Arbor House, 350 Bank St., Batavia. We are a community of believers and disciples of Jesus Christ. Arbor House was founded to be a place of safety, refreshment, and renewal for all. Each week we gather to hear the spoken Word, eat from the Lord’s Table, and enjoy fellowship with all who come. If you have been hurt by a church before we want to be the place where you can find healing and hope. All are welcome! Service will be in person on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. and available live stream on Facebook. For more information about Arbor House visit arborhousefmc.com.

Alabama-Basom Methodist Church, 1392 Lewiston Road, Alabama. Join us for worship at 10:30 a.m. This week our sermon title is "Jesus' Prayer for Us", led by Eric Phelps (CLM). 

Ascension Parish - Roman Catholic Church, 135 Swan St., Batavia. We are open for Mass in the Church on Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. We hope to see you there! 

Assemblies of God-New Covenant Chapel, 6690 Oak Orchard Rd., Elba.14058. We welcome all seeking a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ through His finished work on The Cross with The Power of The Holy Spirit. John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you want a small, close-knit church family and a place to make a difference, please join us. Worship Service is Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Bible Study Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and Thursday at 7 p.m. Contact us at (585)-757-6651 (585)-969-1528 or visit us on Youtube.

Batavia Assembly of God, 24 North Spruce St, Batavia. Join us for coffee in our café before our Sunday morning service that begins at 10:30 a.m. We offer "Movement Kids" (age 4 - grade 5) at 10:30 a.m. and "MVMT YTH" (grades 6-12) meet on Sunday nights at 7 p.m.

Batavia First Baptist Church, 306 E. Main St., Pastor David Weidman, where "Christ the Center, Love for All" is very evident to all who enter. We invite you to our Full Gospel Sunday services at 10 a.m.; The Thrift Shoppe is open Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., come and browse in our beautifully renovated space. Donations are accepted during business hours. You can also enjoy a light lunch at Lydia's Kitchen while you shop. Questions? Email: firstbaptist2002@yahoo.com. Call us at (585)343-9002.

Batavia First Presbyterian Church, 300 E. Main St., Batavia, invites you to join us for in-person worship on Sundays at 9 a.m. (Arise-relaxed with band music) or 10:45 a.m. (Sanctuary -liturgical and organ) or on Livestream via Facebook Live for both times at: https://fpcbatavia.org/  or https://www.facebook.com/fpcbatavia/videos/.

Batavia First United Methodist Church, 8221 Lewiston Road, Batavia. Our mission & vision statement:  “To be disciples, we must listen, learn, lead, and love our way to God.” Reverend Wayne Mort leads our worship service every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. in the church sanctuary. Childcare is offered for children birth-3 years old and Sunday school is offered for children ages 4-14 years old. You can also find the service on Facebook. We invite you to learn more about Batavia First UMC by visiting our website at www.BataviaFirstumc.com.

Byron Presbyterian Church, 6293 W. Main St., Byron. Pastor: Rev. Michael Fry. Musical Director: Laurence Tallman. Service and Sunday School at 9:45 A.M. Scripture Reading: Psalm 1. Message: “Rooted”. Mother’s Day, Special Anthem – Join us as we honor the women of the church. All are welcome! Don’t forget to check out the Book Nook downstairs in the fellowship hall AND outside by the main driveway entrance.

Calvary Baptist Church of Le Roy, 8703 Lake Street Road, Le Roy.  If you do not already have a church that you attend regularly, we would like to invite you to give Calvary Baptist Church a try.  It would be a pleasure to have you join us for worship and fellowship on a Sunday morning or at one of our other mid-week events. As a multi-generational congregation that enjoys our time together, our Sunday worship service typically includes singing a mix of both traditional and contemporary songs and hymns, a children’s message, and a sermon from the Word of God. Our Sunday worship service begins at 10:15 a.m.

City Church, 210 E. Main St., Batavia, invites you for our Sunday morning services at 8:30 and 10 a.m. with Kids ministry at 10 a.m. and Thursday evenings at 7 p.m.  Everyone is welcome to join us for worship and a message. We believe in doing life together and would love to do life with YOU!  You can also connect with us online at www.thecitychurch.com, through our Facebook page, The City Church, or our YouTube channel.  We do life together.

Corfu United Presbyterian Church 63 Alleghany Road, Corfu. Corfu United Presbyterian Church welcomes all visitors to come to worship with us on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. in person or via our Facebook livestream led by Pastor Evan Wildhack. Our mission at CUPC is to connect with Christ, connect with others, and connect others with Christ. Weekly Bible study is held on Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. CUPC's food pantry is open on the third Saturday of the month from 9 - 10 a.m. Contact the church office by phone at (585) 599-6414 or via email at office@corfuchurch.org Office hours are Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cornerstone Church of East Pembroke, part of American Baptist Churches USA, 2583 Main Road, East Pembroke. Our Sunday service is at 10:30 a.m. with Pastor Glenn Bloom preaching. Bible Study is every Wednesday at 10 a.m. We are a small church and welcome new members. (585) 762-8721

Darien Disciples Church, 1951 Broadway (Route 20), worship at 9 a.m. on Sundays. Prayer requests to Jerry at: jeromedmorrison@yahoo.com.

Discovery Chapel, 315 West Main Street, Batavia. Pastor Ingrim Green's services are on Sundays at 10 a.m. "Let's Talk Real Talk the Gospel For Real Life." Visit our website letstalkrealtalk.org for more information.

East Bethany Presbyterian Church, 5735 Ellicott Street Road, East Bethany. Our Sunday morning worship service is held at 10:30 a.m. and is led by Rev. Dr. Shiela McCullough. Visitors are always welcome. You can find out more information on our Facebook page or by emailing us at ebpresbyterian@gmail.com.

