There is a severe thunderstorm watch and wind advisory in affect for Genesee County.
The thunderstorm watch is in effect until 7 p.m.
The wind advisory warns of gusts up to 50 p.m. it will be in effect from 4 p.m. until 2 a.m.
When I heard earlier this week that the New York State Senate had launched a new Web site, I was skeptical that it would really matter much.
Given the dysfunction and high level of partisanship in Albany, my expectations where that new site would serve as nothing more than a promotional brochure for the new Democratic majority.
But, taking a page from the quality and openness that the Obama Administration brought to WhiteHouse.gov, the new Senate site is truly a Web platform that is open and hits the target of serving the public good. The site is not perfect -- for example, users can't comment on news or blog items -- but it is impressive.
First, there's no attempt -- yet, at least, -- to use the site to favor Democratic legislators. Every Senator who has content to display, whether a press release, blog post or video, is treated equally (based on timestamp).
And every Senator has a full range of tools to communicate with the public.
Let's tour, by way of example, our senator's home page, Mike Ranzenhofer.
From this page, you can not only get his latest press releases, but an aggregation of YouTube videos related to Ranzenhofer's senate service. These aren't just videos produced by Senate staff, but include, for example, a video produced by The Batavian.
Ranzenhofer also has a blog, but he has yet to post any items.
From this page, you can also sign up for e-mail and/or mobile alerts from Ranzenhofer's office. The sign-up process also allows you to select notifications from each of the Senate committees, so if there is a specific topic of interest, you can follow that issue in the Senate.
Much of the rest of Ranzenhofer's page is standard fair that you find on any legislative Web site, such as a district map, contact info, legislation and a biography.
When Ranzenhofer's office posts news, blog items or video, it could appear on the home page and it get aggregated into general parts of the site along with all the other Senate content. For example, Ranzenhofer's videos are right on the main video home page (at least at the time of this writing).
For the most part, the Senate is using YouTube for video, which is smart not only from a superior distribution standpoint, but the free hosting (which from commercial providers is VERY expensive) saves taxpayers money.
I looked through a few of the Senate blog posts. It's clear, even if some of these guys are writing their own posts, they still don't quite get the whole blogging thing. The writing is often stiff, there are no links out to items of interest or other bloggers, and the posts often lack any real substance, but presumably just in giving these guys the tools, over time more and more of them will get it and the blog as a communication tool for senators will become something that is useful.
But just about every page has RSS feeds attached, for easier updates for users with RSS readers.
And, like I mentioned above, the site still isn't really a two-way communication tool. Users can't comment on items or make any other public communication that would allow citizens to engage in a two-way conversation with their representatives.
Still, the Senate Democrats are to be applauded for creating a site that brings a great deal of more information about the Senate -- from both sides of the aisle -- to citizens in an easy-to-use and follow format. (One usability quibble: It's really not a good idea to serve an irritating little alert box every time a user clicks a link that will take him off the site.)
Speaking of senators and the Internet, here's Ranzenhofer's Facebook profile.
Genesee County farmers may soon have an opportunity to see their products sold in urban farmers markets in New York City, thanks to a bill unanimously passed by the State Senate last month.
The program creates a revolving loan program to help entrepreneurs open farmers markets in NYC's urban neighborhoods, providing residents in those neighborhoods with fresh farm products from New York State farms.
“One of our goals as a state must be to put quality New York produce from our farms on the plates of New York consumers,” said sponsor, Senator Darrel J. Aubertine (D-Cape Vincent), a retired dairy farmer who continues to raise livestock and grow crops on his farm in Northern New York. “This legislation is an important step toward achieving that. By giving consumers the opportunity to buy the highest quality and freshest products from New York farmers, we are giving our farmers new opportunities to sell their products, bringing healthy foods to underserved communities, and helping our environment by encouraging people to buy local.”
Hat tip to Lorie Longhany for finding this bill.
A 17-year-old from Brockport is accused of sending digital photos depicting nudity from his computer to a minor at a home in Bergen. The youth was arrested and charged with a felony count of disseminating indecent material to a minor. He was arraigned in Town of Bergen Court and released under supervision.
Chrisopher Bey, 32, of Attica, is charged with driving while under the influence of drugs and possession of a controlled substance. Bey was allegedly spotted by a Sheriff's investigator operating a car erratically, swerving all over the roadway on Route 33, so a Sheriff's deputy was called to the scene. Deputy Thompson observed the car pull off the road, the driver jump out, open the hood and then quickly close it. Deputy Thompson pull behind to see what the problem was and observed activity that led him to believe the driver and passenger were under the influence of narcotics. A K-9 search by "Jay" revealed Bey possibly possessed heroin. Bey was also cited for failure to keep right and expired inspection.
