Tom Rivers, editor of the online-only site to the north of us, Orleans Hub, was in Batavia today for Dan Kennedy's appearance at Present Tense Books.
Kennedy is author of "The Wired City," a book about the future of journalism that includes a section about the news business in Batavia.
Rivers spoke with Kennedy and shares some of the things he learned.
Press release:
Fisher Sports has decided to close its doors. We have thought about the situation and have had many discussions over the last month and we feel with being a new business we just haven’t had enough time to build our business to where we could withstand a hit like the one the GCEDC gave us paying Dick's to come to town.
We would have liked to stay open through the end of the year but with my son Jonathan’s football season at Syracuse starting next month I will be doing a lot of traveling and thought this is as good a time as any to start the closing process. We are having a 50-percent off everything in the store sale to reduce our inventory so please come in and take advantage of the savings.
The following arrests were made during the Brad Paisley concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Friday.
For photos of the show, click here.
Travis J. Sheldraky, 19, Burke Road, Dunville, Ontario Canada, is charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly causing a disturbance by pushing a security guard. Sheldraky was arraigned and jailed on $250 bail.
Anna K. Rauber, 18, County Route 46, Dansville, charged with criminal trespass, 3rd, after allegedly being ejected from the concert venue and then being found within the venue after being told she could not reenter.
Ashley L. Shields, 24, Main Road, Akron, charged with harassment, 2nd, after allegedly striking another subject and throwing her into a vehicle fender.
Ian M. Emes, 20, Wayside Drive, Lewiston, charged with criminal trespass, 3rd, and possession of another person's license. After allegedly being ejected from the concert venue Emes was found within the venue after being told he could not reenter, and was found to have another person's NYS driver's license.
Kiersten M. Salanger, 20, Coventry Road, Syracuse, charged with possession of a fictitious license and possession of another person’s license after allegedly possessing a fake ID and another person's NYS driver's license.
Michael S. Rawdin, 18, Shimerville Road, Clarence, charged with possession of another person's license after allegedly being found in possession of another person's NYS driver's license.
Emily M. Simson, 20, Dorrance Avenue, Lackawana, charged with possession of another person's license after allegedly being found in possession, another person's NYS driver's license.
The following people were issued citations for allegedly consuming/possessing alcohol under age 21:
Michael W. Mctarnaghan, 18, Groveland Road, Geneseo
Gabrielle M. Kwaiatek, 17, Alleghany Road, Darien
David S. Phillips, 17, County Road 37, Bloomsfield
Kyle P. Juda, 20, Stevenson Court, North Tonawanda
Alexandra B. Hubert, 18, Amberwood Drive, Amherst
Lindsay R. Lippert, 17, Cornish Heights Parkway, Syracuse
Kerstyn L. Empey, 18, Ellsworth Place, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Zachary M. Tiepiechowiak, 18, Woodland Drive, West Seneca
Carmen J. O’Donnell, 18, Elmsford Drive, West Seneca
Katheryn M. Layer, 17, Candlewood Lane, Clarence Center
Blair E. Budzinski, 17, Clardon Drive, Williamsville
Magnum M. Kibler, 17, Randall Road, Le Roy
Hayden A. Lester, 18, Dickerson Street, Lyons
Elizabeth A. Daley, 16, Curtis Parkway, Buffalo
(name redacted upon request), 16, Casenovia Street, Buffalo
Jacob M. Zimmerman, 18, Stony Point Road, Grand Island
Christopher J. Spoto, 18, Falcon Crest Drive, Rochester
Adam B. Kalivoda, 19, West 28th Street, Erie, Pa.
