batavia

Press Release:

by Margaret Quaassdorff, Dairy Management Specialist with the NWNY Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Program

Are you a dairy producer interested in on-farm dairy processing? Looking to diversify your operation with direct-to-consumer sales? Interested in value-added production? Well, hop on the bus – we’re headed East!

On March 13 and 14, Katelyn Walley and Margaret Quaassdorff from Cornell Cooperative Extension will be hosting a tour of value-added dairy processing facilities in Eastern New York. 

The tour will include at least 6 stops and will depart from CCE-Genesee in Batavia on Wednesday, March 13 at 8:30 a.m. We will overnight in Cobleskill, and the tour will conclude on Thursday, March 14 at 9 p.m.

The cost to register is $100 and can be done online by visiting tinyurl.com/CCEDairyTour. 

Final stop locations, times, accommodation information, and additional details will be shared directly with the participants after registering (or by request). 

Registration is due by Feb. 26.  Inquire beyond that date if there are spaces still available.

Tour stops (subject to change) include: 

• Trinity Valley Dairy (Cortland)
• Byebrook Farm (Bloomville)
• Don’s Dairy Supply (South Kortright)
• SUNY Cobleskill’s Dairy Processing Center (Cobleskill)
• King Brother’s Dairy (Schuylerville)
• Argyle Cheese (Hudson Falls)

There will be ample time at each tour location to hear about the farm business history and goals, identify challenges and opportunities of value-added production, ask questions, and browse their farm stands and stores. Following the tour, we will provide an opportunity for participants to come back together for discussion groups and educational opportunities.

If you are interested in attending, or need accommodations, and would like additional information, please contact Margaret Quaassdorff at 585-405-2567 or maq27@cornell.edu  or Katelyn Walley at 716-640-522 or kaw249@cornell.edu.

Students in Tokyo are accustomed to studying first and asking questions later, so it was a breath of fresh air when Natsumi Sasabe learned the ways of education when studying as an international student at Genesee Community College, she says.

“Back in Japan, my responsibility was to take notes and really knowing something," she said during an interview with The Batavian. "At GCC, so many times students raised their hands and asked questions, and there was an agreeing and disagreeing type of energy. But I think the biggest take out that I got from GCC was that it's ok to ask questions, it's ok to be curious about something it’s, ok to talk, if that makes sense, in the classroom setting where everybody's learning the same thing. But everybody reads the same thing from a slightly different point of view. And that's what makes learning really interesting.

“I became so much more outgoing … open-minded. I think it’s a very cultural thing. I also liked this sense of community, you see everybody everyday, you belong to this group.”

The road from Tokyo
After Sasabe finished high school in 2017, she wondered what was next, and since she had always been interested in theater arts and had an eye toward the United States, she searched potential colleges. GCC stood out, she said, for its two-year theater arts program and being “very affordable.” 

That’s not to say there weren’t some bumps in the road. Sasabe, now 25, barely knew English when she landed at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. There definitely was a language barrier, and she worked to get up to speed, she said. She laughed when asked if there were any missteps. There’s a Japanese saying that means you are well known that translates to “you have a big face.” She said it once and learned her lesson — her new American friend was quite puzzled as to why she said that.

“She said, ‘What do you mean by that? That’s when I learned I cannot translate from one language to another,” Sasabe said.

She enjoyed gleaning lessons from theater arts professors Norm Gayford and Maryanne Arena, and she still keeps in touch. They can be proud of this 2019 GCC graduate: she went on to Walt Disney World and worked as a performer and dancer at the park until it shut down in March 2020 due to COVID and the pandemic.

Sasabe then returned to Japan and continued pursuing her career in theater and performing arts.  But she didn't stay out of the U.S. for too long. She moved to New York City in August 2022 to pursue her bachelor's degree in theater arts at Columbia University, graduating in May 2023. During all of this time, she has been performing in plays and short films.

Loving the culture of hustle
“I love being on stage; I love performing. I feel the heartbeat, my hands get sweaty, but I don’t get nervous. I enjoy being stressed,” she said about the constant pressure of finding her next gig. “It has definitely been a hustle. I’m job-hunting all the time. Sustaining a living in New York is definitely hard enough, and finding work is, I enjoy this culture of hustle, I keep saying it’s hard, but I enjoy it being hard.

“It’s definitely not the most stable job. I have to be aiming for, to monitor my life, my world right now, it’s a lot of preparation. I’m thinking about the audition, and needing to rest, it’s a lot of juggling and making sure so many elements are working out fine. I’m constantly in motion; sometimes I wish I could stop and breathe.”

