Stories from

The 2020 Presidential Election is already being covered on every radio station, every social media outlet and soon it will take over local television as well. This is predicted to be one of the most contentious and tumultuous elections in recent history.

Campaign commercials, debates, stump speeches, candidates' history, statistics, surveys and predictions will bombard every media outlet in the months to come.

To make sense of it all, Genesee Community College has opened registration for a very special course that is available only during Presidential Election years.

The quadrennial course (i.e., only offered every four years) American Presidency (POS210) is taught by Derek Maxfield, GCC's associate professor of History.

Maxfield has a long and nearly intimate history with past presidents, both through his lengthy teaching tenure, but also through his historical presentation of Ulysses S. Grant, the famous Civil War General and our 18th U.S. president.

The American Presidency covers the historical foundations, theoretical aspects and powers of the presidency. In addition, the learning outcomes of POS210 include:

• How media and popular culture have influenced the presidency over time;
• Various models of presidential power and the major issues scholars are investigating;
• How different presidents have interpreted and exercised political power;
• The constitutional relationship between the executive and other branches of the government.

Anyone can enroll in this course with no pre-requisites are required. It does not have to be taken as part of a degree program and is an excellent elective for any degree. If seats are available, the course can be audited for free by seniors over the age of 60.

The onsite course begins on Tuesday, Jan. 14, and will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. 'til 12:20 p.m. at GCC's Batavia Campus.

Anyone interested in this course who is not a current GCC student, is encouraged to contact the College's Admissions team at (585) 345-6800, or via email at admissions@genesee.edu, or apply online at https://www.genesee.edu/courses/nonmatriculated/ to get started.

Photo: 4-H Clover Drovers Club members with their pillow projects.

Submitted photo and press release:

The Genesee County 4-H Program is seeking new volunteers and 4-H clubs! Volunteers are essential to our program and allow you to share your hobbies with interested youth.

Projects can be as varied as sewing, arts and crafts, cooking, animal science and more.   

You can start a 4-H Club in these five easy steps!

1.)  Complete the New 4-H Volunteer Enrollment Form (available at the 4-H office).

2.)  Attend an orientation meeting with 4-H staff.

3.)  Enroll five youths in your club (ages 5 to 18).

4.)  Have members choose a club name.

5.) Plan monthly club meetings and projects with club parents and members.

New members and volunteers are always welcome to join the 4-H program.

For more information on how to join or start a 4-H club, please contact the 4-H Office at genesee4h@cornell.edu or (585) 343-3040, ext. 131.

The 4-H office is located at Cornell Cooperative Extension, Genesee County, 420 E. Main St., Batavia.

Fire is reported at 415 E. Main St. in the City of Batavia. It is reported that the building is evacuated. City Fire Department is on scene. A Mercy ambulance is requested for a person suffering from possible smoke inhalation.

The location is between Bank and Wiard Ross and Vine streets.

UPDATE 11:15 p.m.: Medics are back in service with a patient sign-off.

Press release:

Genesee Community College Foundation is proud to announce that Tompkins Financial, one of the community's leading financial services companies, is the Benefactor Sponsor of "Encore: An Evening of Elegance," which is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. in the Richard C. Call Arena at GCC's Batavia Campus.

The proceeds from Encore, the Foundation's premiere fundraising event, directly benefit the scholarship program at Genesee Community College.

Scholarships recognize academic excellence, keep talented students within the GLOW community, ease financial hardships for students and prepare students for careers in occupations that are critical to this region's growth.

"Tompkins is pleased to be the lead sponsor of this important event and to celebrate the importance of GCC to our community, and its students as our future leaders," said David S. Boyce, Tompkins Insurance president and CEO.

Since its inception nearly 30 years ago, Encore has provided a fun and festive opportunity for the community to gather in the fine spirit of the holiday to raise funds for student scholarships. In 2018, the Foundation awarded more than $145,000 in scholarships to GCC students in financial need.

