Sparked by a freshman, the Lady Lancers remained unbeaten and clinched a spot in the state tournament Monday night beating a tough Canaseraga team 61-54.

Freshman McKenzie Bezon scored 29 points for Elba (22-0). She hit five three-point goals on the night.

"We got a great game from McKenzie tonight," said Head Coach Tom Nowak. "For a freshman, that was unbelievable."

It's a good thing, as Cassy Engle of Canaseraga (18-4) scored 34, to keep her team within striking distance of the Section V champions until the closing seconds of the Class D qualifying match.

"We tried to be able to run and push them as much as we could this game because we knew with our bench, hopefully we could try to tire them out a little bit," Nowak said. "I give them a lot of credit, they played hard the whole game."

Nowak said one of the keys to locking down the win was the team making the most of its free throws in the closing minutes of the game.

Elba returns to the Gate-Chili gym on Saturday to play in the first round of the State Championship tournament.

A couple of more pictures after the jump (BTW: I pretty much missed most of this game, having put a little too much trust in my GPS -- Gates-Chili is at 2 Spartan Road, but there's two 2 Spartan Roads in Rochester, as I discovered ... I went to the one 20 minutes past the actual location ... sadly).

Rose Mary Christian is mad as hell and isn't going to take it anymore, at least not if she has anything to say about allowing registered sex offenders to live a block away from an elementary school, and just a few doors down from a church.

At the end of tonight's 25-minute session of the Batavia City Council, she announced there would be a public forum at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 16 to discuss the issue of registered sex offenders in the city. It will be a question-and-answer with Police Chief Randy Baker and Det. Rich Schauf, held at the police station.

She says she's received a number of calls and an anonymous letter regarding Charles H. Wroten, who lives at 214 S. Swan St., upper. Some nearby residents want him gone and they want to know what can and can't be done in this regard.

Christian asked the city attorney to look into the zoning laws concerning registered sex offenders.

"As far as I know there's not much we can do about it," Christian said, adding that she spoke with the landlady about her tenant and the woman did not seem amenable to kicking Wroten out without cause.

Can they put up lawn signs saying "Charlie Wroten must go"? or how about a banner that says "A convicted rapist lives here and he needs to get out ASAP"? And on and on.

"Landlords should have it on the contract...ask whether they've ever been arrested," Christian said, at least they'd know whether the person lied and broke the contract.

She claims there are 161 "sick" registered sex offenders countywide and 150,000 in the state.

As for Wroten, he couldn't be reached for comment. The lights were on in his nondescript white, two-story duplex unit. The door was open, but the glass outer door was locked. No one answered the loud knock at 8:45 p.m.

His crime is public record, easily available online. He is described as a bald, black male, 245 pounds, 6 feet tall, born Feb. 16, 1961. He was convicted, at age 38, on May 17, 2000 of rape in the 3rd degree of a 15-year-old girl. It is a Level 3 offense, the highest level for such a felony. He was sentenced to 18 months to three years and Christian said he served 18 months.

Christian brought up the highly publicized California case of high school senior Chelsea King who was raped, murdered and found March 2 buried in a shallow grave along Lake Hodges in North San Diego County. The DNA of convicted rapist John Albert Gardner III was found in her underwear and he is in jail after pleading not guilty in the case. He lives in the vicinity of the crime. In a nearby community, Amber Dubois disappeared early last year after last seen walking to Escondido High School. Her remains were found this week 25 miles east of the school. Law enforcement is working to determine if the cases are linked.

In any event, the specter of having sex offenders living near children is upsetting to many residents.

"We have small kids around here, and I have five grandkids," said Wroten's next door neighbor, John Butler, who lives in a house with his wife, Mary, and rents from Rose Mary Christian.

"If he even looks at one of my grandkids, I'm going to jail because I'm going to bury him," John Butler said matter-of-factly.

The couple is openly nosy about Wroten and keep an eagle eye on him. They note there are three children living just downstairs from him. They claim a woman dropped off a little boy at Wroten's house this afternoon at about 4:20 and they wondered if that's legal (even if it's the rapist's child).

But living on the other side of Wroten, Carissa and Chad Helsdon take a more cautious, don't-tread-on-me approach. They have three small children.

"I was uncomfortable at first, but he hasn't come down over here and we haven't had any problems with him," Carissa Helsdon said. "He keeps to himself."

