Press release from AAA:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.86, up 9 cents from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.27. The New York State average is $2.90 – up 7 cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.50.

AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.84 (up 8 cents since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.82 (up 5 cents since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.87 (up 7 cents since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.87 (up 6 cents since last week)
• Rome -- $2.92 (up 6 cents since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.85 (up 5 cents since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.92 (up 6 cents since last week)

Rising crude prices, tightening gas supplies, and increased gas demand continue to drive pump prices to higher ground. According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gas stocks are down while demand is up. Last week’s demand measurement is the highest since the end of November 2020. If these trends continue alongside higher crude prices, drivers can expect pump prices to increase.

From GasBuddy:

"As Americans turn optimistic on COVID-19 pandemic recovery, we've been seeing insatiable demand for gasoline, which continues to recover far faster than oil production," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. "According to GasBuddy data, last week's gasoline demand was just 1 percent below the pre-pandemic level, an extremely bullish factor likely to continue driving gas and oil prices up in the short term.

"The recovery in the last few weeks has been astounding -- both the speed and overall volume increases we've seen in our data lend credibility to the recovery, and perhaps will lead to continued price increases due to the continued imbalance between supply and demand.

"It's no longer a question of if we'll see gasoline demand return to near normal this year but when, and will oil producers rise to the occasion and be able to quickly ramp up output, or are we going to see the highest summer prices since 2014 until they jump into action? Only time will tell, but it's looking like things are heating up far more than expected since the start of the year."

Without a doubt, Batavian Nathan Cordes is on a roll.

For the third straight week, Cordes led the way in the 12-team Toyota of Batavia Thursday 5-Man League at Mancuso Bowling Center.

This time, the 31-year-old right-hander fired 247-235-279 for a 761 series, a bit better than his teammate, Rich Wagner, who posted a 748 series.

Last week, Cordes rolled a 300 game in a 754 series and the week before that, he had a 280 game in a 772 series. The recent outburst has raised his average to 220.

In other action in the Genesee Region USBC, Hall of Famer Fred Gravanda of Batavia popped a 275 game en route to a 748 series in the Turnbull Heating Triples League at Mancuso's.

For a list of high scores, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.

GRUSBC Association Tournament Starts Friday

The 14th annual Genesee Region USBC Association Tournament gets underway at 7 p.m. Friday.

Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen is hosting the Team (four-person) event while Legion Lanes in Le Roy is hosting the Doubles & Singles events over the next two weekends.

Team squads are 7 p.m. on Fridays; noon and 3 p.m. on Saturdays; noon and 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 20, and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 28. The Team event is limited to 80 teams.

Doubles & Singles squads are 7 p.m. on Fridays; 1 p.m. on Saturdays; 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 21, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 28. The D & S event is limited to 68 doubles teams.

Bowlers are urged to contact Mike Pettinella, Genesee Region USBC association manager, at mikep@bowlgr.com or at (585) 861-0404 as soon as possible to reserve their spots.

Already, the noon squad on Sunday, March 21 for the Team event is full.

The per person cost per event is $30. The All-Events (total of Team, Doubles and Singles) fee is $10.

Police investigators have yet to determine what may have caused a driver of a minivan to accelerate -- if she did -- after the vehicle struck a Town of Batavia fire chief's car that was heading to a serious injury accident on Galloway Road.

The minivan appears to have been exiting the Tops Market parking lot shortly after 9 a.m. with the intention of turning left when it struck the emergency vehicle, which was in emergency mode, driven by Fire Chief Dan Coffey. Coffey's vehicle sustained damage on the passenger side front fender.

The older female driver, whose name is not being released at this time, then proceeded eastbound on West Main Street Road. The minivan appears to have accelerated after the initial collision, Sgt. Mitch Cowen confirmed, but what may have caused that apparent acceleration hasn't been determined.

The minivan headed toward the West Main intersection with River Street where both lanes were blocked by cars stopped at the red light. Lynn Mucica was driving one of those vehicles and said she saw a car coming up behind her fast and thought it was going to strike the car next to her and possibly involve her in an accident. The minivan then swerved and struck a utility pole with three transformers on it, snapping the pole off near the base. The minivan continued east and came to rest on its side in the yard of 389 W. Main St.  

