News roundup: School Board meets today
Check out WBTA for this and other stories:
- Batavia's City School Board will hold its reorganization meeting today at 4:15pm at the district office on Washington Avenue.
Check out WBTA for this and other stories:
After waiting an hour for a rain delay to start the game, the Batavia Muckdogs (7-6) blanked the Jamestown Jammers (7-4) behind a combined 14-strikeout pitching effort.
Miguel Tapia (2-1) struck out seven Jammers in five innings and allowed only three hits to get the win. Johnny Dorn (1-1) suffered the loss giving up six hits and four earned runs through three innings.
Batavia jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the 1st on a Frederick Parejo double and Shane Peterson RBI single. But the Muckdogs big inning came in the 3rd when Jermaine Curtis led off with a single. Two batters later, Blake Murphy sent his first pitch over the left field wall for a two-run homerun. Xavier Scruggs followed Murphy’s lead, hitting one over the wall in right. Batavia’s last run came in the 4th after Beau Riportella reached second on a throwing error and Parejo drove him in with a single.
The Muckdog’s Scott Gorgen came on in relief to pitch three innings, striking out five and walking two. Hector Cardenas pitched the 9th, striking out two of the three batters he faced.
Murphy and Scruggs both went 2-for-4 with a homerun and single. Riportella went 3-for-4 with a double.
Photo Courtesy: Casey Freeman
So it begins... The Batavian would like to proudly announce the start of its Summer Book Club. What does that mean? That means we gather together some recommendations from local literati, put them into a neat and tidy package, present them to you and hope that some sort of discussion ensues.
There are no requirements to join our book club — though we may raffle off a bookish prize or two for a lucky reader among those who join up and help spark some conversation. Here's how we'll do it for now:
If you're interested in reading any of the books we recommend, let us know.
How?
Start a blog. We'll see it.
Just make sure you're registered for the site, click on the link to create content and select 'Blog entry.' Then just say what you've got say. For example: "Hey, that book So Brave, Young, and Handsome sounds great. I think I'll pick up a copy from Present Tense (on Washington Avenue here in Batavia) and get started reading it." That's all we should need from folks to get started.
In the meantime, check out these three recommendations from Erica Caldwell of Present Tense bookstore and Leslie DeLooze from the Richmond Memorial Library. We'll have three more reviews Wednesday plus more announcements about the book club.
So Brave, Young, and Handsome
By Leif Enger
Enger again explores the often transparent line between good and bad, focusing his story on characters who fall in the gray in-between. Failed novelist Monte Becket accompanies his friend, Glendon Hale, a former outlaw, to Mexico to find Hale's estranged wife. Their adventures along the way, and the surprising end of their journey, make for an exciting and thought-provoking read. —Erica Caldwell
Book excerpt: "Not to disappoint you, but my troubles are nothing—not for an author, at least. Common blots aside, I have none of the usual Big Artillery: I am not penniless, brilliant or an orphan; have never been to war, suffered starvation or lashed myself to a mast."
Between, Georgia
By Joshilyn Jackson
This hilarious story set down South tells the story of the Crabtrees and the Fretts, two feuding families. Nonny, who was born a Crabtree but raised by the Fretts, is in between in many ways. A book group favorite that inspired spirited discussion about everything from deaf-mute individuals to dieting. — Erica Caldwell
Book excerpt: "The war began thirty years, nine months, and seven days ago, when I was deaf and blind, floating silent and serene inside Hazel Crabtree. I was secreted in Hazel’s womb, which was cloaked in her pale and freckled skin, which was in turn hidden by the baggy sweatsuits she adopted so she would look fat instead of pregnant. Which was ridiculous, because who ever heard of a fat Crabtree? They were all tall and weedy, slouching around like wilting stems, red hair blooming out the top."
