A 7-year-old girl had to run a half-mile to get assistance from an area farmer after the ATV she was riding in overturned and trapped the driver under the rollbar in an accident that occured at 6:50 p.m. near Colby Road, Darien, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The driver, James E. Lipinski, 52, of Richley Road, was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later by Coroner Karen Lang.

The child was a family acquaintance.

She and Lipinski had stopped a short time before the accident and visited with local farm owner Daniel Miller. Lipinski then drove off toward another field.

The ATV, a 2012 Polaris Ranger, was reportedly driving in a field along a wood line when it came down a slope. Lipinski apparently attempted a right turn. It's unknown if the Ranger came down the hill too quickly or if Lipinski attempted too sharp a turn, but the ATV overturned onto the driver's side. Lipinski was partially ejected and trapped under the rollbar frame of the Polaris.

After the accident, the girl ran to Miller's location and took him back the site of the accident. Miller called 9-1-1 and assisted law enforcement in getting to the accident scene.

It's unknown whether the girl was wearing a seatbelt or if she was also ejected. She appeared to have sustained only bumps and bruises.

Lipinski's remains were taken to the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office by C.B. Beach Funeral Home, of Corfu.

The girl was transported by Darien Ambulance to Womens' and Children's Hospital in Buffalo for evaluation.

The Darien and Corfu volunteer fire departments assisted at the scene. Also assisting the Sheriff's Office were Officer Richard Retzlaff, Corfu PD, and a state trooper. 

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by Deputy Michael Lute, Deputy James Diehl and Investigator William Ferrando.

Mercy Flight is landing at a location off Route 33 in Stafford following a report of a car hitting a deer in the area.

A person was initially reported suffering a head injury.

Stafford fire and Mercy EMS are on scene.

UPDATE 10:19 p.m.: Mercy Flight is in route to Strong Memorial Hospital.

Bruce Reisdorf stopped at Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle today for some repairs while in Batavia as part of his "Tour de Empire." Reisdorf is riding from New York City to Niagara Falls to help raise money for diabetes research and education. 

In Niagara, Reisdorf will take part on the Tour de Cure, sponsored by the American Diabetes Association.

One reason he came through Batavia is his brother-in-law is Mike Easton, manager of the M&T Bank branch here.

You can find out more about Reisdorf and his ridet on his blog.

Also pictured, Adam Miller's owner, John Roche.

Fifth-grade students at Batavia Middle School completed a 10-week course of study today into various worldwide leaders in human rights. The course culminated with each student dressing as their chosen leader and making a presentation for parents who attended the event in the school's library. The students were required to read a book, research a Web site and a database on their chosen leader. They also drew posters of the leaders.

Above, Betty Cherry as Maya Angelou.

Allyson Clemm as Julia Ward Howe.

Roger Jones as Booker T. Washington.

Hanging out this morning on Lehigh Avenue and later on South Jackson waiting for an Amtrak train (for another story) that we never saw (a long story), I took pictures of these two CSX trains.

Kindergarteners from all over the county took a field trip to Grassland Dairy in Pavilion to learn about milk production and other aspects of farming for the annual Kinderfarmin' Day.

The purpose of the farm tour is to teach children where their food comes from.

"The tour helps to inform kids in the community about agriculture," said Jeff Post, president of the Genesee County Farm Bureau. "They need to understand food doesn't come from the supermarket."

Grassland Dairy is owned and operated by Brent and Polly Tillotson. The Tillotson family milks 190 organic Jersey cows. They provide natural feed for the cows by farming 300 acres of organic land.

More than 400 kindergarteners and 100 teachers, parents and chaperones visited the farm. Children from schools in Batavia, Oakfield, Elba, Pavilion, Alexander and Byron-Bergen participated in the tour. The four suggested learning stations that all of the groups were scheduled for included the milkhouse, milking parlor, comfy cows and cow cuisine. At other stations around the farm children could experience what it's like to milk a cow using a milk simulator, make s'mores using a hi-tech camp stove and pet various farm animals.

Barb Sturm, agriculture in the classroom educator from Cornell Cooperative Extension, visits schools in Genesee County to educate students in agriculture and set up the stations to go along with agricultural lessons she has taught them.

