You know you’ve wandered into a unique store when you see the nearly life-size Freddy Krueger standing, how else but menacingly, just inside the side entrance of the store at 97 Main St. in Batavia. On top of a nearby display case is another clue, the rubbery head of a one-of-a-kind beast with a gaping maw and toothy jowls. 

This is Foxprowl Collectables, of course, a place for sci-fi and pop culture collectors and the young at heart in the heart of the city, and Genesee County Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 Entrepreneurial Business of the Year. Owners Bill and Joy Hume will join other honorees Saturday night at the annual awards ceremony at the Quality Inn & Suites on Park Road.

Deborah Green, a friend of theirs who lives in East Pembroke, nominated the business. She says the Humes are community-oriented and their business brings in people from throughout Western New York to Batavia.

The Humes' enterprise is chock full of action figures, comic books -- 40,000 of them (wrapped in plastic, priced, alphabetized and in chronological order), toy collectibles and more, a place for tots and Boomers alike to look for many of their favorite characters and remember back in the day...

As a young man, Bill, a Batavia native, played in bands, did construction work and delivered furniture and appliances. Although he had collected toys all his life, he had no particular interest in business before starting Foxprowl as an ebay enterprise back in 1999. He had a lightbulb moment about the potential for making a living around his hobby and started buying toys in "lots" or quantities, then selling off excess while building his reserves. 

"Most people know more about their hobbies than they know about their jobs," Bill said. "So if your hobby is your job, you have more of a passion, more of a drive, and you're going to work 12-, 13-hour days because you enjoy it."

The first storefront opened in 2010 on Ellicott Street and then they relocated and opened Sept. 1 last year in the building at Jackson and Main streets.

"It's a new ballgame," Bill said of the new space. "It's a different demographic. (On Ellicott) it was more of a destination. Here there's more foot traffic, quadruple what it was. I'm looking forward to our first summer here, that's for sure."

Bill and Joy both say they are honored to be part of Batavia's business community and thankful for the recognition by the chamber for their hard work.

Joy said "drive, desire, diligence, setting goals, growth, planning the work and working the plan" are the keys to their success to date. And she gives a lot of credit to their employees and supporters.

"We have a great team that has grown with us and works right along with us and we are blessed with an abundance of family and friends who support us in so many ways," Joy said.

These include Tim Schiefer, Wayne Stahler, Marc Tillery and Bill Doetterl.

Stahler for the past two and a half years has run the online side of the business, handling Internet orders, shipping, tracking sales, complying with merchant rules for Amazon, eBay and their own e-commerce site on Big Commerce. His duties include working with a variety of distributors worldwide to get proper authorization to ship certain licensed goods. They only starting selling on Amazon last year and already Stahler said it is quickly reaching par with in-store sales.

Keeping the store itself organized and neat for finicky collectors and grandmothers seeking a special birthday gift for little Tommy is no small feat either.

"I try to keep it pretty shoppable," Bill said.

Glass cases house mint-condition items; on the walls and on countertops Star Wars is kept with Star Wars, likewise for G.I. Joe, KISS, Transformers, etc. There is a big bin for action figures.

"Kids love digging through there, rummaging, digging for the buried treasure buried at the bottom," Bill said.

He has some backstock, too.

In a small closet about 25 Millenium Falcon spaceships from Star Wars are stacked, variously equipped with their dozens of parts. Of those, he said he could maybe put together two whole spaceships with all the parts, in which case one would sell for $150-$160. The rarest bit is the Jedi Training Ball, which hangs down like a boxing bag. That alone sells for more than $20.

"Every mom vacuumed that up and so it's the part that's most often missing," Bill said.

Care to look through an old Atari magazine from the '70s? Ever seen uncut sheets of Three Stooges trading cards? Remember the Snoopy Sno-Cone machine? They are all there! Some people drive four hours just to get the special Japanese-made Godzilla figurines sold there, each exquisitely detailed and not cheap either.

But buying inventory and deciding well in advance of, say, a movie's release, how much of its corresponding merchandise to stock, can be tricky. Consumers are fickle and their memories are short. Despite all his acumen, Bill said it's still "a crapshoot."

