Press release:
Please take notice that a workshop meeting will be conducted by the East Pembroke Fire District from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 5th at the East Pembroke Fire Hall, located at 2623 W. Main Road, East Pembroke.
Purpose of the meeting is 2018 Fire District Budget.
The dedication ceremony and open house for the Richard C. Call Arena and the Student Success Center at GCC will be at Thursday, Sept. 7, at Genesee Community College. Open house begins at 5, with the dedication ceremony commencing at 6, with a reception immediately following.
Press release:
The Dedication Ceremony of the Richard C. Call Arena is a special event to officially open the new 54,000 square foot facility that now houses many of Genesee Community College's physical education classrooms and coaches offices, a new Fitness Center, meeting rooms, a press box overlooking the Turf Field, and the 20,400-square-foot field house that can accommodate many different types of events-from sporting competitions to trade shows and community gatherings.
The Dedication Ceremony also honors and recognizes the many donors who contributed to the "Creating Our Future Together" capital campaign. (The event is by invitation only.) The Ceremony commences at 6 p.m. in the Richard C. Call Arena with a reception immediately following. GCC's new facilities, including the Student Success Center which was occupied in July, will be open for visitors to see before and after the ceremony.
In January 2015, Genesee Community College kicked off its "Creating Our Future Together" fundraising campaign with the goal to raise $5 million to support the construction of two new facilities at the College's Batavia Campus, and also to support student scholarships emphasizing outreach to students living near GCC's campus centers in Albion, Medina, Arcade, Warsaw, Dansville and Lima. By the end of 2016, "Creating Our Future Together" exceeded its goal and a total of $5.5 million was raised.
In May 2016, Genesee Community College's Board of Trustees formally dedicated the College's new event center in honor of longtime College supporter Richard C. Call, who was a member of the GCC Foundation Board from 2001 until his death in 2014. Mr. Call was a strong proponent of volunteerism and philanthropy, and also an advocate of a new event center at GCC. He recognized its potential economic impact on the overall region as well as its intrinsic value to the teaching and learning experience for students of all ages.
Over many decades, Mr. Call and his brother, Robert, built Call Farms into a highly innovative and nationally-known agricultural enterprise. Mr. Call's brother and their children continue to operate the farm. Not surprisingly, Mr. Call encouraged other agricultural leaders across the region to get behind the "Creating Our Future Together" campaign and collectively, they were instrumental in making the new Arena possible. Mr. Call was also a strong supporter of many community causes, and had a special interest in youth. In addition to his local volunteer commitments, he was well-known across the United States for his leadership in agricultural organizations and he served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University.
Press release:
All members of the public are invited to join for the 17th annual Genesee County Comprehensive Plan Steering Committees presentation to the Legislature. The presentation will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 11, at the Old Court House, 7 Main St., Batavia.
The Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee meets six times throughout the year, taking in feedback from more than 100 individuals from various levels of government, nonprofit agencies, business and industry, and interested citizens regarding the topics: Agriculture and Food Production; Community Wellness; Criminal Justice and Emergency Management; Economic and Workforce Development; Government Administration and Education; Housing Opportunity; Land Use, Environment, and Place-Making; Parks, Arts, Recreation and Culture; Technology and Utilities; and Transportation and Mobility.
The information gathered through this process is then reported to the legislative body to guide them in ongoing decision making and as they develop the next year’s County Budget.
Advance information may be obtained by contacting Derik Kane at the Genesee County Planning Department
County Building 2
3837 W. Main Street Road
Batavia, NY 14020
(585) 815-7901
A 33-year-old Vine Street resident has been arrested and accused of selling crack cocaine on at least two occasions to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force.
Quinton L. Spinks is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd.
He was arrested on a grand jury warrant Aug. 28.
He was jailed on $10,000 bail.
Press release:
On 09/02/2017 at approximately 11:41 a.m., the Batavia Police Department responded to an incident involving a knife where a subject had been cut in the upper arm. The injured subject was treated and released at the hospital. Police were able to locate and speak to all parties involved in the incident. Further police assistance was declined.