City fire responded and extricated the driver from the vehicle.  

The driver is being treated at ECMC for minor injuries and has not yet been interviewed.  

A citation is possible, Cowen said.

Coffey was uninjured in the collision and did eventually make it to the accident scene on Galloway Road.

At this hour, West Main remains partially closed. National Grid crews are repairing the pole. At least one of the transformers leaked its oily liquid onto the roadway and National Grid has also dispatched an environmental cleanup team to deal with the spill. The work is expected to be completed shortly.

(Initial Report)

Press release:

The operation of youth sports in the LeRoy community will never be more important than in the coming months. Today LeRoy Youth Softball's Board of Directors announce that it is getting a grant for $3,700 from the Victor L. Blood and Maudaline L. Blood Charitable Foundation to support youth athletics in the community of LeRoy.

Youth softball in Le Roy has been steadfast for decades, in the local community.

Officially incorporating in 2020 as a 501(c)(3), it has seen a resurgence benefitting from the outpouring of community support including: sponsors, parents, board members and coaches. The Blood Foundation recognizing the significance of youth sports in Le Roy, can be added to list of vital contributors. 

The Blood Foundation, as it is commonly known, was created on April 14, 1989 through the generosity of Vic Blood, a prominent businessman from LeRoy. He envisioned a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for the residents of the Town and Village of LeRoy. Vic Blood passed on in 1996, but his legacy lives on through the work of the Blood Foundation. 

Last summer, LeRoy Youth Softball was able to safely conduct several months of skills, drills and inter-squad scrimmaging. This winter the program has been holding safe indoor clinics for girls who meet the 8U up to 16U criteria. The 2021 season is quickly approaching, LeRoy Youth Softball will have five teams safely competing in the GLOW Academy League this summer. 

The future of youth softball in Le Roy is bright. The contributions from the Blood Foundation will assist with the building of club storage shed to house the equipment needed to support the 70 some girls who will play this summer.

The LeRoy Youth Softball players, coaches and Board of Directors would like to say THANK YOU to the Blood Foundation for its generous contribution.

A driver told an investigator he fell asleep prior to a head-on collision on Galloway Road at 9 a.m. that sent both that driver and another driver to ECMC.

Rylend L. Callicutt, 18, of Batavia, was driving a white 2011 GMC SUV eastbound when it crossed the center line. The vehicle struck a 2011 Hyundai sedan driven by Danielle C. Neuhaus, 31, of Batavia.

Neuhaus was trapped in the vehicle and sustained serious injuries. She was transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC, where she is currently in the trauma ICU.

Callicutt was transported by Mercy EMS.

He was issued a citation for failure to remain in the right-hand lane.

The accident report was prepared by Deputy Travis Demuth. The Crash Management Team also responded to the scene.

(Initial Report)

Submitted photos and information from Jason Smith.

As part of the Faith Formation program at Resurrection Parish, grade 9 and 10 students were given a tour of St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church this morning. It is located at 18 Ellicott St. in the City of Batavia.

The tour included information about the stained-glass window panels, the altar and sacristy.

The students' teachers are Judy Clark and Ron Chrzanowski.

Newspaper clippings and old photos were displayed. One taken in the 1920s shows the altar in its original splendor with elaborate white steeples, which were later removed.

Another is of the church's once-trademark mural, an enormous painting done in four sections by Buffalo artist Alex O. Levy that was completed in 1940. It weighed 800 pounds and depicted incidents in the life of the Virgin Mary. The mural deteriorated and was subsequently covered with wallpaper.

Two Le Roy wrestlers came away from the Section V tournament on Saturday with championship titles.

Brock Flint won at 160 pounds and Joey Brennan won at 162 pounds.

Coming in second at 138 pounds, Cole Rauscher, and at 152 pounds, Nate Andrews.

Photos by Tim McArdle.

