Le Roy

Le Roy driver injures his back in Wyoming County collision, Canadian trucker cited for tailgating

By Billie Owens
Feb 26, 2020, 1:54pm

A Canadian trucker was cited in a three-vehicle crash Feb. 20 that caused a Le Roy truck driver to injure his back. The accident occurred on Route 63 in the Town of Covington, Wyoming County.

Richard Witzel, of Le Roy, was transported to Wyoming County Community Hospital for back pain following the collision involving a passenger vehicle and two tractor-trailers.

According to Deputy Sampson (first name not provided) of the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the accident scene and determined Kayla Allen, 34, of Warsaw, was waiting to turn onto Court Road when she was rear-ended.

Allen was waiting for a westbound tractor-trailer to pass in order to make her turn, when a second tractor-trailer, driven by Randeep Sidhu, of Ontario, Canada, failed to stop and rear-ended Allen's vehicle.

The collision cause Allen's car to be pushed forward and under the westbound tractor-trailer operated by Witzel. The impact caused Witzel's axles to break off of his trailer.

Allen's vehicle was demolished and she was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester for chest injuries.

All three vehicles had to be towed from the scene due to extensive damage.

Sidhu was charged with following too closely. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Covington Town Court at a later date.

Assisting Wyoming County Sheriff's deputies at the scene were the NYS Police, Pavilion Fire Department, Medic 80, BLS1, Karson's Garage, Stella's Towing, and T and R Collision.

Le Roy picks up three sectional tiles in track and field

By Howard B. Owens
Feb 23, 2020, 6:03pm

Le Roy's indoor track and field team came home with three Section V Class C titles this weekend.

Above, Aiden Harrington wins the 600-meter title with a time of 1:27.93.

The boys won the 4x400 relay title. The team is comprised of Brian Roblee, James Blake, Chase Bordonaro, Aidan Harrington.

The girls' team also won the 4X400 relay championship. The relay team is: Ashley Totten, Ellie Dambra, Riley Wood, and Mia Hampton

The boys and girls teams both came in second place.

Photos and info submitted by Tim McArdle.

Trio of local students named to dean's list at SUNY Morrisville for fall 2019

By Billie Owens
Feb 21, 2020, 1:35pm

SUNY Morrisville recently announced those students who were named to the dean's list for the fall 2019 semester. To be named to the dean's list, a student must achieve an average of 3.0 to 3.99 for the semester and complete 12 credit hours.

Shelby Brandes, of Stafford

Jack Doemling, of Le Roy

Emily Mikel, of Stafford

SUNY Morrisville's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.

The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2019 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2019 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about SUNY Morrisville, visit or connect with us at: www.morrisville.edu

15 local students named to dean's list at Canisius College

By Billie Owens
Feb 17, 2020, 2:08pm

Canisius College congratulates more than 1,110 undergraduate students who were named to the fall 2019 dean's list.

To qualify for the dean's list students must have attained a grade point average of at least 3.50 for the semester and completed at least four courses of three credits or equivalent.

Canisus College is one of 27 Jesuit colleges in the nation and the premier private college in Western New York.

The following Genesee County students made the list:

Christina Barraco, from Batavia, an undecided major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2022.

Cora Ivison, from Byron, a Communications major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2020.

Alexis Hoerner, from Batavia, a Communications major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2021.

Luca Zambito, from Elba, a Finance major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2020.

Alexander Kunes, from Batavia, an Economics major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2021.

Bella March, from Batavia, a Animal Behavior Ecology and Conservation major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2023.

Thomas Kubiniec, from Batavia, a Biology major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2020.

Calvin Herrick, from Le Roy, a Biology major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2023.

Griffin Della Penna, from Batavia, a Journalism major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2023.

Ava Horgan, from Le Roy, a Political Science major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2023.

Trevor Maier, from Oakfield, a Sport Management major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2023.

Zachary Brown, from Linwood, an undecided major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2023.

Mary Warner, from Le Roy, a Mathematics major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2023.

