New York Times: ‘Star Wars’ Trailer Is Unveiled for Ecstatic Fans

Press release:

Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council -- GOART! -- seeks an energetic, organized, communicative manager for a two-county regional arts council. The deadline for applicant submissions is Friday, April 24.

The person selected will be responsible for:

• Staff of two full-time and three part-time employees;
• Annual budget of $338,000;
• Working collaboratively with county and municipal government agencies;
• Writing and supervising grant applications and projects, including approximately $138,000/year of New York State Council on the Arts regrant funds;
• Working with a diverse clientele including other arts organizations (historic preservation, music, visual and performing arts), individual artists and groups;
• Administering an Historic Landmark facility in Downtown Batavia, New York and seven local and regional galleries;
• Supervising GOART! sponsored and/or based events including annual July 4^th “Picnic in the Park";
• Working with a volunteer Board of Directors, currently 11 members representing both counties;
• Leads development and fundraising efforts including locating possible sources of funds.

Candidate submissions must include:

1. Letter addressing why the candidate would be a good choice for GOART! (Please see the GOART! Executive Director Job Description on the GOART! Web site at http://www.goart.org/news/)

1. Résumé.

1. Two (2) Reference Letters (may not be from a relative of the candidate) – at least one (1) Reference Letter must be from a community leader, an educator, or a person working in the artistic community.

If submitting electronically, submit all documents in .pdf or .docx format to:

GOARTDirectorSearch@gmail.com

If submitting via U.S. Mail, mark envelope as Confidential and mail to:

Executive Director Search Committee

GOART!

201 E. Main St.

Batavia, NY 14020-2205

Attn.:  Diana Kastenbaum – Search Committee Chair

ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE POSTMARKED OR ELECTRONICALLY SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2015

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at Ellicott Street and Ellicott Place. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 5:49 p.m.: The city assignment is back in service.

Members of the Kiwanis Club of Batavia are inviting you to the club's annual spaghetti and meatball dinner from noon to 3 p.m., April 26 at the YWCA, 301 North St., Batavia. Tickets are $7 per person and available at the door.

Pictured are club members, from left, Shannon Ford, Jeanne Walton, Anne Bezon, Patti Pacino and Theresa Asmus.

An E-cigarette/vapor retail shop at 327 Ellicott St. was raided this afternoon by agents of Homeland Security who had a search warrant for counterfeit E-cigarettes. The shop is across from Hutchins Street in the City of Batavia and has no business name on the outside of the building. The feds are investigating the alleged sale of E-cigarettes made in China but marketed under a competitive brand name.

UPDATE: The business name is A Plus Vapors.

UPDATE: Here's a New York Times piece on China's booming electronic cigarette manufacturing business, including counterfeits.

UPDATE 4:34 p.m.: After initially being told by a federal authority that details would be available later, we're now told the search warrant is still under a court-ordered seal and no more information will be released. We'll continue to try and find out what we can.

The first of the necessary paper is being pushed to move jobs from China to the p.w. minor shoe factory in Batavia with the Ways and Means Committee approval yesterday of a resolution to accept a $750,000 grant from the state to assist the company's local expansion.

The county must accept the grant, which passes through the Genesee Gateway Local Development Corp. (a branch of Genesee County Economic Development Center), which will become part of a grant and deferred loan program for p.w. minor.

The grant was approved by Empire Development Corps after the agency encouraged p.w. minor to apply for the grant.

The application pledges 80 new local jobs added over a two-year period, but p.w. minor is planning to transfer a total of 100 jobs over time from China to Batavia.

The LDC will package the $750,000 with $125,000 loan from LDC funds to assist p.w. minor in buying shoe-making machinery.

Mark Masse, VP of business development for GCEDC, laid out the terms of the resolution for members of the Ways and Means Committee, who recommended approval of the resolution to the full County Legislature.

Andrew Young, one of the co-owners the New p.w. minor, is also a member of the Legislature, and while he attended Wednesday's meeting, he was not present during the discussion of the resolution.

Young and local entrepreneur Peter Zeliff, purchased p.w. minor after the previous owners announced plans to close the plant, thereby saving dozens of local jobs at Batavia's oldest, continuously running business.

A proposal to allow limited deer hunting this fall in the Genesee County Park won't get the unanimous support of county legislators.

