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A fire that was supposed to be a conrolled burn got out of hand and became a blaze that required four engine companies to respond.

The fire consumed a barn at 7411 Oak Orchard Road, but apparently not the one intended to be destroyed, reported WBTA on it's afternoon news.

I was unable to get to the fire this morning.

Here's a map of the location:

Jell-O, the jiggly treat that has delighted billions of happy childhood days, is the number one thing that helped put Genesee County on the map, according to historian and Holland Land Office Museum direct Pat Weissand.

Americans love Jell-O. In fact, Americans eat more than 300 million boxes of Jell-O every year and about 160 products are sold under the Jell-O name.   Jell-O is as much a part of Americana as baseball, apple pie and Chevrolet. By proclamation of the state governor, it is the official state snack of Utah. Residents of Utah eat more Jell-O per capita than anyone else.

Jell-O is an American icon. Since the early days of the company, Jell-O has mastered the technique of successful advertising campaigns. They used well-known artists such as Rose O'Neil, Maxfield Parrish, Cole Philips and Norman Rockwell in their print advertising; Jack Benny, Lucille Ball and Kate Smith in radio advertising and Bill Cosby in their television marketing campaigns.

Wikipedia says powered gelatin was patented 40 years before it was dubbed Jell-O in LeRoy, N.Y.

Gelatin has been well known and used for many years. It was popularized in the Victorian era with spectacular and complex "jelly moulds". Gelatin was sold in sheets and had to be purified, which was very time-consuming. It also made gelatin desserts the province of the relatively well-to-do. In 1845, industrialist Peter Cooper (who built the first American steam-powered locomotive, the Tom Thumb), obtained a patent (US Patent 4084) for powdered gelatin.

Forty years later the patent was sold to a LeRoy, New York-based carpenter and cough syrup manufacturer, Pearle B. Wait. He and his wife May added strawberry, raspberry, orange and lemon flavoring to the powder and gave the product its present name in 1897.

Whether invented in LeRoy or LeRoy was merely the launching pad for one of America's most commercially successful food products, Jell-O has contributed much to life and fame for Genesee County.

Tim Rivers disagrees.

Maybe Jell-O is famous, cute and conjures warm fuzzies about childhood (especially when dolloped with whipped cream). But Jell-O hasn't had the same long-lasting local impact as the muckland in Elba and Byron.

The muck is listed No. 21 in things that made Genesee County famous. The 7,000 acres of muck stretches into Orleans County in Barre and Clarendon. The dark, highly organic soil brought hundreds of hard-working immigrants to the community in the 1920s and 1930s.

...

Unlike Jell-O, the muck is still here, still producing crops, still creating jobs, still unleashing human potential. There are 10 farms today working the muck and those farms continue as community cornerstons. Torrey, Bezon, Yunker, Halat, Starowitz, Vigneri, Mortellaro, Panek, Smith and Shuknecht remain, tilling the soil, planting seeds and harvesting crops.

Well, nothing like a little controversy to close out a months-long instructive and entertain journey through Genesee County history. 

Though, Tom left out another key point: The local ball club ain't called the Jell-O Dogs!

If you've never visited the Jell-O Museum, it's worth the time. Here's the museum's Web site.

A few months ago, Philip produced this video:

Yesterday, we posted an item about planned NYPA rate hikes after the authority had agreed to ship $500 million to the state budget.

Now, with criticism mounting, The Buffalo News reports this morning that the authority may be backing away from its rate increase.

In an e-mail entitled "rate cancel advisory," the power authority scheduled a news conference for this afternoon at the Niagara Power Project for what the e-mail would only say involves "an announcement related to hydropower rates."

...

The development follows a statement from Gov. David A. Paterson Monday that the power authority should halt both a planned rate hike for upstate electricity consumers and any plans to give its 1,500 workers salary bonuses, Monday.

Now if we could just get the NYPA do to something about those 200 Google jobs it cost WNY.

At last night's City Council meeting, council members debated whether to continue a $235-per-month car allowance for the city's top-three employees, WBTA reports this morning.

Councilman Bill Cox suggested that the monthly allowance be changed to a per-mile-driven reimbursement for the city manager, police chief and fire chief. WBTA posts audio of his comments.

