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All summer, we've watched the water level drop at the lakes off Cedar Street, including DeWitt Recreation Area, where a land bridge that probably hasn't been seen since the 1970s re-emerged as WNY has suffered through a rare drought.

Yesterday, County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens told county legislators that the level has been dropping about a third of a foot every two weeks, but this afternoon we learned that trend may be reversing.

Jim Ficarella, superintendent of water & wastewater for the City of Batavia, said he took a new measurement of the aquifer this morning and found it has risen more than a third since his previous measurement.

The aquifer not only supplies some of the city's water, it also replenishes the lakes.

The aquifer level and the lake levels have dropped pretty much in unison, Ficarella said, but there may be a lag in replenishing the lakes as the aquifer comes back.

Of course, it will take more rain, and in the winter, more snow, for the levels to recover to pre-drought levels.

Meanwhile, the city and county have an ample water supply from the Monroe County Water Authority.

The inductees into the 15th annual Batavia Blue Devil Athletic Hall of Fame were announced this afternoon.

They are:

• David Dedman (1989)
• Karen Thomas Dupuis (1982)
• Christopher Kane (1986)
• John McGowan Jr. (1995)
• Frank Pontillo (1991)
• Susan Salvador Tresco (1986)

Biographical information about the honorees has not yet been released.

They will be honored at Terry Hills Restaurant and Banquet Facility in Batavia on Saturday, Oct. 22.

Cost is $30 per person. Social hour begins at 5; dinner is at 6.

Tickets are available at the Athletic Directors Office at Batavia High School.

For more information, call 343-2480, ext. 2003.

This event is sponsored by the Batavia Coaches Association.

Press release:

A free series of five classes on exploring your family history will be offered at Richmond Memorial Library on Tuesdays beginning Oct. 4.

Classes start at 6 p.m. and run weekly through Nov. 1.

Have you ever wondered about your ancestors -- who they were, where they came from, or what you have in common with them?

This is an excellent opportunity to start a geneology search and explore your family history.

Contact the library at 343-9550 to register.

William Glenn Walters, 37, of Wolcott Street, Le Roy, is charged with disobeying a court mandate. Walters was arrested at 6:37 p.m. on Sept. 19 following a domestic incident on Warsaw Road in the Town of Le Roy. Walters allegedly violated a Family Court stay away order of protection. He was released on an appearance ticket returnable to Town of Le Roy Court on Oct. 17. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Michael Lute.

Amber Meadows, 25, of Canandaigua, was arrested on Sept. 16 by SP Batavia Troopers on a warrant issued by the Town of Batavia Court for petit larceny. She is accused of stealing $638 worth of merchandise from the Target store in Batavia on Aug. 8. Meadows was arraigned in the Town of Batavia Court and released with a return court date. Troopers then turned Meadows over to the Ontario County Sheriffs Office where she was wanted on another warrant.

Press release:

The New York Farm Bureau Promotion & Education Committee is encouraging high school seniors who have been involved with agriculture and plan on continuing studies in this field to apply for the 2017 New York Farm Bureau Agricultural Youth Scholarship.

Scholarship awards are $1,500 for First Place, $1,200 for Second Place, and $1,000 for Third Place. District winners chosen from the county winners will each receive $100 and a memento. The state awards are sponsored by the New York Farm Bureau Promotion and Education Committee. 

Students applying must have a family Farm Bureau membership or a student Farm Bureau membership. A membership application may be included with scholarship enclosures.

Students are required to complete the application and submit a brief essay answering the question, "What do I feel is the most important challenge facing agriculture in my community and why?”

The application can be downloaded at www.nyfb.org and emailed to sprokop@nyfb.org with all required attachments or mailed to NYFB’s Albany office with attention to Sandie Prokop. 

At the district level, a personal interview and essay presentation may be scheduled at the discretion of the district representative for the Promotion & Education Committee. The county winner will be the applicant scoring the highest for each county. County winners within the district are recognized at the discretion of their county Farm Bureau. The district winner will be the overall highest county winner in each district and will advance to the state competition in January. State judging will be based solely upon the application and attachments.