Legislator Mike Davis said during the Ways and Means Committee meeting that he can't support the proposed local law change that will make the hunt possible.

He said he was concerned about the safety of other park users during hunting season.

"If the park were completely closed to all but hunting, then I'm in, but without that I just can't support it," Davis said.

The committee the voted with the one dissenting vote to recommend passage of the local law to the full Legislature.

Davis was recently appointed to the Legislature and represents the Darien and Pembroke areas of the county.

Under terms of the proposal, bow hunting will be confined to 12 zones along the southern border of the park. While the hiking trails will be open, hunters are being told to stay clear of trails and be courteous of others using the park.

Hunters will be selected through a lottery Sept. 15, following a Sept. 11 deadline for applications, which open Aug. 17.

Two zones will be set aside for youth and disabled veterans, and young hunters and disabled veterans will be given priority over hunters from outside Genesee County.

In all, 48 hunters will be selected to receive permits for the four-week season, which runs from Oct. 19 through Nov. 15.

A motor-vehicle accident is reported at Center Street and School Street, Batavia.

Unknown injuries.

City fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 11:15 a.m.: No injuries. Two vehicles, moved to parking lot.

The 157 city school students who live more than a mile and a half from their schools could soon have the option of riding a bus.

Currently, bus transportation isn't offered to students who live within the city boundaries, but the proposal should change the policy.

The district contracts with Student Transportation of America for bus transportation. Under the proposal, BTA will conduct two pick-ups and two drop-offs at designated locations in the city.

Currently, the buses only do one run and pick-up all of the kids on the first pass. 

“We’re paying for time that we aren’t using,” Business Administrator Scott Rozanski said.

The Board was hopeful that the change for transportation would solve concerns that have been raised.

“This would limit the number of students who have to walk well over two miles,” Rozanski said. “They could just walk to their pick-up and then come directly to the high school."

“Ideally, no student will have to walk more than half of a mile to their pick-up destination,” Superintendent Christopher J. Dailey added.

Safety would increase due to less traffic on State Street. Attendance at the high school is expected to improve during the winter when parents might keep their kids at home in bad weather.

The transportation change will be conducted within the parameters of the current contract with Student Transportation of America. There will be no additional cost to the budget or the taxpayers.

The Board of Education thanked Rozanski for his effort to solve the transportation issue Batavia High School has had for several years.

The proposed increased transportation will be added to the ballot which goes to voters on May 19.

An 18-year-old Le Roy resident and a 17-year-old Le Roy resident are charged with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of marijuana. Le Roy PD responded to a report of the smell of marijuana in an apartment. After a brief investigation, officers concluded the youths possessed and smoked marijuana in the apartment while two youths under age 17 were present. The 18-year-old was jailed on $500 bail. Le Roy PD did not release the names of either individual.

Christopher E. Merrell, 53, of Bergen, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, no seat belt, inadequate exhaust, illegal window tint and unlicensed operation. Merrell was stopped by State Police on Route 98, Alexander.

Three people have been arrested as the result of two separate investigations into the illegal sale of narcotics in Genesee County.

In the first investigation, arrested were Sege D. Kalmbacher, 39, of Overlook Drive, Batavia, and Paula R. Kalmbacher, 43, of Overlook Drive, Batavia.

Sege is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 5th, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 5th. Paula faces one count of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and one count of criminal possesison of a controlled substance, 3rd.

Both are accused of selling a controlled substance to agents of the Local Drug Task Force.

Sege was arrested Friday and jailed on $10,000 bail. Paula turned herself in Monday and was released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

In the second investigation, arrested was Cynthia C. Richardson, 35, of Maple Street, Batavia. 

Richardson is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 5th, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 5th. 

She is accused of selling a controlled substance to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force.

She was arrested at the courts facility and jailed on $10,000 bail.

Wednesday at T.F. Brown's, Batavia, was the Genesee County Interagency Council sponsored a "Cabin Fever Reliever" Basket Raffle.  

"Our goal is to raise funds to support local college scholarships for students entering the fields of: sociology, psychology, social work or human services," said Heather Bell, a social worker with Catholic Charities.  

Applications have gone out to local high schools and are due back by June 1. Contact Lisa Whittmeyer, Scholarship Chair at Community Action 343-7798.  

