Le Roy photographer Darrick Coleman shares his thoughts on what makes a photograph, how he takes one and why he's drawn to the nature of western New York. Coleman's show, DETAILS: An Intimate Look at Western New York, opens August 18 in the Lobby Arts Gallery in the Stuart Steiner Theatre at Genesee Community College. Check out our earlier post for the details.
Robert J. Kotarski Jr., 39, of Alabama, was charged with a felony county of criminal sexual act in the second degree Wednesday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said.
Kotarski is accused of performing oral sex on a female under the age of 15 on five separate occasions between 2005 and 2006. He was released under the supervision of Genesee Justice and will reappear at a later date to answer the charges.
Joseph A. Hernick, 59, of Stafford, was charged with second-degree harassment Wedensday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Hernick allegedly punched his neighbor in the head while he was mowing his lawn. An order of protection has been issued on behalf of the victim.
Twenty-one-year-old Joseph J. Alba, of Akron, was charged with petit larceny Monday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Alba is accused of reaching into a Dip-N-Dot vending stand at Darien Lake and stealing a handful of Dip-N-Dots valued at approximately $1.
All above releases were reported in published releases by the sheriff's office.
Consolidation between the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and the City of Batavia Police should go through by the end of the month, according to the Daily News. The county legislature approved a $76,000 capital project at its meeting last night—$9,926 of that will be paid by the county, the rest covered by a state grant.
In an article by Joanne Beck, City Council President Charlie Mallow says that a question initially posed for the city's board of ethics—does Councilman Bob Bialkowski have a conflict of interest regarding votes on the mall—will now be taken up by the county board of ethics. City Attorney George Van Nest "submitted the matter to the county's board within the last week, Mallow said. However, the county's Clerk of the Legislature Carolyn Pratt says that the county board cannot act "on any issue from a municipality that has already established an ethics board," and the city has its own board. I called Van Nest to ask him if this means that the county board will not hear the matter, but he declined to comment. It was the most simple question I thought to ask, and really beats at the heart of the whole article. If the county board of ethics can't meet to discuss this: first, why is it news? And second, why would Van Nest ask them to meet?
For more fun and informative articles just like these, be sure to get out and pick up your very own copy of the Daily News. Or, better yet, subcribe at BataviaNews.com.
Endorsed Democratic Congressional candidate, Jon Powers, held the first in a series of planned conferences with local educators at Main Street Coffee on Tuesday, August 12th. The meeting gave Powers a chance to hear concerns and solutions directly from educators. Among those attending the forum were principals Charles Herring of LeRoy high school, Jim Thompson, an assistant professor at Medaille College and a retired elementary principal, elementary teachers Christine Frew and Debbie Karas, art teacher Lorie Longhany, ELA teacher Sue Bell. The candidate has more of these conferences planned throughout the district, along with meetings with other residents intended to give the voters the voice in their government that they deserve.
Powers said he was grateful for the time the participants shared with him and took many good ideas from the event. His keen interest in education originates from a source close to home. His mother, Sue Powers, is a career educator and attended Tuesday's meeting. Jon credits her as being his biggest influence in developing a passion for education.
The participating educators were equally impressed with Powers. Past principal at Leroy Elementary School and current assistant professor of education at Medaille College, Jim Thompson, gave this reaction when asked his impression of Powers and the campaign's effort at gathering voters' input.
More at The Albany Project http://www.thealbanyproject.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=4007
http://www.powersforcongress.com/main.cfm?actionId=globalShowStaticContent&screenKey=cmpNews&category=Press&htmlID=10129&s=powers
HarnessLink reports that local barber Joe Gerace will be honored August 23 at Batavia Downs as "Italian-American of the Year."
This is the first such award given by Batavia Downs, and HarnessLink says the gaming facility and race track is planning other ethic awards this year.
