Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand spent some time in Western New York on Tuesday, including at least two stops in Batavia.

Gillibrand met with area Democratic leaders for lunch at Larry's Steakhouse and then toured the Alpina Products factory under construction at the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park.

The facility, which will produce Greek yogurt and other dairy products, is nearing completion and should open in late August or September.

Gillibrand said seeing what is happening at the ag park -- which includes construction of a dairy production facility across the road from Alpina by PepsiCo and the Theo Muller Group -- is "really exciting."

"It's such an opportunity for agricultural growth in this region," Gillibrand said. "Not only is Greek yogurt production one of the fastest growing products in New York, but nationwide, and it's so well located with all of our dairies that are so close by. It makes business sense. Not only do we have a great workforce, but we have a great product, so it's going to be exciting to create these jobs, to have this industry grow in Western New York."

While there's been conflicting reports on whether New York dairies can produce enough milk to meet the demands of the new and existing Greek yogurt factories in the state, Gillibrand said she believes the dairies can meet the demand.

She said she has also introduced legislation to help New York's small dairies increase production without driving up their insurance costs.

Currently, if a small dairy wants to add a significant number of milk-producing cows, they're going to hit a cap on production imposed by insurance rules.

Gillibrand's legislation would remove the cap.

"That might give the ability of a small dairy to go up to 300 or 400 cows to meet the needs of their customers," Gillibrand said. "That would make a big difference for these projects."

Yogurt producers, Gillibrand said, don't want the expense of trucking in milk from other states to keep their production lines going and her legislation would keep the local milk flowing, she said, adding that there would be no regulatory burdens for small dairies to grow to meet local demand.

Steve Hyde, CEO of Genesee County Economic Development Center, also introduced Gillibrand to the STAMP project -- the 1,300 acre high-tech/nano-tech park that has been in planning for five years.

The senator took quite an interest in the project. She noted that with New York's previous success in Luther Forest -- the nano-tech corridor developing between Buffalo and Albany -- the surrounding technology-oriented university system, and the investment already made in the project, STAMP has a good chance to attract major manufacturers.

It was a validation of how the community and region came together on the ag park to have Gillibrand in Batavia on Tuesday to tour the Alpina facility.

"It’s really kind of heartwarming because this ag park was really nine-and-a-half years in the making," Hyde said. "Once we found a way to get it all done, get it funded, get it built, having two very significant manufacturing projects land in our back yard – like we talked about today, talk about the multiplier effect, Alpina’s working with OA-T-KA, and Stueben Food and a company in Rochester on packaging -- it’s just really really awesome."

.........................................................."Marco!"................................

.........................................................."Polo!".................................

"Psssst........hey, Murray - you better watch yourself - I think he stashed a ladder in the bushes."

"Not to mention he also opens his eyes....see, what'd I tell ya?"

"I see 'em. Drat, this isn't gonna be as easy as I thought."

In this version of the "fox vs. squirrels," at the end of the day the fox's crockpot remained empty!

Members of the Hoisingtons Rangers -- a group of reenactors of Batavia residents attached to Ft. Niagara -- were in Centennial Park this morning with a group of 5- through 12-year-olds to teach them a little about history.

The kids are part of a YMCA summer program.

The reenactors taught the kids about the period they represent -- the War of 1812 -- and those clothes they wore, the dishes they ate with and the muskets they shot.

The reenactors were Michael Richmond, Richard Richmond, Pete Bosch, Cynthia Richmond, Marge Ward, Amber Richmond.

Note: Several children asked me to take their pictures hoping to be on The Batavian, and I got some fine portrait shots, but a Y staffer asked me not to publish the pictures because a waiver is required by the parents. I don't need a waiver, but I don't want to get anybody at the Y in trouble with a boss. Sorry, kids, no portrait pictures.

Contractors were in Centennial Park this morning cutting down trees that a city staffer told me were targeted for removal because they were diseased. Three or four trees were cut down to a bare stump. The stumps will be removed at a later date.

Tomorrow is the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council’s 34th annual family event “Picnic in the Park.”

City crews were in Centennial Park this morning putting up stages and tents in preperation for the big summer party.

While rain is predicted for the morning, by the time the picnic starts, the skies should be clearing.