A typical day begins early with a workout, followed by scouting for auditions, then submitting her photos and videos, sneaking in a meal, followed by setting up a camera to record herself doing monologues and dances, often from what casting directors have requested as part of the auditions.

An old actor’s mantra has been that if you’re asked if you can ride a horse, you say yes and then learn how to ride a horse. Sasabe had her own version of this when she showed up for an audition and was expected to dance. But it wasn’t ballroom, which is her strong suit. It was for tap dancing.

“I auditioned for one of the Broadway productions, and I don't know how I missed that information. But they were looking for someone who can tap well, and I have never tapped in my life, but I had a pair of shoes. So I put them in my backpack, and then went to the audition and just faked the shape of it. I did my best, and I'm still proud of it,” she said. “I did not even get a callback. I got caught immediately. And that’s where I learned, I spread myself too thin.” 

She has, however, gotten many diverse roles, including for 10 months at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, as a dancer in a music video for Japanese singer Ioni, as Ting’an, one of the leads in the film “Black Daisies/White Daisies,” as Kacy in “For Her,” and as a computer graphics designer in a Pretia AR apps commercial.

The Pretia commercial featured her as Sigourney in a mini-plot with fellow app designers and background music reminiscent of a spy movie. With no spoken words, her animated face helped tell the story with a sense of humor. She especially related to the Black Daisies project, a play about the dichotomy of Asian identities and consciousness in one body being separated into two characters –– represented by an Asian name and an English name, she said.

“We're basically playing the same persona but embodied by two different bodies. And that project particularly resonated with me because I'm. Also, I'm a first-generation immigrant in the U.S.,” she said. “So as I learned English or culture in the United States, I felt that I have two different persona whenever I'm speaking English versus whenever I'm speaking Japanese, which is my first language.” 

The ongoing role of questions
She looks forward to what’s ahead for her while also occasionally taking a look back at what where she’s been and what she may have discovered along the way. She returned to Batavia two years ago to catch up with old friends.

“I wanted to see everybody who helped me go through the journey,” she said. “I definitely want to keep doing what I love, which is performing and working on short film projects in the city. I definitely want to get better; I want to do an on-camera project and act in feature films as a medium. I want to embody the story I find interesting.

“It allows me to question. You have to keep asking questions. You try to understand someone who’s not entirely myself. You have to extend a certain amount of patience; it’s being human, in the sense of being very intimate," she said. "You figure out this person and want to keep doing that on a higher and higher level.” 

A fairly new collaboration between the traveling ministry of Glorious Destiny and Cornerstone Church has brought a youth-based event to the Batavia church that includes a live and lively musical performance and lots of free goods, from snacks and drinks to groceries, games and gift cards.

With enough negative energy already in the world, these Friday evening gatherings are meant to offer a peaceful and fun alternative for kids and families, organizer Omar Herrera says.

“And of course, in this day and age, you know that there's a lot of violence and other things that the youth shouldn’t be doing. So we just definitely want to steer the community away from that type of lifestyle, away from just getting distracted and away from going astray or anything like that. So we just want to create a safe space where people can come and really just want to be safe, be secure, and know that they are loved, know that they are cared about, know that they have a plan, that God has a plan for them, that they can be somebody,” Herrera said to The Batavian Friday afternoon. “Pastor Paul (Doyle) came to us, he used to have a youth program and wanted something new. He had a building and he had the resources, so we sat down and brainstormed some ideas to reach the youth.”

Fridays at the Rock is at 6 p.m. every Friday at Cornerstone Church, 8020 Bank Street Road, Batavia. 

These upbeat nights are opportunities for kids to “eat, fellowship with everybody, have games, prizes, live performances, and give an encouraging word,” he said.

“It’s one of the methods to reach people,” he said. “Anyone can go if they want to go, and whoever wants to come can come. We have had many families with a single mom who might not have a car … we will pick them up and take them home when they want to go home.”

Organizers provide free transportation to and from the event, and only ask that participants register in advance by a QR code or phone. From the first event, attendance has been at least 40 strong, with at least 100 people showing up by the fourth event, he said. 

“I would say one of the biggest visions that we have is — because of certain circumstances that are going on in our life, in this day and age, basically, in this world — we want to create that space where they can come in and not think about those problems, that they're going to not think about their situations or not think about anything, but really just enjoy life,” he said. “Let the kids be kids. Let adults enjoy their kids and just see them have fun. And really have fun with them, and win prizes as well. You just have a great space where people can really just enjoy life.”

