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There is a hazardous weather outlook in effect for Genesee County.

The National Weather Service says showers and thunderstorms today will increase in number with a marginal risk for strong to severe thunderstorms by late afternoon. Damaging wind gusts is the primary threat, with isolated large hail also possible.

Because of this outlook, tonight's free concert by the Batavia Concert Band at Centennial Park has been moved to Stuart Steiner Theatre at Genesee Community College. It will also feature a student alumni musical tribute to the late Batavia school band instructor Neil Hartwick.

It was The Goht's last stand Tuesday night as a packed house said to goodbye to a bar full of friends.

You probably know The Goht as Billy Goats, named, legend has it, after a resident across the street who years ago kept goats.

For 18 years, until May, Steve Spyropoulos ran it with legendary hospitality. But after he died in May, his son, John, found the long days of trying to run Settler's restaurant and a tavern while taking care of his family too much of a strain, so he decided to get out of the bar business.

"There's a lot of ground to cover and it's physically straining on me," Spyropoulos told The Batavian last week in an exclusive interview. "There are late nights there, early morning here. I have a family at home. I have two boys who are 14 and I've got a daughter. She's 5. You know something's got to give sooner or later; I prefer it not to be with my family."

There were a few tears among family members Tuesday night as the bar filled up with longtime customers and many glasses along the way were raised to Steve.

John said the gathering was bittersweet. He knows -- and he said the customers were telling him -- closing the bar was the right thing to do, but he also knows his father loved the bar and the customers loved him.

"These are our people," he said. "They loved us. We loved them."

He said he thanked the community for all of its support.

"It’s been a great 18 years here, and 30-plus years next door," Spyropoulos said. "It's a great community. They’ve treated us great and I love them for that. There’s a lot of good people in Batavia. That is not said enough, how good the people in Batavia really are, you know.

"They take three or four bad comments on the Internet and a lot of people think that’s Batavia but it’s not. Batavia is tight-knit. A lot of good people in Batavia. All good people here. All of them."

Top photo: Patrons in the patio of The Goht, the bar is formerly known as Billy Goats, raise a beverage to Steve Spyropoulos, who died May 11 at age 66.

Photo below: Spiridoula Spyropoulus, John's mother, Jane Branton, sister, John Spyropoulos, Christy Brown, sister, and Miranda Spyropoulos, John's wife.

(File photos.)

Foxprowl Collectables has come full circle. This Saturday, Aug. 4, at 11 a.m., the toy and collectibles shop will host a Grand Opening in their former location -- 440 Ellicott St. in the City of Batavia.

Until then, they are open for a few hours each day there while getting things set up for regular business.

At the Grand Opening, there will be:

• Brenden Gillard, an artist, voice actor, costume designer and "Barnes & Nobles best-selling author";
• Anthony Zicari, comic writer and editor, whose worked on Dark Horse, Antarctic Press, London Night Studios, Narwain Publishing, Marvel Comics, Legendary Press, and INKWERK Studios;
• A Genesee County Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting at noon;
• Meet-and-greet pics with Batman's Penguin, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Scooby-Doo;
• Giveaways and more!

Bill and Joy Hume, married business partners, opened their business at 440 Ellicott St. in 2010. It had begun the year before as an eBay operation.

On Sept. 1, 2016, having outgrown the Ellicott Street storefront, they moved into roomier, swankier quarters at the southeast corner of Main and Jackson streets. In early 2017, the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce named Foxprowl the Entrepreneurial Business of the Year for 2016.

A few months later, in June 2017, the Humes announced they would shutter their store altogether to concentrate on online sales, supplemented by "pop-up" or temporary store dates at the Falleti Ice Arena, and the ever-popular annual Foxprowl-Con at the Quality Inn & Suites in Batavia.

We can only guess that customers clamored for their brick-and-mortar return, enabling them to "geek out," as Bill Hume likes to say, on a regular ongoing basis when the mood strikes.

Dozens of volunteers converged on Watson Street in Batavia this morning for an act of mercy and ministry.

The volunteers from Eight Days of Hope are in town because of Kingdom Bound at Darien Lake Theme Park but their mission this morning was to rehabilitate the home of an 85-year-old widow, Miss Rose, on Watson Street.

"Our whole big thing is love and serve those in need," said Steve Tybor, director and founder of Eight Days of Hope. "There is so much need across America, so much discord right now in our country, we want to give people a glimpse of hope."

Eight Days of Hope is based in Tupelo, Miss., but Tybor said a satellite ministry will open in Buffalo in August. The focus of the ministry is serving those touched by natural disaster, such as residents of Houston after Hurricane Harvey. In Houston, 4,692 volunteers, over back-to-back eight-day periods, rebuilt more than 800 homes, doing more than $10.5 million in work for those victims.

"This is what we do after a natural disaster but this, in essence, is like a human disaster, where somebody has a need and nowhere to turn," Tybor said.

This morning, two hours into the work, the volunteers were more than halfway done with the home of Miss Rose, so the volunteers were turning to other tasks in the neighborhood.

They were in front yards up and down the block and on Jackson Street pulling weeds, cutting grass, trimming edges and looking for anything else they do could help out a neighbor in need.

"We're also doing landscaping door-to-door and helping the neighborhood take it up a notch as far as the looks," Tybor said. "They’re beautiful homes but sometimes people need an extra hand and that’s what our volunteers are doing."

The volunteers come from nine states, including from as far away as Texas.

"We’re a faith-based ministry but it's nine-different denominations," Tybor said. "It’s the Catholics and the Baptists and the Pentecostals coming together, setting aside our differences and just loving and serving people in need."

The home on Watson was identified with the help of Pastor Marty Macdonald at City Church. Last year, the ministry helped a Batavia veteran whose home had been flooded. Tybor said the ministry will be back in Batavia during next year's Kingdom Bound.

