CORRECTION: In the origianl version of our post, we switched the first and second place winners. Our apologies to Rick.
The Batavia Society of Artists held its opening reception Thursday night at the Richmond Memorial Library of its Winter Art Show.
Rick Ellingham won First Place for his painting, "Adirondack Sunset."
The show runs through Dec. 27.
Karen Crittenden won Second Place with her picture, "Bug."
Mary DelPlato is hoping a reader can help her recover her stolen bicycle, if not provide information to the police that leads to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrator.
DelPlato said the bike looks just like the one in the photo but older.
She said it was stolen off of her front porch on Holland Avenue sometime between 7 and 8:30 p.m. on Monday.
If you have information that can assist in the case, call Batavia PD at (585) 345-6350.
The Lions Club of Batavia is promising area basketball players a more competitive tournament with a revamped tournament format and for fans that should mean closer, more intense games.
The club has expanded the field this year to eight teams -- four teams in the small-team division and four teams in the large-team division. This should make games more competitive and lead to some potentially interesting matchups.
For example, if Batavia beats Roy-Hart in its first game it would face either Le Roy or Attica, teams that are natural rivals but Batavia rarely if ever plays.
Notre Dame and Elba have one of the most storied rivalries in the region and could potentially face each other in the championship game but both will face tough first-round opponents in Oakfield-Alabama and Mt. Morris.
"Our kids look forward to this tournament every single year," said Buddy Brasky, the Batavia head coach who will be taking a team to the tournament for the 29th consecutive year. "They talk about right from the get-go. They want to know when is the Lion’s Club’s Tournament? Who’s playing? Who’s in it? It’s really important to them.
"We play in Monroe County so we don’t get a chance to play the area schools very often. We see them in summer at camp. We play some spring league. They really look forward to playing the area schools, the tough area schools, in the Christmas tournament."
It's not a foregone conclusion, as it has been in recent years, that Batavia will be crowned champion. Brasky's squad has only five seniors and one of his biggest scorers, Antwan Odom, is out for the season because of legal issues. Brasky also said there have been some key injuries.
Roy-Hart comes from a tough Section VI and is coached by Joe Pawlak, Notre Dame grad who played in the tournament in 2008, with a loss to Batavia, so he knows what to expect.
"I’m really blessed to have been able to play in it and now coach it," Pawlak said.
If Batavia survives Roy-Hart, the Blue Devils will either face Le Roy or Attica.
Le Roy is anchored by four-year starter Reece Tresco, who is a 6-foot, 4-inch guard/forward who is a threat to score from anywhere on the court and tough under the boards.
Attica has 10 seniors on its squad and Coach Rob Crowley said with five or six big guys on the team and five or six guards, he will be able to play whatever brand of basketball an opponent puts on the court, adjusting his team's look to meet any challenge.
"We can mix in different brands of basketball and match every team and be competitive against every team," Crowley said.
In the small-team division, Mt. Morris is coming off a 15-win season and returning almost all its top players from that squad. Head Coach Brian Stout said he's expecting a quality year from his players.
They open against the Elba Lancers, always a tough squad and this year featuring one of the top players in Section V in 6-foot, 4-inch forward/guard Jon Boyce, along with returning stars Colton Dillon and Collin O'Halloran.
"I’m excited to see what his (Boyce's) senior season holds," said Elba Head Coach Ciaci Zambito. "We've gone from young and inexperienced last year to now one of the older teams experience-wise in the area."
Mike Rapone, Notre Dame's legendary head coach, said he's got the biggest team he's ever led. There are nine players on the roaster who are at least 6-foot, 1-inch tall, including 6-foot, 7-inch returning starting center Keith Szczepanski.
That is no guarantee of anything, however, Rapone said, especially after losing last year's two leading scorers.
"That (size) doesn’t necessarily always translate into what we want it to be, but hopefully it will this year," Rapone said.
Oakfield-Alabama is a young team (only two seniors) with coach, Ryan Stehlar, so their tournament game will be a test and give fans some idea of what to expect on the season.
The Lions Club Tournament is played at Genesee Community College and that's one reason that the players who get to play in the tournament look forward to it. It's a big stage and prepares them for what they might face in post-season play.
It's also the premier fund-raising event for the Lion's Club, which is another reason you should attend.
