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Press release:

Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced the on-sale dates for 2 upcoming events taking place at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel’s Park Place Room.  These 2 events join other, already announced spring events. 

The 4th annual Batavia Brew Fest, presented by Young Lion and Genesee Brewery, is back on Saturday, Feb. 18 from 5 til 8 p.m.  For $40, attendees receive 3 hours of beer sampling from WNY breweries like Genesee Brewery, Young Lion, Boston Beer, DogFish, Four Mile Brewing, Heineken, Yuengling, K2 Brewing, Clarksburg Cider, Blue Barn Cidery,  Three Heads Brewing, Captain Lawrence Brewery, Constellation, Diago, Molson/Coors, Blue Toad Cider, Press Seltzer, Hop Water and many more.  Light snacks will be served, and attendees will receive a commemorative plastic sampling mug along with $20 in Free Play.  Designated Driver tickets will also be available.

KISS THIS returns to Batavia Downs on Friday, March 3^rd.  Western New York’s Premier Tribute to KISS brings all of the theatrics and bombast of a classic KISS show to their performance.  Tickets are $15, and attendees receive $10 in Free Play on the day of the show.

Tickets for these 2 events will be available at www.BataviaConcerts.com beginning on Friday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m.

Visitors to the concert ticket website can also purchase tickets for other upcoming events like the BBQ and Bourbon Dinner, the Music of the Stars Tribute Concert and all the recently announced Pepsi’s Rockin’ the Downs Summer Concert Series shows.  Announcements for the rescheduled Furball Animal Shelter Fundraiser, Polka Buzz and the Kentucky Derby Gala will be announced in the coming weeks.

“The tribute acts we bring in are a great addition to our event schedule,” said Henry Wojtaszek, President and CEO for Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel. “We look forward to welcoming back KISS THIS as well as our annual large-scale events like the Brew Fest and Derby Gala.”

Video by The Batavian:  KISS THIS at Jam at the Ridge in July 2021

Press release

New York State Senator George Borrello was chosen by his Senate and Assembly colleagues to serve as President of the New York Conference of Italian-American State Legislators. The mission of the bipartisan organization is to highlight the significant contributions of Italian-Americans to the state of New York.

“I am grateful to my colleagues for choosing me to serve as President of the New York Conference of Italian-American Legislators. New York State is home to over three million residents of Italian descent whose economic, social and cultural contributions make our state stronger and enrich the diversity of our cities and communities,” said Senator Borrello.

“My great-grandparents came here from Italy and worked hard to provide for their family. They cherished the freedom and opportunities that America gave them, but also kept alive the traditions and culture of their homeland. My heritage is a point of pride for my fellow members and me. Our goals are to celebrate our Italian-American community, foster goodwill among our colleagues and provide educational opportunities to deserving young people through the scholarship program.

The organization meets several times during the legislative session. Its annual activities include a scholarship program to help students with the cost of college or any post-high school education and the popular Festa Italiana, a celebration of Italian culture with live music, vendors and Italian food.

Photo: File photo by Howard Owens

Press release:

Registration is now available for kindergarten and prekindergarten students in the Byron- Bergen School District.

The District plans to once again offer a half-day universal prekindergarten (UPK) program at the Byron- Bergen Elementary School. The UPK program is focused on socialization, learning through play, and self-exploration. Children learn through a hands-on learning environment that includes activities, learning centers, concrete materials, and manipulatives. Students learn through a nurturing environment that is enriching, challenging, and developmentally appropriate.

Students must turn four years of age by Dec.1 to be eligible for the program. If you have a child eligible and are interested in having him/her attend our UPK program, please complete this Google form which is also available on the Student Registration page of the Byron-Bergen website. The form requires the student’s name, parents’ name, address, phone number, email address, and date of birth. This electronic Google form is due by Thursday, February 23, 2023. Parents that have already contacted the Elementary School by phone will still need to complete the form. If you are having difficulty completing the form, please call the Elementary School office for support.

