Attica was able to convert two Oakfield-Alabama turnovers in the second half into big plays to literally run away with the game in Oakfield last night, capturing a 34-21 win.

Spirits were high for Oakfield when the team emerged from the locker room on homecoming night with a 14-7 lead, but on its first possession of the third quarter, a fumble gave Attica the ball well into Hornets' territory and a few plays later, Brandon Rollings squirted into the end zone on a 14-yard run. It was Rollings' second TD of the night.

Attica Head Coach Jeff Cusmano said turn overs and the Blue Devils' ability to convert those turnovers into big plays was the key to the game.

"We got the running game going," Cusmano said. "They were clogging up the middle and we got to the outside a bit. We were just digging down and grinding it out."

The game remained tied until the third quarter when another fumble by Oakfield, now 1-4, was followed by a 56-yard dash by Brad Clark. It was Clark's first of three TDs of the night.

"The first half we came out like I expected them to, and just like Notre Dame last week, we came out firing on all cylinders," Coach Brian Palone.  "We’ve just got to find a way to finish games. Right now we’re not playing four quarters of football."

Oakfield pulled even again on an 84-yard run by Jason Stanley. It was Stanley's second long TD run of the night. He also scored in the first quarter, going 64 yards for the TD.

But it was all Attica (4-1) from that point on in the game. Clark scored twice on runs of 62 and 81 yards to seal the victory.

Cusmano said Clark, who had 296 yards on 27 carries, was the star of the game, but also praised the offensive line.

"They just did a tremendous job," Cusmano said. "They dug down and just ground it out. I would have to say it all starts up front and Brad will be the first guy to tell you that without the blocking up front, he wouldn’t have had what he had."

It was some of those big plays that helped Clark run up so many yards that were the undoing for Oakfield, Palone said.

"We can’t allow big plays," said the Oakfield Coach. "Attica was able to get some big plays on us and put together some big drives on us and it was tough for us to battle back."

The turnovers, of course, were crucial mistakes.

"It came down to what we preached for the past couple of weeks – we’ve got to protect the ball and we weren’t able to do that, and defensively, we can’t allow big plays," Palone said. "Attica was able to get some big plays on us and put together some big drives on us and it was tough for us to battle back."

Next week, Alexander goes against undefeated Holley. Cusmano thinks his team will be ready.

"We’re making progress every week and you know the kids are growing," Cusmano said. "They’re going to make mistakes; you know, you roll out a bunch of young kids and they’re going to make mistakes. We’re getting better every week and cutting down on our mistakes. We'll go into the Holley game next week and see what happens."

Besides Clark, for Attica, Brandon Rollings had six carries for 37 yards. Brandon Banks led the defense with nine tackles. Alex Arnone had seven tackles and two fumble recoveries.

For OA, Jason Stanley rushed for 199 yards and scored 3 touchdowns. Matt Osmancickli rushed for 36 yards and Matt Smith carried the ball a total of 35 yards.

A driver and his wife were injured in an accident in Alabama this afternoon when the driver allegedly failed to yield the right-of-way to another car.

The driver, Charles F. Smith, 63, of Waterloo, is in serious condition at Erie County Medical Center and his wife, June A. Smith, 58, is in stable condition.

Charles reportedly suffered internal injuries and was semi-conscious when emergency personnel arrived. June suffered an internal shoulder injury and was conscious at the scene of the accident.

According to a report by Deputy Jim Diehl, Smith was heading north on Shanks Road when he attempted to cross Bloomingdale Road into a parking lot at 383 Bloomingdale Road.

A 1999 Subaru driven by Travis J. Hanson, 18, of Akron, was eastbound on Bloomingdale Road when it collided with Smith's 1991 Buick sedan.

Neither Hanson nor his 17-year-old passenger, David R. Santamaria, were injured.

The force of the accident sent Hanson's vehicle into a car parked in the lot on Bloomingdale Road. That truck is owned by John Snell of Lancaster. Snell was not in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Roughly 15 people lost good-paying jobs this week at Batavia-based Graham Corp.. The across-the-board cuts were a necessary belt-tightening measure in the midst of a lackluster economy.

