With record-holder Mike Richenberg on his trail, Oakfield's Brandon Rebert became the second man in the history of Arc of Genesee Orleans Friends and Family 5K in Elba to win six consecutive races.
He tied the record set by Richenberg in 2014.
Rebert posted a time of 19:19. Richenberg, of Corfu, came in second with a time of 19:42.
Neither man has won as many races as Oakfield's Kimberly Mills, who at 20:34, picked up at least her eighth title on Saturday in the Arc 5K, with her first coming in 2009. The online and The Batavian's records are incomplete, so we don't know if she might have more than eight wins. We can't account for two years of races. She said she doesn't keep count.
Rebert started his record-tying streak in 2018. There was no race in 2020 because of the pandemic.
In 2021, he recorded the race's fast time at 18:09.
For The Batavian's prior coverage of the annual race, click here.
New York's rules on discovery, or evidence that must be shared with opposing attorneys in criminal cases, are still a work in progress, County Court Judge Donald O'Geen suggested on Friday during hearings in the cases of Michael J. Elmore and Lyndsey J. Wilcox.
Both are charged with felonies related to an incident at Batavia Downs on March 9 and March 10 that led to the death of Sgt. Thomas A. Sanfratello, a 32-year veteran of the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.
Friday's hearing is a standard procedural opportunity to assure the attorneys -- particularly the District Attorney's Office to the defense -- that all documents and other evidence has been disclosed.
It turns out that the Genesee County Jail and the Sheriff's Office did not share some documents, and DA Kevin Finnell was required to file a "supplemental certificate of compliance."
Finnell told O'Geen that his office performed its due diligence in educating local law enforcement on discovery rules, requested all documents from the agencies involved in the case, and a paralegal review of the documents provided did not suggest any missing documents.
Once his office realized some documents had been omitted, he conferred with the Sheriff's Office and Batavia PD and emphasized that "all documents mean all documents."
What was left out were, he said, documents that the jail considered purely administrative and reports from the Sheriff's Office that he said were redundant of documents already disclosed.
Wilcox's attorney, Daniel Dubois, disagreed with that characterization. He said four of the five PDFs he received contained factual information directly relevant to the charges.
"If there was some sort of miscommunication or lack of communication between the District Attorney's Office and the Sheriff's on documents, that isn't our concern," Dubois said.
O'Geen agreed that the situation was disturbing, but he blamed the new law for most of the confusion. There are unresolved issues about what must be disclosed. He said it did seem like the DA's office did its due diligence.
"It is disturbing if local law enforcement can't figure out that 'everything means everything,'" O'Geen said.
In the following hearing, Elmore's attorney shared the same concerns about the document disclosure. He acknowledged that the rules are so new that no upper court rulings have yet defined what exactly constitutes compliance.
O'Geen said both attorneys are welcome to file motions challenging the discovery and gave them until Oct. 1 to file motion papers. He gave Finnell until Oct. 8 to file any answer. If a hearing is necessary, it will be on Oct. 16, the plea cutoff date.
Elmore is charged with multiple criminal counts for his alleged attack on Sanfratello, including aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, and Wilcox also faces several charges, including burglary and assault.
On March 9, both were asked to leave Batavia Downs and while being escorted out, according to reports, a struggle ensured, which escalated to the point where Elmore allegedly left the building and then came back in with heavy chains -- jewelry -- in his hands. He is accused of fighting with Sanfratello, striking him with the chains. It appears that Sanfratello had a medical issue and died on the scene on March 10.
