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Photos by Howard Owens

Photos by Howard Owens

Press Release:

The Genesee County Master Gardeners are collecting NEW, unwrapped BOOKS for youth, ages infant to 18 years old. The books will be donated to the Batavia Salvation Army for their annual Christmas Angel Tree program. 

The gift of a new book delivers a message of hope and instills self-confidence in children. Books enhance a child’s ability to read and communicate effectively.

The Batavia Salvation Army has requested the following needs for books:

• Graphic Novels (Such as Dog Man, Cat Kid, Capt. Underpants, etc.)
• Elementary age books
• Early reader chapter books
• Young adult fiction
• Comic Books

You can drop books off at the Genesee County Cornell Cooperative Extension office (420 East Main St., Batavia), Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A collection bin has been set up near the reception area window. Donations of new books can be made through December 4.

The Genesee County Master Gardeners thank you in advance for your support.

Please contact Jan at 585-343-3040 x132 if you have questions.

It's become quite the tradition in Genesee County government departments -- staff members coordinate a theme for Halloween, with each department competing for the best costumes of the day.

We have no word on who won but here are pictures of a few of the departments that joined in this year.

Josephina Varland, a student at St. Paul Lutheran School, got a ride to school on Thursday morning in Batavia Fire's Engine 12.

The ride was Varland's reward for winning CIty Fire's safety coloring contest for her school.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Although groundbreakings may seem to be all about the fanfare of shovels in the ground and celebratory speeches, this spring's event for the city’s new police facility cost $10,000, requiring a budget transfer by the City Council.

City Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. questioned the total amount for the event, which was conducted in the Alva Place parking lot this past May. City, county and political representatives praised the new police station project to be built in the corner lot of Alva and Bank Street in downtown Batavia.

“It seems a little high,” Jankowski said. 

City Manager Rachael Tabelski detailed the cost.

“We used public relations in there as well for some of the outreach to the businesses in the area,” she said during Monday’s meeting at City Hall. “So it was public relations, planning the event and paying for the event.”

Businesses in the area didn’t respond very positively soon after the project began, with fencing shutting off adjacent parking used for patients with disabilities. Those business owners claimed that communication was lacking from the start, as they hadn’t been notified of the plan for the parking lot, and they voiced complaints for several weeks after the project commenced. 

Tabelski further explained the groundbreaking and other costs that required a total transfer of $132,779 from the Contingency Fund. One of those costs included money for renovations to curbs and sidewalks in an effort to help and appease those business owners with alternate ways for their patients to reach their offices more safely.

"There are times where certain expenses are in excess of budgeted amounts set in April," Tabelski said in a memo to council. "The six-month budget review is a financial process that assists the City Council and city manager when reviewing the status of the budget and in making transfers as necessary.

"The city hosted a groundbreaking and media event for the new police facility, and expenses were charged to the city manager's account. I am recommending increasing the city manager-professional fees account by $10,000," she said.

A breakdown of the remaining additional costs included:

• "The city has utilized labor attorney services for various employee and union matters in the first six months of the budget, and with ongoing issues I am recommending an increase in the Legal Services-Labor Counsel account by $30,000," she said.
• The city has been involved in several contested code cases, extreme risk protection order hearings, property foreclosure reviews, property sale assistance, and property phase I and II reviews that have added expense to the city budget, she said. That is to add another recommended $30,000 to the Legal Services-Professional fees account.
• Tabelski also recommended adding $16,980 to the Community Development account for funds expended for mid-block curb cuts and extension of private sidewalks to allow for better access in the corridor since the beginning of the police facility construction project. Curb cuts and sidewalk extensions were done after business owners complained about the lack of parking and access due to construction fencing in the parking lot.  
• The city makes a yearly payment to the BP2 fund to assist with new economic development activities in the Brownfield Opportunity Area out of earned PILOT revenue, she said. She recommended increasing the Economic Development account by a related $5,799.
• Since the city's general liability insurance expenses were more than expected for fiscal year 2024-25, she recommends adding $40,000 to the Administrative Services-Insurance Account, she said. 

