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Sheriff's Office investigating series of battery thefts

By Howard B. Owens

Somebody is stealing batteries from large trucks, buses, and heavy equipment and the Genesee County Sheriff's Office is looking for the public's help in identifying the culprit.

These are known as Type 31 batteries. They retail for as much as $300 and have resale and recycling value.

Investigators say the series of thefts seem confined to Genesee County, particularly in Elba, Oakfield, Batavia, Byron, Alabama and Alexander.

The Sheriff's Office has received more than a dozen complaints of such thefts, which occur overnight.

Anyone with information that may pertain to the case can call (585) 343-5000.

Chapin tournament raises more than $10K for Disabled American Veterans

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The ninth Annual Chapin Charity Golf Tournament was held on Aug. 13th at Terry Hills Golf Course with 204 golfers participating.  The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Transportation Group received $10,600 through funds raised from this year’s event.  The funds were raised with the support of businesses and individuals and have already been put to use as a down payment for a new vehicle for transporting disabled veterans to and from medical appointments.  

Next year’s event will be held on Saturday, Aug. 12. If anyone has any questions regarding the tournament or would like to recommend a deserving charity for next year please contact Norm Hubbard, tournament director 585-343-3140, ext. 3018, or email  nhubbard@chapinmfg.com, or contact Laurie Shepland, VP Human Resources 585-3140, ext. 3082 or email lshepland@chapinmfg.com.

Statement from DAV:

DAV Chapter 166 is absolutely thankful to Chapin International for being chosen as the recipient of proceeds from the ninth Annual Chapin Charity Golf Tournament. Special thanks go to Jim Campbell, Chapin CEO, Laurie Shepland, Chapin VP Human Resources, and to Norm Hubbard, as tournament director. Norm's tireless efforts made the tournament an absolute success. 

The DAV, comprised of volunteers, transports veterans from their homes in Genesee and Wyoming counties, to medical appointments at the VA facilities in Batavia and Buffalo. DAV Chapter 166 is totally responsible for obtaining donated funds, which in turn are used to purchase their vehicles for veteran transport.

Without our volunteer service, hundreds of veterans would be unable to get to their medical appointments.  The veterans we transport range in age from the mid-20s (Iraq and Afghanistan) to 96 years old (WWII). We at DAV Chapter 166 are so proud of our veterans, and to the service that they gave to our country.

Any questions and/or donations for the DAV Chapter 166 Van Fund can be directed to Doug Titus, Hospital Service coordinator, 222 Richmond Ave., Batavia NY 14020, or call at (585) 297-1170.

Pickup trucks doing donuts on school grounds

By Billie Owens

A caller complains to dispatch that two pickup trucks -- a white one and a red one -- are doing donuts in the parking lot and ball fields at Batavia High School and, subsequently, at a nearby elementary school. City Police are responding.

Lifelong Genesee County resident nears her 110th birthday

By Howard B. Owens

When Thelma Starr Hettrick was born Sept. 28, 1906, telegrams were still the primary form of long-distance communication and you needed thorough training in chemistry to take a photograph. The only way to get the latest news, often a day old, was ink on paper.

She's survived to live in a world where your phone can take a newsworthy picture and have it seen by people all over the world within seconds.

At the Genesee County Nursing Home, members of her family gathered a few days before her actual birthday on Wednesday to celebrate Hettrick's long life. 

Hettrick, who first made news when she turned 100 at the Nursing Home, isn't communicative these days and tires easily, so beyond acknowledging some members of her family, she didn't talk about living to 110.

She will be, however, the fifth person alive in New York to reach the age of 110.

Hettrick was born and raised in Pavilion and, except for some college in New York City, has never lived outside of Genesee County.

Her grandfather was Noah Starr, one of the earliest farmers in the county, who bought his farmland from the Holland Land Office. The property was where Thelma was born and raised, in a farmhouse built by her father in 1890. Today, Randy and Cindy Starr farm that land (Randy and Cindy were planning on arriving at the birthday celebration a little later, so they weren't there for our pictures (see our previous story about the Starr farm)).

