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CLARIFICATION: Dr. Kirk Scirto informed us on Oct. 18 that he did not say that he represented the Seneca Nation. 

It's unusual for opponents of a development project to speak at Genesee County Planning Board meetings, but two people opposed the proposed Edwards Vaccum plant at WNY STAMP and of the STAMP project itself were at Thursday's meeting.

Both spoke after a representative of Edwards made his presentation to the board and after the board voted to recommend approval of the site plan review and final subdivision.

Both speakers raised a number of environmental concerns, all of which were later refuted in interviews after the meeting by representatives of Edwards and the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

Edwards is proposing a manufacturing facility that will be 236,000 square feet and sit on a 50-acre parcel.  The company is a subsidiary of Atlas Copco Group and is planning a $319 plant that will build a semiconductor dry pump, a necessary component in maintaining cleanrooms for companies that make computer chips.

Dr. Kirk Scirto, a family physician in Akron, said he represented the Seneca Nation as well as a coalition of environment groups and as many as 500 residents who oppose both the Edwards Vacuum project as well as STAMP.

"I urge you strongly to recommend disapproval of the Edwards vacuum project," Scirto said. "Know that Tonawanda Seneca Nation lies at the border, immediately at the border of STAMP. They have sued to block its development along with a separate suit to do the same by the Orleans County Legislature. And now the town of Shelby has joined us in the suit. The community impacts of this project in Genesee County are also very troubling, and it's shocking that entities in Genesee County have not yet sued. Although that should change shortly."

The other opposition speaker was Evelyn Wackett, who admitted that she didn't know anything about WNY STAMP, despite heavy coverage of the high-tech industrial park in local and regional news outlets for more than 13 years, until this past Arbor Day. Wackett, a resident of Buffalo, said she is a licensed wildlife rehabbed in Erie County.

"As I looked into it and learned about it, I kind of started getting a little bit upset," Wackett said. "It seems to me a little fishy the way things are going on with this whole project. We come out of the COVID lockdowns, and all of a sudden, Plug Power is there. And now Edwards is coming in."

Vehicle Traffic
Scirto's first objection was to traffic in and out of the Edwards site, both for the additional traffic on local roads and emissions.

"The Edwards Vacuum project would be an immense generation of traffic, according to the February 2023 SEQR that was written by the Genesee EDC," Scirto said. "We've heard some different estimations today, so I'm a bit confused about that. According to GCEDC, vehicles would be expected to enter the leave STAMP every one to two seconds all day every day. This would dramatically slow down local routes, including routes 77 and 63, which may be forced to become 30-mile-per-hour roads."

It's not clear where he got the speed-limit change data.

"Air pollution would be a second major impact, and it will be produced by diesel trucks and other vehicles, and in the chemical emissions of Edwards vacuum itself," Scirto said.

Mark Masse, senior VP for operations for GCEDC, suggested Scirto is misreading the SEQR (an environmental review document) that included the WNY STAMP infrastructure projects and both Edwards Vacuum and a parallel warehousing development that hasn't been discussed much publicly.  In the SEQR report, nearly all of the contemplated traffic, Masse indicated, could be attributed to the warehouse project.

The estimated one or two truck trips per day for STAMP, as discussed by David Ciurzynski, a local consultant representing Edwards Vacuum in the meeting, is accurate, Masse said.

"It (the SEQR) was about a 23-page resolution," Masse said. "I'm sure if somebody was unaware of what they were looking at, it would be easy for them to get confused."

Toxins and Chemicals
"If they're able to dodge the extensive lawsuits already initiated and those which will be coming shortly, then they will be allowed to emit various toxins into the air," Scirto said. "Some of these toxins can cause cancer and irritate the eyes in the respiratory tract of people. This, combined with air pollution, would cause or worsen asthma, allergies, emphysema, respiratory infections, and heart disease, especially for those living closest to the factory and its intense traffic."

He said documents on the company website reveal that Edwards Vacuum uses chemicals and fibers that are dangerous to human health.

Ciurzynski said that Scirto is using outdated documents and documents not relevant to this project to make his claims.  He said Edwards makes a wide range of products that are referenced in publically available documents, but the company is making a very specific pump in the facility. There is no foundry, and nothing dangerous will be emitted from the factory, so much of what Scirto referenced is irrelevant.

