That's right folks, it's time to play everybody's favorite audio clip guessing game: Name that Wintertime Sound... Simply click on the link to open the audio file in another window. Please give it a minute to load before pressing play or else the sound will be choppy.

Here's a clue: It's not Tito Puente.

Time for an update with a photo clue. This should give it away. Thanks for playing!

James A. Dean, 51, of Bethany, was charged with driving while intoxicated Tuesday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Dean was stopped on Route 63 in the town of Batavia for allegedly driving "in an intoxicated manner."

Heather L. Robinson, 36, of Stafford, was charged with driving while intoxicated early this morning, deputies said. Robinson was stopped on Buckley Road in the town of Stafford after she allegedly failed to stop for the stop sign at the intersection of Buckley Road and Route 5.

 Batavia wrestling coach Rick Stewart figured the school uniforms were coming for state competition. But he thinks the possible $300 charge for Empire State Games participants is going to kill the event.

"It is what it is, but I think there must be another way the state can raise money," Stewart said. "As a coach, if my kid were to make Empires, and it cost $300 to get uniforms and stuff when it was free before, I would still encourage him to do it."

Stewart agrees with most that the hefty cost will deter many athletes from even trying out for the games, but has a good idea on how to keep the numbers up for the scholastic grapplers.

" There is an adult (open) and kids (scholastic) competition," Stewart said. "I would be more than willing to say that the state should furnish the kids, but once you are an adult and have your own job and make money, you can pay to participate - split it in half rather than everybody paying for it. When you are an adult, it is a hobby for you."

As far as schools wearing their own singlets for the state competition and the possibility of having just one champion, Stewart believes New York State is the only one that still has team uniforms for each section - and that small school wrestlers can compete with the big schools.

"Back when I was in school, that's how it was," Stewart said of having a single state champion in each weight class. "I don't think it makes that big of a deal in wrestling. It makes all the difference in the world, but it matters in dual meets. A school like Spencerport or Fairport has twice the number of kids to fill their weight classes."

The Blue Devils are 14-5 and have several potential sectional champions that could contend for a state title.

As most of you are already aware, Gov. David Paterson pronounced his State of the State address from Albany yesterday. One message that came through loud and clear throughout the address and especially at its conclusion was that of sacrifice.

Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle picked up this quote: "We will sacrifice what we want today in order to achieve what we need tomorrow," he told a joint session of the state Legislature. "We will make sacrifices, but they must be shared sacrifices."

Yesterday evening, Democrats from Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties issued a joint statement, summing up their thoughts and reflections following the address.

As we enter an era of uncertainty, Governor Paterson calls on all of us to work for the survival of our State with hope, courage and bi-partisan action. Speaking of "one state one future," the Governor recognized the need to revitalize every part of New York, including our region, by focusing on the need to strengthen our health care system, combat childhood obesity, make college affordable for all, improve local government efficiency, rebuild infrastructure, develop 21st century energy efficiency, create bio-tech jobs, increase tourism, and form a consortium on hybrid electric battery manufacturing. This speech was a call to the legislature and, ultimately, the people across the State, to recognize that these are very tough times, our problems need to be solved together, and every New Yorker needs to tighten his or her belt, confident in the hope of a better tomorrow.

We hope to hear more of your reactions to the State of the State throughout the day today.

Fresh snow and heavy, gusting winds made for some slippery travel this morning, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. A few area schools have been closed and Le Roy has delayed its start for two hours. Closings include: Attica, Alexander, Pavilion and Pembroke.

 I wanted to be the one to post this because I made a mistake, feel terrible and want to make sure people knew what is going on.

After attending a New Years Eve party at an old college friend's house and celebrating the New Year like many adults choose to, I woke up the next morning and headed back to Batavia.

I was involved in a pretty serious car wreck, and I still had alcohol in my system from the night before. I have been charged in the Town of Bergen and will be dealing with this issue in the near future.

