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One of the Barker Brothers -- the two men charged over the summer with drug crimes and conspiracy to commit murder -- has been arrested again, this time for allegedly assaulting a fellow jail inmate.

Derick W. Barker, pictured left, of Jonesboro, Ga., was charged with strangulation, 2nd, and assault, 2nd.

At 11:54 a.m., Thursday, the 26-year-old Barker was reportedly playing cards with two other inmates of the Genesee County Jail when, for an unknown reason, he got up from the table in the common area, went behind an inmate sitting nearby and allegedly placed a choke hold on him.

The inmate lost consciousness for a short period and jail staff were able to intervene and lock Barker inside his cell.

The inmate was treated at the jail by medical personnel and remains in custody.

Barker was arraigned in Batavia City Court on the new charges and sent back to jail without bail.

On Jan. 19, Derick's brother Justin entered a guilty plea to burglary, 3rd, for a break-in at a restaurant in Darien and an "Alford Plea" on the conspiracy charge.  He is in jail awaiting sentencing.

The search for a cause of a tic disorder in more than a dozen teenagers in Le Roy is moving toward a look at environmental causes.

The Democrat & Chronicle was the first to report that Erin Brockovich, Lois Gibbs and the Sierra Club are joining the investigation into what may have caused the tics, apprently not accepting the diagnosis of Dr. Laszlo Mechtler and others that the problem is "conversion disorder."

While other theories -- such as problems with vaccines -- have not been ruled out among those searching for other answers, the new environmental focus is getting a lot of play in the national media. Brockovich's interest has particularly drawn coverage.

On the vaccine front, Marcella Piper-Terry, contacted The Batavian today to offer her help.  Her site talks about "vaccine injury," and not just from the HPV vaccines.

We wanted to drill down a little more on the HPV vaccine issue and PANDAS, which is a strep-related neuropsychiatric disorder, so we called the NYS Department of Health and requested an interview with Dr. Gregory Young.

Jeffrey Hammonds, spokesman for the department, returned the call. 

He said HPV vaccines were ruled out because a majority of the original 12 girls have not been vaccinated.

He said he would get back to us on the details of why PANDAS was ruled out.

As for Brockovich, there are rumors that she will be in Le Roy either Saturday or Sunday.

The Southern California resident first gained fame as a paralegal (for the Westlake Village law firm of Masry & Vititoe) who helped initiate a lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (She lives in Agoura Hills, a tony community just over the Ventura County line in Northwest Los Angeles County. Ronald Reagan once owned a ranch there.)

The success of the suit, which resulted in the largest toxic tort injury settlement in U.S. history, eventually led to a popular movie titled "Erin Brockovich" with Julie Roberts in the lead role. (Roberts won an Oscar for Best Actress and the film, released in 2000, was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Director.)

In some circles, Brockovich is a bit controversial. Journalist Michael Fumento has been especially critical of Brockovich since 2000.

In 2003, Time Magazine published Erin Brockovich's Junk Science:

The suit, on behalf of Hinkley, California residents, focused on an ionized form of chromium called chromium-6, a rust inhibitor that was carelessly dumped by the giant utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, and seeped into the groundwater used by the town's residents. In bringing suit against PG&E, Brockovich's law firm charged that chromium-6, in addition to causing cancer, was responsible for disorders ranging from rashes and nosebleeds to lupus, miscarriage and Crohn's Disease in 600 of Hinkley's residents. The case eventually went to arbitration, and a panel of judges awarded residents a settlement of $333 million dollars, 40 percent of which went to the lawyers. For her efforts Brockovich received a two million dollar bonus.

And what are the facts? There is no doubt that PG&E irresponsibly dumped chromium-6, and that the substance is a carcinogen. When inhaled regularly over long periods of time, it can cause cancer of the lung and the septum. But current studies show that, ingested in the trace amount found in Hinkley's water, or in food, it's harmless. According to a 1998 Environmental Protection Agency report on chromium-6, "No data were located in the available literature that suggested that it is carcinogenic by the oral route of exposure."

According to the D&C, the environmental investigators -- including Gibbs of Love Canal fame -- and the Sierra Club will be looking at gas wells and alleged toxic dumping at the Le Roy school site.

