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Weather: Heat, humidity and poor air quality

By Howard B. Owens

The Weather Channel has issued an extreme heat alert for Genesee County, and the National Weather Service is warning of diminished air quality.

While the reported high temperature is 92 degrees, the heat index is 96. Humidity is 55 percent.

An air quality alert is in effect until 10 p.m

Public hearing set for restrictions proposed for outdoor wood boilers

By Billie Owens

There will be a public hearing on proposed restrictions on outdoor wood boilers on Monday, June 14. It will be at the Conable Technology Building on the Batavia campus of Genesee Community College.

An informal informational meeting will be from 5 to 6 p.m. The actual public hearing is

Healthy neighborhoods program focusing outreach on Wards 3 and 4 in Batavia

By Press Release

Press Release:

The Genesee County Health Department receives funding from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to carry out the Healthy Neighborhoods Program (HNP). Residents in the Town and City of Batavia are eligible to participate. 

The program offers free home evaluations for asthma triggers, indoor air quality

Genesee County dispatchers on path to rare accreditation

By Howard B. Owens

The Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center is on track to become one of the elite dispatch centers in the state, if not the country, with Director Steven C. Sharpe setting the bar high.

It's Sharpe's goal -- and has been since 2006 -- to have the dispatch center receive an

Genesee Tourism: Your Guide to Outdoor Dining in Genesee County

By Genesee County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center

Check out these highlights of Al Fresco dining locations in Genesee County. Whether it’s a quick bite between stops or a fine waterfront evening, there's a restaurant with outdoor seating for every palate. From cozy country diners to romantic dinners for two, delicious is the name of the game in

Batavia Lions Club sponsoring raffle for home standby generator or $2K

By Billie Owens

The Batavia Lions Club is sponsoring a raffle for a Bryant HOME STANDBY GENERATOR (8/7 kW LPG/NG) or $2,000 in cash.

All proceeds will be used to help fund several current and future community projects.

Current include: Lions Night at the Ball Park; holiday decorations in downtown Batavia; Christmas dinner

Frank Joe Vernon

By Joshua Smith
Vernon

Frank Joe Vernon, age 91, passed away at home on June 30, 2024 , after bravely battling congestive heart failure and stage 4 kidney disease.

Joe was born February 22, 1933 in Lake City, Arkansas to Pearl Edgar (Slim) Vernon and Ona Louise Shoemaker.

He is survived by his daughter Lee Ann Patterson, (husband Robert) and his sister Mary Alice Boyer (husband Larry), their children and many nieces and
nephews.

He is predeceased by his loving wife Cynthia May, his brothers, James Crawford, Edward and sister Betty.

Joe came from humble beginnings and went to school in a one-room schoolhouse in Dyess, Arkansas. His first job at age seven was water boy; riding a blind mule to the cotton fields by himself to provide drinking water to the cotton pickers. Joe made a personal decision as a young adult to escape the brutal poverty in Arkansas and make something of himself. He enlisted in the Air Force and served from 1951-1955 during the Korean War. His military training began in Tillamook, Oregon for Airplane Mechanic; then Rocket Propulsion Training in Chanute, IL and then at Cape Canaveral, FL for the First Pilotless Squadron. He was a member of NATO and was stationed in Florence, Italy and Frankfort, Germany. When airplanes needed parts or repair, he and his crew would fly to those locations in Morocco, Libya, Greece, Turkey, Yugoslavia, France & more. The barracks where he was stationed in Italy was in an ancient 50-room villa that is still standing today. He told many exciting stories including one time when the captain asked him to pilot the plane (a C119-Flying Boxcar) to Belgium and land it on a tiny grass airstrip. That was the only time he piloted a plane.

After his service he attended college at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, TN and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He met his beautiful wife Cynthia when she roomed with his sister Betty and they married in Mississippi on August 11, 1955. He had two job offers upon graduation, one with U.S. Gypsum in Oakfield, NY and the second in Seattle, Washington. He chose U.S. Gypsum and they moved to Oakfield. He became Superintendent of the Paper Mill and implemented many designs for better production and then went on to be Superintendent of the Board Plant. Toward the end of his career, he took the position of Quality Control Supervisor with U.S. Gypsum for the Northeast U.S., Canada and South America. The job required a lot of traveling troubleshooting issues for commercial and residential. He loved his career and certainly knew everything there was to know about papermaking and wallboard.

He was always worked with his hands and when he was first married, he made most of their furniture. Upon buying their home in Elba he and his wife maintained two huge gardens growing all their own vegetables. They both were very frugal and heated their home with wood we either got out of the forest behind the house or sometimes he had a semi-truck deliver logs which he chain sawed and split by himself to heat the home.

As a hobby, he enjoyed fine woodworking and started building dollhouses for his daughter. They became more intricate over time and he started to make dollhouses from actual house plans, reducing the plans from a foot to half an inch. Overall he has made about 20 dollhouses (all with custom- made furniture) including a full-scale replica of the homestead in Elba. After retirement he put a ship model kit together and that became his real passion. He started to make them from scratch (you know just glue some wood together and start sawing anything away that doesn’t look like a ship.) He has made about 50 sailing ships over the years, which are of museum quality. He had a showing at Go-Art several years ago and the Batavian produced a you-tube video titled “Joe Vernon Sailing Model Ship Building” of which he was very proud of. He showed photos of his ships and spoke of the video to just about every Dr. who took care of him at the Veterans Administration.

