news

Press release:

With a schedule that includes children's theater, works of art, music and dance performances and scholarly exhibitions, the spring arts and cultural events schedule at Genesee Community College is sure to offer something for everyone! Make plans now to enjoy the many fun and entertaining events that GCC is hosting in the coming months!

"An Evening with Sonny Mayo" kicks off the spring schedule at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11. Hear some of the music from "Chasing the Chord," the latest CD from GCC Professor of Speech and Theatre Arts Frank Mayo, who has a long history of playing folk, blues and Americana music that is rich with vivid sound and lyrics. All proceeds benefit GCC's History Club. General tickets are $10 in advance and can be purchased by calling (585) 343-0055, ext. 6288, or by email: ddmaxfield@genesee.edu. Tickets at the door are $12.

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra will enchant audiences of all ages with Brahms and Marquez at 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 12. Guest soloist Brian Preston will be joining the performance on piano. Purchasing advance tickets is strongly advised and can be done by visiting one of several Batavia business locations including: Vinyl Record Revival, YNGODESS, GO ART! or the Bank of Castile in Le Roy. Adult tickets are $15, seniors (62 and older) $10, students (age 18 or under) $7 and a group family ticket is $35.

At 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 31, Stone Row returns! Experience Celtic and world music in a seamless fusion of traditional folk and contemporary genres. This will be the last Stone Row performance as the group plans to pursue separate enterprises after this final concert. The GCC audience can meet and greet the band after the show and wish them well in their new endeavors.

The GCC Forum Players will hold a fundraiser beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 25 called "A Night of Dance." The performance is being choreographed by GCC adjunct instructor Tara Pocock, and stars Anastasia's Spotlight dancers. Proceeds from the event will benefit the GCC Forum Players.

The Stuart Steiner Theatre will be transformed into the deep jungle, allowing audiences to follow three cheeky monkeys, Seeno, Hearno and Sayno, on their journey to wisdom as they swing through the trees without a care, learning to survive as people encroach upon their idyllic world. "Three Wise Monkeys" is presented by the Forum Players Children's Theatre Ensemble and is scheduled at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 28. Audiences of all ages will enjoy watching Seeno, Hearno and Sayno in their quest to find their lost baby monkey, Dono, and return him to his rightful place -- while eating bananas, of course!

Tickets for most shows are $8 for adults, and $5 for seniors (55+) and students (16+) and GCC faculty/ staff. GCC students with ID are $3, and GCC alumni with ID will receive a $2 discount on adult ticket. To reserve seats contact the GCC box office at boxoffice@genesee.edu or (585) 345-6814.

In addition to GCC's lineup of performing art events occurring in the Stuart Steiner Theatre, the sixth annual Arts Fest will take place in the GCC Batavia campus forum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 23. Experience art through participation with numerous workshops demonstrating creativity in drawing, painting, weaving, henna tattoos, origami, printmaking and much more! The event is free and open to the public and all are welcome to attend!

The second annual Scholars' Symposium celebrates the accomplishments of GCC students and faculty, on Thursday, March 30. Sponsored by the Genesee Community College Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (CURCA), the event will include students, faculty, staff, community leaders and friends sharing and demonstrating scholarly achievements in all disciplines through presentations, poster exhibits and performances. Fulbright Scholar John Covach, a writer, distinguished professor and chair of the College Department of Music at the Eastman School of Music/University of Rochester, will serve as the keynote speaker. He has published dozens of articles and co-edited numerous books about music, and is an active musician, including being the guitarist with the progressive rock band Land of Chocolate.

At the Roz Steiner Art Gallery, Stacey Robinson's "Binary ConScience" is currently on display through Thursday, Feb. 16. Robinson examines Black culture from the past to speculative future by illustrating the conflicts of integration, miseducation, unresolved slavery and unresolved emancipation. The other spring exhibitions in the Roz Steiner Art Gallery include the GCC Student Fine Art Exhibit from March 1-31, with the artists' receptions on Thursday, March 2 at 12:30 p.m. and also at 5 p.m., and the GCC Student Digital Art Exhibit from April 24 through May 21, with artists' receptions on Thursday, April 27 at 12:30 p.m. and again at 5 p.m.

