Last month, the state Department of Transportation came to the Batavia City Council with a proposal to transform Oak Street from four lanes to three and use the center lane for turns only, according to the Daily News. At least one Oak Street resident, Carol Grasso, plans to oppose that proposal because it would mean that vehicles would no longer be able to park on the street. (Parking is currently allowed, save between the hours of 7:00 to 9:00am and 4:00 to 6:00pm.) Grasso will voice her disapproval of the project at this evening's Council meeting.

In other news, this year's Toys for Tots campaign has kicked off for the season. Wal-Mart in Batavia will host a collection this Saturday and Sunday. Other barrels will be out for collection at the Genesee County Career Center, the Batavia City Fire Department, HSBC Bank and Hospital Heart Rehab Center. Call Ed Weiss at (585) 343-8279 if you would like to donate or to find out how your business can host a collection barrel.

Crossroads House will remain closed temporarily for construction and to allow the home to potentially locate a new full-time director and better organize its internal management. Crossroads, a "comfort home for the terminally ill," is funded almost exclusively by public donations. The group hopes to be back open soon.

We encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

No cause has yet been determined in the fire that tore through several barns at My T Acres on Lewiston Road in Batavia last week. Tim Yaeger, Genesee County Emergency Management coordinator, told us that he was still working to determine what led to the blaze, along with members of the fire department and several provate investigators.

"We haven't yet ruled anything out," said Yaeger. "It doesn't look suspicious. It was an accidental fire. But we don't have anything yet. We continue to work at it."

The following photos were submitted by Molly Riner, a member of the family that co-owns the farm. The first shows the view inside the main barn shortly after the fire broke out. Below that is the interior of the "gym" that sustained some damage in the blaze. Lastly, we see the main barn after it had become completely engulfed.

Most viewed posts for November:

• State says: Pontillo's Pizza in Batavia owes more than $112k in back taxes, by Philip Anselmo

• Democrats take control in Albany, by Philip Anselmo

• Genesee County Sheriff to Hunters: Be wary of straying on Indian land, by Philip Anselmo

• Pontillo's brothers may head to court, by Philip Anselmo

• A sad loss for the Section 5 football family, by Brian Hillabush

• The Little Mall of Horrors, by Daniel Jones

• Something huge on Main Street, by Philip Anselmo

• Batavia Daily News for Friday: Sam Pontillo tells his side, by Brian Hillabush

• Graham Corp. stocks take a hit, by Philip Anselmo

• Still no answers from Victorian Manor..., by Philip Anselmo

If you have a "favorite" post that maybe wasn't one of our most viewed for October, please add it in the comments section. This is a great way for folks to go back and check out what they may have missed. I was particularly proud of our coverage of Election Day.

Mitchell S. Schultz, 32, of Medina, was charged with driving while intoxicated Saturday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Schultz was seen swerving over the lines on Lewiston Road in Oakfield shortly before he was stopped by deputies. He was also ticketed with moving from the lane unsafely, driving across hazard markings, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Jon H. Bush, 25, and Rachael A. Baehr, 21, both of Elba, were charged with second-degree harassment Thursday, deputies said. Bush and Baehr are accused of getting in a fight with Kenneth Holley and Tanya Baehr.

Michael T. Ellis, 20, of 120 State St., Apt: Upper, Batavia, was charged with driving while intoxicated Sunday, city police said. Ellis was stopped for traffic violations on Tracy Avenue in Batavia. He was also ticketed with unsafe tires and failure to keep right.

Repair crews should be on scene this morning at the site of a water main break on West Avenue near Woodrow Road, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. Road conditions could be tricky in that area, as any ground water is likely to freeze pretty quickly. Fortunately, salt dispensers should also be on scene to keep those city streets from turning into ice rinks.

In other news, Batavia's City Council will meet tonight at 7 o'clock at City Hall. On the agenda: Looking at alternate means of funding garbage collection.

The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest of the numerous species of woodpeckers found in North America. Unlike its smaller cousins, the Pileated is rather shy and can be difficult to get a look at. 

I’ve seen several solitary Pileateds over the years, but only handful of pairs. One afternoon during the archery season several years ago, there were several in the vicinity of my tree stand in the AlabamaSwamp. They were enjoyable to watch until one of them decided to start hammering away on the same tree I was in.   

Approximately the same size as a crow, they will use their powerful bill to drum on trees to mark territory and attract a mate. It also comes in handy for excavating nest cavities. A mating pair will both perform the latter task, making several large holes in trees and selecting one for a nesting site. There they will incubate the eggs for approximately eighteen days.