"It sounded like a bomb going off," said Robin Lewin minutes after a truck being pursued at high speed by local law enforcement slammed in her home at 28 South Main St. in the City of Batavia.

"You should see that one wall. All of my family’s pictures came flying at us. We were at the desk. The whole house shook. It was like, what’s going on?"

Lewin and her mother, Barbara Watyrstrew, who was visiting, her teenage daughter, Danielle (Danielle was not at home at the time) had to immediately evacuate the house, which was knocked off its foundation, causing a gas leak.

The driver of the black Chevy 4x4 pickup truck, who has not yet been identified, was taken by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital.

Investigator Kris Kautz of the Sheriff's Office said Deputy Ronald E. Meides spotted the truck allegedly speeding eastbound on Route 33 just west of Reed Road and attempted to initiate a traffic stop.

The truck wouldn't stop, and may even have speed up, with speeds hitting "triple digits," according to law enforcement officials.

The driver, identified by police after the chase (though his identity is not yet being released), had no known outstanding warrants, according to Det. Rich Schauf of the Batavia Police Department.

When it was apparent Deputy Meides was involved in a high-speed chase, more law enforcement joined in the persuit. Officer John Zola and Deputy Chris Parker managed to get spike strips down on Route 33 at Pearl Street Road moments before the truck arrived.

The strips, according to Parker and Zola, are designed to deflate car tires gradually so that hitting the spikes doesn't cause an immediate accident. By the time the truck hit the Oak Street Roundabout, its tires would have deflated to some extent.

Spikes were found in each of the truck's front tires, Parker and Zola said.

Said Kautz, “The operator refused to stop and the vehicle obviously came through here at too high of a speed to maintain control.”

Luz Castro was standing in front of 28 South Main -- she lives in the upper apartment -- waiting for her daughter's school bus when she saw a deputy and a police car whiz by heading westbound. Minutes later she saw the truck come flying through the roundabout, heading east, and as it came out of the curve at South Main, it was clear the truck was headed right for her. So she jumped out of the way just before the truck rammed the building right at the entrance to her apartment.

"It was just shock. Surreal. Crying. Just too much going on at once," Castro said.

Red Cross has been called in to assist Luz, Robin and Danielle. A city inspector is on scene determining how to safely remove the truck, which is may be the only thing holding up the house at this point.

"Life is a matter of seconds and inches and luckily her (Castro's) child wasn’t here getting off the bus at that moment," said Kautz.

UPDATE 8:13 p.m.: The driver of the truck has been identified as Louis M. Reeb, 19, of 40 E. Main St., Corfu. His injuries are described as non-life threatening. The house is owned by Charles Keif of Batavia. No charges have been filed, pending further investigation.

Residents are reporting possible ill effects of carbon monoxide poising at 21 Erie St., Le Roy.

Le Roy Fire and Le Roy Ambulance have been dispatched.

It's the same location of a reported gas leak on Friday.

The caller reports that her CO detector did not activate.

The residents have evacuated the house.

View Larger Map

Batavia city police, fire and Mercy EMS have responded to a motor-vehicle accident at 28 South Main St. wherein a vehicle crashed into a house.

The driver is alert and talking but there are injuries. Mercy Flight has been notified and is on "hot standby" until further notice.

The city code representative is in route to the scene. National Fuel and National Grid have been called. The gas has been shut off. Traffic control police are on scene.

UPDATE (3:06 p.m.): This is apparently the result of a law-enforcement ground pursuit gone wrong. A woman at the scene said she was standing outside her house when she saw a Sheriff's Deputy's car chasing a black 4X4 pickup truck at high speed. The driver lost control of his pickup truck and it zoomed off the road and into her house, narrowly missing her, and killing her.

Mercy Flight is set to land at a nearby park's tennis court.

UPDATE (3:19 p.m.): Sheriff's Investigator Kristopher A. Kautz said the chase started on Route 33, west of Reed Road, in the Town of Batavia. The suspect's pickup was headed eastbound and the Sheriff's Deputy was westbound, when the law officer suspected the truck driver was speeding. The deputy turned around to pursue the suspect but he would not stop. Road spikes were put down somewhere west of the Roundabout. The suspect's pickup hit the spikes, flattening the tire(s) and lost control. That's when the vehicle jumped the roadway and careened into the woman's house, barely missing her. No other violations were pending or suspected concerning the suspect and his pickup.

