The Powers campaign is trying to make an issue of who Chris Lee (the Republican candidate for the 26th District) sold his company to.  The D&C:

The company Lee helped manage and his father founded was sold for $395 million less than a year after the buyer, an international conglomerate, pleaded guilty to two felony charges related to sensitive defense technology that had been sent to China, Britain, Singapore and Japan. The conglomerate, ITT, also paid $100 million in fines.

The Lee campaign maintains that International Motion Control, an engineering and technology company founded by Patrick Lee, was sold to a division of ITT that was separate from ITT's defense operations, which incurred the charges and fines.

...

"As a combat veteran, Jon Powers is deeply troubled by anyone who profited from a company that gave our national security secrets to the Chinese," said John Gerken, Powers' campaign manager. (via Rochester Turning)

It seems a stretch to knock a guy for legally selling his company.  It  doesn't seem like the sort of thing that will resonate with voters, and what Powers is doing is reminding people that Lee is an experienced, successful business man -- something that Powers, for all his great military experience -- doesn't have in his portfolio.  While that doesn't disqualify Powers for office, why draw attention to it?

It also seems to be a political misstep for Powers to raise this issue now, before he's even won the primary. By the time the general election rolls around, this will be a stale story that most media won't cover.  (Though, a lot of times campaigns get these stories planted in the press so they have a clip to include in a hit piece mailer. The timing, then, doesn't matter.)

I don't know much about International Motion Control, but if it were the case that IMC dealt in defense-related technology that could maybe make its way into Chinese hands via ITT, then Mr. Lee's judgment and fitness for office could be legitimately questioned.  But merely profiting from the sale? That's a stretch.

There isn't much on the web now about IMC, but I did find this press release about the sale. The list of products appears pretty non-threatening. However, it is interesting that Mr. Lee outsourced some manufacturing to Asian countries. That could be a liability for him in this district, but it seems Jack Davis has the stronger track record to make that case.

Chris Lee's campaign site. Jon Powers  campaign site.

WBTA story: The county Health Department is warning that a rabid cat was found in Le Roy and they want to speak to anybody who may have come into contact with the feline.

The black cat lived on Summit street and health officials are looking for people who may have come into contact with it between Aug. 14 and Aug. 24.

Two people were either bitten or scratched and are being treated for rabies.

Contact: Genesee County Health Department at 344-2580, Extension 5569.

Katelyn M. Pawliske, 21, of Eden, was charged with driving while ability impaired by alcohol early Sunday morning, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Pawliske drove into the rear of a vehicle stopped in traffic on Route 77 in the town of Darien after she had exited the concert at Darien Lake. She was also ticketed with following too closely.

Jeffrey M. Brodsky, 37, of Covington, was charged with a felony county of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance Friday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Members of the Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force allegedly found over a half ounce of crack cocaine on Brodsky when they searched his home and his vehicle last week. About a quarter pound of marijuana, some powder cocaine, more crack cocaine, other illegal substances, illegal weapons and several pieces of drug paraphernalia were also allegedly found at Brodsky's home.

Darrell G. Plichta, 21, of Oneida, was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana Wednesday, August 20, sheriff's deputies said. Plichta was stopped on Route 89 in the city of Batavia. He was also ticketed with moving from the lane unsafely.

Conor P. Wilkes, 20, of 8303 Lewiston Road, Batavia, was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana Saturday, sheriff's deputies said. Wilkes had been stopped on Route 5 in Batavia for an alleged traffic violation.

Brandy L. Hamill, 34, of Depew, and Jeffrey D. Nicosia, 29, of Corfu, were charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance bu ultimate users not in original containers Tuesday, August 19, sheriff's deputies said. Hamill and Nicosia had been stopped on Route 77 in Pembroke for an alleged traffic violation.

David J. Roma, 25, of Cheektowaga, was charged with exposure Friday, sheriff's deputies said. Roma allegedly urinated on the seats in front of him at the concert at Darien Lake that night. He was sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $500 bail.

