The "micropolitian" area of Batavia is one of the nation's fastest growing regions according to Site Selection Magazine.

This is the fifth straight year Batavia has received the designation.

On its Web site, Site Selection describes itself this way:

Site Selection's editorial mission is to publish information for expansion planning decision-makers -- CEOs, corporate real estate executives and facility planners, human resource managers and consultants to corporations. Our goal is to help the expansion planner do a better job.

Here's the full press release from the Genesee County Economic Develoment Committee

Batavia, NY…Genesee County and the Batavia Micropolitan Area has been named one of the country’s 10 fastest growing regions by Site Selection Magazine for a fifth consecutive year.  A Micropolitan Area is a census definition that describes a city of less than 50,000 people that serves as the seat of a larger geographical area like Genesee County.  There are roughly 600 Micropolitans nationwide.

The Batavia Micropolitan was first recognized in 2004 and ranked 7th in the nation.  In 2005, the region was named the 3rd fastest growing Micropolitan in the nation and the number 1 location in the Northeast.  Batavia made the list again in 2006 and 2007.  In 2008 the Batavia Micropolitan ranked fourth nationwide. 

Statesville-Mooresville, North Carolina was tops in the category, participating in 17 qualifying projects.  Daphne-Fairhope, Alaska tied with Tupelo, Mississippi for second with both completing 12 projects.  Batavia participated in 11 qualifying projects tying with Ottawa-Streator, Illinois for fourth.  The results were published in Site Selection’s March issue.

“Despite a changing economic and political climate in the state and nationwide, we were able to participate in 11 qualifying projects and again earn honors as a Top Micropolitan.” said CEO Steve Hyde.  “It’s an accomplishment we are extremely proud of and over the years the recognition has brought us national exposure and helped us increase our project volume.  It is an honor that we share with the entire community, including our local and regional partners and elected officials.”

The National Weather Service has issued a third flood warning for the Batavia and LeRoy areas.

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE OATKA CREEK AT GARBUTT * UNTIL WEDNESDAY MORNING. * AT 11 AM MONDAY THE STAGE WAS 6.5 FEET AND RISING. * MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND MODERATE FLOODING IS FORECAST. * FLOOD STAGE IS 6.0 FEET. * FORECAST... THE RIVER WILL CONTINUE TO RISE AND CREST NEAR 7.1 FEET LATE TONIGHT. * IMPACT... AT 7.0 FEET... MODERATE FLOOD... WIDESPREAD FLOODING OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS BELOW LEROY. SIGNIFICANT RESIDENTIAL FLOODING ALONG CREEK, ESPECIALLY IN MUMFORD, WHEATLAND, AND SCOTTSVILLE. ROADWAY FLOODING BEGINS. SOME BACKWATER EFFECTS POSSIBLE FROM GENESEE RIVER NEAR SCOTTSVILLE.

The warning also issues the following warnings:

BLACK CREEK AT CHURCHVILLE ALLEGHENY RIVER AT OLEAN ALLEGHENY RIVER AT SALAMANCA TONAWANDA CREEK AT BATAVIA

The economic downfall continues to leave Margaret Puzio, Superintendent of Schools, and the School Board of Education studying their options carefully as they create a spending plan.

According to the New York State Executive Budget  the Executive Budget will provide $20.7 billion for School Aid in 2009-10. It is a decrease of 3.3 percent from last year.  The site says without this budget cut the Executive Budget proposal for 2009-2010 would have been $2.5 billion higher than what was originally proposed.

Margaret Puzio, Superintendent of Schools stated in the A+ Batavia Communicator, “The Board of Education has asked the district to keep expenditures well below the contingent budget cap of 4%.”

Puzio writes the budget deficit has caused a pause in all state aid, along with a further reduction in a form of a Deficit Reduction Assesment.(DRA).

The board is waiting to make a final budget, hoping to receiving aid from the Federal Government.

“Right now, we do not know the impact the Federal Economic Stimulus Bill may have on education aid,” writes Puzio in the newsletter, “And so we prepare a budget that protects our programs both curricular and extra-curricular and remains mindful of the community’s needs.”

