More than 3,000 undergraduate students at Coastal Carolina University were named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2023 semester, including Brady Fix, from Le Roy.
Students who make the Dean's List have achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or higher (3.25 for freshmen) for the semester.
If you've ever been interested in becoming a school board member, and think that perhaps it would be a great way to be connected to your community, Genesee Valley School Boards Association is hosting a program designed to answer your questions and provide details to help you decide if it’s something you might like to try.
An information night has been set for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at Genesee Valley BOCES Service Center, 80 Munson St., Le Roy.
“We will go through the process of the election and discuss expectations and outcomes once you are elected,” GVSBA Executive Director Patrick Burk says. “If you have a basic interest, this is step one to learn what your commitment would be, as well as what to expect from this much-needed community service position.”
He invites anyone with interest to join the board for an informal discussion and presentaton that will “enlighten you on what to expect, and the important duty of seeing our public educational system.”
Registration is required. To register or for more information, contact Burk at pburk@gvboces.org.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) introduced a resolution yesterday declaring Feb. 12-18, 2024 as Jell-O week in the state of New York. Jell-O was originally created in 1897 by a carpenter from Le Roy named Pearle Wait. Wait experimented with gelatin and came up with the fruit-flavored dessert which his wife, Mary, named Jell-O.
The Jell-O Company changed ownership several times before leaving Le Roy in 1964. Known as America’s Most Famous Dessert, Jell-O remains a distinguished part of the town’s history. The Jell-O museum, located on East Main Street, still displays the company’s original advertising art, molds, spoons, toys, collectibles, and recipe books.
Hawley is proud to recognize this dessert’s rich history, which started in Western New York and has contributed to the economic growth and prosperity of communities across New York and throughout the country.
“The founding of the Jell-O Company is a testament to the inspiring ingenuity and innovation that can only be found in Western New York,” said Hawley. “America’s Most Famous Dessert earned its name for its impact across our state and country for creating jobs, economic opportunity, and improving the quality of life for people throughout our nation. From a local treat to an internationally sold product, Jell-O has made its mark across the globe. This week, we recognize our region's hard work and accomplishments in founding one of America’s most beloved deserts.”
The University at Buffalo has named 4,017 students to the fall 2023 dean's list.
Katarina Luker of Alexander
Jake Pope of Alexander
Annie Slenker of Alexander
Aaron Bacon of Basom
Ryan Dillon of Batavia
Lydia Evans of Batavia
Evan Preston of Batavia
Morgan Reimer of Batavia
Cameron Carlson of Bergen
Richard Denson of Bergen
Tyler Sanders of Corfu
Jaiden Lefort of Darien Center
Cole Heaney of Le Roy
John Panepento of Le Roy
UB is New York State's flagship and the largest and most comprehensive institution in the State University of New York system.
"Announcing our dean's list is always an exciting moment," Ann Bisantz, dean of undergraduate education, says. "These students have worked hard and dedicated themselves to their studies and have demonstrated academic excellence in their pursuit of an undergraduate degree at UB."
UB named 4,017 students named to its fall 2023 dean's list.
To qualify for the dean's list, full-time undergraduate students must demonstrate academic excellence by earning a grade point average of at least 3.600 while completing a minimum of 15 or more UB credit hours, of which 12 are graded (A-F) credits. Students are named to the dean's list at the end of the fall and spring semesters.
Alayna Streeter of Le Roy was named to Hartwick College's Fall 2023 Dean's List. Streeter, who is pursuing a major in Nursing, was among the over 400 students named to the Fall 2023 Dean's List.
Making the Dean's List is an indication of excellence in academic work. To qualify, students must complete at least 12 academic credits during a term with a grade point average of at least 3.50 and no incompletes.
Kaila S. Smith, 27, of Batavia, is charged with filing a false written statement and falsely reporting an incident. Smith is accused of falsely reporting a sexual assault on Jan. 5. She was arrested on Jan. 13 and issued an appearance ticket.
Michael A. Sweet, 37, of Batavia, is charged with grand larceny 4th. Sweet is accused of taking payment to complete renovations on a residence in Batavia and then never completing the work. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Maverick X. Cook, 18, and Patrick J. Peters, 18, both of Batavia, are charged with open burning. Cook and Peters are accused of starting several fires on sidewalks and parking lots in the area of Ellicott Street and Liberty Street, Batavia, in December. Both were issued appearance tickets.
