Five Genesee County teenagers were confirmed into the Catholic Faith today by Bishop Michael Fisher during the 3 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Buffalo.
They were, from left, Maylee Green, Alex Johnson. Dominic Grillo, Aidan Anderson, Olivia Shell
Photos submitted by Resurrection Parish
Jack Lawrence making his First Communion today at 11:30 Mass at St Joseph’s Church.
Photos submitted by Jason Smith.
Photo submitted by Joanne Meiser.
A two-car motor vehicle accident is reported at Alleghany Road and Ledge Road, Alabama.
The accident is blocking with one car on its side.
Unknown injuries.
Alabama Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE 3:22 p.m.: Indian Falls Fire dispatched, mutual aid.
UPDATE 3:44 p.m.: A second motor vehicle accident is reported at Judge Road and Alleghany Road, Alabama. Unknown injuries. Blocking. Possibly a farm tractor involved.
Members of the Batavia Rotary Club were volunteering their time in Rotary Park on Main Street, Batavia, this morning, sprucing it up for spring and summer.
Photo submitted by Chris Crocker.
The chance to wed two great flavors was also an opportunity to bring two local companies together to develop a new product that helps both mark their business anniversaries, said Jeremy Liles, owner of Oliver's Candies in Batavia and Elba.
Hence, Oliver's Candies and Eli Fish Brewing Company have collaborated to bring Genesee County its own local version of beer brittle -- peanut brittle with a beer base instead of water to give the candy an added flavor dimension.
"I like the collaboration amongst businesses, and with this being our 90-year anniversary, I thought it was a fun project," Liles said. "I love Eili Fish and eat there often and those guys are great over there, so that's what I liked about it, just the whole collaboration idea and experimenting with something new, and introducing something new to our customers."
Master candy maker Doug Pastecki said he and Liles have been fascinated with the idea of beer brittle since reading several years ago about a collaboration in California between a candy company and Anchor Steam Brewing. At the time, there was no local brewery, and using a mass-produced beer wasn't appealing so the idea got shelved. As Oliver's 90th anniversary approached, Pasteck and Liles were casting about for a new product idea when the trade magazine re-ran the beer brittle story. With Eli Fish coming up on its fourth anniversary, it seemed like a perfect time for the two companies to work together.
"We got together, we picked up the beer and we got it right in the first shot," Pastecki said.
The beer is a sweeter beer with a complex malt flavor, "Bad Bad Le Roy Brown," an Eli staple.
Malt, sugar, and peanuts go great together, Pastecki noted, and of course, peanuts are often served in bars so that aspect was also a natural fit.
That doesn't mean there wasn't some R&D involved in the process, said Adam Burnett, master brewer for Eli.
"When you just eat a lot of candies, drink a lot of beer, and figure out what goes well together, that's the fun part," Burnett.
Burnett said he was also energized by the opportunity to collaborate with a local legendary company, and from an industry he hasn't previously worked with.
"I definitely have a bit of an MO for doing collaborations by any means necessary," Burnett said. "I think it raises both brands. Every other collaboration I've done has been with breweries, which is a lot of fun for me, but this is outside my wheelhouse. I got to learn about what's going on here. Getting to learn about the history of Oliver's and getting to take part in something for a big anniversary for them is special for me. At Eli Fish, we're the new kids. It's nice to be taken into the old guard a bit."
The beer brittle is being sold at both Oliver's Locations -- Batavia and Elba -- as well as at Eli Fish.
Photos by Howard Owens.
A power outage that began at 6:11 am is reported on the Southside of Batavia, effecting 1,220 National Grid customers.
the outage area is from Walnut to Lehigh Avenue, south to the city line and north along Ellicott Street with a portion going north of Main Street at Bank.
National Grid expects to restore power by 8:30 a.m.
Drive drunk and you might just get arrested, or worse, you might kill somebody.
That was the message today for juniors and seniors at Pembroke High School, in advance of their proms in a DWI drill put together today by volunteers from the Pembroke, Indian Falls, Corfu, and East Pembroke fire departments.
Peter Farrington played the drunken driver who was arrested by Deputy Robert Henning with assistance from Deputy Kevin McCarthy. Farrington played out his role seriously, showing signs of visible drunkenness during the field sobriety tests and insisting that he was alright, just out for a good time at the prom, and wanted to get home and sleep.
Photos by Howard Owens.
At the start of the drill, students were given an opportunity to walk all around the "accident" scene to get a fuller view of the scenario.
The Hornets continued to dominate the area baseball landscape on Thursday with a 14-6 win over Letchworth in a battle of Class C champions to see which team will represent Section V in the regional championship game.
