In its third year Genesee Kickball League has continued a tradition for adults to have some fun on the field after work. Playing at Batavia Sports Park last evening were six teams in the Spring league. 

“We have had as much as 10-12 teams in a session,” said league organizer Matt Smart. "We have two sessions, spring and summer, starting in May and depending on weather and daylight we may get in a fall league.

"Tonight’s teams were the Fireballz vs. Pitches BeCrazy, One Kick Wonders vs. Grass Kkickers, Purple Fother Mickers vs. Kermit Killers. We come up with some relevant names to the sport but it’s all for fun and then we go to our sponsors businesses afterward. 

"There are typically one to two sponsors per team and they are recognized on our team shirts. The summer league starts on July 1^st."

For more information to register go to Facebook: Genesee Kickball

The County Legislature has voted to sell the Genesee County Nursing Home to Premier Healthcare Management, LLC, for $15.2 million at the Ways and Means Committee Meeting tonight.

The final details of the contract still have to be finished and signed by the legislature. As an alternative until the contract is finalized, the legislature has issued a letter of intent for the sale and transfer of Genesee County Skilled Nursing Facility and Genesee County Adult Home.

The letter of intent is needed so Premier can meet the Department of Health's application deadline for licenses and certificates of need. The entire process can take anywhere from six to nine months.

Premier owns several nursing home facilities and is a well known for-profit healthcare corporation in New York.

"There will be no reduction in the quality of care at our nursing home, which is our biggest concern,” Legislature Chairman Ray Cianfrini said. “The fact that they can do it at a profit is something I give them credit for. They have a different set of parameters that they work within that allows them to do that. This is not the only nursing home they own so they have the economy of scale they can use to make profits. That doesn't bother me at all."

Members of the legislature were impressed after touring their facilities and talking with residents.

Legislator Marianne Clattenburg said she believes Premier can provide advancements to the nursing home that the county couldn’t do.

“What struck me was their willingness to make investments,” Clattenburg said. “We saw one facility that had a multimillion-dollar dialysis unit installed after they had taken over the building.”

Finding a qualified buyer for the nursing home has been an extensive process.

“It was a long thorough process,” said Legislator Frank Ferrando Jr.. “Right from the beginning nothing happened rashly or quickly. Places were visited and questions were asked. We interviewed eight from a list of 14 that were original applicants. I’m very confident this is going to be a real plus for our community.”

When the contract is finalized, Premier plans to seek community input and will hold community meetings and forums for families and employees.

According to county officials, after debts are paid the county hopes to net $6.7 million from the sale.

Meet Jason Moneau (pictured above) on his first week on the job with Michelle's Catering Company and Bakery. I found him tonight serving to customers at the Batavia Sports Park.

Moneau is the first male employee driver since the business opened in 2010. He is enjoying working with the public and says to stop out at lunch time daily during the week at the bakery to grab a hotdog or hamburg. He's a friendly guy that delivers a smile and fills the tip jar too while making new friends.

Driving a pink truck is one thing, wearing it would be another.

"Well as long as I don't have to wear anything pink I'm good with that," Moneau said.

Terrence D. "Spaz" Butler, 33, of Swan Street, Batavia, has been arrested on a sealed indictment warrant for allegedly selling crack cocaine on two occasions.

Butler was taken into custody when located as a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Le Roy PD at midnight Saturday in the Village of Le Roy.

Butler is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd.

Butler was jailed on $25,000 bail or $50,000 bond.

Mark W. McWethy, 47, of Pearl Street Road, Batavia, was arrested on warrants stemming from the alleged sale of oxycodone to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force and for allegedly possessing drugs with the intent to sell during a traffic stop on Law Street, Batavia, in August 2014.

At the time of the stop, McWethy allegedly possessed heroin, with the intent to sell, and cocaine.

He was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th.

McWethy was jailed on $25,000 bail.

Michael A. Hahn, 36, of Lincoln Avenue, Attica, was arrested on a warrant out of Town of Darien Court for allegedly selling methamphetamine to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force.

