Announcements

Press release:

The Batavia Ramparts Peewee III Hockey Team and Frank Lord -- psychic, clairvoyant, medium and spiritual advisor -- are teaming up for a two-night fund-raiser event.

• 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 16^th at the Polish Falcons in Batavia (123 S. Swan St.)
• 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 19^th at the American Legion in Le Roy (21 Lake St.)

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance or at the door on the night of the events.

This is a Group Psychic Reading. If you've been to one of these events before, you know how amazing the connections can be. If you've never been, don't be afraid to check it out. Help support a local hockey team! 

Frank Lord is New York State’s youngest and most accurate registered psychic, clairvoyant, medium and spiritual advisor who grew up in Batavia. His spiritual guidance emphasizes mainly on what the past, present, and future hold for the individual who seeks the answers they need. Frank also works in an array of the metaphysical realm, specializing in areas such as astrology, dream interpretation, and spiritual investigation.

He has worked professionally since the age of 12. Frank has read more than 9,500 individuals and continues to read on a daily basis. Frank has worked in areas such as New York City, Buffalo, Rochester and New Jersey.

Featured on the Sci-Fi Channel at age 18, Frank has worked with such individuals such as Raymond Buckland, former Genesee County Historian Sue Conklin, The Boo Brothers, and The Ghost Hunters. He enjoys all areas of work in the aspect of spiritualism and ensures guidance that will help with an individual's situation at hand.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at Millennium Computers, 156 Washington Ave., Batavia; or contact Michelle Johnson at 409-9299; Alicia Cook at 815-3478; or Holly by email at   hollyesch@yahoo.com; or from any Peewee III Hockey parent.

Information provided by Batavia City School District:

Residents of the Batavia City School District are invited to become Budget Ambassadors and make recommendations regarding the school budget.

The district and its administration and the Board of Education welcome your assistance during the 2018-19 budget process.

No experience is necessary. Ambassadors will be expected to attend three sessions, all from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in District Administration Conference Room #49 (located at 260 State St. in the City of Batavia).

The session dates are:

• Monday, Jan. 29
• Monday, Feb. 5
• Monday, Feb. 12

If interested, please notify the district in writing via postal mail or email by Thursday, Jan. 4.

Mail letter of interest to:

Christopher J. Dailey

Superintendent

260 State St.

Batavia, NY 14020

OR 

Email:   CJDailey@bataviacsd.org

For questions or additional information, please contact the District Office at 343-2480, ext. 1000, or email Superintendent Dailey at the email address above.

A symposium on agritourism will be held at Genesee Community College on Thursday, Oct. 26.

It will take place inside Stuart Steiner Theatre and is free and open to all. It is hosted by GCC's Tourism & Hospitality Management Program.

Meet the entrepreneurial agritourism leaders in Genesee County. There will be vendor booths and samples.

Here's the day's schedule:

• 11 a.m. to noon -- Student Session with Sophie Winter, Ph.D.
• 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. -- Keynote Speaker: Sophie Winter, Ph.D.
• 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. -- Panel Discussion and Question-and-Answer Session
• 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. -- Meet, Greet & Eat Reception

The college is located at One College Road in the Town of Batavia.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Amy Slusser, professor, Tourism & Hospitality Management, at 343-0055, ext. 6332, or email   alslusser@genesee.edu

The symposium is sponsored in part by Farm Credit Northeast AgEnhancement.

Press release:

New York Sea Grant, the Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center, and the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council will offer a new hands-on resiliency building training at the daylong Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council Regional Local Government Workshop on Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Nov. 17, in Batavia.

Preregistration is requested by Nov. 7. It will be held at the Quality Inn & Suites on Park Road in Batavia.

Attendees will participate in interactive scenario-building and decision-making exercises and develop response strategies to better prepare for impacts on natural and built environments during extreme weather events and other community challenges.

Small group discussions will include how a community can save money on flood insurance, information about the New York State Risk Assessment Tool, and details on the Flood Smart Community and Climate Smart Community programs.

The resiliency training sessions will include representatives from the National Weather Service, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of State, and the Town of Greece.

"We are pleased to partner with New York Sea Grant, the Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center, and all the resiliency track presenters to help regional communities reduce areas of vulnerability and better prepare to preempt or manage future extreme events," said David S. Zorn, executive director of the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council.

The resiliency track is one of three distinct tracks offered at this semi-annual Regional Local Government Workshop cosponsored by the nine counties of the Genesee-Finger Lakes region.

For registration details, questions and more information, contact David S. Zorn, 585-454-0190, ext. 14, dave.zorn@gflrpc.org, or visit http://www.gflrpc.org/fallworkshop.html.

New York Sea Grant is a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, and one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

For updates on New York Sea Grant Great Lakes and marine district activities, visit www.nyseagrant.org. For more information on the NYSG Great Lakes Coastal Community Development Program, see www.nyseagrant.org/ccd.

