Following a student Mass at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church today, Bishop Richard Joseph Malone toured St. Joe's and Notre Dame, meeting with students and faculty along the way.

At St. Joe's, his tour guide was Principal Karen Green; at Notre Dame, it was Principal Joe Scanlan. His aide Rev. Ryazard Biernat accompanied the tour.

As near as anybody could remember, it's been more than 20 years since a bishop came to Batavia to celebrate Mass and tour a Catholic school. Malone said in Maine, there were 20 schools in his diocese and he made a point of visiting each one at least once a year, but in the Buffalo Diocese there are 40 schools. It would be hard to maintain that annual schedule with so many schools, he said, but when a student asked him if he would come back next year, he said, "if you invite me I will."

Before he left St. Joe's, Principal Green gave Bishop Malone a plate of chocolate from Oliver's.

A car fire is reported on the westbound Thruway at mile marker 394. East Pembroke Fire Department is responding along with mutual aid from Oakfield and Indian Falls. Mercy medics are also responding. It's unknown if there are injuries.

UPDATE 5:50 p.m.: East Pembroke command reports the vehicle is unoccupied. Oakfield is put back in service.

UPDATE 5:55 p.m.: Fire knocked down. Mercy medics are back in service.

A severe thunderstorm warning has just been issued for Genesee County by the National Weather Service in Buffalo. It is in effect until 6:15 p.m.

At 5:21 p.m., the Doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph.

These storms were located along a line extending from eight miles west of Waterport to Arcade, and moving east at 50 mph. Strong winds are pushing out ahead of this line and winds will begin prior to any rain or lightning.

Some locations in the warning include Batavia, Pavilion and Le Roy.

Wind damage with these storms will occur well ahead of any rain or lightning. Don't wait for the sound of thunder before taking cover. Seek shelter immediately inside a sturdy structure and stay away from windows.

Press release:

Responding to the need for skilled food processing workers in Western New York, Genesee Community College will begin offering a new degree program in Food Processing Technology in Fall 2014. The College recently received final approval for the Associate in Applied Science Degree program from the State Education Department.

Food Processing is a fast-growing industry in Western New York where the state Labor Department says companies find abundant dairy, strong infrastructure and close proximity to population centers in the Northeast. There are more than 650 food processing operations in the region and new jobs are being added yearly. The industry has a need for trained workers and this program will respond to that need.

GCC has developed a two-year, 63-credit curriculum that includes general education coursework as well as specific training in food safety, sanitation and hazard analysis; food and dairy processing operations; analytical methods and food labeling. Graduates of the program will understand basic principles of food science including the chemical, physical and microbiological properties of food, as well as the technology used to create an abundant supply of safe, nutritious and delicious food.

"We worked with food processing companies and other educational institutions, including Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension, to develop this program," said Rafael Alicea-Maldonado, Ph.D, dean of Math, Science and Career Education. "They told us what they need and this program will provide them with the trained workers they are seeking. For graduates, that means excellent prospects for well-paying jobs upon completion of the degree."

In addition to classroom lectures and science lab experiments, students in the program will complete an internship at a Food Processing operation as part of the program.

"This also enhances opportunities for job placement," Maldonado said.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center indicates that trained workers are paid significantly higher than those who don't have advanced skills, with annual salaries ranging from $30,000 to $60,000.

Those interested in enrolling in the new Food Processing Technology AAS Degree program can find more information online at http://www.genesee.edu/academics/programs/tech/Food.

Press release:

In a monitoring system that has evaluated 2,300 local governments fiscal condition statewide, the City of Batavia has been ranked better than most cities across Western New York. Last week New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced the completion of the initial scoring for all local governments and school districts in New York in the Fiscal Stress Monitoring System.

Last week the Comptroller issued Batavia a fiscal stress score of 0 percent for 2013, the lowest possible score. Other scores for fiscal years ending in 2013 that were released last week included Buffalo (15.8 percent), Corning (15.8 percent), Olean (11.7 percent), Rochester (20 percent), Syracuse (34.2 percent) and Watertown (9.6 percent). Other Western New York communities included the cities of Canandaigua (1.7 percent), Geneva (28.8 percent) and Oneonta (15.8 percent).

The system uses a 100-point scale to classify whether a municipality is in significant fiscal stress (65 to 100 percent), in moderate fiscal stress (55 to 65 percent), is susceptible to fiscal stress (45 to 55 percent), or no designation (below 45 percent).

