Members of City Fire, IAFF Local 896, are in the midst of their annual fundraising effort on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association this morning, asking passing motorist to "fill the boot." The firefighters are on Main Street and Ellicott Street around Court Street and will be in place until 1 p.m.
Press release:
“Tonight I voted against an omnibus legislation rushed through the legislative process on the final day of session because it contained a variety of poorly constructed bills. Despite the inclusion of mild tax rebates in the bill, we have not accounted for postage, printing, processing and personnel to construct and mail out property-tax rebate checks. These added costs will surely be paid for by taxpayers and will drain resources from other areas of future budgets, such as education and infrastructure aid. Furthermore, these checks will substantially increase and be mailed out only days before Gov. Cuomo’s reelection in 2018. We should not be buying votes with taxpayer dollars.
“The ‘Big Ugly’ bill fails to address the root cause of soaring property taxes in New York State: unfunded mandates. The average state receives 2 percent of its revenue as transfers from local governments while New York receives 15 percent of its revenue from local governments. In shifting roughly 1/7 of the costs of the state to local governments, we have forced them to raise property taxes to make up the lost revenue. This is shameful and irresponsible governing. Tax rebate checks or a property-tax cap will not solve our state’s rising property taxes. This must be done at the state level by refusing to shift costs to our localities.”
“It is ridiculous that in this legislation, Gov. Cuomo was granted the power to wed (marry) individuals. That power should be held by religious figures and justices of the peace. For these reasons I am disappointed in this bill and voted against it."
The following arrests were announced by the Sheriff's Office in connection with the Train Concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Wednesday.
Connor W. Whitman, 20, of Pendleton Street Extension, Cortland, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana for allegedly smoking marijuana in view of other concert patrons.
Michael R. Marchese, 25, of Park Avenue, Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct and trespass after allegedly refusing to leave the concert parking lot after being told to leave several times and then throwing his cell phone, striking a passing vehicle in the rear window.
Press release:
The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) presents the 37th annual “GO ART! Picnic in the Park” this Independence Day. The festivities run from noon until 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 4th, in historic Centennial Park on Richmond Avenue in Batavia. As is tradition, this year’s “Picnic in the Park” is a free, family-friendly event that will once again include all-day live musical entertainment, an arts and crafts show, folk arts programs, food vendors, children’s activities, and much more!
Introduced just last year to great response, the event will be preceded by a “Kiddie Parade” kicking off the day. Families with children ages 12 and under are invited to bring their bikes, scooters or strollers to the northwest corner of Centennial Park – between the Main Stage and Richmond Avenue - at 11 a.m. to decorate them for an old time “kiddie parade.” Decorations will be provided, and the parade will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Ellicott and Park avenues.
Live entertainment is presented on two separate stages, the Main Stage and “Stage II,” which has traditionally featured performances that engage kids and families. MAIN STAGE entertainment commences at noon with the “Picnic” staple Batavia Concert Band playing its traditional mix of Sousa-style marches and Big Band numbers.
Founded in 1924, the Band has brought musical pleasure to the region every year except during World War II. The Concert Band itself consists of 40 to 50 brass, woodwind and percussion players ranging from advanced high school musicians to 50-year veterans. Many have professional performance experience; the rest are advanced amateurs. All love to play. The Band's musical repertoire is wide-ranging in origin, style and period, and includes marches, Broadway show tunes, favorites from hit musicals and movies, pop, jazz and even rock numbers arranged for band. Join the Band for weekly concerts during the summer on Wednesday evenings in Centennial Park.
Directly following Batavia Concert Band’s performance, Vibrant Batavia’s Centennial Committee will do a short presentation honoring the City’s 100th Birthday which will include cupcakes to be distributed to all who attend.
A wide variety of bands featuring local and traditional music will follow on the Main Stage through the rest of the afternoon:
1:30-2:30 p.m. – Henrie Brothers: Old-time music has been a family matters since the early 1970s, when Bill, the oldest, tookd up the fiddle and helped his younger brothers John (mandolin), Bob (guitar), and Doug (bass) learn their instruments. Since then they have performed at leading music festivals and venues throughout the Northeast, performing bluegrass, old time, contradance, swing and jazz, all to consistent critical acclaim. At Picnic in the Park, the brothers will return to their roots in old time, early country and Irish music that gave them their start.
2:45-3:45 p.m. – The Niagara River Dancers combine students at the Tuscarora Indian Elementary School located at the center of the Tuscarora Nation, with members of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) tribes from throughout NYS. Many of the students stay after school for an extra hour to learn traditional dancing on a weekly basis. They not only learn the Haudenosaunee dances, but also dances from other Native communities around the country. The dancers wear beautifully beaded outfits, many in the Tuscarora raised-beadwork style, which are often made by their parents or other relatives. Traditional musicians accompany the dancers, who include explanations of the dance patterns, stories and history.
