Le Roy

The Class of 1967 led the Class of 2017 into the auditorium Thursday for Le Roy High School's Honors Night.

More than $65,000 in awards were handed out to graduating seniors  

"We are fortunate to have many individuals and organizations in this community that dedicate efforts to raise funds for our students," Principal Tim McArdle said. "A highlight of the night was hosting members of the Class of 1967."

Jerry Howe gave a special greeting and message to the Class of 2017.

"It was awesome to have them with us last night!" McArdle said. "I would like to congratulate our seniors who received an award and were recognized for their efforts!"

Photos and info submitted by Tim McArdle.

For the second year in a row, a nesting pair of bald eagles has successfully raised a chick that has fledged. The bald eagle family featured in these pictures resides east of Le Roy along a creek.

There are an estimated five nesting pairs of bald eagles in Genesee County. Two nesting pairs make Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge their home. 

This year we were able to find out some information on the male eagle of the pair outside Le Roy. "Ed," as he has come to be known, was born 45 miles away in Allegany County in April of 2010.

I was able to get a couple pictures of the bands on his ankles. The blue band is from NYS and was put on him when, now retired, Department of Environmental Conservation eagle biologist Pete Nye tagged him and a sibling in the nest. If you look carefully at the blue band you can see it is hand engraved with the code ED. That code is entered in Pete’s notes with the information about the nest he was found in.

This year the pair settled into the nest in March. Eagles do mate for life and frequently use the same nest every year. 

The male eagle usually never returns to the nest with out food or materials for the nest. The eaglet is about a week old in this picture.

When Ed does return empty-handed, it appears to be frowned upon by his mate. Female bald eagles, as well as most female raptors, are bigger than the males. 

Feeding an eaglet growing that quickly is a full-time job. Fish seem to be the staple with an occasional rabbit. This year they managed to get a fawn into the nest. Look closely and you can see the hoofs. This fawn may have been a stillborn. Eagles are well known for hunting live prey but do scavenge for food as well.

This is the eaglet at about 8 weeks old waiting for breakfast.

Video of eaglet beginning to learn to fly 

Two people were injured this morning after the vehicle they were in allegedly failed to yield to a dump truck on Route 20 in Pavilion.

Injured were driver Lynnette Duckworth, 48, of Callan Road, Le Roy, and George Duckworth, 35. Both were taken to Strong Memorial Hospital.

The accident was reported at 9:52 a.m.

According to an accident report prepared by Deputy Joe Loftus, Lynette was driving south in a 2016 Toyota SUV on South Street Road when she failed to yield to an eastbound dump truck driven by Caitlin Morsch, 28, of Avon.

Tesla Renee Plantiko, 25, of Seven Springs Road, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. It's alleged that on Feb. 1, at 9:50 a.m., at a location on West Main Street, Batavia, with an outside temperature in the low 20s, Plantiko allowed her two small children outside unsupervised with inadequate clothing. Plantiko was reportedly sleeping at the time.

Gregory Seppe, 59, of South Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with public intoxication. Seppe was charged after Officer Jason Davis responded to a complaint that Seppe was stumbling through yards and onto the street on South Swan at 2:40 p.m., Saturday. Davis reportedly observed Seppe stumbling through yards and bouncing off a telephone pole. Davis is a trained drug recognition expert and determined Seppe was allegedly impaired by drugs. Seppe was transported to UMMC and issued an appearance ticket on the charge.

Jamie L. Broadbent, 34, of East Main Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant. Broadbent was arrested following a crewfew check on her at her residence. She was jailed on $2,000 bail or $4,000 bond.

David T. Loucks, 37, of West Garden Road, Rochester, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, speeding, unlicensed operation, reckless driving, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Loucks was stopped at 6:20 p.m. Friday on Pearl Street, Batavia, by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Charles J. Rodriguez Sr., 40, of North Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Rodriquez is accused of stealing $44.95 worth of merchandise from Dollar General. Rodriquez was arrested on a warrant, pled guilty and was sentenced to jail concurrent with a guilty plea to an unrelated charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

Heidi L. Harder, 42, of Montclaire Avenue, Batavia, is charged with kidnapping, 2nd, endangering the welfare of a child, and unlawful imprisonment, Harder is accused of taking a child of a relative, locking herself and the child in her apartment and refusing to return the child. The child was returned to a caretaker unharmed.

Jordan S. Thomas, 18, of Elm Street, Batavia, is charged with assault, 3rd. Thomas allegedly injured another person during a fight on Vine Street at 8:30 p.m., June 11.