Mary Ann Clattendburg spoke in favor of the stipend, saying that removing the allowance would amount to a cut in pay. Here's audio of her comments.

Note, yesterday we picked up an item from WBTA about Wanda Frank being inducted into the GCC Alumni Hall of Fame.  Here's the full press release from GCC:

Genesee Community College is inducting four new members to its Alumni Hall of Fame on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 4:30 pm in the Conable Technology Building, North Lobby at the Batavia Campus.

"The Alumni Hall of Fame serves two important purposes," said Patti Pacino, Alumni Affairs Coordinator. "It recognizes the accomplishments of former students and their exceptional business and civic contributions. And it serves as an example for current students to see these highly successful alumni and know that their remarkable careers began right here at Genesee."

The 2009 Genesee Community College Alumni Hall of Fame inductees are:

Wanda Frank (Class of 1997) - Wanda is currently a radio personality on WBTA 1490 AM radio in Batavia, NY and hosts her own show on Wednesday mornings. Wanda went back to school as an adult student to complete a degree in Theatre Arts from Genesee. She served for 10 years as the executive director of the Genesee Arts Council. She is very active in local community theatre, including Batavia Players, Rotary and Genesee Community College's theatre programs.

Ellen (McCarthy) Ryan (Class of 1976) - Ellen was one of the first supporters of Genesee when it was established in 1965. She completed a Registered Nursing degree and worked for many years at Saint Jerome's Hospital. She was vital to the creation of Hospice Care in the local community and continues to support its efforts. She is active with the Genesee Community College Foundation by attending varying events, as well as supporting two endowed scholarships, the Michael T. Ryan Fund for the Future and the Michael T. and Ellen M. Ryan Scholarship for Excellence.

George E. Schaefer (Class of 1976) - George is currently the clerk of the Norfolk Circuit Court Clerk's Office in Norfolk, Virginia. After obtaining his Bachelor's degree from SUNY Brockport in 1978, he earned his J.D. from Ohio Northern University of Law in 1984, and launched his career in education as a social studies teacher. In the early 1990's, he shifted his profession and began his distinguished tenure within the Virginia legal system. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar Association and the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association. He is very active in his local community, including sitting on various school boards, local churches, and the Knights of Columbus.

Paula (Miller) Schaefer (Class of 1979) - Paula is presently a member of the Virginia House of Delegates 87th District - Norfolk since January 2005. She serves on many committees including the Science and Technology Committee, Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee and the Joint Subcommittee Studying Land Use Development. For several years, Paula was a news reporter and substitute anchor for WTKR-TV 3 in Norfolk, Virginia. She is an active member in the Norfolk community and is a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church.

Past inductees into the Genesee Community College Alumni Hall of Fame include: Joseph H. Bell '79, Monica Dawson '72, Jerry Reinhart '71, Lori Stupp '89, Paula Savage '76, Margaret Weissend '99, Ann M. Bell '88, Steven G. Hyde '82 and Gary Maha '76.

Gina M. Kalish, 41, or Rochester, was stopped by a Border Patrol agent while driving on I-490 through Bergen Monday night after the agent reportedly observed her vehicle moving erratically on the freeway.  Upon further investigation by a Sheriff's deputy, the deputy arrested Kalish for allegedly operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs.

Laurie J. Lerkins, 32, of LeRoy, was arrested Monday for allegedly biting a child on the arm and throwing items at him. Lerkins is charged with harassment in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child. Det. John Gondidorio said the charges stemmed from a January investigation after the 10-year-old child, a relation of Lerkins, developed bruises above his arm and on his head. Det. Gondidorio said, "During the investigation it was alleged that Lerkins, during the course of a disturbance with the child, bit the child on the arm causing a bruised bite mark and also threw items at him striking him in the head, bruising his head."  Lerkins was arraigned in LeRoy Town Court and released on her own recognizance.

Fire units are responding to a "good size" brush fire at 8910 Lehigh Road in the Town of Batavia.

One crew on the scene has reported the fire spreading.

No further information available at this time.

UPDATE: A few minutes after this initial post, crews reported the fire was largely put out and clean up was in process.

