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Wanna box?

Now you can.

For the first time in a decade or more, Batavia has a gym with a boxing ring.

Hands Up MMA, like the name says, isn't just about the sweet science, but owner Joseph Bailey (top photo) said with his lifelong love of boxing and Batavia's once rich tradition of boxing, it was important to him to bring boxing back to the city.

Bailey is a fan of boxing, but his passion is for mixed martial arts and he believes that is a sport that will only grow locally and throughout the state.

"Some people view that sport as gruesome and violent -- those who don't have a full understanding of the sport, but it's just as competitive as rugby would be, or hockey or lacrosse," Bailey said.

The gym, which officially opened today in the Harvester Center, provides a well-rounded workout with bags, ropes, tires, climbing walls, for anybody interested in combat sports.

Several young fighters found the gym while Bailey was still building it and started working out with him. At least four of them are planning to compete for the first time in a MMA tournament in Rochester on Sept. 29.

"We offer training in kickboxing, jiu jitsu, wrestling, boxing and we try to incorporate it all together," Bailey said. "We'll also offer self-defense training and a course on knife and gun disarming that will be taught by a Green Beret."

The gym is already drawing a diverse group of people.

William Sutton is a Purple Heart-decorated Army veteran who honed his fighting skills by training to become an Army instructor in hand-to-hand combat.

During a tour of duty in Korea, he found boxing and MMA were big with the troops there. He was 13-0 as a boxer and 2-0 in MMA.

"Growing up in Batavia, it wasn't like it is nowadays," Sutton said. "Growing up in Batavia, a lot of times we would fight before school. We would fight after school. Fighting was a big part of Batavia. It's a tough town to grow up in. I've been fighting my whole life and I just continued that in the Army."

Sutton was wounded in Afghanistan and is now retired from military service. The injury and his commitment to the Veterans Administration prevents him from ever again fighting competitively and he's limited by military obligations in what he can teach, but working out in a gym of fighters appeals to him.

"Everybody who comes to an MMA gym seems to be just more humble," Sutton said. "People that go to a regular gym, you know, walk around trying to impress each other. At an MMA gym, all that BS is just put aside because we can put on the gloves and go in the ring. Put your hands up. Talking and stuff don't go here."

All his experience and success, though, puts Sutton in a position to help young fighters and he said he's always happy to train with them and answer questions and offer pointers to those willing to listen.

Bailey really hopes Hands Up becomes a vehicle for promoting boxing in Batavia. He plans to hold regular tournaments involving gym members that will be open to the public.

"Boxing used to have a big history in the City of Batavia," Bailey said. "The community is unaware of that and what I would like to do is get members of the gym to spare and promote boxing and hopefully get some viewers in to watch tournaments."

As we spoke, an older gentleman walked past the front windows and you could see his eyes light up as he looked inside.

There was little doubt, he was a boxer.

The first thing Robert Janes (top inset photo) did when he walked in was hit the speed bag. Later, he would say it was the first time in 13 years he punched a speed bag.

A native of Palm Springs, Calif., Janes was involved in Golden Gloves in the early 1970s.

Now living in Stafford and working pouring concrete, Janes was clearly thrilled to be in a boxing gym again and he said he can't wait to start working out there.

"I just want to stay healthy," Janes said. "I want to keep my head right. Any time I was ever in the gym, any time I was ever involved in any kind of organized boxing, I was good. Once I walked way from that, I was in big trouble. Now I'm 60 years old. I want to come back to it. I want to bring my granddaughter and my grandson into it."

NOTE: I want to do a story about the boxing in Batavia in the 20th Century. I have a copy of a book by Butch Zito, but I would like to find old pictures and other memorabilia. Few, if any, of the former boxers are still alive, but perhaps sons and daughters have memories about their boxing relatives to share. Write to me at howard@thebatavian.com.

William Sutton

Tim McCullough, from Batavia, and Sutton.

Also pictured in the slide show training is Josh McCarthy of Batavia (wearing yellow).

