Stories from

On two occasions, a cash box from a produce stand, The Cornercopia, at Route 77 and Route 20 in Darien has been stolen. 

After the first burglary, a more secure lock was installed and the thieves took the entire red plate steel cash box.

A cash reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of the suspects.

The two people in this video (who brought their dogs with them, and one of the men can be seen apparently hitting one of the dogs at about the 1:50 mark) are possible suspects and the owners of the fruit stand are asking anybody with information to come forward and contact local law enforcement. 

The State Police are handling the investigation. To report any information that may assist in the investigation, call (585) 343-5000.

Ed Glow shared this photo of a rafter of turkeys about 30 yards from his home on Merrill Road in Byron.

He said he first saw a tom and three hens and a few young birds about three weeks ago. They reappeared a couple of days ago and he figures the young ones have doubled in size since then.

He counted 21 birds total. 

"Almost makes me want to start hunting again," Glow said.

The John Gardner Society will host its annual reading of Batavia's most renowned novelist at the Pok-A-Dot the evening of Oct. 27.

The reading will start at 8 p.m.

Anybody with an interest in Gardner, literature, Batavia's history, or just looking for an evening of camaraderie and entertainment, is invited to attend or read their own favorite passages from Gardner's work.

For more information or to be added to the list of readers, contact Bill Kauffman at bkbatavia@yahoo.com.

The event is sponsored by the John Gardner Society and Genesee Community College.

Photo: File photo from last year's reading.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Fire Department is sponsoring the sixth Annual Fire Prevention Week Coloring Contest. This coloring contest is open to students from kindergarten through grade 5.

“Our hope is to get the children to discuss fire safety with their teachers, other students and parents/guardians,” an organizer said.

Information has been distributed to City schools, but we wanted to include any City area homeschooled children as well.

Copies of the official coloring page and contest rules can be picked up at City Fire Headquarters, 18 Evans St. We encourage all eligible students to participate.

The 2018 Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 7-13) theme is “LOOK. LISTEN. LEARN. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere.” Additional information can be found at the Fire Prevention Week website www.FPW.org

Any posters wishing to be entered need to be at the Fire Station located at 18 Evans St. in Batavia no later than 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 11.

Judging of the posters will take place Oct. 12th – 15th.

The winner of each group will receive a ride to school on a City Fire Engine, and be invited to a special awards luncheon with their family held at the fire station. Second- and third-place finishers in each group will also be invited to the fire station awards luncheon.

The best of luck to the students! Full rules are available at the City of Batavia Fire Department at 18 Evans St. in Batavia or email the Fire Prevention Officer, Lt. Greg Ireland, at:   gireland@batavianewyork.com

Standing in front of about 100 members of the Democratic Party -- volunteers who signed up walk precincts on his behalf -- Nate McMurray, candidate for Congress, said something you might find surprising: Donald Trump is right about a few things.

"Let's be honest, a lot of people voted for Donald Trump because they knew they needed help," McMurray said. "It was a Hail Mary. They felt like there wasn't a party representing them and maybe they needed somebody on the outside to say, 'hey, I can shake the system up.'

"I'm going to tell you something to a lot of people in the Democratic Party will not say," McMurray added. "Mr. Trump may be a master salesman. He may be a lot of things but his message was right in many respects. The message of the fact that a lot of Americans get left behind or forgotten about."

Many of Trump's voters are now disappointed in Trump, McMurray suggested, because he hasn't delivered on his promises.

"The problem is, Mr. Trump's message has been nothing but bluster," McMurray said. "He's is not doing anything to help people in this country. We hear about a booming economy but do you think the people here in this part of the region or the people in Attica, do you think they feel things are booming and moving and things are going great?"

McMurray promised not only to fight for jobs if elected, including opposing bad trade deals, but to support health care for all, protect Social Security, and follow through on a campaign promise Trump seems to have forgotten: infrastructure.

"Within 60 days in office, we will present a joint infrastructure bill in the house," McMurray said.

