Kelly Kiebala is the new executive director for Go Art!.

She replaces Linda Blanchet, who retires at the end of the month.

Most recently, Kiebala is executive director of the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce, and previously she spent nine years as program director for Go Art!

(Originally reported by WBTA.)

(Note: This almost seems like a trade -- We give Orleans County Pat Weissend (who is becoming branch manager for Bank of Castile in Medina), and Orleans gives back to Genesee County with Kiebala.)

The fire wasn't serious, but a good fire alarm system and regular fire drills certainly demonstrated this morning in Darien how a good fire plan can save lives and protect property.

The 5:30 a.m. fire started in the bedroom of Jeremy Rademacker when a halogen lamp was accidentally kicked to the floor and left on.

The fire alarm in Jeremy's room sounded, but because the alarm is wired into a house-wide alert system, both his father and sister were awakened by the alarm. All three people exited the house safely, with Mr. Rademacker closing the door to the bedroom on the way out, and they met at a pre-designated spot.

The fire caused $10,000 to $15,000 in damage.

WBTA interviewed Genesee County Emergency Manager Coordinator Tim Yeager who credited the family with smart smoke detector installation and prior planning with averting disaster.

Darrick Coleman, a Le Roy resident who often shares his photos on The Batavian, has some of his work on display at the Shirt Factory Cafe in Medina now through Aug. 31.

There is an opening reception July 18 at 6 p.m.

The show portrays "the beauty that can be found in many backyards in Western New York through all four seasons, but in particular Mr. Coleman's backyard," according to the press release.

The exhibit, titled "Out of Doors," is sponsored by The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.

The Shirt Factory is located at 115 W. Center Street, Medina.

A Bergen woman is accused of stealing more than $58,000 using Internet transfers from an acquaintance.

Renee E. Rowan, 45, of 7527 Gilbert Road, Bergen, allegedly initiated four different transfers of at least $9,000 each.

Rowan was arraigned in Le Roy Town Court and is held in Genesee County Jail on $10,000 bail.

The investigation was conducted by Deputy Matthew Butler and Investigator Timothy Weis, with assistance from Deputy Joseph Graff.

UPDATE: I'm not sure if this is related or not, but a reader points out that Rowan owns staubitzofbuffalo.com (WHOIS database).  The other domains that seem affiliated with that business are registered via an off-shore source that apparently hides the true identity of the domain owners. Here's the WHOIS for hartmanmodelboats.com and loyalhannadockyard.com and taubmansonline.com. All three sites have contact information for Rowan.

UPDATE: I just spoke to Investigator Weis and he said the alleged theft was unrelated to Rowan's businesses and there is no further investigation going on related to those businesses.  He said Rowan allegedly had direct access to the victim's account, but it wasn't business related.

Karl Matthew Churchill, 29, of 6018 Main Road, Stafford, is charged with harrassment. Churchhill allegedly made a threatening phone call to the Village of Corfu Court after receiving a traffic ticket for allegedly tinted windows.

Robert E. Magoffin Jr., 37, 3717 Broadway Road, Alexander, is charged with DWI with a BAC of .08 or greater. Magoffin was allegedly doing 84 m.p.h. in a 40 m.p.h. zone on Route 20 in Darien when he was stopped.  He was ordered to appear in Darien Town Court on Aug. 18.

Thanks for all the well wishes on my previous post about my cataract surgery yesterday (I even got some well wishes via e-mail from the Daily, which was nice).  It went well -- I've had more painful dentist visits ... like every dentist visit. This was completely painless (here I was freaked out for weeks for nothing). 

A silver-haired guy who came back to the pre-op/post-op room told the nurse that very thing, which I found somewhat reassuring, and then when I was being wheeled out, he said to me, "Hey, it's nothing, buddy."  And he was right. So if you ever find out you need cataract surgery (you don't have to be old to need it, but if you live long enough, you eventually will), just know it's nothing to worry about.

A little pain yesterday afternoon, but I've been fine since.

Dr. Alan Siegel put in a new lens that corrected the vision in my right a little bit, so now my prescription glasses aren't just quite right in my right eye, but I can't see out of my left without them. I'm seeing OK overall. 

I'll be doing a little light work today. I expect I'll be in the office from 1 to 5 p.m. for anybody who needs to pick up gift certificates. I am planning on attending the Muckdogs game tonight (you should, too -- it's always great fun at Dwyer and there are fireworks tonight).   I bet I make it to at least some of The Ramble tomorrow.

