Stories from

Melvin Andre Huntley, 41, of Wilkenson Road, Batavia, is charged with promoting prison contraband 1st, promoting prison contraband 2nd, and criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Huntley was accused of possessing and bringing a controlled substance into the Genesee County Jail at 7:35 p.m. Nov. 16. He was arraigned in City Court and released back into the custody of the jail. Previously: Child sex predator convicted by jury, faces possible life in prison

Brett M. Holt, 32, of West Center Street, Medina, and Kelly M. Holt, 46, of West Center Street, Medina, are each charged with petit larceny. On Dec. 12 at 5:20 p.m., dispatchers received a report of a theft in progress at Sally Beauty Supply on Veterans Memorial Drive. Patrols eventually located two individuals matching the description of the suspects inside of Kohl's Department Store. The suspects were returned to Sally's, where a witness identified them as the individuals suspected of stealing $400 in products. Both suspects were processed at the Genesee County Jail and released on appearance tickets.

Dustin Travis Forkell, 31, of Hulberton Road, Holley, is charged with falsifying business records, 1st, criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, and criminal impersonation 2nd. Forkell is accused of possessing narcotics while being arrested on separate offenses in the City of Batavia on Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. He is accused of attempting to conceal his true identity while being processed at the Genesee County Jail. Forkell was released on an appearance ticket.

Alyssa Michele Harnish, 34, of Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Harnish was arrested on Dec. 14 as the result of an incident reported on Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. at a location on West Main Street Road, Batavia. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Stephanie Lynn Salcido, 33, of Ellicott Street Road, Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, moving from lane unsafely, uninspected motor vehicle, unregistered motor vehicle, and aggravated unlicensed operation. Salcido was stopped on Dec. 15 at 2:38 a.m. on Lake Street Road, Le Roy, by Sgt. Matthew Clor. She is also accused of driving without a required interlock device. Salcido was issued an appearance ticket.

Kevin Quinn Widzinski, 29, of Hubbard Drive, Chili, is charged with DWI, moving from lane unsafely, and speed not reasonable and prudent. Widzinski was arrested by Deputy Zachary Hoy following the report of a motor vehicle accident on Dec. 15 at 7:24 p.m. on Warsaw Road in Le Roy. Widzinski was released on an appearance ticket.

Micahel Gilbert Hoskins, 50, of Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving an uninspected vehicle, and driving with an open alcohol container. Hoskins was stopped on Dec. 4 at 12:10 a.m. on Seven Springs Road, Stafford, by Deputy Ryan Mullen. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Tatiana Makarevic, 55, of Maple Road, Alabama, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, and moving from lane unsafely. Makarevic was stopped on Dec. 15 at 8:48 p.m. on Alleghany Road, Pembroke, by Deputy Jacob Kipler. Makarevic was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released on an appearance ticket.     

Karrie Ann Morrow, 40, of Alexander Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Morrow on Dec. 14 in connection with a theft reported at 2 a.m., Oct. 11 on Genesee Street, Pembroke. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Arthur James Brown, 48, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with sex offender failure to register a change of address. Brown is to report a change of address within the required 10 days for a registered sex offender. He was arraigned in City Court and ordered held without bail.

Bryan D. McEwan, 36, of Darien, is charged with criminal mischief 4th and endangering the welfare of a child. McEwan was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 10:10 p.m. on Dec. 18 at a location in Darien. McEwan was released to a third party. No further information released.

A winter storm watch is to begin on Friday morning and will remain in effect through Monday morning.

The National Weather Service predicts a rapid switch from rain to snow with sharply falling temperatures into the teens that will result in a flash freeze on Friday.

From Friday afternoon through most of the weekend, forecasters predict strong winds, and heavy lake-effect snow, resulting in significant blowing and drifting snow.

Wind gusts could reach 65 mph, with localized blizzard conditions possible.

Travel for the holiday weekend will be difficult to impossible at times, according to the weather service. 

Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility, with whiteouts possible. 

The most persistent and worst conditions will be where lake effect snow is most
widespread, which is still uncertain at this time.

Strong winds could cause tree damage and power outages.

Wind chills could drop to 10 to 20 degrees below zero, which can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.

The men and women interred at the WNY National Cemetery were honored on Saturday as part of a national effort, Wreaths Across America.

