Stories from

A car has reportedly hit a tree in the area of 1192 Bloomingdale Road, Basom.

There may be an injury. 

Alabama Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 3:15 p.m.: Vehicle off the road, side-impact, a first responder is checking for injuries.

UPDATE 3:16 p.m.: One patient with a head laceration. 

UPDATE 3:17 p.m.: Extrication will be required.

UPDATE 3:20 p.m.: Mercy Flight requested to the scene.  It will be Mercy Flight #7 out of Buffalo.

UPDATE 3:37 p.m.: Indian Falls Fire dispatched mutual aid. Mercy Flight is on the ground.

UPDATE 3:44 p.m.: Pembroke and Indian Falls are back in service.

Antwoine Kush, 19, of Lockport, is charged with criminal contempt 1st, burglary 2nd, unlawful imprisonment, and robbery 3rd. Kush was arrested on a warrant in Savannah, Ga., and extradited back to Batavia, on charges stemming from an incident reported at 5:08 a.m., Dec. 16, on East Main Street, Batavia.  He was arraigned in City Court and ordered held on $25,000 bail, $50,000 bond, or $75,000 partially secured bond.  He was also arrested and arraigned on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a prior arrest.

Antwan L. Odom, 21, of Batavia, is charged with assault 3rd.  Odom is accused of striking a neighbor in the face with a fist causing a physical injury at 12:25 p.m., Jan. 25, on Miller Avenue, Batavia. He was arraigned in City Court and released on his own recognizance. 

Isaac D. Abrams, 21, of Alabama, is charged with burglary 1st. Abrams was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 9:48 p.m., Dec. 28, in Alabama. He was ordered held in jail. No further details released.

Stephen Gerard Ognibene, 64, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal purchase or disposal of a firearm and failure to report a lost or stolen firearm.  On Dec. 15, deputies Erik Andre and Jeremiah Gechell began an investigation into unaccounted handguns stemming from a criminal contempt arrest. It's alleged that Ognibene unlawfully disposed of two revolvers to an individual who could not legally possess firearms and failed to report to law enforcement that the firearms were lost or stolen. He was arraigned in City Court and released under the supervision of Genesee Justice.

Virginia Steen, 52, of Gilbert Street, Le Roy, is charged with harassment 2nd and criminal contempt 2nd. Steen is accused of tampering with the property of another person in a common area of a residence on Gilbert Street, Le Roy, at 1 a.m., Feb. 6. The action allegedly violated an order of protection. She was released on an appearance ticket.

Jose Antonio Cruz, 28, of Linwood Road, Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. Cruz is accused of stealing from a business where he was employed on West Main Street, Le Roy, at 5 p.m., Feb. 1. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Quincy R. Byrd, 26, of Bacon Street, Le Roy, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Byrd is accused of driving a 2005 Toyota Camry without permission of its owner at about 3 p.m., Feb. 5, on Bacon Street, Le Roy. After being arraigned in Le Roy Town Court, Byrd was released to Lockport PD on an arrest warrant.

John A. Cabrera, Sr., 54, of Batavia, is charged petit larceny. Cabrera is accused of stealing two frozen pizzas and three cans of beer from a business on Ellicott Street, Batavia, at 11:36 a.m., Feb. 3. he was issued an appearance ticket.

Chantalle J. Bessil, 27, of Batavia, is charged with obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, and suspended registration. Bessil was stopped at 9:29 pm., Feb. 1, on East Main Street by a Batavia PD patrol. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Carlene V. Santiago, 32, of Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Santiago was arrested on a warrant stemming from an incident reported at 3:19 p.m., March 17, on Vine Street, Batavia. She was arraigned in City Court and released on her own recognizance.

Talana J. Savery, 22, of Fulton, is charged with failure to appear. Savery was arrested on a warrant after turning herself into Batavia PD. She was arraigned in City Court and released on her own recognizance. 

Shawn M. Twardowski, 39, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Twardowski is accused of stealing beer from a business on East Main Street, Batavia, at 9:32 a.m., Jan. 26. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Gregory Reese, 52, of Batavia, is charged with failure to appear. Reese was arrested on a warrant for alleged aggravated unlicensed operation in the City of Batavia at 12:23 a.m., Jan. 30, 2021, on Ellicott Street, Batavia. He was arraigned in City Court and released on his own recognizance.

