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Reports are coming in that a person suffered a serious leg injury in a car vs. motorcycle accident at Pearl and River in Batavia.

Ambulances are arriving now.

BREAKING: We've had some discussion about Time Warner's tier pricing plan, so here's the latest news: The cable company has raised the white flag, according to the D&C. The D&C story states flat out that TW is bowing to the negative reaction of customers.

Today's Deal of the Day: A $25 gift certificate from Present Tense Books and Gifts in Batavia. The Batavian's Good Deal Price: $12.50 -- HALF off!

Present Tense is a popular local bookseller as well as a great place to find unique gifts. It's located at 101 Washington Avenue

The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value.

Rules: E-mail me at howard (at) thebatavian dot com. First e-mail wins, but the winner must arrange to stop by my office on Main Street before 5:00 p.m. today to pay for the gift certificate. If the first e-mailer can't or doesn't make it in, the certificate goes to the second e-mailer.

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.

Yesterday, we asked the Poll Question: What inhibits job growth in WNY?  Obviously, we left out one possible answer: The New York Power Authority.

You may remember reports previously of the NYPA chasing Google away from Medina.

This morning the Buffalo News reports that a start-up steel firm that would have employed 200 people in WNY will not open its factory gates thanks to NYPA.

It was the second time the company had looked to the Empire State to build a plant. After being turned down for its first request for power a few years ago, which also might have been in Orleans County, it decided to build its first plant, now under construction, in Mississippi.

The company now will look for a site outside New York State for a second plant, Chief Commerce Officer Mark Bula told The Buffalo News on Wednesday.

For its part, NYPA claims there are other new businesses looking for the power and there just isn't enough to go around. That may or may not be true, but as the News points out, NYPA has a long history of turning away job-producing companies from WNY.

DaQuan Reynolds, 18, of Rochester, a student of Genesee Community College, is accused of harassing another student. An order of protection has been issued barring him from contact with the student. He allegedly physically contacted the student. He is charged with harassment in the second degree.

City Paper's Jeremy Moule caught up with Congressman Chris Lee at a press conference and asked an unrelated question: What is his position on Time Warner's plan to tier broadband pricing.

Here's what Moule wrote about Lee's response:

Representative Chris Lee says that the federal government should get involved with Time Warner's broadband rate change only as a last resort.

He's looking into Time Warner's proposal and is aware that there's broad concern over it. Public officials should make sure "consumers are protected and that they pay a fair rate," he said after an unrelated press conference this afternoon.

The company has agreed to hold a public session on the plan, which would implement tiered, usage-based rates. Ideally, it would be able to develop fair-rate plans, said Lee, Monroe County's lone Republican Congressional representative.

Lee had called the press conference to support his push for a passport office in Western New York.

Mike Barrett, owner of Barrett's Marine and Sporting Supply, says he's seeing more first-time gun buyers in his store these days, and County Clerk Don Read reports that the most recent gun permit class had 42 people in it.

The increase in local gun ownership matches a national trend.

"I don't think it's one element that is behind the increase," Read said. "It's everything put together."

And everything means fears of new federal and state legislation restricting gun and ammo sales, the recession and increases in crime, and the usual reason -- newfound interest in hunting and target shooting.

Whatever the cause, Barrett said distributors' warehouses are bare and it's more difficult to get inventory.

Barrett and his staff where a little upset with Read this afternoon, after hearing that Read blamed the increase of permits on "scare tactics" by the NRA and other gun advocates. Conservative commentators have been raising concerns about President Obama's anti-gun positions and legislation being introduced at both the state and federal levels.

"I heard that (Read's comments) today and almost blew a gasket," Barrett said. "A lot of people are down playing what's going on and it's nothing to be played down. I don't say that just because I'm a business man  There is a train coming down."

Barrett handed over information on five state bills that would limit gun ownership, make it harder if not impossible to buy certain kind of guns and obtain ammunition.

Anti-gun legislation has been introduced before and didn't pass. Read said he thinks this round of legislation isn't likely to pass either.

"I don't attribute it to scare tactics, but there is an aspect that people are afraid there will be more restrictions," Read said. "Personally, I don't see that happening, but often perception of an issue is more important than reality."

The surge in gun permits goes beyond the specter of stricter legislation, Barrett said. The recession is also driving concerns about a rise in crime and the need for self protection.

A member of his staff, Jack Taylor, said a 70-year-old woman walked out of the store 20 minutes earlier with her first rifle.

"She bought it for target practice and to keep around the house," Taylor said.

