Stories from

Press release:

The City of Batavia Water Department is on location of a water break in front of 53 Otis St. The water service will be interrupted on Otis Street from Ellicott Street to South Jackson Street.

We appreciate your understanding while this repair is made. Please avoid the area if possible. Every effort will be made to keep water service interruption to a minimum.

This work may result in a period of discolored water in this general area after service is restored. Residents should check to make sure water clarity has returned before resuming activities such as laundry which may be impacted. 

UPDATE 10:45 a.m.: The break is repaired. The crew did not need to turn off water to residents. The street should be open by noon.

A car has reportedly hit a pedestrian at West Main Street and Thomas Avenue, Batavia.

The victim has an injured foot.

City fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 9:12 a.m.: The accident victim was reportedly told by somebody to leave the scene after being hit and is now at her job location. City fire is back in service.

Press release:

Live Nation and Darien Lake Theme Park are thrilled to announce that due to overwhelming demand, concertgoers will once again get free same day Theme Park access with each paid Amphitheater concert ticket in 2018. The wildly popular promotion started in 2017 as part of Darien Lake Amphitheater’s 25^thseason.

“This was truly the deal of the Summer last year and we couldn’t be happier to be partnering again with the theme park to bring the best value in entertainment in Western New York,” said Jim Koplik, Live Nation president of Upstate New York and Connecticut.

This year is already shaping up to be a great one for music fans and thrill seekers alike at Darien Lake. The amphitheater has announced two shows to date, including Kesha and Macklemore on July 22 and Niall Horan with Maren Morris on Sept. 7, with many more shows being announced in the coming months. Darien Lake Theme Park recently announced the amazing new 98-foot vertical coaster, Tantrum, opening this Summer that will be a ride not to miss.

“We’re excited to partner with Live Nation to offer free same day park admission for concertgoers again this season and know we will thrill them with our new Tantrum coaster, ensuring all guests can rock and ride all summer long,” said Chris Thorpe, general manager of Darien Lake Theme Park.

To redeem the offer, guests will show their concert tickets at the Theme Park’s main gate for same day validation and admission.

The offer is not valid in conjunction with any other Darien Lake Theme Park offer and is nontransferable. Free Theme Park access is only valid the same day as the concert ticket and is only valid on purchased tickets and not valid on complementary concert tickets. For concerts occurring on days the theme park is not operating, purchasers can present their concert ticket for free admission at the Theme Park’s main gate for any other operating day after the concert.

Press release:

What is your new year’s resolution? The idea to eat healthier and become more physically active sounds appealing, but in reality, it’s much easier said than done.

Between work time and family commitments, there doesn’t seem to be much time left at the end of the day to think about preparing a healthy meal or visiting the local fitness facility. Life seems to get in the way of achieving that new year’s resolution.

“Life” (and other factors) has played a huge role in the obesity epidemic in our County. According to Department of Health’s Obesity Statistics for Genesee County, the percentage of adults who are overweight or obese is 63.5  percent and that for children is 15.2 percent. These rates are slightly higher compared to the New York State rates, which are 59.3 percent and 14.5 percent, respectively.

Being obese and overweight doesn’t just end there. It increases a person's risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain types of cancer, and other medical issues. Along with the risks for life-shortening chronic diseases, being overweight contributes to poor mental health associated with shame, self-blame, low self-esteem, and depression.

To battle this problem locally, the Healthy Children and Families Coalition in Genesee County offers an eight-week family-based program called "Get Fit!"

This program makes exercising and eating right fun and realistic. Throughout the program, families will bond together through exercising, making healthy food choices, discovering simple and time-saving recipes that taste great, as well as learning how to eat right on a budget. 

Begin the New Year on a positive note by enrolling your family today. A new eight-week session begins on Wednesday, Jan. 17th through March 7th. Classes are held every Wednesday at 6 – 7:30 p.m. at the YMCA on East Main Street in Batavia.