He is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 5th, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 5th, and criminal sale of a controlled substanc, 7th.

Hahn was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Press release:

The Genesee County Bar Association is in the process of establishing a repository for memorabilia on the Bar Association and its members. They are seeking photographs of Bar Association gatherings and members of the Bar, minutes from past Bar Association meetings, newspaper articles and other items of interest relating to local attorneys and judges, as well as the Association itself.

It is believed that many practicing attorneys, retired attorneys and relatives and acquaintances of former attorneys may have such items of interest and the Association is seeking donations of these items for the purpose of establishing a location in Batavia where anyone who is interested will be able to view the collection of memorabilia.

If you have such items that you would like to donate for this purpose, please bring them to Deputy County Clerk and Bar Association member Mike Cianfrini at the County Clerk’s Office or contact him by phone (585-344-2550 x2316), fax (585-345-3076) or e-mail (michael.cianfrini@co.genesee.ny.us).

If you know of anyone who may have such memorabilia, please contact Mike with the name and contact information for that person, so that the individual can then be contacted to see whether they might want to donate any such items.

A white SUV and green Chevy Cruze collided at a four-way stop at the intersection of Bank Street and Washington Avenue. According to Sgt. Christopher Camp, the SUV was heading south on Bank Street and the Chevy Cruze was heading east on Washington Avenue. There were no injuries.

Support your local farmers at your downtown farmacy in Downtown Batavia!

The Public Market is held on Bank Street & Alva Place Parking Lot from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Thursday from June 18th - Sept. 24th.

There you'll find fresh baked goods, vegetables, fruit, fresh cut flowers & herbs, dog treats, maple syrup, homemade sausage, jerky & smoked meats, handmade clothing, quilts, wooden toys & planters, pulled-pork sandwiches, hot dogs & BBQ sauces, and much more...

We'll have Master Gardeners from Cornell Cooperative Extension, drawings every week for a free gift basket!
 

SPONSORS: Java Farm Supply, DelPlato & Casey Law Firm
Interested vendors should call 585-344-0900
Market brought to you by: Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District

Billie and I will catch a plane for San Diego in a couple of hours. We're going to visit family.

We've made arrangements to ensure there is ongoing local coverage on The Batavian while we're away. Traci Turner, our intern, will be on the job, of course, and we're working with several of our freelancers on event coverage and other stories as well as ensure we have systems in place to handle breaking news.

We return in a week. We'll try to bring some extra sunshine back.

The Landmark Society of Genesee County showed a second screening last night of its documentary on Federal-style Architecture to highlight the importance of the historical style.

The event at GO ART! featured the live action documentary and insights from guest speaker Bernard Schmieder, producer of the film and past president of the Landmark Society.

The film takes you back to the early 1800s when the Federal Style was the most popular home design for family farmers and artisans settling in Batavia. The style differed from Colonial-style homes in many ways. Federal homes were typically rectangular structures with symmetrical elements. The style was mainly composed of simple designs and furnishings. Many of the design elements included circles, semi-circles and ellipses. 

Most of the materials used to build the homes could be found on the land. All the wood needed to build the framework was cut down from nearby forests. Locally water powered sawmills made construction easy. Brick was also a common material used in building the structure. The bricks were made from locally dug clay and fired at brick yards.

Windows and doors were all made on sight as well. The large windows were divided into several panes with simple molding. The doors were flat paneled with latches. The main door was usually in the center of the house and the most decorative element of the exterior. The flooring was primarily made out of chestnut wood because it was easy to hand plane. 

The distinguishing interior characteristic of a Federal-style home was the fireplace. There were no iron stoves so homeowners used brick fireplaces as their main source of heat. The largest fireplace was located in the center of the house and had a cooking hearth. Typically next to the cooking hearth was a beehive oven for baking bread. Smaller fireplaces were built in the bedrooms.

