DIRT Pro Stock Tour Group to Race in Jack Veach
Memorial at Genesee Speedway

WHAT: As part of a regional racing series, the best of the Pro Stock racers from Western New York and Southern Ontario will be showing their superior racing abilities on the1/3rd mile oval track at Genesee Speedway in Batavia. The racing program begins at 6pm with 5 others classes competing in addition to the Jack Veach Memorial Pro Stock event. The spectator gates open at 5pm

Jack Veach was a well-known racing official in this area, respected by competitors and his peers alike. Jack passed away two years ago July 11th, from cancer. He left a legacy in his wife, Bonnie, son John and daughter Dawn who have continued on in Jack’s spirit at the Speedway.

Race fans and drivers alike have a well-earned reputation of taking care of their own. Cancer is a disease that touches everyone no matter what their walk in life. This is a way for the racing community to show their unity in raising awareness in the fight against cancer.

WHEN/WHERE:
Saturday, August 2, 2008
• The racing program begins at 6:00 p.m.
Genesee Speedway
5058 East Main Street, Rt. 5 – Batavia at the Genesee County Fairgrounds

WHO:
• Race fans
• Cancer survivors, Caregivers, and their families
• The Community

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES
###

The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives,
diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. The American
Cancer Society Eastern Division has 46 community-based offices, involving thousands of volunteers throughout NY
and NJ. For 24-hour cancer information, call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org/nynj

All good things must come to an end.

I don't know about you, but I've seen that maxim proved time and again in my life. Like when they took Duck Tales off the air. Or when I discovered that Santa Claus was not a resident of the North Pole, but, in fact, my grandmother's hairy neighbor who smelled of bottom-shelf scotch and foot cream. Nice guy, though.

Well, it's about to happen again.

Main Street Coffee is closing shop. Yes, that's right. Everybody's favorite hometown proprietor, Rob Credi, is saying goodbye to No. 111 Main Street, perhaps as soon as September. He has not confirmed the closing date for the cafe, but the month-long music festival farewell kicks off tonight and ends in a blowout on Saturday, August 30.

Rob told me today that Main Street Coffee owes its success to the patrons who came back day after day, week after week to support good coffee and better people. That's what I found there, I can tell you that. Especially in Rob, who — no questions asked — let me settle in and make a table corner my office for more than two months, which I was happy to do. He served good coffee, cooked a mean breakfast sandwich and offered regularly hilarious commentary on the goings-on inside and outside the cafe.

I would urge anyone with a heart and a penchant for caffeinated beverages to stop by Main Street Coffee at least once in the next month.

Check back with The Batavian over the next couple weeks for exclusive video interviews with some of the band members performing at Main Street Coffee this month.

A new Web site called See Through NY promises to deliver "a clearer view of how ... state and local tax dollars are spent" by quite literally connecting users with the state's financial tax data. Launched by the Empire Center for New York State Policy on Thursday, the site has already made quite a splash. When I visited it this morning, it took about ten minutes to load because the site traffic has been so overwhelming.

All visits to the site today come with this disclaimer:

Due to heavy traffic, SeeThroughNY is experiencing technical difficulties and may be performing slowly.  We apologize for this inconvenience and are taking every step to correct these issues as quickly as possible.

We anticipate full functionality by mid-day on Friday, if not sooner.

It's pretty simple to use the site. Say you want to find out about how much money a state employee earns. Click on the bright green Payrolls button, follow the links to search the state payroll database, and... Voila! Or, at least, it would be voila if the search wasn't "timed out" after every effort to browse the salaries of the legislative branch, for example.

You can do the same for information on Contracts and Expenditures — and the data seems comprehensive — when the site is working, that is.

An article from the Johnson News Service, published in today's Daily News goes a little more in depth, behind the scenes. Reporter Tom Wanamaker talks with several people, including a municipal journalist's best friend, Robert Freeman, the executive director of the state Committee on Open Government.

"Thirty years ago, 'high-tech' meant electric typewriters and carbon paper," Freeman told Wanamaker. Freeman went on to call the site a "treasure trove of information on how public money is spent."