Darrell Laverne McFadden, 53, of Clinton Street Road, Batavia, is charged with assault 2nd. McFadden is accused of causing serious physical injury during a fight at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 19, at a location on Clinton Street Road. He was jailed pending arraignment.
Jessica B. Eschenlauer, 34, of Batavia, is charged with burglary 2nd, criminal contempt 2nd, and aggravated family offense. Eschenlauer is accused of being inside a residence in violation of an order of protection. She was arraigned and released.
Roger M. Hofmeier, 22, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon 3rd. In July 2022, Hofmeir was allegedly found in illegal possession of a firearm. He was arrested on Jan. 11, arraigned in City Court, and released under supervision.
Nikkia M. Blackshear, 26, of Batavia, is charged with trespassing. Blackshear is accused of refusing to leave 7-Eleven on Jan. 20. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Adrienne S. Bechtold, 28, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th and criminal use of drug paraphernalia 2nd. Bechtold was charged following a traffic stop on Jan. 18 on Ross Street, Batavia. She was allegedly found in possession of narcotics and a scale. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Vincent J. Disalvo, 48, of Webster, is charged with harassment 2nd and trespassing. Disalvo is accused of kicking another person during a fight in the 7-Eleven Parking lot. He then allegedly entered the store after being told he wasn't allowed in the store. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Anthony A. Bomasuto, 29, of Batavia, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing. Bomasuto is accused of being involved in an incident on Jan. 15 on Ellicott Street, Batavia. He was arraigned and released.
Trace G. Brewer, 23, of Batavia, was arrested on a warrant. Brewer was wanted on charges of petit larceny and conspiracy 6h. She was allegedly involved in a theft with another person of merchandise from 7-Eleven. She was arraigned and released.
Lorrie Beth Fischer, 45, of Park Road, Batavia, is charged with misapplication of property. Fischer is accused of possessing another person's property on Dec. 29 and, rather than returning it, selling it. She was arrested by Deputy Mason Schultz on Jan. 22. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Nicole K. Dell, 38, of Silver Springs, was arrested on a warrant on Jan. 25. Dell was initially arrested on May 23, 2022, and charged with DWI. The warrant was issued after she allegedly failed to appear in court. Dell was arraigned and released.
Jacob J. Frayne, 26, of Darien, is charged with aggravated DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation. Frayne was charged following a traffic stop on Jan. 26 on Pearl Street, Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Takari G. Lang-Smith, 22, of Batavia, is charged with DWI. Lang-Smith was stopped on Jan. 28 at an undisclosed location by Batavia PD. He was issued tickets and released.
Richard M. Fuhry, 42, of Brockport, is charged with DWI. On Jan. 20, Batavia patrol offices were dispatched to North Park and Ross Street for a report of a fight in the street. Fuhry was accused of being involved in the fight and then located driving on Seneca Avenue. He was issued several tickets.
Brian J. Hawkins, 44, of Olean, was arrested on Jan. 22 on two warrants issued by City Court. The first was a bench warrant related to an incident in 2019 where he allegedly provided alcohol to a person under the age of 21. The second warrant was an arrest warrant for Bail Jumping 3rd. Hawkins was arraigned and released.
Tanika N. Avant, 22, of Batavia, was arrested on Jan. 22 on a warrant issued by City Court. The warrant stemmed from an incident in April of 2023 where she was charged with two counts of harassment 2nd and one count of endangering the welfare of a child after a disturbance call on Bank Street. Avant was arraigned in City Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail.
Johnny Burton Koonce, Jr., 33, of Federal Drive, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 1st, aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd, and failure to stop at a stop sign. Koonce was stopped at 1:53 a.m. Jan. 20 by Sgt. Mathew Clor. The passenger in the vehicle was somebody Koonce was allegedly supposed to not contact by court order. He was held pending arraignment.
Shanaya Nichole Brooks, 22, of Route 438, Gowanda, is charged with criminal mischief 3rd. Brooks is accused of striking the side of a house on Jan. 19 on East Road, Batavia, causing damage. She is also accused of trying to force her way into the house, causing damage. She was held pending arraignment.
Samantha Rae Balduf, 31, of Grant Street, Depew, is charged with petit larceny. Balduf is accused of switching the price tag on a piece of merchandise at a retail store on Veterans Memorial Drive (the name and location of the store was withheld by the Sheriff's Office) at 1:03 p.m. on Jan. 19. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Isaac Floyd, Jr., 59, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and illegal signal. Floyd was stopped at 12:07 a.m. on Jan. 24 on West Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Jacob Kipler. Floyd was released on tickets.