The Fourth of July festivities run from noon until 5 p.m. in the historic park at Richmond and Ellicott avenues in Batavia. As is tradition, the event is kicked off by the Batavia Concert Band performing on the Main Stage at noon.

This year’s Picnic in the Park includes all-day musical entertainment, arts and crafts show, folk arts programs, food vendors, children’s activities, and much more. Admission is free.

Please call GO ART! at 343-9313, email info@goart.org, or visit <http://www.goart.org> for more information.

The Kathy Hochul campaign just released the following statement:

“Chris Collins has demonstrated a stunning lack of sensitivity by saying, ‘people now don’t die from prostate cancer, breast cancer, and some of the other things.’ Tragically, nearly 70,000 people will die this year from these two types of cancer alone. We can disagree about public policy without making these kinds of outrageous and offensive statements."

That's the statement, with no reference to the source nor the full quote so people could judge the context for themselves.

The original source is The Batavian (both as a courtesy to The Batavian and as a matter of complete transparency, the Hochul campaign should have included this fact in its release).

Here's the full quote from Collins:

"People now don’t die from prostate cancer, breast cancer and some of the other things," Collins said. "The fact of the matter is, our healthcare today is so much better, we’re living so much longer, because of innovations in drug development, surgical procedures, stents, implantable cardiac defibrillators, neural stimulators -- they didn’t exist 10 years ago. The increase in cost is not because doctors are making a lot more money. It’s what you can get for healthcare, extending your life and curing diseases."

On its face, the opening part of the quote from Collins sounds outrageous, but in context, clearly, Collins misspoke. More likely, he meant to say. "Fewer people die from prostate cancer, breast cancer and some of the other things." 

That's not what he said (I taped the interview and the original quote as published is accurate), but the rest of the quote clearly explains the larger point he is trying to make, which is that medical advances have driven up the cost of healthcare.

To rip this quote out of context and try to use it to paint Collins as some sort of insensitive boob is the kind of below-the-belt, negative campaign tactic that keeps people from being engaged in the process and casting intelligent votes. Frankly, I think of Kathy Hochul as somebody who is more dignified than this sort of mudslinging.

An accident is reported in Oakfield. Three vehicles are involved, and in the third car, there's a man slumped over the steering wheel at 106 S. Main St. It is believed to have initially occurred on Orchard Road, for reasons that are unclear, those involved are in three different locations, spread over a mile-long area. An Alabama firefighter happens to be with one of the parties involved outside the village; she is said to be shaken up but otherwise OK. State troopers and medics are responding.

UPDATE 11:36 a.m.: Sheriff's deputies are also responding. Initial reports indicate that at South Main near Orchard, the driver of a green car "took out two others. They just didn't see each other." That driver was slumped over the steering wheel. The other vehicles are possibly at Route 63 and Fisher Road, and at Route 63 and the village line. Responders are taking more information and there is some confusion about the whole scene.

UPDATE 11:48 p.m.: Mercy medics are transporting the driver of the green car to UMMC. Oakfield Fire Department, which also responded to the scene, is back in service. The other people involved in the accident are not injured.

Press release:

The Batavia Business Improvement District has awarded four more façade improvement grants to its downtown businesses. The recipients are: Kenneth Mistler, owner of City Slickers, 59 Main St.; Rich Clark of CPR (Computer & Phone Repair), 216 E. Main Street; Paul Marchese, Marchese Computer Products, 220 Ellicott St.; and Gerald and Thomas Williams, The Williams Law Firm, 2 Court St. Plaza.    

They received the following matching funds for improvements to their structures: Ken Mistler and City Slickers - $1,944 for new signage on the front and rear of his building; CPR - $286.69 for signage on their frontage; Marchese Computer - $1,205 for signage and gooseneck lighting; and Williams Law Firm - $1,487.50 for awnings on the second floor. These funds were awarded based upon the Business Improvement District’s design guidelines.  

The Batavia Business Improvement District is a not-for-profit, municipal / business incorporated association. It was established back in 1997 by a group of business owners to make improvements above and beyond what the municipality was normally responsible for.

B.I.D. provides programs, events and economic benefits to more than 190 downtown property owners and tenants. It has contributed greatly to the renewed vitality of downtown, the preservation of the character of its structures and development of its streetscapes.