Elba First Baptist Church, 31 S. Main St., Elba, is open for the main service in person at 10:45 a.m. on Sundays. For more information about our church go to www.fbcelba.net. The pastor is Michael Davis. Email: office@fbcelba.net / Phone (585) 757-2722

Emmanuel Baptist Church, 190 Oak St., Batavia. We would love to have you join us for our regular Sunday worship at 11 a.m. this weekend! We will be trekking through the book of Acts and learning about the reaction to the disciples suddenly speaking every language in the city square. There is also a bible study at 9:45 a.m. with free coffee. Also don't forget that we have free spots available in our community garden. Come learn and grow with us!

EverPresent Church, 4 Batavia City Centre, Batavia(off of Bank Street). We welcome you to come to experience the Holy Spirit in a fresh way. Jesus wants to set you free from your bondages. Wednesday Service at 6 p.m. & Sunday Service at 10:30 a.m., Toddlers dismissed at 10:15 a.m., Children's Church dismissed after 2nd Worship Song. For more info visit www.everpresentchurch.com. 

Grace Baptist Church, 238 Vine St., Batavia. Sunday Morning Worship begins at 9:30 a.m. Grace Kids for ages nursery – 5th grade meets during the 9:30 hour. The service is live-streamed at www.gracebatavia.org. or view it on our Facebook page: Grace Baptist. Kid Zone & Grace Student Ministries meet on Sunday evenings from 6-7:30 p.m. Visit our website or our Facebook page for other events happening throughout the year. 

Indian Falls Methodist Church, 7908 Alleghany Road, Corfu. We have our worship service at 10 a.m. on Sunday mornings, led by Rev. Karen L. McCaffery.  This week's message is "What We Can't See". To view our services online please go to our website https://indianfallsgmc.com/ for a link for Live Streaming. We offer Sunday School for all ages after the Worship Service at 11:30 a.m. Our Youth Group meets on the 1st & 3rd Sundays of the month from 6:30 - 8 p.m.  We offer FREE Respite Care on Wednesday, May 15 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. We will have our Annual Yard Sale on Saturday, May 18 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Le Roy First Presbyterian Church, 7 Clay St., Le Roy. Sunday morning in-person worship at 10 a.m. followed by coffee fellowship. We are an open and accepting church of all people.

Morganville United Church of Christ, 8466 Morganville Rd, Stafford. Take your mom for a ride through the country before or after brunch to our "God is still speaking" church, on Sunday at 10 a.m. for Reverend James Morasco’s sermon “She Knew.” Friend us on Facebook! or better yet, visit us any Sunday!

North Darien Bible Church, 9768 Simonds Road, Corfu. We are open! Sunday worship service begins at 10 a.m. Children's Church classes are available for children ages birth through sixth grade, including a classroom for children with special needs. For more information, visit our website. You can also watch LIVE on our Facebook or YouTube channel. Join us from 9 a.m. to noon on the first Saturday of every month for our free community closet, full of clothing, coats, and shoes for all. (585) 547-9646.

Northgate Free Methodist Church, 8160 Bank Street Road (North Campus), Batavia. "Linked" is an ongoing message series at Northgate Church that aligns with our core value of being an intergenerational community. This series encourages individuals of different generations to forge meaningful connections, fostering a deeper sense of unity and love within the church. Join us as we explore the beauty and strength that emerges when diverse generations come together to grow in their faith and glorify God as one family. Services are on Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 & 11 a.m. For more information about Northgate Free Methodist Church and to watch our services online go to northgatefmc.com or facebook.com/northgatefmc

Oakfield-Alabama Baptist Church, 2210 Judge Road., Oakfield. Join us for Sunday School for all ages at 9:45 a.m., followed by our worship service at 11 a.m. every Sunday! Visit our website (www.oabchurch.com) for additional information about our church, our beliefs, upcoming activities, and past messages. Men’s and Ladies’ Bible studies also meet on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. on the church grounds. We look forward to worshiping and fellowshipping with you! Questions? Email Pastor Matt Ervin at mervin@tyndale.edu.

Oakfield Community Bible Church, 82 North Main St. Oakfield. This week May 5 “Oakfield Community Bible Church” Sunday Worship Service is at 11:15 a.m., with Praise & Worship Music led by Keith Burroughs & Andrew Lacey. The morning message by Pastor, Timothy Young; entitled: “God's Armor: Part 3”. With Scripture:  Ephesians 6:10-20 (NKJV). Our Adult Sunday School is at 10 a.m., along with “Sunday School through Age-16”. There will be a time of “Fellowship Together” following our Worship Service! Bible Study is held on Thursday Mornings at 10 a.m. Come out and Join Us. ALL ARE WELCOME!

Our Lady of Mercy (44 Lake St. LeRoy) & St. Brigid (18 Gibson St. Bergen) parishes; Parish Office - 44 Lake Street, Le Roy. Weekend Masses Saturday at 4:30 p.m. (livestreamed); Sunday at 7:15 a.m., 10:45 a.m. (livestreamed), and 5:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Mercy. Also, Sunday at 9 a.m. at St. Brigid. Daily Masses Monday-Friday at 7:30 a.m. (livestreamed) and Saturday at 9 a.m. at Our Lady of Mercy and Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. at St. Brigid. View on YouTube and Facebook. Please visit the parish website (https://www.ourladyofmercyleroy.org/).

Resurrection Parish (St. Mary and St. Joseph churches in Batavia). St. Joseph’s Church masses are on Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at noon. Confessions are held at St. Joe's on Saturdays from 3 - 3:30 p.m. St. Mary's Church mass is on Sundays at 7:30 a.m. Vigil & Holy Days to be announced.

St. James Episcopal Church, 405 E. Main St., Batavia. Join us on Sundays at 9 a.m. on zoom, 10 a.m. in the church building, and on Facebook Live. Links and the bulletin can be found on our website: https://www.sjecbataviany.org/

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1 E. Main St., Le Roy, is open for in-person services at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. Communion will be offered to people in their seats and will only include bread. We welcome you to join us -- either in person or online. For more information, visit our website.