Steven C. Brooks, 21, of Amherst, was charged with third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle Friday night, sheriff's deputies said. Brooks allegedly took a golf cart owned by Darien Lake, drove it into a parked car and fled the scene. He was also ticketed with leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

John H. Lobaugh, 30, of Kenmore, was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief and second-degree harassment Saturday, sheriff's deputies said. Lobaugh allegedly got into a fight with his girlfriend in Pembroke following the concert at Darien Lake and pushed her down an embankment where she landed in a ditch and struck her head on a rock. When she tried to call 911, he allegedly grabbed her phone and threw it away causing damage to the phone, too. She refused medical treatment.

Kenneth J. Anderson, 35, of Brockport, was charged with driving while intoxicated Saturday, sheriff's deputies said. Anderson was stopped on Route 33 in the city of Batavia for an alleged traffic violation.

Carlton K. Stewart, 64, of Basom, was charged with a felony count of driving while intoxicated Sunday, sheriff's deputies said. Stewart was stopped on West Main Street Road in the town of Batavia. He was also charged with consumption of alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle.

Eric M. Lawrence, 17, and Phillip E. Garrett, 27, both of Amherst, were charged with unlawful possession of marijuana Firday, sheriff's deputies said. Garrett was driving the vehicle that was stopped on Route 77 in Corfu. Deputies found that his license was suspended. Garrett was also charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operator and operation with a suspended registration.

Raymond D. Scott, 43, of Wyoming, was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana Friday, sheriff's deputies said. Scott was stopped at a DWI road check on Route 33 in the city of Batavia. Deputies then discovered that his license was suspended. He was also charged with aggravated unlicensed operator and operation with a suspended registration.

Brandon C. Dodd, of 3 Maple St. (Apt: Lower), Batavia, was charged with driving while intoxicated Tuesday night, city police said. Dodd was stopped after he allegedly drove through a red light. He was also ticketed with passing a red light.

Roy D. Hooten, 47, of Oakfield, was charged with two felony counts of fourth-degree grand larceny and one misdemeanor county of petit larceny Tuesday, sheriff's deputies said. Hooten was arrested at his home and sent to the Genesee County Jail in lieu of $1,500 cash bail. Hooten is alleged to have stolen copper grounding wires and other scrap metal on at least seven occasions from three sub-stations on Maple Avenue in Oakfield over the course of nine months. Further charges are pending.

All of the above arrests were issued in published releases from the various departments.

The Muckdogs hitting instructor, Jeff Albert, is an interesting cat.  He's best known for his video analyst of players swings (he used to blog here and here's his Swing Training site.). It looks like his minor league playing experience was limited to 21 ABs on independent teams.

You can't argue with the results he's getting from the Muckdog hitters this season, though. It seems like the entire team has shown improvement over the course of the season.

FutureRedbirds.com posted an interview with Jeff.

Switching gears a little bit, tell me about some of your players. I thought Shane Peterson was an interesting draft pick due to his great college career at Long Beach St., but seeing him on video, he does have that odd two-step swing. Is that at all a concern of yours?

With Shane’s line-drive ability and strike zone judgment, I can see where he had success. The pre-swing move from his draft video is more exaggerated than what he showed up here with, so I wouldn’t say he has a two-step swing that causes concern. Everyone here is striving for a more efficient swing, and Shane is no different. He shows up every day to do his work and sometimes I literally have to kick him out of the cage.

Give me your impressions of the following players: Jermaine Curtis, Frederick Parejo, Colt Sedbrook, Charlie Cutler, Alex Castellanos and Xavier Scruggs.

Curtis is a gamer - he’s made all the plays at 3rd base and swung well from the 3-hole. Hand and foot injuries have kept him out of more games than any of us would like. Parejo had a good showing at the all-star game, having hit the only home run. For him to put together an all-star year after jumping from the GCL last year is impressive, especially when you factor in that he was 17 when the season started.

Sedbrook has been our most consistent hitter to this point, and his swing and approach are a good match - he drives the ball the other way and plays to his strengths in the box. Cutler has settled in and is driving the ball with more authority, which is a good sign considering that he has one of the lowest swing-and-miss percentages within the entire organization. Castellanos just got here and came out swinging - the ball really jumps off his bat towards right-center field. Scruggs has some power and deserves a lot of credit for his diligence. He has probably made the biggest improvement of all the hitters here since day one.

