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County asks residents to conserve water during hot summer days

By Press Release
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Press release:

With the recent drier than normal weather and forecasted above-average temperatures, Genesee County officials are once again asking residents to conserve water. 

“Work on various water infrastructure projects continues in the effort to increase the water supply, but this process is complex and will take several years to complete,” said Genesee County Highway Superintendent and County Engineer Tim Hens.  “This work is to ensure that Genesee County has an adequate supply of water to meet projected demands for the next 100 years.”

County officials stressed it has plenty of water throughout the year on average days, but without conservation efforts, keeping up with demands during hot dry stretches is difficult. The County is again asking everyone to pitch in on water conservation efforts through the peak of summer heat.

“It’s important that we have the cooperation of residents in avoiding watering lawns, washing cars and filling pools on hot days. Water gardens at night or early morning when evaporation is less,” Hens continued. “We have contingency plans in place for emergency water supply and pumping, but if everyone works together to do their small part at conservation efforts we can avoid water supply issues.” 

Sheriff's Office unveils K-9 training course at Fire Training Center

By Press Release

Press release:

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office new K9 obstacle course is located at the Genesee County Fire Training Center and is the result of a partnership with the Rochester Area Crime Stoppers.

All labor and materials from design, layout, construction, and completion were donated through a collaboration with local businesses that included several grants. No costs were incurred by taxpayers. We would like to thank the following partners for their hard work and dedication:

  • Rochester Area Crime Stoppers, Joyce Palumbo, Board Member and K9 Initiative Chair
  • CountryMax Stores, Brad Payne, Director of Sales
  • Home Depot. Tim Mullen, Assistant Manager - Batavia Store
  • KeyBank, Phil Muscato, Rochester Market President and Regional Commercial Executive, and Mark Krueger, Executive Assistant
  • Genesee Valley BOCES Building Trades Program, Jon Sanfratello, Director of Instructional Programs, and Margaret Poray, Executive Principal - Batavia Campus
  • Hoselton Auto Mall, Drew Hoselton, President, and Chris Cammarata, Leasing Manager with a special thank you to the Hoselton Auto Welding Team

The course will be utilized by law enforcement agencies for training purposes to simulate obstacles that K9 teams will most likely encounter in the field during

deployments. These obstacles include crawling under porches, jumping through house/building windows, climbing ladders, and walking on unstable surfaces. This training will provide handlers and their K9 partners the confidence to complete these tasks in the field. The course will primarily be used by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office K9 unit as well as other outside law enforcement K9 units upon request and availability.

“We are very fortunate to have a community that continuously supports our K9 program. Thank you to all the individuals that made this course a reality for our Office and other law enforcement agencies to utilize,” stated Undersheriff Bradley Mazur. 

Photos by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service

Water main break being repaired at Walnut and Law streets

By Joanne Beck

Press Release

The City of Batavia Water Department will be repairing a water main break in the Walnut and Law Street area. Adjoining streets should not be impacted during the time of this repair. The length of time the water will be off is unknown.

Traffic will not be closed in the area of Walnut and Law streets while the repairs are being made.

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.

Original line up back together, Big Time Rush brings Forever Tour to Darien Lake

By Alan Sculley

After an eight-year break, the boy band Big Time Rush is back with all four original members  -- Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson and Carlos PenaVega -- on board, with three new singles added to their three-album catalog and a major tour underway.

In returning to the music scene, Henderson, Maslow, PenaVega and Schmidt plan to be more involved in all aspects of Big Time Rush’s career. Where Nickelodeon (which ran four seasons of the group’s television series, “Big Time Rush”) and Columbia Records gave the group plenty of resources for promotion first time around, Big Time Rush is now an independent operation. Nevertheless, Schmidt reported that ticket sales for the Forever tour have been strong.

