We have three half-off gift certificates today from three great, fun and interesting retailers.

Each gift certificate is $25 and on sale today for $12.50 each (plus a $1 service fee).

Today: Adam Miller Toy and Bicycles on Center Street, Herbly Wonderful on Pearl and Essence of Candles on Liberty.

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. 

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 before 5:00 p.m. (today or tomorrow) 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.

Adam Miller Toy and Bicycles

SOLD

Herbly Wonderful

SOLD

Essence of Candles

The driver and one passenger suffered unspecified facial injuries and complained of pain following a roll over accident on Route 5 on Saturday near Buckley Road in Stafford.

The driver, L.M. Schellenberg, 18, of Le Roy, said she served to avoid a deer when she lost control of the vehicle.  The car was a 2001 Chevy sedan.

Her passenger also reportedly injured in the accident was 16-year-old D.M. Schellenberg, also of Le Roy. 

Both were taken by ambulance to an area hospital for treatment.

Any one of the four fire captains who turned down the provisional fire chief position for the City of Batavia could still take command of the department.

There is not yet an eligible list for the position, said Karen Marchese, personnel officer for Genesee County, but a civil-service exam for fire chief has been scheduled for January. An eligible list are those people who are qualified and have applied for the job.

Marchese's office handles civil-service issues for governments in the county.

Chief Tom Dillon resigned week before last, and served his last day Friday, after the New York State Civil Service Commission denied a waiver that would have allowed him to draw his pension and his full-time salary.

The waiver, known as a 211 waiver, has its uses, according to the state's Web site, but Marchese said the commission is trying to reduce the number of such waivers, especially when there are eligible non-retired candidates for the job.

The hearing in which the 211 waiver for Dillon was reviewed by the commission was available in a webcast, Marchese said (the webcast is no longer online since the commission has met again since then).

"My recollection is that they discussed the nature of fire and police service -- there's a lot of tradition, as you know, in police and fire service -- and they discussed how it's primarily a promotion-based system," Marchese said. "They discussed that there were candidates who applied for the job who are not retirees.'

Marchese said she was not trying to speak for the commission and the exact reason for the denial is not clear.

Asked if she had anything to add, Marchese said, "I work very closely with the city and other localities on issues like this. This has been rather high profile and Jason and I have worked closely on it. We've had an open line of communication about it. He's working in good faith. There is no bad faith here on his part."

As for the captains, they've been told by Jason Molino not to discuss the situation with the media, according to two sources. The captains were told this was a "personnel issue," so they were prohibited from talking publicly about it.

Eight players who spent time with the Batavia Muckdogs during their 2008 championship season are continuing their minor league careers this season with the Palm Beach Cardinals.

Palm Beach, also a St. Louis Cardinals affiliate, is in the Florida State League, which is considered High Class A.

Among the players making the roster are hitting stars Jermaine Curtis, Cold Sedbrook and Shane Peterson.

Reliever Adam Reifer is also starting the season with Palm Beach, as is Lance Lynn, who put up great numbers with both Batavia and Quad Cities.

Rounding out the list of promotions: Francisco Rivera, Ryan Kuilk and Thomas Eager,

Five people were taken into custody in connection with alleged under-age drinking parties on successive nights at 3065 Pearl St. in the Town of Batavia.

Adam B. Thomas, 20, of Batavia, was pepper sprayed after allegedly giving false information about his age and then resisting arrest. He is charged with false personation and resisting arrest and was jailed in lieu of $300 bail. The incident occurred at 5 a.m. Saturday morning.

Less than 24 hours later, Sheriff's deputies were again summoned to the residence after receiving a tip that another under-age drinking party was in progress.

Deputies and State Police arrived at 2:30 a.m. and reportedly found several youths drinking.

Taken into custody were: Anne M. Culliton, 45, and Michael K. Culliton, 44, both of Batavia. They were charged with unlawful dealing with a child stemming from the Saturday morning incident.

Also arrested were Christian Culliton, 24, of Le Roy, and Brandon Culliton, 23, of Batavia, for unlawful dealing with a child stemming from the early Sunday morning party.

All four were issued appearance tickets.

Investing the incidents were Sgt. T.A. Sanfratello, deputies Kevin M. McCarthy, James Diehl, Chad Minuto, Jason E. Saile, Patrick J. Reeves along with state troopers Weslowski and Franz.

It feels more like October than May.  Looking out at the cars in the parking lot, I see frost on the windows. 

The pollen count was high all weekend.  It was common to run into people with running eyes and noses.  As uncomfortable as the pollen makes us, I have to admit that spring is always glorious. The colors of the buds, the flowers blooming, the grass is green and there is hope for a nice summer.

