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New York Times: Protests After Grand Jury in Eric Garner Chokehold Case Doesn’t Indict Officer

Some of you may have already noticed -- there are a couple of sponsor's ads on the right side of the page that if you mouse over the box, it flips over to reveal a secondary message. 

This is a new concept in online display advertising and locally, it's only available on The Batavian and the Wyoming County Free Press.

To help kick off the introduction of Flip Ads, we're going to run a contest on four days next week (four days between Monday and Friday). Will will randomly pick an ad on the site and make it a Flip Ad, but the secondary message will be a secret code. The code will go up at some unannounced time during the day and stay up until we have a winner. The first person to e-mail me, howard@thebatavian.com, with the correct code, will win $25 cash. (We'll post a reminder Monday morning about the contest.)

After the first week, we'll run the same contest once a week.

Easy to win: mouse over ads and find the Flip Ad with the secret code, like an Easter Egg hunt.

Can you find the two ads running now that are Flip Ads?

Sponsors: Interested in Flip Ads? Contact Lisa Ace, lisa@thebatavian.com, or (585) 250-4118, to sign up.

The thing you'll notice about the Notre Dame Girls Basketball Team this year is they're going to have some big players crashing the boards.

Shea Norton is 6' 2". Rebecca Krenzer is 6' 1". Taylor DiMartino is 6' 2". Michelle Martinucci is 5' 11".

"This is the biggest team I've ever had," said Head Coach Dave Pero.

It's still a young team -- there are only three seniors on the squad and all of the bigs are juniors -- so the girls still have a lot to learn, but they're showing progress, Pero said. 

"I like what we have. We have a really, really nice group of girls. They're working very, very hard."

The goal, as always with Fighting Irish basketball, is to dominate on defense and make points on transitions.

"We always want to keep teams in 40s. If we can keep teams in the 40s, 45, we've got a chance to win."

The three seniors are Krysta Tomaszewski (currently injured), Emily McCracken and Emma Francis.

McCracken and Francis are both guards, team captains, and Pero said they are good shooters who should help score some points.

He said the team is eight or nine players deep. Also expected to contribute are Hannah Bowen and Callie McCulley.

McCulley is a familiar name, of course, to Notre Dame hoops fans and the youngest McCulley (who is 5' 10") to make a varsity roster. She shows a lot of promise, Pero said, even as an eighth-grader.

"When you bring up young players, you're going to live and die with the good things they do and the bad things they do, but we think she's ready and we expect her to come off the bench and give us a hand."

The Notre Dame roster, on paper, looks strong. When the team opens its season at 7 p.m., Dec. 10, in Oakfield, we'll get to see how all those big numbers translate to points on the board.

A group of Le Roy residents who once tried to save the Wiss Hotel with a unique community-based investment structure have found a new target for their revitalization efforts: 24 Main Street.

Le Roy New York, LLC, is looking to raise the funds necessary to refurbish the now vacant mixed-use building, which was most recently Java's Coffee Shop.

"Our goal is to create three beautiful residential apartments on the second and third floors and create a vibrant commercial establishment on the ground floor," said Bob Fussell, one of the organizers.

The group needs to raise $250,000, and already has $177,000 toward that goal, mostly from contractors who are contributing labor, equipment and expertise as their primary investment.

A minimum investment in the project is $1,500.

A similar structure for community investment in a revitalization project, led by Rick Hauser, has been used in Perry to help transform that community's downtown.

Hauser, now the mayor of Perry, was a consultant to the group on the Wiss Hotel proposal, which eventually fell short of the group's goal to buy the building and restore it rather than see it demolished.

For more information, visit 24mainleroy.org

The building will be open for tours during Winterfest this Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Press release:

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce is celebrating its 43rd Annual Awards Ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Clarion Hotel, Park Road, Batavia. This is the County’s premier event that honors businesses and individuals for achievements in business, community service and volunteerism. Tickets are $50 per person or a table of 10 for $450.

The evening begins at 5:30 with hors d’oeuvres, entrée tables & cash bar (no formal sit-down dinner is to be served). The Award Program starts at 7 where dessert and coffee will be served. 

