batavia

Richard Stevens, left, runs through a giant rain puddle on Tracy Avenue, with his dog, some neighbor dogs and a neighbor's boy.

The flooded street is now reportedly drained.

Below, a reader submitted the photo showing the flood waters outside Aldi's on East Main Street.

Dig the '80s style lettering on this old truck.

When I was poking around on Cedar Street this morning looking for some reported law enforcement effort going on, and finding nothing, I noticed Wade Avenue. I've never been down Wade Avenue before, so I drove to the end of the short street.

And the end was parked this old school delivery device for news, apparently put out to pasture. Shouldn't it be in a museum?

Sheriff Gary Maha arrived at 3658 Townline Road a short time ago where, within the hour, law enforcement had arrived on scene and conducted a raid.

Maha also confirmed there had been a raid earlier on Cedar Street in Batavia. He said there were "three or four" locations raided this morning. He said it's related to an investigation into methamphetamine distribution. When asked where the meth was being manufactured he said he couldn't say.

The Sheriff's Office, State Police and an Orleans County K-9 unit are on scene.

Maha said his office would release a statement later this afternoon.

This information is from a news release from Steve Hawley.

On July 1, Assemblyman Steve Hawley closed out the 2010-2011 Legislative Session by giving New York State flags to his colleagues in the Assembly.

Earlier in the week, Elba Town Supervisor Lucine Kauffman, and her husband Bill, took a tour of the State Capitol arranged by Assemblyman Hawley.

Upon reaching the Assembly Chamber, Supervisor Kaufmann and Bill were surprised to find that in addition to the American flag, many of the members' desks included flags of other countries and social causes, but there was not one New York State flag.

With that in mind, Assemblyman Hawley purchased New York State flags for each of his Assembly Minority colleagues, and several of his colleagues in the Majority, to go with their American flags.

They serve as a reminder that although this year was a banner year for dysfunction and fiscal mismanagement in Albany, the legislature should still show pride in our home - New York State!

When I stopped into South Beach, 59 E. Main St., Batavia, this afternoon to see what was up with the re-opening plans, the first thing Ken Mistler did was give me a cup of ice water.

Man, was it good. And not just because it was 96 degrees outside.

Mistler has a whole new filtration system that all the water -- for cooking, ice and table service -- goes through. It's as pure and clear as a pristine mountain stream.

And it's also evidence of the first-rate job Mistler has done in putting together the new South Beach. He's not calling it "Ken Mistler's South Beach," but that's how we might start thinking about it. It's both that different and yet still South Beach.

Inside are the same bamboo and beachy themes, but Mistler has also made a lot of changes, from adding a side-door entrance and doing away with the Main Street entrance, to enclosing the kitchen. The latter change helps keep heat in the kitchen instead of the dining room. He's also added new, larger, more private booths.

There's also more seating overall and a bigger bar.

And Mistler isn't done. He's got expansion plans for downstairs once the main restaurant is running smoothly.

The new South Beach officially opens Tuesday.

As for the food, Mistler said it will be "South Beach with a flair." There will be steaks and seafood and pineapple dishes, but one unique feature is that diners will have the option of ordering -- and paying less -- for smaller portions.

"We thought, when we go out to eat the plates are just too big, too much food on the plate, and you feel obligated to eat it," Mistler said. "We’ll do away with that by offering the same dish, but a smaller portion at a lower price."

An injury accident is blocking the intersection of Clinton Street Road and Seven Springs Road, Batavia.

Stafford Fire and Mercy EMS are dispatched.

Minor injuries are reported.

A pickup truck has lost a wheel and rear axle and needs to be towed from the intersection.

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City Police are being dispatched to Austin Park.

The trouble: "Kids are throwing water at each other."

In the words of the dispatcher, "apparently, the parents don't like that."

Kristopher David Cadieux, 32, of Strathallen Park, Rochester, is charged with petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and aggravated unlicensed operation. Cadieux allegedly stole two video cameras from Target on Monday. On Tuesday, he reportedly returned to the store and was spotted by Target security. As he left the store, the Sheriff's Office was contacted. He was later spotted at Walmart. He then reportedly drove to the Lowe's parking lot, where he was stopped and identified. During the stop, Deputy John Baiocco reportedly found four stolen video games in Cadieux's car.

Jordon J.J. Herthum, 20, of 7109 Chili-Riga Road, Churchville, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, unlawful possession of marijuana and failure to keep right. Herthum was stopped at 3:37 a.m. on Lake Street in Le Roy by Sgt. Michael Hare.

A 17-year-old resident of North Lyons, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. The youth is accused of stealing money from Darien Lake Theme Park while an employee.

Michael Aaron Witkop, 18, of Ross Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of fireworks, possession of alcohol under 21 and inadequate vehicle exhaust mechanism. Witkop was stopped at 1:54 a.m. by Deputy Patrick Reeves on Law Street, Batavia for an alleged traffic violation. He was allegedly found in possession of fireworks and alcohol.

Janet and June Lee had things just about ready by late this afternoon for the annual Order of the Eastern Star book sale at the Masonic Temple, 200 E. Main St., Batavia.

The sale opens Thursday at 9 a.m., rain or shine, and runs through noon, Saturday.

