batavia

A little over a week ago, Maceo Harrison, a professional dancer, conducted a workshop at Law Dance Studio. I was asked to cover his appearance and intended to do just that but got the time wrong, so the studio sent me some video of the workshop and I got busy and didn't get it posted.

But since I said I would post it, I wanted to follow through.

Law Dance Studio opened on 218 W. Main St., Batavia, in 2018. The studio is the business of Lisa Blaun, originally from Elba. She majored in Dance at Valencia College in Florida and has worked professionally as a dancer, choreographer and director of competition, in Florida, Alaska and Georgia, and she is a certified Progressing Ballet Technique instructor.

Pudgie’s Lawn & Garden Center is kicking off it's 20th year in business and we are offering delivery for Mother’s Day week. Follow the link to order something special for mom and receive a FREE Mother’s Day card & bow. Delivery charges apply. Click here for more information.
Pudgie’s would also like to announce we are now booking kid’s birthday parties beginning in June and continuing year-round! Click here to find out more info.  Pudgie’s Lawn & Garden Center is located on 3646 W. Main St. in Batavia.

Neither Billie nor I know our birds very well. We spotted this red-breasted bird in our backyard and are curious about what kind of bird it is.

UPDATE: It's a rose-breasted grosbeak. Fellow Southsider Jason Smith sent over a video of one in his backyard.

The forecast for Saturday currently looks like good baseball weather, which is a good thing, because the Rotary Club of Batavia will host its annual baseball tournament at Dwyer Stadium.

The first game, Le Roy vs. Notre Dame, starts at 10 a.m., followed by Oakfield-Alabama at 1 p.m.

The championship game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

Press release:

Fresenius Kidney Care, the dialysis division of Fresenius Medical Care North America and the nation’s leading network of dialysis facilities, invites the community to attend an Open House celebration from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 17, at its new Batavia clinic.

It is located in a newly constructed 8,000-square-foot state-of-the-art building at 4185 Veterans Memorial Drive in the Town of Batavia.

The clinic, which can treat a maximum of 102 patients a week, enables Fresenius Kidney Care’s local team of expert medical professionals to better serve the Genesee County area’s growing dialysis community. In New York, nearly 30,000 patients require dialysis treatment.

At the Open House, local experienced medical professionals available to discuss patient services and the latest dialysis treatment options, including:

• In-center dialysis – provides the reassurance of staff-assisted treatment and labs all in one place;
• At-home dialysis -- offers greater independence, convenience and health benefits to patients who would otherwise spend up to 12 hours a week in a center receiving the life-sustaining care;
• How the center’s care team meets patients’ physical and emotional needs by individualizing their care;
• How Fresenius Kidney Care Batavia strives to empower people to thrive on and live the healthiest, fullest way possible – with kidney disease treatments that fit in with life, not the other way around;
• How FreseniusRx renal-trained pharmacists can help dialysis patients manage their medications.

Tour the clinic and meet the treatment team and see the treatment rooms. Learn about other services offered at the center, such as hemodialysis travel services, and ongoing educational programs.

Light refreshments available.

About Fresenius Kidney Care

Fresenius Kidney Care, a division of Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), provides dialysis treatment and support services to more than 190,000 people with kidney disease every year whether in their own homes or at more than 2,400 facilities nationwide. Fresenius Kidney Care’s dedicated teams help address the physical and emotional aspects of kidney disease through personalized care, education and lifestyle support services. For more information about Fresenius Kidney Care, visit www.FreseniusKidneyCare.com.

About Kidney Disease and Dialysis

One in seven adults will develop chronic kidney disease, with many not detecting the condition until they have lost more than 90 percent of their kidney function. More than 660,000 Americans live with end stage renal disease, or kidney failure, which requires either a transplant or dialysis to remove waste from the blood, maintain safe levels of potassium and sodium and control blood pressure. Currently, 468,000 people in the United States depend on dialysis as a life sustaining treatment. The leading causes of kidney disease are high blood pressure and diabetes.

Richard L. Bailey, 63, (inset photo right) of Thorpe Street, Batavia, is charged with: second-degree menacing; fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon; and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Bailey was arrested after he allegedly was involved in a disturbance at 7:09 p.m. on April 25 wherein he threatened a neighbor on Thorpe Street with what appeared to be a handgun. Following arraignment in Batavia City Court the next morning, he was jailed without bail. He was due in city court again on April 29. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Matthew Wojtaszczyk.