I do not condone drinking and driving and I sincerely apologize for my mistake in judgement. I love this community and I want what is best, so I hope people learn from my mistake. 

I cannot go into any more detail, but I will after the legal process has been completed. 

Note: My statements are my own and should not be construed as representing any position or policies of my employer.

We've turned to our readers already a few times today. Why? Because we know that you make the best decisions when decisions need to be made. Earlier today, we sought your opinion on the future success of newly elected Congressman Chris Lee. Then we turned to you again to tell us what should be the first announcement on the new mall sign.

Now we turn to you again. Genesee Community College is looking for a few good men and women worthy of the college's honorary associate degree.

Genesee seeks individuals associated with the College who have achieved business, professional, civic and scholarly accomplishments, as well as made notable contributions to the College or to academic disciplines taught at the College. Recipients of honorary degrees are individuals whose accomplishments, contributions or leadership are well beyond ordinary standards, and serve as an inspiration to members of the College community and as role models for students and citizens of the region. Nominations are due by February 1, 2009. It is anticipated that one honorary award will be made at the May Commencement ceremonies.

We spoke with Genesee County Legislator Charles Zambito earlier today. Zambito accepted the honorary degree last year, posthumously, on behalf of his father, Anthony Zambito.

"Our family was very excited about it," said Zambito. "It was a great honor. My father was one of the original trustees and had been a trustee for about 30 years, until he got sick. He was very dedicated to the college."

Who should be next?

Click here to download the nomination form.

Click here to download the honorary degree guidelines.

The completed forms should be submitted by February 1, 2009 to: Cathy Costello, Executive Assistant to the President and Secretary to the Board of Trustees, Genesee Community College, One College Road, Batavia, NY 14020. For further information, please call Cathy at 585-345-6812 or email: cecostello@genesee.edu.

 There was a conference call this morning between the leaders of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, and there could be some very bad changes coming in the near future for New York State athletics.

 NYSPHSAA President began the meeting by asking members of different sections for suggestions as the state is having financial problems, like the Empire State Games, which we wrote about yesterday.

Jen Simmons of Section 1 simply noted that the section has changed the number of contests that will be held in Westchester County and will be using higher seeds to cut down the number of teams that play in the sectional tournaments.

Fred Gula of Section 2 and Dawn Field of Section 3 both had a lot of suggestions.

According to the minutes of the meeting:

Fred Gula - Expressed the need to look at quality and not quantity in the NYSPHSAA Championship events.

He had may suggestions, that many will find disturbing.

His first suggestion was that instead of the four-team format for state tournaments, only two teams should be playing for the championship.

Only the elite should be going to the Championships. Possibly restructure brackets so in team sports only two teams in each class go to the Championships.

This basically puts an emphasis on sectional tournaments and instead of teams from all over New York State going to PAETEC Park for the football semifinals, games would be more regionalized. Currently the final four teams play in Rochester and the finals are played at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.

He also suggested using conference calls for NYSPHSAA meetings and eliminating allowing the Executive and Assistant Directors to travel to state events, to save on travel costs.

Individual sports would take the biggest hits.

Gula suggested getting rid of competitor t-shirts for track and cross country athletes and using numbers to go along with their school outfits.

Wrestling teams have worn singlets for each section for years, and Gula has proposed that in order to save money for the sections, wrestlers should wear their own school uniforms. He also says "individual sports" like skiing, swimming, wrestling and track should no longer be competing against schools their own size.

He sees no difference in a small school vs. a large school. For example, a track athlete from a Class D school like Notre Dame should be competing against an athlete from a Class A school like Rush-Henrietta.

He is also against increasing officials but does suggest that there should be investigations by each section.

Field suggested approving cheerleading as a sport, a move which I fully support. In fact, I'm pretty sure we already consider cheerleading a sport in Section 5.

My problem with Field's suggestion is eliminating the open sectional policy. Instead of all-inclusive tournaments for basketball, baseball and softball, she believes the top 40-percent should only be allowed to compete in the sectional tournaments.