That's according to Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Glajch, who confirmed the rumored layoffs this afternoon.

"I feel sorry for the workers," he said. "But we needed to adjust to the marketplace in this sluggish economy. Things aren't getting worse, but they aren't getting better either."

It's the second round of job cuts this year. Slightly more than 10 percent of the engineering and manufacturing company's workforce was eliminated in January. 

That amounted to about 30 jobs at a time when the company was facing a 40-percent loss in revenue, the CFO said. Nonetheless, in May it received Empire Zone tax incentives.

It is the rare, if not the only, publicly traded company in Batavia, with offices and a production plant at 20 Florence Ave.. It has been in business since World War II.

It engineers and makes vacuum and heat-transfer equipment that has broad applications, from making synthetic fibers, petroleum products, electric power and fertilizer, to processing food, pharmaceuticals, paper and steel. Half its good are sold abroad.

Things were going great guns for Graham by mid-2008, when it made Business Week's list of the fastest-growing small companies.

China and other foreign markets' thirst for oil in 2007-08 created a robust demand for Graham's goods. Orders placed then continued to have a postive impact on the company's finances over the first three fiscal quarters of 2008-09 (the company's fiscal year runs April 1 through March 31).

At its peak, it had more than 300 employees and its stock was trading at a high of $50.98 a share. Its stock closed today at $14.68 a share.

As with other industries, the orders tapered off and the forecast today is a question mark. Looking ahead, the CFO said he hopes there won't be pink slips come December, but "I can't promise anything, we have to wait and see."

What's the recipe for "The Big Game"? Well, start with two undefeated teams in the fifth week of the season. Make sure one of them has a storied history and is hosting the game on homecoming weekend. The other team should be up an upstart, a new program that for the first time is emerging as a powerful, tough-to-beat squad.

That's a Big Game.

And's the situation tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. when Notre Dame hosts the Holley Hawks Notre Dame. The teams clash as division rivals with matching records of 4-0.

“They’ve (Holley) got a great group of kids and we’re probably the underdog here" said Notre Dame's head coach, Rick Mancuso. "We’re fighting an uphill battle, but we’re looking forward to the challenge."

If you put any stock in such things, MaxPreps ranks the Fighting Irish 121st in the state, and Holley at 155th.

The Irish have scored 101 points on the season, Holley, 114. ND's has allowed 35 points, with Holley being a bit stingier, giving up only 23.

The Hawks have a reputation for being a strong, hard-hitting team, and Coach Mancuso acknowledges the Hawks are a tough, well-coached team, but that doesn't make them much different from Attica and Oakfield. Both of those squads have fallen once each this season to the Irish.

"We’ve been against some tough, strong, hard-hitting teams and Holley’s no different than them," Mancuso said,  "other than Holley’s maybe a little bit bigger and they have a little bit better skill level in their back field."

Mancuso said the Hawks probably have the best four backs in the league.

"That gives them an advantage," he said.

"We've got to come out and we've really got to work at it," Mancuso said. "We can't get down they have a big play. We can't get too high and we can't get too low. It's a big challenge."

He said his players are excited about the big game.

It sounds like a recipe for a can't-miss match up.

AUDIO: Interview with Head Coach Rick Mancuso (mp3)

Sheriff's investigators are looking into a brazen daylight garage break-in in which the thief (or thieves) got away with three large items.

Stolen this yesterday morning from 27 Valle Drive, Batavia, was a John Deere tractor with a snow plow attached, a Yamaha Blaster four-wheeler and four snow tires that fit a 2005 Pontiac G6.

The burglars smashed a window to get into the garage between 9 and 10:15 a.m. and left through the overhead garage door, leaving it open.

Anyone with information that might help solve this crime are encouraged to call the Sheriff's Dispatch Center at 345-3000, Ext. 1.

My heart went out to Althea after reading her story. Once she was down on her luck and sick, to boot. After amazing love and grace, she's nurturing (see photo) and brings lots of joy and companionship to her folks.

