Today is father’s day; my dad is in Baltimore for my niece’s graduation party. I have to say I love my dad so much. For most people when they look at our relationship they don’t understand it.

Me and my dad talk very rarely and about no much. But we really don’t need to talk, we just understand each other. My dad has been so important in my life. After my mom dead my dad said one thing… we have to do whatever we need to, to make her happy.

And he did, he might have not known always what to say or how to say it but he made sure I was happy. My dad hates to see me in pain and always looks at me as his little girl. Whenever a guy breaks my heart my dad in his fashion always tells me that there are more and that I will be ok. He never faults my tries to be happy or tells me what I want to do is stupid. He picks on me to no end to show me love. And when time goes by without him seeing me he sends me food to let me know his worried.

My dad has kept every time I am in the newspaper on the sun visor of the passage side sit of the car, at times them falling down because someone tries to use the visor for its intended purpose. He also looks in my fringe any time he comes over to check for food.

Dads are an amazing thing, I don’t know if I would have turned out as while if I didn’t have my dad.

wisdom of the moment- "Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best."

Not too many years ago, on a sunny Father’s Day, I stowed an ultra-light fishing rod and my hip boots inside the hatch of the family vehicle.  I put two small spinners in a plastic container and headed for a stretch of the Little Tonawanda not far from our home. It was a low-key plan, intended to pass the time wading the Little T, and perhaps entice the bait fish population.

The action began right away, as strikes came one after another, with creek chubs and horned dace  wasting no time inhaling the tiny Rooster Tail as soon as I began a retrieve. Though the fish were small, the surroundings and the solitude were enjoyable.  The sole competition came in the form of a kingfisher and a slow moving snapping turtle, the latter easy to spot in the shallow water.

I came across a shaded area where a tree provided a respite from the mid-day sun. Here a few rusted strands of barbed wire spanned the narrow stream, remnants of yesteryear, lending more authenticity to the rural setting. Being careful not to puncture my hip boots on the barbs, I ducked between strands and continued on.  A short distance downstream was a riffle which emptied into a small pocket of quiet water.  

I cast the Rooster Tail directly into the riffle, allowing the current to take it into the small pool. I hadn’t turned the reel handle two or three times when something belted the tiny spinner. Whatever it was, it certainly hit much harder than the baitfish I had been catching.  The fish was on for a moment before the line went slack. I assumed it was a smallmouth, and made repeated casts with no results.  

I left the little pool, wading a few yards downstream when I felt another hard strike.  The fish provided a good tussle, and moments later I was pleasantly surprised when I beached a brown trout. The fish was vivid in color - dark brown along the back, a smattering of black spots across a golden brown flank. The fish was no doubt a holdover from the previous year’s stocking far upstream in Linden.  After inspecting and releasing the fish I began working my way back upstream, stopping at the little pool with the riffle. There I was rewarded with another brown, identical to the first and maybe the same fish I had hooked earlier.  It too was released. 

Before working my way upstream toward the car, I couldn’t help but savor the moment. Even the aroma from a nearby pasture added to the enjoyment of a Father’s Day in rural America. 

Tom Bruggman stands next to the Arctic Cat 4x4 being raffled off by the Bethany Volunteer Fire Department. Bruggman set up today at the Genesee County Airport, near the Rotary Fly-In Breakfast.  For more information about the raffle, visit the Bethany VFD Web site.

A general fire alarm has been reported at 400 Towers.

Last week we reported that Neil W. Phelps, 55, of Caledonia, was charged with reckless driving in connection with his reported operation of a tractor down Route 63 and Main Street in May, striking three vehicles and pushing one sideways down Main.

It struck me when we got the news release that we had never received the actual police accident report, which would fill in a number of details related to the accident, so I requested a copy from the Sheriff's Office.