A proven adjunct to the business is Foxprowl-Con, which brings together stars, a variety of clubs, artists, fandom and vendors on the weekend before Thanskgiving. It debuted at a local hotel in 2015 after 11 months of painstaking planning.

The first year there were 18 celebrities, dozens of vendors, dealers, crafters, artists, book sellers, and clubs like the Ghostbusters Club with its 20-foot inflatible marshmallow, plus interactive games, contests, experts panels -- like makeup artists and costumers, plenty of family fun all day long.

Putting the convention together was challenging but people loved it. Bill learned on the fly about third-party ticket sales, per diem payments, security, travel planning, promotions, advertising, and on and on. And he said he learned that it was important to treat every customer as royally as each star.

"Everybody is important," he said.

Joy said she thinks Foxprowl is one of Genesee County's coolest places; Foxprowl-Con is a labor of love. Both are places where families and fans can "geek out" and enjoy their favorite characters and artists and have a good time.

The Humes plan to keep having fun doing what they love.

Press release:

On February 20, 2017 twenty 4-H Dairy Club members and their families were given a private tour of the new processing facility at Yancey’s Fancy.

The young dairy enthusiasts were given a behind the scenes look at the commercial dairy processing industry and left the tour with a visual understanding of how artisan cheese is produced.

To learn more about the Genesee County  4-H Youth Development Program visit our website: http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/4-h-youth-development 

Press release:

Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer today called for local student entries for the New York State Senate’s Earth Day Poster Contest, a statewide competition that raises awareness of environmental issues.

“Earth Day celebrates the great strides made in improving our environment, and this poster contest is an opportunity to share that commitment with students. By educating our young minds about protecting the Earth, they can be a part of the many New Yorkers who are already helping to make a difference,” said Ranzenhofer.

The Earth Day poster competition is for children in grades K–6. The theme of the contest is “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” Students are encouraged to be creative and convey a real commitment to making the environment a better place. The focus is to emphasize the importance and encourage the exchange of ideas about recycling and waste reduction, as well as stimulate creative thinking about solutions concerning these issues.

Students wishing to participate in this year’s event must submit their entry by March 24, 2017 via Senator Ranzenhofer’s website. Entries should be photographed and submitted electronically, preferably in a jpeg format viaranzenhofer.nysenate.gov. 

The winning posters will be displayed at Senator Ranzenhofer’s website. All participants will receive a certificate acknowledging their participation.

Since the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, over 20 million Americans have participated, helping to improve the quality of our air and water. In addition, landmark legislation has been passed to help support this effort, such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act.

A Corfu resident charged under Leandra's Law will get a chance at rehabilitation after appearing in County Court yesterday on charges stemming from his arrest in May. 

Cody Bedard was initially charged with felony DWI, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and endangering the welfare of a child.

His 4-year-old son was allegedly in the car with him.

Bedard has been through treatment with the Horizon Health Treatment program following good reports on Bedard becoming employed and abstaining from drugs and alcohol.

The one nick on Bedard's record was leaving the county without permission to attend his son's hockey game in Monroe County.

Judge Charles Zambito adjourned Bedard's sentencing pending treatment for 60 days at Oxford House in Erie County.

"I’m giving you the opportunity to prove to me that you don’t deserve to go to prison," Zambito said.

His next court date is scheduled for May 8th.

Our news partner WBTA contributed to this story.

A 55-year-old Leicester man involved in a serious-injury motorcycle accident after the Heart concert at Darien Lake on July 27 has been charged with three felonies following the completion of an investigation into the incident by the Sheriff's Office.

Eric R. Brumstead, of South Main Street, Leicester, is charged with two counts aggravated vehicular assault and aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st.

Brumstead was allegedly driving his Harley-Davidson with a BAC greater than .18 percent and had a prior DWI conviction within 10 years.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Brumstead failed to stop for deputies who were directing traffic and then continued eastbound on Sumner Road at a high rate of speed. He failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway near Walker Road.

Both Brumstead and a passenger were ejected from the bike and both were flown by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.

