Stories from

Information provided by the Polk County Sheriff's Office in Florida:

A man who was shot -- twice in the head, once in the arm, and once in the shoulder -- at the home of a former Alexander resident who was murdered Jan. 3 in Florida died today.

Kenneth Maier, of 7462 Berkley Road, Polk City, Fla., succumbed to injuries around 1 p.m. (Jan. 12).

William Reiss, 68, formerly of Alexander, died at the scene after a man he had sold guns to previously, came to his home, was allowed in, and allegedly shot the two men before stealing guns and a pickup truck with the aid of two accomplices.

"We are heartbroken to hear that Kenneth passed away today. We are sending our thoughts and prayers to Kenneth's family and friends. This act of vicious murder should have never happened," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

"The three suspects from Mobile, Ala., will be pending additional murder charges in relation to Kenneth Maier's death. We will send another update when additional charges are placed. We appreciate the assistance of the Mobile Police Department in this investigation."

Some of the firearms were recovered, along with the victim’s stolen truck, which was torched. All three suspects will be extradited back to Polk County to face first-degree murder and other charges.

On Jan. 6, three suspects were arrested in the case: 22-year-old Kenley Campbell, 22-year-old Darril Lamar Rankin Jr., and 18-year-old Gerjuan Demarcus Jackson all of Mobile.

Thus far, they have all been charged with:

• First-degree murder (FC)
• Attempted first-degree murder (F1)
• Armed burglary with assault/battery (F1)
• 13 counts of grand theft of a firearm (F3)
• Robbery with a firearm/deadly weapon (FL)
• Conveyance burglary (F3)
• Grand theft of a motor vehicle (F3)

For previous coverage click here and here.

Press release from the Batavia Police Department:

The Batavia Police Department is investigating a car/pedestrian accident which occurred on West Main Street today.

The accident happened at approximately 2:10 p.m. on the area of Settler's.

The pedestrian was walking eastbound on the sidewalk on the north side of West Main Street. While crossing the street, a black Honda sedan struck the pedestrian and continued westbound on West Main Street.

The driver was described as a white female with curly hair.

The pedestrian is currently being treated at UMMC.

Anyone with information in reference to this case is asked to contact Officer Prusak or the Batavia Police Department at 585-345-6350, the confidential tip line at 585-345-6370 or online here.

UPDATE 5:14 p.m.: A caller reports seeing a vehicle that matches the description with front-end damage driving on Willow Street. No information on when the car was seen.

(Initial report)

Here's the latest update on Gleba Farms in Batavia and its Community Supported Agriculture opportunities, provided by Tim and Amanda Gleba:

Gleba Farms will offer two CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) options for the 2018 season. We will continue with the Summer Veggie CSA and new for the year is the Meat/ Veggie CSA.

Both CSA options will run for 16 weeks, tentatively starting June 12th and concluding Sept. 27th.

The veggie pickup will be weekly, Tuesday and Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. Pork and turkey will be included in the Meat/ Veggie CSA. Members who sign up for the Meat/ Veggie CSA will receive turkey and pork in addition to their veggie share. The turkey will be ready for pick up just before Thanksgiving and the pork will be ready for pick up at the end of November.

The pork meat is a gourmet meat pig, American Guinea Hog. The AGH were imported by Thomas Jefferson and other Virginia farmers as early as 1804. Also known as the Pineywoods Guinea, Guinea Forest Hog, Acorn Eater, and Yard Pig, the breed was once the most numerous pig breed found on homesteads in the Southeast.

The Guinea Hog is a gourmet meat pig raised on pasture. Chefs and charcuterie artists prefer to cook with this breed. The marbling, and intramuscular fat hasn't been bred out of these special hogs. However, the taste comes largely from the way they are raised.

Members will receive 1/2 a pig which equates to 50 to 60 pounds of meat. From the butcher you will receive a ham, pork chops, tenderloin, bacon, pork shoulder, breakfast sausage, neck bone and hocks (which make great tomato sauce) and lard (optional). The butcher will smoke the ham and bacon.

For the 2018 growing season we have scaled back on the amount of varieties and concentrate on growing what did well for a larger yield. The list of 30-plus veggies is available to view on our website.

As soon as the ground thaws we will start the construction of the deer fence to help protect the veggie crop. Deer was one of our biggest obstacles last year. There are other tactics we will employ to better protect this year's crop; ie. coyote decoy, scarecrows and a motion-sensor water sprinkler.

