Eric Olson retires from the Sheriff's Office tomorrow. Rather than The Batavian writing an article as we might otherwise do, he asked that we publish this photo of him with his son and this letter to the community:

Out with the old and in with the new…

My career with the Genesee County Sheriff's Office began in August of 1975. I was hired as a dispatcher. Seven months later I was sworn in as a Deputy Sheriff and was assigned to the jail. In August of 1978 I was assigned to the road patrol. In August of 1984, twenty-seven years ago, I was appointed to my current position as the Warrant Officer.

The Warrant Officer position was originally created and funded through the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Service and named S.W.E.E.P. (Special Warrant Enhancement Enforcement Program) The goal of the program was to provide funds and resources to law enforcement agencies throughout New York State to aggressively pursue wanted individuals on outstanding warrants. Although the S.W.E.E.P. funding was terminated in March of 1988, the Sheriff's Office determined that the results merited local funding, and the program has been continued to this day.

Serving as the Warrant Officer for the Genesee County Sheriff's Office has been a most rewarding experience. In time, though, I began considering retirement. My son, however, had thoughts of entering law enforcement. I determined that I would not end my career until he was well into his. Ryan has been a New York State Trooper for 5 years now assigned to Painted Post (Corning). I hope that our shared conversations have been useful to him, that they have given him insights into the field that he would otherwise not have had access to. In this sense, then, my work has been for both my community as well as my son.

My retirement plans, such as they are, consist of only two goals: to remain healthy and spend more time with my family. My wife, Judy, my daughter and son-in-law Melissa and Jason Armbrewster and their son, my grandson, Evan, and my son Ryan and his new bride, Kelley, can expect to see a great deal more of me in the immediate future.

Press release:

Batavia Downs officials have announced the names of the five students selected by their high schools to participate in the 2012 college scholarship race.

They are: Lindsay Hilburger -- Notre Dame of Batavia; Sonia Nevinger -- Alexander; Jessica Levins -- Batavia; Jamie Marshall -- Elba; and Leanne King -- Pembroke.

The race will be held on Sept. 15, between the fifth and sixth live harness races at Batavia Downs. Approximate post time for the scholarship race is 7:45 p.m.

A total of $7,500 in college scholarship funds will be given to each high school student in the dash for cash. The race will be conducted at one mile -- two laps around Batavia Downs' historic half-mile oval.

“We're thrilled to provide additional scholarship funds to area high school students,” said Todd Haight, general manager of Batavia Downs. “This coincides with the contributions made daily by Batavia Downs Casino to the New York state lottery for education.”

All students are required to practice at least five times during the month of August with the driver/trainer they will be teamed up with. This exposes the student to the full equine experience associated with the racing industry.

Scholarship breakdowns are as follows: $3,000 to the winner; $2,000 for second; $1,200 for third; $800 for fourth; and $500 for fifth. Scholarships are not equine specific and can be used for any higher education.

The event is a partnership of Batavia Downs Casino, Buffalo Raceway, Harness Horse Breeders of New York and the Western New York Harness Horsemen's Association.

The 66th season at America’s oldest lighted harness track gets under way on July 23 with a new post time of 6:25 p.m.

Press release:

Darien Lake has announced an open casting call from 5 to 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 3 at the park administration building located at 9993 Alleghany Road in Darien Center.

The park is looking for extras for the City TV/Breakfast TV live shoot, which begins filming on Tuesday at 6 a.m. Men, women and children of all ages are welcome to attend. For their participation, the first 100 guests will each receive an admission ticket valid for a visit any one day during the 2012 season. Interested parties can park and check in at the administration office located at 9993 Alleghany Road, Darien Center, NY 14040.

NOTE: Every guest is required to complete a waiver (provided by the park) and receive one good-any-day admission ticket at check-in. Upon concluding the shoot, all guests will be escorted off the midway. *For same-day use, guests can reenter the park at 10:30 a.m. via the general parking lot and main gate.

Press release:

The Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) has released its Summer 2012 line-up for the “Friday Night in the Square” Jackson Square concerts. For more than 12 years, the BID has provided free concerts downtown to make our community a fun and active place to play. 