Barbara Bartoletti, legislative director of the League of Women Voters of New York State, hopes the site will spark a "rich debate about how governments spend taxpayer money."

Just a thought: The timing for the site's launch seems almost too perfect considering the governor's recent announcement that the state will need to start cutting staff and services to avoid a complete fiscal meltdown. We can now see in the barest and most unforgiving of languages — mathematics — just how each and every person, project and contract stacks up. Is this a good thing? Or a bad thing?

All of the following calls were reported by the City of Batavia Police Department. Listed offenses do not imply that charges were filed. Calls may result in no official action.

Monday:

• 12:58pm, 315 W. Main Street, accident
• 1:10pm, Columbia Ave., accident
• 3:29pm, 3 Treadeasy Dr., harassment
• 4:01pm, 7 Central Ave., burglary
• 5:11pm, 2 Olyn Ave., harassment
• 9:25pm, 14 Union St., harassment

Tuesday:

• 12:03am, 24 Porter Ave., harassment
• 12:51pm, 260 State St., larceny
• 2:21pm, 12 Ellicott St., harassment
• 2:53pm, 8351 Lewiston Road, accident
• 4:01pm, 5 Osterhout Ave., harassment

Wednesday:

• 5:09am, 4 Swan St. (Lower Rear), burglary
• 7:59am, 218 Ellicott St. (Lower), larceny
• 2:27pm, 196 Oak St., accident
• 5:26pm, 128 Jackson St., fraud
• 6:18pm, 12 Oak St., criminal mischief
• 8:37pm, 33 Dellinger Ave., reckless endangerment

Thursday:

• 12:33am, 433 E. Main St. (Apt: 5), harassment
• 9:16am, North Street, accident
• 1:28pm, 419 W. Main St., accident
• 5:11pm, W. Main Street, accident
• 7:26pm, 115 S. Main St., larceny

Note: We don't include noise complaints, domestic disputes and routine police business.

State police reported the arrest of Michael A. Soliday, 30, of Niagara Falls, Monday in the town of Lewiston. Soliday was stopped on Route 31 shortly after 9:30pm and discovered to be driving without a license and allegedly under the influence. He was charged with driving while intoxicated and second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation.

When police searched Soliday's vehicle, they allegedly discovered more than 20 ounces of marijuana, hydrocodone tablets, codeine pills and a hypodermic needle.

Soliday was subsequently charged with a felony count of criminal possession of marijuana, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and two counts of criminally possessing a hypodermic instrument. He was sent to Niagara County Jail on $5,000 bail.

Batavia city police charged 33-year-old Jodylynn Wetmore, of 33 Dellinger Ave., with second-degree reckless endangerment Wednesday afternoon. Police were told that Wetmore drove into someone standing in a driveway.

That same night, the Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force searched the apartment of 29-year-old Joshua S. Gaylord at 11 Wood St. (Lower), in Batavia, and allegedly found a third of an ounce of cocaine. He was charged with one felony count of third-degree and another of fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Officers then searched the upper apartment of 30-year-old Aaron J. Gaylord and allegedly found about an ounce of marijuana. Aaron Gaylord was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana.

All reports were issued in published releases by the respective departments.

We're back! After an intensive three-day video training workshop in Fairport, Philip is back in Batavia, more capable than ever to get out there and record the news. In the meantime, here's what you'll find at WBTA this morning:

Batavia's Charter Review Commission will meet Monday at 6:30pm at City Hall.

Batavia families welcome some inner-city kids to the open country as part of the Fresh Air Fund experience.

Professional Turf Services breaks ground today on the company's 12,000-square-foot facility in Pembroke Commerce Park. The company based in Grand island and Lockport distributes fertilizer to golf courses.

Check out WBTA.com for more on these and other stories.

High oil prices are pushing refinery upgrades and expansion, which is good news to Batavia-based Graham Corp. Its revenue and profits are soaring, reports the Buffalo News.