Amanda T. Sterzick, 52, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 2nd, a Class A-II felony, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd, conspiracy 2nd, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance 5th, two counts of criminally using drug paraphernalia 2nd; Michael C. Mirabal, 51, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 2nd, a Class A-II felony, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd, conspiracy 2nd, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance 5th, two count of criminally using drug paraphernalia 2nd;
Michael Mirabal
Paul Crawford
Paul Crawford, 55, of Batavia is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 2nd, a Class A-II felony, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd, and conspiracy 2nd. On Aug. 30, the Local Drug Task Force and Batavia PD executed two search warrants on residences on Central Avenue and East Main Street, Batavia. The warrants were the result of a "lengthy narcotics investigation" that was assisted by the United States Postal Service Investigation Service into the trafficking and distribution of methamphetamine, prescription drugs, drug paraphernalia, and U.S. currency. The suspects were charged on Sept. 11. By statute, based on the A-II felony charges, the defendants were ordered held at arraignment in the Genesee County Jail pending further court appearances. The investigation remains ongoing, and additional charges are pending.
Charles Philips Stevens, 36, and Shelby Lynn Fryer, 29, both of 11 South Main Street, Batavia, are charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th and criminal use of drug paraphernalia. Carl E. Canterbury, 54, and Christine M. Caplis, 44, both 61 South Main Street, Batavia, and Crystal A. Dale, 48, of Linwood Avenue, Albion, are charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th and criminal use of drug paraphernalia. The arrests resulted from a narcotics investigation by the Local Drug Task Force that resulted in the Batavia Emergency Response Team executing search warrants at 11 South Main St. and 61 South Main St. in Batavia on Sept. 9. All suspects were issued appearance tickets.
Kahlan Irene VanSchaffel, 22, of undisclosed street, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd, criminal possession of a controlled substance 4th, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. VanSchaffel was allegedly found in possession of cocaine in a quantity sufficient to constitute possession with intent to sell at 6:28 on Sept. 15, on Clinton Street Road, Stafford, by Deputy Soren Calderon. VanSchaffel was held pending arraignment.
Jakob John Howland, 22, of Stroh Road, Alexander, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, moving from lane unsafely, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Howland was allegedly involved in a motor vehicle accident on Aug. 18 at 11:18 on Stroh Road, Alexander, that was investigated by Deputy Matthew Wesolowski. Howland was released on an appearance ticket.
Susan Marie Lynch, 69, of North Pearl Street, Oakfield, is charged with petit larceny. Lynch is accused of shoplifting at Walmart at 4:49 p.m. on Sept. 9. Lynch was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released.
Jacob Duane Pieri, 18, East Pleasant Avenue, Eden, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Pieri was stopped at 11:21 on Sept. 7 on Alleghany Road, Darien, by Deputy Soren Calderon. Pieri was issued an appearance ticket.
Brendan Michael Bruce, 26, of Pamela Drive, Depew, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding, and driving a vehicle without an inspection certificate. Bruce was stopped at 12:24 a.m. on Sept. 8 on Broadway Road, Darien, by Deputy Stephen Smith. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Ashton Lee Mohney, 34, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Mohney is accused of shoplifting at Walmart at 10:19 a.m. on Sept. 6. Mohney was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released.
Molly Elizabeth Hebdon, 35, of unreleased street, Bethany, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Hebdon is accused of leaving her 11-year-old daughter alone at a residence on Putnam Road, Bethany, at 10:33 p.m. on Sept. 8. Hebdon was issued an appearance ticket.
Wayne Daniel Potter, 41, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with failing to register a change of address within 10 days as a sex offender. Potter was arrested at the Genesee County Jail on Sept. 9. He was held pending arraignment.
Clarence Arthur Johnson, II, of Griswold Road, Bergen, is charged with failure to appear and be photographed by law enforcement as a sex offender. Johnson was arrested on Sept 8. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Mario Richard Handley, 19, of Jackson Avenue, North Tonawanda, is charged with disorderly conduct. Handley is accused of harassing patrons at a location on Alleghany Road at 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 7. He was allegedly engaging in fighting stances and striking passing vehicles. He was released on an appearance ticket.
Jose Ranulfo Yamba-Paucar, 30, of Hinkleyville Road, Spencerport, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Yamba-Paucar was stopped at 6:19 p.m. on Sept. 14 on Batavia Stafford Townline Road, Batavia, following traffic complaints. He was released on an appearance ticket.
