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We will have a video about Darien Lake's new ride, SkyScreamer later today or tomorrow but here is a picture from this morning.

If Rep. Chris Collins, dogged by ethics and criminal investigations, decides to run for reelection in 2020, he could face a primary challenge from fellow Republicans, including Sen. Rob Ortt, who visited Reyncrest Farms in Corfu this morning.

"I'm going to make my decision based on my own discussions with my wife, discussions with my family and friends and people I trust, and will do what I think is best for the district," Ortt said. "Obviously, I've got to make the decision that that's right for Rob Ortt, where I think I can serve best to be a voice on issues that matter to me whether it's in the State Senate or in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"So, you know, we'll make that determination on our own timeline. Obviously, probably sooner rather than later, but we're going to make that decision of on our own timeline apart from whatever other people may do."

Other people, of course, includes Collins, who told The Batavian three weeks ago that he has yet to decide whether he would run for reelection.

Collins is facing a Federal court trial on charges stemming from an alleged insider trading conspiracy. Collins, along with co-defendants Cameron Collins and Stephen Zarsky, is accused of securities fraud, wire fraud, and making false statements to FBI agents.

Besides the criminal case, a House of Representatives Ethics Committee is also looking into his conduct involving his holdings in Innate Therapeutics.

Other people mounting a primary challenge would also include State Sen. Chris Jacobs, who reportedly announced his intention this morning to run against Collins, and Batavia-resident Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

Reached by text message this afternoon, Hawley said he is indeed considering challenging Collins, depending on the situation with Collins.

"I'm strongly considering it," Hawley said.

Another Batavia resident, combat veteran David Bellavia is also considered a potential candidate. Bellavia has yet to respond to a text message asking him about his intentions for 2020.

Ortt, himself also a combat veteran, said his decision will come entirely independent of what Collins decides to do.

"He's got to do what he thinks is right," Ortt said. "Again just like me, he will do what he thinks is right for himself, for his family and given his situation, but he also has a responsibility to do what's right for the district.

"If he does not think he can serve this district in an effective way, then I think the right thing would be at some point to make a determination to step aside and let someone else come in."

Collins narrowly beat Nate McMurray in the 2018 election and McMurray seems to be a likely Democratic contender in 2020. We asked Ortt, given a potentially strong Democratic candidate and the legal and ethical issues facing Collins, if Collins should step aside and Ortt said he would never suggest to Collins, or any other potential candidate, that he not run.

"This is America," Ortt said. "There will be a lot of people I imagine that might jump into this race. If (Collins) thinks he can make an effective argument of why he should be retained as the congressman, I would welcome that as much if I was in the race as anything.

"I'm not going to say one person should run or should not run because ultimately the people of the 27th District, particularly Republican voters in a primary, they're going to make that determination about who they think can effectively, not only defend the president's agenda or defend the agenda that's important to this district, but also represent them in a way that they think they'd be proud of."

UPDATE 3:50 p.m.: We heard back from David Bellavia. He is considering a run for Congress in the 27th. "Not afraid of primaries," Bellavia said in a text message. "Especially ones involving Rep. Collins and Senator Jacobs."

UPDATE 5:34 p.m.: Statement from Nate McMurray on the possibility of a primary challenge to Collins:

"It's understandable that some would see an opportunity in Collins' legal predicament, but let's not pretend that Collins was an effective leader prior to that. Our grassroots network has been fighting for the people of the 27th Congressional District well before his indictment last August and never stopped.

"I think it's unfortunate that anyone would evaluate running in this district based on personal political gain, or in order to keep it in Republican hands. Hyper-partisanship is the last thing the people of Western New York need right now and the voters here confirmed that last November by reelecting Collins by a mere .37%. The district went purple and people crossed party lines. It shows that business-as-usual will no longer fly. We will continue to prepare for whatever comes next, and look for opportunities to bring people together."

On Thursday, the Kiwanis Club of Batavia held its annual luncheon recognizing the Top 10 academic students of Batavia High School.

Top Photo: Ryann Stefaniak (first row, left), Madison Dedman, Pierce Corbelli, Kristen Gloskowski, Emily Caccamise (back row, left), Lyndsay Debo, Brianna Bromley, Karissa Kesler, Tracy Lin, Julia Spiotta. Spiotta is top in her class.

The annual music awards went to Eryn Dunn for Outstanding Service in Chorus, Zak Jantzi for Outstanding Service in Orchestra, and Elise Hoerbelt for Outstanding Service in Band.

Karissa Kesler and Emily Boldt received Citizenship Awards. Besides the plaques, Kesler and Boldt received $1,000 each.

