Stories from

Suzanne Corona, infamous because of her 2010 arrest on an adultery charge, and who's been in and out of trouble with the law ever since, admitted this morning to her first felony conviction.

In Genesee County Court, as part of a plea deal, Corona entered a guilty plea to a single count of attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance, 5th, a Class E felony.

As a result, she faces up to one-and-a-half years in jail, but as a first-time felony offender, and no limitation on her sentence as part of the deal, Judge Robert C. Noonan will have latitude to give her a shorter jail term or even probation.

She is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m., Sept. 29.

Corona admitted to selling an amount of suboxone to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force in May 2014.

As part of the plea deal, she agreed to restitution to the county of $60.

The story of Suzanne Corona made international tabloids in June 2010 after a Batavia police officer responded to a complaint in Farrall Park of a couple engaged in sexual activity. The officer, knowing Corona and knowing the man she was with wasn't her husband, charged her with adultery, a seldom used criminal charge in the State of New York. In the following months and years, Corona was arrested on a series of petty theft charges, and then didn't make the news for a long time prior to this arrest.

She was initially charged with fourth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Photo: file photo.

Finally, we have an e-mail newsletter we can send you.

We will deliver the newsletter every day at 5 p.m. It will contain the top stories of the previous 24 hours or so, plus the latest marketplace posts from Batavia's List.

To sign up, click here.

Don't forget: Post your ad on Batavia's List for a chance to win an iPad Mini. No purchase necessary; e-mail howard@thebatavian.com for a coupon code for a free post.

A large field fire that is heading toward a house is reported at 620 Wyoming Road, Town of Covington.

That's part of the Pavilion Fire District and Pavilion fire is responding.

There is also a vehicle in the fire's path.

UPDATE 3 p.m.: Pavilion command reports being set with two engines that are responding.

A car has reportedly hit a bicyclist on South Swan Street, Batavia.

A minor injury is reported.

City fire and Mercy EMS responding.

Adams Welding & Fabrication hosted a customer appreciate/grand opening/sign unveiling party today at its location in Stafford. Standing with the glistening stainless steel sign are Tim Adams and Steve Foster.

Below, the celebration cake designed to look like a welding machine.

Paul Trowbridge with his 1969 Brockway truck at the annual antique truck show at the Stafford Fire Hall.

Trowbridge, a somewhat-retired farmer from Corfu, purchased the truck new for his farm in Corfu in 1969 and has owned it ever since. Brockway was a Cortland-based truck company. It's now out of business. Trowbridge said he bought it specifically because he wanted a truck built in New York.

The show continues on Sunday.

Nancy Burke (left) shows off a firefighting-themed quilt she made during a fundraising event at Frostridge Campground for the Le Roy Volunteer Fire Department. The event included the waterslide (later in the afternoon) and appearance by the department's trucks, a chance auction and food. David and Greg Luetticke-Archbell have hosted an event honoring the fire department volunteers annually for the past several years. Also holding the quilt is Michelle Dries.

Mike Gringer, of Spencerport, hits his tee shot on hole #1 at Terry Hills this afternoon during the Ricky Palermo's Spinal Injury Research Golf & Dinner Extravaganza.

Ricky Palermo

Gavin Prout, Richard Furlong and Gee Nash with Palermo.

Tyler Gaus was joined by other members of Batavia's Boy Scout Troop 6 today in the parking lot of Batavia's Original for a car wash to raise funds for his Eagle Scout project. Gaus plans on revitalizing the volleyball courts at Genesee Valley Park, which he said needs weeds eliminated and the boundaries need to be better defined.

We've got another upgrade to Batavia's List (more to come).

The most recent five posts will appear on the home page of The Batavian, giving the posts additional exposure.  If you scroll down to the bottom of the home page you'll find a block containing the five most recent posts to Batavia's List.

Here's a sample of what you can post on Batavia's List:

• Things you want to sell;
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• Basically, anything related to commerce, whether as a business or private party.

Also, get a full year of free posts on Batavia's List for the super low price of $24.95. Click here to find out more.

Also, time is running out to order your T-shirts. (Join Batavia's List and we'll send you a free T-shirt along with $300 in gift certificates to local businesses).

And the final reminder of this post: We're giving away a free iPad Mini to one lucky Batavia's List poster. Post an ad of any kind by Sept. 1 for a chance to win. No purchase necessary.

