Every once in a while an occasion comes up when you want to make something just a little different.

I played around with a chocolate cake mix (from Aldi's no less) and ended up with this moist, rich, cake.  At the end of the evening, the piece in the picture was all that was left of the cake.

Pre-heat oven to 350F   Prepare baking pans according to directions on box.  I use cocoa instead of flour in my pans when I make a chocolate cake.

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding

1 cup brown sugar

Mix dry ingredients

Add:

1 cup sour cream

1 cup oil

1 1/3 cups water

3 eggs (one at a time)

Mix batter, on medium, for 3 minutes.  Pour into prepared pans.  Baking time will vary according to oven.  I did a sheet cake and it took just about 50 minutes.

I frosted with a butter cream frosting, but the last time I made this, I just sprinkled confectioners sugar on it. 

Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern, 107 Evans St., Batavia, N.Y.: 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 $20 gift certificate for $10.

Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia, N.Y.: 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.

Pudgie's Lawn and Garden Center, 3646 West Main Road, Batavia, N.Y.: Autumn is the time to think about spring flowers -- and Pudgie's has a great selection of bulbs already in stock, ready to plant. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Kravings, Valu Plaza, West Main Street, Batavia, N.Y. : Recently opened, it offers soups, salads and sandwiches, fresh and flavorful; Monday through Saturday. We have $10 gift certificates for $5.

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A head-on collision, with minor injuries, has been reported in front of Tully's on East Main Street.

Engine 12 and Mercy EMS are responding.

UPDATE 4:10 p.m.: I drove by. Nothing to see. Neither car had much damaged and were being driven to a side street.

Caught this on the fly this morning.  The pumpkin vine goes up the porch column, and the pumpkin is growing on the porch roof.  It is supported by a board so it won't tumble off.

Kind of cool, don't you think?

A semi-truck is on fire at 99 Jackson, in front of Kwik Fill. City fire units are being dispatched.

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UPDATE: Photos:

Engine 12 and Ladder 15, City of Batavia, are responding to a general fire alarm at 29 Cedar St., the office of Time Warner Cable.

UPDATE 1:47 p.m.: False alarm due to construction.

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Who are the richest legislators in Washington?  Roll Call has a list.

Our own Chris Lee makes the list at No. 33.

Lee's net worth is $7.4 million, according to Roll Call, which includes a trust fund and $1 million in a personal account.

(via GLOW Democrats blog)

There are four primary elections in Genesee County today.

There are Republican primaries in Byron and Pembroke for town board seats.

In Darien, there's a three-way Democratic primary for two town board seats.

In Stafford, the Conservative Party will pick a candidate for Highway Superintendent.

Polls are open until 9 p.m.

Billy Joe Budziszewski, 18, no permanent address, is charged with rape in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child. Budziszewski is accused of having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl in the Village of Corfu. He was jailed on $10,000 bail.

An 11-year-old boy from Harpersville is charged with rape, having sexual intercourse with a minor, a criminal sex act and sex abuse. According to a State Police blotter item, the victim appears to be 11-years-old or younger. The arrest was made in Elba. The case remains under investigation.

Genesee County Democratic Committee Chair Lorie Longhany had a chance this week to combine her love of art -- she's an art teacher and an artist -- with her commitment to politics when she attended an event in Rochester honoring Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, whom Longhany described as a long-time, steadfast supporter of the arts. Slaughter co-chairs the congressional arts caucus.

Caroline Kennedy was the keynote speaker and quoted her father, President John Kennedy, who said, "I look forward to an America which will not be afraid of grace and beauty, which commands respect, not only for its strength, but for its civilization, as well."

Attendees also enjoyed performances by the Tony Award winning the Garth Fagan dance troupe and jazz pianist Gap Mangione.

Pictured above, Teresa Martillotta, former Orleans County chair and 53-year state
committee member, current Orleans County chair Jeanne Crane, Slaughter and Longhany.

Apparently, officials at Batavia City School District feel they haven't adequately explained their consideration of new park facilities at the district's North Street property.

