east bethany

Several local artisans have gotten together to sell their homemade items from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 15-16.

The location is 5444 Ellicott Street Road (Route 63), East Bethany.

Some items include home decor, fall decor, fine art done on reclaimed wood, refinished/painted furniture, repurposed items, jewelry, and flavored popcorn.

Discover all-handcrafted rustic and primitive decor, and pottery, too.

The Landmark Society of Genesee County has announced the honorees for this year's annual Preservation Awards.

They will be feted at a dinner and awards ceremony starting a 6 p.m. on Oct. 15 at the First Presbyterian Church of Le Roy, located at the corner of routes 5 and 19.

The honorees are:

• The First Presbyterian Church of Le Roy -- 7 Clay St., Le Roy
• Gregg and Debbie McAllister -- 21 Ross St., Batavia
• David and Robyn Tufts -- 438 E. Main St., Batavia
• Garth and Amy Swanson -- 6209 Main Road, Stafford
• Chris and Michelle Krtanik -- 4835 Linden Road, East Bethany
• Indian Falls Log Cabin Restaurant -- 1227 Gilmore Road, Corfu

Cost for the dinner is $18 per person. Please RSVP by Oct. 7 to: Landmark.Genesee@gmail.com or by phoning 585-757-2455.

A caller reports an explosion with smoke now visible in the area of Route 63 and East Bethany Le Roy Road, East Bethany.

Bethany fire and one engine from Stafford requested to the scene.

Law enforcement also in route.

UPDATE 3:46 a.m.: Law enforcement in the area reports "fire can disregard."

Press release:

The Postal Service welcomes its newest Village Post Office (VPO) to the Bethany community. Through the Postal Service’s VPO partnership with the Bethany municipality, local residents and businesses now can enjoy access to some postal products and services at Bethany Town Hall, 10510 Bethany Center Road, East Bethany.

“When the East Bethany Post Office suspended operations in September, we decided we could offer basic postal services as a convenience to our residents through the VPO option,” said Bethany Town Clerk Debbie Douglas.

“Customers with more complex postal needs will have to drive to one of the nearby Post Offices, but if someone needs stamps or wants to drop off mail, we can help with that.”

The Bethany VPO provides a specific range of services that include the sale of First-Class postage booklets and rolls, Priority Mail Flat-Rate postage and acceptance of mail. It operates in conjunction with normal business hours:

                        9 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday

                        10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Wednesday

VPOs are designed for non-Postal Service establishments, such as an existing community business, town hall, library or government center. Business establishments interested in applying for a contract with the Postal Service to start a Village Post Office in their local community should contact: vpo.inquiry@usps.gov.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Robert B. Hansen III, 52, of Colby Road, Darien, is charged with grand larceny, 3rd. Hansen is accused of making debit card purchases and cash withdrawals totaling $17,753 drawn on his mother's checking account.The purchases and cash withdrawals were made in 2013 between February and November. The alleged purchases were not made for the benefit of his mother who is living in a Medina nursing home.

Matthew M. Maniace, 32, of Fargo Road, East Bethany, is charged with: aggravated DWI with a child in the vehicle; DWAI drugs; criminal contempt, 1st; criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th; harassment, 2nd; endangering the welfare of a child; and unlawful imprisonment. The charges result from an investigation into an alleged domestic incident by Batavia Police. Maniace is accused of driving a motor vehicle in the City of Batavia while under the influence of drugs with a 5-year-old child in the vehicle. He was put in Genesee County Jail on $20,000 bail.

Richard G. Hafford, 37, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, following a reported physical altercation that happened on Maple Street. Hafford was put in Genesee County Jail on $1,000 bail.

Bobby L. Mobley, 30, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, and menacing, 2nd, following an alleged disturbance that occurred on Hutchins Street on July 10. 

Kristine M. Smart, 39, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Smart allegedly stole $135 worth of merchandise from Kohl's Department Store in Batavia.

A two-car accident with minor injuries is reported at 6049 Ellicott Street Road. Stafford fire and Mercy medics are responding. Two vehicles are said to have collided into a utility pole. A responder on scene says two young men are injured, one complaining of pain, the other of facial cuts. The road is open but eastbound traffic will be slowed down.

UPDATE 8:38 p.m.: Two flatbed tows are called to the scene.