Graham is coming off a fiscal year where profits and sales were the highest ever by a wide margin. The company’s stock, which traded for just over $10 in January 2007, now stands at $89.

And Graham’s order backlog and new order bookings are running at a record pace, prompting Lines to predict that the company’s growth spurt is far from over, with sales expected to rise by another 15 percent to 20 percent during the fiscal year that began in March. That would push revenues to around $100 million for the first time ever.

The article indicates that Graham is continuing to expand its work force, at home and aboard.

It was a back-and-forth game, but Batavia (25-16) prevailed to beat State College (9-31) 8-5.  Hector Cardenas (3-0) got the win on the mound, throwing two innings with two hits and three strikeouts.  Adam Reifer came in to pitch a scoreless 9^th with two strikeouts for his twelfth save.  Rudy Owens (1-5) suffered the loss and blown save in three innings with five hits, four runs, one walk and two strikeouts.

 The Spikes scored first in the 3^rd when Ciro Rosero hit a solo homerun.  Batavia answered back in the bottom of the inning on a Charley Cutler single and Jose Garcia double.  But the Spikes came back again in the 4^th to score two.  Andrew Biela and Quincy Latimore both had singles then Miguel Mendez cleared the bases with a double.

 They added to their lead in the 5^th when Chase D’Arnaud started off the inning when he reached on a throwing error.  Jeremy Farrell then singled before Latimore singled to plate the two.  However, the Muckdogs started their comeback in the bottom of the 5^th on back-to-back-to-back doubles by Frederick Parejo, Cutler and Xavier Scruggs.  Scruggs came through to score on a throwing error later that inning.

 Batavia came through with the win in the bottom of the 8^th after Jermaine Curtis, Shane Peterson and Jon Edwards all singled.  Peterson came through to score the go-ahead run when Cutler ground-out.  Scruggs added some insurance with a two run double.

The Batavia Muckdogs ended their road trip strongly, taking all three games from the Crosscutters of Williamsport.  Here is a look at those games:

• Monday, July 28: Batavia 4, Williamsport 3:  Ramon Delgado (2-1) got the start and win, going five innings with six hits, one run, one walk and four strikeouts.  Jameson Maj closed out the game and got his first save with four hits, two runs and four strikeouts in his four innings of work.  Jermaine Curtis went 1-for-4 with a three-run homerun.  Christian Rosa went 2-for-4 with a stolen base.
• Tuesday, July 29: Batavia 6, Williamsport 4:  On the mound, Scott Gorgen (2-0) pitched five innings with three hits, one run and four strikeouts in his start for the win.  Adam Reifer let up two hits, one run and a walk in the 9th, but was still good enough to earn his eleventh save of the season.  Offensively, Frederick Parejo went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI.  Jon Edwards also had a multi-hit night, going 2-for-3.
• Wednesday, July 30: Batavia 8, Williamsport 1:  The Muckdogs excelled in both parts of the game to complete the three-game sweep of the Crosscutters.  Thomas Eager (2-3) threw the first five innings with three hits, one run, four walks and three strikeouts to get the win.  George Brown was impressive in the last three innings, letting up only two hits and one walk with six strikeouts for his second save.  And the Batavia bats were hot, totaling twelve hits on the night.  Edwards went 1-for-5 and Xavier Scruggs went 1-for-4, each with a homerun and two RBI.  Shane Peterson went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI.  Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-3 and Curtis went 3-for-5 with a stolen base.

Batavia is back in action tonight, starting a long homestand.  The State College Spikes come into town to play a three-game series.  The Muckdogs hope to keep-up their impressive stretch.  Here is where we stand right now:

• We are on a 5 game winning streak, winning 8 of our last 10 games.
• We are tied for 2nd with Auburn in the Pinckney Division, 2 games back of Jamestown.
• Jermaine Curtis's .324 batting average is 7th in the New York Penn League (NYPL).
• Arquimedes Nieto has record of 4-0 and an ERA of 1.41 to put him 2nd in the NYPL.
• Thomas Eager is right behind him with a 2-3 record and 2.12 ERA to place him 5th in the NYPL.
• Adam Reifer leads the NYPL with 11 saves.
• The team is 3rd in batting, with an average of .262.
• Colt Sedbrook is tied with two others for the league lead in triples; he has 5 on the season.

