Press release:

Del Plato Casey Law Firm, LLP and Raymond F. Cianfrini, Esq., of Cianfrini Law Firm, LLP, are proud to announce that Mr. Cianfrini has joined Del Plato Casey Law Firm as an “Of Counsel” attorney as of January 1, 2015. 

Mr. Cianfrini’s office will continue in its long-standing location of 31 Main Street, Oakfield, New York, where legal assistant and office manager Rhonda Natalizia will also continue to serve clients. 

Michael A. Del Plato and Peter M. Casey will also offer a wide range of legal services at the Oakfield office, in addition to their current location at 73 Main Street, Batavia, New York. 

Mr. Cianfrini, a 1972 Graduate of UB Law School, has been continuously engaged in legal practice in Genesee County and the surrounding area for 42 years.  He will continue to provide quality, client-focused legal services as part of Del Plato Casey Law Firm.  Mr. Cianfrini, Mr. Del Plato, and Mr. Casey may be contacted at either the Batavia office (585-344-1050) or the Oakfield office (585-948-5201).

Del Plato Casey Law Firm, LLP is a general practice law firm handling Commercial and Residential Real Estate matters, Wills and Trusts, Estates and Probate, Business Formations, Family Law matters, Divorces and Legal Separations, Criminal Defense, DWI matters, Traffic Offenses and Personal Injury.

Additional Note: Ray Cinanfrini is chairman of the Genesee County Legislature. Michael Del Plato is recently retired as a City Court judge.

Justin Michael Cahoon, 23, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with identity theft, 3rd. Cahoon is accused of making unauthorized charges to another person's checking account.

Ronald Jason Scroger, 34, of Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd. Scroger is accused of entering Walmart after being previously banned.

Sarah Mae Wilson, 30, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with violation of order of protection. Wilson allegedly contacted the protected party via telephone at the Genesee County Jail.

Melissa C. Verton, 35, of South Main Street, Batavia, was arrest on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a registration suspended/revoked charge. Wilson was arrested at her residence.

Press release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley:

“Now that we have elected new leadership, the first order of business should be enacting much-needed ethics reforms. If the events of the past few weeks prove anything, it is that we have a unique opportunity to start fresh and for Speaker Heastie to prove that he is tough on ethics reform.

"For years, the Assembly Minority Conference and I have been calling for passage of measures such as the Public Officers Accountability Act and forfeiture of pension and retirement benefits for those convicted of certain felonies while serving as public officers.  Today is the dawn of a new day in New York State government, and I hope Speaker Heastie takes the initiative to put us back on the right track.”

A tin can, a pink basketball, and a lady dragon… it sounds like some sort of fairy tale. But it is far from that as these Lady Dragons use the cans to collect donations and that ball to shoot for a cure for breast cancer. To date, these young women have raised more than $22,000 for this cause.

When Rylee Moser was a freshman and playing on the Pembroke Junior Varsity Basketball Team, she recalls being asked to participate in the “Shooting For a Cure” event to help raise funds for breast cancer research. She said “our gym teacher’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and we wanted to do something to help.” Now a varsity player and a senior at Pembroke High School, Rylee remains highly involved and she and her teammates are passing the torch that will continue this tradition of the Shooting For a Cure event.

The Pembroke Dragons Girls Basketball Team started this fund-raising effort in 2012, carrying around coffee cans and asking for donations; they raised approximately $4,100. The following year, they continued finding sponsors and raised more than $7,100. And last year they set their goal at $10,000 and raised over $11,000. This year, these players hope to make it bigger and better than ever. With corporate sponsors and 70-plus merchants involved, they hope to exceed their goal again this year.

Mike Wilson, Pembroke math teacher who has been involved with this event since the start, says “all the girls cannot wait for this game… they are a civic-minded group and they use basketball to make a difference in their community.” The underclassmen will continue to carry the torch as he sees this as “the game the girls look forward to the most, where they have a chance to serve the community and others.” 

Shooting for a Cure will be held 7 p.m. Thursday, when the Lady Dragons host the Holley Hawks at the Pembroke High School Gymnasium. Besides proceeds from ticket sales, the Lady Dragons will have food, auctions and raffles. Perry’s Ice Cream is sponsoring an ice cream sundae bar at the game as well.

Donations are still being accepted and anyone wishing to donate can contact Mike Wilson at 585-599-4525, ext. 1210, or go to www.crowdrise.com/shooting4acure. All money raised from this event go directly to Roswell Park Cancer Institute to support breast cancer research.