Following the screening, Schmieder held a discussion about making the movie and the restoration of the 1815 Federal-style home he and his wife, Jane, own in Bethany.

Schmieder restored the home room by room using the sawmill and blacksmith shop on the property. 

"I enjoy woodworking so I was interested in restoring the home and using all the old hand tools," Schmieder said. 

Although the home is not symmetrical it still has many Federal-style features including six fireplaces, a beehive oven, large windows, flat-paneled doors and chestnut board floors. Schmieder also made furniture by hand to match the Federal Style.

There are only a small amount of these Federal-style homes remaining in Genesee County. The Landmark Society hoped the screening revived the community's interest in historical architecture and the importance of preserving the Federal-style homes that remain.

In November, the Landmark Society will hold another screening for the second part of the architectural series which explores the Greek Revival Style. DVD copies of the series are also for sale.

Kurtis Dunlap, a 2012 graduate of Oakfield-Alabama High School and a journalism student at the University of Missouri's Reynolds School of Journalism, will cover the Batavia Muckdogs for The Batavian this season.

He'll cover home games and write occasional features about the team and its players.

Dunlap is studying sports journalism at Missouri.

He's the oldest of three siblings and in high school played football, basketball and baseball. For three seasons, he was a batboy for the Muckdogs. 

"Someday I hope to have my own column in a newspaper where I can share all the crazy things that pop into my head," Dunlap said.

The 2015 season opens Friday.

The Stafford Carnival is this weekend. It actually kicks off Thursday at 6 p.m. and at 9 o'clock the Guy Smiley Bands provides live music.

On Friday, there's a fish fry at 4 p.m., carnival opens at 5 and the parade starts at 7 o'clock. Music by Taran begins at 9.

Saturday's festivities begin at noon, with a garden tractor pull at 1 o'clock. Music provided by Monkey in a Bottle at 7, followed by Under the Gun at 9. There will be fireworks at 10 p.m.

Then on Sunday, Father's Day, the fun starts anew. Chicken BBQ will be available for sale starting at 11:30; the carnival opens at noon. Branded will perform at 1 p.m.; Divided by Zero at 4 p.m. and the Corvette Raffle -- or $50,000 cash -- winner will be drawn at 8 p.m.

Don't miss out on what promises to be a great time and be sure to bring Dad.

All proceeds benefit the Stafford Volunteer Fire Department.

Press release:

The Executive Committee of the Genesee County Democratic Committee met to endorse candidates last night. They accepted the recommendations of the towns and city committees and unanimously endorsed candidates in the City of Batavia, Town of Darien, Town of Byron and the Town of Alabama. It is expected that there will be active races in the towns which ballot by Democratic Caucus.

Recommended by the City of Batavia for County Legislature was incumbent Ed DeJaneiro Jr. who was unanimously endorsed by the Executive Committee.

Are you a Democrat who is civic minded? It is not too late to run for political office in any of the Legislative districts in Genesee County or for local town positions. The Democratic Party is still actively seeking candidates in all county offices.

Please send a letter of intent as soon as possible as petitioning deadlines are approaching. Send letters to Jennifer Keys, 43 E. Main St., Le Roy, NY 14482 or e-mail Jennifer.keys@rochester.rr.com

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today announced that the Assembly has passed a bill to authorize big game rifle hunting in Genesee County. Assembly Bill 4367-A passed the house Monday and passed the Senate earlier this year. Hawley, a longtime proponent of sportsmen and an opponent of the SAFE-Act, introduced the legislation in January.

“As an unwavering supporter of sportsmen and the Second Amendment, I am proud to announce that my legislation has overwhelmingly passed the Assembly and will be sent to the governor for his signature,” Hawley said. “Deer hunting is a mainstay here in Western New York and many families rely on venison as a viable substitute as grocery store meat prices continue to rise. The exhilaration of a young hunter getting his or her first buck cannot be replicated and I am proud to have made that possible.”

More than $2,000 in softball equipment and other items were stolen from a locked closet in the home dugout of a ball field at Le Roy High School sometime between Thursday and Monday, according to Investigator Roger Stone, Sheriff's Office.