"The learning stations have keywords that align with the Common Core curriculum," Sturm said.

As a part of the Common Core farming unit, Amand Wachter's kindergarten class at Pavilion has been learning about cows, chickens and crops that farm animals eat.

"The tour connects to what we have talked about in class," Wachter said. "Kids can see how to milk a cow and what goes into their food."

Julie Tryon, a mother from Jackson Primary School, went through the barns and stations with her children. Their favorite part about the tour was getting to see the baby calves.

"It's a great opportunity for my kids to learn about agriculture and become familiar with it," Tryon said.  

Kinderfarmin' Day was sponsored by the Genesee County Farm Bureau and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County helped organize it. Some of the other contributors to the event included Upstate Niagara who donated cartons of milk and Cargill Animal Nutrition who donated ice cream for the kids to enjoy.

The dairy days have been going on for more than 30 years and different farms have taken turns hosting the event. For future years, the farm bureau welcomes any farm that would be interested in volunteering to host the event to contact them.

Photos by Howard Owens.

To purchase prints, click here.

Press release:

The Genesee County Dairy Princess honored the first baby born in Genesee County during the month of June 2015 as the Dairy Baby. Marleigh Grace Wright, a baby girl, was born to Tammy and Jeffery Wright, of Warsaw, on Monday, June 1st at 3:51 a.m. at United Memorial Medical Center. She weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 19 inches long. She was delivered by Dr. Richard Edwards. Marleigh joins an older brother, Mason, 14, at home.

June is National Dairy Month which honors traditions and celebrates the contributions of the dairy industry by promoting nutrient-rich dairy foods.

The Genesee County Dairy Princess, Pavilion sophomore,Emily Mikel, and her mother, Sue Mikel, presented the Wright family with a basket of dairy products including yogurts, product coupons, cheeses, and a number of other infant items.

Byron-Bergen Elementary School’s Celebration of Reading Challenge proves that Principal Brian Meister and Assistant Principal Amanda Cook, along with the entire student population, are “stuck” on reading.

Press release:

The Byron-Bergen Elementary School’s Celebration of Reading Challenge began on Dec. 5 — students pledged to read 20,000 books before the school year ended. On May 28, the entire school population gathered to hear the results, delivered by teacher Debbie Slocum: just over 510 motivated young readers had exceeded their goal, reading a total of 23,473 books.

And the students’ reward for all that reading? Inspired by the book “Stuck” by Oliver Jeffers, about an impossible tree where everything thrown into it gets stuck, Principal Brian Meister and Assistant Principal Amanda Cook promised to allow themselves to be duct taped to chairs during the assembly, and to wear clothes made of duct tape the next day.

“It’s a fun way to get students 'stuck' on reading,” Meister said. “It keeps them excited and wanting to read more, while the duct tape event itself is something they will always remember.”           

The Celebration of Reading is the brainchild of Byron-Bergen’s English Language Arts (ELA) Committee, which began the challenge in 2013 with a goal of reading 10,000 books (a target also exceeded by more than 8,000). The assembly included guest speaker Nancy Bailey from the Bergen Public Library who invited the children to visit the library and to keep reading over the summer. Selected readers from each grade level received new books to jumpstart their summers, some of which were signed by the authors or illustrators.

Teachers read selections from a few favorite books, complete with comic flourishes. Craig Schroth read from Mo Willems’ “Knuffle Bunny”; Taylor Farruggia read from “Strega Nona” by Tomie DePaola; Heather Young entertained with “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” by Judith Viorst and Ray Cruz; and Daneen Williams read from “Miss Nelson is Missing” by Harry G. Allard Jr. and James Marshall. Many other teachers participated in the event, including Nicole Newton, Mariah LaSpina and Karen Tischer.

A highlight of the readings was a hip-hop version of the Dr. Seuss classic “Green Eggs and Ham” by teachers Ken Rogoyski and Megan Wahl, assisted by student Katherine Rogoyski as “Fox I Am.” Students were also treated to a showing of the school’s video “Read a Book” (based on Taylor Swift’s song “Shake It Off”), which was produced at the beginning of the school year.

