Nimitz is much missed in the Clark household after the one-eyed feline went missing recently.
Danielle Clark is offering a return for his return.
The grey and white kitty was last seen on Tracy Avenue in Batavia.
If you see Nimitz or know where he is, Clark can be reached at (585) 409-9833 or email bring.Nimitz.home@gmail.com
Tompkins announced the promotion of Leslie Norman, of Leicester, NY, to manager of its Customer Care Center in Batavia, NY. Norman has been with Tompkins since 2016, most recently serving as customer care center operations officer. In her new role, Norman is responsible for providing effective leadership and as well as professionally managing operations at the Customer Care Center to ensure efficient and successful customer experiences.
“Leslie’s leadership, experience, and passion for customer service is unmatched,” said Michael McKenzie, vice president, marketing efficiency manager. “We know that she will guarantee that our customers are receiving first-class care.”
As a banking professional with more than 20 years of experience in the field, Norman came to Tompkins from HSBC Bank, where she was an international sales officer. She is a member of the Leadership Genesee Class of 2017 and has enjoyed volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and the Junior Achievement Bowl-a-Thon.
Press release:
Pay It Forward is a unique initiative at Bell Bank, putting dollars into the hands of our Bell team members every year so they can give where they see the most need. This tradition has empowered millions of dollars in grassroots giving and impacted tens of thousands of lives. The Bell Bank PAY IT Forward program has existed for 12 years with 12,000 stories and $17 million in giving. Bell Bank is proud to Pay IT Forward with this donation to Crossroads House in memory of activist Jeremy Tjhung.
Dash Hamblin, a mortgage loan officer with Bell Bank Mortgage requested this donation. He is a former resident of Horseshoe Lake in Batavia.
Jeremy’s sister Vinnie (pictured) was Mr. Hamblin’s special education teacher to his adopted son Matthew. He now resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Fargo North Dakota. Bell Bank is the largest privately-owned local bank in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. Bell Bank has 2000 employees at its 16 locations, with assets totaling over $12 billion. While many companies focus solely on net profits, Bell
Bank and Bell Bank Mortgage’s “bottom line” statement is unusually simple: “Happy Employees! Happy Customers!”
We believe that if we create a great environment for our employees, who in turn give outstanding service to our customers, we will build stronger communities.
Press release:
Genesee Amateur Hockey Association hosted 34 children at the Batavia Ice Rink (aka The David McCarthy Memorial Ice Area) on Evans Street on Saturday, March 5th for a Try Hockey For Free clinic as part of USA Hockey Week Across America. Starting at 111:50 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. local youth, ages 4 to 9, were welcomed at the Rink to experience getting on the ice, learning how to “skate”, get up after falling, basic skills with a hockey stick, and shooting punks into a hockey net (all by being guided by the head coach and on-ice helpers).
“We look forward to welcoming families to Batavia Ice Rink to try our great sport of ice hockey,” said Sharon Gray, Coordinator of the “Try Hockey for Free” event. “Our goal is for these families to enjoy watching their kids learn new skills with big smiles on their faces.”
The head coach for today’s event is Erik Triftshauser along with Fred Hamilton – both with more than 20 years plus starting out as GAHA players, high school players and GAHA coaches over the years. Their on-ice helpers are mostly from this year’s United high school teams along with the sons.
The event is hosted by the Try Hockey for Free Coordinators – Sharon and Bob Gray and the GAHA Beginner Player Coordinator – Marcia Barnes. It is the team’s goal to provide the hockey experience to area youngsters free of charge and encourage them to come October become a player in the GAHA Beginner Program which starts the first week of October. The Beginner Program consists of two sessions (October to December and January to March) with a total of 15 on-ice hours per session.
The skates used by the youngsters are being provided “free of charge” by the Firland Rink Management Group.
USA Hockey’s Try Hockey program, with the support of the National Hockey League and NHL member clubs, among others, is designed to provide youth hockey associations with a national platform for introducing children to the sport, free of charge.
Photos by Erin Staley.
Press release:
The Batavia Society of Artists is hosting artist Karen Crittenden on Tuesday at Go-Art/Seymour Place, 201 E. Main St, Batavia at 7 p.m.
She will be doing a Drum Fun hands-on demo with African Drums. Also doing a transfer of a Mandela onto a drum. Non-Members are welcome for a $5 fee.