The life-long Batavia native is the 2008 Humanitarian of the Year for United Memorial Medical Center and the Jerome Foundation, 2006 City of Batavia Volunteer of the Year, Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Genesian of the Year in 1993 and was honored for his community service by the Paolo Busti Foundation Scholarship Committee.
The active 72-year-old grandfather of six is the former president of the Batavia Youth Bureau, co-chair of the Genesee County Cancer Society's Festival of Hope, a director of the Batavia Muckdogs (where he is also on the team's Wall of Fame), member of the Batavia Rotary Club and St Nick's Social Club and sat on the City of Batavia zoning board of appeals for 12 years.
Also a licensed realtor and military veteran, Gerace and his wife, Lois, have been married 48 years and are the parents of three grown children.
That's an impressive resume.
Daily News reporter Scott DeSmit profiles the city police department's new patrol cars in an article on today's front page. His take: they're all about "keeping a low profile." That means no flashy lights on the roof. Why? Officers hope the bare car top will "allow them to blend in more with traffic in an effort to catch violators."
"People engaged in criminal activity or violating traffic laws tend to scan traffic looking for that light bar," Officer Wayne Fenton said. "Taking the light bar away allows the car to blend in with the rest of traffic."
Except, of course, for the flashy lettering and block-letter 'POLICE' decal on the side of the car. For catching drivers who only get that cursory glance over traffic, I suppose it could help fight the speeders on residential streets. The $23,000 cars do come with lights, it should be noted: strobes.
Of course, no slick, pseudo-undercover makeover is going to make a cop's life any easier.
Take their stroll through the junior rapids of Tonawanda Creek this morning in pursuit of an alleged shoplifter. Just shy of 9:00am this morning, police responded to a larceny call at the Sugar Creek Store on West Main Street. On scene, Scott DeSmit tells us, one of the officers "shagged the man from a grove of trees behind the store"—fantastic description. The man then ran into the muddy, burbling Tonawanda Creek. Lt. Eugene Jankowski said the man nearly drowned! But they picked him up and brought him down to headquarters for processing.
What was he accused of stealing? Two beers.
For other fascinating news stories, be sure to pick up your own copy of the Daily News wherever they are sold. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.
The Rochester Red Wings have done everything that the team was told was needed to improve attendence at Batavia Muckdogs games, General Manager Dave Wellenzohn tells David Hibbard of the Daily News, and the team is drawing no better this year than last.
Fireworks don't help. A better field doesn't help. More marketing hasn't helped. Even a winning record and exciting pennant race aren't putting more people in more seats.
In May, Wellenzohn predicted that 60,000 people would pay to see the Muckdogs this year. At the current rate, only about 45,000 people will come through the gates.
"They've kept their word. They've invested a lot of money into the franchise," Wellenzohn said. "Rochester's (Red Wings) kept their promise 100 percent, even more. They're spending more money than I thought they would -- an maybe even should. Because they're thinking, 'Well, maybe if we do this, this will trigger more attendance.' It hasn't."
Wellenzohn says the team is likely to stay in Batavia next season, but if attendance doesn't improve, he isn't sure how long the Red Wings will keep investing in the team.
So here's the thing: Batavia is damn fortunate to have a minor league baseball team. In fact, having lived in major league cities, I'm not sure Batavians realize how fortunate they are to have a minor league baseball team. It's a hell of a lot of fun to watch these developing players in a small venue with your friends and neighbors.
So what will it take to get Batavians to support their home town team?
We've been trying to do our part -- The Batavian is a team sponsor and we carry as much team coverage as we can -- because we believe sports teams serve a civic purpose of promoting community and local pride.
In an era of high gas prices and higher and higher costs of everything, isn't a $5 general admission ticket quite a bargain for such great entertainment?
So what else can we do, what can we all to do, get more people at the games?
And, FWIW, kudos to Hibbard for a fine article.
