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Le Roy

Two men accused of doing $32K in damage to Dolomite facility while stealing copper wire

By Howard B. Owens

A Le Roy resident recently accused of stealing live high voltage wire from industrial facilities in Genesee and Monroe counties is facing a new accusation stemming from the alleged theft of stealing copper wire from Dolomite, 8250 Gulf Road, Le Roy.

This time, Michael A. Nicometo 28, 45 North St., Le Roy, allegedly had a partner.

Also arrested following the Sheriff's Office investigation was Jonathan D. Smeak, 22, of State Street Road, Batavia.

Both men are charged with three felonies: burglary, 3rd, criminal mischief, 2nd, and grand larceny, 3rd.

The two men are accused of doing $32,000 in damage to Dolomite's electrical system.

The Sheriff's Office began investigating the case after receiving reports of a large amount of copper wire being cut from the facility in January and February.

Nicometo was arrested earlier this month and charged with burglary in the third degree, a Class D felony, grand larceny in the second degree, a Class C felony, and criminal mischief in the second degree, a Class D felony.

He was accused of stealing high voltage wire that was still live from buildings in Le Roy.

Law and Order: Four DWI charges

By Howard B. Owens

Richard T. Gross, 49, of Wyoming, is charged with DWI, open container and driving with no brake light. Gross was stopped by Le Roy PD.

Scott M. Dickson Jr., 27, of Le Roy, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. Dickson was stopped by Le Roy PD for questioning related to a suspicious condition.

Timothy J. Sattora, 48, of Avon, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs. Sattora was stopped by Le Roy PD for allegedly speeding. He allegedly possessed a small amount of marijuana.

Jason Rex Forkey, 32, of Trumbull Parkway, Batavia, is charged with DWI, speeding and using a mobile phone while driving. Forkey was stopped at 6:35 a.m. Wednesday on Route 33, Stafford, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Thomas Scott Spencer, 45, of West Bethany Road, Alexander, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing. Spencer was arrested in connection with an event reported at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 23.

Christopher Lynn Allison, 18, of Hickox Road, Alexander, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of alcohol under age 21. Allison was charged following a check by Deputy Joseph Corona of a disabled vehicle at 1:17 a.m. Tuesday on Main Street, Pembroke.

Willie J. Miles Jr., 49, of 45 Washington Ave., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Miles allegedly violated an order of protection by sending numerous text messages to the protected party.

Ashley J. Ziminski, 23, of 25 Franklin St., Batavia, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Ziminski was stopped by Sgt. Dan Coffey at 4:20 a.m., after Batavia PD received a report of an erratic driver.

Man reportedly falls 20 feet from tree at residence in Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

An adult male has reportedly fallen 20 feet from a tree at a residence on Clay Street, Le Roy.

Le Roy fire and ambulance dispatched.

Mercy EMS also dispatched.

The man is reportedly conscious.

Mercy Flight is available if needed.

UPDATE: The man was taken by ambulance to an area hospital.

Law and Order: Sex offender accused of not registering Internet accounts

By Howard B. Owens

Rob Hellford Hoag, 26, of Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged with failure to register Internet accounts. Hoag is a registered sex offender and required to register all Internet, social media and e-mail accounts within 10 days of any change. Hoag allegedly failed to register his accounts.

Ryan F. Schumacher, 23, of 384 Starr Road, Pavilion, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to signal for a turn. Schumacher was stopped at 11:48 p.m., Tuesday, in the Village of Le Roy after Le Roy PD received a reported of a possibly intoxicated driver going through the McDonald's drive-thru. Schumacher was allegedly observed exiting the McDonald's parking lot without using a turn signal.

Two-car accident with injuries at routes 5 and 19, Le Roy

By Billie Owens

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at routes 19 and 5. Le Roy fire and ambulance are dispatched.

UPDATE 3:07 p.m.: Only one person is injured, and complains of head pain. Caledonia's ambulance is called in because Le Roy is out on another call.