Terry Michael Roth, 49, of Horseshoe Lake Road, Stafford, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Roth was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance during a probation home search of his residence. He was released on an appearance ticket.
Jared Ryan Burns, 38, of Main Road, Stafford, is charged with criminal mischief 4th. Burns is accused of intentionally damaging the screen door of a residence on West Main Street Road, Batavia, at 9:43 p.m. on Sept. 12. He was held for arraignment.
Samantha Grace Reed, of Central Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Reed is accused of shoplifting at Walmart at 6:47 on Sept. 13. She was released on an appearance ticket.
The following arrests were made at the Pitbull concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Sept 6:
Gena Everet, 18, of Java, is charged with criminal trespass after allegedly reentering the concert venue after previously being ejected.
Michael Pellegrino-Whittmeyer, 21, of Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass after allegedly reentering the concert venue after previously being ejected.
Erin Coffey, 20, of Rochester, is charged with criminal trespass after allegedly reentering the concert venue after previously being ejected.
John Karcz, Jr., 51, of North Tonawanda, is charged with harassment 2nd after allegedly striking another person while inside the concert venue.
The City of Batavia Police Department has been made aware of social media posts circulating that are threatening violence at schools. The investigation into this matter has deemed that there is no credible threat to the Batavia City School District at this time. We are working alongside our Local, State and Federal partners to determine the origin of the posts. We have communicated with BCSD about the posts and will continue to monitor the situation.
We ask that anyone with further information contact the Police Department's Detective Bureau at 585-345-6350. Furthermore, if you see a suspicious post, contact your local law enforcement and do not re-post, share, message or place it on any other social media site, as this can create unnecessary panic and hamper law enforcement's ability to investigate.
NOTE: We asked Chief Shawn Heubusch if the threat came from somebody local and specifically targeted Batavia. He said it's unknown who exactly made the threat. He said there is no specific information regarding Batavia.
At Batavia Elba Townline Road and Bank Street Road, there is a nice stand of daisies along the roadside.
UPDATE: Lori Forsyth points out that these flowers are properly called Jerusalem artichokes. They are perennial. She says she grows them at the other end of Townline Road. She says they are edible, "although I've never eaten one ha ha."
A barn fire is reported at 4961 Bridge Road, Elba.
The barn is full of hay straw. It is fully engulfed.
Elba Fire along with Byron, South Byron, Barre fire departments, along the City's FAST Team and Mercy EMS are dispatched.
UPDATE 1:40 p.m. by Joanne Beck: The town of Elba is replacing Bridge Road. The town supervisor was driving by and spotted the fire and called the Elba fire chief.
Fire companies from Elba, city of Batavia, town of Batavia, Bergen, Byron, South Byron, and Barre, with Oakfield and Stafford as backup fill-in companies, and Genesee County Emergency Management Services and Mercy EMS are at the scene.
One firefighter is being transported to United Memorial Medical Center for evaluation.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. There is no electricity to the building.
Fire at an Elba barn on Bridge Road submitted from a reader.
Rep. Claudia Tenney, Sen. George Borrello, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Chief Deputy Sheriff Joe Graff (candidate for Sheriff), and Assistant Treasurer Keven Andrews (canddiate for Treasurer). Photo by Howard Owens.
The Genesee County Republican Committee, led by Scott German, officially opened its campaign headquarters for 2024 on Saturday in the former Time Buyers dealership location across from CVS on West Main Street, Batavia.
On hand were candidates Claudia Tenney (Congress), George Borrello (State Senate), Steve Hawley (State Assembly), Joesph Graff (Sheriff) and Keven Andrews (County Treasurer).
German opened the event by thanking Time Buyers for donations of use of the building and Steve Hawley for finding the location.
"I'm very happy to have such a great building that is spacious and super location," German said.
Each candidate then made a brief statement.
