Press release:

On Monday, May 30 at 10 a.m., Friends of the Batavia Peace Garden are to meet at the Peace Garden to dedicate the newest addition, a 6ft replica of Lady Liberty.  The statue was obtained through Don Barone at Superior Garden Decor and sponsored by Ken Barrett Chevrolet, Cadillac, Inc. of Batavia.     

The original statue that stands in New York Harbor was a gift to the United States by the people of France in 1886, designed by French Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi.  She is one of the most recognizable figures in the world and is a single symbol of hope and spirit.  Just as she stands tall on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, a replica of Lady Liberty will now greet visitors to the Batavia Peace Garden for current and future generations.

In 1986 The Statue of Liberty was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was described by UNESCO as “a masterpiece of the human spirit” that “endures as a highly potent symbol-inspiring contemplation, debate and protest-of ideals such as liberty, peace, human rights, abolition of slavery, democracy and opportunity.”

Barb Toal “The Friends of the Batavia Peace Garden believe this icon represents many of these same ideals and will be a welcoming reminder to visitors.  Future plans for the Batavia Peace Garden include expansion and the addition of more symbols of hope and peace.”

For updates visit bataviapeacegarden.com.  Volunteers are always welcome and very much needed. Contact Paula Savage for details (585) 343-2387.

For the first time since it opened, veterans, family members, and area residents gathered at the WNY National Cemetery in Pembroke to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their country as part of Memorial Day Weekend.

Photos by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.

Le Roy Town Board is planning to make a splash this summer— but not without navigating a few pitfalls. 

At their biweekly meeting this Thursday, board members discussed issues concerning the anticipated opening of a splash pad near Wildwood Park. 

“The completion date is now closer to the end of June,” Supervisor James Farnholz said during the board meeting at Le Roy Town Hall. “We’re having some Monroe County water issues; they’re continually changing how they want the water brought in.”

The presiding members, including Farnholz, expressed some confusion with the changes, as the park was initially intended to open on Memorial Day weekend. 

“Why, all of a sudden, is it an issue where the backflow is?” Councilperson Bill Fox said. “They had to know where it was to start out with.”

Members offered nods of agreement with Fox as Farnholz provided clarification. 

“The original intent with the spray park was that the water would go into the storm drains, and then the fresh water would go into the Oatka,” Farnholz said “Unfortunately, there are no storm drains that run from Wildwood to the Oatka. It just runs out into the woods.”

At the project’s consequential standstill, members discussed several options to responsibly commandeer backflow from the park.

“There were three options the mayor and I discussed,” Farnholz said. “The first was to let it continue to drain the way it is now, and see what kind of impact that has on that property. If it makes too much water, we can remediate that with some kind of irrigation containers in the softball fields. I am opposed to a concrete cistern— I think that’s a ridiculous thing. The other option, that I think would be horrifically expensive, would be to trench from Wildwood to Gilbert street and hook into the storm drains.”

The board acknowledged that the village would have the final say, and projected the direction of their decision in light of their conversation. 

“As it stands now, I believe the village is going to go with the first option, and see what happens,” Farnholz said. 

In other actions, the board:
● Agreed to allow local municipalities to allot their preferred number of court justices, rather than requiring two.
● Approved four 10-hour workdays for the local highway department.
● Discussed a move to compel voter registration reform, considering the 2020 Election, with a draft of such changes to return to the next meeting. The board will meet again at 7 p.m. June 9 at the Le Roy Town Hall Building, 48 Main St., Le Roy.

Photo: Le Roy Town Board members grapple with details of a new waterpark that was originally planned to open on Memorial Day. Photo by Tate Fonda.

Press release:

Ascension Parish and Resurrection Parish will be joining forces to provide faith formation to the children and families of our parishes!  This is an exciting and needed opportunity to tap and combine the strengths and resources of both our parish--and we need YOU!

