For the second straight year the Tonawanda Creek Carp Derby resulted in another good turnout. Ideal weather conditions attracted solo anglers as well as those who saw it as an opportunity for a family outing with upwards of forty entrants lining the creek bank for Saturday’s Carp Derby. 

Carp may not be much to look at, nor are they classified as a game fish.  However, once hooked they can put up quite a good tussle.  Several participants in Saturday’s derby can attest to that.  Shortly after the first lines hit the water, the Blecha brothers, Mike and Jeremy were the first to connect, accounting for three carp in a short time span. Their trio of fish ranged in weight from 7 to 10.5 pounds, with the latter specimen temporarily sliding into first place.  

Minutes later the Pietrzykowski brothers, Jake and Jeremy, got into the act.  Jeremy quickly set the hook after a carp inhaled his offering of corn kernels.  Minutes passed before he was able to lead the hefty bottom feeder into the shallows where Jake was waiting with the net. The fish pulled the scales to the 13lbs. 10 oz. mark.

Despite murky water conditions, there were numerous fish caught, all of them returned to the water after a brief weigh-in. The creekside camaraderie made the afternoon pass quickly and at the end of the day Jeremy Pietrzykowski  took home “Biggest Fish” honors, with the award for the smallest going to Randy Demers. 

There was quite a mix of folks lining the creek bank on this day, making for a festive atmosphere and a chance to renew old acquaintances and sample “chef” John Lawrence’s snacks hot off the grill - venison backstraps and pheasant tenders rolled in bacon.

FAMILIAR FACES IN THE CROWD: CARP DERBY PICS

 Joe Lawrence

 The Blecha Family

 Jimmy DeFreze, Jimmy, Sam, Bill & Mike Ficarella

 Dr. Joe Canzoneri with sons Nick & Mike

Mike DeFreze & Ben Buchholz

St. Joe's PE & Health Instructor Vin Romanotto

 Brian Jackson 

I imagine most of you remember Time Warner trying to introduce metered bandwidth and usage caps to our cable bills several months ago. Like I predicted, they're at it again.

TWC has updated their Subscriber Agreement to lay down the foundation for their future billing practices. You can find these additions in the teeny tiny print on your next bill, or probably the latest bill you've paid. The additions are as follows.

I imagine most of you remember Time Warner trying to introduce metered bandwidth and usage caps to our cable bills several months ago. Like I predicted, they're at it again.

TWC has updated their Subscriber Agreement to lay down the foundation for their future billing practices. You can find these additions in the teeny tiny print on your next bill, or probably the latest bill you've paid. The additions are as follows.

6. Special Provisions Regarding HSD Service

(ii) I agree that TWC or ISP may change the Maximum Throughput Rate of any tier by amending the price list or Terms of Use. My continued use of the HSD Service following such a change will constitute my acceptance of any new Maximum Throughput Rate. If the level or tier of HSD Service to which I subscribe has a specified limit on the amount of bytes that I can use in a given billing cycle, I also agree that TWC may use technical means, including but not limited to suspending or reducing the speed of my HSD Service, to ensure compliance with these limits, and that TWC or ISP may move me to a higher tier of HSD Service (which may result in higher monthly charges) or impose other charges and fees if my use exceeds these limits.

(iii) I agree that TWC may use Network Management Tools as it determines appropriate and/or that it may use technical means, including but not limited to suspending or reducing the Throughput Rate of my HSD Service, to ensure compliance with its Terms of Use and to ensure that its service operates efficiently. I further agree that TWC and ISP have the right to monitor my bandwidth usage patterns to facilitate the provision of the HSD Service and to ensure my compliance with the Terms of Use and to efficiently manage their networks and their provision of services. TWC or ISP may take such steps as each may determine appropriate in the event my usage of the HSD Service does not comply with the Terms of Use.  I acknowledge that HSD Service does not include other services managed by TWC and delivered over TWC’s shared infrastructure, including Video Service and Digital Phone Service.

 

Fortunately, it's legally and technically impossible for Time Warner to implement their metered bandwidth anytime soon. However, expect metered bandwidth in about a year from now.

OA: http://stopthecap.com/2009/05/28/theyre-back-time-warner-cable-adds-cap-n-tier-language-to-subscriber-agreements/

Howard's explanation of how he and Billie ended up settling in Batavia reminded me of the first time I moved away for a job and came back for a visit.

