Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) announced Thursday that he has signed on as a cosponsor of new legislation, coined the Charitable Gaming Act of 2016, which would allow charitable organizations and raffle holders to accept credit and legal tender for raffles as well as advertise and sell tickets online.

Hawley has also introduced his own legislation, A.10516, to remedy New York’s archaic and detrimental gaming laws.

“I am eager to see this bill come to the floor for a vote,” Hawley said. “It is scheduled to pass through committee today, and being authored by a Majority member gives it that much more potential to move through the legislative process.

"As I’ve said before, this is an issue that affects communities and benevolent organizations all across the state. Our statutes need to catch up with technology before more damage is done, and that is exactly what this legislation aims to do.”

Submitted photo and press release:

Eugene Jankowski Jr. has advanced from 3-Gun Nation Semi-Pro to the 3-Gun Nation Pro Series Event 8 to be held at Virginia International Raceway, Alton, Va., the end of this month.

A total of eight Pro events are held and each event comprises one, half-hour episode of 3-Gun Nation television airing sometime in July. This will be Jankowski’s first event as a 3-Gun Nation Professional Competition shooter.

The 3-Gun Nation Pro Series is the first of its kind, featuring the top shooters in the sport of 3-Gun. Each shooter competes in the same division, Practical, in a heads-up race to qualify for the season-ending finale. The final match features the top qualified shooters from the Pro Series, who compete in a seeded bracket to determine the final winner of the $50,000 grand prize. 

To compete on the Pro Series, each year a qualifier is held – and the top 16 competitors earn a slot. To earn an invitation to the qualifier match, competitors must be signed up as a Semi-Pro in the previous year, compete in at least one 3GN Regional event and place within the top 25 in the Semi-Pro standings for the season.

Jankowski finished 18^th in the 2015 semi-pro season and earned this year’s Pro Series slot at the October national qualifier. Jankowski is currently ranked 14^th midway through the 2016 semi-pro season.

Press release:

Bataiva High School Coach Buddy Brasky will hold a basketball camp at Batavia City schools this summer. This basketball camp will be held from July 5 through Aug. 12. (Location(s) to be announced later.)

This six-week program will emphasize offensive skill development. The program is open to anyone, male or female, from grades seven to college.

Cost is $375. For an application, call Coach Brasky at 356-4050 or e-mail him at:   mbrasky@bataviacsd.org

Brasky will be joined by: 

• Tim Sullivan
• Tom Redband -- Girls Varsity Coach at Elba High School
• Matt Shay -- Boys Varsity coach at Pembroke High School
• Bill Pitcher -- Longtime area basketball player and coach
• Billy Truitt -- Former Division I and professional basketball player

There will be two sessions:

1)  Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon for boys in grades nine to college;

2)  Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon for boys in grades seven and eight, and girls in grades seven to college.

You have until 1:30 p.m. today to make a difference in the annual Fill the Boot drive to raise funds to fight muscular dystrophy.

Batavia City firefighters from IAFF Local 896 are ready to take your money at Main Street and Court Street and at Ellicott Street and Court Street.

In 2015, they raised $7,523 for the MDA. This year, they hope to top the $10,000 mark.

A black female dog with white markings was found astray without tags or a collar on Hilltop Drive in Le Roy about 20 minutes ago. A Le Roy police officer met or is meeting with an animal control officer in Stafford to hand off the pooch for transport to the Genesee County Animal Shelter.

So, if you know this dog, that's where you can find it, 3841 W. Main Street Road, Town of Batavia.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at Buffalo Road and South Lake Road, Bergen.

Bergen fire and Bergen ambulance dispatched.

Reader-submitted photo.

A car has reportedly hit a utility pole in the area of 8856 Fargo Road, Stafford.

The driver is reportedly unconscious.

Stafford fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 5:27 p.m.: Patient extricated. Mercy Flight has landed. 

UPDATE: The driver told deputies that he believes he fell asleep. The accident is under investigation, but traffic tickets are possible. The driver was conscious and alert at the time of his transport by Mercy Flight to ECMC. His injuries are considered serious, but not life threatening.  

