The numbers for New York's economy don't look good:

• Economic indicators have dropped 13 of the past 14 months
• Unemployment stands at 8 percent.
• Housing sales were down 21 percent last month.

And those are just the transitory, economic fluctuations that should be reasonably expected in a dynamic system.

New York, especially Western New York, suffers from longer-term economic trends that must be addressed whether we want to improve our standing in short-term fluctuations or build a strong economic foundation.

The New York State Association of Counties, which put out a press release prompting this post, jumps right to the conclusion that what is needed is more government, more stimulus, more taxpayer dollars.

Can the government really spend New York out of its current problems?

The government's power to spend money is mind boggling, but what really creates jobs and growth are private businesses making investments and taking risks.

Some of what is needed in New York is to clean up the mess in Albany, reduce the state regulatory burden and lower taxes.

But even with its faults, New York, especially WNY, has a lot going for it.  Genesee, in particular, has access to inexpensive power, reliable rail and road transportation, a stable workforce, inexpensive housing, plenty of land and water, respected school systems and a great natural environment.

There's no reason jobs can't be created here.

But growth won't come from government programs.  What WNY needs is a resurgence of entrepreneurship -- daring men and women who want to start businesses right here at home.

The biggest struggle WNY faces is how to convince business-minded people to take up the challenge of starting new companies.  And again, I'm not sure a government program is the answer.  People need to come to this conclusion on their own, but how to get the ball rolling ...

WNY was built by daring entrepreneurs, and only entrepreneurs will save it.

Full NYSAC press release after the jump:

“The Economy Watch continues to show that our state is suffering from severe economic decline. State and local leaders need to do everything we can to leverage funding from the federal stimulus plan to stem any further decline in our economy. We need to retain the jobs we have here in New York and attract new business and employment opportunities,” said NYSAC President Sarah Purdy, Yates County Administrator.
 

NYSAC’s Economy Watch is updated monthly and provides a range of data, including business cycle indicators, the consumer price index, job growth and layoff numbers, consumer and business confidence indicators, as well as local housing prices and sales activity.
 
Among the results presented in June’s Economy Watch include:
 

• The Index of Coincident Economic Indicators (ICEI), which has fallen for 13 of the past 14 months;
• Unemployment rates, which rose from 7.5% in April to 8.0% in May (before seasonal adjustment) despite increased seasonal hiring in many traditional tourist destination counties. A total of 29 counties exceed the State’s 8% unemployment rate;
• Housing sales declined by 21% for the month and have declined 40% since a year ago. Statewide sale prices have declined by 7.8% since a year ago and 11.8% since May of 2007;
• Consumer confidence increased in May by 5.5 points although New York consumer confidence indicators continued to be below the rest of the nation; and
• The Empire State Manufacturing Survey, which indicates that general business conditions for the state’s manufacturers continue to slip with indicators declining an additional 5 points in the last month.

 
The complete NYSAC Economy Watch, county level information where available, and a full description of each of the indicators and what they mean, can be obtained by visiting the NYSAC website.

The New York Stat Association of Counties is a bipartisan municipal association serving all 62 counties of New York State including the City of New York. Organized in 1925, NYSAC’s mission is to represent, educate and advocate for member counties and the thousands of elected and appointed county officials who serve the public.

One of the things I love about Batavia is all the great places to eat -- here's five great dining offers.

O'Lacy's Irish Pub, 5 School Street, Batavia, N.Y.: Check out the Tuesday night all-you-can eat grill. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Main St. Pizza Company, 206 E. Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: Pizza, wings, subs and even hamburgers and hot dogs, Main St. Pizza makes everything deliciously. We have four $5 gift certificates ($10 value) that can be used together or separately for $10.

T.F. Brown's, 214 E. Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: Recommendation: Try T.F. Brown's hamburgers.  Great food and great fun. We have a $20 gift card for $10.

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

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.

A $1 PayPal service fee applies on items more than $10 and .50 cents on items below $10.

Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value.  People who have won a certificate in the past 30 days are not eligible to win a certificate from the same business as before.  By state law, gift certificates cannot be used for alcohol purchase.

How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Ideally, the winner will arrange to stop by my office on Main Street to pick up gift certificate. Mail is an option, but it would be better to hand you the gift certificate. 

If you want to be notified via e-mail of future Deals of the Day, sign up for the Deals of the Day e-mail list by clicking here.

Merchants: If you would like your business featured in Deal of the Day, call Howard Owens at 260-6970.

Jackson St. Grill

SOLD

Sport of Kings

SOLD

T.F. Brown's

SOLD

Main St. Pizza

SOLD

O'Lacy's

SOLD

Byron Bergen Public Library Board of Trustees issued the following statement yesterday:

The Trustees of the Byron Bergen Public Library are actively pursuing options to keep both the village location and the location at the Gillam-Grant Community Center open, in the interest of serving both communities.   We are currently seeking bridge funding from a variety of sources and have received a grant from Nioga Library System to start the process.

