Over the past few years I have involved myself in politics in Genesee County and specifically in the City of Batavia.  During that time I have seen Batavia and Genesee County experience ups and downs, from scraping the bottoms of high deficit and debts to being fiscally in the black.  Batavia is currently at a crossroads, we are at the pinnacle of a shift to a new type of economy that is taking root in Western New York.  Due to being placed between Buffalo and Rochester, we are centrally placed for the rebirth of both cities as growth begins in exciting new industries (light manufacturing, tech and data entry to be specific).

That all being said, old ideas and old ways of local government operating are going to go out with the dinosaurs.  Yes, the same old problems will always dominate local issues, whether it be taxes, crime or neighborhoods.  We have a tremendous opportunity though to change the way that we address these issues because of the information age.  Government can instantly access information and make itself more efficient to provide services to citizens and reduce the old layers of acrimonious, old-style government.  New efforts for government consolidation provide progressive (not used in the national political sense, more meaning as forward thinking) ways to reduce costs, improve on the services we have and provide a lower tax burden by eliminating duplicating agencies.

Batavia needs a new generation of political candidates who understand these ideas.  We need candidates that understand the power of new technologies that make data easier to access and services easier to provide.  We need candidates that will harness the opportunities that are going to come out of Albany with regards to consolidating antiquated governments.  We need candidates that are going to be looking towards the future, intent on providing young families with a great place to grow, rather than constantly looking backwards towards easier times.
 

I do not mean this as a criticism of anyone who currently serves. I simply believe that Batavia needs candidates who will embrace moving towards the future, no matter how difficult the transition because they understand that our best days are ahead of us.  The future lies in innovation.

Brady Smith arrived here from Australia in mid-August, long before cold temperatures and snow enveloped the region. So it wasn't surprising to hear him say, "I love it here." Asked how he's handling the sudden climate change, he stated, "I'm slowly getting used to it."

Brady was recruited from the land down under by GCC soccer coach Ken Gavin. Once the soccer season ended, he made his way to the college pool where he not only swims for the Cougars, he also works as a lifeguard. (Brady is one of five international students on coach Mike Kroll's swim team.)

"I love swimming," he said. "I was a swimmer for my school back home."  A phys-ed major aspiring to be an athletic trainer, Brady hails from the city of Brisbane in Queensland, located in Eastern Australia. Shortly after meeting Brady, I asked him about the toxic and deadly creatures that inhabit the Australian continent. I had read of and seen on the nature channel that of the 10 deadliest snakes in the world, nine are found on the Australian mainland. The other being a sea snake found in the waters off the Australian coast. I wanted to know, were they really as numerous and deadly as I'd heard - or was it a case of sensationalism and TV hype.

"They're for real," he said.

He then mentioned a few species of poisonous snakes with which he's familiar; the King brown, the taipan and the tiger snake. The brown and its subspecies have been known to inhabit populated areas, making it particularly dangerous. And while deadly reptiles garner most of the attention, spiders are very high on Brady's list of critters to be avoided, most notably the red-black and funnel web spiders.

"I don't like spiders," he said with emphasis. "My parents were having a barbecue and one of my mom's friends was bitten by a red-black spider."

(The Australian red-black is closely related to our black widow -- black with a red marking on the abdomen and it often cannibalizes the male after mating. They are also highly venomous.)

"She got pretty sick," he said of spider bite victim. "She had to be hospitalized -- but she made it." 

Asked about his outdoor pursuits back home, Brady said he did some fishing and snorkeling, the latter including a bit of spearfishing. But surfing is his first love.

"I didn't think I'd miss surfing so much. I surfed every day back home." This prompted the obvious question, "Have you had any encounters with sharks?" The look on his face seemed to say, "I'm glad you asked."

"I was with two buddies," he began, "we were surfing off Mujimba Beach. There's an island that's a 25 or 30 minute paddle out to sea. It's called Old Woman Island. About 20 minutes into the paddle, a big fish appeared maybe 15 meters away. It was a tiger shark. We knew it was a tiger because of the spots on its dorsal fin."