She works to earn her keep, too. A good word for her is magnanimous -- yes, she has the gift of magnanimity. Bless her little pea-pickin' heart (an old Tennessee Ernie Ford saying I'm fond of, even though I don't pick peas nor do I especially like them). Here's what she says.

My name is Althea and I think I should be "Pet of the Week." I was adopted from the Genesee County Animal Shelter about four years ago. There I was, stuck in a cage with some unpleasant health troubles that I won't get into, but let's just say I was not a pretty sight.

My mom and dad took me home and got me cleaned up and then with some help from Volunteers for Animals I got the treatment I needed. I'm still a little fragile, having joint problems and faulty digestion, but I don't let it get me down.

Since finding my family I've gone hiking, swimming and kayaking but my very favorite thing to do is help out around the house. I clean up crumbs off the floors, empty the cat litter boxes and fetch things. I even helped babysit some foster puppies this summer. 

My mom says I'm the happiest dog she ever met and she's met a lot of them, let me tell you! I've had a lot of foster brothers and sisters over the years and I always try to introduce myself and help the "new" guys feel at home. Life is good. I figure if you have a warm bed, good food and people who love and take care of you, you've got everything, so why not share with a dog who's not so fortunate?

I kind of like having a bunch of other dogs around. You should hear us howl when we get wound up! Anyway, that's my story. Maybe if I'm Pet of the Week people will read my story and think about adopting a shelter dog. I'm a pretty good judge of dogs and I think there's a lot of good ones waiting for homes. Thanks for reading this.

Althea

If your pet is worthy of Pet of the Week, have him or her e-mail me at pets (at) the batavian dot com. Please have your pet send a handsome picture and his or her story. Click here for more information. Your pet could win a $10 gift certificate from Genesee Feeds.

James D. Henry, Jr., 54, of 8296 E. Main Road, Le Roy, is charged with a felony count of criminal possession of a forged instrument and a felony count of attempted grand larceny. Henry, a former Village of Le Roy employee, allegedly entered the village office on Monday possessing a forged doctor's prescription. It stated that Henry "would be out until further notice" in an attempt to gain sick leave compensation, which would have totaled more than $3,000. Henry was arraigned and released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Robin L. Pirdy, 50, of 588 Route 98, Attica, is charged with DWI and aggravated DWI with a BAC of .08 or greater. Pirdy was reportedly found parked on the side of Molasses Hill Road in Bethany by Deputy Kevin McCarthy. Upon investigation, McCarthy determined that Pirdy had allegedly been driving while intoxicated.

Steven Robert Gorecki, 23, of 106 Tracey Ave., Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Gorecki is accused of shoplifting from Target.

Willie A. Sabb, Jr., 35, of 19 Porter Ave., Apt. 2, Batavia, is charged with assault in the third degree, endangering the welfare of a child and harassment. Police picked up Sabb at his residence on warrants issued by City Court. The charges stem from three separate alleged incidents. No further details were released.

Smoke detectors awoke a Bank Street family this morning, allowing the people in the lower apartment unit to escape safely from a fire that started in an improperly lined chimney, according to a Batavia Fire Department release this morning.

Upon arrival at the 2:20 a.m. alarm, Batavia firefighters entered the upper apartment and awoke the two occupants and escorted them safely from the building.

Firefighters initially responded to the call of a "house filled with smoke."

The fire caused an estimated $30,000 damage to the house and $15,000 to its contents.

No smoke detectors were present in the upper unit, which was located at 140 Bank St..

UPDATE: WBTA spoke with Captain Michael Drew (MP3) of the Batavia Fire Department. Chief Ralph Hyde also told WBTA that the chimney was designed for gas heating and the occupants tried burning wood in the fireplace.

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The Enchanted Florist, 202 E. Main St., Batavia, NY: Brighten up your home or office with flowers! We have a $20 gift certificate for $8.50.

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

The Color Salon, 35 Center St., Batavia, NY: Susan Francis, the owner and stylist at The Color Salon reminds women, "your hair is your greatest accessory." Francis has more than 20 years experience at helping women get the best hair color. We have a $50 gift certificate for $25.

