That’s Tim Sawyer  rerigging his fishing gear. Minutes earlier, something inhaled the Spin ‘N Glo tied to the end of his line and raced downstream a ways before breaking water. When the  fish breached the surface, we saw that it was a big king salmon, tinted red with age, and boy, did it launch itself out of the water. It didn’t flop about, but rather had its body perfectly parallel to the river surface, high above the water and facing downstream. Kind of looked like a big muscle with fins - then it crashed back into the river and kept going. The fish had no doubt spawned in this same stream, spent the next 4-5 years at sea gorging itself on anchovies and the like. Its biological clock said it was time to return to the place of its origin and procreate. Chasing down Tim’s lure had put a temporary halt to those plans. The fish made one long run and the battle was at a standstill. The line was still taught, but there was no movement. The big fish had wrapped the line around submerged brush before continuing on its way.

It was a Thursday afternoon, only a few hours since we launched a two-man Zodiac, into a narrow stretch of the Little Susitna River. Originating in a place called Hatcher Pass in the Talkeetna Mountains, the Little Su flows southward for approximately eighty miles before emptying into Cook Inlet. The plan was to float a 47 mile stretch of the river between Parks Highway and the inlet.

We stowed the fishing gear and alternately paddled and drifted with the current several more miles downstream before finding a sandbar on a bend in the river, an ideal location to pitch the tent. We arose early the following morning, had a quick breakfast and were on our way. The scenery along the river was different, the bank lined with a wide variety of flora: evergreens and birch trees, wildflowers and plants I’ve not seen before or since. Occasionally we’d see an eagle gliding high, or sometimes precariously perched atop a Sitka spruce. Many times, while drifting quietly, rustling sounds could be heard in the thick brush of the river bank, but unable to see through the dense growth.

At one point during the afternoon we had stopped to fish – or snooze – when we saw an unusual sight. A member of the gull family called a Kittiwake plummeted into the river along the opposite bank. The Kittiwake is the only gull that occasionally dives and swims underwater to capture its food. It hit the water for what seemed like a split second, and came up flapping its wings. It was quickly airborne, clutching what looked like a large eel. In its haste to make off with its dinner, the Kittiwake flew into an overhanging branch, and dropped its prey back into the river.

In its lower reaches, the river widened, the sand and gravel bars, replaced by shallow, rocky stretches. It was in such a location where the raft sprang a leak. Fortunately, Tim had the foresight to bring along a patch kit. The repairs took only minutes and we were once again on our way. At 1 a.m. Saturday morning, 47 miles downstream from our take off point, we beached the raft. The next day we’d venture north to Montana Creek for another go at the King Salmon, bringing an end to my Alaska visit.   

Le Roy Fire is being dispatched to 11 Mill St. for the report of a sparking and smoking dryer at the dry cleaners at that location.

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City Fire is being dispatched -- non-emergency -- to 130 Bank St., the scene of yesterday's fire for the smell of propane.

"The caller believes it's from a tank she relocated," according to the dispatcher.

T.F. Brown's, at 214 E. Main St., Batavia, NY: T.F. Brown's is a great place for a good meal, good friends and to catch up on what's going on in the sports world. "If it happensin sports, it happens at Brown's." We have a $20 gift card for $10.

Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia, NY: 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.

Center Street Smoke House, 20 Center St., Batavia, NY: Authentic Southern BBQ, from ribs to brisket with all the fixin's. We have a $25 gift card for $12.50.

Belladessa's Pizzeria/Jackson St. Grill, 9 Jackson St., Batavia, NY: Here's a deal -- half off on a Family Meal Deal from Belladessa's, which is a large 1 topping pizza, 24 wings and 2-liter bottle of soda. It's a $25 value for $12.50.

Sallome's Italian Deli, 40 Oak St., Batavia, NY: Wraps, subs, paninis and pasta as well as pizzas -- Sallome's offers a tasty variety of Italian deli items for eat-in or take-out.

Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern, 107 Evans St., Batavia, NY: 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.

Oliver's Candies, 211 W. Main St., Batavia, NY. Oliver's, a Batavia landmark, offers the finest chocolate and confections in the area. We have a $20 gift card for $10. Just in time for Valentine's!

Margarita's Mexican Restaurant, 15 Jackson St., Batavia, NY: When you're looking for an authentic Mexican meal, Margarita's is the place to go. The food and atmosphere are perfect and the service is always outstanding. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

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

There was apparently a report of shots fired on or around Clay Street in Le Roy last night -- according to readers who contacted The Batavian -- at about 1:30 a.m.

