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Photo: YMCA preschool students tour Batavia's fire house

By Howard B. Owens

A group of preschoolers from the YMCA got a chance to tour city fire's headquarters this morning. The kids got to spray a fire hose and learn about fire safety and look at all the equipment on the fire trucks.

Big black bear sighted near the Five Corners area off Akron Road

By Billie Owens

Reader Ivy Otto e-mailed us about her sighting of a black bear early Wednesday morning. Unfortunately we are not able to use the two photos she sent us. Otto says she saw the bear on Akron Road in the "Pembroke/Akron area...almost near the 5 Corners."

"Just wanted to give the neighborhood a heads up!"

The pictures show a full-grown bear coming out of a wooded area alongside a white house, with a white tool shed in back and a white pole in front (the top is not visable, may be a flagpole) with fieldstones around its base.

Duo joins ranks of small business owners with new printing company

By Julia Ferrini

Trading in a dusty, cramped attic space for an open-windowed, well-lit studio was like free falling into the unknown for Jim Woodhams and Michael VanBuskirk -- as exciting as it was fearsome.

Woodhams is leaving a custodial position after nine years of service with the Spencerport School District; while VanBuskirk is leaving a laborer's position in the Batavia area. The pair are owners of JC Printing Company and recently relocated their business to the third floor of the industrial complex located at 56 Harvester Ave.

“The attic space became too small to accommodate the inventory and equipment necessary to expand the business,” Woodhams said.

Consequently, when VanBuskirk signed on he began looking into spaces to rent that would allow JC Printing Company to grow their business and have more of a presence downtown.

“I got into this business about a year ago,” VanBuskirk said. “It sounded exciting. It was something that interested me.”

On the other hand, Woodhams had taken a course on screen printing back in high school and enjoyed the class so much that he decided in 2009 to pursue it as a side job.

“The first heat press I bought is akin to an industrial iron,” he said.

From silk screening to embroidery on T-shirts, hats and other apparel; to foil wrap and photo prints on items such as, candles, coffee mugs or plates -- as well as other items -- are all produced in their new space.

“We don’t outsource any of our work,” said Woodhams, who graduated from Fairport High School. “We do all of our work on site. If we can’t do something, we will be honest about it.” 

Consequently, the printing company is making an effort to partner with other companies that have the capabilities JC Printing Company does not have at this time. For example, they have had several requests for paper goods -- letterhead, business cards -- however, they are not set up for paper production.

“Pencils are our biggest sellers right now,” Woodhams said. “We are still using vintage machines of the '30s. I purchased my machine from Guthrie Thomas -- a well-renowned artist of custom made guitar picks.”

Although the editorial process may be time consuming, turnaround time for merchandise is about two weeks for large orders; while some individual orders can be finished in about 20 minutes to an hour.

The process begins with an image, idea or concept the customer has in mind, followed by prepping or “cleaning up” the artwork. Once the artwork and design are approved, the next step is completely dependent on what the customer orders. For shirts, hats and the like, the design is then printed on a clear sheet that is put into a machine to transfer the image onto a screen.

Quality, pricing, efficiency and up-to-date processes are key in the work VanBuskirk and Woodhams produce. The storefront enables the owners to do minimum orders that will cater to the individual who walks in off the street as well as schools, corporations, hospitals, construction companies and more that pre-order merchandise.

“We want to please our customer. When you walk out the door with your purchase, we want you to be happy with the product,” VanBuskirk said. “Reliability -- we deliver on time. We listen to our customers. Communication is essential."

Realizing that advertising is part of the formula for success, tried both the traditional and the most current methods of advertising; according to Woodhams, their greatest success has been word of mouth and creating a catalogue.

“Someone had once told me that catalogues were a poor choice for advertising. For us, it was the best marketing decision we made.”

According to Woodhams, this venture entire is a huge leap. “I am leaving a job that I have held for the past nine years. It’s kinda scary.”

Pricing and other information can be found by visiting www.JCPrintingCompany.com, or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jcprintingcompany. They can also be reached via phone at 800-918-2701 or e-mail at jim@JCPrintingCompany.com.

The Grand Opening of JC Printing Company is Saturday, May 24, all day. The first dozen customers who place an order will receive a free gift.

CORRECTIONS: Our reporter was never informed there was another partner in the business. Her name is Carrie Farley. Also, our reporter was given the wrong grand opening date.  See comment below.

