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A 24-year-old Oakfield resident involved in a serious injury accident in Corfu in April is facing up to six years in prison after pleading guilty this afternoon in County Court to aggravated vehicular assault.

Jacob J. Szumigala also agreed to plead guilty to DWI as a misdemeanor and aggravated unlicensed operation.

As part of the plea deal, Szumigala must also plead guilty in Town of Oakfield on a pending DWI case.

Szumigala is out of jail pending sentencing at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 15 and must abide by court instructions and the agreement or statutory enhancements could be added to his guilty plea, which would mandate a five- to 15-year prison term.

There is no minimum prison term and Szumigala could receive a probationary sentence if he abides by the terms of the plea agreement.

On April 18, Szumigala was driving a 2008 Hyundai Sonata with North Carolina plates on West Main Street Road through Corfu when his car rear-ended a Honda driven by James M. Hoskins, of Corfu. Hoskins' car then struck a westbound pickup truck. Hoskins was seriously injured in the accident.

In court today, Szumigala admitted that his BAC exceeded .18 percent at the time of the accident and that he was driving recklessly.

A month earlier, Szumigala was arrested by State Police for allegedly driving drunk on Lockport Road, Alabama. That case is still pending in the Town of Oakfield Court.

Photo: File photo of April 18 accident.

Press release:

Nate McMurray has issued the following statement after Congressional Republicans, apparently at the request of indicted Chris Collins, blocked McMurray from attending the New Member Orientation today.

"It is customary for candidates in close races to attend New Member Orientations so that they are best prepared to serve in the event that they win. After traveling to Washington to train alongside my peers, including others in contested races, I was informed that Rep. Gregg Harper, chairman of the Committee on House Administration, had personally denied my participation even after House Democratic leadership continued to advocate on my behalf.

"I am very disappointed by Congressional Republicans catering to Chris Collins’ demands, who is under indictment on 11 felony counts and spent his campaign lying and hiding from his constituents. I came to D.C. to equip myself to hit the ground running and better serve the people of Western New York once the results are official.

"It is shameful that Collins is continuing his efforts to diminish the will of the voters and call this race before all votes have been counted. As usual, he is actively undermining the future of this district and our country. I am grateful to Democrats from the House Administration Committee for having me at the Democratic events during the orientation and offering to come to the district to provide me and my team with all of the training, support and information we will need when we win.”

Josh Fullmer sent in this picture he took yesterday afternoon of a Chinook helicopter landing at the Genesee County Airport.

Downtown Batavia's future is not the mall; it's the open areas south of Main Street, suggests Tim Tielman, a preservationist and urban planner with a track record of success in Buffalo.

Jackson Street, Jackson Square, the south side of Main Street, are where we can find what's left of Batavia's vitality, Tielman said, in a recent interview with The Batavian. The mall, he said, is the last place Batavia should invest tax dollars.

"It's a continuing drag on Batavians, their creativity, their dynamism, their energy," Tielman said. "It's this energy sucking death star in the middle of the city, and you shouldn't spend any money making it a better death star."

We interviewed Tielman in advance of his talk this Wednesday night at 7 o'clock at GO ART! for The Landmark Society of Genesee County's annual meeting.

The topic: How Batavia gets its mojo back. 

Tielman's basic thesis is that Batavia was at its apex just after the end of the 19th century when the village, soon to become a city, had a robust, densely populated urban center with hundreds of businesses.

If that downtown, which was destroyed by urban renewal, still existed Tielman said, people from Rochester and Buffalo as well as the rest of the GLOW region would flock to Batavia every week for the small city experience.

Niagara on the Lake still has it. Batavia lost it. But, with effort, Batavia can get it back, but it will literally be a ground-up process, not a top-down, consultant-driven, developer-driven effort. Batavians have to do it for themselves. But Batavians are already pointing the way if city leaders will listen.

"There's obviously an innate human need for want of a better term, congenial spaces, in towns, cities, and villages, and even in times where they've been destroyed in war or urban renewal, people find them or build them," Tielman said. "What we see in Batavia is people have happened upon Jackson Square because it's a leftover thing that no one thought about and wasn't destroyed.

"The qualities of the thing as a physical space make it a very interesting case. You enter through a narrow passageway, and suddenly, totally unexpectedly, you come to a larger space, and even though it obviously wasn't designed with gathering in mind it has everything people want as a place to gather."

Jackson Square, Jackson Street, combined with the local businesses that still populate the business district on the south side of Main Street are strengths to build on, Tielman said. Batavia can leverage the density already found there and add to it.

But Tielman isn't an advocate of trying to lure developers with tax dollars to build big projects. He believes, primarily, in a more grassroots approach. 

The "death star," he said, and continuing efforts to deal with it, are part of the "urban renewal industrial complex," as he put it, and that failed approach should be avoided.

"The solutions (of urban renewal) are all the same," Tielman said. "It's like, 'let's put out an RFP, let's get some state money instead of saying', 'well, what do the Batavians need? What are they thirsty for? What are they dying for?' What you'll find is that Batavians are like every other group of homo sapiens on the face of the Earth. If they had their druthers, they'd want something within walking distance.

"They'd want to meet friends. They'd want to do stuff close at hand and in a way that they're not killed by vehicles careening down streets at 30 or 40 miles an hour. They want their kids to be safe. They don't want to worry about them being struck by a tractor-trailer when they're riding their bikes to the candy store."

That means, of course, narrowing Ellicott Street through Downtown, perhaps adding diagonal parking to Main Street, moving auto parking from out of the center of the city, particularly in the triangle between Jackson, Main and Ellicott, which Tielman sees as the most promising area of downtown to increase density first.