Our livestock are pastured during the spring, summer and fall months, so they grow at their own pace. We do not use antibiotics or growth hormones. We feel it's a healthier lifestyle for the animals, which in return, produces a healthier, higher quality meat.

The chickens are weathering the cold quite well. They are staying warm in the coop and currently molting. We have had a few members inquiring about eggs this winter. Between the cold and the molting, chickens are not currently laying. We will send an emailing advising when they do.

We will be adding a "guard geese" to the flock to hopefully mitigate any loss to predators. A farmer in the Southern Tier has had luck with geese protecting the chickens, so we thought we would give it a try.

We are adding two beehives to the farm this year. A local apiarist is helping us by providing some guidance on getting started. There are so many health benefits to local raw honey. We will keep everyone posted with the progress.

In a portion of the front field we will be planting 150 Christmas trees (Douglas fir, Fraser fir, concolor fir and blue spruce). As we were planning for the 2018 growing season we concluded we would not be utilizing the whole front field. So, instead of letting the field go to waste, we decided to plant coniferous trees with the intent of cutting them for Christmas trees in several years.

Since we started the farm, we have found if you work hard enough, sometimes you get lucky. There are no short cuts, it takes time and it takes money and it takes reflection to properly care for the land and livestock. We’ve had a few great farmers and members from the community help us along the way.

In closing, we valued the feedback we received from our members. We are in this for the long haul, so we want to ensure we fulfill the expectations of our members. Amanda and I have an appreciation for the relationships we have cultivated with everyone last year!

Lastly, I would like to give a big thank you to Tom Ryan, Ryan's Rose Organic Farm, John Riley, Riley's Family Farm and John Eisenhard, Eisenhard Forestry.

Cheers to a successful and prosperous 2018!

Press release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley outlining his budget priorities:

Government is about the people. Making a difference in the everyday lives of individuals should be the central role to which we aspire as legislators. Society flourishes when personal freedom and liberty rule the day, not directives and penalties handed down in the form of taxes and mandates.

Unfortunately for New Yorkers, Gov. Cuomo’s State of the State Address last week was filled with the latter. Lofty expansion of programs and more state spending is what many witnessed but few desire.

According to the Tax Foundation, New York ranks 49^th in the country in tax climate for businesses for the fourth year in a row. In addition, our state ranks 49^th in terms of tax levies on personal income, 47^th in property-taxes and 43^rd in sales taxes – all of which have contributed to more than one millions residents who have left the state since 2010.

We have the power to change these embarrassing statistics and rewrite New York’s mantra of tax, fine and harass.

The solutions start with reducing fraud and waste in our Medicaid system, which spends more than Florida and Texas combined, and mitigating the over 140,000 pages of regulations Albany elites impose on our job creators – not bloating government as Gov. Cuomo proclaims. Mandates like these, which counties and local governments cannot afford, are eventually paid by individuals in the form of higher property and state taxes.

We need to build on the success of the Charitable Gaming Act that was signed into law last year and further empower the thousands of fire departments, Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs, nonprofits, churches and charitable organizations that provide tremendous community services through their raffles.

Lake Ontario flood victims are still hurting and this year’s budget should include more funding to help these struggling individuals and business owners return to normalcy.

State government should hinge on allowing people to flourish and that cannot happen if disconnected elites like Gov. Cuomo continue to use their tax dollars to tax, penalize and restrict them.

Assemblyman Hawley represents the 139^th District, which consists of Genesee, Orleans and parts of Monroe County. For more information, please visit Assemblyman Hawley’s Official Website.

Cancer survivor Mike Mager, above, had the bell plaque engraved with brief instructions: “When treatment is complete, we announce it with this bell. Ring once for what you have endured. Ring twice for today. Ring once more for the future.”

Press release:

Christina Hietala-Johnson, age 35, of Rochester, was sentenced to five years’ probation in Genesee County Court on Thursday (Jan. 11) as a result of her guilty plea last October to a felony count of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree.

In addition, Hietala-Johnson was also ordered to pay $2,245 in restitution to the Genesee County Department of Social Services, will be disqualified from receiving Food Stamp benefits and Temporary Assistance benefits, and must perform 500 hours of community service.

