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UPDATE 1:13 p.m.: Last night was another new record for 'Shooting for a Cure." The event raised $30,000.

In its eighth year, Pembroke's "Shooting for a Cure" girls basketball reached a significant milestone Thursday night, topping $100,000 raised for cancer research.

The total amount raised this year hasn't been released yet but Mike Wilson said last night that organizers knew more than $19,000 had raised, putting the cumulative total over that $100K mark.

"These girls this year, they attacked it. I can’t say enough about this team," said Wilson, who was head coach the first year of the fundraiser in 2011. "They lead the charge. They really do. They’re the ones out pounding the pavement. They’re the ones out in Batavia, and on Transit Road, and Rochester, and Buffalo, and they’re on social media using it the right way for all those good things.

"They have really spread our mission. I’m so proud of this group. They’re a young group but they’re so mature in the compassion and love they have for the people in our community. It’s awesome."

Thursday night was also the night the community could celebrate a new job for Brianna Johnson.

It was Johnson who, in 2011, while on a team bus returning from a softball game, said the school should do something to support Coach Ron Funke's wife, Toni Funke. She and teammates talked with Wilson and the idea for Shooting for a Cure was born.

Today, Johnson starts a new job on the cancer research team at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo.

"For Brianna to have that idea and then to move on to something in the medical field, doing cancer research, it’s come full circle," Wilson said. "They just hired her. Her intake meeting is tomorrow, so when we’re down presenting our check to Candace Johnson and the Roswell staff, Brianna is going to be there signing up to become a member of that team.

"They’re going to find a cure for cancer with Brianna on that team. She’s so passionate about this. I’m very proud of her."

As for the game, Notre Dame beat Pembroke 50-31.

A woman is reportedly walking backward on West Main Street Road, Batavia, in the area of Mancuso Limousine. 

The caller is concerned she might walk out into traffic.

A deputy is responding.

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) approved incentives for Churchville Fire Equipment Corp. at the agency’s Jan. 10^th board meeting.

Churchville Fire Equipment Corp. will purchase the land and build a truck setup facility at 10246 Perry Road in the Town of Pavilion. The $900,000 investment by the company, which includes $700,000 to purchase the land, will create three new jobs.

Churchville Fire Equipment Corp. was approved for just over $50,000 in incentives, including sales and mortgage and property tax exemptions. For every one dollar in incentives, the company will be investing $78 into the local economy.

Churchville Fire Equipment Corp. has decades of experience in the fire and emergency services industry, and supplies area fire companies with life-saving equipment.

An accident with minor injuries has been reported at Court and Ellicott streets, Batavia, involving a city plow.

City fire, Mercy EMS and City PD on scene.

The Batavian: Free home testing for radon available from county health department

Cold temperatures and cold winds will make for even colder feelings tonight and tomorrow morning, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

The wind chill is expected to drop below zero throughout most of Western New York, with values as low as 25 below zero east of Lake Ontario.

Frostbite and hypothermia can occur if precautions are not taken. Make sure to dress properly if spending time outdoors during the cold period.

The Child Advocacy Center should be a place where children who have been physically and sexually abused feel safe and cared for when they visit.

That means the center needs to have a home-like feeling, not a clinical atmosphere, said Theresa Asmus-Roth, program coordinator for Justice for Children.

While that has always been the goal of the center, Asmus-Roth said she and the staff and the board of directors think it's time to renovate their office location at 301 E. Main St., Batavia, to help make the center more friendly and welcoming.

"We want this environment to feel like the kind of place that you would go to get away from all the worries of the world," Asmus-Roth said during an open house Wednesday unveiling plans to remodel the building.

The First Presbyterian Church of Batavia donates the two-story building to Justice for Children and the agency, supported by grants and donations, has a long-term lease.

When it became clear a few years ago that the center's old location on Bank Street was no longer adequate, the Kiwanis Club of Batavia took on the major financial goal over five years of raising funds to support the center's move to a new building. When the Presbyterian church made its building available, the center moved into the new location and decided to forego building a new structure. The Kiwanis Club raised $190,000, which will go a long way to covering the cost of the more than $250,000 in renovations to the current location.

Asmus-Roth said the Justice for Children Foundation is seeking additional donations from the community in order to complete the project.

The renovations will first create all new office space on the second floor. That will enable the first floor to be dedicated entirely to caring for children and their families in times of crisis.

"We want families coming in to feel like they're coming to visit a friend or relative instead of coming for a doctor's appointment," Asmus-Roth said.

To that end, the renovations will include installing a wraparound porch outside and a waiting room inside. There will be more private meetings rooms as well.

Since construction and visiting with children who have been abused aren't a good match, during the first-floor renovations, clients will be seen in the Albion and Warsaw offices or in space being made available in the church next door.

More than 20 years ago, if a child was abused, if they were believed, the investigation and prosecution involved multiple examinations and interviews and multiple locations. That, in itself, Asmus-Roth said, was traumatic, and by the nature of things, could lead to inconsistencies in stories that made prosecution harder.

