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Western NY Protech and McBride Electronics opens in Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

There's a new game in town for your entertainment and digital access needs -- Western NY Protech and McBride Electronics in Le Roy. The company represents DirecTV, Dish, Empire Access and security services.

The company represents these services throughout Genesee County and manager Robert Radley, who has five years experience in the industry, said Protech can help customers reduce their monthly bills.

The company is owned by Chris McBride and Paul Welker, who have combined decades of experience in the industry.

Protech kicked off its new business in Le Roy with a grand opening celebration today.

At least four cats adopted during event at Petco

By Howard B. Owens

This kitty was known as Porky until today, but Porky will soon have a new name, undecided at the time of the picture, says new parent Diana Fox, of Holley.

Fox was one of at least four people to adopt cats today during the Volunteer For Animals 50th Anniversary Fall Fur Event at Petco this afternoon.

The Volunteers for animals will continue the 50th anniversary festivities later this month with its annual Fur Ball. The 12th annual event is at 6 p.m., Oct. 24, at the Days Inn in Batavia. For more information, click here.

Police suspect arson in dumpster fire last night

By Howard B. Owens

Batavia PD is looking for the public's assistance in identifying these two individuals in connection with an arson investigation. The individuals appeared on a video surveillance footage in proximity to a dumpster fire reported last night at a location on West Main Street (the exact location was not released). The fire was reported shortly before 9:30 p.m.

Anybody with any information that might assist in the investigation are asked to call Det. Thad Mart at (585) 345-6372.

Friday Night Football: Le Roy lets Hornell slip away

By Howard B. Owens

Five flags thrown against Le Roy when the Knights were within striking distance of Hornell's goal line may have made a huge difference in a battle that went into overtime and eventually to Hornell by a score of 14-7.

The Oatkan Knights controlled the ball all night, running 75 plays to Hornell's 25, but wins are notched by points, not plays.

Nick Egeling had 39 rushes for 157 yards and a touchdown. Dom Filio had 12 carries for 28 yards.

Josh Laurie was 3-11 passing for 49 yards.

Reed Kacur had seven tackles and Luke Hogle, four. Justin DiFalco had a sack to go with his three tackles.

Also on Friday night:

  • Alexander tramples O-A in homecoming game
  • Pembroke hauls in win over Holley
  • Batavia topped Penn Yan, 50-20, to remain undefeated.
  • York/Pavilion beat Perry, 20-12.
  • Notre Dame suffered its first loss of the season, dropping a match to Bishop Kearny 30-15. Connor Logsdon was 4-9 passing for 85 yards and TD. Jack Sutherland rushed for 102 yards on 22 carries and Peter Deversa scored a TD on eight carries and 39 yards. Sutherland also had 85 yards on four receptions. C.J. Suozzi had eight tackles.

Photos by David Boyce.

Alexander tramples O-A in homecoming game

By Howard B. Owens

A throng of fans turned out Friday night for Alexander's homecoming game and they went home happy after the Trojans secured a 46-12 victory over the Oakfield-Alabama Hornets.

On a night when the Trojans mostly kept the ball on the ground, they gained 327 yards on 43 carries.

The team was also 5-12 passing for 100 yards.

Jake Wozniak was an offensive powerhouse, tossing an 11-yard TD pass to Derrick Busch to close the second half and rushing 21 times for 219 yards and a TD, tacking on a two-point conversion.

Dane Heberlein scored four touchdowns (one of them pictured above) on 16 carries. He gained 100 yards. He also had a two-point conversion. On defense, he had six tackles and three interceptions. The junior free safety now has seven INTs on the season.

Dustin Schmeider had two catches for 44 yards. Josh Szymanski had a catch for 22 yards and six tackles on defense.

Zack Jasen had six tackles in the middle.

Alexander is now 3-2 on the season.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

GCEDC board approves pair of projects

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The Board of Directors of the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) approved final resolutions for applications for assistance from the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce and Reinhart Enterprises, Inc., at its Oct. 1 board meeting.

