Two deals today:

Belladessa's Pizzeria, 9 Jackson St., Batavia, N.Y.: 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.

Center Street Smoke House, 20 Center St., Batavia, N.Y.: Ribs, brisket, steak, prime rib -- Center Street is a meat lovers paradise. We have a $25 gift card for $12.50.

A $1 PayPal service fee applies.

Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value.  People who have won a certificate in the past 30 days are not eligible to win a certificate from the same business as before.  By state law, gift certificates cannot be used for alcohol purchase.

How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Ideally, the winner will arrange to stop by my office on Main Street to pick up gift certificate. Mail is an option, but it would be better to hand you the gift certificate. 

If you want to be notified via e-mail of future Deals of the Day, sign up for the Deals of the Day e-mail list by clicking here.

Merchants: If you would like your business featured in Deal of the Day, call Howard Owens at 260-6970.

Belladesssa's

sold

Center Street

sold

One of the highlights of summer in Batavia is just around the corner: The Ramble Music & Arts Fest is set for July 11, opening at 11 a.m. with local author Bill Kauffman setting the stage, so to speak, with opening remarks.

This year, there will be 24 bands and performers on two stages, along with artists, poetry readings, food and an area for children's chalk art.

"A lot of people think that Ramble is just a reunion for the musicians," said Bill McDonald, one of the organizers. "It's not. It's a chance for all people who have loved the music and the art to come together and hear the music again and see the art."

This year will also includes an 8 p.m. guitar raffle, with tickets being sold all day, to benefit the Mental Health Association of Genesee County.

Pictured above are Jeff Wilber, Charley DelPlato, Bill Pitcher, Roberta Pugh, Don Burkel, Sue Gagne and Bill McDonald.

Here's the complete schedule of events for Ramble 2009.

Here's Philip's video from last year:

Writing for the GLOW Democrats blog, Adama Brown (whom I believe is from Livingston County) speaks some sense:

I'm hereby calling on the entire New York State Senate to resign, effective immediately.

Every member of the chamber, go home. Have the Governor call a special election, complete with primaries, for all the Senate seats. The current senators can run to get their jobs back if they like, but let's allow the voters to decide who they want running this thing. Everyone is at exactly equal risk--the only thing that you have to be judged on is how you've conducted yourself.

What a perfect solution to a horrible situation.

If they won't resign, I wonder what process could be done to start impeachment proceedings against every member?  Or, does New York  have a recall process like California?

Just how do you throw the bums out?

Nothing against our own Senator, Mike Ranzenhofer, but he may have to risk his Senate career for the greater good of the state.

However, Brown is nothing but a realist. This is all fantasy, as Brown says:

Believe me, I'm under no illusions that this will actually happen. But at this point it doesn't seem any more unlikely than a power sharing agreement that will do anything other than put the entire state on hold until 2010.

Two of the three suspects in the June 18 robbery of the M & T Bank in Elba will be in court tomorrow to answer charges related to the alleged crime.

Appearing at the 10 a.m. arraignment at the county court house will be Dennis M. Abrams, Jr, 26, of 202 Merrimac St., Buffalo and Demone D. Dillon, 25, 128 LaSalle Ave., Buffalo.

Both men, along with Michael J. Wells, 24, 69 Camp St., Buffalo, were indicted by the county grand jury on June 23 on a charge of robbery in the first degree.

Dillon is represented by Gary Horton and Abrams is represented by Robert Convissar.

Previous coverage:

• Manhunt in progress near Townline and 63
• Elba robbery suspects identified, arraigned and held without bail
• Suspects didn't know what they were getting into when they chose Genesee County
• Alleged Elba bank robbers indicted by grand jury

When William Allen White bought the Emporia (Kansas) Gazette in 1895 for $3,000 he probably didn't even dream that one day he would be America's most popular and famous small town newspaper editor.

Long before White became nationally known as a leader of progressive Republicans and the "Sage of Emporia," his immediate concern was: Survival.

There were at least three other newspapers in Emporia when he bought the weakest, least profitable of the group.

One his first tasks was landing some lucrative printing contracts. It would be some years before the Gazette made much money from advertising. White could afford to pay himself and his editorial staff largely because of piece-work printing.

White's experience is hardly unique. Most of the newspapers that survived the early tumultuous days of printed journalism relied heavily on outside print jobs.

Those big, bulky, dirty presses are expensive to run and maintain. The big iron is part of the mythology of journalism, but those presses are not really earning their keep when they're sitting still.

Fewer and fewer newspapers these days print their own editions, but those that still retain a printing operation aggressively seek print jobs. It's an important part of their cash flow.

