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The future of a Wegmans in Batavia hinges on the success of STAMP in Alabama

By Howard B. Owens

It's one of the most frequently asked questions from readers of The Batavian: Why is there no Wegmans in Batavia?

Danny Wegman, the company's CEO was at Genesee Community College today and he answered that question for us:

"If we get the STAMP project in, we would probably be very happy to move here," Wegman said.

STAMP is the propposed high-tech manufacturing facility Genesee County Economic Development Center is trying to bring to the Town of Alabama. It could eventually mean as many as 10,000 new jobs.

Though Wegman was too diplomatic to say it, clearly, his view is the current economy in Genesee County couldn't sustain a grocery operation the size and scope of Wegmans.

STAMP is a project of personal interest to Wegman because he's chairman of the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council, one of 14 regional councils statewide assisting local IDAs in economic development.

Wegman is admittedly excited by the possibility of STAMP and believes it is something that could actually come together as an economic growth engine for the entire region.

"The high-tech arena is always exciting," Wegman said. "You always hear about it in California. Wouldn't it be nice if it was right here in our own backyard?"

We also asked Wegman about the GCEDC's $1.8 million in tax subsidies for COR Development and Wegman said he was unfamiliar with the project.

As a general rule, however, he said he opposes tax breaks for retail projects.

"I have to say I'm not real keen on that, since we’re a local business and we wouldn’t want somebody coming in and getting a real tax break..." Wegman said. "I think that’s divvying up a pot that’s already there. If the retailer helps grow jobs in some way that actually makes something, maybe, but most retailers don’t make things. That’s my view on it."

Asked if Wegmans would accept tax breaks to open a store in Genesee County, Wegman said, "I can’t say someone else shouldn’t and that we would. I don’t think that’s right, although we do make a lot of the food we sell, that's why I was giving you that exception."

YNN's Rose Eiklor pointed out to Wegman that there is a Facebook group called "Bring Wegmans to Genesee County." Wegman had never heard of it, but said he would take a look.

Cuomo pitches 'tax free' at GCC, a campus that might be well suited for the program

By Howard B. Owens

Genesee Community College sits high on a hill surrounded by a lot of open space.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo visited GCC today to promote his "New York Tax Free" proposal, which would allow SUNY campuses such as GCC to play host to new businesses or businesses that are creating new jobs.

Up to 200,000 square feet of land around a SUNY campus could also be used for the 100-percent-tax-free zone.

All that open space around GCC, then, might also be described as opportunity.

"That was the vision 10 years ago that we started developing with GCC and Dr. Steiner and now Dr. Sunser," said Steve Hyde, CEO of GCEDC. The agency now has offices across the street from the college campus in what's known as the Upstate Med-Tech Center. "I think we're really well positioned to rock and roll together and really make a difference here."

Cuomo is clearly passionate about his proposal.  Whatever its critics might have to say about it, Cuomo has an answer and at times during his speech and afterward made his points with the fervor of an evangelist for Upstate New York.

Cuomo:

Nobody ever said (speaking of those who have left New York), I didn’t like New York or I didn’t like Upstate New York. Nobody.

We did this (mess up the state and cause 50 years of decline) to ourselves. We did this to ourselves because this state has every asset imaginable.

I spent eight years in the Clinton Administration. I worked in every state in this nation, literally, dozens and dozens of times. I know everything else that’s out there. I’ve seen the best that every state has. No state has to offer what we have to offer in New York. No state has our combination of talents.

Our geography, our diversity, our history, the most beautiful natural resources, mountain ranges, the greatest cities, beaches, we have it all, all in one state – the best of everything with the distillation of the best of America -- in one state called New York.

So it’s not that that they're beating us. We're beating us. We created these conditions. We can reverse these conditions. Reduce the taxes. Make this state as competitive as any state out there from a tax point of view.

"NY Tax Free" would turn SUNY campuses into zones with no state or local taxes of any kind for businesses based on the campuses (or in the 200K zone), and a company's employees, for up to 10 years.

