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Mavrik Hall, a senior at Notre Dame High School, broke a school record in shot put at the Batavia Track & Field Invitational on Saturday that has stood for 48 years.

Hall threw 51 feet, one inch, breaking Mike Cordes's 1976 record of 50 feet, eight inches.

According to Mike Rapone, Notre Dame's principal and athletic director, Hall is a five-sport athlete who excels in football, basketball, indoor track, golf and outdoor track. 

He is the defending Section V B5 champion in both the shot put and the discus. 

Loni Hall, Mavrik's proud mother, said her son hasn't had a shot put coach at Notre Dame and that he is self-coached.

She said Mavrik intends to attend Columbia College in South Carolina for business, where he will also throw shot put.

Submitted photos.

Batavia PD has a timely reminder for city residents: Never approach a bear.

The warning comes after a Ring camera on a residence on Vine Street recorded a bear walking through backyard.

Other safety tips:

• Secure food, garbage and recycling;
• Do not leave pet food outside;
• Remove bird feeders if you spot bears in your yard;

More tips regarding being bear-wise can be found on the DEC website.

Some in the community may want Michael J. Elmore, accused of causing the death of Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello on March 10 at Batavia Downs, to face a murder charge, but District Attorney Kevin Finnell said he believes a Genesee County Grand Jury reached the correct decision when it delivered an aggravated manslaughter count against Elmore.

Finnell said that, as a legal matter, he couldn't reveal whether the Grand Jury even considered a murder charge or if he sought murder as a possible count against Elmore, but he did say the Grand Jury reached its conclusion for the counts against Elmore based on evidence.

"As you know, I can’t discuss what transpired with or in the grand jury, so I can only say that the charges that were filed with the indictment were supported by the evidence," Finnell said. "As for the original charging decisions, I would advise that my office and the Batavia City Police Department had discussions regarding the charges that would be filed by BPD, and those that were filed were the most appropriate given the information that was available at the time."

Elmore is accused of fighting with Sanfratello when the 32-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office tried to eject Elmore and Lyndsey J. Wilccox from a bar at the casino.

According to charging documents filed immediately after Elmore's arrest, Elmore left the facility and returned with a heavy metal chain in his hands. The chain was apparently jewelry he was wearing at the time. Elmore is accused of hitting Sanfratello with his fists and with the chains and, at one point, getting Sanfratello in a chokehold.

A source connected to the investigation has told The Batavian that Elmore wrapped the chain around his fist and hit Sanfratello with it wrapped around his fist. Finnell said he couldn't discuss exactly how the defendant may have deployed the chain.

"The information we have about the incident involving the chain specifically is that Mr. Elmore removed it from his neck and held it in his hand as he fought with Sgt. Sanfratello and Batavia Downs Security," Finnell said. "Mr. Elmore threw punches with the chain in his possession. I can’t comment further on the manner in which the chain was utilized."

Elmore's social media posts indicate that he has, on occasion, worn heavy metal chain necklaces. 

The incident that led up to Sanfratello's death began at 12:43 a.m. on March 10, a Sunday morning following a pair of events at Batavia Downs on Saturday night, when Sanfratello and Batavia Downs security responded to the Rush 34 bar for a disturbance. There, Sanfratello confronted Wilcox, 39, of Batavia and ordered Wilcox to leave the building. While being escorted out, she allegedly became combative with Sanfratello. She is accused of hitting Sanfratello several times with the intent to injure him. 

As Wilcox was being arrested, Elmore became involved and was also ordered to leave. He reportedly walked out of the building and came back in with a chain in his hand (a chain he was apparently wearing that night).

During the struggle, which included assistance from Batavia Downs security, Sanfratello reportedly tried to deploy his taser in an attempt to subdue the person attacking him.

According to initial reports, Sanfratello suffered a medical emergency during the struggle and became unresponsive. There was extensive effort, according to witnesses, to revive him with CPR. He was later pronounced dead by a county coroner.

