From the Daily News (Monday):

• Today's paper is predictably dominated by coverage of Saturday's Ramble Music & Arts Fest — as it should be: the festival saw a great turnout of both musicians and concertgoers. Fine coverage, but be sure to check out, as well, The Batavian's photos and video from the event, posted today.
• Monsignore Leo McCarthy spoke to parishioners at Resurrection Parish in Batavia for the last time Sunday. McCarthy will "assume new duties at Blessed Sacrament parish in Tonawanda," following his 12 years in Batavia.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

It has been more than a few days since I've had the privilege and opportunity to get online and share the news and happenings here in Batavia with you folks. That's in part due to the holiday of the Fourth, which I spent with family, grilling dogs, tossing a frisbee and being as American as I could be — not always easy for a self-professed francophile.

My absence from this virtual space is also in part due to all the time I spent enjoying myself at Batavia's summer festivals this past weekend. Quite simply, I was having too much fun behind the camera and out of doors to get inside to my office to tend to the behind-the-scenes work. But the fruits of those labors will now pay off. So be sure to check back with the site throughout the day. We'll have a couple videos going up about the Ramble Music and Arts Fest and the Batavia Boogie skydiving festival.

For now, here are some highlights of Saturday's action courtesy of the lens of Sonia Mineo who was kind enough to snap some still shots of the weekend festivities while I busied myself behind the video camera.

Sometimes, all you need is a zoom lens to get up into the clouds. That was all it took for Sonia to snap this shot of a parachutist coming in for a landing at the Genesee County Airport Saturday afternoon. It almost looks as if he's sitting on a cloud, just hanging out up there.

It was quite a sight to behold, as the planes full of 20 or so skydivers soared up through the clouds, higher and higher until the fuselage seemed no bigger than my pinky nail. You couldn't see any of the divers for a minute or so, not with the naked eye.

Then, all of the sudden, you saw them — a dozen or more colored blips in the azure of the sky.

Some of them pulled fancy moves on their way down, spinning or spiralling with their chutes. Most, when they landed, came down with a trot onto their bums or on their sides or into a quick tumble through the grasses. A few of them, however, came down walking, almost nonchalantly, as if there were no difference between pedalling through the air and stepping on the ground, so graceful and fluid were they.

While it was hard to ignore the tragic start of the Boogie on Thursday, when Brighton native Joseph Schickler fell to his death when his parachute failed to deploy, most of the divers continued to take to the air. We even overheard a few say that that was what Schickler, who was known for his sense of humor and good cheer, would have wanted.

Chalk art was a big hit at the Ramble Saturday. Artists young and old — including mural artist Vinny DelPlato — filled up more than half of School Street with their multicolor scribblings.

But as you might have expected, the music was of course the main draw. At a few times during the day, Saturday, it was a pretty tight squeeze in Jackson Square.

Be sure to visit the site later this afternoon for video coverage of both events.

• Timothy E. Talmon, 48, of Darien Center, was charged with driving while intoxicated following a traffic stop on Route 77 in Corfu Wednesday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said.
• George Lee Williams, 28, was charged with failure to register as a sex offender, a class-D felony, sheriff's deputies said. Williams, who is listed as a transient with no known home address, was picked up by deputies Wednesday on Upton Road following reports that Williams had been trespassing. He was also charged with second-degree criminal trespass and false personation. Williams was sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.
• Alfred C. Gray, 22, of Batavia, was charged with a felony count of first-degree criminal contempt, second-degree unlawful imprisonment and two counts second-degree harassment following reports that he was in an alleged physical confrontation Thursday with a female acquaintance who had an order of protection, city police said.
• Eighteen-year-old Brittany Y. Myers, of Rochester, was charged with a felony count of second-degree assault Thursday, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. An investigation into an incident on June 15 led to deputies to suspect that Myers struck another female in the head with a glass liquor bottle during a fight at a party in Alexander that night. The victim had to be taken to the hospital where she received "numerous" stitches.
• Mitchell K. Milroy, 22, of Pavilion, was charged with a felony count of first-degree attempted sexual abuse Thursday, sheriff's deputies said. Milroy was accused of allegedly attempting to touch a female while she was sleeping.
• Charles E. Dodson Jr., 53, of Byron, was charged with driving while intoxicated in addition to a felony count of first-degree aggravated unlicensed operator Friday, city police said. Dodson Jr. had previously had his license suspended due to a DWI conviction.
• Rebecca J. Sando, 43, of Byron, was charged with a felony count of second-degree identity theft Friday, sheriff's deputies said. Sando was accused of using her sister-in-law's bank card in April to make online purchases that exceeded $550.
• Twenty-five-year-old Renee K. Wapniewski, of 17 Pringle Ave., Batavia, was charged with second-degree criminal contempt Friday, city police said. Wapniewski had allegedly violted a stay away order of protection.
• Twelve youths were found at the Kelsey Road Pits early Sunday morning and charged with possession of alcohol with intent to consume, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Deputies responded to the scene of the "underage drinking party" following reports that a 15-year-old boy had fell into the fire burning his hands.
• Michelle F. Wimble, 26, of Corfu, was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs and endangering the welfare of a child Sunday following a traffic stop on Route 5 in Batavia, sheriff's deputies said. A motorist told deputies that Wimble was driving erratically with her three-year-old child in the vehicle.
• Timothy J. Slotta, 31, of South Carolina, was charged with driving while intoxicated in addition to a felony county of first-degree aggravated unlicensed operator early Sunday morning following a traffic stop in the village of Corfu, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Deputies found that Slotta had three other suspensions on his state driving privileges, one of which pertained to an alcohol-related charge. Slotta was sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $15,000 bail.

