Adam Figlow is a single father of four and a maintenance man at Ascension Parish in Batavia. Fellow parishioner and parish volunteer Sue Hartrick describes him as very humble, quiet, and "an extremely hard worker."

"You can ask him to do anything and say it doesn't have to be done right away," Hartrick said, "and then you turn around and it's done in a half hour."

But he has fallen on hard luck. In December, Figlow was diagnosed with a rare form of soft tissue cancer called spindle cell sarcoma.

Figlow said he first knew something was wrong one day in late summer, when he noticed a strange growth on his left arm.

"It never hurt or anything," he said. "It was just cosmetically annoying."

Since being diagnosed, he has undergone two surgeries and radiation therapy. His aunt and uncle, Kathy and Nick La Farnara, drove him to all of his appointments and stood by him through the surgeries, for which he expressed deep gratitude.

Figlow is set to return to work next month, but will have been out on disability for six months at that point. New York State disability payments have not been enough to keep up with Figlow's hospital bills and everyday living expenses.

That is why Ascension Parish will be hosting a spaghetti dinner, theme basket and 50/50 raffle on Saturday, May 31 from 5 until 7 p.m., with theme basket and raffle drawings starting at 7 p.m. The event will be at the parish's Slomba Hall, at 17 Sumner St. in Batavia.

Each meal will include spaghetti, meatball/sausage, salad, bread, dessert and a beverage.

Presale dinner tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children, or $8 at the door. Takeout will be available.

Hartrick, who has spearheaded the event from day one, has been overwhelmed by the generous response.

"I thought it would be fabulous if we could get 30 baskets (for the basket raffle)," Hartrick said. "As of now, we have 79 baskets and 33 gift cards."

A variety of theme baskets -- including dog and cat, camping, gardening, children's toy and lottery baskets -- have been donated by individuals and businesses in and around the Batavia area.

"We've gotten more generosity than I could ever imagine," Hartrick said. "I was hoping the parish would rally around Adam in his time of need. They have not rallied...they have soared."

"The heart of Batavia and the parish community is unbelievable," Figlow said. "I can't thank them enough...I'm just so appreciative of everybody."

Basket ticket costs are as follows:

• 25 tickets for $5 for the less expensive baskets
• 25 tickets for $10 for the more expensive ($25 or more in value)

Additionally, someone donated a handmade quilt depicting an outdoor scene. It has a value of about $200, and will be the object of a 50/50 raffle. People can buy tickets $2 apiece or three tickets for $5.

For more information, call Hartrick at 786-8198.

Figlow is pictured with his sons, Joe (13) and Noah (5). His daughter Ashanti and son Nicholas were unavailable for a photo.

Susan Meier, owner of Photography by Susan Meier, received four awards at the annual awards ceremony of the Batavia Photography Club. The event, held at Bohn’s Restaurant on May 6, annually recognizes the efforts of their members.

An active member of the Batavia Photography Club for 17 years, Meier received awards for: Best Color Digital; Best Color Print; Image of the Year; Most Advanced Photographer of the Year. 

Meier says “My involvement with the Batavia Photography Club has helped me grow as an artist and encouraged me to expand my craft.” Her print, “Feathered,” was accepted at Todmorden Papermill Gallery in Toronto Canada and is on view now through June 7. Additionally she has submitted several prints to 6x6x2014 -- Rochester Contemporary Art Center’s International Small Art Show to be held in June. 

For more information about photography by Susan Meier visit here or call 585.861.0415.

It's that time of year when nature's youngsters begin coming into the world on a daily basis. This whitetail fawn has learned that remaining absolutely still and concealed is vital to its survival. A trio of us had been working a few scant feet away for nearly half an hour before noticing the newborn.

Just a few hours old, the fawn remained motionless in a residential flower bed while we spread mulch about its hideout. Once aware of its presence, we worked quickly, quietly and with little commotion as possible. Having completed the job, we moved on and the little one never flinched. No doubt mom was not far away, watching the entire time.

A Genesee County Grand Jury has filed an indictment against a Batavia resident who is accused of firing a handgun at another person while on State Street on Sept. 27.

Deshawn Allen Butler, 34, was wanted for a time in connection with the shots fired incident and was arrested in December. He was released from jail a few days later when the prosecution, which wasn't ready to proceed with a pre-trial hearing, called a felony hearing.