There is also a free grocery giveaway after the church service at 10 a.m. Sundays. An assortment of free goods, including meats, breakfast items, bread, dry goods, fruit, vegetables and baby food will be distributed after the service. 

When asked the source of all the free goods, Herrera attributed it to God’s power and the generosity of Western New York’s businesses and farmers. 

“One of the guys who helped me, he had connections with stores and farmers, and they just donate to us,” Herrera said. “We can give out food to the community. It just started out of nowhere. God told us to go to these stores, and they are constant suppliers. 

“Where our vision is, our vision is the world. However, we’re based in the United States and right now, we’re doing a lot of work in the United States, and, of course, we’re based here in Batavia, and a lot of what we’re doing is out of New York.”

Glorious Destiny is a nonprofit that is now based in Batavia and working with Cornerstone Church, though Herrera said that he and the 40 or so missionaries do a lot of traveling, whether it’s to Rochester for a blanket and glove distribution or farther away to hand out jackets, socks and blankets to homeless in Philadelphia and New Jersey. 

Many of those missionaries are young musical artists who provide the live performances for the Friday rock series, which might feature some hip hop or rhythm and blues, he said. 

Glorious Destiny Missions, Inc. is a Christian organization that is "committed to spreading the love and message of Jesus Christ through various means around the world," according to its website. Its vision is based on Habakkuk 2:14, which states, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

For more information about these programs or to get a ride, text ROCK (for Friday) or PANTRY (for Sunday) to 347-352-6720.

Press Release:

Genesee Community College was honored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for its distinction as one of the leading institutions with a significant representation of faculty and administrators chosen for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. 

Institutions like Genesee Community College, recognized as Fulbright Top Producing Institutions, actively promote global engagement and facilitate their campus community members in seizing international opportunities.

Heather Jones, GCC professor of fine arts was selected for a Fulbright award for the 2023-2024 academic year. While collaborating with Professor Jose Luis Gonzalez-Cabrero and the Industrial Design Department at the University of San Luis Potosi, Professor Jones will be implementing an international cultural color study project with students from both Mexico and New York, which will culminate with a student art exhibit titled "Color Connection." 

She will be teaching a series of seminars on color theory in Mexico, that will be available online for her students taking classes at GCC. Students in Mexico and GCC will photograph one color in their daily lives and facilitate conversation online by sharing these images on the dedicated Color Connection social media pages. 

The goal of the project is to take a deeper look at the expressive meaning of color in design, utilize the subject of color as a social bridge to break down cultural stigmas and reinforce empathy and respect for cultural diversity. Photographs will be juried by the students and 100 plus photographs will be exhibited simultaneously at UASLP and in GCC's Roz Steiner Gallery during March 2024. The exhibit will then be available to travel to other SUNY campus galleries.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's flagship international academic exchange program. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges.

Dr. James Sunser, president of Genesee Community College, expressed his gratitude stating, "This recognition underscores our unwavering dedication to fostering international opportunities for our faculty and administrators. At Genesee Community College, we believe in the transformative power of global connections, and we are proud to support our campus community members in their pursuit of scholarly endeavors worldwide."

"Fulbright's Top Producing Institutions represent the diversity of America's higher education community. Dedicated administrators support students and scholars at these institutions to fulfill their potential and rise to address tomorrow's global challenges. We congratulate them, and all the Fulbrighters who are making an impact the world over," said Lee Satterfield, assistant secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program.

Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world. They have included 41 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 80 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders and changemakers who build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

For more information contact Vice President, of Development and External Affairs Justin Johnston at (585) 345-6809, or via email: jmjohnston@genesee.edu. Details about the Fulbright Program can be found at https://fulbrightprogram.org/.

The District Attorney's Office will not appeal the dismissal of a DWI charge against a Bethany resident over a procedural error by prosecutors, Assistant District Attorney William Zickl says.

The case was dismissed on appeal by County Court Judge Melissa Lightcap Cianfrini, upholding an earlier ruling by City Court Judge Durin R. Rogers that a defendant's right to a speedy trial was violated because of the procedural error.

Zickl told The Batavian in a statement that filing an appeal would require the DA's office to convince judges at the appellate level that a question of law -- not facts -- was in dispute.  A state appeals court taking on such a case is rare and far from automatic, Zickl said, so the DA's office would need to make a compelling case that the law was improperly applied in dismissing the charge.

