During a routine patrol Wednesday members of the Local Drug Enforcement Task allegedly spotted two women in a car in a parking lot on West Main Street Road, Batavia, ingesting a controlled substance.

Upon approaching the car, task force members allegedly found the women in possession of a quantity of oxycodone.

Charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, were (name redacted upon request, charge dismissed), 19, of Colonial Boulevard, and Julie A. Huntoon, 20, of Jackson Street, Batavia.

Kimberly Dawn Moore, 45, of South Main Street, Warsaw, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Moore was stopped at 1:34 p.m., Saturday, on Ellicott Street, Batavia, by Deputy Brian Thompson and Officer Eric Hill. Moore was found to allegedly be in illegal possession of hydrocodone. Also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance was Jon Hoyt Bush, 29, of Oak Orchard Road, Batavia.

Kyle K. Shultz, 18, of Norton Road, Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08, failure to keep right, open container, mobile phone use in a motor vehicle. Shultz was stopped at 6:14 a.m., Saturday, at Byron Road and Fotch Road, Stafford, by Deputy Brian Thompson. Shultz allegedly had a BAC of .16.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia)  wrote to Governor Andrew Cuomo today, strongly encouraging the governor to stop the Thruway Authority Board from increasing tolls by 45 percent on commercial trucks with three axles or more. The assemblyman says the measure would slow job creation and increase costs to taxpayers and consumers alike.

In a letter to the govenor, Hawley wrote:

Thruway Authority Chairman Howard Milstein considers the 45-percent hike a "modest increase." A 45-percent spike in tolls is anything but a modest increase. In Western New York, this proposal would increase a trip between Buffalo and New York City for applicable trucks to roughly $127. The $39 cost increase will be passed onto consumers as companies increase the price of their goods in order to recoup the increased cost of doing business.

Trucks will be forced onto local roads in an attempt to avoid the tolls, causing the need for expensive repairs to local roadways -- placing, once again, the expense on the backs of local taxpayers. In addition, driving hazards will increase by adding more large trucks to local traffic.

This proposal will eliminate jobs for New Yorkers as trucking companies move out of the state and avoid doing business in New York entirely. As elected officials, it is our responsibility to work to reverse the irresponsible, job-killing taxes and fees that have plagued our state for years. We need to concentrate our efforts to reopen the "New" New York and empasize we are "Open" for business!

Press release:

The Genesee County Sheriff's Office is investigating the Aug. 11 theft of a vehicle from a parking lot at Darien Lake Theme Park.

The white 2004 four-door Acura sedan was taken from the VIP parking lot during a concert. The vehicle has a sunroof, low profile, custom black rims, and dark tinted windows.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Genesee County Sheriff's Office at (585) 343-5000.

Redfield Parkway, one of the City of Batavia's historic neighborhoods, has changed quite a bit over the years.

Photo provided by Jim Owen

Above is a picture from 1912, when it was first founded by Charles A. Williams (former Genesee County Sheriff and mayor of Batavia) and his then-partner, David Garrett.

Jim Owen, a Redfield resident known as "the mayor" to some of his neighbors, is part of the committee organizing the "100th Anniversary Redfield Parkway Program" on Saturday.

Other members are Linda Conroy, Kathy Owen (Jim's sister, who lives with him), Tricia Clark, Lori Wendt, Julie Mancuso, Jane Johnson, Lisa MacDonough and Alicia Kaus.

There will be a ceremony that is free and open to the public from 1 until 2 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday is the rain date. It will include:

• Music by the Batavia High School "Blue Bells"
• Proclamations by Assemblyman Stephen Hawley, Senator Michael Ranzenhofer, City Councilman Pierluigi Cipollone, City Councilman-at-Large Jim Russell, County Legislator Ed DeJaneiro Jr. and possibly Congresswoman Kathy Hochul (who is a former student of Owen's)

Wayne Fuller of WBTA will be the Master of Ceremonies.

Owen looks forward to celebrating Redfield's heritage with his neighbors and fellow Batavians.

"From an historical point of view it's neat to find out where we came from," he said.

At 1:45 p.m., a time capsule will be dedicated. Made by Redfield resident Rick Wendt, it will include news articles, a DVD of photos from Saturday's event -- to be made by Redfield resident Alicia Kaus -- a current phone book, literature on the street's history and much more.

Owen said the tentative plan is to bury it near the pillars, with a stone made by Derrick Monument Co. of Le Roy marking the spot.

Copies of local historian William F. Brown Jr.'s book "The Story of Redfield Parkway: The Beginning" will be available for purchase for $5 from Owen.