Byron-Bergen student Katherine Rogoyski and teacher Mrs. Wahl make Dr. Seuss’s “Green Eggs and Ham” come alive.

Mrs. Cook and Mr. Meister sport their custom-tailored duct tape regalia to celebrate Byron-Bergen Elementary students reading 23,473 books.

The roads leading into the Village of Corfu will soon be spiffed up with new gateway signs, designed and created by a group of talented Pembroke High School students under the guidance of Art teacher Eric Johnson.

The village has been working with Johnson's students since February 2014 on the design and selection process for the new signs, said Trustee Ken Lauer. 

"They did many sketches, redesigns and adaptations of their concepts," Lauer said.  "The final selection was very difficult since all the concepts were unique and professional."

The village is currently getting the signs clear coated and should have them up in a week or two.  

Pictured are Sabrina Sanner, Nikita Harding, Emily Verdaasdonk, Morgan Smykowski, Nicole Franclemont and Bailey Groth.

Submitted photo.

Press release:

The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership is pleased to announce that Brian Mayer was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker for 2015. This recognition honors his work, both locally and nationally, for the development of gaming programs to support libraries and classrooms.

“Brian's recognition as one of 50 Library Journal Movers & Shakers this year is greatly deserved, said Christopher Harris, director, School Library System at the Partnership. “He exemplifies the goal of the School Library System to deliver local support and services at a national level. Brian’s work with game-based learning in our districts and his dedication to service within the Games and Gaming Round Table of the American Library Association are great success stories.”

Locally, Mayer is a regular visitor to many of the Partnership’s component-district schools where he co-teaches in libraries and classrooms using games from our curriculum-aligned board game library. As a game developer himself, Mayer has also helped lead local classes in exploring game design as a way to promote critical thinking and creative expression of student understanding.

Nationally, Mayer has been a huge force within the Games and Gaming Round Table of the American Library Association. For the past few years, he has led the move to reinvigorate the ALAPlay gaming event at the ALA Annual Conference. Last year, more than 400 people came to the event to play board games, interact with cosplayers, and learn more about running game programs in libraries. Mayer was also able to bring game companies back to the ALA exhibit floor through creative partnerships with the GameRT booth.

This summer, things will continue to grow with the addition of a pre-published game review event at ALAPlay and the inclusion of a board gaming space for attendees and families on the ALA exhibit floor.

Mayer joins fellow Partnership employees, Christopher Harris, director, School Library System and Andy Austin, library technology specialist, who were previously recognized as Movers & Shakers. The Partnership is now the only School Library Services organization in the country that is fully staffed by Library Journal Movers & Shakers.

Caption: Brian Mayer. Photo credit: JMS Studio and Gallery.

Diane Reed with a group of faculty and members from the community.

The Family Engagement Survey results from 2014 were presented at the Batavia High School Library during their "Data Café" Tuesday night.

Diane Reed, Ph.D., the Batavia City School District’s outside educational expert and associate professor in Educational Leadership at St. John Fisher College, shared the data from the community survey taken by families and other Batavia residents last fall. Reed is certified by the New York State Education Department to work with Focus Districts to help determine school effectiveness and discuss strategic plans with faculty and community members to improve it.

The community survey is one of three that make up the Data Triangle Survey. It was based on six tenets to measure effectiveness which include District Leadership and Capacity, School Leader Practices and Decisions, Curriculum Development and Support, Teacher Practices and Decisions, Student Social and Emotional Developmental Health, and Family and Community Engagement. The survey was composed of 50 statements and participants answered using a Likert scale. The total number of people who took the survey was 374. According to Reed; the low response rate is typical.

The overall data total results for the district showed that 75 percent or more of participants answered each of the 22 statements with either strongly agree or agree. These results are considered an asset.

For each of the other 28 statements, 50 to 74 percent of participants answered strongly agree or agree. These results are considered an emerging strength.

The overall data total results for the district also revealed no fewer than 50 percent of participants answered strongly agree or agree to any of the statements. These results show no possible risks for the district.

When breaking the statement results up by schools, the Batavia High School showed minimal possible risks.

