batavia

City fire is going to 112 Vine St. for a report of someone burning something inside a barrel outside.

A tow-truck driver suffered a minor medical issue while driving on Clinton Street Road near Grand View Cemetary when he lost control of his vehicle while trying to pull over, and the truck continued to travel off the roadway striking some signs. He was not injured in the crash. Sheriff's Office, Batavia fire, and Mercy EMS responded.

Photos submitted by Brian Odachowski.

A new support network for adults living with all types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases is launching in Batavia on Sept. 27.

The Arthritis Support Network in Western New York will hold its local debut event from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Richmond Memorial Library, located at 19 Ross St. in the City of Batavia.

It aims to help and support those with arthritis through connection, education and empowerment.

To RSVP or to get more information, contact Jim@Arthritisintrospective.org or go online to arthritisintrospective.org/local

Batavia PD is randomly selecting semi-trucks traveling on Ellicott Street through the city for safety inspections. Officers pull over a truck and then instruct the driver to pull into the parking lot next to Falleti Ice Arena on Evans Street.

UPDATE 1:34 p.m.: There is another checkpoint for truck safety inspection selections set up on Ellicott Street between Liberty and Jackson streets.

Kelly Leigh Stanton, 23, Sparksboro Drive, Camillus, is charged with forgery, 2nd. Stanton allegedly claimed to be her sister during an arrest at 12:18 a.m. on Aug. 5. She is accused of signing her sister's name on a fingerprint card. She was jailed on $15,000 cash bail or $25,000 bond.

Joelle Marie Devincetis, 34, of Weston Road, Rochester, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, and inadequate plate lamp. Devincetis was arrested on a warrant out of Town of Stafford Court and jailed on $200 cash bail or $2,500 bond.

Press release:

The Intensive Care Unit at United Memorial Medical Center and the Intensive Nursing Care Unit at Unity Hospital both received Silver-level Beacon Awards for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).

These two awards bring Rochester Regional’s total earned to seven, which is the most for any health system in New York State. The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes hospital units that use measurable practices to improve patient and family outcomes and experience.

“It’s an outstanding accomplishment to have seven Beacon Awards bestowed on our health system family. These awards further exhibit our commitment to nursing excellence,” said Debbie Stamps, EdD, vice president, Quality, Safety & Innovation at Rochester Regional Health.

“Our nurses, in every location, deserve recognition for the amazing work they do each day, hour, and minute on behalf of our patients and their families.”

Previous Rochester Regional Health Beacon Awards for Excellence:

•  Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) at Rochester General Hospital: Silver-level

• Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Newark-Wayne Community Hospital: Silver-level

• Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) at Rochester General Hospital: Silver-level

• Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Unity Hospital: Silver-Level

• Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) at Rochester General Hospital: Gold-level

Rochester Regional can reapply for these prestigious designations at the expiration of each three-year term.

Kmart in Batavia has again dodged the budget cutting ax of parent company Sears, as the 124-year-old retail giant continues to see sales revenue drop across the country.

This morning, Sears announced that it's closing 28 Kmart locations, but the Batavia store is not on the list.

In July, Sears announced it was closing 35 locations, and neither Kmart nor the local Sears outlet made the list. In all, the company has closed 180 locations in the past year.

The announcement after Sears made its latest revenue report to stockholders, revealing an 11.7-percent drop in sales on a same-store basis. The company lost $251 million for the quarter.

In March, another legendary retail chain, JCPenney, announced it was closing stores across the nation, but Batavia's store was not on the list. 

Kohl's Department Stores has also been struggling with declining retail sales, but that company's CEO said that rather than close stores, it will shrink existing stores.

• 1. The workers’ compensation system is complex, confusing, and often difficult to navigate.
• 2. We will look out for your best interests, fight on your behalf against the insurance carrier to maximize your benefits, and make sure your questions are answered.
• 3. In some cases, you may be entitled to a financial award, even if you did not miss any time from work as a result of your work-related injury.
• 4. The insurance carrier will have a team of attorneys working on their behalf, having an attorney fighting on your behalf helps to level the playing field.

