pembroke

The Pembroke Dragons triumphed over the Byron-Bergen squad 9-2 on Monday. 

Hayden Williams led the way from the pitcher's mound, dominating with 13 strikeouts. 

Jayden Bridge emerged as a standout player at the plate, going 3-4 with two doubles, driving in crucial runs and keeping the pressure on the Bee's defense.

Anthony Abbatiello also went 3-4.

Speed also proved to be a weapon for the Dragons, with the team racking up 6 stolen bases. Landon Santini swiped three himself.

In his first victory as the head Varsity Coach for the Dragons, Coach Lang expressed immense pride in his team's effort and dedication. The win not only highlights the talent of the players but also speaks volumes about the resilience and determination of the entire team, he said.

Photos and information submitted by Allison Lang.

Two days after more than 100 local residents turned up at a town of Pembroke board meeting to protest increased property assessments, the board voted in an emergency session on Saturday to roll back the increase for 2024.

Assessments will remain at the 2023 levels for 2024, said Supervisor Thomas C. Schneider Jr. 

Property owners will receive written notice of the rollback to the 2023 assessments.

All scheduled meetings with the town's assessor have been canceled. A taxpayer information session scheduled for Wednesday was also canceled.

So many people turned out at Thursday's board meeting that the session was relocated from the board's chambers on Main Road to the Town Hall in the village of Corfu.

Rachel Doktor attended the meeting and provided The Batavian with photos of the full house. She said people are reporting the same experience she's had -- an astronomical assessment increase.

"Ours was raised over $100,000 just last year, and now they want another $84,000," Doktor said on Friday.  "Basically, they're raising our assessments like crazy, and they're doing it again ... everyone is pissed about the assessment."

Doktor said she thinks property values have been going up because people are moving to the area from Buffalo and Rochester and "overpaying" for their new homes.

"All of these city people, they buy a huge home for $250,000 that in Rochester could cost a million dollars," Doktor said. 

Realtor.com currently lists one house for sale in Pembroke, a three-bedroom, one-bath, 2,208-square-foot residence on South Lake Road for $249,500.  A newer but smaller home sold in March for nearly $370,000, but other home sales in the area have been below that price.

Schneider said his own assessment has gone up $350,000. He said the factors driving up home prices include the desirability of the Pembroke Central School District, Pembroke's proximity to Erie County, and easy access to the Thruway.

Pembroke has been a hotbed of growth the past couple of years, with new apartment buildings going up, a new mixed-use development opening, a new distribution center by the interchange, and a planned new travel plaza.  

Property by the interchange, Schneider said, is going for $30,000 an acre.  He expressed concern that those high commercial property values may have played too big of a role in determining residential property assessments. That was why he suggested on Friday, before the emergency meeting on Saturday, that a rollback to 2023 assessments might be in order.

"That needs to be looked at as part of the increase in her calculations," Schneider said.

The assessor is appointed for a seven-year term, and outside of hiring the assessor, the town board has no role in assessments, Schneider said.

"The board should remain independent of the assessor," Schneider said. "We don't want politicians assigning values to properties in my opinion and in the state's opinion, too."

The rollback, Schneider said, will allow a reassessment of the assessments.

"We need to dig into the data and see if there are structural deficiencies (in the calculations)," Schneider said. "We will roll it back for a year and talk with the assessor about where things might have gone awry."

During the eclipse events in Corfu, there was something sweet happening at Sweet Dream Maple Farm on Reynolds Road. Owners Al and Amy Stein had the farm open today for maple samplings, lunch, tours of the farm, and their shop was open for business.

When Al heard that the Darien Lake Hotel was going to be open for the eclipse weekend, he wanted to include their farm with all of the local happenings. 

"It's something for the visitors to do," Al said. "I opened everything as an extension of Maple Weekend." 

Nick and Tina were up here on a family trip from Danbury, Conn., with their three kids, Ben, Nicola, and Samantha. They heard of the events happening in Corfu from their Airbnb host, Amy Stein, and decided to keep their eclipse viewings local. 

Another stop was in the village of Corfu for their eclipse viewing party at Pembroke Intermediate School, which was free for all to attend. Many locals gathered for games of corn hole, miniature golf, trivia, and a cookout fundraiser for the church food pantry. 

Jim and Sara Hall of Corfu were excited to spend time with their kids today. 

"I took the day off of work," Jim Hall said. "It looks like it's going to be a dark one." 