Note: All of rhe above arrests were reported in published releases from the departments.

According to our tracking, the following 10 posts received the most page views on The Batavian in June.

1. Lewiston Road fire claims life of 17-year-old Erik Mooney, by Howard Owens
2. D&C story makes it sound like Legislature is Do-Nothingers when it comes to property tax relief, by Howard Owens
3. On the Agenda (City Council): Moving youth football, by Philip Anselmo
4. Rainbows, by Daniel Cherry
5. Powers camp critical of Jack Davis in release of Energy Policy, by Philip Anselmo
6. Batavia food company enters into partnership with Disney, by Howard Owens
7. City Council: Overdrive, by Philip Anselmo
8. Police Chief by the end of the week?, by Philip Anselmo
9. Batavia to Florida, by Joseph Deni
10. Video: World War II Veteran Louis O'Geen, by Philip Anselmo

Nice little tidbit buried at the bottom of the Buffalo News story on Jeff Weaver signing with the Bisons.

The Muckdog's game drew a record crowd: 3,021.

We were there handing out water bottle kozies -- we gave out 1,000 of them prior to the game. They were a big hit with people who arrived before we did coming from the stands to ask for their own once they saw they were available.

We also handed out about 750 at the Ramble yesterday. Again, big hit.

It was fun to meet so many people who already visit The Batavian regularly, and we made several new friends, I think.

But back to the Muckdogs, please be sure to check out Eric Manning's post on the Muckdog's hot prospects. I stumbled about Eric's blog Future Redbirds the other day and asked if he would be willing to fill us in on who the top players are on the Muckdogs.  If you're a St. Louis Cardinals fan (and there seemed to be several of them at the game on Friday), Future Redbirds seems like a must-read web site.

And while we're talking about Muckdogs coverage, the Muckdog's intern Molly Radzinski, a broadcasting major from Albion, has been doing a great job of providing us game recaps. Here's one.

I couldn't stay for the whole game Friday because I promised my wife I wouldn't be gone long, but I need to get back to Dwyer Stadium soon -- it's a great ballpark. There isn't a bad seat in the house, near as I can tell, and the fans are really into the game.

I need to go to a game soon, and so should you.

So you're going to a Muckdogs game, but you're just not sure who you should be paying attention to. I am the main writer and founder of the blog FutureRedbirds.com, and as someone who tracks the farm system very closely but doesn't have the privilege of being in driving distance to Dwyer Stadium, here are the players I'd be watching keenly at each game if I were you:

Hitters

(Photo: Mark6Mauno)

Shane Peterson, OF---Shane Peterson was drafted this year in the 2nd round out of perennial powerhouse Long Beach State University, a team that featured 8 players drafted in the first seven rounds, and has recently helped produce rising hitting stars Troy Tulowitzki and Evan Longoria. Peterson was the first of the many Dirtbag players selected on draft day. The sweet-swinging lefty played first base and pitched in college, and has the speed and arm to hold down a corner outfield spot. Peterson was among the leaders in the Big West Conference in batting average (.390) slugging percentage (.582) and he led the conference in on-base percentage (.506). Being a rather statistically-inclined club as the Cardinals are, they jumped on him on draft day. Not everyone in scouting circles are sold on his hitting ability in spite of his tremendous college stats, as Peterson has an unorthodox hitting approach; he holds his bat up by his ear and uses a two-step swing. He does however generate excellent bat speed and has a high finish, allowing him add loft to the ball. Whatever he is doing is working so far in his first taste of pro ball, as Peterson is currently batting .379, the second highest average in the New York Penn League.