Butler was indicted on counts of criminal use of a firearm, 2nd, a Class C violent felony, criminal possession of a weapon, 2nd, a Class C violent felony, and attempted assault, 1st, also a Class C violent felony.

Other indictments filed by the Grand Jury:

Kelly M. Zwolinski is indicted on a count of criminal possession of stolen property, 4th, a Class E felony. Zwolinski is accused of knowingly possessing stolen property valued at more than $1,000. In this case, a Western barrel-racing saddle, a Western trail saddle, two sets of stirrups and a breast collar.

Jose A. Esquilin is indicted on a count of DWI as a misdemeanor and aggravated unlicensed operation, a Class E felony. Esquilin was stopped Dec. 6 on the Thruway in Pembroke.

New York Times: Why License a Florist?

Danny and Eddy stopped at the Kwik Fill on Jackson and Ellicott for some gas on their way to a car show in Amherst this evening and their two pickup trucks sure got a lot of attention. A few people stopped and took cell phone pictures.

To car buffs, the trucks are known as "rat rods." They've got the patina of decades of loyal service to their owners.  

Danny is with the 1952 Chevy along with his sons, Ethan and Dylan. Eddy is with his 1955 Ford F-100.

Both vehicles are on modern chassis and have modern suspension systems (for a better ride), but otherwise have original paint and original interiors.  

They've owned their trucks three or four years.  

Danny and Eddy, both Batavia residents, said they plan on showing off their trucks at Summer in the City in August.

It's just a hobby, they said.

"You can tell they're attention getters," Eddy said. "They really attract people's eyes."

Maria Yefremenko says she is desperate to find her orange tabby, which has been missing since the night of May 20. The cat has green eyes and was last seen on Walnut Street in Batavia. He has a small tear in his left ear and small black spot on his right paw. Contact Maria Yefremenko either by e-mail at myefrem@gmail.com or call/text (585) 479-5229.

Get out those hair rolls -- AKA "cootie garages," the shoulder pads, stockings with seams up the back, the khakis and hats galore. You're invited to the Victory Dinner Dance, a fundraiser benefitting the WNY Aviation Adventure Camp.

This will be a World War II Era Big Band Hangar Dance at Zeliff's Hangar at the Genesee County Airport on Saturday, June 7.

Cost of $100 per person. The event is limited to 100 couples.

It includes music, dinner provided by Alex's Place, dancing, and an open bar during cocktail hour (How 'bout rum and coc-a cola?)

Wear '40s attire to be eligible for prizes.

There will be swing dance instruction; portraits by a professional photographer.

RSVP by May 23. Contact Eve Hens at 585.343.7440 or ehens@geneseeny.com

Reserve online at  beagenesee.com

Timeline as follows:

Report date -- June 7, to 4701 E. Saile Drive, Batavia

Cocktail Hour -- 1800 hours

Dinner & Dancing -- 1900-2300 hours

State Police assigned to Troop A held a ceremony today at the Batavia Barracks honoring troopers who have fallen in the line of duty. The wreath was place this year by Heidi Riley and Sharon Keane, the widows of Ross Riley and William Keane. Trooper Riley passed away during an exercise at Letchworth State Park and Trooper Keane suffered a heart attack while training.

To purchase prints, click here.

Sentenced once, an Alabama man who was arrested in November after police believed he had fired a weapon during an apparent domestic incident, was back in court today to be sentenced again.

Judge Robert C. Noonan said neither he, the prosecution nor the defense picked up on the fact in February that the charge Reuben Lay admitted to was not a violent felony. Since it wasn't, Noonan could not impose a determinate (set time) sentence under NYS sentencing guidelines.

The 50-year-old Lay could have withdrawn his guilty plea to criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, but that would have exposed him to a trial on the other charges he face and a conviction could have meant consecutive sentences on each count.

Lay, who entered the courtroom with two state prison guards and was dressed in khaki slacks and a crisp white shirt and sporting close-cropped hear and sunglasses, declined the chance to withdraw his plea and was sentenced to 22 months to 66 months in prison.

During the early morning incident on Bloomingdale Road, Lay reportedly fired shots in the direction of a deputy and trooper. The Emergency Response Team was activated, but never deployed. Since there were no hostages and Lay presented no immediate danger to others, the Sheriff's Office decided to wait until the morning to arrest Lay rather than engage in a late-night confrontation.

Lay was charged with with criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, and reckless endangerment, 1st, both Class D felonies. He was also charged with misdemeanor counts of criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation and harassment, 2nd.