The board plans to adopt a tentative budget at the Board of Education meeting March 16, 7 p.m. at the Administration building.

 Good morning everybody.

If you saw Howard's post on Friday, you know he is away this week. He will be missed, but is going to be posting when he gets a chance. The workaholic he is, is on vacation and won't be able to help any issues people have.

I am obviously still very much involved with The Batavian and have volunteered to help out this week. I am here for any help needed or if anybody has questions, so if you have them you can email me at brianhillabush@yahoo.com.

I'm also a sports guy but will do my best to update news this week, so if you have any tips you can send them to me and I'll look into things (I can use the help on this one). I am still fighting a bit of the flu, which has kept me on the couch all weekend, but I look forward to making any calls or doing some research if a topic comes up. 

Also, with Howard gone I am looking for content. I have a Buffalo Bills post and something on Batavia's basketball team planned for the next day or two, but I welcome submissions from readers this week. That is what this site is all about.

It isn't football season, but the Bills are the biggest local topic right now and I challenge the community to give us great stories about the team and attending games. I'd love to hear stories about attending the games when Buffalo had the best offense in the NFL, or even a post about the current state of going to Ralph Wilson Stadium and dealing with the problems involved with doing so. Please feel free to post about your experiences at the stadium, just make sure to tag it sports to it goes right to the sports page. The best will make the main page.

Early on I learned the northern pike is not only willing to strike, they often do so with gusto, ambushing their prey in a quick and vicious manner. This, combined with their toothy, menacing appearance easily captures a young angler’s imagination.

In the first Pike Dreams segment I briefly mentioned my uncle, Jim Nigro, who first introduced me to fishing before he moved away. I was in high school when another uncle, Jim Soccio, visited from his home in Coral Gables, Fla. He invited me for a days fishing on Seneca Lake. I was told I need bring only a lunch. My grandmother made me a bag full of sandwiches – pepper & egg, steak & peppers – lots of them.   

Our quarry would be lake trout and we would be fishing with Bob Cass, then the Chief of the Geneva, NY Police Dept. and a part time guide on Seneca Lake. We boarded Cass’ boat before dawn and motored down the lake to a small bay where Cass dropped anchor. He rigged five poles with sawbellies, large minnow-like baits favored by lake trout anglers.  

I was about to discover my uncle was not a fan of northern pike.

The sun was barely above the horizon, the lake was flat calm and my uncle and Bob Cass were making small talk when the drag on the bow reel started screaming. Cass scurried along the gunwale and the cabin, grabbed the rod out of the holder and set the hook- or tried to. A moment later the line snapped, sounding like a .22 being fired.        

“Wow. What was that,” I shouted.

“Probably a big pike,” replied Bob Cass.

I looked at my uncle.   “We gonna fish for pike now, Uncle Jim?” I was no doubt bug-eyed, the adrenaline pumping.   

“What are we going to do with pike? They’re no good,” he said with disdain.

“Too many bones” chimed in Cass.

Later Bob Cass showed us an article in an Outdoor Life magazine. The story was about a pair of young men from New York City who had ventured to Seneca Lake for a day’s fishing. The photos depicted two smiling anglers holding numerous northern pike, every one of them much larger than any I had caught up to that time. Their guide had been none other than Bob Cass. I couldn’t help but wonder if he bothered to mention all those pike bones.

It was about that time I reached into the bag of sandwiches. The bag would be empty before we returned to the dock.

We caught two lake trout that day, the first came in the morning while still-fishing sawbellies. Afterward the day basically turned into a long boat ride. The second lake trout was the bigger of the two, weighing 6 lbs. and was caught while trolling Seth Green rigs, the forerunner of today’s downrigger.

I came away from that outing unimpressed with lake trout. No small wonder, as I couldn’t forget the sound of the drag singing out early that morning as a big northern ran with the bait. It was but another moment which fueled my pike dreams in a big way.

And dream I did, one of which I remember quite well.  I was in a boat, stream fishing in a place much like Whiskey Run, a noted stretch of Tonawanda Creek. Obviously the fish on the end of my line was a large northern pike. One moment I was able to see it below the surface, its white belly clearly visible as it twisted and turned in the depths. The next moment I was holding it aloft in the boat. It was absolutely huge! It was longer than I was tall with a girth to match its length. It was the pike I had long sought, the trophy for the wall. But as dreamscapes are so often surreal, there was one minor glitch - the pike had a gaudy silver zipper running the entire length of its belly.  