Jon Edwards, OF---Edwards fell to the 14th round of the 2006 draft in part because he was ineligible for the first half of his senior season in high school. The Cardinals went well over slot to sign him, giving him a bonus of $100K. He is a serious physical specimen, standing at 6-5 and 230 lbs. He has as much raw power as any Cardinal hitter in the system, but as with most high school players, he came to the club quite raw and is still a work in progress. In his first minor league season he hit .266/.360/.461 (AVG/OBP/SLG) for rookie league Johnson City and was ranked a Top 10 Appalachian League prospect by Baseball America. He returned to the Appy League in his 2nd pro season, but had trouble making contact, batting only .245. He still showed the ability to take a walk and hit for power, and was moved up to Batavia at the end of the 2007 season. In his short time at Batavia, Edwards went 13-for-33 with 5 extra base hits. That hot streak has carried over so far this season; he's sixth in the NY Penn League batting race (.358) and is leading the league in slugging percentage by a wide margin, with a whopping .736. Edwards profiles as a "Three True Outcomes" hitter; the Three True Outcomes being a homer, walk or a strikeout, a la Adam Dunn. He has a long swing but generates lots of power, but has good pitch recognition for a 20 year old hitter. He has a strong arm in right field, but has below average range.

Other names to know, hitters to watch

3B Jermaine Curtis was the club's 5th round pick in 2008 out of the University of California. He is known for having a fine glove and a keen batting eye, and his 42 walks were the most drawn by any Bruin since Troy Glaus drew 57 in 1997...1B Xavier Scruggs was an uncertain sign as a junior and therefore fell to the 19th round this past June, but was ranked the 197th best draft prospect by Baseball America. For UNLV he hit for the Mountain West Conference triple crown. He’s strong and quick to the ball, and has sound plate discipline, but has struggled mightily thus far...19 year old catcher Luis De La Cruz was ranked the clubs' 30th best prospect by BA headed into the 2008 season, particularly for his all around defensive skills behind the plate. He struggled for the low A River Bandits and was demoted to Batavia...CF Frederick Parejo was signed out of Venezuela as a 16 year old free agent two years ago and is developing fairly rapidly. He was the talk of Extended Spring Training amongst the Cardinal coaches and scouts, and was rewarded with an aggressive promotion. He's considered a pure center fielder.

Pitchers

(Image: sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

RHP Lance Lynn---Lynn was the Cardinals supplemental round pick this past year out of Ole Miss. The Indiana native was originally drafted by the Mariners in the 6th round of the 2005 draft but opted to go to school. That decision paid off handsomely. For the Rebels this past season he posted a 4.52 ERA with 110 strikeouts to 30 walks over 89.2 innings. He has a potential for two plus pitches-a fastball at 92-93 and a sharp curve, and profiles as a middle of the rotation innings eater. He has terrific mechanics and also throws a slider and a change-up, although both are inconsistent offerings at this point. Lefties had no troubles hitting Lynn in the SEC last year, so he'll need to work on getting more consistent with the change.

RHP Scott Gorgen---His twin brother Matt is currently Muckdog rival Hudson Valley's closer and pitched for the U of Cal.; Matt was taken in the 4th round this past June out of UC Irvine, and was the higher regarded of the two. For the Anteaters this past spring, Gorgen was 12-3 with a 2.26 ERA and had 123 strikeouts to 40 walks in 115.2 innings. His fastball is in the 87-90 MPH range, and tops out at 92. His change-up is his bread and butter and he'll throw it often and in any count. It's a "plus-plus" pitch and was considered to be one of the best change-ups in this past draft, if not the best. Gorgen can locate the pitch wherever he wishes and it has late tumbling action, much like a split-finger fastball. The main knock on Gorgen is he's short and stocky at 5-10, 190, and he doesn't have much of a breaking ball.

