John F. Converse, age 93, of LaFave Road, Watertown, New York passed away peacefully at his home on August 1, 2021. John was born on March 2, 1928 in Winthrop, New York to Harry Orban Converse and Anna OâLeary Converse.
John served in the United States Navy as a Seaman First Class during World War II, assigned to the USS TARAWA (CV 40), an aircraft carrier supporting the war efforts as part of the Pacific fleet. He later met and married Jeanne Marie Ouellette on September 2,1950 at Holy Family Church in Watertown with Reverend McCarthy presiding. They had been married for nearly 65 years when Jeanne passed away in April of 2015.
Charlene Grunertâs latest attempt to summon something miraculous involves a classified advertisement.
âJust barely getting by, month-to-month, looking for a miracle,â Charlene wrote in the ad she placed in the Watertown Daily Times.
Desperate and losing hope, she purchased the classified ad hoping for divine intervention in saving the barns that have been in her family for about a century. Sheâs lived on the property, once an active dairy farm and horse stable a few miles outside the city of Watertown on State Route 283, for several years.
The spirit of her grandparents and mother still roam the old farm and Charlene occasionally is lucky enough to harvest a special memory about them. She told me about one when staff photographer Kara Dry and I visited her last week.
Small-scale solar projects are on hold in the Town of Batavia until municipal officials, working with a paid consulting firm, can find the right ingredients to ensure a fair and effective solar ordinance.
Town Building Inspector Dan Lang took some time out of his busy day Tuesday to update
The Batavian on the status of the new code, which he hopes will be drafted and approved over the next few months. In January, the town placed a moratorium on solar farms without establishing an end date.
“We’re putting out bids for a consultant and want to make sure it is the right fit for the town and matches up with our comprehensive plan,” Lang said. “We want to remain solar-friendly but we also want to make sure that we’re putting them in the right areas.”