A car and RTS bus collided at Route 33 and Route 19.
The bus apparently had no passengers.
The drivers of both vehicles are said to be sign-offs (no injuries).
The car is blocking traffic.
Bergen Fire and ambulance dispatched.
Press release:
The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing fire hydrants on Monday, Oct. 23, from approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the general area south of Main Street and east of Jackson Street. Homes and businesses nearby will be affected.
These tests may result in a temporary discoloration of water in that area. As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored. If you do experience a discoloration of your water, run cold water for about five minutes or until clear.
For the first time in its history, last night the Ghost Walk at the Historic Batavia Cemetery, a fundraiser for the cemetery, was sold out.
Top photo: Tim Buckman as Philemon Tracy, the only Confederate officer killed during the Civil War who was buried north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Patrick Weissend as Joseph Ellicott.
Tracy Ford as John H. Yates, poet, preacher, philanthropist, journalist.
Bonnie and Charley Boyd as Mary and Dean Richmond in the Richmond Mausoleum.
HomeCare & Hospice Foundation Inc. sponsored its first OctoberFest on Saturday night at Batavia Downs.
Bontrager Auction Center hosted its fifth old-fashioned barn dance and dinner last night with proceeds benefiting Genesee Cancer Assistance.
Top photo: Organizers Bob Stocking, Verna Oehler, Penny Arnold, Jackie Johnson and Julie Tybor.
A structure fire was reported at 8524 Peachy Road, Bergen, but a chief on scene reports the fire has been knocked down.
Overhaul and ventilation starting.
The initial fire call was for a dryer with smoke coming from it.
Bergen fire and Le Roy fire were dispatched.
Police are searching areas west and north of UMMC for a man in a hospital gown and underwear who escaped custody while at UMMC.
The man is a suspect in an assault and was taken to UMMC for a mental health evaluation.
Search areas have included the area around Dwyer Stadium and behind the high school, North Side Apartments, Walden Estates and the general area.
The suspect is a male in his 30s.
If spotted, Emergency Dispatch can be reached at (585) 343-5000.
UPDATE 10:26 a.m.: The man remains at large and is not considered armed; he's wearing a hospital gown and boxer shorts. Police plan to charge him with third-degree assault, and other charges, stemming from a domestic incident in Elba last night. A State Police helicopter will soon be deployed -- an ETA of about 20 minutes -- and a DEC canine unit is on scene. The search area is Bank Street in the city, northwest between the Thruway and the high school. The command post is by Walden Estates apartment complex, where the suspect was last seen.
UPDATE 11:17 a.m.: The suspect has been spotted on State Street Road by the Thruway. He is only wearing blue underwear, having jettisoned the hospital gown.
UPDATE 11:20 a.m.: The suspect has been taken into custody in a field north of the Thruway.
On a colorful, sunny, fall day, participants from throughout the community turned out to John Kennedy School for the My School Color Run, which was an untimed run/walk over a three-mile course through the City of Batavia.
A two-car accident with minor injuries and entrapment is reported in the area of 8290 Lewiston Road, Batavia.
Batavia fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
Le Roy brought their D-Game to Hartwood Park last night and it was a good thing on a night when the offense could only manage to score a single touchdown.
The Oatkan Knights shutout Letchworth/Warsaw 7-0 to advance in Class C sectional play.
Kyler LaCarte had 11 carries for 31 yards, Cineque Robinson 11 for 29, Jake Hill seven for 21, and Luke Stella four for15. At QB, Jake Hill was 12-24 for 97 yards and a TD. Cole Biggins had four catches for 39 yards and Reece Tresco grabbed three passes for 32 yards.
Tresco had five tackles. Gavin Luckey had five and an interception. With four tackles were Bob Locke, Bryce Bordonaro, Jake Hill, Anthony Leitten and Luke Stella. Bordonaro recovered a fumble and Leitten had a sack.
Also in sectional play Friday night:
Photos by Ed Henry. Top photo, Gavin Luckey with the reception for the lone TD of the game.
Cole Biggins
Ty Williams and Reece Tresco with a tackle.
Jake Hill
Cineque Robinson
Kyler LaCarte
Kyle LaCarte
If you were planning to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and take part tonight in the annual Ghost Walk of the Historic Batavia Cemetery, too late. It's sold out.
Press release:
A water main break has occurred on Union Street south of Richmond Avenue. A Water Department crew is on site to make repairs. Water service on Union Street between Richmond Avenue and West Avenue will be interrupted until repairs are complete.
Longtime community activist Catherine Roth was honored today in a dedication of a new polished granite bench in the Batavia Cemetery.
Roth, 95, and now living in Albany, wasn't able to attend, but Richard Beatty, a member of the board of directors of the Landmark Society of Genesee County, said her presence is still felt in the community.
She wasn't, however, as sometimes misstated, the founder of the Landmark Society. That was Sally Osborne. Roth was, though, a founding board member and served on the board for decades and for many years she was board president.
