Stories from

The Girl Scouts held their second Powder Puff Pinewood Derby at St. Joe's this afternoon.  Local Boy Scouts and scout leaders assisted with setup and running the races.

A K-9 is assisting in a Sheriff's Office search for an individual who has gone into the woods off Route 77 in Darien.

We don't have information on what initiated the reason for the search.

The subject is described as a white male, about 6' 2" tall, 175 pounds, in tan pants and a gray/green short-sleeve shirt.

Librarian Sue Border cut the red ribbon today to celebrate the opening of a remodeled child's library room in the bottom floor of the Woodward Memorial Library in Le Roy.

The library was a project supported by community members, with state grants secured by Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer and Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

At the ceremony today, Hawley said he has three issues he always keeps in front of him, veterans, ARCs, and libraries.

"For all 12 years that I’ve been in the Assembly, each of the governors, from Pataki to Spencer to Patterson and Cuomo, have always seemed to cut the library allocation at the state level," Hawley said. "So every year I circulate a letter asking for restoration to the speaker, to the majority and each year it actually works."

Board President David Frost speaking.

Steve Hawley

Eight local volunteer fire companies are holding open houses this weekend and I was able to drop in on a couple of them today, though by the time I got to Stafford, things were just wrapping up. But the Perkins kids were still there, so we thought, we'll get a picture of them inside one of the fire trucks.

Carter, 4, was pretty done for the day and not really into it. One-year-old Elli was having none of it, but older sister Leyna, 7, was all smiles.

Below are pictures from Bethany and Town of Batavia.

Here's a list of tomorrow's open houses:

Byron Fire Department
6357 E. Main St., Byron
Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fire-related demonstrations; mutual aid exercises, plus blood pressure checks, truck tours and trying on gear.

East Pembroke Fire Dept.
2623 Main Road, East Pembroke
Sunday, 9 a.m. to noon

Elba Fire Department
4 S. Main St., Elba
Sunday
Equipment displays and station tours.

To find out more about supporting your local fire department, visit ReadyGenesee.com.

Det. John Corodorio, Le Roy PD, manned the booth today at the police station for national drug take-back day. There were drug drop-off spots set up also at Batavia PD and the Town of Pembroke Highway Department (Sheriff's Office location).

Condidorio said now that Le Roy PD has a permanent drop-off box inside the police station, most people bring their unused, unwanted medications throughout the year.

There are also boxes set up at Batavia PD, the State Police barracks on West Saile Drive, and the Sheriff's Office on Park Road that are available most days of the week.

Proper disposal of unused medicine keeps the chemicals out of the environment and keeps potentially harmful or addictive medications from falling into the wrong hands.

Jaden Pocock, third from left, is the winner of the 2017 Character Award at the 13th Annual Liberty Partnerships Empire Promise Youth Summit at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Albany. He is pictured with his brother Logan, his father Joel and Shelly Bartow, Ph.D., Conference chairperson. 

Photo and info submitted by Patrick McGee.

The Oakfield-Alabama Little League kicked off its 2017 season today with a parade down Main Street in the Village of Oakfield.

Opening ceremonies also commemorated the lives of Dan Gilbert, James "Beef" Soggs, and Brayden Salvaterra.

Gilbert, baseball coach at Oakfield-Alabama High School and longtime active supporter of Little League, passed away March 1.

Soggs, dedicated to youth sports in Genesee County and a coach in Batavia, was also remembered as part of the moment of silence before the first game.

Brayden was just two weeks shy of his 6th birthday when he died unexpectedly and of a cause that has never been determined. He loved baseball and he and his dad were the third in line for Little League sign-ups for this season. 

His coach -- he played on the Washington Nationals each of the past two seasons -- Normand Fluet, purchased a bench and the Town of Oakfield installed it overlooking one of the T-ball fields with a commemorative plaque.

"The final product is full of memories and certainly ensure that Brayden’s memory is going to live on forever," said League President Andy Merkel.