“The Batavia City School District should be very proud because many responses are in the green asset area,” Reed said. “It is not too often with schools I work with to show strengths in a lot of the areas.”

Faculty members and parents divided into two groups to discuss the district’s strengths and weaknesses based on the survey results. Both groups came to the conclusion the district could improve on providing the community with more training on Common Core learning and positive engagement with students outside the classroom.

Jean Berry, mother of two boys who attend Batavia Middle School and Batavia High School, really enjoyed how teachers sent home postcards when her children were doing well in school. One suggestion she had was to use lexiles -- reading level measurements -- more effectively.

“When we have the Scholastic Book Fair, the books should be labeled with lexiles so I can buy the appropriate books for my sons’ reading level,” Berry said.

Moving forward, the district will consider hosting additional Common Core informational nights to help the community understand the standards especially at the secondary level. They also will encourage teachers to make positive calls home to help motivate students. 

A male caller to dispatch reports having just been assaulted by three females at Austin Park. City police are responding.

Press release:

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge will offer for bid 139 acres of grassland hay in five different fields ranging in size from 58 to 81 acres. The refuge annually provides a total of 1,400 acres of grassland habitat for migratory birds and resident wildlife. Active management of these grasslands is necessary to provide the highest quality nesting and migration habitat. The refuge haying program helps in this management process by reducing encroachment of broad leaf weeds and shrubs.

Hay will be allocated on a highest bid per field basis for each field. Sealed bids will be accepted until 12 p.m., July 2. An official Bid Sheet, available from the refuge headquarters, is required to make a bid. Completed Bid Sheets can be mailed to, or dropped off at the refuge headquarters at 1101 Casey Road, Basom, NY 14013 and must contain all the information requested.

If you have any questions about the haying program or would like to see the fields, please call Madeline Prush at 585-948-5445, ext. 7036.

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge is located midway between Rochester and Buffalo, and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Press release:

When it opens for the season June 9, Genesee Country Farmers' Market will be celebrating its 41st year of providing "Locally Grown" fresh fruits, vegetables, and specialty items to the Greater Batavia Area.

The Genesee Country Farmers' Market will take place in the Batavia Downs Parking lot located on Park Avenue. Market hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays with the season running from Tuesday, June 9th, through Friday, Oct. 30th.

Market Manager Mike Bakos says "This market is the original Farmers' Market in Genesee County and remains a Grow-Your-Own market featuring locally grown produce and specialty items. Many of last year's vendors will be returning along with some new additions."

Parties interested in joining the market to become a Seasonal Vendor or Day Vendor may contact Sharon Brent at (716)-560-0853 or by e-mail at sharon_brent@hotmail.com.

Qualifying charities, service-groups, or 501c3 organizations that would like to participate in the market may obtain a "FREE" market stall by contacting the market at (716) 866-4958 or by e-mail at mbakos@rochester.rr.com.

Press release:

The Batavia City School District is pleased to offer the free Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) Program for students and will continue to operate the program in the 2015-2016 school year, pending New York State funding. UPK provides an opportunity for 4-year-old children, at no cost to their families, to be involved in developmentally appropriate educational classes that, following the regular school calendar, meet Monday through Friday during the school year.

Since its implementation, the District has provided a half-day program, with a choice of either morning or afternoon sessions. If new State regulations are passed and the District receives funding, a full-day UPK option also will be offered in the 2015-2016 school year.

(Note that if the YMCA is selected once again to be the community-based organization to provide UPK in 2015-2016, they offer additional “wrap around” programs consisting of Child Watch in the morning followed by UPK in the afternoon from12:30-3:00 p.m., then School Aged Child Care afterward. While there is no charge for UPK, there is a charge for the morning Child Watch and afternoon Child Care programs.)

Children who are residents of the District, are 4 years of age on or before Dec. 1, 2015, and who are not enrolled in a special education program with the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, are eligible to apply.

Letters/applications have been mailed to all known eligible families, but also are available at the District Business Office in the administrative wing of Batavia High School (260 State St.), or by calling 343-2480, ext. 1002. They can also be downloaded from the District’s Web site (www.bataviacsd.org) by using the pull-down menu at the top of the page labeled “District,” then clicking on the link for Student Registration.