Proceeds benefit the VA Nursing Home and other charities.

Book donations are still welcome, but the Lee sisters request no professional or college books, National Geographics or encyclopedias.

Available are a wide variety of books, both paperback and hardback, from all types of fiction to books on cooking, crafts, sports and politics.

After taking care of my advertising-related tasks today, I decided to drive around the city (and only the city, for the whole "Summer in the City" theme) and get pictures of people dealing with the heat, or enduring the heat (such as guys still forced to work even though between the heat and humidity, the climate was ungodly).

I started at Dewitt Park on Ceder Street where I spotted this boy wading in the water, apparently hunting for crawfish.

Below is Eva Bohn, who took a book to one of the pavilions at Dewitt. She said sunny days are too precious to waste, so she tries not to spend them indoors. She found a shady spot with a little breeze and whiled away the time with a thick book.

Of course, no photo essay about summer in the city would be complete without a visit to the spray park in Austin Park -- there's one picture of it below, and then more after the jump.

Bikes on the dock at Dewitt -- I have no idea where the riders went.

Tackle box, a rod and reel at DeWitt.

Zack (left) and Nick Merlotta were at Dewitt today fishing in a nice shady spot. Zack, who was quite interested in having his picture taken by The Batavian, said his brother caught a pike and a bass yesterday.

Jerry Douglas and Russ Morey, both from Rochester, endured the heat as they installed pipes for electrical lines as part of the UMMC expansion.

Three construction workers at UMMC leaving work. They were very focused on leaving and didn't seem to want to be bothered with me getting their names.

Boys relaxing in a shady tree at Austin Park.

A woman with a bright red headband at Austin Park.

As I took a picture of the woman with the bright red headband, this boy, thinking I was taking pictures of him, started in with boxer poses, so, I took a picture of him, too.

As I drove down Liberty Street, I spotted Paul Berardini eating watermelon on a porch, so I stopped. It turns out he was at his cousin's house, who was hosting a BBQ for some Batavia Muckdogs players (who had the day off). Above are Mike O'Neill and Matt Valaika.

Pauly with Muckdogs centerfielder Nick Longmire.

Mike Storh, of Depew, was among the work crew installing a new sidewalk on Liberty Street this afternoon.

Charles Vaccaro, of Williamsville, takes a break during the sidewalk installation on Liberty Street.

Councilman Bob Bialkowski was on Union Street this afternoon collecting signatures on a nominating petition. He didn't say who for.

It wasn't rain, sleet or snow, but postman Jason Warren was out on Bank Street proving that no matter what the weather, the postal service is getting the mail out.

Geoff Redick only had to report how hot it was, otherwise, he enjoyed the air-conditioned confines of the WBTA studio.

Main St. Pizza Company was packed as early as 4:30 p.m., and the kitchen was sweltering. Owner Vic Marchese said the area of the ovens, friers and woodpit BBQ can get up to 120 degrees on a day like today.

Hot wings on a hot day: One of Vic's cooks flips an order of hot wings on the BBQ grill in his kitchen.

City residents and those who work in the city are asked to provide input to the Batavia City Council through a Citizen Survey posted on the city’s website at <www.batavianewyork.com> through Friday, July 30.

The survey of eight questions takes about eight minutes and is designed to gauge how citizens perceive the quality of several city services. The survey also inquires as to whether citizens plan to remain in Batavia in five years, and provides an area for general comments.

The data received from the survey can be broken down by ward, age group and/or gender.

The results will provide the city with information for its strategic planning process for fiscal 2010 – 2011.

“We have spent a significant amount of time gathering data from the hard work done by our citizens in the past,” said City Manager Jason Molino. “It is important that we supplement the information we have with data that outlines how our citizens perceive the job we are doing today.”

The online survey can be accessed by any computer with Internet capability.

To find the survey, an individual will need to go to www.batavianewyork.com and click on the “8 Minutes till Eight” logo for the citizen survey.

This link will take the participant directly to the survey which can be filled out online and submitted by the click of a button upon completion. All residents, and those working in the city, can take the survey, and the survey can be accessed more than once by eligible members of the same household.

“We need citizen input in order to make informed decisions that will impact the future for us all” said City Council President Marianne Clattenburg.

For individuals without computers, the Richmond Memorial Library is encouraging Batavia residents to use its free Internet service to take the survey.

The library offers several computer terminals from which the survey can be taken. The service is free; however individuals must sign up to become a library member first.

Membership is free and simply requires a few minutes to provide some basic information. Summer library hours are: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday – Thursday; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

GoArt!'s annual 4th of July "Picnic in the Park" got a pretty good turnout this year, with families and people of all ages coming over to enjoy the food, shows and activities.

For those who missed it, here are some photos:

Andrew Richardson, a pastoral intern at Batavia Assembly of God Church, gets "dunked."

Fencing competition sponsored by Batavia's new En Garde Fencing Academy.

Pictured the Fraterrigo Family, who came to play some bluegrass for the folks in Batavia.

Members of the group Diaspora Drumming play some Latin American drumbeats.

A spectator "jigs" to Irish tunes.

ANIMALS IN THE PARK: