City fire is responding to 142 Pearl St., Batavia, for a report of smoke coming from a dryer.

UPDATE: Faulty machine. City fire back in service.

View Larger Map

New York Times: Pentagon Is Set to Lift Combat Ban for Women

One of the four men arrested together in connection with a pair of burglaries over the summer in Pavilion appeared in Genesee County Court today and received the stiffest sentence of all.

John H. O'Shea, 20, of Wolcott Street, Le Roy, was given consecutive 3 1/2 to 7 year prison terms. He must also pay his part of more than $53,000 in restitution to his victims.

On Nov. 28, O'Shea plead guilty to burglary, 3rd, and grand larceny, 4th.

He had been charged with two counts of burglary, 2nd, and grand larceny, 4th, in connection with the May 21 Pavilion robbery. He had also been charged with burglary and grand larceny for a break-in in Le Roy.

O'Shea was first arrested in July and faced a charge for falsely reporting an incident for reporting a burglary in which he said jewelry and marijuana were stolen.

His Nov. 28th plea satisfied all pending charges.

The Pavilion homeowners spoke in court today about how the nighttime robbery devastated them.

O'Shea and partners Dylan J. Hawkins, 20, of Morrow Road, Pavilion, and Anthony J. Gonzales, 20, of Myrtle Street, Le Roy, reportedly got away with more than $51,000 in cash and more than $21,000 in securities.

"This crime greatly altered our financial future," one of the victims from Pavilion told Judge Robert C. Noonan. "We would like Mr. O'Shea to know that it took a lot of hard work by my husband over many, many years to earn that money and save that money. Why did Mr. O'Shea think he could just come in and take it?"

The victim pleaded with O'Shea to reveal where the money is hidden.

While O'Shea has reportedly admitted to spending $6,000 of the money on cocaine; he doesn't know what happened to the rest, according to his attorney, Thomas Burns.

Hawkins and Gonzales have both pled guilty to attempted burglary. Hawkins was sentenced to five years in prison and three years probation. Gonzales received six months in jail and five years probation.

Joshua M. Bratcher, 22, of Lake Street, Le Roy, who was initially charged with burglary, 2nd, and grand larceny, 4th, for his part in a May 18 break-in of the Pavilion residence, entered a guilty plea in Pavilion Town Court to petit larceny. He has not yet been sentenced.

Assistant District Attorney Kevin Finnell argued for the maximum sentence under the plea deal. He said O'Shea received a substantial break in getting his plea reduced from a violent felony -- second-degree burglary -- to a nonviolent third-degree burglary.

O'Shea has a prior violent felony conviction in South Carolina for robbery with a deadly weapon.

"I don't know that I've ever seen in a PSI (pre-sentence report by the Probation Department) before what I saw in this PSI," Finnell said. "It says, quite correctly, I think, that he is a menace to society."

Noonan told O'Shea that he has a criminal record that shows he's a violent felon and while he got a break with the plea bargain, Noonan intended to put him away for as long as possible.

Noting that if his victims had awakened in the middle of the night during his Pavilion robbery, the scene could have turned violent, if not deadly (there were guns in the house), and that was a very scary situation for the victims, Noonan said he was just glad the victims didn't wake up.

"I'm going to make sure nobody sees you in their house in the middle of the night for a good long time," Noonan said.

Grease Lightning at 4003 West Main Street Road in Batavia and its sister location, Castrol Premium Lube at 50 Liberty St., have a great offer for not only you but for a friend or family member.

Come in for fast, friendly service with no hassles whether it's oil changes or full repair right now and get a conventional oil change for just $24.95 (5 qt. limit) when you either mention The Batavian or you can get 2 coupons for the offer by clicking the above banner and printing it from their Web site. Keep a coupon for yourself and give one to a friend.

Owner/Operator Scott Levensailor wants everyone in town to come by and know they'll be treated friendly, fairly and with no tricks.

Here's the link to the Web page with the coupons: https://www.mygreaselightning.com/article.cfm Page=Articles&ArticleNumber=15

Open Letter:

There has been much misinformation and confusion regarding Genesee ARC and the city’s Trash and Recycling Request for Bids. I am writing to clarify the process from the ARC perspective. The city administration also has information, a perspective, and opinion on this issue. I am speaking on behalf of Genesee ARC to answer some of the many questions that have been posed to me and on the various sites in social media, The Batavian, and The Daily News.

