Last week, we reported an update on the downtown gull situation.

BID Director Don Burkel asked that we share the following information with readers:

If you are having a problem with gulls landing / nesting on your building there are some possible solutions by the USDA Wildlife Services:

• String 100-pound test fishing line in a grid pattern
• Use a “BirdX” (sound system)
• Use inflatable “Scarymen” by Reed Joseph Co.

If you need some advise on your particular gull problem, Carl Cranker, biologist for the USDA Wildlife Services, would be willing to visit your property. There is no fee for consultation and accessing your situation. If you want the Wildlife Services to perform a service, i.e. remove nests or eggs, there would be a fee involved. You can contact him directly by calling (315) 532-4835 (cell) or email: carl.c.cranker@aphis.usda.gov .

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C – Batavia) is urging legislative leaders to make controlling property taxes the number one priority of the remaining weeks of the 2011 Legislative Session. The Tax Foundation recently released a study that shows homeowners in Orleans, Niagara, Monroe and Genesee counties face a property tax burden ranked in the top 10 nationally, based on percentage of median home value. Orleans, Niagara and Monroe occupy the top three spots respectively, while Genesee comes in eighth.

“To see all four counties in the 139th Assembly District paying some of the highest property taxes in the nation should serve as a loud and clear reminder to legislative leaders that we have no greater priority during this year’s session than to provide property tax relief to Western New York families and businesses, coupled with mandate relief for local governments and school districts,” Hawley said.

“Furthermore, 22 out of the 25 highest-taxed counties are found in Upstate New York. State government has placed Upstate’s economy at a massive, competitive disadvantage by increasing costs on localities and has forced families out of the homes they spent their entire lives working to build.

"I have consistently supported implementing a property-tax cap that will re-open Upstate New York for business and embrace the homeowners that have built their lives here, and I urge my colleagues in state government to join me in putting all of their energy behind this measure.”

Hawley is a co-sponsor of multiple bills to cap property taxes under consideration in the Assembly. While skyrocketing property taxes must be addressed immediately, so must the contributing factors that have led to such crushing levies.

“The cost-drivers handed down from Albany to local governments are a ploy to support unsustainable levels of spending,” Hawley said. “The passage of a property tax cap is not only crucial for homeowners, but it is also a vital component of the fight to repeal unfunded mandates that force localities to raise taxes year after year.

"The property tax crisis is truly symptomatic of New York’s most crippling problem – an unending appetite for spending. Passing a property tax cap is not the end of a long struggle, but rather the first domino to fall that will bring down unfunded mandates and reign in state spending.”

This weekend the Elba Jazz Ensemble brought home the gold from the 50th annual Gorham Pageant of Bands when they placed first in the Class C Jazz Band competition.

This was the jazz ensemble's third year participating in the pageant, having placed third and second in the past two festivals.

Elba, normally a Class DD school, was the smallest to partipate in the pageant and was therefore bumped up to the Class C level to compete against Naples, Dundee, Gananda and South Seneca.

The Elba Concert Band placed fifth in its category.

The jazz ensemble is directed by Phil Briatico. Its members are: Marissa Tomczak, Mark Hare, Dillon Hirsch, Dan Starowitz, Ann Marie Georgia, and Connor Rohan on saxophone; Emily Tomczak on clarinet; Dakota Hirsch, Alexandra Lacey and Dixie Hirsch on trumpet; Andrew Lacey, Steven Perez-Gangi, Becky Vlack and Christopher Vlack on trombone; Jenna Bird on French horn; Laura Accardi and Matt Anauo on guitar; Gretel Kauffman on keyboard; Alex Jasinski on bass guitar; and Liz White on drums.

Batavia Police are looking for a subject last seen heading east on Highland Park following an unknown incident *on Jackson Street.

The subject is described as wearing a white tank top T-shirt, white flat-brimmed hat with a scruffy beard, riding a mountain bike and "still carrying the baseball bat."

*We didn't catch the original dispatch.

