Stories from

A man who reportedly threw a ham at another customer inside of Sav-A-Lot is on the lam on Ellicott Street, according to dispatchers.

Police are responding after a manager complained that the man on the lam threw a ham at another customer.

The victim of the ham-throwing incident is in the parking lot.

Law enforcment is on scene at Radio Shack on Veterans Memorial Drive investigating a theft of items from the store.

The suspect is described as a light-skinned black male wearing "sparkly jeans." He's also missing a front tooth, is skinny and was wearing a baseball cap.

It's unknown if he fled on foot or got into a vehicle.

There's been a rash recently, according to Batavia PD, of counterfeit $20 bills being passed at local businesses.

The counterfeits are being discovered at banks after local businesses make their deposits.

Officer Eric Hill said it should be pretty easy to spot the fakes. They are photocopies of actual $20s. Hills recommends businesses use a counterfeit pen on all $20s coming into their shops.

"They will not pass the pen test," Hill said.

Here's more information on how to spot fake currency.

Batavia PD is looking to talk with anybody who might have information about the bills.

BPD can be reached through dispatch at (585) 345-6350 or leave a message on the confidential tip line at (585) 345-6370.

Members of the Kiwanis Club are just about ready to host the annual Easter Egg Hunt at Centennial Park. The hunt is at 9 a.m. a week from today.

Pictured are Club President Pat Corona, Allison Chua, Easter Bunny (Ross Chua), Adan Chua, Dave Chua and Phill Ricci.

A driver was cited for alleged failure to stop at a stop sign following a minor-injury accident at 7:11 a.m., Friday, on Route 77 and Sumner Road.

Debra Lynn Knauber, 50, of Harlow Road, Darien Center, reportedly told Deputy Chris Parker that she knew the stop sign was there but was unable to stop.

Judith A. Slyle, 47, of Garden Drive, Batavia, the driver of the second car, and her passenger Abigail E. McLean, 14. Neither victim required ambulance transport.

Slyle's second passenger, Colin J. McLean, 11, wasn't injured, nor was Knauber.

(Initial Report)

Spencer Hubbard, 2014 Mr. Batavia, presented a $2,200 check today to Jess Tomidy, CEO of Habitat for Humanity in Genesee County. The Mr. Batavia competition at Batavia High School raises money for the winner's charity of choice. After winning the competition last month, Hubbard said he picked Habitat because, "I feel like it's a basic need, that people need homes. A lot of people are homeless who don't deserve to be. They really need that help."

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins voted today in support of the House Republican Budget, including a provision that he secured to protect Medicare Advantage from future cuts.

“I was proud to vote for a budget that makes necessary reforms and structural changes to Medicare in 2024 to strengthen the current program and sustain it for future generations,” said Congressman Collins. “To protect Medicare Advantage, I personally fought for a provision to prevent cuts to this program so many WNY seniors rely on.”

The Republican House Budget balances in 10 years, saves taxpayers $5 trillion by shrinking big government and cutting wasteful spending, and reduces the country’s historic debt.

"The House Republican Budget does what so few Washington budget proposals do – it actually balances,” Congressman Collins said. “The American people understand we cannot keep borrowing money from China to pay our bills, bankrupting our children and grandchildren’s future in the process.”

In an effort to get the economy moving and leave taxpayers with more of their hard-earned money, the House Republican Budget also includes significant tax reform, including lowering the top individual and corporate tax rates to 25 percent, and eliminating special-interest tax loopholes and the Alternative Minimum Tax. The Budget also protects Americans who have been hurt by ObamaCare.

“The GOP Budget includes tax reform to bring down rates and level the playing field for small businesses and hard working families,” Congressman Collins said. “And it relieves the burdens of ObamaCare for the countless Americans who have seen their premiums skyrocket, their coverage dropped, or their hours cut.”

“Those opposed to the GOP Budget will demonize it and suggest Congress continue to kick the can down the road. The American people want Washington to get its head out of the sand and deal with our out-of-control spending and staggering debt. The House Republican Budget does just that," continued Collins.

The House Republican Budget was passed by a vote of 219 to 205.

The turnout was light, but the discussion was heavy this morning in a seminar for local business owners at Center Centre about the Affordable Health Care Act hosted by Insource Urgent Care.