To kick of this exciting venture, there will be a special Mass on Sunday,  June 12 at 9:15 at St. Mary's Church, concelebrated by both Father Ivan and Father Dave.  Following Mass, there will be coffee and donuts in the church hall for all returning, new catechists, and anyone interested in supporting this fundamental program of our faith) so we can begin to share ideas!

If you cannot join us, perhaps you can tap someone on the shoulder who you think would make a great catechist!

If you have any questions, please contact us below:

• Jason Smith, Resurrection Parish,resurrectionff14020@yahoo.com
• Ann Pratt, Ascension Parish.  mpg1731@gmail.com

Thank you for considering...
Ann Pratt, Ascension Parish
Jason Smith, Resurrection Parish

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A two-car motor vehicle accident with airbag deployment is reported at Main and Bank, Batavia.

Unknown injuries.  

Traffic is blocked.

City Fire and Mercy EMS responding.

A dump truck is reported on fire in the area of 4868 Batavia Elba Townline Road, Batavia.

Town of Batavia Fire dispatched along with mutual aid from Elba.

Old Hippies, flowers and art seem to be a natural fit, and all three are part of this year’s Home to Home Concert Series.

A free yearly event hosted by Bill and Kay McDonald of the Old Hippies, the Home series is billed as being “for the common good.” Since the duo requires a nonprofit to receive grant funding, it partnered with Batavia Peace Garden and GO ART! to bring two concerts in June at Jackson Square.

“Featured local artists performing will be Old Hippies, Ghost Riders, Deanna Spiotta, Don Thomas, and a selection of talented youth and seasoned artists,” Bill McDonald said. “We will los have three other artists: Leah Ford on bass guitar, guitar and French horn; Ross Chua on stringed instruments and vocals; and David Knaudt on stringed instruments and vocals.”

Old Hippies perform guitar-rich tunes such as Blowin’ in the Wind, Three Little Birds, Fallen Eagle and James Taylor’s classic You’ve Got a Friend.

Batavia Peace Garden treasurer Carol Grasso said the group’s members will be out of the weeds and selling hotdogs during the first event June 17.

“That’s how we make our money for flags and mulch, and things for the garden,” she said.

If you’ve got a bit of a green thumb, members are looking for more volunteers, Grasso said. Pulling weeds and maintaining the landscape on West Main Street takes time and energy, she said.

“I’ve got 10 years into the garden,” she said. “We started when we retired, and now we’re just tired. We’ve been working hard.”

A second concert is set for 2 p.m. June 26. The concerts are free, and attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair to park and enjoy the show.

The Restart NY Regrant Program was developed as part an initiative to spur the revitalization of New York's creative economy. The program is administered through a network of local and regional organizations through a transparent peer panel funding process and is available to artists and organizations in each of the state's 62 counties. Organizations or individuals with a fiscal agent  -- in this case Old Hippies have Batavia Peace Garden and GO ART! -- that meets NYSCA and GO ART! criteria may request regrant funds.

For those unable to attend in person, these music shows will be livestreamed online at Bill McDonald’s Facebook page . For more information, click HERE.

Top photo: Bill and Kay McDonald of the Old Hippies, submitted photo. File photos of Ross Chua, Old Hippies and the Ghost Riders.

Andrew A. Searight, 35, of Batavia, and Jerrtonia A. Scarbrough, 24, of Batavia, are charged with aggravated cruelty to animals. Searight and Scarbrough are accused of abandoning an animal in a cage for an extended period of time at a residence on Bank Street.  The incident was reported at 9:18 a.m., May 10. They were both issued an appearance ticket.

Angela N. Bennett, 24, of Strathmore Circle, Rochester, and Shamya I. Brown, 22, of Verona Street, Rochester, are charged with grand larceny 4th.  Bennett and Brown are accused of stealing $1,726.28 in merchandise from Dick's Sporting Goods in Batavia at 1:10 p.m., May 23.  Deputies responded to a report of a larceny in progress and later located the suspect vehicle on River Street in the City of Batavia. Both were issued appearance tickets.  The case was handled by Investigator Erik Andre and Deputy Trevor Sherwood.