When Rylee and the other seniors exit the court tommorrow night, they will carry with them the pride that they have made a difference in their school, their community and all those battling breast cancer.

Answer this poll question later today on our new mobile app, Reacht, for a chance to win a $5 gift certificate from Southside Deli.

Click here for the iOS version.

Click here for the Android version.

Press release:

Eighteen former professional sports greats will be appearing for autograph signings at The Sports Collectors Expo at Batavia Downs on Saturday, Feb. 21st, 10 a.m to 4 p.m. in Batavia. The casino is located at 8315 Park Road.

Appearing that day for autograph signings and a photo opportunity will be Marv Levy, coach of the Kansas City Chiefs (1978–1982) and the Buffalo Bills (1986–1997), coaching the Bills to four consecutive American Football Conference championships. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

Marv Levy will be joined by his alumni Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Billy Shaw and Bills great Ken Jones. Also appearing will be: Los Angeles Rams Hall of Famers Jack Youngblood, Tom Mack, Rams great Vince Ferragamo and Heisman Trophy winner Charles White of the Rams and Browns; New Orleans Saints Rookie of the Year and 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers; Washington Redskins Great and 1972 NFL MVP Larry Brown; New York Jets Hall of Famer Don Maynard; Pittsburg Steelers Great Rocky Bleier; Buffalo Sabres Greats Brad May, Matt Barnaby, Danny Gare; and LA Kings, NY Rangers Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne will be attending for hockey fans as well.

Last but not least are Boston Red Sox Greats Joe Hesketh, Chris Chambliss of the NY Yankees and Luis Tiant of the Red Socks and the Yankees. There will be over 100 dealer tables of sport collectables and memorabilia.

Admission to the Expo is $6 and free to children 8 and under. One free autograph from Joe Hesketh or Ken Jones with every paid admission and a $5 free play from the casino for each paid attendance for those 18 and older.

For more information visit:  thepurplepeopleeaters.com

Press release:

The City of Batavia is seeking nominations for the following annual recognition awards:

• Community Volunteer of the Year
• Homeowner of the Year
• Business of the Year

These rocognition rewards will be presented by the City Council at a future City Council Business Meeting.

Nomination forms are available on the city Web site:  www.batavianewyork.com  under the home page of the Web site; or they can be picked up at the City Manager's Office; or requested by phone at 345-6333.

Nominations will be accepted through March 1.

Please submit your nominations to Lisa Casey by e-mail at:  lcasey@batavianewyork.com  or by fax at  343-8182  or by mailing to the address below.

Office of the City Manager

One Batavia City Centre

Batavia, NY

Phone:  345-6330

Fax:  343-8182

A preschooler at Jackson Elementary School was diagnosed with leukemia on Jan. 17 and a cheer-a-thon is planned in March to help her and her family.

Four-year-old Emma Harris is very passionate about cheerleading and has been involved with the Batavia Bulldawgs. So a fundraiser focused on cheerleading is a great way to help "Team Emma." Its motto is "We Got This!"

Participants will get a T-shirt and will perform a cheer, short dance routine, stunts, jumps and other fun activities.

There is no charge for attendees to watch the performances. Donations are welcome but not required.

The cheer-a-thon will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturday March 14 at Batavia High School gym for anyone ages 4 to 12. It will be followed by a performance at 7 p.m. by local high school cheerleaders, dancers from local dance studios and cheer-a-thon participants. In between time, there will be pizza for the participants.

There will also be a 50/50 drawing and Chinese auction at the performance to help the family with medical and travel expenses.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three cheerleaders who bring in the most donations. Cheerleaders may bring sponsor forms -- or a list or donors and their contributions -- to the door.

Cheerleader entrance fee / donation is $25. Make checks payable to  EMMA HARRIS. Please register and pay by Feb. 28 to guarantee pizza and T-shirt.

Registration information must include:

• Participant name and age
• Parent name
• Address
• Phone
• T-shirt size
• Donation  and/or  payment of registration fee ($25 minimum)

Mail with entrance fee to:

Sherri Wahr

17 Elmwood Ave., Batavia NY 14020

For questions / information call or text Sherri at (585) 356-0639.

****Business sponsors are sought to donate items for the Chinese auction. T-shirt sponsorships are sought for a donation of $50.

Another avenue to help is this direct link to donate to Emma:

GoFundMe.com/kvpqb4

Get those snow shovels and snow blowers ready because the National Weather Service is predicting there is going to be more snow covering walkways in the morning.

