A heavy rainstorm delayed the start of the annual mother and sons Mud Run at John Kennedy School today, but once the clouds cleared, the race was on.
Jennifer Desautels, covered in mud, gives a mock hug to her uniformed father, Firefighter Tom Douglas.
A large fight is reported in the City of Batavia at Austin Park, 10 Jefferson Ave. City police are on scene with "a large group on Jefferson."
Law enforcement is responding to the parking lot on Veterans Memorial Drive in the Town of Batavia outside GameStop for a report of a dog locked inside a blue Chevy Silverado truck. It's 79 degrees now here.
GameStop is located at 4232 Veterans Memorial Drive, unit E-2.
A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at Lewiston and Park roads in front of Town of Batavia Fire Station. Four vehicles were involved. "All the vehicles are clear; there's just a lot of debris in the roadway."
Injuries are reported; one victim is a 12-year-old child. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.
UPDATE 5:28 p.m.: A second ambulance is requested for a victim with a knee injury.
One of the best parts of Chris Thorpe's job, which he readily admits, is getting to preview the rides before they're open to the public.
He's already been on the theme park's newest ride, Tantrum, a dozen times, and he said it really delivers for thrill seekers.
"My favorite part of the ride, as people ask me, is when I rode it for the first time with my daughters, was the look of astonishment on their faces when it was finished," Thorpe said. "The ride is just dynamic and fun."
Tantrum is nearly a $5 million addition to the park's entertainment assets and its seventh coaster overall. The ride includes a beyond-vertical drop that hasn't been available on previous rides at the park.
Tantrum, the first coaster of its kind in New York State and Ontario, Canada, takes riders on a 98-foot vertical lift at a 90-degree angle – straight up the coaster’s first hill. In a matter of seconds, upon reaching its apex, the train plummets into a 97-degree drop and pretzel inversion, reaching speeds of 52 mph as the coaster snakes through the structure over a bunny hop.
The ride is designed to keep riders guessing which way is up or down over a minute and two-seconds through multiple twists, turns and inversions.
Thorpe said Genesee County residents should definitely come out to the park this summer and give the ride a try.
"Darien Lake is going to deliver the best family experience and make memories that will last a lifetime," Thorpe said. "Come on out, give Tantrum a ride. If you’re a thrill seeker, you will see this ride will really deliver."
Ribbon-cutting photo below: Linda Taylor, former marketing director for Darien Lake, cut the ribbon. Taylor was on hand in 1982 for the ribbon cutting for Viper, the park's first roller coaster. Today was her last day with the park before retiring.
Two motorcyclists struck a deer and injuries are reported in the area of 1162 Broadway Road (Route 20), Darien.
Darien fire and Mercy EMS are responding along with law enforcement.
UPDATE 2:13 p.m.: Two people are injured. The location is between Route 77 and Warner Road.
UPDATE 2:18 p.m.: Law enforcement on scene reports the motorcycle and a trailer attached to it are well off the roadway. The two victims have arm injuries. The motorcycle license plate is from Arkansas.
Press release:
Girls Varsity Tennis and Softball Coach Jim Fazio will be hosting instructional camps this summer for basketball, tennis, and softball.
The Softball Camp will be open to girls ages 9-16 on July 9-11, from 9 a.m. to noon, with rain dates on the 12th and 13th, at the Batavia High School Varsity softball field. Cost is $50; multiple children from the same family pay $40 each.
The Tennis Camp will run July 16-18, from 1 to 4 p.m. with rain dates on the 19th and 20th at the Batavia High School tennis courts for boys and girls entering grades 3-9. Cost is $50; multiple children from the same family pay $40 each.
The Basketball Camp will run Aug. 13-17 at John Kennedy School from 9 a.m. to noon for boys and girls entering grades 3-8. Cost is $65; multiple children from the same family pay $55 each.
All camps will focus on the fundamentals of each sport, sportsmanship, safety, and fair play. Drills and contests will be held daily.
Each participant will receive a free T-shirt.
For more information, and to get applications and the required waivers, please contact Coach Fazio at 585-356-0901 or at jfazio@gvboces.org
The message of a community meeting Thursday night at St. Anthony's on Liberty Street in Batavia was clear: The Southside community needs to pull together if residents want to reduce the risk of a repeat of what happened on Central Avenue the night of May 17 when one man was stabbed to death and another man was wounded by a bullet from a handgun.