“I think we’re one of the few independent artists who’s able to do a nationwide tour that’s doing as well, and we might be one of the only ones,” Schmidt said during a Zoom interview with all four band members. “We’re doing our music independently, we’re doing this tour independently…It’s really exciting because we were always into this vision of wanting to be the creative force behind (the group), but now we actually get the chance to do that. What you’re seeing is 100 percent (us).”

Big Time Rush Forever Tour is set for 8 p.m. July 3 at Darien Lake Amphitheater at Six Flags Darien Lake Theme Park. 

If things go as planned, fans will be seeing and hearing Big Time Rush for years to come.

“This is a reunion tour, but it certainly isn’t just one reunion tour,” Maslow said. “We plan on continuing to do our music and continuing to tour and continuing to grow. The sky’s the limit.”

As for the live show, it will be bigger and better than anything the four singers have done before, featuring a more elaborate stage set with five levels and a more cohesive presentation.

“I feel like this go-around we have the most put-together show we’ve ever had,” PenaVega said. “Things flow better, there’s not a lot of breaks in between songs. There are like a lot of transition pieces, and it really feels like one big solid show. Before they were great shows, but it was a little more free form. I think this is more polished.”

Photo: Submitted photo.

Alan Scully is a freelance music feature writer.

City of Batavia a step closer to new sidewalks, updated water meters

By Joanne Beck

City Council took a final step this week toward getting some new sidewalks on five city streets.

During its business meeting, the group approved a contract with Master’s Edge, Inc. to replace approximately 6,400 linear feet of sidewalks and handicap accessible ramps on portions of Chase and Fisher parks and Seneca, Miller and Columbia avenues.

Work has already begun to repair sections of those streets, and the sidewalks are part of a “complete streets” program to pair adjacent walkway replacement with milling and paving of streets.

The contract is with Master’s Edge, Inc. of Cheektowaga as the lowest responsible bidder of $493,500 for the project. As part of the vote, Council also agreed to budget increases of $94,500 to each the revenue and expense accounts. State-funded Consolidated Highway Improvement Program money is to help with the remaining expense.

Meanwhile, over on Richmond Avenue, between Oak and State streets, motorists can expect delays as street resurfacing is to begin July 6.

From concrete to fluid ...
Another city initiative is to update water meters. Forget going door-to-door for readings, Water and Wastewater Superintendent Michael Ficarella says, installing radio heads will allow the readings to be done remotely and more efficiently from outside the home.

Some one-third of city meters have already been changed out for the higher-tech radio heads, and the remaining meters need to be done eventually, Ficarella said during the meeting.

He estimated that it would take up to six months for completion, as appointments will have to be made with homeowners to get inside access to their water meters. Council President Eugene Jankowski suggested that evening appointments be considered as an option to make it more convenient for those that work during the day.

Having such technology will mean “real-time” readings, City Manager Rachael Tabelski said. Jankowski added that it should also help alleviate undetected and ongoing water leaks. A message could be sent to the homeowner “ a lot quicker and sooner,” he said, improving the whole process.

Think that little drip, drip, drip won't cost much extra? A 1/32 inch drip adds up to 18,500 gallons per quarter, the city's website states. For more information about water leaks, how to prevent them and how much they can increase your total bill, go to the city's Water Leak page.

City Council voted to submit a consolidated funding application for the Green Innovation Grant Program for water meter upgrades.

The total cost is expected to be $1.97 million, and the city needs to commit a 25 percent local match as part of the grant application. That local match of $492,100 would be paid with Water Fund reserves, Tabelski said.

In other action, Council approved the appointments of Nicholas Harris, Marc Staley, and Paul Battaglia as citizen members, and Bob Bialkowski and Tammy Schmidt as council representatives of the city’s Audit Advisory Board.

File photo of a city street being paved. Photo by Howard Owens.

Ten artists selected to provide programming for area arts councils, including GO ART!

