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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.

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.

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

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.

Amy Mathisen has a dream -- to build a facility for gymnastics and offer them after-school programs on her parents' farm in Stafford.

Karen Nostrant and Paul Hendel don't necessarily want to stomp on that dream, but they aren't eager to see such a facility close to their home on Caswell Road. The prospect of increased traffic and car lights shining into their windows is not appealing to them.

On Mach 24, Mathisen sent a letter to the Stafford Town Council outlining her plans, which will require land-use changes.

Mathisen's dream starts with converting three or four acres of the farm into a lot for the facility, which would be 9,000 square feet with 400 square feet dedicated to before-and after-school programs and recreational activities.

Parking would be a gravel lot.

In a letter dated May 1, Nostrant and Hendel say the proposed location would be less than 100 feet from their front porch, that the parking area would significantly increase noise and lights adjacent their property, traffic on Caswell would increase from three vehicles per hour to more than 30 and the value of both properties would decrease as a result.

Rather than try to shut down Mathisen's dream entirely, however, Nostrant and Hendel, who are both volunteers with the Stafford Fire Department, suggest the facility be shifted to Griswold Road, which would put a barn between it and the two houses on Caswell.

Mathisen's a 33-year resident of Stafford and has been involved in gymnastics since age 13. She wrote to the town council:

"Gymnastics is a sport that prepares youth for any sport through gross motor skill development, strength training, flexibility and balance. Gymnastics is for both boys and girls of all ages and with the afterschool program right at the center, some parents will have one less stop to make in their busy schedules, which in turn strengthens the family unit. I want gymnastics in Genesee County to have a facility that will be around for years to come with the tools it needs for gymnasts to excel. I have been involved in a program that has moved at least 8 times in the last 10 years. I want there to be a permanent home for gymnastics in Genesee County."

We tried calling Mathisen three times, but she has not returned our calls.

No hearing date has been set to review the proposal.

Through a special arrangement with Max Pies Furniture, 400 South Jackson St., Batavia, The Batavian is able to extend this special, online-only offer to its readers:

We have for sale a rocker recliner. This big, comfortable chair normally sells for $699. The first reader of The Batavian to act on this offer can buy it online for $399 (plus sales tax). That's a $300 savings!

You can't buy this recliner in the store at that price.

The winner of this exclusive item will be able to choose from an in-stock rocker recliner or custom order in one of the three available colors.

The rocker recliner features soft upholstery and plush contemporary styling so you can enjoy a comfortable relaxing time whether watching TV, reading or enjoying good conversation. With plush saddle arms and unique butler back design, these recliners are comfortable while retaining their design that compliments almost any home décor. The upholstery, construction and design are built to handle everyday living.

There is only one item available at this price and it is exclusive through
The Batavian. The winning purchaser will need to arrange to stop by The Batavian office to pick up a purchase voucher. Final arrangements to take delivery of the chair are made at the Max Pies location at 400 South Jackson St. This item will be available until it sells and only one at this price is available.

The voucher has no cash value, but can be used toward an upgrade purchase on another item.

Deliver is free in Genesee County.

To purchase this online exclusive from The Batavian and Max Pies Furniture, click the PayPal button below (this is the only way you can make this purchase -- this price is NOT available in the store).

If you're a local business owner and would like to offer The Batavian readers great deals either as part of The Deal of the Day or as an Online Exclusive, call me at 585-260-6970.

SOLD

There is legislation under consideration now that would remove the requirement to explain why you need an absentee ballot, as well as allow votes to be cast as much as 14 days before election day. More from the Times-Union here.

Today, we're offering gift certificates for two charming stores, Herbly Wonderful and Essence of Candles.

These are both $25 gift certificate and you can purchase them through The Batavian for $12.50 each -- half off!*

Essence of Candles is located at 201 Liberty St. and features a variety of handmade candles -- made right here in Batavia. Store hours are Tuesday through Friday, 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Herbly Wonderful is located at 3701 Pearl Street Road and offers teas, dried herbs, blends and spices. Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday: noon to 5 p.m..

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.

Herbly Wonderful

SOLD

Essence of Candles

SOLD

*NOTE: Starting Friday, we will beginning charing a $1 service fee to offset the fees we pay to PayPal.

Approximately $30,000 in damage was caused to a home at 46 Otis Street in Batavia last night after a fire erupted in the cockloft area of the house.

The Batavia Fire Department reports that dispatchers received numerous calls around 9:42 p.m., including an initial call from a neighbor at the rear of the house on Hutchins Street.

Crews from the city and town were dispatched to the blaze. No injuries were reported.

Damage to the structure, which is owned by Rose Szczesny, was confined to the cockloft -- or attic-like area -- of the house. There was smoke and water damage to other portions of the house.

Jeffery Vanslyke, 27, of Elba, was issued an appearance ticket Monday around 10:20 p.m. for alleged unlawful possession of marijuana. The marijuana was reportedly found following a traffic stop in Byron.

About 70 people who retired from Genesee County jobs will be required to drop their county medical and dental plans and sign up for Medicare by July 1

But it isn't as bad as it sounds.

The retires will likely save at least $100 on their monthly premium, according to Karen Marchese, the county's personnel officer. 

The Medicare plans are as good or better than what the county currently offers, according to the resolution authorizing the plan passed by the legislature.

The change effects only those retired employees, 70 out of 120, who are Medicate eligible.

"Each retiree will be given a chance to meet with the Office for the Aging to decide which Medicate advantage plan best suits their needs," Marchese said.

Marchese added that the change "will result in savings for the taxpayers as well, so it's a win-win situation."

The Genesee County Legislature presented local Americorp volunteers with a proclamation Wednesday night recognizing their volunteer efforts for the community. 

Don Read was kind  enough to show me around the County Clerk's office today. When I arranged the tour, I didn't expect to find a mini-Lincoln museum.  Read has been collecting Lincoln memorabilia since he was a teenager, he said. What you see in the picture is only portion of the items on display at the clerk's office.  Read has also topped a line of file cabinets along one wall with a collection of Lincoln books.  Among The display alone is worth a trip to the clerk's office. After work today, Read was off to another auction where he heard there were a number of Lincoln-related items available.