Bottomline: The cost of health care is continuing to escalate, Obamacare won't fix it, and eventually Washington politicians will push for a single-payer system.

Insource CEO Mark Celmer opened the discussion this morning with a presentation about the bureaucracy created by the Affordable Health Care Act and the expense of emergency room visits vs. patient visits to urgent care centers.

The AHC was originally passed as a 2,500-page piece of legislation four years ago. After 38 amendments and executive orders, it's now more than 20,000 pages and stacked from floor to ceiling, it stands taller -- at 7' 3" -- than Wilt Chamberlain (7' 1").

Hundreds of government agencies have their hands in AHC administration and oversight.

And it does nothing to bring down the cost of health care, Celmer said. But it does make insurance companies richer.

"The Obama Administration has protected all the major insurance companies with the promise of new premium revenues from the 48 million uninsured," Celmer said. "He has written into the law provisions to guarantee revenue to them (the equivalent of a TARP Bailout) in the event insurers' medical payments fail to produce profits. This hidden element of the ACA is called the "risk corridor" and guarantees up to 80 percent of the insurance companies profit. This is the reason that the insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies have remained horribly silent on the negative effects of Obamacare on the middle-class working population."

Dr. Victor DeSa, a retired general surgeon and former member of the UMMC board of directors, spoke at length about why the health care system is broken.

Real problems started with the creation of Medicaid and Medicare in the 1960s. The two programs are rife with fraud, waste and abuse.

"Now you have your insurance card and you can overuse it all you want," DeSa said. "The incentives have changed. When you paid out of pocket, you didn't overuse the system."

Insurance company statistics, Celmer said, that nearly 50 percent of emergency room visits are unnecessary.  People use emergency rooms for dozens of routine ailments that could be better treated by a doctor's office visit or urgent care center.

Millions could be saved if people used ER's less, but in the current system there is no incentive for them to think about the costs because it costs them nothing.

There is a $38 trillion gap between the amount of tax revenue coming in to fund Medicare and its actual liabilities, DeSa said.

"Ninety percent of seniors are blissfully unaware that Medicare is broke," DeSa said.

The cost of funding the run-away expense of Medicaid is borne by local taxpayers. In Genesee County, 80 percent of every property tax dollar raised goes to Medicaid.

DeSa, like Celmer, believes that the AHC is actually intended to fail because the real goal of Washington politicians is to create a political climate where voters will accept a Canada-like, single-payer system.

Obamacare was supposed to usher in an era of health insurance for all, DeSa said, but that's an impossible goal.

Of the some 50 million people in the United States who don't have health insurance, 10 to 15 million are workers in the country illegally. They're supposedly not covered by Obamacare, but they receive taxpayer-subsidized healthcare every time they visit an emergency room because hospitals are mandated by law to treat even those who can't pay the medical bills. They won't sign up for health insurance through the exchanges.

DeSa said he doesn't object to that, however, because these workers contribute greatly to the U.S. economy and are needed by our farmers. As a matter of compassion, they should receive health care.

Then there are 10 to 15 million working poor who earn just enough to be above the Medicaid limit, but still not enough to afford health insurance even under the ACH.

The last group -- the ones Obama really wanted to rope into the system -- are the young workers, another group of about 10 to 15 million people.

"We call them the young, healthy and invincible," DeSa said. "They're they real target of Obamacare. They are supposed to buy insurance to subsidize the high-risk people who sign up through the exchanges who are older and richer. They are asked to pay two and four times what they would nomrally pay for their age and risk factors."

There is very little incentive for them to sign up, DeSa said. Yes, they can be fined -- $75 in the first year, and in a four years as much as $700. But even $700 is a lot less than paying $12,000 or more annually for a health insurance policy.

The White House has said 7.1 million people have signed up for health insurance through the exchanges, but DeSa said that's a tricky number. We really don't know how many of those people were the previously uninsured. Contained within that number are people who had private health insurance and switched plans through the exchange. There's also the group of people who liked their plan, but found they couldn't keep it. DeSa was critical of the Obama Administration for not releasing the actual number of newly insured people.

DeSa expects young people who haven't signed up yet to "game the system." If a young person develops a medical problem that requires expensive treatment, he or she will sign up for insurance, get treatment and then drop the insurance. He said that has taken place in Massachusetts, which instituted an insurance program similar to Obamacare when Mitt Romney was governor.