Strange dreams aside, the pursuit for big pike continued, years later leading to some memorable adventures in the Canadian far north. And it was in those sub-artic waters where my perception of the lake trout took a drastic, yet positive change. I’m looking forward to sharing those experiences with readers soon.

 Wow!

If you would have said Terrell Owens would be a member of the Buffalo Bills even a week ago, I might have told you that you were nuts.

But after the controversial star was released by the Dallas Cowboys, the Bills have signed him to a one year deal.

He's thought of as a cancer and the biggest pain in the butt in the NFL, but he is now a Bill. This is amazing and will put our local NFL team on the map. 

We are in for a fun season,

I unfortunately didn't make the game today because I'm not feeling well, but Batavia just beat Freddie Thomas 65-45 to win the Section 5 Class A2 title.

The Blue Devils had a lot of haters this season as people didn't think Batavia had enough size, but this is the first sectional championship team for the program since Michael Chmielowiec's senior year.

Andrew Hoy was shut down in the first half, but blew up for 21 points in the second half. He scored all of his points from beyond the 3-point line. This follows his 27 point performance against Geneva. He's having an amazing post season.

Marcus Hoy had 15 points and did a great job of leading the team on the floor and Dakota Irvin pitched in 11 points. 

The sectional title is the potential tip of the iceberg as the Blue Devils play either Newark or Sutherland in the crossover game before the Far West Regionals. Hopefully I'll be over this bug and be at that game. 

Chmielowiec led his team to the state semifinals and now this team can look to get to that point or beyond.

Irvin and Andrew Hoy made the all-tournament team with Marcus Hoy winning the MVP. 

As an avid movie watcher, I find people are constantly asking me if I've seen this, or that, and how was that and are you going to see this.  So I've decided to start a weekly blog for personal reference of movies "To see, or not to see!"  And I may even throw in a recommended watch list from my dvd collection or movies I have seen.

TO SEE: 

Taken - Directed by Pierre Morel, Written by Luc Besson.  MPAA rated this movie PG-13  for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language.

User rating on IMDb - 8*'s out of 10.

Roger Ebert gives it 3*'s of 5.  He states, "If CIA agents in general were as skilled as Bryan Mills in particular, Osama bin Laden would have been an American prisoner since late September 2001."  And I'd have to agree, this is an action filled movie that keeps the "I need to see action, action, action!" movie watchers satisfied as it is non-stop throughout the duration of the movie. 

Liam Neeson who plays Bryan Mills in the movie, is a retired CIA agent, who is struggling to have a good relationship with his daughter.  His wife (played by Famke Janssen) had left him because of his job in the CIA and married another man.  When his daughter (played by Maggie Grace)came to him wanting to go to Paris, he was hesitant to let her go, but he felt that was his one way to hang on to his daughter so allowed her to go. Shortly into their trip, his daughter and her travelling partner end up getting kidnapped.  The movie continues as Neeson uses his CIA skills and goes on a mission to find his daughter in a time period determined by her kidnappers of 96 hours.  There are some real and not so real moments in the movie, but all in all, I believe the movie was satisfying. 

Similar To - The Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum, with Matt Damon.

Recommended for Children - I wouldn't suggest this movie for children under the age of 13.  There is a lot of drug reference and portrayl of prostitution and violence. 

__________

RECOMMENDED TO WATCH:

Little Miss Sunshine - Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.  Written by Michael Arndt.  The MPAA rated this movie R for language, some sex and drug content. 

User rating on IDMb is 8.1*'s out of 10. 

Little Miss Sunshine came out in 2006, but I do suggest it for my "Recommend to Watch" list.  It is a movie filled with laughter and simple moments. 