Stone released a report indicating thieves made forced entry into the closet.

Stolen were:

• DeMarini CF6 softball bat 33/23
• Demarini CF6 softball bat 32/33
• DeMarini CF8 softball bat 33/23
• DeMarini CF7 softball bat
• DiMarini Vendetta softball bat
• Easton CXN softball bat
• Three Rawlings Coolflo softball batting helmets
• One Wilson softball helmet
• Two dozen Easton Incrediball softballs
• 3/35 packs of Wegmans bottled water
• 2/12 packs of Gatorade
• Box of assorted Nestle candy
• Three Frito-Lay assorted snack boxes

If caught, the thieves face possible charges of burglary, 3rd, criminal mischief, 3rd, and grand larceny, 4th.

Assisting in the investigation are Deputy Chad Minuto and Le Roy PD's school resource officer, Officer Eric Miller.

Tips can be phoned in to (585) 343-5000.

For as long as he can remember Batavia native Gary Call Hanley has been surrounded by music. As a child, his grandmother, Leona Pastore, took him to orchestras and encouraged his love for music. It wasn’t long before Call Hanley learned to play a variety of instruments and began to play in various bands.

After a few years of touring in Western New York with local bands, he started playing with national bands. He has played legendary venues like New York’s CBGB. Now, Call Hanley has planted roots in Nashville, Tenn., as a recording and audio engineer with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.

On July 3, his composition “Plight of the Common Man” will premiere at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center as part of the “Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture: A Star Spangled Evening with the Nashville Symphony” event.  This will be the first time in the history of the Orchestra that it plays a symphony written by someone on its staff.

“The 1812 concert is annually one of the most popular performances on our concert calendar,” Dave Felipe, publicist for the Nashville Symphony Orchestra said. “It means Gary’s work will be heard by upwards of 1,500 or more people along with works by Gershwin, Copland, Barber and more.”

Felipe is right. Call Hanley is very excited.

“I don’t know of anyone else who has had their first symphony played by a world-renowned orchestra,” Call Hanley joked. “I just thought, if other composers can do it, so can I.”

So he did.

“Plight of the Common Man,” starts off minimalistic, builds up in the middle and comes back to a gentle ending. Call Hanley likened it to the life of man.

“We start off small, we live these big lives, and then we end small,” he said.

The title comes from the thought that man is facing a constant struggle.

“Life isn’t always a fanfare, sometimes it’s a plight,” he added. “The challenge is to overcome all of the hardships and heartaches that life brings. With the good comes the bad and with the bad comes the good.”

When he isn’t writing symphonies or recording for a GRAMMY Award winning orchestra, Gary Call Hanley finds solace in playing with his band Subway Lights. In addition to cowriting songs with his writing partner Alex Quinn, Call Hanley sings lead vocals.

“Music is in my DNA,” he said. “I hear melodies and music all the time in my head. If I didn’t have those outlets, I think I would be a very sad man.”

Call Hanley believes that Western New York holds a great deal of musical talent and he feels lucky to be a part of it.

“I feel very fortunate,” he said. “I feel very lucky to be where I am. I am very grateful to that. It’s been a lot of hard work, but I’ve been very grateful.”

(Photo: Courtesy the Nashville Symphony.)

It turned out to be a beautiful evening for some really fine art in Jackson Square. The Centennial Celebration art and artisan show runs until 8 p.m.

(Shaina Czudak and Jim DeLooze)

58 on Main, the art gallery and coffee shop in Le Roy, has been providing locals with art, coffee and a friendly place to chat for a year now.

In celebration of its one-year anniversary, the shop handed out free birthday cake and gave customers a chance to win a photo booth party.

Jim DeLooze, local artist and photographer, and Sean Valdes, co-owner of D & R Depot, run the shop together.

