Groups are setting up for the annual Wonderland of Trees at the Holland Land Office Museum. The event starts Friday evening with the annual Kickoff Gala sponsored by Five Star Bank.

The Museum anticipates about 45 community groups, business, organizations and volunteers. There is still a couple of days left to get your trees up. If you or your business would like to decorate a tree, call the Museum at 343-4727. There isn’t a charge to put one up, but the group must supply the tree and all the trimmings.

On Friday night at 7:30 p.m., the annual Wonderland of Trees Kickoff Gala occurs.  Come and view the trees, vote on your favorites, enjoy music and visit with friends and neighbors as we ring in the holiday season. Tickets for the event are still available and cost $20 per ticket or $30 per couple. Reserve your ticket by calling the Museum at 343-4727.

For more information, visit www.wonderlandoftrees.com

For those of us who didn't wake up to two feet of snow this morning, our news channels and radio waves likely included a bit on the ongoing scuffle in Albany over the state budget. Everyday, this brouhaha over the budget resembles more and more the raucous cloud of dust that signals a barroom brawl in a Warner Bros. cartoon. If you look closely enough, you can see a foot or a black eye or a projectile mug—but we won't know anything about the winners and the losers until the dust settles, and by then, it will already be time for another skit.

Nor do we, the people of New York, even know who we're rooting for.

From the Albany Times Union:

It seems that New York's legislative leaders really do reflect the views of their constituents, according to the latest Siena Research Institute poll.

The poll, released Monday, found that 75 percent of registered voters want spending cuts instead of tax increases (which are favored by 10 percent) or borrowing (9 percent) to address the state's budget gap.

But when asked what they want to cut, voters won't get specific: 44 percent opted for "something else" when offered a list that also included health care (6 percent), education (7 percent), transportation and infrastructure (18 percent) and aid to local governments (23 percent).

Health care and education are the biggest components of the state budget, with local aid coming in third. Localities, of course, often choose to make up the shortfall that results from state cuts with increases to property taxes.

"Something else"—isn't it always something else? Didn't the pollsters know what they were doing when they included "something else" as an option? Didn't they know that people would invariably opt for the intangible unknown for the very reason that it can't be specified and therefore isn't much of a threat?

Well, members of some groups that have already been named as potential losers under the cuts proposed by Gov. David Paterson have some ideas about what that something else could be. And why wouldn't they? Something else, for them, necessarily implies something other than themselves.

From the WXXI newsroom:

Groups who would suffer the most from the $2 billion dollars in cutbacks that Governor Paterson has proposed are urging the legislature to consider alternatives, before saying yes to the governor's ideas. In interviews, and at a series of hearings by the Assembly, they listed a number of options that they say the governor has so far ignored.

State worker unions, who met with the governor a few weeks ago, say they offered numerous suggestions, which did not become part of Paterson's proposals. Ken Brynion, President of the Public Employees Federation, says the state could save hundreds of millions of dollars by eliminating private contractors, and letting state workers perform the tasks, like inspecting bridges, promoting tourism, or offering IT advice.

"It's a complete waste of money," Brynion said.

[...]

Other ideas include revamping the state's costly economic development programs. Critics have long contended that companies do not have to prove they actually create jobs with the funds from Empire Zones or Industrial Development Agencies. Many have mentioned enforcing laws that require the collection of sales tax on cigarettes sold on Indian lands.

Fran Turner, with the state worker union CSEA, joins others in saying that perhaps personal income taxes should be restructured to extract more money from the state's wealthiest.

Meanwhile, back at the capitol, while busloads of protestors unload to decry the potential cuts, things took a turn for the anticlimactic.

From the Times Union:

As of Monday evening, it seemed likely today's session will result in very little progress. In a 9 p.m. press conference from the Red Room, Paterson announced that he would meet with legislative leaders at 12:30 p.m. today to discuss the immediate future of his proposed cuts.

Earlier in the evening, Senate Republicans had said the chamber would vote on Paterson's proposals, designed to close an expected $1.5 billion gap brought on by the collapse of Wall Street, but they are almost certain to turn it down.

So where to next? What's your something else?

