Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia, NY: People come from all over the region for a fine dining experience at Alex's. It's best known for its ribs, of course, but Alex's seafood is also a favorite of the restaurant's diners. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

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

Adam Miller Toy & Bicycles, 8 Center St., Batavia, NY: Feel like a kid in a toy store again, or treat your kids to the greatest toy store they will ever see. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

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.c

Carlson's Studio, 39 Jackson St., Batavia, NY: Family photos are more than just photographs. When you need photos for that special occasion, Carlson's is a great choice in Genesee County. We have a $100 gift card for $50 (+$2 PayPal Service fee).

Present Tense Books and Gifts, 101 Washington Ave., Batavia, NY: Whether your taste runs to local authors, the finest in fiction or nonfiction or you're looking for a unique and special gift, this charming store in a cozy Victorian house on the edge of downtown is a great place to stop and shop. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

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

Carlson's Studio

Mrs. Case's first-grade class at St. Joseph School go outside every Wednesday during recess-time for some fun in the snow.  Pictured are Mrs. Case with Aiden Berne as he readies himself for a speedy-ride.

Photo submitted by Nora O'Neill

I am adorable Fred. I was with my owner since I was a pup, but my owner had to move to a "supervised apartment setting," and could no longer keep me. I was turned into the animal shelter and am seeking new digs. Please know that I do not care to be around small children because I fear the little tykes are always competing for my food. Just because I'm food aggressive doesn't mean they aren't scheming to scarf my Alpo.

Anywhooo, I'm a housebroken, adult male beagle. I'm OK on a leash. But my star quality is my companionableness. I just now made up that word. I mean to say I am a loyal, trusty, amusing sidekick waiting in Kennel 16 for a whole new life to begin.

Look long into my kitty peepers. See how soulful I am, how hauntingly lovely. Connie is my name and a nice home is my game. I'm putting out big vibes with my little aura, trying to connect with my cosmic energy so it can compel someone to take me in and feed me, preferably wet food with gravy. I would also like kibble, a soft cozy, a catnip toy or two, a clean box, fresh water, love and peace. Is that so much to ask? Mind meld with me in Cage 69.

Volunteers For Animals
PO Box 1621
Batavia, NY   14021
www.vol4animals.org <http://www.vol4animals.org>

Working in partnership with:
Genesee County Animal Shelter
3841 W. Main Street Road
Batavia, NY   14020
(585)343-6410

Adoption Hours:
Sunday - Friday 1 - 3 pm (closed on Thursdays)
Wednesday 7 - 9 pm
Saturday 11 - 1 pm

Adopt a New Friend at the Genesee County Animal Shelter

I remain fascinated by the old barns of Genesee County. Yesterday, coming back from the incident on Mullen Road, I spotted this one at Horseshoe Lake and Sanders roads in Stafford.

The attorney for an Oakfield man accused of burglary and larceny at Holland High Lift in Bethany withdrew a series of motions today and set his client's case for trial.

Unless a plea agreement is reached before Feb. 26, the case of Michael L. Jackson will go to trial April 19.

Jackson is accused of burglary 3rd, two counts of grand larceny 3rd, and two counts criminal mischief 2nd.

The case was set for a hearing today on Public Defender Gary Horton's motions to suppress Jackson's post arrest statements, but Horton withdrew those motions, according to Assistant District Attorney Will Zickl, and instead asked that a trial be scheduled.

For previous coverage, click here.

Genesee Community College Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services Virginia Taylor reported to the board of trustees this week that as of Jan. 5, a total of 636 prospective students applied for admission on a full-time basis for the spring semester.

That's up 11.8 percent from the 569 prospective students who applied a year ago.

President Stuart Steiner said that as of this morning, 3,868 students had registered for classes, up 7 percent from the 3,615 students who registered a year ago.

Those registering for courses on a full-time basis numbered 2,813, an increase of 9.3 percent from last year's registration of 2,573 students.