In big, bold, stop-the-press-size font the headline at the top of today's front page of the Daily News reads: Mall merchants vote to sue city. Sure, that may be accurate, but that "vote" came about two months ago. Hardly worth the quart of ink used to splash it across today's paper as if it were commandment number eleven... just announced. That being said, reporter Joanne Beck does a fine job in the article of clearing up a few ambiguities about the raging debate over the mall, its sign, its merchants and the city's fed-uppness with all of the above—all the while raising a few more questions in the process.
Beck spoke with Mitchell Chess, Charlie Mallow and Jason Molino in the article. Chess and Mallow have made frequent contributions to The Batavian on the topic this week, and most of what they say to Beck was already reported first-hand by them here. As for the city manager, Beck must have the sweet touch, because I can't get him to return any of my messages—I've left several with him and his office this week.
Here are a few highlights from her conversations:
"The merchants have sued twice before and they won," (said Chess). "We're going to win. We decided to sue after the last meeting. We're trying to take the high ground here. Every time we try to do that, (City Council President Charlie Mallow) comes in with ... broad, general statements without any basis. We've told our attorey it has to be filed before the next council meeting."
Mallow is then quoted later in the article as saying that "he felt the group was going to sue all along," and he no longer plans to shop at the mall. "Anyone who sues the city is suing me personally, and suing my neighbor and my kids," he tells Beck.
As for the controversy over the mall sign, Chess tells Beck that, in fact, the mall did own the original sign, and the city had promised—though never in writing—to replace it. Further, he says, the city already set aside $20,000 in the budget to do just that.
Given that fact, Chess wants to know why the purchase has now become an issue for council's vote.
City Manager Jason Molino said the matter would not have had to go to vote. But a request made by Councilman Bob Bialkowski for a mall update during last month's meeting seemed to resurrect the sign as a question instead of a done deal.
Those who have kept with our coverage of this issue know that we're pretty clear in thinking that Bialkowski should recuse himself from the upcoming vote on that sign, and yesterday's editorial in the Daily News said the same. Nevertheless, I can't understand the logic here. Why does Bialkowski's request for a "mall update" equate to a resurrection of "the sign as a question instead of a done deal"? Maybe the problem is simply in the wording, I don't know.
Beck then tackles the claim made in one of Mallow's letters to the editor that said the mall merchants "want the taxpayers to put hundreds of thousands of dollars into the mall and then for the city to sell it to them for $1." Chess counters that, claiming that the idea didn't originated with the mall merchants, rather it was raised by the city in negotiations.
Molino couldn't confirm or deny that, he said, since the conversation was likely a few years ago.
Who can confirm or deny it? We're trying to find out.
In February, Present Tense Books, hosted a talk by Josh on Patti Pacino centered around old photographs Patti's father either took or collected of old Batavia.
The collection of photos is posted here.
It contains a number of photos related to the destruction of the north side of Main Street to make room for the mall many people, including City Council President Charlie Mallow, call an eyesore.
Here is a video slide show I put together of from those old photos:
I haven't found anybody so far -- long-time resident or not -- who has good things about the mall. Even Mitchell Chess, president of the Mall Merchant's Association, doesn't come across as a particular fan. With all of the conversation about the mall on The Batavian this week, not a single commenter has come forward to say it should be saved.
In a back-and-forth with Mallow over whether we were hyping his statement that parts of the mall (which, frankly, I too quickly turned into "all of the mall") should be razed, I quipped, "Mr. Mallow, tear down that mall," which was good for some comic relief.
But it can also serve as a rallying cry.
Not everybody is pleased that there is so much heated discussion over the mall, but sometimes in such discussions a vibrancy can be found for finding new solutions to old problems.
Nobody has a plan yet, and the city and the MMA are spending way too much time on signs, bird poop and whether Bob Bialkowski has a conflict of interest, but the community needs to move beyond these trivial matters and focus on a long-term solution to the eyesore of a mall.
A good plan will improve downtown, not waste taxpayer money, help the current merchants find new Main Street-facing shops and create jobs.
Mr. Mallow, tear down that mall.