“This confirms that the City has and continues to take the necessary steps to ensure the City is on solid financial footing,” said City Council President Brooks Hawley. “Building a solid financial foundation has been a priority in the City’s Strategic Plan and provides the City with the ability to accomplish more in the future, and build a stronger community long-term.”

The Fiscal Stress Monitoring System was created by the Office of the State Comptroller to identify local governments and school districts that are in fiscal stress as well as those showing susceptibility to fiscal stress. The Fiscal Stress Monitoring System is based on financial information provided to the Comptroller’s Office by local communities and uses financial indicators that include year-end fund balance, cash position and patterns of operating deficits, to create an overall fiscal stress score. To date the Comptroller’s monitoring system has identified a total of 142 municipalities in some level of fiscal stress. This includes 16 counties, 18 towns, five cities, 16 villages and 87 school districts.

The City of Batavia’s Strategic Planning process is the foundation from which the City’s Business Plan for services and annual budget are based. The intent of the Strategic Plan is to allocate City resources to best meet the needs of our residents, while balancing the environmental factors that may affect the City in the future. The City’s reassurance that they were on the path to financial recovery was seconded in July 2012 when Moody’s upgraded the City’s bond rating from “A2” to “A1."

Third Ward City Councilmember John Canale, and a member of the City’s Audit Advisory Committee, shared his thoughts on the City’s score, “Once again we have received confirmation that the City is headed in the right direction financially. I think accomplishments like this only contribute to the City’s efforts to improve services, strengthen our infrastructure and provide greater opportunities for Batavia.”

The Audit Advisory Committee was established to provide oversight to the financial and compliance reporting process and external audit process. The Committee will be responsible for meeting with the auditors prior to the audit, reviewing risk assessment, reviewing the draft financial statements and making a recommendation on acceptance of the external audit reports to the City Council.

Residents interested in applying for the Audit Advisory Committee can obtain an application from the City Clerk’s Office or can visit our Web site at www.batavianewyork.com/Files.

Bishop Richard Joseph Malone is visiting Batavia today. The bishop attended the student Mass at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church this morning, then went to St. Joe's School for lunch with students before a brief tour. He will tour Notre Dame High School this afternoon.

You wouldn't necessarily associate artistic flare with pickup truck bedliners, but the ability of Nate Fix to precisely spray protective coating helped him land a contract spraying liner on a new model of search and rescue watercraft. 

Bombardier designed the new craft to meet the needs of fire departments involved in all types of water rescue and developed very exacting specifications for the hulls of the craft.

Fix, an art major in college and owner of Rebel Liners, on West Main Street Road, Batavia, is spraying coating on 100 boat bottoms for the Canadian-based company.

Fix is an emergency dispatcher for the county and assistant chief with the Town of Batavia Fire Department, so the contract hits another sweet spot for the lifelong Batavia resident.  

The boats use Bombardier's Ski-Doo snowmobile platform.

The SARs (search and rescue) crafts are suitable for surf and white water rescue as well as bodies of water that are only eight-inches deep.

Rebel Liners was the fifth or sixth company that was contacted by Bombardier and the first that could assure the manufacturer of a coating application that would meet spec. The coating can't vary in thickness from stem to stern, from port to starboard, by more than 2.6 to 3.2 millimeters. Any greater variation would inhibit the proper water intake of the craft's engine as well as affect steering.

"I've been spraying for a little over 10 years now and when you get into bedliner equipment and machinary -- and being that I'm a speciality guy and I spray $50,000 and $60,000 trucks and I have to make them look pretty -- I was the only one in the country they could find who could do the job," Fix said.

When Fix was first approached about the project, however, he was skeptical. In fact, at one point, he was going to turn it down.

The project was at that time top secret.

"I couldn't know what it was about or who it was for," Fix said. "It went on for two months and got to the point where I told them, you know what, I'm not interested. I don't even know who I'm doing this for."

Then he received the CAD plans and notice the copyright down in a lower corner. Bombardier.

"Then I realized it wasn't just mom and dad making a couple of boats and wanting to see if it would work," Fix said. "I realized this was big time."

