About eight residents had to be evacuated from their homes on Lake Street this morning after a routine traffic stop by Le Roy PD led to a bomb scare.

Following the stop for alleged speeding around 7:30 a.m., a police officer conducted a search of a vehicle and found what appeared to be a homemade grenade in the trunk.

The State Police bomb disposal team was called in, Route 19 was closed, and nearby residents were evacuated.

Unspecified charges are pending against the susptect, who was taken into custody. ATF and the DA's office are being consulted.

The suspect was cooperative with police throughout the incident. 

After he was stopped for allegedly speeding, the officer asked to take a look in the vehicle's trunk and the driver consented.

He reportedly told authorities he had made grenades before.

Route 19 has reopened.

PHOTOS: Top, Police officer with gun found in the vehicle. Bottom, a state trooper at the scene. Photos by Alecia Kaus.

Genesee/Orleans Regional Arts Council (GoArt!) held its Community Awards Gala last night at Terry Hills Banquet Facility. Honorees Linda Blanchet (Board of Directors Special Recognition Award), Patrick Burk, Lorie Longhany, Medina Sandstone Society (represented by Craig Lacy and Robert Waters) and Chris Busch are pictured.

Bill McDonald, center, was another award winner. He performed for the event with "The Old Hippies" -- Jim Sweet, Kay McMahon and James Catino (Bill Pitcher, far right, is not a member of "The Old Hippies," but presented the award to McDonald).

The other winners (not pictured) were the Holland Land Office Museum, the Le Roy Barn Quilt Project and the Mason Family.

Assemblyman Stephen Hawley was Master of Ceremonies for this 12th annual gala honoring community members in Genesee and Orleans Counties who give of their time, talents and treasure to enrich the artistic and cultural atmosphere of their community.

Genesee County

Patrick Burk was recognized for his contributions to community theater and, in particular, for giving the Batavia Players a new and permanent home with the Harvester 56 Theater.

Norm Argulsky, who presented the award to Burk, credited him with introducing Batavia to "the idea of a theater season," which allows people to know ahead of time what shows will be performed over the course of an entire year.

The Holland Land Office Museum was recognized for "enlivening local history and culture through exhibits, engagement and exploration" (as worded in the event program). Museum Director Jeffrey Donahue and Board of Directors Member Jim Dusen accepted the award.

Jim Owen, also on the museum's board of directors, lauded HLOM for "keeping history alive in Genesee County."

"It's very important that people don't forget our history," he said, "because without history our future might be pretty dim."

Lorie Longhany was honored for her passionate commitment to sharing her love of art with "the young and the young at heart" (Longhany's words), inspiring many young people to pursue careers in the arts and many senior citizens to explore their creativity.

Bill McDonald -- aka "Wild Bill" -- a local musician, was honored "for selflessly performing and promoting music and art, now and for the future."

When presenting the award to McDonald, Pitcher called him "a genuine troubadour."

The Mason family, a family of talented artists whose work has drawn national recognition, and whose paintings can be seen in buildings throughout Genesee County (including United Memorial Medical Center, Bank of America, and the Holland Land Office Museum), were awarded for their contribution to the cultural vitality of our area.

Max and Jane Mason were to receive the award for the family, but they could not attend. Beth Carr accepted the award on their behalf.

The Le Roy Barn Quilt Project, which showcases locally embroidered quilts on barns throughout Le Roy, received an award for "blazing a colorful trail to share (Le Roy's) rural heritage through public art."

Linda Blanchet, former GoArt! president and recipient of the GoArt! Board of Directors Special Recognition Award, was recognized "for dedication, drive and direction in pursuit of shining a spotlight on the arts in Genesee and Orleans counties."

It is worth noting that Burk, in his acceptance speech, credited Blanchet in a special way for getting him back into local theater after he had been away from the stage for 10 years.

Orleans County

Chris Busch, a member of the Orleans County Renaissance Group, achieved recognition "for passion and commitment to bringing cultural experiences into the community."