He laughed.

"The three-day event was a great success," said Tom Sargent, the village of Corfu mayor. "It was well attended for a small community." 

He recapped that Corfu had the parade and dance on Saturday, which at one point had 45 people on the dance floor learning to square dance. The craft festival and movie night on Sunday also had great turnouts. 

"The weather definitely affected the turnout today," Sargent said. 

Even though it was a cloudy day for everyone in Genesee County, Corfu was able to catch a couple of glimpses between clouds before the total eclipse.

There was widespread agreement that it was an exciting event even though the actual total eclipse wasn't visible.

Genesee County was well represented in Rochester on Saturday for the 39th annual Ronald McDonald House Charity Basketball Games.

Le Roy's Merritt Holly, playing on the Red Team, was named the game's MVP, scoring 18 points and six rebounds. Braedyn Chambry was awarded the Bob Parker Sportsmanship Award for the Red Team.

Roxanne Noeth was one of the two coaches for the Red Team.  She was honored during the game for playing in the girls' RMHC 1987 game.  She is the first person to play in a girl's game and coach a boy's team. (People have played and later coached in a game, but she is the first female to coach boys and play in the girls' game). 

Victoria Fetzer, a freshman from Le Roy sang the National Anthem to open both the boys' and girls' games.

Press Release:

The GLOW YMCA Riptide Swim Team out of Batavia had a very successful regular season. 26 members met the age group qualification standards for the NYS YMCA State Swimming Championship. 

The meet will be held from March 15 - 17 at the Nassau Aquatic Center on Long Island. The ages of the swimmers range from 7 to 17 and attend local school districts including Batavia, Byron-Bergen, Le Roy, Oakfield-Alabama, St. Joseph’s School, and Pembroke. 

The team will compete in 58 individual events and 10 relays. The team is coached by Jen Pritchett, Andrew Fisher, and Emily Hirsch.

Opening on Friday night in the Pembroke High School Auditorium is the school's production of the musical "Cinderella."

Performances are at 7 p.m. on Friday and 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students.

"Come watch that sweet, innocent young maiden as she is terrorized by those closest to her and by the evasive love she so desperately craves," said Director Andy Clark. "Witness a brand new script with new characters and new songs in addition to some of the songs and characters from the original musical."

The cast:

• Cinderella, Grace Strassburg
•  Prince Topher, Charles Stringham
• Madame, the Stepmother, Sarah Forness
• Charlotte, Stepsister, Emily Guilian
• Gabrielle, Stepsister, Mikayla Stringham
• Marie, the Fairy Godmother, Lindsey Zanghi
• Sebastian, the Lord Chancellor, Sam Burton
• Lord Pinkleton, James Childs
• Jean Michelle, Micah Forness

"Our show this year also features a brand new set design team that far exceeded my expectations," Clark said. "I call them the 'Amazing Eight.' They are Stephanie and Tim Benson, Jessica and Zack Dawson, Summer Forness, Justin Reynolds, Patti Schafer and Rodney Stringham. We couldn't have done this show without them. "   

Chad W. Burgess, 37, of St. Paul Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 2nd, two counts of criminal possession of a narcotic with intent to sell, three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, tampering with physical evidence, criminal use of drug paraphernalia 2nd, and unlawful fleeing a police officer. Burgess is accused of fleeing a traffic stop at 1:51 a.m. on Feb. 25 on Lewiston Road, Batavia. Both deputies and troopers pursued him before being captured on Park Road, Batavia. He was allegedly found in possession of a large quantity of narcotics. Burgess was held pending arraignment. The investigation was led by Deputy Ryan Mullen, assisted by Deputy Jeremiah Gechell.

Oraid J. Blackshear, 19, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon 2nd, tampering with physical evidence, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration 2nd. Blackshear is accused of fleeing police on foot and resisting arrest on Feb. 16 after officers attempted to take him in custody on a warrant. He was allegedly found in possession of a loaded firearm. Blackshear was arraigned and jailed on $1,000 cash bail.

Nikkia M. Farias, 26, of Batavia, is charged with obstructing governmental administration 2nd and resisting arrest. Farias is accused of trying to prevent police officers from arresting another person on Feb. 16 by pulling them away from officers as they attempted to take the suspect into custody. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Alan D. Tidd, 34, of Batavia, is charged with four counts of failure to register or verify as a sex offender, second offense. Tidd is accused of failing to register four internet identifiers related to social media accounts and a phone number. He was arraigned in City Court on Feb. 16 and jailed.

