Stories from

It was a sunny, windless morning when Jason Smith took his morning run through DeWitt Recreation Area, and he captured this photo of a glassy lake in the park.

For the first time in a decade and the second time in program history, Batavia's softball players lifted a Section V trophy over their heads after beating Waterloo for the Class B1 crown, 7-2.

Giana Mruczek tossed a complete game three-hitter, fanning seven and going 1-3 at the plate and driving in a run.  She was selected as the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Libby Grazioplene went 4-4. Julia Clark had two stolen bases and scored two runs.  

This was the third year straight that Batavia and Waterloo have clashed in sectional finals and the first time in those three contests that Batavia came out on top.

"To beat Waterloo is a big accomplishment," said Coach James Fazio. "I had a feeling that if we made it this far, it was going to be Waterloo again. And it was, thankfully, we're able to get the job done today."

A key difference this year, Fazio said, is Batavia took an early lead.

"They're such a strong hitting team from top to bottom that no lead to safe against them," Fazio said. "For once, we were able to get the lead on them, and that's been our struggle the last couple of years -- we always play from behind. But this time, we put them on their heels, and we were just able to hold on.  They're a tough team, and we were fortunate enough to beat him."

Mruczek said the win felt really special because she and her teammates have worked hard and grown close.

"I think it's very heartfelt," Mruczek said. "This team has worked so hard for these past two years, and this team (Waterloo), they've always come for us. This was the third year playing them, and I think that we really wanted it so bad. This one is just what everyone deserved. I think it's great."

Clark said there was something special about beating Waterloo, given the history between the two teams.

"This means everything," Clark said. "We've fallen so many times to this team, and we don't see him in the regular season. So it's really this game or nothing. So we always have to put our all in."

The win was also special, Clark said, because of the decade between championship trophies for the softball team.

"We haven't won it all in a very long time," Clark said. "We're always division champs and stuff like that. But to finally win a sectional title for our school means a lot."

Other performance highlights:

• Sophia Minuto, 1-3, two RBIs
• Drew Stevens, 1-3, one RBI
• Arianna Almekinder, 1-3, one RBI
• Lyndsey Grazioplene, 1-3

Next up for Batavia: The Class B consolidation game against either Wellsville or Haverling on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Honeoye Falls-Lima HS.

Photos by Howard Owens. To view more photos, click here. 

To help a friend with a project, I needed to head out to Oakfield to take some landscape photos, and Friday evening seemed like perfect weather for such an excursion.

Photos by Howard Owens

To help a friend with a project, I needed to head out to Morganville in Stafford to take some landscape photos, and Friday evening seemed like perfect weather for such an excursion.  I also stopped by the Stafford Country Club.

Photos by Howard Owens.

A motor vehicle accident involving a car and a motorcycle, unknown injuries, is reported in the area of 390 West Main St., Batavia.

In front of Tops.

City Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATED 6:18 p.m. by Joanne Beck: The patient is being transported by Mercy Flight, and the landing zone is being set up at the VA Hospital. 

The Oakfield-Alabama Boys Tennis team was invincible until it wasn't.

The Hornets finish the season at 15-1 after droppingthe Class B3 Section V final to Cal-Mum 3-2.

Thursday's Games: 

• Preston Tobolski over Lorenzo Martelle 6-2, 6-1
• Mason Cadieux lost to Nate Doll 3-6, 4-6
• Randy McIntire lost to Oliver Johnson 5-7 (7-3) 6-0, 6-0
• Carson Warner/Trevor Enes lost to Garrett Thompson/Jeremiah Anderson 6-2, 6-3
• Tyler Jirovec/Colton Yasses over Michael Gere/Max Poray 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

This was a great final," said Coach David Carpino. "I'm extremely proud of our team. They are a great bunch of kids, and they had a great season.  I will miss them!"

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Batavia, the #2 seed in the Section V Class B Girls Softball tournament, beat Midlakes on Thursday to advance to the finals, where they will face #1 seed Waterloo on Saturday.