Center Street Smoke House, 20 Center St., Batavia, NY: Ribs, brisket, steak, prime rib -- Center Street is a meat lover's paradise. We have a $25 gift card for $12.50.

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.

Jackson St. Grill, 9 Jackson St., Batavia, NY: Try the fresh, skinless haddock fish fry on Fridays. We have a $10 gift certificate for $5.

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 happens in sports, it happens at Brown's." We have a $20 gift card for $10.

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

A press release:

On Sept.14, the Byron-Bergen Public Library's Board of Trustees voted to put the annual Craft Fair on hold until 2010 due to the loss of our venue. The Board of Trustees understands the importance of this annual event and is fully committed to securing a new location. That process will begin early next year in anticipation of a Fall event. Please watch for additional details as they become available.

We're about to order our first batch of The Batavian T-shirts from T-Shirts Etc. I expect to visit Brian tomorrow and place the order.

We're only ordering as many as were purchased, so if you want to get one in this batch, order now.

The T-shirts are $20 each, which I realize is a bit pricey for a T-shirt, but we're putting half the money into our equipment fund so we can improve the quality of the equipment we use to bring you the news. This money won't be used for anything except buying equipment (the site is doing well enough at this point that we're making a living).

Thank you for your support.

For the better part of two years, I have watched and witnessed the current council as it sits now. I have seen certain members try to push public agendas that would help the greater good and benefit the city as a whole. I’ve also unfortunately, witnessed those pushing private agendas without any care of how detrimental the collateral damage could be. Here’s the truth as I see it.

My wife and I as we were making our departure from Europe decided to return to Batavia. We believe to this day that it is an amazing place to raise our family! We also have an amazing sense of community pride, which is just one of the reasons that I have been involved in many different organizations here. I have not done this for any kind of personal gain, except for the satisfaction that I could make a difference. You see, I was raised by the mantra: “Do something or Shut up” from two very stern parents; one Italian, one Irish. They believed, as I do now, that the only way you’re going to make it in this world, is by putting your hands to the plow and working to get it done. Well that’s why I’m running for office; plain and simple. I don’t like the way things work now. It makes no sense how we prioritize our finances and how afraid we are to change it.

Unfortunately it took a horrific budget gap for us to be willing to consider that change was needed. The council took action behind the leadership of a man, who many have called a radical, Charlie Mallow. Love him or hate him, he did the one thing that so many former and currently sitting members never did; he started the conversation.  He accepted the fact that people would hate him for saying what he felt and that some of his ideas would be smashed to the ground. Yet he said it and did as much as he could in during his time on Council. Now, this isn’t some ringing love note for Mr. Mallow, but a reality check of the past two years. Hard choices were made to right the ship, but now it’s time to fix the hull once and for all. We have to continue the conversation by continuing to move on and act on tough decisions.  

We also have to include you in on the process! That’s right, it’s time to stop just having talks in private rooms behind closed door, but to put them out to the open floor and let government work for the people of Batavia. Charlie Mallow asked me to run and take his place because; he believed I was strong enough to continue this conversation. Now it’s our turn.

You want to create jobs in Batavia? Then you have to cut the waste out off our city budget so that you can lower the cost to actually run a business in our city.  You want to improve neighborhoods? Than we have to sharpen our focus on holding these absentee “business” owners to their commitments while still protecting the personal liberties and freedoms of our citizens. You want a more open government? Then we have to get council over itself and publically print every council agenda before each meeting for every citizen that wants it! We have to put tough decisions to special votes and let us all collectively decide our fate! Most importantly, you have to vote! Speak with that voice as loud as you can.

Lastly, do you want to cut taxes? Then understand that we have to right size our service levels to do that. Notice I didn’t say eliminate! I’m not one of these extremist that buys into the “ALL OR NOTHING!” way of governing. There are practical and pragmatic ways to achieve a balance! I’m not going to sit here and promise you that I can bring about a zero tax rate in Batavia, but we should be able to roll the recent increases back. Give back the money that was ripped from our pockets just to play catch up! Achieving that though is going to take some tough decisions.