A roomful of business and community leaders heard today from Vincent Esposito, director of Empire State Development’s Finger Lakes regional office, as he talked about the economic development opportunity and effort both regionally and in Batavia.

The gathering comes prior to meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall were officials will discuss Batavia's application for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, which is a regional competiton with a $10 million prize. CORRECTION: It's at 5:30 p.m., Monday, at the Generation Center.

Batavia has a good shot at the prize because of all the work already put into improving Downtown, most notably the Batavia Opportunity Area, which has 10 brownfield revitalization projects already in the pipeline.

The Finger Lakes Region has already been a big winner in a statewide competition fro regional economic development areas, receiving a grant of $500 million from the state for projects in the region.

There are three main areas of focus for those funds, Esposito said:

• Eastman Park in Rochester;
• Downtown Rochester; and,
• The STAMP project in Genesee County.

About 50 percent of the $500 million are going to projects in Monroe County, Esposito said, and the rest is spread out in the other county's in the region; however, about two-thirds of that 50 percent is going to Genesee County, he said.

The primary goals of the Finger Lakes regional office is job creation, regional wealth creation, increase private investment and reduce poverty.

In the past five years, economic development activity has created 20,000 new jobs, he said.

The projects expected over the next five years, he said, will result in $6.4 billion in private investments and a conservative estimate of 8,200 new jobs.

"We want to keep that commitment low and then over deliver," he said.

The main economic engines in growth for the region he said are optics/photonics, agriculture and food processing and high-tech wafer and chip manufacturing.

The third area is where GCEDC's STAMP project comes in and why it's attracting a big chunk of the funds from the Finger Lakes Region.

"If ever there was a time to be optimistic about your future, this is it," Esposito said.

The amount of funding Genesee County will contribute to the local community college is expected to remain the same as last year, for now. The college is planning a $40.5 million budget for 2016/17, up 1.53 percent, and sought a $50,000 increase in the county's share -- a total of $2,586,374.

Last month, the legislature's Public Service Committee tabled a resolution seeking the increase because of concern that there was a lack of communication or consultation with legislators about how much the county could afford prior to the request.

On Wednesday afternoon, Genesee Community College President James Sunser assured the Ways and Means Committee that henceforth dialog will begin much earlier so that an update can be forthcoming as early as March, well before any funding requests are made.

The Ways and Means Committee voted to recommend approval of the funding request as previously submitted, with no increase in the county's share. (The county share, mandated by state law, can't be reduced below the prior year's share.)

They also set a public hearing on that at the Legislature's next regular meeting, the evening of June 8.

Sunser said he and Legislator Marianne Clattenburg spoke and they have an idea to help get information to county representatives earlier, starting next year. They would like to set up a meeting to talk preliminarily about budget matters, to ask what the county might be able to do to support the college.

That way, even though hard figures would be absent, there would be a working blueprint to go forward with, two months before May when things are being finalized.

He said attendees should include himself, the college's CFO, chair of the board of trustees, chair of the college trustees' Finance Committee, and the chair of the Legislature, chair of the Ways and Means Committee, legislature-college liaison Clattenburg, and the County Manager.

"Obviously, that would predate having solid information from the state," Sunser said. "But we would look at multiple scenarios and have different ideas and make adjustments -- kind of the same way we are now -- but a little earlier on. Hopefully, that helps. That way we get some county input and that will be before we go to the board of trustees of the college for approval, and hopefully, we could have a more solid sense of where the county could be (in terms of its funding ability).

"I'm open to doing whatever I can do as frequently as needed to keep the county in the loop on what our thinking is and our current plan," Sunser said.

Earlier talks would be beneficial, said Committee Member Ray Cianfrini.

"I think it's a great idea that we have the opportunity to get our discussion started earlier," Cianfrini said. "I mean, that's something that can only be helpful. Again, with the understanding that the college and the legislature are kind of handcuffed, at that early stage because you're not going to have figures; it's certainly an early stage for us to even being thinking about where we stand with our budget.

"But if you've got any insights you can give us, some direction you think you're going in, that's helpful. I do agree that opening the discussions early is a good way to do it."

