Press release:

The Board of Trustees is inviting faculty, staff, students and community residents to nominate individuals for honorary Genesee Community College associate degrees, Trustee Laurie J. Miller said at Monday evening's board meeting.

Nominees must be individuals who have an association with Genesee Community College, and who have made extraordinary contributions to the life and growth of the College; or who are notable leaders in academic disciplines taught by the College; or individuals who have earned business, professional, civic or scholarly accomplishments. Honorary degrees will be awarded during the May 2014 commencement ceremonies, Miller said.

Nomination forms are available on the College's Web site at:

http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/GCCHonoraryAssociateDegreeNomination2014.pdf

New York State law was amended six years ago to permit community colleges to award honorary degrees. Past honorary degree recipients at Genesee Community College include founding president Alfred C. O'Connell (2007); former Genesee County Board of Supervisors Chair William W. Stuart (posthumously in 2007); founding trustee and college advocate Neil T. Burns (2007); founding and longtime trustee Anthony T. Zambito (posthumously in 2008); Genesee's first staff member, Eva L. Bohn (2011).

In other business Monday evening, the Board of Trustees:

• Heard Diane D. Torcello, Finance Committee chair, report that Lumsden and McCormick, LLC, the College's auditing firm, completed the fiscal audit for the 2012-2013 year, and issued a "clear, clean" audit without deficiencies. Torcello also said that first quarter operations were consistent with budget projections.
• Heard President James Sunser report that 340 students are currently finishing their coursework in the fall semester and upon successful completion they will be candidates for graduation in January. Specifically, there are 145 A.S. degree (Associate in Science); 165 A.A.S. (Associate in Applied Science; 6 A.A. (Associate in Arts); and 24 Certificate graduation candidates from GCC in January 2014.
• Heard Virginia M. Taylor, Ed.D, vice president for Student and Enrollment Services, report that the College's "Winterim" session has enrolled 114 students, up from the 35 students enrolled from Winterim last year. Winterim offers online credit courses between the fall and spring semesters.
• Heard President Sunser report on the appointment of two new staff members. Doreen Bortle will serve as technical assistant in the Math/Science and Career Education office as a testing associate. She has taught GCC's First Year Experience course as an adjunct faculty member for the past three years. Bortle received her B.S. degree from SUNY Brockport and resides in Batavia. After numerous years serving as an advisor in GCC's Student Support Services area, Theresa Gorecki is now the technical specialist in the College's Career Services office. The position is funded through a Perkins Grant as a temporary appointment. Gorecki earned her M.S. in Elementary Education from Medaille College and her B.S. in English from SUNY Empire State College. She resides in Batavia. "Both of these employees have been working at Genesee for some time in a part-time capacity," President Sunser said. "After conducting a full open search, it was nice that the best candidates were right here already serving the College. I know they bring a lot of institutional understanding to their new roles."

Genesee Community College's Spring 2014 semester opens Jan. 13. To register for courses stop by any campus location or go to: www.genesee.edu/courses/schedule/.

Academic and financial aid advisors will be available Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Fridays 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Jan. 11, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. In addition, the offices will be opening at 8 a.m. Jan. 6 - 9, 2014. These hours extend to all seven campus locations:

•    Albion, 456 West Avenue / 585-589-4936

•    Arcade, 25 Edward St. / 585-492-5265

•    Batavia, One College Road / 585-345-6800

•    Dansville, 31 Clara Barton St. / 585-335-7820

•    Lima, 7285 Gale Road / 585-582-1226

•    Medina, 11470 Maple Ridge Road / 585-798-1688

•    Warsaw, 115 Linwood Ave. / 585-786-3010

A kitchen fire is reported at the Flying J Travel Center on Route 77 in Pembroke. Nothing is showing, according to a responder, but the restaurant is being evacuated. He also says there are no flames and that the fire is probably electrical in nature and is in the ceiling.

Pembroke, Indian Falls and Alabama fire departments responding, along with a ladder truck from Akron.