The Medina Sandstone Society received an award "for embracing the natural as a 'cornerstone' of culture, founding a tradition of community pride."

Guests at the event included representatives from National Grid, Turnbull Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration, O-AT-KA Milk Products, Roxy's Music Store, NYSARC and GCASA, among others.

For more information on GoArt! and its programs and services, call 343-9313, e-mail info@goart.org or visit www.goart.org.

Supplemental note on the Holland Land Office Museum

In his acceptance speech, Donahue mentioned that the museum now has the "V" from the old Batavia Downs sign. People who have driven by and seen it hanging for many years can now go to the museum to "see it in person," says Donahue.

Photos

Lastly, here are samples of the artwork included in the gala's silent auction:

"Holland Land Office" by Lorie Longhany.

"Hand-painted Autumn Leaf Pottery," donated by Kelly Kiebala.

"Barn on Country Road" by Tom Zangerle.

"Iris with Fence" by Dan Cherry.

"Framed & Matted Print" by Brandi Bruggman.

"School's Out" by Diane Phalen.

"Halloween Wall Hanging" by Linda Kozubal.

An SUV crashed into a tree at 1825 Lewiston Road in Alabama. It's near Knowlesville Road in the area of the hunt club. The driver is out and there is reportedly only a minor injury. Alabama Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

Press release:

It’s beginning to look like Christmas at the Batavia Salvation Army. Preparations began weeks ago to organize the Red Kettle Campaign and holiday assistance programs.

During the holiday season The Salvation Army offers many opportunities to get involved and donate. This year we have expanded our kettle campaign to include online giving.

This year an online red kettle team has been created by Major Patty Kurtz. Major Patty has issued a challenge to raise money through her online kettle team to exceed the campaign goal set by her husband, Major Bob Kurtz.

All money raised through the online red kettle will be dedicated to meet the needs of local families and individuals in Genesee County.

Individuals interested in joining the team or making a donation can visit the team’s Web site: www.onlineredkettle.org/BeatBob

For more information contact: Major Patty at 343-6284 or email at patricia.kurtz@use.salvationarmy.org

St. Joseph Catholic School will honor alumni Judge Robert Balbick and M&T Bank Regional President Dan Burns at its 53rd annual Popcorn Ball on Saturday, Oct. 13 at the school. Three volunteers will also be honored for their service. They are Jamee Logsdon, Michelle Cryer, and Maria Streeter.

The theme of this year’s event is “A Taste of Genesee” and will feature food from nine different restaurants and caterers.

This year’s Popcorn Ball will feature food from some of the area’s most popular restaurants along with prizes from Darien Lake and Palm Island Indoor Water Park. This year’s menu includes:

Seafood Bisque from Terry Hills
Fried Calamari from Alex's Place
Smoked Chicken Wings from Duke's Smokin' Bone
BBQ Ribs from Clor's
Pulled Pork Sandwiches from Center Street Smoke House
Mini Beef on Weck from T.F. Brown's
Mini Beef Wellington from Larry's Steak House
Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo from Bob Evans
Eggplant Parmesan & Pasta Primavera from Penna's Catering

Tickets are $60/couple and currently available at the school. You can also reserve a table of 10 by visiting www.sjsbatavia.org or calling 343-6154.

About the honorees...

Judge Robert Balbick graduated from St. Joseph Catholic School in 1963, going on to earn a degree from Canisius College and his J.D. from Albany Law School. Judge Balbick was admitted to the bar in 1975 and became a Batavia City Court Judge in 1992. He was instrumental in creating Genesee County’s Drug Court, which gives those with substance-abuse problems a chance for recovery. Robert and his wife, Jane, have three children -- Kristen, who is a lawyer; Michael, who currently works in the banking industry, and Katie, who works for UMMC.