Chief Chris Hayward of the Le Roy Police Department responded to our request for more information with this message: "We are currently conducting an investigation but at this point I have no further comment."

In a follow up e-mail, Chief Hayward confirmed that two people were taken to the hospital, but they did not have gunshot wounds.

"Can't tell you a lot at this point because we are getting different stories," Hayward wrote.

UPDATE 4:21 p.m.: Det. John Condidorio issued the following statement on behalf of the Le Roy Police Department:

On 01/23/2010 at about 1:15 A.M., The LeRoy Police Department received a report of a disturbance or break-in at a residence in the Village. Subsequently three persons required medical assistance and were sent to the hospital for treatment. Two of the three have been released and the status of the third is unknown.

A fire at 130 Bank St., Batavia, destroyed an old garage and the items inside and partially damaged a neighbor's garage.

The fire was reported about 10:45 a.m. when a resident came home and saw smoke coming from the garage. By the time fire crews were on scene, flames were visible.

The homeowner, a 47-year resident, said he lost an ATV, snow blower, two bikes and other equipment. While Chief Ralph Hyde said he suspected a wood-burning stove in the garage, the owner said he had recently cleaned the stove and it wasn't in use at the time. He suspected it was an electrical fire.

Kelly Herold, a claims supervisor for Tompkins Insurance, was on scene quickly meeting with her clients. She watched the City's firefighters move quickly to dose the flames.

“The Fire Department did a great job," Herold observed. "It was a good save. They were able to contain the fire to the barn with limited damage to the surrounding homes."

The photo was submitted by reader Tricia Zdep. The bottom two photos were submitted by another reader.

The spring of 1997 had been quite damp in Batavia, gloomy even by Western New York standards. Still, I was surprised to get my first tan of the year inside the Arctic Circle. Not to be confused with the polar ice cap at its northern extreme, much of the Arctic Circle is full of lush growth, crystal-clear rivers, mountains and, during the month of June, 24 hours of sunlight. During our stay the sun was visible 24 hours. Each morning, between midnight and one a.m., the sun would skim the horizon before once again beginning its ascent. 

Not being used to catching shuteye in the daytime, the constant sunlight made sleeping difficult, even in the confines of a tent. There were times when I felt physically exhausted, but mentally the wheels were still turning. And the mosquitoes didn’t help. Lying inside the tent, you could hear their non-stop drone. They seemed to be just waiting for us to exit the tent. It seems the farther north you go, the bigger - and bolder - the mosquitoes.

Even the caribou find the mosquitoes annoying. The Alaskan Pipeline runs parallel with the Dalton Highway and Mike Bilbee, a game warden who patrols the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay, said he’s seen caribou literally get beneath the pipeline and use it to scratch their backs.   

We arrived at our destination by traveling north on the Dalton Highway, a 414 mile long, two-lane gravel road beginning outside of Fairbanks and stretching to the Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. In between are three settlements: Coldfoot (pop. 13), Wiseman (pop.22) and Deadhorse (25 permanent residents). After reaching the 66^th parallel, the southern edge of the Arctic Circle, we stopped for pictures before pushing onward. We stopped outside of Coldfoot,  setting up camp on the south fork of the Koyokuk River.

The Koyokuk’s south fork is a rocky bottomed, swift-flowing river, noted for its arctic char. While we were a bit early for the char migration, we did manage to supplement our diet with Arctic Grayling. Considered one of the arctic’s most sought after game fish – lake trout & arctic char being the others – grayling are small in comparison. A grayling of one pound is average, anything 2-3 pounds is a good catch and four pounds is world class. Noted for their tall dorsal fin, the grayling of the Koyokuk River were accommodating and feisty on light spinning gear. We caught enough to sate our appetites. Stuffed with butter, wrapped in tin foil and cooked over an open fire, they proved quite tasty.

While the fishing was good, we had to stay on our toes at all times. Fresh bear prints were visible in the soft, bare earth along the river. At one point I tried to bathe in the river, but after wading ankle deep into the Koyokuk I changed my mind. I’ve bathed in the lakes and rivers of the far north, but nothing like this. The water was cold it numbed my ankles – I as afraid to submerge. I left the bar of soap on a rock, returned to camp, grabbed a washcloth, a five gallon pail and took a sponge bath.

It was on the return trip, about two in the morning, when Tim and I caught sight of wolf near the side of the road. Black as coal, the wolf looked our way, almost as if our approaching vehicle was of interest. Then just like that, it was gone.     

Next: Floating the Little Susitna River

The final two defendants suspected of taking part in a meth lab operation at 28 Clay St., Le Roy, have gotten their get-out-jail-free cards.