William G. Schultz, 45, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief -- intentional damage of property, and second-degree criminal trespass -- entering or remaining unlawfully in a dwelling. He was arrested on May 1 after an investigation into an incident that occurred at 2 p.m. on April 21 at Bill's Auto on Evans Street in Batavia. He was arraigned in city court and jailed on $2,500 cash bail or bond. Then at the jail while being processed he was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance. He was subsequently charged with criminal use of drug paraphernalia in the second degree; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; and introduction of contraband into prison in the second degree. He was due back in city court on May 7. The cases were handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens, assisted by Officer Marc Lawrence.

April M. Palmer, 33, Lake St., Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. She was arrested at 4:20 p.m. on April 14 following a shoplifting complaint at the Dollar General on East Main Street in Batavia. She was issued an appearacne ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on May 14. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Peter Post, assisted by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Ashley B. Farrell, 33, of Summit Street, Batavia, is charged with dog running at large and unlicensed dog. She was arrested at 3:08 p.m. on April 21 after her two dogs were found running at large in the city and they were unlicensed. She is due in city court on May 14 to answer the charges. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Samantha R. Jones, 34, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with dog running at large. She was arrested at 5:45 p.m. on May 1 on Oak Street. It is alleged that her dog ran at large without a leash onto another person's property. She was issued an appearance ticket for Batavia City Court and is due there on May 14. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Anthony L. Rice, 26, of Post Avenue, Rochester, was located and arrested by New York State Police on a bench warrant out of Batavia City Court. The warrant was issued April 25 after he failed to appear in city court regarding traffic offenses. He was turned over to Batavia PD and processed at headquarters. He was put in GC Jail on $1,000 cash bail or bond and was due in city court May 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Felicia DeGroot, assisted by Officer Miah Stevens.

Robert V. Howard Jr., 66, of Lockport Ollcott Road, Lockport, was taken into custody by Batavia police on May 5 from the New York State Police, who had stopped Howard for vehicle and traffic violations in Niagara County. NYPS determined Howard had a bench warrant for his arrest out of Batavia City Court. After his arraignment in city court, he was put in GC Jail or $500 cash bail or bond. He was due in city court again on May 6. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins.

Last night, I stopped by St. Anthony's with no intention of covering anything. All I had with me was my iPhone but when I walked in, dancers from Divine Dance Studio were just about to start performing and then I watched Ryan Macdonald talk about "doing what you can do to make a difference" before giving away a bike to Alex Baker, so here are two short videos.

A two-acre parcel of land that's distinguishing feature is an abandoned road that used to lead to a bridge will be sold at auction at the end of this month.

The road used to lead to a bridge that connected South Jackson Street to Creek Road but that bridge was removed in the 1990s and never replaced.

Now, the Department of Transporation, which has owned the parcel since the bridge was built in the 1950s, has decided to sell it as surplus property.

Matt Worth, director of public works said the bridge, which was only 30 years old at the time it was removed, was in poor shape when it was taken out of service.  

It was built when the old railway lines that used to pass through Downtown Batavia were moved further south. The bridge was built over the railroad tracks in what may have been a joint project involving the City, the DOT, and the railroad company that owned the railway at the time. 

As often happens in these sorts of projects, the various agencies wind up owning a piece of the project but only until the project is completed. For some reason, and Worth said he doesn't know why (this was well before his time with the City), the DOT never turned the street over to the City of Batavia for maintenance. 

The two-acre parcel is surrounded by City of Batavia property. It's zoned R-2, which means a two-family residence can be built on the land.

Here's a DOT press release about the auction:

The New York State Department of Transportation today announced it will host a public auction for two parcels of vacant land. The auction will be held on Thursday, May 30, 2019 at the State Office Building located at 1530 Jefferson Road in Henrietta. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the auction will begin at 10:30 a.m.

To register, bidders must present a certified or bank check for the deposit required on the property for which they intend to bid. The property, deposit and starting bid price are as follows:

Property 891 is 0.53± acres of vacant land located on the north side of Beahan Road near its intersection with Chili Avenue, in the Town of Gates, Monroe County. It is irregular in shape and improved with a snow plow turn-around. Access to the parcel is gained via Brooks Avenue Extension. Bidding will commence at $20,000. The deposit required to bid on this property will be $2,000.