A weather advisory has been issued for 10 p.m. through 4 a.m., Thursday.

There will be an inch or two tonight, an inch to three tomorrow, and storm totals of four to eight.

The secret code today was Edna Gruber, and Jessica Gielow, of Alden, was the 14th person with the correct code who sent in an e-mail.

We'll send $25 to Jessica.

The code was flipped under the Insurance Center ad.

We'll play again next week.

Remember to watch the ads and check out the flip ads for special promotions (which is not the same as the ad used in a contest).

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today reiterated his commitment to ethics reform and preventing future abuses of power in Albany. While the Assembly Minority has pushed for ethics reforms for years, Assembly Majority members are now hypocritically trying to use this opportunity to protect their own reputations and mislead constituents. 

“I have continuously sponsored and worked to draw public attention to legislation that would have prevented the abuses of power and public trust that we have seen the last couple years,” Hawley said. “It is extremely hypocritical for members of the Assembly Majority to be calling for these reforms when they blocked this legislation from coming to the floor for a vote mere months ago. Recent events have proven that narcissism and blind loyalty take precedent over doing what is ethical for many members of the Assembly.

"We were told that Speaker Silver would not cause a distraction from normal daily operations, but that has clearly not been the case. We are now approaching four weeks since session opened and we have not passed a single piece of legislation. It speaks very little of the representatives comprising the Assembly Majority that they are just now catching on to these commonsense ethics reforms.”

Hawley’s comments come after media has been pressing members of the Legislature to pass sweeping ethics reforms in the wake of Speaker Silver’s arrest. Hawley sponsored legislation first introduced in 2013 that would have stripped pension and retirement benefits from public officials convicted of certain felonies. He also sponsors the Public Officer’s Accountability Act which would impose term limits on legislative leaders and create new crimes against the public trust and failing to report corruption, among other things.

Press release from State Comptroller's Office:

Former Oakfield Fire Department treasurer Samantha Hilchey was ordered to pay $16,281 in restitution at her sentencing Monday in Oakfield Town Court. Hilchey created direct withdrawals from the department's account to pay her National Grid, Verizon Wireless and other personal bills before her thefts were revealed by an audit and investigation by the office of New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

"Ms. Hilchey decided the public should subsidize not only her utility bills but also her K-Mart shopping," DiNapoli said. "Also disturbing is the unknown whereabouts of $4,340 in cash from a Mother's Day raffle. I thank Genesee County District Attorney Lawrence Friedman and the New York State Police for partnering with us to hold this individual accountable. I urge other fire departments to double check their books and increase their oversight to prevent similar abuses."

Hilchey, 31, of Batavia, was also sentenced to three years probation pursuant to her larceny conviction.

"The Genesee County District Attorney's Office thanks the Office of the Comptroller for its assistance and accounting expertise in the investigation and prosecution of this matter," Asst. District Attorney William Zickl said. "Investigations Director Stephanie Kelly and State Police Investigator Ron Wilson were instrumental in uncovering Ms. Hilchey's crime and making her accountable to the Oakfield Fire Department and the community."

The Comptroller's audit and investigation found that Hilchey stole $16,281 for personal use through a variety of bank or cash transactions in 2012 and 2013. The probe also found that $4,340 in cash from a Mother's Day raffle was unaccounted for.

The audit concluded that Hilchey was able to carry out the scheme because the Fire Department Board failed to establish proper internal controls such as requiring that transactions be properly recorded and that an annual audit of the treasurer's books be completed.

The Comptroller recommended that the Oakfield Fire Department:

* Audit and approve claims prior to payment and ensure that all disbursements are supported by vouchers;

* Review bank statements and cancelled checks monthly;

* Ensure that officials keep records of ticket sales and use of raffle funds; and

* Have the treasurer maintain accurate, complete and up-to-date accounting records that document all cash receipt and disbursement transactions.

In response to the audit, the Oakfield Fire Department Board of Directors thanked the Comptroller's Office, agreed with the findings, and promised to take corrective action along with additional safeguards. The Fire Department's response is included in the audit.

To read the audit, visit: http://osc.state.ny.us/localgov/audits/firedists/2015/oakfield.pdf

DiNapoli encourages the public to help fight fraud and abuse. New Yorkers can report allegations of fraud involving taxpayer money by calling the toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-888-672-4555, by filing a complaint online at investigations@osc.state.ny.us, or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 14th floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.

In a sometimes testy discussion, Councilman Kris Doeringer wasn't the only official in Vibrant Batavia's corner during a budget workshop Monday night, but he was the most passionate.