Here's the narrative:

Vehicle 1, A large-tracked farm tractor, pulling a folded cultivator was traveling south on Route 63. At the intersection of Route 63 and Veteran's Memorial Drive, the tractor struck vehicle 2, pushing it out of the lane. The tractor continued south. At the intersection of Route 63 and Park Road, the cultivator side swiped Vehicle 3. The tractor continued on and struck vehicle 4 at the intersection of Route 63 and Route 5. The operator of vehicle 4 accelerated in an attempt to get away from tractor, striking an unknown vehicle. The tractor then struck vehicle 5, pushing it into vehicle 6. Vehicle 6 was able to accelerate away from vehicle 5. Vehicle 5 became wedged into the center of the tractor. The tractor continued on about a tenth of a mile east on Route 5, stopping in the area of Woodrow Road in the city of Batavia. The operator of the tractor was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

Vehicle 1 is a 2007 Case tractor owned by Phillip J. Call, Batavia. It was reportedly operated by Neil W. Phelps, 55, of Caledonia.

Vehicle 2, a 2003 Chevy SUV, owned and operated by Donna L. Mcauley, 43, of Oakfield.

Vehicle 3, a 2003 Jeep SUV, owned and operated by Carrie A. Monachino, 37, of Oakfield. Passenger: Charles D. Bucci, 33.

Vehicle 4, a 1999 Chevy sedan, owned by Roxanne J. Munger and operated by Philip C. Munger, 33, of Oakfield. Roxanna Munger, 34, was a passenger, as was Morgan Munger, 10, and Nicholas N. Munger, 7.

Vehicle 5, a 2002 Ford sedan, owned and operated by Eugene E. Laney, 72, of Oakfield. Passenger: Darlene Kingdollar, no age available.

Vehicle 6, a 1997 Chevy sedan, owned and operated by Timothy M. Callen, 17, of Le Roy. Passengers: Aaron J. Archilla, 18, and Henri J. Burdett, 18.

The only injury listed on the report is to Kingdollar. She complained of generalized body pain and was transported to UMMC.

As or the reckless driving charge against Phelps, Chief Gordon Dibble of the Sheriff's Office offered this statement in e-mail:

The possible charges were discussed with the DA's Office.  As you know, all crimes have elements that have to be present before they can be charged. After everything was considered, Reckless Driving was the appropriate charge.

The report was prepared by Deputy C.W. Mower.

Previously:

• Medina pastor who helped stop runaway tractor on Main Street tells his story
• Charges pending in accident involving tractor on Main Street
• Tractor pushes car sideways down Main Street into the city

Two people were transported to area hospitals yesterday evening following a two-vehicle accident on Route 33 at West Bergen Road.

Robert L. Smith, 45, of 8339 Gulf Road, Le Roy, was taken to UMMC with a complaint of back pain.

Stephanie A. Howard, 23, of 12 Winston Woods, Brockport, was taken to Lakeside Memorial Hospital in Monroe County.

According to an accident report prepared by Deputy J. M. Graff of the Sheriff's Office, Smith's vehicle was southbound on West Bergen Road at 5:26 p.m. when he failed to yield at Route 33. Howard's 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee struck Smith's 1999 Chevy pick-up.

The pick-up is registered to Keith D. Smith of 8339 Gulf Road, Le Roy.

As I sit here, drinking a cup of coffee and eating a burned pancake, I can't help but rejoice in being a dad. The smile of pride, love and admiration on my young boy's face is exactly the reason we are all here. Please, on this misty, cold morning, take the time to consider what is important......your family, your friends, your neighbors, your community. Disregard the trappings of what I have, what my job is, how nice my yard needs to be. The most rewarding, fulfilling job that I've ever had is being a father. Not always easy, but always embraced.

Happy fathers day to all the dads out there. Make sure if you haven't wished yours a good day, and you can, do it. It'll make his day whether hes 29 or 89. God bless.

Batavia came alive on Auburn’s inefficiency in the bottom of the 7^th to break a 1-1 tie to start the season with a 6-1 win.

After David Miller loaded the bases on three consecutive walks, lead off hitter D’Marcus Ingram was hit by a pitch to break the tie.  Ryan Jackson followed with a sacrifice fly to score one.  Randy Schwartz then had a costly error that plated another and put runners on second and third.  Familiar Muckdog Xavier Scruggs then emptied the bases on a 2-run double to make the score 6-1 after 7 innings.