Dan Burns graduated from St Joseph Catholic School in 1978, going on to graduate from St. Bonaventure University and earn an MBA from Columbia. He was first hired by M&T in 1986 and currently services as a regional president while managing the M&T Charitable Foundation. Dan is past chair and current board member of Greater Rochester Enterprise and YMCA of Greater Rochester; he is vice chair at the Monroe Community College Foundation; he is a board member of the University of Rochester Medical Center, Flaum Eye Institute and St. John Fisher College. Dan currently lives in Rochester with his wife, Denise, and has two sons and a daughter.

Jamee Logsdon is part owner of Baltz Concrete of Pavilion and has spent countless hours supporting events like the Popcorn Ball and the Mammoth Sale and once waded into water that was ankle deep to fix a plumbing problem prior to a major event at the school. He has also served on several committees and supported numerous fundraisers. Jamee, along with his wife, Seana, their daughter, Kaitlin (SJS Class of 2009), and son Connor (SJS Class of 2013) live in Batavia.

Michelle Cryer and Maria Streeter are known as the “Dynamic Duo of Bingo” and have managed to turn Friday night bingo into a successful fundraiser for the school. Both have chaired the annual Popcorn Ball and have volunteered to do everything from painting to assisting with the construction of the school store. Michelle and her husband, Matt, live in Batavia with their three children, James (SJS Class of 2011), Jacob (SJS Class of 2013), and Jocelyn (SJS Class of 2016). Maria and her husband, Darryl, also live in Batavia with their two children, Julia (SJS Class of 2013) and Benjamin (SJS Class of 2017).

Batavia Bulldawgs varsity squad beat Akron 22-19 and finished the season 7-1.

The win ended Akron's 70+ game win streak and put the Bulldawgs in the playoffs.

The Bulldawgs' first playoff game is in Medina at 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 20.

Notre Dame won against Wellsville on Saturday, securing a 34-7 home victory.

The Fighting Irish are 5-1 on the season and play Attica next week in a game that will determine whether Attica wins the Genesee Region title outright or if there will be a three-way tie of ND, Attica and Elba/Byron-Bergen.

Andrew Mullen carried the ball 22 times for 109 yards and one TD. Tim McCulley was 5-12 passing for 132 yards and three touchdowns. He was intercepted once and scored on a 45-yard run.

Jared Thornton caught two of those McCulley TD passes and gained 90 yards. Josh Johnson also had a 21-yard TD reception.

Anthony Paladino and Charlie Hebert each had six tackles. Paladino had a sack as did Aaron Lyons.

In every hard-fought football game, there's usually a turning point -- it may not decide the game, but it seems to seal the fate of one team or the other.

Late in the fourth quarter Friday, with about four minutes to play, and Elba/Byron-Bergen down by nine points, and seemingly in the midst of an end zone to end zone drive, Attica's Dave Clark punched the ball from the arms of running back Andy Underhill.

Clark recovered the fumble and the Lancers never ran another offensive play the rest of the game. Final score, Attica 15, Elba/BB 6.

The loss eliminates the Lancers (5-1) form a chance to win outright the GR League title. Elba/BB could claim part of a three-way tie if  Notre Dame (4-1, and playing a non-league game this afternoon) beats Attica (5-1, but the one loss came in a non-league game) next week.

As for Friday's turning point, even if Clark doesn't dislodge the ball from Underhill's grasp, and the Lancers are able to go on to score, that still wouldn't have meant a victory for Elba/BB. At best, a TD and two-point conversion would have still left the Lancers a point short of a tie.

That potentially critical point was picked up by the Blue Devils in the first quarter when a muffed snap on a punt led to an end-zone safety, giving Attica an early 9-0 lead (Attica's Matt Perry scored earlier on a 81-yard run).

"Give them credit, they played hard," said Lancer's Head Coach Mike Cintorino. "Little things tend to add up and when you’re playing a good team and a rival team, you can’t have that addition, you can’t let those little things add up."

For the most part, Attica's success was driven by Perry, who finished with 182 yards and two TDs on 29 carries.

Elba/BB's star running back, Zach DuBois was held to 112 yards on 25 carries and no touchdowns. DuBois did have a 50-yard dash to the end zone called back on a holding penalty. That was just a few plays before the Underhill fumble.