Below, a submitted photo from last week of the Top 10 students from Notre Dame High School.

Mary Vandenbosch (first row, left), Hannah Gualtieri, Faith Falkowski, Meghan Stella, Elizabeth Fuentes, Gemma Bochicchio (back row, left), Daniel Bergman, Samuel Bowman, Bella March, and Mary Warner.

Thursday evening, Judge Durin Rogers, and one of two candidates for the full-time City Court judge position held a "coffee and conversation" event at the Holland Land Office Museum.

Since we haven't had a chance to cover Rogers at a public event since the campaign started, and we did cover Benjamin Bonarigo's campaign kickoff, including a short video interview, we wanted to be sure to provide Rogers with similar coverage.

We wound up with a 10-minute interview with Rogers and decided to post the entire interview.

Rogers hosts another "coffee and conversation" event at the Richmond Memorial Library on May 25 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

To view our previous coverage of Bonarigo's campaign kick-off, click here.

By the end of July, Robert and Kimberly Maerten, along with their three young children, hope to move into their new home on Pike Road in Alexander built by the Building Trades program students at Batavia CTE/BOCES. 

Maerten is himself a graduate of the program.

A 45-year-old resident of State Street in Batavia has been arrested, accused of selling crack cocaine to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force.

Robert O. Taft is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd.

Taft is accused of selling crack to an agent on two separate occasions.

He was arraigned on the charges by Judge Charles Zambito and ordered held without bail.

Task Force members were assisted by Batavia PD, Sheriff's deputies, and the District Attorney's Office.

There is a skills mismatch between what local employers need and what the available workforce has to offer, said Teresa Van Son, director of the Job Development Bureau in Genesee County, yesterday following her department review with the Ways and Means Committee.

During the meeting, Van Son said a recent job fair was poorly attended by job seekers.

The county's unemployment rate is historically low -- that may not be a surprise but there are still at least 1,300 people listed as unemployed (using the most recent unemployment statistics). Von Son said she believes there are still people with the ability to work who are not looking for work because there aren't jobs available for them. Meanwhile, there are more than 1,000 job openings in Genesee County listed with the Job Bureau.

To address that, Von Son wants to promote more the job-training opportunities available through the bureau.

"One thing we would like to work on is providing people with additional opportunities for training so people in those early skill level jobs can move up and fill some higher level positions and then you've got more room for the emerging workforce," Van Son said.

County-level data for prime-age workers who aren't working or looking for work is hard to come by, but nationally the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the labor participation rate in that cohort has returned nearly to 2009 levels after hitting a nadir in 2014. The percentage of prime-age workers, people 25-54, in the labor force (they have jobs or are seeking jobs) was 82.2 percent in April compared to 82.8 percent in April 2009 and 80.8 percent in April 2014.

Recently, Von Son said, there has been an increase in agriculture job openings. There are also jobs available in manufacturing.

There are not many people using job bureau services who have recently been out of the workforce and are returning now, Von Son said. In fact, she can think of only two such clients recently.

"Some folks I think just need opportunities to get training," Von Son said.

Today we're officially launching a new series, "The Batavian Sessions."

Though I've recorded a couple of live performances in the past few months and called those videos "The Batavian Sessions," those were really tests of the concept. Last month, we started recording area bands for the launch of this new series. 

I'm a big rockabilly fan and a year or so ago I discovered a series on YouTube called "The Bopflix Sessions." I've watched all 200-plus of those videos, many multiple times. I loved the kind of web-native, intimate and immediate vibe of the videos and those videos, as much as anything, are why you've been seeing a lot more video on The Batavian since November.

We kick off the series with "A" Blues Band performing their original composition, "Shelby Swamp Boogie." 

Here's an invitation to all bands in the region: If you can meet me at an appropriate venue (well lit and quiet) somewhere in Genesee County ready for a live recording of two or three songs, we will include you in "The Batavian Sessions." If you're able and willing, email howard@thebatavian.com.

Brewers and beer lovers from throughout Western New York will converge on Eli Fish Brewing Co. in Batavia this Sunday for the conclusion of Farm-to-Pint Week, a regional event organized by the Buffalo-Niagara Brewers Association.

The event is called a "tap takeover." Brewers from the association who used ingredients grown on Western New York farms will take over the taps with their own beers (Eli Fish will have four of its own beers on tap) from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event is open to the public.

The association bills the week as a chance to celebrate the regional brewers and growers who work together to produce some incredible handcrafted beers.

Earlier this week there were events at Resurgence Brewing in Buffalo, Food Truck Tuesday in Buffalo, and tomorrow 42 North Brewing Co. in East Aurora hosts "Full Circle Fest 2019."