Justin Edwards (1-0) got the win, pitching three innings in relief with one hit and three strikeouts.  Starter Kevin Siegrist looked sharp through the first four innings, only allowing one run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

The Doubledays were first to score at Dwyer this season on a solo homerun by Schwartz in the 3rd.  But that would be all the Auburn offense on the night.

The Muckdogs answered right back in the bottom of the 3^rd when Jackson walked and reached home after back-to-back singles by Niko Vazquez and Scruggs.

Dan Richardson shut the Doubledays down in the 9^th to secure the win.

Offensively, Scruggs had the only multi-hit night for Batavia, going 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI.

The two teams face each other again tomorrow night in Auburn and close out the series Sunday back in Batavia.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:30.

How long will it take for them to straighten out these things?

The suspects who struck the M&T Bank in Elba yesterday may have thought they picked an easy mark, but they over looked a few details.

Most importantly, they didn't even know the area. They knew only one route to and from the Thruway and under estimated the response times of local law enforcement.

"They were totally out of their element," said Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster of the Sheriff's Office.

(LISTEN, MP3s: Full audio of interview with Chief Brewster, Part 1, Part 2)

They didn't even know the difference between a field and a wooded area.

"When we talked with them, it had to be explained that a field is an open area and that woods is where trees are," Brewster said.

Brewster said the suspects, once captured, were quite easy to deal with.

"They were cooperative," Brewster said. "They did tell us what was going on and why they did what they did and why they chose that location and who did what inside the bank."

At least two of the suspects have no prior record.

"I think people from outside the area naively believe that because we're out in the sticks that law enforcement isn't on the ball like they are in urban areas," Brewster said. "It turns out it was just the opposite. These guys chose a bank that was probably within two miles of the state police and sheriff's barracks."

All of the money was recovered, and the gun recovered was loaded and had a bullet in the chamber.

The quick response and eventual capture of all three suspects could send a message to other would-be criminals, Brewster said.

"The message is out there, you're probably going to get caught," Brewster said. 

(Suspect Michael J. Wells pictured)

Press Release:

The attached photos are of a suspect possibly involved in the forgery and possession of stolen checks.  These photos were taken on 06/12/09 and 06/13/09 at Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union.  Anyone with information into the identity of this individual is asked to contact Det. Kevin Czora at 345-6311, or the Batavia Police Department at 345-6350.

Today, five great meal deals:

Jackson St. Grill and Belladessa's Pizzeria, 9 Jackson St., Batavia., N.Y.: Check out the great lunch and dinner menu. Personally, I'm partial to the hamburgers. We have TWO $10 gift certificates for $5 each (two separate winners).

Sport of Kings Family Restaurant, 419 W Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: A favorite locally owned family restaurant that is open 24 hours per day, seven days a week. We have TWO $15 gift certificates for $7.50 each (two separate winners).

Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern, 107 Evans St., Batavia, N.Y.: Have you tried the homemade Italian sausage yet? You should. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

A $1 PayPal service fee applies to Delavan's and .50 each to Jackson St. and Sport of Kings.

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.

Delavan's

SOLD

Sport of Kings

SOLD

Jackson St. Grill/Belladessa's

SOLD

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman could take the case against yesterday's three Elba robbery suspects to the Grand Jury as early as Tuesday.

"It's a little early in the day to know for certain," Friendman said.

If he decides to seek an indictment, it could be returned as early as the same day. Without a grand jury indictment, the suspects are entitled to a pre-trial hearing within six days, a right each suspect could waive.

The public defender is currently meeting with the suspects and each will be assigned their own attorney, either a public defender or public-provided outside council, or they could retain private attorneys.

Friedman also praised the work of law enforcement yesterday.

"We're very pleased with the job the police agencies did in this case," Friedman said. "It was great to see it unfold. I think many times people when people come here here from other places, they think its easy to get away with ( in  a small rural county) and that's often not the case."

Meanwhile, Scott DeSmit has more details about yesterday's robbery.

Inside the bank was a terrifying scene.

Two men, both brandishing handguns, their faces masked, entered the bank.

A third man waited in the vestibule, Genesee County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster said.

"The two entered the bank and jumped over the counter at two tellers," Brewster said.

The men knocked the tellers to the floor, then made them get back up to open the drawers, holding the guns to their heads, he said.