If your family attends six of the eight classes your family will be entered to win a family pass to the YMCA.

It is a great time to start taking the steps to live a healthier life and doing so will make a positive difference in your life.

The Genesee County YMCA, Rochester Regional Health United Memorial Medical Center, Rotary Club of Batavia, Batavia City School District, Genesee County Health Department, City of Batavia Youth Bureau, Oakfield Family Medical Care, Insight Grants Development, and Fidelis Care are challenging all families to show commitment in becoming healthy in 2018!

For details, and to enroll, contact The Healthy Children and Families Coalition at 585-344-5420 or register online here.

New York Times: Trump Administration Says That Nearly 200,000 Salvadorans Must Leave

Though there was no announcement to the media that she was coming, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand spent about an hour in Batavia this morning meeting with constituents at the Richmond Memorial Library.

A camera crew from CBS's 60 Minutes accompanied her.

After the meeting, she agreed to a two-minute interview with The Batavian.

The meeting, she said, was arranged by her staff, who reached out to local agencies that provide assistance to area residents and those agencies selected attendees to the discussion.

"I wanted to hear directly from my constituents about their lives and what's going on and what challenges they have because I often find that people in Washington are so disconnected from reality and the people we represent," Gillibrand said. "I think Washington is pretty much broken so I like to come into my communities and listen to their stories directly and hear exactly what their challenges are."

She said the conversation was productive.

"What we heard was really interesting," she said "There is a lot of strain on costs of child care, access to affordable quality daycare, lots of strain on just putting food on the table and having health care they can afford. There is a real need for higher wages or more job opportunities and then lowering costs for both child care and health care."

While this was not a campaign stop, we asked about the 2018 campaign when she's up for reelection.

"I just want to make sure I'm fighting for the right things, and what these listening opportunities do for me is let me hear directly from people about what really is troubling them," she said.

We asked her about the potential for an infrastructure bill in 2018 and what it might mean for Genesee County.

"I want to be optimistic about that because the one thing we all agree on is we really need to rebuild our state and rebuild our country," Gillibrand said. "There's such an eagerness for better roads, bridges, sewers, electric grid, high-speed rail, better rail. I mean it's an unlimited need in our state. We have, I think, the last number I heard was $70 billion of unmet sewer needs. We had over 2,000 bridges that needed some kind of structural repair. I'm hoping that this can be the one really good bipartisan things we can work on."

There is often speculation that Gillibrand is thinking about a run for president in 2020.

She said, "I'm focused entirely on 2018 and I really want to serve in the Senate. I feel privileged and honored to serve."

All the talk in political circles this morning was about Oprah Winfrey speech last night at the Golden Globes and whether she might be thinking of a run for president in 2020. 

With the mention of Oprah's name, Gillibrand said, "She did a great speech, inspiring and important." Asked if Oprah should run, Gillibrand said, "Whatever she wants to do. She's awesome."

Photos: Before Gillibrand entered the library this morning, she noticed a mother and her two children watching her enter, so she went over and greeted them and asked if they wanted to pose for a picture. They left before I could get their names.

Press release:

As required by NYS election law, Genesee County's local Democratic Committees recently held their reorganization meetings and elected their officers. The new Committee Chairs are as follows:

 

Batavia -- Erica O'Donnell

Bergen -- Anne Sapienza

Darien -- Michael Plitt

Le Roy -- Ninja Calhoun

Pembroke -- Aaron Blake

Stafford -- Jacqueline Cavanaugh 

 

You don't need to be a political junkie to get involved, you just need a desire to make a difference in your community. If you want to get involved locally or are interested in running for office contact us at geneseenydemocrats@gmail.com

Yesterday morning the 46-year-old Miles was arrested following a domestic incident at 207 Washington Ave., Batavia, where he allegedly tried to barricade himself in an apartment with a couch and then set it on fire.