Right now, it's unclear who McMurray is running against. The man he planned to beat, Rep. Chris Collins, is under federal indictment on insider trading charges. The Erie County businessman continues as the singular target in McMurray's crosshairs, at least until, and if, the GOP NY-27 chairs are able to remove Collins from the ballot and replace him with another nominee.

Next week, Democratic Party Chair Tom Perez is going to visit the NY-27 but there was a time in McMurray's congressional quest, he said, when the party bosses told him he couldn't possibly beat Chris Collins and he should save his political capital for another fight, he said he told them Collins needed to be taken out.

"I said no someone has to stand up to Chris," McMurray said. "We know he has an ethics violation. We know he has this history of saying 'I only represent my constituents who are my donors.' He had this horrible record and all knew his record even before he was a congressman. We knew about his record when he was county executive when he would fire people and defund libraries and defund all kinds of projects important to the community just because he felt like it."

There was only one person in Washington, D.C., back then willing to encourage McMurray's run, said: Louise Slaughter.

It was Slaughter, he said, who wanted to know if McMurray would "fight like hell," which has become the campaign motto. 

"She said something else," McMurray said. "She said, 'this man has used the house of the people not to do people's business but to make money for himself and his family. Are you ready to stand up against that?' and I said yes and she said, 'Will you stand on his neck?' She said that.

"Now that's mean and it sounds tough but there comes time for accountability. It is time for accountability, not just for Collins but for the entire party that supported him."

Brandon Rebert had the best time today in the Arc of Genesee Orleans 5K in Elba.

Liz Bender (second picture) had the best time among the women.

The Blue Devils dominated another good team on the gridiron Friday night, beating Letchworth-Warsaw 40-0.

Ray Leach, who said after the game he's feeling much better physically, rushed for 187 yards on 17 carries. He scored four touchdowns. Leach also had two receptions for 38 yards giving him 225 all-purpose yards for the game.

Alex Rood added another 75 yards to the ground game on 10 carries. Taiyo Iburi‐Bethel had five receptions for 45 yards. Andrew Francis lone reception was for a nine-yard touchdown. Ethan Biscaro was 10-13 passing for 112 yards and a TD. He also rushed for 34 yards. Josh Barber and Cody Burns led the defense with six tackles each.

"They are a good football team," Coach Brennen Briggs said of Letchworth-Warsaw, now 2-1. "I think they're going to have a good run. I think they're going have a very good season. But again, we know we've got some big boys.

"We've got some powerful kids. We've got some kids that like to hit. We have some athletes out here and you know I think that they showed that tonight."

In other Friday night football action:

In the game a lot of people are talking about today, Alexander beat Geneseo 90-14. With his team up 60-14 at the half, Coach Tim Sawyer offered to let the clock run in the second half and Geneseo's coach, Tim Dolgos, refused the rule modification.  In the second half, Alexander, now 3-0, played its second and third-string players and outscored Geneseo 40-0. Chris McClinic scored three TDs and rushed for 157 yards on only four carries. He also had two receptions for 82 yards and a TD. Terrez Smith had six carries for 72 yards and two TDs. He also had a 73-yard kickoff return for a TD. Robert Fazzio had eight carries for 66  yards and a TD. JJ Goodenbury had five carries for 42 yards and a TD.  Ty Woods had two carries for 27 yards and TD receptions. Josh Devries had three receptions for 80 yards and a TD. QB  Dylan Busch was 7-8 passing for 211 yards and four touchdowns.  Jake Jasen had eight tackles, Woods seven plus a sack and a forced fumble. Hayden Walton had seven tackles.

Oakfield-Alabama/Elba opened its inaugural eight-man football season with a 46-30 win over CG Finney/Northstar. It was the first eight-man game in Section V in nearly 50 years. Colton Dillon had two TD runs. He had 188 yards rushing on 16 carries. Ty Mott scored twice and Gage Dieterle, Ty Kropelin, and Jayden Hughes also scored. Peyton Yasses had 13 tackles and Dieterle had 11.

