have is a more depressed Batavia with less capacity to provide services to residents," Molino said.

If you've downloaded the Reacht App for your smart phone, at some point within the next day, we'll ask you this poll question: Should the city fund economic growth initiatives? To download the app, click here. Those who download it will be eiligible for a chance to win a $5 gift card from Southside Deli.

Janet Marie Knauss, 49, of Alpine Lane, Caledonia, is charged with grand larceny, 4th, falsifying business records, 1st, and conspiracy, 5th. Knauss, along with Carol Ann Knauss, 26, of Main Road, Stafford, and Arthur Roy Knauss, 52, of Alpine Lane, Caledonia, are accused of working together to steal from Target. At different dates and times, Janet Knauss allegedly entered false discounts, voided transactions and bagged items that were not scanned so they could be stolen while working as a cashier at the store. The total value of items allegedly stolen exceeds $1,400. Carol Knauss, who was also a cashier at Target, is charged with falsifying business records, petit larceny and conspiracy, 6th. Arthur Knauss is charged with conspiracy, 6th, and petit larceny. The case was first reported in January and investigated by Deputy James Diehl.

Frank Ludwig, 65, of Oakfield, is charged with forcible touching. State Police arrested Ludwig for allegedly having unwanted physical contact with a family member.

Jordon N. Odom, 18, of Stafford, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and criminal mischief, 4th. Odom is accused of striking a family member during an argument and then taking the family member's mobile phone in order to prevent the person from calling law enforcement. He later reportedly gave the phone back. Odom was jailed on $250 bail.

Nicholas T. Stock, 25, of Batavia, Dylan J. Perry, 23, Batavia, and Grayson C. Stock, 23, of Oakfield, are each charged with petit larceny. All three are accused of shoplifting from Walmart. Nicholas Stock and Perry are accused of trying to steal four boxes of Crest White Strips worth $234.96. Grayson Stock is accused of stealing Allegra allergy medicine worth $71.98.

A 16-year-old resident of Byron Holley Road, Byron, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The youth is accused of giving an electronic cigarette to a juvenile, which caused "substantial medical distress" for the juvenile.

Dennis Ray Lloyd, 33, of Summit Street, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, assault, 3rd, and criminal obstruction of breathing. Lloyd was arrested following the report of a domestic dispute at a location on Porter Avenue at 10:30 a.m., Feb. 26.

Rachell O. Soggs, 27, of Bank Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a petit larceny charge. Soggs turned herself in after allegedly failing to appear for a presentencing interview ith Probation. She posted $500 police bail and was released.

Robert D. Cook, 35, of Attica Road, Darien Center, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a suspended/revoked registration charge. Cook turned himself in and was released on $200 bail.

Charles H. Wroten, 54, of Buell Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear at the Genesee County Jail for his intermittent incarceration stemming from a third-degree assault conviction. Wroten was located by Probation, assisted by Batavia PD, and released on his own recognizance after being issued an appearance ticket.

Kerrilynn A. McDermott, 34, of Denio Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. McDermott is accused of throwing an iPad at another person and striking that person in the face.

Jennifer A. Way, 35, of Linwood Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and driving without lights on. Way was stopped at 2:12 a.m. Saturday on West Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk.

Heidi Ann Marie Pahl, 41, of Kibbe Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to keep right. Pahl was arrested following a report of a vehicle in a ditch on Genesee Street, Pembroke, at 9:27 p.m. on Sunday, which was investigated by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Beth Ann Collins, 47, of Lakeport Road, Chittenango, is charged with possession of more than 400 untaxed cigarettes and speeding in zone. Collins was stopped at 11:27 a.m. Monday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Genesee County will have four teams playing for Section V championships in their respective classes this weekend.

Elba's Lady Lancers plays Jasper-Troupsburg for the Class D1 crown at Letchworth at 8 p.m., Friday. Elba beat Arkport last night 68-36.

Byron-Bergen's Lady Bees take on Mynderse at 1 p.m., Saturday, at Rush Henrietta after winning last night 42-38 over Gananda.

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame take on Genesee Valley in the boys Class D1 championship at 7:15 p.m., Saturday, at Blue Cross Arena. Notre Dame beat Mt. Morris 62-45 to advance. Head Coach Mike Rapone asked that fans be advised that officials are going to clear out the stands at Blue Cross Arena following the completion of the 4:15 p.m. game Saturday. Doors will open for the 7:15 game at 6:45 p.m.

The Batavia Blue Devils go for the Class A2 title at 5 p.m., Sunday, against School of the Arts at Blue Cross Arena. (Click here for coverage of their semi-final game). 