Property 894 is 2± acres of vacant land located along the southern side of South Jackson Street, in the City of Batavia, Genesee County. The parcel is irregular in shape, contains broken pavement and overgrown brush. The parcel does not have physical access to South Jackson Street. Bidding will commence at $7,000. The deposit required to bid on this property will be $700.

Prospective bidders can find more information by visiting our website at http://www.dot.ny.gov/r4surplus or by contacting Jeremy Button at (585) 272-3326.

Below: DOT supplied image of the parcel

     Rodney Harmon

Rodney Lee Harmon Jr., 42, of Church Street, Elba, is charged with: vehicular assault in the second degree; driving left of pavement markings; moving from lane unsafely; reckless driving, and driving while ability impaired by drugs. At 3:16 p.m. on April 15, after the investigation of a motor-vehicle crash in which the car struck a house on Oak Orchard Road in Batavia, Harmon was arrested. Harmon and his passenger were allegedly involved in a domestic incident while Harmon was driving a Chevy Cruze southbound on Route 98. The vehicle crossed over the hazard warnings into the northbound lane of travel and exited the highway, crashing into the north side of a house. Harmon was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital and evaluated. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Town of Batavia Court on May 27. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy McClellan, assisted by Deputy James Stack.

     Wesley Thigpen

Wesley Thigpen, 38, of Vine Street, Batavia, is charged with first-degree sexual abuse. He was arrested on May 1 after an investigation into an incident that occurred in December on Vine Street in Batavia. He turned himself in upon request, was arraigned in Batavia City Court, then released under supervision of Genesee Justice. He is due in court again at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 23. The case was investigated by Batavia Police Det. Thad Mart.

Christopher T. Sprague, 25, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of third-degree burglary. He was arrested on May 3 for allegedly attempting to burglarize the Salvation Army Thrift Store at 98 Jackson St. in the City of Batavia on Dec. 23. Also on May 3, he was charged with the same crime for allegedly burglarizing Bill's Auto at 101 Evans St. in Batavia. After his arraignment, he was released on his own recognizance but he is in GC jail on other charges. He is due in Batavia City Court on the burglary charges June 6. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk, assisted by Det. Eric Hill.

Christopher Sprague

Jonathan Wayne Arce, 35, of Wyoming Street, Wyoming, is charged with: driving while intoxicated; DWI -- operating a motor vehicle while having a BAC of .08 percent or higher; moving from lane unsafely. At 7:11 p.m. on May 3 on Francis Road, Bethany, Arce was arrested on these charges. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Bethany Town Court on May 21. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Mathew Clor, assisted by Sgt. John Baiocco.

Donald G. Cooper, 35, and Christine A. M. Wark, of School Street, Le Roy, were arrested by Le Roy police on May 3 and each was charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor. Cooper was also charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. At about 10:30 p.m. on May 3, Le Roy Police Department received a complaint of two young children sitting on the side of the road on Route 19. When patrols arrived, they located two children, ages 8 and 10. Police were able to identify and locate the parents of the children. It was "discovered that the children were allegedly sent out of the residence to burn off some energy while retrieving a discarded item located on the side of the road approximately a half mile from their residence. During the investigation, an unsecured firearm and bullets for the firearm were located in the residence...in a location that was accessible to both children." Paraphernalia for smoking marijuana was also found in the residence, in a location accessible to both children. As a result of the significant disregard for both children's well-being..." both Cooper and Wark were arrested, without incident. After arraignment in Town of Le Roy Court, the defendants were released under supervision of Genesee Justice. They are due back in Town of Le Roy Court on June 4 to answer the charges.

Steven D. Smires, 23, no permanent address, was arrested on May 2 by the Le Roy Police Department and charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor, and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. In the same incident, Leah M. Burrus-Stewart, also no permanent address, was arrested and charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child. At about 11:30 a.m. on May 2, Le Roy PD received a complaint of a subject smoking marijuana in a vehicle with two small children inside. Upon arrival, patrols found Smires and Burrus-Stewart inside along with a 3-year-old child belonging to Burrus-Stewart and a 9-month-old baby that belonged to the couple. Police also allegedly located marijuana and paraphernalia for smoking it inside the vehicle. It was also discovered that the family did not have housing and had been living in the vehicle. Both adults were arrested without incident and Child Protective Services was contacted to assist with the children's care. The couple was arraigned in Le Roy Town Court and jailed in lieu of $750 bail each. They are due back in Le Roy Town Court on June 4 to answer the charges.