Redfield Parkway: A quick history

Photo from Brown's "The Story of Redfield Parkway: The Beginning"

Redfield Parkway was named in honor of the family of Heman Redfield, a local politician, lawyer, landowner and one-time Le Roy Postmaster. His home, according to Owen, was where Batavia's Valu Plaza is located today.

Redfield was born in Connecticut on Dec. 27, 1788, but he lived in Genesee County for most of his life. A member of St. James Episcopal Church, he served as a warden and vestryman. He also helped build St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Le Roy.

He was elected to the New York State Senate in 1823, serving with Attorney General Martin Van Buren (before he became the eighth president of the United States).

A War of 1812 veteran, he fought at the battle of Queenston Heights at age 24.

On July 22, 1877, Redfield died at age 89. According to literature provided by Owen, his funeral procession was the longest in the history of Batavia at that time. He is buried in the historic Batavia Cemetery on Harvester Avenue.

He had 12 children, and his family owned the land where Redfield Parkway now stands until 1912.

A postcard of Redfield Parkway from the 1940s. Photo provided by Jim Owen.

Redfield Parkway was a private street until 1928, at which point it became part of the City of Batavia. It has existed in its present state since 1966, when the last house was built.

Over the years, it distinguished itself not only by its beautiful flower beds, but also by the row of American flags running down the street's median. Appropriately, the flags would eventually lead the way to the Batavia VA Medical Center (they were stolen, but Batavia Downs is supplying new ones).

The Owens

Photo provided by Jim Owen

Owen and his sister are lifelong Redfield residents. Their parents, Frank and Natalie (pictured), bought the house in 1930 and the adjacent land in 1945. They bought the land from Edna Gruber, who was Batavia's "most famous madam" and well-known for her local charitable work.

Interestingly, 2 Redfield is technically 4 Redfield (anyone who drives by and looks closely will see that although the house has a "2" on it, the house right next door is 6 Redfield).

The vacant space to the right of the house is 2 Redfield. The Owens had lived at 4 Redfield for 15 years by the time they bought this space, so they just gave the same number to the whole property.

Here is a photo of the real 2 Redfield, a garden well tended by Kathy.

Celebration of a heritage

People can learn more about these and other stories on Saturday.

"(Our neighborhood) has a tradition that's been carried on for 100 years, and I hope it continues," Owen said.

To that end, he added that the neighborhood will be making an effort to save the pillars at the parkway entrance in the near future.

"They're 100 years old, and the mortar is coming out," he said.

At this point, the pillars are owned by the city. Owen said the repairs will cost about $16,000, and they are hoping for a grant.

For more information and for any updates, visit the Redfield Parkway 100th Anniversary page on Facebook.

Heman Redfield trivia

• Redfield's daughter, Jane, was said to have been the first woman to cross Niagara Falls in a basket;
• Some people trace his ancestry to the Mayflower;
• His grandfather fought under General George Washington at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War.

A 19-year-old male has suffered a head injury in a dirt bike accident at Area 51. Mercy medics, a Sheriff's deputy and firefighters are responding. The track is located on Harloff Road in the Town of Batavia.

City police went on a brief foot chase that started by the courthouse to catch a white male allegedly observed rifling through vehicles and "possibly in possession of stolen items." He is wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and a hat. He's now been tracked down in the ARC parking lot on Walnut Street.

He was on a bike at first but ditched it in the weeds behind the courthouse.

UPDATE 2:27 p.m.: He's being taken back to the courthouse. He allegedly is in possession of "items commonly found in the front seats of passenger vehicles," says on officer, "change, cigarettes, electronic items." They are going to meet up with owners of the vehicles allegedly involved and interview them.

UPDATE 2:32 p.m.: "There are some silver coins -- dimes and nickels -- strewn about here," says an officer searching the grounds of the courthouse. They've also found some other property  -- a camera and other items -- that were possibly stolen.

This morning I'm heading to the Buffalo airport to catch a flight to California.

I'll return on Sunday.

My father asked me to make the trip to Bakersfield while my brothers are also in town for my parents' 52nd anniversary.

My mother has Alzheimer's and the disease has progressed quite a bit in the past year, and even though my travel schedule had already included a planned swing through Bakersfield next month, I thought I should take this trip as well.

Which brings up another point: Quite without any real planning, I've developed a travel schedule over the next couple of months.

Around Sept. 14, I have my annual trip to Chicago for our independent publishers' conference, and then I was invited to speak in San Francisco around Sept. 22 by J-Lab (an educational journalism group) and the Online News Association (the largest organization in the country representing online news publishers of all types and sizes). It's in that SF trip that I was able to wrangle a layover in Bakersfield for a couple of days.