Read tells a similar story: "We just had a lady in, a well-known lady, who is retired now and her husband enjoys target practice and she wanted to be able to enjoy it with him."

Asked about more gun ownership in Genesee County, Sheriff Gary Maha responded:

"Those persons obtaining gun permits are law-abiding citizens and are not
a concern to law enforcement.  I believe in the Second Amendment -- 'the right to bear arms.' It is the illegal guns and illegally obtained guns that I am concerned about."

For more information on the proposed legislation in New York, visit the SCOPE Web site.

Two ambulances are responding to a single-car rollover accident on the westbound Thruway at mile maker 382.6 in the Town of LeRoy.

The extent of any injuries are unknown, but an original dispatch of Mercy Flight -- which was 90 miles away -- has been canceled.

All occupants are out of the vehicle.

Author Lorna Bartlett was the guest of Present Tense for a book signing on Saturday, and she left an apparent fan of the charming shop on Washington Avenue.

She writes in her blog:

What a terrific store! Housed in a gorgeous old Victorian home, the shop (inside and out) is painted in wonderful colors. There are several rooms filled with books, a selection of coffee and teas, children's toys (and books!), candles, hand-sewn purses (I was really tempted by those), pretty teacups, a gallery of original photographs, magnetic poetry kits, and lots of other marvelous things. I admit, I did succumb to temptation and bought a package of Who Dunn-Its sticky notes.

If you missed the signing, Bartlett left some signed books at the store. 

Check her post for more details about her afternoon at Present Tense and some pictures she took of the store.

Earlier this month, a group of regional Democratic leaders traveled to Buffalo to meet with newly minted U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Steven Israel.

Among the issues raised by GLOW Democrats was the dairy farm crisis, which we covered previously.

The Democrats discussed with Israel possible candidates to run against Congressman Chris Lee in 2010.

The full press release from Judith Hunter after the jump:

Members of the GLOW Democratic Coalition traveled to Buffalo on Saturday, April 4, to meet with New York U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Steven Israel (NY-2) and discuss the needs of Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties.  “Now that our Democratic committees are working together across our region, we’re getting opportunities to speak up and be heard.  This was a great morning for our coalition,” said Lorie Longhany of LeRoy, Chair of the Genesee County Democratic  Committee.

Geneseo’s Phil Jones, Livingston County Democratic Chair, emphasized the importance of meeting with Senator Gillibrand.  “It was crucial for us to meet with our new Senator, because our federal Senators are our only legislators who are members of the majority.  Every legislator we have below that level is in the minority caucus and, of course, less powerful.”  The first issue the GLOW leaders raised with Senator Gillibrand was the crisis in dairy farming, with Harold Bush of Gainesville, Wyoming County Democratic Chair, stating that his county is projected to lose $60 million this year because dairy prices have fallen so drastically.  “I was very impressed with the Senator’s response.  She is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and understands this issue and its importance very well.  She explained the problem was structural and that the pricing system has to be changed so that you don’t have the current situation of the price level being set lower than the cost of the production of milk.  She had some great ideas.”

The GLOW Democratic leaders also met with Representative Steven Israel, who asked them to come and discuss possible Democratic candidates for the 2010 Congressional race in New York’s 26th District.  Congressman Israel is in charge of recruitment for the DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee).  Suzanne Coogan of Warsaw, Wyoming County, noted that “the rural counties are crucial to our Congressional election.  It’s a great development that the people guiding our national strategy want our input.”

One of the things that came up in both meetings was the new GLOWDemocrats.com website.  Senator Gillibrand’s staff was especially complimentary of the site, which tracks and analyzes developments that affect the GLOW region.
 

Reminder: We've created the ability for you to receive e-mail updates from The Batavian. We have two e-mail subscriptions available now:

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To subscribe, click here.

Today's Deal of the Day: A $25 gift certificate from Vingtage and Vogue Inspirations in LeRoy. The Batavian's Good Deal Price: $12.50 -- HALF off!

If you've not been in Vintage & Vogue yet, it's a new store in the village that is well worth a visit. It features great handcrafted goods for the home.

The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value and is non-transferable.

Rules: E-mail me at howard (at) thebatavian dot com. First e-mail wins, but the winner must arrange to stop by my office on Main Street before 5:00 p.m. today to pay for the gift certificate. If the first e-mailer can't or doesn't make it in, the certificate goes to the second e-mailer.

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.

