New York Times: Obama Allows Limited Airstrikes on ISIS

Chip O'Hara, from Auburn and representing First Niagara Bank, dusted the field in the GLOW Corporate Cup 5K race at Centennial Park today. O'Hara ran the race in 15.58.

About 700 runners and walkers entered the event.

Three youths about 12 to 15 years old are reportedly breaking into vehicles on Mills Street in the City. Batavia PD is responding. One of the youths is said to be wearing a yellow shirt.

UPDATE 5:44 p.m.: Two are in custody.

Joan Marie Paro, 48, of Humphrey Road, Fultonville, is charged with attempting to evade or defeat tax. Paro is accused of possessing more than 8,000 untaxed cigarettes (40 cartons), which is more than the 400 untaxed cigarettes adults are allowed to possess under NYS law. Paro was stopped at 12:39 p.m. Sunday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Chris Parker.

Shaneeka R. Wroten, 21, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment ,2nd. Wroten turned herself in on an arrest warrant out of City Court.

James E. Wroten, 47, of Olyn Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Wroten was allegedly involved in a domestic incident at 11:25 p.m. Monday. Wroten was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Summit Street, Batavia, was repaved today.

Interesting auction for car restoration enthusiasts starting at 4:30 p.m. at 27 Summit St., Batavia. A portion of estate of a man who restored cars is being sold. It includes manuals, tools and parts. There are also some household items and antique furniture.

The auction is being conducted by Bontrager's.

Jennifer Gray uses chalk to create a drawing of a cow on the sidewalk outside Batavia city Hall this afternoon. Gray was drawing to help promote the city's first Sidewalk Painting Festival this weekend. The event starts next Friday and will run concurrently Saturday with Summer in the City. So far, 15 artists have signed up and as many as 15 more are expected to register when they show up Friday. The artists will use chalk to transform the sidewalks around City Hall. The event is sponsored by Vibrant Batavia.

CORRECTION: Added "next" in front of Friday. The event is next weekend, not this weekend.

The northbound lane of Lewiston Road, between Main and Park, was resurfaced and re-striped today to create a turning lane for the new Tim Horton's location. Traffic was delayed in the area during the work.

In a move that will make it possible for the county to sell its nursing home, the Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday approved a resolution declaring the facility "surplus property."

The nursing home is running at an annual deficit of $4 million and the state is doing everything it can, according to legislators, to ensure it continues operating at a loss so it will be sold.

County Legislature Chairman Ray Cianfrini said the county really has no choice but to sell the nursing home.

The county approached UMMC about buying the nursing home and the hospital's board had no interest in acquiring it.

The county also sent out at least 30 letters, Cianfrini said, to nonprofit agencies to see if any of them wanted to run it and there were no affirmative responses.

"We're pretty much down to our last option, which is to see if there's interest from a for-profit group that would want to buy our facility," Cianfrini said.

A private company would receive higher Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, be able to reduce personnel expenses (potentially, no union, and lower pension costs), accept a wider variety of patients, thereby increasing revenue, and seek other money-making opportunities not available to a government agency.

If the county keeps the nursing home, or is unable to sell it, the burden on local taxpayers is only expected to grow as the state cuts off just about all of the remaining subsidies it provides to the county to help maintain the nursing home.

Cattaraugus and Orleans counties recently successfully sold their nursing homes, Cianfrini said, so the legislature is hopeful the same thing will happen here.

"We're looking at it from the standpoint that it's fiscally irresponsible for us to try to continue to operate it," Cianfrini said.

If a flood came along big enough to wash away the Holland Land Office Museum, the county would have bigger problems than worrying about the loss of an historic structure.

The building is irreplaceable, which had Ray Cianfrini, chairman of the County Legislature, wondering during Wednesday's Ways and Means Committee meeting, whether the county should spend $8,457 a year on flood insurance (The policy also covers county offices at 15 Main St.).

"If you lose the building, you're not going to replace it," Cianfrini said. "It's a loss, but we don't own anything inside. Are we spending good money to go after something we don't need?"

