Hey, kids! Join us on the third Monday of every month at the Richmond Memorial Library for a story, craft & snack. Ages 1-10 are welcome! Register online , by phone or stop in! http://www.batavialibrary.org/events/kids_events.php
9/18 @ 6:30 pm- Rainbow Fish- Hear the story and make your own fish!
10/16 @ 6:30 pm - Corduroy - Make a finger puppet of this cute character after hearing his tale!
11/20 @ 6:30pm - Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - Make your own alphabet tree!
The eighth annual Dash in the Dark at Oakfield-Alabama High School, where high school cross-country runners run their races at night under the lights, took place last night (Sept. 8).
Thirty-five schools, more than 1,000 competitors from Section V and VI, and one from Pennsylvania, attended this year's event.
Cross-country participants call this the “Super Bowl” of races which runners start and finish under the football stadium lights along with construction towers to help guide them on the course.
Teams consist of three runners and will be split up into two divisions depending on school size. Each school can enter three teams in the Gold Race (fastest race) and unlimited teams in the Blue Race.
The course is a fast, flat, grassy, 1,600-meter loop around the school grounds. Each leg will run two loops, starting and ending inside the football stadium.
Medals are awarded to the top 10 fastest individual times, both girls and boys, for both divisions.
Team trophies are given to the top three teams in both divisions in the Gold Race.
Team awards go to the top three teams in the Blue Race, for both divisions and genders.
For final results go to: http://yellowjacketracing.com/results
A two-vehicle accident with minor injuries is reported on West Main Street, Batavia, near Taco Bell.
City fire and Mercy EMS responding.
Richard C. Call epitomized community, speakers noted yesterday at the dedication of two new facilities at Genesee Community College, and he was an avid supporter of agriculture, so it's only appropriate, they said, that the new athletic and community center on the college campus be named after him.
"This is a great day," said Peter Call, son of Dick Call, a member of the board of trustees for five years (top photo). "It just doesn’t get any better than this and this building exceeds all of our wildest expectations. It seems like two minutes ago we were having the campaign, trying to raise a few bucks and now it’s all done and it’s ready for students."
It was Dick Call, said College President Jim Sunser, who recognized the need for an event center that could serve both community and student athletic needs. When the plan was drafted for the building and the Student Success Center, it was Call who had the vision to turn to the community, especially fellow farmers, to raise $5 million to help fund the project. And it was Call who recognized Craig Yunker was just the person to lead the fundraising campaign.
"I’m grateful to have been mentored by Dick Call," Yunker said. "He convinced me to be involved with this effort and I’m grateful. It’s been a great honor."
From Dick Call's original vision to planning for the facility, the need to recognize agriculture's central role in the community was a big part of the effort, speakers said.
"Early on in the campaign," said Peter Call, "during one of our campaign meetings, Jim Vincent made a very strong, encouraging comment that the college needs to have some kind of permanent agriculture exhibit on display so that all of our students and all of our visitors can understand what the history of agriculture is in Western New York, what agriculture is today and the future of agriculture. I think you can see the message got through and the college put together just an amazing exhibit."
Dick Call didn't live to see his vision become reality. He died in 2014.
"When I think of community life, I’m reminded of Dick Call and the values he lived by each day," Sunser said. "It is most fitting that this structure bears his name."
The central role of agriculture in the region is on display in the front hallway of the new arena.
"Those visitors will immediately grasp the values and traditions that define our community and make it so special," Sunser said. "Our community has thrived in a large part because of the agriculture. We all know that agriculture is the driving economic engine and force in our GLOW county region and agriculture is the driving force behind the values that we cherish in our community."
Peter Call said the dedication was a proud day for his family and the community and he thanked the community members who turned out for the event.
"I’ve traveled around and been to many community colleges and certainly our campus and now, with these two new buildings, we are above everyone, any community college anywhere as far as facilities," Peter Call said. "It’s very easy to say but it’s just a fact. It’s wonderful."
Laura J. Bohm, chair, board of trustees
GCC President Jim Sunser
Craig Yunker
Batavia Middle School was packed Thursday night for a first-day-of-school open house, giving parents a chance to visit their children's classes, meet teachers, find out what students would be studying, what homework expectations were and other information about the school year.
Above, teacher Sarah Gahagan points to where homework assignments are written on a whiteboard.
For the past three years, Gahagan has led a group called Girls on the Run. This year, she will continue Girls on the Run, but will also lead a new group, B Squad Running Club.