Press release:

Genesee County 4-H member Emily Boldt has been selected to represent the New York State 4-H Program as a youth delegate at the 2017 National 4-H Conference. 

The National 4-H Conference is the pinnacle experience in 4-H Citizenship, providing an opportunity for young people to connect, engage, lead and learn how to impact their communities, their nation and their world.

The 2017 National 4-H Conference will be held March 25-30 in Chevy Chase, Md. Youth delegates from across the United States will explore current issues affecting youth, the role 4-H can play in addressing those issues, and tell federal decision makers if their current efforts are effective. 

Emily is a junior at Pavilion High School. She has been actively involved in the Genesee County 4-H Program for the past seven years and has taken on leadership roles within several areas. Emily is the current president of the Genesee County 4-H Rustic Riders Horse Club and also attended the 2016 4-H Career Explorations Conference at Cornell University.

Enjoy a peek inside the Alexander Museum located in the only three-story cobblestone town hall in America. The museum's large open space is filled with a wide-ranging collection - from farmers' tools to old record players, there's a lot to explore here.

To visit, contact Historian Katie Goodman at 585-591-1204 or by email to schedule a tour.

Alexander Museum, 3350 Church St., Alexander, NY; 585-591-1204.

Visit www.VisitGeneseeNY.com to learn more about Genesee County's unique attractions.

There are as many as 897 people in Genesee County leaving as much as $8,150 on the table each year simply because they're not completing the right IRS or state forms when they file their tax returns.

The money is what's called an Earned Income Tax Credit and the program is one many economists believe has helped lift millions of people over the past couple of decades out of poverty.

The EITC rewards work and economists say that is the right incentive to get people who can work into jobs that set them on a path toward better lives.

"One of the problems with redistribution of incomes is getting the money to the right people," said Michael Wolkoff, associate chair in the Department of Economics at the University of Rochester. "You want to do it in a way that encourages people to work if you can. ... The problem with general welfare is that it takes some people who can work and provides them with an incentive not to work and that's not what you want to do with welfare policy in general."

The first EITC was enacted in 1975 and the program was revised and expanded in both the Reagan and Clinton administrations. 

The program provides a lump-sum payment to qualifying people based on their income from work, even if self-employed, and the formula is designed to encourage poor people to earn more money, growing their income enough so eventually they earn enough and are no longer eligible for the EITC. 

As Wolkoff explained, it turns the value of a job that pays $10 an hour into one that might be worth $12 an hour for the wage earner. 

If there's one flaw with the program, Wolkoff suggested, it might be the nature of the lump-sum payment, which isn't an immediate payoff for the actual extra work at the time of the work, and social science tends to show that incentives work best when rewards are given in proximity to the goal behavior. 

To the degree that's an issue is hard to determine, but a program that allocated money over the course of the work year would be much more expensive to administer, Wolkoff said.

Even so, numerous studies over the years show that program is successful in making lives better for millions of people across the nation:

• Children in families receiving the credit tend to do better in school and they are more likely to attend college;
• More single mothers have transitioned from public assistance with the help of the program and tend to earn more money later in life than single mothers who don't enter the workforce through the program;
• Recipients of all types tend to earn more money later in life;
• In one year, 2013, 9.4 million people were lifted out of poverty, including 5 million children; and 22 million people were less poor. 

The ability of people earning more money after participating in the program is a result of those people gaining work experience, new skills and on-the-job training, Wolkoff noted.

The program is designed to provide the greatest benefit to workers with children. For example, a single adult won't receive more than $506 from the federal government, but a family with three or more qualifying children will receive $6,269. The worker with no children can get another $152 from the state and for the family with three children, the state kicks in another $1,881.

Those amounts are also scaled by the individual's amount of earned income each year.

In New York, nearly 1.9 million people received the state's EITC last year, for a total payout of state and federal credits of $5.4 million.