Photos: Walk to End Alzheimer's in Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

At least 500 people turned out today for the annual Walk to End Alzheimer's in Batavia.

Above, youth cheerleaders from Le Roy encourage walkers in front of Batavia Middle School on Ross Street.

Hit-and-run accident involving black Jeep reported on Dellinger

By Howard B. Owens

A hit-and-run accident involving a black Jeep is reported on Dellinger Avenue.

The suspect vehicle was last seen northbound on Dellinger, turning right on Washington Avenue.

The vehicle reportedly sustained damage and is leaking fluid and has two children passengers. A partial plate was provided as well.

Police are responding and looking for the vehicle.

Photos: Kickoff of STEAM program at John Kennedy

By Howard B. Owens

Fourth-graders at John Kennedy School on Friday were introduced to the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art+Design, and Math) curriculum with science demonstrations, and some hands-on experiences, led by Batavia High School science teachers Nathan Korzelius (top photo) and Burton Howell. 

In these photos, Korzelius talks about the properties of lycopodium clavatum, a powder derived from a species of moss. As Korzelius demonstrated, the powder floats on water and if a person sticks his or her hand in, the powder keeps the hand dry. When the powder is concentrated near a flame, it will explode in a flash of flame and lights (side fact: lycoduium was used by early photographers as a flash powder).

Family says father's dream car well worth remembering, restoring

By Howard B. Owens

The Thomas Rocket Car is a family heirloom that is close to becoming a City of Batavia treasure, and the three children of the man who designed and conceived of the once-futuristic automobile think that's just how things should be.

“It’s great (that it’s coming back to Batavia)," said Gary Thomas, oldest son of the late Charles D. Thomas, "This is a Batavia car. It was conceived in Batavia. It was built in Batavia. It was driven around the town in Batavia for the first few years of its life."

Gary, now a resident of California, and sister Karen, of Hamburg, and brother Jeff, of Lockport, stopped Old World Body Shop, where owner Dick McClurg and a group of volunteers are in the midst of restoring the Rocket Car back to its 1938-era glory.

Charles Thomas designed the car and built it with the help of Norman Richardson, also a Batavia resident, in a shop at the corner of Main and Oak. Thomas dreamed of a car that would revolutionize the auto industry, with advanced safety features and a sleek design, but both General Motors and Chrysler passed on the design and war disrupted the auto industry, so the Thomas Rocket Car became another family sedan.

Thomas and Richardson completed the car in 1938 and Thomas didn't meet his wife until 1939 and Gary, the oldest, wasn't born until 1942, so the car was a well-established part of the children's lives in their early years, at least until mom put her foot down and told dad to get rid of it.

Karen told the story.

Their mother took the children to the grocery store in the car one day and when she needed to drive over railroad tracks, the car stalled.

Gary said he thinks the car stalled because the tracks were a bit higher than the road, causing the car to have to climb a 45-degree angle and his mother wasn't going quite fast enough, so the fuel drained from the carburetor and the Rocket Car sputtered and stopped. 

Mom yelled at the children to get out of the car fast. She feared a southbound train was coming.

A man came along and asked if she knew how to start the car if he pushed it. She did, so he pushed it off the tracks, the car rolled down the hill about 100 yards and mom popped the clutch and it started right up.

"After that," Karen recalled, "my mother said, 'that's it, get rid of the car. I'm not going to endanger my children. Get rid of the car,' and my father did get rid of the car after that, otherwise, we probably would have kept it."

There are a lot of family stories around the car, the siblings said.

"We rehearsed them all last night over chicken wings," Gary joked.

Like the time the family had to stop at Mercy Hospital, Karen said, and somehow the car got out of park (maybe the kids were messing with something they shouldn't have been messing with, she said) and somebody bumped the car and it started to roll toward the street.

"A nun hopped into the car and stopped it so it didn't go crashing into anything," Karen said, "but it went into the middle of the street and she just left it there."

