GO ART! hosted a grand opening party for members tonight of the wine and beer bar now open in Seymore Place, which is the former location of the old Batavia Club.
Press release from Brian Graz:
Press release:
As Cornell Cooperative Extension Genesee County launches its search for an Executive Director, it provides an opportunity to stop and reflect on successes, challenges, and goals. We are inviting different stakeholders to participate in a short survey to be able to advise the Association and the Executive Director search committee as they move forward.
We invite our volunteers, programming partners, and all community members to take a few moments to complete our Volunteer and Community Partner Survey here.
The results will be shared at the leadership level, with opportunities for further discussion within committees or teams.
Thank you in advance for your willingness to share your perspective on CCE of Genesee County to help guide the future of its success!
Any questions may be directed to Samantha Stryker at sls428@cornell.edu.
The survey will close on Friday, April 20. Paper copies of the survey will be available at the CCE Genesee office at 420 E Main St., Batavia until close of business April 20 and must be submitted by that time. Our hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
The results of the survey are anonymous and we look forward to your feedback!
Press release:
The GENESEE IT, SAY IT initiative continues at Genesee Community College with a special performance of "The Script" by Tim Collins on Thursday, April 12, at 12:30 p.m. in the Batavia Campus gymnasium.
GENESEE IT, SAY IT is a powerful campaign the College launched to encourage and empower individuals to speak up if or when they witness, or learn of, a sexual assault.
One of the key components of this initiative includes opportunities to educate students, faculty and staff on the power of reporting incidents they are aware of. The initiative is jointly sponsored by GCC's Dean of Students Office, Human Resources Office and the Title IX Coordinator.
Tim Collins will perform his award-winning one-man show entitled "The Script" about sexual assault prevention, toxic masculinity and bystander intervention.
"It is crucial that we continually encourage students, staff and faculty to speak up and report incidents of sexual assault," said Dean of Students Patricia Chaya. "One of the ways to empower individuals is to teach them bystander intervention strategies and to reiterate the avenues of support available to not only victims of these kinds of assaults, but to those reporting it as well."
This event is free and open to the public. Bleacher seating is available on a first come, first served basis.
File photo from 2016 by Raymond Coniglio, when the event was held at Le Roy's Living Waters Church. Mikayla Radecki is shown on left with Denise Parmenter.
Press release:
The Hope Center of Le Roy, a newly established nonprofit charity, is undertaking the eighth annual “Girls Helping Girls” prom dress giveaway from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 14th. Girls from all over the region are welcome.
Several hundred dresses, some gently used but many brand new have been donated and will be on display at the Hope Center of Le Roy at 42 Main St. in Le Roy.
Girls can find their size and color and try them on, according to Hope Center Director Rev. Henry Moore, whose wife Valerie was inspired to start this give away to relieve families from the pressure of buying a dress for a one-time event, precious as it is. The dresses have come from individuals and stores around the area and are checked for condition and cleanliness.
Volunteers from the local community staff this event to help girls sort through the displays, find matches to their tastes, and guide them to dressing rooms.
“Sometimes people can’t believe that these dresses are really free,” Rev. Moore said, “but there really are no strings attached. This is a gift to the young girls of this region.
"We want them to know that they are loved by God, that He made them beautifully, and that their lives deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”
The facility is decorated exquisitely and loaded with loving encouragement for the April 14th giveaway.
The Hope Center spreads the benefit of this even beyond American shores.
“From the beginning, we wanted to provide these dresses strictly as an act of kindness, but some people insist on wanting to make cash donations out of appreciation,” Valerie Moore said. “So we decided to keep the ‘Girls Helping Girls’ theme going and pay it forward.
"The dresses are free, and we mean that; but if anyone really wants to make a donation out of gratitude, we will pass on any donations to Tanzania’s House of Hope in the City of Moshi.
"The House of Hope is a large home being built to rescue girls from a life of certain sex slavery; it will be a place where the girls can be equipped and trained for a life of meaning and purpose beyond their wildest dreams. It’s a Win-Win!”
But again, the emphasis is that these dresses are given freely.
The Hope Center was established with a vision to provide spiritual and material support to area citizens and, through the message of hope, call the community to reach its God-given destiny.
Dealing with active threats is the focus of two weeks of training hosted by Batavia PD in a vacant building at the NYS School for the Blind.
Officers from Batavia PD, the Sheriff's Office, State Police, and Probation are participating.