Ryan C. Farrell, 18, Payne Avenue, North Tonawanda
Nicholas H. Bluff, 17, Woodland Drive, Tonawanda
Chelsea R. Masich, 17, Highland Avenue, Buffalo
Nicholas M. Troup, 20, Route 31, West Holley
Philip J. Sipp, 19, Gary Drive, Brockport
James P. Fallon III, 19, Trefoil Lane, Brockport
William F. Maddison, 18, Michael Drive, Welland, Ontario, Canada
Chad A. Moccia, 19, Thorold Road, Welland, Ontario, Canada
Stacey L. Roegner, 18, Lawton Road, Hilton
Kevin J. Spitzer, 20, Foxwood Lane, Williamsville
Nicholas R. Novak, 17, Derby Road, Derby
Kailey S. Maronski, 20, Queens Lane, Hamburg
Danielle L. Aragon, 17, Hart Place, Orchard Park
Larissa M. Weis, 19, Treehaven Road, West Seneca
Rachel M. Spencer, 17, Hardwood Road, West Seneca
Kevin J. Adgate, 17, Treehaven Road, West Seneca
Maggie E. Hale, 18, Oatka Road, Warsaw
Thomas D. Elling III, 18, Thorncliff Road, Kenmore
Michael A. Prentice, 18, Lisa Ann Lane, West Seneca
Tyler M. McTique, 18, Hilltop Courts, West Seneca
Daniel U. Danovskis, 19, Molnar Drive, West Seneca
Eric S. Lipa, 17, Heather Drive, Lockport
Samantha J. Welling, 20, Florida Avenue, Rochester
Courtney S. Coots, 19, East William Street, Bath
Arielle M. Tomb, 19, Howell Street, Bath
Andrea N. Aldrich, 20, Crittenden Road, Alden
Michael J. Cipolla, 18, Water Street, Perry
Bryan M. Geise, 18, Ridge Road, Lockport
Corbin H. Grassman, 18, Timber Creek Court, West Alexandria, Ohio
Brandon M. Hasfurter, 19, Theresa Court, West Seneca
Kathleen Mazur, 19, Keller Road, Clarence
Alissa N. Macpeek, 20, Lincoln Avenue Ext., Lockport
Andrew R. Reinwald, 20, Clymer-Sherman Road, Clymer
Jordin M. Bernard, 18, Parkside Road, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Gina M. Ross-Detro, 18, Spring Street, Geneva
(name redacted upon request), 20, King Anthony Way, Getzville
Joshua J. Coffey, 20, Woodcrest Drive, Amherst
Brian W. Hayes, 20, Cayuga Street, Clyde
Christopher S. Briggs, 19, Nelson Road, Cassadaga
Gregory A. Snyder, 17, Barnum Road, Cassadaga
Derek J. Wise, 19, High Street, Cassadaga
Collin J. Ruge, 20, Nelson Road, Cassadaga
Jacob W. Kwoka, 19, Corinthia Street, Lockport
Laura C. Tait, 19, Carnegie Drive, Vestal
Ryan D. Dombrowski, 20, South Protection Road, Holland
Cody M. Slattery, 20, Olean Road, South Wales
Allie J. Whitehouse, 18, Maple Avenue, Wellsville
Alana M. Becker, 17, Whitestone Lane, Lancaster
The concert season at Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center continued Friday with country superstar Brad Paisley headlinging another one of his annual shows locally, with opening acts Lee Brice and Chris Young.
Brad Paisley.
Lee Brice.
Guitarist Travis Bettis with Lee Brice.
Chris Young.
Chris Young's bass player, Shane Chilton.
Tomorrow at 11 a.m., Dan Kennedy, author of "The Wired City," a book about the changes in journalism in the Digital Age, will be at Present Tense on Washington Avenue, Batavia.
Batavia's little corner of the media world is featured in the book and Kennedy will read a portion of the book and talk about what he's observed about media in Batavia.
Here's an interview from this morning on WBTA's Main and Center (mp3).
NOTE: I can't be there at 11 a.m. because I need to be at the Oatka Festival Parade, but I plan on stopping in the store about 12:15 p.m. or so.
Ten homes in Genesee County will be on this year's annual garden tour sponsored by the Landmark Society, among them for the first time, the home of Jason and Anna Molino on Vernon Street, Batavia.
The Molino's have been slowly improving on the yard since moving into the home a few years ago and Jason said after going on the tour last year, the he thought he and Anna should show off what they've been doing.
The city manager comes from a gardening background, he said. His mother was a gardener. Jason's father immigrated from Italy to Canada with his father, and Jason's grandfather had a landscaping business in Montreal.
The front of the house features one of Jason's favorite plants, hostas, and Anna adds pots and baskets.
"The perennials around the house are low maintenance and give some color," Jason said. "Anna does a lot of the flower baskets and flower pots with annuals so we have color in the front to add just a little bit of spunk to the house."
In the back yard is a garden plot with garlic, potatoes, peppers and cucumbers and dill for canning, as well as some perennial flowers being staged and matured in the plot for eventual transplanting to elsewhere in the yard.
The garden tour is Sunday and starts at noon. After it's over at 4 p.m., there will be a dessert reception at St. James Episcopal Church followed by a talk by landscape designer Tim Richley, of Darien, on “Underused Plants for Western New York.”
The cost is $20. If you don't have a ticket yet, you can get them starting at 11 a.m. at St. James. There will also be door prizes. All proceeds benefit the church's restoration project.