"Thank you to everyone who's serving, everyone who's here, everyone who's part of this process," Tenney said. "We are only going to win if we get people to understand that their right to vote is the most profound expression of our self-governance, what our founders envisioned for us. It's the opposite of authoritarianism and communism, which, by the way, is on the ballot this year, especially on the presidential side."
Borrello, who is running unopposed, thanks Tenney and Hawley for their service, noted the difficulty of representing such a large district as the 57th
Borrello's statement, with unsubstantiated claims, included: "I want to take this moment to once again reiterate the importance of voting against Prop 1. It is perhaps the most evil and damaging piece of legislation ever proposed in the state of New York, and that's saying something. If you want illegal immigrants voting in our elections, support Proposition 1. If you want parents to lose their control over their children's health decisions, vote for Proposition 1. Okay, if you want to ensure that a man can walk into a lady's locker room at will, vote for Proposition 1. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Proposition 1 needs to go down. And the scary part is right now, most uninformed New Yorkers will vote yes, so we need to spread the word. It is the single most important mission in this election."
Hawley noted that he and the other candidates represent one of the best parts of Genesee County: teamwork.
"We've got two new folks who are running for office here locally, and we're seeing a changing of the guard and new people coming in with new ideas and also concentrating on teamwork," Hawley said. "We have Joe Graff, who's been with the Genesee County Sheriff's Department for many, many years. He's stepping forward as Sheriff (Bill) Sharon retires. We have Kevin Andrews, who serves as my campaign treasurer, which he will probably have to give up because he's running to replace my friend Scott German as Genesee County Treasurer. So, working all together is what it's all about. And it's town level as well city. We need to continue to work for the things that make not only America great but part of one of the 50 states, hopefully bringing New York back to be a friendly place for businesses and neighborhoods in terms of public safety."
Graff said it was goal to keep in place the teamwork that currently exists among Genesee County's various law enforcement agencies.
"I've been with the Sheriff's office for over 20 years. There are some former Batavia City police officers in here, and I've worked with them throughout the years. And I think what we have in Genesee County is a great coalition of law enforcement that works together throughout all the agencies. I think we truly need to support the men and women who work in law enforcement so they can effectively do their jobs so we can live in the safe community that we do enjoy. As Sheriff, I look to continue the mission of the Sheriff's Office and the standard of service that has been afforded to this county by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office."
Andrews, who has worked in the county's treasurer's office for a decade, thanked German for his leadership and mentorship.
"I want to thank you for allowing me to work with you as deputy for these past almost ten years and giving me that chance to prove myself and to gain that experience I hope to carry forward," Andrews said.
A serious injury accident is reported in the area of 8715 Lake Street Road, Le Roy.
Two Mercy Flight helicopters are responding to the scene.
Traffic is shut down in the area.
Le Roy Fire and Mercy EMS are on scene.
UPDATE 11:25 a.m.: Le Roy Fire remains on scene for traffic control. The rest of the assignment is back in service. Two patients sustained serious injuries and a third had a hand injury.
UPDATE, Press release from Le Roy PD:
On Sept. 15 at 9:36 a.m., the LeRoy Police Department responded to a two-car motor vehicle accident with injuries on State Route 19 in the Village of Le Roy.
An initial investigation determined that Isamanda Johnson, age 31, was operating a 2023 Ford pickup truck and collided head-on with a 2024 Chevrolet Suburban, operated by Gary L. Deibler, age 78, of North Chili. The Ford pickup truck operator left her lane of travel in an attempt to pass an uninvolved vehicle and collided head-on in the northbound lane with the Chevrolet SUV heading northbound.
Gary L. Deibler was transported from the scene to Strong Memorial Hospital via Mercy Flight and is in critical condition.
Isamanda Johnson, the operator of the Ford pickup truck, was transported from the scene by Mercy EMS to Strong Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A passenger in the Ford pickup truck was transported from the scene via Mercy Flight and is in critical condition.