He's not arguing, he said, for a bottomless well of money to fund the upstart community improvement group, just another year or two of seed money to ensure it can survive on its own.

"Two years ago, I said I wanted Vibrant Batavia to be self-funded, and I still believe that," said Doeringer (top photo).

The fact that the Centennial Committee, a subcommittee of Vibrant Batavia, was able to raise $125,000 for the city's 100th anniversary celebration is a sign Vibrant Batavia can flourish, but being only 18 months into the venture, and 12 of those months spent on Centennial fundraising, simply hasn't given the group enough time to establish itself, Doeringer said.

"You have to give us time for these things to happen," he said.

That doesn't seem likely to happen. At least five council members sound like they're ready to cut all funding.

John Deleo, Eugene Jankowski (bottom photo), Patti Pacino, Kathy Briggs and Rose Mary Christian all expressed outright opposition to continued funding or indicated they were leaning against further funding.

Vibrant Batavia is asking for $50,000 for 2015 and City Manager Jason Molino recommend an expenditure of $45,000.

The funds are channeled through RochesterWorks, a community organization group, which takes a 5-percent cut and pays for Leanna DiRisio to run Vibrant Batavia.

After the meeting, Council President Brooks Hawley said he feared, without funding, Vibrant Batavia would wither on the vine.

"I believe once that leadership is gone it disappears and there no more vibrant at all," Brooks said.

Adding up the $90,000 paid to consultants at czb to do a needs assessment for Batavia, and $80,000 already committed to Vibrant Batavia to help get it started, if it dies, Hawley acknowledged, that $170,000 investment to try and build a more vibrant future for Batavia goes down the drain.

"From that report that we did, the council spent a lot of money doing that, and they gave us recommendations on how we can improve our city," Hawley said. "That's where BDC came from, that's where Vibrant came from, that's why I don't want to cut the legs from underneath them, but I would like to see, Vibrant, like I said, not do a three-year contract, but do a year-by-year, look at it, gauge it and see. I would like to reduce the funds eventually so they're self-sufficient."

Leading the opposition to continued funding are Deleo, Briggs and Christian, with Jankowski and Pacino professing a degree of neutrality but asking skeptical and doubtful questions.

"The thing I get from my people when they come in is they all think it was great, but they say don't take the money out of my pocket to pay for it," Deleo said.

Briggs said, "They've done a wonderful job, but the taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for it. They don't have to want to pay for it. They want these people to be able to go on their own."

Christian said she's also hearing from constituents on the issue.

"I like Vibrant Batavia, but I've had too many calls and too many complaints," Christian said. "I don't want to give $50K for it and have it go to Rochester, too."

Jankowski said people are concerned about keeping up with the cost of living and therefore want to cut out government expenses.

"It's tough when raising kids," Jankowski said. "The cost of living increases, bills go up and they cut out something, whether it be cable TV or newspaper delivery. They cut what they can possibly cut. This is where people are coming from, those affected by this tax increase, proposed, are getting here and they're reacting emotionally to it and they're saying, 'Do we really need this $50,000 going here? Can't we offset my taxes and save me some money?' I think it's a legitimate question."

Pacino said she was just asking questions to help clarify how the money going to Vibrant Batavia was being spent.

"What are they doing with that money?" Pacino asked. "(Taxpayers) are not going to accept, 'well, it's all coming back to the community.' I believe that. I love this group, but I can't just say it's going back to the community."

Pierluigi Cipollone expressed support for Vibrant Batavia.

"This is an investment," Cipollone said. "It's an investment in our community. It's an investment in our people. Like Kris said, we're not going to see a dollar-for-dollar return on our investment. We're going to see a return in the form of more pride in the city. People cleaning up their streets a little better, helping out their neighbors. That's where the benefit comes from this. To look at this as a mere expense is missing the picture. You have to look at it as an investment in the community."

John Canale said he's heard from one constituent on this issue -- the only time, he said, a constituent has ever come forward on his or her own to express an opinion about anything. That constituent loves Vibrant Batavia, wants to see it continue, but believes funding should eventually be cut off and the group should make it on its own, he said.

In his defense of Vibrant Batavia, Doeringer didn't back down from the debate.

In response to questions by Jankowski and Pacino that seemed to indicate the only money coming back to the community was the money spent on block parties, Doeringer tried to make the case that 100 percent of the city's investment in Vibrant Batavia comes back to the community.

The salary for DiRiseo, though an administrative cost, is money that is being invested in the community, just as the administrative cost of paying council salaries is money invested in the community.