 When Michelle Jordan found the ball in her hands in overtime at the Elba Tournament at Genesee Community College, instinct had to take over.

Had the junior forward thought about the importance of the shot she was about to take who knows what could have happened.

Instead, she let her natural basketball ability take over and banked it into the hoop, giving Batavia a 41-40 advantage with four seconds left to go in the extra session. The Blue Devils held on to the lead and won a fourth consecutive game, claiming the championship in front of an enthusiastic crowd at GCC.

The basket, which is captured on video below, was a once in a lifetime bounce and opportunity that Jordan capitalized on.

It was a back and forth battle through regulation that saw both teams use strong pressure defense to try and take control of the contest.

The Blue Devils had a 6-4 lead after one period of defensive play.

The Lancers got four points from Katie Newton in the second quarter and led 17-13 at the half.

The lead kept changing hands in the second half with Elba taking a two point lead on a Rachael Cook basket midway through the fourth quarter.

Batavia and Elba kept trading leads when the Lancers took a two point lead with just after a minute left on a Newton foul shot.

Brittany Mazurkiewicz tied the game at 33 with a pair of free throws with 18 seconds remaining.

Jaycee Shirk blocked a shot at the other end, Batavia turned the ball over, Elba missed a jumper and the Blue Devils missed a half court heave at the buzzer and the game went to overtime.

Cassie Engle gave the Lancers a lead with a bucket early in overtime and Shirk gave Batavia a one point lead with a basket and foul shot a little over a minute late.

Kristen Klein - who had another big game with eight points - made it a three point contest with a basket with 1:42 left in overtime.

Missy Call hit a free throw and Engle tied things up with a basket, with just under a minute left.

Mazurkiewicz hit one of two free throws before the Lancers took the lead back on a pair of Newton free throws. There was 18 seconds left in overtime at that point.

Mazurkiewicz missed a shot, that was tipped towards out of bounds on a rebound attempt by Elba's Sarah Schwartzmeyer. But Schwartzmeyer saved it before going out of bounds and tossed it back into the middle of the paint, where she hoped either Julie Marshall or Cook would grab it.

The pass went right into the hands of Jordan, just a few feet from the basket, and she put it right in to give Batavia a 41-40 lead with under five seconds left. The Lancers missed a shot at the buzzer, giving the Blue Devils their second straight tournament title early on in the season.

Chelsie Pangrazio (12 points) and Newton (8) joined Albion's Page Golden and Batavia's Shirk (9 points, 3 blocks) and Jordan (6 points) on the all-tournament team.

Mazurkiewicz scored 10 points and handed out five assists to earn her second straight tournament MVP award.

Elba is 1-1 and will host Kendall on Wednesday. Batavia is now 4-0 and will host Monroe County League powerhouse Pittsford Mendon on Tuesday.

With the holiday fast approaching, I have found myself a total stranger in a new city.

I had the opportunity to attend Christmas in the City Friday night. The sidewalks were filled with shoppers, carolers and lots and lots of teens running around having a grand time. I was busy with Care-A-Van Ministries handing out delicioius brownies and hot chocolate. It was a fun filled evening.

I must say it was not easy finding the public restrooms in the mall among the crowd. Thank goodness for good ole reliable JC Penneys! I came home exhausted and chilled from standing on the streets.

This morning I got up and got ready to go to another event in the city. It was the Christmas gathering of the local  Aglow Women's chapter.

What is Aglow you ask?

The biggest question mark for the Batavia basketball team coming into the season was basically who would take care of the scoring duties that were held by Bryan Anderson and Mike Hoy last season.

Those questions were answered this weekend as the Blue Devils captured the title at the Olean Tournament, defeating two defending state champions in the process.

 Andrew Hoy scored 21 points in Saturday's 68-42 over defending Class B champion Olean, giving him 41 in the tournament. He was named the tourney MVP for his efforts.

"He needed to fill that role and he got off to a nice start this weekend," coach Buddy Brasky said. "He shot the ball well and I'm very pleased with that."

It was a solid defensive effort by Batavia as they held Olean's offense in check and led to points for the Blue Devil offense.

"We didn't play real well yesterday," Brasky said. "We watched film this morning and I showed them the film this morning and their mistakes. Our defense really sparked our offense today, that's what I'm most pleased about."

Point guard Marcus Hoy led the defensive effort and Brasky believes he could have been the MVP as easily as Andrew. Marcus had 10 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in the game, making the all-tournament team.

