Click here for 6612 Tufts Road, Pavilion. Hands down – an awesome piece of real estate! Custom built ranch home that checks all the boxes! Phenomenal views, gorgeous lot, beautifully landscaped with out-building and an interior that makes you want to never leave.

Absolutely nothing to do-mechanically updated from top to bottom and beautifully and neutrally decorated. This home features; 3 bedrooms with a master closet to die for, 2 full baths, family room with cathedral ceilings, wood burning fireplace. Cozy and bright with great views to one of the prettiest backdrops around.

Library/den, pretty kitchen, formal dining room, and a super fun finished basement, that also has utility space and storage. 3 Bay garage, 16x20 shed, 2 decks with composite decking, concrete patio overlooking fields and woods with wildlife galore! You're going to love this one. Call Lynn Bezon at Reliant Real Estate today to see this listing. Call 585-344-HOME (4663).

Click here for 217 North St., Batavia (City). Solid & well maintained city home, centrally located to everything! Many updates-tear off roof in 2011 and furnace 2008. Upstairs gutted and re-drywalled. Nicely maintained.

The yard is super deep with lovely herringboned pattern sidewalk and beautiful flower beds and two great porches to enjoy it all! Super affordable price and inexpensive utilities. Check it out soon. Call Lynn Bezon at Reliant Real Estate today to see this listing. Call 585-344-HOME (4663).

The Lyndonville Tigers held down a team that four times this season scored more than 90 points, and twice in the past four games going over 100, to just 58 points on a night that team really wanted a win.

The Fighting Irish wanted the win for their Head Coach Mike Rapone, who in his 40th season was on the cusp of his 700th career win.

Lyndonville is a good team, Rapone said after the game, but part of the problem was "the pressure of trying to win the 700th win," he said. "Other people did."

Victory looked far from certain through the first three-quarters of the contest. Notre Dame took their first lead of the night with about 20 seconds left in the first half and then quickly lost it, so they went into the locker room down 19-18.

Instead of coming out fired up, the team still seemed tentative for most of the third quarter and trailed heading into the fourth 40-29.  

Then Mark Sanders got hot, hitting a trio of three-point baskets to help spark a comeback.

He finished the night with 14 points. Gabe Macdonald socred 12 and Cody Henry scored nine.

For Lyndonville, Nathan Dallenbeck scored 21 points and Nathan Dydorle, who also had several blocked shots and steals, scored 16 points.

"I'm proud of the accomplishment, but know it couldn't have happened without all the great young men I have been fortunate enough to coach at Notre Dame," Rapone said.

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(Top, artist Laura Kemler's work "Kids at Theater.")

Press release and submitted images from Batavia Society of Artists.

The Batavia Society of Artists is hosting artist Laura Kemler on Tuesday, March 10th from 7 to 9 p.m. at GO ART!/Seymour Place, 201 E. Main St., Batavia. She will be doing a demonstration on gouache -- an opaque watercolor.

Nonmembers welcome for a $5 fee.

For more information, call Teresa Tamfer at (585) 506-2465.

About Laura Genagon Kemler -- business owner, creator and illustrator

Genagon (inset photo left) grew up in Elba under the training of Bernice Yunker, along with talented teachers in school. As she grew in the visual arts, she attended Genesee Community College on a full art scholarship as well as the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

She has designed and illustrated for Liz Claiborne, the University of Pittsburgh, the Wyoming County Tourism Association and many others. Genagon has also taught art for Hillside, Forrestel Farm & Riding Camp, Bergen School of the Arts, as a guest teacher at a private school in Bradford, England and at many workshops throughout her 28-year professional career in art.

Genagon has also had the opportunity to illustrate a children's book titled "My Grandma's Kitchen Window" available on Amazon. Currently, she owns "Laura Loxley Vintage Inspired Goods" in Albion, where she hand dyes fabric and creates coiled rope baskets and other handmade gift items.

She continues to illustrate and get her hands into all facets of the visual arts. Laura and her husband, Kevin, along with her five children reside in Albion.