Then, some time before the end of the year, Billie and I hope to make another trip (a week-long trip) to California. Billie isn't going on any of the trips mentioned above and also deserves a chance to see her family.

We started trying to put together the money for this trip before these other trips were scheduled and it's important we follow through on these plans as best we can. I'm hoping we can put this together for November.

I regret so much travel so tightly packed together, but sometimes things just fall into place in unexpected ways.

Meanwhile, Billie will still be in Batavia running the site. Lisa Ace will be taking care of business. There are stories I can post while away. We have some help lined up for coverage this weekend of Summer in the City, the East Pembroke Mud Races and a couple of other events. 

We'll also have our news partner, WBTA, available to help out.

If you see anything interesting and get a picture or information, you can always email it to howard at the batavian dot com (of course, reformat that into a proper email address).

I believe there will still be interesting things here to read and discuss over the next few days.

LoHud.com: Cuomo Says Tougher Gun Laws Are Needed

The 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution got a ringing endorsement Tuesday from three of the top-ranking elected officials who represent Genesee County.

Rep. Kathy Hochul, State Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer and Assemblyman Steven Hawley all appeared at SCOPE's monthly meeting to talk about what they're doing to help prevent extremists on the left from stripping gun owners of their right to own firearms.

Ranzenhofer started off the evening by discussing how important a Republican majority is in the State Senate to protecting gun rights.

"There are people out there who don’t like you and want to take away your rights," Ranzenhofer said.

When Ranzenhofer was first in office, and the GOP didn't have a majority in the Senate, he said anti-gun Democrats regularly tried to push new laws to restrict gun and ammo sales.  Since the GOP regained control of the upper chamber, "we’ve not had to be constantly on guard for new legislation coming up," Ranzenhofer said.

Now, Ranzenhofer said, the biggest worry at the state level for gun-rights advocates is a popular governor who wants to push through legislation to restrict the rights of gun owners.

Hochul said she comes from a family of gun-rights advocates. She has two brothers in Maryland, she said, who are expert marksmen. While Hochul said she isn't big into hunting or target shooting herself, she has taken safety courses and knows how to handle a firearm.

"When a bill comes up that affects your 2nd Amendment rights, I’m on your side," Hochul said.

While clerk in Erie County, Hochul said she streamlined the process for a gun permits from a year or longer to four months, and three of those months involve the State of New York doing background checks.

"Some of you may say I have a 'D' after my name and I can't vote for you," Hochul said. "Well, fine, but I still represent you. I am independent and I look at each and every issue as what's best for the people of Western New York. Sometimes the Democrats are right and sometimes they're really wrong. Some times the Republicans are right and some times they are really wrong."

According to Hochul, when the gun rights groups come out with their congressional rankings soon, she will receive a very high grade for her voting record for her first year in office.

"I'm very proud of my ranking," Hochul said.

Hochul also noted that she opposed the "Fast and Furious" operation, which provided guns to drug gangs in Mexico, and believes Attorney General Eric Holder should respect the powers of Congress under the Constitution and turn over all "Fast and Furious" documents to the House of Representatives, a demand from Congress the Obama Administration is fighting.

Hochul faces the most serious reelection challenge in November of the three officials who spoke Tuesday and SCOPE Chairman Jack Taylor said he contacted the campaign for her challenger, Chris Collins, to invite Collins to the meeting, but didn't get a response.

Hawley talked a good deal about his work on veterans' issues, particularly his annual Patriot Tour of Washington, D.C., and noted that while his colleague in the Senate, Ranzenhofer, may need to deal with only two anti-gun zealots in that chamber, the state Assembly is filled with 40 or 50 people eager to water down the 2nd Amendment.

Hawley said those representatives deal with a very different constituency than Assembly members in Upstate and Western New York, where people often live on a bit of land, own their own homes, like to hunt and fish and target shoot.

In noting the differences, Hawley segued into a discussion of a bill he has repeatedly sponsored -- allowing a referendum vote on whether New York should be split into two states.

Taylor spoke between each guest and hammered home the same point: Gun rights advocates need to educate the public on the difference between law-abiding citizens who own guns and criminals who not only use guns but other implements to commit their crimes.

"In all my years in retail, I've never seen a gun jump off the shelf and shoot somebody," Taylor said.

Some of the blame for the misrepresentation of guns falls on the media, Taylor noted, reminding SCOPE members that you never see a headline that says "Chevy and Budweiser kills family of four," but you do see headlines like "Glock used in murder spree."

The former county coroner said the most common way that young people die a violent death in Genesee County is from drunken driving, while there is only about one homicide every seven years locally (worth noting: the last homicide locally was Scott Doll beating to death his victim, no gun involved).

