Data Update – 

• Genesee County received 16 new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • The new positive cases reside in the:
    • West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke)
    • Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) 
    • East Region (Bergen, Byron, Le Roy, Pavilion, Stafford)
• The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 60s and 90s. 
• Twenty-four of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.  
• Three of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.

​

Orleans County received seven new positive cases of COVID-19.  

• The positive cases reside in the:
  • West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby)
  • Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre)
  • East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon)
• The individuals are in their 0-19s, 30s, 50s and 60s.
• Three of the newly positive individuals was under mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
• Seven of the previous positive individuals has recovered and has been removed from the isolation list.
• Three of the current positive individuals is hospitalized.

Genesee County Planning Board members Thursday night fired off a few rounds of questions about safety, noise, glare and berms to the Brockport man proposing to develop an outdoor shooting range and drive-in theater on Harloff Road in the Town of Batavia.

At its meeting held via Zoom videoconferencing, the board recommended approval -- with modifications concerning stormwater pollution mitigation and acquiring the proper permits – of a special use permit and site plan for Brandon Lewis to construct and operate the business for shooting, firearms training, general recreation, fitness training and family entertainment, including a drive-in movie theater.

The venture, which is scheduled to go before the Batavia Town Planning Board next Tuesday, would be located at 3269 Harloff Road, not far from the Area 51 Motocross layout.

Lewis was asked about the placement of the theater screen and whether it would be visible to motorists on the nearby Thruway. He responded that he would make sure that wouldn’t be the case, but the board agreed to include that to the suggested modifications.

Planners also inquired about the number of berms or trees on the parcel, specifically on the west side between the rifle range and the neighboring property. Lewis said that a berm already is in place there along with a 12-foot retaining wall.

Concerning the possibility of noise from the shooting, Lewis said while the natural berms would “deflect sound from going onto the Thruway,” he also plans to plant more trees.

“It won’t be as disruptive as a semi going down the Thruway,” he said.

The board then asked about the hours of operation. Lewis said it mostly be during regular daytime business hours, but didn’t leave out the possibility of special target shooting event in the evening.

Furthermore, Lewis, who grew up in East Bethany, made it clear that no shooting will take place when the movie theater is open.

“We want safety for everyone,” he said.

Planners also considered the following referrals:

• A site plan review for Mutka 3450 Properties of British Columbia, Canada, to construct a 1,500-square-foot office addition to an existing warehouse facility in a Manufacture-Industrial district at 3450 Railroad Ave. in the Village of Alexander. Approval with the modification that the site plan complies with all applicable floodplain construction requirements.

• A site plan review for BALD Development LLC of Alden to construct an 11,250-square-foot (225 by 50) pole-barn-type commercial office/storage building in a Commercial district at 234 Genesee St. (Route 33) in the Town of Darien. Approval with modifications pertaining to driveway permits, stormwater pollution prevention, proper lighting and adherence to 9-1-1 standards.

• A special use permit for ForeFront Power of San Francisco to place a 45-acre, 5 megawatt ground-mounted solar system in an Agricultural-Residential district at 6982 Norton Road in the Town of Elba. Approval with modifications pertaining to relocating a portion of the driveway and equipment pad to the edge of the field and adherence to 9-1-1 standards.

A gas leak reported earlier today at Pavilion High School has been dealt with by RG&E and tonight's championship game between the Lady Gophers and York will start at 7 p.m. as scheduled.

If you just looked at the score (67-50), you would think the Lady Irish had a pretty easy time of it against C.G. Finney in their Class C2 Section V semifinal game played at Notre Dame.

If you took that view, you would be mistaken. The Falcons are a small, fast, aggressive, scrappy team led by a diminutive sophomore (her height isn't listed on the roster), Jahniya Johnson, who is as dangerous outside the arc as she is driving the lane and tossing up one of her stock-in-trade floaters.

Johnson scored 35 points. But with no other Falcon presenting much of a scoring threat, Johnson couldn't carry the team alone, especially against one led its own young stars, such as Amelia McCulley and Lindsey Weidman. 