This year’s honorees are: 

• Business of the Year -- Applied Business Systems, Inc.  
• Industry of the Year -- Müller Quaker Dairy
• Agricultural Business of the Year -- Corcoran Combining & Trucking  
• Innovative Community Contribution of the Year -- Merrill Lynch
• Special Service Recognition of the Year -- Genesee Cancer Assistance, Inc.
• Geneseeans of the Year, “Peggy” Margaret Lamb, of Oakfield, and William “Bill” Schutt, of Basom

Via The Batavian's news partner, WBTA:

That proposed rally behind police everywhere announced by Ward Six Batavia Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian for Saturday night in Downtown Batavia has been called off. Christian told WBTA news this morning she had talked with some law enforcement officials who said it was the right idea but the wrong time. Councilwoman Christian says as a politician and a citizen she supports all law enforcement officers. Earlier she had said she is disgusted by the disregard for law enforcement that became evident in Ferguson, Mo., and elsewhere in recent weeks.

Jamie A. Dutton, 22, of Buell Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on petit larceny charges. Dutton was arrested after being found hiding in a bathroom of a residence on Thomas Avenue. Dutton is charged with three counts of petit larceny. Dutton was also wanted by the Sheriff's Office on a grand larceny warrant out of Rochester and for traffic violations. Dutton was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Edward White, 19, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 4th. White was arrested by a Le Roy police officer for allegedly possessing brass knuckles.

Matthew Herman, 22, of Rochester, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Herman was reportedly involved in an accident at the intersection of Route 5 and Route 19, Village of Le Roy, leading to his arrest.

Nicholas Bowden, 19, of Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. Bowden allegedly stole an iPhone and laptop and attempted to sell the items. He was jailed on $500 bail or $1,000 bond.

Didier Asne Antoine, 20, of Manhattan Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd. Antoine is accused of trespassing at College Village.

Demetri C. Stewart, 22, of East Main Street, Batavia, Stewart was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful dealing with a child charges. Stewart was charged in connection with an alleged underage drinking party on Halloween.

Terry E. Smith, 37, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged harassment, 2nd. During an argument, Smith allegedly flipped a couch while another person was sitting on it, causing the person to fall to the floor. Smith was held on $750 cash bail.

Deborah R. Blatt, 53, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. Blatt was stopped at 10:36 p.m. Saturday on Law Street, Batavia, by officer Mitchell Cowen following a complaint of an erratic driver on Route 98.

Teshawn A. Lang-Smith, 18, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Lang-Smith is accused of striking younger siblings during an argument.

Vanson L. Warner, 66, of Vine Street, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Warner allegedly aggressively grabbed an employee of UMMC while at the hospital at 10:25 p.m., Monday. Warner was jailed on $500 bail.

The State Police conducted a DWI sobriety checkpoint on Route 63 in the Town of Batavia on Friday night and into Saturday morning. A total of 173 vehicles went through the checkpoint. Seven tickets were issued for traffic violations.

Arrested were Ronald M. Market Jr. (previously reported) and Tomy L. Velasquez, 21, of Warsaw. Velasquez is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. During the checkpoint, troopers detected the odor of marijuana. A search of the vehicle resulted in troopers locating a plastic baggie allegedly containing a small amount of marijuana. 

Steven M. Geyer, 21, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal impersonation. A vehicle was stopped by Attica PD for alleged no plate lamps. Geyer was a passenger in the vehicle and allegedly provided police with a false name, reportedly to avoid being arrested on a warrant out of Rochester. He was wanted for alleged unlawful use of a motor vehicle. He was jailed on $15,000 cash bail or $30,000 bond.

Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian sees all the protests on TV from around the country of people with hands up and thinks the protesters are being unfair to cops.

"The police risk their lives every day," Christian said. "It's not an easy job and we all know that, that's why I'm standing up for them."

Christian is calling on those in the community who support law enforcement to join her at City Hall at 6:30 p.m. Saturday for a march down Main Street.

"I'm looking to support our law enforcement," Christian said. "I think it's tragic what's happened all over the United States. I think they need our support and to know that we're behind them."

She thinks the Ferguson, Mo., protests are misguided in their complaints about police officers.

"It's not about race, number one," Christian said. "They're using it for a civil (rights) movement and it's not. The fact is you protest, you protest in an orderly fashion. What did they accomplish by burning down business and having all the destruction they've had? Looting stores, what did that accomplish? What did that accomplish? Nothing! OK."

