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Photo: Andrew Young Jr., center, tries out one of the challenges at an Inventor's Fair at Alexander High School on Friday night as part of a rally to support Andrew's entry into Frito-Lay Dreamvention contest.

Andrew, 14, is one of five finalists in the nationwide contest. His invention is a toaster that shoots out the toast onto a plate. The winner of the contest will receive $250,000.

The fair Friday night featured various activity stations for students to try out their skills at various challenges and included a rally to encourage everybody to vote in the contest and support Andrew's quest to have his invention recognized at the best of the bunch.

To learn more about Andrew's invention, visit AndrewsInvention.com. To vote, click here (you can vote every day).

(The Batavian has added a link to the voting page on the left side of our home page, just above the login box on the left side of the page. You can vote every day.)

UMMC and the Cancer Services Program of Genesee & Orleans hosted their annual Pink Hatters Night Out at Batavia Downs on Thursday.

The event supports those battling cancer, admires survivors and honors those who have passed.  

The guest speaker was Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein, who is a gastroenterologist, followed by a presentation of the Pink Hat awards and guest speaker Michael Tenebruso, stage four colorectal cancer patient. 

There was also a survivor recognition and fashion show. 

Gail Fenton, co-owner of Fenton’s Produce, emceed the program.

Photos submitted by UMMC.

It was an emotional moment when Jodie Hebdon radioed dispatch to sign off, signaling his last shift as a deputy with the Genesee County Sheriff's Office after 35 years of service.

Hebdon spent the past 16 as resource officer at the BOCES campus on State Street in Batavia. And it's leaving that job that is particularly difficult he said.

"I'm going to miss these kids," Hebdon said. "You know, there are some kids here that have been through horrible lives, horrible living conditions. Trauma, PTSD, whatever you want to call it. The ability to at least interact with them and make something happen for them is good."

Hebdon started his law enforcement career in the Army and when he came home after a hitch in Germany, he enrolled at Genesee Community College. After a stint as a corrections officer, Hebdon was transferred to road patrol before being asked to apply for the resource officer position at BOCES.

The majority of the students at BOCES don't have issues, Hebdon said, but it's dealing with the at-risk kids and helping them is what made the job worthwhile.

"I was the one person they interviewed (for the job)," Hebdon said. "Why I gravitated to the job is I like helping at-risk kids. Today I had six girls at different times who came up to me who were victims of severe abuse, sex abuse, rape. They see me as a safe adult, a safe male. They have the ability to speak in a good way to a man without being extorted or taken advantage of. They gave me some long embraces. They don't want me to go."

When it was time for Hebdon to leave, his coworkers both within the ranks of the Sheriff's Office, other local law enforcement officers and staff at BOCES formed two lines outside the BOCES entrances and saluted and applauded Hebdon.

Then it was time to sign out.

"This is hard," Hebdon said, brushing back a tear before informing dispatchers he was saying goodbye.

A Chevy SUV has struck a deer on the Thruway in the eastbound lane near mile marker 377.1 in Le Roy.

Injuries are reported.

Le Roy fire dispatched. Mutual aid requested from Caledonia's ambulance.

UPDATE 6:05 a.m.: The patient conscious and alert with a shoulder injury.

Both the total number of Genesee County residents with jobs and the total number looking for jobs declined in September compared to the year before, according to data released by the State Department of Labor.

There were 28,800 residents with jobs, according to the release, and 1,200 people designated as unemployed.

The total size of the labor force is 30,000 compared to 30,200 a year ago.

That makes the unemployment rate 4.1 percent, compared to 4.2 a year ago.

According to Scott Gage, director of the county's job bureau, there are more than 580 job openings being advertised in the county.

The 4.1 rate is the lowest for any month since May 2016 when it was 3.8 percent.

The GLOW area rate is 4.5 percent compared to 4.5 percent a year ago.

Rochester has dropped from 4.8 to 4.7 and Buffalo 4.9 from 5.1.

The state's rate is 4.7.

Nationally, the rate has fallen from 4.8 percent to 4.1 percent.

Agritourism is itself a growing industry in New York and with Genesee County being a major contributor to the state's agriculture industry, Genesee Community College hosted a free agritourism symposium yesterday.

