Stories from

From Sarah Kingdon:

Sign-ups are now open for the Pavilion Youth Baseball/Softball League.

Please sign up through this new online portal here.

Click on Registration, select 2019 Pavilion Baseball/Softball Registration.

Registrations are due by Feb. 22.

Babe Ruth -- $75

12U, 10U, 8U -- $60

T-Ball (5-6 years old) -- $40

Please note that you will pay for the cash raffle fundraiser up front for $50. Tickets will be handed out by your coaches to sell.

The Opening Day Parade is on Saturday, April 27.

Please contact Tim Kingdon with questions at (585) 322-2804.

An elderly man who lives on Warsaw Road in Le Roy called dispatch stating he "believes his roof is coming off because he can hear it going up and then sliding back down." A sheriff's deputy just arrived to check on the roof and the welfare of the resident.

The deputy says "The roof is starting to come off." Code enforcement will be called to respond.

Also, in Elba, a tree is down and blocking the roadway on Norton Road between Edgerton and Batavia-Elba Townline roads. Elba Fire Police are called to control traffic.

Heidi L. Harder, of Montclair Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. She was arrested following a shoplifting investigation into an incident at 2:19 a.m. on Feb. 6 at Tops Friendly Market in Batavia. She was issued an appearance ticket to be in Batavia City Court on Feb. 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Peter Flanagan.

Paul Kittisack, 53, of South Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. He was arrested at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 6 after he allegedly shoplifted from Tops Friendly Market on West Main Street in Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket to be in Batavia City Court on Feb. 19. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Above is just a sampling of the nice things available for auction at St. Paul Lutheran School on Saturday. Photo courtesy of St. Paul's.

St. Paul Lutheran School is holding their annual auction on Saturday, Feb. 9th. The doors open at 3:30 p.m. and bidding begins at 4 o'clock.

The auction is to be held at St. Paul Lutheran Church and School located at 31 Washington Ave., Batavia.

Items to be auctioned are theme baskets, handmade items, craft items and certificates. There is also a bake sale. The Snack Shack will be open!

The proceeds will benefit the school's tuition fund.

From the Genesee County Economic Development Center:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center will hold its annual Meeting & Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 8, at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel in the Paddock Room.

Cost is $25 per person. Batavia Downs is located at 8315 Park Road in Batavia.

To register click, here.

The GCEDC enjoyed another successful year in 2018 and its partners in business, government and education are spending 2019 "Investing in Our Strongest Assets" in growing the local economy.

The center and its staff looks forward to having you join them in celebrating Genesee County's economic progress and showcasing the next steps in their mission at the upcoming Meeting & Luncheon.

The event will start with an informal networking opportunity and the program follows promptly at noon.

Come and learn more about the accomplishments and opportunities the GCEDC is working hard to bring to local communities.

For questions or more information, contact Jim Krencik, director of Marketing & Communications at:  jkrencik@gcedc.com or phone 585-343-4866.

Press release:

On Wednesday Jan. 23, the Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming (GOW) Opioid Task Force met and hosted their quarterly meeting. Nearly 100 people were in attendance and represented numerous community sectors across the tri-county region.

Paul Pettit, Public Health director of Genesee and Orleans counties, kicked off the meeting by welcoming all in attendance and acknowledging key Task Force members such as the Steering Committee, Work Group members and chairs, and the Greater Rochester Health Foundation. Pettit also asked for a moment of silence for those we have lost to addiction this year and those who are still struggling.  

Pettit and Laura Paolucci, Wyoming County Public Health administrator, then provided a brief history of the Task Force, which included a historical overview of the opioid crisis at a national, state and local level.

Pettit said locally there has been a steady incline over the several years of opioid overdose deaths in the GOW region. In 2015 death totals related to opioid overdoses equaled 17, in 2016 they equaled 31 and in 2017 they reached a peak of 39. Pettit also shared data points related to opioid overdose death rate per 100,000 for each county, known naloxone (Narcan) administration data for the region, and emergency department visits categorized as drug overdose for the region.

Pettit and Paolucci concluded their presentation with a brief overview of how the Task Force was formed and what the first quarterly meeting was like in January, 2017. 

