Wednesday News Brief

BATAVIA CONSIDERS CHANGES TO OVERNIGHT PARKING PERMIT FEES

Batavia officials are looking at changing the city’s overnight parking permit system after a downtown couple raised concerns about paying a full-year rate for only a few months of use.
Scott and Marissa Way recently moved into the City View apartments downtown. Because the city charges 150 dollars per vehicle for overnight parking, the couple paid 300 dollars for permits covering the remainder of 2026 — and would face another 300-dollar charge when permits reset in January.
Marissa Way told City Council the policy creates an unfair burden for residents who move downtown late in the year.
City Manager Rachael Tabelski says staff are now reviewing a possible six-month option that would reduce the cost for people purchasing permits after August.
Council President Eugene Jankowski Junior said the current setup does not make sense for residents paying a full-year fee for only a short period.
Councilwoman Kathy Briggs also questioned whether overnight parking should carry a fee at all.
Tabelski says the money helps cover maintenance and snow removal costs.

THREE ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGED DRUG-FILLED GETAWAY IN BATAVIA

Three people are facing felony drug charges after Batavia Police say a suspicious vehicle call turned into a brief escape attempt.
Officers were called to East Main Street late October 11th and allegedly spotted narcotics inside a vehicle as they approached. Police say the driver then took off while officers were trying to remove the occupants.
The vehicle was found a short time later near Margaret Place after a resident reported several people attempting to get into another vehicle in a driveway.
Police arrested 32-year-old Germayne Session, 46-year-old Roxcie Teal and 38-year-old Melvin Lloyd without further incident. Investigators say they recovered a large quantity of narcotics along with drug paraphernalia.
All three were charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree use of drug paraphernalia.
Police say Session and Lloyd were both on parole at the time of their arrests.
All three were sent to the Genesee County Jail pending arraignment.
All charges are allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

HALLOWEEN FUN RETURNS TO BATAVIA DOWNS THURSDAY

Batavia Downs will kick off Halloween weekend Thursday with its second annual Trick or Treat at the Track.
Beginning at 4 p.m., children 13 and under can visit five themed candy stops throughout the racing areas while wearing costumes.
Kids will also be able to take part in Halloween coloring activities, meet outrider horse Tiko after the first race and compete in a costume contest following race two.
The event will run alongside live racing, with prizes for costume contest winners.
Anyone under 18 must remain off the gaming floor.

BATAVIA COUNCILWOMAN TAMMY SCHMIDT TO STEP DOWN NOVEMBER 1ST

Batavia’s Sixth Ward will soon have a new representative after Councilwoman Tammy Schmidt announced her resignation.
Schmidt says she is leaving City Council for personal reasons, effective November 1st. She has served since late 2021 and was elected to her current four-year term beginning in 2024.
Council President Eugene Jankowski Junior says the vacancy will be handled under the city charter.
Council will temporarily appoint a replacement from the same political party and ward until the seat can be filled through the election process.

RECORDS RAISE QUESTIONS OVER ICE DETENTION OF FLORIDA-BORN MAN

An Associated Press investigation has found substantial evidence that Immigration and Customs Enforcement may have spent nearly ten months detaining a U.S. citizen for deportation.
Thirty-nine-year-old Phillip James has repeatedly claimed he was born in Jamaica, but medical experts say those statements are tied to a diagnosed delusional disorder. Jamaican officials say they have no record of his birth or citizenship there.
Meanwhile, a Florida birth certificate, a 1988 court record and records showing James held a U.S. passport for 15 years all support his family’s claim that he was born in Florida.
The Department of Homeland Security disputes his citizenship and says his birth certificate was fraudulent, but has not publicly provided evidence supporting that claim.
James remains in custody in Indiana while his attorneys appeal a deportation order and seek his release in federal court.

DNA EVIDENCE LINKS TED BUNDY TO ANOTHER 1974 KILLING

More than five decades after a Utah teenager was murdered, investigators say DNA evidence has finally identified serial killer Ted Bundy as responsible.
Authorities announced Tuesday that genetic evidence connected Bundy to the 1974 death of 17-year-old Melissa Ann Smith.
Smith’s body was found by a hunter after she disappeared in Utah. Investigators recently compared evidence preserved from her autopsy with DNA tied to another Bundy victim and found a highly similar male profile.
Bundy, who was executed in Florida in 1989, confessed to numerous murders before his death and is known to have killed at least 30 women and girls during the 1970s.
Officials say the breakthrough shows why preserving evidence from unsolved cases remains critical as forensic technology improves.
Smith’s surviving relatives have been notified of the findings.