Press release:

Community Action of Orleans & Genesee is again offering Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) at its Batavia office. April 15 is the deadline to file taxes.

This program is designated to help those with low to moderate income with their tax preparation and filing.

Trained volunteers are in the Batavia office, located at 5073 Clinton Street Road, on Feb. 4 through April 14.

Please call 343-7798 to schedule your appointment. 

This is a volunteer program offered free of charge. FREE E-Filing available, too!

Tony Mancuso shared this photo from the 1940s of the semi-pro football team that used to call Batavia home. That's Tony's father in the front row with the bandage on his head. Can you identify anybody else in the picture?

Name redacted upon request 43, of South Wales, is charged with burglary, 2nd. xxxx is accused of entering a residence in Stafford and stealing a laptop, a German air pistol, a small pocketknife, three jars of coins, and a pillowcase valued at more than $600. xxx was identified through a note she left at the scene. Following arraignment in Town of Batavia Court, xxx was released on her own recognizance.

Michele Anne Stamp, 51, of North Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or more, speed not reasonable and prudent, and moving from lane unsafely. Stamp was involved in a motor vehicle accident at 7:03 p.m. Sunday on Lewiston Road, Alabama. She was transported to the Genesee County Jail, where she submitted to a chemical test. She allegedly tested for a BAC of .21. She was arrested by Deputy Andrew Hale.

Nicholas S. Gillett, 25, of Italy Valley Road, Middlesex, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 4th. Gillett was arrested as the result of an investigation in the Town of Bergen. He was allegedly found in possession of a rifle in violation of probation as a result of a felony conviction.

Andrew K. Wright, 25, of Main Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Wright allegedly pushed a woman and struck her several times with a broom during an argument. He was jailed on $500 bail.

Timothy C. Pabone, 42, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, menacing, 2nd and DWI. Pabone was reportedly involved in an argument at 12:38 p.m. Saturday at 220 W. Main St., Batavia, over where a vehicle was parked. Pabone allegedly brandished a knife and threatened another person. He then allegedly tried to flee the scene in a vehicle, driving through a back yard and over the parkway. He was also charged with unlicensed operator, aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, failure to stop at stop sign, failure to keep right, unregistered motor vehicle, driving without insurance, switched plates, and improper registration sticker. Pabone was jailed without bail.

Nicholas Allen Clark, 26, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with possession of hypodermic instrument. Clark was arrested following a complaint at 2:04 p.m. Saturday of a person injecting himself while driving a vehicle on Liberty Street.

Shawna M. Pursel, 38, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with criminally using drug paraphernalia, 2nd. Pursel was allegedly found in possession of a glass pipe commonly used for smoking crack cocaine.

Joseph W. Gottstine, 26, of Beaver Meadow Road, of Java Center, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a traffic violation.

Raymond L. Morgan, 44, of State Route 31, Lyons, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Morgan was arrested on a warrant. He is currently incarcerated in Wayne County on an unrelated charge.

Victor D. Guy, 29, of West Main Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a traffic violation.

Cheryl M. Lyons, 50, of East Main Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a petit larceny charge. She was released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Cheryl A. Kowalik, 55, of Alexander Road, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant stemming from a charge of issuing a bad check.

Samuel Anthony Nigro, 64, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd. Nigro was allegedly found in possession of a billy club during a home visit by a probation officer. Nigro has a prior felony conviction. He was jailed without bail pending review by Superior Court. Upon review, he was released under supervision of the Probation Department.

Melissa M. Lesage, 36, of Lake Street, Le Roy, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a traffic citation. She was released on $500 bail.

Terry E. Smith, 38, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with side window tint, no plate lamp, unlawful possession of marijuana, criminal possession of a controlled substance, and aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. Smith was stopped at 2:04 a.m. Jan. 10 on McKinley Avenue by Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk.

Samantha L. Tate, 23, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and conspiracy, 6th. Tate was arrested on a warrant stemming from an alleged shoplifting incident at 415 E. Main St., Batavia.

Joey A. Evans, 25, of Maple Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for allegedly violating released under supervision conditions. Evans allegedly failed to appear for required meetings. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Loretta L. Baer, 44, of School Street, Batavia, is charged with resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration, 2nd. Baer was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Frank J. Yanik, 39, of Pearl Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and failure to stop at stop sign. Yanik was stopped at 1:21 a.m. Saturday on Liberty Street by Officer Peter Flanagan.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported on eastbound Route 490 at mile marker 3.4, near exit #2. Bergen Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

A food truck has rolled over at 8715 Lake Street Road, Le Roy. The driver is out and complaining of minor injuries. Le Roy fire and ambulance are responding.