UPDATE (3:28 p.m.): Deputies Chris Parker and John J. Zola, who weren't involved in the chase, said they laid down the spikes in the area of Route 33 and Pearl Street Road. Parker said they're purposely designed to let the air out of tires slowly, so no instant loss of control occurs. The suspect continued to drive well after hitting the spikes, and as he neared the Roundabout, he lost control. Each of his two front tires were pierced by spikes. Batavia Daily News reporter Matt Surtel was heading back to the newspaper office from Wyoming County when he got caught up in the roadway chase on Route 33.

UPDATE (3:56 p.m.): According to Batavia Police Det. Rich Schauf, the house was knocked off its foundation and, basically, the truck is holding up the house. Thus, they will leave it right where it is temporarily until the homeowner can make repairs shore up the foundation. The American Red Cross has been called to assist the occupant(s) with housing, etc. Schauf confirmed that the suspect has no known outstanding warrants.

NOTE: Starting today, Adopt-A-Pet and Pet of the Week have a new sponsor -- Neptune's Garden, a pet shop right in the heart of Batavia, at 33 Liberty St. With Pet of the Week, winners will now receive a $10 gift certificate from Neptune Garden. To submit your pet for Pet of the Week, send an e-mail with information about your pet and a picture to (pets [at] thebatavian dot com).

I am a handsome, sweet, family kind of guy. Unfortunately, my previous owners moved away and couldn't take me with them, so they put me up for adoption. Same with my companion dog, Shelby.

My name is Piston, as you can see I'm a big black and white dog, an adult, neutered male, St. Bernard mix. I am everything you could possibly want in a family dog -- housebroken, good with children, cats and female dogs, and well behaved on a leash.

I'm a sweetie (so is Shelby!), come and see me soon! Kennel 19.

I have an odd but memorable moniker -- kinda like the Johnny Cash song "A boy Named Sue" -- I'm a cat named Mouse (but definately not a "mouser").

I like things quiet. All I really want is a small, calm abode and, ideally, someone who will let me sleep on the bed. I like to be cozy. I'm a young, spayed, female, calico domestic shorthair. Although I'm shy at first, I'm easily won over after a few days of hand-fed salmon cat food. I also get along well with other felines, provided they are willing to share your affections.

Given my druthers, I would like to become the companion of someone with long fingernails and/or someone who owns a soft brush. I just adore being scratched and rubbed and brushed. Find me in Cage 68.

Volunteers For Animals
P.O. Box 1621
Batavia, NY  14021
www.vol4animals.org <http://www.vol4animals.org>

Working in partnership with:
Genesee County Animal Shelter
3841 W. Main Street Road
Batavia, NY  14020
(585) 343-6410

Adoption Hours:
Sunday - Friday 1 - 3 pm (closed on Thursdays)
Wednesday 7 - 9 pm
Saturday 11 - 1 pm

Adopt a New Friend at the Genesee County Animal Shelter!

Genesee ARC Executive Director Donna Saskowski was named Social Worker of the Year by the Western Division of the New York State Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

She was selected for her service to people with developmental disabilities, her leadership skills and commitment to community development. Her award nomination was submitted by Barbara Demerest, of Amherst, a former aide to New York State Senator Mary Lou Rath.

“Community leaders and families served by ARC continually note the major positive impact that Donna’s leadership has on the lives of the individuals and families her agency serves, and on the larger community," Demerest said.

During the awards presentation, Demerest said, “Donna particularly has forged partnerships and collaborations, not only strengthening services but integrating persons with disabilities into their communities and maximizing their opportunities for full participation.

"Among the many initiatives she has led are a recreational partnership with the YMCA and a major fundraising effort for the Genesee ARC Community Center (formerly St. Mary’s School).”

Saskowski, a lifelong resident of the town of Darien, received her bachelor's and master's degrees in Social Work from the University of Buffalo School of Social Work and has been on staff at Genesee ARC since 1989 and Executive Director since 2004.

In addition to her affiliation with NASW, Saskowski is a member of the Batavia Rotary Club and the Genesee County United Way Board of Directors. She is president of the Finger Lakes Collaborative, and belongs to NYSARC’s Executive Directors’ Association and Developmental Disabilities Alliance of Western New York. In 2006, she was a member of the Community Health Foundation Leadership Fellows and she is a member of Leadership Genesee’s Class of 2005.