"We're not releasing any toxins," Ciurzynski said. "Our process -- we're not releasing anything. Air permits will be issued by the DEC. They're required because every building has exhaust, so we have to get permits from the DEC. They are going to be approved by the DEC to all be basically zero emissions. We're not releasing anything into the sewers other than toilets and sinks and things like that. So it's human waste, you know, from people working in our plant. Our process water, any wastewater that we have (from manufacturing), is getting toted off-site. Everything that we're doing is intentional to minimize the effect on our community and our systems. We're not, we don't want to tax any part of the community. We don't want to tax the community. So that's why we made these extra efforts to make sure that those processes are handled properly."

Fire safety
"The protection of community character would be challenged by the threat of explosions from Edwards vacuum," Scirto said. "According to their safety data sheets, they use dozens of flammable and several explosive chemicals."

Ciurzynski said, "We're building a specific pump here. It's not all of Edwards vacuums products. We don't have chemicals that are spontaneously going to combust. Everything is going on is within the regulations of the EPA and the DEC."

Wetlands
Scirto also claimed that Edwards is planning to build on top of environmentally sensitive wetlands and faulted The Batavian for previously reporting otherwise.

The Batavian's prior story was based on official government reports that could have easily been obtained by Scirto prior to the meeting.  Both representatives of Edward and GCEDC said both the planning document and The Batavian's story were accurate.  There will be no wetlands disturbed by the Edwards facility.

Wackett said, "In the article in The Batavian, I read about the wetlands and not disturbing the wetlands. Well, let me make a comment that we already disturbed the wetlands. How many spills have we had now already trying to construct this sewer pipe? 600 gallons of fracking fluid is now inside the refuge. That endangered bog turtle. That endangered short-eared owls. And all that endangered northern Harrier -- all those species depend on these wetlands. It's a migratory bird route that you guys just decided to, I don't know about you guys (meaning the planning board), but Genesee County Economic Development Center decided to just plop an industrial park right in the middle of the Tonawanda State Wildlife Management Area, the Iroquois National Wildlife Areas, protected area. I don't understand how they can just put a sewer pipeline in the middle of it."

The STAMP project is entirely outside of both protected areas.

Masse said in the hallway as soon as the meeting was over, "To clarify, there are no wetlands being impacted by this project."

Ciurzynski immediately added, "Your story was accurate. Our survey has been registered with the town and this county. To avoid this (wetlands), we didn't buy that land (containing wetlands)."

As for Wackett's claim that GCEDC that "600 gallons of fracking fluid is now inside the refuge," Masse said that statement isn't accurate.

He said during the construction of the wastewater pipeline, a channel is drilled through the subsurface and then filled with what is essentially mud to hold the line's shape while the pipe is slid into place. "

"It's basically water and clay," Masse said. "The soil is so soft that it actually ended up going out through the soil. We've done the appropriate cleanups, we had an approved frac-out plan with the DEC ahead of time as part of our permitting. We are making improvements to it, and all of that cleanup and review is subject to the DEC review."

Asked to clarify what happened, Masse said, "In some cases in the refuge, the ground is so porous that when they put the mud in, it leaks out through the sides. It came up to the surface. And that's what they call a frac-out. But it is nothing more than mud. So we had vac trucks on site and cleaned it up. We have subject to DEC inspection on that and in accordance with our frac-out plan."

He said the frac-out has been cleaned up, and while still subject to a DEC follow-up inspection, Masse indicated the event posed no threat to wildlife.

Owls
"I just need to make the comment for the short-eared owl," Wackett said. "From what I understand and what I've read, that the short-eared owl has already declined in numbers since this project has started."

Masse said GCEDC has followed all DEC guidelines and regulations regarding the short-eared owl and north Harrier. 

"Essentially," Masse said, the short-eared owl northern Harrier issue has been resolved as we've received a permit to be able to develop that property. As a part of that, we've created a grassland habitat for those birds as the offset for the impact and taking that property. And that permit was issued, I think, in June or July."

As for Wackett's claim that the owl population has already declined, Masse said there is no evidence of that, and there can't be any definitive evidence because of the migratory habit of the species.

"We've done studies over the years, and those birds are non-geo specific, which means they don't come back to the same location every year," Masse said. "So they could be here one year, they could go somewhere else for six years, they could come back here in year seven. I'm sure statewide studies are being done, but whether those are higher or lower, it's hard to tell."