The tap takeover event was previously hosted by a brewery in Hamburg, so Eli's brewmasters Adam Burnett and Jon Mager (top photo) said it's a real honor that the association decided to host the event in Batavia this year.

"We think it’s pretty cool that when we offered to host it they didn’t flinch," Burnett said. "I think that speaks to the inclusiveness, that we’re part of the real scene of the Buffalo-Niagara Brewers Association only in our second year. I know a lot more brewers are well established so it’s a sign of respect to be included."

The best thing that can happen when police are dealing with a person who may be a threat to themselves or others is for a friend or family member to take possession of their firearms, Sheriff William Sheron told members of Genesee County SCOPE on Tuesday night at their monthly meeting at Calvary Baptist Church in Batavia.

If that isn't possible, the new "Red Flag Law" is a good tool for local law enforcement to help ensure people who are a threat don't have easy access to firearms.

Going into the meeting, Sheron said he knew that view wouldn't be popular with SCOPE members and some pushed back.

The new law goes into effect in August. It establishes a procedure for a person who believes a person who owns guns has become a threat to seek a court order requiring the person to surrender the guns to local law enforcement.

Sheron said the new law has ample due-process protections built into it and isn't really any different than police obtaining a warrant to search or seize property. The person seeking the order must provide clear and convincing evidence that the gun owner is a threat. The case goes before a supreme court judge -- in Genesee County, Charles Zambito -- who must agree the evidence is clear and convincing. The person who must give up their guns is entitled to a hearing within three to six days and can appeal any subsequent ruling to a higher court.

“Knowing Judge Zambito, he’s not just going to hand over a piece of paper and say 'we’ll take those guns,' " Sheron said, Zambia will want evidence.

The Sheriff's Office has been very successful over the years, Sheron said, in convincing gun owners who are going through a hard time to turn their guns over to a friend or family member for safekeeping until things cool down, or the person is under less stress, and that is still the default option for deputies, he said.

But that isn't always an option, or a person in distress doesn't want to cooperate, or if the deputy does take the guns, without a court order, the Sheriff's Office must give the owner the guns back upon request, even if there is no evidence the issues have been resolved for the gun owner.

In those cases, the ability of a family member, friend or a deputy to seek a court order to have the guns temporarily confiscated, and prohibit the person from legally acquiring guns, is a useful tool.

SCOPE members expressed concern about due process, about care being taken handling expensive guns, about family members who own their own guns getting those taken, and about the law not being applied as Sheron described it.

Sheron did his best to address each concern, reiterating the due process procedures, the courtesy and professionalism of his deputies, that the order only applies to the person named, and that he believes the court process will protect gun owners from overly zealous anti-gun types.

One SCOPE member suggested that the Sheriff's Office practice of letting a friend or family member take temporary possession of firearms violates the SAFE Act. Sheron said he would have to research it more but added, "we do it all the time."

The SAFE Act restricts the transfer of firearms to other people without going through licensed dealers, except for transfers to spouses or children.

Asked after the meeting if the word "transfer" in the act applied only to a change of ownership of the weapon and not giving it to somebody to hold for a period of time, while the original owner retained ownership, Sheron said that is correct.

(SCOPE is the acronym for Shooters Committee on Political Education.)

The membership of Genesee County SCOPE donated a defibrillator to Pastor Bruce Balduf and the Calvary Baptist Church in Batavia during its monthly meeting last night.

The group, which regularly meets at the Galloway Road church, decided to make the donation after a member collapsed during a meeting and members realized that a place were groups of people regularly gather would be a good place to have a defibrillator installed.

"We appreciate you getting this for us," Balduf said. "Now after I preach a particularly stirring message we can revive everybody," which got a laugh from the members. "I don't have to worry about them collapsing in the aisle."

Photo: Legislator John Deleo, who assisted in securing the defibrillator, member Carl Hyde Jr., and Pastor Bruce Balduf.

SCOPE is the acronym for Shooters Committee on Political Education, a civil rights organization focused on the protection and preservation of the right of firearms ownership as guaranteed by the Second Amendment.

A dump truck is reportedly on its side in the area of 13465 Skye Road, Basom, with minor injuries reported.

The driver is said to be out of the vehicle.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 9:31 a.m.: There doesn't appear to be anything leaking, a chief on scene reports. The truck was apparently hauling material from a house demolition and those contents have spilled out.

The stands are up, the turf is in and it looks like the Batavia Blue Devils will indeed have a new stadium in time for fall football as workers tighten bolts and sew up seams in coming days before the oval track around the field is installed.