The size and speed of Pittsford-Mendon caught up with the Lady Blue Devils in the 4th quarter of their Class B1 Section V semi-final game in Penfield on Wednesday night.

Batavia was outscored 20-11 in the 4th quarter after being held to seven in the third.

"Mendon's girls play defense," said Head Coach Marty Hein. "They know where the screens are going to happen. They get around the screens. It's a totally different level of basketball IQ. They're a well-coached team. They've got a great program, a great feeder program. We weren't getting the same looks we get against other teams. It was a lot more difficult."

The final score was 57-43.

Even as she was constantly harassed and hurried, dogged by defenders and given few opportunities to score, Tiara Filbert still managed six field goals and 16 points on the night, making her the game's high scorer.

Batavia's other scorer, Maddie McCulley hit four field goals and had 13 points.

Significantly, neither girl managed a three-point bucket.

Sam Cecere was held to eight points.

Hein said his team would have benefitted by being a little more patient on offense, setting up more open looks for their scorers.

"I think I'd almost rather have taken 30-second shot clock violations than some of the choices we made offensively, but pressure does that to you," Hein said.

It was a great run for the Lady Devils, which is still a young team. Only three players will graduate off the team. The nucleus is all returners, including Filbert, McCulley, Cecere and Taylor Stefaniak, a freshman who played her way into a starting role over the course of the season and shows a lot of promise as a guard, playmaker and gutsy leader.

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Basketball, when played pure and sweet, is five guys on the court coordinated in a single purpose. It's a team game. Wednesday, the Batavia Blue Devils played as a team to pull away from College Prep in the second half to pull off a 58-48 win in the Section V Class A2 Semi-Final at Blue Cross Arena.

Nerves may have gotten to the Blue Devils in the first half, when they played College Prep even through all 16 minutes and finished the half in a 21-21 tie.

"It was a very hard fought game," said Head Coach Buddy Brasky. "No matter how many times you're here, it's hard the next year the first time you come back. It's the big arena. It's the big stage. I thought we played very tentative early, the entire first half. I thought we were more like a deer in headlights, to be quite honest with you. I got after them a little bit at halftime and asked them to forget where we're playing. 'You've been playing the game your whole life. Just play.' "

Play they did. Jeff Redband, harassed on the perimeter by a swarming defense in the first two quarters, started driving the lane. Trevor Sherwood distributed the ball well, frequently finding Malachi Chenault under the board. Greg Mruzcek disrupted on defense and grabbed rebounds. Jerrett Laskett was a motivational spark throughout the game and was a big reason Batavia was even still in the game in the second half.

"He stepped up big time and that's what seniors are supposed to do," Brasky said. "You know, they're boxing and oneing Jeff. He can barely gets a look and when he gets them. He's got to rush them, so he couldn't get in any kind of a rhythm, and Jerrett just made big plays and hit big shot after big shot. You're right, we wouldn't be standing here talking right now if it was for Jerrett."

Laskett finished with 17 points, two assists, two steals and three rebounds. He was 3-5 on three-point attempts.

Redband led the game with 24 points, going 3-8 from beyond the arch. He had 13 defensive rebounds (14 total) to go along with three blocked shots and a rebound.

Chenault has been coming on strong the past few weeks and scored 11 points, several of them on offensive put backs.

"He's been here before and he knows what it takes," Brasky said. "He was in some foul trouble, but he got some put backs and that was just huge."

Before the game, Brasky told Mruzcek he would need his biggest rebounding performance of the season, and so Mruzcek delivered.

"Greg will do whatever I ask him to do," Brasky said. Greg does not care about anything else except for winning. That's all he cares about. If I were tell him to run down the court backwards the whole game, he would do it, and he wouldn't question me. He would just do it. Yes, Greg was huge, his defense and his rebounding and his physicality. He's been doing that stuff for us all year. He doesn't get a lot of notoriety, but he's a huge part of our success."

In the post-game interview, the first words from Redband, who scored his 1,000th career point in the 4th quarter, were praise for his teammates. 

"All I know Jerret and Malachi played their butts off tonight," Redband said. "They played so good, they played so tough, they rose to the occasion. That was a good team that we just beat right there. We had to fight through a lot of obstacles throughout the game. It was a good win."

Laskett, Redband said, was the difference in the first half.

"He was amazing tonight," Redband said. "He kept us in the game when everybody else was perhaps a little bit nervous, or we were just a little bit thrown off by their defense or something, but he kept us in the game and let everybody else get going. That was big tonight."

The senior guard was clearly fired up from the opening tip off.

"I knew this could be my last time playing basketball," Laskett said. "That's it. It's win or go home."