"I believe there is a substantial threshold issue presented in this case regarding whether such a pure question of law exists to allow the Court of Appeals to entertain the matter," Zickl said. "Based upon the foregoing procedural backdrop and the fact that this decision will not have broad application due to its highly unusual fact pattern, we have decided not to attempt to gain leave to appeal the decision of the County Court to the Court of Appeals."

Rogers dismissed the case, according to a court document, because the DA's office was not ready for trial more than a year after the arrest of the defendant. The Sixth Amendment guarantees those accused of a crime the right to a speedy trial.

Background
On July 3, 2021, Gregory R. Solomonidis was arrested in the city of Batavia following a traffic stop on East Main Street. Solomonidis was accused of driving with a BAC of .08 or greater.

On Aug. 26, 2021, at a City Court hearing on the case, ADA Joseph Robinson filed with the court what is known as a Certificate of Compliance, which is a document that informs the court and the defense that all material in possession of the prosecution that the defendant has a right to review has been turned over to the defense.  The defense has a right to review all material relevant to the charges, including material that might aid the accused.

On Sept. 17, the defense filed a motion seeking dismissal because the prosecution did not provide a copy of the dispatch center recording of police transmissions relevant to the arrest of Solomonidis. The prosecution countered that the discovery material included notice that the recording existed with instructions on acquiring a copy of the recording if the defense wished to listen to it. 

According to court documents, ADA Jenna Bauer, who took over the case at this time, argued in court that as a former dispatcher, she understood the difficulty in retrieving recordings given the limitations of the communication system in the dispatch center and that retrieving recordings took considerable time for a dispatcher.

On Nov. 30, 2021, the court held a hearing to examine the evidence in the case and the arresting officer was called to the stand.  During cross-examination, the officer was asked about his prior employment as a part-time police officer in the village of Perry. The officer testified that he had left the job because he believed he had violated the department's social media policy with a post or posts on Snapchat.  In court documents, this is called "the Snapchat incident." 

The officer said the department did not discipline him due to this incident.  Batavia PD subsequently hired him, and he remains a Batavia police officer.

Even so, the defense argued that this incident, which was apparently not discussed in detail during the hearing, constituted "50-a" material, or material in an officer's personnel file that could conceivably impeach the officer's credibility. 

The court gave the prosecution -- in keeping the existing case law -- more time to comply with the discovery requirements.

At a hearing on March 1, 2022, Bauer informed that no effort had been made to obtain information on the "Snapchat incident."  On March 17, she requested more time to obtain the information. 

"I have started my inquiry with the Perry Police Department," she told the court.

On March 28, the DA's office received a letter from the village of Perry clerk regarding the incident, and that letter was provided to the defense.

A month later, Rogers dismissed the charge against Solomonidis.

Appeal to County Court
In her ruling, Cianfrini overturned Rogers on the issue of the dispatch center recording. She determined the DA's office had complied with discovery rules by informing the defense the recording existed and providing instructions on how to obtain it and that once the defense made a request in court, the DA's office produced the recording within two days.

Cianfrini did find, however, that prosecutors failed to exercise "due diligence" in trying to acquire documents from the Perry Police Department regarding the "Snapchat incident." 

Cianfrini compared prosecutors' actions with a ruling in another case, People vs. Godfred, where a prosecutor provided extensive details on how she tried to obtain discovery material but could not.  The documentation provided to the court in that case demonstrated "due diligence" and "reasonable effort" as required by the law.

"... the Appellant's Brief is absolutely silent as to the steps the various prosecutors assigned to this case took to ensure that it had ascertained the existence of all discoverable information as it relates to impeachment materials, most notably the "Snapchat incident," Cianfrini wrote. "There is no explanation as to why the People were unaware of these potential impeachment materials. It is nearly impossible for this Court to gauge how obvious the missing materials would have been, given the dearth of information provided by the People. Moreover, the People provided a letter from the Perry Village Clerk. No letter was received from the PPD itself."

And she continues, "Unlike the prosecutor in Godfred, no clear record was made by any of the prosecutors assigned to this case as to specifically whom at the PPD was contacted to obtain the information (such as the police chief or supervising officer), method(s) of contact and attempted contact, or if they even spoke with the Officer himself about the violation after learning about it."

Cianfrini is a former first district attorney in Genesee County and noted in a footnote that the lack of due diligence could result from multiple ADAs handling the case, which led to the procedural issue being overlooked. 

