Property taxes in New York are outrageously high. In that context, it's kind of amazing that Gov. Paterson would suggest the STAR rebate checks be discontinued.

Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer held a press conference in LeRoy yesterday to call on Paterson to rescind his plan elimination of the checks. It's not surprising that I was the only reporter to show up, but as a property owner (for now) in New York, I think those checks are kind of important.

Further, when you consider, as Ranzhofer points out, that the checks return $8 million a year in cash flow to Genesee County, the rebate program is exceptionally important to the local economy.  It is ironic that at a time when the Federal government is spending trillions of dollars under what the president and Congress label a "stimulus" program, Gov. Paterson would take money out of the economy as fast as he can.

However, I think weakest among Ranzenhofer's arguments against elimination of the checks is the notion that elimination of the checks could cause people to lose their homes.  This sounds more like a play on emotion rather than reason. According to Ranzenhofer's own press release, the average check is for $335 and $420.  At $420, that's $35 per month. I just wonder how many property owners are gazing at the precipice over $35 per month? Yes, I can imagine a retired person on fixed income finding $35 very hard to muster, but when the alternative is losing your life-long home, you're probably going to find some way to make sure that tax is paid.

That said, the effort shouldn't even be necessary. Property taxes in New York or too high and the last thing Gov. Paterson should be doing is essentially increasing those taxes.

Have you ever knocked on a door only to find out no one was home? Well that was the way it was Thursday night on our night out with Care-A-Van. We headed out the local college GCC to visit the door rooms. We knew ahead of time that it was spring break but we still wanted to be able to go out and brighten the evening for those students that may have not been able to head home for spring break.

Each time we go there, one of the security guards goes around with us. On this particular evening it was a plus to have her with us. She knew what rooms were occupied. Even though a lot of the  94 rooms were empty we still left them a brochure about the ministry, a gospel track, a big bag of cookies and a personal invitation to the Easter Dinner that Care-Van is hosting on Easter Day, April 12^th . This dinner will be held at the Assembly of God church beginning at 2:00 PM. If you have nowhere to go, come join us for Easter Dinner. Paul and Bridget will personally be doing the cooking! I have even heard that there will be a chocolate fountain, now how could one resist that?

Bridget was kind enough to send along Goulash on the bus to feed the hungry workers.

This was a big plus as a few of the students came out to the bus to have dinner with us.

Elder Ron got to spend some quality time feeding them not only physically but spiritually as well. PJ was busy getting bags of groceries to send back to the doom room with these young folks.  Dave and I were busy hitting up the candy bowls that adorn the booths. Dave told me that he calls it the “Calorie Van”. Goodies are readily available for anyone who climbs on board.  Paul kept busy with synching his IPOD into the new stereo system to provide the music entertainment of the evening.

Do you remember the story about how Jesus fed thousands with a few fish and loaves of bread? God did that tonight with the goulash. Just as we were getting ready to leave, three young men came out to get something to eat. Now mind you, I swear that crockpot was empty. There was not much left when I got a chance to eat.  The one young man had eaten 4 bowls! But Elder Ron said sure we have food, come on board! I watched from the back of the bus as he filled 3 bowls to the rim full of Goulash! I truly witnessed how God provides just enough. It still boggles my mind where those last 3 bowls of goulash came from.

When the students arrive back home from spring break, they will find a surprise treat waiting for them. For the students that were home, they got a special extra treat. It truly was a special evening spent at the college. We got to meet some young men from Spain and England. Typically, we do not get to spend this much quality one on one time with the students. God blessed us just as much as he blessed these young students.

So next time you knock on a door and no one is home, I encourage you to think of how you could brighten the occupant’s arrival home. Maybe you could leave a special treat, or maybe a welcome home note, or maybe just a note to let them know that you do truly care and if they ever need anything they can give you a call. This is what Care-Van does. We go forth and let them know we are there because we care! Have a great week-end!

For months we've offered the "Announcements" section as a place for civic groups to share information about their events and news, but the section isn't as useful if you're wondering what's happening on a specific date.

Today, we added an actual calendar to the site.

To add an item to the calendar go to "Create Content" and then click on the "Event" link.

If you tag your event "announcements" it will also show up in Announcements.

To view the calendar, you'll find it on the right side of the page.

The Batavia basketball team is favored on the court more often than not. Saturday morning will be different.

The Blue Devils will be taking on a team that has been the top ranked team in the state all season long, has a player getting a full ride to Syracuse and is the defending state champion.

Senior Brandon Triche scored 28 points in Jamesville-DeWitt's 90-61 win over Scotia-Glenville in the regional game and is the biggest name on the roster because he will be playing for 'Cuse next season. But he isn't the only big-time player on the roster.

The biggest challenge Batavia faces is a youngster. Dajuan Coleman is a 6-foot-8 freshman that is going to cause serious matchup problems. The Blue Devils have been undersized all year and have done well against big players for the most part. But there have been times that players with this kind of height have dominated. 

Batavia forward Joe Schlossel has had a tremendous season and has played much bigger than his listed size of 6-2. But he's going to need a lot of help with Coleman.