Batavians will need to decide for themselves what to do, but what he suggests is that the city makes it possible for the parking lot between Jackson and Court become one big mini-city, filled with tents and temporary structures and no parking.

"The rents for a temporary store or a tent or a stand or a hotdog cart should be low enough to allow a huge segment of the population (of Batavia) to experiment," Tielman said.

Low rents remove one of the biggest impediments to people starting a business and open up the experimental possibilities so that Batavians decide for themselves what they want downtown. 

"This gives Batavia the best chance to see, whether for a very low investment on a provisional basis, (if) this will work," Tielman said. "It's not sitting back for 10 years trying to concoct a real estate investment scheme based on some RFP to lure developers and give them handouts at tremendous public risk. The idea is lower the risk and do things the way successful places have done it for millennia."

That's how it worked for Canalside, one of the projects, besides Larkin Square, Tielman has helped get started in Buffalo. With Canalside, development started with tents and temporary vendors. Now the area is revitalized, and permanent structures are being erected. It's a Buffalo success story.

The idea of starting new business and community centers with tents and temporary structures is something Tielman suggested for Batavia's future when he spoke to the Landmark Society in 2013. He suggested then the major obstacle standing in the way of Batavia's economic vitality wasn't the mall, it is massive amounts of asphalt for parking -- economically unproductive and mostly unused.

While he likes the Ellicott Street project, primarily because of the 55 apartments being added to Downtown's housing stock but also because of the involvement of Sam Savarino who has been part of successful restoration projects in Buffalo, Tielman thinks the project needs to have "connective tissue" with everything on the north side of Ellicott Street.

That means narrowing Ellicott, adding wider, more pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, and slowing down truck traffic flowing through Downtown.

Any such plan would involve the state Department of Transportation but that, he said, is just a matter of the city being willing to stand up to the DOT and paying for its own maintenance of that stretch of Route 63.

"If the Batavia's really serious about fixing (Route 63), it should do it on its own dime," Tielman said.

As part of Tielman's suggestion to concentrate growth strategies on the south side of Main Street, Tielman agrees that the farmer's market, currently at Alva and Bank, should be moved to Jackson Street.

The current location is too far from the existing local businesses, so the tendency is for people to drive to Alva, park, shop and leave. The traffic being drawn downtown isn't staying downtown.

Tielman talked about contiguity, the quality of commercial spaces adjoining each other, being necessary for convenience of users and survival of businesses.

"Connective tissue," a phrase used several times by Tielman, is critical to city centers.

"Contiguity is the lifeblood of settlements of towns and of cities," Tielman said. "If left to their own devices, places will develop like this -- and you'll see this up to World War II -- whether they were European cities, Asian cities or American cities.

"Look at a (1918) map of Batavia, contiguity was everything," Tielman added. "In a town of 18,000 people you had four-story buildings. It's crazy, you would think, but (it was built up that way)  because (of) the distance from the train station to Main Street to the courthouse. That's where you wanted to be. Everyone's walking around."

People are social animals -- Tielman made this point several times -- and Batavians, if given a chance, will support a city center with more density, Tielman said because that's human nature. What exactly that looks like, that's up to Batavians, but creating that environment will give residents a stronger sense of community, more personal connections, and shared life experience. That will foster the community's creativity and vitality, which is better than just accepting decline.

"I mean, if you look at the great John Gardner," his formative years are "when Batavia was still a place where a young John Gardner could walk up the street, buy comic books, get into trouble over there by the railroad tracks, buy something for his mother on the way home, blah, blah, blah. He could have quite a day in town and encounter characters of different stripes that can actually (be worked) into pretty rich novels of American life. You wonder whether Batavia could produce a John Gardner today."

Tim Tielman has a lot more to say about Batavia getting its mojo back (this is condensed from an hour-long conversation). Go to GO ART! at 7 p.m. Wednesday to hear more about it, ask questions, even challenge his ideas.

 

Top: Use the slider on the map to compare Batavia of 1938 with Batavia of 2016.

A hunter has apparently called into emergency dispatch and reported that he's lost in the swamp near Sour Springs Road, Alabama.

There's no report of the hunter being in distress.

Deputies are responding to assist. 

Press release:

Today we observe Veterans Day, a day when we honor the sacrifices of the men and women of our armed services who have given so much to defend our democracy, keep our nation free and make our world a safer place for everyone.

It is a day worthy of discussing our elections and the importance of counting every vote, especially those of our service members who voted absentee.

As of now, several counties have begun the official canvass of the voting machines, but the vast majority remain uncounted. Tuesday is the deadline for absentee ballots to arrive, and most of the absentee ballots will be counted on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

Beyond the official canvass and counting of absentee ballots, there are a number of affidavit ballots that may or may not be valid. All of these will be duly considered in the coming days until the Boards of Elections are ready to provide final official results.

All of the Boards remain enjoined by Court Order from finalizing the results until all ballots are counted. This is a slow process, but a necessary one. 

There are multiple races across the state facing similar delays in determining the outcome, some with Democrats leading in the unofficial results, some with Republicans leading. I believe that in all of these, every vote must be counted. In those races, as in ours, the election isn’t over until all the ballots are counted.  

NOTE: McMurray also shared this on Twitter this afternoon: "TOMORROW: As the count goes on, I’m headed to DC! It’s new member orientation and some friendly members of Congress invited me down."

A two-vehicle accident is reported in the area of 5312 Cole Road, Byron.

One person reportedly has minor injuries.

Both vehicles are off the road.

Byron and South Byron dispatched.

George Botts, Cecelia Cochran, Errol Crittenden, Leo Fiorito, Thomas Illes, Edward Kaine, Percy Luttrell, Patrick Molyneaux, Edgar Murrell, George Ripton, Alvin Smith and John Wilder.