Wind and rain over the past few weeks are making muck farmers a little edgy about their onion crop for this season.

They know now they won't have a bumper crop, especially from fields planted with seed rather than transplants, but what happens with the weather over the next four weeks will be critical.

Following two-and-a-half inches of rain last week, they need some dry whether, but another inch of rain is forecast for tomorrow (Thursday).

"It would be nice if it were 80 degrees, sunny and a little bit of breeze," said Paul Mortellaro of G. Mortellaro & Sons.

On a tour of the muck today, Mortellaro pointed out the fields planted with transplants look pretty healthy. They're less susceptible to rain and the bigger plants are better equipped to respirate (pump off the water from the ground).

Fields planted with seedlings have been thinned out by wind -- wind can shear off an onion top -- or have been too saturated by water and there's been some die-off.

The right time for some rain would be when the onions start to bulb, which is three our four weeks from now.

"What determines the size of the onion is its size when it starts to bulb," Mortellaro said. "We need some good rain during that time."

Even with the slow start, the muckers could get perfect whether the rest of the season and enjoy a good harvest.

"Three or for weeks from now, this all could be forgotten," Mortellaro said.

"He's right," said Maureen Torrey of Torrey Farms. "We have a long way to go before our crops are made."

Beyond that, Torrey was hesitant to comment because she didn't want to jinx anything.

Christian Yunker at CY Farms said early indications are yields will be down this year, but how much depends on what happens with the weather the rest of the growing season.

Right now, he said, a lot of onions have "wet feet," and that inhibits their growth. Like other farmers of the muck, he's hoping tomorrow's storm doesn't do too much damage and then we get some dry weather.

"It's pretty early to tell, but we've taken a little bit of a hit," Yunker said. "They're not off to a great start, but it's too early to say your yield will be down to X."

Photo: A seeded muck field. The dead-looking plants in between the green rows of onions is barley, planted along side the onion seeds to act as a wind break. Once the onions reach a certain stage of grow, the barley is killed off.

When we e-mailed a series of questions to Steve Hyde seeking more details on the process by which tax subsidies were approved for COR Development to redevelop a portion of Batavia Towne Center, we also e-mailed five questions to Mary Pat Hancock, chairwoman of the Genesee County Legislature.

Under state law, in order for state sales tax abatements to be awarded to a retail development project, a finding must be made that meets a specified requirement. The finding must be made by the Genesee County Economic Development Center Board and confirmed by the chief executive -- in this case, Hancock -- of the government agency overseeing the IDA. 

For the COR project, the GCEDC board passed a resolution finding that the proposed retail project would provide goods and services not readily available to Genesee County residents.  The only confirmed tenant for the space at the time was -- and still is -- Dick's Sporting Goods.

Hancock said she was not available to respond within the deadline set by The Batavian. We received her answer today. Below are the questions we e-mailed and her e-mailed response.

Questons:

1. Did you conduct any independent research to substantiate the board's decision?

2. At the time you wrote the letter, what did you know about the proposed tenants for the retail space? Were the names of all the businesses communicated to you, and if so, was it your understanding that contracts had been signed or whether these businesses were just proposals?

3. On what factual basis did you base your decision to confirm the finding? What is it about the proposed businesses that caused you to reach the conclusion that they would provide goods and services not readily available in Genesee County?

4. What do you say to a comment such as Mike Barrett's, that tax incentives for retail are like "using your own tax money to put yourself out of business"?

5. Should the existing businesses in Genesee County that must now compete against subsidized national chains receive any tax breaks or other mitigation to level the playing field for them?

Hancock's Response:

Dear Howard;

I do appreciate your forthright and direct manner. It is refreshing. Howard, I am going to frame my reply by indicating how I proceeded to educate myself regarding the proposed project. I hope it covers the intent of your request.

