batavia

A 42-year-old male inmate of the Buffalo Federal Detention Center on Federal Drive in Batavia is requesting transport to the hospital because he is "dazed and confused."

When Batavia scheduled Hornell for its homecoming game some people thought it was crazy, Head Coach Brennan Briggs admitted after last night's 30-14 loss to the Raiders.

Hornell came into the game with a 43-game winning streak and is arguably the best team in the state of New York in any class.

But at the half, with the score tied 14-14, and the Blue Devils' defense coming up big on some key plays, it didn't look so crazy.

The theme for the team all week in preparing for the game, Briggs said, was "great moments come from great opportunities."

The second half didn't go as well for Batavia, but Briggs came out of the game believing the Blue Devils, in his first season as head coach, are ready to play with anybody.

"These kids showed they can come out and play with the best and compete with them," Briggs said. "Yes, obviously, we got beat by 16. We’re not super excited about getting beat by 16, but we know we can play with them. We really do."

Justin Washington and Brett Scheuerlein had big games for the Blue Devils.

Washington snagged an interception in the first quarter and returned it 30 yards for a TD. He also nabbed a 20-yard reception from Scheuerlein in the second quarter for a touchdown (top photo).

Scheuerlein was 7 for 12 passing for 93 yards.

The Raiders played a tight, disciplined defense all night however and the Blue Devils were forced to punt four times in the second half.

In the third quarter, Brendan Buisch hit Richie Harkenrider on a 40-yard TD play. A Batavia defender got a hand on the ball as Buisch hauled it in, but when he couldn't strip it, there was nobody between Harkenrider and the end zone.

With the lead, the Raiders turned their offense over to Zach Bacon, their big, strong full back, who wasn't unstoppable (defenders a couple of times took him down for losses), but could also shake off tackles (or jump over) and get big gains.

In the fourth quarter, Bacon (#40 in photos)  scored on a 50-yard run, just plowing through blue jersies for the first 20 yards like a combine in a cornfield.

"The kid’s a stud," Briggs said. "You can’t really coach against that. You do what you can against him, but he’s one heck of a football player."

In preparing the Blue Devils for Hornell, Briggs reminded them that 31 years ago, Batavia (Correction: It was Notre Dame) snapped Cal-Mum's 49-game winning streak on Woodward Field.

"I told them, 'this field's made for breaking winning streaks,' " Briggs said.

While the final score was disappointing, Briggs said the game will give Batavia great confidence going into the final two games of the season and into, hopefully, sectionals.

"We know that if we continue with the same intensity, the same enthusiasm, the same execution, we can have a great ending to our season," Briggs said.

In other football action on Friday:

• Le Roy's winning streak was snapped by Perry, 44-36. Perry's QB Cory Dillon hit Jake Kiehle on a fourth-down, less than two minutes to play, 11-yard TD pass to put Perry in the lead. Dillon passed for 299 yards and 4 TDs. He was 25 of 40 passing. Perry, now 4-1, last beat Le Roy in 1991. Peter Privitera carried the ball 18 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Le Roy is now 4-1.
• Notre Dame is 4-1 after beating Pembroke 35-7. Andrew Mullen carried the ball 14 times for 180 yards and one TD. Jason Hart also scored on the ground and had 13 attempts for 14 yards. (Nick Taylor apparently did not play Friday). Tim McCulley was 4-7 passing for 105 yards and three touchdowns. Hart had one TD reception of 12 yards. Josh Johnson's only reception was for a 46-yard TD, and Jared Thornton's lone catch was for a 29-yard score. John Lapple notched Notre Dame's only sack. He had three tackles. Anthony Paladino had 5.5 tackles. Peter Thomas had 10.5 tackles for Pembroke.

This afternoon, Oakfield-Alabama is at Elba/Byron Bergen and Alexander hosts Holley. The other game of significance is Attica at Livonia. Both Elba/BB and Attica are undefeated. The Genesee Region rivals meet next week.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here. To purchase prints of these photos, click here.

At half-time, the football game between between the Batavia Blue Devils and Hornell is tied 14 to 14.

Hornell came into the game with 43 straight consecutive wins.

Look for complete coverage Saturday.

UPDATE 8:54 p.m.: Complete coverage is currently available via WBTA radio.

UPDATE: At end of third, Hornell 20 to 14.

UPDATE: Final, 30-14.

Four men, including two with reputed ties to the Hell's Angels, were convicted by a jury in Federal Court today of stealing scrap metal in Batavia.

