I was at the plaza Weds. w/ Advance Auto(West Main Commons???) and noticed the big yellow "STORE CLOSING" signs on the f.y.e. store.Great-another empty storefront in Batavia.... anybody go in there much? I think last time I was in there was in the summer....didn't like going in there-any time you made a purchase,they asked if you wanted to buy their "discount" card to save $$$$ on a purchase.....
Batavia Police are responding to a report that part of the roof of Pontillo's has blown off and is currently traveling eastbound on Main Street.
UPDATE: A little while ago, a Batavia Police officer reported the roof portion was recovered and returned to the Pontillo's property.
The accident scene at Ellicott Street and Main has been cleared and the roadway has reopened to traffic.
UPDATE: (1:37 p.m.): Festival of Lights is cancelled due to bad weather.
Beginning at 5:30 p.m. today, veterans will be treated to the 4th annual Festival of Lights. It takes place at the veterans' center at 222 Richmond Ave. in Batavia.
They will be wheeled through the hoilday displays located by the patio and gazebo area. The public is welcome to attend and share some Christmas spirit with the vets.
In the words of the dispatcher, "Cedar Street. The usual -- semi, bridge, ripped open."
The Theatre Association of New York State (TANYS) has again asked Genesee Community College to host the annual TANYS Festival.
It's an indication that Genesee's Theatre Arts program is on the rise among higher education programs across the state.
At last month's TANYS festival, Genesee's production of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf" by Ntozake Shange, took top honors.
The performance was awarded in four categories:
"I began working on 'For Colored Girls' in the spring, and was finally able to recruit the right ensemble," said Maryanne Arena, director of Fine and Performing Arts at Genesee. "This performance showcases the importance of ensemble work and the wealth of talent that is cultivated from Genesee's Theatre program."
This was the second year Genesee Center for the Arts hosted the TANYS event. By all accounts, the college provided a top-notch production crew for the weekend-long event, using theater students led by Technical Theatre Program Director Ed Hallborg.
Throughout the weekend, the crew was consistently praised for their ability and professionalism. The students involved were stage managers: Jessica Francis and Amelia Favata; lighting designers, Adam Wilbur and Sara Leonard; sound designer, Joe Catalano; and the run crew, comprised of Alex Farley, Jamie Hicks and Tyler Eldred.
In previous years, Genesee's Forum Players have also been recommended for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (ACTF). The ACTF is a national theater program involving 18,000 college and university students. It has helped improve the quality of U.S. college theater. The Forum Players will not be competing this year in ACTF due to funding limitations and because they were featured in the TANYS festival.
Genesee students have appeared on Broadway, auditioned and gone on to conservatory training, and are working professionally on stage, movies and television. Graduates have also attended the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. Genesee students who have transferred and graduated from other four-year institutions have been featured in films, started theater companies, served as artistic directors, interned for regional equity theatres, designed costumes for college and equity theaters, and taught acting at professional theaters to elementary and high school students.
The Genesee Center for the Arts is another reason students choose to hone their artistic talents here. It's a modern facility with a 328-seat theater, rehearsal studio, dressing rooms, full scene shop, a well-equipped costume shop, and state-of-the-art sound and lighting studio.
Award-wining faculty help Genesee's Theatre Arts program shine among other programs. Maryanne Arena, director of Fine and Performing Arts, was a professional actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, and director before turning to a full-time teaching career. She holds an MFA in Acting/Theatre and has toured the United States with several professional theater companies. She recently received the 2009 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service.
To discover all the opportunities in Genesee's Fine and Performing Arts programs visit http://www.genesee.edu/index.cfm/program/dspArticle/arts.theatre/default.cfm . <http://www.genesee.edu/index.cfm/program/dspArticle/arts.theatre/default.cfm>
An in-store video helped a downtown liquor store owner discover that one of his customers had apparently stuck a bottle of vodka in his pocket and walked out the front door last week, so he was keeping an eye out for the suspect's return.