If you see me out and about, forgive me my dorky old-man sunglasses (needed to fit over my regular glasses, and apologies to any old men who wear them whom I just offended!).

 Last year on thebatavian.com, you may have read about Dick Gammell of Canadice Construction Corp. and his efforts to make his construction company more cost effective, more independent, and more environmentally friendly by developing a wind/ solar generator that powers hand tools and small pieces of equipment at work sites.  His idea has gotten lots of press in the past 12 months, including news stories on Binghamton, Buffalo and Rochester TV stations, an article in the “Industry News” section of The Rhode Island Builders Report, a front page story in The Journal of Light Construction -- in all, 11 pieces.  You even can see the generator in action on YouTube! 

Now Dick has some new ventures (that you may hear about first right here).

On Saturday, June 6th, western New York’s original off-grid cafe opened in Springwater.  Theresa’s Sunshine Cafe is located at 8148 South Main Street, across from the fire hall, and is open Tuesday - Friday, 6:00 AM - 2:00 PM and for breakfast only on the week-end (closed Monday).  Every part of the Sunshine Cafe is electrified solely by the sun and the wind!  While customers enjoy a solar cup of coffee, they can recharge their electric vehicles!  (see photo)

Canadice Construction also is playing a unique role in this year’s Rochester Homerama which opens Saturday, July 11th at Somerset Hill in Victor.  Eight members of the Rochester Homebuilders’ Association, including Dick, will exhibit their “barkitecture” -- stylish and creative doghouses which will be auctioned off to benefit Lollypop Farm.  Dick’s contribution, called The Big Green Dog House, is a fully insulated doggie condo and short-term, back-up green power generator all in one!  Built with power tools electrified completely from the sun and wind, The Big Green Dog House is constructed with recycled lumber and has an outdoor outlet for human convenience.  Of course, it has excellent curb appeal!  (see photo)

Dick Gammell and Canadice Construction continue to demonstrate innovation and efficiency in energy consumption.  To learn more, head to the company website: 

http://www.canadiceconstruction.com/

Ok so it is not Halloween yet, but according to some young folks at our picnic tonight, they say their house is haunted. They were thankful for the crosses that Pastor Charlie Piscitello and his wife Judy from the Batavian Christian Fellowship church gave them tonight at our weekly picnic.  However, we did hear haunting stories of troubles folks are going through. There were stories of abuse, job loss, broken relationships and so much more. The youth of Elba Baptist church were with us tonight to provide uplifting music.

It was a busy night! We had about 30 folks attend 

Pastor Charlie Prays and gives a young boy hope!

Bridget always has hugs for the kids!

Even the pet ferret made it to the picnic! 

Ok this is me, Miss Public Relations Director with my new friend Joey. He helped me knock on doors to invite people to the weekly picnic. I love where God has led me to with volunteering with Care-A-Van. As you know we are a non profit organization and are  just like other agencies who rely soley on private donations. Paul states if God gives a vision, he gives provision. We all see the hard times folks are facing right now. Care-A-Van goes forth to brighten their days and give them hope. We are always looking for folks to come on board to help us out. If you feel you are being led to volunteer within the community to make a difference, come join us!

We will be going back on Sunday afternoon for street church, where Pastor Glenn Bloom of the Elba Baptist church will be giving the message. Boy, God is good! Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement! We truly do appreciate it!

Larry's Steakhouse, 60 Main St.  The name says it all -- Larry's is a great place for steak. Larry's is a fine dining atmosphere with a great menu and outstanding service.  We have a $50 gift certificate for $25.

Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia, N.Y.: People come from all over the region for a fine dinning experience at Alex's. Alex's is best known for its ribs, of course, but Alex's seafood is also a favorite of the restaurant's diners. We have a $50 gift certificate for $25.

The Enchanted Florist, 202 E. Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: Brighten up your home or office with flowers!  We have a $20 gift certificate for $9.

T.F. Browns, at 214 E. Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: T.F. Brown's is a great place for a good meal, good friends and to catch up on what's going on in the sports world. The patio is open. It's also a great place to host group events.  See the ad on the left side of the page for contact information. We have a $20 gift card for $10.

Valle Jewelers, 21 Jackson St., Batavia, N.Y.: Need a gift? Need some sparkle? Valle's has a large selection of jewelry and gifts starting at under $25. We have a $50 gift certificate for $25.

A $1 PayPal service fee applies on items more than $10 and .50 cents on items below $10.

Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value.  People who have won a certificate in the past 30 days are not eligible to win a certificate from the same business as before.  By state law, gift certificates cannot be used for alcohol purchase.

How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Ideally, the winner will arrange to stop by my office on Main Street to pick up gift certificate. Mail is an option, but it would be better to hand you the gift certificate. 

If you want to be notified via e-mail of future Deals of the Day, sign up for the Deals of the Day e-mail list by clicking here.

Merchants: If you would like your business featured in Deal of the Day, call Howard Owens at 260-6970.

Alex's Place

SOLD

Larry's Steakhouse

SOLD

Valle Jewelers

SOLD

T.F. Brown's

SOLD

The Enchanted Florist

At this point, all signs are go for the City of Batavia’s revised charter proposal to be on the voting ballot in November. And that means a vote on the consolidation of the city and town will have to wait.

The nine-member Charter Review Commission met last night at City Hall. The focus of the meeting was to vote on whether to put the charter proposal up for a popular vote in November. The commission did not officially move to do so; they’ll wait until Aug. 24 to decide. But Commission Chairman John Roach says they’ve already got a majority within the commission who want to move forward with the charter.

Besides, says Roach: “The consolidation people should have been aware that we have a charter commission that legally has precedence.”

One of the new additions to the charter is the ability of city council to appoint committees to work on issues outside of council meetings. Currently, every issue before the council must be debated in regular meetings. Roach says an approach-by-committee would streamline city operations.

“Most bigger governing bodies have sub-committees,” said Roach. “It makes things a little more efficient. Instead of nine people arguing over every little detail, you have a committee of three or four who work it out.”

Roach said he doesn’t believe a committee approach would stifle the public comments that have become a staple of regular city council meetings. He says citizens would simply have to attend more meetings, like the committee appointees, if they wanted to voice their opinions.

Today members of the Batavia Police Department received a Certificate of Merit from New York State Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

They were specially recognized for their part in swiftly apprehending an armed robbery suspect involved in the M&T Bank robbery on June 18 in Elba.

Officers pictured from the left are Lt. Jankowski, Sgt. Kleinbach, Officer Davis, Officer Mullen and Chief Baker.

Batavia police assisted the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department, NYS Police and other law enforcement officials responding to the call.

Assemblyman Hawley also honored members of the Sheriff's Office on Wednesday and also plans to present Certificates of Merit to State Police next week.

Some back pay is due Batavia Police Officers who have been working without a contract for the past four years.

The state Public Employees Relations Board has issued an arbitration finding that gives city police a retroactive pay raise of 1 percent for the period April 2005 to March of 2006. A raise of 2-percent has been directed for the period April of 06 to March of 07.

City Manager Jason Molino declined to comment on the award pending receipt of the final report.

www.perb.state.ny.us/pdf/ia2009-10/ia2007-003.pdf

Today at 9:45 a.m. I report to UMMC for cataract surgery (right eye).

Obviously, I won't be posting much this morning, nor even on the computer much all day.  Tomorrow will also be mostly a day off.  I'm hoping by Saturday, I'm ready to get out and about a bit. If so, I'll probably head over to Ramble, either just as a fan or maybe shoot some video, depending on how I feel. I should be back to a normal routine by Monday.

In the meantime, the crack news crew at WBTA will post news as necessary, and my wife, Billie Owens, will be available for breaking news, if needed.

Today's Deals of the Day is already posted and I have tomorrow's ready to go.  Whether there is an e-mail with tomorrow's depends on whether I post it or Billie does, so don't count on an e-mail for that one (if you're on that list).

Daniel Nathan Bernard, 20, of 6083 Route 5, Stafford, is charged with petty larceny. Bernard is accused of stealing $60 in winning scratch-off lottery tickets from his father's locked car, which was parked at his father's house.

Eileen Barbara Ferrando, 37, of 53 W. Main St., Corfu, was picked up on a bench warrant issued in the City of Batavia for alleged unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Ferrando was turned over to the Batavia Police Department.

Scott Webb, 19, of 12 Grote St., Buffalo, is charged with petty larceny. Grote is accused of stealing game prizes from a game stand at Darien Lake Theme Park.

A 17-year-old from Corfu is accused of reckless driving and endangering the welfare of a child.  The youth allegedly drove at a high rate of speed down Chapel Street in Elba, losing control and coming within feet of striking a child riding a bicycle. The youth was issued an appearance ticket.

