Press release:

Documentary filmmaker Ramona Persaud is exploring how teachers can use brain science to engage students of all ages and academic abilities in her new film “Grey Matters,” which begins production next month at Batavia High School, in Batavia, N.Y.

The film will follow three schools over the course of the 2013-2014 school year—Batavia High School, Batavia, N.Y., Roland Park Elementary in Baltimore, Md., and Westmoreland Community College in Youngwood, Pa., — as they implement the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model, developed by Mariale Hardiman, Ed.D., co-founder and director of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education’s Neuro-Education Initiative.

Hardiman’s teaching model, developed in 2003 and currently being practiced by more than 300 educators in schools around the world, promotes critical, divergent thinking that equips students with real-world knowledge and the ability to use it.

Persaud’s film will examine the question “Can neuroscience remake the teaching process, and if yes, what does that look like in practice?” The three teachers featured in Persaud’s documentary will implement Hardiman’s model, which designates six brain targets for the teaching and learning process. 

The film will follow these teachers in their mission to shift the learning process for their students, and transform school into a place where students learn to solve problems that require answers, instead of a place where students solve problems that have pre-determined answers.

Persaud was inspired to create this film after attempting to home-school her preschool daughter. Persaud discovered Hardiman’s Brain-Targeted Teaching Model and believed this model could be beneficial for not just her own daughter, but for all students.

“Like most parents, I want my kids to receive the best education possible,” Persaud says. “This teaching model really clarifies how kids process information. By following three classrooms over one school year, this film will illustrate what brain-based teaching really looks like, and how it can measurably improve academic performance.”

About Ramona Persaud:

Ramona Persaud is an independent documentary filmmaker, writer, and photographer. "Grey Matters" is her second film. Persaud’s first film, "It’s a Different World," explores the world of autism through the eyes of three autistic children. Visit www.greymattersdocumentary.com for more information.

About Mariale Hardiman:

Mariale Hardiman, Ed.D., is the assistant dean for Urban School Partnerships and Clinical Professor of Education at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and the co-founder and director of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education’s Neuro-Education Initiative. Before joining Johns Hopkins in 2006, Hardiman served in the Baltimore City Public Schools for more than 30 years. As the principal of Roland Park Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore, Md., she led the school to its designation as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.  With the use of the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model that Hardiman developed, the school was recognized by the Kennedy Center as a School of Distinction for arts programming and arts integration. Visit www.braintargetedteaching.org for more information. 

Corey James Hemmer, 27, of South Main Street, Elba, is charged with resisting arrest. Hemmer allegedly resisted when a deputy attempted to place him under arrest on a bench warrant. The warrant was related to a petit larceny charge out of Lockport.

Stephen William Miles, 51, of North Street Albion, is charged with petit larceny. Miles is accused of participating with David Martin in the theft of a 46" LED television from Kmart on Sunday night. Miles was jailed on $1,000 bail.

TyAnna Desiree Green, 18, of Lewis Place, Batavia, is was arrested on bench warrants out of the Town of Batavia, for alleged failure to appear. Green was jailed on $500 bail.

Christopher J. Clark, 33, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Clark is accused of shoplifting from Walmart. Clark was arrested by State Police.

Michael T. Sawyer, 23, of Lockport, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Sawyer arrested by State Police on Skye Road, Alabama.

Thea and Bella found a puddle to play in on Morton Avenue after the big straight-down rainstorm we had this evening.

By Lindsay Hawkins

The Newest Sports Craze at Darien Lakes State Park -- Disc Golf!

Think of traditional golf -- but with Frisbees. There, you have disc golf! If throwing is not your forte (like myself), the course may seem intimidating -- but don’t let that deter you from trying it out at Darien Lakes State Park’s beautiful 18-hole Angry Apple Disc Golf Course.

The object of disc golf, much like traditional, is to “complete each hole in the fewest number of strokes” (or throws in this case), according to the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA). There are even specific discs like there are golf clubs! You start from a tee area and aim for the target  an elevated metal basket. At Darien Lakes, the course winds through an old apple orchard and wooded hills, presenting quite a fun challenge for players. 

Also known as Frisbee golf, disc golf is a great way to spend time outside with family or friends. Kids to seniors can be seen on the course, which starts just behind the contact station at the entrance to the park. There are three separate tees to accommodate all levels of expertise, so everyone can participate!