A car crashed into a pole in the area of 7027 Route 237. Unknown injuries, but the driver is out of the vehicle. The pole and wires are down, blocking the roadway. The "car is smoking."

Byron and South Byron fire departments are responding along with Mercy medics.

The location is between Town Line and Cockram roads.

UPDATE 3:13 p.m.: Fire Police are called to shut down traffic at Route 237 and Cockram Road. National Grid will be contacted about the damaged equipment.

UPDATE 3:14 p.m.: Byron command says responders can come in non-emergency.

UPDATE 3:35 p.m.: Mutual aid for standby crews is requested: A Stafford pumper to South Byron; and a pumper from Elba to Byron.

Press release:

How would you like to live with the next Ryan Howard or Chase Utley this summer? The Batavia Muckdogs are again seeking local families to assist in housing players during the 2014 baseball season.

Anyone can help provide lodging for this year's Muckdogs by either providing space or renting a room, apartment, or home. While many host families come back year after year, the team is always looking to add to their list of available options for the players and coaching staff.

Host Families play a crucial role in helping young players feel comfortable in a new environment. Many who have hosted players in the past have had incredibly wonderful experiences. However, with players coming and going throughout the season, we have constant needs as far as housing.

The 2014 season runs from June 13 until Sept. 1 and players typically range from 18-23 years of age. The team will arrive in Batavia the week of Monday, June 9.

If you are interested, need more information or know someone in the Batavia area (within just a few miles of Dwyer Stadium) who might be interested in hosting a player, please contact Travis Sick at (585) 343-5454 or tsick@muckdogs.com. You can also call our housing coordinator Shirley Fanara directly at (585) 356-3411.

City announcement:

(1.) MEADOWCREST DRIVE from South Main Street to the cul-de-sac and CHARLES STREET from Oak Street to the dead-end will be closed to all traffic on Monday, June 2, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. for roadway resurfacing.

Residents should not park on the roadway and are asked to park on neighboring streets during the closure. Residents of the Edgewood Drive/ Valle Drive area are asked to use Fairway Drive as ingress and egress to their homes during the closure.

(*WEATHER DELAY DATE: Tuesday, June 3, 2014)

(2.) CENTER STREET between Ellicott Street and Main Street and SCHOOL STREET between Jackson Street and Liberty Street will be closed to all traffic on Friday, May 30, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. for roadway resurfacing. Residents/ businesses should not park on the roadway and are asked to utilize the municipal parking lots. The Center Street Parking Lot and School Street Parking Lot can be accessed from the East Main Street entrance. The Jackson Street Parking Lot can be accessed from Jackson Street.

"A black bear was seen traversing the City of Batavia during the late and and early morning hours this morning," according to a press release from City Police.

The bear was described as a juvenile to young adult. It was first seen in the area of North and Summit street around 1 a.m. A second sighting was near 21 Summit St. Police officers observed the bear moments after the reported second sighting near 11 Summit St.

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation was notified and dispatched an officer to the scene. The bear was tracked as it exited the City in the area of Chestnut Street around 5 a.m.

Although it rarely happens in the City of Batavia, bears have been known to travel through Western New York as they migrate south this time of year. The public should be aware of this and never try to approach the animal but report sightings to the police.

Bears will stop and feed at bird feeders or uncontained garbage, so it is a good idea to keep garbage contained and waste around the bottom of bird feeders clear of debris.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at 2033 Main Road in Pembroke. East Pembroke and Indian Falls fire deparments are responding along with two Mercy medic units.

UPDATE 10:18 a.m.: A 31-year-old male complaining of back pain is being taken to UMMC. The assignment is back in service.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Police Department is investigating the finding of skeletal remains from a residence on Seneca Avenue. 

The remains were turned over to the Police Department on May 18, 2014 by a relative of an elderly resident on Seneca Avenue. Family members found the remains upon cleaning the house out. The family indicated that another relative, whom passed away in the 1970s, found the remains while at Letchworth State Park in the 1940s or possibly 1950s. 

The remains have been sent to the NYSP Crime Lab in Albany for processing. The processing will be to positively identify whether or not the remains are in fact human and to provide for DNA testing. Results of this testing will not be available for three to four months. 

Anyone with any information is urged to contact the City of Batavia Police Department’s confidential tip line at (585) 345-6370 or visit the city's Web site.