The Legislature does appoint the GCEDC Board. We believe they are a group of outstanding citizens with very strong business sense…as demonstrated by their own careers. They are also committed to the economic health of our community, or they wouldn’t be spending hours of their valuable time volunteering on the GCEDC Board.  Because they have a strong business sense, they also have a very strong respect for the law and carefully follow the latest and most accurate legislature and regulations guiding IDAs. I attended the meeting where they discussed the issue thoroughly. At a subsequent meeting they voted in favor of proceeding with the project.

The Legislature has an attorney. It would be foolhardy for me to sign an official letter without checking the legality of the document with our attorney. He is a careful attorney and checks out his information on many levels. He researched the law and provided me with a copy of the statute as recently amended. He also gave me his written opinion as to the requirements of the law and its application to this project. I was assured that we were acting within our legal rights.

The Genesee Economic Development Council (sic) was required to hold a public hearing and make specific findings of fact before awarding incentives, and did so on this matter.   I did attend the hearing and heard a positive presentation and only six persons spoke against the development.

Howard, I remember how that area looked before the development. It was sad. The lack of development in that area did not result in a healthy Batavia downtown. It looks, and is, more vibrant now, not only in that Town of Batavia area, but downtown as well. We hope to keep it that way…and better. I am most hopeful and confident that each step we take to attract new and suitable businesses to our area…will benefit all of us. Howard, I know you and I share the same desire for a successful, livable, and economically healthy community. We may not agree on everything, but our goals are surely the same.

A second person has been accused of illegally growing marijuana in Le Roy following a raid Friday of a residence on East Main Street, across from Wolcott School.

Charged with unlawful growing of cannabis, a Class A misdemeanor, is 33-year-old Michael J. Penvose.

Penvose was in the news in April after he was accused of stealing a thermometer from Le Roy's Dollar General store. Penvose told officers he stole the thermometer because he had a sick infant daughter. A Le Roy police officer purchased the thermometer for Penvose.

Members of the the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force, assisted by Le Roy PD and Sheriff's deputies, executed a search warrant on the Penvose residence and because of the uncertainty of what might occur during a law enforcement raid, officials asked that students at Wolcott "shelter in place."

Penvose was also cited for alleged unlawful possession of marijuana and issued an appearance ticket on both charges.

Sara Schimley, 23, was home at the time of the raid and also charged with unlawful growing of cannabis, a Class A misdemeanor, and unlawful possession of marijuana.

A tractor-trailer fire is reported on the Thruway near mile marker 381 in the westbound lane.

At least one caller has reported the fire. It's not known what cargo the truck may be carrying.

Le Roy Fire Department is responding.

Mile marker 381 is just west of the West Bergen Road overpass.

UPDATE 5:09 p.m.: A chief on scene reports there is no fire. The truck driver is having mechanical trouble.

Local runners today carried the Special Olympics torch into Batavia down Route 98 from Elba.

First grade students from throughout Genesee County made a field trip today to Post Farms in Elba for the Farm Bureau's annual "Dairy Days" educational event.

The 645 students were able to meet cows, calves, goats and meats, sample honey, dairy products, play in different soils -- and with worms.

Dozens of parents along with teachers -- 125 adults total -- also participated in Dairy Days, which each June for Dairy Month.

Jeff Post said it's important to help children learn about where their food comes from.

If you don't educate children about farming early and often they just grow up not knowing and not caring about where their food comes from and that doesn’t coincide with what we’re trying to do on a daily basis," Post said. "We’re trying to create friends of agriculture and not people who don’t know why they need to follow a tractor slowly down the road on their way to work or why it might smell like manure outside."

To purchase prints of these photos, click here.

Abigail Engel is looking for help locating her lost 4-year-old cat. The feline has been missing for several days now.

He usually just stays inside her Darien home and has never been outside for 24 hours before.

The cat belongs to Abby's brother, who is presently stationed in Japan.

Anybody with information can call (585) 813-5508.

 

 

 

The Bank of Castile celebrated 20 years in Batavia this afternoon with a community gathering at its East Main Street branch and by presenting a gift backpack with a $500 donation in it to the backpack program of United Way.

Above, Erik Fix with United Way of Genesee County accepts the basket from Diane Torcello, branch manager, and Jim Fulmer, president and CEO of the Bank of Castile.