I was living on the Main Line near Philadelphia.  The daily commute was by train, then a corporate sponsored shuttle to the office.  The office was located in a huge complex  constructed on farmland serviced by a two lane county road.  If you are familiar with the area, King of Prussia Mall was about 3 miles from my home, but it took almost 1/2 hour to get to it because of the traffic.  

Coming home, my first instinct was to run down Main St. and wave to the buildings that were left,  "Hello Building and Loan", seemed to ring in my head.  I learned, that day, that Batavia was my Bedford Falls.   I hope that Howard and Billie eventually will feel the same way.

You seem to look past the problems facing the city; you look past the mall; you look past the ever growing commercial district west of the city (that makes entering the city look like entering any other city in the country).  What you seem to focus on are the tree lined streets; the cozy little restaurants; and the friendly people.  Coming home gives one a warm feeling.  I hope that never changes.

There is much good to say about our area.  Yes, it has problems, but the naysayers never seem to see the positive.  Without the positive there is no hope of improvement.  The saying, "if you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem" is so true.  If you see something that needs to be fixed, talk about it but offer a suggestion or two on how it can be made better. 

The City of Batavia and the county of Genesee offer so much.  Marketing our area to attract businesses seems to fall short of the mark.  Hopefully, this is turning around.  I for one would applaud the effort.

Here's how I found Batavia:

My first week on the job with my previous employer was September 2006. I was living in a hotel in Fairport. Billie was in Bakersfield getting our household ready for packing and shipping 3,000 miles north east. As a Californian, I grew roses. One of my biggest worries when we decided to move to the Rochester area was whether I could grow roses in a much colder climate.

Somehow, I found out about a master gardener event and plant sale at the Cornell Extension in Batavia. I had no idea, really, how far Batavia was from Fairport, but I thought I would drive out so I could talk with a few gardeners in the region, and maybe find a rosarian or two.

I faithfully followed the GPS-provided route down the Thruway onto Oak Street and left onto Main.

As soon as I hit downtown, I was charmed by the city. It would be hard to explain why.  I'd lived most of my life in metropolitian areas, but was always most attracted to their smaller communities.  I once published a weekly newspaper in San Diego's Ocean Beach, and loved the small town vibe of those few dozen city blocks.  I like towns with a sense of place

To me, Batavia seemed like a town with a real community behind it. Batavia wasn't overrun by chains (I didn't make it out to the Veteran's Memorial Drive that day). There were plenty of small businesses downtown and the old buildings, especially the churches and Masonic Temple, told me there was some history to Batavia.

Of course, I didn't know all about the Mall (to the degree I noticed it, I remember thinking, 'that's unfortunate'), I hadn't read Bill Kauffman's Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette, I didn't know about the Holland Land Office, or John Gardner, or the Muckdogs or Mancuso's business incubator. I just liked the town.

I headed back to Fairport after my visit at the extension -- where I learned it would be a bit more work to grow roses in WNY, though not impossible -- but I didn't forget Batavia.

On the long drive back, I thought, too bad it's so far from our office. I would like to live there.

When we started discussions at my company about 18 months later about incubating an online-only community news site, the first place that came to mind was Batavia.  It was about the right size of town, had a strong local business base and was close enough that I could be directly involved in the Web site.

So, I put the plan together and got approval to launch The Batavian.

The more time I spent here, the more I learned about the community, the more I got to know people, the more I wanted to live here.

I kept trying to think through scenarios where my job could evolve into something that would allow me to live in Batavia and run The Batavian full time, but none of the options seemed particularly realistic.

Then, one day, in late February, quite unexpectedly, it all fell in my lap.  The Batavian was mine, if I wanted it. Billie and I talked it over, and we decided to take the leap.

So, here we are. We have our furniture and our clothes as well as our dog and three cats in a small townhouse on Maple Street.

It's a quite morning. We can hear the birds and quiet ruffle of the wind through the trees. And Billie and I are both struck by what we can't hear: the persistent hum of freeway traffic. It's been at least 20 years since either of us lived out of ear shot of a major highway.

We think we will like it here.

At about 9;25 pm the power went out on the southside.A woman on kibbie said a tree downed a power line and it will be awhile before it comes back on.Ours was out and came back on.

A womanfrom HUD,Pathstone inspected our apatment on may 15th 09.