The event was organized by Amy Slusser, professor of GCC’s Tourism and Hospitality Management Program.

“Our region of New York State offers some of the best agritourism opportunities in the nation,” Slusser said. “From our dairies for cheese and yogurt, while not forgetting milk, butter and of course, ice cream, to the many acres of fruits and vegetables. And, New York wineries are now competing with great success against both European and Californian varietals. Now is the time for agritourism in the Upstate New York.”

Sophie Winter, Ph.D., was the keynote speaker with a theme of “Evolution, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Agritourism.” A native of Southern France, Winter earned her master’s degree in Agricultural Business from Illinois State University and her Ph.D. in Business Administration from Arizona State University. Currently, she teaches agricultural marketing, sales, retail management and entrepreneurship at SUNY Cobleskill.

There was also a panel discussion with:

• Barbara Dominesey, general manager of Hidden Valley Animal Adventures in Varysburg;
• Chad Heeb, director of marketing of New York Chips and Marquart Farms in Gainesville; and
• Betty Burley, owner of East Hill Creamery in Perry.

Photos courtesy GCC.

Hélène Biandudi Hofer, journalist, documentary filmmaker and the host and producer of WXXI-TV’s newsmagazine show "Need to Know," spoke at Genesee Community College on Wednesday spoke to fashion students about her new project "The Empty Hanger." 

Hofer kick-started her own career at just 8 years old using a makeshift production studio in her childhood home to produce news stories and fashion shows. From there, Hofer grew her passion into an award-winning career.

"The Empty Hanger" is an original human-interest series revealing the untold and often overlooked stories of the people who design, manufacture, tailor, study, wear, talk about and claim to be forever changed by clothing.

Photos courtesy GCC.

Press release:

The New York State Association of Magistrates Court Clerks Inc. honors one of its members each year for his or her service and contributions not only to the State Association but to his or her County Association, community and colleagues by exhibiting leadership and assistance in all duties of our profession. 

The 2017 Court Clerk of the Year award was presented during the Awards Banquet of our Annual Conference held in Ellicottville on Sept. 24. It was a privilege to present this prestigious award to a local resident, Pamela Thurber. 

Pam has been a court clerk for seven years.  She has previously served as a court clerk in the Village of Corfu and the Town of Darien.  She currently holds the Court Clerk positions in the Village of Attica and Town of Alabama. 

Attending the award presentation were Pam’s family, significant other -- Michael Lute, sons -- Peyton and Colton, mother – Deb, sister - Terra, father --  Ron and stepmom Barb. Also in attendance were the Honorable John Tauscher, Town of Alabama, and the Honorable Julie Perry, Town and Village of Attica.

Judge Perry sent a heartwarming letter of recommendation stating why Pam was worthy of this great award. Judge Perry stated how efficient Pam was in her job, but what struck the award committee greatly, was that Judge Perry stated: “Every so often we meet people in our lives that leave an impact that cannot be described.” She hopes Pam will sit by her side on the bench for the remainder of her career.

Pam has a long list of involvements in our association as well as her community.  She serves as a county representative for Genesee County. She serves as a mentor for court clerks in her county, giving them a one on one training. Pam is an active member of the Genesee and Wyoming County Magistrate and Court Clerk Associations, and currently participating on a committee for centralized arraignments.

Pam is one of the “new kids” on the association’s board of directors. Last fall, she jumped in with both feet as soon as she was elected to the position of Director. She immediately volunteered to co-chair the publicity/media committee and was the lead in our website relaunch. Our NYSAMCC Web designer Ray sent me an email stating “I have to share with you that Pam has been a sport and a tremendous help. She has organized everything very well and made it as simple as can be for me to create this website from the start.”

Most recently, Pam has taken over the position of Editor in Chief for our association’s bi-annual magazine, "The Docket." Her first edition was recently released and was nothing short of spectacular! 

Nominations for Pam came from more than one clerk in her area, they all commented that Pam is smart, hardworking, detail oriented and very organized.  She is patient, understanding and kind and will step up to help anyone who asks. She is always willing to get involved to help her fellow clerks and will bend over backward to help educate the clerks in her county, district and all clerks of New York State. 

