Vincent Di Risio hit his first grand slam home run Saturday in a 10-and-under Little League All-Star game against Le Roy. Batavia won 12-1.
I saw this on Facebook and asked Leanna Di Risio for a copy so we could post it on The Batavian as well.
A car vs. motorcycle accident is reported on Cedar Street near Ellicott Street. A law enforcement officer on scene says the motorcycle rider is "up and walking around." City fire is on scene and Mercy medics are responding.
This is the fifth in a series of articles about the other communities, located east of the Rocky Mountains, that are named “Batavia.” This one is about Batavia, Wisconsin, an unincorporated collection of houses and other buildings southwest of Sheboygan in Sheboygan County.
Local historians regard 1851 as the year in which Batavia, Wis., was founded, although there appear to have been settlers beginning in 1846. They claim that the name originated from the many early settlers who came from near Batavia, N.Y. However, unlike other communities, the process by which this naming came about is not recorded.
Batavia, Wis., grew into a fair-sized village. By 1900, there were two dry good stores, one furniture store, one hardware store, a carriage and wagon factory, a hotel, a dance hall, two blacksmith shops, a tin shop, a boot and shoe store, two churches, two schools, a sawmill, a grist mill, a cheese factory, an undertaker, a seamstress, a cigar factory, an egg flume (egg-shaped water conduit), an ice house, and a butcher shop.
Over time, this Batavia shrunk to the status of a hamlet. The one remaining school, an elementary school, had recently closed as of 2013. Most of the businesses and other enterprises listed above are gone. Nevertheless, the homes are generally well kept and the residents, who now generally find employment in other communities, appear to be reasonably prosperous.
However, for the most part, Batavia, Wis., is one of those places where, if you blink, you’ll miss it. Although there are two or three side streets, the community mainly consists of a single main street. One descends a grade to a small creek, Batavia Creek, and then ascends another grade while leaving town.
A car vs. motorcycle wreck with injuries is reported at 3904 Pearl Street Road. Town of Batavia fire and Mercy medics are responding.
UPDATE 12:59 p.m.: Mercy Flight is on ground standby at the Batavia hangar. The location of the accident is between Donohue Road and Treadeasy Avenue.
UPDATE 1:09 p.m.: Mercy medics are transporting one patient to the hangar. A second ambulance is called to the scene.
UPDATE 1:12 p.m.: The second ambulance is cancelled and the first rig will transport two patients to ECMC. Mercy Flight was cancelled.
UPDATE 2:45 p.m. (by Howard): According to Deputy Joseph Graff, it appears at this point in the investigation, that a Harley-Davidson and a Mercury Sable were both westbound on Route 33. The car slowed and proceeded to make a left-hand turn into a driveway and the motorcycle appears to have attempted to pass the car on the left. The driver of the motorcycle reportedly told deputies that the car had pulled to the shoulder before turning left. The car was turning into the driver's in-laws' residence and a neighbor said the driver had been to the residence many times. The motorcycle struck the driver's side front fender and sheared off the front bumper. It proceeded westbound into a drainage ditch on the southside of the road, struck a culvert and dislodged a piece of rebar that became caught on the bike's handlebars. The bike came to rest just inches short of a fire hydrant. The female passenger reportedly suffered a serious leg injury. The male driver reportedly asked to be a sign-off, but was transported to ECMC with his passenger as a precaution. The names of those involved have not yet been released.
Joseph Gottstine found four $1 coins in the front yard of his mother-in-law, Stacy Lynn Neureuther, Saturday afternoon. What makes them such a neat find, is three of them are silver dollars from the 1880s. One is a silver dollar from 1971.
Gottstine's metal detector tells him if the hunk of metal under the ground is likely a penny, nickel, dime, quarter or silver dollar. Neureuther's yard on Elm Street is apparently filled with coins, though Gottstine only dug out the dollars.
Neureuther is curious how the coins got there. The house was built in 1910. Could construction workers have lost them? Or did they just accumulate over time.
She looked up the value of the coins online and the 19th Century pieces may be worth about $65 apiece.
Gottstine said he took up the hobby of metal detecting about a year ago and this is probably his most exciting find yet.
A hit-and-run accident was just reported on West Main Street, Batavia.
The suspect vehicle is a Red RAV4 last seen southbound on River Street.
Batavia PD is on scene.
UPDATE 1 a.m.: The vehicle is said to have a trailer hitch and handicap Florida plates.
UPDATE 1:02 a.m.: Correction on the RAV4. The vehicle does not have Florida plates
UPDATE 1:10 a.m.: A vehicle has been stopped at Route 33 and Dewey Avenue.
UPDATE 1:18 a.m.: Another potental matching vehicle was found at another location in the area, but there's no damage and the engine is cold. It doesn't sound like the first vehicle is considered a suspect vehicle at this time.