Christopher J. Elmore and Koree R. Stephenson appeared in court this afternoon and Judge Robert C. Noonan granted First Assistant District Attorney David Gann's request to release both pending dismissal of the State charges against them by a lower court.

Like their three other co-defendants, Elmore and Stephenson are facing Federal drug charges and will be on supervised release under Federal jurisdiction. Elmore is also facing charges out of Le Roy for allegedly passing fake $10 bills. No bail had been set in that case, and it was not a factor in today's short hearing.

Bail had originally been set at $75,000 on all five defendants. The original state charge against all five was criminal possession of a controlled substance 2nd.

Yesterday afternoon Kari L. Riggi was released in the afternoon and Nathan D. Bernard was granted release in the morning on the State drug charges, though he's still serving a 90-day sentence on another charge. Joshua A. Miller, who appeared in court with his attorney, was already free pending trial but under a noon to 8 a.m. home curfew, which only allows him time to go to work.

At the federal level, all five are charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute or dispense 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Elmore also faces an enhanced weapons charge.

NOTE: This post confirms what we first reported yesterday that all five were due for release and that local charges are in the process of being dismissed.

(Billie Owens contributed to this story.)

Last night in Oakfield, the Oakfield-Alabama boys basketball team beat Elba 65-43.

A.J. Kehlenbeck had 27 points and 15 rebounds for O-A and Sam McCracken scored 18 points.

Zack Beechler scored 16 points for Elba. Matthew Ramsey, 11.

Both teams are now 6-5

More pictures after the jump:

The Batavia City Church's "City Gals" - featuring women and girls of all ages - display the cards they made for area veterans on Monday as part of an ongoing project.

Valentine's Day is still weeks away, but the City Gals made 80 cards on Monday for the men and women at the New York State Veteran's Home and the VA Hospital. Each attendee decorated cards with hearts, flowers and other designs while writing messages of love and encouragement. The cards will be sent to both facilities on Valentine's Day.

The idea for this project came from City Church member and volunteer Sue Gagne, who is also a member of the Genesee Veteran's Support Network. After talking to GVSN chairman Jim Neider, who wanted to see a community project of this kind undertaken for the residents of area Veterans' Homes, Gagne felt that the City Church's Women's Ministry (which is coordinating the City Gals project) would be "the perfect venue."

"Our church likes to get involved in the community," Gagne said. "This is the first time we've done [a Valentine's Day project for Veterans], so I look forward to seeing where it goes."

Gagne also said that the ladies are looking to schedule another "work party" (in her own words) in the coming weeks in order to meet the quota they set for themselves.

"We sure could use some help," she adds.

Women and girls of all ages are welcome to come in and help, regardless of whether or not they are members of the City Church.

A Rochester man with 12 prior convictions, including five felonies, rejected a plea offer Wednesday from the Genesee County District Attorney and will go to trial instead.

Reginald Wilson was arrested back in September for allegedly breaking into a home on State Street and was charged with burglary in the 2nd and criminal possession of stolen property. He was reportedly caught driving a vehicle stolen from the residence.

Because of his priors, Judge Robert Noonan initially refused bail to Wilson. But in November, Noonan offered him $100,000 bail or $200,000 bond. He remains in custody.

Yesterday, District Attorney Lawrence Friedman offered Wilson the chance to plead guilty to a class D violent felony in the second degree with sentencing as a second felony offender instead of a persistent offender. If convicted as a persistent offender, Wilson could serve a life sentence.

Wilson nixed the offer and a trial date was set for March 29, with a pretrial conference at 9:30 a.m. and jury selection at 10.

Shackled, wearing orange jail garb, his hair in tiny dreadlock braids, Wilson looked over his right shoulder a couple of times during his brief courtroom appearance. He scanned the gallery for friends or family but there were none.

The judge set a cut-off time at which the DA's offer is off the table for good. It's 11 a.m. Feb. 26.

BATAVIA, NY -- A Town of Pembroke board member was fined $200 yesterday following a bench trial in City Court for allowing fireworks to be detonated during a party at his house in June.

Several hundred people attended the party at Gary DeWind's house, according to Michael Mohun, his attorney. Mohun said the party was thrown in honor of DeWind's son, a major in the Army who was being sent to Afghanistan.

The casings for a total of eight rocket-type fireworks were recovered, Mohun said. "Not hundreds, but eight."

The trial was moved from Town of Pembroke Court to City Court because of DeWind's status as a board member and to avoid any possible conflict of interest. Judge Robert Balbick presided.

The charge was an infraction and carried fine of $80 plus a $120 surcharge.

"There was no property damage and nobody was hurt," Mohun said.