"Given the lack of record of the efforts taken to ascertain the existence of the Snapchat incident, this Court is constrained to find that the prosecutors did not exercise due diligence or make reasonable inquiries to discover the existence of the same," Cianfrini ruled. "Thus, the initial COC and any subsequently filed COC were illusory, and the People were not ready for trial."

The COC is the Certificate of Compliance that all discovery has been turned over.  If evidence is missing, the legal term for the defect is "illusory." 

The lack of readiness for trial denied Solomonidis his right to a speedy trial, Cianfrini ruled. Thus, she upheld the dismissal of the DWI charge.

Batavia Police Chief Shawn Heubusch expressed dismay at the case's outcome, saying that the officer in question is a valued law enforcement officer.  He issued the following statement:

A recent ruling by a Genesee County Court dismissed a DWI charge made by a Batavia Police Department officer because of a prosecutorial error. 

The Court determined that the prosecution did not disclose that the arresting officer resigned from his position as a part-time officer with the Village of Perry Police Department over a social media matter. The officer resigned and subsequently joined the Batavia Police Department.

Our officer fully disclosed this matter during his interview with us. The Batavia Police Department fully supports our officer, and he has an exemplary service record.

Hard to believe, but nearly two years have passed since the groundbreaking for the new Genesee County Jail, and officials are now talking about its completion being on time for this spring.

"I took a tour of the jail. Things look really good," Legislator Gary Maha said during this week's Public Service meeting.

Beyond aesthetics, crews have been on site ensuring that safety, infrastructure and technology have also been properly put in place since construction began in May 2022 after several years of the county's initial planning and saving for the $70 million, 184-bed facility. 

Regular updates by The Pike Company Senior Project Manager Carl York have kept legislators apprised about change orders, on-site tasks, weather issues, supply chain delays, worker injuries (there have been few), and the expected timeline with each passing month.

About 100 oversized cement pods made news in January 2023 as they were slowly hauled down Route 5 to the site of the new jail at 3839 West Main Street Road, Batavia. A ceremonial beam signing took place in July 2023 as work crews continued to put the pieces together for what York has continuously labeled a financially on-target and on-schedule project.

True, there have been supply chain issues and change orders throughout the construction process, but all the while York said spending was on budget. At one point, the timeline lost seven days due to rain, but the project remained on course, he said, and that still holds true for a March 15 deadline.

Legislature Chairwoman Shelley Stein asked if there would be tours available for remaining legislators, and Deputy Highway Superintendent Paul Osborn said most likely by April. The prison is expected to be up and running in June or July.

Press Release:

CAN-USA Sports is excited to announce the return of the Battle of the Badges, City of Batavia Police vs City of Batavia Fire. Sunday, Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the David McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets start at just $10 and proceeds benefit the David McCarthy Memorial Foundation.

The City of Batavia Police Department took the inaugural battle of the Badges Cup last year with the event raising over $3,000 for the David McCarthy Memorial Foundation. 

“We are looking forward to getting these two great departments together for the 2nd straight year. The David McCarthy Memorial Foundation has helped so many families in our community over the years and we are excited to donate the proceeds to such a meaningful organization again this year.” official quotes from Detective James DeFreze (Detective-City of Batavia Police) & Matt Morasco (City of Batavia Fire Department). 

Kids 12 & under are free to enter and tickets are just $10 with proceeds benefiting the foundation. Tickets can be purchased online at www.mccarthyicearena.com or in person at the Ice Arena.

POLICE ROSTER: 

• #11 - Jim DeFreze
• #13 - Steve Quider
• #15 - Connor Borchert
• #18 - Steven Cronmiller
• #20 - Chris Lindsay
• #36 - Adam Tucker
• #54 - John Gombos
• #57 - Matthew Smith
• #58 - Chance Hudson
• #62 - Eric Hill
• #69 - Aric Perkins
• #72 - Matt Lutey
• #74 - Brian Moscicki
• #76 - Felicia DeGroot
• #83 - Ricky Messmer
• #98 - Andrew Mruczek

FIRE ROSTER: 

• #7 - Josh McCarthy-CBFD
• #10 - Ryan Whitcombe-CBFD
• #12 - Chris Morasco-CBFD
• #15 - Matt Morasco-CBFD
• #19 - Zechariah Gowanlock- CBFD
• #31 - Steve Hammerl-Rochester FD
• #32 - Colin Cooper-CBFD
• #36 - Mark Sacheli-CBFD
• #37 - Bob Tedford-CBFD
• #39 - Mike Morris-CBFD
• #44 - Jeff Whitcombe-CBFD
• #51 - Brian Fix-CBFD
• #56 - Russ Borden-Town of Batavia FD
• #57 - Chad Brade -CBFD
• #59  - Allison Hubert-CBFD
• #67 - Karl Zufall-CBFD
• #96 - Andy LaForce-Buffalo Airport FD

If you or someone you know owns a local business that would like to help sponsor the event, please contact Marc Witt, General Manager/Ownership – CAN-USA Sports, mwitt.canusa@gmail.com for opportunities.