Family members and community members placed a wreath on each headstone in the cemetery.

Wreaths were sold by members of the Veterans Outreach Club at Pembroke Junior-Senior High School, led by teacher Matthew Moscato.

Genesee County's veterans' services officer, Bill Joyce, was the keynote speaker during an opening service that included placing a wreath for each branch of the military by either a veteran or an active member of the Armed Forces, a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps.

Joyce recalled a speaker he had heard previously at another ceremony honoring veterans.  That speaker noted that when we are at a headstone of a dead service member, we tend to look at the birth date and the death date but rarely stop to consider the space between those dates -- the dash.  It is the dash that matters most.

"How did they live their lives? How did they live, in other words, the dash? We know how these individuals interred here at the Western New York National Cemetery lived part of their lives, serving in every military service. They served this great nation honorably," Joyce said. 

Joyce called the service a day of "remembrance and reflection," noting that he was honored as a retired Army veteran to be the day's featured speaker.

Families of service members buried in the cemetery were given several minutes to place wreaths at their loved one's headstones. Then community members were given numbered wreaths to place at the remaining headstones.

They were instructed to salute after placing the wreath if they were an active service member or a veteran, or place their hand over their heart if not, and say the service member's name.

"When we read the names on the headstones today, it symbolizes acknowledging the sacrifices that service members made on behalf of the country," Joyce said.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Bill Joyce

Matthew Moscato

Members of Notre Dame's Varsity Basketball team volunteered to place wreaths. Photo submitted by Susan MacPherson Woodruff

There was more than Arc's famous chili and chowder being served up Saturday and Sunday at Arc GLOW's Woodrow Road campus. There was also grilled cheese.

And baked treats.

And basket raffles.

The event is one of Arc's more significant fundraisers in Genesee County.

Photos by Howard Owens

Photo submitted by Jason Smith.

Six sectional titles and two state semifinals isn't a bad legacy for most coaches who have been leading varsity football squads for a lot longer than Brennan Briggs coached in Batavia.

Briggs accomplished that feat -- along with a career record of 88-25 -- over 11 seasons. 

In reality, Briggs won six sectional titles over nine seasons because the football program he inherited in 2012 was in shambles.  After years of posting losing records, the Blue Devils needed a coach who could restore player development, discipline, vision, and a relentless drive to win.  It took a couple of seasons for Briggs to fully instill a new system and new attitude in Batavia.  Once he did, the Blue Devils were consistently formidable opponents year after year, game after game.

In 2014, the Blue Devils won the school's first football sectional title since 1991.

"As a fellow BHS grad like Brennan, I know the pride that existed in Blue Devil football when I was a BHS student, and over his successful coaching tenure, Brennan re-instilled that great pride and tradition for all of us Batavians," Superintendent Jason Smith said.

But the effort it takes to consistently win in varsity-level football takes its toll. The coaching doesn't just happen between the lines on Friday nights or during afternoon workouts. There are scouting trips, hours of film review, team meetings, meetings with coaches, meetings with players and parents, and nights just thinking about the next game. Planning and preparation are hard work.  And it is year-round work.

"Brennan is the kind of coach who would never be out-coached," Athletic Director Mike Bromley said. "But that kind of work wears you down."

That's why Briggs is stepping down as head coach of the Batavia football team, and it's what Briggs said in his resignation letter:

It has been an unbelievable journey, but It's time for me to focus on the things I lost sight of over the years, and that's being a good husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and friend. I've been caught up in the ‘process’ for so long, and it is affecting the people who I love the most. In this position, if you’re doing it right, the hours are endless, late nights are a regular, and stress is the norm. Everyone talks about balance. Balance has never been a strength of mine. I’m all in or I’m out. Balance is great, but when you want to be on top, there’s no such thing as balance, and that’s part of why I need to step down. My family needs me to be all in with them, for the long haul. Unfortunately, with my family health history, I believe if I continue down this path, I won’t be around for the ones who need me the most when they need me the most.

It's that all-in character about Briggs that both Smith and Bromley mentioned in discussing the coach's decision to step away from football.

"I have known Brennan and his family over the course of my life through a family friendship, and actually taught Brennan swimming in the Red Cross backyard swimming program in the 80s and early 90s," Smith said. "He is a class act all around -- a humble and confident leader, and I congratulate him personally and professionally on his success.  His wife Justine and children are certainly more than deserving of having their husband and father around more in their lives, and I wish them great happiness."

