On Senior Night, Oakfield-Alabama beat Lyndonville 58-39.
Danica Porter scored 15 points for the Hornets and Makena Reding scored 14. Porter hit five three-point shots.
In other girls basketball last night, Batavia beat Olympia 55-35 (click here for coverage).
In boys basketball:
Photos by Kristin Smith.
A firefighter that responded to a fire alarm call is on the scene and informs a dispatcher, "the odor of marijuana smoke may have set it off."
"Copy," said the dispatcher, "odor of marijuana smoke."
Since we here at The Batavian pay little attention to fire alarm calls (99.99 percent of the time, false alarms), we didn't catch the location or which agency responded.
After a passenger in a vehicle stopped by a Batavia police officer bolted from the car at 6:01 p.m., Feb. 25, K9 Batu was pressed into service helping with his first apprehension of a fleeing subject.
Handler Stephen Quider and Batu started patrol duties together earlier this year.
Taken into custody was Dejon. J. Smith, 21, of Rochester. He was apprehended after a brief foot pursuit. Batu reportedly located Smith behind a residence on Ellicott Street.
Crack cocaine and marijuana were recovered at the scene of the traffic stop and police report finding additional crack cocaine inside the storage shed.
Also taken into custody was Germayne D. Session, 27, of Rochester.
Smith is charged with: criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell; criminal possession of a controlled substance, 4th; burglary, 3rd; unlawful possession of marijuana, 2nd; tampering with physical evidence; resisting arrest; and obstruction of governmental administration.
Session was charged with driving a vehicle with a revoked or suspended registration, unlicensed operation, unlawful possession of marijuana, 2nd.
Smith was turned over to Irondequoit Police Department on an unrelated warrant and Session was released on an appearance ticket.
Batavia Lady Devils vs. Olympia, via Batavia High School Athletics.
Police Reform and Reinvention Committee for Genesee County
This is the first in a series this week of interviews with this year's winners of awards from the Chamber of Commerce, starting with UMMC, winner of the Service Award for 2020. We'll be talking with President Dan Ireland.
Oakfield-Alabama beat Holley 72-37 on Monday to give Head Coach Ryan Stehlar his 100th career win.
Kaden Cusmano scored 24 points to lead the Hornets. Travis Wiedrich scored 16 points and Gaige Armbrewster scored nine.
Also in boys basketball
Photo by Kristin Smith.
Oakfield-Alabama beat Holley on Monday, 49-17.
Makena Reding scored 11 points for the Hornets. Kelsey Schlagenhauf scored nine.
O-A is now 5-3 on the year.
In other girls games:
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more photos, click here.
Taylor Augello scored 21 points against Byron-Bergen on Monday night to lead Elba to a 64-37 victory.
The Lady Lancers are now 10-0 on the season.
Brynn Walczak scored 14 points and had 12 rebounds. Laci Sewar scored nine points.
For the Bees, Ava Wagoner scored 15 points and Sasha Schramm scored 11. MacKenzie Senf had eight rebounds.
via Batavia Athletics
Via Batavia Athletics
Oakfield-Alabama fell to Attica in a Saturday game 60-56.
For the Hornets, Gaige Armbrewster scored 15 points, Petyon Yasses scored 12, Kaden Cusmano 11, and Travis Wiedrich 10.
In other boys basketball:
In girls basketball:
Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here. For O-A JV, click here.
The House of Representatives Friday passed a $1.9 triillion stimulus bill but NY-27's Rep. Chris Jacobs was not among those who voted in support of the package.
Jacobs called the bill a "partisan package" that did not meet the needs of all Americans. The Republican congressman accused Democrats of rejecting efforts to reach a bipartisan compromise.
Here's his statement:
“Today, we didn’t vote on a focused, fiscally responsible, or targeted COVID-19 relief bill. The bill before the House today was a partisan package designed to advance an agenda, not the needs of the American people. Sadly, Democrats have rejected over 200 attempts at bipartisan consensus to cut costs and improve this legislation.
“More support is needed to defeat COVID-19, and I would have supported a targeted measure that bolstered vaccine distribution, aided struggling local governments, and reopened schools. Yet only 9 percent of the total funding of this package goes to public health measures to defeat COVID-19, and only 5 percent of the $130 billion in school funding will be used this year. In fact, $670 billion of this total package will not even be spent in 2021.
