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Big game in Le Roy tonight as archrival Cal-Mum visits to kickoff the 2014 season.

Batavia is at Livonia and Elba is at Pembroke. The complete Section V schedule can be found here.

Below are links to all of our Genesee County football preview stories. The slideshow above is a roundup of all our pre-season photos. To purchase prints, click here.

Best of luck to all of our local teams for a great 2014.

Also, if you love football and have the journalism training to cover sports, we could use the help of a free-lance football writer this season. It's really time consuming for me to take all the pictures and write the game stories. We can't afford to pay a lot, but being out on the gridiron is a lot of fun and the community appreciates the coverage. If you're interested, e-mail me at howard@thebatavian.com.

• Football Preview: Blue Devils hunting more Ws in 2014
• Football Preview: Alexander counting on team speed to make them a contender
• Football Preview: Oatkan-Knights have a lot to play for in 2014
• Football Preview: O-A looking for young receivers and backs to step up and make plays
• Football Preview: Young players already experienced in winning move into key roles at Notre Dame
• Football Preview: Lancers, a year older and a year hungrier
• Football Preview: Pembroke working hard to get ready for 2014 campaign

Gregory P. Hamm-Johnson, 24, of Alexander, is charged with reckless endangerment, 2nd, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Hamm-Johnson was allegedly the driver involved in an accident on Richley Road, Darien. His vehicle reportedly struck a mailbox. Hamm-Johnson reportedly overcorrected, reentered the roadway and spun sideways and rolled multiple times before coming to rest on the roadway. Johnson then allegedly left the scene of the accident. A search of the area, assisted by Corfu Fire Dpeartment, found there were no people around the accident scene. Hamm-Johnson later turned up at the Batavia Barracks of the State Police to report the accident and said he was the operator of the vehicle. Hamm-Johnson reportedly suffered minor injuries.

Jody M. Buck, of Sloan, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, DWI with a child passenger under age 16 and leaving the scene of an accident. State Police observed a vehicle on Route 5 with front end damage. The car was later identified by Corfu PD as one that matched the vehicle description of a car that ran over a mailbox on Route 77. Parts of the vehicle found at the accident scene reportedly matched Buck's vehicle. Buck allegedly registered a BAC of .14.

Charles Robert Lowe, 50, of East Main Street, Le Roy, is charged with trespass. Lowe was allegedly on another person's porperty without permission at 9:45 p.m., Aug. 19.

Photographer Amanda Earl attended the Rascal Flatts concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Thursday.  She said the band played great and the fans really enjoyed the show.

Alexis Theriault, age 2, enjoyed the show as well.

Hanna Wells, center, with her aunt, Mary Beth Uetz, and grandmother, Carol Sawyer. They drove from Oswego to see the show in the VIP section. Amanda said, "Hanna sang and danced along to every single song with true enthusiasm this evening. She even caught a guitar pick tossed out into the crowd by Joe Don Rooney." Hanna became a fan of the band when she first heard the number-one hit song, "Bless The Broken Road."

The following people were arrested by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department during the Rascal Flatts Concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Sept. 4:

Ashley R. Peak, 21, of Livermore Road, Dryden, is charged with for resisting arrest, harassment, 2nd (two counts), and disorderly conduct after allegedly causing a disturbance while being ejected from the concert venue. Peak allegedly then kicked and spit on a deputy and resisted arrest.  Ashley was arraigned in Darien Court and jailed on $1,000 bail.

A 17-yearo-old of Iroquoius Avenue, Lancaster, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly possessing marijuana.

Jon R. Perry, 31 of Fletcher Street, Tonawanda, is charged with harassment, 2nd, after allegedly grabbing another patron by the shirt and not letting go. 

Ashley N. Hayden, 22 of Upper Clark Avenue, Van Etten, is charged with harassment, 2nd, after allegedly punching and kicking a CSC security guard in the groin.

Members of the Kiwanis Club have been working hard for months to bring together the annual Bidding on a Brighter Future Gala and Auction, which is next Saturday, Sept. 13, at The Forum at Genesee Community College.

The fun starts at 5:30 p.m., which includes live and silent and basket auctions, appetizer, entree and dessert stations.  

The emcee for the evening is Hiram Kasten.

Tickets are $50 per person or $400 for a table of 10.

Proceeds benefit the Kiwanis Club's effort to purchase a new home for the Justice for Children Advocacy Center.

To purchase tickets or make donations, visit GLOWGala.org.

A sales rep with the Castilone car dealership came across this lost dachshund while on a test drive with a customer. The pup was corralled, brought back to the dealership and then turned over to BPD to be taken to the shelter. So if you're in the City of Batavia and missing a dachshund, that might be the place to find it.

