An effort to boost membership in the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce is being launched and will culminate in a drive in May to sign 100 new members.

On May 11, 12 and 13, chamber volunteers will call on local businesses that are not members and ask them to join.

Above, Lori Stupp, Kelly Bermingham and Chad Zambito, who are heading up the effort.

There are 800 businesses in Genesee County that are eligible for membership.

Photo submitted by the chamber.

Full press release after the jump:

Committee organizers are preparing for the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Membership Dive which will be held May 11th, 12th and 13th. Community volunteers will be contacting local businesses that are not currently Chamber Members and encouraging them to join the already 800 local businesses that are members to become a Chamber Member.

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce has seen a steady decline in membership over the last several years and getting the community behind this event will allow the Chamber the manpower it needs to significantly increase the number of Chamber Members and has set a goal of 100 new members during this 3 day event.

The Chamber of Commerce has a lot to offer our local businesses such as Promoting your Business, Employee Discounts, Consulting, Networking, Advocacy and Health Insurance just to name a few of the many benefits. Becoming a member of the Chamber is one of the best investments your business can make.

For more information on the Membership Drive or becoming a Chamber Member please contact Kelly Bermingham, Director of Membership at 585-343-7440 or email her at kbermingham@geneseeny.com.

Lori Stupp – Chamber of Commerce Board Member
Chad Zambito – Chamber of Commerce Board Member
Kelly Bermingham – Chamber of Commerce Director of Membership

John Terry Boyce, 22, of Maple Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with unlawful imprisonment, 2nd, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, endangering the welfare of a child and harassment, 2nd. Boyce is accused of choking his girlfriend during an argument at 10:50 a.m., Thursday. He allegedly refused to let her leave the bedroom while holding their 1-year-old son in his arms.

Matthew L. Nagle, 22, of 34 Parkway Drive, North Chili, is charged with petit larceny. Nagle is accused of shoplifting from a supermarket in Le Roy.

Jason H. Freeman, 29, of Alden, is charged with petit larceny. The alleged crime took place in Alabama at 3:57 p.m., March 16. Freeman was arrested at the Genesee County Jail by State Police. No further details released.

It came down to a tie breaker, but Batavia renewed it's crown as local mock trial champions following a match Thursday in Warsaw.

Warsaw and Batavia tied at 1-1 and 111 points each in Thursday's match, but because Batavia had the better record in the semi-finals, Batavia was named the winner.

Batavia was 2-0 in the semi-finals and Warsaw was 1-1.

A date for the regional mock trial competition has not been announced yet.

A resident in an apartment at 89 Colony Run, Attica, reports the smell of smoke in the dwelling.

Alexander Fire Department along with Attica being dispatched.

UPDATE 8:04 p.m.: Both Attica and Alexander chiefs on scene. Assignment being held to one truck from each department.

UPDATE 8:15 p.m.: Alexander assignment back in service. No smell of smoke found.

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This information comes from Genesee Community College.

Genesee Community College's Earth Club, Student Activities Office and College Village are once again joining Cool Kids to collectively produce the 6th annual Cool Kids Eco-Fest.

This free, fun-filled, yet educational event aims to increase awareness of important environmental issues and it celebrates Earth Day.

From alternative fuel cars to kites, solar power displays to a big plastic bag bash, water bugs to a giant map of the Earth, Eco-tips to Eco-button making -- it's all at the Batavia campus from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 9.

Both indoor and outdoor activities will be happening throughout the four-hour event, which winds down with the Eco-Raffle of great green prizes, including the Grand Prize -- a mountain bike provided by Adam Miller Bikes and Toys. (You must be present to win.)

While many of the popular eco-opportunities will be back -- such as the annual residential E-Waste Collection and Sloat Tires Inflation Station outside in the parking lot -- there will also be many wonderful new green alternatives to explore and enjoy.