In Genesee County, the IRS reports there were 4,350 people receiving state and federal credit. That led to an additional $11.4 million flowing into the local economy. The average payout for qualifying Genesee County residents was $2,675 in state and federal credits.

But then there are still those 897 local residents who qualify for the credit but didn't apply last year, according to IRS. For New York as a whole, there are 383,000 residents who didn't apply.  

The state put out a press release on Friday to help raise awareness of the program because the program is such a proven success for lower-income people willing and able to work.

"I think looking at that last column of figures (the 383,000 not getting the credit), there are hundreds of thousands of people across the state who are not claiming that credit and that's reason enough for us to do all we can do to boost awareness," said James Gazzale, a spokesman for NYS Taxation and Finance. "This is cash that counts for families so they can go out and pay bills, put food on the table, pay for school supplies, pay for all the necessities we sometimes take for granted. All of these families that are eligible and not claiming it, it can be a big boost for them."

For more information

• Federal Earned Income Tax Credit
• New York State Earned Income Tax Credit
• Recordkeeping suggestions for self-employed persons
• Contact a NYS Tax Department representative at (518) 457-5181

It's been five years since a site of a toxic chemical spill in Le Roy -- known as the Lehigh Train Derailment Site -- made the news as part of a media frenzy around reports of students at the high school developing strange, unexplained tics, but cleanup work has been ongoing since, according to a spokesman for the EPA.

In fact, good progress has been made and the end may be in sight for remediation, according to Michael Basile, who represents the Environmental Protection Agency in Buffalo.

There's no firm timeline for completion of the work, but there have been two significant recent developments, he said.

First, last year some 300 pounds of trichloroethene (TCE) contaminated soil was removed from the area, he said. That removal effort is ongoing and will continue until testing shows TCE has been removed from the area. (CORRECTION: This should have read 300 pounds of TCE removed from the soil).

Second, a draft document on remediation options for contaminated groundwater has been completed and the EPA will pick a plan from those options for remediation sometime this year.

The TCE spill was the result of a train crash at the site on Gulf Road in the early morning hours of Dec. 6, 1970. Approximately 2,000 pounds of cyanide crystals and 30,000 to 35,000 gallons of TCE were spilled. The cyanide was removed, but at the time Lehigh apparently didn't have an easy way to remove the TCE. Instead, it tried saturating the area with one million gallons of water. This only drove the TCE deeper into the ground and contaminated about 50 water wells.

The site became a footnote in local history until 2012 when a group of mostly girls at Le Roy High School were reported to have developed odd tics and uncontrolled movements.  As families and members of the community searched for answers, the spill site became a target for investigation.

Famed environmental crusader Erin Brockovich was contacted, and though she never personally came to Le Roy, she sent out a team of scientists led by Robert Bowcock.  

The entire event had reached a fevered pitch in the national media by that point, with news crews from nearly ever major news outlet in the country arriving in Le Roy, as well as crews from as far away as Japan.

A trip to the site on the day Bowcock arrived in town revealed a cleanup area that appeared to be largely neglected. More than 300 rusted barrels of material were being stored there, further feeding concerns about the state of contamination.

However, Bowcock's own tests and his examination the topography of the region, led the Los Angeles-based environmental scientist to conclude that contamination from the site did not and could not reach the location of the high school and there was no known connection for all those suffering from the tics to the railroad property contamination.

The ongoing concern about its status, however, brought about a visit to the site by Congresswoman Kathy Hochul. Sen. Charles Schumer also got involved.

The EPA soon closed the location to media access and brought in crews to remove the barrels, which the EPA said were filled with rock, sand and dirt and did not likely contain contaminated soil. Later testing, the EPA announced at the time, detected a trace amount of TCE in some barrels.  

In the five years since the events, there have been no new reports of strange tics among young people in Le Roy and there have been reports that the dozen or so people originally treated at the Dent Neurological Institute are all improved, confirming the earlier diagnoses of a mass psychogenic illness. 

The EPA continues to monitor the site closely, Basile said. This includes maintaining soil vapor monitors in homes near where the spill occurred. Next month, he said, it will be time for inspectors to visit those monitors and change their filters. That monitoring is expected to continue indefinitely. 

