Well folks, the way I see it, if the birds get to migrate, so should The Batavian. Don't get me wrong, I love our office in the Masonic Temple with its frosted glass windows and door, the antique radiator adorned in arabesque—that feel of the old shamus, Philip Marlowe, who keeps a cork-topped fifth of rye in the desk drawer and just sits and waits for the next dame to peek demurely through the crack of the door. Yeah, our office is nice.

Nevertheless, it's time for a change of scenery. Genesee County is a big beautiful place. Let's get out and see what she's got to show us. Since each town and village name speaks its own hidden secrets to me, its own individual promise of undiscovered treasure, there's only one way to do this: start at the top... of the alphabet, that is.

So on this, our first day of migration, I shall travel to Alabama. Don't know what I'll find there. Don't know what to expect. All I need is a place to sit, a place to eat and some folks to talk to about life and about whatever else folks talk about in Alabama.

Do you have any ideas where I should go? What are the must see sites of Alabama? Who's got the best BLT in town? Well... that's enough talk. Time to hit the road. Alabama, here I come.

"Social Networking" is a wonky term for the ability of people on a web site to connect with each other by, among other things, tagging each other as "friends."

We now have this "friends" feature on The Batavian.

Now you can go to a person's profile page and see all of their blog posts and comments, sign their individual guestbook and, if you want, invite that person to be your friend.

You can then go to your own profile page and look at your friend's activity.

This is a brand new feature on the site, so your feed back is welcome.

Over the next few days, I'll invite all registered users to be my friend -- this will make me, I suppose, a bit like Tom on MySpace, but we want to be sure everybody gets introduced to this new feature.

One of our readers picked up on a story posted on the WBTA Web site yesterday about the Batavia City Schools receiving an award from Promethean Inc., the company that provided the school with its high-tech blackboards.

WBTA's Dan Fischer spoke with School Superintendent Margaret Puzio about the award. Interestingly, the city schools will now become a "beta testing center" for Promethean Inc.

Well, well, Jon Powers has finally made a statement about the status of his campaign -- it's officially over, finally -- and his move out of Western New York.

Alan Bedenko received an e-mail from Powers, which he quotes in full.

The letter is notable for it's lack of a clear endorsement of Alice Kryzan, and how quickly Powers has been willing to abandon WNY.  He doesn't say in the least that he moved out of state in order to help Kryzan's campaign.  He took a job that gave him an opportunity to be nationally focused, rather than focused on WNY.

He does thank his supporters:

We want to thank each of you for your hard work and dedication. Please continue to serve in your community and find a way to get involved in this year’s elections.

This campaign was never about an individual, it was about this community. If you believe that together we have the power to change Washington, then please continue to work toward the dramatic change our country needs.

So I sat in front of the TV tonight watching WXXI trying like hell to figure out why either Chris Lee or Alice Kryzan is qualified to represent the 26th District in Congress.

And I sat here trying like hell to figure what what the real differences are between the two candidates.

And frankly, I'm stumped.

Both were tentative in their presentations and offered up little more than platitudes and facile analysis of the issues facing the country and the district (to be fair, the format sucked -- no more than a minute for any sustained statement from either candidate, and often less).

On the bailout: Both essentially support it.  Lee talks about updated regulations, Kryzan talks about new regulations, but neither questions whether the entire pretext for the bailout isn't just trumped up by the power elite in Washington.

(Though, I gotta say, Kryzan could have given a little stronger shoutout to The Batavian.  During the discussion, she noted that Lee had been silent on the bailout issue until this past Saturday. Well, the first place that had any solid information on Lee's position on the bailout was The Batavian -- come on, Alice, give us some credit! -- It wasn't the Daily News, nor the Buffalo News, nor the D&C that sought Lee out and tried to get him on the record on the topic -- it was The Batavian ... though, perhaps I brag too much).

On the war in Iraq, both agree the troops should come home, but neither addressed  troops in Iraq in context of the current financial conditions in the United States: How the frig can we justify even one more day of this expense?

Both candidates think we should get more militaristic in Afghanistan.

On taxes, both claim they will cut taxes, but neither address how the can do that in current economic conditions, and neither question the current state of the large and growing central government.

On education, both candidates say there needs to be reforms to "no child left behind," but neither question why education is a national government issue at all.

