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The City of Batavia will observe Halloween activities from 5 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 31st only. Police Chief Shawn Heubusch reminds trick-or-treaters to use caution when crossing any street; always use a clearly marked crosswalk; and look both ways before entering the crosswalk. Younger trick-or-treaters should always be accompanied by an adult. Be safe and have a Happy Halloween!

Press release:

Each year the United Way of Genesee County has supported local nonprofit agencies with funding for programs and services through the United Way Community Fund.

Following an extensive review of our community needs, the Board of Director of the United Way has approved the 2014 Building Blocks for Change. This will allow UW staff and volunteers to better respond to the needs of a changing community.

This marks a big departure from how grants have been distributed in the past and funding is available to ANY nonprofit in Genesee County, according UW Regional Director Erik Fix.

Building Blocks for Change will focus on three areas:

• Investing Today for a Better Tomorrow -- grants ranging from $2,500 to $15,000 with a total of $150,000 available -- for learning and enrichment, proactive prevention and mentoring
• Meeting Basic Needs -- grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 with a total of $75,000 available -- for emergency services, basic needs programs;
• and Creating Long-term Solutions -- grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 with a total of $25,000 available -- for community development.

Funding will be available for up to a two-year funding cycle beginning in February 2015. Applications are available now and proposals will be accepted until Nov. 15.

Eligible agencies must be not-for-profit, community-based organizations and/or faith-based organizations that have current 501c3 status. Grants are awarded to agencies in Genesee County that meet the needs of our community.

Final funding awards will be at the discretion of the UW Allocations Committee and Board of Directors.

Applications are available by e-mailing UW Regional Director Erik Fix at:   erik.fix@uwrochester.org

The due date for all applications is Nov. 15.

Once accepted, agencies will receive additional information from the United Way, including six-month report instructions and expectations of United Way Agencies.

United Way of Genesee County
29 Liberty St.
Batavia, NY 14020
585.343.8141

Carolina M. Frias, 34, of Law Street, Batavia, is charged with theft of services, petit larceny and criminal mischief. She was arrested Oct. 23 at about 6:20 p.m. in front of 140 W. Main St. for alleged petit larceny, criminal mischief, 3rd, and theft of services stemming from an incident on Oak Street on Oct. 22. Frias is suspected of damaging and removing various items from a hotel without permission along with not paying for her stay. She was jailed in lieu of $2,500 cash or bail. The incident was investigated by officer Nedim Catovic, assisted by officer Eric Foels.

Abner C. Black, 60, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with third-degree assault and criminal mischief, 4th. Black was arrested in front of City Centre on Oct. 25 following an incident on Oct. 24 in which he was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute on Chandler Avenue. He allegedly shoved a female against a refrigerator and took her cell phone when she tried to call 9-1-1. He was jailed in lieu of $3,000 cash or bail. The incident was investigated by officer Nedim Catovic.

Donna Ann Corcoran, 41, of St. Mary's Street, Pavilion, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, unlawful possession of marijuana, and second-degree promoting prison contraband. She was arrested in the Town of Pavilion on Oct. 24 and brought to jail for an incident related to a DWI investigation. While inside the Genesee County Jail, it is alleged that Corcoran possessed a controlled substance and marijuana, which led to the aforementioned charges. She was issued an appearance ticket and is to answer the charges in city court on Nov. 19. Corcoran was also charged with driving while ability impaired by alcohol, failure to keep right and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle in the Town of Pavilion. She received traffic tickets for those alleged offenses and is to appear Nov. 18 in Pavilion Town Court. The incident was investigated by deputy Joseph Graff.

William J. Mellema, 50, of Almay Road, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, aggravated unlicensed operation, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and driving over state 55 mph limit. On Oct. 11 on Route 98 in Elba, Mellema was arrested on the charges following a traffic stop in which he allegedly admitted to having a bag of pot and a glass smoking pipe. He was arraigned in Elba Town Court and jailed on $800 cash bail or $2,000 bond. He is scheduled to reappear in Elba Town Court on Nov. 18. The incident was investigated by deputy Joseph Loftus, assisted by deputy Joseph Graff.

Harold Chinn, 49, of North Main Street, Oakfield, is charged with petit larceny for an incident that happened on Sept. 23 on Veterans Memorial Drive. Chinn allegedly stole a cell phone that another patron of Walmart had left behind at the check-out counter. He was arrested Oct. 19 and issued an appearance ticket for Batavia Town Court on Nov. 3. The incident was investigated by deputy Joseph Loftus.