Summer has come and gone, but we have indoor volleyball to look forward to. The Batavia Volleyball League is an intermediate level indoor adult(18+) co-ed league. Games are played on Thursday nights at the Batavia Middle School. Get your team together and sign up today. Registration deadline is Sept. 12th or when all spots are filled. If interested, check us out on Facebook, stop by T-Shirts Etc. or email billing@myTshirtsEtc.com.
Amanda Lynn Abrams, 26, of Council House Road, Tonawanda Indian Reservation, is charged with criminal mischief, 3rd. The Sheriff's Office received a complaint at 5 p.m. Sunday of several broken windows, including broken windows on a vehicle, at a location on Sand Hill Road, Tonawanda Indian Reservation. Upon investigation, it's alleged that Abrams broke windows "with no reasonable grounds to believe she had such a right," damaging the property of another person.
Joseph A. Saraceni Jr., 21, of Linwood Avenue, Batavia, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, unlicensed driver, following too closely and failure to signal a turn. Saraceni was stopped at 9:45 a.m. Aug. 28 in Wyoming County after a trooper observed Saraceni allegedly following another vehicle too closely. When the trooper attempted to follow Saraceni, he made an abrupt turn reportedly without signaling. During the traffic stop, State Police say Saraceni presented an expired license. He provided a list of medications he was taking that included controlled substances. The trooper conducted a field sobriety test and he was processed at SP Warsaw by a drug recognition expert. He was issued an appearance ticket and turned over to Monroe County Sheriff's Office on an active probation warrant.
Bill Buckenmeyer won the Batavia Area Jaycees' Labor Day 5K race yesterday with a time of 18:11.
The female winner was Kimberly Mills with a time of 19:53.
The top walker was Gina Giese with a time of 36:13.
There were also winners in various age categories.
At the youngest level, 14 and under, the top male and top female were Kameron Kuszlyk (22:46) and Maya Ciocola (29:20).
In the over 60 category, Frank Gioia (21:24) and Janice Spiotta (26:12) had the best times.
For a complete list of participants and times, click here.
Some Batavia High School seniors have completed the design and painting of their parking spaces. Here are a few photos to share before the official full day of school starting this Thursday Sept. 7th.
Multiple fire companies have been dispatched to 9792 Ridge Road, Darien, for a house struck by lightning with smoke reported in the residence.
Darian fire was initially dispatched.
Mutual aid requested from Alexander, Town of Batavia, Corfu, East Pembroke, Indian Falls, and City Fire.
UPDATE 11:23 p.m.: City's fourth platoon requested to the station. Emergency management requested to the scene.
There is a severe thunderstorm warning in affect until 11:15 p.m. The storm is moving through the area at 60 mph. Wind gusts up to 60 mph possible. Damaging hail possible. Downed tree limbs and power lines possible.
A couple of City firefighters today had Ladder 15 in the parking lot of Yancey's Fancy on Evans Street to practice with one of the truck's unusual capabilities, lifting the front wheels off the ground.
Typically, if firefighters wanted to swing the bucket to the rear of the truck and lower it to the ground, the negative angle would only be 5 percent. With wheels up, the bucket can reach a negative angle of 20 percent.
That might come in handy if the bucket was needed, say, to rescue somebody from Tonawanda Creek, or down in a gully or any situation where the truck was being used on a slope and the bucket needed to be lowered to the ground. The old Ladder 15 didn't have a frame strong enough to handle this maneuver.
Have you picked your sweet or savory dish, yet? Join the Foodie Challenge fun presenting samples of your favorite flavors. Spirited Foodies will compete to WIN community bragging rights, FREE tuition to attend a restaurant ownership Boot Camp and $30,000 to open a restaurant on Main Street, Batavia.
For more information www.freshLabBatavia.com. Space is limited, register online today for just $25.
Proceeds benefit the Batavia Career & Technical Education Center Culinary Arts Club.
A two-car accident with a possible head injury is reported in the area of 93 W. Main St., Le Roy.
Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance dispatched.
A participant in the Oakfield Betterment Committee's annual Labor Day Parade fell off a horse and sustained a head injury. Oakfield fire responded along with Mercy medics. Mercy Flight was called and it just landed.
UPDATE 10:16 a.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne, en route to Strong Memorial Hospital.