Upon his arrest, Brumstead was jailed pending arraignment in County Court.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Ryan DeLong and the Livingston County Sheriff's Office.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at Perry Road and Big Tree Road, Pavilion.

The cars are blocking traffic.

Pavilion fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

Brandon L. Doward, 32, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd. Doward was arrested on a warrant following an investigation by the Local Drug Task Force. He is accused of selling crack cocaine.

Paul W. Zeches, 28, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Police came into contact with Zeches (circumstances not released) at 8:40 p.m. on Feb. 23 at 160 Bank St., Batavia, and Zeches was allegedly found in possession of marijuana.

Dustin W. Bogue, 35, of Tracy Avenue, was arrested on a warrant. The nature of the warrant was not released. 

Richard D. Nagel, 34, of Savage Road, Holland, is charged with controlled substance outside original container and criminal mischief, 3rd. Nagel was arrested following an investigation into an alleged domestic incident at 8:57 a.m., Feb. 26. Nagel allegedly broke a mobile phone belonging to a former girlfriend.

Justin T. Stephenson, 32, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct. Stephenson allegedly yelled obscene and abusive language while in a populated, residential area, at 5:34 a.m., Feb. 25, on Hutchins Street. He was jailed on $250 bail. He was also arrested on a warrant from 2014.

Nathen E. Brege, 24, of South Main Street, Batavia,  is charged with obstructing governmental administration, 2nd, resisting arrest and endangering the welfare of a child. The charges stem from an alleged domestic incident reported at 6:48 p.m., Feb. 26, on South Main Street, Batavia. When police responded, he allegedly attempted to flee and began to fight the officers. He was also arrested on a warrant stemming from an aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, charge. He was jailed on $1,500 bond. 

Jacob L. Hernandez, 22, of Pearl Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Hernandez allegedly violated a complete stay away order. He was also charged with harassment, 2nd, following a report of an alleged fight involving several people on Liberty Street at Sumner Street at midnight Feb. 26.

Kelly Ann McDonald, 50, of Kingsbury Avenue, Batavia, is charged with felony DWI. McDonald was stopped at 4:43 p.m. Wednesday on West Main Street by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Tyler Michael Frumusa, 20, of West Ham Circle, North Chili, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and driver's view obstructed. Frumusa was stopped for an alleged traffic violation at 1 p.m., Feb. 22, on Lake Street, Town of Le Roy, by Deputy Ryan DeLong.

The work of Genesee Community College students enrolled in Fine Arts courses are on display this month in the Rosalie "Roz" Steiner Gallery.

Opening receptions were held yesterday afternoon and evening.

The artwork was created by students involved in drawing, painting, 2D and 3D design, and ceramics.

The show is on display through the end of March.

Students at Batavia High School are in the midst of rehearsals for the musical "Hairspray," which they will perform next weekend.

Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m., March 10 and 11, and 2 p.m. March 12.

The Arc of Genesee Orleans has chosen the March observance of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month to share some exciting news. In celebration of The Arc’s rich history of programs and services supporting people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their families, the agency has unveiled its new mission, vision, and values statements and logo. 

MISSION

Be a partner for people with disabilities, and a gateway to opportunities for each person to experience their desired potential.

VISION

Lifelong relationships, enriched by inclusion.

VALUES

Diversity, Respect, Integrity, Visionary, Equality, Empowerment, Excellence (DRIVE³)

“Along with our new mission, vision and values, we are excited about our new logo,” Executive Director Donna Saskowski said. “It’s part of the national brand, uniting affiliated Arc chapters across the country. Look for the logo to be appearing on signs, buses, publications, our website, and at community events!” 

The unification of the former Genesee ARC and Arc of Orleans County was a two-and-a-half-year process that was realized last fall.

“It has been a fairly smooth transition for families and individuals,” Saskowski said. “Administratively, some department locations had to choose a new home base, and our official, legal address is 64 Walnut Street, Batavia.”

The Finance Department and Quality Assurance Staff are among departments located at the former Orleans business office at 122 Caroline St. in Albion.

The Arc of Genesee Orleans serves more than 1,200 individuals with developmental or other intellectual disabilities and their families. The agency will provide a variety of programs and services with renewed strength and commitment. Looking forward, The Arc of Genesee Orleans will be a partner for people with disabilities, and a gateway to opportunities for each person to experience their desired potential.