Elmore was indicted by the Grand Jury on counts of:

• Aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, a Class B felony. He is accused of intending to cause serious physical injury to a police officer and, as result, causing the death of a police officer;
• Aggravated criminally negligent homicide, a Class C violent felony. He is accused of causing the death of Sanfratello with criminal negligence;
• Assault in the first degree, a Class B violent felony. Elmore is accused of causing the death of Sanfratello while in the commission of another crime, burglary in the second degree;
• Burglary in the second degree, a Class C violent felony. He is accused of knowingly entering a building unlawfully with the intent to commit a crime in the building and threatening to use or did use a dangerous instrument.

Elmore and co-defendant Wilcox are indicted on counts of:

• Burglary in the second degree, a Class C violent felony. Elmore and Wilcox are accused of remaining unlawfully in a building with the intent to commit a crime in the building and, while in the building, causing serious physical injury to another person;
• Assault in the second degree, a Class D violent felony. Elmore and Wilcox are accused of causing physical injury to a police officer who was in the act of performing his official duties;
• Obstruction of governmental administration in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor. The pair is accused of trying to intentionally prevent a police officer from performing his official duty by means of intimidation, physical force, or interference.

Wilcox is separately charged with resisting arrest, a Class A Misdemeanor. She is accused of intentionally trying to prevent her legal arrest.

Elmore and Wilcox will be arraigned in County Court on the counts in the indictment on May 20. 

For previous coverage of the death of Sgt. Sanfratello, click here.

Many of the honors on Saturday night during the Pembroke Fire District Awards and Installation Dinner at the Fire Hall in Pembroke went to those men and women who showed up for more than 100 calls during 2023 and to those who have put in at least 50 years.

But the Firefighter of the Year Award went to somebody who didn't go on the most calls and hasn't yet made it to 50 years but, despite battling an illness, has still made his presence felt.

"I usually run it past all my chiefs to see if we have a general consensus of who is deserving (of Firefighter of the Year)," said Chief Jamie Waff. "This year, it was a dictatorship of one. I just basically said. "No." Usually, we base it on call volume and training. You know, leadership. Well, this person didn't have the most calls. But he's shown everyone here how strong he is, the courage he has, that dedication that he has to this fire company. When he got sick, he was worried about not being able to make his 10% (of calls) to stay active. But he's still here for maintenance. He's still here for the calls he can make." 

Raymond Mault is Pembroke's 2023 Firefighter of the Year.

Sen. George Borrello and Assemblyman Steve Hawley were on hand, in part, to honor the four people with 50-plus years of service to the Pembroke Fire District (Both the Pembroke Volunteer Fire Department and the Indian Falls Volunteer Fire Department are part of the district).

Both Borrello and Hawley highlighted the importance of volunteer fire services.

"You know, it's funny," said Borrello, "when you gave out awards for one year (of service), there were a few giggles in the room. But I've got news for you. Most of the people out there have zero years, and they're gonna continue to zero years. You're the folks that are stepping up to do the things that other people won't do."

Borello said there are 80,000 volunteer firefighters in New York, and their volunteer fire service saves state taxpayers more than $4.7 billion in public safety expenses.

"Whether it's one year, 30 years, or 50 years, God bless what you do," Borrello said.

Hawley said volunteering is part of the fabric of America.

"The most positive thing that we can do is volunteer, and that's what you do each and every day," Hawley said.

More than 50 fourth and fifth graders at Pavilion Central School are getting their first exposure to musical theater with a production of Peter Pan Jr., and show director Rebecca Marczyk said the students have been doing a great job getting ready for Thursday's debut.

Tryouts were in January, with much of the preparation and rehearsal until recently in classrooms.

"I find they have improved a lot from where we first started," Marczyk said. "I've seen them grow a lot. They've never been on stage before. And we've only been on the stage here for a month."

It's a full production, too, with costumes, stage props (including a big ship), and all the singing and dancing a young troupe of performers might want.

"It's just fun. There are like fun dances that are in the musical," said fourth grader Essie Michau, who plays Tigerlilly.  

