video

First, there was a pickup truck accident with a car fire and just as Stafford fire had things under control at the first location on Clinton Street Road, an MVA with serious injuries was reported a quarter-mile away on Route 33 at the intersection with Horseshoe Lake Road.

It turned out there were no serious injuries in either accident.

But it was a hot, humid day for the volunteer firefighters, deputies, and medical personnel who responded to both incidents.

Previously: 

• Pickup truck in flames on Clinton Street Road, Stafford
• Crash reported at Clinton Street and Horseshoe Lake roads, Stafford

In the age of coronavirus, the YMCA has been carrying on with socially distanced summer camps. Kids are taught to use their "alligator arms" to ensure they're keeping their distance from other kids and there's ample sanitizer on hand.

This week, the kids competed in their Camper Cup, an Olympic-style event that culminated in a color run at the Notre Dame High School football field.

"Rudy" is an artiste. She has her own expressive way of coloring a canvas and today, area children got to help her make individual pieces of art for them to take home.

The art event was held outside the Interpretive Center at Genesee County Park & Forest.

The children also learned about 14-year-old Rudy and her fellow red-eared slider turtles, which hail from the Southern United States.

Previously: Fully involved barn fire reported on Lockport Road in Oakfield

Last year, Unity Hospital in Rochester became the first hospital in Upstate New York to launch a rooftop honeybee program. This summer that program expanded with honeybee hives now on the roofs of Clifton Springs Hospital & Clinic, Newark-Wayne Community Hospital, Rochester General Hospital and Batavia's United Memorial Medical Center, as well.

This program supports Rochester Regional Health’s sustainability mission to strengthen and support our local environment. The bees produce honey and is bottled and available to employees, patients, and visitors for purchase. There are about two million bees total between all video hospital roofs.

Video supplied by Rochester Regional Health; edited by The Batavian.

We stopped in for a quick chat with Ricky Palermo at Terry Hills on Saturday during his annual golf tournament to benefit spinal injury research.

Sunnking Electronics Recycling and Assemblyman Steve Hawley hosted an electronics recycling event in Batavia on Saturday, the first one Sunnking has held since the onset of the pandemic. With the use of preregistration, Sunnking was able to keep traffic flowing smoothly. 

In the video, Sen. Charles Schumer talks about the semiconductor plan, baseball, baseball trivia, his relationship with newly elected Rep. Chris Jacobs, the safety of reopening schools, and the future of the Muckdogs.

Press release:

Standing with local officials at Genesee’s STAMP* Campus, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today unveiled his three-pronged push to jolt the U.S. semiconductor industry and the Upstate New York economy into high gear.

First, Schumer called for swift passage by Congress of the final Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), in which the senator successfully included an amendment that will continue U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and revitalize innovation in the global microelectronics sector.

Second, the Senator announced his push for a $1M Northern Border Regional Commission grant that STAMP needs to construct a new sewer line to complete STAMP’s wastewater system infrastructure. The sewer is the final piece of infrastructure that will make the 1,250-acre STAMP campus shovel-ready for manufacturing facility construction.

Third, Schumer will urge the Department of Defense (DoD) to consider the STAMP campus as the agency looks to partner with industry to develop new domestic semiconductor fabs. Combined, the Senator’s efforts will provide unprecedented support for the U.S. semiconductor industry and create opportunities to bring hundreds of jobs to Genesee County and Upstate New York.

“The economic and national security risks posed by relying too heavily on foreign semiconductor suppliers cannot be ignored, and Upstate New York, especially the STAMP Campus here in Genesee, is the perfect place to grow this industry by leaps and bounds,” Senator Schumer said.

“We must continue to invest in our domestic semiconductor industry in order to keep good-paying, high-tech American manufacturing jobs here in Upstate New York. We need to ensure our domestic microelectronics industry can safely and securely supply our military, intelligence agencies, and other government needs. This is essential to American jobs, our national security, and to U.S. leadership in this critical industry."

Schumer noted that even though the United States revolutionized the microelectronic industry and invented nearly all of the key technology used to this day, competitors in Asia, especially China, have made huge investments into their microelectronics industries in recent years to challenge and undercut U.S. leadership.

