"Expedition Norway" is the theme of a free summer program for children in grades K-6 sponsored by The Salvation Army.

It will be held every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 14 through Aug. 25 at the headquarters at 529 E. Main St. in the city.

Transportation to and from The Salvation Army is available to children in the city.

A morning snack and lunch is provide each week.

Participants can experience the unique food, fun games and activities of Norway. Make new firends and learn about an amazing culture. There will also be incredible music and surprising adventures!

Attend four out of the six sessions and get a free pass to the Niagara Falls Aquarium.

Phone 343-6284.

William S. Webster, 24, of Parsells Avenue, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, unlawfully dealing with a child, and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. At 12:04 a.m. this morning, Webster was stopped at a DWI checkpoint on Route 33 in the Town of Batavia. He was allegedly found to be in possession of marijuana and consuming alcohol in the vehicle and providing alcohol to a minor. He was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court on June 13. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Forsyth.

Seth Ryan Doster, 24, of Alleghany Road, Darien, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree. At 8:40 p.m. on May 27, the defendent was arrested after he was searched following a traffic stop on Florence Avenue in the City of Batavia. He was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance. The defendant was released on an appearance ticket for City Court at a later date. City police assisted in the investigation. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia), the ranking Minority member of the Assembly Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and a veteran of the Ohio Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserves, on Friday remembered members of the United States Military who fought and gave their lives in service to our country and thanked those who still serve to defend our freedom.

“I would like to wish all the veterans and active military personnel in my district and throughout New York State a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend. Thank you for your courage and sacrifice which ensures our freedom and protects our way of life. I ask everyone, as you spend time with your family and friends this weekend, remember that freedom isn’t free and please take time to thank the veterans in your life,” Hawley said.

Most people, perhaps, in Kati Mancuso's position wouldn't choose the circumstances of her life as a time to open a new business, especially one as emotionally and physically demanding as a restaurant.

But this week, that's what Mancuso did, opening Kati's Place at 40 Oak St., Batavia.

Even though Mancuso now lives in Rochester, she came back to Batavia because this is where her friends and customers are. She started in the restaurant business at 16 at Scooter's in Batavia, moved on to Scooter's in Le Roy, and eventually opened Kati's Place in Le Roy.

She had to close that restaurant after a drunken driver slammed into her car and she suffered a broken back.

She wanted to get back in the business, but took time off for the birth of her son.

"I could have opened a restaurant in Rochester and started over, but I’m so close to so many people and so many customers and they’ve been like my family over all these years so I wanted a place they could come to, so that’s why I came out to Batavia to do it," she said.

After her son was born, she found a pencil-size lump on her arm. It turned out to be a rare form of melanoma. She had a 9.7-millimeter tumor removed. She's had all the lymph nodes on her right side removed. She went through six weeks of chemo, five days a week, and then five weeks of chemo for three days a week. She's had five major surgeries and two minor surgeries.

The original prognosis was a 16-percent chance of surviving past a year.

She's not giving up.

"I felt like I was either going to lay there and die or do something that I love," Mancuso said. "This keeps me busy and keeps me moving and I think I just have to keep a positive attitude and know that I’ll be all right. I know the diagnoses isn’t good, but it’s OK."

Mancuso said every day is hard, but she has her seven employees to help her out and her customers to keep her spirits up.

"These people have been like my family and it gives them someplace to go and enjoy good food that is homemade, that’s not fast food," Mancuso said.

Kati's Place is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday, to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and to 3 p.m. on Sunday. It's a diner with about a dozen tables and take-outs are available. The phone number is (585) 250-4483.

We had a database error this morning and had to restore the site from a backup.

The good news is, we had a very recent backup available, 3 a.m. The bad news is, we still lost a couple of posts.

One was from Steve Ognibene about Batavia's boys and girls track teams winning Section V titles. Steve isn't available until tonight to repost it. Our apologies.

The other post was an accident on the Thruway and we can't recreate that post.

I don't think any user comments were lost.

In a competitive sport, there can be only one winner, and in Brockport today, only one team would get to make history.

That team turned out to be Aquinas, which became only the third school (that we know of) in modern Section V history to win the boys' team-sport Triple Crown -- championships in football, basketball and baseball -- in a single school year.

It's the second time Aquinas has achieved the feat, first doing it in 2011-12.

Batavia has never done it, and with a 2-1 loss will have to wait for another opportunity somewhere down the road.

The records are incomplete, but John Moriello of the New York Sportswriters Association researched the question today, and as near as he can tell, the Triple Crown has only been achieved three times in Section V, though it's possible some smaller schools archived it.

"I suspect it's happened a few times over the years in the section, but there's not a database that would allow for pinning down specifics," Moriello said. "It's more likely in the smaller classifications with schools like Notre Dame, Clyde-Savannah, Hornell and Cal-Mum."

While Batavia notched Section V titles in football and basketball this year, Aquinas could go on to win the trifecta at the state level this year.

There were no Section V football championships before 1977.

Pittsford Mendon was the first Section V school to secure the Triple Crown with titles in 1982-83.