By Press Release

Press release:

Working with GO ART!, the Arts Council for Wyoming County (ACWC) and the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts (GVCA), ten local artists announced today they received an Artist Employment Program (AEP) grant from Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY). Designed to support employment opportunities for artists, the program is funding 98 collaborations involving a dynamic group of 300 artists employed by community-based organizations, municipalities, and tribal governments across New York State. CRNY has awarded a total of $49.9M in funding to support artists’ salaries and benefits, with an additional $11.7M in funding provided to the organizations holding employment.

“If we are to truly rebuild our amazing state, we must celebrate artists’ contributions not only to the economy but to what makes us human,” says Creatives Rebuild New York's Executive Director Sarah Calderon. “The incredible work being funded through CRNY’s Artist Employment Program underscores the importance of direct support for both individual artists and the organizations that hold their employment.”

The artists will work with the three arts councils to provide arts programming throughout the region. The ten artists, listed below, are skilled in diverse visual and performing arts, including painting, sculpture, music, choreography, and theater. They will collaborate over a two-year period to create various exhibits, performances, classes and experiences. GO ART!, ACWC, and GVCA will collectively receive $1.5 million to support the collaboration, including artists’ salaries and benefits.

The ten artists included in this project are:

  • Dan Butler, visual artist and muralist
  • Ted Canning, musician and teaching artist
  • Ruben Ornelas, choreographer and dancer
  • Jill Pettigrew, visual artist and teaching artist
  • Susan Ferrari Rowley, sculptor
  • Rashaad Santiago, special effects artist and director
  • Gaitrie Devi Subryan, choreographer and dancer
  • Annette Daniels Taylor, poet, filmmaker and actress
  • Paul Thomas, ceramicist
  • Keith Walters, photographer and videographer

“The artists and staff of GO ART!, ACWC, and GVCA worked really hard on getting this grant. We are proud and beyond excited for this opportunity,” said Gregory Hallock, Executive Director for GO ART!. “This truly is an amazing, talented, and hard-working group of artists and art administrators. Look out Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties; we are going to be providing some amazing programming and art displays. Make sure to follow us on our social media pages and help us make art happen!"

Artist Employment Program recipients were selected through a two-stage process by a group of twenty external peer reviewers alongside CRNY staff. From an initial pool of over 2,700 written applications, 167 were shortlisted for interviews with reviewers. To view the list of 98 Artist Employment Program participants, visit https://www.creativesrebuildny.org/participants/.

For more information about Creatives Rebuild New York’s Artist Employment Program, please visit creativesrebuildny.org. 

Photo: File photo of Rashaad Santiago from 2017. Photo by Howard Owens

Expect delays on Richmond Avenue beginning July 6

By Press Release

Press Release

Work on the federally funded project identified as Richmond Avenue (Oak Street to State Street) and Harvester Avenue Preventive Maintenance Project is expected to begin on July 6, 2022.

Construction will begin with the replacement of damaged sections of sidewalk on the north side of Richmond Avenue from Oak Street to New York Place then full replacement to State Street, followed by replacement of damaged sections of sidewalks on the south side of Richmond Avenue from Oak Street to Ellicott Avenue.

Sidewalk replacement on Richmond Avenue will be done simultaneously with the milling and paving of Richmond from Oak Street to State Street.

Construction on Harvester Avenue is expected to begin at the end of July.

Traffic delays should be expected; however, no street closures are anticipated at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience, and thank the public for their patience.

A brighter Batavia on the horizon

By Joanne Beck

Batavia wants to buy back some lights from National Grid.

No small order, the purchase totals more than $226,000. The move will allow city public works crews to perform their own, more immediate, maintenance and repair of all lights throughout the city, City Manager Rachael Tabelski says.

“We do have a great working relationship (with National Grid). I think their ability to service the lights as quickly as they go out, sometimes it's difficult. They do their best to keep the lights up to date and to replace them, but there's definitely advantages to moving to the LED lights; we will have less outages,” Tabelski said during an interview with The Batavian. “And when we do have an outage, we'll be able to take care of them in house right in the city.”