McCulley, herself just a sophomore, was also hard to stop and she scored 29 points. Weidman scored 16. Sarah McGinnis scored nine and Judah Macdonald added seven.

Maylee Green led the Irish with 16 rebounds. Weidman and Emma Sisson, who also scored six points, had 12 apiece.

The D1 championship will be decided Saturday at 7 p.m. in South Seneca. South Seneca is 13-0 and #1 seed in the division. Notre Dame is the #2 seed.

Press release: 

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) released the following statement calling for the resignation of Governor Cuomo. 

“As I’ve said from the beginning, the sexual assault and harassment allegations against Governor Cuomo are deeply troubling. I continue to support the Attorney General’s investigation and believe it is imperative. And while I strongly believe in due process, the revelations that the Governor and his staff worked to conceal the truth and undermine his accusers are unconscionable and disqualifying. 

"It is clear to me that this crisis of his own making is a distraction from the very important work that needs to be done right now to move our state forward. The Governor is incapable of leading our state and can no longer effectively carry out the duties of his office. The investigations must continue, and he must be held accountable for his actions, but for the good of our state, he must resign.”

A statement from Assemblyman Steve Hawley:

“As we begin to work with our colleagues in the Majority to commence our impeachment investigation, I only hope it will move forward both swiftly and sincerely," Hawley said. "The large volume and grave nature of the allegations made against the governor have already made him incapable of leading our state, so this investigation is not one that should be prolonged in any way.

"New Yorkers need their duly elected Legislature more than ever, and the more time we waste with Andrew Cuomo biding his time in office, the more people around the state will hurt due to their inaction. After making an insincere attempt to remove the governor's emergency powers last week, I am hopeful the new information that has come to light about the governor's alleged wrongdoings will spur those in the Majority to join us in doing the right thing this time and move to cleanly and quickly impeach the governor.

"Of course, he has the option to resign as well.”

Chance Luke Flanagan, 19, of West Main Street, Corfu, is charged with: third-degree burglary; third-degree grand larceny; second-degree criminal mischief; fourth-degree grand larceny; and fifth-degree conspiracy. Flanagan was arrested after an investigation into a burglary that occurred on East Main Street in the Village of Corfu between June 1 and June 2. He was arraigned virtually March 11 in Batavia City Court and released on his own recognizance. He is due in Corfu Village Court May 12. The investigation was conducted by Corfu Village Police Officer David Krzemien and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, including investigators Kevin Forsyth and Howard Carlson.

Thomas Franklin Hofmeier, 19, of Harlem Road, West Seneca, is charged with: third-degree burglary; third-degree grand larceny; second-degree criminal mischief; fourth-degree grand larceny; and fourth-degree conspiracy. Flanagan was arrested after an investigation into a burglary that occurred on East Main Street in the Village of Corfu between June 1 and June 2. He was arraigned virtually March 10 in Batavia City Court and released on his own recognizance. He is due in Corfu Village Court April 5. The investigation was conducted by Corfu Village Police Officer David Krzemien and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, including investigators Kevin Forsyth and Howard Carlson.

Michael A. Sweet, 35, of Varysburg, and Rachel A. Baehr, 34, of Batavia (no addresses provided), were arrested March 11 after a traffic stop on Route 98 in the Town of Sheldon. Sweet was pulled over after being observed driving a 2004 Subaru Forrester, and was known by law enforcement to have a suspended driver's license. A metal cylinder with 2.19 grams of methamphetamine was allegedly found in the front seat of the vehicle. Multiple pieces of meth paraphernalia were also allegedly seized. An investigation allegedly found the passenger, Baehr, had another bag and glass vial containing 1.97 grams of meth, both concealed on her person. She turned the items over to deputies at the scene. Both suspects were taken to Wyoming County Sheriff's Office for processing. Sweet is charged with: criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; aggravated unlicensed operation in the third degree; unlicensed operation; and visibility distorted by broken glass. Baehr is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree and criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree. They were issued appearance tickets to answer the charges in the Town of Sheldon Court March 29, then processed and released from custody. The case was handled by Wyoming Coiunty Sheriff Sgt. Colin Reagan and Deputy Justin Bliss.