"I just thought it would be fun because I've never acted before," Essie said. "I thought it would be fun to try something new. And it's like, I knew a bunch of my friends were doing it, so it'd be like a chance to hang out with them."

She said he was already a dancer and she loves singing.

Singing and dancing is fun, but it's better doing it with friends, many of the performers said.

"I love the movie Peter Pan," said fifth-grader Adelaide Noble. "This is fun, and I love being with my friends and doing stuff with them."

Eleanor Logsdon, who plays Wendy said her favorite part of the production is, "I get to hang out with all my friends."

Connor Smart, who plays Peter Pan, said, "I like getting all the lines and saying a lot."  

He said he plans on continuing with musicals through school because "I just like musical stuff. I like music."

Brooklynn Bannister, who plays Capt. Hook, thinks she has a special role.

"I find it really fun because I've never like really thought of me as a villain," Brooklynn said. "But now that I'm doing it, it's like really fun. And I just like the costume and stuff. And I enjoy being a leader of some people."

Student involvement extends beyond the cast. There are student members of the stage crew and two sixth graders who were in last year's musical and are helping out this year as assistant directors.

They are Emma Tillotson and Leah Banister.

They have different views of how the production is going so far this year.

"It's a lot different than last year," Emma said. "They're definitely a little bit behind. But I think that it will be a really good one."

Leah said last year's Frozen cast had less time to practice.

"With more time practicing, I honestly think it's better," Leah said. "And I think it's perfect. I think it helps to have us around."

Getting a lot of kids involved is important to Marczyk.  Staging a musical is about more than singing and dancing.

"It teaches them responsibility," Marczyk said. "That's a big thing. It also teaches them good character. We respect each other and are kind to each other because they don't always know how to do that. They get mad at each other. And they have to take ownership. They have to take ownership for their parts. We talked about being a family. Being a family is just like being on a team for softball or soccer. We all have to work together to have a wonderful production."

Showtimes are at 1:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

Volunteers from Habitat for Humanity loaned their construction expertise to the Batavia Girls Fast Pitch Softball League on Saturday at Lions Park on Edwards Street to build a new equipment shed for the Stingers.

The league supplied the building material and the Batavia Business and Professional Women's Club provided lunch for the volunteers.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Music Director Ric Jones promises no clouds will obscure the beauty of Genesee Chorale's spring program -- Eclipse.

The 12-song concert takes its theme from the recent total solar eclipse that passed over the United States, including Western New York, opening with "Measure Me, Sky." 

Other titles in the show include "Canticle of the Sun," "Song to the Moon," "Light Beyond Shadow, "Day of Fire and Sun," "Capture the Sun," and "You Are the New Day."

Three songs are performed in total darkness to help the concert mimic the experience of a total eclipse.

Eclipse opened Friday evening in the auditorium at Pavilion High School. Its second performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday at St. James Episcopal Church, 405 East Main St., Batavia.

Photos by Howard Owens

A better spot with more room was a strong incentive to change locations, said Ray Smith, owner of Smith's Great Outdoors, which sells most things any dedicated hunter or fisherman might need.

For the past few years, Smith's has been located at Lewiston Road and Veterans Memorial Drive, near Applebees.

The store is now at 8282 Park Road, Batavia. There will be a grand opening from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. 

"We've always enjoyed the outdoors on hunting, and so why not do it (own a store)" Smith said. "The kids work here so it's great. Brayden is in college. He helps out from college, and my two daughters help out here and there with this and that, and my wife helps. Then we've got a good group of employees to make it all happen."

The location also offers more parking, and the lot is easier to get in and out of, Smith said.

"The main thing here is more room, so we can expand some more and put in a range," Smith said.

He said the range is still early in the planning stages, but it will be inside. He's looking at a 40-yard range, but he's not sure how many targets yet.

"We're just kind of in the beginning stages of that," Smith said.

Smith's has a large selection of guns, bows, crossbows, accessories, reloading supplies, and bait and tackle.

There's no gunsmith at the store, but Smith said the staff can clean guns and do minor repairs.