RHP and Closer Adam Reifer---Reifer was drafted in 2007 in the 11th round out of UC Riverside. He was considered a top two round talent but fell due to injury concerns surrounding his pitching elbow and shoulder. He had a bone spur removed in his elbow and shoulder tendinitis, and the Cardinals have been very cautious with him. Before the injury Reifer was throwing 91-94 with regularity, and has touched up to 96 MPH. He also has a hard, late breaking slider. After witnessing the amount of college closers taken in the first few rounds in this past draft, Reifer could be a huge steal.

Other names to know, pitchers to watch

RHP Jason Buursma was the Cards 25th round pick out of Bucknell U. He was a Brooks Wallace Award finalist, one of college baseball's top honors. A two-way player, he hit .367 with 13 homers as an outfielder as well as posting a 9-3 record with a 2.58 ERA as a pitcher. He throws submarine style...RHPs Arquimedes Nieto and Miguel Tapia were two of the top pitching prospects from the Cardinals Dominican Summer League last season. Nieto is a Panamanian product who had 56 strikeouts to only 13 walks with a 2.73 ERA in 59.1 innings for the DSL Cardinals in 2007. In the exact same amount of innings, the 20 year old Dominican Tapia had 57 K's to 29 walks and 3.34 ERA. Although Nieto has shown better command, the organization considers Tapia to have the higher ceiling of the two.

The Batavian continues to grow.  We continue to add new features to the site.

Now, we're offering FREE job postings for employers (and for job candidates, a new online source to look for a local job).

Employers in the region -- Genesee County, Buffalo, Rochester and all point in between, are invited to post their job openings for free on The Batavian.

To post a job, simply click on the "jobs" tab above, and then look for the link that says "click here."  Or, click here.

The person posting a job on behalf of an employer will need to be a registered user.

The "Employment" form to post a job will also appear under the "Create Content" tab on the left menu.

At a time of high gas prices and a slowing economy, we hope these free job postings will help local business and local workers.

We ask everbody to respect the opportunity to post free job openings by offering only legitimate employment opportunities -- not "work for free" opportunities, or multi-level marketing opportunities or other shady "business opportunities," but legtimate, paying jobs.

The Muckdogs (10-8) celebrated more than just Independence Day, posting a 9-2 win over the Hudson Valley Renegades (9-9) to complete the series sweep.  Ramon Delgado (1-0) pitched the first five innings to get the win, letting up four hits and striking out one.   Hudson Valley’s Chris Andujar (0-1) got the loss, going three innings with five earned runs, four walks and three strikeouts. 
 

Batavia once again jumped out to an early lead in the 1^st.  Jose Garcia started off with a walk and Colt Sedbrook followed with a RBI triple.  Shane Peterson then singled before Jon Edwards hit a two-run homerun to jump out to a 4-0 lead.  The Muckdogs’ other big inning came in the 5^th as they scored two runs, the first on a solo homerun by Chris Swauger.  Back-to-back doubles by Xavier Scruggs and Charley Cutler scored the second. 
 

Hudson Valley avoided being shutout in the 9^th when John Mollicone reached on a two-out fielding error by Scruggs.  Kyeong Kang followed with a homerun to score the Renegades’ two runs. 
 

Peterson went 3-for-4 with three singles, two runs and two RBI.  Batavia now goes on the road to play a three-game series in Vermont.

Did you see it -- today at 3:00 PM?  The future rolled right through Batavia, right down Main Street.

You may have seen it and not recognized it for what it is.  Perhaps you thought it was an ordinary shed on a trailer being pulled by a red pick up truck.  In fact, it's part of a display from Homearama 2008 in Perinton that came through Batavia on its way home .

Look carefully and you'll see Dick Gammell reflected in the panes of glass in the door.  Dick is the owner of Canadice Construction Corp. in Springwater, and he's come up with a wind/solar generator that has limitless applications.  He developed the original unit to attach to a standard construction trailer to provide sufficient power to run hand tools and small pieces of equipment on site.  This somewhat portable, combination wind and solar generator replaces the gasoline and diesel varieties (up to 7,000 watts), resulting in the reduction of the use of at least 5 gallons of gas for every 8 hour work day -- per site.   One set of solar panels on half the roof (see photo) and one small wind turbine (stored in the shed for today's trip) does the trick.

In western New York, as in many geographic locations in the Northeast, we have an abundance of wind in the colder months and enough sunshine in the warmer months to power this kind of generator.  This unique "shed" provides all the portable power Dick needs to make his small construction company more cost effective, more independent, and more environmentally friendly.

