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.

Congratulations to all the Honor Society inductees this year! And thanks to L. Brian Clark for getting us the names. So, without further ado, this year's inductees are:

SEVENTH GRADE
Trey Abdella, Anneliese Aliasso, Kathren Francis, Thomas Grammatico, Rachel Henrici, Niha Idrees, Alexis Logsdon, Jenna Mancuso, Rebecca Meloon, Miranda Moore, Andrea Raphael, Maria Robusto, Samantha Saraceni, Lindsay Wishman, Helen Zickl, Mark Zinni, Rebecca Zinni

EIGHTH GRADE
Jenna Bauer, Carl Beaver, Ryan Bienas, Briana Buchanan, Dylan Buchholtz, Melanie Case, Trevor Day, Alicia DelRe, Abigail Dobbertin, Joseph Durzewski, Alex Engel, Aubrey Falleti, Hannah Feary, Faith Finnin, Melissa Fite, James Gomez, Robert Greathouse, Ashley Hale, Taylor Harkness, Alyssa Holmes, Thomas Houseknecht, Alexis Jackson, Ann Janofsky, Hayley Jensen, Vincent Klimjack, Adam Kurek, Stephanie Lapp, Tyler Long, Sherena Majors, Eric Mancuso, Megan Mase, Catherine McAllister, Kathleen O'Donnell, Victoria Oxencis-Barber, Brianne Paganello, Andrea Pursel, Kirsten Rowland, Kirsten Smith, Megan Smith, Cody Sumeriski, Catherine Taylor, Tylin Torcello, Natalie Tuites, Jessie Turner

BMS HONOR SOCIETY MEMBERS
Sarah DiBacco, Patrick Flynn, Erin Hurlbut, Meg Hurlbut, Megan Jacques, Samantha Loria, Grey Musilli, Brittney Okoniewski, Lisa Redband, Jordyn Vanelli, Brandon Vasciannie

Police Blotter for Thursday, June 12:

• 12:45am, 111 Liberty St., harassment
• 8:38am, 136 W. Main St., accident
• 9:05am, 110 Ellsworth Ave. (Apt: Upper), larceny
• 11:53am, Ellicott Ave., accident
• 12:43pm, 111 Liberty St. (Apt. H), criminal mischief
• 4:10pm, Ross St., harassment
• 4:14pm, Linwood Ave., accident
• 5:31pm, 229 W. Main St., accident
• 5:49pm, Jefferson Ave., harassment
• 9:59pm, 149 Ross St., harassment

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

From the Daily News (Friday):

• Intern Kristen Kotz sat down with Batavia Fire Capt. Michael Drew to talk fire safety. Check out the article on the front page for some tips.
• Genesee County's Planning Board voted to turn the soon-to-be empty lot at the corner of Bank Street and Washington Avenue into a "green area" — United Memorial Medical Center's Growney Building currently located there will be demolished. Reporter Paul Mrozek writes: "UMMC wants to plant grass and shrubs, put in paths and picnic benches and add off-street parking." No date has yet been set for the demolition, and the city of Batavia still has to grant final approval for the plan.
• Reporter Virginia Kropf wrote a great piece on a group of retired friends who gather twice a week for breakfast at Miss Batavia Diner. It starts: "Retirement for a group of local friends means starting the day off with coffee and camraderie, and if they should happen to solve the world's problems in the meantime, so much the better." What a great lede!

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

Three cheers for Lt. Gene Jankowski and the city police force for averting disaster on Main Street this morning. With the help of an unflinching fellow officer, Jankowski halted four lanes of traffic on East Main Street out front of the police station so that a mother duck and her ten ducklings could safely cross.

The feathered family emerged from Austin Park when they were spotted and followed to the curb. Jankowski held off traffic while his colleague — I apologize for failing to get the officer's name — kept the ducks on course. Without pause, the lot of them dropped into the street and waddled across and into the cool waters of the Tonawanda behind the courthouse. There they were reunited with papa mallard (you can see him leading the crew in the photo to the left here).