I left this remark in the comments:

I’m surprised Jeff isn’t more concerned about Shane’s swing. To me, it’s a big, loopy, slow swing. He starts with his hands too far forward, and then has a little hitch just before he starts the bat forward. His mechanics rob any chance he has of hitting for power. He only does as well as he does because of exceptional plate discipline.

I wish you had asked about Beau Riportella. To me, he’s the best looking guy at the plate on the team. And he’s been showing consistent and improving results recently. He just needs to reverse his K and BB totals. If he does that, he could evolve into a legit three-hole prospect.

Meanwhile, Mollie Radzinski, who has supplied us with coverage of the team this season, has her own blog and posted about her experience this season as a Muckdogs intern.

First, there are the players. Fresh out of college, these guys have signing bonuses ranging from $940,000 to $1,000. Unlike many of the bigger-league stars, every one of them is willing to sign autographs for fans.

I won’t say there aren’t any egos on the team, but it is hard to have too much of an ego when one has to drive around town on a Huffy bike.

Look at the post Dave Wellenzohn just left on The Batavian.

Find me one other general manager in all of baseball who has gone onto a media and site directly encouraged fans to support the local team!

Listen, people, YOUR TEAM -- and the Batavia Muckdogs are your team -- are in the midst of an exciting and significant pennant race.

You need to attend these home games. You must attend these home games.

And let me ask you -- where is the Daily News in encouraging its readers to attend these final Muckdog games?

Let's be real: The Batavian isn't even five months old.  Our audience is still growing. The Daily News is more than 100 years old and its audience is established. The Daily News can do more to put people in Dwyer Stadium seats than we can, so WHERE is the Daily News support for the home town team? Come on, Tom Turnbull, show us you really love Batavia -- get this stadium sold out these final games of the season.

There is no reason these final games shouldn't be sold out every night -- especially the two games against Jamestown.

So, are you going to support YOUR team, or not?

As the Muckdogs chase their first title since 1963 ( pre Muckdogs) We need noisy fans at Dwyer Stadium.4 home games left, Sun,Thurs,Fri,Sat Let's cheer our boys on as they go for the title. Of course, I'm biased but a championship would be great in 08

This may be my favorite video at the Holland Land Office Museum so far—and Map Measuring Madness is not easy to beat! I won't say anything about this one. As Pat Weissend said to me: You don't want to ruin the surprise factor. Enjoy!

With the seven game win streak ending in a big 16-7 loss to Williamsport last night, and a Jamestown win over Auburn, the Muckdogs now sit in second place in the Pinckney Division, half a game behind the Jammers.  However, Batavia is represented very well in many statistical categories in the NYPL.  Here's a look:

• Arquimedes Nieto overtook 1st place again in pitching, with a 1.20 ERA and 6-0 record.
• Adam Reifer still leads in saves (19) and games (27).
• Colt Sedbrook is 4th in batting with a .324 average.  He also leads the league in hits with 73 and is 2nd in on-base percentage (.416)
• Jose Garcia's 20 stolen bases put him in 3rd place.
• Shane Peterson has a .395 on-base percentege which makes him 4th in the league.
• Overall, the team is 3rd in batting with a .264 combined average and 4th in pitching with a combined 3.22 ERA.

Tonight, the Muckdogs start a two-game series in Mahoning Valley...and I will be there! (It's only 45 minutes away from Kent State).  I'm excited to be able to watch the team live once more!  Hopefully, this road trip will be the start of our next lengthy win streak!

You've likely already read our coverage of last night's City Council meeting, when we posted it last night, so we won't bother with a recap of Joanne Beck's articles about the meeting in today's Daily News. Instead, we'll jump right to the local section...

Reporter Paul Mrozek tells us that the fire Friday at Willow Specialties caused more than $100,000 in damage—but it could have been much worse. Willow CEO Jeff Daggs said: "Ninety percent of our product is not damaged. That's what we believe right now."

Matt Surtel put together a nice tribute piece about Jenny Snow, the news director at WCJW, Warsaw's AM radio station, who died unexpectedly at her home Saturday at the age of 53.

The Genesee County Legislature will meet Wednesday in a special session to vote on the proposed consolidation of dispatch services that was approved last night by Batavia's City Council. City police dispatchers will make the move to the sheriff's office on Park Road complete by Monday. That meeting will be at 7:00pm at the Old County Courthouse.