The first four varsity games are Thursday, Dec. 27.
The consolation and championship games will be played Dec. 28, with consolation games at 4 and 5:30 p.m. The championship game in the small-teams division is at 7 p.m. Tipoff for the large-team division is 8:30 p.m.
Top photo: Frank Biscelie, Attica, Joe Martinucci, Batavia, Charlie Birgham, Roy-Hart, and Reece Tresco, Le Roy.
Spencer Misiti, Notre Dame, Jon Boyce, Elba, Cameron Regal, Mt. Morris, and Joey Burdick, Oakfield-Alabama.
Snow squalls are expected to pass through the area this afternoon and early evening, according to the National Weather Service.
This could create areas of low visibility, and potential whiteout conditions, at times with brief periods of localized heavy snow and slick, snow-covered roads.
A cold front is crossing the region this afternoon, into early evening, resulting in lake effect snow from both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario that will move inland. This will affect the evening commute, particularly between about 4 to 6 p.m.
Students in the Batavia City School system are showing slow, steady progress in proficiency on that state's standardized tests, Molly Corey, executive director of Curriculum and Instruction, told trustees Tuesday night during her report.
One way Corey tracks the district's progress is a comparison to scores in other small city school districts.
For the second year in a row, Batavia ranks #1 in eighth grade in the English Language Assessment, and first in seventh grade, compared to 14th a year ago. The district is second in third, fifth and sixth grades and fourth in grade four.
For math, the district is second in third grade, first in fourth, fourth in fifth, third in sixth, fifth in seventh, and in grade 12, eighth.
There are 15 other schools in the ranked comparison, though the names of the schools are blanked out in Corey's report.
Overall, Corey indicated she is happy with the improved performance of district students.
"I’m a believer having continual improvement," Corey said. "Though we want things to change dramatically, it’s that slow, steady climb that will get us there."
In ELA performance, the district is showing improvement in grades three through eight, with grade three going from 22 percent proficiency in 2012-13 to 46 percent this year. Grade four, has gone from 34 percent to 39 percent, grade five, 28 to 32 percent, grade six, 32 to 47 percent, grade seven, 26 to 35 percent, and grade eight, 35 to 45 percent.
In math, there's an improvement at every grade level except eighth grade. For third grade, from 25 percent to 55 percent; grade four, 37 to 64 percent, grade five, 27 to 42 percent, grade six, 17 to 43 percent, grade seven, 24 to 35 percent.
In eighth grade, the students have gone from 10-percent proficiency to 8 percent, though the eighth-grade students achieved 18 percent in 2014-15 and 21 percent in 2015-16.
To help improve math performance, Corey is planning on taking a leadership team to a seminar at Stanford University where a nationally recognized math teacher will provide instruction on deep mathematical thinking. The goal she said is to make mathematical thinking a bigger part of the learning culture in the district.
"We have a solid team throughout the district that got us here and we want to be thinking about what we can do above and beyond to change that culture, to change that mindset, and it starts with the leadership team," Corey said. "We have our dream team here in Batavia and I'm excited to see what is going to happen in each and every building."
Marco Marascio, project manager for Campus Construction Management Group, provided the trustees of the Batavia City School District an update Tuesday on construction projects that are part of the Vision 2020 capital improvement plan, which voters approved in March.
In addition to demolition of Van Detta Stadium (top photo), the foundation is being dug for the new locker rooms, while across the street, the playground is being moved and replaced with a new parking lot. At John Kennedy School, the foundation has been laid for the classroom expansion.
The $26.7 million in districtwide projects are being completed without an increase in local property taxes.
Photos courtesy Marco Marascio.
This fall, not only were Batavia High School sports teams finding success in competition, the athletes were succeeding as well in the classroom, Athletic Director Michael Bromley told the school district board at their regular monthly meeting Tuesday.
Across 10 fall sports, the school had 75 students qualify as scholar-athletes, Bromley said, meaning they scored at least above 90 percent in academic standing. Many of the athletes, he said scored ranked over 95 percent.
"Only five kids this fall were on academic probation," Bromley said.
Bromley's presentation was an annual review of the athletic department.
Each fall, there are seven girls sports programs in grades seven through 12 with 17 total teams (including JV and modified), and there are three programs for the boys in the fall with eight total teams.