Christina Maria Sanchez-Anderson, 32, of Park Road, Batavia, was arrested after turning herself in at the Genesee County Jail March 9. Her arrest stems from an incident Feb. 24 on Union Street in Batavia during which she was allegedly found to be in possession of a quantity of cocaine. She was the passenger in a vehicle stopped for a vehicle and traffic violation. The odor of marijuana was allegedly emanating from inside the vehicle. A search of the vehicle and its occupants allegedly yielded the evidence in this case, which was subsequently examined and tested. Sanchez-Anderson was issued an appearance ticket to be in Batavia City Court on March 25. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Mullen, assisted by Deputy Ryan DeLong.

Ronnie J. Sumeriski II, 38, of Batavia (no address provided) was arrested March 10 on a warrant out of Town of Java Court following a traffic stop in Genesee County. On Feb. 9, Wyoming County Sheriff's deputies received a report of a possible violation of an order of protection in the Town of Java. After an investigation, it was allegedly determined that Sumeriski violated a complete stay away order of proection issued Dec. 3 in Wyoming County Court by attempting to hack into the protected party's social media account and communicate via text message. He was previously arrested Dec. 3 for third-degree menacing and aggravated harassment in the second degree after a domestic incident. An arrest warrant was issued. After being taken into custody in Genesee County, the defendant was turned over to Wyoming County Sheriff's deputies and charged with second-degree criminal contempt. After his arraignment, he was released on his own recognizance and is due in Java Town Court at a later date. The case was handled by Wyoming County Sheriff's Deputy Austin Harding.

The smell of natural gas was reported at Pavilion High School this morning at 10:08 a.m.

Pavilion fire responded and confirmed the odor but could not locate the origin of the possible leak.

After about an hour on scene, the scene was turned over to RG&E and Pavilion fire went back in service.

High school classes were canceled for the rest of the day and students were sent home. The rest of the school is unaffected.

The Pavilion girls basketball team is scheduled to play a Section V championship game at home tonight. The status of the game is unknown at this time.

UPDATE 1:20 p.m.: Superintendent Mary Kate Hoffman confirms that students in grades 6-12 have been sent home. Crews from RG&E are in the building attempting to locate the leak. "No decision has been made at this point regarding tonight's game," she said.

Kaden Cusmano exploded for 30 points Thursday night against Harley-Aliendale-Columbia to lead Oakfield-Alabama to a 80-57 win in the Class C2 Section V semifinal.

The win puts #3 seed O-A in the championship game on Saturday at Cal-Mum against Cal-Mum, the #1 seed at 13-0. Game time is 6:30 p.m.

Gaige Armbrewster scored 20 points for the Hornets and Travis Wiedrich scored nine.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

It was a big night for Brynn Walczak on Thursday and her 28 points helped propel the Elba Lady Lancers to a 68-42 win over Northstar in the Class D2 semifinal game at Elba.

Walczak also snagged 10 rebounds. 

Maddie Huehlig scored 10 points, Leah Bezon, nine, Taylor Augello, eight, and Dakota Brinkman, seven. Brinkman also had 10 rebounds, and Augello and Bezon, eight each.

Alavna Garwood scored 18 points for Northstar.

Elba, now 13-0, will host Prattsburgh/Avoca (9-1 and the #2 seed) at 7 1 p.m., Saturday, for the Class D2 Section V championship game.

Photos by Debra Reilly.

Seven Genesee County teams will be playing for Section V basketball tournament titles this weekend:

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAMES
BOYS
Class B1 -- Wayne (14-0) at Batavia (14-0), 6 p.m.
Class D2 -- Notre Dame (7-6) at Avoca/Prattsburgh (10-0), 7 p.m.
GIRLS
Class C2 -- York (9-3) at Pavilion (12-0), 7 p.m.