UPDATE: A witness emailed: "The participant on the horse in the Labor Day parade did not sustain a head injury. She was stepping on her horse, slipped and fell on the ground and landed on her back and was taken by Mercy Flight as a precaution."
Gus Bertrand, a Le Roy resident, and woodworking hobbyist, said he isn't particularly a fan of "Game of Thrones," but his wife, Jen, is and when he needed an idea for an anniversary present for his wife, he hit upon the idea of making Adirondack chairs modeled after the iron throne on the popular HBO television series.
After he posted about his creation on a woodworking forum on Reddit, "Popular Woodworking Magazine" editors asked him to submit an article about his creations.
The Batavia Blue Devils rolled into Syracuse with the goal of shutting out Johnson City at the Carrier Dome to open the 2017 season. They rode out 37-0 victors.
"I felt really good about our defense," said lineman Anthony Ray. "Our defense is always good. We’ve just got kids who are physical and who can hit. One of our goals was to put up a giant goose egg, not let them have anything, have a shutout, so I think we completed that and that’s a good thing."
Batavia scored on the first play of its first possession when Ray Leach broke out for a 56-yard run to the goal line. The Mustangs then fumbled the kickoff giving Batavia good field position again. On Johnson's City's next possession, the snapper on a fourth-down punt attempt overshot his target resulting in a safety, extending Batavia's lead to 16-0.
That's how the day went for Johnson City. In the second half, when a Johnson City runner was about to cross the goal line, Taiyo Iburi-Bethel caught him from behind and punched the ball out of his hands, sending it out the back of the end zone for a touch back and giving Batavia the ball on the 20. After another long drive by the Mustangs, Chandler Baker snagged one of his two interceptions to deny Johnson City a score again.
"Coming in, we worked very hard in practice, just from the start, from the get-go," said Baker, who is also QB1. "We’ve been improving every single day, so coming in, I had confidence in my guys. I knew they were going to give 100 percent and that’s what they did and we came out with a win."
A win is a win, but Coach Branden Briggs, who expects his players to execute on every play, wasn't entirely satisfied.
"I'm hoping we’re not happy with a win here today, to be honest with you," Briggs said. "It’s good to get a win, but we’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got a lot of mistakes to clean up. I’m confident we can do that, but the kids must buy into that and we’ve got to get much, much better."
Both Baker and Ray said they see room for improvement.
"We did good, but we can always improve," Baker said. "Me personally, I've got to limit the interceptions. I can’t have that. Next week we’re going to have Aquinas and they’re going to be a battle. We’ve just got to work really hard in practice and we’ll be fine."
Ray said there are some tasks the defense needs to address, such as improving player discipline in staying in position and closing up holes up the middle.
The team was eager to play on the big stage of the Carrier Dome, said receiver Ethan Biscaro.
"We were very excited and we were ready," Biscaro said. "We put in enough preparation and practice and we knew if we came out and played like we do at practice that we could beat anyone."
Leach rushed for 256 yards on 19 carries and scored once. He said he was proud of the effort of his teammates.
"Our team did good," Leach said. "We all did our 1/11th and that’s all we needed to do to get the W. We knew we had to come out hard to stop them. Our goal coming into this year was get a shutout at the Carrier Dome. We put our heart into it."
Briggs said Leach also knows there are things he needs to work on to improve.
"He needs to hit that hole a little bit harder," Briggs said. "He can’t dance as much. He understands that. We’ve had that conversation."
These kinds of details will be important when the Blue Devils open their home season Friday against Aquinas, which may be their most daunting opponent of the season.
"It’s going to be a whole different animal next week," Briggs said. "The kids will understand that when they watch the film. Aquinas put up a great game against one of the great teams in AA football in section V. It’s going to be a true test of our character and a true test of where we really are as a benchmark."
Asked if the team came out a little flat in the second half, Briggs said, not flat, but dehydrated.
"They found out they need to get in better shape," Briggs said. "The need to get into conditioning a little more, get serious, take care of their bodies more outside of football."
Baker was 9-13 passing for 193 yards and two TDs.
Taiyo Iburi-Bethel had four receptions for 96 yards and a TD. Eric Davis had a single catch, but it was a big one -- a 30-yard TD.