This year, 31 teams in the state had a chance at the Triple Crown when baseball season started, according to Moriello, and only Aquinas got that third critical win.

Batavia won its first baseball title in 1953, but hasn't taken a Section V crown since 1998 (it also had titles in 1980, 81 and 94).

The football program had great teams prior to 1977, but didn't get a Section V title until 1991 and then waited until the Brennan Briggs era to win again, getting titles in 2014 and this year.

Batavia became a powerhouse in basketball under Buddy Brasky, winning its first Section V title in 1998, and then in 2005, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2016.

To purchase prints, click here (the slideshow includes BHS softball).

Batavia High School's softball team lost 14-4 today to Geneseo in a Class A2 title game played at Brockport HS.

These pictures are from the final inning and a half.

A pedestrian is conscious and alert after reportedly being struck by a car in the area of 317 E. Main St., Batavia.

The car has left the scene.

It's a maroon, newer sedan driving by a female, heading east on Main Street.

City fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 10:27 p.m.: The vehicle has apparently been located.

UPDATE 10:28 p.m.: The vehicle stopped was not involved. A city patrol is checking the area.

A dog is locked inside a black Cadillac with the windows rolled up near 115 Washington Ave. in the City. Batavia PD is responding.

Free sunglasses when you rent your prom tuxedo at Charles Men's Shop -- Downtown Batavia. Click here to visit our Facebook page.

It's looking like Memorial Day Weekend is going to be a great weekend to make use of the spray park in Austin Park, as Darien Rhodes did this afternoon with Faith Rhodes.

Temperatures will reach as high as 92 degrees over the weekend with ample humidity.

Mark Williams, with the Tompkins Bank of Castile, holds one of the baskets available in a charity raffle at the Batavia branch on East Main Street.

Funds from the raffle of the two baskets of wine and other gifts will benefit Relay for Life in Wyoming County.  

Raffle tickets are available through the drive-up or when you walk into the branch.

Information provided by the Genesee County Department of Social Services is included in this story.

Sarah Wilson, 32, of Alexander Road in Alexander, was sentenced in Genesee County Court Thursday afternoon to four months intermittent jail time and five years probation after pleading guilty to a single count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, a felony.

In addition to this charge, she was originally facing a second felony, one count of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, and one count of petit larceny, a misdemeanor. Those charges were dismissed.

She was arrested last fall after a joint investigation by the Genesee County Department of Social Services and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department.

Wilson had submitted the forged medical statement to the Department of Social Services in October, which she claimed had been completed by a local doctor. An alert social welfare examiner at DSS reviewed the form and noticed the doctor’s name was spelled incorrectly on the medical form that had been submitted and the examiner submitted the case for investigation.

The investigation that followed revealed the medical statement allegedly had not been completed or signed by the doctor. Wilson was arrested by Sheriff's Investigator Joseph Graff and jailed on $1,000 bail.

Assistant District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini agreed that the recommendation of intermittent jail time and probation -- also called "shock probation" -- was appropriate in this case.

The prosecutor told Acting Genesee County Court Judge Michael F. Pietruszka that this "was not your typical welfare fraud case," because Wilson purposely forged the doctor's note -- to either avoid certain types of assets from being withheld or to get or maintain benefits -- and she told different stories about her involvement to different people and in a letter to the judge declared she did not intend to defraud DSS.

"She continues to minimize her involvement," Cianfrini said.

Wilson's attorney, Public Defender Jerry Ader, disagreed.

"I think my client is not trying to minimize her involvement," Ader said. "She's facing the first felony violation in her life. ... There are supreme consequences at this point."

One of them is the impact the consequences of her crime will have on parenting. She has several children, but only custody of a tot who must use a nebulizer (breathing apparatus). It was indicated that care for that child might be problematic while she's in custody.

Asked by the judge if she had anything to say on her behalf, a sniffling Wilson, who kept wiping tears away with her left hand, said "No." 

She was also ordered to pay restitution, pursue a job and/or employable skills, and to get a mental health evaluation and a substance abuse evaluation.

She is due at the jail at 5 p.m. today and will spend most of Memorial Day weekend in custody -- through 5 p.m. Sunday, for her first go-round at shock probation.

Anyone wishing to report suspected cases of welfare fraud in Genesee County can contact the Genesee County Department of Social Services Fraud Investigation Unit at (585)344-2580, ext. 6417 or 6416. All calls are confidential.

With a 7-6 win over Lyndonville in the Section V Class D2 championship softball game yesterday, the Fighting Irish became Notre Dame's 80th girls team across all sports to win a sectional title.

Notre Dame took a 6-1 lead into the sixth, but Lyndonville put together a rally to tie the game. The Irish won on a walk to Jessica Bukowski with the bases loaded, bringing Callie McCulley in to score.

Photo submitted by Kathy Antinore.

An accident with unknown injuries, blocking traffic, is reported at Jackson and Ellicott streets. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 12:49 p.m.: No injuries. Two pickup trucks involved, both moved out of way and clear of traffic.

