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Batavia High School's Drama Club performs "Sally Cotter and the Censored Stone," a parody by Dean O'Carroll, next weekend.

Showtimes are 7:30 p.m., Dec. 1 and 2, and 2 p.m. on Dec. 3.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at the door.

The cast:

• Sally Cotter, Eryn Dunn
• Sally's Mother, Tanner Kolb
• Reubenon Ryebread, Cameron Bontrager
• 1st Censor, Madeline Keenan
• 2nd Censor, Alicia Scroger
• Dave, Pierce Corbelli
• Harmonica, Elise Hoerbelt
• Ursa Malaise, Parise Ricks
• Ed Molar, James Weatherbee
• Professor Athena McDonaldsa, Tanner Kolb
• Professor Shiftia Shape, Aubrey Towner
• Professor Albatross Underdrawers, Evan Bellavia
• Aaron A. Ardvarkovich, Gavin Tucker
• Shea'mon Canavan, AT Thatcher
• Navel Longfellow, Samuel Rigerman
• Polly Pixie, Emily Kilner
• Poppy Pixie, Riley MacDonough
• London Liverwurst, Lillian Whiting
• Val Crabby, Courtney Lougheed
• Gerry Boyle, Oliver Havens
• Freesia Chestnut, Jordyn Mott
• Kitty Ball, Macayla Burke
• Chloe Crane, Claire Griffith-Sarkis
• Patty Petronia, Laura Lepkowski
• Hedgerow the Owl, Phoebe Fryer

Genesee Community College's Forum Players will perform "Strong Kids" Children's Theatre at 7 p.m., Dec. 1, at the Stuart Steiner Theater. 

The musical celebrates confidence and believing in one's self while simultaneously addressing bullying, peer pressure, and rejection often faced by children today. It is a musical compilation of poems, new and original monologues, and some classic favorites from "Hairspray," "The King and I," "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," "Wicked," and "The Lion King."

The cast of "Strong Kids" are all GCC students and includes singers, dancers and soloists. 

The cast:

• Abanoor Abdi, Vocal Ensemble, Rochester
• Celeste Brownell, president of Forum Players 2017-2018, Vocal Soloist, Vocal Ensemble, Dance Ensemble, Bergen
• Chrisjon Canty, Vocal Soloist, Vocal Ensemble, Rochester
• Marissa Carbonell, Vocal Soloist, Vocal Ensemble, Dance Ensemble, Batavia
• Emily Carey, Vocal Ensemble, Medina
• Joseph Cartwright II, Dance Ensemble, Hunt
• Jamie Crawford, Dance Ensemble, Mount Morris
• Jack Diskin, Vocal Soloist, Le Roy
• Kayla Lander, Dance Ensemble, Dance Soloist, Mayfield
• Troy McCrorey, Vocal Ensemble, Chester, S.C.
• Liliam Montilla, Vocal Soloist, Vocal Ensemble, New York City
• Rebecca Naber, Dance Ensemble, Hamburg
• Erin Phillips, Vocal Soloist, Batavia
• Cameron Sanzo, Dance Ensemble, Batavia
• Jennifer Schreiber, Dance Ensemble, Rochester
• Cody Taylor, Vocal Soloist, Dance Ensemble, Vocal Ensemble, Medina
• Taylor Wilson, Vocal Soloist, Vocal Ensemble, Dance Ensemble, Cheektowaga
• Maki Ishikawa, Vocal Soloist, Vocal Ensemble, Japan
• Sayaka Miura, Vocal Soloist, Chiryu City, Japan
• Natsumi Sasabe, Dance Ensemble, Vocal Soloist, Japan
• Akane Hagiwara, Dance Ensemble, Japan

"Strong Kids" is directed by Maryanne Arena.

Tickets to see "Strong Kids" are available now and are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors (55+) and GCC faculty/staff. Students and children pay $3, and GCC alumni with ID will receive a $2 discount on an adult ticket. To reserve seats, contact the GCC box office at boxoffice@genesee.edu or (585) 345-6814.