Sunser replied: "I'm happy to do that. And again, I think one of the things that we can do is...I know it's a very busy time when you're dealing with the whole county budget in the fall...but even if it's through communication (by) e-mail or memo to say 'This is how things are looking at this point' and 'This is what we would be thinking about for the next year.' Because we'd be toward the tail end of your actual fiscal year when we're receiving these funds. So if that helps, we're happy to try to do that as well."

The college has until July 1 to present its final budget to SUNY administrators. Full-time students will pay $1,975 tuition per semester during the 2016-2017 year, up $25 from the current rate.

Meanwhile, the county can mull what it might be able to approve, and find out whether, legally, it can allocate more to the college later in the year when it adopts its own 2017 budget. (One issue previously cited is that the college and county budget calendars are out of sync: The college operates on an academic year; the county on a calendar year.)

From there, it was asked about the progress of the building projects at the Batavia campus.

The 18,748-square-foot Student Success Center will be located adjacent to the Conable Technology Building. The 56,614-square-foot Richard C. Call Arena will be located at the northwest end of the parking lot. The Arena will house the largest expanse of flexible, open floor space in the Genesee-Livingston-Orleans-Wyoming county region.

Sunser said good progress is being made and said the biggest thing people are talking about is the amount of rock (under the construction areas), especially by the Arena, where they've had to do some blasting to create retention ponds, a real sight to behold from the Thruway. That got a laugh from the committee members.

The footers have been poured for the student center. The goal is to have the new facilities 90-percent enclosed by November when cold weather starts to set in and then they can continue working through the winter. Both buildings are expected to be completed in early summer 2017.

Press release: 

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) joined legislators and public activists at a press conference in Albany held by Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R,C-Canandaigua) on Wednesday calling for legislation to address the state’s growing heroin and opioid addiction problem. The Senate recently passed a package of 41 bills and recommendations to combat the issue.

“Our children are dying due to this deadly epidemic and the Assembly hasn’t passed a single bill this year to address it,” Hawley said. “Our conference held a series of statewide forums to gather input from people affected by addiction only to have our comprehensive solutions sit dormant in the Assembly. How many more families need to be torn apart before Assembly leadership steps up and brings solutions to the table?

"Addiction is a disease that knows no bounds, but we can defeat it by empowering recovery at the local level and providing resources to those on the frontlines. My hope is that legislative solutions will come to fruition before session adjourns for the summer in two weeks.”

Press release:

TenCar, a woman-owned medical devices and equipment company founded by Genesee County resident Georgann Carrubba, RN, has launched a crowdfunding campaign as the company looks to start the evaluation and initial manufacturing phase of its Choice Cap product.

Funds generated will be used to build initial evaluation units for further customer feedback prior to pilot production in 2017.

TenCar’s Choice Cap is prosthetic appliance for active-lifestyle colostomy and ileostomy patients. It provides patients with a simple but secure attachment method, which includes a lightweight, airtight, molded waterproof cap to be worn with or without the traditional soft inner pouch. This added protective barrier offers greater resilience to motion and activity, giving the wearer protection against leakage and escaped odors that are common in everyday activities.

TenCar is the first start-up company to come out of the Genesee County Economic Development Center’s Innovation Zone which was launched in 2015. The company is interested inkeeping manufacturing in Batavia.

“We feel a strong obligation to the local community as a result of the great support we have received in getting our company off the ground,” Carrubba said. “We are confident that a crowdfunding initiative will receive similar support as we look to advance the company to next level of growth, which in turn will create new jobs.”

Crowdfunding is commonly used to generate funds and often involves a number of people making donations to a venture or business initiative. Crowdfunding presents the opportunity for individuals to support a company in its early stages of startup to bring their products and/or services into the marketplace. In this instance, those who support TenCar’s crowdfunding will be recognized and acknowledged by the company as well as receive gifts for their support, but will not receive shares in the company.

“While we are a small community we love when one of our own has a great success story to tell and in this instance it’s about someone who has developed an innovative medical product that could lead to the creation of new jobs,” said Steve Hyde, president and CEO of the GCEDC.