"Attica’s a great team," Cintorino said. "We knew that coming in. They’re well coached. They have good athletes. They play hard. They’re physical. We knew that we had to come in and we could not shoot ourselves in the foot. We talked about it all week, limit the penalities and no turnovers."

For Attica, Jake Dollard carried the ball 13 times for 72 yards. Besides the fumble recover, Clark had 10 tackles and Evan Krawcyk added seven tackles.

For the Lancers, Zac Gillard was 7-19 passing for 130 yards and one TD. That 50-yard TD reception went to Kyle Morse, who had three catches for 71 yards. On defense, Underhill had 25 tackles (12 solo) and one forced fumble. Brandon Nayler had 10 tackles, Mike Shanley, nine and Nath Jonathan, eight with a fumble recovery.

In other Friday night action:

• Le Roy moved to 5-1 with a 55-22 victory over Bishop Kearney. Peter Privitera gained 208 yards and a TD on 15 carries. Ryan McQuillen had two TD receptions. Tom Kelso carried the ball 15 times for 144 yards. On the night, the Oatkan Knights gained 481 yards on the ground. Stevie Cappotelli had seven tackles.
• Oakfield-Alabama beat Alexander 6-0.
• Batavia lost to Way-Co 21-14.

In today's match-ups, Notre Dame hosts Wellsville and the Pembroke at Holley game is canceled.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here. To purchase prints of these photos, click here. (Note: Not as many publishable shots of this game -- lighting conditions on the Attica field are horrendous.)

These are the latest indictments isssued by the Genesee County Grand Jury.

Terry M. Bacome is indicted on a charge of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, a Class B felony. He is accused of knowingly and unlawfully selling a controlled substance, cocaine, on April 23 in the City of Batavia. In count two of the indictment, he is accused of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, for possessing cocaine with the intent to sell it. In counts three and four, he is accused of the same crimes, but for a different date -- April 24. In the fifth count of the indictment, Bacome is accused of endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor, for knowingly acting in a manner likely to be injurious to the physical, mental or moral welfare of a child under 17 years of age. He is accused of possessing and selling cocaine in the presence of a child under 17.

Nichole M. McKerrow is indicted on a charge of aggravated driving while intoxicated, a Class E felony. She is accused of driving a 2003 Cadillac on Ross Street in the Town of Batavia on July 17 while in an intoxicated condition and while a child age 15 or under was a passenger. In count two of the indictment, she is charged with the same crime while a second child age 15 or under was a passenger. In count three of the indictment, she is accused of aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree for operating a motor vehicle while she knew or had reason to know that her license was suspended, withdrawn or otherwise revoked. And she is accused of doing so under the influence of alcohol or a drug and while knowing or having reason to know that she had three or more suspensions on at least three separate dates for failure to answer, appear or pay a fine.

Christopher M. Ames is indicted on a charge of driving while intoxicated, a Class E Felony, for driving a 2007 Pontiac on Knowlesville Road in Alabama on April 13 while under the influence. In count two, he is accused of driving while intoxicated, per se, also a Class E felony, for having a BAC of .08 at the time of the incident. In addition, District Attorney Lawrence Friedman noted that Ames was convicted of driving while intoxicated on Nov. 3, 2003, in Batavia Town Court, which is within 10 years of the crimes alleged in this indicment.

NO BILL -- The grand jury returned a determination of "No Bill" -- insufficient evidence -- after considering possible charges of burglary, 2nd, and criminal contempt, 1st, against Brad. C. Doward from incidents which occurred Aug. 3 in the City of Batavia.

They're items you might find around the home of any Genesee County resident any day of the week -- Drano, salt, kitty litter, batteries, soda bottles and cold medicine -- but mixed together the chemicals can become deadly, either to the people seeking a high from methamphetamine, or to those consumed by fires when the chemistry goes bad.

At the Batavia barracks today, officers with the State Police met with media from throughout the region in the hope of educating the public about meth labs that might be found in their own neighborhoods.