Phase I to replace all regular lights with LEDs has begun, with a goal to have all LED lights in the city within the next six months, she said. This plan is to save on energy consumption, maintenance and expense while improving the overall quality of light that’s emitted.

According to the city’s presentation materials, LED (light-emitting diode) type lights are directional, which reduces light “trespass” onto adjacent properties and dark spots between street lights. They are also said to have a “higher color rendering index,” which allows the human eye to detect colors better, improving drivers’ ability to see pedestrians or other potential hazards.

City Council President Eugene Jankowski liked the idea when presented earlier this week at a council meeting.

“So they’ll be brighter, less costly, and we’ll have more control over them,” he said.

Council is expected to vote on the purchase of 948 lights for $226,038 at its July 11 meeting. A letter will also be sent to National Grid requesting the buyback, followed by a purchase and sales agreement to be approved by the Public Service Commission, Tabelski said.

Once the PSC approves, National Grid and the city of Batavia will close on the streetlight sale. At that point, the city will own and maintain its own lights, and will continue to pay National Grid for electric and delivery, but not for operations and maintenance costs.

The entire LED conversion program is to cost an estimated $1.7 million, to be paid for through long-term financing and the yearly cost savings of more energy efficient LEDs, Tabelski said.

Photo: Traditional streetlights, on the left, cast an orange glow, versus the whiter LED lights on the right. Photo part of the City of Batavia LED Street Light Conversion program.

Notre Dame announces new teachers, staff for upcoming school year

By Press Release

Press release:

Notre Dame is pleased to announce the following teaching and staff positions for the 2022-2023 school year.

We are pleased to announce that Kristen Gomez will have an enhanced role on our Administrative Team. In addition to her role as the Director of Academic Advisement and Learning Center teacher, Mrs. Gomez will become our Registrar and take on responsibilities specific to administrative leadership.

Amanda Coggiola has accepted the position of Administrative Assistant to the Office of Academic Advisement. Mrs. Coggiola comes to us with enthusiasm and we are pleased to welcome her to this position at ND. We thank Karen Rapone for her many years of service and wish her well upon her retirement.

Karina Treleaven has accepted the position of part-time Spanish teacher for our Junior High. In addition to her teaching duties, she is a proud parent of an upcoming senior and freshman at Notre Dame. We look forward to having her share her skills with our students and staff.

Fratto receives endorsement of Genesee County Conservative Party

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Today, Mario Fratto’s campaign announced the endorsements of three county-level endorsements by the Conservative Party: Genesee, Ontario, and Seneca.

Genesee County Conservative Chair Julie Ann Bolas-Carasone said:

Let’s show everyone that the establishment politicians, that ignore us, and don’t work for us, will not be voted for. We need real leaders and that is Mario!

Mario made the following statement:

I am so grateful and honored to receive these Conservative endorsements. I am the only candidate who is from this district, and actually has skin in the game. I am raising my family here, and almost everybody I love and care about calls this district home. Claudia Tenney isn’t from here, and supports amnesty, Red Flag laws, overseas wars, and the woke transgender agenda. We won’t allow the corporate elites to buy this election, just to install another career politician. The people are waking up, and we refuse to be ruled by DC insiders. The establishment has failed us for far too long, and now their time is up!

Mario Fratto’s family has been in the district for five generations. He is an attorney and runs his family’s granite construction business. He is the only true America First conservative in the race and more information can be found at marioforcongress.com. 

OFA Farmers Market Coupons delayed

By Press Release

Press release:

Genesee County Office for the Aging does not yet have the Farmers Market Coupons, due to a delay with the shipment.

At this time we will not be able to distribute coupons until after July 5.  We will post updates as we get them.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Driver seriously injured in accident on Lockport Road

By Alecia Kaus

The Genesee County Sheriff's Department is investigating a one-vehicle accident that occurred about 9:20 a.m. in the area of 3919 Lockport road in Elba. 