Please call Kristin Allen at 585-815-9003 for any of your workers’ compensation needs.

Press release:

Start-Up Genesee will hold the next “Think & Drink” event from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31^st at The Harvester Center at 56 Harvester Ave. in Batavia, NY. 

The launch of the Think and Drink series hosted by Start-Up Genesee officially kicked off on Sept. 1 at The Harvester Center where regional business leaders and elected officials gathered to recognize and celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit in Genesee County.

“A lot has happened at the Harvester Center since the last Think and Drink event was launched almost a year ago,” said Tom Mancuso, owner of Mancuso Business Development Group. “I think this speaks to the entrepreneurial spirit of our community and the fact that this facility and space helps bring out that type of creative thinking.”

Guests are asked to meet at the Moon Java Café, which will be followed by tours of businesses and viewings of available space as well as demonstrations of the various business services available at the Harvester Makerspace. This event is free and open to the public.

The tour will include remarks from business owners, Renee Smart of Moon Java Café and James Dillon of the Harvester Makerspace. They will provide insight and share their experiences on how entrepreneurs can successfully work in shared spaces.

Resurgence Brewing Company, which recently announced it is opening a brewery in Batavia at Ellicott Station, will provide samples of its various craft beer selections. Resurgence specializes in making sour, wild and barrel-aged craft beers.

Sponsors for the event include Canandaigua National Bank & Trust, FreedMaxick, Merrill Lynch, Del Plato Casey Law Firm LLP, the University at Buffalo New York State Center of Excellence in Material Informatics and Bioinformatics & Life Sciences, Tompkins Bank of Castile and Tompkins Insurance.

For more information or to RSVP, please contact Rachael Tabelski at 585-343-4866 or rtabelski@gcedc.com.

Common Core spring results show improvement for Batavia City School Students, a point Superintendent Christopher Dailey emphasized during a conversation today, but that isn't the most important stat he looks at in evaluating student proficiency.

The most important number to him, he said, is the district's 95-percent graduation rate.

"The tests are supposed to be an indicator of graduation readiness and I've yet to see that kind of link because we graduate a lot of kids who go on to do great things," Dailey said.

In English Language Arts, the district improved from a 34-percent pass rate last year to 36 this spring. The statewide pass rate is 40 percent, but Dailey noted that in both ELA and Math, City Schools perform on par with other small city school districts.

In Math, the district improved from 36 percent to 38 percent with a 40-percent statewide rate.

In ELA, 40 percent of the girls passed and 29 percent of the boys. The pass rate for girls in Math was 35 percent and 40 percent for boys.

The test was given to students this spring in grades three through eight.

Dailey said Common Core provides more data points to measure how the district is doing and what it might need to address to meet the educational needs of students, but it isn't the only data point.

"If you look at like schools, we're doing OK, but not good enough," Dailey said. "We still need to improve and we will."

Other Genesee County districts:

• Byron-Bergen, from 42 to 49 percent in ELA, and 49 to 48 percent in Math;
• Le Roy, from 39 to 43 percent in ELA, and 45 to 50 percent in Math;
• Pavilion, from 30 to 34 percent in ELA, and 45 to 42 percent in Math;
• Alexander, from 34 to 33 percent in ELA, and 47 to 43 percent in Math;
• Oakfield-Alabama, from 33 to 41 percent in ELA, and 50 to 49 percent in Math;
• Elba, from 30 to 27 percent in ELA, and 36 to 41 percent in Math;
• Pembroke, from 39 to 36 percent in ELA, and 50 to 45 percent in Math.

For complete countywide results, click here.

Rae C. Cook, 28, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Cook is accused of punching and kicking a roommate in the face during an argument at midnight, Monday. 

Passiona C. McConnell, 39, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with curfew violation. McConnell is accused of allowing her two juvenile children to violate the Batavia Municipal Code curfew.

Minnie M. Henry, 29, no permanent address, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief and harassment, 2nd. Henry was arrested on a warrant and detained in jail.