St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, 18 W. Main St., Corfu. Weekend Masses are celebrated: Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at the Corfu Church Site; and at 9 a.m. Sunday at the East Pembroke Church site, 8656 Church St., East Pembroke. Weekday Masses are celebrated on: Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. in East Pembroke and Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Corfu followed by Adoration. Corfu Masses are also available for viewing on our YouTube channel. All information is on the church website and on Facebook. Email: stmaxkolbe09@gmail.com (585)-599-4833.

St. Padre Pio Parish, St. Cecilia, 56 Maple Ave., Oakfield Mass is celebrated on Sundays at 10 a.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. OR Our Lady of Fatima Church, 65 S. Main St., Elba, Mass is celebrated on Saturdays at 5:45 p.m. and Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 6188 Main Road, Stafford. In-person service, including Holy Communion, is at 9 a.m. Sunday mornings. All  Are Welcome. 

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Batavia, 31 Washington Ave, Batavia. This coming Sunday (May 12) we will celebrate The Seventh Sunday of Easter - Mother's Day. The sermon theme: “A Mother's Gift” is based on the scripture from Exodus 2:1-10.   Adult Bible Class meets at 8:30am and will continue with their study on Revelations. Our service begins at 10 a.m. or can be viewed 'live' on Facebook. Our Youth class meets at 9:30 a.m. Sunday School children will attend the service through the children's sermon and will then go to their Sunday school rooms for their studies. Communion is part of the service on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. Our Quilters group meets on Tuesdays from 9 - 11 a.m. God continues to bless us richly as we focus on Him and His plans for our congregation and community.

The Church In Alexander, 10540 Main St., Alexander. Join us for Sunday Worship at 10 a.m. weekly. For more information please visit our website at www.thechurchinalexander.com. We offer a Free Food Pantry for people in our community, please call ahead if you need items from our pantry. For more information on Programs and services please contact us at (585)591-1765 or by email at thechurchinalexander@gmail.com. Church office hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:15 - 11:15 a.m.

Trinity United Methodist Church, 75 Main St. in Attica, worships together at 10:45 a.m. on Sundays. All are welcome! Contact Frank White at uncleferter@msn.com for a ZOOM link or for prayer requests.

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"Spiritual Connections" -- The Batavian will post updates to connect people with their places of worship, religious services, fellowship opportunities, and/or spiritual advisors, etc. There is no charge for this service.

If you have information to announce, please email: news@thebatavian.com

 9300 Shepard Road, Batavia (Town). Why build when you can own this large 2,150 sq. ft. custom ranch home built in 2015 that spans over 2 acres! This open concept house has custom acacia wood floors throughout, along with cathedral ceilings and a wood burning fireplace. A beautiful eat in kitchen boasts a walk-in pantry with floor to ceiling Lazy Susan shelving. Quartz's countertops and double ovens with beautiful cabinets and stainless-steel appliances complete the kitchen. The three-season room is all pine and has stamped concrete floors. The house was built with extra wide doorways and hallways for handicap accessibility.  The primary suite with soaker tub and separate shower is spectacular. The full basement could be your teen suite, in-law space or family room, so many options and storage galore. Head out to the 2.5 attached garage and then to an inviting 3200 sq ft pole barn with heated floors and large overhead doors.The 10,000-pound asymmetrical lift is included, perfect for the car enthusiast, collector, or mechanic. Three 30-amp camper hookups cater to gatherings.  Blacktop driveway and professional landscape with a full front porch and stamp concrete walkways and make this property picture perfect. Call Melissa Jonson at Keller Williams today, call (585) 356-4273

NOTE: Members of Early Access Pass get first crack (four hours earlier access than non-members) at making Deals of the Day purchases. Join Early Access Pass today to ensure you don't miss any valuable deals.

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An employee of the company that owns and operates the Synergy Biogas manure digesting facility in Wyoming County on Tuesday night downplayed concerns over potential odors from a proposed renewable gas facility at the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park on the east side of Batavia.

Speaking at the Batavia Town Planning Board meeting at the Town Hall on West Main Street Road, Melissa Franklin, technical sales & services representative, responded to local resident Wayne Nichols’ belief that the Genesee Biogas plant would cause a stink, literally.

“This is a different plant than Synergy. This will have camlock fittings and a different air system, and it will be confined,” Gilbert said. “Synergy is very different than this one.”

Nichols said he owns farmland near the site of the project but does not live in the area. He said he is looking out for those who live on Batavia Stafford Townline Road and others in the vicinity.

“I’ve worked in the ag industry for 70 years and there is no such thing as a confined system,” he said at the public hearing.

Lauren Toretta, president of CH4 Biogas, which is seeking a special use permit to build the facility, said the plan is to construct “an environmentally and economically beneficial project.”

She said having a renewable gas facility closer to O-AT-KA Milk Products, HP Hood and Upstate Niagara will mean trucks won’t have to drive as far to dispose of the waste.

CH4 Biogas proposes to construct and operate a plant consisting of two digesters, a gas storage tank and associated equipment for the purpose of digesting organic wastes to produce renewable natural gas and/or electricity and heat.

A utility corridor consisting of waste force main lines, electrical lines and water lines will run from each of the main waste stream plants to the facility.

Toretta said a small portion of the waste stream will be received by truck delivery.

Nichols said his wish is that they find a different location, farther from the city limits.

“It’s not as clean as we think,” he said. “There are sometimes when I come in on Ellicott Street into Batavia, if the wind is out of the east, when you get down by the old Sylvania plant, and the smell coming from O-AT-KA is putrid. It stinks.”

In other action, the board:

-- Conducted a public hearing concerning a special use permit application from Jason Bonsignore of East Coast Speedway to open and operate a racetrack on the former Polar Wave property at 3500 Harloff Rd. in a commercial/recreation district.