This week, we also lost pitcher Lance Lynn, as he was moved up to Quad Cities. Blake Murphy also got the call up and Louis De La Cruz has also left Batavia.  However, Nick Vera is back on the roster and new infielder Brett Lilley has joined the team.  Lilley, oringinally from North Canton, Ohio, went to school at Notre Dame.  He has a .308 batting average with Johnson City.

Stay tuned for more information on games, players and everything else Muckdogs!

(via Rochester Turning)

First, I want to let you all know that Lance Lynn was moved up to Quad Cities.  He had a great start on the road, going four innings with seven strikeouts.  We all wish him the best of luck!

We have a long homestand coming up starting this Thursday.  Here is some info on those games:

July 31-August 2: State College

• Thursday- Team Photo Giveaway
• Friday- Launch-a-ball to benefit the Hillside Family of Agencies; post-game fireworks
• Saturday- Ryan Howard Bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 fans

August 3-August 4: Williamsport

• Sunday- Game starts at 4:05; dog bowl giveaway to the first 500 fans, courtesy of Invisible Fence; post-game run the bases
• Monday- "First Pitch Fly In" to benefit Mercy Flight; Muckdog Monday presented by the Daily News

August 6 & August 8: Auburn

• Wednesday- Doubleheader starting at 5:05; Genesee County ARC Night; reusable shopping bag giveaway courtesy of Genesee County ARC; Family Four Pack
• Friday- Launch-a-ball to benefit the Hillside Family of Agencies; post-game fireworks

Keep checking in for game updates! I will have video after each home series! I hope to have a few player one-on-one interviews up during this homestand, too! Hope to see you at the ballpark!

Note: The Batavian will not be posting a Daily News roundup this afternoon. We will be in video training all morning and afternoon. Please, if you see any news, report it. Get on the site, post a blog, put up video. We'll be back in full force soon.

I've liked Gov. David Paterson since the first time I saw him. He's erudite, knows his facts, and he's got a sense of humor and a capacity for reason that about every other politician in the state, and many across the country, lacks to a fault. I'm not well versed enough in the political scene to get much more into my appreciation than that. That is, I can't say with any real authority if he's doing well or poorly at his job, though I would cautiously lean towards the former.

Proof:

Now that the news is out that the state accrued another $1.4 billion in debt over the past 90 days, he's calling our legislators back to work. How could the state be $1.4 billion in debt? City Council President Charlie Mallow alluded to it some the other day, in a comment appended to our initial story about the impending fiscal crisis, when he said that there are simply far too many special interest groups hankering after a piece of the pie. What looms is a question that ought to have been asked a long time ago in this state: What are we spending our tax money on... really?

Assemblyman Steve Hawley, R-Batavia, told WBTA's Dan Fischer that the state need to perform more regular audits. Sounds good to me. Let's find out the gritty details of what money is going where.

Here are some details from Paterson's address last night, courtesy of the Buffalo News:

The state’s projected deficit for next year has swollen by another $1.4 billion in the last 90 days, Gov. David A. Paterson warned Tuesday during a statewide television address in which he summoned the State Legislature back next month for a rare, midsummer special session.

He issued the call for greater fiscal discipline just three months after he approved the current state budget, which provides for raising spending at twice the rate of inflation projected by state officials.

“New York’s families are already making the tough choices — New Yorkers are prioritizing spending every day,” Paterson said Tuesday in the five-minute address. “Now, your government is going to follow your lead. We are going to end legislative vacations and bring them back to Albany to reprioritize the way we manage New York State’s finances.”

So, he can talk a good game. But what now? What happens now?

Paterson did not offer specific ideas for controlling spending. Whether he will make such proposals before the Legislature returns Aug. 19 remained uncertain.

