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A State Supreme Court judge ruled today that a lawsuit can proceed challenging a new weighted voting system for the 15 counties and cities of Rochester and Buffalo that make up Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp's ownership.

Through the first 50 years of WROTB, each entity had the same vote, or one vote, for each municipality, regardless of the population.

However, the state budget approved about a year ago included legislation that implemented a new weighted voting system. It gives 99 votes total, with more populous municipalities getting more votes. Erie County gets the most with 24 votes, while the four smallest counties, Orleans, Wyoming, Seneca and Schuyler, get one each.

Here is the breakdown of votes per municipality:

• Erie County: 24
• Monroe County: 20
• City of Buffalo: 10
• City of Rochester and Niagara: 8
• Chautauqua: 5
• Oswego: 4
• Steuben, Wayne, Cattaraugus, Cayuga: 3
• Livingston and Genesee: 2
• Wyoming, Orleans, Seneca, Schuyler: 1

Six counties filed lawsuits against Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, the State Senate, and the State Assembly.

The counties in the lawsuit are all Republican-led and include Orleans, Genesee, Niagara, Livingston, Wyoming, and Seneca. Oswego was also added to the lawsuit today.

The lawsuit was filed in September in Orleans County, and a motion to dismiss the case was heard today by Judge Frank Caruso.

Joe Terragnoli, representing the Attorney General’s Office, appeared in court today with Dennis Vacco, representing the seven counties.

Vacco said the case is a very important challenge, showing smaller rural counties standing up to a “power grab” imposed by the state.

“I’m a little emotional about it because I think they receive these types of shenanigans from Albany all the time,” Vacco, a former state attorney general, told the judge in court this afternoon.

The municipalities in WROTB fronted the money to start WROTB in 1973, which has returned about $245 million in profits to the municipalities. Terragnoli said the initial funding to start WROTB has been paid back – many times – to the counties.

“It’s been a very lucrative deal,” he said. “They gave loans, and they were paid in full.”

That contribution never guaranteed an equal vote for perpetuity. The money didn’t purchase voting rights, Terragnoli said.

The state has the right to restructure the board with a weighted vote, he said.

Vacco said the smaller counties never would have put up the money if they had such a small voice at the board table.

He said the change could harm the smaller counties economically, especially if the four members with the most votes – Erie, Monroe, Rochester and Buffalo – get together and make a decision that could hurt the payouts to the other counties. Vacco said the four larger municipalities could go on a hiring spree, approve a capital project the others oppose, or even sell Batavia Downs.

The racetrack in Batavia has 912 video gaming machines that generate about $7 million in profits each month. WROTB also has nine OTB branches and 24 EZ Bet locations.

Vacco also said the legislation approved in May 2023 specifically targeted WROTB and not the other regional OTBs in the state – Capital OTB, Catskill OTB, Nassau OTB and Suffolk OTB.

Terragnoli acknowledged the legislation, pushed by State Sen. Tim Kennedy of South Buffalo, was partly in response to allegations of mismanagement by WROTB. The organization was faulted in an audit by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, who said the organization’s leadership did not properly account for $120,000 worth of sports and event tickets purchased by the company. Kennedy and others have characterized the account error as "corruption." 

WROTB has said there are tighter controls now for how those tickets are distributed.

The state comptroller and attorney general also have questioned WROTB for providing fully paid health insurance coverage to board members. The organization has also ended health benefits for new board appointees.

Terragnoli said the WROTB board didn’t do enough to self-correct, which prompted the legislation with the weighted voting for the board. That legislation also removed all the board members at the time, with the 15 counties and two cities to appoint either the same representatives or new ones. (Orleans County opted to reappoint Ed Morgan to the role. Genesee County's director, Richard Siebert, turned in his resignation over the board restructuring and later was replaced by former Genesee County Court Judge Charles Zambito).

Terragnoli said the counties that have sued the state over the changes with the board at WROTB are now claiming they could be hurt financially.

“Where was the concern when the comptroller’s report came out?” he said in court about the unaccounted tickets and perks intended for Batavia Downs customers.

Vacco also said the legislation championed by Kennedy twice failed to pass the Legislature on its own merits. It only passed when it was included in the state budget vote in an act of “subterfuge.”

The legislation would needed a two-thirds majority vote if it had been a standalone bill, Vacco said. It didn’t get the two-thirds threshold as part of the state budget, which is another reason the weighted-voting change should be negated, he said.

Vacco said the counties will wait for the state to file its response to today’s ruling. An evidentiary hearing could also be one of the next steps in the case.

Tom Rivers is editor of Orleans County Hub

Although it's toward the end of March, Genesee County Legislature members didn't let the month slip by without recognizing the importance of Women's History Month with a proclamation presented by Legislative Chairwoman Shelley Stein and Legislator Marianne Clattenburg, pictured above on either side of the certificate. 

Ever since it was proclaimed in March 1987, Women's History Month has given a nod to all of the feats and accomplishments made possible by women, who locally serve on government and school boards, as leaders of companies, role models and motivators in schools, industries, and organizations and as volunteers for various efforts throughout the county. 

The proclamation sums it up below:

WHEREAS, American women of every race, social stratum and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our Nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways, and

WHEREAS, American women have played and continue to play a critical economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of the life of the Nation by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working inside and outside of the home, and

WHEREAS, American women were particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, humanitarian, and cultural institutions in our Nation, and

WHEREAS, American women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and especially the peace movement, which creates a fairer and just society for all.

