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During his return to Batavia, Terry Anderson sees hope for the Middle East
It's an auspicious time for Terry Anderson to return to Batavia to dedicate a peace garden.
Anderson, who grew up in Batavia, was chief Middle East correspondent for Associated Press when he was abducted on March 16, 1985, in Beirut following a game of tennis. Anderson was held in captivity by Hezbollah for six years and nine months.
As Anderson returns to his boyhood home, the Middle East is exploding in a way it never has before. Governments in Tunisia and Egypt have been toppled by pro-democracy demonstrators. Even the Iranian government, which backs Hezbollah, is facing youthful opposition.
Anderson is cautiously optimistic about what he sees happening.
"I watched Yasser Arafat and Isaac Rabin shake hands on the White House lawn," Anderson said tonight during a meet-and-greet at Batavia Downs. "It was one of the most optimistic days of my life, because I covered that conflict for years, and (look at) what has happened since.
"It doesn’t always turn out for the best. But yes, I see something new in the Middle East. I see something that promises something hopeful for the future."
One of America's most acclaimed and recognized journalists, Anderson was invited to return to his former hometown to help raise funds for a War of 1812 Peace Garden planned for a plot of land adjacent to the Holland Land Office Museum.
Anderson will have a busy day Friday, starting with an 8 a.m. visit to Batavia High School. He will also have lunch with GCC President Stuart Steiner followed by a public lecture at noon at GCC. At 2 p.m., there will be a press conference with Anderson at the Genesee County History Office, 7 W. Main St., and at 5 p.m., the main event -- a dinner at Terry Hills ($25 per person), where Anderson will be the featured speaker.
Thursday night, Anderson arrived at Batavia Downs shortly after 7 p.m. and he was warmly greeted by a few old friends as well as people involved in organizing the peace garden effort. Anderson also took a few minutes to talk with members of the media who where there.
Anderson -- who recently finished a teaching stint at the University of Kentucky and is now contemplating a return to residency in Upstate New York -- was animated as soon as the topic turned to the turmoil in the Middle East.
He recalled that he was in captivity when Marcos fell in the Philippines, and that was followed by the regime falling in South Africa and then, of course, the toppling of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the Soviet Union.
"It just proves again what we knew then – you can have all of the police and secret police and guns and thugs in the world, and when your people stand up and say, ‘no, we’re tired of you,’ you’re gone," Anderson said.
He added, "Every country is different, but there is something going around that they all seem to have in common: They are tired of dictators and corruption and denial of human rights."
A Vietnam veteran, Anderson said that as a 19-year-old Marine, he visited the most famous peace garden in the world, the one at ground zero in Hiroshima, Japan. So when he was invited to return to Batavia to help bring about a new peace garden he thought, "who's not in favor of peace?
"Why would I miss a chance to dedicate a peace garden? It may be on a smaller scale, but why wouldn't I support it?"
Photo: Jim Owen gets an autograph from Terry Anderson on one of his books.
Oil Doctor on West Main wants to expand to motorcycle sales
A public hearing has been set with the Town of Batavia Planning Board to discuss a proposed change to the location of Oil Doctor, 4003 W. Main St. Road, Batavia.
Owner Ben Thompson has requested permission to convert a portion of the existing building to an area for motorcycle sales.
The hearing will be at 7:30 p.m., March 1, at town hall, 3833 W. Main St. Road, Batavia.
A copy of the application is available at town hall for review.
Construction begins on indoor water park at Clarion Hotel, Batavia
Construction has begun on a $2 million project to add an indoor water park to the Clarion Hotel on Park Road, Batavia.
Owner Chan Patel (above) said he is looking forward providing year-round recreation to the region. He expects to draw customs from Buffalo and Rochester, not just Genesee County.
"We have a big staff," Patel said. "Even in the winter, we have 60 people on staff. During the summer there's plenty of work, but in the winter I have to cut down their hours. It's not fair because they have to support their families, too."