Gayno Star Standsblack, 44, of Wehrle Drive, Williamsville, is charged with felony DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, 1st, moving from lane unsafely, no seatbelt, and driving without an interlock device. Standsblack was arrested following a report of a suspicious vehicle off the road on Meadville Road, Alabama, at 2:07 a.m. Saturday by Deputy Jason Saile. Standsblack was jailed without bail.

Joseph Paul Capuano, 63, of Clarissa Street, Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or higher and speeding. Capuano was stopped at 5:38 p.m. Saturday on South Lake Road, Le Roy, by Deputy Andrew Hale.

A manager tells a deputy on scene that he's seen smoke from a possible fire in a wall at Walmart.

The alarm originally came in as a pull station activation.

A first responder reports the possible electrical fire may be out.

Town of Batavia fire was dispatched.

A one-vehicle rollover accident is reported in the area of 1855 Lewiston Road, Alabama.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS responding.

It's believed the injuries are minor.

UPDATE 7:10 p.m.: The address has been changed to 2300 Lewiston Road.

An accident is reported at 127 Jackson St., between Morton Avenue and Maple Street, and there is possible entrapment and perhaps injuries. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 7:08 p.m. (by Howard): Two vehicles involved. One person transported to UMMC. One vehicle received front-end damage and the other vehicle had a banged-in door on the passenger side. Firefighters needed to pry open the driver-side door and help the driver from the vehicle, who was then loaded onto a stretcher. Police had not yet determined the cause of the accident. Jackson Street has a dusting of snow covering a thin layer of ice.

The Corfu Volunteer Fire Department held its annual installation and awards dinner Saturday night at the fire hall.

Jim Hale, above, was named Firefighter of the Year and received the award from Chief Dean Eck, left.

Dave Saleh (third picture) and Cathy Skeet (fourth picture, with Karen Lang) both received Fire Service Person of the Year awards. Glenn Eck (fifth picture) was for honored for responding to the most calls and Bruce Fauth received a certificate from Assemblyman Steve Hawley (sixth picture) for his 45 years of service to the department.

Other years of service awards went to Brian Schollard, 35 years, Bernie Fix, 30, Cathy Skeet, 25, and Roger Smart, 5.

The executive officers for 2016 are: Steve Rodland, president; Ben Tranpani, VP; Paula Tranpani, secretary; Jen Eck, treasurer; Bernie Fix, Justin Rodland and Ed Fauth, trustees; Allan Starkweather, sargeant at arms; and Brad Lang, chaplain.

Firematic officers: Dean Eck, chief; Brian Schollard, deputy chief; Greg Lang, 2nd assistant; Brian McMartin, senior captain; Ben Trapani, captain; Brad Lang, captain; Mitch Bates, captain; Bernie Fix, fire police captain; Rachel Bozzer, lieutenant EMS; Glenn Eck, lieutenant; Steve Rodland, lieutenant; Dan Smith, lieutenant; and Brian McMartin, safety officer.

EMTs: Rachel Bozzer, Cathy Skeet, Kristen Gaik, Roger Smart and Karen Lang.

Corfu Fire District Officers: Bruce Fauth, chairman; Jim Mallory, deputy chairman; Jenny McMartin-Eck, commissioner; Jim Hale, commissioner; Mark Zimmerman, commissioner; Paula Trapani, secretary; and Michelle Sformo, treasurer.

A pedestrian has been reportedly been struck by a car on East Main Street at Swan Street.

City fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 9:52 p.m.: Person is conscious and alert.

There are ample reasons to be optimistic about Batavia's future, City Manager Jason Molino says in his annual budget message delivered yesterday to City Council Members along with the proposed 2016-17 budget, even though the coming year will be hampered slightly by an uncertain sales tax picture.

Downward pressure on oil prices is likely to mean a decrease in sales tax revenue for the City as gas prices remain low and could fall further, according to Molino's projections.

Meanwhile, some expenses continue to go up and the city's property tax base is seeing only modest growth. Therefore, Molino said, the city probably needs to raise property taxes by 13 cents, putting the rate a $9.29 per thousand of assesses value. The tax levy would increase by $55,621, or 1.10 percent.

For a home assessed at $80,000, the proposed increase adds $10.40 to the annual tax bill.

While sales tax on gas is only 18 to 20 percent of total sales tax receipts for the city, sales tax is the city's largest general fund revenue source at 39 percent of the city's general fund.

"We project a slowdown in the coming year," Molino said, "but how much is hard to project."

That's why the city needs to continue its focus on economic growth, which will expand the city's most stable revenue source -- property tax, Molino said.

