A Juneteenth Celebration was held in Williams Park on Saturday afternoon.
The event included food, live music, and vendor booths.
It was organized by Just Kings, a Batavia-based community group.
Juneteenth falls on Wednesday this year. On June 19, 1865, the last slaves still being held in bondage in Texas were freed, bringing to an end an ugly chapter of United States history.
Photos by Howard Owens.
Jhensy Etienme displays a guitar-inspired purse on sale on Saturday in her vendor booth at the Juneteenth celebration in Williams Park. Etienme started her business, Unique Haitian Vybez, about a month ago. Born in Haiti, Etienme was raised in Batavia. She sells, like the business name suggests, unique items made in Haiti, such as jewelry and accessories. She is also planning on a booth at the Genesee County Fair in July.
Batavia PD officers were on hand for the event with a patrol car on display, which 2-year-old King James thoroughly enjoyed.
Terry Smith
NYS Attorney General Letitia James speaks with a group of local Democrats.
Hiram Kasten as Joey Bishop in the Las Vegas production of The Rat Pack. Submitted photo.
Comedian, stage and TV actor, and Batavia resident for more than a decade, Hiram Kasten, passed away Sunday morning at Crossroads House. He was 71.
Kasten's TV roles included a recurring part of Seinfeld, the character Michael, a co-worker of Elaine Benes (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus). He had guest starring roles in “Mad About You,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Some of his other TV credits included “7th Heaven”, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” “Saved by the Bell,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Cybill,” and “L.A. Law.”
One of his proudest roles was playing Joey Bishop in the hit Las Vegas review The Rat Pack.
While working in New York, Kasten met his future wife, a young lady from Batavia, Diana Kisiel. They married on June 15, 1986. They later relocated to Los Angeles, where they lived for 25 years before moving to Batavia.
Their daughter, Millicent Jade Kastenbaum, now lives in Manhattan and is an assistant district attorney.
Hiram is the son of Samuel Kastenbaum and Mildred Polansky Kastenbaum. He was born in the Bronx on Oct. 30, 1952.
Family members (left to right) Rachel Diehl, Ian and Kyla Sanfratello, of Sergeant Thomas Sanfratello, toss out the first throw of the cornhole tournament Saturday in his honor. Photo by Steve Ognibene
A cornhole tournament was hosted by the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena on Saturday. Proceeds from the Back the Blue Tournament benefit the family of Sgt. Thomas A. Sanfratello. The Sheriff's Office veteran died in the line of duty on March 10.,
Genesee County Sheriff honor guard colors during the National Anthem. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Photo by Steve Ognibene
Mike Borrelli, owner of Cornyfellas, cornhole tournament organizer of Saturday’s fundraiser event for the family of Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Photo by Steve Ognibene
More than 75 teams participated in Saturday’s event. Photo by Steve Ognibene
A cornhole participant prepares for the event. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) in Batavia, will soon begin a six-week late afternoon Youth Support Group for teens between 14 and 18 years old with a disability.
It will take place from 4 - 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays from June 27 to August 8 (with a week off on July 4) at the Independent Living office in the Crickler Executive Business Center, 319 West Main Street Batavia (look for the green awning). It is a free program, and a light dinner will be provided. Transportation may be available with registration.
It is designed to provide a SAFE space for youth to: socialize with peers; work in a group and independently; learn tools for working through difficult emotions; and gain resources for support.
A novel aspect of this program is that we will be using the “Express It” journal to work through different topics such as feelings and emotions each week.
Please note that this is not “therapy”, it is a self-directed group that allows the use of artistic expression with a group of peers; however participants do not have to be “artistic” to attend; we encourage all to participate and find your own tools.
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED, Space is limited. Please contact: April Fearby, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Program Specialist at 585-815-8501, ext. 401, or via email afearby@wnyil.org.
Along with ILGR our co-sponsors are the Young Leaders and Advocates Network and the Genesse & Orleans County Health Departments.
Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is a member of the Western New York Independent Living, Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.
The Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs program is funded by the New York State Department of Health using federal Health Resources and Services Administration Title V funding. The opinions, results, findings and/or interpretations of content contained herein are the responsibility of the Contractor and do not necessarily represent the opinions, interpretations, or policy of the State or Federal funding agency.
The City of Batavia continues to seek funding to address aging water infrastructure and lead service lines across the City.