SATURDAY NIGHT'S GAMES
BOYS
Class C2 -- Oakfield-Alabama (10-2) at Caledonia-Mumford (13-0), 6:30 p.m.
GIRLS
Class B1 -- Batavia (10-4) at Palmyra-Macedon (11-3), 6 p.m. -- Note time change
Class D1 -- Notre Dame (11-2) at South Seneca (13-0), 7 p.m.
Class D2 -- Avoca/Prattsburgh (9-1) at Elba (13-0), 1 p.m. -- Note time change

Update, 9:30 a.m. March 12:

The time of Saturday's game at Pal-Mac has been changed to 6 p.m.

-----------------

The Batavia Lady Blue Devils' kept their dream of a Section V Class B1 girls' basketball championship alive tonight, but just barely, when star point guard Mackenzie Reigle connected on a step-back three-point shot from the right side with 1.9 seconds left to beat host Midlakes, 51-50.

Reigle's heroics advance third-seeded Batavia, now 10-4, into the title match on Saturday at top-seeded Palmyra-Macedon, 11-3.

Pal-Mac advanced with a 49-32 victory over No. 5 Livonia.

The Lady Devils led by 10 points, 47-37, with about five minutes to play but Midlakes, a sectional champion in 2018 and 2019, staged a furious rally -- scoring 11 consecutive points, capped by senior guard Cara Walker's driving layup with 30 seconds to play.

Reigle responded with an aggressive move to the basket. Her shot went around the rim and out, but she was fouled on the play with :17.4 on the clock. The senior left-hander, who along with Bryn Wormley has played on the varsity team since seventh grade, missed the first foul shot, but made the second to knot the score at 48-48.

Batavia thwarted the Lady Screaming Eagles' first attempt to put the ball in play -- knocking it out of bounds -- but Midlakes was successful in getting it to Walker on the second try and she dribbled the length of the court, untouched, for a layup with 9.1 seconds left to put the home team up 50-48.

After a Batavia timeout, Wormley inbounded the ball to Reigle, who took two dribbles into the right corner, before handing it off to senior guard/forward Haylee Thornley. Two dribbles later, the ball was transferred to Wormley, who headed back to the right corner where Reigle was stationed. 

Wormley was cut off but got the ball to Reigle, who dribbled once, stepped back about a foot behind the three-point line and, with a smooth stroke, lofted the ball over the outstretched arm of Midlakes' Mary Givens. The shot was true, swishing through the net and Batavia had a 51-50 lead.

Midlakes, with no timeouts, got the ball into Walker, but a desperation heave from well beyond the half court line fell way short, prompting a wild celebration on the Batavia bench.

"We had been running 'side W' all night; it had been working pretty good. We were getting Bryn to drive on her right side -- strong side -- and I was on the right side -- strong side -- for the shot," Reigle said about the winning shot. "Bryn didn't get the drive and that (passing the ball to Reigle) is exactly what happened."

Asked what she was thinking when she let it fly, Reigle said, "It better go in."

And it did, much to the joy (and relief) of Head Coach Marty Hein, who had made the tough decision to sit Reigle, who had picked up her fourth foul with 4:25 to play.

Reigle went to the bench at the 3:53 mark with Batavia up 47-42, and Midlakes capitalized with two uncontested layups by sophomore forward Grace Murphy to pull within one. She returned with 2:09 to play and, after consecutive misses by both teams, Midlakes called a timeout with at :35.4.

Five seconds later, Walker drove to the basket and scored to put Midlakes on top for the first time since it led 21-20 in the opening minute of the third quarter -- setting the stage for the frantic finish.

Hein said he weighed his options and decided to take Reigle out for a bit, knowing that the team would need her in the closing moments.

"If she fouled out ... we were kind of down and they were already in the bonus, and we were still at two fouls," Hein said. "Sometimes the officials look at that type of thing and go, 'Well, OK, the next one is close.' We didn't want that to be on Kenzie and she'd be out of the game.

"We still had the lead. If she fouls out, we're in big trouble. So, her sitting for that minute and a half, if that made that back to even (so be it because) we had her there at the end."