Bonsignore cited his company’s “good track record” over 28 years and promised a family-friendly facility that would “fill a niche” for dirt bike and go-kart enthusiasts. While several people supported his project, a woman and man who live nearby said they objected to the amount of noise and the increase in traffic.

The former National Hockey League player went on to say that his track will be quieter than the neighboring Area 51 motocross track and will operate on one night a week for practice, on Fridays until 11 p.m. and, occasionally, on Saturdays.

-- Received an update on the Byrne Dairy project on Lewiston Road, near the First United Methodist Church, from Christian Brunelle, senior executive vice president of Sonbyrne Sales, Inc.

Brunelle said he has revised the site plan to address the Genesee County Planning Department’s recommendations focusing on walkability and the positioning of the building.

He said changes include shifting the building to the south, toward the new Rumsey Road; moving parking spaces, adding picnic tables on a concrete patio; adding a sidewalk, and moving the stormwater drainage to the east, behind the store.

Brunelle also said the company understands that the New York State Department of Transportation is requiring a left turn lane into the property for vehicles heading south on Route 63 and that Byrne Dairy will install a white “greeting fence” along Route 63.

The proposed dairy would be situated in a development that will include a new Tractor Supply store.

Growing up in what he calls “the cowboy culture” of rural Montana, former National Football League quarterback Ryan Leaf said that he never saw another man reach out for help with mental health issues because of the stigma associated with it.

Leaf failed to live up to the expectations of the No. 2 pick in the 1998 NFL draft, leaving professional football after a relatively uneventful five seasons. He then turned to drug use, which led to his arrest and incarceration for 32 months.

Today, a week shy of his 48^th birthday, he tells his story at venues throughout the nation when he’s not commentating on college football and the NFL as a radio and television host. 

On Wednesday night, he capped his appearance in Batavia with a two-hour talk in front of 70 people at Genesee Community College. Earlier in the day, he spoke to about 300 high school 11^th- and 12^th-graders at the GCC gymnasium (see story below).

Leaf's presentations were sponsored by UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse).

Leaf shared that he didn’t have the ability to cope with failure, instead blaming others and taking a self-righteous and “I’m better than you” attitude. He said he didn’t know where to turn when his emotional health worsened.

“I wasn’t used to seeing people being vulnerable or transparent, it's just not,” he said. “It's a huge reason why I didn't seek help because I grew up in what you would consider a cowboy culture of Montana (and) then in locker rooms in college and in the NFL where you've never seen another man simply say, ‘I'm really struggling here. Can you help me?’

“So, if we haven't seen it, what would make us think anybody would be able to do it? Right? It's not taught. What has been taught is rub some dirt on it, get it back in there, toughen up.”

He went on to say that his father, who he said he admires, told him, “Why can’t you just stop (taking the Vicodin pills that led him astray)? Yeah, if I could stop, I would have done that a long time ago. Clearly, this was not a choice. And the idea was stigma exists -- the idea that someone may know that you need help is more frightening than actually getting the help that you need.

“That's what stigma is, and it will be the last rail that you have to climb over for people to take mental health and substance abuse seriously.”

Married with two young children, Leaf, now a Connecticut resident, illustrated his point by comparing those with a medical illness with those suffering from mental illness.

“A perfect example, two kids get sick in the same neighborhood. One has leukemia and one deals with a mental health disorder or substance use disorder. The difference in comparison to how the public then treats the family of the leukemia child in terms of support, food, things of that nature in comparison to what the individual family deals with when it comes to the mental health side of things … they're ostracized, they’re isolated, they’re talked about … when in reality, there's medical science that exactly the same thing exists. It's a disease.”

Leaf, realizing that some in the audience were in recovery, credited those in attendance for coming to hear him speak.

“You had a choice to be at home, stay at home, and not do something to try to be part of the solution tonight within your community,” he said. “So, I applaud all of you and you should applaud yourselves for being able to go off and do that and be a part of it.”

As for his own life, Leaf said he was driven by competition – “my first drug of choice,” he said -- at a young age and developed into a three-sport star (basketball, football and baseball) in high school.

“I worked harder than anybody else, and so I was rewarded with the opportunity to play at any college,” he said. “I was able to get an education for free and relieve my parents of the burden of having to have to foot the bill or something like that,” he said. 

He said he didn’t fit into the Montana culture and looked to escape, signing with Washington State University, where he led his team to a trip to the Rose Bowl and became a Heisman Trophy finalist in his junior year.

His collegiate success led to him being selected by the San Diego Chargers right after Peyton Manning in the 1998 NFL draft. With it came a five-year $31 million contract, including an $11.5 million signing bonus.

Despite Leaf’s extraordinary athletic talent, his dream of a long NFL career and a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame never materialized as he was ill-equipped to handle adversity. He ended up playing for four teams before calling it quits. From there, his dependency on Vicodin led to possession and burglary charges as he continually searched for a way to ease his inner pain.

Eventually, after two years in prison, he was able to turn his life around by finally considering the plight of others around him.

“When you make it about someone else, you're not thinking about you at all, you're not thinking about your problems and your troubles with things you've dealt with, you're actually thinking about someone else's issues,” he said. “That's what empathy is … you actually put yourself in the shoes of someone else going through something. And I don't think I really had an empathetic bone in my body until I was confronted with all my stuff.

“There was no talk of mental illness or drugs or alcohol in my life when I got to the NFL because there just wasn't. It turns out that I was dealing with mental health issues. I just didn't understand it.”

Leaf compared himself to Peyton Manning, who is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, as he pointed out the public’s perception of success.

“If I placed Peyton Manning right here and I stood next to him right now in front of us and asked you to point out the failure and the success, I don’t think it would be hard for anybody to do the pointing,” he said. “But that’s how people view and define success and failure.

“We’re both far removed from playing NFL football. He’s been retired for some time and I as well. If you look at our resume and our life right now, Peyton is a 48-year-old father of two and so am I. I own a profession and consulting company -- a broadcasting one a does he. We both do a ton of philanthropic things and give back to our communities. We both are very happy with our lot in life and … suffice to say, we both have the life of our dreams.”