Congressional hopeful Jon Powers released his "education policy" at a discussion at Main Street Coffee Tuesday afternoon. The Democratic contender for the seat in the 26th District said that college is too expensive, loans are too high and national education standards stifle teachers, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. Powers calls for reform of No Child Left Behind—though no specifics are given—and wants to lower the interest on federal loans for students from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent by 2011.
In other news... Genesee County has qualified for state disaster aid as a result of the devastating hail storms that wracked the region earlier this summer. Fifteen other upstate counties qualified. Some farmers could receive "permanent disaster payments," says Fischer.
The Genesee County Legislature will meet tonight at 7:00pm in the Old County Courthouse. The Batavian has a request into the clerk to get a copy of the agenda, which we have not yet received. We will post that when it becomes available.
Tune into WBTA 1490 AM for these and other stories throughout the day.
Brian Walton, writing for Scout.com, reports that six Muckdogs have made the NY-Penn League All Star roster.
They are:
Click the link above for details on each player's season and photos.
Last year, the Muckdogs had only three all stars.
The game will be played in Troy on Aug. 19.
A friend introduced me to the term "locavore" a couple of weeks ago. It stuck with me because being a bit of "locavore" was something my wife and I were already mostly doing without knowing there was a word for it or that it was a trend. The furthest thing from our mind was the environmental benefits. We just think locally produced bread, meat, milk and veggies taste better and last longer.
This week, McClatchy/Tribune news service has a story out on locavores. You can read it here.
Last month, Lenae Weichel embarked on an ambitious dietary experiment: to feed her family for a year with food produced within 100 miles of her Rockford, Ill., home.
Inspired by a Vancouver couple who wrote a book on their ‘‘100-mile diet,’’ she joined a community-supported agriculture program, visited her local farmers market and started growing fruits and vegetables in her backyard.
Weichel, 33, is an extreme example of a vibrant movement of ‘‘locavores,’’ or consumers who try to shorten the distance between their food and its origin, largely from a desire to eat fresher produce, support their local farmers and reduce the carbon pollution associated with transporting goods. Only a few set 100 miles as a strict limit; others might just seek produce from the Midwest. But eating locally grown food, an idea once limited to hard-core environmentalists, is gaining traction among mainstream consumers. Already the movement has inspired a slew of books, prompted restaurants to use local food as a selling point and established ‘‘locavore’’ as the Word of the Year for 2007, according to the Oxford American Dictionary.
So, if you're a locavore in Genesee County, where do you go for produce, milk, bread and meat? The Batavian would like to find out more about these businesses. What other locally produced goods and crafts do you prefer to buy from local merchants?
If there is anyone in the City of Batavia that is more anti-city council then me I would like to meet them. I have for many years written to the Daily asking for reforms in the spending patterns of the City. Mr. Mallow has and will continue to hear from me when I feel that the council is spending to much time or money on an issue that will cost the taxpayers. Now reading some of your postings have me alittle miffed at the idea that you feel as though 1 dollar of taxpayers money should be used to improve the way you do business. If you want improvements in the mall then pay for them. You mention that some of the negotiations going on are sensitve and should not be made public. BULL...if it is about tax dollars being spent then everyone in the city needs to know. Jason malino is in a no win situation having as many bosses that he has. He is tasked by the council to do the negotaitions with the MMA and that is who you have to deal with. If you don't like it then will you go home to your mommy and cry that you are going to leave the mall. Dr. Chess just deal with Mr. Malino and if you don't like it then vote out the council members you don't like and start over. That is the way the system works..By the way do you live in the City ?
Genesee County sheriff's deputies report that three people were charged with unlawful possession of marijuana in the town of Pembroke Monday. They are: Michelle M. Eleczko, 20, of Corfu; Jennifer L. Wagner, 19, of Akron; and Cassandra M. Martin, 20, of Akron.
Scott M. Florian, 40, 8317 Slusser Road, Batavia, was charged with driving while intoxicated and another count of aggravated DWI Monday night in the town of Pembroke, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Florian was also ticketed with failure to keep right.