Now, because of the center, all of the professionals involved in a case -- attorneys, investigators, caseworkers, victim's advocates, and doctors, are all in one place and can be seen in one visit.

The work of the center is important, Asmus-Roth said, because she remembers what she heard in a previous job from adults who had been abused as children. They were often ignored or told they were making it up.

Today, she said, child abuse is less frequent, but because of greater awareness more often reported.

"Being here enables all of us to make sure that no kid who walks through our doors is going to say 50 years from now, 'no one believed me. No one supported me. I felt like I was all alone,' " Asmus-Roth said.

"I go back to that sense of wanting this to be the shelter in the storm. It's important to me that the children in our community know that no matter what happens outside when they come here, they'll be believed and they'll be supported."

For more about the center or to make a donation, visit www.justiceforchildrenadvocacycenter.org.

Kathleen Kogut, architect and project manager, from LaBella Associates, and Theresa Asmus-Roth, program coordinator for Justice for Children.

The staff of the Child Advocacy Center: Theresa Asmus-Roth, Brenda McQuillan -- mental health therapist, Amanda Czworka -- mental health therapist, Breana Crane -- victim assistant, Dave Libick -- family advocate, and Jessica Mitchell -- forensic interviewer.

New charges have been filed against a 22-year-old Batavia resident who is accused of taking an underage girl away from her home in Bergen on Nov. 29 and driving her to Pennsylvania.

Guillermo Jose Torres-Acevedo has been charged with custodial interference in the first degree, criminal contempt, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child.

The Nov. 29 incident prompted an amber alert for the girl. She was later located, allegedly with Torres-Acevedo at a Walmart in Mansfield, Pa., through a geolocation ping of her mobile phone.

Torres-Acevedo was taken into custody by authorities in Pennsylvania without incident and the girl was returned to her parents.

The girl and Torres-Acevedo knew each other and Torres-Acevedo had already been arrested in connection with his relationship with the girl and issued a stay-away order, which he allegedly violated, leading to a criminal contempt charge.

He's also been charged with grand larceny, 3rd, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle for allegedly stealing the Dodge Journey he is accused of using to transport the girl.

Torres-Acevedo remains in jail without bail.

Photos and article from BHS Coach Matt Holeman:

It was a cold, blustery snow globe kind of night for a ski race at Swain Resort for a two-run Giant Slalom Race. 

The Batavia Girls Team took fourth place with the top finishers of Lily Whiting (18th), Aubrey Towner (20th) and Tessa Cerefin (23rd) overall. Aubrey improved by almost 4 seconds on her second run that moved her up three places in the second-run standings.

Zach Wagner took 19th place overall for the boys, improving on his second run by a second moving him up six places in the second-run standings.

The Modified Team took fifth place with Ethan Bradley, Lily Wagner and Ben Stone as the top finishers.

The next race is a double race (both Slalom and Giant Slalom) on Saturday, Jan. 12, also at Swain.

Top photo, Zach Wagner; bottom, Lily Whiting.

Press release:

Graham Corporation (NYSE: GHM), a global business that designs, manufactures and sells critical equipment for the oil refining, petrochemical, power and defense industries, today announced that it has established Graham India Private Limited (“GIPL”) as a wholly owned subsidiary. GIPL, based in the northwest region of India, in Ahmedabad, has been initiated as a sales and market development office with an Indian national as sales director and business development leader.

Graham’s establishment of this new entity was driven by several strategic and macroeconomic factors. Asia is a key region for investment in new crude oil refining and petrochemical capacity, with India being an important market for such investments. The Company anticipates that stronger and more consistent consultative customer support will lead to expanded bidding participation in the region. Further, having a local presence is expected to enhance Graham’s development of India fabrication partners who can assist the Company in addressing government policy and preference for fabrication in India. Finally, Graham believes that having a local entity demonstrates its enduring commitment to the Indian refining, petrochemical and fertilizer markets.

James R. Lines, Graham’s president and chief executive officer, commented, “India continues to experience strong economic growth, projecting ongoing GDP growth surpassing 6 percent annually. We expect this growth will drive capital investment in new refining, petrochemical and fertilizer capacity, all of which are important end markets for Graham. Over time, we plan to build out GIPL’s organization structure with additional sales and engineering support staff, along with fabrication and quality control specialists. We believe that our local presence will increase bidding participation and, ultimately, increase market share within our targeted end markets.”

Syracuse.com: New York lawmakers unveil new anti-corruption measures

A hit-and-run accident is reported on Lewiston Road.

The suspect vehicle is a white Ryder box truck. Unknown direction of travel.

The victim is now at West Main and Woodrow Road.

A deputy is responding from Bethany.

A motor-vehicle accident is reported in the area of 677 Genesee St., Darien.

There are no injuries. The driver is out of the vehicle and walking around; however, the vehicle struck a gas meter causing a gas leak.

Darien fire dispatched.

A deputy on scene says, "you can contact the gas company. I can just hear the gas pouring out of there."

A dispatcher says they're on the phone with National Fuel now.

