There was a time when Republican Jane Corwin and her GOP handlers focused their attack-ad firepower on Democrat Kathy Hochul in the special election race to fill the NY-26 seat vacated by Shirtless Chris Lee.

Then, last week, a Siena Poll showed Corwin's potential vote percentage trailing the GOP registration advantage in the district, with Democrat Kathy Hochul holding to near even with the registration numbers.

Meanwhile, Jack Davis, on the Tea Party line, isn't far behind either frontrunner and poll numbers suggest Davis, who ran two previous times for the seat as a Democrat, is drawing votes from Republican Corwin more than Democrat Hochul.

The Buffalo News reports that the poll has prompted GOP strategists to put Davis in their cross hairs.

Now the GOP is ratcheting up last week’s verbal criticism of Davis into mailers delivered throughout the district linking him to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and “liberal Democrats.”

“Meet the Real Jack Davis: A Liberal Democrat That Must Be Stopped,” screams the headline on one mailed piece. Another claims he supported Pelosi and President Obama while accepting contributions from disgraced Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-Harlem.

“With a record like this, how can we trust Jack Davis?” asks the mailer, featuring photos of Pelosi, Obama and Rangel. 

Davis responded with a statement sent to the media today.

This proves that both parties are corrupt and will do anything to protect the status quo.

Both parties supported trade deals like NAFTA that ship our jobs overseas. President Obama and Speaker Boehner are now collaborating to ram the next NAFTA through Congress, and both Jane Corwin and Kathy Hochul will vote for it.

Both parties supported bailouts for Wall Street and the big banks. Both parties supported tax breaks for multinationals that make billions in profits and pay zero taxes.

Both parties sold out our country and now to make us pay for it all, Republican Jane Corwin wants to replace Medicare with vouchers that stick it to our seniors. Democrat Kathy Hochul, of course, wants to raise taxes again.

Republican Jane Corwin will listen to Speaker Boehner. Democrat Kathy Hochul will listen to Nancy Pelosi. If you vote for me, there will be only one voice I listen to -- and that will be the people of Western New York.

Your voice will finally be heard. No more trade deals that ship our jobs overseas. No more bailouts for Wall Street. No more tax breaks for multinationals.

We need a different perspective and a different approach. As a businessman, I fought to create and keep jobs here, and as your Congressman I will fight for your job -- not Wall Street.

I cannot be bought. Jane Corwin and Kathy Hochul cannot be trusted.

That is the difference in this race -- two parties that sold us out to Wall Street, or an independent who will fight for you.  

The Buffalo News article concludes:

Meanwhile, there is still no indication that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee — which champions election of Democrats to the House — has any plans to financially support Hochul despite the Siena poll showing her trailing Corwin by only five percentage points in the primarily Republican district.

But Erie County Democratic Chairman Leonard R. Lenihan said he remains “hopeful” the Washington support will materialize.

“I think Kathy is coming on strong and victory is within reach,” he said. “Everything the campaign is doing is aimed at gaining support and winning the election.”

Press Release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) submitted a motion for an open, transparent vote to ease the overwhelming tax burden on New York’s small business owners, but was denied by the downstate driven Assembly Majority. The bill, of which Hawley is the sponsor, seeks to eliminate the vendor re-registration fee to collect sales tax while providing a refund to those who have paid the fee. The legislation is stuck in the Ways & Means Committee, denying New Yorkers the opportunity to see which legislators truly support our state’s small business owners.

“Business owners should not have to pay for the privilege of collecting sales tax on behalf of the state,” said Hawley. “The vendor re-registration fee is yet another disincentive to own and operate a business in New York. We had the opportunity today to show this state’s job creators that we are ready to re-open New York for business, and by denying a vote on this measure, we have failed to do so.”

The Tax Foundation’s “2011 State Business Tax Climate Index” ranked New York the worst in the nation. The 2008-09 Enacted Budget authorized the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to require all 585,000 vendors that collect state sales tax to re-register and pay a $50 registration fee. While it is set to expire next year, many business owners fear that it will be extended and permanently added to New York’s revenue stream.

Press Release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) is calling attention to a recent audit of state government that revealed hundreds of millions of dollars in wasteful spending. The review of operational expenditures serves as further proof that Albany must focus its efforts on reducing the size and cost, while increasing the efficiency, of state government.

“It’s time that our legislative leaders finally get serious about reducing government waste and start putting taxpayers’ money to proper use,” said Hawley. “Taxes continue to rise year after year in an effort to support unnecessary spending by bloated bureaucracies. Western New Yorkers are tired of sending their hard-earned money to Albany just to see it spent on offices, supplies and projects that we don’t even need. I urge Governor Cuomo and the legislative leaders to treat the findings of this most recent audit as a sign that we can no longer wait to peel back the endless layers of government that have wasted New Yorkers’ tax dollars.”