Mark C. Johnson, 46, of Oakfield, was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance Monday, according to the Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force. A search of Johnson's residence in June found what was later confirmed to be cocaine.
Debrah A. Butler, 40, of Elba, was charged with two counts of felony falsifying business records and two counts of petit larceny, a misdemeanor, Monday following an investigation into a theft at Elba Yellow Goose, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Butler was an employee of the Yellow Goose and is accused of stealing three money orders and allegedly trying to conceal the theft by making false entries in the company business records.
All above incidents were reported in published releases from the departments listed.
Today's Opinion page in the Daily News has what you might call a running theme going. Everyone's favorite subject these days: the mall. Count them: two letters to the editor on the topic, plus the unequivocally titled editorial: End the mall brawl: Council should focus on solution, not insults.
Says the Daily News (quite accurately):
Mr. (Bob) Bialkowski should not vote on mall issues. The City Charter says Council members should not vote on issues where they might benefit "directly or indirectly." If nothing else, there is an appearance of conflict of interest.
Does that take Council off the hook for city obligations to the mall? No way. Every member of Council ought to be trying his or her utmost to resolve this issue without going to court. Neglecting a mall that is connected to the City Centre is foolish. Visitors see the City Centre/mall as one entity .... neglect in one area reflects on the entirety. The concourse ought to look as good as City Hall. All Council members should agree on that, instead of trading insults.
Well said. And all of those imperative ought to's ought not to be overlooked.
As for the two letters...
Much of what is included in the letter by Mitchell Chess can be found in his post to The Batavian yesterday. Not included in that post are Mitchell's comments about City Manager Jason Molino. He writes:
We have ... been continuously misled by the city. We have meetings and nothing ever happens. As a result of our frustrations with Mr. Molino, we requested the city to appoint an independent negotiator.
I would only ask that Mitchell provide us with some specific instances of how the mall was misled by the city, and what is the subject of negotiations.
In the other letter, Daniel Jones has at Bob Bialkowski, something we've heard quite a bit of already, and whether or not more of it is needed, just or desired, we will leave up to you. A suggestion for Daniel: try to steer clear of the discordancy. Calling Bialkowski out for his hyperbole, Daniel throws around more than his fair share, describing Bialkowski in such terms as: "completely ignoring any sense of ethics," "completely tarnished the image of the Genesee County Airport," "dangerous to city residents," "putting the city in serious financial and legal jeopardy," "his tirades," "complete disregard for ethics" (again), "truly embarassing for the city of Batavia."
Robert Kirkup pled guilty to manslaughter in Genesee County Court Monday, according to the Daily News. The 68-year-old California man was brought to New York on an arrest in June when he was charged with the murder of his wife, Janet, in the town of Darien during a camping trip 16 years ago.
Scott DeSmit reports that Kirkup faces between five and 15 years in state prison. He will be sentenced in September. DeSmit was in the courtroom when Kirkup was brought before Judge Robert C. Noonan, and he does a great job of bringing out the details of that public confession.
DeSmit writes that Kirkup "was barely able to stand" in the courtroom when he admitted his guilt.
His wife, he said, had been drinking beer all day and at one point in the evening "came inside the motor home and started yelling and punching me."
"I was unfaithful to Janet back in the '80s and whenever she drank alcohol, she would start fighting with me and bring that up," Kirkup wrote. "Janet came after me, punching me in the face. She broke my glasses."
"I then grabbed Janet by the throat with my right hand. We both struggled a bit and she ended up on the floor ... I held on to Janet by the throat until she stopped struggling with me."
Kirkup told the judge that he then covered up the body and slept on the couch.
"I grabbed Janet under the arms and dragged her out of the motor home ... I dragged her about 100 yards into the woods. I dug a hole about two to three feet deep ... I put Janet in the hole face up then covered her body with dirt and left."
He admitted that he was afraid he would go to jail if he told the truth about what happened and that "no one would believe that I killed her in self defense."