I Shall Not Want
by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Julia Spencer-Fleming’s sixth book in the Clare Fergusson/Russ VanAlstyne mystery series set in Millers Kill, NY won’t disappoint fans. Julia, who was the 2005 author for “A Tale for Three Counties” (the area-wide reading program), keeps the momentum going with this book. The first chapter is a cliff-hanger that sets the scene; the action then backs up to the months prior to these events. As usual, she includes an interesting contemporary issue (this time, it’s illegal aliens and farm labor) as well as characters you come to know like friends. Great for summer reading, the author will be visiting Richmond Memorial Library on Friday, August 15. After the fifth book, readers wondered where the story could go. How well do you think the author succeeded in continuing the story of Millers Kill and the relationship between Clare and Russ? —Leslie DeLooze
Every morning I get online and go mining for news, mostly Batavia news, because thats why I'm here: to inform Batavians. I plug in keywords in search fields. I read through the news briefs at WBTA's timely-kept Web site. I scan the digital newspapers in the area for anything (geographically) of interest to our readers here in Batavia and, more and more, around other parts of Genesee County as well. Nevertheless, some days, no matter how many information wells I plumb, no news comes up.
That being said, Monday's are almost always a guarantee for news. Something had to happen over the weekend. Someone must have done something worthy of that half-inch bold font headline. A party somewhere must have gone wrong, and now someone — or a few someones are cooling it in the clink.
Today, that wasn't the case. We heard from the county sheriff's deputies and the city police, but they were all about alcohol busts over the weekend. Whether that meant selling it to people who shouldn't have it or driving after drinking too much of it, that was all they reported about the weekend — to us, anyway.
So it got me thinking. What makes the news?
Well, without turning this into a debate about how we the media need to focus more on positive, happy, make-you-feel-good news — because there really is plenty of that; it just doesn't make the front pages all the time and more often than not isn't written well so isn't worth reading — the news I find in my morning searches will fall pretty cleanly into one of a few categories: bad news (car crashes, crime, high profile death), news released by Genesee Community College, finance or sports. But there wasn't much of any of it this morning.
So when Batavia's downtown business director Don Burkel walked into Main Street Coffee this morning and asked me what the scoop was, I told him: no scoop. I told him I searched and searched and couldn't come up with anything. What happened over the weekend, I asked him. Didn't stuff happen? Wasn't there news?
For sure, he said. Good news.
Batavia's Public Market opened for the season Saturday morning. Despite the weather threats of hail storms and the like, the market was a raving success. Folks came out to buy from vendors who were eager to sell their wares. And I can understand his elation. Public markets make me feel the same way, and it isn't even my job to get excited about downtown business. Public markets have seen a real resurgence in the past decade or so. For good reason. They're an intersection of culture and finance that harken back to the Greek agora, the public gathering place where everything happened. Whenever I get the chance to visit the market in Rochester, I get giddy. They've got good cheap eats. Fresh produce. You can typically hear at least three languages spoken. And somehow the otherwise avaricious act of purchasing for a small moment in time turns cultural. Unlike, say, big box retail shops, that mostly smell of plastic and make me feel more neurotic than usual and sometimes even hostile towards my people.
So there was that. But also...
Jackson Square hosted its second Friday night concert of the season. The Ghostriders played, the square filled, people danced. And the whole evening seemed a foreshadowing of the weekend to come — Ramble Music and Arts Fest.
Downtown was good cheer, straight up and down, this weekend. And Don told me all about it with a beaming smile. Because it really was a good weekend for Batavia. And that was the news. Summer arrived, and Batavians got out and took advantage. They stayed close to home, and close to home proved worthy of sticking around for.
All this to say, sometimes good news is exactly that and deserves its place in the cycle of crime, death, finance, sports. Not that all good news is real news. I bought a pair of sneakers recently, and they're comfortable, and that's good news for me. But I doubt anyone else would care, and they shouldn't.
There are so many ways a community gets out and acts like one, and when it does it so blatantly and in a way that blots out the bad that gets the front page most every other day, it's worthy of shining a light on.