The meeting was put together by Councilwoman Kathy Briggs with the participation of Batavia PD and more than three dozen people attended.
"Believe me when I tell you, we're doing something about this problem," Briggs said. "We're doing whatever we can, working with the police. We are going to eliminate this problem."
Before residents spoke, Chief Shawn Heubusch, Det. Kevin Czora and Assitant Chief Todd Crossett briefed people on what the police are doing and what has been done to address issues with disturbances on the Southside, especially recent hotspots on Central, Jackson, Watson, Thorpe, and Maple.
There are increased patrols, including foot and bike patrols, a camera on Central -- and the chief is asking the city to purchase more cameras -- and more support from the Sheriff's Office for increasing the frequency of patrols around Central Avenue.
There is brighter lighting on Central Avenue and Heubusch told residents that if there is a trouble spot and lighting needs to be increased, call the police department. He said National Grid has been responsive and helpful to requests for more lighting.
A primary message of Heubusch, Czora, and Crossett: If you see or hear something, say something. The police operate more successfully with community support.
"It takes people to step up and become part of the solution," Czora said.
Crossett said citizens sometimes see new problem areas before police.
"If you do not see patrols and are seeing problems, let us know," Crossett said. "We can expand the patrol area."
He also encouraged residents to call police if they know a person is on probation or parole and it appears they're not abiding by their terms of supervision.
Landlords were a big part of the discussion. Most landlords are cooperative, Heubusch said, but in response to residents who would like to see landlords get punished for the bad behavior of tenants, Heubusch said there's only so much the police can do.
The City has no say in who a landlord rents to, but in most cases, it's not the tenant causing the problems. It's the people visiting the area that cause the most problems.
That makes it hard to hold a landlord accountable. If a landlord is knowingly allowing criminal activity on his or her property, the landlord can be charged with criminal nuisance but that can be a hard case to make and sustain.
"The people causing problems are not the tenants of the property," Heubusch said. "They are visitors so it is hard to connect those dots."
Somebody suggested that landlords be fined if police are being called too frequently to a property but Heubusch said that expense or resulting hardship would roll back to tenants and discourage them from calling police when they need help. It might discourage, for example, calls for domestic incidents.
"We don't want to dissuade people from calling the police," Heubusch said.
He did mention that landlords have resources through the city to help them manage their properties better. For a fee, Batavia PD will run a background check on a potential tenant. For free, through a FOIL request, landlords can track police calls to the properties they own to see how much police activity their tenants are generating.
"For the most part, the landlords will deal with problems and are very willing to work with us," Heubusch said.
If citizens want troublemakers arrested, however, eyewitness accounts are critical to solving crimes and getting convictions.
"If there's a large disturbance a lot of times the parties involved don't want to cooperate," Heubusch said. "If there are third-party witnesses there is a better chance we can make an arrest. We go to these calls all the time where the victim won't cooperate. When it comes to prevention, we need eyewitnesses."
He said if a citizen sees something and wants to tell police, they can arrange with a dispatcher to meet an officer at the police station or for a phone interview to avoid people seeing an officer knock on a residence's door.
Councilman Bob Bialkowski asked what kind of incident should citizens report, and used an example of a large group walking down the street.
Heubusch said report criminal activity. If something seems suspicious, police will come and check it out, but that large group walking down the street could be just a bunch of kids talking loud.
Bernie Thompson suggested everybody can do their part to help the neighborhood. He had a problem with kids cutting across his yard, so he put a fence around his property and if they jump the fence, he said, "I've got two hungry bull mastiffs."
He said people shouldn't be afraid to call the police.
Carol Pietryzykowski said she is a landlord and takes care of her properties. She said the city needs to do more to take care of the Southside -- taking care of sidewalks, cleaning up streets, picking up trash at the parks.
"I think the city needs to take a little more pride in the Southside," Pietryzykowski said.
Debra Smith said there is also a role for parents to play.
"Some of these parents need to be responsible for their children," Smith said.
Residents expressed concern about local children growing up with parents who have criminal records and have spent, or are spending, time in jail and whether those children are getting sufficient direction in their lives.
One of the last speakers was Pastor Marty Macdonald, from City Church, owner of the St. Anthony's property now.