Hietala-Johnson had been charged in June 2017 with two counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree and one count of grand larceny in the fourth degree. Those charges were filed when a social services investigation revealed she had submitted various recertification forms to the Department of Social Services and failed to report that she was married.

Anyone wishing to report suspected cases of Welfare Fraud in Genesee County can contact the Genesee County Department of Social Services Fraud Investigation Unit at (585)344-2580, ext. 6417 or 6416. All calls are confidential.

The Mighty St. Joe's Drum & Bugle Corps invites people who are interested in joining its ranks to an Open House from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14, at Wolcott Street School in Le Roy.

The school is located at 2-6 Trigon Park (off East Main Street).

Mighty St. Joe's Drum & Bugle Corps is a noncompetitive group from the WNY/Rochester area, which participates in parades, indoor concerts and field shows. It is looking for new members of all ages and all sections, including brass, percussion, working guard and Honor Guard.

All levels of experience are welcome.

Visit MSJ on the Web at:  www.mightystjoes.com

Send email inquiries to:  mightystjoes@gmail.com

An urgent winter weather message from the National Weather Service Office in Buffalo at 3:03 p.m.:

A winter storm watch is in effect from Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon.

Heavy snow and mixed precipitation are possible. Travel will be very difficult to impossible.

Total snow accumulations of 8 to 14 inches and ice accumulations of a 10th of an inch are possible. Significant reductions in visibility are possible.

Begin needed preparations at home or with your vehicle. Travel may become difficult, so plan accordingly.

Press release:

Enrollment is open at Genesee Community College for the spring semester and it is focused on preparing students for the region's specific job opportunities.

The entire schedule of more than 500 courses is available athttps://www.genesee.edu/courses/schedule/. Search by subject, location, term or time of day. With classes starting on Tuesday, Jan. 16, the time to enroll is now!

A study by Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. (EMSI) predicts an 18-percent increase in the number of medical assistant jobs in our region from 2016 to 2023. This semester, there are seven medical-related courses available to kick off a high-demand career by earning for Medical Office Assistant Certificate usually in one year, or a Medical Administrative Assistant, AAS degree in approximately two years.

GCC's other healthcare related degrees are also on the list of EMSI's high-demand careers. Physical therapist assistants, nurses, respiratory care therapists, sleep technologists and veterinary technologists are all great options for long-term career success.

"Healthcare education remains a priority here at GCC. We have excellent professors and instructors, and with state-of-the-art labs and our small class sizes, students' hands-on learning is second to none!" Virginia (Ginny) Taylor, Ph.D., vice president for Student & Enrollment Services said.

"Sometimes people forget that the spring semester is a great time to launch new career aspirations and academic goals."

For those interested in website development career, basic HTML coding and web page design is covered in Web Publishing (CIS113). Microcomputers (CIS116) and Programming and Problem Solving (CIS125) are also offered this spring semester. ESMI projects more than 125 new job opportunities in this sector in the GLOW (Genesee, Livingston, Ontario and Wyoming) region in the next six years making a Web Design certificate or associate degree a perfect resume builder.

Supply chain management is a key element to every major industry today. To get started on this career, consider a Business Administration: Supply Chain Management, AAS degree which can be earned entirely online. Begin with Principles of Business Logistics (BLM101), which reviews the efficient and cost effective flow of everything from initial raw materials to finished products.

Specifically, students cover accurate and timely information sharing, purchasing, transportation and distribution management, warehousing and inventory controls and so much more. Register today as classes are filling up!

In addition to courses at all seven campus locations in Albion, Arcade, Batavia, Dansville, Lima, Medina and Warsaw, GCC offers more than 150 online courses.

With so many concentrations to choose from and so many online opportunities, making a personal appointment with GCC student success coach is a perfect way to start the conversation about what is best for you. Call 585-345-6805 to set up an appointment or email SSC@geneseee.edu.

Tops announced the same-day home delivery service being available across the chain’s footprint in Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, as well as Erie, Pa., in the last quarter of 2017. Tops anticipates rolling out the service into most of its remaining stores by the end of first quarter of 2018.

As one of the region’s largest supermarket chains, Tops customers throughout the geographic footprint, whether residing in a larger city or a rural community, now have access to same-day home delivery from Instacart. 

Thousands of items including fresh meat, seafood, and produce literally are right at shoppers fingertips and delivered to their doors in as little as one hour. Customers will not only find a vast majority of Tops in store deals online, but will still find the brands they love, all while earning the gas points they value that they can redeem when they visit Tops fuel stations.