"We got a new full-time archery kid starting in May," Smith said. "He'll be here all week long, and he'll be able to do any bow, fix just about whatever problems people have."

He invited everybody to come out to the grand opening on Saturday.

"We'll have the Elba High School track team here," Smith said. "They will be selling hotdogs and hamburgers, and we'll have a whole bunch of different reps from different product lines here and a whole bunch of specials, and we've got a bunch of good giveaways and stuff going to go on."

Photos by Howard Owens

The Batavia Players production of “Evita,” hitting the 56 Main Theater stage this weekend, is high energy, said director Pat Burk.

There is nonstop singing and frequent dancing, and the main character, Kristen Gelia's Eva Peron, has 15 costume changes.

"Evita is very tough because she's rarely offstage," Burk said. If she's offstage, it's for 30 seconds. She literally sings over half the score, so it's a very difficult role. You need a strong voice, strong acting skills, and the ability to be very quick, manipulate, and move quickly."

Gelia, who was lead in the “Drowsy Chaperone” last spring, is a former Harvie Award winner and has been in a number of other Batavia Players’ productions, is doing a great job in the role, Burk said.

The cast -- which has only four named characters, and everybody else is an "ensemble" -- is active throughout the entire production, and Burk believes audiences will thoroughly enjoy the show they put on.

"I'm very, very pleased with our talent," Burk said. "This cast is doing a tremendous job. We have very long rehearsals, 10 hours on some days. And you're looking at people who volunteer their time to put on something that is not normally done in a regional or a community theater. We have great musicians in the pit, and you know that our tech is great. And so I hope people come and see it. It's a wonderful, wonderful show."

The Batavia Players production of Evita, hitting the 56 Main Theater stage this weekend, is high energy, said director Pat Burk.

There is nonstop singing and frequent dancing, and the main character, Kristen Gelia's Eva Peron, has 15 costume changes.

"Evita is very tough because she's rarely offstage," Burk said. If she's offstage, it's for 30 seconds. She literally sings over half the score, so it's a very difficult role. You need a strong voice, strong acting skills, and the ability to be very quick, manipulate, and move quickly."

Gelia, who was lead in the Drowsy Chaperone last spring, is a former Harvie Award winner, and has been in a number of other Batavia Player's productions, is doing a great job in the role, Burk said.

The cast -- which has only four named characters, and everybody else is an "ensemble" -- is active throughout the entire production, and Burk believes audiences will thoroughly enjoy the show they put on.

"I'm very, very pleased with our talent," Burk said. "This cast is doing a tremendous job. We have very long rehearsals, 10 hours on some days. And you're looking at people who volunteer their time to put on something that is not normally done in a regional or a community theater. We have great musicians in the pit, and you know that our tech is great. And so I hope people come and see it. It's a wonderful, wonderful show."

The story of Evita, meaning how Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice came to write the musical, begins with them writing the eventual hit song "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" when Webber and Rice became enthralled with the story of Eva Perón.

They wrote "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and decided to spin it out into a rock opera.  Evita was a concept album released in 1976 before it became a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. The production eventually toured nationally, was adopted to film in 1996, and has been performed on stages from London to Spain, Mexico and South Africa.

The musical tells the story of Eva, who was born poor in the small city of Junin. At 15, she seeks a better life in Buenos Aires and persuades tango singer-songwriter Agustin Magaldi to take her to Argentina's capital city.

Once there, Eva sleeps her way up the social ladder. She becomes a model, radio star, and actress. During this same period, Col. Juan Perón begins his rise to power. 

Following a charity concert in Luna Park to aid earthquake victims, Perón and Eva meet and begin an affair. Eva suggests she can help Perón rise to power.

Once the relationship is public, Eva is introduced to high society, only to be met with disdain from the upper classes and military.

"Surprisingly, at that time, the aristocrats in Argentina were basically people who fled from Nazi Germany as Nazis. In other words, after the war was over they checked out of Germany in order to be safe from being prosecuted," Burk said. "Also, a tremendous number of English people who were fascist and Nazi sympathizers (migrated). So it was a very wealthy group that was trying to run things, and she kind of upset the applecart."

