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About 40 minutes ago, reader Amy Chmielowiec sent us this photo of a gadabout cat, replete with blue* harness, that stopped by the Reliant Real Estate Office in Batavia. The address of the office is 340 W. Main St.

Perhaps the feline wanted to see if mom or dad was inside, or wanted to make itself known to other humans there.

You know, ones like Amy who are known to reflexively reach out to The Batavian, in case mom or dad, or a friend of mom or dad, happened to be looking at the site and see the photo.

If this cat is yours or you know whose it is, please call Amy at 585-297-2315.

*(Editor's Note: We originally posted that the cat's harness was green -- because it looks green to us. Alas, Amy says it is actually blue!)

A fire in a firepit "possibly not under control" is reported at 5 Montclair Ave. in the city. The location is between Olin Avenue and West Main Street.

City firefighters are responding.

UPDATE 12:00 a.m.: "The fire was extinguished upon our arrival. We're back in service, returning," says a firefighter.

Press release:

Hollwedel Memorial Library is hosting 2020 Census Job Fair (4-6 p.m.) followed by informational meeting at 6:15 p.m. today (Oct. 23).

The Census Bureau is holding informational events all over the country to answer questions about jobs and the hiring process with the goal of recruiting temporary workers for positions beginning in the spring of 2020. These jobs are critical to ensure a complete and accurate census.

The Census Bureau needs to hire about 500,000 census takers across the country in 2020.

In order to meet this goal, the Census Bureau is starting peak recruiting efforts now.

Applying early to work as a census taker is a great way for holiday seasonal workers, students, retirees and workers in the gig economy to line up spring and summer employment opportunities.

Any questions can be directed to the library director, Josselyn Borowiec, at (585) 584-8843.

Hollwedel Memorial Library is located at 5 Woodrow Drive, Pavilion.

The Batavia Police Department will be participating in the DEA’s 2019 National Drug Take-Back initiative on Saturday, Oct. 26.

The event will be held between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the rear parking lot of the Batavia Police Department, located at 10 W. Main St. 

Citizens can turn in their unwanted, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs for safe disposal. Sharps will also be accepted during the above times.

Citizens can pull up in their vehicle and meet with officers who will be stationed in the parking lot to accept the drugs and sharps. 

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.

Many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

Studies show that many abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety, health and environmental hazards.

The Batavia Police Department would also like to remind citizens of the drug and sharps drop boxes that are available 24/7 in the rear vestibule at BPD HQ.

A rainbow in Pavilion this morning. Photo by Samantha Stryker.

Submitted photos and press release:

What happens when you bring brilliant writing and wonderful actors together? This Nov. 8th and 9th at 7:30 p.m., the Batavia Players and the Harvester 56 Theater will be answering that question as they perform "Off Our Rockers," two one-act plays that are both insightful and hilarious in nature.

"Off Our Rockers" consists of the plays "Laundry & Bourbon" and "I’m Herbert." They were written as part of two separate collections and this is the first time that they will be presented together.

Starring in "I’m Herbert" is perennial actor and local internationally known artist Kevin Partridge (inset photo left) and longtime Players' actress Dorothy Gerhart (inset photo below, right). Both Gerhart and Partridge are recipients of the Performance of the Year Award at the Harvester 56 Theater and they are two of this area’s premier actors. They have appeared on stage in many memorable roles and are a consistent part of the Batavia Players acting troupe.

In "I’m Herbert" their characters are Muriel and Herbert, two octogenarians that recall their lives together and apart with hilarity. The short one-act play looks at the life of the fun-loving couple in their advanced years as they reflect on their former glory days.

Michele Stamp (inset photo below, left) Emily Crawford (inset photo bottom left) and Kathy Johns (inset photo bottom right), who have also been nominated for acting awards and have portrayed many of the theater's most memorable characters, will be bringing to life the one act play "Laundry & Bourbon."

This play also wraps itself around small trailer park life and the highs and lows of loves found, lost and forgotten.

Stamp has been memorable in her award- winning portrayal of Martha in "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe," while Johns is best remembered as Joanne in "Come Back to the Five & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean."

Crawford, who also works on many of the technical aspects of the show, played the mother Marmee March in the musical "Little Women." All have appeared on stage many times over the eight-year history of the Harvester 56 Theater.

“This is a very special cast with a tremendous amount of talent and stage presence,” said "Off Our Rockers" Director E. Jane Burk.

Both of these well-written plays have been perennial favorites of the short-play set.

