batavia

An 18-year-old driver was shaken up and taken to the hospital Wednesday after losing control of her car on R. Stephen Hawley Drive and having it overturn.

Alexandra N. Vanburen, of Batavia, was transported by ground ambulance to UMMC.

No other people where in Vanburen's car and no other vehicles were involved.

The reason is not contained in the Sheriff's Office report, but Vanburen's 1999 Saturn traveled off the roadway and onto the gravel shoulder. She reportedly over corrected and lost control of the car. The car traveled off the north shoulder, hit an embankment and landed on its roof.

No citations were issues.

Deputy Chad Minuto handled the investigation.

(initial report)

John Christian Finkney, 22, of Galloway Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal impersonation, driving out of class, unregistered motor vehicle, switched plates, uninsured motor vehicle. Finkney was allegedly involved in a road rage incident on Oct. 15. As part of the investigation, a deputy asked Finkney for his name and date of birth. It was later discovered that he allegedly provided the name and birth date of his brother. He was arrested Wednesday by Deputy Eric Seppela.

Reader Amanda sent this in -- a picture of a rainbow over downtown Batavia at about 9:45 a.m.

The Batavia High School Baseball Team is trying a new fundraiser this year to help pay for spring training camp in Florida.

Instead of having to do a whole bunch of fundraisers like they usually do -- bake sales, car washes, candy sales, bowl-a-thons, etc. -- they are going to have a one-day sale of a big-ticket item. Would you believe mattresses?

Yes, quality mattress sets at 30 to 60 percent off retail prices will be on sale this Sunday in the school's big gym from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They may still have to do other fundraisers, but they hope to raise a good chunk money Sunday.

This novel idea has proven to be successful for sports teams at other schools in the area, including Albion, Medina, Akron and Holley.

It's the brainchild of Tom McNamara of Custom Fundraising Solutions in Buffalo. Batavia varsity baseball Coach Rick Saunders said a mutual friend introduced them and McNamara made his pitch. It sounded worthwhile, and the guy had good references, so the coach brought the idea to the parents and other coaches.

"It's up to the parents to execute the fund raising," Saunders said. "So it was up to them to decide."

They learned that the least amount of money earned from the daylong event was $1,200 in Akron. A big school in Buffalo took in $9,000 in profits. All profits go directly to the team. The parents, players and coaches all got onboard with the plan.

"Every year we go to Florida," Coach Saunders said. "The returning varsity and potential varsity players get to play college (level) baseball in the Florida sun. It's a nice experience for the guys.

"It costs under $800 per player, and that includes airfare, room and board, and all the baseball they can handle. It's a pretty good deal."

So if you and yours are thinking of buying a new mattress set, here's a great win-win situation.

The blue-and-white sales flier says:

• All sizes available (twin-king)!
• Pillowtops, orthopedics and memory foams!
• All brand-new with factory warranties!
• Name brands such as Restonic, Southerland and more!
• Free layaway available!
• Delivery available!
• Cash, checks and credit cards accepted!

(FYI: Southerland Sleep was founded in Nashville in 1893, a fourth-generation family owned company. Restonic is a U.S. company whose motto is "Hitting the Hay Since 1938." Both are considered top-of-the-line brands).

If you can get your hands on a flier, there's a coupon for $50 off any order over $500.

The school is located at 260 State St.

This morning, Suzanne Corona met South Beach owner Ken Mistler at a downtown bank and signed a contract agreeing to carry a sign in front of his restaurant for four hours that reads, "I Stole from South Beach."

The contract, Mistler said, is an admission of guilt. In it, Mistler agrees to drop criminal charges against Corona and she holds harmless Mistler, South Beach and all employees from any possible damages.

On Sept. 30, Corona was reportedly caught stuffing food from South Beach's buffet into baggies. When confronted, Corona, according to Mistler, dumped the food back onto the buffet. All of the items on the buffet had to be trashed right at the height of lunch hour.

According to Mistler, the resulting damage was more than $1,000, so Corona was facing a possible felony charge.

The 41-year-old Corona was in City Court briefly this afternoon on her other notorious legal case -- the public lewdness charge she admitted to in August.

Corona, who was initially charged with adultery for having sexual contact with a man not her husband in Farrall Park in June, was scheduled to be sentenced today.

The sentencing was continued until Nov. 24.

Judge Michael Del Plato only said that the proposed sentence "is something not available to me." He also instructed the attorneys on both sides that "what is confidential remains confidential."

Ashley Bedard is a graduate of Pembroke Central School and she is battling leukemia. To help Ashley, and her mother, JoAnne McInerney, while Ashley undergoes treatment for the disease, there's going to be a fundraiser this Saturday.