Batavia started slowly, scoring only six points as Midlakes, behind Givens' three layups, led 13-6 after one quarter. The home team was up 15-9 with 3:25 left before halftime when the Lady Devils went to a full court press.

While the tight defense stymied Midlakes, it seemed to ignite Batavia on the offensive end as it went on an 11-4 run to lead 20-19 at intermission. Wormley hit a three-pointer and a running one-hander, and Mack Harmon, Thornley and Tess Barone each contributed a basket. 

In the third quarter, three-pointers by Wormley and Reigle gave Batavia a 27-23 lead and the Lady Devils kept that four-point margin, 37-33, heading into the final period.

Batavia then scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to go up 44-33 with 6:50 remaining.

Wormley was the game's high scorer with 21 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Reigle tallied eight assists, eight rebounds and seven steals to go with her 16 points.

Barone had five points, Thornley four, Kennedy Kolb three and Harmon two to round out the Batavia scoring.

For the Lady Screaming Eagles, Givens scored 13, Cara Walker 10, and Callie Walker, Murphy and Hanna Godkin eight apiece.

Midlakes Head Coach Nate Rich said his girls played "pretty good defense on her but sometimes better offense wins."

Rich said "it was a shame either team had to lose as both teams played really well and battled."

"I am proud of my kids for coming back, but you have to tip your hat to her (Reigle). She hit a great shot."

Midlakes, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, ends its season at 9-4.

Photo: Mackenzie Reigle, left, gets ready to celebrate with teammate Haylee Thornley moments after sinking the game-winning basket in Batavia's 51-50 victory over Midlakes on the Clifton Springs school's home court. Photo by Mike Pettinella.

Data Update – 

• Genesee County received 13 new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • The new positive cases reside in the:
    • West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke)
    • Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) 
    • East Region (Bergen, Byron, Le Roy, Pavilion, Stafford)
• The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 50s, 70s and 80s. 
• Four of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.  
• Five of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.
• One of the new positive individuals is an inmate at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center.

​

Orleans County received six new positive cases of COVID-19.  ​

• The positive cases reside in the:
  • West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby)
  • East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon)
• The individuals are in their, 0-19s, 30s, 50s, 60s and 70s.
• One of the newly positive individuals was under mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
• Three of the previous positive individuals has recovered and has been removed from the isolation list.
• One of the current positive individuals is hospitalized.

Bruce D. Smith is indicted for the crime of second-degree larceny. It is alleged that between about April 2018 through March 2019 in the Town of Bergen that Smith stole property having a value of more than $50,000. In count two, he is accused of falsifying business records in the first degree, a Class E felony. It is alleged in count two that in October 2018 that he acted with intent to defraud and falsified an entry into a business's financial records for the period of July 2018 through January 2019.

Christopher C. Good is indicted for the crime of first-degree burglary, a Class B violent felony. It is alleged that on Oct. 20 on Liberty Street in Batavia that Good knowingly entered and remained unlawfully in a dwelling with the intent to commit a crime and caused physical injury to a victim inside. In count two, he is accused of second-degree assault, a Class D violent felony, for intentionally causing serious physical injury to the victim. In count three, Good is accused of third-degree menacing, a Class B misdemeanor, for intentionally placing or attempting to place the victim in fear of death, imminent serious physical injury, or physical injury. In count four, Good is accused of second-degree aggravated harassment, a Class A misdemeanor, for communicating with a person with the intent to harass, annoy, threaten or alarm that person by making a threat to cause physical harm, thereby causing the victim to reasonably fear harm for their safety or their property, or that of their family or household.