Twelve Le Royans who went to war in the Great War, the War to End All Wars, and who didn't return home.

Today they were honored on the 100th Anniversary of Armistice Day. The day when a treaty calling for the end of hostilities in Europe on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour 1918 went into effect.

A new memorial to Le Roy's 12 who died as a result of the war was dedicated at Trigon Park with prayers, poems, a song, a reading the names of the 12 names, a 21-gun salute, and the playing of taps.

Among the Veterans Day ceremonies in Genesee County today there was one at the VA Center in Batavia attended by residents of the VA Hospital.

Article by Mike Cintorino, OAE head coach.

The Oakfield-Alabama/Elba Football Team completed a perfect season on Saturday, finishing 8-0 and defeating the Weedsport Warriors 48-6 in the first-ever New York Upstate Championship in Eight-man Football. 

Once again it was the defense, as it has been the last three games for OAE, that truly set the tone for the day. 

After an opening offensive drive stalled for OAE, the defense got the ball right back after a 3 and out. 

Colton Dillon, Section V Offensive Player of the Year, scored the first three touchdowns for OAE. Dillon finished with 128 rushing yards on 13 carries with scores of 2, 6 and 61 yards. 

Gage Dieterle (Section V Defensive Player of the Year) added to his resume, earning MVP honors for the game. Dieterle only carried the ball six times but ran for 119 yards and for two big scores with runs of 50 and 35. 

Ty Mott continued his strong season with 21 carries for 158 yards and a 44-yard touchdown. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Peyton Yasses led the team with 13 tackles while Dieterle had five tackles with two sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. Mott and Ty Kornow both came away with interceptions. 

For the third-straight game, the OAE defense held the opposing offense out of the end zone. Weedsports lone score came on a 60-yard kickoff return by Hunter Morgan for a touchdown to open the second half. Jake Maloof led the Warriors with 87 yards on 13 carries.  

This has been an unbelievably successful season for the OAE team. The team overcame adversity with the switch to eight-man, learning to apply everything they have done in 11-man and apply it to this new opportunity. The team is 8-0 on the season, League Champions, Section V Champions, and NY Upstate Champions. 

Photos by Cindy Cassada .

Colton Dillion, #2

Gage Dieterle

Ty Mott

MVP Gage Dieterle

The Alexander Trojans won their first 10 games of 2018 by dominating their opponents, even bigger, stronger opponents.

Today, in Clarence, playing for the Far West Regional Championship, they met a team whose size they couldn't overcome.

The Trojans lost to the Clymer/Sherman/Panama Wolfpack 29-6.

The Trojans made it this far with a multi-player attack ground game and a defense that could stuff the run on the other side of the ball. Today, the Wolfpack outgained the Trojans 271 rushing yards to 148 rushing yards by dominating the line on both sides of the ball.

On defense, the Wolfpack linemen were often in the backfield as soon as the handoff.

On a team where 100-yard games have been common and frequent, only Ty Woods managed to break more than 100 yards rushing. He went for 116 yards on seven carries, but 86 of those yards came on the final play of the game. That's when Woods, who had taken over at QB, broke free on a run and scored Alexander's only touchdown.

"Where we made a living on speed and strength overcoming size and bulk, today we met a team that was our equal or better in the trenches and in the box," said Head Coach Tim Sawyer. 

There were two key moments in the game. In the first quarter, the Trojans advanced the ball to the red zone but a fumble pushed them back and gave them a 2nd and 17. The second decisive play was a third-quarter interception of a Dylan Busch pass.

"You cannot be in second and longs and third and longs against a team like this," Sawyer said.

Alexander was down by only a touchdown and seemed to be mounting a drive when they turned the ball over on the interception.

Sawyer admitted that may have deflated the team a bit.

Chris McClinic, who came into the game with 1,088 rushing yards on the season, an 11.7 per-carry average, was held to only 11 yards on 10 carries. Terrez Smith, who came into the game with 1,022 rushing yards on the season, a 9.55 per-carry average, was held to 20 yards on 10 carries. McClinic and Smith finish the season with 16 and 15 touchdowns apiece after not reaching the end zone once today.

It was a hard day to play football -- cold, made even colder by a strong, unrelenting wind that shortened passes and caused kicks to veer offline. 

With the Wolfpack shutting down the run, the wind and cold made Busch, who has put up great stats all year (49-92 for 907 yards, 15 TDs, and only six interceptions), a less effective alternative. He was 3-11 passing with three interceptions. The Wolfpacks QB, G. Hinsdale, was 4-12 passing with one interception.

The combined program of Clymer, Sherman and Panama gives the three schools a combined 328 student count (or what New York State Public High School Athletic Association calls "bed count." For football, for a team to qualify for Class D, the bed count should be 229 or below (Alexander's is 192). However, the NYSPHSAA used a formula that tallies the bed count of the second or third school in a combined program at 30 percent. That makes CSP's bed count 181.

To purchase keepsake prints of game photos, click here.

NOTE: We apologize to our friends at Notre Dame. We received this article in a timely fashion and neglected to publish it.

Article by Joseph Scanlon.

Eight individual graduates and the 1973 Bishop Smith League Co-champion Football Team were inducted into the Notre Dame High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Nov. 3, at the school.

Inductees included five individuals inducted as student-athletes: John Francis ’66, Mike Callahan ’67, John Stisser ’80, Sue [Burns] Keefe ’81 and Kathy Dwyer ’90 along with two alumni as supporters -- Joe ’68 and Patty Jurewicz ’69 Flynn and Rick Mancuso ’76 as a coach.

ND Principal Wade Bianco opened the program by welcoming the Fighting Irish faithful who packed the newly renovated Reinhart Gymnasium for the evening program

ND grad Deacon Walter Szczesny '76, HOF '15, gave the invocation while ND Athletic Director Mike Rapone '71, HOF '96, served as Master of Ceremonies presenting Hall of Fame plaques to this year’s recipients.