According to Don Burkel, downtown manager, these improvements demonstrate a long-term commitment by these business owners to downtown and positive steps for its future. Eighty-seven businesses within the district have benefitted from this program and received more than $323,380 in funding. You also have to consider that these businesses have reinvested in total project costs of over $2,450,935 in Batavia’s downtown, which is pretty impressive.

Elba's Maureen Torrey is featured in a story by McClatchy News Service on the shortage of farm labor:

With the peak harvest season at hand, Torrey’s concerns about a labor shortage are growing. A crackdown on illegal immigration, more job opportunities in Mexico and rising fees charged by smugglers are reducing the number of workers who cross the U.S. border illegally each year to help make up more than 60 percent of U.S. farmworkers.

The American Farm Bureau Federation projects $5 billion to $9 billion in annual produce-industry losses because of the labor shortages, which have become commonplace for farmers such as Torrey, who said there were 10 applicants for every job five years ago.

“In the last year that wasn’t the case,” she said. “We hired anybody that showed up for field work. It’ll be interesting to see how many people we have knocking on the door this year.”

The state is planning to take over all of the administrative functions for Medicaid, but the state isn't ready and shows no signs of being ready any time soon.

That's what Eileen Kirkpatrick, commissioner of Social Services in Genesee County, told the Human Services Committee during its meeting Monday.

New York has set a deadline of April 2018 for Medicaid administration to be switched from county DSS offices to state employees, either working in Albany or at local offices.

The state, she said, "failed miserably" in its first pilot project to take over administration for 12 counties, with hundreds of cases being mishandled.

It would be easy to think, Kirkpatrick said, that for the sake of local Medicaid clients, the county should hold onto local administration as long as possible, but the state has capped reimbursement for administrative costs.

If the county continues to administer the program, local wages and benefits and other expenses will continue to go up, but the state won't reimburse at a higher rate.

That's why, Kirkpatrick said, the county should go ahead and request the state take over the program, even if they aren't entirely ready for it on schedule.

In New York, Medicaid is a $53 billion program. About 3 percent of the expense goes to administration.

Currently, the county fills 22 full-time equivalent positions to administer Medicaid.  Some of the employees currently in those jobs would be able to transfer to the state payroll and continue doing much the same job as they do now.

Fewer than 100 people in Genesee County who are able-bodied adults are on welfare Eileen Kirkpatrick, commissioner of Social Services locally, told members of the legislature on Monday.

"The idea or belief that Genesee County has a huge cadre of its citizens just sitting around collecting welfare is a myth," Kirkpatrick said.

There are currently 626 people receiving cash assistance, and 348 of them are children, Kirkpatrick said.

Kirkpatrick presented her report to the county legislature during its Human Services Committee meeting.

Of the 278 adults receiving cash assistance, 179 of them are not considered employable. These are people who may be awaiting SSI benefits determinations or have temporary illness or injuries that keep them from working.

Of the able-bodied adults receiving cash assistance, many of them have jobs but do not earn enough money to fully support themselves. They get a small, partial grant, Kirkpatrick said.

The able-bodied adults who don't work are required to do volunteer labor with various local nonprofit agencies.

All able-bodied adults receiving assistance are required to take classes or get job training that may help them get better paying jobs.

There are two types of cash assistance. There is a 60-month Family Assistance program that is funded by the federal government.  The benefit was capped at 60 months by the Clinton Administration.

But, according to the state constitution, DSS is required to provide ongoing cash assistance to individuals who qualify once Family Assistance runs out. 

The second program that provides ongoing assistance is called Safety Net.

The cost of the Safety Net program is largely shouldered by county taxpayers. The state pays for only 29 percent of the program. The county pays 71 percent.

"The Safety Net program is mandated, yet localities have little or no control over the provisions of benefits, short of detecting fraud," Kirkpatrick said. "The state defines what must be funded, but has decreased their support for funding the program."

The county currently handles 158 Safety Net cases, serving 189 individuals.

That's an increase from 2010 when there were 108 cases, serving 138 people.

Family Assistance cases increased during the same period from 152 to 177.

Kirkpatrick said the increase is a result of the recession taking a bit of a toll on Genesee County.

From 2008 to 2010, Genesee was the only county in the state that actually saw a decrease in the number of people receiving temporary assistance.

