Sheriff deputies are responding to a reported fight in the parking lot of College Village. The fight may involve as many as 12 people.
The alleged instigators are reportedly now fleeing in a Toyota, license plate DKV729.
The large corner desk was covered with at least 10 stacks of paper. But Pamela Buresch doesn't panic at the sight or the cluttered book shelves or the memo board tacked over with stuff.
As administrator of student assessment and data analysis for the Batavia City School District, she's responsible for oodles of projects linked to these paper trails. And she says she knows what's in each pile.
"I love my job," she said with a warm smile and a calm, focused attitude.
These days, the lifelong educator is busy coordinating district and state assessment programs for pre-K through 12th grade. The work involves analyzing test scores, student results, state reporting and testing protocols. She also looks at data to determine where students did well or need further instruction.
State assessments are conducted each year in grades 3 to 12 to measure how well students are learning. There was testing in January and there will be more this month as well as in June and August.
When it comes to testing, Buresch analyzes each question. If students do poorly on a test she looks at all angles. How was the question worded? How much of this was covered in class? The answers help educators improve the tests.
Superintendent Margaret Puzio said student achievement data plays an increasingly important role in educational reform.
“Our new Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is known for using academic performance data to innovate," said the superintendent. "He closed down poor-performing schools in Chicago based on data and reopened them with new staff. For example, a doctor consults blood test results before treating a patient. In education, we need to know what students already know before we try to teach them.”
Buresch agreed.
“For us, it’s all about the learning,” Buresch said. “It’s all about using the data to help the students improve.”
New York now has so-called Value-added Growth Reporting. It asks administrators to examine each student individually instead of grouping them by grade or class.
When assessing a child's progress over time, they can compare, say, his or her progress in fourth grade to what it was in third.
The school report cards are published twice a year and are now available online. They are one tool in gauging abilities and achievement gaps when considering ethnicity, economic status, English proficiency and disabilities.
Over the years, each of Batavia’s schools have been named among the high-achieving, gap-closing schools.
Getting out and visiting these classrooms is something Buresch does eagerly. She says it reminds of her of the days when she was the principal of Batavia High School.
“I miss it,” she said about the daily interaction with students. “(But) it’s nice to still have an impact (as an administrator). ... I really love it, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else."
Here are the top 10 posts in number of times viewed for the month of April.
Here are the 10 most viewed posts from the first year of The Batavian.
A firefighter suffered possible heat exhaustion and the family of a home at 70 Church St. in Le Roy has been displaced after a blaze that may have been caused by a discarded cigarette caused extensive damage to the residence.
We received an e-mail this morning from Chief Tom "Woody" Wood confirming the fire we first reported last night (thanks to notification of two alert readers).
The fire was reported at 11:15 p.m.
The firefighter, who is not identified, remains hospitalized this morning for observation.
Here's the full text of Wood's e-mail:
Last night's fire came in about 11:15pm. First chief on location with a confirmed working bedroom fire. An additional alarm was transmitted requesting one engine from Bergen and Pavilion to the scene along with Town of Batavia Fast team while Stafford did our fill-in. At this time we are not releasing the names of the three occupants that were displaced and had to be relocated by the red cross. Preliminary result indicate a POSSIBLE discarded cigarette. One firefighter was transported to the hospital for possible heat exhaustion and currently remains there for observation. The residence suffered extensive damage and the figured amount has yet to be determined.
Randy Garney, interim public health director for Genesee County, said this morning he doesn't have many details on the two people in Genesee County who are suspected of having contracted "swine flu."
He's unaware if the two people are related, but both have travel histories that took them into areas of known "swine flu" outbreaks. He doesn't know if that travel was to Mexico or elsewhere.
His advice: "At this point, take precautions like you would in any flu season. Wash your hands. If you sneeze discard the tissue. Keep your hands away from your nose mouth and eyes. If you are sick, go into social isolation. Stay home. Say way from crowds and from people."
And of course, contact your doctor.
The Batavian is a year old today.
We're having a small celebration at T.F. Brown's from 5 to 7 p.m. Please come by and say hello. Brian Hillabush will be there. Unfortunately, Philip is unable to make it.
I'm springing for $200 in food.
Billie and I would love to meet you all. Please stop by.
Today's Deal of the Day: A $50 gift certificate from Larry's Steakhouse in Batavia. The Batavian's Good Deal Price: $25 -- HALF off!
Larry's, located at 60 Main St. in Batavia, is one of the newer and finer dining establishments in Batavia. The menu offers many great items, but of course the speciality is steak. Larry's also features a full bar.
Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value. It cannot be used, by state law, to purchase alcohol.
How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Ideally, the winner will arrange to stop by my office on Main Street before 5:00 p.m. to pick up gift certificate. Mail is an option, but it would be better to hand you the gift certificate.