In fact, Schumer pointed out, the United States has gone from producing 24 percent of the world’s semiconductors in 2000, to just 12 percent more recently. In contrast, China has gone from producing zero chips to 16 percent of the world’s supply in the same time frame. The senator warned that by 2030, Asia is projected to control 83 percent of the global semiconductor manufacturing supply while domestic production could be less than 10 percent, threatening U.S. reliance on foreign-made microelectronics, which could pose huge risks to U.S. national and economic security.

Therefore, Schumer argued, his three-pronged plan to revitalize the semiconductor industry and incentivize it to build new research and manufacturing facilities in the United States at sites like STAMP is vital to cement global U.S. leadership in the microelectronics industry and will ease U.S. reliance on foreign-made semiconductors, alleviating economic and national security risks.

“Senator Schumer’s leadership in the Senate’s passage of the American Foundries Act as a part of the National Defense Administrative Act will help put STAMP over the finish line as it will make available necessary funding to develop and construct the final pieces of infrastructure to stand up multiple semiconductor manufacturing fabs and along with it the creation of thousands of good-paying, family-sustaining jobs to Genesee County and the Western New York and Finger Lakes regions,” said GCEDC President and CEO Steve Hyde. Attracting semiconductor and similar industries at STAMP will result in as much as $10 billion to $15 billion of private sector investment all of which will be enabled by this game-changing legislation.”

Secondly today, Schumer announced his push to secure the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) grant to construct the last missing sewer line needed for STAMP to achieve shovel-ready status. Specifically, this funding is needed to complete STAMP’s sewer and wastewater system by constructing a 14,500-square-foot force main sewer line to support new businesses that locate at STAMP. The force main is the final piece needed to make STAMP shovel-ready with the capabilities to meet any industry’s needs to construct new manufacturing operations at STAMP and create new high-quality jobs. 

Lastly, Schumer called on the Department of Defense (DoD) to consider STAMP as a location for next-generation semiconductor research and manufacturing facilities now that the DoD is in discussions with semiconductor manufactures to build new domestic chip manufacturing facilities to ensure U.S. leadership in the global microelectronics supply chain.

Last month Schumer wrote to Defense Secretary Mark Esper to draw his attention to the opportunities for new Semiconductor development at STAMP. As a result, DoD officials participated in a meeting Schumer convened with STAMP officials to help position STAMP to capitalize on new opportunities through the DoD to attract semiconductor research and manufacturing facilities to STAMP.

Following Schumer’s unveiling of his bipartisan American Foundries Act and major push to bolster U.S. leadership in the microelectronics sector, he successfully advanced his proposal as an amendment included in the Senate-passed Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The amendment:

• Directs the Secretary of Commerce to create a grant program for constructing, expanding, or modernizing commercial semiconductor fabrication, assembly, testing, packaging, and advanced R&D facilities in the United States.
• Directs the Secretary of Defense to create a partnership program with the private sector to encourage the development of advanced, measurably secure microelectronics for use by the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, critical infrastructure, and other national-security applications.
• Requires the Secretary of Commerce to commence a review within 120 days assessing the state of the U.S. semiconductor industrial base.
• Establishes a Multilateral Microelectronics Security Fund, with which the United States, its allies, and partners will work to reach agreements promoting consistency in their policies related to microelectronics, greater transparency including supply chains, and greater alignment in export control and foreign direct investment policies.
• Directs the President to establish a subcommittee on semiconductor technology and innovation within the National Science and Technology Council; directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a national semiconductor technology center to conduct research, fund semiconductor startups and a Manufacturing USA Institute, create a National Advance Packaging Manufacturing Program; and encourages the Secretary of Labor to work with the private sector on workforce training and apprenticeships in semiconductor manufacturing.