Amber Ellison, 19, of Cheektowaga, is charged with possession of marijuana. The marijuana was reportedly found following a traffic stop in Alabama. Ellison was released on an appearance ticket.
We're putting up THREE items today: Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle, Herbly Wonderful and Main St. Pizza Company.
All three are $25 gift certificates for $12.50. Half Off!
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. on MONDAY 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
Main St. Pizza Company
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No, Bruce Springsteen isn't coming to town. Yes, you're not missing a secret show by the Gwen Stefani on Center Street.
This ticket-seeking camp out began at 6 a.m. and it's filled with parents hoping for the best available seats for a Suzanne's School of Dance recital at Batavia High School this Friday and Saturday.
"Yes, we're crazy," said Cathy Chmielowiec, who arrived at 11 a.m. "This is what we'll do for our kids.
Candice Wells was the first in line. "It's important to my daughter," she said.
At the back of the line, a woman noted that no person is allowed to by more than 12 tickets. "We can't buy tickets for each other."
She declined to give her name.
"I don't want to face the wrath of Suzanne," she said. "I'm anonymous."
Another parent said the tickets used to be sold at the school each year, but administrators objected to the long, day-long lines, so now people queue up on Center Street the day of the sale.
The door for tickets opened a little early (scheduled for 6 p.m.), at about 5:40 p.m.
A nurse with the Genesee County health department has reportedly lost her job and is accused of forging two clinical notes about a patient she did not examine.
Sherri Allen, 47, of Elba is charged with two counts of filing a false instrument.
Allen allegedly submitted clinical notes containing false information about a client she did not examine. The notes were dated March 16 and March 30 for clients who skipped their appointments on those dates.
Today's Deal of the Day: A $50 gift certificate from Larry's Steakhouse in Batavia. The Batavian's Good Deal Price: $25 -- HALF off!
Larry's, located at 60 Main St. in Batavia, is one of the newer and finer dining establishments in Batavia. The menu offers many great items, but of course the speciality is steak. Larry's also features a full bar.
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 this certificate in the past 30 days are not eligible for this offer. 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.
Sold.
Genesee County is putting together an employee health plan for the 21st Century, according to County Manager Jay Gsell.
In 1996, the county switched employees to a self-funded insurance plan, but then didn't update it for more than a decade.
Gsell said today that the old plan no longer really served employees well and hadn't kept up in changes in medicine.
"Over time, we've made little changes here and there and most of them are subtle, but now we're here in the 21st Century," Gsell said. "That old plan is not very responsive to the health care needs of people here in 2009 ... and it's not very cost effective."
The new plan has been in the works for two years, with employee unions, management and a consultant participating in putting together the new plan, which even though it was implemented in January is still a work in progress.
The new plan puts a greater emphasis on wellness, well being and prevention.
The plan now covers health care screenings for men and women and preventative diagnostic tests.
"Those kinds of things are in the plan to keep people from getting really sick or avoiding visiting a doctor's office until they have to go to the emergency room," Gsell said.
Still under consideration is coverage for gym memberships.
The committee is also reviewing prescription benefits, such as allowing employees to bulk order medicines through mail order and allowing over-the-counter remedies where patents have expired and a script is no longer necessary.
The main goal of the changes is to be cost neutral, Gsell said, but over the next five or more years, the county could save from $100,000 to $200,000.
"So what we're looking at is whether this plan over the next five years will help us better provide for our employees, but also save us money."
So far, not all employees have opted into the program, but Gsell expects more workers to see the benefits of the plan.
A pedestrian has been struck by a car at North and Ross streets in Batavia. Firefighters and an ambulance have been dispatched.
Very minor injuries are reported.
Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer is still fighting for tax relief under the STAR rebate program, which Ranzenhofer has made central to his legislative agenda since Gov. Paterson announced his intention to cut the program from the state budget.
Ranzenhofer and Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos announced a bill today to restore the STAR rebate checks for the 2009-2010 school year.
SB 5248 would cut 1 percent from Agency Contracts for $519 million in savings and draw on $1 billion in unitemized spending in the state budget.
The full press release follows the jump:
Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer and Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos called on State lawmakers to support Senate Bill 5248 that would reinstate the Middle Class STAR Rebate for the 2009-2010 school year and thereafter. Ranzenhofer and Skelos also proposed a plan to pay for the STAR Rebate Check Program by cutting 1% from Agency Contracts for $519 million in total savings and utilizing $1 Billion in unitemized appropriations in the Public Protection Budget and General Government Bill passed in the State Budget earlier this year. The use of these funds is at the sole discretion of Governor David Paterson.
The proposed legislation, sponsored by Senators Skelos and Ranzenhofer provides $386 in property tax relief on average for 82,767 homeowners in the 61st Senate District. Under the Skelos/Ranzenhofer plan Erie County residents would receive $73 million in overall property tax relief while Genesee County residents would receive $7 million.