The "Friday Night in the Square" concert series begins June 29 and ends Aug. 31. Time is 7 to 9 p.m. The square is located in the alleyway of Jackson or Center streets. Bring your own seating. Food and refreshments will be available for sale. If it's raining, venue changes to Batavia City Centre, inside the mall.

The following is the concert schedule for “Friday Night in the Square”:

Friday, June 29 --  Penny Whiskey (Celtic/Folk)
Friday, July 6 – Bonnie & Collide ( R & B)
Friday, July 13  -- Skiffle Minstrels (Country/Cajun)
Friday, July 20  – Ghost Riders (Country)
Friday, July 27 -- 78 RPM (Big Band)
Friday, Aug. 3 – Kelly’s Old Timers (Country)
Friday, Aug. 10 – OHMS Band (Rock)
Friday, Aug. 17 – John Cole Blues Band (Blues)
Friday, Aug. 24 --  Jack Civiletto “Sinatra” (Sinatra)
Friday, Aug. 31  – Craig Wilkins (Country)

***Also, the Ramble Music & Art Fest will take place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 7, at Jackson Square.

For more information contact the BID office at 585-344-0900 or visit our Web site at www.downtownbataviany.com. Be sure to like us on our Facebook page – Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District -- so that you can keep up with events and updates.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) recently announced his fifth annual Patriot Trip for veterans to tour Washington, D.C. The 2012 installment of this much-anticipated tradition will take place from Sept. 27 through 30. Hawley, who served as a 1st Lieutenant in the Army Reserves as well as with the National Guard, is a member of the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs. The assemblyman is encouraging both new and old faces to join the fifth incarnation of the Patriot Trip.

“It’s hard to believe this will be the fifth year that I have the honor of joining Western New York’s heroic veterans in visiting our nation’s capitol to recognize not only their own service, but that of all the selfless patriots who have defended our freedom and safety as Americans,” Hawley said.

“I encourage veterans and their families who have not participated in past years to join us in September and experience the powerful, moving venture that is truly a highlight of my role as a state legislator.”

Patriot Trip V will include roundtrip private coach transportation from Western New York to Washington, D.C., and accommodations at Quantico Marine Base in Virginia. The trip also includes tours of the WWII, Vietnam, Korean and Iwo Jima memorials, as well as Arlington Cemetery. Most meals are included with the trip cost of approximately $350.

For more information about trip details, pricing, or to sign-up, please call Assemblyman Hawley’s District Office at (585) 589-5780.

On my way back from Indian Falls, I stopped on Townline Road near Maple Avenue, Alabama, to snap this picture.

This evening, Indian Falls United Methodist Church held its annual Strawberry Social, which has been one of Genesee County's great summer events for nearly 50 years (at least, I always enjoy it).

Besides a meal and a dessert of strawberry shortcake with whipped cream (though you can opt for pie, ice cream and chocolate sauce, or any combination thereof), the social is just that -- very social, with lots of action around the auction, which usually sees homemade pies selling for as much as $60 each.

Tonight, I also met Glenn Lawrence (next picture down), a former farmer who in 1971 had to change professions because of a bad back. He became an auctioneer. His first assignment, the Indian Falls Strawberry Social.

He said, "This is where I leared to call out prices."

Lawrence was the auctioneer for the event for the next 40 years. Though, he's no longer leading the Indian Falls event, he continues to work as an auctioneer for Harris Wilcox of Bergen and will in fact work an auction at a church tomorrow in Riga.

A shed fire is reported at 7410 Ivison Road in Byron. It is connected (or close) to a barn. Byron, South Byron and Bergen fire departments are responding.

UPDATE 7:01 p.m.: Elba is called to stand in at the Byron Fire Hall.

UPDATE 7:04 p.m.: Firefighters on scene report smoke is showing. The location is between Gillett and Freeman roads.

UPDATE 7:08 p.m.: The response from Elba and Bergen is cancelled.

UPDATE 7:14 p.m.: This was actually a tractor on fire, which was parked in the shed. The fire is out and the tractor has been removed from the shed. The inside of the shed has been hosed down.

UPDATE 7:21 p.m.: Byron is back in service. South Byron is remaining until the scene is picked up/cleaned up.