UPDATE 3:30 p.m.: The patient is with Caledonia medics. Not sure if the person will be transported. The roads are open and traffic has cleared. Le Roy ambulance is back in service.

Law and Order: Man accused of firing shotgun at fox, stray BB hitting neighbor

By Howard B. Owens

Gregory Scott Snyder, 44, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with reckless endangerment, 2nd. Snyder allegedly shot toward the roadway at a fox he believed to be injured using a 12-gauge shotgun. A BB from the shell reportedly hit a neighbor. Deputy Joseph Corona and Deputy Tim Wescott handled the case. The State Police and the Department of Environmental Conservation assisted.

Crystal L. Kiebzak, 30, of 1359 Broadway Road, Darien, is charged with petit larceny, issuing a bad check in the Town of Batavia, and issuing a bad check in the Town of Darien. Kiebzak allegedly drafted checks to buy goods and services from businesses in Darien and Batavia from a nonexistent checking account.

Mindy Maria Miller, 23, of Clay Street, Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. Miller is accused of shoplifting at Kmart.

Samantha Marie Kent, 19, of East Shelby Road, Oakfield, is charged with petit larceny. Kent is accused of shoplifting from Kmart.

Melissa M. Morton, 27, of 4802 W. Middlebury Road, Bethany, is charged with petit larceny. Morton is accused of stealing cupcakes valued at $9.99 from Tim Horton's.

Joseph A. Ferrando III, 45, of 5 Buell St., Batavia, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Ferrando was taken into custody by Officer Arick Perkins following an investigation after allegedly being found behind the wheel of his vehicle, which was still running, on Liberty Street at 10:30 p.m., Wednesday.

Timothy M. Pendleton, 27, of 4 Cedar St., Batavia, is charged with resisting arrest, criminal trespass, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. Pendleton is accused of going to the residence of a person he knows on Wednesday and entering without permission and harassing that person. On Thursday, officers Jason Davis and Eric Hill attempted to arrest Pendleton and he allegedly resisted arrest. Pendleton was jailed on $2,500 bail.

The vote is final: The Wiss Hotel building will come down

By Howard B. Owens

Many of the supporters of restoring the Wiss Hotel building on Main Street in Le Roy walked out of Wednesday's village board meeting saying "their minds were made up."

Mike Tucci, Robert Taylor and Jim Bonacquisti all voted to demolish what may be Le Roy's oldest standing commercial building, even though over the past several months, two architects, three contractors and a code enforcement officer all toured the building and said it could be saved.

"They kept moving the goal posts," Trustee Jennifer Keys said after the meeting.

By her calculation, the $132,000 Tucci, Taylor and Bonacquisti voted to expend on destruction of the Wiss equals 8.5 years of the village's community swimming pool fund.

The fee paid to Empire Dismantlement will be pulled from the village reserve fund, according to Mayor Greg Rogers, who, along with Keys, voted no on Bonacquisti's motion to destroy the Wiss.

On Monday, the Le Roy, New York LLC submitted its fifth revised offer to purchase the building so it could be saved and restored.

The new offer answered many of the objects raised by Tucci, Taylor and Bonacquisti.

The offer was written by village resident and Buffalo attorney Chandy Kemp.

"We did everything that was suggested to us to make our offer more appealing," Kemp said. "We identified the parties (of the LLC). We told them where the money was going to come from. We eliminated some of the contingencies. We gave plans about what we intended to do with the property. And they still shot it down. I’m not sure what more we could have done."

At one point, Kemp and her husband, Chris, were thinking of buying the building themselves in order to sidestep any distrust the trustees might have of the LLC. But after touring the building themselves, they realized saving it would be just too much work to take on by themselves, so they joined the LLC.

"I don't think an offer Chris and I would have submitted independent of the LLC, I don't think now, it would be much different," Kemp said. "I'm not convinced we would have been successful. I'm thinking a lot of this, maybe the decision was made a year ago, and a lot of this was just running around until the bids for demolition came in and they knew how much it was going to cost and that just sealed it."