Joel David Proudy, 37, of Rochester Street, Bergen, is charged with criminal contempt 1st. Proudy is accused of violating a full stay-away order of protection at 10:50 a.m. on Jan. 17 at a location on West Main Street, Batavia. He also had multiple outstanding warrants. He was held pending arraignment.
Joseph Peter Mancuso, 35, of Deerfield Drive, North Tonawanda, is charged with criminal contempt 1st. Mancuso is charged with violating a stay-away order of protection at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 20 at a location on Roberts Road, Alabama. He was arraigned and released under supervision.
Steven James Dunham, 35, of Main Street, Corfu, is charged with failure to verify address within 90 days as a Level 3 sex offender. Dunham was arrested in January and held for arraignment.
Steven Kenneth Maskell, 31, of North Byron Road, Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, moving from lane unsafely, and driving while using a portable electronic device. Maskell was stopped at 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 21 on Lockport Road, Oakfield, by Deputy Morgan Ewert. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Robert Paul Gerspach, 67, no specified address, Buffalo, is charged with driving while impaired by drugs, aggravated unlicensed operation, driver's view obstructed, failure to keep right, and moving from lane unsafely. Gerspach was observed by an off-duty deputy driving in an alleged unsafe manner at 11:22 a.m. on Jan. 24. He was stopped and arrested by Deputy Austin Heberlein. He was released on an appearance ticket.
Guillermo Guadalupe-Vasques, 44, of Crimson Drive, Canandaigua, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, and moving from lane unsafely. Guadalupe-Vasques was stopped at 8:44 p.m. on Jan. 24 on West Main Street Road, Batavia, by Stephen Smith. He was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released.
Mckenzie Leigh Stogsdill, 32, of East Main Road, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, no headlights, and no tail lamps. Stogsdill was stopped at 1:44 a.m. on Jan. 27 on Park Road, Batavia, by Sgt. Mathew Clor. Stogsdill was released on appearance tickets.
Jessica R. Parker-Sharkey, 30, of South Butler Road, Savanah, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property 4th and criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Parker-Sharkey was arrested in Virginia Beach, Va., and extricated back to Genesee County. She was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and released. The charges stem from allegations in April 2023 that she was in possession of a stolen car and a controlled substance. Following her release, she was turned over to Rochester PD on warrants.
Michael Curtis Smith Jr., 31, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Smith is accused of stealing an electric scooter from Walmart at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 24. He was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released on an appearance ticket.
Joseph Michael Petix, 66, of Shorecliff Drive, Rochester, is charged with DWI, criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, stop sign violation, breath test refusal, and consumption of alcohol while driving. Petix was stopped at 9:53 p.m. on Jan. 28 on Clinton Street, Batavia, by Deputy Travis DeMuth. He was allegedly found in possession of cocaine. His release status was not reported.
More than 2,800 students earned recognition for academic excellence on the SUNY Cortland Dean's List for the Fall 2023 semester.
The Dean's List is the highest ranking for undergraduate students in their respective academic areas of the university. Students must earn a minimum 3.3 grade point average for the semester to make the list.
Among those honored were:
Gaige Armbrewster of Batavia - Physical Education K-12
Ethan Beswick of Le Roy - Healthcare Management
Jocelyn Coburn of Batavia - Musical Theatre BFA
Emma Efing of Le Roy - Adoles Educ-Social Studies
Olivia Halpin of Batavia - Inclusive Childhood Education
Kaylie Kratz of Batavia - Inclusive Early Childhood Education
Allie Schwerthoffer of Batavia - Healthcare Management
Karlee Zinkievich of Pavilion - Physical Education K-12
Samuel Zerillo of Le Roy has been named to the Dean's List at John Carroll University for the Fall 2023 semester.
Students eligible for the Dean's List must have completed a minimum of 12 semester hours within one semester and have a quality grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.
198 students from Genesee Community College were named to the President's List. Students honored on the President's List have maintained full-time enrollment and earned a quality point index of 3.75 (roughly equivalent to an A) or better.
SUNY Morrisville recently announced those students who were named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2023 semester. To be named to the Dean's List, a student must achieve a 3.0 to 3.99 grade-point average for the semester and complete 12 credit hours.