Notre Dame beat Cuba-Rushford 20-9. Gabe McDonald had 27 carries, 201 yards, and two TDs. Tim Klotzbach had 36 yards rushing with a touchdown and 43 yards passing. Cody Henry had eight tackles and an interception and Gabe McDonald had 7 tackles with an interception.

Attica beat Le Roy 21-20. Jake Hill was 9-16 for 89 yards passing and Kyler LaCarte was 3-4 passing for 77 yards and two TDs. Hill rushed for 65 yards on 14 carries and LaCarte had 53 yards and a TD on 10 carries. Alex Bordonaro had seven tackles, Cole Rauscher, six, and Anthony Leitten, six.

Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen beat St. Mary's 35-12.

No score available for Perry/Mt. Morris vs. York/Pavilion.

The Blue Devils honored first responders, veterans and active military on Friday night, which included free admission, a hot dog and drink, and end-zone seats.

To purchase prints, click here.

Changes in technology and criminal law in New York have increased the workload in the District Attorney's Office, according to DA Lawrence Friedman, to a point that is unsustainable and either some cases won't get prosecuted by his office or good attorneys will quit their jobs.

Friedman described the burdens on his office in a letter to the County Legislature to support his request for additional staffing.

"Without such additional resources, our attorneys will not be able to continue to shoulder all of the added responsibilities and time commitments that have been placed on us over the years," Friedman said. "Instead, we will need to figure out how we will implement a reduction in services. We don’t know exactly what that will look like, but we do know that it will not be good for public safety in this community."

Reduced services could include:

• Discontinue the prosecution of violations of probation, leaving probation officers to handle the violations themselves;
• Discontinue the prosecution of non-criminal offenses, such as disorderly conduct, harassment, and unlawful possession of marijuana, leaving it up to the arresting officers to prosecute those cases;
• Reduce the time spent educating new officers about criminal and court procedures.

Friedman is asking for at least one new full-time assistant DA. There are four now. 

When Friedman was himself an assistant, there were seven part-time (30 hours a week) prosecutors in the DA's office for a total of 210 attorney hours a week. In 1996, Friedman, newly appointed to DA, learned the county could obtain state money to fund a full-time DA so the county eliminated three part-time positions in favor of two full-time positions. When the county switched to five full-time prosecutors, it reduced the number of total attorney hours to 187.5, which helped save the county money, according to Friedman.

In recent years, the workload for prosecutors has increased substantially, Friedman said, because of: 

• Body-worn cameras, video-recorded suspect interviews, more surveillance footage of crime scenes. Before the age of ubiquitous video, most cases involved written documents that could be reviewed in minutes. Now, sometimes, a prosecutor must spend hours watching video, and sometimes the video must be viewed more than once, including times to prep witnesses, review with police officers, besides the initial review to see what if any evidence the videos might contain.
• The DA's office has been hit with numerous serious crimes over the past couple of years that assistant DAs help with during the investigation and then if an arrest has been made, handle the prosecution. These crimes include a gang-assault case, a homicide at the Sunset Motel, a deputy-involved shooting, a homicide on Liberty Street, a shooting on Jackson Street, a shooting on Thorpe Street, a series of residential burglaries, a stabbing and murder on Central Avenue, child sex offenses, a fatal hit-and-run in Darien, an attempted murder and arson on Maple Street, vehicular assaults in Corfu and Pavilion, a stabbing in the Town of Batavia, a stabbing on Ross Street, two first-degree rape cases, and follow up on a cold case murder.
• There has been an increase in search warrant applications.
• New state laws, such as Jenna's Law, Megan's Law, and Leandra's Law has added time and tasks to the prosecution of some criminal cases.
• Big Box stores have increased the number of reported larcenies and forgeries.
• DNA is helping to open cold cases.
• Since Friedman became DA, new courts have opened, including Drug Treatment Court, DWI Treatment Court, Mental Health Treatment Court, Veterans Court, Domestic Violence Court, and now the new Youth Court opening next month.