Local artist Brandi Bruggman this week is recreating two Christmas works by Norman Rockwell on the windows of Steve Hawley's Insurance Center on Main Street. The festive windows will be among those Downtown displays in the BID's annual Christmas window display contest.

Nineteen members of the Batavia PD participated in "Movember," during the month of November in recognition of prostate cancer month. Department members grew moustaches and raised $500 for Genesee Cancer Assistance. A handful of officers still have their moustaches including, above, sgt. Dan Coffey, officer Frank Klimjack and officer Jason Davis.

The Sheriff's Office is looking for the public's assistance in locating a missing teen.

The youth reported missing is Preston Daigler, 16, of Batavia.

He was last seen in Lyndonville on Nov. 7. The missing person report is out of Orleans County, but the Sheriff's Office believes he may be in Genesee County.

Preston has blond hair and blue eyes. He is 5' 9" and 150 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (585) 345-3000.

Theater-in-the-round, Shakespeare, celebrating 100 years of live stage performances at your school. These are all heady things to take on for a group of young thespians, but the Batavia High School Drama Club is pulling it all together nicely, says advisor Caryn Burke.

It was actually a student who suggested the club perform Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" this year after noticing the comedy was the first public stage performance by BHS students in 1914. Though none of the students had much experience with Shakespeare, they've all taken to it like sprites to pixie dust.

Burke admits she was a little apprehensive once it was settled that they would perform "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

The first step was for them just to get through a reading of the play.

"A lot of them had no idea how to read or even comprehend Shakespeare," Burke said. "Once they got it, they just ran with it. Once they understood what the show was and what all the dialogue meant and they had a good understanding of it they just took it from there."

The version the students will perform this Friday and Saturday is an adaption suitable for a high school performance by Ken Womble. None of the language is changed and the plot and themes remain the same, Burke said. It's just a slightly abridged version.

Even so, taking on Shakespeare, especially in the theater-in-the-round format Burke prefers for the winter show could be a bit daunting. She says the club has been able to remain focused on its primary goals.

"It's supposed to be fun," Burke said. "It's supposed to be educational, but there's a time and place for Shakespeare and that's not always necessarily in a high school drama club. The kids rose to the challenge."

The lead cast is Ross Chua, Andrea Gilebarto, Chelsea Jensen, Evan Bellavia, Lauren Dunn, Cara Ranalli, Alex Mott and Nick Piedmont.

Show times Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 each and only available at the door. Seating is limited to 100 patrons.

NOTE: New policy on poll questions: Some mornings it's very hard to come up with a poll question. I can spend an inordinate amount of time trying to find a topic that works for a question. I'm going to stop doing that. If a poll question doesn't suggest itself easily, I'm not going to spend time searching high and low for an idea. That means we will no longer have polls every weekday.

A fully involved house fire is reported 8695 Oatka Trail Road, Le Roy.

That's right at the county line.

Le Roy fire with Bergen, Pavilion and Stafford dispatched, along with mutual aid from Livingstone County companies.

UPDATE 5 a.m.: Two family dogs barked and awoke the residents to the fire, according to a deputy on scene. All residents were able to get out of the house safely, along with the dogs, though a family cat was still missing. The house is a total loss. The fire spread quickly. The valves of two propane tanks blew off, sending flames shooting high into the air. Firefighters executed an exterior attack on the outside of the structure, which was already fully involved by the time the first trucks were on scene, said First Assistant Chief Dale Ehrhart. Assisting Le Roy fire were Caledonia, Mumford, Bergen, Byron, Pavilion, Stafford, Churchville and Scottsville. County records list the property owner as Maria  Hunter. The early morning temperature at the time the volunteers were out fighting this fire was 24 degrees.

UPDATE 9:30 a.m.: The Sheriff's Office reports that the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but it appears to have started "at a wood burning fireplace insert."  There were three people living in the residence and all escaped unharmed. They are being assisted by the Red Cross.

UPDATE: Video submitted by a reader:

The 18-year-old resident of Attica, Dominic Maksymik, who died Sunday night after his vehicle crossed the center line on Route 98 in Bennington, was a student in Batavia, part of the BOCES Culinary Arts Program.

From the 13WHAM story:

Ask anyone who knew him, Maksymik was a driven young man who had a passion for cooking.

"Like many students who come to BOCES, it gave him a way to express himself," explained Chef Nathan Koscielski, Maksymik's culinary teacher at the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership in Batavia. "Dom just loved cooking that was one of the great things about him. It didn't matter what we were cooking, he was going to be passionate about it. If we were making mashed potatoes, it was going to be the best mashed potatoes he could make."