Many of the memories involve other people's memories of the unique car.

"Dick Moore's favorite story (Moore is one of the people who helped get the ball rolling to save the car and donate it to the City) is the time he first saw the car on Main Street," Gary said. "My father had taken off the passenger rear wheel, so it was only on three wheels and my father was testing the stability of the car and drove it down Main Street and down and around and back and it never tipped it over so he pronounced it stable. But Dick Moore saw this car going by with three wheels on it and was immediately taken by it."

Jeff remembers the time he was meeting with an architect in Buffalo and the man found out about Jeff's roots in Batavia and asked, "Your dad isn't Charlie Thomas, is he?"

The man then recalled the Thomas Rocket Car.

"He said, 'I remember driving around in the Thomas Rocket Car,' " Jeff said. " 'I was in my 20s and we’d drive around Batavia, and we’d have our arms out the side of the car and people would look at us they would beep and stuff like that.'

"There’s a lot of people around who rode in it or remember it," Jeff added.

There's still a lot of restoration work to do on the car. By Thanksgiving, McClurg hopes to have the passenger side primed and then he can flip the car on its side and start working on the undercarriage. After that, more body work, painting, and interior restoration.

Batavia residents continue tradition of hosting hunt for wounded soldiers

By Howard B. Owens

Photo and story by Alex Feig, with our news partner, WBTA.

Operation Injured Soldiers was hosting military veterans for the beginning of geese-hunting season at the Wounded Warrior House in Orleans County from Wednesday through Sunday this week.

OIS as it’s called by volunteers, began its presence in the Batavia area around six years ago when veteran Edward Spence got together with several other vets in the area, one of which was Floyd “Skip” Hulburt.

“Ed Spence and I and a fellow veteran, we had talked about establishing OIS in New York, and once it was established Ed Spence just took off with it.”

Skip had just gotten back from another successful hunt but his focus was on a fellow soldier, “My main focus was Jack who is a Vietnam veteran. This is his first time waterfowl hunting so I wanted to get him into it and see how he likes it, and that's a lot of why I do this. I'm not as bad (off) as some of these guys. I'm pretty mobile still.”

Jack Olson, a Vietnam vet, lives just down the road from the Warrior House and was very grateful for the opportunity.

Olson said “I had a good time, I enjoyed it.  Great people, great guides, great veterans I was with.  All good, all good, nothing bad I can say.”

Olson. like many veterans. is not just receiving help but is providing for others like himself.

“I think more people should get involved in veterans organizations and volunteering at the Batavia VA," Olson said. "I am myself a volunteer at the VA and it's a very rewarding experience and there's always stuff to do. Somebody will find something for you to do at the VA.”

For more information on Operation Injured Soldiers, you can visit www.injuredsoldiers.org or message Edward Spence on Facebook.

'Fun with Scanning' topic of Tech Tuesday event at Corfu Free Library

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Residents with questions about computers and other electronic devices can come to the Corfu Free Library for answers and assistance at this month’s Technology Tuesday help session from 7 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 27.

This month the theme for Technology Tuesday is “Fun with Scanning,” and there will be hands on scanning with one of the latest scanners available. Residents with items they like to be scanned can drop in and learn how to scan their items, and they are encouraged to bring in a thumb drive or an SD card so they will be able have their scans on their own storage device. Scans can also be emailed to their email address if they have one.

Of course residents can ask questions about other technology topics, and they are encouraged to bring in their own devices such as an iPhone, Kindle, Nook, iPad, flash drive, or laptop computer (including charging cords) to be able to work with them that evening.

Attendees can also ask for help to learn how to download digital items from Hoopla as well as eBooks from Overdrive and eMagazines from Zinio right at the session so they will know how to use these services provided free to library patrons through the Nioga system.

The Corfu Free Library periodically offers sessions like Technology Tuesday and residents are encouraged to check the library’s website at www.CorfuFreeLibrary.org or stop by the library at 7 Maple Ave. in Corfu for program information, or they can call the library at (585) 599-3321.