That led to the following exchange between Deleo and Doeringer, with the two council members talking over each other at times.

"Doesn't 5 percent go to RochesterWorks?" Deleo asked.

"Right, we're hiring them to send one of their employees to us."

"So we're down to 95 percent."

"We are paying for their expertise," Doeringer said over Deleo's comment. "We are paying for their training of their employee to benefit our community, so it's 100 percent of the money that comes back to the community."

Christian said she was making her plea to cut funding on behalf the middle class (which apparently includes people who make minimum wage).

"Basically, what you're forgetting is the middle class, and the middle class is really strapped and they really can't afford much more of anything," Christian said. "That's my concern. I mean these things are just out of control. I mean, the minimum wage around here is, what, $8.50 an hour or whatever. You're lucky if they make $30,000. We have all these increases and everything else and nobody has the concern it seems like for the middle class. I'm middle class. Don't you have any concern for me?"

Doeringer said he also was middle class, which prompted the start of a retort Doeringer didn't let Christian finish.

"I hardly think living on Naramore versus living --" with Doeringer cutting her off with a tart, "I don't live on Naramore."

Hawley would like to find a way to continue funding Vibrant Batavia so that the group can continue its work on behalf of the residents and business owners of the community, but he doesn't see funding as something that continues indefinately.

"I don't want to put a timetable on it," Hawley said. "At the most, this year and next year and then that would be it for me. I wouldn't vote in favor after that, but they've only been around for two years. I think City Council needs to invest in them for four years to make sure they have solid footing and go from there. I don't want to see them disappear at all because they do great things in our community."

Before the Vibrant Batavia discussion, Fire Chief Jim Maxwell and Police Chief Shawn Heubusch both discussed their budget requests.

The fire department proposed budget is $3.9 million, with: $2 million in base salaries; $125,000 in overtime; $139,390 in holiday hours; a $35,000 one-ton utility vehicle; $21,000 in professional development and training; a $549,190 contribution to the state retirement fund; and $188,430 for Social Security taxes.

The police budget is $4 million: $2.1 million for base salaries; $220,000 for overtime; $12,000 for the emergency response team overtime; $85,000 for holiday pay; $63,360 for two patrol vehicles; $61,000 for gas; $44,870 for uniforms and body armor; $19,000 for travel and training; $38,000 for new officer training; $539,980 for the state retirement fund; $194,340 for Social Security tax; and $434,610 for medical insurance.

Christian said she would rather see more money go to police.

"I myself would like to see more policemen," Christian said. "I really wanted to have more body cameras for our officers. It's really crazy out there. I don't know if you're familiar with the streets, but I am. I want you to know anything can happen at any time, but I really want them protected and the ability for us to know what's really going on out there."

UPDATE: Here's a breakdown of how the czb report was funded: $25,000 from a state grant for sustainable neighborhoods; $30,000 from a federal CDBG for community planning; $25,000 that came out of a housing loan program in the 1990s (income from that program); $7,000 from the city's 2010-11 budget, for a total of $87,000 -- plus $8,000 of staff time support of the consultants.

Jon N. Roblee, 39, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with resisting arrest, third-degree assault 3rd, and assault, 2nd. Roblee allegedly pulled the hair of another person, causing hair to be pulled out of that person's head and causing pain. He also allegedly punched the victim in the chest. He allegedly resisted arrest and struck an officer in the face, causing injury. Roblee was ordered held without bail.

Michael John Henry, 48, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and criminal obstruction of breathing. Henry allegedly choked another person while in the presence of a child. An order of protection was issued.

Kevin J. Weber, 44, of Columbia Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief. Weber allegedly damaged a door at a residence on Columbia Avenue during an argument. Weber was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Ryan L. Weber, 35, of North Lyon Street, is charged with operating a vehicle without valid inspection. Weber was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on the charge following a traffic stop.

Press release:

At its Annual Volunteer Awards Dinner held Saturday, Jan. 31, the Iroquois Trail Council, Boy Scouts of America honored three volunteers with the council’s highest award, the Silver Beaver Award. Honorees are Donald H. Morris (Batavia), Linda J. Wohlers (Clarendon), and John G. Maier (Lockport).