"We love Batavia," Tybor said. "We’re glad we’re here. We’re glad to be part of Kingdom Bound. It’s a great ministry and we’re going to do this every year during Kingdom Bound, find somebody in need in Batavia and just love and serve them."

A volunteer prays for Sgt. Dan Coffey after Coffey stopped on Watson to check out the work.

If all goes according to plan, the City of Batavia will have a new manager by the time its next Council meeting takes place on Aug. 13.

That’s the latest word from Council President Eugene Jankowski, who said today that the three-person committee charged with finding a qualified administrator has “left no stone unturned” in its quest for someone to replace former manager Jason Molino, who left in January for a similar position for Tompkins County.

“It is my hope that we will be welcoming the new manager at our August meeting,” said Jankowski, who has been working with Council members Bob Bialkowski and Adam Tabelski – along with the Novak Consulting Group of Cincinnati, Ohio. “In fact, you should know even before that because the agenda will be out a few days before the meeting.”

Jankowski said he is bound by a confidentiality agreement to not offer more details about the prospective candidate – the search is down to one finalist – but did say the salary will be in the advertised range of $110,000-plus.

“We’ve identified someone who we feel very comfortable with,” Jankowski said. “We have conducted multiple interviews, background checks, credit checks, just about everything I can think of and even more that Novak came up with. It has been a very thorough investigation.”

Jankowski said an offer has been made to the finalist, but “no contract has been signed yet as lawyers (on both sides) are involved.”

He said the committee’s next step is to work out how to handle the introduction process to the community.

“We’ll be doing that over the next two weeks,” he said.

City Council has reached this point after interviewing five finalists during executive sessions in early July.

Public Works Director Matt Worth has been handling the city manager responsibilities since Molino’s departure, but indicated that he was not interested in the permanent manager position.

Many young men have passed through Batavia over the years with dreams of making it to the major leagues -- Cito Gaston, Doc Ellis, Manny Sanguillen, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard -- all had solid careers.

But none of these players -- nor those who never made it -- were quite like Cooper Thomson.

Thomson doesn't slug homers or swat singles. He's never had his fastball clocked at 90 mph, let alone 98. He might be able to field a grounder or track down a fly ball but that isn't really what he wants to do.

His dream is to keep the grass green, the foul lines straight and infield dirt as smooth as the felt on a pool table.

Thomson arrived in Batavia on Thursday night after a 30-hour flight from Australia, chasing his big league dream: To be the guy taking care of a major league field.

That only happens in North America and it means making a name for yourself, so when Dave Chase, first-year general manager of the Batavia Muckdogs, told him there was a need for a head groundskeeper 9,401 miles from his home, Thomson didn't hesitate. He was ready to go.

That was the easy part. Getting Thomson through the visa process took some time, which is why he's only arriving in Batavia this week.

Now his goal, to turn the field at Dwyer Stadium into the best field in the New York Penn League. He'll have help from Joe Mogavero, who has been taking care of the field during the first half of the season.

"Aesthetically, you want it to be as good as you can for the fans but more for the players and the teams," Thomson said. "It’s more playability and keeping the field consistent so they know exactly how the field is going to play day in and day out."

One of the issues with the field that Chase mentioned during the off-season was the high lip of grass around the infield, the batter's area, and the pitcher's mound.

When Thomson started work Friday morning, the first task at hand -- fix the lips.

"I’m a massive stickler on that sort of thing," Thomson said. "We're still doing work on it. It’s really an everyday thing to get it perfect so we’ll be working on it every single day, especially on game days. Bringing a major league feel into a minor league ballpark is what I’d like to do here."

Thomson became the Muckdogs' top prospect for all things turf and dirt related after Chase called Murray Cook, who is the guy to know the world over if you care about the quality of your ball field.

Chase was in a bind. He was only a few weeks into his new job as GM for the Muckdogs, after the NYPL took over ownership of the team, and he realized he needed to hire a new head groundskeeper. By that time, any groundskeepers with any experience were already committed to other ballparks.

Cook said he knew this 20-year-old kid in Australia who was ready to move up.

“Murray’s word is gold in the groundskeeping business, so when he endorsed him it was a no-brainer," Chase said.

In 2014, the Dodgers and Diamondbacks played the first MLB regular-season games ever in Australia and though Thomson didn't work on the field, he was obsessed with the work of Murray Cook and his crew.

"They made a cricket oval into a baseball field, which just blew my mind," Thomson said. "I followed it intensely and when I saw how a big league field is supposed to look on our soil that was like a trigger point. I knew I needed to work hard and get a reputation myself so I can be over here (in the states)."

Cook learned of Thomson through the Australian Baseball League, which is sponsored by Major League Baseball, and since some U.S. prospects play in the ABL, the fields there have to be kept to MLB standards. That's where Cook comes in. It's his job to inspect the fields and often his staff works with Australian groundskeepers.

Thomson started his groundskeeping career when the ABL came to Brisbane a year before that 2014 game when he was 15 years old.

"They played at a showground so we had to bump the field in, bump the field out because they had concerts or whatever there," Thomson said. "Me and this other guy just got really good at putting in a brand-new field and taking it away. So I got like OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) about it and eventually got a head job at the new stadium in Brisbane. I just loved it."

That's a level of training that isn't available in places where baseball is more established.

"It was pretty intense," Thomson said. "I got to know a baseball field like the back of my hand. I was pretty obsessed with how a baseball field is set up and how it’s made."

He wanted his fields to be major league quality.

"Where money and equipment lack, you’ve got to work hard so I just got a real obsession for trying to make it look like fields over here. I just tried to make my field look as good as it could in Australia and I compared it to all the U.S. fields. I thought if I could do that, that would be like a massive tick on my bucket list."

He came to the attention of Cook when he was working with Cook's team on the fields for the World Baseball Classic qualifiers.

Cook's staff recognized the kid's passion, hard work, and knowledge of the craft and asked if he would like to work in the United States at some point and Thomson said that was indeed his goal. They said they would be in touch.