This guitar was stolen from a local woman and pawned at a local pawn shop. The pawn shop has no record of who bought the guitar. Paul Draper is trying to recover the guitar for his aunt. If you know the whereabouts of the guitar, e-mail Paul at TheGCMG@Gmail.com.

It's been a litigious year so far for the City of Batavia, so the City Council is being asked to vote on a budget amendment that would increase legal spending by $71,733.

About $50,000 of that expense is related various lawsuits and Article 78 claims, including the ongoing legal battle between the City and the Mall Merchants Association (the city is both being sued and suing).

City Manager Jason Molino didn't say what portion of that $50,000 in extra litigation expense is because of the mall lawsuits.

"The amount of litigation can't be predicted," City Manager Jason Molino told the council. "I can't tell you how many claims we're going to get. For example, we've had three more claims in just the past week."

The City Council will be asked to vote on the budget amendment at it's next business meeting in two weeks.

Claims and legal matters against the city range from snowplows knocking over mailboxes to tax assessment challenges.

"Unfortunately, we live in a litigious environment," Molino said. "Two things: one, anybody can sue for anything; two, a municipality, I think, is usually a higher target than most because they're viewed as having an unlimited amount of resources. That's the nature of being in this country and the nature of being a municipality. As long as we own property as a municipality, as long as we provide services, we're going to be the subject of litigation regardless of the merit."

While the city has been subject to some claims Molino characterized as meritless, there has been other litigation -- such as Terry Platt and Platt Properties' Article 78 action over his planned rooming house on East Main Street -- that might have more substance.

Each case, whether frivolous or serious, generates not only legal fees, but staff time for research and investigation, Molino said.

"With any claim, there's an assessment that's done internally to understand the risk, to understand the city's exposure, understand the merit of the city's case, understand the merit of the city's position, versus the merit, or in many cases, the lack of merit, of the opposing party," Molino said. "In all of those circumstances, we do that analysis to understand how do we resolve this amicably and how do we resolve it in our best interest."

Another $28,000 of the city's extra legal expenses have been related to redevelopment projects, such the Carr's Warehouse building and the Della Penna property.

The city's annual legal expenses include the city's attorney, George Van Ness and his law firm, outside council on specific cases, labor relations counsel and prosecution of code violations.

Molino didn't have a count available of how many individual cases the city has handled so far in 2014.

Molino said there have been years of fewer legal cases and years of an even greater volume of claims against the city, which is why, he said, legal expenditures are always hard to nail down at budget time.

Also not available is how much the city has spent on legal services over the six years it's been in some form of legal battle with the Mall Merchants Association.

Ben Franklin famously warned, "If we don't hang together, by heavens we shall hang separately."

City Councilman John Canale thinks it's time the various agencies working in the City of Batavia do a better job of hanging together.

To that end, he's asking his fellow council members to authorize a little extra spending: About $1,900 to help the Batavia Improvement District pay for the colorful hanging baskets lining Main Street again this year.

"Unfortunately, there's a lot of division of agencies in the city that are all working for the betterment of the city, but nobody wants to get on the same page," Canale said.

The BID stepped forward and paid $10,000 toward the cost of garbage dumpster containers off School Street. Now the city can reciprocate by pitching in for the flower baskets.

City crews hung the baskets at the behest of the BID on Friday, in time for Memorial Day.

Canale acknowledged that the city funding Vibrant Batavia has been a sore spot for some, and the city pitching in on the hanging baskets can smooth things over a bit.

"The BID doesn't have to do all the things they do," Canale said. "They don't have to put up flowers to make our Downtown more beautiful and more attractive to future businesses or businesses that may want to relocate. I think it would be great for the city to partner on a project like this."

Flowers Downtown are part of the city's economic development efforts, Councilwoman Patti Pacino said.

"Whether people choose to believe it or not, STAMP is enormous," Pacino said. "The ag park. These are all new people who don't live here, haven't lived here, and I'm going to guess they're married and have children. I'd like them to come in and see this is a good city to raise children in and live in. Flowers in the city, it sounds like such a small thing, but it makes it that much more interesting, that much more available, and that much better to come here."

Councilwoman Kathy Briggs suggested the city already does its share by watering the baskets.

Asked after the meeting about the city's contributions to hanging flower baskets Downtown, City Manager Jason Molino said, "The city does a lot of participation and cooperation with the Business Improvement District because we value improving our Downtown and our business community, and that helps the community as a whole. This is another one of those circumstances where we're going to partner with them to do more in the future."