Press release:
Sheridan Benefits, LLC will host a series of ‘Medicare 101 Table Chats’ at three GLOW YMCA branches the week of March 7, 2022. Biggs Johnson with Sheridan Benefits will be available to present information to those approaching Medicare age to learn about the program and to answer questions from current Medicare beneficiaries.
Orleans County YMCA
306 Pearl Street, Medina
Monday, March 7 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.Genesee County YMCA
209 East Main Street, Batavia
Wednesday, March 9 from 9 – 11 a.m.Wyoming County YMCA
115 Linwood Ave, Warsaw
Thursday, March 10 from 9 – 11 a.m.These events are an opportunity to obtain important information Medicare eligible individuals will need in order to learn how Medicare works, discover changes within the program, review different coverage types and see which plans are the best for you and your current needs.
Medicare 101 Table Chats are open to the public.
Tony Pecora spent the day in front of City Hall in Downtown Batavia calling it as he sees it: "Monster Putin Free Ukraine."
He had no trouble explaining his protest:
"Well, if you really want to know the reason is because over there, they're human beings just like us," he said. "But they're losing their children. They're losing their wives. They're losing their husbands. It's a terrible, terrible thing. And people over here, I mean, I hear people blowing the horns and thanking me, and that's fine. But there's a lot of people that just don't care. It's over there, let them go, and what I got here is fine with me. You can't do that. You just can't do that because if we weren't in NATO, it might happen right here. And then what are the people going to do?
"I mean, it's a terrible situation over there. And people are getting killed for what? For this idiot that thinks -- he's a despot, a horrible, horrible person.
"This thing shouldn't be going on. It is an awful, awful thing.
"I've got four children, and they're all with me. They stand with me. One is in Minnesota. One is in Virginia. I got two in Buffalo. And they're beautiful children, and they feel the same way. And I think people should stop and think about what's going on over there. They don't realize it's a terrible, terrible situation."
When Chris Crocker first took over a liquor store location at 73 Main St., Batavia, she had a vision.
She didn't see the nearly bare shelves. She envisioned shelves stocked with some of the best wine and spirits available in the community.
Ten years later, she feels she's achieved that dream, she said, thanks to a great staff and the support of the community.
Crocker and her staff will celebrate The YNGodess Shop's 10th anniversary tomorrow (Saturday) from 5 to 7 p.m. tomorrow and the public is invited.
"It's been a lot of work a lot, a lot of passion," Crocker said. "I have a great staff. And I've been doing it all for my son, my life. It's not always been easy. We've overcome a lot of challenges and we just keep going. Let's all put our best foot forward and we'll keep being the best that we can be."
Crocker is grateful for the community support and it's always been her goal to give back to the community.
When the pandemic hit, in those first initial weeks, home delivery of wine and spirits became a big part of the liquor business but rather than pocket those extra profits from home delivery, Crocker set the money aside to give back to the community.
"We just gave $250 to a young lady that lost her daughter," Crocker said. "We've done the lunch thing with different (police and fire) departments around. I donated 911 flags back on 911 with the victims' names on them to the various departments around. We helped buy a motorized wheelchair for a woman in Le Roy. We figure it has come close to $20,000 that we've raised and put back into the community."
Top photo: Chris Crocker, middle, and staff members Valeria Antonetty and Jodi Fisher.
The YNGodess Shop is expressing its support for the people of Ukraine with a window display.
Two Batavia men have been arrested in Wyoming County on burglary charges, accused of stealing firearms and other property.
Antwan L. Odom, 21, and Christopher V. McClinic face four counts of burglary 2nd, a Class C violent felony.
Odom was arraigned and jailed in Wyoming County on $100,000 bail. McClinic was released under supervision.
The investigation began on Feb. 17 after a reported burglary in the Town of Covington.
Based on tips, search warrants were executed in Batavia and firearms, other property, and related evidence were recovered.
Wyoming County Sheriff Gregory J. Rudolf said witnesses reported seeing a suspicious vehicle on the day of the burglaries and that Batavia PD also received anonymous that and that citizen assistance was vital to the investigation.
He issued the following statement:
“I want to thank the community and those individuals for their assistance in this investigation. It proves public safety is truly a public venture. The professionals of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and the Batavia Police Department likewise provided essential support as this investigation trekked out of Wyoming County. Our own Criminal Investigations Division has labored continuously since February 17th running down leads, applying for search warrants, gathering evidence, conducting interviews and assembling an extensive case file to bring this case to this point and that work has been commendable. Those Investigators will continue to work this case as information develops and through its prosecution by the Wyoming County District Attorney’s Office. Anyone with information is still asked to call the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office at: 585-786-8989 or our Confidential Tip Line at: 585-786-8965.”