Carrubba is a Batavia native and graduate of the Genesee Community College School of Nursing. She has been working with various groups and organizations, including the GCEDC, High Tech Rochester, Launch NY, and the University at Buffalo’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences (CBLS), as well as many other partners at the Innovation Zone at MedTech Center for the past year.

Below are links to the Indiegogo crowdfunding website and a video from TenCardescribing its revolutionary new medical device the Choice Cap System:

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9k6MRnvWpww

Learn more about TenCar’s crowdfunding campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/choice-cap-system-a-better-ostomy-device

Press release June 1 from Assemblyman Steve Hawley:

“I would like to thank Gov. Cuomo and my fellow legislators for finally stepping up and making the veteran buy-back credit a reality. This is a great example of bipartisanship. Our vets have waited far too long to receive the recognition they deserve, and the opportunity to purchase back their service time from the state is a small show of gratitude for those who have sacrificed more than we can imagine.

"As a veteran, son of a veteran and Ranking Member on the Assembly’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I can attest to the hardships and commitment of our servicemen and women and will continue to fight for more programs and services to help those who have fought for our liberty and freedom.”

A fire alarm has been tripped in the incinerator room of the Batavia Barracks of the New York State Police.

Town of Batavia Fire responding.

The location is 2525 West Saile Drive, Batavia.

UPDATE 11:43 a.m.: Chief on scene reports the building is evacuated.

UPDATE 11:46 a.m.: Fire was in a paper shredder. It was contained to the shredder and is out. They're clearing smoke from the building.

An estimated 513 National Grid customers are without power along the west side of Bank Street, from just north of Main Street, Batavia, out to the County Airport.

The outage was reported at 8:42 a.m. and there is no ETA yet for restoration of power.

UPDATE: Power has been restored.

Smoke is reported in the residence at 6259 Shepard Road, with a cross of Transit Road, Pavilion, after a possible lightning strike.

Pavilion fire and Le Roy's ladder truck are dispatched.

UPDATE 9:11 a.m.: This is now a possible structure fire with a second alarm. Requested to the scene are Bethany's tanker, an engine from Le Roy and a tanker from Stafford, with an engine to fill in at Pavilion's Fire Hall. Le Roy's ambulance also requested to the scene.

UPDATE 9:14 a.m.: Perry Center, Perry, Wyoming and York also requested to the scene.

UPDATE(S) 9:23 a.m. (By Billie): This is now a working structure fire. The city's FAST team is called to the scene.

UPDATE 9:27 a.m.: The second platoon is requested to the city's fire headquarters.

UPDATE 9:29 a.m.: The homeowner is there and is an electrician employed by a power company and he already shut down power to the house so a response to the scene by National Grid will not be necessary, according to the scene commander.

UPDATE 9:34 a.m.: One engine from Bethany is called to stage in Texaco Town.

UPDATE 9:45 a.m.: Caledonia, which was just called to fill in at Le Roy's fire hall, is called to the scene along with Bethany. Bergen is called to fill in for Le Roy.

UPDATE 9:48 a.m.: Alexander's FAST team is called to the scene.

UPDATE 9:49 a.m.: Churchville is called to fill in at Bergen Le Roy; Elba is asked to fill in at Stafford. A second Alexander engine is called to the scene.

UPDATE 10:43 a.m.: The fire is under control. Command is starting to release some of the responding units.

With a cast and crew into the dozens of people in Batavia today, scenes for the upcoming bio-pic about Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, were completed today at the Old Courthouse in Batavia.

There are no pictures here of Chadwick Boseman, who is playing Marshall, because producers asked photographers not to take pictures of him in costume. They want to preserve the mystique of Boseman in character until the film is released, one of the co-producers said. We were free to wander the set and take pictures of all other aspects of the production.

The interior of the Old Courthouse was dressed up to look like a county courthouse in Oklahoma in the 1940s. Light switches were removed and the holes covered, the exit sign removed, an old clock and fans installed and pictures hung on the wall suitable to the time and location. There were also a 48-star U.S. flag behind the bench and the Oklahoma state flag.