"One of the things that is great about the Oakfield and Alabama communities is that Little League is a big part of it," Merkel added. "I grew up playing in the Little League program, most of the coaches grew up in the Little League program, most of the parents grew up in the Little League program, and it’s great to see the people from throughout the community who maybe don’t have a connection any longer, don’t have a child or relative playing, but they still come out to support our program, have a hot dog and watch a baseball game. It means a lot to have that community support."

The shuttering of the Muller Quaker Dairy opened doors for Michael Welch.

The part-time pastor always wanted to own his own business, be his own boss, and with a three-month severance package and a program through the unemployment office aimed to help the unemployed start companies, Welch decided it was time to turn dream into reality.

"I’m a pastor and I believe in God and I just asked the Lord if this what we’re supposed to do, just let the doors all be open," Welch said. "And if it’s not, just stop, stop it. All of the doors have been open all along the way, not to say it hasn’t been hard work. It’s been extremely hard work, especially at the end here."

At first, his wife, Paula, was skeptical, even though she also enjoyed his hobby of garage sales, estate sales, and auctions. But as doors along the way kept staying open, she realized a retail store of their own might be exactly what God wanted them to do.

Tomorrow, they open Welch and Craine Trading Post, 60 Liberty St., Batavia (the main entrance is really on Liberty, behind the Pok-A-Dot).  

The store features home furniture and decor, architectural salvage, handcrafted and repurposed furniture and household items.

 Welch added "trading post" to the business name because he wanted people to know the store sold a variety of items.

"We’re not just going to have like 100 beds, or 100 dressers," Welch said "We’re going to have a whole different mix of things. Some of it is going to be old. Some of it is going to be new."

Michael and Paula long enjoyed going to garage sales together and then about six years ago, Michael discovered auctions. He enjoyed the hunt for antiques and the rush of bidding and winning on favorite pieces.

"At first, I was bringing pieces home and it fit perfectly, and then I was bringing more pieces home and then it didn’t fit too perfectly," Welch said. "Finally, Paula is like, ‘this stuff, you’ve got to do something with this. There is too much stuff.’ "

That's when he started to think his hobby could maybe someday become a business.

As he was going through the unemployment business program, he mentioned some of his ideas to Brian Kemp, co-owner of T-Shirts Etc., and Kemp loved his ideas.

"I'd like to do something like that," Welch said Kemp said.

As they talked, Kemp told Welch about the Batavia Development Corp. and how they have low-interest loans and grants to help small businesses get started in Batavia.

That started a whole other long process. He had to write a business plan and the BDC Board had him revise it a few times before his plan was approved and the project was approved for assistance.

Tomorrow, the grand opening is at 11 a.m. and then from 7 to 11 p.m., the Tommy Z Band, out of Buffalo, plays a free blues concert.

A new show opened at the Genesee Community College Roz Steiner Art Gallery yesterday featuring the work of students. The show, called Vision, runs through May 21.

Ray Cianfrini, recipient of Distinguished Service Award from the Genesee County Bar Association.

Press release:

Kiwanis Club President Jocelyn Sikorski and Genesee County Bar Association President Peter Casey announced the awards during an annual dinner held at Batavia Country Club on Thursday, April 27. The speaker at the dinner was Lewis R. Robinson, Secret Service Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office.

Kiwanis Criminal Justice Award

The Kiwanis Club of Batavia Criminal Justice Award is presented to a member or members of the community, law enforcement, or a criminal justice agency serving the citizens of Genesee County whose exceptional career achievements and conscientiousness to citizenship have demonstrated a spirit of selfless public service or demonstrated an act of exceptional valor or heroism.