David Doan, from Batavia, a Finance major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2023.

James Farmer, from Alexander, a Digital Media Arts major at Canisius and member of the Class of 2020.

Three local wrestlers advance to state championship in Albany

By Howard B. Owens
Feb 16, 2020, 3:55pm

Andrew Englerth remains undefeated on the season in wrestling with his 47th win, coming in as a 160-pound D2 state qualifier.

He will now wrestle for a state championship in Albany during the tournament Feb. 28 and 29.

Englerth beat Justin Smith, of Marcus Whitman/Penn Yan, in a major decision, 13-4.

Also picking up championship wins were Zach Hannan, Byron-Bergen, at 152 pounds, beating Kade Slayton of Hornel in a 2-0 decision, and Mitchell Gaiser, Alexander, beating William Tennity of Wayne in a fall at 4 minutes.

Photos submitted by Tim McArdle.

Two Le Roy athletes set new school indoor track records at last meet of the regular season

By Howard B. Owens
Feb 16, 2020, 3:40pm

Le Roy's boys and girls indoor track teams competed in their final regular-season meet this weekend, and Bella Condidorio and Aidan Harrington both set new school records.

Condidorio won in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.96 and Harrington came in second in the 300 meter dash with a time of 36.60.

In the girls' pole vault, Gavin Konieczny, of Batavia, won with a vault of 9-06.00.

In boys' shot put, Alex Rood won with a toss of 51-10.00.

50 GC students named to fall 2019 dean's list at GCC

By Billie Owens
Feb 13, 2020, 1:54pm

A total of 261 students from Genesee Community College were named to dean's list for fall 2019, and 50 of them live in Genesee County. Students honored on the Dean's List have maintained full- or part-time enrollment and earned a quality point index of 3.50 to 3.74.

Genesee County residents who were named to GCC's fall 2019 dean's list:

Macie Riggs of Alexander (14005)

Alan Riggi of Alexander (14005)

Noah Henry of Alexander (14005)

Ashley Ohlson of Alexander (14005)

Logan Kellogg of Basom (14013)

Neely Abrams of Basom (14013)

Alexis Henderson of Batavia (14020)

Elizabeth Armijo of Batavia (14020)

Kyler Preston of Batavia (14020)

Sabrina Walton of Batavia (14020)

Stephen Gilebarto of Batavia (14020)

Rikki Ettinger of Batavia (14020)

Melissa Fuglewicz of Batavia (14020)

Nicholas Brown of Corfu (14036)

Raymond Pray of Corfu (14036)

Sean Seager of Corfu (14036)

Ayla Korczak of Corfu (14036)

Jennifer Pickard of Darien Center (14040)

Savannah Bienias of Darien Center (14040)

Joshua Kramer of Darien Center (14040)

Carli Marino of Darien Center (14040)

Makenzie LaFreniere of East Bethany (14054)

Riley LaFreniere of East Bethany (14054)

Cassandra Gowanlock of East Bethany (14054)

Caroline Pelton of East Bethany (14054)

Jessica Padilla of Elba (14058)

Arielle McVay of Oakfield (14125)

Rebecca Carlsen of Oakfield (14125)

Brianna Greene of Oakfield (14125)

Annette Velletta of Oakfield (14125)

Carlos Melgarejo of Oakfield (14125)

Haley Steen of Le Roy (14482)

Madison Brandes of Le Roy (14482)

Joshua Sylvester of Le Roy (14482)

Austin Saeva of Le Roy (14482)

Brenda Turner of Le Roy (14482)

Rylee Edwards of Le Roy (14482)

Kaden Vangalio of Le Roy (14482)

Erika Thompson of Basom (14013)

Rickelle Chugg of Batavia (14020)

Morgan Reimer of Batavia (14020)

Sharon Bryan of Batavia (14020)

Emma Hagen of Batavia (14020)

Kaylin Hamilton of Batavia (14020)

Kaelynn Guiste of Batavia (14020)

Alicia Carretto of Corfu (14036)

Sarah Hamm-Johnson of Corfu (14036)

Jordyn Tobolski of Oakfield (14125)

Josilynn Russo of Pavilion (14525)

Elizabeth Werner of Pavilion (14525)

Genesee Community College serves more than 5,000 students with more than 65 academic programs and certificates. Among the many options are the Marketing and Social Media concentration within the Business Administration program, Food Processing Technology, Theater Arts, and six different healthcare programs including the new Health Studies, A.S.