Pam’s journey as a court clerk has not always been the smoothest. She accepted a position in 2011 to replace a court clerk who was charged and convicted of stealing money from the court. She spent years cleaning up the mess that was left behind when the dust settled. Pam learned so much from that experience that last summer she co-authored a presentation for clerks called “Surviving an Audit.” She has been able to teach her fellow clerks real-life examples of what to expect during an audit, how clerks can be prepared for an audit, and best recordkeeping practices. 

“Pam is truly an example of what a court clerk should be. I am thankful to have her as a colleague and to have her serve on my team!” said Gillian Koerner, Town and Village of Arcade court clerk and president of the New York State Association of Magistrates Court Clerks Inc.

Press release:

The Board of Directors of the Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation (GGLDC) passed a budget for Fiscal Year 2018 at its board meeting on Oct. 26, with anticipated cash outflows of $2.5 million.

“The mission of the GGLDC is to foster local economic development by making real estate development investments that prepare sites in Genesee County for new corporate tenants,” said Tom Felton, chairman of the GGLDC. “The GGLDC also provides strategic investment funding to support the GCEDC’s ongoing economic development program.”

The anticipated 2018 expenditures of the GGLDC include operations and maintenance for the MedTech Centre building, site/corporate park maintenance, an economic development program support grant to the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC), and professional services.

Other significant items include: an $890,000 pass through grant from the New York State Department of Transportation that furthers the ability of the tenants of the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park (Ag Park) to access rail; $655,000 is debt service payments supporting development at the Ag Park and the MedTech Center building; as well as $352,000 in expenses related to wastewater treatment facility upgrades in the Village of Corfu in partnership with the Town of Pembroke, supporting the Buffalo East Technology Park.

A major source of revenue is rent of $670,000 from the MedTech Centre facility. In addition, $205,000 will be received through the Empire Pipeline Community Benefit Agreement. Additional cash receipts will include $295,000 in principal and interest payments from several companies repaying loans made in previous years.

“The GGLDC will be working to actively market our shovel-ready parks in conjunction with the Genesee County Economic Development Center in 2018. We have been working with a few projects that we anticipate will come to fruition by the end of 2018,” Felton said.

A man suspected of the murder and rape of a toddler, whom authorities thought might head to Western New York, was arrested early this morning in Franklin Park, Pa., according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Yesterday, State Police and Sheriff's deputies conducted a search of an area along the north side of the Thruway in Batavia after callers reported seeing a man who matched the description of the suspect, 37-year-old Joshua Gurto. Two K-9s were unable to detect fresh human scent anywhere in the area and the search was called off after about an hour.

Franklin Park is a three-hour, 37-minute drive from Batavia.

It's unknown at this point, of course, if Gurto ever was in Batavia.

Fourteen-year-old Andrew Young Jr., from Alexander, is in the running for a $250,000 invention price for the device he dreamed up himself, a toaster that shoots the toast out onto a plate.

Andrew is one of five inventors from around the nation competing for the top prize with the winner picked solely on the votes of people who support their inventions.

A point to clarify: You are allowed to vote more than once. You can vote every day.  Voting ends Nov. 27. To help you cast your vote each day, we've added a link to the voting site to the left side of our homepage, above the login box.

Click here to vote.

Previously: Alexander resident invents 'toaster shooter,' becoming finalist in national competition

The Kiwanis Club of Batavia will host its 60th annual Pancake Days on Saturday, Nov. 4, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Joseph School in Batavia.

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

This fundraiser helps the Kiwanis Club support local youth organizations and helps events such as the Easter Egg Hunt at Centennial Park, the Thanksgiving morning skate at Falleti Ice Arena and the Holiday Tote Project. 

Pictured: Ben Landers, bottom left, Riley Yunker, Summer Campopiano, Kaitlyn Landers, Sofia Falleti, Mary Case, Matt Landers, Jeannie Walton, Gary Maha and Susan Maha. The St. Joe's students are members of K-Kids.

The missing vulnerable adult from Leicester, Starrlita Smith, has been located, according to the Livingston County Sheriff's Office.

There was no information released about the condition of the 21-year-old woman nor the circumstances of her disappearance. 

Previously: Genesee County added to search area for missing vulnerable adult

There are reportedly minor injuries after a motorcycle struck a cow in front of 2225 Bennett Road, Darien.

Darien fire and ambulance responding.