New to this year's celebration will be the collection of worn American flags for honorable disposal by Sheppard, Maxwell and Hale. In addition, this year's ECO-Tips Illustration Contest, sponsored by ESL Federal Credit Union, features fun and unique prizes in the following six categories:

• Children's Coolest Category: Pre K through Sixth Grade
• Most Unique Reused Item
• Best Illustration
• Longest Term Impact for the Environment
• Greatest Innovation / Absolutely Cool Awesome Idea
• Most Fun or Funny

Last year, we had some incredibly clever contributions to the Eco-Tips Contest and we are looking forward to seeing what local citizens, from pre-K classes to senior citizens' groups will create.

"It's a great way to 'get your green on,' " said Donna Rae Sutherland, Genesee's Earth Club co-advisor and associate director of Marketing Communications. "Eco-Fest continues to grow each year and the upcoming festival promises to be the best ever."

Entries for the ESL Eco-Tip Illustration Contest are being accepted now through to 11 a.m. April 9 for the Eco-Fest by sending them to Donna Rae Sutherland, GCC, One College Road, Batavia, NY 14020.

All entries will be on display at the event, and from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. contest judges will review entries and select the six prize winners. There is no limit on the number of Eco-Tip entries any one person or group can submit, and there is also no limit on the size of paper or form for each submission.

For Eco-Tip guidelines and the official entry form go to: http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/eco_tip_guidelinesform.pdf

Also new this year will be the bird-banding demonstration by Tom Klotzbach, a local birding expert and researcher, as well as a GCC alumnus and employee. He is currently in the second year of a three year bird-tracking project featuring more than 60 bird boxes located at GCC and on the western portion of the Ontario State Parkway.

The seasonal outdoor effort starts in early April when he will once again begin tracking various species of native and non-native birds. Through banding and bi-weekly nest box checks, Klotzbach is collecting bird data such as age, sex, fat score, and body mass. The collected data is used to study migration patterns with the U.S. Geological Survey, and is the foundation for his research on nest site fidelity.

The 6th annual Cool Kids ECO-Fest also includes more than 35 exhibits, presentations and activities, including the Cool Kids Wild Life Show and the Big Bag Bash.

As in years past, hundreds of people of all ages are expected to attend the event enjoying environmental fun and educational opportunities, and the more green things they do – the more Eco-Raffle tickets they collect to increase their chances of winning the mountain bike.

Among the ways to earn Eco-Raffle tickets:

• Donating residential E-Waste or electronics such as old computers, monitors, calculators, TVs, VCRs, stereo equipment, video games, and microwave ovens (No other kitchen appliances, please.);
• Donating paperbacks books for American troops overseas;
• Donating worn American flags for proper disposal by Sheppard, Maxwell and Hale;
• Donating cell phones and ink cartridges for Oakfield-Alabama Schools collection;
• Creating an Eco-Tip for the ESL Eco-Tip Illustration Contest;
• Getting your tire pressure checked by Sloat Tires Inflation Station;
• AAA mercury hood lamp switch-out (for 2002 or older cars);
• Being an Eco-Fest volunteer;
• Wearing green.

 For further information contact Donna Rae Sutherland at 343-0055, ext. 6616.

UPDATED 12:44 p.m.

Genesee County gained 300 non-farm jobs in February over January, according to NYS Department of Labor statistics.

For February 2011, there were 22,200 non-farm jobs reported in Genesee County compared to 21,900 in January.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate dropped month-over-month from 9 percent to 8.7. That is down from February 2010 when it was 9.5 percent.

That's still higher than the 12-month low of 6.4 percent in August 2010.

The 12-month high in jobs is 24,400 in June 2010.

Month-over-month, manufacturing jobs held steady at 2,800, and up from 2,700 in February 2010.

Private-sector service jobs also held steady at 12,300 -- up from 12,100 in February 2010.

Government jobs grew from 6,000 to 6,300.

There are 33,300 people -- up 100 from January -- in Genesee County's labor force. The total number of people employed is 29,500. That's up 200 from January.