"Bash for Ash" will offer a steak dinner, Chinese auction and music, all for $10 per person. It will be held at Holy Name of Mary Church Hall on West Avenue in East Pembroke from 4 to 11 p.m., with dinner served from 5 to 7 p.m.

Donation for the event can be sent or dropped off to Sue Winkelman or Hope Wood at Tompkins Insurance Agencies, 90 Main St., in Downtown Batavia.

Monetary donations can be made payable to: "In Trust for Ashley Bedard"and mailed to: Bank of Castile; Attn -- Sue Winkelman, 90 Main St., Batavia.

For more information call Sue or Hope at 585-344-0833 or email:
<swinkelman@tompkinsins.com> or <hwood@tompkinsins.com>

(Portrait photo by Carlson's Studio)

The driver is out of the car and reportedly only shaken up following a reported roll over accident on College Drive near Bank Street Road.

Town of Batavia Fire and Mercy EMS responding.

People -- including gay teens -- shouldn't be bullied.

That's the message Batavia High student Kelly Jones wanted to get out today.

After reading about Oct. 20 being a "wear purple" day in remembrance of five gay teens who reportedly committed suicide recently after being bullied, Kelly wanted to get as many students at BHS as possible to wear purple today.

Many did.

"I feel bad for people," Kelly said. "I see it every day. I've bullied and I feel horrible about it. I just think it's a horrible thing and I just don't want people to be bullied anymore."

Kelly found out about the day through a Facebook group, so she sent messages to all of her friends yesterday -- three times -- and asked them to make sure all of their friends at BHS knew about the plan.

Principle Chris Daily said Kelly's initiative and so many students participating is typical of BHS.

"We have an extremely caring and giving bunch of kids at Batavia," Daily said.

"We're lucky here," he added. "We have such a diverse population in this high school -- the haves and the have nots, all sorts, that people are used to people being a little different."

Though students said the school isn't without its bullies, and they want it to stop.

"It's not right for here," said Kelly, who is on the far left in the picture above. "This is a small town and everybody knows everybody."

Cassie Warren said she wore purple today not because she's seen a lot of bullying this year, but she has in the past.

"(I wore purple) because people who are like gay and lesbian, they don't have maybe the right to speak out because everyone teases them," Cassie said. "It's not right, so I wanted to show them that people care."

Rebecca Truesell said it was moving to see so many of her classmates in purple today.

"I kind of related to (the gays who were bullied) because I've been picked on my whole life," Rebecca said. "It means a lot to me (that her classmates are wearing purple). When I saw all of the people, I almost started crying. All of these people care and it didn't seem like they cared, but they really do."

A fire on Thursday caused $5,000 in damage and disrupted business for TopLine Shirt Co. But owners Tim Walton and Rob Credi say normal operations will resume on Monday.

Here's their full statement:

TopLine Shirt Co. is set to resume their normal business hours of M-F from 12-5 p.m. starting Monday, Oct. 25 after cleaning up from a recent fire. TopLine had been operating on limited operating hours since a fire occurred at the shop last week.

The fire started around 6:30 on Thursday night when one of the flash ovens malfunctioned and caught fire. The flash oven is a dryer similar to a large heat gun that radiates heat downward to dry ink onto shirts after they are printed.

The fire quickly spread from the dryer and spread to shirts that were on a nearby table, and eventually to a box of cleaning rags that had cleaning chemicals on them. The fire was kept under control, by owner Timothy Walton, who was able to grab a hose that was connected to the washtub in the nearby bathroom and spray it to keep the fire down.

The total damage is estimated to be around $5,000 which includes the loss of an oven, table, heat press and clothing.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported in downtown Batavia at Main and Center streets.

Batavia fire and Mercy EMS are responding.

One person has refused medical attention. One woman is being transported to UMMC complaining of neck, upper back and left shoulder pain.

UPDATE: Reader submitted photo.

James R. Sweet, 49, of 5 Shady Lane, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st, reckless endangerment, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Sweet is accused of intentionally driving his car into the lane of traffic occupied by another vehicle. The other car was reportedly driven by a person Sweet was ordered to stay away from. There was reportedly a child in that car.

No charges have been filed yet against Suzanne Corona for allegedly trashing the buffet at South Beach on Sept. 30, and owner Ken Mistler remains ready to drop the charges if she agrees to carry these signs for four hours on East Main Street, Batavia.

Mistler had the signs made up more than a week ago in anticipation of Corona signing a contract admitting she stole from South Beach, but then Corona reportedly became hospitalized and has been unavailable since.

Corona is suspected of walking into South Beach with a purse full of baggies and then trying to fill them up with buffet items before wait staff interfered. When a manager intervened, Corona allegedly began dumping the baggies back on the buffet.