The businesses would have to match the educational mission of the host campus, working in industries of related fields of study.

Cuomo's dream is clearly to incubate the next Apple or Google.

"If you look at the places that are creating jobs, it's the higher education institutions that are doing research and development. It's the 28-year-old who develops the new chip or the new iPhone of the new application, but the schools are actually creating the jobs."

These sorts of companies are getting founded on NY campuses now, Cuomo said, but 75 percent of them leave New York within the first year, taken either by founders or investors to lower tax states such as Florida or Texas.

Yes, the proposal is big and bold, Cuomo said. No other state in the nation has ever dared to take on such an audacious project, but New York does big and bold well, Cuomo said (while a picture of the Erie Canal was projected on the screen behind him).

Big problems, he said, require big solutions.

"People have been leaving," Cuomo said. "Jobs have been leaving. At the same time, we have more and more government and the costs of governing are going up and up while there are fewer and fewer people to pay for the increasing cost of government, which makes taxes higher, making the tax burden higher, which causes more people to leave. That's the dynamic and the longer the dynamic continues, the worst it gets."

Upstate, especially, needs the help, Cuomo said, and with 55 of the 64 SUNY campuses located in Upstate, and 95 percent of Upstate residents living within 30 miles of a SUNY campus, this proposal makes a lot of sense.

In the past several years, there has been only a 5-percent increase in new jobs in Upstate, while New York City has grown jobs at a clip of 16 percent. The 5-percent growth rate doesn't even keep up with the national average.

The proposal would create 120 million square feet of entrepreneurial space in Upstate, Cuomo said, which is more commercial space than in San Francisco and Philadelphia combined, and more than Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse combined.

Speaking with reporters after his speech, Cuomo said the major criticism he's heard of the proposal is that taxes should be lowered to zero for everyone.

"It's the right idea to have zero taxes across the board," Cuomo said, "but there's some problems with the details."

If the proposal seems unfair, Cuomo argued that the current tax system is unfair.

"There is not a level playing field in the current tax code," Cuomo said. "The more you make, the more you pay. Some businesses get tax breaks that others don't. We have tax breaks for manufacturing. Why? Because we decided we want manufacturing businesses here. We have tax breaks for the film business ... because we want to produce movies here. It's a falsity that the tax code is equal, but for this. The tax code is anything but equal."

He also argued that residents around SUNY campuses will benefit from the job creation, with employees of these companies buying groceries, cars and houses locally.

"There will be economic activity in your community and that will be a good thing for you," Cuomo said.

He added, "We can't sustain what's going on now in Upstate New York. We cannot sustain the population decline. Nobody moving in. Everybody moving out. Fewer and fewer people paying the cost of a growing government.  We cannot continue the trajectory we've been on."

Motorcyclist strikes tree, is seriously injured, on Oatka Trail Road in Le Roy

By Billie Owens

A motorcyclist struck a tree and is seriously injured at 8116 Oatka Trail Road. Le Roy Fire Department and Ambulance Service are responding. The rider is unconscious but breathing. The location is between Gully and Circular Hill roads, in front of the sign for a public fishing area. Le Roy Fire Police are asked to shut down traffic on Oatka Trail between Circular Hill and Hubbard. Mercy Flight is on ground standby.

UPDATE 5:48 p.m.: Mercy Flight is cancelled.

UPDATE 6:01 p.m.: The patient is being taken to Strong Memorial Hospital by Le Roy Ambulance. Le Roy fire is back in service.

Where there's a will to make Greek yogurt, there's whey left over

By Howard B. Owens

You can make Greek yogurt at home. About all you need is some yogurt culture, a whisk and cheese cloth.

After you strain your batch you're left with a watery white liquid known as whey. You will have about three ounces of whey for every ounce of yummy yogurt.