Mark Francis ’75, HOF '96, accepted on behalf of his brother John ‘66 and Hall of Fame Committee member Joe Scanlan, Ph.D., ’65, HOF ’17, read an acknowledgment from Sue Burns’ former Volleyball Coach Rhonda DiCasolo and accepted on behalf of Sue [Burns] Keefe ’81. Mike McGee ‘74 spoke on behalf of the ’73 team being inducted. Annie Lawrence, ND Board of Trustees president, provided closing remarks for this year's well-attended induction program.

A big word of thanks goes out to the following members of the 2018 ND Sports Night Committee for yet another successful program -- Overall Chairperson Mark Francis ’75, HOF ’96; Chair of the Selection Committee Mike Rapone '71, HOF '96; ND Director of Advancement Emily Patrick; Diane Zigrossi Fraser '68,  Michele Rapone Fuller '67; and Joseph Scanlan, Ph.D., ’65, HOF ’17.

Individual bios, as well as a review of the Fall 1973 ND Varsity Football team's accomplishments, follow:

John Francis ‘66

Regarded as one of the most talented student-athletes in the mid-1960s era, as well as in overall ND sports history, Batavia native John Francis was a key member of Fighting Irish Football, Basketball, Baseball and Track and Field teams from 1962 – 1966.

Known for his speed and elusiveness in each of the aforementioned sports, John earned nine Varsity letters during his historic athletic career at ND. Small in stature yet huge in performance, he captained ND’s first ever Bishop Smith League Varsity Football Championship team in the fall of 1965 earning first team All-Catholic all-star honors as a halfback. He led the Smith League in scoring while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Highlights from his senior team MVP gridiron season included a four-touchdown performance against the Knights of Lockport DeSales [38 -27] and a memorable offensive performance as a running back and defensive performance as a cornerback in ND’s first-ever victory over all boys powerhouse St. Francis of Athol Springs [34 – 14].

A speedy guard and tenacious defender, John played a key role during his senior Varsity Basketball season helping ND qualify for the highly competitive postseason Manhattan Cup competition pitting the top teams in Bishop Burke vs. Bishop Smith leagues for only the second time in school history.

John was a leader in school as well as in the athletic arena has served as a Student Council officer during his sophomore, junior and senior years. His overall senior year athletic performance earned him the recognition of 1966 ND Male Athlete-of-the-Year Award awarded by legendary Director of Athletics Reverend David J. Scheider.

John pursued his football career at the collegiate level at Long Island’s C.W. Post University in Brookville, where he played competitively for four years, his freshman year as a JV team halfback and his final three years as a letter-winning split end. As a junior receiver, he was credited with scoring eight touchdowns and amassing more than 700 total yards including a 78-yard touchdown score. As a senior, he was recognized as ECAC All-East Division 2 “Player of the Week” for his record-setting 12 catch, two touchdowns, 262 yards receiving game which established a C.W. Post school record that stood for 24 years until surpassed in 1993.

John was recognized by the Notre Dame High School Sports Boosters as the Genesee Amateur Athlete-of-the-Year at the annual ND Sports Night in 1968. He graduated with a BA degree in Business Administration from C.W. Post and served as a football graduate assistant in 1970. He currently resides in Las Vegas.

Mike Callahan ‘67

Hailing from Le Roy, Mike Callahan was a prominent member of Fighting Irish Cross-country, Basketball, Baseball and Track and Field teams during his athletic tenure [1963 – 1967] at 73 Union St. Mike played four years of Cross-country and Basketball, three in Baseball and one as a Track and Field team member.

Mike earned coveted All-Catholic recognition during his senior year [1966-67] seasons in Varsity Cross Country, Varsity Baseball and Varsity Track and Field! He finished second overall in the highly competitive 1966 All-Catholic Meet held on the challenging Delaware Park course in Buffalo. As a junior, he was a key member of ND’s fall 1965 undefeated Bishop Smith League Championship Cross-country team – ND’s first Cross-country championship team in school history. Mike was a key performer on ND Cross-country teams, which compiled an overall dual meet 15 – 4 record during his sophomore through senior seasons.

A starting guard on ND’s Varsity Basketball team during his junior and senior years, Mike’s stalwart offensive and defensive play on the hardwood helped ND to qualify for postseason Manhattan Cup competition vs. Bishop Burke league opponents both years. These appearances were only the second and third times that a Fighting Irish Varsity Boys hoop team had advanced to that level in school history. Mike’s team’s two-year Varsity Basketball record was 28 -8 highlighted by a 16 -2 senior season with both losses by one point!

Mike achieved All-Catholic recognition in both Baseball and Track and Field as a senior where his play on the diamond as a pitcher and infielder and on the track as a distance runner helped ND achieve Bishop Smith League Championship status in both sports while interestingly enough participating in both simultaneously.

An excellent academic student, Mike earned the Excellence in Math Award during his senior year at ND and went on to earn a BS degree in Mathematics from St. Bonaventure University in 1971. While at St. Bonaventure, he continued to pursue his athletic career by playing collegiately for the Bona baseball team for two years as well as running Cross-country and Track for one year each.

His post-collegiate softball career earned him induction into both the Rochester Senior Softball Hall of Fame as well as the New York State USSSA [United States Senior Softball Association] Hall of Fame.

Mike and his wife Margy are the proud parents of 3 grown children: Michael [39] Jamie [38] and Dan ’02 [34] and currently reside in Churchville. Now retired, Mike previously served as Office Manager for RR Gamble, CH Wright Distributors and Wright Beverage Distributors in Batavia.