Field is also for cutting down on split class tournaments (Class C1 vs. C2), putting a travel cap for teams playing during sectional competition and sharing bus opportunities for longer trips.

Julie Maney of Section 4's main concern was travel costs for officials while Section 5's Rick Admunson suggested the NYSPHSAA take a leadership role and work with school districts to reduce costs. Mark Ward of Section 6 had similar suggestions as Admunson.

Karen Lopez of Section 7 thinks there should be less NYSPHSAA meetings to reduce costs.

Section 8's Mike Mahoney speaks about a tax cap and a cut in preseason scrimmages. He also says that the state should look into reducing the amount of games each team is allowed to play during a season.

Ed Cinelli of Section 11 would like to see the number of classes in the state tournaments reduced to one. That would mean schools like Elba or Oakfield-Alabama would have no shot to beat teams like Aquinas for state titles. He also wants to reduce the number of athletes participating in individual sports and centralizing sites for state championships.

The financial problems are bad enough that Bob Munn, who is in charge of budget and finance, suggests asking congress for a bail out. He would like to see no changes in the state tournaments over the next two years and believes NYSPHSAA meetings should be done via telephone conference calls or web cam meetings.

Others have similar suggestions to ones already mentioned, but Executive Director Nina Van Erk would like to see a reduction in the number of contestants. 

Sports with 24 would be reduced to 20; 20 would go down to 18; 18 would go down to 16.

Wrestling and football tournaments would also see reductions in participation.

The committee very much supports a significant reduction in the NYSPHSAA budget.

Committee members will be seeking imput from local sections and looking for more ways to reduce spending. 

The next meeting is scheduled for January 20 at 9 a.m., and will be done via conference call.

It's up! The sign that caused quite a stir over the summer has been installed out front of the Batavia City Centre. Isn't it pretty—and it only cost us... what was it... oh, right around $20,000. (Personally, I say for $20,000, we should have bought a hatchback, mounted a megaphone to the roof, and hired a driver to circle the city continuously intoning: 'Come to the mall. Come to the mall. Please.' But the sign is nice, too.)

That big, blank, white face just begs the question: What should be the first message? This sign is supposed to boost business for the shops inside the mall. So what message would get you inside the mall to spend your hard-earned cash?

While we're on the topic of mall signs... Has anyone caught a glimpse of the old sign lately? That's somewhat of a trick question, because if you're heading east on Main Street, you have to see through—or around—the tree that all but blocks the view of the sign from that direction. No matter. Even if you saw that side of the sign, it wouldn't make much sense. Intended to advertise the movies now showing at the cinema in the mall, it currently reads: 'BET' for the first film and 'ARLE' for the second. Any guesses?

So what is the mall telling people with these two signs? The new one seems to say: 'Hey, come buy our stuff. We're fresh and lively, and we believe in the majesty of British orthography.' But the old one tells us: 'We're rusting. Honest to God: we're rusting.'

I mean, come on: 'BET' and 'ARLE'. Well, at least when spring comes, the leaves will blot out the reference to the Genesee Country Mall.

I went out a few minutes ago to take some photos for a post that will be going up this afternoon. In the half hour or so I was out on Batavia's sidewalks and city streets, I found much to be lamented. Sidewalks out front of the Batavia City Centre (a.k.a., the Genesee Country Mall; a.k.a., the Mall) were treacherous. In a span of maybe a couple hundred feet, I nearly fell on my arse a handful of times. Who is responsible for salting those walks? I could understand if it was in that shape earlier this morning. But it's nearly noon. That's lunch time. Do we need people breaking hips on their way to scarf down a BLT?

Is it the responsibility of the individual shop owners to salt out front of their establishment wherever it fronts Main Street? Or is it the responsibility of "the mall" in general? If the latter, who in particular takes care of that?