Five natural gas wells owned by the LeRoy school district ring the junior/senior high school building, which opened in 2003. The wells have undergone the controversial procedure known as hydraulic fracturing, state environmental officials said. About 25 Western New York school districts own gas wells, though none have more active wells than Le Roy.

"We believe that it would be premature to draw any correlation between these tragic and unexplained illnesses and the gas wells on the school's playing fields," said Roger Downs of the Sierra Club's Atlantic Chapter. "But we have seen no evidence that these wells were adequately considered by the Department of Health as potential contributing factors to the illnesses in the initial investigation."

...

Rumors persist that the school or ground sit atop rock and soil trucked in from a part of Le Roy still suffering the after-effects of a huge spill of the toxic solvent trichloroethylene in a 1970 train derailment.

Press release:

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office has now made accident reports available online at http://geneseecsony.policereports.us/ or by clicking on the link from the Sheriff’s Office home page http://www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/sheriff/index.html or from the Sheriff’s Office records page.

Reports can be searched by date of accident, driver or registered owner’s last name, or the accident report number. Downloads are available in pdf or tiff format and cost $10 each. Reports will be uploaded to the site within approximately five business days from the date of the accident. Payment can be made through the secure site with a credit card or by contacting PoliceReports.US at 1-800-489-0190 to see if you qualify for a prepaid account.

This service will save time and make the accident report process more efficient. It is available 24/7 and allows immediate access to the report once it is uploaded. Accident reports can still be acquired by contacting the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office Records Division directly by phone at 585-345-3000, ext. 3560; by fax at 585-345-3089; in person or by mail to Genesee County Sheriff’s Office -- Records Division, 165 Park Road, Batavia, New York 14020; but this is now the preferred method of accident report distribution.

Steven R. Cox, 29, of Franklin Street, Machias; Jessica A. Cox, 26, of North Union Street, Olean; and, Bonnie J. Bremiller, 33, of 4th Street, Olean, are charged with grand larceny, 4th, and conspiracy, 5th. The trio was arrested at 2:26 a.m., Thursday, following a routine property check by Deputy Kevin McCarthy of Deluxe Machine & Tool Co. at 8825 Route 98, Batavia, which revealed heavy equipment parts were missing. The suspects appeared to have left traveling south on Route 98, and with the assistance of Deputy Howard Carlson and Officer Brian Marceill of the Attica PD, a truck overloaded with metal was located on Route 98 in the Village of Attica. The suspects are accused of stealing $1,500 worth of used heavy equipment parts from Deluxe Machine & Tool. Steven Cox was jailed on $20,000 bail. Jessica Cox and Bremiller were given also jailed and bail was set at $10,000 each. Sgt. Brian Frieday and Deputy John Weis also assisted in the investigation.

Christopher J. Fiorentio, 21, of 622 Four Rod Road, Alden, is charged with petit larceny. Fiorentio is accused of shoplifting from Dollar General. Fiorentio allegedly fled from the store when confronted and was located by Batavia PD a short distance from the store.

Raymond Paul Boskat, 38, of Dorwood Park, Ransomville, is charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, 2nd. Boskat is accused of presenting a legitimate NYS prescription form containing forged information to obtain Oxycodone from the Kmart pharmacy.

Joel Brent Zajaczkowski, 18, of Main Street, Alexander, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Zajaczkowski is accused of damaging flowers and a flower urn at Alexander Central School.

As a jury deliberates the fate of former Oakfield resident Steven Rebert -- life in prison or the death penalty for killing a Pennsylvania couple -- Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster is hoping one more piece of evidence will emerge to help authorities convict Rebert of killing Bill Fickel in August 2005.

"If in fact there were people out there who were afraid of him, they now know that he's either going to spend life in prison or get the death penalty," Brewster said. "He's no longer a threat to them."

Brewster has believed throughout the investigation that there was a passenger in the truck being driven by the man who shot Fickel.

If Rebert is the killer, that person may be the key to solving the case.

A cigarette butt gathered as evidence at the scene of the shooting, Brewster said, was found to have Rebert's DNA on it.

"We've been about where we have been with the case," Brewster said. "We were sort of waiting to see if the trial (in Pennsylvannia) might yield us anything else on Mr. Rebert, and at this point it doesn't look like it will. We're proceeding with what we have and we'll be meeting with the DA in the near future to see if we can get going with what we have."

Investigators are always hoping for new evidence to make a case stronger, Brewster said, and eyewitness testimony would certainly help formulate a case against Fickel's killer.