Wendy L. Henry, 39, of Batavia, Brian M. Raphael, 35, of Batavia, and Jessica D. Delcour, 41, of Batavia.  Henry, Raphael, and Delcour are accused of illegally entering an apartment on Feb. 12 on Fisher Park. All three were issued an appearance ticket.

Lisa R. Richmond, 35, of Batavia, was charged on Feb. 14 with petit larceny. Richmond is accused of stealing money allegedly intended for a Batavia City School fundraiser. She was arraigned and released on her own recognizance.

Douglas G. Goodwin, 32, of Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass 3rd. Goodwin is accused of unlawfully entering a building on Harvester Avenue on Dec. 27. He was issued an appearance ticket.

John A. Cabrera, Sr., 56, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Cabrera is accused of violating a stay-away order on Feb. 11 on Washington Avenue, Batavia. He was arraigned in City Court and released.

John H. Bush, Jr., 40, of Batavia, and Jennifer K. Freeman, 40,  of Batavia, were both arrested on Feb. 15 on warrants issued by City Court. The warrants stem from a traffic stop on June 30. Bush was charged with driving on a suspended registration, aggravated unlicensed operation, resisting arrest, and criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Freeman was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Both are accused of failure to appear in court. They were arraigned and released.

Juan L. Figoura, 21, of Batavia, was arrested on a pair of warrants on Feb. 20. The first warrant charges Figoura with criminal contempt 1st, for allegedly violating an order of protection July 14. The other is related to an incident reported on Aug 17. Figoura is charged in that case with criminal contempt 1st, grand larceny 4th, criminal mischief 4th, petit larceny and harassment 2nd. Figoura was arraigned in City Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail.

Ihsaan Y. Parker, 22, of Rochester, was arrested on Feb. 22 on a warrant. Parker was initially charged on Aug 2, with operating a motor vehicle with registration suspended, aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd, and operating without a valid inspection.  Parker is accused of failure to appear in court as ordered on the initial charges. He was arraigned in City Court and released.

Elijah G. Schultz, 29, of Mill Street, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, uninspected motor vehicle, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, and unlicensed operator. Schultz was stopped in the Village of Le Roy at 1:36 a.m. on Feb. 12 by Deputy Ryan Mullen. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Gregory George Goodberlet, 66, of Lyman Road, Byron, is charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation 1st, aggravated unlicensed operation 2nd, unlicensed driver, and moving from lane unsafely. Goodberlet was arrested at 4:39 p.m. on Feb. 19 at a location on Lyman Road following a welfare check. He was issued an appearance ticket and released.

Madeline Anne Morrison, 25, of Wood Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving on a suspended registration, and drinking alcohol or using cannabis in a motor vehicle on a highway. Morrison was stopped at 2:44 a.m. on Feb. 24 on Clinton Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Jacob Kipler. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Michael Louis Harris, 55, of Marlbank Drive, Rochester, is charged with DWI, failure to keep right, and moving from lane unsafely.  Harris was stopped at 1:19 a.m. on Feb. 25 on Clinton Street Road, Bergen, by Sgt. Mathew Clor. He was held pending arraignment. 

Cody Alan Bush, Sr., 38, of Columbia Avenue, Batavia, is charged with aggravated harassment 2nd. Bush is accused of threatening the life of another person during a telephone call at 8:31 a.m. on Jan. 22. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Ross Conrad Poodry, 35, of Bloomingdale Road, Akron, is charged with felony DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation 1st, reckless driving, speed not reasonable and prudent, and failure to stop at stop sign. Poodry was reportedly involved in a property damage accident at 10:11 p.m. on Feb. 28 on Akron Road, Pembroke He was held pending arraignment. 

Victoria Helen Richards, 48, of Park Road, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Richards is accused of providing a child with drugs while at the Quality Inn and Suites at 2 p.m. on Feb. 27. Richards was issued an appearance ticket.