On the environment, both talk about being green and bringing green jobs to Western New York. Neither offer any concrete examples of how they might create green jobs in Genesee County.

if I have bones to pick with either candidate, it would be with Alice Kryzan.

First, Kryzan called herself a fiscal conservative, but the only example she could offer to support that claim is that she knows how to balance her family finances. Big whoopee do! Can't we all do that? That doesn't address the issue of federal taxation and spending when the government has the power to A) raise taxes or change tax codes as it likes; B) because of the fed, print money at will; C) borrow money from over seas lenders at will. 

I really want to know how Kryzan can qualify as a fiscal conservative? What taxes will she cut, specifically? What government spending will she cut, specifically? How will she reign in the Federal Reserve? How will she end deficit spending?  What federal programs will she end in these tight economic times?

Second, Kryzan accused Lee of lying when Lee said she has run negative ads against him. Kryzan is, she said, running a campaign on issues and she hasn't run a negative campaign. I have two words for Alice: Bull and shit. It may not be her campaign directly funding the attack ads on Lee (and I tend to believe Chris at this point that the ads are unfair and inaccurate, and I will believe that until somebody can prove Chris wrong), but I have enough experience in politics to know that if Alice really objected to those ads, they would not be running. (see this post updating this point).

I doubt many people watched this debate tonight, but if any undecided voters did, I can't imagine this debate helped them come to any sort of conclusion about who to vote for, and for the rest, all of the people who already decided that they will support  either the Republican or the Democrat, you probably believe your candidate won and the other candidate is an idiot.  That's the nature of these things, but really -- there isn't a hairs worth of difference between either Republicans or Democrats in any race.

Now, more than ever, this country could use some independent-minded voices calling for real change. We're just not getting it.

 All of the football previews are now done and in sports, with the exception of the Pembroke/Oakfield-Alabama game. I put that one on the front page as well because I did an insane amount of work on that thing.

I'd like to get you members of The Batavian involved with these previews. Please pick the games you are interested in and make predictions as to what you think will happen and what the final score will be. Maybe we can get some good conversations going.

Here is the list of games:

Holley at Attica

Pembroke at Oakfield-Alabama

Cal-Mum at Le Roy

Batavia at East Rochester/Gananda

Barker at Alexander

Elba/Byron-Bergen at Notre Dame

Also, if you are looking for preview information on Livingston Conference, Albion or Medina games you should pick up a copy of The Daily News tomorrow. They are doing a good job of reporting on these games.

I'm guessing the only statistics and story-lines you are going to see on Batavia, Le Roy or GR games are all on The Batavian today. 

Pembroke (5-0) at Oakfield-Alabama (5-0)

7 p.m. Friday

Genesee Region League football fans have had this game marked on their calendars since the schedules came out.

Pembroke and Oakfield-Alabama have had the top two teams in the league all season long and this game will decide the champion.

O-A would clinch the title outright with a victory and avoiding a total meltdown against Holley next week. Pembroke would clinch at least a tie and would claim the title outright with a win and a victory over Attica in the final week of the season.

This game has become the biggest rivalry in the GR in recent years as both teams are powerhouse programs that compete for a sectional title every year.

It shouldn't be any different this year as Oakfield-Alabama is currently the second seed in Class C while Pembroke follows at No. 3.

Le Roy is the top seed and will be playing tough games with Caledonia-Mumford and Hornell in the final two weeks, so the winner of this game could end up getting the prestigious top seed in sectionals.

The Hornets are ranked No. 10 in the state while Pembroke gets an honorable mention.

Pembroke's Chip Foster and O-A's John Dowd became head coaches at the same time and the Dragons have won four out of five meetings between the two powerhouses.

The games are typically defensive battles:

2003 - Pembroke 17, Oakfield-Alabama 13

2004 - Pembroke 14, Oakfield-Alabama 9

2005 - Oakfield-Alabama 34, Pembroke 16

2006 - Pembroke 14, Oakfield-Alabama 6

2007 - Pembroke 13, Oakfield-Alabama 10

The Hornets have a big size advantage on the offensive and defensive line, but Pembroke might have the edge in the amount of skilled players that will touch the football.

Andrew Wright tops that list.

He has rushed the ball 39 times for 539 yards and seven touchdowns while catching 12 passes for 334 yards and three scores.

But Wright is by no means the only offensive weapon.