Since the initial job offer during the off-season, Thomson has been following all the news about the Muckdogs and the team's home field. He has been making plans all that time -- about how to get the outfield grass striped like a major league field, adding a team logo behind home plate, improving the playability of the field.  

As he's said, he can be obsessive about these things.

"I know the field has not really been outstanding the past couple of years but I would really like to turn it around and make it one of the best fields in the league," Thomson said. "That is my main objective. As soon as I knew I was coming over here I was saying, like in my head, 'Batavia is going to be the number one field in the league.' That’s my main goal."

If he does that well, he might someday wind up running the show at Marlins Park, or perhaps Dodger Stadium. We mention L.A. because that's where Thomson has come the closest so far to actually walking on major league grass.

"I did do the stadium tour once in Dodger Stadium," Thomson said. "We went all through the stadium and when we got to the bit where we finally go on the field they were like, ‘sorry, we’re not going on the field. They’re shooting Moneyball,’ and I’m like, ‘that’s what I came here for! I just want to get on the field.’ "

       Becky L. Frens

A Pearl Street Road resident accused of neglecting her 3-year-old female dog appeared briefly in Town of Batavia Court this afternoon.

Shortly after 1 p.m., Becky L. Frens approached the bench of Judge Michael Cleveland flanked by her attorney Michael Ranzenhofer.

The senator with 38 years of legal expertise is a partner in the law firm Friedman & Ranzenhofer PC, with eight offices in Western New York, including one on Main Street in Batavia.

Ranzenhofer cited unspecified "complications" and asked for a delay in the case. The people, represented by Assistant District Attorney Robert Zickl, told the judge they are ready to proceed in the matter.

Cleveland granted Ranzenhofer's request for a delay and the next court appearance for 56-year-old Frens is set for 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 27.

Today, Frens looked a lot different than the photo taken July 10 following her arrest by troopers from the Batavia Barracks of the State Police after she went to the Genesee County Animal Shelter to retrieve her dog.

She is charged with overdriving, torturing and injuring an animal; and failure to provide proper sustenance under the state Agriculture & Markets law, Article 26, Section 353, which is a Class A misdemeanor. (Find the section in Ag & Markets law here.)

If found guilty, a defendant faces jail time of more than 15 days but not greater than one year. In addition, a fine of up to $1,000 can be imposed.

Frens was dressed in a solid blue, A-line knit top, three-quarter-sleeved with lacy cut-outs, mid-calf black capris, and delicately embossed, pale blue slides. Her medium brown tresses looked freshly curled and hung well past her shoulders. She wore eyeglasses.

Looking only slightly better today was Frens' former pet, a Labrador retriever mixed breed named Maya, which happens to be Sanskrit for "create."

The dog still has a long road ahead.

Volunteers walked her out for a visitor at the Animal Shelter at about 2 o'clock.

Animal Control Officer Ann Marie Brade said when Maya was brought in "she was able to walk, but the length of her nails was so long, that she was not able to walk on concrete or tiles, which is what we have at the shelter, until her nails were cut. With the long nails and the shape of her pads, it was painful.

"She has some genetic issues and some splayed tendons. She doesn't have much muscle mass; she can't stand the heat. When she first came here, she couldn't exercise for any length of time. 

"She was very thin and she is still gaunt. Very underweight, you can see her hips. Since she's been getting treatment, she's put on a few pounds. But we don't want her to put on a lot of weight yet, so it's a constant battle of weighing her, adjusting her feed. The Volunteers for Animals help monitor her and give her special feed. They take her to the vet and pay for the vet bills. 

"She has open sores on her body, bacterial infections, fungal infections. She has several infections we are getting under control. She has demodectic mange, which is in everyone's system, but when the immune system becomes compromised, it goes haywire."

On top of all that, she is nearly 90 percent deaf now because of chronic, heretofore untreated infections in both ears. There is a lot of scar tissue in her ears as a result. She can hear a whistle, but not much else. 

Maya's eyesight was also impaired. She could not see a hand held out with a treat in front of her face -- at least not at first -- she kept missing it with her muzzle. But after three weeks of some decent nutrition and medical control of her infections, she can find the hand in front of her nose.

She's not as stinky. She can manage to jump onto the seated lap of a volunteer these days; a feat that she could not do only a couple of weeks ago.

And despite everything, "she's always happy to see us," said volunteer Lynette Celedonia.

Maya belongs to the shelter and it will hold onto her until she is healthy enough to find a home -- food, water, walkies, treats, mercy, humaneness, decency.

The woman who initially found Maya is seriously considering adopting her, although, with the interest in Maya's story, Christina Homer-Roviso is sure there will be many contenders.

Homer-Roviso said she never had a clue the neighbors across from her sister-in-law's house had a dog. Then came the day earlier this month when Maya was standing across the road looking pathetic.

Homer-Roviso coaxed her across the asphalt in order to help her and she said "watching her try to walk was hard." 

"Oh, my gosh, that dog was starving," said the sister-in-law, Lynne D. Homer. "We gave her two bowls of cat food, some baloney, and sausage; she drank three bottles of water."

"She was missing patches of fur, was (in) really, really bad (condition). ... Someone like (Frens) should not have a freakin' animal and to live in a house like that," said a visibly shaken Homer-Roviso, fighting back tears.

Frens lives in a 3,236-square-foot Colonial built in 2002. The four-bedroom, two-bath custom-built home also has two outbuildings and sits on 11.7 acres. The assessed value is $283,400.

"I own five dogs, horses, goats, chickens, and cats. I tell my kids 'You can go get food and water. These animals can't. You have to do that for them.' "

For previous coverage, click here.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Jeffery David Torrey, 46, of McKenzie Street, Bergen, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Torrey is accused of attempting to use a hole punch to pierce the ear of a child at a residence on Ross Street, Batavia, at 7:30 p.m. July 5.