I’d like to preface this letter with the fact that we are a nonprofit organization and we are mission driven, as we should be. Our decisions in every aspect of the work we do are predicated upon doing what is best for the individuals we serve. We have a highly dedicated staff who understand that this is our purpose: “to support people with disabilities, in partnership with their families and the community.  ... and nurture their social, spiritual, physical and emotional growth.”

Genesee ARC began discussions regarding contract renewal with the city administration last summer. The city administration presented a number of new options that they wanted to transition to, including the cart system. This program was something we were asked not to share and we didn’t share, at their request. We voiced our concerns about this change because it would eliminate a number of jobs for the people we support. If we are not providing jobs for people with disabilities we are not following our mission. We also discussed single-stream recycling which would be difficult for us to implement but felt we would need to do if we were to proceed with the contract. We were asked for much information including the financial reports of the program. We complied with the city administration’s request as they said they were entitled to such as they held the contract.

We also discussed that this contract fell under the NYS Finance Law Article XI, Section 161 & 162 4(b)(i), which governs Preferred Source Vendors and Municipalities in NYS. A municipality must work with a Preferred Source Vendor if there is a vendor who can provide the service or commodity. The vendor must provide the service in the “form, function, and utility" as prescribed by the municipality. This is an important point that plays a significant role in the current discussion.

Genesee ARC did share some of our financial information regarding this service with the city administration so that we could develop a program that would fit the city’s needs and requests. After that submission we did not meet again even though we requested additional meetings with the director of Public Works.

On November 6, 2012, NYSID, the organization that facilitates the Preferred Source contracts and Genesee ARC received a request for bid from the City of Batavia. At that time we had 10 days to respond with a letter of intent as required in Section 162 referenced earlier. NYSID did respond on our behalf as required within the required timeframe. A meeting was requested by Genesee ARC and NYSID with city administration which they accommodated on November 14th at which time the city advised that they considered our letter to be insufficient. Subsequently, a second letter was submitted which clearly stated that we would fulfill the contract following the “form, function, and utility.” The city manager asked at the end of our meeting if we (Genesee ARC) could fulfill the contract in “form, function, and utility” and my final answer was “Yes." Subsequently, the city administration claimed we were non-responsive, in spite of the letter from NYSID and my in-person verbal response to the contrary.

On November 29th we received a response from the city administration that they did not recognize our request as a Preferred Source Vendor and had determined that we would not be able to meet the “form, function, and utility” of the request based on previous conversations with Genesee ARC. On that same day, the Request for Bid was submitted to all public bidders and posted on the city’s Web site. Of course we were eligible to submit a bid as well.

We considered filing an Article 78 motion to force recognition of our status but determined that it would not likely be of benefit.

At that time we were determined to participate and compete in the bid process to the best of our ability and try to maintain as many jobs for the people we support as possible.

The public should understand that the tote/cart system was a part of the city's request and unless ARC complied with the critical components of the proposal we could not participate at all. The city does have the right to propose such a program, if the residents disagree with this recommendation they should appeal to their council representatives. The bidders all had access to the provisions of the RFB and needed to submit a proposal that met the requirements or be disqualified.

Genesee ARC followed all the requirements. We consulted with regional experts in the field and submitted what we felt was a competitive bid and one that keep a majority of the people who currently work on the contract employed.

The city requested automated and semi-automated service. The purchase of all new equipment was not within our budget. We could however retrofit two of our trucks and retain the recycling pick up. We were able to work with a company from Chili which would be able to fulfill the trash collection and disposal portion of the contract. Again, this helped us retain jobs for most of the people with disabilities, who were employed on this contract.

We went head-to-head in the competitive marketplace as many have felt should have happened for many years, in spite of our Preferred Source Vendor status as written in NYS law. Although I believe we gave it our best effort, we were competing against national companies who bring all of their considerable resources to the table with them. I liken this to a Big Box store competing against a homegrown Mom-and-Pop grocery mart. The financial position of the bigger companies is hard to overcome.

We provided value-added components that we thought were worthy of consideration, as well as the knowledge that dollars spent with ARC are reinvested locally.

The final decision will be up to the council members. We will accept their decision but hope that they review all proposals fully before rendering that final decision.