Lawsuits
At the start of his talk, Scirto said the Seneca Nation had sued to stop the STAMP development.  It's unclear if that was a reference to the 2021 lawsuit filed against GCEDC that was later settled or if he believes there is a pending lawsuit. GCEDC officials are unaware of any pending lawsuit filed by the Seneca Nation.

Orleans County has filed a lawsuit in a dispute over the sewer pipeline project that runs north into Orleans County. It's not clear from the language of the suit that the aim is to "stop" STAMP, as Scirto claimed during the meeting.  The Town of Shelby recently voted to join the lawsuit, even though Shelby previously approved the pipeline.

Whatever is going on with the lawsuits, Edwards Vacuum is not concerned, Ciurzynski said.

"It doesn't concern us because we do care about the environment," Ciurzynski said. "We care about the local people, the farmers. Something people need to know is Edwards Vacuum and Atlas Copco are really conscientious and intentional about their science-based initiatives to reduce their global footprint, global carbon footprint."

Returning to the issue of emissions raised by Scirto, Ciurzynski indicated Edwards has a plant in Korea doing what the Alabama plant will do, but it is "landlocked." It can expand. The STAMP site gives Edwards room for growth, but it also means its products will no longer be shipped by air cargo to the U.S., which will cut carbon emissions.

"Unfortunately, in building, you're not gonna make everybody happy," Ciurzynski said. "We can't keep everything pristine and green. We're trying to keep more than 60 percent of the site green. We're trying to make the building as green as possible by going all-electric, not having fossil fuels.

As part of the green effort, the site will have walking paths so people can enjoy the green space.

Masse said GCEDC has been complying with environmental regulations throughout the planning and development process.

"We've been working with the DEC, the Army Corps of Engineers, and our permit through the Wildlife Refuge took five years to obtain. There were two public meetings, and public hearings were held, and with that, there was a NEPA process done. We followed all the appropriate regulatory steps through this process to date. We are as transparent, and I think you would admit that we are as transparent and organization as you're going to find. We've done everything out in the open. We've done everything in the public. We've done every approval we need to do, and we continue to, and I don't think people realize how much the regulatory agencies have oversight over all construction, over all of the development. You talk stormwater management to the DEC. You talk about construction safety to the Town of Alabama. Operational-wise, it's the town of Alabama, it's the DEC. So there are enough regulatory agencies where I don't think a company would be able to do some of the things that had been said here today without being found immediately, without having somebody know what's going on. So I don't know if they just don't understand how development works. But the amount of oversight and regulatory oversight that happens in New York State is a lot."

The Seneca Nation
Both Ciurzynski and Masse said Edwards and STAMP want to be good neighbors to the Tonawanda Indian Reservation.

"We do care about Native Americans," Ciurzynski said. "We want them to be part of our facility. We want them to work with us. We want them to work at our facility. We want to provide livelihoods so that they can have generational jobs that they don't have to drive miles to get to. It's right next door. You can have a good job and work with wonderful people in a LEAD-certified building that's as green as possible."

Masse said GCEDC has always been open to working with tribal leaders.

"We've been outreaching with the Nation diligently for at least the last seven years, if not the last 13," Masse said. "They just choose not to participate, which is their right."

Public Awareness
As to the implication raised by Wackett that people have been kept in the dark, Masse noted that GCEDC has hosted a number of well-publicized public meetings and public hearings.  There was ample opportunity 13 years ago to raise the objections being raised now.

"There are 60,000 people in Genesee County, and we had two people show up who opposed this and said they said they had 500," Masse said. "In the grand scheme of things, you know, I understand people want to be heard. But the majority of the people here, like the Town of Alabama, spoke 13 years ago. And quite honestly, the time to express your concerns about the project would have been 13 years ago when we were going through the EIS process. I think we held 25 to 30 public meetings. So you know, that process was a public process. And there are a lot of concerns voiced, but at the end of the day, the community overwhelmingly was in favor of it."

Voters in the Le Roy Central School District will be asked to vote on a proposed $12.5 million capital improvement project that would provide upgrades to buildings and facilities in the school district and not result in additional taxes levied on properties in the district.

The vote was approved by the Board of Education on Tuesday and is scheduled for noon to 8 p.m. on Dec. 5 in the Library Media Center of Wolcott Street School.