"Numerous" vehicles ran off the road early this morning on a very slippery Route 20 that got so hazardous it had to be closed down for about a ten mile stretch between Alexander and Pavilion, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. Many of the vehicles that slid off the highway were still being pulled back up onto the road not even an hour ago. Salt trucks were finally starting to make some progress in the seven o'clock hour. About two to three inches of slippery snow fell across the area overnight.

A deer hunter was shot and killed by a member of his own party in Cattaraugus County. Derrick Lockwood, 23, of the town of Humphrey died Sunday morning following the incident, authorities there said. A police investigation into the death is ongoing.

 Mark Hamilton did a great job of getting the Batavia girls basketball program back to respectability.

When he stepped down, the school looked for a coach that can take the program to another level. Bill Wade appears to be that man.

Wade coached Byron-Bergen to the state finals in 1984, won a state title in 1999 with Notre Dame and then retired, spending four years as an assistant coach at SUNY Brockport. Wade's career record is 215-52.

He looks to help the squad improve on last year's 16-5 record and be competitive in the Class A sectionals.

The veteran coach has a pair of returning senior stars that are expected to lead a young team this season.

Jaycee Shirk showed marked improvement as last season went on and the 6-foot-1 forward/center is expected to be a force in the paint. Shirk teamed with Alyssa Tretter for that role and now will be handling those duties on her own.

Shirk averaged 12 points with eight rebounds and two blocks per game last season.

The other returning starter is senior guard Brittany Mazurkiewicz, who poured in 10 points with five assists and three steals per game.

Every other player on the roster is a junior.

Stacy Hein is expected to run the point with Brittany Wormley, Alicia Emminger and Michelle Jordan also expected to be key players for the Blue Devils.

Batavia earned a fourth-seed in the Class A playoffs last year, but were knocked out by No. 5 School of the Arts in the quarterfinals, 62-44. Shirk had nine points in that game and Mazurkiewicz had eight.

Commuters heading west from Batavia may soon have to contend with yet another highway distraction. An article in the Buffalo News from last week informs us that electronic, television-style billboards will soon be gracing roadsides in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Hamburg and Tonawanda. They will replace the antiquated poster-style billboards in those areas with electronic ones that "beam a new picture every eight seconds." But there's more to these flashy billboards than just invasive marketing opportunities.

The new technology has drawn concern in some communities, while winning applause in others for beaming emergency information to drivers.

Digital signs can quickly replace ads with messages about traffic problems ahead. They can also relay AMBER Alerts about missing children, (Lamar general manager Rich) Dvorak said.

In Minneapolis, a digital billboard alerted drivers about a bridge collapse in 2007 and helped reroute traffic.

“We can react within minutes to get that [emergency] message up,” Dvorak said.

But concerns about distracted driving and neighborhood livability have also surfaced as the electronic signs proliferate, with 1,100 now in use nationwide.

What do you think? Will electronic billboards be worth the distraction?

The former Warsaw Cinema officially re-opened Saturday as The Stage, Warsaw's new center for the performing arts, according to the Daily News. There was sadly no mention in the otherwise great article about upcoming performances or even if there was a performance during the open house Saturday. We're told that the group Western New York Performance Center Inc. bought the place earlier this year

with the aim of creating a space for music, stage productions, educational programming, and independent film.

That sounds great. I'm all for more culture, in whatever form we can get it, and this place sounds like it will be a great addition to the area. Has anyone yet been down? It's a little outside Genesee County, but I may have to go check it out, get some video footage.

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

David R. Kaminski, 51, of Lancaster, was charged with driving while intoxicated and unlawful possession of marijuana Friday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Kaminski was stopped for a traffic violation on West Main Street in the village of Corfu. He was also ticketed with an improper right turn.

Frederick W. Roll 4th, 26, of Alexander, was charged with first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child Saturday, deputies said. Roll is accused of allowing individuals under the age of 21 to consume alcohol during a party at his residence.

Clara J. Stribling, 28, of Medina, was charged with driving while intoxicated Saturday, deputies said. Stribling was stopped for a traffic violation on Route 63 in the town of Batavia. She was also ticketed with moving from the lane unsafely.