Assistant DAs work a lot of hours beyond their standard "9-5" shift, Friedman said. In additional evening hours for town courts, they are on call 24/7.

A  recent example, Friedman said, was the fatal hit-and-run in Darien. ADA Shirley Gorman was called into the case on an early Sunday morning and worked 12 hours. Friedman and First Assistant District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini also assisted that Sunday with the case. 

"Altogether, the attorneys in our office spent about 40 hours on this case in the first three days and many more hours since then," Friedman said. "Unfortunately, this type of scenario is becoming more and more common. I am concerned that this could result in our attorneys becoming 'burned out' and/or leaving for 'greener pastures.' "

He concluded the letter calling the current situation a "crisis."

"This is the most serious staffing concern that I've ever faced," said Friedman, who has worked in the DA's office for 37 years, and who plans to retire in 2021. 

"I sincerely hope that an inability to get the help we need will not become the next impediment to the effective prosecution of crimes committed in Genesee County," Friedman said. "The current District Attorney truly hopes that his legacy will not be that of leaving an office that is understaffed and thus unable to properly serve the citizens of this County and he assumes that our County Legislature does not want that to be their legacy either."

A car has reportedly hit a tree and rolled over in the area of 6845 Thwing Road, Le Roy.

The initial call reported entrapment but the driver is now reportedly out of the car.

Le Roy fire and Mercy EMS responding.

One way or another, the Town of Le Roy is not expecting to spend $40,000 in 2019 to support Le Roy Ambulance, according to Supervisor Steve Barbeau.

Barbeau presented his tentative 2019 budget to the town council at Thursday's meeting and then discussed the future of the Le Roy Ambulance after the meeting.

Barbeau said based on his discussion with representatives of the ambulance service, Le Roy Ambulance has reached a point financially where it either needs the tax support of a special district or the nonprofit corporation must be dissolved.

If the proposed budget doesn't change before approved, Le Roy residents would find their town property tax rate reduced by a nickel, from 90 cents to 85. The total levy would be $206,248.

In all, Le Roy, excluding special districts, will need $1,427,441 to operate in 2019.

The proposed budget includes raises for non-union staff of varying amounts depending on which department the staff serves. 

Town board members will be able to start going through more detail at its Sept. 27 meeting.

Some adjustments may be necessary because since Barbeau prepared the tentative budget, he's received new information, including a reduction in workers' compensation insurance costs, a reduction in  STOP-DWI money transferred from the state to the town's justice department, and a $5,000 expense for the town to work with the county on a records archive project.

Ambulance Service
As for the ambulance service, a public meeting planned for next week has been canceled because the attorney for the ambulance service has had some health issues. It hasn't been rescheduled yet but the attorneys are working on finding a new date.

At the meeting, the public will learn about the options for the ambulance service and about the prospect of setting up a special district.

After that meeting takes place, Barbeau would like to conduct a straw poll of residents. It would be a non-binding vote held at the Town Hall. Like a school budget election, all residents at least 18 years old would be eligible to cast votes.

The results, Barbeau said, could help the Town and the Village decide whether to support a special district for the ambulance service. If the vote was lopsided one way or another, officials could gauge whether voters would likely support a special district. A close vote would make the difficult decision even more difficult, Barbeau acknowledged.

Either the Town or the Village could approve the formation of a special district without a voter referendum. Residents could challenge any decision by either jurisdiction through a  petition (100 signatures required) for a public referendum to overturn the decision. 

In other words, if the Town board voted against the formation of a special district, through a petition drive, the decision could be challenged by voters. Or if the board agreed to form a district, that decision could be challenged as well.

The same goes for the Village.

Barbeau speculated that if only the Town supported a special district and the Village didn't, it wouldn't be financially feasible for the ambulance service to continue; however, the district could successfully form if approved by the Village but not the town.

Even with the $40,000 from the Town, Le Roy Ambulance has been losing money, Barbeau said. It's his understanding that a big issue for the service is patients' failure to pay their bills. He said last year, Le Roy Ambulance had $75,000 in uncollected fees.

