Students with an interest in the outdoors and the environment can win a week at an environmental education camp if they can compose the best essay in an environmental writing contest sponsored by Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

The contest is open to students 12 to 17 years old.

The winner will be able to choose a week at one of four camps run by Department of Environmental Conservation.

Essays must be between 300 and 500 words long and submitted to Hawley's office by May 1.

Download a contest poster here (PDF).

Full press release after the jump.

Press Release:

As part of his ongoing constituent outreach program, Assemblyman Steve
Hawley (R, I, C - Batavia) is holding an essay contest to honor Earth Day
and to promote environmental stewardship.  The winner of the contest will
receive one free week at one of the Department of Environmental Conservation's
Summer Environmental Education Camps.

"As a child, I learned the importance of protecting our environment because
I was fortunate to grow up in Western New York where there are so many
beautiful places to enjoy the outdoors.  To continue that tradition, I am
proud to offer one student a free week at one of our state's fine
environmental education camps, where they can not only learn about
protecting our environment, but can develop a passion for the outdoors,"
said Hawley.

Students between the ages of 12 and 17 are eligible to enter the essay
contest.  Essays should be between 300 and 500 words and explain why the
environment is important to the student.  Last year's winner, Albion High
School student Rebecca Weller, used her essay to describe her passion for
spending time outdoors with her family and her efforts to protect the
environment, such as her innovative t-shirts promoting green living tips,
facts on global warming and Earth Day, in order to ensure the natural
environment is sustained for generations to come.

Assemblyman Hawley encourages educators to include the essay program as part
of their curriculum in order to highlight Earth Day on April 22.  Essays are
due to the Assemblyman's office by May 1, 2009.  The winner may choose from
the following four DEC summer camps:

a.. Camp Colby (near the Village of Saranac Lake in Franklin County)
b.. Camp DeBruce (in the southern Catskills near the Village of Livingston
Manor in Sullivan County)
c.. Camp Rushford (in the Genesee River Valley in Allegany County)
d.. Camp Pack Forest (north of Warrensburg in the southern Adirondacks)

For more information, visit the DEC Web site at www.dec.state.ny.us
(keyword: summer camps), call Assemblyman Hawley's district office at (585)
589-5780, or e-mail him at hawleys@assembly.state.ny.us.

Roland J. Reed, 37, of Batavia, was arrested Thursday for allegedly sending written letters to a person he was ordered not to contact by the Genesee County Family Court. Reed allegedly wrote the letters while in jail on a similar charge. The order was issued in January 2008. Reed is charged with 22 counts of criminal contempt in the second degree. He is being held on $1,500 bail.

Antoinette G. Fears, 18, of Holley, and Emilea G.Waters, 20, of Albion were arrested Thursday for allegedly possessing stolen property from K-Mart, Michael's Crafts and JoAnn Fabrics. The arrests came after the items were found during an investigation of an unrelated larceny dating back to March 5. Both women were charged with three counts of criminal possession of stolen property.

Cheryl J. Weber, 54, of Bergen, has been charged with identity theft, forgery and falsifying business records, all felonies. Weber is accused of using personal information of another person to secure credit cards and store credit over a five-year period. She allegedly forged the other person's signature on credit applications. Assisting in the investigation were the Experian credit reporting fraud/theft department and the Visa/Bank of America fraud department in Arizona. Weber was arraigned and released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Three students living at College Village on Batavia Stafford Townline Road in Batavia have been charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. According to a Sheriff's off ice report, deputies were at the housing complex on an unrelated matter when the investigation led to a dorm room. When security officers knocked on the door, "several subject fled the room by exiting our a rear window."  The three young men are suspected of smoking marijuana in the dorm room.  Charged where Patrick K. Wolff, 18; Anthony C. Timberlake, 20; and, Cody P. Mayer, 18.

Monday, a couple dozen downtown business people gathered at Generation Center on Center Street to discuss ways to improve the business environment downtown.

John Roche, owner of Adam Miller Toys, made an especially impassioned plea for businesses downtown to promote other businesses downtown.

He noted that often times people wind up in Batavia without knowing much about all that downtown has to offer. He talked about when he finds an unfamiliar face in his business, he is sure to tell them about other retailers or places to eat.  He said all of the businesses need to support each other this way.

He noted that a personal recommendation from one business owner about another business carries a lot of weight with customers.

Today, the Daily News, has a story about BID efforts to bring more customers downtown.

It's a fine story, but I wish I had taken notes on John's speech (I was there to be a businessman, not a reporter).  John's impromptu address was full of vigor and community spirit. John isn't mentioned in Joanne Beck's story at all.

As a complete aside, I finally made the Daily News, though quite accidentally, I'm sure and not at all noticeable to anybody but my mother, if she saw the picture, but I'm sitting in front of Don Burkel in this photo.

Genesee County's state senator Mike Ranzenhofer has put his name on a bill aimed at asking New York voters whether the state should be divided into two states.