Brock Flint

Joey Brennan

Number 3 seed, at 10-2, Oakfield-Alabama knocked off #1 seed Cal-Mum, at 13-0, by a score of 55-50 to win Saturday's Class C2 Section V trophy at Cal-Mum.

Travis Wiedrich scored 20 points and Kaden Cusmano sunk a trio of three-pointers on his way to a 19-point game.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here, here, and here.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Police Department announces the launch of CRIMEWATCH, a new website that gives people who use social networks and mobile devices an easier, more effective way to help fight crime and stay informed.

The new Batavia Police Department website was developed in partnership with CRIMEWATCH Technologies and is part of the CRIMEWATCH Network (crimewatch.net). The website is an online tool that gives the public direct access to crime and public safety-related information happening in their community. 

“This new website is the perfect entry point for establishing better police and public relationships. CRIMEWATCH gives us the opportunity to communicate with the public and gives residents the anonymity to report neighborhood issues. Several police departments throughout the Northeast region are having great success using this technology”, said Chief Heubusch, City of Batavia Police chief.  

The City of Batavia Police Department is the first New York-based police department to go live on the CRIMEWATCH Network; a communications platform developed specifically for law enforcement agencies that allow for geographically targeted information sharing and intelligence gathering.

This resource allows residents to do the following:

• Sign up for a free account to receive e-mail alerts;, 
• Submit a tip to the Batavia Police Department; 
• View recent arrests and “most wanted” lists;
• Get info on local sex offenders; 
• Share information with others through social media; and 
• Get connected with resources and services.

A motor-vehicle accident with entrapment is reported at River Street and West Main Street, Batavia.

City fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 9:14 a.m.: Possible transformer on fire in the area.

UPDATE(S) (By Billie) (9:34 a.m.): A vehicle is on its side in front of 389 W. Main St. A utility pole is sheared off that has three transformers on it. The city's second and fourth platoons are called to stand by in quarters. A woman named Lynn Mucica says she was in her vehicle eastbound on West Main Street at the stop light at River Street and there was another car next to her's, when a car approached at a high rate of speed. She feared it would hit the vehicle next to hers. But it swerved instead and struck the pole, then came to rest on its side.

UPDATE 9:44 a.m.: There is a lot of debris in the roadway on West Main Street and some spilled fluids; it appears the accident at West Main and River may have started at the light in front of Top's Market as the car now on its side turned left from the parking lot onto West Main Street.

UPDATE 9:54 a.m.: City command calls for clean up of the spilled fluids, some of which is said to be oil from a transformer.

UPDATE 10:16 a.m.: A rep from National Grid is on scene and awaiting a bucket truck. Command requests that Five Star Bank personnel be contacted and informed that power is partially out to the bank building.

UPDATE 12:21 p.m. The following closures and detours remain in effect, per City Fire.

CLOSED: River Street between West Main Street and South Main Street
CLOSED: Five Star Bank - No power, No ATM
NO LEFT TURN: From Redfield Parkway to West Main Street
NO LEFT TURN: From West Main Street to Redfield Parkway
OPEN: West Main Street 1 lane both east and west bound.
OPEN: Dunkin’ Donuts!
EXPECT RESTRICTIONS & POWER OUTAGES FOR APPROXIMATELY THE NEXT 8 HOURS

A motor-vehicle accident with people trapped in a vehicle reported in the area of 2905 Galloway Road, Batavia.

Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

Mercy Flight being placed on ground standyby.

UPDATE 9:11 a.m.: One person trapped, a lengthy extrication expected, Mercy Flight requested to the scene.

UPDATE(S) (By Billie) 9:30 a.m.: Galloway Road is being shut down at Downey Road. Mercy Flight is en route and will land in a church parking lot.

UPDATE 9:37 a.m.: The entrapped person has been extricated.

UPDATE 9:52 a.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne with one patient, en route to ECMC.

UPDATE 10:11 a.m.: The accident involved a white GMC SUV and a black sedan. The white GMC crossed the center line and struck the sedan head on. A second patient was also taken to ECMC, via ground ambulance.