The application submission deadline is Nov. 16. To request an application, call 1-800-342-4143 or visit www.nyfb.org. The application is a fillable PDF and must be downloaded and completed.

Press release:

This week is National Passenger Safety Week (Sept. 18-24). As part of the campaign, National Safety Check Saturday will be hosted by the City of Batavia Fire Department this Saturday, Sept. 24, at City of Batavia Fire Headquarters, located at 18 Evans St. in Batavia. It begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m.

Nationally Certified Technicians will be able to ensure your child passenger's seat is installed correctly and answer any questions caregivers may have regarding installation, selection and the use of car seats.

Motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury death for children ages 1 through 12. Most tweens (8- to 12-year-olds) seriously injured or killed in crashes were not wearing seat belts or were wearing them incorrectly. Tweens are also more likely to get hurt in crashes when riding in the front seat. Many deaths and injuries could be prevented if children were properly secured in an appropriate child restraint.

Many parents and caregivers assume they know how to choose and use the correct child restraints for their children, but sadly these restraints are frequently used incorrectly. In fact, three out of every four children are riding at an increased risk of injury because their car seats are not being used correctly.

As always, technicians are available by calling Fire Headquarters at (585) 345-6375 to schedule an appointment.

The nonprofit legal aid office known as Neighborhood Legal Services Inc. (NLS) is moving. It is currently located at 5073 Clinton Street Road, Batavia, and will be relocating its office downtown to 45 Main St, Batavia.

To accommodate the move, the office will close at 5 p.m. on Friday Sept. 23^rd and will reopen in the new space on Main Street at 9 a.m. on Thursday Sept. 29^th. The new location is west of Jackson Street near Evans Street.

NLS operates three offices in Western New York. The Batavia office serves people in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties.

Its mission is to provide a full range of free civil legal representation to low income and disabled people in matters involving their financial security and the legal rights which affect the stability of families and individuals. Its goal is to create the greatest access to the justice system for those low-income and disabled people without the means to pursue their rights. It also provides outreach and training services to underprivileged populations and the community agencies which serve them.

Neighborhood Legal Services' phone number is 343-5450.

For more information, visit the NLS website by clicking here.

A caller reports a fight just breaking up on Highland Park, Batavia.

Eight to nine people were reportedly involved.

There is a report of a possible injury.

Police are responding.

One person who ran from the scene has been identified by a witness.

UPDATE 11:18 a.m.: Police transmissions have gone encrypted.

Highlights from the department review presented yesterday by Tim Hens, county highway superintendent, to the Legislature's Public Service Committee:

• When Hens started in 1998, County Highway had 45 employees. Now there are 27 doing more work. "We're definitely way more efficient," Hens said. "Still, we could use another body or two."
• The county received no federal aid this past year for bridge and culvert replacement and repair, Hens said. He said the county continues to fall behind on maintenance needs. There were five culverts replaced in 2016. "We're trying to chase down more grants," he said. 
• Shannon Morley, Genesee County conservation education programs coordinator, is doing a great job of creating programs that get people out to the park, Hens said. A recent meteor shower event attracted 90 people out to Genesee County Park & Forest. About 80 percent of her salary is paid for by two grants totaling $36,000.
• The sewer and water connections for the new bathrooms at DeWitt Recreation Area are completed. Now the county is waiting on National Grid to complete electrical hookups and then the interior can be completed. Ideally, the work will be done by winter, because ideally, it will be a good winter for ice skating and the county can install and get up and running with the ice-skating rink donated by the Town of Oakfield. Hens said several people have stepped forward and volunteered to help run and maintain the rink, including Cedar Street Sales and Rentals, which has offered to "sort of adopt" the rink. There's just some liability issues to work out, Hens said. 
• Bids will go out soon for stone restoration work at the County Jail/Genesee Justice building. 
• The airport continues to be cash-flow positive for the county, Hens said. Jet fuel sales continue to rise, in part because the county keeps its prices lower than competitors. The strong cash flow will help the county more quickly pay down the bond debt for the new terminal and hangar. Next up for construction work at the Genesee County Airport is demolition of the old terminal building. Grants have already been secured for that project. Plans are in the works for two more 10-bay hangars. Each of those should generate about $30,000 a month in lease payments. The county has about $600,000 in state grants for the $900,000 project.