Bromley said he and Briggs have been discussing the coach's eventual resignation for a couple of years and what a hard decision it was to make, but, in the end, Briggs put his health and his family first.

"He is doing the right thing," Bromley said.

Briggs -- who had himself been a football and hockey star for Batavia --  joined Batavia's football program right out of college, first as a modified coach, then he spent two seasons as JV coach (going undefeated his second year).  He will continue on as a hockey coach, Bromley said. He also remains in his teaching position at Batavia Middle School.

Briggs will continue to have a positive impact on academics and athletics in the Batavia City School District, Bromley said.

"Anything Brennan wants to do, he’s going to be successful at because of his high energy, his work ethic, his character, and people feed off of those things," Bromley said.

Because Briggs built such a robust program, Bromley isn't worried about maintaining the high standards Briggs set.  All of the coaches at all levels of the program are invested in the system and understand it, so whoever steps into the head coach role next, while he might have his own ideas to impart, will find the scaffolding already in place that can build championship teams, he said.

In the near term, the JV team has had three consecutive undefeated seasons, and the modified team lost only one game this past season.

"Brennan has put a program in place that can be sustainable," Bromley said.

Van Detta has been regularly filled to capacity on Friday nights for the past couple of seasons. Bromley doesn't expect that community spirit to fade now that Batavia has a winning program in place.

Bromley hopes to have the new coach hired by the end of January.

Smith said Briggs represented Batavia well as head football coach, and he and the Board of Education are grateful for the positive impact he had on the community as head football coach.

"His program, coaching staff, and student-athletes under his leadership took great pride in representing all of us at BCSD," Smith said. "All the wins and titles weren't too bad either!  On and off the field, Brennan demonstrated commitment, a second-to-none work ethic, and a passion for all that is Batavia."

Photo: Previously unpublished file photo of Brennan Briggs during football practice in 2013. Photo by Howard Owens.

The Grinch didn't steal Christmas on Friday night during halftime of the Oakfield-Alabama vs. Pembroke basketball game. He just stole the hearts of families at the game who signed up for pictures with the famous Dr. Seuss character.

The photo session raised $134 to support O-A's varsity cheer program.

Submitted photos.

Pembroke and Oakfield-Alabama had a shootout on Friday and the Dragons pulled out a big win over the Hornets, the defending Division C2 champions, 65-59.

It was the first loss of the season for the Hornets after opening the year 3-0.

Scoring by quarter:

O-A: 17 15 14 13
Pembroke:  14 14 24 13

Scoring for Pembroke:

• Cayden Pfalzer, 23 points
• Tyson Totten, 15 points
• Chase Guzdek, 15 points

 

Scoring for O-A:

• Kyle Porter, 23 points
• Noah Currier, 8 points
• Aiden Warner & Brayden Smith, 7 points

​Pembroke is now 2-1.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more photos, click here.

The national chain JOANN Fabrics and Crafts is closing its Batavia store next month, according to a company representative.

It's part of a strategic move, said Shauntina Lilly, JOANN Manager of Public Relations.

"In alignment with standard brick and mortar business processes, JOANN closes stores occasionally while simultaneously investing in, and opening brand new stores to best meet the needs of our customers," she said.

The store is located in Valu Plaza, which lost its anchor tenant, Valu Home Store, in a similar cost-cutting move earlier this year.

The final day of business for JOANN is scheduled Jan. 15.

Photos by Howard Owens.

St. Paul Lutheran School on Washington Avenue in Batavia will be hostsing a Christmas show at 6:30 p.m. Friday titled "Christmas Hang-Ups," and featuring the school's students.

 The program is directed by Jennifer Dunn, and lead roles will be played by the 5th and 6th-grade class, with other classes, Pre-K through 4th-grade, playing supporting roles.

Following the program, there will be a bake sale put on by FOLKS (Friends of Lutheran Kids) full of homemade donations to support the school.

Submitted information and photos.

Marsha McWilson brought down the house at Batavia Downs on Thursday night with her high-energy soul, R&B, and funk Christmas-themed variety show.

Photos by Howard Owens

City Church hosted its annual Christmas Concert on Thursday night, featuring Carlton Wilcox, Rufus McGee Jr., and Pastor Trellis Pore.