UPDATE 10:15 a.m.: The Town of Batavia fire assignment is back in service.

UPDATE 10:21 a.m.: A press release will be issued later and photos from the scene will be posted at that time.

Notre Dame traveled to South Seneca today as the #2 seed in the Class D1 tournament, with two losses on its record, and proceeded to upset the unbeaten #1 seed 55-48 to win a Section V title.

The Lady Irish were once again lead by sophomore Amelia McCulley who scored 30 points.  Lindsey Weidman scored 14 points. Emma Sisson had 12 rebounds, Maylee Green, 11, Weidman, nine, and McCulley, eight.

Submitted photo.

Five straight section titles are nice, Elba's players will tell you, but they also know there is a "what could have been" question that will forever remain unanswered.

If not for a coronavirus pandemic that wiped out the 2020 postseason and shortened 2021, ending the title push with a sectional championship, could the Lady Lancers have won one, maybe two state titles?

We will never know. But we do know Elba knocked off the #2 seed, Prattsburgh/Avoca,  in a pretty convincing fashion -- a team that regularly won by scoring 60 points or more per game while going 9-1 on the season. The game was never really close. The Lancers won 66-27.

It's the fifth straight Section title for Elba under Head Coach Tom Redband. 

On Saturday, Byrnn Walczak scored 22 points, Taylor Augello, 13, Maddie Muehlig, 12, and Leah Bezon, 9. Muehlig also had eight assists. Dakota Brinkman, who scored five points, had nine rebounds, Walczak, eight, and Augello, seven.

Walczak, Muehlig and Bezon have been part of all five title teams and Augello has been there for the last four. All four graduate this year.

Notre Dame won its Class D1 championship game, so with Elba winning class D2, in any other year, the two archrivals would faceoff in a division consolidation game to determine which team would represent Section V in a Far West Regional championship game. Not this year.

Photos by Debra Reilly.

Top-seeded Palmyra-Macedon held off the gutsy, determined and undersized Batavia Lady Blue Devils tonight to capture the Section V Class B1 girls’ basketball tournament crown on the Wayne County school’s home court.

Despite a decided height disadvantage, Head Coach Marty Hein’s team scrapped and clawed its way back from a double-digit deficit to pull within three points with 2 ½ minutes to play, but could get no closer – eventually falling by a 49-38 score.

The loss was Batavia’s second in as many years to Pal-Mac, which defeated the Lady Devils, 58-48, in the 2020 sectional quarterfinals.

It also marked the end of the Mackenzie Reigle and Bryn Wormley era (from right to left in photo above) that saw both star guards come up to the varsity as seventh-graders and, less than two weeks ago, saw both reach the 1,000-point mark for their careers.

As would be expected, both were inconsolable for several minutes after the final buzzer sounded.

“We had a great season. It didn’t end how we wanted it do; we came up short but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” said Reigle, the team’s point guard who scored18 points against the Red Raiders’ strong man-to-man defense. “I love this team. It sucks coming up short but it was a fun season considering the circumstances.”

While the loss was disappointing in itself, Reigle said she is saddened by the fact that about nine years of bouncing the ball with Wormley have come to an end.

“There’s nothing I’ll miss more than playing with Bryn. We’ve been playing together since the third grade and I hope we’ll get a chance to play against each other in college,” she said.

Reigle will be attending Geneseo State College and Wormley has enrolled at St. John Fisher, and both intend to continue playing the sport they love.

Wormley, who scored 10 points tonight, including a three-point shot that sliced Pal-Mac’s lead to 39-36 with 3:27 to play, called it a “blessing that we were able to play together for so long.”

“That was something really special and I wouldn’t give it up for anything,” she said.

Hein said Reigle and Wormley set their bar high, giving it all to get to 1,000 points and then striving for a sectional title after watching, as seventh-graders, “two of the best players that Batavia has had in Tiara Filbert and Maddie McCulley when we won the sectional title in 2016.”