This amendment, which is also cosponsored by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, is based on the Senator’s bipartisan American Foundries Act, which has been broadly supported by key players in New York’s semiconductor industry, including GlobalFoundries, IBM, ON Semiconductor, Cree Inc., the Genesee County Economic Development Center, Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation, Mohawk Valley EDGE, Cornell University, Binghamton University, and SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

 STAMP is specifically designed for development of large-scale semiconductor manufacturing. The 1250-acre mega site is divided into an 850-acre North Campus that can accommodate clean tech advanced manufacturers including up to three semiconductor chip fabs and a 400-acre South Campus ideal to attract new food, beverage, and warehouse/distribution development.

In 2012, Schumer successfully advocated on behalf of STAMP by calling on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide necessary wetlands permit assurances so that STAMP's developers could proceed with developing the site. In 2017 Schumer helped secure Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval of Empire Pipeline Inc.’s revised and extended PILOT agreement with Genesee County, the proceeds of which were needed to finance new water infrastructure at STAMP.

*STAMP -- Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park

Press release:

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

The 2020 racing season got underway at Batavia downs on Wednesday (July 29) with owners only on hand to watch the action. But absent a crowd and the usual fanfare, the horses showed up and took full advantage of a lightning-fast track.

A pair of $10,000 Open events headlined the card and the winner of each took a new seasonal mark for their efforts.

In the Open I trot, Il Mago (Jim Morrill Jr.) proved he was the best on the grounds this week after making every step from gate to wire a winning one.

Morrill shot Il Mago off the gate and to the front and the race could have been called at that point. Trotting like a loose horse on the point, Il Mago went quarters of :28.1, :57.1 and 1:26 flat, while extending his lead at each station. With only Chuckabuck (Drew Monti) remotely close, Il Mago was up by 3-1/2 at the top of the stretch and rolled home in front by 4-1/4 in 1:56.3.

It was the third win in the last four starts at three different tracks for the classy Il Mago ($2.80) who now has 49 career wins and $869,373 in earnings. The son of Kadabra-Northern Style is owned by Mike Torcello and trained by Gerry Sarama.

The fillies and mare Open I was also contested Wednesday and Julio’s Girl (Dave McNeight III) upset the apple cart for the second straight week.

HP Sissy ( Jim Morrill Jr.) left best and Lady London (Ray Fisher Jr.) followed while the rest of the field followed in post position order. After HP Sissy got to the half in :56.3, McNeight pulled Julio’s Girl first over entering the third turn and started the outside grind toward the leader. After a quarter-mile in the breeze, Julio’s Girl got even with HP Sissy at the top of the stretch and then paced clear down the lane to win by a length in 1:54.2, holding off a late rush from Protect Blue Chip (Billy Davis Jr.) and Gia’s Surreal (John Cummings Jr.) in the process.

After returning $33.60 in victory last week, Julio’s Girl blew up the tote board again in her seventh win of the year and rewarded her backers with $35.20 this week at Batavia. Julio’s Girl is owned by William Emmons and is trained by Jim Clouser Jr.

Jim Morrill Jr. had the hot hand in the bike on opening night, scoring a grand slam during the evening. Besides the already mentioned Il Mago, Morrill also won with Lyra (1:55.2, $4.90), Leaderofthepack (1:59.4, $4) and Edom Up Blue Boy (1:58.4, $2.30).

Dave McNeight III and Billy Davis Jr. also had productive nights, getting three wins each on the card.

Trainers Gerry Sarama and Jim Clouser Jr. led all conditioners with two wins apiece.

Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Friday (July 31) with post time at 5 p.m.

St. Paul Lutheran School in Batavia held a COVID-distanced graduation for its three fifth-grade students on Saturday.

To this day, Zachariah and Danielle Young, of Darien Center, really don't know what happened to the remains of their stillborn daughter, Evangeline Elsie.

A photo of the document       Michael Tomaszewski reportedly produced showing
Zach Young authorized the 
cremation of his daughter.
Legally, we are told, a verbal
authorization is not permitted.

They have a box of ashes but the don't feel assured that the box contains the ashes of the little girl they still call Eva.

"The paperwork had the date that literally was a scribble on it," Zach said. "We have absolutely no answers as to when she was actually cremated."

The Youngs said they didn't want Eva cremated, at least not at the time the baby may have been cremated. And, as they remember, when Michael Tomaszewski Funeral and Cremation Chapel received the remains of the baby from Rochester Regional Hospital, he said he wouldn't do it.

