The public is invited to tour the new surgical wing at UMMC this afternoon from 3 to 7 p.m.

A free shuttle service from the Bank Street and Washington Street parking lot to the North Street location is available.

Larry's Steakhouse, 60 Main St., Batavia, NY: The name says it all -- Larry's is a great place for steak. Larry's has a fine dining atmosphere with a great menu and outstanding service. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Center Street Smoke House, 20 Center St., Batavia,NY: Authentic Southern BBQ, from ribs to brisket with all the fixin's. We have a $20 gift card for $10.

T.F. Brown's, at 214 E. Main St., Batavia, NY: T.F. Brown's is a great place for a good meal, good friends and to catch up on what's going on in the sports world. "If it happens in sports, it happens at Brown's." We have a $20 gift card for $10.

Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern, 107 Evans St., Batavia, NY: To me, Delavan's is one of those restaurants where you want to eat frequently until you try everything on the menu. We have a $20gift certificate for $10.

Margarita's Mexican Restaurant, 15 Jackson St., Batavia, NY: When you're looking for an authentic Mexican meal, Margarita's is the place to go. The food and atmosphere are perfect and the service is always outstanding. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Batavia Downs Grandstand Bar & Grille, 8315 Park Road, Batavia, NY: A full menu, salad bar and drinks in one of the region's most popular entertainment venues. We have $25 gift certificates for $12.50. (Must be new or current Players Club member to redeem.)

Red Osier, Route 5, Stafford, NY: Truly, one of the landmark restaurants of the area. Red Osier features prime rib carvedtable side. We have $25 gift certificates for $12.50.

Settler's Restaurant, 353 W. Main St., Batavia, NY:Settler's has a 25-year history of serving great, affordable breakfasts, lunches and dinners to Batavians. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia, NY: People come from all over the region for a fine dining experience at Alex's. It's best known for its ribs, of course, but Alex's seafood is also a favorite of the restaurant's diners. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

NOTE: If you've never bought Deal of the Day before, or are otherwise unfamiliar with the rules and process, click here.

SOLD OUT

As part of our ongoing series of local Christmas lights, here are six pictures taken tonight.

Above, Lincoln Avenue.

More after the jump:

Bank Street

Fairmont Avenue

Ellicott Avenue

Lincoln Avenue

Maple Street

Members of the State Police and Park Rangers were at the County Airport today practicing open water rescue, taking advantage of the cold weather to get some practice in winter conditions.

The practice involves a trooper and ranger taking off in the chopper and then coming back to the practice zone to pick up a practice rescuee. The purpose is to work on communication among rescuers to ensure all elements of the rescue are coordinated.

A complete sequence of pictures after the jump:

A tractor-trailer hauling cars is reportedly on fire on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 396.8, eastbound lane.

The caller reports flames coming from under the dashboard.

East Pembroke Fire dispatched.

UPDATE 2:37 p.m.: Cab now reported fully involved.

UPDATE 2:40 p.m.: One truck from Town of Batavia requested to the scene.

UPDATE 2:47 p.m.: A chief on scene requests an Oakfield tanker. "It's going pretty good," he says.

UPDATE 2:51 p.m.: A couple of the cars on the truck are on fire. Indian Falls and Pembroke requested to the scene.

UPDATE 3:04 p.m. (Billie): Tankers from Corfu and Darien are now requested. There is heavy traffic congestion around the burning rig, impending the ability of responders to reach the scene more quickly.

UPDATE 3:08 p.m. (Billie): Corfu is asked to standby in the East Pembroke Fire Hall. Darien is asked to wait at the Thruway service area until called if needed.

UPDATE 3:16 p.m. (Billie): Eastbound traffic is being diverted off the Thruway at the Pembroke exit. The congestion has also made it difficult for empty water tankers to leave so those with water can get in there.

UPDATE 3:31 p.m. (Billie): The fire is out and the crews are doing overhaul to finish the work.