A lot of people, Barbeau said, get their insurance check after an ambulance ride and instead of paying their ambulance bill say, "oh, Christmas in July" and pocket the money.

"I think by November of this year a decision needs to be made (about the future of the ambulance service)," Barbeau said, "because the $40,000 is not going to be in the budget for the ambulance. Imagine what their deficits are going to be without it. So they're either going to have to start taxing in 2019 or start exhausting the assets that they do have."

There is a complex process to wind down a nonprofit, Barbeau said, so without a special district, Le Roy Ambulance would begin that process in 2019 until it discontinued service.

Barbeau is seeking clarification from Mercy EMS on what level of service it will provide Le Roy if Le Roy Ambulance closes. Right now, there is an agreement that ensures Mercy EMS is the backup service for the Town and Village. 

If Le Roy Ambulance closes, Mercy EMS would by default become the primary ambulance service at no cost to the Town of Village.

Previously, Mercy officials have indicated they would consider making Le Roy their base of operations for the eastern part of the county if Le Roy Ambulance shut down. Barbeau would like to confirm that suggestion.

"The issue has always been, for the town board -- response time," Barbeau said. "Le Roy Ambulance has a response time that averages less than five minutes. If they're out on a call, Mercy comes from Batavia. They have a response time that's just shy of 20 minutes, and that comes from years' worth of data. So the rationale behind our subsidy has been to keep that response time for folks knowing we still have Mercy as a backup."

Barbeau praised both services. He's had experience with both. Ambulances were called twice to his late father's house. In the first instance, Le Roy took three minutes to respond. In the second, Le Roy wasn't available and Mercy EMS responded from Batavia, which took 18 minutes.

In that case, he said, it wasn't life or death but for a person suffering a heart attack or stroke, those 15 minutes could be critical.

County Sales Tax
During the meeting Thursday, Barbeau also discussed his understanding of a new proposal from the County on how to divvy up the local share of sale tax revenue.

Before getting into what Barbeau said, some background:

Currently, local consumers pay 8 percent sales tax on qualifying purchases. The state takes 4 percent and 4 percent is supposed to stay in Genesee County. 

The county could keep that 4 percent to itself but has traditionally shared the revenue with the other municipalities in the county. If the County didn't share with the City, the City of Batavia could institute its own sales tax. The villages and towns don't have that option.

Under the current formula, the County keeps half of the local 4-percent share, or 2 percent of the sales tax. The City gets 16 percent. The remaining 34 percent is divided among the towns and villages, using a formula derived from the assessed value of properties in each jurisdiction.

It's Barbeau's understanding based on his conversations with other officials, including County Manager Jay Gsell, that the County and City are set to enter into a new agreement that would keep the City's share in the 16 percent range, but that amount could fluctuate depending on the amount of sales tax revenue flowing into the county. It would never be less than 14 percent and the City couldn't receive more than a 2-percent share of anything over the prior year's amount of sales tax.

The villages and towns are not included in the agreement. Instead, they would each be asked to sign identical revenue distribution agreements.

All of the agreements would last for 40 years.

For the villages and towns, their share of sales tax revenue would be capped at the absolute dollar amount of 2018, but their share could go down if sales tax revenue goes down.

There would be no adjustments for inflation.

Barbeau said it's his understanding of the county's perspective on the agreement is based on three factors:

• The county is facing a state mandate to build a new, expensive jail. The bond on that jail will take 40 years to pay off.
• The new "Raise the Age" law, which mandates new rules for criminal cases involving 16- and 17-year-olds, will also increase County expenses. The State will reimburse the County for those additional expenses but only if the County keeps its property tax levy below the tax cap level of 2 percent per year.
• The County is also facing substantial infrastructure expenses, particularly for bridges and culverts.

The Town of Le Roy's anticipated share of sales tax revenue for 2019 is $722,000, or nearly 51 percent of the town's total revenue.