The total of $132,779 will come from the city’s Contingency Fund.

Press Release:

The Genesee County Jail has a new fax number effective immediately. Please update your records. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

New Fax Number: (585) 815-7977

Press Release:

As Halloween approaches, the Batavia Police Department wants to ensure a fun and safe experience for all trick-or-treaters and their families. To make this Halloween a memorable one, we've put together some essential safety tips for both pedestrians and drivers. 

Pedestrian Safety:

• Stay on the sidewalk: Whenever possible, stick to sidewalks and avoid walking in the street. If there's no sidewalk, walk on the edge of the road facing traffic. 
• Use crosswalks: When crossing the road, use designated crosswalks and follow traffic signals. Be visible: Wear bright or reflective costumes to increase visibility, especially at night. 
• Stay in groups: Trick-or-treat in groups, and make sure there's adult supervision for children. 
• Avoid distractions: Put away phones and other electronic devices to minimize distractions while walking. 

Driver Safety: 

• Slow down: Be cautious and reduce speed in residential areas, especially during peak trick-or-treat hours. 
• Be aware of pedestrians: Keep an eye out for children and adults walking, as they may be difficult to see in dark costumes. 
• Use headlights: Turn on your headlights to increase visibility, even during the day. 
• Avoid distractions: Put away phones and other electronic devices to minimize distractions while driving. 

By following these simple safety tips, we can all contribute to a fun and safe Halloween experience for everyone. Remember, safety is everyone's responsibility! Happy Halloween from the Batavia Police Department!

Eight-year-old Amara Thomas got a ride in City Fire's Ladder Truck 15 to school at John Kennedy on Wednesday.

Amara was the John Kennedy winner in the department's annual fire safety poster contest, sponsored by IAFF Local 896.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Press Release:

Genesee County law enforcement officers are joining forces with the Genesee County STOP-DWI program and agencies across New York State to participate in special efforts to stop impaired driving, prevent injuries, and save lives. This coordinated effort is conducted to bring awareness to the dangers of impaired driving.

The statewide STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign runs from Thursday, October 31 until Sunday, November 3.

The Halloween High Visibility Engagement Campaign is one of many statewide initiatives promoted by STOP-DWI NY and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. Highly visible, highly publicized efforts like the STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign aim to further reduce the incidence of drunk and impaired driving.

Choices impact lives – impaired driving leads to a dead end.

Press Release:

Berry Fusion, Maui Pineapple, and Cherry Dynamite. These are the candy flavors many young ghouls and ghosts will get while trick-or-treating this Halloween. They are also the same flavors our teens see in flavored little cigars and cigarillos marketed alongside candy at convenience stores and gas stations in their communities.

“They may sound like Halloween treats, but in reality they are Big Tobacco’s tricks for getting kids hooked on their products,” says Brittany Bozzer, Reality Check Youth Coordinator for Tobacco-Free Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming Counties (TF-GOW). 

Cigarillos, the more popular product, are short and narrow cigars that usually do not include a filter. Little cigars are the same size and shape as cigarettes, often include a filter, and are packaged in a similar way. Both are taxed differently than cigarettes.

Why flavored cigars are a concern. 

Bozzer and other public health leaders across the GOW region, New York State and the country are particularly concerned with the newest generation of cigars, including brand names like Swisher Sweets, Dutch Masters, Phillies and Black & Milds. A Swisher Sweet cigarillo contains about 10.8 milligrams of nicotine per gram of tobacco. That’s more than a cigarette, which typically average 8 milligrams, and fuels youth addiction.

“Our biggest concern is that the sweet flavors improve the taste and mask the harshness of tobacco, making these products easier to use and more appealing to young people,” says Bozzer. “Flavors in cigars means more youth will start smoking them, progress to become regular users and potentially become addicted.”

According to 2023 study from the Truth Initiative, flavors are a major reason why young people use cigars, with 74% of adolescents who used cigars in the past month indicating that they used them “because they come in flavors I like.”