The coating fix uses is by SPI, a K5 polyurea. It's the same coating he sprays into pickup trucks. It protects the hull of the rescue crafts if they hit rocks or buried tree stumps. Fix said Bombardier tested one of the boats he sprayed and dropped it 17,000 times.

"If it was just the fiberglass, it would have cracked," Fix said.

That's art.

Batavians Joe Schlossel and Mike Badami silhouetted by the early evening sun at Lakeside Beach State Park along Lake Ontario. It's that time of year when shore casters are able to cash in on Lake Ontario's trout and salmon fishery.

Sometime in early to mid-May, the trout and salmon begin to move offshore. For now they remain within reach of shoreline anglers. While the majority of anglers flock to places like Point Breeze, Mike Badami (pictured above) and Joe Schlossel (below) opted for the solitude of Lakeside Beach State Park.

The pair ventured to the park twice in the past week and each time were rewarded for their efforts. Once the trout move into deep water, these two anglers will return to local haunts and target their favorite warm water species, black bass and northern pike.

Sherri C. Butler, 54, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and trespass. Butler allegedly remained on a property at 5:18 p.m., Thursday, after the owner asked her to leave. She allegedly threatened the owner. Butler was jailed on $500 bail.

Andrew R. London, 22, of Goodrich Street, Albion, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st, driving in violation of a conditional license, and refusal to take breath test. London was stopped at 2:11 a.m. Monday on Pearl Street, Batavia, by Officer Eric Foels, for an alleged equipment violation. London was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Michael Patrick Murphy, 29, of Walnut Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd. Murphy was arrested after Officer James DeFreze observed a switchblade knife in his residence. Murphy was jailed without bail.

National Journal: Everyone's Lying to You About Benghazi

Linda Metcalf's painting "Hussies" was honored with the Best in Show ribbon in the 2014 Batavia Society of Artists Art Show at the Richmond Memorial Library.

Metcalf arrived at the reception this evening surprised to learn she won.

The show runs through May 28.

First place went to Kevin Feary ("End of the Season"), second to Terry Weber ("Poppy's Garden") and third to Dennis Woods ("Cosomos in Cosmos"). Honorable mentions: Carole LaValley, Kathryn Roblee and Maidul Kahn. Metcalf and Wood also received honorable mentions for their paintings "Finally Spring" and "Fancher Fill-Up."

Katherine Clark, pictured with Peter Mumford, won the Virginia Carr Mumford Award. Clark attends GCC and plans to pursue a career in art.

Terry Weber

Press release:

The Landmark Society of Genesee County announces the winners of the Society's 2014 Fourth Grade Architectural Drawing Contest.

The Awards Ceremony was held Wednesday night (May 7) at the Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia. Fourth-grade students from Elba Central School, Byron-Bergen Central School, and John Kennedy School participated.

This year's award winners are (pictured from left):

-- First Place – Elli Schelemanow from Byron-Bergen.
-- Second Place – Laci Sewar from Elba.
-- Third Place – Logan Pocock from Byron-Bergen.

The first-place winner received $50, a framed certificate, and a signed copy of The Architectural Digest of Genesee County.

The second- and third-place winners received $25, a framed certificated, and a signed copy of The Architectural Digest of Genesee County. 

Honorable Mention awards from John Kennedy include: Noah Dellcamp, Claire Taylor, Katherine Spiotta, Gavin Konieczny, and Devin Harmon.

Honorable Mention awards from Elba include: CJ Gottler, Adrianna Long, Caden Muehlig, and Selena Franco.

Honorable Mention awards from Byron-Bergen include: Emil Robinson, Meghan Kendall, and Corden Zimmerman.

The contest was coordinated by Stephanie Rudman, Elba Central School art teacher, with assistance from Melissa Coniglio, Byron-Bergen School art teacher. The contest was judged by Lorie Longhany, a former art teacher with Holy Family School in Le Roy, and a local artist specializing in architectural renderings.

Photos by Howard Owens

Jerald Shea would sure like the Town of Bethany to do something about the way his property floods and the damage flooding did to his house this winter.

To the degree the town has a position on the issue, it's that the problem wasn't created by the town.

Shea bought his house at the corner of Bethany Center Road and Paradise Road four years ago.

A retired truck driver, he suffered back and neck injuries when his truck was rear-ended while he was driving through North Carolina a few years ago. He was living in a retirement home in Oakfield when he was awarded custody of his teenage granddaughter (since moved from his house), so he used his insurance settlement money and bought the house in Bethany.

