Bryn Luckey once again came up with the winning shot, hitting a three-pointer at the close of the game to give Le Roy a 37-34 win over Warsaw.
Luckey finished with eight points, as did Libby Loftus. Lydia Borrelli and Ceci Tillson each had seven.
There's no better way to celebrate National JELL-O Week than by visiting the JELL-O Gallery in Le Roy! “America’s Most Famous Dessert” was invented in Le Roy in 1897. Visit the Museum dedicated to all things JELL-O, and pick up unique JELL-O-themed souvenirs in their gift shop.
The gallery is open Monday - Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with extended hours beginning in the Spring.
JELL-O Gallery, 23 E. Main St., Le Roy, NY; 585-768-7433.
Visit www.VisitGeneseeNY.com to learn more about Genesee County's unique attractions.
Tour this mansion-turned-museum for over 100 years of unique history! The Historic Le Roy house was built in 1822 by Jacob LeRoy and later owned by the chancellor of Ingham University, which was the first female university in the United States to grant a four-year degree.
Learn more in this week's historical society feature and be sure to pay a visit! The museum is open Monday -- Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with extended hours beginning in the Spring.
Historic Le Roy House, 23 E. Main St., Le Roy, NY; 585-768-7433.
Visit www.VisitGeneseeNY.com to learn more about Genesee County's unique attractions.
Girl Scouts with Trop 42123 in Le Roy created a Bright Board for students at staff at Wolcott Street School. The board is filled with positive messages on bright sticky notes. Students and staff are invited to take a note to brighten their days or leave positive words for someone else to take. The scouts made a prototype and presented it to the principal, scheduled shifts and created the final project. The project took hours and hours to complete.
The Le Roy Central School District’s Board of Education (BOE) has named Merritt Holly as the district’s next Superintendent. Pending final contract negotiations, Holly is expected to begin in his new post on April 1.
“I am excited and honored to have been chosen as the new superintendent of the Le Roy Central School District and look forward to working collaboratively with the school board, teachers, staff, parents and community. I’m committed to providing all students with exceptional educational experiences, which will assist them in having a varied skill set in order to be college and career ready," Holly noted.
School Board President Don Hobart said Holly possesses the key qualities that the Board is seeking in a Superintendent.
“As a visible and engaged leader, we are confident that Merritt Holly is the best choice for our district. We look forward to working with Merritt as we deliver the best education possible for our students,” Hobart said.
Merritt Holly has served as principal of Caledonia-Mumford High School (HS) since 2011. Previously, he was the principal of Oakfield-Alabama Middle School and was the Dean of Students at Oakfield-Alabama Middle and Senior High School from 2007-2008. Holly started his teaching career in 1999 as a ninth-grade Social Studies teacher at Oakfield-Alabama Central Schools, a position he held for eight years.
As principal, Holly is responsible for the supervision of faculty, staff, and students for grades 9-12. During his tenure as principal of Caledonia-Mumford HS, the school was designated a New York State Reward School three times. The New York State Department of Education presents this award to schools that are high achieving and high-progress schools. He is presently a Central Committee member of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association and represents Section V.
Holly holds a Bachelor of Arts from The College at Brockport, a Master of Science in Education Curriculum and Instruction from Medaille College and a master’s in Educational Administration from The College at Brockport. Holly holds a number of certifications including New York State Provisional and Permanent Certification in Secondary Social Studies grades 7-12 and an Advanced Certificate as School District and School Building Leader.
Kevin MacDonald, District superintendent of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, acted as the search consultant and noted that the search process was a true collaboration between the Board of Education, district staff and community.
A building permit for a duplex near Presidential Acres in Le Roy was legally issued, a judge has ruled in a multi-party lawsuit over the development in the subdivision.
The ruling is a victory of Pete McQuillen, a Le Roy businessman, who has been embroiled in legal battles with property owners in the area for years.
The latest round of legal action began in 2014 when 11 property owners in Presidential Acres filed an Article 78 proceeding against the Village of Le Roy, various officials in the village, and McQuillen and his business.
At the time, McQuillen had already completed two duplexes on 10 lots he owned on the west end of Presidential Acres, near Robbins Road. There had been no challenge to the building permits for those structures.
When a code enforcement officer issued a permit for Lot 18, that's when neighbors got together and tried to stop further development of duplexes in the neighborhood.
David Boyce, one of the plaintiffs, said in an affidavit that when he bought his lot on Filmore Drive, nothing in the record nor in the documents he researched, indicated that the neighborhood was zoned for anything other than single-family residences. He believes, he said, the presence of the duplexes lowers the value of his property.