"We're hoping somebody will come forward in the next couple of weeks who decides to cooperate and then our case will be much stronger," Brewster said.

He added, "and, of course, there's still that $100,000 reward out there."

Meanwhile, the jury that convicted Rebert of killing Wayne and Vicky Shugar on April 10 is hearing testimony from people affected by the case, from members of the Shugar family to Rebert's mother and father.

The next phase in seeking approval for a 1,200-acre high-tech industrial complex in the Town of Alabama is to sell it to the town board.

And by sell, we mean, offer incentives attractive enough to please residents and for the board to approve a change in zoning for the land that Genesee Economic Devlopment Center officials hope to turn into a lucrative and bustling complex employing 9,300 people.

Mark Masse, VP of operations for GCEDC, said negotiations are starting on the incentive package with the town and they will include financial assistance with the needs of the town to accommodate the project as well as possible cash grants for a "community chest" (money that can be spent on whatever the town board decides to spend it on).

Information on the final Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement for the project known as STAMP (Science Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park) was presented Thursday night to about 100 area residents at the Alabama Fire Hall.

With the GEIS done, the town board will be given an opportunity wthin the next month or so to either green light the project or not.

Prior to the vote, GCEDC officials will try to come up with a package of incentives that might help sway town residents and the board to support the project.

Once the incentives are hammered out, there will be a public meeting where the package will be presented and the public will be given a chance to comment on the proposal.

Attorney Adam S. Walters (top inset photo), representing GCEDC, said if the town board doesn't approve the zoning change for STAMP, the project is dead.

One audience member pressed Walters on whether GCEDC or anybody else could sue the town if it doesn't change the zoning to GCEDC's liking. Walters said he knew of no legal grounds to support such a suit and the town's attorney, Mark Boylan, nodded in agreement.

The time is ripe, according to Masse for the town to approve the project. He indicated there is a company that is looking to build a million-square-foot high-tech manufacturing facility. The company will be ready to start its site selection process in 2014.

Asked if it was a foreign company, Masse said, "It's American."

No company, especially one looking at building a million-square-foot facility, will even consider a site that doesn't already have zoning approval, Masse said, since such approvals take so long to get. 

Earlier, town Planning Board Member Lorna Klotzbach (inset photo below) expressed concern that, the way the plan is written out, the entire 1,200 acres could just fill up with a lot of small companies.

"If this site is allowed to be gobbled up by a database company here, a retail store there, a warehouse over here -- what's the chance that a big anchor company is going to want to come in if all of these other uses take up all the space?" Klotzbach asked.

Walters said that, as a practical matter, that isn't going to happen.

The big anchor tenant is needed first so the infrastructure can be built to support all of the smaller tenants that will help fill out the park and provide support services to the large tenants.

"The concept is to form the park around high tech manufacturing," Walters said. "That's the goal of this project and to do it in a way that makes sense. What keeps a Tim Horton's or a couple of warehouses from coming in first is the dollars necessary for the infrastructure. The smaller projects can't afford it.

"The plan calls for a million-square-feet high-tech manufacturer in phase one," Walters added. "If you don't have that, you don't have the money to put in the infrastructure to make any of the other stuff happen."

Until then, Masse and Walters explained, the arable land within the park's proposed footprint will still be farmed and the people living in houses will still live in their houses.

In fact, soon-to-be-former Village of Oakfield resident Joseph Bradt (bottom inset photo) expressed a unique concern about what will happen to residents living within the STAMP area.

Bradt said he recently bought a home in Alabama in order to move his family out of the village.

Pointing at the site plan on the projector screen, Bradt said, "My house is off the map and I haven’t even moved in yet."

Masse said that until a portion of the park is needed for a new tenant, no offers to buy out residential homes will be made, and when they are made, the offers will be at fair market value or or just above assessed value.

Ask if eminent domain would be used to remove people from their homes if they didn't want to sell, Masse said, "no."

"If you don't want to sell you're property, we'll figure out how design around it or if we can move the project to another part of the park," Masse said.

As for Brandt, Masse said it could be up to 20 years before it's time to try and buy him out of his house.

The final GEIS addresses at least some of the concerns raised by residents over the past couple of years.

Regarding the John White Wildlife Management Area, that's been completely removed from the site plan and won't be developed.