Laura Loxley Vintage Inspired Goods

45 N. Main St., Albion NY 14411

www.lauraloxley.com

www.etsy.com/shop/LauraLoxley

lauraloxleyvintage@gmail.com

(Below Kemler's "Gossip Girls")

While acknowledging a high degree of uncertainty brought about by New York’s new bail reform laws, Genesee County officials – working hand-in-hand with consultants, engineers and architects experienced in correction facilities – are moving ahead with their plan to build a state-mandated 184-bed jail on property just east of County Building 2 on West Main Street Road.

“It’s the worst time in New York State history to be building a jail … but it must be built,” said Matt Landers, assistant county manager, referring to the state’s recently passed legislation that has eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanor and nonviolent felony offenses, thus reducing the number of those charged with a crime who are remanded to jail.

Landers, cochair of the jail committee along with Sheriff William Sheron, was speaking at tonight’s public information session at the Old County Courthouse about the proposed $60 million project.

Approximately 40 people, including county legislators, jail committee members and interested citizens, attended.

Landers and Rod Miller, president of CRS Inc. (Community Resource Services) of Gettysburg, Pa., a consulting firm that specializes in the correction and detention fields, agreed that the changes to how bail is applied have created a dilemma when it comes to projecting jail housing requirements.

Already, the new laws, which took effect on Jan. 1, have resulted in a downsizing of the new county jail from 214 beds (originally), then 200 beds – each with five pods – to 184 beds with four pods.

“They are the most extensive set of laws passed in the country,” Miller said, noting that California also is in the process of bail reform but not “as extensive” as New York’s. “We’re trying to anticipate the impact and that’s been very difficult. It’s kind of a crap shoot; there’s no question it will reduce jail population.”

Still, the county is obligated to replace its current jail at the corner of West Main Street and Porter Avenue.

Built in 1902 (with an addition/renovation in 1985), the jail is not conducive to effective supervision, has inadequate space for services and programs, and does not have the capacity to house female inmates – a situation that costs the county hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to transport these women to other jails, Miller explained.

“The current jail deficiencies are pretty well documented,” Miller said, adding that the county is liable no matter where inmates are housed and must abide by strict state Commission of Corrections standards that cover safety, security, separation, conditions of confinement, and medical and mental health care.

In reality, the COC is driving the bus, so to speak, toward the erection of a new jail.

“The COC decides how jails operate and the capacity of the facility,” Miller said. “They had to approve the number of beds.”

The COC also requires all cells to be single occupancy – “a big impact here on the design (and accompanying cost),” he said – and “direct supervision” management of inmates, again a safe but costly proposition.

“Costs increased 20 or more percent per square foot due to the strict requirements,” Miller said, “and that is borne by the county.”

Previously, Landers submitted a budget for the project that shows actual construction costs at $49.7 million. The price tag increases to $60 million when adding in design, furnishing, bonds and insurance, construction management, planning and development, and unexpected costs.

County officials said the jail will be funded by bonds that will be paid back by sales tax revenue that has been shifted away from towns and villages per a new state-approved sales tax agreement. They also said that jail construction will not result in a property tax hike.

Miller pointed to the contribution of the county’s Criminal Justice Advisory Council, which helped all parties in assessing future population trends and housing needs.

“We had access to their monthly meeting and had plenty of discussions,” he said. “CJAC represents all facets (of criminal justice and law enforcement) and is a model for other communities.”

Explaining that the “number of admissions does not correlate to the number of beds used,” Miller said that after three days, 47.9 percent of inmates have been released, after using only 1.6 percent of the total beds. Furthermore, 73 percent of all inmates are gone within 30 days, having used just 13 percent of the annual beds.

“The three days (data) is the target of the bail reform laws,” he said, “and it is very tough to figure out the impact of bail reform in the long term.”

He also emphasized that the new jail will have a specific area for “central arraignment” and processing – a cost-saving measure – and is likely to take in inmates who formerly might have been headed to state prisons.

Most importantly, Miller said, the new jail will provide sufficient female beds, house detainees who present substance abuse problems, and provide a secure treatment facility and acceptable short-term holding and separation.