As for Redband, he played varsity for only a few games his sophomore year and was a starter for only his junior and senior year. At the start of the season, he didn't give himself much of a shot at reaching 1,000 points.

He was surprised when he heard the PA announcement in the 4th quarter.

"I didn't even know I was close to be honest," Redband said. "I thought I needed another hundred.
Just to be on that 1,000-point list is just amazing. I didn't think I would get there. It means a lot that I got it."

The next step, a sectional title, will be tough, but Redband thinks the team has it in them to pull it off.

"We've got to keep going doing what we did all year," Redband said. "We can't get nervous. We can't just be robots out there. We've got to make basketball plays. I feel like we did better towards the end of the game driving and dishing to people who were open. Trevor did some good moves and got Malachi open. We were just doing better basketball plays. We've got to keep doing that."

Batavia (18-2) plays School of the Arts (19-2) at 5 p.m., Sunday, at Blue Cross Arena, for the Section V Class A2 championship.

Several of the Batavia players were part of the football team this past season that won a sectional title and advanced to the regional final. They're aware, Brasky said, that they have a chance to be part of history -- the first players in school history with championships in both football and basketball in the same year.

That championship experience is also an advantage for the players, Brasky said.

"I think that helped in the second half," Brasky said. "You're right, they've been to this stage. They've succeeded on this stage, in a different sport, but it carries over. We fell behind. We weren't playing very well, but they didn't panic. They're winners. It goes hand in hand." 

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The sign in the window at the former Payless ShoeSource location on West Main Street at Valu Plaza tells it the location will soon become a laundromat.

Press release:

City of Batavia Water Department is repairing a water main break on Union Street this morning. Water service on Union Street between Union Square and Oak Street will be affected until repairs are completed.

A former truck driver was found guilty by a federal jury in Buffalo today on all counts in an indictment charging him with transportation of minors with the intent to have sex, announced U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr., of the Western District of New York.

David Allen Vickers, 50, was found guilty of transporting two minors in interstate commerce with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. According to evidence introduced at trial, the defendant, an over the road truck driver, transported two victims to Canada, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and repeatedly abused and molested them while he was making deliveries, according to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron J. Mango and Elizabeth R. Moellering.

This abuse occurred in the time frame of 1999 to 2007.

“That this defendant continuously abused numerous children over almost a quarter of a century makes him one of the area’s most prolific and dangerous abusers we have convicted,” said U.S. Attorney Hochul. “Thanks to the courage of four of the victims who testified, today’s verdicts mean that this defendant will never again harm another child.”

He is the brother of convicted child molester and former Batavia resident Sean M. Vickers. Media coverage of Sean's arrest in 2013 prompted other victims to come forward and led to the investigation of David.

Both brothers were investigated for sexual abuse of minors in multiple jurisdictions going back as long as 30 years ago.

Last September, Judge Robert C. Noonan sentenced Sean, who is in his mid-40s, to 107 years in state prison after a jury found him guilty of two counts of sodomy in the first degree, two counts of criminal sexual act in the first degree and sexual abuse in the first degree.

David's trial evidence also disclosed that the defendant abused other children, with the first abuse beginning in 1983. This pattern of abuse included extensive psychological manipulation of the victims (sometimes referred to as “grooming”), and was facilitated through the defendant’s projection of benevolence to the victims’ families. The defendant also established and operated a bed and breakfast on Seneca Lake, “Paradise on the Lake,” to which he took the eventual victims in an effort to manipulate and gain their trust. The defendant also gave the victims alcohol, cigarettes, toys, and access to ATVs.

The defendant’s cover was so successful, in fact, that both of the victims named in the Indictment had at one time been assigned to the custody of the defendant by a Family Court Judge.

The sentencing is scheduled for June 24, 2015. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, or both.

The trial was the culmination of an investigation on the part of Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation under the direction of Brian P. Boetig, Special Agent in Charge, and the Batavia City Police Department under the direction of Chief Shawn Heubusch. The evidence was presented to the jury by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mango and Moellering. The case was heard by United States District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara.

At one time, Mark Maltese was a model citizen, his attorney David Pilato told Judge Robert C. Noonan this morning before Maltese was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The 44-year-old Batavia resident had a couple of driving under the influence arrests, but otherwise never had any contact with the law until he decided to start robbing and burglarizing local businesses in order to feed a recently acquired cocaine addiction.

He was educated, employed, a father and a son who grew up loving football and caring about his family, Pilato said.

"His addiction is not an excuse for his behavior," Pilato said. "It explains his behavior."