But Dick didn't stop there!  He's applied his green thinking to golf greens.  This week-end, you can see his Green Cart at Dande Farms Country Club in Akron (see the ad in this week's Genesee Valley Pennysaver).  To test the most far-reaching application of his technology, he recently purchased a plug-in, electric vehicle and hopes to generate 10-14 kilowatts per day to power the car for 40-50 miles at once -- with no emissions!

Dick Gammell is an unassuming, straightforward businessman who saw a need and decided to do something about it.  He works every day at making his idea better.  The successful development of a highly  efficient wind/solar generator for use in generating up to 10-20 kilowatt hours per day of power for a family business may seem like a drop in the bucket, but imagine if we could engage MANY small businessmen in energy conservation and the use of alternative power sources!  It may be the only way to protect this nation's energy security.  I applaud Dick's efforts. 

You can read more at: http://www.canadiceconstruction.com/alternativeenergy.nxg    

Philip and I  will be at the Muckdogs game Friday evening handing out water bottle kozies (assuming the shipment arrives today as expected). Game time is 7 p.m. at Dwyer Stadium and fireworks are scheduled to follow the game.

Weather.com is predicting continued showers  through today, partly cloudy for Friday and Saturday and isloated thunder showers on Sunday.

We're all hoping for better weather than that.

Here are other events scheduled for Freedom Weekend in Genesee County

Today:
Batavia Boogie -- Skydiving
Until 5 p.m. today, and continuing from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sunday at the Gensee County Airport.

Art Exhibt, “The Key” by Karen Reisdorf
Until 5 p.m. and continuing at P.I.E.C.E.S. Gallery, 109 Main St., Batavia. “Karen transforms a series of spontaneous mono-prints into representations of Greek Mythology. The exhibit examines our human search for understanding through process.”

Batavia Muckdogs
Tonight at 7 p.m., against the Lowell Spinners (Red Sox farm club). Dwyer Stadium.

Friday:
Independence Day Celebration
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. -- Genesee Country Village & Museum, 1410 Flint Hill Road, Mumford
19th-century-style event with parades, pageants, music, performances and an immigration and naturalization ceremony. There is also an 1837-style picnic available for an additional charge.. Free with museum admission. Picnic $15, $7.50 ages 4-16. Reservations recommended. Picnic basket, $13 per person while supplies last.

Go Arts' Fourth of July Picnic in the Park
Centennial Park, North and State streets
Live entertainment, arts and crafts, food and children's activities; presented by Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council. Noon to 5 p.m. July 4., Batavia. Free admission.

Saturday
Downtown Batavia Public Market
9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Center & School Street Parking Lot (across from O'Lacy's Irish Pub)
The market offers fresh produce & fruit, baked goods, coffees, flowers, handmade crafts, bbq chicken & pork, hots and hamburgers and a variety of food and other items.

The Ramble Music and Arts Fest 2008
Noon to 6 p.m., Jackson Square in Downtown Batavia.

Sunday:
BBQ, Raffle and Car Cruise
11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Rt. 63 in East Bethany.

If you know of any other events, in the area, please leave a comment.
 

Tuesday:

• 7:59am, Ellicott Avenue, accident
• 8:52am, 20 Main St., accident
• 1:43pm, Cedar Street, trespass
• 2:55pm, Ellicot Street, accident
• 4:01pm, 45 Ellicott St., accident
• 4:20pm, W. Main Street, accident
• 11:57pm, 105 Washington Ave., harassment

Note: We don't include noise complaints, domestic disputes and routine police business.

Batavia's downtown Summer Sidewalk Sales kick off Saturday, July 12th from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Be sure to stop by these shops for special deals:

• Adam Miller Toys & Bikes
• Continental School of Beauty
• House of K
• PIECES Gallery
• The Mane Attraction Salon
• Valle Jewelers

Summer Sidewalk Sales are sponsored by the Downtown Batavia Improvement District.