The final score was 5-4.

Libby Grazioplene was 2-4 with three RBIs, including driving in the winning run with a  two-run single.

Julia Clark was 2-3. 

Lila Fortes had an RBi while going 1-4.

Giana Mruzcek tossed a complete game for the win, striking out nine.

Saturday's game is at 11 a.m. at Webster Thomas High School.

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more, click here.

An alleged open burn with smoke blowing into a residence is reported at 86 South Main St., Batavia.

City Fire dispatched.

Law enforcement is in route.

It's about sportsmanship. It's about understanding. It's about working together for a common goal. It's about giving opportunity to those who might not otherwise get an opportunity.

That's why Pembroke has, for the second season in a row, brought together a Unified Basketball team and held an Assembly Game at the end of the team's regular six-game schedule so the whole school can join in and cheer for fellow students who don't often get opportunities to hear the applause and pep songs rooting them on.

The Unified Basketball team is comprised of students with intellectual disabilities and students who do not have those disabilities so they can all enjoy competing together.

"I think it teaches them understanding," said Pembroke HS Principal Nathan Work, who is also one of the team's coaches. "I think it teaches them commitment. I think it teaches them to help one another."

The players on the unified team gain popularity during the season because of the recognition they get.  Their baskets after games are announced over the PA system at the school. They get to wear jerseys.  They know what it means to represent their classmates.

"It's palpable on campus," Work said. "You can feel it. Some of the students are mostly in self-contained classrooms, but they walk around the halls, and they're legends right there with the announcements of their scores.  You see the other players in the stands today. They're cheering for kids that otherwise wouldn't have a chance to wear the Pembroke uniform or the Pembroke colors."

On Thursday, the Unified Dragons played in front of the entire school against the City Honors Centaurs from Buffalo. The game had all the hoopla of a homecoming game with the pep band, cheerleaders, and the school's mascot.

Pembroke Superintendent Matthew Calderon said the Assembly Game is an amazing event.

"It's one of those events that you root for both sides, no matter what happens," Calderon said. "You know, kids with special needs are important. We're happy that we've got some people willing to invest the time and make this happen for them."

Right now, Pembroke competes against teams from Section VI because there aren't enough schools in Section V participating in this program of the Special Olympics.  He's hoping that will change.  Work and the other coaches recently made a presentation about the program to Genesee Valley BOCES, and Calderon said he thinks other schools in Genesee County are considering forming united basketball teams.

"Because of Pembroke's leadership, other teams are getting interested," Calderon said. "Hopefully, if every school in  Genesee County gets involved, we could be closer together and play each other and have like a Genesee Region League.  I think that could happen in a couple of years."

Photos by Howard Owens.

The county's $1.8 million restoration of the brick and Medina sandstone of the Genesee Justice/former Sheriff's Office on West Main Street in Batavia has been a months-long project but appears to be nearing the end.

The contract for the work was awarded to Montante Construction last June after the County Legislature realized that delaying the restoration project had only driven up the cost.

The facade of the historic structure was crumbling, with large bits of sandstone falling away from the building.

Workers removed all the sandstone and restored the underlying masonry before putting the sandstone back in place.

Tom Rivers, editor of Orleans Hub, as part of a series on Medina sandstone structures in the region, wrote about the old Sheriff's home and headquarters in 2013.

The jail is part of the Genesee County Courthouse Historic District that was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The district represents the civic core of the city and includes buildings from the 1840s to 1920s.

The collection of historic structures includes the old county courthouse, former city hall, U.S. Post Office, The Holland Land Office Museum, a county office building and a Civil War monument. The jail is the only Medina sandstone building in the disitrict. St. Mary’s Catholic Church, which is close by, also is a striking sandstone structure.

The building was constructed in 1902-03. It was designed by Poughkeepsie architect William J. Beardsley in a Victorian Gothic style. Beardsley also was the architect for the Attica State Prison and many county courthouses.