Kelvin B. Murphy, 45, of Batavia, is charged with DWI. Murphy was stopped at 2:18 a.m. Sunday on Route 98 in Batavia by State Police. He allegedly failed a field sobriety test and recorded a .10 BAC.

Temple Aubrielle Jacobs, 38, of Michigan Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving without an inspection certificate, failure to keep right, and unsafe tires. Jacobs was stopped at 5:40 a.m. Sunday on Route 20, Bethany, by Deputy Eric Andre.

Shawn Joseph Scheg, 50, of Warboys Road, Byron, is charged with driving while ability impaired, aggravated unlicensed operation, failure to signal, misuse of dealer plate, no interlock device. Scheg was stopped at 1:55 a.m. Wednesday on Route 33, Stafford, by Deputy James Stack.

Kevin Watson, 58, of West Main Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for petit larceny. Watson was turned over to Batavia PD after being released by the Monroe County Jail on an unrelated charged. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Dina Mercado, 37, of Old Falls Boulevard, North Tonawanda, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on traffic tickets from January 2017. She was jailed on $500 bail.

Jason R. Duffina, 41, of Porter Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Duffina is accused of shoplifting at Tops Friendly Market.

Kevin Wayne Howard, 18, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with DWAI, unsafe tires, unlicensed operator, and failure to obey traffic control device. Howard was stopped at 8:20 a.m. Thursday on Main Street, Batavia, by Sgt. Daniel Coffey.

John Joseph Caez-Gonzalez, 31, no permanent address, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st, aggravated family offense, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Caez-Gonzalez is accused of violating a stay away order. At the time of his arrest, he was allegedly found in possession of heroin. He was jailed without bail.

Anthony K. Wolcott, 32, of Willow Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a traffic charge.

James Haynes, 31, of Taylor Terrace, Chester, Pa., was arrested on two warrants after being extradited from Pennsylvania. The underlying charges of the warrants were not released. He was ordered held without bail.

Cynthia D. Gause, 47, of Eaton Street, Buffalo, is charged with DWI. Grause was arrested at a location on Bank Street after police received a complaint about an employee arriving at work intoxicated.

Joseph D. Berry, 32, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with assault, 3rd.  Berry is accused of assaulting an employee of a business on West Main Street, Batavia, at 4:04 p.m. Sunday.

Jim Goff never knew. For decades the Stumblin' Inn in Elba was a haven for local musicians. He knew he was having fun. He didn't know what it meant to the musicians he nurtured and the community that followed them.

Now he knows.

A fire destroyed the storied watering hole the second Sunday of the July, despite a valiant effort by the Elba Volunteer Fire Department and their mutual aid companies to save the 143-year-old building. Jim and his brother Steve, or Stork to everybody who knew him, were asleep upstairs when the alarm went out. They were alerted in time to make a safe escape.

They found themselves on the sidewalks of their small village surrounded by friends and neighbors sharing their tears.

"I never knew until this happened how much it meant to the community," Goff said shortly after arriving Thursday at an open mic night in a park across the street, next to the Elba Fire Hall.

More than 150 local musicians and music fans had gathered for what is likely the last open mic night for the Stumblin' Inn, a Thursday night tradition for years.

"Musicians have always been my people," Goff said. "That’s who I relate to, that’s who I feel comfortable around. We started an open mic in the 1980s and did it off and on. Musicians just liked to hang out there. It felt like home to everyone. We had a lot of bands who called that place home."

Standing next to Goff was local musician Doug Barnard. He said Barnard and his band Southbound were responsible for helping Goff recognize the value of local bands to his bar business.

"They said 'Give us a chance,' " Goff said. " 'We guarantee we'll pack this place.' They told me that about three times so I gave them a chance. They packed the place for five years. I realized maybe this local band thing is a pretty cool thing to embrace."

It all worked, Goff said, because he and his brother kept their priorities straight.

"It’s all about having fun," Goff said. "If you’re having fun, you’re going to make money. Money and fun, it all goes together."

As for the future, that's still a blank slate.

"All the experts say you don’t make big decisions right away," Goff said. "You let things sink in. There’s certainly some pressure to rebuild. Age is definitely a factor. We honestly don’t know. I would say we’re leaning toward probably not, but who knows? I’m not going to say no because I don’t know. I honestly don’t know."

Top photo: Goff as he arrived at Thursday's open mic night, hugging local musician Dylan Desmit, who helped organize the fundraiser for the Goffs with co-host Paul Draper.

Those who made it a habit to read arrest reports locally have come across the name Raymond Lee Morgan a few times over the years but that public profile paints an unfair picture of the man, his friends and family said during a vigil in his honor yesterday outside 111 Liberty St., where he was murdered on Tuesday.

The 47-year-old had a big, loving heart, said his sister, Natalie Urbanski (top photo).

"He had seven grandkids," Urbanski said. "He had sisters. He had family. He’s always there, no matter what. You needed something he would be there to help you and it seems like no one wants to hear that."

The vigil was, as Victor Thomas put it, a celebration of Ray Morgan's life, but Thomas and others also made pleas for anybody who knows anything to help the police solve the murder case, and for Batavia to come together.

"He would want us to come together and spread the same love that he spread," Thomas said.

With arms wide open he said, "I want to spread love today because that is what Ray did and that is who he was. He didn’t deserve to go out like this. Nobody does. So at the end of the day, if anybody knows anything they need to say something because my man didn’t deserve this."

Then he looked to the sky and addressed Morgan, "I know you're up there and I know you're looking down on this. Something’s got to give, bra. This stuff in Batavia has got to stop. This isn’t what it was. We’ve got to get back to what it was."

Natalie Urbanski said Morgan was "one of a kind."

"He was a sweet loving man who did not need to go out the way he did," she said. 

She also made a plea for anybody with information to come forward and help the police solve Morgan's murder.

"His daughters, his grandkids, his loved ones, his aunt, his mother, need some type of closure," Urbanski said. "Let’s not let this be a cold case. Let this be solved immediately."