"We are all against crime, whatever the implement," Taylor said. "We need to separate the crime from the implement. There’s not a gun law out there that ever saved a life or prevented a criminal from committing a crime."

It's going to be a whole new ball game at the East Pembroke Mud Races this year.

After a nearly $10,000 renovation to the mud pit, organizers expect the races to be more fair, more competitive and safer.

The event, sponsored by the East Pembroke Volunteer Fire Department, has attracted a huge fan base over the years, but last year the old pit was showing some of its flaws, with racers in the left lane usually losing races because of sink holes in that lane.

"This is our biggest event and biggest fundraiser of the year and we want to make it as good as we can so we can keep going with it and keep building on it," said Dale Lewter, who has been helping supervise the changes.

The mud pit is all new for 2012, having been dug out, bedded with large stones, filled with smaller stones, paved with a layer of asphalt and then covered with sifted clay (removing all stones as a safety measure).

"We’re trying to make both lanes as even as can be and right now it looks like it will be that way," Lewter said.

A new water filling and drainage system will also allow officials to keep the mud more consistently mud and less like a pond filled with water.

The race is Saturday, with registration from 10 a.m. to noon. As always, there will be the Mud Queen scramble through the pit and the Outlaw Class race. Spectator admission is $11 or $15 for the pit, and racing registration is $15. Raffle prizes include a 2012 Polaris Sportsman 500 CC, a 2012 Polaris Outlaw 50cc and $3,500 cash.

Lewter asked that we be sure to include the East Pembroke Fire Department's thanks to its sponsors.

Top photo: Dale Lewter with youngest son Jarrett Lewter, and next to him son Mitchell Lewter, along with Julie Waldron and Destin Danser.

Via the KME Fire Apparatus company's Facebook page:

The Pavilion Fire Department took delivery of a new KME Custom Topmount Engine Rescue. The unit is built on a KME Predator XLFD cab/chassis. The rear of the apparatus features a custom design with storage space for suction hoses, ladders, stokes basket, and an operating platform at the top of the body for safety when climbing the rear ladder to access hose and coffin compartment storage.

Press release:

Representative Kathy Hochul (NY-26) recently sent a letter to New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo urging him to provide New York dairy farms with regulatory relief to help milk producers expand their businesses.

Hochul asked that the state raise the threshold for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) regulations from 200 cows to 300 cows, a threshold consistent with national standards.

Increasing the threshold will allow dairy farmers to increase milk production, enabling them to fulfill the needs of New York’s growing yogurt industry. Hochul also requested that New York expand programs to assist dairy farmers with environmental conservation and protection.

Hochul wrote, “I request your assistance in delivering much-needed regulatory relief to our state’s dairy farmers, many of whom are still recovering from disastrous market conditions in 2009. Without assistance, too many New York milk producers will remain unable or unwilling to expand their businesses despite the game-changing opportunity for economic development made possible by the booming Greek yogurt industry. … Our dairy farmers need a level playing field and supportive regulatory regime to fully capitalize on the Greek yogurt boom, and I look forward to working with you to ensure they have both.”

The Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park will soon be home to Theo Muller Gmbh and PepsiCo’s $206 million yogurt manufacturing facility as well as a $20 million dollar Alpina Food yogurt plant.

Rep. Hochul has introduced bipartisan legislation that allows dairy farmers to apply for H-2A visas, which are available for seasonal agricultural producers but not the year-round dairy industry. She also is a member of the House Dairy Caucus.

Throughout the month of August, Dan’s Tire & Auto is making your tire buying experience plain and simple.  We won’t be undersold.  We will BEAT anybody’s price on comparable tires, plain and simple.  For a limited time only, when you buy a new set of four tires you’ll get the following absolutely 100% free…

• Free Tire Mounting

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• Free Alignment (Not Just An Alignment Check)

• Free Road Hazard / Flat Repairs

• Free Rotations For The Life Of The Tires

We want your tire business, plain and simple.  After 35 years there’s one thing we’ve learned, keep it plain and simple and everybody wins.

As an added bonus Goodyear is giving pre-paid Visa cards for up to $160 as a rebate on the purchase of four select Goodyear or Dunlop Tires.  Don’t forget that you can sign up for a Goodyear Credit Card right here at Dan’s Tire & Auto.  Goodyear Cards are accepted nationwide and offer 6 months with no interest.

Call us today at (585) 343-7210 for your quote or visit us online at www.danstire.com.

"It isn't often that someone makes it big in the music business, nor for the number of years that John Dittrich (second from left in picture) has."