John Stisser ‘80

A native of Pavilion, John Stisser earned 11 Varsity letters during his four-year student-athlete career [1976 – 80] at ND. During this time period, John was a four-year member of Fighting Irish Football, Basketball and Baseball programs as well as a one-year participant in Track and Field.

Named ND Varsity Football’s Outstanding Defensive Back during the 1978 and 1979 fall seasons, John’s play on the gridiron helped ND earn Genesee Region [GR] Championships during both his junior [1978-79] and senior [1979-80] seasons, as well as a coveted Section V NYSPHSAA Class C Championship during his junior fall 1978 season. He was named to the Genesee Region [GR] Football All-Star team as a Defensive Back as a junior and also as a senior while he served as ND Varsity Football team’s co-captain.

He was recognized as the MVP of the 1978 JV Basketball team and received the Coach’s Award during his senior hoop season [1979-80].

A -four-year letter winner as a Varsity Baseball player, John’s play on the diamond earned him Genesee Region [GR] All-Star status as a junior [1979] and as a senior [1980] when he helped lead ND to two consecutive GR Baseball Championships, as well as Section V NYSPHSAA Class C Championships. He concluded his star-studded baseball career by being selected as the MVP of the GR All-Star Baseball game.

The 1979-80 ND Male Athlete-of-the-Year, John graduated with honors from ND in 1980, and continued his post-secondary education at Marietta College in Ohio where he earned a BA in General Studies.

John and his wife Pnina are the proud parents of three grown children – Max [31], Joe [26] and Meredith [19] and currently reside in Manchester, NH. He previously spent 20 years in publishing with The New York Times/Simon and Schuster and Manson News and currently is employed by Reynolds American Inc. Trade Marketing Services.

Sue [Burns] Keefe ‘81

Sue [Burns] Keefe was a truly remarkable four-sport student-athlete at ND [1978 – 1981] during which time the native Batavian was a four-year member of the Lady Irish Varsity Volleyball and Basketball teams and a three-year member of the Lady Irish Varsity Soccer and Tennis programs.

She was a senior tri-captain in Soccer and a key member of her team at the sweeper position for which she earned team MVP recognition in 1980.

She co-captained her ND girls Volleyball team as a senior, a sport she excelled at under the tutelage of legendary ND Girls Volleyball Coach Rhonda DiCasolo.

Sue’s overall play as a setter earned her team MVP honors and Genesee Region [GR] All-Star recognition during both her junior [1979] and senior [1980] seasons under Coach DiCasolo. She earned Section V NYSPHSAA All-Tournament team recognition as a senior and played a key role in helping ND earn two Section V NYSPHSAA Class C Championships [1978 and 1980] during her time as a Varsity team member.

She received the ND Sportsmanship Award as well as the prestigious 1981 Female Athlete-of-the Year honor during her senior year [1980-1981] at ND.

Upon graduation from ND in 1981, Sue entered Niagara University to pursue a BS degree in Nursing. In addition to earning her undergraduate degree in Nursing, she has also earned two master's degrees, one in Nursing and the other in Epidemiology. While at Niagara, she played Division I Softball for three years as a first baseman for the Purple Eagles as well as Varsity Tennis for four years! She was the recipient of the Niagara University Interscholastic Athletic Sportsmanship Award as a graduating senior in 1985.

Sue is currently employed by Catholic Health System in Buffalo in a management position and continues to enjoy golf and tennis recreationally. She credits her success in athletics, education and life in general to her former ND Girls Volleyball Coach Rhonda DiCasolo and Girls Physical Educational instructor Faith Flick, who were amazing role models inspiring her as a female and as a student-athlete during her career at ND.

Sue and her husband Daniel currently reside in Amherst and are the proud parents of two grown children Katherine [24], Daniel Maxwell [22].

Kathy Dwyer ‘90

Kathy Dwyer was a key member of Fighting Irish Varsity Volleyball, Basketball and Tennis teams in the late 1980s – early 1990s earning 13 Varsity Letters, as well as multiple team MVP awards, Genesee Region [GR] All-Star accolades and Section V NYSPHSAA All-Tournament recognitions during her star-studded ND career.

A four-year Varsity Volleyball team member, Kathy received team MVP and Section V NYSPHSAA All-Tournament team recognition in both her junior and senior years, as well as Genesee Region [GR] All-Star recognition as a senior.

Kathy began her star-studded career as a member of the Lady Irish Varsity Basketball team as an eighth-grader at St. Joseph’s Elementary School in Batavia and proceeded to earn team MVP honors during three Varsity hoop seasons! During this time period [1985-1990], she was recognized as a Genesee Region [GR] All-Star on 3 occasions [1988, 1989 and 1990] and a Section V NYSPHSAA All-Tournament selection twice [1989 and 1990].

She also played four years of Varsity Tennis and earned team MVP honors in 1989 and 1990.

Kathy was named ND Female Athlete-of-the-Year in both her junior [1988-89] and senior [1989-90] years!

Upon graduation from ND, she attended SUNY Cortland where she earned a BSE degree in Physical Education in 1994. While at SUNY Cortland, she played two seasons of women’s collegiate Tennis and Basketball. During that time period, she was the starting point guard for the Women’s Varsity Red Dragons' Basketball team. She earned her master’s degree from United States Sports Academy after her undergraduate career at SUNY Cortland.

Kathy now joins her sister -- Lisa Dwyer Lenhart ’83, ND HOF ’15 -- as the second member of the Dwyer family to be recognized as a ND Hall of Famer! She is currently employed as a Physical Education instructor in the Alexander Central School District where she also coaches Boys Modified Tennis.

