Stories from

A motor-vehicle accident is reported, possibly two, on West Main Street at Bogue Avenue, with minor injuries.

City fire and Mercy EMS responding.

A bit of rain didn't stop 2-year-old Braxton going out trick-or-treating for the first time with his father Russell Schmidt, of Batavia.

Below are photos from Washington Avenue, Ellicott Avenue, Summit Street, and City Church's Halloween party at St. Anthony's.

The second picture is Officer Kevin DeFelice right after he ran out of candy for the kids on Ellicott. DeFelice said BJ's donated candy and he had 20 pounds to give out. He gave two pieces to each child and ran out in two hours.

Press release:

Nate McMurray, Democrat and Working Families Party candidate for Congress in NY-27, today pledged to vote against any cuts to Medicare and Social Security once he is elected.

"Social Security and Medicare are vitally important to so many folks, who now live in fear that these programs will be cut by politicians in Washington," McMurray said. "My opponent voted to create the deficit that is now being used as a justification for these cuts; he was wrong then, and he’s wrong now if he refuses to take this pledge.

"These are programs that seniors have paid into their entire lives and benefits they have earned. But Chris Collins lacks the independence to stand up for our seniors, and the integrity to admit that he was wrong."

McMurray has made Social Security and healthcare key components of his campaign, a stark contrast to indicted incumbent Chris Collins who has a 0 percent rating from the Alliance for Retired Americans.

McMurray believes Social Security and Medicare are earned benefits, and he notes that many senior citizens of Western New York and across the country depend on them to survive. He believes in protecting coverage for preexisting conditions and making healthcare accessible to all Americans.

A minor-injury, two-car accident is reported at Richmond Avenue and Oak Street, Batavia.

City fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

With rainfall anticipated of 1.5 to 2 inches anticipated, and the ground already saturated, the National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Genesee County starting Thursday afternoon and continuing through Friday afternoon.

The NWS stated:

Excessive runoff from heavy rainfall may result in minor flooding of poor drainage areas and small creeks from late Thursday afternoon through early Friday morning. Minor flooding is also possible on some of the larger creeks and rivers on Friday, including the upper Genesee River, upper Allegheny River, and Buffalo area creeks.

Crews have been working on removing a large tree from the front of 113 Jackson St. for a couple of days. Today, they had a crane out to help as the tree was cut into sections and lowered to the ground.

The K-Kids were on hand at St. Joe's today to help the Batavia Kiwanis Club promote its annual Pancake Day, which will be held from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, at the school.

Tickets are $6 for an adult and $4 for children and seniors.

No injuries are reported in an accident in the area of 1506 Broadway, Darien, but a utility pole and wires are down.

Darien fire and ambulance dispatched.

Press release:

For the second time in the past year, indicted incumbent Chris Collins has ducked high school student who want to hear from their representative. Nate McMurray, Democrat and Working Families Party candidate who is challenging Collins in NY-27, condemned Collins for his refusal to engage with high school students and failure to participate in any debates with less than a week before the election.

"It says a lot about a guy if he’s too scared to talk to high school students, and it makes it even worse when it’s his job to listen to the people he represents,” McMurray said. “In the spring, it was Clarence students wanting to talk about gun violence in schools.

Today, it was St. Joe’s students who have proudly hosted debates for the last 30 years. These aren’t political operatives or insiders, they’re young people who will be the future of our country and who just want to have a voice in the discussion.”

In April, Collins declined an invitation to a “Town Hall for Our Lives” hosted by Clarence High School students, calling the students “radical partisans.”

Today, St. Joe’s learned that Collins planned to skip the debate from a local radio broadcast. McMurray attended both events and plans to meet with Clarence High School students on Friday. He will also be at the forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.

"It’s typical of millionaires like Collins to look down on voters like us, and he just doesn’t have the backbone or character to talk with students or debate. Eleven felony counts, out on bail and a flight risk, and he just makes himself more of an embarrassment to our community with his cowardice. He’s got one more chance today, and then it’s three strikes and he’s out -- of office!”

East Pembroke fire has been dispatched to the Apple Grove Mobile Home Park on Pratt Road, Batavia, to assist a man whose leg has become stuck in a sinkhole.

Press release:

The Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation (GGLDC) will consider approving a revised and consolidated loan as well as two purchase and sale agreements for parcels in the Gateway II Corporate Park at the agency’s board meeting Thursday, Nov. 1st.

Yancey’s Fancy has requested the revision and consolidation of a January 2017 loan for an expansion project at the company’s town of Pembroke facility. A $233,449 loan from the corporation’s Revolving Loan Fund #2 will close out the fund in its entirety. It would be consolidated with two outstanding GGLDC loans for a total of $340,000.

Mega Properties, Inc. is seeking to purchase a 22.2-acre parcel of land at the Gateway II Corporate Park in the town of Batavia in order to construct a 60,000-square-foot facility. The company owns Mega Properties Inc., which also is located at Gateway.

Wellsville Carpet Town Inc. also is seeking to purchase a parcel of land at the Gateway II Corporate Park. Wellsville Carpet Town plans to construct a 15,000- to 20,000-square-foot facility for an outlet center at the site on approximately 2.9 acres. A purchase and sale agreement set the land price at $45,000 per acre. The company owns Ashley HomeStore, a business also located in the Gateway II Corporate Park.

Both Mega Properties Inc. and Wellsville Carpet Town Inc. may seek incentives from the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) in the future.

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) will consider approving incentives for two projects at the agency’s Nov. 1st board meeting.