From the Daily News (Wednesday):

• Graham Corporation's Chief Finanicial Officer J. Ronald Hansen will reture August 1. Hansen has been with the company since 1993. The Batavia-based manufacturer of "vacuum-and-heat exchangers" has seen tremendous financial growth over the past few years.
• For commentary on the article about Youth Football and the school board, see our earlier post.
• Construction of the shopping plaza off Veterans Memorial Drive in the town of Batavia resumed after a delay to get the plans for the plaza in accord with state environmental regulations. No mention in the article of the length of the delay.
• The city's Neighborhood Improvement Committee will meet tonight at 6:30pm in the Council Board Room at City Hall.
• Virginia Kropf's "Around the Towns" column in today's paper addresses her membership in the "crazy group of older women called 'Red Hatters.'" It's a delight. I look forward to Kropf's columns.
• Well, I'm sure at least Sen. Chuck Schumer would be pleased with the front page of today's Daily News. In a huge photo that dominates the top half of the paper, the senator almost seems lifesize, a giant among the puny windmills in the distance behind him — yikes! Apparently, he was in Wetherfield looking for support for a windmill bill he's excited about.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

I must be getting older....or at least a bit more like Andy Rooney,  the curmudgeonly complainer of 60 Minutes.  Certain things really get to me now, and I make sure some people know that they do.  I get cranky....very, very cranky.

Case in point.  The other day an old friend of mine (who has always been a mid-centered Democrat) told me she wasn't going to vote for President this year.  This was due to the fact that her Mom disliked McCain because he was not really a war hero and her grandfather told her Obama was a Muslim.  That comment certainly bugged me.  Not only is none of it true, it is incinderary and ignorant.  McCain survived a Prisoner of War camp and he survived while his concern increased for his fellow prisoners and his injuries from a plane crash worsened.  Sounds like a true hero to me.  Obama was raised in Kansas and attended a Christian Church that his very American grandparents attended.   Last time I looked, Kansas was not a hotbed of Muslim activity but what was really negative about this comment was the insinuation that if an American citizen is Muslim he must therefore not be a good American.  Only two words for this type of comment.  It is a racist, hateful remark.  Both charges are untrue and I hope the electorate does not believe such bitter, deceitful crap.

That leads me to a local issue.  When, all of a sudden, did the City of Batavia School District become the bad guy in the Youth Football argument.  At our first Board Meeting of this school year, a resolution was planned and passed to see if we could aid in this situation.  This was done knowing that not all the participants are from the City School District and that ourfields are already crowded and hard to maintain without adding more money to the budget.  A phone call from Councilwoman Clattenburg was recieved AFTER the resolution was written and placed on the agenda.  In the spirit of cooperation, and with thanks to Mrs. Clattenburg, we moved forward to make this the first directive given to the Buildings and Grounds Committee for this coming year.

There the board sat yesterday unanamously passing a resolution which states that there will be an investigation and discussion to see if the North Street Extension Property may be developed or another plan that would include the District's property could be used to help alleviate this problem.  Regardless of what some may think, we do like to help and solve, not obstruct and confuse.  The Board of Education and its new superintendent, Margaret Puzio, acted out of a community minded incentive and a pro-youth incentive.  Lo and behold.... a speaker gets up and blasts the board for refusing to act on this issue and refusing to allow Youth Football to use Van Detta.  The statements were all unfounded.  Youth Football has NOT ASKED US to act on this at all.   NO ONE from youth football has contacted us or asked.  Councilwoman Clattenburg asked in accordance with our already planned resolution.  Even staff writer's of the Batavian write negatively about the school and situation without asking the simple question.  If the meeting speaker and the staff writer had asked, they would have found out the truth.  Now they know it.

Complaint number three is simply the result of gas prices and any political candidates "energy policy".  Please listen to what all the politicians and pundits are saying.  Remember it is an election year and in some polls the number one concern the electorate has is the price of gas....so much for insurance and education and security.  The plain truth is that people vote their pocketbook.  No matter what anyone says, that is the truth.  WIth this in mind I ask a simple questionm "Why did we Americans allow Dick Cheney to write a SECRET oil and energy policy and ply us with his fraudulent explanation?"  I have been talking about this failed Bush Energy Doctrine since it was first developed in SECRET.  It contains ways to defuse concern on Global Warming (Even the Whitehouse admits it exists now!  WOW! talk about a baptism!).  It talks about increasing profits to allow for more exploration, but very little exploration has been done.  It in itself promotes our reliance on oil, both foreign and domestic.  Of course that is more money in the pockets of the Bush/Cheney "Friends and Family Plan".