The Le Roy Police Department is handling the investigation in conjunction with members of the New York State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit.
Anyone who may have witnessed the accident or has any additional info is urged to contact the LeRoy Police Department at 585-345-6350 or info@leroypolice.org
Master Gardener Jennifer Dunn shows off one of the flower arrangements for sale on Saturday outside the Cornell Cooperative Extension office on East Main Street during the Master Gardener’s annual Fall Gala, which is a plant sale for local gardeners. Photo by Howard Owens.
A 20-year-old Rochester man died on Saturday evening after a motorcycle he was driving collided head-on with a passenger vehicle on Route 33 in Stafford.
Michael J. Ciarpelli was pronounced dead at the scene by a Genesee County Coroner.
According to the Sherriff's Office, the preliminary investigation indicts that Ciarpelli was driving a 2007 black Yamaha motorcycle westbound on Route 33 when he attempted to pass two vehicles in front of him.
A 2024 white Ford Edge was turning left off Griswold Road and began traveling east on Route 33. As Ciarpelli attempted to pass both vehicles, he collided with the Edge head-on in the eastbound travel lane. Ciarpelli was ejected from the motorcycle, and his body came to rest on the north shoulder of Route 33.
The Edge was driven by Luanne E. Andrews, 76, of West Henrietta. Her passenger was Colleen L. O'Mara, 67, of West Henrietta. The Sheriff's Office provided no information about injuries if any to Andrews or O'Mara.
Sgt. Andrew Hale, Sgt. Richard Schildwaster, Investigator Kevin Forsyth, and deputies Joshua Brabon and Jacob Kipler are investigating the crash. The Byron and South Byron fire departments, Stafford Fire, and Mercy EMS assisted at the scene.
The Kiwanis Club of Batavia hosted a chicken BBQ sale today in the parking lot of the Town of Batavia Fire Department on Lewiston Road. The proceeds benefit club activities. The club's primary mission is to serve and assist the community's children.
Matt Delre with one of the mums Mercy EMS was selling on Saturday in the parking lot of the former Kmart building in Batavia. Mercy EMS will be selling mums there again this coming Saturday. The plants are $10 each with proceeds benefiting the ambulance service. Delre's Greenhouse & Garden Center donated the mums. Photo by Howard Owens.
Alzheimer's Association of WNY held its annual Walk to End Alzheimer's in Batavia on Saturday morning, with the walk starting and ending in Centennial Park.
Oakfield-Alabama/Elba beat Canisteo-Greenwood on Friday, 21-6.
OAE Statistics:
Sr RB/LB Avery Watterson - 14 Carries, 155 Yards, 2 TDs, 10 total tackles
Sr RB/LB Jack Cianfrini - 10 Carries, 127 Yards, 1 TD, 8 Total Tackles, 1 PBU
JR LB Dominic West - 8 Tackles
JR DB Hunter Tobolski - 7 Tackles
“Tonight was a good example of what our federation games will look like this year," said Head Coach Tyler Winters. "In Class D, you can bet that every week will be a battle. Tonight was a four-quarter battle with a tough CG team. I am proud of our guys for settling into the game and closing this out confidently in their execution. We’ll enjoy this one tonight, but it’s back to the grind tomorrow to prepare for our next tough Class D matchup.”
Also in Genesee County football:
Alexander beat Attica 21-0. Last season, Alexander and Attica was a merged team. Now the neighboring rivals again and Friday's game was the first time the two teams met on the gridiron since 2017. The Trojans won then, too, 20-3. The game was played at Van Detta with Alexander the home team. Alexander QB Brody Heckman opened the scoring midway through the first quarter on a 19-yard touchdown run. Melissa Sawyer kicked the PAT for a 7-0 lead. The Trojan offense moved the ball after an interception by Defensive Back Jacob Brooks. It culminated with another Heckman TD run on a QB draw from 33 yards out. With the Sawyer kick, it was 14-0 heading into the half. In the second half, Jacob Brooks had his second interception of the night and returned the ball 37 yards for a TD. Sawyer capped it with her third PAT. Defensively Ryder Riechert led the Trojans with 8 tackles and Dylan Pohl had 4 tackles two of which were tackles for loss. Heckman finished with 82 yards rushing, Kingston Woods had 50 on 12 carries, and Ryder Riechert rushed for 46 on 12 carries. Trojans move to 2-0 on the season.