Adam Miller Toy & Bicycles, 8 Center St., Batavia, N.Y.: Feel like a kid in a toy store again, or treat your kids to the greatest toy store they will ever see. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Belladessa's Pizzeria, 9 Jackson St., Batavia, N.Y.: Um, pizza and wings! We have a Family Meal Deal ($25 value), which is a large pizza, 24 wings and a 2 litre soft drink for $12.50.

South Main Country Gifts, 3356 S. Main St. Road, Batavia, N.Y.: A large selection of gift items and items for the home, with new items arriving every week. We have a $20 gift certificate for $9.

Batavia Downs Grandstand Bar & Grille: Enjoy lunch or dinner at one of the regions most popular entertainment venues. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

A $1 PayPal service fee applies on items more than $10 and .50 cents on items below $10.

Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value.  People who have won a certificate in the past 30 days are not eligible to win a certificate from the same business as before.  By state law, gift certificates cannot be used for alcohol purchase.

How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Ideally, the winner will arrange to stop by my office on Main Street to pick up gift certificate. Mail is an option, but it would be better to hand you the gift certificate. 

If you want to be notified via e-mail of future Deals of the Day, sign up for the Deals of the Day e-mail list by clicking here.

Merchants: If you would like your business featured in Deal of the Day, call Howard Owens at 260-6970.

Adam Miller Toy and Bicycles

SOLD

Belladessa's

SOLD

South Main Country Gifts

sold

Batavia Downs Grandstand Bar and Grille

SOLD

The Genesee County Legislature on Wednesday unanimously reappointed Eileen Kirkpatrick to a second five-year term as Commissioner of Social Services. Her salary was established at $84,487 per year.

As commissioner, Kirkpatrick manages the most expensive department of county government that includes the supervision of welfare and Medicaid benefits.

Legislature Chair Mary Pat Hancock created an ad-hoc committee to study the length of terms for county legislators as well as the total number of legislative districts. Hancock instructed each legislator to name one representative from each legislative district to serve on the panel. She said the committee would also investigate whether or not the legislator’s terms should be staggered, as to avoid all positions coming up for re-election in the same year.

Hancock left open the possibility that two or three additional members would be named to the study committee in order to insure “a cross section representation” of the county. She said she would expect the committee to issue recommendations by October or November of this year. No recommendation could take effect until after the general election this year.

There are currently nine members on the county legislature, each serving a two-year term. All the terms expire in the same year.

Prior to the start of the meeting, County Election Commissioners Richard Seibert and Dawn Cassidy announced that their office had received an American Flag flown on board a C-17A aircraft on missions over Iraq and Afghanistan. The flag was sent on the recommendation of Sgt. Paul R. Dillion of LeRoy who wanted to recognize the Department of Elections for insuring the receipt of his absentee ballots while he is on duty with the Air Force in Iraq.

Through a special arrangement with Max Pies Furniture, 400 South Jackson St., Batavia, The Batavian is able to extend this special, online-only offer to its readers:

We have for sale a rocker recliner. This big, comfortable chair normally sells for $699. The first reader of The Batavian to act on this offer can buy it online for $399 (plus sales tax). That's a $300 savings!

You can't buy this recliner in the store at that price.

The winner of this exclusive item will be able to choose from an in-stock rocker recliner or custom order in one of the three available colors.

The rocker recliner features soft upholstery and plush contemporary styling so you can enjoy a comfortable relaxing time whether watching TV, reading or enjoying good conversation. With plush saddle arms and unique butler back design, these recliners are comfortable while retaining their design that compliments almost any home décor. The upholstery, construction and design are built to handle everyday living.

]The winning purchaser will need to arrange to stop by The Batavian office to pick up a purchase voucher. Final arrangements to take delivery of the chair are made at the Max Pies location at 400 South Jackson St. This item will be available until it sells.

The voucher has no cash value, but can be used toward an upgrade purchase on another item.

Deliver is free in Genesee County.

To purchase this online exclusive from The Batavian and Max Pies Furniture, click the PayPal button below (this is the only way you can make this purchase -- this price is NOT available in the store).

A pair of tractor trailers have collided on eastbound Interstate 90 at about mile marker 288. One is reportedly partially overturned. No injuries reported at this time.

One driver reports being cut off by another truck driver.  No further details at this time.

Does anyone remember a pizza shop in the East Town Plaza?  Not Domino's but a real pizza shop?  Where was it located?  Where was Your Host located?