You can pick up a copy of the Daily News at any local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.
Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle dug up some more details about the incarceration over the weekend of a Batavia groom who was barred from contact with the woman he married.
Batavia police reported yesterday that Timothy T. Cole, 45, of 16 Walnut St., Batavia, was charged with a felony count of first-degree criminal contempt Friday night following his wedding.
Cole was sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $2,500 bail, and it turned out that this was not the first time he had been picked up for violating a court order of protection.
From the Democrat & Chronicle:
According to Batavia City Court documents, Cole was charged with second-degree criminal contempt on July 1, meaning that he violated a previous court order. The July 1 order of protection required Cole to stay away from the woman he ended up marrying Friday.
The order, which also mandated that he stay away from the woman's home, school, business and place of employment, was effective until July 1, 2011. Cole was required to "refrain from communication or any other contact" with the woman.
It turned out that police were alerted to the contact because of an alleged altercation at Cole's residence. When police arrived on the scene they allegedly found Cole in a fight with a guest "over a chair." The subsequent charge of criminal contempt was levied when Cole's record was checked and police discovered that his new wife had an order of protection.
Cathy Mazzotta, executive director of Alternatives for Battered Women in Rochester, was not familiar with Cole's case but said women who have orders of protection against men sometimes end up having contact with them for various reasons.
"Victims have the same hopes and aspirations we all have," Mazzotta said. "They are hopeful their abusers will change ... and believe their promises. They are looking toward the future in a positive way."
The intersection of Randall and Buckley roads in Stafford was the scene of a devastating car crash Monday afternoon. Three Mercy Flight helicopters were needed to transport the injured. One woman, a mother from Le Roy, remained in guarded condition this morning with a serious head injury.
Two families were involved in the collision that sent one vehicle onto its side and the other into a tree, and emergency personnel attended to seven injured, one seriously. Rachel L. Heywood, 34, of Warsaw, was traveling with her three children, Madison, 4; Andrew, 12; and Haley, 10. Heywood suffered a broken ankle and other minor injuries. Her children, too, reported minor injuries. 45-year-old Deborah S. Hughes, of Le Roy, did not fare so well. She and her two children, James, 12, and Kathryn, 15, were taken by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital. James and Kathryn were both reported to being treated for non life-threatening injuries. Deborah Hughes was in serious condition with a head injury. She was still in guarded condition at the hospital this morning.
Genesee County sheriff's deputies report that an SUV traveling on Buckley Road failed to stop for a stop sign and collided broadside with a car on Randall Road. The SUV then skidded off the road and flipped onto its side, while the car continued head on into a nearby tree. Fire departments from Stafford, Byron, Le Roy and Batavia assisted at the scene. State police were also on hand to assist.
Rachel Heywood was ticketed with failure to yield the right of way at a stop sign.
Much has been made of Batavia's mall in recent weeks. So we here at The Batavian thought to turn to a citizen who has never been afraid of expressing his opinion on the subject, Bill Kauffman, author of Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette. Kauffman has often used this mall in his writings for a national audience as an example of big government gone bad. In particular, we asked Bill Kauffman what he thought of City Council President Charlie Mallow's recent comment that the city should consider demolishing part of the mall.
Here's what he had to say:
The mall ought to have been dispatched long ago to that circle of hell reserved for brutalist architecture. For 30-plus years it has been a monument to misplaced faith in big government and capital-p Progress. Urban renewal was a catastrophe for many American cities, Batavia not least among them. The demolition of old Batavia was a crime against our ancestors, ourselves, and our posterity. Any discussion of human-scale, pedestrian-friendly, small business-centered alternatives to what remains of the mall is welcome. More than that, it's a sign of civic health. Batavia still matters. (And while we're at it, perhaps that imbecilic and pretentious spelling of "Batavia City Centre" can be corrected to "Center." Batavia is neither Canadian nor a suburban strip mall straining for "class.")
What do you think?
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