Convicted of conspiracy to steal an interstate shipment and theft of an interstate shipment were Richard E. Riedman, 39, of Webster, Anthony Toscano, 47, of Rochester, Anthony J. Russell, 39, of Rochester and Timothy M. Stone, 32, of Chili.

Riedman and Stone were indicted in April 2011 on federal racketeering charges for their part in an alleged plot to help James Henry McAuley Jr. (aka "Mitch"), 62, an alleged Hell's Angel vice president, avoid apprehension for an alleged assault on a person viewed as a threat to the motorcycle club.

McAuley is married to 45-year-old Donna L. Boon (aka Donna L. McAuley), a Town of Batavia resident, who was first arrested in July 2009 as an alleged member of a methamphetamine ring headed by Donald G. Vanelli, 48, of 8394 Lake St., Le Roy. Vanelli is currently serving a lengthy federal prison sentence, but the original charges against Boon were later dropped.

In February, Boon, along with Riedman, was re-arrested by federal authorities and accused of being part of a meth distribution ring.

All of those charges are still pending.

Riedman, Toscano, Russell and Stone face a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The four men, along with Christopher Monfort, who was previously convicted in the case, were caught June 30 by Sheriff's deputies using a logging truck and pickup truck to steal more than 16 tons of scrap steel from a rail car at the CSX Transportation yard in Batavia, along with 17 tons of processed scrap steel.

The stolen scrap was awaiting shipment to a steel mill in Pennsylvania.

The federal case was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey.

Sentencing is scheduled for January.

Nabbed through DNA evidence in May for a Dec. 15 break-in of a Town of Batavia home, a 19-year-old Buffalo man entered a guilty plea in Genesee County Court today and faces up to seven years in prison.

Steven Carnell McKnight, already sentenced to a prison term of one to three years for an unrelated crime in Erie County, will be sentenced Oct. 15.

McKnight will be sentenced on two charges. There's today's guilty plea on second- degree attempted burglary, plus an earlier plea to the same charge for a break-in Dec. 14 in the Town of Pembroke.

All three sentences -- Erie County, Pembroke and Batavia -- will be served concurrently.

The entire sentence range, from probation up to seven years in prison, is available to Judge Robert C. Noonan. McKnight could have been sentenced today under the plea arrangement, but there is paperwork that must be completed first.

Press release:

The Batavia Muckdogs and Miami Marlins today announced the signing of a new two-year Player Development Contract through at least the 2014 New York-Penn League season. A joint announcement was made by Marlins Farm Director Brian Chattin and Brian Paris, president of the Genesee County Baseball Club, the non-for-profit that owns the Batavia Muckdogs franchise.

The agreement ends a six-year affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals, who signed a two-year agreement with the State College Spikes last week. The Marlins had been affiliated with the Jamestown Jammers since 2002. During that time, the Jammers posted a combined record of 370-451 (.451), with two post-season appearances.

“We are excited to have the Miami Marlins as our new affiliate. I look forward to developing a relationship with them and to welcome them into our community. The Marlins are a fine organization that brings with them solid baseball experience and good people. This is a good fit for us as we enter our 74^th season of baseball in Batavia. On behalf of the entire community and the Genesee County Baseball Club, we are anxious to get started with another year of professional baseball in Batavia,” Paris said.

“We’re very pleased to sign a new working relationship between Batavia and the Miami Marlins. The Marlins are everything a Minor League franchise could hope for in an affiliation. They also understand how important small town Minor League Baseball is to the Batavia Community and we can’t wait to play host to some extremely talented young players,” said Naomi Silver, president and CEO of Red Wings Management, LLC, the company which has managed the Muckdogs since 2008.

"The Miami Marlins are very excited to begin an affiliation with the Batavia Muckdogs. With its rich baseball history, supportive front office and loyal fan base, Batavia will be the ideal place for our players and staff to call home each summer,” the Marlins' Chattin said. “The Marlins are proud to have Batavia as our player development partner and look forward to a long and productive partnership together."

The Muckdogs are one of seven affiliates in the Marlins’ player development system, joining the New Orleans Zephyrs (AAA/Pacific Coast League), Jacksonville Suns (AA/Southern League), Jupiter Hammerheads (Advanced A/Florida State League), Greensboro Grasshoppers (A/South Atlantic League), Dominican Summer League Marlins (Rookie) and Gulf Coast League Marlins (Rookie).