Dustin Larry Stump, 53, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, moving from lane unsafely, and driving a vehicle without an inspection certificate. Stump was stopped at 4:10 p.m. on March 1 on Byron Holley Road, Byron, by Deputy Zachary Hoy. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Rosemary Renee Waters, 37, of East Main Street Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th and criminal trespass 3rd. Waters was arrested following a traffic stop and roadside investigation by Deputy Jonathan Dimmig and Deputy Zachary Hoy on Feb. 25 at 4:05 p.m. on Beaver Meadow Road, Byron. Waters is accused of trespassing on CSX Railroad property and possessing a controlled substance. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Christy Lynne Thurston, 49, of Fetzner Road, Rochester, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI, resisting arrest, open container, failure to keep right, speeding not reasonable and prudent,  and moving from lane unsafely. Thurston was arrested following the report of a motor vehicle accident at 2:59 p.m. on March 3 on Lockport Road, Oakfield, investigated by Deputy Mason Schultz and Deputy Morgan Ewert. Thurston was released on an appearance ticket.

Kristen Lynn Fix, 49, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration 2nd, moving from lane unsafely, and unlicensed driver.  Fix was stopped at 10:12 p.m. on March 2, on East Main Street, Batavia, by Deputy Zachary Hoy. She was held pending arraignment.

Matthew J. Callaghan, 33, of Blue Spruce Drive, Rochester, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI, and side windows not transparent. Callaghan was stopped at 12:24 a.m. on March 2 on Clay Street, Le Roy, by Deputy Carlos Ortiz Speed. He was released on an appearance ticket.

7914 N Pembroke Road Pembroke. JUST LISTED! Think Spring and lots of outside fun at this lovingly kept, long time family owned country home! Solid 3 bedroom country home surrounded by wide open spaces and situated on 2 acres of it's own!! This property is perfect for entertaining, gardening, summer days and nites out in the setback, screened pavilion with great stone fire area!! The home itself has ample space for starting out or downsizing with great opportunity to expand if desired! Downstairs features country eat in kitchen with nice size laundry/pantry room leading to first floor bath and small bedroom or office area. Good size living room leads to large upstairs with two more bedrooms and great extra lounge/play area-a lot of possibilities for this under utilized space!! Home was fully insulated approximately 2 years ago and there is a 200 amp electrical service with a wired connection should you have a generator. Not only is there a 2 car attached garage leading to work/storage area there is also a separate garage for all your lawn supplies or toys! Located in Oakfield School System but with quick access to Batavia, Pembroke and thruway! Delayed negotiations until Sunday March 10th. Call Reliant Real Estate today, call 585-344-HOME (4663).

Pembroke couldn't overcome #1 seed Lyons in the Class C1 final at Blue Cross Arena on Saturday, falling 71-54.

Jayden Bridge led the Dragons in scoring with 15 points. Tyson Totten scored 14, Avery Ferreira scored 10, and Sam Pfeiffer scored nine.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

A car has reportedly hit a house at 304 Akron Road, Pembroke.

Dispatchers are checking on the availability of Mercy Flight.

Entrapment is reported. 

Pembroke Fire and Indian Falls Fire along with Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 10:20 p.m.: The Indian Falls chief on scene reports the house WAS NOT struck. A fence was struck away from the house.  He is checking for entrapment.

UPDATE 10:21 p.m.: The chief reports the driver says he is not injured. Firefighters will need to get the door open.

UPDATE 10:25 p.m.: The driver is out of the vehicle.

Pembroke beat East Rochester on Tuesday, 54-36, to advance to the Class C1 championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Blue Cross Arena.

Tyson Totten scored 22 points for the Dragons. Avery Ferreira scored 17 points.

"One of the staples of our program has always been defense, and when you play games this late in the season against quality teams, sometimes that is what you have to hang your hat on, and that is precisely what we did tonight," said Coach Matt Shay. "I was very pleased with our effort tonight and how we battled on that end."

The #3 seed Dragons take on #1 seed Lyons on Saturday.

Led by Coaches Alison Diskin and Kayla Heinlein, Pembroke celebrates a third straight win for Division I  during this year's Genesee Regional Cheerleading Championship Saturday evening. Alexander won Division II.  Pembroke also included the winner of Ronald McDonald House All-Star, Ashley Johnson, shown below. 
Submitted Photos

Pembroke topped Barker on Saturday at Genesee Community College in the Genesee vs. Niagara Basketball Showcase by a score of 67-43.

For the Dragons, Tyson Totten scored 35 points. Avery Ferreira scored 12, and Sam Pfeiffer scored 10.

"I was very pleased with our defense in the second half, holding them to 17 total points," said Coach Matthew Shay.