The 12,000-square-foot facility -- Palm Island Indoor Water Park -- includes a 197-foot and a 169-foot water slide, a pool equipped with basketball hoops, a spa, a play lagoon with waterfalls, small slides and dumping buckets, as well as birthday party rooms, a food and beverage concession and an arcade room with 15 games.
Patel said he planned the park so that there would be activities that would appeal to all ages.
"This will bring more business into town," Patel said. "It will be a benefit to the whole community."
He's even partnering, he said, with local businesses to help ensure his guests patronize those businesses.
He's also using local or regional contractors. The design was completed by Smart Design, of Batavia. Whitney East, of Rochester, is the general contractor, and Batavia's Arctic Refrigeration is handling all of the mechanical work.
The project received tax abatements from the Genesee County Economic Development Center worth about $91,600. That includes partial abatement of property taxes for 10 years worth $18,800, a mortgage-tax abatement worth $12,800, and exemption from sales tax on materials for construction of the park worth $60,000.
GCEDC estimates the $91,600 in tax abatement will have more than a $5 million multiplier-effect benefit for the local economy.
Chimney fire reported on Colby Road, Corfu
A chimney fire has been reported at 9565 Colby Road, Corfu.
Darien Fire Department along with a tanker from Alexander and Corfu fire have been dispatched.
UPDATE 5:03 p.m.: Power has been shut off to the residence. Pembroke fire requested to fill in at Corfu's hall.
UPDATE 5:13 p.m.: Fire appears contained to the chimney.
Stafford man taken into custody after tussel with security guard at DSS
A 26-year-old Stafford man apparently had a bad day at the Department of Social Services office and when a security guard told him it was time to leave, he didn't immediately comply.
"The situation became verbal and then it became physical," said Trooper Mark Catanzaro.
The initial 9-1-1 call for assistance came into the Emergency Dispatch Center at 11:14 a.m.
Taken into custody and facing a possible harassment, 2nd, charge is Steven Joseph, who listed an address in Mancuso Heights, off Seven Springs Road, Stafford.
The security guard was checked by Mercy EMS as a precaution, but was not injured, though his jacket was torn.
Joseph did not appear injured either.
Catanzaro said Joseph was at DSS seeking services, but "it wasn't going well." He became agitated and the security guard suggested he leave and come back another day.
During the confrontation, the guard wrestled Joseph to the ground and held him there until law enforcement arrived.
Catanzaro was first on scene. A city police officer and Sheriff's deputy arrived on scene seconds later.
UPDATE: A reader sent an e-mail saying that Mancuso Heights is actually in the Town of Batavia.
Photo: Smith Road Sunset
I spent most of the afternoon in Le Roy looking for news. I came up blank, but as the sun started to set, I took some back roads home to Batavia. This was shot on Smith Road, Pavilion Bethany.
Tagger hits eight downtown buildings
At least eight buildings in Downtown Batavia were tagged with graffiti some time since later yesterday evening, according to police.
The police report doesn't specify which buildings, but the building owners were notified that police officers spotted the graffiti sometime around 2 a.m.
There has been a little tagging of downtown buildings in the past, but this new tagging does not match the previous words/symbols left.
Chief Randy Baker said the police officer wasn't even sure what the message of the tags were.
Baker suggested that anybody who is downtown after dark call police and report any suspicious activity around buildings.
UPDATE: Downtown property owner Ken Mistler is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the tagger.
Police Beat: Convicted sex offender faces new charges
Anthony P. Dioguardi, 28, a resident of Wyoming Correctional Facility, is charged with four counts of sexual abuse, 1st. Dioguardi is accused of having forcible sexual contact with a child under 11 on two separate occasions in 2006. Dioguardi is currently serving a sentence on a conviction for similar acts, also in 2006. The case was investigated by Det. Kevin Czora, Batavia PD.
Amanda Ann Barclay, 23, of Angling Road, Corfu, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Barclay is accused of remaining in the presence of two people whom she is barred by court order from contacting.