When the county implemented a new, all-digital emergency communication system two years ago, it wasn't long before first responders in Le Roy discovered there were dead spots in their community.

There were also buildings in Le Roy that the radio signals wouldn't penetrate.

Consultants were consulted and they did their studies and came to the conclusion that Le Roy needed its own repeater transmission tower.

The county has reached an agreement with the Town of Le Roy to obtain an easement on town property on Asbury Road to build a new communications tower.

 Steven Sharpe, director of Emergency Communications, said the new tower should solve Le Roy's reception problems.

The tower, the seventh in the $11-million system, is covered as part of a $3 million state grant for improvements to the system.

Construction should begin this fall, with testing to start in the spring or summer. It must be operational by December 2017.

Batavia varsity Lady Devils Volleyball Team played last night in their annual matchup at home versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and won 3 sets to 1. Batavia’s first set came out on top, winning 25 to 16, led by freshman Courtnee Yasses serving one ace and servicing numerous times. Senior Courtney Burns added five kills.

In the second set, Batavia continued to start strong going on a 10-2 run, Notre Dame called time-out. They changed their game up a little and then slowly chipped away Batavia’s lead, which eventually tied the game at 18. Batavia called time-out to regroup but Notre Dame won the set 25-21. Thea Bochicchio and Julia Streeter added combined four kills. Natalie Thorton had seven digs.

Third set, Notre Dame continued the momentum to lead by a few points 10-7, then Batavia’s Courtney Burns served an ace and Batavia called time-out. Notre Dame increased their lead to eight points until Batavia regained the serve and Courtnee Yasses started to serve. The freshman continued to win points for Batavia to tie the set 19-19, Notre Dame called time-out.

Both teams exchanged the lead until the end where Batavia won by two points 25-23 to lead two games to one after three. Batavia Junior Taylor Stefaniak had six digs and Senior Maria Canzoneri had three aces and four digs.

Fourth quarter, Batavia jumped on a lead of 16-3 then Notre Dame called time-out. The Irish made some errors that let the set slip away; Batavia won 25-10, to win the match three to one. Batavia’s Stefaniak sisters each had three kills and senior Maria Canzoneri added three aces.

For more photos and to purchase prints click here.

Community Action of Orleans & Genesee will host a Flu Shot Clinic, courtesy of Rite Aid, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday Sept. 29. The facility is located at 5073 Clinton Street Road in Batavia. 

The shots are free with most insurance plans. Cost without any insurance is $32.99.

The Cancer Services Program will be there as well, giving out free “Fit Kits” -- colorectal screening kits -- and information on mammograms and all services of CSP. 

United Health Care will be here with information about health insurance programs. 

Call 343-7798 for more information.

Tonight the family and friends of Kevin Woodhams (nee Kyeongseop Kim) will gather to share fond memories of his life at Michael S. Tomaszewski Funeral & Cremation Chapel on West Main Street Road in Batavia.

The 25-year-old native of Ulsan City, South Korea, only arrived in America in February and is said to have fallen in love with it instantly.

He was a stargazer who enjoyed watching the night sky. He liked our local parks and loved listening to music.

Kevin also was a shopper at Wegmans, an aficionado of Starbucks, a nosher at McDonald's. But he also enjoyed his favorite Korean cuisine (perhaps bulgogi or a hot stone bowl of bi bim bap). 

He died unexpectedly on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5.

For his complete obituary, click here.

For previous coverage, click here.