Another myth Kirkpatrick said she wanted to dispel was that people getting food stamps don't have jobs.

Of the 2,888 households in Genesee County receiving food stamps, Kirkpatrick said, 72 percent have at least one adult who has a job.

The program brings more than $9 million into Genesee County, Kirkpatrick said, all of it federal dollars.

"A lot of folks don't realize there is no local share," Kirkpatrick said. "They think they see people with food stamps buying fancy steaks and lobster at Tops, or going to the 7-11 and buying surgary drinks and junk food, but there's no local cost to the benefit."

Food stamps are supposed to supplement a family or individual food budget, but DSS is seeing more cases, Kirkpatrick said, of recipients relying entirely on food stamps for their meals.

"Although the program is meant to supplement a family's nutrition, surgary sodas and cereals, candy and snacks, pre-packaged food and other unwise purchases are allowed," Kirkpatrick said. "While the Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program is made available to recipients, they cannot be mandated to attend."

The local cost for the food stamp program is in administration, and the state is covering less and less of that expense.

Currently, the county spends $542,505 on food stamp administration and gets $49,041 from the state.

Administration costs are also going up as the state encourages more and more people to sign up for the benefit.

Kirkpatrick said there is one group of Genesee County residents who may not be taking full advantage of the food stamp program -- seniors.

Only 451 people in Genesee County age 65 or older receive food stamps. Kirkpatrick said -- especially since eligibility is based on income, not resources -- many more local seniors probably qualify for the program than are using it.

ILLUSTRATION: A graphic that has been making the rounds on Facebook the past couple of weeks.

Route 20 is being closed to truck traffic between Route 63 in Pavilion and Route 77 in Darien because of an overnight tractor-trailer accident.

At 12:58 a.m., a tractor-trailer overturned on Route 20 in the area of Brookville Road, Alexander.

According to a dispatcher, the trailer broke away from the truck and the axles broke off the trailer.

A tow company is on scene now trying to upright the trailer.

Alexander Fire Department is on scene.

No injuries were reported.

UPDATE 6:38 a.m.: Chief Lance Schaulau on scene this morning said the driver reported swerving to miss a deer and went off the north shoulder of the roadway. The westbound truck was hauling retail items for a discount chain. Deputy Kevin Carlson estimated that Route 20 wouldn't open until after 7 a.m., and perhaps not before 8 a.m. Route 20 is closed to all traffic between Route 98 and Brookville Road.

UPDATE 7:38 a.m.: Two trucks are arriving on scene to gather up the spilled product.

UPDATE 7:51 a.m.: Darien fire at Route 77 and Pavilion fire at Route 63 are going back in service. Route 20 is reopened to truck traffic. The area of the crash will be reduced to one lane of traffic with a deputy and state trooper on scene to direct traffic. Alexander fire, which has been on scene since 1 a.m., is going back in service.

UPDATE 8:58 a.m.: Road reopened about five minutes ago.

A dirt bike rider has reportedly been injured at Area 51, 5100 Harloff Road, Batavia.

The rider lost consciousness but is awake, though disoriented.

Mercy Flight is on ground standby.

East Pembroke Fire and Oakfield Ambulance responding.

UPDATE 8:19 p.m.: The patient is now reportedly unconscious. Mercy Flight dispatched.

UPDATE 8:28 p.m.: Mercy Flight 5 in route.

UPDATE 8:30 p.m.: Patient is conscious and alert, complaining of hip and shoulder pain.

UPDATE 8:32 p.m.: Mercy Flight 5 is on the ground.

UPDATE 8:44 p.m.: Mercy Flight is flying to Erie County Medical Center.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at Route 5 and Roanoke Road. Stafford Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding. It is blocking traffic.

UPDATE 7:25 p.m.: Fire police from Le Roy are called to stop westbound traffic at Route 5 and Buckley Road.

UPDATE 7:29 p.m.: They're going to turn traffic around at the Red Osier Restaurant.

UPDATE 8:25 p.m.: The roadway is reopened. The Stafford assignment is back in service.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at Route 33 and West Bergen Road. Bergen Fire Department and Mercy EMS are responding.

UPDATE 7:11 p.m.: There are three vehicles involved. There was airbag deployment, but injuries appear to be minor. The westbound lane is blocked.