Photos by Jennifer DiQuattro

Byron-Bergen's Braedyn Chambry scored his 1,000th career point on Wednesday in Pembroke against the Dragons, as part of a 28-point effort to help the Bees to a 62-56 win.

The Bees are now 12-4 on the season, and the Dragons are 9-4.  The teams are 1-1 against each other this season.

Brody Baubie scored 19 points for the Bees.

For Pembroke, Tyson Totten scored 24 points, and Avery Ferreira scored 12 points.

Press release from Byron-Bergen Central Schools:

The Byron-Bergen High School Athletic Department proudly announces that Braedyn Chambry scored his 1000th point as a varsity basketball player on Jan. 31. He joins an elite group of high school athletes but, despite this milestone, remains a team player.

“Braedyn has been an exceptional player for our program over his career,” said Boys Varsity Basketball Coach Roxanne Noeth. “His work ethic and team-first approach have provided us with so many exciting moments. We hope the best are yet to come. We are so proud of him for this achievement.”

Chambry, who is also team captain, is in his fourth year as a varsity basketball player. His varsity career started out with a season shortened by COVID, in which he only tallied 33 points. Three excellent seasons followed, though, bringing his overall scoring tally into the quadruple digits.

Chambry would like to thank all his teammates, his family, and his coaches who have helped and supported him along the way. He adds, “Special shout out to Mr. Pimm for doing a lot of extra work in my early years.” In addition to basketball, Chambry plays varsity soccer and baseball. After graduation, he plans to attend college and continue his athletic career.

Also in Boys Basketball on Wednesday, Canandaigua beat Batavia 65-47. Carter Mullen scored 13 points and Justin Smith scored 12.

Photos by Jennifer DiQuattro

Two ambulances were requested to the scene of a two-car motor vehicle at 6:40 p.m. on Thursday in the area of 1396 Main Road, Pembroke.

There's no information available on the status of the patients.

Pembroke Fire and Indian Falls along with Mercy EMS responded to the accident. East Pembroke assisted with traffic control at Boyce Road.

The Batavian will provide an update if an accident report is released by law enforcement.

Reader-submitted photos.

Elba beat Pembroke 54-46 on Friday in Girls Basketball.

Sydney Reilly scored 16 points for the Lancers. She also has seven assists. Lydia Ross scored 14 points, and Mariah Ognibene scored 12 points. Ognibene also had 11 rebounds for a double-double.

Jayden Hootman scored 12 points for the Dragons.  Elle Peterson scored eight.

Also, in Girls basketball on Friday, Notre Dame, for the second consecutive game, won in OT, beating Kendall 32-28. Sofia Falleti scored 13 points with nine rebounds. Emma Sisson scored seven and had six rebounds. Nina Barts scored six points and nabbed nine rebounds.

In Boys Basketball, Le Roy beat Warsaw, 76-48. Merritt Holly had another big game, getting a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Jean Agosto scored 20 points and had seven rebounds. Le Roy is now 9-2 and riding a five-game win streak.

Photos by Debra Reilly.

Pembroke's Tyson Totten scored 24 points to help lead the Dragons to a 63-38 win over Elba on Thursday in Boys Basketball.

Totten also had eight rebounds.

Avery Ferreira scored 17 points, hitting three threes.  Sam Pfeiffer, 11 points, with three threes, and Sean Pustulka had eight assists.

For the Lancers, Nicholas Scott scored 16 points.

"We had three good defensive quarters to close out the game," said Dragon's coach Matthew Shay. "I thought we did a nice job managing the game, which is a credit to Sean."

Pembroke is now 6-2. Elba is 2-7.

Photos by Debra Reilly.

Explore this charming 3-bed, 1.5-bath brick ranch farmhouse on 2.6 acres in the Pembroke School District! Featuring an entertainer's kitchen with an open floor plan, epoxy river/black walnut island top, farmhouse sink, and maple hardwood floors, this home is ideal for gatherings. The finished Bills/Sabres bonus room in the basement makes it a Sunday hotspot. You'll find ample storage with a 20x10 barn, 2.5-car garage, and basement workshop. For outdoor lovers, a private trail to Tonawanda Creek awaits. The kitchen was remodeled in 2012, and a full bath in 2023. Septic was serviced in May 2023, and central air with a Rheem furnace was installed in 2012. Regular maintenance and a thorough July 2023 inspection ensure top-notch quality. A Briggs and Stratton generator (2012) and a new water heater (April 2023) Don't miss this meticulously maintained farmhouse.