SUNY Morrisville recently announced those students who were named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2023 semester. To be named to the Dean's List, a student must achieve a 3.0 to 3.99 grade-point average for the semester and complete 12 credit hours.
Ellie Dambra of Le Roy has been named to the president's list at James Madison University for the fall 2023 semester.
Students who earn president's list honors must carry at least 12 graded credit hours and earn a GPA of 3.900 or above. Dambra is majoring in Public Administration - BS.
Woodward Memorial Library in Le Roy on Monday evening. Photo by Howard Owens.
UPDATE: The Woodward Memorial Library is open today (Tuesday, Jan. 23).
CLARIFICATION: The term "heat pump" was not used in the discussion, just "pumps." In non-boiler, home heating, "heat pump" refers to the heating system itself. The school district uses a boiler system with a pump that pumps heat to the library. In the story, we didn't use the term "heat pump" but for the sake of a shorter headline, used it in the headline.
Libraries should be a quiet place.
But you shouldn't need to bundle up to read a book or a magazine, surf the net, or browse through the stacks.
For five-and-half-days, the Woodward Memorial Library in Le Roy has been quiet, frigid, and, as a result, closed.
The lack of heat is the result of an apparent miscommunication between a vendor, a designer, and an installer who last year was tasked with upgrades to the boiler systems that delivers heat to Wolcott Street School and the library. The upgrades were an add-on to the Le Roy Central School District 2022-23, $12.1 million capital improvement project, which was possible after other expenses came in lower than estimated.
The district owns the library building but does not operate the library. The boilers for the library's heating system are in the elementary school.
The failure of the heating system wasn't apparent in the spring when the work was completed, over the summer, or during the unusually warm weather in the first part of this winter.
Now that temperatures have dropped drastically, district officials have discovered the boilers used to generate heat for Woodward have pumps on them that are incapable of pushing enough heat from Wolcott Street School to the library building.
Superintendent Merritt Holly told the Board of Education on Monday that there was an issue with the design specifications, an issue with the installer not communicating the proper information about the system back to the designer, and there is concern about the pumps themselves and whether they are working at specification.
The pumps are supposed to provide enough heat -- leaving Wolcott Street School at 140 degrees -- to heat the building, the loading dock, and the pedestrian sidewalk leading up to the building.
Holly said he anticipated a question from board members: Who is going to pay for the mistake?
"If everything checks out (on the design and installation), then we go back to really what should be a warranty issue, the motor not being right or if there's a defect," Holly said. "That's a very small percentage. If that's the case, I think it's going to come down to how the communication between the designer and the installer designer."
In other words, Holly expects either a manufacturer's warranty to cover the cost of both a temporary fix and a long-term solution, or for the designer or installer, or both, to pay those costs.
New motors for the pumps -- which would provide only a temporary fix -- are in stock in Buffalo, Holly said he was told Monday morning, so it's a matter of getting a crew from the installer to Wolcott Street School to replace the motors. That should be soon, but Holly doesn't have a firm commitment yet on a date.
"Remember, this is a band-aid fix until we get off heating season (so a longer-term replacement system can be installed)," Holly said.
In the meantime, he's hoping temperatures rise a bit for a few days, which would enable the current system to get the library's interior temperature up to 65 degrees so the library could reopen.
The ineffective pumps are only on the boilers for the library. The school is not affected. Those boilers have new, appropriate pumps and motors.
"The best case scenario is that tomorrow, I get an answer that our installer has a crew within the next couple of days, and the motors for the pumps are where they say they are in Buffalo," Holly said. "When we get our hands on that, we can put together a timetable because, remember, (the library) is going to be closed down on that day."
Nate Yauchzee of Le Roy was recently named to the President's List at The State University of New York at Potsdam.
Yauchzee, majoring in Music Business, was among 809 students honored for academic excellence in the Fall 2023 semester. SUNY Potsdam President Dr. Suzanne Smith recognized the students for earning top marks.
To be on the President's List, each student must have satisfactorily completed 12 numerically graded semester hours, with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
A total of 814 SUNY Cortland students earned President's List honors for the Fall 2023 semester. To qualify for the President's List, students must earn a grade of A- or better in each of their classes while carrying a course load of 12 hours or more.
Among those honored were:
Emma Efing of Le Roy (Adoles Educ-Social Studies)
Kaylie Kratz of Batavia (Incl Early Child Edu(B-2) WAIT)
Allie Schwerthoffer of Batavia (Healthcare Management)