Currently the City has applied for three separate different water related grants including:
A Water Infrastructure Improvement Act grant for a $4.17 M project to replace two aging water lines including the Cohocton and Walnut.
A Congressional Direct Funding request submitted to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and Congresswoman Tenney for a $3.4 M project to replace aging water lines on Pearl Street.
Filed an Intended Use Plan (IUP) Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) funding request through Federal BIL Funding for the replacement of 900 lead service lines across the City of Batavia.
“The City is dedicated to improving our water system and making necessary repairs on infrastructure to reduce the amount of annual loss of water in the system and remove lead lines from the City. We have had discussions with County, State, and Federal representatives regarding the importance of these projects and look forward to a positive result related to our grant applications,” said Rachael Tabelski, City of Batavia City Manager.
The City of Batavia tracks lost water within our water system and currently in 2023 we lost approximately 23% of water produced at the Batavia Water Plant. This is defined as leakage. Leakage is water lost during transmission between the Batavia Water Plant and the individual meters at customer locations.
“The City conducts leak reports periodically to identify issues with City water transmission lines as a proactive measure to maintaining our water system. The leak report, along with Water Department field work, help the City identify water lines that need repair and replacement,” said Brett Frank, Director of Public Works.
As the City identifies aging and problematic water lines, they are placed into the City’s strategic capital plan and the cost to replace and repair is identified. The City then works to budget for the replacement of water lines through capital reserves and pursues grant funding for these projects.
In the past two years, the City has replaced water lines on Bank St. and Jackson St. which were identified as problematic based on leaks and breaks. Other water line improvements since 2017 include Harvester Ave., Richmond Ave., Union St., South Main St., Brooklyn Ave., and Summit St.
“Batavia is like many industrial North Eastern City’s with aging infrastructure and water loss attributed to aging infrastructure. We continue to plan for, and execute on projects that will improve the system and reduce the lost water. We are encouraged from the support we are receiving on grants for these projects to lower the burden on City residents,” said Tabelski.
According to the EPA, National studies indicate that, on average, 14 percent of water treated by water systems is lost to leaks. Some water systems have reported water losses exceeding 60 percent. Accounting for water and minimizing water loss are critical functions for any water utility that wants to be sustainable.
Ronald Reagan once famously said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help.”
In the final days of this year’s legislative session, those words rang true throughout the halls of the Capitol. From radical climate policies to disastrous criminal justice reforms, the Majority played their greatest hits as they pushed countless initiatives through the Assembly in the dead of night when they thought no one was paying attention.
A prime example of this is Assembly Bill A.3780-E, which would require any new construction in the state with off-street parking to build electric vehicle charging stations. While on the surface this proposal may seem harmless, in practice it will be completely wasteful. Under this law, any new buildings, both residential and commercial, will have to include electric charging stations and parking spots even if there is no demand for them. This is pure legislative virtue signaling trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.
The Majority also took another shot at our state’s justice system by repealing the lifetime ban on felons serving on a jury. It never ceases to amaze me the lengths downstate politicians will take to compromise our public safety. We already have a process for felons to restore their ability to serve on a jury. This initiative will only tip the scales of justice in favor of convicts and take away even more credibility from our “reformed” criminal justice system. I’m all for second chances, but these lawmakers seem more concerned with protecting and coddling criminals than they are with defending victims and their families.
Sometimes failing to do the right thing is just as harmful as intentionally doing the wrong thing. The Majority exemplified this in the final days of the legislative session as they decided to not allow a bill aimed at helping older veterans. I sponsored an initiative (A.2050) that would exempt veterans over the age of 85 from paying state income tax. When the Majority had an opportunity to bring this bill to a vote, they pulled out all the stops to make sure it never saw the light of day. Sadly, this is how they operate. Instead of being transparent with New Yorkers, they’ll try to shut down any bill they disagree with so they can avoid responsibility from their constituents.
Even with the many disappointing and wasteful policies that came out of this year’s legislative session, there was some good that came out of it. For one, we were able to pass the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation for Kids Act. This proposal would help protect children and teens from addictive social media algorithms that are damaging to their sleep, education and mental health by requiring parental consent before using those apps and limiting late-night notifications. This bill exemplified the progress we can make when we work across the aisle to create common-sense legislation.
