So here we are.  Only in Western New York would the Democrat Party take a wonderful chance and screw it up by having two forced primaries.  Now I know this is the Amercian way of democracy....but it goes to prove what has been said before, " I don't belong to an organized political party.... I am a Democrat."   Here we sit and with just a few days to the Primary,  the Democratic Candidates for Congress are battling on the airwaves, in the media and on the stump.  One has too much money, one has raised money wrong and from the wrong people and one did legal work for chemical companies at Love Canal so therefor she must be a demon.  Whew...and we thought Clinton and Barack were ununifiable? (THANK GOD THAT IS OVER AS WELL!!!!!!)  

The most important thing the Democratic Party had to do was to have a strong candidate to win against the Republican, rich guy - power broker and overseas job shipper who turned more jobs over to overseas companies and sold out on Western New York. I guess the Republican guy just wants to earn his Western New York Congressional salary and live in Washington, DC.  I hear the cherry blossoms are beautiful there.  Let's hope the rich can't buy thier ticket to see them....let's hope the voters look long and hard at this one.

Anyway...that is what is happening on the Congressional side.

On a "happier" note (Did I say Happier????), the race to run for the 61st Senate Seat is also equally challenging for the Donkeycrats.  (Are you sure I said happier???) Here we have a popular, hard-working, competent Erie County Legislator who is endorsed by the County Democratic Committees pitted against a former boxer and "you guessed it"....Her brother-in-law.  If this was Texas, this would be a episodic plot for that old TV Show "Dallas".  As the Republicans put up yet another upper crust muckety-muck, the Democrats roll around in the muck to see who can run and win 8 weeks later.  I am keeping my idea for a TV Script because there has to be one in here somewhere.  I can just see the pan of the camera on the field as the three candidates come toward the camera on sturdy horses... the dust settling as their faces are shot one-by-one into the camera frame with dour expressions..... too funny...anyway I digress.

 I am a BIG supporter of Mary Lou Rath and have always known that her shoes would be hard to fill...she truly cares about our communities and serves us well.  She will be a tough act to follow. Michele Iannello is a tough woman with a lot to be said about what she will do for this district.  She, like Mary Lou, cares about us and our communities.  The brother-in-law, on the other hand, has run for many public offices including Eire County Legislator and Executive, has won a few and has lost a few.  He currently sits on the Amherst Town Board and he talks a lot about his past......maybe that is because there isn't too much on his plate for the future.....I think Amherst should keep him.

Then we have Baby Joe Mesi.....nice guy.  While I was President of the New York State Junior Chamber of Commerce I bestowed upon him the honor of Outstanding New Yorker.  This was given to him because of his powerful approach to being a positive influence on young people's lives.  He didn't just box.... he showed us all what an organized program for young people can do?  He cares about his community.  I give him that much but I guess I find that the toughness that a boxer needs to survive is just not what I think we need in the "Ring of Albany".....  You need to be smart, savvy and quick.  You need to look for opportunities to help Western New York and you have to bring that home.  Baby Joe is a nice guy.....Michele Iannello is a hard-working public servant.  I hope when the dust settles, Baby Joe will still be doing his community service and the brother-in-law is sent back to Amherst.  Let the tough lady from Kenmore take on the upper crusty Republican in the General Election.

So that is that.  Instead of duking it out and coming up with two solid candidates...one for each position, the Democrats come up with three, forcing a primary that is sure not to hand any one candidate the 50% for either race. In the midst of this whirl of politics, we can only hope that the regrouping, refunding and campaigning can be accomplished in 8 short weeks, but then again...I wish all elections in total only took 8 weeks.  I wonder if I would miss all the signs in my yard....  Please vote in the Democrat Primary.

The Genesee County Legislature voted unanimously last night to go through with the consolidation of sheriff and city police dispatch services, according to the Daily News. Most of the ground work has already been completed and the city sent its two dispatchers to the sheriff's facility on Park Road, where all calls will now be fielded.

In other news:

• Batavia's Yard Waste station on Law Street will be closed Monday. It will resume normal hours of operation Tuesday.
• Tom Rivers wrote a fantastic column about getting held up at a Canadian immigration check-point where he was given "the treatment."
• Between 4,000 and 5,000 people are expected to come out for Oakfield's Labor Daze parade Monday morning at 10:30am. the village will celebrate all weekend with "bed races" and square dancing on Saturday; gospel music, crafts and bingo on Sunday; and more of the same all day Monday. Should be a fun time.

