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Press release:

The Batavia Blue Devil Athletic Hall of Fame committee has recently chosen the Class of 2017. They are:

• Bruce Dedman, 1973
• Jason Bibler, 1991
• Ice Devils Hockey Team, 1986-87
• Nate Hicks, 1998
• Joe Amico, 1987
• Brian Herdlein, 1999

On Saturday, Sept. 30th, we will be hosting the Hall of Fame Dinner at Terry Hills Restaurant and Banquet Facility. A social hour will begin at 5 p.m. with dinner being served at 6 and the ceremony immediately following dinner. Tickets will be available in the Batavia HS Athletic Director's office after Aug. 15th.

A shed fire is reported at 219 S. Swan St., Batavia.

City fire responding.

UPDATE 10:44 a.m.: Fire is out. 

Douglas James Tallent, 36, of Walworth-Marion Road, Marion, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, driving on a suspended registration, and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Tallent was stopped at 9:40 p.m., June 24, on Buffalo Parkway, Bergen, by Deputy Rachel Diehl and jailed without bail.

Cathleen Ann Bishop, 51, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Bishop is accused of stealing $145.99 in merchandise from Kohl's Department Store on June 30.

Funeral services were held today for Master Sgt. Charles L. Higgins, a former Batavia resident who died June 19 at age 36.

Higgins served in the Army and Army National Guard from 1999 to 2017. 

For his full obituary, click here.

The trio Something Else played Jackson Square yesterday evening as part of the summer concert series downtown. There's live music in Jackson Square each Friday at 7 p.m. through August.

A girl riding her bike on Main Street in Le Roy was struck by a hit-and-run driver at about 3:20 p.m. and police are asking for help in locating the suspect vehicle.

The vehicle may be a Lincoln Continental, or similar sedan, from the early to mid-1990s. It was blue or green and was driven by an older male, possibly in his 60s, with gray hair.

The girl had a minor injury to her foot and ankle but did not require transport to a hospital.

To share information to assist in the investigation, contact Sgt. Mike Hare by calling (585) 345-6350.

(Initial Post)

"Zeva" will soon need a new home.

The friendly pooch was reportedly left at an apartment at 17 Elm St., Batavia, after the owner moved out.

Somebody called police yesterday evening and reported the apparently abandoned dog and a police officer picked it up and took it to the shelter.

The address is the same apartment where another dog, on April 30, got itself stuck on the eve of a second-floor deck and then fell off when the owner was brought back to the residence by a police officer.

Today, the owner -- whom we're not identifying by name at this point because she hasn't been charged with a crime, and it's not certain she will be -- went to the animal shelter and signed the necessary paperwork to surrender ownership of Zeva.

She reportedly told staff she had left the dog rather than take it to the shelter because of a requirement that the owner acknowledges that the animal could potentially be euthanized. Animal Control Officer Agie Jaroszewski said the form is standard procedure for most shelters but doesn't mean the animal will be put down.

Alecia Kaus with Video News Service posted a report about the dog on Facebook yesterday and a women said the dog had been hers, but that the dog was being taken care of and that she retained access to the apartment until the end of the month.

"I was the owner," the woman wrote. "And to be clear again have posted all week about finding her a home and was just with her at 7 pm last night to walk her feed and water her."

There is not information available on the status of the other dog that was at the apartment April 30. Police have yet to determine what will happen with the case.

Below, photos from April 30.

A car has reportedly hit a pedestrian in front of the Post Office at 2 Main St., Le Roy.

Injuries are reported.

Le Roy Fire and Le Roy Ambulance responding.

UPDATE 3:25 p.m.: Law enforcement on location and reports fire and ambulance can respond non-emergency. A chief on scene requests Le Roy Fire equipment to remain in quarters.

The following people were arrested by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office during the Third Eye Blind concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Thursday:

Robin S. Bascus, 26, of Townsend Avenue, Bronx, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd, after allegedly entering Darien Lake property after having been ejected from the property on June 25 and told not to return. Bascus was arraigned in Darien Court and put in jail in lieu of $250 bail.