The two went through the drawers, retrieved the money and fled.

There were no customers in the bank at the time, Brewster said.

Both guns were later recovered. One was a loaded semi-automatic. The other was found to be a Crossman BB-gun, Brewster said.

Previously: Elba robbery suspects identified, arraigned and held without bail

If the fate of town/city consolidation were to be judged by one meeting, the prospects are not good, especially from the Town of Batavia perspective.

The majority of speakers Thursday night said they were town residents. They spoke passionately of their opposition to consolidation, and their statements often elicited rousing applause from the audience.

Some 60 people attended the public forum held at Batavia High School last night.

Two themes emerged: The consolidation idea is something of a referendum on the decades-ago urban renewal in Downtown Batavia; and, a strong distrust of Albany.

"Keep in mind that the decisions that are made today will effect generations to come," said Gary Diegelman, a town resident. "Decisions that were made back in the '60s are still affecting us today like urban renewal downtown."

City resident and town land owner George Galliford sounded willing to entertain the notion of consolidation, but struck many skeptical notes.

"Being a progressive sounds very good," said Galliford. "I think people like to think of themselves as progressive. As somebody mentioned earlier at one time there were some progressives in Batavia, and they did urban renewal. There aren't a lot of people around today that would necessarily say that urban renewal and being progressive was a great thing for Batavia."

Barb Galliford questioned whether the state would continue to fund the new government agencies at the levels promised right now. If the consolidation took place, state grants to the new city (if a city form of government were chosen) would increase to $790,000, making up the bulk of an anticipated $1 million in "cost savings" for the new entity.

"And the money the state is saying they're going to give us, they cut things all the time," Galliford said. "There's no guarantee we're going to receive that every single year, or that it will even increase. As far as I'm concerned, I'm definitely not for this consolidation."

"I don't know what kind of guarantees the state can give us, because I don't have a whole lot of faith in the state," George Galliford said.

"If it's not broke, don't fix it," said Rita  Towner. "My concern is, like every one else here, the state has no money. In fact the city, in the bad shape that it's in, is in better shape, I think, than the state is in."

As he has previously, Jason Molino stressed that while there are no guarantees, the state money has been very reliable in the past. Large constituencies in Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and other larger cities in the state get a far greater share of these grants and depend on it tremendously. And consolidation of local governments is a major objective for the governor and state legislature.

Some people after the meeting pointed out that there's no guarantee that the Town Board will never raise taxes either. What happens to the town, for example, if in 2018, when the current sales tax agreement with the county expires, and the county decides to no longer share that revenue. The town will be without recourse, but by state law, a city can override such a decision.

Audio Clips:

• Gary Diegelman
• Barb Galliford
• George Galliford
• Ed O'Neil
• Andy Eldridge (several people made eloquent speeches, but Andy's was especially poignant)
• Lynn Freeman, after the meeting
• Jason Molino, after the meeting
• Steve Lockwood, after the meeting

 Ok, so we may not have had sunshine for our picnic this evening, but God’s light sure was shining bright! As Roxie, sang “ Let this little light of mine shine”, the youngsters were running all over the parking lot and hanging out in the back of the rescue van with Bridget.

The music was fantastic! We got new microphones for the band! This really made a difference. Our band is growing as well. God is leading people to Care-A-Van ministries that have a heart for going forth and taking God’s light to others. Is God nudging your heart to help let the light shine?

Tonight, a huge light shown as a single mom with 4 children came out to the picnic. As she sat and visited , she poured her heart out. Care-A-Van has been sharing the light with her for over a year, tonight God said let there be light! She accepted Jesus into her heart with the mist of rain falling on her and tears flowing ! We are working with her to get her connected to the local agencies that can help her with the different needs she has.

We will be returning to 193 South Main Saturday morning at 10:30 for grocery distribution. On Sunday afternoon at 2:30 we will be returning there for street church.  Pastor Mark Perkins of the Oakfield Alabama Baptist church will be giving the message and the music will be provided by Mark Perkins and Possie!

We thank you for your continued support. Come on out and help us shine the light  here in Batavia!