Jennifer L. Shaw, 33, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Shaw was arrested at 3:10 p.m. on April 22 on West Main Street in Batavia after an investigation of an incident in which she allegedly left two children unattended in a running vehicle in a parking lot. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on Tuesday, May 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Felicia DeGroot.

William G. Schultz, 45, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia. At 11:15 a.m. Schultz was arrested on Evans Street in Batavia on an unrelated charge. While being searched, he was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court then jailed in lieu of $2,500 cash bail or bond. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens, assisted by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Stanley F. Wenzel, 30, of Hutchins Place, Batavia, is charged with dog running at large. He was arrested on April 26 and is due in city court for arraignment on Tuesday, May 7. It is alleged that on April 7 at 4:28 p.m. a dog that Wenzel was in possession of got loose and attacked another dog on Hutchins Place. Wenzel was issued an appearance ticket. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Tiesha Deon Doward, 32, of Prune Street, Batavia, was arrested on May 4 on a warrant out of Batavia City Court after police responded to an incident on Prune Street. They executed a bench warrant that was issued after she failed to appear in court April 24 on a petit larceny case from 2018. Doward was given an appearance ticket and is due in city court on Tuesday, May 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police officers Marc Lawrence and Peter Flanagan.

A 16-year-old who lives in Batavia is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. The youth was stopped at 12:22 a.m. on April 20 on West Main Street in Batavia for vehicle and traffic violations. During the traffic stop, the youth was allegedly found in possession of marijuana. The youth was arrested and released to a parent and is due in Batavia City Court on Tuesday, May 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Marc Lawrence, assisted by Officer Peter Flanagan.

Paul W. Zeches, 30, of Oak Street, Batavia, was arrested on April 30 when he responded to Batavia Police Department for an unrelated matter. He had an active arrest warrant out of Batavia City Court for an unspecified incident that occurred on Feb. 28, 2017. He was arraigned, he pled guilty and was released. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens, assisted by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Anthony R. Piazza, 28, of Pratt Road, Pembroke, was arrested at 2:15 p.m. on April 30 on a bench warrant out of Batavia City Court. The warrant was issued after he failed to appear in court on a misdemeanor traffic ticket. He was released on his own recognizance and is due in city court May 30. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Jennifer K. Urvizu-  Hanlon

A 48-year-old Batavia woman can expect to spend two years in state prison after admitting today in County Court to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

The charge stems from a May 17 incident on Central Avenue when Jennifer K. Urvizu-Hanlon gave her licensed handgun to Samuel Blackshear, now 18, who shot Nathaniel Wilson, who had just stabbed to death 41-year-old Terry J. Toote.

Wilson is serving a 20-to-life prison term on his murder conviction. Blackshear was sentenced to three years in jail.

Urvizu-Hanlon owned La Mexicana grocery store at the time of her arrest.

According to information that came out at Blackshear's sentencing, surveillance video shows a black sedan on Central Avenue sometime before the incident. At one time, the driver got out and retrieved what looked like a handgun from the truck. The car left Central Avenue and returned. It leaves again and reappears just before Wilson shows up on the street. After Wilson stabbed Toote, Blackshear is seen moving toward Wilson, who is turning to leave. Blackshear sees the sedan and walks over to it and is handed the gun by the driver.

Nobody has seen the gun since the shooting, a point of contention at Blackshear's sentencing. It may have been thrown into a creek. 

As a result of the incident, Urvizu-Hanlon lost her pistol permit and as a result of the conviction, she will not be able to obtain another permit.

The term of the plea agreement is that Urvizu-Hanlon will receive a determinate sentence of two years. The length of her parole, one-and-a-half to three years, will be at the discretion of Judge Charles Zambito when she is sentenced at 1:30 p.m., July 12.

If Urvizu-Hanlon had gone to trial on the charge, she would have faced up to seven years in prison.

First Assistant District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini said the two-year prison term is based on her lack of any prior criminal record.