“This bill should have focused on the immediate needs to protect Americans and reopen our country. However, with over $1 trillion still left unspent from previous aid packages and no bipartisan input to craft this legislation – the result can only be described as a disservice to the American people. While there are provisions in this bill I support, it contained numerous provisions that I could not in good faith support or justify.”
The bill passed without a single Republican House member supporting it and two Democrats joining in with the opposition.
If the bill passes the Senate -- which is by no means certain -- it would mean a third round of pandemic-related stimulus checks for Americans, this time for $1,400 per taxpayer.
The bill also includes $350 billion for state and local governments, a proposal generally opposed by Republicans in the Senate. The GOP opposition is based on a belief that Democratic-controlled states have bungled their own finances and shouldn't be bailed out by the Federal government. But even some Republican governors have said their states need the aid.
Jacobs has repeatedly said he supports providing financial support to local governments. He issued statements in October and November calling for more pandemic-related aid to local governments.
A spokesman for Jacobs noted that the congressman supported the CARES act, which allocated funding to local governments, with larger cities getting a direct distribution while it was up to the state to distribute the funds to smaller municipalities and counties. The spokesman said that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has dragged his feet in this regard.
"Furthermore, the CARES Act had a provision that required funding given to governments could only be used for COVID-19 related expenses, not to cover deficits or lost revenues," the spokesman said. "This was done to ensure mismanaged state governments, such as New York that had a $6 billion budget deficit prior to COVID, could not use the relief funding to cover their own prior expenses."
Jacobs is a cosponsor of the SMART Act, which would provide $500 billion to state and local governments, with one-third, or $161 billion, going directly to local governments. The aid would be distributed on proportional need, and county governments could use this funding to cover revenue losses, COVID-19 expenses, and other costs.
The bill has been stalled in a House committee since the fall.
But Jacobs continues to support the need to provide more relief to local governments, the spokesman said, even if he couldn't support the current stimulus package.
"The Congressman understands the impact that COVID-19 has had on budgets, especially at the local level," he said. "He recognizes these localities need this aid urgently, given they provide essential services ranging from EMS to public safety to education, and they also employ thousands of individuals across NY-27."
This afternoon, we're featuring WNY musician and songwriter Tom Mullen. He's from Buffalo and his wife is from Le Roy.
Here's some background:
Tom Mullen has been making music for over 30 years. During the 1990s, he was lead singer, guitarist, and principle songwriter for The Skeptics, an alternative power pop band that enjoyed regional acclaim and CMJ charting. Tom has opened shows for national acts The Tubes and 10,000 Maniacs and appeared twice on A.M. Buffalo with The Skeptics, as well as Nickel City Scene. He released his 2nd solo CD, Unfamiliar Ground, in 2018.
Tom’s music has been compared to Elvis Costello, R.E.M., The Wallflowers, and Fountains of Wayne. His influences include Buddy Holly, The Beatles, Elvis Costello, R.E.M., and much more.
Tom's new full-length CD, Into the Twilight, is receiving significant airplay and is climbing the College Radio Charts. He has released a music video for the lead single off the album, “Invisible Hand.”
More information can be found at www.skepticsongs.com.
Tom is originally a native of Buffalo and a graduate of Canisius College. He earned a master’s degree in English from Buffalo State College. He lives with his family in Western New York.
Oakfield-Alabama notched its fourth win of the season Friday with a 42-32 win over Attica.
Makena Reding scored 12 points for the Hornets and Kelsey Schlagenhauf added 10.
In other girls basketball:
In boys basketball:
The Elba Lady Lancers now have three starters in the 1,000 point club, with Brynn Walczak reaching the milestone early in the first quarter last night on a two-pointer in the paint.
Within the past week, both Leah Bezon and Maddie Muehlig scored their 1,000th career points.
Elba is now 9-0 on the season after blowing out Lyndonville 75-51.
Taylor Augello scored 19 points, Muehlig and Walczak both scored 15 points, and Bezon added 12. Muehlig and Walczak each had six rebounds.
For Lyndonville, Ella Lewis scored 19 points.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
The construction of a hydrogen fuel production facility at WNY Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park will have benefits for Genesee County that go far beyond the 68 jobs expected to go along with the $290 million project, said Steve Hyde, CEO of the Genesee County Economic Development Center, in an interview this afternoon.