The Silver Beaver is a National BSA award that recognizes distinguished service to local youth. Each recipient is a long-tenured volunteer who has also made significant contributions by way of service to his or her local community. Linda Wohlers’ 20-year scouting history includes a variety of roles including Tiger Leader, Den Leader, Webelos Leader, Cubmaster, Commissioner, and Committee Member. John Maier’s Scouting history includes current roles as a Cubmaster, Troop Committee Member and Merit Badge counselor. A former Webelos leader, he is also an active member of the camp promotions team, district training team, and commissioner staff. Donald Morris has served the whole family of scouting with exemplary dedication. Over the past 40-plus years he has been involved in Scouting with three different local councils: Finger Lakes, New York; Blue Grass Council, Kentucky; and most recently Iroquois Trail.

The council was itself recognized by the Boy Scouts of America with the 2014 Journey to Excellence Gold Award for program excellence.

Local Cub Scout and Boy Scout leaders were recognized for program excellence in the areas of advancement, camping, membership recruitment and retention, and helping Scouts to meet their funding needs.

Several youth members were also recognized. Cub Scout Tyler Mutka (Corfu) topped the list with Popcorn Sales of more than $4,200. The sale raises money for Scout programs, and also qualifies Tyler for a national college scholarship program. This is Tyler’s fourth year as top seller among Scouts in a five-county area. Other Scouts who will be inducted into the scholarship program are Cameron Kreger (Lockport) and Ethan Nelson (Avon).

The Iroquois Trail Council provides development, leadership, and life skills to more than 3,000 youth in Orleans, Niagara, Genesee, Wyoming, and Livingston counties. To contact the council or enroll, visit www.itcbsa.org or call 585-343-0307.

More information after the jump:

2015 Silver Beaver Honorees

Three volunteers were honored with the Council’s highest award, the Silver Beaver Award. Honorees are Linda J. Wohlers (Clarendon), John G. Maier (Rapids), and Donald H. Morris (Batavia). 

The Silver Beaver is a National BSA award presented by the local Council for distinguished service to youth. Each of this year’s recipients is a long-tenured volunteer who has also made significant contributions by way of service to his or her local community.

Linda Wohlers’ 20-year scouting history includes a variety of roles including Tiger Leader, Den Leader, Webelos Leader, Cubmaster, Commissioner, and Committee Member. Her experience and sure-handed leadership helped to ensure that the local Cub Scout program continued to thrive, even long after her own son had grown. As a testament to her effectiveness, the current Webelos leader had this to say: “…I knew that she would be a positive influence on our young son. Her demeanor and enthusiasm for Scouting influenced me to sign him up on the spot.” This leader’s admiration for our honoree has only grown over the past several years.

Beyond Local Scouting, she has served as a Unit Commissioner for more than a decade. In addition to providing coaching for her local pack and troop, as part of the commissioner team she helped to ease the transition when the district borders were realigned to create the Seneca District.

Outside of Scouting, she has played an active role in her community. At Disciples Methodist Church she has been a Youth Mentor, Sunday School Teacher, and a member of the Church Board. An active member of the Clarendon Historical Society, she has helped to coordinate several Eagle Scout and other Scouting service projects such as painting the "Old Schoolhouse" and other historic sites.

She is a past recipient of the Cubmaster Award, Den Leader Award, Commissioner Arrowhead, Commissioner’s Key, and Distinguished Commissioner Service Awards, as well as the District Award of Merit.

John Maier’s Scouting history includes current roles as a Cubmaster, Troop Committee Member and Merit Badge counselor. A former Webelos leader, he is also an active member of the camp promotions team, district training team, and commissioner staff. 

His passion and dedication to the Cub Scout program has helped to ensure that his pack has achieved more than 20 percent membership growth in each of the past three years, and is now the largest pack in Towpath District; this is especially notable since local school enrollment and overall Cub Scout membership has declined over that time. In addition to his local pack leadership, he stepped in to help with a neighboring town’s struggling Cub program, and served for more than two years as their mentor. That pack is now on a solid footing and growing in membership under its own trained leadership. His support for other packs helped him to be selected as a 2012 recipient of the Towpath District Award of Merit.

An avid outdoorsman and Geocaching enthusiast, he has been a member of the Allied Sportsmen of WNY for 15 years, and served as a Hunter Safety Instructor for 10 years. He has used those skills to benefit Scouting as well, first as the BB range officer for Towpath Day Camp, and more recently as Director for the Towpath Day Camp for the past three seasons as well as the upcoming summer season. He has routinely inspired more than 75 percent of his own pack to attend camp, and has also lent a hand as an indispensible member of the camp promotions team, using his infectious enthusiasm to help other packs to get their Cub Scouts to camp, all of which has helped the Iroquois Trail Council to lead the Northeast Region Area 3 councils in Cub Scout camping participation.