The waste identified by the auditors included:

* A third of the state’s office space in New York City and Albany being vacant, even as the state continues adding new leases.
* Over 4,800 state-owned computer servers, whose storage space is on average half-empty, despite increasing purchases by Albany.
* More than 850 toll-free numbers belonging to state agencies, nearly half of which have not been used in months.
* Overlapping, wasteful purchases of items like pens, paper clips and printer cartridges, with some agencies paying drastically more than others for the same supplies.

The Mock Trial season is over for Batavia High School.

The nine-time local champs lost its two regional tournament matches in Mayville on April 28.

The team tied with Brighton in the first round, but the judge gave the discretionary point to Brighton.

In the second round, Batavia lost to Erie County's Sacred Heart by one point.

Sacred Heart went on to beat Brighton in the final round to grab the regional crown and a spot in the state finals later this month.

Glenn R. Price, 57, of 128 W. Main St., Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Price is accused of slashing tires in the parking lot of Walmart, 4133 Veterans Memorial Drive, Batavia, at 12:04 a.m., Feb. 21. The case was investigated by Deputy Chris Parker and Investigator Kristopher Kautz.

Mark Laney, 31, of Clinton Street Road, Bergen, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Laney is accused of violating an order of protection out of Family Court. He was jailed on $1,500 bail.

Christopher Patrick Ball, 28, of Ellicott Street Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st. Ball is accused of harassing his ex-girlfriend during a phone conversation, in violation of an order of protection. Ball was jailed on $2,500 bail.

A 16-year-old resident of West Bergen Road, Le Roy, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. The youth is accused of violating an order of protection out of Family Court. The youth was jailed on $750 bail.

An ambulance has been requested to the scene of a school bus vs. car accident at State Street and West Saile Drive to evaluate a student for an apparent minor injury.

Initially, no ambulance was dispatched because it was thought there were no injuries, but there may be one very minor injury.

Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE: Town of Batavia fire also dispatched.  One person -- apparently older than the students on the bus -- was taken to UMMC for evaluation. State Police are handling the investigation.

A 76-year-old milk hauler from Perry died this morning when his rig went straight through a curve on Route 19 in Bergen and overturned when it hit the muddy shoulder.

The cab of the truck landed on its roof and was crushed in the accident, according to Sgt. Kurt Schmitt, New York State Police, Troop A.

Pronounced dead at the scene was Gerald M. Olin. He was driving for Kuszulyk, a milk delivery company.

The accident occurred just before 9 a.m. in the area of 7218 South Lake Road, between Route 33 and Maple Avenue/Bovee Road.

Schmitt said no cause of the accident is immediately apparent and it remains under investigation.  

"We've had our truck inspectors out to look at the truck and nothing obvious (was found)," Schmitt said. "Of course, the truck was upside down, but there was nothing obvious. Once we get the truck upright, they will be back to take a further look."

Bill Ehrmentraut lives very near the accident location and said the crash was loud enough to rattle his house.

"It was a hard crash," Ehrmentraut said. "I knew it wasn't just a car accident. It sounded like thunder, but you could feel the weight."

Ehrmentraut said he took a look at the truck's wheel marks through the mud and where the truck wound up and said it looked like the truck just went straight through the bend in the road with no attempt to turn or slow.

It's not known right now, Schmitt said, if Olin suffered some kind of medical condition that may have contributed to the accident.

Route 19 south of Route 33 remains closed at 1:30 p.m.

Olin was carrying a nearly full load of milk and a second tanker was brought in to off-load the cargo.

A tow service was able to then begin trying to right the truck.

A possible structure fire is reported at 3643 Dodgeson Road in Alexander. The caller reported turning on the furnace and the basement started filling with smoke.

Alexander and Town of Batavia fire departments are responding. The location is between Alexander and Wortendyke roads.

UPDATE 9:43 a.m.: A firefighter on scene reports nothing is showing.

UPDATE 9:45 a.m.: Residents say the house is now full of smoke.

UPDATE 9:49 a.m.: A firefighter says the furnace temperature gauge "reads nothing, so I don't know what we've got."

UPDATE 9:51 a.m.: A firefighter says "we're gonna hit 'em with an exhaust fan, that way we can suck some of this (smoke) out." It is advised that another responding unit come to the scene in non-emergency mode.

UPDATE 10:01 a.m.: A fire chief says "if you've got interior (firefighters) send them." A crew is going to check out upstairs.

UPDATE 10:25 a.m.: The situation was deemed a possible furnace malfunction and all units are back in service.

A truck has rolled over and a person may be trapped in a vehicle in the area of 7218 South Lake Road, Bergen.

Bergen Fire Department is responding.

Mercy Flight is available if needed.

UPDATE 9:01 a.m.: National Grid being notified for a utility pole that was struck. Monroe County Water Authority being notified for a fire hydrant struck. No need for Mercy Flight at this time. Diesel fuel is leaking.

UPDATE 9:09 a.m.: Unsure what the tanker was hauling, but it was carrying a full load. Churchville fire requested to fill in at Bergen's hall.

UPDATE 10:35 a.m.: State Police have confirmed this is a fatal accident. The truck was hauling milk.

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About 30 people showed up -- and hundreds more drove by and honked their horns -- at a "Osama Got Obama'd" celebration outside the Post Office on Main Street, Batavia, organized by Victor Thomas and his friend.