In that light, our friends at the Daily News received some disturbing news yesterday. Gannett informed the company that it is moving the regional print run of USA Today from Batavia to Rochester, where Gannett prints and owns the Democrat and Chronicle. The Daily will print USA Today for 12 more months.

By its own account, the Daily has done a fine job of printing USA Today. There's no doubt that's true. Print quality is exceptionally important to a graphic-oriented paper like USA Today. The Daily could not have kept the contract for 24 years without delivering quality results. The team that worked on USA Today -- and I've met a couple of them -- should be proud of the work they did.

This move is certainly a financial consideration by Gannett.

But surely it has a tremendous financial impact on Batavia's only daily print publication.

So far, General Manager Tom Turnbull hasn't publicly discussed what that impact will be.

Ever since The Batavian first came to town, I've heard from a number of people around the area that the Daily's profitability is tightly bound to the USA Today contract.

I've no way of knowing if that's true, but many people seem to think so, therefore it's a point worth raising. It is suggested that Mr. Turnbull act quickly to assure the community that his corner of the Johnson Newspaper chain will remain strong and intact.

Newspapers are important facet of a community's life and vibrancy. No person who cares about a community's welfare wants to see its newspaper struggle.

I've been asked what this development means for The Batavian. I hope, honestly, nothing. I'm busy and focused on building a business that can sustain me and my wife and hopefully employ a few people in the not-too-distant future. I don't see The Batavian's success dependent on, or tied to, what happens at the Daily. There's no reason both media companies, along with WBTA radio of course, cannot thrive.

Even if this news is as bad as some might assume, I wouldn't count the Daily out. The company is staffed by a group of bright, hard-working, creative and intelligent people who won't just roll over. If there is a plan to make up the lost Gannett revenue -- and we don't really know this for sure based on Mr. Turnbull's statements thus far --  we should all expect the Daily staff to succeed.

For the community's sake, we should all wish them well in that task and root for their success.

Over 100 residents of the 400 Towers and their families and friends enjoyed a picnic on June 20 in spite of the rain.  Lou Signore's 10-piece band played everyone's favorite music from the 30's, 40's and 50's under a tent on the front lawn, and a sumptuous picnic feast was enjoyed thanks to the efforts of the 400 Towers Resident Council and all the residents who pitched in.

Talk about co-operation from the weatherman!  The rain stopped when the band started, and held off until they finished.

This was just one of many varied events planned throughout the year by our Resident Council, which always does a terrific job! 

Our special thanks - this event was made possible by a grant from the Genesee Senior Foundation, Inc., funded by the Rochester Area Community Foundation's Muriel H. Marshall Fund for the Aging.

The Sheriff's Office announced today that during Friday's Def Leppard/Poison concert at Darien Lake Theme Park 15 young people were arrested for alleged under-age drinking.

The operation, aimed at aggressively clamping down on under-age drinking during the concert, was co-sponsored by GCASA.

The names and ages of the people charged are:

• Kaitly M. Rozwood, 18, Blasdell
• Kayla M. Kinsley, 19, Blasdell
• Timothy L. Kiebzak, 18, Kenmore
• Brandon C. Costanzo, 20, Buffalo
• Ellie N. McGee, 18, Williamsville
• Jillian E. Pettis, 20, Williamsville
• Thomas D. Meyer, 20, Belfast
• Ashton M. Meyer, 20, Bath
• Joey J. Ruderman, 19, Cheektowaga
• Tara M. Wojtkowski, 18, Savona
• Michelle C. Schwegler, 20, North Tonowanda
• Valerie D. Kostart, 20, Noth Tonowanda

Plus one 17-year-old male and a 16-year-old male from Rochester.

Five men from Rochester apparently thought they were pretty clever last night when they showed up to the CSX railroad tracks on Route 98 in the Town of Batavia with a plan to use a logging truck to steal scrap metal.

Not clever enough, though, to avoid observation by Sheriff's Deputies.

Deputy Chief Jerry Brewster told WBTA this morning that lawmen watched the alleged would-be thieves load the scrap metal onto the the logging truck and then tailed the vehicle into Batavia where the truck was stopped in a well-lit area.

The scrap metal was owned by Ed Arnold Scrap Processors of Corfu.

The five men arrested in connection with the case are:

Christopher H. Monfort, 37, of 113 Pine Street, East Rochester, charged with two counts of grand larceny. Monfort allegedly stole scrap valued in excess of $12,000 during the weekend of June 19-21. In last night's case, he's accused of trying to steal scrap worth more than $4,000. He is held without bail.