The plaintiffs also alleged that the duplexes run contrary to the comprehensive plan for the village.
In his affidavit, McQuillen said he relied on village board meeting minutes from when the subdivision was created to conclude that the subdivision was planned from the beginning to include 10 duplexes.
Judge Emilio Colaiacovo, who inherited the case from Judge Robert C. Noonan upon his retirement, ruled that based on the fact that the first two duplexes went unchallenged, that the code enforcement officer was acting within his authority to issue the permit, and nothing in the record indicated that the zoning board of appeals, upon reviewing the permit, acted in an "arbitrary and capricious manner" so he was compelled to rule in favor of McQuillen.
Case law is clear, he said, that in the absence of evidence of an arbitrary or capricious decision, courts should respect the decisions of local bodies, such as the ZBA.
Before the duplex issue, McQuillen was involved in another legal battle over a planned senior community on property he owns next to Presidential Acres called Robbins Nest. He eventually lost that case, then subsequently built a storage shed on the back property line of Town Supervisor Steve Barbeau. A dispute over that structure resulted in a bit of shoving and the arrest of Barbeau. The storage shed was a subject of this lawsuit, alleged to be an illegal auxiliary structure, but Colaiacovo ruled that issue became moot once McQuillen built his single-family home on the lot once intended to be Robbins Nest.
We emailed Amy Kendell, an attorney for the plaintiffs, to ask if there was going to be an appeal of the ruling and we have not received a response.
UPDATE: We received an email response from Amy Kendell. She said there will be an appeal of the decision.
A 17-year-old resident of Le Roy has been accused of sexual intercourse with a person less than 11 years old and charged with rape in the first degree.
Leonard Edward Hahn, of South Street, was arrested by the Sheriff's Office and jailed on $25,000 cash bail or $25,000 bond.
The alleged crime reportedly occurred on April 15, 2016 at a location in Alabama.
We've not reported on the dismissal of Rick Rapone as head coach of the Le Roy boys varsity basketball, a story first reported by Batavia's Best, in part because we wanted to try and get a better idea of what happened.
We checked with sources and couldn't get even a hint of what might have happened and the school never replied to an email seeking comment or even confirmation.
Today, another news outlet threatened to boycott coverage of the Le Roy High School athletic program because reporters and editors there feel the school district hasn't been forthcoming with information and they expect the school to apologize for firing Rapone.
Though some might like us to join such a boycott, we are not going to engage in such theatrics.
So, we will continue to cover Le Roy athletics in the same manner and frequency we always have (which is to make it part of our rotation of coverage of trying to provide some coverage to all the schools with our limited resources).
NOTE: As a matter of transparency, I read the column in question at about 12:30. There's a timestamp on it now that it was last updated at about 1 p.m., I posted this just before 4 p.m., but, frankly, did not think at that time to check to see if the column had been altered. The threat to boycott coverage has been removed.
State Police are looking for this man to question regarding a larceny at Crocker's Ace Hardware on Route 19 in Le Roy.
The theft occurred sometime around 5:45 p.m., Thursday.
The subject was driving a dark-colored Jeep Cherokee/Dodge Durango type of vehicle and wearing a Bass Pro baseball hat.
Those with information to assist in the case can call Trooper Mark Catanzaro at the State Police Barracks in Batavia, (585) 343-2200
Thomas A. Carson, 40, of Wood Street, Batavia, is charged with first-degree coercion, fourth-degree criminal mischief, and criminal obstruction of breathing. Carson was arrested on Feb. 2 following a domestic incident at 4:59 a.m. on Wood Street. He was put in jail on $10,000 bail and is due in City Court on Feb. 6. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Darryle Streeter, assisted by Officer Eric Bolles.
Morgan L. Cox Sr., 48, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with third-degree menacing and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation. Cox was arrested on Feb. 1 following an investigation into a domestic incident which occurred at 9:20 p.m. on Jan. 30 on Dellinger Avenue. Cox was put in jail in lieu of bail and was due in City Court on Feb. 2. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Cronmiller, assisted by Officer Nicole Salamone.
Shuvon J. Williams, 41, and Daniel M. Carter (no age provided), both of Hutchins Street, Batavia, are charged with second-degree harassment. They were arrested on Batavia City Court warrants issued on Dec. 30 in regard to an unspecified incident at 4 p.m. on Dec. 2 on Hutchins Street. They were both issued appearance tickets for Feb. 7 in Batavia City Court, then released. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Cronmiller, assisted by Officer Chad Richards.
