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Photos: Dice Run stops at business in Alexander

By Howard B. Owens

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Buck's Motorsports of Alden sponsored a Dice Run on Saturday and the run included at least one checkpoint in Genesee County -- Norton's Chizzlewood, 4309 Gilhooly Road in Alexander.

Photos submitted by Bobbi Norton.

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Alexander HS sweeps top three spots in Junior Achieve stock market tournament

By Press Release

Press release:

During the month of April, 598 WNY students participated in a lively, month-long competition of trading through their participation in the Junior Achievement Virtual Stock Market Challenge. Students represented twenty schools from across WNY and competed to take top prize  

Prior to the JA Stock Market Challenge, JA provides their JA Take Stock in Your Future curriculum to introduce students to basic concepts about how the market works and the impact of current events. The curriculum also includes a series of self-guided extension activities for students to engage in deeper learning about the stock market and investing.  

Wells Fargo is the Presenting sponsor of this unique and interactive JA learning experience, with one competition held earlier this school year and another session during this spring semester. 

The competition was held online and allows students to experience the real-life stock market in a simulated environment. Students chose to compete as individuals or as teams. Participants began with a $25,000 starting portfolio and were encouraged to make transactions throughout the month. Leaderboards were dynamic and shared weekly using the hashtag #JAWNYStockMarketChallenge. 

At the close of the competition, Junior Achievement (JAWNY) is pleased to recognize our top three winners, all from Alexander High School. Taking 1st place was Donald Donnelly, 2nd place Ian Edmonds and 3rd place Natalie Whitmore.  

Donald Donnelly said, “Due to the economy during this time the stock market was really tricky to deal with… Luck turned in my favor and I ended up winning, great experience!” Ian Edmonds said of the experience, “I learned to have a keen eye for news that hits the airwaves during after-hours. Because that information is almost certainly going to drive a stock one way or another."  

Rounding out the Top 10 rankings are:  

  • 4th place: Ethan Foose-Furnik - St. Francis High School 
  • 5th place: Kyle Porter, Oakfield-Alabama High School 
  • 6th place: Alicia McCarthy-Alexander High School 
  • 7th place: Mohamed Hussein-Lafayette International High School 
  • 8th place: Bryce Roberts- St. Francis High School 
  • 9th place: Dylan Kaczmarksi- St. Francis High School 
  • 10th place: Kylee Williamson- Jamestown High School  

Students who placed in the top ten all received prizes, including iPad Air donated by HSBC Bank, Visa gift cards courtesy of West Herr, Tops Friendly Markets gift card, Six Flags Darien Lake passes and Perry’s Ice Cream prize packs. 

Participating Schools: 

Erie County: Academy School- BPS #131, Alden High School, Amherst High School, Clarence High School, East Aurora High School, Emerson High School, Hamburg High School, Kenmore East High School, Lafayette International High School, Pioneer High School, St. Francis High School, Grand Island High School. 

Niagara County: Lockport High School, Niagara Falls High School. 

Genesee County: Alexander High School, Batavia High School, LeRoy High School, Oakfield-Alabama High School. 

Chautauqua County: Jamestown High School. 

Wyoming County: Attica High School. 

Alexander Cemetery Association grateful for community support in aftermath of tornado

By Press Release

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Press release:

We are so appreciative of the coverage of the Alexander Cemetery after the tornado damage.  So many people saw it online, but the cemetery is not online, or on social media.  We were hoping you could share this thank you note online for all of the support we received.

The Alexander Cemetery Assoc. would like to thank the community for their generous donations after the tornado damage on the night of April 25, 2022.

We would also like to thank everyone who volunteered their time and services to assist with the extensive cleanup efforts.

We continue to clean up storm damage and are making plans to have the rest of the damaged tree taken down. 

We are looking into the best ways to save and repair the broken and damaged gravestones.

The support has been overwhelming and we are truly grateful for this outpouring of love and generosity from Alexander and the community.

Photos related to cemetery clean up and repair submitted by Kate Goodman

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Darien Alexander Townline Road Bridge replacement project begins Monday

By Press Release

Press release:

The Darien Alexander Townline Road Bridge, south of Attica Rd in the Towns of Darien and Alexander, will be closed beginning Monday, May 23, for a bridge replacement project. This locally administered federal aid project replaces the original short-span steel structure and abutments that dates to 1939 with new prestressed concrete hollow slab units and new abutments. The current bridge is posted for 12 tons and once replaced, the bridge will be open to full legal loads. This project is expected to take 3.5 months. During this time, the road will not be passable to regular traffic or emergency vehicles.

Thomas Sanfratello joins Alexander Town Board

By Howard B. Owens

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After a closed-meeting interview Monday evening, Thomas A. Sanfratello was selected by the Alexander Town Board to fill a current vacancy.