The four young men had placed a handmade red, white and blue "Osama Got Obama'd" sign in front of the Upton Monument, which county officials removed early this morning. The sign removal prompted the spur-of-the-moment decision to organize the celebration this afternoon.

The Richmond Memorial Library, at 19 Ross St. in Batavia, will hold its budget vote and Board of Trustees election tomorrow from noon until 9 p.m.

All residents of the Batavia City School District are eligible to vote. Voting will take place in the library's Gallery Room.

The results of the election will be posted tomorrow. Call the library at 343-9550 for more information.

As Victor Thomas, 26, and three of his buddies watched the news of Osama bin Laden's death last night and saw the celebrations in Washington, D.C., and New York, they wanted to be part of something in Batavia.

So they jumped in a car and drove downtown.

"The City of Batavia was dead," Thomas said. "Not one person was out. Nobody was honking horns or celebrating."

So, Thomas, along with his cousin Christopher Thomas, 26, Ordy Edwards, 26, and Jason Armison, 24, decided to drive to the only place open to buy sign materials -- Walmart -- and get a board and some paint and fix up a sign.

They made a red, white and blue sign and painted on it, "Osama Got Obama'd."

He said they then mused for about 20 minutes on where to place the sign. They thought about putting it in front of the courthouse to represent justice, but then they did a little research on Emery Upson and discovered one of his specialities as a general was tactics in invading enemy territory. That made the Upson Monument, they thought, the perfect place to commemorate Osama's sudden demise in a protected compound in Pakistan.

Now they're a little upset that county workers took the sign down -- Christopher Thomas happened to be driving by at the time and retrieved the sign -- and are planning a rally at 4 p.m. in front of the Post Office.

Victor said anybody wanting to show support for freedom of speech or the United States should attend.

Thomas has seen the comments on The Batavian and is surprised that some have taken the sign as a partisan political statement.

"There was no thought about politics," Thomas said. "They both have O's, Osama and Obama. We didn't take it in a political way. He's our president and every soldier fighting is marching to his orders. They (some readers) took it as political and we just were trying to be traditional or patriotic."

He said he was worried the sign would be taken down, but was hoping it would stay up today so people could drive by and honk their horns, "just to give some kind of recognition to what happened on 9/11 and what our troops are doing."

Photo courtesy WBTA.

A transformer is said to be arcing repeatedly at 3305 Pearl St. Road. No fire is reported. East Pembroke Fire Department is dispatched.

UPDATE 1:50 p.m.: A firefighter on scene reports nothing is showing. National Grid is notified. The caller told dispatch the transformer had arced three or four times today and it was "pretty loud and bright."

Timothy V. Meyers, 18, of Walker Road, Darien, along with a 16-year-old from Dodgeson Road, Alexander, a 16-year-old from Centerline Road, Verysburg, and a 16-year-old from Genesee Street, Attica, are charged with petit larceny and criminal trespass. The youths, along with a 14-year-old, were stopped shortly after midnight, Sunday, allegedly removing scrap metal from the Alexander Town Transfer Station. The suspects reportedly fled the scene and were located a short time later with the help of K-9 "Pharoah" and State Troopers.

Brittany Alexis Adams, 20, of Bloomingdale Road, Basom, is charged with petit larceny. Adams is accused of shoplifting $39.84 worth of merchandise from Walmart.

Lynda B. Siplin, 57, of 65 Lakeview Park, Rochester, and Gwendolyn L. Watson, 53, of 91 Reynolds St., Rochester, are each charged with two counts of petit larceny. Siplin and Watson are accused of shoplifting more than $400 worth of merchandise from Aldi's and Dollar General. Siplin and Watson were jailed on $1,000 bail.

A 17-year-old from South Lake Road, Pavilion, is charged with petit larceny. The youth is accused of shoplifting from Walmart.

A transformer is reportedly on fire along Creamery Road.

Bergen Fire Department is dispatched.

UPDATE 11:08 a.m.: Pole #8198 has three transformers on it. The transformers were on fire but now the fire is out. National Grid being notified.

National Drug Take-Back Day was a success in Batavia, according to Det. Pat Corona.

Corona said Batavia PD collected 320 lbs. of unwanted prescription drugs and hypodermic instruments.

Police detectives will soon travel to Buffalo to deliver the boxes of collected items for proper disposal.

"We were very pleased with the turnout for the detail," Corona said. "We are happy to have been able to offer this service."

Another collection day is anticipated in October.

Some time over night somebody placed a red, white and blue handmade sign in front of the Upton Monument that read "Osama Got Obama'd."

By 9 a.m., the sign was gone.

County Manager Jay Gsell told Dan Fischer at WBTA that county workers removed the sign because the Upton Monument was not the appropriate location to place it.

Photo courtesy WBTA.

Osama bin Laden, responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, is dead.

In an operation inside of Pakistan, U.S. forces killed bin Laden during a firefight at a mansion. U.S forces are in possession of the body, The New York Times reports.