There will be mitigating information that is discussed at the sentencing that Zambito may consider on the length of her post-release supervision.

City of Batavia firefighters responded to West Main Street, Batavia, in front of Tops, this afternoon, after at least three ducklings were seen falling into a storm drain. Three ducklings were rescued.

A garage fire is reported at 64 Union St., Batavia.

When City fire arrived on scene, the commander reported smoke showing.

It's a detached garage.

The third platoon is requested to fire headquarters.

UPDATE 1:19 a.m.: Fire is under control. Starting overhaul.

Genesee Comnunity College hosted its 38th Annual Fashion Show on Saturday evening in the Call Arena.

Hundreds of people turned out to Batavia Downs on Saturday to watch the running of the Kentucky Derby.

Terry Hills hosted the annual Derby Day fundraiser for the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation on Saturday.

A memorial for Sgt. Duane Arthur Downey, who died March 18, was held at Elmwood Cemetery this afternoon.

Downey, a former Batavia resident, was active duty in the Army Airborne from 1968 to 1970 and in Vietnam for six months in 1970. He was awarded Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, M-16 Rifle Sharpshooter Badge.

He earned his Bachelors of Arts degree in Photography from Rochester School of Technology and worked for Kodak and most recently lived in Bethlehem, Ga. 

When Matt Gray and Jon Mager first conceived of FreshLab, the restaurant incubator inside Eli Fish Brewing Company, they envisioned providing a kitchen space for aspiring restaurateurs  who had food service experience, experience in food prep, industry knowledge, and a creative idea they wanted to try on a small scale before moving into launching a restaurant.

That's exactly what FreshLab is getting, Gray told the Batavia Development Corp. board Friday morning, with John and Jill Kratz, who are opening Eat Well Grill in June in the vacant space at FreshLab.

John is the long-time general manager of Bob Evans and Jill works at St. Joseph School but has also been running a food preparation business on the weekends using the kitchen at the YWCA.

Eat Well Grill will provide salads and bowls similar to what Jill has been preparing for her business Commit to Well, with proteins from beef, chicken, and shrimp to go with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables.

It's a paleo diet. While it's healthy for everyone, it will be especially good for people with dietary problems, John and Jill deal with in their own family, which is how they got involved with creating the recipes for their dishes in the first place.

"There are a lot of great food options in the community but we think what is missing is something that is nutritionally sustainable," John said. "What we're looking to provide is something in the framework of sustainability."

As much as possible, ingredients will be locally sourced, John said.

Commit to Well has a strong customer base already and the Eat Well Grill will fill a need for those customers by providing meals when they're needed.

"I know a lot of my customers like the meal prep service but sometimes they forget to order and they're calling me at the end of the weekend to see if there is anything left over," Jill said. "They need something at lunch or at the end of the day and they're not thinking ahead because we're all very busy."

A walk-in and order grill is just what those customers need, she said.

John said, and Matt confirmed, demand for meals that fit this nutritional value is a growing trend across the country and in larger urban areas, including Buffalo and Rochester, it's increasingly common.

Examples from the menu: 

• The Greek, a salad with romaine and kale, quinoa, grilled chicken, cucumber, tomato, olives, and feta cheese;
• Caveman Cobb, a salad with romaine and arugula, napa cabbage, cucumber, tomato, corn, red onion, steak, and walnuts;
• Green Goddess, a salad with arugula, spinach, romaine, cucumber, hard-boiled egg, bacon, and grilled chicken;
• Spicy Shrimp, a bowl with rice, napa cabbage, arugula, carrots, tomato, grilled shrimp, sriracha sauce, and green onion;
• Happy Garden, a bowl with rice, romaine, carrots, tomato, cucumber, broccoli, beets, and grilled chicken;
• Good Harvest, a bowl with quinoa, spinach, arugula, beets, red onion, feta cheese, grilled chicken, and walnuts.

Gray said the Eat Well Grill will be a great match at FreshLab with Eden Cafe and provide customers a good alternative to the Eli Fish menu.

The BDC board approved Eat Well Grill for a small business loan for $25,000 from the BDC's revolving loan fund.  

The grill will employ two or three people. John will work at the grill full-time and Jill will continue to work at St. Joe's while running the meal-prep business out of the YWCA kitchen on weekends until the business grows enough to move into a single, larger space.

Photo courtesy FreshLab.