One Web site lists 18 possible uses for whey in your home, whether as a substitute for other liquids in cooking or as a skin care product. But for Alpina, which produces 245,000 tons of Greek yogurt a week, getting rid of the 455,000 tons of whey a week isn't that simple.

Right now, the whey is hauled to a facility in Wyoming County where it is digested into methane and used to generate electricity, but Alpina is exploring other options for dealing with whey.

Whey has become controversial in media reports over the past week or so. It started with a well-researched and reported story in Modern Farmer about the Greek yogurt boom with an unfortunate headline, given the substance of the story: Whey Too Much: Greek Yogurt’s Dark Side.

The story was far from frightening, but outlets such as Fox News and USA Today turned it into overblown headlines such as Toxic waste from Greek yogurt poses danger to waterways and Greek yogurt's dirty little secret.

What's this dark side, this toxic danger, this dirty little secret? 

If whey goes into a stream or lake, bacteria will boom and suck all the oxygen out of the water, killing all the fish.

But there are no reports of any whey from Greek yogurt being illegally dumped. In fact, the Modern Farmer story details both the responsible methods for disposing of it now and explores research into other possible uses.

Disposing of whey in a responsible manner is important to Alpina, said Roger Parkhurst, director of operations for the Batavia plant.

Labeling whey "toxic waste" is the kind of statement that could be said about a lot of substances, Parkhurst said.

"You could apply the term to gasoline," Parkhurst said. "We put it in our car and it's beneficial, but if it's abused it becomes a dangerous material. We handle whey right and in a responsible manner so that it isn't a danger."

Beneficial uses for whey include converting it to an energy source -- which Alpina does now -- or using it to supplement cattle feed, which Alpina is also exploring.

Alpina would love to sell its whey, so that the money spent to haul it off can instead become a source of revenue. A Cornell researcher is studying methods for turning whey into a baby formula supplement. That work is promising, Parkhurst said.

Whey could also become a direct energy source for the Alpina plant, saving the company money. 

Parkhurst said the company is interested -- though has no specific plans -- in finding a way to digest whey on site and convert the methane into electricity and convert the heat from the process into heat for Alpina's building.

Mark Masse, vp of operations for Genesee County Economic Development Center, said companies have contacted the agency about building a digester at or near the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, including working directly with Alpina, but it has never received a formal application.

"I am not sure why any of those projects haven’t moved forward yet," said Masse in an e-mail response to a question, "but my best guess is that they can’t secure a long-term contract for the waste product, and/or that these digester projects are very capital intensive and they usually try to secure NYSERDA grants to help defer these capital costs to shorten the payback period of the project and can’t secure those grants."

There are also concerns about any environmental risks associated with a digester located at a food processing park that sits above an aquifer.

Experts have told Masse, he said, that whey needs to be mixed with animal waste to be properly digested and any company proposing such a project would have to prove it could be done in a safe manner.

"We never got far enough along with any of the digester companies to have this conversation with them in depth or with our board," Masse said. "That issue would have to be discussed at length if any company wished to use animal waste in their process, and our board would have to approve it."

One local farmer has contacted Alpina about obtaining whey to mix with cattle feed, Parkhurst said. The farmer said he checked with Cargill, which provided him with a formula for mixing whey with his feed and now he would like to find out how to get his hands on some Alpina whey.

"That's just one farmer and he's not capable of taking on the whole thing," Parkhurst said. "But if it helps his business and it helps our business at least some, I would be more than happy to participate."

Alpina is actively exploring all options for whey waste, Parkhurst said, looking for the most economically sensible and environmentally sound solution.

"We've even worked a little bit with RIT and GCC," Parkhurst said. "There is money floating around to help research any practical application."

A local operation that may be able to take on all of Alpina's whey waste is Baskin Livestock.

Baskin, as we've reported before, specializes in taking food company waste and converting it into cattle feed.

Bill Baskin is eager to explore a partnership with Alpina to bring whey waste to his plant on Creek Road in Bethany. 