Andrew J. Draper, no age provided, of Batavia, and Crystal A. Mounts, no age provided, of Batavia, are both charged with petit larceny. Draper and Mounts are accused of stealing at 1:46 p.m., Jan. 29, from a business on Ellicott Street, Batavia. They attempted to leave the store with more than $700 worth of merchandise.  They were issued appearance tickets.

John Kenneth Hobbs, 34, of Clinton Street Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Hobbs was allegedly found in the presence of a protected party when authorities responded to a residence on Clinton Street Road, Batavia, for a medical emergency at 9:20 p.m., Feb. 1. He was arraigned in Batavia Town Court and ordered held on bail.

A 15-year-old male resident of Alabama is charged with promotion of a sexual performance of a child less than 17 and possession of sexual performance by a child. The youth was arrested by State Police in connection with an investigation begun at 7:28 p.m., Sept. 16, in the Town of Alabama.  The youth was issued an appearance ticket. No further details were released.

Manzel R. Maxwell, 30, of Rochester, is charged with grand larceny 4th. Maxwell is charged with a theft committed at 1:20 p.m., Dec. 6, in the Town of Batavia. The investigation is ongoing by State Police. No further details released.

Among the vendors at yesterday's Volunteers for Animals Vendor Fair, hosted by Batavia Downs, were Brock Bucceri and Hunter Wagner making their vendor show debut as entrepreneurs. 

During the pandemic, Bucceri and Wagner (along with friend Gavin Beck, not pictured) decided to start making their own fishing lures.

"We spent a lot of money on fishing lures at Dick's and Cabela's where a frog can cost up to $12," said 13-year-old Bucceri. "So we said, 'let's make some money off of it and we can get some free lures."

The trio makes the senkos they sell themselves. They design the frogs and have them custom manufactured, which they sell for $8.99.

Yeah, that's cheaper than the big retailers but Bucceri said they're still making money -- mostly with sales through Etsy -- because their frogs sell.

The first-ever vendor fair was a big success, according to Angie Knisley, who organized the event for Volunteers for Animals.  It raised more than $2,000 and the more than 300 people who attended brought in a large amount of food and other pet-care donations.

Duke saw a deer near his home in Byron and decided to give chase. Owner Chriss DeValder hasn't seen her boy since.

"I just don't know what to do without him," she said.

She said he may have been spotted in Oakfield.

He's also not good with other dogs, she said.

She asks that people call or text if they see him, or "call out Duke."  She can be reached at (585) 409-9325.

Traffic was tied up at West Main and Lewiston, Batavia, for about 20 minutes after a two-car accident at about 3:30 p.m. today.

No injuries were reported.

Oakfield-Alabama beat Lyondonville in girls basketball on Saturday, 68-34.

Scoring for O-A:

• Makena Reding, 12 points,  five assists, three steals
• Kelsey Schlagenhauf, 11 points, 11 rebounds, nine steals   
• Caitlin Ryan, 11 points 11 rebounds,  five steals, three blocks
• Alea Groff, 11 points, six rebounds
• Brooke Reding, 10 points
• Emma Wray,  six points

Also in girls basketball on Saturday, Alexander beat Wheatland 68-12

In boys basketball, Byron-Bergen lost to Wheatland-Chili, 61-52

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

About two dozen people donned skimpy swimsuits and rode snowmobiles before a crowd of onlookers on a sunny but frigid Saturday in Oakfield for the 8th Annual Bikini Rally sponsored by the Genesee Sno Packers.

The event raised $19,205 for the Pink Fund, a breast cancer financial assistance program.

About 450 people attended, according to Jane Chaddock, one of the event organizers.

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more, click here.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Water Department will be repairing a water main break on Oak Street, in the southbound lane in the area of Noonan Drive on Monday, February 7, 2022.  There is the potential that the water may need to be shut off on Oak Street, from Union Street heading north to the City line.  In addition, the water shut-off would also impact all of Noonan Drive.

The length of time the water will be off is unknown.

Traffic will also be impacted in the area of Oak Street and Noonan Drive in the form of lane closures or lane shifts while the repairs are being made.

As always, when the water is restored it may be discolored.  Please refrain from doing any laundry until the water runs clear.

We apologize for any inconvenience and the public’s patience is greatly appreciated.