Press release:
Today we congratulate Ray Tourt, Superintendent of Maintenance, for his leadership and dedication to the City of Batavia, the Department of Public Works, and the Bureau of Maintenance. Ray has served the City of Batavia since 1999, and last week announced his retirement.
Tourt served as the resident engineer and project administrator for the $28M reconstruction of NY Route 5 Main Street Project, multiple road and sidewalk construction projects, snow plowing and operations, parks as well as the City’s automotive repair facility.
“It was a pleasure to work with Ray, and I wish him all the best in his retirement. He will be passing on his wealth of knowledge to Scott Allen the new Superintendent. Scott Allen has been appointed and will start in his new role on Thursday, March 31, 2022,” said Rachael J. Tabelski, City Manager.
Allen has served the City for 23 years in various capacities, working in the sewer department to repair and rebuild manholes, as well as cleaning City streets and sidewalks. He advanced quickly to the position of full-time Mechanic and later, Mechanic Supervisor where he is responsible for scheduling the repair and maintenance of the City’s entire fleet of vehicles, scheduling crews, procuring parts/supplies, and supervising snow operations, and emergencies.
The Superintendent of the Bureau of Maintenance is responsible for:
- Street Maintenance and Cleaning- responsible for the safe and productive repair and maintenance of all City streets, and parking lots. The City maintains 50 miles of City roads, 7 miles of State Roads, pavement markings, traffic signs, 12 municipal parking lots and contracting out sidewalk repair.
- Public Works Garage- responsible for maintenance and repair of the entire fleet of city vehicles, heavy and small equipment.
- Snow Removal- Snow and ice removal from all City streets and parking lots. A priority snow removal plan is employed to ensure that all City streets and parking lots are easily passable and safe for all vehicular traffic.
- Parks, Refuse and Recycling- maintain 95 acres of City parklands, athletic fields, tennis courts, Spray Park, City Hall grounds, downtown, and other City-owned green spans. Parks also provide funding for tree trimming and removal of trees on City properties and efforts to beautify the City. Operates the Yard Waste Station.
- Storm Sewers- responsible for the repair of City-owned storm sewer lines and catch basins. The Bureau of Maintenance also provides storm sewer maintenance and inspection programs that include flushing, cleaning, and televising storm sewer lines.
Allen has completed formal schooling from Ohio Diesel Technology and has years of direct construction and maintenance experience within the Bureau of Maintenance. He has trained personnel on the proper and safe operations of equipment and is passionate about safety in the workplace. Allen lives in Batavia with his family.
The City of Batavia encourages all citizens to congratulate Tourt on his well-deserved retirement and welcome Allen in the position of Superintendent of Maintenance.
Press release:
The City of Batavia announces the appointment of Brett J. Frank, to the position of Director of Public Works for the City of Batavia by Manager Rachael J. Tabelski. Frank was selected following an extensive search for candidates and will start on Monday, March 28.
A lifelong resident of Genesee County, Frank holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from SUNY Buffalo State. Frank has served in local government for the last seven years, including as the Deputy Director of Real Property for Genesee County and the Director of Economic Development for the Batavia Development Corporation, a position he currently holds.
Frank has an extensive background in government management, budgeting, land and parcel maps, easements, building construction, bidding, economic development, project oversite, as well as policy and program development.
“I am excited that Brett will take over the Department of Public Works and continue the tradition of operational excellence in the department. He will start right away leading multiple projects into construction including Jackson Square, Richmond Harvester Streets Project, City Center $1M DRI, and the new Police Facility. He is a hard worker, and in the short time he has been with the BDC he assisted six projects go out to bid and complete construction,” said Rachael Tabelski, City Manager, City of Batavia.
As Director of Public Works, Frank will oversee the Bureau of Water and Wastewater, the Bureau of Maintenance, the Inspection Bureau, and the Engineering Bureau of the City.
The Mission of the Public Works Department is to:
- Provide adequate, safe, and environmentally sound water supply, water distribution, wastewater collection, and wastewater treatment processes.
- Provide for a safe and efficient vehicular and pedestrian transportation of streets and sidewalks.
- Provide sufficient, safe parks and facilities for all citizens and visitors to the community.
- Provide basic building maintenance services to all City-owned facilities.