As Zach remembers it, Tomaszewski, or "Tom," as they knew him, said "something doesn't look right" and so he agreed to hold onto the remains while the Youngs researched the circumstances of their daughter's death. 

The baby was born at UMMC. She had seemed healthy

just days before when doctors detected a strong heartbeat.

On Feb. 22, when Zach and Danielle arrived at the hospital,

the couple was told Eva's heart had stopped beating.

After hours of labor, Danielle gave birth to a lifeless body.

"It was devastating," Zach said.

"A mother knows their baby already before they're born," Danielle said. "A mother already has that bond. It's like having somebody rip that away and be careless with her remains is just insane. I don't understand it."

Genesee County Coronor Karen Lang confirmed that Eva was born Feb. 22 at UMMC and her body was sent to Rochester Regional for an autopsy. Eva's little body was then sent by courier to Tomaszewski. Tomaszewski has acknowledged receiving the body.

But what happened next is muddled by the funeral director's contradictory stories to the Youngs and to Lang.

On Thursday, the Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of Tomaszewski on about 200 charges. Most of the charges are related to allegations that he misappropriated fund families had prepaid for funeral services. He is also accused of failing to fulfill contracts to purchase headstones and gravesites.

What he hasn't been charged with yet -- and it's unclear if there will be charges -- is how he handled the remains of some deceased people. Chief Deputy Joseph Graff, Sheriff's Office, has confirmed, the department is looking into multiple reports of Tomaszewski mishandling the remains of people who died. The two cases Graff has confirmed involved a veteran who should have been interred at the Bath National Cemetary -- for free -- and the remains of Evangeline Elsie Young.

Lang said she became involved in the Young case after talking with the parents last November. At that point, she learned the Youngs still did not have the remains of Eva nor Eva's autopsy report. 

Both Tomaszewski and Rochester Regional Health were offered an opportunity to comment on this story. Neither responded with a comment.

Tomaszewski has provided both the Youngs and Lang with multiple stories about what happened with Eva's remains. He told the Youngs in June that he hadn't delivered the remains to the crematorium and then a short time later said she had been cremated.  

In November, he told Coroner Jeff McIntyre, who was assisting Lang with the case while she was on vacation, that he cremated Eva when he first received the remains; however, Tomaszewski couldn't produce documentation. He later told Lang he cremated the baby in June.

Most people don't understand, Lang said, that most funeral homes don't have the facilities to store the remains of deceased people for long periods of time.

When Lang asked Tomaszewski, who also operates a catering facility, what he did with Eva's body from February until June, Lang said Tomaszewski told her that he kept the body in a cooler in his prep room.

Tomaszewski eventually produced documentation on the cremation of Eva but neither of the Youngs signed it -- which Lang said is required by law.  Instead, the document says the Youngs gave permission over the phone for the cremation. 

Based on their conversation with county officials -- which includes an interview the Sheriff's Office -- the Youngs suspect the box of ashes they received is too light to contain the remains of a once nine-pound baby. So they feel in limbo. Their church -- High Point in Pembroke -- held a service  for Eva but they didn't have her ashes then and they don't know if what they have now are really her ashes.

They would just like answers.

"I think to make it up, he would have to really admit to his wrongs and not just for me, but for a lot of people," Danielle said. "Losing somebody as it is, is something traumatic to have to deal with. And for us to trust you with our dead loved one..."

"It would be nice to at least know what happened because we got three different stories from him," Zach interjected.

"We don't really have answers," Danielle said. "To be honest -- to be honest with anybody -- would be good. The trauma of losing our daughter was bad enough and then to have to worry about her remains -- that wasn't professional."

Previously:

• Local funeral director charged with stealing money from customers
• Sheriff's Office looking into report that Tomaszewski improperly handled stillborn baby's remains

(Initial Post)

UPDATE: The driver has been identified as John W. Schoonover, 59, of Boyd Road, Pavilion.  The accident report indicates he lost consciousness while driving causing his vehicle to veer off of westbound Route 5, into the eastbound lane, striking an earth embankment on the south shoulder before striking the parked vehicle. Schoonover is at Strong Memorial Hospital and listed in satisfactory condition.