Each GCC student is assigned a success coach at the College's Student Success Center. The coach provides academic and career guidance from the first steps of the admissions process through to graduation or transferring credits to other institutions. The College's robust athletic program is housed in the state-of-the-art Richard C. Call Arena featuring a fieldhouse, fitness center, Human Performance Lab, press box, as well as coaches' offices and classrooms.

GCC operates seven campus locations throughout Western New York, a significant online program, and student housing is available at College Village, just a three minute walk from the Batavia Campus. With small class sizes and innovative technology inside and out of the classroom, SUNY GCC is known for being "high tech" and "high touch."

Firefighters from six GC fire companies complete course in lightweight wood construction

By Billie Owens
Feb 13, 2020, 1:08pm

Press release 2/11/20:

Understanding the special characteristics and considerations of lightweight wood construction is an important factor in fighting fires today. Sixteen firefighters from six county fire companies completed 12 hours of instruction regarding manufacturing methods, component awareness, fire performance and strategies and tactics pertaining to fires involving lightweight wood construction.

The program’s emphasis was to improve fire personnel’s ability to recognize the presence of light-weight wood construction and the related hazards, better predict the overall reaction of a building during fire conditions and how to operate safely.

The following Genesee County fire personnel completed the program:

City of Batavia

Sean D. Huggins

Josh J. McCarthy

Town of Batavia

Joshua K. Boyle

Byron

Zachery C. Johnson
Jacob M. Schultz

Elba

Nicole M. Boldt
Sydney R. Brown
Jennifer A. Cardinali
Nicholas J. Easten
Timothy J. Hoffarth
Michael Pfendler
Nathan J. Tabor

Le Roy

Jared N. Chick

Stafford

Brian M. Breemes
Kari E. Breemes
Jason M. Smith

Eleven GC residents earned certificates for fire officer leadership and supervisor skills

By Billie Owens
Feb 13, 2020, 12:18pm

Press release:

One of five modules required to earn the Fire Officer 1 certification, the Leadership & Supervisory Module was offered at the Genesee County Fire Training Center in February.

This module, consisting of 15 hours of instruction, provided current and potential fire officers with a fundamental knowledge of the duties, responsibilities and leadership required to be successful as a fire officer. Students were presented the basic responsibilities of the fire officer as they relate to human resource management as well as common administrative functions.

Thirteen students completed this 15-hour program; four of which met all of the requirements necessary to receive Fire Officer 1 certification.

The following 11 Genesee County residents participated:

Town of Batavia

Russell S. Borden
Bryan A. Moscicki
Ian A. Sanfrantello
Tyler J. Stewart

Bethany

Peggy J. Johnson (FO I)
Corrie Rombaut (FO I)

Elba

Nicole M. Boldt
Nathan J. Tabor

Le Roy

Jared Chick

Stafford

Brian M. Breemes
Kari E. Breemes

Le Roy falls to Hornell 50-43

By Howard B. Owens
Feb 11, 2020, 12:32pm

In Monday's lone boys' basketball game, Le Roy lost to Hornell 50-43.

Cody Lytle scored 17 points and had 10 rebounds. Ethan Beswick scored nine and Andrew Loftus scored eight.

The Knights are 9-8 heading into the team's final regular-season home game tonight. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

Girls basketball:

Hornell beat Le Roy, 82-52
Batavia beat Odyssey, 53-44

Photos by Tim McArdle.

