Last week, Jacqui Berger was in town and we had an opportunity to talk with her while she was in Batavia. Berger is running for the 61st State Senate District.
The third meeting of the Batavia's Police Collaboration Advisory Stakeholder Group covered several topics related to the local criminal justice system, including:
Cathy Uhly, program coordinator for Genesee Justice (top photo), spoke about restorative justice at the meeting on Thursday night at the City Centre Board Room.
In contrast to punitive justice, which doesn't take into account victims and ignores any possibility of rehabilitation, restorative justice gives an opportunity for crime victims to be heard so that criminals might better understand the impact of their actions as well potentially make amends or pay restitution. It also offers offenders an opportunity to reform and become productive members of society.
Genesee Justice was the first county-level restorative justice program in the nation, was started in 1980 by then-Sheriff Douglas Call, former probation officer Dennis Wittman, and former County Court Judge Glenn Morton.
Genesee Justice represents criminal victims, supervises accused criminal defendants prior to sentencing, manages DWI (driving while intoxicated) convicts going through the conditional discharge program, and conducts a judicial diversion program.
Julie Carasone, a certified trainer who will conduct an implicit bias seminar for Batavia police officers in December, gave a brief overview of the training course she will present.
Implicit bias is a bias a person might possess and be unaware of it. The course Carasone teaches involves exercises to help people learn both how biases affect their perceptions and judgments and the roots of such biases.
The course also touches on cognitive biases such as confirmation bias and the halo effect.
A confirmation bias is the tendency of people to seek out information that confirms what they already believe and dismisses information that contradicts their beliefs. The halo effect is attributing abilities or attributes to a person for no other reason than appearance, speech or past performance.
Her training also covers institutional, structural and historic racism.
Paula Campbell, an attorney in the County Attorney's Office who works in Family Court, spoke about current diversion programs designed to help young people from getting caught up in the justice system and learning to cope with any problems they might have.
Programs include PINS (person in need of supervision), youth court, family court, and programs for youths determined to be juvenile delinquents.
What program a youth enters depends on age, the severity of any behavioral issues of criminal conduct, and past record.
Anybody in the community can refer a youth to probation for consideration of possible intervention if that person has had harmed by a youth. Most commonly, referrals come from parents, schools or police.
In youth court, young people act as the judge, attorneys and jury to help deal with minor youthful offenses. It is the offender's peers who decide the best course of action to help correct a wrong or put youth on a more productive path.
Chief Shawn Heubusch spoke about police department policies that deal with procedural justice. These policies include standards of conduct, community relations, and bias in policing. These policies cover ethical behavior, building connections with community members, and avoiding prejudice in professional decision making.
The house at 43 Hutchins St., Batavia, has been ready for Halloween all month with a quite impressive larger-than-life human skeleton among other decorations.
For Batavia High School seniors, today was Make a Difference Day, the day seniors fan out around the community completing a variety of volunteer projects for community organizations.
Photos are from the seniors' clean-up project at the Batavia Cemetery.
Seniors also helped out at:
Last night on East Avenue in Batavia.
Photo submitted by JoAnne Meiser.
A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 395.
There are multiple callers. It may involve two semi-trucks and a passenger vehicle.
East Pembroke fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE 8:57 a.m.: Westbound traffic is blocked. The East Pembroke chief requests that traffic be diverted at the Batavia exit.
UPDATE 8:58 a.m.: Extrication will be required according to an Indian Falls chief who responded. Confirmed, two tractor-trailers, possibly a car.
UPDATE: One person was transported by ground ambulance to ECMC with a possible serious injury.
Genesee County's unemployment rate, at 4.8 percent for September, is the lowest percentage it's been in 2020 but still significantly higher than its seasonal rate a year ago.
In August rate 2019, the rate was 3.4 percent.
Since the pandemic hit the economy, the local employment rate has been:
The lowest rate prior to September was in February and March at 4.9 percent. The pandemic-related job losses started in March but those job losses didn't start to show up in official statistics until April.
There are 28,900 county residents counted in the labor force. A year ago, there were 29,900 people in the local labor force.
Of those currently in the labor force (people who are employed or are actively looking for work), 27,500 have jobs. There are 1,400 looking for work.
For September, there were 21,200 non-farm jobs in Genesee County compared to 23,000 a year ago. Of those, 15,700 are in the private sector (compared to 17,400 a year ago).
Legacy Insurance Group held a grand opening and ribbon-cutting today at the company's new office at 212 E. Main St., Batavia.
Legacy Insurance will be a local resource for Medicare Advantage plans through UnitedHealthcare, as well as several life insurance options, and can help with navigating health insurance choices on the NYS of Health Marketplace.
Agent Diana M. Wagner resides in Stafford with her husband, Ron, and two of her three children, Bobby and Rachel.
In the photo, Wagner cuts the ribbon surrounded by friends and family along with Tom Turnbull, president of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, and Ken Sciarrino, from United Healthcare (holding ribbon on right).