Capitol Confidential has a few snarky comments about the bill as well as the full text.

I have a call into Ranzenhofer's office seeking comment.

Old Barn and Tractor on North Road, LeRoy: Driving down North Road in LeRoy today, I came across this old barn and broken down tractor.

Dan Fischer at WBTA is working on these and other stories this morning:

• The Genesee County legislature sold some health department services to a Rochester company for $1.4 million. Six nurses will lose their jobs and another will retire.
• More than $800,000 in Federal stimulus package money will be spent on repaving Batavia-Stafford Townline Road and R. Stephen Hawley Drive. County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens told WBTA why these roads were selected.

Tune in to WBTA 1490-AM for news updates throughout the morning.

Joy J. Bartel, 23, of Corfu, was arrested Tuesday for alleged shoplifting. She is accused of stealing $74.80 in items from K-mart. She is charged with petty larceny.

The Batavia Daily News got a little attention from the April edition of Reader's Digest, but maybe not in the way editors might appreciate.

In a feature called "Hold the Presses!" the Digest lists five headlines, with one of them being from the satirical publication The Onion.

Among such gems as "Smokers asked to keep butts off beach" and "Volunteers needed to hep abuse victims" is the Daily's surely unintended contribution: "Orleans seeks tenants for new jail."

(This item brought to The Batavian by an alert reader.)

Wooden cargo pallets were stolen Tuesday from the rear of Country Max garden and pet supply store on Main Street in Batavia.

And it's not the first time, either. But this time the folks at Country Max say they caught the pilferers on film.

“We think we know who it is,” said the store worker. “Now we're waiting to catch them if they try it again.”

The pallets pile up as retail shipments are off loaded. They come free with the merchandise, but they're still the retailer's property and not up for grabs.

Unlike previous stockpiles, the one stolen this week was to be sold. In this economy, every little bit of legal tender helps.

Cattle thieves were strung up by their necks once upon a time.

“Yes, they were,” Sarah Noble-Moag acknowledged softly with a smile.

Nowadays the law investigates the matter and hopefully justice is found, maybe even the livestock.

That's the hope of Noble-Moag and others at Noblehurst Farms, Inc., after thieves made off with three female Holstein calves, valued at about $500 each. Because they will become profitable milk cows, they are more valuable than bull calves.

Their pens along York Road in the Town of Pavilion were found empty mid-morning Monday. Genesee County Sheriff Deputy J.L. Baiocco is investigating the larceny.

“They'll be looking at the livestock market (auction), the one outside Pavilion toward Pearl Creek,” Noble-Moag said. “(The calves) are tagged in their ears, and the tags would probably be removed (by the thieves), but you'd still be able to tell they'd been tagged.”

Noblehurst Farms, whose corporate headquarters is in Linwood, also had several calves stolen three years ago. Genesee County sheriffs solved that case, Noble-Moag said.

The black and white female calves taken this week were among 615 cows at the farm. The calves raised to be milk cows are initially kept in individual pens to prevent the spread of disease. Once their immune systems are strong, they are put into small groups until they are two years old and ready for milking.

The individual pens are about the size of a large dog house and the calves are about the size of a large dog, 100 pounds. The calves are collared to a lead that hooks on top of the structure. The pens are only a few feet from the roadway.

What about security?

“We have a light out there at night,” Noble-Moag said.

PHOTO: Used for file photo purposes. It is not a photo of one of the stolen calves. Copyright Ian Hayhurst.

Rep Chris Lee says he wants to help small businesses. His latest effort, announced in a press release today, is a tax break for start-up costs.  He co-sponsored the legislation with a Democratic congressman from Maryland.

Apparently, a small business can currently only write up $5,000 of its start up costs for tax purposes. Lee's proposal would bump the limit to $20,000.

That sounds good as far as it goes, but at a time when credit is tight for small business start-ups, is it really going to provide the needed stimulus for entrepreneurs? Just asking.

Click on "read more" to view the full press release.

Press Release:

H.R. 1552 endorsed by nation’s leading small business association: “Congressman Lee’s plan to jumpstart the small business sector of our economy is the right approach to getting our economy back on track.”

WASHINGTON – Congressmen Chris Lee (R-NY) and Frank Kratovil (D-MD) held a joint press conference call today to discuss bipartisan legislation they have introduced that would boost small business start-ups by expanding a critical tax incentive. This is one of two bipartisan initiatives Congressman Lee has proposed this month to jumpstart job creation and aid Western New York’s economic recovery.

Congressman Kratovil added: “The men and women who own and operate small businesses are the driving force behind job creation; employing half the nation’s private work force.  These entrepreneurs need encouragement and motivation to create jobs and spur innovation in these challenging times; giving them a start-up expense tax break will do exactly that. “

H.R. 1552 has been endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business association representing small and independent businesses.