In three years, insurers will no longer be eligible for government subsidies, and that's when premiums will start climbing and consumers will start complaining and Obamacare will start failing.

"Obamacare is really a two-phased system," DeSa said. "The first phase, the phase we're in now, is designed to fail. It will drive insurance rates way up and then the politicians can say, 'we told you, the insurance companies are the bad guys.' "

That will create a climate more receptive to a single-payer system.

Celmer said insurance companies bought into Obamacare because they didn't realize it was really a system designed to put them out of business.

DeSa likened the government's handling of Medicare and Medicaid to "the gang that couldn't shoot straight" and he wonders how the feds can handle a single-payer system.

"Medicare and Medicaid are broke," DeSa said. "What gives you the confidence they could run single payer?"

Federal agents, including ATF agents, showed up at a residence on Jackson Street, Batavia, this morning to execute a search warrant.

An agent said the residence, 152 Jackson St., is the home of James D. Holstein, who is under federal indictment and out on bail. He's accused of violating the terms of his release, leading to the search this morning.

The indictment, according to the agent, is related to an arrest by State Police reported by The Batavian in 2010. We've requested a copy of the indictment from the office of William Hochul, U.S. Attorney for WNY.

UPDATE: Holstein is facing a three-count federal indictment issued by a federal grand jury Oct. 3, 2013. The counts are aiding and abetting wire fraud, money laundering and making a false statement. 

It's alleged that between Jan. 2006 and Jan. 2012, Holstein would agree to purchase items from online sellers and then issue the sellers counterfeit checks for amounts greater than the purchase price. Holstein allegedly asked the sellers to wire back the balance of the overpayment. After wiring the money order, the sellers would learn the deposited check was counterfeit and the amount of the check would be charged against their bank account.

Holstein then allegedly kept a portion of the overage for himself and wired the balance to unknown persons throughout the world by way of Western Union and MoneyGram.

Once Holstein was informed by Western Union in January 2009 that he was engaged in fraudulent activity, and then advised again by local law enforcement in April and June 2010, Holstein allegedly continued to wire money to people in Ghana, Nigeria and Great Britain.

For those transactions, Holstein allegedly used the name of his son.

The indictment lists three domestic victims: J.S., a resident of Golden, Colo., $2,910; V.K., a resident of Greenwood, S.C., $2,370; and, A.H., a resident of Elkhart Lake, Wis., $1,500.

The indictment lists nearly 60 transactions in amounts ranging from $40 to $300 to people in Ghana, Nigeria and Great Britain.

Holstein is accused of using these transactions for the purpose of money laundering.

He is also accused of making a false statement to a federal agent. He allegedly told the agent in 2010 that he had stopped wiring money to a woman in Lagos Island, Nigeria, when in fact he continued to wire money to her.

Associated Press: US troops may be sent to Europe
New York Times: Satellites show  Russian forces poised near Ukraine

A minor injury accident is reported at Route 77 and Sumner, Darien.

Dispatchers spoke with both drivers, who declined medical assistance, but a resident in the area "reports otherwise."

Darien fire and ambulance dispatched.

A responder reports a juvenile was struck by an airbag and an evaluation is requested.

Medina, Notre Dame and Batavia softball teams played a scrimmage today at John Kennedy School. It's the first scrimmage of the year. Batavia HS student Zachary Lee submitted these photos.

Photos by Howard Owens / Story by Sloan Martin, WBTA.

New York has several State symbols: the sugar maple is the state tree and the state gem is a garnet. What it doesn’t have, though, is a state snack and the fourth-graders at Byron-Bergen Elementary School are doing something about it.

In a fun school assembly Thursday, the students marked their accomplishment of getting a bill to Albany.

With pop hits like ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” and Lorde’s “Royals” reimagined to proclaim the benefits of yogurt, along with funny skits, the auditorium was filled with B-B fourth-graders who’re amped up and extremely knowledgeable about yogurt.

“It’s very healthy for you and it has lots of good vitamins and calcium,” Sadie said.

“We’ve learned that we’ve been producing the most yogurt in New York State, especially in this area,” Grace said.