Mike Dibble has gained 390 yards and scored eight touchdowns, Josh Phillips has 268 yards and six TDs and quarterback David Kleckler has rushed for 230 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 rushes.

Kleckler has completed 21-of-38 attempts for 532 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. His main targets are Wright and tight end Ken Babcock (9 receptions, 198 yards, 3 TDs).

Tim Smith has been the biggest producer offensively thus far for the Hornets, gaining 651 yards with nine touchdowns on 73 carries. But O-A will spread the ball around.

Brad Riner has 413 yards and six touchdowns, Joe Natalizia has 221 yards and two scores and Jason Stanley has pitched in 212 yards with one touchdown.

Josh Athoe returned from a leg injury suffered during baseball season and got the start last week, rushing 16 times for 83 yards with two touchdowns.

A.J. Kehlenbeck has added a pretty good passing attack for the Hornets. He has completed 13-of-24 pass attempts - to seven different receivers - for 145 yards and four TDs. Noah Seward leads the team in receptions with three for 36 yards. He also has four sacks.

A few of the students participating in the 4-H Student Legislator program were on hand last night to attend a meeting of the Genesee County Legislature for the first time. The students literally sit right up in front of the legislators and follow along as official county business is conducted. Over the next several months, I will do the same, following along with the students as they learn how to draft resolutions, pass them into law and argue the issues. At the end of the year, the participants will hold a mock session of the legislature, and if history is any judge, they may even get a resolution or two of their own stamped with the official seal of the county.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. They still have a long way to go, and I'll be going it along with them, for at least a few of the sessions, anyway. In fact, I was there last night and caught the first impressions of a couple students after the session.

Here's what they had to say:

Many thanks to Chip Malone for inviting me along for the ride. Chip is the program's coordinator.

Mark Potwora brought a news item to our attention that was posted up on the WBTA Web site late this morning. It tells of an award ceremony that was held today at Robert Norris School to honor the Batavia City School District with the Torchlight award from Promethean Inc. In other words, the company that supplied the schools with their high-tech blackboards is honoring the school for using them. Or at least, that's how it sounds. Dan Fischer writes: "We expect to find out later today just what the designation means for city schools."

Potwora has an idea what it might mean. He has this to say: "I would give a school an award also if they bought my product..Is this a nother way to over hype something."

Reporter Scott DeSmit has a pair of interesting articles on the front page of today's Daily News. In one, DeSmit writes about how many municipalities saved themselves some considerable money by locking in their price for this year's road salt at last year's figures. That move will keep them immune, at least for now, from the 30-percent increase in the price per ton.

In the town of Batavia, that move saved them nearly $12,000. They've got 1,300 tons of the stuff packed in their barn.

It's a great article. Worth a full read.

In his front page piece for today, DeSmit writes about an odd state of affairs in Le Roy, where it turns out that ten parks in the village—some more than 100 years old—have never been "properly designated" as parks. "When is a park not a park?" DeSmit quips. "When it's in the village of Le Roy."

Now, the village will have to pass a law to say that yes, in fact, the parks are parks.

This farce is worth more than a laugh. In fact, it's a great example of the ubiquity of legislation in our lives. Without this law, those parks remain a sort of no-man's land where "regulations and restrictions on park use" cannot be "properly" enforced, and the town can't yet do anything to make sure people obey the rules, "rules such as being in the park after hours." Although, as DeSmit admits, this glitch has never prevented those rules from being enforced in actuality. Only now, once the law is passed, it will be official. Funny stuff.

We encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

We received a tip from one of our readers this morning that Victorian Manor was not merely delayed in the reconstruction of its facility on Main Street in Batavia, but that it would be closing down. We called to inquire about this and spoke with a woman who identified herself as Mrs. Noonan who said, regarding the rumor that Victorian Manor will close: "That's very incorrect."

Mrs. Noonan also told us that "the company is preparing a statement very soon," though on what, she wouldn't say. She told us to call her back next week, but she didn't say why.

We thought it important to note that the rumor proved false, but we were a little confused about what would be happening next week. We will get out any information as it becomes available to us.