UPDATE 4:48 p.m.: Top photo, submitted by Thomas Schneider. Bottom two photos by Howard Owens.

Batavia-based Graham Corp., which made its name and money supporting oil exploration and drilling, is moving into the nuclear industry.

Yesterday, Graham announced the acquisition of Michigan-based Energy Steel for $18 million.

The newly acquired company, with 52 employees, is expected to remain in Michigan and no layoffs are expected.

Graham tapped into its $71 million cash reserve to make the purchase, according to the Buffalo News.

Michael R. Paladino Jr., 34, of 103 W. Main St., Building 9, Apt. 5, Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. Paladino is accused of stealing a shopping cart full of groceries from a store on West Main Street, Le Roy. The alleged theft occurred on Dec. 8.

Unsafe speed in light snow is being blamed for a two-car accident on Buffalo Street Road near Bowen Road at 11:39 a.m., Wednesday, that caused one minor injury.

Cited for allegedly not wearing a seat belt was George Campbell IV, 21, of Hastings Avenue, Buffalo.

No citation is listed in the accident report related to speed.

Campbell was reportedly traveling southbound on Buffalo Street Road when his 2000 Buick sedan started to skid. Campbell reportedly over corrected, causing him to strike a car in the rear driven by Samuel A. Palmeri, 43, of Dundee Street, Albion.

Campbell suffered a minor injury and was treated at the scene.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Lonnie Nati.

(Initial Report)

A 19-year-old driver may have approached an iced-over bridge at an unsafe speed, according to an accident report, causing the car to spin out and strike a guardrail.

The report doesn't list any citations or injuries in the one-car accident that occurred at 8:54 a.m., Tuesday.

Jessica H. Shepard, of Akron Road, Lockport, was northbound on Route 63 near River Road, Pavilion, in a 1999 Chevy pickup truck.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Lonnie Nati.

Blowing snow and whiteout conditions are blamed for a four-car accident on Route 77, Alabama, at 7:09 a.m., Wednesday that injured only person, who did not require hospitalization.

Earl E. Howard Jr., 17, of Route 98, Attica, was southbound on Route 77 near Route 63 in blowing snow.

Jonathan R. Callard, 27, of Bates Road, Medina, also heading south, slowed down for a snowplow, which prompted Rebecca J. Lindsay, 24, of Telegraph Road, Medina, to reduce speed, too.

Because of the blowing snow, Howard reportedly did not see the cars ahead of him braking. His 1998 Chevy truck hit Lindsay's 2001 Ford sedan, causing it to strike Callard's 1995 Ford sedan.

Alyssa M. Dombrowski, 20, of South Avenue, Medina, was also southbound. Due to whiteout conditions, she reportedly did not see the accident and her 2000 Chevy sedan struck Howard's truck, causing it to strike Lindsay's car.

Lindsay suffered only a minor injury.

No citations were issued.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Lonnie Nati.

A one vehicle rollover accident, without injuries, is reported at 10154 Goodman Road in Alexander.

The vehicle landed on its side.

Alexander Fire Department is responding.

The location is between Stannard and Sprague roads.

UPDATE 12:40 p.m.: The driver is out of the vehicle.

Senior Andrew Hoy sunk three 3-pointers and scored 27 points for the evening to lead Batavia past Brighton in the Blue Devil's 2010 home opener 64-46.

Batavia is now 3-1 in the young season.

Head Coach Buddy Brasky said Hoy's performance was one of the keys to the Blue Devil's victory.

"Andrew played a great game," Brasky said. "I mean, he was doing it all. He was scoring, he was facilitating, getting other people involved, making passes on transition. He just played well, I thought, the entire game."

Brasky said the team improved its offensive decision making and team intensity on defense and that made a big difference.

The team committed only three fouls through the first three quarters of the game.

“I thought our whole team defense was pretty solid most of the game," Brasky said. "Until the end, we weren’t reaching, we were playing defense with our feet. I thought our defensive position was fairly good.”