Like Girls on the Run, B Squad will be a running group, but with a focus on building community ties and relationships, with visits to role models, successful businesses. The participating boys will run or walk to the local location.
Students at Batavia Middle School interested in participating should visit Mrs. Gahagan's room (A116) at 2:45 p.m., Sept. 11.
OPEN HOUSE THIS SATURDAY 1-3 p.m. Gorgeous three bedroom, two and a half bath brick Colonial, only 13 years young! Fantastic kitchen with granite counters, island with butcher block top and maple hardwood floors. Master bedroom with walk-in closet and bath featuring marble countertops and large walk in tiled shower. Large two and a half car attached garage. Very private back yard smartly landscaped and additional outbuilding just under 700 square feet with high ceilings, living room, office, one bedroom and full bath. Call Charles Flynn today for more information or visit the open house.
Jenna Josephite, 28, of Main Street, Batavia, and Shawn Hunter, 33, of Wakefield Street, Rochester, are charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd. Members of the Wyoming County Drug Task Force observed Josephite and Hunter allegedly sell a large quantity of suspected crack cocaine to a subject who had been under surveillance by the task force in the Warsaw Shopping Plaza in Warsaw. Josephite was jailed on $20,000 bail and Hunter was ordered held without bail.
Chad E. Alwardt, 37, of Byron, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Alwardt was arrested Tuesday by members of the Local Drug Task Force on a warrant. While being taken into custody he was allegedly found in possession of heroin. The nature of the warrant was not released. He is being held in the Genesee County Jail.
Lindsay Goins, 61, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with falsely reporting an incident. He was released under the supervision of Genesee Justice.
An 18-year-old resident of Stittville is charged with unlawful possession of alcohol. The youth was arrested at 9:55 p.m. Wednesday at College Village. State Police did not release the defendant's name.
Two 18-year-old residents of Batavia are charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youths were arrested Wednesday by State Police at a location on Assemblyman R. Stephen Hawley Drive, Batavia. State Police did not release the names of the defendants.
The annual Sun In Pisces Psychic Fair and Holistic Expo will take place Sept. 8 and 9 at the Quality Inn & Suites, located at 8250 Park Road, Batavia.
Free lectures with $7 admission each day.
All-Star readers and vendors will be there on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Due to attend from all over and offering their rare talents are:
Plus, Darryl and Ginny Byers will be offering Reiki.
Jim Moomaw will have his aura camera available, along with metaphysical merchandise.
Kathryn Faso will offer Young Living Oils.
Sticks and Stones will have a whole wall of gems and minerals, along with Billee's astrological reports.
Joe and Marion Davis will be there with everything metaphysical.
Some additions this year include:
It's going to be AWESOME!
Press release:
A new restaurant ownership training course is slated to begin in October featuring two monthly classes over the winter, or approximately 26 hours of training that concludes in February.
The program involves two juried tastings that each class participant is required to prepare. Registration opens online Friday, Sept. 8th at www.freshLabBatavia.com. Top contestants of the freshLAB Foodie Challenge may win free tuition to attend the freshLAB Boot Camp.
A range of small business specialists and industry experts have been coordinated by the Batavia Development Corporation to prepare the aspiring restaurant owners for a business sector that is reported to have a multimillion dollar opportunity in Genesee County.
Genesseans are assumed to spend approximately $20,000,000 to eat, drink and be entertained some place other than Genesee County. The downtown strategy is to keep the dining dollars local by becoming a dining and entertainment destination that will capitalize on the market opportunity.
“We are hosting a Foodie Challenge Sept. 23rd to stir food creativity,” said Barb Shine, coordinator of the program and Batavia Development Corporation Board member. “Good flavors come first, we want creative cooks to consider opening his/her restaurant.
"To follow, we’ve assumed a bigger role to coordinate the Boot Camp. We’ve corralled the necessary resources and experts for talented and industrious operators to seriously consider the restaurant business.”
Research and local experience shows that a written business plan is not a sufficient judge of a candidate’s readiness to get started or grow. In fact, 59 percent of hospitality businesses fail within three years according to Restaurant Management Software POS Sector study. One reason for failure is noted as the lack of a strong concept setting the business apart from the competition.
The Boot Camp instruction has carved-out more than three hours to discuss the trends and market opportunities in food service, a highly competitive and shifting business.
“What’s your 'Because?” " asked Katie Frilllici, representative of JFS/Curtze food distributor. “You must have a compelling reason for people to select your eatery over another.”