We received this letter this morning from Ed Minardo, director of Genesee Justice. It's from the mother of Desean Gooch, and it's addressed to the Genesee County Community. Here it is, in full:

Thanks to the Genesee County Community

On 10-9-08, it will be the second anniversary of the date that my son Desean Gooch was killed in Batavia.  I want to take this opportunity first to remember the short but joyful life of Desean, and also to send a thank you to those agencies and individuals that were of great comfort and assistance to us in our family’s time of need.  This was especially important to us as we had to endure Desean’s death, police investigation, prosecution and disposition from out of state.  The staff of Genesee Justice was a constant source of information, support and caring that kept us connected to agencies and events that were taking place.  The outstanding efforts by the Officers and Detectives of the Batavia City Police Department in identifying the individuals and evidence involved in Desean’s shooting death were remarkable.  In addition to their professional demeanor, they were there for our family as compassionate human beings to recognize the depth of our loss.  The Genesee County District Attorney’s Office did a wonderful job of presenting the facts in the trial and including us in the plea offerings of the various defendants.  We would also like to extend our appreciation to County Court Judge Noonan and the jury for their role in the trial which ultimately resulted in the conviction and incarceration of the individual directly responsible for Desean’s death.   The tragedy of Desean’s death was made a bit easier to bear with the help of all the caring, professional people in Genesee County.  We wanted you to know that you are appreciated and remembered!

The Mother and Family of Desean Gooch

Last night, I had the privilege of attending a meeting of the Genesee County Legislature. It was not only my first visit, but the first session attended by the 4-H local government interns—check back with us this afternoon to hear more about that and hear their first impressions.

Before the meeting kicked off, I had a few minutes to chat with Legislator Charles Zambito. We talked about the upcoming county budget determinations and the worries over what will happen at the state level, since state funds make up such a huge portion of county funds. Zambito told me that this was not only a worry in Genesee County, but in counties all over the state. A minor budget cut at the state level becomes amplified for the counties, and some services and programs could face extinction if the cuts get severe. Nevertheless, he said, they will do their best to preserve.

Chairwoman Mary Pat Hancock spoke briefly about the recent meeting in Niagara Falls of the New York State Association of Counties. She was pleasantly surprised to see that so many folks could make it up to our neck of the woods. Many of those from downstate, it turned out, had never even been to the falls, let alone past the Hudson.

Hancock also spoke about the Genesee County Career Center, which lists jobs at all skill levels around the county. She mentioned a few last night for jobs such as machinist, office manager and nurse's aide. Right now, the Career Center posts its jobs on the America's Job Exchange site for New York, where you can search and apply for jobs all over the state.

This morning, I spoke with Jeanne Ianita at the Career Center, and we're going to see if The Batavian can host those job listings, as well. We'll let you know if that comes to pass.

As for the business portion of the meeting, all of the resolutions on the agenda were passed, including the approval of $15,000 for Mercy Flight for this past year's service. Mercy Flight has requested $20,000 for 2009.

Jeanine D. Fuller, 22, of 8 S. Main St., Batavia, was charged with a felony count of criminal possession of stolen property Wednesday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Fuller is accused of stealing a credit card and using it to to buy merchandise that was not authorized by the card holder. She was also charged with petit larceny and unlawful possession of personal identification information.

Jessica L. Pittler, 18, of Lockport, was charged with a felony count of second-degree forgery and a felony count of second-degree identity theft Wednesday, state police said. Pittler is accused of stealing a credit card from an acquaintance and making purchases that totalled nearly $630. She was sent to Niagara County Jail in lieu of $1,000 bail.

Genesee County was the site of several crashes over the past few days.

• Katelyn D. George, 17, of Byron, was driving along Bank Street Road in Elba Wednesday evening when she veered into the other lane and off the road, crashing into a pair of trees, deputies said.
• Zachary M. Rebert, 17, of Oakfield, was driving along Maple Avenue Tuesday afternoon when he failed to stop for a red light at the intersection of Route 63, deputies said. Rebert's vehicle crashed into the driver's side of a car driven by P. M. Leszczynski, 52, of Medina.
• Cassandra L. Ribbeck, 18, of 149 Oak St., Batavia, was driving along Beaver Road in Alexander Wednesday evening when she lost control of her truck, possibly driving too fast on wet roads, deputies said. Her truck hydroplaned and drove off the road, striking a fence post, continuing on through a field and striking an earth embankment where the truck was flipped up on its side.
• Breann Blackchief, 21, of Basom, and Tashina C. Abrams, 21, of Akron, were riding a pair of ATVs on Meadville Road in Alabama Tuesday evening when they crashed, deputies said. Blackchief had not noticed that Abrams had stopped and crashed into the back of her. Blackchief was ejected from the ATV, landing in the middle of the road.