Learning about its impact on their bodies, the economy and the government, it’s been an interactive and engaging learning experience.

Superintendent Casey Kosiorek says he’s proud of the kids and their teachers for taking what they learn and putting it into action.

“It really lines up with everything Genesee County’s about with dairy farming and additions to our yogurt companies as well,” he said. “It really aligns well. It’ll be memorable for the students, especially after it becomes a law.”

“Absolutely, this is interdisciplinary,” Kosiorek said. “They’ve had to work on their writing, they’ve had to utilize their math, they’ve had to learn about social studies, they’ve had to learn about government. As you can see, they were singing and writing songs, producing films – all the skills that we look for as our young people move up to the junior-senior high school and then college and careers."

State Senator Michael Ranzenhofer says it’s government in action.

“They’re living it by writing us letters, by doing these skits today,” Ranzenhofer said. “We’re going to make this become a law.”

The bill to make yogurt the official state snack has been introduced in the Senate and once it passes both houses, it will find itself on the governor’s desk -- all because of the Byron-Bergen fourth-graders.

Mike Davis, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Kevin Williams, Muller Quaker Dairy, and Roger Parkhurst, Alpina Foods.

More than 30 businesses were on hand at GCC today for a spring job fair, with dozens of job seekers using the opportunity to make connections with employers and hand out resumes.

Above, Rodney Casey shows off his portfolio.

ICE officer Michelle Marino talks about Homeland Security with Andrew Vicary.

Press release:

Five Genesee Community College students will be heading to Albany on April 25 to represent the Finger Lakes Region in the Social Entrepreneurship / Nonprofit category for the fifth annual New York Business Plan Competition. They will be joined by the "Imajine Soap" team of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in this category. The competition invites students from colleges around the state to submit innovative ideas designed to address a currently unmet need in one of six categories. The GCC team's "Batavia Loop Trail and Bordering Business Development" will be competing for more than $500,000 in cash and in-kind prizes.

The SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), University at Albany's School of Business, and Syracuse University will host the competition, which has become the premier collegiate contest, encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship throughout New York's colleges and universities.

The GCC students, who are members of the CEO and Earth Clubs on campus, envision developing an 11-mile loop trail that skirts around the edge of the City and Town of Batavia connecting a wide array of businesses and regional resources -- from ice cream shops and restaurants to Batavia's treasure trove of city and county parks. The Batavia Loop Trail (BLT) would also maximize the idyllic views of Tonawanda Creek and provide safer walking and bicycling pathways to GCC and College Village.

Their business plan was first vetted against 67 other two-page business proposals submitted into the Finger Lakes Region of the statewide competition. Wednesday night, students presented the plan to judges at the University of Rochester, where it was greeted with great enthusiasm. Should they succeed in the next round of the competition the winnings will secure seed money to help fund a feasibility study -- the first major step in their "transformative idea."

In their presentation, the students pointed out that bicycling is a growing tourist attraction and with the NYS Thruway cutting across Batavia's northern border, a huge market awaits city and county planners. BLT would also link into the new Ellicott Trail, which was recently awarded $1.5 million through NYSDOT Transportation Enhancement Fund. In addition, they have researched state and federal funding resources and the concept potentially meets many of the criteria listed for support from the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), Consolidated Funding Application (CFA), NYSERDA's Cleaner Greener Communities, and Transportation Alternatives Program.

Lastly, and most importantly to the students – the long-term vision poses excellent hands-on learning opportunities not only for GCC students but for the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership (GVEP/BOCES). In the near future, students hope to present a plan to GCC's Board of Trustees sharing their idea of creating a small campus Recreational Rental Center giving both students and the general public the opportunity to rent bicycles for the trail and potentially tennis rackets or soccer equipment. This new micro business gives GCC students enrolled in Travel & Tourism, Business Administration, Accounting, Sport Management, Web Design, Digital Arts and Physical Education excellent co-op, internship and work study opportunities. Equally dynamic is providing GVEP/BOCES students enrolled in Conservation, Welding and Automotive Technology programs the chance to help develop and maintain the trail.

The students' BLT plan extends out 11 years, but it is broken down into multiple phases with the most realistic, easily implemented segments of the trail opening in 2018.