WHEREAS, currently there are fourteen departments being led by influential women within Genesee County such as Legislature, Office For The Aging, Commissioner of Jurors, Compliance, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Elections, GLOW Solid Recycling, Human Resources, Job Development Bureau, Mental Health, Genesee Justice, Department of Social Services, STOP-DWI, Business Education Alliance and many more women in supporting roles throughout Genesee County.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Genesee County Legislature resoundingly embraces Women’s History Month and recognizes the value women bring to leadership in our community with many different professions. Evidence of this value shines through our staff, management, administration and local elected leaders.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, there are continuous contributions made by the women of Genesee County. They capture the spirit of women’s determination and clear, forward thinking by demonstrating creativity, courage and forging career paths for women of all levels of society.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Genesee County Legislature proclaims March as “Women’s History Month.” A month to take notice and appreciate the hard work women have done, and the continued work ahead for women in all societies.

Batavia City School’s board met earlier this week and discussed the latest proposed budget, which includes a 2.26 percent tax rate increase, the use of a mental health grant for five positions, and the prospective use of additional state aid for more personnel and/or to reduce the amount of reserves being used to offset expenses. 

To summarize the budget as of Monday evening, the board is expected to vote on a proposed $60,373,861 plan during its meeting on April 22. That’s a 2.38 percent increase, or about $1.4 million more than this year’s budget. This spending plan would include a tax levy of $20,339,336 for a tax rate increase of 39 cents per $1,000 assessed value. That would be an extra $48.75 a year on a home assessed at $125,000.

The Batavian reached out to Superintendent Jason Smith with some questions about the newly introduced mental health grant and other items, and here are his answers:

1. The five positions being added with the mental health grant: that remaining $1.1 million is expected to retain those positions for how long? Will the funding go toward salary, benefits and teacher retirement? What's the plan once that funding runs out? 

Answer: The District will plan to allocate as much of the funds as possible to cover all costs with these positions.  

Not all of them are “new” positions, however, as three of them are instructional coaches who currently provide valuable support to our students and teachers—these positions are, in essence, being retained. The remaining two new positions will provide Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programming to our students across the District.

Once the funding runs out, we can either pursue a new grant, consider placing some or all of these positions in the general fund, or combine the two. Another option would be to eliminate the positions upon the grant's expiration.

2. Can I please get a list of the types/locations of positions that aren't being retained at the district (similar, I believe, to what John Reigle requested), including the seven full-time that were COVID grant-funded, five reduced due to enrollment and four retirement/resigned positions?

Answer: Yes. That list is being developed and finalized as I write. Once I share it with the Board per their request and they have had time to review it, I will provide you with this information (likely next week).

3. If the district receives more state aid, and it's $300,000, how many teachers would that add, and how do you account for future expenses? Do you calculate cost per position for a year plus benefits and then hope to acquire more funding the next year, or calculate it for a few years out? 

Answer: Should this come to fruition, we could conceivably restore 2-3 teaching positions back into the budget. We estimate the costs per position and will need to plan accordingly in future budgets with respect to state aid projections, use of reserves, tax levies, or some combination thereof.

4. With decreasing enrollment projections and class sizes remaining at or around 20 according to staff and a board member's statements, why the need for more teachers? Are other types of staff needed according to the district?

Answer: To be clear, the request is not to add “more” teachers but rather to try to keep our existing staff as close to current levels as possible.  

While we are proud of our academic achievements, student needs continue to rise. As I have stated in previous articles, public schools currently provide a wealth of essential resources and services to our families across the community.

5. Do you feel the district has adequate staff coverage with the budget as it is?

Answer: I have been a Superintendent since 2012 and have consistently presented a budget to each Board with adequate staff coverage, which is fundamental to providing students with the quality education they deserve. Creating the district's budget is a comprehensive and collaborative effort involving close coordination between the District administration and the Board of Education. Our approach is holistic, aiming to balance the essential elements of student needs, staff levels, infrastructure maintenance, and innovative educational programming.

The current level of staffing was in part driven by COVID grant funding, which was designed to be used to close learning loss gaps through additional instructional support as well as to reduce class size.

We strive to make decisions that are not only educationally sound but also fiscally responsible to our tax-paying community. This necessitates a delicate balancing act, as our resources must be allocated in a way that maximizes educational outcomes while being mindful of our fiscal constraints.

The Board of Education ultimately has the responsibility of approving the budget, but this is done through discussions and a shared commitment to meeting our community's educational aspirations within our financial means. The question of staff coverage is not about adequacy in isolation but is one piece of a larger puzzle we diligently work to solve each year, aiming to strike a balance that serves the best interests of our students, staff, and community.

It's time once again for Batavia resident Angelina Pellegrino's annual yard sale to benefit a Habitat for Humanity homeowner, she says. Before that can happen, Pellegrino will be collecting items beginning now through the sale in May.

She has appreciated the contributions in past years, she said, and hopes that people will be as generous and anxious to do some spring cleaning to clear out their homes of treasures for someone else to use.

This year's yard sale will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 17 and 18 at 150 State St., Batavia. 

"They may drop off, or we can also do pick-ups," Pellegrino said about donations. "People can also reach out to me directly at 585-356-4867 or email at angelinapellegrino@ymail.com. We accept most items except for large furniture, such as couches, hutches, etc. As always, any and all proceeds go directly to the next Habitat homeowner."