County Attorney Chuck Zambito said it's entirely a policy decision for the Legislature to make, but flood insurance covers more than just a total wipeout of the building (The current structure isn't even the original land office building, which was destroyed by fire in the 19th Century).

A flood could do a lot of damage to the building without washing away the main structure.

"What's more likely to happen is you're going to have significant damage and you'll need to repair it rather than tear down the building," Zambito said.

Committee Chairman Bob Bausch agreed.

"One issue we should be aware of is that in my lifetime that building has flooded at least twice," Bausch said.

The policy through Wright National Flood Insurance in St. Petersburg, Fla., has a $10,000 deductible on the land office on a $1,000 deductible on the office at 15 Main.

The buildings are covered under a separate policy for casualty and liability and damage other than flood.

Another reason for the insurance policy, Zambito said, is that for the county to file a claim with FEMA in the event of a disaster, if a building is within a flood zone and it didn't have flood insurance, FEMA could deny the building owner any assistance.

At the end of the discussion, the committee unanimously approved a resolution recommending the Legislature authorize purchase of the insurance.

The lowest price isn't always the best deal, but awarding public works contracts to the lowest bidder has been the law for Genesee County for some time.

The Legislature is considering a change in local law that would allow the county to consider such things as differences in warranty, materials used and quality of workmanship.

"Sometimes the better value is not just the lowest cost," County Attorney Chuck Zambito said during a meeting of the Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday. "But there is a process to go through to approve a bid. You can't just do it."

Among the requirements, the request for proposal must specify the criteria for awarding a bid, the contractor must specify value-added aspects of the bid and department heads and purchasing agents must review and make recommendations to the Legislature based on these specifications.

A public hearing on the proposed change to local law is set for 5:30 p.m., Sept. 10.

Two things that don't change under the proposed change -- giving preference to local vendors (barred by state law) and the county can still eliminate from considerations vendors that don't measure up to "responsible" (business reputation matters).

New York is one of the last states to change the law to allow local governments to change its own rules governing contracts and accept "best value" bids.

The specific criteria that could be considered for "best value" bids are:

• Lowest cost of maintenance for goods or services;
• Durability of goods or services;
• Higher quality of goods or services;
• Longer product life of goods or services.

"As long s you protect the interest of the taxpayer then you're going to be OK (awarding bids on these criteria)," Zambito said.

Vixie is missing and owner Alli Crawford is looking for her. She's a red pomeranian and was groomed recently. When she took off, she still had her leash attached. Alli has only had her about a week or so and she's very timid, Alli said. Vixie went missing in the area of Shepard Road about 2 p.m. yesterday. Alli can be contacted at (940) 368-3899.

UPDATE Thursday, Aug. 7, 6:13 p.m.: Vixie has been found and reunited with her family!

Press release:

Koolatron Corporation is increasing its footprint in Batavia with a major expansion this fall. The consumer goods manufacturer is nearly doubling its warehouse and shipping capacity in Genesee County with a planned expansion of its facilities from 25,000 square feet to 45,000 square feet.

Koolatron is a leading manufacturer and distributor of 12 volt coolers and accessories, wine cellars, Pants Saver brand car mats, Michelin auto care products, Coca-Cola personal fridges, Biteshield mosquito and pest repellant lines, along with rain barrels and garden décor products.

The decision to expand in Batavia, NY, is fueled by major growth in the company’s e-commerce business. In addition to its growing list of traditional retail customers, major e-retailers such as Amazon, Overstock, Costco, Home Depot, Walmart, and Sam's Club all carry Koolatron products, along with dozens of other online sites.

“Our business keeps growing and we can barely keep up with the warehouse space we have right now,” says Koolatron President Arun Kulkarni. He adds that keeping pace with the boom in online shopping is priority for the company.

“We have seen a 30 percent compounded growth in our e-commerce business in the past five years and for us Batavia, New York is the perfect gateway in which to build up our U.S. shipping hub,” Kulkarni said.