LeRoy/Cal-Mum beat Dansville/Wayland-Cohocton 20-6. Cameron Riggi scored on a two-yard run in the first quarter. Brady McClurg scored on a one-yard run and on a 65-yard pass to Xavier Bowen. Dawson Stephens scored Dansville's lone TD on a 13-yard pass to Evan Sedore. Jack Egeling ran for 77 yards on 18 carries, Riggi 18 on nine carries, On defense, Dillon Alcott had six tackles. DJ O'Geen had five tackles with a sack.
Thompson Marin, newly ordained and installed pastor at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Batavia. Photo by Howard Owens.
People should be excited about attending St. Paul Lutheran Church in Batavia each Sunday, says newly ordained and installed minister Thompson Marin, because they will hear the word of God without any innovations.
"We believe the Bible is the Word of God. There is no error in it. We teach people that the Bible interprets itself," Marin said to The Batavian. "Then, just to make it more exciting to people, we teach Christ crucified. We teach the Word of God. We don't add to it. We don't mix it with other teaching outside the Bible. Christ is at the center of our teaching."
Marin, his wife Erika, and their two children, Micaiah, 4, and Olivia, 1, are new to Batavia. St. Paul is Marin's first calling as a pastor. He recently completed four years of study at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind.
"I was praying for a church with a school," Marin said. "When I saw that (St. Paul) had a school, I was excited to see how God would lead me to help the school and the church."
Marin was born in Haiti and immigrated with his family to Brooklyn in 2007. He has been a Christian since childhood, growing up a Baptist. His uncle was a Lutheran pastor in Haiti.
He graduated from Brooklyn College in 2013, moved to South Dakota for more schooling, and then returned to Haiti, where he met Erika. She was on a Lutheran mission trip. They were married in 2016.
"I was very used to how (Lutherans) do church and what they believe, teach and confess," Marin said. "I became a Lutheran after I met my wife in 2013. I got used to going to church with her, used to the teaching in the Lutheran churches, and then I wanted to marry her, so one of the requirements was for me to become a Lutheran, and it wasn't hard for me, because I was already used to what they do and what they teach and believe."
The Lutheran Church was founded by Martin Luther (1483 to 1546) in Torgau, Germany. Luther led the Reformation, a break with Roman Catholicism, in the early 16th Century. A key point of Luther's theology was he rejected the Catholic Church's role as an intermediary between the people and God. He believed that salvation comes only through God's mercy. He rejected papal authority. He believed the Bible is the central authority for all Christian beliefs.
The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod governs St. Paul. It is a conservative denomination whose core belief is that people are saved from their sins by God's grace alone, through faith alone, on the basis of Scripture alone. The Synod holds to the Luthern Confessions, which include the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.
After joining the church, Marin became interested in attending seminary, not to become a pastor but to deepen his understanding of the faith.
"The people I interacted with really encouraged me to follow this call, and that's what I did," Marin said.
As Marin completed his education, the members of St. Paul contacted church leaders and informed them there was an opening for a new pastor at St. Paul. They requested a recent seminary graduate, Marin said, and district leaders reviewed the needs of the church and the available seminary candidates and selected Marin as the best fit for St. Paul.
Besides the school, Marin said he was excited to come to Batavia because his wife likes small towns, and it's only six hours from New York City, where his parents and sister still live.
Given his wife's experience with missions, it's not surprising that Marin is eager to see St. Paul grow its efforts in international missions. St. Paul's does sponsor missionaries in Japan. He thinks the church might be able to grow in this area.