JFS/Curtze should know, they have been in the food business for 135 years. Frillici and her colleagues have been invited to participate as guest instructors for the Boot Camp where they, too, will share trade ideas to help develop a winning concept. JFS/Curtze is a full-line food service distributor now serving eight states.
Other select instruction will be led by Palmer Food Services, Chef Tracy Burgio of Batavia Career & Technical Education Center and Matt Gray, entrepreneur and owner of five restaurants. Legal, insurance and regulatory representatives in addition to agriculture business educators will be on hand.
Tentative Boot Camp program schedule:
Industry experts will lead the classroom training in operations, marketing and financial management. Other mentors will guide menu planning to inventory management, distributor purchasing to farm sourcing. Estimated Course Value more than $1,300 being offered for $349.
The Boot Camp is considered a prerequisite for entrepreneurs considering to lease space at the new freshLAB restaurant incubator foodhall now under construction on Main Street, Batavia. The Foodie Challenge will reward the top five competitors by offering TUITION FREE invitation to the Boot Camp.
freshLAB restaurant incubator was conceived to strengthen the local food service industry and capitalize on more than $20,000,000 that leave Genesee County each year when residents eat, drink and enjoy entertainment elsewhere.
The project is funded, in part, by USDA Rural Development to intentionally link regional agriculture to the menu. A program coordinated by the Batavia Development Corporation in cooperation with the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, Batavia Business Improvement District and Batavia Career & Technical Education Center. https://freshlabbatavia.com/
It's the first day of a new school year and the first day for Kia Evans as principal of Jackson School in Batavia.
Evans greeted students this morning with hugs and high fives.
"I'm excited," Evans said. "This is what we do so I'm excited and I'm excited for the kids."
Evans grew up in Buffalo and started her career teaching in Buffalo. She taught for 10 years in Buffalo and Amherst and then became an assistant principal, working the past five years as an assistant principal in Williamsville.
Nick Cain talks with Batavia Middle School students today during Connect Day at the school, which is a time for new students, mostly incoming fifth-graders, to get acquainted with the school before classes start.
They met eighth-grade mentors and participated in team-building exercises. Cain provided karate instruction to go with a talk on success in school. The other pictures below are from a game that is part four-square and part volleyball.
Press release:
Join us for some spooky fun on Saturday, Oct. 21st, when the Batavia Cemetery Association will host a candlelight guided ghost walk through the Historic Batavia Cemetery on Harvester Avenue in Batavia.
The tours will feature the famous and infamous movers and shakers who shaped and influenced the City of Batavia. The guided tour will bring guests to meet men and women of Batavia, who, for various reasons, held great power and exerted great influence in their day, were victims of tragic events, or both.
Tours begin at 7 p.m. and run every 15 minutes until 8:30 p.m. Admission is $10 and includes refreshments. Reservations are strongly recommended.
Some tickets may be available at the gate the evening of the event at Historic Batavia Cemetery, Harvester Avenue, Batavia. Proceeds benefit the upkeep and restoration of the cemetery.
For more information, or to make reservations, contact 343-3220.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A 19-year-old Nigerian college soccer player was sentenced to time served today after agreeing to a plea bargain on a sex charge.
Hamma S. Yusuf Jr. has been incarcerated for 11 months (nine in Genesee County; two in North Dakota for reasons not explained). In Genesee County Court this morning, he pled guilty to a Class A misdemeanor -- sexual misconduct, on an "Alvord basis," meaning without a factual admission of guilt. The maximum sentence he could serve on that misdemeanor is one year.
He was originally charged with first-degree rape in a case involving a 13-year-old girl when he was 18. He was also granted "youthful offender" status today, which means in due time his crime can be expunged from his record, provided he does not commit another one.
But Yusuf is not home free. Although he was released today from Genesee County's custody, an immigration detainer was filed by the U.S. Immigration Service. Therefore, he will imminently be in their custody and his temporary visa status will be reviewed and possibly revoked.
Judge Charles Zambito clearly and articulately explained the proceedings to Yusuf and was careful that the client of defense attorney Michael D'Amico understood them and the impact the guilty plea may have on his immigration status.
D'Amico described the athletic teenager as articulate, thoughtful and a good soccer player who realizes "he got himself in a tough spot." When asked, the soft-spoken African said he completed two years of college and could write and speak English fluently.
Nothing was said about regrets.
Zambito agreed to issue the requested order of protection for the victim and fined Yusuf $175 plus a $25 mandated surcharge.
Then the orange-jumpsuited, handcuffed teen was led away to be processed and transferred to the custody of immigration authorities.
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