Update Feb. 24: Soul Food Brunch will be held at GO Art, at 201 E. Main Street, Batavia.

Press Release:

Chicken and waffles. Shrimp and grits. Greens. And lemon pound cake for dessert.

These traditional “soul foods” and much more are on the menu of the first Soul Food Brunch, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 27 at The Recovery Station, 5256 Clinton St. Rd., Batavia.

“What better way to bring folks together and celebrate Black History Month than with food and conversation?” said Kenyetta Reese, case manager at UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse). 

Reese is organizing the event, which is free and open to the public, while sisters Sheila Rolle-Smith and V.J. Rolle-Belle are coordinating the effort, along with others, to put the food on the table for all to enjoy.

“We’re delighted to be a part of this event,” said Rolle-Smith, a case manager at UConnectCare. “This gives us a chance not only to share our black history but to learn from each other in a festive setting. It’s really all about respect for one another.”

Reese is reaching out to the community for groups wanting to assist in making the brunch a success.

“Volunteers are definitely welcome. And we’re always looking for Black-owned businesses to showcase," she said.

To sign up for the event, go to The Recovery Station’s Facebook page or contact Reese at kreese@uconnectcare.org. The deadline to register is Feb. 23.

Press Release:

The City of Batavia Water Department is repairing a water main break on North Spruce Street Tuesday afternoon.  The length of time the water will be off is unknown in the surrounding area. 

Traffic may be closed in the area while the repairs are being made.  Please use an alternate route.

As always, when the water is restored, it may be discolored.  Please refrain from doing any laundry until the water runs clear.

We apologize for any inconvenience, and the public’s patience is greatly appreciated.

Frank Capuano shared these photos he took of an albino squirrel who is a regular visitor to his yard in Batavia, sharing corn with his friends.

Felicia R. Sherrell, 43, of Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving while ability impaired by drugs and alcohol, failure to keep right, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, harassment 2nd, and resisting arrest. Sherrell was arrested in connection with a motor vehicle accident reported on Dec. 17. According to police, Sherrell's vehicle struck a sign on West Main Street at Oak Street, Batavia, and then left the scene. Once located, Sherrell allegedly resisted arrest and struck an officer. She was released on an appearance ticket.

Isaiah J. Munroe, 33, of Batavia, is charged with assault 3rd, unlawful imprisonment 2nd, and criminal mischief 4th. Munroe is accused of being in a fight with another person on Walnut Street, Batavia, on Feb 4. He is accused of restraining a person and preventing the person from calling for help. He was arraigned and released.

Michael R. Ostrander, 59, of Batavia, is charged with assault 3rd. Ostrander is accused of hitting another person, causing injury, during an incident on Feb. 9 on Mill Street. Ostrander was arraigned and released.

Leona J. Polk, 44, of Le Roy, is charged with harassment 2nd. Polk is accused of striking a nurse in the emergency room at UMMC on Feb. 12. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Rebecca R. Fugate, 33, of Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd. Fugate is accused of striking a person on Feb. 12 while on a bus in Batavia. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Kristen R Aquino, 40, no community listed, is charged with DWI. Aquino was stopped on Feb. 3 on Liberty Street by a Batavia patrol officer. She was issued an appearance ticket.

David J. Sokolowski, 54, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Sokolowski was allegedly found in possession of narcotics on Feb. 6 in the city of Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Jaylinn M O'Neil, 33, of Le Roy, was arrested on Feb. 7 on a warrant issued by City Court. O'Neil was initially charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle 3rd on Nov. 8. She is accused of failure to appear in court as ordered. She was arraigned in City Court and released pending her next court appearance.

Peter Hubbard, 43, of Lovering Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with DWI, DWAI (combined influence of drugs and alcohol), driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, moving from lane unsafely, driving left of pavement markings.  Hubbard was charged following an investigation by deputies Zachary Hoy and Nicholas Chamoun at 5:40 p.m. on Dec. 16 on Ellicott Street Road, Pavilion.  He was arrested on Feb. 17. Hubbard was released on an appearance ticket.

