Here's an email we received from the nonprofit Volunteers for Animals:

"Volunteers For Animals would like to take a moment to thank the many people in the community that help us find homes for the many cats and dogs that find their way into the Genesee County Animal Shelter. Without their kindness and support, our job would be more difficult.

The Daily News frequently prints "Post for the Paws" in the Saturday edition of the paper. It is always a large colorful ad that features a cat and a dog.

The Batavian  features a dog and a cat each week which is sponsored by Genesee Feeds. It includes a photo of each animal and a fun and witty write up. Check it out - it will put a smile on your face!

WBTA Radio  regularly announces our events and special requests on the air and on their website as a community service.

The Genesee Valley Penny Saver  has an "Adopt A Pet" page on their website and print page where we feature a cat or dog available for adoption.

Volunteers For Animals is now on Facebook. Come join us and help spread the word about getting shelter animals into great homes. We are just getting started and we needs lots of friends!

A motorcyclist has crashed on Swamp Road in Byron. He has reportedly suffered a head injury. First responder report is that he is semi-conscious.

Mercy EMS and Byron and South Byron fire departments are responding.

Mercy Flight has been dispatched.

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Ninety-plus Elbans turned out Tuesday night for a town hall meeting in the Elba Central School auditorium. The purpose of the meeting was to provide information and solicit input from the community on which services residents believe are important. 

Town Supervisor Lucine Kauffman opened the meeting by giving an overview of the tentative 2010 budget and tax rates as well as those of the previous five years. Highway Superintendent Allan Totten provided information on highway maintenance costs. Town Councilman Bill Hynes explained that the town transfer station operates at a yearly loss and asked for feedback from residents regarding its future. 

The vast majority of questions were directed at Eric Wies, an engineer with Clark Patterson Associates, and Tim Hens, Genesee County Highway Superintendent. Citizens inquired about the process of forming water districts to hook up to the Monroe County Water Supply. Wies and Hens gave an overview of the Genesee County Water Project and step-by-step details on how residents can form water districts.

Kauffman said she was pleased with the turnout. 

"We gave the town residents a lot to think about tonight. We have many important issues facing us. I'm glad we got the dialogue started, and the town board is looking forward to more participation from the residents."

Pembroke Intermediate School in Corfu is one of only 264 public schools nationwide to receive a 2009 National Blue Ribbon School award by the U.S. Department of Education.

Only two other Western New York schools received the honor.

WBTA spoke with Principal Mathew Calderon (MP3).

A warrant is being issued for the arrest of a Lockport man who failed to appear in Genesee County court this morning for his sentencing on an attempted burglary conviction.

(name redacted upon request) admitted in May to entering a portion of a business in Darien that the public was not authorized to enter and grabbing bags of money. The manager caught him before he could leave.

As part of xxxxx plea deal, Judge Robert Noonan had offered him probation with a sentence cap, but xxxxx is now looking at incarceration once he's arrested.

Noonan also indicated that both the Genesee County and Orleans County probation departments recommended Wisniewski be jailed for some time rather than given probation.

Local dairy farmers will join Assemblyman Steve Hawley in a rally in Le Roy at 11 a.m., calling on Gov. David Paterson to use federal stimulus funds to aid struggling dairies.

The dairy industry is caught between historically low prices for milk and rising production costs.

Stimulus funds are needed to stabilize Western New York's economy and create and maintain jobs, according to Hawley.

Hawley will be joined at the rally by Assemblyman Cliff Crouch (R,I-Guilford).

Statement issued by Hawley's office:

New York State's family dairies are currently facing the most difficult economic conditions in the modern history of the industry. Dairy producers are being paid prices that are catastrophically below the price of production for their milk, regardless of the size of their operations, and economists predict that fluid milk prices may not increase for another year.

The governor's office has indicated that the stimulus funds can't be used in such a manner, but at the same time, a Catholic charity in Buffalo recently received stimulus funds to support its efforts.

The rally will be at Stein Farms, 8343 Gully Road, Le Roy.

George M. Hodges, 19, of 9 S. Lyon St., Batavia, and Daniel D. Williams, 20, of 20 Mill St., Batavia were both charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental administration. Batavia Police officers were at an Oak Street residence assisting the Department of Social Services in an investigation when the suspects allegedly yelled profanities at the officers and confronted investigators and attempted to prevent them from speaking to the residents.

Randy Johnson, 21, of 10182 Brookville Road, Alexander, is charged with criminal mischief and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Johnson allegedly took a vehicle without permission of the owner, and when confronted by the owner, Johnson allegedly caused damage to the vehicle. The incident was investigated by Deputy Chad Minuto.

Richard Jordan Franz, 19, of 9898 Simonds Road, Corfu, and Michael Richard Bitter, 19, 3198 Pike Road, Alexander, are charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Franz and Bitter were arrested after deputies came to an unspecified residence to investigate a reported suspicious circumstance and allegedly found Franz and Bitter in possession of marijuana. The incident occurred at 1 a.m. Saturday.

Hal D. Philips, 58, of 11096 Molasses Hill Road, East Bethany, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI, refusal to submit to breath test, failure to keep right and operating with a suspended registration. Philips was stopped on Molasses Hill Road by Deputy Kevin McCarthy for alleged failure to keep right at 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

Kind of ironic that ABC news ran this story on Good Morning America. We were just discussing the other day that the president seems to be EVERYWHERE that a camera is turned on. Even more ironic that it's ABC (All Barack Content) that is running this news piece.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-obamas-health-care-campaign-publicity/story?id=8588074

As I stated stated several days ago, it is near impossibe to avoid his image on TV, online, or in print. "Omnipresent" is the word used, which sounds rather Orwellian to me. The fact he is trying to do so much, so fast, without regard to future generations, scares me. And this news story just re-affirms what I already knew...this guy is charasmatic, and reads a teleprompter like nobody's business. But take aware the script, and he shows his true colors. "Cambridge police acted stupidly", or calling Kanye West a "jackass", just a couple of examples of speaking before thinking.