Jankowski told me after that this happens about twice a year, and if the police don't act fast, the questing ducks would most likely cause chaos on Main Street, if not an outright accident as drivers swerve all over to avoid crushing the little beasts.

"They don't wait," he said. "They make a bee-line across the road."

They most certainly did. And on a day when the temperature has already hit 90 degrees, who could blame them? I had to keep myself from jumping into the creek and getting my feathers wet.

Batavia's very own Bill Kauffman is setting radical hearts aflutter in the blogosphere this week as the publication of his new book nears. The Western Confucian muses on the sage of Batavia and proudly proclaims his own love of Kauffman's works.

If you've read Bill Kauffman, you know that he's at his best describing the quirky, eccentric political characters that make America great, as opposed the the bland figures that make her ugly. A book about America's "drunken prophet" will likely [be] pure Kauffman.

Daniel McCarthy previews the book, titled Forgotten Founder, Drunken Prophet: The Life of Luther Martin, on his blog: The Tory Anarchist.

Coming from ISI Books in September: Forgotten Founder, Drunken Prophet: The Life of Luther Martin. Martin, a Maryland delegate to and “the bitterest states’ rightser at the [Constitutional] Convention,” was a great Anti-Federalist whose detestation of Thomas Jefferson drove him, ironically enough, into the Federalist Party. I’ve just had a glance at the galleys of Kauffman’s book so far, which looks to be every bit as good as you’d expect.

Here's an excerpt of the work, courtesy of McCarthy:

Martin understood quite clearly that the Constitution was a counterrevolution, recentralizing that which had been decentralized upon the assertion of American independence. ‘Men love power,’ Hamilton told the convention. To Hamilton this was a simple statement of fact, not at all deplorable. The Anti-Federalists had their doubts about its accuracy—did not men love their families, their homeplaces, their liberties even more?—but in the event, they desird not to channel this powerlust toward profitable ends but rather to block those avenues down which power is pursued. If it is true that men love to wield power over other men and that a centralized state will attract such warped creatures, then rather than design a Rube Goldberg scheme by which the will to dominate is transmuted into gold for the commonweal, why not just not construct a centralized state? Remove the means of gratifying the temptation.

Visit the publisher's site for a synopsis of the work. We will probably hear more as the publication date nears — it's not due out until September — but in the meantime, for an interesting and well-written read about Kauffman, check out the article by John McClaughry published on Reason Online last January. Or see our our earlier post where Howard takes a look at Kauffman's Batavia.

Congratulations to the McMahon School of Irish Dance. The troupe took home a host of medals and top honors at a competition in Buffalo last week.

Charley Boyd got us the details:

25 dancers from the McMahon School of Irish Dance vied with 1600 others at the June 7 Buffalo Feis (pronounced “fesh”), an Irish dance competition.  The McMahon dancers brought home more than 53 medals and trophies, including 9 first places.  The McMahon dancers at the Feis included Abel Zavitz, Ally Criswell, Ashlee Dow, Ashley Hale, Ashley Merkle, Christen Ferraro, Elayna Kinney, Erin Crossen, Jenny Crossen, Jenny Grant, Kerri Dulanski, Kevin Grant, Laura Littlejohn, Lauren Sondericker, Maeve Cooper, Maggie McGinnis, Moira Grant, Morgan Nashwenter, Rachel Prutsman, Samantha Stockwell, Sarah Gambino-Fontaine, Sarah McGinnis, Sasha Boyd, Shelby McGinnis, & Taylor Heineman. The next major competition will take place in Rochester on July 12.  These dancers will be performing locally at the upcoming Genesee County Fair.  The McMahon School offers classes in Batavia, Arcade, Lockport, and Buffalo.

The Batavian hopes to visit the McMahon school sometime in the next couple weeks and put together a video showcasing the talents of our local Irish stylists and letting those of us who don't know just what it means to dance Irish.

In the meantime, if you've got a video you would like to share, please let us know. Or, if you can tell us more about Irish dance, how it's done and where we can find it, don't hesitate to leave a comment.

Check out the McMahon school Web site to find out  about upcoming events, to see more photos or to register for classes. Batavia classes are held at Genesee Community College.