Applications should be returned as soon as possible. If there are more applicants than openings, a lottery system will be used to place as many children as possible, with the rest being placed on a waiting list.

The Batavia Rotary Club has announced that its 2015 Fly-In Breakfast will be held from 7 a.m. to noon on Sunday, June 21 (Father's Day) at the Genesee County Airport, 4701 Saile Drive, Batavia. Rotarians will cook breakfast for more than 1,500 guests, as well as dozens of pilots who will fly their aircraft to the Batavia airport that morning.

Tickets are $8 for adults; $5 for children ages 4 to 12; and free for children under the age of 4. Tickets for the event may be obtained from any member of the Batavia Rotary Club or at the door.

Residents throughout Western New York are invited to enjoy breakfast, meet the pilots, and view their aircraft. The Fly-In Breakfast menu will feature sausage, eggs, pancakes and beverages. Over the years, the volunteer Rotarian-cooks have become known for their "any-way-you-want-them" omelets, which will once again be available.

All proceeds from the event benefit the Batavia Rotary Club's programs for youth and community programs. Last year, the Club donated more than $100,000 to charitable causes.

Fly-In Breakfast Co-Chair Edmund Leising said that more than 50 Rotarians have already volunteered to help with the event.

"Whether you like a great home-cooked breakfast, the thrill of watching airplanes land and meet the pilots, or just coming out on a Sunday morning and meeting friends, this is an event no one should miss," he said.

Saile Drive is located just north of the City of Batavia and the Batavia exit of the New York State Thruway, off Route 98.

Press release:

St. Joseph Catholic School's sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders participated in our annual Spelling Bee; below are those who placed in the top seven:

7th place: David Doan, of Batavia
6th place: Faith Falkowski, of Batavia
5th place: Rachel Nickerson, of Elba
4th Place: Spencer Misiti, of Batavia
3rd Place: Isabelle Cooper, of Pavillon
2nd Place: Bella March, of Batavia
1st Place: Adryona Miller, of Albion

The winning word was, "spaghetti."

Press release:

The Class-A Short-Season New York-Penn League and its member clubs are proud to announce that the league's philanthropic arm, the NYPL Charitable Foundation, will once again award over $10,000 in scholarships this summer to deserving high school graduates from the league's 14 markets.

Now in its seventh year, the 2015 NYPL Scholarship Contest is open to any graduating senior from a public or private high school within the league's footprint. Any student who has been accepted at a two or four-year college or university, vocational school, or technical education institution is eligible. Applicants will be judged based on academic performance, volunteer and extracurricular activities, and the impact their local NYPL club and Minor League Baseball have had on their lives.

The scholarship contest will consist of two stages -- a local round and a divisional round. In the local stage, students will apply directly to their local NYPL team, with one applicant chosen by each of the 14 teams to advance to the divisional/final round. The 14 finalists will then be separated by the division of the team they represent. The winning application from each of the NYPL's three divisions (McNamara, Pinckney and Stedler) will receive the top prize of a $2,500 scholarship. All other finalists will receive a $250 book award.

The deadline to submit applications to the nearest NYPL team is June 26.

“The New York-Penn League Charitable Foundation and our 14 member clubs are pleased to have the opportunity to assist outstanding high school seniors within our league’s footprint for the sixth consecutive season,” said Ben J. Hayes, president of the New York-Penn League. “This program will again recognize those seniors who not only meet and exceed traditional scholarship criteria, but demonstrate the positive community impact and lifelong memories fostered by their local NYPL clubs throughout the year.”

High school seniors interested in entering the 2015 Scholarship Contest can obtain the official application from their local NYPL club, or by visiting the league's official Web site, New York-Penn League.com.

Each club's winner, including the three $2,500 scholarship recipients, will be selected in late July and honored at a game in August.

The New York-Penn League and its 14 member clubs created the New York-Penn League Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, in 2003. The mission of the Foundation is to provide focus and support for the collective and individual charitable and community efforts of the New York-Penn League, its clubs, and their staff.