UPDATE 9:32 p.m.: Two acquaintances apparently had an ongoing dispute and one person allegedly hit the other with a baseball bat. The victim was transported by ground ambulance to the Genesee County Airport and taken by Mercy Flight to Strong. Lt. James Henning said there is a "person of interest" police would like to locate. Officers are also interested in talking to any additional witnesses, who can call the tip line at 585-345-6370.

A 14-year-old boy was in a rollover tractor accident in Covington and the tractor is still on top of him. He's conscious.

He's behind a house at 7303 Morrow Road. "It's the house on top of the hill."

Mercy Flight is available. Pavilion Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 7:09 p.m.: Mercy Flight is called to the scene. The victim has been extricated.

UPDATE 7:19 p.m.: Mercy Flight is on the ground.

UPDATE 7:32 p.m.: Mercy Flight has left the ground. If a destination was mentioned, we didn't hear it.

This is part of an old train line that went through Genesee County at one time. I found this old bridge support on Old Creek Road last year and then, over the winter, while playing around on Genesee County's GIS map, I found an old right-of-way in Le Roy that is still owned by Lehigh Valley Railroad (even though Lehigh went bankrupt in the 1950s).

I traced the one parcel I found owned by Lehigh. At one time, it went through most of the county (The right-of-ways are still all separate parcels for the most part, owned by many different people.) The railroad left a permanent scar visible from the satellite images, so it's easy to trace. The line I found passed through this section of Old Creek Road in Alexander.

UPDATE: A caller says that this railroad location was part of the Delaware-Lackawana line, which merged with the Erie Line in 1961. The merger meant this railroad line was taken out of commission. The Lehigh line, he said, is further to the north.

One of the old, giant trees in the Batavia Cemetery fell down yesterday. The massive tree, which broke about 8 feet up its trunk, was located near the front of the cemetery, just south of the Richmond Mausoleum. It doesn't appear that any headstones were damaged.

Volunteers were in front of the Holland Land Office Museum parking lot today hawking hot dogs to raise funds for the International Peace Garden.

The peace garden supporters will be back at HLOM weekend after next.

At least, I think this is a yellow flag iris -- that's the best identification I can do through Google. There's thousands of them off Old Creek Road, as well as other parts of the county. It's a non-native species and considered an invasive weed (it's certainly invaded Old Creek and Hunn roads), from what I found online. I got a little obsessed with getting a picture of this one particular plant around noon today -- trying different lenses, exposures, shutter speeds. This was the best I could do. 

A possible drowning is reported in the creek behind the Log Cabin Restaurant in Indian Falls. The location is 1227 Gilmore Road, by the falls.

It's unknown whether the person is out of the water.

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments are responding along with Mercy medics. The Genesee County Rope Rescue Team is called to assemble and stand by.

UPDATE 3:34 p.m.: The person is out of the water. All response units, except Mercy medics, are cancelled.

UPDATE 3:37 p.m.: Person fell about 20 feet into the water and got "the wind knocked out of him." He was in the water for a short period of time and is now on land, conscious and alert. Pembroke fire is continuing to the scene, non-emergency. The man is between 19 and 20 years old and complaining of neck and back pain.

Batavia resident Lisa Barrett is now one of six finalists to have advanced to round five in the international contest, "Best Original Song."

If she makes it through this round, she will be one of three finalists to make it to the last one. One of these three finalists will win the contest.

Voting for Lisa's song, "When You Look at Me," will start at 8 p.m. on Monday, and will continue through June 13. To vote:

1. Go to www.bestoriginalsong.com

2. Click on "Click Here to Listen"

3. Select June 6 through 13 Show Date

4. Vote for and/or download "When You Look at Me."

For previous coverage, see: 

Batavia singer/songwriter has high hopes for very personal song

Singer/songwriter Lisa Barrett advances to next round in world competition

To see a story YNN did on Barrett recently, click here.

LIFT is accepting enrollees. It's a summer program for children ages 5-10 with special needs such as sensory processing disorders, Asperger's, OCD, ODD, pediatric bipolar disorder and ADD/ADHD.

The camp is drop in but registration is required prior to the first day a child attends. The camp runs from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday, June 28 to Aug. 11. The recommended donation is $3.50/hour.