On Monday, a man fitting the description of the suspect David Buchholtz saw on video came into the store again, made a bee-line for the vodka shelf. Apparently thinking he was unobserved, the guy allegedly stuck another bottle in his jacket and walked out -- this time, not even making the pretense to stop and pay for the booze.
Buchholtz waited for the man to leave the store -- not wanting a scene in the store where he might get in a tussle and damage inventory -- and then grabbed him from behind. He got the suspect in a head lock and held him until police arrived, which didn't take long.
Arrested and charged with petit larceny was Steven A. Lewis II, 29, of 541 E. Main St., Batavia.
A second charge of petit larceny is pending further investigation into the original alleged theft.
In other Police Beat news:
Dennis Edson, age unknown, of Porter Avenue, Batavia, was charged with disorderly conduct this morning. Edson allegedly flipped off a police officer while he and others observed the accident activity on Ellicott Street this morning from in front of the Court House. Lt. Eugene Jankwoski described Edson as somebody known to police for allegedly making the same gesture toward cops in the past, but has generally been ignored. This morning, Edson allegedly did it in front of a crowd of people. Edson then allegedly resisted arrest. Jankowski also said that Edson "got mouthy" with City Court Judge Robert Balbick. Balbick ordered Edson held on $1,000 bail.
Johnson O. Quanton, 19, of 36 Merrimac St., Rochester, is charged with petit larceny. Quanton allegedly tried to exit the campus bookstore at Genesee Community College with books that had not been purchased.
The City of Batavia Fire Department, along with Liberty Mutual Insurance, wants you to be fire smart. Liberty Mutual is giving away $10,000 grants to fire departments that display a commitment to fire safety. A total of 10 grants will be awarded.
By simply going to BeFireSmart.com and completing a 10-question fire safety quiz, you will credit our fire department and increase our chances of receiving one of the grants to be used for fire prevention in our community. The site has a section for children as well and gives parents a fun way to teach fire safety to the whole family.
The results will be announced later this month so complete the quiz today, credit the City of Batavia Fire Department, be fire smart, and help us help you.
Ellicott Street between Main and Court is closed in both directions until further notice following a one-vehicle accident.
A Jeep SUV damaged a telephone poll and now National Grid crews are trying to figure out how to keep the poll standing, or the wires from coming down, when the car is removed.
Lt. Eugene Jankowski said Ellicott could be closed for hours while the National Grid makes repairs.
The driver, who has not yet been identified, was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital with unknown injuries.
The accident occurred about 8:30 a.m.
Jankowski said police are asking that drivers plan on avoiding the area and not try to evade the barricades.
UPDATE: The driver has been identified as 41-year-old Julie Conover of Batavia.
Tonight I went to Jackson Street and a couple of the side streets to the west and snapped pictures of a few of the homes with Christmas lights.
More pictures after the jump:
City fire crews are being dispatched to 60 Walnut St. to investigate a possible chimney fire.
The caller reports sparks coming from the chimney.
Engine 12 and Ladder 15 are responding. Mercy EMS is also responding.
UPDATE 9:24 p.m.: Engine 12 and Ladder 15 back in service.
Ronald J. Wendt, accused of driving drunk in Darien and getting into an accident that claimed the life of a Dansville girl, is back in jail.
Wendt had been released on $50,000 bail pending his trial, but on the condition he not drive (his license was revoked).
On Nov. 18, Wendt was stopped by a State Trooper in the Town of Batavia while riding a reportedly unregistered and uninsured dirt motor bike.
District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said Wendt readily admitted to the Trooper who he was and volunteered information about his case. The Trooper arrested him and brought him before a Town of Batavia justice, who set his bail at $500, which Wendt immediately paid.
Friedman brought the arrest to the attention of Judge Robert Noonan, who ordered Wendt to appear in County Court. Noonan adjusted Wendt's bail to $250,000.
