Get the biggest news first with Early Access Pass from The Batavian.

To sign up for Early Access Pass and support local news gathering, click here.

The Batavian has been my go-to source for local news.  I can find up-to-the-minute news and find it quite helpful. Even my out-of-state children use it to keep up with what is going on. This is a great spot for what's happening around town.

-- Jeanne Penepent

Our local community matters. While people get excited about national news stories, the truth is we have very little impact on the national stage. What’s more valuable is to know what’s happening here in Genesee County, where we have a real impact, but the first step is staying informed. That’s why I’m proud to support the exceptional reporting of The Batavian with a yearly Early Access subscription.  
-- Sarah Kohl

I have always loved reading The Batavian and appreciate that the site is timely and keeps us up-to-date, particularly during the blizzard this past December. The photography is exceptional, and I especially love seeing school and arts events showcased. Upon returning home from my colleague’s retirement concert Tuesday night, I was excited to see a photo and story already posted! I am enjoying my Early Access Pass to local news and events.  
-- Melzie Case 

For years, I have read the Batavian every morning.  It has allowed me to keep up with local events and happenings.  The new charge is minimal for unbiased reporting, which is difficult to find in this day of polarization.  Thank you, Howard, for all you do and best wishes for continued success.  
-- Lorri Goergen

We especially loved the handwritten card and note we received from Kay Lennon:

Dear Howard & Team: Thank you for The Batavian "tote."  It is "super!" I will be waiting to see who is the first person to ask, "Where did you get The Batavian Tote!"  You can be sure I will smile.

To get your free reusable tote from The Batavian and join your friends and neighbors who are signing up daily to support The Batavian, click here.

What is Early Access Pass?
Early Access Pass is an innovative program asking readers to help provide financial support for the gathering and reporting of local news. Rather than wall off everything, The Batavian publishes select stories that are initially available only to those who have joined Early Access Pass.  For the first four hours after a story is published, only readers who have joined Early Access Pass will have access to those select stories.  Readers who join Early Access will get instant access to originally reported, bylined stories by The Batavian. Those who don’t join will need to wait four hours after publication to read those stories.

What do I get if I sign up for Early Access Pass?
You get instant access to all of the original, by-lined reporting of The Batavian while everybody waits to join will wait to get all of the news. And, currently, we’ll send you a free reusable tote bag.

What do I get if I DON'T sign up for Early Access Pass?
You can still read all of the press releases we post as soon as they're published.  Scanner reports will not require a pass.  Community events we cover as primarily photo coverage will most likely not require a pass.  There will be the other certain news items -- ones that didn't require a lot of reporting time -- that will not require a pass. And, of course, every story that did require a pass will no longer require a pass four hours after publication.  In other words, you still get everything we publish for free, though on a few items, you will need to wait to access it.

I think news should be free!
Actually, news still is free on The Batavian.  We’re offering you a choice: Join Early Access and get instant access or wait to join and then wait to read important news about the community for free later.  All stories are still free to read, but some will require an Early Access Pass to read immediately. 

Why are you asking me to pay you to read the news?
As stated above, we're not asking you to pay for news. We’re offering you a choice -- pay for instant access or wait and read it for free later. That said, gathering and reporting news is time-consuming, and time equals money, which means hiring reporters, which is expensive. For most of the first 15 years of The Batavian, Howard Owens gathered and wrote nearly all the news on the site. That required him to work 10, 12, 14, 16 hours a day.  Often, he still works those long hours.  It’s taken a toll on his health and given him very little free time.  He can no longer keep working at that pace.  The Batavian is asking readers to support The Batavian so its news staff can be expanded.

Isn’t this just a cash grab, pure greed?
As stated above, the founder and owner of The Batavian has been working 10 to 16 hours a day for most of the past 15 years.  He can’t continue at that pace.  This isn’t about generating more profit. It’s about asking the readers for help so The Batavian can hire more staff writers. 

Why should I pay The Batavian when I get my news elsewhere for free?
You can’t get most of what The Batavian reports elsewhere.  There are only two news organizations covering Genesee County that do any sort of in-depth reporting, and both now ask for readers to financially support their news-gathering efforts.  And that other publication doesn’t report nearly as much news about Genesee County as The Batavian. Also, The Batavian frequently reports news stories long before that other publication gets to them, if they ever do.  And of those two news organizations, The Batavian charges less on either a monthly basis or an annual basis.

Can’t I just get all my news off of social media?
In brief: no, you can’t. Social media is a poor substitute for an actual news-gathering operation.  The way the algorithms work, you can’t trust that everything that might be important to you will come to your attention or in a timely manner.  And how do you know what you’re reading on social media is accurate?  Who is the person providing you the information? What is the person’s agenda?  A lot of local governments now post information about what they’re doing on social media, but who is asking questions about the accuracy and context of that information?  What social media company is sending reporters to small town meetings to find out what’s really going on, to ask questions, to make public document requests, to hold appointed and elected officials accountable? These are the functions of journalists, and journalists, like any other worker, need to be paid to do their jobs. Twice in the past month (as of May 2023), reporters for The Batavian have reminded elected officials that they were about to enter secret meetings that violated the state's open meetings law.  In both cases, the elected officials agreed to hold their discussion in open session. It takes engaged, knowledgeable, professional reporters to hold public officials accountable.

Why is local news so important that I should pay to support it?
Without local reporters, there is nobody to hold local government officials accountable, to ensure they’re serving the public interest.  In communities without much, if any, local news, small-town governments have been shown to slip into incompetence, if not outright corruption. And it’s not that local government officials are bad people. It’s just without a watchdog, it’s easy for anybody to fall into bad habits.  Further, local news reporters do more than hold officials accountable. They also report on the accomplishments of our children. They spread the news about the good deeds of charities and civic organizations. And by spreading all of the information about a community, they help bind a community together, which is essential to a community’s health and financial well-being.