In this movie we follow a very dysfunctional family consisting of a housewife, Sheryl (played by Toni Collette), her husband Richard Hoover (played by Greg Kinnear) who is trying to become successful as some sort of motivational speaker, the suicidal brother Frank (Steve Carell), the heroin addicted grandpa (Alan Arkin) who serves as Olive's coach, the son Dwayne (Paul Dano) who wants to become a jet pilot and who also has taken a vow of silence as a follower of some group, and of course, little Olive (Abigail Breslin).  Who is a girl with one simple dream.  She wants to become "Little Miss Sunshine."

It is a journey following along the lives of the Hoover family and their determination to get Olive to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant.  We get to see and experience with them all of their quirks and mishaps along the way.  It is a journey of a family coming together and learning from each other.  I found this movie funny and heart warming.  Although, I do not recommend this movie for children. 

Early in his campaign for president, Barack Obama promised to call Republican and Democratic leaders together within his first 100 days for a rural summit.

NPR's Howard Berkes reports that the Obama White House seems to be backing away from that promise.

Inouye then cited rural initiatives in the stimulus bill and Obama's proposed budget. "His administration is taking affirmative steps to help strengthen rural America."

As to the pledge of a rural summit in the first 100 days, Inouye said, "[Obama] is working with his Cabinet, advisers and congressional allies to form a comprehensive rural agenda, and is planning on hosting a forum to discuss those ideas."

That's a commitment to do something, but not in the first 100 days, and not in the form of a summit in Iowa.

Yes, a lot has changed since Obama made his pledge, and it doesn't appear that Obama's administration is completely forgetting rural towns.  And I'm not even sure, frankly, what a rural summit would accomplish.

But it's good that reporters like Berkes are out there looking after rural America's interest.

Part 2 of the Daily's FAQ on ambulance service is up.

I'm posing about it only because I get a little bugged when I see people not answering questions.  In this case, it's Greg Ireland:

To fire department union President Greg Ireland, would the union renegotiate its current contract to lessen the cost to the city?

Mallow and the union signed a contract on Sept. 4, 2007, that ran through March 2010, Ireland said, noting that at the time, Mallow was quoted as saying "every single thing that was brought up previously by council, we addressed with them."

"We have an agreement with the city to establish a labor-management committee to discuss concerns ... and the city has not approached the union to discuss any concerns they have with our current contract," Ireland said.

Notice that Ireland doesn't answer a very simple yes or no question. He obfuscates by pushing it back on the city, saying the city never asked.  But the question wasn't, "Did the city ask you?" It was, "would you?"

There's logical question back for Charlie Mallow: If the union were willing to renegotiate, would the city reconsider its position?

And is it simply too late to even consider such questions?

I have a pre-arranged trip to the West Coast I'm taking. I fly out in the morning and won't be back for a week.  I figure I should take the trip while I can and see my parents, as well as take care of a little business (there might even be a positive development or two for The Batavian as a result).

While I'll be able to check on the site and even post here and there, Brian Hillabush has volunteered to stay on top of things, too, and help keep the site updated.

"They've been around forever. It's just another sign of things in the past," (Police Chief Christopher) Hayward said.

Hayward was talking about the once bright red fire alarm boxes along LeRoy village streets that will soon be removed by an electrician.

Must everything old eventually be replaced, or might preserving the past be a community value worth keeping?

Daily News staff writer Scott DeSmit includes these interesting details:

The first boxes were made in 1852 and used the telegraph system. When the box was triggered, a spring-loaded wheel spun and tapped out a signal, which was telegraphed to a fire station.

Eventually, the boxes were linked to fire stations or dispatch centers using phone lines, about the only advance in technology the boxes ever underwent.

Of course, in these tight times, saving money is a virtue.

Each box has its own phone line, meaning the village will cut its phone bill by almost half by discontinuing the lines, Hayward said. The nine boxes, plus two fire sirens, accounted for $239 of the village's $650 monthly bill. The two sirens will remain.

DeSmit reports that none of the boxes have been used for a real incident in two years.

One person reported chest pains following a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of routes 33 and  in Stafford at about 2:30 p.m.

A state trooper on scene said the investigation was not yet completed and would not release the names of the drivers. He said a Chevy SUV was west bound on 33 when a pick up truck traveling on Route 327 apparently failed to stop.

We'll provide more details later as we're able to get them.