The value of the trashed buffet, plus the lost afternoon business, cost the restaurant more than a $1,000, according to Mistler, which means if Corona doesn't agree to carry the signs she faces at least one felony charge.

Batavia's notorious woman is expected in court Wednesday for sentencing on her public lewdness conviction. As part of a plea deal, an adultery count was dropped. Corona admitted to a sexual act with a man not her husband on a picnic table in Farrall Park in June.

James R. Kosiorek, 18, of Myrtle Street, Le Roy, is charged with assault, 2nd. Kosiorek is accused of punching and kicking another person in the head, causing physical injury to that person by means of a dangerous instrument. The alleged incident occurred on Friday. Kosiorek was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Kenneth Michael Burns, 53, of South Lake Avenue, Bergen, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. While incarcerated at Genesee County Jail, Burns allegedly violated an order of protection by contacting the protected person by phone.

Justin J. Pryzybyl, 21, of 8411 Peachy Road, Bergen, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, making an unsafe start and not wearing a seat belt. Pryzybyl was stopped at 2:10 a.m., Saturday, on Clay Street by Le Roy Police Sgt. Michael Hare.

Benjamin Louis Monna, 21, of Florendin Drive, Henrietta, is charged with operating a motor vehicle impaired by drugs, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, unlawful possession of marijuana and speeding. Monna was allegedly spotted speeding on the Thruway (83 in a 65 mph zone) and was located a short time later on the side of the road at the Pembroke off ramp. He was allegedly found in possession of Ritalin without a prescription, a small amount of marijuana and was allegedly driving under the influence of drugs. He reportedly refused a blood test. Monna was taken into custody at 8:45 a.m., Friday, by Deputy Brian Thompson.

Mark Jacob Mutka, 29, of Ganson Avenue, Corfu, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and speeding (84 in a 55 mph zone). Mutka was stopped at 4:08 a.m., Sunday, on Genesee Street, Darien, by Deputy Howard Carlson.

Christiano Cellular's downtown Batavia location is offering an exclusive Free Activation incentive for new or existing Verizon Wireless customers. Throughout the month of October, Christiano Cellular will pay your $35 Activation Fee when you activate a new phone with a two-year service agreement at their 23 Jackson St. location.

As a long-standing Verizon Authorized Wireless Retailer, Christiano Cellular is well-equipped with smarter-than-ever phones offering e-mail, broadband and global services; entertainment and productivity Apps; navigation, voice plans, messaging and even social networking!

Join America's Most Reliable Wireless Network and the team at Christiano Cellular will welcome you with Free Activation and Excellent Customer Service. They'll show you a "fascinating and incredible" selection of recommended accessories and provide you with a Free Vehicle Charger (or comparable $29.99 accessory) for your new phone!

Plus, if you switch to Verizon Wireless on a $39.99 Plan or higher before October 31st; you'll also receive a Verizon Wireless $50 Debit Card by mail!

Don't miss these outstanding October offers at Christiano Cellular's downtown Batavia location!

Most of the people who built Batavia are buried in Batavia Cemetery, from Joseph Ellicott and Dean Richmond to banker Trumbull Cary and writer John Yates, along with war heroes, merchants and politicians, as well as the wives, mothers and children who died too young.

The Batavia Cemetery Association provides a pamphlet for self-guided tours that plots the sites for 35 of the most prominent people buried under the giant, century-old trees that make the cemetery so photogenic.

I started taking photos for this project on Thursday with the idea of doing a post in advance of the Ghost Tour, but the overcast days weren't great for photographing fall leaves, so I couldn't finish up until Saturday morning.

More pictures after the jump:

Batavia history comes alive every October with local historians and history buffs setting up tours that focus on the past and the dead. This October is no exception.

The Batavia Cemetery Association conducted its first 2010 Candlelight Tour of the historic Batavia Cemetery on Saturday night, with another group of tours scheduled for this coming Saturday. Tours begin at 7 p.m. and continue every 15 minutes until 8:30.

On Friday, a tour called "Murder, Mystery & Mayhem" begins at 8 p.m. at the Engine House (3 West Main St., Batavia), with additional tours at 8:15 and 8:30 and again on Oct. 29 at 8, 8:15 and 8:30 p.m.

Also on the Halloween calendar, St. James Episcopal Church presents a "Special Halloween Spooktacular" at 7 p.m., Oct. 30. It will feature the silent movie "Phantom of the Opera," with accompanying organ music by Charles Bradley. Tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit the bell tower restoration.

More pictures from the Ghost Tour after the jump

Here are five pictures I took yesterday, after getting back into Genesee County, on my return from the Pembroke game in Holley.

The first two are in the area of Transit Road and Chapel Road, Byron. The barn below is on Towerhill Road, Byron, and the pumpkin house is on Bank Street Road. The final picture is Centennial Park, Batavia.

