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Most viewed posts for November

By Philip Anselmo

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.

HS highlights for Saturday

By Brian Hillabush

Dylan Versage had a pair of goals, including the game winner 7 1/2 minutes into the third period for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish beat Immaculate Heart, 3-2, in the consolation game of the Radier Classic.

Jason Harasimowicz dished out three assists and Ivan Madafferi added a goal with a helper for Notre Dame (2-1).

Thomas Dehr had 21 saves.

The other local hockey team did not come away with a victory Saturday.

The Batavia hockey team fell to 1-2 with a 3-2 loss to Hilton.

Corey Gurski scored the game-winning goal at the 9:32 mark of the third period as Hilton improves to 3-0-1. 

Dan Kellman and Andrew Harris had the assists on the winning goal, with Harris and Collin Sawdy each getting a goal.

Pat Finnell  and Josh Moir had a goal each for the Blue Devils.

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Freshman Keri Soppe dropped in 20 points with three boards to earn tournament MVP as West Irondequoit downed Pembroke 48-36 in the finals of the Alden Tournament.

The Eagles had a seven minute long, 13-point run in the third quarter to pull away as Cecilia Sigrist pitched in seven points and 10 rebounds.

Danielle Smith led the way for the Dragons (1-1) with 10 points while all-tournament team selection Nicole Sharick pitched in eight points, 14 rebounds and three steals.

Kelsey Lewis had eight points with Natasha Powell and Katie Hackett pulling down seven boards apiece.

Irondequoit is 2-0.

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The Oakfield-Alabama boys basketball team captured the Barker Tournament title with a 64-46 drubbing of the host squad.

Tournament MVP Noah Seward had 20 points and 11 rebounds with Tim Smith adding 14 points and seven boards.

Brad Riner dished out eight dimes.

Ray Paul had 15 points for the Raiders (1-1). O-A is 2-0.

Eric VanWycke's 13 points and nine boards were not enough as Lyndonville lost to Holland 81-28 in the consolation game.

The other local boys team in action was Alexander, and the Trojans improved to 1-2 with a 50-47 win over Genesee Valley.

Kyle Woodruff scored 16 points and Jared Quinn pitched in 10.

Batavia girls beat Elba in OT at tournament finals

By Brian Hillabush

 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.

A Total Stranger in The City

By Robin Walters

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?

What is Aglow? (taken from www.aglow.org)

• Aglow International is a transdenominational organization of Christian women that some Christian leaders call a “global movement”

• Aglow is established in 172 nations on 6 continents, all of which have indigenous women overseeing the work in their nations

• It is one of the largest international women's organizations, with over 4,600 fellowship groups in the U.S. and internationally.

• An estimated 200,000 women meet together each month through local Aglow fellowships--the heart of the organization

• More than 21,000 Aglow leaders worldwide minister in their communities

• An estimated 17 million people each year are ministered to through Aglow groups

• Aglow consists of small group studies, care (support) groups, retreats, and annual conferences

• Aglow women, through prayer and evangelism, offer practical gifts of clothing, food, housecleaning, and babysitting, as well as mentoring young women

• Aglow women impact their communities by reaching out to women in prison, in senior homes, inner city neighborhoods, and mental institutions; to single moms, working women, all beginning with the woman next door

• Aglow has experienced rapid growth in the past several years, including the nations of Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa

• In Europe, Aglow is established in every major nation (40 nations)

• An active Aglow program in Europe called “Adopt-A-Nation” gives many of the Western European nations the opportunity to “adopt” other nations for support and/or prayer
 

It was a great meeting. The local group Remix performed.

I had to leave the meeing early to go and do street ministry with Care-A-Van. As I was leaving one of the ladies that was at the meeting met me at the door. She asked me if I had a place to go for Christmas day. She had heard that I was new here and was worried I would have no place to go for Christmas. Now how sweet is that? This woman opened up her heart and home to a total stranger.

How many of us welcome total strangers into our lives? From the time we were little, our parents warned us to stay away from strangers. Yes, we must proceed with caution but we also must remember to love others and share the joy of life with them.