Monique Annette Mcmillian, 30, of Elmdorf Street, Rochester, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, 3rd, and operating a vehicle with a suspended registration on Oct. 9 in Stafford. Following her release from Monroe County Jail, Mcmillian was turned over to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and subsequently arrested and jailed on $175 bail or $250 bond. She is to reappear in Stafford Town Court on Nov. 13. The incident was investigated by deputy Joseph Graff.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing fire hydrants on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 28, 29, 30 at approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the general area north of West Main Street and west of Bank Street. Homes and businesses nearby will be affected. These tests may result in a temporary discoloration of water in that area. As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored.

Press release:

The 22nd Annual Halloween Parade will take place this Sunday, Oct. 26. Line will form starting at 12:45 p.m. on the west side of Genesee Country Mall/City Centre near Dan's Tires.

Small children MUST be accompanied by an adult. Wagons or sleds strongly recommended.

Parade begins at 1 o'clock. There is no rain date. Listen to WBTA for cancellations by 11:30 a.m.

The first 100 children 10 and under in costume only will receive a special free gift compliments of Oliver's Candies.

Pizza and lemonaide /orange soda for kids in costume only will be served at the end of the parade, compliments of Batavia's Original. Popcorn will be provided by Vibrant Batavia.

For more information call 345-6420.

The event is sponsored by The Batavia Area Jaycees, Batavia's Original, Oliver's Candies, Batavia Youth Bureau and Vibrant Batavia.

The Town of Alabama Volunteer Fire Department will host to the public a Fire Prevention Fun Night and Open House this evening, Oct. 24, from 6 to 8. It will be held at the Recreation Hall at 2230 Judge Road/Route 63, Alabama.

Free food and drinks, door prizes, obstacle course, Mercy Flight Helicopter will land. Wear a costume for a chance to win Smoke Alarms.

Tobacco-Free Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming Program (Tobacco-Free GLOW) has opened an office in Batavia to begin its five-year contract with first-year funding of $325,000. The contract from the New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Tobacco Control is one of three contracts awarded to Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and will be administered under the direction of Anthony Billoni.

The Roswell Park tobacco-free programs support efforts to locally engage community stakeholders and youth in changing policies and norms about tobacco and tobacco use. Tobacco-Free GLOW will be operated by Community Engagement coordinator Kevin Keenan and Reality Check Youth Engagement coordinator Angela DiRosa.

"With their extensive contacts and experience in tobacco control, Kevin and Angela will be local leaders as we strive to create healthier communities in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming counties," Billoni said.

"I'm excited to continue my work in tobacco control and look forward to engaging local community leaders and the public to strengthen tobacco-related policies that prevent and reduce tobacco use," Keenan said.

DiRosa, a lifelong resident of Genesee County, added, "I have been so privileged to be involved with the many successes that the tobacco control program has had over the last several years. This is a unique opportunity to help my home community minimize the influence of tobacco so our friends and families can live in healthier lives."

The Tobacco-Free Erie-Niagara (TF-EN) Program and the Tobacco-Free Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany Program (TF-CCA) also will be administered by Roswell Park through five-year contracts from NYS Department of Health, Bureau of Tobacco Control.

Andrew Hyland, Ph.D, chair of the Department of Health Behavior at RPCI said "Roswell Park has a long history of leading national and regional tobacco control efforts. These contracts provide an opportunity to continue those efforts in an efficient way that employs local leaders as they strive to prevent youth smoking and create tobacco-free communities throughout Western New York."
 
The primary goals of the tobacco control programs are to:

• Reduce the impact of retail tobacco marketing on youth by educating communities about the manipulative marketing tactics of the tobacco industry;
• Establish tobacco-free community norms through clean outdoor air policies by working with communities to create more smoke-free parks, playgrounds and beaches;
• Lessen secondhand smoke exposure by working with landlords and tenants to implement smoke-free housing policies in multi-unit dwellings.
• Diminish tobacco imagery in youth-rated movies by working for change in the rating system to require an R rating for movies that contain smoking imagery.
• Decrease tobacco-industry presence on social media by working with stakeholders and internet sites to enact and adhere to policies that protect youth from tobacco imagery.

All counties in New York State now have the resources of a community engagement program and a Reality Check youth action program through the Bureau of Tobacco Control. These contracts build on previous tobacco control funded work which supports the region's public health efforts and provides more comprehensive programing across the state.