This is the first time they have been presented by the Harvester 56 Theater and the Batavia Players. There are only two performances and tickets are available at the Box Office.

Local Independent Online News Publishers (LION), a trade organization I helped found eight years ago, is holding its annual conference in Nashville this year (first time it's not in Chicago).  

I'm leaving town today to attend that conference and hit a few honky-tonks. I will be giving a presentation on photojournalism for local news publishers.

We've got things covered while I'm gone but as we usually do, we like to let readers know things will be a bit different in how we do coverage.

Press release:

The Batavia Players are entering the Holiday Season by presenting a truly wonderful Christmas story, "A Charles Dicken’s Christmas." This musical is a highly original take on "A Christmas Carol" that gives a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the holiday classic.

The theater company will be looking for actors and singers between the ages of 8 to senior. Rehearsals are slated to begin the first full week of November.  Auditions will be 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1^st and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2^nd.

Those interested should check out the Batavia Players website at bataviaplayers.org. Information about auditioning is available on that website.

“This is a great musical for the whole family as well as a wonderful show for someone who may want to try being a part of live theater,” Director Patrick Burk said. “It allows for a wide array of talent, ages and characters as well as some traditional Victorian music and well know Christmas carols.

In the musical, Charles Dickens attempts to provide his publisher with a Christmas story that he promised to write but keeps coming up short. With the aid of his artistic muse, Dickens faces – and comes to terms with – his own troubled youth, learning the true meaning of Christmas and finding the inspiration for his immortal holiday classic.

This humorous and sentimental show is pure family entertainment. Each character in this small cast plays a large part in telling the alternate story of Charles Dickens.

Its rich musical score is sure to put the holiday cheer into every member of the audience. The show will also include a Victorian Christmas chorus as well as some dance and choreography elements. The cast will number approximately 25.

"A Charles Dickens Christmas" is written by Robert Owens Scott with music by Douglas J. Cohen and Tom Toce. It is presented by arrangement through Music Theater International (MTI).

Reader Marcy Ewell wrote us this morning about the adorable black kitten in Bethany and said:

"Found this morning by the side of the road near (Route) 20 and East Road (Suicide Corners). Has collar with bell. Checked with houses and farm near intersection -- no one claimed it was theirs. Very cuddly and was very hungry.

"Please text 585-813-1025 if you know or are the owner."

Riley B. Mayer, 21, of South Main Street, Batavia, (inset photo, left) is charged with first-degree gang assault -- causing serious physical injury. Mayer was arrested and arraigned in Batavia City Court on Oct. 8 and jailed in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond. The defendant was due back in city court Oct. 9. The incident allegedly occured at 7 p.m. Oct. 4 on Highland Parkway. The investigation is ongoing. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk.

Shaqueita L. Irvin, 27, Ellicott Avenue, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child -- acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17 years of age. Irvin was arrested at 3:02 a.m. on Oct. 15 for allegedly failing to provide adequate supervision for her 6-year-old daughter more than 30 times. Her daughter has been dismissed from school and sent home on the bus; upon her arrival at her residence, nobody was there to receive her. The girl has been returned to school for supervision. Irvin was issued an appearance ticket for 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22 in Batavia City Court. The case of handled by Batavia Police Officer Marc Lawrence.

Zachari R. Morgan, 23, of Highland Park, Batavia, is charged with second-degree menacing. At 4:24 p.m. on Oct. 17, Morgan was arrested after allegedly threatening to cause bodily harm to someone with a hammer in his possession. He was arrested at his residence and released on an appearance ticket. He is due in Batavia City Court on Oct. 29. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk, assisted by Officer Miah Stevens.

Casey Daniel Nutting, 44, of Union Street, Batavia, is charged with: driving while intoxicated -- first offense; aggravated DWI -- a BAC of .18 percent or higher; and refusal to take a breath test. Nutting was the driver and sole occupant of a vehicle that law enforcement stopped for a suspicious condition. On Oct. 17 on Main Road in Stafford, Le Roy Police Sgt. Gregory Kellogg was following Nutting's vehicle and allegedly observed numerous traffic and vehicle violations before Nutting pulled into the Department of Transporation building on Route 5 in Stafford. Sgt. Kellogg stopped the vehicle to check Nutting's welfare. Genesee County Sheriff's deputies arrived and took over the investigation. It is alleged that they found Nutting to be intoxicated and he was arrested at 6:56 p.m. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Stafford Town Court on Nov. 5. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Mullen.

