The Batavian was fortunate enough to meet up with Rick Pratt last Friday at the scene of his latest project, here in Batavia. Rick is a chainsaw artist from Corfu. You may have seen one of his most prominent works here in the city right on Main Street — the wizard carved out of a tree trunk.  Well, last week, Rick was back on Main Street, a little further down, past the Gravel Pit, working on a sculpture of a bald eagle in flight. He still had yet to finish up the detailing of the piece, but that didn't stop us from getting some great footage of Rick in action with the "smaller" chainsaw.

For more about Rick or to see some photographs of his other work, please visit his Web site.

Peanuts, knuckleballs, the smell of freshly mown turf, double plays, soda pop, stadium bleachers, rally caps... and The Batavian — all fine reasons to come out for the Muckdogs home opener Wednesday at Dwyer Stadium. I will be there an hour shy of game time at about six o'clock, proud to pull up table and chair at the home of the hometown legends.

Come by and say hello. Don't be shy. I'll try not to be.

Genesee County Animal Shelter put up another video exhibiting their cats up for adoption.

Here's the shelter's web site.

From the Daily News (Tuesday):

• United Memorial Medical Center reported a $3.4 million profit for 2007, its fourth straight year in the black, according to President and CEO Mark Schoell. For more facts and figures check out the article by Paul Mrozek.
• Agricultural reporter Tom Rivers has an interesting piece on the front page about the not-to-friendly named 'armyworms' and their threat to local wheat harvests.
• I had some trouble working out the details of an article about the Genesee County Public Defender's Office that could lose "hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds." Reporter Paul Mrozek writes that in order to receive the state funding, the county "must spend at least one dollar more for the two programs than it did in the previous budget year." It seems strange, but apparently the state is demanding that the office spend more money in order to receive more money. What's more strange is that the threshold is measured by a single dollar.
• The town of Batavia dedicated a new guardrail erected at a curve in Stegman Road near Route 5 last night. That curve was the site of an accident that injured one friend and killed another nine years ago. After much petitioning by one of the accident victims, Jamie Beedham of Oakfield, the town finally put up the guardrail two weeks ago. "My goal is if the guardrail can save one life, I will have been successful," she told reporter Kristen Kotz.
• Among the items on the Batavia Town Board agenda for its meeting Wednesday is a potential contribution of $225,000 by the town to aid the development of the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park that is planned to go up near the fairgrounds. You can download the complete meeting agenda by clicking here.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

It's out! The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County released its Agri-Tourism Guide for 2008. The pamphlet can be downloaded from the Coop's Web site or picked up in person at its Main Street location near Masse Mall (look for the cow). It's got a colorful map to help you find the many fruit and vegetable farms, slaughterhouses, maple houses, orchards, greenhouses and popcorneries (is that a word, I don't know). Each gem is listed with an address and a brief description of just what you can find there.

I had a bowl of fantastic, organic, cold purple grapes last night, and let me tell you, there's nothing like fresh produce from your own hometown. Pavilion's got two acres of blueberries. Herbly Wonderful here in Batavia has lavender fields and greenhouses so sweet-smelling you have to keep from plucking the furry bits of thyme right off their stalk. Corfu's got cheddar to please. Looking to knit a scarf? LeRoy's got alpaca yarn aplenty.

Honestly, folks. You've got everything edible and touchible to get you through the summer — and when that's all over, hit up the wreath-makers and Christmas tree farms, also listed.

If you've got any questions, or you want to know just where to find those alpacas, stop by the Coop or get your own guide right now.

From a press release issued by Genesee Community College, posted on ReadMedia:

When Buffalo native Eunice M. Bellinger was pursuing her college degree at Niagara University in the 1970s, she rounded out her academic schedule by attending classes at Genesee Community College in Batavia.

On August 4, after two and a half decades as a highly successful college professor and academic administrator in New York, Massachusetts, and abroad, Dr. Bellinger returns to Genesee as the College's new Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Bellinger replaces Dr. Claudia Moore, who is retiring this summer after nine years of service at Genesee.

During her time abroad, Bellinger taught in Great Britain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Dr. Stuart Steiner, President of the College, welcomed Dr. Bellinger. "She will bring an outstanding record of achievement and creativity to Genesee," Dr. Steiner said. "I look forward to working with her as we continue to build extraordinary academic programs and deepen our record of success and innovation."

