thebatavian

Naturally, I loved this e-mail I got from Mark Lewis, of the Mark Lewis State Farm Agency:

You really could charge for these (help wanted ads). I don't know another medium that delivers results locally like help wanted ads in The Batavian.

Yes, our help wanted ads work, and so do our "buy, sell and trade" ads. I know because Billie and I post ads ourselves and Mark isn't the first person to tell us about how well the ads work.

And they're free.

And it's my intention to keep it that way.

Our news is free, and I intend to keep it that way, too.

But that doesn't mean we don't need your assistance in helping The Batavian grow and become more sustainable.

We can't do all we could to provide you with the best news coverage possible without more help. We've pretty much grown as much as possible just with advertising.

Newspapers get by on advertising revenue and subscription revenue, but people don't want to pay for online news. Up until now that's left online news sites trying to survive on advertising alone.

I also personally believe that for a news outlet to be most effective it should reach the widest possible audience, and requiring somebody to buy a subscription (either for print or online) limits an audience for important public service news.

Rather than charge for a subscription, we're asking you to join The Batavian Club. Yes, we're asking you to pay some money to support The Batavian, but we're also giving you something of value back: Gift Certificates.

If I walked up to you on the street and said, "Here's $303 dollars, please give me $50," would you turn me down?

That's essentially the bargain here. We're asking you to support The Batavian for $50 a year (in our most popular membership tier) and giving you $303 in gift certificates to local businesses.

So help us help you, become a member of The Batavian Club.

Join before 5 p.m. today as an annual member (paying either on a recurring payment of $50 per year, or pay $60 for this year and we'll bill you again next year), and you'll receive a bonus gift from The Batavian: one of our gift certificates to a local restaurant worth either $20 or $25.

If you want to sign up for a monthly recurring payment of $5 per month through PayPal, join before noon today, and you'll also get a gift certificate. (Reminder, when you sign up for $5 per month, you're signing up for a one-year membership.)

Monthly Single Membership - $5 per month
Includes membership card and bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Monthly Household Membership - $10 per month
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Single Membership - $50 per year
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Household Membership - $100 per year
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual membership, one payment of $60
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual household membership, one payment of $120
Includes two membership cards, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Here's your chance to win an iPad Mini from Zebra Reach and The Batavian.

If you haven't done so already, download the Zebra Reach app for your smartphone (iPhone here / Droid here), then visit five of the participating merchants listed below and earn a point.

The first 500 Zebra Reach users who earn points at five local, participating businesses will be entered into a drawing to win a FREE iPad Mini.

The drawing will be held March 15.

Don't have a smartphone? No problem. Visit any participating merchant and obtain a Zebra Reach card. Become a registered user and then use the card to earn points in the stores of participating merchants. Earn points in five businesses and you're automatically entered to win.

Here's the "no purchase necessary" option: Download this form and follow the instructions on the form.

What is Zebra Reach?

We're all familiar with loyalty cards -- buy five lunches, get the sixth free, buy nine books get the 10th free. A lot of businesses run these sort of programs, but they usually come with flimsy paper punch cards that either get lost or crammed in your wallet with a dozen other cards.

Zebra Reach makes loyalty reward programs digital and easier to use -- one app stores all of your purchase points for multiple participating businesses.

Here are the participating businesses and initial offers (and of course, we're looking for more businesses to participate):

Adam Miller, 8 Center St., Batavia
Model Club Rewards -- $5 off your next purchase. For every dollar spent earn 1 point. Earn 50 points, receive $5 your next purchase.

Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia
1 Free sandwich.
Buy any 5 sandwiches, get 6th free.

Charles Men's Shop, Inc.,  200 E. Main St., Batavia
1 Free tie.
Buy 3 shirts, get 1 free tie.

Dog Crazy Daycare, 1 Mill St., Batavia
Earn points toward a free doggy overnight stay.
For $25 spent, earn 1 point toward the doggy overnight. New clients receive 2 bonus points.

Fastec Automotive, 7184 W. Main Road, Le Roy
Free NYS inspection with an oil change and tire rotation.