He talked about his own childhood, being homeless at 17, and growing up without parents, and the adults who influenced him not to give up. He said that's why St. Anthony's exist. He said every Tuesday there are 150 to 200 kids taking part in recreational activities at St. Anthony's and getting a free meal, courtesy of donations from Genesee County businesses.
"If we all paid a little more attention to these children, we would get great results," Macdonald said. "We have to change the culture. We have to be the leaders in our community.
He added later, "Instead of looking down, we need to lift their heads up and tell them, 'you're going to make it.' "
The sixth annual Batavia Football Golf Outing will be held on Saturday, July 21, at Batavia Country Club. It is located at 7909 Batavia Byron Road, Batavia.
Cost is $90 per golfer / $360 per foursome.
There's a shotgun start format starting at 8 a.m.; registration is 7:15-7:45 a.m.
Price includes:
Questions? Contact Brennan Briggs at 409-5557.
If you would like to sponsor a hole or make a donation for the raffle, please contact Brennan Briggs.
Payment and registration is due by July 13. Please provide names of players and preferred T-shirt size.
Make checks payable to: Blue Devils Touchdown Club.
Mail to:
Brennan Briggs
8 Woodland Drive
Batavia, NY 14020
Press release:
The sun is shining, the grass is growing, and it’s almost time for our Adult Summer Reading program at Richmond Memorial Library!
Summer Reading BINGO: Adult Summer Reading program for adults at Richmond Memorial Library begins June 25 and runs through Aug. 17. All patrons 17 years of age and up with a valid library card are invited to take part.
Summer Reading isn’t just for kids – at Richmond Memorial Library, we’re happy to provide summer reading experiences for all ages.
Complete a BINGO card filled with library challenges to be eligible to win prizes -- for each square stamped, you can enter to win a prize. For each BINGO row you complete, you’ll be entered to win a grand prize! There are 24 challenges, including reading a book based on its cover, attending a library program or reading outside.
Registration is required; visit the reference desk at the library to sign up or for complete rules beginning June 20.
No library card? No problem! Summer is the perfect time to visit the library -- stop by the library with photo ID with current address and we’ll get you set up with a card.
New to the area? Bring photo ID and proof of address. Resident library cards may be issued free-of-charge to residents of Genesee, Orleans and Niagara counties, and to those who work, own property or attend school within the borders of the Batavia City School District.
Richmond Memorial Library continually provides access to physical and virtual resources and services that meet the educational, informational and recreational needs of its diverse community in a safe and comfortable environment. Learn more here.
Richmond Memorial Library is located at 19 Ross St. in the City of Batavia.
Contact: Samantha Stryker, Community and Adult Services librarian: Phone -- 343-9550; email sstryker@nioga.org
Le Roy's Haley Scripp two-run RBI scored Smith and Trader, which gave the Knights their only lead of the game in the second inning yesterday afternoon on Anderson field at Batavia High School.
Calmum's Grace Walker (pictured above) solo home run in the third inning tied the game to ignite the Red Raiders. Makenzie Wilson and Andrea Coyle both scored in the fourth to extend the lead 4-2.
Walker missed another home run following the next at bat to score two players and lead 6-2 after four. Haley Scripp got an RBI in the seventh to score Fenstermaker. Red Raiders win 6-3.
Senior Hannah Rubinrott tossed a four-hitter, including five strikeouts, and kept the Oatkan Knights out of scoring position in four innings.
Caledonia-Mumford will play Section VI Chautauqua Lake in the Far West Regionals in Fillmore tomorrow at 4 p.m.
To view or purchase game photos click here.
Law enforcement responded to Cookson Road in Alexander and the vicinity to look for a green or light blue van whose driver was reportedly poaching turtle eggs. They are with the vehicle now.
The call to dispatch came from Department of Environmental Conservation "Officer Wilson," whose office received a recorded phone message tip about the alleged poaching. He has a 30-minute ETA to the scene.
The van's data comes back to an address on Buffalo Street in Attica and the female license holder "has a history of violations."
UPDATE 10:30 a.m.: "We are out with her and she has a bucket of eggs," says an officer. "She is the registered owner of the vehicle."
A car vs. tractor-trailer accident with unknown injuries is reported on the westbound Thruway near mile marker 393.6. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.