My colleagues and I also passed an initiative to honor one of our local heroes. Before this year’s legislative session, I partnered with Sen. George Borrello to designate a portion of State Route 77 in the town of Darien as the Sgt. Terry James Garigen Memorial Highway. Sgt. Garigen was a decorated Vietnam war hero who served his community through the town highway department, volunteer fire department and the Region 1 Patriot Guard Riders. I believe serving your country is one of the highest honors an American can have and I’m proud to honor Sgt. Garigen in this way.
Overall, the Majority left a lot to be desired at the end of the legislative session. New Yorkers are still struggling to make ends meet in the middle of an affordability crisis, but they increased spending for wasteful programs. Residents feel less safe than they ever have before, but the Majority continued to pass pro-criminal policies instead of keeping convicts off the streets. We need real solutions to fix these issues. We need to lower the cost of living, institute stronger penalties to deter crime and provide more support for our law enforcement officers.
Since day one I’ve been committed to standing up against these radical and backward policies. As long as I’m in the state Assembly, you will always have a voice representing your interests in Albany as we continue to work toward making New York a better place to live, work and raise a family.
Asphalt was laid today along the north side of the Alva Place parcel, where a new police station is under construction.
After learning in April that contractors planned to close off the entire parking lot during the construction of the police station, neighboring business owners, many of them with medical offices, complained about losing easy access to handicapped parking. The city worked with the project manager and devised a plan to reconstruct a portion of the parking lot quickly so it could be returned to service for those businesses and their clients.
City Manager Rachael Tabelski said she expects spaces to be striped next week, and the lot will open soon after that is completed.
The Business Improvement District's Cider Walk returns to Downtown Batavia on Saturday, June 22.
The second annual walk starts at 3:45 p.m. with registration at Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union on Jefferson Avenue. Registration ends at 5:45 p.m. and the walk continues until 8 p.m.
Paid participants can stop at 18 different downtown businesses to sample a variety of ciders as well as shop at local retailers.
Tickets are available at YNgodess Shop, TVFCU, and Eventbrite.
Ticket sales are limited to 300.
Participants must be 21 years of age or older. The BID asks "no children, please."
"Come Downtown, taste great ciders, meet new people, see old friends, and create memories while you shop small and support your local businesses," said BID Director Shannon Maute.
Ahead of the 2nd Annual Jackpot 5k Race at Batavia Downs on Sunday, June 16, Batavia Downs asks that all those traveling to or near Batavia Downs Gaming and Hotel during that morning to please note the following:
Beginning at 9 a.m. on Sunday, June 16, Park Road alongside Batavia Downs will only be open to southbound traffic beginning at Richmond. The lane closest to the gaming facility will be only for runners.
Motorists should be advised that Richmond Avenue and VA Hospital Drive will also have lanes closed during the race, lasting from approximately 9 to about 10 a.m.
Due to the pedestrian traffic, if you do not need to be near the Batavia Downs facility, it is best to avoid the area during that small window of time.
A fire is reported on the roof of 11 Mill St., Batavia.
That is off Evans Street.
It's a business building and the building is being evacuated.
City Fire responding.
UPDATE 11:41 a.m.: Second alarm. Town of Batavia, Elba, and Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE:
The fire seems to have originated with a piece of machinery and molten metal. It was very hot, said Capt Dan Herberger. The machine got on fire. The flames got into the installation in the ceiling. There was no real structural damage, Herberger said. "The concern was it was molten metal and that doesn't react very well with water," Herberger said.
The building is the location of SCI Manufacturing, which manufactures die-cast aluminum.
Until 1982, the building was home of the Genesee County Highway Department, before the department moved to its current location on Cedar Street.
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) has sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul demanding she pardon President Trump.
This letter follows the recent verdict in the case of The People of the State of New York V Donald J. Trump, which undermined the impartiality and credibility of our justice system by convicting President Trump in an attempt to silence him. The case was based on a targeted investigation in search of crimes to convict the former President for political purposes. Tenney's letter calls for Governor Hochul to pardon President Trump and to remove Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
“Our justice system was founded on the principle of blind justice, yet in an attempt to silence President Trump, this core value was denied to him,” said Congresswoman Tenney. "As a member of the New York Bar Association and the daughter of a New York State Supreme Court Justice, I am appalled by this abuse of power and the politicized, two-tiered system of justice Governor Kathy Hochul and DA Alvin Bragg have created. This verdict was an insult to our country, and it is evident that it had nothing to do with facts but was an attempt to hinder President Trump's ability to campaign freely. I demand Governor Hochul immediately pardon President Donald Trump and restore the integrity and faith of our legal system."
