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Submitted plaque photos and press release:

The 17th Annual Batavia Blue Devil Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner will be held next Saturday, Oct. 20, at Terry Hills Restaurant and Banquet Facility on Clinton Street Road in Batavia.

Social Hour starts at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 o'clock. 

Cost is $30 per dinner.

Tickets are available at the Batavia High School Athletic Director's office. Deadline is Monday, Oct. 15th.

These are the new inductees who will be honored:

• Ice Devils Hockey Team of 1994-1995
• Coleen Tooley Oleski  --  Class of 1965
• Michele Smith Jones  --  Class of 1982
• Stephen Frieday  --  Class of 1968
• Gerry Carmichael  --  Assistant to Director of Health, PE and Interscholastic Athletics from 1986 to 2018
• Richard Anderson  --  Class of 1976
• Jon Sanfratello  --  Class of 1992

For more information please call 343-2480, ext. 2003.

Sponsored by the Batavia Coaches Association.

Submitted photos and press release:

Elba – The Wellness Committee at Elba Central School sponsored their fourth Annual Walk to School Day this week.

On Oct. 10^th, Elba joined schools from around the United States to celebrate Walk to School Day.

Approximately 75 students from Elba Central School walked to school Wednesday along with parents, teachers and community members. They gathered at 7 a.m. at the Town of Elba Highway Department, located at 7 Maple Ave., Elba, and walking started at 7:15.

Upon arrival to the school cafeteria there were special activities associated with the walk. NYS ENCON officer Fay Fuerch and her K9 Handley were the event's special guests. A healthy light snack was served that was donated by Harrington’s Produce, Yancey Fancy New York artisan cheesemaker, and Aldi.

Every student participant was entered into a drawing to win either an Art box, Walkie Talkies or a Bean Bag Toss. Thank you to the above sponsors and the Elba Fire Department!

In the United States, Walk to School Day is expected to include more than 5,000 events across all 50 states. Walk to School Day raises awareness of the need to create safer routes for walking and bicycling. It emphasizes the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and concern for the environment.

This event builds connections between families, schools, and the community.

The Wellness Committee at Elba Central School organizes occasions such as this to promote health and wellness among our staff, students and community through healthy events.

For additional information, please visit these websites:

Walk to School Day in the USA                                    www.walkbiketoschool.org                        

National Center for Safe Routes to School                        www.saferoutesinfo.org

Charles Raymond Sutherland looks seaward in September 2017 from a jetty on Pierpont Beach, Ca. A friend took the picture five months before his death due to an accidental drug overdose. He was the youngest son of Billie Owens.

Bright Futures Genesee is holding its inaugural Remembrance & Hope event from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 14, at Genesee County Park & Forest.

You are invited to this special time to remember loved ones we have lost as well as to share hope for those in recovery.

"There's so much meaness out there, and shame," said Bright Futures Director Sue Gagne. "We wanted to do something where people can share their pain and feel supported. We want to give people hope."

Individuals, friends, family members and allies of recovery are welcome.

Walk through the park, reflect, and enjoy live music.

Feel free to bring a picture of your friend or loved one to share with others and remember.

For your comfort, you are welcome to bring a lawn chair.

The 2018 Remembrance & Hope event will be based at Pavilion B on Raymond Road. The county park is located at 11095 Bethany Center Road in East Bethany.

For more information, please contact via email:   info@brightfuturesgenesee.org

The song below, John Prine's "Summer's End," was first announced on its creator's Facebook page on Feb. 8, 2018 -- the day Chuck turned 35. It was performed at Chuck's funeral service overlooking the coastal City of San Buenaventura one month later, on March 8.

Submitted photos and information:

Veterans, their friends and family members enjoyed a dinner dance at the Veterans Community Living Center on Richmond Avenue in Batavia on Thursday afternoon.

It was hosted by the VA Western New York Healthcare System and held in the Recreation Hall of Building 4. The event was organized by Recreation Therapy, Nursing, other VA staff and the community.

Vets were treated to stuffed meatloaf dinner prepared by D&R Depot while enjoying music by Dr. Marc Maller, VA physician, and Kelly’s Old Timers Band. The Alexander Girls High School Soccer Team assisted staff with this special event, which included crowning a King and Queen.

The Batavia City School District Board of Education and administration invite you to serve as a Budget Ambassador to assist with the 2019-20 Budget process.