For more details about the proposal, see The Batavian's previous story: Le Roy Central Schools reviewing $12.5 million capital project for facilities repairs, multipurpose sports field

Using artful ball handling and precision passing, Byron-Bergen picked apart Alexander's defense and notched its 13th win of the season in Girls Soccer, beating the Trojans 6-0.

Scoring:

• Makenzie Hagen, assisted by Mia Gray 
• Emma Starowitz, assisted by Mia Gray
• Mia Gray, unassisted
• Mia Gray, assisted by Libby Starowitz
• Grace Diquattro, unassisted
• Makenzie Hagen, assisted by Mia Gray

Nova Pocock and Natalie Prinzi combined in goal for the shutout.

"We do have very talented players," said Head Coach Wayne Hill when asked about his team's quality play. "They’ve put a lot of time in over the years working on their skills. We have an excellent JV and modified program with equally fantastic coaches. They prepare our kids to succeed at each level."

The Bees, with one regular season game left at home on Friday against Wheatland-Chili, are 13-3 and seeded #4 in Class C2. 

All three losses for the Bees game against higher-class teams -- 2-0 to Class AA Our Lady of Mercy, 4-1 to Class A Aquinas, and 5-4 against Class B Nichols.

"We’ve played a difficult schedule this year, which we are hoping prepares us for a successful postseason," Hill said.

Last season, Byron-Bergen went into the post-season undefeated and didn't lose until the state championship semifinal game in Cortland.

For more photos or to purchase prints, click here.

A 30-year-old Batavia resident has been accused of dealing drugs following a six-month investigation by the Local Drug Task Force.

Leonard A. Johnson, III, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.  The charges are Class B felonies.

Johnson is accused of selling crack cocaine to an agent of the task force in Batavia on two separate occasions. 

Following an arraignment in County Court on the sealed Grand Jury indictment, Johnson was released on his own recognizance.

The task force was assisted by Sheriff's deputies and the District Attorney's Office in the investigation and apprehension of Johnson.

Akeem R. Gibson is indicted on counts of reckless endangerment in the first degree, a Class D felony, fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, a Class A misdemeanor, speeding, a traffic infraction, criminal trespass in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor, resisting arrest, a Class A misdemeanor, and obstructing governmental administration, a Class A misdemeanor. Gibson is accused of driving a vehicle into oncoming traffic on July 30 on Walkers Corners Road, Town of Byron, showing depraved indifference to human left, creating a grave risk of death to another person. He is accused of fleeing a patrol car at speeds that exceeded 25 mph over the posted speed limit. He is accused of entering an apartment at 335 Bank St., Batavia, and remaining unlawfully in the dwelling. He is accused of trying to prevent a police officer from lawfully placing him under arrest. 

Nahzaire N. Murray and Dezirae J. Martin are indicted on counts of grand larceny in the third degree, a Class D felony and of conspiracy in the fifth degree. Murray and Martin are accused of working together is steal property from Ulta Beauty in Batavia that was valued at more than $3,000.

Cody A. Bush is indicted on counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a Class D felony and menacing in the second degree. Bush is accused of using a knife to cause another person to be in reasonable fear of serious physical injury or death on April 22 in the City of Batavia. 

Brianna N. Greene is indicted on a count of grand larceny in the fourth degree, a Class E felony. Greene is accused of stealing property from Dick's Sporting Goods on Jan. 8 that was valued in excess of $1,000. In a separate indictment, Greene is also charged with one count of bail jumping in the second degree for alleged failure to appear in Town of Batavia Court on Dec. 20 on a felony charge.

Jamie L. Broadbent is indicted on five counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree, a Class E felony, and one count of petit larceny,  a Class A misdemeanor. Broadbent is accused of stealing a wallet containing five credit cards that were issued in the name of another person.

Russell R. Lawrence is indicted on counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, a Class E felony, reckless endangerment in the first degree, a Class D felony, and unlawful fleeting from police,  a Class A misdemeanor. Lawrence is accused of possessing a stolen 2005 Chevrolet Silverado with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of the property on June 3, and of demonstrating depraved indifference to human life by recklessly driving a motor vehicle through an intersection in Le Roy, nearly colliding with another vehicle that was lawfully in the intersection, and of fleeing a patrol vehicle at speeds that exceeded by the speed limit by at least 25 mph.