Vice President for Finance and Operations Kevin Hamilton reported that work on the Genesee County Economic Development Center's Bruce Holm Med Tech Park is proceeding on schedule. He said if work continues to be on track, the GCEDC should receive a certificate of occupancy about June 15 and that the college's Nursing Program can move into the facility July 1.

Melissa Ellen Quigley, 30, of 6535 Main Road, Stafford, is charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, operating a snowmobile while intoxicated and operating a snowmobile without a helmet. Quigley was arrested at 1:45 this morning by Deputy Frank Bordonaro on the listed charges.

Craig M. Meyer, 24, of 6611 Albion Road, Oakfield, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and aggravated unlicensed operation. Meyer was stopped by Deputy Tim Wescott for allegedly driving 78 mph in a 55 mph zone on Route 63 in the Town of Batavia on Wednesday.

Cory R. Markidis, 20, of 2 Beechwood St., Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unlicensed operation. Markidis was stopped by Deputy Matthew Butler on Route 33, Town of Stafford on Jan. 3.

A 17-year-old resident of Oakfield is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was arrested at his home after allegedly being found in possession of a small quantity of marijuana.

A 17-year-old from Alexander is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was arrested by State Police on Jan. 6. No further details available.

Jeffery R. Muntz, 26, of Bergen, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation and false personation. Muntz was arrested by State Police at 3:10 p.m. Tuesday on Irving Parkway in Oakfield. He was jailed on an unspecified bail amount.

The following accidents were included on the State Police blotter:

9:03 a.m., Jan. 6, Town of Bergen, one vehicle; Driver: Mary E. West, 37, of Pallmetto, Fla. No injuries.

2:08 p.m., Jan 6, Fargo Road and Harlow Road, Town of Darien, two vehicles; Driver 1: Derek R. Long, 18, of Akron; Driver 2: James J. Lis, 22, of Darien Center. One reported injury.

2:55 p.m., Jan. 12, Brown Road, Town of Batavia, two vehicles; Driver 1: Timothy M. Zielinski, 40, of Attica; Driver 2: James J. Diabo, 59, of Batavia. No injuries.

3:59 p.m., Jan 12, Byron Holley Townline Road, Byron, one vehicle; Driver 1: Racheal J. Millspaugh, 26, of Bergen. No injuries.

(NOTE: One of the consistent bits of feedback from our survey is that we don't always follow up on accidents and other incidents we initially report off the scanner. We don't always get the reports in order to follow up. The State Police blotter includes some information about any accidents Troopers investigate. Rather than try to tie one particular blotter entry to something we may or may not have reported before, we thought we would start including all of the accidents from the blotter in Police Beat.)

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

Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia, NY: People come from all over the region for a fine dining experience at Alex's. It's best known for its ribs, of course, but Alex's seafood is also a favorite of the restaurant's diners. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

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

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.

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

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

SOLD OUT

Sheriff's deputies, State troopers and a State police helicopter have been in the area of Mullen Road in Stafford for the past 30 minutes or so looking for a possible burglary suspect.

Sgt. Greg Walker, on scene, said the original call came in with a suspect seen running from a house and that items were stolen from the house.

It's uncertain if the suspect is still in the area. The state helicopter is no longer part of the search, but deputies and troopers remain on scene on Mullen between Prole and Morganville roads.

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A man who admitted to raping a Genesee County girl will spend three years in state prison and 10 years on supervised probation, Judge Robert C. Noonan ruled this afternoon.

Thomas J. Preedom, 21, of Wyoming County, admitted to rape 2nd in November, as well as attempted escape 2nd.

Reference in court to the case today, indicates that Preedom engaged in consensual sex with an underage girl and the girl had a baby who may or may not have been fathered by Preedom.

Following his arrest, Preedom tried to escape from the State Police barracks in Batavia, where he fought with Troopers and damaged state property.