4-5 p.m. – Steel Alchemy Community Steel Band was formed in 2001 by Director Ted Canning as the Livingston County Community Steel Band, with assistance from the Decentralization grant program of the NYS Council on the Arts. Several members have been playing with the band since its inception, including the Palermo family from Mt. Morris. In 2007 the band released its self-titled CD recording, which prompted them to come up with their current name, Steel Alchemy. They perform a variety of music including Caribbean traditional and popular songs, American pop, and music written especially for steel bands. The band is open to people ages 13 and older, with no prior experience required. Anyone interested in learning more can contact Ted at panloco@rochester.rr.com.
STAGE II:
12:30-1:30 p.m. -- Cut Off (A cappella Group) will perform their first performance of the day. The group was founded in the summer of 2010 by recent college graduates looking to continue performing in a contemporary a cappella setting. This co-ed group’s debut performance was in January 2011 at Lovin’ Cup in Rochester. The group participated in the first ever Boston Sings A cappella Festival (BOSS) in April 2012, where they took part in a workshop with Canadian-based group, Cadence. They were also proud to have performed at the Rochester Fringe Festival in September of 2013 at the TheatreROCS Stage at Xerox Auditorium. Cut Off just released their first CD, "Get Cut Off," in March of 2013 with Liquid 5th Productions (Raleigh, N.C.) and in 2014, the group was nominated for 2 Contemporary A cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) for Best Country Song (Good Girl) and Best CAL Song (LaserLight).
2-2:30 p.m. -- Thai Kwon Do Demonstration by Refuse 2 Lose Martial Arts
3-4 p.m. -- Cut Off (A cappella Group) -- Second Performance
THROUGHOUT THE DAY in Centennial Park, other activities include horse-drawn wagon rides by Hartland Carriages, pony rides and petting zoo by North Forty Pony Express and the Wildlife Educators Coalition returning with its wide assortment of animals. Geoffrey Clough offers his popular interactive program of children’s songs called “Cookie Songwriting,” and of course juggling and other roving entertainment in the park.
The GLOW Area YMCA will have its bounce house and inflatable obstacle course on site, and the Explore Art! Tent invites kids and families to do their own hands-on art activity, all materials provided, and free caricatures will be available near the tent. The Genesee County Park will be featuring a larger display this year with interactive activities and they will also have their resident turtle on hand to visit. The Park is celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year!
Along the Richmond Avenue side of Centennial Park, artists and crafters representing an amazing diversity of arts and crafts are featured in an ARTS AND CRAFTS SHOW AND SALE. Additional attractions consist of booths by community nonprofit organizations, including Genesee County ARC information & recycling education, Genesee County Historians Association, Batavia Assembly of God dunk tank and sand art, Batavia Players pizza & show info, GO ART!’s Picnic in the Park 50/50 Raffle and many others.
“Picnic” always offers up tantalizing food by a variety of vendors, such as Abbott’s cones, sundaes, milkshakes and root beer floats, Lonsberry fresh-squeezed lemonade and soft pretzels, and, of course, the Batavia Jaycees’ famous ‘dog and burger stand in its traditional location.
The event is funded, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts Folk Arts Program with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Picnic Level sponsors ($500 and up) include Batavia Rotary Club, Turnbull Heating & Air, Batavia Jaycees, Steve Hawley, CY Farms, The Batavian, and The Daily News.
Admission is free to the “Picnic in the Park.” Please call GO ART! at 585-343-9313, e-mail info@goart.org or visitwww.goart.org for more information.
Press release:
WBTA Radio will temporarily suspend AM and FM transmissions on Friday morning, June 26 in order to repair antenna damage caused by severe thunderstorms earlier.
The station expects the signals will be turned off at about 10:15 a.m. as engineers reposition the station's FM antenna that was rotated 90-degrees due to strong winds.
The AM signal on 1490 was unaffected by the storm but in order for someone to safely climb the 200-foot tower on Creek Road to reach the FM antenna both signals must be shut down, explained WBTA President Dan Fischer.
“We hope the outage will last no more than 90 minutes but we will not know the extent of damage until we can inspect it close up,” Fischer said.
While the stations are off the air, programming will continue to be heard online and via mobile devices at WBTAi.com.
The number of people with jobs in Genesee County has improved, according to statistics released today by the state Department of Labor.