Kaitlyn M. Rector, 19, of Boyd Road, Pavilion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of marijuana.

Riley J. Guenther, 19, of Dye Road, Akron, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of marijuana.

Jason R. Morley, 25, of Pole Bridge Road, Geneseo, is charged with assault, 3rd, after allegedly punching a Live Nation security officer in the mouth, causing injury.

The Batavia Housing Authority will receive a $227,424 federal grant as part of a $397 million package for New York's public housing programs.

The authority provides subsidized housing to low-income residents in four complexes in Batavia, including 400 Towers, The Pines at 4 MacArthur Drive, Edward Court at 15 Edward St., and The Terraces at 193 S. Main St.

Press release:

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand today announced $397,628,820 for housing authorities across New York State. The funds were allocated through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Public Housing Capital Fund. Schumer and Gillibrand said the funding will help housing authorities develop, finance and modernize their public housing facilities.

“Having a roof over your head is one of life’s basic necessities, so we must do everything we can to help provide those truly in need with a decent and affordable place to live. This federal funding will help support affordable housing initiatives throughout New York that assist needy families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities to find an affordable place to live,” Senator Schumer said.

“We need to invest more federal funds to help more low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities in New York with access to affordable and safe housing,” Senator Gillibrand said. “These resources are vital for vulnerable communities and I will continue to do everything I can in the Senate to make sure that all New Yorkers have the opportunity to reach their full potential.”

HUD’s Office of Capital Improvement administers the Capital Fund program, which provides financial assistance in the form of grants to public housing agencies (PHAs) to carry out capital and management activities; acting as the primary tool to preserve New York's affordable housing stock. These federal dollars are used to increase a PHA's ability to maintain the physical infrastructure of developments and improve the safety and security of its residents. 

The Batavia Ramble and Arts Fest is tomorrow in Downtown Batavia.

In the case of rain, performances will take place inside Center Street Smoke House.

Here's the lineups for both stages:

• 11 – 11:15 a.m. -- **Opening Ceremony**
• 11:15 – 11:45 a.m. --  Steve Kruppner
• 11:50 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. -- Kruppner Brothers
• 12:25 – 12:55 p.m. -- Mark Grover
• 1  – 1:30 p.m.  -- Ryan Consiglio
• 1:35 – 2:05 p.m. -- Dave Holnbeck
• 2:10 – 2:40 p.m. -- Kevin Moyles
• 2:45 – 3:15 p.m. -- Paul Almeter
• 3:20 – 3:50 p.m. -- Jim Luttrell
• 3:50 – 4:05 p.m.  --  * * * Memorial * * *
• 4:05 – 4:35 p.m. -- Red Creek
• 4:40 – 5:10 p.m.  -- Mitty & The followers
• 5:15 – 5:45 p.m. -- Rock Soulgers
• 5:50 – 6:20 p.m.  -- Bad Luck
• 6:25 – 6:55 p.m.  -- Audibull
• 7 – 7:30 p.m. -- Rhythm Collision
• 7:35 – 8:05 p.m.  -- Eagle Creek
• 8:10 – 8:40 p.m. -- Nichols Brothers Band
• 8:45 – 9:15 p.m. -- Open Jam

The All-Greater Rochester spring sports standouts were announced today and five Genesee County athletes made first team in their respective sports:

• Anthony Ray Jr., Batavia, Track and Field
• Brandon Burke, Byron-Bergen, Track and Field
• Kilian Lewis, Pembroke, Track and Field
• Kiaya Franklin, Batavia, Track and Field
• Casey Radka, Batavia, Baseball

For more information on the athletes and a list of honorable mentions in each league, visit the Democrat and Chronicle's website.

A company that could revolutionize the solar industry, with manufacturing based in Genesee County, is making progress on bringing its solar wafer technology to market at scale.

This week, 1366 Technologies announced that a Japanese energy company has opened a new power station using wafers manufactured with its proprietary high-performance wafers.