Fans and media were invited out to Dwyer Stadium this evening to meet the 2009 Batavia Muckdogs.  I spoke with manager Mark DeJohn briefly about his new team and snapped a couple of pictures of the work out, including one of DeJohn giving one of his players some instruction on glove work.

BATAVIA, N.Y. -- A trio of men from Buffalo are behind bars, held without bail, accused of robbing the M&T Bank, 7133 Oak Orchard Road, Elba, this morning and then attempting to escape into the woods between Oakfield and Batavia around Route 63 and Townline Road.

The men were identified this evening as Dennis M. Abrams, Jr, 26, of 202 Merrimac St., Buffalo; Demone D. Dillon, 25, 128 LaSalle Ave., Buffalo; and, Michael J. Wells, 24, 69 Camp St., Buffalo.

Witnesses to the 9:49 a.m.  stick-up reported that the suspects had at least two guns. Another witness said the suspects fled in a black SUV and traveled south on Route 98.

Officers from the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police and Batavia City Police responded. 

Sergeant Cory Harmon of the New York State Police observed the SUV traveling at a high rate of speed west on Batavia-Elba Townline Road towards Route 63 and gave chase. 

When the persuit reached the intersection of Route 63 and Townline Road, two of the subjects jumped from the SUV and fled into a wooded area on the southwest of the intersection

The driver sped off down Route 63 toward Galloway Road. He then drove off the pavement behind a residence on Galloway. When he did, his SUV became stuck in the mud and he got out of the vehicle and tried to run on foot through the field.

He was quickly apprehended.

A short time later, the second suspect was taken into custody south of Townline Road, not far from the Route. 63 and Townline Road intersection.

Which of those two suspects is Abrams and which is Merrimac has not been released.  Abrams was reportedly the driver.

The third suspect, Wells, managed to evade dozens of officers from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, the New York State Police and the U.S. Border Patrol, as well K-9 units and two helicopters (deployed at separate times) for more than five hours.

Throughout search for Wells, Sheriff Gary Maha remained confident that he would be captured.  The suspect's general locations was apparently known most of the time, in part because he repeatedly used a mobile phone to call a friend, allowing law enforcement officials to triangulate his general location.

Officers finally cuffed Wells at about 2:40 p.m. near the intersection of Route 63 and Galloway Road.

Immediately after the initial report of the fleeing suspects just before 10 a.m., the Oakfield-Alabama Middle/High School was notified and requested to "lock down."  Reportedly, per policy, the principle of the school then notified BOCES and BOCES officials then ordered all schools in Genesee County to lock down.

Shortly after 1 p.m., Maha suggested school officials call off the lockdown, telling dispatchers, "We have two suspects in custody and a good idea where the third suspect is, so we don't see any reason to have any schools locked."

The lock down reportedly caused many concerned calls to school officials, law enforcement and local media, with parents worried the suspects were closer to area schools than they actually were.

During the search, one handgun was recovered. A toy gun was picked up when the money was recovered.

The subjects were charged with robbery in the first degree, a class B felony, and arraigned before Elba Town Justice Lois Petote.  

Pictured, top to bottom: Wells, Abrams and Dillon.

UPDATE: Dan Fischer is reporting this morning that sources have told WBTA that the scene inside the M&T Bank during the robbery was violent. Nobody was injured, but the robbers entered the bank guns displayed and at one point held a gun to the head of a bank employee. Another employee hid in a rear ofice, under a desk. She managed to trip an alarm. M&T Bank has made counselors available for the employees.

Previously: Manhunt in progress near Route 63 and Townline Road.

UPDATE: WIVB has video of the suspects at Elba Town Court.

 Hey everyone!

As some of you already know, I'm back interning with the Muckdogs again this year.  My jobs have changed some, though.  I am primarily doing media work.  I'll have game stories after every game, feature stories throughout the season and I'll post a new player interview every Monday.

Feedback from fans is key!  Let me know if there's anything you want to know about, any players you want to hear from, any story ideas, etc.  I will try my best to do it all!

I have one pre-season feature story done, but my video is taking really long to upload, but I'll have that to you as soon as I can.

And don't forget: Open House tonight from 6-8 and of course the Home Opener Friday at 7! Hope to see you all there! :)