The Ellicott Station Project in the City of Batavia is a mixed-use brownfield redevelopment project including adaptive re-use and new construction of a blighted property in a key gateway to downtown Batavia.

Savarino Companies, the project’s developer, has requested a PILOT agreement for the $22.5 million project be expanded to meet the financing needed for the project’s expanded scope and scale. A revised incentives package is valued at an estimated $3.25 million, including a property tax abatements and sales and mortgage tax exemptions.

The Ellicott Station project is anticipated to create 68 full-time equivalent jobs, the construction of a 99,000-square-foot brewery, including a restaurant and beer garden, and the construction of a five-story apartment building with 55 apartments and class-A office space.

Gateway GS LLC is seeking an $18,000 mortgage tax exemption for the first of five planned 27,000-square-foot spec buildings to be constructed at the Gateway II Corporate Park in the town of Batavia.

The $2.6 million project, which is being done by Gallina Development Corporation, has previously received approval for property and sales tax abatements.

We get a lot of questions about the construction project off of State Street next to the Thruway in Batavia.

The project is a new 30,000-square-foot warehouse and service center for Freightliner & Western Star of Batavia, LLC. The company is expanding beyond its current West Seneca location.

The company wanted a location close to the BOCES campus and plans to create at least 30 new jobs.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center approved $437,652 in sales, mortgage and property tax exemptions for the $4.35 million project.

The project also received a $465,000 state grant because of the educational component of the facility.

Construction finally began just over a week ago on a new four-story, 64-room hotel on Federal Drive in the Gateway II project.

The hotel will be operated by Oakfield Hospitality LLC, a company headed by Ash Patel, and branded as a Fairfield Inn.

While Oakfield Hospitality acquired the property from Genesee County Economic Development Center, the project has not received any incentives from the IDA.

Tom Turnbull, president of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, said the new hotel will help bring more visitors to Batavia.

"The addition of the Fairfield Inn to Genesee County’s inventory of hotel properties adds one of the only large flagship chains – Marriott – not represented in our county," Turnbull said. "The familiarity of the Marriott name and the loyalty to its brand by its customers means even more people will be staying in Genesee County hotels.

"That means not only more revenue for the hotels but also from restaurants, retail shops and other ancillary businesses in our area. More tourism revenue also means more sales tax revenue from sources outside of the county, which should help reduce the burden on county taxpayers."

Students at Notre Dame walked through the school's neighborhood today in support of their effort to raise funds so a school in Uganda can have clean, safe drinking water.

The students raised $4,635.30 through donations from friends and family. Mary Vandenbosch, a senior, raised the most money, $955. Sophomore MacKenzy Nenni raised $312.

Fifth Ward City Council Representative Kathy Briggs was with John Roach this afternoon walking the area around Thorpe Street to better see for herself, she said, what a proposal to make Thorpe one-way would mean for the neighborhood.

Briggs said she stopped to talk with local residents, especially those living on Thorpe, about the idea.

The plan is to make Thorpe one-way for southbound traffic and allow parking on one side of the street. Thorpe was apparently one-way many years ago and nobody knows how or when it changed, Briggs said.

There will be a public hearing on the proposal Nov. 26 and Briggs hopes for a City Council vote on the change at its Dec. 10 meeting.

"The folks on Thorpe (she spoke to today) like it a lot," Briggs said. "At my ward meetings they've been complaining about traffic that zooms down Thorpe Street and it’s so narrow and kids are out playing so they’re excited about this."

Press release:

On Monday, Oct. 29, Le Roy Jr.-Sr. High School hosted a Senior Citizen Knight. Seniors were treated to a pasta dinner and dessert prepared and cooked by our students, and enjoyed live student music entertainment, games, and companionship!

This event was organized by a committee of students from our Emerging Knights Leadership Team.

Students reached out for donations, advertised the event, and organized the student volunteers and entertainment.

More than 70 senior citizens attended the evening, which was hosted in the Le Roy Jr.-Sr. High School Cafe. More than 30 student volunteers prepared the dinner, cooked, greeted, served, washed the dishes, performed live music, led bingo, played games, and, most importantly, interacted with the guests.

We would like to thank the following people/businesses who graciously donated their time or goods for this event: Laurie Locke, Barilla, Jeff Condidorio, Wegmans, CH Wright, Le Roy Rotary, and Netsins Ice Cream!

From two of the guests:

"Thank you so much for all your hard work on the Senior Knight Dinner. My family and I really enjoyed ourselves -- great food, great service, great music, you covered it all, thanks again for a wonderful evening!"

"The meal was delicious. The conversations wonderful. And your students were very polite, courteous, personable, and considerate. What a pleasant experience for us and hopefully for them also."

From Maria Cacho, Emerging Knights Leadership Team member:

"I thought the Senior Citizen Knight helped the students reconnect with the community. It made us realize that our community cares about us and they're always driving us into finding more opportunities in leadership and kindness."

From Tim McArdle, Le Roy Jr.-Sr. High School Principal:

"It was a true pleasure to host this event and welcome so many seniors from our community. Many of them were alums who have supported our school for many years. We are so proud of our students and how well they represented themselves and our school. It is in these type of events that all of their skills are put to the test and we cannot be more thankful for their leadership and efforts. We never underestimate our students and these events continue to be a reminder that when given the chance, our young people do not disappoint. The compassion and respect that was on display was nothing short of impressive. We look forward to continuing these types of events moving forward!"

The Balance: Trump and the National Debt