This past Saturday, Councilman Bill Cox held a community meeting on the proposal and tonight, Superintendent Margaret Puzio issued a press release detailing the district's position:

"The School District apologizes for not better advertising to the public, the presentation of this material at our September 1 School Board Meeting. At that meeting, we presented to the staff and elected officials from the City of Batavia, Towns of Batavia and Stafford and Genesee County. The consensus of those staff and elected representatives as well as the BOE was that the first step should be to investigate grant funding. This is just the first step in a very long process."

The district contends that there are insufficient youth facilities in the Batavia area and that it is seeking state or federal grants to improve the situation.

Read the full press Release (PDF)

UPDATE: Margaret Puzio spoke with WBTA this morning (mp3).

She said there will be a public meeting on the topic at 7 p.m. on Oct. 6 at Batavia High School.

Thanks to the Stafford Fire Department, the town will have a chance to expand Emery Park by nearly eight acres and add new ball fields for area residents.

The town board voted tonight to accept a donation of the land, which has already been graded and seeded.

Part of the motivation for accepting the donation, according to board members, is that the leach lines for the existing Emery Park restrooms need to be replaced and in order to do that, the donated property is essential.

"If that leach field goes out on us without us getting that land, then we're pretty much dead up there," Councilman Ron Panek said.

There will be a $350 fee to transfer the deed and the town could be on the hook for any additional upgrades.

But there was general agreement that if the town had additional playing fields, the fields would be used.

The four workers in the Stafford Highway Department have a new labor agreement with the town after months of negotiation.

The contract includes a standard pay raise of just over 5 percent over three years, but the main point of contention, health insurance, was resolved along the lines the Stafford Town Board sought.

Union members will be moved from the union insurance plan to a private plan, according to Councilman Bob Pacer.

The issue, according to Pacer, was that the union plan required every employee to be covered by the union plan, even if the employee chose to be covered by a spouse's plan.

With the private plan, union members can opt out and the town will save in the neighborhood of $7,000 to $8,000 per year.

The contract also supplies a safety clothing allowance for union members.

Without discussion, but with one dissenting vote, the Batavia City Council tonight approved a 2.8 percent pay raise for City Manager Jason Molino.

The vote came following a closed session and before the vote, Council President Charlie Mallow read a statement expressing the council's support for Molino.

Councilman Bill Cox voted no and said after the meeting his decision was based on a "personnel matter" and wouldn't reveal the reason for his no vote.

"I felt at this time a raise was not in order and that's all I want to say," Cox said.

Mallow characterized the pay increase as a cost-of-living raise that Molino wouldn't have gotten if he didn't deserve it.

Prior to the vote, Mallow said, each council member submitted a review of Molino's work.

“The city is in good shape and a lot of that has to do with our city manager," Mallow said. "The council supports the city manager and that’s the reason for the raise."

The motion passed 7-1, with Council Bob Bialkowski absent.

Molino was also not at the meeting.

UPDATE: Councilman Cox released this statement this morning:

"The primary reason that I voted against the raise for City Manager Molino is the same reason I voted against the raises for the other non-union staff previously, which is economics.

Our citizens and taxpayers have heavy burdens of property taxes, school taxes, and water/sewer taxes. We have property owners and citizens who have lost their jobs due to the economy. We have retired people on pensions that have been reduced and those same retired citizens have lost health benefits or had them reduced in many cases.

When you are in a position of senior management and leadership you should demonstrate to the people that you understand the dire circumstances many are under and forgo a raise until the economy turns around."
 

For five years, members of the Police Benevolent Association patrolled Batavia's streets without a labor contract with the city.

Recently, an arbitrator awarded back pay to the union members, which they probably would've received in cost-of-living increases if they had had a contract.

Tonight, the City Council approved unanimously, without discussion, transfer of $235,000 from the city's contingency fund to the police department budget to cover the arbitration award.

The city could have wound up owing the PBA members more than $288,000.

As part of the same resolution, the council approved transferring $23,000 to the fire department budget to repair the air-conditioning system at the Evans Street station.

Report of a no-injury auto accident on Ellicott Street between Swan and Otis.

The vehicles are blocking a portion of Ellicott currently.