There have been a number of questions regarding the financial statements and charts that were in the city manager’s presentation of January 14, 2013. I would ask that the charts from pages 7 and 9 be looked at carefully. The presentation indicates that current city costs are approximately $1,016,034. That may be true, but ARC has been paid only $811,000 for the fifth year of the contract, it was lower each of the previous four years. In fact, this final year of the contract is lower than the contract of 2007, which was $870,707. This shows that the payment to Genesee ARC has decreased over the past five years. The difference between what ARC is paid and the annual cost of the contract could be attributed to the rate that the city negotiated with its vendor for disposal. We do not receive any reimbursement for that portion of the contract. As for the five-year prediction, the city manager will need to provide an explanation for such a dramatic increase as over the past five years ARC has only experienced an average increase in revenue of 2 percent.

Also in clarification to concerns about prevailing wages: Genesee ARC has always paid prevailing wages for any municipal, government or any other contract that has required it, including the contract with the City of Batavia. ARC employees also receive a full benefit package to include health insurance if they so choose.

Regarding wages for other people who work within our vocational program, they receive compensation at various levels that fall within our Special Wage Certificate as granted by the Federal Department of Labor. These wages are carefully monitored not only by DOL but also OPWDD (Office of People with Developmental Disabilities) and NYS DOL.

People who experience disabilities have the highest level of unemployment in the U.S. at approximately 14.4 percent based on the U.S. National Bureau of Statistics. That rises to almost 70 percent for someone with a developmental disability. One of our major initiatives is to access employment in the community for the people we support. This is not an easy task. There are several local companies who have been very supportive of these efforts yet we continue to have many people who remained unemployed or underemployed. Our ultimate goal would be to be able to close our work center because the people we support are employed in the community.

We would be happy to work with any company, agency, or local government entity that would be interested in learning more about providing employment opportunities for the people we serve at Genesee ARC.

In closing, this is a very complex topic. The depth of this issue and implications for all parties involved cannot be summarized in a two-minute interview with a news outlet or conveyed in the back-and-forth of an online news site. The financial implications for the city are significant, as are the impacts to the residents of the city. For those who seek more in-depth information regarding the proposals you can ask to see them at city hall. You can also review the new ordinance that will govern this process. Also you should attend every council meeting and utilize the opportunity they provide to you to express your thoughts and opinions.

Genesee ARC will continue to provide services to the people with developmental disabilities in Genesee County. The loss of this contract will have implications for everyone who works on the contract and our community as well. In the end, whatever the outcome, we will continue to provide whatever supports we can to everyone we serve. It is our mission and this drives our actions and our future endeavors.

Respectfully and proudly submitted,

Donna Saskowski
Executive Director
Genesee ARC

A fact has become clear to me: The State of New York no longer exists. What we have today is a polity that is, in effect, the City of New York and its possessions.

The passage of the “SAFE” Act is a clear message to the residents of the possessions of the City of New York that our interests and lifestyle are no longer relevant to the politicians of the State of New York. The passage of this bill is the legislative equivalent of rape. It was passed suddenly and without our consent. Our interests and concerns, as well as our rights, were secondary to the whims and desires of the City of New York.

I am sure that there are state-level politicians who are absolutely befuddled by the fact that they are required to vote on farm issues since they have never seen a farm in the Bronx. I would not be surprised if the legislature of the State of the City of New York voted for a car tax that required New Yorkers to pay 100% of the value of their automobile each year since, in reality, a car is a luxury. You can always take the subway or a bus to wherever your going, after all. The cultural gap between the City and the State of New York is as vast as the gap between Washington, D.C., and America.

In a perfect world, the residents of the State of New York would have the right, and ability, to divorce themselves from the political overreaching of the City of New York. In the real world, we are stuck with its mandates and its world-view. I have had a recurring dream: I stand at the Rockland County line with a huge saw. I cut, and I cut. Eventually, NYC and Long Island are cut free and I push them out to sea. I wish them good luck in their journeys, but I do not miss them.

Back in the land of the awake, we have to deal with the costs of this NYC control to the people of the possessions of the City of New York. Unfunded mandates, regulations and laws, passed to solve NYC and NYC suburban county problems, but having statewide effect and statewide costs, have built upon and compounded on themselves. These costs are bringing our local governments to the brink of bankruptcy. The State Senate is controlled now by the politicians of the City of New York, regardless of the fig leaf of a few Democrats caucusing with the Republicans to form a “Republican” majority. The situation will continue to worsen and the costs to rise.