UPDATE: I meant to say something about this earlier, but I forgot. Mark Gutman did a great job getting photos of the fire out in Byron yesterday. Every one is well composed and full of action. Great job, Mark!

For more on these and other stories, pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

Eleven fire crews were needed to battle a blaze that ripped through a house in Byron yesterday evening. Homeowners Ronald and Theodora Schramm were inside with eight children and one other adult when they smelled smoke and heard the flames. Ronald rushed everyone out of the house, opened the garage door and tried to fight back the flames with a garden hose while someone else dialed 911. The fire was far too tough, however, and Ronald was beat back by the heat. No one was injured.

The home at 6999 Bank Street Road was too far from any hydrant to hook up the fire hoses, so crews had to truck in tankfuls of water, said Tim Yager, coordinator of Genesee County Emergency Management Services. That made for a "labor intensive" fight that raged for more than two hours. Yager said there was a lot of "chasing the fire" around to get it completely extinguished.

Although the front part of the home escaped the complete damage that ravaged the rear of the structure, Yaeger thinks it will be a total loss. The home is insured.

No cause has yet been determined, said Yaeger. Crews have ruled out an electrical cause, but there was a shop area in the garage where the fire originated and some tools were plugged in to outlets there.

"At this point we're calling it accidental and undetermined," he said. That may never change.

The Daily News reports that the Schramms "have been foster parents for the county Department of Social Services for years," and "Theodora "Teddie" Schramm was honored for outstanding contribution to the department's Children's Services Division."

Vindy.com reports that last nights game between Batavia and  Mahoning Valley was rained out.  No make up game is scheduled, the site reports.

That seems surprising given how tight the race is between the Muckdogs and Jamestown.  If the season ends with a tie or only half game separating the two teams, wouldn't this be an important game to get in the books?

Jamestown beat State College last night and sit atop the Pinckney Division standings by a game in a half at 41-24, while the Muckdogs are 39-25.

Batavia has the third best record in the league and a comfortable three game lead over Brooklyn in the wild card race.

The Muckdogs are at Williamsport tonight and tomorrow, and will match up with Jamestown on Saturday. The next home game is Sunday at 1:05 p.m. against Jamestown.

Breaking news... Firefighters are tackling a blaze at a home in Byron right now. Genesee County sheriff's deputies have confirmed that the residence is at 6999 Bank Street Road in the town of Byron. We will update with more information as it becomes available.

UPDATED (Thursday at 7 a.m. by Howard): WHAM reports:

A family that provides foster care for children escaped from a house fire Wednesday afternoon on Bank Road in Byron, Genesee County.

Firefighters said 10 children and 3 adults got out safely from the 100-year-old home.

The Kiwanis Club of Batavia is proud to be the sponsor of Sunday’s Muckdog game against the Jamestown Jammers. Game time is at 1:05 p.m.

Kiwanis will be giving a bicycle to one lucky boy and one lucky girl. Every child (14 and under) will be given a free raffle ticket before the game, and sometime during the game, the lucky winners will be drawn! The lucky winner must be present to win! Free tickets are available from any Kiwanian!

This game will be one of the most important of the season, so come to the game early and visit the Kiwanis table to get the raffle ticket for your child and find out more about the Kiwanis Club of Batavia!

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. The Kiwanis Club of Batavia has been serving the community since 1923. Every year the club serves 1000s of people through its sponsorships, scholarships and other community service activities. For more information on the Kiwanis Club of Batavia visit: www.bataviakiwanis.com

City Council President Charlie Mallow said in a Daily News article today that the consolidation of dispatch services "handicaps our police a bit." Council OK'ed consolidation Monday, and the county legislature will vote on it tonight.

[Harriet] Scopano, a senior citizen, felt safer with someone at the station around the clock. Mallow, City Council president, said the city would lose its small-town appeal and become more like his native crime-ridden Buffalo.

Now that the station at 10 W. Main St. will close for nights and weekends, both of them feel the same, they said.

That just doesn't sound right.