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce is planning to purchase and renovate an existing building at 8276 Park Road in the Town of Batavia for its new offices, as well as to house Genesee County’s tourism office. The project will involve the construction of a two-story glass structure for a visitors' center, which will be located off the Batavia 48a exit of the New York State Thruway. The Chamber was approved for $71,535 in sales tax, mortgage tax and property tax exemptions. The planned capital investment will total $930,000.

“Tourism is an important revenue generator for our community and having a visitor’s center strategically located at the Thruway exit will only enhance the Chamber’s efforts to continue to grow this industry,” said GCEDC Chairman Paul Battaglia.

“The Park Road location will allow us to take tourism marketing to the next level in Genesee County,” said Tom Turnbull, president of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce. “With 800 hotel rooms, Batavia Downs, shopping plazas and popular restaurants all within a one-half mile of this location, we believe an attractive, welcoming visitors' center will allow the Chamber to market our many assets and attractions, and stimulate tourism spending throughout Genesee County.”

Reinhart Enterprises, Inc., a property holding company, will expand its facility located 36 Swan St. in the City of Batavia by adding 16,000 square feet of additional warehousing space to accommodate a tenant’s growing distribution center. The company was approved for sales tax, mortgage tax and property tax exemptions totaling approximately $182,460 in estimated incentives. The project’s capital investment will total approximately $600,000.

“It’s good to see continued investment being made in the City of Batavia by existing companies like Reinhart Enterprises,” said Battaglia. "Our agency will continue to work hand-in-hand with all businesses in our community that are expanding and adding employment.”

Photos: Open house at Batavia Middle School

By Howard B. Owens

It was a full house at Batavia Middle School on Thursday night for the school's open house.

Above, the Houseknecht family, Mike, Jen and Ella, share a laugh with Ella's sixth-grade math teacher, Andy Reagan.

Photos: Steve Tasker leads YWCA's Stiletto & Sneaker Walk

By Howard B. Owens

Former Buffalo Bills Special Teams star Steve Tasker kicked off yesterday's Stiletto & Sneaker Walk, a fundraiser and community event aimed at raising awareness about domestic violence. A number of GCC students and athletes, along with some high school athletes, joined in the walk this year.

YWCA Executive Director Jeanne Walton

AJ's Crafts moves to Ellicott Street

By Howard B. Owens

Andre Gliwski Jr. has moved his retail store, AJ's Crafts, from its original East Main Street location to 240 Ellicott St. The move into the slightly smaller space will reduce his overhead, Gliwski said, and with a city-plowed lot next door, parking will be easier for his customers. With the move, a couple of new vendors added their wares, increasing the store's inventory.

Law and Order: Man accused of public urination in Pringle Park

By Howard B. Owens

John W. Walsh, 32, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with open container, public lewdness and acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17. Walsh allegedly urinated in Pringle Park, Batavia, at 1:25 p.m. Sunday while children were present.

George G. Johnson, 62, of Scotland Road, Akron, is charged with petit larceny. Johnson is accused of shoplifting at Tops Market.

James E. Wroten, 48, no permanent address, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Wroten allegedly violated a stay away order of protect. He was jailed on $1,500 bail.

Latoya Yalanda Stanley, 27, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on warrants for alleged aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, and, 3rd. Stanley allegedly failed to appear on the charges. Bail was set at $100.

Remodeled Aldi's reopens

By Howard B. Owens

A cleaner, brighter Aldi's reopened this morning, right on schedule, after being closed for nearly a month for remodeling. A couple of dozen people lined up to be the first in the upgraded store. The biggest visible upgrade, an expanded produce section.

Pictured above are Store Manager Eric Murphy and District Manager Jenna Bruning.

A Lego memorial for Barry Miller

By Howard B. Owens

Christopher Cameron‎ shared this on Facebook and gave us permission to republish it on The Batavian.