Daniel E. King is indicted for the crime of aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree, a Class E felony. It is alleged that on Oct. 9 in the Village of Corfu that King drove a 2006 Suzuki on Route 33 while his driver's license was suspended or revoked by authorities and while he was under the influence of alcohol or a drug. In count two, he is accused of DWI, also as a Class E felony, for allegedly driving while intoxicated that day. In count three, King is accused of refusing to submit to a breath test. In count four, he is accused of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree, another Class E felony, for allegedly driving on Phelps Road in the Town of Pembroke on Nov. 12 while under the influence of alcohol or a drug while his license was suspended or revoked by authorities. In count five, King is accused of DWI for allegedly driving on Phelps Road in the Town of Pembroke while intoxicated on Nov. 12. In count six, he is accused of refusing to submit to a breath test Nov. 12 on Phelps Road in the Town of Pembroke. In Special Information filed by District Attorney Lawrence Friedman, he is accused of having been convicted of DWI as a misdemeanor on Aug. 6, 2012, in Greene County Court, and that conviction forms the basis for the suspension or revocation referred to in counts one and four of the current indictment.

Lisa A. Way is indicted for the crime of driving while intoxicated, as a Class E felony. It is alleged that on Dec. 5 in the City of Batavia that Way drove a 2011 Chevolet on Ellicott Street (Route 63) and on the driveway/parking lot at an address on that street while intoxicated. In count two, Way is accused of refusing to submit to a breath test. In Special Information filed by District Attorney Lawrence Friedman, she is accused of having been conviction of DWI as a misdemeanor on Nov. 8 in Town of Newstead Court in Erie County and that conviction was within 10 years of the crime alleged in count one of the current indictment.

Submitted photos and press release:

On Monday, March 8th, Staff Sgt. Haven Armstrong and Staff Sgt. Joeseph Coburn, representing the National Guard recruiting office, brought a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle -- an up-armored military Humvee -- to the Auto Body class at Genesee Valley BOCES in Batavia.

This event was intended to inform students about the different careers that the National Guard has to offer within the fields of mechanics and engineering, as well as inform them about the college benefits offered in the National Guard.

“Staff Sgt. Armstrong and I do events like these at schools throughout the GLOW region," Coburn said. "Often times we try to find high school juniors and seniors that are interested in the trades, and inform them about the benefits of being in a trade in the National Guard.

"Normally the goal is to match up people who are already heading down a career path with a military occupational specialty like we did here with Mr. (Jeff) Fronk's Auto Class and bringing one of our vehicles and myself who was a mechanic for the military.

"Many people think that everyone in the military is signing up to grab a weapon and fight on the frontlines and although sometimes that is true, that is almost more of an exception than a rule. Most of our career field’s deal with things like engineering, mechanics, logistics or medical and the National Guard offers sought after training in all of these fields.

"Personally, as a military trained mechanic, I got hired over individuals with more work experience and degrees because I had military experience on my resume. Once an employer sees that, they know the individual is going to show up ready to work hard and be a professional. This is very much the message that we try to portray to these young adults.

"A lot of people are also confused about the college benefits we have. For instance the National Guard will pay for someone to go to a state school for free and possibly even give them a housing allowance (this is how I got my bachelor's at zero cost to me). This is why it’s so crucial we talk to people at the high school age so they have all the info before making major life decisions.

"The students also really seem to respond positively when we show up with something cool like a military HMMWV. Mr. Fronk's class in particular was very excited to be able to get their hands on something most only see in movies and they had a lot of awesome questions. Over all I would say this event was a major success with almost half of the class requesting information about how they can learn more about joining the National Guard.”

From Sen. Ed Rath:

It is no secret that New Yorkers pay some of the highest taxes in the nation. Unfortunately, it does not look like there will be any reprieve in our 2021-22 budget, despite the influx of aid coming from the latest round of stimulus funding.

A report recently found that New York State has the third highest tax rates in the nation. New York continually ranks as among the worst states for taxes and for business climate. This needs to change!

News of the Federal aid coming to New York as part of the American Rescue Plan, seemed promising for residents. However, the Governor has made it clear that tax increases are not off the table. In fact, the Governor's budget proposal includes eliminating the State income tax reduction for the middle class. 

Now is not the time to be raising taxes on hardworking New Yorkers. Many businesses and families are feeling extreme financial pressure and raising taxes will only make these matters worse. We should be working to jump start our struggling economy by helping businesses reopen and rehire.

I will continue to keep you updated on the progress of the New York State budget and will continue to fight for policies that make New York more affordable for hardworking families and small businesses.