Roger Muehlig was in Le Roy Monday when Republican Congressional candidate Christopher Lee stopped by Stein Farms to chat with area farmers about labor issues. Muehlig writes: "Lee, a political newcomer, said he didn't have all the answers, but one of the reasons he was successful in business was that he listens to everyone." That's well and good. But there are already plenty of politicians in Albany who are good at listening. Anyone can listen. We don't need more people to listen. We need people to act.

For these and other stories, pick up a copy of the Daily News at local newsstands. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

Maybe you've spotted them. They're more than 200 strong, and they rolled into Byron last night. From there, they left for Romulus this morning via Routes 5 and 20 through Avon. They're the cyclists of the Sea to Sea bike tour to end poverty. They're from all over the country, and Canada, too, and they've raised more than $2 million in their journey from the waters of the Pacific, just west of Seattle, to those of the Atlantic just east of Jersey City.

Many of the cyclists have kept a blog on their journey. Plenty of great photos—such as the pair you see here—can also be viewed on the site hosted by the Christian Reform Church.

How do I know all this, you ask? Well, I was over at the Holland Land Office Museum earlier this morning shooting the next episode of our history series with Pat Weissend—look for it this afternoon, it's a good one—when a kindly couple stopped to ask if I was with the local television station. Long story short, the Templetons are following their grandson who is one of the cyclists in the tour. They told Pat and me all about the race.

All 220 cyclists started in Washington on June 30, with their back tires literally dipped into the Pacific Ocean (see the photo below). Sixty-one days and 3,881 miles later at an average of about 72 miles per day, the cyclists roll to an end in New Jersey, where they will dip their front tire into the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, they've already passed through Genesee County by now, and we didn't have a chance to catch them and maybe sit down for a video interview with some of the participants. But if the little bit we've told you about here has piqued your interest, as it has mine, you should check out the site and poke around. As I said, there are blogs and photos. There are also profiles of the cyclists, news clips, maps and a whole lot more. Much fun.

WBEN's "Hardline with Hardwick" featured a debate between the three Democratic candidates for the 61st Senate District.

The full audio is available here.

It is, at times, a spirited discussion, with Joe Mesi and Michelle Ianello, especially mixing it up, while Dan Ward plays it more low key.

(via Albany's Insanity .)

They're back.

Students returned to class yesterday as Genesee Community College opened for the first day of classes of the fall semester. Enrollment was up over last year. First day totals came in at 4,098, up from the 4,032 from last year, and the college expects those numbers to increase as courses in area high schools get underway in the coming weeks.

Among those 4,000 students are nearly 100 from 19 countries around the world, proving once again that the college is an international destination. "Students came from Belarus, Canada, China, Columbia, El Salvador, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Mali, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, and Venezuela."

In addition, Genesee Community College is among 21 other campuses across the state to welcome 150 students from China.

[They come] from the city of Chengdu in the Sichuan Province of western China, which was the site of a massive earthquake in May. The students will have the ability to continue their college studies for one year in the United States and then return to their homeland to help with the rebuilding effort.

WBTA's Dan Fischer picked up some great audio of last night's concluding debate about the mall sign—which was approved for purchase by a vote of 6-2. He has posted the views of two City Council members who held opposing views on the mall: Rosemary Christian and Charlie Mallow.

In other news, the former highway superintendent of the Erie County town of Marilla, David Pierce, told a judge yesterday that "alcoholism and greed" made him break the law. Pierce was sentenced to seven months in jail for using town employees to work on his property, doing such things as building a fishing and swimming pond.

The Crosscutters (32-30) scored sixteen runs to Batavia's (39-24) seven to put an end to the Muckdogs' seven game win streak.  Adam Veres (0-1) had a shaky start that gave him the loss.  He lasted two innings with six hits, six runs, two walks and four strikeouts.  For Williamsport, Justin De Fratus (5-4) picked up the win in five and a third innings with seven hits, four runs, four walks and nine strikeouts.

Williamsport got the lead right off the bat in the 1st on two singles and a double.  Batavia answered with one run in the bottom of the inning when Jose Garcia reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and came home when Colt Sedbrook hit a double down the middle.  However, the Crosscutters added twelve runs in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th innings to make the game unreachable.

