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Attention parents and kids in the LeRoy Central School District: there's no holiday on Friday, May 8. That's VE Day -- as in Victory in Europe -- in honor of the unconditional surrender of the Nazis in World War II.

As of 4:30 p.m. May 5, VE Day was still cited on the district's website calender as an official school hoilday.

Oops! It was some sort of administrative error and it's certainly no school holiday.

But it was practically a world holiday in 1945. Millions of people poured into the streets of London, Chicago, Paris, Los Angeles, New York City and elsewhere. Light had overtaken darkness and its synonym, the Third Reich.

On the balcony of Buckingham Palace, King George VI, Princess Elizabeth and Prime Minister Winston Churchill waved to jubilant Londoners. It was also President Harry S Truman's 61st birthday and he dedicated the victory to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, our president who died less than a month earlier, on April 12.

VJ Day -- Victory over Japan -- was still to come, on Aug. 14, 1945 (North American Time). When it was announced, another wave of gleeful hysteria broke out in American streets and the sailor bent over the nurse in Times Square and gave her a big smooch.

(The kissers in the famous Alfred "Eisie" Eisenstadt photo were later determined to be, although there's still debate about this, Carl Muscarello and Edith Cullen Shain. The photo was probably shot with a Leica 250 "Reporter," which used 10 mm film and offered 250 shots before having to reload. The photojournalist's work was featured in the first one-man exhibit offered by the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House Museum in Rochester.)

These days, VE Day is a holiday commemorated in the former East Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. But, again, not in the LeRoy Central School District where Friday will simply be another opportunity to teach and to learn.

They tell us the under-construction roundabout at Oak and Pearl will make traffic move smoother and more safely, even for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Just how that will work is the subject of a public information meeting later this month.

City and state Department of Transportation officials will explain how roundabouts work from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at Batavia City Hall.

Howard McCulloch, a DOT design specialist, will discuss the benefits of a roundabout. He has worked on similar projects throughout the state since 1999.

The local roundabout will be a circular intersection designed to slow traffic while decreasing delay time for motorists. The project is expected to be finished, or close to it, this summer.

McCulloch plans to: help educate the public on how to enter and navigate their way through the roundabout; describe the benefits of this new design; and give people a chance to ask questions.

According to the Institute for Highway Safety, which studied 23 roundabouts nationwide, total crashes dropped nearly 40 percent and serious injury/fatal accidents were cut by 90 percent after roundabouts were constructed.

Richmond Memorial Library's polls are open today until 9 p.m. so voters can decide on this year's budget.

Also, Trustee John McGee is running unopposed for reelection to a five-year term.

Registered voters who live in the Batavia City School District are eligible to cast a ballot. Voting takes place in the Gallery Room of the library, located at 19 Ross St.

The library's top four sources of revenue were the school district, gifts/endowments, library fees/printing charges and Genesee County funding. If more funding is approved this year, the library's plans include possibly increasing its hours of operation.

Press release:

The Kiwanis Club of Batavia announces recipients of its 2009 Annual Law Enforcement Recognition Awards, plus the Unsung Hero Award and winners of the Charles  L. Mancuso Award

Nominations for the Law Enforcement Recognition Awards were evaluated based on the candidates’ actions and achievements in their personal and professional lives consistent with the values of Kiwanis. All sworn and civilian employees of local law enforcement agencies within Genesee County were eligible for nomination. Those honored have demonstrated principles and ideals consistent with the Kiwanis Club:

A commitment to human and spiritual qualities, rather than material values. Adoption and application of high social, business and professional standards. Citizenship and service to the community and their agency. A desire to create and maintain sound public opinion and high idealism, which promotes compassion, justice, patriotism and goodwill.

The 2009 Law Enforcement Award Recipients are:

• Police Officer John J. Zola, City of Batavia Police Department

Zola has been a member of the department for 29 years and is currently assigned to uniformed patrol duties. In addition to his regular patrol duties, he is involved in community crime prevention programs and serves as a Public Information Officer. He is also a Child Safety Seat Technician and has worked in the Detective Bureau. Zola is committed to citizenship and is very involved with youth sports activities in the City of Batavia. He continually gives of himself to the City of Batavia Police Department and community, and has a sincere compassion for crime victims. Zola resides in the Town of Batavia with his wife, Pam. They have two children, Kevin and Tonya. Zola was nominated by his commanding officer, Chief Randy Baker. 

• Youth Officer Christopher M. Erion, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office

Erion has been a member of the Sheriff’s Office for nine years. His current duties include handling juvenile cases, teaching D.A.R.E. and assisting young people. He's a member of the County’s Juvenile Justice Planning Committee and the Emergency Response Team. He also worked with the Genesee County Drug Task Force and is a member of the Sheriff’s Honor Guard. Erion also works closely with schools in regard to youth activities. He was Officer of the Year in 2003 and is the recipient of one Commendation Award. He is a dedicated husband and father and resides in the Town of Byron with his wife, Hanna, and their two children, Grayson, age 3 and Annabelle, age 2. They are expecting their third child in July. Erion was nominated for this award by his commanding officer, Sheriff Gary T. Maha.