In the age of COVID, when many indoor activities are curtailed and we're supposed to keep our distance outside, Debra Webster decided she could use the park-like area behind her business, Dave's Ice Cream, on West Main Street, as a place to give people something to do.

This week, she kicked off a summer concert series featuring Austin Wahl, a guitar performance student at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester.

Webster plans free concerts from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday nights during the summer.

Soon-to-be "former" County Manager Jay Gsell attended his last Legislature meeting in that role on Wednesday and was honored with a commendation from the members of the body.

Gsell retires at the end of the month after 27 years on the job.

Here is the text of commendation:

WHEREAS, Jay A. Gsell has dutifully served Genesee County for twenty-six years and three hundred and sixty-four days as County Manager beginning August 15, 1993, when his appointment became effective; And  

WHEREAS, Immediately upon his appointment, Jay applied his education and vast municipal experience to his position of county manager while immersing himself in the Genesee County community; And

WHEREAS, Jay has brought passion and energy, a positive “can-do” attitude and undying enthusiasm to the County where he served as a beacon during socially, economically, and personally challenging times; And

WHEREAS, Jay maintained a healthy respect for the delicate balance of providing quality affordable services while adhering to ever-expanding state mandates while working for thirty nine different legislators and six different legislative chairs: And

WHEREAS, During his tenure as county manager several magnanimous projects were completed; construction of a new court facility, county-wide water project, upgrades, and enhancements to the County Airport, forty-year sales tax agreement, as well as shared services initiatives, enhanced relationships with businesses and schools to name a few, and

WHEREAS, Through his unwavering commitment to community, Jay has deservedly received awards and recognition for his participation and service from the Chamber of Commerce, GCASA, United Way, HomeCare & Hospice, Rotary Club of Batavia, Leadership Genesee and YMCA, Now, Therefore Be It

RESOLVED, The Genesee County Legislature does hereby pause in its deliberations to honor and congratulate Jay A. Gsell upon the occasion of his retirement and Be it further,

RESOLVED, That heartfelt wishes are extended to Jay and his wife, Ann Marie for a retirement abundant with good health and happiness for many years to come.

With a grant from GO ART! the Elba Betterment Committee host live music in the village park featuring the Jimmie Leggs Trio.

The YWCA in Batavia held a vigil on Wednesday at its North Street location to rally against racism. Featured speakers included Rev. Shiela Campbell McCullough and local businessman Brandon Armstrong.

People have been using the Ellicott Trail -- especially since COVID-19 hit -- for months but yesterday was the official opening of the 9.7-mile bike and walking route that snakes through the city and down from Williams Park to Seven Springs Road.

The project cost $1.7 million, mostly funded by grants, with the city and town picking up 10 percent of the cost.

Thank you to Dean Brooks for the drone footage used in the video.

Click here to a PDF map of the trail.

A driver of a Waste Management truck that police believe was 13' 6" high, including its natural gas fuel tanks atop its waste bin, tried passing under a train bridge over Mill Street in Le Roy this afternoon.

The problem: the bridge is only 12' 6" high.

Two of the tanks atop the truck carrying compressed natural gas, to fuel the truck, exploded. The other two were damaged and leaked off their contents.

Nobody was injured in the blast.

A witness said the driver managed to get out of the truck and run from the explosions while a tank spun in the street "like a top."

One of the tanks landed in two pieces in the Oatka Creek, more than 150 yards away.

Mill Street reopened after the roadway was cleared of debris. The bridge was damaged, with a large crack visible in the concrete buttress. An engineer for Rochester and Southern Railroad, owners of the track and bridge, is driving from Massachusetts tonight to inspect the damage and determine whether the bride is safe for trains to cross. In the meantime, the bridge is closed to train traffic.

On Saturday, we paid a visit to the Farmers Market in Le Roy in part to catch up with what's been going with the Woodward Memorial Library as well as check in on the market. The market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon in Trigon Park.