A rollover accident is reported on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 396.6 in the westbound lane.
There is possible ejection of an occupant.
Mercy Flight is on in-air standby.
East Pembroke Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE 12:25 p.m.: A medic on scene reports that Mercy Flight is not required at the scene.
UPDATE 12:40 p.m.: One patient transported to ECMC.
In the Le Roy Central School District, any student who wants to put forth the effort to graduate Summa Cum Laude, regardless of their academic or career interest, will have that opportunity, said David Russell, principal of the Le Roy Jr./Sr. High School, after the Board of Education approved a change to the Laude System at Tuesday's meeting.
"You can map that out with this system from your eighth-grade year," Russell told The Batavian after the meeting. "You just sit down with your counselor, and you say my goal is to be Summa because again, as I said in the previous meeting, maybe this means the world to you, right? Truthfully, maybe it does, and maybe it means nothing to you. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. Either way, it gives you a chance to just compete against yourself."
The district changed from a Top 10 student achievement ranking system to a Laude System in 2018, but the Laude System replaced by the board on Tuesday should make it easier for students' parents to understand if they're on a path to graduation with distinction -- Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, or Summa Cum Laude.
Under the 2018 system, each year, administrators had to decide which courses were worth two points and which were only worth one.
This created some problems, Russell said. It caused rifts between departments -- why was this course worth two credits and another course worth only one? And because each year, there are courses added and dropped, students and parents had to be informed each year of the changes, and whether a student was acquiring enough credits to achieve a Laude recognition had to be hand calculated. The transcript for each student had to be counted against which courses were listed with which values in a particular year.
The big switch under the plan approved Tuesday is that a student need only look at his or her transcript and add up all the classes that provide credit toward graduation. Every class with credit -- whether Advance Placement or Regents -- is weighted the same. There's no worry about classes going away, new classes being added, or course credit values changing.
If that makes it sound easier for students to graduate with distinction, it's not, Russell said, because in order to get enough credits to graduate Summa Cum Laude -- currently 32 -- you will need to fill your schedule with credit-producing classes. To get that many credits, there simply aren't enough school hours in the day to allow a student to sit in study hall, and if you're going to get that many credits, you can't avoid more challenging classes, no matter what your career path or area of interest.
"It naturally pushes you towards challenging classes because in order to fill your schedule, there's only so many intro-level courses you want to take, right?" Russell said. "It's still going to mean something to get to Summa Cum Laude. I'm saying, in order to get to Summa, if you're going to fill your schedule every year, it's going to naturally push you to the higher levels."
That applies equally to students who are trying to get into top science and engineering universities, students on a skills and trade track, as well as students who are potential art, music, and athletics majors -- they all have a chance to achieve Summa Cum Laude, or one of the other Laude tiers without, first, competing for the top GPA in their class, and second, taking classes that are of less interest to them personally just because they are worth more credits.
"Now, there's nothing preventing you (from graduating Laude) because you're not worried about competing for the top 10 in a class that might be loaded with complete scholars," Russell said. "Then, you might say, 'I have no shot at ever getting there. So what's the point?' No, I'm competing against myself. And whatever matters to me, now I can build it into my schedule."
The maximum possible score for a student from 8th grade to 12th would be 36 total credits with a 100 GPA. To achieve Summa Cum Laude, a student would need at least 32 credits and a 95 GPA. Magna Cum Laude would be 30 credits and a 90 GPA. Cum Laude would be 28 total credits and an 85 GPA.
Cum Laude is Latin for "with distinction." Magna Cum Laude means "with great distinction," and Summa Cum Laude means "with highest distinction."
The Class of 2023 will be the last class to graduate under the Top 10 system. The classes of 2024, 2025 and 2026 are under the Laude system but will be eligible to move up to a higher Laude if they qualify for a higher Laude under the proposed revisions. The Class of 2027 would be the first class to graduate under this new Laude system.
The board approved the policy change on a 6-1 vote, with Trustee William MacKenzie voting no.
MacKenzie expressed concern that members of the Class of 2024 will find it more difficult to achieve Summa because of course restrictions during the COVID-19 years.
"My biggest concern is just any student getting slighted," MacKenzie said. "I know of several who possibly could. So it's just how I feel."
Superintendent Merrit Holly said before the vote that what the board was being asked to approve was a policy -- primarily that change from weighted credits to a transcript-based count of credit-worthy classes -- and there was flexibility based on circumstances for each class to adjust credit totals.
Both Holly and Russell indicated there is room to consider changes for the Class of 2024, but there was no commitment by the administration or the board to make any immediate changes.