It's unfortunate, said Chief Shawn Heubusch, that these days, officers have to be ever ready, either on their own or as part of a team, to deal with somebody who is threatening the lives of other people.
"We learned a lot from the situation at Columbine," Heubusch said. "It used to be, surround, create a perimeter, wait for the cavalry to arrive, and then go in. That is no longer the norm. If there is an active shooter or active threat going on, you may be the first officer there, you may be the only officer there, but you’re going in and you’re going to take care of that threat to the best of your ability.
"That thinking has changed dramatically from the early or late '90s when these situations, unfortunately, became more prevalent."
The purpose of multi-agency training is to ensure all officers who respond to an active threat situation have gone through the same training because in a small county where law enforcement resources are limited, officers from agencies will be working together.
"We’re not a big huge department," Heubusch said. "We don’t have a 100 cops on the force. We don’t have 50 cops on the street at any given time. There may not be even 50 officers in the county, or less than that, at any given time, so you’re going to get what shows up."
In the training scenarios, officers from different agencies are working side by side as much as possible so they're learning the same tactics at the same pace.
"You just never know who is going to be available in a given situation and you’ve got to be familiar with tactics and on the same page," said Officer Marc Lawrence.
The training consists of classroom instruction followed by walk-throughs of techniques using simulated weapons and then "force-on-force" training, where offices are using weapons with clips filled with paintballs.
That's perhaps the most valuable training both Heubusch and Lawrence said and something officers don't get often through the normal course of training.
"When you go through the academy or you go to the range, it’s kind of a static environment," Heubusch said. "You’re shooting for the seven-yard line or the 15-yard line or something like that. This puts you in a real-life scenario situation where your energy is up, your adrenaline might be pumping a little bit. (Force-on-force) gives you more of a real-life look at things."
There's a price to pay, which keeps you on an edge, when there are real projectiles flying, Lawrence said.
"You may get shot with a simulation round," Lawrence said. "They hurt. They leave welts. And you get shot if you don’t do your job as a police officer. If you don’t clear a room properly, you may get shot."
Patrick S. Rumble, 31, of Hutchins Place, Batavia, is charged with harassmen,t 2nd, unlawful imprisonment, 2nd, and criminal mischief, 4th. Rumble allegedly pushed another person multiple times and prevented that person from leaving a residence and from contacting emergency dispatch during an incident at 4:11 p.m. Wednesday at a location on Hutchins Place, Batavia.
A 17-year-old resident of Hutchins Place is charged with trespass. The youth allegedly entered a residence on Hutchins Place at about 4 p.m. Wednesday after being told to stay away from that residence.
Arnold John Oberlander Jr., 54, of South Pearl Street, Oakfield, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. Oberlander was stopped at 8:29 a.m. Thursday on the I-490 in Le Roy by Deputy Matthew Bailey.
Press release:
A group of local residents who read and write poetry has come together to host a poetry reading featuring JoNelle Toriseva as well local poets who attend the reading. It will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, in the Reading Room at the Richmond Memorial Library.
The organizers are interested in meeting with other people in the community who enjoy poetry and might be interested in coming together more frequently for readings and workshops.
“We suspect there are several people locally who write poetry but don’t have an outlet to meet with other poets and that there are a number of people who simply enjoy poetry and would attend readings,” said one of the organizers, Howard Owens. “We hope this initial event will attract those people and show there is enough interest for regular gatherings.”
Toriseva will be the featured reader, but there will also be time for an open reading with each person invited to read one short poem of their own or of another author.
Other organizers include Eric Zwieg, Bill Kauffman, Bob Conrad, JoNelle Toriseva, and Lucine Kauffman.
About JoNelle Toriseva
JoNelle has won the Patricia Goedicke Prize in Poetry from Cutbank. Her work has appeared in, "The North American Review," "Salt Hill," "The Literary Review," "The Saranac Review," "The Cincinnati Review," "Descant," and "JACKET," among others, and included in Days I Moved Through Ordinary Sound from City Lights, and Best Canadian Poetry in English.
She is the director of English, Communications and Media Arts, and an Assistant Professor of English at SUNY-GCC, Toriseva has also taught for Mills College, California Poets in the Schools, San Francisco WritersCorps, and Literary Arts of Portland, Ore.
A car has reportedly hit a tree and flipped over at Ellicott Street Road and Transit Road, Bethany.
One minor injury is reported.
