Washington Post: Why Wegmans really is the best supermarket in the U.S.
Press release:
The Le Roy Police Department is asking for assistance in identifying the person or persons responsible for damaging at least four different vehicles which were parked in or near the roadway last evening in different parts of the Village. The Le Roy Police have identified four vehicles which were scratched or “keyed” for no apparent reason last evening between possibly 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Anyone having information pertaining to these crimes is asked to contact the Le Roy Police Dispatcher at 345-6350.
Lori Doeringer is the chairperson of the GO ART! Appraisal Fair, which is this Saturday, with her own interest in getting a couple of items appraised by one of the eight experts who will be on hand to provide those who bring antiques and items of value that need appraised to the fair.
The fair will be held at Seymour Place, 201 E. Main St., Batavia, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Appointments are encouraged. Call (585) 343-9313.
The event is a fundraiser for GO ART! The first item is $20 and a second item is $10. GO ART! members can get a third item appraised for free.
Yasses Construction did some work this morning repaving a portion of the Valu Plaza parking lot -- the section right in front of El Burrito Loco and Deep Blue Pool and Spa.
Earlier today, antenna maintenance taking place at County Building #2 on West Main Street Road, Batavia.
This morning, scores of local residents gathered at Dwyer Stadium before fanning out around the community to provide volunteer labor to several organizations for spring cleanup and restoration projects as part of the 2015 United Way Day of Caring. We have pictures from the YMCA, Centennial Park, Peace Garden and Genesee ARC.
Bottom photo of the group at Dwyer is a submitted photo.
Participating students were Andrew Sczepanski, Sean Donovan, Celeste Brownwell, Joelle Meister and Nathan McCarthy. EMS Explorer students assisting were Aurora Zinter, Maddie Wittman, Katie Simmons and Jeremy Boeff.
To purchase prints of photos, click here.
The Police Facilities Committee has narrowed the possible locations it might recommend for a new Batavia PD headquarters to three locations:
Committee members pretty much arrived at the three locations through a process of elimination and largely by consensus. Using a spreadsheet that allowed them to rank each location based on a number of factors, including cost, potential configuration, proximity to the center of the city, and other criteria, these sites scored the highest.
The lowest-scoring locations were the two options for remodeling the current headquarters -- the Brisbane Mansion -- and a co-location of sorts with the Sheriff's Office on Park Road.
The committee will visit each of the remaining sites under consideration May 28, re-score them and then meet again at a later date to hopefully hash out an agreed-upon recommendation for City Council.
Each potential site, committee members acknowledged, has its pluses and minuses.
"There's really no ideal spot," said Jim Jacobs.
Still, the committee will try to come up with one single recommendation for City Council to consider. Committee members agreed that it was their job to present one location as its recommendation, with its rationale in a report, and let the council decide yes or no on that recommendation, rather than bog down a council debate with two or three recommendations.
Both the Alva Place location and Swan Street were not part of the original seven alternatives presented to the committee, but emerged as potential sites through the process of the committee's discussions and review of the geography and topography of the city.
There are committee members with strong feelings about each location, and each has at least one member with strong feelings about its lack of suitability.
Alva Place: Committee members love it for its high visibility downtown, central location to downtown and addition of density to downtown. It's also the lowest cost option, coming in at at least $800,000 less than the Salvation Army location. The location's critics are concerned about traffic congestion on Bank Street and at Main and Bank, the loss of parking in the area and potential conflicts with pedestrian traffic going to and from the YMCA and Senior Center.
Chief Shawn Heubusch was among those expressing concern about traffic congestion. He is very concerned, he said, about the potential for patrols responding to calls getting hung up in traffic at Main and Bank. A committee member countered that typically patrols are not at the office when they are dispatched to calls, which Heubusch agreed with, but if they are responding from the office, traffic could be a problem, likewise in big incidents when patrols and detectives are all rolling from the office.