Anthony Toscano, 44, 918 S. Goodman St., Rochester, is charged with one count of grand larceny. He is held without bail.

Richard E. Riedman, 35, 542 Klem Road, Webster, is charged with one count of grand larceny. He is being held on $15,000 bail.

Anthony J. Russell, 35, of 75 Snug Harbor Court, Rochester, is charged with one count of grand larceny. He is being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Timothy M. Stone, 29, 3735 Chili Ave., Rochester, is charged with one count of grand larceny. He is being held on $10,000 bail.

Assisting the Sheriff's Office were the State Police and the Batavia Police Department.

Today's Deals:

Valle Jewelers, 21 Jackson St., Batavia, N.Y.: Does your ring need a good cleaning, re-sizing or its prongs reset? Your gift certificate from The Batavian can be used for jewelry repair services. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Present Tense Books, 101 Washington Ave., Batavia, N.Y.: Present Tense is a great independent bookseller which sponsors a variety of book-related events and sells some great gifts. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Blue Pearl Yoga, 200 E. Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: Exercise your soul as well as your body in a friendly and relaxing atmosphere. We have a gift certificate for a seven-week session ($56 value) for $28.

A $1 PayPal service fee applies.

Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value.  People who have won a certificate in the past 30 days are not eligible to win a certificate from the same business as before.  By state law, gift certificates cannot be used for alcohol purchase.

How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Ideally, the winner will arrange to stop by my office on Main Street to pick up gift certificate. Mail is an option, but it would be better to hand you the gift certificate. 

If you want to be notified via e-mail of future Deals of the Day, sign up for the Deals of the Day e-mail list by clicking here.

Merchants: If you would like your business featured in Deal of the Day, call Howard Owens at 260-6970.

Valle Jewelers

sold

Present Tense Books

sold

Blue Pearl Yoga

sold

The Batavia Muckdogs remain a mere percentage point ahead of Mahoning Valley in the Pinckney division after splitting a double header with the Williamsport Crosscutters on Monday.

Batavia took the first game 5-1 as Matt Carpenter and Ryde Rodriquez continued to swing hot bats, each picking up a pair of RBIs.

Devin Goodwin also had two hits from the lead off spot while Xavier Scruggs continues putting together a good start to the season with a double and an RBI.

San Diego native Deryk Hooker pitched five innings giving up four hits and no runs to pick up his first win of the season.

In the second game, Crosscutters' pitching held the Muckdogs to only five hits, with only D'Marcus Ingram notching a multi-hit game. The Muckdogs dropped the nightcap 4-3, with Joshua Squatrito taking the loss -- his first of the season.

Squatrito pitched one and a third inning giving up two runs, but only one of those was earned. 

San Diego State grad Tyler Lavigne pitched the first three and two-thirds innings, giving up two earned runs.

The Muckdogs battle the Crosscutters again tonight in Williamsport at 7:05. Batavia returns home tomorrow for a 7:05 p.m. game against Jamestown and then are home again Friday night against the Jammers.

Where do you stand on consolidation?

If you still have things to say, questions to ask and points to ponder -- you should attend the second of two community meetings on the consolidation question at Batavia High School tonight at 7.

The consolidation study committee will be there to explain the consolidation proposal as it stands now (it's subject to change based on community feedback) and answer questions.

When times get tough, library usage goes up, according to Thomas C. Bindeman, executive director of the Nioga Library System, which helps manage six libraries in Genesee County.

Bindeman told the County Legislature's Human Service Commitee today that with increased usage its important to keep the county's share of library funding at its current $60,000 level.

In tough times, people also check out more books. Circulation at the six libraries was up 60,000 in 2008 vs. 2007.

"When economic times get tough use of libraries skyrockets," Bindeman said.

People who are finding it hard to pay for their home internet usage show up at the library more, Bindeman said. They use the computer libraries to handle online banking and to check their e-mail.

Diary prices started to slump in the fall, and continued in the winter, as we reported in ... and the trend continues. A search of Google News for "dairy prices" shows bad news across the country.

WBTA's Geoff Redick started a five-part enterprise story today on dairy prices. Listen to Part One here.

UPDATE: Part Two is posted here.

A car reportedly struck a deer at 2629 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road.  A passenger reportedly suffered facial lacerations and the white Ford Blazer is in a ditch at the side of the road.

UPDATE: We received an accident report on this accident late this afternoon from the Sheriff's Office.