This year's event is co-chaired by Mary Blevins and Jenna Holota.

With guests wearing their stylish cocktail attire, "An Evening of Elegance" includes the following:

• Cocktail Hour with DSP Jazz Trio (6 p.m.)
• Dinner Reception with sensational food stations (7:15 p.m.)
• Holiday Favorites and Pop Music by Nik and the Nice Guys (8-10 p.m.)
• Delectable Desserts (8:30 p.m.)

Tickets cost:

• $1,000 -- Holiday Chord Circle (for six tickets)
• $600 -- Golden Guitar (for four tickets)
• $300 -- Inner Circle (for two tickets)
• $100 -- Platinum Patron (single ticket)

​Tickets to attend Encore 2019 are on sale now here, or through the Foundation Office at (585) 345-6809, or foundation@genesee.edu.

"The 12 Plates of Christmas" will be presented at GO ART! by Jeanne's Table on Thursday, Dec. 12.

This Culinary Arts collaboration promises to be a great -- and delectable -- way to celebrate the holiday season.

Twelve courses of fine cuisine will be served at this small plates dinner.

Only 20 tickets will be sold.

Cost is $75 per person. Beverages not included. The venue's craft beer and wine bar will be open.

It starts at 6 p.m.

To reserve your seat or get additional information, call or text 585-409-9019.

GO ART! is located in the historic Seymour Place building at 201 E. Main St. in Downtown Batavia.

A car-into-tree accident with injuries is reported at 1862 Ledge Road in Alabama. There are two elderly occupants; one with a head injury and the other feeling light-headed.

Alabama Fire Department, Mercy medics and a deputy are responding.

The location is between Wight and Gorton roads.

A first responder reports there is no entrapment and there's one vehicle off the roadway.

UPDATE 2:17 p.m.: One occupant is being transported to UMMC with a complaint of pain on the right side of the chest. Other responders are back in service.

The Kiwanis Club of Batavia is sponsoring Thanksgiving morning ice skating at the Falleti Ice Arena.

It will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 28, at the arena at 22 Evans St. in the City of Batavia.

Free admission! Free skate rentals -- while supplies last! And free hot chocolate, too!

Press release:

Are you currently unemployed and subsisting on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) but are considering seeking employment and could use some assistance? This may be just the opportunity that you're looking for!

Batavia’s premier consumer-run human service and advocacy agency for people with disabilities, Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is holding a FREE Ticket To Work Program and Benefits Advisement Information Session at the ILGR office in the Crickler Executive Business Center, at 319 W. Main St., (the former Pepsi Distribution Building) Batavia.

It will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday Dec. 10; light refreshments will be provided.

Offered through the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA), the Ticket to Work (TTW) program is a free and voluntary program that can help Social Security beneficiaries go to work, get a good job that may lead to a career, and become financially independent, all while they keep their Medicare or Medicaid.

Individuals who receive Social Security benefits because of a disability and are age 18 through 64 probably already qualify for the program. TTW offers participants with disabilities access to meaningful employment with the assistance of Ticket to Work employment service providers called Employment Networks (EN). It may be a good fit for you if you want to improve your earning potential and are committed to preparing for long-term success in the workplace.

For more information or to register, please contact: Donna Becker at (585) 815-8501, ext. 411, or email her at dbecker@wnyil.org.

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is a member of the Western New York Independent Living Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.

A man who was reported to dispatch for allegedly carrying a sword while walking down Liberty Street in the City of Batavia is barricaded in one of three houses cordoned off by police.

The incident began about an hour ago and police immediately established a parameter around the Liberty Street trio of homes.

Jackson Primary School at 411 S. Jackson St. was put on lockout -- meaning no one is allowed to enter or exit until the scene is secure.

UPDATE 3:26 p.m.: The students have been dismissed and have boarded buses.