Regarding lost agricultural land, the crop land that will displaced represents only .65 percent of the 148,584 acres of farmland in Genesee County and only .23 percent of the total prime farmland.

There are also at least 17 possible farm-protection strategies for the town board to consider to protect the remaining farmland. Some of them, according to Walters, are very expensive. Some, such as rezoning, cost nothing.

On wetlands mitigation, the footprint of the building space was reconfigured to protect more of the wetlands within the park. One of the early plans would have destroyed 69 of 106 acres of wetlands within the park area. The new plan protects all but 10 acres of the land.

The acres protected will be enhanced and restored.

"Many of those wetlands are not in great shape today, and without this project, they would be subject to further degradation," said Roger Person, the consultant heading up the environmental review process.

The report also deals with impacts on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation and traffic flow.

Officials are working with representatives of Tonawanda to minimize impacts and while traffic will increase in areas, some of the proposed improvements to roadways and intersections will bring relief to some traffic flow problems already present in Alabama, Person said.

When a member of the public expressed concern that if the zoning change were approved, what would stop developers from doing something different than what residents are being told now would happen?

Walters explained that the way the process works, the final GEIS acts as a box.  The box contains everything that is currently permissible within the STAMP project area.

"If a proposal comes along that doesn’t fit inside that box, it requires a supplemental analysis and perhaps a supplemental environmental impact study," Walters said. "Everything has to fit within the box."

A proposed redistricting plan was released by the New York State Legislature on Thursday and judging by an Associated Press story, nobody is happy.

Senate Democrats are unhappy, Assembly Republicans are unhappy, bi-partisan observers complain about gerrymandering and Gov. Andrew Cuomo may yet veto the whole thing.

For Assemblyman Steve Hawley, it looks like he can continue representing Genesee County, minus Pembroke but is picking up Darien, Alexander, Bethany and Pavilion. Hawley's district would also include York and Leister in Livingston County, all of Orleans County and three towns in Monroe County.

The primary geography of State Senator Michael Ranzenhofer's district would be Genesee County, with only Amherst, Clarence and Newstead in Erie County and Riga and Chili in Monroe County.

At least those are the lines for a proposed redrawing of the AD 139 and SD 61.

Maps for revised congressional districts were not released.

Two pharmaceutical companies that make HPV vaccine have hired Dr. Laszlo Mechtler in the past as a speaker, paying him more than $150,000 in fees in 2009 through 2011, according to a ProPublica database.

Mechtler is the neurologist who reportedly diagnosed 11 teenage girls in Le Roy who have been displaying tics and verbal outbursts with "conversion disorder."

State public health officials relied, at least in part, on Mechtler's diagnosis to rule out vaccines for the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus as a cause.

The HPV vaccines are known as Gardasil and Cervarix, manufactured by Merck & Co. and GlaxoSmithKline.

While tics and verbal outbursts are not listed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website as a possible side effect of either drug, the drugs have been known to cause serious health issues. According to WebMD, the vaccines have been tied to rare cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, neurological disoder that causes weakness.

Several observers of the Le Roy situation have suggested HPV vaccine as a possible cause, but at a public meeting in Le Roy Jan. 11, Dr. Gregory Young said HPV had been ruled out as a cause.

In a search of Google for "tics gardasil cervarix," pretty much all the results tie the outbreak in Le Roy to the drugs, but actual evidence of the drugs being tied to such an outcome is hard to find.

Mechtler was later interviewed by NBC and identified himself as the doctor who examined 11 of the girls and diagnosed them with conversion disorder, even going so far in another interview to blame 9/11 terror alerts for causing stress in the girls.

According to Propublica -- a nonprofit investigative journalism organization -- Mechtler received the following payments from Glaxo and Merck:

• $62,400 in speaking fees in 2009 from Merck
• $75,200 in speaking fees in 2010 from Glaxo
• $19,819 for research from Glaxo in 2010
• Another $10,000 from Glaxo in 2011

Brendan Curry found a brown and white beagle-pitbull mix in his yard this morning and is hoping the owner will come forward.

He said the dog showed up on his porch after he let his own dogs in.

He lives on Batavia Elba Townline Road between State and Bank.

Brendan can be reached at (585) 219-4861.

A convicted sex offender who was charged with new crimes a year ago was found guilty by a jury Wednesday of four counts of sexual abuse in the first degree.

