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Genesee Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse will receive $820,000 in state money for an opioid treatment program. The money will fund 150 treatment slots.

Press release:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced more than $8.1 million awarded to eight addiction treatment providers in seven counties across New York State. Funding will support construction needs and operational assistance for treatment programming, and the development of up to 80 new residential treatment beds and 600 new Opioid Treatment Program slots. These awards build on the Governor’s aggressive efforts to combat opioid misuse and heroin use, and the disease of addiction. 

“This administration continues the fight against opioid and heroin addiction and this funding will help ensure more New Yorkers will get the help they need to get on the road to recovery," Governor Cuomo said. “These new beds will help change lives and save lives, and bring us one step closer to a stronger and healthier New York for all." 

"Governor Cuomo is leading the charge to combat the devastating heroin and opioid crisis affecting families all across New York State. That includes ensuring immediate access to the supports and services needed for a successful recovery,” said Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul, co-chair of the Governor's task force to combat heroin and opioid addiction. “This is about saving people’s lives and these new treatment opportunities will provide even more people with the critical services they need to overcome addiction.”

Press release:

The New York State Senate has passed legislation (S365) to enact into law a permanent cap on state spending. The bill would further increase savings from a self-imposed restraint that has already saved taxpayers a cumulative $31 billion since the 2010-11 budget. Senator Ranzenhofer voted in favor of the proposal.

“A state spending cap ensures fiscal discipline and saves taxpayers billions of dollars,” Ranzenhofer said. “Enacting a long-lasting limit on state expenditures would allow taxpayers to keep more of their hard-earned dollars.”

Since 2010, six on-time budgets have restricted spending growth at or below 2 percent. Maintaining this level of fiscal responsibility has fostered major investments in education by abolishing the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) budget cuts, infrastructure projects by delivering Upstate’s fair share of state transportation dollars, and economic development projects to create jobs. 

The legislation would control spending to a three-year rolling average of inflation and increase the maximum capacity to the state’s rainy day fund. This approach helps end the historic pattern of “boom and bust” cycle budgeting.

The bill will be sent to the State Assembly.

The Le Roy Boys Basketball Team had a tough assignment Wednesday night, traveling to Perry to play the undefeated Perry Yellowjackets, the #1 ranked Class C team in the state.

Perry combines size, speed, chemistry and scoring and though the Knights put up a fight, they were simply outmatched.

The Yellowjackets won 64-50, outscoring Le Roy in every quarter and holding the Knights to 12 or fewer points each quarter except the third, when Le Roy picked up 17 points (Perry scored 20).

Josh Laurie led Le Roy scoring with 18 points, hitting two three-point jumpers. Luke Stella had 16 points. Ryan Boyce and T.Y. Williams each had six.

For Perry, Tyler Cowie had 15 points, including two three-point buckets, Devon Mann, 14, and Austin Croll had 14. Owen Spencer added 10.

Press release:

Genesee County Youth Court swore in the Class of 2016 members on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at the Old Courthouse, Batavia. The oath and charge of confidentiality were administered by the honorable Judge Adams. The new youth court members are: Taylor Augello, Leah Bezon, Catherine Grossman, Nathan Knickerbocker, Michal Lullo, Ryan Manges, David Russo, Taya Townley, Shawn Turner, Mary Vandenbosch and Lakin Woodward. The Youth Court is run by the Genesee County Youth Bureau and funded through Department of Social Services.

Members of the Elba Lancers Girls Basketball teams, varsity and JV, wore T-shirts at their games Tuesday night in Attica to honor Jordyn M. Augello.

Augello, 30, died of cancer Monday just months after giving birth while going through cancer treatment. She coached many of the girls as a youth coach as they came up through the Elba program in fifth and sixth grade.

She is the daughter of Mark Torrey and was a partner in Torrey Farms. She leaves behind a husband, Charles Augello, and children Carmine Frank and Frances Mary. She was a 2009 graduate of Cornell University.

For her full obituary, click here.

Team photos courtesy Tom Redband.

Press release:

“Gov. Cuomo’s theatrical and unnecessary State of the State Tour is an abuse of taxpayer money and alienates us as legislators, who will be ultimately responsible for vetting and voting on important legislation. It is shameful for the governor to ignore the Legislature and plan these speeches on session days due to a pay raise battle with members of the Assembly Majority, demeaning all legislators in the process.

“Nearly 200,000 residents have left New York for more tax-friendly states in the past year and a half, and that is embarrassing. Still, Gov. Cuomo’s State of the State speeches so far have done virtually nothing to address our outrageous tax burden, failing infrastructure and struggling small-business community. Clearly, Gov. Cuomo cares more about his 2020 presidential ambitions than his own constituents.”