Noonan said, even so, the crimes committed by Maltese, which he was convicted of at a jury trial in January, were "among the most violent crimes in our criminal justice system" and deserved a significant prison term.

The 15-year sentences were handed down on Maltese's conviction of robbery in the 2nd degree.

The armed robberies were committed over a few days period in November 2013 at the Best Western on Park Road, the 7-Eleven in Oakfield, and the Days Inn on Noonan Drive, Batavia.

Maltese was captured after burglarizing Rent-A-Center days after the Days Inn robbery.

The two 15-year sentences were imposed concurrently, as were the series of two-and-one-third to seven-year sentences for his convictions on burglary, 3rd, criminal mischief, 2nd, and grand larceny, 3rd.

Also in court today: Robert W. Plantiko Jr., 29, of Thorpe Street, Batavia, who entered a plea in January to criminal possession of a weapon, 2nd, was sentenced to two to four years in prison. The conviction stems from a Sept. 5 incident on Thorpe Street that led to charges of burglary, 1st, robbery, 1st, menacing, 2nd, assault, 3rd, and criminal mischief.

City firefighters are at the Taco Bell on West Main Street after an electrical outlet was found smoking following a water leak.

UPDATE 9:43 a.m.: An electrical problem was found and will be handled by an electrician.

From Matt Worth, city superintendent of Water / Wastewater:

Over the past week there has been a few reports of frozen water services in the City, the area of Oak Street and Clifton Avenue in particular. Any residents who might have shallow water service or have had an issue in the past should consider running a “trickle” of water in one faucet until temperatures moderate for a few days to avoid freezing. A stream of water smaller than a pencil will typically prevent any freezing.

At least one Downtown business owner doesn't think the city is doing enough to address snow removal and he's not convinced the city cares.

Snow piled up on sidewalks and in parking lots costs bars, restaurants and retail shops money, said Derek Geib, owner of Bourbon & Burger Co. on Jackson Street, and the city loses sales tax revenue.

He thinks the city could be more aggressive about finding a solution.

Geib, along with other business owners, met with city officials earlier this winter and were told city work crews act as quickly as possible to remove snow, but there's only so many workers and so many hours they can work.

That isn't a good enough answer, Geib said.

"Accepting this as just the way it is is not an option," Geib said. "It is directly affecting just about every business Downtown. It needs to be addressed and something needs to be proposed as a solution. Reallocate BID funds, raise taxes, cut something else. Jason (City Manager Jason Molino) needs to sit down and address this. That's my only request. We can't just 'deal with it.' This is 2015. I'm sure someone has some solution somewhere."

Molino said, actually, snow pile-up this winter is something every municipality in the Northeast is dealing with this winter.

Unrelenting cold, near record snowfall, and storms spread out at a pace that keeps workers tied up and makes it impossible to keep up with the mounds of frozen water.

"This February has absolutely been challenging to say the least when it comes to snow removal," Molino said. "From Buffalo to Boston, everyone is having the same conversation. It's not just us with this problem. It's the circumstances of the type of weather we're having, and now we're about to get hammered with another snow and ice event, which means our guys will be out far into the night and perhaps into the morning, which means they're not going to be removing snow tomorrow."

The "not enough workers" answers isn't a good one, Geib said.

"We shouldn't as a city accept that things are just the way they are," Geib said. "If there aren't enough employees to actually do the task at hand then people should be made aware of that and budgets should be adjusted. If garbage wasn't getting picked up, it would be an issue. Snow removal is no different. There is a solution, but the City Manager has to recognize there is a problem first."

Molino said he does recognize there's an issue, but without unlimited resources, there's only so much the city can do.

"I understand and sympathize with the frustration business owners feel over snow accumulation," Molino said. "When there's manpower available, we remove the snow from the parking lots and then from the sidewalks. We do the best we can with the manpower we have."

This has been an incredibly difficult and challenging winter for the city's DPW and Water Department workers, as it has been for municipal employees throughout New York, he said.

The constant use of snow-removal equipment also puts a strain on city resources because inevitably, equipment breaks down and needs to be repaired, Molino said.

Under the circumstances, he said, he thinks they've done an incredible job.

Batavia has also been plagued by a series of water line breaks. Typically, those are handled by the Water Department, but the night of the River Street break, Water Department employees were already out helping with plowing and salting, and with the break, the city's already overextended DPW workers had to help with that nasty and complicated break.

"They went from plowing roads to jumping into a water-filled hole on the coldest night of the year," Molino said. "We've had a series of water line breaks in very poor weather and some of these have been large, deep digs that make the job very challenging. Throw on top of that, sub-zero weather, that makes the job very challenging."