Team Recognition

ND Fall 1973 Varsity Football Team – Bishop Smith League Co-champions

The Fall 1973 Varsity Football Team [5 – 1 Bishop Smith League competition;  7 – 2 overall record] avenged their only regular season Smith League loss to Lackawanna Baker-Victory by defeating the previously undefeated Lockport DeSales Knights to gain a share of the highly sought after 1973 Smith League title.

A review of the ND’s 1974 Mater Dei credits the junior passing combination of QB Andy Vogl to wideout Mark Francis and the punishing running of sophomore Walter Szczesny – currently ND’s Campus Minister/Theology teacher – as key cogs in Coach Bayne Johnson’s Fighting Irish offense. A review of Batavia Daily News articles during the 1973 season continually made mention of Jerry Cecere and Mike McGee as offensive contributors and teammates Dan Wagner, Tom Maxwell, Mike Mead and Tom Hughes as turning in stellar defensive performances on a weekly basis.

The season-ending non-league portion of the 1973 season came to a memorable end as the Irish retired the “Judd Cup” – named in honor of former ND football team member and United States Military Academy at West Point graduate Don Judd ’60 who was killed in action during the Vietnam War -- with a 15 – 6 victory over Genesee County rival Le Roy on a snow-covered Oatkan Knights’ home field at Le Roy’s Hartwood Park. Sophomore Walt Szczesny scored both ND TDs in this season ending finale enabling the Irish to finish the season with a 7 – 2 record for the second straight season!

The season did not end without individual honors bestowed on team members as Mark Francis ‘75 was named to the prestigious All-Western New York Football All-Star team as well as receiving first team All New York State recognition. Jeff Sanfratello ’74 [2^nd team] and Mike Mead ‘74 [3^rd team] also received New York State All-Star nods.

ND was well represented on the 1973 All-Catholic team with seven team member recognitions: seniors Co-Captain Mike McGee, Jeff Sanfratello, Mike Mead, Tom Maxwell and juniors Co-Captain Mark Francis, Andy Vogl and Kevin Sullivan.

Team members included 11 seniors [Class of ‘74] Robert Minekheim, Mike McGee, Mike Hughes, Mike Mead, Jerome Cecere, Jeff Sanfratello, James Tibbs, Ed Flynn, Andy Cordes, Thomas Maxwell and James Majors; 11 juniors [Class of ‘75] Andy Vogl, Mark Francis, Mike Tepedino, Jim Tassone, Dan Wagner, Kevin Sullivan, Mark Steger, Joe Cesarano, Ange Paradise, Tony Pecora and Dennis Johnson and nine sophomores [Class of 1976] James Mullen, Paul Judd, Walt Szczesny, Dan DiMartino, Mike Cordes, Steve Bucciffero, Stacey Thompson, Vic Marchese and Tom McGrath and one freshman [Class of 1977] Gino Oliveri.

The 1973 Bishop Smith League Co-Champions were coached by Head Coach Bayne Johnson and assistant coaches Rich Funke and Ed Sullivan. Tom Cesarano and Pat Vogl served as student managers.

Supporter Recognition

Joe [’68] and Patty [‘69] Jurewicz Flynn

Suffice it to say, Joe and Patty [Jurewicz] Flynn are classic examples of ND alumni who continue to truly enjoy bleeding “blue and gold” in support of all ND student-athletes long after their own children have graduated from ND!

The Flynns have passionately supported our Alma Mater’s Fighting Irish athletic program since their early days as students in the mid- to late-1960s, initially as student-athletes, later as parents of their ND daughters Maura [class of 2000] and Mallory [class of 2004] participation in athletics and even after their daughters’ graduations as dedicated fans who simply enjoyed [and continue to enjoy!] supporting their Alma Mater’s rich history of interscholastic athletic competition.

The Flynns interest in athletics dates back to their high school days at 73 Union St. when ND was a competitive member in Diocese of Buffalo Bishop Smith League Catholic high school competition. Joe ’68 was a member of Fighting Irish Basketball, Football, Cross-country and Tennis teams while Patty ’69 was a member of Fighting Irish ND Volleyball and Bowling teams and a four-year participant in intramurals throughout high school.

A prior recipient of the prestigious Father David J. Scheider ND Alumni Award for promoting ND in the community, Joe earned his BBA degree in Business in 1972 from St. John Fisher College in Rochester and pursued a career as an accountant with Batavia-based Eaton Corporation – Trojan Industries [1973 -1994] and Boyle’s Motor Sales [1994 – 2017] prior to retirement.

Patty earned her BA Education degree from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., in 1973 and her MS Education degree from the State University College at Buffalo in 1976. Her 37-year teaching career as an elementary educator included teaching assignments in the Pioneer Central School District [1973-76], St. Joseph’s Elementary School in Batavia [1976 – 77] and Pembroke Central School District [1977 – 2010], from which she retired in 2010.

Congratulations are definitely in order for ND Athletic Hall of Fame inductees Joe and Patty Flynn for their ongoing support of Fighting Irish athletics as well as their interest in ND student-athletes as individuals. It wouldn’t be a ND sporting event if you weren’t there to lend your loyal, passionate support!

Coaching Recognition

Rick Mancuso ‘76

Rick Mancuso’s ’76 flair for competition began at ND when he entered as a freshman in the fall of 1972. Throughout high school [1972-76] he was known for his competitive spirit as a key member of Fighting Irish Varsity Football, Basketball and Baseball programs. Upon graduation from ND in 1976, Rick continued his education at Niagara University where he earned his BS degree in Management in 1980. The competitive spirit and work ethic that he demonstrated as a student at ND and Niagara University have contributed to his successful career in business in the Batavia area as the President of Mancuso Restaurant [T.F. Brown’s] and Bowling Lanes, and Main and Ellicott Properties LLC [Mancuso Real Estate], as well as a legendary coach in the annals of ND Fighting Irish sports history.