"They are calling it Vision 2025 and although they realize they will be long graduated during the later phases and challenges of the project, they believe that making Batavia a bicycle-friendly community is an excellent opportunity for everyone," said Donna Rae Sutherland, GCC's staff advisor for the project. "They not only hope to pass the torch of the plan along to their peers – they also hope they will be able to use the trail with their future children a decade or two from now."

The BLT team presenters include Tara Beckens, of Clifton Springs, Danielle Cannella, Richard DelPlato, and Maryssa Peirick, all from Batavia, and Adrienne Payne, of Byron.

They will be joined by several other colleges and universities in representing the Finger Lakes Region against winners from each of the nine other New York Regional Economic Development Council zones which include: Capital Region, Central New York, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Western New York, Southern Tier, Mid-Hudson, New York City and Long Island.

Ralph Peterson, the controversial mayor of Corfu, is now the former mayor.

Peterson turned in a one-sentence letter of resignation effective Monday.

His resignation follows an eight-month-long medical leave and comes after the village board put forward a budget proposal reducing the mayor's salary to $4 per year.

For nearly two years, Peterson and board members have been locked in a tangle over his conduct in office, including controversies over setting up an office in the mayor's office, his request for passwords to employee computers and keys to locked file cabinets.

Some board members suspected Peterson of trying to run interference for his friend, former village justice Robert Alexander.

Alexander was in the midst of his own controversy after it was discovered through a comptroller's audit that his daughter, and former court clerk, Brandi Watts, was stealing court funds.

She eventually admitted to stealing more than $10,000. As part of the plea deal, charges of coercion and official misconduct were dismissed against Alexander provided that he resign from his justice position in Pembroke (he'd previously not run for reelection in Corfu).

Peterson became the target of calls for his resignation and efforts to figure out how to remove him from office. In the midst of the kerfuffle, Peterson was reportedly hospitalized and a short time later, he turned in a doctor's note putting himself on medical leave.

No word yet on how Corfu's mayor position will be replaced.

There's a public hearing on the proposed budget scheduled for April 21.

Sometime during the early morning hours March 8, a person put glue inside the door locks of Mill Street Wine and Liquors, according to Le Roy PD.

The purpose of the act is undetermined but investigators speculate it could have been to further a crime or aid in a future crime.

The locks were damaged.

Investigators are looking for the public's assistance in identifying the man in the photo above.

Anybody with information that may help the investigation are asked to contact Le Roy PD at (585) 345-6350.

Press release:

Three dozen sites throughout Western New York will host a medication drop-off day on Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s the largest single day drop-off in Western New York. The Drug Enforcement Administration is leading the effort as part of a national campaign with the support of local police agencies.

The locations for Genesee County include the Le Roy Village Hall hosted by the Le Roy Police Department, the Pembroke Town DPW (intersection of State routes 5 and 77) hosted by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department, and the Batavia City Police Department hosted by the Batavia Police Department.

A similar event held in October collected more than four tons of unwanted and unneeded medications from residential homes. Western New York leads the state in collections.

The purpose behind this event is to keep medications out of the hands of teens looking to experiment and to keep our water safe. Flushing old medications contaminate the water table and eventually our drinking water.

Press release:

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and traffic crashes continue to be the greatest threat to the safety of the average New Yorker and the number one killer of teens in America. Cell phone use and texting are responsible for a significant proportion of traffic crashes, injuries, and deaths. These behaviors continue to become increasingly common despite their obvious danger.

State and local law enforcement are participating in stepped up traffic safety enforcement efforts including “Operation Hang Up” announced by Governor Cuomo yesterday. “Operation Hang Up” will consist of high visibility, stepped up cell phone and texting enforcement statewide April 10 – April 15.

“The State Police has always been in the forefront of trying to keep our highways safe for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Operation Hang Up is a campaign about protecting everyone using our roads and highways from preventable injuries and property damage caused by distracted drivers using cell phone and other electronic devices,” said Major Michael Cerretto, Troop A Commander.

The dates for this year’s spring "Operation Hang-Up Campaign" correspond with a coordinated nationwide effort to combat distracted driving through ad campaigns and enforcement. In response, Troop A will partner up with other law enforcement agencies and will make distracted driving enforcement a priority.

Operation Hang-Up will run from Thursday, April 10, through Tuesday, April 15.