batavia

A local team of volunteers arrived back home safely Sunday evening after spending a week-end in NY city taking part in the Annual Don't Walk by Campaign held by Rescue Alliance.  This is a mission to rescue the homeless.

Pictured above is Jon Andre', Pastor Mark Perkins, Elder Ron DeMena, Dave Holnbec k, Clint Schrider, Paul and Bridget Ohlson along with their team leaders Dave and Patty Rower from Street Light Missison of Elizabeth New Jersey.

250 volunteers particpated in training Saturday afternoon at the Trinity Baptist church.

Robin Walters, PR Director of Care-A-Van with Juan Galloway of NY City Relief Bus.

The section of NY city to be searched Sat evening was the East Side. Our team along with one other team was given Grand Central Station.

Many of you have seen the Care-A-Van bus rolling in the streets of Batavia, but here it is pulling into Grand Central Station. The bus was used as an anchor station where the homelss  could be kept warm until one of the vans would arrive to pick them up to take them back to Trinity Baptist  the anchor church. Here they would receive a hot meal, a place to have a warm bed, and many services and organizations were there to help them get a new start in life off of the streets including drug and alcohol rehab programs.

While part of the team stayed with the bus, others headed off to search the floors of Grand Central.

Here is Pastor Mark with Eddy, a homeless vet. Eddy took up the offer to go back and have a hot meal and to see what other services he could benefit from.

Here is another one of our new friends that got a ride back on one of the vans. Jon Andre' got to pray with this young man and give him hope. He has been struggling the past 9 months on the streets and wants a new life.

Many asked us if we were afraid. There were plenty of security guards and police around the station that welcomed us with open arms.

Dave Rower of Street Light Mission , our team leader leads a man out of the station to the waiting rescue van.

It was a heartbreaking night. Not all of the homeless encountered wanted to go back.

There were 250 volunteers scouring the east side. 206 people were engaged, 80 homeless went back to the anchor church and 25 got assessed for additional services.

I sat down with a 30 year old gal, who was sitting outside Grand Central with a paper cup, trying to get change. She just wanted enough money to get on the subway to go to a friends home. Prayers were offered to all.

Jon Andre' and Bridget kept busy outside offering cookies and blankets to those that did not want to go back to the anchor church.

I just could not imagine being homeless. There was a woman that came onto the bus who had sandals on with socks with holes in it, a skirt and a flimsy jacket. Patty Rower our team leader from Street Mission encountered her on the bottom floor of the station and encourged her to come for a hot meal.

When you first entered the station on the top floor where a bar and restaraunt is, all seemed business as usual. but as you went floor by floor , we found many homeless people in need. Our pockets were lined with granola bars, cookies and information cards given to us at training to give to the homeless.

At the end of the evening, Paul Ohlson founder of Care-A-Van Ministries drove the bus through the traffic, back to our destination of Elizabeth, NJ.  He sure can manuever that bus even in NY city!

All in all, it was an sucessful night, searching for the lost. Each team member sponsored their own way to be able to go. Care-A-Van provided the transportation for the team. Our bus broke down twice! But with the help of our Lord and Clint and Jon and an awesome auto place in Bath, we were able to get there and be a blessing to  many.

A special thanks to Austin Bonds, Director of Outreach for New York City Relief Bus for helping organizing our trip out and being our host and helping us to get to the city to participate in the Annual Don't Walk by Campaign. Rescue Alliance depends of many other organizations churches and volunteers to help with this event. It was held for 5 week-ends.

We also got the opportunity to see New York City Relief Bus in action Friday night on one of their missions out.

I must say after meeting my new friend Diamond pictured above, I truly know I am right where God wants me, helping giving hope to others and sharing the good news of the gospel and continuing to write and encourage others to get  involved in their community. Diamond is a woman, who calls a hallway in an apartment complex her home.  She has serious health needs and will be going for surgery this week.  We may not have alot of homeless people here in Batavia, but we sure do have alot of people with many needs and alot who need love and encouragement from others.

God bless you all  and Keep the Light On!

Robin

PS.. You can see here heading to the streets:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCMTjt7oCkE

City Fire is responding to a report of smoke coming from a house at 124 Bank St., Batavia.

UPDATE 7:50 p.m.: May be exhaust from a furnace. 

UPDATE 8:06 p.m.: Engine 12, Ladder 15, back in service.

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Do you know this man? He's wanted by the Batavia Police as a suspect in a larceny at Alberty Drug Store on East Main Street, Batavia.

The incident occurred Wednesday about 6:30 p.m The suspect was last seen on foot heading toward Jackson Street.

No word on what he is suspected of stealing.

Anyone with information can contact the Batavia Police Department at (585) 345-6350.