THE 2017 AWARD RECIPIENTS ARE:
Investigator Ronald “Pete” G. Welker, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office
Ronald “Pete” Welker started his career with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office on May 11, 1994, as a Correction Officer.  He was promoted to Deputy Sheriff on Feb. 3, 1996, and then promoted to the rank of Investigator on April 1, 2000. As an Investigator, Pete has been assigned to the Local Drug Task Force where he has tirelessly conducted investigations into the sale and distribution of drugs throughout Genesee County and effected arrests against those who use and sell illegal drugs. Due to the nexus between drugs and crime, Investigator Welker has also proven himself to be an extremely valuable information resource for perpetrator identification that has resulted in the apprehension of criminals for felony crimes such as robbery, burglary, attempted murder, and assault. During his 22-plus years as a member of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, Investigator Welker has received numerous letters of appreciation from the public. In 2009, Pete received the “Deputy of the Year Award” by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and is also the recipient of four Commendation Awards and two Meritorious Awards. Investigator Welker was nominated for this award by Sheriff William A. Sheron Jr.

Court Attorney William G. Zickl, Genesee County Court
Prior to assuming his current position as the Court Attorney for the Genesee County Court on Jan. 1, 2017, William G. Zickl devoted 29 years of service to the Genesee County District Attorney’s Office, the local Law Enforcement Community and the citizens of Genesee County. Zickl prosecuted hundreds of cases and represented the People of the State of New York in numerous appeals and post-judgment applications. He represented the District Attorney’s Office in all violation of probation cases in the Genesee County Court and in various treatment courts, prosecuted firearms cases, and provided legal counsel to the DA’s Office. He handled the County’s pistol permit revocation/suspension proceedings for a number of years, worked closely with the Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force, and prepared search warrants 24 hours a day, seven days a week when needed. In addition, he also found the time to volunteer many hours as an attorney-advisor and as a judge in the NYS Bar Association’s High School Mock Trial Tournament, addressed various community groups on the topics of firearms and use-of-force laws, participated in several in-service law enforcement training programs and also organized and participated in mock trials for police officers through the Rural Police Training Institute based at Genesee Community College. Court Attorney William Zickl was nominated for this award by District Attorney Lawrence Friedman.

Officers Marc Lawrence and Matthew Wojtaszczyk, Batavia Police Department
Officers Lawrence and Wojtaszczyk were integral in creating the first ever Batavia Police Department Explorer Post. Both officers identified a need to get younger people involved in policing at an early age. They spent countless hours of their own time researching what an Explorer Post is and what the benefits to, not only the individual involved but also the benefits to the agency and community are. Marc and Matt reached out to the Boy Scouts of America to form a partnership and to guide the process along. They completed several recruitment drives in conjunction with the Batavia City School District, spending many hours speaking with youth in the community about the benefits of the Explorer Program and police work in general. Their efforts finally came to fruition on Jan. 25 with the first meeting of the Batavia Police Department Explorer Post #2017. The first class consists of approximately 15 youths, ages 14 to 18 years old, who have demonstrated an interest in law enforcement or a related field. This program will help to foster good relationships between law enforcement and the community and will serve as a model to other departments looking to begin such a program. Officers Marc Lawrence and Matthew Wojtaszczyk were nominated for this award by Chief Shawn Heubusch.

Charles L. Mancuso Mock Trial Award
The “Charles L. Mancuso Award” was presented to the members of the Pembroke High School Mock Trial Team as winners of the 2017 GLOW (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming counties) District Competition in the New York State Bar Association High School Mock Trial Tournament. The award reads “Dedicated to the Memory of an Outstanding Attorney-Citizen,” Charles Mancuso, a Batavia lawyer, served as coordinator of the local competition until his untimely death ten years ago. The Pembroke High School team members honored at the dinner include: Seth R. Librock, Rachel J. Tebor, Tyler Indiana Wood, Kassandra E. Sanner, Eli J. Fox, Aiden J. Costich, Matthew K. Reeb, Bethany M. Zwolinski, Sophia R. Zwolinski, Theodore O. Pintabona, Coach Paul L. Schuler Jr., and attorney-advisors Mary Ann Wiater and David Saleh. Coordinator of the local Mock Trial Program, Kristie DeFreze, and Genesee County Bar Association President Peter Casey presented the award.