"We work with food producers all over the Northeast to get rid of their waste," Baskin said. "There’s no reason we can't do it right in our own back yard."

With any food production, there is a substantial amount of waste -- batches get mixed wrong, products are spilled or spoiled or unsold product goes bad. Baskin takes all that waste, dries, grinds it and turns it into cattle feed.

Quaker-Muller is already sending some of its product waste to Baskin, but the way the plant will make yogurt -- the Quaker-Muller plant officially opens Monday -- there is no whey waste.

"Our yogurt is consistently high quality because we add milk protein from strained milk to our yogurt to deliver the same delicious texture and taste every time," said Scott Gilmore, spokesman for PepsiCo.

Until recently, Baskin and Parkhurst hadn't spoken, but yesterday, Baskin's director of business development, Peter Klaich, met briefly with Parkhurst and Parkhurst said he's certainly interested in learning more about how Baskin can help with whey waste.

Parkhurst is proud that Alpina buys almost all of its raw ingredients from farmers in Genesee County and WNY. The potential of working with Baskin fits right in with that philosophy, Parkhurst said.

"We're always interested in working with local companies," Parkhurst said.

Senior alert scam reported in Genesee County

By Howard B. Owens

Two people in Le Roy have complained to police, according to Chief Chris Hayward, of getting phone calls that sound suspiciously like a scam.

Hayward is asking local media to alert seniors to the potential scam, which Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman issued a statement about a few days ago.

The purported scam begins with a robo call that tells seniors they've been approved for an emergency alert device that they can receive for free. Scare tactics are used to encourage seniors to continue with the call, telling them that seniors have died when emergency responders were not notified quickly enough.

The company allegedly running the scam may be based in the Utica area and employs a 315 area code.

For a $35 monthly fee, the company says it will monitor this free equipment.

Potential victims are asked to give personal billing information over the phone.

Schneiderman issued the following tips on avoiding fraud:

  • Never give out billing or other personal information over the phone, especially if you receive an unsolicited telephone call from a stranger;
  • Never cash a check from an unknown source, especially if you are being asked to wire a portion of the proceeds to a stranger;
  • Never wire money to someone you don't know who contacts you; it's the same as handing over cash.

Car crash at Alleghany and Gabbey roads

By Billie Owens

A two-car accident is reported at Alleghany and Gabbey roads. It is not blocking traffic. Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments and Mercy medics are responding. An officer on scene reports there is one patient who is shaken up but seems otherwise OK and will probably be a sign-off.

UPDATE 12:11 p.m.: The responders are back in service.

Corfu trustees favor resident-led committee to review police service and take up other matters at meeting

By Howard B. Owens

Summary of the Village of Corfu's trustee meeting Wednesday evening. Information provided by Trustee Ken Lauer.

  • Mayor Ralph Peterson asked that a committee formed to study the options for police service in the village be disbanded. The trustees agreed to create a committee headed by a village resident with Trustee Art Ianni acting as a liaison between the committee and the trustees to study options for police service. Letters will be included in the upcoming tax bills seeking residents who wish to serve on the committee.
  • Without a police administrator, Peterson continues to serve as supervisor of the police department. The trustees agreed that all officers -- all of whom are part time -- will be limited to no more than 19.5 hours of work per week. The village is facing a possible lawsuit because of allegations that officers hired competitively weren't getting work hours and non-competitive hires were working more than 19.5 hours, which is an alleged violation of civil service law. The 19.5-hour rule will apply to all officers, competitive and non-competitive hires. There are 10 part-time officers in the department.
  • Peterson nominated local attorney Fred Rarick to the position of acting village justice. State law requires the position. The acting justice is the back-up for the full-time justice. With trustees Keith Busch and David Bielec absent, the motion to appoint Rarick failed 2-1 (three votes needed for any motion to pass). Laurer said he voted against Rarick because Rarick never formally applied for the position. Meanwhile, the two applications the village did receive were never passed along to Justice David O'Connor for his review.
  • Former Justice Robert Alexander sent a FOIL request to the village for documents pertaining to the trustees demand that Alexander repay $10,000 in allegedly missing court funds. Alexander is facing possible legal action by the village to recover the funds. Laurer said that Village Attorney Mark Boylan told him that Alexander never signed for the registered letter demanding payment, but that in his FOIL request, Alexander acknowledged seeing the demand for payment in an article on The Batavian.
  • Also read into the record was a Dec. 14 letter from the district director of the Unified Court System. The letter deals primarily with the dispute between Alexander and the trustees over the continued employment and supervision of the court clerk, Pam Yasses. Yasses had previously filed a harassment complaint against Alexander. While the letter states that the clerk is an employee of the village and the harassment complaint should be investigated, the trustees should not interfere with the judicial operations of the court. Alexander's term expired in March. The letter concludes that the trustees should take all appropriate measures to resolve the issue of the missing funds.