Mike Elmendorf, state director of NFIB/New York, said in a statement, “Congressman Lee’s plan to jumpstart the small business sector of our economy is the right approach to getting our economy back on track.  His proposal to quadruple the start-up deduction will give thousands of small businesses the incentive they need to invest in growing their business and creating jobs.”

Last week, Congressman Lee joined with Congressman John Boccieri (D-OH) to introduce bipartisan legislation (H.R. 1545) to make the research and development (R&D) tax credit permanent. Unlike other proposals to make the R&D tax credit permanent, H.R. 1545 would also offer a bonus tax credit to companies who manufacture most of their products in the United States.


 

Blogger Stephan Lewandowski tells of his recent visit to Elba and Batavia, with the requisite visit to the Pok-A-Dot and search for a bookstore that sells Gardner and Kauffman.

On my way north on 63 near downtown I see the Pok-A-Dot is open for lunch business. The Pok-A-Dot is a 40s lunch counter, a tent of a building erected for temporary shelter but surviving into a new century. It must be nice in the summer because you can order your food, then sit under shelter off to the side of traffic to eat it up. In the winter, it seems to be made mostly of glass, and everybody crouches over the heat sources at the stove top, grill, and deep fryer. Almost all the patrons are men, and most have their coats and hats still on. All the cooks and servers are women.

In the Pok-A-Dot, there are six or eight tables and a counter seating twelve or fifteen that bends around the grill. I sit at the counter, nearer the heat. The waitress never offers me a menu. She just comes up and says, “What will you have?”

A brush fire was reported in Elba at 4819 Hundredmark Road at about 10:30 this morning.

While the fire is near a structure, the structure does not appear threatened at this time.

This morning's Buffalo News story contains an exceptionally scary phrase:

Gov. David A. Paterson on Tuesday to threaten ... the prospect of billions of dollars in tax hikes on residents to help balance the moribund budget.

Paterson is also planning to cut more than 8,000 jobs from the 141,000 in the executive branch.

So is New York going to test just how high taxes can go before it completely kills the economy?

Funeral services for Claire Dominque Gsell, the daught of Jay Gsell, county manager, and his wife, Ann Marie will be Friday, WBTA reports this morning.

Claire Gsell, 27, passed away sometime over the weekend.

Visitation will be at Turner Funeral Homes from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 403 E. Main St., Batavia.  A Mass will follow at Noon at Ressurection Parish, St. Mary's Church, 18 Ellicott St.

The Genesee County Sheriff's Office is investigating the theft of three Holstein calves from the Noble-Hurst Farm in Pavilion, according to a statement issued this morning. The theft occurred between 8 a.m. Sunday morning and 9 p.m. Monday night. The investigation is being led by Deputy J.L. Baiocco.

Randall W. McKeown, 46, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt in the first degree and harassment in the second degree. McKeown allegedly sent repeated text messages to a person he was ordered by the court not to contact. He is being held without bail.

Joshua Gebhard, 21, of Churchville, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Gebhard was found to allegedly possess the marijuana after Sheriff's deputies responded to a loud noise complaint in Stafford.

Michael Smoke, 20, of Basom, is alleged to have had inappropriate contact with a 12-year-old child in Alabama. Basom is charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child under 17-years-old.

Joseph C. Hufford, 42, of Middleport, was arrested in Byron Monday for alleged DWI. Hufford was allegedly involved in a single-car accident. Upon investigation, Sheriff's deputies concluded he appeared to be operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He was charged with DWI and driving with a BAT of .08 or more. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley issued the following statement today on the lack of cooperation and transparency in New York's budget process:

Last week, we started the annual Assembly Minority “Budget Countdown Clock” and, one week later, I remain discouraged that despite a lot of talk about inclusion and bipartisanship, this year’s budget negotiations have continued to resort to three New York City men in a room – from Harlem, Manhattan and Queens – and worse.  In the past, the only opportunity to publicly vet the budget was during Joint Budget Conference Committees; yet, with one week remaining until this year’s budget deadline, they have not even been announced.

Without this opportunity to discuss the budget in a fair and open manner, the people of New York are left in the dark.  For all those individuals and groups that have made the trek to Albany, who have taken the time to write a letter or e-mail, or who have called expressing their concerns, this is a slap in the face to them and to our democratic process.

My door is always open.  As a public servant, I do not believe in working behind closed doors.  I have had the pleasure to meet with many groups, not only from Western New York, but from across the entire state and to hear their concerns regarding this proposed budget and the closed-door process.  I can tell you that people are upset, from Long Island to Buffalo.  This is not the type of change they hoped for.

I believe very strongly that positive change can happen by taking that first step and while I encourage the legislative leaders to take that step into the daylight, I will also continue to serve the people of New York State with openness, transparency and accessibility.  I will continue to do everything within my power to make sure your voices are heard in the State Capitol during this budget’s final negotiations and throughout this legislative session.