Genesee County Bar Association DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Raymond Cianfrini

Genesee County Clerk Michael Cianfrini made a special presentation to Raymond Cianfrini on behalf of the Genesee County Bar Association. Attorney Raymond F. Cianfrini will retire May 1 after a distinguished 45-year career practicing law in Oakfield. A graduate of Oakfield-Alabama High School, and later a member of its Hall of Fame, he went on to college and was drafted after completing his first year of law school and served our country in the Army from 1968-1970. Cianfrini started out as a young lawyer in 1972, first working with Oakfield attorney Albert Avery. During his tenure thereafter, he has served as an Assistant County Attorney and Assistant District Attorney. However, his devotion to his Oakfield law practice and clients is undoubtedly the hallmark of his legal career. His service and dedication to the community have likewise been exemplary. He was elected to, and has held positions as, OACS School Board Member, Village Trustee, Mayor of the Village of Oakfield from 2000-2007, and County Legislator from 2008 until the present time. He has been chairman of the Genesee County Legislature since 2014. Cianfrini has also contributed countless hours to the Oakfield Historical Society, Oakfield Betterment Committee, Oakfield youth sports, and other local nonprofit groups. He and his wife, Karen, raised their three children, Christy, Mike, and Steve in Oakfield. Together, they remain devoted to their children and grandchildren. The Genesee County Bar Association is honored to present Raymond F. Cianfrini, member and past president, with the award for Distinguished Service to the legal community.

William Zickl

Keynote Speaker Lewis Robinson, with the Secret Service. Robinson spoke about the history of the agency and its activities since its founding and how it operates today. 

Batavia PD: Assistant Chief Todd Crossett, officers Matthew Wojtaszczyk and Marc Lawrence, and Chief Shawn Heubusch.

Genesee County Sheriff's Office: Sheriff William Sheron, Investigator Pete Welker, Undersheriff Greg Walker, and Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster

Pembroke's winning mock trial team.

A dog is reportedly stuck outside a house, on the roof, and the windows are shut and no one appears to be home at 1888 Broadway Road, Darien Center. Darien firefighters are called to the scene to rescue the animal.

With creek water running high, Capt. Bob Fix wanted to use the opportunity this week for swift water training for City of Batavia firefighters.

This morning, a crew assembled on the banks of the Tonawanda just off South Lyon Street to first practice keeping themselves safe in the water and then work at grabbing a floating person and hauling him to shore.

The safety training involved floating down the stream feet first and then trying to climb over a boom (simulating a log in the water). Fix wanted firefighters to see that if they encountered such an obstacle in a real-life situation, they could never pull themselves over it. On the next evolution, the firefighters swam hard right at the "log" and then propelled themselves over it.

Eight local fire companies are participating in a weekend of activities, refreshments and fire hall and equipment tours in an effort to help attract more volunteers to the fire service.

Bill Schutt, an emergency management coordinator for Genesee County, encouraged people to attend the events even if their goal isn't to fight fires. There are lots of ways people can help their local departments.

"One of the first steps is to find out information about what your fire department does and what their needs are," Schutt said.

Departments need people on the administrative side, on the publicity side and on the social side, he said. All of those jobs help firefighters do their jobs better.

"(The open houses are) a great opportunity to talk about al of the different areas," Schutt said. "The fire service has changed so we’re not just the guys running to the burning building anymore. There is the EMS side, the social side, social media is a great need, general community involvement. There are a lot of areas in fire service that all could use some help."

Here's a list of open houses planned for Saturday and Sunday:

Bergen Fire Department
10 Hunter St., Bergen
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Chicken BBQ and Open House.

Bethany Vol. Fire Department
5253 Old Telephone Road, East Bethany
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Byron Fire Department
6357 E. Main St., Byron
Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fire-related demonstrations; mutual aid exercises, plus blood pressure checks, truck tours and trying on gear.