"That was really something that I admired when I met my wife. They were helping with a school and an orphanage in Haiti, in the town where I was from, and I want to continue that aspect of ministry, reaching out to the unchurched, helping those who cannot, who don't have access to certain things and sharing Christ's love with them."
He said it's something he intends to talk to St. Paul's leadership team about.
I know a lot of missionaries," Marin said. "They do need help from the churches here in the States. That's something I still need to figure out and probably start on, but it is a big part of sharing God's love."
He sees St. Paul's school as a great resource for reaching the local community.
"I think St Paul plays a great role in showing God's love, especially in our school," Marin said. "The school is a really great way of reaching out to parents and parents who are not Lutherans, even just reaching out to them and teaching them how we do things and extend God's forgiveness to them. And if they want to come and check it out, they can.
He said not all children attending the school are Christians, so the school offers an opportunity to learn about God's love for them.
"We tell them that God loves them every day. I think it's a really good thing," Marin said. "And the other thing is, their parents are invited to come to chapel on Wednesdays so they can hear us teaching them and see how we do it, and also they can hear God's message to them, too, and it's a great way of reaching out to the community."
On Sundays, visitors to the Church can expect a conservative service.
Lutheran services tend to be more liturgical than many other Protestant churches. Marin said people who come to St. Pauls can expect more traditional hymns.
"We conserve all the ways that the Church Fathers used to worship and how they did the service, with no new ideas," Marin said. The way we do things is very traditional. We do have some contemporary songs we sing here because the members are used to doing it in the past, but we're trying to move more toward a traditional way of doing things."
Marin acknowledges that these are challenging times for churches. In 2021, church membership in the U.S. fell below 50 percent for the first time. Marin doesn't believe innovations in theology are needed to bring people back to church. He believes the Word of God is sufficient.
"I think we need to stay faithful," Marin said. "We need to believe that God will send His Spirit. The Holy Spirit will work in people's hearts and change their minds, and then people will be attracted to the church. People will come to the church through the Gospel being preached, and not by changing how we teach it or how we worship, incorporating new things, new theology, and new ways of interpreting the Gospel, the Bible. I don't see it that way. I think we need to stay faithful, and I think that way, people will know the truth."
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown can open doors, says Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. Chairman Dennis Bassett.
He can open doors in Albany. He can open doors with the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul.
"The OTB is looking to have good, solid representation in Albany," Bassett said. "We feel that what better individual is there who could help us open doors that we haven't been able to open before than a five-term mayor with a legislative background?"
A unanimous board vote on Sept. 5 authorized Bassett to open contract negotiations to hire Brown as OTB's new CEO and president. Bassett said the negotiations are ongoing. Brown has yet to officially accept the job offer.
The 65-year-old Brown became Buffalo's mayor in 2006. He served in the state Senate from 2001 to 2005. He was a member of the Buffalo Common Council from 1996 to 2001. He has a dual bachelor of arts degree in political science and journalism from Buffalo State College. He worked in sales for a year at Bristol-Myers before starting a legislative staff career.
OTB reportedly advertised the job as paying between $280,000 and $320,000 annually. Henry Wojtaszek, the outgoing CEO and president, makes $264,898.
"The key thing that we have to do is get someone that can open doors that we don't have open," Bassett said. "We're running a pretty well-oiled machine now. I think that what I have stressed consistently as board chair is that we may have some government obligations, but we have run Batavia Downs as a business. Mayor Brown assured us that his business hat would be on at all times and that he would be able to focus on how we can generate more revenue for the 17 municipalities."
For several years, Erie County Democrats, such as Sen. Tim Kennedy, Sen. Sean Ryan, and Comptroller Kevin Hardwick, have attacked the OTB and its leadership, making unsubstantiated corruption claims. Kennedy successfully pushed legislation that changed the OTB board's voting composition, giving Democrats a weighted vote majority even though Democrats represent fewer jurisdictions on the board than Republicans.
