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With the mercury rising, there are ways to stay cool, experts say

By Joanne Beck
Austin Park spray park July 2023
July 2023 File Photo of kids having some cool fun at the spray park in Batavia. Photo by Howard Owens.

And so it begins — announcements of daily air quality index reports, with New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley hitting upon orange zones of “unhealthy for sensitive groups” while remaining regions in New York State rest in the yellow moderate zones as temperatures soar into the

Tenney introduces legislation to withhold funding from states granting drivers' licenses to 'illegal immigrants'

By Press Release

Press Release:

File photo of 
Claudia Tenney.

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) introduced the Red Light Act to withhold federal transportation funding from states that enact laws to provide driver's licenses or identification cards to illegal immigrants in the United States.

This bill directs the Department of Transportation to withhold a state's entire share of

Letter to the Editor: GCEDC and STAMP: The Truth About IDA Incentives

By Reader Submitted

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC), the regional Industrial Development Agency (IDA) in our area, has taken the first step toward bringing Double Reed—a data center—into our community, next door to the Tonawanda Seneca Nation.

But the fight is far from over. GCEDC still faces several legal and bureaucratic

Opinion: The Enemy Arrives by Limousine

By Reader Submitted

By Angela Larmon of Batavia

“The enemy doesn’t come by boat; he arrives in a limousine.” These words feel especially relevant when considering the renewed push for the STAMP project.

If you grew up in Oakfield, like me, the term “STAMP Project” might stir faint memories from years past. But

Former Batavia resident who survived Katrina forced from home in LA by major wildfire

By Howard B. Owens
Danielle Lovell, Scot Walsh, Aidan Walsh
Danielle Lovell, Aidan Walsh, and Scot Walsh, 
Submitted photo

When the Sunset Fire started to bear down on her Hollywood neighborhood on Wednesday evening, and the order to evacuate came, Danielle Lovell reminded herself to breathe.

She'd been through this before. In 2005, she and her family evacuated their home as Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans.

"I think the biggest takeaway (from Katrina) was -- and even last night -- just reminding myself to breathe and to stay calm," Lovell said to The Batavian on Thursday. "You do not want to panic because you are in such a hurry, but breathe and stay calm. Getting out is the most important thing. Everything else is replaceable, and it'll be okay. As long as you're alive, it'll be okay."

Varland and Stewart named Athletes of the Year for Batavia High School at annual awards presentation

By Howard B. Owens
batavia hs athletic awards 2024
Track and Field Coach Nick Burk and multi-sports star Anna Varland
Photo by Howard Owens.
batavia hs athletic awards 2024
Burk and state wrestling champion Casper Stewart.
Photo by Howard Owens.

Anna Varland and  Casper Stewart were honored on Wednesday evening at the Athletes of the Year by the Batavia Coaches Association at Batavia High School's annual Athletic Awards program.

Varland was a standout in soccer, flag football, basketball and softball.

Stewart won the school's first-ever state championship in

GO Health awarded national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board

By Press Release

Press Release:

GO Health is pleased to announce that it has been awarded national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). Established in 2007, PHAB is the nonprofit organization that administers the national accreditation program, which aims to advance and transform public health practice by championing performance improvement, strong

Sponsored Post: Bontrager: Now is an excellent time to consider consigning to Bontrager Real Estate & Auction Service's annual Spring Consignment Auction

By Sponsored Post
Bontrager

Now is an excellent time to consider consigning to Bontrager Real Estate & Auction Service's annual Spring Consignment Auction. Bontrager Auction has been a trusted name since 1935, employing the latest technology to maximize your profits. Our online auction attracts hundreds of bidders from across the United States and

ILGR launches new youth project with help of grant to support disabled youth and families

By Press Release

Press Release:

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR), serving Genesee, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties, is excited to announce the recent awarding of a $371,176 grant by the Greater Rochester Health Foundation and the Rochester Area Community Foundation. This essential funding will establish The Independent Living Youth Project (ILYP), a

BHS educators are counting on '26 Shirts' fundraiser to help out colleague after cancer surgery

By Joanne Beck
Leah Wroten with Kassandra
Batavia High School special education teacher's aide Leah Wroten gets and gives a hug to student Kassandra.
Submitted Photo

 At 21, Leah Wroten was diagnosed with cancer, and life as she knew it changed for the foreseeable future, special education teacher Natalie Keller says.

“She had life-changing surgery," Keller said to The Batavian about her fellow Batavia City Schools colleague. "She had not been working for six months.” 

Wroten, a BHS 2020 graduate, had major surgery, chemotherapy and related treatments since her diagnosis in 2024. School staff members have had football square and Dress Down Day fundraisers, and one coming up in February is expected to be the biggest so far, Keller said. It will be a 26 Shirts for Leah.

Tenney reintroduces PAW Act to make veterinary care and pet insurance eligible for HSA and FSA

By Press Release

Press Release:

File photo of 
Claudia Tenney.

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) reintroduced the People and Animals Well-being (PAW) Act to amend the Internal Revenue Code Section 213(d) to include veterinary care expenses under tax-advantaged health care spending accounts, specifically Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).

The PAW Act would allow pet

Batavia seeks second Downtown Revitalization grant to help continued economic growth

By Press Release
dri-2.0-boundry-map.jpg
Submitted photo.

Press Release:

The City of Batavia is working with the Batavia Development Corporation (BDC) to apply to New York State for a second Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant.

Governor Hochul and State Legislative leaders have ensured that New York Cities can continue to grow their tax base and business

Discussion of proposed Verizon cell tower in Batavia covers color of paint and intensity of radio waves

By Howard B. Owens
robert w. burgdorf attorney verizon
Robert W. Burgdorf, an attorney based in Rochester, representing Verizon at Tuesday's Town of Batavia Planning Board meeting.
Photo by Howard Owens.

A major telecommunications company's application to erect a new mobile device cell tower is a fairly straightforward approval process for local planners, and on Tuesday evening, Robert W. Burgdorf of Rochester, an attorney representing Verizon, provided several useful nuggets of information.

It was an initial meeting in the regulatory process with the Town of Batavia Planning Board. The application must still undergo an environmental review and a public hearing, but Burgdorf was happy to discuss the process and some of the technical issues involved in installing a cell tower.

Genesee County's oldest manufacturing company celebrates 140 years in business

By Howard B. Owens
chapin 140th anniversary
Tim Onello, on TV screen, delivers opening remarks on Saturday during a 140th Anniversary Celebration for Chapin International at the company's headquarters at 400 Ellicott Street, Batavia.
Photo by Howard Owens.

One hundred and forty years ago, homes didn't have electricity, and there were no amateur photographers.

That's right. In 1884, neither General Electric nor Eastman Kodak's founders had launched their history-making companies, nor had Nabisco or Coca-Cola product their game-changing products to market yet.

But a pair of young businessmen in Oakfield, Ralph E. Chapin and brother-in-law Frank Harris, had devised an idea for a better container to store kerosene for lamps and Chapin Manufacturing was born.

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