• Chief Christopher K. Hayward, Village of LeRoy Police Department

Hayward is a 25-year veteran of the Village of LeRoy Police Department. He currently manages and oversees the department on a daily basis and is the liaison for numerous agencies, such as schools, within Genesee County. He has shown an unending commitment to the community and he sets high social and professional standards for himself and his officers. He was instrumental in establishing the Youth Court in LeRoy, which was used as a model for the Genesee County Youth Court. He initiated a community bicycle safety program and a public awareness program related to alcohol use by underage youth. He serves his community as a coach for the girl’s soccer league and has been a coach for the LeRoy High School girls soccer program for the past four years. He is currently an assistant coach for the girl’s varsity track team. Hayward resides in the Village of LeRoy with his wife, Kelly, and their two daughters, Kara, age 20 and Rachel, age 17. Members of the Village of LeRoy Police Department nominated Hayward for this award.

• Trooper Ryan A. Dulkiewicz, New York State Police

Dulkiewicz has been a member of the New York State Police for 6-and-a-half years. He is currently assigned to Troop A Batavia road-patrol duties. He represents law enforcement in a positive, professional and compassionate manner.  His desire to “leave no stone unturned” in criminal investigations proves outstanding and yields tremendous results for the public and community. Dulkiewicz resides in the Town of Lancaster with his wife, Jen, and their six-month old daughter, Camarin. He was nominated for this award by his commanding officer, Major Christopher Cummings.

Other awards given were the Charles L. Mancuso Award and the Unsung Hero Award.

The Genesee County Bar Association presented the third annual Charles L. Mancuso Award to Batavia High School. It was this year's winner of the GLOW (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming) District Competition in the New York State Mock Trial Tournament. Mancuso was a lawyer in Batavia and coordinator of the local competition until his death three years ago.

The team, coached by social studies teacher Tim Stevens, has competed in, and won, the local tournament for each of the past seven years. They accomplished this by winning 44 out of 45 of the trials they have participated in. BHS will go on to compete in the Regional Tournament at the Genesee County Courts Facility in Batavia on Saturday, May 9.

The BHS team members honored with the Charles L. Mancuso Award include:

Jenna Bauer
Damainique Bruce
Maura Chmielowiec
Will Ely
Patrick Flynn
Sahil Jain
Kristen Klein
Chad Luce
Adi Marino
Tim Redband
CJ Shultz
Evan Sutherland

Unsung Hero Award

The Genesee County Bar Association presented its Unsung Hero Award to John Cebula, a local attorney who lives in Castile. Cebula is a graduate of Union College in Schenectady and Albany Law School. He began his career representing the indigent with Orleans Legal Aid Bureau in 1973 and became its executive director from 1975 through 1981. After a 4 year diversion to private and corporate practice, John returned to the position of executive director of Oak Orchard Legal Services. It replaced the Orleans County Legal Aid Bureau and his responsibilities expanded to serve the indigent in Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties. In 2004 Oak Orchard Legal Services merged with Erie County Neighborhood Legal Services and John continued as managing attorney for the Oak Orchard branch. Cebula retired from this position in 2008, but continues to represent indigent clients on a part-time basis. Throughout his career Cebula has been a vigorous advocate for the poor and has significantly “raised the bar”  in providing legal services for those in need.

UPDATE: After this was posted, we did receive an e-mail from the County indicating a possible and a suspected case of 'Swine Flu' had been found in Genesee County. More here.

People need to be on high alert for Swine Flu, but not panicky, according to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

No cases are known to exist in Genesee County. There's one suspected case in Monroe County and another Chautauqua.

We called the Genesee County Health Department for an update on any local information and were told that the department has been inundated with media inquires. A staff member said an e-mail would be sent to media outlets this afternoon with an update, but as of 5 p.m. none was received.

The status of the illness is Phase 5, meaning it spreads easily from person to person but a health crisis is not imminent. Phase 6 is the highest alert.

According to a spokesman for the New York State Department of Health today there are 89 cases of suspected H1N1 virus statewide not including New York City.

Suspected cases have flu-like symptoms but have not been tested. Probable cases are lab tested with results pending and actual cases have been confirmed by the lab.

Of these 89 suspected cases, eight specimens tested probable for the virus, but none thus far have been confirmed. Yesterday, there were only three probable cases in New York outside New York City -- those in Suffolk and Cortland counties. Today there are five new probable cases, consisting of one case in five different counties -- Monroe, Chautauqua, Orange, Suffolk and Nausau. Again, none confirmed as yet.

Commonsense precautions are being advised. Avoid confined spaces with lots of people. Wash your hands often. Avoid touching your face. Dispose of used tissues in a covered container. If you're sick, stay home. Follow doctors' orders.