His son Nathan is now a 1^st Class Scout and his grandson is a member of the Cub Scout pack. Together with his wife MaryLou, son Nathan, and daughters Amanda and Bonnie, our recipient is sure to remain a vital member of the local Scouting family for many years to come. 

Donald Morris has served the whole family of scouting with exemplary dedication. Over the past 40- plus years he has been involved in Scouting with three different local councils; Finger Lakes, New York; Blue Grass Council, Kentucky; and most recently Iroquois Trail.  His service includes tenure as a Scoutmaster, Troop Committee Member, Commissioner, Order of the Arrow Advisor, National Jamboree Scoutmaster and Commissioner, and coordinator or staff member for weekend events too numerous to mention here.

Currently a Unit Commissioner, he is also an active member of the "DeWalt Crew," helping with various camp improvement projects. Over the past several years, our Cub Scouts at Resident Camp and our 3 Day Camps have all benefitted from his handiwork, as he has taken on the majority of the prep work for camp crafts including shields, catapults, and other woodworking projects. 

His community service reaches well beyond Scouting. If you haven’t met him at camp, day camp, an Order of the Arrow activity or at a weekend event, it’s because he was either busy coordinating the Salvation Army Red Kettle drive or away from home together with his wife volunteering as a disaster relief worker after hurricanes and floods in Virginia, Florida, Texas, New York, or Alabama as part of the Salvation Army Disaster Team.

A member of the American Legion and active member of the Masonic Lodge, he also serves as a Trustee and Deacon of Batavia’s Emmanuel Baptist Church. In 2013 the Church recognized him with the Good Shepherd Religious Award.

A Wood Badge trained Scouter, he is a past recipient of the District Award of Merit, the Order of the Arrow Vigil Honor and Founders Award.

Iroquois Trail Council Celebrates Volunteer Service at Annual Dinner

At the January 31, 2015 Annual Awards Dinner the Iroquois Trail Council was pleased to recognize many individuals and units for their outstanding work to support our Scout youth.  

Thanks to the efforts of our 1,300 Scouting volunteers, the Council has much to celebrate.

• The Council has earned the Gold Level 2014 National Journey to Excellence Award for service to youth and high program performance.
• Local Youth Retention rates and market share lead all upstate New York BSA councils.
• Summer Camp participation of local Cubs and Scouts leads all Upstate New York BSA councils.
• Trained Volunteer Leader percentage has had a double-digit increase in the past two years.
• Major investments in our camp properties continue to be fully privately funded.
• The Council is financially sound with a balanced operating budget and capital budget.

Local Scouting Units were recognized in several categories:

Membership
Highest Youth Retention Rate - 2014 Charter Renewal 100% Pack 3023 Middleport

Highest Youth Retention Rate - 2014 Charter Renewal 90% Troop 4070 Geneseo
90% Troop 6066 Indian Falls

Largest Growth in Troop Membership Troop 4054 Castile

Largest Growth in Pack Membership Pack 3023 Middleport

Honorable Mention - Pack Growth of 10 or more youth Pack 4027 Caledonia
Pack 3067 Wilson
Pack 3018 Gasport
Pack 3071 Rapids

Advancement 

Highest Advancement Rate & Member Growth Troop 4748 Fillmore

Highest Advancement Rate & Member Growth Pack 3175 West Barre

Honorable Mention - High Advancement Rate Pack 3067 Wilson
Pack 3023 Middleport
Pack 3028 Medina

Camping
Highest Overall Percent Attendance at Summer Camps Pack 3004 Lockport

Highest Percent Attendance at Camp Dittmer Troop 28, Medina & Troop 6021, Le Roy

Highest Percent Attendance at Camp Sam Wood Pack 6650, Alexander & Pack 6066, Indian Falls

Honorable Mention - Overall Summer Camp Attendance > 90% Pack 3071, Rapids & 6069, Batavia

Popcorn Sales
Highest Average Sales per Youth Member: Pack 3004, Lockport with $490 per member
Troop 6067, Corfu with $507 per member
 

2014 marked the 8^th consecutive year that Pack 3004 has set the pace for our youth members.

Pack 3004, Lockport also has the distinction of top sales of $22,000, which will go a long way to help them to fund an ideal year of Cub Scout program!
 