So, if you've got a keyboard and an Internet connection, and you know that your town, village, city, neighborhood, hamlet got out and manufactured some good news that just doesn't seem to get the credit it deserves — blog about it. Write a post. Write it in a way that you think is interesting. Put yourself in the story. We're not journalism teachers. We won't call you out for that. Just tell the story. Because sometimes the news cycle lets us down, and we could all do with a good story told well of folks doing good things.
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Note: We don't include noise complaints, domestic disputes and routine police business.
From the Daily News (Monday):
For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.
From a press release issued by Genesee Community College:
A defensive driving course is scheduled for July 16 and 23 from 6:00 to 9:00pm at Genesee Community College's Medina Campus Center, located at 11470 Maple Ridge Road (Route 31A). Participants may receive up to a four-point reduction on their driving record and a minimum 10% reduction in the base rate of their automobile and motorcycle liability insurance premiums each year for three years.
Points will remain on participant's records but are not counted in determining administrative actions. Point reduction does not affect mandatory actions such as license revocation for three speeding convictions within 18 months or existing suspensions or revocations. To receive lower insurance rates, participants must be listed as the principal operator of a vehicle.
Sponsored by the National Safety Council, this six-hour course has a fee of $44. Register online or call the Medina campus at (585) 798-1688.
Batavia police conducted what they call "a compliance check" Friday night in the city to see if alcohol was being sold to minors. Seventeen stores were visited by underage youths working with the police. Three were in violation.
Summons were issued to the individuals for violating the Alcohol and Beverage Control Act that addresses the prohibited sale of alcohol to persons under 21 years of age. The compliance check was funded by the Genesee Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse.
Less than one week, now, to the one and only Ramble Music and Arts Fest in Jackson Square. But for those of you who just can't wait — and I wouldn't blame you — make sure you check out the Ramble Web site, which is chock full of goodies, such as the message board for Ramblers to gather and wax nostalgic about past years or talk about how geeked up they are for this year's superstar lineup.
You can also find a list of performers, photos and videos from past Rambles, other news and... well... anything you want to know about the Fest. So go check it out.
In the meantime, here's another video as part of our Countdown to the Ramble. This one is of the Cheer Daddies performing (aptly) "Stormy Monday." We'll feature another video every day of the week until Saturday, when The Batavian will be on the scene at Jackson Square to shoot some of our own footage of this year's Fest. Expect to see the fruits of our labor sometime next week.
Genesee County sheriff's deputies were kept busy on the roads this past weekend.
Note: All of rhe above arrests were reported in published releases from the sheriff's office.
Check out WBTA for this and other stories:
So... we've ticked off the first two "things" that made Genesee County famous: John Kennedy and the Thruway. Number 23 went up on the Holland Land Office Museum Web site today, and it looks like we've moved from pavement to people to edibles with Kutter's Cheese Factory taking up the next rung in the ladder. (If you have no idea what we're talking about, check out our post from last week that discusses the "countdown" in a little more detail.)
Opened in 1947 on Route 5 in Pembroke, Kutter's was soon supplying stores all over the area with its cheese, explains Patrick Weissend, director of the Holland Land Office Museum.
Kutter's core of cheeses include cheddar, muenster, colby, edam, gouda and havarti. In the 1960s, writes Weissend, the business expanded to include some sour creams and cottage cheeses. These days, they've even got a Kosher line of dips and cheeses.
After the Kutter sons retired, the place was bought by Yancy's Fancy. Says Weissend: "Today, they employ 45 people who make 30,000 pounds of cheese 24 hours a day, five days a week."
Be sure to visit the Holland Land Office Museum's main Web site, and then check out the special countdown page to get much more interesting information than what we include here.
Hmm. I wonder if we can get a little contest going to see who can guess the next on the list. Hmm.
From the Daily News (Friday):
For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.