"We need the public to help us," said Major Christopher Cummings, commander of Troop A in Batavia.

A chemical smell might alert a concerned citizen to a possible meth lab nearby, or if a person finds discarded materials along the side of a roadway or in a field, Cummings said they should call local law enforcement to check it out.

Such a lead could help uncover a clandestine meth lab.

While across Central and Western New York, the number of meth labs raided by State Police has increased considerably -- rising from 45 in 2011 to more than 100 so far in 2012 -- there have been no labs detected in Genesee County since April 2011.

That lab, found in South Byron, came at the end of a spate of methamphetamine arrests that began with the bust of Kenneth Mosholder and accomplices in November 2009.

Last week at a press conference about prescription drug drop-offs, U.S. Attorney for Western New York William Hochul and Sheriff Gary Maha said there was no known meth activity in Genesee County.

Today, Cummings confirmed that activity locally seems to be way down.

"That's not to say they're not out there," Cummings said. "You don't know what you don't know."

Public education, Cummings said, is essential to uncovering meth labs.  Members of the public need to know what goes into making meth so that if they find the disposed waste of meth production they can report it, or if they smell a chemical smell that's unusual, they can call it in to police.

Doug Wildermuth (inset photo), head of the Contaminated Crime Scene Emergency Response Team, said there is no one description for the odor of meth. The best he could say was "it's a chemical smell." Because there's so many different recipes, it just isn't possible to say it smells one way or the other.

Part of today's press conference was aimed at educating the public on the inherent dangers of meth production.

There is no way to make it that doesn't involve some fire risk -- even with the so-called "one-pot method" that is commonly used these days.

"These are not labs as you might think of them," Cummings said. "These are not neat and clean. They're haphazard arrangements in sheds and garages."

A typical recipe includes ether (engine starter), sulfuric acid (drain cleaner), salt, lithium (batteries), anhydrous ammonia (fertilizer) and any number of different types of over-the-counter cold medications.

"All of these items are easy to get and easy to mix," Wildermuth said. "It's just that scary because it's just that quick."

While recipes for meth are easy to obtain online, the typical meth cook learned the process from another meth cook.

Local law enforcement, for example, maintained that many of the meth labs raided after Mosholder's arrest could be traced to Mosholder teaching others how to cook. Mosholder, originally from Genesee County, reportedly learned while in Texas.

While there are big meth lab operations in Mexico, where big drug cartels use more sophisticated methods than "one-pot," not much of that drug seems to be making its way to New York, authorities said.

The typical one-pot meth maker is mixing the chemicals for his or her own consumption and maybe only sells off a small amount of excess drug.

Once a lab is found, the clean up is expensive requires every environmental precaution. For the South Byron raid in 2009, The Batavian was invited by the Sheriff's Office to observe the operation. Pictures from that raid -- evidence collection handled by the State Police -- can be found by clicking here.

There was not a lot of faith expressed in Buffalo's Ryan Fitzpatrick in our contest last week. Only four people picked him to lead the NFL in points scored, but the fact of the matter is, among the 10 possible choices in our contest, Fitzpatrick came out on top. In a random drawing of those four people who picked Fitzpatrick, Jason Reese won the contest.

Here's the link to this week's contest.

Press release:

The Genesee/Wyoming Music Educators announce that 38 local students will be performing at three music festivals in November and December.

Miranda Graham (chorus-alto) from Le Roy has been accepted to Conference All State that will be held in early December. This is the highest choral honor for vocalists in New York. Miranda was chosen from a large field of students due to her high score at State Solo Festival last spring. Dillon Hirsch (saxophone) from Elba was chosen as an alternate.

Thirty-six other students were chosen to represent their schools at Area All State, which is a group of select singers from nine surrounding counties. All students had to audition at a state solo festival held late last spring.

These festivals will take place for seventh- through ninth-graders (jr. high
orchestra/chorus/band) Nov.  2-3, and for 10th-12th-graders (sr. high orchestra/chorus/band) Nov. 16-17.