A 13-year-old was arrested by State Police on Feb. 15 and charged with burglary 3rd. The alleged burglary was reported on Dec. 29 at 5:17 p.m. in the Town of Elba. No further information released.

Jacqueline M. Kotas, 49, of Alden, is charged with DWI. Kotas was stopped by State Police at 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 13 in the Town of Darien. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Although it’s fair to say the Rev. James “Jim” Morasco has been working on a genealogy project to trace various members on his dad’s side of the family for the last several years, it might be more accurate to say he’s been working to put the pieces of himself in order for more than three decades.

And, although he may not have planned it this way, the two have peacefully collided with his latest find: his grandmother Genevive and Uncle Nicholas, both who have been traced to the nondescript pauper’s plot on the Southside of Batavia Cemetery on Harvester Avenue.   

“When I called Catherine Roth the second time, she said they’re here; that was the a-ha moment; that’s how I found them,” Morasco said during an interview with The Batavian Monday at The Pub Hub just across from the cemetery. “When I was in Italy … I went to a church and touched the baptismal. All those people I never knew contributed to who I am.”

Roth was a staunch supporter of city and cemetery history and had helped Morasco with research to track the whereabouts of his long-lost family members who died in the 1930s. His grandmother had died at the age of 40 with heart issues, and Nicholas was just 6 years old when he died of scarlet fever. 

Shelves and shelves of darkened yellow parchment from so long ago.

Carefully guarding life’s passing of forgotten people.

Diligently searching for familiar names in memory.

Morasco only remembered hearing about how his father could feel the drip of melting ice that was packed around the bodies when temporarily at their house.

Neither of them had a burial or a headstone, which Morasco wants to rectify. He has compiled a book of poems written over the years in honor of his family, his spiritual work and beliefs, people and social justice, and Morasco’s own struggles and triumphs with alcohol addiction.

Suddenly they come alive after being dead for so many years. They shout at me from the page.

Congessio, Francesco, Giuseppe, Vincenzo.

Moresco, Morasco, Morasca.

Born, Married, Died.

Life’s important moments.

Suspended in time.

It was Vincenzo Morasco who led the way in America from Vasto, Italy, a hilltop ancient Roman town overlooking the cerulean blue waters of the Adriatic Sea. Not an easy task in its own right, emigrating to the United States was made even more difficult, Morasco said, due to Vincenzo having broken his leg and being advised that he wouldn’t be let into Ellis Island with such an injury.

So he bypassed the usual route by going through South America, traveled by banana boat, and ended up coming by way of Niagara Falls. Morasco has visited the famous falls and imagined his brave Italian elder making his way over to a whole new world, a new way of life and opportunities.

Vincent, as he was called on the Southside, worked for a while on the railroad, blasting rocks with a sledgehammer. He was blinded in one eye when a piece of rock flew up and hit him in the eye, and he apparently went on to own a big greenhouse on Swan Street, Morasco said. 

And after that first relative’s trek, six generations followed, he said, bringing with them a spirit of community and patriotism by serving in the military, nursing, as firefighters, and clergy — Morasco, a 1974 Batavia High School grad, is pastor at Morganville United Church of Christ. 

We were something once they say,

Mamma, papa, bambino.

We were flesh and blood once,

Now your flesh and blood.

And so we breathe again,

We are family.

It’s time to bring us home.

While he has been able to relate to family struggles with alcohol — “finding answers to why I act the way I do” — he also cherishes the advice given to him by his Irish mom, Margaret McCann, who shared stories and urged him to carry them on.

“My mother thought the stories were important. She would talk to me about things I didn’t know,” he said. “This is something that I've been thinking about for a while since I told my father I wanted to do this. But I was busy. I'm older now, and I’ve got a lot more time, so I can get things done that I wanted to do. It's kind of a closure for me.

“That was part of it because, you know, I've been in recovery for over 30 years. But that was finding answers as well. You know, finding answers to why I act the way I do, where that comes from, looking at my family history of alcoholism and substance use, and then I started on this as well, along with it, because I started digging up information on people,” he said. “I realized it was almost impossible that I wasn't an alcoholic; it was part of our family; we had the Irish and the Italian; it was an interesting mix.”

While it has also become a closure of sorts for the whole family, it has served as an opening for family reunions with siblings and cousins. Perhaps he’ll share his own stories of visiting Italy and sneaking into a fenced area to see old fishing platoons and envisioning how his own grandpa may have played there years before.

“I told my brother the other day, it's like the grandmother we never knew was bringing us together,” Morasco said.