Calling it “heartbreaking that we’re coming home in second,” Hein said he appreciated how hard this team, which includes seven seniors, worked during this short season to reach the finals. Batavia, the No. 3 seed in the tournament, finishes with a 10-5 record.

“I watched everyone of these girls progress,” he said. “Tess (Barone) and Bella (Houseknecht) are two of the hardest working players in basketball. Haylee (Thornley) suffered through two ACL injuries and it took two years away from her basketball and to see how far she has come after that devastation. Kennedy (Kolb), we had for four years on varsity.”

Hein said he plans to return for an eighth season at the helm, but looks forward to a night or two with no games on the schedule to be able to watch Reigle and Wormley in collegiate action.

As far as tonight’s game, senior guard/forward Sophie Lyko scored 13 of her game-high 23 points in the first quarter as Pal-Mac took a 15-10 lead, and added four more points in the first four minutes of the second quarter to spark the home team to a 23-12 advantage.

Batavia rallied, however, as Reigle sank two three-pointers in the last minute to cut the deficit to 26-20 at halftime.

A 15-footer by Thornley and a driving layup by Reigle to start the third quarter made it 26-24, before the Red Raiders outscored Batavia 9-3 the rest of the way to stretch the lead to 35-27.

There was no quit in the visitors, however, as Reigle scored two baskets and Kolb swished an 18-footer to pull Batavia within two at 35-33 with 4:40 to play. Grace Seither and Lyko scored inside to make it 39-33 before Reigle hit from beyond the three-point line.

Pal-Mac’s Tatum Smyth got a friendly bounce off the front rim at 2:55 before Barone converted a pass from Reigle to make it 41-38 with 2:35 remaining.

Unfortunately for the Lady Devils, that was the end of their scoring as they missed five shots down the stretch. Pal-Mac controlled the boards – holding Batavia to one shot on each trip down the floor while grabbing three offensive rebounds that led to a layup by 6-foot-1 junior Ryley Trail and game-sealing free throws by seniors Seither and Lyko.

“Our lack of size kind of plagued us all season,” Hein said. “We help and we overcommit with the help and now on the weak side, we’re too far underneath the basket and we’re not taller than anybody so we’re losing that fight. We just give up those weak side rebounds and that hurt us a bunch.”

Wormley agreed that Pal-Mac’s length made a big difference.

“When you’ve got three girls at 6 foot or taller and we play small ball – we started all guards (with the tallest at 5-8) – sometimes against those big girls, there’s not much you can do about it,” she said. “We played well in spurts but against those big girls, you can box them out all you want but it’s tough.”

Pal-Mac Head Coach Dan Harris also mentioned that his girls asserted themselves on the boards and “that led to some offensive rebounds and second and third chances, and that obviously was the difference.”

He was quick to point out the Lady Devils’ tenacity in its pressing defense and the team's athleticism.

“Those kids are very well coached and they had a lot of returning players that, unfortunately, their careers are over, but they play so hard, so well. And they’re so athletic and they have great basketball skills, too, which is a dangerous combination,” he said.

Reigle had six assists and five rebounds to go with her 18 points while Wormley grabbed six rebounds and Thornley had four points and four rebounds.

Reigle on the fast break, ahead of Pal-Mac's Grace Seither (14) and Tatum Smyth (2) and teammate Bryn Wormley.

Wormley stretching out as she battles Pal-Mac forwards Sophie Lyko (21) and Ryley Trail (22).

Lyko and Batavia's Haylee Thornley jockey for position.

Head Coach Marty Hein draws up a play late in the game.

Bottom four photos by Steve Ognibene.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Update: 4 p.m. March 19 --

Clarification in seventh paragraph, fixing Baccile's title and the number of megawatts quoted by Farnholz from 125 to 25.

-----------

Le Roy Town Supervisor James Farnholz said that while he respects the wishes of his colleagues on the town board to restrict community solar farms in residential and agricultural districts, his preference would have been finding a “middle ground” to give farmers the chance to repurpose their land.