Kristine S. Baker, 27, of Clinton Street, Batavia, is charged with dog running at large. Baker's cane corso (a mastiff-type breed) reportedly weighing more than 100 pounds, allegedly jumped the fence of her yard and attacked and injured another dog that was being walked along Clinton Street. Police report that this is the second time in a week Baker's dog allegedly attacked and injured another dog.

Gregory Seppe, 56, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with appearance in public under influence of narcotics or drugs other than alcohol and possession of a controlled substance not in original container. Seppe was reportedly observed repeatedly falling down on a Main Street sidewalk. He was allegedly incoherent and unable to stay awake for more than a few seconds at a time. He was issued an appearance ticket and turned over to Mercy EMS for treatment.

Keanon Sean Williams, 37, of Harvester Avenue, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and strangulation, 2nd. Williams allegedly grabbed a woman by the neck and applied pressure while in the presence of her children during a domestic dispute. Williams was jailed without bail.

Dale Eugene Stiles Jr., 45, of Galloway Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Stiles allegedly removed funds from a banking account following a court order "not to have any further involvement."

A car and tractor-trailer have collided on Route 98 near Prospect Road.

A medic is requested to the scene for evaluation of one person.

Alexander fire dispatched.

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A two car accident is reported at Alleghany and Main, Village of Corfu.

Law enforcement on sign, reports minor injuries. A patient is complaining of neck pain.

Corfu fire dispatched.

Pembroke Head Coach Dick Dimincuco has been working hard all pre-season to get the Dragons ready to take the field in 2014 and what he sees two days before opening kickoff against Elba is a team that's still a work in progress.

But the emphasis is on the word "work."

"We have nice group of kids who work hard and come every day and try to get it done," Dimincuco said. "Obviously, that's a strength. We need to get a little better at what we do on the field, and they're going to do that because they work hard and listen."

The Dragons are coming off a 2-6 season and the program hasn't had a winning record since 2010 (5-3).

The team will rally around QB Mitch Lewter, a senior in the role of offensive field manager for the first time. He won't be without weapons. Senior Dakota Swimline returns to wide out and running back and senior Cal Neurohr will share backfield time as well as play linebacker.

The offensive and defensive lines will be anchored by 6-foot, 225-pound junior Jack Thomas.

"He's a big tackle and good football player," Dimincuco said. 

William Kelly Robert Kelly Michael Correia

Three men from Syracuse have been charged with third-degree burglary in Genesee County for allegedly breaking into a pair of local businesses.

The trio are also suspected of burglaries and thefts in Erie and Livingston counties.

They were picked up following a traffic stop in Wayne County last week and deputies spotted what they thought might be stolen material in the vehicle.

Upon questioning by investigators in Wayne County, the men admitted, according to Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster, to heists in Genesee County.

Investigator Kris Kautz took a trip to Wayne County and questioned the men and gathered the evidence, working with Deputy Brad Mazur, to file local charges.

Charged are brothers William H. Kelly III, 44, and Robert P. Kelly, 43, and Michael J. Correia, 58.

Additional charges may be pending.

The three men are accused of breaking into a Kutter's Cheese building, and stealing items from a residential construction site on East Main Street, Batavia, some time during the early morning of Aug. 27.

They were allegedly found with more than $3,000 in material, including brass plumbing components and copper wire.

They are being held without bail.

Photos provided by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.

We're pleased this morning to announce the launch of the Wyoming County Free Press, a new sister publication of The Batavian covering Wyoming County.

Just as The Batavian is all about Genesee County, the Wyoming County Free Press will be all about Wyoming County. The news will be Wyoming County news and the businesses who sponsor it will be locally or regionally owned with locations in Wyoming County.

The news will be free, just like it is on The Batavian, and we won't disrupt your news reading experience with pop-up ads, animated ads or require you to answer survey questions. (We'll also respect your privacy by not gathering personal data to distribute to multinational media conglomerates for so-called "targeted advertising.")

We will endeavor to provide wide-ranging coverage of Wyoming County so that people in Wyoming County both have a good idea of what's going on in their community, as well encourage greater community involvement and interest.

We're optimistic about this new venture. The feedback from the people in Wyoming County that we've spoken with so far has been fantastic (look at all of the local businesses that have already agreed to help support our effort).

The feedback has confirmed there is a need in Wyoming County for a news site that covers all of Wyoming County and just Wyoming County. There's no other news service meeting that need.

We're optimistic because we believe six years into The Batavian that our model of news and local business marketing is popular with readers and local business owners. The Batavian has become the most popular news source in the GLOW region and is supported now by more than 150 local businesses.

We're also heartened and encouraged to venture out by the success of Orleans Hub. Tom Rivers has done a terrific job of bringing community news to Orleans County and he and his publishing partner have been rewarded with strong support from the local business community. That helps prove there is a real hunger in all communities for online news that is timely and comprehensive.