I can dream of the counties of Western New York declaring their separation and forming their own polity to free themselves from the tyranny of the City of New York, but this will not happen. It would create a new entity that would potentially result in a new state that would bring with it two new U.S. Senators who would inevitably be Republican. The City of New York would never stomach that, let alone the party of which it is a wholly owned subsidiary.

Alternatively, perhaps the border counties, and their neighbors, could petition Pennsylvania for admission to the Commonwealth. That will not be allowed for very much the same reason. It would tip the balance of power in Pennsylvania in favor of the Republicans. That would never be allowed.

What I suspect will continue to happen, though, is that former citizens of what was, once, the Empire State will continue to make their homes in Free States in the South and West of the United States of America in increasing numbers as the oppression of the City of New York continues. With lower taxes, and better employment prospects than are available in the possessions of the City of New York, it is a no-brainer to flee. Good luck paying your ever-increasing bills with an ever-increasing out-migration of taxpayers, State of the City of New York.

A driver may have been going to fast for conditions at 8 p.m., Tuesday, when she apparently lost control of her car on Ledge Road in Alabama, causing a minor injury accident.

Cited for allegedly driving at a speed not reasonable or prudent was 20-year-old Jessica Metzler, of Portland.

Metzler was southbound on Reuben Road when she lost control of a 2010 Chevy sedan owned by Lauren Reinhardt, of Farmington. She drove off the left shoulder of Ledge Road, came back onto the roadway, drove off the south shoulder again, went back onto the roadway and into the westbound lane of Ledge Road and exited the north shoulder, hitting a sign post and then a large rock.

Reinhardt, 22, suffered a minor injury but did not require transportation to a hospital.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Tim Wescott.

Police accident report sketch.

Nathan Puls is 3 years old, and local haircutting salon Great Kutz is celebrating its third year in business. As a matter of coincidence, Nathan helped Great Kutz achieve another milestone this week by becoming the 1,000th customer to receive a free haircut. At Great Kutz, every seventh haircut is free. Nathan is pictured with his father, John. Maren Slane cut Nathan's hair.

Photo and information submitted by Great Kutz.

Carrie G. Blunt, 20, of 339 Hudson St., Syracuse, is charged with petit larceny. Blunt is accused of shoplifting $40 in merchandise from a business in the Tops Plaza.

Andrew A. Crimes, 40, of 627 E. Main St., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt and aggravated harassment, 2nd. Crimes is accused of contacting a person several times whom he had been ordered not to contact over a six-hour period. Crimes was jailed pending his next court appearance.

Earlier this month I posted a notice that we're changing services for selling photos. At the end of this month, photo sales through the old service will no longer be available and because of the massive amount of work involved, I won't be transferring those three years worth of photos from one server to the other.

To ensure everybody has one last chance to buy prints of photos of events we covered in the past three years, I've greatly reduced the prices on the old service.

To view the photos and make print purchases, click here.

Event photos and slideshows created since early December were put on howardowensphotography.com and can be accessed by clicking here. The prices for these prints represent the new pricing structure and we've gotten nothing but positive feedback from people who have made purchases through the new service.

Given the backdrop of a proposed city budget that reduces local property taxes by 14.58 percent, various department heads sat before the Batavia City Council tonight and explained some of their funding needs.

The annual budget work session gives council members a chance to understand how taxpayer money will be spent and to ask questions, and even challenge, some of the budgeting decisions.

The discussion comes a week after City Manager Jason Molino presented the council with a proposed budget that reduces spending from a 2012 total of $15.8 million to $15.2 million for 2013.

Most of the savings comes from a proposal to change the way garbage is collected in the city.

For the past three decades, Genesee ARC has picked up residential garbage and recycling, with residents leaving their household waste by the curb in bags, cans and boxes.

The proposed new system would give each city residential property -- and some businesses -- at least two totes for refuse and recycling that could be collected by trucks fitted to dump the cans automatically.

According to Molino's budget, this would save -- especially if Allied/Republic is selected over Genesee ARC as the vendor for the new service -- some $218,000 in the first year.