Singer Kimera Lattimore, originally scheduled for the bill, was unable to perform due to illness.

Top photo: Carlton Wilcox. Photos by Howard Owens.

Patti and Marty Macdonald, who are about to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

Rufus McGee Jr.

Ron "Tigar" Penepent has been to Las Vegas a few times. But on this trip, he had the time of his life even if he didn't win a portion of the more than $15 million pot up for grabs in the 2022 World Poker Tour World Championship.

The Batavia native won his $10,400 buy-in to the tournament and was hoping to make a deep run, but on the third day of play, he got beat by an ace on the river.  Worse, he was the one holding a pair of aces.

"This has been an unbelievable experience," Penepent said. "It was a bucket list item of mine to play in a big-stakes tournament."

A love of poker runs in the Penepent family.  His father used to host regular games after hours at Ron's Shell at Main and Oak in Batavia.

"It was my father, my uncles, a bunch of good friends," Penepent said.

Penepent joined the World Poker Tour site 20 years ago, and he told his father that he would play in a big tournament one day.

Unfortunately, the elder Penepent passed away a couple of years ago so he didn't get to see "Tigar" (his nickname since he was a child) sit down at a WPT hold-em table.

About a dozen family members did travel to Vegas to support Penepent during the tournament.  They've all been having a good time, he said, and now he's out of the tournament, he and his wife Patty are going to have some fun, too.

They think they will go to the shop where the TV series "Counting Cars" is filmed, as well as the bar, Vamp'd, owned by the show's star, as well as the Pawn Stars pawn shop.

As for that final hand, Penepent, who now lives just outside of Chattanooga, Tenn., isn't calling it a bad beat or even a misplayed hand.

He was on the button (the last position to bet on hand) with blinds of $1,500/$3,000.  His stack was $175,000 to $200,000, about midsize at his table.  To his left is an aggressive player who is by far the chip leader at Penepent's table.  

When the bet gets to him, and there's been no raises, Penepent looks down at pocket aces and decides to double the blind, making the bet $6,000.  

The chip leader calls and a guy on Penepent's right calls.

The flop comes jack, 10, seven.  

Player to the right checks, hero checks, chip leader bets $12,000.  

The guy on the right calls. The hero goes all-in.

Chip leader calls.  The guy on the right calls.

Cards up.  Chip leader hit two pair, jack and 10s.  The guy on the right has an open-ended straight draw with a suited king and a queen (meaning either an ace or a nine gives him a straight).

If a jack or a 10 comes on the turn, or the river, the chip leader has a full house.  The only card that can help the straight draw in an ace.

The turn is a deuce.  Our hero's outs are now one of the three remaining deuces or one of the three remaining sevens. Otherwise, he loses and is out of the tournament.

Mr. straight draw spikes the ace on the river and rakes in a pot of some $500,000 to $600,000, and our hero is headed to the Strip to join the Vegas fun with his family.

"I played the hand the only way I could have played it," Penepent said. "If I go all in from the start, the chip leader is going to call."

He also figures he would have gotten a call from both players if he hadn't check-raised and just gone all-in when it was his turn to bet after the flop.

"I decided to slow play the aces from the start, and I still think that was the best play," Penepent said.

(The risk of playing pocket aces too aggressively is marginal hands fold, and you miss the opportunity to maximize the value of a strong starting hand. In this case, the marginal hands called -- which is what you want -- but those players were lucky enough to improve their hands with the community cards.)

Penepent does expect to be on TV when the championship is aired in five or six months.  He said he was interviewed.

He had a chance to meet one of the show's stars, Vince Van Patten. 

"I talked with Vince Van Patten (about the hand), and he said if he were sitting in the same seat playing the same hand, he would have played it the same way, except maybe he would have made it $9,000 (before the flop)."

Even with the fairly early tournament bust, Penepent said he wants another crack at it. He plans to play in the same satellite tournament that won him this year's seat again next year.

"I really enjoyed the experience," Penepent said. "I don't know if I'm going to get to enjoy it again, but I'm going to try."

Cassandra Elmore

The Batavia woman whose dog reportedly ingested narcotics, leading to her arrest and to the dog being confined to the Genesee County Animal Shelter, once again failed to appear in Batavia City Court as directed.