Russell said he hasn't spoken to the same families MacKenzie may be concerned about but that he believes there is still the opportunity, without making changes to the credit count, for any member who has been focused on achieving Summa to still do so. Those students will need to make sure they fill their course schedule with the classes that help them reach that goal.
Also, members of the Class of 2024 have a chance to reach Summa either under the system approved in 2018, or the one approved Tuesday -- whichever one is most favorable to them in terms of credits or points.
"If there's a student who has a study hall going into their senior year, and they're a credit shy of Summa, then my contention would be, you still have an opportunity to reach Summa, that would be my response," Russell said. "If you have a student who's a credit or credit and a half shy of Summa, and they have more than one study hall their senior year, again, you have an opportunity to get to Summa. It might be more challenging, but again, that's part of what Laude is. It should mean something to get to Summa."
Previously:
Photo: File photo of Principal David Russell. Photo by Howard Owens.
Oakfield-Alabama beat Medina in baseball on Tuesday, 4-3.
Shaun Alexander went 2-3 or the honest and drove in two runs. Brayden Smith was 1-3 with an RBI.
Bodie Hyde picked up the win by going five innings and scattering five hits while allowing three runs. He struck out five. Kyle Porter pitched two frames giving up no hits and notching three Ks for the save.
Samantha Ilacqua loves fresh eggs and wants to have them available for her children -- like her mother had since she was in first grade -- and since Oakfield is a rural community, she believes that village residents should be allowed to own up to six egg-laying hens.
On Monday, she presented a petition signed by more than 40 other village residents asking the village trustees to change the zoning ordinance to allow hen-raising in the village.
"I feel like we should be able to have them in this rural community," Ilacqua said. "It's a right-to-farm community, and we should be able to have chickens in our own back yards, as long as they're fenced in cages and only six hens."
Here is a portion of the speech she gave to the village trustees at a previous board meeting:
Changing this law benefits both families as well as the Village of Oakfield. The Village of Oakfield can create income from allowing hens in the Village by charging for permits.
Families should be able to know where their food came from, as well as be able to raise their own food especially in these economic times. In January an eighteen count of eggs was $8.42.
Chickens are great for pest control in gardens (they eat ticks), as well as waste reduction as they can eat food that would normally end up in a landfill.
I know this topic has come up previously, and I could talk to you about statistics and proof of successful ownership in larger villages, but I think I would rather talk about why I am coming to you tonight.
I grew up in Bergen, New York. In 1999, My first-grade class hatched chickens, and my parents decided to build a coop. We took home those chicks that hatched. My parents have had chickens ever since. A Cambridge study even shows the nutritional value of fresh eggs versus commercial is consistently higher.
When my husband and I moved into our current residence, it wasn’t long before we decided we wanted chickens of our own. There really is nothing like raising the food that you eat, knowing where it came from and teaching your children the life lessons and responsibilities that come from owning pets. I was shocked to find out that in the Village of Oakfield, I was not allowed to have chickens at all, but if I lived in the City of Batavia, I would be allowed six hens.
I can not think of a better time than now to allow village residents the right to grow their own food. Eggs are a staple in homes. I personally believe the wording of, “farm animals” is broad. If you have ever been around chickens, they are quiet, about the same decibels as humans having a conversation. There is a huge difference between having a goat or cow in your backyard versus having a few chickens.
I am not sure why the board has denied previous requests of allowing chickens in the village. I have heard that one possible concern is that foxes could make their way into the village looking for the chickens. Research suggests that well-designed coops could mitigate that risk. I believe that education on the front end would avoid issues later on, such as a Hen agreement to be signed at the time of receiving a permit or even licensing the chicken coop by maintaining a building/zoning permit versus licensing the hens. Additionally, this could potentially generate some decent income for the village. Hunters obtain licenses and permit to hunt. Fishers obtain licenses to fish. Residents could obtain a permit to keep six hens.
Mayor Dave Boyle said the trustees will discuss the proposal at its May meeting and perhaps vote on it that night.
Photo by Howard Owens.
Over the past 50 years, Ron D'Alba never did it for recognition. He didn't hang Christmas lights or help start the Oakfield Betterment Committee or the Labor Daze celebration, coach Little League or serve on the village board or the zoning board of appeals to get attention.
He didn't do any of that so that someday the community might thank him, but that's exactly what took place at the Village of Oakfield Board of Trustees meeting on Monday.
As D'Alba's term on the ZBA draws to a close, the village recognized his five decades of community service.