What they don’t know is that these cigars contain the same addictive, toxic and carcinogenic compounds found in cigarettes. Similar to e-cigarettes, cigars are sometimes marketed as being a healthier alternative to cigarettes but that is untrue. Health risks of flavored cigar smoking include gum disease, cancers of the larynx, esophagus and lungs, with daily cigar smokers having an increased risk of heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Co-use of cigarillos and marijuana. 

Studies show that many young people use cigarillos as “blunts,” a term for a cigar emptied of its tobacco and replaced with marijuana. Brands like Backwoods (Imperial Tobacco Brands LLC) even have product features, like honey, Russian creme and dark stout flavors, that enhance the blunt smoking experience as featured in the brand’s Instagram posts. Researchers believe this co-use behavior may play a role in promoting increased tobacco use and nicotine dependence.

Marketing to youth.

As new flavored cigars flood the marketplace, tobacco companies market them in bright, colorful packaging mimicking candy which threatens our teens, as well as New York State’s efforts to reduce tobacco use. According to a report from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, companies have also tricked us and our children by avoiding regulations, including new product marketing restrictions and tobacco taxes, contributing to the ongoing problem of youth use.

Cigar manufacturers use many strategies to attract young people including emphasizing flavors in advertisements, paying to place them on store countertops, engaging in fun and engaging social media trends, keeping prices low and introducing new and limited-edition flavors such as “harvest blend,” “summer fusion,” “sticky sweets” and “spiced rum.”

Good news: FDA proposes rule prohibiting flavored cigars. 

In April 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a proposed rule to prohibit all characterizing flavors in cigars based on clear evidence that all cigars increase health risks, but particularly, flavors. The rule noted that flavors increase the appeal of cigars and make them easier to use, especially for youth, and that removing flavored cigars from the market would reduce the number of youth who smoke cigars.

Why the FDA must act NOW. 

• Sales of all cigars more than doubled between 2000 and 2021, largely driven by increased sales of smaller types of cigars, many of which are flavored. 
• More than a half million youth in the U.S. use flavored cigars, and in recent years more young people tried a cigar every day than tried a cigarette. 
• The hundreds of flavored cigars make up about half of the cigar market and can be as cheap as 3 for 99 cents.
• In recent years, cigar makers have also introduced limited edition products described as “new” in flavors likely to be extremely appealing to youth. 

Preventing tobacco use among youth is a priority because tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the world.

This Halloween, let’s hope the FDA will give us a real treat and ban flavored cigars before they hook a new generation of smokers. 

Reality Check is a teen-led, adult-run program that seeks to prevent and decrease tobacco use among young people throughout New York State.  

For more information about Reality Check, visit realitycheckofny.org.  

Batavia High School’s old faithful willow tree, a longtime staple in the front lawn on State Street, got a trim Wednesday as part of a much-needed and proactive maintenance recommended by arborist company Wyatt Van Buren Tree Service of East Bethany.

Van Buren Tree Service had advised the city school district that the tree had several dead branches, adding too much weight to the trunks, and required some proactive trimming to avoid the risk of future storms irreparably damaging the tree, school officials said.

The Batavian asked why the district opted to use an arborist. Superintendent Jason Smith said that although the district has a buildings and grounds crew, Van Buren was chosen because of his expertise in dealing with trees of this type.

"We selected Wyatt Van Buren Tree Service, based in East Bethany, NY, for this project because they specialize in preservation work for mature trees like this one,” Smith said. “While our buildings and grounds team handles regular maintenance, this project required specialized equipment and expertise that we don't have in-house. The work needed to be handled delicately to protect the iconic tree's health and longevity.”

Did this action have to be approved by the Board of Education, and how much did these services cost?

“The Board of Education was kept informed throughout the process and was supportive, though formal approval wasn't required, as we followed standard purchasing procedures,” Smith said. “The community response has been overwhelmingly positive, with many alumni and families expressing appreciation for our efforts to preserve this iconic tree that means so much to our school community.”