Bethany fire and Mercy EMS responding.
UPDATE 8:26 a.m.: Icy road conditions reported.
A car has reportedly hit a pole in the area of 4196 Broadway Road, Bethany.
The call originally came in as unknown injuries. A second caller on scene reports no injuries.
Bethany fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE 12:19 a.m.: The second caller is apparently the driver. He reports extremely icy conditions. Responding units are advised.
Two men who reportedly led law enforcement in Livingston County on a chase and were later spotted by a deputy in Genesee County allegedly tried to flee on foot after a one-vehicle car crash at Route 262 and Bank Street Road in Byron at 4 a.m.
Their effort led to a manhunt, joined by Deputy Chris Erion and K-9 "Destro." As a result, both men required treatment at UMMC for dog bites, according to Chief Deputy Joseph Graff.
One of the men apparently had a prior stomach injury and was reportedly throwing up blood at the scene. As of this afternoon, he was still a patient at UMMC. The other man, Michael Collier, 45, of Rochester, was arraigned this morning on charges of criminal possession of stolen property, fleeing a police officer, 3rd, reckless driving, and aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd.
Charges are pending against the man still in the hospital.
Graff said the incident started after Sheriff's dispatch was notified of a chase in Livingston County.
A deputy spotted a vehicle matching the description of the Livingston County vehicle but did not initiate a chase. Instead, the deputy followed the vehicle.
It crashed at Bank Street Road and Route 262 in Byron and the occupants tried to flee.
Erion and Destro were dispatched to the scene. One subject was captured quickly and the other remained on the loose for a little while. When each of the subjects was found, Destro initiated a bite and hold to help incapacitate them so they could be taken into custody.
Graff said the bite injuries were not serious.
UPDATE Friday, 10 a.m.: Additional information has been released by the Sheriff's Office. The suspects were pursued in Livingston County after a report that they were involved in a theft of merchandise from a department store in Geneseo. It was Deputy Jeremy McClellan who first observed their vehicle on Route 5 in the Town of Batavia. The suspects fled and crashed at Route 262 and Bank Street Road. State Police and Batavia PD assisted in the search of the area. Collier's passenger has been identified as Gary L. Weese, 44, of West Avenue, Medina. He is being charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the 5th degree. He remains hospitalized for health issues unrelated to the incident. Bail for Collier was set at $50,000.
Good news for parents who have depended on the YWCA for after-school child care -- the YW's program will be running as normal at all locations starting Monday.
The Children's Center at the County Courthouse will also remain open.
Earlier this week, the YW announced that because of financial difficulties, all programs and services were being terminated immediately.
Executive Director Millie Tomidy-Pepper has been working the phones to find ways to keep vital community programs going and staff from the YWCA in Niagara County rode to the rescue yesterday.
According to board members Roula Alkhouri and Patti Michalak, staff from the YW in Niagara visited 301 North St., Batavia, yesterday and provided the help needed to get the necessary vouchers filled out to keep the funds flowing from the state to pay for the daycare program.
Parents can expect that by Monday everything with YWCA-provided daycare will be back to normal.
The Batavian was speaking with Alkhouri and Michalak at the YW's office while Tomidy-Pepper was in a meeting with a staff member when a pair of parents walked in to confirm the news, which was sent out this afternoon to parents in the program in an email, that the daycare program was saved.
They said all of the current board members and Tomidy-Pepper have been working hard to save YW programs and bring the 108-year-old Genesee County chapter of the YWCA back from near extinction.
"We don't want this to go under and it's not going to go under," said Michalak, who became a board member two weeks ago.
She said Tomidy-Pepper has been putting in 12 hour days both to save programs and to save the YW.
There has been a tremendous outpouring of support from the community, they said.
The Crisis Care Hotline will also continue but outside of the YWCA. The Crisis Care Hotline call center in Niagara County started today receiving calls to the Genesee County number.
A spokesman for National Grid says there are still about 800 customers in Genesee County without power.
The areas with the most customers without power are Darien, 165, Batavia, 104, and Oakfield, 90.
The ETA for restoration is 10 o'clock tonight for all of Genesee County.
Super solid, well kept, one-family home, with over 2,100 square feet and room to grow! Bright and spacious, this home has a great layout with 2 bedrooms and full bath downstairs as well as 3 bedrooms and full bath up; they don't build them like this anymore!