Over the next few weeks I will put out a plan to each of these points. They will be collective ideas from me and also those who I have been asking for advice and guidance along the way. You may like some, hate others. That's great! Let the conversation continue! WE CAN DO THIS! I know we can. If I didn’t believe it with my whole heart, I wouldn’t say it.  We can make Batavia better. No, even more, we can make Batavia the kind of place that every city in New York State dreams of becoming.

Why not? We can do it!

Respectfully,

Phil Ricci
Candidate, Councilman-at-Large

Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Town of Batavia Volunteer Fire Department will hold an open house at its station at 8382 Lewiston Road.  Lowe's is sponsoring the event through its "Heroes Project." The retailer has paid for 150 smoke detectors, 50 CO detectors and 200 kits for kids to build wooden fire trucks as well as hot dogs, chips and soda for the event. Any county resident who shows up can get a free smoke or CO detector.

It's also a chance for area residents to see the department's equipment and learn more about what the all-volunteer department does, said organizer Joshua Finn.

"There are a lot of guys who put in a lot of our hours and have worked hard for a lot of years and we just want people to come out and see what we do," Finn said.

Safety training is also a big part of the day, which kicks off Fire Prevention Week.

"It's important to get people to start thinking about what they would do if they were in an emergency," Finn said.

Lt. Nate Fix said the department will also be doing training sessions for BOCES and the child care facilities in the department's coverage area. 

Pictured above are Jason Pfleger, John Mullen, both firefighters, Lt. Nate Fix, Chuck Hammer, admin manager for Lowe's in Batavia, Fire Department VP Joshua Finn, and Scott Maloy and Bill Leonard, firefighters.

I happened down Watson Street today and found this house and yard all decked out for Halloween. I hope this bodes well for how many trick-or-treaters we'll get in our neighborhood this year. It's been a long time since Billie and I lived in a neighborhood with a lot kids and trick-or-treaters.

City firefighters doubt this ring was a donation to the union's "Fill the Boot" campaign for MDA. It is likely a woman's wedding band with an inscription inside, which invites all kinds of speculation about whether it was lost accidentally, or not.

If you're missing a ring and want it back, you should contact the Batavia Fire Department.

An abandoned house has reportedly caught on fire at 8038 N. Pembroke Road.

Earlier today there was a report of a controlled burn. According to Dispatch, the owner of the house, who was burning brush earlier, called to say the fire had spread to the house.

East Pembroke and Alabama fire departments are being dispatched.

By Becky LeFevre

 There are many unknowns about flu season, but the Center for Disease Control estimates that flu season takes place between October and April and often peaks in January.  The bad news it, it’s October and it seems like it’s starting to “go around”. Whether it’s the flu already or just a common cold, we all need to take the necessary steps to stay well.  One of the best ways to stay healthy this season is to strengthen your immune system through a healthy diet. 

I spoke with Dr. Duane Scarborough (who has a Chiropractic and Wellness practice on Batavia-Elba Town Line Rd) about what we should be eating to help our bodies fight off sickness, or to help us recover more quickly from the colds we get.  The good new is, the foods our bodies need most are available locally and are in season.  Dr. Scarborough recommends cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, kale, and brussels sprouts.  These veggies are high in vitamin C, contain soluble fiber, and are proven to have anti-cancer properties.  Garlic also tops the list; it fights off bacteria, viruses, and fungus.  Dr. Scarborough also mentioned that tomatoes are high in Vitamin C. A few minutes online at www.mealographer.com informed me that by eating a cup of chopped tomatoes or a whole, average sized fresh tomato I would consume approximately 30-40 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C. 

For some people, eating a bowl of brussels sprouts might seems as painful as a few days in bed with the flu.  For those of you who historically hate the sprouts, please try some fresh brussels sprouts from a local farm. They are poles removed from the frozen, mushy little cabbages you were forced to eat as a kid. Sauté them up with some butter and salt and they taste great.  You can also add chopped cabbage or kale to your favorite soup or salad. Try these recipes using some of the foods Dr. Scarborough recommends, all the veggies are available at the Genesee Country Farmers Market.