Press release:

The Batavia City School District Board of Education’s Public Relations Committee continues to explore cost-effective ways to increase communication with the public and is looking to expand the amount of coverage of district news and accomplishments, the methods of delivery, and opportunities for interaction and feedback.

To help with this, a survey was developed to gather input from a full spectrum of Batavians -- including parents, students, staff, business leaders, and all other community members. The short survey asks about preferences in terms of what kind of communication is important as well as what are the most accessible means for receiving information and responding to district news.

In addition to the survey being available on the district Web site where it can be completed in a few minutes (http://www.bataviacsd.org/news.cfm?story=958&school=0), a paper copy has been included in all school newsletters and will be in the A+ Batavia Communicator newsletter scheduled to be in district residents’ mailboxes the first weekend of November.

Completed surveys can be returned to any school office, mailed to the Administration Building (39 Washington Ave.) or to the high school (260 State St.), which is where administrative offices are moving. Please mark envelopes with “Attn: Public Relations Committee.”    

Communication with the community we serve is important; we hope you will take a few minutes to share your thoughts so we can better serve you.

It's red. It's shiny. It's big. And it's in service.

Though Engine 11, Batavia's newest fire truck, has been dispatched on a call or two in the past week, but at 4 p.m. today it officially went in service.

Purchase of the $342,000 fire truck was approved by the city council in April using funds specifically set aside for the fire department.

Engine 11 replaces Engine 14, which was retired due to escalating repair costs to keep it up to standards.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing fire hydrants on Friday, Sept. 28, at approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the general area north of West Main Street and west of Bank Street.

Homes and businesses nearby will be affected. These tests may result in a temporary discoloration of water in that area. As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored.

A 26-year-old woman who recently relocated from Florida to Le Roy was arrested today, accused of stealing a purse from a local business and then using debit and credit cards to make purchases at local stores.

Maria A. Matos was taken into custody after an employee of a retail store in Le Roy became suspicious of a woman who was carrying multiple credit and debit cards and so contacted authorities.

The employee said the woman left in a local taxi and Le Roy PD began a search for the cab.

When located on Route 5 in Stafford, the taxi had no passenger and the driver said he had dropped off a woman at a business on Lake Street because she admitted she didn't have cash for the fare.

That led police to the residence of Matos, who was staying in a boarding house on Lake Street.

According to Le Roy PD, Matos was allegedly found in possession of two stolen credit cards and the identification of a Medina resident.

Numerous items purchased with the allegedly stolen cards were also found in the room.

About this time, Batavia PD received a report of a purse being stolen from an office in Batavia.

Police accuse Matos of allegedly stealing the purse and then securing a taxi ride to Le Roy, where she used the stolen credit cards.

Matos was arraigned on two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, two counts of identity theft, two counts of unlawful possession of personal identification, two counts of petit larceny and one count of theft of services (for allegedly not paying for taxi fare).

Following arraignment, Matos was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Further charges are pending in Batavia.

A 24-year-old Batavia man is accused of violently assaulting an 8-month-old baby, causing head injuries.

Randy Johnson, of Walnut Street, Batavia, is charged with three counts of reckless assault of a child.

According to Det. Kevin Czora, Batavia PD opened an investigation after a child was transported to Women's and Children's Hospital in Buffalo and treated for seizures that were believed caused by brain injuries.

The injuries are not believed to be permanent.

Johnson is accused of inflicting the injuries over a period of several weeks.

The child was released from the hospital and is now in the custody and care of Child Protective Services.

Johnson was released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

He was able to get himself into a garage and later help another man escape jail, and now he's going to be locked away for five to seven years.

Paul J. Doctor, who entered guilty pleas Aug. 2 to attempted burglary, 2nd, and escape, 1st, will serve five years on the first charge and three-and-a-half to seven years on the second.

He will serve the sentences concurrently, Judge Robert C. Noonan ruled this afternoon.

Doctor, 34, and a resident of 20 Maple St., Batavia, at the time of his arrest, was accused in February of breaking into a garage and residence on Jackson Street and stealing appliances.

By May, he was a wanted man, accused of violating the terms of his release under supervision.

Besides pleading guilty to the burglary charge, Doctor also admitted that he helped an inmate escape from the Genesee County Jail in July.

Charges are still pending against 22-year-old John Anthony Cabrera, who is accused of a handful of local church burglaries over the summer.