The Blue Devils feature Hoy, who in his junior year became the team's all-time leading scorer, as well as sophomore Justin Washington, along with seniors Ryan Pyatt and Ryan Funke. They were all part of a team that contended for a state championship last year.

Brasky thinks this year's squad, if it works hard, can win some big games.

"We need to keep getting better and better," Brasky said. "We're back up in Class A, so we need to keep improving. I think by the end of the year, we can contend for the sectional title, without a doubt, but we have to keep getting better and better."

The Blue Devil's next home game is Dec. 22 against Charlotte. The team will also compete in the annual Batavia Lions Club Tournament at Genesee Community College on Dec. 30.

More pictures after the jump. To purchase pictures from this game, click here.

A car has hit a house at Route 19 and Bissell Road, Bergen.

The caller believes the house is vacant and reports the driver is out of the car and walking around.

Bergen Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
View Larger Map

The late Bob Fowler, pictured above, was an avid fisherman all his life and there once was a time when he enjoyed the milieu of the duck hunter. There were also family vacations with his wife, Bonnie, and their sons, Teal and Brian, where they traveled to an island off the coast of the Carolinas.

There Bob fished and, come low tide, took the boys clamming. While Bob enjoyed many aspects of the outdoors, his real passion was on the river, whether it be canoeing or kayaking according to his longtime river-running partner, Pep Johnson.

It was in the early '70s when Pep and Bob Fowler first met. At the time their boys were both playing hockey for the Batavia Ramparts.

"It was brought to my attention that he (Fowler) did a lot of whitewater paddling," Pep said. "That was something I had always wanted to try."

No sooner did Pep Johnson make an inquiry, when Bob Fowler offered an immediate invitation, saying, "Let's do it."  And Pep Johnson was about to catch whitewater fever. Thus began a partnership that lasted more than three decades and took the pair to some of the wildest rivers in North America.

"When I first met Bob, he had been canoeing and kayaking for a time," recalled Pep. "We made our first canoes, they were one-man, solo canoes, whitewater canoes."

Pep is pictured above on Pennsylvania's Youghiogheny River.

As might be expected, during their early years, paddling together much of their canoeing was done close to home, with one of their first trips taking place on the Adirondack's Moose River, portions of which are class III & IV.

In whitewater terminology, rivers -- or various stretches thereof -- are rated anywhere from class I & II (mild) all the way class V & VI (wild -- and dangerous).

"We studied maps a lot," Pep said.

But river conditions can change, and that meant being vigilant while on the water.

"Whenever we came to a set of rapids we'd take out (the map) and study it, deciding how to paddle it or not attempt it at all," Pep said. "The latter decision was often determined by an obvious class V or VI set of rapids."

In the above photo, the pair look over some frothy whitewater on the Missinaibi River in northern Ontario.  

Their pursuit of wilderness paddling took them as far northest as Quebec's Gaspe' Peninsula, across northern Ontario, south to North Carolina and west to Utah.There were numerous stops in between with trips in New York, Pennsylvania, Maine and West Virginia.

The duration of their time on the rivers ranged from overnighters to 10 days. If the list of states and provinces seems extensive, the number of rivers was even more so -- and the degree of difficulty at times might be termed extreme.

"What was probably one of our scariest and hairiest rides was on the Youghiogheny River" Pep recalled.

On that occasion, the water levels were safe when he and Bob Fowler set out, but heavy rains far upstream the previous evening brought the river up to a dangerously high level. Finding a place to take out was not easy.

"The high water left no place to beach the canoes," Pep said. "Only dense, heavy brush was visible along the shore."

And it was obviously not a good place to attempt landing a canoe in swift water. Some hard work -- and rigorous paddling and scrambling -- finally got them safely ashore.

Another frightening moment occurred here in New York.