Pellegrino has been holding this yard sale as a way to pay it forward since she was a recipient of the Habitat home ownership program. 

Raymond Stanley is indicted on counts of burglary in the third degree, a Class D felony, grand larceny in the fourth degree, a Class E felony, criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, a Class A misdemeanor, and criminal trespass in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Stanley is accused of entering a building on Lake Street, Le Roy, with the intent to commit a crime. He's accused of stealing property with a value in excess of $1,000. He is accused of possessing stolen property with the intent to benefit himself while impeding the recovery of the property by the rightful owner. He is accused of being on property owned by another without authorization.

Jacob J. Russell and Connor L. Andrews are indicted on counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a Class D felony and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree. Both Russell and Andrews are accused of possessing brass knuckles while having been previously convicted of a crime on Dec. 23 in the city of Batavia. They're also accused of possessing cocaine.

Jennifer M. Shaffer is indicted on counts of aggravated driving while intoxicated, a Class E felony, and driving while ability impaired by drugs. Shaffer is accused of driving drunk and under the influence of drugs, a misdemeanor, in the city of Batavia on Oct. 10. Shaffer is accused of driving while impaired with a child age 15 or younger in the vehicle.

Susan A. Samanka is indicted on a count of failure to appear for a photo as a registered sex offender, a Class D felony. Samanka is a registered Level 2 sex offender and is accused of failure to provide a current photograph of herself within the time period provided for by law. She is also indicted on a count of sex offender failure to register change of address, a Class E felony.

Jarvis D. Seymore is indicted on counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, a Class E felony, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Seymore is accused of possessing a 2008 Nissan Altima on Oct. 28, 2022, with the intent to deprive the vehicle's rightful owner of the property. He's also accused of possessing cocaine.

Amy M. Gambino is indicated on a count of criminal contempt in the first degree, a Class E felony. Gambino is accused of violating an order of protection at a location on Alleghany Raod in Darien on Aug. 28.

Shante C. Johnson is indicted on a count of burglary in the second degree, a Class C felony, and criminal mischief in the fourth degree. Johnson is accused of entering a residence on Thorp Street, Batavia, on Sept. 26 with the intent to commit a crime inside the building. Johnson is accused of intentionally damaging a door and door frame at the residence.

Jarrod K. Foriathis is indicated on a count of escape in the second degree, a Class D felony, attempted escape in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor, and criminal mischief in the fourth degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Foriathis, after being charged with a felony, allegedly escaped from custody at the Genesee County Jail on July 15. He is accused of attempting to escape. He is accused of damaging a wall at the jail.

Chad M. Johnston is indicated on counts of burglary in the second degree, a Class C violent felony, attempted burglary in the second degree, a Class D felony, and criminal mischief in the third degree, a Class E felony. Johnston is accused of entering a dwelling on Liberty Street on Dec. 6 with the intent to commit a crime inside. He is accused of attempting to enter the building. He's accused of damaging the property of another person with a value of more than $250.

Micahel J. Torres is indicted on counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, a Class D felony, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, a Class B felony, and obstructing governmental administration in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Torres is accused of possessing more than 500 milligrams of cocaine with the intent to sell it on July 12. He is accused of attempting to prevent a public servant from performing the servant's official duties.

Mark L. Frongetta is indicted on counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a Class D felony, and menacing in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Frongetta is accused of possessing a dangerous instrument with the intent to use it against another person in the town of Batavia on July 1. He allegedly placed another person in fear for his or her safety.

Paul Lee is indicted on counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, a Class E felony, two counts of identify theft in the third degree, a Class A misdemeanor, and two counts of petit larceny, a Class A misdemeanor. Lee is accused of possessing a debit card belonging to another person with the intent to deprive the other person of possession of the property. He is accused of the identity of another person. He is accused of stealing property at a location in Batavia on Aug. 24.

Lavar V. McKnight is indicted on a count of criminal contempt in the first degree, a Class E felony. McKnight is accused of violating an order of protection at 8250 Park Road, Batavia, on May 25. He is accused of pushing the protected person.

Neikia D. Newton is indicted on two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, a Class B felony, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, a Class D felony, and aggravated unlicensed operation. Newton is accused of possessing with intent to sell more than a half ounce of cocaine in the city of Batavia on Sept. 27. Newton is accused of driving a 2012 Ford on Route 98 in Batavia on a revoked license.

Owen C. Scouten is indicted on counts of vehicular assault in the second degree, a Class E felony, DWI, a misdemeanor, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, a misdemeanor, endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor, and unlawful dealing with a child in the first degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Scouten is accused of driving a vehicle on a public highway, Lewiston Road, Batavia, on Aug. 20 in such a way that it caused serious injury to another person. He is accused of acting in a way that knowingly endangered the physical, mental, or moral health of a child less than 17 years old. He is accused of providing alcohol to a child.

Terry J. Wickham is indicted on counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, a Class C felony, seven counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, and criminal possession of a rapid-fire modification device. Wickham is accused of possessing a loaded AR-15 firearm on Oct. 25 outside his home or business. He is accused of possessing an AR-15 with the ability to accept a detachable magazine, flash suppressor, muzzle break (sic) or muzzle compensator, folding or telescoping stock, and a pistol grip that extends conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon. He is accused of possessing six clips capable of storing more than 10 rounds. He is accused of possessing a binary trigger system. 