Cabrera allegedly climbed through the jail building, after getting a boost from Doctor into the ceiling area, and into the basement. Cabrera reportedly managed to get out of the jail area -- constituting escape -- but never made it out of the building at 14 Main St.

Once out of jail in five to seven years, Doctor will be on parole for five years.

Press release:

State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer has announced the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will be increasing the crosswalk signal time by 20 percent for pedestrians at the intersection of Route 5 and Ross Street in Batavia.

Senator Ranzenhofer requested the NYSDOT to conduct a study late last year.

“After receiving complaints that the time allotted by the signal had been too short – especially for residents at a nearby senior housing facility – to walk across a multi-lane road safely, I requested the State Department of Transportation determine essential improvements for the intersection,” Ranzenhofer said.

After further review, NYSDOT informed Senator Ranzenhofer that it has decided to implement numerous actions:

• Increase the crosswalk signal time by 20 percent
• Repair two of the four countdown timers
• Replace missing informational signs

“I am pleased the Department of Transportation will be taking action to make this crossing safer for residents. Without these necessary improvements, this intersection would continue to pose a danger to the many walkers and residents at a nearby senior housing facility who utilize this crosswalk,” Ranzenhofer said.

A two-car accident with one car hitting a pole is reported in the area of 122 Bank St., Batavia.

There are possible injuries.

City fire and Mercy EMS responding.

SUBMITTED by Kathie Scott, coordinator of public information, Batavia city schools

“Like Us” on Facebook, and Respond to Survey
Public Relations Committee Chair Patrick Burk reported that the committee continues to explore cost-effective ways to increase coverage of district news and accomplishments, with both the amount of news and the methods of delivery being expanded.

A survey has been posted to the Web site ( http://www.bataviacsd.org/news.cfm?story=958&school=0), will be sent home in school newsletters, and will be inside the district newsletter in order to solicit input from the full spectrum of community members about their preferences regarding district communications. The committee is exploring the use of college interns as well as BHS students as a means to expand its capabilities for covering positive news.

The district launched a Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/BataviaCitySchools)  in time for Homecoming and has been encouraging students, particularly those involved with the BHS yearbook and those taking media courses, to become involved in providing pictures and short news items for it. The page will also serve as a feeder that leads back to more detailed information on our Web site.

Also carrying the Homecoming theme, Board Member Gretchen DiFante interviewed two teachers who are BHS alumni -- Physical Education teacher and Varsity Football Coach Brennan Briggs and Science teacher Elena Chmielowiec -- for their stories about graduation from and returning to BHS. That article is posted on our Web site (http://www.bataviacsd.org/news.cfm?story=954)  as well as online with www.thebatavian.com and thedailynewsonline.com

Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio, who has been an active member of the committee, added that BHS teachers have responded enthusiastically to the idea of incorporating some publicity-related “real life” experiences into their lessons by having students photograph and write about events. She also said she has been keeping the Management Team informed of the PR Committee’s initiatives and all are excited about the possibilities.

BHS Homecoming in Full Swing
Student Ex-officio Board Member Kaitlin Logsdon updated the board members on the activities at the high school, including activities for Homecoming Week, Sept. 24-28. (http://www.bataviacsd.org/news.cfm?story=951&school=0 ), and athletic updates, including the boys’ cross-country team coming in first last weekend, gymnastics team coming in second in its last competition, and the swim team winning its first meet of the season. In addition, organizations such as honor societies have begun meeting and planning their events for the year.     

More after the jump (click on the headline):

New Inductees for Athletic Hall of Fame
Superintendent of Schools Margaret Puzio announced the upcoming Athletic Hall of Fame Induction, one of the featured events of Homecoming. This will be the 11th Annual Batavia Blue Devil Athletic Hall of Fame induction and this year’s honorees include William J. Walters (Class of 1923); Patrick Marabella (Class of 1957); Sue Medley (Class of 1982); Wendy Folger (Class of 1969); Robert Thurston (Class of 1985); and Philip Grazioplene (Class of 1987). Inductees will be announced during halftime at the Homecoming football game and will be formally inducted the following night at a dinner in their honor.

Improvement Plan for Focus School
As noted at a previous board meeting by Superintendent Puzio, the district did not meet New York State’s proficiency benchmarks for one subgroup of students. As a result, it has been identified as a Focus District, and is required to choose at least one school on which to focus efforts toward improvement for this subgroup.