In the winter, there are four girls programs, 10 teams, and six boys programs, 15 teams; and in the spring, two girls programs and seven teams and five boys programs and 13 teams.
In all, there are 78 coaches in the district.
"It's always a challenge to find coaches who are available to do the work at the time of day that we do what we do," Bromley said.
For grades seven-12, 53 percent of the students participate in at least one sport during the school year. That's higher than the 39 percent rate in 1999 but lower than the highest level of the past 10 years, which was 57 percent.
For all this activity, athletics isn't even 2 percent of the district's total budget.
In some sports, such as hockey, the school combines with other schools to create a team. In the case of gymnastics, BHS wouldn't even be able to offer the sport if not for merged programs since there are only five girls participating.
The merged wrestling program -- with Attica -- has won consecutive Section V championships, which has helped the program retain athletes while attracting new participants. There are now 15 wrestlers at the school and the merged program is moving up to Division 1 where they expect to continue to be competitive.
One thing Bromley looked at doing was using the gym walls to bring more recognition to players who achieved All-State or All-Greater Rochester honors. But realized that could get expensive so he found a program that allowed him to put a touch-screen TV outside the gym. It contains a wealth of information about BHS athletics, including the latest schedules, pictures, and recognition for all of the school's standout athletes and Hall of Fame members.
It has the added bonus of being available online.
Bromley said that as far as he knows, this is the first such touch-screen TV for school athletics in the state.
A committee assigned with selecting an engineering and architectural firm to plan and oversee construction of new Genesee County Jail has narrowed their search to two closely matched firms, Assistant County Manager Matt Landers told members of the Public Service Committee on Tuesday.
The two firms -- out of four that initially applied for the job -- are both so competitive, Landers said, that the committee has sent them more questions and asked for reference checks.
Rather than getting just references suggested by the companies, which will tend to be references from those believed to be positive, the committee is requiring reference contacts for the most recent jails the companies have been involved in building in New York.
"It's a good problem to have," Landers said. "They both scored very well."
Once the reference checks are done, the committee will interview the firms one more time and the committee hopes to have a recommendation to the County Legislature by the end of July.
Besides designing the jail, the firm selected will help with the site selection process and with hiring a construction manager.
The county has been moving toward building a new jail for a few years with cost estimates ranging from $35 million to $52 million.
The current jail doesn't meet current state standards, has damage related to age, lacks modern features, is undersized, and can't house female inmates.
Landers and Sheriff William Sheron cochair the jail committee. Of the eight other members, two are members of the Legislature and the remaining members are key county department heads.
BHS Drama Club presents a stage adaption of "It's a Wonderful Life" this weekend, featuring Cameron Bontrager as George Bailey, in the classic story of a man who stayed in his small town only to reach a point where felt his life hadn't made a difference, then learns what a difference he did make with the help of his guardian angel, Clarence.
Featured cast:
The adaption was written by Doug Rand from the original screenplay by Francis Goodrich, Albert, Hackett, Frank Capra and Jo Swerling.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors.
Police are looking for a suspected shoplifter in the area of State Street, Batavia.
The subject is suspected of stealing an item from JCPenney, running from the store, and knocking an elderly female over as he fled.
He is described as a black male with a black backpack and camo pants.
An ambulance is requested to the store for an elderly female with a hip injury.
UPDATE 1:39 p.m.: A suspect is apparently in custody.
Voters in Alexander yesterday rejected a $12.6 million capital improvement project that would have allowed the school district to build a new bus garage, upgrade some elementary school classrooms and install lights on the football field.
The ballot proposition failed by a 61 to 39 percent margin, or 183 no to 117 yes.
School officials said the current bus garage is beyond repair and its location and configuration is a traffic safety hazard.
Critics accused the Alexander CSD of using the community's long-standing request for lights on the football field as a way to bribe voters into approving the expenditure.
The projects were going to be funded by $1.9 million from capital reserves (money designated for such projects), $705,000 from other reserves, and more than $10 million in state aid.
Passage of the measure would have required the district to take out $10 million in bonds, with state aid making the bond payments, over the 15- and 30-year life of the bonds.
Officials said the bus garage is in such bad condition that state officials will soon force its replacement.