There was no mention in the releases of any injuries. We put in a call to the sheriff's department to find out if there were inuries. We will report that information when it becomes available.

A water main downtown broke this morning leaving folks along Woodrow Road between Main Street and West Avenue without water service. WBTA's Dan Fischer reports that the city has no estimate on when service will be fully restored.

If you're looking to get a McCain-Palin sign to stick in your front lawn this election season, you will have to get in line. Genesee County's GOP headquarters reported that they have not been able to handle the demand for the signs, and they've run out. More should arrive Tuesday.

Are you ready for higher heating bills this winter?

The D&C reports that natural gas heating is expected to be 18 percent higher this season.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration projected this week that Americans who heat with natural gas will pay an average of 18 percent more this winter than last.

In the Rochester region, where natural gas is the most common fuel for heating, this would mean the average consumer would pay $274 a month for a total of $1,370 from November through March, up more than $200 for the season.

Do you have conservation tips to share?

I think we'll be burning more wood.

Some folks head to the Bontrager Auction in Batavia to satsify their philately. Others go for the rhubarb pie, heaped thick and high with sweet gobs of cream. Some folks leave with a dusty tome tucked under their arm. Others shuffle off with a cherished cruet or crumhorn or gewgaw or whatnot. They've got a barn full of baubles and tents packed with trinkets, out there on Wortendyke Road. Enough, surely, for any good-souled and God-fearing American to find that special something to adorn that empty shelf at home and that vacant nook in the heart.

Not everyone, however, comes out for such trumpery. In fact, one beautiful, blonde, Batavian bookseller came out for a husband... and found one. She wasn't no newbie neither. She has been going to the auction house since she was a girl, buying boxes of books for a quarter. But let's let her tell the story...

Not too much to report out of the Daily News today. We picked up off WBTA this morning, today's big story about the "hazardous material scare" at a hospital in Medina. Today's other front-page story about the increase in voter enrollment was news on WBTA yesterday.

As for the story about the hazmat scare, there's still some questions unanswered. A woman, who remains unidentified, complained of coming in contact with a white powdery substance that gave her a rash when she opened an envelope that contained her telephone bill. Investigators say that "there was no hazardous substance." Not sure if we're to assume the woman was imagining the threat or if there was a powder, but it was benign. No matter. All is well.

Other than that, it's mostly feature news today. Reporter Joanne Beck writes about career day at the Batavia Middle School. It turns out that most pre-teen children are not interested in national politics. Huh. Who knew? Tom Rivers put together a piece on Mike Borkholder who was recently named the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County's "Friend of Extension." Matt Surtel has a couple articles in there about what's up in Warsaw.

That's about it.

We encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

Replacement of a bridge in Bergen should take about six weeks, and that means motorists will have to take a detour around the site on West Sweden Road, south of Warboys Road, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. That detour will take you seven miles out of the way, says Fischer. Looking at the map, it seems folks can take Route 19 if they're heading north or south west of that area. Route 237 runs the parallel in the east. Anyone know any other ways in and out of that area?

Medina Memorial Hospital in Orleans County was the site of a fortunate false alarm yesterday, when an unidentified woman was brought in to the emergency room for complaint of a rash contracted after she opened an envelope. Some 40 people had to undergo decontamination. The woman was kept in isolation until postal inspectors later determined that there was no contaminant in the envelope or on the telephone bill inside. Medina's hospital administrator called it good practice!

Has Jon Powers moved out of state without saying goodbye?  That appears to be the case.

Here's a Rochester Turning post on Powers being taken off the Working Families line:

Apparently, the move is now possible because Powers has moved out of the state. I can’t find that from any other news source, but if it is true, it is very disappointing. That, combined with his continued inability to just endorse Kryzan, is the kind of thing I would have expected from the Jack Davis campaign. But it seems all too clear now: Powers was in the race mostly for personal ambition and he’s just too bitter about losing to campaign for Alice Kryzan.

The Buffalo News reported Powers apparent relocation two days ago.

Alan Bedenko posted his thoughts, as well.

Who knows what's going on, but the fact that Democrat supporters are questioning events makes Powers quiet move out of state look sketchy. Was he really in this to make a difference for Western New York?