With a backdrop of woodland and blue sky, a patch of red osier stands amid the remnants of last year's cattails. 

Also called dogwood and red willow, osier is attractive to a variety of wildlife including this redwing blackbird, another spring harbinger.

Framed by osier, a swamp maple is reflected on the surface of a placid backwater. While the sight and sound of the redwing blackbird was obvious, unseen were the spring peepers whose mating call permeated the air.

A mother goose stealthfully protects her clutch of eggs....

...while a great blue heron stalks the edge of a shallow marsh.

It's early evening on Oak Orchard Creek and soon the diurnal creatures will begin their retreat. 

As day rapidly fades into night, only the spring peepers will remain vocal, joining the nocturnal chorus of the late night denizens.

The Batavian: Dailey says proposed school budget is as lean as it can be

Dispatchers have received a report of an ultra-light airplane going down in the area of 8956 Putnam Road, Batavia.

There's been only one call and the caller isn't sure where it went down.

Bethany fire is dispatched.

UPDATE 7:42 p.m.: The caller was about to call back when law enforcement arrived on scene. Since the initial call, the ultra-light has pass over head again. "He must be practicing stall techniques because the engine cut off and cut back on," the deputy said. Bethany fire is back in service.

View Larger Map

A "bonfire-like" fire is reported near the railroad tracks off Lehigh Avenue, Batavia.

It is growing in size.

City fire responding.

UPDATE 7:39 p.m.: Property owners are "cleaning up a hedgerow" according to a fire captain. 

UPDATE 7:44 p.m.: Fire extinguished. City fire back in service.

Oakfield-Alabama's Salina Stymus connects for a home run during a tournament game in Nunda.

The Hornets advanced to the championship game, but dropped the match 7-0 to Keshequa.

Information and photos submited by Ron Welker.

A brush fire is reported in the area of 10650 Transit Road, Bethany.

Bethany fire responding.

UPDATE 1:02 p.m.: It's a rough road in and the chief wants the truck driver to use caution to avoid damaging the truck. "The fire is pretty much contained," the chief says.

UPDATE 1:08 p.m.: A tanker from Pavilion requested to stage at the road in case needed.

UPDATE 2:01 p.m.: The fire was put out about 20-30 minutes ago and all units are back in service.

View Larger Map

It was a long day of baseball at Dwyer Stadium Saturday as offense dominated in all four games leading up to a 19-1 tournament championship win for the Batavia Blue Devils over the pitch-weary Oakfield-Alabama Hornets.

This was the 15th year for tournament, sponsored by the Batavia Rotary Club.

To reach the finals, Batavia beat Attica 8-6 and O-A beat Notre Dame 10-9, erasing a 7-0 deficit for the comeback victory.

In the consolation game, Attica downed the Irish 14-10 in a game punctuated by numerous complaints about the ball-strike calling of the home plate umpire.

Zach Hale was named tournament MVP after fanning 15 in the nightcap.

And nightcap it was. The game was scheduled to start at 7 p.m., but with the high-scoring games prior to the championship game, the Blue Devils and Hornets didn't take the field until 8:15 p.m.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

Town of Batavia Fire took delivery Thursday of a new ladder truck.

The 100-foot platform ladder has been designated Ladder 25 and should go into service this week, replacing the old Ladder 25, which will be sold.

The new truck was built by Spartan ERV out of South Dakota.

The truck committee members were: Chief Paul Barrett, First Assistant Chief Nate Fix, Second Assistant Chief Bob Hunt, Deputy Chief Dan Coffey, Captain Bob Tripp, Lt. Jason Holman and firefighters Scott Malay, Joe Aveno, Chris Long, Ryan Palmer and John Fitzsimonds.

The total cost of the truck was $915,000.

Dispatchers have received a report of a grass fire behind a building in the area of 66 Lake St., Le Roy.

Le Roy Fire and Le Roy Ambulance responding.

UPDATE 12:12 p.m.: A chief on scene reports "a pretty good brush fire going."

UPDATE 12:31 p.m.: Fire is out. Le Roy should be back in service shortly.

UPDATE 12:32 p.m.: Fire is out. They are doing overhaul and expect to go back in service shortly.

A grass fire is reported near the pond at Lei-Ti Campground, 9979 Francis Road.

Bethany Fire is dispatched.

UPDATE 10:40 a.m.: Fire is out.

Once again, hundreds of Genesee County residents came out to Terry Hills today for Derby Day, one of the annual major fundraisers for the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation.

\

If I'm out in the county driving around on a beautiful spring day, as I was to hit some of the spots on the GO ART! trail, then you know I'm going to make some photos.

Above, dandelions off Jericho Road, Bethany.

This GMC truck is always parked off Route 20 in Alexander, across the street at Ivy Lane Pottery.

At Ivy Lane Pottery.

In the field next to Sticks and Stones on Broadway, Darien Center.

I've published a photo of this barn on Route 20, Darien, before, but from the other side.

Barn at Route 20 and Smithley Road, Darien.

Spring trees off Walker Road, Darien.

Yellow magnolia in front of the Doty Mansion, Jackson Street, Batavia.

This afternoon, I made the rounds on a portion of GO ART! 2013 Artists Road Show.

Above, Bernice Yunker and Marilynn Palotti at the studio of artist Terry Weber, 5769 Ellicott Street Road, Bethany (the former East Bethany General Store).

Below, Heather Burroughs, of Alexander, gives a pottery demonstration at Ivy Lane Pottery, 3384 Broadway Road, Alexander. Burroughs is a student of Jean Grinnell and started pottery lessons a year ago when she received the lessons as a birthday present from her parents. Grinnell said Heather has picked up the craft quickly.