- Provide for the administration of the New York State Building Code, Zoning Laws, Building Permits, Planning, Zoning, Historic Preservation, and Property Maintenance Ordinances.
“I’m looking forward to my new role with the City of Batavia and cannot wait to get started. I’m humbled by and grateful for this opportunity that the City of Batavia has presented me with and I’m very excited to be given this opportunity to serve my community,” said Brett Frank.
Frank currently lives in the City of Batavia and volunteers for the United Way, Leadership Genesee, and the Batavia Downtown Improvement District.
The Batavia Blue Devils' post-season surge came to an end Wednesday night with a 55-46 loss to Palmyra-Macedon.
Batavia (9-14) entered sectionals an underdog as the #8 seed in Class B1 but kept their season alive with wins over Livonia (the #9 seed) and #1 seeded Northstar.
On Wednesday, Javin McFollins, Mikey McKenzie, and Tanner Mountain each scored nine points, and Cam McClinic scored eight.
Photos by Erin Staley.
AFL Batavia has announced its April flag football tournament to be held at a location in Batavia yet to be determined starting at 10 p.m., April 16.
There will be an awards ceremony following the championship game at Ri-Dans with food, music, and open bar for an hour.
The league says all teams from the last tournament are returning, including the defending champions, the Dream Killers. Organizers would like to had three to five more teams. If there are 10 teams the prize pool will grow.
The entry fee is $500 per team. All teams but be local teams but out-of-town players can be on the rosters of local teams.
There is a $2,500 cash prize for the champion.
All players receive a jersey and a team photo.
Fees must be paid by March 31.
The league is also looking for sponsorships from local businesses.
For more information, email Darazian Williams at darazianw@gmail.com.
Photo: Submitted photo.
It looked like the Batavia Players cast had quite a party as show Director Anthony Baldwin-Giambrone dropped empty beer bottles into a cooler near the stage Monday evening.
There was a party, he said, however, only as part of the 2022 Shakespeare in Springtime series. Beer-drinking during a yearly Shakespearean staple? Only when the setting has been switched up from the typical 16th Century scenario of kings, queens, and jesters, to a modern-day educational setting.
“We took the entire show and set it at a college, with a fraternity house and a sorority house,” Baldwin-Giambrone said during rehearsals at the new venue inside City Centre. “We had this play ready to go in March 2020 … we have two-thirds of the original cast back. We had to recast eight people, and we bumped up an actor from a small role to a lead role.”\
The show didn’t go on then, as all things COVID-19 shut it down. Fast forward two years and construction of the new theater is still in progress as new and returning cast members rehearse in The Backstage space that accommodates 84 patrons. Known as “black box theater,” this space offers a close-up view of the action. It was a welcome sight for 34-year-old Justin Chortie, he said.
“It’s nice and intimate,” the North Tonawanda actor said. “I haven’t done black box since college.”
He plays Ferdinand the King, aka president of the fraternity. Thought to be sort of snobby, his character convinces his friends to give up girls for a while. Of course, this wouldn’t be a comical love story if the king actually followed his own advice, as Chortie said, and the king’s own words get him into hot water.
Chortie believes the two-hour round trip for rehearsals is worth it. He had but one word for why: passion.
“To hear the audience laugh, it’s adrenaline almost, it’s like a drug,” he said. “I mean, it's wild. You gotta go. You’ve got kings and princesses, but they're not really kings and princesses; they're fraternities and sororities. There's all kinds of fun.”
The show is Love’s Labour’s Lost, and it’s set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m Sunday at The Backstage at Main St. 56 Theater, Batavia. For those unfamiliar with this new space at Batavia City Centre, the entrance is a purple door next to Batavia Family Dental.
Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance before Queen Elizabeth I. The King of Navarre and his three companions attempt to swear off the company of women for three years in order to focus on study and fasting. They break their oath through a subsequent infatuation with the Princess of France and her ladies. The play closes with the death of the Princess's father, and all weddings are delayed for a year.
Although Baldwin-Giambrone is no stranger to the Players troop or the Shakespeare series, this is his first time directing this particular show. A resident of Kenmore, he is one of a big handful of actors and staff driving to and from rehearsals after a more typical day job.
For this director, he goes from being a special education high school math teacher by day to working with a cast of 18 people at night. Think Shakespeare is dull, dry, and a ho-hum display of antiquated dialect? Think again, he and his cast members said. This is a show they described as “fun and funny.”