Christopher S. Usselman is indicted on counts of criminal mischief in the third degree, a Class E felony and obstructing governmental administration in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor.  Usselman is accused of intentionally damaging a table worth more than $250 that belonged to another person on April 18 and while at the Genesee County Jail on April 18 of trying to prevent government officials from performing their duties.

Robert D. Griffen is indicted on counts of DWI, a Class E felony and criminal mischief in the fourth degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Griffen is accused of driving drunk in a 2006 Ford on Ellsworth Avenue, Batavia, on July 19, and of intentionally damaging a wall in an interview room at the Batavia Police Department headquarters.

Caroline R. Salemi, 87, of Ellicott Avenue, and Timothy A. Burch, 61, of Ellicott Avenue, are charged with unlawful eviction and petit larceny. Salemi and Burch are accused of removing a tenant's property from an apartment and moving in another tenant without properly evicting the tenant. They also allegedly disposed of some of the tenant's property. 

Warren Thomas Cotton, 46, no permanent address, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Cotton was allegedly found in possession of methamphetamine after deputies and troopers located a disabled vehicle on Route 33 in Stafford at 10:31 on Sept. 24. Cotton was a passenger in the vehicle and was allegedly found to have a warrant for his arrest. He was held in the Genesee County Jail pending arraignment.

Marcelis Arroyo, no age or residence provided, and Eliezer Morales, no age or residence provided, are both charged with petit larceny. Arroyo and Morales are accused of stealing something at Darien Lake Theme Park on Sept. 23.  Both were issued appearance tickets.

Tony Robert Graber, 44, of East Avenue, Marilla, is charged with burglary 2nd and criminal contempt 1st. Graber is accused of violating a stay-away order of protection at 1:45 p.m. on Sept. 6. He was ordered held without bail.

Joel D. Prouty, 37, of Thomas Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 1st. Prouty is accused of contacting a person in violation of a stay-away order of protection via phone calls while in the Genesee County Jail. Prouty was arraigned in City Court and returned to the jail.

Gregory Gatson, Jr., 33, of Magee Avenue, Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and speeding.  Gatson was stopped at 12:55 a.m. on Sept. 30 on Route 33 in Stafford by Deputy Ryan Mullen. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Johnny Burton Koonce, 33, of Conlon Road, Le Roy, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Koonce is accused of violating a stay-away order of protection at 2:38 a.m. on Oct. 3 at a location on Conlon Road, Le Roy. He was helped pending arraignment.

Joseph Frank Kosnik, 54, of Maple Road, Corfu, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle 3rd. Kosnik is accused of operating a truck without the owner's permission at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 3 on Treadeasy Drive in Batavia. He was ordered to appear in court at a later date.

Jason M. Knobloch, 53, of Pembroke, is charged with DWI/alcohol or drugs. Knobloch was stopped by State Police in the Town of Pembroke at 11:14 p.m. on Oct. 3. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Ronald T. Bliss, 45, of Cheektowaga, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Bliss was arrested in connection with an incident reported at 10:51 p.m. on Oct. 2 in the Town of Pavilion. he was issued an appearance ticket. The State Police withheld further information about the case.

A suspect who fled from a Batavia police patrol attempting to make a traffic stop at Ellicott Street and Liberty Street was not located following an early Sunday morning search in the area of Washington Avenue and Summit Street.

At 12:25 a.m., an officer observed a Ford Edge that was facing south in the northbound lane, according to Det. Eric Hill, in his role as public information officer for Batavia PD. When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, it ran a red light and sped away.

There was a short pursuit when the driver apparently lost control trying to negotiate a turn from East Main Street onto Summit Street, stopping in the driveway of 5 Summit St. 

The suspect exited the vehicle and fled on foot, running north through backyards, and was last seen by an officer heading west on Washington Avenue in the area of 221 Washington Ave.

The suspect was described as black, approximately 30 years old, wearing a plaid jacket.

A perimeter was established with patrols stationed at Washington and Summit, Bank and Washington, Bank and North, and North and Summit.  A K-9 was deployed for the search.

At 2:18 a.m., the search was halted without officers locating the suspect.

Hill said the vehicle is valid and has not been reported stolen.

Anyone with information or in the area of the perimeter is asked to check their cameras and contact Batavia PD at 585-345-6350. 

(Initial Report)

UPDATE: The Sheriff's Office reports that it has identified the person in the photo.  No further information was released.