He did mention the possibility of a regional jail, noting that there are 130 of these types of facilities in the United States, but said that although “they make a lot of sense in principle, it is hard to find a solution that works for all parties. It is not a viable solution right now.”

Following Miller’s presentation, Graham Vickers, principal/director of justice practice for SMRT, an architectural firm out of Portland, Maine, gave an overview of the site plan.

“We have been working with the (Genesee County) group since 2017 and are 50 percent through the design,” he said, adding that they’re shooting to break ground this September.

Vickers said the building will consist of a front portion for staffing and programming and a back section of four separate rectangular structures behind.

He termed a space dedicated for arraignments as a “unique feature” that will limit travel expense and security issues.

“The jail has an internally driven design … which considers those who work there and those who are detained (first),” he said.

He also noted that there will be “educational spaces” for religious or classroom teaching, with the day room built with a safety as a priority.

The day rooms are being built with an emphasis on safety, he said. Landers added that the dayrooms in each pod are designed in such a way that one corrections officer will be able to oversee up to 52 inmates, making them "much more efficient."

Landers said the new jail is being constructed with a life expectancy of 50 to 100 years. He applauded his committee for its hard work.

“We did our best to analyze the data and trends, believing that they will start emptying the state (prison) population into our jail,” he said. “We spent the last three years of analysis … without having a crystal ball (to decide what is) best for the future.”

At the end of the formal presentation, two Batavia residents offered their opinions and asked some questions.

Ron Greer, former Genesee County Jail superintendent, said “you’re going to have a hard sell (with the public),” directing his comments to county legislators.

He said that he hoped that the county could generate revenue right away – and not a year down the road – by housing females.

Still, he acknowledged the county has the responsibility of taking care of all who are sent to jail.

John Roach asked what the plan was for the current jail, suggesting that the city may be abandoning the building next door (the current City police headquarters) in the near future.

Landers said SMRT has been charged with providing possible solutions, but no decision has been made yet.

Roach also asked if the new building considered the disabled – it does meet Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines, Vickers said – and if juveniles would be kept there. Sheron replied juveniles would be housed somewhere else.

As far as double-bunking is concerned, Roach said, “they have that in Attica. It’s OK for them but not OK for you.”

It also was pointed out that the design’s infrastructure (such as heating/cooling and kitchen) is in place to handle the addition of two pods if necessary, and that the county will need to hire more corrections officers and support staff.

Photo at top -- Rod Miller and Graham Vickers; photos at bottom, various views of the proposed new county jail -- floor plan, dayroom and similar facility. Photos by Mike Pettinella.

A locomotive engine is on fire at 16 Lehigh Ave. in Batavia and city firefighters are responding.

UPDATE 10:35 p.m.: The conductor of the train reacted quickly and cut off the fuel source to the blaze, thereby extinguising it before firefighters arrived. They checked out the scene and went back in service.

Tonya Marie Ficarella, 33, of Lovers Lane Road, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. On Feb. 13 at 8:45 p.m. Genesee County Sheriff's deputies took a report of a domestic incident that occurred earlier in the day. Following an investigation, Ficarella was arrested. It is alleged that Ficarella struck a male in the face during a physical altercation in front of a 3-year-old child. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on March 5. The case was handled by Deputy Erik Andre, assisted by Sgt. Andrew Hale.

Shaquille Levon Davis, 27, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with third-degree menacing and second-degree harassment. Following a domestic incident at a local motel on West Main Street Road in Batavia, Davis was arrested for allegedly putting a victim in fear of physical injury by placing his hands on the victim. He was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and is due to return there on March 17. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Krzemien, assisted by Deputy Joshua Brabon.

Attention parents of young chefs, Jeanne's Table has three classes lined up for your child to learn new culinary skills and techniques. Classes are limited; they are at her Batavia home. They fill up fast!

For adults, she is offering a class in Italian cooking basics and an Italian "Demo & Dine" small-plate dinner party, both next month.