The Legislature first discussed the need for restoration in 2016 and sought grants to help cover the anticipated $500,000 costs.  Last year, Chair Shelley Stein noted, “We should be kicking ourselves for not doing it sooner, but we didn’t have the money.” 

There has been a “tremendous amount of damage” that, along with inflation, tripled the initial price estimate, County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens told legislators in June 2022. "There are pieces of stone falling from the top of the porch, and many areas of it are cracked and crumbling."

Currently, the former Sheriff's Office is the office of Genesee Justice, but Genesee Justice, and the jail behind it, will relocate later this year to the new jail facility being built by County Building #2 on West Main Street Road in the Town of Batavia.

County Manager Matt Landers said Thursday evening that the county is still evaluating possible uses for the building and is going to have SMRT, the architectural firm working with the new county on the new jail, assist in that evaluation process. Landers said he has some rough ideas of what could be done with the space but isn't at liberty just yet to publicly discuss those ideas.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Jamie Lee Broadbent, 40, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with grand larceny 4th.  Broadbent is accused of stealing a wallet while at Walmart at 9:02 p.m. on March 20. The wallet reportedly contained cash and multiple credit cards. Broadbent was arrested following an arrest and investigation by Erik Andre. Broadbent was arraigned in Batavia Town Court and ordered to return at a later date.

Adam Daniel Smart, 40, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with forgery 2nd, possession of a forged instrument 2nd, criminal possession of stolen property 5th and petit larceny.  Smart is accused of stealing $800 in cash and a black check from a location of Fargo Road on Feb. 14. He is accused of attempting to forge and cash the check on Feb. 16 at the Bank of America in Batavia. Smart was arrested on May 13 and held pending arraignment.

Shawnna Linn Lamont, 33, of Page Road, Perry, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Lamont was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance when taken into custody on two warrants at 6 p.m. on May 23 by Deputy Trevor Sherwood.  She was issued an appearance ticket.

Robert Lee Drennen, 41, of Holley Street, Sweden, is charged with harassment 2nd. Drennen is accused of striking another person in the face at the Genesee County Jail on May 16 at 2:30 p.m.  He was arraigned in City Court and ordered to reappear at a later date.

Heather Nicole Holbrook, 38, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 5th and criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Holbrook was charged following a traffic stop by Deputy Nicholas Chamoun at 10 p.m. on Dec. 18. Following an investigation, she is accused of possessing 500mg of cocaine and Suboxone. She was arraigned and ordered to reappear.

Margaret Nicole George, 20, and Kristen Dawn George, 26, both of Council House Road, Tonawanda Indian Reservation, are charged with grand larceny 4th. Margaret and Kristen are accused of stealing more than $1,000 from a former employer on Bloomingdale Road on April 8.

Brittany Lynn Bolton, 23, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Bolton is accused of stealing $45.32 in merchandise from a store on Veterans Memorial Drive. The Sheriff's Office withheld the name of the store. Bolton was issued an appearance ticket.

Oakfield-Alabama beat Kendall in the Class B3 tennis semifinal on Wednesday, 4-1.

The Hornets are the #1 seed in the bracket and play Cal-Mum for the championship today at Batavia High School at 4 p.m.

Individual results:

• Preston Tobolski won 6-3, 6-4
• Mason Cadieux won 6-1, 6-3
• Randy McIntire won 6-4, 7-5
• Trevor Enes and Carson Warner lost 5-7, 2-6
• Colton Yasses and Tyler Jirovec won 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

The Fighting Irish will play for a Class C Section V championship after beating Campbell-Savonia at Dwyer Stadium on Wednesday, 6-3.

Notre Dame scored in the opening frame when Bryceton Berry singled on a 2-2 count, driving in a run.

Berry earned the win, going three 2/3 innings, surrendering only one hit, no runs and striking out nine.

Nolan Jamison took the loss for Campbell-Savona, allowing five runs on three hits and striking out two.

Jaden Sherwood was Notre Dame's starting pitcher, allowing three hits and three runs over 3 1/3, striking out nine.