The woman was walking around our apartment, looking for problems.She was counting bedrooms.She asked where is the third bedroom.When she finally found the bedroom/hallway.She said thats the third bedroom?I said that's exactly what i said when i was looking at it.But we were nearly homeless so i took it.She said its messy there are too many boxes, and the door is blocked.I said"If it will make you happy i will clean it up.(.All my pictures from my childrens whole lives are in there.And empty bandage boxes from the last year.If she'd bothered to look in the hallway/bedroom she'd have seen a matress).Immediately after that she goes to our bathroom.She says we put a hole in the door.She writes it down.I said no that hole was in there when we moved in!!I took pictures then.She the HUD /pathstone apartment inspector started asking me how much we pay.Why was she asking that?She asked how much do you pay?I told her 2/3 of the money is taken from my boys social services money without my consent.It's a new law.She said youd be surprised how many people don't know how much they pay(.I had gone to a HUD/Pathstone meeting on april 28th.They ask and you must prove your finances.)The Inspector said she will look and if she doesn't see anything about a hole in the door we put it there.I called and spoke to her.She said its not written down and yes you did put a hole in the door.I was very angry.I told her we fixed this place up.When we moved in the garage was full of junk.It took 2 giant dumpsters to get it out.My boys and i cleaned up this property!!There were wires hanging out of the kitchen outlet.The basement was full of junk.She said ok if you don't like it file for a hearing with her boss.(We did that last year and were made to pay extra money for the 3rd bedroom when we were kicked out at 119 state st illegally).We were denied appeal.HUD rented our old apartment.I lost my whole security there.Why? because they said we ruined the kitchen floor.Because the refigerator leaked.I'd be willing to bet that HUD and the city plumbing inspector overlooked what we were threwn out for last year.I will ask again at the city.Hud said o its too bad they never inspected it after we moved.It was better than before we moved in 119 state).Do i see a pattern here?I think so.May 21st 09.We get our letter from HUD Pathstone.It says they raised the amount the landlord gets by 30$ 880$They raised the amount we pay by 100$a month.We are on rent control housing supposedly.We live on 10,500 a year.That is a lot to us.

So i called HUD Pathstone again.I asked why are we being charged so much more.She said it's because we don't use the (alleged) third bedroom.It is a hallway.I said yes we do.The boys argue over who wants to sleep in the cell.I said i want a hearing.She said call Buffalo and gives me the number.The same number that i called last year and they don't care at all.I won't call it again.HUD Pathstone is to reinspect the apartment.Why didn't they wait until then?O i am really upset.This will affect my boys.I also asked her about the holes in the doors.She said o we're not saying you did it.Do ya think our land?lord will charge us for it when we get threwn out again with a little help form HUD?I do.Why should we pay for holes we did not make?

I called my land/lord.He the owner of 4 highlnd pk and 63 other properties says we are good tenants.He will work with us.He knows we cleaned up his property.We were not paid for it.He said he was on the phone all day with people complaining about HUD Pathstone problems and he's tired of it.

See if you complain to HUD Pathstone about problems you are risking being expelled from your residence.Like i was last year.There are laws to protect tenants.Like you can withhold rent until things are fixed.But if you are on HUD and withhold rent.They say you will be shut off HUD.Because you can not withhold rent under New York Landlord tenant laws.Real Property laws.There are laws that say HUD Pathstone land/lords can charge more too.
 

So in my opinion people on HUD ? Pathstone are being denied their rights.They are it is true.And where does all that money go to?(It's not going to the properties).HUD ? Pathstone they do not protect the tenants.They protect the landlords.People have to fear them.They can destroy your life in a heartbeat.And make it so you can not afford to buy your children ,clothes or eat.Me i will fight with every ounce of my being for our rights.And i will risk it all.I can not go through this every year!!Mabe if more people did what i am going to do it would be fixed.Because our HUD systym is broken.So if someone sees this write to HUD in washington.Not buffalo.Write senators and congressman.Write OBAMA.Tell them without fear what is going on here.And most likely across the nation.

HUD / Pathstone is causing me trauma.I have had more than my share of trauma caused by not only them but also the courts in this city.What is our population now?I thought it was 24,000 years ago.And dropping.Mabe this will touch prominent people the wrong way.So mabe i will have to post it somewhere else.But i will.I will copy and paste this till my fingers are raw!! Why don't people in Batave have the same rights as other cities?Guilty till proven innocent.The cost is enormous.But that is whole other story or is it?Prominent people have rights to do anything and it is ok.Liberty and justice for some.