Kiara A. Bates is indicted on two counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree. Bates is accused of possessing a stolen 2019 Accura with a value greater than $3,000 and of passing fragrances belonging to Ultra Beauty with a value in excess of $3,000.

City Church hosted an Easter Egg Hunt at St. Anthony's on Liberty Street in Batavia on Tuesday evening.

The church is planning another hunt for Easter Sunday at 10 a.m. at St. Anthony's.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

For the second time, the owners of Casper Farm, a farm and retail meat shop on Route 5 in Stafford, have made a substantial donation of steaks, roasts, ground beef, and other cuts of meat to Cornerstone Church in Batavia.

"This has been such a blessing," said Marianne Fish, a member of Cornerstone who helped pick up the donation at the farm on Tuesday evening. "We just started the Pantry of Blessings and were lacking in meat."

Fish said the pantry is open to anybody who needs food assistance. Many people in Batavia access the pantry, she said, and the church makes deliveries to people being housed in local hotels. There are also people from Rochester and Buffalo who come to the pantry for assistance. 

"They're helping the community tremendously," Fish said.

The Batavian just happened to be in the shop when the folks from Cornerstone stopped by to pick up the donation.

"We do this because we want to help the community with product we have an abundance of, and if this community is in need, we want to be able to help the community out," Crystal Casper said.

This donation had a retail value of $1,000.

"We feel that this is a good thing to do, to give back to our community," Casper said.

A 21-year-old man from Greece who is missing and was last seen two days ago in Albion has ties to Batavia, and family members are asking local residents for any help in locating him.

Cooper Karas was last seen wearing black sweatpants, a black hoodie, and a black NF jacket.  

At 7:30 p.m. on Monday, he drove his 2013 silver VW Jetta to his grandmother's house in Albion and left his dog in the fenced yard (the dog is fine) and left.

He has a history of mental health issues and may have been upset at the time he disappeared. 

He is 5 feet 8 inches tall and 180 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

He attended Batavia High School for a time a few years ago and has family in Batavia.

If you have any information regarding Cooper’s location or safety, please call Orleans County Dispatch at 585-589-5527, the Albion Police Department at 585-589-5627 or Greece Police Department at 585-581-4033 or Genesee County Sheriff's Office at 585-343-5000.

UPDATE 8:49 p.m.: Chief Deputy Brian Frieday confirmed that Serenity Joy Quiett has been located and is safe.

UPDATE, Press Release:

The Missing Vulnerable Adult Alert for Serenity Joy Quiett out of Niagara County has been canceled, and Serenity was located safely this evening, March 27, 2024. 

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the public for their assistance in successfully locating Serenity. The search was assisted by the Batavia Police Department, Oakfield Fire Department, Elba Fire Department, Genesee County Emergency Management Office, Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center, and the New York State Police.   

Emergency personnel have been working in Oakfield searching for a missing 18-year-old woman from Niagara County whose phone was tracked to the area.

She is considered a vulnerable adult who may need medical attention.

Chief Deputy Brian Frieday said the Sheriff's Office was alerted to the trace of her phone in the Oakfield area yesterday and began a search for her. Additional search teams from Oakfield Fire and Elba Fire were brought in to assist this morning.

Niagara County is also participating in the search. 

Frieday said on Wednesday afternoon that the woman's phone had recently been traced again to the area.

"We're trying to check whatever leads we can," Frieday said.

The woman was identified in a press release as Serenity Joy Quiett and described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, 120 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, and white.

She is described as autistic. 

She was last seen in Barker on foot wearing all-black clothing and black earrings.

The Office of Emergency Management is assisting in the search, and the command post is located at the Oakfield Fire Hall.

Anybody with information that may assist can reach the Sheriff's Office at 585-343-5000.

Press Release:

Community Action is redoing the food pantry room and their shelves are outdated and bulky. 

Community Action reached out to Zonta International of Batavia for help.

The Zonta club was able to present them with a check for $500 towards these new shelves. This will help store food more efficiently for members of our community in need.  

Press Release:

The Spring 2024 session of Books Sandwiched In will take place on Wednesdays in April at Richmond Memorial Library! The theme for this series is “Remarkable Journeys,” as reflected in the book selections. 

First started in 1981, Books Sandwiched In is a program that invites guest speakers to review books, which are generally non-fiction. Each session will take place from 12:10 - 1 p.m. in the Reading Room and will include coffee, tea, and cookies. 

All who attend can enter for the door prize of a gift certificate to a local lunch spot. Feel free to bring your lunch. You do not need to read the books in order to attend!

Sessions will also be recorded and available to view on the library’s YouTube page following the presentations. The fourth session will feature a raffle of a signed copy of The Wager by David Grann!

Spring 2024 Lineup: 

Wednesday, April 3: Take a Journey to Space

Recent Batavian (and avid reader) Jessica Postle will review The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush.

“When NASA sent astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s the agency excluded women from the corps, arguing that only military test pilots - a group then made up exclusively of men - had the right stuff. It was an era in which women were steered away from jobs in science and deemed unqualified for space flight. 