Press Release:

The 2011-12 state budget made a number of positive strides toward the significant reforms New Yorkers have demanded and rightfully deserved. Unfortunately, this spending plan falls short in several key areas, representing a missed opportunity for the Legislature to heed the call of the state’s taxpayers.

Continuing an unacceptable trend, the formula used to determine education aid once again unfairly impacts Western New York’s schoolchildren. Time after time, we see our students shoulder an unfair portion of funding cuts in an effort to support downstate school districts. This budget repeats those mistakes of old that have plagued our children for far too long. Furthermore, this legislation shifts costs for essential services like special education to individual school districts, driving up the cost of local government and, in turn, the cost to the taxpayer.

In addition, this spending plan reduces funding for the judiciary branch but fails to do the same for the Legislature. I believe the Assembly could find efficiencies and cost savings within numerous administrative operations involved with the chamber. State government should not be asking children, families and businesses to tighten their belts if we are not prepared to do so as well.

However, this budget did make a variety of much-needed improvements to the state of affairs in New York. Vital restorations have been made to protect the services that benefit our most vulnerable citizens, such as funding for elderly abuse prevention programs and EPIC prescription drug payments. The appointment of regional Economic Development councils will renew New York’s focus on stimulating our economy with targeted planning, rather than an ill-advised, one-size-fits-all policy. Along with significant reforms to the Medicaid system that will result in savings both now and in the long-term, this budget certainly has its share of positive aspects.

When all is said and done, this budget has taken baby steps in the right direction, rather than a substantial leap forward. I hope that the Legislature can build on the progress we have made here today and continue this momentum toward putting New York on the road to recovery.

A person has suffered minor injuries, but is trapped in his car after a rollover accident on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 388, westbound lane.

The driver conscious and alert and talking with emergency dispatch.

He is injured and unable to get out of the car.

Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 11:58 p.m.: The vehicle is on its wheels. "We will need to have the door popped," a Mercy medic informs a Batavia chief.

Students at Le Roy's Wolcott St. School spent the last two weeks raising money for those less fortunate. They did this as part of the Pennies for Peace campaign, a program of the Central Asia Institute.

It is designed to raise funds for community-based education and literacy programs -- esepcially for girls -- in remote, Central Asian mountain communities.

The grand total raised by Wolcott St. School -- calculated with the help of the Bank of Castile -- was $1,600. Here is a grade-by-grade count:

Pre K -- $52
K -- $149
Grade 1 -- $183
Grade 2 -- $210
Grade 3 -- $157
Grade 4 -- $325
Grade 5 -- $275
Grade 6 -- $241

Kids collected and brought in pennies over a two-week period. Pictured above are the graphed results as of Friday morning (each jar represents $10 in pennies).

What is particularly impressive about this is that the students were not rewarded for the number of pennies they brought in. From the very beginning, there was an understanding that the class that collected the most pennies would not get a pizza party or anything like that.

"What we're looking to do is help the students become intrinsically motivated," said Principal Casey Kosiorek.

He said the overall goal as it pertained to the kids was to help them grow into good citizens who will want to do the right thing without being rewarded.

"I never expected it to have such an impact," said Carol Messura, assistant principal and chair of the project. She said that the students were "extremely enthusiastic" about the whole deal.

"If you were here earlier this morning, you could hear little hoots and hollers with the sound of change being poured into the buckets (pictured at the top)."

Kosiorek said that the money will go toward supplies, teachers' salaries and the building of schools in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"They have pretty much nothing," he commented.

In a letter to parents, Kosiorek and Messura asked that the kids perform "an extra chore or two" in order "to make a meaningful connection to the money they bring in."

Each letter came with a pencil-shaped slip on which parents were to describe the chores their kids performed and (the kids') hopes for the children of Afghanistan and Pakistan. All "pencils" were returned to homeroom teachers and used in the display above.