The latest offer also contained the promise of a $500,000 performance bond.

Tucci, Taylor and Bonacquisti all said they respected the hard work of the LLC, that they each gave the issue a lot of thought -- Bonacquisti said he lost sleep over it -- but in the end, tearing the Wiss down was "the right decision."

"In the last 20 years we’ve taken the Sterling Diner down, Vic Bloods has come down, the Millman block has come down, but all Main Street hasn’t come down," Bonacquisti said. "Not only did we survive those buildings coming down, but we’ve gotten better."

Tucci read a prepared statement:

I do have upmost respect for everyone associated with the Le Roy New York LLC. I do appreciate all of their hard work and dedication as to wanting to save this building and make something better of it. They have a passion for Main Street that I hope carries on after this vote. I realize not every one agrees with me with my decision to take it down but I do believe it’s in the best interest of the village. I can only hope people respect my decision and know it’s come with a lot of thought.

Taylor spoke about his 72 years of living in the village and the many hours of his life spent enjoyably at the Wiss, and that he's spoken to a lot of people about the issue.

"My personal opinion, the LLC just picked the wrong building," Taylor said.

Bonacquisti said, "the time for the Wiss has come," and that whatever replaces it will be better.

What replaces it is a complete unknown at this point, though, a point Louis Buono, a supporter of the LLC and owner of the McDonald's franchise in Le Roy, raised later in the meeting.

"There’s not been a plan in place; there’s not been an idea proposed; yet, you ask the LLC over and over againt to formalize a plan which could produce many opportunities here in this village, and yet we’ve heard nothing other than we will demolish the building," Buono said.

"In respect for the other people who spoke in support of saving it," Buono added, "I believe you owe it to the community to explain -- what do you plan to do with that property? -- and not just a commitment saying ‘we will do our best,’ but what is your plan?"

Rogers admitted there is no plan, but by the second meeting in April, the trustees will have a better idea of what will be done going forward.

Previously during the meeting, Rogers said the trustees now have a responsibility to protect the character of the village.

"It's the village board's responsibility to take care of that corner and put something there that makes sense and doesn't destroy the character of this village," Rogers said. "That's our responsibility. That's the five people who sit on this board, that's their responsibility. You have my word that I will work extremely hard not to be an embarrassment. It's a job I take very seriously."

What comes next is the biggest fear the preservationists have. 

"All I’m hearing the board talk about is memories of what it was," said David Damico, a graphic artist who moved to Le Roy in 2008 and is concerned about the village losing its identity. "None of them seem to have any foresight as to what it could be. I think maybe it takes a new person to see that. I want to see this community grow and if we’re tearing everything down, I don’t see how that’s going to happen."

Many fear another Walgreens-type of development, which Selby Davis says, "maimed" the northwest corner of Main and Lake streets.

"It's now something we can do nothing about," she said.

That's also the fear of Chandy Kemp.

"My first reaction is fear," Kemp said. "I'm still afraid of the slippery slope. I trust the mayor and believe and trust his word that he wants to preserve Main Street, but I'm not sure that can be said of the others in the village who may have dollar signs in their eyes. That's my biggest concern, that this is the first step toward major demolition of Main Street, and that's something I would hate to see."

Le Roy High School presents 'Anything Goes'

By Daniel Crofts

Le Roy high schoolers Margaret Kovach, Erica Parker and Ben Neumann posed in character during a rehearsal of "Anything Goes," Le Roy Jr./Sr. High School's 2013 musical production. They will be playing Reno, Bonnie and Moonface Martin, respectively.

Jackie McLean, chorus teacher for the Le Roy schools and musical director for the play, described "Anything Goes" as an intricate, laugh-out-loud funny show with great characters.

More than 80 kids are involved in this production, including cast and crew members.

With music and lyrics by Cole Porter, the show takes place on a cruise ship and features comic circumstances resulting from three love triangles.

Pictured Ashley Webb (Hope), Steven Farnholz (Evelyn) and Natalie Salphine (Mrs. Harcourt)

"The script is jam-packed with funny moments and intricacies," McClean said.