Thankfully, the shark in this instance was a bit curious and nothing more -- unlike his next shark encounter.

"A month later, off that same beach, four of us were just sitting on our boards about 50 or 60 meters offshore when a bull shark swam below us. I saw the shadow and told my buddies, "Swim in! Swim in!.....There's only one reason you say "swim in," so no one asked - they just paddled in."

We talked briefly about a few of the other poisonous creatures in and around Brady's homeland. One was the blue-ringed octopus, about the size of a golf ball, very pretty to look at and highly venomous to the touch. And the stone fish, so named because they are so perfectly camouflaged they look like a rock on the bottom. As a result, barefoot bathers sometimes step on them, receiving a strong dose of poison from the spines of their dorsal fin.

It was only last Thursday -- Friday in Australia -- when Brady's father found a 6 or 7 foot carpet python curled up on the patio. In relating this incident, Brady didn't even raise an eyebrow -- nothing out of the ordinary.

"Dad is big on fishing. He likes to fish off the beach. He's caught some big sharks that way," said Brady. "He likes fishing off the beach at Fraser Island - that's where the purebred dingoes (wild dogs) live. It's the only place in the world where the purebred dingoes reproduce. Anyway, while at Fraser Island dad once brought a tourist bus full of Asians to a stop so they could watch him fight a bronze whaler." (I later learned a bronze whaler is known in other parts of the world as a Copper or Narrow-toothed shark)

With the semester drawing to a close, Brady will be heading back home for a reunion with his family; parents Ken and Shelley Smith and younger brothers Lewis and Darcy. Thankfully for Brady, summer down under is just getting under way and he will no doubt find time to do some surfing.

A 46-year-old woman was taken by Mercy Flight this morning to ECMC after being struck by a hit-and-run driver on Council House Road, Tonawanda Indian Reservation.

Sherri L. Abrams, a Skye Road resident, was walking eastbound when she was struck by an eastbound car driven by a person who fled the scene at 5:26 a.m.

No vehicle description was released.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Deputy Brian Thompson e-mailed this reminder for drivers to slow down and be mindful of road conditions:

Please remember to drive with headlights on in inclement weather. Especially fog and rain. Conditions for black ice and hydroplaning are peaked right now. Please slow down and don't use cell phones or text message. Keep eyes on the road, reduce speeds and increase following distances. The life you save may be your own. Thanks! NY State VTL 375 2a1 is applicable.

The vehicle and traffic law mentioned by Deputy Thompson refers to having two working headlights.

Headlights are required a half-hour before sunset (today, at about 4 p.m.) through a half-hour after sunrise (tomorrow, that will be about 8 a.m.), and any time conditions require windshield wipers.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at Alleghany and Indian Falls roads. Mercy Flight is called but unavailable. Alleghany Road (Route 77) is blocked north and south. Traffic is also to be shut down at Little Falls, Gabbey Road and the Thruway exit.

Responders include Pembroke, East Pembroke, Indian Falls and Oakfield fire departments and Mercy EMS.

UPDATE 11:55 a.m.: so far, on victim has been transported to UMMC and another to ECMC.

UPDATE 12:01 p.m. (by Howard):  Roads back open, fire departments back in service.

A driver said the headlights from a DEC truck parked on Roberts Road, Basom, prevented him from clearly seeing a group of people standing along the roadside about an hour after sunset yesterday leading to an accident that injured six men.

All six men were standing along the road. One of them was a Department of Environmental Conservation officer who was checking on hunting licenses.

Injured where:

• Gary D. Olson, 52, of Avon. He was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy Flight.
• David Swooper, 39, of Youngstown. He was transported to Erie County Medical Center by Mercy Flight.
• Shawn C. Bailey, 22, of Lockport. He was transported to ECMC.
• Charles R. Smith, 72, of Gasport. He was transported to ECMC.
• Stephan C. Olay, 39, of Ransomville. He was transported to ECMC.
• Patrick N. Green, 21, of Youngstown. He was transported to ECMC.