Brandon Charles Dodd, 35, of Montclair Avenue, Batavia, and Trace Garrett Brewer, 21, of Montclair Avenue, Batavia, are charged with petit larceny. Dodd and Brewer are accused of stealing air conditioner units from Walmart at 3:38 p.m., May 22. Dodd was also arrested by Batavia PD on petit larceny and conspiracy charges. He is accused of stealing several cans of Red Bull from a business on West Main Street at 10:52 p.m., May 5. Brewer is charged with conspiracy related to the same incident.

Jamian J. "Jay" Edwards, 38, of Lake Avenue, Rochester, is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance 3rd and criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd.  Edwards is accused of selling crack cocaine to an agent of the Drug Task Force in the City of Batavia. He was taken into custody on an arrest warrant while checking in with Monroe County Probation and turned over the Sheriff's Office.

Timothy Robert Nurmi, 30, of West Main Street, Le Roy, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation and harassment 2nd.  The alleged incident was reported at 11:15 a.m., May 24, at a location on West Main Street, Le Roy. The charges are a misdemeanor and a violation. Nurmi was arraigned in Town of Le Roy Court for the purpose of issuing an order of protection and released on his own recognizance.

Alexis Rae Kenyon, 28, of Church Street, Le Roy, is charged with aggravated harassment, 2nd. The alleged incident was reported at 12:59 p.m., May 26, at a location on Church Street, Le Roy. Kenyon was released on her own recognizance.

Anthony Wade Travis, 59, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with bail jumping 2nd. Travis is accused of failing to appear as ordered in County Court on a felony charge. Travis was issued an appearance ticket.

Thomas William McCabe, III, 44, of Scio (no street address provided), is charged with attempt grand larceny 3rd, criminal mischief, aggravated unlicensed operation, and driver's view obstructed.  McCabe is accused of trying to steal Diamond C. equipment trailer in the Town of Darien at 1:15 a.m., May 21. He was arrested by Deputy Austin Heberlein.  He was released on an appearance ticket.

Marie Rachael Brown, 44, of Bethany Center Road, Bethany, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and speeding. Brown was stopped at 2:26 a.m., May 22, on Route 237, Stafford, by Sgt. Mathew Clor. She was released on traffic tickets.

David Carl Stephens, 56, of Prole Road, Stafford, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd, obstructing governmental administration, and harassment 2nd.  Stephens is accused of violating an order of protection and of attempting to fight with deputies when they responded to a complaint at a residence at Prole Road, Stafford, at 3:48 p.m., May 23.

Terrence T. Freeman, 31, of Batavia, is charged with trespass. Freeman is accused of refusing to leave a residence on Liberty Street at 10:16 p.m., May 14. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Anthony D. Underwood, 22, of Buffalo, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd, unlawful imprisonment 2nd and criminal mischief 4th. Underwood was arrested by Batavia PD following an investigation into a disturbance reported at 6 p.m., May 16, on South Main Street, Batavia. He was arraigned in City Court and ordered held on $5,000 bail or $10,000 bond.

Zoro D. Reisman, 18, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Reisman is accused of stealing sausages from a business on Ellicott Street at 1:37 p.m., May 15. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Garrett L. Strickland, 30, of Medina, criminal contempt 2nd. Strickland was arrested on a warrant.

Crystal A. Mounts, 44, of Batavia, is charged with failure to appear. Mounts was wanted on six warrants out of City Court related to a series of crimes she is accused of committing within the calendar year. Mounts is accused of failing to appear on the charges on April 29. Mounts was arraigned in City Court and released.

A two-car motor vehicle accident is reported in the area of 140 West Main St., Batavia.

One person has a complaint of difficulty breathing because of an anxiety attack.

City Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

Brighton Securities hosted their annual Shred Day today near its office on East Main Street, in the parking lot between Batavia Bootery and Main St. Pizza.  Staff members said there were a lot of people showing up today to dispose of documents safely and securely.