                                                                Daniel Cherry and Boys

Press Release from Rosemary Christian, who is running for the County Legislature in the 7th District:

I welcome Bob Radley to the race and look forward to the challenge.  I publicly declared my candidacy  back in April because I believe that its long  past time to bring more balance to the county legislature and because I can  be a force for greater oversight and increased transparency.  I've already  been fund raising and getting out to listen to the voters and have been in  full campaign mode for awhile, so its good to finally know who my challenger  is.  The voters in the 7th District can expect a vigorous race and I look  forward to seeing many of you as I walk through the district in the coming  months.

I believe that its time to elect a legislator who's first concern is to  serve the interests of the District voters.  And I believe that all the  voters know I'm someone who's always ready to speak up for them and stand by  them.

Rosemary Christian

Kerry Hoffman, age 27, of Bergen, the former band director of Oakfield-Alabama High School has been arrested and charged with sexual abuse in the third degree.

Hoffman is accused of abusing a female student.

Besides the five misdemeanor counts of sexual abuse, Hoffman is charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of official misconduct.

WBTA's Dan Fischer spoke with Oakfield-Alabama Superintendent Christopher Todd, who said Hoffman voluntarily resigned when the allegations surfaced in March. Todd said parents in the district were immediately notified of the allegations.  School officials became involved when information came forward that raised concerns about Hoffman's conduct with the student.

Juvenile Officer J.K. Dehm of the Sheriff's Office said in a release, "During a period from February 2009 to March 2009 Kerry Hoffman acted in a manner likely to be harmful to a child less than seventeen years old."

Hoffman was arraigned in the Town of Oakfield by Justice Graham and released under supervision.

Robert Radley, an engineer who previously served on the Batavia School Board, will be the GOP candidate for District 6 7 of the County Legislature, according to WBTA.

The county Republicans have yet to select a candidate for District 7, Radley will be a candidate for the seat now held by John Hodgins, who is retiring at the end of his current term.

Also getting GOP backing are incumbents Don Read for County Clerk and Lawrence Friedman for District Attorney.

Of 105 Genesee County GOP committee members, 78 attended the endorsement meeting last night.
 

As a former hog and crop farmer and Genesee County Farm Bureau President and a current member of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, I work very hard to ensure that our farms, agriculturalists and rural quality of life are protected.  Newly introduced legislation, Assembly Bill 1867, seriously threatens our farmers and farm workers and I would like to take a moment to share with the public the provisions of this bill.

I have already received many letters, calls and e-mails from residents of the 139th Assembly District expressing their opposition to this bill, which is known as the Farmworkers Omnibus Labor Standards Bill.  While this legislation attempts to establish benefits and bargaining rights for farm workers, the bill threatens the very existence of farm workers by imposing expensive labor mandates which will force more farms, many of which are struggling in this tough economy, to go out of business.

To explicitly outline our concerns with this legislation the entire Assembly Agriculture Committee and I drafted, signed and sent a letter to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.  Paramount among our concerns is the fact that for the last 30 years, both state and federal laws have been strengthened to protect farmworkers from injustices and unfair treatment, with most farms undergoing a review or inspection on an annual basis.  Any problems that occur on farms are quickly caught by the authorities, making this new legislation redundant and an unnecessary expense to place on farmers and our agricultural community as a whole.

I urge all members of the public to write Speaker Silver as well as the legislation's sponsor, Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan to express your concerns with this measure.  You can write to Speaker Silver at LOB 932, Albany, NY 12248 or e-mail him at speaker@assembly.state.ny.us; or contact Assemblywoman Nolan at LOB 836, Albany, NY 12248 or e-mail her nolanc@assembly.state.ny.us to express your opposition to this bill.

Always popular, always good: Alex's Place and Larry's Steakhouse.

We have one gift certificate for each fine restaurant worth $50 each, on sale for HALF OFF -- that's $25 each. (plus a $1 PayPal service fee)

Alex's Place, of course, is a legendary restaurant in these parts. It's on Park Road, just down the street from Batavia Downs. The ribs are famous and of course Alex's always gets high marks for its seafood.

Larry's is on Main Street, right downtown, and with the patio now open, you can relax with a beer or cocktail in the sunshine before enjoying one of the best steaks around.

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 before 5:00 p.m. (today or tomorrow) 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.

Larry's Steakhouse

SOLD

Alex's Place

SOLD

Paul G. Grazioplene, 43, of Batavia, faces charges of a felony DWI, resisting arrest and leaving the scene of a property damage accident following an alleged incident on Cedar Street about 9:25 last night. Grazioplene allegedly stuck a vehicle on Cedar and then drove off. A resident followed his car and notified police. Grazioplene was apparently still in his vehicle parked outside of his home when he was found by police. Grazioplene allegedly refused to take a breath test. He reportedly has a prior DWI arrest within the past 10 years. He was jailed without bail.