She was instrumental in saving the St. James Rectory and the Engine House. She also played a key role in getting published the book "Architectural History of Genesee County."
Her other community endeavors included serving on the City Council, the Holland Land Office Museum Board, Girl Scouts, and the YMCA board.
The bench sits on the edge of an arboretum created as a memorial to her son James and overlooks the obelisk of Joseph Ellicott. The project started with an anonymous donation to create something that would honor Roth and the Landmark board came up with the idea for the bench and completed the project.
Lucine Kauffman, a former Landmark board member, said she spoke with Roth this morning and asked if Roth had any words of wisdom to share, and Roth said, "I just wish I could be there to sit on it."
Beatty, who has only been on the Landmark board for two years, said he's heard Roth described as a "force of nature."
"Her name has come up many times, usually along the lines of ‘What would Catherine do?’ " Beatty said. "I got the impression that what Catherine wanted, Catherine got. I’ve learned from those who know her well that her desire to get things done is infectious and she brought many people together to help her achieve her goals. Catherine is the type of person every community needs to thrive.”
The U.S. Marshals Service is asking for the public's assistance in locating a fugitive who is a suspect in the rape and murder of a 13-month-old girl.
The fugitive is traveling with an unknown male in a pickup truck with New York license plates, which has led them to suspect the two men may travel to or through Western New York.
The men were last seen Oct. 13, in Girard, Pa.
The suspect is Joshua Gurto. He is 37 years old, approximately 5'10" tall and 145 pounds. He may have a deformed right ear, misaligned jaw and tattoos on his right forearm.
A reward is offered for information that leads to his arrest.
He is wanted by the Conneaut Police Department in Northern Ohio
The two men are traveling in a dark gray Ford F-150.
Anyone with any information that can help identify the unknown male in the photos is asked to call 1-866-4WANTED.
Tips can also be sent via text message by typing keyword WANTED and tip to 84711 (tip411).
People providing tips can remain anonymous.
A student at Batavia High School has contracted viral meningitis, a contagious but not fatal virus, according to Chris Dailey, superintendent of Batavia City School District.
Dailey informed parents in the school district through a memo released today.
Here's Dailey's statement:
This is to inform you that a Batavia High School student has been diagnosed with viral meningitis. It is caused by a virus and is not fatal. It can be caused by any one of the common cold or intestinal viruses. The difference is, it affects the lining of your spinal cord and brain. It is spread by person-to-person contact, or a cough, just as the common cold virus is.
The symptoms of meningitis can be fever, stiff neck and tiredness, along with a sore throat, cough or intestinal symptoms.
If your child complains of any of these symptoms, he/she should follow-up with their own physician.
The best way to keep healthy is to wash your hands regularly and not share drinking bottles.
Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m., the Batavia Players will present "Broads, Boys & Broadway Backwards" at the Harvester 56 Theater on Harvester Avenue, Batavia.
Tickets are $15 and include a champagne reception after the show.
The players will perform songs from Broadway musicals, but with gender roles reversed. The men will sing the women's parts and the women will sing the men's parts.
Performers are Pat Burk, Amanda Taylor, Anthony Baldwin-Giambrone, Cameron Bontrager, Colin Fleming-Stumpf, Jerrod Baldwin-Giambrone, Joe Kusmierczak, Erin Stamp, Kathryn Fitzpatrick and Wendy Williams.
The show is directed by Pat Burk. Musical direction and accompaniment, Kathy White.
The Richmond Memorial Library was inducted into Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame on Thursday, becoming the first building in Genesee County inducted since the recognition was created five years ago.
There have been 24 buildings inducted into the Hall of Fame, which recognizes outstanding examples of architecture using Medina sandstone.
Other new inductees include the First Presbyterian Church in Albion, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester, and First Lutheran Church of Jamestown.
The Presbyterian Church is the ninth site from Orleans County in the Hall of Fame. Genesee has its first entry with the library in Batavia. Jamestown and Chautauqua County are also making their debut in the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame with the First Lutheran Church. Holy Sepulchre is second site from Rochester to join the HOF.
From the story by Tom Rivers, Orleans Hub:
The Richmond Memorial Library is a beautiful example of light gray Medina Sandstone and red Albion stone. The style is Richardsonian Romanesque and was designed by Rochester architect James Cutler. The Richmond Library employs the style of two-tone sandstone in a random ashlar pattern with a battered foundation and a steep gable roof.
Mrs. Mary Richmond donated a piece of land at the rear of the family property and construction of a library began on July 11, 1887 and was dedicated on March 12, 1889. Mrs. Richmond donated $24,000 towards the cost and insisted on using local labor to build this magnificent building.
The library was named after her son Dean Richmond, Jr., who died in his youth. Mrs. Richmond, noted for her charity, then donated the library to the Union Free School District. The Richmond Library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was registered on July 24, 1974.
***
Rob Conrad, library director, said he and the staff are thrilled to see the library go into the Hall of Fame. He praised the Batavia City School District for its ongoing commitment to maintain the site. Conrad said he is impressed by the communities that rallied their dollars to build such impressive buildings in the region, using Medina Sandstone.