The sunnier employment picture for local residents comes a couple of weeks after a labor department report revealed that the county fell flat on in-county job growth in May, but the same jobs report showed an increase in the workforce in Monroe and Erie counties.
There are 300 more local residents with jobs now than there were a year ago, according to today's report. The total has climbed from 28,900 in May 2014 to 29,200 this May.
That puts the Genesee County unemployment rate at 4.7 percent, compared to 5.0 in May 2014.
The 4.7-percent rate is low, but not the lowest figure of the past 12 months. The rate was 4.6 in October. In the past 12 months it's been as high as 6.8 percent, which was the figure in January.
The unemployment rate in Wyoming County is 5.2 percent, down form 5.8 percent a year ago. In Orleans it's dropped from 7.0 to 6.2 and in Livingston, from 5.7 to 5.1.
The state rate is 5.3 percent and the national rate is 5.3.
A woman who played a business role in a shop on Ellicott Street that became a flash point for a local spike in synthetic drug use in summer of 2012 received a probationary sentence from a federal district judge today. Amber Snover had entered a guilty plea stemming from her arrest three years ago.
The 24-year-old Rochester resident was an associate of Charles Fitzgerald, who was identified by authorities as the owner of the 420 Emporium, at 400 Ellicott St., Batavia.
Snover admitted previously to using a communication facility to facilitate a controlled substance. She was sentenced to five years probation and must forfeit her share of $771,109 seized in a raid July 25, 2012, of the residence in Greece she shared with Fitzgerald.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Noto, who handled the case, said that Snover used a telephone to order various synthetic controlled substance analogues for delivery and sale at the Batavia location of the chain of head shops.
The following people were arrested during the Fall Out Boy concert on Thursday at Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center.
Katie N. Cook, 18, of University Avenue, Atlanta, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and unlawful possession of marijuana.
Michael T. Smith, 18, of Maple Avenue, Cohocton, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and unlawful possession of marijuana.
Jennitsia I Rodriguezis, 18, of Jude Road, Cohocton, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and unlawful possession of marijuana.
Keisean R. Canery, 18, of West Genesee Road, Camillus, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and unlawful possession of marijuana.
The following were issued appearance tickets for alleged unlawful possession of marijuana:
Benjamin R. Green, 21, of Cornwall Road, Palmyra
Austin J. Gieseke, 20, of Richmond Mills Livonia
Eric R. Curtis, 18, of Fuller Road, Corfu
Amanda M. Carroll, 20, of East Sciota Road, Scio
Name redacted, under age 18, of Old Route 99 McKean, Pa.
Name redacted, under age 18, of Hill Road, Waterford, Pa.
Kevin W. Cornelia, 25, of Longridge Avenue, Rochester
Austin S. Muscato, 18, of Falconer Road, North Tonawanda
Name redacted, under age 18, of Debra Lane, Niagara Falls
Dylan P. Boes, 18, of Hyde Park, Lockport
Dominic E. Williams, 18, of Carolina Avenue, Lockport
(name redacted upon request), 18, of First Road, Solvay
Cole J. Gloss, 19, of Diller Road, Orchard Park
Alexander W. Domkowski, 18, of Rochelle Drive, Churchville
Dominic J. Prisi, 19, of Hillside Parkway, Lancaster
Stephen A. Weimer, 18, of Holmcrest Drive, Amherst
Jack R. Cooper, 18, of Cree-Ton Drive, Amherst
The following people were issued citations for alleged possession of fraudulent, altered or use of another person's driver's license or ID by DMV investigators:
Ryan J. Wood, 19, of Merric Road, Buffalo (fake RI DL)
Richard D. Hillman Jr., 20, of Sharon Drive, Lockport (fake PA DL)
Timothy M. Kane, 19, of Winding Woods Hamburg (another’s DL)
(name redacted upon request), 18, of Cliffside Drive, East Clarence (altered , 2 fake CT’s, 1 fake MI ID)
Katherine A. Niedzielski, 20, of Claudette Ct.Depew (another’s FL DL)
Jacob B. Kopacz, 20, of Parkhaven Drive, Amherst (fake MI ID)
Peter F. Walsh, 19, of Woodcrest Drive, West Seneca (fake )
Joseph R. Higgins, 19, of Girard Blvd.Kenmore (another’s DL)
Lea M. Praller , 19, of Sder Road,Varysburg (fake OH DL)
