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

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

The warning also issues the following warnings:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daily News staff writer Scott DeSmit includes these interesting details:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mallow:

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

Ireland:

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

Read the whole thing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meanwhile, the center's employees are on furlough.

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

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

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

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

WBTA reports this morning:

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

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

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

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

Morgan L. Cox, 17, of Corfu, was injured when he was thrown from an ATV while jumping snow banks behind a residence on Main Street in Batavia, the Democrat and Chronicle reports.

Cox was taken to United Memorial. There is no word of the nature of his injuries nor his condition.

I'm really not a fan of the New York State Thruway. I don't like paying the toll, and it too quickly zips you past some of WNY's beautiful scenery. When I do drive it, I can't help but feel I'm being jettisoned down a pneumatic tube. There's not much to the right of me, and even less on the left. Just zoom, zoom past guard rails and weeds to my destination.

When my wife and I needed to drive to Massachusetts for a wedding last spring, we traversed nothing but New York's "back roads." Avoiding the Thruway added two hours to our trip both ways, but it was worth it.  We saw every rustic village along the way and ate in some nice locally owned restaurants, rather than cookie-cutter chains at Thurway rest stops.

As we drove along the 5 & 20, I thought what a great route -- the businesses should band together along the 5 & 20 to promote tourism. When I got home, I found this 5 & 20 Web site.

Kelly Rapone, over at the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, is involved in a 5 & 20 promotional project and asked that I pass along a link to a survey the group is doing. If you take the survey you will be entered into a chance to win a $100 gas card.

So, take the survey, drive the 5 & 20, and support local and regional businesses.