Eventually, though, NASA recognized its blunder and opened the application process to a wider array of hopefuls, regardless of race or gender. From a candidate pool of 8,000 six elite women were selected in 1978--Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon.” (from publisher summary)

Wednesday, April 10: Take a Journey to Freedom

Holland Land Office Director Ryan Duffy will review Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo

“In 1848, a year of international democratic revolt, a young, enslaved couple, Ellen and William Craft, achieved one of the boldest feats of self-emancipation in American history. Posing as master and slave, while sustained by their love as husband and wife, they made their escape together across more than 1,000 miles, riding out in the open on steamboats, carriages, and trains that took them from bondage in Georgia to the free states of the North. Along the way, they dodged slave traders, military officers, and even friends of their enslavers. The tale of their adventure soon made them celebrities, and generated headlines around the country. 

Americans could not get enough of this charismatic young couple, who traveled another 1,000 miles crisscrossing New England, drawing thunderous applause as they spoke alongside some of the greatest abolitionist luminaries of the day.” (from publisher summary) 

Wednesday, April 17: Take a Journey of Faith 

Retired teacher Jim Kelly reviews: Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim’s Route into Spain by Jack Hitt. Jim will also share about his own personal pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago!

“When Jack Hitt set out to walk the 500 miles from France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, he submitted to the rigorous traditions of Europe's oldest form of packaged tour, a pilgrimage that has been walked by millions in the history of Christendom...Along the way, Jack Hitt finds himself persevering by day and bunking down by night with an unlikely and colorful cast of fellow pilgrims. In the day-to-day grind of walking under a hot Spanish sun, Jack Hitt and his cohorts not only find occasional good meals and dry shelter but they also stumble upon some fresh ideas about old-time zealotry and modern belief.” (from publisher summary) 

Wednesday, April 24: Take a Journey at Sea 

RML Media Services Librarian Laura Dumuhosky reviews The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann.

“On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty's Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon...it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The men, after being marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes. But then... six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes - they were mutineers.” (from publisher summary)

This session will also feature a raffle for a signed copy of The Wager!

Press Release:

“We’ve Only Just Begun” Sr. Luncheon will be Tuesday, April 16 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at the South Alabama Firehall, 2230 Judge Rd, Oakfield (Route 63).

This will be our Welcome Back Luncheon for 2024.  Our Guest Speaker is Dan Lyon from Lifespan in Rochester.  He will be presenting SCAM 101, a very important topic in our society today.  

Every second of every day someone is out there trying to scam you out of something.  He will be discussing Fraud, Scam, and ID theft. So let's listen and get prepared. It could happen to you!

We are open to the public just ask that you bring a dish-to-pass or make a donation at the door! Enjoy lunch and an afternoon of fun with Old and New friends.

Contact LaNora Thompson (630)-888-8966 with any questions.

Press Release:

The Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding OACS alumni who have achieved distinction in their lives and chosen field after high school through significant contributions to their career, community or through personal achievements; to provide an incentive for current and future students.

If you know a person who meets the following criteria, please consider nominating him/her for this prestigious honor: 

Nominees must be graduates of OACS or one of its predecessors or have been active in school classes and activities during their senior year. (Nominees who left school while in good standing to perform military service are also eligible. Deceased alumni are not eligible for induction until the fifth anniversary of the year of their death.)

Nominees must have graduated before 2009.

Selection is based on achievement after leaving OACS which includes a noteworthy record in more than one, and exemplary achievement in at least one of the following categories:

• Job-related achievements
• Professional honors and awards, professional affiliations, publications
• Civic or community involvement
• Personal achievements/accomplishments
• Positive impact on the communities in the Oakfield-Alabama school district
• Other appropriate qualifications which the committee believes merit consideration

Anyone may submit a nomination for any person meeting the criteria stated above. Nominations must be made during the nomination period only (March 1 – May 15) by using the Online Nomination Form or the PDF Nomination Form (see link below). 

Electronically submitted nominations are strongly preferred over mailed-in, hardcopy nominations. Access the Online Nomination Form here.

Press Release:

On Thursday, March 14, Genesee County’s Adults with Developmental Disabilities celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at the Byron Fire Hall. 

JT, the evening’s DJ kept the dance floor lively with very popular dance tunes. One of the evening’s highlights was when the DJ qued up the YMCA; in came some of the Byron Fire Fighters in full uniform to lead the dance. Everyone happily joined right in.

Throughout the evening Robert Radley, the volunteer photographer, clicked away taking lots of great photos. There was lots of excitement when dance coordinator, Morgan Leaton, announced that the next dance would be the PJ Dance on Thursday, April 11. She handed out flyers and asked folks to come wearing their PJs.

Dances start at 6:30 p.m. and run till 8:30 p.m. and are open to anyone with developmental disabilities aged 13 and up residing in Genesee County. Proper staffing is required. If you would like more information or wish to volunteer, please contact Morgan Leaton at 585-815-3157 or morganrleaton@gmail.com.

Submitted photos.

By Darrell Upright and the PCS Introduction Journalism Class

Tuesday night, Pavilion Central School hosted its first-ever full-district community event, “Eclipse Learning Night,” in preparation for the  April 8 total solar eclipse. 

Hosted nearly two weeks before the celestial occurrence, 400 students and their families mobbed the Middle-High school’s gymnasium, auditorium, and library and visited participating classrooms that sponsored eclipse-related activities.  All told, more than 600 people attended the event, held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. 

Planned by the science department staff and an ad hoc committee that started preparations in October, the event was a success for the school. 

“This exceeded expectations for attendance and involvement,” said Mr. Brian Mullin, English 12 teacher. 