The expansion of Koolatron’s property on 4330 Commerce Drive is under way with construction set to be completed by December 2014. Koolatron will also be looking to boost staffing as it fully rolls out its warehouse expansion plan by the end of this year. Hundreds of parcels of Koolatron products are shipped daily from the warehouse to homes across the United States. The expansion will help ensure rapid delivery and prompt service for Koolatron’s growing U.S. customer base.

Previously: GCEDC board approves Koolatron and Premiere Credit projects

Wall Street Journal: Russian Hackers Steal 1.2 Billion Usernames and Passwords, Security Firm Says

UPDATED 9:25 a.m., Thursday.

It took more than an hour, but police did nab a warrant suspect late this afternoon after a police officer spotted him on Walnut Street, Batavia.

The suspect was listed as a missing person and also had a county arrest warrant. The charges are not listed in in the Batavia PD press release. The Batavian is not publishing the suspect's name at this time.

The youth is a resident of Walnut Street.

Officer Chad Richards spotted the youth walking on Walnut and when he turned around, the suspect fled. Backup units were called from Batavia PD and the Sheriff's Office, including Deputy Chris Erion with K-9 Destro.

Officers cordoned off the area and conducted a search. After the search area was expanded, the suspect was spotted on Franklin Avenue and taken into custody.

Assisting in the search were Sgt. Dan Coffey, Det. Thad Mart, Det. Eric Hill, Officer James Defreze, Officer Jason Ivison, Officer Wojtaszczyk along with Det. Paul Caffo and Investigator Greg Walker. 

The youth was taken into custody on Franklin by Mart and Defreze.

A bicyclist was hit by a car at Liberty and Ellicott streets. The driver said he came around the corner and did not see the bicycle in time. The victim was taken by ambulance to UMMC and was conscious and alert.

• Abbott’s Frozen Custard
• Adam’s Welding & Fabrication 
• Alberty Drugs
• Alpina Foods
• Atherton Farms
• Baskin Livestock, Inc.
• Batavia Starter
• Bauer Services
• Belhaven Kennel
• Big O Farms, Inc.
• Big Pauly’s Pizza
• Boyles Motor Sales, Inc.
• B’s Pet Grooming
• Cargill
• Carolina Eastern Crocker
• Castilone Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep & Ram
• Corfu Machine Company
• Corfu-Darien Vet Clinic
• Cummings & Bricker
• CY Farms, LLC.
• Dries Farms
• Duyssen Family Farm & Strawberry Patch
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car
• Falletti Motors
• First Choice Travel
• Freed Maxic CPA
• Ganson Rose Equipment
• Genesee Community College
• Genesee Orthopedics
• Genesee Patrons Cooperative Insurance Co.
• I.D. Booth
• Jackson Welding & Gas 
• Ken Barrett Chevy-Cadillac
• Lee Shuknecht & Sons, Inc.
• Liberty Pumps
• Linwood Turf Equipment
• LJK Feeds
• McKenzie Farm
• MacDuffie Sand & Gravel
• Maple Lawn Farm
• Max Pies Furniture Company
• Mother Nature Enterprises
• Muller Quaker Dairy, LLC.
• MY-T Acres
• Out on a Limb Maple Farm
• Perry Vet
• Phillips Oil
• Pumpkin Hill Vet Clinic
• R B Adams Agency
• Rebel Liners
• Reisdorf Brothers Feed
• Reisdorf Oil & Propane
• Roblee Plumbing
• Scott Adams Trucking
• Stafford Trading Post
• Stella Collision
• Stephen M. Hawley & Assoc., LLC. @ The Insurance Center
• The Bank of Castile/Tomkins Insurance
• Toyota of Batavia
• Turnbull Heating & Air Conditioning
• Turner TreeScape
• UMMC
• Upstate Niagara Cooperative
• Viking Valhalla Restaurant & Rose Garden Bowl 
• Will’s Carpet One
• William Kent, Inc.
• WNY Fireplace Outlet