Children in the second grade at Pembroke Elementary School did their part yesterday to make the world a little brighter place for families at the Ronald McDonald House.

After a fundraiser that the children participated in collecting beverage can tabs and included a $500 donation check from a member of the community. Yesterday, the students stuffed paper bags with snacks, water and candy that will be delivered to the Ronald McDonald House.

The students also colored and decorated bags as part of the gift to the families.

Parents with children undergoing treatment at the Ronald McDonald House will be able to pick up the bags when they visit so they have snacks and water during their daily stay.

A Batavia woman is upset after her 5-year-old beagle Shar-Pei mix was attacked by another dog on State Street last week not only because her dog was injured, but because there was also a recent report of the same dog biting a person earlier in the month.

The dog reportedly bit a person inside of its home on State Street on Feb. 7, according to the owner of the dog that was attacked, who lives on State Street, and a member of law enforcement familiar with the incident. 

Angelina Pellegrino posted about the attack on her dog on social media on Tuesday. 

"Ridiculous that while walking my dog innocently with her harness and leash yesterday I had to witness the horror of my dog getting attacked unprovoked by an unleashed dog," Pellegrino wrote.

Her dog suffered four puncture wounds that had to be treated and the dog has been placed on antibiotics.

"I just kept screaming at the top of my lungs in the middle of the sidewalk," Pellegrino told The Batavian this morning. "I kept trying to get between the dogs to pick my dog up to no avail."

Pellegrino is also upset that the owner of the dog denied that his dog attacked her dog.

"(The) owner insists to the police that his dog did nothing," she said.

According to sources, the dog's owner was cited for letting a dog run off leash. We don't have information on the owner this morning because Assistant Chief Todd Crossett said he would not release the arrest report until a later date with other arrest reports.

"The sad thing is is the cops told me that there is nothing they can do about a dog that attacked their owners or continues to attack their owners," Pellegrino said. "It does not matter. Only what matters is the fact that now the dog attacked my dog and it has to continually attack other people or things for anything to be done."

Staff at Genesee County Economic Development Center responded to 120 leads of businesses looking for locations to set up new facilities, CEO Steve Hyde told members of the County Legislature during his annual review of the agency's progress before the Ways and Means Committee.

The pipeline of high-tech businesses that are looking for the kind of location the STAMP project in Alabama provides includes at least two "whales," Hyde said.

That has kept staff busy, especially in a year when work continues to prepare STAMP for ground breaking this spring.

"We're one of the few counties in the state with lots of sites to choose from," Hyde said.

Those include not only STAMP but the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, Apple Tree Acres, Buffalo East, Gateway II, Upstate Med-Tech, Oatka Hills and now the Le Roy Food and Tech Park.

"Our body of work is as big as it's ever been at the agency," Hyde said.

It was a tepid year for job growth, Hyde said, and uncertainty around the Federal election in 2016 had many businesses sitting on their hands waiting to see what happened, but he thinks Genesee County is well positioned to move forward in the new era of technology-led growth.

While technology jobs tend to optimize for efficient production, there will be opportunities for people who want to live and work in Genesee County.

"You've got to go after these high-tech jobs because they're good paying, well-paying jobs for kids from high school degrees and technical training all the way up to PhDs," Hyde said. "They don't create as many jobs per square foot, but they create a lot of jobs for what we're used to in Genesee County."

This year will be a big year for implementation, Hyde said, especially on STAMP, with the beginning of a phased approach to a $40 million investment in roads, water, sewer, gas and electric at the site.

The agency is awaiting federal approval of a natural gas pipeline project that has apparently been delayed by the transition of White House administrations.

"There are not enough sitting commissioners Federal Energy Regulatory Committee to approve our little pipeline with natural gas," Hyde said. "Of course, they can approve the Dakota Pipeline but not that little stuff. That didn't get done."

There's also a delay in Department of Energy funding assistance for 1366 Technologies and without securing that funding, 1366 has delayed its own announcement of when it will be breaking ground on its solar wafer manufacturing facility in Alabama.