I even noticed one farm where they have completed their first cutting of hay. The windrows raked into long straight lines appeared to be the epitome of spring...renewal of the land.  I also noticed a farm stand selling asparagus for $2 a bunch.  The stand was empty, had we passed it earlier in the day, I would have bought some.

Remember when your kids were young and you had to think of things to amuse them on a long ride?  The kids are long grown, but I still find myself mentally playing the games that occupied their time.  Bury the cow was a favorite.  It started quite simply...you get points for each herd of cows you found on your side of the car.  If we passed a cemetery and it was on your side, you lost your cows.  As the kids got older the game became more complex.  How many cows constitutes a 'herd'?  If a fence divides cows on the same farm, does each pasture count as one point or does the farm just count as one point?  I smile as I pass Lamb's and imagine the discussion that would go on in the back of the car.

Michael J. Elmore, 18, of  Batavia, is accused of shooting 8-year-old boy in the leg with a BB gun at the skate park on Evans Street. Elmore is charged with reckless endangerment and endangering a child.

Megan J. Nenni, 21,of Albion, is charged with DWI following a traffic stop in the City of Batavia early Saturday morning.

Jake Myers, 19, of Batavia, was charged with possession of marijuana following a traffic stop early Saturday morning. Myers was also cited for drivers view obstructed, but no details on that violation were provided.

Eric L. Skeet, 20, of Corfu, is charged with DWI and possession of Marijuana following a traffic stop following a traffic stop on Pearl Street early Saturday morning. He is accused of having a BAC .08 or more.

UPDATE: Somehow I missed a couple of faxes from the weekend this morning. Below are additional items not part of our original report.

Jerod L. Trebian, 30, of Batavia, is charged with DWI stemming from a traffic stop for alleged speeding Friday evening in Pembroke on Route 77. He is accused of having a BAC of .08 or greater and driving 59 in a 40 m.p.h. zone.

Lazeuia D. Washington, 32, of Buffalo, was arrested in Darien for an alleged DWI, resisting arrest and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. She was placed in jail in lieu of $1,500 bail.

Shuvon Williams, 32, of Batavia, is accused of shoplifting from K-Mart. He is charged with petit larceny.

Does anyone remember where the dispatch office was for Red's Taxi?

Was there a taxi cab company near the Blue Bus Station on Court St?

While we are at it, does anyone remember an ice cream parlor attached to the Family theater on Jackson St.

....and to settle a dispute, where was Alexander's clothing store located.

Thanks

A bunch of teenagers in red T-shirts spent Friday toiling in the sun to fix up an old barn off Route 77 in Corfu. And they did so willingly, even enthusiastically.

They spent the day scraping off old paint, powerwashing, brushing on new red paint, replacing worn out two-by-fours and doing landscaping. They'll do the trim and wrap things up Saturday and then enjoy a well-deserved banquet Sunday.

The workers are students from BOCES in Batavia and Albion High School in Orleans County and the barn is one of only five chosen nationwide to get an overhaul thanks to a generous donation from the Campbell's Soup Company.

It's all part of a project to help sustain family farms and aid the next generation of farmers. It also provides scholarship money for a prestigious six-week leadership conference this summer in Washington, D.C..

The Campbell's initiative is being done in conjunction with the national Future Farmers of America (FFA) Alumni Association, FFA student chapters, farm families and the agricultural community.

The soup maker ponied up $250,000 for the coast-to-coast campaign called "Help Grow Your Soup." Of those funds, $75,000 was set aside to refurbish five specially selected barns (at about $5,000 each) and provide scholarships to FFA students.

The barns, iconic symbols of family farms, had to be visible to the community and belong to a multi-generational farm family that produces something used to make soups.

The local one belongs to the Reynolds family, who operate a 600-cow dairy (for cream of broccoli, maybe?). The Reynolds also own 1,500 acres of land on which they grow feed crops. They sell their milk to Syracuse-based Dairylea Cooperative.

The other "Help Grow Your Soup" barns are in Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee and Kansas.

The hulking Allegheny Road structure is about 60 feet long and 40 feet wide and built sometime in the 1800s, no one seems to know exactly when. It's been used for hay storage but used to be where cows were fed and milked by John Reynolds' late parents.

The Reynolds built a new milking structure in 1997 and a new barn last year. Since the old barn was no longer essential, the family thought of tearing it down.

But family friend Barry Flansburg sort of intervened. He's also a Future Farmers of America alumnus and thought the Reynold's barn would be a good choice for the Campbell's opportunity. Apparently, his lobbying efforts weren't wasted.

"You're the first person I thought of, and you're right off Route 77," Flansburg said to Shelley Reynolds, who is delighted her family was chosen for the refurbishment project.

She likes what she and John do for a living, too.