So says Greg Luetticke, co-owner of Frost Ridge Campground in Le Roy, which will host the Grammy-nominated country music band "Restless Heart" at a concert on Friday, Aug. 17.

Dittrich, a native of Batavia and a 1970 Batavia High School graduate, has been with "Restless Heart" for more than 20 years as a drummer and vocalist. The other band members are, from left, Paul Gregg, Larry Stewart, Greg Jennings and Dave Innis.

"It's amazing to still be able to do what I do," Dittrich said.

He embarked on a profession in music in 1975, and has enjoyed a long and successful career that owes itself, in large part, to a Batavia City School District teacher.

"My most important influence and probably the guy I would credit with helping me in this direction was Neil Hartwick," Dittrich said.

Hartwick was the Batavia Middle School band director and the director of the jazz workshop at the high school.

"He brought in Ed Shaughnessy (of "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson") to do a concert," Dittrich said. "And when I found out that Mr. Hartwick had invited him specifically for me, that blew me away."

As a college student, Dittrich went to New York City once a month for two years to study under Shaughnessy.

"And he remembered me," he said.

As an original member of "Restless Heart," Dittrich was part of what he calls a "crossover" period in the history of country music.

"Our producer (Tim Dubois) had written some songs that were kind of in a gray area as far as the market was concerned," he said. "They were too pop for country, but not pop enough for pop."

Part of the band's success, Dittrich said, was due to the willingness of RCA Records to take a chance on them.

"There was a strong push in traditional country music at the time," he said. "But some groups did have more edgy music and enjoyed some success. RCA liked the direction of our music and they were willing to make the investment."

In addition to four Grammy nominations, "Restless Heart" has had six #1 hits and seven Country Music Association nominations. They have also been lucky to see 26 of their singles make the Billboard Country Charts. Their numerous crossover hits include the 1992 song "When She Cries."

A good 15-20 years have passed since Dittrich last returned to Genesee County. He said it will be "pretty nice" to be back for the concert, especially since some old friends and 10 family members will be in attendance.

"I hope somebody gives me a beef on weck!" he added.

The concert is part of the three-day "Jam at the Ridge." Gates will open at 4 p.m. Friday, with the concert itself starting at 4:30.

"Restless Heart" will go on at 8:30 p.m. for a performance of about 75-90 minutes. Singers Worthy Duncan and Johnny Bauer will open the show.

Here are the ticket prices:

Regular seating: $15 in advance, $20 at the gate.

Preferred seating: $22 in advance, $29 at the gate.

Preferred Plus seating: $42 in advance, $55 at the gate.

VIP seating: $79 in advance, $99 at the gate.

VIP seating includes front row seats, a private meet-and-greet dinner with "Restless Heart," a poster for autographing and a picture with the band.

Frost Ridge Campground is located at 8101 Conlon Road in Le Roy. For more information, call 768-4883 or go to www.frostridge.com.

Photo submitted by Greg Luetticke

Boy Scout Troop 6069 will hold its first chicken BBQ from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. (Cub Scout Pack 6069 has held a couple in the recent past, but this is a first for the whole troop).

The money raised will help pay for future scout outings as well as new camping equipment. Event organizer and Boy Scout dad Steve Ognibene said that depending on how successful the chicken BBQ is, they may make it an annual thing.

Dinners are take-out only and include half a chicken, salt potatoes, green beans, a dinner roll and butter. Tickets are $9 and can be purchased at the event -- which is at Clor's Meat Market, at 4169 W. Main St. Road in Batavia -- or in advance. Call Ognibene at 409-8358 or Lorelei Roll at 300-9500 for pre-sale tickets.

Free delivery is available to local senior living communities.

Photo taken by Steve Ognibene. Pictured are Jon Slezak, Ethan Gaylord, Andrew Freeman, Jon Totten and Thomas Ognibene. (There are 14 boys in the troop, but only these five were able to make it for the picture.)

Workers today are installing the first two silos at the new Alpina Products plant in the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, Batavia.

The first silo is 40 feet tall and will hold up to 20,000 gallons of raw milk. The second silo is half the height and will hold 12,000 gallons of whey.

More silos can be added as the capacity of the Greek yogurt plant increases.

More pictures after the jump (click on the headline to continue):

Duane Leo was honored by the Batavia City Council on Monday night for his 25 years and two months service to the city as a water and wastewater maintenance worker.

A patron of Tops Market in Le Roy, who was in a cart for the handicapped, was struck by a vehicle in the parking lot and there are injuries. Le Roy fire and Mercy medics are responding. The store is located at 128 W. Main St.

UPDATE 1:48 p.m.: The patient was transported to UMMC.