Charity benefit for Mike Walker of Le Roy starts Saturday afternoon at Pavilion Clover Leaf

By Billie Owens
From the friends of Le Roy's Mike Walker:
 
There is a benefit being held at the Pavilion Clover Leaf tomorrow, Sept. 24th, for Mike Walker, of Le Roy, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
 
The community has really rallied behind him. The charity event is being put together by Lynn Gugino (and many others) who bartends at the Clover Leaf, which is located at 7021 Telephone Road (Route 20).
 
There will be hamburgers, hot dogs, music, and raffles starting at 2 p.m. (Chicken BBQ is already sold out.)

Law and Order: Canadian arrested for DWI in parking lot at Darien Lake, allegedly almost struck several pedestrians

By Billie Owens

Christopher James Borsella, 23, of Beaver Street, Thorold, Ontario, Canada, is charged with driving while intoxicated and aggravated driving while intoxicated -- with a BAC of .18 percent or higher. On Sept. 23, Borsella was arrested following a driving complaint at 11:46 p.m. on Sept. 22 at Darien Lake Theme Park, 9993 Alleghany Road, Darien. Borsella allegedly was driving in the parking lot and almost struck several pedestrians. He was issued an appearance ticket for Darien Town Court on Oct. 18. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Sgt. Jason Saile.

Joseph R. Powell,  29, of Rochester,  was arrested by State Troopers in Batavia for driving while intoxicated following a traffic stop on Route 33 in the Town of Batavia. He allegedy crossed the pavement markings into oncoming traffic. Powell was transported to the Batavia barracks where he allegedly submitted to a positive breath test resulting in a BAC of .10-percent. Powell was processed for DWI and released with traffic tickets returnable to the Town of Batavia Court on a later date.

Thomas Joseph Gravanda Jr., 23, of Holley Street, Brockport, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and speed in excess of 55 MPH. Following a traffic stop at 8 a.m. on Sept. 22 on Clinton Street Road, Stafford, Gravanda was found to allegedly be in possession of marijuana. He was arrested for that and also cited for speeding. He is due in Stafford Town Court on Oct. 20. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Eric Meyer.

City wins national budgeting award for second consecutive year, Molino 'primarily responsible'

By Billie Owens

Press release:

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) is pleased to announced that the City of Batavia, New York has received the GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget.

The award represents a signficant achievement by the entity. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of government budgeting. In order to receive the award, the entity had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity's budget serves as:

  • a policy document;
  • a financial plan;
  • an operations guide;
  • and a communications device.

Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories, and the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

When a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is granted to an entity, a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation is also presented to the individual or department designated as being primarily responsible for its having achieved the award. This has been presented to City Manager Jason Molino.

For budgets beginning in 2015, approximately 1,550 participants received the award. Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.

The Government Finance Officers Association is a major professional association servicing the needs of approximately 18,700 appointed and elected local, state, and provencial-level government officials and other finance practitioners. It provides top-quality publications, training programs, services, and products designed to enhance the skills and performance of those responsible for government finance policy and management.

The association is headquartered in Chicago, with offices in Washington, D.C. The GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.

 

Accident with minor injuries reported at routes 33 and 237, Stafford

By Billie Owens

A minor-injury accident involving two vehicles is reported at the intersection of routes 33 and 237 in Stafford. Stafford Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 11:05 a.m.: No injuries, says a medic on scene. Both vehicles off the roadway, one will need to be towed because "the back tires are pushed in," says another first responder.

Three arrests made at Jason Aldean concert

By Howard B. Owens

The following arrests were made by the Sheriff's Office during the Jason Aldean concert at Darien Lake on Thursday:

Ashley M. Riber, 23, of Walnut Street, Perry, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Sydney A. Wilson, 18, of Eastham Court, Webster, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Steven M. Campbell Jr., 29, of Walnut Street, Perry, is charged with trespass for allegedly entering the concert venue after being ejected and told not to return.

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