That compelling story, along with the musical's iconic status, energy, and great work of the cast and crew, is why Burk hopes the community will be inspired to turn out for the production.

"It's been a favorite of mine for quite a few years," Burk said. "And it isn't always available for production; we're very lucky we were able to obtain the rights. It took us over two years to do that, to do the production here."

Evita opens at 56 Main St. Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, followed by another 7:30 p.m. performance on Saturday and 2 p.m. shows on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $22 online, or $24 at the door, and students and seniors are $22.

Photos by Howard Owens

Buffalo-Native Timothy Onello has been named president and CEO of Chapin International, taking over from Jim Campbell, who is retiring.

Onello is taking over a company that now has production facilities in the U.S. and overseas but was founded in Oakfield 140 years ago.

The firm is celebrating its 140th anniversary in June. 

From 2020 until February of this year, Onello was VP and general manager of ITW, a Fortune 200 company. He was based in San Luis Obispo, Calif.   Prior to joining ITW, he spent nearly 12 years with JPW Industries in Nashville, rising to the position of VP and general manager.

He has MBAs from Thunderbird School of Global Management and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and a bachelor of science in marketing and psychology from Northern Michigan University.

He's also held positions at Hilti Tools, Positec Tools, and Irwin Industrial Tools.

Chapin manufactures sprayers, broadcast spreaders, handheld spreaders, ATV sprayers, backpack sprayers, and specialty sprayers.

At only 61, Steve Hyde isn't planning a second career after his final days with the Genesee County Economic Development Center; he's planning to try out an actual retirement -- for awhile, at least.

"My kind of core values in retirement, I think are, I want to spend more time with my family, do a little traveling," Hyde said in an exclusive interview with The Batavian on Monday. "I'll try to be around to help out, but it's time to step away from the limelight and the leadership role a little bit."

Hyde has led the EDC for 21 years, overseeing the construction of eight shovel-ready industrial parks, including WNY STAMP, the Genesee Valley Agribusiness Park, Apple Tree Acres, Buffalo East Tech Park, and Gateway I & II corporate parks, among them. During that time, GCEDC has assisted with more than 500 projects, from building expansions to whole new factories, worth a combined $2 billion-plus of investments leading to the creation of thousands of new jobs and increased tax revenue for municipalities and school districts.

"I just think it's a good time for me (to retire)," Hyde said. "I mean, I hit critical milestones for our retirement plan. Things are in good shape at EDC. There's lots of progress and more to do. But, you know, my hope was to get things up and running and on plane, and with Edwards breaking ground and the Ag Park almost full, the great work going on with O-AT-KA and Upstate and HP Hood. The other parks are filling up. The next generation is ready to move, and it just seemed like a good time to do it."

Hyde graduated from Batavia High School. He earned a bachelor of science in marketing, finance, and agricultural economics from Cornell University and an MBA in finance in sales and marketing from RIT. 

After earning his MBA, Hyde became manager of strategic finance/mergers and acquisitions for Xerox, followed by taking a shot in the start-up world with a software company before landing a VP of business and technology development at ResMed in Rochester.

Jim Vincent was chairman of the GCEDC board in 2002 when the agency began its search for a new president and CEO. There were several qualified candidates, Vincent said in a recorded message shared at the GCEDC annual meeting on Friday.

"Steve Hyde was our selection," Vincent said. "He is a gifted individual with experience from the big corporate world of Xerox. We were not sure if he was a good fit for a small town and small county economic development. We were won over by his commitment to home and family and his desire to raise his family here in Genesee County."

That was the start of a four-minute video in which community leaders praised Hyde's efforts to help Genesee County improve its business climate.

"There was no project or client that was too big or imposing," said Charlie Cook, chairman of the board for Liberty Pumps in Bergen. "He was determined that Genesee County be recognized statewide, even nationwide, as a great place to locate.