Kyle Porter, Bodie Hyde, and Brayden Smith each picked up three hits. Hyde had three RBIs and scored three runs. Smith scored three times and drove in a pair of runners. Getting two hits apiece were Colton Yasses, Aiden Warner, and Cooper Colantonio, who also drove in three runs.
Yasses picked up the win, tossing 6 1/3 innings, giving up five earned runs (of six) and striking out eight.
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.
Albert and George Brisbane are not history's first feuding brothers, of course, but their divergent ways are a part of Batavia's history, as is the role their father played -- James Brisbane -- in the settlement and development of the little village by the bend in the Tonawanda.
James Brisbane became a very wealthy man in Batavia and Albert and George were his heirs, with George and his wife Sarah settling into the mansion that James Brisbane finished building in 1855. The family sold the mansion and property that is now Austin Park to the City of Batavia in 1917, and until 2004, the building was City Hall. Since 2004, it's been the city's police headquarters. Since that is to change within a few years, the city has acquired a $20,000 grant to study what might be best for the historic building.
To help educate the public about the importance of the building, the Landmark Society of Genesee County, with a grant acquired through GO ART!, produced a play written by local historian Derek Maxfield about the Brisbanes, or more specifically, the feuding brothers, Albert and George.
The play is set in 1878 and centers on George's resentment of Albert. George, the younger brother, stayed home and tended to the family's financial affairs while Albert traveled the world, married multiple women, sired several children, and extolled the virtues of a socialist utopia.
The play was set, in part, in 1878 because in that year native son Gen. Emory Upton paid a visit to his hometown; so for Maxfield it was a chance to bring this important historical figure into the drama.
Brothers at Odds: The Brisbane Story debuts tonight at the First Presbyterian Church, 300 East Main St., Batavia. There are additional performances on June 11 and June 15. All performances begin at 7 p.m. and are free.
The cast:
This evening's sunset on McAlpine Road, Pembroke, submitted by Joanne Meiser.
As the collegiate-level Batavia Muckdogs enter their second season in the Perfect Game League, head coach Joey Martinez likes what he sees of his team.
"The roster was looking pretty good," Martinez told The Batavian on Thursday evening during a Chamber of Commerce event at Batavia Downs. " I definitely believe it's probably a lot more talented roster than last year. And we had a pretty good roster last year but this year is all I can say is we're super excited about our pitching staff."
Coming off a season in which the freshman PGCBL came up just short of a post-season birth, returning manager Martinez said he's excited about the squad he will field this year.
"In the first week these guys are buying in and our hitters are gonna come through," Martinez said. "It's gonna be hard to write a lineup every day. That's how much talent we got. We're excited about it, but Batavia should be excited about this roster."
There are key players returning from last season, most notably local prospects Tyler Prospero and Jerry Reinhardt, and their leadership will help the team, Martinez said.
"We have depth," he said. "We have leadership. We have these guys that have returners and I think in any organization it is crucial to have returners with leadership ability. So we have guys like Tyler Prospero and Jerry Reinhardt. These guys that are returning, they're upperclassmen. These guys are seasoned collegiate players. They've played here. They know what this is about here. This is their hometown. They know what culture we have. So having those guys around with depth, pitching, and leadership, I mean, it's a pretty, pretty good recipe we have going on right now."
The Muckdog's home opener is 7 p.m. Saturday at Dwyer Stadium. For the full season schedule, click here.
Photo: Assistant Coach Thomas Easton and Head Coach Joey Martinez.
Photo by Howard Owens.
Christina Woodrow gravitated toward art because it's what she grew up with. Both of her parents are artists.
"I was just always coloring and drawing, always having supplies around, so art was very intriguing," Woodrow said. "I just grew up doing this. I always wanted to be good at art."
Woodrow was one of several seniors with featured displays, along with works by underclassmen, Wednesday night at Le Roy's Fine Arts night, which included live music from students.
The senior wants to use her drawing skills to use people's bodies as a canvas, becoming a tattoo artist. She will soon start an apprenticeship with Mark Fanara at High Voltage Tattoo in Batavia. Eventually, she plans to earn a business degree because she would like to own her own tattoo shop.
Top Photo: Christina Woodrow and her mother Nicole Boyce.
Photos by Howard Owens
More than 600 kindergarten students from Genesee County, along with teachers, parents, and chaperones, visited Hildene Farms on Roanoke Road in Pavilion on Wednesday to experience a bit of farm life firsthand.
Cal Ayers-Tillotson, Hildene's co-owner, said she and her husband decided to host the event because with four kids of their own, and one in kindergarten, it would be a great way for them to visit their own farm. She said she hopes it's a rewarding experience for the children.