For more information on Instacart delivery from Tops please visit TopsMarkets.com/Instacart.

# # #

Tops Markets LLC, is headquartered in Williamsville and operates 169 full-service supermarkets with five additional by franchisees under the Tops banner. Tops employs more than 15,000 associates and is a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, Northern Pennsylvania, and Western Vermont. For more information about Tops Markets, visit the company's website at www.topsmarkets.com.

From our news partner WBTA:

William Reiss, 68, was shot to death at his home in Polk City, Fla., last Wednesday during a home-invasion robbery.

The Polk County Sheriff said he believed Reiss could have been targeted for his large gun collection.

The culprits apparently made off with more than 30 guns stolen from the crime scene along with Reiss’s pickup truck and they are currently still at large.

Reiss was an Alexander native with many family members still in the area and a former correction officer at Attica Correctional Facility.

Press release:

The Genesee County 4-H Program is looking for volunteers to help with its upcoming 4-H Public Presentations Program.

The 4-H Public Presentations Program gives 4-H youth an opportunity to expand their public speaking skills in a fun, competitive format.  

The 4-H Public Presentations Program would not be possible without volunteer evaluators! Evaluators watch 4-H youth participants give presentations and provide them with constructive comments to help improve their public speaking skills.

The 2018 4-H Public Presentations Events will be held on Saturday, Feb.17^th, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Byron-Bergen School, and Thursday, March 15^th, 3 – 5 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Office in Batavia.

If you are interested in serving as an evaluator at one or both of these events, please contact the Genesee County 4-H Office at genesee4h@cornell.edu or 585-343-3040, ext. 101.

(Above photo: Byron-Bergen Jr./Sr. High School National Geographic Bee champion Matthew Tanner, left, and runner-up Nicholas Zwerka celebrate their achievements.)

Submitted photos and press release:

Students from both Byron-Bergen schools proved their mastery of geography on Jan. 4 as the school hosted its annual National Geographic Bee competitions, sponsored by the National Geographic Society.

At the Jr./Sr. High School, after an exciting battle of wits and global knowledge, Matthew Tanner was declared the Byron-Bergen Geographic Bee champion. He was given a medal and awarded a $30 Amazon gift card. Runner-up Nicholas Zwerka received a $20 Amazon gift card.

At the Elementary School, the title of Geographic Bee champion was awarded to fifth-grader Jack Farner, who edged out fellow fifth-grader Jackson Lundfelt for the honor.

Participants from both schools qualified for the Bee by achieving high scores on a test taken in December. Both winners will now take another written test, which will be submitted to the National Geographic Society. If their scores are among the highest in New York State, they may be invited to participate in the state competition. State winners go on to the televised national bee held in May in Washington, D.C.

The school is very proud of all the contestants.

Jr./Sr. High School participants included — Seventh grade: Molly Belknap, Jack Benstead, Cameron Carlson, Caris Carlson, Evan Cuba, Kendan Dressler, Gianni Ferrara, Alec Kulikowski, Kendall Phillips, Elizabeth Piper, Andrew Rimmerman, Alexandria Schuck, Matthew Tanner, Lillian Walker, and Nicholas Zwerka; Eighth grade: Ashton Gavenda, Grace Huhn, Madelyn Pimm, Elli Schelemanow, Ella VanValkenburg, Claire Williams, Corden Zimmerman, and Josh Zittel.

Elementary School Geo Bees were — Fourth grade: Liam Boyle, Colin Rea, and Simone Scharvogel. Fifth grade: Ryan Benstead, Jake Carlson, Deborah Catalino, Noah Clare, Ada Clookey, Owen Cuba, Craig Diquattro, Lea Donofrio, Jack Farner, Rachel Hanel, Landon Kent, Eli Kupfer, Jackson Lundfelt, Martin Mac Connell, and Anna McLaughlin. Sixth grade: Brody Baubie, Braedyn Chambry, Grayson Erion, Aurora Hiscutt, Stephanie Onderdonk, Brendan Pimm, Carter Prinzi, and Quintin Rich.

The National Geographic Bees are coordinated by the schools’ social studies teachers Aaron Clark, Ken Gropp, and Nick Muhlenkamp.

For more information on the National Geographic Bee, visit here.