Castile branches traditionally celebrate their anniversaries with gifts to the community, bank officials said.

Branch employees picked the backpack program for the 20th anniversary gift.

"At the Bank of Castile, we have always been a strong believer in the good that United Way does in our community," Torcello said. "We are proud to support the program with a contribution."

A former Oakfield resident admitted in County Court today that prior to his sentencing on burglary charges in March 2012, he violated his release under supervision agreement and fled the area.

Benjamin W. Muntz, 24, is currently in state prison on a burglary conviction, but the pre-sentence report done previously for his grand larceny conviction is now out of date and must be redone.

There also needs to be a new report done on his conviction for bail jumping prior to sentencing.

Sentencing on both charges was set for Sept. 4.

Muntz is currently serving three and half to seven years on his burglary, 3rd, conviction. He faces another three-plus years for burglary, which could be served either concurrently or consecutively, depending on Noonan's decision in the fall.

The sentence on the bail jumping charge, which could be from one and half to three years, must be served consecutive to any other sentence, according to state law.

Muntz was returned to Genesee County after serving a brief jail sentence in Arkansas and he is wanted in Georgia.

Rick Mancuso, left, was honored Saturday as the 2013 Genesee County Distinguished Citizen by the Iroquois Trail Council, Boy Scouts of America. He's pictured with BSA Council President Dr. Thomas Madejski

The award recognizes a local resident who has significantly advanced the cause of the greater good and has made this a better community by:

• taking an active leadership role in activities that promote positive youth development;
• promoting the cause of a healthy business community;
• having involvement and leadership in service organizations or other community-wide endeavors;
• supporting charitable endeavors that seek to improve the quality of life for our local community;
• providing a positive role model for life and business that our Scouts and other young people should aspire to emulate.

The honorees are selected by a group of community peers in each county, including several former honorees along with input from our Chairman Roger Triftshauser.

Keynote Speaker for the event was Congressman Chris Collins. An Eagle Scout, Collins spoke about his experiences as a youth and adult Scouting leader. He has taken the values of Scouting to the halls of Congress, where he displays a Scouting flag outside his Capitol Hill office. His congressional coin displays the Boy Scout motto ‘Be Prepared’ and the Cub Scout motto ‘Do Your Best’.

Other honorees included Dan Wilson (Lockport), Jim Miles (Lyndonville), Larry Rogers (Pike), and Matt Cole (Livonia).

Photos by Kevin Carlson of Carlson's Studio. Information provided by Jim McMullen.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) joined a bipartisan push to restore funding to programs and services for the developmentally disabled. Hawley voted against the cuts in this year’s budget and supported a budget amendment to prevent the reduction from ever occurring. As a cosponsor of bipartisan legislation to restore the funding, Hawley indicated that the issue transcended party politics.

“One of our greatest obligations as New Yorkers is to support and care for our vulnerable citizens,” Hawley said. “The organizations in our community that support the developmentally disabled are led by selfless individuals who give of themselves to provide world-class care.

"As someone who has opposed these cuts since the very beginning, it breaks my heart that these programs were ever in jeopardy. However, it is great news that we are able to come together across party lines and attempt to right this wrong in a bipartisan fashion. I will continue to advocate for the programs and services that developmentally disabled New Yorkers and their families rely on.”

Here's the most viewed posts for May:

• Police looking for public's help in finding boy allegedly slammed to floor of Walmart by adult male
• Suspect accused of slamming son to the floor of Walmart tells judge, 'I was in the wrong'
• Terry Platt says he's done investing in Genesee County after city denies rooming house application
• Le Roy PD reports home invasion sexual assault
• Council to consider law to license landlords, institute fines for nuisance tenants
• Photo: Tim McGraw stops in at Next Level Fitness for workout
• The future of a Wegmans in Batavia hinges on the success of STAMP in Alabama
• Photo: Big Pauly's open for business
• Old Glory flown over Main Street to honor young Marine laid to rest this morning, by Billie Owens
• Video: Buffalo TV station airs lengthy piece on salary paid to GCEDC CEO Steve Hyde

Speaking of Muller Quaker Dairy, it was The Batavian the first news source to tell you that "Project Wave" was going to be a yogurt plant built by PepsiCo and a German company.