Antwan Odom had eight tackles.
Photos by Steve Ognibene.
Top photo: Ray Leach on a run to score in opening seconds of the first drive to give Batavia an 8-0 lead.
Chandler Baker scores early in the game.
You may recall the episode in which that character, Georgie Santorelli (yes, the same last name), bought “Tone” a phone answering machine that featured a singing fish.
When a call came in, the fish flipped its tail, then swung its head around and “sang” the Talking Heads’ “Take Me to the River.”
At first, Tone is amused by “Big Mouth Billy Bass” -- a novelty bought at Rite Aid by his bartender.
But the modern don’s thoughts quickly turn dark and he instead hears mockery in the fake bucketmouth's tune. So he yanks it off the desk and stomps into the bar and beats Georgie savagely with it.
The actor Frank Santorelli is a rarity -- with bragging rights that the late actor James Gandolfini (AKA Tony Soprano) clocked him with a gag gift.
The native of Cleveland is also a gifted comedian and he will bring his act to Genesee County on Sunday, Oct. 8, in a special appearance at Capish! Brick Oven Pizza Ristorante in Le Roy. Doors open at 2 p.m., show starts at 3; tickets are $20 each, with a two-drink minimum and a limited menu available.
You can get a sense of his humor by watching one of his routines on You Tube. (Like this one here. (Warning: Not Work Safe; adult material.))
He tells about his horrific experience cross-country skiing one New Hampshire winter with Olympic athletes. Wasn't a good idea. He shows us how idiotic it is to try and appear menacing at a bar with a troublemaker when you no longer drink, so your beverage is served with a big crazy straw. Deadpanning "Don't mess with me pal," while trying to manage a long straw fails to menace. So does breaking out the Chapstick and then smacking your lips together after saying "Don't even think about it."
He pokes fun at everyday life, the aging process (he's born in 1957 -- "the Chinese calendar's "Year of the Cock"), New Yorkers, hirsute Italian women who taught all the men in his family how to shave, riding the subway, whatever. It's a crack up."Capisci?!"
Capish! Brick Oven Pizza Ristorante is located at 49 Main St. in the Village of Le Roy. Parking in front and out back. Phone is (585) 768-1000. To buy tickets in advance go online to www.BrownPaperTickets.com
Photo of driver Drew Monti winning the 2014 race in the closest finish ever in the annual drivers' bike race (Photo courtesy of Paul White).
By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs
A full card of harness racing action, food specials and a drivers' bike race are all on tap as part of the annual Labor Day extravaganza at Batavia downs on Monday (Sept. 4).
The live harness racing kicks off at 1:15 p.m. with 12 exciting races. But there will also be something for the whole family to enjoy all day long and no one will go hungry for sure.
The featured meal deal is a $10.95 chicken barbecue provided by the Center Street Smoke House from noon to 3 p.m. in the clubhouse. The smell of the on-site prepared barbecue chicken with “all the fixin’s” will permeate the grandstand and come with a built in value. Every meal purchased comes with $10 in Batavia Downs Gaming Free-play to be used on the gaming floor after earning one base-point.
If chicken is not to your liking, there will also be $1 Sahlen’s hot dogs, $1 draft beer and $1 soda available on the track apron outlets from noon to 4 p.m.
Then after the seventh race, Batavia Downs will present the annual Driver’s Bike Race sponsored by Crazy Cheap Cars of Oakfield. This race features eight of the top drivers at the Downs competing in a race on bicycles that will then be given away to the fans who correctly picked the winner of the race.
Our live guests may place an entry in the box of the driver that they think is going to win in the Paddock Room from noon to 2:30 p.m. There will be eight names chosen from the winning driver’s box after the bike race is completed and each name drawn will receive one of the bikes used in the race. There is no purchase necessary, you must be 18-years-old or older to enter and you must be present to win.
This year’s competing drivers include (in post-position order) Larry Stalbaum, Mike Caprio, John Cummings Jr., Rock Vinci, Jim McNeight Jr., Shawn McDonough, Drew Monti and Denny Bucceri.
Caprio, Vinci, Monti and Bucceri have all won this race before and bragging rights are on the line for the next 12 months.
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