Press release:

State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer has been appointed to serve as chairman of the Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee and member of seven additional Senate Standing Committees, including:

• Agriculture
• Education
• Finance 
• Judiciary
• Racing, Gaming & Wagering
• Rules
• Transportation

“The process of enacting laws starts at the committee level, and serving in each one of these committee posts is so important to achieving key priorities,” Ranzenhofer said. “Whether it is delivering our fair share of state education dollars or bringing ride-sharing services to Upstate New York, I plan to take full advantage of committee roles as a way to make a real difference for Western New Yorkers.”

Senator Ranzenhofer is beginning a fourth session as Corporations Committee chairman.

“As chair, I have advanced legislation that positively impacts municipalities, state and local agencies, state authorities and commissions, and private entities across the state. A total of 18 new laws, reported from the Committee, were enacted last year that will make New York a better place to live and work. This year, the goal is to build upon this momentum,” Ranzenhofer said.

Senator Ranzenhofer is also a member of the Select Committee for Science, Technology, Incubation & Entrepreneurship.  

The committee assignments are for the 2017-18 Legislative Session. A complete list of Senate standing committees is available at nysenate.gov.

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21) have introduced the Family Farm Relief Act of 2017, legislation to move the H-2A Agricultural Visa program from the Department of Labor to the Department of Agriculture to better meet the unique labor needs of farmers and agricultural businesses.

“The last thing our farmers need is for the federal government to make it harder for them to make ends meet,” Congressman Collins said. “Access to a willing and available labor force is absolutely critical for Western New York’s agriculture community, particularly our dairy farmers. I am proud to join my colleague Congresswoman Stefanik in introducing this common-sense legislation to streamline and improve the H-2A visa program.”

“Agriculture is the backbone of our North Country economy and I am pleased to introduce this important bill to address the labor shortages facing our farmers,” Congresswoman Stefanik said. “When I travel the district speaking with our farmers, I often hear about how unnecessary delays in worker visas lead to difficulty meeting production goals. This common-sense legislation simply puts the H-2A agricultural visa program in the hands of those who best understand the specific needs of our farms.”

“Immigration reform that allows for both seasonal and year-round farm labor has been a longtime priority for New York Farm Bureau. For too long, the federal H2A guest visa program has been cumbersome, prone to delays and too rigid to fit the needs of both farmers and their employees. We thank Congresswoman Stefanik for taking the lead on The Family Farm Relief Act that will provide real reform and address a critical issue in New York's diverse agricultural community,” said David Fisher, New York Farm Bureau president.

The Family Farm Relief Act of 2017 takes practical measures such as allowing visa applicants to fill out H-2A applications on paper or online, requiring a user-friendly online system, and ending burdensome requirements on advertising and prevailing practice surveys.

The current H-2A visa program is unworkable, especially for the dairy farms across our nation. The H-2A visa program does not currently provide a category for year-round livestock workers, including dairy. This has caused difficulties for dairy farms that need employees year-round. This legislation addresses this oversight, by creating an H-2A category for these workers.

Additionally, the legislation also allows farm cooperatives and other agricultural associations to apply for workers for their members, makes the program more workable for dairy and other livestock operations, and requires reporting to Congress if delays occur in the H-2A visa application process.

A Batavia man with a history of drug-related activity in the city has been convicted on drug sales charges by a jury in Wyoming County after a three-day trial.

Bradley J. Broadbent, 37, was found guilty of one count each of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree.

Earlier this year, Broadbent was indicted on drug charges in Genesee County and is still facing prosecution locally.

In 2012, Broadbent made the news following a series of bizarre incidents related to bath salt use, including vandalizing the restroom of a business complex and climbing on the roofs of houses on Hutchins Street. He eventually served a jail term on charges stemming from those incidents.

Broadbent was picked up in Wyoming County by the Drug Task Force.

The June arrest was the result of a Jan. 14 possession and sale of 13 bags of heroin laced with the horse tranquilizer Xylazine. The sale was made to a confidential informant in the Village of Perry.

Also in June, Broadbent was arrested by the Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force on charges stemming from an April 24 incident in the Genesee County Jail. 

Broadbent allegedly smuggled heroin into the jail where he then was accused of selling a portion of the drug to Ryan M. Bobzin, 27, of Bergen. Both men were in jail at the same time on unrelated charges.

In December, he was indicted on those charges – criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, a Class B felony; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, a Class B felony; and promoting prison contraband in the first degree, a Class D felony. 