The GOW Opioid Task Force has numerous Work Groups who collaborate across the region to ensure the objectives of the task force are met. Each Work Group chair provided a brief update as to what has taken place in 2018, what to look forward to in 2019, and how to join a Work Group.

Data Work Group Chair, Clement Nsiah, Population Health Improvement Program coordinator at Population Health Collaborative, shared recent and up-to-date data for 2018. Nsiah said opioid overdose deaths in the GOW region for 2018 were at 30. Nsiah noted this data is not yet conclusive as there are still 11 cases pending confirmation from the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Report.

Furthermore, Nsiah reported known naloxone administration in the GOW region has remained the same from 2017 to 2018 at 164 known administrations and emergency departments reported a decline in visits categorized as drug overdoses across the region with 247 reported in 2017 and 186 reported in 2018.

The Naloxone Work Group Chair, Charlotte Crawford, chief executive officer at Lake Plains Community Care Network, reported the Work Group collected trained 1661 individuals in the use and administration of naloxone/Narcan in the GOW region and a total of 1,555 kits were distributed across the region. 

Sharon Legette-Sobers from the Greater Rochester Health Foundation spoke about a grant they awarded to the GOW Opioid Task Force in May (2018) and shared some insight as to why the task force was a recipient of this grant.

The task force received a three-year grant from the Greater Rochester Health Foundation and many of the efforts of the task force are supported via the  grant. Allison Parry-Gurak, project coordinator for the task force and with Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, then identified grant outcomes and objectives and provide a brief update as to where the Task Force in regard to completing these outcomes.

Parry-Gurak said the GOW Opioid Task Force currently has more than 300 members from across the tri-county region. Members represent various sectors of the community, including public health, mental health, human services, local government, substance use disorder treatment and recovery agencies, law enforcement, EMS, faith-based groups, health systems and medical practitioners, education, businesses, concerned individuals and families.

In addition, numerous efforts have taken place since the start of the grant, with a focus on reducing the number of deaths attributed to opioids in the GOW region and stopping the increase in opioid-related overdoses.

Tall Girl Design, a marketing and website design company from Lockport, launched the official task force logo and kicked off the website for the task force. 

The meeting concluded with the introduction of the task force evaluators from the Center for Human Services Research at the University at Albany, Center for Addiction Research at the University at Albany, and Albany Medical Center and College who shared who they are as well as their intended implementation plan.

The next GOW Opioid Task Force meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 24, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Please visit the Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming Opioid Task Force website here for more information.

Press release:

On Wednesday, May 22^nd, the United Way of Genesee County will take part in its 12^th annual Day of Caring.

More than 35 nonprofit agencies are expected to benefit from more than 400 volunteers who will paint, landscape and perform general beautification projects throughout the county.

On May 22^nd, the day will kick off at Dwyer Stadium and end with a wrap-up celebration to share successes of the day.

Registration for projects and volunteers will be available soon.

Those who are new to the Day of Caring, who would like to be involved in spending a united day together making the community a better place, or who have a project they would like completed, are encouraged to reach out to the United Way Regional Director Tammy Hathaway at 585-343-8141.

Group photo from 2018 at Dwyer Stadium by Kevin Carlson of Carlson’s Studio in Wyoming, NY.

Our very own marketing expert and graphic artist Lisa Ace, who lives in Batavia, sent us this photo of her backyard table this afternoon, festooned with a skirt of icicles.

With today's freezing rain, emergency responders were busy countywide with reports of frozen trees and wires down, and vehicles off the roadway. Fortunately, no serious injuries reported thus far.

A driver who was westbound on North Street in the city was unscathed after a frozen tree fell onto his Pontiac Grand Am windshield.

Police at the scene said he was lucky because if he had been headed eastbound at the same location when the tree fell, the heaviest part of the trunk and its branches would probably have been more dangerous. The tree fell on North Street east of Vine shortly after 5:30 p.m., blocking the roadway.

A frozen tree has fallen onto wires at 5367 Horseshoe Lake Road, Stafford. Stafford Fire Department is responding.