"The village board would like to recognize and applaud Ron D'Alba for 50 years of dedication and passion to our community," Board Chairwoman Judy Boyle said. "He loves the village, and over the years, he has shown his commitment by volunteering in many capacities. Ron has lived in Oakfield his entire life raising two sons and settling on Bennett Avenue. Preserving the character of Oakfield has always been a concern of his. It has been a major reason he has continued to volunteer and help keep the village a great place to raise a family."
Ron's son Scott is a current board member, and he listed many of his father's achievements over the years.
"He was born and raised in the Village of Oakfield," Scott said. "He's always loved this community and shown that love, by the way he supported our local school sports teams and in volunteering and finding ways to make this village a nicer place to live and raise a family."
He added at the end of his speech, "We are all here tonight to acknowledge and thank him for his time and service. I've been fortunate enough to witness all this firsthand along with my brother Joel, and couldn't be prouder to call him Dad. Dad, you have instilled this love for community in Joel (Scott's brother) and me. You've always been a true role model, and we thank you for that."
The ceremony highlighting Ron D'Alba was a surprise for him, and he was quite honored for the recognition, he said.
"It means the world to me," he said. "I've been doing this forever because I love the community. I never expected to get anything. It's beautiful."
Photos by Howard Owens. Top photo, as a gag gift, Mayor David Boyle presents Ron D'Alba with an old village Christmas banner.
Ron D'Alba.
Mayor Dave Boyle reads a proclamation honoring Ron D'Alba on his 50 years of community service.
A motor vehicle accident with one car over the guard rail is reported on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 388.5, with unknown injuries.
Town of Batavia Fire and Le Roy Ambulance dispatched.
A grass fire is reported at 10724 Alexander Road, near Stroh Road, in Alexander.
The fire is approaching a residence.
Alexander Fire dispatched.
An apparent "controlled burn" is out of control, according to dispatchers, and a tree is on fire at 112 Elm St., Batavia.
The homeowner reportedly stated that they were burning sticks in the backyard.
City Fire is dispatched.
There is a burn ban in effect until May 14.
Multiple brush fires are reported in the woods in the area of 6364 Britt Road, Stafford.
Stafford Fire dispatched with mutual aid from South Byron and Le Roy.
Photos by Howard Owens
Photos from Saturday morning's Easter Egg Hunt in Centennial Park in Batavia, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Batavia.
Photos by Howard Owens.
The St. Joseph Mammoth Sale is a week away, with a sneak peek on Wednesday night from 5 to 8 p.m.
The sale continues on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
On Friday, prices are 50 percent off.
Everything that is left on Saturday, April 15, is 75 percent off, or buy and fill a $5 box or a $10 box.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 15 everything is free.
Bring your own bag on Saturday.
The Lions Club is running the snack bar.
St. Joseph School is located at 2 Summit St, Batavia
Photos by Howard Owens.
A car fire -- with flames showing -- is reported in the parking lot of Batavia Downs.
The location is right across from the entrance.
Town of Batavia Fire is responding.
Two members of the Section V Champion Pembroke Dragons were honored on Wednesday night at the team's season-ending banquet.
Cayden Pfalzer, left, was recognized for becoming the team's all-time leading scorer with 1,180 points and the team's all-time leading three-point shooter with 180 baskets from behind the arc. Jon Suro was also recognized for becoming the school's all-time assists leader with 360.
Photo and info submitted by Coach Matthew Shay.
Isaac D. Abrams, 22, of Alabama, is charged with robbery 2nd. Abrams was arrested by State Police in the Town of Alabama in connection with an incident reported at 10:02 p.m., March 10. He was ordered held on cash bail. No further details were released.
Matthew Jacob Zon, 41, of East Main Street, Byron, is charged with criminal contempt 1st and criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Zon is accused of violating a stay-away order of protection at 9:17 a.m. on March 32 at a location in Byron. He was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance at the time of his arrest by Deputy Travis DeMuth.
Scott Earl Clark, 62, of Main Road, Stafford, is charged with DWI, failure to obey a police officer, and driving left of pavement markings. Clark was stopped at 6:37 p.m., March 10 on Ford Road in Elba by Deputy Nicholas Chamoun. Clark was held in the Genesee County Jail pending arraignment.
Anthony Jason Gostomski, 35, of Fredro Street, Buffalo, is charged with DWI, DWI with a child in the car, and endangering the welfare of a child. Gostomski was stopped at 6:57 p.m. on April 3 on Route 20 in Darien by Deputy James Stack.