       Joseph James

Joseph B. James, 36, of Central Avenue, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd.

James is accused of selling crack cocaine to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force on two occasions last month. 

Task Force members arrested James at the County Courts Facility while he was being sentenced in an unrelated case.

He was jailed without bail.

His arrest comes following an investigation into the sale, transportation and possession of crack cocaine in the City of Batavia.

The District Attorney's Office assisted in the investigation.

       Adante Davis

The final defendant in a four-man team involved in a home invasion of a residence on Central Avenue in October 2016 entered a guilty plea to attempted burglary in the second degree in Court today with an agreement to serve five years in prison.

That's the sentence his compatriots received after their guilty pleas earlier this year.

Adante Davis will be sentenced at 1:45 p.m., Dec. 21.

Davis managed to evade capture for a year while Daniel Gilbert, Marquis Saddler and Oliver Thomas all agreed to guilty pleas and are now serving five-year prison terms.

The attack occurred at about 11 p.m. Oct. 28 last year. The four men entered the apartment and, according to witness statements obtained by The Batavian, several family members and a friend were at the residence when they heard a knock on the door. 

When one of the residents answered the door, four men rushed in and started hitting one of the men in the home. A resident chased them off with a baseball bat and then there was a confrontation in the street before all four men fled the scene.

A caller from Insurance Auto Auctions, at 7149 Apple Tree Ave., Bergen, says a bullet hit their building about an hour ago.

A deputy is dispatched.

As friends and customers have found out her plans, people have told Kathy Ferrara, "This must have been your dream all along" -- becoming owner of Batavia's Original.

That's not the case, said Ferrara yesterday, hours after closing a deal with the previous owner, Jeff Reddish, of Rochester, to buy the popular local restaurant.

"I never planned on buying it," Ferrara said. "I just enjoyed what I did. I did it 100 percent. I was trustworthy. This wasn’t my plan. It was definitely that God wanted me here. I’ve tried leaving a couple of times and He made it really clear that this is where I’m supposed to be. He made this happen so only good things are going to come from that."

Before Batavia's Original was Batavia's Original, it was Pontillo's, Batavia's first pizza parlor, and Ferrara started working for Sam and Betty Pontillo 29 years ago as a waitress.

Sam and Betty, she said, took her under their wings and taught her the pizza business from top to bottom. She was trained in every job in the restaurant.

By the time Sam and Betty's sons took over, she was a manager.  

When that business collapsed in 2010, Ferrara was the one who broke the news to the staff.

When Reddish bought the business and the building at 500 E. Main St. out of bankruptcy, it was Ferrara that Reddish called to run the business.

"Jeff Reddish taught me the ins and outs of the business," Ferrara said. "He taught me how to make payroll and meet food costs together. He was a good teacher. He was great to work for, a really good boss, fair, basically let me do things the way we've been doing all these years."

Earlier this year, Ferrara asked Reddish, who owns restaurants in Rochester, if she could become a partner in the Batavia location.

"He wasn’t looking to sell," Ferrara said. "He wasn’t going to put it on the market. That wasn’t in his plan at all. I approached him and he said ‘I’m not looking to sell, but I would sell it to you.’ He’s the one who got the ball rolling and made it happen.”

Ferrara is a graduate of Pembroke High School and Genesee Community College. She is married with three children, Ashley, Mary-Grace, and Daniel, and one grandson.

Local ownership of the restaurant is important to Ferrara, she said. She will have more control over local promotions, support of local charities and organizations, and who she hires as vendors.

"Now that it is locally owned again, that makes a big difference," Ferrara said. "Everybody I’ve dealt with so far, the website designer, maintenance, plumbers, they’re all local. So everything is back local, in Genesee County, so that only helps the community."

She will keep the name, Batavia's Original, picked after Reddish learned he couldn't retain the name Pontillo's. Ferrara said it only makes sense.

"This is the original pizza of Batavia," she said. "It’s the same recipe. We haven’t changed any of the recipes."

The return of Pontillo's/Batavia's Original to local ownership will be celebrated with a ribbon cutting at noon on Saturday.