In the top photo are Jason and Anna and their children Sophia, a camera-shy Stella, and baby Charley (held by Jason).
Among the other nine homes on the tour, Jennifer and Richard Dunn's place on State Street, Batavia, above, and below, the garden of Georgia Childs and Paul Freeman on Vine Street, Batavia.
As soon as the early season corn that was planted this spring is picked in a couple of weeks, Peter Zeliff will be ready to begin construction of his planned 76-unit housing development off East Main Street Road and Seven Springs Road in the Town of Batavia.
Zeliff has acquired title to the property, according to his agent Tony Mancuso, and with one more final approval, expected Tuesday at the town's planning board meeting, the path will be clear for Zeliff to start grading the farmland.
Just as soon as that corn is harvested.
Thursday night, the county planning board recommended approval of the final approval of the 109 acre subdivision, which will be known as Oakwood Estates.
The project will include 44 townhomes (the maroon area in the photo above) and 33 single family homes.
It's the first major subdivision in Genesee County in a number of years and will be located near the fast-growing Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park.
Mancuso said the first house should be ready for occupancy next spring.
A $5,000 donation from Kid Rock is listed on the Web page set up at giveforward.com to raise funds for Jason McNeil, the former WNY resident who is in a coma after apparently being punched by another patron at the performer's concert at Darien Lake on July 6.
McNeil is still in a coma but making progress according to a Facebook page set up to keep people apprised of his condition.
The donation page says that so far 290 donations have been made totaling more than $30,000 with a goal of raising $20,000 more over the next 29 days.
The 43-year-old Alabama resident is originally from Alden, but reportedly is very involved in his community in Tuscaloosa and has lots of friends and supporters there. He is involved in several charities in the community and is a member of Kiwanis.
He's been in a coma since being taken by Mercy Flight to ECMC after allegedly being punched in the face by Craig Malcolm Lawson, 34, of Talbot Street, Courtland, Ontario, Canada.
Lawson is charged with assault, 3rd, a misdemeanor, and is out of jail on $1,000 bail.
While the Sheriff's Office is continuing its investigation, District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said his office will review the evidence as the case develops. It's possible Lawson could face a felony charge if there is sufficient evidence to sustain such a charge.
An upgraded assault charge would be assault in the second degree. In order to prove that charge, the prosecution would need to show that the defendant intended to cause serious injury.
Previously: Alleged assault case at Kid Rock concert grows more complicated with news of serious injuries
Press release:
Alpina Foods has confirmed its intent to purchase 10 acres of land adjacent its brand-new plant in the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park. The acquisition doubles the company’s footprint, and comes only nine months after the grand opening of its 40,000-square-foot, $20-million facility that specializes in Greek yogurt production.
Alpina selected the site to build its first-ever North American manufacturing facility in 2011, after researching locations throughout the country. Company leaders felt the highly skilled Western New York workforce, thriving local dairy industry, and convenient access to major U.S. markets made Batavia an optimal location. The site is Alpina’s 10th global manufacturing facility, following locations in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
“This purchase reinforces our commitment to Batavia,” said Gustavo Badino, general manager of Alpina Foods. “We intend to expand here, and maintain this operation as our primary U.S. manufacturing location.”
The company already employs 55 at the plant, exceeding the goal of 50 the company committed to hiring by 2014, and expects to bring in additional team members in the coming months as production continues to increase.
Alpina will lay out its plans for the land over the next 24 months. Company leaders have worked closely with the Genesee County Economic Development Center, as well as the State’s Excelsior Jobs Program and numerous other state and regional economic development organizations in establishing – and expanding – its presence in New York State.
Alpina Foods is committed to its presence in Batavia, and works with many community organizations to make a positive impact on the region. Through the company’s philosophy of “collective prosperity,” Alpina strives to deliver success beyond its business dealings and constantly improve the community in which it operates.
“We are committed to our success in Batavia and the U.S.,” Badino said. “It is our corporate practice to grow with our surroundings, hand-in-hand with our neighbors.”
Former Batavia PD lieutenant Eugene Jankwoski sent over this video from his participation in May in the 2013 New York State International Defensive Pistol Championship. Jankowski won the stock service pistol division, high law enforcement, high senior and overall match. The event was held at Pine City Sportsmen’s Club, near Pine City, and involved 104 competitors.
Jankowski's explanation of the event:
One hundred and four competitors shot 12 challenging stages of fire over three days. Jankowski is sponsored by Metal Spinning Targets, CMC Triggers, Wolf Gun Springs and Tactical Command Industries. IDPA is the use of practical equipment including full-charge service ammunition to solve simulated “real world” self-defense scenarios using practical handguns and holsters that are suitable for self-defense use. The main goal is to test the skill and ability of an individual. Competitors are required to wear a cover garment to simulate concealed carry and Stock Service Pistol firearms must conform closely to factory specifications.