"Bob had always told me, if I spill, hold onto the canoe and don't let go of my paddle," said Pep. "Well, we entered a mile and a half stretch of the Indian River that was solid class III & IV the entire way.

"I got dumped and held onto the canoe and paddle, struggling to make it to shore. There was a huge boulder the size of a small house in the middle of the river and the current was taking me straight toward it."

That would be one time when Pep wisely bucked tradition.

"I let go of the canoe, and was then able to make it to shore," he continued. "When I looked back, I saw the canoe hit the boulder and then (it) pulled under."

It was several moments before the canoe popped back up to the surface on the downstream side of the boulder.

"There's no guarantee I would have done the same," Pep said.

Envisioning that last scenario prompted me to ask if he and Bob were "adrenaline junkies."

"At times," he began, "but more than that, it was the wilderness element. There were times we simply stared in wonderment at what we were seeing -- it was so beautiful."

Too, there was the mystique of the river.

"You never know what you might see around the next bend," he added, saying it wasn't unusual to spot moose and other forms of wildlife

The oversized tepee in the photo below provided a night's lodging prior to the start of a canoe trip on Quebec's Bonaventure river.

That's Batavian Bob Stevens on the left standing with Bob Fowler. For a number of years, Stevens was part of the wilderness paddling team. In the photo below, Bob Rodgers is seated in front of, left to right, Bob Stevens, Bob Fowler and Pep Johnson.

While their main objective was wilderness paddling, they did fish on occasion. Perhaps what may have been their biggest catch over the years was taken purely by accident.

"One evening after having set up camp, Bob Fowler caught three walleyes, all in the 16-inch range. He put them on a stringer and attached it to his canoe," said Pep, the idea being to keep them fresh for the following morning's breakfast.

"Well, the next morning, Bob walked down to the water and lifted the stringer."

Or at least he tried to.

"When he went to raise the fish from the water, something on the other end pulled back -- hard," Pep continued. "Again, he lifted and again something pulled back real hard. At this point, I heard him yell, 'Pep! Pep! Get down here.'"

Pep arrived in time to see his friend hoisting a northern pike, and a hefty specimen it was. The big fish had swallowed one of the walleyes up to its victim's gills and was then unable to swallow it or regurgitate it. Pep explained that Bob lifted the big fish clear of the water and pulled it right into the canoe. The pike landed in the bottom of the canoe with a thud and the walleye was dislodged. The pike was then released.

  Seems to be Pep Johnson's turn with the kitchen duties.

Two Bobs -- Fowler astern with Stevens manning the bow.

Bob Fowler on a stretch of flat water with Bob Stevens in the distance. 

Asked to reflect back on his thoughts of Bob Fowler, Pep never hesitated, not having to search for words.

"There's a bond that develops between guys that do these things for so many years," Fowler said. "When Bob was on the river he was always smiling and laughing. But more than that, if something were to happen, you knew that Bob had your back."

As a case in point, Pep related an incident that took place on West Virginia's New River. There is a bridge that spans the New River gorge, a bridge well noted for its use by bungee jumpers (that's how deep and steep the gorge is). They were on the river not far from that bridge when Pep was injured.

"Foot entrapment led to my knee being pinned between two rocks, resulting in torn ligaments and shattered cartilage in my knee." Pep said. "After that, I was unable to walk out. Bob carried both canoes out, then he lifted me onto his back and carried me out from the bottom of the river gorge."

The incident proved to be a minor deterrent. Shortly after Pep healed, they were once again making plans to run another river. 

The river runners' version of "on the road again."

It's been three years since Bob Fowler's passing and, for his river companions, things haven't been quite the same. Some, like Pep Johnson, are left with decades of whitewater memories, from sub-arctic terrain to the brown, desert backdrop and rock formations along Utah's San Juan River.

And while the wilderness waterways provided Bob Fowler and Pep Johnson scenic and peaceful settings, the rivers themselves were often turbulent and brawling -- just what seasoned river-runners hope for.     