Ferrara said she will also continue Sam and Betty's tradition of taking good care of the staff and ensuring restaurant guests get great service.

"Everybody is treated fairly," Ferrara said. "It’s a fun environment to work. I always work around their schedules. The staff is mostly college students and high schoolers."

Being able to do more for the staff of 35 employees is another reason Ferrara was motivated to buy the business, she said. Taking care of employees pays off in better customer service.

"Anybody who comes here to eat will always leave with a good experience," Ferrara said. "Everyone who works here gives 100 percent. I get compliments all day long about the staff. People say they look like they love it here and they do. That’s something the Pontillos taught me, is how to treat the staff. Sam and Betty treated everybody like family."

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

Should the government end rules that guarantee equal access to Web content?

New York Times: F.C.C. Plans Net Neutrality Repeal in a Victory for Telecoms

The protesters chanted "no more burnt fingers" and carried signs in support today of the invention of Andrew Young Jr., which is a toaster that shoots the toast onto a plate after it's perfectly browned.

Andrew came up with the invention after watching his grandma burn her fingers trying to get toast out of a toaster and entered his idea into a national contest sponsored by Frito-Lay that, if he wins, could lead to a $250,000 prize for the Alexander High School student.

"For far too long, people have suffered with burnt fingers from their toaster when the technology has been invented for us," said the young inventor's father, Andrew Young. "According to Andrew, we can make it happen."

The "protest" today was held to draw more attention to his invention and get people to vote for it in the contest.

To vote, go to AndrewsInvention.com and click on the Vote for Andrew button.

Batavia resident Tom Williams, Andrew's Invention supporter said, "I do agree that this protest is long overdue. For far too long, people, especially grandmas, have been suffering from toaster-burnt fingers when the technology to avoid it has been right in front of us. It took Andrew 'Thomas Edison' Young Jr. to bring us out of the Dark Ages."

The protesters want to remind you: You can vote daily and you can vote once each day from every device you own. You have six days left to vote.

Photos and information provided by our news partner, WBTA.

      Cory Jackson

Cory D. "Stacks" Jackson, 34, of Oriole Street, Rochester, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd. 

Jackson allegedly sold crack cocaine to an agent of the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force on two occasions in August in the City of Batavia. 

He was arrested on a sealed grand jury indictment during a traffic stop on Pearl Street yesterday. 

He was ordered held without bail.

Jackson was identified as a suspect during an investigation into the sale, transportation and possession of crack cocaine in the City of Batavia.

Assisting in the investigation was Batavia PD, the Sheriff's Office, and the District Attorney's Office.

      Lionel Anderson

Lionel J. "Chicago" Anderson, 45, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Anderson is accused of selling crack cocaine on two occasions in August to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force. 

Anderson was arrested at his residence last week. 

He was jailed without bail and held for further court proceedings.

Anderson's arrest comes as part of an investigation into the transportation, sale and possession of crack cocaine in and around the City of Batavia.

State Police, Batavia PD, and the District Attorney's Office assisted in the investigation.

John J. Caez-Gonzalez, 30, of Exchange Street, Geneva, is charged with first-degree criminal contempt, aggravated family offense, and second-degree burglary. Caez-Gonzalez allegedly had contact with several individuals he was ordered by court order not to contact at 7:44 p.m. Nov. 14 at a location on State Street. Caez-Gonzalez was also charged with second-degree criminal contempt stemming from an alleged incident reported at 12:02 p.m., Nov. 15.

Anna R. McCue, 30, of Norris Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI and moving from lane unsafely. McCue was reportedly involved in an accident at 6:28 p.m. Nov. 10 on Bank Street, Batavia. The accident was investigated by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

How do you grade Donald Trump's presidency?

Today marks the return of our Daily Poll. I hope. I stopped doing a poll because sometimes coming with a good poll question could be time-consuming. Now that the first phase of building our new mobile apps is done,* perhaps a daily poll is a task I can take on again.

*I finished the principle coding on the Android version of our app last night. I hope to be able to release it within a week or so. You can download the iOS version of our app by clicking here.