Genesee County is leading a legal challenge to the voting change.
"The ‘culture of corruption’ is actually the way that Erie County and the City of Buffalo have rigged the Western Regional OTB board," Borrello said.
Borrello praised Wojtaszek's work to increase revenue and profitability at Batavia Downs and expressed concern that the "winning team" was being replaced by political patronage jobs.
Throughout the search process, Bassett has vowed that politics would not play a part in selecting a new CEO. On Thursday, he told The Batavian that, indeed, politics was not a factor in the decision to hire Brown.
"The appointment was based upon a global search that narrowed down the best candidates based on the key focus areas that we were looking at -- C-suite experience -- government involvement, budget management, and public benefit corporation experience," Bassett said. "As a chairman of the search committee, politics never entered into our decision-making as we looked at the resumes and evaluated each of the resumes and the talent of the individuals. The press may have predicted who would be the next President and CEO but that did not influence our selection process."
So far, Republican members of the board -- who all supported the job offer to Brown -- have been mum about their decision. Asked if he had any insight into why Republicans backed Brown for the job, Bassett said it was because of the recommendation of the search committee.
"The reason they supported (the committee's recommendation) is because we stressed very seriously and very strongly that we are going to continue our focus on running Western Regional OTB as a solid business and that the outside world may play the politics game, but as long as we, the board, stay steadfast on the fact that we are trying to deliver as positive a results as we can to small municipalities who depend on OTB a lot more than some of the big Rochesters and Buffalos and Erie counties and Monroe counties, that we want to continue to give them the kind of revenue they can use to fill some of the gaps that they have."
He said that only happens if the organization is run like a business.
"Once again, the press and the outside world may continue to have us fall into this political game, but those individuals in those small municipalities bought off on the idea that we're not going to succumb to that," he said.
Bassett said Wojtaszek and Brown have a good relationship and he's expecting a smooth transition.
Wojtaszek is scheduled to leave the job on Dec. 31.
Bassett isn't expecting any issues for current employees.
"I think the employee base is very comfortable with me, and they're very comfortable with how our board is being run, and I think we'll have no problems with the leadership team and the board and the employees working at Batavia Downs," he said.
Bassett stressed that there are issues that need to be addressed in Albany that haven't been addressed until now, issues that must be addressed if Batavia Downs and the OTB are going to increase revenue and profits for the municipalities. Brown can open those doors, he said.
Batavia Downs has achieved record-breaking revenue two years running and 2024 is shaping up to be another record year, Bassett noted.
"We know that we can't grow this business and be successful if we don't look at how we can go into different ventures, and we can't do the same things we've been doing tomorrow that we're doing today and be successful," Bassett said.
He initially declined to address the specific issues Brown would be asked to tackle. When asked about harness racing, which might be considered a loss-leader for the corporation, Bassett said Brown might address it; he said that is one area to look at, but so are branch operations.
"We're putting together a strategic framework that looks at how we should be running this business five years from now," Bassett said.
Besides harness racing and branch operations, there is also sports betting.
"We need to look at sports betting. Sports betting is very important moving forward. We, the small racinos and casinos such as ours, don't have it. We have to fight for that in Albany, and hopefully, Mayor Brown can help us do that."
Batavia Downs has also been locked out of table games. Bassett said he's a blackjack player himself and would like to see Batavia Downs be able to offer poker and blackjack to customers.
"We're not going to leave any stone unturned for us to grow this business and look at how we can be competitive in the future," he said.
You might call it an open house -- those timeless school events that bring parents to the school to meet their children's teachers.
But in Pavilion, folks call it the Gopher Gathering.
On Thursday, Pavilion High School held its 5th annual Gopher Gathering.
The event is a chance for the school community to come together to enjoy good food, live music, and games and also learn about academic opportunities available at the school.
Besides learning about classes they might have overlooked, it's a chance for students and parents to learn about campus activities, including clubs students might join.