UPDATE 10:18 a.m.: Corfu fire requested to the scene.

UPDATE 10:38 a.m.: Genesee Street (Route 33) is being shut down west of the Village of Corfu.

At last night’s Jan. 8th regular meeting, the Le Roy Central School District Board of Education acknowledge receipt of the formal resignation of Board Member Lawrence Bonacquisti.

In Mr. Bonacquisti’s letter he noted, “I feel that being away for months at a time plus plans for extended vacations is not in the best interests of the community and the students whom I represent. It has been a real pleasure sharing Board efforts with such a fine staff, administration, and fellow colleagues.”

Mr. Bonacquisti has spent 78 years of his life in public education as either a student, teacher, coach, adjunct professor, mentor, and/or board member. He retired in 1993 after a 36-year teaching career at York Central School District, only to then continue on at Genesee Community College as an adjunct professor teaching Psychology. In 1997, Mr. Bonacquisti also supervised student teachers as a senior clinical supervisor at SUNY Geneseo.

Mr. Bonacquisti was an Advisory Member of the Genesee Wyoming BOCES Board from 1978 – 2002, and served on the Le Roy Central School District Board of Education from 2003 – 2018. During his time as a Le Roy school board member, Mr. Bonacquisti was selected as the 2014 Al Hawk Award Recipient for his “outstanding contributions to public education and children in his own community.”

Le Roy School Superintendent Merritt Holly stated, “It has been an absolute honor working with Mr. Bonacquisti over the past three years. His knowledge, experience, and passion for students will be sorely missed. On behalf of the Board, we wish Mr. Bonacquisti the best in his extended upcoming travels!”

Lastly, the Board of Education has decided to wait for the board election process to take place in May in order to fill the remainder of Mr. Bonacquisti's two-year term.

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) will consider accepting an application for incentives from Churchville Fire Equipment Corp. at the agency’s Jan. 10^th board meeting. 

The company is seeking to purchase land and build a truck setup facility in an existing facility on 10246 Perry Road in the Town of Pavillion.  The $900,000 investment by the company would create three new jobs.

Churchville Fire Equipment Corp. is seeking just over $50,000 in incentives, including sales and mortgage and property tax exemptions.

Churchville Fire Equipment Corp. has decades of experience in the fire and emergency services industry, and supplies area fire companies with life-saving equipment.

Press release:

Today Congressman Chis Collins (NY-27) formally requested that his paychecks be withheld during the partial government shutdown. Along with withholding his pay, Collins has cosponsored legislation that will ensure that the federal employees who keep our communities and nation safe are paid for their service as shutdown negotiations continue.
 
“I believe it’s unfair for me to receive pay while the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep our country safe are seeing their paychecks delayed,” Collins said. “I’ve requested that my paychecks be withheld until essential federal employees, like our Border Patrol and TSA agents who work to protect the safety and security of American citizens, are fully compensated for their duties during this partial government shutdown.”
 
The Providing Pay For Essential Employees Act, introduced by Congressman Bob Gibbs, (OH-07), and cosponsored by Collins, directs the Treasury Department to appropriate funds to cover the salaries and any expenses of any officer or employee of the federal government physically working during the partial government shutdown beginning on or about Dec. 22, 2018.
 
Collins added: “It’s time for partisan Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to quit using hardworking Americans as pawns as they stonewall efforts to secure the border and reopen our government. Protecting American citizens should be a top priority, and it is my hope that Congress and President Trump can work together to find a bipartisan solution that effectively secures our borders and reopens the federal government in a timely manner.”

Pembroke students Tuesday had a lot of questions for Astronaut David Saint-Jacques about being a space pioneer and life aboard the International Space Station.

Sixteen students were selected to ask questions and participating the planning of the event and today it all came together after months of preparation -- going back to April of last year -- during an assembly in the school's auditorium.

Saint-Jacques answered questions about what it was like to be in space, how his life inside the space station, what surprised him about going into space, and whether it was fun, along with addressing other topics.

Melissa Smith, a 7th and 8th-grade science teacher, took the lead on setting up the event and said it was a great opportunity to expose the students to things they may not otherwise get to do as part of their school experience. They learned about shortwave radio, the space station, about astronauts and they worked with members of the community to help bring it all together.

"We want to make a relatable experience for them so this was really cool because this isn't something we would necessarily teach in our curriculum, in our class, so it was a way we could go above and beyond what students normally learn," Smith said.

In all, 16 students were selected to ask questions during the eight or nine minutes the station was in position to connect via shortwave with a transmitter.

The ARISS event was managed by an international consortium of amateur radio organizations and space agencies including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium at SUNY Buffalo State, and members of the Genesee County Radio Amateurs (GRAM) Club.  Pamela Ware, from Corfu, and member of GRAM, holds an FCC amateur extra license and was the liaison for the team of radio operators who provided hands-on training and experience for Pembroke students. 

Here's something you don't see every day: A ring-necked pheasant in the city.

Joanne Fleming spotted the bird by Pizza Hut yesterday afternoon.