Leaf said the “baggage” of the past doesn’t define a person’s life today and hope for the future.

“I mean a lot of people quit from that aspect of things like it will never get better. And I think it's the furthest from the truth,” he said. “It does not matter at all what has gone on in your past if you’re willing to accept that and surrender to who you are and why you're here. It's all about what you do today and tomorrow.”

Disclosure: Mike Pettinella is the publicist for UConnectCare.

Attitude. Behavior. Effort.

“Those are three things you can control,” said Ryan Leaf, former National Football League quarterback and now a sought-after motivational speaker, to about 300 high school juniors and seniors on Wednesday morning during a prom awareness event at the Genesee Community College gymnasium.

Leaf, the No. 2 selection in the 1998 NFL draft (right after Peyton Manning), came to Batavia as a guest of UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse).

Following a stellar collegiate career at Washington State University where he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in his junior year, Leaf was drafted by the San Diego Chargers – receiving a five-year, $31 million contract, including an $11.5 million signing bonus.

The Great Falls, Mont. Native said that being handed that kind of money only reinforced his belief that he could do anything he wanted.

“Money, power and prestige; I had it all,” he said to the students from Batavia High, Oakfield-Alabama, Elba, Byron-Bergen and Lyndonville at the outset of what turned out to be a two-hour talk. “I really felt that I was more important than anyone else.”

With wins in his first two NFL starts, Leaf was on top of the world. But in week three of his rookie season, a loss to Kansas City, he had “the worst game of my life” and was devastated.

“I wasn’t equipped to deal with it,” he said, adding that he experienced “arrested development” at age 13. “I was humiliated and embarrassed.”

Life in the NFL went downhill quickly after that, with Leaf sharing that he doesn’t remember many good things about his five-year NFL career. He went on to play for Dallas, Tampa Bay and Seattle before mental health issues prompted him to, in his words, “walk away from the think I wanted to do since I was 4 years old.”

Falling into depression and living under the burden as being known as one of the biggest draft busts ever, Leaf said he turned to taking Vicodin to ease his pain.

“I didn’t want to feel anything and the Vicodin did that for me,” he said. “It was eight years of a constant chase.”

Leaf said he squandered all of his money and resorted to going through friends medicine cabinets in search of his high – and then to entering strangers’ homes to find pills. Law enforcement caught up to him in March 2012 and he was sentenced to seven years in prison for burglary and possession of narcotics.

“For 26 of the 32 months that I served, I did nothing much watch a little TV at the end of my bed,” he said. “I wanted to die. I didn’t want to be there.”

Fortunately for him, his cellmate urged him to help some of the other inmates learn how to read. Reluctantly, he accepted the offer and, later on, he set out to become a substance abuse counselor.

Over the past 12 years, Leaf, 47, has maintained sobriety and has worked tirelessly to improve his life through AA meetings, therapy, prayer and meditation, and reaching out to others.

“What changed is (that I embraced) service to others, and it’s not money-generated,” he said. “Just sharing my story. And (addressing the students) your life’s story is just as inspirational and impactful as mine because you’re still here. Sharing that is the most serviceable thing you could do.”

Leaf, a Connecticut resident, talked about how he changed his attitude toward women – “I never respected women,” he said – and speaking glowingly of his wife, 6 ½-year-old son and 6-month-old daughter.

When not traveling around the U.S. speaking about substance use and mental health stigma, Leaf, chief executive officer of RAM Consultant, Inc., serves as a college and NFL analyst for Westwood One Sports and hosts a radio and television shows.

Stating that he’s “OK” with his past, Leaf said, “We all screw up and then think it’s the end of the world. But it’s not. You can stumble and fall but you need to keep trying. It doesn’t matter what happened it the past.”

He encouraged the students to “do the little things” that provide strength in times of temptation.

“You always have a choice,” he said, mentioning drinking and driving, drug use and sexual activity. “Enjoy the next couple weeks (before proms and graduations). It’s fleeting. It goes by so fast.”

Some in the community may want Michael J. Elmore, accused of causing the death of Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello on March 10 at Batavia Downs, to face a murder charge, but District Attorney Kevin Finnell said he believes a Genesee County Grand Jury reached the correct decision when it delivered an aggravated manslaughter count against Elmore.

Finnell said that, as a legal matter, he couldn't reveal whether the Grand Jury even considered a murder charge or if he sought murder as a possible count against Elmore, but he did say the Grand Jury reached its conclusion for the counts against Elmore based on evidence.

"As you know, I can’t discuss what transpired with or in the grand jury, so I can only say that the charges that were filed with the indictment were supported by the evidence," Finnell said. "As for the original charging decisions, I would advise that my office and the Batavia City Police Department had discussions regarding the charges that would be filed by BPD, and those that were filed were the most appropriate given the information that was available at the time."

Elmore is accused of fighting with Sanfratello when the 32-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office tried to eject Elmore and Lyndsey J. Wilccox from a bar at the casino.

According to charging documents filed immediately after Elmore's arrest, Elmore left the facility and returned with a heavy metal chain in his hands. The chain was apparently jewelry he was wearing at the time. Elmore is accused of hitting Sanfratello with his fists and with the chains and, at one point, getting Sanfratello in a chokehold.

A source connected to the investigation has told The Batavian that Elmore wrapped the chain around his fist and hit Sanfratello with it wrapped around his fist. Finnell said he couldn't discuss exactly how the defendant may have deployed the chain.

"The information we have about the incident involving the chain specifically is that Mr. Elmore removed it from his neck and held it in his hand as he fought with Sgt. Sanfratello and Batavia Downs Security," Finnell said. "Mr. Elmore threw punches with the chain in his possession. I can’t comment further on the manner in which the chain was utilized."

Elmore's social media posts indicate that he has, on occasion, worn heavy metal chain necklaces. 