"There's something about raising calves and seeing them become milk producers," Shelley said. "Sometimes you have to do chores on Christmas Eve, but you're responsible for it all and it's a good life. My kids never spent one day in day care. ... we operate as a family."

The family also includes Tyler, 18, MacKenzie, 17, and Andrew, 15.
Incidentally, MacKenzie is this year's Genesee County Dairy Princess and Tyler will be a freshman at Cornell this fall.

She says the kids say after college they'll come back to Corfu to run the dairy.

"It's their choice," she said, adding that it wouldn't be a bad one either.

Pictured above: Left: Christina Kirby, 11th grader at Albion; Right: Sarah Connor, 10th grader at Albion.

At the close of business today, the Batavia Fire Department will be without a fire chief, as none of the four captains who are qualified to fill an interim position wanted to take on the role at this time, CIty Manager Jason Molino told WBTA this afternoon.

Molino said he will handle routine administrative tasks for the department while the job search for a new chief continues.

Chief Tom Dillon resigned after learning last week that the New York Civil Service Commission denied the city's request for a waiver on his position. Dillon retired after 29-years with the Rochester Fire Department and the commission said he could not continue to draw retirement and earn more than $30,000 per year.

On a day when as many as 1,100 Chevrolet and Cadillac dealers were told by General Motors that it would no longer need their services once their contracts expire, Batavia's Ken Barrett Chevrolet-Cadillac was notified the dealership will remain open.

“We are part of GM’s continuing plans,” Ken Barrett told WBTA this afternoon. "Ultimately the people who will determine our fate are our customers.”

The dealership cuts, which amount to about 20 percent of its network, come amid financial turmoil for the auto giant. Unlike the Chrysler cuts announced yesterday, GM is not releasing a list of dealerships that will not get contracts renewed.

Yesterday, we learned Castiglione Chrysler also survived the round of cuts announced by that car maker.

I ran into Ken Mistler about 30 minutes ago entering The Insurance Center office on Main Street. He let me know he was closing on his purchase of South Beach, building and restaurant.

Mistler said there are two potential tenants looking at the location, but nothing is firm yet.

Hey, it's Friday -- end of a long work week, time to reward yourself with a good meal at a nice restaurant. So today we're offering two $50 gift certificates for $25 each. (note, starting today, we're charging a $1 service fee to offset our PayPal fee).

One is for Alex's Place on Park Road and the other for Larry's Steakhouse in Downtown.

After dinner, you can take in a show, too.  We still have tickets available for The Lion in Winter from The Batavia Players. These tickets are $5 each (regularly $10).  The offer expires at 5 p.m. today.

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.  Gift certificates cannot be used, by state law, to purchase alcohol.

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 before 5:00 p.m. 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.

Alex's Place

SOLD

Larry's Steakhouse

SOLD

The Lion in Winter

Genesee Community College's 41st graduating class will be recognized at a Commencement ceremony at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 17.

The Commencement will also be cablecast live on the Time-Warner Educational Access channel (Ch.15 in Genesee County).

The college's first commencement was held in 1968. The Class of 2009 brings the number of GCC grads to 20,000.

Several outstanding scholars will be recognized, including Jennifer Bryant (Batavia), Danielle Collins (Pavilion) and Kathryn Scarborough (South Alabama).

The keynote speaker is Ruth Andes, PhD, Genesee's professor of sociology and assistant dean of assessment and special projects. She has been a member of the faculty since 1970 and plans to retire next month. Andes is the most-honored SUNY award recipient at GCC and it is believed she has earned more SUNY-wide academic honors than any faculty member in the state's entire 64-college system.

The college is located at 1 College Road in Batavia.

Yesterday, we noticed this bench was completed. Looks nice, but patrons in the Pok-A-Dot are still making skeptical remarks about it, wondering what kind of riffraff it will attract.

Here's the story, Thomas Golisano is setting up legal residence in Florida to avoid New York taxes.

Christopher Saddler, 25, of Albion was pulled over by a Sheriff deputy for an alleged traffic violation at 12:20 p.m. yesterday. The K-9 working with Deputy Thompson reportedly alerted on the car, and then alerted on a backpack in the car. Saddler was cited for unlawful possession of marijuana.

The Castilone Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealership in Batavia will stay in business.

The owner, Steve Castilone, was told about the decision this morning. It will continue to sell and service the brands for the Chrysler Corporation's as well as Chrysler's new partner, Fiat, of Italy.

Chrysler has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. 

According to an interview with WTBA, the news is a relief for Castilone.

Audio: Steve Castilone talks about receiving the letter this morning.

Audio: Steve Castilone talks about his business, which began as Hawley Motors generations ago and is was the oldest family owned Chrysler dealership in the nation.

Nationally, 789 dealership were told today they will be shut down.