CORRECTION: I misread the press release on name redacted and name redacted and listed charges that were not correct. I apologize profusely to the suspects and their families.
UPDATE: Because of our prior mistake, we offered to remove the names of the first two individuals once this post was no longer on the home page.
name redacted, 18, of Peachy Road, Bergen, is charged with possession of alcohol under age 21. Sabb was arrested at 8:06 p.m. Thursday while at a reported party at an address on Byron Holley Road, Byron. name redacted allegedly possessed 24 beers.
name redacted, 18, of Swamp Road, Byron, is charged possession of alcohol under age 21. Maskell was arrested at 8:06 p.m. Thursday while at a reported party at an address on Byron Holley Road, Byron. name redacted allegedly possessed 18 beers.
Glenn H. Wright Jr., 43, an inmate of the Genesee County Jail, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Wright allegedly placed a phone call to a person he was barred from contacting by court order.
Sean Douglas Lacy, 26, of West Bergen Road, Bergen, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Lacy was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during an investigation into a loud music complaint made at 11:55 p.m. Thursday on West Main Road, Byron.
Genesee County Economic Development Center -- through its financing arm, Genesee Gateway LDC -- is committing $500,000 to redevelopment projects in the City of Batavia as well as the business districts of Genesee County's towns and villages.
The money to start the new revolving loan fund is seeded from revenue generated for the LDC by the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, which in the last year has seen two companies construct yogurt plants there.
"Fortunately, some of the risks we've taken and some of our strategies we've taken have created some capital," said GCEDC CEO Steve Hyde said during a joint meeting Thursday of the GCEDC and LDC boards of directors. "I'm now recommending to the local development board to say, 'let's take some of the strategic investment money from the success of the ag park and reinvest it to support the redevelopment activities and revitalization here in the city and the business centers in the towns and villages.'"
The board approved the proposal unanimously.
The vote followed presentations by Batavia Development Corp. Economic Development Coordinator Julie Pacatte and City Manager Jason Molino.
The city, which is largely built out and has some aging industrial and commercial buildings, has been developing a strategy to pursue redevelopment, adaptive reuse and in-fill development.
An example of redevelopment, Pacatte said, is the Masse Gateway project, which took old manufacturing buildings and turned them into office buildings.
Adaptive reuse would be the project now under way to convert the former Carr's warehouse in Jackson Square into retail, office and apartment space.
In-fill would be the kind of project that Pacatte said needs to take place with the Della Penna property on Ellicott Street where there's one building on the property now and another could be added to create more density and expand the range of uses for the property.
"These projects are very difficult to fund," Pacatte said, "the Carr's warehouse for example. It was a warehouse. It's becoming residential and commercial. The condition of the building today, he (the buyer) would never get a traditional mortgage to do anything with that site, so he needed to start with a lot of equity. He has to look for some other opportunities so he can cash flow the project before the the grants will come in on the back end to reimburse him."
The kind of loans available through the new Batavia Micropolitan Redevelopment Fund could have helped the Carr's Warehouse project.
The loans will need to meet a long list of requirements to be granted and can range from $25,000 to $100,000 at 80 percent of prime.
To qualify, a developer would need to have at least a 30-percent equity stake in the project or already have another traditional bank loan in place. Collateral is required and the developer must make a personal guarantee for repayment.
Legislator Marrianne Clattenburg -- who both while City Council president and as a legislator has been critical of the scant attention GCEDC has seemed to pay to redevelopment in the city -- was pleased with today's decision and was on hand to witness the vote.
"It meets what I'm looking for," Clattenburg said. "It's a start. It's a beginning and it's gratifying to see the culmination of what I believe is a partnership that's forming and a recognition that the county development agency should be into redevelopment while it's doing greenfield development. I'm gratified it's coming about and I look forward to much more in the future."
For more than a decade, at least, GCEDC has been focused on building shovel-ready parks to attract manufacturing and other industrial businesses. Its biggest success so far, with the opening of the Alpina and Muller Quaker yogurt plants, has been the ag park.
The LDC will administer the loan fund. GCEDC could become involved in projects where tax abatements are needed to assist the redevelopment effort, Hyde said.
Molino said it's really been a collaborative effort to develop the new program.
"Developing this over the past few months has been a good opportunity for everybody and hopefully there will be more opportunities where the city, the BDC and the EDC can partner and take advantage of some of the development that's happening throughout the county and really help redevelop and improve some parts of the city," Molino said.