Smith wanted to be clear that the tree trimming company has a certified arborist on staff who assisted with the process to “make sure all the right steps are taken for the correct preservation of the willow tree.” 

“The purchase order was not to exceed $4,000, but we expect it to be less as it took less time than anticipated,” he said.

The goal was to proactively maintain the tree and preserve it “for generations of BHS students and staff to come,” officials said. Work was to only last a few days; however, it went much more quickly and was completed by Wednesday afternoon.

Photos by Joanne Beck

Press Release:

The City of Batavia Water Department is repairing a water main break in the area of Watson Street.

Water loss is to be expected in the surrounding area while repairs are being completed. Work will resume on Thursday morning, Oct. 31, 2024. The amount of time the water will be turned off to complete these repairs is uncertain at this time.

As always, when the water is restored it may be discolored. Please refrain from doing any laundry until the water runs clear.

We apologize for any inconvenience, and the public’s patience is greatly appreciated. 

Press Release:

Parishioners of Ascension Parish mailed their appeal to the Bishop on October 28 requesting that he keep our parish open.

This is only the first step in the process. We want to thank all the folks who worked on the appeal, that helped to publicize our situation, that gathered and signed mandates, and that are supporting us, and praying for us.

We are grateful to all of you. Please remember to attend Mass at our church, to donate to our parish so we can pay our expenses, and to join us for activities and events.

Reminder, we pray the Rosary weekly at 6 p.m. on Wednesday evenings in the church. All are welcome.

For more information visit our Facebook Page - FriendsofAscension or email us at FriendsofAscensionParish@gmail.com.

After dealing with several months of drought for the past two years in the town of Bethany, officials and residents have something to look forward to this coming spring, Town Supervisor Carl Hyde Jr. says.

Hyde issued a statement Wednesday that all of the preparation — surveys, applications, legal footwork —  the town will begin its next water district this spring. 

“After nine years of hard work, the Town of Bethany has received the green light for the construction of public Water District #5 for the residents, farms and businesses in the district,” Hyde said. “The construction is slated to start in early 2025, which will supply 474 units.”

The town had endured a drought severe enough to warrant a State of Emergency in December 2023. That dry condition meant hauling water for miles to and from homes and businesses and resulted in some generous donations of bottled water from local businesses, a water tanker that was loaned from the state for folks to fill up at Town Hall, and at least one farm shutting down due to the water shortage and hardship. 

Add to that the Covid pandemic mucking up the process in between, causing delays and price increases and pushing a potential water district more out of reach. 

Hyde was able to put Water District #5 on the map after the town received a Water Infrastructure Improvement Award in mid-December 2023 for $5 million. Since the town’s first application had been denied, town officials submitted a second one and anxiously awaited word of whether they would be approved — receiving that good news before end of the year to serve residents north to Route 20.

Press Release:

The Harlem Wizards are coming to Oakfield-Alabama Middle/High School, Wednesday, October 30, at 6:30 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for this fun-filled family event hosted by the Oakfield-Alabama PTO, and sponsored by Pro Seal & Paving, Care and Landscaping, Batavia Downs Gaming and Hotel, along with many other generous community sponsors. 

This promises to be an awe-inspiring event for all in attendance with all proceeds to benefit the Oakfield-Alabama School District and community.   

At a Wizards’ game, fans will witness amazing basketball talent combined with hilarious comedy. It’s two hours of family time where parents, grandparents, and kids can all laugh together. When you’re in the stands, you’re more than a spectator; you’re part of the show with loads of audience participation. 

Throughout the game, fans will experience a magical display of tricks, coordinated ball handling, fancy passing, and aerodynamic athleticism combined with high-energy comedy and audience interaction.

Tickets are available at www.HarlemWizards.com or by checking out the O-A PTO Facebook page. Student tickets are $10 and General Admission tickets are $15. There are loads of upgrades available for those who want to enhance their Wizards experience. Tickets will also be available at the door.

For the eighth year, City Church hosted its annual Fall Festival at its St. Anthony's campus on Liberty Street in Batavia.

Photos by Howard Owens.