Photo: File photo from 2012.

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) released the following statement addressing President Trump’s Executive Order on immigration.

“Nothing is more important than the safety and security of our communities here in Western New York,” Congressman Collins said. “Temporarily suspending the admittance of refugees and individuals from high-risk countries until we can guarantee they are properly vetted is a common-sense measure focused on protecting Americans. President Trump promised to make America safe again and his executive order aims to ensure we know who is entering our country.”

The @ct Genesee Coalition will host a community panel that will focus on at-risk trends that negatively affect young people.

The "Don't Stay in the Dark This Groundhog Day" forum is scheduled for 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 2) at the Batavia High School library on State Street.

Representatives from the Genesee County Health Department, Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Batavia High School, Batavia City Police Department and United Memorial Medical Center - Emergency Department will speak.

The public is welcome, free of charge.

About 40 minutes ago a vehicle was reported off the road along Phelps Road in Pembroke.

There were two adults and three children in the vehicle, no injuries  

A pole was taken down and the pole damaged a nearby building.

Pembroke, Indian Falls, Mercy EMS, and Sheriff's deputies responded.

UPDATE Monday: The driver is identified as Ashley C. Crance, 29, of Searls Road, Byron. The driver reported being fatigued and didn't remember what happened. It appears the driver failed to negotiate a curve in Phelps Road, causing the vehicle to continue westbound off the roadway where it struck a utility pole and continued down an embankment where it overturned. A section of pole struck a nearby building, damaging the building. The accident was investigated by Deputy Richard Schildwaster.

Reader submitted photos.

Craig Johnson, middle, with Tom Wood, 1st assistant chief, and Tim Hogle, chief, was named Firefighter of the Year on Saturday night at the Le Roy Fire Department's annual awards dinner and installation banquet. Johnson, the son of a 40-year veteran of the department, was also promoted to 2nd assistant chief.

The Le Roy officers for 2017 are listed below.

Firematic Officers: Chief -- Tim Hogle; 1st Asst. Chief -- Tom Wood; 2nd Asst. Chief -- Craig Johnson; Captain -- Mike Green; Captain -- Christina Marinaccio; Lieutenant -- A.J. DeFelice; Training Officer -- Craig Johnson; Safety Officer -- Joe Orlando. 

Business: President -- Mike Green; Vice President --  A.J. DeFelice; Director -- Pete Loftus; Director -- Beth Domm; Secretary -- Jim Spear; Treasurer -- A.J. DeFelice. 

Commissioners: Chairman -- Jerry Diskin; Commissioner -- Bill Wood; Commissioner -- Wayne Dressler; Commissioner -- John Johnson; Secretary -- Jim Spear; Treasurer --Stephanie Call.

Oatka Hose: President -- Dale Ehrhart; Directors -- Dave Ehrhart Sr., Frank Davis, Jim Spears Jr., Dave Ehrhart Jr., Ken Davis; Secretary -- Jim Spear; Treasurer -- Gerry Diskin.

Excelsior: President -- John Johnson; Vice President -- Rick Bater; Director -- Adam Stogsdale; Director -- Stephanie McVicker; Director -- Wendy Johnson; Director -- Mike Sheflin; Director -- Judy Purdy; Secretary -- Mike Miller; Treasurer -- Christina Marinaccio. 

Chemicals: President -- Brandon Connolly; Vice President -- Melissa Surridge; Directors -- Dan Kemp, John Joy, Wayne Dressler, Terry Kanaley, Brandon Connolly; Secretary -- Wayne Dressler; Treasurer -- John Joy.

Benevolent: President -- Gerry Diskin; Vice President -- Ken Davis; Director -- Dave Ehrhart Sr.; Director -- Bill Sealey; Director -- John Johnson; Secretary -- Jim Spear; Treasurer -- Jim Spear.

Fire Police: Captain -- Ken Davis; 1st Lieutenant -- Wendy Johnson; 2nd Lieutenant -- Dave Ehrhart Sr. 