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas day, the birth of our Lord Jesus, here in the city of Batavia may we all look to share the love with total strangers.

I am thankful for the warm welcome I am getting from folks here in the city. I am going from being a total stranger to being a member of a new family!  A big family at that, the family of the city of Batavia. Halleluiah for those who have warm hearts and open them wide!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Batavia boys win Olean Tournament

By Brian Hillabush

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.

HS highlights for Friday

By Brian Hillabush

One defending state champion down, one to go.

Andrew Hoy scored nine of his 20 points in the fourth quarter - seven of which came from the charity stripe - as the Batavia basketball team had a 19-8 advantage in the fourth quarter to beat defending Class C champion Maple Grove 61-49 in the opening round of the Olean Tournament.

The Blue Devils had a 42-41 lead at the end of the third quarter, but Maple Grove took a lead early in the final period before the big run.

Hoy also had nine rebounds and five assists in the game, with Robert Hoy pitching in 10 points and Marcus Hoy adding five.

Dakota Irvin hit three 3-pointers in scoring nine points and Adam Pettinella pitched in seven.

Batavia (1-0) will be playing Olean in the championship game Saturday night as the Huskies escaped Hornell 51-46 in the opening round.

Olean attempted 24 foul shots, while the Red Raiders did not attempt a single one. Jesse Champman scored 17 points while Ryan Crane added 12 for Olean.

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The Pembroke girls basketball team is moving on to the finals of the Alden Tournament after thumping the host squad 57-31.

Nicole Sharick had a huge game, popping in 13 points with 10 steals, four assists and six rebounds.

Katie Hackett and Danielle Smith had 10 points apiece, with Hackett getting five swipes. Natasha Powell grabbed eight rebounds.

The Dragons will play West Irondequoit in the finals at 6 p.m. Saturday.

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Three area boys teams lost non-league contests Friday night.

Elba had a rough start, getting outscored 37-24 in the first half, then couldn't come back and lost to Albion 63-58.

Phil Ostroski led the Lancers with 24 points and seven boards as Elba dips to 1-1.

Brian Mitchell was amazing for Holley, but the Hawks lost to Greece Odyssey 61-55. Mitchell scored a game-high 29 points with 13 rebounds, but the Hawks fall to 0-2.

Le Roy could still be recovering from the football team's trip to the Far West Regionals and lost a road game at York, 63-55. Eric Valentino (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Jesse Galvin (12 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles for York (1-1).

Mike Humphrey scored 21 points with Andrew Alexander getting 11 and Eric Stella following with 10 for the Oatkan Knights (0-1).

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The Notre Dame hockey team lost to Fayetteville-Manilius 6-1 in the opening round of the Fulton Tournament.

Brett Perfitt scored his first career goal for the Fighting Irish (1-1), and Thomas Dehr stopped 27 shots.

ND will play Immaculate Heart in the consolation game at Noon Saturday.

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Hillary Bates tied the game after a steal when she drained a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left in regulation. Then Brynn Perfitt hit a pair of free throws for the deciding points in a 31-29 win for Oakfield-Alabama over Geneseo in the opening round of the Geneseo Tournament.

Perfitt scored a game-high 17 points for the Hornets (1-0).

The other local girls teams stuggled.

Le Roy lost to York 46-27 and Churchville-Chili crushed Byron-Bergen 70-43.

Who is this dog?

By Brian Hillabush

 

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. 

Batavia Police Phone Numbers

By Philip Anselmo

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.

Genesee County Legends: Devil's Rock

By Philip Anselmo

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?

Batavia's Steven Patrick coaches Cortland to title

By Brian Hillabush

 The Cortland cross country team recently captured the NCAA Division III championship, finishing tops out of 32 teams in the field at the D3 championships at Hanover College.

The coach of that squad is Steven Patrick, a Batavia High graduate. He has had a nice career at Cortland.

In the spring of 2008, Patrick was named the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Men's Outdoor Track and Field Division III Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. He guided Cortland to a second-place national finish along with a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) title and an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III runner-up finish.