A Batavia resident who has served three prior prison terms was arraigned in County Court this morning on a sealed grand jury indictment for alleged drug dealing.
Adam McGill, 40, is charged with single counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, and criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd.
He is accused of selling narcotics on an occasion in February.
McGill first prison term came after a conviction in Genesee County on charges of attempted criminal possession of a forged instrument, 2nd, and attempted burglary, 3rd, in 2001.
In 2003, he was convicted of criminal possession of a forged instrument and sent to state prison again.
His last felony conviction was for criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, in 2012 in Wyoming County. He served three and a half years at Groveland and was released from parole in February 2017.
In arguing for $10,000 bail for McGill, Public Defender Jerry Ader pointed to McGill's nearly two years of unsupervised freedom since then, but Assistant District Attorney Kevin Finnell countered that McGill has 19 total arrests, which includes 15 felony counts, and three failures to appear on prior court cases, including one that required an arrest on a warrant.
Judge Charles Zambito set bail at $25,000 cash or $50,000 bond.
NOTE: There's been no press release yet from the law enforcement agency that investigated this case. When there is one we will update this post with any new information.
Michelle Ann Case, whose criminal case goes back to 2011, still owes her former employer, HomeCare & Hospice, in the neighborhood of $14,000 but her restitution has yet to be placed on a payment plan by a judge and such a plan was delayed again in County Court this morning.
The 50-year-old Case has been through two trials, convicted twice but the first conviction was overturned on appeal.
This morning Judge Charles Zambito ordered Case to prepare a financial affidavit to help him determine appropriate monthly payments and set a hearing for 9:45 a.m., Dec. 18.
Meanwhile, Public Defender Jerry Ader, representing Case, is challenging Zambito's jurisdiction to order restitution payments.
Because Case has moved a couple of times since her jury trial conviction in July 2016 her probation was transferred to Erie County and then to Niagara County.
She is no longer on probation.
Ader contends that since she was last on probation in Niagara County, the county court in Niagara County has jurisdiction over restitution. He said there is no legal mechanism to transfer jurisdiction back to a court in Genesee County.
District Attorney Lawrence Friedman disagrees. He argued that legal precedent doesn't cover jurisdiction over restitution just other matters related to probation.
Ader said he will prepare a written memo for Zambito on his interpretation of legal precedent for Zambito to consider prior to the Dec. 18 hearing.
Case was convicted of falsifying business records in order to increase her compensation from HomeCare & Hospice. She said the inaccurate records were not her fault.
The Batavia Improvement District hosted Christmas in the City last night, which included sleigh rides, a toy train ride, visits with Santa (and the Grinch) along with local Christmas shopping.
For pictures of the parade by Jim Burns, click here.
Gregory Hallock as Grinch and Nora Browne as Cindy Lou at GO ART! Hallock made his costume while Paige Sikorski, who is 13, put on his makeup.
Paul Grazioplene posed with Grinch, trying to convince his child that Grinch wasn't scary but the child didn't buy it.
There's a tiny little bundle in Santa's lap. It's 1-month-old Greyson Malcomb getting his first picture with Santa.
Batavia Police Sgt. Dan Coffey with Bo Coffey and Alyssa Coffey. Bo and Dan were in line waiting for a ride in the horse-drawn sleigh.
The Town of Pavilion held its first Christmas tree lighting yesterday, with residents and local businesses decorating trees in the park in Pavilion.
Several families decorated trees in memory of loved ones who have passed.
The tree in the top photo is a memorial to Bill Prosser, a Navy veteran who served at the end of World War II. In the photo: Joan, Debbie Prosser, Ken Prosser, Jim Prosser, and Liz Prosser.
Rhonda Clary with a memorial tree for her son John, a popular student at Pavilion High School who died in 2004.
The family of Jack Carney with a memorial tree for him.
Kaylee Brown, 5, with her father Chris Brown, shows off the reindeer she made at yesterday's Create-A-Critter session at the Genesee County Park Interpretive Center.
A couple of dozen children showed up over two sessions yesterday where the kids could create small little animals out of corncobs, pine cones, thistle pods, and other natural materials.
Below, Rhowen Torrey, 4, with Gregg Torrey.
It was Winterfest in Le Roy yesterday. Along with shopping, crafts, and Santa, there was the annual 5K race. We were there for the start of the race.
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