Sanfratello replaces Carol Wolfley, who resigned on April 13. Her resignation letter was ambiguous as to whether she is merely dissatisfied with her own job performance or with something related to the town board.

"This decision hasn't come lightly," she wrote. "Over the last few months, I have been thinking if I have been serving the Town of Alexander taxpayers with their best interest. After Monday's meeting and giving another 36+ hours thought to this, I am not!"

Wolfley refused to answer questions about her resignation.

Sanfratello said no particular issues prompted him to seek the open seat.

"I just wanted to get involved in the community and see how it works and do the best I can," Sanfratello said.

This is not a retirement job, said Sanfratello, who works for the Genesee County Sheriff's Office as the civil sergeant.  He said retirement is still a few years away.

The other candidate for the post was Jerry Krupka.

Photo: Thomas Sanfratello signs the town's ledger book after taking the oath of office, administered by Supervisor David Miller. Photo by Howard Owens.

Alexander Cemetery damaged by tornado, donations for repairs and cleanup sought

By Howard B. Owens

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Strong winds that brought down power lines in the Sandpit Road area of Alexander on Monday was actually a category EF-0 tornado, according to the National Weather Service.

The twister brought down several trees and caused damage to historic gravestones in the Alexander Cemetery, according to Kate Goodman, cemetery association president. 

The cemetery which was established in 1813 is a not-for-profit organization and was not insured for the damages, Goodman said.

The cemetery is asking the community for any donations they can provide to help defray the costs of removing the trees and repairing the stones.  Donations can be sent to the Alexander Cemetery Association at 4201 Broadway Road, Alexander, NY 14005. 

Photos submitted by Kate Goodman.

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Utility poles down, power out in the Sandpit Road area of Alexander

By Howard B. Owens

About 95 National Grid customers are without power in the area north of Route 20 and east of Route 98 in Alexander after two utility poles came down during the wind storm that passed through the area.

Alexander fire responded to the report of powerlines down at about 6:50 p.m. in the area of Railroad Avenue and Sandpit Road.

The fire department has since cleared the scene, reporting to dispatchers that village crews have erected barriers to block traffic to those roads and that National Grid is on scene saying it will take hours to complete repairs.

National Grid reports that it expects three complete repairs at about 9:30 p.m.

Alexander board seeks to fill vacancy

By Press Release

Press release:

The Alexander Town Board is seeking an individual interested in filling one vacant board seat. Any residents interested in the position please submit your letter of interest to the Town Clerk before May 9, 2022. Any questions feel free to call 585-591-2455 ext. 101

Town of Alexander GOP looking for candidates to fill vacancies

By Press Release

Press release:

The Town of Alexander Republican Committee is seeking candidates interested in the following positions that have been vacated due to resignations:

  • Town Council (fill vacancy)
  • Republican Committee Member, District #1 

Those interested please contact Barbara Eddy, (585) 507-9930,  no later than April 25, 2022.  

Fire company instructors complete training

By Press Release

Press release:

The NYS Principles of Instructions course is an introductory course for individuals who will be conducting training at the fire company level.  This 15-hour course was recently offered at the Genesee County Fire Training Center and is designed for fire service training officers and company officers. 

Participants reviewed the qualities of a good instructor, job performance requirements, components of a lesson plan, cognitive and psychomotor lesson plans, dealing with adult learners, meeting individual learning needs, factors that affect learning, the instructor’s role in safety, new technologies in course delivery, and learning characteristics of different generations. 

Volunteer and career firefighters regularly attend training courses to continually develop and refresh skills making the job of quality instructors even more valuable.

Ten firefighters representing five county fire companies completed the program held March 16 through March 21, 2022.

ALABAMA

  • Ryan M. Thompson

 ALEXANDER

  • Anthony R. Johnston

BERGEN

  • Jared Hicks 

ELBA

  • Jennifer A. Cardinali   
  • Nicholas J. Esten        
  • Michael Heale
  • Michael J. Pfendler
  • Michael J. Schad
  • Nathan J. Tabor          

LE ROY

  • Fay Fuerch  

Visit your local fire department to find out more about volunteer opportunities

HLOM director offering talk on the local connection to 'The Swedish Nightingale'

By Press Release

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Press release:

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next edition of its Java with Joe E. morning presentation group on Thursday, April 28 at 9 am. This month our Director Ryan Duffy will share the local connection of Joseph Burke and "The Swedish Nightingale," Jenny Lind. Burke was a backup musician for Lind when she traveled around the world with P.T. Barnum. Burke had a summer home in Alexander, NY where Lind visited several times. Come and enjoy free coffee and donuts and learn about this interesting piece of local history. The event is free to the public. If you would like to attend, please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com.