Doug Kelly, park manager at Darien Lakes, brought the sport to the park over a year ago, to much success. He knew the park had the perfect land and setup for a disc golf course. Professional golfers and amateurs have visited the park solely to try the course. 

“The sport has a fairly easy learning curve so you can get proficient rather quickly,” Kelly said. “The idea for the course was to create a fun design that would cater both to experienced golfers and those who are just being introduced to the sport. It’s a great way to spend a few hours relaxing while playing at your own pace.”

Disc golf actually has a local connection! In 1970, a group of people from Rochester had been playing disc golf with tournaments and leagues -- they even had a championship event by 1972. The next year, they discovered the International Frisbee Association and turned their championship event into a national one -- the American Flying Disc Open. From there, disc golf was incorporated as an event in the World Frisbee Championship, and then the PDGA was formed. 

The course is open year-round (yes, if you are feeling adventurous, you can play in the winter!) The park will soon be renting and selling discs for use on the course, but keep in mind that there is a lot of foliage surrounding the course and you don’t want to lose your disc! 

Players get to see a secluded part of the park, which is both serene and scenic, while getting in some exercise and relaxation. Visit Darien Lakes' hidden treasure and see what this up-and-coming sport is all about!

Darien Lakes State Park is located at 10475 Harlow Road in Darien.
Call (585) 547-9242 for more information about disc golf and the park.

Press release:

On Monday Aug. 12, as part of the Tracy Avenue construction project, two water valves are being replaced in the water distribution system. This requires water service to be shut down in the area of Tracy Avenue, North Street between Bank and Ross streets, Summit Street north of Ellsworth Avenue, and Seneca Avenue.

It is expected that water service will be shut down at approximately 9 a.m. and will be off for approximately four hours. Every effort will be made to minimize the time that service is down. Residents in the immediate area should be aware that this may cause a period of discolored water in this vicinity, and should avoid activities such as laundry, which could be affected.

FYI: This will not affect UMMC Hospital and they are aware of this.

NOTE: This post replaces one we put up a few minutes ago that was based on an old press release inadvertently sent over the city.

"Yolo" got her second chance once readers of The Batavian saw her story posted Tuesday. The kitten is currently at the county Animal Shelter and will undergo surgery to amputate an injured hind leg tommorrow at State Street Animal Hospital.

According to Volunteers for Animals, prior to contacting us, they had raised half of the $600 needed for her medical care.

This afternoon we received the happy ending to this story in an e-mail from volunteer Andre Miller:

"THANK YOU THANK YOU! Power of the media. Not only have we raised enough money for Yolo, but she has a home!!!!! A woman saw your article and just lost her 16-year-old amputee kitty. She is going to take her home after surgery and care for the cat as she is retired and can give her lots of attention. So thank you for putting this out there! It's a lifesaver!"

We say thank you to our kind and compassionate readers and wish Yolo a speedy recovery!

Rep. Chris Collins met with a few Batavia business owners today to discuss issues small business. Collins said meetings such as this help keep him grounded and focused on issues that will help grow the economy.

The clear message from today's meeting, he said, was that small business owners are uncertain about the direction of the country, worried about tax codes, health care, availability of capital and finding a well-trained work force.

He noted economic growth has been floundering at 1.6 percent for years.

"There was a confirmation here today that uncertainty plays a big role and that uncertainty is tied directly to Washington," Collins said.

He said the message for small business owners who couldn't attend the meeting is that he's trying to do his part to get the country moving forward in a commonsense way.

That means tax reform that lowers the marginal tax rate for all small business owners to maximum of 25 percent," he said. "(It means) making sure the government doesn't shut down but that we deal with the deficits and debts of our country; bringing a level of certainty to unleash the investment that's waiting to be made if people were confident the government wasn't going to shut down, and I will continue to fight for the repeal of ObamaCare."

Press release:

Theo was an active kindergarten student at Amherst Central School who suddenly became very sick. He had a rare autoimmune disorder that caused spontaneous bleeding. 

Theo was dying. He needed a blood transfusion, but the platelet transfusion didn’t help.  Next the doctors decided to administer an immunoglobulin transfusion, a special blood product that is made from the plasma of at least 1,000 donors.  