The subject of the town’s proposed local law and zoning on solar projects was part of the agenda of Thursday night’s Genesee County Planning Board meeting via Zoom videoconferencing. Planners discussed the Le Roy Town Board’s 4-1 vote to not allow these smaller solar projects in the aforementioned designated zones.

Farnholz cast the lone vote to permit them.

“We’ve been working on this commercial solar for the last two and a half years … and I see that farmers are getting on in years and nobody is taking over the farm, and they want the opportunity to make some money,” Farnholz said when contacted by telephone on Friday. “I didn’t want to be the guy that tells them no.”

He said the proposed local law and zoning would allow community solar in areas that are zoned ground-mounted, industrial and interchange zones. In areas that are zoned commercial, that solar would have to be roof mounted.

Farnholz said a “couple of good reasons” factored into the other board members’ decisions.

No Room at the Inn

“Part of the reasoning, as we were told by Ty Baccile, project manager, solar development for Clean Choice Energy, and several others, was that the grid station here in Le Roy could only take, I believe it was 25 megawatts,” Farnholz said. “Which, basically, would mean there would be five farmers or landowners who could have 25-acre separate parcels of solar (at 5 megawatts each) on their land. And those five spots were already taken up in the queue for the grid.”

He said the other factor in the town’s comprehensive plan and agricultural land protection was just that – to protect the farmland.

Additionally, Farnholz pointed out New York State’s increased involvement in siting huge solar projects, such as the ones moving forward in Byron and Elba.

“Once it gets beyond a certain size, and I believe that it is 25 megawatts, it essentially will fall under the state Siting Board, which will make the decisions on it. It kind of bypasses your local zoning,” Farnholz explained.

“Given the political climate between New York State and the federal government on green energy, my personal view is that I would rather find a middle ground than have something forced on us. I’d rather give somebody 40 acres than have them come in and do 500 and not have any voice in it whatsoever.”

Shutting Out the Farmers?

During the planning board meeting, Baccile said he “wanted to share our concerns that this law as it was voted on it would cancel the opportunity in the R-A district for large farmers who wanted to co-locate maybe 30 or 40 acres of solar for community solar … to generate revenue and keep things on the farm going.”

“Basically, as it was voted, it's going to take that away from farmers who had come to the meeting and expressed that this would be a good way for them to support their farm,” he said.

Genesee County Planning Director Felipe Oltramari agreed that it “definitely is not the most solar friendly of local laws, but noted that it is the town board’s prerogative.

“They can decide as, as the elected representatives of Le Roy whether to he pursue, just as (the Town of) Stafford did, a local law that's more restrictive or less friendly to solar development …,” he said.

Oltramari then gave a less than enthusiastic review of wording in the Town of Le Roy’s proposed local law and zoning on solar, making observations that Farnholz said he can’t dispute.

The planning director said he wasn’t on board with the “definitions” in the text or the way that town officials determined the total surface area of a potential solar farm.

“The Town of Le Roy did not follow some of the state models, so the language is a little rough and just needs to be refined,” Oltramari said, adding that the zoning regulation lists multiple names for the same thing, such as “major solar collection system, major system, commercial use minor solar collection system, and ground-mounted solar energy systems. It makes it confusing …”

Definitions Section Needs Revision

Oltramari, in a letter to the town board, said the various terms make it hard to read and understand, and suggested settling on one term and using it throughout.

On the issue of the allowed total surface area, he said “this one can become problematic because it has a potential (where) people are going to basically ask for a lot of variances compared to most solar laws that I’ve seen used.”

He said that most laws figure in equipment pads, posts, foundations of the solar panels and the panels themselves when determining the percentage of coverage requirements.

“When you include the area of the panels it's going to become problematic and you end up creating, basically having to acquire, these large parcels so that only a portion of them will be covered by solar panels and so you end up with a lot of wasted land,” he said. “And that is probably too small to farm or too inconvenient to farm and it sort of gets wasted.”

Oltramari suggested that Le Roy use the New York State model, which includes the footers of the panels, the equipment pads and any paved roads in the lot coverage.