Marc Staley is particularly concerned about losing parking and the impact that could have on the movie theaters, JCPenney and the doctors' offices on Washington Avenue.
"We could end up with a bunch of vacant buildings on Washington," Staley said. "We don't want to poke JCPenney in the nose and have them go out to where Radio Shack is or leave the city. I don't think we want to be pennywise and pound foolish."
Ashley Bateman initially scored Alva Place high, but after listening to the discussion, expressed some reservations.
"I don't think Alva is really functional as much as I would like to see something there," Bateman said.
Pete Garlock stuck to his guns, however, insisting it's the most suitable location citing its centralness to the city, ease of access, high visibility and lower cost.
Swan Street: There wasn't as much discussion about Swan Street. Everybody kind of likes the location, except it would have much less public visibility. It would be reasonably accessible to Main and Ellicott streets and cost less than Jackson Street. The property is privately owned and would need to be acquired. The property would come off the tax roles, but it only generates less than $2,000 a year in municipal tax now. A police station in that location might also help spur other economic development activity in the neighborhood.
Jackson Street: The main concern is cost. The property is in the floodplain and mitigating that fact drives up the cost. It's also property that while owned by a tax-exempt nonprofit would still need to be purchased.
Garlock expressed concern about kicking a good organization out of its location, but McGinnis argued that the Salvation Army Thrift Store is struggling in that location in part because of the age and condition of the building, its size and the addition of new competition from Goodwill and Volunteers of America.
"That would be my number-one location if not for the floodplain," Staley said.
At Tuesday's SCOPE meeting in Batavia, local veterans were honored by the Honor Flight Network.
Honor Flight Network is a nonprofit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. The group transports veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit and reflect at the memorials of the various wars. Top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with veterans who may be terminally ill.
Of all of the wars in recent memory, it was World War II that truly threatened our very existence as a nation—and as a culturally diverse, free society. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 640 WWII veterans die each day. Our time to express our thanks to these brave men and women is running out.
John Foy (pictured above), a WWII infantry machine gunner vet of the "Battle of the Bulge," who overcame many obstacles, including sub-zero temperatures, heavy snow at times, and surviving the violent, pounding barrage of artillery.
"Only a very few of us had proper winter clothing," Foy said. "Frozen feet were a big problem and 24 hours a day we were outside and very little time was spent inside a house or shelter."
For a brief moment in history, these men held our nation's destiny in our hands. We did not fail. There are an estimated 16 million vets who fought in WWII and only 1.6 million are left. The average age of that generation is 92.
Pictured below is John Cipolla, paratrooper of the 101st Airborne Division, signing his book for someone.
All vets were honored tonight with a choice of a copper memorabilia coin with their appropriate military service.
SCOPE meets the second Tuesday of each month at the Calvary Baptist Church on Galloway Road in Batavia.
For more information: http://www.scopeny.org/contact-2/chapter_info/genesee-county-chapter/
Submitted by Lauren Humphrey:
St. Joseph Catholic School student Kate Ricupito has been named a “State Grand-Level Winner” in this year’s Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest! Approximately 300,000 entries were submitted and Kate’s submission will now advance to the Grand National Championship. Kate was awarded an engraved Zaner-Bloser State Winner Medallion. Her teacher, Mrs. Clattenburg, was awarded an engraved Glass Diamond Award, and the school has been recognized with a $200 Zaner-Bloser gift certificate!
Now in its 24th year, the National Handwriting Contest is an annual event sponsored by Zaner-Bloser to promote legible handwriting. The contest is free to enter and open to all students in Grades K–8. Students can win many great prizes, including cash and trophies. Zaner-Bloser estimates that more than 4 million students have participated in the contest over its 23-year history.
Pictured, from left: Mrs. Mary Zehler, Kate Ricupito, Mrs. Marianne Clattenburg and Mrs. Karen Green. (Photo credit: Mrs. Barbara Paserk)
With this post, we catch up with a couple of sports-related submissions that we hadn't gotten to yet.