I’m not convinced. I still don’t think I should pay for local news.
Well, like we said, you don’t have to.  You can wait the four hours to read a story that might interest you.  That said, if readers won’t support local news, someday there will be no local news. Howard Owens, the owner of The Batavian, is going to retire or die someday.  As things stand, it’s doubtful The Batavian could continue under a new owner.  It would just shut down.  And the other big news operation in town relies heavily on its print subscribers to stay in business. All across the country, the declining value of print subscribers can be found in obituary columns.  The death of print news in small towns is inevitable.  So, if readers won’t support digital news, someday there will be no local news.

How do I join if I don’t want to use a credit card?
You can send a check for $80 to:

            The Batavian 
            P.O. Box 632
            Batavia, NY 14021

To join Early Access Pass online, click here.

Below is a list of the bylined stories The Batavian published over the past week ahead of any other news outlet, and, again, in many cases, The Batavian was the only news source to bring you these stories.

The Batavian's dedication to bringing you the most local news first is a good reason you should sign up today for Early Access Pass.  News coverage is a lot of work, and in order to continue to stay on top of it, we are asking for reader support through Early Access Pass.

• School budget votes are Tuesday: propositions and hours for Genesee County, by Joanne Beck
• Want some water fun in Batavia? Just rent it, county legislators say, by Joanne Beck
• Accident reported at Richmond and Oak, Batavia, with minor injuries, by Howard Owens
• Grand Jury Report: Man accused of possessing illegal AR-15 pistol in Le Roy, by Howard Owens
• Barn fire in Darien contained but volunteer firefighter 'crisis' continues says Yaeger, by Howard Owens
• Longtime Batavia music teacher delivers final concert Tuesday, by Joanne Beck
• Countywide school district budget and election results for 2023, by Howard Owens and Joanne Beck
• Theater owner promises live comedy and music in lieu of movies at The Bowery, by Joanne Beck
• New business lets you Take 5 for oil change without leaving your car, by Joanne Beck
• County Republicans to interview pair interested in filling WROTB board of directors post, by Mike Pettinella
• WROTB President seeks to put issues in rearview mirror, praises employees for achieving record revenues, by Mike Pettinella
• Judge rules against Scott Doll in latest appeal of 2010 murder conviction, by Howard Owens
• BREAKING: Genesee County issues emergency declaration banning NYS from moving migrants to county, by Joanne Beck and Howard Owens
• State of Emergency declared to stop immigrants from landing on county's doorstep, by Joanne Beck
• New owners plan family-oriented cafe and play center in Darien, by Chris Butler
• Mortgage tax refunds of nearly $470K expected to be doled out to municipalities, by Joanne Beck
• GCC president pitches $37.3M budget, $50K additional ask from county, by Joanne Beck
• Photo: 4th graders from St. Joe's tour HLOM and International Peace Garden, by Howard Owens
• Zooming in for a 'total' grasp on 2024's eclipse, by Joanne Beck
• Spartans set for tough test at Watertown, looking toward June 17 home opener at GCC's new field, by Mike Pettinella
• Batavia's last champion boxer, Tim Edgerton, dies at age 62, by Howard Owens

Please be sure to sign up for Early Access Pass today.

Early Access Pass is your ticket to staying on top of all of the latest local news!

Sign up today and get your free tote! Click here.

The Batavian brings you more local news coverage than any other news source in Genesee County.  Here are the stories we reported before the competition in the past week.

Here are 23 reasons to sign up today for Early Access Pass. 

• Photos: GCC's 42nd fashion show highlights style trends from the 20s to today,  By Nick Serreta
• Laughs and smiles at 10th Derby Day also serves a worthwhile cause, by Howard Owens
  Residents are invited to learn about BCSD's $58.9M budget before vote, by Joanne Beck
• One woman's dream comes true as first one chosen for Ellicott Station, by Joanne Beck
• City Council holds town to wastewater limits, warns of penalties, by Joanne Beck
• GCEDC mum on whether Genesee County was in running for new Coca-Cola dairy processing plant, by Howard Owens
• Photos: Crews laying asphalt in Court Street parking lot, by Howard Owens
• BCSD superintendent sends letter to families regarding false bomb threat, by Joanne Beck
• Elba photographer's passion on display for Mother's Day craft show, by Joanne Beck
• Genesee Chorale presents Across the Vast Eternal Sky in Batavia and Le Roy in May, by Howard Owens
• 'More can always be done' to combat threats, superintendent says, by Joanne Beck
• Crews rip off Band-Aid, get to work on $200K parking lot project downtown, By Joanne Beck
• BSA's annual Spring Show dazzles at Richmond Memorial Library, by Howard Owens
• Curious about the value of that curio? Appraisals on Main is May 20, by Joanne Beck
• GCEDC's Hyde drops hints in remarks to regional economic team of new projects coming, by Howard Owens
• Photos: Light pole repair in School Street parking lot, by Howard Owens
• Photo: Fire hydrant flushing on Ellicott Street, Batavia, by Howard Owens
• Finally, it looks like Jackson Square's redesign is a keeper, by Joanne Beck
• Developer promises upscale, market-rate apartments for complex next to GCC, by Howard Owens
• Get your skates ready for some Friday night fun at The McCarthy, by Joanne Beck
• Batavia man accused of predatory sexual abuse against a child, by Howard Owens
• Food drive by postal carriers collects bounty for local charities, by Howard Owens
• Biogas plant on the drawing board for ag park since 2014 reemerges in planning process, by Howard Owens

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