 Dakota Irvin had a huge opening tournament for Batavia and proved to be another scoring option and made the all-tournament team. He hit three 3-pointers in the first game to score nine points, then followed it up with three more trifectas and 11 points with five rebounds.

"He's important to us," Brasky said. "He gives us some length in there. He has long arms and is 6-foot-2ish. He gives us another scoring option."

Joe Schlossel had eight points with Robert Hoy and Josh Budlong pitching in seven apiece.

Batavia (2-0) will be at Mendon on Wednesday and will host Victor.

This was the view from Lewiston Road, facing south toward Batavia, right after it started.

For more photos from Christmas in the city, look here.

This dog was spotted at Christmas in the City. Does anybody know who he belongs to?

There has been several reports of a lost dog recently, but this one doesn't match the description. 

From the Batavia Police Department:

The Batavia Police Department is informing citizens that the phone numbers listed in the ‘The Talking Phone Book’, 2009-2010 for the Batavia Police Department are not accurate.

The proper numbers are as follows:

Emergencies: 911
Dispatch: 345-6350
Police Personnel: 345-6444
Confidential Tip Line: 345-6370

The Police Department suggests you clip this article from the newspaper or write the proper numbers down and  attach them to your copy of ‘The Talking Phone Book’ 2009-2010. Also refrigerator magnets are available at the Police Department 10 W. Main St. Batavia NY.

As one legend has it, Satan, the Lord of Darkness, had somehow escaped from the underworld and was wreaking havoc upon the earth, surely committing dastardly acts of temptation and damnation and otherwise maligning the terrestrial souls of the time. Fortunately for us, "a patrol of angels nabbed him" and chained him to a massive rock a mile or two outside Batavia on what is now Route 5. Not to be done in, the Devil ran in circles around the rock, using the friction of the chain to break his bonds, which he did. For proof, one need only look at the rock which is worn down around its middle where the chain is supposed to have dug through the mineral. Once free of his bonds, the Devil escaped and, to our knowledge, has not been seen in these parts since.

Genesee County Historian Sue Conklin compiled information on this legend and others about the since-dubbed, Devil's Rock, from a pair of Daily News articles dating back to 1919 and 1950. This mysterious rock can still be seen, along with its mythic chain, about a hundred feet from the department of transportation site in Stafford. Both articles are in her book Supernatural Genesee, which can be purchased at the Holland Land Office Museum.

More scientific and less credulous minds explain the rock's shape as resulting from geological causes. A fascinating letter to the editor of the Daily News from 1919—included in Conklin's book—does just that. Its author, John Gillard, tells us that we need to "go back hundreds of thousands of years ago, to the Tertiary Era." Gillard then explains the rock as the result of glacial shifts at that time.

Yet another theory attributes the rock's origins to a fallen meteor.

What have you heard? Where do you think it came from?

Earlier today, we met with Patricia Riner, one of the co-owners of My T Acres on Lewiston Road in Batavia, site of a massive barn fire yesterday—coverage on The Batavian has been ongoing. Riner told us about the nearly incalculable loss—all of the farm equipment in the barn, including tractors, planters, harvesters, fertilizer, tires, irrigation equipment; basketball hoops and gym equipment—everything was lost. Farmers and friends and family from all over the region have been coming by offering their support, says Riner. Folks came by with lunch today. Some have made offers of farm equipment to lend to help finish up the season's crop transfers. Others have been by to help clean up in any way they can.

There's still no word on what caused the fire nor any estimate on the damage. Riner said that they can only hope for the best going forward.

Please follow this link for our complete coverage.

         My son-in-law, Jeff Bartz and I were stalking the docks lining Abaco’s East Shore peninsula. The docks can be a good spot to hunt for dinner, particularly at high tide.    
            It was March of 2006, and not only was it Jeff’s first skin-diving adventure, it was his first experience with mask, fins and snorkel.

It wasn’t long before we saw a sizeable mutton snapper – a great tasting fish.   Broadside to us, the fish remained perfectly still as we slowly approached.

I watched as Jeff took aim, drew back the surgical tubing of his sling, and let fly. The five foot stainless steel shaft stuck solidly into the wooden piling. 

            Jeff learned two things that day: first, don’t be in a hurry. Secondly, if your dive partner is close enough, you can actually hear him laugh underwater.

            During the remainder of our trip we had some great dives on the coral reefs, saw many species of marine life including sharks, a huge manta ray and such. It was also quite enjoyable to see my grandson Sam– then only six years old – don a mask, fins and snorkel. He did his own brand of hunting right off the beach, finding starfish and other assorted sea stuff.