It would be impossible to get better conditions for an outdoor music festival than the blue skies, mild temperature and gentle breeze we experienced in Batavia on Saturday.
Two stages jammed with tunes and hundreds of music fans turned out for the annual event.
Sue Cappiello Copp and Anne Crotzer were collecting donations in support of Paul Tydelski, a local business and music booster, who has been ill. The guitar, signed by Ramble musicians, was donated by Roxy's Music and will be given to Tydelski as a gift.
To purchase prints of photos, click here.
This is the fourth in a series of articles about the other communities, located east of the Rocky Mountains, that are named “Batavia.” This one is about Batavia, Illinois, an incorporated city of around 27,000 people located west of Chicago in Kane County.
The city is governed by a mayor and 14 aldermen. Batavia, Ill., in its very earliest days, was a small settlement known as “Head of the Big Woods.” It was renamed “Batavia” in 1841 by Judge Isaac Wilson when he became the postmaster. Wilson, who previously lived in West Middlebury, Wyoming County, N.Y., had immigrated to Illinois in 1835. Historians in Illinois believe he wanted to honor Batavia, N.Y., where he would have seen service as a judge.
Batavia, Ill., is a very prosperous outer suburb of Chicago. The median home value in 2008 was $329,800 which compares to only around $85,000 for Batavia, N.Y. The estimated median family income in 2008 was $103,445. One reason for its wealth is its proximity to the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
There is a variety of attractions for local residents and visitors alike. For example, the Fox River flows through the center of the community and there are numerous developments, including a performance center, that capitalize on this waterway. Batavia was once billed as “the windmill capital of the world” because of the number of windmill manufacturers in the city. Today, restored examples of the windmills are on display near the Government Center. Batavia also has a museum depicting local history that is situated in a restored train station.
A garage fire is reported in the city next to the residence at 12 Montclair Ave. Engine 11 and Ladder 15 are en route.
UPDATE 12:56 p.m.: Responders report smoke showing from a detached garage.
UPDATE 12:57 p.m.: The fire has gone to a second alarm.
UPDATE 12:59 p.m.: The Fast Team is called to the scene.
UPDATE 1:01 p.m.: All off-duty city fire personnel called to the scene along with Darien Fire Department. Town of Batavia fire is asked to stand by in the town's hall.
UPDATE 1:06 p.m.: Scene command reports the fire is knocked down. Alexander's Fast Team is called to respond non-emergency.
I was driving to Centennial Park on July 4th afternoon when we got the call for the fire in Bethany, so I didn't make Picnic in the Park until things were winding down.
I did get to meet Hiawatha and her owner Brian, which was fun, and I enjoyed some great Celtic music by Gan Ainm.
To purchase prints, click here.
UPDATE: Kathy Hochul at Picnic in the Park later in the day with Wayne Fuller. Photo sent to us by a third party, but originated with a member of Hochul's staff.
NOTE: You may be wondering why there are no pictures to go with Kathy Hochul's stop at the farmer's market. My camera was still set up for multiple exposures from last night's fireworks at the Muckdogs game. A fact I didn't discover until I got home. This also left me with no usable pictures from the Kiwanis 5K to benefit autism research.
Genesee County's former congressional representative, Kathy Hochul, now running for Lieutenant Governor, said she's been craving some brownie-stuffed cookies from the Batavia Downs Farmer's Market, so Hochul said she decided to get an early start on her campaign day and drive out to Batavia.
Hochul also bought strawberries and hand-crafted chocolate.
"It's a big state and I've got to go to all four corners, but I love Genesee County and I'll be out here as often as I can," Hochul said.
After terms as Erie County County Clerk and in the House of Representatives, Hochul worked for about 18 months for M&T Bank. It was a job she said she loved and still got her out into the community, but when Gov. Andrew Cuomo called and asked her to replace Robert Duffy on the election ticket, Hochul said she was tugged by the lure of representing people in New York again.
"I realized when the call came, there was a little bit of an emptiness, that I really wanted to get back and serve people in a more direct way, so I could not have been more thrilled than to have received the call and accept this honor and start running," Hochul said.
This, she said, is what she was meant to do.
"It's not something I pushed for at all," Hochul said. "When I think it about it, it just feels right, to be back out there meeting people all over this amazing state. I love my congressional district and I love representing Upstate New York, but the opportunity to go all over the state and meet new people and see them in their environments and businesses, I just feel like this is a calling. I've always thought public service is a calling. I'm so delighted to be back in the game."
As a candidate for reelection to Congress, Hochul had won over pretty much all of the gun rights groups, campaigning as a strong advocate for the Second Amendment. Now she's working for a man who has become the most reviled politician in New York by gun rights advocates. Hochul said she doesn't believe there is a contradiction in her position then or now.