Previously: Got old paperwork? Shred it and forget it on Shred Day

With yet another mass shooting, a canceled Regents test, extra law enforcement nearby and the swollen availability of counselors for students and staff, life has taken on a new meaning, Superintendent Jason Smith says.

“Every community in this country, big or small, is living in fear that this could happen to them, and if we continue on this path with no meaningful change, it will, inevitably, happen again,” Smith said during an interview with The Batavian. “Reactions from our students and staff have run the gamut from sad, frustrated, hopeless, and angry, to fear. I don’t believe we’ve become desensitized. I guarantee every family member held their child a little bit longer before sending them off to school today. I know I did.”

Within a day, Smith had written and issued a letter to his district in response to the latest shooting that left 19 people dead at a school in Texas. The city school district set up resources for students and staff to use in the aftermath of mixed emotions. School should be a place of “learning and enlightenment,” he said, and “not fear.”

“Sadly, this is not the first school shooting that has occurred in my years as an educator, but I can certainly only hope and pray it will be the last,” his letter stated. “In these times of grief, confusion, and fear, we want to be a source of comfort for our students and help guide them through the questions and emotions they are bound to have.”

The Batavian asked if the latest incident causes any response in terms of security and district protocols. He is confident in the current polices while also checking back to see if there are improvements to make, he said.

“Our top priority has always been and will be to keep our students and staff safe,” he said. “To that end, each school in our district regularly conducts lockdown drills as required by New York State. We maintain a strong partnership with the City of Batavia Police Department, have security aides in each building, and a district-wide school resource officer. We are constantly reviewing our safety procedures and will do so again to ensure the safest environment possible.”

Administrators met with counselors and each school principal, and while Smith was at John Kennedy Intermediate, he couldn’t say there was a visible shift in families’ reactions, though everyone is reacting in different ways.

“I saw parents dropping off students, and there wasn't any kind of physical reaction,” he said, adding that resources were given to staff in case they were needed. “We know we tried to give our staff information. But I’d say, it is a fairly temperate reaction. I had a couple of parents contact me by email and I'm going to respond to them in the next day or so.”

Genesee County Sheriff’s Office announced this week there would be extra patrols at county schools as a precautionary measure to ensure safety for students. That announcement also included the presence of a school resource officer at each district for another layer of protection. The Batavian asked Smith if he felt the role of a SRO was, in addition to being a community liaison and representative for the police department, capable of staving off a violent attack.

“That's the expectation, that if something were to happen, the SRO would play an active role in that situation,” he said. “I mean, they do other things … they're designed to be a community resource. But, you know, they’re also a police officer, and if stuff like that were to happen here, God forbid, the expectation would be that the SRO would respond.”

State Education Department Commissioner Betty Rosa issued a letter to school districts notifying them of a change to upcoming Regents exams. After a thorough review of the history exam, especially on the heels of recent violent events, the department decided to cancel the history Regents for this year, she said.

“As we look for ways to support our students and our fellow community members following this incomprehensible tragedy, the Department is committed to preparing our children to become active members of their communities who raise each other up and work together for the common good. We are enormously grateful to our educators as they help their students navigate and process the unthinkable,” Rosa stated. “In the wake of the heinous mass shooting in Buffalo, the Department is taking numerous steps to explore potential areas of support for students and schools across the state. Such actions include having content experts from the Department, in partnership with NYS educators, review all June 2022 Regents Exams, which have already been printed and packaged for shipment to schools. During that review, our experts determined that there is content on the new Regents Examination in United States History and Government that has the potential to compound student trauma caused by the recent violence in Buffalo.”

Even though the exam was drafted by NYS-certified social studies teachers and field-tested to confirm that the exam's content is educationally sound, the tragedy in Buffalo “has created an unexpected and unintended context for the planned assessment,” she said.

Missing this exam should not negatively affect graduation tracks for students, Smith said. The SED and Board of Regents will approve a waiver that officially excuses them from taking that particular test, he said.

“So it's not going to impact students,” Smith said.

The Batavian had also asked Smith if he felt that, as these tragedies pile up, do students and families become more numbed by the frequency. He doesn’t think so, but strives to encourage others to remain wide-eyed.