• Ad-Stuff
• Alexander Equipment
• Attica Veterinary
• Barnard Trucking
• Batavia Downs
• Batavia Legal Printing
• Batavia Restaurant Supply
• Batavia Sign Company
• BC Transportation & Repairs
• Beachy Cabinetmakers
• Bethany Fire Department
• Bob Babbitt Automotive
• C.H. Wright Distributors 
• Caledonia Diesel
• Camping World
• Carol Topolski Lawn Care
• Cedar Street Sales & Rental
• Cold Springs Construction
• Dan Duyssen Farm
• Empire Tractor
• Fastenal - Batavia
• Geer Farm Supply
• Genesee Country Automotive
• Genesee County Farm Bureau
• Genesee County Soil & Water
• Genesee Valley Penny Saver
• George & Swede Sales
• Home Depot – Batavia
• Java Farm Supply
• Joe's Pro Shop
• L.D. Stevens Golf Carts
• Mercy Flight of WNY
• Metalico – Bergen
• Monroe Tractor 
• Paul Figlow Productions
• Photography by Susan Meier
• Posy Power Peddler
• Pudgie's Lawn & Garden
• Raceway 5
• S-B Farms
• Scofield Rolloff Service
• Seven Springs Gravel
• Smitty’s Amish Sheds
• Stafford Fire Department
• Starbucks of Irondequoit
• Sterling Tents & Awnings 
• The Batavia Daily News
• The Batavian
• Town of Batavia Fire Dept.
• Tractor Supply – Batavia
• T-Shirts Etc.
• Walmart – Batavia
• WBTA
• WCJW
• Z & M Ag & Turf
• All of the Volunteers

D Andre J. Cramer, 15, is a runaway from Batavia and police believe he is in the local area.

He is 5'6" tall, 145 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, and the missing child flier says he is of mixed race (black/white).

D Andre was last seen on Monday, Aug. 4, wearing a dark gray Nike shirt, tan shorts, gray and white sneakers and a baseball cap.

He may go by the names "Dre" or "D."

If you have information of his whereabouts, contact Det. Richard Schauf with the Batavia PD at 585-345-6312 or e-mail  Schauf@batavianewyork.com

Also, the NYS Missing Persons Clearinghouse can be reached at at 1-800-346-3543 or go to www.criminaljustice.ny.gov

His missing person case number is:   14-17356-TW

James Herbert Manes, 77, of Sunset Parkway, Oakfield, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Manes allegedly stood on a shed in his yard and used a saw to cut branches from a tree in his neighbor's yard. Manes was previously charged with trespass in the incident. He was arraigned in Town of Oakfield Court on Monday night on the upgraded charge.

Alfredo Jalowayski, 52, of Saint Paul Street, Rochester, is charged with possession of more than 400 untaxed cigarettes, speeding (43 in a 30 mph zone) and no or inadequate exhaust. Jalowayski was stopped at 6:25 p.m. Tuesday on Main Street, Village of Oakfield, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. 

Gregory John Richenberg, 56, of South Holley Road, Holley, and Jeremy John Richenberg, 34, of Fancher Road, Albion, are charged with trespass. The two men were allegedly on property in Byron owned by a family member after being advised by the propery owner to stay off the property.

Mercy Flight is being dispatched to a landing zone the Indian Falls Methodist Church on Route 77, Pembroke, for accident on the Thruway.

The accident involves a motorcycle, though the driver was last reported as conscious. 

Indian Falls Fire and Pembroke Fire dispatched to the accident scene, along with Mercy EMS. Corfu Fire requested to the landing zone.

UPDATE 12:03 p.m.: Mercy Flight has landed.

UPDATE 12:30 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne, "possibly to ECMC." The assignment is back in service.

UPDATE: Photo and update info by Alecia Kaus / Video News Service. Chief Ed Mileham said the rider was headed east on the Thruway with a group of other riders when the accident occurred. He landed in the median. Mileham said his helmet saved his life. There was a big softball-sized dent in it. He was transported to ECMC with apparent serious injuries.