Here's what he wrote:

My son was home sick today. He was on our porch with his mother when the funeral procession for Barry Miller passed. Like any 4-year-old he was amazed by it and asked a hundred questions. Later when his mom took him to Dunkin' Donuts he saw "a sad firefighter drinking coffee." When I got home from work he was playing with his Legos on the floor. He told me he made a memorial for the ambulance guy and all of the rescue guys were sad. So I promised him I would take this picture so that the Lego men could say goodbye. His memorial is in the center.

Ending The Batavian Club as we know it

By Howard B. Owens

We're ending this little experiment we called The Batavian Club. It's a lot of work that we're always behind on for too little return. That's the bad news.

The good news is, we're still going to offer the same fantastic deals with local businesses in special gift certificate packages.

Essentially, it's The Batavian Club without calling it a club. The big difference on our end is we save the work on tracking members and printing membership cards, which always seemed to bog us down and create a lot of unnecessary expense. We will be able to send out money-saving gift certificates much sooner after an order is placed when we don't have to make batches of individual membership cards. 

For local businesses, it's the same great promotion as before. There's no additional expense beyond honoring the gift cards when customers come in. If your business is not already participating, call me at (585) 250-4118.

For those who had recurring payments set up in PayPal, I just canceled all of those so there will be no future payments from your account. There are three people who have joined since we last sent out membership packages. They will get a refund. For all other members, they should be up-to-date with membership cards and gift certificates and the stated expiration dates still apply.

Pristine 1999 Corvette seized in drug arrest to be auctioned by Sheriff's Office

By Howard B. Owens

Long and lean, this silver streak of a machine practically still has that new car smell with only 28,000 miles on it.

And it could be yours, if you're the highest bidder in an online auction that will open Oct. 6.

The 1999 Corvette was surrendered by its former owner, Anthony A. Leone, a 47-year-old former Jackson Street resident who is currently in prison. Leone signed over the car to the county under forfeiture laws pertaining to drug possession. Leone was stopped by a Le Roy police officer while driving the car and a subsequent investigation, which included the Local Drug Task Force, found a quantity of crack cocaine and pills in the vehicle. 

Since the Sheriff's Office has no legitimate law enforcement use for the Corvette, the county is putting it up for sale. The proceeds will be shared by the agencies that comprise the local Drug Task Force -- Sheriff's Office, Batavia PD, and Le Roy PD. The money can only be used for law enforcement purposes and only for expeditures beyond normal annual budget spending. For example, if the county wanted to buy new surveillance cameras for the task force, but those cameras aren't an otherwise anticipated purchase, the money could be used for that purpose.

Pictured with the car are Undersheriff William Sheron and Sheriff Gary Maha.

The auction site is www.teitsworth.com Bidding opens Oct. 6 and closes Oct. 13. The minimum bid is $15,500.

The car can be viewed by potential bidders at the Sheriff's Office, 165 Park Road, Batavia. For an appointment, contact Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster at (585) 345-3000, ext. 3503.

Law and Order: Rochester man accused of using stolen debit card

By Howard B. Owens

Chrisjon M. Canty, 20, of Rochester, is charged with felony forgery, felony criminal possession of stolen property, identity theft and petit larceny. Canty is accused of making unauthorized purchases totalling $350 with another person's bank debit card. Canty was identified through the use of video surveillance. He was jailed on $10,000 bail.

McKenzie D. Stevens, 21, residence not disclosed, is charged with petit larceny. Stevens is accused of placing three DVDs, burritos and laundry soap, worth approximately $21, in her baby stroller and exiting Walmart without paying for the items.

Joshua Jake Macklem, 23, of Jackson Street, Attica, is charged with driving while impaired by drugs, unlawful possession of marijuana, driving with a broken windshield, side windows non-transparent. Macklem was stopped at 8:16 p.m. Monday on East Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Audio: Final Call, Bergen Assistant Chief Barry Miller

By Howard B. Owens

Your browser does not support the audio element.

For those who missed the final call for Barry Miller, broadcast by Genesee County Emergency Dispatch, at 1:30 p.m., yesterday.