“Western New Yorkers received the short-end of the stick earlier this year when the New York City controlled Senate eliminated the STAR rebate checks from the State Budget which amounts to raising taxes on property taxpayers throughout Erie and Genesee Counties,” said Senator Ranzenhofer. “Instead of having their taxes increased, Western New Yorkers deserve property tax relief now to defray skyrocketing property taxes. My proposed legislation would restore STAR rebate checks to homeowners without any new State spending or additional taxes and fees.”
Senator Skelos praised Senator Ranzenhofer for his efforts to provide property tax relief for New Yorkers.
“At a time when so many families in Western New York are struggling to make ends meet, the last thing they need is the Governor and the Legislature taking even more money out of their pockets,” said Dean G. Skelos. “Families count on these rebate checks to help pay their bills, and I commend Senator Ranzenhofer who has been a tremendous advocate to get the STAR rebate checks restored. Our families need action; they are hurting. This legislation will provide much-needed relief to homeowners in Western New York and throughout the entire state.”
Senator Ranzenhofer and members of the Senate Republican conference launched an online petition drive last week to pressure State lawmakers to reinstate the program. Since then, tens of thousands of citizens across New York have signed the petition at www.IWantMyStarCheck.com <http://www.iwantmystarcheck.com/> . In addition, hundreds of people have joined Senator Ranzenhofer’s Facebook Group, New York State Taxpayers Need STAR Rebate Checks.
Senate Republicans initiated the STAR Rebate Check program in 2006, which provides a yearly check mailed to homeowners to help defray sky-rocketing school property taxes. The Democratic controlled Senate Majority eliminated the rebate check program in the 2009-2010 State Budget.
Randy Garney, interim director of the county Health Department, says that results are not back yet on the one suspected "swine flu" case and no new H1N1 cases have been reported in Genesee County.
UPDATE: Not more than 10 minutes after I posted this, Randy Garney received notice from the state that the remaining suspect case is negative. He sent this statement
NYSDOH has just reported to Genesee County Health Department that our remaining suspect H1N1 ( Swine Flu) case is reported as negative.
Job stimulus is coming to Genesee County in the form of two programs that are designed to either help laid off workers get back work or youths find jobs and learn new careers.
A total of $1.6 million of stimulus money is going to the Job Development Bureau, according to Director Scott Gage.
In one program, out-of-work people can apply either for a job that will involve on-the-job training, and the government will pay 50 percent of their wages, or youths can take part-time jobs in July and August with the agency picking up 100 percent of the tab.
"Our goal is to get the money into the community as quickly as possible," Gage said. "The majority of the money will be spent this year, because obviously, the goal of the stimulus plan is to turn the economy around quickly."
These are not new programs, but the amount of funding for them is substantially more than originally budgeted.
Yesterday, the County's Ways and Means Committee approved an increase in the budget for the youth summer job program so the bureau can hire two additional temporary supervisors.
Youths from 16- to 24-years-old can apply for work through the program and any agency, public or private business, can apply to hire workers from the program.
"There's no commitment for the business to hire the youth after the summer program, but we hope that if a business likes the youth the employer will pick them up for a permanent job," Gage said. "Obviously, a lot of employers don't have the ability to that immediately."
Youths or employers interested in the program should contact Jay Lazarony at 344-2042, ext. 212.
For the jobs training program, employers must be able to provide documented on-the-job training with specific learning tasks, or out-of-work individuals can apply for job retraining through BOCES or GCC.
Each program is being funded with an additional $600,000 from the stimulus package, with the balance of the stimulus money going to help disadvantaged or underemployed workers.
When South Beach closed without warning, many people in the community were concerned about gift certificates that had purchased but not redeemed.
In comments on The Batavian, representatives of Alex's Place and Sunny's step forward and offered to redeem the gift certificates.
Matt Gray, owner of Alex's Place says his restaurant on Park Road redeemed more than 350 gift certificates.
Maggie Fasano, manager at Sunny's said 139 gift certificates were redeemed there.
Gray said the offer brought in some new customers and people who hadn't visited Alex's in some time and were grateful, noting that they would be back soon.
"It was very well received from every one who had gift certificates and had a chance to redeem them, not only from us but from the other restaurants as well," Gray said. "It was well received as a gesture of good will."
The exchange was also a big hit at Sunny's.
"People were definitely positive," Fasano said. "People were grateful it wasn't a total lose for them and we picked up lots of new customers, and we're very glad to have them."
Ken Mistler recently revealed that he's purchasing the South Beach location and will seek a new tenant looking to open a new restaurant in that location.
Today's Deal of the Day: A $25 gift certificate from Alex's Place in Batavia. The Batavian's Good Deal Price: $12.50 -- HALF off!