UPDATE 8:45 p.m.: The location is between Transit and East roads in East Bethany. Bethany fire is also at the scene.

UPDATE 8:51 p.m.: Traffic is being handled in alternate-lane order.

UPDATE: Photos submitted by Doug Yeomans.

"We thought she was dead. Everytime I see her I can't believe she's here," says Jason Duffy.

Duffy and his wife, Christina, brought Willow, a 3-year-old Bernese mountain dog, home to live with them Nov. 11 after picking her out at a breeder's home in Ontario County.

After only living with the Duffys for a day, Willow charged the front door as Christina opened it about 5:30 that evening. Willow then took off outside and did not respond to Christina's calls.

After about an hour, Jason Rutkowski, a neighbor, decided to help out using his ATV to check the wooded areas and fields near the Duffy home in East Bethany.

Christina and Rutkowski battled a snowstorm and cold temperatures until about 10:30 that evening without any luck.

After returning home from work that night, Duffy decided he would place an advertisement in the local Pennysaver and then blanket the area between Route 5 and Route 63 with fliers.

Three weeks went by and the Duffys finally got a lead on Willow's whereabouts.

They received a tip call from hunter Dave Hofert.  

Hofert was hunting on his property near the Batavia Party House and recognized the dog from the Pennysaver advertisment. Willow was spotted in a wooded area near an old rail bed behind the Party House.

Duffy searched the area for about a month, but there was no sign of Willow.

In mid-December he and Christina had lost hope.

With no other calls or leads, Duffy gave up and stopped calling around to local shelters and the couple decided to get another Bernese mountain dog to replace Willow.

Around Christmas, the Duffy's brought 5-month-old Shyla into their home.

The first week of February, the Duffys got a second tip call about Willow. This time from a coyote hunter who had found a den where Willow was bedding down. The den was located near the old rail bed behind the Batavia Party House close to where the first sighting had been.

Duffy immediately went to the area.

This time, Duffy was able to see Willow, but when he tried to call her she would not come to him. So every day for a week Duffy would go to her den located only a few miles from their home and feed her. Then he found a second den that she had made that was closer to the edge of the wooded area.

That's when Duffy decided to buy a live trap for $450 and set it up next to the den with some food.

"I covered it with twigs and put some raw chicken cutlet in with the dog food. The next day I knew she would be in the cage," Duffy said.

Willow has been home now for about a week and is fitting in very well with her new family.

She especially likes the leather couch and has claimed it as hers.

"She took to Shyla right away, they are like best friends," Christina says.

Duffy says, "Willow was a little skittish at first and she's still getting used to us, but she knows her name when I call her now. She has lost a little weight, but looks good. We dewormed her and gave her some antibiotics and she is good to go now."

Bernese mountain dogs are cold-weather dogs. But according to Duffy, Willow has lived in the house all of her life and has never had to fend for herself. He thinks she was living on rabbits and squirrels.

As to why she took off on Christina that snowy day in November?

Duffy thinks Willow may have been heartbroken when she was moved from the breeder's home in Ontario County. He thinks she was missing another dog she was bred with.

Married 15 years, the Duffys now have a second addition to their household.

Along with working their full-time jobs, the Duffys also run a goat farm at their home with 30 goats. The couple started the Duffy Fainting Goat Farm in 2010. The farm specializes in Myotonic and Nigerian dwarf goats. They also breed Great Pyrenees dogs.

"We love our goats and our dogs, they are part of our family," says Duffy.

(Top photo: Christina Duffy)

From left: Willow, Christina, Shyla and Jason Duffy.

Den that Willow has called home since November 2013. (Photo by Jason Duffy)

Michael Bow has had a pretty good year professionally -- and, knock on wood, it will keep getting better.

Bow, 27, runs "Bow Original Woodworking" out of his home in East Bethany. He builds furniture, cabinets, and other things per client request. Clients come to him from throughout Genesee County and as far away as Massachusetts.

Here are some samples of his work:

Originally from Attica, Bow has lived in East Bethany for two years. He started his own business in October 2012, around the time his mother became ill.

"I had worked in a couple different shops," Bow said, "Then I received a lot of requests for work, and my mom got sick. It seemed like the right time to go off on my own so that I could spend more time with her without affecting anybody else."