Melissa M. LeSage, 37, of 31 Gilbert St. in Le Roy, was charged with DWI in the early morning hours of Sunday, Jan. 29, by the Le Roy Police Department. She was stopped at about 11:42 p.m. for allegedly speeding on East Main Street in the village. LeSage was found to be allegedly intoxicated. LeSage was also charged with DWI-BAC .08 percent or more, speed in zone, unlicensed operation, and aggravated unlicensed operation in the second degree. LeSage was issued appearance tickets and is to appear in the Town of Le Roy Court on Feb. 27.
Robin Dart, 44, of Carroll Lane, Commerce, Mich., is charged with driving while intoxicated, operating a motor vehicle with a BAC of .08 percent or more, and driving without headlights. At 1:27 a.m. on Feb. 2, on Park Road in Batavia, Dart was arrested for DWI following a traffic stop for vehicle and traffic law violation. Dart was issued an appearance ticket for March 6 in Town of Batavia Court. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Krzemien, assisted by Deputy Howard Carlson.
Nikayla Cheyenne Jackson, 19, of Slusser Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree. The defendant was arrested for allegedly taking and subsequently using her mother's credit card information to make unauthorized purchases at 9:40 p.m. on Jan. 15 on East Main Street in Batavia. Jackson is due in City Court on Feb. 21. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Parker, assisted by Deputy Ryan DeLong.
Brian J. Hawkins, 37, of Pries Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with prohibited sale of alcoholic beverage. Hawkins was arrested for allegedly serving alcohol to a person under 21 at midnight on Jan. 31 on Oak Street in Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket for Feb. 7 in City Court. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk, assisted by Officer Darryle Streeter.
Jaylyn S. Strong, 21, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, is charged with failure to appear after an appearance ticket was issued. Strong turned himself in on an outstanding City Court warrant after initially failing to appear for a scheduled court date. Strong posted bail and was released on an appearance ticket for Jan. 31 in City Court. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Kevin DeFelice.
Ian C. Lawlis, 36, of Central Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on Feb. 2 on an outstanding Batavia City Court bench warrant. It was for an unspecified incident which occurred at 12:52 p.m. on Sept. 24 on West Main Street, Batavia. He was processed at BPD headquarters and released on an appearance ticket for Feb. 7 in City Court. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Eric Foels, assisted by Officer Jason Ivison.
Press release:
The Village of Le Roy Police Department is attempting to identify an individual who is a person of interest in a larceny that occurred on Jan. 31 at approximately 3:15 p.m. at the Walgreens on West Main Street. The subject was observed leaving in a dark four-door sedan.
Anyone with information is urged to call The Village of Le Roy Police Department at 585-345-6350; please reference CR# 17-0426.
Two former Genesee County football stars have been selected for induction into the Section V Hall of Fame.
David Boyce, of Le Roy, and Mark Shardlow, of Elba, will both be inducted during the 20th-anniversary ceremony April 6.
Joining the 2017 class are:
Three coaches from Section V and two others who have contributed to Section V football will be inducted:
The ceremony will be at RIT Inn and Conference Center. Tickets to the induction ceremony and dinner are $40 per person or $350 for a table of 10. They may be ordered before April 1 with checks payable to Section 5 Football by mailing to: Frank Marafino, 4 Georgetown Drive, Apt. C, Rochester, NY, 14617.
It's been five years since a site of a toxic chemical spill in Le Roy -- known as the Lehigh Train Derailment Site -- made the news as part of a media frenzy around reports of students at the high school developing strange, unexplained tics, but cleanup work has been ongoing since, according to a spokesman for the EPA.
In fact, good progress has been made and the end may be in sight for remediation, according to Michael Basile, who represents the Environmental Protection Agency in Buffalo.
There's no firm timeline for completion of the work, but there have been two significant recent developments, he said.
First, last year some 300 pounds of trichloroethene (TCE) contaminated soil was removed from the area, he said. That removal effort is ongoing and will continue until testing shows TCE has been removed from the area. (CORRECTION: This should have read 300 pounds of TCE removed from the soil).
Second, a draft document on remediation options for contaminated groundwater has been completed and the EPA will pick a plan from those options for remediation sometime this year.
The TCE spill was the result of a train crash at the site on Gulf Road in the early morning hours of Dec. 6, 1970. Approximately 2,000 pounds of cyanide crystals and 30,000 to 35,000 gallons of TCE were spilled. The cyanide was removed, but at the time Lehigh apparently didn't have an easy way to remove the TCE. Instead, it tried saturating the area with one million gallons of water. This only drove the TCE deeper into the ground and contaminated about 50 water wells.