Last week, when the Grammy nominations were announced, the category for Best Country Instrumental Performance included the song Under The (Five) Wire, by Alison Brown.

Now, that may not mean much to most readers of The Batavian, but it means a lot to the Bohn family of Batavia.

The audio engineer on the recording was John J. Bohn, a 2003 graduate of Batavia High as well as a 2006 graduate of the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. 

Roger Bohn tells us that John lives in Nashville with is wife and son.

You can hear more of John's work on his MySpace page.

Five people were injured Friday morning in an accident at the intersection of Route 63 and Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road when the driver of one car reportedly "forgot the stop sign was there."

Charles F. Monnen III, 24, of 1720 Hyde Park Blvd., lower, was reportedly driving westbound on Batavia-Oakefield when he allegedly failed to yield the right of way at Route 63.

His 2005 Ford sedan struck a car driven by Carmela A. Cling, 56, of 4528 Mack Road, Gasport.

The accident occurred at 7:13 a.m.

The drivers and all occupants of both cars were injured.

Susan M. Rozanski, 19, was transported by ground ambulance to Erie County Medical Center.

The other four patients were taken to UMMC.

Also reportedly injured were Kelsey McGill, 18, and Celena M. Grossman, 18.

Rozanski, McGill and Grossman were all passengers in Monnen's car.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Brad Mazur.

Local law enforcement agencies conducted a sweep of the area last night checking on registered sex offenders and convicts on probation or parole.

In all, about 100 people received an unexpected visit from a plain clothes or uniformed cop.

Five arrests were made on outstanding warrants and nine people were found out of compliance with the terms of their release.

A total of 50 registered sex offenders had their current addresses verified.

Sixteen people out of jail under the supervision of Genesee Justice were checked, and three people were reportedly found out of compliance of the terms of their release. Those cases were referred to Genesee Justice for further review.

Fifteen people under the supervision of the county probation department were checked, and two were reportedly found out of compliance of the terms of their release. The investigation is continuing on these cases.

Eighteen New York parolees were checked on and four were reportedly found out of compliance of the terms of their parole. The investigation is continuing on these cases.

Arrested on outstanding warrants were five Batavians: 

• Gary Amarosa, 52, of 4029 W. Main St. Road.
• Thomas Kennelly, 26, of 16 Maple St.
• Raquel Ramos, 29, of 329 Ellicott St.
• Ballard Maye, 23, of 35 Maple St.
• Kirk Frye, 20, of 3207 Pratt Road

Participating in the sweep were City of Batavia Police, Genesee County Probation, New York State Division of Parole, Genesee County Sheriff's Office, Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force.

A Le Roy man allegedly stole marijuana from a suspected drug dealer, who then brought friends back from Batavia, leading to a fight at 31 Myrtle St., Le Roy, on Jan. 23.

Sought in connection with the fight is James J. Santiago Jr., 30, of 31 Myrtle St., Le Roy. The arrest warrant charges him with robbery 3rd (stealing the marijuana), assault 2nd and criminal possession of a weapon 3rd. (Santiago is pictured left.)

Already in custody is Ronald G. Carney, 21, of 1990 Genesee Street Road, Corfu. Carney, who reportedly suffered a three-inch cut to his neck in the fight, is charged with burglary 2nd. Carney is accused of entering Santiago's home with the intent to commit a crime. He was jailed on $1,000 bail. (Carney is pictured below.)

According to Le Roy Police Det. John Condidorio, two Le Roy residents ordered two ounces of marijuana from a dealer in Batavia. The deal was to take place around 10 p.m. in a parking lot on Lake Street. As the deal went down, Santiago allegedly stole the marijuana and fled with two other men.

The person who had the marijuana stolen called friends in Batavia. He then returned to Batavia and met up with five other people, and all six reportedly returned to Le Roy with the intent of recovering the marijuana.

The six individuals arrived in Le Roy and walked into Santiago's home and reportedly confronted Santiago. Santiago allegedly refused to return the marijuana, and the confrontation reportedly became physical.

Police say the weapons used in the fight included a knife and golf clubs.

There were initially reports of shots fired, but Le Roy Police have been unable to corroborate the use of a gun in the incident.

A total of nine people were involved in the alleged melee.

The six people who attempted to retrieve the marijuana fled the scene without it, according to police.

A total of three people, including Carney, suffered knife cuts and were treated and released at area hospitals, according to police.

The investigation is continuing and further arrests are pending.

The Le Roy Police are seeking the public's help in locating Santiago.

A two-car accident with minor injuries is reported at West Main and South Lyon in the City of Batavia.

City Fire and Mercy EMS are responding.

Mercy EMS is being dispatched to the toll both at the Oak Street exit of the Thruway to attend to a woman with a head injury from a motor vehicle accident.

The car is in the parking lot at the exit.