Fisher Sports, 412 Main St., Batavia
10% off hockey equipment, For each visit you'll earn 5 points.
Earn 25 points -- you'll receive 10% off your next purchase of any hockey equipment purchase.

Glass Roots, 12 Center St., Batavia
1/2 off glass. Buy 2 pieces of glass, get 1/2 off the 3rd.

Lambert's Design Jewelers, 375 W. Main St., Batavia. One point for every $10 spent on purchases.
Earn 25 points and receive $10 off your next purchase.

Main St Pizza, 206 E. Main St., Batavia
Free small pizza with 1 topping.
Earn 15 points and redeem your free small pizza with 1 topping. Earn points with any purchase.

RW Vapors, 224 Ellicott St., Batavia
Buy 5 bottles of E-Liquid, get the 6th free.

Salsa & Curry, 15 Jackson St., Batavia
Buy 1 lunch, get the 2nd for 1/2 off.

Sweet Ecstasy Bakery, 6173 Main Road, Stafford
Free cookie, cupcake or muffin.
Purchase any 10 bakery items and receive a free cookie, cupcake or muffin.

Sweet Pea's Cupcakery & Cafe, 23 Jackson St., Batavia
Free cupcake. Buy 11 cupcakes, get the 12th free.

Terry Hills, 5122 Clinton St. Road, Batavia
Free lunch. Buy 5 lunches, get the 6th free.

The Detail Shop, 3875 W. Main St. Road, Batavia
Free deluxe wash. Buy 5 deluxe washes, Get the 6th deluxe wash free.

Valle Jewelers, 21 Jackson St., Batavia
Free Chamilia bead. Buy 3 Chamilia beads, get 1 free.

Settler's Restaurant, 353 W. Main St., Batavia
Buy 5 dinners, Get one free.

Spirits, 78 Lake St., Le Roy
Buy 10 lunches, get the 11th free.

T.F. Brown's, 214 East Main St., Batavia
1 free lunch. Buy 5 lunches, get the 6th free.

The Cutting Edge, 15 Bank St., Le Roy
Visit us twice for any service and receive $10 off any service on your third visit.

West Main Mini Mart, 3845 W. Main St. Road, Batavia
Buy 7 pizzas, get one free.

Local business owners: To sign up for Zebra Reach, contact Lisa Ace (lisa@thebatavian.com or (585) 250-4118). 

SHOPPING LOCAL HAS NEVER BEEN SO REWARDING!

It's a Deal of the Day grab bag -- join The Batavian Club now and we'll mail you a free, bonus gift certificate from a local restaurant. We'll randomly select a gift certificate from what we normally sell for deal of the day.

The value will be either for $20 or $25.

This is savings to you on top of the $303 in gift certificates you'll receive in your membership package.

If you would rather phone in your credit card information to (585) 250-4118, the noon deadline applies. If mailing a check or your credit card information, the membership form must be received no later than Saturday's mail drop at our office.

TO JOIN: Use PayPal buttons below, or to pay by check (annual only) or credit card, click here to download form. Or call (585) 250-4118 to pay by credit card.

Monthly Single Membership - $5 per month
Includes membership card and bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Monthly Household Membership - $10 per month
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Single Membership - $50 per year
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Household Membership - $100 per year
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual membership, one payment of $60
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual household membership, one payment of $120
Includes two membership cards, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Earlier this month I posted a notice that we're changing services for selling photos. At the end of this month, photo sales through the old service will no longer be available and because of the massive amount of work involved, I won't be transferring those three years worth of photos from one server to the other.

To ensure everybody has one last chance to buy prints of photos of events we covered in the past three years, I've greatly reduced the prices on the old service.

To view the photos and make print purchases, click here.

Event photos and slideshows created since early December were put on howardowensphotography.com and can be accessed by clicking here. The prices for these prints represent the new pricing structure and we've gotten nothing but positive feedback from people who have made purchases through the new service.

Billie and I returned to Batavia just a little while ago.

We want to thank Alecia Kaus for filling in for us while we were in California. She did a great job. We also appreciate the help from WBTA.

We enjoyed seeing our family and a few friends in California -- we visited Ventura, Bakersfield and San Diego (staying in El Cajon).