And she included a plea for Batavia come together.

"Batavia you need to come back as one, as we were before," she said. "All of this violence and nonsense, senseless killings is not who were are. We are not the city. We are Batavia."

Dionne Thomas also recalled Morgan's kind, loving ways.

"I remember the Christmas he told the kids he was going to kidnap Santa Claus," Thomas said. "The kids were really scared that Uncle Ray Ray was going to kidnap Santa Claus. He said if he didn’t leave no presents on Hall Street there wasn’t going to be no Christmas. The kids woke up on Christmas, Santa visited Hall Street. Uncle Ray Ray made sure Santa was on Hall Street. That’s who he was for us all."

People know he had problems in his past, Thomas said, but his murder was just senseless.

"No matter what was done in the past doesn’t justify what was done to him," Thomas said. "No one deserves that, especially not Ray. We all know that."

Funeral arrangments have been made for Morgan. Calling hours will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at H.E. Turner, 403 E. Main St., Batavia, with a funeral service at 1 p.m.  (Full Obituary)

Previously:

• Batavia PD investigating homicide on Liberty Street
• Name released of Liberty Street murder victim
• Person of interest in custody in Raymond Morgan murder investigation

Victor Thomas

Matt Green, pouring a 40 in honor of Ray Morgan.

Nicole Griffen

Victor Thomas with Jeff Hull and Lamar Randall.

Ray Morgan with his seven grandchildren (photo used with permission of his daughters).

There will be drink specials at the tavern formerly known as Billy Goats, 345 W. Main St., Batavia, on Tuesday because the bar won't open again on Wednesday, or Thursday, or Friday, any other day after that unless some entrepreneur wants to sign a lease and open a new nightspot.

Owner John Spyropoulos wants to eliminate his existing inventory of booze because he's decided his family is more important than trying to run two demanding businesses by himself.

His father, Steve Spyropoulos, died May 11, at age 66. John said Steve wasn't just his father. He was his best friend and his business partner. 

"There's a lot of ground to cover and it's physically straining on me," Spyropoulos said during a conversation at Settler's Family Restaurant. "There are late nights there, early morning here. I have a family at home. I have two boys who are 14 and I've got a daughter. She's 5. You know something's got to give sooner or later; I prefer it not to be with my family."

Steve Spryopoulos arrived in the United States at age 19 with just the suitcase in his hand. He made his way to Batavia, started a family, and built two successful businesses. John is proud of his father's legacy and knows how much he loved running the bar, but the two businesses are too taxing and require too many incompatible hours to be managed by one person.  

Settler's is the primary family business and the one Spryopoulos really wants to run. If he couldn't do both, closing the bar made the most sense.

"It needs to be done," Spryopoulos. "You know I feel bad for the employees. We had good help over there, three employees, good employees. They've been there for a long time and I feel bad for them but they understand."

While most people still know the bar as Billy Goats, Steve and John officially changed the name about a year ago to The Goht. Now, with the business being shut down, Spryopoulos is open to talking with anybody with the wherewithal to run a bar business about leasing the building. Or he will lease it for office space. The one thing he's not going to do, he said, is sell the property. He'll put it to some use if he can't lease it.

When Spryopoulos broke the news that The Goht would be closing, one bartender today told him he made a decision his father would encourage.

"She said to me that my dad's biggest concern for me was that I would not spend enough time with my family," Spryopoulos said. "She told me, 'your father always worried about you and your family. He wanted to make sure you spent enough time with your family.' So, you know, when a bartender tells me that, that means something."

It's still a sad decision, Spryopoulos said, because he also knows the bar meant a lot to his father and just walking into the place reminds him of his dad.

"My dad touched a lot of lives over there," Spryopoulos said. "He made a lot of friends. The imprint he left on people is incredible. It says a lot."

When you run your own business there are no off hours. Running two of them is especially difficult; and bars and restaurants come with many headaches and worries you never escape. Spryopoulos said he's had no time to really come to grips with the loss of his father

"I haven't even had a chance to cope with my father's death since he passed away May 11," he said. "You get through the funeral. You get through everything. Then it's right back to work. There's no time coping, no time for myself and for my family."

Spryopoulos picked Tuesday to close down because that's the final day of the current liquor license and he decided not to renew it.

"I don't want people to think, 'oh he couldn't handle it on his own,' " Spryopoulos said. "Or saying my dad passed away and now I'm giving up. I'm not giving up. You just have to pick your battles. I'm working here six, seven days a week, from seven or eight in the morning to five or six in the evening. I've got to worry about over there and I've got my wife and kids at home. That's only going to last so long. Something has got to give."

The Goht will be open Tuesday from 4 to 11 p.m. with DJ Kevin providing entertainment. There will be "HUGE" drink specials Spryopoulos said.

From a press release and other sources:

Tetelestai, an alternative metal band with members from Genesee County and Buffalo, will be performing at next week's Kingdom Bound festival at Darien Lake Amusement Park.

Founded in 2015 as a worship project, the band consists of: Ronnie Shrock, from Buffalo -- vocals; Andrew Perkins, from Stafford -- rhythm guitar; Paul Mitro, from Buffalo -- lead guitar; Marci Jonathan, from Batavia -- bass; and Nate Jonathan, from Elba -- drums.

Tetelestai will be playing on the Awaken stage inside the park at 1 p.m. on Monday, July 30^th.

The band's name derives from the Greek for “It is finished,” which is found only twice in the New Testament: In the Gospel of John (19:28 and 19:30) and nowhere else in the New Testament. According to John's Gospel, those were the last words spoken by Jesus of Nazareth, uttered before his death by crucifixion at Golgotha.

The band spreads a message of hope and love through their music and works to tear down the stigmas associated with mental illnesses.