The Daily News has posted the first of a two-part FAQ on the ambulance service controversy.

It's well done and should be pretty informative to anybody (is there anybody?) who hasn't been following the issue.

There's been much discussion on The Batavian over an allegation that the city transferred money from ambulance funds to the city treasury. City Manager addresses the question:

In past years, money has been transferred from the ambulance fund to meet personnel costs associated with running the city ambulance service. Eliminating the ambulance service allows the city to cut those positions, which will end the city's need to take money from another fund.

On the issue of "scare tactics," as City Council President Charlie Mallow has characterized the union's lobbying effort, Mallow and union president Greg Ireland each get their say.

Mallow:

"The union's literature, signs and words imply that the city will somehow not have ambulance service after Sept. 1 and that no one will come to help when you call 911," Mallow said. "The county has made it clear that they have a process in place ... there is no reason to believe the hysteria being asserted by the union that there will be no one to provide ambulance service after Sept. 1."

Ireland:

"Our campaign is in NO way negative," Ireland said. "We simply want the public to be aware of the decision that council has made to eliminate their ambulance service, and City Council has no definitive plan for the future needs of their citizens. Passing the buck to someone else is not a responsible way to govern the people that elected you, and I am one of them."

Read the whole thing.

The Genesee County Assisted Living Center posted a sign on its front door yesterday informing patrons that the facility closed "until further notice."

Paster Charlie Piscitello, chairman of the board of directors, said the center has not received from Albany more than $53,000 needed to cover operational expenses for the first quarter. The state also owes more than $40,000 for the final quarter of 2008.

"Our funds were frozen that we need to keep the doors open," Piscitello said. "It got to the point where with no money you can't pay anybody. You can't even pay their health insurance."

The center employs 11 people and serves more than 1,100 clients.

"This is a money crunch in Albany," Piscitello said. "This isn't a case of mismanagement."

Piscitello said the center expects its funding by Tuesday, but WBTA quotes the executive director as saying the center won't open again until a week from Monday.

Meanwhile, the center's employees are on furlough.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley told WBTA that some paperwork had not been completed and that he's working with the Albany agency taking care of the reimbursements. Listen his audio quote from WBTA.

WBTA will report on its 12:30 newscast that Lapp Industries Corp. in LeRoy is concerned about a proposed environmental clean up, which VP and COO Robert Johnson tells WBTA would cost more than it should.

If forced to pay for a $3.4 million price tag for the proposed clean up on the 80=acre site, the survival of the company would be put in jeopardy.

Johnson says 140 local jobs could be lost. He maintains the job can be done just as well for $1.4 million, which the company can afford and is willing to pay.

 On March 16, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor will work with John Kennedy Elementary School's string students from 10-11 a.m.

From the Press Release:

Miss Baldwin was one of five educators to be honored last spring by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra with their Award for Outstanding Music Educators. The award recognizes teacher's contributions to their students, schools, and communities. Ms. Baldwin has spent approximately 25-30 years in education at the Batavia City Schol District, which is the only public school district in Genesee County to offer a string program.

She teaches instrumental music/strings, is director of the elementary Suzuki String Program, directs the beginning and advanced elementary string orchestras, is a NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) certified adjudicator, has served as president for the NYSCAME (New York State Council of Administrators of Music Education, and most recently, co-hosted a Baroque Music Festival in the District.

WBTA reports this morning:

• Unemployment hit 9.1 percent in Genesee County, up from 6.7 percent a year ago.
• A knife-wielding suspect threatened two Batavia police officers this morning. Ryan Shumway, 29, was taken into custody after the confrontation, in which Shumway was told several times to drop the knife before he did.

Tune into WBTA 1490-AM for these and other stories throughout the day.

Dustin R. Cleveland, 23, of Byron, was arrested Thursday, for reportedly playing music too loud in his residence. He was charged with disorderly conduct. The Sheriff's office reported numerous complaints about the loud music. In report does not include the time of the incident.

Joseph Julyan, 44, of Oakfield, was arrested Thursday. He is accused of aggravated DWI with a prior conviction. He is also charged with improper use of restricted lane. He was taken into custody at 11 Jefferson St, Batavia. No other details were released.