UPDATE 2:17 a.m.: A first responder on scene reports there are two victims in a heavily damaged car that is smoking, off the roadway, on the north side of the Thruway. The victims have "relatively minor injuries." The tractor-trailer and its driver are stopped about a half mile west of the accident scene; the uninjured driver acknowledges striking the car. A Mercy medic says "We have a patient who has just become violent. Can we get a trooper here?" The location is just prior to the Depew exit "for the airport"; there is a lot of debris in the roadway. Law enforcement is responding.
UPDATE 2:28 a.m.: The tractor-trailer is not hauling any hazardous materials, says a firefighter. It is leaking antifreeze.
UPDATE 2:37 a.m.: An ambulance from Le Roy is called to the scene of the minor-injury accident. State police have arrived.
UPDATE 2:40 a.m.: "We're all set; we're going to pick up and leave," says Town of Batavia fire command.
UPDATE 2:59 a.m.: Mercy medics are back in service. Le Roy ambulance is transporting a patient to ECMC.
A car and a farm tractor have collided in the area of 7671 Maple Ave., Bergen.
An ambulance is requested to the scene for evaluation of a woman.
No other injuries reported.
Bergen fire dispatched.
Jess DiSalvo shared this picture taken at 5:40 a.m. of a rainbow over the Willow Group building on Clinton Street, Batavia.
A caller reports a dog locked in a white Ford Escape parked for at least 30 minutes in front of Alberty's Drug Store on Main Street in Batavia.
Batavia PD responding.
The current temperature is 84 degrees. The south side of Main Street is in the shade this time of day.
Yesterday, there was a report of a dog locked in a car on South Lake Avenue in Bergen but according to a woman who said she witnessed the whole thing, it didn't go down anything like the way it was reported to law enforcement.
Julianna Kalke said the dog was in the car no more than five or 10 minutes -- not the 45 minutes originally reported -- and not only did the owner roll down all the windows but she stayed by the car the whole time and talked with the dog.
The woman, Kalke said, stopped for a cigarette break.
"I am an absolute animal lover and attended Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine and I did not see any harm to the animal," Kalke said. "If anything, the owner was doing the right thing by exiting the car so the dog did not inhale secondhand smoke."
Kalke described the woman who reported the dog in the car to dispatchers as "rude" to the dog's owner.
"(She was) harassing the poor woman who was just trying to do the right thing," Kalke said.
A hazardous weather outlook is in effect for Western and North Central New York, which includes Genesee County, today and tonight.
Scattered thunderstorms will develop this afternoon and evening. Some of the storms will produce wind gusts.
Storms may also produce locally heavy rain with a small risk for flooding.
Also, scattered thunderstorms will develop Friday afternoon and evening, with some of the storms possibly producing locally heavy rain with a small risk for flooding.
Batavia High School teacher Caryn Wood has woven together songs from three musicals, "Wicked," "The Wiz," and "The Wizard of Oz," to create a new production for the Drama Club that will serve as a fundraiser for the program.
Wood said the songs are pulled together in a single timeline to tell the Wizard of Oz story.
"All three are very different musical styles, but we took some of the most well-known songs from each," Wood said.
Wood described the story:
Wicked tells the story of Elphaba & Glinda and their unlikely friendship that gets turned upside down when the young girl, Dorothy drops from the sky into Munchkin Land. Unfortunately, during a cyclone, Dorothy's house lands on a kills the Wicked Witch of the East who in Wicked you learn is really Nessa, Elphaba's younger sister.
Both The Wiz and The Wizard of Oz pick up the story at that point and follow Dorothy and her band of three friends (Scarecrow, Tinman, & Lion) as they travel the yellow brick road through Oz. In the Emerald City, they meet the Wizard who sends them on a mission to free the land from the grips of The Wicked Witch of the West.
But in Wicked the question is also asked...who really is the "Wicked Witch?" Perhaps the answer isn't quite as simple as you might think.
"The music from these shows is amazing and memorable, and our students have loved bringing all three of them to life," Wood said.
The price of admission: Whatever you are willing to donate to the program.
The performance is tomorrow at 7 p.m.
Seating is limited.
Featured cast includes:
There are also six returning alumni participating in the production.
Jeffrey Fischer is vocal director and accompanist, Jane E. Haggett is on keyboard/synthesizer and Wood is the director and producer.
Top Photo: Tanner Kolb, Eryn Dunn, AT Thatcher, and Cameron Bontrager.
Evan Bellavia
Madison Hoebelt and Madeline Keenan
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