Jay Blatchley, 46, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with promoting prison contraband and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Following the investigation of contraband that was found in Genesee County Jail, Blatchley was arrested at 1:15 p.m. on Oct. 19 after allegedly bringing narcotics into the jail without permission. He was arraigned in Batavia Town Court and jailed in lieu of $5,000 bail (cash or bond unspecified). Blatchley is due to be in Batavia City Court on Oct. 23. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Rachel Diehl, assisted by Sgt. Andrew Hale.

John W. Walsh, 36, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with having an open container of alcohol. Walsh was arrested at 7:35 p.m. on Oct. 12 in front of the Speedway gas station and convenience store at 204 W. Main St. in Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on Oct. 22. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Wesley Rissinger, assisted by Sgt. Matthew Lutey.

Press release:

The Genesee County Democratic Committee invites the community to celebrate early voting and meet their local candidates. 

On Saturday, Oct. 26th, the Genesee County Democratic Committee invites the community to celebrate early voting and meet their local candidates. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the War of 1812 Bicentennial Peace Garden. It is located at 117-123 W. Main St. in Batavia. 

“For the first time in history, voters in New York State have the opportunity to vote early, and it’s a really big deal,” said City of Batavia Democratic Chair, Erica Donnell. “Voting rights activists have been fighting for this for a very long time and now that we have a Democratic majority in Albany, we finally got the job done.

"The first day of early voting is October 26th so we felt that would be a great day for our candidates to get together with voters and celebrate this accomplishment.” 

For more information about early voting visit geneseedemocrats.net. 

Voters will also have the opportunity to meet some of the endorsed Democratic candidates running for office this year. 

Chair of the Genesee County Democrats and Darien Town Board Member Michael Plitt says, “National politics seem to suck all of the oxygen out of the room these days, but if you really want to participate in democracy, the local level is the place to do it.

"When I knock on doors I like talking to voters about the things in their community that matters to them and where their vote can really make a difference.”

Participating candidates include City Court Judge candidate Benjamin Bonarigo, Ward 3 City Council candidate Nick Russo, Ward 5 City Council candidate Sammy DiSalvo, Darien Town Board Member Plitt, and others. Light refreshments will be provided.

A driver told deputies his left arm went numb while driving on Lewiston Road at 11:56 a.m., Sunday, causing him to lose control of his pickup truck, leading to a collision with a Honda sedan.

Both Clayton Thomas Skye, of Westfane, the driver of a red 2003 Chevrolet pickup, and Donna M. Woodworth, 58, of Batavia Oakfield Townline Road, Batavia, were injured in the crash.

No citations were issued.

Skye's passenger, Lavern Aderman Jr., suffered minor injuries.

Skye was driving his pickup south on Lewiston Road between the Thruway overpass and Veterans Memorial Drive when it crossed the centerline into the northbound lane where it struck the driver-side fender of Woodworth's sedan.

The accident report says that Woodworth said she saw Skye's truck entering her lane of travel and tried to avoid a collision by entering the fog lane but she was unable to avoid the collision.

The accident report was prepared by Deputy Jordan Alejandro.

(Initial Report)

Press release from AAA:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.65, up a penny since last week. One year ago, the price was $2.85. The New York State average is $2.69 – down a penny from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.99.

AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.67 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.66 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.66 (no change since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.67 (down 2 cents since last week)
• Rome -- $2.69 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.58 (down 3 cents since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.66 (no change since last week)

New data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that total domestic gasoline stocks are down compared to this time last year. Demand slipped a bit, but remains higher than last year’s rate at this time.

Until supplies increase or demand decreases, motorists may see moderate increases in pump prices, which is reflected in today’s national average.

At this time, local prices have not been impacted. At the same time, oil prices decreased by 15 cents at the close of Friday’s formal trading session. Crude inventories are up as domestic production is on the rise.

Press release:

The Christian Students United (CSU) Club at Genesee Community College invites the college and the community to a Free Movie Night from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, in the William W. Stuart Forum of the Batavia Campus, located at One College Road, Batavia.

"The Case for Christ" is a 2007 Pureflix movie based on the award-winning best-selling book, which portrays the real-life story of Chicago investigative journalist Lee Strobel's journey from atheism to Christianity.

The film stars Mike Vogel, Erika Christensen, Faye Dunaway and Robert Forster.

For more information about the film, click here.

CSU will be selling inexpensive homemade baked goods and the proceeds will go to the student club's sponsored child from Haiti, 11-year old Fedson Hyppolite.

CSU's student mission is to edify and encourage one another to be the light of Christ at GCC. The club welcomes all students regardless of their religious affiliation, and the group meets on Thursdays, 12:30 - 2 p.m., in room T122.

