Sponsored Post: H.E. Turner; Thank You Veterans

The many who have served in the U.S. military throughout the nation's history were honored on Monday for Veterans Day, with multiple ceremonies being held at sites in Genesee County.
At 11 a.m., veterans gathered to honor veterans at the Soldiers, Sailors, & Marines Monument (the Upton Monument).
There were also ceremonies in Genesee County Park and Forest, the Batavia VA Medical Center, the NYS Veterans Home, and the memorial monument at Jerome Center. There was also a ceremony in Trigon Park in Le Roy.
Participating organizations were Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and Vietnam Veterans of America.
Photos by Howard Owens.
Santa stopped by Sunday to visit with kids and take photos during the Zonta Holiday Festival at Batavia Downs. The Festival, which was this weekend at the Park Road facility, had two floors full of crafts and vendors.
Photos by Kara Richenberg.
A fence has been erected once again around Ellicott Station, though it still appears to be in limbo as a construction project on the city's southside in downtown Batavia.
Property owner Sam Savarino confirmed with The Batavian this weekend that he ordered the fence to be put up as a response to city management.
"Yes, I sent a crew to install the fence," Savarino said Sunday. "Addressing a city code citation."
The four-story apartment complex has been stalled since summer 2023, when Savarino Companies announced it was shutting down amidst legal and financial issues with the state Dormitory Authority.
There has been no definitive word as to when the project may get going again or whether it will be Savarino or another developer that kicks it back into gear. There were tax credits and exemptions with Genesee County Economic Center that were taken off the table after the economic agency claimed Savarino broke tenets of the contract. He has vehemently disagreed.
Byron-Bergen is again advancing to the state championship tournament in Girls Soccer after beating Frewsburg in double overtime on Saturday.
The Bees and Frewsburg were knotted at 1-1 at the end of regulation play.
That one goal for Byron-Bergen came on a head ball by Janessa Amesbury, assisted by Megan Muscarella.
Mia Gray scored the winning call with 9:33 left in the second OT period with an assist from Grace DiQuattro.
Photos by Jennifer DiQuattro.
Byron-Bergen lost the Class C2 volleyball championship on Friday with a 3-0 loss to Bloomfield.
Sets:
Bloomfield had not lost a set all season.
The Bees finish 18-2 on the year.
To view or purchase photos, click here.
Elba, ranked #3 in Class D2 in volleyball, beat #4 Fillmore three sets to zero to capture the sectional trophy on Friday.
Stats:
Mariah Ognibene and Sydney Reilly were named to the all-tournament team and Alexa Ocampo was named MVP.
Photos by Kristin Smith
Le Roy made its fifth-straight appearance in a volleyball sectional champion game on Friday and came away with its third title in that span.
After Avon won the first set 25-20, Le Roy won three straight (25-15, 25-22, 26-24) to secure the Class C1 title.
"That (last) set was definitely a nail-biter," said senior Kylee Green. "I mean, we got down on ourselves, but we realized that we needed to pick it up to win, play our game and do what we do best. So I knew I had to pick my head up. I got down a few times, but I knew I had to focus, get the serves that I got and pick it up for the team."
Stats:
Le Roy's tournament all-stars were Gabby Zitz, Green, and the MVP was freshman Shea Williams.
To view or purchase photos, click here.
Press Release:
St. Paul Lutheran Church and School will host their 4th Annual Small Business Craft and Vendor Event on Saturday, November 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. St. Paul's Church and School is located at 31 Washington Ave, Batavia.
Come browse a variety of handcrafted item including, quilts, blankets, children and baby items, wood crafts, jewelry and much more.
For more information contact 585-993-2410.
Press Release:
United Lakes of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes provided $41,075 to Genesee County nonprofits this quarter, the latest installment in United Way’s commitment to deliver $164,300 in 2024. The funding supports 21 agencies and 26 programs in the county.
“We are pleased to be able to support our dedicated nonprofit partners in Genesee County who are on the front lines in addressing a wide range of pressing community needs,” said Jaime Saunders, President & CEO of United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes. “This is an example of how United Way leverages the generosity of donors to deliver impact at scale.”
United Way is committed to supporting impactful and essential initiatives in Genesee County and across our region. Learn more about how you can make an impact in Genesee County by donating to United Way.
Here are the organizations in Genesee County that are receiving funding from United Way this year:
- 211 WNY
- All Babies Cherished
- American Red Cross, WNY Chapter
- Arc GLOW
- Boy Scouts of America, Western NY Scout Council
- Care-A-Van Ministries
- Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, Inc.
- CORE The Learning Center
- Genesee County CASA for Children
- Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern
- Gillam-Grant Community Center
- Girl Scouts of Western New York, Inc.