That's a 21-percent reduction in expenses over what it would take to keep things as they are.

The city's tax rate would go down from $10.71 per $1,000 of assessed value to $9.15.

The tax rate could conceivably go down even more, but the city is faced with a nearly $300,000 increase -- mandated, non-negotiable -- in pension costs.

For the third year in a row, the assessed value of city property has not increased.

With that backdrop, here are some key points from tonight's discussion:

• The city could receive $250,000 in revenue from Batavia Downs from video lottery terminals. The VTL revenue is never a sure thing because Albany sometimes decides not to release the funds. But if it comes through, half of the money would go to the revolving loan fund of the Batavia Development Corp. If that happens, the redevelopment coordinator job currently held by Julie Pacatte could be retained for another two years. Economic growth and new jobs are critical to growing Batavia's tax base, Molino said. About $30,000 would be used to recapitalize the revolving loan fund. The city would also continue its $10,000 annual contribution to fund the position. If the city doesn't receive the funds, the city council will need to make a decision about what do to with the economic development coordinator position. In response to questions from council members, Molino said the position is necessary because the Genesee County Economic Development Center is not focused on redevelopment, or "brown field" development -- the kind of economic development a built-out city needs. Rather, GCEDC is focused on "green field" projects such as the agri-business park and STAMP. That lack of focus on the city means if that the city is going to pursue business develoment, Molino said, it needs a person dedicated to that task.
• This spring and summer, look for a community garden at the youth center near Batavia High School. Nearby residents will be able to have plots to grow vegetibles for $15 to $35 per plot.
• In response to questions from council members: The city expects to pay $28 million on debt currently accured, including principle and interest, from 2008 to 2043. Molina said he will need to look up what the actual principle owed is on the city's debt.
• Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian raised the issue again of privatizing Falleti Ice Arena. "When are we going to get serious about letting somebody else take it over," Christian said. Molino said that while it's not certain, city staff believes if the city were to sell the arena, the proceeds would need to be spent on building a similar facility, under terms of a grant secured 30 years ago by then-Rep. Barber Conable.
• The Department of Public Works needs to spend $377,000 from its equipment reserve fund to replace aging trucks, including a loader, a single-axel dump truck and plow and two one-ton dump trucks.
• The city will spend $75,000 from the sidewalk reserve to replace some 12,000 feet of sidewalk, including walkways on Hutchins Street, Cedar Street, Tracy Avenue and Richmond Avenue.
• Council members asked why residents don't help pay for sidewalk replacement. Molino said sidewalks are legally the resident's responsibility. Councilman Jim Russell pointed out that at one time the city had a program whereby residents would share the cost of replacing sidewalks. Molino said city staff could research alternative programs. Such a program, Russell pointed out, could mean twice the amount of sidewalks could be replaced each year. Christian said she remembers when the city did that and it was no big deal to have the cost of a new sidewalk in front of your house tacked onto your tax bill. Molino said such an approach is popular across the country.
• Matt Worth, superintendent of water and sewer, said the city will need to hire a consultant this year to come up with a plan and a budget for removing sediment from one of the wastewater facility's treatment ponds. The actual clean-up work won't occur until 2014. The last time this was done the bill was $600,000, but the pond in rotation for clean up now doesn't have the filtration devices that the previous pond did, so the cost should be less. There is a build up of phosphorus in the pond. Phosphorus must be removed before the wastewater is introduced into the Tonawanda Creek, because it causes algae to grow, which isn't good for aquatic life.  Worth said he remembers when he was a child how Lake Ontario would have a lot of foam on it. That was from phosphorous being dumped into the water stream (such as from laundry detergent).  Worth said if the city doesn't clean the pond, the Department of Environmental Conservation will come down hard on the city. The clean up is mandated by the Clean Water Act. This is a once-every-22-years requirement for this pond.
• The city fire department is currently down five firefighters and by the middle of summer it will be short eight firefighters due to retirement. New firefighters won't graduate from the academy until August. By the end of 2013, city fire should be fully staffed.
• The department is hiring an already-trained firefighter, in his first year on the job, from Canandaigua. The Canandaigua department is reducing staffing. The new firefighter will be required to move to Genesee County, though not necessarily into the city. Questioned by Christian, Fire Chief Jim Maxwell, who started his job more than a year ago, said he has relocated his family to Genesee County.  (After the meeting Molino said that reducing the number of firefighters in the city fire department will be a topic of negotiation with the union during upcoming contract talks.)
• Because of the shortage of firefighters following a spate of retirements, the city is expected to incure $220,000 in overtime expense in the department in 2013.
• Batavia PD faces a similar personnel shortage early in the year with the anticipated retirement (due to a forced restructuring of the department) of three lieutenants. A sergeant is also expected to retire. The city plans to replace the lieutenant positions with two new patrol officers and a sergeant. The department will also create a deputy chief position that will oversee road patrol. There are currently two vacant positions in the department and new officers aren't expected to start arriving until late summer.
• Staff shortages will mean an anticipated $220,000 in overtime expense for the police department.
• The city will also acquire a new patrol vehicle and a new supervisor's SUV at a cost of $55,000.
• Council President Tim Buckley questioned the need for five new Tasers at an expense of $5,200. Molino and Police Chief Shawn Heubusch explained that all new officers will be Taser-certified, which isn't necessarily the case with veteran officers. The use of Tasers and other non-lethal means to subdue suspects helps reduce the city's liability costs, Molino said.
• Heubusch said his former department, in Warsaw, had officers wear body cameras -- these attach to an officer's uniform and are activated when they are out of a patrol car and dealing with an incident. He said prosecutors love them because they record everything that an officer sees and everything that is said by the officer and a suspect. The city will purchase three such devices as a trial for using them in Batavia. Cost: $1,500.
• Batavia PD will try bicycle patrols for the first time in 2013. Cost: $1,500. This covers the bicycles, safety equipment and training. Heubusch said bicycle patrols will help the city enhance its community policing program.
• A public hearing on the budget, as well as a slight water rate increase and the new proposed refuse program will be Feb. 11.