Debris from an accident in the Oak Street Roundabout is causing some havoc, with popped tires and slowed traffic.

Earlier, Batavia PD had responded to a fender-bender in the roundabout and after this current incident was reported, he confirmed there was very little debris from that accident and it was cleaned up, so this debris is apparently from a later, unreported accident.

A Sheriff's patrol came through and reported a good deal of debris in the roundabout and "people are popping their tires."

There's a disabled semi-truck and two passenger vehicles have pulled into a nearby parking lot, coincidentally, perhaps, a tire shop.

Christopher Tyler Sprague (pictured left), 22, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with third-degree burglary, second-degree criminal mischief, and petit larceny. On May 25, Sprague was transferred from Genesee County Jail to Batavia City Court where he was arraigned on these charges following an investigation into a burglary which occurred at a business at 3 Treadeasy Ave. in the city between May 7 and May 9. Sprague allegedly broke into the building and stole money while inside. He also allegedly damaged several picnic tables and pavilions behind the building. Following his arraignment before City Court Judge Durin Rogers, he was released, but due to a pending parole violation for which he was being held, he was transported back to jail. He is to be in City Court to answer the charges at 1 p.m. on June 8. The case was handled by Batavia Police Det. Richard Schauf, assisted by Det. Eric Hill.

Chase Michael Putnam, 20, of Circle Drive, Williamson, is charged with driminal possession of a weapon, 4th, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and unlawful possession of marijuana. At 11:57 a.m. on May 26, Putnam was stopped on Route 77 in the Town of Pembroke The defendant was allegedly found in possession of a quantity of suspected cocaine and marijuana, as well as a doubled-edge knife. Putnam was arrested and issued an appearance ticket for June 21 in Town of Pembroke Court. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Patrick Reeves.

David Alan Ornt, 24, of Hall Road, Holley, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, speed in excess of 55 mph, and open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle. He was arrested on the charges following a traffic stop at 6:52 p.m. on May 22 on South Holley Road in the Town of Byron. He was issued appearance tickets for June 20 in Town of Byron Court. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Michael Lute, assisted by Deputy Kevin Forsyth.

Chet William Kenyon, 32, of Sandybrook Drive, Hamlin, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana in the fifth degree and open container of alcohol in a a motor vehicle. He was arrested at 6:23 p.m. on May 22 on South Holley Road in Byron following a traffic stop. He was issued appearance tickets for June 20 in Town of Byron Court. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Michael Lute, assisted by Deputy Kevin Forsyth.

Frank Grillo submitted these photos and story about the dog run being installed at the PTSD clinic at the Batavia VA.

I know how important the small things are.

I know when your scraping and clawing and fighting to regain your life that every advantage can mean the difference between life and death. 

When I came home I never slept. I watched out the windows, I patrolled my home. I gained over 100 pounds and began to fail at school and life. What brought me back? My dog.

Reba watched out the windows. Reba listened for sounds so I didn't have to. Her hearing was better; she constantly stared out the window and when I said "Reba, Whats That?" she would barrel from window to window on high alert. 

When I arrived at the PTSD clinic I was immediately greeted like a criminal. Breathalyzers and urinalysis as well as a search of my belongings. The windows would only open four inches because someone from Texas jumped out of his window and because it was early spring the heaters were still on bringing my room to a not so comfy 90+ degrees.

The program was being run by a woman who did not know how to balance what was best for the vet against the regulations.

This was a colossal mess but I did three tours in Iraq and I could handle all the above.

I lasted less than one day.

Why?

I didn't have my dog.

Fast forward three years. I've given up on almost all of my volunteering. Too many fake programs cashing in on veterans. 

I did keep on, however, keep up with the VA Veterans Advisors Council for two reasons:

• because my friend Patrick brought me in;
• and because I believe in the Director Brian Stiller, who is himself a Navy veteran. 

For almost a year we brought the fight to allow service dogs into the PTSD program and thanks to a language loophole and Brian's willingness to do the right thing, to act on principal FOR the veteran in spite of the ridiculous bureaucracy, and we prevailed. 

A veteran who found it too tough to stay in the program without his service dog eventually returned to Batavia to complete the program, and to his credit he pioneered the possibility of service dogs at the residential treatment program. 

Next we asked, "What can we do to make this permanent?" and Director Stiller responded, "We need a place to let the run off vest."

Immediately I reached out to my brothers at the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association Chapter 19-6 in Batavia.

We raised the funding and created the fenced-in pen you see in this picture. Yesterday, we returned to build a shelter where the combat veteran can sit in case he or she cannot stand. A place the veteran can relax out of the elements while his or her most loyal companion can run and play and unwind.

These dogs are easing the burden and saving the lives of veterans every day just as my Reba did for me. It is my privlidge and our chapter's honor to make that kind of advantage a possibility for our fellow combat veterans.

God bless America.

A dog has reportedly been locked inside a red Chevy pickup truck in the Court Street plaza in the city for the last 30 minutes. Batavia PD is responding. The vehicle is in a handicapped parking space near City Slickers restaurant.