The incident that led up to Sanfratello's death began at 12:43 a.m. on March 10, a Sunday morning following a pair of events at Batavia Downs on Saturday night, when Sanfratello and Batavia Downs security responded to the Rush 34 bar for a disturbance. There, Sanfratello confronted Wilcox, 39, of Batavia and ordered Wilcox to leave the building. While being escorted out, she allegedly became combative with Sanfratello. She is accused of hitting Sanfratello several times with the intent to injure him. 

As Wilcox was being arrested, Elmore became involved and was also ordered to leave. He reportedly walked out of the building and came back in with a chain in his hand (a chain he was apparently wearing that night).

During the struggle, which included assistance from Batavia Downs security, Sanfratello reportedly tried to deploy his taser in an attempt to subdue the person attacking him.

According to initial reports, Sanfratello suffered a medical emergency during the struggle and became unresponsive. There was extensive effort, according to witnesses, to revive him with CPR. He was later pronounced dead by a county coroner.

Elmore was indicted by the Grand Jury on counts of:

• Aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, a Class B felony. He is accused of intending to cause serious physical injury to a police officer and, as result, causing the death of a police officer;
• Aggravated criminally negligent homicide, a Class C violent felony. He is accused of causing the death of Sanfratello with criminal negligence;
• Assault in the first degree, a Class B violent felony. Elmore is accused of causing the death of Sanfratello while in the commission of another crime, burglary in the second degree;
• Burglary in the second degree, a Class C violent felony. He is accused of knowingly entering a building unlawfully with the intent to commit a crime in the building and threatening to use or did use a dangerous instrument.

Elmore and co-defendant Wilcox are indicted on counts of:

• Burglary in the second degree, a Class C violent felony. Elmore and Wilcox are accused of remaining unlawfully in a building with the intent to commit a crime in the building and, while in the building, causing serious physical injury to another person;
• Assault in the second degree, a Class D violent felony. Elmore and Wilcox are accused of causing physical injury to a police officer who was in the act of performing his official duties;
• Obstruction of governmental administration in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor. The pair is accused of trying to intentionally prevent a police officer from performing his official duty by means of intimidation, physical force, or interference.

Wilcox is separately charged with resisting arrest, a Class A Misdemeanor. She is accused of intentionally trying to prevent her legal arrest.

Elmore and Wilcox will be arraigned in County Court on the counts in the indictment on May 20. 

For previous coverage of the death of Sgt. Sanfratello, click here.

Glam and glitter under the bright lights were the order of the night on Saturday as the Genesee Community College fashion program presented its 43rd annual fashion show.

The theme was "A Night at the Cinema." 

Student designers presented their takes on the silver screen's most iconic moments and timeless fashions.

Photos courtesy Genesee Community College.

General Flynn will be at Cornerstone Church in Batavia for the release of his documentary Friday, May 10th at 5:00. Get tickets at cornerstonebatavia.org. 
Click here for more information

Batavia, like many other communities, has lost many buildings that were a reminder of the city's development. The possibly most glaring example is the Richmond Mansion, likely the most magnificent home built in Batavia. 

It was best known as the home of Dean and Mary Richmond, who became one of the wealthiest families in the area. Their stunning home reflected their wealth and influence and was an artifact of their importance long after they were gone.

The central part of the stately house located on East Main Street in Batavia was built in 1838, not by the Richmond Family, but by Colonel William Davis. 

Davis was a dry goods merchant who served the community in many capacities until his death in 1842. Davis was a member of the committee charged with investigating the disappearance of William Morgan, who was famous for revealing the secrets of the Masonic Order. Davis was also a member of the board of the first local banking institution and assisted in defending the Holland Land Office from near attack in 1836 during the “Land Office War.”

Judge Edgar Dibble purchased the home from Davis’ widow in 1846. Dibble was a leader of the Genesee County Agricultural Society and was the first Democrat elected to a county office since the Morgan affair in 1826. Dibble made extensive modifications to the house before it was sold to Dean and his wife, Mary Richmond, in 1854.

Dean Richmond was a railroad magnate, first for the Utica & Buffalo Railroad and then the New York Central. From 1864 to 1866, he was its president. Under the ownership of Dean and Mary, the home was continually renovated and enlarged. These modifications made the Greek revival style house to be the preeminent of the area. 

The portico and columns, which became synonymous with the structure, were added by the Richmond, along with a building-wide balcony. Mary also created a series of beautiful gardens around the home with rare and imported plants and flowers. They were complete with a large greenhouse. A wrought iron fence, which still stands, and sunken Italian gardens fronted the structure.

The interior matched the exterior in terms of its lavishness. The rooms were decorated with rosewood and mahogany, as well as plastered moldings and ceiling medallions. This included the dining room, which was famous for its yellow-damsked wall and yellow velvet carpets. The master bathroom had solid silver fittings with Tiffany marks. The home was so large that entire horse-drawn carriages laden with supplies would be driven right into the basement. This access was also used to deliver the enormous amount of coal needed to fuel the three furnaces. 

After Dean’s death in 1866, Mary continued to live in the home until her death in 1895. It then passed to their daughter, Adelaide, who left it to her niece, Adelaide, and finally to her brother Watts, who eventually sold the mansion.

In 1928, the building was sold to the Children’s Home Association and operated as the county Children’s Home until 1967, providing a home atmosphere for countless local children. 

The Batavia City School District then purchased it for $75,000. The Richmond Mansion was demolished by the school district’s Board of Education after three years of disputes with the local Landmark Society over what should be done with the building. The plot where the mansion once stood is now a parking lot located between the Richmond Memorial Library, also built by Mary Richmond and St. Joseph’s Church.

Some pieces of furniture and other fixtures have survived and are a part of the Holland Land Office Museum’s collection, including an ornate gold hallway mirror, rosewood carved bookcases, and marble fireplace mantle. Besides these pieces, the only remnant left is the stretch of the original rod iron fence that remains in front of the mansion’s original location.