The site became a footnote in local history until 2012 when a group of mostly girls at Le Roy High School were reported to have developed odd tics and uncontrolled movements. As families and members of the community searched for answers, the spill site became a target for investigation.
Famed environmental crusader Erin Brockovich was contacted, and though she never personally came to Le Roy, she sent out a team of scientists led by Robert Bowcock.
The entire event had reached a fevered pitch in the national media by that point, with news crews from nearly ever major news outlet in the country arriving in Le Roy, as well as crews from as far away as Japan.
A trip to the site on the day Bowcock arrived in town revealed a cleanup area that appeared to be largely neglected. More than 300 rusted barrels of material were being stored there, further feeding concerns about the state of contamination.
However, Bowcock's own tests and his examination the topography of the region, led the Los Angeles-based environmental scientist to conclude that contamination from the site did not and could not reach the location of the high school and there was no known connection for all those suffering from the tics to the railroad property contamination.
The ongoing concern about its status, however, brought about a visit to the site by Congresswoman Kathy Hochul. Sen. Charles Schumer also got involved.
The EPA soon closed the location to media access and brought in crews to remove the barrels, which the EPA said were filled with rock, sand and dirt and did not likely contain contaminated soil. Later testing, the EPA announced at the time, detected a trace amount of TCE in some barrels.
In the five years since the events, there have been no new reports of strange tics among young people in Le Roy and there have been reports that the dozen or so people originally treated at the Dent Neurological Institute are all improved, confirming the earlier diagnoses of a mass psychogenic illness.
The EPA continues to monitor the site closely, Basile said. This includes maintaining soil vapor monitors in homes near where the spill occurred. Next month, he said, it will be time for inspectors to visit those monitors and change their filters. That monitoring is expected to continue indefinitely.
Photo: File photo from 2012.
Notre Dame High School celebrated on Saturday by thanking Mike Rapone for his outstanding dedication to the students of Notre Dame and his achievement of being inducted into the Sec V Basketball Hall of Fame.
He was inducted as the all-time winning coach in history. Not bad at all, some might say downright impressive. Rapone wouldn’t. He would tell you it’s the players' achievement not his. Notre Dame celebrated the fete with basketball, fittingly with four games against Rapone’s hometown of Le Roy.
The Lady Irish varsity team dominated Le Roy and finished with a score of 41 to 33.
The Notre Dame boys varsity fought a playoff-intensity fight against Le Roy, that was back and forth for the first three quarters of the game. Notre Dame lost by a score of 48 to 65 when the game got away from them in the fourth quarter.
Craig Johnson, middle, with Tom Wood, 1st assistant chief, and Tim Hogle, chief, was named Firefighter of the Year on Saturday night at the Le Roy Fire Department's annual awards dinner and installation banquet. Johnson, the son of a 40-year veteran of the department, was also promoted to 2nd assistant chief.
The Le Roy officers for 2017 are listed below.
Firematic Officers: Chief -- Tim Hogle; 1st Asst. Chief -- Tom Wood; 2nd Asst. Chief -- Craig Johnson; Captain -- Mike Green; Captain -- Christina Marinaccio; Lieutenant -- A.J. DeFelice; Training Officer -- Craig Johnson; Safety Officer -- Joe Orlando.
Business: President -- Mike Green; Vice President -- A.J. DeFelice; Director -- Pete Loftus; Director -- Beth Domm; Secretary -- Jim Spear; Treasurer -- A.J. DeFelice.
Commissioners: Chairman -- Jerry Diskin; Commissioner -- Bill Wood; Commissioner -- Wayne Dressler; Commissioner -- John Johnson; Secretary -- Jim Spear; Treasurer --Stephanie Call.
Oatka Hose: President -- Dale Ehrhart; Directors -- Dave Ehrhart Sr., Frank Davis, Jim Spears Jr., Dave Ehrhart Jr., Ken Davis; Secretary -- Jim Spear; Treasurer -- Gerry Diskin.
Excelsior: President -- John Johnson; Vice President -- Rick Bater; Director -- Adam Stogsdale; Director -- Stephanie McVicker; Director -- Wendy Johnson; Director -- Mike Sheflin; Director -- Judy Purdy; Secretary -- Mike Miller; Treasurer -- Christina Marinaccio.
Chemicals: President -- Brandon Connolly; Vice President -- Melissa Surridge; Directors -- Dan Kemp, John Joy, Wayne Dressler, Terry Kanaley, Brandon Connolly; Secretary -- Wayne Dressler; Treasurer -- John Joy.