(name redacted upon request), 18, of Blackberry Lane, Piseco (fake BC ID)
Adam D. Hodge, 19, of Del Verde Road,Rochester (fake MI ID)
Mark A. Passantino, 19, of Timothy Lane, E. Aurora (fake OH DL)
Name redacted, under age 18,, of Argyle Park, Buffalo (fake CT DL)
Richard J. Gicewicz, 19, of Wildwood Lane, Orchard Park (fake OH DL)
Alicia J. Wagner, 19, of Tampa Drive, Buffalo (fake PA DL)
Justin T. Gray, 18, of Overlook Avenue, Tonawanda (fake PA DL)
Nicholas Trajcevski, 19, of Sailboat Drive, Corsicana, TX (fake OH DL)
Michael J. Mauro, 19, of Pearl Road, Hornell (fake DE DL)
Matthew J. Eisenhauer, 19, of Coldwater Road, Rochester (fake NJ DL – x2)
Lavonte D. Lee, 19, of Rumson Road, Amherst (another’s DL)
Hunter D. Vangorder, 19, of Shortsville Road, Shortsville (fraud CT DL)
Aaron S. Scheff, 20, of E. Apache Blvd. Tempe, AZ. (fake AZ DL)
Nathan E. Mutka, 19, of Pinelake Drive, Williamsville (fake ME DL)
Andrew M. Kausch, 19, of Holmes Road, Rochester (fake OH DL)
Austin D. Pieniaszek, 19, of Raspberry Patch Rochester (fake CT DL)
Domenic A. Zendano, 18, of Lancelot Drive, Niagara Falls (fake MN DL)
Name redacted, under age 18, of Victor (fake MD DL)
Trevor J. Baum, 19, of Whittier Road, Spencerport (fake CT DL)
William A. Borema, 18, of Toll Drive, Tioga, Pa. (fake PA DL)
Odessa L. Werchowski, 20, of Oklahoma Avenue, Oriska (fake PA DL)
Mariah L. Bona, 19, of Meadowbrook Drive, Williamsville (fake RI DL)
James P. Rehak, 18, of The CMN, Williamsville (fake VA DL)
Benjamin A. Cambria, 18, of Saint Johns Avenue, Buffalo (fake PA DL)
Cal C. Goheen, 18, of Chablis Drive, Fairport (fake OH DL)
Jacob P. Alessi, 19, of Erie Road, Lancaster (fake OH DL)
Kayla I Bicknell, 18, of Ashford Place, Depew (fake OH DL)
Alexnader P. Gyles, 19, of Chillon Court, Fairport (fake CT DL)
Ryan C. Smith, 18, of Boston State Road, Boston (fake CT DL)
Long J.T. Voung, 20, of Naples Circle Amherst (fake OH DL)
Name redacted, under age 18, of Summit Road, Lancaster (fake OH DL)
Michael C. Elie, 18, of Pannell Circle Fairport (fake PA DL)
The following people were cited for alleged possession of more than one unexpired driver's license by DMV investigators:
Dylan M. Mosher, 19, of Chicken Coup Heights, Trumansburg
Austin J. Gieseke, 20, of Richmond Mills, Livonia
Name redacted, under age 18, of Third Road, Allega,
Alexander W. Domkowski, 18, of Rochelle Drive, Churchville
Jack R. Cooper, 18, of Cree-Ton Drive, Amherst
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Single member non-recurring payment: $60 Single membership annual recurring automatic payment of $50Press release:
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today announced that a bill he introduced to provide tax incentives to renovate "zombie" properties in the City of Batavia, A.7570-A/S.5196A, was passed by the Assembly and Senate on Thursday.
The legislation establishes a program giving property-tax assessment incentives to residents of Batavia who purchase and renovate dilapidated single-family properties. The program, if successful, could be allowed in other cities statewide.
“I was pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Senator Ranzenhofer to ensure that this legislation passed both houses before the end of session,” Hawley said. “Zombie properties have plagued Batavia for years and this is a monumental step toward addressing the issue. Residents who purchase these dilapidated properties will be given a property-tax exemption to help alleviate the financial burden of repairs made to the home.
"This will ensure that home renovation costs do not exceed property value. Also, the legislation protects against large real estate companies buying many properties and subdividing them into apartments or multiple-family dwellings. The bill will now be sent to the governor for his signature. If it receives his approval the program will take effect immediately.”
Senator Michael Ranzenhofer carried the bill in the Senate and Hawley applauded his efforts and said he is pleased to have worked with him.
“By spurring redevelopment of vacant homes, this innovative program will help to benefit all taxpayers," Ranzenhofer said. "For prospective home buyers, it will provide a real incentive to make costly repairs to a distressed home. For neighbors, it will make their street a better place to live and prevent their home values from being depressed.