Press release From State Sen. George Borrello:

"The Democrats that control state government think the rules don’t apply to them, which is why we repeatedly see them cut legal and ethical corners in order to achieve their political aims.

I commend the Livingston County judge who has called out their arrogant disregard for the state constitution by striking down their ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) amendment because they failed to follow the mandated process.

While the Democrats will appeal, I urge the appellate judges who will make the next determination to be guided by the dictates of the state constitution and not politics. We all lose when the authority of our constitution is weakened, which is why I am optimistic this ruling will stand."

Press Release:

On Thursday, April 11, Genesee County’s Adults with Developmental Disabilities came in their cozy PJs and comfy slippers but hit the dance floor in lively fashion. A beautiful evening of dancing continued with all the favorite tunes being played by DJ, Big Saxy. 

Pizza and snacks were set out by the great volunteers, most were members of the Byron Ladies Auxiliary. The lights were turned up and Morgan Leaton, the dance organizer, asked everyone to form a large circle. She called anyone celebrating an April birthday to the center and then led everyone in the ‘Happy Birthday’ song. That was followed by the ‘Hokie Pokie’ and the ‘Chicken Dance’. The Byron firewoman present donned her uniform and led everyone in the ‘YMCA’ dance, a group favorite!

Toward the end of the evening, Leaton announced the date and theme of the last dance of the season, May 16, for a Hawaiian Luau.

Dances are from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. and are open to anyone with developmental disabilities aged 13 and up residing in Genesee County. Proper staffing is required. If you would like more information or wish to contribute to or volunteer, please contact Morgan Leaton at 585-815-3157 or morganrleaton@gmail.com.

Join us for Mother's Day - make your reservation today! Call 585-343-6972! Visit us online

Jeffrey Searls has amassed a career so wide and varied that perhaps even he has underestimated just how much, such as when his wife Kristie asked him how many challenge coins he had collected.

A former deputy field office director for the U.S. Immigration Department who has also been part of a security detail for a former president and is now deputy superintendent of Genesee County Jail, Searls modestly told her about 15 or 20. Challenge coins are traded with others in the field and often in the military, similar to business cards, only more aesthetically pleasing and collector-worthy.

She took hold of the collection of colorful coins — more like dozens plural  — and lined them up in rows on a wooden flag that decorates his office at the new Genesee County Jail. A minor detail to some, though they speak to the nearly two dozen years of work both out in the criminal justice field and in administration. 

“And so she bought me that, and I had more coins. So then I had to get another one. Then, over time, they filled up; it was one of those things I just kind of threw them in there and didn't pay attention,” Searls said during an interview at his office in the new jail. “And then she's like, you know, they’re kind of nice, you should display them. I’m like, yeah, you're right. I really had no idea how many I had then because I've just thrown them in that basket over the years. And I'm like, wow, I’d say quite a few. So it's kind of a neat little collection.”

Admittedly, Searls is not akin to clutter, so all the shiny newness aside, his office will likely remain as orderly as it was on this day, with few but meaningful pieces of decor on the walls and bookshelves, including the coins flags, a wooden flag-themed Special Response Team plaque, two buffalo — the animal, not city —  items and a group police photo. 

He has worked at other jobs prior to immigration, he said, including a stint at CY Farms “way back when,” and as a probation officer in 1997, but since 2000, his criminal justice/law enforcement career has taken off.

“I was eligible to retire and was looking for other after-retirement jobs, so this situation kind of fell in my lap, really. I had experience running the Detention Center for Immigration on Federal Drive, and it was just the right timing. So I applied, interviewed, and got selected,” he said.

At first blush, he said he enjoyed being an officer where the bulk of the action outweighed the administration side of things; however, after more contemplation, he revised that response.

“I did like being an officer, but I also enjoy being an administrator as well. I like being able to lead others and providing the tools they need to help them succeed in reaching their goals,” Searls said. “I also enjoy helping to take a vision and turning it into reality. Similar to the new jail project that started out as a conversation, to plans on paper, to construction, then ultimately it will be a fully operational facility.”

Ever since he took a criminal justice course in BOCES, Searls, who grew up in Elba, “really liked it,” he said and leaned toward becoming a cop or a fireman to help his community. 

“I always wanted to make a difference,” he said. 

A resident of Batavia for the last 18 years, he began as a detention enforcement officer—similar to a corrections officer, he said—and then moved up the supervisory ranks. In 2017, he became the facility director until 2022, when he was promoted to deputy field office director.

“I was in charge of the upper 47 counties of New York State for federal immigration. So from all the way from Erie, Pennsylvania border all the way up to Champlain and down to just north of Hudson County, Dutchess County, so the Albany area,” he said. “I was deputy field office director, so I was second in charge of the state for the agency. But in that role I'm detailed quite often. So I was detailed to Washington, D.C. and played different roles there. So I was in charge of fugitive operations, which is like going out and finding people like what the marshals would do, looking for immigration fugitives. 

“I was in charge. I was overseas,  I oversaw it nationally for a six months detail. And then also, I did another headquarters detail where I worked at the Southwest border Coordination Center. That was in conjunction with Customs and Border Protection, border patrol, and with the influx of migrants, in the last few years, worked together with a multi agency task force to try to address that,” he said. “So as the deputy national incident commander, working federally, I had to go all over the place, realistically. I did multiple stints on the southern border, mostly in Texas and Louisiana as well. Short-term details from 30 to 60 days, but I also was acting facility or acting field office director for Philadelphia for four months. So I was in charge of Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia.”

His boss was ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the job meant being team leader with a SWAT team, emergency response for hurricanes in New Orleans in 2008, part of a large-scale security team for President-elect Barack Obama during his transition in Chicago, and even having to remove high-risk individuals from the United States. One thing he hasn’t done when it comes to immigration is work directly along the southern border, namely Mexico.