Thank you to all the readers and sponsors in Genesee County who have supported us, making it possible to continue to grow as a business. If the Wyoming County Free Press works as well as we anticipate, it will help us do more to serve both communities better.

Please tell your friends about the Wyoming County Free Press and ask them to support our sponsors.

Meet our Wyoming County Editor - Julia Ferrini

Billie and I are excited that Julia Ferrini has agreed to be the Wyoming County Free Press's inaugural editor. She's an experienced journalist having worked for newspapers in Delaware and on the Southern Tier. You may have noticed her byline on several stories on The Batavian over the past couple of months. We've gotten great reviews of her work from the people she's covered while freelancing for us.

Julia is a mother and resident of Eagle in Wyoming County. A native of Western New York, Julia has lived in the area for 16 years since returning from Delaware.

She has worked in a few other fields over the years, but says, "While I dabbled in other career choices, I kept coming back to the one that I just can’t escape, telling the stories of a community through photographs and writing."

Julia can be reached at julia@wyomingcountyfreepress.com.

Thanks to Lucie Ann Griffis for all of her hard work over the past six weeks lining up our initial sponsors for the Wyoming County Free Press. Lucie will continue to traverse Wyoming County, meeting with small business owners, as we work to build the necessary support for the Free Press to be an ongoing success. Lucie can be reached at lucie@thebatavian.com.

Of course, none of this would be possible with the always hardworking and dedicated Lisa Ace, our sales and marketing coordinator. Lisa can be reached at lisa@thebatavian.com.

Our office number is (585) 250-4118.

Visit: the Wyoming County Free Press.

Like us on Facebook.

Joseph M. Marranco, 43, of Walnut Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument, unlawful possession of marijuana and possession of controlled substances outside original container. Marranco was arrested following the report of an overdose at 10:40 p.m. Monday at an apartment on East Main Street. Marranco was allegedly found in possession of a hypodermic needle, an assortment of controlled prescription medications outside their original container and marijuana.

Travis M. Blue, 30, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Blue allegedly made a threat of physical contact during an incident reported at 9:35 p.m., Monday, at a location on Ellicott Street.

Randy Kevin Wilmet, 37, of Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Wilmet allegedly struck another person in the face with his forearm during an incident reported at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, at a location on South Main Street, Batavia.

Jeffrey C. Pero, 31, of Brooklyn Avenue, Batavia, turned himself in on a warrant for an unpaid parking ticket. Pero posted $100 cash bail and was released.

Kritin S. Payne, 31, of South Main Street, Batavia, turned herself in on on a warrant for an unpaid parking ticket. Payne paid $45 of a $100 bail and was released.

Michael David Senay Jr., 20, of Valley View Drive, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under age 21. Senay was allegedly in possession of alcohol during a traffic stop at 1:14 a.m. on Clinton Street, Batavia, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Stephen Bakos, 55, of Alexander, is charged with DWI following a traffic stop on Silver Lake Road, Perry. Bakos was stopped for an alleged equipment violation. According to New York State Police, Bakos operated the vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Bakos reportedly failed a roadside field sobriety test and was taken into custody. He is accused of refusing to provide a breath sample for analysis.Bakos was jailed on $1,000 bail. 

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Dozens of bright yellow school buses have been gleaming in the sun (when there is sun) at the corner of Dodgeson Road and Route 98 in Alexander just about all summer long.

The name on the sides of the buses -- Student Transportation of America -- is a new name to Genesee County.

STA is now in town after winning the main transportation contract with the Batavia City School District, which entered into a joint agreement with the Attica School District.

The company purchased a former rigging shop location at 3784 Dodgeson Road in an auction through Bontrager's earlier in the summer.

The state encourages school districts to review and re-bid bus transportation contracts every 10 years, explained Batavia Superintendent Chris Dailey. 

The district experienced many difficulties with the previous contract, Dailey said. 

"The Board of Education decided to bid and increase the accountability and expectations for the bus contractors while also increasing features available to the district with our bus contractors, such as more cameras and GPS," Dailey said. "We bid for 2013-14 but the bid was rejected because of cost and lack of competition."

For 2014-015, the district decided to seek another district for a cooperative bid and reached an agreement with Attica and STA won the bid for regular school transportation, field trips and sports trips.

Attica Bus Company will remain the contractor for transportation of special education students.

BCSD's transportation costs per year is more than $1 million, plus another $731,690 for special education transportation.

"In our contract, the contractor is responsible for all aspects of providing transportation: purchasing and maintaining the fleet, building, staffing, routing of the students, directly handling parent calls," Dailey said.

Two weeks ago, STA announced the release of a mobile device and desktop app that will allow parents to track the location of school buses in the fleet.

"A child’s bus is displayed on a detailed map showing its current location in relation to the child’s stop, so parents can monitor the bus along its route," the company said in a press release.