"Pennies for Peace" was this year's service learning project for the students. The school does two projects every year: one in-school project, and one to benefit folks outside the school community.

This year's service project started when Cindy Frisch, the school librarian, read Greg Mortenson's "Listen to the Wind" to all of the students.

Mortenson, the founder of Pennies for Peace and author of The New York Times bestseller "Three Cups of Tea," wrote "Listen to the Wind" in order to relate his first building experience in Pakistan. At the end of the book, he talks about how far a penny can go in Pakistan/Afghanistan.

"(A penny) doesn't buy much in our community," Kosiorek and Messura said in their letter to parents. "However, in the villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan, a penny can buy a pencil, start an education, and transform a life." 

Examples of how much certain small amounts of money could buy for kids in those countries were included on this chart:

Kosiorek describes service learning as an "offshoot" of the school's Character Education Committee, of which Messura is the chair. It is part of an overall environment in which core values and qualities that will help make the students good citizens are nurtured.

"We want to make sure we're educating the whole child," Kosiorek said. "They're kind of desensitized (to certain things) because of the media and the 'age of rage' (reality TV, etc). If we teach them to be good citizens, the rest will follow."

Character education has been a big part of Wolcott St. School's mission for some time; in fact, they were recognized with an honorable mention by the Academy for Character Education at the Sage Colleges in January.

One of the major components of character education at Wolcott is "Words of the Month." Each month, teachers focus on a particular word describing a positive character trait (for example, the Word of the Month for March was honesty), and on how it is used in the classroom. Teachers keep an eye out for and nominate students who display that trait in class, and at the end of the month their names go under the "Good Character" tree near the school's entrance.

This is part of the school's "Catching Kids Being Good" policy.

And now, as Kosiorek and Messura said in their letter to parents, Wolcott students have joined "tens of thousands of students around the world . . . who are working together to become members of a global family dedicated to peace."

For more information on the Pennies for Peace program, visit their Web site: www.penniesforpeace.org.

The Statue of Liberty by Oatka Creek.

When I drove by the Batavia Police HQ this afternoon, I spotted a new sign out front.

Here's a news release sent Monday from the NY Farm Bureau.

Lawmakers have restored funding for agricultural programs in the state budget, and Dean Norton, president of the NY Farm Bureau, had this to say about the overall budget agreement.

"Just as we're about to roll our tractors into the fields for a new growing season, our allies in the senate and assembly have come through with a budget that will help ensure a brighter future for our farm families.

"Farmers are full of gratitude this morning for Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Skelos, Senate Ag Chair Patty Ritchie and Assembly Ag Chair Bill Magee. Our leaders in Albany have made an investment in rural New York by restoring funding to dozens of vital agricultural programs that will help grow our industry and create jobs.

"Not only were agricultural programs restored, but the overall budget did make a significant start at tackling our state’s larger fiscal problems, caused mainly by mandatory, nondiscretionary spending levels for labor, education and health care.

“I would particularly like to commend our Senate and Assembly Agriculture Committee chairs -- Senator Ritchie and Assemblyman Magee. Both the Senate and Assembly Majority budget proposals contained substantial investments in agriculture infrastructure programs, and Senator Ritchie and Assemblyman Magee worked very hard with members of their respective conferences to make sure that the budget was a fair one for the farm community.

"Programs such as the Integrated Pest Management, Pro-Dairy, New York FarmNet, and the New York Farm Viability Institute, as well as several promotion and agricultural education programs and others are crucial to the future success of our farm families throughout Upstate New York and the farm towns of Long Island.

"Other programs like Re-Charge NY will expand low-cost power to businesses, including farms. Re-Charge NY was one of New York Farm Bureau members' priority issues this year and we are very pleased with its accomplishment for our farmers and the food processing industry.

"We are equally excited about regional economic development councils that we expect to include stakeholders in agriculture and food processing.