Any remaining proceeds from the book will go to Batavia Cemetery Association for the good work that the nonprofit’s volunteers do, he said. “It’s important to me that they’re recognized as well,” he said.

Sharon Burkel said that, on behalf of the cemetery association, “we are very pleased that he wants to remember his family this way.”

“Every soul in the cemetery has a story,” she said. “We’ll pick a nice spot in that area for the marker.” 

She remembered reading a news article that, at one point, those in charge of the cemetery were burying people three bodies deep. They had no family to claim them and sometimes were indigents or had been in jail or for whatever other reasons. There wasn’t money or a prearranged plot for them in the traditional cemetery, so they would be placed in the pauper’s plot, a piece of unmarked land with a few trees dotting the landscape. 

Morasco’s book, “Dreaming,” is available at Holland Land Office Museum, GO Art! and HERE.

He isn’t quite done with his genealogy. He also discovered another uncle whose whereabouts were unknown up to now: Uncle Franchesco “Frank,” who drowned in the Tonawanda Creek at age 15. He is in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, though it’s not known exactly where, Morasco said. He’s onto another mission.

The Batavia Girls Track and Field Team won its 18th sectional title in Class A2 on Sunday at Nazareth College.

The boys' team came in 3rd.

The girls' team finished with 161 points, 40 points ahead of the second-place Pittsford Mendon. 

Individual results:

• Maddi Smith - 1st place 55 Hurdles
• Campbell Riley - 1st place 1000m, 1st place 1500m
• Ava Wierda - 1st place Weight Throw, 1st place Shot Put
• Ella Shamp - 1st place Long Jump, 1st Place High Jump
• Ava Anderson - 2nd place 55 Hurdles, 4th Place Long Jump
• Miah Jones - 6th place 55 Hurdles
• Jadyn Boyce - 4th place 600m
• Izzy Scott - 4th place 1500m
• Karizama Wescott - 4th place 300m, 3rd place Triple Jump
• Ella Radley - 6th place 300m, 6th place Long Jump
• Libby Grazioplene - 3rd place Shot Put
• Jaimin McDonald - 5th place Shot put, 4th place Weight Throw
• Drew Stevens - 3rd place Weight Throw
• Sophia Moore - 6th place Weight Throw
• Isabella Walsh - 2nd place High Jump
• London Graham - 4th place High Jump
• 4x800 Relay - 1st place Jenna Higgins, Helaina Staley, Izzy Scott, Campbell Riley
• 4x400 Relay - 1st place Ava Anderson, Kylee Brennan, Jadyn Boyce, Karizma Wescott
• 4x200 Relay - 2nd place Kylee Brennan, Ella Radley, Maddi Smith, Ella Shamp

The girls won 9 out of 17 events on the day.

Batavia is the smallest school of 17 teams in the A2 classification.  The 18 titles for Batavia have come over the past 22 years.

The boys team picked up 85.5 points, good enough for 3rd place. University Prep won sectionals with 98.5 points.  

Boys results:

• Sheldon Siverling - 1st place Shot Put, 1st place Weight Throw
• Cole Grazioplene - 1st place 600m, 5th place 300m
• Cooper Konieczny - 1st place Pole Vault
• Mekhi Fortes - 2nd place Shot Put, 5th place Weight Throw
• Karvel Martino - 3rd place Shot Put
• Cameron Garofalo - 3rd place 1000m, 5th place 1600m
• Parris Price - 4th place 300m
• Josh Budzinack - 5th place Pole Vault
• Grant Gahagan - 5th place High Jump
• 4x800 Relay - 4th place Jamari Irvin, Nate Kinsey, E'Nhazje Carter, Donavin Solis
• 4x400 Relay - 3rd place Trevor Tryon, Grant Gahagan, Cameron Garofalo, Parris Price
• 4x200 Relay - 5th place Trevor Tryon, Emmanuel Richardson, Lakoda Mruczek, Cole Grazioplene

Coach Nicholas Burk said Batavia's teams continue to excel because the athletes understand what it takes to be competitive in every meet.

"The kids need to commit," Burk said. "The kids need to recognize that this is a process, and you continue to improve. It gets more and more difficult for kids with all the distractions they have in life. So, kids have to commit; they have to enjoy this feeling of wanting to win again. I don't mean to necessarily sound overconfident, but we're going to be in the midst of it. Our kids are gonna give effort, and they're gonna work their tails off, so we're in a position where we're a top two, top three team, and we're gonna get after it, and you know, we're gonna build that confidence to try to win."

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