“We must fight the urge to accept these situations as a way of life, and we cannot let ourselves become desensitized,” he said. “Our children cannot afford it. We all must stand up and demand better.”

Below is a list of related resources at the city school district:

Jackson Primary Resources:

Sesame Street in Communities resources on Violence

John Kennedy Intermediate Resources:

Talking to Kids About Fear and Violence

Batavia Middle School Resources:

How to Discuss Violence in Schools With Children

After a Crisis: Helping Young Children Heal

Batavia High School Resources:

Talking to Teens About Violence

For Teens: Coping After Mass Violence

General Resources K-12:

Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers

Talking to Kids About School Safety

If you would like to speak directly to your child’s counselor or principal, please reach out to: 

Jackson Primary: 585-343-2480, ext 4000

John Kennedy Intermediate: 585-343-2480, ext 5000

Batavia Middle School: 585-343-2480, ext 3000

Batavia High School: 585-343-2480, ext 2000

“While we might not have all the answers, we promise to stand with our families and students and listen,” Smith said. “Please take care of each other in moments like these, and please reach out should you or your family need any assistance.”  

For the district's emergency response manual, click HERE

Photo: Batavia City Schools Superintendent Jason Smith. Submitted photo.

Pearl Harbor Day: December 7, 1941

 A Date that will Live in Infamy

When this headline reached Genesee County, people worldwide, especially in the United States, were shocked! The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Morale was down, and Americans needed something or someone to lift their spirits. That someone would be Jimmy Doolittle and our very own Edward J. (Cichowski) York. Jimmy Doolittle planned a raid on the capital of Japan.   He trained for a B-25 Mitchell twin-engine light to take off from the Navy carrier, the USS Hornet. Eddie York was one of Doolittle's members of the raid on April 18, 1942.   Col. James B. Sweeney, in 1984, 43 years after the 30 seconds over Tokyo, interviewed Colonel York. Here is what he said.

"I was a Squadron Commander at that time. We gathered in a room with General Doolittle, shook hands, shut the door, and he said, 'Gentlemen, we're going to bomb Tokyo.' We thought it was a joke at first. However, he outlined the plan very briefly. He told us, roughly, his plan, his thinking. We would have about 30 days to modify the aircraft, train, and prepare for the raid. I'd like to mention one thing that I've overlooked. That is the tremendous secrecy that had to surround this whole mission. Because if the word got out to the wrong people, it would be a failure, and it would be fatal to the folks that were going on it."

Doolittle's raid was the first attack against the Japanese homeland in World War II. The Batavia Daily News headlines read,

BATAVIA FLYER HELPED IN AIR RAID ON JAPS

Captain E.J. York Ranks with Nation's No. 1

Heroes after Daring Flight. 

 May 20, 1942.

The sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers dropped high explosive bombs on oil refineries, steelworks, factories, and electrical power plants. The raiders could bomb their targets but were running low on fuel after thirteen hours in the air. Eleven of the pilots told their crew to abandon the planes. Most of the crews were able to parachute without injury. One raider was killed in a hard landing, one crew member was captured, and a pilot and engineer were later executed. Four planes crash-landed and two crewmen died in one of the crashes.

The following headlines from The Daily News state:

TOKYO RAID STORY SAYS BATAVIAN HELD BY REDS

Major E. J. York is the Only One of 16 pilots making a

Safe LANDING

BOMBED JAP BAY AREA.

Drastic Change in Plans Made

Dangerous Misson of 1942 More Dramatic

Here is what Colonel York recalls about the bombing.

"We'd been trained to pull the airplane up to 1500 feet before dropping bombs because the concussion was apt to cause damage to the airplane. At the proper time, I pulled the thing up to 1500 feet, dropped the bomb and I immediately pushed back down and forgot about staying there until the bombs went off. So we were rocked a little bit but no damage. By this time, I'd made up my mind not to go to China but to go to Siberia because of technical difficulties. I knew we were fighting on the same side in the war. 'According to international law, you must be interned.' I thought to myself, 'Oh damn, we're going to be here two or three days.' Well, the interment took place and we were still there 14 months later, at which time we got out. Eventually, we got back to the United States."