Law and Order: Corfu man arrested after domestic incident

By Billie Owens
Feb 10, 2020, 2:22pm

Alexander Edward Seegar, 30, of East Main Street, Corfu, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful imprisonment in the second degree. He was arrested at 8:45 p.m. on Feb. 6 following the investigation of a domestic incident that occured at 2:30 p.m. that afternoon. It is alleged that Seegar acted in a manner likely to be injurious to a child under age 17 and that he prevented a person from being able to leave the incident by restraining tham. Seegar was arraigned in Village of Corfu Court and released. He is due back there on March 2. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kenneth Quackenbush.

Thomas J. Wolcott, 35, of Buffalo Street, Bergen, is charged with second-degree harassment and obstruction. He was arrested after a disturbance at 7:10 a.m. Feb. 5 on Bank Street in Batavia. He was processed at Batavia Police Headquarters and arraigned in Batavia City Court. He was then released on his own recognizance and is due back in court on Feb. 11. The case was handled by Officer Felicia DeGroot, assisted by Officer Alec Roberts.

Anthony Wade Travis, 56, of South Street Road, Le Roy, is charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle without the owner's consent, and grand larceny in the third degree -- a Class D felony. He was arrested and arraigned in Le Roy Town Court on Feb. 7 for allegedly using a vehicle without permission at 7:07 p.m. on Jan. 18 in the 9300 block of South Street Road in Le Roy. Travis is due to return to Le Roy Town Court on Feb. 20. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Brock Cummins, assisted by Deputy Andrew Mullen.

John Patrick Cummings, 39, Dodgeson Road, Alexander, is charged with: operating a motor vehicle while having a BAC of .08 percent or more -- first offense; driving while intoxicated -- first offense; failure to use designated lane; failure to keep right (on a two-lane road); and failure to stop at a stop sign. Cummings was arrested at 1:37 a.m. on Feb. 5 on Ross Street in Batavia. Batavia Police Officer Nicole McGinnis noticed a vehicle that was driving erratically and she stopped it. After an investigation, Cummings was arrested on the charges. He was issued multiple tickets and is due to be arraigned in Batavia City Court on Feb. 19. McGinnis was assisted by Officer Joshua Girvin.

Jacob M. Paige, 19, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt in the second degree. Paige was arrested after allegedly being found in the presence of a protected party at 8:11 a.m. on Feb. 4 on Bank Street in Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on Feb. 18. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Alec Roberts, assisted by Officer Felicia DeGroot.

Le Roy's track teams win LCAA championships

By Howard B. Owens
Feb 10, 2020, 1:44am

Le Roy's varsity track and field teams swept the LCAA Championships. It was the eighth straight championship for the boys and first-ever for the girls.

Photo and information submitted by Tim McArdle.

Le Roy's Andrew Englerth heads into state wrestling tournament undefeated

By Howard B. Owens
Feb 10, 2020, 1:39am

Andrew Englerth, Le Roy, is the Section V Class B2 wrestling champion at 160 pounds. He also won the most outstanding wrestler. His season record is 43-0 as he heads to the state quarterfinals.

The Oatkan Knights were fifth overall in the Section V championships.

Sec V Class B2 Wrestling Championships Team -- fifth overall Top Knights:

First, Joey Brennan, 126 pounds
First, Andrew Englerth, 160 pounds
Second, Nate Andrews, 152 pounds
Second, Cole Rauscher, 145 pounds
First, Phil Hahn, 195 pounds

The state qualifiers are Friday at SUNY Brockport.

Information and photos submitted by Tim McArdle.

Village of Le Roy seeks changes to new criminal justice reform rules

By Howard B. Owens
Feb 7, 2020, 2:06pm

The Village of Le Roy has adopted a resolution asking the state Legislature to reform its reform on how and when evidence is turned over to a criminal defendant.

The resolution, introduced by Trustee Ray Yacuzzo, was passed unanimously.

It argues in the "whereas" clauses that criminal justice reform is placing an unfair economic burden on small municipalities while acknowledging that reform was needed.