Check out WBTA for these and other stories:

• A "controlled" trash fire in Oakfield turned into a blaze and burned a storage barn to the ground yesterday. Ten volunteer fire crews responded, had the fire under control in about 20 minutes and saved a nearby pair of grain silos.
• A new law enforcement program was announced yesterday that would allow female prisoners in Genesee County to be brought to Albion Correctional Facility for reception. Women senetenced to time in state prison formerly had to be taken to Westchester County for processing. Male inmates are also now allowed to be received at Auburn rather than Elmira. Both moves are expected to save the county about $10,000 per year, Genesee County Sheriff Gary Maha said.
• Hail storms ravaged the county and a good swath of western New York yesterday afternoon. Reports came in of nickel-sized hail out in Alabama. Dan Fischer with WBTA said the hail stones ranged in size from about as big as a penny to hefty golf ball chunks that dented cars and no doubt tore up some fresh srping gardens.

Friday:

• 9:22am, State St., criminal mischief
• 12:04pm, 236 Vine St., aggravated harassment
• 1:46pm, 226 W. Main St., accident
• 5:37pm, 114 W. Main St., accident

Saturday:

• 2:18am, 214 E. Main St., larceny
• 2:03pm, 35 Clinton St., burglary
• 2:24pm, Clinton St., accident
• 2:42pm, 390 W. Main St., accident (vehicle and pedestrian)
• 2:45pm, W. Main St., accident
• 6:38pm, 8351 Lewiston Road, larceny
• 7:12pm, Liberty St., harassment
• 8:44pm, 20 N. Spruce St. (Apt: A3), larceny
• 9:27pm, 20 Maple St., harassment
• 11:35pm, 116 State St. (Apt: 4), larcent

Sunday:

• 2:46am, 51 Montclair Ave., harassment
• 4:34am, 123 Washington Ave. (Apt: Upper), menacing
• 2:57pm, 437 E. Main St. (Apt: Lower), assault
• 3:46pm, 412 E. Main St., accident
• 5:47pm, 121 Liberty St., larceny
• 8:38pm, 99 Jackson St., accident

Note: We don't include noise complaints, domestic disputes and routine police business.

Quite a few of you over the past week or so have caught on that we here at The Batavian can help spread the word. Whether you want to talk politics, culture, volunteerism, crime or whatever, we're here to get it done. Most recently, I received an e-mail from Batavia Police Det. Todd Crossett about a law enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics. (You can see Det. Crossett here to the right — hint, he's the one guy in uniform.)

As more and more folks are figuring out the value in a community site that let's you say what you want to say, when you want to say it, I thought I would take a minute here to let you all know that you can take this into your own hands. I'm here to help get up a post if you have an event coming up or if you snapped some photographs at a torch run (see another from Det. Crossett below). But I would encourage folks to go ahead and submit your own photos and write your own posts. Directly. That way, you have complete control.

That being said, here are a few tips:

• Make sure you're registered for the site. If you're ever having trouble with that initial step, don't hesitate to give me a call: (585) 802-3032.
• Click the "Create content" link in the left-hand column.
• Click the "Blog entry" link that pops up.
• Write your text.
• Submit your photograph or video.
• For photos, simply click the little yellowish button in the Blog entry toolbar (above where you type) — the one that looks like a miniature mountainscape. Upload your photo, but please make sure the size is no bigger than about 480 pixels in width. If you need any help, let us know.
• For video, make sure your video is on YouTube, then simply type in: "video:" and then the URL for the video and enclose that in brackets, like these: [ ].
• When you're done, scroll to the bottom of the page and hit save. That's it.

Now that we've finished with that, here is another photograph sent to us from Det. Crossett, along with a brief explanation of just what this torch run was all about.

Det. Crossett: "On Wednesday, June 4, City of Batavia police officers and Genesee County Sheriff's Deputies participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. The run started at the ARC day treatment facility in Elba and ran to the ARC facility on Walnut Street in the City of Batavia. When we left the day treatment facility Robin Eames, a client at day treatment, assisted in carrying the torch. Once the torch reached Walnut street, Kathy King, assisted in carrying the torch. Ths year the Royal Rangers, a boys scouting group donated the water for the run. Alexander Crossett rode his bicycle and represented the Royal Rangers on the run. This run is to bring awareness to the accomplishments of the participants in the Special Olympics."

Bibliophiles of Batavia unite! Richmond Memorial Library is gearing up for its Summer Reading Program, so we thought why shouldn't The Batavian host its very own summer book club. I've been all over the city, made the calls, stared at my bookshelves and read the latest reviews. It's time.

Recommendations for our summer reading list will be coming in over the next couple weeks from local librarians, booksellers, reading profs from the college and yours truly. We're hoping to get the list together by the end of the month. In the meantime, feel free to make your own recommendations, but be sure to tell us why your pick is worthy of our collective attention.