Residents of the District are invited to become Budget Ambassadors and make recommendations regarding the school budget. No experience necessary.

If interested in serving, please notify the District in writing by Thursday, Jan 10.

Send written letter interest to:

Christopher J. Dailey

Superintendent

260 State St., Batavia, NY 14020

Or email letter to:   CJDailey@bataviacsd.org

Ambassadors will be expected to attend three budget Monday sessions from 6:30 to p.m. on Feb. 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 25 in District Administration Conference Room #49.  

For questions or additional information, please contact the District Office at 343-2480, ext. 1000, or e-mail Superintendent Dailey at CJDailey@bataviacsd.org

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the Senate has passed legislation to rename the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012 after the late Representative Dorothy Louise McIntosh Slaughter.

Schumer and Gillibrand said that since this bill, introduced by Rep. Paul Tonko (D-Amsterdam, Montgomery County), passed the House last month and has now been passed by the Senate it is expected to be signed into law shortly. It is headed to the President Trump's desk for signature.

The STOCK Act prohibits members from using nonpublic information to make a profit. In other words, it outlaws insider trading in Congress.

Congresswomen Slaughter was a tireless fighter for Congressional ethics and integrity and was the original author of the STOCK Act. In 2012, Senator Gillibrand wrote the Senate version of the STOCK Act and was the lead champion in passing the bill through the chamber.

“Congresswoman Slaughter never stopped fighting for advancements in women’s rights, government ethics, medical research, Upstate economic revival and so much more, and is deserving of this great honor," Schumer said. "As the first Chairwoman of the House Committee on Rules, Louise Slaughter represented her Rochester constituents with passion, integrity and honor.

"The renaming of the landmark STOCK Act after Congresswoman Slaughter, which she authored and shepherded to passage, is a fitting way to commemorate her permanent status as a champion of democracy and integrity and undoubtedly one of the true trailblazers in Congress.”

Senator Gillibrand, who championed the STOCK Act in the Senate, said: “Congresswoman Louise Slaughter exemplified the very best of our elected leaders. She was kind, she was honorable, and she always believed in doing what was right on behalf of her constituents and her country.

"We worked very hard together to make sure that all members of Congress could be held to the highest standards. She first introduced the STOCK Act in 2006 and didn’t give up until it was signed into law. She was proud to see the bill that she championed to prevent corruption in Congress become law, and it is only fitting that we rename the legislation in her honor.” 

Representative Louise Slaughter served in the United States House of Representatives for 30 years in New York’s 30^th, 28^th, and 25^th districts. From 2007 to 2011, she served as the first Chairwoman of the House Committee on Rules. Prior to her time in the House of Representatives, Slaughter spent four years representing New York’s 130^th District in the State Assembly. 

Slaughter’s tenure in Congress was filled with a number of landmark achievements in the issue areas of women’s rights, medical research, government ethics, and many more. In 1993, Slaughter secured the very first $500 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to research breast cancer. In 1994, Slaughter passed the Violence Against Women Act, and was an original author of the legislation.

In 2006, Slaughter introduced the STOCK Act to the House of Representatives. She spent years pushing for this critical legislation, and in 2012 it passed the House by a 417-2 vote, and the Senate by a 96-3 vote.

(Editor's Note: Democrat Louise Slaughter was the elected representative of New York's 30th Congressional District from Jan. 3, 1987 to Jan. 3, 1993, which contained all of Genesee County at that time. It was eliminated following the 2000 U.S. Census. Genesee County is now in the 27th Congressional District. The Kentucky native died in March at age 88.)

(For more information on the life and career of Louise Slaughter, click here.)

With Batavia City School District’s yearlong reconstruction project at the Daniel A. Van Detta Stadium at Woodward Field set to begin next week, the last day the track will be open to the public is Sunday, Oct. 14.

Likewise, the current playground across the street from the stadium (adjacent to the Robert Morris Building) also will be closed after Oct. 14. The playground will be relocated to a different area of the Robert Morris grounds and reopen in the spring.

Another part of the 2020 Vision Capital Project that will begin this month is the addition of four classrooms and interior renovations at John Kennedy School.

The exterior and interior renovations at Richmond Library will begin in December. Improvements to Jackson are slated to begin in February the High School projects are scheduled to start in May.