Press release:

On Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 1 and 2, Darien Lake will host an award-winning teen safe driving program called Ford Driving Skills For Life. Schools across the region have been receiving an open invitation for their students to participate in free training for driving-aged students. 

Darien Lake is centrally located for a number of surrounding communities and it is hoped that about 400 teen drivers will go through the program that weekend.

Teens with a driving permit or a driver's license are eligible. Registration is required and limited.

Here is a link to the website that has video, information for parents and testimonials from past participants. https://www.drivingskillsforlife.com/

The course is offered both days in two time-slot options, for a total of four scheduling choices: Session 1 runs from 7:30 to noon Saturday and Sunday; and Session 2 runs from 1 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Each four-and-a-half-hour time slot covers the same skills; select the ONE that fits YOUR availability.

The Ford Driving Skills For Life program was developed in 2003 to address the leading cause of death among teenagers in the United States: vehicle crashes. Teens enrolled in this course will drive vehicles on a closed course under the supervision of professional instructors, thereby improving their skills in these key areas:

• Hazard Recognition
• Vehicle Handling
• Space Management
• Speed Management
• Reaction Time
• Braking and Stopping Distances
• Avoiding the Dangers of Distracted and Impaired Driving

Darien Lake Theme Park is located at 9993 Alleghany Road in Darien Center.

Press release:

Officials from Western Region Off-Track Betting Corporation (WROTB) and the Made in America Store today announced their partnership to bring a Made in America Store to Batavia Downs. The grand opening of the new store and ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in the lobby of Batavia Downs on Park Road. A performance by Nashville Recording Artist Ricky Lee will follow the ceremony at the facility.

The Made in America Store, which started with just 50 products, today carries 7,000 products from more than 500 U.S. manufacturers, all 100-percent American made. The Store is headquartered in Elma, New York.

“We are proud to partner with Batavia Downs to bring our line of American-made products to the great people of Genesee County and the many tourists and visitors who’ve made this venue a world-class destination,” said Mark Andol, founder of the Made in America Store. “The people of this community are as patriotic as any you will find across the country. We are confident that this store will be one of our busiest and most successful locations.”

For Western Region Off-Track Betting Corporation, the Made in America Store will be its first retail venture on the grounds of Batavia Downs.

“Over the years, we’ve had a multitude of opportunities to partner with entities from the retail sector at Batavia Downs,” said Henry Wojtaszek, CEO/president of WROTB. “In deciding to partner with MIA, the decision was not a difficult one; we both support American workers, jobs in this community, and American jobs across the country.”

Owned and operated by 15 Western New York counties and the cities of Rochester and Buffalo, Western Regional OTB is a public benefit corporation with headquarters in Batavia, NY. WROTB owns and operates 29 branches, as well as Batavia Downs Gaming, a standard bred racetrack and gaming facility. Since its inception, Western OTB has generated over $215 million in operating and surcharge revenues to the taxpayers of those participating municipalities.

“As a public benefit corporation, it is imperative that every decision we make is in the best interests of the 17 municipalities that encompass the corporation and share the revenue generated by the corporation,” Nolan said. “I can’t think of a retail collaboration that fits better into our mission than partnering with MIA.”

A caller at Walmart reports a suspicious condition -- a man attempted to purchase numerous iPads from the store.

Apparently, the purchase did not go through for some reason.

The man left in a gray Chevy Tahoe with Georgia plates.

A deputy is responding.

UPDATE 11:08 a.m.: The Tahoe is a rental.

Special teams play put Le Roy on the road to victory with two quick scores in the first quarter in a game that was unique in a couple of ways.

First, it was a home game played on the road. Second, it was played on a Sunday.

Regardless of the strange circumstances, the Le Roy team displayed vintage Oatkan Knights' dominance as it cruised to a 52-7 victory over Wellsville.