City School District presents plan for $3.9 million upgrade to Van Detta
No more muddy football games, practice sessions that can begin a month earlier and end a month later and lower maintenance costs are among the advantages of an artificial turf field. That's what about 30 attendees were told about at a public hearing Tuesday night on a proposed $3.9 million upgrade to Van Detta Stadium and the field.
The upgrade would also bring showers into federal Title IX compliance and disability access to the stands into compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. It would also add 75 adjacent parking spots.
The financial impact of the project, some of which would be covered by state aid, would mean the district would need to collect about $110,000 in annual taxes from district residents over 15 years.
Superintended Margaret Puzio acknowledges that in a slow economic time a proposal like this might be counterintuitive. But the time is right, she said, because the recession means the district is likely to attract lower bids from contractors.
"It's important for the public to understand that this may be the last opportunity to do a project of this scope funded at this level," Puzio said near the end of the public hearing.
Afterwards, Puzio said she thought it was important to at least present the option to the public.
"I told the board, morally this is the right thing to do -- to let the public know this is available and let them decide," Puzio said.
The local share -- the amount local taxpayers will pay for directly -- is $1.6 million. The district already has more than $500,000 in its capital improvement fund, which leaves a little over a million to raise locally.
That would mean a tax increase of $6.41 annually to the tax bill of a property assessed at $75,000.
Revenue to pay the balance of the $3.9 million project cost is expected to come from state aid.
The public vote on the proposal is March 29.
Besides converting the playing surface to artificial turf -- which would greatly multiple the number of events and practices the field could be used for annually -- the proposed project also renovates and expands the press box. It adds coaches offices adjacent to the locker rooms and creates separate shower facilities for boys and girls.
The current showers can't even be used because they don't comply with requirements of Title IX.
There would also be a new concession stand area that would include public restrooms.
A 75-space parking lot would be constructed on a current playing field off Union Street (near the center, top left of the picture above).
The Batavian is growing: Meet Brittany, Ethan and Nick
Today was a significant day in the growth of The Batavian -- our first two employees started work.
Granted, both are working on a limited part-time basis, but getting help for Billie and I will give us the latitude to continue growing the business. Over the past couple of months, it's been clear that there simply aren't enough hours in a week to get done all we need to get done, especially if we want to grow.
We've hired Brittany Baker and Ethan Thompson, two people with roots in Genesee County.
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Dan Crofts, Gretel Kauffman and Jim Nigro continue on as correspondents and we very much appreciate their ongoing contributions.
Brittany Baker, Staff Writer: I first met Brittany more than 18 months ago when she introduced herself outside a restaurant where she worked. She wanted to write for The Batavian. We brought her on as a correspondent and both Billie and I were impressed with her work ethic and commitment to journalism.
We were exceptionally sorry a couple of months later to see her depart to the Batavia Daily News as a full-time staff writer, but wished her well. In December, I learned Brittany's position at the Daily was eliminated and since I knew I would be creating at least one part-time position in 2011, I immediately contacted her. Billie and I are quite proud that Brittany agreed to rejoin us.
Brittany is 24, born and raised in Genesee County and holds a bachelor's degree in broadcasting from Brockport and an associate's degree from GCC in communications and media arts. Her interests include video games, painting, photography and, of course, writing and reading. She's previously worked for, besides the Daily News, Terry Hills, Hot Shots, Delavan's, Bob Evans and has done some modeling.
She currently resides in Batavia.
Initially, Brittany will work four days per month, with an emphasis on covering the Town of Batavia. We'll add more work days as our revenue grows.
Ethan Thompson, Advertising Support: Ethan is another person who approached me in the early days of The Batavian with an interest in working for us. You may recognize his name. He has covered some football for us and done a couple of other video projects.
Ethan impressed me early on with his ambition and hard work, and when he applied for our advertising support position, I knew I at least had to talk with him about the job. We're very happy he decided to join our staff.