Law and Order: Batavia resident charged with burglary

By Howard B. Owens

Kyle Justin James Jackson, 20, of Slusser Road, Batavia, is charged with burglary, 2nd. Jackson is accused of entering a residence on Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road, Batavia, and stealing property. Jackson was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Jonathan Edward Fox, 25, of Rumson Road, Rochester, is charged with DWI, refusal to take breath test and failure to dim headlights. Fox was stopped at midnight, Monday, on Route 19 in Le Roy by Deputy Matthew Butler.

Drivers tell different stories of accident on Creek Road that sent one to the hospital

By Howard B. Owens

The driver of a car that was trying to pass another vehicle on Creek Road yesterday says the other driver sped up, preventing her from safely passing.

The driver being passed denies she sped up.

Both were issued citations following the two-car accident that cause one car -- the one being passed -- to fly off the roadway and overturn, pinning the driver's arm under the hood of the car.

Cindy Schwartz, 43, of Alexander, the driver of the car reportedly being passed, was taken by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital where she's listed in satisfactory condition.

The other driver, 17-year-old Elizabeth Weber of Exchange Street in Attica, was uninjured.

Weber was northbound in a 2010 Kia SUV on Creek Road, according to Deputy Chad Minuto's report, when she attempted to pass a 2000 Chevy sedan driven by Schwartz.

According to Weber, Schwartz sped up.

Yesterday, at the scene, Minuto said there was an oncoming southbound vehicle that may have contributed to Weber's decision to try and get back into the northbound lane quickly.

When she did, her right rear fender clipped the left front fender of the Chevy sedan, sending it off the east shoulder and tumbling into a farm field.

A black Labrador was Schwartz's only passenger. The dog ran from the accident scene heading toward the woods far in the distance to the east. It was nowhere to be seen during accident operations and this morning dispatchers say they have no report of it being found.

The accident was reported at 6:48 p.m. and Town of Batavia fire responded to the accident along with Mercy EMS.

It took about 30 minutes for firefighters to extricate Schwartz. She was buckled in her seat, upside down in the vehicle with her arm outside the driver-side window and pinned under the roof the car. Firefighters used airbags to lift the vehicle so her arm could be freed.

Weber was cited under the vehicle code section 1122-a for allegedly returning to her lane of travel without reaching a safe distance from the overtaken vehicle and Schwartz was issued a citation for allegedly speeding up while being passed under section 1122-b.

Notre Dame drops playoff game to Lyndonville

By Howard B. Owens

Without walking seven batters, maybe Notre Dame beats Lyndonville 3-0, Head Coach Mike Rapone said after the Fighting Irish lost to the Tigers 7-3 in a Section V Class D semifinal game at Dwyer Stadium.

Starter Tyler Stroud, normally in command of his pitches, struggled to get the ball over the plate and squandered an early lead. With only a couple of hits, the Irish saw their 3-0 lead slip to 3-2 and then disappear to a 4-3 deficit.

Two of those runs scored on a wild pitch and a passed ball after walks helped Lyndonville base runners advance to third.