The entire Genesee County list is below:

CONFERENCE ALL STATE:
Miranda Graham (chorus-alto) -- Le Roy
Alternate: Dillon Hirsch (sax) -- Elba

AREA ALL STATE
Alexander:
Jr. High Chorus -- Hunter Doran, Alynn Franclemont, Matthew Genaway, Mary Guarino, Marissa Scharlau

Sr. High Chorus -- Mitchell Boughton, Aaron Guarino, Nick Guarino

Batavia:
Jr. High Chorus -- Madison Hoerbelt, Tessa Lynn
Jr. High Band -- Ross Chua, Celia Flynn, Andrea Gilbarto

Byron-Bergen:
Sr. High Chorus -- Sarah Donovan, Andrew Magin, Kelsey Swinter
Sr. High Band -- Lucas DeValder

Elba:
Sr. High Band -- Dillon Hirsch

Le Roy:
Jr. High Chorus -- Katherine Funderburk, Sophia Matla,
Jr. High Orchestra -- Thomas Dunn, Sophie Farnholz,
Jr. High Band -- Joshua Laurie, Kieran O'Halloran, Jennifer Stotz
Sr. High Chorus -- Rachel Glucksman, Miranda Graham,

Pembroke:
Jr. High Chorus -- Ryan Curtis, Grace Fingerglow, Samantha Quaranto, Maisy Ross, Sindel Wille
Jr. High Band -- Katie Brown
Sr. High Band -- Matt Kowalski

Oakfield:
Jr. High Chorus -- Sara Anzalone
Sr. High Chorus -- Eliza Pionessa

St. Joseph's
Jr. High Chorus -- Fiona Beck, Kyra Stella

A caller reports that she can see smoke coming from the South Main Street Apartments. The caller is in the area of 65 Birchwood Drive. City firefighters are responding.

UPDATE 2:31 p.m.: City fire on scene reports nothing showing at the address, 178 S. Main.

UPDATE 2:34 p.m.: A resident at the apartments says the smoke may be coming from a controlled burn behind a residence on Birchwood Drive. Firefighters are investigating.

UPDATE 2:37 p.m.: The smoke is from an open burn on River Street.

UPDATE 2:41 p.m.: "It's in a pit and it's very controlled," says a firefighter on River Street, who nonetheless asked that a water can be brought over.

A car has careened into the post office building at 11142 S. Lake Road in Pavilion. But an officer on scene says he can find no evidence of it. He's told to check the loading docks. There are reportedly no injuries but an ambulance is responding in non-emergency mode to evaluate the person or persons involved.

UPDATE 2:24 p.m.: A responder says fire and EMS can clear the assignment, but a deputy is called to the scene.

Out in the open, this pair of whitetail does little more than give me a passing glance before going about their business of feeding.

This female, hardly concerned with my presence, is about to continue her browsing.

She pays no attention whatsoever to a sizable flock of boisterous blackbirds. Early autumn can be a great time to spot deer feeding in open fields, but a change in terrain can result in limited sighting opportunites.

Whitetails are skulkers, and in woodlands and dense brush one needs to keep an eye peeled for a flicker of movement, like maybe a twitching tail. I waited a considerable time for this deer to raise its head, curious to see if it was sporting antlers.

Once positioned between a pair of hawthorn trunks I was able to make out an antlerless head. Its a doe, craning her neck for a backward glimpse.

Brian W. Pike, 49, of 37 Lake St., Le Roy; Brant G. Matthews, 17, of 10 Maple Ave., Le Roy; Roxanne M. Redden, 47, of 37 Lake St., Le Roy, and an unnamed 16-year-old female are all charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Pike was also charged with unlawful imprisonment, 2nd. The four individuals were charged following a Le Roy PD investigation into a domestic incident at 6:45 a.m., Thursday, at 37 Lake St., Le Roy. When arriving on scene, officers observed Pike allegedly holding Matthews in a headlock on the floor while Matthews was holding his 3-week-old daughter. Redden and the 16-year-old are accused of being involved in the altercation prior to police arriving. Pike is accused of physically preventing Matthews from leaving the residence. All four subjects were arraigned and released on their own recognizance. DSS assisted in the investigation.