Defense Attorny Jerry Ader argued that a past probation violation notwithstanding, Preedom was a viable candidate for a probation sentence in this case.

"Despite his prior behavior, he deserves a chance at probation even given this serious charge," Ader said. "He readily admitted to police and to the court what he did and acknowledged that his behavior was wrong, even though it was consensual, it was wrong under the law."

Ader said Preedom has been studying for a career, spending more time hitting the books in jail then he ever has in his life, and that he's grown through the process. He is not the same person, Ader said, that he was as a youth when he was convicted of selling marijuana, and violated probation (which Ader characterized as a legitimate misunderstanding with the Town of Batavia court over the terms of his probation).

For his part, Preedom asked Noonan for probation.

"I'm not a bad kid," Preedom said. "I made some bad decisions in my past and I request a second chance. I'm just asking for a second chance. I think I can succeed on probation. If this child is mine or not, I will take care of it."

Noonan said he couldn't look past his prior probation violation.

"I think by your conduct, you violated your chance at probation," Noonan said.

The American Farm Bureau is putting PETA and other animal rights groups on notice -- they're not going to let these groups define their industry and spread misinformation about their farms any longer.

That was the message from Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman at the group's annual convention last week.

Batavian Dean Norton, president of the New York Farm Bureau, was there and he said he agrees with Stallman's message.

At a time when New York farmers are facing dire economic consequences from lower commodity prices, high production costs, climate change legislation and proposed migrant worker reforms, the animal rights activists and others who would spread misinformation about farmers are going to face a more energized opposition, Norton said.

"In the current political environment, rallies and campaigns get more attention than just sitting down in a room and discussing issues," Norton said. "That's why we're going to get out and rally and campaign, so we can get our message out."

About 99 percent of America's farms are family owned, Norton said, so the idea that there are these large corporate farms engaged in factory farm is really a myth.

"Sure there are bad apples," Norton said. "There are bad apples in every bunch, but people never look at the good stuff. They only look at the bad stuff. Only the bad stuff makes the news."

Norton said he is particularly concerned about climate change treaties known as "cap and trade."

Cap and trade, Norton said, will drive up costs for American farmers by $5 billion, cost to consumers by $7 billion and reduce agriculture profits by $2 billion, based on a study commissioned by the American Farm Bureau.

"American farmers have fed and clothed American families for more than 200 years and we're the leaders in the world in providing food and fiber," Norton said. "We're not going to let people not part of our industry tell us how to raise our animals healthy. We're already doing that."

Photo: File photo of Dean Norton

If you haven't gotten a flu shot yet, the Genesee County Health Department has scheduled three more clinics.

There is a clinic today for both seasonal and H1N1 vaccines from noon to 4 p.m. at County Building II.

Another clinic has been set for Jan. 21 from noon to 4 p.m., and an H1N1-only clinic is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 23 at Batavia City Centre. On Jan. 23, priority will be given to children under 9 who need a booster vaccine.

The clinics are open to everyone over 6-months old.

The Health Department can be reached at (585) 344-2580, extension 5000.

A group of Western New Yorkers, including at least two Batavians, on a mission to Haiti are safe according to a report on a blog following  a massive 7.0 earthquake that struck the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation.

WBTA reports that Sharon Wolf and Zack Ashley, both of Batavia, are on the mission and are safe. Both are with St. Paul Lutheran Church.

This post by Sue Steege lists all mission members and says Wolf and Ashley are on their first mission to Haiti, while some mission members have made the trip as many as five times.

The mission is being led by Pastor Chuck Whited of First Trinity Lutheran Church in Tonawanda. He wrote about his arrival in Haiti on Saturday in this blog post.

According to this post, the mission was scheduled to return home on Jan. 18. That return date is now uncertain, according to WBTA.