How aggressively the Legislature will cut spending also remained unclear. The special session will meet less than three months before all members are up for reelection.

If Paterson hoped legislative leaders would rush to his side to make serious cuts in the current budget, Tuesday evening must have been a disappointment.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat like the governor, went so far as to draw up a list of programs — the biggest items in the state budget — that should not be cut. It included education and health care, which, together, account for 63 percent of the budget.

First, I would be interested in knowing what accounts for the other 37 percent of the budget. Second, I would like to see how the education and health care funds are allocated.

The governor made no mention of education or health care. Nor did he discuss the state’s ballooning debt levels and other rapidly rising costs, such as pension and health care benefits for state workers.

The state’s worsening fiscal problems are twofold: spending that has risen 45 percent over five years to $122 billion in this year’s budget and a softening economy that is evaporating tax revenue to pay for these costly programs.

Despite the gloom, Paterson did not say whether he would consider layoffs or a hiring freeze. Under the current budget, the state work force is projected to add 1,400 positions to 201,000 workers.

But he did say that, in coming weeks, he will look at the size of the work force, which immediately raised red flags among some state worker unions.

Danny Donohue, president of the Civil Service Employees Association, the state government’s biggest union, called any talk of trimming the work force “a sham.”

“We will not stand by for knee-jerk political solutions that diminish our quality of life and create more misery,” said Donohue, whose union has major leverage with legislators, especially in an election year.

For the full story, see the article by Tom Precious.

Future Redbirds takes a look at the progress of several Cardinal Prospects.   Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

Here are what they say about a few of the Muckdogs.  There's more coverage on the links above.

Pick #2, Supplemental First Round, #39 Overall - Lance Lynn

• Batavia - 14.2 ip, 15 k’s, 3 BB, 1 ER

Lynn pitched 89.2 innings for Ole Miss this season already, so it is my guess (hope) that the Cardinals are going to get him 30-40 relatively easy innings at Batavia this season before starting him at Quad Cities next year.  He has looked pretty dominant at Batavia so far, but there’s no need to rush him this year.  He hasn’t walked anyone in his last three appearances (11 innings) and he’s only given up one extra base hit (a double) in his time at Batavia.

Pick #3, Second Round, #59 overall - Shane Peterson

• Batavia - .352/.455/.429 14.4 BB%, 20 LD%, .471 BABIP

Shane has certainly torn up Batavia in his first twenty-seven games (take a look at that BABIP, though). He played three years in college at Long Beach State and has shown that he can play at this level, so I’d like to see him challenged by a move up to Quad Cities.  He has played all three outfield positions and a little bit of first base, but it seems to me that he profiles best in center field if he’s got the fielding chops to play there.  His power numbers have never really fit for a corner outfielder or first base and that has continued at Batavia (.077 isolated power).  He is, however, still only twenty years old, so he could still grow into more of a power stroke as he moves up the ladder.

Pick #5, Fourth Round, #125 overall - Scott Gorgen

• Batavia - 16 ip, 19 k’s, 5 BB, 4 ER

Gorgen put up outstanding numbers at UC-Irvine and has continued with similar rates at Batavia.  Like Lynn, Gorgen put in quite a few innings in college (115.2), so the Cardinals will probably not want to give him too many more innings this year.  I would bet that if Gorgen was 6′2″ with the same numbers he would get a lot more hype than he has, but continued success at higher levels will be the only antidote to the size bias.

Pick #6, Fifth Round, #155 Overall - Jermaine Curtis

• Batavia - .315/.390/.438 8.0 BB%, 14 LD%, .360 BABIP

Jermaine is a third baseman with a similar offensive profile to Shane Peterson (with the exception, of course, that Curtis is a righty and Peterson is a lefty).  He has hit well, but doesn’t seem to have the power to stay at third base (.123 ISO).  It has been suggested that he may be converted to second base, where his bat would play a lot better.  Of course, like Peterson he is still only twenty years old, so the power could still come.