Carl Hicks, who grew up in Le Roy, is interviewed by Mike Pettinella for the Buffalo News. Hicks was the construction supervisor for the set.

Say a middle-school student habitually sasses a teacher and repeatedly winds up in the vice principal's office. Or maybe a teen is often truant from school or acts out in a way that might get him or her in trouble with the law, perhaps already has.

In many cases, there's a voluntary way to make amends and square things with authorities. It's the Genesee County Youth Court -- an alternative for young people who face disciplinary action through school or law enforcement. The goal is to decrease behavior problems and increase "citizenship skills."

On Tuesday afternoon, the local legislature's Human Service Committee was given an agency review of the Youth Bureau by Director Jocelyn Sikorski, which includes the Youth Court.

She told them that referrals are up. There were 32 last year and there have been 17 to date this year.

With a success rate of 90 percent or better, there are cost savings to the county because this reduces the caseload in the juvenile justice system, Sikorski said.

Eligible young people are referred by either their school or law enforcement. Parents and guardians are involved throughout and everything is kept confidential. Sentencing is individualized and there's no permanent record in the youth’s file or record.

Youths who want resolution through the Youth Court, fill out an application. If approved, the defendant appears before a court of peers.

A "prosecutor" representing school and community interests argues their side and makes a sentencing recommendation. The defense acts on behalf of the teen in question and also makes a sentencing recommendation. A clerk-bailiff maintains court records, administers the oath, and makes sure the court runs smoothly. A panel of three teen judges listen to both sides of the issue and recommends a sentence based on what is heard in the courtroom.

This process gives the wrongdoer a chance to learn from mistakes through early intervention and positive peer pressure.

Those who voluntarily serve in the Youth Court learn about public speaking, group decision making and the justice system.

It began in 2008 and costs about $16,000 a year to run. Funding is provided by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), a component within the U.S. Department of Justice. Chelsea Dillon is the coordinator; she works collaboratively with the Probation Department, law enforcement agencies, the Dept. of Social Services and schools in the county.

Another program administered by the county Youth Bureau is the federally funded "Youth Opportunity Program," an AmeriCorps offshoot, now in its second year here.

The fledgling program enrolls at-risk and formerly incarcerated youth in direct service projects sponsored by AmeriCorps.

"We had a lot of learning in our office," Sikorsky said of the inaugural year. "We're getting better. There are challenges with the youth being served."

Steps are being put in place to prevent problems encountered initially. But through no fault of the county, future funding is not assured for its continuance here or elsewhere.

The federally funded AmeriCorps Program was also reviewed for the committee by Sikorski. It focuses on creating jobs and providing paths to opportunity for young people about to enter the workforce. Through AmeriCorps, participants learn valuable work skills, earn money for education and develop an appreciation for citizenship by working in community service helping others.

Going forward, a concern with the AmeriCorps program is the higher minimum wage of $9.70 an hour in 2017.

"We still will be competitive with that," Sikorski said, because with their education award and their bi-weekly stipend, an AmeriCorps participant makes $9.85 an hour.

"2018...(we) believe that we will struggle to recruit AmeriCorps members with the raise in the state minimum wage, with the money we have to give our AmeriCorps members. Our hands are tied based on that program."

The grant cycle is every 15 months, and Genesee County next cycle runs from October through the end of 2017, when the minimum wage is set to become $9.70 an hour. Each cycle requires a competitive grant application process to secure funds.

"The minimum wage I think will hit us in 2018," Sikorski said.

Committee Chair Rochelle Stein asked if the minimum wage requirement applies to AmeriCorps at all.

"If this is a government program, though, isn't that exempt?" Stein asked. "Because I thought that governments were exempt from the minimum wage increases. I could be wrong."

Sikorski replied: "My understanding is we're exempt (as county government) from the fact that we have to raise the wages to coincide with the raise in the minimum wage. Correct."

County Manager Jay Gsell said "But that may not apply to this program because it's not necessarily with public entities. That's one of those things that you'll have to look at. We'll have to look into that."