Benevolent: President -- Gerry Diskin; Vice President -- Ken Davis; Director -- Dave Ehrhart Sr.; Director -- Bill Sealey; Director -- John Johnson; Secretary -- Jim Spear; Treasurer -- Jim Spear.
Fire Police: Captain -- Ken Davis; 1st Lieutenant -- Wendy Johnson; 2nd Lieutenant -- Dave Ehrhart Sr.
Auxiliary: President -- Christie Miller-Main; Vice President -- Elise Bater; Secretary -- LeeAnne Miller; Treasurer -- Wendy Johnson.
Kevin McCrary, left, received a chief's accommodation award.
Tom Wood, center, received the Chief's Accommodation Award.
Jerry Diskin and Ken Davis were honored for their 50 years of service to the department.
To purchase prints, click here.
The best way to make it to 100 years old, according to Rose Disalvo, "keep busy, busy, busy. That's the best thing."
Disalvo is 100 and 1 day old today and family and friends gathered at the South Street Senior Care residence in Le Roy where she lives for a birthday party today.
Disalvo was born in Batavia in 1917 when her parents lived on Hutchins Street and her father worked at Massey Harris. She held a number of jobs over the years, including stints at the NYS School for the Blind and the VA Hospital. She has a daughter, a granddaughter and grandson, and two great-granddaughters.
Among her favorite things these days are taking walks -- "I've always walked," she said -- and playing school with her granddaughters (they read to each other on visits).
Asked what she is most proud of, she said, "My family comes first, always, always."
Cindy Saeva, who runs the home, said Rose is a remarkable person.
"She provides a smile to everyone she meets," Saeva said.
Rose with her daughter Linda Koelling and granddaughter Angela Bellamca.
Rose with Cindy Saeva.
Since I was out in Le Roy last night, I stopped in the Smokin' Eagle and found that Le Roy resident Billy Lambert was performing. His set list included a mix of covers and originals. Good stuff.
As part of a three-day event to raise money to assist veterans, the American Legion Post #576 is hosting a four-man bowling tournament at Legion Lanes, 53 W. Main St., Le Roy.
The fundraiser began on Friday night and continues today and Sunday with squads at noon and 3 p.m. -- and will also feature a chicken BBQ this afternoon, and a chance auction and a raffle through Sunday.
Last year, the event, now in its third year, raised $1,800 for the VA and the Disabled Veterans of America. This year, said Scott O'Neill, the post hopes to raise more than $2,000.
It's not too late to enter -- openings are available -- but if you're unable to make the event, donations can be mailed to:
Help Our Heroes/Scott O'Neill
American Legion Post #576
53 W. Main St.
Le Roy, NY 14482
Le Roy moved to 8-5, riding a three-game winning streak, with a 86-55 win over Warsaw at home on Thursday night.
The team continued to draw contributions from up and down its lineup. Thursday, it was Canyon Roster's turn to step up and provide a scoring spark. He hit 10 field goals in 14 attempts and 6-7 from the line for 26 points. Luke Stella added 12 points and Ryan Boyce, 10. Boyce and Ryan Kettle each sunk a pair of three-pointers.
For Warsaw, big Ben MacConnell had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Nate Tangeman scored 13 points and Scott Rashaun had 10.
This Saturday, both the girls and boys basketball teams, varsity and JV, travel to Notre Dame for a basketball blowout event to honor longtime Fighting Irish basketball Coach and Athletic Director Mike Rapone, brother of Le Roy's boys varsity Coach Rick Rapone. The Hoops extravaganza starts at noon. Girls varsity is scheduled for 4 p.m., with a ceremony honoring Rapone at 6:30 and boys varsity at 7 p.m.
For more high school sports scores, check the Scoreboard provided by Batavia's Best.
Four members of local law enforcement spoke at Le Roy High School today during the three lunch periods about the dangers of texting and driving. The officers shared their own personal stories of the accidents they've responded to, including fatal accidents, that involved distracted driving. On Monday, students viewed a video about texting and driving and a couple of students shared their thoughts on the public service piece. Students were then invited to stop by a poster in one of the hallways of the school and sign a poster pledging not to text and drive.
Principal Tim McArdle
Le Roy PD Officer Mike Pratt
Deputy Andrew Hale (also participating, in the background, Deputy Howard Wilson)
Anthony Paladino speaking with Le Roy PD Officer Greg Kellogg.
Lizzy Cimetta with Kellogg.
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