Danielle M. Stevens, 26, of Ford Road, Elba, is charged with petit larceny. Stevens is accused of shoplifting from Tops Market.

In the Byron-Bergen School District, students aren't just learning how to read, write and solve math problems. They're also being taught the basic skills of leadership.

"We want them to be confident individuals," said Brian Meister, the elementary school principal. "We want them to be self-sufficient individuals. We want them to be able to make good choices consistently."

The leadership course is based on Stephen R. Covey's acclaimed "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." Covey's company has developed "The Leader in Me," a program to teach students the seven habits in a format they can grasp.

In Byron-Bergen, the curriculum is part of a strategy to educate children in a well-rounded fashion. Yes, they learn academics, but they're also exposed to the arts and good citizenship.

At the Thursday evening board meeting (unusually packed with parents), a group of third-graders sang songs, recited their leadership pledge and showed off their leadership pictures.

"It's so important not to just teach them academics, but to teach them to be good citizens," Superintendent Casey Kosiorek said. "We can all agree that if one of these find young individuals moves next door to us, we want them to be good people and we also want them to be intelligent."

The seven habits:

• Habit 1: Be Proactive • You’re in Charge
• Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind • Have a Plan
• Habit 3: Put First Things First • Work First, Then Play
• Habit 4: Think Win-Win • Everyone Can Win
• Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood • Listen Before You Talk
• Habit 6: Synergize • Together Is Better
• Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw • Balance Feels Best

Meister said faculty and staff are really proud at how well students are responding to the course. He said it's rewarding to hear students talk about solving conflicts with a "win-win" attitude.

It's not easy, he said, for a child in elementary school to "seek first to understand," and put themselves in the shoes of the other person before trying to meet their own needs. But he said in fact, they're seeing child trying to learn to take exactly that approach.

During the school board meeting, Kosiorek noted a recent study that showed the vast majority of new patents are filed in the United States, not China. The iPad, he noted, was invented in this country, not overseas. He said the next generation of entrepreneurs will come out of today's schools, and it's Byron-Bergen's job to prepare the next generation of business leaders.

Meister agreed and said that as students move on from elementary school, into high school and then into college or careers they will be the self-confident individuals who are followed by their peers.

"We really believe here at Byron-Bergen that it’s not only our job to teach kids the academics, but also to make sure sure we provide the leaders of tomorrow," Meister said.

A beautiful fall afternoon, I thought I would stop by Godfrey's Pond and see what picture-making opportunities I might find. Mother Nature still has some work to do with her fall palette, but things are coming along nicely.

Pembroke has been forced to cancel its Genesee Region match-up with Holley in Holley on Saturday.

For Holley, that apparently means no homecoming game.

Athletic Director Ron Funke said the team came out of its last game with only 16 healthy players -- the bare minimum required by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association. Then on Tuesday, a player was scratched after reporting he had mono.

"The rules say we need 16 players," Funke said. "We apologize (to Holley) for that, but there is nothing we can do. It is what it is."

Funke said the school looked at all of its options, but without a JV team there was just no chance to get enough players on the roster for Saturday's game.

It's been a tough year for the Dragons, who are 0-5, being shut out twice, scoring more than seven points in only one game and giving up 30 or more points every time out.

A parent who contacted The Batavian said he traced the problem to the addition of boys soccer to Pembroke's varsity schedule.

Two years ago, coaches, parents and students lobbied the board of education to bring soccer back to the school.

Funke said there is no correlation between the addition of soccer and the shortage of football players.

Last year the team had 24 players and 20 of them were seniors. This year, the team has only three seniors.

"I'd like to see what kids on that team who want to play football that aren't (playing football) anyway," Funke said. "They're very different sports."

Dan Courtney, athletic director for Holley, hasn't responded to our request for information on what Holley's plans are for Saturday and homecoming without an opponent.