The game was played in Perry because Le Roy's home field won't be ready for players and fans after a major upgrade until this coming Friday's homecoming game, and the game was delayed until Sunday because of a massive thunderstorm that passed through Wyoming County right at game time Saturday night.

The game started early, about 10 minutes before the scheduled 3 p.m. time, and Le Roy scored before the official kickoff time when Jason Doemling scampered 39 yards on a punt return.

Later in the first quarter, Le Roy scored its second touchdown, to take a 14-0 lead, when Josh Laurie blocked a field goal attempt and returned it 75 yards.

Wellsville never again mounted a serious offensive challenge, until the team scored late in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach.

Laurie had quite the game. Besides the blocked field goal, he had two interceptions. He rushed for 96 yards on seven carries and scored two TDs in the process. He also was 7-13 passing for 148 yards and a TD.

Nate Flint also had an impact, going 85 yards on 11 carries with a TD. Dom Filio carried the ball nine times for 54 yards and two TDs. Luke Stella added 61 yards on six rushes.

Pass catchers included Reece Tresco, two for 87 yards, Filio, three for 34 yards and a TD, and Ryan Boyce, two for 27 yards.

Luke Hogle had five tackles and a sack, Canyon Roster, five tackles and Cole Biggins, five tackles.

To purchase prints, click here.

A tree and unknown-type wires are reportedly down in the roadway, partially blocking, at 151 Ross St. City fire is responding.

Press release:

The Town Board of the Town of Darien has filed an application for grant and loan assistance with USDA Rural Development for a Water District #6.

This application has been accepted and has been moved to the funding process. The total cost of the project is estimated at $24,880,000. The Town anticipates receiving a grant of approximately $6,800,000 and the balance in the form of a low-interest loan from the USDA Rural Development Agency. 

The project will involve:

• The installation of approximately 375,000 linear feet of water main along all Town roadways not currently provided with public water service;
• The erection of a 300,000-gallon water storage tank, and a 500,000-gallon storage tank;
• The installation of a pumping station;
• and the upgrading an existing pumping station.

The project will serve 776 residential households within the Town. Consistent with Town Law and the procedures of Rural Development, the Darien Town Board will conduct public information meetings prior to making a commitment to undertake the proposed project.

Due to anticipated large attendance, the Public Information Meetings will be held at the Darien Volunteer Fire Department at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28 and at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1. It is located at 10537 Allegheny Road, Darien Center.

David Hagelberger

Supervisor

Town of Darien

Peggy Zambito felt blessed that she, her daughter and her two young grandchildren walked away without any serious injuries from an accident on Transit Road in Elba a week ago.

This evening, she said she felt a sense of closure now that a person has been located, arrested and charged in the terrifying accident.

Jose Francisco Ortega-Hernandez, 46, of Transit Road, Elba, has been charged with: aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd; leaving the scene of a property damage accident; no insurance; unsecured license plate; uninspected motor vehicle; unregistered motor vehicle; failure to yield at a stop sign; inadequate brakes, and failure to report a motor-vehicle accident with more than $1,000 in damage.

Following his arrest today, he was arraigned in Town of Batavia court and jailed on $2,500 bail.

He is also being held on an immigration warrant for past driving offenses.

According to accounts Zambito shared exclusively with The Batavian earlier this week, she was a passenger in a vehicle driven by her daughter Mercy Caparco, and her two grandchildren, Maggie, 5, and Molly, 2, when they saw a red SUV flying toward the North Byron and Transit Road intersection. There was no way to avoid the vehicle, Zambito said, and, she said, the other driver couldn't have stopped in time, even if he had tried.

The SUV slammed broadside into the Ford Explorer the family was in and caused it to roll over several times.

It was only by the grace of God and the safety features of the Explorer that the two women and two children walked away without any serious injuries, Zambito said. 

She hoped that publication of the story and photos from the accident would help lead to the arrest of the suspect.

The Sheriff's Office press release does not state how the suspect was located.

ICE Supervisory of Deportation Officer A. Castro assisted the Sheriff's Office in the investigation.