The following review of Coach Mancuso’s 37-year relationship with his Alma Mater [documented and supplied by current ND Director of Athletics Mike Rapone ’71, HOF ’15] paints the picture of an individual who truly epitomized the qualities of dedication to his Alma Mater and a work ethic of service to ND and his student-athletes throughout his coaching career.

Coach Mancuso began his coaching career as the Head JV Football Coach at ND in the fall of 1981, a position he held until taking over the reins of ND’s Varsity Football program in 2005 following the retirement of longtime, legendary Varsity Football Coach Bill Sutherland ’67. During his tenure as Varsity Football Coach, Rick’s Varsity Football teams qualified for Section V post season competition in nine of his 13 seasons and, in the process, won two Section V Class D NYSPHSAA Championships [2006, 2012], advanced to the title game on three other occasions while also winning three Genesee Region [GR] League Championships! He was recognized as Section V “Coach of the Year” during both title years.

In addition to his success on the gridiron, Rick also coached ND Lady Irish Varsity Softball for five years [2011-2015] winning a New York State Class D Softball Championship in 2012 after advancing to the NYSPHSAA semifinals the prior year. His Varsity Softball teams captured Section V NYSPHSAA Class D Championships in 2011 and 2012 as well as earning three Genesee Region [GR] Championships during this same time period. Rick received New York State “Coach of the Year” as well as Rochester Democrat and Chronicle recognition as All Greater Rochester “Coach of the Year” in 2012.

Coach Mancuso’s resume also includes successful stints as ND’s JV and Varsity Baseball coach, as well as a successful Boys Modified Basketball coaching record during which time period his teams lost only one game!

A very civic-minded individual, Rick has served as a past director of the Batavia Area Jaycees, the Batavia Rotary Club, Batavia Youth Football, and the Children’s’ Home Association, as well having served as a contributing member of the ND Board of Trustees and the Batavia Improvement District. He has played a key role hosting the annual T.F. Brown’s Community Christmas Dinner for the underprivileged for the past 25 years.

A past recipient of the Father David J. Scheider ND Alumni Award for service to others and the Paolo Busti Society ”Outstanding Italian American Award,” Rick and his wife, Julie, are proud parents of five ND graduates – Morgan [‘01], Alexandra [‘03], Rick [‘05], Patrick ‘[08] and Maddie [‘11].

Congratulations on your 2018 ND Athletic Hall of Fame induction, Rick . . . A true Hall of Famer – on the field of play and in the community!

Top photo: Individual 2018 ND Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees [L to R]: Rick Mancuso ’76 [Coach], Mike Callahan ’67, John Stisser ’80, Patty Jurewicz Flynn ’69 [Supporter] Kathy Dwyer ’90 and Joe Flynn ’68 [Supporter]. Not pictured: John Francis ’66 and Sue [Burns] Keefe ’81.

Fifteen of the original 32 roster members of ND's 1973 Bishop Smith League Co-Champion Football team returned for the Nov. 3rd induction ceremony. Pictured Row #1 [L to R]: Mike Hughes, Jeff Sanfratello, Mike Mead, Joe Cesarano, Mike Tepedino, Jerry Cecere, Paul Judd and Mark Francis.

Row #2 [L to R]: Ed Flynn, Dan Wagner, Andy Vogl, Walt Szczesny, Mike McGee, Dan DiMartino and Jim Tassone.

A man in his young 20s apparently accidentally fatally shot himself with his own gun this evening during a party in a barn at 6490 Byron Holley Road, Byron.

The name of the victim has not been released pending family notifications.

Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster said right now investigators are leaning toward accidental as the cause of the firearm discharge.

It is possible the victim was playing with the weapon when it discharged.

He described the gun as a semi-automatic pistol that the victim owned and possessed legally.

There were five or six people in the room, a party room in the barn, as Brewster described it, when the gun went off.

The initial call at 11:45 p.m., Friday, was for a man accidentally shot in the face. Byron Ambulance was dispatched but the ambulance went back in service shortly after arriving on the scene.

The coroner arrived on scene at about 2:15 a.m.

Two people who were in the room at the time of the shooting were taken to the Sheriff's Office on Park Road for further questioning.

Brewster said a press release about the shooting will go out after family notifications and after investigators determine better exactly what happened.  

UPDATE 10 a.m.: The victim has been identified as John L. Carney, 23, of Le Roy.

Flames are visible coming out of the top of a corn dryer at 2775 Pratt Road, Batavia.

There is a semi-truck parked next to the structure.

A deputy on scene reports, "the flames are picking up."

East Pembroke fire is dispatched.

UPDATE 2:35 a.m.: Town of Batavia, Oakfield, and the City's Fast team requested to the scene. Corfu to stand by at East Pembroke.

UPDATE 2:38 a.m.: A rep on scene has shut off the propane going to the structure.

UPDATE 2:48 a.m.: Town of Batavia's ladder truck requested to the scene and fire police to shut down Pratt Road.

UPDATE 4:30 a.m.: Adding pictures. Fire crews are still on scene.

An electrical fire is reported in the canopy of the Kwik Fill at 99 Jackson St., Batavia.

City fire responding.

UPDATE 11:47 p.m.: Fire is out. Power was cut before City fire's arrival. The assignment is back in service.

Chloe Lamb, 9, and Claire Lamb, 7, presented a check today for $1,803 to Lynn Gehlert, vice principal at Oakfield-Alabama Elementary School called "Fuel Young Minds."

Matt and Kendra Lamb with help from Chloe and Claire have set up a pumpkin stand in front of their house on Maltby Road, Oakfield, with no price set on pumpkins, just a request for a donation in any amount to take some home.