Following yesterday's verdict, Broadbent was jailed without bail in the Wyoming County Jail. 

“Today’s convictions represent just one small measure of District Attorney Donald O’Geen’s resolute and concentrated efforts to combat the scourge of heroin and other opioids in Wyoming County,” said Wyoming County Assistant District Attorney Eric Schiener added, “Thanks to the commitment and dedication of both the Drug Task Force and District Attorney O’Geen, there is now one less purveyor of this poison on the streets of Perry.”

Due to his “significant” criminal history, both of these Class B felony convictions could potentially result in a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and three years post release supervision for Broadbent. 

Sentencing in Wyoming County is scheduled for Feb. 23.

Julia Ferrini, Wyoming County Free Press, contributed to this story.

Le Roy's Maddie Kiester sunk two key foul shots and Bryn Luckey hit the game winner at the end to give the Lady Knights a narrow victory over the Perry Yellowjackets in Le Roy last night, 49-47.

Luckey scored 13 points. Erin Cappotelli had nine, Ceci Tillson, eight along with 14 rebounds, and Ava Horgan added six.

For Perry, Rachel Evans had 18 points, Chelsea Pascoe, 11, and Diana Chisholm, 10.

Le Roy is now 5-5 on the year and Perry is 2-7.

Dispatchers and first responders have been kept busy overnight and into the morning with reports of power lines down and cars off the roadway as a windstorm hit Genesee County with gusts up to 60 mph and temperatures below freezing.

No serious incidents were reported.

Currently, there are at least 17 known power outages across the county, affecting some 300 National Grid customers. The two largest appear to be in Byron with 171 customers without power and North Bergen with 57 customers without power.

There were two jackknifed trucks on the I-490, including one incident still ongoing with no injuries but a fuel leak is reported.

Windstorms and false alarms of fire at commercial structures seem to go hand-in-hand and at one point around 2 a.m., City of Batavia had three such simultaneous calls.

A one-vehicle rollover accident is reported near the onramp on the westbound I-490 in Bergen. 

Unknown injuries  

Bergen fire and ambulance and Mercy EMS responding. 

A first responder reports slippery road conditions. 

UPDATE 9:18 p.m.: A vehicle is in a ditch. There is apparently a second vehicle. A caller reports minor injuries. 

Press release:

Genesee Community College has appointed its next dean of Student Services, a familiar face with years of experience working with students, faculty and staff, and service to the College. Patricia "Patty" Chaya emerged as the top choice from a lengthy search of many qualified candidates, and will assume the responsibilities of dean of students, transitioning from her previous role of associate dean of the GCC Warsaw and Lima campus centers.

Chaya joined the College in 2002 as associate dean of the Warsaw campus, and inherited the same role with the Lima campus in 2012. Handling multiple duties, she was charged with leading, directing, team building and administrative oversight for all operations at both campus centers. In 2013, Chaya was awarded the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service, an award given to recognize consistent superior professional achievement.

"Her familiarity with the GCC community and experience working with our students will make her an invaluable asset to our team," said Virginia "Ginny" Taylor, Ph.D., vice president for Student and Enrollment Services. "We are excited for the students, faculty and staff at the Batavia campus to begin working with Patty, whose passion for helping others has always been evident."

Chaya holds a bachelor's in Sociology from SUNY Fredonia and a master's in Student Personnel Administration from the University at Buffalo. She was a resident assistant while attending SUNY Fredonia and became residence hall director after earning her bachelor's degree.

"I am thrilled for the opportunity to take on a new professional challenge," Chaya said. "There is great potential with the dean of Student Services position, and new initiatives are important for moving forward. Not only do I hope to cultivate new programs such as those relating to wellness, but I plan on expanding the delivery and availability of these programs using our current technology, making them more accessible for our students."

Prior to working at GCC, Patty was the associate director at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, and also worked for the Genesee County YWCA as the director of the Domestic Violence Program. She is heavily involved in the GLOW community, serving as the vice president of the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Business Education Alliance (BEA) Board of Directors in Livingston County.

"I live in the community and am familiar with local issues," Chaya explained. "I have a strong commitment to GCC and am confident I can be a strong ambassador for the College."

As the dean of student services, Chaya will work closely with College administration to enhance its current leadership program and expanding innovative student development programs. Among numerous other areas, she will focus on student retention and degree completion, as well as handling student conduct and discipline.

Chaya officially began her new role on Jan. 3rd. Patty and husband, Ray, a former GCC BEST Center staff member, currently reside in Batavia.