Batavia wasn't quite finished, though, as they had a three-run 6th inning when Charlie Cutler and Jairo Martinez had back-to-back singles and Chris Swauger tripled to drive them in.  Swauger then came in to score on a Brett Lilley single.  They also had a three-run 8th inning.  Swauger, Garcia and Sedbrook all singled and Shane Peterson had a two-run double, giving the Muckdogs seven total runs, but it was not enough as the Crosscutters plated sixteen on the night.

Swauger went 3-for-5 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored.  Peterson was also 3-for-5 with two RBI.  Sedbrook continued to raise his average, going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored.  Batavia looks to get back on the winning track Tuesday as they travel to Mahoning Valley for two games with the Scrappers.

While the "soap opera" (the phrase of the week, thanks to Jason Molino) of the Davis/Powers fight has provided many entertaining moments on The Batavian the past few weeks, Buffalo Pundit drags Alice Kryzan into the fray.

From the Buffalo News in 1998, Alice Kryzan spoke on the 20th anniversary of the Love Canal fiasco. (We just this year remembered its 30th anniversary):

Alice Kryzan, an attorney who represented Hooker and Occidental, said Hooker’s waste-disposal policies in 1978 “were entirely legal and well-ahead of the industry standards of the times.”

And, she said, scientific studies have yet to prove a link between chemical exposure of people living in the area and health effects.

 In the more Democrat-than-thou debate, where do you think these three fall?

After weeks of asserting that he would not recuse himself from a City Council vote to purchase a sign for the mall, Councilman Bob Bialkowski abstained when it came his turn tonight, doing what everyone had been saying was the right thing to do and nullifying any purpose to convene the city's ethics board. So ends that debate.

That vote, by the way, won with a clear majority, and the city will purchase a new sign advertising the mall, not to exceed $20,000. Council members Charlie Mallow and Marianne Clattenburg voted against the purchase.

"I'm really frustrated with this whole situation," said Clattenburg. "I'm ambivalent on the sign. I was for it when we voted for the budget, but I don't know now that this has become so hostile."

After the vote, Bialkowski said that in the end he abstained so as not to hold up procedure.

"Everything else aside," said Councilman Frank Ferrando, "We took the sign down. We should put it back up."

If I may be allowed a moment to digress... Sometimes, folks, things just work out. Even in such municipal farces as these, what we all know ought to happen happens despite the rancor, despite the bitter clash of personalities and despite the obstinacy of otherwise good people who inexplicably act contrary to common sense. God bless America.

Council was also supposed to appoint a five member board of ethcis, but that was postponed owing to the efforts of Rosemary Christian who said she "didn't even know" the city was "looking for an ethics committee."

"My concern," said Councilman Tim Buckley, "is that nobody here can explain to me what exactly the ethcis board does. It might be spelled out, but there has been no action. I'd like to spend some more time on this and make sure it's done right. I'd like to define their job a little more, instead of just saying that these are members of a board that do nothing."

Council members Mallow and Clattenburg sounded the sole votes against postponing the appointments. Clattenburg said that such a move "means we're rejecting these members."

Mostly optimistic talk about Batavia's financial upswing at tonight's council meeting took on some shades of gray when the topic turned to the fate of the city's ambulance corps.

City Manager Jason Molino warned council that "we have to get a financially stable point" before the city looks forward to reacquiring services that have been cut down to keep a sinking ship from going under altogether.

"We talked about a surplus," he said, "but when you look at the cash perspective, there is no surplus. ... We're going to have to take another month to look at this [amublance service] and decide if you want to continue to supply this service or not. It's extremely expensive, and we cannot maintain it."

Little specifics were given—we will fill in more details tomorrow—but it was understood that the council would get together sometime in the coming weeks to consider whether to continue paying for its ambulance service.

Council President Charlie Mallow said that the city received a letter from the fire and ambulance union about the poor state of its emergency vehicles. We will get that letter.

"The ambulances are in disrepair," said Mallow. "There has been a lot of pressure to abandon this."

City Manager Jason Molino had a few words for the mall merchants in an article by Joanne Beck that appeared on the cover of the Daily News Saturday. Beck starts the article with a lengthy quote from Mitchell Chess, president of the Mall Merchants Association.