Oakfield-Alabama beat Alexander in girls basketball on Thursday night, 55-49.

For the Hornets:

• Caitlin Ryan   13 points., 8 rebounds
• Brooke Reding    13 points., 7 assists, 3 steals
• Makena Reding   10 points., 2 steals
• Kelsey  Schlagenhauf   9 points., 7 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists

For the Trojans:

• Riley Powell  14 points.
• Natalie Whitmore  13 points.
• Melanie Pohl  10 points.
• Emma Kramer 10 points

"This was an incredibly well played high school game, said O-A head coach Jeff Schlagenhauf. "Both teams played at a very high level. This was a great win for our kids. Marcia's teams are  extremely well coached and they play hard from start to finish. I think the largest lead tonight was 6 points."

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Christine Loranty shared these photos of cardinals and a blue jay in her backyard yesterday in Alexander.

A four-vehicle accident, believed to be with minor injuries, is reported in the area of 9441 Alexander Road, Alexander.

Alexander Fire and ambulance, along with Mercy EMS responding.

City Fire is responding to 541 East Main St., Batavia, where there is an alarm of fire along with a report of smoke coming from an apartment.

A first responder reports nothing showing. The apartment complex is being evacuated.

UPDATE 4:29 a.m.: Smoke is due to somebody cooking. No fire.

A house fire is reported at 31 Walnut Street, Batavia.

Dispatchers report multiple calls.

UPDATE 3:22 a.m.: City  Fire on scene reporting light smoke out of second-story window.  A patrol officer first on scene reported the fire may have originated in a downstairs kitchen and extended upstates.

UPDATE 3:23 a.m.: All platoons recalled to headquarters.

UPDATE 3:48 a.m.: All occupants were out of the two residences safely.  The fire is out and firefighters are conducting overhaul and checking for extensions.

UPDATE Friday morning:

Press release:

On Friday, February 4, 2022, at 3:16 a.m., the City of Batavia Fire Department responded to a reported house fire at 31 Walnut St. in the City of Batavia.  Initial fire units arrived to find smoke emanating from a two-and-a-half-story, two-family home.  Fire crews entered the home to find a fire in the kitchen that was quickly extinguished.  Three occupants were home at the time of the fire and escaped unharmed prior to the fire department's arrival.  Residents are being assisted by the American Red Cross.

No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.    

The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental by City of Batavia Fire Department fire investigators.   

The City of Batavia Fire Department was assisted by the City of Batavia Police and Water Departments, Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center, the American Red Cross, National Grid and National Fuel.

These closings and cancellations have been announced for Friday, Feb 4, 2022:

• Batavia City Schools
• Elba Central Schools
• Byron-Bergen Central Schools
• BOCES Batavia Campus
• Oakfield Central Schools
• John Kennedy Intermediate School's Polar Plunge has been rescheduled to Feb. 11 at 3:30 p.m.
• GCC's Batavia campus is closed.
• Richmond Memorial Library is closed.
• The Byron-Bergen Public Library is closed.

Send closings and cancellations to news@thebatavian.com.

Porfirio Gabriel has worked for Torrey Farms in Elba for 13 years and helps the Torreys recruit workers from Mexico, specifically Comachuen, to obtain H2A temporary visas and work planting onions and harvesting squash, cabbage, and beans each year.

These workers, Gabriel told NPR for a recent story about money sent from workers back to Mexico to help support local economies, have helped Comachuen families receive as much as $5 million over three years, by far the town's largest source of income.

These funds sent to Mexico, called remittances, may have exceeded $50 billion for the first time last year, according to the story.

Travis Torrey sent the link to the NPR story to The Batavian noting that as regulators try to limit the number of hours farmer workers can labor each week they're really hurting the people they say they're trying to help.

"I think you can see that coming to WNY to work is their version of the ‘American dream,’" Torrey said. "Everyone that has come here has bettered themselves and families.  The inhumanity is denying them the opportunity.

"Without the farmworkers, there would be no farms," he added. "The same can be said if there are no farms there are no farmworkers."

A week ago, the state's Farm Labor Board, on a 2-1 vote, recommended the overtime threshold for farmworkers be lowered from 60 hours a week to 40 hours a week.

Both farmer-owners and farmworkers have repeatedly spoken out against the rule change over the past few years saying that workers will seek jobs in states that don't restrict potential earnings.