Pick #20, Round Nineteen, #575 Overall - Xavier Scruggs

• Batavia - .189/.262/.305 7.4 BB%, 18 LD%, .266 BABIP

Xavier was a power hitting first baseman for UNLV, but he hasn’t yet lived up to his reputation in his first 95 at bats at Batavia. He’s got good size and had outstanding plate discipline in college, so it is a little disappointing that he has struggled so much.

Pick #43, Forty-second Round, #1265 Overall - Blakely Murphy

• Batavia - .253/.337/.471 3 hr, 10.1 BB%, 9.0 LD%, .365 BABIP

Blake has been called one of the great sleepers of the draft. Looking at his college numbers, he played four years at Western Carolina University, I can’t understand why he didn’t get more interest in the draft. He had a very solid junior year in college and then put up a line of .367/.495/.683 his senior year, hitting 16 homers in 221 at bats. He isn’t undersized (or oversized for a catcher) at 6′1″, 195 lbs, he’s got good patience at the plate and hits for good power. Maybe he’s a black hole on defense, but those numbers should play anywhere. He hasn’t quite put up the same numbers thus far at Batavia, but he has been solid.

Also covered (see links above):

Pick #15, Round Fourteen, #425 Overall - Charles Cutler

Pick #18, Round Seventeen, #515 Overall - Joshua Hester

Pick #23, Round Twenty-two, #665 Overall - Colt Sedbrook

Pick #25, Round Twenty-four, #725 Overall - Zachary Pitts

Pick #26, Round Twenty-five, #755 Overall - Jason Buursma

Pick #27, Round Twenty-six, #785 Overall - Christopher Swauger

Pick #28, Round Twenty-seven, #815 Overall - George Brown

Pick #39, Thirty-eighth Round, #1145 Overall - Daniel Richardson

Here is a quick video of the key players from the two home games against Oneonta last Tuesday and Wednesday.  More (and better) video is to come!

I also want to start a "Meet the Muckdogs" feature where I do interviews with the players.  Feedback would be great to see who you all want to hear from and learn about!

Enjoy!

We found this video on YouTube this morning. It's about a year old and a lot of fun.

LeRoy has seen an increase in crime over the past week or so, especially over the weekend. LeRoy Police Detective John Condidorio told WBTA's Dan Fischer that the burglaries — one car was stolen, several others were broken into — may be related. Police do have one suspect, described as a white male, slender, between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-9, wearing white shorts and a tee-shirt. Residents are advised to lock their homes and cars and report to the police any suspicious activity.

Note: The Batavian will not be posting a Daily News roundup this afternoon. We will be in video training all morning and afternoon. Please, if you see any news, report it. Get on the site, post a blog, put up video. We'll be back in full force soon.

The Daily Gotham was the first to pick up on a sly bit of digital-era campaign mudslinging Saturday when it pulled the curtain on the latest "Jon Powers" Web site (www.powersplatoon.com) to show that, in fact, it wasn't a Jon Powers Web site at all. It wasn't by him, for him or with him. It wasn't from his campaign or his supporters.

Powers Platoon is a tactical fake "Paid for by Davis for Congress," and it's more than just a spitting image of the "actual" campaign site, it's identical — save, of course, the content, which is 100 percent anti-Powers, calling him out for connections with special interest lobbyists and accusing him of waffling on high profile issues.

Can you tell which one is real, which fake?

For those of you who can't tell which site is bogus — though I find it hard to believe that anyone would, for one second, believe the lie — it's the one on the bottom, the one that criticizes Powers in alliterative language that was already hackneyed by the end of the last presidential election (flips, flops, flails). It's obvious. It couldn't be more of a sham and for that very reason is worth a good laugh, at the very least.

But how much of a laugh? Seriously. When do we stop laughing and wonder if this is going too far, as some say. A pair of blog sites that don't shy from the fact that they are supporters of Jon Powers — the Daily Gotham and Buffalo Pundit — think that the site is going so far that it's illegal.