Here's the lineup for young folks:

• Teen Treats Cooking Class (for ages 13-16) (limited to eight teens) -- $175, requires $50 deposit to book -- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., July 13-17
• Cooking with Young Adults (age 16+) (limited to 10 young adults) -- $175, requires $50 deposit to book -- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., July 27-31
• Kids' Baking Camp (for ages 8 to 12 years) (limited to 12 kids) --  $175, requires $50 deposit to book -- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Aug. 10-14

Here's a couple of offerings for adults who love great Italian food:

• "Demo & Dine": Buon Appetito! Italian Dinner Extravaganza -- $50 total cost -- 6 p.m. Saturday, March 21 -- Let Jeanne show you how to make and enjoy a fabulous Italian meal.
• The Essentials of Italian Cooking (limited to 12 people) -- $35 total cost -- Tuesday, March 24 -- Sauce, bread, biscotti, gelato, basil, Grana Padano, Ricotta -- Many of the basics will be covered so you can learn to make amazing Italian dishes for your family and friends!

For bookings and more information, visit online at Jeanne's Table.

The Magic SandBox is holding a Sock Hop from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 21) for children age 4 to 12 at Robert Morris School, 80 Union St. in the City of Batavia.

Admission is $1 or any monetary donation.

Parental supervision is required. Enter the building from the rear parking lot or the bus loop and follow the signs to the multipurpose room.

The point is to get kids up and moving!

It is hosted by True Wellness of WNY and Jo Coburn, a functional medicine health coach.

Attendees can expect:

• Healthy movement;
• Fun;
• Games;
• A dance contest;
• Crazy sock contest;
• Free prizes;
• Gently used books;
• Demo by the Harvester 56 Dance Academy;
• Healthy snacks;
• '50s costume contest;
• Basket raffle;
• Zumba with Tina Marie demo;
• And a Refuse to Lose Martial Arts demo.

Email:    themagicsandboxwebazine@gmail.com

A tractor-trailer reportedly struck a female driver's gray Jeep at Judge and Alleghany roads in Alabama, then left the scene westbound on Judge Road. A deputy is responding to the property damage accident. No injuries.

UPDATE 4:09 p.m.: A deputy is out with the tractor-trailer driver now. It has New York license plates.

Jeff and Carolyn Houseknecht opened a new Farmers Insurance Agency office at 214 E. Main St., Batavia, with a ribbon cutting this afternoon.

Press release:

Assemblymen Steve Hawley (Batavia) and Jake Ashby (Castleton), both veterans themselves, alongside their colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference co-hosted a “Voices for Veterans” event today at the American Legion Cottreall-Warner Post 942 in Webster, where they called for the immediate restoration of Gov. Cuomo’s planned $5.68 million cut to veterans’ services.

Gov. Cuomo’s 2020-2021 Executive Budget takes aim at initiatives that range from helping soldiers manage PTSD and mental health challenges, to enabling veterans to find job-training and successful careers, to improving access to VA services and quality healthcare.

“Our veterans and their families have sacrificed so much to serve and protect our great nation. They have more than earned our support – this is why I am fighting to restore $6 million in funding for veterans programs,” said Ashby, the ranking Republican member on the Assembly Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “Every year the governor tries to chip away at funding for veterans – funding that provides mental health services and critical help with the transition to civilian life. We won’t let him get away with it. New York must restore its support and commitment to veterans now.”

The largest cut proposed is to the wildly successful, popular Joseph P. Dwyer Veteran Peer-to-Peer Program. The governor’s budget eliminates more than $4 million from the counseling program that allows veterans to connect with other men and women who have served in the Armed Forces and are facing challenges similar to their own.

“These programs are the life blood of our veterans’ support network. Gutting funding for them is a slap in the face to the men and women who have risked their lives to protect ours,” Hawley said. “This isn’t a game. I am calling on Andrew Cuomo to restore his proposed funding cuts and stop playing politics with the well-being of our veterans.”