Ethan, 16, lives with his parents in Oakfield and is home-schooled -- he graduates this year. He runs his own media company, Just Passing Thru Productions and works with Ride to Recovery.
Besides strong video production skills, Ethan can build Web sites in Word Press, knows his way around PhotoShop and other computer programs we use on the advertising side of the business.
One of the tasks I've been having a hard time keeping up with recently is "Deal of the Day," so Ethan's initial duties will be handling all of those responsibilities -- working four mornings a week to post the deals and send out the gift certificates. This should improve the entire process.
Ethan will take on additional responsibilities over the course of the year, all aimed at helping us serve local businesses better and generate more revenue so we can better serve both readers and advertisers.
Everybody in Le Roy is talking, but nobody is talking
Something happened two weeks ago involving a few Le Roy High School basketball players.
As near as we can tell, it was a serious matter.
Judging by the reaction of some students the following Tuesday (wearing T-shirts in support of one of the alleged aggressors in the situation) and the reaction of the father of the possible alleged victim, emotions were running high around this issue.
WHAM-13's Sean Carroll has been looking into this matter, and I have had numerous conversations with sources as well. There have also been other reporters looking into the issue.
At this point, it appears everybody has lawyered up and clammed up.
Given the seriousness of the allegations on both sides, it's hard to just shrug and say, "well, it's just some sort of private matter."
It's especially difficult to take that stance when several, shall we say, well-placed Le Roy residents and community leaders keep telling me, "there's more to this," and "you need to keep digging," and "don't let this go."
Kim Cox, the Le Roy Central School District superintendent, cites student confidentially for her unwillingness to discuss the situation, but not all of the questions either Sean or I are asking are covered by student confidentially laws or policies.
For example, she refused to answer a question regarding some sort of public conflict at a basketball game saying, "the matter is under investigation." The problem with that answer is that it isn't under investigation as far as we can tell. Supposedly, students have been told not to talk to anybody about that incident (or the other) and the police have not been called in to investigate it.
The school board is no less uncooperative. I called four school board members. Two did not return messages, a third said repeatedly "no comment" and a fourth hung up on me.
It's troubling when people whom we regard as highly credible and responsible people are telling us "there's more to this" and "keep digging" and at the same time the school district appears to be taking every step possible to keep a lid on it.
There are serious allegations here involving young people, so it is a very sensitive situation, but it's hard to be confident that it's being handled appropriately when district officials put up a stone wall.
Sean Carroll put out a call in his blog post for witnesses to come forward. I would also welcome information from direct witnesses to either of these incidents. It's hard to say if any this will ever lead to a "story."
But given the requests of knowledgable people not to let this drop, it seems important to let readers know we're concerned that these events may just get swept under the rug.
City council: From the 2011/12 budget to the War of 1812
Here's what happened at Monday night's city council meeting.
There were two public hearings -- one on the proposed budget with its $1.59 per-thousand property tax increase and another on the water and sewer rate increase (adding about $12 per year to the average homeowner's bill) -- and no members of the public showed up.
A pair of local residents raised their concerns about a neighbor dispute they would like the police department to take action on.
And Elijah Monroe, above, presented a framed certificate to the Batavia City Council commemorating Batavia for being the Niagara Frontier chapter headquarters for the The Society of the Second War with Great Britain In the State of New York.
The society is affiliated with the General Society of the War of 1812, which is an organization for the male descendants of anyone who served in the War of 1812.
Hawley won't seek congressional seat, endorses Corwin
Press Release:
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C – Batavia) recently announced that he will not seek election in the 26th Congressional District. Hawley instead will continue his duties as an assemblyman in the 139th District.
“I have been truly inspired by the outpouring of support I have received from constituents, friends and colleagues regarding a potential run for the United States House of Representatives in the 26th Congressional District,” Hawley said. “Furthermore, the parallels and comparisons I have received to former Rep. Barber Conable Jr. from members of the community have been nothing short of humbling.
"However, after careful consideration, I have decided to forgo a run for Congress and remain in the New York State Assembly, representing my home -- the 139th Assembly District. There may be another day and another time for me to seek such office, but today is not that day and now is not that time.”