Photos: Fox den in Alexander

By Howard B. Owens

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Christine Loranty shared these photos of a fox den in a gravel pit near her house in Alexander.

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Law and Order: Pembroke man accused of pushing child

By Howard B. Owens

Kerwin Eric Ransom, 58, of Genesee Street, Pembroke, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and harassment 2nd. Ransom is accused of pushing a pre-teen child. He was arraigned in Town of Pembroke Court, issued an order of protection, and released.

Tina Marie Baase, 59, of Hamlin, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, and moving from lane unsafely. Baase was stopped at 9:34 p.m., March 26, on Route 98 in Batavia, by Deputy Jeremiah Gechell. Baase allegedly failed a field sobriety test. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Jessica Jean Easton, 38, of Easton Road, Esperance, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of.18 or greater. Easton was stopped at 8:50 p.m., March 26, on Gillate Road, Alexander, by Deputy Morgan Ewart. Easton was released on an appearance ticket.

Sierra Nicole Biegasiewicz, 31, of Ross Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Biegasiewicz is accused of shoplifting at Walmart. She was released on an appearance ticket.

Driver says he was using CB radio prior to collision in Alexander

By Howard B. Owens

A driver told a deputy he was distracted by his CB radio prior to an accident on Sandpit Road in Alexander at 4:40 p.m., Monday.

The driver of the second vehicle sustained minor injuries. 

Phillip J. Gorny, 53, of Creek Road, Batavia, driving a 2004 Dodge pickup, struck a 2007 Chevrolet SUV driven by 64-year-old Linda Hulshoff, of Broadway Road, Alexander.

Gorny was reportedly northbound on Sandpit Road and allegedly failed to yield to Hulshoff, who was eastbound on Route 20.  His pickup struck the SUV in the area of the passenger side front fender.

Deputy Jeremy McClellan, who investigated the accident, issued Gorny a traffic citation for alleged failure to yield. 

Law and Order: North Carolina man accused of possessing illegal weapon

By Howard B. Owens

Michael Alan Jones, 24, of Welford Road, Charlotte, N.C., is charged with criminal possession of an assault weapon 3rd, criminal possession of a weapon 3rd (ammunition feeding device), unsafe turn, number plate violation, driving an unregistered vehicle on a highway. During a traffic stop at 4:36 p.m., March 19, on School Road, Le Roy, by Deputy Kenneth Quackenbush, Jones was allegedly found in possession of an AR-15 rifle. He was arraigned in Town of Le Roy Court. He is scheduled to appear again on April 21.  Deputy Nicholas Charmoun assisted in the investigation.

Krystle Denise Sanders, 37, of East Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny.  Sanders is accused of shoplifting from Walmart at 10:43 a.m., March 18.  She was released on an appearance ticket.

Katherine Frances Foels, 36, of Elm Street, Attica, is charged with petit larceny. Foels is accused of shoplifting from a store on Veterans Memorial Drive in Batavia. The name and address of the store were withheld from the press release. Foels was released on an appearance ticket.

Adam Eugene Bortle, 38, of Lackawanna Street, Wayland, is charged with promoting prison contraband and three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance. Bortle was transported to the Genesee County Jail after being arrested on a warrant. He reportedly denied possessing any narcotics or other contraband.  He was allegedly found in possession of controlled substances during a search.  He was held until arraignment at a later date.

Ryan Thomas O'Connor, 37, of Center Street, East Aurora, is charged with DWI, driving left of pavement markings, and moving from lane unsafely.  O'Connor was stopped on Route 77 in Pembroke at 10:59 p.m., March 19, by Deputy Trevor Sherwood. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Anthony Daniel Micucci, 27, of Darien Alexander Townline Road, Alexander, is charged with escape 2nd.  Micucci was reportedly arrested on a warrant and while entering Town of Pembroke Court at 3:45 p.m, March 12, Micucci allegedly escaped from custody by running from law enforcement. He was taken into custody by Deputy Kevin McCarthy after a foot pursuit. He is also charged with three counts of criminal contempt 1st for allegedly violating an order of protection by calling the protected party in a complete stay-away order.  He was issued an appearance ticket.

David Michael Martin, 61, of West 6th Avenue, San Manuel, Arizona, is charged with bail jumping second.  Martin was arrested in Arizona and extradited to New York after allegedly failing to appear in Genesee County Court on a grand larceny 3rd charge.  He was arraigned in County Court and ordered held on $5,000 bail.

Sean G. Johnston, no age or residence provided, is charged with assault 3rd. Johnston was charged following an investigation by Le Roy PD into a disturbance at an apartment building in the Village of Le Roy.  No date or time for the disturbance provided. Johnson was issued an appearance ticket.