The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

“Registering for the SafeStop app is easy,” the company said. “Parents in select schools simply log on to www.schoolwheels.com from any computer or mobile device to register for the app. They then can link to the Apple App Store or Google Play to download on a mobile device.”

So far, one potential bidder for the Genesee County Nursing Home has submitted a letter stating an intent to make an offer on the 260-bed facility.

Interested buyers have until Sept. 23 to submit a letter of intent and until Oct. 6 to submit proposals.

So far, some 25 to 30 potential buyers have expressed interest in the nursing home, County Manager Jay Gsell said, but there's still just the one written intent to submit a bid.

The nursing home has been dragging down county finances for years, and financial disclosures included in the RFP package show the facility losing $2.9 million in 2011, $3.7 in 2012 and $4.3 million in 2013.

A non-government agency (whether a not-for-profit group or for-profit company) will have greater flexibility in generating revenue than the highly regulated government-owned facility, have greater leeway in reducing expenses, and won't be facing a squeeze on funding from the State of New York, according to county officials.

The county Legislature decided to sell the home to escape the ongoing financial drain on the budget.

The RFP states the facility will be sold to the most qualified, responsible bidder who meets a range of criteria. The highest bid won't necessarily win the purchase contract.

The current assessed value of the nursing home, on Bank Street, is $10.9 million.

Of course, currently no taxes are collected on the government-owned property.

Serious bidders will be invited to pre-proposal site visits Sept. 24, 25, 26 and 29.

Bids must include a $100,000 refundable deposit and provide financial statements and a letter of credit indicating not only the ability to close on the final purchase price, but to operate the facility at the current level or improved level of services after the purchase is completed.

The purchaser will be prohibited from involuntarily transferring or evicting any current resident of the nursing home.

Bidders must agree that the RFP process is subjective and the Legislature has the final say on whether to accept or reject any and all bids, and the county reserves to right to enter into negotiations with a bidder to modify a proposal.

The company must provide a company history, executive bios, information and qualifications on employees, experience with similar facilities, and plan for a smooth transfer of ownership.

There will be no public bid opening and bids won't become public until after a proposal is accepted by the Legislature. It's up to the company to declare any portion of the proposal that would be exempt from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law.

The sale of the nursing home has generated a little public opposition. There is a "Save the Genesee County Nursing home in Batavia NY" group on Facebook with 166 members currently.

The complete RFP package is available on the county's Web site.

County case workers are dealing with more and more children who are neglected by their parents, Department of Social Services Director Eileen Kirkpatrick said today during the Public Service Committee meeting.

"You see it in the news -- more child runaways, more children arrested for petty crimes," Kirkpatrick said. "We've seen an increase in people who don't care if they have their kids or not. We have more cases were we find a kid at home alone with mom at some crack house in Rochester."

Many of these children wind up in foster care, but this year Genesee County is on pace for a record number of adoptions.

There have been 13 this year already.

"That's really a big number for us," Kirkpatrick said. "Some years, we don't have any, but there's more cases of termination of parental rights."

At least, Kirkpatrick told the legislators, is there's no shortage of willing foster parents.

There have been 19 new homes certified this year.

"That's a big increase for us," she said.

The agency is working to develop its own group of foster care providers because it's less expensive than going through organizations such as Hillside, which charges the county as much as $100 more per day, Kirkpatrick said, as part of an "administrative rate."

"It's the same people (being foster parents), same members of our community, who step forward and take in foster children, but it's cheaper," Kirkpatrick said.

Related to children and county expense, Kirkpatrick expects that by 2016, that state is going to increase the age of accountability to 18. That means teenagers currently treated as adults in the criminal justice system (ages 16 and 17) will go through Family Court rather than municipal courts.

These teens, who if convicted might spend time in county jail, will instead be diverted to the juvenile detention system, increasing the county cost per-child, per-day from about $70 to more than $1,000.

"We're going to treat those children differently, but it's going to come at a cost," Kirkpatrick said.

Part of Kirkpatrick's department review with the Legislature included this information:

• There's going to be a cut in funding for county-subsidized child care. Working, low-income parents are eligible for assistance through the program (it's not a free program), but reserve funds that had rolled over from previous years are now spent (about $216,000), and the allocation from the state is not expected to increase.
• It appears more people are finding work. Case loads indicate there are fewer people needing assistance. "We weathered the storm of extended unemployment running out and those people are not flocking through the doors," Kirkpatrick said.
• By 2015, reforms for Medicaid mean that the county's share of expenses will be capped at about $9.6 million, ending the cycle of ever-increasing costs. The cap remains in place whether there is a 20-percent increase of Medicaid recipients or a 20-percent decrease.

Le Roy Country Club hosted its annual club championship this weekend and Steve Paladino notched the win.

Second went to Brian Sinclair.

Photo submitted by Brian Sinclair.