"It is widely recognized that several of the drastic changes in the laws pertaining to discovery are overly broad and vague and are having unintended consequences at the municipal level," the resolution reads.

It opposes the shortened time frame prosecutors and local law enforcement agencies have to disclose evidence and the broad expansion of information that must now be disclosed.

The changes "will have a significant cost, tax, and justice implications for cities and villages with police departments, local justice courts or code/parking enforcement departments," the resolution reads.

Not only do the changes give prosecutors only 15 days to gather and review evidence, but the law greatly expands the amount of evidence that must be turned over to the defense.

The 20-day mandate for court appearances is also an undue burden on local justice courts that are only in session once a month.

Local municipal governments are expected to bear the burden of the reforms without any assistance from the state, yet they are unable to increase revenue enough to shoulder the new expenses because of the 2-percent tax cap.

The resolution asks for the following changes to the law:
Ensure cities and villages are provided with financial assistance;
Allow 60 days for prosecutors to disclose evidence;
Exclude from accelerated discovery any charges that are not a misdemeanor or felony;
Extend the arraignment requirement to 45 days;
Allow prosecutors to withhold sensitive information from disclosure such as victim contact information.

Le Roy, Notre Dame, Attica all pick up Scholastic Bowl wins

By Howard B. Owens
Feb 6, 2020, 10:06pm

Le Roy on its match in the Scholastic Bowl at GCC on Thursday night, beating Elba 260-120.

On Wednesday, Notre Dame won with 330 points to 290 for Batavia and 140 for Akron.

Also on Wednesday, Attica scored 310 for a victory over Alexander, 290, and Alden, 170.

53 local students named to fall 2019 Provost's List at GCC

By Billie Owens
Feb 4, 2020, 12:10pm

A total of 248 students from Genesee Community College were named to Provost's List for fall 2019, including 53 who reside in Genesee County.

Students honored on the Provost's List have maintained part-time enrollment and earned a quality point index of 3.75 (roughly equivalent to an A) or better.

Jacob Farnsworth of Alexander (14005)

Naomi LaDuke of Alexander (14005)

Morgan Woodhouse of Alexander (14005)

Jessica Lennon of Alexander (14005)

Julia Lennon of Alexander (14005)

Melanie Snyder of Basom (14013)

Catherine Bilodeau-Redeye of Basom (14013)

Elizabeth Rindell of Batavia (14020)

Mikala Phillips of Batavia (14020)

Elizabeth Grosskopf of Batavia (14020)

Andrew Lin of Batavia (14020)

Bernard Skalny of Batavia (14020)

Samuel Sallome of Batavia (14020)

Erik Kesler of Batavia (14020)

Justin Scott of Batavia (14020)

Brian Wheeler of Batavia (14020)

Janelle DiMartino of Batavia (14020)

Tammy Kingdollar of Batavia (14020)

Margaret Richardson of Batavia (14020)

Carolyn Logsdon of Batavia (14020)

Kyla Phillips of Batavia (14020)

Alexis Balduf of Batavia (14020)

Cassandra Dembik of Batavia (14020)

Robert Tripp of Batavia (14020)

Gabriella Rindell of Batavia (14020)

Janae Meister of Batavia (14020)

Bailey Gavenda of Batavia (14020)

Alexandria Tarbell of Corfu (14036)

Jeffrey Fischer of Corfu (14036)

Nicole Alvord of Darien Center (14040)

Lauren Carli of East Bethany (14054)

Brian Wlazlak of East Bethany (14054)

Angelique Newton of East Bethany (14054)

Kimberly McCullough of E Pembroke (14056)

Robert Stabler of Elba (14058)

Racheal Cook of Elba (14058)

Jamie Lippold of Oakfield (14125)

Shannon Pohl of Oakfield (14125)

Patrick Puccio of Stafford (14143)

Kathryn Long of Stafford (14143)

Kelly Kruppner of Bergen (14416)

Kristina Bird of Bergen (14416)