Farm Bureau members lobbied hard for restoration of our agricultural programs with a message to the governor and legislature that if you want to revive the state economy, a great place to start is with agriculture. Our leaders listened.

"We have nearly 36,000 farms in New York, which means there are 36,000 small businesses employing New Yorkers, stimulating the economy and most importantly, producing food, fuel and fiber for our neighbors."

This information comes from Assemblyman Steve Hawley's office.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley recently applauded the return of the sales tax exemption on clothing and footwear.

In 2010, Assemblyman Hawley voted against a measure to enforce a 4 percent sales tax on clothing and footwear under $110.

As of April 1, clothing and footwear under $55 will be tax free until the exemption is extended in 2012 to include items under $110.

“I voted against this regressive tax last year because it served only to push consumers across state lines when they could have otherwise supported small businesses right here in our own community,” Hawley said. “Increasing taxes on clothing hurt those who could least afford it, like working families who are trying to feed and clothe their children.

"I encourage all Western New Yorkers to take advantage of this fee’s sunset by frequenting the locally owned and operated clothing stores that help build the regional economy.”

There's a horse on the loose in the area of 1467 Roanoke Road, near the junction of Route 63 in Pavilion. A person there is trying to keep it from going into the roadway.

A Sheriff's deputy is en route, but first must make a stop at the animal shelter for a rabies shot, presumably for an animal.

UPDATE 1:40 p.m.: The horse, which is brown, and possibly a second horse, are said to be contained behind a fence now. The owner could not be reached.

Police believe Justice D. Osborne, 15, of 104 Pearl St., Batavia, has run away from home and neither her parents nor police can locate her. They are asking for the public's help in finding her.

There is no indication of forcible abduction.

She is  5’2”, 140 pounds. At the present time her black hair has long straight extensions. She was last seen wearing a gray hoodie, blue jeans and purple skate sneakers.

Anyone with information or who has seen Justice since her disappearance is asked to please call the Batavia Police at 345-6350.     

The photo is the most recent picture of Justice showing her new hair extensions.

Also, a press release from Hochul's campaign:

“While America’s small businesses are doing everything they can to stay afloat and create jobs, one of our nation’s corporate giants has found the loopholes that help them avoid paying their fair share of taxes,” said Kathy Hochul, candidate in New York’s 26th Congressional District.

“Once elected, I will fight for our small businesses and work to ensure we close the corporate tax loopholes that allowed General Electric to report a 2010 worldwide profit of $14.2 billion, without paying a single dollar in American taxes. In fact, due to G.E.’s intense lobbying efforts and slick accounting, the company was able to claim a $3.2 billion tax benefit – money that could have been invested in small businesses that create jobs here at home.

“The fact that every taxpayer in the 26th District paid more in taxes last year than General Electric is plain wrong. It’s time we overhaul our tax code. Without many of their tax breaks, G.E. would currently have thousands and thousands of more jobs here in the U.S. So we must end the tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas and instead invest in local businesses that create jobs for hard working American families.”

Voters in Batavia today rejected a proposal to upgrade Van Detta Stadium and the athletic fields at John Kennedy School by a vote of 542 to 982.

With more than 1,500 voters, the turn out dwarfed what Business Administrator Scott Rozanski said is typical for a school district budget vote or board election. He said typically, turn out is about 600 people.

The proposal would have cost taxpayers about $110,000 more per year. It would have upgraded the stands at Van Detta as well as the locker rooms and showers, but most notably it would have converted the field to artificial turf.

The entire project was expected to cost $3.9 million.

A utility or electricity pole is on fire in the area of 8862 Route 98, near Rose Road, Batavia.

A deputy on scene says the fire is touching a high tension line that seems to be burning.

The pole looks like a newly installed pole, as recently as today.

Town of Batavia Fire is responding with Engine 24.

UPDATE 7:27 p.m.: The fire has burned itself out. National Grid has been notified, no ETA given, but it should easily be able to spot the charred pole, according to responders.

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