Press release:

The Genesee County Sheriff's Office is looking to identify a person of interest in a hit-and-run motor vehicle accident that occurred on Oct. 4 at around 6:20 p.m. in the parking lot of Batavia Downs and Gaming. 

The operator of the vehicle was driving a dark-colored pickup truck.

Any information can be forwarded to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office attention Deputy Jenna Ferrando at jenna.ferrando@co.genesee.ny.us or by contacting the non-emergency dispatch line at (585) 343-5000

The Genesee County Planning Board will consider a site plan review and final property subdivision for Edward Vacuum, $319 million dry pump manufacturing facility in WNY STAMP in Alabama.

The manufacturing facility will be 236,000 square feet and sit on a 50-acre parcel.  Construction, by GEIS Companies of Streetsboro, Ohio, will require 47 acres to be disturbed.

The plant will be constructed on Crosby Drive, north of Stamp Drive, and will connect with a proposed Edward Lane on the east.

Construction will include a parking lot with 300 spaces.

Part of the site plan review includes an environmental review, including how stormwater runoff is being handled.  The system will include detention ponds on site.

There is a possible wetland on the site, but the possible wetland is isolated and will be avoided in construction.

The dry pump manufactured at the plant is a critical component in semiconductor manufacturing and Edwards will be part of the supply chain in semiconductor manufacturing in the Albany area.

The plant is expected to employ more than 300 people.  Edwards is expected to receive a sales tax exemption on construction of $4.34 million and a 20-year property tax abatement of $12.85 million through the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

The Genesee County Planning Board meets at 7 p.m. on Thursday at County Building #2.

The Batavia Blue Devils and Le Roy Oatkan Knights capped Soccer Saturday with a Girls Soccer game that ended with a 3-2 OT win for Batavia.

The boys lost their OT game to Wilson/Early College 3-2.

"It was a wonderful night for our boys and girls senior soccer players," said Roger Hume, head coach for Batavia. "Le Roy didn’t make it an easy win."

In the nightcap, Batavia started the scoring early in the first half with a breakaway run and finish by Ella Shamp, with an assist from Jaimin MacDonals.  

Le Roy scored the next two goals, leaving it senior Ella Radley to tie up the game with two minutes left.  

Batavia came out strong in OT, and senior Anna Varland finished the game with a goal five minutes into the first OT.  

"Batavia did a fantastic job coming back from two goals to one to make this its 12th win of the season," Hume said.  

The Blue Devils remain undefeated.

The Batavian did not receive scoring stats from Le Roy.  Le Roy is  9-4-1 on the year.

The girls' next game is Monday away at Livonia.

In the boys' game, goals were scored by Quintin Cummings, assisted by Troy Hawley, and Troy Hawley, assisted by Rylan Bohn.

 Batavia’s record is now 8 wins and 5 losses on the season.

To view more photos or purchase prints, click here.

Crystal Casper said she and her family love what they do -- farming, raising cattle and hogs ethically and providing customers with healthy, natural foods.

"When you come here, what you're getting is true farm-to-plate goodness," Casper said. "You are meeting the farmers who are raising it. It's right here. I mean, it's my husband and myself. That's my daughter-in-law, my son. And then we have my other three sons and my daughter, who are all part of what we're doing here. So when you come here, you see us. This is the face of what you're getting. And if we tell you, you know, that this is what it is, then this is exactly what it is."

And it is meat raised in pasture, hay, and additive-free feed. That's what the Capsers mean by "All-Natural," which is part of their logo.

"I truly believe that our cows -- we've got cows out here in our pasture that are 15 years old -- so we firmly believe that as we raise our animals as stress-free as possible. We raise them natural. The cows have their calves out in the pasture. We raise the calves on the moms and through November, and then we wean them off their moms where we put them in our feedlot, and then we feed on choice feed. We have fans on them in the summertime. We do everything we can to keep cows comfort to a high point."

The Caspers hosted an open house on Saturday to help introduce the community to what they offer in their retail shop right on the property, which is at 6671 East Main Street Road, Stafford.  Regular hours are Friday from 4 to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with availability the rest of the week by appointment.

"Last year, we opened up in June, and we really didn't have an open house or a grand opening, so we wanted to do something special since we won the GLOW award for the best farm in the GLOW region and we got third for the fresh meat," Casper said. "We wanted to do an open house to showcase our farm and let everybody see what we have available."