According to Deputy Robert Henning, the truck, from Buffalo Auto Auction, was heading west on Lockport road with a camping trailer in tow, when the driver says he swerved to avoid an animal in the roadway. The truck then went off the south shoulder of the road and struck a tree. The accident caused the camper to break apart and debris covered a wide area behind the truck. 

The male driver of the vehicle had to be extricated from the vehicle as there was entrapment and heavy damage to the front end of the truck after the collision with a tree. The driver was conscious and alert and suffered a serious injury to his lower body and legs. He was transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC with non-life-threatening injuries.

The roadway will remain closed for some time as the wreckage from the camper is cleared away and the truck is towed from the scene. 

Photos by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service

Accident with entrapment reported on Lockport Road, Elba

By Howard B. Owens

A motor vehicle accident with entrapment is reported in the area of 3919 Lockport Road, Elba.

One vehicle is off the roadway.

Elba Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched. Oakfield Fire and Town of Batavia Fire requested to assist.

Mercy Flight dispatched.

Lockport Road is closed between Fisher Road and Route 98.

Josh Groban brings 'Harmony' to Darien Lake on Friday

By Alan Sculley

In 2019, Josh Groban -- who performs at Darien Lake on Friday -- had gotten a good start on making a type of album that had long been on his to-do list, recording his versions of some of his favorite classic songs from pop and other genres.

Then the pandemic hit, interrupting work on the project. And when Groban returned to recording, he discovered that the album, “Harmony,” needed to change with the unusual times.

“The songs we chose had changed,” the popular vocalist said of the album, which was released in November. “What you want to say and the kind of songs you want to sing, it changes as the world changes around you. So different songs started to rise to the top as we were going through this crazy thing altogether.”

Two covers that came into play were the Joni Mitchell classic, “Both Sides Now” (on which Sara Bareilles joins Groban for a duet) and “The Impossible Dream.”

“I had really known it to be kind of the (Robert) Goulet, just kind of the big, bold, inspirational with a capital ‘I’ (song),” Groban said. “When I really looked at those lyrics, and when I found myself getting really emotional while I was singing it and how we’ve all tried to take these small steps forward in the face of these enormous challenges, it felt both politically, emotionally, health-wise, socially (right).”

Groban, whose nine studio albums have sold a combined 25 million copies, is beyond grateful and excited to be back on tour this summer and promised a show that will balance songs from “Harmony” with back catalog material and suited to the outdoor amphitheaters he’s playing.

“When you’re playing outdoors, so much of your environment is setting the tone already for you,” he said. “I made this mistake when I was younger trying to force-feed a big arena set into a bunch of outdoor sheds and I’m thinking ‘Oh my God, we’re wasting all this natural beauty trying to put all of these bells and whistles up here.’ So we’re really excited about the design for the summer tour because it’s classic, it’s going to be beautiful, it’s also going to let a lot of the natural beauty of these venues do the talking.”

Photo: Submitted photo.

Alan Scully is a freelance music feature writer.

Keep Kids Fed Act aims to do just that: BCSD considers options

By Joanne Beck

Now that graduation is officially over, Batavia City School District is assessing its current summer meals program to potentially provide children with remote meals in July and August, Business Administrator Scott Rozanski says.

The review stems from an announcement this week about the Keep Kids Fed Act that funds free meals for children throughout the summer. That bill was signed into law and extends child nutrition waivers for schools, daycares, nonprofits and other meal providers, according to a press release from Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer.

“No child should ever go hungry, and now schools will have the funding and flexibility needed to ensure kids stay healthy and fed this summer ... this bill gives our schools the support they need to continue to provide free nutritious meals and the flexibility they need to operate amidst the ongoing supply chain challenges,” Schumer said. “Summer is often the time of year when food insecurity is highest for children and this support comes just in the nick of time.”