After a standoff, because Miles had allegedly threatened to shoot police officers, Miles exited the burning apartment through a back window and refused to come down from a roof, before agreeing to climb down a ladder.

The District Attorney's Office is reviewing the case and has yet to recommend charges against Miles.

Meanwhile, the Sheriff's Office announced that Miles is being charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd. 

Cases against Miles are still open from 2017 when he was charged with criminal obstruction of breathing, torturing or injuring animals, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and criminal contempt.

Miles was arrested in August for allegedly putting his arm around the neck of another person and injecting a dog with an unknown purple liquid.

In July, he allegedly took a car belonging to another person without permission.

Following arraignment on the drug charges, Miles was returned to the Genesee County Jail without bail.

Dalton Chadwick Kelley, 20, of Chase Park, Batavia, is charged with attempted assault, 3rd, and harassment, 2nd. Kelley is accused of hitting another person in the forehead and of hitting a police officer during an incident at 11:03 p.m. Jan. 3 on Chase Park, Batavia. Kelley was jailed on $2,500 bail. Kelley is also accused of keying two vehicles at 6:25 p.m. the same day and was charged with two counts of criminal mischief, 4th.

Austin L. Wester, 23, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with four counts of possession of a forged instrument, 2nd. Wester is accused of forging four checks belonging to another person in order to cash them.

Devon Devonanir Rodgers, 30, of Pearl Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant out of City Court for alleged violations of the terms of his conditional release.

Alicia Michelle Gomez, 42, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with violation of probation. Gomez was released on a warrant stemming from a complaint in February. Gomez was jailed on $2,500 or $5,000 bond.

Frankie J. McQueen, 26, of Snipery Road, Corfu, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, illegal signal, and aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. Officer Chad Richards was dispatched at 6:51 p.m. Dec. 27 to the area of Thomas Avenue for a report of a red Chevrolet Cobalt being driven erratically and at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was located and stopped at McQueen was identified as the operator.

Samuel A. Torrelli, 24, of Stage Road, Albion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and inadequate headlights. Torrelli was stopped at 10:30 p.m. Dec. 28 on East Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Winston A. Lockhart, 22, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, is charged with two counts of harassment, 2nd. Lockhart was arrested on a City Court warrant after police were dispatched to 29 Holland Ave., Batavia, to investigate an unrelated disturbance. 

Zachary J. Marrow, 26, of Seven Springs Road, Batavia, was arrested on two warrants for alleged failure to appear in City Court after being served subpoenas. Marrow was located by Deputy Mathew Clor and turned over to Sgt. Eric Bolles and arraigned in City Court.

Levi Spikes Jr., 44, of Lewis Place, Batavia, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, 3rd, speed not reasonable and prudent, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, unlicensed operator, driving without insurance. Spikes was allegedly involved in a motor-vehicle accident at 9 a.m. Jan. 1 at 56 Harvester Ave., Batavia.

 Jacob J. Sponaugle, 18, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with driving while impaired by a combination of alcohol and drugs, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, driving a vehicle without an inspection sticker, failure to keep right, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Sponaugle was stopped at 9:46 p.m. Dec. 29 on East Main Street, Batavia, by Officer James Prusak.

Joseph Michael. Smith, 41, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Smith is accused of stealing from his employer, a gas station and convenience store at 629 East Main Street, Batavia, in November. Smith was also charged with petit larceny for allegedly shoplifting from Dick's Sporting Goods.

Justin T. Gladney, 28, no permanent address, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and criminal trespassing, 3rd.

James Derek Wert, 36, of Tracy Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. Wert was allegedly involved in an incident at T.F. Brown's on New Year's Eve where he violated an order of protection and struck another person in the face. 

Jonathan R. Hyman, 45, of Drake Street, Oakfield, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, driving a vehicle without an inspection sticker, and criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd. Hyman was stopped at 4:08 p.m. Saturday on Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Kyle Krzemien.