Bottom photo, Anita Haefner at Sticks and Stones, 2339 Broadway, Darien Center. Our photos of Michael Haefner, unfortunately, did not turn out. He makes rock sculptures.

A diner at the Log Cabin Restaurant has reported three youths in the Indian Falls gorge.

Also, calls in the past 20 minutes we haven't quite kept up with: Youths were throwing rocks from a train bridge in Le Roy. A woman reports her windshield was damaged. In another location, two white males placed something on a train track, which was struck by a train, and the youths fled in a white pickup truck.

An ATV accident as been reported on the old railroad bed near Transit Road, Elba.

The closest street address is 6920 Transit Road. That is between Byron Elba Road and Bridge Road.

A person is injured.

Elba fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 4:56 p.m.: A chief on scene reports a possible head injury and shoulder injury. Mercy Flight is going on in-air standby.

UPDATE 5 p.m.: Mercy Flight requested to the scene. Fire police requested to close the road.

UPDATE 5:09 p.m.: Byron fire responding mutual aid. Mercy Flight on the ground.

UPDATE 5:23 p.m.: Mercy Flight airborne, in route to Strong.

View Larger Map

Supporters of the Child Advocacy Center gathered at Terry Hills on Friday for the agency's annual fundraiser, the Ugly Tie and Ugly Purse Luncheon.

The ugly tie winner was Brian Paris, top photo on the right with Bob Knipe.

The winner of the ugly purse contest was June Ferry, below. Ann Marie Gsell, bottom photo, also was a finalist in the ugly tie contest.

The keynote speaker was Mary Travers Murphy, executive director of the Family Justice Center in Erie County. She spoke about the center's effort to assist victims of domestic abuse, which she said is an equal problem for all segments of society, regardless of race or religion or level of wealth or degree of poverty. The statistics remain equal in all categories.

Ay Caramba!

"The fajitas activated the smoke alarm" at Salsa & Curry says a dispatcher, who called for city fire to respond.

"Smoke from fajitas confirmed," says a firefighter, putting the assignment back in service.

The entree --  a spicy combo of onions, peppers and meat -- is popular, brought to your table on a sizzling hot plate with fresh tortillas.

So this is a not an uncommon occurance at the location, as was the case when it was Margarita's restaurant.

And tommorrow is Cinco de Mayo...

Press release:

The Wellness Center at Genesee Community College is pleased to partner with the Mental Health Association in Genesee County for a presentation by David Kaczynski, brother of Ted Kaczynski, the man known as the Unabomber. David Kaczynski, 63, will share the story, both fascinating and heartwarming, of the impact his older brother’s mental illness had on their family. His presentation is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7 in the Stuart Steiner Theatre on GCC’s Batavia campus.

David Kaczynski’s talk at GCC is being held in conjunction with an exhibit in the lobby of the College’s Genesee Center for the Arts. “Nothing to Hide: Mental Illness in the Family” is a museum-quality photo-text traveling exhibit featuring photographs and interviews with families whose lives are affected by mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

The community is invited to view the exhibit at a pre-talk reception at 6 p.m. Space is limited. Pre-registration is requested by calling the Mental Health Association at (585) 344-2611. A suggested donation of $10 is appreciated.

The Kaczynskis grew up in Chicago. Ted, who turns 71 on May 22, was a mathematics prodigy who entered Harvard on a scholarship at age 16. He went on to earn a doctoral degree from the University of Michigan in 1967 and then moved west to teach at the University of California Berkeley.

He resigned just two years later, and moved to Montana where he took up a survivalist life in isolation, developing anti-government and anti-technology philosophies. He made his first bomb in 1978, sending it to a professor at Northwestern University. He then sent two bombs to the president of American Airlines. The FBI dubbed the case UNABOM, for University and Airline Bombing, and the suspect was termed the Unabomber. Over a 17-year period, Kaczynski’s explosive packages killed three people and injured 22 others.

David Kaczynski, who lives in Woodstock, helped authorities capture his brother in 1996 after reading the so-called Unabomber Manifesto, a 35,000-word essay Ted wrote about the problems of modern society. Though he was estranged from Ted, David and his wife, Linda, recognized the writing style and some of the ideas expressed as Ted’s.

Ted Kaczynski eventually pleaded guilty and has been serving four life sentences for the bombings at a Federal Correctional Facility in Colorado. David has said he writes to him without response.

David became an advocate for violence prevention and spent a dozen years as executive director of New Yorkers for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. He recently became director of a Tibetan Buddhist monastery and retreat center in Woodstock.

The “Nothing to Hide” exhibit will remain on display throughout the month of May, which is Mental Health Month. It’s made possible with funds from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.

The exhibit's compelling accounts demonstrate strength, courage, integrity, and accomplishment in the face of the adversity and stigma of mental illness. By bringing visibility to these individuals and families, “Nothing to Hide” dispels harmful stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions about mental illness.

For more information, contact GCC Wellness Director Roberta Noto at (585) 343-0055, ext. 6293, or by e-mail RMNoto@genesee.edu. or Sue Gagne, assistant executive director of the Mental Health Association in Genesee County at (585) 344-2611.

The call went out to City of Batavia Fire Department for a trash can fire at the car wash on Pearl Street. I was in the neighborhood, so I got there right after Engine 11. 

The fire was actually a smoldering cigarette in a small trash container in the vacuum area.

Not much to it, but I was there, so here's a picture.

Batavia and Le Roy Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and the American Heritage Girls Troop NY0146 in Le Roy participated this morning in a flag raising at the International Peace Garden.