"You see the beauty of the buildings and their ingenuity," he said.
Story and photos courtesy Orleans Hub.
Genesee County has lost 100 jobs over the past 12 months, according to data released today by the Department of Labor.
For September 2017, there were 23,600 jobs in the county. The previous September, there were 23,500.
The total number of private sector jobs held steady at 17,800 year-over-year, which is also the same total as September 2015. The lowest number of private sector jobs locally over the past two decades was 16,800 in 2012. There haven't been as many as 18,000 private sector jobs in September since 2004 (18,100).
Labor is reporting 89,100 new jobs in the state since last year, but Western New York's two metropolitan areas reported job losses year-over-year. The Buffalo region has dropped from 564,900 to 561,400 and Rochester has dropped from 532,300 to 529,000.
There are 5,700 government jobs in the county, compared to 5,800 a year ago.
By this time Tuesday, the year's long dispute between the City of Batavia and the City Centre Mall Association will be resolved, or the two sides will be in an Erie County courtroom.
A bench trial was scheduled to begin tomorrow before Erie County Supreme Court Justice Catherine Panepinto.
That date has since been moved to Monday, the same day the merchants are scheduled to hold another vote on the settlement.
City Manager Jason Molino, speaking on WBTA's Main and Center program this morning, says the merchants have held up the vote that had been scheduled for earlier this month.
“The merchant's legal counsel was the one who recommended the adjournment from October 2nd to the 23rd," Molino said. "They knew well in advance when the trial was, we did not suggest that nor did we agree to that.
"The judge, at this point in time, does not want to postpone because if the settlement agreement does not pass, the trial has to go on.”
The primary issue in the dispute is over who is primarily responsible for ownership and maintenance of the mall concourse.
The proposed settlement places the responsibility squarely in the hands of the city and provides some cash for roof repairs.
The City Council ratified the settlement in February of this year but the mall merchants never voted to approve the settlement.
If the merchants approve the settlement on Monday there will be no need for a trial and it would bring to a close a long-simmering dispute that has hindered any attempt to improve the neglected and crumbling concourse.
“(The settlement) null and voids all the other agreements," Molino said. "The inter-tangled web of it (the old agreements) are gone. That was the first term of the term sheet – all the existing agreements are null and void. All the things that created the mess we are dealing with are gone.
"We have very clear ownership, which is the city, very clear responsibility, which is the city. Very clear as to who is responsible for capital improvements, maintenance, and operations – it is one entity, the city. Right now, it is not one entity and that is part of the problem.”
Story via our news partner, WBTA.
As County Manager Jay Gsell gets closer to pitching his proposed 2018 budget to county legislators, the focus in budget talks is on what staff positions will be created and which will be eliminated.
New positions might include a compliance officer, a first assistant district attorney, and a program coordinator in the Department of Mental Health.
On the way out are a child care worker in Social Services and a youth program specialist in the Youth Bureau.
Many of the positions being eliminated are reclassifications of jobs within the same department. For example, in Mental Health, two part-time clerk-typist positions become one full-time position. Public health is eliminating a principal financial support specialist but adding an administrative officer and part-time senior financial clerk-typist.
If a first assistant district attorney position is created in the District Attorney's Office, which is expected to go to Melissa Cianfrini at a salary of $111,783, an assistant district attorney position, with a salary of $91,915, will be eliminated.
The headline new position, however, is the compliance officer. The potential salary is $87,694 and the position will report to the county manager. The compliance officer will make sure the county is meeting all federal and state requirements for privacy, disability accessibility, health record privacy and other codes and regulations that are often tied to the grants the county receives from state and federal agencies.
“If Tim Yaeger or somebody wants to apply for a Federal grant, a Homeland Security grant, or some other kind of grant, they can the requirement of the grant, hand it to the compliance officer who can digest it and make sure we are currently meeting the requirements or what kind of changes do we need to make administratively to make sure we’re going to meet requirements,” said Matt Landers, assistant county manager.
There are millions of dollars in grants at stake in the county if the county fails to meet compliance requirements.
The qualified job applicant will have a four-year degree and at least two years related work experience, or a master's degree and two years experience.
The Youth Bureau is eliminating a position because there's no guarantee the federal government is going to continue to fund Americorps. That program ends at the end of the year and the current director of the program will spend January and February winding down the program and then will be out of a job.
The Sheriff's Office is also asking to add two new positions, an assistant to the director of emergency communications, at a salary of $67,109, and an emergency services dispatcher, $43,128.
From the current budget draft, Gsell must trim $257,831 to arrive at a tax rate of $10.13, which keeps the tax levy increase within the tax cap limit. Without further cuts, the Legislature would need to approve a tax cap override. If the Legislature wants to get the tax rate down to this year's $10.07 per thousand of assessed value rate, Gsell will need to find $460,000 in additional spending cuts.
Gsell will present his draft budget and his annual budget message later this month.
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