Besides positioning STAMP to potentially be a big part of New York's green energy future, Plug Power has agreed to invest more than $55 million in a 450-megawatt electrical substation that other potential STAMP manufacturers can tap into.
"This is a big, huge investment," Hyde said. "This will more than double our investment into infrastructure in STAMP."
While some infrastructure is already in place much of the infrastructure construction for STAMP has been on hold until an advanced manufacturer agreed to locate a plant in the 1,250-acre mega site. Now the business development team at GCEDC will be able to tell site selectors that critical infrastructure, such as the substation, will be in place by a time-specific date. That may help some site selectors who have been kicking the tires of STAMP -- including, according to news reports, Samsung -- make a final decision about their construction plans.
STAMP has been Hyde's dream project for more than a decade and throughout all these years he has cheerfully repeated, "economic development is a marathon and not a sprint." He used the phrase again today.
And he's not across the finish line yet. There is still a purchase agreement to complete and get approved by the GCEDC board with Power Plug as well as ironing out the final figures on an incentive package to help bring down development costs for the company. Typically these include a PILOT (payments made in lieu of taxes), and tax abatements on construction materials.
New York has already committed to providing $2 million in tax credits for job-creation its Excelsior program. These are incentives the company will not receive unless they meet job creation targets.
Plug Power will tap into clean hydroelectronic power from Niagara Falls to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen will be liquified, stored in tanks, and transported to Henrietta where Power Plug is building a hydrogen fuel cell factory.
Many of those fuel cells will be used in forklifts and other warehouse equipment used by companies like Walmart and Amazon, giving those companies a cost-effective and 100-percent carbon-free source of energy for a key part of its operations.
Hydrogen fuel cells will also be available for long-haul trucking as well as other applications.
"We're going to be part of a 100-percent green, renewable energy ecosystem," Hyde said.
He said that will help make STAMP attractive to other companies participating in New York's push to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy.
That viewpoint mirrors the opportunity for STAMP to become an innovative hub for green energy with 1366 Technologies, which manufactures state-of-the-art solar wafer chips, announcing its intention to build a plant in STAMP in 2015. That proposal fell apart after years of delays because the Department of Energy would not sign off on a previously promised loan guarantee. Then Rep. Chris Collins apparently did nothing during that time to help push the project along with the DOE.
The DOE will not be as heavily involved in this project and Rep. Chris Jacobs seems to have no reservations about supporting the project. He issued this statement this evening:
“Landing Plug Power is an incredible win for Genesee County and the entire region. Thanks to the great work of the Genesee County Economic Development Center, the STAMP site is attracting high-tech, innovative businesses to bolster our region and provide high-paying jobs to Western New York. This is only the beginning, and I’ll do whatever I can to help bring more opportunities to our area.”
The Plug Power plant is expected to produce 45 tons of hydrogen fuel on a daily basis.
The New York Power Authority is supporting the project with:
Power Plug is investing another $125 million in a facility in Henrietta to create fuel cells. The project is expected to create another 377 jobs for the region.
In a statement released yesterday, Plug Power CEO Andy Marsh said, "Plug Power's future rightfully revolves around building the green hydrogen economy. We are grateful our home state of New York supports aggressive climate and clean energy initiatives. And, that Plug Power's green hydrogen solutions can make such an impact on positive environmental and economic climates in the state."
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Coworkers and Sheriff's Office senior staff gave two retiring staff members respectful, socially distanced, farewells this afternoon.
Correction Officer Kelly P. Creegan retired after 19 years with the department and Catherine T. Uhly closed the books on a 20-year career with Genesee Justice.
Previously: Sheriff's Office announces retirements of two staff members
Photos submitted by the Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff William Sheron, Kelly Creegan, Undersheriff Bradley Mazur, and Jail Superintendent William Zipfel.
Sheron, Catherine T. Uhly, and Mazur
Interview with Merritt Holly, superintendent, Le Roy Central schools, about going back to full-time in-class teaching and the school's capital project.
Both Bryn Luckey and Jillian Curtis did their part Thursday night in Le Roy but it wasn't enough for the Lady Knights to overcome Haverling.
Haverling won 60-45.
Luckey scored 23 points and Curtis scored 13 and pulled in 12 rebounds. Goose Dunn had nine rebounds.
In other girls basketball:
Photos by Tim McArdle.
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