Elected representatives, including county officials, are expected to discuss the sales tax issue at the monthly Genesee Association of Municipalities (GAM) meeting Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. at County Building #2 on West Main Street Road in Batavia.

A report of a manure spill on Creek Road, Town of Batavia, in The Batavian on Wednesday incorrectly stated that the spill occurred in the area of Baskin Livestock, which is located at 9778 Creek Road.

The actual location of the spill was more than a mile away.

Bill Baskin, owner of Baskin Livestock, said none of his vehicles have been involved in a manure spill recently.

"And when they are," Baskin said, "we clean it up right away."

A Navajo twin-engine airplane successfully set down at the Gensee County Airport this afternoon after its landing gear would not deploy, according to County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens.

There were no injuries.

Hens said the plane landed on its belly.

The plane has been removed from the runway.

Yesterday and today, firefighters with City of Batavia Fire Department have been learning -- both through classroom instruction and hands-on practice -- how to rescue people in a collapsed-structure situation. The class includes working with tools to cut and break concrete, cut metal and cut wood.

The training has been at the fire hall and in the lot behind Falleti Ice Arena on Evans Street.

The trainers were from the State Department of Fire Prevention and Control, led by Jerry Mazurkiewicz.

Press release:

New York State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer has announced today the approval of Smart School Investment Plans for three school districts in Genesee County, including $2,543,552 for high-tech security and school connectivity. The funding is part of the Smart Schools Bond Act.

“Our children have unlimited potential to succeed, but only if our school districts get their fair share of state dollars,” Ranzenhofer said. “This investment will turn that potential into reality by ensuring Batavia City, Le Roy and Pavilion schools get the best resources to foster student success in a global economy.”

High-tech security funding has been authorized in the amounts of $1,940,585 for Batavia City School District and $348,300 for Pavilion School District. Le Roy School District has been approved for $254,667 in school connectivity funding.

Schools can invest these funds in classroom technology, school connectivity, and high-tech security upgrades to better prepare students for success in the 21st century. 

“The Batavia City School District is going to use SSBA funds to install and upgrade high tech security to assure the safety and well-being of our students and staff in all buildings to assist in maintaining a safest possible learning environment. We are planning on installing new card readers, new door contacts, electronic door strikes, wireless locksets, fixed high-definition cameras, door closers, and motion detectors," said Batavia City School District Superintendent Christopher J. Dailey.

"These improvements will allow our focus to remain on student learning while creating a safe environment for our students and staff to work, learn and grow,” 

Pavilion Central School Superintendent Kenneth J. Ellison said “Pavilion Central Schools will use the recently approved Smart School Investment Plan funds to upgrade our video security system to provide a safe and secure learning environment. The existing system was installed many years ago has limited coverage and minimal storage capacity.

"Our goal is to upgrade our system and expand coverage in all areas. These funds will make it possible to cover all targeted areas on campus with a state of the art camera security system."

The Smart Schools Review Board is responsible for approval of the plan. In 2014, voters approved the $2 billion statewide school investment to finance educational technology and infrastructure.

Pistol has been missing from the Indian Falls Road area of Corfu since Tuesday.

He's a friendly pooch and greatly missed at home.

If you find him or know where he is, call Tom (585) 233-0095 or Danielle (585) 356-5592.

Press release:

The Genesee County Cornell Cooperative Extension Board of Directors has selected Christopher Crawford as their Executive Director to lead the 100-year-old organization.

Chris Crawford, Ph.D., MUP, is currently a Lead Science Advisor in New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Bureau of Environmental Science and Engineering. As such Crawford works in the Bureau’s Building Water System Oversight program, which provides regulatory oversight of more than 5,000 cooling tower systems in New York City.

Prior to working in New York City, Crawford worked in a rural Upstate New York local health department providing technical assistance and regulatory oversight to more than 200 public water systems, while working to address technology and policy issues across the department. Crawford also spent time working in the U.S. Virgin Islands with the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Kingdom of Tonga.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, attended law school at SUNY at Buffalo, received a Master of Urban Planning from SUNY at Buffalo and a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts in Boston in Environmental, Coastal and Ocean Science.