If folks get interested, we'll get some discussion threads going about some of the books from the list, and I'm sure our recommenders will keep up, maybe ask questions and help keep the dialogue going. We'll see.

I'm thinking of maybe choosing Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities as my contribution. It's about an imaginary conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, and every chapter is the description of another fantastic city invented by Marco Polo to entertain the great ruler. It's a gem. But more about that later.

In other local book news...

Richmond Memorial Library is about to wrap up its search for Richmond the Ant, who has been lost in Batavia over the past six weeks, trying to get back to the library in time for the Summer Reading Program that kicks off with an Ice Cream Social June 23. Each week he was in a new location and left a clue to help kids find out just where it was.

Here's this week's clue (the last): "I have found a store full of toys and bikes. Maybe I can borrow a bike to ride back to the library in time for the beginning of the Summer Reading Program."

Those who have tracked Richmond to all six locations can win a special prize. Check out the library's Children's Room Blog for more info about Richmond the Ant and the Summer Reading Program.

Don't forget, the Summer Reading Program isn't just for kids. Anyone can attend the free Ice Cream Social June 23 at 6:30pm at the library, 19 Ross St., and register for one of the many programs. Check out the library's Web site for more information.

From the Daily News (Monday):

• Genesee County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens told the Daily News that the high cost of fuel and materials will keep the county from doing some repair and reconstruction work this summer. A quote from Hens illustrates the point pretty clearly: "We're basically doing two-third's of what we did last year with 20 percent less money." Number comparisons in the article are a little inconsistent — the cost of diesel fuel is compared to what it was ten years ago, while the price of rock salt is compared with last year's figures. Also, although the article is headlined, "Genesee County cutting back some road and bridge repairs," there is no mention in the article of which projects, if any in particular, will not be financed this year.
• Reporter Scott DeSmit talks with some families of Iraq War soldiers about celebrating Father's Day without dad.
• Both Notre Dame's baseball and Elba's softball teams lost in the state finals to a pair of tough Chapel Field teams. Check out the articles by Brian Hillabush and Justin Rodriguez for the details.
• Reporter Virginia Kropf tracked down a couple friends of Tim Russert who died last week.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

Here is the next video in our Countdown to the Ramble series: The Ghost Riders performing "Honky Tonkin'." See our previous post for more about the countdown.

Police Blotter for Friday, June 13 through Sunday, June 15:

• A Clarence man was arrested and charged with burglary Friday evening. Genesee County sheriff's deputies responded to a call from a Batavia business owner who alleged that Timothy D. Curby, 24, was found inside the business and had some of its property had already been placed in the bed of his pickup truck. Corby was sent to the Genesee County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail.
• A carnival worker from Florida was sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $3,000 bail early Friday morning and faces two misdemeanor charges of second-degree menacing and forcible touching, according to sheriff's deputies. A fellow carnival worker at the Stafford Carnival told deputies that Exal Hernandez Delacruz, 17, entered her bedroom, displayed what appeared to be a pistol and forced his hand under her shorts.
• Kenneth P. Snyder, 32, of East Bethany, was charged with driving while intoxicated following a traffic stop in the town of Alexander early Saturday morning, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Snyder was also ticketed with moving from the lane unsafely.
• Ashley L. Munzert, 23, of Attica, was charged with driving while intoxicated following a traffic stop in Stafford early Saturday morning, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said.
• James D. Stack, 21, of 8997 Alexander Road, Batavia, was charged with second-degree harassment early Saturday morning, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Stack was at the Stafford Carnival when he allegedly pushed someone inside the beer tent.
• Michael R. Paladino Jr., 32, of 30 Clay St., LeRoy, was charged with second degree promoting prison contraband early Sunday morning at the Genesee County Jail, sheriff's deputies said. Corrections personnel told deputies that Paladino had been found with crack cocaine.
• Mitchell R. Freeman, 19, of Stafford, was charged with second-degree harassment Sunday evening following a complaint at the Stafford Carnival that Freeman had allegedly struck another person, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said.

Note: All of the above arrests were reported in published releases from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

From Oakfield resident Nancy Baxter:

"Oakfield Community Youth Group was proud to present the Bish Family with the proceeds from the spaghetti dinner-chinese auction that was held on May 17th. Carl Bish is a 9th grader from OACS and has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Our local youth group raised $12,000 for the family to help with medical costs and money needed to continue Carl's chemotherapy treatments. The whole community came together with donations and volunteers for our fundraiser. This definitely could not have been such a success without the love and support of our community."