Since 2017, he has predominantly been in administration, running the Buffalo immigration office.

“I loved the field action, but I like teaching the younger guys. When you work the field, it’s very early morning and very late nights,” he said. “Being an administrator, some of the enjoyable aspects of it were completing projects. And similar to the new jail here, being able to get it off the ground. Most of those projects that we did were smaller in scale, but to start from scratch and get them running was very exciting, too; not along the lines of criminal justice work, but I did enjoy that, having seen the fruits of your labor.”

As deputy jail superintendent since December 2023, Searls knows all about seeing projects come to fruition. The $70 million facility is set to open for an invitation-only mingle and dedication on Friday after a year of groundbreaking, construction, change orders, infrastructure, training, and finishing touches at the Route 5 site. 

Searls is deputy to Jail Superintendent Bill Zipfel. 

“My duties since I started have been to do everything to transition for us to move from the old jail to the new jail so he's able to focus on the day-to-day operations of the current jail. And to try to open a new place is a lot for one person to be in charge of, so the sheriff and the superintendent have wanted me to coordinate things here, so I've been a go-between with contractors, other vendors that are putting our security systems in and keys and doors and every little thing that goes along with construction, and also working with the commissioner of corrections of a transition team that we work with, which is four correction officers that work for us, that we have pulled from the schedule and they work here daily,” he said. “And they have worked directly with the commissioner of corrections on new policies and procedures, mainly due to the physical plan of the facility. 

"A lot of our procedures are going to be completely different here. We've been working with them developing the new policies and procedures and putting together a training program for our officers because we're going to have to know how to handle the different scenarios," he said. "Many of our officers are very experienced; however, they just have a new place and a different way of going about things. We're going to have to work through it, just how it's going to look here.” 

An example of such policies is the inmate grievance process. Searls said inmates receive a tablet that they can use for music, TV and a phone. They can also list their grievances on the tablet as an electronic log. 

“And so they've reviewed that and tried to tweak it to make it better now with technology. We have tablets here; we have different technological tools. But ultimately, if you know an inmate has a grievance, they can always say it in person, put it right down on a piece of paper, or do it through the tablet. So helping us just make sure all of our policies are in line to meet the standards that are in place,” he said. “Many, many standards have had to adjust because of technology, the changes in it. A lot of old procedures that were listed on paper had to be now with the technological age. 

"If you can use a tablet, and email, is it necessary to print all that paper out? So adjusting policies like that, there are ways or other things that always in the past had to be on paper, paper logs, now we can go with more electronic logs," he said. "So that’s been very helpful. And, obviously, in the long run, a cost savings to the county.”

The new jail provides opportunities for more outdoor recreation and larger day rooms to relax and watch TV, he said. There are some work positions in the kitchen and laundry areas, and he would like to see more work programs be developed in the future. 

Genesee County Animal Shelter is adjacent to the jail, and there are potential opportunities for inmates to help out by walking dogs or other duties, he said, but that type of program has yet to be established. 

There will be one head cook that’s a county employee and two part-time cook jobs will go to inmates that don’t have a lot of violence in their records, he said. 

Other staff includes four part-time nurses who cover shifts seven days a week and a physician who comes in two days a week. About 46 corrections officers have been hired, with four more needed to make it the 50 full-time required, plus six full-time senior corrections officers.

Friday's private dedication and tour is something to look forward to for all involved, he said.

“This is a big deal and something people should be proud of,” he said. “We’re excited to get in here, and I’m very proud to be part of it.”

The jail’s capacity is 184 inmates—148 men and 36 women—and they are expected to be housed in June. Once the males are situated in the current jail, the females will be brought in from outlying facilities in Orleans, Wyoming and Monroe counties, he said.

Once the new jail is established and flowing, Searls will focus on assisting Zipfel with daily tasks, including performance evaluations and policy reviews.

“We may have to change a few things and continue the process with that day to day,” he said. “Initially, just getting used to the space and the distance to travel from if there is an incident, that emergency incident that we need to respond to right away, there's a greater distance to travel to, but overall greater distance to travel to, by the COs to get to. So if there was a fight or medical emergency or something they had to respond to, there's a little bit greater distance. For the most part, it's just one floor, except in the housing unit, there are two floors, but it is very easy to maneuver through the facility. But it's just a greater distance.

“Overall safety concerns, the design of the facility keeps you safe. It is different than our current jail in the way it's set up there, in small, very small groups, small areas, you will have the potential for 40 people together in an open area. So there's the potential that you have one CO working with those 40 guys, you're outnumbered,”  he said. “However, generally in my past, I have not had issues with that. It's just all about communication, effective communication just between the COs, jail management, and the inmates, and effective communication usually handles any disturbance.”

There won’t be any changes to officers being armed and the use of force policies, he said, and having one officer dealing with larger groups of people is actually “a very effective and economical way of handling the inmate population.”

“Ultimately, the big key is effective communication, just being able to talk to people and respectfully, that's the main thing," he said. "But overall, the bigger the facility the potential of larger numbers. Obviously, we'll bring in the females, so that's gonna bump up our numbers on average, lately, 15 to 20 at the most, right there. We've been housing females out forever to other county jails, and as other local jails may be going through the same process, they may ask for the same type of favor."

"So I'm sure in the future, we may be housing other counties’ inmates maybe short term if they have a building project. And then there's the possibility of potentially housing federal inmates if the need arises, whether it's U.S. Marshal inmates or immigration inmates, that's open for discussion. There's a lot of moving parts with those as far as establishing a memorandum of understanding and a contract. And they have a different auditing process and things like that. So that's open for discussion down the road," he said. "Ultimately, we initially want to get open, take care of ourselves, make sure we're good to go and then see about eventually being able to utilize the full facility."

Searls and wife Kristie, a teacher at Jackson Primary School, have a son Shawn, who’s in his junior year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and two golden retrievers, Bentley and Dunkin.