The driver, Erik Olsen, 55, of Roberts Road, Basom, was not injured.

Olsen was westbound on Roberts Road at 5:49 p.m. The DEC truck was parked facing east, in the westbound lane.

No citations were issued, according to the Sheriff's Office accident report, prepared by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Alabama Fire, Oakfield Ambulance, Mercy EMS and the Genesee County Office of Emergency Management assisted at the scene.

(Initial Report)

This evening, at Darien Lake State Park.

Barn on Jericho Road, Bethany.

Barn on Harlow Road, Darien.

A Sheriff's patrol has been dispatched to the intersection of Killian Road and Pratt Road for a dangerous condition report.

There is apparently a jaywalking snowman stuck in the middle of the road.

Three ambulances have been requested to the scene of a motor-vehicle accident in the area of 1910 Roberts Road, Basom.

Mercy EMS and Oakfield's ambulance have been requested to the scene.

Mercy Flight is responding from Buffalo and Batavia.

Alabama Fire responding.

UPDATE 6:06 p.m.: First Mercy Flight ETA is four minutes. All victims are out of the vehicles. No extrication is required.

UPDATE 6:18 p.m.: One Mercy Flight is on the ground. The pilot of that of the first Mercy Flight has said a second landing zone needs to be established because Mercy Flight 7 sits closer to the ground and cannot land in the cornfield used for the first landing zone.

UPDATE 6:27 p.m.: Mercy Flight 7 on the ground.

UPDATE 6:39 p.m.: Mercy Flight 7 in the air. If the first Mercy Flight has left the scene, we missed the call.

UPDATE 6:46 p.m.: One flight headed to ECMC, the other to Strong.

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An Alden man is being held in jail without bail after being accused of trying to steal a historic long gun yesterday from the Holland Land Office Museum, 131 West Main St., Batavia.

An observant witness spotted a person leaving the museum with the long gun hidden under a trench coat and followed the suspect's car, phoning the dispatch center with a license plate number, description and direction of travel.

Taken into custody at the intersection of West Main and Oak streets shortly after 1:30 p.m. was Frank J. Bieniek, 55, of 962 Virginia Drive, Alden.

The gun is valued at more than $3,000.

Bieniek is charged with grand larceny 3rd and criminal possession of stolen property 3rd.

The case was investigated by Officer Matt Flemming and detectives Kevin Czora and Todd Crossett.

Bieniek will be arraigned and receive a bail review in City Court at 11 a.m., Monday.

(initial report)

Freezing rain and icy roads are being predicted for Genesee County by the National Weather Service.

The winter weather advisory goes into effect at 6 p.m.

While the weather service describes the amount of freezing rain as "spotty" and accumulation as only "trace," it does warn of slick roads and walkways.

Last evening, I took pictures of Christmas lights of several homes on the south side of Batavia. Above a home on Ganson Avenue.

More pictures after the jump:

Osterhout Street

Highland Street

Jackson Street

Hutchins Street

A minor-injury car accident is reported at School and Swan streets in the City of Batavia.

City fire and Mercy EMS are responding.

This evening from 6 to 10 is Kids' Night Out, a wildly popular four hours of well-supervised fun, food and activities at Genesee Community College. Cost is $10 per child.

This (Friday, Dec. 10) event is for students in second through eighth grades.

Age groups are separated.

Got some shopping to do? Want a quiet dinner out?

Whatever you've got on your to-do, or want-to-do, list can be made just a bit easier perhaps knowing your children are having a blast -- playing games, enjoying sports, doing board games, swimming, making crafts, eating pizza and more!

Certified lifeguards will be on duty along with adult supervisors. If planning to swim, bring a towel, bathing suit and a plastic bag.