Among the activities visited by students on Tuesday night were two presentations by Dr. Aaron Steinhauer, professor of Astronomy at SUNY Geneseo; the Star Lab, a portable planetarium in the school’s auditorium; readings by PCS staff of Colleen Onuffer’s “Genny Sees the Eclipse” (illustrated by Andy Reddout); the Middle-High School Book Fair; Trivia Night; concessions from Papa Roni’s and Yummie’s Ice Cream from Warsaw – who sold a special flavor created for the event, Gopher Galaxy;  and teacher-and-student-created presentations and displays to inform the public about the eclipse featuring work from students in grades Kindergarten to 12.

Students and family members also received eclipse glasses at the event. 

“We’re doing this prior to the eclipse for the community,” said Dr. Amanda Cook, the Director of Curriculum and Instruction, who planned the event with the Science Department and committee members. “From a safety standpoint, there was a concern that the public may not be familiar with” some of the dangers associated with a full solar eclipse: severe injury to the retina if viewers don’t use filtered glasses. 

“We want to share the significance of a very rare event,” she added. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.” 

Many of the students’ projects capitalized on the eclipse's importance.

According to “GeneSEE the Eclipse,” the Genesee County web page (https://visitgeneseeny.com/2024-eclipse) informing residents about it, the last full solar eclipse visible in our area was in 1925, and the next will take place in 2144.

Attendees were enthused by the event.  “I like science personally, so I like it so far.  It’s great for us (in the PCS district) because we don’t have to go anywhere” to learn about the eclipse, said 10th grader Jackson True while doing the PCS English Department’s “blackout poetry” exercise, one of numerous activities planned by school staff. 

According to the “GeneSEE the Eclipse” web page, the Monday, April 8th event will darken the sky in Genesee County, which is directly in the “path of totality.” People will experience 3 minutes and 42 seconds of full eclipse beginning at 3:19 p.m. and a partial eclipse for nearly two and a half hours. 

Photos by Darrell Upright

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Introduction to Journalism class at Pavilion Central Schools is taught by Michael Iten and is, as far as we know, the only Intro to Journalism class in Genesee County.

Of the reasons given to take some time and watch the upcoming total solar eclipse next month, Paul Piff, associate professor of psychological science at the University of California, offers one that has nothing to do with atmospheric science, nostalgia, community, commerce or capture the once-in-a-lifetime moment that it’s likely to be for so many folks in Genesee County and beyond.

Piff’s focus was on one magical word: awe and how that emotional experience can actually begin to transform a person’s outlook and treatment of the world.

“In the West, we find it’s predominantly brought about due to encounters that one has with nature or powerful natural phenomena such as the Eclipse. We define, or very broadly define it an emotion, or emotional experience that really arises out of two different, or the configuration of two different factors, as brought about by experience,” Piff said during an online panel presentation about the upcoming total solar eclipse. “It could be something you perceive or something you recognize in other ways, but when you experience or perceive something that's so fast, so complicated, so powerful, that it makes you feel like you need to reconfigure, readjust or update your mental schema, your understanding of the world, to accommodate the experience.

“And so, as kind of described by people, often as a mind-blowing experience of the people, they're just trying to describe that feeling of, well, I can't really make sense of, at least right now, the thing that I've just experienced, we find, as have others and other psychological laboratories across the globe, that all has a lot of really interesting effects on people,” he said. “Our experiences are described by people with some of the most meaningful in their lives, those individuals that experience improved health outcomes, greater or better well-being, they report more humble or somewhat insignificant views of the self. And we find somewhat interestingly, it seems to trigger more kind, compassionate, empathic behavior among people.” 

One of his studies situated participants in a towering growth of eucalyptus trees among the tallest and oldest stands of eucalyptus trees in North America. They spent either 60 seconds looking up at those tall trees, or with their backs to the trees; they looked up at a comparably tall, but far less awe-inspiring, big building. They were then approached by an experimenter who gave them a questionnaire to complete.

Scenarios were posed to them, such as “If I were on the Titanic, I would deserve to be on the first lifeboat,” and “we imagined how much participants wanted to be paid for their participation in the experiment,” he said. 

“And we measured their levels of ethical decision-making by giving them different moral decision-making scenarios … they would indicate what they would do in these ambiguous situations,” he said. “What we found… They reported less entitlements, so they felt less deserving of the things in life relative to others. They wanted to be paid about half as much for their participation in the study as the participants who looked up at the big building, so maybe all seems to bring about less materialism, and they made more ethical decisions.”

Does this relate to the total solar eclipse? They did a study on one of those too. In a paper published a couple of years ago from the 2000 solar eclipse, his team conducted a study on the social and psychological impacts of those who participated in some way. 

That eclipse had a path of totality that reached across North America, “and we had about 3 million participants in this across the studies in this paper, when we compared residents within the path of totality to residents outside the path of totality, looking at spontaneous shifts in how people talked about themselves and talked about their motivations towards one another surrounding their experience of the eclipse,” he said. “What we found is that individuals who resided within the path of totality, who experienced the Eclipse and its fullness and its, you might say, its full awesomeness, or its full power, exhibited more often. And as a result of that increased experience, they became less self-focused, less likely to talk about themselves, individuated or eccentric ways.”

Those participants used language that reflected a collective focus — we and us — and expressed more desire for affiliation to connect with others, he said. They became more pro-social, exhibiting tendencies to be kind and care for others.