Batavia's Public Market will open for the season tomorrow at 9:00am in the Center and School streets parking lot. It will run every Saturday from then through October 11, from 9:00am to 2:00pm.
Belladessa's & Jackson Street Grill will be there with pizza and hots. Vendors will provide everything from produce and bread to cookies, cupcakes, pies, coffee, flowers, pottery and more. Batavia's Public Market accepts "NYS Farmer's Market Checks."
Call (585) 344-0900 for more information.
The Batavian will be out and about most of the day today. Right now, I'm working on a user guide to bring around to all of the funeral homes in Batavia. Once that's finished, I'll make the rounds so we can start to see regular obituary postings of area deaths right here on The Batavian.
That being said, I was hoping that our readers could help out if they see, hear, experience, think up or taste any news today. If you do — post it! Put up a photo, a blog post, a comment, a video, whatever you can. Otherwise, just be aware that I may not be posting as frequently today as usual. Though you can be sure to find the Daily News roundup on the site this afternoon.
Thank you for your understanding.
Your pal, Philip.
Forty-two-year-old Raymond J. Radley, of Pavilion, was arrested and sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail late last night, sheriff's deputies said. Radley was charged with first-degree coercion, a felony charge, and second-degree harassment. Deputies were told that Radley kicked a woman in the head, then took her cell phone so that she could not call for help. The attack happened during a domestic dispute at Radley's home on Cook Road in Pavilion.
Note: The above arrest was reported in a published release from the sheriff's office.
Check out WBTA for this and other stories:
I love baseball, so with a certain amount of pride, I walked into Dwyer Stadium today and snapped this photo of The Batavian sign out in right field.
We're proud to be a 2008 sponsor of Batavia's legendary minor league baseball team.
This summer, we're also a sponsor of the BID's summer concert series.
We're looking at a couple of other sponsorship opportunities over the next couple of months. If your group or organization is putting on an event and need local business sponsors, let us know, because we'll certainly consider it (we can't sponsor everything of course, but we have some money left in the budget for a couple of more sponsorships this summer).
Community Leader #1: "I'm eager to see the Daily News today to find out what they say about the youth football program."
Community Leader #2: "Why? I've already found out all I need to know on The Batavian."
I'm hiding the identities of the two people in the conversation because it was just casually mentioned to me, but it's been on my mind all afternoon.
That's exactly what we want people to get about The Batavian. We're timely and complete and trustworthy.
Philip has done a great job of covering the controversy surrounding where youth football should be played, and we've gotten useful and informative comments from people on the posts to help supplement the coverage.
We're not a big believer in people relying on just one source of information for news -- that's why we always encourage people to subscribe to the Daily News and listen to WBTA -- but we also want to be as complete as possible (which is why we also tell you about the Daily News and WBTA coverage).
The other aspect of the conversation is the value of word-of-mouth promotion. That's something you can't buy, so it's great to hear about people spreading the word about the work we're doing.
We're very happy with the results of our advertising in the Genesee Valley PennySaver and on WBTA, and I just did a post about our community sponsorship efforts. Without that advertising, it would be hard to get the word-of-mouth marketing going.
Still, if you think The Batavian is good for Batavia, good for Genesee County, please tell your friends, neighbors, co-workers. There is strength in numbers, and the more people who visit the site the better for our business, but just as important, the better for the community conversation and the better for keeping all of us better informed.
Post our web site address in your school bulletin or group newsletter. And let people know they can send us news, too, or post it themselves.
If you're new to The Batavian, follow this link for previous posts about who what we do and why.
From a press release issued by Genesee Community College:
Two Genesee Community College students in the Tourism & Hospitality Management program have been awarded scholarships. Dana Landers received a $500 scholarship from the New York State Business Travel Alliance and Nicholas Bennett received a $1500 award from Destinations of New York State.
You can find more information about Dana and Bennett at ReadMedia.
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