Among some of the other veteran-related programs facing funding cuts are:

• Helmets-to-Hardhats: $200,000—Assists post-9/11 veterans’ transition into careers in the building trades.
• Clear Path for Veterans: $200,000—Serves as a key source for veterans in upstate New York to access resources and programs including professional skills and training development, peer and wingman services and K-9 therapy programs.
• NYS Defenders Association Veterans Defense Program: $500,000—Provides training, legal assistance and support to provide representation of veterans and service members involved in the criminal or family court systems.
• SAGE Veterans Project: $100,000—SAGE advocates and offers services that help lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older adults who are veterans of military service improve their access to the VA and other veteran services, as well as support their overall health and wellness.
• Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Veterans and Military Families Advocacy Project: $200,000—Provide assistance with applying for veterans benefits and representation before the Board of Veterans Appeals and in federal court, at no cost to veterans, when benefits are denied.

“The governor’s budget includes $178 billion in spending. In recent years, he’s fought to use your tax dollars to give illegal immigrants free healthcare, free college tuition and driver’s licenses," said Assemblyman Brian M. Kolb (Canandaigua). "He wants taxpayer-funded political campaigns. He continually finds public contracts for his biggest political donors. At the same time, his budget would cut funding for veterans’ services by millions and millions of dollars. It’s unconscionable, and he should be ashamed. I’m proud to join my colleagues in fighting to restore this funding. Our veterans represent the very best of us, and the very best is exactly what they deserve from their government when they come home.”

Assemblyman Mark Johns (Webster) said “Veterans have sacrificed everything – their lives, time with their families and friends, their personal and professional goals – in order to protect our freedoms. It is vital that we do everything we can to show our appreciation, and ensuring the future of programs like the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Counseling Program is a great place to start. This program works. It is a proven life saver and its funding must be restored in this year’s budget."

“Why does the Governor always have to mess with the funding that our veterans hold dear?” asked Assemblyman Peter Lawrence (Greece). “Every year he finds it necessary to play political ping-pong with funding that is crucial to our veteran’s services. Services like the Dwyer Program should never be in jeopardy of being cut from the budget, and it seems like year in and year out the governor uses this funding as a political pawn during budget negotiations. I remain adamant about seeing it restored, and believe with continued pressure it will be included in the final budget.”

“Unfortunately, Gov. Cuomo’s planned cut to veterans’ services is not the first of its kind,” said Marjorie Byrnes (Caledonia). “For the past four years, the Dwyer Program, a peer-to-peer counseling service, has been nixed from his Executive Budget. The very people who fight for our freedom should never have to worry about losing services dear to them. As budget negotiations continue in the coming months, know that I will fight to see this funding restored and available for all counties.”

“It is an absolute travesty that the governor has, yet again, for the fourth year in a row, proposed a cut to funding for programs relating to veterans’ mental health,” said Assemblyman Brian Manktelow (Lyons). “I applaud Assemblyman Jake Ashby and Assemblyman Steve Hawley for taking charge with the 'Voices for Veterans' events to call for Gov. Cuomo to restore services immediately. I fully support this motion and hope to see the governor not only restore this back to the budget immediately but to increase the funding as well so all of our veterans are well taken care of.”

The Conference is also pushing to codify the expansion of the MERIT scholarship program for Gold Star Families by enacting it into law. After public outrage about the scholarship being threatened last year, the program was temporarily saved due to an executive order. Members of the Assembly Minority Conference are pushing for the scholarship to be properly passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor.

After more than a dozen years of effort by county officials, the aging bridge over the Tonawanda Creek at South Lyon Street may finally get replaced, perhaps sooner rather than later.

The project has been approved for a $498,400 federal grant.

Yesterday, the Public Service Committee recommended approval of a resolution authorizing the county to spend an additional $124,600 from the county's 1-percent share of sales tax and beginning the design phase of the project.

Highway Superintendent Tim Hens said under current terms of the grant, administered by the state, construction can't begin until 2023 but the county will push to accelerate the project.

"We are going to design it as quickly as we can and then we're going to press to have it funded in advance of (October 2022)," Hens said. "It depends on what money is available at state level and in the region. If projects get delayed or something comes in under budget, well, there is a possibility there might be money lying around that we could jump on."