“In broad strokes, what we're finding is that experiences that bring about all and most predominantly really powerful feeling experiences, like the solar eclipse, seem to attune people and connect us to one another, to connect us to entities that are ourselves,” Piff said. “And that's how the experience of all might have evolved. It's the conduit to things bigger than ourselves and motivates us to care for others.”

Will stopping to watch the eclipse change your life? Maybe not. But participating in an event that Shannon Schmoll said will not happen again until 2045 might just help rally friends, family, and co-workers together for a special moment.  

Schmoll is an expert on basic astronomy, naked-eye astronomy, eclipses, constellations and the night sky. She is director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University and has a doctorate in astronomy and science education. 

She spoke about the 2017 partial eclipse and how it offered all sorts of experiences, from good to bad. 

“It gets a little eerie and strange, and temperatures will change. And it is a really breathtaking sight,” she said. “On the not so good part do be prepared for traffic, there is going to be a lot of people who want to see this. And so I ended up stuck in traffic for about 13 and a half hours during the 2017 Eclipse. So just be prepared for that. But really, this is a wonderful, beautiful sight in order to see that corona. And so, if you can go to totality and are able to, we highly encourage it. And it is. The next time this will happen across a large portion of the United States like this is 2045. So it is definitely worth it if you can go see this.”

And the last bit, she said, there is a lot of science that can be done around the solar eclipse. One is studying the sun itself. And the Corona—that outermost atmosphere — is a really hot region of the sun. 

But we don't fully know why it's super hot. And we can't see the most lowest part of that corona very well most of the time, even with some of our spacecraft that we have. And so this is a great time to study this region of the sun at the base of the corona,” she said. “And also, right now, the sun is nearing its peak of solar maximum. It's this 11-year cycle with a lot more activity and sunspots happening, solar flares and prominences and solar storms, there's a lot going on, and it was near minimum during the last Eclipse. So we're heading towards maximum, which will hopefully give us a lot more to look at. And this is also a great time to study the earth and the effects of the sun on the earth in particular, the uppermost level of the atmosphere called the ionosphere.”

The total solar eclipse is set to arrive on April 8 in the afternoon, beginning at about 2 p.m. and ending around 4:30 p.m., depending on one's viewing location. For more information about the eclipse and a countdown and viewing time clock, go HERE. 

Press Release:

Join us at the Holland Land Office Museum for the next edition of our Trivia Night @ the Museum on Thursday, April 11 at 7 p.m. In honor of the birthday of J. Robert Oppenheimer, our topic will be the Manhattan Project. Admission is $5 or $3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next edition of our Guest Speaker Series. On Thursday, April 18 at 7 p.m. we welcome avid bike rider and cycling historian Karen Lankeshofer, as she presents on Elsa Von Blumen, who first became a professional “race walker” in 1879 and was soon enticed to try high-wheel bicycle riding by bicycle manufacturer Albert Pope. She was a prominent figure on the bicycle-racing scene in the 1880s and competed throughout the Eastern United States ( including in Batavia). Admission is $5 or $3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend. 

"This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by GO ART!"

The Holland Land Office is proud to announce the next edition of our Java with Joe E. On Thursday, April 25 at 9 a.m., Don Burkel will be presenting, “Who Was Philemon (Phil) Tracy & What Is He Doing Here?” With the use of personal letters and photographs, a PowerPoint program will provide an in-depth look into Philemon Tracy and his family. Philemon Tracy was a Major in the Confederate Army from Georgia who is buried in the Historic Batavia Cemetery. Admission is free with coffee and pastries.
Java with Joe E. is sponsored by Pub Hub Coffee for 2024.

During a recent City Council meeting, President Eugene Jankowski Jr. mused that perhaps city leaders didn’t do right by giving a pass to updated property assessments this past year. 

Well, no more of that. City Assessor Rhonda Saulsbury will be sending out updated property assessments beginning April 1, city management said in a press release on Tuesday. Instructions will be included on how to request an informal review and obtain forms, as well as where to obtain related information.

The release reminds property owners to review the full market value estimate found on the Change of Assessment Notification. If you do not agree with this estimate and can offer proof for a change, you can follow the process of filing a challenge, Saulsbury said. Informal reviews will be held during the month of April and appointments are required.

Since City Council just passed its $37 million budget with a two-cent property tax increase, The Batavian contacted city management to find out how and if this assessment will affect this year’s tax bill.

Assistant Manager Erik Fix said no because everything was done the year prior. So this assessment will be for the 2025-26 budget year, he said.

“This current year, we did not raise assessments; we didn't even do assessments unless it was a house that was sold or something like that, which is common practice,” Fix said. “But going forward, for next year, we are going to reassess the properties in the city. And then that will, in turn, provide us with the levy that we would have to use for the 2025-26 budget.  So what we based this year's budget on was last year's assessments for 2023, which we did not reassess properties last year.”

He reviewed one of the “lessons” taught during council’s budget sessions in  February, that typically, when one’s assessment — and the overall property assessments are higher — that the tax rate reflects that by being lower. 

“So typically, when there's an assessment that goes up, your rate will most likely to remain the same or go down, as history has shown,” he said. “I don't know what's going to happen this time. I have no idea what this affects or anything like that. I haven't looked at any of that. But there's a common denominator there of people who feel like every time their assessments go up, that they pay more in taxes, and that's not always the case.”

Often, property owners complain that when their assessments go up, even when the tax rate goes down slightly, the overall yearly expense goes up.