Maksymik's ambition to be the best chef showed in his work. Koscielski credits Maksymik's abilities to helping their culinary school win the American Culinary Federation Culinary Cup for the last two years. They beat out other BOCES programs and area colleges.

13WHAM is an official news partner of The Batavian.

Previously: 

• Pair of BOCES teachers mixing the right ingredients for culinary and animal science students
• In Chef K's kitchen, if it's not right, it's wrong

It's still important to us that you join The Batavian Club. As I've said before, every membership is important to us. We appreciate the support. It goes a long way toward helping us meet all the expenses associated with The Batavian (expenses that are growing all the time).

This isn't just about us, however. It's also about you. You receive valuable savings at local businesses at an amount far exceeding the cost of the membership, and if you enjoy getting your local news from The Batavian, you are helping to sustain that effort.

So many people every day tell me how much they love The Batavian. All we're asking is for those loyal fans to make a small financial contribution to help support and sustain our news coverage and in exchange we'll send you valuable gift certificates worth well above the membership price.

NOTE: If you've joined in the past two months (a handful of people have, even without prompting by a post like this), we will send out your membership kit with the batch generated by our effort over the next three weeks to invite more people to join. (Sorry for the delay, be putting together the kits is a time-intensive process, so we do them in batches.)

TO JOIN: Use PayPal buttons below, or to pay by check (annual only) or credit card, click here to download form. Or call (585) 250-4118 to pay by credit card.

Annual Single Membership -- $50 per year (a recurring annual payment)

Includes membership card, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual membership, one-time payment of $60

Includes membership card, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Brown's lengthy career included owning and managing WBTA, writing for various area publications, authoring books as well as being the first chairman of the Board of Trustees of Notre Dame High School and serving as president of the Board of Directors for  St. Jerome's Hospital.

“The community has lost a talented broadcaster and WBTA has lost a dear friend," said Dan Fischer, current owner of WBTA. "Bill’s wit was razor sharp and his knowledge of Genesee County history was encyclopedic. During his stewardship of WBTA, Bill set a standard for public service and broadcast news. We honor his legacy by trying to continue that standard as best we can.”

Brown was born Oct. 25, 1923 in Batavia, the son of the late William F. Brown Sr. and Monica Sellinger Brown.  

He was a 1941 graduate of Batavia High School and a graduate of Canisius College. He also studied at Yale and Fordham universities and was an Army veteran of World War II where he worked for the Armed Forces Radio Service in Kokura, Japan.

After his military service, he was public relations director for Batavia Downs and Buffalo Raceway for several years before becoming co-owner and manager of WBTA Radio in 1968.  

At WBTA, he distinguished himself with daily outspoken editorials dealing with local issues and humorous vignettes about family life. He won 16 statewide “Best Editorial Awards” in his career from the New York State Broadcasters Association.  

He remained a member of the United States Harness Writers Association for more than 55 years. He served as secretary for several years and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.

Besides his community work with Notre Dame and St. Jerome's, he was a trustee emeritus of the Jerome Foundation, a member of the Board of Catholic Education of the Diocese of Buffalo and lay chairman of the Bishop’s Lay Advisory Council. He was a lector and eucharistic minister at Resurrection Parish and a Knight of St. Gregory and a Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

He was active in many local civic organizations throughout his life, including the Rotary Club, Knights of Columbus and the Elks. He was a lifelong member of Stafford Country Club.

His books on local history include a popular publication on the Linden Murders. He also wrote columns for the Batavia Daily News and was Genesee County correspondent for the Buffalo News at the time of his death.

Calling hours are 3 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, at H.E. Turner, 403 E. Main St., Batavia. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday, 9:30 a.m. at Resurrection Parish, St. Joseph Church, 303 E. Main St.. Batavia. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery. The Knights of Columbus will hold a prayer service on Wednesday at 6:30 pm.

For the full obituary, click here.