Please note that if the District receives more applications than the allowed capacity, a lottery will be held to select students. This year's lottery drawing will be held on Friday, March 3, via Zoom. Student-specific lottery numbers and the Zoom link will be shared with everyone who completes the form before the February 23 deadline. Once the lottery is complete, if your child was selected, you need to complete the full registration packet, which can be found on the Byron-Bergen website and submit it to the Elementary School Office.

Children who will be five years of age, on or before Dec. 1 are eligible for entrance to Kindergarten in September of 2023. New families in the school district should notify the school if they have a child that will enter Kindergarten in September of 2023. Parents may contact the Byron-Bergen Elementary School Office by calling 494-1220, ext. 1301. Information may also be sent to the Byron-Bergen Elementary School, 6971 West Bergen Road, Bergen, New York 14416.

All children registered for kindergarten will be scheduled for a screening appointment this summer. The results of this screening will be used to plan for the 2023-2024 kindergarten program. The following items are necessary to complete the registration process: the child’s birth certificate; certificate of immunization; proof of residency; and completed registration packet.

Additional information and registration packets are available at http://www.bbschools.org/StudentRegistration.aspx. 

Press release:

The major fundraiser for the Batavia Rotary Club concluded with the grand prize drawing Saturday night, but the real winners are the many local organizations that receive support from Rotary all year long. 

"This is the major fundraiser that allows our club to make so many contributions to the community, such as $18,000 in college scholarships to area students each year," said President John McGowan.

Rotary is also contributing $250,000 toward the Healthy Living Campus under construction on Main Street, a joint project for the YMCA and United Memorial Medical Center.

Most recently, Rotary has offered a $150,000 matching pledge for the renovation of the local hospital's Intensive Care Unit, McGowan said.

Rotary's motto is Service Above Self, he explained.  Rotarians actively engage in projects to improve the local community. 

"Fundraisers like this Corvette event are critical for helping us help others," said Lisa Ormsbee, who co-chairs the event with Laurie Mastin.  Once again a Corvette or $50,000 is the prize.  The winning ticket that was drawn Saturday belongs to John Kinsella. 

In addition to the grand prize, there are 10 additional prizes of $500 each, Mastin explained.

Those winners are:

• Tom Mazurkiewicz
• Dan Ireland
• Todd Bender
• Vincent Bucciferro
• Paula Wortzman
• Bobbie Griffin
• John Green
• Nicolas Roth
• Daniel D'Amico
• Mine VanDenwere

Submitted photo:  Woman on the left, unidentified, with Laurie Mastin, co-chair of the fundraiser, and Rotary Past President Marlin Salmon. 

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, C -Batavia) said he is pleased that Assembly committee meetings will finally be live-streamed for public viewing. This idea was originally proposed in 2016 by the Assembly Republican Conference, but only audio was available. Although committee meetings will now be live-streamed, they will not be archived.

 “This is a major victory for the people of New York,” said Hawley. “We have fought for committee meetings to be live-streamed for almost a decade. I have always pushed for committee meetings to be open and transparent. It is New Yorkers’ rights we are fighting for; therefore, New Yorkers should be able to watch their representatives in action throughout the entire legislative process. Our next step should be to allow this footage to be archived for increased availability.”

Press release:

The Genesee County Youth Board is looking for nominations for its annual Youth Recognition Banquet. There are three awards presented at the Youth Recognition Banquet:

• Youth Recognition Award—This award recognizes young people who have performed exceptional service to the community and/or have assumed extraordinary roles in their families. Typically, the best candidates for this award are high school students, but we also know there are 12, 13 and 14-year-olds who exemplify distinctive qualities of service. Several youths will be recognized; however, the Youth Boards reserve the right to limit the number of recipients.
• Adult Volunteer—this award recognizes an adult who provides service as a volunteer to youth in Genesee County.
• Adult Youth Worker—this award recognizes a youth service professional whose work surpasses normal expectations.

Recipients will be honored at the Youth Recognition Banquet on April 13, 2023. Nominations are due by Friday, February 10th. For more information or to receive nomination forms, please call the Genesee County Youth Bureau at 344-3960 or youthbureau@co.genesee.ny.us. The forms are also on the Youth Bureau page of the Genesee County website, www.co.genesee.ny.us. 