Darshawn T. Johnson, 30, of 106 Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged by a Monroe County Grand Jury with failing to register a change of address, a Class D felony. Johnson, a convicted rapist, allegedly failed to notify New York State of his change of address. Det. John Condidorio reports that a member of the community tipped Le Roy Police to Johnson's status. After further investigation, Condidorio located Johnson walking on Lake Street and arrested him. Johnson is a Level 2 sex offender. He was convicted of sexual abuse, 1st. Following his arrest, Johnson was transferred to the Monroe County Sheriff's Department.

Robert J. Macklem, 20, 1 Prospect Ave., Batavia, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI (driving with a BAC of .08 or greater) and moving from lane unsafely. Macklem was taken into custody by Officer Thad Mart at 9:50 p.m., Thursday.

Jolin Nicholas Donnelly, 21, 1925 Nesbitt Road, Attica, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Following a traffic stop at 8:19 p.m., Sunday, by Deputy Patrick Reeves, Donnelly was allegedly found in possession of a small quantity of marijuana.

Brian K. Dyer, 43, of 106 North Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal contempt, 2nd, harassment, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Dyer was taken into custody at 4:47 p.m., Sunday, by Officer Thad Mart, after Dyer allegedly became involved in a fight with a woman reportedly protected by a court order from "offensive conduct" by him. There was reportedly a child present during the altercation. Dyer was also arrested on an outstanding warrant for allegedly violating a "stay away" order on Feb. 23 during an incident on Dewey Avenue, regarding the same woman. Dyer was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Kenneth M. Gray, Jr., 18, of 77 Myrtle St., Le Roy, is charged with unlawful possession of alcohol under 21. Gray was reportedly found by Officer Dan Coffey in the area of 500 East Street in a state of intoxication. Gray was reportedly carrying seven cans of beer at the time.

Timothy P. Dailey, 40, of Rochester, is charged with criminal mischief. Dailey was arrested by state police in Elba at 2:29 a.m., Saturday. Dailey was jailed. No further details available.

In an awards ceremony themed "Simply Elegant," the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce honored its Class of 2009 with a dinner and presentation at a local hotel on Saturday night.  

Pictured above are, front row, Billie Owens, Naomi Silver, Chris Sardou, Mary Sardou, Christine Adamczak; back, Howard Owens, Gary Larde, Buddy Brasky, Tom Sardou, Steve Tufts,  Bill Dougherty, Tony Kutter and Travis Sick.

UPDATE 8:22 p.m., Monday: I should note, it was The Batavian's turn this year  to write, and WBTA to broadcast, profiles of this year's award recipients. I'd like to thank Genesee Graphics for printing, and Bill Mosman, a L.C. Mosman for framing the prints. Bill did an excellent job on was by necessity a rush order.

More pictures after the jump:

Dan "The Voice of Genesee County" Fischer, of WBTA, delivered a few opening remarks.

Tony Kutter accepts the award for Kutter's Factory Cheese Store.

Naomi Silver of Rochester Community Baseball with daughter, Desiree, 8.

Steve Tufts of the Batavia Area Jaycees with Tara Pariso and Cathryn Colby.

Chris, Tom and Mary Sardou of Viking Valhalla/Rose Garden Bowl, the Business of the Year.

Myron "Buddy" Brasky, Batavia High basketball coach (and JV baseball coach), the Geneseean of the Year.

ADDED: Thanks to Melissa George from the Chamber for the picture below.

Late in the third quarter, the Fighting Irish seemed to have their Section V title game well in hand.

And then something strange happened.

The baskets stopped dropping, and turnovers and penalties all seemed to take a Fillmore tilt.

With seconds left in the third, Notre Dame turned over the ball and Fillmore struck for a quick three points, cutting the Irish lead from nine to six.

"The little things ad up," said head coach Mike Rapone. "They did the little things better in about the last 12 minutes of the game."

The game changer, Rapone said, was a six-minute stretch in which the Irish didn't drop a single shot.

"I don’t think we scored from 33-24 until they actually took the lead," Rapone said. "We had a long scoring drought. I thought we were getting decent shots, they just weren’t falling. That happens."

To start the fourth quarter, Fillmore hit two three-point goals, tying the game, and another three-pointer gave Fillmore a lead that Notre Dame would never get back.

The fourth quarter ended in a tie, putting the game into overtime, but Fillmore struck quickly and held the lead through the final four minutes.

"I feel bad for the kids because they’ve been so close in football and now basketball," Rapone said.