Their music features heavy guitar riffs, breakdowns, double bass, and the occasional scream, although at heart there's the stillness of the worshipper. Their message of forgiveness, self-worth, love and hope is relayed with high energy and remarkable brashness that would be hard to forget.

Their sophomore album “Anxiety,” which is set to release this fall, delves into issues such as depression, suicidal thoughts, and of course, anxiety. The first single release from that album, "Good for the Soul," is out now.

Their music, including the new single "Good for the Soul," can be found on any music streaming platform or through their website at www.tetelestaiband.com

The Christian music festival at Darien Lake, which runs from July 29 to Aug. 1, will also feature top national Christian artists Toby Mac, Casting Crowns, Mandisa, Danny Gokey and for King & Country -- a total of more than 40 artists and speakers. Organizers expect the largest crowd in over half a decade to attend, bringing people in from across the United States and Canada, not only for the music but also lots of family-friendly activities.

About Kingdom Bound: 

Kingdom Bound Ministries Inc. exists to present the Gospel through a variety of art forms including concerts, outreaches and an annual performing arts festival; to bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and to encourage believers in their walk with God.

To purchase tickets or find out more information about the festival go to www.kingdombound.org/festival

John M. Brabowski, 40, of Fisher Road, Oakfield, is charged with third-degree rape. He was arrested on July 24 and arraigned at 9:11 p.m. in Batavia Town Court. It is alleged that he engaged in sexual intercourse with a female victim under the age of 17 on July 23 at a location on Fisher Road in Oakfield. He was jailed on $100,000 bail and is due in Oakfield Town Court on Aug. 6 to answer the charge. Additional charges are pending. The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Investigator Joseph Loftus, Youth Officer Howard Carlson and Sgt. Bradley Mazur.

Anthony D. Micucci, 24, of Main Street, Alexander, is charged with third-degree assault, third-degree menacing, and endangering the welfare of a child. He was arrested at 3:25 p.m. on July 25 on Main Street in Alexander following a domestic incident in the village. He is due in Town of Alexander Court on Aug. 8. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Joshua Brabon.

Joshua M. Gaudioso, 29, of Genesee Street, Le Roy, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon because he is a convicted felon. He was arrested and arraigned in Bergen Town Court at 9 p.m. on July 26. He was jailed in lieu of $10,000 cash or bond. He is accused of possessing a shotgun on July 20 at a location on North Bergen Road, Bergen. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Mullen, assisted by Deputy Chad Minuto.

Kevin Wayne Howard, 18, Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle in the third degree. He was arrested at 4 a.m. July 26 on Griswold Road in Le Roy following a complaint. It is alleged that the defendant took a motor vehicle without the consent of the owner. He was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Le Roy Court and is due there Sept. 3. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong, assisted by Batavia Police Sgt. Dan Coffey.

Damien Anthony Weir, 37, of Branch Lane, East Stroudsburg, Pa., is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The defendant was charged after a traffic stop on Veterans Memorial Drive in Batavia at 10:28 a.m. on July 24. He was issued an appearance ticket for Batavia Town Court and is due there on Aug. 14. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Lonnie Nati, assisted by Deputy Ryan DeLong.

A person of interest in the murder of Raymond Lee Morgan is in custody on an unrelated matter, Batavia PD announced this morning. 

The police are not releasing the name of the person or a description of the person because of "the very active nature of the investigation."

The police are not releasing further information about the case at this time, the department said in a statement. 

Morgan was found badly beaten in his room at 111 Liberty St., Batavia, at 11:15 p.m., Tuesday after police received a report of a disturbance. Mercy medics responded but Morgan, 47, who had two daughters and seven grandchildren, died at the scene.

According to family members, a person was seen fleeing through a second-story window and police officers, including a K-9, conducted a search of the area that night.

The day after the murder, two men living at 111 Liberty were taken into custody on alleged parole violations.

Funeral arrangments have been made for Morgan. Calling hours will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at H.E. Turner, 403 E. Main St., Batavia, with a funeral service at 1 p.m.  (Full Obituary)

Previously:

• Batavia PD investigating homicide on Liberty Street
• Name released of Liberty Street murder victim

Deputies are cramming a lot of police training into one week for the first Teen Academy hosted at Byron-Bergen High School by the Sheriff's Office.

In this one week, said Deputy Matthew Butler, the 14 students enrolled are covering the same material a cadet at a standard police academy must grasp in five-and-a-half months.

"I don’t want any student to come away and say 'that was nothing, it wasn’t tough,' or 'it was too easy, I didn’t get anything out of it,' " Butler said. "That’s why we’re trying to throw a lot of stuff at them so they get the most from the experience and see what it’s really like."

Each day, at 8 a.m., starts with physical training or PT, and students take turns leading PT. Police officers all need to have leadership skills and be able to communicate effectively and PT and marching in formation are a chance to practice.

Instruction from there includes classroom lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on practice.

Deputy Chris Erion has been out with K-9 "Destro"; Sgt. Jason Saile presented a crash management demonstration; there are tours of the jail and communications; and a chance to see how the scuba team and Emergency Response Team work.

Instruction includes defensive tactics, penal law, vehicle and traffic law, and crime scene investigation and evidence recovery.

Patricia Reeves led a DWI victim impact panel.

There is homework every night and a test tomorrow followed by graduation at 1 p.m.

“We’re giving them a real taste of what it’s like to be a police officer and what you have to go through in the academy to become a police officer," Butler said.

The Teen Academy was pitched to Sheriff William Sheron by Butler, who is the school resource officer at Byron-Bergen, after he had seen something similiar in Monroe County. This is the first teen academy in Genesee County.

The training is no-nonsense. Tuesday, during traffic stop training followed by felony stop training, deputies Ryan DeLong, Andrew Mullen, and Chad Cummings were quick to stop, correct, and lecture in a tone that didn't permit embarrassment but understood that is a lot to master even in a simple traffic stop.