A tree branch fell onto the roof of a house at 64 E. Main St. in Corfu. The location is between Meadowbrook Terrace and Thompson Drive. Corfu Fire Department is responding.

Press release:

Last year, Northgate Free Methodist Church’s South Campus, called Arbor House, successfully hosted a series of "FED Talks" -- Food, Exploration, Dialogue. They are excited to announce a new series for 2019, with evenings of savory meals, exciting talks and group conversations on a series of topics that the contemporary church must address.

Speakers will give talks that challenge, entertain and inspire. Be fed twice -- in body and soul -- as we journey together in discussing how our mission to be hope in the world involves entering into areas of great tension, but also great need.

Thursday, Feb. 21st, from 6-8 p.m., Doug Cullum, vice president and dean at Northeastern Seminary, will be discussing the relationship between the LGBTQ (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transexual/Queer) community and the church.

This event is free and open to the public.

Arbor House is located at 350 Bank St., Batavia. For more information please contact the church office at (585) 343-4011.

Edward Ryan Loper, 30, of West Bank Street, Albion, is charged with fourth-degree grand larceny and misapplication of property. Loper was arrested on Feb. 5 and arraigned at 3:41 p.m. in Pavilion Town Court. His arrest follows an investigation by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office into an incident that took place on Hartwell Road in Pavilion on Sept. 23. Loper allegedly stole property from an individual with a value in excess of $1,000. Loper also is accused of misapplication of property that belonged to the same individual. He was brought in from Orleans County Jail, where he was incarcerated on an unrelated charge, for the arraignment. Loper was subsequently put back in Orleans County Jail and bail was set for Genesee County Jail for $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond. He is to reappear in Town of Pavilion Court on March 5. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Lute, assisted by Deputy Kevin Forsyth.

James Albert Chase, 39, of Oak Street, Batavia, is registered Level 3 sex offender who is on parole. He is charged with failure to report a change within 10 days -- with a previous conviction for the same offense. Under NYS Penal Law COR 168-F subdivision 4: An offender has 10 calender days to register "...any change of address, Internet accounts with Internet access providers belonging to such offender, Internet identifiers that such offender uses, or his or her status of enrollment, attendance, employment or residence at any institution of higher education." Chase was being held on a parole violation in Genesee County Jail at the time of his arrest on Feb. 4. He was arraigned then jailed without bail. He is due in Batavia City Court tomorrow (Feb. 7). The case was handled by Batavia Police Det. Eric Hill.

Bryan Michael Beach, 35, of Dolbeer Street, Perry, is charged with first-degree criminal contempt, second-degree harassment and aggravated unlicensed operation in the second degree. He was arrested on Feb. 5 for allegedly shoving a person at 5:20 p.m. on Feb. 3 on Lewiston Road in Batavia, in violation of an active order of protection. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy James Stack.

Hayley N. Giles, 21, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment. Giles was arrested at 12:58 p.,m. on Feb. 3 following an investigation of a domestic incident involving siblings. Giles are released on an appearance ticket. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens, assisted by Officer Jason Ivison.

Jonathan A. Bell, 34, of Evans Street, Batavia, is charged with: driving while intoxicated -- common law; failure to stop at stop sign; refusal to take a breath test; unlicensed operation; and aggravated unlicensed operation in the third degree. Bell was arrested at 11:12 p.m. Feb. 4 on Washington Avenue in Batavia after being involved in a one-vehicle crash. He was processed and released with traffic tickets and is due in Batavia City Court on Feb. 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen, assisted by Officer Nicole McGinnis.

Eric K. Ricks, 40, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. He was arrested at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 1 on Thomas Avenue in Batavia after Batavia police were called to a residence for an altercation. At that time, he was allegedly found to be in possession of marijuana. Ricks was issued an appearance ticket for Batavia City Court Feb. 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Chad Richards.

Notice

Please note that the 4-H ACES Club meeting scheduled for this afternoon (Wednesday, Feb. 6) has been cancelled. The meeting was scheduled from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension office at 420 E. Main St. in Batavia.

Genesee County 4-H Office

Phone:  585-343-3040

On the Web: http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/4-h-youth-development