E-mail howard@thebatavian.com for a coupon code to get a free post to enter the contest.

For 2015, there will be no Mud King, no Mud Queen, no racing champion, no big muddy, soggy mess in East Pembroke.

The volunteer fire department has decided to forego the event for at least one year, Chief Don Newton said, because the small department always struggles to have enough volunteers working on race day.

"It's very hard work, difficult work, with not very many people for not a lot of money," Newton said.

This October, the department will hold a gun raffle in its recently refurbished pavilion behind the fire hall.

There are 32 active volunteers in the department and not all of them can help on race day. The event needs race officials, mud groomers, ticket takers, concession stand workers along with several other behind-the-scenes roles to fill, Newton said.  

"We put this on for the community and community members want to come and enjoy the event," Newton said. "It's hard to ask them to work when they just want to enjoy the show."

The department isn't ruling out bringing the mud races back for 2016. Newton said there's hope of getting the event reorganized and going again, especially with so many people expressing disappointment that it's been canceled this year.

Photo: File photo. A photo from the 2011 mud races.

GOP-endorsed candidates joined Assemblyman Steve Hawley in Kiwanis Park on Wednesday to dedicate a newly donated U.S. flag and a state flag.

Earlier this week, City firefighters paid a visit to the History Heroes summer education program at the Holland Land Office Museum.

Photos submitted by Jeffrey M. Fischer, assistant director.

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) today released the following statement after introducing H.R. 3327, the Kids Before Cons Act, which will block the Obama administration’s plans to use Pell grants to fund college programs for prisoners.

“The Obama administration’s plan to put the cost of a free college education for criminals on the backs of the taxpayers is consistent with their policy of rewarding lawbreakers while penalizing hardworking Americans,” Congressman Collins said. “The Kids Before Cons Act closes the loophole the Obama administration is trying to exploit, and protects taxpayers from footing the bill for criminals’ educations. This legislation ensures that Pell grants will be used for their intended purpose of assisting financially disadvantaged students struggling to attain a college education.”

H.R. 3327 does the following:

·         Upholds the 1994 law that prohibits prisoners from receiving federal Pell grants by forbidding the Department of Education from using its experimental authority to provide funding for higher education for prisoners;

·         Instructs the Department of Education to conduct a study on whether students enrolled in a charter school or in private schools as a result of participation in a voucher program run a higher or lower risk of incarceration than students who attend public school.

Full text of the legislation can be read here.

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

Reannon M. Rohring, 32 of Olcott, is charged with trespass after allegedly refusing to leave the concert venue after being told to leave numerous times. Rohring was arraigned in Darien Court and jailed in lieu of $300 bail.

Angela E. Wiechett, 20 of Wheelock Street, Buffalo, is charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and three counts of harassment, 2nd, after allegedly striking another patron, two deputies and then resisting arrest. Wiechett was arraigned in Darien Court and jailed in lieu of $200 bail.

Elizabeth J. Warren, 19 of Howe Terrace, Wellsville, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of marijuana.

Jason M. Kopatz, 19 of Schang Road, East Aurora, is charged with trespass after allegedly reentering the concert venue after being ejected and told not to return.

Brandon M. Burgess, 25 of South Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly fighting with concert security personnel.

Officials with the Batavia Bulldawgs, a youth football program with about 150 participants, were surprised recently to learn from city officials that they wouldn't have full use of Kibbe Park for practices, said John Reigle, Bulldawgs president.

Reigle said the four age-bracketed teams need a lot of space and a lot of parking for parents and coaches on practice days and only Kibbe Park provides enough space.

A newly formed men's softball league reserved the ball field at Kibbe, creating a scheduling conflict between the two uses.

City Manager Jason Molino said the city has seen an increase in the number of organized groups looking to use city parks over the past couple of years and that means the city needs to find a way to juggle the interests of all those groups.

"It's a new issue," Molino said. "It's not a bad issue. It's a good issue. There are multiple different organizations wanting to use the parks. In the past, the parks were available on a first-come, first-served basis, but as we get different organizations, football, softball, tennis, it creates conflicts. We need to figure out a way to get with all parties and work out a schedule."

Reigle said the Bulldawgs were a little caught off-guard by change in park use. For several years, going back at least 10 years if you include Batavia Youth Football, local youth football programs have used Kibbe Park for practice without reservations. Reigle said he wishes city officials had informed the Bulldawgs it needed to reserve the space for the first time before giving the time and space to another group.