"We hope they become more educated with farming in general," she said. "I think that people have become so far removed and I think it's great to just teach the kids where their food comes from."
Helping children understand the concept of where food comes from is a big part of the reason the Genesee County Farm Bureau sponsors the annual event -- which had a two-year hiatus during the pandemic -- said Natasha Stein Sutherland.
"This is important because dairy is the powerhouse of Genesee County," Sutherland said. "For every dollar we earned, we triple it back out into the community with every dollar we spend on our staff members, on our commodities we buy, and the milk hitting the grocery store shelves. Dairy is surrounding this county. It keeps it green. We need these kids to understand the dairy-to-table concept. This is such a connecting force for these kids who eventually someday will be consumers."
Joanne Beck, a Batavia native and well-regarded journalist in the community, has been named news editor of The Batavian.
Beck became a freelance writer for The Batavian in August and began her new staff position last month.
In addition to her duties as editor, Beck will primarily cover the City of Batavia, county government, and Batavia City Schools.
She assumed the city and county beats in May from Mike Pettinella, a freelance writer, who has stepped back from regular beat coverage.
Beck has been in the communications field for more than two decades, working as an award-winning newspaper journalist for 15 years.
In 2007, she received a Fabulous Female award from the YWCA of Genesee County. Her journalism awards include writing and reporting honors from Associated Press. She was also honored by the NYS Mental Health Association for her reporting on mental health issues.
She has a bachelor's in communications/media and has special interests in animal welfare, adoption and rescue stories, health and nutrition, running, sharing one’s struggles and triumphs, giving the underdog a voice, and helping to promote local businesses and organizations by putting a spotlight on their special events and participation in the community.
Howard Owens, who has been the publisher and executive editor of The Batavian since its inception in May 2008, will cover spot news, criminal justice, Western Regional OTB, GCEDC, and Le Roy Central Schools. He's also the staff photographer and videographer, assisted by several local freelancers. Owens and Beck will share the other beats in the county, such as town and village governments, other school districts, and business.
Lisa Ace is the organization's creative manager and handles, as she has for the past 11 years, the business operations of The Batavian.
The Batavian began publishing on May 1, 2008 and has become a staple of Genesee County's news diet reaching more than 12,000 local news readers on a daily basis. In 2009, The Batavian was named Genesee County's Innovative Enterprise of the Year. It was named a 2013 BID "Spirit of Downtown" award winner, and in 2018 was the City of Batavia's Business of the Year. It's also received awards from the Inland Press Association, the New York Press Association, and Local Independent Online News Publishers.
Contact info:
City Fire is responding to East Main Street and Harvester Avenue where a pedestrian has reportedly been hit by a car.
The patient is up and walking around.
Mercy EMS also responding.
UPDATE 11:53 a.m.: The pedestrian is refusing any assistance and moving along, an officer on scene reports.
Jarrett C. Coniglio says he's a family man.
In court on Tuesday, he had his doubters.
Assistant District Attorney Joseph Robinson noted that Coniglio assaulted a neighbor without provocation in a surprise attack, and used his brother's name to try and avoid a DWI rap.
"That doesn't sound very family-centered to me," Robinson said.
County Court Judge Melissa Cianfrini cited the same issues in her remarks before sentencing Coniglio to five years in prison on his assault conviction and 1 1/3 to four on his DWI conviction.
"I don't question that you love your family, but I question how you show it," Cianfrini said.
Coniglio entered his guilty plea at a previous court appearance in satisfaction of two Grand Jury indictments. In the first one, he was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree, felony DWI, three counts of forgery in the second degree, and criminal impersonation in the second degree.
In entering his guilty plea, he admitted to driving on May 7, 2021 without a license and while drunk on Judge Road in Alabama. At the time he was arrested, he used the name "Grayson B. Ground," who is apparently his brother, according to statements by Robinson and Cianfrini. Ground's name was on official government documents in Coniglio's attempt to conceal his real identity.
In the second indictment, he was charged with assault in the second degree, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration.
Robinson said that, on July 23, Coniglio attacked his neighbor, who was working on his own gravel driveway, in a surprise attack from behind, striking him with a glass bottle. When deputies arrived, Coniglio fought with them in a small, enclosed area of his house, which led to the Sheriff's K-9 on scene and accidentally biting a deputy, causing a puncture wound.
When Coniglio admitted to the assault, DWI, and forgery, he promised to stay out of trouble until his sentencing in exchange for a 2 1/2 year sentence cap.
In the middle of April, Coniglio was charged with attempted murder, along with:
He is accused of attacking a male victim with a knife causing serious physical injury.