Darien Fire Company
10537 Alleghany Road, Darien Center
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Auto extrication demonstration, fire extinguisher demo station, and blood pressure checks.

East Pembroke Fire Dept.
2623 Main Road, East Pembroke
Sunday, 9 a.m. to noon

Elba Fire Department
4 S. Main St., Elba
Sunday
Equipment displays and station tours.

Stafford Fire Dept
6153 Main Road, Stafford
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Town of Batavia Fire Dept.
8382 Lewiston Road
Batavia
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Refreshments, station and truck tours, auto extraction demonstration, lots of activities for the kids and much much more!

Roamer, who went missing two days ago after escaping from his owner when charged by another dog, was spotted today by Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian on Clifton Avenue.

Christian called Batavia PD and Animal Control Officer Jimmy Shefflin responded, but he couldn't find him.

At 5 p.m., Rose Mary and her daughter Raelene went looking again. Raelene spotted Roamer behind a house on Clifton Avenue. She didn't try to approach Roamer, she said, because he seemed really scared. She called Don Mengs who came over right away with his wife and Roamer's brother Elvis. 

From the video, you can see, Roamer was definitely happy to see Don.

Raelene said she and Rose Mary only knew about Roamer because they had seen the posts on The Batavian.

Sofia Branche and Sheldon Silverling were named outstanding students for the month at last night's City schools board meeting. They were honored for their leadership examples they set at John Kennedy School.

Teresa Morrill, named Outstanding Employee.

Jane Haggett and the students and staff involved with Winter Guard were honored for their efforts with a proclamation. Students pictured, Mina Sanchez and Mary Murphy.

Lisa Robinson, right, and the volunteers who helped organization Mr. Batavia, were recognized with a proclamation by the board. Students pictured, Lindsie Cook and Madison Moore.

Aimee Nelson, named Outstanding Employee.

Caryn Wood and Daniel Grillo along with the cast and crew of "Hairspray" were recognized with a proclamation recognizing their efforts to stage the musical. 

Eileen Ognibene, named Outstanding Employee.

Rob Vanderwerf, named Outstanding Employee.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today announced that his 2017 Legislative Survey has been launched on his official Assembly website. The survey covers various topics such as the minimum wage, small business reform, the DREAM Act and economic development.

“I am proud to once again offer an interactive survey to my constituents that allows for feedback on opinion-based questions pertaining to the most salient legislative issues facing our state,” Hawley said.

“Hearing feedback, positive and negative, from those who have trusted me to represent them in Albany is the crux of what we do as elected officials, and I encourage all residents to take a couple of minutes and answer these questions. I look forward to your feedback!”

A link to Hawley’s survey can be found by clicking here.

Press release:

Representative Chris Collins (NY-27) today led a bipartisan letter sent to President Trump applauding the president’s acknowledgements of Canada’s protectionist trade policies related to dairy products and advocating for swift action to ensure Canada upholds its trade agreements.

“President Trump campaigned on putting America first, and protecting American jobs,” Collins said. “Today’s letter highlights how vital the U.S. dairy industry is to Western New York and dairy producing regions across the country. The U.S. dairy industry supports billions of dollars in exports and hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs.

"Unfortunately, due to unfair competitive practices by Canada, we must take action to ensure our dairy products will be able to compete on a level playing field. I am glad President Trump has recognized how important this issue is to hundreds of thousands of hardworking Americans, and I will continue working with my colleagues to protect the U.S. dairy industry.”

The letter which 68 lawmakers signed on to was also co-led by Representatives Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Ron Kind (WI-03), Sean Duffy (WI-07), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), and Peter Welch (VT-AL).

The letter details Canadian trade practices that “may violate Canada’s existing trade commitments to the United States by effectively discouraging U.S. dairy exports to Canada.” It also reinforces that “our districts and states rely on the jobs the dairy industry provides and cannot afford further protectionist policies from our northern neighbor.”

Full text of the letter along with signatories can be seen here and full text can be read below.