A motion hearing was scheduled for Thursday afternoon and Cassandra Elmore didn't make it.

Elmore's attorney, Jamie B. Welch, assistant public defender, told Judge Thomas Burns that he hasn't heard from nor been able to contact his client for weeks and did not know why she wasn't in court for the hearing.

Burns issued a warrant for her arrest but stayed it for 48 hours, giving Welch a little more time to try and track her down.

Elmore hasn't consistently missed her court appearances, but she did skip an appearance in September and was subsequently arrested.

The 30-year-old Elmore has promised that once the case is cleared, we will get "the real case."

Welch was prepared to file motions on her behalf on Thursday but told Burns he would rather hold those motions until Elmore can be present in court. Burns said he also thought that is the best way to proceed.

Elmore was first arrested in July after she had taken her French Bulldog, Oddey, to veterinarians for emergency treatment. In each case, the veterinarians determined Oddey had overdosed on narcotics. Twice the veterinarians said they suspected Oddey had ingested cocaine.  On one occasion, Elmore reportedly said Oddey had found white powder on the kitchen floor of her residence, then on River Street.

Since that arrest, Elmore has also been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, obstruction of governmental administration, aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd. 

Two members of Volunteers for Animals waited for nearly two hours Thursday to see if Elmore appeared.  After court, they said Oddey is doing well at the shelter.  Oddey, however, can't find a new forever home so long as Elmore retains ownership of the dog.

At her last court appearance, on Oct. 20, Elmore said she was willing to negotiate Oddey's future.  The volunteers said there have been negotiations but no resolution was reached.

Previously:

• Woman charged after dog treated repeatedly for narcotics overdose
• Vet told police Oddey was showing signs of drug intoxication during emergency visit
• Elmore asks for time to hire attorney while Oddey waits at shelter
• Warrant issued for woman accused of letting dog OD after she fails to appear in court
• Law and Order: Woman charged in dog's drug overdose arrested again after traffic stop
• Woman in dog overdose case again fails to show up for court appearance
• OPINION: Due process often neglects animal victims
• Woman in dog OD case who skipped court appearances, arrested on warrant, held on bail
• Dog abuse case postponed after VFA letter received
• Woman facing charges after dog ingested narcotics says 'real case' will come out
• Owner in dog OD case willing to discuss future of her dog while criminal case is pending

Genesee County owns and maintains all 350 or so culverts in all of the towns and villages in the county and every year, there are a few that need to be replaced.

After a few years of trying to secure funding, New York State has approved a $625,000 grant to replace a culvert on South Street Road just south of Exchange Street.

That's not only an inconvenience to residents in the area, but it's going to disrupt travel to Le Roy Sr./Jr. High School.

Laura Wadhams, assistant county engineer, presented the culvert replacement plans to the Le Roy Central School District Board of Education on Tuesday so they could have a better understanding of how and when the work will proceed and to begin the process of approval for the district to deed a tiny portion of land next to the culvert for an easement.

Construction will begin in June, just after the end of the school year, and should be completed in October.

The culvert being replaced is made of corrugated metal pipes and was installed in 1960.  It won't last much longer -- meaning a possible collapse of the roadway -- and it is subject to clogging. 

"We're going to realign the culvert slightly to make the stream do what water wants to do, so we don't try to force water to do something it doesn't want to do, because that doesn't end well for us," Wadhams said. "We're going to put it on a little bit of a skew, add new headwalls, and that'll actually help with a lot of the debris that gets caught up on the culvert."

The new cull will have a 10-foot span, a four-foot rise, and be 47 feet long, compared to 53 feet for the current culvert.

The county will need to acquire more land from the school district for the placement of protection measures.  Wadhams said the county is asking that the district provide the land as a gift to the county, which is an item for a future school board agenda.

During construction, that area of South Street Road will be restricted to local traffic only, and access to the school will be available only from the south side.

The detour will take people down Asbury Road and Harris Road to connect with Route 5 and is approximately 4.9 miles long.

Photos provided by the County Highway Department.

The Oakfield-Alabama Hornets beat Attica in Boys Basketball on Wednesday night, 63-49.

For O-A, Noah Currier scored 18 points, Kyle Porter, 14 (hitting four three-pointers), and Colton Yasses, 11.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more photos, click here.