Children will participate in activities that will work on sensory processing, fine and gross motor coordination as well as social and life skills. Additional classes include art, theatre, music, math, reading and writing. Camp takes place at the East Pembroke Grange Hall.

There will be an open house from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 10. This is designed for children to attend with a parent/guardian. During the open house, children will participate in activities designed to strengthen their sensory processing skills, social and life skills as well as fine and gross motor coordination.

For more information on the camp or the open house, please call Laura Kauppi at 233-6155 or email <liftschoolofmusic@gmail.com>.

The annual Community Yard Sale is set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 11 in the City of Batavia. (Rain date is June 18.) Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian is the contact person for this event <Christia@BataviaNewYork.com>. Phone is 344-0276. Call if you'd like to be included in this event.

These are the addresses of the participating households so far:

• 32 Clifton St.
• 39 Otis St.
• 29 Williams St
• 468 Ellicott St.
• 121 Hutchins St.
• 10 South Spruce St.
• 36 Vernon Ave.
• 38 Vernon Ave.
• 19 Richmond Ave.
• 12 Tracy Ave
• 8 North Lyon St.
• 30 Washington Ave.
• 6 Douglas St.
• 13 Edgewood Drive
• 25 Burke Drive
• 315 Bank St.
• 390 Garden Drive
• 54 Walnut St.
• 16 South Main St.

Pavilion Fire Department and Mercy EMS are responding to a call in Covington after a car overturned and landed in a ravine. A 17-year-old is complaining of back pain.

The injury is said to be minor. The location is Silver Lake and Old State roads.

Linden resident Dick Harris bought is first Triumph motorcycle in 1955, and once he got that feeling of the open road and the wind in his hair, he hasn't spent a lot of time looking in the rear view mirror.

Harris, the son of a preacher, owns several versions of the legendary motorcycle now, including six that run and one he's restoring.  

In the room of his home where he stores the bikes, are pictures of Triumphs and places he's been, a shelf full of trophies he's won and a map of the United States. It traces the route to and from California he took during one of his three cross-country trips on a Triumph.

Just yesterday, the 78-year-old Harris went for a 150-mile ride.

"Every day that's nice, I try to get out," said the Linden native.

He left home at 17 and set out for Arizona, where he lived for a year. When he was 21 and discovered he liked riding motorcycles, he didn't exactly consult his preacher father.

"I didn't get on a bike until I was older, so my father didn't have much to say about it," Harris said.

He did get his dad to take a ride on a Triumph much later, when he was 80 years old.

While Harris didn't follow his father into the ministry, three of his four sons inherited his love for motor bikes. The picture below is of his son Dan's house, also in Linden.

Asked why he's enjoyed riding his bikes all these years, Harris kind of shrugged and said, "I don't know. Freedom, I guess. I like to get out on the road."

Rachel Ingutti, a member of the educational staff at the Seneca Zoo brought a collection of snakes, lizards, salamanders and a tortoise to the Interpretive Nature Center at the Genesee County Park in Bethany today.

The turtle below is a new addition to the Interpretive Nature Center, giving visitors a live animal to view (rather than just the interesting collection of stuffed species on display at the center).

Driving down Bethany Center Road, Bethany, this morning, I thought this clump of Queen Anne's Lace with the view behind it looked interesting.

As I was finishing with the pictures, a man in a pickup pulled up, giving me the impression he was the property owner, wanting to know what I was doing. I told him I thought these flowers might make for an interesting picture. He said, "You can call them flowers. To me, they're weeds." And drove off.

Right in the same area, I took the picture of the tree below.

Sam Ferris of Judge Road in South Alabama called me this morning and said there were a pair of large butterflies hanging out in his yard and he thought it might make an interesting picture.

A butterfly with a six-inch wing span? Sounds pretty interesting and I had a little time this morning, so I drove out there.

After getting a picture, I drove out to the Interpretive Center at Genesee County Park to cover an event there. When talking with volunteers there, I mentioned the large butterfly and pulled the picture up on my camera.