A two-vehicle accident is reported in front of 47 Lake St., Le Roy, with injuries.

One vehicle may have been a parked car.

Traffic is not blocked.

Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance dispatched.

The theft of a cash box from Plaza Spirits in Eastown Plaza in Batavia last Thursday had a familiar ring to Kevin Rathod, owner of Mr. Wine and Liquor in the Tops Plaza, so he went back and reviewed his own surveillance video from a similar theft in his store this past August.

In that video, at least one of the suspects looks to be the same man suspected in photos from the Plaza Spirits heist.

According to Rathod, two men worked in tandem one afternoon in August to enable one of them to steal a casher's purse from a backroom. The thieves made off with $500 cash and a credit card. The credit card was used to run up $1,100 in charges, including purchases at another local liquor store.

Batavia PD confirmed the crime was reported in August and it's possible the larcenies are related.

At least one of the same men, using the same mode of operation, appears to have been involved in a theft from a liquor store in September in Rochester, according to this 13WHAM report. In that case, the accomplices allegedly made off with $10,000. 

The system these alleged thieves are using, Rathod said, is for one subject to distract an employee or employees while the other scouts for something to steal and then makes off with the item.

"I think local business owners should be aware of what's going on," Rathod said.

Below, video shared with The Batavian by Rathod. Note that we edited it to remove as much as possible views of an unrelated individual who walked into the store. The suspect who looks similar to the suspect in photos from Plaza Spirits is the man in the white T-shirt.

Arsenio Youngs, 27, of Medina, is charged with criminal sex act, 2nd. Youngs is accused of a sex act with a disabled person in the City of Batavia. The complaint was made to State Police at 4:31 p.m., Nov. 1. Youngs was also charged with the same crime in the Town of Perry based on a complaint to State Police at 10:01 a.m., Nov. 1. Youngs was released on his own recognizance. No further details released.

Erika L. Gilson, 37, of West Main Street, Le Roy, is charged with felony DWI, three counts of felony aggravated DWI, and felony driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. Gilson was stopped at 3:05 p.m. Wednesday on West Main Street, Village of Le Roy, by Le Roy PD. Gilson was accused of driving while intoxicated with three children in the car under age 16. She was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Shane M. Nugent, 32, of West Middlebury Road, Wyoming, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, and failure to keep right. Nugent was stopped at 2:19 a.m. Saturday on Warsaw Road, by Le Roy PD.

Daun Elizabeth Monachino, 58, Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, improper left turn, improper right turn, and no left side mirror. Manachino was stopped at 4:34 p.m. Sunday on Richmond Avenue, Batavia, by Deputy Richard Schildwaster, following a citizen traffic offense complaint.

Tyler Lee Walls, 21, of Viking Way, Brockport, is charged with menacing. Walls allegedly threatened another motorist during a road rage incident reported at 1:36 p.m. Sunday on Warboys Road, Bergen.

Anson Torpe Arenas, 43, of Lexington Parkway, Rochester, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, driving left of pavement, driving a vehicle without a valid inspection, insufficient tail lamps, and driving with alcohol in a motor vehicle. Arenas was stopped at 6:16 p.m. Saturday on Townline Road, Bergen, by Deputy Ryan DeLong.

Shawn William Cross, 46, of Craigie Street, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Cross was arrested following a report of a car vs. deer accident at 9:18 p.m. Friday on Perry Road, Pavilion, by Deputy Travis DeMuth.

Jenna Leann Hernandez, 21, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding, driving left of pavement marking, and driver's view obstructed. Hernandez was stopped at 2:16 a.m. Saturday on Wortendyke Road, by Deputy Howard Wilson.

Jeremy Sheehan, 35, of West Bergen Road, Le Roy, is charged with menacing, 2nd. Sheehan allegedly displayed a handgun to a resident in a nearby apartment at 1:18 a.m. Thursday at a location on West Bergen Road, Le Roy. He was jailed on $1,000 bail or $3,000 bond. 