"Walks, passed ball, ground out, and little by little we let them back into the game and we never got the momentum back," Rapone said.

Rapone praised the effort of Lyndonville but repeated, it was the walks that did in his team.

"Their pitcher threw a nice game," Rapone said. "He kept us off balance. We didn't hit the ball that well. I think if we didn't walk seven guys, the three runs might have been enough."

The Batavia Blue Devils beat Livonia today to advance to the Section V Class BB championship game in Geneva at 6 p.m., Friday against Pal-Mac. In the Class C final, Pavilion was eliminated by Bolivar-Richburg.

Top photo: Tommy Prospero scores in the first on a steal of home. The Tigers' catcher dropped the ball.

To purchase prints of photos from this game, click here.

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Batavia PD looking for help in solving bike theft case from 400 Towers

By Howard B. Owens

Batavia PD is looking for the public's assistance in resolving an alleged bike theft at 400 Towers on the night of May 19.

The subject in these photos is wanted for questioning and police are asking the public's help in identifying him.

Anybody with potentially helpful information should contact Officer Jamie Givens at (585) 345-6450.

Rollover accident on Creek Road, driver trapped, Mercy Flight responding

By Billie Owens

A two vehicle rollover accident is reported in the area of 9084 Creek Road. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding. One vehicle is in a field on its roof and its driver is a female who has an arm injury and is trapped inside. Mercy Flight is called to the scene. The location is between Dorman Road and Lehigh Avenue.

UPDATE 7:05 p.m.: Mercy Flight has landed. A black Labrador retriever was inside the vehicle that rolled over and subsequently ran away, says a responder, so if calls come in about a black lab running loose in the area it could very well be that dog.

UPDATE 7:30 p.m.: The woman has been extricated.

UPDATE 7:41 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne; destination unspecified.

UPDATE 8:07 p.m.: The Town of Batavia assignment is back in service. It appeared to those on scene that Mercy Flight headed to Strong Memorial Hospital. The driver of the other vehicle was apparently not injured.

Man lying on Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road without his sneakers...

By Billie Owens

A caller reports there's a man lying on or near the roadway on Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road. Meanwhile another caller reports coming home on that same street and finding the front and back door had been opened and a pair of sneakers on the porch. The man lying down is believed to be sans shoes. Law enforcement is responding, and will no doubt be checking to see if the sneakers fit the man.

UPDATE 4:10 p.m.: "Where was the subject supposed to be laying?" asks an officer. The address given is 2847 (Batavia-Oakfield TL Road).

City looking into complaint of race-related harassment in Pringle Avenue area

By Howard B. Owens

The city's youth detective, Todd Crossett, has been asked to take a closer look at a complaint raised at Tuesday's City Council meeting about potentially race-related problems in the Pringle Avenue area.

City resident Shirley Nigro spoke to the council Tuesday and said that neighborhood kids have threatened her and her grandchildren, citing race as a motivation for their actions.

She said she and her grandchildren have been attacked while at the Pringle Avenue park and once had to be escorted from the park by police.

"Our neighborhood is getting ridiculous," Nigro said. "I've had people across the street (from the park) tell me, 'you're in the hood now. You better get used to it or get out.' ... there's a lot of hate out there."

After she complained the parents of some of the children involved, she said, the harassment of her grandson on the school bus got so bad that she now gives him a ride to and from school.

Chief of Police Shawn Heubusch said he's asked Crossett to look into the complaint, which he said is the only one of that nature that the city has received, not just from the Pringle Avenue area, but from throughout the city.

"It's very important for us to get feedback from the community," Heubusch said. "They're living there day in and day out. We're not. We're in the area as much as we possibly can be. We take any complaint seriously that we receive no matter where it comes from and we're looking into it as best we can."

He said with the weather warming up and more people out and about, there's bound to be conflicts and disputes.