For example, if John’s home goes from $100,000 to being newly assessed at $130,0000, and the tax rate reflects an overall higher assessment by being decreased from $10 per $1,000 to $9.70, the yearly cost goes from $1,000 for his $100,000 home to $1,261 for the $130,000 home, even though the tax rate is now $9.70 per $1,000.

The city’s tax rate “hasn’t really changed that much,” Fix said, which is what management wants in order to keep things from changing dramatically for taxpayers, he said. 

“We try to stay at 100 percent equalization, that keeps our rate relatively stable as we go forward,” he said. “So you hopefully won’t see that situation where the more we’ve had the tax cut, and we’ve got to make it a 30 percent raise to get where we want to get to. That’s why we’re trying to be fiscally frugal and prudent and do right by the taxpayers to make sure that doesn’t happen with their city taxes.”

Housing rates increased the most right after COVID, he said, and he hasn’t seen “a massive increase in the market in the past 18 months.” As far as his own home, using a Zillow tool, “my home value hasn't changed in about a year,” he said. 

“I’m not the assessor; that would be a question for her, but from what I see, I haven't seen those massive fluctuations in the market that we saw the first couple of years out of COVID,” he said. “Partly because of the interest rates, I would guess. Because interest rates are so high that we're not having problems finding people who buy houses when they go to market. It's that nobody wants to put their house on the market because they don't want to pay that interest rate for whatever else they're buying. There’s not a large amount of stock out there right now.”

Information regarding property assessments, inventory data, and sale information will be available online beginning April 1 at https://cityofbatavia.prosgar.com. The City of Batavia strives to maintain a 100 percent equalization rate (sale price to assessment ratio), which means that we aim to keep our assessments at 100 percent full market value across all property types, the press release stated.

To accomplish this, we do regular re-evaluations and make adjustments accordingly during the assessment update project. Values can adjust due to both physical changes and/or market changes.

As part of this process, we run each property through our appraisal software system, comparing the building style, square footage, year built, bedrooms, baths, lot size, etc., against the recent sale data. We then do a field review to determine the fair full market value based on the aforementioned data.

Although we review each neighborhood within the City during each cycle, we only update values in those that have experienced an increase in market values. 

As sale values have continued to climb 12-14% +/- above current assessments, we must adjust assessed values in accordance with NYS Real Property Tax Law guidelines in regular cycles.

Grievance Day 2024 will be held on May 30 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Grievance Day is held in Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, located at 1 Batavia City Centre.

The Grievance form, Informal Review form, sale & inventory data, and the Citywide new assessments to assist you in comparing property values can be found as of April 1 in the City Clerk’s Office, at the library, and on the City of Batavia’s website: https://www.batavianewyork.com/ (Departments/Assessment) as well as https://cityofbatavia.prosgar.com.

Eli Fish Brewing Company celebrated its sixth anniversary with a fun relay race, plenty of craft drinks and frozen fish this past weekend in downtown Batavia. The relay took runners around a block from Jackson Square onto School, Center and Jackson streets and back again to the Square, where a DJ was entertaining participants and spectators alike.

Billy Buckenmeyer's team won their heat in the event, and befitting of the Main Street establishment's name, real fish were used in place of the more traditional baton that passed from runner to runner for the relay. Each team received eight drink tokens and the winning team won a grand prize of four Mug Club memberships for the 2024 season.

Press Release:

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year and approximately 2,900 of these deaths occur among people who have never smoked. 

“Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that seeps into your home through cracks in the foundation, walls, and joints. It can be found in well water and in dirt floors. Whether your home has a basement, sits on a slab, is brand-new or old, radon can build up and go undetected. Testing your home can prevent serious health risks” stated Darren Brodie, Environmental Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health).

According to the Lung Association’s State of Lung Cancer Report, an estimated 13.9% of New York radon test results equal or exceed the EPA Action level of 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L). 

Nationally, 21.8% of homes are at or above the action level. Through New York State testing, Genesee County has been identified as having a high average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L.

New York State does not require homes to undergo radon testing prior to being sold and awareness about the importance of radon testing among potential homeowners may be limited. 

As a result, it falls on the buyer to ask about the property’s radon test results as part of the sales contract or to request that a radon test be conducted if it has not been completed within the past two years.

Here are some things to consider when negotiating a home sales contract: 

• Who will conduct the radon test? 
• What type of test should be done?
• How will the results be shared?
• If mitigation is necessary, due to an elevated result, who will pay?

If the home has been tested for radon, find out from the seller, who conducted the test, where in the home the test was taken, and when the test was completed. 

If the home has a radon reduction system already installed, make sure you get all the information about the system from the seller before the final sale.

If you are building a home, be sure to discuss radon-resistant features and costs with your contractor. Your contractor has the opportunity to construct a radon-resistant home easily and economically. 

It is more cost-effective to install radon-resistant features while building a home than to install a radon-reduction system in an existing home.

For more information about radon, contact the Genesee County Health Department at 585-344-2580 x5555 or Health@co.genesee.ny.us.

Resources:

• Home Buyer’s and Seller’s Guide to Radon https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-05/documents/hmbuygud.pdf
• Radon and Real Estate Resources https://www.epa.gov/radon/radon-and-real-estate-resources
• Radon-Resistant New Construction for Home Buyers https://www.epa.gov/radon/radon-resistant-new-construction-home-buyers
• Central New York Coalition for Healthy Indoor Air http://www.cnyhealthyair.org/