View Larger Map

Claire Gsell, the 27-year-old daughter of County Manager Jay Gsell, was found dead in her Rochester apartment by her parents on Sunday.

WBTA reported this afternoon that Gsell and his wife became concerned when Claire failed to answer her phone on Sunday.

The cause of death is unknown at this time, but foul play is not suspected, according to Dan Fischer.

Our condolences to the Gsell family.

UPDATE: Mary Pat Hancock, chair of the County Legislature, issued a brief statement to WBTA.

Wanda Frank, who started with WBTA in 1967, and graduated from GCC in 1997 with a degree in Theater Arts, has been named to the Alumni Hall of Fame, WBTA reports this morning.

Frank is still on the Air with WBTA, hosting Wednesday's with Wanda.

She will be honored at GCC on Wednesday afternoon.

Here's a video Philip made about Wanda several months ago:

Hard-hitting piece this morning from Donn Esmonde of the Buffalo News about a planned NYPA rate hike following a budget deal to shift $500 million to the state budget.

The rate hike was predictable, Esmonde says, and several WNY legislators went right along with the plan in order to assist down-state interests.

Power Authority officials contend that the spike is not connected to the $500 million it let Albany use to caulk its budget gap. But common sense tells you that when $500 million disappears, there is—one way or another—a price to pay.

“That $500 million was going to come out of somewhere,” said Assemblyman Jim Hayes, an Amherst Republican. “Don’t these people understand how much the average family is hurting?”

The double drilling—the $500 million siphoning, followed by the rate hike —started when state legislators last month OK’d the budget deal. Most of the supposedly “surplus” dollars—which could have been used to cut rates or help businesses—came from the Power Authority’s cash cow, the hydropower plant in Niagara Falls.

On Saturday, we also posted a piece about NYPA blocked Google from opening a 200-job facility in Medina.

Thanks, NYPA.

Andrew J. Ashley, 22, of Le Roy, was arrested in connection with an alleged altercation on March 15 in which Ashley reported punched another person in the face. The victim suffered a broken nose and a cut cornea. Ashley is charged with assault in the third degree.

Neil H. Farley III, 18, of Elba and his 17-year-old brother were arrested at their Ridge Road home Friday evening for allegedly throwing an under-age drinking party. The 17-year-old was allegedly found in possession of marijuana and several marijuana pipes were reportedly found in his room. Both are charged with unlawfully dealing with children in the first degree.

Kevin E. Moscicki, 21, of Oakfield, was arrested Saturday morning in Batavia and charged with DWI. The Sheriff's office reports that Moscicki's vehicle was observed making an unsafe lane change and an improper right turn, which led to a traffic stop.  Further investigation revealed Moscicki was allegedly operating the vehicle while intoxicated. He was charged with driving with at BAT .08 or more.

Gregory L. Brennan, 40, of Batavia was charged with DWI following a traffic stop on Slusser Road in Pembroke. He is accused of driving with a BAT .08 or greater and operating a motor vehicle without a license. Brennan was arrested early Sunday morning.

Robbie J. Stanton, 31, of Batavia, is charged with a felony DWI and operating a vehicle with a revoked license following a traffic stop in Pembroke Saturday morning.

Joseph M. Menas, 30, of Elba, was arrested and charged with DWI Thursday night after the Sheriff's office received a report of a car of the road on Route 98. When deputies arrived, the driver was not with the vehicle. Menas was subsequently found at a nearby residence. He is charged with DWI and aggravated DWI.

I spent a good portion of the morning reading about Barber Conable. What a good man.

No wonder he made number two on the list of 25 Things that Made Genesee County Famous.

Not only did Conable give us the term "smoking gun" (during the Watergate Scandal), but he was regarded by his peers as the most respected member of Congress (he never accepted an individual campaign contribution for more than $50); he also "put the 'K' in 401(k)" when he helped rewrite the tax code to help protect pensions at Eastman Kodak; and. as president of the World Bank, he transformed the organization into an institution that assisted women and children in poor nations.

Throughout his career, Conable maintained his connection to Batavia, returning home every weekend to meet with his friends and constituents.