Press release:
As of 2 p.m.:
Press release from AAA:
Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.17, down 2 cents from one week ago. One year ago, the price was $2.65. The New York State average is $2.25 – the same as last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.70.
AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:
- Batavia -- $2.20 (no change since last week)
- Buffalo -- $2.22 (no change since last week)
- Ithaca -- $2.1 (down 1 cent since last week)
- Rochester -- $2.24 (no change since last week)
- Rome -- $2.31 (no change since last week)
- Syracuse -- $2.18 (down 1 cent since last week)
- Watertown -- $2.30 (no change since last week)
The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline dropped to $2.17, which is significantly cheaper than last year (-48 cents). In a recent report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand decreased slightly.
Domestic crude prices have also declined as market concern increased regarding an increase in coronavirus infections worldwide, which could lower crude demand as nations impose new restrictions to limit the spread of the virus. If demand concerns persist, crude prices could continue to decline — alongside pump prices.
GasBuddy:
"Gas prices have continued to remain subdued in large part due to the stalemate in Washington that's holding back another round of stimulus for Americans, which could boost the economy and oil demand and help Americans get back to work," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.
"Absent some resolve from lawmakers to boost the economy, we're likely in store for another week of sideways price movements, keeping average gas prices near current levels for the fourth straight month. We may continue to see us stuck in this territory until there's meaningful change in our COVID-19 outlook."
JC Penney in Batavia closed its doors for the last time at 5 p.m. today. One potential shopper found she got there a little late for the last day of the store's going-out-of-business sale.
Dozens of friends and fans turned out Saturday afternoon to bid a fond farewell to Betsy Dexheimer, who at age 85 is moving to Ohio to live with her son, Paul.
Dexheimer was involved with several organizations in Batavia, including her church.
Previously: Drive-by parade tomorrow for beloved Batavian bound for Ohio
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul was on hand Friday for an event commemorating the commencement of construction of another Downtown Revitalization Project, Ellicott Place.
Ellicott Place is converting the building that is currently home for Save-A-Lot and expanding it with retail and apartments. The V.J. Gautieri Construction Company is investing more than $1.5 million in the project with a portion of the city's $10 million state grant, the DRI award, covering the rest of the $3 million project.
A person is reporting head and chest pain following a two-car accident at Ellicott and Jackson streets in Batavia.
City fire is on scene.
Mercy EMS responding.
UPDATE 7:33 p.m.: A patient is being transported to UMMC.
Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter at a press conference today said a smash-and-grab burglary ring is responsible for more than 30 burglaries in six counties, including Genesee County.
On Sept. 16, GC Sheriff's deputies arrested two people who Sheriff William Sheron said are apparently part of the ring.
Taken into custody and held on bail after allegedly being caught in the act of burglarizing the Crosby's at 6257 Clinton Street Road in Batavia were Jennifer D. Abrams and Tarus O. Fluitt.
On Sept. 28, Kristina Marble, Jose Cruz-Rosado and Eric Smith were arrested in Monroe County following a gas station burglary in Victor.
They are believed to have committed similar crimes in Genesee County, and all five individuals are suspected of being part of the same ring, Sheron said.
Their modus operandi is to smash out doors and windows and steal cigarettes and other items.
Sheron released a list of seven such burglaries in Genesee County:
More from our news partner 13WHAM.
Previously:
Overnight Thursday, burglars broke into the Batavia Bottle and Can Retrieval Center 583 E. Main St., Batavia, and stole property from inside the building.
A white van that may be associated with the crime was caught on camera.
Anyone with information that can assist in the investigation may contact Detective Sergeant Matt Lutey at (585) 345-6311 or call the confidential tip line at (585) 345-6370.
If you see an Auburn Fire Department ladder truck rolling down the City of Batavia's roads, it's not lost.
City fire's Ladder 15 is taking a break from service for routine maintenance and the City of Auburn, which just put a new ladder truck into service, has loaned its 1991 ladder truck to Batavia.
A couple of years ago, the City of Rochester loaned Batavia a fire truck. Chief Stefano Napolitano said the truck loans are an example of how fire departments in the region support each other.
"We try to help each other out when we can," Napolitano said.
St. Joe's teacher Anne Marie Starowitz got to take her class on a field trip for the first time since the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic today, walking her students over to the Batavia Cemetery to visit the gravesites of many of the historically important people buried or memorialized there.
Students are undertaking projects that include researching and writing about these people as well as created related artwork.
Above, students learn about Philemon Tracy, who was a colonel in the Confederate Army. His uncle, who lived in Batavia, had his body disguised in a Union officer uniform and transported to Batavia to be buried here. He's the only Confederate officer who died in action who is buried north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Below, students visit the William Morgan monument, a one-time Batavia resident who disappeared under mysterious circumstances after publishing a book that purportedly revealed Masonic secrets. His death helped ignite the Anti-Masonic Party.
Press release:
New Cases – As of 2 p.m.
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