Alleged child abuser picks trial over plea deal with a possible 40-year prison term

By Howard B. Owens

Via WBTA

A former Batavia resident and Level 3 sex offender will go to trial again in July on new child sex abuse charges.

Sean Vickers, 45, now of Geneva, turned down a plea deal in Genesee County Court today as the cutoff passed.

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said the deal offered to Vickers was to plead guilty to two Class B violent felonies with 20-year caps on the sentences that could run consecutively. That would be in addition to pleading guilty to a felony in Niagara County where Vickers is also accused of sexually abusing children with another sentence capped at 20 years to run concurrent.

Vickers turned down a possible 40-year prison sentence to go to trial.

Jury selection begins July 28. Vickers continues to be locked up in the county jail in lieu of no bail.

Vickers was named in an 11-count indictment in November for sexually abusing five children in Batavia in the '90s and 2000s.

Genesee County girls soccer team off to hot start in new season

By Howard B. Owens

Genesee County's girls U-19 soccer team is off to a 2-0 start on the season after beating Chili 3-0 in a game played Wednesday evening at GCC.

Sunday, the team beat Corning 8-0 in a game played in Dansville.

Tonight, goals were scored by McKenna Marley-Hill, Emily Phillips and Kaylin Cicero.

Olivia Clark pitched a shutout in goal.

Proposed changes in Albany could mean big funding cut for GCC, so president seeks another $500K from county

By Howard B. Owens

Legislators in Albany are apparently intent on changing the formula for how counties pay for their students to attend out-of-county community colleges and that has GCC President Jim Sunser a bit nervous.

To help hedge against the proposed change, he's asked county legislators to boost the county share of GCC funding from just over $2 million to slightly more than $2.5 million.

The proposal caught members of the Ways and Means Committee a little by surprise Wednesday and they asked for more time to study the request and have County Manager Jay Gsell report on any potential county budget impacts.

The committee will consider the proposal again at its June 4 meeting.

"Since we have until the end of June, rather than make a quick decision today, I think we need to see how this fits and how we can make it fit," said Ray Cianfrini, chairman of the County Legislature.

In New York, each community college has a sponsoring county and each sponsoring county supports the college by paying a "county share" for local students to attend.

Sunser said that while Genesee County is very support of GCC, the local county share is also among the lowest in the state.

When students from one county elect to attend a community college in another county, the home county pays that other community college a fee based on a state-mandated calculation.

For example, when a student in Perry decides to attend GCC, Wyoming County must pay a fee to GCC. When a Genesee County student decides to attention ECC, Genesee County must pay a fee to ECC.

The calculation of those out-of-county fees is based on how much per student the sponsor county gives to its own college.

In years past, that per-student fee could be calculated using revenue sources other than the county government's direct contribution. It could, for example, include revenue from facility rentals and revenue allocated from reserves.

Community colleges have been warned, Sunser said, to brace for a change in the formula. The new formula would eliminate all revenue sources from the calculation except the direct county contribution.

The proposal almost made it into the current state budget, but was set aside at the last minute for at least one more year.

If it had passed this year, GCC would have lost $1.7 million in revenue.

The proposed increase of $500,000 in county share would change the calculation so that neighboring counties would continue to pay what they have been paying.

Sunser said GCC serves a larger, more sparsely populated area than any other community college in the state. With campuses in Medina, Albion and Lima, there are college students throughout the GLOW region who are dependent on GCC for their education.

GCC's proposed $38.7 million for fiscal year 2014/15 includes a $75 per semester tuition increase for full-time students and a $5 per credit hour increase for part-time students.

The tuition at GCC would still be the most competive in WNY.

"We're a very frugal institution," Sunser said. "We have one of the lower budgets in New York."

Attorney for Bergen man accused of pointing shotgun at person says charge should be dropped

By Howard B. Owens

It boggles the mind, according to attorney Brian Decarolis, that his client, John Laverne Robinson, has been charged with menacing in the second degree.

The 51-year-old Bergen resident is accused of pointing a shotgun out the window of his home on North Lake Road at another man who seconds earlier had been banging on his door.

"I think it's ridiculous," Decarolis said this afternoon after Robinson was arraigned in Town of Bergen Court, where he entered a not guilty plea. "I've never seen anything like it. I'm a former prosecutor. I do exclusively criminal defense work. I've never seen it, never heard of it. It's something I've never dealt with before."