Moving the dispatchers 1.7 miles away will make Batavia like "a crime-ridden Buffalo"? That just doesn't sound right. Scopano is quoted later on in the article as saying that "we'll have to watch ourselves, especially in the parking lot." It doesn't seem reasonable to suggest that just because dispatchers will no longer occupy the facility at all hours that the parking lot outside of headquarters will become more of a risk for violent crime. Heck, there's hardly any violent crime in Batavia as it is. It's one of the reasons why Batavia is a better place to live than, say, Buffalo. Do we really believe that criminals will now congregate outside the police station?

Police Chief Randy Baker makes a good point.

"For citizens, you're not going to see much of a change. We locked the doors after hours anyway for dispatchers to let (visitors) in," he said. "If someone is in immediate danger, they can go to the lobby at the jail. That's a manned area. They've always had that."

Don't people just call 911 when they're in trouble? Who goes to the police station? We call the police. They come to us if we're in trouble. That's why they've got the fast cars with the loud sirens and the bright flashing lights.

City officers are certain to shift their perspectives to go along with the changes, Mallow said. "They're going to do what they need to do to protect the citizens," he said.

Exactly. Especially since what they do won't change. Nor will what the dispatchers do change. The only thing that will change, really, is that when you call the police for an emergency, they'll pick up your phone a mile and a half away from where they did it before.

The Powers campaign is trying to make an issue of who Chris Lee (the Republican candidate for the 26th District) sold his company to.  The D&C:

The company Lee helped manage and his father founded was sold for $395 million less than a year after the buyer, an international conglomerate, pleaded guilty to two felony charges related to sensitive defense technology that had been sent to China, Britain, Singapore and Japan. The conglomerate, ITT, also paid $100 million in fines.

The Lee campaign maintains that International Motion Control, an engineering and technology company founded by Patrick Lee, was sold to a division of ITT that was separate from ITT's defense operations, which incurred the charges and fines.

...

"As a combat veteran, Jon Powers is deeply troubled by anyone who profited from a company that gave our national security secrets to the Chinese," said John Gerken, Powers' campaign manager. (via Rochester Turning)

It seems a stretch to knock a guy for legally selling his company.  It  doesn't seem like the sort of thing that will resonate with voters, and what Powers is doing is reminding people that Lee is an experienced, successful business man -- something that Powers, for all his great military experience -- doesn't have in his portfolio.  While that doesn't disqualify Powers for office, why draw attention to it?

It also seems to be a political misstep for Powers to raise this issue now, before he's even won the primary. By the time the general election rolls around, this will be a stale story that most media won't cover.  (Though, a lot of times campaigns get these stories planted in the press so they have a clip to include in a hit piece mailer. The timing, then, doesn't matter.)

I don't know much about International Motion Control, but if it were the case that IMC dealt in defense-related technology that could maybe make its way into Chinese hands via ITT, then Mr. Lee's judgment and fitness for office could be legitimately questioned.  But merely profiting from the sale? That's a stretch.

There isn't much on the web now about IMC, but I did find this press release about the sale. The list of products appears pretty non-threatening. However, it is interesting that Mr. Lee outsourced some manufacturing to Asian countries. That could be a liability for him in this district, but it seems Jack Davis has the stronger track record to make that case.

Chris Lee's campaign site. Jon Powers  campaign site.

WBTA story: The county Health Department is warning that a rabid cat was found in Le Roy and they want to speak to anybody who may have come into contact with the feline.

The black cat lived on Summit street and health officials are looking for people who may have come into contact with it between Aug. 14 and Aug. 24.

Two people were either bitten or scratched and are being treated for rabies.

Contact: Genesee County Health Department at 344-2580, Extension 5569.

Katelyn M. Pawliske, 21, of Eden, was charged with driving while ability impaired by alcohol early Sunday morning, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Pawliske drove into the rear of a vehicle stopped in traffic on Route 77 in the town of Darien after she had exited the concert at Darien Lake. She was also ticketed with following too closely.

Jeffrey M. Brodsky, 37, of Covington, was charged with a felony county of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance Friday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Members of the Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force allegedly found over a half ounce of crack cocaine on Brodsky when they searched his home and his vehicle last week. About a quarter pound of marijuana, some powder cocaine, more crack cocaine, other illegal substances, illegal weapons and several pieces of drug paraphernalia were also allegedly found at Brodsky's home.

Darrell G. Plichta, 21, of Oneida, was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana Wednesday, August 20, sheriff's deputies said. Plichta was stopped on Route 89 in the city of Batavia. He was also ticketed with moving from the lane unsafely.