While the Gotham gets a little too nasty and over the top about it — calling Jack Davis a "scumbag" and accusing the site's designers of being no different than people who try to "steal your credit card information" — the question is worth asking: is the site illegal? How?

Buffalo Pundit has this to say:

It’s not protected by the fair use doctrine because it’s not using mere excerpts of Powers’ work product, but has completely mimicked his site in an effort to confuse and trick the reader. Everything right down to the logo, the font, the layout, and even the portrait...

All of these items are protected by automatic copyright held by Mr. Powers. We all expected Jack Davis to use his millions to smear Powers. None of us expected him to do it by breaking the law and deliberately tricking prospective voters.

Is it, then, copyright infringement? What is "automatic copyright"? The Batavian has a couple calls in to attorneys, as well as inquiries sent out to both campaigns: Powers and Davis. Neither has said anything yet, and we're still waiting to hear back from the attorneys.

We also sent an e-mail to the site's registered owner, asking him flat out if he considered the possibility of copyright infringement. His name is Erick Mullen. He gives a Washington, DC address.

Although we have not yet confirmed that it is the same individual who built the fake Powers site, there is a "political communications firm" called  Mullen & Company that is run by Erick Mullen and based in Washington. From the Web site:

Mullen & Company is a political communications firm that specializes in award-winning creative media and strategic communications. To win in politics today often demands a break from conventional wisdom, and Mullen & Company will provide your campaign with a modern, thorough knowledge of media strategy and tactics. To win today political campaigns must make decisions rationally rather than culturally.

In his bio, Mullen states that he was part of the campaign team that elected Sen. Charles Schumer in 1998. A video of Schumer posted on the site proves their connection.

We're waiting to hear back from Mullen.

UPDATE: The Batavian did, in fact, hear back from Mullen promptly following this post, and he has defended the site against the allegations from the Powers camp that it is illegal—you can read his comments below. Further, no attorney has yet come forward to affirm the illegality of the site, and we have to believe that it does not violate any specifics of the law.

The Batavia Area Jaycees are gearing up for their annual run/walk coming up in September, and they're looking for sponsors. Melissa George issued this press release over the weekend:

The Batavia Area Jaycees are proud to announce the 22nd Annual Labor Day 5K Run & Walk on September 1, 2008 at MacArthur Park in Batavia, NY.  This is the third year that the proceeds from the event will go to benefit Genesee County AIDS Task Force, which relies strictly on donations.

Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. and the race will begin at 10:00 a.m.  The race fee is $12 for runners and $10 for walkers, with the fee Jayceesgoing to $15 the day of the race.  Trophies and prizes will be given out to the top male & female runners after the race and the first 100 registered participants will receive a free t-shirt. The course is USA Track & field certified.

Registration forms are available online at www.geneseeny.com/bataviajaycees or by calling 585-343-5775.

The Batavia Area Jaycees are still looking for sponsorships for this event.  If you are interested in learning more on being a sponsor, contact Melissa A. George, race chairman at 585-343-5775 or info@bataviajcs.org.

Daily News reporter Matt Surtel was on the scene at the VA Medical Center when 85-year old Clifford E. Williams received "nine long-overdue medals in a ceremony attended by family and friends." Williams was due the medals when he got out of World War II 64 years ago, but for whatever reason, they were never delivered.

Williams fought in France in 1944, when he was 22-years-old. He rescued a fellow soldier who was wounded in an ambush, literally dragging the man to safety. Later, writes Surtel, "Williams was himself badly wounded ... caught in a shellburst." He was discharged, honorably.

Among the honors bestowed on Williams Saturday were the Purple Heart and the American Campaign Medal decorated with three bronze stars.

Twelve-year-old Mike Vogel won the first-ever Spirit of Michael Award at the Michael Napoleone memorial Foundation's youth baseball tournament Saturday. Michael Napoleone was 8 years old when he died in 2006 from an aggressive leukemia. "His family set up the foundation to support families undergoing similar cancer crises, and supporting research into pediatric blood cancers," writes Surtel.

As always, we encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News wherever the paper is sold. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.