Deborah S. Rodriguez, 49, of Farnsworth Avenue, Oakfield, was arrested on a warrant out of Batavia City Court for alleged failure to appear on a traffic violation.

Micheal J. Vanbuskirk, 43, of Myrtle Street, Le Roy, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st, operating without an ignition interlock device, and on a suspended registration. Vanbuskirk was stopped at 8:16 p.m. June 13 on Vine Street, Batavia, by Officer Chad Richards.

Doug Forsyth is counting down the days until he rides his bike across the country to raise money for cystic fibrosis.

On July 9, Forsyth, a Le Roy native, will be flying to Portland, Ore., where he will begin his 30-day journey, eventually ending up in New York City.

Although it was part of Forsyth’s bucket list to ride his bike across the country, he was inspired to take the journey and raise money by his best friend’s child, who is living with cystic fibrosis.

“It’s a terrible disease,” Forsyth said. “Kids are just born with it and there’s nothing you can do.”

Forsyth said he found a foundation, Claire’s Place Foundation Inc., that gives money directly to the families who have kids that have been in the hospital for more than two weeks.

“I heard from them and the money that I’ve raised already has been given to a family in Minnesota,” Forsyth said.

He has raised almost $4,000 so far through his GoFundMe page and donations made directly to the foundation.

His cycling mentor, Douglas Sawyer, from Ossining, will be riding with Forsyth. Sawyer will be raising money for traumatic brain injuries.

It will be an unsupported ride, meaning he will be towing a bike trailer filled with camping supplies. Forsyth plans on camping two-thirds of the time and getting hotels the rest of the way to wash up.

“I’m very excited about it,” Forsyth said. “I just hope I can have the stamina to do it.”

Updates about his journey will be posted on his Facebook page and donations can be made here.

Award recipients are nominated by their high school guidance counselors, teachers or administrators.

Each exemplifies the colleges' motto "To Be, To Know, To Do."

Award winners are guaranteed a minimum of $40,000 in scholarship during the four years of study at Russell Sage College or The Sage College of Albany in recognition of their academic achievements and community involvement.

For the first time since 2011, Marty Stuart was back at The Ridge tonight along with his band, The Superlatives.

The Superlatives are:

• Kenny Vaughan, lead guitar
• Chris Scruggs, bass
• Harry Stinson, drums

The Genesee County representatives for the American Legion Boys State of New York met on Thursday night in Le Roy, before they depart on June 25. 

The American Legion Boys State is a weeklong program that immerses high school youth in citizenship and leadership training. While at Boys State, they learn the practical aspects of government in New York and participate in physical fitness, teamwork and other activities under the guidance of counselors and Marines. 

This year, Boys State will be held at SUNY Morrisville.

Bryce Bordonaro, Ryan Driscoll and Thomas Mellon are representing Le Roy; Jacob Brower is representing Waterport; Ethan Fischer, John Kindig, Nathan Loria and Joseph Marchese are representing Batavia; John Igoe is representing Oakfield; Nathan Knickerbocker is representing Byron; and Tyler Wood is representing Corfu.

(Photos by Maria Pericozzi.)

David S. Hazzard is indicted for the crime of driving while intoxicated, as a Class E felony. It is alleged that on March 1 in the Town of Le Roy that Hazzard drove a 1999 Toyota on Interstate 90 while in an intoxicated condition. In count two of the indictment, he is accused of the crime of aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree, another Class E felony, for driving when he knew or had reason to know that his driver's license was suspended, revoked or otherwise withdrawn by authorities, and that at the time he was under the influence of alcohol or a drug in violation of the law. In count three, the defendant is accused of the crime of circumvention of an ignition interlock device, a Class A misdemeanor. It is alleged that when he drove on March 1, he was subject to a court-ordered ignition interlock device when operating a motor vehicle, and the Toyota he drove was not equipped with one.

To kick off the third annual Battle of the Bands at the Smokin' Eagle BBQ and Brew in Le Roy last night, the owners and management presented a check for $2,600 to the Golisano Children's Hospital in honor the White Family.

The money was raised during last year's Battle of the Bands.

Trisha White, holding the check, credits Golisano's with saving the life of her daughter, Jamie, left, who was born at 25 1/2 weeks and weighed just one pound, seven ounces. Now 12 and doing well in middle school, she's holding a picture of herself at birth with her father's wedding band around her ankle.

"That's how tiny she was," Trisha said.