If you want to be notified via e-mail of future Deals of the Day, sign up for the Deals of the Day e-mail list by clicking here.
Merchants: If you would like your business featured in Deal of the Day, call Howard Owens at 260-6970.
SOLD
Roy A. Watson, Jr., 20, of Batavia, was allegedly found to be in possession of marijuana with the assistance of K-9 "Fin" during a traffic stop yesterday at 4:30 p.m. He is charged with one count of unlawful possession of marijuana.
Michelle D. Clark, 20, of Brockport, and Celina D. Bryan, 19, of Batavia, are accused of hosting an underage drinking party for approximately 50 people Thursday night. The party was reportedly held at 5157 Clinton Street Road. Sheriff's deputies responded to the address at 11:30 p.m. in response to a loud noise complaint. Both women are charged with one count of unlawfully dealing with a child.
A house fire at 70 Church St. in the Village of Le Roy has been mostly knocked down, according to a county dispatcher.
Firefighers from Le Roy, Stafford, Bergen and Byron responded to the blaze.
No other information available at this time.
Thank you to two alert readers who e-mailed The Batavian about the late night fire. If anybody has any pictures, please e-mail or post.
I find this exciting: In a special arrangement with Roxy's Music Store, 228 W. Main St., Batavia, we can offer exclusively to readers of The Batavian a Raptor Stage Backstage II Guitar Kit, from Peavey, at a substantial cost savings.
The recommended retail price is $450. We're offering it exclusively on The Batavian for $295.
I played this guitar a little bit in Roxy's the other day and I'm impressed. I wish guitars of this quality were available at this price when I was first learning to play. I might have practiced more. It's well balanced, stays in tune, is easy to finger and plays and looks pro. This is a heck of a deal for a beginner or intermediate player, or even an experience player who is looking for an axe to just keep handy around the house.
The kit includes the guitar and travel amp as well as a guitar strap, digital tuner, strings, picks and the new Peavey/Rock House Method Total Musician Series DVD for helping the beginning player get started on the road to R-O-C-K in the U-S-A.
The guiar is solid body and features a dual single-coil plus one humbucker pickup configuration with five-way pickup selector and master volume and tone controls.
The Backstage amp features technology that emulates the tone, response and dynamics of tube amplifiers. The amp includes high and low EQ controls, a 6 1/2" speaker, switchable TransTube overdrive, a tape/CD input for jamming with a player's favorite songs and a headphone input quiet practice.
There is only one item available at this price and it is exclusive through The Batavian. The winning purchaser will need to arrange to stop by The Batavian office to pick up a purchase voucher. The kit must be picked up in the store. No delivery is available. This item will be available until it sells and only one kit at this price is available.
To purchase this online exclusive from The Batavian and Roxy's Music Store, click the PayPal button below (this is the only way you can make this purchase -- this price is NOT available in the store).
The Batavian will have more online exclusive deals coming in the next week or two. If you would like to be notified when they're posted, sign up for our Deal of the Day e-mail list.
If you're a local business owner and would like to offer The Batavian readers great deals either as part of The Deal of the Day or as an Online Exclusive, call me at 585-260-6970.
Happy Thursday from Care-A-Van! There truly has been a lot of “fire” on the bus lately!
We just got back from a four day road trip to Elizabeth, New Jersey and New York City.
Our trip to partner with NY City Relief Bus, the Hope Center and Street Light Mission truly was a blessed time! I could write all night! I will be sharing our stories with you throughout the next few weeks! I bet I could write a best seller of what God has done in his kingdom this past week. We all came back burning with more passion to go forth and serve the lost and hurting here in Batavia.
On the way home coming down 86, Paul said he smelled something hot. I truly thought it was the souls burning up with how God put us on fire. But in all reality, there was smoke coming from the converter. Well of course, this PR director panicked and wanted off immediately! Thank goodness we had our mechanic PJ on the bus; he checked it all out, while I and some of the team members stood in the field and prayed that God would take care of it. Sure enough the smoke stopped and all was good to go! That darn devil, he thought he was going to win, but praises to God all was taken care of and we were able to roll on into Batavia.
We headed to the streets tonight in our hometown. The bus was filled with activity. God gave groceries to 10 families, fed homemade chicken casserole to many kids and parents, did some home visits to families in need and just blessed the whole neighborhood.
Thank you for your prayers for our safety and our protection while we were gone.
All of your prayers not only blessed us but thousands of souls in Elizabeth, New Jersey and New York City! Now how awesome is that! Stay tuned for more of God’s news from the streets of Batavia and the 700 plus mile road trip he took Care-A-Van ministries on!
Four prominent area elected officials -- all Republicans -- gathered on the steps of the old Genesee County courthouse today to call attention to legislation that shows every sign of being enacted that will curb the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer led the press conference, which included Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Sheriff Gary Maha and County Clerk Don Read.