Fillmore was sparked in the 4th quarter by Chase Rangel, who came off the bench and scored 14 points, including 4 three-point goals.  He added another key three-point goal in the 4th quarter.

Vinny Zambito led Notre Dame with 13 points, Gianni Zambito, 11, Matt Thompson, 9, and Tom Rapone, 6.

More pictures after the jump:

If you are going to be in the Sarasota, Fla., area on March 21 or you'd like to go there and enjoy a big party of people who graduated from Genesee County high schools, then this announcement is for you.

Nick and Mary Ann Figlow are hosting a Reunion Party at their home at 3617 White Sulphur Place in Sarasota. Starts at 1 p.m. and lasts as long as its lasts!

Bring a dish of something to eat and share plus your favorite beverages.

Grads from Batavia, Bergen, Elba, Le Roy, Notre Dame, Oakfield, Stafford, Corfu, Alexander, Bethany, Pembroke, Pavilion, Darien, Alabama and Attica are invited.

"This is going to be a blast!" the Figlows say.

Use Google Maps, or try Nick and Mary Ann's directions: The house is off Beneva Road, -- south of Fruitville Road, south of Bahia Vista Road, north of Webber Street -- head east off Beneva. It's the second house on the right, the one with 50 or 60 or more cars parked around it. (Again, just a suggestion...use Google Maps or Map Works online.)

Phone numbers to call are (home) (941) 922-2277 or (941) 376-1375.

Don Desjarlais, a representative of Oregon Cutting Systems out of Raleigh, N.C., talks about the differences in chain saw teeth during a chain saw safety clinic at Cedar Street Sales and Rentals.

The annual clinic provides area highway department workers and others who use chainsaws frequently detailed information on the operation of chain saws and their safe use.

Undefeated sectional champions isn't a bad label to have. That's what all the excitement was about Friday night in Letchworth as the Elba girls basketball team defeated Jasper-Troupsburg 47-37 in the Class DD final.

Freshman McKenzie Bezon, sophomore Meg Stucko and senior Cassie Engel were the offensive power in the game.

"This is everything that I could dream of," Engel said. "It was a great win and one that I will always remember."

The Lancers came out with the mentality to get it done and get the lead quickly as they took an early 13-2 jump with the support of 3-pointers by Engal and senior Missy Call.

In a desperate attempt to get back in the game, the Wildcats' were able to close the gap to 16-12, but it was all Elba from then on as the Wildcats (18-3) couldn't get a formula together to shut down the Lancers.

Heading into the final quarter of the game up 36-21, the Wildcats turned it up a notch in a last attempt to take the lead but managed only to close the gap to 42-34.

Bezon ended the game posting 14 points, while Stucko put up two 3-pointers to total six points. She had a big day under the basket as she pulled down 27 rebounds.

Brittany Hadley led Jasper-Troupsburg with nine points and Taylor Button and Meghan Wyant added eight points each.

"This was huge for the kids and we will take whatever we get from now on," says Head Coach Tom Nowak. "We'd like to win another one and get on to the regional game."

Nowak was named the Class DD Coach of the Year.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Reader Robin Walters was also at the game, and posted this report.

Thirteen and under. Thirteen and under. It's the phrase that Batavia Head Coach Buddy Brasky has pounded into the head of his players all season. Just hold the opponent to 13 or fewer points per quarter, and you're going to win basketball games.

Friday night at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, it was more like 10 and under as the Blue Devils secured a Section V title with a 65-38 victory over #3 seed Livonia.

It was the first time in four Section V titles for Batavia under the leadership of Brasky that an opponent was held to fewer than 40 points.

More significantly, it is the first time in Batavia history that a varsity basketball team won back-to-back Section V titles.

"All the alumni, all of them that talk, but we’ve got that on them," said Junior Andrew Hoy. "They all had sectional titles, but we got two."

Hoy, who got to 1,000 career points, scored faster than any player in Batavia history, with 11 against Livonia and was named the tournament's MVP.

But for all of his offensive prowess, after the game, Hoy talked about defense.

"Defense got us the win," Hoy said. "Coach told us if we hold them to 13 and under per quarter we’d get the win, we would be sectional champs. We came out in the third quarter and won that quarter 25-2."

Their lopsided quarter allowed Batavia to run away with the game. After falling behind 13-0 against Batavia to start in the first quarter, Livonia was never really able to get into the game. The squad never pulled closer than 8 points.