One of the objections I often hear to the need for us all to "shop local first" is that "big boxes create jobs, too."

That's true. They may not be good paying jobs, or may lack benefits and job security may be a fiction, but they are jobs.

They're not jobs as good as those that have been displaced by the big boxes, particularly the manufacturing jobs driven off shore by demands for ever cheaper products, but they are jobs.

But the most important counter argument to "they create jobs, too," is that shopping local creates more jobs.

I recently came across this 2008 study commissioned by a shop local group in Michigan that found if just 10 percent of the consumers in their county made buying local a priority, it would result in an estimated $140 million in new economic activity, 1,600 new jobs, and $50 million in new wages.

That's because when you support a locally owned business, more of your money is staying in the community rather than being shipped off to some corporate headquarters in another state.

In a recession, in a Western New York economy battered by manufacturing job losses and a mismanaged Albany, shouldn't we all be doing our best to support the local economy first? If can't depend on each other, who can we depend on? There's no quick-fix coming from Albany or Washington. It's up to us.

So, whenever possible (and I realize for a number of reasons, it isn't always possible), shop local first. The more you do, the more it helps.

And a majority of the local businesses that need your support are sponsors of The Batavian, so when you patronize the businesses below, you're doing two good deeds.

Thank you, the readers, and to the sponsors for helping to make 2010 a great year for Billie and I.

3 D Wine & Spirits
A.D. Call and Sons
Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle
Alberty Drug Store
Alex's Place
Alli's Cones and Dogs
Baker's Frontier Kitchens
Barrett's Batavia Marine and Sporting Supplies
Batavia Downs
Beds 'n' Bones Pet Lodge
Blue Pearl Yoga
Bontrager's Auction
Bontrager's Real Estate
Carlson's Studio
CASA
Cedar St. Sales and Rentals
Center Street Smokehouse
Christiano Cellular
Classic Home Improvements
Clor's Meat Market
Crazy Cheap Cars
D&R Depot Restaurant
The Daily Grind
Dan's Tire
Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern
Dupont TV
Empire Tractor
The Enchanted Florist
Fastec Automotive
Ferrellgas
Foxprowl Collectibles
Genesee County Emergency Services
Genesee Dental Group
Genesee Graphics
Gilmartin
Habitat for Humanity
Hair Studio 25
Hardcor Audio
H.E. Turner & Co.
Holy Family School
I.R. Systems
The Insurance Center
J. Leonard McAndrew
John's Service Station
Ken Barrett
KleenAll
Kraving's Kafe
Lamb Family Medicine
Larry's Steakhouse
Lathan Tree Service
Lawley Genesee
Lewis and Lewis
Licata Chiropractic
Main St. Pizza Company
The Mane Attraction
The Manor House
Margarita's 
Mark Lewis Agency
Matteo & Mullen, CPA
Matty's Pizzeria
Max Pies
Michael Tomaszewski
Millennium Computer
Mobile Dog Grooming
Mr. Wine & Liquor
Next Level Fitness
O'Lacy's Irish Pub
Oliver's Candies
Optique
Pauly's Pizza
Pellegrino Auto Sales
Pheasants on the Flats
Present Tense Books
Pudgie's Lawn and Garden Center
P.W. Minor
Red Osier
Roxy's Music
Russell Marchese, DDS
Scratch Bakery
Select Collision
Settler's
Sloat Tire
South Beach
South Main Country Store
Stafford Trading Post
Southside Deli
Spray In Insulation
Terry Hills
T.F. Brown's
Topline Shirt Company
Valle Jewelers
West Main Wine & Spirits
WNY Blacktop Sealers
WNY Fireplace Outlet
Yasses Snow Removal

James Vincent Kwiatek, 19, of Allegheny Road, Darien, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th, and menacing, 2nd. Kwiatek is accused of getting out of a vehicle, walking up to another occupied vehicle and using a knife to slash its tires.