Two years ago, the Lambs raised $800 for the fire department and last year, $1,200 for the library.

Fuel Young Minds is a food pantry started by Gehlert.

"On her own, Mrs. Gehlert was supplementing food to families who needed it and when some families (in the school) found out about it, we said we wanted to offer more support than what she was doing on her own."

Kendra said she wants her daughters to learn about supporting their local community but she also wanted to bring more attention to Fuel Young Minds.

Gehlert said the O-A community has really come together to support the program.

"We are very appreciative the support," Gehlert said. "The community has really stepped up and has been very generous to support our kiddos. The focus of Fuel Young Minds is our students can’t come to school and really benefit from education if their basic needs aren’t met."

Pavilion High School's "Stars of Tomorrow" present a performance of "My Fair Lady" at 7 o'clock tonight and tomorrow night.

Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for seniors and students.

Directors and Crew:

• Director: Eric Traugott
• Producer/Vocal Music Director: Beth Funderburk
• Pit Orchestra Conductor: Stuart McLean
• Choreographer: Denise Leblanc-Chatt
• Set Design: Joe Paras

Cast List:

• Eliza Doolittle: Katie Ehrhart
• Colonel Pickering: Alex Stalica
• Mrs. Eynsford-Hill: Mackenzie Blakeslee
• Henry Higgins: Jacob Taylor
• Mrs. Higgins: Ella Manurung
• Freddy Eynsford-Hill: Jeremy Blakeslee
• Alfred P. Doolittle: Anthony Brown
• Harry: Joe Forti
• Jamie: Zander Markek
• Mrs. Pearce: Evelyn Northrup
• Prof. Zoltan Karpathy: Max Whalen
• Ensemble: Shea Amberger, Kylie Conway, Angela Davidson, Jordan Eggleston, Joy Gayhart, Cassie Guile, Aiden McConnell, Colin McConnell, Isis McLure, Ayden Taylor, Mr. Clark, Mr. Chrzanowski, Mrs. Slocum, Mr. Weaver, Mr. Webb

A man who drunkenly broke into a home on Swan Street in Batavia and picked up a child in that residence said in County Court this morning that he knew he terrified the people living there and he felt horrible about it. He said he knew he deserved to go to jail.

Judge Charles Zambito sentenced Sath Paul Dhanda, 39, of Clapsaddle Road, Bethany, to eight months in jail on a conviction, based on a prior guilty plea, to charges of criminal trespass and endangering the welfare of a child.

"I don't know these people," Dhanda said. "I have never seen them. I wouldn't know them if I saw them. I feel awful about what I did. I do believe I deserve time in jail to make sure it doesn't happen again."

First Assistant District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini blamed Dhanda's conduct on his drinking. Dhanda's criminal history goes back to at least 2007, the year after he reportedly suffered a head injury, when he was charged with assault at a residence on Ellicott Street. He's been arrested numerous times since then.  

By his own account and the word of others, Dhanda once had a promising golf career, and after being released from prison on a 2011 conviction for criminal contempt, Dhanda worked as a pro at a golf course in the region.

Today's court appearance today echoed Dhanda's sentencing in 2011 when he told then Judge Robert C. Noonan, "Alcoholism has destroyed my once promising life."

Cianfrini said today, "Everytime Mr. Dhanda drinks, almost every time he drinks, it seems he winds up in legal difficulty. He needs to come to the realization that he's a person who can't consume even one drop of alcohol."

She said he was lucky he hadn't seriously injured himself or somebody else given his lack of self-control when he's drinking. For his own safety and the safety of others, she asked Zambito to give him the longest possible sentence allowed by his plea agreement."

"Ms. Cianfrini is right," Dhanda said. "Alcohol is my problem but it's not every time I drink that I get into trouble but every time I get into trouble it's because I've been drinking."

He said prior to his arrest in July he had trouble with his health insurance and had trouble getting prescription medication. He mentioned going to UMMC and getting his medication and then taking it with alcohol. He said a friend was supposed to pick him up but instead of waiting he decided to walk. He said he blacked out and didn't remember entering the residence on Swan Street.

Dhanda is a good-looking man. Tall with the athletic build of a golfer, he is the son of a once-prominent urologist in Batavia. He is also well spoken and well mannered in court.

Zambito said the probation officer who prepared his pre-sentencing report said Dhanda was his "own worst enemy."

"It's clear," Zambito said reading from the report, "the defendant could do great things with his life if he would stop drinking and doing drugs."

       Jaequele Tomlin

A trial date has been set for two men accused of running a scam on Craigslist, but there may also be a plea deal in the works for one or both of the suspects.

Jaequele M. Tomlin, 23, of Central Avenue, Batavia, and Quamane J. Santiago, 19, of Main Road, Stafford, appeared in County Court today on what was scheduled to be their plea cutoff date but with the agreement of District Attorney Lawrence Friedman and Judge Charles Zambito the plea cutoff date was extended to Nov. 19.

Tomlin's attorney, Arthur A. Duncan, said he needed more time in light of a decision on a motion handed down by Zambito.

The nature of the motion or the content of Zambito's decision was not discussed in open court.

Tomlin and Santiago are charged with conspiracy in the fourth degree.

They are accused of posting car-for-sale ads on Craigslist with the intent of robbing anybody who showed up to buy the car.

At the time of their arrest, they were allegedly found in possession of fake guns.

Tomlin faces an additional charge of criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, for allegedly possessing a blunt-force weapon with the intention to use it against a person.

Fred Rarick, attorney for Santiago, did not indicate whether his client is considering a plea offer but Rarick agreed to the extension of the plea-cutoff date.

If no plea agreement is reached in either case, jury selection for a trial is scheduled for March 25.

"The snow should have melted by then," Zambito joked.