 

Big weekend of hoops action with Batavia boys topping the list

By Brian Hillabush

The high school basketball season really gets into swing this weekend as area teams are playing in tournaments and against non-league opponents.

The biggest event of all is taking place all the way in Olean at the Olean Tip-off Tournament.

The Batavia boys will be taking on defending New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C champion Maple Grove in the opening round tonight. The Red Dragons beat Mechanicville 71-46 in the state finals last year and ended up with a 25-2 final record in winning the title.

Maple Grove is led by junior guard Chris Secky, who has already scored over 1,000 points in his varsity career.

If Batavia can get past Maple Grove, they will get the winner of the Olean/Hornell game in the finals tomorrow.

Hornell went 17-5 last season and lost to Freddie Thomas in the Section 5 Class BB semifinals last year. The Red Raiders are led by Kyle Murphy and Joe Mauro, who return after being reserves last season. All five starters from a year ago graduated.

Olean is the defending Class B state champion.

The Huskies beat Malverne 63-53 in those finals and return just one starter,  point guard Joe Palumbo. Olean finished 25-3 last season.

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There is also a nice set of non-league contests to be played Friday night as Holley hosts Greece Odyssey, Albion is at Elba and Le Roy is at York.

The Olean finals aren't the only big ones this weekend. 

Oakfield-Alabama will be playing Barker in the championship game at the Barker Tournament. The Hornets kicked off their season with a 60-51 win over Holland last night.

Lyndonville, which lost to Barker in the opening round, will be playing Barker in the consolation game.

The other game Saturday is Genesee Valley at Alexander as the Trojans look to get win No. 1 on the season.

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The Oakfield-Alabama girls will be playing in the Geneseo Tournament this weekend, with a game against the host squad tonight. 

Pembroke will be playing in the Alden Tournament this weekend.

The finals for both of those games will be Saturday night.

Le Roy will be hosting York, Holley is at Medina, Byron-Bergen is at Churchville-Chili and Warsaw is at Wheatland-Chili tonight in non-league games Friday night.

The big game of the weekend will take place Saturday night at Genesee Community College as Elba and Batavia will play in the finals of the Elba/GCC Tournament. Batavia beat Albion 39-29 and Elba downed Attica 56-23 in opening round games last night.

Investigation ongoing at My T Acres site

By Philip Anselmo

We received a press release this morning from the town of Batavia Fire Department with further details on yesterday's massive barn fire at My T Acres on Lewiston Road in Batavia. The Batavia crew reports that the fire, which started in the main barn of a three-barn complex, completely destroyed "the main barn and numerous pieces of farm equipment," which were stored inside. Both of the additional attached barns "received substantial heat, smoke and water damage."

We reported yesterday that only one firefighter sustained a minor injury, but he did not seek medical assistance. No livestock or other animals were housed in the farm complex. No one else was injured as a result of the fire.

Investigators are already on scene today looking to establish a cause and origin of the fire. No estimated dollar value of loss has yet been determined. The Batavian left a message this morning with the property owner, Nate Call, who was on scene with the insurance representative.

Mutual-aid fire departments were requested from the City of Batavia, Alexander, Elba, LeRoy, Oakfield and East Pembroke Fire Departments. Additional Fire units from Stafford, Albion, Attica, Indian Falls, Alabama, Barre and Corfu fire departments provided stand-by assistance.

The Town of Batavia Fire Department was also assisted at the scene by the Genesee County Office of Emergency Management, New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, Genesee County Health Department, Genesee County Sheriff's Office, New York State Police and the Wyoming County Correctional Facility.

The following photographs of the wreckage were submitted by Steve Ognibene.

OH HOLY NIGHT

By Robin Walters

 

OH HOLY NIGHT

Oh holy night, the bus lights are brightly shining…

 

Yes it truly was a holy night on the Care-A-Van Ministry bus this evening.

A chilly night but such a holy blessed night was enjoyed by all. We were very blessed by the Cooperative Extension office this evening. Mary Jo brought a crock pot of homemade chicken soup which warmed many souls tonight.