Alexis Ashley Figuereo, 23, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Figuereo is accused of stealing an Xbox 360 and a BIC lighter while employed at Kmart.

Philip Niccloy, 23, of Summit Street, Le Roy, is charged with reckless endangerment, 2nd, criminal mischief, 2nd. Niccloy was arrested by Brockport PD and accused of firing an arrow through a window of a house that lodged into a living room wall. There were children home at the time, although nobody was injured. (Source: D&C)

Calling it a "terrible, terrible crime against little girls," Genesee County Court Judge Robert C. Noonan today sentenced one-time community fundraiser Gary Draper to two four-year consecutive state prison terms for sexually abusing three Batavia girls.

Draper previously pled guilty to two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree after being charged in July with three counts of sexual abuse, 1st, five counts of criminal sexual act, 1st, and two counts of sexual abuse, 2nd.

The crimes were committed between August 2008 and May 2009.

The mother of one of the victims spoke in court about how Draper took advantage of his friendship with the girls and how her daughter is now afraid of men.

"She lost all her trust and doesn’t understand why this happened to her," the mother said. "I want to let her know how brave she is to come forward for herself and her friends. She needs some closure. She needs to know that justice will be served for her."

Draper made a short statement saying, "I'd like to to say I didn’t intent that to happen and I don’t know why it happened and I can assure you it won't happen again. I'm very sorry."

Noonan said he didn't believe it wouldn't happen again.

"One thing that comes across loud and clear is that Mr. Draper does not understand the seriousness of the crimes he’s committed," Noonan said. "If anything, it punctuates it more strongly for him to stand here before me today and say he didn't mean this to happen. There is no other interpretation of the conduct of Mr. Draper than he intend it to happen for his own sexual gratification. And for that, the world deserves protection."

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman asked for the maximum sentence, two consecutive seven-year terms.

Public defender Jerry Ader took issue with a Probation Department report that declined to support a probation-based sentence because Draper wouldn't submit to a full interview with probation officers. Ader said Draper gave a full interview to a qualified sexual behavior specialist and that Ader told Draper not to talk with probation, which probation acknowledged in its own report.

Ader asked for Draper to be released on probation, in part because of Draper's previous community work and his lack of any prior criminal record.

"He deserves a community sentence and I think he can succeed on a community sentence," Ader said.

Draper was known far and wide for his efforts to raise money for the American Diabetes Association, riding a three-wheel bike all over Genesee County and beyond to collect donations.

Over about a 15-year period, Draper raised more than $100,000 for ADA.

On Thanksgiving 2009, Draper's bike was struck by a hit-and-run driver on Center Street, and Draper suffered serious head and hip injuries. His bike was destroyed in the accident and later replaced by a group of local business leaders.

With eight years in prison and 10 years of supervised release after his terms, Noonan said that perhaps the 57-year-old Draper will be at an age that he's no longer a threat to the community.

Here's a news release sent today from the NY Farm Bureau.

ALBANY -- Dean Norton, a dairy farmer and agricultural consultant from Elba, was re-elected as president of New York Farm Bureau, the state’s largest general farm organization, during the organization’s state annual meeting in Melville, Long Island.

“I am proud to have the opportunity to continue to lead this organization as we face a time of tremendous challenges in the agricultural community,” Norton said. “It’s an opportunity to make a difference in the ability of our farms to continue into the next generation.

"We face both unparalleled challenges and unparalleled opportunities, and need to find better ways, quickly, to maximize the connection between New York farmers and New York consumers, in order to keep the next generation farming.”

Norton is a senior agriculture consultant for Freed, Maxick & Battaglia in Batavia. His family dairy farm also manages a custom trucking operation for forage and commodity harvesting.

He has served as New York Farm Bureau’s president since 2008. His term lasts two years.

New York Farm Bureau is a statewide agricultural organization that represents nearly 30,000 member families.

Photo: File photo of Dean Norton.