Press release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley:

The governor’s Executive Budget proposal set the stage for weeks of public review and compromise with many details yet to be worked out. The governor’s proposal fails to address the pressing need for mandate relief and a more equitable school aid formula. Through my position on the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, I will make these issues and all of our local concerns a focal point of the legislature’s revisions to this spending plan.

A car vs. deer accident is reported at 9295 Alexander Road, near the intersection with Pike Road. The driver and her young children are apparently not injured but do require evaluation. Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding along with Mercy Medic #1.

UPDATE 6:38 p.m.: Responders report the deer has been dispatched. It is blocking one of the responder's trucks. There are a couple of sign-offs. Town of Batavia is told to return to service.

Last year, Robert Morris Elementary Student Council members spearheaded a collection of school supplies for the Father Oryang Memorial Primary School in Africa.

The effort was inspired by a visit from Moses Owiny, a community worker from Uganda, who came to Batavia as part of a global internship program. The beneficiary school was attended by Owiny as a child.

At the invitation of Diane Bonarigo, principal of the now-closed Robert Morris Elementary School, Owiny met with Robert Morris students and shared stories about his life in Uganda. This helped students understand the vast differences in education as well as in poverty.

Afterward, student council members decided to collect supplies for the rural school that serves approximately 1,300 students. While Robert Morris started the project, student council members at Jackson, John Kennedy, and Batavia Middle School quickly jumped in to lend support to donate items as well as money toward shipping costs.

By the time all the pens, pencils, glue sticks, erasers, rulers, colored pencils, crayons, markers, paper, and tape were collected, students had enough to fill 19 boxes -- 11 of which went to Uganda and eight to a school in the Dominican Republic where elementary music teacher Jeffrey Langdon’s daughter is a teacher.

Students packed the boxes, with help from Barb and Jim Rumsey who also transported everything to the post office.

Students were thrilled to see their bounty arrive in Uganda, courtesy of Facebook pictures posted by Owiny and shared here.

December job numbers are out and Genesee County once again saw an increase in the number of jobs in the county year-over-year, but also an uptick in the unemployment rate.

There were 29,000 jobs in Genesee County for December, according to Labor Department figures released today, which is 400 more than December 2011, but 300 fewer than were counted in November 2012.

The unemployment rate year-over-year went from 8 percent to 8.2 percent, and jumped from November 2012 when it was 7.4 percent.

Orleans County continues to lead the GLOW region in unemployment, with a 10.9 percent jobless figure, compared to 8.0 for Livingston and 9.5 for Wyoming counties.