Conor P. Wilkes, 20, of 8303 Lewiston Road, Batavia, was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana Saturday, sheriff's deputies said. Wilkes had been stopped on Route 5 in Batavia for an alleged traffic violation.

Brandy L. Hamill, 34, of Depew, and Jeffrey D. Nicosia, 29, of Corfu, were charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance bu ultimate users not in original containers Tuesday, August 19, sheriff's deputies said. Hamill and Nicosia had been stopped on Route 77 in Pembroke for an alleged traffic violation.

David J. Roma, 25, of Cheektowaga, was charged with exposure Friday, sheriff's deputies said. Roma allegedly urinated on the seats in front of him at the concert at Darien Lake that night. He was sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $500 bail.

Steven C. Brooks, 21, of Amherst, was charged with third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle Friday night, sheriff's deputies said. Brooks allegedly took a golf cart owned by Darien Lake, drove it into a parked car and fled the scene. He was also ticketed with leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

John H. Lobaugh, 30, of Kenmore, was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief and second-degree harassment Saturday, sheriff's deputies said. Lobaugh allegedly got into a fight with his girlfriend in Pembroke following the concert at Darien Lake and pushed her down an embankment where she landed in a ditch and struck her head on a rock. When she tried to call 911, he allegedly grabbed her phone and threw it away causing damage to the phone, too. She refused medical treatment.

Kenneth J. Anderson, 35, of Brockport, was charged with driving while intoxicated Saturday, sheriff's deputies said. Anderson was stopped on Route 33 in the city of Batavia for an alleged traffic violation.

Carlton K. Stewart, 64, of Basom, was charged with a felony count of driving while intoxicated Sunday, sheriff's deputies said. Stewart was stopped on West Main Street Road in the town of Batavia. He was also charged with consumption of alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle.

Eric M. Lawrence, 17, and Phillip E. Garrett, 27, both of Amherst, were charged with unlawful possession of marijuana Firday, sheriff's deputies said. Garrett was driving the vehicle that was stopped on Route 77 in Corfu. Deputies found that his license was suspended. Garrett was also charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operator and operation with a suspended registration.

Raymond D. Scott, 43, of Wyoming, was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana Friday, sheriff's deputies said. Scott was stopped at a DWI road check on Route 33 in the city of Batavia. Deputies then discovered that his license was suspended. He was also charged with aggravated unlicensed operator and operation with a suspended registration.

Brandon C. Dodd, of 3 Maple St. (Apt: Lower), Batavia, was charged with driving while intoxicated Tuesday night, city police said. Dodd was stopped after he allegedly drove through a red light. He was also ticketed with passing a red light.

Roy D. Hooten, 47, of Oakfield, was charged with two felony counts of fourth-degree grand larceny and one misdemeanor county of petit larceny Tuesday, sheriff's deputies said. Hooten was arrested at his home and sent to the Genesee County Jail in lieu of $1,500 cash bail. Hooten is alleged to have stolen copper grounding wires and other scrap metal on at least seven occasions from three sub-stations on Maple Avenue in Oakfield over the course of nine months. Further charges are pending.

All of the above arrests were issued in published releases from the various departments.

The Muckdogs hitting instructor, Jeff Albert, is an interesting cat.  He's best known for his video analyst of players swings (he used to blog here and here's his Swing Training site.). It looks like his minor league playing experience was limited to 21 ABs on independent teams.

You can't argue with the results he's getting from the Muckdog hitters this season, though. It seems like the entire team has shown improvement over the course of the season.

FutureRedbirds.com posted an interview with Jeff.

Switching gears a little bit, tell me about some of your players. I thought Shane Peterson was an interesting draft pick due to his great college career at Long Beach St., but seeing him on video, he does have that odd two-step swing. Is that at all a concern of yours?

With Shane’s line-drive ability and strike zone judgment, I can see where he had success. The pre-swing move from his draft video is more exaggerated than what he showed up here with, so I wouldn’t say he has a two-step swing that causes concern. Everyone here is striving for a more efficient swing, and Shane is no different. He shows up every day to do his work and sometimes I literally have to kick him out of the cage.

Give me your impressions of the following players: Jermaine Curtis, Frederick Parejo, Colt Sedbrook, Charlie Cutler, Alex Castellanos and Xavier Scruggs.