Press release:

Starting on February 1st, children from ages 3 and up can sign up to read at home to win prizes and collect charms at the library, during the month of February.

When the children register for the Haxton Memorial Library Winter Reading Program they will receive a "Readopoly" Board and a wristband.  For each task they complete they will earn a charm to put on their wristband.  A task is completed when all of the activities on the spaces are filled up in each color group. In addition, there are other activities on the board where they can earn tickets for the Grand Prize basket, including attending a library program on Thursday nights.

The library is also having a "Build Your Own Snowman" contest for children ages 3 and up as part of the Winter Read. Participants will share a photograph of their creation with the library staff and the judges will pick a winner. The winner will receive a Target gift card. Snowman builders are encouraged to be as creative as they want, using any materials or ideas that would make it a special work of snow art.

The program ends on February 28 and everyone is encouraged to pick up their gameboard and contest information and get reading!

To register or for more information about the Winter Reading Program or any of the programs held at the Haxton Memorial Library, please call 585-948-9900 or stop by the library at 3 North Pearl St. in Oakfield.

The Haxton Memorial Library, a member of the Nioga Library System, is located at 3 North Pearl Street in Oakfield and provides residents a variety of programs, events and materials that are listed on the library’s website at www.HaxtonLibrary.org.

 

Press Release:

LeRoy Ambulance continues to fundraise for a new ambulance, and to date we have raised a total of $28,274. We continue to accept donations, and are planning several fundraisers for 2023 that will be announced at a later date. 

We have also continued the process of designing our new ambulance and obtaining quotes from multiple vendors, and while many details remain undecided, we do have several details to provide. The new ambulance will be a type III design, which means that it will be a box on a van chassis. The chassis will either be a Ford E Series or Chevrolet G Series, depending on availability/price at the time we place the order.

In order to minimize the cost, we will be transferring over the stretcher and most other equipment from our old ambulance instead of purchasing new. The anticipated cost for the new ambulance is currently in the neighborhood of $182,000, but we have been advised that this is likely to increase as costs continue to rise. We are exploring multiple grant and financing options, and will release further information as it becomes available. Lead time on a new ambulance currently varies from 6-18 months depending on options chosen and availability at the time of order. 

The 2016 Mercedes Sprinter ambulance that this project intends to replace continues to have reliability issues, and recently spent 9 weeks out of service at the dealership due to issues with the diesel exhaust system. It has since been repaired and is back in service, though it just rolled over 100,000 miles this week, meaning that this project is of utmost importance to our continued operation. 

We would like to sincerely thank everyone who has donated to this effort, your continued support is greatly appreciated and truly helps us to serve the community. We continue to collect donations for this cause, and you can donate at www.leroyems.org, or by mailing a check to LeRoy Ambulance Service, P.O. Box 56 LeRoy NY 14482. LeRoy Ambulance is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible. 

 

Press release:

The­­­ Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School Girls’ Basketball Team will host its 12th annual Shooting For A Cure! event versus Oakfield-Alabama on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. at the high school gym located at the corner of Routes 5 and 77 (8717 Alleghany Road) in Pembroke, New York. Admission is free. The team asks that attendees make a donation of any amount as they enter the facility, and all donations go to Roswell Park to support research efforts. In addition to donations at the door, all proceeds from raffle tickets, concession sales, and apparel sales go directly to Roswell Park. To date, Shooting For A Cure! has raised over $227,000 and has remains Roswell Park’s largest independent, community-based fundraising event.

The event began over a decade ago when the team approached then head coach Mike Wilson with an idea; they wanted to show their support for Toni Funke, wife of former coach and Pembroke teacher Ron Funke, in her battle against breast cancer by hosting a game in her honor which would bring the community together to raise awareness and funds for cancer research at Roswell Park. This season, the team hopes to add to the more than $227,000 the event has generated and donated since 2011 by continuing this benevolent Pembroke tradition.