 

The bus was truly glimmering all decked out in its holiday trim. The gang had gotten together last week-end to decorate the bus. We were at one of the local apartment complexes. As the bus filled up, not a seat could be found.

 

As I stepped out into the windy chilly night, I observed two young boys looking through all the treasures on the tables. They were having a great time. Someone had donated a box of toys. I watched as they gleefully dug through the box. Shawn, one of our volunteers had picked up a stuffed Bob the Builder doll. He pushed the button and put it up to his ear to here what Bob had to say. I snuck over and enjoyed listening. We put it back in the box. Bob was not happy! He wanted a new home. I am happy to report that Bob did find a new home tonight. After I helped one of the women to her apartment with her groceries, I climbed back onto the bus. Guess who was sitting on one of the seats? Yep, you got it, Bob the Builder! His head was peeking out of bag that sat next to one of the young boys. I chatted with the young fellow. He told me that he was taking Bob home for his brother. How sweet is that!

 

Isn’t it amazing what joy can be brought to a young ones’ heart? During this holiday season many young children are busy filling out their Christmas wish lists. Some of them include the famous Wi’s, X box, stereo systems, the newest cell phone and the list goes on and on. But Christmas came early for these two young boys. You would have thought someone gave them a million dollars when they found Bob and the plastic soldier men.

Why is it that the world has become so commercialized and the true meaning of Christmas gets lost?

 

The entertainment tonight was the video of the Trans Siberian Orchestra. I had never seen it. At the end, this young runaway girl ends up going home on Christmas. As she enters the door, her father is standing at the tree and her mom is there too. She runs into her father’s arms. He hugs and hugs her.

 

Christmas day is only 21 days away. It is a special day where we celebrate our Lord’s birth. May we all remember the true reason for the season. Just as the runaway went back home and ran into her father’s arms, we too on this Christmas day can come back home.

Our Jesus is there waiting for us with his arms wide open. Now if that is not the perfect Christmas gift, I don’t know what is. Praises to our Lord for the gift of his son!

 

May you all have a blessed joyous Christmas  

God Bless  Robin 

 

Reader photo of today's My 'T' Acre fire

By Howard B. Owens

Thomas Wommack submitted this photo. He said he shot the scene Galloway Road.

Our previous posts:

We continue to welcome reader pictures of this fire (or anything interesting you've photographed).  The best way to submit photos is to create a new blog post and upload your photos. Here's a tutorial to help.

UPDATE: Here's a satallite photo via Google Maps of the farm.  The barn that was destroyed is the large one to the right of the photo. The gymnasium forms the lower part of the T, pointing toward Lewiston Road.

The fire has also become a topic of discussion in the Ag-Talk Forum.

Video: My T Acres barn fire (Details)

By Philip Anselmo

Deputy Chief Paul Barrett, of the town of Batavia Fire Department, gives us a summation of the days events following the barn fire earlier today at My T Acres on Lewiston Road in Batavia. Please note: we spoke with Barrett shortly after 1:30pm, three hours after the fire broke out. At that time, they expected to be on scene extinguishing a handful of smaller fires for another few hours.

Batavia Daily News for Thursday: County tax rate will remain the same for next year

By Philip Anselmo

Genesee County residents will see no increase in their property tax rate for next year, according to the Daily News. County legislators made the cuts necessary to keep the rate at $9.82 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

In other news, Country Max has taken over the former Pet Mart store in the city of Batavia. Unfortunately, the article is not entirely clear on what this means. It seems as if "Country Max has a 10-year lease at its new location," yet it's also stated in the article that "Pet Mart is still listed as being owned by Andrew Mistler, father of local entrepreneur Ken Mistler." Further, the article states that Ken Mistler manages the Pet Mart store, but he "wants to become less involved with that business." Wouldn't the fact that a different company now owns the business mean that Mistler wouldn't be involved at all?

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

Old black and white on the streets of Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

Most likely, you've seen this old black and white cruising around town before, but it caught my eye as I turned onto Center Street, so I stopped to snap a pic.

Nope, Adam-12 didn't suddenly turn up in town.

It belongs to Center Street Smokehouse.

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