Auxiliary: President -- Christie Miller-Main; Vice President -- Elise Bater; Secretary -- LeeAnne Miller; Treasurer -- Wendy Johnson.

Kevin McCrary, left, received a chief's accommodation award.

Tom Wood, center, received the Chief's Accommodation Award.

Jerry Diskin and Ken Davis were honored for their 50 years of service to the department.

To purchase prints, click here.

Police are investing loud noise reports on Highland Park, Batavia.

About 20 minutes ago a police officer was dispatched to investigate a report of a gunshot, but there has been no confirmation of gunshot in the investigation so far.

A few minutes ago, a police officer was heading to the other end of the street to investigate what is believed to be fireworks going off.

Again, at this point, there is no evidence found of a gunshot in the area.

The best way to make it to 100 years old, according to Rose Disalvo, "keep busy, busy, busy. That's the best thing."

Disalvo is 100 and 1 day old today and family and friends gathered at the South Street Senior Care residence in Le Roy where she lives for a birthday party today.

Disalvo was born in Batavia in 1917 when her parents lived on Hutchins Street and her father worked at Massey Harris. She held a number of jobs over the years, including stints at the NYS School for the Blind and the VA Hospital. She has a daughter, a granddaughter and grandson, and two great-granddaughters.

Among her favorite things these days are taking walks -- "I've always walked," she said -- and playing school with her granddaughters (they read to each other on visits).

Asked what she is most proud of, she said, "My family comes first, always, always."

Cindy Saeva, who runs the home, said Rose is a remarkable person.

"She provides a smile to everyone she meets," Saeva said.

Rose with her daughter Linda Koelling and granddaughter Angela Bellamca.

Rose with Cindy Saeva.

K-9 Destro was right at the front door to greet me when I arrived today at the annual Winterfest in Corfu today, held for the first time at the Pembroke Middle School.

A lake effect snow warning has been issued for the region starting now until 4 a.m.

The previous winter storm advisory has been lifted.

Up to two inches of snow are expected to hit the area between now and this evening, with five to nine inches falling tonight.

Winds will be from 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

Visibility could drop to a quarter mile at times in some places.

A motor-vehicle accident with possible injuries is reported in the area of 6758 Alleghany Road, near Ham Road, in Alabama.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

Since I was out in Le Roy last night, I stopped in the Smokin' Eagle and found that Le Roy resident Billy Lambert was performing. His set list included a mix of covers and originals.  Good stuff.

As part of a three-day event to raise money to assist veterans, the American Legion Post #576 is hosting a four-man bowling tournament at Legion Lanes, 53 W. Main St., Le Roy.

The fundraiser began on Friday night and continues today and Sunday with squads at noon and 3 p.m. -- and will also feature a chicken BBQ this afternoon, and a chance auction and a raffle through Sunday.

Last year, the event, now in its third year, raised $1,800 for the VA and the Disabled Veterans of America. This year, said Scott O'Neill, the post hopes to raise more than $2,000.

It's not too late to enter -- openings are available -- but if you're unable to make the event, donations can be mailed to:

Help Our Heroes/Scott O'Neill
American Legion Post #576
53 W. Main St.
Le Roy, NY 14482

A motor-vehicle accident with a possible head injury is reported at 32 Ellicott St., near the intersection with Evans Street, Batavia.

City fire and Mercy EMS responding.

As he prepares for a second public informational meeting early next month, Byron Town Supervisor Peter Yasses says he is optimistic that residents will vote in favor of the construction of a new highway garage on Route 237, a proposed $1.895 million project that he believes is long overdue.

“We’ve kicked the can down the road for much too long,” Yasses said on Friday as he pointed out what he sees as the “cramped, inadequate and unsafe conditions” at the current six-bay, block building that was built in 1957. “This was first talked about in 1974, and here we are over 40 years later.”

Yasses said the town’s four full-time employees and one part-time employee in the Highway Department are working in a building that isn’t big enough to properly park its three 10-wheelers, one single-axle vehicle and its loader and, more importantly, is riddled with safety issues.