Before I even decided to start a business in Batavia, people were telling me about Alex's Place. It wasn't until last week that my wife and I finally went there for lunch. Wow. Alex's definately lives up to its reputation.
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. It 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.
SOLD
Tom Rivers, Sharon Larson and Ben Beagle all garnered awards from the New York Newspaper Publishers' Association.
Congratulations to all three. Details here.
If buildings had feelings, you could almost feel sorry for the Genesee Justice/Jail building at 14 West Main.
It's been more than a century since the building, which once served as home for the County Sheriff, got a new roof. In fact, the roof you see crumbling atop the structure now is the original one from 1903.
The County Legislature's Ways & Means Committee approved a $264,000 bid for a synthetic slate roof to be installed by Grove Roofing Services of Buffalo.
Yesterday's vote was proceeded by some controversy. At the April 15 meeting, legislators questioned the authority of the city's Historic Preservation Board to disallow an asphalt roof, and after we reported that story on The Batavian, some readers raised concerns about the overall cost of the project.
After the bid was approved, I spoke with Terry Ross, supervisor of buildings and grounds for the county who explained that the size and complexity of the roof contribute greatly to the cost.
While prevailing wage rules do add to the expense, ensuring the building is well protected and maintains its historic look is not cheap.
Two significant factors in the expense, besides just the size, unusual shapes and slopes of the roof, are the need to replace all of the copper valleys as well as asbestos removal.
"It's a multi-faceted roof with many angels and it will be very labor intensive to replace," Ross said.
The roof is in such bad shape, it's been patched so many times, Ross said, that it is beyond further repair.
"There's no leaking yet, but there will be if it's not replaced," Ross said. "The slate is no longer in any condition that it can be repaired."
Even though legislators initially objected to the city blocking replacement with an asphalt root, which would be $67,000 cheaper, committee members agreed yesterday that putting on a synthetic slate roof made better business sense. It will last at least 50 years compared to 25 years for asphalt shingles.
"This is the best choice and a wise business recommendation," committee chairman Charles Zambito said. "Shingles don't cost as much but the synthetic slate doubles the life of the roof, so there's no point in fighting the city."
Zambito earlier noted that there was no case law or other precedent suggesting the county to beat the city in any legal argument over the city's authority on the choice of roofing material.
The committee approved the bid on a unanimous voice vote.
When Jeffrey D. Bald, 27, of Wolcott Street in LeRoy, allegedly fled from police following a reported domestic disturbance, he did more than just send law enforcement officers on a chase, he also reportedly disrupted 9-1-1 service for the village.
Bald reportedly lost control of his vehicle on Myrtle Street and struck a utility pole. That accident caused disruption to the emergency call service, which has now been restored.
UPDATE: We just received this correction from Chris Hayward, chief of police:
911 service still an issue. Frontier working on it and they hope to have it resolved by this afternoon. 911 calls being forwarded to 768-2527, if that is busy calls then route to the County. If they call 911 and still experience a problem call 768-2527 directly.
Events began around 9:15 p.m. at Bald's residence, where police were called because of a possible domestic dispute. En route to the residence, police say they spotted Bald driving from the scene on Wolcott.
Bald reportedly drove into the intersection of Route 5, turning westbound on Route 5, nearly striking another vehicle head-on.
Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but Bald reportedly headed the wrong way down Bacon Street. Upon reaching Route 19, Bald reportedly drove his car southbound to Myrtle Street, which is where he apparently lost control.
Bald then reportedly attempted to flee the scene on foot and he was taken into custody about a half mile from the site of the accident.
Police report speeds in the vehicle chase never exceeded 50 m.p.h.
Bald is charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation, resisting arrest and leaving the scene of a property damage accident, along with other violations. He is being held in Genesee County Jail on $5,000 bail.
Amanda Wittmann, 21, of Bennington, is charged with rape. Wittmann is accused of sexual relations with a 16-year-old in Washington, where authorities issued a warrant for her arrest. She was arrested in Pembroke.
Micahel Innes, 55, of Rochester, is likely going to pay more for his untaxed cigarettes than he anticipated. Yesterday, Innes was stopped in Oakfield for an alleged traffic violation. A Sheriff's deputy noticed more than 400 cigarettes in his car, which is a violation of New York State tax code. Innes will appear in Oakfield Town Court to answer the charges June 8.
Lamarr Randell, 23, of Buffalo, was stopped for allegedly speeding in Pembroke. Deputies report they found marijuana in his possession. He was cited for both alleged violations.
Timothy Mcjury, 21, of Alexander, is charged with petty larceny for allegedly shoplifting at Home Depot in Batavia.
Joseph Henrick, 59, of Stafford, is accused of violating an order of protection. He is charged with criminal contempt.
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