- GLOW YMCA
- GO ART! – Genesee-Orleans Regional Art Council
- Hope Center of Le Roy
- Junior Achievement of Western NY
- PathStone Corporation
- Salvation Army, Batavia Corps
- UConnect Formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
- Warrior House
- YWCA of Genesee County
City Manager Rachael Tabelski and City of Batavia Fire Chief Josh Graham issued the following statement later Saturday regarding the fire at Baskin Livestock on Howard Street in Batavia:
The Pembroke Dragons will play for another Section V 8-Man football title this week after winning its semifinal game over Red Jacket 46-14.
It is the fourth time in five years the Dragons have played for a sectional title.
Caleb Felski ran for 328 yards on 16 carries and four touchdowns. Other scores were by Vijay Dhanda and Caleb Kimmel.
Defensively, the Dragons were led by Jayden Bridge and Octavius Martin, who each had 12 tackles. Madden Perry added nine while Felski and Dhanda each had interceptions.
The Dragons will face the Holley-Lyndoville Hawks for the sectional final.
Photos by Elizabeth Gabbey.
Alexander topped Oakfield-Alabama/Elba in a battle of Genesee County rivals in the Class D semifinal at GCC on Friday night.
The Trojans won 14-7.
For Alexander, touchdowns were scored by Ryder Reichert and Jacob Brooks on a 21-yard pass from Kaden Torres.
OAE Statistics:
The Class D title will be decided on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Rush Henrietta High School, with Alexander facing the Avon Riverawks.
Photos by Kristin Smith.
It was a sectional semifinal game but the battle was decided early as Batavia scored 50 points in the first half on the way to a 56-6 win over East Rochester Prep on Friday night.
Stats:
Batavia gets a shot a block on Saturday at SUNY Brockport. The Class B title game is at noon.
Photos by Jim Burns.
It will take days for investigators to determine what may have started this morning's fire at a animal feed processing plant at 20 Howard St., Batavia, said City Fire Chief Josh Graham.
The call came in at 7:47 a.m. and Batavia patrol officers arrived on scene first and confirmed smoke and flames, which led to an immediate second alarm. When the first fire crew arrived he said, they realized the fire was going to require more resources so a third alarm was called.
It took hours to fight the fire, which as of 2 p.m. on Saturday, wasn't completely extinguished as firefighters worked to extinguish hot spots.
"We just started now the investigation," Graham said. "The investigators went in to look around and get an initial look at this. They're gonna work on that probably for the next four or five days to try to figure it all out. There's going to be a massive amount of information to look at."
Baskin Livestock owner Bill Baskin said he is baffled by the fire.
"This is the last place I expected something like this," Baskin said.
There have been a few fires over the years at Baskin's other facility on Creek Road, Batavia. They are generally explainable because of the large furnace used to dry food items—such as discarded baked goods—which are ground into feed for cattle.
The Howard Street facility processes dry dog food into feed for hogs and heat isn't used, Baskin said. Yesterday's work crew finished at 2 p.m. on Friday and when an employee stopped by the facility at 7 a.m. on Saturday, there was no sign of fire, Baskin said.
Baskin said the two facilities are segregated to ensure the dog food doesn't contaminate the cattle feed. Spreading mad cow disease would be damaging if that were to happen, Baskin said.
On Saturday afternoon, an excavator was brought in to move debris so firefighters could attack hot spots. Graham said piles of debris would be moved, the hotspot dealt with, and then debris moved to that spot to deal with the next hotspot until the job is complete. Even then, Graham expects calls for rekindles over the next few days.
The buildings at 20 Howard were originally constructed in 1946 and it was once a fertilizer plant. The three structures on the property were a combined 82,257 square feet.
Agencies responding to the fire: City Fire, Town of Batavia Fire, Stafford, Elba, Mercy EMS, Office of Emergency Management, Batavia PD, Salvation Army, National Grid, Sewer & Water, and National Fuel. Fill-in companies for departments that responded: Alexander, Bergen, Albion, and East Pembroke.
Photos by Howard Owens.
If you have photos or videos to submit, email howard@thebatavian.com or text 585-260-6970
UPDATE: Thank you for all the submissions. I won't be available the rest of the day to post any additional photos that come in.
Power has been cut in the immediate area of the Howard Street fire for the safety of fire personnel on scene.
National Grid reports that 516 people along the north and south sides of Ellicott Street are without power.
Photos by Frank Capuano.
A structure fire at 20 Howard St. in the city of Batavia has called out the city fire department Saturday morning.
Flames and heavy smoke were still visible as of 8:20 a.m.
Photos by Howard Owens.
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