Because the middle school has the greatest number of students in the specified subgroup, it was chosen as the Focus School. The district must assemble a school improvement committee to develop a plan that identifies areas of need as well as programs and activities to help increase student achievement.

It’s important to note that the data used for the determination dates back to the 2010-2011 school year and if data from 2011-2012 had been used, the district would have made the target cut points. So while the district is responsible for submitting a Comprehensive Improvement Plan to the state, many of the strategies and plans are already under way and yielding positive results. In addition, Deputy Superintendent Chris Dailey will attend a training in Albany that will focus on what the state requires.

Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) Update
Deputy Superintendent Chris Dailey announced that the Batavia Teachers Association voted to support the APPR that the district has been working on for approximately two years.

The nearly unanimous support may be a reflection of the APPR committee’s thorough research of what other districts were doing as well as their solicitation of a broad base of input from our own district teachers throughout the process of creating the plan. The next step is to formally present the final draft to the Board of Education at the Oct. 9 meeting for its approval then begin implementing it. Dailey believes the plan will be a model for other districts to follow.

Dignity for All Students Act
Jamie Polhamus, an instructional support specialist for the district and the district’s School Dignity Act coordinator provided an overview of The New York State Dignity for All Students Act, (familiarly known as “The Dignity Act”)  its purpose, and what it means for our district.

The Dignity Act is a New York State Educational Law that became effective July 1. The purposes of the legislation are:

• To raise awareness and sensitivity to potential acts of discrimination and/or harassment directed at students that are committed by students and/or school employees on school property or at a school function;
• Raise awareness of discrimination and/or harassment based on a person’s actual or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex;
• To discourage and respond to incidents of discrimination and/or harassment.

The Dignity Act’s underlying premise is that preventative and non-punitive intervention, in response to incidents of discrimination and/or harassment, is the best way to achieve school environments free from harassment and discrimination.

Schools are encouraged to use a variety of intervention measures to address discrimination and/or harassment, including restorative practices, conflict resolution, peer-mediation, and counseling, rather than over-relying on exclusionary methods of discipline, such as suspension.

The district has already implemented initiatives and staff training that are in line with The Dignity Act and will continue to utilize programs already in place such as PBIS (Positive Behaviorial Interventions and Supports) and the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.

In addition, Dignity Act coordinators have attended a full-day workshop and have presented the additional information to all staff and all students, adapting the presentation as was befitting for each group.

The district’s Code of Conduct has been updated, as has been the information on the Web site regarding Dignity Act information/resources. Documentation if incidents occur will be handled using a system that had been recently implemented, although some modifications may be made in the future.

Coming up next, building newsletters will include information on the Dignity Act, coordinators will attend another training session this fall then update staff, and counselors will develop grade-appropriate student lessons to be presented district-wide.      

Financial Summary Report
Business Administrator Scott Rozanski reported on the July 2012 revenue and expenses for the district, reviewing them in comparison to the July 2011 figures.  

Recorded revenues were down by nearly $35,000, primarily in the non-property tax items category (utility tax). The utility tax, as has often been reported, experiences regular fluctuations, particularly early in the year. Expenses were also down. The decrease of approximately $20,500 is primarily due to the timing of billing cycles, particularly in this instance in regard to payment of general liability insurance premiums.

Auditors Review Financial Statements
Audit Committee Chair Phil Ricci reported that the committee met with the auditors to review financial statements from the last fiscal year and, noting that the auditors had only minor comments, he commended Business Administrator Scott Rozanski and the Business Office staff for their work. 

Administration Building Offices Will Move
Buildings and Grounds Committee Chair Amy Barone reported to the board that, at its last meeting, the committee discussed the public vote to sell the Administration Building and the resulting plans for relocating offices that are currently housed in that building, particularly the IT department.

They also reviewed the Building Condition Survey and the Roof Report for the roof of the Richmond Memorial Library. Roof work would be a capital project and, as such, would require voter approval. They also continue to work on the leasing of Robert Morris, and currently have two potential tenants.

An assault at Batavia High School this afternoon sent one teenager to UMMC for undisclosed injuries and/or an evaluation. The person was later released from the hospital. No furthers details are available. Police responded and will be filing a report.

Kids are reportedly partying by the State Street maintenance entrance to the New York School for the Blind, and officials there called dispatch to report it. City police are responding.

A larceny was reported at the Salvation Army Store on Jackson Street in the City of Batavia. Police are in the process of taking a report.