"I can't think of any (complaints received) that have been race-related," Heubusch said. "There's always going to be neighbor disputes that you're going to get in any community. The more people you have, the more neighbors you have, the more there will be disputes."

City firefighters will try to 'Fill the Boot' for MDA on June 7

By Howard B. Owens

City firefighters, members of the International Association of Firefighters Local 896, will once again ask motorists at in the Court, Ellicott and Main street areas to "fill the boot" with donations to help fight Muscular Dystrophy.

The donations benefit MDA charities in WNY.

The "Fill the Boot" campaign is June 7.

Last year, the campaign collected $7,500 for MDA, which was a record for the annual campaign.

"We had a very successful boot drive in 2012," said Local 896 President Greg Ireland. "The guys are looking forward to hitting the streets again in an attempt to top last year’s total. We really appreciate the generosity of those that can give, whether it be their spare change, a dollar or even more."

Portion of Randall Road shut down temporarily due to a wire down

By Billie Owens

A wire across the roadway on Randall Road prompted law enforcment to shut down the road until it can be removed. The location is between Richmond and Buckley roads. Stafford Fire Department is responding, along with a Sheriff's Deputy for traffic control.

UPDATE 1:55 p.m.: The wire has been removed and the road is reopened. Stafford is back in service.

Photo: Notre Dame golf team takes second consecutive Section V title

By Howard B. Owens

Notre Dame's golf team won a Section V title in a tournament at the Livingston Country Club in Geneseo.

From left: John Lapple -- 81, Drew Morabito -- 85, Coach Bill Sutherland, Noah Hoy -- 83, Ben Warner -- 87, and Jared Thornton -- 92. This is the second year in a row that they have won the Section 5 Class C Championship with the same five players.

Photo and information submitted by David Warner.

Large, injured turtle in roadway in Stafford

By Billie Owens

A large turtle that's injured is reportedly laying in the roadway on Main Road in Stafford. Law enforcement is responding.

UPDATE 11:01 a.m.: "The turtle's been removed from the roadway and I'll be back in service," says the officer.

Report of suspicious vehicle on State Street Road leads to arrest of alleged drug dealer

By Howard B. Owens
Omar Negron-Mejias Nicolas Roman

Updated with a little more info, 10:03 a.m.

Drugs and a gun were allegedly found in a Nissan Altima located on State Street Road, Batavia, on Tuesday evening following a complaint of a suspicious vehicle.

Three men from Rochester were with the vehicle and all three were arrested following a search of the Altima.

One man was allegedly found with a loaded handgun and investigators also allegedly found cocaine, heroin and marijuana.

Arrested and held on $25,000 bail after being arraigned in Town of Batavia Court on charges of criminal possession of a narcotic drug with intent to sell, criminal possession of a loaded firearm and unlawful possession of marijuana was 23-year-old Omar Francisco Negron-Mejias of Herald Street, Rochester.

Nicolas Luis Roman, 22, of Ketchum Street, Rochester, was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Neal John Schifano, 36, of Willington Avenue, Rochester, was charged with possession of a hypodermic instrument.

The vehicle drew attention because one of the subjects was out of the vehicle walking around it, said Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster. When Deputy Joseph Graff arrived the man got back in the vehicle and proceeded to a nearby driveway and Graff approached it a second time.

Brewster said contraband was observed in the vehicle and the investigation proceeded from there.

Investigators are still trying to determine why the men were in Batavia.

The investigation is ongoing and further charges may be pending.

The Sheriff's Office received the report of a suspicious vehicle at 6 p.m. and Deputy Graff responded. He was later assisted at the scene by were members of the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force and Batavia PD.

Top Items on Batavia's List

Part-Time Children's Library Clerk Haxton Memorial Public Library is seeking a Part-Time Children's Clerk 19 Hours a week $15.00/hr. Interested applicants please go to www.co.genesee.ny.us for an application or come to the library at 3 North Pearl Street, Oakfield. Any questions, please call at (585) 948-9900
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