The four men underscored three key points: The legislation will do nothing to curb crime, it is out of step with the interests of upstate New York, and it will burden county governments with yet one more unfunded mandate.
While there are more than a dozen new gun restrictions being pushed by legislative Democrats, the key piece of legislation under fire by Ranzenhofer today would require the renewal of gun carry permits every five years.
Both Ranzenhofer and Hawley noted that such legislation will do nothing to deter criminals, who don't bother with gun permits anyway.
"Basically what you have legislators from New York City who feel it might be appropriate in their community trying to impose their New York City will on Genesee County," Ranzenhofer said.
Here are five related documents (PDF):
I had a couple of video problems -- sound, misbehaving tripod, chiefly -- with covering the press conference today, but the worse problem is that I had to change tapes (it seem that long ago that I started a new tape) during the PC, and that tape somehow did not make it home with me tonight for editing. Below is what little video I have available now, where in Ranzenhofer, at the very end, sums up some of the key points of opposition to the legislation.
UPDATE 5/4/09: I got ahold of the other tape and pulled off what was recoverable, which was statements by Hawley, Maha and Read
Our condolences to Debbie Fischer, who's mother, Mabel M. Steen, passed away Wednesday.
Dan and Debbie Fischer own and operate WBTA.
WHAM 13 is reporting that health officials have said there is one suspected case of 'Swine Flu' in Genesee County.
We can't confirm that at this time.
Earlier today when we contacted the Genesee County Health Dept. we were told that some sort of e-mail related to 'Swine Flu' would be released to local media in the afternoon. That e-mail was never received.
We will try to get an update on this suspected case first thing in the morning.
UPDATE: Dan Fischer at WBTA is actively working on this story. Channel 2 also reported a suspected case. We'll keep you posted.
UPDATE II: It occured to me that we hadn't checked Billie's e-mail account since we left the office. At 5:03 p.m., we received an e-mail from Karen Smykowski at the health department. It reads, "Genesee County has one suspect and one possible suspect case of Swine flu. It is currently en route to Wadsworth Laboratory for further testing." Dan Fischer also spoke with Randy Garney who also said there is one possible case and one suspected case in Genesee County.
UPDATE: After this was posted, we did receive an e-mail from the County indicating a possible and a suspected case of 'Swine Flu' had been found in Genesee County. More here.
People need to be on high alert for Swine Flu, but not panicky, according to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.
No cases are known to exist in Genesee County. There's one suspected case in Monroe County and another Chautauqua.
We called the Genesee County Health Department for an update on any local information and were told that the department has been inundated with media inquires. A staff member said an e-mail would be sent to media outlets this afternoon with an update, but as of 5 p.m. none was received.
The status of the illness is Phase 5, meaning it spreads easily from person to person but a health crisis is not imminent. Phase 6 is the highest alert.
According to a spokesman for the New York State Department of Health today there are 89 cases of suspected H1N1 virus statewide not including New York City.
Suspected cases have flu-like symptoms but have not been tested. Probable cases are lab tested with results pending and actual cases have been confirmed by the lab.
Of these 89 suspected cases, eight specimens tested probable for the virus, but none thus far have been confirmed. Yesterday, there were only three probable cases in New York outside New York City -- those in Suffolk and Cortland counties. Today there are five new probable cases, consisting of one case in five different counties -- Monroe, Chautauqua, Orange, Suffolk and Nausau. Again, none confirmed as yet.
Commonsense precautions are being advised. Avoid confined spaces with lots of people. Wash your hands often. Avoid touching your face. Dispose of used tissues in a covered container. If you're sick, stay home. Follow doctors' orders.
Today's Deal of the Day: A $25 gift certificate from Batavia Downs Grandstand Bar & Grille in Batavia. The Batavian's Good Deal Price: $12.50 -- HALF off!
Enjoy a great meal in one of Genesee County's favorite entertainment venues.
Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value. By law, gift certificates cannot be used for purchase of alcohol.
How to win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Ideally, the winner will arrange to stop by my office on Main Street before 5:00 p.m. to pick up the gift certificate. Mail is an option, but it would be better to hand you the gift certificate.
If you want to be notified via e-mail of future Deals of the Day, sign up for the Deals of the Day e-mail list by clicking here.
Merchants: If you would like your business featured in Deal of the Day, call Howard Owens at 260-6970.
SOLD
Sabrina Shumway, 29, of Batavia, is charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. Her arrest dates back to an April 17 traffic stop in which she was allegedly found to possess cocaine and marijuana. She was issued an appearance ticket.
With a backdrop of blue sky and a budding cottonwood, Tom Shea and Tom Owstrowski are enjoying this afternoon's bluebird weather atop a roof in the town of Batavia.
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