            Despite the unforgettable sights, for two years I often kidded Jeff about the dock piling. I also chided him – in jest – for taking a shot at a large barracuda. Thankfully, he missed.    

            After our return to Abaco this past March and I doubt I’ll be doing any more teasing – or chiding.

            Jeff has become quite adept with a Hawaiian sling. Courtesy of my son-in-law, we dined on fish each day, including mutton snapper and grouper. A sizeable barracuda also made it to the dinner table. Two hours earlier the barracuda had been only a few feet away, suspended below the surface. At the time we were on the coral reefs, nearly two miles offshore of Man ‘o War Cay. I was eyeballing the fish when a silvery flash went past my head. Jeff’s spear slammed into the barracuda and the toothsome fish went ballistic. The fish darted to the surface, to the bottom floor, back to the surface, bounced off the coral and so on. Finally it swam to the bottom where it expired.      

 I was a bit apprehensive about eating the barracuda, as they can contain ciguatera poisoning. Nonetheless, Claudia sprinkled the fillets with lemon pepper and almonds before grilling it. It was delicious.       

  While Jeff seems to have mastered the sling, my grandson Sam was able to take some nice underwater photos, as evidenced by the lion fish seen here.

  While I enjoy skin-diving, it was especially enjoyable having my grandsons along. Eight years old at the time of the photo, Sammy has become a fine diver in his own right. Michael, age three, took to the water readily with a floatation vest. But most of the time he played on the sand with his brother, Joshua. Their younger sibling, Timothy, remained on the quiet side - at the time he was three months shy of coming into this world. He was born in August and, now that he’s here, I can’t wait to show him the turquoise and aquamarine waters surrounding Abaco.

A spending spree on five stolen credit cards that spanned Genesee, Niagara, Erie and Orleans counties and totalled more than $2,300 has led to the arrest of three men from Lockport, state police said. Investigation into the crimes began to unravel on November 25, when state police stopped Scott C. Strickland, 21, of Lockport, for a traffic violation on Beattie Road in Lockport. Strickland was then charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful posession of marijuana. "Trooper John Spero recognized that Strickland resembled an individual shown in a gas station surveillance video from an ongoing credit card theft investigation," police report.

From the press release:

That investigation began after a Lockport man reported his wallet containing five credit cards was stolen... The fraudulent use of the credit cards and the use of the gift cards purchased resulted in the discovery of several different individuals being captured on various store surveillance videos. After completing the arrest process with Mr. Strickland he was picked up at ... Lockport by a relative who was accompanied by what turned out to be one of the persons shown on the store surveillance videos.

That individual was Jason M. Rutty, 24, of Lockport. Rutty was charged with first-degree identity theft and second-degree forgery. He was sent to Niagara County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail. Later that night, Jason M. Dorsaneo, 25, of Lockport, was charged with first-degree identity theft and second-degree forgery. He was sent to Niagara County Jail in lieu of $1,000 bail.

Rutty is accused of using four of the victim's credit cards at seven businesses. Dorsaneo is accused of using the fifth card at one business.

Mug shots: Strickland (top), Rutty (middle), Dorsaneo (bottom)

Jennifer L. Ferguson,30,  of 679 E. Main St., Batavia, was charged with a felony count of first-degree sexual abuse Tuesday, city police said. Ferguson is accused of sexually abusing a 2-year-old boy whom she was babysitting. The initial complaint was made on November 23. Ferguson was released under the court's supervision pending a later appearance.

Tom Rivers reports in today's Daily News that Batavia Downs will now be known as Batavia Downs Casino following a change of heart among the state's lottery regulators. Further, "video gaming machines" will no be re-dubbed "slots." Rivers explains:

Lottery and state legislators have eased their restraint in using terms "casino" and "slots" to describe the activities and games in the race tracks, which are now filled with beeping and flashing machines that resemble Vegas slots.

What does this mean for the business? Apparently, a lot.

"The word 'casino' is more representative of our business," said Martin Biniasz, the Downs marketing director. "It's a wise move on the state's part because they realize these machines can be a great revenue generator."

Biniasz goes on to say that the new name will allow them to better compete with Native American casinos.

In other news, Scott DeSmit covered yesterday's fire at My T Acres in Batavia, which was featured on The Batavian yesterday and this morning. The Batavian will also be posting an interview with My T Acres co-owner Patricia Riner later this afternoon.

We encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.