Press release:

Genesee Community College recently received notice from Empire State Development that the College's Start-Up New York Plan has been fully approved. GCC's plan is part of the statewide initiative introduced last year by Governor Andrew Cuomo to encourage potential development on or within one mile of each of the State University of New York's (SUNY) 64 campuses by offering tax-free status to both the company and new employees for up to 10 years.

Each SUNY institution can designate up to 200,000 square feet of off-campus space in addition to available space on-campus for Start-Up New York projects that create new jobs associated with the academic curriculum offered by the connected campus.

With ESD approval, GCC can now accept business applications for Start-Up New York proposals. Each application must also include a Related Persons Report and a Competition Analysis to help ensure the business entity and proposal are new opportunities in New York State and do not compete against existing businesses.

To review the online Start-Up New York application, go to: http://esd.ny.gov/index.html

For general information about Start-Up NY go to: http://startup-ny.com/

All Start-Up NY proposals presented to Genesee Community College will be reviewed by the College administration and the Board of Trustees. Among the potential business types identified as appropriate for a Start-Up New York proposal with GCC are agricultural research, rural energy development, private protection or security services and advanced manufacturing. GCC will not consider industries or businesses that do not meet the Start-Up New York requirements including companies working in finance, business administration, support services, retail or food services.

"The creation of new jobs while not hurting existing businesses is the central objective of Start-Up NY," said William Emm, GCC's executive vice president for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness. "For GCC, program opportunities that support the College's mission can exist at or near the Batavia Campus in Genesee County, but also at or near the College's campus centers in Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming Counties."

Press release:

The Genesee County Conservative Party has endorsed the reelection of Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

He has shown over and over that he represents the thoughts and wishes of the district. It has been hard for him with the Downstate liberal majority controlling the State. But he has kept on trying and has not gone the path of “go along to get along” that many have taken.

He has been a very strong supporter or the 2nd Amendment and our right to own firearms if we want. He supports the full repeal of the SAFE ACT, which only punishes legal gun owners and does nothing to stop crime. Steve Hawley has been endorsed by the NRA and the local pro 2nd Amendment group, SCOPE.

He is pro-business and has received a 100-percent rating from Unshackle Upstate and the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Steve owns his own local business, hiring local people.

This November, we ask you to vote on the Conservative Party line (Row C) and show your support for Steve Hawley.

On Behalf of the Executive Committee,
Dann G Neale
Vice-Chairman Conservative Party of Genesee County

From the city's Bureau of Maintenance:

Citywide leaf collection is under way and will continue until Nov. 21.

Residents of the following streets can rake to the parkway but do not put the leaves in the street:

• Clinton Street
• Oak Street
• Main Street (including East and West Main street)
• Pearl Street
• South Main Street (Between Oak and Walnut)
• Walnut Street
• Richmond Avenue (between Oak and Prospect)

If your street has a route number (i.e. Route 5, Route 33, Route 63 and Route 98), then please keep leaves out of the roadway.

All other streets are asked to rake leaves to the curb line, taking care not to block storm drainage structures/catch basins.

Leaf operations typically have one crew on the Southside beginning on River Street, moving east in areas south of Main Street. A second crew on the Northside will work from Grandview Terrace, moving west, in the area north of Main Street. A third crew will work using a vacuum along main roads and numbered routes.

It takes about a week and a half to go through the entire city.

Any resident with leaves can also bring them to the yard waste station until it closes for the season on Dec. 6.

Here's some important information about leaf collection:

• Leaf piles must be clear of sticks and other debris;
• Grass clippings, flower pots, branches and pumpkins cannot by picked up and residents are encouraged to bring those to the Yard Waste Station on Law Street;
• Leaves should not block traffic;
• Leaves should not be piled near intersection corners as this causes sight issues for motorists/bicyclists/pedestrians;
• Keep leaf piles clear of drainage ways and catch basins. Blocked drainage leads to localized flooding.
• Leaves should not be piled around mailboxes, power poles, fences, fire hydrants or other obstacles.
• Do not park on leaf piles. Heat from a vehicle exhaust system could start a fire.
• Do not wait to get your leaves out. We will normally collect leaves twice within the month of leaf collection.
• If it is snowing, we plow first. If it continues to snow, then leaf operations will be suspended.
• There is no leaf pickup in the spring.

An all-black, short-haired male cat has gone missing since Oct. 10 from Darien Lake Theme Park and Campground. It is neutered and microchipped and very much missed by his family and his BFF -- the family dog. He answers to "Phoenix" or "FeeFee."

There is a reward if found. Please call Kathy at 716-472-8968.