No word on where the accident occurred.

UPDATE 9:49 p.m. Town of Batavia Fire just dispatched.

Tiffany A. Kent, 21, of 18 East Ave., Batavia, is charged with menacing 2nd and harassment 2nd. Kent allegedly struck another person in the face with a broomstick. She was jailed on $500 bail.

Joseph Martin Blatchley, 31, of 3233 Pratt Road, Lot 26B, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Blatchley was arrested by Deputy Christopher Parker following a complaint by his ex-girlfriend, who reported seeing marijuana or a pipe in his sunroom during a visit with their child.

Accidents from the State Police blotter:

9:12 a.m., Jan 27, Galloway Road, Batavia, two vehicles; Driver 1: Timothy R. Battaglia, 29, of Batavia; Driver 2: Bernadine Lindquist, 74, of Basom. No injuries. No citations reported.

3:04 p.m., Jan. 27, Oakfield, one vehicle; Driver 1: Juan C. Villegasmora, 24, of Batavia. No injuries. No citations reported.

Yesterday afternoon several Girl Scouts from the Oakfield/Elba area visited Crossroads House to deliver 114 handmade pillows. The girls made the pillows in November planning to give them to Hospice, but Hospice can no longer accept the pillows.  

Tracine Lundmark of Oakfield made some calls and found out that Crossroads House could use the pillows. The girls enjoyed seeing Lois Folger receive several they had made. 

Crossroads will use the pillows to help future residents become more comfortable. If your group or organization would like to make a donation to Crossroads, you can find their contact information on their website. http://crossroadshouse.com

Wendy Lynn Mucher, 40, 27 Valle Drive, Batavia, is charged with insurance fraud 3rd. Mucher allegedly presented a State Farm agent a receipt containing materially false information related to her claim for payment.

Kyle Davis Faron, 26, of 8133 Remsen Road, Pembroke, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and unsafe lane change. Faron was stopped at 1:23 a.m. by Deputy Jason Saile in front of Faron's residence.

A Rochester-based real estate developer has acquired the old Pontillo's building at 500 E. Main St., Batavia.

Thomas Masachi said today that he isn't ready yet -- perhaps next week -- to discuss the plans he and his partners have for the location. 

Masachi, who is in the RIT Hall of Fame for his success in hockey and lacrosse, would not discuss the price he paid for the location, and that information has not yet become publicly available.

One of Western New York's most legendary pizzerias, Pontillo's closed in November 2008 after falling behind more than $112,000 in its taxes. John Pontillo made an attempt to buy the business and location out of probate, but he said his offers were rejected. The property was then sold at auction to a bank in Rochester, which in turn sold the property to Masachi.

For his part, John Pontillo is continuing to work on a plan to open a new pizzeria in Batavia. Reached yesterday, he said he hasn't settled on a location yet.

Meanwhile, Sam Pontillo continues to operate a Pontillo's Pizzeria in Le Roy on Main Street.

Todd James Pangrazio, 34, of 8032 E. Main Road, Le Roy, is charged with coercion 1st, criminal mischief 4th, endangering the welfare of a child and harassment 2nd. Pangrazio allegedly got into a fight with his girlfriend and "instilled fear in her," and damaged her mobile phone, preventing her from calling for help. He also allegedly had physical contact with her and two children under age 17. The case was investigated by Deputy Frank Bordonaro.

Eslie James Worthington III, 20, of 2609 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road, is charged with harassment 2nd. Worthington is accused of striking another person in the face at about 2 a.m. on Dec. 20. (Worthington was also involved in a one-vehicle accident Dec. 27 in which he suffered a head injury.)

A 17-year-old boy from Oakfield has been charged with forcible touch. The alleged incident occurred in December. He is accused of inappropriately touching a female who was at his residence. The case was investigated by Kristopher Kautz.

Following its session last week, the following indictments were handed down by the Grand Jury:

James S. Gibbs faces a 24-count indictment stemming from an allegedly false disability claim. Gibbs was originally arrested on these charges in October 2009. The indictment includes charges for grand larceny, insurance fraud and offering false instruments for filing and a violation of the worker's compensation law.

Jason W. Wolf is charged with grand larceny 3rd. Wolf is accused of stealing more than $3,000 in unemployment benefits between August 2007 and February 2008.

Micahel P. McDonald is charged with DWI and DWI with a BAC of .08 or greater. McDonald is accused of operating a 2004 Suzuki in the parking lot of 355 W. Main St. on Sept. 21, 2009 while drunk.

Daniel N. Brown is charged with grand larceny 4th. Brown is accused of stealing child support payments valued at more than $1,000. The alleged crime took place in the Town of Le Roy between January and June 2008.

A majority of Batavia City Council members want city staff to continue studying a plan to turn over houses that have become delinquent in their taxes to a non-profit organization for rehabilitation.