A 17-year-old resident of Main Road, Le Roy, is charged with trespassing. Deputies responded to a complaint of several individuals trespassing on property at 7875 E. Main Road, Le Roy. The youth was identified as an alleged trespasser, arrested and issued an appearance ticket.

A caller in the area reports seeing a person with a shopping cart full of merchandise who walked from Walmart to Pawn King.

The caller suspects the items were stolen from Walmart.

A trooper is responding.

UPDATE 3:45 p.m.: When the trooper pulled up, the subjects left Pawn King and were last seen walking toward Office Max. They left the merchandise on the counter at Pawn King.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for Genesee County and several others in Western New York until 1:30 p.m.

At 12:34 p.m., severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Batavia to near Varysburg, moving northeast at 55 mph. Hazardous 60-mph wind gusts are expected.

Also, expect wind damage to trees and power lines.

Specifically cited for hazardous driving conditions are Interstate 390 between exits 7 and 12. Interstate 90 between exits 48 and 44.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.

The 1776 Volunteer Riders presented checks yesterday of funds raised at a June 3 ride to the PTSD Clinic at the VA Hospital and Crossroads House. Each agency received $1,600.

Photo and submitted by Jeff Allen.

Here's three shots of the eclipse by Doug Yeomans. If you got shots of the eclipse or shots of Genesee County residents taking it in, email them to howard@thebatavian.com.

Photo submitted by Bob:

Photo submitted by Elizabeth Murphy:

For a couple of hours this afternoon, the whole nation, it seemed, was thinking about only one thing: the eclipse -- the first total solar eclipse viewable for any portion of the continental United States in 40 years, and pretty much, you weren't seeing that one unless you were in the Southwest.

Batavia was no exception to the eclipse mania that swept the nation with the Richmond Memorial Library handing out 1,000 eclipse viewing glasses and several hundred people sticking around the library for the viewing party. There was a long line for glasses at the library before the eclipse even started. 

The common comment among eclipse viewers, "I'll probably never see another one in my lifetime," even from people clearly young enough to look forward to the 2024 total eclipse when WNY will be directly in the path of totality.

Today, in Batavia, we only got to see about 76 percent of the sun blocked by the moon.

In 2024, it will be 100 percent, and because it's an early spring eclipse with the Earth closer to the sun, it will last twice as long.

There was a great community spirit at the library today, which people commented on.

"With everything going on in the world today, I thought it was kind of nice that people are getting together for something positive and fun," said Greg Ireland, who was sat on the grass outside the library with his family, including his two young children, whom he gave a small lesson in how the solar system works.

"I think it's very nice," Ireland said. "There's a lot of people having fun, families, activities for the kids. It's a good, positive thing for Batavia."

Debbie Wynn-Dunn said she came out because it was a chance to enjoy an extraordinary event with her family.

The rareness of the event also brought out Kathy Starkweather.

"I think anything that happens in our lifetime, that is unusual or not a very common event, is worth seeing," Starkweather said. "I love seeing all the families out here, parents with their kids experiencing something rare."

Nancy Gerspacher praised the library for putting the event together.

"It’s just something that happens that is phenomenal that you want to see, and it was very good of them to bring glasses and let people do this here," Gerspacher said.  "The library is a very good format to help everybody."

The path of totality for the eclipse in April 2024.

Growing up, Carmen DelPlato got to know just about all of the 200 or so songs his older brother John wrote, which he describes as very Beatlesque.

"John used to sing me when I was a kid frequently so I could sing along with him," DelPlato said. I'm a bit biased but I think the songs are pretty good."

They're good enough, DelPlato thinks, that more people should hear them, so he's created a Kickstarter campaign to raise $1,800 to pay for studio recordings of eight of the songs. For a contribution of $10 or more, you could own a bit of Batavia's rock music history.

"We're doing this to share his music so it can be heard because when he goes the music goes with him," DelPlato said. "We're not out to make money. You can't make money in the music business unless you have a lot of money and we don't have a lot of money."