Jamesville-DeWitt is extremely athletic and will attempt to run the floor. If Batavia can get rebounds, they should be able to slow things down. The Blue Devils need to get into a half court game to have a shot in this matchup.

Batavia has won games this season because of a strong perimeter game, led by sophomore Andrew Hoy. The Blue Devils will have to put up some impressive shooting numbers from beyond the arc to win this game.

The game is at 10:45 Saturday morning and the winner will battle either Peekskill or East Hampton at 1 p.m. Sunday. 

Batavia Police are looking for a hero who broke up an attempted robbery by two young thugs on Ellicott Street near Jackson on March 5 at about 1:30 p.m.

The victim was a 90-year-old woman.

She was accosted by two young men in their late teens, but an unknown passerby chased the suspects away.

Police want to talk to the hero as well as any other witnesses.

The BPD's press release does not indicate whether investigators have yet identified the suspects.

The hero or other witnesses are asked to call Det. Kevin Czora at 585-345-6311 or the BPD at 585-345-6350.

An unidentified woman was taken to UMMC after driving her vehicle into Wal-Mart late this morning, according to WBTA.

The woman was apparently the only person injured, after her car smashed into the vestibule.

WBTA posted an audio interview with an eyewitness.

Sheriff's deputies told WBTA that the woman may have become confused the gas pedal and brake pedal of her car.

WBTA has posted a picture from the scene.

Looking back, winter arrived somewhat early and made its presence felt in many ways. Early on it was pleasant enough, with calm, windless days and the countryside coated white for Christmas.

A few days we had that Winter Wonderland effect - Nice to look at – for a while.

This is our backyard, filled courtesy of Tonawanda Creek. On three separate occasions the Tonawanda spilled its banks this winter.  

Finally, signs of spring! These snow geese signal more favorable weather is on the way. They found a neighbor's farm a suitable stopover enroute to their breeding grounds in the far north. 

Soon it will be time to break out the spinning rod and head for Lakeside Beach State Park and hopefully, catch that narrow window – occurring some between late March and early May - when the Lake Ontario shoreline offers a mixed bag. For a short while brown trout, cohos and even a few lake trout will inhabit the shallows      

For years I’ve been told the catfish and walleye fishing really heats up after dark on the Genesee River – maybe this is the year I’ll find the time to give it a whirl.     

I know this is Western New York and weather-wise we may not be entirely out of the woods, but at the very least, we’ve got to somewhere near the edge.

Every year for the last 5 or 6 years, I have a little ritual that I do on the first day of Spring. I heard that on this day, you can take a raw egg and stand it up on end and it will stay. I tried it and every year since it has worked!!! It has something to do with the position of the Earth at this time of year, I really can't remember the details. All I know is with a little bit of patience, you can make an egg stand up on its bottom !!

Try it for yourself !!     Happy First Day of Spring !!

State officials announced in Albany yesterday the arrest of 23 people -- including an unidentified Genesee County man -- for allegedly dealing illegally in New York native species.

The group of people were allegedly capturing and selling native rattlesnakes, salamanders and turtles.

"We were addressing what was becoming a mammoth industry in New York, and that was the illegal trade in New York reptiles," said Thomas, a law enforcement lieutenant at DEC's regional headquarters in Avon, Livingston County.

Thomas said that reptiles and amphibians should be valued and protected as bedrock species in their ecosystems that consume insects and small mammals perceived as pests, and in turn being consumed by larger animals.

UPDATE: The D&C's version of the story includes this information:

Among those charged with misdemeanor counts were Kenneth R. Howard Jr., 53, of Oakfield, Genesee County, and Michael J. Loveless, 58, of Machias, Cattaraugus County. Both men are accused of illegally trapping snapping turtles and selling them in Maryland for meat.

Emmanuel Williams, 33, of Batavia was arrested Thursday night for allegedly having "physical contact with a child less than 17 years old," according to the police report. He is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Williams is being held on $7,500 bail.

We discovered a new local blogger this week: Tyler Barrett. He's a young, aspiring fiction writer. In an e-mail, he told me he's looking for other younger writers in the area who want to work on growing and learning together.

 For many sports fans, the NCAA Tournament is one of the best times of the year. 

The excitement of following your office pools, watching for upsets and seeing if your favorite team can make a run towards the final four is one of the greatest things in athletics.

The players aren't making millions of dollars like in the NBA and are playing the game for the love and not wanting the season to come to an end.

The tourney starts today, with games already going and not stopping until late tonight. What is your favorite thing about the NCAA Tournament?

UPDATE 4:15 p.m.:  Scott Doll was released this afternoon.

Yesterday, I sent a series of questions about the planned supervised release of Scott Doll to Genesee Justice, which will supervise Doll while he's out on bail.

A few minutes ago, I received this response Tiffany M. Szymanek, Assistant Director:

In response to your inquiry, we are limited in our ability to respond to all of the questions you are asking at this time.  We can confirm that this afternoon the Defendant, Scott Doll, will be released on bail, as well as on Electronic Monitoring, which will be supervised by our office.

Our questions related to the level of supervision and monitoring Doll might receive.