Part of a committee of six people who have researched the situation, Yasses said architects and engineers advised that the only route to go is to demolish about 80 percent of the structure – converting the loader bay into office and break room space – and erecting a slightly larger steel building.

The current building’s dimensions are about 40- by 113-feet; the new building would measure 63- by 152-feet and have seven bays – four for trucks, one for the loader, a spare bay and one for maintenance and repairs.

The purchase of a small crane for lifting and assisting in equipment repair also is part of the project, which will have tax implications – the specific amount undetermined due to grant applications that are pending, Yasses said.

He did estimate that the taxpayer would be looking at an increase of $5 to $6 per month based on a house assessed between $88,000 and $100,000.

“The Town Board understands that the project is costly, however, interest rates are at an all-time low – costs are increasing yearly – and the town cannot afford to wait,” Yasses said.

The supervisor outlined a lengthy list of reasons to take action at this time, including the narrow width and low height of the current bays (which have forced workers to park vehicles sideways and put holes in the walls to make room for the plows), inadequate heating and ventilation, deteriorating windows and doors, and building code violations.

“It’s energy inefficient. The warmest it gets in there is 55 degrees and it’s not compliant with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), but the number one reason is the safety of our employees,” Yasses said. “The building is unsafe.”

The new building would have heated floors -- which will help the plow trucks dry out in the winter -- and radiant heat in the ceiling.

Yasses said the committee has been working with Town Engineer Paul Chatfield’s firm and Wolfe Architecture of Honeoye Falls.

A public PowerPoint presentation is scheduled for 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 9 at the Town Hall, 7028 Route 237 – next door to the highway garage. A permissive referendum vote is scheduled from noon to 8 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Town Hall. All town residents age 18 and over are eligible to vote, Yasses said, as long as they show proof of residency.

Other committee members are David Starowitz, a retired town employee; Jack Reddick, a past Town Board member; Brian Forsyth, highway superintendent; Bill Kennett, current town employee; and Town Councilman Jeff Thompson.

Yasses said if the project passes, he expects the building to be taken down this spring and completed by mid-November at the latest.

Photos -- Top, inside of Town of Byron highway garage on Route 237; Middle, Byron Town Supervisor and employee Todd Cargill pointing to scrapes on the bay opening caused by vehicles getting in and out of the building; Bottom, hole in back wall of garage needed to make room for plow blade. Photos by Mike Pettinella.

A new, $2.8 million renovation project at the VA designed to improve the conditions of long-term veteran residents of the Community Living Center, Maple Lodge, was unveiled today in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by veterans, VA staff and dignitaries. 

Maple Lodge is a completely gutted, redesigned and renovated wing of the VA Hospital in Batavia and features 19 private rooms and one semi-private room.

There were upgrades to central heating, air conditioning, and ventilation. 

The design consists of an open kitchen, eating areas, and several living room spaces complete with a fireplace. The kitchen table always has snacks or fruit available along with coffee, tea, and the ability to make fresh-baked goods, reinforcing the home atmosphere. Lastly, all rooms now have state-of-the-art lifting equipment for a safe patient environment that concurrently lowers the risk of staff injury.

John McCune, a disabled veteran living at the lodge, spoke during the ceremony and praised the comfort of the renovations and the great care and support he gets from the staff.

"It's a thankless job they do in many instances, but for me, I try to thank them each and every day, because I do appreciate the job they do, especially for somebody like me," McCune said.

He also praised his fellow lodge residents.

"It wouldn't be a brotherhood without each individual's unique story that comes along with living here," he said. "I can't tell you truthfully and honestly from the first time coming onto the ward, it's a home."

Several speakers praised all the individuals who helped make the renovations possible, from the VA leadership to the local maintenance staff and administration staff members.

"This is truly a community living center," said Kimberly Kwietniewski, geriatric and extended care line manager. "As you know, it takes a village, and if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to care for our wonderful heroes."

Kimberly Kwietniewski

John McCune

Richard Collins, a World War II veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart, led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Press release:

Legislature Chairman Raymond Cianfrini will deliver his annual State of the County Address at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8, in the Legislature Chambers at the Old Courthouse, 7 Main St., Batavia.