The event featured vendors that serve Casper Farm meat -- such as the Carve'n Curbside food truck -- or that the Caspers carry in their retail shop. That included Blue Groove Coffee, Petals & Flour, and Black Creed Cidery.

"This is a grand opening for people who don't know we're here," Casper said.

The focus is clearly on the meat the Caspers sell, which isn't just beef, but also pork and chicken, all with the goal of raising animals in stress-free environments.

With pork, especially, stress affects the flavor and tenderness of meat.  Stress lowers the PH levels in the animals' muscles. Higher PH levels are desirable, so the pork sold by Casper farms is raised close to the meat processor in Penn Yan so the animals need not be trucked to another location, which increases a hog's stress level.

All of the meat sold by Casper is processed in Penn Yan and Romulus, where the processors are USDA-certified and inspected.

"Everything here has to be USDA inspected," Casper said.

Their meat is also hormone-free.

"When you have your animal processed, if people are using hormones, the internal organs are usually no good," Casper said. "There are a lot of people who want to buy liver, kidney heart, those products -- if our animals were being fed hormones, those products would not be good. We've never had a kidney or a liver refused or come back to our processor."

Because it's a family operation, Casper said, customers can be sure about the quality of what they're buying.

"You know exactly what you're getting," Casper said. "It's coming right from here, right from the processor's freezer right to our freezer. There are some people who have a fresh case. When it's in that fresh case, and it's not frozen, you don't know, you, the consumer, how fresh it is.  With our meat, it goes, like, boom, boom, boom. You know exactly what you're getting. If you pull it out of our freezer, then it's going to be right."

Tyler Austin Nixon, 27, a graduate of Oakfield-Alabama High School, was honored with a Mass of Christian Burial at Resurrection Roman Catholic Church on Saturday morning, followed by burial with military honors at St. Cecilia Cemetery in Oakfield.

Nixon, a highly regarded captain in the U.S. Army, died unexpectedly on Sept. 23. He was found unresponsive in his quarters at Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston, where he was attending Medical Service Corps training in the Captains Career Course.

His death remains under investigation by the Army, and an Army spokesman said no further information will be released until the investigation is completed.

The Batavian did not seek comment from his parents, Michael and Megan Nixon, but in a military memorial service in San Antonio on Oct. 3, Nixon was praised by a former and his most recent commander as an outstanding human being and an officer who was a credit to the U.S. military.

Col. Thomas Collette, a former commander, spoke of first meeting Nixon when the colonel took command of the 421st Medical Battalion. 

"As you can see, Tyler was a big guy with an even bigger smile. He introduced himself brimming with enthusiasm for his new role as the S3 (Operations and Training Officer),” Collette said. "I couldn't have been more pleased to have an officer so deeply committed to this position. Even in our first conversation, it became abundantly clear that Captain Nixon was an officer filled with a passion for operations and unafraid of a challenge.”

In the ensuing months, Collette said, Nixon took on increasingly complex and demanding duties that "pushed him well beyond his prior experiences. These challenges might have overwhelmed the lesser officer, but Tyler remained resolute and dedicated to professional growth and leadership development."

Collette observed Nixon as the officer in charge of the Expert Field Medical Badge competition, which would take place in Europe.

"What stood out most about Tyler in these duties was his thirst for knowledge and self-improvement," Collette said. "He valued and actively incorporated feedback from others, firmly believing he could learn from anyone. This desire to learn and grow forged strong bonds across the battalion."

Collette said Nixon displayed a "relaxed confidence and unwavering positivity" and that he was "the first to bring levity to intense situations."

He said, "We will forever remember him first for his cheerfulness, his quiet, unshakable confidence, his natural gift for uplifting others when they fell down, and his spirit that refused to quit."

Nixon graduated from Canisius College, where he attended the Reserve Officer Training Corp, and was thus commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduation in 2018.  At Canisius, Nixon played rugby, a sport he continued to enjoy while in the Army.

Major Gray (his first name isn't mentioned during the service) remembered Nixon for many of the same traits recalled by Collette. 

He said he didn't really get to know Nixon until after they were deployed to Italy.

"During the drive to Vicenza, I learned about Tyler's love for his family, his dogs, motorcycles, lifting weights and rugby," Gray recalled. "We talked about the wonderful traveling opportunities that being stationed in Europe had to offer and how we looked forward to seeing new things and going into new places. While we were there, I learned that Tyler was an incredibly hard worker starting early and finishing late almost every day."