Here's her full response to that question:
I believe there is a middle ground. I know many, many gun owners. I have family members who are marksmen and who are hunters and this is part of a culture up here and people need to understand that. There's no effort to remove guns from legitimate gun owners. I think there is sometimes a hysteria that's created, but people have to understand we respect the Second Amendment, but also there are many people who understand the need for background checks. As a county clerk, I like the fact that there are background checks performed, because there are people you don't want to have guns in their hands. They could do harm to fellow citizens. I believe there is an accommodation and I believe there is a reasonable approach. The extremes on one side or the other aren't going to agree with that, but that's how I've been my entire life in public service. There's a pragmatic middle ground and if people are willing to listen to each other, we'll get to the right answer. That's where I stand.
The stop at a farmer's market reminded her a lot of her term in Congress, she said, especially representing farmers.
"It reminds me so many tours of the farms and the struggles they face, when the weather's bad and there's a flood or a drought or there's army worms," Hochul said. "They're such resilient people and to know that I'll be in a position to promote their work in a new capacity as Lieutenant Governor working with Gov. Cuomo, it's going to be great."
Roadwork is scheduled during the week of July 14 for Union, South Jackson and Otis streets in the city.
Here are the details of street closings provided by the city Bureau of Maintenance:
UNION STREET
OTIS STREET
SOUTH JACKSON STREET
***For all roadwork weather delay dates will be the next available business day.
For questions, call Raymond Tourt, superindendant of the Bureau of Maintenance, Department of Public Works, City of Batavia:
Phone: 345-6400, option #1
FAX: 343-6199
e-mail: tourt@batavianewyork.com
Timothy Robert King, 23, of Otis Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. King is accused of stealing $361 from an employer in Le Roy.
Zachary Wayne Morlock, 22, of Gary Lane, Cheektowaga, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Morlock was stopped at 12:26 a.m. on Alleghany Road, Darien, by Deputy Joseph Corona.
Sherri Colleen Butler, 54, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Butler was arrested on a Town of Batavia Court bench warrant.
Jerald A. Shuler Jr., 52, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Shuler allegedly threatened to hit a roommate and threw a cup of coffee. Shuler was ordered to stay away from his roommate.
Lisa M. Sequerth, 44, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Sequerth is accused of sending an ex-boyfriend 34 unwanted text messages after previously being warned not to contact her ex-boyfriend.
A man already in custody after allegedly trying to flee from a deputy following a traffic stop has been arrested on a trio of City Court warrants containing more than a dozen criminal charges.
On the first warrant, James T. Saddler III, is charged with unlawful imprisonment, 1st, endangering the welfare of a child, assault, 3rd, menacing, 3rd, and menacing, 2nd. The charges stem from an alleged incident reported at 4 p.m. Nov. 21 on State St., Batavia. He is also charged with two counts of aggravated family offense.
Related to an alleged incident reported at 8:15 p.m. April 1 on Olyn Avenue, Batavia, Saddler is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful imprisonment, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd.
The third warrant covers endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of harassment second. The alleged incident was reported at 2:50 p.m. April 12 at a location on Olyn Avenue, Batavia.
Saddler was picked up just after midnight Wednesday following an attempted traffic stop by Deputy Joseph Corona on Park Road. Saddler allegedly tried to flee from Corona on foot. He is charged with criminal impersonation, 2nd, obstruction of governmental administration, 2nd, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, and driving with a suspended registration.
The Sheriff's Office listed Saddler's residence in Rochester. Batavia PD lists Saddler as "no permanent address" in Batavia.
The defendant is being held in Genesee County Jail without bail.
The Batavia Concert Band kicked off its 2014 summer season at Centennial Park this evening.
The season has been dedicated to the late Wayne A. Burilson, conductor, who died March 26 at age 37.
The guest conductor tonight was John Kresse.
Shows this year are scheduled for 7 p.m. in the park on July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30 (all Wednesdays).
The band will also play Friday, July 4, at GO ART!'s Picnic in the Park, which runs from noon to 5 p.m.
Speaking of Picnic in the Park and music, also performing are Stephanie Pietrzak, “America’s Polka Sweetheart,” at 1 p.m., and at 2:30 p.m. is “Trilogy,” a four-piece classic rock and roll band, followed at 4 p.m. by Gan Ainm, playing Irish and Irish American traditional music, led by John Ryan.
And speaking of live music in Batavia, the Ramble Music at Arts Festival is this Saturday in Jackson Square. The opening ceremony is at 11:15 a.m.
There was an open house this afternoon for the new mixed-use complex in Jackson Square.
The former Carr's Department Store Warehouse is now four apartments and a downstairs office space.