Gsell said the minimum wage hike requirements and any future budget impacts on various programs are still being determined.

Regardless of wages, all AmeriCorps members gain an education benefit. A 900-hour volunteer would get, for example, a $2,650 education award upon completion. A parent or grandparent can allocate it to their child or grandchild; you can use it to pay for your own tuition; and, student loans incurred during AmeriCorps participation can be deferred, and no interest will accrue on them.

In another Youth Bureau initiative, Sikorski happily reported that the Kiwanis Club provided $200 to buy "Halloween kits" last October for 90 boys and girls who might not otherwise have had the opportunity to dress up at school or go trick-or-treating in costumes with friends and family. A total of 40 went to children in one of the city's two elementary schools, and 50 went to underprivileged kids in the other.

"Oh, my gosh, it was so much fun!" she said.

The goal is to make this amusing seasonal holiday outreach travel -- next on one side of the county, then the other, then back to the city.

Stein asked about the back-to-school supplies and was told annually, they are able to help between 30 and 50 children with supplies.

Following Sikorski's presentation, the committee agreed to give permission for the Youth Bureau to apply for a grant from the U.S. Tennis Association to fund a summer tennis program. If granted, it would provide $1,900 to pay for a tennis instructor, mileage and some equipment.

 Movies in Motion, owned by Jeff and Lynda Edenholm, has survived a crosstown move, a couple of recessions, the arrival of red boxes and red envelopes, and even the age of streaming entertainment, for 20 years and that has a lot to do with the kind of customer service you can only get from a mom-and-pop shop, Lynda said.

"We know all of our customers by name," Lynda said. "We don't even have cards."

Movies in Motion opened on Clinton Street Road and Seven Springs Road on May 31, 1996. They moved a little over eight years ago when R&D Outlet acquired the building for its own retail location. The Edenholms picked a small storefront at 511 E. Main St., Batavia.

Some people still like the physical CD, others don't have Internet access and there's no contracts or long-term commitments, and that has kept a core of customers loyal to the store, Lynda said.

The 24/7 dropbox helps, too.

Like any true entreprenuer in a competitive environment, the Edenholms have never been afraid to try new things. They've sold skateboard and video games, pizza and ice cream, and a year ago they started selling handcrafted wooden furniture and handpainted wooden signs. Both new sidelines have been a boost to the business, they said.

"There's no place else in town where you can get handpainted, custom signs," Lynda said.

Jeff builds all the furniture and the Edenholms are pleased with the progress that business venture is making.

Last March, Jeff and Lynda also celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.  

"It's been hard," Lynda said. "When we get home, there's nothing to talk about because we've enjoyed each other all day, so we watch movies."

Jeff and Lynda have two adult children and a grandchild.

While the furniture and signs have been a great addition to the business, DVD rentals are still Movies in Motion's bread and butter.

Lynda said they enjoy providing family entertainment and serving the residents of Genesee County.

"We don't think of it as work, as a job," Lynda said. "We get to do what we love to do."

Movies in Motion is open from noon to 9 p.m. Sundays thru Thursdays, and noon to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The Edenholms now take holidays off to spend more time with their grandchild. For more information, call (585) 343-0971.

Press release:

Residents, friends and patrons of the Corfu Free Library are invited to come to Darien Lakes State Park for an evening of reading at 7 p.m. on June Wednesday, June 8. 

A Reading Invasion is a way to simply enjoy reading your favorite book with others. There are no discussions, no rules, just a time to read together in public. 

Participants are invited to bring family, friends, a comfortable chair or blanket and of course, a book.

The raffle for the “Anne of Green Gables” gift basket will also take place at the conclusion of the Reading Invasion. Tickets will be available at the event and are $1 each. The gift basket features an Anne of Green Gables doll and three books in the Anne of Green Gables, the popular series written by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

The Corfu Free Library periodically hosts Reading Invasions at different locations throughout the year. Residents are encouraged to check the library’s website at www.CorfuFreeLibrary.org, stop by 7 Maple Avenue in Corfu for program information, or call the library at (585) 599-3321.