Investigators continue to work leads in the case of a series of battery thefts from trucks and farm equipment in Genesee County, and as a result previously arrested suspects face new charges.

Bart Towne, 48, of Alleghany Road, Alabama, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. He was first arrested Sept. 27 and has been charged in the jurisdictions of Byron, Oakfield, Alabama, Elba, Pembroke and Alexander. 

He allegedly stole batteries in each of those towns.

He is being held without bail.

Amber L. Heveron, 28, of Rice Road, Albion, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. She was first arrested Dec. 6. She was previously charged in Alabama, Pembroke, Oakfield and Elba. 

She is out of jail under supervision of Genesee Justice.

The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are possible.

While on surveillance yesterday, members of the Local Drug Task Force observed occupants of a vehicle toss garbage from the car so they initiated a traffic stop.

Upon further investigation, the occupants were allegedly found in possession of Suboxone and drug paraphernalia.

During the course of the surveillance, both occupants were allegedly seen operating the vehicle and both were later found to have suspended driver's licenses.

Isaac C. King, 30, of Hoyt Street, Buffalo, was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 5th, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, and littering.

Daniel H. Mooney, 30, of Cone Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal use of drug paraphernalia, 2nd, and aggravated unlicensed operation.

Following arraignment in City Court, King was jailed without bail. He has a detainer from NY State Parole.

Mooney was ordered held on $2,500 bail or $5,000 bond.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Farash Foundation, Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce and Rochester Area Community Foundation sponsored a contest for high school students and last night Byron-Bergen learned the videos it produced for the contest grabbed Second Place and Third Place.

The contest challenged students to make public service announcements for in-demand jobs of the future.

Students in Byron-Bergen's tech academy made two videos about food processing.

The full press release about the contest is here.

All of the videos that won and placed are here.

Sentencing was delayed today for a Joel Bert Shorts, a 55-year-old Canisteo man who admitted in October to engaging in oral sex with a teenage boy at a religious gathering last summer because the probation department in Steuben County didn't complete a necessary evaluation.

Officials in Steuben apparently overlooked a request for the evaluation and didn't start on it in time for today's hearing.

Shorts was scheduled to be sentenced today and there was also going to be a hearing to determine what level he would be registered as a sex offender.

When Shorts agreed to plead guilty to the Class E felony of criminal sex act in the third degree, the agreement would give him a chance to avoid a four-year prison term and instead be placed on probation in Steuben County for 10 years.

Shorts was arrested July 20 at Darien Lake Theme Park Resort, where he was attending Kingdom Bound with a church group.

The new hearing date is 11 a.m., Feb. 21.

He remains out of jail on his own recognizance. 

The hearing is one of the first court appearances as the new County Court Judge Charles Zambito. Prior to the hearing, Zambito disclosed to Short's attorney the fact that the assistant district attorney handling the case, Robert Zickl, is the brother of Will Zickl, who is now Zambito's staff attorney. Zambito said that on this case, because Robert Zickl is the ADA, Will Zickl would have no involvement and would not be consulted. Short's attorney acknowledged the disclosure and waived any claim to a conflict of interest and said he wasn't concerned about the relationship.

It will be the 25th season of concerts at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center this summer and Live Nation has started to release the names of some of the bands scheduled to perform, including Green Day.

As part of the band's Revolution Radio Tour, Green Day will take the stage Aug. 26, a Saturday. Also on the bill, Catfish and the Bottlemen. Showtime is 7 p.m.

Some classic rock bands have also been booked.

Chicago and the Doobie Brothers will be in town July 18. 

Foreigner and Cheap Trick will share top billing July 21, with special guest Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience.

Press release:

State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer (R-C-I, Amherst) has issued the following statement in response to Governor Cuomo’s state of the state address delivered in Buffalo earlier this afternoon:

“I am disappointed that Governor Cuomo made the decision to schedule the Western New York version of his state of the state presentation at a time when I am required, by my duties as a State Senator, to be in the Capitol for session. I am hopeful that we can finally bring ride-sharing services to Upstate, create more jobs by enacting real tax relief and repealing costly, burdensome regulations for small businesses, and providing mandate relief to local governments. I look forward to working towards these legislative goals in the days and weeks ahead.”
 

A woman from Mocanaqua, Pa., working at a home in Bethany as a house cleaner, has been arrested by State Police for allegedly stealing more than $5,000 from the family who employed her.

Sheri A. Eddy, 33, is charged with third-degree grand larceny and first degree identity theft.

Eddy allegedly stole a check from the residence and used the information on the check to pilfer funds. 

She was arraigned in Bethany Town Court and jailed on $2,500 bail.