Press release:

Anthony (Tony) Peca Jr. was born and raised in Batavia with five brothers and sisters. He is descended from Italian heritage on both sides of his family.

His mother’s family came from Rome and his father’s from Chieti. He attended Notre Dame High School, graduating in 1970. He was proud to be an All-Catholic wrestler, Class President, and Student Council President.

He has been happily married to Gerrie (Sandlin) Peca for the past 44 years and has three children Theresa (Peca) Pellegrino, Kelly Peca and Anthony Peca lll, along with seven, soon to be eight grandchildren.

Following college he worked with his father and brother at Batavia Turf Farms Inc. Since 2000 he has been Sales and Operations Manager at Reisdorf Oil and Propane.

He is a proud Italian-American.

The dinner is Oct. 11 at Terry Hills. Tickets are available at Ben's Appliance, V.J. Gautieri Construction or any board member.

The Batavia Photography Club is inviting you to its Photo Walk on Saturday, Oct. 7, which is free. It starts in Batavia at GO ART! at Seymour Place (201 E. Main St.) downtown. Time is 10 a.m. to noon. The length of this walk is about 2.5 miles.

Participants are going to have photo opportunities of all kinds -- nature, urban and industrial. 

This is part of Worldwide Photo Walk Day, now a 10-year tradition. The first photo walks were in London, New York, Miami and Sydney. Now the walk has grown to over a thousand cities, including Batavia.

Many local photographers know Batavia has a very wide variety of architecture and locations to use as backdrops or be the feature of a photograph.

Downtown's GO ART! building is a historical structure now filled with art exhibits. As the walk begins, photographers will go past some old impressive structures to the Harvester Center. The Harvester Center was a million-square-foot factory for tractor manufacturer Massey Ferguson at the turn of the 20th century. Part of the facility is still in use and part is in a bit of decay.

Then the walk proceeds to DeWitt Recreation Area for wildlife and landscape photos of this area and pond. A different route will be taken back through the historic Batavia Cemetery. Created in 1823, and on the National Register of Historic Places, it is the final resting place of some of the city founders, Civil War veterans, a general and the only Confederate officer buried north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

The group will walk back to GO ART! and those who are interested can meet for lunch afterward around the corner at O’Lacy’s Irish Pub on School Street.

Please register online at http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/photowalk-batavia/

The Annual Turkey Dinner at Byron Presbyterian Church will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15.

It is located at 6293 Main St. in Byron.

Food is served family style. Take-outs available.

Handicap accessible.

Cost is $10 for adults; $5 for children; kids 5 and under eat free.

Also, crafts and cookbooks will be for sale.

From the National Weather Service in Buffalo:

The National Weather Service office in Buffalo is looking for a volunteer weather observer, to take over the observing station in or within about four miles of Pavilion.

This observing station would be a part of the National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Network or Coop Network. The Coop Network comprises nearly 10,000 volunteer weather observers nationwide who report high/low temperatures, rainfall, snowfall and snow depth to the National Weather Service on a daily basis. The data from Coop Observers helps scientists to define the long-term climate of the United States.

Observers would take daily measurements of a 24-hour high/low temperatures, precipitation, snowfall and snow depth, each morning around 7 a.m. These measurements would be relayed daily to the National Weather Service, either via the Internet or a toll-free phone number. These weather observations will be archived and use by future climate and research studies.

The Observer will be provided with an electronic thermometer, a rain gauge and a snow measuring stick.

These observations will assist the National Weather Service in its forecast and warning efforts, is vital to climatologists who are defining the climate of the United States and will help to predict drought conditions, agricultural planning and assessment, and more.

If you are interested in helping us out, or have any questions about the duties of a Coop Observer, please contact us at the address below, or you may call us at 716-565-0204, or send an email to Dan.Kelly@noaa.gov.

National Weather Service

Buffalo Office
587 Aero Drive
Cheektowaga, NY 14225

Press release:

In recognition of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Genesee Community College (GCC) and Delta College have collaborated to offer a free webinar focusing on the career opportunities in the ever-expanding cyber security industry from 1 to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of growth for jobs in information security analysts is projected at 18 percent through 2022 -- which is much faster than the average for all other occupations.

The webinar will feature a three-person panel discussing trends, opportunities and challenges facing those in cyber security careers. Panelist Joshua George is the instructor of Criminal Justice at Delta College. George has more than 12 years in federal law enforcement with focus on computer forensics and digital evidence. Panelist Mike Tarcan, currently serves as the information security manager at Ellucian. Tarcan focuses on security incident and threat management for a global cloud company. Panelist Kristopher Howery is an associate professor of Computer Science and Info Tech at Delta College. Howery founded the Cyber Defense Club that provides students with hands-on network defense experience. Howery also designed a multipurpose lab to teach security and network classes such as Cisco CCNA Security, Check Point, CCSA firewall, incident response and wireless security, to name a few. Additionally, he works in forensics under the networking track. Each panelist will share how they got started in the field, discuss what their security roles entail and answer questions from participants. 