Setting up such a process -- whether it involves creating a new non-profit corporation run by the city or working directly with Habitat for Humanity -- will require additional staff research time, legal expense and potentially staff time to manage any new program.

Councilman Tim Buckley wanted to table the proposal, saying the city has too many other bigger priorities, but the consensus of the council during last night's conference meeting was to ask City Manager Jason Molino to conduct further research.

Council President Marianne Clattenburg said she saw the program as an opportunity to prevent more housing units from falling into low-end rental units and become better maintained owner-occupied homes.

Councilman Sam Barone, who works with Habitat for Humanity, sometimes has trouble buying a house at auction because they get out bid.

A partnership on housing rehabilitation would allow the designated non-profit to buy the house before it goes to auction.

However, the council also discussed the fact that nothing prevents Habitat from reaching out to a tax-delinquent property owner before a house goes up for auction and paying the back taxes in exchange for the property deed.

Only about three homes per year fall into delinquncy and go up for auction.

What if you were having a heart attack or some other serious medical emergency and it was one of those rare times when all Mercy EMS ambulances were tied up on calls outside of the city?

Wouldn't it be a good thing if a paramedic from the city's fire department -- the emergency responder most likely to get to your house first in such a situation -- was certified to provide Advanced Life Support service?

On an 8-0 vote Monday, the Batavia City Council decided to deny city residents that extra level of protection, even though it wouldn't cost taxpayers a single dime.

"I think we had to decide whether we wanted our fire department chasing ambulances, or do we want our fire department used for the function it's best suited for," said City Council President Marianne Clattenburg.

She characterized the vote as a policy decision that extends from the city's decision to get out of the ambulance business.

She said the council wants the fire department to concentrate on fire prevention, code enforcement, public safety, fire suppression and education.

Fire Chief Ralph Hyde requested the council approve a program that would have allowed the department to become ALS certified, allowing its firefighters that are trained as paramedics -- 16 of them are, and all future hires will be, by state law -- to provide a higher level of life-saving services. Paramedic-trained firefighters can only provide Basic Life Support services without ALS certification for the department.

Because of state reimbursement programs and the ability to recoup training fees from other jurisdictions, city taxpayers would not have been required to foot any portion of the bill for ALS certification.

Among the critical life-saving procedures that ALS-certified medics can provide that BLS paramedics cannot is cardiac defibrillation.

"The Basic Life Support will still be there," Clattenburg said. "Once we divested of the ambulance, and the (new service) ambulance seems to be running fine, they seem to be getting where they're going and they've even added personnel and vehicles to respond to the call volume, so it really is a change in focus, because when you have a whole fire department that's geared toward to ALS but yet there is someone else doing that now doesn't make sense, just to keep that mindset and that training level there when that's not their primary job."

For more on the difference between BLS and ALS, read the following Wikipedia entries:

• Basic Life Support
• Advanced Life Support

A preliminary budget approved by the Batavia City Council cuts $376,000 in spending from a previous draft, allowing the proposed property-tax increase to be cut in half.

Instead of anticipating a 3-percent tax increase, city property owners can expect an increase of just under 1.5 percent if the budget gets final approval following a Feb. 8 public hearing.

A good portion of the cut in expenses comes from a $150,000 reduction in the contingency fund. That fund might be needed if the city's unions win its any arbitration cases.

"As I mentioned, it's (cutting the contingency fund) a moderate risk," City Manager Jason Molino said following the meeting. "There's the potential there that there could be retroactive awards that could exceed that, and the city's fund balance position isn't where it should be now, though we're building it. It could be very difficult. One thing that has to be understood is that wages and benefits aren't what they used to be -- all work forces and city employees and unions have to understand that, and this is really their opportunity to recognize that and react to that. The community doesn't have the ability fund these things and in the future we're not going to be able to, and that's just something we're all going to have to react to."

In 2009, the city was forced to pay out $235,000 to the Police Benevolent Association after the union won its arbitration against the city. The city and PBA have yet to resolve all contract issues and the city will be three years behind in potential police raises in March. Two additional union contracts for city workers expire at the end of March.

Both Molino and Council President Marianne Clattenburg agree that some large settlement is likely.

"Something the unions are going to need to realize is that the city does not have the ability to provide that level of benefits," Molino said.

Cutting the property-tax rate increase in half reduces revenue by only $84,000. The additional expense cuts in the budget come from an anticipated $322,000 drop in sales tax revenue.

The spending plan now stands at $5,441,630.

The revised budget also cuts $105,000 from equipment reserve funds for police, fire, public works and facilities.

"They (the Council) did not feel they could support anything more than what was adopted," Clattenburg said. "We're just going to have to continue to live within our means."