UPDATE 5:12 p.m.: They are going to open up the ceiling tiles. The gas and electricity are shut off. A light tower will be put up so firefighters can see the roof. A rep from National Grid is requested. A thermal imaging camera is requested.

UPDATE 5:25 p.m.: Fire is out. Checking for extensions.

UPDATE 5:41 p.m.: "The roof is cleared." The public health department will be notified of the incident as required. A crew from Newstead is asked to stand by in Pembroke Fire Hall.

UPDATE 5:46 p.m.: Town of Pembroke Code Enforcement will be notified of the incident as required.

UPDATE 7:21 p.m. (by Howard): The Alabama assignment is back in service, but the restaurant remains close pending code enforcement clearance.

A house fire with light smoke showing is reported at 32 S. Main St. in Oakfield. Mercy medics are on scene and Oakfield Fire Department is responding along with mutual aid from the Town of Batavia and the city's Fast Team. Alabama is asked to fill in at the Oakfield hall.

UPDATE 1:30 p.m.: Alabama is asked to reroute and go to the scene.

UPDATE 1:38 p.m.: National Grid is called to the scene. No ETA.

UPDATE 1:41 p.m.: A thermal imaging camera is requested.

UPDATE 1:45 p.m.: Elba Fire Police are called to shut down traffic at Orchard and Main, and at Main and South Pearl. The fire is knocked down. They are checking for extensions.

Kendall proved to be just a bit much for Alexander to handle Friday night as the Eagles took command of the game in the first period and were never in danger of losing their lead.

The final, 63-41.

Alexander is now 3-2 on the year.

"We definitely had Kendall marked on our calendar," said Head Coach Josh Bender. "I think they're one of the best teams in the GR. They've got all the right pieces. They've got a big guy, athletic guards, shooters, size. It's tough when you don't have a 6'5" guy to battle their center. They're a pretty experienced bunch. Good coach. They run a good system."

The Tigers did a good job of getting good looks for themselves throughout the first half, and a lot of those shots dropped for points.

By the half, the Trojans were already down 37-18.

Kendall almost let Alexander sneak back into the game in the third quarter, scoring only eight points, but the Trojans found their own little scoring slump late in the period and only added 13 points for the eight minutes.

"I told the guys if we want to make a real run at it, we can't trade baskets," Bender said. "We were getting good looks. The high post area was open all night. We had cutters slashing, but at the end of the day, if you're trading baskets with a team like this, you're going to come up short."

Bender, in his first year as varsity coach after three years leading the JV squad, said his team is young yet. Even though it includes seven seniors, none of his starters got many minutes last year, he said.

"I think you'll see down the road, the more games we get in, the more cohesive we'll be and the more effective we'll be in game situations," Bender said.

Nelson Burke led the Trojans with 10 points.

For Kendall, four players were in double digits scoring. D'Andre Nauden, 12, Devin Appleton, 11, Garret Love, 14, and Isaiah Brown, 11.

In other Genesee County hoops action, Friday:

• Batavia beat Hilton in Hilton, 62-49. Jeff Redband scored 19 points and had 14 rebounds.
• Wheatland-Chili 56, Batavia Notre Dame 42. The loss ended ND's 70-game league winning streak. Tim McCulley had 18 points.
• Byron-Bergen 53, Pembroke 48. Dajuandrick Gardner scored 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Collin Lewis, 17 points. Nick Magin, 18 and Steele Truax 10.

To purchase prints, click here.

Press release:

United Memorial Medical Center, the only acute care hospital in Genesee County, has been excluded as an “in network” provider by the insurance company MVP for its Healthcare Exchange insurance products following several attempts by United Memorial to negotiate a reimbursement rate structure. It is important to note that this only pertains to the MVP plans available on the Exchange. United Memorial does have contractual agreements with MVP for all of their other commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid insurance products.