The case is unusual, Decarolis said, because not only was Robinson defending himself against an intruder, the District Attorney's Office had declined in November to prosecute Robinson.

Robinson was arrested last month by a deputy after the man who did the door banging, 46-year-old Michael S. Crooks, of Salmon Road, Brockport, took his complaint to the Sheriff's Office when he couldn't convince a state trooper to arrest Robinson.

The charge should be dismissed, Decarolis said. Either the charge is dismissed outright or the case is going to trial, he said.

Decarolis noted Assistant District Attorney Kevin Finnell, who is handling the case, has the power to seek a dismissal, but in case that doesn't happen, Decarolis is preparing a motion to deliver to Justice Donald Kunego asking that the charge be dismissed "in the interest of justice." 

The former Monroe County prosecutor said he's talked to a lot of people in and out of the criminal justice line of work since Robinson became his client and people are flabbergasted by the arrest.

"I've talked to people involved in the case who are surprised," Decarolis said. "I've talked to people not involved in the case who are surprised. I've talked to law enforcement contacts that I've built up over the years, relationships from being in the DA's office, being a defense attorney, I haven't heard one person who said this is right, this sounds like what should happen. Everyone is stunned. Everyone is surprised."

The charge stems from a Jan. 13 incident when Crooks went to the home of Robinson because he suspected Robinson of communicating with Mrs. Crooks.

In a statement to police, Crooks said he just wanted to talk, but he admitted to yelling at Robinson, who was inside his house, that he was a coward for not coming out.

"He was essentially beating down the front door in an attempt to get into the house," Decarolis said.

He hit it hard enough to damage it, which is why a trooper decided to arrest him on a criminal mischief charge.

After his apparent unsuccessful attempt to break down the door, Crooks walked around the house looking for another entry. When he peered into a window he found himself staring down the barrel of a shotgun.

That frightened him, he said.

"He goes to my client's house and is causing a rukus," Decarolis said. "He's a stranger to my client. The State Police come out and they investigate it and they determine that Mr. Crooks is the only person who should be arrested. That's normal. My client thinks he's a victim. He is."

Robinson was on the phone with 9-1-1 dispatchers, who had told him, according to reports, to warn Crooks that he had a shotgun.

Today, Kunego signed an order requiring the Sheriff's Office to turn over the 9-1-1 tapes to Decarolis. Finnell did not oppose the order.

According to Decarolis, his client thought the case is over with the arrest of Crooks, but after Crooks has the charge against him dismissed on an ACD (adjudication in contemplation of dismissal), Crooks starts making noise about having Robinson arrested.

"The State Police call him up and say this guy's crowing about charging you with a completely justifiable act," Decarolis said. "The State Police do a little more investigating, consult with the District Attorney's Office, the same office that is now prosecuting this case, and they say, we're not charging you. We're not doing anything. You shouldn't be charged. You were justified doing what you did on the day in question. Then out of nowhere, a different police agency that has never, ever been involved in this case, charges my client."

If the case does go to trial, the troopers involved in the arrest of Crooks will be expected to testify, Decarolis said.

"I think that would be on the defense witness list as opposed to the prosecution's, and you don't hear about that every day," Decarolis said.

The whole thing is unfortunate, Decarolis said.

"This guy's going through a heck of a stress," he said. "He's wasting time. He should be at work on a Wednesday afternoon, not coming to court for this kind of stuff."

Previously:

Le Roy resident accused of menacing police officers

By Howard B. Owens
Timothy Niccloy

A 28-year-old Le Roy man has been accused of brandishing a knife at police officers in Le Roy after the officers tried to restrain him believing he was a threat to himself.

Timothy Niccloy is charged with two counts of menacing a police officer, a Class D felony, and counts of criminal possession of a weapon, obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest.

Officers responded to his residence May 16 on a request to check his welfare. During the check, the officers became concerned that he was a threat to himself. 

Niccloy was taken into custody after a struggle and a taser was deployed to help subdue him.

Following arraignment, Niccloy was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Deputies and troopers assisted at the scene.

Kathy Hochul will run for lieutenant governor

By Howard B. Owens

Genesee County's former congressional representative, Kathy Hochul, will be Gov. Andrew Cuomo's running mate in the upcoming gubernatorial race, reports the Buffalo News.

Cuomo needed to find a new lieutenant governor candidate after Rochester's Robert Duffy decided not to run for reelection.