Hens said he first submitted the project for Federal funding in 2006. The funds were awarded in 2007 but then the recession of 2008 meant a cut in spending. He resubmitted it in 2011 but Federal authorities determined that as a single-lane bridge, it didn't warrant saving.

"We argued that the traffic counts are higher than you think they are," Hens said. "We had the city, our city, the DPW, help us out on traffic counts. We had the traffic counts of around 2,500 cars a day at the peak."

The bridge is an important link for traffic between the bridges at Oak Street and at River Street, Hens said. 

In 2014, there were more cuts at the Federal level and it was pulled off the docket again. Hens resubmitted the project in 2017 and was denied funding.

The plan is now, with a grant awarded, to start the design phase immediately, because, Hens said, once money is spent on the project it is less likely to suffer another cut in spending.

"It's posted for five tons now," Hens said. "It's been in pretty rough shape. To make it go another three years might be pushing the limits from an engineering standpoint. It might get to the point where the posting drops enough where you can't get a car over it and it's closed."

The current bridge is Army surplus and was set in place in 1982 and a temporary fix for the old bridge it replaced.

The hope is to design a two-lane bridge. That's tough because the abutment of the current bridge is right under the pavement of South Main Street. Hens said the plan is also to design another truss bridge so that the character of the current bridge is maintained.

Top photo, Byron-Bergen Elementary School Council members and Assistant Principal Betsy Brown packing bags at the school for donating to CASA.

Submitted photos and press release:

       Brandon Fogg

A man who threatened a police officer with a BB gun is doing well in drug treatment, according to reports given to Judge Charles Zambito, but that wasn't enough to keep him out of jail for eight months.

Brandon Fogg, 32, pulled out what looked like a handgun while wrestling with a police officer at a location on Cedar Street one night in early June and a citizen intervened and stepped on Fogg's hand.

That intervention may have saved Fogg's life.

A week later, he entered a guilty plea to menacing and since then has been through treatment at Bradford and Atwater and is currently in an outpatient house run by GCASA.

His attorney, Jamie Welch, argued for an intermittent jail sentence given Fogg's success and the potential for disrupting that success with a continuous jail term.

Fogg told Zambito that he's been eight months clean. He thanks Zambito for the chance to go through treatment and giving him his life back.

"Being sober, next to my children, is the most important thing in my life," Fogg said. "I've done everything you've asked of me and I believe I've done well. I stand here another man ready to accept whatever you decide."

Zambito said considering the seriousness of the offense, a jail term that served as a sanction was necessary.

"You mentioned you wanted to commit suicide by cop," Zambito said. "You're lucky that didn't happen because it certainly seems like the officer would have been justified. Even though it was a toy gun you pulled on an officer, only the intervention of a bystander saved you."

Zambito said he didn't believe eight months in jail would disrupt Fogg's path of sobriety.

Submitted photo and press release:

Genesee County Sheriff William A. Sheron, Jr. is pleased to announce that K9 Frankie has received a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. and private citizen donors. The vest was embroidered with the sentiment “In memory of GS-29”.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) charity located in East Taunton, MA whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. The non-profit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 3,500 U.S. made, custom fitted, NIJ-certified protective vests in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a value of $6.9 million dollars.

The program is open to dogs actively employed in the U.S. with law enforcement or related agencies who are certified and at least 20 months of age.New K9 graduates, as well as K9s with expired vests, are eligible to participate.

The donation to provide one protective vest for a law enforcement K9 is $950. Each vest has a value between $1,744 – $2,283, and a five-year warranty and an average weight of 4-5 lbs. There is an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States. For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts tax-deductible donations of any denomination atwww.vik9s.orgor mailed to P.O. Box 9 East Taunton, MA 02718.

Michael Paladino, who would have turned 44 years old today had he not been murdered by Quinten J. Edmonds on June 1, 2019, was remembered today in County Court as a loving son, brother, and father, but his aunts and mother, who each asked that Judge Charles Zambito give the lifelong criminal the maximum prison term available.