David Michael Bratt, 38, of Carolina Avenue, Lockport, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, moving from lane unsafely, and driving left of pavement markings. Bratt was stopped at 12:54 a.m. Wednesday on Lewiston Road, Alabama, by Deputy Ryan Young. 

Kari Ann Marble, 26, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Marble is accused of shoplifting from Kohl's Department Store on Veterans Memorial Drive in Batavia at 11:58 a.m. on Nov. 9.

Sarah A. Cheek, 33, of Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Arrested as part of the same incident was a 16-year-old on an execution of a bench warrant. The incident was reported at 10:48 a.m. Sunday on Route 237, Byron, by State Police. No other details released.

Christina M. Sarratori, of North Chili, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd. Sarratori is accused of entering an enclosed area at 8315 Park Road, Batavia. The incident was reported to State Police at 12:52 a.m. Saturday.

Amanda M. Volkman, 32, of Byron, is charged with assault, 3rd, obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest. Volkman is accused of attacking a person with intent to cause serious physical injury. The complaint was reported to State Police at 11:45 p.m. Thursday at a location on Caswell Road, Byron. Volkman was held in jail. No further details released.

Mary B. Thompson, 34, of Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Thompson was charged by State Police based on an incident reported at 4:31 p.m. Nov. 15 on Pearl Street Road, Batavia.

A fire is reported in a wall of the Log Cabin Restaurant, 1227 Gilmore Road, Indian Falls.

Pembroke fire, Indian Falls fire, and City of Batavia Fast Team dispatched.

UPDATE 12:09 p.m.: Corfu dispatched mutual aid. Also, it's possible the fire is out.

UPDATE 12:14 p.m.: City fire can go back in service. Newstead fire requested to the scene. Additional manpower needed from Pembroke and Indian Falls.

UPDATE 12:16 p.m.: Newstead canceled.

UPDATE 12:18  p.m.: Fire is out. It was an electrical outlet in the kitchen. Health Department response requested because an extinguisher was used.

UPDATE 12:29 p.m.: Pembroke and Indian Falls back in service. The chief informs dispatch that staff was instructed not to use the kitchen until the Health Department inspector arrives.

Erica O'Donnell and Mike Plitt, with the Genesee County Democratic Party, were outside of Richmond Memorial Library this morning collecting food for a Thanksgiving Food Drive sponsored by the party.

The food will be donated to the Workers Justice Center for distribution to the center's clients, all residents of the GLOW region.

While the Democrats aren't planning another pickup location, donors may contact the party through its website and arrange a pickup of donations.

"It’s the season for giving," O'Donnell said. "We’re trying to get out the word that as Democrats we’re here and we’re helping out in the community."

This afternoon Premier Genesee Center for Nursing and Rehab hosted a Community Game Day, giving residents a chance to play games with vistors, staff, and each other.

Above, Winnie Cook plays Trouble with staff member Rachel Flint, and below Randy and Mary play checkers.

More than 500 music students from the eight-county region were at Batavia High School today for the NYSSMA Zone 2 Area All-State Music Festival.

NYSSMA is the New York State School Music Association.

There were performances by the orchestra, concert band, treble choir, and mixed choir.

Participating local students were:

Alexander: Nicholas Allen, Cayna Bliss, Carson Daley, Kathleen Nolan, Eric Stroud.

Batavia: Margaret Andersen, Cameron Bontrager, Eryn Dunn, Lydia Geiger, Elise Hoerbelt, Madison Hoerbelt, Karissa Kesler, Mary Murphy, Adeena Riedel.

Byron-Bergen: Stephanie Buell.

Le Roy: Margaux Carmel, Katie Dessert, Caleb McGee, Megan Privatera, Alex Wynn.

Notre Dame: Sam Bowman.

Oakfield-Alabama: Jules Hoepting, Justina Pruski, Lauren Reding.

Pembroke: Eli Fox.

 

John Brown shows off his LED-lit Christmas sweater during today's chowder fest, a fundraiser for Arc of Genesee Orleans, at the Arc's community center on Woodrow Road, Batavia.