Pacesetters with the largest gain in sales: Pack 3006, Lockport; Pack 3071, Rapids; Pack 3062, Holley

High Sales Average Honorable Mention with sales of more than $300 per youth member:
Pack 3006, Lockport; Pack 3071, Rapids; Pack 6467, Pembroke; Pack 6069, Batavia

Webelos Scout Tyler Mutka (Pembroke Pack 6467) was recognized as our 2014 Top Popcorn Seller. Tyler’s sales of $4,238 have made him our top seller for four consecutive years. In addition to the dollars he raised for his Cub Scout program, Tyler is a member of the national “Trail’s End Scholarship Club.” A portion of his current and future sales will be invested by Trail’s End toward either college or technical education after high school.

14 local Scouts are now invested in the Trail’s End Scholarship Club. Cub Scout Ethan Nelson (Avon Pack 4026) and Cub Scout Cameron Kreger (Lockport Pack 3004) are newly enrolled in the scholarship program for their 2014 sales. Each had sales in excess of $2,500.

Friends of Scouting Pacesetters
Friends of Scouting Pacesetters: Pack 6019, Oakfield; 6017, Elba;
                                                                  Troop 6067, Corfu; 4054, Castile; 164, Albion

Veteran Scouters
Many Scouters were recognized with Veteran Awards for their long-tenured Scouting membership, including David Hawley (Warsaw) – 60 years; Ronald Schmidt (Batavia) – 30 years; Peter Scarborough (Gasport) – 20 years; Joy Costello (Nunda) – 5 years.  

Endowment – James E. West Awards
Council President Emeritus Dr. Thomas Madejski announced the upcoming launch of an Endowment Campaign. As a prelude to the campaign, Council President Robert Confer was pleased to recognize James Barrett with a James E. West Bronze award for an endowment gift in his honor. President Confer also presented Dr. Thomas and Sandra Madejski with the Gold Level James E. West award for their lead gift of $10,000 to the Endowment Fund. 

Thank you to Eagle Scout Spencer Cottman (Pavilion Troop 6016) for serving as emcee for the Awards Dinner.

Silver Beaver Awards
Three volunteers were honored with the Council’s highest award, the Silver Beaver Award. Honorees are Linda J. Wohlers (Clarendon), John G. Maier (Rapids), and Donald H. Morris (Batavia). 

The Silver Beaver is a National BSA award presented by the local Council for distinguished service to youth. Each of this year’s recipients is a long-tenured volunteer who has also made significant contributions by way of service to his or her local community. 

Linda Wohlers’ 20-year scouting history includes a variety of roles including Tiger Leader, Den Leader, Webelos Leader, Cubmaster, Commissioner, and Committee Member. 

John Maier’s Scouting history includes current roles as a Cubmaster, Troop Committee Member and Merit Badge counselor. A former Webelos leader, he is also an active member of the camp promotions team, district training team, and commissioner staff. 

Donald Morris has served the whole family of scouting with exemplary dedication. Over the past 40-plus years he has been involved in Scouting with three different local councils: Finger Lakes, New York; Blue Grass Council, Kentucky; and most recently Iroquois Trail.  

More detailed Scouting biographies are posted on the council Web site.

Press release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley:

“The news today regarding an investigation into employees of the New York State Thruway Authority allegedly using state-provided phones to arrange meetings with prostitutes is disturbing and speaks to the general dysfunction of the department. It’s repulsive to hear about abuses such as these permeating the leadership of such an important state-run organization. Many members of the Assembly have called out the Thruway Authority for failing to produce a financial plan to fund the repair of the Tappan Zee Bridge and keep tolls from skyrocketing and we are still waiting on a plan. Whether using taxpayer-funded resources to facilitate sex crimes or irresponsibly handling the finances of their own agency, the Thruway Authority continues to miserably fail New Yorkers.”

Mercy EMS, a division of Mercy Flight, will soon roll a new, bigger ambulance on the roads of Genesee County, according to General Manager Bill Schutt.

The new rig will be used in critical care situations, especially when Mercy Flight is unable to fly because of weather conditions or is otherwise unavailable.

The larger space inside, compared to the typical vans used for basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS), is needed in critical care situations, Schutt said.

The ambulance is also designed to better handle larger patients.

This morning, the new Oakfield water tower stood out against the gray, winter sky.

The snowstorm has passed, but a couple of flurries this evening are possible.

It's cold, though, and only going to get colder.

There is a wind chill advisory in effect from 7 p.m. through 10 a.m.

Winds will average 10 mph, creating wind-chill values of 15 to 20 degrees below zero.

There is a greater risk of frostbite and hypothermia, so appropriate dress and caution is advised.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at the intersection of Washington and Dellinger avenues. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.