And so Zambito did, 20-years-to-life.

There was no expression of sympathy from the judge, even in response to an apology from Edmonds -- who didn't just react in the heat of the moment to Paladino's attempt to protect two women Edmonds was attacking: he took the time and effort to go to the apartment of an acquaintance on Ross Street and retrieve a knife.

“For whatever reason, you thought you had a score to settle with him," Zambito said. "You say you didn’t intend to kill him but when you stab somebody that many times with a knife, I don’t see how it can be reasonably viewed that you didn’t know he wouldn’t die from those injuries.”

Edmonds had told Zambito minutes before, "I take full responsibility for what happened and I apologize to the victim’s friends and family and to my family. This isn’t who I was raised to be and I didn’t intend to take anybody’s life that night. I was drinking and I took the situation too far and I’m sincerely sorry."

Family members said they will never recover from the death of Paladino.

"The loss of Michael has hurt our family beyond words," said Carol DiFrancisco, an aunt. "There are no more birthday parties, backyard parties, holidays, or other gatherings that will be the same. Our family is forever broken."

At the close of her statement, she said, "Quinten Edmonds has given Michael’s loving family a life sentence of eternal sadness.”

His aunt Nancy Elmore said, "He was a big man, not just from a physical standpoint but from the kindness of heart. His actions on June 1, 2019, will tell you that. Rendering aid to people he didn’t even know without regard to his own safety shows he was a kind, gentle, caring man."

The sister of Paladino's mother, Barbara Fay, read a statement on her behalf.

She said, "The pain will never go away for any of us. I don’t know how I could survive this if not for my loving family you see here. It helped me survive and pushed me forward."

She called Edmonds a brutal criminal who has no regard for human life.

"He should never walk free again to repeat his actions."

The family vowed to show up at his first parole hearing in about 20 years to oppose his potential release.

Throughout today's hearing, except when he was speaking, Edmonds sat motionless in his chair at the defense table and stared straight ahead. He never looked at any of the other speakers.

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman also asked that Edmonds be shown no leniency in sentencing. He questioned Edmonds' claims that he was too intoxicated to know what he was doing and that he didn't intend to kill Paladino.

“He said he got the knife to scare Mike," Friedman said. "He didn’t need to scare Michael Paladino. He was the aggressor in this case and when he got to the corner he could have left. He did not and he got the knife because he intended to kill Michael Paladino."

Edmonds claims he was intoxicated, Friedman explained to Zambito, but he had the presence of mind to know to go to a residence he had been to before. He knew the residence well enough to know where to find a knife in the kitchen. Later, when Edmonds recounted events in his interview with a probation officer, he recalled details that are consistent with what witnesses said and the police investigation showed.  

“There is no indication he was so intoxicated that he was incapable of planning a murder," Friedman said.

Friedman said Zambito's decision was all about how long he wanted to protect society from a person who is committing such a horrible crime.

Defense Attorney Fred Rarick did not request for his client anything other than the sentencing recommendation agreed to at the time of Edmonds' guilty plea in August. He says, however, while acknowledging that his statement would be subject to misinterpretation, that perhaps something good could come from the events of June 1: That rather than first jump into a situation where people are fighting and yelling, people should call 9-1-1 first. If Paladino had done that, Rarick said, perhaps this whole outcome could have been avoided.

That drew a bit of a rebuke from Zambito when he spoke.

“I trust Mr. Rarick is not trying to blame Michael Paladino because that would be an injustice.”

Zambito acknowledged that Edmonds had a difficult childhood. He didn't have a father. His mother struggled to raise him but, Zambito said, Edmonds had a "loving grandmother who tried to raise him right."

Even so, Edmonds' criminal history became when he was 12 years old and he then spent the next 20 years either confined or awaiting confinement.

“You had many opportunities to deal with those issues, issues you had to know you had, and you never did," Zambito said. "That one is on you. It’s one thing to say you come from a difficult background, you were brought up in difficult circumstances. But life isn’t fair and at some point you had to recognize you have a problem. You don’t deserve to live in the community. You’re too much of a risk, too much of a danger to the rest of us and to people like Michael Paladino.”