This season, the Bulldawgs will practice where they play, at Lion's Park.

That's not an ideal situation because of limited parking in the area.

Riegle fears the increase in traffic four days a week will have a negative impact on residents on Wallace Street.

"On Saturday game days, as a courtesy to the neighbors, we put out cones in front of their front yards and driveways so people won't park there," Riegle said. "It's a small street and traffic flow in and out of the park is difficult."

Molino offered the team a city-owned field on Cedar Street, in front of the County Highway Department, but that field hasn't been used in years. At one time, before Batavia Sports Park, it was used for youth soccer. It hasn't been maintained since and Riegle said the ground is too hard and rutted now to be used safely for practice.

Which brings up another issue Molino said the city is facing as recreational sports use of the parks increases -- field prep and maintenance.

The city doesn't have a recreation department and doesn't have the resources to perform the kind of prep work that might be common for recreational leagues in other cities.

"In a way, this comes up at a good time," Molino said. "Our strategic plan outlines the need to do a recreational needs assessment. That can be done through the comprehensive planning process. We can look at what the needs are and develop that into the comprehensive plan so we know what these services cost and what it will take to fund them. It's a good public process that will help us understand the needs and demands on our parks."

Molino said he realizes Reigle isn't 100-percent satisfied with the outcome of their discussions about the situation, but both men are open to exploring the use of the field on Cedar Street for next season.

"The Bulldawgs are committed to continue providing a great program for the kids," Reigle said. "We'll make do with what's best for the safety of the kids."

The American Red Cross is closing its Downtown Batavia location Aug. 15.

The office was used primarily for storage and meetings, said Joseph Bonafede, chief communications officer for the ARC in WNY. It has been staffed exclusively by volunteers since November.

The Red Cross is working with other community groups to provide meeting space in the future, Bonafede said. He doesn't anticipate any reduction of service for the residents of Genesee County.

Volunteer response to fires, disasters and other emergencies along with health and safety training, services for military members and blood services have always been performed by volunteers in the field, with no need for a local office, Bonafede said.

Wyoming County hasn't had an office for years, Bonafede said, and, as an example for maintaining a high level of service to local residents, Bonafede used the recent flooding in Warsaw.

"Our volunteers were able to have a shelter ready shortly after being contacted by local emergency officials," Bonafede said. "While the shelter didn’t end up being necessary, our volunteers met with several families that were affected, providing temporary housing for one person and making sure others had the help they needed. They also distributed clean-up kits in the days immediately following the floods, helping neighbors in their recovery process."

The closure is part of a reorganization by American Red Cross in WNY that will help it better service its clients, Bonafede said.

"The reorganization allows us to provide additional services to the community by eliminating duplicate back-end functions and making more efficient use of our donor dollars," he said.

Press release:

U.S. senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $39,200 in federal funding for the Pavilion Fire District in Genesee County. The money was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. This federal funding will allow the Pavilion Fire District to purchase new protective gear and safety equipment.

“It is critical that we provide our local fire companies with the most up-to-date protective equipment they need to do their jobs effectively and keep residents safe,” Senator Schumer said. “Our first responders are our local heros and our primary line of defense – it is crucial we provide them with the resources they need to do their important work of saving lives.”

“The Pavilion Fire District will use this funding to invest in critical equipment that will help keep firefighters safe during emergency situations and enable them able to carry out their lifesaving work more effectively,” Senator Gillibrand said. “Our first responders are on the frontlines during emergencies and should have the most up-to-date equipment as they do their job protecting our community.”

“The Pavilion Fire District would like to inform the Pavilion Community that the Board of Fire Commissioners is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a grant in the amount of $39,200 for Protective Gear and Safety Equipment through Homeland Security/FEMA funding. Thank you to the offices of Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand for the assistance,” said Chief Chad Freeman, Pavilion Fire District.

The Assistance to Firefighters Grants are administered by the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the Department's United States Fire Administration. The grants are awarded on a competitive basis to the applicants that most closely address the program's priorities and demonstrate financial need. Funding is allocated to strengthen the overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and related hazards.

Funding is allocated to strengthen emergency preparedness and ability to respond to fire and related hazards. More information on the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program can be accessed at http://www.firegrantsupport.com/.