Any questions can be referred to the CSU president, student Anna Sprout asprout@my.genesee.edu, or to the CSU advisor, Jim Simon jsimon@genesee.edu, 585-798-1688, ext. 4191.

Reader and photographer Frank Capuano sent us a picture he made this morning of the sky over Batavia.

The weather was beautiful today.

The driver of a vehicle involved in a one-vehicle rollover accident in the area of 1029 Seward Road, Alexander, has left the scene.

Alexander fire dispatched to secure the vehicle (ensure there are no safety issues).

Law enforcement is searching for the area of the driver.

Today, Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia issued a statement confirming that he will not seek the NY-27 congressional seat, endings months of speculation in political circles about his plans.

“I am formally announcing I will not run for Congress in the 27th District of New York in the upcoming Special Election. My service to our great community and country is unwavering, but I have a new responsibility to the U.S. Army. The Medal of Honor recognition is providing me with an incredible opportunity to serve at a level not thought possible just a few months ago. I am traveling the country, as an ambassador for Western New York, educating and influencing future soldiers and fellow citizens, as well as training and advising military leadership.
 
"Acting upon my long-standing and sincere desire to run for Congress at this time would require me to set aside pre-existing commitments I have made to my Army, my family, and those with whom I do business. I have carefully considered the needs and advice of party leadership and those closest to me and I am extremely thankful and forever humbled by the overwhelming support from Western New York.
 
"Go Bills! Go Sabres!” 

Bellavia ran for the seat in the 2012 primary and lost to Chris Collins, who resigned office three weeks ago in conjunction with his guilty plea on federal insider trading charges.

Currently, Bellavia is traveling and is unavailable for further comment.

It's expected that Gov. Andrew Cuomo will call a special election at which point GOP candidates will likely be interviewed by the seven GOP county committee chairs in the district and the chairs will select a candidate for the special election ballot.

That wouldn't preclude any candidate from any party running on a third-party line, as Jack Davis did in 2011 after Chris Lee resigned. Bellavia endorsed Davis in that race and Kathy Hochul beat the handpicked GOP candidate, Jane Corwin.

Assuming there is a special election, likely April 28, in conjunction with the Democratic presidential primary in New York, there would still be a primary election in June and a general election in November 2020.

After Bellavia won the Medal of Honor, political consultant and Trump ally Michael Caputo started a Draft David Bellavia committee in an effort to show Bellavia that he had the support of voters in the district to run and win the seat. Most political observers considered him a shoo-in to win if he ran.

Caputo issued the following statement:

The 27th Congressional District has the luxury of a wealth of qualified Republican candidates. Our draft team thought David was the best one, but only if it matched his aspirations. We respect his decision and wish him the best the world has to offer. We also look forward to seeing what this new chapter brings in his life of service to our nation.

There are potential candidates for the seat who have been waiting on the sidelines for Bellavia to make his decision, including Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw.

Hawley issued the following statement:

I have the utmost respect for David and his service to our country. His decision to continue his service as an emissary for the U.S. Army is laudable and honorable. I will continue to weigh my options. I enjoy being an elected representative in Western New York fighting for the values that make our area very special. It’s HOME. 

Mychajliw's statement:

"NY27’s loss is the country’s gain - and I know David will continue to serve our country with honor and excellence in his next role. David deserved the respect and time to make his decision, on his terms, and as I’ve said, I would make a decision once he made his.

One thing I am certain of - with impeachment of President Trump on the line, we cannot let this seat fall into the hands of a pro-choice, Never Trumper who only claims to support the President now that there’s a political promotion on the line. Washington doesn’t need another weak, opportunistic politician - it needs fearless conservatives who will take the fight to the Democrats and stand with President Trump.

Within the next few days, I’ll make a final decision on running in NY-27 to ensure we have a voice that actually fights for conservatives, not one that simply poses as a conservative."

Among the candidates already running is State Sen. Rob Ortt. Here's his statement:

“U.S. Army SSG. David Bellavia is a national hero who will continue to serve our country in a manner that we should all be grateful for. I commend David on his decision to continue representing the Army and for his work founding the Deuce Deuce Relief Fund, and I look forward to working with him in the future to ensure that our veterans are made a priority when returning home from combat. The health and well-being of our veterans are one of the reasons I have chosen to run for Congress, and the need for battle-tested veteran leadership in Washington, D.C. is greater now than ever before.”   

Photo: File photo by Paula Zack of David Bellavia receiving the key to the city from Batavia City Council President Eugene Jankowski.