He said Nixon was "good-natured and easygoing" and that he could "connect with anyone."

He also recalled a story that illustrated both Nixon's love of sports and his dedication to seeing the mission through, even if it was a recreational activity.

"He literally gave up an entire weekend to umpire a softball tournament when he was told that they would have to cancel if they didn't get the volunteers they needed," Gray said. "So in the days leading up to that, he studied and learned how to umpire even though I'm pretty sure he had never played softball before, so he could umpire the game. Leading up to that time, he had to learn all the hand gestures and get all the calls down. And while he was umpiring, pretty much everyone was talking about how great he was doing and how he was the best umpire out of all the ones that they had, and that every future tournament that they were doing, they wanted him to come. That really is a testament to who he was as a person."

Besides his parents, who currently reside in San Antonio, Capt. Nixon is survived by his brother Jacob, sister Alison, and niece Coram, along with his grandparents Dale and Elaine Tucker and Michael and Kathy Nixon.

Funeral arrangements were handled by Burdett-Sanford Funeral Home in Oakfield.

The Batavian wishes to thank the Nixon family for providing us the opportunity, the honor and the privilege of covering his memorial service on Saturday.

Besides the photos with this story, you can view 49 more photos in a slideshow by clicking here.  And scroll down to the bottom of this post for a video of the Oct. 3 service in San Antonio.

It was much more than a clown show in a circus-theme Downtown Batavia Wine Walk on Saturday evening.  It was a party with a varied cast of characters.

Photos by Jim Burns for The Batavian.

The Buffalo Bills played a rare Sunday morning game -- because the game was in London -- and multiple bars and restaurants opened early for fans, including the Smokin' Eagle in Le Roy.

The Bills lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 25-20.

A pursuit that started on the Southside of Batavia is now a foot chase in the area of Summit Street.

The vehicle may have struck a building on Jackson Street, and the suspect continued to Jackson, South Jackson, Maple, East Main, and now Summit.

The suspect, described as a black male with a ball cap is now west on Washington Avenue.

UPDATE 12:36 p.m.: The subject is also said to be wearing a plaid-style jacket.

UPDATE 1:43 a.m.: The search is ongoing, involving patrols from Batavia PD and the Sheriff's Office. There is nobody available on scene who can provide an update about the case. Communication has been moved to a secure channel.  So, it will be unlikely we can provide any further updates tonight. The search is generally in the area of Summit and Washington. 

The Batavia Blue Devils improved to 4-2 on the season with a 36-0 win on Friday over Geneva at Geneva.

Stats: 

• Bronx Buchholz: 8-18 passing for 136 yards, two TDs, one interception, and he rushed for 76 yards on 12 carries
• Mekhi Fortes: five carries, 111 yards, one TD
• Zailen Griffin: five carries, 64 yards, one TD
• Lakoda Mruczek: six carries, 36 yards, one TD
• Brock Warren: two carries, 11 yards, one TD
• Maggio Buchholz: 6.5 tackles, one tackle for a loss, one TD reception
• Joey Marranco: six tackles
• Justin Smith: three tackles, two interceptions
• Tym Murrell: three tackles, one interception
• Greyson Fix: one interception
• Will Stevens: one interception

In other football action:

• Attica/Alexander beat Livonia 42-0
• Le Roy beat Bishop-Kearney 48-0
• OAE Aggies shut out Geneseo
• Dragons beat Section VI team 68-22 to improve to 6-0
• York/Pavilion beats Notre Dame 25-18

The Oakfield-Alabama/Elba Aggies picked up a win on Saturday, beating Geneseo 31-0.

OAE stats:

• QB/DL Austin Pangrazio - 21 Carries, 134 Yards, four TDs.,  three Tackles, one TFL,  one Fumble Recovery
• RB Avery Watterson - 15 Carries, 128 Yards, one TD
• LB Ashton Bezon - 10 Tackles, five TFLs, one Sack, one Forced Fumble
• DL Angelo Penna - nine Tackles, three TFLs

"It's good to get one back in the W column," said Head Coach Tyler Winter. "These boys have been working hard.  I'm happy they got to enjoy the fruits of their labor.  However, we know we need to remain grounded and stay the course.  Class D is wide open this year.  We keep saying, 'The team in our class who has the best October is going to really like their November.'  We'll continue to grow and prepare for the next challenge."

Photos by Debra Reilly.