John M. Grabowski is indicted for the crime of predatory sexual assault against a child, a Class A-II felony. It is alleged that on Feb. 16, 2016, in the Town of Oakfield that Grabowski commited first-degree rape -- he being age 18 or older and the victim with whom he is accused of engaging in sexual intercourse was less than 13 years old. In counts two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and 10, the defendant is accused of second-degree rape, a Class D violent felony. It is alleged in those counts that the adult defendant engaged in sexual intercourse with a person less that 15 in the Town of Oakfield, respectively, on: May 22, 2016; July 4, 2016; Feb. 27, 2017; May 22, 2017; July 4, 2017; Thanksgiving Day (November) 2017; Christmas Day (December) 2017; and Feb. 27, 2018. In counts 10, 11 and 12, Grabowski is accused of third-degree rape, a Class E felony, for allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse as an adult male with three other persons less than 17 on these respective dates in the Town of Oakfield: May 22, 2018; July 4, 2018; and July 23, 2018. In count 13, he is accused of criminal sexual act in the third degree, a Class E felony, for allegedly engaging in oral sexual conduct without the person's consent, and that was due to some reason other than incapacity to consent. In count 14, Grabowski is accused of endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor. It is alleged in count 14 that the defendant knowingly acted in a manner likely to be injurious to the physical, mental or moral welfare of a child less than 17 and did so between Oct. 1, 2016 and July 24, 2018, in the Town of Oakfield.

Trametrias L. Scott is indicted for the crime of driving while intoxicated, as a Class E felony. It is alleged that on May 27, 2018 in the Town of Bergen, that she drove a 2005 GMC on Route 33 in the Town of Bergen while in an intoxicated condition. In count two, Scott is accused of aggravated DWI, per se, as a Class E felony. It is alleged in count two, that she had a BAC of .18 percent or more at the time. In count three, the defendant is accused of aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree, a Class E felony. It is alleged in count three that Scott knew, or had reason to know, that her driver's license was suspended, revoked or otherwise withdrawn by authorities at the time and that she was under the influence of alcohol or a drug at the time. In count four, she is accused of circumventing an ignition interlock device, a Class A misdemeanor, for driving the GMC which was not equipped with this device she was required to have. In Special Information filed by the District Attorney's Office, Scott is accused of having been convicted of DWI, as a misdemeanor, on Aug. 5, 2016, in the City of Rochester Court, and that conviction was within 10 years of the crimes alleged in the current indictment.

The Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming counties Workforce Development Board will host a Business Forum at the Genesee County Career Center in Batavia on Wednesday, Oct. 17. Time is 1 to 2:30 p.m.

This is an opportunity for job seekers to hear directly from hiring managers of local businesses. Job seekers who attend can hear about local job openings and employer expectations. Many of the job seekers that the career center is currently working with are invited to attend, however it is open to the public and would encourage any job seeker to attend the event.

Join participants for an informal question-and-answer session with hiring managers from several local businesses, including: Chapin Manufacturing; Lifetime Assistance; Premiere Genesee Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation; Remedy Staffing; and United Memorial Medical Center.

Employers' reps may talk about current job openings!

The career center is located at 587 E. Main St., #100, Batavia. Phone is (585) 344-2042. Call to sign up or come to the front desk to reserve your spot.

Thomas Dale Young, 38, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with: criminal sex act in the third degree -- being age 21 or more with a victim less than 17; criminal sexual act in the first degree -- by forcible compulsion; and sex abuse in the first degree -- contact by forcible compulsion. Young was arrested at 4:58 a.m. on Oct. 9 after allegedly committing the crimes for which he is charged. Batavia police were called to a residence on Ellicott Street for an incident that had recently occurred. After an investigation, Young was arrested, arraigned and put in jail in lieu of $50,000 bail or $100,000 bond. He was due in City Court on Wednesday. The case was investigated by Batavia Police Officer Felicity DeGroot, assisted by Officer Nicole McGinnis.

Susan Ann Samanka, 55, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with a sex offender registry violation. She was arrested at 10 a.m. on Oct. 10 at 4054 W. Main Street Road, Room #7, in Batavia following an investigation for allegedly failing to register her change of address. The registered sex offender was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court and is scheduled to appear there on Nov. 1. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong.