NOTE: At the end of the proceedings, DA Lawrence Friedman informed the court that during the pretrial sentencing investigation, a records check in Monroe County by the probation department found that the correct spelling of the defendant's first name is "Quinten." He moved to have all court documents corrected. Contrary to previous reports, we've used the spelling "Quinten" in this story.

Press release:

Genesee County 4-H youth are invited to register for "Bovine, Sheep and Swine -- How Divine!” -- Animal Crackers 2020, which will be held on Saturday, May 2, on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca.

Mark your calendars for one of the most exciting animal science programs of the year!

It is offered by the Cornell University Department of Animal Science and will highlight dairy, beef, swine and sheep topics for 4-H youth 9-12 years old, or those with beginner to intermediate knowledge of those species. Interesting, educational, hands-on activities are planned to make Animal Crackers a memorable learning event.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn about dairy or livestock care, biology, and management while having fun participating in a variety of interactive activities with 4-H members from across New York State.

There is a $15 fee per youth to attend the program. Adult chaperones are free and each group must have at least one chaperone. Attendees are asked to bring their own lunch.  

Additional information is available on the Animal Crackers website.

Registration for the event must be done through your local Cornell Cooperative Extension Office and must be completed no later than April 24.

Youth must be enrolled in 4-H in order to participate. New 4-H members are always welcome to join the Genesee County 4-H Program. To register or receive more information, please contact the Genesee County 4-H Office at genesee4h@cornell.edu or (585) 343-3040, ext. 131.

A vehicle fire is reported at 6973 Ellicott Street Road, Pavilion.

There are reports of explosions. 

The vehicle is next to a structure.

Several callers report flames showing.

Pavilion fire dispatched.

A man accused of taking a teenage girl across state lines was scheduled for sentencing in Genesee County Court today but when his appearance time came, he wasn't in court.

It turns out Guillermo Torres-Acevedo was confused about his sentencing agreement and didn't want to appear until he spoke with the attorney representing him in Federal Court.

He couldn't reach his attorney, Alexander J. Anzalone, a Federal public defender, who was away from his phone because he was in County Court waiting for Torres-Acevedo.

Once the confusion was cleared up, Torres-Acevedo was transported by a deputy from the jail to the courthouse.

Torres-Acevedo was not sentenced today because he has not been sentenced yet in Federal Court, where he's facing from 70 to 96 months in prison.

The 23-year-old Batavia resident, who entered a guilty plea in early December to rape in the second degree, apparently thought he couldn't be sentenced in County Court until after he was sentenced in Federal Court; however, that wasn't the actual plea agreement. His sentencing locally was delayed until after his originally scheduled appearance before a Federal judge but there was no promise that his sentencing would come after that appearance.

His local attorney, Thomas Burns, asked that sentencing for Torres-Acevedo be delayed not just because a locally imposed sentence could affect the upper end of the possible sentence in Federal Court, but also because there are documents he and Anzalone are trying to obtain that could impact the decisions of the judges in both jurisdictions on the defendant's possible sentence.

Burns said both attorneys recently became aware of information that indicated Torres-Acevedo was neglected and abused as a child in Puerto Rico.  Both attorneys are seeking time to obtain documentation from Puerto Rico that would substantiate this claim and that information could have a bearing on sentencing.

Judge Charles Zambito granted the request to delay sentencing to 9 a.m. April 20 but warned Torres-Acevedo that he wouldn't wait indefinitely for the documents to be produced or for a Federal judge to issue a sentence. Zambito said he could very well go ahead with sentencing in April even if the other issues haven't been resolved.

As a precaution, at the request of District Attorney Lawrence Friedman, Zambito signed a "drag order," giving deputies permission to bring Torres-Acevedo to court by force if necessary on April 20. Burns didn't oppose the order but said that since today's initial refusal to appear was just a misunderstanding he was certain the drag order would be unnecessary. 

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