The U.S. unemployment rate for December was 7.6 percent, up from 7.4 percent in November 2012, but lower than the 8.3 percent of December 2011.

New York's unemployment rate grew two-tenths of a percent, year-over-year, from 8 percent to 8.2 percent and it's up from November 2011 when it was 7.9 percent.

United Memorial Medical Center will offer important health screenings for FREE to uninsured Genesee County residents between the ages of 40 and 64 on Saturday, Feb. 2.

They will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jerome Center, located at 16 Bank St. in Batavia, and include blood sugar testing, total cholesterol and take home colorectal cancer screening kits. Healthcare providers will also provide free mammograms, pap smears and clinical breast exams for women.

Please call United Memorial’s Healthy Living Department to schedule an appointment at 344-5331. Light refreshments, health information and free giveaways will also be available at the event.

This event is planned by the Cancer Services Partnership of Genesee and Orleans counties, through a state grant administered by United Memorial.

Press release:

Last year, the Pembroke High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team raised $4,000 to benefit America's first cancer center, the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Downtown Buffalo, which was established in 1898. The money went toward breast cancer research.

On Thursday at 7 p.m., Pembroke will once again take to the court in a special Shooting for a Cure game. It will be played at Pembroke high against Holley.

“We hope to raise $5,000 this year and we plan on continuing Shooting for a Cure to raise more money in the future,” Coach Mike Wilson said. “So many people in our school and within the Pembroke community have been touched by breast cancer, it’s become overwhelming.

"That’s why it’s become important to our team to get involved and make a difference. We are definitely dedicated to helping Roswell find a cure.”

As with the first Shooting for a Cure fundraiser, a lineup of WNY merchants and individuals are generously supporting the cause. Donors include:

• The Buffalo Bisons (Buster Bison)
• Impressive Marks (pink team uniforms shirts, laces, socks and wristbands)
• Matt Steinberg (design game posters and programs)
• D & D Printing (posters and programs)
• Toshiba International Corporation
• Michael Moran/ACCO Brand Products (raffle donation),
• Alleghany Landscaping
• Next Generation Vending (water refreshments)
• Pizza Pantry (pizza)
• Kelsey Fenton (game night photography)
• aBc Consulting and Services (PR/Media Relations)
• and Jennifer Wilson (refreshments)

A half-time raffle will also take place with grand prizes generously donated by Bryan Wittman (four pack of Disney Theme Park passes), S&S Limousine (pink limousine rental) and Buttercrumbs Bakery ($100 gift certificate).

Admission to the game is $1 for adults and 50 cents for children and students under age 18.

The Pembroke High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team is nicknamed "The Dragons." Their motto is "Family-Hustle-Winning." The team has undertaken Shooting for a Cure as an annual event and they are committed to the hard work and dedication it will take to win the battle against breast cancer.

A 56-year-old Pembroke woman who admitted in October to possessing child pornography received a 10-year term of probation plus intermittent jail time.

Beverly Hensel told Judge Robert C. Noonan, "I feel like I've ruined the rest of my life."

Hensel reportedly downloaded six DVDs full of child pornography and gave the DVDs to James Little Jr.

Little, who met Hansel in 2008 in a Corfu bar, is serving a 15-year prison term for molesting a Batavia toddler and faces more time in prison after admitting in November to molesting another child.

In October Hensel, as part of a plea deal, admitted to possession of child sexual performance. The deal was for a maximum sentence of shock probation, which means an intermittent jail term and probation.

Noonan will conduct a hearing at a later date to determine Hensel's status as a registered sex offender.

Noonan told Hensel that he didn't agree that she ruined the rest of her life.

"What you did is uncharacteristic of how you lived your life for the 56 years prior to your arrival here last October," Noonan said. "Probation is meant to keep you on track so you don't revert to this behavior or any other criminal activity again."

Hensel vowed to comply with the terms of the probation agreement.

"I'll do anything I have to do to work with probation," Hensel said. "I've never been in trouble before, so I won't be too much of a hardship."

Charles Wayne Oshea, 35, of Clipnock Road, Bethany, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing and harassment, 2nd. Oshea is accused of grabbing a woman around the neck and forcing her to the ground during an argument. Oshea was jailed on $2,000 bail and an order of protection was issued.