Cherry Tomato Crisp
Ingredients:
· 1 1/2 pounds (about 5 cups) cherry tomatoes
· 2 slices french bread
· 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
· 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 1 chopped garlic clove
· Coarse salt and ground pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, combine bread, Parmesan cheese, parsley leaves, olive oil, and garlic; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Pulse until bread is very coarsely chopped, 4 to 6 times.
2. In an 8-inch square baking dish, arrange cherry tomatoes in a single layer; sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake until crust is browned and tomatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Roasted Garlic  (from epicurious.com)
Ingredients:
1 lg. Head of garlic
¼ c olive oil
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut top 1/4 inch off heads of garlic to expose cloves. Place garlic in small baking dish. Add oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Turn garlic cut side up. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until garlic skins are golden brown and cloves are tender, about 55 minutes. Cool. Squeeze garlic cloves from skins.
Eat roasted garlic spread on crackers, or mix it into some homemade mashed potatoes.

Last month, I asked Chris Charvella to write a "short" essay for the Genesee Blues.

The message Chris sent was a little longer than I anticipated, but so sincere, I printed it anyway.  Chris gave me his permission to share it. 

What We Can Do
I had intended to give you a quick piece about how great my campaign is going, about how I intend to win in November and, most importantly, about what an honor it is to have been given the opportunity to get involved in local politics. I can’t do that though. It’s not because all of those things aren’t true, as a matter of fact they’re truer than I’d ever dreamed they would be, it’s because I’ve found that win or no win, there’s real work for Democrats to do in the City of Batavia and it’s about time we put our noses to the grindstone.

I’ll use as a case in point one of the less affluent neighborhoods in my district. The south end of State Street between Washington and Park is an area of Batavia long forgotten by its elected officials. It is filled with mostly black, mostly poor citizens who are distrustful of politicians and public figures and, it seems, with good reason. One of the neighborhood kids asked me if I was the social worker, a woman on her porch thought I was a cop. All of the folks there looked at me with disdain and distrust and when I told them who I was it got even worse.

’The politicians come down here every election year and make us promises,’ I was told by a woman outside her house. ‘They never do what they say they will, nothing changes.’

Her sentiment ran true throughout the neighborhood. The people who live down there have no use for politics or politicians because we have failed them. I told the woman and everyone else who lives on the south end of State Street that I would make them no promises but that I would listen to them and advocate for them. This small article is the first step in keeping my word.

We’re Democrats. Our party has done its best to take up the mantle of the poor and underserved. We have painted ourselves as a bastion for minorities and those who believe that the good of the community is just as important as the good of the individual. The people I talked to the other day aren’t asking for handouts and freebies, they want street signs that will make their kids safer; they want the occasional visit from their representatives; they want someone to stand up and take notice. We can do that folks. We can reach out to the good people that Batavia has forgotten and let them know we care about their lives.

When I walked that street I didn’t just see poor folks and houses in need of repair, I saw a real community. Kids were riding bikes and playing on the sidewalks under the watchful eye of parents and neighbors. The kids all knew who was home and who wasn’t and they weren’t shy about telling me about it when I went to knock on a door. Neighbors were sitting together outside their houses just visiting and passing time. I felt for a moment like an outsider at a family picnic.

I’ve always counted myself as lucky. I grew up well and I’ve been successful in life. I have a beautiful wife and daughter, I own my own home and whatever worries I have are relatively simple to address. It would be easy for me to forget that not everyone is as lucky as I am and I’m writing this to remind all of you that though we may be well off and comfortable, there is no excuse for ignoring those who aren’t.

I would like to issue a challenge to you today. Don’t let communities like the one I described fade away from the public eye. Let them know that we’re here. If you’re an elected official, pay them a visit. If you’re not, pay them a visit anyway. Committee members have the ear of local representatives. We can all listen and we can all advocate.

Chris Charvella