Andrew William Taylor, 35, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief 4th. Taylor is accused of damaging a metal bed frame in the Genesee County Jail at 10:51 p.m. on April 3. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Thomas H. Hayes, 76, of Byron, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Hayes was stopped by State Police at 6:36 p.m. on April 4 in the Town of Byron. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Frank W. Landseadel, 63, of Attica, is charged with DWI and driving while impaired by drugs. Landseadel was stopped at 3:01 p.m. on April 3 by State Police in the Town of Alexander. He was released on an appearance ticket.
David E. Brege, 36, of Medina, is charged with criminal impersonation 2nd and identity theft 2nd. Brege was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 11:20 a.m., March 29, in the Town of Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket. No other information released.
Two trusses are now in place over the Townawanda Creek in Batavia, where the South Lyon Street Bridge is being replaced.
The old steel bridge, an Army surplus span, was set in place in 1982 and was closed in August 2021 because it had become unsafe to cross in a vehicle.
County Legislators had already approved a $3 million bridge replacement project at the time it was closed. The cost of the new bridge is 80 percent covered by a federal grant with revenue from sales tax covering the remaining 20 percent.
The bridge replacement project began last September and consists of two 11-foot lanes with 2-foot shoulders and a 5-foot sidewalk on the east side of the truss.
Photo by Steve Ognibene.
A bucket truck has reportedly flipped over on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 390.4 in the westbound lane.
Unknown injuries.
East Pembroke Fire dispatched.
UPDATE 3:33 p.m.: The truck is leaking fluids.
A fire is reported in a garage attached to a house at 5968 Bartoff Road, Stafford.
There are propane tanks nearby.
All occupants out of the structure except for animals.
Stafford Fire along with South Byron, Byron, Bergen, City of Batavia, Le Roy, and Town of Batavia dispatched. Mercy EMS also dispatched.
UPDATE 3:22 p.m.: City Fire and South Byron are back in service.
Dairy prices and substitute labeling, crop insurance, support for specialty crops, soil health, nutrition programs, agricultural research, inflation, and invasive species were all topics that farmers in the region brought to Congresswoman Claudia Tenney Tuesday at the Old Courthouse in Batavia,
Tenney, who has been representing Genesee County as part of the redrawn NY-24 since January, made Batavia the first stop on a tour of the district to discuss potential provisions in the 2023 Farm Bill.
Congress passes a new Farm Bill every five years. The Farm Bill is most notably known for providing crop insurance and other assistance to farmers to deal with the nature-driven inherent risks of agriculture and the trade barriers that often make selling their commodities more difficult. But it also deals with a host of other issues related to farming.
While all of those topics were discussed, the topic most often broached by speakers on Tuesday was immigration. Farmers are tired of seeing their workers fear deportation, and they want to increase the labor supply to help them remain productive.
"I've been involved with immigration and immigration issues since the Reagan administration," said Kim Zuber, owner of Zuber Farms in Byron. "Our first Hispanic employee, back in 1980, the first kid we got was 21. He had a green card, and he became a citizen through the Reagan administration. I've been in Washington many, many times, and this is a political football by the left and right, and we pay the price. They practically make criminals of us on the question of papers. We are sick of being in the middle of this political football. We really would appreciate it if somebody would stand up and say, 'Enough.' These people are our fellow human beings. Sure, surely, bad people come across the border, but the people who work on these farms are supporting themselves and their families. They're good people. They got families and kids just like us. It's just sad. We are sick of being the football between the left and the right."
Natasha Sutherland, from Stein Farms in Le Roy, was the first speaker of the day and, after talking at length about dairy prices and the regulations that control them, opened the immigration discussion by noting that there are people entering the country on a daily basis, risking their lives, to provide for their families. Often these farmworkers are supporting families they left behind.
"These people deserve to live and work without fear of deportation," Sutherland said.
The next speaker, Pat McCormick, reiterated some of Sutherland's points.
"We need to improve," he said. "We need to be able to get the farmworkers that we need here and have the paperwork they need so that they're not afraid to go to the hospital and not afraid to go to the grocery store."
He added, "They are a vital part of our community and are a vital support to their people back home, so we need to fix that problem."
Another farmer spoke about one of his workers who witnessed a murder and was initially afraid to speak to authorities for fear of deportation. Eventually, he did provide evidence that helped get the killer convicted, but the farmer said farmworkers shouldn't have to face that kind of fear.
"It brings people to tears," he said. "These guys and girls are people. They're one of us. They deserve more respect than we give them."
Tenney Supports Immigration Reform
In her closing remarks, Tenney told the farmers she heard their concerns about immigration and is seeking to address it. In an interview with The Batavian after the meeting, Tenney said she supports providing a pathway for undocumented farmworkers to stay in the country without fear and that she would particularly like to help dairy farmers help their workers here on H2A visas stay in the country all year long. She also supports an increase in immigration from Mexico and South America so long as it's legal, protects the safety of Americans, and ensures farmers are getting workers who work hard and obey the laws of the country.