Over the years, we've brought you in-depth coverage that you rarely get anywhere else about Genesee County:

• An investigation into the finances of Pontillo's,
• More continuing coverage of controversy in Corfu,
• No other news agency has given you more facts about the tax breaks for COR Development than The Batavian,
• We've provided comprehensive coverage on the attempt to save and the eventual demolition of the Wiss Hotel,
• We provided region-leading coverage on bath salts last summer,
• We also broke the story about Jacquetta Simmons at Walmart on Christmas Eve 2011,
• And more recently The Batavian provided the first coverage about a man accused of slamming his son to the floor at Walmart.

Consistly for more than five years, The Batavian has brought you more breaking news coverage and more in-depth coverage than any other local news source.

And we want to keep it going, which is one reason we need you to join The Batavian Club.

Right now, we're offering a free 8x12 canvas print of a Genesee County photography by Howard Owens to new members. See the slide show below for available choices.

Don't forget: Club members get gift certificates from local businesses worth more than $320.

The prints will be made by Vinylsticks, a Batavia business that creates all manner of signs, prints, decals and stickers. 

Use the PayPal buttons below. After you complete your order, please e-mail howard@thebatavian.com with name of the picture you want (mouse over the photo in the slide show to see the name).

Or, you can phone in your credit card number and details to (585) 250-4118 during normal business hours, Monday thru Thursday.

To join by mail and pay by check or credit card, download this form and mail it to us. Be sure to specify on the form which picture you want. Titles are in the upper left.

To learn about the club, visit the club's new Web site.

Annual membership, no recurring payment, $60
(Use this button if you want to make a one-time payment through PayPal. You will be asked to renew again in a year.)
 

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A man whose DNA profile was indicted on alleged burglary charges appeared in County Court today presumably to plead guilty, but the District Attorney's Office asked for an adjournment because of a new investigation into another alleged crime.

Assistant District Attorney Will Zickl said his office had offered Samuel G. Malone, 27, of 36 Walnut St., Batavia, a chance to plea guilty to burglary, 3rd, and attempted burglary, 3rd. But with potentially new evidence of another alleged crime, he said District Attorney Lawrence Friedman wanted to make sure what all of the potential charges were before finalizing a plea arrangement.

Molone, who is out of jail under supervision, is scheduled back in court at 10:15 a.m., June 18.

A DNA profile that was later matched with Malone was indicted by a grand jury in December on counts of two counts of burglary, 3rd, and one count of attempted burglary, 2nd.

A few days after his arrest in April, he was charged with another count of burglary 3rd.

The plea arrangement contemplated by the attorneys is for Malone to plead guilty to two counts and serve a period on probation before Noonan would decide on a possible prison sentence.

Should police be able to collect DNA samples without a warrant?

Reason Mag: Supreme Court Allows Police to Collect DNA Samples from Arrestees

Throughout the 90-minute opening ceremony for the new Muller Quaker Dairy Plant in the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, Steve Hyde sat in the second row and smiled.

Not one speaker -- and there were five of them -- mentioned Hyde by name. There was no official recognition of his work to bring this day about.

Still, he smiled.

You couldn't help but think of a proud father watching his son or daughter graduate.

Asked how he felt afterward, Hyde, as he usually does when posed such questions, demurred and praised others.

"It’s a great day for everybody in the community," Hyde said. "This was a dream of mine and a lot of other partners. It’s 10 years in the making and this is just phase one."

Hyde has his critics. Genesee County Economic Development Center, the organization he runs, has its skeptics. But the Muller Quaker plant is a big deal, especially for a county of only 57,000 people that hasn't had a big factory opening in more than five decades.