The new stadium, replacing the 70-year-old Van Detta Stadium, is part of a $27 million district-wide capital improvement project approved by voters two years ago that includes upgrades at all three school sites.

In recent years, the number of seasonal deputies working during concerts at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center has increased from 10 to 15 and in 2019, 20.

It's not just that there are more concerts at Darien Lake, or the addition of concerts at Batavia Downs has increased demand, Sheriff William Sheron said at yesterday's Public Service Committee meeting. The Sheriff just needs a bigger pool of qualified deputies to draw from to ensure adequate staffing for each event.

There's no additional cost for the county since the cost is offset by fees paid by the concert venue for security on show nights.

Sheron said he wants more officers deputized for concerts because none of the men and women who work the shows on a part-time basis are able to make every show.

"This will give us a bigger pool to draw from," Sheron said.

Seasonal deputies must be sworn peace officers and must live in Genesee County. They can be current or retired Batavia PD or Le Roy PD officers, or retired from the Sheriff's Office or State Police.

Regardless of current or former affiliation, they are sworn in as deputies for their seasonal duty and wear Sheriff's deputies' uniforms.

The Sheriff's Office currently has five deputies going through training and expects five more to start training in the fall to replace deputies who have retired. The retirements have left the Sheriff's Office a bit short staffed, which will mean a little more demand for seasonal deputies at Darien Lake.  

Those who retired from the Sheriff's Office can also help with traffic control since they already have training for the duty at the park.

Deputies also assist with traffic control during concerts at Batavia Downs while Batavia PD handles security inside the venue.

The Sheriff is gearing up for 20 to 25 concerts at Darien Lake and another 10 at Batavia Downs. Concerts also return to the Ridge NY in Le Roy, but Sheron acknowledged there is seldom a need for a law enforcement presence at those shows.

"Each concert venue brings a different client of patrons," Sheron said. "Some of those individuals get rowdy at times and we have issues, but on the other hand we have many concerts where we don't have any difficulties at all; but you still need a police presence."

The Public Service Committee voted unanimously to send the recommendation to the full Legislature for approval.

CSX has called dispatchers to report horses near the tracks at Wilkinson Road, Batavia.

A dispatcher has contacted several residents in the area who are known to have horses and the ones contacted say their horses are safe.

A trooper has been dispatched to another residence where dispatchers have been unable to make contact.

A woman has reportedly died following a head-on collision on Route 19 at North Street Road, Le Roy.

According to Chief Deputy Brian Frieday, a vehicle was southbound on Route 19 when it slowed to make a left turn on North Street Road. Another vehicle behind that car tried to pass on the west shoulder and that driver apparently lost control of her car causing it to cross back across the southbound lane and into the northbound lane where it struck a northbound SUV.

The driver of the car that was attempting the southbound pass was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the SUV was transported to Strong with non-life-threatening injuries.

The name of the victim has not been released pending family notifications.

The accident is still under investigation.

Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance responded to the scene and Route 19 was closed between Seldon Road and West Bergen Road. (At the intersection of the fatality, Randall Road is west of Route 19; and across Route 19 to the east, the same roadway becomes North Street Road.)

UPDATE: The Sheriff's Office reports that Bonnie B. Dean, 77, of Churchville, died as a result of the crash. The other driver was identified as Penne M. Vincent, 56, of Fairport. Vincent was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital for treatment of her injuries. Dean was driving a 2008 Chevy Cobalt. Vincent was driving a 2013 GMC Terrain. According to the press release, Dean attempted to pass an uninvolved vehicle on the right, on the west shoulder and was unable to maintain control of the vehicle, causing it to cross into the northbound lane. The cause of the crash is under investigation by Chief Deputy Brian Frieday, Sgt. Andrew Hale, Sgt. James Deihl, Sgt. Jason Saile, Deputy Richard Schildwaster, Deputy Mat Clor, and Deputy Travis Demuth. Assisting at the scene were Le Roy Detective John Condidorio, and officers Gregory Kellogg and Stephen Cappotelli as well as Le Roy fire, Le Roy ambulance, and Mercy EMS.

Alecia Kaus/Video News Service contributed to this story. Photos by Alecia Kaus.

The planned move of the Youth Bureau to St. Anthony's on Liberty Street, Batavia, is on schedule and the new program should open in time for the school year this fall, said Jocelyn Sikorski in an interview last week.

Sikorski is the director of both the city's and the county's Youth Bureau and the combined program will move from its current location at 12 MacArthur Drive, Batavia, this summer.

The Youth Bureau will go from a 1,800-square-foot building to more than 11,000 square feet of available space, and from a location practically on the outskirts of the City to one near the center of the city and closer to the underserved youth population on the Southside.