The Richmond Memorial Library Foundation will host a Scrabble Tournament fundraiser on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 7 to 9:30 p.m.! The tournament will take place at GO ART! (201 E. Main St., Batavia).

The entry fee is $35, which includes appetizers and one adult beverage. Your entry fee supports the Richmond Memorial Library Foundation, and cash bar proceeds support GO ART!

Doors open at 7 p.m. The tournament starts at 7:30 using NASPA tournament rules and Merriam-Webster's "Official Scrabble Players Dictionary." Two 50-minute games will be played (against different opponents) with the following prizes:

• First Place (highest combined scores): $100
• Second Place (combined scores): $50
• Highest-scoring word: $35

Registration
Advance registration is available online at batavialibrary.org through Monday, Dec. 2, or by calling the Richmond Memorial Library at 585-343-9550, ext. 2. Payment will also be accepted the evening of the event by cash or check made out to Richmond Memorial Library Foundation. 

A limited number of walk-in registrations may also be available.

About the Richmond Memorial Library Foundation

It is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization which supports the Richmond Memorial Library by raising funds from generous donors to build and manage an endowment to meet the library's long-range needs. 

With the creation of the Richmond Memorial Library Foundation, we now have a legal entity that can receive your gifts, donations, and bequests and invest them for the future of the library.

You can earmark your gift for specific areas – our collection, the children’s room, special programs, landscaping, bricks and mortar – or you can leave that to the discretion of the library’s director, trustees, and foundation board. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.batavialibrary.org/about

Richmond Memorial Library continually provides access to physical and virtual resources and services that meet the educational, informational and recreational needs of its diverse community in a safe and comfortable environment. Learn more at www.batavialibrary.org.

Above, Tonia Galban teaches weaving.

Submitted photos and press release from Gretchen Spittler, Byron-Bergen Central School District:

BERGEN -- Alyson Tardy’s fourth-grade class has been studying Haudenosaunee culture. Their studies included a special classroom guest -- Tonia Galban, who is a member of the Mohawk Bear Clan and a celebrated basket maker.

Today (Nov. 18), Galban is teaching the students how to make a woven, decorative, sunflower bookmark out of strips of black ash wood and raffia.

Galban and Tardy came together as part of a workshop called Culture, Community, and the Classroom, offered through Genesee Valley Educational Partnership by Local Learning: The National Network of Folk Arts. The workshop paired artists with classroom teachers to explore the mutually beneficial aspects of collaborating.

Today was the second, and last, of Galban’s visits. On her first visit she discussed ties between arts and Haudenosaunee culture. During the final visit, she chose to teach the hands-on activity in a traditional way. Galban gathered the students around the front table where she taught, not the students, but Tardy and her two teacher aides how to weave the bookmark.

“Children will watch the adults working,” Galban said. “Sometimes they won’t even realize that theyhave learned the skill – just by watching. All people have to develop patience. Calm insides and calm minds. Use your senses first, listen, and follow directions.”

After the demonstration, each student returned to their own desk to try weaving. As they worked, the adults helped them until, at some point, they began to help each other.

“Not everyone is a basket maker,” Galban said to the class. “You might be a singer or a dancer. Some sunflowers are big, some are small. You have your family to depend on – your friends can help.”

After some hard work and concentration, each student held up their completed sunflower.

“You have taken part in an in-depth dialogue with your teachers and me on big concepts,” said Galban as the lesson concluded. “The basket weaving is an analogy for how to be in your mind and in your heart. Patience and cooperation. Being a balanced human being. Kudos to you guys – you learned more than I could have even hoped for.”

“Niá:wen,” the students thanked Galban in Haudenosaunee. “Io, you’re welcome” she replied.

In addition to Galban’s visit, the students’ study of Native American culture included a field trip to Ganondagan State Historic Site. Also known as Boughton Hill, it is a Native American historic site in the present-day Town of Victor in Ontario County. It was the largest Seneca village of the 17th century.