Anthony W. Dachille, 23, of Henrietta, was stopped on Route 33 in Bergen early yesterday morning for alleged "multiple" traffic violations and after a short investigation, deputies concluded he appeared to be drinking and driving and the car he was in was stolen. Dachille's license had previously been revoked for a DWI violation in 2007. Dachille is charged with felony DWI, unlicensed operation of a vehicle in the 1st degree and criminal possession of stolen property.

Stephen Earle says his 24 years in the Navy have been fun and rewarding, but he often misses his home town of Batavia and thinks he might settle in Western New York when he retires in a couple of years. He and his wife purchased a home in Orleans County while he served as a recruiter in Batavia for a little more than two years.

Earle, whose mother still lives in Batavia, is currently serving in sonar aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Afghanistan theater. He called The Batavian today for an exclusive interview, at the request of U.S. Navy public relations personnel, to talk about his career.

We recorded the interview and you can listen here.

Earle said his two-decades-plus in the Navy have been great, but not without hardship. It's tough being away from his wife and two children, he said. Fortunately, long deployments are not common.

He's seen the world, too, and spent many years stationed in San Diego and Long Beach.

"I used to say that I missed the snow," Earle said. "And then moving back there for two-and-half years, I would say 'do I really miss the snow?'  I do miss the small town atmosphere. I've been at bases around large cities and San Diego was a great place and everything, but it never rained enough and the size of the town, I just sort of missed the small town atmosphere."

Bales of hay on a truck are reportedly on fair in Bethany at 6025 East Bethany Le Roy Road. Crews are responding. A second alarm has been responded.

UPDATE 4:21 p.m.: I'm on scene on Hawks Road, where the truck with burning hay was moved to after firefighters determined the only way to extinguish the fire was to dump the load in an open field. The load has been dumped and crews are now poring water and bulldozing dirt onto the burning fire. The flames are few but the smoke is profuse.  I should have some video edited and uploaded in an hour or two.

UPDATE 5:15 p.m.: The fire is reportedly contained and crews are returning to quarters; however, the fire is expected to burn for a couple of more days until it burns itself out, generating much smoke at times.

UPDATE 10:30 p.m.: At the scene today I met Scott M. Kibler, 4th assistant chief for the Stafford Fire Department, and it turns out he's a regular reader of The Batavian. He sends along the following report and pictures from the fire.

At 3:10 PM the Stafford Fire Dept was called out to assist the Bethany Fire Dept. at 6025 E.Bethany-Leroy Rd. for a tractor trailer loaded with hay that was on fire. First ariving trucks on scene deployed hand lines and attempted to put out the fire with little success. It was determined that the load needed to be dumped in order to get at the fire and put it out. A suitable dump site was located about a mile away on Hawks Rd. in a empty field. Pavilion Fire Dept. set up a draft site on Fox Place in the town of Stafford and tankers were filled from there. A front end Loader was brought in by A.D. Call & sons and when the load was dumped it was pushed around and spread out so it could be watered down. I have not heard how the fire started yet but my guess would be from the exhaust stack on the truck. Trucks from Stafford, Bethany and Pavilion Responded to this incident.

Today's Deal of the Day: A $25 gift certificate for the Grandstands Bar & Grille at the Batavia Downs Casino. The Batavian Deal of the Day Price: $12.50.  That's HALF off.

The Grandstands features an affordable menu, so this is a pretty valuable offer.

The gift certificate must be used by June 30, 2009. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value and is non-transferable.

Rules: E-mail me at howard (at) thebatavian dot com. First e-mail wins, but the winner must arrange to stop by my office on Main Street before 5:30 p.m. today to pay for the gift certificate. If the first e-mailer can't or doesn't make it in, the certificate goes to the second e-mailer.

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.

You all remember Joe Mesi: The former boxer who lost his bid for the 61st State Senate seat now held by Mike Ranzenhofer.

It turns out, he came out of the election OK, according to the Buffalo News.

Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith is handing Mesi a new job for him that pays $70,000 a year and will provide Mesi with a staff of up to 10 people.

“It will serve as a liaison for the majority leader with the local community, working with local community groups,” Shafran said. “It’s another mechanism of community outreach to make sure we’re meeting the needs of the broader community.”

The spokesman for Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith of Queens said the office will serve a different function than a previous operation maintained by Senate Republicans when they held the majority. While the GOP version centered around communications, Shafran said Democrats plan to make it a more representative presence of the majority conference in the community.

Well good for Joe that he made some friends in Albany, but how necessary is it for the Senate Majority office to have a community outreach office in Buffalo? Aren't there already elected representatives there to handle constituent issues?