She also said that the cast, which is made up of students in grades seven through 12, "did a great job of making the characters believable."

Danny Weaver and Jayce Seeley play Mr. Whitney and Billy, respectively.

Having "believable" characters is a big change from last year's performance of "Cinderella," which had a fanciful fairy tale atmosphere. With "Anything Goes," the kids have switched to a more realistic setting.

"It was a challenge, but they've done a great job," McClean said. "It's a great group of kids."

For her part, McClean understands and appreciates the challenge of bringing these characters to life. She was in "Anything Goes" as a junior at Batavia High School, which put on its own performance of the show in 2001.

"I picked the show (for the 2013 musical) because I loved it when I was in it," she said. "I understand the challenges, and also the funny moments and the characters, because I lived it. That gives you a different perspective."

As for the music, McClean describes it as old-style jazz with a "huge choral involvement." So in addition to great sets and lots of humor, "Anything Goes" will also boast a large chorus.

Le Roy is known for setting a high bar when it comes to its school musicals. Each year, staff and students like to give audiences something new to look forward to.

This year, audiences can look forward to huge, elaborate tap dance numbers by the whole cast, as well as a six-foot platform of the cruise ship built by Patrick Patton, complete with the look of a real ship and lights that go on at night.

Patton, the father of a Le Roy High School student, has been building sets for these productions for seven years. McClean said he sets a new challenge for himself with each one.

"He's amazing," she said. "(His sets) get better each year."

Performances of "Anything Goes" will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the high school auditorium, at 9300 South St. Road in Le Roy. All performances will begin at 7 p.m.

All tickets are $8 each and can be purchased at the door, via the district Web site or at the school's main office.

Supplemental Photos: Past Performances

Le Roy trustees expected to decide the fate of the Wiss Hotel tonight

By Howard B. Owens

The fate of the Wiss Hotel will likely be decided tonight in a regular meeting of the Village of Le Roy trustees.

On the agenda for the 7 p.m. meeting is a discussion and likely vote on whether to accept a bid for the destruction of the building.

Mayor Greg Rogers said the trustees will go into closed session first, to both discuss the offer from the Le Roy, New York LLC for purchase and restoration of the former Wiss Hotel building and to review confidential background information on the companies that bid on demolition.

After the closed session, Rogers said he'll open the public meeting and ask the trustees to make a motion that will address the options before the board -- sell to the LLC or accept a demolition bid.

The bids covered three options for demolition -- complete demolition and removal; demolition with removal by village trucks for non-asbestos materials, and taking the building down "hot," meaning no asbestos remediation prior to demolition.

The third option will require the village to condemn the building just prior to demolition.

The lowest bid for #1 is $192,000 from Empire Dismantle and the high bid was from $346,000 from Regional Environmental Demo. A total of seven bids were received for option #1.

On option #2, there were six bids, with the lowest being $172,000 from Empire Dismantle, the highest was $426,000 from Frederico Construction.

For option #3, the lowest of 10 bids was also from Empire Dismantle at $132,000. The highest bid was 271,700 from Ritter and Paratore.

Law and Order: Two Rochester men caught allegedly transporting 2 lbs of marijuana through Bergen

By Howard B. Owens

Hector Antonio Leon-Figueroa, 31, of Avery Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana, speeding and obstructed license plate. Omar Leon-Figueroa, 30, of Curlew Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana. Hector Antonio Leon-Figueroa's vehicle was stopped at 4:36 p.m. Saturday on I-490, Bergen, for alleged traffic violations by Deputy Kevin McCarthy. During the stopped, McCarthy allegedly discovered the vehicle was carrying two pounds of marijuana. Hector Antonio Leon-Figueroa was jailed without bail. Omar Leon-Figueroa was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Joshua T. Fullmer, 20, of 3124 W. Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. While Batavia police officers investigated an incident at 3:41 a.m. Saturday, Fullmer allegedly approached and shouted obscenities at the officers. He allegedly acted in an aggressive manner and squared off in a fighting posture. Fullmer was subdued and taken into custody. He was later released on an appearance ticket.