“Throughout my time in the Assembly, I have held myself to a core set of principles that continue to propel me through my life of public service,” Hawley said. “From lowering property taxes, attracting and retaining business in Western New York, and supporting and honoring our proud veterans to protecting the viability of New York’s number one industry, agriculture, I have fought day in and day out to meet the needs of my district.
"However, there is still much work left to be done in order to right New York’s ship. That is why I feel it is important for me to continue my role in the state Assembly. There is simply so much more to accomplish right here in our own community.”
On withdrawing his name from the running, Hawley announced his support for Assemblywoman Jane Corwin (R, C, I – Clarence), who represents the 142nd District. Hawley and Corwin have been colleagues in the Assembly minority since 2008.
“It is without hesitation that I endorse Assemblywoman Jane Corwin for the 26th Congressional District,” Hawley said. “Assemblywoman Corwin has shown tireless dedication in representing her constituents and shares many of the same common-sense, pro-business principles that I have made a priority in the state Assembly.
"Assemblywoman Corwin and I were the only two representatives to earn perfect scores on Unshackle Upstate’s 2009-10 Legislative Scorecards, which rate the voting records of all 212 state legislators regarding bills that would support the health and growth of New York’s economy. I take great pride in endorsing my friend and colleague as our next representative in the U.S. House of Representatives.”
Car hits tree in Bergen
A car as hit a tree on Lake Road, near Sackett Road, in Bergen.
The elderly driver is reportedly disoriented.
Bergen Fire and Mercy EMS responding.
UPDATE 9:15 p.m.: Lake Road is not being closed, but Fire Police are trying to slow down traffic.
UPDATE 9:20 p.m.: Mercy's response canceled. No injuries.
Police Beat: Possession charge follows traffic stop for Rochester man
Kenyada R. Peterkin, 29, of Saxton Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, aggravated unlicensed operation, unlicensed operation and unlawful possession of marijuana. Peterkin was arrested following a traffic stop by members of the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force. He was allegedly found in possession of crack cocaine and marijuana. Peterkin was jailed on $1,500 bail.
A 17-year-old from Asbury Road, Pavilion, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. The youth allegedly violated a court order by hitting another person during an argument.
Matthew Joseph Dahl, 19, Tinkham Road, Darien, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving left of pavement markings in a no-passing zone and inadequate headlights. Dahl was stopped at 2:06 a.m., Saturday, on Tinkham Road, Darien, by Deputy Jason Saile.
Stephen Daniel Golembiewski, 32, of Main Road, East Pembroke, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving left of center pavement markings and obstructed rear plate. Golembiewski was stopped at 1:13 a.m., Sunday, on Indian Falls Road, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.
Jenna Alexandra Kavanagh, 18, of Guaymar Circle, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Kavanagh was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during a traffic stop on Thursday by Deputy James Diehl.
Brandy Rose Douglas, 31, of South Main Street, Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation and driving left of pavement markings in a no-passing zone. Douglas was stopped at 12:17 a.m., Friday, on Chapel Road, Byron, by Deputy Jason Saile.
Seven people escape injury in accident on Route 19, Le Roy
None of the seven people involved in a two-car accident in Le Roy on Saturday afternoon were injured.
The driver of one car, Cody A. Busch, 19, of Batavia, said he was trying to brake for another car when he lost control of the 1989 Pontiac he was driving and the car spun into oncoming traffic.
The Pontiac struck a 2002 Kia driven by Angelo J. Rampino, 38, of Tonawanda.
No citations were issued following the 5:33 p.m. accident on Route 19 in the area of 8623 Lake Road.
In Busch's car were James K. Goodenow, 39, and Kristine M. Reynolds, 21. In Rampino's car were Heather C. Rampino, 37, Angelo J. Rampino II, 4, and Deborah A. Gillmor, 57.
The accident was investigated by Deputy Joseph Graff.