Jay Antinore went 3-3.

Also, on Wednesday, 

• Elba lost to #1 seed Northstar Christian 5-2.
• Le Roy lost to Penn Yan 6-5.

Submitted info. Photos by Pete Welker.

A two-vehicle accident is reported at Route 77 and Indian Falls Road, Pembroke.

One vehicle rolled over but the occupant is reportedly out of that vehicle.

Unknown injuries.

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments dispatched along with Mercy EMS.

UPDATE 8:31 a.m.: Minor injuries. All occupants out of the vehicles.

When The Batavian covered the opening of Jagged Edges 12 years ago, owner Amanda Lowe was clearly a bit nervous about opening a business.

"It was a big jump, for sure," Lowe told The Batavian today at the grand opening of her business's new location, 4 State St., in Downtown Batavia. A dozen years ago, she was an experienced hairstylist but had never run her own business before.

This next big step, a more upscale location that moves the business out of a strip mall, is definitely exciting, she said.

"I've learned a lot over the 12 years," Lowe said.  "There's a lot of growth in different areas. But definitely, having a great team of girls to share everything with makes it so much more enjoyable."

In the beginning, it was Amanda and her sister Sarah, who is still with her, and two other stylists who changed locations with her from another hair salon in town where they all rented booths.

Now she has nine employees and an interior at her new location that is more fashionable and inviting.

Regular customers at Jagged Edges over the past decade could definitely see the business growing, and Lowe said she was driven to see it grow and get better.

"I'm definitely a goal-setter," Lowe said. "I like to see that growth, and it was super exciting and so meaningful. Even through ups and downs, and every business has ups and downs, we always continued to grow. That was just all the hard work that goes into it, so it was rewarding to see all that happen."

The new space is something she had her eye on for a while, she said. She was looking for something that flowed better and was better suited to the brand of her business, which specializes in hair coloring and providing just that perfect hairstyle for each customer.

It's a new location with more space, but Lowe said she has no plans to branch out into other lines of business. She knows what she and her team do best.

"We do hair," she said. "We do it well. That's what we like to do, and we work together well."

Previously (from 2011): From dream to reality, Batavia woman opens her own salon

Notre Dame scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to record a dramatic come-from-behind win in their sectional playoff game against Alfre-Almond on Tuesday at GCC.

Loretta Sorochty tossed a three-hitter, allowing two runs (no earned runs) and striking out 14.

She whiffed the side in the seventh to preserve the lead and secure the win for the Irish.

Katie Landers led the way for Notre Dame on offense with two base hits up the middle. She scored the go-ahead run and drove in the game-tying run in the 6th inning.  

Mia Treleaven accounted for the other ND base hit.  

Sorochty scored the first run in the 6th inning after drawing a walk. When Alfred's defense misplayed a bunt attempt by Cayleigh Havens, Sorochty was able to streak from first base to home. Katie Landers drove a ball up the middle for a base hit, plating Havens, and then she advanced to second on an error by left fielder.  Following an Anna Panepento walk, the bases were loaded. Landers scored on a wild pitch.

"I can't say enough about the fight in these ladies to come back like they did in the sixth inning and pull out the win tonight," said Head Coach Otis Thomas. " Hopefully, we can build on this game and play tough Thursday night."

The Irish, the #4 seed in Class D, play the #1 see Keshequa on Thursday.

Also scheduled for Thursday:

• In Class C: #4 Oakfield-Alabama vs. #8 Addison
• In Class C: #4 Byron-Bergen vs. #1 Bolivar-Richburg
• In Class B: #2 Batavia vs. #3 Midlakes at Batavia HS, game time is 5 p.m.

Submitted photo and information.

Variety, choice, quality ovens, a modern menu system, and health options are helping the Le Roy Central School District deliver nutritious and popular breakfasts and lunches to students, Melissa Saunders told the Board of Education at its regular meeting on Tuesday night.

Saunders is the district's school lunch manager.