By 1945 York and his wife, Mary Elizabeth and their children resided in San Antonio, Texas. His military life did not end in Texas. The next headline on July 14, 1945, read;

LIEUTENANT COLONEL YORK NAMED AIR ATTACHE AT WARSAW, POLAND; FLYING TO NEW POST NEXT MONTH.

For the next 18 months, Edward and his family resided in Warsaw, Poland. His ability to speak Polish and Russian helped troubled Poland set up a provisional government of national unity in Warsaw. In addition, his work won the recognition of the United States, Great Britain, and Russia.

He returned to the U.S. in 1947 and was assigned as commandant of the Air Force Officer Candidate School.  For the next 22 years, Colonel York had various assignments that took him to different countries and states. His military career spanned more than 30 years.

He served as air attaché to Denmark, serving as chief of the Air Force Section for the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Copenhagen, Denmark, chief of the Air Attaché Branch at Headquarters U.S. Air Force in the Pentagon, chief of staff for Headquarters Western Transport Air Force at Travis AFB, California, commander of an ICBM Site Activation Task Force at Larson AFB, Washington and chief of staff at Headquarters U.S. Air Force Security Service at Kelly AFB, Texas. He served as deputy commander at Headquarters U.S. Air Force Security Service from June 1966 until he retired from the Air Force on September 2, 1966. A military attaché is a military expert attached to a diplomatic mission (an attaché).     

Edward J. Cichowski was born on August 16, 1912, in Batavia, NY.  He was the son of Ignatius and Tekla Cichowski.  In 1905 his father, a Polish immigrant, arrived in the United States. Edward grew up at 101 Harvester Ave. He graduated from Batavia High School at fifteen in June 1928.   After high school, he joined the Army and later attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated in 1938 and immediately transferred to the Air Force and began flying at Randolph Field, TX. He was nicknamed York because he was from New York and it was probably easier to say than Cichowski.

On August 31, 1984, at the age of 72, retired Air Force Colonel York died in his home in San Antonio, Texas, of an apparent heart attack. He was buried at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. He earned many decorations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Corps Medal, and Class A, 1st Grade.            His Distinguished Flying Cross Citation reads: 


For extraordinary achievement while participating in a highly destructive raid on the Japanese mainland on April 18, 1942. Captain York volunteered for this mission, knowing that the chances of survival were extremely remote, and executed his part in it with great skill and daring. This achievement reflects high credit on Captain York and his military service.

Article submitted by Mike Cintorino.

It has been quite the run for the Elba/Oakfield-Alabama Lancers Golf Team. 

On Thursday, at a blustery Livingston Country Club in Geneseo, the Lancers earned their 4th Section V Class C Boys Golf Championship in the last 6 seasons. 

The day started with a semi-final match against the top-seeded Gananda Blue Panthers.  The Lancers were led in that match by their stalwarts, CJ Gottler and Brayden Smith who shot 39 and 45 respectively on the par-36 front nine. 

Gananda's Carter Lathrop fired a 47, but behind solid efforts from the Lancers' Jake Walczak and Aiden Warner, they were able to defeat the Blue Panthers 194 to 234 in the first of two Class C semi-final matches. 

In the second semi-final, the Byron Bergen Bees had a nail-biter against the Geneseo Blue Devils that came down to the final pairing of the match. 

Ryan Muscarella, Brendan Pimm, and David Brumstead all fired 50's on the front nine, all lower than the top four golfers for the Blue Devils. 

The medalist of the match would come from the third pairing with a Geneseo golfer (name not submitted) who shot the low round of the match with a 48. 

However, the steady and consistent rounds of the Bees allowed them to edge out the Blue Devils 202-207.  

For the second consecutive season, the Byron Bergen Bees matched up with the Elba/Oakfield-Alabama Lancers in the Section V Class C Boys Golf Finals. 