Jill L. Briska, 20, of Batavia faces a DWI charge following a minor traffic accident this morning about 1 at 100 W. Main St. Briska was issued an appearance ticket and released.

Some 40 companies in Genesee County that receive Empire Zone tax breaks seem to be doing what the program intends -- create jobs -- according to a press release from Empire State Development.

But many others across New York are not, so today authorities notified about 1,600 companies that they are likely to be decertified.

No Genesee County companies made the "bad" list. Three companies are apparently being asked to supply more information.

For more on the new site law and the letters, check this Democrat and Chronicle story.

Here's the list of Genesee County companies who were notified they will retain certification:

Paramount Computing Associates, LLC
Altamar New York, Inc.
Tompkins Trust Company
Precon Thermoforming, LLC
PCore Electric Company, Inc.
Pioneer Credit Recovery, Inc.
Delagrange Properties
Vantage Equipment, LLC
Lapp Insulators, LLC
LeRoy Plastics, Inc.
Fontrick Door, Inc.
K2 Plastics, Inc.
C.H. Wright Distributing Corp.
Wright Associates, L.P.
Summit Lubricants, Inc.
Liberty Pumps, Inc.
Icon Design, LLC
Automotive Corp, Inc.
Prime Materials Corp.
Regency Hospitality, Inc.
Chapin International, Inc.
Oxford Hospitality, LLC
ProTech Automation, LLC
United Parcel Service
Tompkins Insurance Agencies, Inc.
Duro-Shed, Inc.
Oxbo International Corp.
Yancey's Fancy, Inc.
Provitello, LLC
Paul Marshall Produce, Inc.
Ad Tech-Graph, Inc.
K-2 Industries, Inc. d/b/a Pavilion Gift Co.
O-AT-KA Milk Products Cooperative, Inc.
Wellsville Carpet Town, Inc.
Brothers International Food Corp.
Allied Building Solutions, LLC
Traco Manufacturing, Inc.
Highway Safety Devices International Corp.
Graham Corp.
Pyramid Prosthetics, Inc.

The following three companies have been asked for more information:

Millwork Solutions, Inc.
Genesee Gateway Development, LLC
Pembroke Park Development, LLC

Here are the three lists for the whole state in PDF format:

• Retention
• Questions
• Possible Decertification

Already in jail on unspecified chargers, Christopher J. Wiegman, 20, of Bergen, was arrested today for allegedly dealing drugs.

Wiegman reportedly sold crack cocaine and prescription pills to under cover agents of the Local Drug Task force in late 2008.

The alleged sale came while agents were investigating the sale of crack cocaine and pills in both the City of Batavia and Bergen.

Wiegman was charged with two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance. He is being held without bail.

Pastor Rod Klinzing of Medina doesn't want anybody making a big deal over his heroics Tuesday when his efforts may have helped saved the lives of two people trapped inside of a car being pushed sideways by a tractor down Main Street.

He's slightly embarrassed that his wife Janice contacted The Batavian Wednesday afternoon, saying, "I am  so terribly proud of my husband who did what seemed right.  And it was right.."  (Because of my travels, I had no time to interview Rod until this evening).

Klinzing was the first to jump on the tractor and try smashing his way through the window.

"We heard a terrible noise with car horns going off and we had no idea what was going on until the tractor drove right in front of us pushing the car along and we could see inside two people still in the car and they were just panic stricken and absolutely helpless," Klinzing said.

(LISTEN: Full audio interview)

The pastor said he then ran up to the to get the attention of the driver, Neil Phelps, saying, "I thought perhaps he just didn't know."

"I came to realize he wasn't responding," Klinzing said. "He wasn't responding to me and he wasn't responding to anybody else who was yelling and screaming."

When he realized that eventually the trapped car would either be turned over or pushed into a stopped car ahead, Klinzing said he had to act. The tractor wasn't moving that fast, so he decided he could jump aboard.

"Pounding on the window didn't seem to do anything," Klinzing said. "The door was secured from the inside and I couldn't open it, and I just tried to get his attention. He looked at me in kind of a very dazed state. No emotion whatsoever and just kept on driving."

That went on for what seemed like a while, Klinzing said, so he decided to try and make eye contact to get the driver's attention.