The Battle of the Bands runs all summer and into October with performances every Wednesday night at the Eagle. Last night, Invictra kicked off the series.

One of two men involved in a forced-entry burglary in Le Roy last year was sentenced to five years probation today, but the consequences of his crime could be a little more difficult to overcome.

William J. Hixenbaugh, 28, of Lake Street, Le Roy, is on the hook for the entire $1,500 in restitution claimed by the victim.

Typically, co-defendants in the same crime would be ordered to split the restitution, but Hixenbaugh's partner was sentenced before the victim had filed a restitution claim, so the judge couldn't order restitution at the time of sentencing and restitution can't be added to the sentence retroactively.

If Hixenbaugh can't convince Carl M. Vander, 23, also of Le Roy, to split the difference, he will need to file a civil suit against Vander.

Hixenbaugh and Vander were arrested by Le Roy PD at the end of March following a six-month investigation into the burglary. They stole a television and mobile phone.  Those items were reportedly recovered.

They also damaged property during the burglary.

Judge Charles Zambito could have sent Hixenbaugh to jail for six months under terms of the plea deal but gave him probation even while expressing doubts about his character.

"I find the explanation you provided unbelievable," Zambito said. "If that attitude continues, you're going to have a hard time making it through five years of probation."

ADA Kevin Finnell argued for some jail time, suggesting the defendant hadn't accepted full responsibility for his crime, saying Vander was the instigator.

"It seems Mr. Hixenbaugh has an excuse for everything he does in life," Finnell said.

Hixenbaugh will be paying back the $1,500 in $50 installments over the next 30 months.

The owners of The Little Ridge at 107 Evans St., Batavia, are changing tactics and will stop operating the location as a restaurant.

David and Greg Luetticke-Archbell are shifting the restaurant business to their campground on Conlon Road, Le Roy, known as The Ridge, but best known as Frost Ridge Campground.

The Little Ridge opened in November 2014 and the owners plan to continue to use the location for parties and events.

Gift certificates purchased for The Little Ridge will be redeemable at the Le Roy location.

Jam At The Ridge Presents: Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives on Friday, June 16th. Five-time Grammy winner Marty Stuart will Jam At The Ridge NY once again this year.

We welcome him back to Le Roy, NY, and are looking forward to a fantastic show featuring his legendary songs mixed with his new sounds.

A fish fry dinner is available starting at 3 p.m. when parking opens and the gates open at 4 p.m. with the show beginning at 4:15 p.m. See Marty Stuart, The Ghost Riders, and Lonesome Crow all in the same night for just $15 pre-sale. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here or visit us on facebook.

Joshua John Dibble, 35, of Pearl Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Dibble was allegedly caught going through vehicles and stealing property on Union Street at 2:37 a.m., Monday.

A 16-year-old resident of Linwood Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th, and harassment, 2nd. The youth was arrested in connection with an unspecified incident reported at 3:50 p.m., Saturday.

Danny D. Williams Sr., 28, of Pearl Street, Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct. Williams was charged following a report of multiple people fighting on Holland Avenue at 7:40 p.m., Thursday. Williams is accused of making violent and aggressive actions toward police and was arrested on the disorderly conduct charge without further issues.

Gary D. Burney, 36, of North Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, and burglary, 2nd. Burney allegedly violated a stay-away order by entering a residence on North Spruce Street at 4:22 p.m., Thursday. He was also charged with criminal contempt and harassment second stemming for a reported incident July 11, 2016. He was also charged with harassment, 2nd, criminal contempt, 1st, burglary, 2nd, grand larceny, 4th, and endangering the welfare of a child stemming from an incident reported Nov. 12.

Devon D. Rogers, 30, of Langfield Drive, Buffalo, was charged with burglary, 1st, criminal mischief, 3rd, assault, 3rd, and criminal contempt stemming from an incident reported at 3 a.m., Saturday. He was also arrested on a warrant. Rogers was allegedly at a residence on Pearl Street, Batavia, in violation of a stay-away order. He allegedly became involved in a fight and injured another person. He was ordered held without bail.

Qumane J. Santiago, 18, of Main Road, Stafford, is charged with menacing, 2nd. Santiago was arrested after police responded to a report of a disturbance on Central Avenue at 8:45 p.m., Friday. Also arrested, Brandon C. Smart, 39, of Huchins Street, Batavia. He was charged with disorderly conduct. He is accused of trying to start a fight with people walking in the area while in the presence of police officers. Richard G. Hafford, 39, of Liberty Street, Batavia, was also charged with disorderly conduct for also allegedly trying to start a fight.