Christopher Patino, 23, of Eagan Boulevard, Henrietta, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, unlawful possession of marijuana, and following too closely. Patino was stopped at 7:11 p.m. Friday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Micheal Lute.

Kenneth Joseph Rumble, 28, of Maple Road, Alabama, is charged with possession of a hypodermic instrument. Rumble was allegedly found in possession of a needle during a search by a probation officer.

Michael A. Shetler, 27, of Stafford, is charged with menacing, 2nd, unlawful imprisonment, criminal mischief, criminal mischief, 4th, acting in a manner injurious to a child. Shetler was arrested by State Police in relation to an incident reported at 9:29 p.m. Saturday in Stafford. No further details released.

Ricky O. Cooper, 40, of Le Roy, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Cooper was arrested by State Police in relation to an incident in Pavilion reported at 11:20 p.m., Nov. 21. No further details released.

James M. Caccamise, 29, of Byron, is charged with forgery of a deed or will. Caccamise was arrested by State Police. No further details released.

Le Roy fire is out at 66 Clay St., Le Roy, for water in the basement and an odor of natural gas.

A chief on scene reports that there is a water main break right outside of the house, which is flooding the house.

UPDATE 2:05 p.m.: RG&E contacted. No ETA on when workers will respond.

Washington Post: Oprah for president in 2020? Here’s everything you need to know.

A skid loader fire is reported at 5263 Bridge Road, Elba.

The skid loader was in a barn but has been pushed out. The caller believes the barn is OK.

Elba fire responding.

UPDATE 12:54 a.m.: A chief on scene reports the skid loader is fully involved and confirms it is out of the barn.

UPDATE 12:57 a.m.:  Now there are no flames; a chief reports, “The fire looks to be pretty snuffed out at this time.” Responding units can come nonemergency and are aduvised to use caution on the snow-covered roads.

It's apparently been 40 years since anybody organized a community skate in the dead of winter on Oatka Creek in the Village of Le Roy, but that's exactly what Jay Beaumont and Jon Marcello, two of the owners of Smokin' Eagle BBQ & Brew, did today.

Beaumont said he remembered regularly skating on the creek when was growing up but thinks nobody wanted to organize anything after a child was hurt around 1980.  Still, there is still a light pole next to the creek and with the help of the highway superintendent, he found out it still works (second photo).

At around 11 a.m. they got a pick-up hockey game going.

Things got a little wild today in Oakfield as local fans got ready for the first playoff appearance by the Buffalo Bills in 18 years.

Sadly, for the fans, the Bills lost to Jacksonville 10-3.

Above, Brad Hilchey, Peter Hilchey, Matthew Doran and Tom Porter.

Second photo, Tom Porter, Brad Hilchey and Matthew Doran.

Third photo, Tom Porter, Brad Hilchey and Matthew Doran.

Photos submitted by Samantha Hilchey.

A person is trapped in a car but is apparently not injured, after a one-vehicle rollover accident at 1636 Judge Road, Alabama.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 7:04 p.m.: A chief reports, vehicle on its side.

UPDATE 7:06 p.m.: A chief confirms, no injury. The subject needs assistance getting out of the car.

A reader provided these photos of a police barricade on Washington Avenue that is apparently in progress now.

For the past 30 minutes or so there has been a lot of encrypted/scrambled communication on the scanner. 

We have no further information at this time on the incident.

UPDATE(S) (By Billie) 9:50 a.m.: There's a structure fire here. Black smoke is billowing from the attic of a house. City fire and Mercy medics are responding, The location is between Tracy Avenue and Bank Street.

UPDATE 9:56 a.m.: One person is in custody. There are no life-threatening injuries. The address is 207 Washington Ave. Elba Fire Department is called to provide city firefighters with mutual aid. Sgt. Dan Coffey said this started as a domestic incident and that the subject in custody is suspected of starting the house fire.