Board President Colleen Flynn said “CCE of Genesee County enjoyed several years of exceptional leadership under Bev Mancuso and we greatly appreciate the assistance of Robin Travis as interim director following Bev’s retirement. We are looking forward to welcoming Dr. Christopher Crawford and his family to Genesee County. His education, experience and leadership style will complement the many talents of Extension's knowledgeable staff and dedicated volunteers.”

"I am looking forward to working with the people, organizations, and community of Genesee County as Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension's Genesee County office,” writes Crawford. “Looking back on my career and varied organizations I have worked with, I have seen the real-world differences that can be made when communities and universities come together.

"I'll strive to work closely with both the community and Cornell to identify vital issues, generate solutions and build the relationships necessary to ensure successful and sustainable implementation." 

Crawford will begin his role on Nov. 5th. For more information on Genesee County Cornell Cooperative Extension, please visit genesee.cce.cornell.edu.

The new City Schools property tax rate is not quite a zero-percent increase for 2018-19, but it's close.

Business Administrator Scott Rozanski told the board of trustees last night that property owners this year will be asked to pay $21.495880 per $1,000 of assessed value.

That's an increase of .00849 percent over, or not even percent, over the 2017-18 rate.

Last May, voters approved a tax levy of $18,945,404 but the district can't set the tax rate to achieve that levy until properties have their final assessed value for the year.

The rate increase isn't even two-tenths of a cent compared to last year and will amount to a 14-cent increase on homes assessed at $100,000.

For the fifth-straight year, homeowners in the district will be eligible for a STAR rebate.

The tax rate has decreased an average of 3.5 percent over the past two years.

Tax bills will be mailed out to residents by the end of September.

The GOP chairs in the NY-27 will apparently meet soon now that a way has been found to remove the name of Chris Collins from the ballot in the race for the NY-27 congressional seat.

Collins dropped out of the race after being arrested Aug. 3 for alleged insider trading. He is charged with securities fraud, wire fraud, and lying to the FBI.

Dick Siebert, the Genesee County chair for the GOP, said he can't disclose any details and that he doesn't even know all of the details.

"I received a call from a source in Erie County and was led to believe that we will get Collins' name off the ballot with the opportunity to replace him with another candidate," Siebert said.

Siebert doesn't know yet when the GOP chairs will meet to discuss this latest development or pick a replacement candidate.

Both the Democrats and the Reform Party have candidates in the race. Nate McMurray, the Democrat, has issued statements blasting the Republicans for any attempt to remove Collins from the ballot and Larry Piegza has issued statements arguing he is the logical pick for the GOP chairs since he's a Trump supporter. Piegza has expressed frustration that none of the GOP chairs will even return his calls.

There are at least eight people vying for the GOP selection, including Batavia's own Steve Hawley, whom Siebert said he favors.

Whatever scheme the Republicans use to remove Collins from the ballot, the Democrats have vowed to fight it in the courts.

A woman accused of driving drunk, fatally hitting an 18-year-old on Sumner Road in Darien, fleeing the scene, and not telling police about it later when she was arrested after nearly striking a Sheriff's patrol vehicle, was in court today with a pair of new, sharply dressed attorneys from Buffalo.

Frank LoTempio tried to convince Judge Charles Zambito, that his client, Jennifer L. Serrano, 48, of Charles Street, Irving, should get her bail reduced.

She was indicted by a grand jury this week on second-degree vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death, DWI, and aggravated unlicensed operation. She faces a prison term of up to 14 years.

She came into court shackled and in a tan Niagara County Jail jumpsuit, still in custody on $100,000 cash bail or $200,000 bond.

LoTempio argued that Serrano has strong local ties. He said she owns a home in Irving that is worth $115,000 and she has $30,000 equity in the property, that she owns her own business -- Jenny Marketing Group -- and has four significant clients, and that she has joint custody of her three children -- ages 12 through 21.