"Steve's approach to economic development was comprehensive and creative," Cook added. "Beyond the projects themselves, he was focused on the supporting peripherals, such as park development, infrastructure, workforce supply, workforce development, and even housing."

Hyde was quick to point out during his interview with The Batavian that "it takes a village" to succeed in economic development and that not only has he been blessed with a great team while leading the industrial development agency, the agency has also had great partners at the state and regional level.

"It wasn't just me," Hyde said. "I was just a part of the partnership that was really focused. I think about the number of organizations that really locked arms together to advance our shovel-ready sites, workforce development, and downtown revitalization strategies. I've been just really pleased to see that."

Hyde believes those efforts have been successful for Genesee County.

"The industrial parks have really helped really bring manufacturing back," Hyde said. "That's really been our focus for the past 20 years. I think we've had some good progress there, and they'll continue growing. I think we're seeing things grow, though not everything's perfect. Our downtown areas are seeing tons of redevelopment, making it a better place to live, work and play, but not everything's perfect in economic development, as you know."

In 2022, the most recent data available, Hyde was paid a salary of $249,752.

While leading the GCEDC, Hyde also served on the board of education for Batavia City Schools from 2007 to 2011. He is a past chairman of the New York State Economic Development Council and a member of the board of directors of the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council. Those are all voluntary positions. 

Hyde's 21 years at the helm of the agency haven't been without choppy waters and controversy.

In 2011, the agency was criticized for $344,000 in bonuses paid to GCEDC employees from 2005 to 2009. The bonus plan was eventually eliminated. 

In 2013, The Batavian scrutinized tax abatements awarded to COR Development to help the owner of Batavia Towne Center on Veterans Memorial Drive attract Dick's Sporting Goods and Kohl's Department Store to the former Lowe's Home Improvement location, raising the level of corporate competition for local retailers.

In 2015, the sudden closure of the Muller Quaker yogurt plant in the Genesee Valley Agribusiness Park looked at first glance like a crushing blow to the cause of economic development. Pepsi Co. and the Muller Group from Germany invested more than $200 million in the plant only to shutter operations less than three years after its opening. The companies had been promised more than $11 million in tax abatements to build the plant, and people who misunderstood how tax abatements work thought the company was walking away with a windfall.  However, both companies lost any pending tax breaks (a big portion of that $11 million), and Pepsi, a publicly traded company, reported a $60 million loss on the project. It's unknown how much Muller lost as a result of the business failure.

In 2015, Dairy Farmers of America acquired the plant for $60 million, and after paying a full-load property tax bill of more than $600,000 in 2016 on the property, sold the plant in 2017 to H.P. Hood for $54,216,000.  Since then, the plant has undergone multiple expansions, employing hundreds of people beyond initial projections and turning it into one of GCEDC's biggest success stories.

Another yogurt plant, built by Alpina in the Ag Park, has undergone a similar transformation, from a failed business venture by the South America-based dairy company to a success for Upstate Niagara.

WNY STAMP has also seen its share of starts and stops.  The most notorious was the highly-touted plans to build innovative solar panels on property in the tech park in the town of Alabama. After 1366, Technologies was unable to secure backing from the Department of Energy (largely, it seems, because then Sen. Chris Collins failed to endorse the project). The company decided to build its plant in Malaysia.  It's unclear if that plant was ever built. It later merged with a solar company and became CubicPV, which, earlier this year, scrapped plans to build a new manufacturing plant in the United States.

No new development plans were announced for STAMP until 2021, when another green energy company, Plug Power, which converts water into hydrogen fuel, announced plans to build a $264 million plant there.  At this point, a good deal of the plant's development has been completed, but the company doesn't expect the plant to start producing fuel until 2025.  Plug Power is itself a controversial company, with the stock currently trading at $2.60. Investors have become increasingly weary of a company that has never made a profit in more than 20 years of its existence. Plug Power is awaiting word on a $1.5 billion low-interest loan from the Department of Energy that will help it complete its hydrogen fuel plants. Once fully operational, those plants are expected to lift company revenue sufficiently to close the profitability gap. Meanwhile, the company is facing a shareholder lawsuit.