Meanwhile, to help support STAMP with a qualified labor force, GCEDC is working with area colleges and universities on a program called STEM to STAMP, which will provide course work suitable for the kind of jobs expected to be created at STAMP.

There's also a lot of interest at area high schools in filtering that coursework down to that level of education, including at Pembroke, Oakfield-Alabama, Batavia, and Byron-Bergen.

"We're all talking about, 'How can we take this model where we can take this curriculum that's developed by universities and colleges and bring pieces of that course work down into our secondary schools?' " Hyde said.

Given the potential of STAMP to create 11,500 good-paying jobs in high tech, Hyde said the agency continues to push state and federal officials for support.

"We're not getting there unless we continue to find ways to secure infrastructure funding, to expand the capacity, so I can go out and sell them and try to bag the big whale," Hyde said.

The GCEDC will host its annual meeting at noon today at Batavia Downs.

The Sheriff's Office is investigating an assault on a female store employee at the Arrow Mart in East Pembroke the night of Feb. 25, Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster confirmed this morning.

The attack was reported about 8:25 that night.

A female employee said she was returning to the back door after dropping some cardboard in a dumpster. Brewster said the assailant punched her in the head.

The victim was medically examined and released. 

She said she punched her attacker several times. Investigators also took swabs of her hands and they are awaiting lab results.

There was no sexual assault, Brewster said.

Deputies search the area after the report and did not find the suspect and there were no surveillance cameras that captured events or the suspect.

The suspect is described as a tall, heavy-set male wearing all dark clothing and a hood. He headed south on Reed Road. The suspect may have facial cuts or bruises as a result of the confrontation.

Brewster said there have been no similar reports in Genesee County.

The investigation is ongoing.

People who might be able to provide additional information are asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (585) 343-5000.

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) voted to accept an application for assistance from Genesee Valley Transportation at the board’s meeting on March 2. GVT is looking to add approximately 12,000 square feet to its cross-dock facility in the City of Batavia because of increased customer demand.

In 2010, the GCEDC provided assistance to GVT for the construction of a 25,000-square-foot dock facility where rail cars are loaded and unloaded and then product is transferred to tractor-trailers.  The warehouse features a 280-square-foot indoor rail siding, 27-foot-high ceilings and 22,000 square feet of floor space. GVT is investing $1.011 million to expand the facility and will retain 10 jobs in the process.

“One of the attractions of doing business in Genesee County and Batavia is easy access to transportation routes and GVT provides just that to customers that rely on rail to ship their products,” said Paull Battaglia, chairman, GCEDC.

For every one dollar of investment through the expansion project, it is estimated that there will be a four dollar return. Since the incentives total more than $100,000 a public hearing must be conducted.

More than 700 voters in the City School District turned out today to vote on a proposed $26.7 million capital improvement project and an overwhelming majority of voters checked the "Yes" box on their ballots.

In all, according to the unofficial results released by the school district, 710 people (or 72.6 percent) voted yes and 260 voted no.

The plan uses existing capital reserves plus state aid to undertake improvements at the district's four schools plus rebuild Van Detta Stadium into a more modern facility capable of hosting regional sporting events. School officials said the Vision 2020 plan will not result in a tax increase to support it.

For more on the district's plans, click here.

An explosion is reported and a basement is filling with smoke at 3265 W. Main Street Road, near Wortendyke Road. East Pembroke Fire Department is called to respond in non-emergency mode, along with Mercy medics.

Crews this morning got busy dealing with some of last night's storm damage.

Above, city workers on Jackson Street cleaning up a downed pine tree.

Below, daylight photos of the gas station canopy on West Main Street that blew over last night. Workers there say they won't be able to begin cleanup work until insurance adjusters have finished their work, which may not be today.

Bottom photos, crews on Genesee Street (just west of the NYS Blind School) dealing with snapped utility poles and downed power lines after a large limb on a tree snapped off last night, also damaging a parked car.

Thousands of National Grid customers lost power for at least part of the night last night and currently, National Grid is still dealing with 21 power outages in the county affecting hundreds of customers. There are seven small outages in the city.