An investigation into more than 1,000 stores across the state by officers of the state attorney general found that many have been selling expired over-the-counter products — a total of 254 were cited, according to Newsday.com. Products found expired on the shelves include: milk, eggs, medicine and baby formula.

As one might expect, the story has lit up the headlines in state and local queries online, and every media outlet seems to have its own special list of offenders in its neighborhood. Thanks to Wayne Fuller for breaking the story locally in his news roundup on the WBTA Web site. There's no doubt that the attorney general has sent out a mass of press releases all over the state this morning. I've never known that government office to be shy about garnering admiring press coverage.

Back to the story...

CVS and Rite Aid were the biggest offenders, and CVS here on West Main Street was found to be selling expired baby formula. A store in Long Island was found to be selling an allergy medication that had expired in June 2006.

From Newsday:

In response, the Rite Aid stores cited for stocking expired products "were told to make sure there is no such product on the shelf now," said Cheryl Slavinsky, director of public relations for Rite Aid.

"We are moving immediately across the nation to check all of our products," she said, as well as initiating a retraining program on related policies and procedures. "We do take the allegations ... very seriously. Our policies have always been not to have outdated products on our shelves."

CVS was equally repentent.

"Our policy is to remove items before they go beyond the expiration date," Mike DeAngelis, director of public relations at CVS, wrote in an e-mail. "We will work aggressively to ensure that our review and removal procedures are followed consistently in all of our stores. We value the trust our customers have placed in us to sell them products that are safe and effective, and the findings of New York's attorney general are unacceptable to us. ... We will cooperate fully with his office in this matter."

Check out the Buffalo News if you want the full story and a list of stores cited in Erie County. For a list of stores cited in the Rochester area, check out the Democrat & Chronicle.

All that being said, consumers should always be wary and check expiration dates on these types of products. No matter how diligent a grocer or retailer may be, there is always the occasional carton of milk that is left in the cooler maybe a few days too long. Then again, there's really no excuse for not weeding out medicine two years past its expiration.

Tuesday:

• 12:09am, 35 Walnut St., burglary
• 1:42am, 390 W. Main St., trespass
• 2:12am, 127 North St., trespass
• 6:54am, 15 Maple St., larceny
• 7:19am, 9 S. Lyon St., accident
• 7:44am, 505 E. Main St., larceny
• 9:16am, 211 W. Main St., larceny
• 2:11pm, Cedar St., trespass
• 2:27pm, 115 Jackson St., larceny
• 4:07pm, Bank St., accident
• 6:13pm, 565 E. Main St., accident
• 10:47pm, Holland Ave., harassment

Wednesday:

• 10:43am, Ellicott St., accident
• 12:58pm, 117 Liberty St., possession of a controlled substance
• 9:18pm, Richmond Ave., larceny
• 10:13pm, 136 W. Main St., harassment
• 11:13pm, 10 W. Main St., harassment

Thursday:

• 9:21am, 34 Clinton St., larceny
• 11:01am, Jefferson Ave., larceny
• 12:39pm, 14 Trumbull Pkwy., harassment
• 2:25pm, Liberty St., accident
• 2:38pm, Oak St., accident
• 2:50pm, 390 W. Main St., forgery
• 4:42pm, Court St., accident
• 5:30pm, 229 Ellicott St., accident
• 6:34pm, 19 Ross St., larceny
• 8:08pm, 127 North St., accident
• 8:46pm, 6 East Ave., accident

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

In this video we found on YouTube, this Batavia toddler seems pretty happy with the ice cream at Blondie's.

Twenty-three days and counting down until the Ramble Music & Arts Fest, and one of the festival's organizers was kind enough to get us a whole host of video clip highlights from last year's run. (If you're feeling ambitious and you've got some free time on your hands, you can find all of them on YouTube.)

We'll try and get another video up every couple days right up to July 5, when The Batavian will be on the scene in Jackson Square to shoot some footage of this year's event. Be sure to look out for that.

In the meantime, here is Sierra's "Until We Meet Again."