Both GCC students and community members are encouraged to attend the webinar which will be broadcast at the GCC Batavia campus in room T102 on Thursday, Oct. 12 in the Conable Technoloy Building. Delta College students and guests are invited to view the webinar at Delta College's Main Campus in N007, located near the Redbrix Area. Attendees are encouraged to arrive by 12:50 p.m. to ensure seating. Remote access to the webinar is available on a limited basis.

Batavia High School’s annual Open House is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28th. Parents of BHS students are encouraged to attend this informative evening and can pick up their child’s schedule in the Main Lobby.

Our Open House will consist of an “open classroom drop-in” structure allowing for a more flexible personal connection between teachers and parents. In the Atrium, parents will have an opportunity to visit some outside organization stations that are important in the lives of our high school students. Senior parents are also encouraged to stop by the Counseling Center during the evening to discuss the college application process.

Please join us at Open House and be a part of your child’s high school experience. The school is located at 260 State St. in the City of Batavia.

Press release:

The annual business meeting of the Stone Church Rural Cemetery Association will be held at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 7, at the Stone Church Presbyterian Church, 7549 S. Lake Road (Route 19), Bergen. The meeting is open to the public.

For questions or information, phone the association Secretary/Treasurer Gordon L. Seward at 494-1505.

Press release:

Before you start your fall cleanup consider the age of your home and whether or not you may have a lead hazard.

“Lead poisoning can affect anyone, but is especially harmful to pregnant women, infants and small children who are growing rapidly,” said Paul Pettit, Public Health director for Genesee and Orleans Counties.

Lead poisoning can cause miscarriages and stillbirths, high blood pressure (hypertension), nerve disorders, memory and concentration problems and muscle and joint pain and in children it can lower IQ, cause growth problems, kidney damage, behavior problems, anemia and hearing loss.

If lead poisoning is not taken care of, it can also cause permanent damage to various organs in both children and adults. You may or may not experience any signs or symptoms of lead poisoning. State law requires all children be tested at age 1 and again at age 2. Contact your primary care doctor to be tested.

Federal law requires landlords and contractors who are hired for renovations, repair and painting in homes, childcare centers and schools built before 1978 that disturb painted surfaces, to be certified and follow specific practices to prevent lead contamination.

This law is the EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RPR) Rule. Lead-based paint is especially problematic on surfaces that children can chew on such as windowsills, doors and doorframes, stairs, railings, banisters, porches and fences. Lead can also be found in drinking water in homes that have plumbing with lead or lead solder.

“If you suspect that your house has lead hazards, here are some important things you can do to protect your family,” Pettit said.

• Take advantage of the Free Lead Testing Pilot Program: A $1.5 million state program to test for lead in drinking water is available to New York State residents.  Provides residents who are served by either a private well or public water system with an opportunity to have their residential drinking water tested for free.  To sign-up visit, https://health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/lead/free_lead_testing_pilot_program.htm.
• If you rent, call the landlord immediately to report peeling or chipping paint.
• Damp mop and damp dust often. Clean up paint chips right away and clean all other surfaces with general all-purpose cleaner.
• Let your cold water run for a minute before using it for making baby formula, drinking, brushing your teeth and cooking to flush lead picked up from pipes. Do NOT use warm tap water to make baby formula.
• Wash children’s hands and toys often to wash off any lead dust. Keep them way from chipping paint and prevent destructive behaviors like chewing on painted surfaces.
• Always hire certified contractors for work that will disrupt paint in housing or child occupied buildings before 1978 or get properly trained and certified yourself.  For a certified firm check this site: http://cfpub.epa.gov/flpp/searchrrp_firm.htm.  

For more information about the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP) visit the Environmental Protection Agency website at www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm or call the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD.

To learn about additional sources of lead visit, https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/lead/sources.htm. 

For information about services that your local health department provides visit:

• Genesee County Health Department at 344-2580, ext. 5555, or visit their website at www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/health/index.html;

• Orleans County Health Department at 589-3278 or check out their website at:  www.orleansny.com/publichealth; 
• Wyoming County Health Department at 786-8890 or visit their website at www.wyomingco.net/health/main.html.  

Submitted photo and press release:

Mrs. Fischer’s fourth-grade class was visited by Mr. Penepent, an aeronautical engineer who has worked at NASA's launch site in Cape Canaveral, Fla., for 27 years.

His team works to launch Delta II and IV rockets for NASA. The students came up with some great interview questions and learned some awesome things about the design process, construction and launching of these rockets.

Mr. Penepent attended St. Joseph School from kindergarten through second grade and is Mrs. Fischer’s older brother.

He said he first became interested in his field of aeronautical engineering when he was in third grade while reading a book on airplanes. Who knows, there may be future aeronautical engineers right here at St. Joe’s.