The jury found that in two separate incidents, Anthony P. Dioguardi, 28, a resident of Wyoming Correctional Facility, used force to have sex with a child age under age 11.

Following jury selection Monday, the trial took place Tuesday. The jury deliberated for 90 minutes Wednesday before finding Dioguardi guilty on all four counts.

Statement from District Attorney Lawrence Friedman:

Needless to say, these terrible crimes involving the sexual abuse of children are usually committed outside the presence of any other witnesses and, more often than not, there isn't any medical, physical or scientific evidence. Therefore, it is reassuring to see that convictions can be obtained when a brave child, like the victim in this case, comes forward and credibly testifies before a jury and sees that justice can be achieved.

UPDATE: Dioguardi is facing up to 14 years in prison, though his sentence could be concurrent with the time he is currently serving. Sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., March 21.

We've heard for some time that while PepsiCo is paying for grading for a possible construction of a food processing plant in Batavia, the same work is "being done in three other locations."

One of those locations is in Avon, and as WHAM13's Sean Carroll discovered yesterday, no site work is taking place in Avon at all.

At the same time, however, the economic development directer in Livingston County says the site is much closer to being "shovel ready" than the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park. His park, he said, doesn't need a USDA grant for sewer and water because it already has all the infrastructure in place.

"If they chose this site, and we made it very clear, literally they could plug in and all the utilities are in the ground and there's no infrastructure needed here or at the sewage treatment plant," Rountree explained

While Genesee County clearly has the lead in the race to land the project, Livingstone County isn't giving up.

The support of a U.S. Senator and the fact that dirt is actually being moved at the Batavia site appears to indicate Project Wave’s final destination may only be a formality at this point in the process. Yet Rountree and his team are staying optimistic after an aggressive pitch that included top representatives from Barilla.

Either way, regional dairy farmers will be pleased with either outcome.

"I think for the dairy industry in this area specifically it spells a good feeling about long-term stability," Coyne explained. "To have end-product manufacturing this close, it just adds to the confidence that we can invest in our own farms long-term and be able to be in business."

The other two supposedly competitive sites are in Pennsylvania. A contractor familiar with the project told me some time ago that those sites are graded and have infrastructure in place, but we currently have no way to confirm that assertion.

A one-vehicle accident is reported on the Thruway with one occupant entrapped and possibly unconscious.

Mercy Flight is on standby.

The accident is in the area of mile marker 383.6 in the eastbound lane.

Le Roy fire and ambulance dispatched.

UPDATE 1:09 p.m.: A dispatcher informed the Le Roy chief that he spoke with somebody in the toll booth center who said the Thruway Authority did not want Mercy Flight dispatched. The dispatcher said he informed the person that it was the fire chief's call.

UPDATE 1:14 p.m.: The victim is out of the car and with State Troopers on scene. The car is well off the road and on its side. Mercy Flight can stand down.

UPDATE 1:39 p.m.: Le Roy Ambulance Service is headed to Strong Memorial Hospital with two patients on board. Le Roy fire crews are back in service.

Press release:

Today, Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide several hundred thousand dollars in federal funds for sewer and water infrastructure work to prepare a Genesee County site to host a massive food processing plant.

Build out of the new plant will occur in two phases and could bring hundreds of jobs to Genesee County over the next several years. The Genesee County Economic Development Center is currently preparing a site to host a 363,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, capable of hosting 300 to 400 jobs just three years after it is completed.

The GCEDC is currently finalizing a contract with a food producer for the site, and is seeking federal funding to cover part of the costs of infrastructure improvements to ensure that the site is compatible with the needs of the food company. Today, Schumer called on Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to provide $300,000 to $500,000 in USDA funds for several projects that will ensure the site is ready to serve as a major job creator in Western New York.

“This massive plant could be a game-changer for Genesee County and Western New York,” Schumer said. “We can’t let inadequate sewer systems and wastewater lines, stand in the way of jobs. The USDA should realize the massive potential this project has and provide the seed funding that will help grow jobs and economic prosperity in the county.

"The funds are there to spur development and USDA would be hard-pressed to find a better return on their investment than this new plant. Secretary Vilsack should do the right thing and help us make these infrastructure improvements as quickly as possible to ensure that we don’t miss out on a chance to bring hundreds of good-paying jobs to Upstate New York.”