The combination of art and coffee has been a hit in the community. Customers can take painting, pottery and photography classes as well as enjoy a coffee and pastry. Paint nights and pottery painting classes are offered on Friday nights. Photography classes for beginners are offered on Saturday mornings.

The shop also has room for events like small parties. The parties come with the option of catering from D & R Depot and a photo booth.

"It's a real accomplishment for a small startup business to survive a year," DeLooze said. "The art gallery and coffee shop really complement one another and I don't think I could have ran the gallery as a stand alone business."

In the future, the shop hopes to offer pottery birthday parties for children and welcomes any local artists who would like to teach a class to contact them.

"Bring Your Feet to the Downtown Public Market" says the Batavia Business Improvement District. It kicks off this Thursday at the parking lot at Bank Street and Alva Place (across from the Jerome Center). It will be held every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Sept. 24.

"Support Downtown, Buy Local" says co-sponor Java Farm Supply. Fresh baked goods, fruit, vegetables, cherries & berries, honey, flowers, maple syrup, Alston's BBQ Sauce, dog treats, handmade quilts and clothing, handcrafted wood products, and lots more will be for sale.

Plus, enjoy Alton's pulled pork sandwiches, as well as hamburgers and hots.

Amanda Rose Hagedorn, 25, of West Hazeltine Avenue, Kenmore, is charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17 and disorderly conduct. Hagedorn allegedly voiced numerous obscenities while in a public place, BJ's Wholesale Club, at 6:22 p.m. Saturday. She was jailed on $1,000 bail. Additional charges are possible.

Kirk Arnold Thomas Jr., 30, of Woodstock Gardens, Batavia, is charged with three counts of grand larceny, 4th. Thomas is accused of stealing more than $1,000 in merchandise from Target on three separate occasions.

Duty Everett Caswell, 23, of North Main Street, Oakfield, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Caswell's vehicle was stopped in response to a complaint of an intoxicated driver on Angling Road, Pembroke, at 12:13 p.m. Monday. The traffic stop was made by Deputy Joseph Graff.

“We live in a world of gods and monsters,” Mitchell Lawerence, played by Alexander native, Tim Schiefer, said. “We’re simply here to tell the story.”

What story is Schiefer trying to tell? The story of “Godzilla: Heritage.” 

Schiefer and Director Greg Graves have been working on the film for six years. It’s all coming to fruition. However, to make the movie the way they have always pictured it, the crew needs help raising money.

Thirty-Six days remain for the project’s crowd-funded Kickstarter. They have so far reached $10,463 of the $40,000 goal. If the project does not get fully funded, the production will not receive any of the money raised.

This is the second kickstarter campaign following a successful lead. The first time, the crew asked for $10,000 and received almost $20,000. The money that was raised went toward nicer cameras, travel, filming the teaser and the creation of the monster suits.

The suits are being made by season six winner of the SyFy network show "Faceoff," Rashaad Santiago. Santiago moved to Batavia to help with the movie. Godzilla has been a fascination of his since he was a child.

“For me, he was an escape from reality growing up,” Santiago said. “My mom recorded seven or eight hours of a Godzilla marathon when I was younger. I would watch it on loop until the film popped.”

Schiefer and Graves brought several other professionals onto the project. They include Chris Barbis, Kyle Gilmore, Tyler Graves, Billy Rupp and Christopher Bloomer. Bloomer has done visual effects for “Zombieland” and “Dragonball: Evolution.”

The cast and crew need the money to finish making the monster costumes, pay actors, promote the film, for anticipated filming permits and other expenses.

“Eighty to 90 percent of the movie will be filmed in Batavia,” Schiefer said.

Ken Mistler, owner of several local businesses, including City Slickers, has donated the spaces that “Godzilla: Heritage” will be filmed in. Additionally, the movie may need to be filmed outside on a street and permits would be necessary.

The character of Godzilla is not in the public domain. In fact, he’s heavily trademarked. It is for this reason that Scheifer and his team are creating the film as a fan film. No money will be made off of this production. They are making the film strictly for the passion they have for Godzilla.