Alexander A. Chandler, 21, of 25 Bacon St., Le Roy, is charged with assault, 3rd, and criminal mischief, 4th. Chandler is accused of punching another person in the face several times, causing cuts and and breaking the victim's glasses, while at Denny's, 364 W. Main St., Batavia, at 12:41 a.m. Sunday.

Andrei P. Sliker, 22, 11172 Silver Road, Bethany, is charged with disorderly conduct and harassment, 2nd. Sliker allegedly tried to punch the manager at the Days Inn during a disturbance at 3:25 a.m. Sunday. As officers attempted to take Sliker into custody, he allegedly became belligerent and shouted obscenities.  Sliker was jailed on $250 bail.

Cheryl M. Lyons, 47, of 119 State St., Apt. 4, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. She is accused of stealing a laptop computer from another person.

Michael Patrick Sullivan, 50, of Main Road, Stafford, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Sullivan is accused of throwing a box that contained a computer modem at a female, striking her in the head. He also allegedly punched the victim in her chest. Sullivan was jailed on $500 bail.

Fawn Lynn Marie Kaczmarek, 24, of Darien, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Deputies Kevin McCarthy and Patrick Reeves responded to a reported altercation between two people at 9:25 p.m., Friday, and found Kaczmarek allegedly with an infant outside not wearing appropriate clothing for the 33-degree weather.

UPDATE, this just in from the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office:

Deric J. Hewitt, 28, of South Jefferson Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, unlawful possession of marijuana, DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, inadequate brake lights and failure to notify DMV of address change. Hewitt was stopped at 1:30 a.m. Friday in the Village of Perry by Deputy Colin Reagan. Also charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle was Hewitt's reported passenger, Sean M. Miller. Hewitt was released to a third party after his vehicle was towed.

Le Roy man accused of stealing live high voltage wire

By Howard B. Owens

Le Roy PD investigators think they have figured out who has been stealing high voltage wire -- with the lines still charged -- from industrial plants in the area.

Michael A. Nicometo, 28, of 45 North St., Le Roy, has been charged with burglary in the third degree, a Class D felony, grand larceny in the second degree, a Class C felony, and criminal mischief in the second degree, a Class D felony.

The investigation started June 6 when a perpetrator stole high voltage wiring from a warehouse on Lake Street in the Village.

It was an unusual theft, investigators noted, because the wires were cut from between the transformer and the building while current was still flowing through the lines.

Between October and February, several other larcenies of high voltage lines occurred in the Town of Le Roy, the City of Rochester and another location in the village.

In all cases, the power was still surging through the lines at the time of the thefts.

Working with the Sheriff's Office and Rochester PD, Le Roy investigators developed a profile of the thief, with the belief that the suspect had knowledge of the area, was probably from Le Roy, was probably an electrician by trade and and very familiar with the workings of high voltage electrical installations.

After identifying Nicomento as a suspect, investigators searched Nicomento's property at 45 North St., Le Roy, and reportedly found several items of evidence connecting him to an alleged burglary and larceny in January of more than $50,000 in electrical wiring and components at a warehouse on Lake Street.

Nicomento was arrested on the three felony charges and jailed on $25,000 cash bail.

The investigation is ongoing to determine if further charges will be filed against Nicomento.

Law and Order: Medina man accused sending harassing text messages

By Howard B. Owens

Robert F. Sargent, 50, of 416 East Center St., Medina, is charged with two counts harassment, 2nd. Sargent is accused of sending 67 text messages to one person and 27 text messages to another person over a period of weeks. The messages allegedly served no legitimate purpose and seriously annoyed the recipients. Sargent turned himself in to Batavia PD.

Samuel James Vernaccini, 19, of South Street, Le Roy, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Vernaccini was stopped at 5:32 p.m. Monday on East Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Joseph Corona for an alleged traffic violation.

