Friday News Brief

Albany Man Faces New Rape Charge; Batavia Woman Arrested in Fentanyl Case

An Albany man previously convicted of child rape is facing a newly reported rape charge in Genesee County.
Leonard Hahn IV, 26, of Walnut Street in Albany, was arrested Jan. 29 and arraigned in Genesee County Court. Prosecutors say the alleged rape occurred in the Town of Alabama during the summer of 2014. Hahn is charged with rape in the 1st degree.
Bail was set at $100,000 cash, a $200,000 insurance bond, or a $300,000 partially secured bond. Hahn is scheduled to return to court Feb. 18 at 2 p.m.
In a separate case, Genesee County Drug Task Force agents arrested a Batavia woman after allegedly finding 122 bags of fentanyl during a traffic stop.
Investigators say Danielle Case, 44, had been under investigation for about 6 months for suspected fentanyl sales. Agents stopped her while she was delivering groceries from an online order. Case faces multiple felony drug sale and possession charges and was released under supervision following arraignment.

Batavia Brew Fest returns Saturday

The 7th annual Batavia Brew Fest is happening tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 7, at Batavia Downs Gaming and Hotel.
The event runs from 4:30 to 7 p.m. inside the Park Place Event Center and features tastings from a wide range of local and regional breweries, along with spirits and specialty beverages.
General admission tickets are $30 and include a $20 free play voucher, redeemable at the Player’s Club. Hotel packages are sold out, but individual tickets are still available online at BataviaConcerts.com and at the Lucky Treasures Gift Shop.
The event is 21 and over, and valid ID is required at the door.

Bitcoin continues sharp slide

Bitcoin fell again Thursday, dropping about 11 percent to roughly $67,000, extending a months-long decline that has erased gains made after President Donald Trump’s reelection.
The cryptocurrency is now worth less than it was when Trump began his second term. Bitcoin has lost nearly half its value since early October, when it hit a record high above $126,000. By mid-afternoon, it was trading near $66,300.
Analysts point to investors pulling money out of riskier assets, along with uncertainty over cryptocurrency regulation in Washington, despite expectations of a crypto-friendly administration.
The sell-off hit crypto-related stocks hard. Coinbase fell more than 9 percent, Robinhood dropped over 8 percent, and bitcoin miner Riot Platforms slid 10 percent. Strategy, the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, fell 13 percent, with its holdings now worth billions less than what the company paid.
Several Trump-linked crypto ventures also declined, including American Bitcoin and the $TRUMP meme coin, both now trading far below their earlier highs.

Edwards Vacuum facility in Genesee County nearing completion

A major piece of Upstate New York’s so-called semiconductor superhighway is close to coming online.
The Edwards Vacuum facility under construction in the Town of Alabama is expected to be operational by April 1. The $300 million project will manufacture dry-pump vacuum technology, a critical component in semiconductor and computer chip production.
The facility is designed to support large-scale chipmakers like Micron, which recently broke ground on its new semiconductor campus in Clay. Once fully up and running, the Alabama plant is expected to employ more than 300 workers.
“Obviously, their investment was significant for us in Genesee County,” said Mark Masse, president and CEO of the Genesee County Economic Development Center. “The assessed value of this project has essentially doubled the assessed value of the Town of Alabama, which tells you how impactful it is.”
Masse added that the project is a key reason the STAMP industrial site was developed and is already reshaping the local economy.
The Edwards Vacuum plant will be the first facility in the United States dedicated exclusively to producing dry-pump vacuum components for the semiconductor industry.

Leadership Genesee kicks off new class with opening retreat

Leadership Genesee welcomed a new class of 31 participants during its opening retreat held Jan. 28 and 29.
Director Peggy Marone said the program is entering its next chapter after celebrating its 25th anniversary last year, bringing the total number of Leadership Genesee alumni to 656. She said the new class represents organizations and individuals working together to help Genesee County grow.
Several organizations are participating for the first time, including Pavilion Central School District, Genesee ACE Employment/Restoration Society, ESL Federal Credit Union, Eagle Star Housing, Wight Aero & Machine Works, and The Young Group.
Program officials said the class reflects a wide cross-section of the community, including education, finance, manufacturing, healthcare, nonprofits, and the public sector.
The retreat was sponsored by Leadership Genesee Alumni, hosted at Grace Baptist Church, and facilitated by Marone along with program alumni.

U.S.-Russia nuclear arms treaty expires, raising fears of new arms race

The Kremlin said Thursday it regrets the expiration of the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States, while President Donald Trump said he opposes keeping its limits and wants a new deal.
The end of the New START treaty removes all caps on the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals for the first time in more than 50 years, heightening concerns about an unconstrained arms race. Russian officials said President Vladimir Putin had offered to continue observing the treaty’s limits temporarily if the U.S. agreed, but that proposal went unanswered.
Trump said the agreement was poorly negotiated and called instead for a new, modernized treaty that would also include China, an idea Beijing has rejected. China says its nuclear forces are far smaller and insists the U.S. and Russia should resume talks first.
Despite the treaty’s expiration, U.S. and Russian officials agreed to reestablish high-level military-to-military dialogue, offering a limited channel for communication as broader arms control efforts remain stalled.

Le Roy rallies past Batavia in overtime; Notre Dame rolls past Wheatland-Chili

The Le Roy girls basketball team pulled off a big comeback Thursday night, rallying from a 15-point deficit to defeat Class A Batavia 56-51 in overtime at home.
Batavia led 23-14 at halftime and 40-25 after three, but Le Roy stormed back by outscoring the Blue Devils 22-7 late to force overtime. Bailey Caton was clutch down the stretch, hitting 2 key 3-pointers and knocking down free throws in OT. She finished with a game-high 23 points. Kylie Wilson added 12 as Le Roy improved to 9-9.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame cruised to a 63-25 win over Wheatland-Chili behind a balanced team effort. Sofia Falleti led the Irish with 11 points, while five other players scored 7 or more. Notre Dame improves to 11-4 and hosts Alexander Saturday morning.