My favorite passage in articles I read about Conable came from historian Yanek Mieczkowski:

I noticed framed, meticulous pencil sketches on some walls, and he explained that they were just doodles that he had made while a congressman.

Just doodles? They looked beautiful, and they had been enough to impress Ronald Reagan. The president had heard about the congressman's drawings, and asked to have some. Conable sent a few samples to the White House. In return, the president sent a page of his own sketches, on White House stationery, to the congressman. "Barber," the president wrote. "These are just doodles. Yours are art."

Mieczkowski's piece on Conable is outstanding, I recommend reading the entire piece.

I also found these two notable quotes from Conable:

"He (the first President Bush) thought I should be supporting an American agenda (as World Bank president). I thought I was there to help the poor people. So I got the reputation of not being a team player, and that was the one thing George wouldn't stand for."

"I could have stayed in Washington at six figures if I had wanted to. I considered it. But they wanted a stuffed exhibit and not a lawyer, and I didn't want to be a stuffed exhibit. They wanted to use my name and put me in the firm and give me a special 'of counsel' status. At the appropriate time the senior partner would push a button and I would come into the consultation he was having with his client and he'd say, 'You remember former Congressman Barber Conable, don't you? Remember the great role he played in Ways and Means?' That image frightened me."

Not only did Conable help make Genesee County famous, he should be at the top of any list of things to make Genesee County proud.

OK, Medina is outside of our coverage area, but the Daily News has a story this morning that concerns all of us, because any chance to create 200 good paying jobs in Western New York is an issue that impacts the entire region's economy.

Google wanted to build a server facility Medina, but the New York Power Authority would not help Google get low-cost power to the plant, which is a prerequisite for any of Google's hosting facilities.

The Daily's story fully captures the frustration over the situation.

State Sen. George Maziarz blasted NYPA for denying Google and other companies that have wanted to build in Western New York. Maziarz lambasted NYPA officials Thursday in Albany during a public hearing to raise electric rates by 12 percent.

“I personally worked over two years with a small company headquartered in San Francisco called Google that wanted desperately to locate in Western New York and were told there was no power available to them,” Maziarz said during Thursday’s hearing.

He blamed NYPA “for killing the deals and the jobs that go along with them.”

Maziarz went on to call NYPA officials liars and thieves.

If Niagara power can potentially  be acquired cheaply, as Tom Rivers points out in the story, to spur business growth, how does it possibly make sense for NYPA to thwart business expansion in a region that desperately needs that job growth?

Property taxes in New York are outrageously high. In that context, it's kind of amazing that Gov. Paterson would suggest the STAR rebate checks be discontinued.

Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer held a press conference in LeRoy yesterday to call on Paterson to rescind his plan elimination of the checks. It's not surprising that I was the only reporter to show up, but as a property owner (for now) in New York, I think those checks are kind of important.

Further, when you consider, as Ranzhofer points out, that the checks return $8 million a year in cash flow to Genesee County, the rebate program is exceptionally important to the local economy.  It is ironic that at a time when the Federal government is spending trillions of dollars under what the president and Congress label a "stimulus" program, Gov. Paterson would take money out of the economy as fast as he can.

However, I think weakest among Ranzenhofer's arguments against elimination of the checks is the notion that elimination of the checks could cause people to lose their homes.  This sounds more like a play on emotion rather than reason. According to Ranzenhofer's own press release, the average check is for $335 and $420.  At $420, that's $35 per month. I just wonder how many property owners are gazing at the precipice over $35 per month? Yes, I can imagine a retired person on fixed income finding $35 very hard to muster, but when the alternative is losing your life-long home, you're probably going to find some way to make sure that tax is paid.

That said, the effort shouldn't even be necessary. Property taxes in New York or too high and the last thing Gov. Paterson should be doing is essentially increasing those taxes.

For months we've offered the "Announcements" section as a place for civic groups to share information about their events and news, but the section isn't as useful if you're wondering what's happening on a specific date.

Today, we added an actual calendar to the site.

To add an item to the calendar go to "Create Content" and then click on the "Event" link.

If you tag your event "announcements" it will also show up in Announcements.

To view the calendar, you'll find it on the right side of the page.