We're also glad to be back home and looking forward to getting back into covering local news.

Of course, I made quite a few photographs during our trip.

Inset photo is sunrise in Ventura, taken Saturday morning from the Ventura Pier. We lived in Ventura from 1996 to 2005. Below is the Ocean Beach Pier. I lived in OB from 1986 to 1989 and co-published the community newspaper there (The Beacon).

In the morning, members of The Batavian Club will receive an e-mail with a coupon from T.F. Brown's for 15-percent off.

Join The Batavian Club by 8 p.m., Wednesday and receive the same coupon, which is good until Jan. 30.

The coupon is addition to the $285 in gift certificates members will receive to local businesses. For a list of participating businesses, click here.

TO JOIN: Use PayPal buttons below, or to pay by check (annual only) or credit card, click here to download form. Or call (585) 250-4118 to pay by credit card.

Monthly Single Membership - $5 per month
Includes membership card and bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Monthly Household Membership - $10 per month
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Single Membership - $50 per year
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Household Membership - $100 per year
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual membership, one payment of $60
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual household membership, one payment of $120
Includes two membership cards, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

We told you it was coming months ago ... and the day has finally arrived.

This afternoon, Billie and I board a plane in Buffalo and head off to California for a week.

We'll visit family in Ventura, Bakersfield and San Diego.

Alecia Kaus will monitor the scanner, handle breaking news and write a few other stories, so, dear readers, you're in good hands. We'll also pick up coverage from our news partner, WBTA.

And in the Digital Age, I'll never be far from The Batavian. I'm sure I'll have plenty of things to post over the week, maybe just not as timely as usual.

Nick Sabato will cover some sports for us.

Lisa Ace will be in the office all week (except Friday) during normal business hours to handle all of your advertising needs or sign you up for The Batavian Club. She can be reached at (585) 250-4118.

We're scheduled to return to Buffalo around noon on Jan. 20.

For the past three years, we've offered photos for sale through one particular site and a couple of months ago, we started selling photos through my photography site, howardowensphotography.com.

That is working pretty well, so I'm retiring the old photo sales site (so I no longer have to pay the hosting bill).

It would be a monumental task to transfer three years worth of photos from one site to another. So to ensure everybody who still might like to buy photos from the past three years a chance to buy those photos, I've drastically reduced their prices.

Click here to buy photos from the old site at ridiculously low prices. These photos will NOT be available for purchase after Jan. 31.

Of particular interest might shots from this past football season:

• Le Roy v. Hornel, Class C, Section V championship game
• Notre Dame vs. Avon, Class D vs. Class DD, Section V Playoff
• Notre Dame Section V Championship 2012
• Le Roy vs. Bath, Section V playoff game
• Elba vs. Bath, Section V Class C Quarter Final
• Le Roy vs. Holley, Section V Playoffs
• Notre Dame and Attica, football
• The 80th meeting of Cal-Mum and Le Roy
• Elba/Byron-Bergen at Attica, Genesee Region football
• Batavia Blue Devils and Hornell Raiders in Batavia
• Oakfield-Alabama Hornets at Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Genesee Region, Section V football
• Alexander at Elba/Byron-Bergen, Football, Section V

There are also:

• Oakfield Labor Days Parade 2012
• Batavia Downs Wiener Dog Race 2012
• Town of Batavia Fire Training, Dorman Farm House, Batavia Stafford Townline Road
• Downtown Batavia Wine Walk 2012

And again, click here, to access the home page for all of the event albums from the past three years.

As of this moment, we have 29 local businesses that will honor exclusive gift certificates mailed to members of The Batavian Club. The total value of those gift certificates is $285, while you can become a member of the club for as little as $50 a year ($60 a year if you just want to make a one-time payment).