Here's a gloomy story to start of your Saturday with: Don't expect property tax relief soon.

The impression left by the D&C story is that the state legislature is dissecting the issue into particle detail rather than just dealing with the basic issue: Property taxes are too high.

All sides have expressed a desire to do something about property taxes, but the way to get there, like the path to so many goals in Albany, is clouded.

A property tax cap, proposed by a state commission put together by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, has won the support of Gov. David Paterson. But state lawmakers, including those who represent Monroe County, are not convinced Paterson's proposal is the answer.

Back in the 1970s, when Californians got fed up with the state Legislature's wishy-washy, spineless approach to property tax relief, they passed Jarvis-Gann, better known as Proposition 13. 

While the transition to new ways of funding and operating schools and government hasn't always been easy for California, property taxes are a lot lower and everything still operates just fine.  Maybe there needs to be a voter revolt in New York, cause it's sure sounding like the Legislature wants to sit on its hands.

Here's Steve Hawley's reply:

"I'm not sure we should be focusing exclusively on the school tax," said Assemblyman Stephen Hawley, R-Batavia, who was a member of the Genesee Valley Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) before he was elected to the Legislature.

Hawley suggested exploring different property tax rates based on income and family situation, not strictly home value, and noted that government spending is the root of the problem.

"A reasonable solution is to stop trying to be all things to all people," he said.

Certainly, reducing waste in government and the size of government is a good place to start, but the idea that the government would A) develop an even more complex tax scheme (different rates based on family size and income?); and, B) start meddling in the structure of New York families doesn't sound very Republican-like.

Maybe Hawley can contact us or leave a comment and try to explain better what he's talking about, because this sound bite sounds more scary than helpful.

     It's a staple of the 24-hour cable news networks to label any story they have video of as "breaking news".  So, it was with little excitement that my wife and I waited after seeing the "special report" banner across the screen on MSNBC.  When Tom Brokaw appeared on camera, we knew it was more than a flood or a car chase.  His mournful tone immediately warned us that the news he brought was immensely sad.  And, indeed, it was  For long moments, after Tom Brokaw somberly broke the news of Tim Russert's sudden passing, neither of us spoke, at the risk of tears.  We'd lost one of our own. 

     It might seem overly sentimental or emotional to some, but I feel a personal loss.  Sunday morning meant no one bothered Papa from 9 till 10 cause "Tim Russert's talking".  I felt like I could depend on Tim to ask the real questions, without an agenda, and, especially, with the grace that comes from knowing his stuff.  I knew for certain that Tim would frame the question in such a way that the answer would be somethng I could understand and absorb.  If you were a politician or public figure, and you weren't willing to plead your case in front of Tim, then, dammit, you didn't have a case.  Stop wasting my time.

    Often, skeptics like me resist the impulse to project images on public figures, but its without reservation that I can say that Tim Russert was a good father, a good son, and most importantly, a good man.  And that's the greatest loss.  For all of Tim's accomplishments, for all that he achieved, for all the recognition that he gained, the greatest heartbreak for me is that we lost a good man.

So it begins... The Holland Land Office Museum kicked off its countdown of "The Twenty-Five Things that Made Genesee County Famous."

And what, you ask, was the first to make the list?

None other than that 500 mile stretch of bleached tarmac and costly tolls otherwise known as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway, "the longest toll road in America."

Visit the HLOM site for more info and to keep up with the countdown.

Batavia's city Police Department released its statistics for 2007. The department saw an increase in overall calls for service, from 15,772 in 2006 to 17,707 in 2007. Here are some of the detailed statistics (all comparisons are between 2006 and 2007 totals):

• Emergency 911 calls increased from 6,432 to 6,519.
• Major (part one) crimes fell from 696 to 509. ("Part one" crimes include: larceny, burglary, robbery, motor vehicle theft, assault, murder, rape and manslaughter.)
• The overall crime rate dropped from 4,405 to 3,222.
• Motor vehicle accidents were about the same with 493 in 2007, while traffic arrests increased from 1,582 to 2,212: DWI arrests went up from 55 to 72 and parking tickets issued increased from 1,395 to 1,595.
• While the total number of juvenile complaints increased to 280, the number of cases decreased to 175. (Exact 2006 figures were not given.)

City detectives had fewer investigations in 2007, down from 482 to 422, likely the result of changes in the "staffing levels" in the Detective Bureau, according to the release. Detective investigated cases had a clearance rate of about 50.5 percent for 2007.