My answer to this was to purchase cars that got close to 40 miles per gallon or more.  Some in the public bought huge machines that get less than 12 miles per gallon.  Here is my idea.  Smaller, more fuel efficient cars should get a gas rebate which will be paid by the higher taxes the BIG HUGE MANLY vehicles will pay to fill up.  That way there will be incentive to purchase and drive the higher mileage vehicles.  Before anyone goes and checks the Constitution, there is no amendment stating that we have rights to be gas guzzlers.  Let the insatiable appetites of the low mileage drivers place this one right on thier backs.  It deserves to be there.

Thanks for listening.....maybe one day, I will replace Andy Rooney...... nah...Batavia is too interesting. 

Democrat Jack Davis says we need to diversify our energy sources if we hope to see relief at the pumps. Davis was quick to get out his own "energy policy" Tuesday, following the announcement last week by Jon Powers that Davis is bound to his oil interests. Powers' camp released a lengthy statement of the candidate's energy policy last week.

Says Davis:

“Diversifying our energy sources, improving efficiency, and leading on energy conservation can do a lot to increase supply, reduce demand, and lower costs. None of the ideas I have mentioned are particularly dramatic or difficult, but when pursued together, they form a meaningful energy agenda that can get everyone working together.”

“What voters and taxpayers must address is the broken system in Washington. When high priced lobbyists use campaign cash to influence American energy policy, we lose. Their energy policies have given us $4.25 gallon gasoline.”

There was nothing more specific in the release posted on Davis' Web site, and The Batavian was unable to get out to Greece yesterday afternoon for the press conference. We've asked the campaign if they plan to release a more detailed energy policy. We're waiting to hear back.

Michael J. Robbins, 49, of 20 Thorpe St., Batavia, was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs or alcohol late last night following a traffic stop on Stegmann Road in the town, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Robbins was also ticketed with consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle and unlicensed operator.

Check out WBTA for this and other stories:

• Darien Lake State Beach Park remains closed. Bacteria levels are still too high. Tests will be performed daily to check to see if the levels have gone down and if the beach can open before the holiday weekend.
• Sen. Hillary Clinton will be in Ontario and Wayne counties today touring farms damaged by the hail storms last week.

Batvia City Police reported today that Michael J. Fitch, 21, of Wyoming, was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument early Monday morning. Fitch was found in a vehicle reported stolen by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, parked on Seneca Avenue, and he was allegedly in possession of cocaine and syringes. He was turned over to sheriff's deputies.

The Buffalo News reports that Erie County Legislator Kathy Konst is under pressure to drop out of the race for the 26th Congressional District — where she would face three other primary challengers for the Democratic nod — and run instead against Sen. Dale Volker in the 59th District of the State Senate.

Konst, a county legislator from Lancaster, said that she has not definitely made up her mind, and that she may have “misspoke” earlier Monday indicating that she had decided to switch gears and launch a campaign against Volker.

“My volunteers are behind me for Congress,” she said, adding that many people were trying to “push me into the Volker seat."

She said earlier in the day that she was approached recently by business leaders who are concerned about the power shift away from upstate. She said since they and she are convinced the Democrats will claim the Senate majority in November, she believes that the time is right to seek the Volker seat.

“I never before thought it appropriate to run against Volker, because in order to get anything for upstate, we had to have seniority,” she said earlier Monday. “But once [Senate Majority Leader Joseph L.] Bruno dropped out, it looks like the Republicans will lose the Senate and whatever influence Dale had will be gone.”

Robert Harding of The Albany Project blog isn't sure about her chances of unseating Volker, though he seems optimistic.

I have a mixed opinion of Konst. She is a moderate Democratic legislator representing the 5th legislative district on the Erie County Legislature.

That said, a moderate Democrat can win this district. Volatile Volker is facing a primary challenge so his job won't be easy to begin with. Now, the Democrats have someone to run against him in November.

Can she win? Time will tell. I will reach out to Konst for an interview. We should get to know more about her to decide whether or not this is a race we can win. Beating Volker would be huge. Konst just might be the person to do that.

Batavian Dan Jones is already cheering Konst's (still officially unannounced) relocation from the contest for the 26th Congressional District to the Senate's 59th.

I am happy to hear that Kathy Konst has decided to withdraw from the NY-26th district race, although I am totally loyal to Jon [Powers], I know that Kathy is a very well respected and accomplished individual and I wish her the best in her race to unseat Dale Volker in the 59th State Senate District.

Jones is the president of the Genesee County Young Democrats.