UPDATE 7:14 p.m.: They want traffic stopped at 33 and West Bergen Road "so nobody goes north."

UPDATE 7:39 p.m.: Bergen is back in service, with the exception of one unit. The roadway is being reopened.

A mulch fire is reported at the ESL Federal Credit Union on Veterans Memorial Drive. Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 4:49 p.m.: A fireman on scene reports it is a small mulch fire and calls for a brush truck to respond in non-emergency mode.

UPDATE 5 p.m.: The fire is out. Town of Batavia is back in service..

If you're wondering where the report is on all of the arrests at the Beach Boys concert at Darien Lake on Friday, here's a news flash: There weren't any.

Apparently, nobody urinated on another patron, nobody was arrested for trespass for jumping a fence to get backstage, nobody tried to shoplift from a vendor and nobody took a swing at a security guard.

There weren't even any citations issued for underage drinking.

Perhaps less surprising, there were also weren't any citations issued for unlawful possession of marijuana.

"It was a completely different crowd than what we usually deal with," said Sgt. Steve Mullen, of the Sheriff's Office.

Mullen said people entered the venue in an orderly manner -- forming a single line instead of the usual "mosh pit" of pushing and shoving to enter -- and alcohol consumption was mostly confined a couple of beers or a glass or two of wine (people brought their own glasses).

"They even picked up after themselves," Mullen said.

One deputy we spoke to said concertgoers even thanked him for being there.

The evening wasn't without conflicts. Getting out of the Darien Lake parking lot is apparently a frustrating exercise even on a night when the band draws less than 8,000 people.

One patron, Janice O'Rouke, posted on the D&C's Web site that the situation in the parking lot was "ugly," but what she describes was really pretty tame compared to what might occur at a Brad Paisley or Drake show.

Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble confirmed there were some tense moments in the parking lot as people tried to leave, but only one or two confrontations and "certainly less than normal."

Dibble:

No one would ever describe the parking lot situation as pleasant or fast, I'm sure. Thousands of vehicles exiting onto one state highway and one county road will never be pleasant or fast by any stretch of the imagination. The parking lot funneling to the exits will always cause conflict that sometimes becomes physical. Alcohol abuse is a significant factor. 

The Sheriff's Office routinely has as many as 10 deputies directing traffic at the end of the concerts with the goal of getting everyone out as quickly and as safely as humanly possible and yet it will take the last of the patrons as much as two hours to get on the road from a large concert.

Accidents in the traffic pattern will pull deputies from traffic direction duty and cause additional back ups. The State Police also have patrols in the area working to keep traffic moving. Traffic backed up to the park from the Village of Corfu is common even though the Corfu PD assists traffic through their village as best they can. 

Private parking lots along Sumner Road result in gridlock and heavy foot traffic mixed in with bumper-to-bumper vehicle traffic in poor lighting with no sidewalks and narrow, unimproved shoulders. 

People need to understand the limitations at this venue, study the routes in and out, be prepared to take an alternate route and expect delays both getting there and leaving. 

This is a very difficult venue to manage under these conditions.  

Even with the inherant difficulties with the venue, Dibble said, the crowd Friday was very easy to work with.

"While the parking lots are usually littered with bottles and cans after a concert, there were few and far between at the end of this one," Dibble said. "People were polite and considerate as they entered and left."

Mullen agreed.

"It was a mature crowd," Mullen said. "They were there to enjoy the concert and have a good time and not cause anybody else problems. It was an honor to be there to serve them and they were glad to have us there."

There is reportedly a magazine sales company working in the area and residents in Batavia and Oakfield (I think Oakfield) have called to complain about sales rep activity.

Reps from the same company were in town last week and were told to get a permit from the City of Batavia. Batavia, as well as some other jurisdictions in Genesee County, require door-to-door sales reps to have permits.

This morning, a dispatcher checked with the city and there is allegedly no permit on file.

Sales reps can reportedly earn a trip to Rome if they do well with their sales.

UPDATE 2:04 p.m.: There was an inquiry as to whether the individuals could be charged for soliciting without a permit and a dispatcher replied, "I know you're going to find hard to believe, but their team leader isn't picking them up." Officer: "I'm shocked." The rep that was out with the officer says he just wants to return the money from the sales and their receipts and call it a day.