Photo: From a Rotary lunch in 2012

Jonathan Cornelius Hoges, 32, of Ross Street, Batavia, is charged wit criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th,, and endangering the welfare of a child. Hoges allegedly used what appeared to be a handgun and threatened to kill himself in front of his two young children in an incident reported at 2:47 p.m. Thursday at his residence on Ross Street. He was later taken into custody on Miller Avenue. At the time of his arrest, he was allegedly found in possession of crack cocaine and packaging. He was jailed on $20,000 bail, or $40,000 bond. (Previous report)

Joseph A. Cafarelli, 48, of Hunters Gate Drive, Rochester, is charged with falsely reporting an incident to law enforcement. Cafarelli allegedly reported that his debit card had been stolen while at Batavia Downs Casino. An investigation revealed the incident allegedly did not occur. Cafarelli was jailed on $500 bail.

Melanie Rose Cantabrana, 22, of Maple Ridge Road, Medina, is charged with petit larceny. Cantabrana is accused of stealing $680.51 in merchandise from Walmart.

Nancy June Brandon, 36, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to pay fine. She was also charged with facilitating aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd. Brandon was a passenger in a vehicle stopped at 10:40 p.m. Sunday by Deputy Joseph Corona. The driver allegedly was unlicensed. Brandon was jailed on $400 bail, or $800 bond.

Latoya Yalanda Stanley, 26, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, and unlicensed driver. Stanley was stopped for alleged traffic violations at 10:40 p.m. Sunday on Lewiston Road, Batavia, by Deputy Joseph Corona. Stanley also reportedly was wanted in the Town of Gates on a warrant on an unrelated matter.

Michael Andrew Balla, 39, of Hazlemere Avenue, Machias, is charged with criminal mischief, 3rd. Balla allegedly damaged a garage door, valued at more than $250, at a location on Main Road, Stafford. Balla was jailed without bail.

Christopher Ryan Waite, 25, of Skye Road, Basom, is charged with DWI, driving while ability impaired by drugs and reckless driving. Following numerous calls of an erratic driver, Waite was stopped at 11:46 p.m. Friday on Route 262, Byron, by Deputy Matthew Butler. Additional charges are pending.

Julie L. Dutton, 19, of Manhattan Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Dutton was arrested after police were asked to check on the welfare of a person on Thomas Avenue. Dutton was allegedly found hiding in a shower by police officers inside the residence of a person allegedly protected from contact by Dutton through a court order. Dutton was jailed on $500 bail.

Samantha J. Armstrong, 21, of Hart Street, Batavia, turned herself in on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a parking citation for improper street parking between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Armstrong was released on $100 cash bail.

Deborah R. Blatt, 53, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Blatt is accused of verbally harassing and annoying a neighbor. 

Terrence D. Johnson, 19, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a traffic citation. Johnson posted bail and was released.

Nicholas J. Mungillo, 20, of Union Square, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession alcohol under age 21. Mungillo was allegedly found intoxicated following the report of a fight in the area of Jackson Street and Watson Street at 3:46 a.m. on Sunday. Also charged was Michael A. Canzoneri, 19, of Edgewood Drive, Batavia.

Anya R. Rambuski, 44, of Birchwood Drive, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a DWAI charge.

Ronald M. Markek, 34, of Corfu, is charged with felony DWI. Markek was stopped at 10:13 p.m. Friday on Route 63 Batavia, by State Police. Markek was jailed on bail.

Lori J. Marchese, 55, of Corfu, is charged felony DWAI. Marchese was stopped at 5:22 p.m. Saturday on Main Road, Pembroke, by State Police.

The New York Times: Old Tactic Gets New Use: Public Schools Separate Girls and Boys

NOTE: New policy on poll questions: Some mornings it's very hard to come up with a poll question. I can spend an inordinate amount of time trying to find a topic that works for a question. I'm going to stop doing that. If a poll question doesn't suggest itself easily, I'm not going to spend time searching high and low for an idea. That means we will no longer have polls every weekday.

Ted and Patricia Hawley hosted several dozen beer lovers at their malt house on the Hawley Farm on Bank Street Road today.

The open house was a chance to invite people to come in and try some of the craft beers that have started using malt from NY Craft Malt.

Breweries serving samples today included Fairport Brewing, Community Beer Works, Resurgence and Big Ditch. The brewers are all from WNY.

Ted Hawley said business is good. The company is selling all the malt it makes.

Previously:

• With no malt houses in New York, Hawleys' new venture to fill unique niche at the right time
• Hawleys give Rotary members a sneak peek at new malt house
• With break in rain, barley for Hawleys' malt house harvested