What Chess has to say can be boiled down to a single sentiment: "The situation needs to be resolved. Since we can't have those type of negotiations to resolve this amicably, we have to take the city to court." Chess has said this before: in news articles, in a letter to the editor, and here on The Batavian. In other words, this isn't really news.

What it is, instead, is a springboard, fashioned by Beck to allow Jason Molino a high dive into the foray—and that he does, with no lack of bravado.

But first a little background supplied by Beck: Following a somewhat productive meeting of the city and mall merchants in April, the relationship between the two sides quickly soured, and Molino blames it on the merchants, who in turn, blame the city.

Molino says the city was supposed to have six months to "gather information" related—I presume, as this "information" is never qualified outright—to a request by the merchants for repairs to the mall and replacement of the sign.

Not only has the merchants group not allowed the time necessary to do that, but it has fueled the matter by making negotiations public, he said.

...

It all became a "soap opera" that has done nothing to rectify the situation, he said. He stressed the importance for merchants to perhaps not to be so vocal.

"If you [the mall merchants?] continue with the unprofessionalism and badgering ... it's not going to move forward," [said Molino]. "We had identified the issues to be discussed, and we had a timeframe. This is very simple. If we want to resolve this issue, we can. If not, that's up to you. I will not engage in this public hysteria."

Fine bit of euphemism there: "the importance for merchants to perhaps not be so vocal." I like that. That's nice. A lot better than the more direct route: "Keep yer mouths shut!"

The saga continues tonight at 7:00pm at City Hall, when the Council will vote on whether to replace the mall sign, among other matters. I'll be there. Will you?

Batavia bids an early adieu to another of its downtown amenities. Last week, the city announced the closure of the spray park two weeks early due to mechanical problems. Today, the Daily News tells us that the downtown public market is closed for the season, several months early—it was supposed to run through October 11.

Business Improvement District (BID) Manager Don Burkel said the decision was made Friday due to "a shortage of vendors and the lack of community support." The market that opened in late June ran from 9:00am to 2:00pm Saturdays in the parking lot at Ellicott and Jackson streets. On opening day there were maybe 10 vendors total. Lorraine Schaub said she was one of only three vendors when she showed up for the market most days. Schaub owns Cookies & Milk inside the mall. She blamed Burkel and the BID for the poor support, citing a lack of planning and promotion.

Says Schaub: "I don't think they worked on it ahead of time. It's a good thing we had tents; otherwise nobody would've known we were there."

Another vendor, Joan Shuknecht, owner of Ole Barn Country Market of Elba, said the BID did a fine job of promoting the market. She said she was doing well at the market though she could have done better. That sentiment is contrasted with Shuknecht saying elsewhere that during the Summer in the City festival she had to throw out 10 crates of produce because of a lack of sales, in part due to a lack of access to the market because of all the efforts concentrated on Summer in the City. She then told Burkel she would not be returning to the market.

We have not yet been able to reach Burkel for further comment, though he told the Daily News that he is not sure the BID will again support the market in 2009.

In other news:

• Area farmers assessed the damage from this summer's repeated hailstorms and found a beaten crop: whole fields of tomatoes and cucumbers wiped out, apples dented and bruised. They will seek additional federal disaster aid. Check out the extensive article by Tom Rivers for more details. One aspect of the issue not dealt with in much detail that would be interesting to hear more about is the affect the loss of so much produce will have on the market. Will it be strictly local? Will the local market not be affected at all?
• Batavia Downs hosted its fourth annual wiener dog races Sunday. Defending champion, Rudy, owned by Ann Schiller of Lancaster, won his first heat but came in second in the finals to Bambi, owned by Grace De Valder of Bergen.

As always, we encourage you to get out and pick up a copy of the Daily News at local newsstands. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

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It was an honor and privilage to watch Joe Gerace at Batavia Downs Gaming this past Saturday night. 

Joe spoke after the 7th race and being awarded for the "2008 Italian-American of the Year".  Many Batavia residents, friends and family members gathered in celebration of Joe receiving his award.  Joe thanked the love of his family, god and everyone who knew and supported him. 

Here is a picture of Joe and his wife Lois just before entering the Batavia Downs.  For more pictures of Joe receiving the award:  Pick up your own copy of the Daily News at local newsstands. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.