Stories from

Closures and cancellations announced March 12 as precautionary measures to prevent the risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19):

• This weekend's Batavia Indoor Soccer Tournament, March 14th and 15th, is cancelled according to Jim Dillon.

• The New York State Public High School Athletic Assocation winter regional and state championships will be postponed indefinitely.

• Takeout only for Lenten Fish Fries on Fridays at St. James Episcopal Church in Batavia -- no dining in for remainder of Lenten season (through April 3).

• Le Roy Village Green takes the threat of COVID-19 very seriously and has been taking proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of our residents and staff. We are following the guidance of the Center for Disease Control and Centers of Medicaid and Medicare and our Local Health Department and have implemented visitor restrictions and screens for staff and essential visitors. It is essential that anyone who potentially carries the virus does not enter our facility. Our commitment is to protect our residents and employees to keep them safe and healthy.
• Premier Genesee Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation has banned visiting through 3-25-2020.
• Genesee Community College cancelled today's Tech Wars; Classes will not be held on March 16th, 17th, or 18th; Classes will resume via remote delivery on Thursday, March 19th, and continue through the end of the semester.
• Sheriff William A. Sheron Jr. has suspended all inmate visitation at the Genesee County Jail, effective Friday, March 13, until further notice.
• The Alabama-Oakfield Senior Lunch Group – "We’ve Only Just Begun" – has canceled monthly meetings until further notice. The scheduled April 27th bus trip to Orleans County is also cancelled.

By Samantha Stryker, Adult & Community Services librarian, Richmond Memorial Library.

April 1 is Census Day, and Richmond Memorial Library is taking steps to make it easier for the community to participate. 

For the first time, the U.S. Census Bureau is offering and encouraging the option to complete the Census online. Beginning in mid-March, most households will receive a postcard with a code to complete the Census online, with options to complete the Census by phone or to request a paper form.

Any library user with a valid library card can use a computer at the library to securely complete the Census.

To obtain a library card, bring photo ID with proof of current address to the library. Lost your card? No problem! The library will waive the $1 replacement card fee during the months of March and April to increase access to computers.  

The library will have a dedicated phone and computer terminal for use by anyone wishing to complete the Census. Librarians can offer assistance in locating the online portal and will help patrons contact the Census Bureau by phone to complete the Census or request a paper form. 

The paper form will be available in English and Spanish.

In addition to English, Census questionnaire assistance will be available in 12 languages: Arabic, Chinese [Simplified], French, Haitian Creole, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. The Census Bureau is also providing language guides in 59 non-English languages.

When you participate in the Census, you are contributing toward a more complete count for the Genesee County region.

A complete count helps the appropriate amount of federal funds to be dispersed, which includes everything from money for infrastructure to agriculture to health care to education. Congressional representation in Washington, D.C., is also determined by Census data.

“Every missed count equates to $30,000 lost in regional funding per person,” said Genesee County Complete Count Chair and County Legislator Shelley Stein. “We appreciate the initiatives by Richmond Memorial Library and other community partners to help ensure a complete count.”

Complete Count Committees have been established all over the country to help encourage full participation, and Genesee County is no exception.

"We were invited to participate in Genesee County's Complete Count Committee when it formed," said library Director Bob Conrad. "Many agencies agreed to help just by spreading the word to their users that the Census is safe, secure, and mandatory to take.

"But libraries play a dual role, actually offering the technology and assistance that some people may need to participate. When these other agencies refer people to us, we want them to be able to take the Census, and to discover what else the library has to offer, whether it's the first time they've ever set foot in one, or the first time since losing their card."

For more information about the Census, visit census.gov or stop by the library! For information about the library, visit batavialibrary.org. 

Richmond Memorial Library continually provides access to physical and virtual resources and services that meet the educational, informational and recreational needs of its diverse community in a safe and comfortable environment.

Richmond Memorial Library is located at 19 Ross St. in the City of Batavia.

Submitted photo: Library Director Bob Conrad, right, shows Genesee County Legislator and Complete Count Chair Shelley Stein the "Census station" at Richmond Memorial Library. The library has a phone and computer terminal dedicated solely for use by those wishing to complete the Census.

Public Notice

The Alabama-Oakfield Senior Lunch Group – "We’ve Only Just Begun" – has decided to cancel the monthly lunch meetings until further notice.

The next one was scheduled for March 17.

The group is also cancelling the scheduled April 27th bus trip to Orleans County.

They will advise when meetings will once again take place.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Information from Le Roy Jr./Sr. High School:

Le Roy Jr./Sr. High School will present the Stephen Sondheim musical "Into the Woods" at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 12, and POSTPONED -- Friday and Saturday -- March 13 and 14 -- in the auditorium.

Tickets are $10 presale; $12 at the door. The school is located at 9300 South Street Road in Le Roy.

Based on the book by James Lapine, "Into the Woods" at first appears to be a familar story based on Grimm’s fairy tales that most of us grew up with. But there's frustration afoot as the audience delves into questioning what brings true happiness.

The story is a metaphor for life's journeys. What directions we choose to take in life and the discoveries we make along the way in regards to love, loss, values, choices, and responsibilities. The story also shows the lightness and darkness which we all encounter in life and focuses on how the choices we make in our lives truly do affect those who are around us and the journeys they take, says the production's Artistic Director Jacqueline McLean.

While this show poses a lot of serious questions and thoughts, it also has a delightful score full of beautiful and entertaining music, as well as several comedic characters and moments, and characters we all know who take us through the ups and downs of the journey called life.