Above, the Batavia JV softball team after its victory in the Pembroke JV softball tournament. The team beat Notre Dame 8-4 and Pembroke 10-6.
The team: Liz Piedmont, Emma Dunn, Nataleigh Rivera Ellis, Alexis Merriam, Maiya Reinhart, Gabz Havens, Assistant Coach Rick Smith, Stephanie Hoy, Courtney Biegasiewicz, Cheyenne Richardson, Shelby Weis, Katie Ange, Coach Jim Fazio, and Stephanie Shultz. Also on the team are Jasmine Barber and Nashalie Vasquez-Vega.
Submitted by Jim Fazio.
Earlier this week, Jeff Redband advanced to the boys varsity tennis state qualifier tournament in singles for the fourth consecutive year by finishing third in the Class B sectionals. Also Samir Jain and Jon McMaster (not pictured) advanced by finishing third in the doubles tournament.
Submitted by Scott Lawniczak.
The O-AT-KA Hose Company, part of the Le Roy Volunteer Fire Department, honored one of its longtime members. Robert Radley submitted these photos and the message below:
The O-AT-KA Hose Company Number 1 of LeRoy NY would like to congratulate one of their most respected members.
James A. Spear, 82, of LeRoy has been a member of the company since 1969. During his tenure he has held many positions within the company. He served as president from 1978-1982. He was elected secretary in 1985 and continues to hold the position today. He has done the financial work and record keeping for the company for many years. Much of the work that keeps the company in business is done by Jim and his wife, Florence. He is accurate to the penny and is upset if the books for the company are off by as little as nine cents.
At the annual Steak Roast at the company rooms on North Avenue on May 9, 2015 to the surprise of Jim, the meeting room was dedicated to him. As Jim was presented with a permanent plaque to take home, geniune surprise filled his face and for a short time he was speechless. A sign over the door now reads “James A. Spear Meeting room 2015."
The membership of the company thanks Jim for all of his dedicated work over the last 46 years. Much of what we do as a company cannot be done without Jim and at every function we have he can be found near the door cash box and raffle tickets in hand and making sure that tasks are done and things go smoothly.
Oliver's Candies is more than a Batavia landmark, it is a destination for many on the holidays. It is a cherished tradition. The business has grown quite a bit since 1932 and the sign that had served the store for about 65 years was retired today. Don’t panic! The old sign will be placed into storage and preserved.
The new sign is chocolate brown and matches the motif of the Swiss chalet that was formed around the wood-framed house that was the original store. The sign will be wired and turned on Wednesday.
Jeremy Liles, VP of Oliver’s, stands next to the new sign.
A three-car collision with injuries is reported at Pearl Street Road (Route 33) and River Street. City Engine 11 is on scene and Mercy medics are responding.
Press release:
John Borrelli, Board of Trustees president, announced that Mr. Wade Bianco has been named the new principal of Notre Dame High School of Batavia effective July 1, 2015. After an extensive search process that included several committees of highly respected faculty, administration, staff, students, parents, board members and community members; three rounds of highly qualified candidate interviews, Mr. Wade Bianco emerged as the overwhelming choice to lead Notre Dame High School.
“We are excited to welcome Wade to our administrative team. His experience in education is extensive and includes instructional leadership at the high school level. He comes with a wealth of knowledge not only in academics, but also in co-curricular activities and athletics,” Borrelli stated. “Wade is a creative and effective communicator and listener and is a very insightful and knowledgeable leader. His high expectations and genuine caring for students, staff, and families will serve the Notre Dame community well,” added Borrelli.
Mr. Bianco demonstrated the attributes the Notre Dame High School family sought for its Catholic co-educational school including outstanding leadership abilities with a dedication to the concept and practice of positive school culture and core values. His understanding of the value parents as partners bring to the educational experience, expertise as an instructional leader and deep understanding of the current standards and assessment processes made him the clear choice for the position.