Alcohol was not a factor in the latest arrest, Friedman said.
He couldn't confirm whether Wendt was trying to get to work at the time of his arrest.
Wendt has not yet raised that bail amount.
Previously:
Somebody broke into the Oil Doctor location at 4003 West Main Street Road, Batavia, overnight and stole inspection stickers and business records.
This morning, Sheriff's deputies attempted to track the suspect through tracks in snow, but that apparently only led them to a location down the road where the suspect apparently got in a car and drove away.
According to Deputy William Ferrando, the burglar gained entry to a west side door by breaking some glass.
No suspect has been arrested yet.
Despite six previous DWI convictions, one of which led to a stint in state prison, Robert Lamkin of Batavia isn't going to be locked up just yet for his 7th DWI conviction.
Judge Robert Noonan granted Lamkin one year interim probation. If Lamkin makes it through probation successfully, his possible prison term will be reduced to one to three years.
Either way, Lamkin is looking at another prison term. The only question is when it starts and for how long.
Noonan warned that any slip up of any kind will land him in a lot of hot water.
"It will not take much of trip and fall to put you in for a major prison term," Noonan said. "When, and if, you're getting to the point of reaching for a bottle or reaching for car keys you need to stop and think whether it’s important enough for you to take that drink or take that drive that you want to be separated from your family for a long, long time."
Noonan granted the interim probation over the objection of Genesee Justice and after reading a less than stellar probation history.
"On this history it's hard to see how to justify anything but state prison," Noonan said. "By your own statements, you've just kind of blown off the conditions of probation in the past. At least until June of this year, you've paid very little heed to the restrictions placed on you. ... I have an obligation to the citizens of the world to make them safe from people like you. I'm only saying that to tell you the corner you've backed yourself into."
Lamkin's most recent arrest came in June in Pavilion.
While on probation, Lamkin will be required to take an Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) test regularly. It detects alcohol in the system for up to 80 hours, yielding results even when a breath test reads zero. It's sometimes used with airline pilots to ensure they're not even hung over when they fly.
Lamkin is represented by attorney Michael M. Mohun.
Reginald Jason Donahue, 34, of 6483 Townline Road, Byron, is charged with criminal contempt in the first degree and menacing in the third degree. Donahue is accused of entering the residence of his estranged wife, violating an order of protection. During a reported argument with her, he allegedly made a fist and threatened her.
Juan A. Ramos, 19, of Batavia, was arrested by State Police at 8170 Batavia-Stafford Townline Road, Batavia. Ramos is charged with trespass.
mayhem riders mc
a local batavia area family oriented motorcycle club,is accepting donations for our area family toy,and clothes drive,until thursday.please help us help the area families that really need it.we currently have 14 families asking for help,we can only help 4 families with the donations received.we also could use some area bussinesses to donate food or gift certificates for the families,thank you
Tonight I drove down Lincoln Avenue in Batavia and found several homes decorated for the holidays.
More pictures after the jump:
The DiSalvo's Christmas light display is always a showstopper. Cars line up and down the length of their property on Fargo Road in Batavia, slowly driving along the shoulder. People come from all around the county to make sure they get a glimpse of the lights at least once before the end of the season.
Here are some photos to enjoy the decorations at home. But, if you're looking to fully capture that Christmas spirit and holiday atmosphere, the trip is worth the drive.
For a year or longer, I've wanted to buy a John Hodgins painting. It's been a matter of money as well as finding the right painting. When I happened past the Edward Jones office on Jackson Street during Christmas in the City on Friday night, I knew this was the painting I wanted. Later that night, I ran into John in the Mall. We came to a quick agreement on price and I picked it up today. I understand this painting depicts the old newsstand on Jackson. I like it -- local art by a local artist of a local scene.
DPW reports there is a water main break on Richmond Avenue between Union and Redfield in Batavia.
Repairs are in progress.
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