"I showed them the past sectional championship pictures and I showed them score boards, because I always take a picture of the score board if we win and I hang it up in the trophy case, and all the scores were in the 40s for the other teams," Brasky said. "This the first year we got them under 40. We got them at 38, so they were pretty excited about that."

Coach Brasky gave credit to Josh Budlong for the quick start. Budlong finished the game with 21 points. Co Co Irvin scored 15 and Justin Washington added 8.

Bobby Schuster was the leading scorer for Livonia with 18 points. He was the only Livonia player to reach double digits.

The Sportsmanship Award went to Lou Stoller.

Batavia players who made the All-Tournament Team were Washington, Irvin, Budlong and Hoy.

Next, on Wednesday Batavia plays the qualifying game for the state championship series.

UPDATE: More pictures after the jump (nearly 70 more)

More Pictures:

A man wearing a hoodie and a mask entered the Le Roy Rite Aid on Friday night and demanded a clerk give him drugs.

The man claimed to have a gun, according to Le Roy Police.

The armed robbery at 151 West Main Street occurred at 8:55 p.m.

The suspect is described as a white male, about 5' 7".

When he entered the store, he reportedly approached the pharmacists and demanded drugs. He claimed to have a weapon, but no weapon was displayed.

The suspect was wearing blue jeans and a yellow hooded sweatshirt.

After exiting the store, he fled on foot, but police believe he had a car nearby.

Anybody with information that might help solve the case are asked to contact the Le Roy Police Department.

Batavia Police have arrested a man apparently working three jobs for allegedly using his access to credit cards as a gas station attendent to buy material at a building supply company and then selling what he bought as a contractor, but pocketing the proceeds.

Dustin Hurlburt, 32, of 21 Elm St., Warsaw, is charged with four counts of grand larceny, 3rd, and two counts of grand larceny, 4th.

He was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Hurlburt allegedly made more than $22,000 in purchases at Armor Building Supply, where he worked, using credit card numbers he obtained while working as a full-service gas station attendant. 

The purchases were allegedly made for a local building site, where Hurlburt acted as a contractor. He then allegedly billed the customers for the items he purchased using the stolen credit card numbers.

The alleged purchases were made between October 2009 and December 2009. There were reportedly six different transactions ranging from $1,800 to more than $5,000 each.

Det. Kevin Czora spent three months investigating the case and arrested Hurlburt on Friday.

An Oakfield woman is accused of thinking her ex-husband's bank account was still hers for the taking.

Michelle Parker, 39, of 14 Cary Ave., is charged with grand larceny, 4th, grand larceny, 3rd, and perjury, 1st, after allegedly stealing $8,000 from her ex-husband's account.

Parker allegedly gave false testimony about the accounts while under oath in Genesee County Superior Court.

She was released on her own recognizance following her arraignment.

The case was investigated by by Det. Todd Crossett of the Batavia Police Department.

Dan Fisher at WBTA was kind enough to air a story today about The Batavian, interviewing me and Billie, with Pachuco in the studio.

Ameka Cooper at Carlson's Studio shot the portrait picture.

You can listen to Dan's story here (mp3).

The awards will be handed out Saturday night at the Holiday Inn.

Previously, The Batavian ran the following stories on our fellow award winners:

• Genesee County Business of the Year: Viking Valhalla Restaurant
• Geneseean of the Year: Buddy Brasky
• Kutter's Cheese Factory Store: 2009 Agricultural Business of the Year
• Special Recognition Award: Rochester Community Baseball
• Special Service Recognition Award: The Batavia Area Jaycees

It's called a "cost recovery fee," and critics say it is damaging the ability of Industrial Development Agencies to create jobs.

The fee is a tax on operating revenue and is calculated before IDA expenses are deducted, according to this story Star-Gazette in Elmira.

Albany stuck the cost recovery fee in the 2009-10 budget as a line item and many IDAs were surprised to get bills for 5 percent of their revenue.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley introduced legislation this week to repeal the fee.

"To add these assessments during this difficult economy will only lead to further job losses across New York, especially in the Upstate region.," Hawley said in a press release. "Albany needs to wake up and understand that job creation for New Yorkers should be their number one priority, not more unfair taxes and fees.”

Albany expects the IDA fee to generate $5 million in revenue for the State.

Hawley's legislation, if passed, would repeal the fee and reimburse IDAs for any fees already paid.

IDAs are set up in regions throughout the state to spur business development through tax breaks and other incentives, as well as organizing and promoting development opportunities.