Wade is replacing long-time, beloved Principal Dr. Joe Scanlan, who is retiring at the end of this school year after 43 years in education, which includes 15 years at Byron-Bergen, 17 years at York and the last 11 years serving at his alma mater as principal of Notre Dame High School.
Opportunities for faculty, staff, parents and members of the community to meet and welcome Mr. Wade Bianco to the Notre Dame family will be announced in the near future.
CrossFit is more than just an effective way to workout and get in shape. It is a way of living life to be your best. This includes training your body mentally and physically, as well as eating appropriately to sustain an active lifestyle. The founder of CrossFit, Greg Glassman, used this definition to define CrossFit: “CrossFit is an effective fitness program consisting of constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity."
So, what is CrossFit? It is a combination of a few components:
Functional Movements: This includes any type of human movement you may see in everyday life such as squatting, running, jumping, lifting/carrying objects, climbing, throwing, etc. These types and patterns of movements have been ingrained in our DNA as human beings and are often neglected in todayʼs society. In life and in sport the body must work together as a unit to complete a task. In CrossFit, we use compound functional movements to train our body to work together as a whole to better ourselves in sport and in lifeʼs tasks.
Constant Variation: In CrossFit, our specialty is not specializing. We strive to be competent in any possible task or challenge that could come our way. Each day, every workout is different and will challenge you in a different aspect of fitness. Workouts can range from 5-50 minutes and will vary in movements, loads, rep schemes, etc. The only purpose for doing the same workout twice is to track progress over time.
High Intensity: Intensity, of course, is relative to ones fitness level, but everyone can benefit from it. Simply put: Intensity = Power output during a workout. Power output can be measured by: (Force x Distance)/Time. The more power output you can develop during a workout, the more fit you can become.
Who Is CrossFit For?
The best part about CrossFit is that it is designed to be universally scaleable. This makes CrossFit the perfect fitness program for any committed individual regardless of experience. We scale load and intensity; we donʼt change programs. The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree not kind. Every person needs some sort of physical capacity, whether it be to compete in sports, to serve and protect, or to carry groceries into the house. Our soldiers, skiers, mountain bike riders and housewives have found their best fitness from the same regimen.
Still skeptical? Well don’t knock it till you try it, at CrossFit Silver Fox we offer two Free Foundations Classes. They are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. and it is a requirement to attend both classes before you sign up for regular classes. For those of you who are curious and would like to know the movements we cover in foundations here is a layout of the two days.
Movements: Day 1:
Day 2:
Website: CrossFitSilverFox.com • Like us on Facebook • Contact Info: E-mail: CrossFitSilverFox@Gmail.com • Phone: 585-813-9281
Video URL: https://youtu.be/mlVrkiCoKkg
The city's effort to come up with a strategy for dealing with stray cats, aka, "community cats," will now move to a committee phase with the inclusion of representatives from county government.
Assistant City Manager Gretchen Difante told Council on Monday night that she's met with County Manager Jay Gsell, which led to a meeting with Public Health Director Paul Pettit, who agreed to assign a staff member to the committee. The committee will also include a representative of the Animal Shelter.
Difante said the committee is nearly in place, but she's still trying to find a local veterinarian to serve on the committee.
The job of the committee will be to review all the research, explore what's going on in the community now related to feral and stray cats, and come up with a comprehensive plan for how to deal with the issue.
People care passionately about the issue, Difante said, and she and others in the city have gotten a tremendous amount of feedback from local residents since she first presented potential solutions to the problem in March. The range of suggestions from residents include doing nothing up to poisoning them all.
Difante's original presentation included three members of a pro bono legal team out of Buffalo that specializes in this matter and a lengthy written report detailing the pros and cons of every potential option for dealing with stray cats with the recommendation that communities follow a practice known as TNVR (Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return).
That program, since first proposed, has generated some opposition, including from some on Council.
Councilman Eugene Jankowski expressed some interest in alternatives including getting captured cats adopted or euthanized.