Curtis is a gamer - he’s made all the plays at 3rd base and swung well from the 3-hole. Hand and foot injuries have kept him out of more games than any of us would like. Parejo had a good showing at the all-star game, having hit the only home run. For him to put together an all-star year after jumping from the GCL last year is impressive, especially when you factor in that he was 17 when the season started.

Sedbrook has been our most consistent hitter to this point, and his swing and approach are a good match - he drives the ball the other way and plays to his strengths in the box. Cutler has settled in and is driving the ball with more authority, which is a good sign considering that he has one of the lowest swing-and-miss percentages within the entire organization. Castellanos just got here and came out swinging - the ball really jumps off his bat towards right-center field. Scruggs has some power and deserves a lot of credit for his diligence. He has probably made the biggest improvement of all the hitters here since day one.

I left this remark in the comments:

I’m surprised Jeff isn’t more concerned about Shane’s swing. To me, it’s a big, loopy, slow swing. He starts with his hands too far forward, and then has a little hitch just before he starts the bat forward. His mechanics rob any chance he has of hitting for power. He only does as well as he does because of exceptional plate discipline.

I wish you had asked about Beau Riportella. To me, he’s the best looking guy at the plate on the team. And he’s been showing consistent and improving results recently. He just needs to reverse his K and BB totals. If he does that, he could evolve into a legit three-hole prospect.

Meanwhile, Mollie Radzinski, who has supplied us with coverage of the team this season, has her own blog and posted about her experience this season as a Muckdogs intern.

First, there are the players. Fresh out of college, these guys have signing bonuses ranging from $940,000 to $1,000. Unlike many of the bigger-league stars, every one of them is willing to sign autographs for fans.

I won’t say there aren’t any egos on the team, but it is hard to have too much of an ego when one has to drive around town on a Huffy bike.

Look at the post Dave Wellenzohn just left on The Batavian.

Find me one other general manager in all of baseball who has gone onto a media and site directly encouraged fans to support the local team!

Listen, people, YOUR TEAM -- and the Batavia Muckdogs are your team -- are in the midst of an exciting and significant pennant race.

You need to attend these home games. You must attend these home games.

And let me ask you -- where is the Daily News in encouraging its readers to attend these final Muckdog games?

Let's be real: The Batavian isn't even five months old.  Our audience is still growing. The Daily News is more than 100 years old and its audience is established. The Daily News can do more to put people in Dwyer Stadium seats than we can, so WHERE is the Daily News support for the home town team? Come on, Tom Turnbull, show us you really love Batavia -- get this stadium sold out these final games of the season.

There is no reason these final games shouldn't be sold out every night -- especially the two games against Jamestown.

So, are you going to support YOUR team, or not?

As the Muckdogs chase their first title since 1963 ( pre Muckdogs) We need noisy fans at Dwyer Stadium.4 home games left, Sun,Thurs,Fri,Sat Let's cheer our boys on as they go for the title. Of course, I'm biased but a championship would be great in 08

This may be my favorite video at the Holland Land Office Museum so far—and Map Measuring Madness is not easy to beat! I won't say anything about this one. As Pat Weissend said to me: You don't want to ruin the surprise factor. Enjoy!

With the seven game win streak ending in a big 16-7 loss to Williamsport last night, and a Jamestown win over Auburn, the Muckdogs now sit in second place in the Pinckney Division, half a game behind the Jammers.  However, Batavia is represented very well in many statistical categories in the NYPL.  Here's a look:

• Arquimedes Nieto overtook 1st place again in pitching, with a 1.20 ERA and 6-0 record.
• Adam Reifer still leads in saves (19) and games (27).
• Colt Sedbrook is 4th in batting with a .324 average.  He also leads the league in hits with 73 and is 2nd in on-base percentage (.416)
• Jose Garcia's 20 stolen bases put him in 3rd place.
• Shane Peterson has a .395 on-base percentege which makes him 4th in the league.
• Overall, the team is 3rd in batting with a .264 combined average and 4th in pitching with a combined 3.22 ERA.

Tonight, the Muckdogs start a two-game series in Mahoning Valley...and I will be there! (It's only 45 minutes away from Kent State).  I'm excited to be able to watch the team live once more!  Hopefully, this road trip will be the start of our next lengthy win streak!