Cyle Hindle, no age or residence provided, is charged with felony DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation 1st, and driving with unsafe tires. Hindle was stopped by Le Roy PD at a time and date and location not specified in the release. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Brian M. Raphael, 33, of Batavia, is c charged with petit larceny. Raphael is accused of taking a package delivered by Amazon from the porch of a residence on Summit Street on March 11 at 12:01 p.m. Raphael was allegedly found with the package by Batavia PD after the resident was notified by Amazon that the package had been delivered.  He was issued an appearance ticket.

Brooke M. Davis, 29, of Medina, was arrested on a warrant. Davis is accused of failing to appear for a court appearance in the Town of Batavia. Davis was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and released on her own recognizance.

Leroy M. Stafford, 41, of Basom, is charged with felony DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation 1st, and driving without an interlock device. Stafford was stopped by State Police at 8:54 p.m., March 20, in the City of Niagara Falls. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Steven A. Wasielewski, 38, of Pembroke, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing. Wasielewski was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 12:21 p.m., March 20, in the Town of Pembroke. He was released on an appearance ticket. No further information released.

Victims in Alexander double homicide identified

By Howard B. Owens

With notifications made to family members, the Sheriff's Office has released the names of two men stabbed to death on March 11 in a bunkhouse on a dairy farm in Alexander.

Their names are

Elibander Morales, 30.  He is also known as Elibander Morales Velazquez, Elibander Ivan Cruz, and Ivan Cruz.  

Marceleno Gomez Hernandez, 29. He is also known as Marcelino Gomez Hernandez.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene by a Genesee County Coroner.

Both were born in Mexico and had been employed and living in the U.S. for an unspecified period of time.

Taken into custody and charged with murder were  Raul Cruz, 18, of Warsaw, and Prince N.K. Wilson, 23, of Albion.

The men are accused of stabbing and killing two men at a dairy farm at 10216 Alexander Road, Alexander.

The investigation is ongoing.

Two power outages reported in Alexander

By Howard B. Owens

There are two power outages reported by National Grid in Alexander, one affecting 372 customers and the other 907.

About half of the Village of Alexander is without power and that outage area stretches down Route 98 to Attica Central School, also north to Hunn Road and east almost to West Bethany/Molasses Hill Road.

The outage affecting 907 customers is along much of Route 238 and also covers a substantial portion of Wyoming County.

Nearly all of the National Grid service area in Wyoming County (a panhandle down the middle of the county) is without power.

The power outages in Alexander started at 2:54 p.m. and are expected to be resolved by 5 p.m.

Alexander student awarded scholarship from Electrical Association of WNY

By Press Release

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Press release:

Rich Monroe describes Joe Rebmann as a self-starter. Monroe, the ElectroMechanical Trades Instructor at the Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center, also noted that Joe tackles projects head-on and is a model student.

Joe Rebmann is a senior from Alexander and is a second-year student in the Electro-Mechanical Trades Program. Joe was recently awarded a $500 School-to-Work Scholarship from the Electrical Association of Western New York. According to the Electrical Association, the purpose of this scholarship is to be used toward the cost of tools for individuals seeking a career in the electrical trade.

Joe was recently chosen to participate in the Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program and was selected for a paid co-op at Tambe Electric. Joe has high hopes for this work opportunity as his goal is to go directly into the workforce after graduation.

“After my co-op, I want to continue working and I hope that Tambe Electric hires me. I love to work with my hands, and always had an interest in anything to do with electricity. When I was young, I used to wire circuit boards,” Joe said. “I will use this scholarship to purchase any tools so I’m ready to go to work.”

Monroe is confident that Joe’s co-op will lead to employment because Monroe describes Joe as “career-ready.”

“Joe is a great student who works independently, is able to decipher directions, and follow through with any task. He is an independent thinker and is totally employable,” Monroe said.

Joe recently had a work experience during a school day at the Batavia CTE Center replacing outdoor light fixtures with exterior LED lighting.

 “I worked with five juniors and I was the group leader. I showed them how to replace the fixture from chiseling concrete to making wire pigtails. We were able to replace all the fixtures on the building with little help from adults. I feel that this experience gave me great leadership and efficiency skills,” Joe explained.

Margaret Poray is the Executive Principal of the GV BOCES Batavia Campus. Like Monroe, she believes that Joe will be successful.

“Joe is a fine example of how our CTE programs prepare students for their next step in life, whether it be college or career. Each Batavia CTE Center program integrates both applied and practical skills into the curriculum as students gain hands-on experience in their chosen field. Joe is well-prepared and ready to go to work,” Poray said.

Submitted Photo: Margaret Poray, Executive Principal of the GV BOCES Batavia Campus, Joe Rebmann, and Rich Monroe, the ElectroMechanical Trades Instructor at the Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center.  Note:  the photo was taken before the mask mandate was lifted.

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