Here's a list of the participating businesses and the value of each gift certificate you will receive as a member:

• Adam Miller Toy and Bicycles, $3
• Alex's Place, $5
• Alli's Cones and Dogs, $3
• B Town Taxi, $4
• Batavia Country Club, $5
• Batavia Muckdogs, Two free GA tickets
• Bed-N-Bones Pet Lodge, $5
• Center Street Smokehouse,$5
• City Slickers, $4
• Clor's Meat Market, $3
• CPR, $25
• Dan's Tire, $5
• The Detail Shop, $2
• En Garde, $5
• Floral Fantasies, $3
• Hardcor Audio, $20
• Mane Attraction, $5
• Main St. Pizza Company, $3
• Max Pies Furniture, $100 on $500 or more retail value
• Millennium Computer, $20 on $100 or more purchase
• R&D Outlet Center, $5
• R.W. Vapors, $5
• Salon VIP & Boutique, $5
• Salsa & Curry, $5
• Settler's Restaurant, $5
• Smokin' Eagle, $5
• Sweet Pea's, $2
• Valle Jewelers, $25 on $100 or more retail value
• West Main Wine and Spirits, $3

Some time around the end of January -- I hope -- we will send out the first mailing of membership cards and gift cards to members. The gift cards can be used anytime in the next year (one per household, must present your membership card at time of redemption and cannot be combined with other discounts, including The Batavian's Deal of the Day).

And as we announced the other day, members will also receive a voucher for two free general admission tickets to a Batavia Muckdogs' game (July 3 excluded).

I look forward to you becoming a member and helping to support The Batavian. And thank you to all of the participating businesses. Any businesses that would like to be included can contact me at (585) 250-4118.

TO JOIN: Use PayPal buttons below, or to pay by check (annual only) or credit card, click here to download form. Or call (585) 250-4118 to pay by credit card.

You already love The Batavian. We appreciate your daily visits to our site and telling your friends about the stories you read here and supporting our sponsors. Now we're asking for your direct financial support. Reader support will help us grow and become better at what we do.

We've set up four membership tiers -- Subscribe to the club monthly as one person or as a household, or annually at either of those levels. 

Members receive a membership card, bumper sticker and a package of gift certificates to local businesses. We'll also occasionally e-mail you coupons from local businesses.

It's important to note, this isn't a subscription to read the site. Our stories remain free to read. This is a membership club with benefits (and we'll add benefits as it grows).

Join via PayPal below, or for annual and one-time memberships paid by check, click here to download this form (monthly, recurring payment memberships must be via PayPal or credit card. To pay by credit card, use the form, or call (585) 250-4118.

Monthly Single Membership - $5 per month
Includes membership card and bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Monthly Household Membership - $10 per month
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Single Membership - $50 per year
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Household Membership - $100 per year
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual membership, one payment of $60
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual household membership, one payment of $120
Includes two membership cards, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

I'm excited to announce this this morning: Join The Batavian Club and receive two free tickets to a Batavia Muckdogs home game in 2013.

That's right, each member of the club will receive a voucher redeemable for two general admission tickets to any home game (July 3, excluded).

Also, we're up to $270 in gift certificate value for members redeemable at 26 different local businesses.

Join The Batavian Club and SAVE: Currently, members will receive $270 in gift certificates to local businesses -- far more value than the cost of the membership! (more info below).

TO JOIN: Use PayPal buttons below, or to pay by check (annual only) or credit card, click here to download form. Or call (585) 250-4118 to pay by credit card.

Annual membership, one payment of $60
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual household membership, one payment of $120
Includes two membership cards, bumper sticker, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Monthly Single Membership - $5 per month
Includes membership card and bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Monthly Household Membership - $10 per month
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Single Membership - $50 per year
Includes membership card, bumper sticker, package of gift certificates to local businesses.

Annual Household Membership - $100 per year
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers, one package of gift certificates to local businesses.

A reader of The Batavian has helped another recover a ring lost the day after Christmas that was more precious than valuable.

Lynn Halicki posted a lost-and-found notice to The Batavian's "Announcements" section and another reader spotted it, called her and returned the ring.

"The ring really has no monetary value - just sentimental value," Halicki said in her post.

After getting her ring back, Halicki posted a comment and wrote, "It made me extremely happy and proud that there are so many GOOD people!!!!!!"

Some of you may have already noticed that certain people now, when they leave a comment on a story, have a little "club member" icon below their names.

This means these people have elected to help support The Batavian by becoming club members and we want to recognize their support.