More than 50 baskets were offered and there was a 50/50 drawing and grand prize -- overnight package with dinner for 2 at Russell's and Salvatore's in Buffalo.

The mission of the Genessee County Interagency Council is to create fellowship and understanding among community human services agencies. The council helps to identify community issues and encourages development of resolutions.

Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/geneseeorleansinteragency

Pictured above from left is: Heather Bell, social worker with Catholic Charities; Karen Hall, coordinator of Financial Management of Lifespan of Greather Rochester; Stephanie Urena, outreach specialist of United Health Care. Pam Case, PathStone family self-sufficiency manager, and Michele Lawson, support coordinator of Care-A-Van Ministries.

Heavy smoke and flames are confirmed in the area of 8487 Lovers Lane Road. Town of Batavia fire is responding.

Law enforcement on scene confirms a caller's report about black smoke from a debris fire at 10700 Darien Alexander Townline Road. Darien fire is responding.

UPDATE 5:04 p.m.: Fire is out. Darien assignment is back in service.

Thomas E. Hensel, 31, and Tonya D. Smith, 29, are charged with grand larceny, 4th, and conspiracy, 6th. Hensel and Smith were allegedly caught stealing items from the Target store. Upon further investigation, they were found to have allegedly committed additional larcenies during March at Target and Walmart. Hensel was charged with four counts of petit larceny and Smith was charged with one count of grand larceny, 4th, and two counts of petit larceny. Some of the stolen items were recovered.

Amir D. Gifford, 19, of Cherry Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged violation of probation. Gifford turned himself in. He was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Jessica M. Rivera-Mann, 31, of Liberty Street, was arrested on a pair of warrants related to alleged parking violations. Rivera-Mann turned herself in and entered a guilty plea in City Court. and was ordered to pay a $100 fine within 60 days.

Kerri L. Forsberg, 43, of East Main Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a harassment, 2nd, charge. Forsberg was arrested following a reported incident at UMMC on April 3.

Laura J. Reed, 23, of Walnut Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Reed was allegedly found in possession of marijuana at 6:18 p.m. April 10 by Officer Jamie Givens.

Kenardo R. Fields, 25, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Fields was allegedly involved in a domestic incident at 9:20 a.m., Sunday.

Zachary Michael Burk, 18, of Sparks Road, Pavilion, is charged with petit larceny. Burk allegedly stole a 30-pack of Busch beer from Pavilion Farm Market.

Charles H. Wroten, 54, of Buell Street, Batavia, is charged with aggravated DWI (Leandra's Law), DWI, improper right turn, improper signaling a turn. Wroten was stopped at 11:03 p.m. Tuesday on West Main Street, Batavia, by Sgt. Ron Meides. Wroten is accused of driving while intoxicated with a child less than 15 years old in the vehicle.

Michael Robert Sigl, 22, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with possession of a forged instrument, 2nd. Sigl was arrested on a warrant. He was jailed without bail.

Taylor Nicole Tillotson, 19, of Perry Road, Le Roy, is charged with trespass. Tillotson allegedly returned to College Village after being banned from the property.

A two-car accident with minor injuries is reported at Oak Street and Prospect Avenue in the city. It is blocking traffic. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 3:54 p.m.: An 80-year-old female is complaining of chest pain due to the seat belt.

UPDATE 4:21 p.m.: The patient is being taken to UMMC.

A portion of Main Street, Downtown Batavia, was blocked off by traffic cones this morning in advance of clean-up work by city crews along the street and sidewalk. The work is expected to take most of the morning.

Local artist Larry Buckley gave an oil painting demo Tuesday evening at GO ART! for members of the Batavia of Society of Artists.

Other events coming up for the society:

• Spring Show, opening reception 6:30 to 8 p.m., May 7, Richmond Memorial Library;
• Steve BonDurant, plein air demo and picnic at Kiwanis Park, 6 p.m., July 14;
• Joint event with Batavia Players at Jackson Square, free and open to the public, where the players will practice parts and also serve as models for artists, 6 p.m., Aug. 11;
• Kevin Feary, oil-graisalle demo, Sept. 8;
• Brian Kemp, acrylic abstract demo, Oct. 13;
• Dennis Wood, perspective drawing, Nov. 10.

For more information on the Batavia Society of Artists, e-mail bsa.bataviasocietyof artists@gmail.com.