The DelPlato family is a musical family. Carmen's maternal grandfather, Francesco Marcello, was a musician and composer who wrote marches. One of them, family legend has it, was played for Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

His mother, Mary, was also a songwriter. Some of her Christmas songs have been featured on The Batavian the past couple of years, such as this one.

Carmen is the youngest of nine children -- John, Charley, Danny Jr., Joe, Vincent, Mary Ellen, Michael and Carmen. Carmen professes to no musical talent. John, Charley, Mary, and Vinny all played music. Mary Ellen is also a songwriter.

The boys in this large family often had to share rooms, two and three to a room, in their house on Hutchins Street, but there was still space for a music room with drums, guitars and keyboards. There was also a piano in the living room.

The musical talent has been passed down to Carmen's nephew, Anthony, who will produce and play on the recordings of John's songs. He has a degree in recording.

"He can play many instruments," Carmen said. "He can sing, which makes it easier and cheaper than otherwise to pay other musicians."

To make your contribution to the recording effort, click here.

Press release:

Are you a foodie who loves to cook and aims to learn more about this craft? Under the aegis of freshLAB, Batavia Development Corporation is co-hosting a Foodie Challenge with the Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23.

Deemed the official start to recruiting aspiring restaurateurs for freshLAB, this one-day challenge will offer kitchen access and chef mentoring by Chef Tracy Burgio, the certified Culinary Arts Instructor at the Batavia CTE Center.

The Foodie Challenge is limited to 25 participants from seasoned cooks to homemakers who are encouraged to share sweet and savory flavors.

During the competition, a Selection Committee will taste all flavors in order to offer top competitors free tuition to an upcoming restaurant ownership Boot Camp that will take place at the freshLAB facility in Batavia. This boot camp will offer a series of restaurant ownership workshops taught by industry experts, which includes two more juried tastings. The boot camp is set to begin in October and will run until January.

“I challenge students and feel this awesome project is an extension of our approach in the classroom,” said Chef Burgio.

Interested in participating in the Foodie Challenge? A few notable twists add interest to the challenge:

1. You must be a “Spirited Foodie” -- which is defined as a courageous person who seeks new food experiences.

2. The Spirited Foodie must source at least one ingredient regionally to prepare the recipe.

No professional cooking experience necessary, only a good recipe and a $25 entry fee. Bring your own ingredients; any necessary cooking equipment will be provided along with chef guidance. Register online at www.freshLABBatavia.com. 

The deadline to enter is Sept. 9. Each Food Challenge entry will be provided one free guest admission to the ticketed tasting evening event on Sept. 23. Tickets to this event are $20 per person and may be purchased at www.freshLABBatavia.com

All recipes must be prepared at Batavia CTE Center commercial kitchen on Sept. 23. Student porters will be enlisted to help navigate the kitchen efficiently. Foodie Challenge entrants must prepare 150 two- to four-ounce samples.

A ticketed tasting event will cap off the evening. Proceeds will benefit the Batavia CTE Center Culinary Arts Club. Ticketed guests will cast their votes for his/her favorite sweet or savory sample, which will be granted the People’s Choice Award.

This event will take place at the Batavia CTE Center from 5-7 p.m. following the competition. Tickets to this event are $20 per person and may be purchased at www.freshLABBatavia.com.

“Creative business ideas set companies apart,” commented Steve Pies, board director for Batavia Development Corporation. “We’re looking for flavors not available in Batavia. There’s a huge opportunity for the right concept.”

Pies is referencing the Clue Group market research indicating Genesseeans spend $12,400,000 to eat and drink outside the area every year. freshLAB was conceived to tap that immense market potential, strengthening the local industry to keep dining dollars local. The Foodie Challenge is what the business world would call “ideation,” a way to churn unique ideas.

The Foodie Challenge is a collaborative effort of the Batavia Development Corporation, Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center, Batavia Business Improvement District and the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

Questions regarding the Foodie Challenge may be directed to Julie Pacatte at the Batavia Development Corporation at (585) 345-6380. Registration form available online at www.freshLabBatavia.com.