NO CELL PHONES ALLOWED!

Register at the main campus building, just inside the main entrance; ditto for checkout. Kids can be picked up early if need be.

Or you may pre-register by e-mailing the child's name, grade, emergency contact number and contact person to: ssherman@genesee.edu

Questions? Call 343-0055, ext. 6454.

(By the way, to date, more than 4,000 youngsters have attended a Kids' Night Out.)

John Micheal Parker, 58, of Phelps Road, Corfu, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI (driving with a BAC of .18 or greater), speed not reasonable for conditions. At 12:41 a.m., Dec. 4, the Sheriff's Office received a call of a car in a ditch on Route 77 in Pembroke. Deputy Kevin McCarthy responded and found a car in a ditch, partially blocking the roadway. Parker was allegedly found to be intoxicated.

Charles M. Blatt, 48, of 319 E. Main St., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Police responded to a reported domestic incident at 6:25 p.m., Thursday. Blatt was allegedly found in violation of an order of protection that barred him from being intoxicated in the presence of the protected party. Blatt was jailed on $1,000 bail.

William A. Andrews, 31, of 54 Hutchins St., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st, and harassment, 2nd. Andrews allegedly violated an order of protection by making repeated threats of violence against the protected person. Andrews was jailed without bail.

Gordy Abiola Akinpelu, 18, of Lincoln Street, Brooklyn, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd. Akinpelu is accused of entering a room at Oak Hall in College Village without permission.

Police are in pursuit of a black Intrepid that is reportedly heading southbound on Oak Street from Richmond.

The suspect reportedly stole a historical gun from the Holland Land Office Museum.

It may have just been stopped on Oak Street and Main.

UPDATE 1:42 p.m.: The vehicle was stopped. The property has been identified.

A car attempting to cross from the Rite Aid parking lot across Lewiston Road to the Tops parking lot was stuck by an other car in a minor-injury accident at 1:42 p.m., Thursday.

Cited for alleged failure to yield was Nancy L. Alfes, 64, of Darien-Alexander Townline Road, Darien Center.

Alfes was also reportedly injured, but not transported to a hospital.

The other driver, Helen W. Laird, 88, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, was not injured.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Lonnie Nati.

(initial report)

He started his first business when he was 16 and just a day before his 21st birthday, Tim Walton has bought out his first company.

Walton, who is the owner and founder of TopLine Shirt Company, has agreed to terms with Marc Tillery, owner of MT Graphixs, to buy out and merge the two companies into one. This will allow Walton to add a wide variety of graphic design services including advertisement design and consulting.

"Marc is a great designer and his company has really proven itself and was something that I wanted to get involved with," Walton said.

MT Graphixs is a design and advertising firm that has clientele based throughout the United States and has done design work for high-end clients including the Grammy Award winning group Boys II Men, R&B group New Edition and John Neilson of Rebel Spirit Clothing -- a line that is often worn by the stars of the MTV hit show "Jersey Shore."

"It's a great opportuniy for both of us," says Walton. "MT (Graphixs) has a long list of clients and it's great to be able to add them to my portfolio and should result in a revenue increase for both of us."

Tillery has a variety of experience in design and advertising.

"We can help you with a plan to get your ads to reach customers, we can design fliers, logos, business cards, T-shirts or whatever else you may need designed," he said.

As part of the deal, Tillery will now be operating full-time out of TopLine's current location at 214 E. Main St. in Batavia.

"I felt like this was the right move for both of us. It gives me an opportunity to be able to work with Tim and offer the customers I have even more services," Tillery said.

The terms of the deal are not being released.

"This addition isn't just going to add more design services," says Walton. "This allows us to become more of an advertising company as a whole and will allow for us to continue to expand into numerous other markets that otherwise would not have been possible."

(Photos - Top, Tim Walton, left, and Marc Tillery; lower, Marc Tillery, left, and Tim Walton.)