Jamie L. Edenholm, 31, of Gabbey Road, Corfu. She was arrested at 4:13 p.m. on Oct. 5 on Richmond Avenue in Batavia and charged with: driving while ability impaired by drugs; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; possession of a hypodermic needle; criminal use of drug paraphernalia; and failure to keep right. The arrest was made after a car vs. telephone pole accident. She was issued appearance tickets and is due in City Court on Nov. 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Officer Frank Klimjack.

Katty L. Jackson, 22, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree criminal trespass. She was arrested at 6:45 a.m. on Oct. 8 on Central Avenue in Batavia after previously being told she was not welcome at her ex-boyfriend's residence. She allegedly entered the residence and knocked at the interior door for an extended period of time. She was released on an appearance ticket. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Elena E. Vega-Vazquez, 36, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with: aggravated DWI -- with a BAC of .18 percent or more; common law DWI; and failure to keep right. She was arrested at 12:17 a.m. Oct. 5 on Harvester Avenue after a traffic stop for allegedly failing to keep right. She is due in City Court again on Oct. 17. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen, assisted by Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Joshua D. Sumeriski, 33, of Buffalo Road, Alexander, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He was arrested after allegedly operating a motor vehicle at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 on West Main Street in Batavia without the owner's consent. He was arraigned on Oct. 8 in City Court and put in jail in lieu of $1,000 bail. He was due back in City Court on Oct. 9. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jamie Givens.

Janeen A. Young, 21, of William Street, East Randolph, is charged with petit larceny in connection with an incident which occurred at 11:20 a.m. on Jan. 3 at an apartment on Jackson Street in Batavia. Young was arrested on Oct. 5 on an outstanding City Court warrant. She was arraigned and released on her own recognizance. She is due in City Court again on Nov. 20. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Catherine Mucha.

Christopher J. Wiegman, 30, no permanent address, Batavia, is charged with failure to appear. He was arrested on a warrant out of City Court for failure to appear on Sept. 27 in court. He was due in City Court on Oct. 9. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen, assisted by Officer Chad Richards.

Brian P. Suttell, 41, of Lake Street Road, Le Roy, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana in the fifth degree. He was arrested at 9:20 p.m. on Oct. 6 on East Main Street in Batavia after police allegedly witnessed him smoking marijuana in a public parking lot in the city. He was issued an appearance ticket for City Court and is due there Oct. 23. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen, assisted by Officer Nicole McGinnis.

Photo of Luca (real name Luke Farner) courtesy of Julia McCormick Photography.

Press release:

BERGEN -- On Nov. 4^th Luka will be performing at the largest Pride celebration in Southern California. Luka will perform immediately following the Pride Parade through downtown Palm Springs capping off the last day of Pride Week.

The Greater Palm Springs Pride Week in Downtown Palm Springs is the setting for a vibrant, pedestrian friendly Pride Festival, unique to Southern California in the Coachella Valley. A diverse array of artists, entertainers, LGBTQ+ supporters, and celebrities will unite to celebrate achievements in social equality, diversity and unity.

Luka will be celebrating with the Pride Parade on Sunday, Nov. 4^th, and performing on the Museum Stage, in the heart of downtown, next to the Palm Springs Art Museum.

He will be giving the crowd some New York’s favorites including: Lesbe Honest, Nobody’s B#tch, King Bee, and XXXtra Terrestrial. Luka has performed in venues around New York and is excited to make his first debut on the California entertainment scene.

“I am honored and blessed to be invited to participate Palm Springs Pride,” Luka said. “This event means so much to me and honors all generations of LGBTQ+ community members and supporters.

"We would never be here today, celebrating our unity and equality without the pioneers who deeply relentlessly sacrificed themselves to achieve equality for all individuals.”

About Luka: Luka is a singer songwriter artist (real name Luke Farner) who lives in Bergen. He has been writing and performing since he was 8 years old. He is also a renowned stylist fashion guru adored by many of his clients. Luka lives with his 14-year-old kitty Anastasia Marie. Find more about Luka here.

About Palm Springs Pride: Greater Palm Springs Pride is a nonprofit community enhancement organization founded to promote the public education and awareness of individual rights and civil liberties of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and to promote the history, diversity and future prosperity of the Greater Palm Springs LGBT community. Serving as an advocate for equality and diversity in the Coachella Valley for 30 years.