UPDATE: Genesee Justice sent us a PDF copy of a brochure that explains more about the agency's services.

In all likelihood, Scott Doll will be released on supervised bail today (if he isn't already out of jail).  From all appearances, it looks like he and his attorney are planning a vigorous defense, as is his right.

One of the advantages of the United States is that we have a judicial system that presumes innocence and requires the government to prove its case before incarcerating an accused criminal for any length of time.

Suspects are afforded due process, the rule of law and all of the burden for proving guilt rests with the government.  It isn't up to the accused to prove his lack of complicity.  It is up to the government to win a conviction.

This is good for all of us.  It protects us from arbitrary arrest -- as often happens in less enlightened countries -- and assures us a fair chance to avoid an unjust conviction.

Our legal system isn't perfect, as no human-run institution can be perfect, but it works pretty well.

Based on some comments we've seen on The Batavian, some people are assuming Scott Doll is guilty.  The case against him doesn't look good. He was found covered in blood not far from the scene where Joseph A. Benaquist was found beaten to death. Doll and Benaquist had a prior business relationship. They once worked in the same detention facility.  The circumstantial evidence against Doll is reasonably strong.

But none of us were there. And none of us have yet seen the direct evidence that might convict Doll. 

In our legal system, it's dangerous to jump to conclusions, no matter how compelling the initial case may seem.

Unless the judge grants a change of venue, 12 honorable people from Genesee County will be called upon to judge Mr. Doll's guilt or innocence. Some of those people may be regular readers of The Batavian or aware of the case through other media. It's important that those jurors maintain an open mind, giving Mr. Doll every benefit of the doubt and requiring the government, as is its obligation, to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The legal system protects all of us. We should be sure to protect and preserve the system.  We're long past the days of vigilante justice and kangaroo courts. Let's keep it that way.

The Buffalo News reports that while WNY continues to lose population, the declines seem to have slowed, according to recent estimates.

The News reports that Genesee County is down .04 percent.

While he can’t speak directly about the Buffalo region, Jan Vink, a Cornell University research specialist, sees some indication from the census estimates that migration patterns may be changing for the better in the state.

But the shift might have more to do with what’s happening in other parts of the country, whether it’s the job market or a cooling of the housing market.

“Either less people are leaving or more are coming in. I suspect it’s less people leaving,” said Vink, who reviews census data for the state. “It’s kind of an interesting trend going on all across New York State.”

Related: The D&C reports that birth rates in Monroe County, unlike the rest of the U.S., have declined.

Today's poll inspired by an editorial from the Daily News.

Bill Brown is a fine writer, and his description of Downtown Batavia as it once was on the Daily's Web site is as fine a remembrance of what was lost to "urban renewal" as I've seen:

A generation has grown up that never knew downtown Batavia and its varied and vibrant collection of stores, banks, offices, restaurants and apartments. The generation who does remember had to slug through life without cellphones, laptops, iPods and wall-sized flat screen TVs. So maybe it’s a fair exchange.

Shops occupied the first floor. Offices and other services were upstairs, and apartments took up the third floors. Hundreds of people lived downtown. They patronized the stores, went to the movies, ate at restaurants and window-shopped on busy streets. Dislocating these families and their influence — economic and social — was an unwelcome and unexpected disaster.

...

Gone were Brenner’s Jewelers (It’s Always OK to Owe Herb Brenner’’ but read the fine print). The Bank of America occupies the Main and Bank site. Mancuso Motors with a grand showroom has given way to Tim Hortons. The Mill Outlet where bargain-hunters were lured by popcorn and rummage sale counters is no more. The fortress-like Bank of Batavia was demolished for retailers. Movie fans had four theaters: the New Family and Lafayette on Jackson Street and the Dipson and Mancuso — late ’40s arrivals — on Main Street.

Read the whole thing.

Batavia-based Brothers-All-Natural's dried-fruit snack, Food Crisps, is proving a hit, according to a Democrat and Chronicle story this morning.

Eschewing advertising, Brothers is relying on in-store samples to help promote the product, according to the story.

A test of the product in two Rochester area Subway restaurants is likely to lead to nationwide distribution.

Earlier this month, the company received word from Subway corporate that it could roll out Fruit Crisps to 200 Rochester-area stores. Expansions to other area markets, including Syracuse, Elmira and Buffalo, are on the horizon, and Brothers-All-Natural executives have met with Subway representatives all over the country in the hopes of expanding Fruit Crisps' reach.

"People were very enthusiastic and anxious to bring the product back to their local areas and show their people," said Matt Betters, co-CEO of Brothers-All-Natural

Locally, I know Fruit Crisps are available at The Olive Branch on Ellicott, but I haven't tried the snack yet -- I bought two bags and my wife ate them before I got a chance.

Michael Maloy, 30, of Batavia, was pulled over by Sheriff's deputies on a routine traffic stop Wednesday when a K-9 dog alerted on the vehicle, according to a Sheriff's Office report.

Further investigation revealed Maloy allegedly had heroin and hypodermic needles in his car.

He was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Bail is set at $1,200.