He loved unique and fancy vehicles and owned many over the years. He had an Izetta (made by BMW) when they lived in TN which drew a lot of attention. His latest sports car was the BMW Z3 5-speed convertible, which he bought for his wife. He loved driving it and even drove it to kidney dialysis last summer.

He was a remarkable, intelligent and gentle man who will be sorely missed. There are no prior calling hours and services will be private. He will be laid to rest alongside his wife of 63 years.

Arrangements are under the care and direction of H.E. Turner & Co., Inc. Funeral Home, Batavia. Please leave a condolence, share a story, or light a candle at www.bataviafuneralhomes.com.

Ammonia leak in Oakfield interrupts garage sale day

By Howard B. Owens

Officials have yet to determine what caused an ammonia leak this afternoon at the Allens, Inc., food processing plant on Stevens Street in Oakfield.

The leak prompted a call for residents to evacuate the south side of the village, including the baseball fields and park off Drake, which was filled

8th Annual World Wide Christmas Fair

By Beth Stich

Come to the 8th Annual World Wide Christmas Fair on Saturday, November 13th from 9am to 3pm at the First Presbyterian Church, 300 E. Main St., Batavia. FREE ADMISSION.

Build a Better World - Shop with Purpose. Support fair trade, not-for-profit and service organizations by purchasing high quality gifts from local, regional and international vendors. Fair Trade vendors include: One World Projects, One World Goods, Kingdom Ventures, Equal Exchange Coffee. Local not-for-profits include: Crossroads House, YWCA, Healthy Sisters Soup and Bean Works, The Paint Box Project from Roswell Park, Project Life.

Lunch, snacks and coffee available. Handicapped accessible.

 

Event Date and Time
2010-11-13T09:00:00 - 2010-11-13T15:00:00

Documents reveal Ellicott Station built on foundation of misunderstood housing terms

By Howard B. Owens
ellicott station ground breaking may 2022
May 3, 2022, the groundbreaking for Ellicott Station.
Photo by Howard Owens.

What is mixed-income housing? Workforce housing? Low-income housing? Affordable housing? Market-rate housing?

These terms appear frequently in thousands of documents obtained from government agencies by The Batavian for an investigation into how the 55-unit apartment building under construction at Ellicott Station transformed from “luxury” units to apartments eligible for Section 8 rental vouchers.

How did this once promising project go from a complex where all tenants hold down jobs to one where potentially as few as 36 percent of the potential tenants are gainfully employed, and finally, one where the project's actual completion is in doubt?

Young Afghan shoemaker learns skills from Batavia business

By Billie Owens

A young female entrepreneur from Afghanistan recently spent time in Batavia as part of a tour of U.S. businesses. The visit was sponsored by Bpeace and hosted by p.w. minor, the Batavia-based shoe manufacturer located on Treadeasy Avenue.

Shahla Akbari is a 19-year-old shoemaker from Kabul. She started her company

Reaction to Gov. Paterson's budget swift and negative

By Howard B. Owens

The howls of anger and indignation you heard last night echoing from the Bronx to Buffalo is the reaction from special interests throughout the state to Gov. David Paterson's proposed budget.

While raising taxes $1 billion, the plan also cuts spending $5.5 billion.

You don't cut spending that much without

The Genesee Justice Story

By Howard B. Owens

In the late 1970s, the big issue in Genesee County was, should taxpayers fund the construction of a new jail.

According to former Sheriff Doug Call, now a Stafford town justice, the family court judge of the time, Charles Graney, wrote a letter to the editor that said something like

Genesee County Fair is July 20-24

By Billie Owens

Here's a news release from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County about this year's fair and the 4-H Club.

It’s summer. And it’s been awesome! Looking for something to do? Something that will support our community, and our youth, and our roots? Something that will be fun, relaxing, easy to

Chapin Manufacturing serious about health and safety

By Billie Owens

Chapin Manufacturing in Batavia recently teamed up with Mercy Flight WNY and Oatka for simulated emergency response exercises. Chapin is a world leader in compressed air sprayers.

The companies conducted the drills to help them prepare for emergencies. They were conducted at the 700,000-square-foot Chapin facility on Ellicott Street. One

NY COUNTY FAIR FINALS CONTESTED AT BATAVIA

By Howard B. Owens

Press Release:

Batavia, NY --- The start of Labor Day weekend at Batavia Downs Casino featured four NY County Fair finals for 2 and 3 year-old pacers and trotters, worth $8,000 each.

The 3-year-old pacers kicked off the fair finals in race two. This one saw Emmas Lily (Artiscape-Sweet Rosa

Batavia Lions Club names new president

By Billie Owens

Bob Swanson took the reins of the Batavia Lions Club last night from outgoing President Steve Watson an an induction ceremony at Bohn's Restaurant.

As the club's new president, Swanson outlined his plans for the upcoming year which, of course, includes continued involvement in the Batavia community and continued efforts

Steve Hawley included in NY Farm Bureau's 2009 Circle of Friends

By Billie Owens

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, I, C - Batavia) has been named to the New York
Farm Bureau's 2009 "Circle of Friends" for the fourth consecutive year
.

This award is given to distinguish an individual lawmaker's support of the state's agriculture and Farm Bureau initiatives, as exemplified in the lawmakers'

GCC's director of student activities honored

By Billie Owens

Genesee Community College Director of Student Activities Clifford Scutella, on left, was recently honored by Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) at their International Convention in Orlando, Fla. He was among only 25 administrators, from 400 chapters in the nation honored with the Administrator of Distinction Award.

This

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