Seven-year-old MiKayla McLain was reportedly injured in this accident when he was partially ejected from the vehicle. MiKayla reportedly suffered head injuries with severe bleeding and was transport via ambulance to UMMC. He was semi-conscious at the time of transport, according to the accident report.

The vehicle was reportedly driven by Jason McLain, 33, of 31 Walnut St., upper, Batavia.  McLain complained of head pain.

McLain was issued three citation. One for reportedly not wearing a safety belt, one for not properly restraining a child age 7 to 15, and one for reportedly driving without a license.

The accident was investigated by Deputy L.A. Nati.

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Today:

Jackson St. Grill/Belladessa's Pizzeria, 9 Jackson St., Batavia: From homemade soups, desserts to pizza, the Grill and Pizzeria offers a fully menu of great meals. Today, we have a Family Deal (value $25), which includes a large one-topping pizza, 24 wings and 2 liter soft drink for $12.50 (half off).

The Enchanted Florist, 2002 East Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: Whether you need just the right gift or a memorial or simply want to brighten up your home or work place, The Enchanted Florist can put together a fantastic floral arrangement for you. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

South Main Country Gifts, 3356 Main St. Road, Batavia, N.Y.: Always a great place for gifts, South Main just brought in a bunch of new merchandise from the region. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

A $1 PayPal service fee applies.

Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value.  People who have won a certificate in the past 30 days are not eligible to win a certificate from the same business as before.  By state law, gift certificates cannot be used for alcohol purchase.

How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Ideally, the winner will arrange to stop by my office on Main Street to pick up gift certificate. Mail is an option, but it would be better to hand you the gift certificate. 

If you want to be notified via e-mail of future Deals of the Day, sign up for the Deals of the Day e-mail list by clicking here.

Merchants: If you would like your business featured in Deal of the Day, call Howard Owens at 260-6970.

The Enchanted Florist

Jackson St./Belladessa

SOLD

South Main

SOLD

Hello Everyone!

I think it’s high time for me to officially introduce myself. My name is Phil Ricci and I am running for the Batavia City Council At Large seat this November. As in the past I come to you all with great humility and an eagerness to serve this city through the next phase of its evolution. Even though I would be considered to many as the “newcomer”, I am confident that you will find my ideas and ideals very much in line with what is needed for this position.

My young public service career has seen me thus far as a member of the Batavia City School’s Board of Education, President of the Batavia Youth Board and member of the School’s Audit Committee. As a whole, I have strived to be the positive young voice that stands for controlled spending and forward thinking initiatives that benefit us in the long run, not just the short term. It is my belief that we must act responsibly not just for the current generation, but to our future ones as well. My two young children, Delilah and Vivian, serve as my constant reminder that my actions carry more weight than just a day’s vote, but in fact could help or harm them for years to come.

In my private profession I have been in finance and business management for almost ten years, running and creating profitable businesses that produce jobs and opportunities for many. I am also a small business owner and financial consultant and realize the detriment that our expanded governments cause on the very life blood of our economy.    

My platform is simple: It’s time to get “Back to Basics!” It has been my experience that the more government is involved, the more complicated and difficult it becomes to get anything done! It’s not government’s job to solve every problem we have, but it is the responsibility of that body to provide a safe and reasonable place for us to live and grow our families. Even though we have done a good job of reducing our past debts, we are not done by far! It is one thing for any prospective candidate to sit before you and make promises to maintain tax levels and continue to do good works, but that is just not good enough anymore! We must find sensible, pragmatic and realistic solutions to become more efficient and effective in how we govern. We must also do whatever we can to clean up our neighbors so that not only can we can be safe, but reduce our taxes and create real growth through economic development.

If I am given the honor to serve the City of Batavia, I will do my best to represent the public’s interests and remain open to any and all ideas that are brought to my attention. I know that I am new, but I believe that it is time for my generation to stand and put our hands to the plow. I thank you for allowing me this brief time with you and welcome any questions you may have. I look forward to meeting you all as I put the rubber to cement this summer!

Respectfully Yours,
Phil Ricci

Matt Carpenter and Ryde Rodriguez  each collected three hits while Xavier Scruggs homered to lead the Muckdogs to a 9-2 victory over Jamestown Saturday.

Sunday's game against Williamsport was rained out.

At 5-2, the Muckdog's are in first place in the Pinckney division, a half game ahead of Mahoning Valley.

Carpenter is leading the league with a .483 batting average. Rodriquez is the early RBI leader with nine.

The Muckdogs play a double header in Williamsport today (making up Sunday's rain out), and face Williamsport again tomorrow. The team returns home Wednesday and Friday to host Jamestown (with fireworks following Friday's game, of course).