Adding to the confusion for individuals when selecting a plan, is that many Genesee County physicians are listed as part of the MVP network; including several United Memorial Medical Center employed physicians, while the hospital is not included as a facility.

“We are disappointed that our efforts to be included in the MVP network of providers have not been successful,” said Mark C. Schoell, CEO of United Memorial. “We will continue to work with MVP to bring this situation to positive conclusion.”

As part of the Affordable Care Act, people who do not have health insurance through their job, or cannot afford the plan offered by their employer, can use the “Healthcare Exchange” or “Marketplace” to compare plans and sign up. In New York State, residents are provided a list of insurance companies and plans to select from, based on their county of residence. There are several companies and a range of options available on the Web site: nystateofhealth.ny.gov. With the exception of MVP, United Memorial has contractual agreements with all insurance companies listed on the site for Genesee County. Those contracts include: Fidelis, Independent Health, Blue Cross of Western New York, and Univera. People have until December 23rd to purchase a plan through the exchange in order to have seamless healthcare coverage beginning January 1st.

Individuals in Genesee County, who are purchasing their healthcare insurance through the exchange, should make sure that their physicians and hospital facility are both included in the insurance company’s network. If not, their care may be viewed as out-of-network, and most of the exchange plans do not cover out-of-network care. Application counsellors are available at United Memorial to assist with process of signing up for healthcare insurance coverage and to answer questions. Please call (585) 344-5428 with any concerns.

United Memorial has never turned anyone away from receiving the care they need based on their ability to pay and remains committed to providing quality care to the residents of our region.

Previously: Individuals who buy MVP health plans through new exchange reportedly not covered in Genesee County

NOTE: If you purchased MVP through the exchange (and only through the exchange), we might want to talk with you about your experience. E-mail howard@thebatavian.com

A 49-year-old woman reported last week as missing is not missing, according to State Police.

According to NYSP, Joy Howard walked into a police station (the location or agency was not disclosed) and told authorities that she was not missing and she is in good health.

The Batavia resident suspected of being involved in a shots-fired incident Sept. 27 on State Street has been released from jail, free on his own recognizance.

Dashawn Butler was released following an appearance in City Court because the District Attorney's Office was unable to complete a preliminary hearing within the required six days of Butler's arrest.

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said the people were not ready to proceed with a hearing because a key witness would not be available in time.

Butler still faces charges of reckless endangerment, 1st, a Class D felony, and criminal possession of a weapon, a Class C felony, and second-degree menacing, a misdemeanor.

State law required Butler's release because he wasn't going to receive a hearing within six days. 

Friedman said his office will continue to press those charges against Butler.

This morning, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for Saturday night into Sunday morning, but left this weekend's flood watch in effect.

There is a chance of freezing rain, which would create slick driving conditions, though weather conditions are unstable enough that the precipitation could turn to rain or snow.

"There still remains uncertainty with respect to the surface temperatures Saturday night," the weather service said. "A degree or two warmer or colder will greatly vary the impacts of this event."

Heavy rain combined with snow melt and ice-clogged drains could lead to flooding Saturday and Sunday.

If the weather is cold enough Saturday night, ice accumulations of a half inch are possible.

Winds will be from 20 to 30 mph.

A pedestrian has reportedly been struck by a vehicle at low speed in the parking lot of Enterprise Rent-a-Car on West Main Street, Batavia.

City fire and Mercy EMS are responding.

The patient is complaining of a hip injury. Mercy's ambulance is responding non-emergency.

UPDATE: The victim was taken to UMMC.

Ralph Peterson, Corfu's elected mayor, dropped off a doctor's note at the village office Thursday that said he shouldn't perform his duties until April.

While Peterson never formally requested a medical leave of absence, he dropped off a similar note at the village office in August and stopped showing up to the office or meetings.

Prior to providing the village with the note, Peterson was reportedly hospitalized with stress-related symptoms.