Batavia’s district already has summer extended programs at Batavia High School-BOCES for breakfast, and at Batavia Middle School, Jackson Primary and John Kennedy Intermediate for breakfast and lunch, Rozanski said in response to questions from The Batavian.

Beginning this week (Monday, July 27) through Sept. 1, breakfast and lunch is also being provided to YMCA’s youth program Monday through Friday, and also Monday through Friday for the city’s Parks and Recreation program from July 5 through Aug. 12.

“Given the late announcement, we are in the process of determining how we can offer this important program for those children that are not involved in the programs previously listed,” Rozanski said. “Tentatively, we are looking at offering one to two options for remote meals from July 5 through Aug. 31, 2022.

“We first need to determine if we have sufficient personnel to staff either of these two options and, if not, what adjustments can we make to our current summer programs to be able to accommodate this program,” he said. “We are also waiting for the approval from NYS Child Nutrition (CN).”

District officials are hoping to receive definite word by Friday, he said. If the district receives approval for the additional option(s), it plans to publicly announce that to district residents, he said.

During the pandemic, Congress authorized the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to waive various school meal program requirements for school districts and increase reimbursement rates so that schools and meal program operators could continue to feed children. This allowed school districts across New York to make sure that students got meals all year long, including during the summer. 

These child nutrition waivers were set to expire Thursday, June 30. A recent  USDA survey showed that 90 percent of school districts food programs are depending on these waivers to offer free meals, with 92 percent experiencing supply chain issues and a quarter experiencing staffing challenges for their nutrition programs, according to the press release.

The fully paid-for Keep Kids Fed Act has been signed into law by President Biden.

For the full release, go HERE

Photo of a family celebrating during this past Saturday's BHS graduation ceremony at Van Detta Stadium in Batavia. Photo by Stephen Ognibene.

Max Muscato, from Buffalo, with upcoming performances at Darien Lake and Batavia Downs

By Alan Sculley

When Buffalo singer/songwriter Max Muscato released his punchy single “Valarie,” in February, it ended a five-year drought since he last released music in the form of his 2017 debut album, “Act One.”

The reason for the break was Autism Rocks, a non-profit inspired by his brother, Sonny, who has autism. It works to keep people with autism on track by offering career preparation workshops in music, acting, film, and other arts while also raising funds and awareness for autism.

“I took three to four years off from my music career to make sure my brother was solid and the organization was great,” Muscato said in a late-June phone interview. “And now that it is where we want it to be – it’s self-sustaining – I told the board, I said ‘Guys, I’m going to focus back on my music career now. It’s what I’m meant to do.’”

So fans can be assured they’ll be seeing new songs from Muscato on a more frequent basis going forward. Muscato has been writing songs in the interim and going forward plans to release a new single every month or two, while building up his touring schedule.

Two of his shows will essentially be hometown events. On July 3, he opens for boy band the Backstreet Boys at Darien Lake Amphitheater, while for his July 6 show at Batavia Downs, he’s opening for hard rockers Theory of a Deadman. Muscato’s presence on these bills says something about the wide appeal of his music.

“It’s great because I love all kinds of music, really. If it’s a good song, it’s a good song,” Muscato said. “But growing up, I loved the Backstreet Boys and I listened to them all the time. I’m such a melody guy. Like if it’s catchy, I’m so hooked. And at the same time, Theory of a Deadman, they’re hard and I love hard rock. I found that across all genres of music, there is an aspect of pop. And those are the types of artists that rise to the top. Even in death metal, they do have certain bands that have catchy melodies and hooks. That’s why I gravitate to these types of bands. 

“So when we open for the Backstreet Boys, we’re going to do a stripped-down acoustic set with our congas and an electric cello will be with me,” he said. “And with my music, I have very catchy choruses. It’s pop-rock-oriented. So I think it lends itself very well to the Backstreet Boys in the way we’re going to do it. On the other side, at the same time, when we’re opening for Theory of a Deadman, that’s going to be a rock show and we’re playing the heavy rock songs that really punch you in the face. But they’re also super catchy.”