Pavilion woman arrested on a Leandra's Law charge given 11 months to stay out of trouble prior to sentencing

By Howard B. Owens

A Pavilion mother caught twice drinking and driving, including once with her underage children, will be given 11 months to show to the court she can stay out of trouble.

Judge Robert C. Noonan gave Angela A. Kruse, 40, interim supervision until Feb. 6, when she will returned to County Court for sentencing.

Her sentence will be determined by her conduct over the next 11 months.

Kruse was arrested in June in Le Roy for driving while intoxicated with her children in her car, leading to a felony charge under Leandra's Law. She was arrested a second time following an accident in Covington in September. She reportedly had a child with her in the car at that time as well.

Five young women named to dean's list at Elmira College

By Billie Owens

Elmira College has released its dean's list for Academic Acievement for the Fall 2012 term. The dean's list recognizes students that have a grade-point average of 3.6 or higher.

Alicia Hough ('13) of Elba, is majoring in Business Administration.

Megan Lowe ('13), of Le Roy, is majoring in Adolescence Education: Mathematics.

Jessica Pcionek ('15), of Oakfield, is majoring in Childhood Education and Foreign Languages French.

Amy Schmidt ('15), of Batavia, is majoring in International Studies.

Brittany Schmidt ('15), of Corfu, is majoring in History and Classical Studies.

Elmira College, located in the Finger Lakes Region of beautiful, historic Upstate New York, is one of the great small colleges of the nation. To learn more about what Elmira College has to offer, navigate to www.elmira.edu or call 800-935-6472 to schedule your visit to Elmira College.
 

Le Roy police responding to report of gunshots heard off Lake Street

By Billie Owens

A caller in the vicinity of the former Holy Family School in Le Roy reports hearing four gunshots nearby, possibly from "a tree." Le Roy police are responding to 44 Lake St. to investigate.

UPDATE 1:35 p.m.: A police officer reports the caller is not sure where the shots came from "but she's sure they were gunshots." The officer spotted a person walking by the railroad tracks and will be speaking with the person. There's only been one call on this. A backup officer says maybe the noise was from garbage trucks dumping their contents.

Le Roy PD reports there was no disturbance at location were baby was found not breathing

By Howard B. Owens

There was no disturbance at 72 Main St., Le Roy, prior to police arriving at the scene Sunday where a baby was found not breathing, Le Roy Police Chief Chris Hayward said in a statement this evening.

The 5-month-old infant was later pronounced dead.

Hayward confirmed that the initial information relayed to emergency responders was that a fight had taken place at the location but, he stated, "a review of the 9-1-1 call and subsequent investigation determined that no fight or any other type of disturbance occurred and the fact that it was dispatched in this manner appears to have been a miscommunication at the dispatch center."

A police officer arrived on scene shortly after the 5:13 p.m. call and found a 45-year-old woman who appeared to be unconscious and a 5-month-old child unresponsive and a bystander performing CPR.

CPR was provided until an ambulance arrived and took over medical care.

A preliminary autopsy failed to determine a cause of death. The investigation continues pending further test results.

Previously: Police have yet to determine cause of infant's death in Le Roy

Police have yet to determine cause of infant's death in Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

Le Roy PD investigators are trying to determine what may have caused the death of a 5-month-old child inside a Main Street business late Saturday afternoon.

Emergency dispatchers received a call at 5:13 p.m. of an unconscious woman and an infant not breathing inside the tattoo shop at 72 Main St., Le Roy.

The initial report was that the woman had fallen on the child. Dispatchers initially told a responding Le Roy PD officer, and repeated it with other emergency responders, that there may have been an assault.

Police Chief Chris Hayward would not confirm this morning whether the case was being investigated as related to an assault.

He said the only information the police department is officially releasing about the investigation right now is what was put out in a press release this morning.

The press release does not discuss the possible circumstances of the infant's death except to say, "This investigation is continuing and natural causes or accidental death has not been ruled out."

The first officer on scene found one adult female "having medical issues," the release said, and CPR was being performed on the infant.

The officer assisted with CPR until an ambulance arrived.