Le Roy students have proven up to the extreme challenge of the difficult score as well as developing the deep characters.

"We spent an extensive amount of time developing our characters this year so that we would find ease forming the correct relationships on stage, thus hoping to make it believable," McLean says. "Through the process, students asked themselves questions and did a bit of self discovery as well. 

"There is not a person in the world that can’t relate to or see someone they know in the characters of 'Into the Woods'. While the students portray these characters, it is an exaggerated version of real-life stereotypes and personalities."

The cast includes:

• Erik Schwab (Narrator)
• Hailey Grasso -- Cinderella
• Brady Fix -- Cinderella's Prince
• Wade Dzedzic -- Rapunzel's Prince
• Sean Czyrca -- Wolf
• Evan Williams -- The Baker
• Alexis Pfendler -- The Baker's Wife
• Marlena Pencille -- The Witch
• Emily Overacker -- Jack's Mother
• Ashlyn Puccio -- Little Red Ridinghood
• Nathan Yauchzee -- Jack
• Jackson Cain -- Mysterious Man
• Maureen Klaiber -- Rapunzel
• Allison Primatera -- Cinderella's Stepmother
• Jillian Curtis -- Florinda
• Kylee Wright -- Lucinda 
• Amalia Morris -- Cinderella's Mother
• Catie Long -- Giant
• Jonathan Napper -- Cinderella's Father
• Cooper Terry -- Granny
• Ethan Riggs -- Steward
• Allyson Austin -- Snow White
• Anna Long --Sleeping Beauty
• Maria Calhoun -- Milky White

In addition to Artistic Director Jacqueline McLean, the production crew includes:

• Assistant Director -- Joseph Kusmierczak
• Vocal Director -- Jeffrey Fischer
• Choreographer -- Jessica Pcionek
• Pit Orchestra Director -- Nastassia Dotts
• Costumes -- Mary Platek, Heidi Austin
• Dance Captain -- Allison Primatera
• Assistant Dance Captian -- Aubrey Puccio

"Into the Woods" is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

Press release:

Careers in healthcare have always ranked among the most rewarding in terms of salaries, job security, career advancement and overall employee satisfaction. Coupled with the continued shortage in qualified, credentialed healthcare workers in Western and Central New York, this is a great time to consider a career in compassion.

Genesee Community College has officially opened enrollment for its newest program, the Health Studies Associate in Science. Requiring a total of 62 credit hours, this program is designed to be completed in as little as two years and offers flexibility with up to 50 percent of its coursework available through online learning.

"The Health Studies associate degree was meticulously designed to meet the demands of our region," said Rafael Alicea-Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of Math, Science and Career Education. "Students who graduate from this program are fully prepared to transfer to a four-year institution under SUNY's Health Education Transfer Path for a bachelor's degree that leads to a variety of career options."

GCC Health Studies degree students fulfill their General Education requirements and focus on industry-specific information such as medical terminology, nutrition and the many issues revolving around health insurance.

This combination saves GCC students thousands of dollars in tuition, offers small classes with plenty of hands-on learning and one-to-one instruction. It also provides valuable exposure to the many different career paths in healthcare and the coursework includes all of the pre-requisite courses for GCC's other healthcare programs.

Upon graduation, GCC students are uniquely positioned to transfer and earn bachelor's degrees that can lead to high-demand and lucrative health-related employment opportunities.

Additionally, GCC also offers a Health Studies Certificate option where credit hours can be fully applied toward the associate degree and five additional healthcare degree programs including; Nursing, Physical Therapist Assistant, Polysomnographic Technology, Respiratory Care and Veterinary Technology.

Details on all programs can be found here. 

Interested individuals are encouraged to contact Marirose Ethington, GCC's director of Science at (585) 343-0055, ext. 6389, or email: mtethington@genesee.edu or Deborah Erion, student success coach dedicated to the Health Studies program at (585) 343-0055, ext. 6423, or email: daerion@genesee.edu.

Samantha Gail Reff, 30, of Middle Road, Caledonia, is charged with: Leandra's Law -- driving while ability impaired by drugs with two child passengers less than 16 years of age; driving while ability impaired by drugs; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; two counts of endangering the welfare of a child; and speeding. Reff was arrested March 10 after an investigation of a traffic stop which occurred at 10:38 p.m. on Dec. 3 on Kelsey Road in Batavia. Reff was issued appearance tickets and is due in Batavia Town Court on April 2. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy James Stack.

Ann Marie Boyce, 43, of Woodrow Road, Batavia, is charged with driving while intoxicated and aggravated DWI. On March 5, Batavia Police Officer Peter Post arrested Boyce at 1:32 p.m. on Jackson Street in Batavia. She is scheduled to appear in Batavia City Court on March 25. Post was assisted by Batavia Police Officer Felicia DeGroot.

Luis J. Santiago, 31, of Buell Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree criminal contempt. At 5:02 p.m. on March 8, Santiago was arrested after he allegedly violated an order of protection at an apartment on Edward Street in Batavia. He was processed, issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on March 24. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Wesley Rissinger, assisted by Officer Adam Tucker.

Julio Vazquez, 19, of Harvester Avenue, Batavia, is charged with third-degree criminal tampering. On March 5, Batavia Police Officer Peter Post arrested Vazquez after a road-rage incident on Pearl Street in Batavia at 9:59 a.m. He is due in Batavia City Court on March 17. Post was assisted by Batavia Police Officer Felicia DeGroot.