Press release:
The newly formed Corfu Citizens Committee has scheduled its first organizational meeting for Tuesday, July 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Corfu Fire Department meeting room. This ad hoc committee will provide a forum for attendees to get involved in the community and express their concerns outside of the board meetings and public hearings.
Ray Williams, of Batavia, skates down Bank Street on freeline skates.
Before the gray hair, before the jobs, the mortgages, the children, they were the boys in the band.
At age 15 and 16, from about 1967 to 1969, Geno Ceccato, Greg Deck, Andrew Martorana, Jerry Keating, Bob Baker and Tim Martin (top photo, in that order) were known in Western New York as The Middle Class and later, after a change in sound and Tim leaving the band, Faith.
The boys stayed in touch and the families always heard the stories of those glory days, but the former bandmates had nothing from that pre-digital time that showed "this is what we did."
No long ago, Martorana decided maybe a reunion was in order so there could be a little more documentation that they once were a band.
"We realized we didn’t have any kind of legacy to leave our families," Martorana said. "They would hear these stories, but there were no recordings, no videos, just a couple of snapshots here and there."
All week The Middle Class/Faith have been rehearsing in space at the Harvester Center and tomorrow they will go in the studio to record a CD.
Martorana's wife has been making a video, interviewing band members and taking snapshots to include on a DVD of this week's "reunion tour."
None of this is for any commercial/public release. It's just a family thing, a living memento that these six men were once, in fact, a band.
While Jerry, Tim and Greg all carried on with musical pursuits after the band split in 1969, Martorana, who lives in Le Roy, put away his drums, stowed his sticks and pursued a career as an electrician. Before starting to practice for the reunion, he hadn't played drums in 43 years.
After he had been practicing a while, he posted a couple of videos on YouTube of him playing and sent the link to a couple of drummer friends.
"They said, 'oh, man, you've gotta keep playing after this,' " Martorana said. "I talked with my wife and she said I should keep playing. So I'm shopping for a band."
It was Greg, he said, who made the point that the music never dies.
"You may have to relearn it, but it's always in your soul."
Merchants are lining the streets in Downtown Batavia today for the first of three Thursday sidewalk sales sponsored by the Business Improvement District.
The other sidewalk sales are also on the second Thursday of the month -- in August (Aug. 8) and September (Sept. 12). Time is 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Above, Chris Merrian, Don Brown and Bryce Rogers with Charles Men's Shop, and below, John Roche, Adam Miller Toy & Bicycles.
Press release:
Batavia Downs Gaming will be closing at 10 p.m. on Monday, July 15 and reopen no later than 3 p.m. on the following day, Tuesday, July 16 to accommodate construction work.
Management is confident that the facility will reopen prior to 3 p.m. that day. Those wishing to find information on the reopening of the facility should check Batavia Downs’ Web site (bataviadownsgaming.com) as well as their social media pages on Facebook (facebook.com/bataviadowns) and Twitter (twitter.com/bataviadowns) for up to date information that day after 11 a.m.
The newly expanded gaming floor is scheduled to open on Aug. 30.
Steven Douglas Crandall, 50, of Driving Park, Rochester, is charged with petit larceny and trespass. Crandall allegedly stole an air conditioning unit at Walmart with a $479.08 value. Crandall is allegedly banned from all Walmart stores because of a prior shoplifting allegation. Crandall also had an warrant for his arrest out of Town of Batavia Court for a prior shoplifting charge at Kmart. Crandall was jailed on $500 bail.
Daryl R. Hamler, 19, of Wescott Road, Le Roy, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana, 4th, and speeding. Also charged with criminal possession of marijuana was Rebecca E. Cook, 19, of Caldwell Road, Groveland. Hamler and Cook were allegedly found in possession of more than two ounces of marijuana during a traffic stop by Deputy James Diehl at 12:02 a.m. on Route 19, Le Roy.
Andrew Alexander Halloran, 48, of Northwest 7 Street Road, Miami, Fla., is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, DWI, refusal to take breath test, speeding and failure to keep right. Halloran's vehicle was stopped at 11:43 p.m. Tuesday on Route 20, Darien, by Deputy Joseph Corona.
Cheryl L. Behm, 53, of Alden, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, moving from lane unsafely, failure to use designated lane and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Behm was stopped at 1:24 a.m. Wednesday on Main Road at Back Street in Pembroke by State Police.
Earl S. Lockhart, 20, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Lockhart is accused of stealing from Kmart.
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