What he didn't know or didn't notice was that his property is lower than the parcel on the south side of Paradise Road. That parcel is a bit of a swamp and there's a small culvert under Paradise Road that drains the swamp into Shea's back yard.

He wasn't happy when he figured that out and asked the town for help, but it wasn't a big issue until this winter when frozen ground topped with heavy precipitation caused his yard to fill with two or three feet of water.

The cement foundation of his house raised two or three inches, causing some damage to the building (no known structural damage).  

"I've always had problems with this, but I could live with it," Shea said. "If I had to flush the toilet, I could just use a pail of water if I had to, but now, (geez), I'm telling you. It seems like nobody (cares) because every time I talk to anybody all I get is I'm not going to get involved because of politics. What the hell is so big about this town that they've got to be afraid of politics?"

There's evidence of the exterior of the house being damaged along the north exterior wall, with faux brick popping off in places. The paneling in a back room has warped and some of it has popped off, exposing framing and insulation. His septic system is damaged, he said, and muddy, dirty water backs up into his bathtub.

Shea always had problems with his yard filling with water, but his house was largely undamaged from flooding until this winter.

The town is in a bit of a transition right now. Supervisor Louis Gayton died April 14 and that has left things a bit unsettled.

In fact, Shea believes Gayton promised him two days before he died that the town would fill in his back yard and make it less susceptible to flooding. 

Town Highway Superintendent Paul Fleming said he doesn't see the town giving Shea dirt and rock for his yard. That just isn't something towns do.

As far as Fleming knows, the culvert under Paradise Road has been there for 50 years, and probably a lot longer. 

The problems Shea is having with his property aren't from "anything abnormal the town did," Fleming said.

Fleming said years ago the property wasn't residential. It was a mechanic's shop. Some of the structures on the property could be more than 100 years old.

In our short talk today, he wasn't really sure what if anything the town should or could do for Shea.

Shea said he's on fixed income -- $1,000 a month -- and though his home is paid for, he doesn't have the means to move or fix the damage that's been done.

"I didn't know about this when I bought the house or things would have been very different," Shea said.

When the foundation of the house rose, the siding of the house pushed down on a pair of yard tools Shea had leaning against the house, causing small indents in the siding.

Photo provided Jerald Shea he took in February showing a portion of his back yard flooded.

A car struck a pole at 7115 W. Main Road in Le Roy. There are reportedly no injuries, but a pole and wires are down. Le Roy Fire Department is responding. Law enforcement is on scene and National Grid is called to respond as well.

UPDATE 6:22 p.m.: The location is in front of Upstate Farms Cooperative, Inc. Fire command requests Le Roy ambulance to respond, non-emergency, to evaluate the male driver.

UPDATE: Photo submitted by Kim Antinore.

Village of Le Roy resident Ryan Crossett sent in these pictures on this information on the Machpelah Chapel in the Machpelah Cemetery on North Street, and it's pretty interesting.

The chapel was designed by architect Robert Fayfield of Buffalo and was built in 1910-11 of local stone by masons Charles Sherman and Ray Peck. The total cost was $5,126.75

It was renovated in 1950 through a gift from Helen Woodward Rivas.

Further renovations were made in 1953 through a gift by Rev. Raymond Calkins in memory of his wife’s family, the Lathrops. A stained-glass window was installed in the west wall at that time

The present stained-glass window was installed in 1959 by Rev. Calkins because he was displeased with the previous window. This window was crafted by the Willet Stained Glass Studio in Philadelphia, and is known as the “Lathop Window.”

The theme of the window is taken from the Gospel of Matthew 28:1-6, and the description is as follows:

“It represents Christ’s victory over death, bearing aloft the banner of the Church Triumphant. His tri-radiant nimbus signifies His Divinity, and the rayed vesica His glory. The two guards are turned away in wonder and awe at the miracle.”

The Chapel seats 60 and is available for religious ceremonies such as weddings and funerals.

The Chapel is maintained by a bequest from Rev. Raymond Calkins. Recent projects have included: painting of window frames and doors; repairs to the slate roof; painting of masonry walls and parts of the foundation; replacement of the ceiling fan; repairs to the chimney; replacement of the north roof soffit; and replacement of the front door frame.