Tonight and Sunday afternoon, Norm Argulski will perform the role of a lifetime -- for the second time in five months.

He portrays esteemed professor Morrie Schwartz, the title character in the two-man show "Tuesdays with Morrie," based on the book of the same name. The play, which will be performed at St. James Episcopal Church in Batavia, tells the true story of Mitch Albom, a sports reporter who decides to contact a favorite former college professor after seeing him on television.

Despite the fact that the professor, Morrie, is dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, a close friendship blossoms between the two as he teaches Mitch many valuable lessons about life and love.

"I think it was a mixture of guilt and a sense of duty [that brought Mitch back to see Morrie]," says Jesse Conklin, who plays Mitch. "He had lost touch with him, after promising to keep in touch, and he felt it would be inhuman not to visit him when he heard that he was dying.

"Like Mitch says in the show, he thought going back to see him that first time would just be a one-shot deal. I think it's ambiguous in the play, what his original reasons were."

Although tonight will be the first performance in months, it is not the true opening night in this area. The Wyoming County Bicentennial Singers' cast made its debut in May at the Warsaw Grange.

This time, though, the profits will be going toward the St. James Restoration Fund. And with luck, Sunday's matinee will not be the last performance: the show was adjudicated in May for the Theater Association of New York State (TANYS) and, if selected, will be performed again in November at the TANYS festival at Genesee Community College.

Director Kathy Dodge says that the three weeks' worth of rehearsals prior to this weekend have been spent mostly just polishing the show, as both actors remembered their parts well. The only differences between the performances in May and the performances this weekend, Dodge says, will be technical.

"I actually remembered most of my lines," says Conklin. "The parts I'm shaky on now are the same parts that I was shaky on before. I would say the hardest thing is getting emotionally back into it. I have to really focus to not go on autopilot this time."

The emotional transition back into the role was smoother for Argulski, who says that the rehearsals for the reprise "seemed like what we had always been doing. What's funny is that the more we do this, the more I talk to Mitch, the less I find myself feeling like Norm."

"I have played so many wonderful roles that I enjoyed, but I just had to play this one," Argulski says. "It's truly the role of a lifetime. Morrie is one of the most interesting characters that you will ever see on stage. You'll like him from the first time that you see him. And even at the end, even though you know he's dying, you still feel good about him."

It seems only natural that Argulski should have the role of Morrie because of the similarities between the two.

"The way that we both think about life and view other people is very close," he explains. "So many of his values are my values."

Argulski is also a retired schoolteacher, something that influenced him greatly in understanding the character.

"Being a teacher was probably the biggest plus that I brought to being Morrie because I know how he felt," he says. "I had so many wonderful students, and I'm still in touch with many of them."

Dodge says she initially chose the show because of the book:

"I read the book years ago, multiple times actually. It's one of my favorites, so I was interested in the play. I really love that it's a true story."

Conklin, on the other hand, had never heard of the show or book before auditioning.

"I heard the name and was like, 'Tuesdays with what? Is it a musical?'" he laughs.

"It is such a unique situation, because in most dramatic works there is a villain, or at least an unsavory person of some sort," Argulski said. "However, this is a story about two wonderful characters, and seeing this is seeing two wonderful men in what they do as their relationship grows."

Is there a message in the show? Director Dodge thinks so: "To make sure you say what you want to people that you love, because you never know when you won't be able to say it to them. Make time for people. The show also brings ALS and hospice front and forward."

Argulski says that the characters have deepened his appreciation of life: "At one point in the show Morrie says, 'I wish I had been aware of death every day of my life.' Of course no one wants to be aware of death every day, but that was really the turning point in his life. I've never known anyone who celebrated death, or who looked at death as it really is. I would really like to talk to him about that."

Tonight's performance is at 7:30 and tomorrow it's at 2 p.m. The ticket price of $15 includes dessert and coffee with the actors after the show. The church is located at 405 E. Main St. in Batavia. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call 343-6802.

We received an inquiry from a reader who said there was an outbreak of whooping cough -- or, pertussis -- at Genesee Community College.

We contacted Randy Garney, interim director of the Genesee County Health Department, who said no cases have been reported in Genesee County. However, he was aware of a case being reported in Wyoming County.

Laura Paolucci, public health administrator for Wyoming County, issued the following statement:

The Wyoming County Health Department has confirmed a case of pertussis for an individual that is a resident of Wyoming County and a student at GCC. The individual received appropriate treatment. The GCC Health Services Office was notified, provided information on pertussis and instructed to contact the health department with questions or concerns. There have been no further cases reported or identified.

Physicians are required to report diagnosed cases of pertussis to county health officials.