Hochul won the local congressional seat in a special election after Chris Lee's resignation, then lost to current NY-27 representative Chris Collins in November 2012.

“I don’t want to want to be on the sidelines,” she said of her bid to re-join government service. “New York State is on the move, but our work is far from finished,” she added.

Ranzenhofer to host public forum for Heroin and Opioid Addiction Task Force in Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer will host a public forum for the Joint Senate Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction this Friday, May 23, from 10 a.m. to noon at Batavia City Hall, One Batavia City Centre. Members of the public are invited to attend and participate in the discussion.

The forum is one of 17 statewide to solicit input on the rise of heroin and opioids and to develop legislative recommendations for treating and preventing addiction and its consequences.

“Heroin and opioid addiction is a very serious issue facing communities all across the State. That is why I have invited the Task Force to discuss the impact heroin and opioid use has on our local community,” Ranzenhofer said. “I look forward to this important discussion with community stakeholders.”

The Task Force is chaired by Senator Phil Boyle (R-C-I, Suffolk County), chairman of the Senate Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.

"The numbers are staggering. Every day we hear of one heroin-related tragedy after another in our state," Boyle said. "I applaud Senator Ranzenhofer for his leadership in our statewide fight against heroin and opioid addiction."

Participating panelists are experts in the fields of education, law enforcement, mental health and substance abuse, civic groups and individuals directly affected by opioid abuse, including: 

• Gary Maha -- Sheriff, Genesee County
• Shawn Heubusch -- Chief of Police, Batavia Police Department
• Timothy Lynch -- Assistant U.S. Attorney Western District, Chief of Narcotics and Violent Crime Division
• Dr. Michael Merrill -- Vice President of Medical Affairs, United Memorial Medical Center
• Lisa Glow -- Program Director, Horizon Health Services
• Colleen Babcock -- Parent & Family Support Coordinator, Horizon Health Services
• John Bennett -- Executive Director, GCASA
• Dr. Bruce Baker -- Medical Director, GCASA
• Augusta Welsh -- Director of Community Services, Genesee County Mental Health Services
• Donna Sherman -- Substance Abuse Treatment Program Manager, VA Western New York Healthcare System
 
Heroin’s deadly effects are well established, and overdoses are on the rise across the State. In February, The New York Times reported that the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) heroin seizures in New York State increased 67 percent over the prior four years. The Buffalo News reported that 29 people died of heroin overdoses in Erie County in 2013, “almost a third more than the year before.”

The 2014-2015 State Budget included $2.45 million for initiatives to provide prevention, treatment and addiction services to address the increased prevalence of heroin and opioid abuse.

Collins assists Cornell extension in getting tax exempt status back

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) helped the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Genesee County regain its tax-exempt status, something it should have never had revoked in the first place. The CCE of Genesee County contacted Congressman Collins’ office after it was notified by the IRS that its tax-exempt status was being revoked without an explanation.

After months of back and forth, Collins’ office determined that the IRS mistakenly placed CCE of Genesee County on an "Auto-Revocation" list. The issue has now been resolved and the agency’s tax-exempt status has been restored.

“On behalf of CCE Genesee, I am extremely thankful and grateful for the persistent and timely support, and active intervention with the IRS in resolving the erroneous revocation of our tax-exempt status,” said Beverly Mancuso, executive director of CCE Genesee. “Attempts to resolve this were unsuccessful until I reached out to Congressman Collins’ office. I am extremely relieved to have this matter successfully addressed and behind us, hopefully once and for all. I cannot even imagine how much time and effort was required on the part of the Congressman’s office, but our association is more than thankful.”

“Unfortunately, the IRS is an example of big government bureaucracy at its worst, and I am grateful my office was able to help Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County get out of a mess it never should have been in,” Collins said. “Our office is always available to constituents and local agencies who are having a trouble navigating the federal government to get an answer or resolve a problem.”

Comptroller's audit declares GCEDC effective in economic development

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) recently underwent an audit by the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) to review the agency’s process for evaluating, approving and monitoring projects from Jan. 1, 2012 through Janu. 27, 2014. The audit found that the GCEDC is “effective in its efforts to promote, develop and assist in economic development projects in Genesee County.”

“We are very pleased with the results from the Comptroller’s audit,” said Wolcott Hinchey the chairman of the GCEDC. “It verifies our approach to economic development as it pertains to having shovel-ready sites available in order to bring new jobs and capital investment into our region. In particular we were very pleased that the Comptroller’s audit recognized the success of the Agri-Business Park with the opening of Alpina and Muller-Quaker yogurt manufacturing facilities.”