The City of Batavia has denied The Batavian's request for the incident reports and possible video related to an unintended discharge of a weapon by a Batavia police officer last month.

From City Clerk Heidi Parker, the city's Freedom of Information Law Officer:

Your request for the incident report, witness statements and video, if any, has been denied after discussion with Bob Freeman from the Committee on Open Government based on NYS Civil Rights Law section 50-a since the incident in question is part of the officer’s training and evaluation process to continue employment with the City. The incident report specifically is denied based on unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

The Batavian has taken the next step in the process for demanding disclosure of public documents and filed an appeal with City Manager Jason Molino.

To say that routine incident reports are used in officer evaluation would essentially make all police documents related to incidents confidential. Even routine arrests would be hidden from the public. That's clearly not the intent of the legislature.

Numerous sources have provided information to The Batavian indicating that there is more to this incident than Chief Shawn Heubusch is disclosing. 

UPDATE Friday, 4:50 p.m.: We received a letter from Jason Molino informing The Batavian that he is partially granting our appeal.  The incident report will be released after personal information has been redacted. Up to five business days. He's denying the request for "Special Reports" and "Police Training Reports" (we didn't specifically request those documents, because we didn't know the names of the documents, but they could be generally construed as covered by our request).  Molino said those documents are expect from disclosure under Civil Service Law 50-a.  He provided copies of the complete redacted reports, with only the memo heads remaining.  Since these reports appear to have been generated in conjunction with an internal investigation, it's likely these documents would be considered "used to evaluate performance toward continued employment or promotion." 

Previously: Accidental weapon discharge leads to internal police investigation

Press release:

United Memorial Medical Center and the Genesee County War Memorial Committee will hold a special dedication ceremony for the Genesee County Veterans’ Memorial at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 17, at the Jerome Center, 16 Bank St., Batavia.

In the early 1950’s Genesee Memorial Hospital was designated as the Genesee County War Memorial for wars fought in the 20^th Century. A monument was placed near the entrance of hospital at 127 North St. that listed all the names of the men and women from Genesee County who died in service to their country during the two World Wars. Plaques for the Korean and Vietnam Wars were subsequently added to the monument.

The expansion and renovation of the hospital at North Street from 2009-2010, required moving the original 1950’s monument to a new location on the campus. The monument was disassembled and the white metal and aluminum plaques were carefully stored. The stone, made of a composite material, could not be salvaged due to extensive damage from the elements.

Hospital administrators met with representatives from Genesee County Veterans groups to discuss the condition of the monument and where to place it following the completion of construction. During this time, observances for Memorial and Veterans’ Days were moved to the Bank Street Campus. Centrally located Downtown, and out of the way of traffic and construction, attendance at the services on Bank Street increased substantially.

The War Memorial Committee, made up of veterans, requested that the new monument be placed at the Bank Street campus. United Memorial, honored to serve as the Genesee County War Memorial, agreed to the new location at the corner of Bank and Main streets. The Hospital also pledged to give funds, originally allocated for moving the monument during the construction project, to the committee to be used toward the new monument.

In November 2011, the veterans held a special ceremony to inter the original plaques in a vault below where the new monument was to be constructed. There is an engraved granite marker identifying its location at the site. To raise the additional funds necessary for the monument, the veterans solicited for donations and sold granite pavers that could be engraved with any veteran’s name, rank and military branch. The pavers will be permanently placed near the monument when the site work and landscaping are completed following the dedication. This will mark the culmination of a nearly five-year-long project to replace the original monument.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend the dedication ceremony on May 17^th. Following the ceremony, there will be a reception with light refreshments.

County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens sent over this picture from a roadway in Montgomery County (near Utica), saying, "it could have been worse" -- a comparison to the dramatic sinkhole incident in Byron last month.

The state's county highway superintendents are concerned about these issues and are lobbying Albany for funding to deal with aging roadways and infrastructure. Hens is currently president of the NYS County Highway Superintendents Association.

Hens also said the culvert on Byron Road has been replaced, backfilling is nearly complete and if there's dry weather tomorrow the road could reopen by the afternoon.

UPDATE 4:06 p.m.: More from Tim Hens:

Reader Patti Williams sent in this picture of an owl that her son, Andrew Williams, took while he was out turkey hunting. She says her son, who lives in Byron, saw the owl several times, then was able to get close enough to take this photo.