Tiffany A. Kent, 28, of Wood Street, Batavia, is charged with obstruction of governmental administration, 2nd. Kent allegedly tried to hide her roommate from police when they arrived with a warrant for the roommate's arrest moments after the roommate had been seen entering the residence. Kent allegedly refused to cooperate with police even after several warnings.

Alex J. Ianita, 23, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd. Ianita was allegedly found in possession of brass knuckles at 3:38 p.m., Friday. He was jailed without bail.

Joseph J. Mazzarella, 64, of Summit Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th, and harassment, 2nd. Mazzarella was allegedly involved in an incident where he prevented the other person from contacting emergency dispatchers and pushed the person to the ground. He was jailed on $250 bail. He was also arrested on a warrant.

Charles E. Schmidt, 46, of Alexander Road, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Schmidt allegedly hit another person while at the Genesee County Fairgrounds at 11 p.m., Saturday.

William Alexander Gruschow II, 37, of Union Street, Spencerport, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Gruschow allegedly passed a note to an employee at Batavia Downs causing the employee to become alarmed.

AR-Rahmaan M. Jones, 36, of East Avenue, Le Roy, is charged with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and one count of unlawful possession of marijuana. Jones was arrested by members of the Local Drug Task Force following a stop Friday on Ellicott Street. He also had a warrant for his arrest out of the City of Batavia. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.

A Le Roy resident was arrested after police investigated complaints that he was repeatedly allowing groups of people in his residence for the purpose of smoking marijuana.

Jason Lee Perry, 22, of Myrtle Street, Le Roy, is charged with one count of criminal nuisance in the second degree. He was jailed on $3,000 bail.

Le Roy PD says this was an ongoing issue and such gatherings occurred on a regular basis. Police said they received multiple complaints from neighborhood residents who were concerned and bothered by it.

Friday afternoon was member appreciation day at Copart in Le Roy and The Batavian was invited out for some BBQ and a tour.

I first became aware of Copart in the early morning of March 26, when a car caught on fire behind the electrified and locked gate, which made it difficult for firefighters to gain access, so the fire spread to other vehicles, so it was interesting to learn more about the facility.

One of the managers, Scott McCumiskey led the tour.

Copart specializes working with insurance companies to acquire and sell "total loss vehicles." That's the bulk of its business, but it also sells vehicles that have been donated to charity. 

All auctions are conducted online and buyers must be members, and either a licensed dealer or affiliated with a licensed dealer. Different condition cars tend to have different kind of buyers, buyers that specialize in each kind of vehicle, such as those that can be driven off the lot, those that can be repaired and resold, those good only for parts and those that are nothing but scrap metal.

An insurance loss car might sit on the lot for 30 to 90 days until the insurance company releases it for sale. Sometimes that release for sale might take months or years, depending on the legal case a vehicle might be involved in.

Cars donated to charity are usually sold within a week of arriving on the lot.

Copart has 190 locations worldwide, including in Canada and Europe, with 125 in the United States, including three in New York. The Le Roy location's territory stretches from Syracuse to Buffalo. The company was founded in 1982 in Vallejo, Calif., by Willis J. Johnson, who remains chairman of the board. It is now based in Dallas.

Vehicles involved in serious-injury or fatal accidents might sit in the lot for months or years while civil cases remain pending. The cars are sealed in plastic and tagged as a potential biohazard. Only insurance company or attorney representatives can then enter the vehicle.

Most of the vehicles involved in the March 26 fire have been sold, probably for scrap metal, but these few remain.

Copart also takes in and resells boats, as well as other vehicles, such as semi-trucks, trailers, RVs, and buses.

This bus was destroyed in a fire more than a decade ago and it's been sitting on the Copart lot ever since. The insurance company has not yet released it for sale, presumably because there is a civil case still pending.

Le Roy is open to anything at this stage regarding waterfront and downtown revitalization, Mayor Greg Rogers said at a strategic planning meeting on Wednesday. 

Rogers opened the meeting, explaining that Le Roy received a grant for planning the revitalization of Main Street and the waterfront. He said they put together a planning committee for this.

“We’re just trying to make Le Roy better than what it is now and it’s pretty darn good now,” Rogers said. 

John Steinmetz, a member of the committee, said the biggest challenge is that there are many ideas, but that they still want more. He said they are in the very beginning planning stages.

“We’ve been at this about a month,” Steinmetz said. “We were awarded the grant well over a year ago, but it took about a year to get the contract from the state. Now it’s officially a go.”