Matty's Pizzeria, 4152 W. Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: Matty's is another Batavia favorite for pizza and wings. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

South Main Country Gifts, 3356 Main St. Road, Batavia, N.Y.: Handcrafted items, gifts with a regional flair, candles, teas and spices -- South Main has a wide selection to please most any interest. We have a $20 gift certificate for $9.

Sport of Kings Family Restaurant, 419 W Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: A favorite locally owned family restaurant that is open 24 hours per day, seven days a week. We have a $15 gift card for $7.50.

Adam Miller Toy & Bicycles, 8 Center St., Batavia, N.Y.: Feel like a kid in a toy store again, or treat your kids to the greatest toy store they will ever see. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

The Enchanted Florist, 202 E. Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: Brighten up your home or office with flowers!  We have a $20 gift certificate for $8.50.

Jackson St. Grill, 9 Jackson St., Batavia, N.Y.: Try the fresh, skinless haddock fish fry on Fridays. We have a $10 gift certificate for $5.

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More people than ever distrust traditional news media, according to a new Pew study.

In this year’s survey, 63 percent of respondents said news articles were often inaccurate and only 29 percent said the media generally “get the facts straight” — the worst marks Pew has recorded — compared with 53 percent and 39 percent in 2007.

Seventy-four percent said news organizations favored one side or another in reporting on political and social issues, and the same percentage said the media were often influenced by powerful interests. Those, too, are the worst marks recorded in Pew surveys.

Of course, part of the problem is unbiased reporting is humanly impossible. We're all the products of our backgrounds, experiences and education that shapes our perceptions, our own sense of reality. News reporters make decisions every day based on their own perceptions. What is objectively true to one reporter is not necessarily true to another. Yet, news consumers have been educated to believe news reporting should be objective.

Because objectivity is impossible, people tend to believe the only objective news reporting is that which conforms with their own views. That's why so many Republicans believe Fox News is "fair and balanced," and on the left, only MSNBC tells the truth.

One of the enduring questions of the electronic-news era is this: are we deeper into an age of greater acrimony amongst partisan combatants because they see only one version of truth; or will the opportunity for more voices to be heard eventually lead to more open dialogue and a greater understanding of the issues of the day?

Every two years, the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce releases a map of the area that helps promote local businesses.

This year, The Batavian will handle the ad sales, which helps support the Chamber and pays for a valuable resource for travelers and residents alike.

As always, the up-to-date color map will be produced by Rochester-based Map Works, Inc.

More than 12,000 copies will be distributed throughout Genesee County in 2010 and 2011.

Local businesses interested in this promotional opportunity should contact Howard Owens at 585-260-6970.

A former Oakfield-Alabama bus driver who pled guilty in April to criminal sexual conduct in the second degree for inappropriately touching a 13-year-old student was back in court this morning to receive a new sentence in the case.

Alan D. Tidd, 50, of 3191 Galloway Road, Batavia, initially received a "determinant" prison term of seven years. Under sentencing rules, this means a defendant is not eligible for release for "good behavior" or because the defendant is believed rehabilitated.

But the determinant sentence statute was passed until 2007, and Tidd's crime was reportedly committed in 2004.

Today, Judge Robert Noonan issued the maximum sentence available under 2004 rules, which is seven years, but Tidd could be released after two-and-a-third years.

Meanwhile, Tidd's guilty plea is under appeal. His attorney, Timothy Murphy, said outside of court that Tidd, who entered his plea only days after his arrest, felt rushed and pressured to plead guilty because he wanted to get out of jail in a hurry to care for his wife, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and is confined to a wheelchair.

Tidd, who has three children and a grandchild, has no prior criminal record.

UPDATE: To clarify the time line:

• The single criminal act charged dates to 2004
• The law on determinant sentencing changed in 2007
• Tidd was arrested in November, 2008
• Tidd plead guilty within days of his arrest, according to his attorney
• Sometime between November and April, his attorney filed a motion to withdraw the guilty plea.
• That motion was denied April 9, 2009.
• He was sentenced on that day in April to a determinant sentence of seven years.
• Today, he was resentenced to an indeterminate sentence of 2 and-a-third years to seven years (the maximum sentence available.)