One of the apartments is already rented. Thermory, a company that installs thermo-treated wood decks, has moved into the office space.
The building was purchased by developer Paul Thompson and partners, who invested more than $500,000 of their own money as well as leveraged $115,000 in state grants to complete the conversion project.
Features of the building include exposed original beams, industrial-grade wood floors and brick walls.
Some of the shelter volunteers call him "Boyfriend," which tells you something about how "Foxer" has won the hearts of the people who care for him every day.
The white and brown pit bull is sweet, kind and gentle and gets along well with the other dogs and people he meets.
The only serious issue for Foxer these days seems to be a question of how much longer he's going to be confined at the Genesee County Animal Shelter.
Officially, he's "evidence."
Foxer, also known around the shelter as "Skully," is caught in a legal battle between his owner, Nina Kelso, and the government that is prosecuting her for allegedly mistreating him.
Kelso's case has been pending in Batavia City Court since Feb. 4 when she was charged with torturing or injuring an animal; failure to provide sustenance; and owning/harboring an unlicensed dog.
The 29-year-old Batavia resident had another court appearance scheduled last week, but as with her previous court appearances, her case was continued, so Foxer's fate remains unresolved.
According to Batavia's Animal Control Officer James Sheflin, Kelso won't sign Foxer over to the shelter so he can be adopted, and since Kelso's case is still pending, the shelter has no choice but to keep him confined.
He can't even go to a foster home because he's considered evidence. Until his status changes he has to remain in the supervision and custody of the shelter.
And he's getting a little stir crazy.
During those hours he's confined to his cage, Foxer doesn't do much other than spin in circles.
"In the kennel I think he gets a little bit of anxiety, but as you can see, as soon as he gets around humans he's happy and ready to go," Sheflin said. "I can't speak to how he was before we got him, whether he had a lot of human contact before, so I don't know if it's a separation-anxiety type thing."
Volunteer Brenda Cromwell said Foxer is walked daily and even gets a car ride from time to time, but still he spends about 23 hours a day in his cage.
Healthwise, he's doing much better. When he first came into the shelter (see picture below), he weighed 49 pounds. Today, he weighs 75 pounds.
He was treated by a vet for gastroenteritis.
"He is food-obsessed and looks forward, anxiously, to his next meal," Cromwell said.
Another dog brought to the shelter a couple of weeks before Foxer was Nessa, owned by Lauren K. Pellegrino. Pellegrino's case, like Kelso's, is still pending, so Nessa remains confined to the shelter, but has adjusted to shelter life better than Foxer. Nessa displays no anxiety issues, but is as comfortable and happy around people as Foxer.
Photo of Foxer taken Feb. 4.
Nessa, above, today, and below, when she was first brought to the shelter.
A two-car accident is reported on East Main Street and the vehicles involved are now in the west parking lot of Oliver's Candies. A 12-year-old reportedly has a head injury. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.
UPDATE 2:40 p.m.: This was a fender-bender. No one was transported. Responders clearing the scene. One person complained of pain, but waived medical treatment.
Photos and story by City Historian Larry D. Barnes.
This is the second in a series of articles about the other communities, located east of the Rocky Mountains, that are named “Batavia.” This one is about Batavia, Ohio, an incorporated village of around 1,500 people located east of nearby Cincinnati in Clermont County, Ohio. The village is governed by a mayor and six-member village council.
George Ely is regarded as the founder of Batavia, Ohio. The community was laid out in 1814 by David Bryan and George Ely on land owned by Ely. Bryan was County Clerk at the time. Ely was a founding Mason and also served in several other prominent roles including those of County Sheriff and newspaper editor.
Eight years earlier and prior to laying out the community, George Ely erected a cabin on the bank of the East Fork of the Little Miami River, a stream that flows on the western boundary of present-day Batavia. He also built a water mill there, the first of its kind in the county. Later, he added a tavern and store.
George Ely is credited with naming Batavia, Ohio, but the historical record provides no direct indication of how he came up with the name. However, an educated guess can be made. Ely and his wife emigrated from New Jersey to Ohio in 1804. Their New Jersey home was close to Philadelphia and both of them were from wealthy families in that area. It is quite possible, therefore, that they knew Paolo Busti, head of the Holland Land Company’s American headquarters in Philadelphia. It is also quite possible that they knew James Stevens, head clerk of the Holland Land Company office in Batavia, N.Y., given that he was from the same area of New Jersey as the Elys. Furthermore, it is conceivable that they knew Joseph Ellicott and many others who, by 1804, had come from the greater Philadelphia area to reside in Batavia, N.Y. Given these likely associations, the name “Batavia,” was probably well known to George Ely. Perhaps he simply found the name attractive and chose it for that reason alone.
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