The infant was transported to an area hospital and pronounced dead at the hospital.

'Spay-ghetti Dinner' at Le Roy Legion Hall to benefit shelter animals

By Billie Owens

A "Spay-ghetti Dinner" sponsored by the Volunteers for Animals will take place from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, at the American Legion Hall, 53 W. Main St., in the Village of Le Roy. Eat in or take out.

The suggested donation is $10. Dinner will include spaghetti, salad, bread, dessert and beverage. There will also be a silent auction, Chinese auction, music and fun!

Proceeds benefit the spaying and neutering of animal at the county shelter.

Event Date and Time
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More Wiss talk at Village of Le Roy meeting

By Howard B. Owens

The Wiss Hotel building was once again a topic of discussion at the Village of Le Roy Trustees meeting last night. I was unable to attend because of all the trash talk at the Batavia City Council meeting, so I called Mayor Greg Rogers and LLC proponent Bob Fussell for their take on the meeting.

The meeting started with a presentation by Town of Batavia Code Enforcement Officer Dan Lang (who is mentoring new Town of Le Roy Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Steinbrenner). Lang recommended going through the process of declaring the building an unsafe structure.

Former mayor Jim DeLooz gave about a 10-minute presentation on the Wiss and the likelihood it could be restored. DeLooz is against saving the building. The presentation was well documented and well prepared, Rogers said.

Jerry McCullough, a local contractor, also spoke. He favors saving the Wiss building and believes it can be restored. Fussell said McCullough has experience with building restoration and has said he's taken on projects in much rougher shape than the Wiss.

Joe Condidorio, from contractor Whitney East, also spoke in favor of saving the Wiss and expressed concern that once the Wiss comes down, other buildings will come with it, damaging the character of the village.

"I think it was very important that Joe Condidorio and Jerry McCullough spoke and spoke in support of the idea that restoration is very doable," Fussell said. "They are very well respected in the community."

Bill Farmer, who has his own restoration project in progress at the Creekside Inn, also spoke in favor of saving the Wiss, saying it was important to preserve the character of the village, Rogers said. Fussell said Farmer was very critical of the destruction of the buildings that were removed to build the Walgreens. 

Farmer did not address the status of his own project.

There were also other speakers in favor of saving the Wiss.

Fussell described the trustees as interested and engaged in the conversation.

"It was a very comfortable meeting," Fussell said. "It was non-confrontational and very relaxed."

He said the LLC supporters there came away feeling it was the most positive meeting to date about the Wiss.

There is an RFP in place for contractors to bid on taking down the Wiss building. Contractors are scheduled to tour the building tomorrow, Rogers said, and that's the last time there will be people allowed inside the building until this issue is resolved.

Bids are scheduled to be opened at 3 p.m., March 8, at the Le Roy Village Hall.

Law and Order: Warrant suspect reportedly resisted arrest at DSS office

By Howard B. Owens

Samantha Mary Williams, 32, of Lake Street, Le Roy, was arrested on bench warrants for alleged robbery, 3rd, grand larceny, 4th, criminal mischief, 4th, and petit larceny. She is also charged with resisting arrest. Deputy John Baiocco reportedly attempted to arrest Williams at 2:15 p.m., Wednesday, in the lobby of the DSS office. Williams allegedly resisted arrest. Deputy Joseph Graff assisted in the apprehension. Williams was jailed on $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond. Williams is reportedly also wanted by Batavia PD on a resisting arrest warrant.

John James Slack, 27, of Exchange Street, Attica, is charged with burglary, 2nd. Slack is accused of entering a residence in Alabama sometime over Father's Day weekend and stealing electronics, jewelry, money and other property. Slack is incarcerated at the Attica Correctional Facility on an unrelated matter.

Michael John Antonucci, 30, of Alexander Road, Alexander, is charged with menacing, 2rd, and harassment, 2nd. Antonucci is accused of pushing a person against a refrigerator and throwing a glass bowl and plate in her direction. An order of protection has been issued.

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