I'm sure I'll be called a name or two for pointing this out, especially if you are a young dem guy who has a serious man crush on our president.

Here's tonight's primary election results:

Town of Byron, Supervisor (Republican Primary): 
Felton, 119
Crnkovich, 109

Town of Darien, Council (Democrat Primary, vote for two)
Fleming, 33
Plitt, 65
Ferry, Jr., 51

Town of Pembroke, Council (Republican Primary)
District 1: Arnold (47), Worth (34), Schneider, Jr. (26)
District 2: Arnold (46), Worth (48), Schneider, Jr. (13)
3 & 4: Arnold (91), Worth (108), Schneider, Jr. (51)
Total: Arnold (184), Worth (190), Schneider, Jr. (90)

Town of Stafford, Highway Superintendent (Conservative Primary)
Pontillo, 8
Boldt, 12

Every once in a while an occasion comes up when you want to make something just a little different.

I played around with a chocolate cake mix (from Aldi's no less) and ended up with this moist, rich, cake.  At the end of the evening, the piece in the picture was all that was left of the cake.

Pre-heat oven to 350F   Prepare baking pans according to directions on box.  I use cocoa instead of flour in my pans when I make a chocolate cake.

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding

1 cup brown sugar

Mix dry ingredients

Add:

1 cup sour cream

1 cup oil

1 1/3 cups water

3 eggs (one at a time)

Mix batter, on medium, for 3 minutes.  Pour into prepared pans.  Baking time will vary according to oven.  I did a sheet cake and it took just about 50 minutes.

I frosted with a butter cream frosting, but the last time I made this, I just sprinkled confectioners sugar on it. 

Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern, 107 Evans St., Batavia, N.Y.: To me, Delavan's is one of those restaurants where you want to eat frequently until you try everything on the menu. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia, N.Y.: People come from all over the region for a fine dining experience at Alex's. It's best known for its ribs, of course, but Alex's seafood is also a favorite of the restaurant's diners. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Pudgie's Lawn and Garden Center, 3646 West Main Road, Batavia, N.Y.: Autumn is the time to think about spring flowers -- and Pudgie's has a great selection of bulbs already in stock, ready to plant. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Kravings, Valu Plaza, West Main Street, Batavia, N.Y. : Recently opened, it offers soups, salads and sandwiches, fresh and flavorful; Monday through Saturday. We have $10 gift certificates for $5.

NOTE: If you've never bought Deal of the Day before, or are otherwise unfamiliar with the rules and process, click here.

SOLD OUT

A head-on collision, with minor injuries, has been reported in front of Tully's on East Main Street.

Engine 12 and Mercy EMS are responding.

UPDATE 4:10 p.m.: I drove by. Nothing to see. Neither car had much damaged and were being driven to a side street.

Caught this on the fly this morning.  The pumpkin vine goes up the porch column, and the pumpkin is growing on the porch roof.  It is supported by a board so it won't tumble off.

Kind of cool, don't you think?

A semi-truck is on fire at 99 Jackson, in front of Kwik Fill. City fire units are being dispatched.

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UPDATE: Photos:

Engine 12 and Ladder 15, City of Batavia, are responding to a general fire alarm at 29 Cedar St., the office of Time Warner Cable.

UPDATE 1:47 p.m.: False alarm due to construction.

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Who are the richest legislators in Washington?  Roll Call has a list.

Our own Chris Lee makes the list at No. 33.

Lee's net worth is $7.4 million, according to Roll Call, which includes a trust fund and $1 million in a personal account.

(via GLOW Democrats blog)

There are four primary elections in Genesee County today.

There are Republican primaries in Byron and Pembroke for town board seats.

In Darien, there's a three-way Democratic primary for two town board seats.

In Stafford, the Conservative Party will pick a candidate for Highway Superintendent.

Polls are open until 9 p.m.

Billy Joe Budziszewski, 18, no permanent address, is charged with rape in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child. Budziszewski is accused of having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl in the Village of Corfu. He was jailed on $10,000 bail.

An 11-year-old boy from Harpersville is charged with rape, having sexual intercourse with a minor, a criminal sex act and sex abuse. According to a State Police blotter item, the victim appears to be 11-years-old or younger. The arrest was made in Elba. The case remains under investigation.

Genesee County Democratic Committee Chair Lorie Longhany had a chance this week to combine her love of art -- she's an art teacher and an artist -- with her commitment to politics when she attended an event in Rochester honoring Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, whom Longhany described as a long-time, steadfast supporter of the arts. Slaughter co-chairs the congressional arts caucus.

Caroline Kennedy was the keynote speaker and quoted her father, President John Kennedy, who said, "I look forward to an America which will not be afraid of grace and beauty, which commands respect, not only for its strength, but for its civilization, as well."

Attendees also enjoyed performances by the Tony Award winning the Garth Fagan dance troupe and jazz pianist Gap Mangione.

Pictured above, Teresa Martillotta, former Orleans County chair and 53-year state
committee member, current Orleans County chair Jeanne Crane, Slaughter and Longhany.