Victor D. Albert, 48, of Buffalo, was charged with driving while intoxicated and aggravated DWI Sunday, deputies said. Albert was located by deputies following an investigation into a one-car property damage accident in the town of Darien. Albert was also ticketed with failure to stop at a stop sign and failure to reduce speed.

Randy S. Weidrich, 37, of 433 E. Main St., Room 6, Batavia, was charged with second-degree harassment Friday, city police said. Weidrich is accused of attempting to punch someone in the face during an argument. He was sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $250.

Robert B. Stanton Jr., 48, of Stafford, was charged with driving while intoxicated and aggravated DWI Saturday, city police said. Stanton Jr. was stopped by police on Main Street following reports that an intoxicated driver had left Tops supermarket in Batavia. He was also ticketed with unsafe lane change, open container and driving left of the pavement markings.

Park Police are reminding those who own snowmobiles that children between 10 and 18 years old need to complete a snowmobile safety certification course in order to operate the vehicles legally, according to WBTA's Dan Fischer. In fact, there's no reason parents, too, can't attend the course with the children.

The first certification course will be held at Genesee Sno Packers, 102 S. Pearl St., in Oakfield on November 23. Call (585) 948-5656 to reserve your place. Stafford will also host a course at the Stafford Fire Hall on December 2 and December 9. Call (585) 548-9951 for all the details on those sessions.

Hi there,new to this site.I was wondering if anyone out there has any idea why the cross walk lights along Main St. in Batavia don't work? For well over a year now,I have not seen any of them work properly-they are all lit red and doesn't matter if anyone presses the button to cross.The ones they used to have before the Main St. construction a few years ago worked.

With just four minutes left in the game, something clicked for the Le Roy football team. In a situation where the Oatkan Knights had turned the ball over six times and was trailing by 18 points, they didn't quit.

There was a sudden burst of momentum as the team that hadn't lost all season long wasn't about to take its first defeat lying down.

Le Roy came back and had a shot to win the game in the final minute, but turned the ball over a seventh time and walked off the field with a crushing 38-35 defeat against the most skilled team it has seen all year, Jamestown Southwestern.

The start to the game was strange as the teams took the field and there was a penalty on the kickoff, then had to wait four minutes to re-do the kick because of the television coverage.

But the Oatkan Knights received the ball on the kick and fumbled the ball away on their third play. Southwestern quickly scored as Levi Bursch scored on a 19-yard run.

The Trojans got the ball back on an interception, then gave it back to Le Roy when they fumbled it.

The Oatkan Knights marched right back down the field and was knocking on the end zone door when the ball popped out again, giving Southwestern the ball at their own 20-yard line.

Zack Sopak lofted up a 54-yard pass to Will Sleggs and the Trojans were deep in Le Roy territory. Bursch capped off the drive with a 2-yard dive into the end zone.

Le Roy marched on the next drive, with the highlight being a 35-yard pass to Quentin Humphrey. This time,  the turnover directly resulted in points for Southwestern.

Travis Fenstermaker was trying to get the ball to Mike Humphrey for a touchdown, but Bursch stepped in front and snagged the pass. He took it 97 yards to the house, giving Southwestern a 21-0 advantage.

The Oatkan Knights again were moving the ball as a Fenstermaker pass to Andrew Alexander was a big gainer, especially when you add the face mask penalty.

But, Alexander wound up coughing up the ball inside the red zone.

Southwestern punted and Le Roy finally got on the scoreboard just seconds before the first half ended. Alexander hauled in a pass by Fenstermaker and rumbled 63 yards for the TD.

After making a stop and punting the ball away at the start of the second half, the Oatkan Knights got a turnover when Southwestern fumbled. That led to a 13-yard touchdown pass to Mike Humphrey. The extra point attempt failed and Le Roy trailed 21-13.

After a big kick return by Tanner Delahoy, Southwestern didn't take long to make it a two-score game as Sopak hooked up with Will Sleggs on a 29-yard scoring pass.

Le Roy got some major help on the next drive. On a fourth-and-2, Fenstermaker tossed a first down pass to Alexander, but there was a face mask and late hit penalty issued on the play.

The Oatkan Knights faced another fourth down later in the drive and Fenstermaker ended up tossing a 6-yard touchdown pass to Mike Humphrey on the fourth-and-1.