Anna Morrill of Bergen (14416)

Grace Morrill of Bergen (14416)

Siomara Caballero of Byron (14422)

John Boyle of Le Roy (14482)

Nicole Roth of Le Roy (14482)

Marshall Schultz of Le Roy (14482)

Jacob Eggleston of Le Roy (14482)

Morgan Luce of Le Roy (14482)

Jared Carlson of Le Roy (14482)

Cassandra Hirsch of Pavilion (14525)

Katelyn Barnes of Pavilion (14525)

Accident reported on Warsaw Road in Le Roy, road to be shut down

By Billie Owens
Feb 2, 2020, 5:11am

A personal-injury car accident is reported in Le Roy at 9419 Warsaw Road. Le Roy fire and ambulance are responding. A subject fled on foot and was located a short time later in the 9400 block of Perry Road. The accident location is between Perry and Cole roads.

Le Roy Fire Police are asked to shut down a portion of Warsaw Road in the vicinity of the accidant.

Le Roy's Grant Hertzler earns dean's list honors at Shenandoah University

By Billie Owens
Jan 31, 2020, 2:38pm

WINCHESTER, Va. -- Congratulations to Grant Hertzler, of Le Roy. Grant is a Exercise Science major and earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher at Shenandoah University in the Fall 2019 semester. Grant is one of 893 students that earned dean's list honors in the Fall 2019 semester.

Shenandoah University was established in 1875, and is headquartered in Winchester, Va., with additional educational sites in Clarke, Fairfax and Loudoun counties. Shenandoah is a private, nationally recognized university that blends professional career experiences with liberal education.

With nearly 4,000 students in more than 200+ areas of study in seven different schools, Shenandoah promotes a close-knit community rich in creative energy and intellectual challenge. Shenandoah students collaborate with accomplished professors who provide focused, individual attention, all the while leading several programs to be highly nationally ranked.

Through innovative partnerships and programs at both the local and global level, there are exceptional opportunities for students to learn in and out of the classroom. Shenandoah empowers its students to improve the human condition and to be principled professionals and leaders wherever they go. For more information, visit su.edu.

Le Roy's Calvin Herrick, a student at Canisius College, attend Health Justice Conference

By Billie Owens
Jan 30, 2020, 1:00pm

On Jan. 20, Calvin Herrick, Class of 2023, of Le Roy, was one of 25 pre-medical and pre-health undergraduate students from Canisius College who attended Health Justice Conference 2020: Visions of Equity.

Hosted by the SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, the conference highlighted structural inequalities in health care and provided insights into the underlying causes and potential remedies.

The conference takes place each year on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the federal holiday that celebrates the life and legacy of the American civil rights leader.

Breakout sessions at this year's conference included: "Sickle Cell Disease and Its Inequalities"; "Gun Violence as a Public Health Issue"; "Health Justice for the Indigenous"; "Living Undocumented"; and "Infant Mortality in America."

Guided by Jesuit values, the undergraduate pre-medical and pre-health offerings at Canisius College emphasize a holistic perspective on health issues, including the social, cultural and economic determinants of health. To learn more, visit the program page.

One of 27 Jesuit universities, Canisius is the premier private university in Western New York. The college is celebrating its sesquicentennial anniversary during the 2019-20 academic year, marking 150 years of Jesuit education and leadership in the city of Buffalo and Western New York.

Jared Chick is named Firefighter of the Year in Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens
Jan 26, 2020, 10:36am

Jared Chick was named Firefighter of the Year for the Le Roy Volunteer Fire Department at the department's annual awards and installation dinner on Friday night, held at the Stafford Fire Hall.

Le Roy responded to 289 alarms in 2019.

Craig Johnson was issued the Medal of Valor for rescuing a woman from an early morning house fire in May 2019.

Rick Bater, past chief

The installation of fire fighters; Joe Orlando, left, Josh Fendler, right.

Tim Yaeger administers the oath of office for Le Roy's officers and board members.

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