Direct online donations are now being accepted in support of this year’s Shooting For A Cure! game at: http://give.roswellpark.org/goto/shooting-for-a-cure-12. In addition, the team is seeking donations from the community in the form of items to include in various raffles.  Food and beverages, provided by local vendors and restaurants, will be for sale during the event.  All of the proceeds will benefit cancer research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.  The 2022-2023 Shooting For A Cure! donors list already contains many businesses and organizations, including 26Shirts, ADPRO Sports, Billy The Kid Automotive, the Buffalo Bills, the Buffalo Sabres, Dry Creek Group, Five Guys, the Genesee County YMCA, Hershey's Ice Cream, Homeslice 33 Pizzeria, Jimbo’s Construction, Knockaround Sunglasses, Linda's Family Diner, M&T Bank, Mighty Taco, New Era, Original Pizza Logs, Oxford Pennant, Pesci's Pizza, Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, Salsarita’s, Salvatore’s, Sincerely Kayla, Terry Hills, The Pink Cow, and Tim Horton's.

There will be several other ways to support the cause this year. Currently, the team has partnered with 26Shirts from Buffalo, a local company that designs and sells apparel items to benefit those in need. To date, 26Shirts has raised $1,694,965 for local families, foundations, and organizations. All proceeds from this apparel sale will directly benefit cancer research at Roswell Park. If you’re interested in limited edition, 12th annual Shooting For A Cure! gear, please visit: https://26shirts.com/collections/shooting-for-a-cure.

In addition to the apparel sale, Can Jam Redemption Center in Corfu has partnered with Shooting For A Cure! From today, up through February 3rd, you can donate your bottle and can return slips in support of cancer research at Roswell Park. When you bring in your returns, just let them know that you’d like to donate your slip to our Shooting For A Cure! mission.

Businesses and organizations wishing to make a donation for this year’s event should contact Mike Wilson, the Shooting For A Cure! coordinator at Pembroke, by calling (716) 949-0523.

Press release:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) sent a letter to the Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission expressing concerns regarding the new national broadband map. This map is essential in determining eligibility for many federal broadband grants, including the Rural Development Broadband ReConnect Loan and Grant program and the new Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.

Tenney raised concerns about the map’s methodology and its failure to provide information about libraries and other community anchor institutions (CAIs). Finally, she urged the FCC to extend the Jan. 13 deadline to submit disputes to ensure underserved communities and stakeholders throughout New York’s 24th Congressional District have adequate time to correct errors in the map. 

“There are far too many communities in New York’s 24th District and across the country that do not have access to reliable broadband,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “When broadband companies exaggerate or misstate their service availability in rural and low-income areas, this has a negative impact on everything from economic activity to educational opportunity. The proposed map put forward by the FCC is concerning for many reasons, including its lack of consideration for the rural communities I am honored to represent. I urge the Chairwoman of the FCC to take a deeper look into this issue and reevaluate this map to ensure it better serves all communities.”

Press release:

Plans are well underway for the 19th Annual Celebrate Agriculture Dinner which will take place Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 6 pm at the Alexander Fire Hall. This annual event is a celebration of Genesee County’s #1 Industry, Agriculture! The highlight of the night is a delicious meal using locally produced foods prepared by the Culinary Arts Students from the Batavia Career and Technical Education Center. Let by Chef Tracy Burgio and Denise Kaus, Culinary Arts teacher aide, this will be the second year of this perfect collaboration between the Chamber’s Agricultural Committee & Culinary Arts Program. The dinner is open to the public.

Tickets go on sale December 5th at the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, 8276 Park Road, Batavia. Tickets are $30 each or a table of 10 can be purchased for $275. Sponsorships are also available which help support agriculture educational events in Genesee County. Only 400 tickets will be sold. Please RSVP BY MARCH 17, 2023. For more information or to download the registrations flyer visit the Chamber’s Website www.geneseeny.com.

The Celebrate Ag Dinner is coordinated by the following partners: Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation District and Genesee County Farm Bureau.