A blue Pontiac Trans Am is on fire with flames coming from the engine on the eastbound side of East Main Street between 400 Towers and Pizza Hut.

An 85-year-old driver damaged several mailboxes and other property Wednesday when he apparently lost control of his car in the area of 7575 Pearl St. Road, Oakfield.

Earl S. Smith Jr., of 15 Sunrise Parkway in Oakfield, was not seriously injured in the 4:20 p.m. accident.

Property damage was reported to mailboxes, trees and the yards of five different homes.

After reportedly driving off the right shoulder, striking a mailbox, a bush and a tree, Smith reportedly tried to drive back onto the roadway before his car became stuck on the opposite shoulder.

Smith was cited for failure to stay in his lane of travel.

Bret L. Bellacosa, 51, of 7852 Hewes Road, Bergen, is charged with grand larceny 4th. Bellacosa is accused of allegedly using his employer's credit card to fill up his personal vehicle with gas on several occasions. The total amount purchased reportedly exceeded $1,000. The case was investigated by Det. Charles Dudek of the Batavia Police Department.

Sean Douglas Lacy, 23, of 7248 W. Bergen Road, Bergen, is charged with harassment 2nd. Lacy was arrested late last night for allegedly punching another person in the face.

Lisa M. Smith, 37, of 5 Thorpe St., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Smith allegedly called another person in violation of an order of protection.

John T. Kingsley, 32, of Stafford, is charged with 30 counts of petit larceny. Kingsley was arrested Jan. 14 by State Police for allegedly stealing from a business on Veterans Memorial Drive. No further details were released.

Accident reports from the State Police blotter:

8:54 a.m., Jan. 19, Route 77, Pembroke, two vehicles; Driver 1: Tammy M. Corbin, 29, of Batavia; Driver 2: Cody L. Pahuta, 18, of Corfu. No injuries. No citations.

There's rural aplenty in these parts, but it doesn't get much more rural than Alabama.

With its wildlife refuge, Native American reservation, its hundreds of acres of open space, farmland and roads that can stretch for a mile or two between houses, Alabama is something like the wide-open West of Genesee County.

All of that could change -- or at least that's the fear of some Alabama residents -- if the GCEDC is able to push through plans to develop a high-tech industrial part over 1,300 acres in Alabama.

Alabama farmer Bryan Phelps -- who's grandfather started farming in Alabama in 1919 -- gave an impassioned speech to the Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday arguing against the GCEDC's plans.

The project, known as STAMP, for Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park, would forever alter the rural nature of Alabama, Phelps said.

"If you bring the STAMP program to the Town of Alabama then the same thing will happen here that happened in Clarence and Lancaster," Phelps said.  "I know you might think nothing will happen, but it will be here and the houses will come and the farms will disappear and residential growth will occur, and our taxes go up and restrictions on farming practices increase."

Sure, we need the jobs, Phelps said, but at what cost?

GCEDC has projected that STAMP will create hundreds of jobs in the $15 to $25 per hour range, plus management positions that pay as much as $200,000 and add $500 million to the county's tax base.

Those are hard numbers to ignore, Phelps acknowledged, but he doesn't think farmland needs to be destroyed to make them happen. There are plenty of old, empty industrial buildings in Batavia and elsewhere in Western New York that can be renovated.

“It’s been said that rural development leads to rural destruction," Phelps said. "When development or destruction of rural farmland takes place, the needs for such services as schools, sewers, garbage collection, police forces, traffic control and water delivery go way up."

It's not hard to imagine housing development following STAMP, followed by new chain-laden shopping centers and pretty soon, you have Lancaster or Clarence.

Phelps wants none of that, and he said many Town of Alabama residents share his concerns.

The third-generation farmer found a sympathetic ear in Legislator Ed DeJaneiro, who sat down with Phelps after the Ways and Means Committee meeting was over and commiserated.

But DeJaneiro also noted, Genesee County needs jobs.

"I agree with him we on many of his concerns about this program," DeJaneiro said. "Prospective companies come in relying on tax dollars and end up using valuable land, but if we don't do it, somebody else will. We do need the jobs, so it's not as clear cut as he says."

Ray Cianfrini, who represents Alabama in the County Legislature, is pretty enthusiastic about the STAMP project and believes most Alabama residents support it.

"The land (for the project) is not considered the most productive land in Alabama,"  Cianfrini said. "It's owned by three of the largest farmers in our area. They certainly apparently had no reservations in taking the land out of production."

The final say on whether to approve the project, Cianfrini, will lie with the Town of Alabama board.