What hasn’t been so funny is how that unyielding pandemic wiped out this show two years ago.
“We were two weeks away from opening. And then we were shut down before we opened. And then with COVID, we had to make sure we were wearing masks at all rehearsals,” he said. “And then I know my assistant director, Jane (Burk), she actually, after every single rehearsal, stayed after and wiped down all the surfaces and sprayed and cleaned everything.”
Pushing COVID repercussions aside, Baldwin-Giambrone ran with the comical theme of Love’s Labour’s Lost. He replaced the more regal characters of kings and queens with frat boys and sorority sisters and paired them by personality — over the top and very clear cut — such as the dumb blonds and the studious ones.
“And they’re funny because this is a comedy. So it’s very funny seeing them do their very stereotypical distinct personalities,” he said. “The biggest challenge, I would say, was rehearsing in a shorter time period … just being able to get in here and start working with people to begin scheduling and everything. It just was a lot more tight.”
Dorothy Gerhart of Alabama had to drop her former role of Holofernes for the sorority mom, Boyet. It wasn’t really a bigger role, she said, because she counted the lines, and they were about equal. However, the mom role provided opportunity for more fun, she said. Her outfits are wild and colorful, with leopard, tie-dye, and purple pok-a-dot patterns.
“I think she graduated from college but never really left,” Gerhart said. “She sees herself as one of the girls. She’s kind of the comedy relief, with a lot of funny lines.”
Aaron Klafehn is another newcomer to the Players, though not at all new to acting, he said. Working in quality control for HP Hood in Batavia, the 34-year-old discovered Batavia Players through his partner, the show's assistant costumer Marshall McCall. Klafehn has been interested in theater since elementary school. He plays the role of Costard, who he describes as a “chaos-causing math teacher.”
“He purposely does things incorrectly, to try and get a rise out of someone else,” Klafehn said, adding that he had a hiatus from theater during the last couple of years. “I fell right back into it, and am making new connections. It’s much different than the day-to-day aspects of what I do. It’s fun to bring someone’s creation to life. I try and make sure that it's as organic to the character that I'm creating as possible, rather than trying to imitate or copy someone else's. I'm excited to be back performing again, and very excited to see the new performing space when it's finished.”
Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for students and seniors. To purchase tickets, go to: showtix4u.com
Top photo: Shaun Coburn, Justin Chortie and James Barcomb run through a rehearsal Tuesday night of Batavia Players' upcoming Love's Labour's Lost, which is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at The Backstage at Main St. 56 Theater, Batavia City Centre. The actors are joined by Sam Bowman, shown in the fourth photo from the top, during mandatory masked rehearsals for the Shakespeare in Springtime Series comedy by Batavia Players. Photos by Howard Owens. Editor's Note: Due to scheduling conflicts, this rehearsal was not in costume.
The front display windows of Charles Men's Shop in Downtown Batavia are now draped and dabbed in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Co-owner Don Brown said the display is about supporting freedom and backing the Ukrainian people. It's not necessarily about supporting the Ukrainian government, he said.
"We're on the side of those willing to fight for their freedom," Brown said.
Thank you for 10 YEARS. For supporting this small business and our families, for the stories and laughter, for the friendships, and for making a dream come true – The Yngodess Shop!
It was a bit FeBRRRary and a lot FeBREWary in Downtown Batavia on Saturday as throngs of beer lovers descended on local businesses to sample a variety of beers from regional breweries.
The LED lights that illuminate the Old Courthouse at Main and Ellicott in Batavia are now rotating in the hues of Ukraine, yellow and blue.
Those are the colors of the country's flag in honor of its blue skies and flaxen fields of wheat.
The color scheme was unanimously approved by the Genesee County Legislature.
Press release:
Dawn Puleo, 55 of Batavia pled guilty to a single count of petit larceny in Genesee County Court on February 24, 2022. Sentencing has been scheduled for April.
Puleo was originally charged with 4 counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing and one count of Grand Larceny 3rd after an investigation by Genesee County Department of Social Services Investigator Robert Riggi found that Puleo failed to report that she was receiving child support payments on her applications. She received $4555.00 in SNAP benefits she was not entitled to.
Full restitution has been made to the Genesee County Department of Social Services, and Puleo will be disqualified from the SNAP program for a 12-month period.
Anyone wishing to report suspected cases of welfare fraud in Genesee County can contact the Genesee County Department of Social Services Fraud Unit at 585-344-2580, ext. 6417 or 6541.
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