Of course, this problem is not only confined to the mall. Other Main Street shops need to be much more diligent about salting out front of their establishments. Unless, that is, they want to discourage their clientele from visiting the shop.

Even worse than the sidewalks, however—and I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice this—is the stretch of Ellicott Street for about fifty feet on either side of the railroad tracks that cut across the road right near Center Street.

It is horrendous!

The blacktop is so chewed up that it's like driving off road in a rocky gully.

How about you? Have you found troubles with potholes and unsalted sidewalks?

Earlier this morning, we ran a post about Congressman Chris Lee's swearing-in promises of cooperation and transparency. Sure, we were a little crictical of Lee's claims, but we feel that he engendered our reaction through his own campaign strategy of frequently absenting himself from political debates and interviews with the press.

That was our take, for better or worse. Now we want to hear from you. In the press release Lee's office sent out yesterday, it was announced that the congressman would be holding a pair of open houses at his district offices in Williamsville and Greece. Lee does not have an office in Genesee County. We're still waiting to find out what if any representation Lee will have in our area. With that in mind, here is today's poll:

This morning I was awakened by the phone and a delay by the school district because of the weather.  We are waiting for the salt trucks to make the roads safe for children to get to school.  The freezing rain that had started last night continues to fall and just makes a mess of the streets in Batavia.  I took a clip of the roads by my house and just listen to the crackling sounds:

This weather makes it very difficult to get around to school, work or really any outdoor activity.  I would rather have snow than this freezing rain any day.  How do you feel about the weather we have had in the last couple weeks?  What are others thoughts on this subject?

Republican Chriss Lee was reticent during last year's campaign season, often declining interviews and frequently unwilling to speak one-on-one with the press. Most news that came our way came via cut-and-paste press releases put together by his campaign team. Yet that strategy proved the way to win the seat in the 26th Congressional District, which, if we're to be honest with ourselves, was the real goal—transparency and cooperation mean nothing without that win. With such a strategy, Lee beat out Democratic challenger Alice Kryzan, who was much his opposite: ferocious in her willingness to get out and talk with anybody who would listen.

Well, Lee is now one day into his new job and already proclaiming that his "doors are always open." In fact, he even held an open house immediately following the ceremony in Washington! Quite a turnaround from the campaign trail. Here's more from the press release that went out late yesterday afternoon:

“It is an honor and a privilege to represent the people of Western New York,” Congressman Lee said. “I am prepared to fight every day for new jobs, lower taxes, and real accountability for the hard-earned money Western New Yorkers send to Washington. For starters, we need a sensible economic recovery package that makes the right investments to spur future growth and provides much-needed tax relief for working families and small business owners.
 
“We also need Washington to stop treating fiscal responsibility like an afterthought. I will work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to control federal spending and hold Washington accountable for every decision it makes.”

Lee continued on in the same vein.

“We face significant challenges right now, and I am ready to work with anyone who is committed to getting our economy moving again, regardless of what party he or she belongs to,” Congressman Lee added. “Changing the way we do business in Washington will require a sustained bipartisan commitment to forward-looking solutions.”

What are your thoughts on Lee's opening day statements? Does it sound like he will in fact get things done for the people of this district? Or does it sound like the same old political blather—i.e., "a sustained bipartisan commitment to forward-looking solutions"?

As we said, Lee made it a point to avoid debates, avoid public appearances that were not choreographed and avoid interviews by the media. That sort of behavior, in the midst of a very public campaign, whether it was strategy or personality, does not speak to a character of unquestioning and altruistic cooperation. Yet here he is, making promises of openness and availability. In fact, Lee will host a pair of open houses at his two local district offices in Williamsville and Greece on January 24. Lee will be in Williamsville first from 9:00am to noon, and in Greece from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.

“Our doors are always open to our constituents; listening to their concerns and addressing their needs is our highest priority,” Congressman Lee said.