This helped a great deal, but Theo wasn’t completely recovered. He needed one more platelet transfusion before he completely recovered. Now he is an active 8-year-old who is looking forward to being in the third grade.

It took 1,002 donors to provide the blood components that saved Theo. Now he and his family would like to thank those donors with a campaign to replace the blood that was used for Theo – 1,002 units, plus one to “pay it forward.”

Batavia’s Mega Blood Drive today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel sponsored by The Bank of Castile is part of the effort to help Theo’s family raise 1,003 units of blood. Theo and his mom, Gina Bellavia, visited Batavia to speak to community organizers who met at The Bank of Castile to plan for the drive.

“I couldn’t believe more than 1,000 people had donated their blood to give my son another chance at life,” said Gina. “Blood donors are super heroes to Theo and our family.”

All donors at the drive will receive a T-shirt that says they are part of Theo’s Super Hero campaign. Local businesses have joined together to encourage employees to donate. 

Walk-ins are welcome.

“We can help many people and organizations by donating money, but the need for blood is one thing that money can’t buy,” said Gregg McAllister from The Bank of Castile. “Red Cross reports indicate that there is a shortage of blood this summer, so every donation is very important.”

The Batavia Mega Blood Drive has consistently been the largest drive conducted in Genesee County each year.

“We know Genesee County residents care for their neighbors. A blood drive is a time when they literally roll up their sleeves to help others.  That’s why Genesee County is a great place to live,” McAllister concluded.

To remain competitive, Genesee Community College must grow and expand its facilities, college President Jim Sunser told the County Legislature's Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday.

The committee approved a $42.5-million Facilities Master Plan for the college.

Half the funds for the new buildings and improvements will come from state grants, Sunser explained, and while the county is technically on the hook for the other $21 million, GCC is uniquely positioned to quickly pay down any debt.

"This is a very responsible plan that not only moves us forward and continues to make us a competitive choice for students in the region, it will help ensure Genesee County students don't opt to go to one of the other schools," Sunser said.

GCC, he noted, competes for students with Erie, Niagara, Finger Lakes and Corning, and if a Genesee County student decides to attend one of those schools, the county must pay a fee to those other community colleges for each student that enrolls.

The neighboring community colleges have all recently made significant additions to their campuses.

"These colleges have made improvements and are already ahead of us in terms of square footage and services," Sunser said.

However, because GCC is the only community college in the GLOW region, it draws students -- and revenue -- from neighboring counties, which is one way the college can help pay for upgraded facilities.

The other, he said, is the successful GCC Foundation, which does a good job of raising funds to support the college.

Even though the college will come back to the Legislature to seek approval for specific projects under the plan, it's important that the entire plan be approved now so the college is in line for state funding as it becomes available.

Getting into the queue now, Sunser said, will make fundraising easier.

The two big components of the facilities plan include:

• A "student success center," which will be a "front door" for new and current students;
• A multipurpose college and community event center, which will help bring more events -- with greater economic impact -- to the community.

The new buildings will also help free up more of GCC's existing space for instructional use.

A 52-year-old Medina resident was jailed Wednesday after allegedly trying to steal a 46" RCA LED TV from Kmart.

David James Martin, of East Center Street, Medina, was arrested after dispatchers received a report at 8:45 p.m., Wednesday, of two men fleeing Kmart in a black pickup truck with an allegedly stolen TV.

The truck was stopped by Deputy Chad Minuto on Route 98 in the Village of Elba.

Martin is charged with petit larceny.

There's been no release on the possible arrest of the man who was with him.

The TV was wrapped in a security device, which Martin is also accused of stealing.

Following arraignment in Town of Batavia Court, Martin was jailed on $1,000 bail.

New York Times: A Day’s Strike Seeks to Raise Fast-Food Pay

At least one person is injured following a motor-vehicle accident in the area of 21 Buffalo Road, Bergen

A person is reportedly down in the roadway.

Bergen Fire Department and Mercy EMS responding.

Two ambulances requested to the scene. Both vehicles had air bag deployment. No obvious injuries.

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An 81-year-old woman reportedly pulled in front of a bus from Tinkham Road, Darien, onto Route 20, earlier this evening and was critically injured in the crash.