The next 10 points came by the Trojans, seeming to put the game away.

Bursch caught a 3-yard touchdown pass and Dan Imfeld nailed a 28-yard field goal, giving Southwestern a 38-20 lead with just 6:49 left on the clock.

The game appeared to be over. But it wasn't.

Fenstermaker - who ends his high school career with a 20-2 record - capped off a three minute long drive with a 1-yard TD run.

The Oatkan Knights recovered the onside kick and it started to look like something special was going to happen.

But, Mike Humphrey fumbled the ball away after catching a short pass. Again, the game looked to be over - that is, until the Trojans fumbled while trying to run time off the clock. Le Roy recovered with 1:28 left in the game.

Humphrey immediately caught a 42-yard touchdown pass and the impossible, now seemed possible. The Oatkan Knights were only trailing 38-35 and when they recovered the second onside kick, looked like they were going to win the game.

Fenstermaker threw a pass to Mike Humphrey and Le Roy had the ball at the Southwestern 22-yard line and just over 30 seconds to work with.

But the Southwestern defensive backs had the Le Roy receivers covered, forcing Fenstermaker to scramble. He was hit by Eric Mazgaj and the ball popped out, with the Trojans recovering and ending Le Roy's season.

Fenstermaker went 21-of-37 for 283 yards and four touchdowns, with Humphrey hauling in 14 passes for 136 yards and three scores. Alexander rushed the ball 19 times for 61 yards and caught two passes for 91 yards and a score.

Southwestern improves to 11-0 and moves on to the state semifinals next weekend at PAETEC Park.

UPDATE: More photos from Pete Karl.

The LeRoy fans who braved the dismal weather for today’s Western Regional football matchup with Southwestern were treated to an emotional roller coaster ride.

As the rain began to intensify, so too did LeRoy’s turnover problems. Turnovers - in the form of a fumble and interception - on their first two possessions proved frustrating. A sustained drive on LeRoy’s third possession had the Oatkan Knighs faithful cheering. Then, just as suddenly, the LeRoy crowd was silenced as the ball was fumbled away near the Southwestern goal line. LeRoy turned the ball over twice more in the first half, both times after moving the ball deep into Southwestern territory. To compound the problem, the Trojans capitalized on LeRoy’s miscues.

At half time I spoke with LeRoyan John Arneth, a long time Oatkan Knight supporter. “You can’t beat a good team with that many turnovers in one half. Period.” He went on to specify the need to control the ball, particularly at this stage of the season. “This time of year all the pretenders have gone home. Good teams will capitalize on your mistakes.” Southwestern fit’s the latter category well as they turned three LeRoy turnovers - two fumbles and an interception - into scores. “Right now they are not beating us so much as we are beating ourselves. But they are playing a mistake free game”, Arneth concluded.

Two former Oatkan Knights, John Piazza and Kevin Pike were on hand to root for LeRoy. When I asked Piazza, a former LeRoy linebacker in bygone years, what he thought of LeRoy’s chances, he said, “You’ve got two great teams on the field. LeRoy’s got a lot of heart. They’re hanging in there. Hopefully the momentum will swing our way.” It takes one to know one. Once a Knight, always a Knight. Or so it seemed. Though it took some time in coming, John Piazza’s words would be prophetic. In the meantime, LeRoy capitalized on a Southwestern fumble. Travis Fenstermaker put the ball in the air and Mike Humphrey made a remarkable catch in the end zone to put renewed life into the LeRoy crowd. Just as quick as their hopes soared, they came plummeting back to earth Soutwestern returned the ensuing kickoff for considerable yardage and the very next play scored on a pass play of their own. But the LeRoy faithful would not be deterred. “LeRoy has some amazing athletes on the field”, said Kevin Pike. ”It’s a great atmosphere here at UB. We’ll have a better second half.”

Trailing by eighteen points with four minutes left, the Oatkan Knights kicked the roller coaster into high gear - and on an uphill ride. In the time remaining, LeRoy brought the fans to their feet, scoring two touchdowns, both conversions - one for two points and two successful onside kicks.