He will not make any appearance in Genesee County. We sent an e-mail to his office to find out what representation Genesee County will have since both of his district offices are out of the area, in the Buffalo and Rochester suburbs. We will get up any response as soon as it comes our way.

Now, I may have come out of the gate with a critical edge to my blade, but I don't at all mean to condemn Lee before he even gets a chance to prove himself. That being said, we plan to keep a close eye on our newest representative in Congress to see if he lives up to his promises—or if he lives up to his campaign strategy.

Many area schools are already delayed this morning to help give highway crews time to get the roads salted. Ice is the main problem right now. Wind will become the hazard this evening. As for the best news of all: expect more of it, throughout the day today.

A winter weather advisory issued yesterday by the National Weather Service that was supposed to run through 5:00pm today has been extended through the evening until 5:00am Thursday. From the advisory:

Freezing rain will produce very slipper conditions across the area this morning. A changeover to all snow and increasing westerly winds will make driving hazardous tonight.

Freezing rain will change to occasional rain and drizzle this morning. Additional ice accumulation of less than one tenth of an inch expected. Expect periods of snow tonight with 1 to 3 inches possible by Thursday morning. Accumulations of 2 to 5 inches are likely well south of Buffalo and Batavia. The snow will also be accompanied by westerly winds gusting up to 35 mphs at times.

Here's a look at conditions out on the Thruway at the Batavia interchange:

Several area school districts have delayed opening school for two hours as a result of icy roads, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. They include: Batavia City Schools, Attica, Le Roy and Pavilion. Fischer reports that a number of roads simply have yet to be salted.

In other news, 40 workers have been let go at Lapp Insulators in Le Roy. On its Web site, the company is described as "a world-leading manufacturer of high voltage ceramic and composite insulators for the global electric utility industry." A loss of 40 employees will bring the total workforce down to 98. There is no news on the WBTA site as to why the company enforced the lay offs.

Alyssa D'Errico has always been a star on the volleyball court. She has won state titles, club titles and two national championships at Penn State.

But one of her favorite volleyball memories is the 2006 Empire State Games when she was chosen to kick off the ceremony by lighting the torch that kicked off the opening ceremony.  

D'Errico has three gold medals in the scholastic competition and picked up a silver in the open division last year.

With the news that athletes may have to pay up to $300 to play in the games, she isn't positive she will be back for another ESG.

"It doesn't really bother me right now because I'm so far removed," D'Errico said. "If I was still in high school, it would bother me. But right now I'm not as big a part of the team and I would be playing open. But as a college student, I don't know if I could play if they charged $300. I think it would make it a lot less fun because I've always looked forward to playing for and representing Western New York."

Alyssa made an excellent point when the idea of having to pay to play in the ESG came up. She believes it is an honor to represent your region, but a player would be better off spending the money to pay to play club volleyball, where she will be noticed by college recruiters.

D'Errico won three state titles at Byron-Bergen while reaching the 1,879 kills and 1,521 digs in her career.

But a big reason why she landed a Division I scholarship to play with Penn State is because of her years with the VolleyFX Magic Club. She helped lead that team to four regional titles and a 17th-place finish in the 2006 nationals.

"For $300, you can go to a camp and get training, rather than just play," D'Errico said. "It was a great experience, but I guess it depends on who (the ESG team) is trying to attract. It is definitely going to deter people from trying out because of the cost."

Alyssa's mother Cindy was a member of the 1977 volleyball national A2 team and is still heavily involved in the sport. She coached the Bees while Alyssa was in high school and still attends all of her home matches at Penn State.

She helps scholastic coach Rob Werkmeister with player selection and runs the masters division, which could be one of the sports eliminated if there are cut-backs.

She thinks a charge would make things very difficult for a lot of players.

"It's going to be tough," Cindy said. "There are going to be families and parents that are going to have to decide if going to Empires is going to benefit their sons or daughters."

This very well could be the beginning of the end of the Empire State Games.