Proper procedures, situational awareness, emotional intelligence, and observation are all critical in a traffic stop, which is both the most routine task in law enforcement and the one daily task most fraught with risk, both to officers and civilians. A good officer never grows complacent.

DeLong, Mullen, and Cummings demanded the attention of the students, and attention to detail, from how they approached the car, to where they stood while talking with the driver, which hand they used to grab and hold paperwork, and how they safely walked back to the patrol vehicle.

With the basics understood, the students who role-played as drivers and passengers could improvise their responses to the cadets, from denying wrongdoing to revealing they were licensed handgun permit holders and were carrying a weapon. Responses were critiqued and corrected.

On two consecutive "stops," the "deputy" didn't notice the passenger holding a handgun in his lap.

Mullen emphasized, when approaching a vehicle, you've got to see everything going on inside the vehicle. The weapon could easily be viewed even before an officer would reach the driver-side door. At that point, Mullen said, you fall back and radio for backup.

DeLong, Mullen, and Cummings then simulated a felony traffic stop, with Cummings assuming the role of the criminal suspect, and then the students took their turns at practicing the procedure.

Many of the students participating do anticipate a career in law enforcement, so that's why they signed up for the academy.

"I really want to go into law enforcement," said Morgan Rhodes, a senior at Notre Dame HS. "It interests me a lot. I’ve always wanted to do it and this is really helping me figure it out."

She's interested in solving mysteries, she said, "making it right" after a crime has been committed, and ensuring people follow the law.

She thinks she will start her law enforcement career in the military but hopes to become a deputy some day.

Devyn Reigle, who has been taking Criminal Justice courses at BOCES, is also considering starting his law enforcement career in the military. The academy, he said, was a chance to get a more hands-on grasp than his college class on what being a cop is all about.

"I've learned a lot more," Reigle said. "I've learned what to be aware of, that it's a lot more serious than you think, and to keep your eyes focused on everything."

Top photo: Deputy Chad Cummings in the role of suspect during a felony stop demonstration.

Deputy Andrew Mullen with simulated pistol drawn while conducting a felony stop demonstration.

Deputy Ryan DeLong during the felony stop demonstration.

Deputy Ryan DeLong cuffing Deputy Chad Cummings.

Gianni Vallese, a Byron-Bergen student, practicing a felony stop.

Devyn Reigle taking Deputy Chad Cummings into custody.

Deputy Ryan DeLong providing instructions on procedures for a traffic stop.

Gianni Vallese conducting a traffic stop while Deputy Ryan DeLong observes.

Devyn Reigle accepting paperwork from a driver during a practice traffic stop.

Morgan Rhodes conducting a traffic stop.

The inaugural class and some of the instructors of the Sheriff's Teen Academy at Byron-Bergen High School.

After the jump, more pictures of training submitted by Deputy Deb Snyder and Deputy Chad Cummings.

A fire in a detached garage at 6943 Knowlesville Road has now apparently caused the house to catch on fire.

Alabama fire dispatched along with Oakfield, East Pembroke, Pembroke, Elba and the City of Batavia's Fast Team.

UPDATE(S) (By Billie) 9:46 a.m.: Multiple explosions are heard. Indian Falls is standing by in their quarters. The city's second platoon is called its fire hall.

UPDATE 9:51 a.m.: National Grid and a code enforcement officer are called to the scene.

UPDATE 10:03 a.m.: National Grid has about a 10-minute ETA. Command asks that Salvation Army be contacted.

UPDATE 11:02 a.m.: The man who owns the house told Alabama Fire Chief Bill Schutt that he had been in his garage trying to repair his lawnmower and had stopped briefly to go elsewhere on the property to talk to a neighbor. Both people heard a loud pop then saw flames coming from the garage. The homeowner grabbed a garden hose in an attempt to keep the fire contained. Firefighters arrived quickly and were able to take advantage of new water lines and fire hydrants installed in the hamlet just last month, Schutt said. The garage burned down and the back of the house is heavily singed. The house next door has melted siding on a rear corner due to heat exposure. The fire is out. Firefighters are overhauling now.

The great thing about the Stumblin' Inn is that owners Steve and Jim Goff give every musician who walked through the door and had the courage to ask for a spot on the stage a chance to perform.

They did it for Dylan Desmit when he was first starting his music career.

"The first time we were here, my keyboard player put my amp through the window," Desmit said. "I was mortified. I thought for sure we would never play here again but Jim just kind of laughed it off. We’ve been playing here ever since and it just felt like a second home."

Desmit lost count of how many times he played the Stumblin', whether with one of his bands for an acoustic open mic night.

So many musicians have benefited from the largess of the Goffs that many of them are coming together for one more Thursday open mic nite in Elba where they will play music and pass the hat to raise money to assist Steve and Jim, who lost not just their business but their homes in a fire July 8.

Desmit and Paul Draper (who had last-minute work commitments that kept him from participating in the photo above) organized the event for tonight, starting at 8 p.m. in front of Chap's Elba Diner, and Desmit said the outpouring of musicians wanting to help Steve and Jim has been substantial.

The Stumblin' Inn was the place in the area for local musicians to congregate and get a chance to be heard and those musicians want to repay the favor.

"I saw someone compared it to the Penny Arcade in Rochester and that’s pretty much, yeah, every local band, ever, played here," Desmit said. "There’s so many musicians, and judging by the reaction on Facebook for the benefit, there are so many people devastated by losing it."

A 47-year-old Batavia man with many local family members has been identified by Batavia PD as the victim of a homicide last night at 111 Liberty St.

Raymond Lee Morgan died in his room last night after police and medics were dispatched because of a reported fight.

The suspect apparently fled on foot after jumping from a small second-story window. Police have not released a description of the suspect and he is apparently not yet in custody. 

In a release, Batavia PD said Morgan was well known to local officers. He had a criminal history and was on parole.

He was released from State Prison in November after serving a year on a criminal possession of a controlled substance, 5th, charge. He also served time from 1999 to 2002 on a grand larceny conviction.