 

Suzanne Corona can avoid prison on drug sales conviction if she can stay out of trouble

By Howard B. Owens

Though she admitted to selling $60 worth of suboxone to an undercover agent of the Local Drug Task Force, Suzanne Corona won't be going to prison, at least so long as she can abide by the terms and conditions of her probationary sentence.

Corona, often in trouble with the law from 2010 to 2014, had never faced a felony charge until her arrest for criminal sale of a controlled substance earlier this year.

She entered a guilty plea to that charge Aug. 3 and though Judge Robert C. Noonan predicted a prison term for Corona, on the recommendation of the county's Probation Department and without objection from the District Attorney's Office, Noonan granted Corona probation.

If she abides by the terms, she avoids time by prison.

Corona made headlines worldwide when she was arrested on an adultery charge in 2010 after being observed in an apparent sexual act with a man not her husband on a picnic table in Farrell Park. Then came accusations of shoplifting from a local restaurant, which led to a disturbance there and Corona being wheeled away on a gurney into a waiting ambulance, and various other shoplifting charges, including an arrest at Target on a day when a Sheriff's deputy was there doing a K-9 demonstration.

For a long stretch after that, Corona seemed to avoid getting into trouble and then came the drug sales arrest.

(Our news partner WBTA assisted with this report.)

Explosion and power outage reported on Edwards Street

By Howard B. Owens

City fire is responding to Edwards Street following a report of an explosion in the area.

There is a power outage reported on Edwards Street as well as Ellicott Street.

UPDATE 12:15 a.m.: National Grid reports power is out for 11 customers. A crew has been assigned. No ETA on when repairs will be completed.

LOLA B. HENSEL HAGEN

By Howard B. Owens

LOLA B. HENSEL HAGEN, Devoted and Loving Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Great grandmother formerly of Corfu and Batavia was called home to be with her Lord and Savior surrounded by her loving family on Sunday (September 27, 2015).  She was a true inspiration to us all and a true example of Christian love.

Lola  was born April 28, 1934 in the town of Pembroke to David S.and Ruth (Gabbey) Boyd.

Lola retired from Ford Gum & Machine Company in Akron New York where she was sales manager.  Lola was a lifelong member of Pembroke Community Church where she served as Church organist, Elder and Sunday School teacher for many many years.  She enjoyed knitting, crocheting and cooking but most of all she loved and enjoyed her family her entire life. Lola previously volunteered at Crossroads House and sang with the Sweet Adeline's, 

Lola was predeceased by her parents, her husband , Edward C Hensel Sr, her brother Glenn Boyd (Judy),Brother and Sister-in-Law Robert (JoAnne Hensel).

Survived by her husband Richard J. Hagen and her children Patricia Rogers of Corfu, Debra (Rodney) Stringham of Corfu  and Edward C Hensel Jr (Jean) of Fairport NY.  Survived by seven grandchildren,  David (Monica) Stringham, Stephen (Megan) Stringham, Timothy (Meagan) Stringham, Benjamin Hensel, Alexander (Alexandra ) Hensel, Nicholas Hensel and Katherine Hensel. Survived by eight great grandchildren: Mikayla, Allie, Charles ,Vaughan, Wesley, Hannah, Eli  and Garrett Stringham, several step-children and a loving church family. Lola is also survived by her brother, Sidney (Sue) Boyd of Ann Arbor, Michigan, sister-in-law, Janice Boyd, brother-in-law, Don (Darlene) Hagen and by several nieces and nephews.

Calling hours Friday, October 2nd from 4 to 7 PM at Pembroke Community Church. A celebration of life will be held at the Pembroke Community Church Pembroke NY on Saturday October 3rd at 11:00 AM with a luncheon to follow. Pastor Judith Berges Officiating. Arrangements were made by C. B. Beach & Son Mortuary Inc. Interment will be in Evergreen Hill Cemetery, Corfu NY

 Flowers gratefully declined.  Memorials may be made the Pembroke Community Church Handicap Accessibility Fund or Crossroads House in Batavia NY.

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