A brush fire is reported at 82 Gilbert St. in the Village of Le Roy. Le Roy Fire Department is responding. A fireman at the scene says there's a fire in the woods.

UPDATE 6:45 p.m.: A firefighter says "We've got it pretty well knocked down. There's just some embers on some logs."

UPDATE 6:52 p.m.: The fire is out. Le Roy is picking up equipment and will be in service momentarily.

In Genesee County Court today, attorney Earl Key, representing Jacquetta Simmons, the 26-year-old Batavia resident accused of punching a 70-year-old Walmart employee on Christmas Eve, asked Judge Robert C. Noonan a series of specific questions about how juries are selected in his courtroom.

Key was there with co-counsel Ann Nichols and Simmons for a hearing on motions filed by the defense and as things were wrapping up, Key wanted to be sure he understood Noonan's ground rules.

The information will be important because outside of court after the hearing, Key told reporters, "I definitely intend to go to trial."

From the time Key was first retained to represent Simmons, he's said there's more to the case than has been reported in the media.

Asked to elaborate, especially in context of having now reviewed video surveillance tapes from Dec. 24, Key's only example of misinformation was that it's been reported that the victim, Walmart employee Grace Suozzi, was near the front door working as a greeter. She was actually working as a cashier that day.

Asked if the tape showed anything else, such as whether Souzzi grabbed the bag from Simmons, Key said, "I'll let that come out at trial."

Today's hearing was scheduled to cover a series of motions filed by Key, including a challenge to the constitutionality of a section of New York law that makes it a felony for a younger person to hit somebody over age 65.

This motion was supposed to be heard a week ago, but the Attorney General's Office was not notified of the challenge as required by law.

The AG's office has now been notified, but the letter did not include notice of today's scheduled hearing, so Noonan set another date, July 16, for the hearing.

Noonan said if history is any indication, the AG's office will not send a representative to the hearing, but rather write the court and inform Noonan that it opposes the challenge but reserves the right to appeal if Noonan finds the law unconstitutional.

This is at least the second time the law has been challenged by a defense attorney. The first time was in Queens, and that attorney lost his motion, but Key said he's raising two additional matters not addressed by the previous attorney.

While he declined to elaborate on the differences, Key said the main issue he is challenging is the vague language of the statute.

"It's vague in meaning and unclear," Key said. "It’s unclear if our client had to know if the alleged victim was 65 years of age. That’s the real question here."

If there is a trial, jury selection will begin Aug. 20 in county court.

The July 16 hearing will also be the last opportunity for Simmons to accept any possible or potential plea offer. If no plea agreement is reached before Simmons leaves court July 16, she will either go to trial or have to accept an unconditional plea.

Jamie Call is living the dream. After 23 years as a volunteer with the Stafford Fire Department, Call now wears the uniform of the City of Batavia Fire Department.

Call, at 41, was the second oldest member of his Utica Fire Academy class, which graduated Friday.

Call's first day on his new job was Monday.

Yes, there aren't many 41-year-old rookies in full-time, paid fire departments, acknowledged Jim Maxwell, Batavia's chief, but Maxwell said age isn't a criteria in the hiring process.

"We were very impressed during the interview process," Maxwell said. "He did very well in the oral interviews.He did very well on the physical agility test we put everybody through.

"Age?," Maxwell added, "He’s the one who had to determine that. We’re not going to discriminate by age. He’s still young enough where he’ll get his years in and go through the state retirement system, so more power to him."

Call said becoming a full-time firefighter has been a lifelong dream, but something he didn't really get serious about until a year ago.

"The fire service has meant a lot over the years and coming here it means a lot more," Call said. "I like helping people and this is the perfect job to be in that situation."

Maxwell said Call's 23 years with Stafford will be an asset to the department in two ways. First, Call has acquired some leadership skills and Call might have some different ideas on how to do things that he's picked up from the neighboring department.

"I think we’ll benefit from some of that seasoned leadership on some of the younger candidates we’ve hired over the last year," Maxwell said.

"Because we’re such a small organization I encourage people to be able to think outside of the box," Maxwell added. "If he’s bringing a different perspective from 23 years at Stafford, bringing some of that thought process here, maybe do things differently or more efficiently, then we welcome it."