Tonight I attended the Tech Expo, at the Middle School... lt was so much fun.There was chili tasting.All the chili was so good.The top image is a catapult.The bottom one is of these leggo vehicles. They have infa red sensors so they can see the line and stay within the circle.There were also really cool little cars that run on co2.The fastest one in the contest went 37 miles per hour.There was one that went 44 mph.But that one didn't count.There were also mouse trap powered vehicles.One is in the top picture at the right.It went the whole length of the room and could have gone farther.I even got shoot the catapult a couple times.It was a blast.

When people have flu-like symptoms, or a friend or relative does, the first thing they do is hop on Google to see if they can self-diagnose or learn more about the illness.

Those searches spike when there are a lot of people feeling sick.

Google has found that its search trends correlate to Center for Disease Control reports, but CDC lags Google's real-time results by about two weeks.

The current trends show minimal concern in the Buffalo and Rochester area (they don't break it down for Batavia specifically) about the flu this month. 

Learn more about how this works by clicking here.

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

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

Main St. Pizza Company, 206 E. Main St., Batavia, NY: Pizza, wings, subs and even hamburgers and hot dogs, Main St. Pizza makes everything deliciously. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia, NY: People come from all over the region for a fine dining experience at Alex's. It's best known for its ribs, of course, but Alex's seafood is also a favorite of the restaurant's diners. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

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

South Main Country Gifts, 3356 Main St. Road, Batavia, NY: Handcrafted items, gifts with a regional flair, candles, teas and spices -- South Main has a wide selection to please most any interest. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

The Mane Attraction, 99 E. Main St., Batavia, NY: The Mane Attraction is a spa and salon offering pedicures, manicures, hair styling and massage. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

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

The attorney for an Alexander man accused of driving drunk at the time of a fatal accident in Darien wants to see the mobile phone records for the occupants of the car carrying the Dansville teenager who was killed.

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman says that Defense Attorney Thomas Burns is merely on a "fishing expedition" in his request for the records.

The request and Friedman 's response are in motions filed by the two attorneys in the case of 24-year-old Ronald J. Wendt.

Wendt faces a 12-count indictment in the case, including an enhancement charge that could lead to a 25-year prison sentence.

"The requested records are relevant and highly probative on the issue of the driver's attention to road conditions and other traffic immediately to the automobile accident," Burns writes. 

Burns goes on to note that distracted driving, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, accounts for 26 percent of motor vehicle accidents.

Friedman responded, "There has never been any indication that anyone in the victims' automobile was using a cell phone at or near the time of the collision ... Instead, the defense is simply attempting to engage in a "fishing expedition" ... The people are not in possession of, nor aware of, the existence of any such cell phone records. Furthermore, we fail to see the relevance of possible cell phone communications involving passengers in said vehicle. Finally, it is the People's position that there is no authority for the Defendant's baseless effort to obtain possible cell phone records of crime victims and that such discovery would be beyond the parameters of (evidence law)."

Katie M. Stanley was killed in the Aug. 14 accident. Stanley was a passenger in a Toyota driven by a friend from Dansville and there were two other passengers. The group was returning from Darien Lake on Route 5 when it entered Darien Center, where the speed limit quickly drops from 55 mph to 40 mph. Wendt was apparently the driver of a Dodge Ram pickup that turned left into the parking lot of My Saloon just ahead of the oncoming car.

The Toyota struck the rear of the pickup truck. There has been no evidence presented so far, nor reports of, skid marks or other evasive action by the driver of the Toyota.

Wendt reportedly told a Sheriff's deputy that he had been drinking beer that day while baling hay. Deputy Tim Wescott reported that Wendt demonstrated slurred speech, had the odor of alcohol and demonstrated poor coordination following the accident. He reportedly had a BAC of .08.

Judge Robert Noonan will hear oral arguments in the motions on Jan. 19.

Burns has also filed a standard number of motions to disclose evidence, open the Grand Jury minutes, dismiss the case on various grounds and suppress specific pieces of evidence on various legal grounds.

For previous coverage, click here (all previous stories on this topic are now tagged "Ronald J. Wendt").