A volunteer said, "That's not a butterfly. That's a moth."

It turns out it's a Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora Cecropia). I learned that the moth has no digestive system. Tonight, it will probably fly off, find a mate and then die. Typically, once they molt, they live about three days.

Pictured are John White and Ben Zhao, both of Clarence, who were two of many youngsters who came to Darien Lake Theme Park yesterday to get free tickets.

Why do they get such special treatment? Well, the short answer is that they could be helping bring a fortune into Genesee County.

John and Ben are two of almost 1,600 kids, ages 12 to 18, who are competing in the Darien Lake Baseball Tournament, which starts today and involves youth from all over the Northeast and part of Canada.

According to Kelly Rapone, who works for the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, there are a total of 106 teams, with 15 kids on each team. Kids from outside of Genesee County will, of course, be accompanied by their families.

This is likely to be a major boon not only for Darien Lake Theme Park -- which is sponsoring the tournament -- but also for the county in general. In addition to Darien Lake tickets for the kids, all visiting families receive welcome packets with visitors' and dining guides.

But what exactly is this tournament, and how did it come about?

According to Rapone, this is a "public-private venture to grow our economy through sports."

It all started a couple years ago with a conversation between Chris Suozzi of Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC), Neil Turvey of A-Turf (a Cheektowaga-based company that specializes in synthetic grass surfacing for sports fields), and former Senator Mary Lou Rath. They met to discuss possible opportunities for Genesee County.

"There are a lot of synergies right here (in Genesee County)," Suozzi said. "Our location is real prime -- right on the New York State Thruway, between Buffalo and Rochester."

Suozzi and Turvey then got involved with Tom Lichtenthal, the Town of Batavia engineer, and Craig Yunker, who owns the Batavia Turf Farm on Bank Street Road.

Up until now, the Turf Farm has mainly been used for youth soccer games. Turvey would like to develop a baseball training center there, as well as space for baseball and softball games next to the soccer field.

Turvey, of Lockport, said this "is just phase one."

"We hope to eventually have 11 fields for baseball and softball."

Before taking on the ambitious task of "taking baseball (in Genesee County) to the next level," as Suozzi put it, he and Turvey wanted to have a baseball tournament  here to see if it would be successful.

Suozzi said this idea came from an observation of how well local soccer teams have done with their tournaments.

With this in mind, and having connections with Darien Lake, he set up a meeting between himself, the theme park's general manager and Turvey. It was agreed that Darien Lake would sponsor the tournament.

"Our hope is that this will be economically impactful," Suozzi said. "When people and families come in, it brings sales tax dollars to our community. That's something people don't realize -- events like this are a real draw for that."

"We're expecting to see somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 people this weekend," Turvey said, "and around 7,500 people total."

The teams are divided into three groups: 10- to 12-year-olds, 13- to 15-year-olds and 16- to 18-year-olds. The 10- to 12-year-olds are playing today and tomorrow at Pembroke High School, at 8750 Alleghany Road in Corfu, and at the Pembroke town park, which is right behind the high school.

Next weekend (June 11-12), the 13- to 15-year-olds will play at three Batavia sites -- Batavia High School at 260 State St., John Kennedy Elementary School at 166 Vine St., and GCC at 1 College Road -- and Barrie Park, just outside of Albion.

Finally, the 16- to 18-year-olds will play Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, June 19 at these same four locations and at Pembroke High School.

Four games are played at each location every day of the tournament. Start times for each game are 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. They are free and open to the public, and food is available.

As difficult and time-consuming as it has been to coordinate this whole thing, Turvey is grateful for the amount of support the tournament has gotten from the Genesee County community.

"Everybody's been fantastic," he said. "The government agencies, the hotels, the chamber...the schools have also been very supportive."

If you have any questions or would like more information, call Turvey at (716) 462-8155. I spoke with him a minute ago, and he said that today's games are still on; they're just waiting for the weather to clear up a bit.

SUPPLEMENTAL PHOTOS:

A rather "impressive" wooden bear guards the entrance to the Darien Lake lodge (right near where the kids came to pick up their tickets). Here he is a bit more close up.