Call said his biggest concern at age 41 was getting through the physical aspects of testing and training, but he found he was able to handle it all just fine.

Maxwell said all city fire candidates must complete, as part of the application process, the same physical agility course that the state requires academy graduates. It's eight different stations that must be completed in 10 minutes 20 seconds.

"It’s physically challenging," Maxwell said. "I went through it after the candidates did last week and I was, ah, I was whipped.”

Candidates also interview with a panel of six people and are required to write two essays, one on integrity and one on work ethic.

The department is looking for leaders, Maxwell said, because firefighters aren't just responsible for the safety of the community and their colleagues, they are also ambassadors for the department.

"Even though we catch people at their worst time, we need to leave them feeling good about the service we provide to them," Maxwell said.

Currently, there are 12 more candidates competing for the next opening in the department, including several more local volunteers, Maxwell said.

Call said his family (pictured above in a photo supplied by Maxwell: wife Stephanie, daughter Samantha, and son Nicholas) has been proud and supportive of his career change. He suggested we take a look at a drawing his son placed on Call's Facebook wall (reposted below with permission) to see an example of the support he's gotten.

A possible fire is reported at 24 Maple Ave. in the Village of Oakfield. There are no flames showing, but smoke is coming from the basement. The caller says it may be electrical in nature. Oakfield Fire Department is responding. The power has been turned off. The location is between Gibson and Main streets.

UPDATE 12:18 p.m.: The firefighter says "We've got an electrical fire in the wall." A pumper and tanker from Elba are requested to the scene.

UPDATE 12:29 p.m.: A building inspector is called to the address.

UPDATE 12:32 p.m.: A rep from the Niagara-Mohawk power company is requested.

John A. Cabrera Jr., 22, with no permanent address, is charged with criminal mischief, petit larceny and conspiracy; Rosemary R. Waters, 26, with no permanent address, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property and conspiracy. Cabrera and Waters are accused of teaming up on a larceny at Tops Friendly Market at 7:30 p.m., Monday, when Cabrera allegedly used a rock to smash a window of a parked car and steal a purse from the front passenger seat.

Robert VanDyne, 30, of 46 South St., Le Roy, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and two counts of criminal mischief, 4th. VanDyne is accused of being involved in a domestic dispute early Sunday morning in which he allegedly grabbed a female's wrist and twisted a mobile phone out of her hand and then broke the phone, preventing the woman from calling 9-1-1.

Bradley Michael Crandall, 44, of Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or higher and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Crandall is accused of driving drunk in the Tops parking lot in Le Roy at 7:03 p.m., Tuesday, when he allegedly struck a parked vehicle and then moved his car to another parking space.

Two cars attempting to move aside for a southbound ambulance on Route 63 on Tuesday ended up bumping each other, sending one car off the roadway and into a sign post.

One person was slightly injured in the 10:58 a.m. accident.

Katelynn M. Hale, 19, of Stafford, was in the passing lane in the area of 5769 Ellicott St. Road, Bethany, when a Mercy EMS ambulance responding to an emergency call approached from behind.

Hale pulled to the right and collided with a car driven by Rita C. Vannorman, 25, of Arkport.

Vannorman was also attempting to pull over for the emergency vehicle. Her front right bumper hit Hale's back right bumper.

Hale complained of neck pain but did not require transport to a hospital.

No citations were issued.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Joseph Graff.

In the end, David Bellavia expressed more regret for his volunteers than he did for himself.

"I’m just exhausted," Bellavia said. "I’ve been walking so many miles and...so many doors...and I’m just trying to think in my head, what could I have done more, what could I have done, but at the end of the day, I’m just so sorry to all of these volunteers who gave me so much time and effort. I just feel really bad that I let them down."

The decorated Iraq War veteran thanked several of his volunteers by name during his concession speech at the Clarion Hotel in Batavia on Tuesday night. He then pledged his support to the Republican party and the effort to defeat President Barack Obama and Rep. Kathy Hochul in November.

"I spoke to Mr. Collins and I congratulated him on his victory," Bellavia told his supporters. "I’m telling you right now, we are going to lock shields as a party. We are going to stand in the trenches shoulder to shoulder."