Frances McClellan was taken to ECMC by Mercy Flight with head trauma.

State Police are investigating the accident, but initial indications are that McClellan pulled onto Route 20 as a 16-passenger bus owned by Family Life Ministries was approaching the intersection.

There was only one passenger on the bus at the time. Stephen Smith, 58, of Bath, suffered a minor leg injury and was treated at the scene.

The bus driver, Jeremy Hill, 34, of Bath, was not injured.

(Initial Report)

Photo by Alecia Kaus.

A person has managed to get a TV out of Kmart without paying for it, load it in a black pickup truck and then head down Park Road toward the Thruway.

Local law enforcement responding. The Thruway Authority is being notified.

There are two white males in the truck.

UPDATE 8:57 p.m.: A truck has been stopped with a 46" LED TV in the bed.

At least 12 males are congregating in the area of Tim Horton's and Wendy's on Main Street in the city and appear to be preparing for a fight, according to a caller to dispatch. Police are responding.

Genesee County is experiencing a significant increase in the number of female inmates, and projections indicate that they will need an additional $205,000 to cover 2013 female housing expenses.

The jail averages between 10-15 female inmates every day and more on weekends.

“Five years ago the jail spent $125,000 on female inmates, this year we’re already at almost $300,000,” Sheriff Gary Maha said. “In just that time frame, the equal opportunity to do the crime has just exploded and the circle where we’re able to house the people has just gotten bigger and bigger.”

Since the county jail does not have separate holding areas for male and female inmates, women must be transported to and from jails in neighboring counties. The county is on the hook for the expense of transportation, a deputy's time during transport and paying the other jails to house local inmates.

Numerous officer injuries at the end of 2012 and during 2013 has resulted in increased overtime details to cover for those on leave. So 2013 overtime expenses exceed the original budgeted amount by $15,000.

Genesee County Legislature approved the increase in jail appropriations of $205,000 for female housing and $15,000 for overtime, to be offset by increased revenue from jail prisoner charges, the Genesee County refund of the prior year’s expense and VLT revenue.

The Sheriff’s Office has a new K-9 team to replace current police K-9, Pharoah, and his handler, Deputy Brian Thompson. The 11-year-old Czech German Shepherd is retiring and his handler is relinquishing his K-9 assignment after 13 years to return to road patrol.

Thompson has nothing but praise for Pharoah, whom he described as a great tracker, good with children and an excellent drug-detection dog.

“Pharoah is an awesome dog and you would never know that he’ll be 12 in the fall,” Thompson said.

On Tuesday afternoon, the County's Public Service Committee approved $13,346 for a new police K-9, training for a new K-9 handler and additional equipment and supplies. The funds come from money donated to the Genesee County K-9 Fund, as well as funds from Forfeiture of Crime Proceeds.

The K-9 team is used for search and suspect apprehension, locating missing persons including missing children and Alzheimer patients, contraband and drug searches, tactical tracking, evidence recovery, building searches, patrol, and public presentations. 

Pharoah began working with Thompson in November 2010 and was donated by Niagara Falls Police Department. He is certified in patrol, tracking, handler protection, narcotics detection, building searches and apprehension. Pharoah and Thompson will work until the dog and handler are trained and ready to take over.

“Training lasts for 15 weeks, from September to December,” Thompson said.

Pharoah's retirement will be spent with the Thompson family.

An accident with multiple injuries involving three vehicles is reported at Route 20 and Colby Road. One person is said to have a leg injury and the other a head laceration. One female is unconscious. Darien Fire Department is responding, along with Mercy medics and law enforcement.

UPDATE 6:02 p.m.: Vehicles are blocking eastbound traffic. Mercy Flight's availability is checked and ship #5 out of Batavia is available.

UPDATE 6:04 p.m.: Mercy Flight is called and the landing zone will be the southwest corner of the accident scene in an open parking lot.

UPDATE 6:18 p.m.: All victims have been extricated from the vehicles.

UPDATE 6:25 p.m.: Route 20 will be shut down at routes 238 and 77.

UPDATE 6:32 p.m.: Alexander Fire Department is requested to shut down westbound tractor-trailer traffic at routes 20 and 98.

UPDATE 6:42 p.m.: Mercy Flight is transporting one patient to Erie County Medical Center.