The budget calls for the continuation of programs that will help, and are helping, to drive the city's growth, such as brownfield redevelopment, as well as capital investments in sidewalks and roadways, along with the ongoing, multi-year effort to invest $22 million in upgrades to sewer and water infrastructure. All of these programs will have a significant impact on the willingness for businesses to locate or expand in and around Batavia, Molino said.

There's already been progress in the city on brownfield redevelopment, such as the conversion of the former Carr's warehouse into a business and residential complex as well as the work under way to start a brewery and restaurant in the former Newberry's building. There are other projects in the works, Molino said.

"These areas didn't become blighted overnight and we won't correct the blight overnight," Molino said. "It will take time, it will take people and it will take energy."

Over the past decade, the city has made tremendous budgetary progress, Molino noted, going from a city operating at a deficit with little credit to one with a $8 million fund balance and an A-1 credit rating.

At the same time, the city has managed to replace nearly $3 million of antiquated equipment.

While the budget will use reserves for capital improvements, Molino notes that the projected decline in sales tax revenue will inhibit the city's ability to replenish those funds this year, but he sees the current economic environment as temporary and expects the economy to pick up, especially locally, over the next couple of years.

A potential bright spot on the sales tax picture is the planned construction of a plant for 1366 Technologies in the STAMP project in Alabama, Molino noted. It's hard to project the potential impact of that project, but Molino noted in his budget message that the construction of two yogurt plants in the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park helped the city realize 4 to 6 percent sales tax growth in 2012 and 2013.

Another positive note coming out of 2015 is single-family home sales reach 122 closed escrows, up from 80 in 2013.

The city is also benefiting from a slight uptick in the assessed value of properties, as a couple of properties that were previously exempt from property taxes because of PILOT guarantees are now getting those increased assessed values taxed. Some of the additional revenue, however, is offset by the loss of PILOT payments from property owners. (PILOT = payment in lieu of taxes; taxes are exempt at a pre-defined formula on the increase of assessed value on a redeveloped property, but the property owner pays a fee to receive that benefit. That fee is split among the taxing jurisdictions that would otherwise receive the abated property tax.)

With the city facing ever escalating workers compensation insurance costs, Molino is also proposing the city adopt a self-funded insurance program, which will result in about a $250,000 cost savings. The assistant city manager and HR director would administer the new program.

The proposed spending from all funds for 2016-17 is $24,798,158. The general fund expenditure is proposed at $16,204,570. That's an annual increase of $499,806.

It's critical, Molino said, that the city continue to invest in its future, because only through economic growth can it meet future financial challenges and continue or improve city services.

There's a lot of positive momentum, a renaissance, in Batavia, in Genesee County and throughout the region, from Rochester to Buffalo, Molino said. Batavia needs to be a part of that positive trend.

"Let's stop with the negative perceptions about what Batavia can't be and talk about what Batavia can do," Molino said.

Molino ended the intro to his budget message on a similar high note, sounding a bold and ambitious vision statement for the city:

We need to become a community where employers don’t think twice when considering expansion. Our government services must strive for excellence and foster cooperation. It’s imperative our organizational culture and physical assets reflect immense pride in our City. We need to become a community where people of all ages truly enjoy life. Our vision is simple, to make Batavia the community of choice, in which the quality of life is unmatched and opportunity is around every corner.

The Batavia boys varsity Blue Devils defeated Honeoye Falls-Lima in a very hard fought, double overtime, 61 to 59 victory. 

Batavia started off with an early lead that diminished quickly and had them behind at the half. HF-L's lead at the half was due to a tremendous defensive effort by forcing turnovers. On many of the turnovers HF-L was able to convert, a few times with three-pointers.

In the second half, Batavia battled back from a deficit to be back in contention for the lead by the start of the fourth quarter. Both teams look tired at the start of the fourth. Batavia took it to HF-L in the paint by playing physical and getting offensive rebounds. The Batavia defense did a good job keeping HF-L away from the basket, often making HF-L take forced shots as the shot clock ran out.

Batavia trailed most of the fourth quarter as the teams traded baskets. Hogan scored a three-pointer with 30 seconds left in the fourth that tied the game. Regulation ended in a 43-43 tie.

Malachi Chenault finished the night with a double double, 15 points 10 rebounds. Hogan had a big 18 points with some great clutch plays and Trevor Sherwood had 13 points on the long night.  

More pictures below or to purchase go to www.jimburns.org

Speed and alcohol were factors in the motor-vehicle accident death of David Beehler Jr., 37, of Maltby Road, Oakfield, according to Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble of the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

No other details of the accident were released following the completion earlier this week of a preliminary investigation.