WNY STAMP has also faced some opposition from environmental groups, and the Department of Environmental Conservation is being sued by the Tonawanda Senecas over its permitting of aspects of the project.  The GCEDC has already defeated a lawsuit filed by Orleans County, but the DEC did recently require modifications to the sewer pipeline that was going to carry some waste from STAMP, so the agency has reached agreements with the town of Alabama and the town of Oakfield for an alternative sewer line.

Hyde's retirement announcement, however, coincided with good news for the IDA.  Edwards Vacuum, planning a $319 million factory at STAMP, broke ground on Friday.

Hyde always takes all of these ups and downs in stride, saying, as he does often, that "economic development is a marathon, not a sprint."  The business world is full of challenges, and few things go as expected.

When a business deal falls apart, Hyde understands.  Those things are going to happen. 

What has been harder to deal with -- and it's largely a more recent phenomenon -- is the amount of reporting from some media outlets, especially in Buffalo, that either employ reporters who don't understand business and economics, leave out critical information, or get information wrong.

"I think the biggest challenge for the job, especially so in the last few years, is the amount of misinformation that gets out into the public because facts are made up or manipulated rather than properly stated," Hyde said. "You know, I thank you because you've been one of the media outlets that has always worked hard to bring the facts to the table, but other outlets across the region have really created a smokescreen of misinformation. So misinformation, I think, is one of the biggest challenges." 

Some of these outlets' inaccurate reporting has helped fuel social media attacks on Hyde. Asked if this has led him to seek an early exit, he said it hasn't.

"I'm a human being," Hyde said. "I have feelings, just like we all do. I've done nothing while in this role but to try and do everything I can to create more and better jobs for our residents and kids, you know, but being shot at by certain media outlets that don't have the facts portrayed correctly, it certainly is impactful and not helpful. I can't say that that drove me out of the job. No, but it can be heavy at times."

Hyde informed the GCEDC board months ago that he planned to retire in July. A committee has been busy seeking candidates, and Hyde suggested that his replacement could be announced soon.  Hiring his replacement is entirely up to the GCEDC board, though the input of the Genesee County Legislature and Empire State Development is possible.

"It's truly a local decision," Hyde said. "The County Legislature, of course, gets to provide some input, but they don't get deeply involved, either. They've been wonderful that way, great partners, through the years, but they empower the board to let it be a local decision based on the people who know how these agencies are run."

In retirement, he looks forward to relaxing with his wife JoAnn at their home at Conesus Lake, which will become their full-time residence.

Hyde has expertise in negotiating business development deals that might continue to be in demand, and he's also gone down the entrepreneurial start-up route once. Might he be lured back into one of these roles again?  Hyde has no such plans, he said. He said that going the start-up route once was enough, and while he's available to offer advice to his former colleagues, he thinks they're more than capable and will do fine just by keeping on doing what they're doing.

"At this juncture, I'm gonna take some time off and spend it with the family and friends, and probably for several months, if not longer, just to try to, you know, figure out what retirement looks like. Maybe something down the road, but I made a commitment to my wife JoAnn that we would do that. We've got to. We've got a second grandson coming in a couple of weeks, so I want to help out there. It'll be fun."

Two men in Le Roy are accused of providing marijuana to a student after initially connecting with the teenager through Snapchat.

Asa A Wooten, 20, and John M. Reese, 34, are both charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

Neither man has a permanent residence.

On April 22, the Le Roy Police Department was informed of possible drug activity in the area of the Woodward Memorial Library and Wolcott School.

The child receiving the marijuana was under 17 years of age, according to police.

Wooden and Reese allegedly first made contact with the child through Snapchat.

They were arrested on April 24, arraigned, and issued orders of protection.