"For all taxpayers, it will help to dilute the burden of property taxes by adding more properties with higher valuations to the tax rolls,” Ranzenhofer said. “I am hopeful that the Governor will sign it into law.”
Don Dessert submitted this photo from the Stafford Carnival.
Melanie Case submitted this photo of fireworks after the Muckdogs' opening night game at Dwyer Stadium. I don't think I've ever seen a better photo of fireworks at Dwyer.
From our news partner, WBTA:
State Police suspect a driver may have suffered some type of medical problem causing him to crash into a concrete barrier of the Thruway at the Le Roy exit.
Troopers said the unidentified driver was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital with head injuries and chest pain.
The accident happened at 2:30 Thursday afternoon. Entrance and exit lanes were closed for more than an hour.
According to State Police, a Ford 350 pickup truck crashed into the concrete barrier that protects the toll booth. The impact bent one of the steel supports that supports the roof of the booth.
The pickup truck proceeded through the exit lane and flipped over on its roof.
(Photos submitted by Greg Luetticke-Archbell.)
Press release:
The Genesee County Libertarian Party is pleased to announce our endorsement of Lisa Whitehead to be a candidate for Batavia City Council Ward #2.
Year-over-year job growth for Genesee County was stagnant in May, according to data released by the Department of Labor.
In May of 2014 and 2015, there were 23,900 jobs locally, according to the department's count.
The unchanged non-farm jobs number comes in a month that New York State as a whole added more than 142,000 jobs, jumping from 9.133 million jobs to 9.276 million jobs.
The Rochester area added 7,100 jobs and the Buffalo region added 13,000.
Wyoming County was also flat in jobs growth for May, holding steady at 13,500 jobs. The data for Livingston and Orleans counties are included in the Monroe County data.
Terrence D. "Spaz" Butler, 33, of Swan Street, Batavia, has been arrested on a sealed indictment warrant for allegedly selling crack cocaine on two occasions.
Butler was taken into custody when located as a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Le Roy PD at midnight Saturday in the Village of Le Roy.
Butler is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd.
Butler was jailed on $25,000 bail or $50,000 bond.
Mark W. McWethy, 47, of Pearl Street Road, Batavia, was arrested on warrants stemming from the alleged sale of oxycodone to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force and for allegedly possessing drugs with the intent to sell during a traffic stop on Law Street, Batavia, in August 2014.
At the time of the stop, McWethy allegedly possessed heroin, with the intent to sell, and cocaine.
He was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th.
McWethy was jailed on $25,000 bail.
Michael A. Hahn, 36, of Lincoln Avenue, Attica, was arrested on a warrant out of Town of Darien Court for allegedly selling methamphetamine to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force.
He is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 5th, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 5th, and criminal sale of a controlled substanc, 7th.
Hahn was jailed on $1,000 bail.
Billie and I will catch a plane for San Diego in a couple of hours. We're going to visit family.
We've made arrangements to ensure there is ongoing local coverage on The Batavian while we're away. Traci Turner, our intern, will be on the job, of course, and we're working with several of our freelancers on event coverage and other stories as well as ensure we have systems in place to handle breaking news.
We return in a week. We'll try to bring some extra sunshine back.
Kurtis Dunlap, a 2012 graduate of Oakfield-Alabama High School and a journalism student at the University of Missouri's Reynolds School of Journalism, will cover the Batavia Muckdogs for The Batavian this season.
He'll cover home games and write occasional features about the team and its players.
Dunlap is studying sports journalism at Missouri.
He's the oldest of three siblings and in high school played football, basketball and baseball. For three seasons, he was a batboy for the Muckdogs.
"Someday I hope to have my own column in a newspaper where I can share all the crazy things that pop into my head," Dunlap said.
The 2015 season opens Friday.
Press release:
The Executive Committee of the Genesee County Democratic Committee met to endorse candidates last night. They accepted the recommendations of the towns and city committees and unanimously endorsed candidates in the City of Batavia, Town of Darien, Town of Byron and the Town of Alabama. It is expected that there will be active races in the towns which ballot by Democratic Caucus.
Recommended by the City of Batavia for County Legislature was incumbent Ed DeJaneiro Jr. who was unanimously endorsed by the Executive Committee.
Are you a Democrat who is civic minded? It is not too late to run for political office in any of the Legislative districts in Genesee County or for local town positions. The Democratic Party is still actively seeking candidates in all county offices.
Please send a letter of intent as soon as possible as petitioning deadlines are approaching. Send letters to Jennifer Keys, 43 E. Main St., Le Roy, NY 14482 or e-mail Jennifer.keys@rochester.rr.com
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