You've likely already read our coverage of last night's City Council meeting, when we posted it last night, so we won't bother with a recap of Joanne Beck's articles about the meeting in today's Daily News. Instead, we'll jump right to the local section...

Reporter Paul Mrozek tells us that the fire Friday at Willow Specialties caused more than $100,000 in damage—but it could have been much worse. Willow CEO Jeff Daggs said: "Ninety percent of our product is not damaged. That's what we believe right now."

Matt Surtel put together a nice tribute piece about Jenny Snow, the news director at WCJW, Warsaw's AM radio station, who died unexpectedly at her home Saturday at the age of 53.

The Genesee County Legislature will meet Wednesday in a special session to vote on the proposed consolidation of dispatch services that was approved last night by Batavia's City Council. City police dispatchers will make the move to the sheriff's office on Park Road complete by Monday. That meeting will be at 7:00pm at the Old County Courthouse.

Roger Muehlig was in Le Roy Monday when Republican Congressional candidate Christopher Lee stopped by Stein Farms to chat with area farmers about labor issues. Muehlig writes: "Lee, a political newcomer, said he didn't have all the answers, but one of the reasons he was successful in business was that he listens to everyone." That's well and good. But there are already plenty of politicians in Albany who are good at listening. Anyone can listen. We don't need more people to listen. We need people to act.

For these and other stories, pick up a copy of the Daily News at local newsstands. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

Maybe you've spotted them. They're more than 200 strong, and they rolled into Byron last night. From there, they left for Romulus this morning via Routes 5 and 20 through Avon. They're the cyclists of the Sea to Sea bike tour to end poverty. They're from all over the country, and Canada, too, and they've raised more than $2 million in their journey from the waters of the Pacific, just west of Seattle, to those of the Atlantic just east of Jersey City.

Many of the cyclists have kept a blog on their journey. Plenty of great photos—such as the pair you see here—can also be viewed on the site hosted by the Christian Reform Church.

How do I know all this, you ask? Well, I was over at the Holland Land Office Museum earlier this morning shooting the next episode of our history series with Pat Weissend—look for it this afternoon, it's a good one—when a kindly couple stopped to ask if I was with the local television station. Long story short, the Templetons are following their grandson who is one of the cyclists in the tour. They told Pat and me all about the race.

All 220 cyclists started in Washington on June 30, with their back tires literally dipped into the Pacific Ocean (see the photo below). Sixty-one days and 3,881 miles later at an average of about 72 miles per day, the cyclists roll to an end in New Jersey, where they will dip their front tire into the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, they've already passed through Genesee County by now, and we didn't have a chance to catch them and maybe sit down for a video interview with some of the participants. But if the little bit we've told you about here has piqued your interest, as it has mine, you should check out the site and poke around. As I said, there are blogs and photos. There are also profiles of the cyclists, news clips, maps and a whole lot more. Much fun.

WBEN's "Hardline with Hardwick" featured a debate between the three Democratic candidates for the 61st Senate District.

The full audio is available here.

It is, at times, a spirited discussion, with Joe Mesi and Michelle Ianello, especially mixing it up, while Dan Ward plays it more low key.

(via Albany's Insanity .)

They're back.

Students returned to class yesterday as Genesee Community College opened for the first day of classes of the fall semester. Enrollment was up over last year. First day totals came in at 4,098, up from the 4,032 from last year, and the college expects those numbers to increase as courses in area high schools get underway in the coming weeks.

Among those 4,000 students are nearly 100 from 19 countries around the world, proving once again that the college is an international destination. "Students came from Belarus, Canada, China, Columbia, El Salvador, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Mali, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, and Venezuela."

In addition, Genesee Community College is among 21 other campuses across the state to welcome 150 students from China.

[They come] from the city of Chengdu in the Sichuan Province of western China, which was the site of a massive earthquake in May. The students will have the ability to continue their college studies for one year in the United States and then return to their homeland to help with the rebuilding effort.

WBTA's Dan Fischer picked up some great audio of last night's concluding debate about the mall sign—which was approved for purchase by a vote of 6-2. He has posted the views of two City Council members who held opposing views on the mall: Rosemary Christian and Charlie Mallow.

In other news, the former highway superintendent of the Erie County town of Marilla, David Pierce, told a judge yesterday that "alcoholism and greed" made him break the law. Pierce was sentenced to seven months in jail for using town employees to work on his property, doing such things as building a fishing and swimming pond.