Residents at the meeting expressed their concerns about always having a plan for Le Roy, but never following through. Steinmetz said he thinks there hasn’t been enough momentum for the previous plans to follow through.

“Le Roy has done a lot of planning,” Steinmetz said. “The problem is, it’s not in one place. This grant is a way to say, ‘Are these ideas still relevant? What are the new ideas the community has?' and 'Let’s put them all in one document.’ ”

Steinmetz encouraged residents to think big and small when generating ideas.

“The most successful communities make sure the buildings designed can be reused,” Steinmetz said.

During the meeting, attendees rated pictures from other local communities, in order to give the committee an idea of what the public wants to see, regarding landscaping, residential development and mixed-use development.

Attendees were then put into three groups to brainstorm ideas they had for Le Roy, regarding specific parts of town.

Sandy Brady, a Le Roy resident, said there should be a bike path.

“We missed out when we did some work on Main Street,” Brady said. “We didn’t leave a bike path. Wherever you go these days, there’s a bike path.”

Brady said that bikes are everywhere nowadays and Le Roy does not have enough bike paths.

“It’s a different time now,” Brady said. “It’s many years later and we feel differently about bikes."

Committee Member Molly Gaudioso said this meeting was essential for them to hear what is important to the community.

“We want to know what ideas are out there,” Gaudioso said. “Of the ideas are already in plans, we want to know what ideas still make sense. It’s our job now to take this and make some sense out of it and put it into the plans.”

Steinmetz said the next meeting will be held toward year's end or the beginning of 2018.

Hay is on fire in the barn at 8627 Vallance Road, Town of Le Roy. Bergen Fire Department is responding. "It's the last farm in the county (on that road)," says a dispatcher. The call came in through a 9-1-1 call transferred here from Monroe County. The property owner was the caller.

UPDATE 2:25 p.m.: Command requests mutual aid from Mumford -- it's tanker to the scene in non-emergency mode. A crew from Caledonia is requested to fill in at Bergen's fire hall.

Submitted photo and press release:

A Memorial Day Parade is a proud tradition of the Botts-Fiorito American Legion Post 576 in Le Roy. Families typically gather along with other Legion families at the Post for their annual cookout. A special Brick Dedication, new to this year’s activities, also took place at the Post's Veterans Memorial after the ceremonial parade.

The Veterans Memorial Brick Program is a great way to honor a special veteran in your life by engraving a brick with their name.

This practice of pride provides a place of honor and reflection for veterans, their family and friends, and those who desire to show their respects to those service men and women who have and continue to boldly serve our county.

A 4-inch-by-8-inch engraved brick costs $50 (with wording space for 40 characters); an 8-ich-by-8-inch engraved brick costs $100 (with wording space for 60 characters).

Ladies Auxiliary Member Barb Schlonski, in photo on far left, is holding a brick in honor of her father’s Army military service, World War II TEC 4, Charles E. Birge. When returning home, the American Legion was of special significance to Charles and Helen Birge, where they enjoyed a lifetime of social and community events.

Mary Birge, second from left, also a member of the Ladies Auxiliary, is holding a brick in observance of their mother, Helen M. Birge, for her years of Auxiliary Services.

Barbara Howard, third from left, and American Legion Ladies Auxiliary Public Relations Representative Jeanice Howard, proudly share a brick in admiration of their father, Henry, who stood on “Red Alert” during the Cuban Missile Crisis. PFC Howard served in the Army from 1961 to 1963. The sisters have also dedicated a brick to deceased uncle Michael T. Howard, who courageously served in Vietnam.

Le Roy's American Legion Post has been host to numerous events through the years, such as card games, bingo, breakfasts, holiday celebrations, bowling and the site is available to the community for wedding parties and local churches in time of need.

To visit Le Roy's Post 576 online, click here:

To view a copy of the order form to buy a Veterans Memorial Brick from the Botts-Fiorito American Legion Post 576, click here.

You can print it out, fill in the blanks, then mail it with your check to the Legion in Le Roy. Checks should be made payable to American Legion Post 576. All the details, including the address, are on the form.

Pictured in uniform representing Servicemen's Club of the Botts-Fiorito American Legion Post #576 in Le Roy are, from left: Past Commander Don Schafer, Vice Commander Jerry Diskin and present Post CommanderJohn "Chip" Graney. Pictured standing below them are members of the Post's Ladies Auxiliary, from left, Barb Schlonski, Mary Birge, Barbara Howard and Jeanice Howard.