He learned woodworking on the job as an employee of Eurostyle Woodworking in Colorado. He credits the owners, Doug Stahl and Marco Dehm, with helping him to develop the skill level he enjoys now. They were not only his employers, but also his mentors.

"They're geniuses," Bow said. "They could touch a board and make a piano."

At one point, he got to travel with Dehm to the latter's native Switzerland and get a firsthand look at his training ground.

"When I saw how the Swiss learned," Bow said, "and what 16-year-old first-year woodworking students were doing, I was humbled by how advanced they were. I know guys here (in the United States) that have done woodworking for 30 years, and there's no way they could do what the kids are doing over there."

The following interview was conducted at Bow's home:

How would you describe woodworking for the layman? How is it different from carpentry?

Woodworking is a very in-depth trade. I think that's what I love about it. You have so many different ways to do so many different things. And then you've got so many styles. There's a European style, a Japanese style -- the Japanese are phenomenal craftsmen. There's so many different ways, for example, to build a cabinet, to set a door, and to join everything. Even after 30 or 40 years you still won't know anywhere near everything about woodworking.

There are different aspects of woodworking, but it generally involves more of a finished product. To me, when someone says "I'm a carpenter," I think they're more of a framer, more of a rough builder. And that's definitely respectable. These are just two different disciplines.

Is there a typical request you get from clients in terms of what they want?

Something cheap. (laughs) My slogan is "Design & Function." People usually want something for a specific purpose. Like if it's for an entertainment center, they'll want something that can hold a flat-screen TV, space for books or a DVD player, etc. So obviously it's designed around a specific need -- that's the function in "Design & Function." You can't have one without the other. If you've got the function and there's no design to it, what good is the function? And if you've got a good design and there's no functionality to it, then what good is the design?

How do you decide what kind of wood to use for your products?

Generally, it depends on what people want. If they want a painted product, usually I'll use either soft maple or poplar. If someone is looking for a certain kind of grain, I'll offer one type of wood. If someone is on a budget, I'll offer another; cherry generally stains very well -- and it's fairly cheap. It's pretty much about what the customer is looking for. Usually when I first meet with somebody on a job I'll tell them to get on the Internet, or get a magazine, and show me what they want.

Where do you get the wood for your projects?

It depends on what work I'm getting. Usually I don't need a big quantity of wood. I go through Attica Mill most of the time. I get some specialty hardwood from someone in South Warsaw, too. And then sometimes some of the customers will have wood that has been dried, cut or milled up, and I'll take it.

How did you get started in woodworking?

(When I was a kid) my uncle, Keith Bow, was always doing something with wood. He's a genius. I always would see his work and think, "Wow!" And I admired that "wow" factor.

My dad is kind of a hobbyist; he's a good craftsman. And my brother is a woodworker down in Florida. It's just in our blood, I guess.

I think the biggest thing (I enjoy) is that "wow" factor -- especially having my dad look at something I made and say, "Wow, that's cool."

In my late high school years, when I started realizing what I wanted to do, I went that route (toward woodworking). I was fairly confident with my skills and ability and knowledge, because I have the drive.

What are some of your hopes going forward?

My hopes are to always progress, always become more efficient...basically to strive for perfection. I want to become better at what I do. I want to be able to do more unique projects and constantly do something that is "one-and-only."

I don't expect to make a million dollars a year, but I would like to get to a point where I make enough money to live well and, here and there, take a few days off to do something outside of work.

Right now I'm busy, but not swamped. It's hit and miss (from week to week). Sometimes I might be working 60 hours a week. But I love what I do -- it's an addiction.

For more information, contact bow at 409-8127 or e-mail mjbow85@gmail.com.

Sample photos courtesy of Michael Bow.

Press release:

BUFFALO -- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Jerald Kicinski, 48, of East Bethany, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie G. Foschio, to receipt of child pornography. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, a fine of $250,000, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti, who handled the case, stated that between December 2010 and December 14, 2011, the defendant received child pornography on his computer at his residence in East Bethany. These images had been transmitted to the defendant in interstate commerce via the Internet. Kicinski was previously convicted of sexual abuse in the second degree in 2002 and sexual abuse in the third degree in 1990. Both of the defendant's prior convictions involved minors.

The plea was the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of James C. Spero, special agent In charge. Sentencing will occur in front of Chief Judge William M. Skretny. No sentencing date has been scheduled.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.