The audit also provided the GCEDC with some suggestions and opportunities to improve the agency’s controls and accountability. These included: developing evaluation criteria and process and performance appraisals for potential projects; monitoring procedures for companies that receive benefits from the GCEDC -- as far as achieving capital investment and pledged job creation totals in completed applications for assistance; the development of a cost-benefit analysis ratio or ratios that is reflective of its economic environment and is an appropriate and reasonable measurement of the incentives being offered, among others.

These items will be addressed through a corrective action plan that will be submitted by the GCEDC to the Comptroller’s office.

“We appreciate the recommendations suggested by the Comptroller’s office and will incorporate them into our corrective action plan,” said Steve Hyde, president and CEO of the GCEDC. “Anything we can do to improve upon our transparency, especially with our public sector partners and the taxpayers is something we always take very seriously.”

Link to Audit- NYS Comptroller Audit of the GCEDC

Photos: Kistner employees in leadership class playing a team building game

By Howard B. Owens

Employees of Kistner Concrete were outside the County Courthouse this afternoon, using the sidewalk along the Tonawanda, for a team building exercise. The goal was to roll a ball through a series of half-tubes down the length of the sidewalk until it was successfully dropped in a basket. Each team member had to advance the ball and then move to the end of the line and wait for the ball to roll to their position again.

The leadership program is sponsored by the University at Buffalo. 

Basketball players invited to improve their game at month-long summer camp in Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

Any hoops players from grade 7 through college who are looking for an opportunity to improve their game are invited to sign up for a summer basketball training camp sponsored by the Batavia High School Boys Basketball Boosters.

The camp is open to both boys and girls.

It runs July 7 through Aug. 15 and the cost is $375. Participants need to bring their own basketballs.

Workouts will be held at Batavia HS under the guidence of head basketball Coach Buddy Brasky.

Players will practice, learn about and be drilled on:

  • ball handling, stationary and on the move
  • shooting, 200-500 shots per day
  • 1-on-1 moves, single direction, double direction, triple direction
  • on the move series, wrist roll series, change of direction series
  • post moves series
  • point guard instruction
  • full court and ½ court game situations. 

The registration deadline is June 15.

To download more information and the registration form, click here (pdf).

Photos: Real Encounter performs bike tricks on Center Street

By Howard B. Owens

A rider performs a trick called "The Superman" during a trick riding event Tuesday evening in a parking lot off Center Street put on by a traveling evangelical group called Real Encounter.

The group, led by Brad Bennett, travels the nation performing stunts on bicycles and motorcycles and preaching the Gospel.

About halfway through the program, Bennett delivered a sermon about salvation, led the group in prayer and then asked all those who accepted Jesus Christ as savior that night to come forward. More than two dozen people gathered around Bennett. The group met briefly with Bennett and received a Bible and instructions on joining a local church.

The group performs again tonight in Pembroke and tomorrow in Attica.

Photos: Tech Wars 2014 at GCC

By Steve Ognibene

Students from throughout the GLOW region gathered at Genesee Community College yesterday for the annual Tech Wars, where students compete in matches of design and engineering skill.

“This is the seventh year since the inception of the Tech Wars that started in 2008 with only 138 kids,” said Bob Hollwedel, an event coordinator.

This year, there were 17 schools and more than 650 middle and high school school student who participated. 

The top schools overall were: 1st Place -- Alexander; 2nd Place -- Dansville; 3rd Place -- Oakfield. Photos below from a couple of the 17 events today.

Co2 Cars

Catapult - Batavia Middle School Team

Robot Tractor Pull

Trebechet - Alexander High School team

Sumo Robots - submitted by high school students

Top Items on Batavia's List

Tourism Marketing Assistant Position The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, serving as the official tourism promotion agency for Genesee County, NY is seeking an experienced marketing professional to assist in the overall Chamber tourism and marketing initiatives for Genesee County. https://visitgeneseeny.com/about/join-our-team
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Town of Batavia Court Department is seeking a part time as needed Court Officer. Court Officers are responsible for maintaining order in the court room and court facility during proceedings. Please send resume to Town of Batavia, Attention Hiedi Librock, 3833 West Main Street Road, Batavia, NY 14020. Complete job description is available on the Town web site or at the Town Hall Application deadline is April 15, 2024.
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