After a campaign in which Bellavia characterized Collins as a "country club Republican" who was out of touch with the rural voters of the GLOW counties, the natural question for Bellavia after his speech: Did you just pledge to stand behind Collins?

His answer, "We’re going to talk. I stand behind the party and the process. I don’t make any excuse for whether it’s perfect today. We lost. I have kids and it’s important that they understand that you have honor when you win and you have honor when you lose. I have no excuses. I’m a Republican. I want to see Republicans win. Chris and I will talk in the future and we’ll move forward."

If Bellavia backs Collins, it's unclear if many of his GLOW supporters will follow.

But at the Clarion on Tuesday night, one of Bellavia's volunteers clearly said she won't vote for Collins in November.

Michelle McCulloch believes Collins was at least tangentially responsible for losing her staff position with State Senator Michael Ranzenhofer.

"You’re asking a person who lost her job because Chris Collins didn’t want me helping someone else in the race," McCulloch said. "I have never tried to work against my party, but I have no use for Mr. Collins. I know what he is and he knows what he is. He will never have my vote or my family’s vote."

Asked if she would help Hochul's campaign, McCulloch said, "I’ll see how things play out. I guess I’ll listen to Kathy Hochul and see what she has to say and go from there."

McCulloch was among the volunteers Bellavia singled out for thanks during his concession speech.

"Michelle McCullough has sacrificed so very much for me and on the side of honor, principle and integrity," Bellavia said. "Your family is beautiful. Your husband is an outstanding man. I’m so sorry for what you’ve had to endure and we’re going to make it right."

Collins will now face Hochul, who won her seat in a special election in May 2011 in which she attacked Collins ally Jane Corwin for her support of the Paul Ryan Budget Plan. Within an hour of Collins declaring victory on Tuesday, the Hochul campaign sent out a press release attacking Collins on the same topic.

Statement from Campaign Manager Frank Thomas:

"Chris Collins has made it a hallmark of his campaign to avoid taking positions on key issues. But one thing is clear, Mr. Collins supports Paul Ryan's budget; a plan that turns Medicare into a voucher program and makes seniors pay $6,400 more for their Medicare benefits to fund tax cuts for multimillionaires. He has even has said that it does not go far enough.

“It is time that Chris Collins comes clean with voters about his plans to take the Ryan’s budget further. What more could he do on top of decimating Medicare and protecting the super rich? We hope that now that he is the nominee he is willing to answer questions on the issues that matter most to the people of the 27th district.”

Previously: Collins landslide in Erie County sinks Bellavia in NY-27 GOP primary

PHOTO: Bellavia during his concession speech with his wife, Deanna, his children and parents (not pictured, his brother, Rand).

I imagine that by this point, anybody who cares knows that Chris Collins defeated David Bellavia in the NY-27 GOP primary. I spent the evening with the Bellavia camp at the Clarion Hotel in Batavia. I'll have pictures and quotes later.

Meanwhile, here are the available results:

With 98 percent of the precincts reporting, it's Collins 10,124 votes (60 percent) to 6,720.

Erie County dictated the outcome of the race, with Collins winning 5,889 votes to 2,094. Bellavia won every other county except Niagara.

Bellavia took Genesee County 1,105 to 683.

Wyoming County hasn't reported yet, but in Orleans and Livingston, it was Bellavia 758 to 389 and 854 to 679.

In the section of the district that covers Monroe and Ontario counties, it was Bellavia 1,048 to 586.

UPDATE: Wyoming County, Bellavia 734 to 623.

Genesee County's top cop, Sheriff Gary Maha, said Batavia's new chief of police, Shawn Heubusch, should be given a chance to show what he can do before being criticized publicly.

Heubusch has been on the job for only about a week and City Council President Tim Buckley, a retired city police officer, publicly questioned Heubusch's qualifications. Today, however, Buckley struck a different tone.

"I wish the chief the best of luck in the world and I hope he's successful," Buckley said. "That's from the bottom of my heart."

Maha had a part in the interview process and said he certainly welcomes Heubusch to the local law enforcement community and has pledged his assistance to Heubusch whenever he requests it.

"Chief Heubusch was on the Police Chief Civil Service eligible list so he is certainly qualified in that sense," Maha said in a written statement. "I say give the guy a chance and don't criticize him right from the beginning as the new Police Chief."