The Le Roy Police Department encourages parents to talk with their children about the dangers of drug use and of interacting with strangers on social media.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Officer William Riley at 585-768-2527.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley recognizes a great wrestler when he sees one -- Hawley was himself a high school wrestler, good enough to make it to Division 1 in college before rib injury cut short his career -- so after Casper Stewart became Batavia High School's first state champion in wrestling, Hawley decided to deliver a special Assembly Proclamation to Stewart.

Hawley is limited to no more than 20 such proclamations during each two-year term, so, Hawley said, they go only to constituents with exceptional accomplishments.

"When we do a big one, it's for somebody, an individual or organization, that has accomplished something that is absolutely not only unbelievable but very difficult to obtain," Hawley said.

Stewart finished the season 52-3 and his wrestling career at BHS 279-20.  He is ranked fourth all-time in New York for wins and first all-time with 202 pens, ranking him fourth in the nation.

He will attend West Point, where he will continue to wrestling. After completing the military academy, he will serve at least five years of active duty in the U.S. Army.

"I am extremely proud of you," said Hawley, himself an Army veteran. 

Hawley's wrestling career started in fifth grade, and Coach Cargill told him he thought he had the makeup to be a wrestler, an offer that Hawley was initially reluctant to pursue because he didn't have much self-confidence, he said.

Wrestling helped change that.

"To make a long story short, I had a halfway decent record, a winning record, and I went from 101 to 112, to 118, or whatever the classes were," Hawley said. "I wrestled in college, and in one match against Bowling Green, Division 1, I ripped off that rib cartilage. But I never ever lost that belief that I could do anything I wanted."

Jay Antinore went the distance, seven innings, for Notre Dame against Byron-Bergen on Wednesday to help his team to a 7-2 victory.

Antoniore gave up five hits and one earned run, fanning two hitters.

He also had the only multi-hit game for the Irish, going 2-4, scoring three runs and driving in one.

Jaden Sherwood was 1-2 with two walks, scoring once and driving in a run. Charles Cummings was 1-2 with an RBI and a run scored.

For the Bees, Kinkleer (not listed on the team's roster, so no first name available) went 2-3 and drove in a run.

Photos by Pete Welker.

Alexander's school district board of trustees is asking voters on May 21 to approve a $22,758,728 budget.

That is an increase from the current academic year, which is $20,847,885.

The proposed budget increases the tax levy by 1.75 percent, or $109,709. The anticipated tax rate is $17.83, up 30 cents from the current rate.

The district is planning no cuts to staff or programs.

The district is not receiving an increase in state foundation aid.

There will be a public hearing at 7 p.m. on May 8.

Proposition #2: Bus Purchases

• 2 – 64 Passenger Buses - $340,000
• 1 – 24 Passenger Bus - $110,000

Proposition #3: Equipment Purchase

• Computer Hardware - $43,200
• Chromebooks - $68,710
• Floor Scrubbing Machine - $16,000

Proposition #4: Establish Equipment Reserve,  $500,000

Proposition #5: Establish Bus Reserve, $900,000

Pavilion Central School District's board of education has approved a $19,178,078 budget with a 2.9% tax levy increase.

District residents will be asked to vote on the proposed plan on May 21 in the high school auditorium lobby.

The tax levy increase is under the 3.3 percent tax cap ceiling.

Superintended Mary Kate Hoffman said The budget reflects a 1.64% increase in spending from last year.

One teaching position, created with COVID relief funds, has been reduced from one full-time equivalent to a half-FTE position.

Hoffman said the district is creating at the elementary school a 12:1:1 classroom, which is a special education class with 12 students, one special ed teacher and one aide.

"We are using existing staff to better meet the needs of our students," Hoffman said. "This classroom will allow us to keep students with special needs in the district."

The budget includes funding for a $100,000 capital outlay exception project and the purchase of two buses.  

The Byron-Bergen Central School District is proposing a $27,563,772 spending plan for 2024-25, up 6.13 % from the current academic year.

The tax levy is expected to increase 1.75%, from $9,223,509 to $9,385,010.

School enrollment is expected to drop from 920 students to 904 students.

The public budget hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 9 at the high school auditorium.

The budget vote is from noon until 9 p.m. on May 21.