Photo: Submitted photo.

Alan Scully is a freelance music feature writer.

Grant funding continues Library Visits to homebound residents

By Press Release

Press Release

Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia has received a $60,000 grant from the Muriel H. Marshall Fund for the Aging of Rochester Area Community Foundation for continued operation of the Library Visits Program (LVP).

Since 1997, The Library Visits Program (formerly SAGE) has delivered library services to Genesee County residents 60+ years old who are unable to visit the library due to long or short term illness, disability, or lack of transportation.

Through personalized visits, LVP staff and volunteers bring the library to caregivers and older adults to increase social interaction and improve their access to needed resources. Visits can include any materials that may be checked out of the library in addition to technology assistance for home computers and mobile devices.

Library Visits Program staff also deliver rotating mini-library collections to 15 elder care and senior resident facilities in Genesee County. Overall, the program serves around 500 older adults in our community.

The Rochester Area Community Foundation engages philanthropists and community partners to improve our eight-county region by promoting philanthropy that helps to create an equitable community and strengthen our region’s vitality. Since 1972, the Community Foundation has awarded more than $590 million in grants and scholarships.

For more information, visit www.racf.org.

To apply for services or volunteer for The Library Visits Program, please call Richmond Memorial Library staff at 343-9550 Ext. 6 or email LibraryVisits@nioga.org. For additional information, go to https://www.batavialibrary.org/libraryvisits

DWI enforcement officers to be on duty for July 4 weekend

By Press Release

Press release:

STOP-DWI Coordinator announced today that Genesee County law enforcement agencies, including the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and the Village of LeRoy Police Department will be participating in a coordinated effort with the STOP-DWI program to bring awareness to the dangers of impaired driving.

The statewide STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign will start Friday, July 1, 2022 continuing thru Tuesday, July 5, 2022.  Americans love to celebrate the Fourth of July with family, friends, food and fireworks, but all too often the festivities turn tragic on the nation's roads. The fact is this iconic American holiday is also one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to impaired-driving crashes.

While STOP-DWI efforts across New York have made great strides in reducing the number of alcohol and drug related fatalities, still too many lives are being lost because of crashes caused by drunk or impaired drivers.

You can make a difference by having a sober plan to get a safe ride because impaired driving is completely preventable – all it takes is a little planning.  Visit www.stopdwi.org for more information. 

Law and Order: Trio from Rochester suspected of being in stolen vehicle, possessing drugs

By Howard B. Owens

James N. Johnson, 54, of Conkey Avenue, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd, and open alcohol container; Agnes M. Baugh, 22, of Curlew Road, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th and criminal possession of a weapon 4th; and Maurice D. Bishop, 36, of Rauber Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th.  On June 29, Sgt. Mathew Clor located a disabled black Honda Civic on Clinton Street Road, Stafford. The registration matched a vehicle reportedly stolen during a strong-arm robbery early in the morning of June 28. Deputy David Moore arrived on scene and assisted Sgt. Clor in detaining Johnson.  Two crack pipes were reportedly recovered in the vehicle with drug residue in the pipes. Baugh allegedly possessed a pair of brass knuckles.

Carlos Torres, 47, of Champlain Street, Rochester, is charged with DWI-drugs, criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, and unlicensed operator.  Torres was arrested on a warrant, arraigned in Town of Le Roy Court, and released on his own recognizance. 

Andrew Joseph Draper, 43, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Draper is accused of shoplifting from Walmart on June 26.  He was booked at the Genesee County Jail and released on an appearance ticket.

Andrew Joseph Draper, 43, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Draper is accused of contacting a person he was ordered not to contact at 7:31 a.m., June 26. Draper was issued an appearance ticket.

Crystal Ann Mounts, 45, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Mounts is accused of stealing from Walmart at 7:23 a.m., June 26. She was issued an appearance ticket.

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