Farnholz had no issue with Oltramari’s suggestions to revise the definitions section and the determination of the permitted total surface area.

“Actually, we discussed that at our meeting last night and agreed that it was problematic and when it does come back from there, we’ll remove that,” he said. “That will be corrected.”

County planners reommended approval of the town’s zoning regulations as long as the revisions outlined in the letter from the planning department are considered (and applied).

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following joint statement on Friday:

“Confronting and overcoming the COVID crisis requires sure and steady leadership. We commend the brave actions of the individuals who have come forward with serious allegations of abuse and misconduct.

"Due to the multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York. Governor Cuomo should resign.”

A Great Dane is easy to spot and hard to miss. But one slipped her collar and was last seen running about after 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon near Texaco Town.

That would be in Pavilion in the vicinity of routes 63 and 20 and Transit Road.

Checking this morning at the Genesee County Animal Shelter, The Batavian was told no Great Dane has been turned in.

So "Leai" remains at large, literally.

Also known as the German mastiff or Deutsche Dogge, the breed is from Germany, a descendant of hunting dogs known from the Middle Ages and is one of the largest breeds in the world.

This noble canine, commonly referred to as a gentle giant or as the “Apollo of dogs” -- Apollo is the Greek god of the sun, the brightest fixture in the sky. It has been around for a long time, and depictions of Dane-like dogs on artifacts date back thousands of years.

Characteristically, it is devoted, friendly, reserved, confident, loving and, as mentioned, gentle.

An adult female's average weight is 99 to 130 pounds, and its height averages 28 to 32 inches.

Their coat can be black, brindle, fawn, mantle, blue, or harlequin. Leai appears to be brindle.

But she is microchipped and she was just spayed Tuesday.

"We were dog sitting our daughter’s Great Dane and she slipped the collar," wrote Heather Klein. "She is not from this area."

She is reportedly very skittish.  

If you spot a gangly Great Dane, please phone Heather at (585) 993-1050.

Pavilion's undefeated season came to a disappointing end Friday night in the Class C2 Section V championship game as York took home the trophy with a 57-49 win.

The game was a battle with Pavilion taking an early lead, falling behind, and regaining the lead before the end of the second half. But the Lady Gophers lost that lead early in the second half and never regained it.

Karlee Zinkievich scored 17 points and Lauren Kingsley scored 16. Emily Kingsley scored six and Shea Amberger scored six.

The Batavia Blue Devils boys’ basketball team suffered a heartbreaking defeat tonight, losing 56-55 to Wayne in the championship game of the Section V Class B1 Tournament at the Batavia High School gymnasium.

Junior guard Mason Blankenberg’s 15-foot jumper from the left side of the foul line with 7.8 seconds to play erased Batavia’s one-point lead and lifted the Eagles to their third sectional title in the past five years.

Batavia had a chance to pull out a victory but Wayne successfully defended on a drive to the basket by Alex Hale, one of eight seniors on the Blue Devils’ roster, as the clock expired – igniting a wild celebration by the visitors and their fans, while dashing the hopes of the home team and its faithful.

Both teams came into the game with 14-0 records, with Wayne capturing the Finger Lakes East crown and Batavia cruising to the title in Monroe County Division 4.

Following Blankenberg’s clutch shot, Batavia inbounded the ball and quickly got it over the midcourt line to enable Head Coach Buddy Brasky to call a timeout with 4.3 seconds remaining.

Brasky said the play call was a “progression” that would hopefully give his team more than one option.

“We had a progression with Zach (Gilebarto) in the corner, Stone (Siverling) in the post and then Alex after he inbounds it, comes to get it and goes to the basket. That’s what we tried to do,” he said.

After throwing it in, Hale received a return pass from Faraz Idrees and drove into the lane with Wayne’s Eli Schichtel guarding him. As he crossed the foul line, he was sandwiched by Schichtel and Tyler Reynolds, and then stumbled to the floor – unable to get off a shot as the horn sounded.