But TNVR doesn't exclude those options, Difante said.
"There's a lot of pieces of TVNR that we're not talking about," Difante said. "It's a very comprehensive piece."
Part of the job of the committee will be to explore ways to bring into the process those people in the community, either as inviduals or as part of groups, who are already dealing with stray cats, either through their own mini-TVNR effort or simply by feeding and sheltering stray cats.
"People who take care of feral cats, of community cats, are not likely to stop, no matter what you do, so best practice TVNR says make those people part of the solution; bring them in, give them training," Difante said.
After the meeting, Difante said she thinks the committee approach is the next best step.
"When we're all on the same page and putting all of our effort into targeting them in one approach and we're all bought into that, we're going to have a lot more positive impact that we could ever have when we're scattered," Difante said.
While a great deal of fact-based research backing TNVR has been presented to Council, the committee will present an opportunity for a more local approach.
"It was a solid research piece, but getting people involved in the community in the research is what Council needs to hear," Difante said.
The inclusion of the county, the wider geographic area, is going help the city secure grants to fund any sort of TVNR program, Difante said.
"I believe that if we don't try to have this be a citizen, community effort and explore every opportunity to be able to work with existing nonprofits who can help us with access to grants, then we're doing a disservice," Difante said. "That's where we need to start because trying to figure out how to get money from taxpayers to fund this is not the way to start."
Since this is an issue a lot of people are passionate about, whatever the final determination is, there will be detractors, Difante said.
"We need to acknowledge the fact that we're not going to please everybody," Difante said. "There's no way we're going to come up with something where everybody is going to be happy about. We have to decide what we're going to do and then march towards that."
Residents of Vernon Avenue are organizing opposition to a proposed new Arby's Restaurant on West Main Street, at the end of Vernon.
In a petition presented to City Council Monday night, residents say the proposed development -- which would replace three existing residential buildings -- would create more noise, result in 24-hour lighting, destroy trees, increase traffic congestion at the intersection and on Vernon, and decrease property values.
Residents David Steele and John McCauley spoke up during public comments at Monday's meeting and Steele presented the Council with a petition signed by almost every resident of Vernon Avenue (City Manager Jason Molino lives there but didn't sign it, Steele said, citing a conflict of interest).
"Many residents, especially those at the southern end of Vernon Avenue, have said if this development goes through as presented to the Planning and Development Committee, they will list their homes for sale," Steele said. If many residents do that, there will be a housing glut on that street with supply and demand decreasing property values."
McCauley (top photo) said he purchased his home about a year ago, moving here with his wife from Buffalo, expecting to live on a quiet street. If the Arby's is built, he said, then he'd likely move.
"We were sad to hear that (an Arby's was going in)," McCauley said. "If they were going to do something like that, it would probably force us to put our house up for sale."
The proposed development will be on Thursday's agenda for the County Planning Board and at a future meeting of the city's Planning and Development Committee. Steele said residents plan to be at both of those meetings.
The planning committee operates independently and the Council has no real input on what development gets approved or denied.
The man on Jackson Street who was the center of local law enforcement attention for four hours Sunday afternoon has been charged with two counts of second-degree harassment and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Glenn H. Quintern, 56, of 102 Jackson St., rear upper apt., is being held on $20,000 bail or $40,000 bond.
Quintern allegedly threatened to shoot children who were playing near his apartment.
Batavia PD responded to the complaint and tried to talk Quintern out of the apartment. Because it couldn't be determined whether he actually had a weapon and the level of threat he posed, backup patrols, including deputies and troopers, were called in and eventually the Emergency Response Team was deployed.
Following a 40-minute negotiation with police, using a phone that had been tossed into the apartment, Quintern surrendered and was taken into custody without further incident.
A subsequent search of his apartment did not turn up a weapon.
Additional charges are possible, according to police.
Also assisting at the scene were the Office of Emergency Management and Batavia FD.
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