It was announced by The Buffalo News this morning that the Empire State Games might be downsizing, and in fact starting to charge athletes up to $300 each to participate in the summer games.

"I would say that this is a very unfortunate thing because it would keep a lot of scholastic athletes that are trying to play in Empires out," said Batavia coach Buddy Brasky, who has coached the last three Western squads. "There are a lot of kids that couldn't afford to pay that feed. It could lead to the end of the Scholastic Empire State Games." 

Western Regional director Lou Reuter also doesn't feel very good about the future of the games.

“I can understand that everyone is having to take a hit,” he told Buffalo News reporter Niki Cervantes, because of the weak economy and state budget crisis. “But it’s almost like the demise of the Empire State Games.”

Reports are that some sports - assuming the non-spectator sports - could flat out be eliminated, but without help from the state, this year's games in the Hudson River Valley could be in serious trouble.

Brasky can only keep 10 players on his scholastic boys basketball team, but can see where it will be a problem for him to attract quality players that are from lower income families.

"(If I were going to recommend) that a player tries out for the games, I would leave it up to the individual athlete," Brasky said. "I still think it is a worthwhile experience, but they have to see if it is worth a $300 experience. With all the AAU basketball out there, I don't know if kids would pay that kind of money to play in the Empire State Games."

Brasky has 10 roster spots to worry about. Imagine what the track & field coaches and wrestling coaches would have to worry about if those larger squads. 

As somebody that has covered these games before, I know that there is funding by the New York State Office of Parks and other organizations, but I have never noticed a lack of corporate sponsorships. It really is never a problem to get a $6 hot dog or $4 bottle of water either.

Times are tough for everybody as we are dealing with this economic downswing, but having a chance to get the best athletes in the state together during the summer time for a chance to compete is something worth fighting for. 

And it might not be just athletes that would feel the frustration if the student athletes are charged to participate. Some coaches just don't know if the extra effort of trying to get good enough talent to compete will be possible, or even worth it.

"I'd have to think about (coming back to coach this summer," Brasky said. "This is the first time I've heard about this, so I'm going to get in touch with director Lou Reuter. This is something I'm going to have to think about, if I want to keep going under these circumstances."

Shane Reisman, 39, of 143 State St., Batavia, was arrested yesterday by Genesee County sheriff's deputies following an investigation into the transportation and sale of illegal drugs. Reisman was charged with several felonies, including: third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, fourth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, fifth-degree sale of a controlled substance, third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and two counts of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Reisman is alleged to have sold "quantities of pills" to an undercover agent of the Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force. Following the arrest, made at Resiman's home Monday, he was sent to Genesee County Jail without bail pending an arraignment in county court later this afternoon.

Folks in the region will have several opportunities to meet and speak with our governor in February. An article in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reports this morning that Gov. David Paterson will hold a series of at least four town-hall style meetings upstate to "allow residents to ask questions and interact with the governor on the ideas he lays out in the State of the State address." Gov. Paterson will give his State of the State this Wednesday at 1:00pm.

Of those meetings that have so far been scheduled, three will be held within a short distance of Batavia: one in Buffalo on February 18, one in Rochester on February 11 and another in Geneseo on February 12. Others will likely be held in Watertown and Binghamton.

From the article:

Paterson has moved away from Spitzer's plan to split up some state duties, particularly economic development, into upstate and downstate branches. Paterson has argued that New York is one state with a united purpose.

Andrew Rudnick, president of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, said an upstate address isn't necessary so long as the governor gives the region the attention it needs.

If the symbolism of an upstate speech, "isn't followed up by definitive policy and asset allocation, what much difference does it make?" he said.

Most people would likely agree that the most pressing issue now facing the state is the budget crisis. A few weeks ago, Paterson released his budget proposal that caused quite a stir. We've put together a poll with a few topics that might come up when the governor visits upstate. Pick whichever you most want to hear about. I figure that the budget proposal will likely be a major part of the State of the State this Wednesday, so try to think what's most important to upstate other than that.