Buckley said, "Well, I guess that was directed at me and I think it's a fair statement."

"I may have spoken too quickly," Buckley added. "I might have more emotion about it than anything, having been in the department for 23 years."

There were three people in the department Buckley said he thought were qualified to do the job, but reiterated that he wishes the best for Heubusch.

Sources say Buckley's initial remarks were discussed in a closed door session among city council members on Monday night.

After the meeting, council members Jim Russell and Patti Pacino said Heubusch was vetted by a "highly qualified" selection committee and they support City Manager Jason Molino's decision.

"We told him to go pick someone," Russell said. "He went and picked someone, so now it’s not time to say, ‘no not that one.’ He did what he was supposed to do.  I really don’t have a problem with it."

Pacino said she believed the majority of the council feels the same way.

Councilman Kris Doeringer was unable to attend Monday's meeting and wasn't part of the closed door discussion, but he agreed that hiring Heubusch was Molino's decision and he backed it.

"Past councils voted to let Jason hire the chief," Doeringer said. "I have my confidence in him that he's hiring the right person. I don't see any problem with his hire at all, so I'm more on the side of supporting Jason and that he hired the right person."

The hiring process for chief of police is governed both by New York's civil service law and the city charter. Candidates must be qualified -- which includes taking an exam and having prior experience at a supervisory level -- and under the city charter, the final decision rests with the city manager.

As part of this process, Molino created an interview committee, which consisted of some city staff members and local community leaders, such as Maha, Bank of Castile CEO Jim Fulmer and business educator Barb Shine.

The interview committee is not required either under civil service law nor the city's charter.

Each candidate was given a phone interview and those that made it to the next round were interviewed in person, then they were brought in to see how they react to various scenarios. The candidates had 15 minutes to review a scenario and then answer a series of questions.

The candidates who continued through the process were then given a series of lengthy written scenarios and allowed 48 hours to submit written responses.

After the interview process, the interview committee took several hours over several meetings to review the candidates. 

He said Heubusch was a "consensus pick."

"It's not just me making a decision in a vacuum," Molino said. "It's a thorough review process."

Molino said he's confident about the committee's selection.

"I think Chief Heubusch is an excellent leader with great character and I look forward to working with him during these exciting times," Molino said.

Monday was Heubusch's first chance to meet city council members and members of the local media. After the meeting he chatted with reporters and said he was excited by the opportunity to serve Batavia.

"It’s a great city," Heubusch said. "The department has great resources, mainly the men. They’re the best resource the department has."

Heubusch comes from a family with deep roots in Wyoming County, where he was raised and graduated from high school (Warsaw) in 1993.

He said he knows Genesee County well because as his family was growing up, Batavia was the place to shop and do things.

"This is where we traveled to do our business," Heubusch said.

In 1997, he graduated from Rural Police Training Institute at Genesee Community College and soon after went to work for the Village of Warsaw PD for seven years before being promoted to assistant chief in 2004.

With the new job, Heubusch, who has three children ages 20, 10 and 7, saw his base salary jump from more than $55,000 in Warsaw to $70,000 in Batavia.

When asked about Buckley's comments questioning his qualifications, Heubusch said, "I don’t have any comment on this issue. This is a matter for the council to take up."

Asked if he was qualified, he said of course he is qualified.

"I wouldn’t have applied for the position if I didn't think I was qualified," he said.

Councilman Jim Russell said the best way for all of us to find out if he's qualified is to see how he does on the job.

Russell said if it was him coming into a new position under these circumstances, he would want to prove his critics wrong.

"This is an opportunity to see his character," Russell said.

"The people are going to have to make their own decisions and how they feel about the new chief by what he does," Russell added. "I think I don’t want to influence that one way or the other. I want them to see if he’s a good chief, and we’ll know it. If he’s a bad chief, we’ll know that, too."

Medics are responding to aid a man who received a laceration in a fight at 7614 Oak Orchard Road in Elba. When the call came in, the dispatcher said the altercation "sounds very violent." Law enforcement is on scene. Elba Fire Department is also responding.

UPDATE 2:32 p.m.: The man is being taken to UMMC with several cuts on his right arm. Elba is back in service.