Through the courtesy of Lester and John Lines, the owners & operators of the Aurora Mining Company, Tim Sawyer and I had set up our camp on Harrison Creek in the East Crazy Mountains of east-central Alaska.

This being grizzly country, we armed ourselves accordingly, carrying a high powered rifle and a .44 magnum wherever we went. A couple weeks before our arrival, seven grizzlies had been spotted ambling down the grassy slope of Mastodon Dome (so called for the prehistoric remains once unearthed on the site). All seven bears eventually made their way to the Lines’ camp, passing through without incident. An avid hunter, Tim had seen the big bears up close, the previous year taking a grizzly measuring nearly nine feet.  

Also in camp was “Pete” the German shepherd. A few years earlier a friend of John Lines noticed a puppy that had its snout wrapped with duct tape to keep it from barking. John's friend removed the duct tape and threatened to tell the authorities before leaving with the dog. The dog was then placed with John and the two became best friends.

 Prospecting was a lot of work. Tim donned a diver’s dry suit and vacuumed the bottom of the creek, sending rocks & sediment up a hose and onto a small floating dredge where it was deposited onto a small sluice. Gold, being the second heaviest element, sank to the bottom of the sluice before it could be washed out the back.   

While Tim worked the dredge, I used a pick and shovel along the creek bank, shoveling rocks, mud and sediment into five gallon pails until they were half full. Adding water, I swished it around some, before pouring the contents into a sluice set up in the creek. Sometimes, after the cloudy water passed through, flecks of “color” were visible on the bottom of the sluice. That was gold. We then washed off the sluice pad into another bucket, before transferring it into a pan. Using a little bit of water, you gently tilted the pan back and forth, allowing the water to wash away silt, exposing the gold. Generally, in a streamside operation, any gold left in the pan was so small you needed an eye dropper to pick it up. It was then transferred into a glass vial.

Though our work yielded minimal returns, it had been a good experience. Still, I was ready to try something else. There were grayling in Harrison Creek and after ten days of prospecting I was ready to go fishing.     

Ten days into our stay the weather turned and Tim thought it a good idea to take a field trip. We backtracked the fourteen miles through the East Crazy Mountains, only now there was a slight difference. Three days of rainy weather had reduced the graded secondary road to muddy ruts – three hours worth – until we reached the Steese Highway once again. Not so surprisingly, we weren’t on the highway long when we hit dry weather once again.

We traveled to the settlement of Circle, Alaska, on the banks of the Yukon River. There we came across one of the locals selling books out of a large tent. For $1.25 I purchased two books, one being Hemingway’s, The Old Man and the Sea, the other was Phillip Keller’s, A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23.        

Our next stop was just down the road, at Circle Hot Springs, and a relaxing swim in water over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Outasight! Just what the doctor ordered.  The next morning we made one final stop before returning to base camp. We had breakfast in yet another tiny settlement, this one called Central. This was a real treat, as breakfast in camp each day had consisted of oatmeal and half an orange.

It was also in Central where I spotted a pay phone. It was eleven o’clock in the morning. That meant it was 7 am in Batavia and Claudia hadn’t left for work yet. The phone rang twice before she picked up. “Hello?” It was good to hear her voice. “Hi Honey. I miss you. Can we have cavatelle,  meatballs and sausage when I get home?”      

Next stop: the Arctic Circle.

At today's Ways and Means Committee meeting, Sno-Packers Snowmobile Club representative Kevin Fisher could only laugh.

"It's not easy, is it?" County Attorney John Rizzo said.

For Fisher and the other club members, getting their bridge restored on Sour Springs Road in Alabama has been a long process. There is always one more step.

Today's step was for the Ways and Means Committee to refer a resolution to the full County Legislature. It authorizes Chairwoman Mary Pat Hancock to sign an agreement with the Town of Alabama accepting indemnification from any liability for the bridge.

There's always a wrinkle, of course, and in this case, according to Legislator Ray Cianfrini, who represents Alabama, the town attorney wants the Sno-Packers to be a party to the agreement.

But both Cianfrini and Rizzo said from the county perspective, it's a two-party agreement and there's nothing preventing the Town of Alabama from signing an agreement with Sno-Packers.

"That's raising some controversy that we don't necessarily agree with," said Ray " ... We want to make sure that we fulfill our side of the agreement by referring it to the Legislature to approve for signature."

For Fisher, he would just like to get the bridge in as soon as possible and he was hoping to find some way to start installation even before all of the agreements are signed.

"Right now we have a break in the weather," Fisher said. "It would be much more pleasant to set that bridge back in place now when it's 40 degrees than two weeks from now when it's 20. That's our only thing. We understand if it can't be done, it can't be done."