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, C-Batavia) recently commented on the newly announced pay raises for correction officers in New York. The New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, Inc. (NYSCOPBA) announced earlier this spring that they agreed on a new three-year contract with the state.
On top of wage increases, the contract also includes new bonuses, reduced health care costs and up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave. Hawley believes this new deal is a step in the right direction toward supporting our correction officers.
“With the threat of prison closures across our state, our correction officers need all the support they can get,” said Hawley. “Providing pay raises and better benefits is just one way we can repay them for all they do to keep us safe. This new contract is a great sign of progress in supporting our correction officers and I hope we continue to see more strides in this area as we provide for our law enforcement personnel.”
The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) are reminding pet owners of the importance of keeping their dog(s) leashed and under control at all times.
This year, there have been numerous reported incidents of off-leash dogs biting children, pedestrians, and cyclists.
Leashing dogs can give pet owners greater control over their animals and lower the risk of mishaps, aggressive behavior toward people or other pets, and interactions with wildlife.
“GO Health is strongly encouraging all pet owners to prioritize the safety of themselves, their pets, and the broader community,” stated Darren Brodie, Environmental Health Director for GO Health. “Leashing your dogs is an essential step to prevent dog bites and protect the safety of all residents.”
In 2023, Genesee County investigated 191 animal bite and rabies incidents, and Orleans County investigated 137. In 2023, a combined total of 45 individuals were treated for rabies post-exposure, 22 in Genesee County and 23 in Orleans County. Many of these incidents could have been avoided by pet owners keeping their dog on a leash.
Pet owners should:
Keep your dog fenced in or on a leash outside your home and in public areas.
Avoid allowing your dog to approach unfamiliar dogs, people, or wildlife.
Stay on top of your pet's yearly vaccinations.
Residents are encouraged to take note of our upcoming drive-thru rabies vaccination clinics for dogs, cats, and ferrets in Genesee and Orleans Counties, which are offered at no charge.
Genesee County Rabies Clinics at the Genesee County Fairgrounds (5056 East Main Street, Batavia)
Thursday, August 8, from 4 - 7 p.m.
Thursday, October 10, from 4 - 6 p.m.
Orleans County Rabies Clinics at the Orleans County Fairgrounds (12690 State Route 31, Albion)
Saturday, August 10, from 9 - 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, October 19, from 9 - 11:30 a.m.
For more information on GO Health’s programs and services, visit GOHealthNY.org. You can also contact your respective health department:
As the Genesee County Fair approaches, anticipation rises for the annual Princess/Queen Pageant, scheduled to take place on July 19 and 21 at the fairgrounds in Batavia.
The pageant, a highlight of the fair, offers participants a unique opportunity for personal growth and development while also opening doors to significant educational and career prospects. Moreover, it serves as a vital platform for agricultural representation, fostering a positive impact on both individuals and their communities.
Participants in the pageant receive complimentary entry to the fair, granting them access to a plethora of engaging activities and exhibits. The event itself comprises several components, including delivering a speech, showcasing a talent, and fielding questions from a panel of judges. Additionally, contestants have the honor of joining the fair's parade, further enriching their experience.
On Thursday, the class of 2024 of Alexander High School gathered in caps and gowns with children moving up from Pre-K class at Alexander Elementary School for a graduation celebration photo.
Susan Hartrick, board member and scholarship committee member; Rosalie Maguire-Simon, secretary and committee member; Ron Chrzanowski, VP and committee chair; Anna Long and Julie Long. Photo by Howard Owens.
Anna Long, a senior at Le Roy High School, is the 2024 William F. Brown Jr. Memorial Scholarship winner.
The Jerome Foundation administers the scholarship, which is worth $1,000 a year for four years. Genesee County seniors who are planning to major in journalism, communications, marketing, or public relations are eligible for the scholarship.
Long plans to attend Syracuse University, joining the Newhouse School of Journalism, majoring in magazine, news, and digital journalism.
The scholarship honors the late Brown, a local journalist and author, one-time owner of WBTA, as well as a community leader and volunteer.
In school, she's been named to the National Honor Society and participates in the music council, senior high chorus, school musicals, jazz, varsity basketball and varsity tennis.