Gilebarto and Siverling had been positioned on the right and left baseline, respectively, but the opportunity to get either of them the ball failed to materialize. Siverling was unable to break free from the double-teaming of Blankenberg and Devon Forrest, and Blankenberg then released to follow Gilebarto to the left side of the key.

Brasky said that Wayne’s height advantage with Blankenberg at 6-foot-3 and Forrest and Schichtel both at 6-2 was a deciding factor.

“Their size, in the end, got us,” he said. “They were able to put Blankenberg on Gilebarto and that bothered him some (Gilebarto was held to 18 points, five under his average). They put a 6-3 kid on him and it’s tough for him to shoot over him as he’s 5-11.”

When it was mentioned that everybody in the building was thinking that Gilebarto would take the final shot, Brasky said, “Well, they knew that, too, so I’ll have to watch the film to see if he was open, but you’ve got to figure they would deny him – which is why we had the other progressions.”

Wayne Coach Bill Thomson, who called Brasky “a coaching legend who runs an amazing program,” said he was shocked that neither Gilebarto nor Siverling touched the ball in the final seconds.

“Yes, I was very surprised. They put them both on the baseline and I didn’t know – I was shocked, shocked when I saw that,” Thomson said. “And I actually thought they traveled twice on that play at the end of the game.”

The game’s first 16 minutes was a tale of two contrasting halves as Batavia jumped out to an 18-6 lead en route to a 21-11 edge after the first quarter before Wayne roared back, outscoring the Blue Devils 19-10 to pull within one at intermission.

Senior Luke Rogers swished three three-point shots in the first quarter (and a fourth in the second period) while Siverling and Gilebarto added six apiece, before Blankenberg scored seven of his game-high 23 in the second quarter to spark the Eagles’ rally.

Reynolds erupted for 10 points, including a pair of deep three-pointers, to offset Siverling’s eight and Gilebarto’s six as the teams traded baskets in the third quarter. Batavia broke a 37-37 tie on a three-pointer by Gilebarto and layup by Siverling, before Wayne came back behind Reynolds and Blankenberg to take a 46-44 lead entering the fourth period.

Siverling, who led Batavia with 21 points, rebounded his own miss and scored with about six minutes left to put Batavia up 51-48, but Reynolds stole the ball and went in for an uncontested dunk to make it 51-50 at the 3:35 mark.

A spinning layup by Blankenberg put Wayne back on top but Siverling converted a pass from Gilebarto to put Batavia ahead, 53-52, with two minutes left. Wayne responded as Forrest hit a 17-footer at 1:35 before Gilebarto drove in for a basket with 25 seconds to play to give the Blue Devils a 55-54 lead.

Brasky credited Rogers for giving his team an early boost against Wayne’s 2-3 zone defense.

“He’s one of our shooters and I told him that when he was open, shoot it with no hesitation. He did and to his credit he made them and got us off to a good start,” he said.

The Eagles switched to a man-to-man defense and that, coupled with their hot outside shooting, got back in the game in the second quarter.

“We knew when we went on that early run that they would score and go on a run of their own. I wasn’t surprised that they would come back – they’re undefeated,” Brasky said.

A shortened season marked by COVID-19 restrictions that prevented many family members and fans from watching the Blue Devils has ended on a down note, but Brasky said he will remember it as one of his most satisfying.

“I love these kids,” he said. “I told them in the locker room that they made me love coaching again. We’ve had a couple of tough groups here in the last few years that were a little harder to coach, but these kids rekindled my love for coaching. They’re a great group of guys.

“The whole senior group was a committed group and they are a great, great group. And they will be successful in their lives because they understand about hard work, dedication and sacrificing for the good of the team. They understand all of that, and that is what is going to take them on in life in whatever they choose to do.”

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Photos by Steve Ognibene.

Photos: The photo at top tells the story as the Batavia Blue Devils' sit dejectedly on their bench moments after losing by one point to Wayne. Other photos: Zach Gilebarto (21) and Stone Siverling (24) score inside, Alex Hale and Wayne's Eli Schichtel (1) battle on the boards, and Wayne's Mason Blankenberg makes a move around Gilebarto toward the hoop.