Torrey notes the rule change will hurt workers like Gabriel when they get their hours cut.

From the NPR story:

Gabriel is resigned to working in the United States as long as he can. He sends home about $7,500 each year from what he earns working the fields. That money is largely used to fund his children's education, paying private college fees so his eldest son can be a registered nurse.

His hope is that his children will get university degrees and not have to emigrate. "I am paying for their studies, so that they don't have to do what we had to do," Gabriel says.

Richard Lewis Conte, 29, of Central Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI, refusal to take a breath test, reckless driving, failure to keep right, and avoiding traffic device or intersection light. Conte was stopped at 10:50 p.m., Jan. 26, on Route 33 in Byron by Deputy Kenneth Quackenbush.

John Laurence Lyons, 53, of HIlltop Drive, Le Roy, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing.  Lyons is accused of obstructing the breathing of another person at 11:45 p.m., Nov. 24, at a location on Hilltop Drive, Le Roy. He was arrested by Le Roy PD and issued an appearance ticket.

Gary David Doctor, 39, of Main Street, Akron, is charged with DWI, driving while ability impaired by drugs, aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd, and operating a vehicle with a suspended registration.  Doctor was arrested by Deputy Kevin McCarthy after dispatchers received a report at 10:56 a.m., Nov. 24, of a male passed out behind the wheel on West Main Street Road, Batavia. Doctor was issued an appearance ticket.

A one-vehicle accident with the driver possibly slumped over in the driver's seat is reported on the I-490 in Bergen in the area of mile marker 1.6.

The vehicle is off the roadway of the westbound lane.

Bergen Fire and Le Roy Fire along with Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 4:16 p.m.: The vehicle was apparently unoccupied. Mercy EMS is back in service with no patient to transport.  

UPDATE 4:17 p.m.: Law enforcement is checking on multiple vehicles that are off the road.

Press release:

Leadership Genesee welcomed 19 individuals from all walks of life representing our community’s public and private organizations, on January 26 and 27 for the 2-day Opening Retreat, held at Terry Hills. 

First-time organizations include M & T Bank and Warrior House of WNY. The class represents a broad cross-section of the community, including education, finance, manufacturing, healthcare, service industry, not for profits and the public sector. 

Leadership Genesee Director Peggy Marone said, “Today’s world must have leaders who embrace inclusion, listen generously and understand that it takes little or no effort to allow others to have their feelings and opinions. This kind of respect is missing in many conversations, it’s up to each of us to bring that respect back to our relationships.”  She continues, “Leadership Genesee believes we owe it to future generations to provide a community with people who are knowledgeable, able to have civil conversations about both sides of an issue and create trusting and respectful relationships!”  

The retreat was sponsored by Leadership Genesee Alumni and Terry Hills and was facilitated by Skip Helfrich of Human Energies. Leadership Genesee is a program of CCE Genesee County, an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, protecting veterans, and individuals with disabilities, and providing equal program and employment opportunities.

For more information, visit LG’s website at http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/leadership-genesee; “like” LG on Facebook at www.facebook.com/leadershipgenesee; or contact Director Peggy Marone at (585) 343-3040, ext. 118 or mem77@cornell.edu.  Up next for the Class of 2022: Our Business, Our Economics on February 23.

And now they're 15-0.

Oakfield-Alabama's flawless season in boys basketball rolled forward on Wednesday with a 69-39 win over Holley.

Stats:​

• Kam Cusmano, 24 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks
• Gaige Armbrewster, 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists
• Kyle Porter, 8 points
• Kaden Cusmano, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks

Also on Wednesday in boys basketball:

• Pavilion beat Keshequa, 62-37
• Byron-Bergen beat Elba, 69-64
• Le Roy lost to Geneseo, 52-40
• Notre Dame beat C.G. Finney, 76-49
• Pittsford-Sutherland beat Batavia 50-48. Carter McFollins scored 14 points, Javin McFollins and Sawyer Siverling has 11 each.

In girls basketball, Le Roy beat Letchworth, 51-30

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more click here.

A tractor trailer is off the road report of the overturned at Route 33 and Old State Road in Byron.

There was reportedly air deployment, and the initial report said there was injury that a first responder on scene says there are no entries.

The truck reportedly jackknifed.

Byron and South Byron along with Mercy EMS responding. Crews can respond nonemergency.