Last year the Lancers defeated the Bees 172-199 at Caledonia Country Club.  This year, the conditions, specifically the wind blowing over 20b mph at times, proved for much tougher conditions on a difficult Livingston Country Club back nine. 

Although the conditions were different, the results were similar as the Lancers defeated the Bees by a score of 189-206. 

CJ Gottler once again medaled in the finals with a round of 41 while teammate Brayden Smith and Byron Bergen's Ryan Muscarella fired a round of 47.  The Lancer's Jake Walczak (46) and Kaden Cusmano (55) rounded out the scoring for the Lancers as they successfully defended their Class C title.  

The win was the Lancers' 4th Section V Golf Title in the last 6 seasons (2016, 2017, 2021, 2022 - there was no season in 2020). 

In 2018 the Lancers finished 2nd. 

With the win, the Lancers end the season 13-3 overall while the Bees fall to 12-3. 

This was a fantastic season for the Lancers as for the second consecutive year they swept both the team title and individual title (CJ Gottler in 2021 and Brayden Smith in 2022) in Section V Class C Boys Golf. 

This group of young men (and women) have grinded all season to live up to the legacy set for them by previous teams. 

For Elba/OA Senior, CJ Gottler, he finished his 6th year as a varsity golfer as a 3-time team and 2-time individual Section V Champion, along with back-to-back Genesee Region League Player of the Year honors.  Gottler's leadership on and off the course will be sorely missed, and his personality and ability to make not just teammates, but competitors laugh during a round of golf.  

Reader-submitted photos.

The Le Roy High School tennis team beat Avon today 4-1 to win a Class C2 Section V championship.

Photo submitted by David Russell.

What may otherwise seem to be a post-school musical concert, Willow Tree End-of-Year Celebration will have much more meaning for at least some of its participants and attendees, Kylie Tatarka says.

The Batavia High School senior will not only be performing in the event but also absorbing its implications.

“Definitely for me, I can definitely see this being a hard time for me, seeing an end and saying goodbye to a lot of people that I've spent years forging relationships with,” the 18-year-old said during an interview with The Batavian. “But I also think it's going to be something really sweet, and a really nice memory to hold on to that I otherwise wouldn't have.”

The Willow Tree celebration, performed by the school district’s Tri-M Music Honor Society, will feature vocal and instrumental numbers from 4 to 6 p.m. June 3 under the large willow tree in front of BHS, 260 State St., Batavia.

Tatarka has been a member of Tri-M, a nationally founded organization that means Modern Music Masters, for three years. Now as a senior, she is looking forward to continuing music with a performing arts scholarship while also hanging onto those memories from school, she said.

“I just really enjoyed music and I wanted to join something that would bring other people who really enjoy music as well,” she said. “I wanted to be a part of something that would show spirit and our love for music that other regular students who aren't a part of this would show.”

The concert is a culmination of that passion to enjoy and share a variety of musical styles — classical, musical theater, and then-contemporary of the 1960s. A soloist will perform Frank Sinatra’s My Way and ensembles will provide other tunes, aptly including “On the Willows” from Godspell.

TRi-M was founded locally in 1986. Group advisor Melzie Case, a music teacher at the middle school, and District Superintendent Jason Smith were members of the group, with Smith being one of those first-time inductees.

“If memory recalls accurately, I was a member of the inaugural Tri-M Society in the late 1980s,” he said. “I was honored to have been inducted and it was and is a wonderful way to recognize our talented music students at Batavia.”

For Case, it wasn’t just about the music, but about the other elements of becoming an adult.

“For me, it was very helpful in learning a lot of leadership skills and how to run a meeting, because I'm a part of a lot of groups and committees. I'm also on the board for the Genesee Symphony Orchestra,” Case said. “And so just getting those skills of writing an agenda and holding a meeting and voting was very helpful to me now as an adult, professionally.”

The idea for this novel year-end concert came about when a fellow senior suggested it to Tatarka. He wanted something that would “celebrate our end to Tri-M and becoming seniors and graduating this year, since there’s only two of us,” she said.