She acknowledged the need for more workers but said it's also essential -- especially in New York where farmers are facing increased costs because of new overtime rules and the threat of unionization -- to lower the costs for farmers to retain the workers they have.
"These visa programs are really just a bureaucratic disaster right now for them," Tenney said.
She explained, "What we're trying to do in the Farmworker Modernization Act is come up with a way to make (the H2A visa program) a year-round program, to make the touchback point, the consulate of (their home) country, which would be in New York State. That touchback would be to go and renew the visas and make it a more streamlined process. We would still go through all the criminal records. The farmers would be given some security as to the types of people that are coming to work in their operations. And it would provide us with some oversight as opposed to now, where we sort of have people in the shadows. We want to make sure good, hardworking people who are willing to come here, do the hard work, and that we can actually do it in a more streamlined fashion that is less cost costly to the farmers."
Asked about the fact that oftentimes Republican politicians oppose providing a pathway for undocumented workers to remain in the country, who are the kind of experienced workers farmers want to keep. Tenney said she is sympathetic to the frustration expressed by those views because she personally knows people who have waited 20 years to come into the country and become citizens through a documented, legal process.
But she also understands that people who came here to work and are working, are the kind of people we should want in the country.
"They're not coming here across the border to human traffic, to traffic drugs, to engage in surveillance," Tenney said. After accusing the Chinese of sending people to the U.S. to engage in surveillance, she continued, "We want to make sure that we provide a legal path so that the farmers are protected, the farmworkers are protected, and we know that the people who are working on these farms are productive and are no threat to American citizens in any way. They will ultimately at least have a path to legalization if they're not already legal."
Tenney is aware of the shortage of workers in the U.S. economy and understands the complexity around the issue of a large number of prime-working-age men not joining the labor force and said, yes, immigrants can help bridge that gap.
"We are seeing a great need, not just in farming, but across every sector," Tenney said. "We need people to come and work and create growth in our economy. Without growth, we're not going to deal with our deficits, we're not going to deal with the needs that we have."
While she supported the Farmworker Modernization Act, she thinks Republicans can and will come up with a better reform bill.
"Republicans are for allowing legal immigration," Tenney said. "We want the rule of law to be respected, and I think a lot of illegal immigrants don't know any better, to be honest with you, because they're being trafficked."
She blamed cartels for pushing illegal immigrants, including children, into the country in order to disrupt border security, even on the northern border.
"Nothing is more disheartening than my visit to the border and seeing just how much control the cartels have," Tenney said. "The confusion, the chaos, the large numbers coming across, the lack of ability for the Customs and Border Patrol to really handle this (is disheartening)."
There is a middle ground on immigration reform, she said, that doesn't involve lawlessness. There can be a sensible plan that respects the rule of law, and she believes that is what farmers are looking for.
Some economists project the U.S. is short about one million workers. Tenney said she isn't opposed to a million immigrants entering the company to fill jobs so long as it is legal.
"That's something that we have to negotiate, but I think there is a very few numbers of people who are against having more people come into the country legally," Tenney said. "There's a very small number that may think this is a burden on taxpayers. I look at (immigrants) as people who are going to produce growth, and if we're producing growth, and we have a larger output and more labor, you're going to see us prosper. We're going to be able to cut down our deficit and actually bring more prosperity. I see growth as the answer."
Photos by Howard Owens. Top photo: Rep. Claudia Tenney speaking during opening remarks.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley spoke briefly about the budget deadlock in Albany and how the deadlock is costing taxpayers money.
"They are intransigent," Hawley said. "They are refusing to do anything about bail reform or spending $240 billion a year of our taxpayer money. Every day that we were in Albany, 213 senators and assembly members cost you and me $40,000 a day. We've been there six days looking at not one budget bill, that's a quarter of a million dollars. Now, that pales in comparison to $240 billion, but a penny is a penny, and a dollar is a dollar, and there is a quarter of a million dollars being paid to individuals getting nothing done. It is tragic."
Natasha Sutherland, Stein Farms.
Seating in the Old Courthouse was nearly filled with farmers from throughout the region, most of whom did not speak during the meeting. Among those in attendance was Daniel Swyers, a dairy farmer from Perry.
While Tenney asks a farmer a follow-up question, County Legislative Chair Shelley Stein listens.
A peace sign that was drawn on a window from inside a business space at the Harvester Center on Harvester Avenue in Batavia.
Photo by Howard Owens.
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