PepsiCo and Theo Muller Group invested $200 million in the facility and that dollar figure doesn't count product development, designs for new trade-secret machinery to create the Greek-style yogurt, new software to run the plant and the planning that goes into bringing a new product to market.

Ken Adams, president of Empire State Development, indicated he was a little bit awed by the idea of a global powerhouse like Pepsi and a German-based company like Theo Muller coming to Upstate New York.

"Having PepsiCo here, having Muller here, is like a global seal of approval for this park and its infrastructure," Adams said.

And he gives a lot of the credit for making it happen to Hyde.

"Steve Hyde as far as I’m concerned, he really put the agri-business park, this particular location, on the map at a statewide level," Adams said. "Steve is always in Albany working very closely with the legislators from the area, senate and assembly, working very close with the governor’s office.

"I’ve told this to him, so I'll say it to you," Adams added, "Steve Hyde is a forceful, well respected advocate for investment and economic development here in Batavia. He really put the site on the map and then he also pulls everybody together at the local and state level to make sure a project like this actually goes smoothly. That’s important for the company, for the investors, that there are no hiccups along the way."

A critical factor with Muller Quaker -- called Project Wave during the planning process -- was the speed at which all of the necessary permits could be secured. A lot of credit goes to Town of Batavia and Genesee County officials, but the GCEDC staff laid the ground work to have a shovel-ready site and push the paperwork through the process.

In his speech today, Theo Muller praised the local authorities who got approval for the plant so quickly.

"It would be unimaginable in Germany," he said with a wink. "In Germany that would have taken at the very least three years. You have to send a whole case of yogurt to them over there to get anything done."

Sen. Charles Schummer called the ag park a great idea of local leaders and said when GCEDC came to him for help, he was happy to jump in and secure federal grants for infrastructure.

"There is no better way to strengthen our dairy industry and create jobs than to build a park like this, which has helped attract this great company," Schumer said.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley, who helped with the state legislative process on the project, noted that in any big project like this, stretching, as it does, across the boundaries of local, state and federal responsibilities, there are a lot of people who deserve credit for bringing it together, but Hyde certainly provided critical leadership.

"This is a big deal," Hawley said. "It's one of the largest plants in the country. We need jobs. I hear about it every day from constituents."

It takes a lot of work, Hawley said, to untangle the regulations that can hold up a business and a lot of people had a hand in bringing it together.

"A lot of the credit goes to Steve, but it's a team effort," Hawley said.

Danny Wegman, CEO of Wegmans and president of the Finger Lakes Economic Development Council, is also a Steve Hyde fan. He believes Hyde will pull off the gargantuan task of developing WNY STAMP, the proposed 1,200-acre, high-tech manufacturing park in Alabama that could employ 9,300 people some day.

It's an audacious project, but Wegman said when there are people passionate about projects, they can make things happen.

"Steve is very excited about this," Wegman said last week during the governor's visit to Genesee Community College. "There are a lot of confidential things that can't be shared, but I feel confident that if somebody I believe in is excited about it, the chances of it happening are pretty good."

The success of the ag park only enhances the chance's of success with STAMP, Adams said.

"We’re very hopeful," Adams said. "It’s a globally competitive industry. The opportunity is at STAMP. It’s a great site. It’s much bigger than this site, the agri-business park, but Steve has done a good job at lining up all of the vital ingredients for that site -- power, water, obviously the land, permitting, all the things you need to really be shovel-ready when the right business comes along. He’s the chief marketer. He’s going to Albany tomorrow. He’s on it and he works very closely my colleagues at ESD on marketing STAMP, so we have our fingers crossed."

Hyde said it's all about building on the natural assets of Batavia and Genesee County and showing that can be done with the ag park will translate into confidence for other projects, such as STAMP.

"It helps build credibility in the eyes of some of the folks in the leadership roles in the state that we know how to do this here at the local level," Hyde said. "This (agriculture) is an industry where the regional assets were in great demand and we could make an impact, and when you look at the regional assets in the nano stuff in our region we’ve got the same situation developing."