Custom oak kitchen with cupboards galore and large family/dining area. Basement is high and dry -- amazing extra space, storage, or hobby/work area! Sitting on 2+ acres outside features awesome 24x32 outbuilding currently farm market-with all utilities and 8x16 cooler as well!
Already established location the possibilities are endless; all you have to do is move in and start living! A lot to see here. Call Lynn Bezon today 585-344-HOME or click here to more informaiton on this listing.
Press release:
It’s Off to the Races as the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation, prepares for its Derby Day Gala 2018, a fundraising event held in conjunction with the running of the 144th Kentucky Derby.
The event raises monies to support the mission of the Foundation, namely to assist families struggling with the diagnosis of pediatric cancers, support research efforts in the area of childhood cancers, and provide assistance to youth activities and programs.
Win, Place and Show your support for the Foundation’s annual fundraising event to be held at Terry Hills Golf Course & Banquet Facility in Batavia from 4 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 5th.
The Foundation, a 501(C) 3, was founded by Mark Napoleone and Laurie (Pero) in 2007 after the loss of their 8-year-old son to Burkitt’s Lymphoma, an aggressive form of blood cancer.
To date, the foundation has assisted 355 families with $332,000 worth of support during their child’s illness, contributed $73,000 to support research, gave $49,000 to assist youth organizations and donated $50,000 to building the new Golisano Children’s Hospital in Rochester.
The evening features “Kentucky Derby” theme, food, drinks, live music, silent and live auctions, and a professional photo in your best Derby attire. There will be prizes for the best woman’s hat, Dapper Derby Award for the men, and a best dressed couple’s award. Tickets are $75/each and Win, Place and Show Sponsorships are available.
There are many ways for you to support this event -- auction donations (gift certificates, electronics, sports memorabilia, spa packages, and weekend getaways). Monetary donations are also accepted. All donations are tax deductible. Your assistance will make our Derby Day Gala 2018 a winning success.
For those who are interested in attending the gala, tickets can be purchased by contacting Ann Marie at 721-0151.
Through the generosity of individuals and businesses, and the work of our volunteers, we have been able to “Lend a Hand for Hope” to those in need for over 10 years.
For more information, gallop onto our website: www.michaelshope.org or call 861-0550.
Photos: File photos by Howard Owens.
Press release:
The Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center is pleased to offer two summer camps for area youth in 2018. They are Camp Hard Hat and the Environmental Science Career Exploration Camp.
Students entering eighth, ninth and 10th grade have the opportunity to leave their mark and work in a team environment. Camp Hard Hat Class of 2018 will build a raised wooden walkway for a park trail at Genesee County Park & Forest and get hands-on experience with plumbing and electric.
Campers use math, process-thinking skills, and battery-powered tools to improve their community while learning about careers in Building Trades. Camp Hard Hat runs Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. July 30th to Aug. 3rd.
This program is presented in partnership with the Business Education Alliance of Genesee County, the Business Education Council of Wyoming County, and GVEP Batavia Building Trades. Instructors Rich Monroe and Jared Radesi teach campers the principles of design and construction, project safety, and the power of teamwork.
All materials, equipment and lunch are provided each day, along with an optional overnight experience at Genesee County Park & Forest and a camp T-shirt. Cost is $95/camper for the entire week. To register for Camp Hard Hat click here. (All registration pages are disabled on the site until the first day of registration, Monday, April 9.)
Sponsors make this camp possible! The generosity of sponsors helps cover the cost of materials, instructors, transportation and provides the opportunity for camp scholarships. To become a Camp Hard Hat sponsor, contact Linda Leblond at lleblond@wycobec.org or (585) 786- 5001.
Are you interested in protecting wildlife and habitats? How about sampling streams, soils, and trees? Thinking of a career in Environmental Science?
Explore all of this and more with Environmental Science Career Exploration Camp July 16th - 20th at the Genesee County Park & Forest. Students entering eighth – 12th grade will explore different Environmental Science jobs as they gain outdoor field experience while guided by professionals.
This weeklong adventure includes wildlife surveys, wading through wetlands and streams, a field trip, and more. Camp meets Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Interpretive Nature Center at Genesee County Park & Forest.
Transportation is available from Batavia High School to and from camp each day. All materials, lunch and snacks are provided each day along with a camp T-shirt. Cost is $95/camper for the entire week.
To register, download the registration form from our website here.
Return completed forms with payment to:
Main Office
Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center 153 Cedar St.
Batavia, NY 14020
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