During the field trip, the children experienced song, dance, storytelling, traditional arts, and culture during the annual Haudenosaunee Day celebration. They also presented their Haudenosaunee cultural artifact projects to other students.

Below, Tonia Galban working with student.

Below, the class displays their finished projects.

Stephen Anthony Marazita, 37, of North Lake Avenue, Bergen, is charged with criminal tampering in the second degree. Marazita was arrested at 8:49 p.m. on Nov. 14. It is alleged that he tampered with his electric meter to turn power back on at his residence after it was shut off. He was arraigned in Bergen Town Court and released on an appearance ticket. He is due to return to court on Nov. 20. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy David Moore.

Phillip Sanders Brunson, 32, of an unspecified address in Gowanda, is charged with two counts of second-degree harassment. Brunson was arrested on  Nov. 14 in regard to an incident that occurred on Nov. 24, 2016. He allegedly slapped and spit in a female's face and shoved another female during a domestic incident on Maple Street in the City of Batavia. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court. (His disposition afterward was not provided.) The case was investigated by Batavia Police Officer Joshua Girvin, assisted by Officer Nicole McGinnis.

A 17-year-old female who lives in Batavia was arrested on Nov. 7 after an incident that occurred the day before outside a residence on Hutchins Place in Batavia. The girl allegedly threatened to harm people while holding a baseball bat. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on Nov. 19. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jordan McGinnis, assisted by Officer Jason Davis.

Kaleb James Bobzien, 21, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with second-degree criminal contempt. Following an investigation of phone calls made from recorded jail phones, Bobzien was arrested on Nov. 18. It is alleged that he violated a stay away order of protection issued by Batavia City Court. He is due back in court on Nov. 26. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer James Stack, assisted by Officer Dennis Bartholomew.

Jahmaal Lee Barnes, 19, of Batavia Stafford Townline Road, Batavia, is charged with third-degree burglary and fourth-degree grand larceny. Barnes was arrested at about 8 p.m. on Nov. 16 and arraigned in Batavia Town Court. It is alleged that at 11 a.m. on Nov. 14 that Barnes entered an apartment on Batavia Stafford Townline Road and stole the resident's debit card. Barnes was released under supervision of Genesee Justice and is due back in Batavia Town Court on Dec. 16. The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Nicholas Chamoun.

Genesee Symphony Orchestra will perform "Symphonic Pictures II -- A Nutcracker Holiday" at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8, at Byron-Bergen High School.

It is located at 6917 W. Bergen Road, Bergen.

S. Shade Zajac is the music director and conductor.

The program is:

• "Christmas Concerto" by Corelli
• "Sleigh Ride" by Anderson
• Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, movement I, by Saint-Saëns, performed by Amy Feng, GSO 2019 Young Artist winner
• "The Nutcracker" selections from Act I by Tchaikovsky
• Holiday Selections performed by the Pembroke Elementary School Chorus, directed by Erin Rush, with pianist Sarah Panna
• "Christmas Festival" by Anderson

Tickets are $15 for adults; seniors $10; and students with student ID, free.

Tickets are available at: Roxy's Music Store (228 W. Main St., Batavia); The Yngodess Shop (73 Main St., Batavia); the Bank of Castile, Le Roy (29 Main St.); and online at the GSO website here.

This concert is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the NYS Council on the Arts, with the support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the NYS Legislature. The funds are administered by GO ART!

A two-car collision with injuries is reported at 300 Ellicott St. in the city, in front of Southside Deli. City fire, police and Mercy medics responding.

UPDATE 11:55 a.m.: A second ambulance is called to the scene.

UPDATE 12:21 p.m.: A man and his children in a minivan were rear-ended by a car after the minivan stopped at a the red light at Liberty and Ellicott streets. None of the minivan's occupants were injured. The driver of a car was a female who was transported to UMMC with complaints of left arm and chest pain. A first responder said the car was going about 30 mph at the time of impact and there was no air-bag deployment.