The other change we've made is people who are not yet members will get a reminder to join every time they log into the site (our software, in a pattern I've never been able to figure out, occasionally asked people to reenter their usernames and passwords). After people enter their usernames and passwords, they will hit a screen that offers them the opportunity to continue with their login or join The Batavian Club. There is still no obligation to join the club to read news or comment on stories, but we want to remind people how important it is that they support our local news efforts.

Plus, members get benefits such as discounts at local businesses -- a monetary value that exceeds the cost of membership.

Join The Batavian Club and SAVE: Currently, members will receive $220 in gift certificates to local businesses -- far more value than the cost of the membership! (more info below)

TO JOIN: Use PayPal buttons below, or to pay by check (annual only) or credit card, click here to download form. Or call (585) 250-4118 to pay by credit card.

Monthly Single Membership - $5 per month
Includes membership card and bumper sticker.

Monthly Household Membership - $10 per month
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers.

Annual Single Membership - $50 per year
Includes membership card, bumper sticker.

Annual Household Membership - $100 per year
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers.

Join The Batavian Club and SAVE: Currently, members will receive $220 in gift certificates to local businesses -- far more value than the cost of the membership! (more info below).

TO JOIN: Use PayPal buttons below, or to pay by check (annual only) or credit card, click here to download form. Or call (585) 250-4118 to pay by credit card.

Monthly Single Membership - $5 per month
Includes membership card and bumper sticker.

Monthly Household Membership - $10 per month
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers.

Annual Single Membership - $50 per year
Includes membership card, bumper sticker.

Annual Household Membership - $100 per year
Includes two membership cards and two bumper stickers.

Top 15 most viewed posts for 2012:

• State health officials discuss outbreak of tics in Le Roy, but say they can't share the cause
• BREAKING: Jacquetta Simmons sentenced to five years in prison
• Teen killed in head-on crash on Route 33, woman seriously injured
• Angry mother confronts store employees she believes sold bath salts to her son
• Batavia woman's cause of death not yet known
• Four smoke shops on reservation raid by feds -- cigarettes, fake pot, bath salts seized
• Chris Collins wants to go to Washington to restore the American Dream
• Two people killed in Sunday morning accident
• Specialist questions scientific validity of Le Roy district's environmental reports
• DEA raids 420 Emporium in Batavia as part of nationwide assault on bath salt sales
• Attorney, young celebrity arrested in Pembroke on charges of DWI and prostitution
• Potentially dangerous synthetic drugs readily available in Genesee County
• Three members of Le Roy family jailed after scuffle with police
• Report: Cyberbullying at local high schools
• Woman accused of giving bath salts to minor allegedly said she thought it was OK

Look at how many of these stories The Batavian broke or brought you more information about than available in other news sources. The Batavian broke the story about Jacquetta Simmons at Walmart on Christmas Eve, 2011 and was in front of the competition as the story developed. The Batavian brought to light the local issues with bath salts and either broke stories or had stories the competition never even carried. The Batavian carried more in-depth stories that were widely read on the tic disorder issue in Le Roy. We work hard to bring you news about Genesee County. We ask that you support the effort by becoming a member of The Batavian Club.

In 2012, TheBatavian.com was visited 3.8 million times and we served up 5.5 million page views.

Top 10 most viewed stories for December:

• Teen killed in head-on crash on Route 33, woman seriously injured
• Person struck by vehicle in front of Batavia Downs, minor injuries, by Billie Owens
• BREAKING: Firefighters accused of bookmaking plead guilty to greatly reduced charge
• Car parked by St. Joseph's Cemetery reported to be a 'suspcious condition', by Billie Owens
• Jacquetta Simmons posts $50,000 bail
• Corfu teen dies in Orleans County crash Sunday night
• Weather related reports, Dec. 26
• Property between Lewiston and Main will be more than just a Tim Horton's
• Driver who died on Route 20 accident wasn't wearing a seat belt
• GCEDC board approves 2012 bonuses, raise for agency's CEO

If you've appreciated our coverage of Genesee County in 2012, help us grow in 2013: Become a member of The Batavian Club today. Club members will get at least $220 in savings at local businesses.