Then, just as quickly, despite all the last minute gut checking, time ran out on a great season, with a seventh turnover.

A Canadian restaurant chain is planning to expand into Western New York, and Batavia is part of the firm's plans, according to the Buffalo News.

Mississauga-based Coffee Culture Cafe & Eatery Is beginning its expansion in Buffalo. The article offers no specifics on the company's plans for Batavia, such as location or timing.

Coffee Culture President Peter Karamountzos said his company has been eyeing a U. S. launch for about 18 months and picked New York over Michigan and Illinois for a cross-border expansion.

“We’d like to open 10 to 12 location in and around Buffalo,” Karamountzos said. “We like to be in village settings or downtowns, where there’s strong neighborhood foot traffic. We also like being on corners where we can have a physical presence.”

...

The European-style eateries offer a range of fresh-baked goods, panini sandwiches, breakfast and lunch/dinner crepes and coffees. Coffee Culture eschews drive-up windows in favor of more personal walk-in and sit-down service.

“Our theme is ‘Come for a taste, Stay for a visit,’” Karamountzos said. “We know people are in a hurry, but that doesn’t mean they have to settle for a sterile fast-food experience.”

The state Legislature is consider new regulation that would allow Batavia Downs to expand its hours and increase the types of games it offers.

Currently the Downs is limited to 116 hours per week. Under the proposal, the casino could stay open for 128 hours per week.

Among the new games being considered are electronic roulette and electronic blackjack. Right now, the Downs is limited to slot machines and video poker.

The moves are being eyed as a way to give the state a boost in revenue when it's struggling to close massive budget gaps over the next four years.

"We will consider them all if it will help us raise some revenue," Paterson said in an interview today with Gannett News Service.

Apparently, the legislature cannot expand the race tracks into full-blown casino's without a constitutional amendment.

I'm guessing that's why the facilities don't offer -- and the Legislature is not considering -- poker?

Poker remains popular throughout the U.S. It seems logical that it would be as successful at Batavia Downs as any place else.

Poker is one of the few games that gives the player a chance to consistently win money, since there is no house advantage (the house takes what's called a rake, a small portion of the opening bets) from each pot, and some pots can be won on the pure skill of an individual player (of course, there's luck involved, too).

Whereas slot machines, video poker and similar electronic games have a house advantage built right in. For example, even if a slot machine offers the nearly unheard of, outrageously high pay out of 98 percent, a player cannot beat it in the long run. Eventually, he is going to lose all of his money (it might take millions and millions of pulls, but the odds are against the player).  Of course, short-term variance means most players either lose big or win big on any given day, which is the thrill that hooks in so many problem gamblers.

Blackjack offers a similar house advantage, which can be defeated by a skilled card counter -- but casinos will ban card counters when caught.

So why does the state sanction games that offer the player no real advantage while banning the one wager game that a skilled player can actually beat?

As a libertarian, I have nothing against these facilities offering these games, or the state legalizing them, or people playing them.  People are free to make their own choices in these matters. I just don't get why poker isn't legal.

The Iona College basketball team is playing right now (7:30 p.m.) and the game is being broadcast on the Internet here.

This is where you can watch Attica grad, and one of the best players in the history of the Genesee Region League make his Division I college debut.

The Blue Devils' all-time leading scorer, Derek Wolfley, is a freshman on the squad. Enjoy the game. 

 (UPDATE: Derek did not get in the game. The Gaels are playing in a tournament next weekend, so hopefully he will get a chance to make his college debut then.)

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Here it is: Episode four in our series Cooking with the Dairy Princess. In this episode, your favorite princess and mine, Anika Zuber, is welcomed by a speical guest. Enjoy! 

Don't forget! You can visit The Batavian at Blip.tv to see this video in large format, as well as many of our other videos. Simply go to The Batavian's video channel at: thebatavian.blip.tv.

Well folks, we have another Mall fiasco (they just don't stop), the Mall Maiteniance Association (MMA) is creating massive shenangins over next to nothing again.  This time though, the basis of their decision is laughable.  They want to remove the City's representative, Mr. Tim Paine from the committee for being "disruptive" and "questioning the integrity of the minutes".  Excuse me while I nearly fall of my chair laughing, is this serious? 