“We kind of just wanted something that we can show our talents, and also just have a celebration for everyone in the school along with Tri-M,” she said.

“Music has been in my family for years and it's something that has brought my siblings and I together a lot,” she said. “And it's also given me a second family that I can lean on when I can't lean on my actual family.”

The 24-member group will be performing throughout the two-hour period, and there will be an ice cream chill truck and a food truck from Center Street Smokehouse selling items from savory meals to sweet creamy desserts. Although the celebration is free, attendees may want to bring some money to enjoy a meal while listening to live entertainment, Case said. Everyone is encouraged to bring a lawn chair.

Tri-M was nationally founded in 1936 by Alexander Harley and his wife Frances. He was a band director and music department chairman in Illinois, and the group had a focus on music aptitude, academics and leadership skills. There are 2,100 chapters in all 50 states that involve more than 84,000 students.

Another key component is offering community service, which has been a tradition for the BHS chapter, Case said. The group has sprinkled doses of music at nonprofit agencies, businesses and special events, such as Christmas caroling throughout downtown.

Photos:  The willow tree at BHS, top; and, The BHS Tri-M Music Honor Society provides some holiday vocals at the Coffee Hub. Photos submitted by Melzie Case.

It's been a long time coming and absolutely necessary, today's speakers said at a groundbreaking for the new $70 million, 184-bed Genesee County Jail off West Main Street Road, next to County Building #2.

"Believe it or not, discussions on the replacement of the current jail, the Genesee County Jail, date back over 50 years," Sheriff William Sheron said during the ceremony Thursday. "When I began my career with the Sheriff's Office in 1977, they had plans on the table to build the new jail. There are many reasons that didn't come to fruition, but with persistence by former Sheriff (Gary) Maha and myself, we finally got to today."

The current jail was built in 1902 with additions in 1985.  And while it has met its purpose for more than 120 years, the current jail is no longer adequate to meet the county's needs nor meet the health and safety standards required by the State of New York.

"The lack of housing space, overcrowding, inmate classification limitations, the inability to house females, and the inability to meet the needs of the inmates, incarcerated individuals, are just some of the daily obstacles that our correction officers and leadership face. We must remember that the county jail is a vital component in providing for the safety and security of the residents of Genesee County," Sheron said.

"We are building a modern secure facility," the sheriff said. "It will allow for the ability to expand essential programs that will assist in preparing incarcerated individuals for their re-entry into society. This facility will also allow us to improve mental health, substance abuse programs, and medical services. It will also increase our holding cell capacity to assist other police agencies here in Genesee County. Equally important is that the facility will drastically improve the working conditions for the correction officers and the jail employees that operate this facility 24 hours a day, 365 days a year."

Shelley Stein, chairwoman of the Genesee County Legislature, credited the persistence and work of a number of people in getting the new jail to the groundbreaking stage, including Maha and Sheron, along with former County Manager Jay Gsell, the volunteer transition team, along with all the other county staff involved.

"This site will address the long-planned improvements in the county's responsibility to care for its inmates, provide for good working conditions for our corrections officers and to house our female incarcerated individuals in their home counties," Stein said.

County Manager Matt Landers, whose work on the jail includes the years he was assistant to Gsell, said the Legislature has pursued a methodical and conscientious path to plan and design a responsible and efficient jail that will meet the needs of the community for the next 100 years.

In the wake of bail reform and the pause in construction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the county took the time to complete a second study on the capacity of a new jail and what was needed in a new facility, Landers said.

"The results were the same as the first, which gave us in the county renewed confidence that we were building the right-sized jail for this community," Landers said. "The fact is one of the responsibilities of county government is to maintain a safe and functional jail. In constructing this new facility, Genesee County is fulfilling its obligations."

Photos by Howard Owens

Sheriff William Sheron

Legislator Shelley Stein

Live music in May includes:

• May 27th - PVNB
• May 28th - Josh Hawkins

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