During her presentation, she ticked off a number of accomplishments for the cafeteria staff during the current academic school year.

Among the accomplishments was a switch in online menu distribution from PDFs to a database-driven menu platform called Nutrislice.

"This has made my job a lot easier," Saunders said. "It's given me a lot more flexibility with the menu. It allows me to make real-time changes to the menu that everyone can see instantly."

The system allows her to store all the different food items that can go into making up a school day's breakfast and lunch menus as well as add products.  When compiling a menu, she can include nutritional information along with allergens.

"It's a really big project, adding all that information for every single product," Saunders said. "I mean, just tracking down nutrient analysis for some of these products is this challenging, but it's something we've been working on. It's something that we will continue to work on through the summer."

A board member asked if she makes a menu change is a notification sent to parents. She said there is no automatic notification, but if it's a significant change, she does send out a notification.

A new purchase this year is combi-ovens.

"They can add a precise amount of steam or a precise amount of browning to any food product," Saunders said. "My cooks love them. It has the capability of cooking with steam or cooking with heat, or cooking with a combination of steam and heat to get a precise moisture and browning on food products."

The ovens the district purchased, she said, were manufactured in Germany and are the #1 combi-ovens on the market.

Saunders has also been trying to serve students more fresh fruit, a program partially funded by the federal government.

"We've been really scaling back on the amount of canned fruit we use," Saunders said. "It still has a place within the menu. There's still some products that the kids really like, and we will continue to use, so it's not that I'm not going to use it or the goal is to never use it but to really ensure that the majority of what they're getting is fresh. The reason for that is that during the canning process, food loses its nutrients. We've been using for fresh fruit this year -- we've used strawberries, we've used cantaloupe, leeks, honeydew, melon, watermelon, kiwi, clementines, blueberries, pears, oranges, apples, bananas. We've been trying to give them a really good variety."

Saunders is also working on scaling back the number of food items that include whey protein as filler.

"It's in a huge amount of products to use across the board," Saunders said. "Personally, from my interest in nutrition, I feel like it would be an improvement to our program to use less of (whey protein filler). Again, just like with the canned products, we won't necessarily be able to completely get rid of it, but can use some cleaner products without whey protein fillers."

She said she is now buying products like chicken tenders, chicken nuggets, and popcorn chicken, that doesn't use whey protein fillers.  She's also found a nearby New York company that makes meatballs without whey protein filler. They're also allergen-free meatballs. 

"That's a focus for next year," She said. "We were awarded some money from a local food and school cooperative grant that's going to allow us to purchase some more New York foods. I can put it towards things like the meatballs."

For breakfast, the staff had been serving prepackaged meals, but during the recent National Breakfast Week, the staff went in a different direction.

"It didn't allow for a lot of choice," Saunder said. "So during National School Breakfast Week, we discontinued using those, and they now have a variety of different cereals, cereal bars, and little snack options that they can create their own breakfast bag."

The number of meals the district served increased when meals were free during the pandemic, Saunders noted, but the district is still serving more meals than it did before the pandemic. 

Districtwide participation in breakfast is up 45 percent over the 2018/19 school year, and participation is up seven percent for lunch.

The variety of choices for students, which always includes warm foods and things like yogurt and fresh fruit, is helping to drive meal participation, she said.

In April, The Batavian reported about issues the district was facing with unpaid meal bills for some families. Superintendent Merritt Holly told the school board that staff was trying to work with families to handle the topic in a sensitive manner.  The district at the time was owed $2,751.58 for meals that had not been paid for at the time they were served (the district has a policy of providing a meal to every student who wants one, requiring students who don't have any money with them to pay for it).

The Batavian's story promoted two people to come forward and offer to make donations toward paying the unpaid bills.  This evening after the school board's regular meeting, Holly said the district has yet to work out how best to accept those donations, and he isn't sure how much those people are planning to donate.  He doesn't know, he said, if the donations will cover all of the unpaid bills, which have likely gone up in the past month, he said.