Rather than being a family man, Robinson said Coniglio has multiple children with a mother he doesn't contact, and by court order can't contact. He said Coniglio has "shown himself to be somebody who looks out for himself. He does what he's going to do without any regard for anybody else."
Robinson called Coniglio a danger to society. He asked for a seven-year term on the assault conviction.
When it came his turn to speak before he was sentenced, Coniglio said, "My family means so much to me."
He expressed concern about his mother's health and said he wanted to be there for her to help her. He also said that he wanted to take care of his children.
"I just want a chance to be a better person for my family," he said.
The start of the hearing was delayed because Coniglio's retained attorney, Frank Bogulski of Buffalo, wasn't in court as Cianfrini expected. In his place, Bogulski's assistant, James Mciver, who has represented Coniglio at all prior appearances and wrote the defense's sentencing memorandum.
Yet, Bogulski asked for a continuance of Tuesday's sentencing.
Cianfrini said Bogulski had plenty of opportunity to ensure he could be at the hearing. She asked Mciver where he was and Mciver said Bogulski was representing another client at a proceeding in a court in Buffalo. Cianfrini wanted to know the number of the courtroom Bogulski was in, and the name of the judge he was appearing before. She ordered a 15-minute recess and instructed Mciver to have that information before the hearing resumed.
When court was back in session, Mciver indicated he had spoken to Bogulski and that the attorney still requested a continuance, but Mciver did not know what court his boss was in or the name of the judge for that appearance.
Cianfrini reminded Mciver that she gave him clear instructions to obtain that information. She said the sentencing would proceed since Mciver was already clearly familiar with the case.
Mciver protested that Bogulski was the more experienced attorney and should really represent Coniglio at the proceeding.
Cianfrini expressed confidence in Mciver's abilities based on his prior appearances and his sentencing memorandum, and commenced the hearing on the sentencing.
When Andre Lamar Roberts stepped into court on Tuesday, he would later reveal, he already knew he had messed up.
County Court Judge Melissa Cianfrini had told the 29-year-old Rochester resident at a previous court appearance that she saw potential in him.
At that appearance, Roberts entered guilty pleas to charges of resisting arrest and bail jumping in the third degree in satisfaction of multiple other charges against him. Pending sentencing, Cianfrini allowed him to enter a substance abuse program at GCASA.
He was there a week, according to the Probation Department, before he left in violation of the rules and went to a location where he could consume some edibles, drink some booze, and perhaps partake in cocaine (though he disputes that accusation).
"I let myself down," Roberts said. "I disappointed myself by leaving. I owe you a huge apology. You gave me a chance to get clean and change my life and I let you down."
He said the decision was a lapse in judgment.
"There is no excuse," he said. "I feel like I'm smarter than that, wiser than that, more mature than that."
He also said he regretted that his lapse of judgment meant that he was in jail when news reached him that his mother had died.
Roberts thanked his attorney, Fred Rarick, for his support and encouragement once Roberts realized he lost his chance to stay out of jail on his latest conviction.
District Attorney Kevin Finnell had earlier told Cianfrini that Roberts should be sent to jail, and Roberts couldn't disagree. Quoting from a devotional, the Daily Bread, and a psalm, Roberts said he put his faith in God that he could handle the judge's decision.
Finnell noted that Roberts had failed to appear for court appearances six times and that he had two probation revocations on his record, and one parole revocation.
"He continues to shun the court and the community and he could be part of it," Finnell said. " He is not a candidate to be released into the community."
Cianfrini told Roberts, "You don't need to apologize to me. You need to apologize to yourself and you need to apologize to your mother."
She noted that the young man's mother made every court appearance to support her son, and she believed in him and wanted the best for him.
Cianfrini said she tried to show him the right path but "you need to decide who you're going to be in our society."
The judge told Roberts that he did need to be kept apart from the community for a while so he could have time to clear his head, think more clearly, and decide upon his priorities.
"There are always going to be bumps in life, and it's how you deal with them that determines who you will be," she said. "It's up to you to decide what kind of person you want to be when you get out (of jail)."
She gave him nine months in jail on the resisting arrest conviction and eight months on bail jumping, to run consecutively.
Oakfield-Alabama was able to hold off Notre Dame in an 8-7 battle to win the Class C Section V title in baseball on Tuesday.
Bodie Hyde was 2-3 with a walk and two runs scored for the Hornets. David Schnaufer knocked in three runs on one hit and Brayden Smith scored twice while collecting one hit and one walk.
For Notre Dame, Bryceton Berry was 3-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Gavin Schrader had two hits and scored three times. Cody Henry was 2-3 with two RBIs.
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more photos, click here.
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