"He did and that's when I made a motion pointing at the key, 'turn it off, turn it off,'" Klinzing said. "I was pleased that he actually responded to that. My pounding on the window, he didn't respond to at all.  I made that motion. He turned it off. He sat back, and that was basically the end of the story"

Klingzing said another man did jump on the tractor and start pounding on the window, probably Jerry Newell, but Klinzing said he told the man the pounding was ineffective.

"He probably has a pretty sore hand at this point because he smacked it pretty hard," Klinzing said.

Klinzing said at the end two police officers did jump on the vehicle and managed to gain entry from the other side of the tractor cab.

While people worked to extract Gene Laney and his passenger from the car stuck in front of the tractor, Klinzing said he said next to the cab and made sure the driver didn't turn the tractor back on, and then he left the scene.

Batavia Police Chief Randy Baker told WBTA yesterday that the two officers who assisted at the scene were Chris Camp and Matthew Baldwin.

Rep. Chris Lee is increasingly showing himself as a Republican of an independent mind.

While his party and conservative pundits step up partisan bashing of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, even calling her a racist, Lee told WBTA this morning that he supports her nomination.

LISTEN

UPDATE: Lee was in town to talk with local veterans.  Full press release about the visit after the jump.

Lee Brings Together Area Vets for First Meeting of 26th District Veterans Advisory Board
Panel of Veterans and Veteran Family Members Convenes at Batavia VA Medical Center to Discuss Ways to Improve Services, Advance Legislative Initiatives

BATAVIA – Congressman Chris Lee (NY-26) brought together area veterans today at the Batavia VA Medical Center to discuss ways to improve services and advance legislative initiatives to better meet the needs of Western New York veterans and their families.

This was the first meeting of an advisory board comprised of 43 veterans and veteran family members from all seven counties in the 26th congressional district. (The complete list of 26th District Veterans Advisory Board members can be accessed at http://chrislee.house.gov/veterans.)

“I am honored that these distinguished veterans and veteran family members have agreed to volunteer their time to provide first-hand insights on how we can better meet the needs of Western New York’s veterans,” Congressman Lee said. “We have more than 50,000 veterans living here in the 26th district, and I am personally committed to ensuring that each of them – and their families – have access to the services they deserve and the benefits they have earned.”

Thomas Cray, President and CEO of the Veterans Outreach Center, added: “We are grateful to Congressman Lee for holding this meeting with area veterans. It means a great deal to our veterans to have a representative in Congress who is willing to sit down and listen to their concerns. We at the Veterans Outreach Center look forward to working with Congressman Lee to improve the lives of our veterans and their families.”

Congressman Lee has been working to honor and support our nation’s military veterans and their families since taking office:
·         In March, Congressman Lee successfully fought to stop a misguided proposal that would have forced wounded warriors to pay for treatment of service-related injuries. Currently, veterans only have to use private insurance when they receive care from the VA for medical issues that are not related to service injuries. (View related press release.)
·         Congressman Lee has secured passage of legislation (H.R. 1595) naming a Greece post office in honor of Marine Lance Corporal Brian K. Schramm, the first resident of the 26th congressional district to lose his life in Operation Iraqi Freedom. (View related press release.)
·         Congressman Lee is working with a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers to secure an increase in funding for veterans’ mental health care programs. Combat stress has been a growing issue for military leaders and families as fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan has taken its toll on the soldiers, many of whom have been deployed three, four, or even five times. (View related press release.) 
·         Congressman Lee is also a co-sponsor of H.R. 1016, a bipartisan proposal that would ensure timely and predictable budgets for VA health care through an advanced appropriation that provides for funding ahead of time. Uncertain funding levels can force the VA to restrict health care services and place veterans on waiting lists. This initiative has been endorsed by a number of leading veterans service organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the American Legion, and Disabled American Veterans (DAV).  
This is the fourth advisory board Congressman Lee has established since taking office. The 26th District Agriculture Advisory Board met for the first time in February, while the Rochester and Buffalo small business advisory boards convened in late March and mid-April, respectively.

The Batavia Boogie, which has brought skydivers from all over the region to Genesee County Airport for 19 years, is grounded, reports WBTA.

Paul Gath of Frontier Skydivers said his group decided to cancel this years event rather than fight the county over liability concerns.

Last year, a skydiver died when his parachute failed to open.

County Legislator Jay Grasso explains the county's position.

This should stimulate the local economy: Batavia Downs is planning on spending $25 million on upgrades to the harness racing track, reports WBTA.

The five-year plan includes an upscale conference center, new concessions and a hotel.

We went to the sandwash on monday.Jimmy caught a pretty nice fish.Is it a blue gill?