Though work is proceeding to prepare the STAMP industrial park in Alabama for its first tenant, there is no word yet on when there will be a groundbreaking for STAMP or for the 1366 plant, which could eventually employ as many as 1,000 people. The plant is expected to manufacture solar wafers primarily for export to industrial solar installations, such as the new facility in Japan.

Press release:

Silicon wafer manufacturer 1366 Technologies today announced that Japan’s IHI Corporation, through its wholly owned subsidiary IHI Plant Construction Co. Ltd (IPC), has completed the grid connection and begun commercial operation of a 500-kW solar installation featuring 1366’s high-performance wafers. During its lifespan, the array is expected to displace approximately 9,500 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. 1366 and IHI celebrated the completion of the system this week at a ceremony in Tokyo.

“This commercial installation delivers all of the expected benefits specific to solar power and then some, the energy payback of an installation featuring Direct Wafer products is accelerated to less than a year due to the fact that our technology uses just one-third the energy,” said Frank van Mierlo, CEO, 1366 Technologies. “IHI has a long history of identifying and adopting groundbreaking technologies, we’re proud the Direct Wafer process is part of that story.”

The array, located in the Japanese prefecture Hyōgo and consisting of IEC-certified modules fabricated by a Tier 1 manufacturer in China, includes more than 120,000 wafers made with 1366’s revolutionary Direct Wafer® process. All the wafers were produced at 1366’s demonstration facility, using the Company’s production-ready Direct Wafer furnaces.

This installation builds on the success at test sites in the United States, Germany and Japan and demonstrates the Company’s ability to run the Direct Wafer process at scale. It also underscores the broad appeal of the technology downstream where customers want advanced, high-quality systems with lower carbon footprints.

“It has been our goal to expand our portfolio of renewable energy systems with innovative technologies that dramatically reduce cost and deliver superior performance of photovoltaic systems. This installation achieves that goal,” said Otani, of IHI Corporation.

The folks at Darien Lake are celebrating the 35th anniversary of The Viper, a roller coaster that was not only revolutionary for the theme park industry but led to other changes, including a name change from Darien Lake Fun Country to Darien Lake Theme Park.

The Viper was the first roller coaster in the world with five inversions.

General Manager Chris Thorpe said the addition of the Viper really put Darien Lake on the map in the amusement park industry and allowed the park to expand its marketing reach beyond the immediate Western New York area.

Riders and staff were invited to a ribbon cutting and ice cream social this morning to celebrate the anniversary of the historic ride.

Here's a 1982 promo video from WHEC featuring the ride:

A two-vehicle accident is reported at 105 W. Main St., Batavia.

Traffic is blocked, but no injuries are reported.

City fire and Mercy EMS responded. Batavia PD on scene.

Reader Don Norton shared this picture from a fender-bender accident this morning about 11 o'clock on Clinton Street near Aldi's.

Shortly after midnight, the New York State Assembly passed an omnibus bill that clears up a logjam of legislative initiatives legislators had been wrangling over and which threatened funding for municipal governments, including Genesee County, the City of Batavia and the towns and villages.

This morning County Manager Jay Gsell said the passage of the bill was a good start.

It still needs to pass the Senate, which is expected to return to session today to take up the bill.

Local governments were in danger of losing as much as $8 million in revenue without an extension of a portion of sales tax charged in the county. The state charges a 4-percent sales tax. The county has permanent authority to charge 3 percent, but the next 1 percent must be periodically renewed by state legislation. Typically, it's been automatically renewed every two years, but this year it was held up when the extender legislation was wrapped into legislation to also extend mayoral authority over schools in New York City.

The omnibus bill extends the sales tax for three years.

It also authorizes the naming of a new multibillion-dollar bridge spanning the Hudson River after Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, father of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

The bill also provides $50 million in relief for victims of Lake Ontario flooding.

The Batavia Concert Band opened its 2017 season Wednesday evening in Centennial Park with John Bailey conducting.

The season continues with outdoor concerts at the park every Wednesday at 7 p.m. through Aug. 9.