Thursday News Brief

Local Students Graduate from Genesee County Youth Bureau

Eight local high school students have graduated from the Genesee County Youth Bureau’s Youth Lead Program, an eight-month leadership initiative that wrapped up on Wednesday, May 14th.
The program provides hands-on experiences focused on leadership, community service, and local government. This year’s graduates are:
Elle Bentley and Lucia Longoria from Elba,
Preslee Blecha, Kennedy Lear, and Zachary Thorne from Alexander,
Jenavieve Gang from Oakfield-Alabama,
and Lyla Jones and Carolyn Wujcik from LeRoy.
Over the past several months, students explored leadership, business, criminal justice, arts and culture, and emergency preparedness. Highlights included a tour of the new Genesee County Jail, making holiday cards for local seniors, a Jamaican culture presentation by GOART!, and a fire safety demo with Gary Patnode.

Presentation at HLOM

Happening this morning — the Holland Land Office Museum is hosting its latest Java with Joe presentation at 9 a.m.
Richard Beatty will speak on “Dr. Seuss Goes to War,” highlighting the wartime political cartoons created by Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, during World War II.
Admission is free, and coffee and donuts will be served, courtesy of Tim Horton’s of Batavia.
The museum is located at 131 West Main Street in Batavia.

Buffalo Bills Get Hard Knocks Nod

For the first time ever, the Buffalo Bills will be featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks, the NFL’s annual behind-the-scenes documentary series.
The show will follow the team through training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, with the first episode debuting August 5 at 9 p.m., and new episodes airing each Tuesday through September 2.
This season will be the Bills’ last at their longtime stadium before moving to the new Highmark Stadium in 2026.
The team’s only home preseason game is set for August 9 against the Giants, and the regular season kicks off September 7 when the Bills host the Ravens on Sunday Night Football.

Softball Sectionals

The Section V Girls Softball Sectional schedule is out, and Genesee County teams are gearing up for first-round action later this week.
In Class A, Batavia earned the 10 seed and will hit the road to face 7 seed Geneva on Friday.
Class B2 games get underway Thursday—Attica is the 8 seed and will host 9 seed Marcus Whitman, while Le Roy secured the 4 seed and will host 5 seed Mynderse.
In Class C1, Pembroke lands the 8 seed and will host 9 seed Letchworth. Byron-Bergen drew the 12 seed and travels to face 5 seed Sodus—those games are Friday.
In Class C2, Oakfield-Alabama is the 2 seed and will host 15 seed Eugenio Maria DeHostos, while Alexander earned the 7 seed and hosts 10 seed Clyde-Savannah.
And in Class D on Thursday, it’ll be an all-Genesee County matchup as 8 seed Notre Dame hosts 9 seed Pavilion, while Elba, the 10 seed, travels to take on 7 seed Arkport-Canaseraga.

Genesee County Health Department Warns Against Radon

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Department is urging local families to protect their homes and loved ones from radon gas, the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. Radon is an odorless, colorless radioactive gas that seeps into homes through cracks in foundations, walls, and pipes.
The only way to detect radon is by testing, and Genesee County residents can receive a free short-term test kit from the Health Department. Residents outside the county can find kits at hardware stores.
If your home tests at or above the EPA’s action level of 4.0 picocuries per liter, a radon mitigation system is strongly recommended. Local grant funding may be available to qualifying homes in the GLOW region—contact the Genesee County Health Department for details.
Experts recommend retesting your home every two years or after renovations, sealing foundation cracks, and improving ventilation to reduce risk.
Learn more at GOHealthNY.org or visit the NYS Department of Health website. Radon awareness saves lives.

Music at the Downs

Get ready for a night of great music and good vibes—the Zac Brown Tribute Band hits the stage tonight at 7 p.m. at Batavia Downs! Doors open at 6:30. Enjoy a full set of country and rock favorites while sipping on brews with your crew.
General admission is $15, and you’ll get $10 back in Free Play. Standing room only, with ADA seating available online. Don’t miss it—tickets are still on sale!

Byron-Bergen Science Team

The Byron-Bergen Science Olympiad team wrapped up its season with a visit to local sponsor Liberty Pumps on May 9, marking the third year of this end-of-season tradition. The team has shown steady progress since its founding in 2022, earning eight medals at this year’s Regional Competition in Pittsford, including a first-place finish in Dynamic Planet—a first in team history.
Competing as the smallest public school in the region, the team also medaled in Tower Construction, Mission Possible, and Road Scholar. Their Tower Construction entry received applause for holding the maximum 15 kg load.
CFO Dennis Burke gave the team a tour and praised their hard work. The team includes 13 members from grades six through eight and continues to grow, welcoming students ready to take on hands-on STEM challenges.

Baseball Sectionals

The Section V Boys Baseball Sectional schedule is out, with first-round games Thursday for Classes A, B, and D, and Friday for Class C.
In Class A, Batavia is the 9 seed and travels to 8 seed Aquinas.
Class B features an all-Genesee County matchup as 15 seed Attica heads to 2 seed Le Roy.
In Class C1, Pembroke earned the 2 seed and will host 15 seed Red Creek, Pavilion/York is the 5 seed and hosts 12 seed Letchworth, Notre Dame is the 6 seed and hosts 11 seed South Seneca, while Byron-Bergen travels as the 9 seed to 8 seed Williamson.
Class C2 has Oakfield-Alabama as the 5 seed hosting 12 seed Campbell-Savona, and Alexander as the 13 seed traveling to 4 seed Honeoye.
In Class D, Elba is the 3 seed and will host 14 seed Mount Morris.