Beehler was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident on Fisher Road, Oakfield, on Dec. 22.

He was reportedly driving his 2009 Dodge Ram pickup truck when it hit a tree and a utility pole. Beehler was ejected from the vehicle, according to information released after the accident.

Beehler was a local volunteer firefighter.

Grant Hertzler, center, presents a community service project to the Le Roy Village Board on Wednesday. Also pictured, from left, is Trustee Bob Taylor, Mayor Greg Rogers and trustees Bill Kettle and Jim Bonacquisti. Grant, a member of Boy Scout Troop 6016, hopes to beautify the former Wiss Hotel site as part of his Eagle Scout Service Project.

Grant Hertzler has a plan for the former Wiss Hotel site.

And the Le Roy High School junior pitched his idea to a supportive Village Board this week — from a lofty perch.

The mayor’s seat.

Grant, 16, is a member of Boy Scout Troop 6016 in Pavilion. He is pursuing his Eagle Scout rank, which requires him to lead a community service project.

His goal is to beautify the now-vacant hotel site at Main and Lake streets (routes 5 and 19). He was prepared with a laptop computer on Wednesday, to outline the project for the Village Board.

The board wanted a closer look, so Mayor Greg Rogers obliged by offering his seat at the table.

The Wiss Hotel was razed in 2013. The village has since installed an electric service panel for the Community Christmas Tree that is raised on the lot every holiday season, but the lot is otherwise vacant.

Grant said he would give the site a facelift by building a shed to house the electrical panel, leveling the ground and adding mulch and greenery. He would also upgrade the gravel circle where the Christmas Tree usually stands.

“I would either put brick over that, or a more-appealing stone,” he said.

Grant said he would recruit volunteers and obtain donations of material and money.

“This would be at no cost to the village,” he told the board.

Village Board members were encouraging, and even suggested the Department of Public Works could support the project by donating in-kind services.

“I like your ideas,” Trustee Bill Kettle said.

Grant said he hopes to begin work this spring. The project has to be finished by the time he turns 18, and then presented to an Eagle Board of Review.

Grant is the son of Neil and Deb Hertzler, of Le Roy. He picked the Wiss Hotel site because it needs improving — a goal that’s ambitious but manageable.

He agreed to bring detailed drawings and plans back to the board in six weeks.

Trustees had a final question: How did he feel sitting in for the mayor?

“Powerful,” Grant said.

“Don’t be fooled,” Rogers said.

A utility pole is reportedly on fire in the area of 5769 Ellicott Street Road, Bethany.

Bethany fire responding.

A car has reportedly hit a tree stump in the area of 7238 Meadville Road, Alabama.

There is one occupant, reportedly unconscious.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 2:53 a.m.: Alabama fire is back in service. A male subject is being investigated for possible DWI.

City firefighters responded to 13 Chestnut St. after the odor of gas was reported in the basement. They discovered the strong smell of gasoline and are checking for the source. Neighbors are asked to check their basements, too, and the responders will be "popping some manholes" to check for the source of gasoline.

UPDATE 6:47 p.m.: Command on scene tells a dispatcher "We're going to need to have someone from Waste Management notified. We have the strong odor of gasoline in the sanitary sewer here."

UPDATE 7:13 p.m.: A caller reports the smell of gasoline "flooding the basement and making alarms go off" at 129 Liberty St., which isn't far from the Chestnut Street incident. City fire is responding and the first platoon is called to stand by in headquarters.

UPDATE 8:11 p.m. (by Howard): Spoke with Capt. Bob Fix at the scene. The resident at 13 Chestnut came home to the smell of gas in the house. It was coming up through the drainpipe and seems to have originated in the sewer system. There's no indication how gas might have gotten into the sewer system. "Even a small cup (of gasoline)" could have caused the odor, Fix said. A wastewater crew is responding to the scene to flush the system. Residents on Chestnut are being asked to run a little water down their drains to clear out their own systems. There's no present danger. The call on Liberty was unrelated and the result of a faulty detector. The first and third platoons have been called in to fill in at the Fire Hall with two city trucks tied up on Chestnut until the sewer is flushed. Chestnut is closed to vehicle traffic until crews have completed their work.

UPDATE 9:11 p.m.: City assignment back in service.

A man is allegedly refusing to leave the ATM machine outside the Five Star Bank at 390 W. Main St., Batavia, and refusing to let others use the machine after complaining that it "ate" his ATM card. A dispatcher said a teller informed the irritated customer their machines are not the kind that can take the cards and not allow them to be retrieved. Police are responding.