"She's very involved in their lives and she's a very good mother," LoTempio said.

While she has suffered from depression, LoTempio said he and co-attorney Jack Sanchez had met with her and felt she had no current mental health issues. He said her depression stemmed from her divorce a year and a half ago.

She also has no prior criminal record.

"I feel cash bail of $25,000 to $40,000 is reasonable," LoTempio said.

Zambito heard these same arguments the last time Serrano appeared in court but District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said he felt it necessary to address the counter-argument to LoTempio's assertions.

While Serrano claims to own a house in Irving, there's no proof of its value or her equity in it, and she says if she's out of jail, she's going to live with her sister in Amherst. Also, she claims to own a business but Friedman has seen no documentation to prove that she does. 

As for her children, "According to our investigation, we're told they are estranged from her," Friedman said.

He also said he doesn't believe her attorneys are qualified to assess her mental health. 

As for the crime itself, Friedman said, she's accused of killing Connor Lynskey, of Hinckley, on Sumner Road, on Aug. 11, and fleeing the scene. Lynskey's body landed in a ditch and he wasn't found until the following day. About 30 minutes later, Serrano's vehicle was stopped after she nearly struck a patrol vehicle on Route 77 and she was charged with DWI. Friedman said Serrano went through the arrest process, through court, through booking at the jail, and she never said a word to anybody that she might have struck a pedestrian. 

At that time, police didn't know Lynskey had been struck by a car but he had been reported missing.

As Friedman completed this narration of events, Lynskey's mother, sitting in the first row of the gallery with a box of tissues her hands, began to sob.

Friedman also pointed out that Serrano went back to her car after being released from custody and drove to Amherst. He said his office has reason to believe she was still intoxicated at that time and she certainly knew her driver's license had just been revoked but she drove anyway.

"I don't understand how defense counsel can say she is not a flight risk," Friedman said. "She's already fled. Now she's been indicted and has even more reason to flee."

Zambito, in denying her bail reduction, cited many of the reasons Friedman just shared -- she left the scene and she didn't notify law enforcement even while in custody, and that her flight risk was a "significant concern."

Serrano is due in court again at 1:30 p.m., Nov. 15, when attorneys will address any motions filed in the case.

Botts-Fiorito Post #576, American Legion, Le Roy, would like to announce with great pride and pleasure Robert Boyce as its selection for the 2018 “LeRoyan of the Year Award.”

Robert, or “Bob” as he is known to most, was born in Hamburg and graduated from Hamburg High School. Upon completion of high school, he joined the Army and served in Korea, after which he was honorably discharged. He then continued his education at The University of Buffalo.

Bob came to Le Roy with his family in 1968 to join the Ernest Townsend & Son Insurance Agency, now known as Tompkins Insurance Agencies. He and his wife, Beth, have three children, daughters Ann (Alan) Nordyke, and Tracey (Jim) Carter, and son David Boyce. They also have six grandchildren.

Bob immediately became active in the community by first joining the Le Roy Jaycees. Today, he continues service with the Le Roy Rotary Club, where he has been active for 45 years and served as president in 1975. The R.E.A. Milne Scholarship arm of the Rotary is of special interest to him.

He was president of the Genesee Community College Foundation for three years, was appointed a trustee of GCC by the Genesee County Legislature in 2014, and presently serves as vice-chairman on the Le Roy Republican Committee. Bob is also one of two trustees of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church.

Bob has also been a member of the board of the Le Roy Ambulance Service for 27 years and has been president for the past 13 years. One of his goals for the ambulance service is to make sure it continues to be a viable service in our community with quality pre-hospital care.

To honor Bob, the 50th annual LeRoyan of the Year Award Dinner will be held on Oct. 6. Social hour is at 6 p.m. with dinner served at 6:45 p.m., at the American Legion at 53 W. Main St., Le Roy.  Tickets are available at the American Legion or at Mickel’s Nickels at 80 Lake St. Le Roy. Cost is $25 per ticket.