But to his friends and family members gathered across the street from 111 Liberty St. this afternoon, he was a father, son, uncle and brother.

Victor Thomas, who said he grew up with Morgan as his uncle but called him his brother by the time he was an adult, said Thomas loved the Yankees and he loved cars.

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"He was big into cars and any car he had, it was going to have a system in it," Thomas said. "He loved to hear it bang. He loved to let people know he was coming before he was there."

Thomas got a little choked up talking about Morgan. He recalled that Morgan was always there when he was a kid to help him and his family.

"He had a big heart," Thomas said. "From the time I was knee high, he made sure I went back to school with nice clothes. If my mother and father couldn't do it, he was there to get me things I needed to be just OK."

He saw Morgan as bigger than life.

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"Ray was a dude that lived his life with an open heart," Thomas said. "He had so many friends. He had so many people who wanted to be around him. I mean, he was a character. He was one of a kind. You can ask anybody that. He was one of a kind. There is nobody else walking this earth who was like that dude."

Family members in the parking lot across from the rooming house were agitated while police officers and parole officers were inside the multi-unit building trying to untangle their complaints and deal with a couple of suspected parole violators.

One of them, family members said, had spread false rumors on Facebook that Morgan was the killer and he also apparently entered the room where Morgan died after police cleared the scene and took photos of the blood-soaked scene and posted them on Facebook.  

Taken into custody today was Michael Elmore. Family members shared with The Batavian posts with Elmore's name on them where Elmore said Morgan was killer and they accused Morgan of taking and posting the bloody pictures. 

Police Chief Shawn Heubusch explained this afternoon that once investigators finish processing a crime scene, the property is turned over to its owner and the owner from that point is responsible for securing the scene.

A source family with police procedures explained further that by law, police can't remain in custody of a scene once processing is completed without a warrant.

It was unfortunate, Heubusch said, that before the landlord could secure the scene, another resident of the boarding house went in and took pictures of the pools and splatters of blood in the room and posted them on social media.

"It doesn't help our investigation at all," Heubusch said. "It compromises our investigation."

He said he understands seeing those pictures online was very upsetting to family members.

"It's a shame there is no social norm anymore where people won't publish that on social media," Heubusch said. "It's absolutely ridiculous."

Ryan Macdonald is the property owner. He said he was notified at 6 a.m. by Batavia PD that he needed to secure the crime scene. He said when he arrived there was no door into Morgan's room and the window had been removed. Both were taken by investigators as evidence.

Removing Morgan's personal effects wasn't easy, Macdonald said, but that everything that could be returned to them was returned (at the scene this afternoon there were accusations that items were missing and that Morgan's laptop was found in the room of one of the parolees arrested, but Batavia PD could not confirm that information).

"I hate to say this but everything else in that room was covered in blood," Macdonald said. "Everything that was a health hazard, we had to clean or throw out. We had to throw out the bed. I own the bed but we had to throw out the bed. The sister wanted to go into the room but we had to bleach everything and clean everything. I spoke with a hazmat company and they came out and looked at the room and saw the work we did and they said we did what we were supposed to do."

At the start of the interview, Macdonald expressed his condolences for the family. 

"It's unfortunate that someone has died," Macdonald said. "My heart goes out to all of the family. They have lost a son, a child, a father, a brother."

It's days like today that being a landlord is especially difficult, he said.

"We all make choices and I chose to be a landlord but on days like this, I hate being a landlord because no matter what I do people will be mad at me," Macdonald said. "But I believe people can change. I believe people can become better. And that's why we rent to parolees."

Michael Elmore being taken into custody for an alleged parole violation.

A male, whose identity is not being released yet, succumbed to injuries sustained during a fight at 111 Liberty St., Batavia, at 11:15 p.m., Tuesday.

Police are looking for a person who might be a suspect in the case.

The first officers on the scene found a male in one of the rooms at the residence and EMS was summoned. The victim died at the scene.

Officers obtained a suspect description and, with the assistance of the State Police K-9, searched the area for the suspect.

The police are not releasing that information while the investigation is pending.

The identity of the victim is not being released pending notification of relatives. His body was transported to the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office where an autopsy will be conducted on Thursday. In a statement, police said more information about the investigation will be released after the autopsy is complete.

"Through our investigation thus far it is believed that this was not a random act of violence and that the suspect and victim knew each other," police said in a statement.

Anyone with any info regarding this incident is asked to call police at (585) 345-6350, information may also be submitted via the confidential tip line at (585) 345-6370.

Statement by Norman Itjen, mayor, Village of Elba:

The Elba community lost an iconic landmark when the Stumblin’ Inn was destroyed by fire on July 8, 2018. This building sat at the corner of South Main and Mechanic Streets since 1875, known by several names, lastly as the Stumblin Inn’ owned and operated by brothers Steve (Stork) and Jim Goff for the last 39 years.

While we, the community and the Village, mourn the loss of this establishment, we can only guess the sorrow Jim and Steve are feeling as they have put much of their heart and soul into our community. A benefit for the Stumblin’ Inn is going to be held on Sunday, Sept. 30, from 12 to 7 p.m. at the Elba Fire Department’s Recreation Hall.*

Events like this often seem to bring out the best in everyone. I can’t say enough about the hard work and long day the Elba Fire Department, and other fire departments from Genesee and surrounding counties put in on this day. Their hours of training were well-evidenced through their organized and coordinated response to the fire of this magnitude in our downtown area. 

I also want to express my appreciation to the Elba community for the outpouring of support they provided the firemen by providing water and refreshments and to Chap’s, in particular, for the food and meals they so graciously donated that day.

* Also, local musicians Paul Draper and Dylan Desmit are organizing an open-air jam night at the former location of the Stumblin' Inn, 1 Main St., Elba, at 8 p.m., this Thursday (July 26). All musicians and music fans welcome. We expect to have more information tomorrow afternoon.