UPDATE 10:13 a.m.: Officer Marc Lawrence said a female was rescued from the house fire; she did not have life-threatening injuries.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pursuing ethics reform that would bar state legislators from holding jobs or owning businesses and would establish the expectation -- though not necessarily the pay -- that they are full-time elected officials.

It's the kind of reform that could potentially force Assemblyman Steve Hawley and State Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer to either quit the Legislature or give up their outside business interests.

During her visit to Batavia yesterday, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul said the proposal isn't specifically directed at any current elected officials, including Hawley and Ranzenhofer, but she supports the reform.

When elected officials earn income from sources other than their government jobs, it creates an inherent conflict of interest, she said.

"If you want to serve the people of your state, and this is the highest privilege there is no matter what your level of elective office, you need to respect it and not try to serve two masters," Hochul said. 

"We want legislators focused on them (their constituents) and not their outside income," Hochul added.

These proposals have come along before, Hawley said, and he thinks the idea of a full-time legislature misses the advantages of elected officials living a life outside of politics.

He said one of the problems in this country is we've gotten away from the idea of citizen legislators.

"When a representative's only source of income is being an elected official they lose touch with the reality of everyday life and what real people go through," Hawley said. "No outside income diminishes their grasp on reality.

"When being an elected official is your only source of income, you look at it as an occupation and not an avocation," Hawley said. "That means more conflicts of interest and you need to keep your jobs no matter the legislation and the conflict is greater 100 times over because when that's all you do and it's your only source of income, you will say or do anything to keep that job."

Ranzenhofer, an attorney, agreed with Hawley's main objection to the proposed reform.

"Having outside business interests, whether it's insurance, or being an attorney, or a doctor, or whatever, brings a much more diverse Legislature," Ranzenhofer said. "It means people with real-world experience are serving. I cannot imagine a world where every single member of the legislature is a professional legislator, where that's all they did is legislation and politics."

Hochul said the reform isn't aimed specifically at Hawley or Ranzenhofer, and perhaps for existing members of the Legislature, there could be some sort of grandfather clause that would allow current members to continue to serve.

"I'm not talking about them individually," Hochul said. "I'm talking about the system as a whole. The people of the state deserve to have full-time (legislators)."

Ranzenhofer served on the Senate's judiciary committee and he said his up-to-date, real-work experience working in courts helps inform the debates.

"It's helpful to have people who are engaged in these issues in the real world so we can advise people on how legislation could affect people," Ranzenhofer said.

Hawley has been both an elected official and an insurance company owner, going back to his days on the County Legislature, for 39 years. He said he has consistently handled potential conflicts this way for four decades: he seeks the advice of legal counsel for the elected body.

"There have been a number of occasions where I've asked legal counsel about something we were voting on, whether there was an issue," Hawley said. "There has never been any finding of a conflict that has come to the fore."

If the insurance industry has ever thought they had it in the bag with Hawley, that simply hasn't been the case, he said. He has on several occasions, he said, voted against the lobbying requests of the insurance industry. One example he raised was legislation that would have required agents to disclose to new clients that they were earning a commission from the sale of a policy. The agents' association opposed the legislation and Hawley voted in favor of the reform.

"I think probably 99 percent of the people understand that, but even if just 1 percent don't understand it, then I don't have a problem (with the disclosure)," Hawley said.

Though he keeps busy with attending public events and meeting with constituents, Hawley said he isn't convinced there is enough work in Albany to sustain a full-time Legislature.

Press release:

The Batavia Police Department has received multiple complaints of a robo-call scam from Apple saying your iCloud account has been corrupted. Apple has been contacted and confirmed they do not make robo- calls to notify customers of corrupted accounts.

The Batavia Police Department would just like to remind the citizens not to provide any personal or bank information over the phone.

If you feel you have been part of this scam or a similar scam, you are encouraged to contact the Batavia Police Department and file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). www.ic3.gov