Peterson has been the focal point of controversy in the village since taking office at the beginning of the year. Trustees have accused Peterson of obstructing attempts to recover missing court funds, of with holding information pertinent to legal actions involving the village, of using his office to retaliate against political opponents, of abusing the powers of his office and of harassing village employees.

There was no other communication from Peterson with the new doctor's note, which is signed by a physician from Pembroke Family Medicine and dated Dec. 19.

The previous doctor's note gave him clearance to resume his elected duties at the beginning of January.

His term ends at the close of 2014.

Photos and information submitted by John Summers.

Genesee Community College held a graduation ceremony Thursday night for its students who successfully completed a two-year registered nursing program.

Top photo, Kathy Palumbo, director of Nursing at GCC, addresses the graduates and audience.

Christy Summers receives her RN pin from Shana Flow and and Patricia Kendall-Cargill.

Graduates Meghan Domm, Angeline Coast, Brandon Richards, Christy Summers, and Jessa Woodley.

The Batavia Area Jaycees, breaking with tradition, are not awarding houses this year for Christmas light displays.

Here's their press release:

The Batavia Area Jaycees hit the City of Batavia streets on December 19^th to look at all the holiday lights set up for the season.

They believe the following streets are worth a drive: Meadowcrest Drive; Grandview Terrace; Eugene Street and Naramore Drive.

These seven streets have houses worth viewing: Bogue Avenue, Redfield Parkway, Edgewood Drive, Roosevelt Avenue, Otis Avenue, East Avenue and Elm Street.

While out and about be sure to drive down Woodrow Avenue, Woodland Avenue, Valle Drive, Chestnut Street, Jackson Street, Williams Avenue, Buell Street, Cedar Street, Clinton Street and Vine.

The Jaycees want to wish everyone a safe and healthy holiday season.

Washington Post: In embrace of ‘Duck Dynasty’ star, 2016 hopefuls make bid for evangelicals

Batavia's Girl Scouts and Brownies sang Christmas carols this evening for residents of the Genesee County Nursing Home.

The Holland Land Office Museum welcomed three new board members at its annual meeting dinner meeting tonight and honored longtime museum supporter Helen Batchellor.

Batchellor, on the right, became involved with HLOM 50 years ago and stepped down from her board seat this year after 30 years on the board.

New board members are, Robert Ettinger, left, Aaron Blake and Donna Mruczek.

The dinner was held at GO ART!

A school bus reportedly backed in a vehicle, then left the scene at 7992 Oatka Trail in Le Roy. It's unknown whether the driver was aware of hitting the vehicle. There are no injuries. The school bus garage is awaiting the driver's return to get more information.

UPDATE: A police officer who responded to the scene said the struck vehicle was significantly damaged.

A car vs. pole accident is reported in the area of Judge and Hutton roads. Oakfield Fire Department is responding. Unknown injuries.

UPDATE 3:14 p.m.: There are no injuries, but help with traffic control will be needed.

UPDATE 3:39 p.m.: The Oakfield assignment is back in service. National Grid has an ETA of about 20 minutes to repair the pole.

New employment data shows Genesee County adding 200 jobs from November 2012 compared to November 2013.

The 22,300 non-farm jobs in the county is 100 fewer than October's jobs number, according to data released today the NYS Department of Labor.

Wyoming County also gained 200 jobs year-over-year, climbing to 13,500. Data for neither Livingston nor Orleans counties were included in the report.

Warm weather and heavy rain could lead to flooding this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

A flood watch is in effect from Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening.

A warm front is lifting into the lower Great Lakes tomorrow and is expected to stall there over the weekend.

This will result in period of heavy rain across WNY.

Storm drains may remain blocked my snow, which could lead to flooding in low-lying areas. There could also be flooding along creeks and streams.

A two-car accident with minor injuries is reported at Oak Orchard and Lockport roads. It is not blocking traffic. Elba Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 11:42 a.m.: One person is complaining of back pain and another is declining medical treatment. Oak Orchard Road will be shut down at the intersection to accommodate responders.