This all must be a major joke that the MMA is playing on us via the media, I mean honestly, normally you have to have an actually legitamte reason to remove someone from a committee, such as assault or not showing up to meetings.  Truly they have creativity than this.

This action is both funny and an incredibly frightening misuse of power on behalf of Dr. Mitchell Chess, who has shown his intentions by attemtping to circumvent Jason Molino, the City Manager, in the past.   He now wants to have Tim Paine removed from the committee because he doesn't agree with them and wants accurate minutes, how on earth is this so terrible?  If the MMA had nothing to hide, then they would have no objection to the tape recordings of their meetings and if they really cared about City input, they wouldn't object to the representative from the commmittee, well, giving input. 

Mr. Paine is not the representative on behalf of those in power at the MMA, he is the City's representative, he exists in that capacity to give the input of the people, not the powerful.  He is also there to make sure that the MMA is telling the truth when it comes to its matters that involve the city.  Perhaps the MMA isn't being totally forthcoming?

The real question, to me at least, is this, what is the MMA hiding?  I have much respect for Dr. Chess, its chairman, because of his education and his running a great service for the community, but doesn't this make you wonder what exactly is really going on?  Could this be why he tried to enlist the city council to help him bypass negiotiating with Jason Molino?

Perhaps the MMA could attempt to remove him for a more credible reason, such as the color of his shirt or the brand of sneakers he wears.  I realize that no one is perfect and I don't want to sound like I'm questioning anyone's character....but I have to wonder if this group is living in the same world that the rest of us are.

About 16 people gathered in the town of Batavia last night for a meeting to discuss possibly formulating a farmland protection plan for the town, according to the Daily News.

The town has about 19,000 acres of agricultural land, which accounts for roughly 60 percent of total land in the town.

Roger Muehlig writes:

The goal is to create a land use policy on how to keep agricultural land in production and protect it from commercial and residential development.

In other news, the city of Batavia has hired a new code enforcement officer. Apparently, Ronald Panek has been working since last week. Panek, 41, is from Wyoming.

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

Genesee County Sheriff Gary Maha issued the following press release today:

Sheriff Gary T. Maha cautions hunters not to hunt or stray on property of the Tonawanda Indian Reservation in the town of Alabama. "It is the hunter's responsibility to know where they are," Sheriff Maha said. Hunting or fishing on the Reservation by a non-Indian is prohibited.

Hunters who hunt or stray on Indian Land may be subject to Tribal Law, which could involve having their guns seized and heavy fines assessed by Reservation Chiefs or Indian Marshals. Law enforcement cannot help in these situations, except by keeping the peace. "The Tonawanda Indian Reservation is a Sovereign Nation and we have to recognize that," the Sheriff said.

Recent meetings have been held between representatives from the Tonawanda Indian Nation, the U.S. Attorney's Office, New York State Police, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police and the Sheriff's Office to discuss this issue. Nation Chiefs have the right to enforce their laws on Reservation property.

Over the past couple of years there have been incidents involving the seizure of firearms from hunters who have strayed onto the Tonawanda Reservation and the Chiefs have imposed fines. Members of the Tonawanda Nation and law enforcement wish to avoid any confrontations in such cases and wish to educate the public of the possible consequences of hunting on Indian land.

Harley Burfield, 20, of Buffalo, was charged with third-degree criminal mischief Thursday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Burfield is accused of damaging the window of another vehicle following a road rage incident in Alabama.

Jeffrey M. Schmitt, 54, of Oakfield, was charged with driving while intoxicated and unlawful possession of marijuana Thursday, deputies said. Schmitt allegedly drove off the road on Route 262 in Byron and crashed into a utility pole, where he was found by deputies. He was also ticketed with moving from the lane unsafely.

Anthony P. Lovetra, 19, and James C. Hotnich, 20, both of 8170 Batavia-Stafford Townline Road, Apt. 1102, Batavia, were charged with unlawful possession of marijuana Thursday, deputies said. Following a traffic stop investigation one week ago, deputies searched the apartment of Lovetra and Hotnich and allegedly found marijuana. Hotnich was also charged with possession of alcohol under 21 with intent to consume.