Sponsors of the 2022 celebration included: Alleghany Farm Services, Arctic Refrigeration, Baskin Livestock, Inc., Carolina Eastern Crocker, CPL, New York State Senator Edward Rath, Farm Credit East, Farm Family Insurance, Fieldstone Private Wealth, Five Star Bank, Freed Maxick CPA, Growmark-FS, L&M Specialty Fabrications, LLC, Lamb Farms, Lawley, My-T Acres, National Grid, OXBO International, Perry Veterinary Clinic, Scott Adams Trucking, Tompkins Community Bank, Torrey Farms, Western New York Energy, LLC, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. William Kent, Inc. and Windy Acres Farm.

Farms and businesses that donated locally grown food for the 2022 dinner included: Angry Bees Apiary, Dorman Farms, Fenton’s Produce, SJ Starowitz Farms, Torrey Farms, Upstate Farms, Harrington Produce, Farm Fresh First Inc. Star of the West, Jeremy Neal Poverty Hill Farms. 

 File photo by Howard Owens

Press release:

The Batavia Sports Card and Collectable Show returns to the Quality Inn Batavia on Sunday, Jan. 22, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. 

The show is free to attend and features roughly 60 vendors full of sports cards, autographs, supplies, hobby boxes and non-sports-related collectibles. 

If you have any questions, contact Jen at (585) 694-0111.  Thank you to all that have supported the past shows, and we look forward to keeping this a monthly event.

Press release:

January is Radon Action Month, an annual observance that focuses on increasing the public’s awareness of the health risks of radon and how you can take action. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that has no smell, taste or color. When radon forms from the breakdown of uranium found in soil, it can enter a home through cracks in the walls, basement floors, foundations and other openings.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and claims the lives of approximately 21,000 Americans each year. This January, we are encouraging all homeowners, renters, real estate agents and building managers to conduct radon testing. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) recommends testing for radon during the buying/selling of a home, after doing a major renovation, and every two to five years, depending on previous radon level readings.

The EPA and NYSDOH have identified Genesee County as having a high average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter). The good news is, testing your home with a short-term radon test kit is a quick and easy way to determine if there are high levels of radon present in your home. The test kits are easy to use and contain basic instructions on how to receive the most accurate results when testing your home for radon.

“The only way to know if high levels of radon are present in your home is by testing your home for radon,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). The Genesee County Health Department was awarded a five-year grant through the NYSDOH to provide radon prevention education and distribute free radon test kits to Genesee County residents. Currently, there is a limited supply of radon test kits that can be given to residents of Genesee County, and this process is free of charge when you request a kit. If you live outside of Genesee County, you can purchase an inexpensive radon test kit from your local hardware store.

If test results come back and the radon levels in your home are greater than 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L), you can contact a certified radon mitigation contractor to install a radon reduction system in your home. This would be at the homeowner’s expense.  

For more details about the program or to seek a radon test kit, call the Genesee County Health Department at (585) 344-2580 ext. 5555. For more information on radon or other GO Health programs and services, visit GOHealthNY.org.

Press release:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) member of the House Ways and Means Committee, today reintroduced H.R. 348, the Transparency in COVID-19 Expenditures Act, alongside Representatives Mike Gallagher (WI-08), Jake LaTurner (KS-02), Darrell Issa (CA-48), and Chris Smith (NJ-04).

This bill requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to audit the funding provided by the COVID-19 relief bills Congress passed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specifically, the GAO must audit and report on the use of funding provided by:

• the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020
• the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
• the CARES Act
• the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act
• Divisions M and N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and
• the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The United States has spent over $4 trillion in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, much of which was spent without proper oversight. In fact, the New York State Comptroller reported that over $11 billion in fraudulent unemployment insurance payments were made during the first year of the pandemic alone.

Following the release of H.R. 348, the lawmaker released the following statement:

“Taxpayers deserve to know where their money went and how it was spent,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “Now that we are in the Majority, House Republicans are leading to charge to make the government more accountable and transparent, and that starts with how American’s tax dollars were spent. The financial fraud following the COVID-19 pandemic was unprecedented and we must ensure we never give out a blank check and make these same mistakes again. I’m honored to lead this charge to create a more transparent government.”

Read the full text of the bill here.