St. Anthony's has already become an important youth activity spot thanks to its owner, City Church, and the work of Ryan Macdonald, who leads youth and community activities on Tuesday nights.

Teen City will offer after-school programs to youths age 9 to 16, including a classroom/tech room, recreation room, gaming room, cafeteria, kitchen and full gymnasium during program hours, which are set at 2:30 to 6 p.m. from Monday through Friday during the school year, and 1 to 6 p.m. during the summer.

"There are a lot of youth on the Southside who want those services, who are utilizing those services with Ryan on Tuesday nights, so we’re going to meet the needs of the community as they are and serve those kids who may not be coming to the youth center because of its current location," Sikorski.

The move is expected to be completed in August.

Teen City is a joint project of the Youth Bureau, St. Anthonys's/City Church, the YMCA, and United Way.

"It’s worked out well," Macdonald said. "We love the kids. We think the kids, for the most part, love us. We’re looking for the whole community to be involved.

"We can’t do it on our own and that’s the key takeaway," Macdonald added. "The YMCA is going to be involved the Youth Bureau, the City and the County, United Way is going to be involved. I think that’s an important takeaway because not one entity can do it all on their own. If we work together at it we can get a whole lot more done."

With 100 kids showing up every Tuesday at St. Anthony's, Sikorski said there is ample evidence there is demand for a program like Teen City that is easier for more kids in the city to reach.

With the help of the school district, transportation will be provided to kids who might find St. Anthony's too far away to walk or bike to.

"The other positive is we're modeling the school's behavior and rules with what we’re developing so there will be consistency for these kids," Sikorski "They will know what their expectations are. It’s not going to be any different.

"This will be supervised and structured and it will be a safe place for those kids to go," she added.

The former Youth Bureau building will be taken over by City Schools. Superintendent Chris Dailey said near-term plans are for the high school to use the front parking lot and the building for storage during the ongoing capital improvement project.

The community garden behind the Youth Bureau building will be able to expand into the basketball court area.

Macdonald said he sees this as a positive move for what City Church offers at St. Anthony's and the children of the community.  The Tuesday night programs themselves are expensive to run and only survive because of the generous support of sponsors. Now the children of the area will have more options and more support.

"We’ve all needed somebody to speak into our lives, to love us, to care for us at certain points, and not to say the parents aren’t doing that but we want to add to it," Macdonald said.

The Batavia Youth Bureau moved to the former community pool location in 1998 after the City sold the Bank Street location, which housed the youth bureau and senior services, to the County, which took over the Senior Center at that time. Now it's moving to St. Anthony's.

Here is the second episode of Batavia's Best Businesses with Nici Johnson. This time we feature The Eli Fish Brewing Co.

We are producing this series in partnership with WBTA AM/FM.  To view our first episode, Charles Men's Shop, click here.

Local business owners interested in more information: Call Lorne Way or Jim Ernst at WBTA at (585) 344-1490.

Press release from AAA: 

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.86, down 4 cents from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.87. The New York State average is $2.96 – down 1 cent from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $3. AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.83 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.88 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.89 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.89 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Rome -- $2.90 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.87 (down 2 cents since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.96 (no change since last week)

During this time of year, switching to the more expensive summer blend gasoline, ongoing refinery maintenance, and healthy consumer demand all contribute to pump prices increasing. A decrease, even by 1 or 2 cents is unusual. Motorists should expect an upswing in prices as we get closer to Memorial Day.

As far as crude oil goes, at the close of Friday’s formal trading session on the NYMEX, WTI decreased 4 cents to settle at $61.66. On the week, crude prices have moved lower because of global concerns around trade negotiations between the United States and China.

If total crude stocks continue to tighten, American motorists will likely see pump prices continue to increase this spring – alongside the global price of crude, as tightening supply amid robust global crude demand will increase the price per barrel of oil.

The Landmark Society of Genesee County presented its annual preservation awards Friday night at the First Presbyterian Church of Byron.

Photo: Matt Gray, partner, Eli Fish Brewing Co., Rev. James Renfrew, First Presbyterian Church, Jermey Liles, Oliver's Candies, and Bill and Lucine Kauffman.

Below, links to writeups and photos (or in the case of Eli Fish, a video) for each of the award winners:

• Landmark Society Preservation Award: Eli Fish Brewing Co.
• Landmark Society Awards, Oliver's Candies, Adaptive Re-use
• Landmark Society Awards, Kauffman residence, Elba, restoration
• Landmark Society Awards, First Presbyterian Church of Byron, tender loving care

Rev. Renfrew with the volunteers from the church who prepared and served Friday night's dinner at the church.