To ensure the site is ready to host the manufacturing plant, GCEDC must complete $1.8 million in infrastructure upgrades to the site. These upgrades include the construction of a second access road into the park, the addition of a new turning lane and road re-striping at the site’s main entrance as well as up to $500,000 for wastewater and sewer pump station upgrades. The GCEDC is seeking $300,000 to $500,000 in USDA rural development funds to complete these upgrades.

With Schumer’s encouragement and support, GCEDC plans to apply for funding through the USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program. The application is due to USDA in April and funding would be awarded in June. Schumer noted that in 2010, Genesee County applied for and won over $200,000 under this program to build out sewer infrastructure to land the Alpina Yogurt Plant, which will serve as another major job creator for the county.

Schumer is pushing the USDA to help Genesee County build on this success by providing funding that will help the county ensure that the site is prepared to host a major food manufacturer in the months ahead.

In his letter, Schumer wrote, “Simply stated, securing USDA funding to complete these new upgrades will bring this $247 million project and its associated 300 jobs to Batavia, NY. As such, and with my full support and encouragement, GCEDC is submitting an application for Rural Development funding by the April 2012 application deadline.

“Funding this upgrade will create an enormous return on investment. Already New York’s rural and agricultural regions are quickly becoming centers of tremendous job growth due to the rise in yogurt and other food processing. This new food processor will join the ranks of the 900-employee Chobani Greek Yogurt manufacturing facility in New Berlin, NY, the 240-employee Fage plant in Jamestown, NY, and the 50-employee Alpina yogurt facility in Batavia, NY.”

CLARIFICATION: Rachael J. Tabelski, with GCEDC, said the USDA grant is intended to fund sewer improvements. Needed upgrades at the site include a secondary roadway and aquifer water.

Previously:

• Likely buyer for 'Project Wave' plant is PepsiCo
• Expert: Batavia poised to become yogurt capital of Northeast

Tesla R. Greck, 20, of 134 Liberty St., Batavia, is charged with falsely reporting an incident, 3rd, and offering a false instrument, 2nd. Greck is accused of falsely reporting that her ex-boyfriend violated an order of protection.

Gregory Seppe, 53, of North Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 5th. Seppe was arrested at 8:44 p.m., Tuesday, for allegedly possessing several prescription medications that were reported stolen by the owner of the prescriptions.

In the six weeks since we launched Shop Batavia, the response has been great.  People around town ask me about the site and tell me what a great idea they think it is and so far 135 local businesses have created accounts.

More than 100 items are listed in the site's marketplace.

A dozen businesses are selling gift certificates.

There are currently 10 money-saving coupons available.

More than 100 reviews have been posted.

And if you check the news feed daily on the home page, you can see the site is bustling with activity.

Thanks to all who have supported the site so far. We're excited about the good start and eager to see Shop Batavia grow, giving local businesses and local shoppers a great way to connect, do business and help the local economy.

WGRZ, Buffalo, is reporting that there are now 15 cases in Le Roy of teens with tic symptoms, including a boy. Also, the station interviews a doctor who treated a similar case in North Carolina a decade ago. His diagnosis: conversion disorder.

Press release:

“Tonight, President Obama reported on the state of the nation and laid out his plan to move our economy forward. While we’ve seen some progress, we need to continue to invest in America, ensuring Americans have good jobs to go to every day.

“The President’s proposal to revitalize our manufacturing community, invest in American infrastructure, and focus on job training at community colleges, like ECC, NCCC, GCC, and MCC, will keep America competitive and bring jobs back to the United States. It’s time we stop rewarding those companies that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America.

“I, however, would have liked to hear more about the President’s plan to cut the deficit and reduce our national debt. This is why I supported the Balanced Budget Amendment that requires Congress to balance its finances in the same way Western New York families do every day; and why I support efforts to streamline government, eliminate waste, and be more responsive to the needs of American businesses.

“Right now is the time for us to come together and work with one another to strengthen our nation and give Americans the chance to get back to work. We have the best ideas, the finest universities, and the hardest working people in the world – now we must create an economy that benefits the working families of America.

“Like the President said, every American just wants a fair shot at achieving the basic American promise; having a good paying job, buying a home, and raising a family. Our country is strongest when every American is contributing their fair share, but this can only happen when we’re all given that fair shot.”