The Gillam-Grant Community Center will no longer providing funding for library staff at that location and the trustees hosted two public meetings last month seeking community input on options.  There was a good deal of support for each of the current locations remaining, and neither location appears suited to becoming the only library in the Byron-Bergen area.

Darlene Ann Kingdollar, 47, of 25 S. Pearl St., Oakfield is charged with petty larceny. Kingdollar allegedly stole $20 from the purse of Kingdollar's grandson's wife while at a picnic.

Justin Adelbert Lilly, 21, of 11403 Apt. 1 Sanderson Road, Medina, was arrested in Orleans County and turned over the the Genesee County Sheriff's Office on a warrant issued in Alabama. Lilly is charged with burglary and criminal mischief.

A teen-age girl from Lockport incarcerated in Genesee County Jail reportedly punched another inmate in the face causing an injury. She is charged with assault in the second degree.

Both teams had seven hits but the Spikes (10-9) scored one more run than Batavia (10-9) to grab the first game of the series.  The Muckdogs’ pitching was as good as usual but had no run support.

Daniel Calhoun went five innings in the start with one run, five hits and six strikeouts.  Michael Blazek (2-2) finished the last three innings of the game and got the loss, letting up the deciding run with two hits, one walk and three strikeouts.

Batavia’s lone run came in the 3rd when Ryan Jackson singled, moved to second on a Devin Goodwin ground out and came in to score on a RBI base hit by Alan Ahmady.

Ryde Rodriguez continues to produce at the plate; he was the only Muckdog with a multi-hit night, going 2-for-4.  Ahmady finished 1-for-4 with a RBI, pushing his current hit streak into double digits.

With Mahoning Valley winning and Williamsport edging out Jamestown in ten innings, Batavia drops to third place in the standings, one and a half games out of first.

After the rain Thursday evening, my daughter found this among the dry spots in the driveway.  An almost perfect heart.  Thursday was July 2nd...  if my little brother were still alive, it would have been his 31st birthday.   I know it's silly, but we like to think that this heart was sent from him. 

Friday night, in the bottom of the fifth inning, Batavia Muckdogs infielder Alan Ahmady smashed a home run over The Batavian's right field promotional sign.  The opposite field shot from the right-handed slugger made the game an especially memorable one for Jacoby Miller of Albion.  Miller was the lucky fan that night to have his name drawn in The Batavian's Fifth Inning Home Run Contest.  He won $250, which he picked up at The Batavian's office this afternoon.  We also presented him with an autographed baseball from Ahmady.

Ahmady, from Fresno Calif. (my parents and a brother live just a couple of hours south in the same San Joaquin Valley in Bakersfield), is one of the Cardinals top prospects.  Maybe some day that autographed ball will be worth more than $250.

The home run was Ahmady's first as a professional player (just to be clear, the autographed ball is not the one he hit over the sign -- I don't know what happened to that ball -- hopefully it was retrieved and given to Ahmady for his own collection).

Miller's father, Kevin, said Friday night, "This is something he will never forget."  Today, Kevin Miller told me he and both his sons are huge baseball fans and they attend many Muckdogs games.

The youngster in the above photo certainly seems to be enjoying himself. His cavorting may be the result of the adventurous week he put in – or it could be he’s merely thankful to be on shore. His name is Regan Miller, twelve years old when the photo was taken. Along with baby brother Ethan, mom Heather and Grammy, Cindy Stevens, Regan joined Claudia and I on a trip to Lubber’s Quarters, a small island in the Sea of Abaco.  Our stay would last a week and for Regan, the adventure turned into an eye-opening experience not long after he first entered the water.

Our rental home overlooked a protected cove. To the north and south were points of land where the cove meets the open water in the Sea of Abaco. Overlooking the south point was another home, with a large pier extending into the water a good ways.  Like all structure, piers attract fish and this one was no exception. Beneath the pier was a variety of fish, including a school of mangrove snappers. 

Swimming below the pier, I kept one eye on the snappers and the other on Regan.  Having passed through the pier, I noticed the visibility was suddenly reduced – no doubt caused by the constant wave action against the shore.  That’s when I saw a light colored flash streak through the water.  Though the water was slightly murky I was sure I hadn’t imagined the elongated, silvery flash. What I was unsure of was, had it rushed us, actually swimming in our direction with the speed for which the species is noted when ambushing prey? Were we being sized up? Or was the mad dash merely for identification purposes. 

That lightning quick flash was all I saw, yet it was all I needed to realize a barracuda had already staked out this area as its own. The water here was shallow enough to stand, and with my right arm I swept Regan behind my back, an action which signaled to the 12 year old something was up.  

Deciding the coast was clear, we backed off, swimming backward slowly, beneath the pier and toward the cove. We had emerged on the opposite side of the pier when the toothsome barracuda came into view, slowly, barely sweeping its caudal fin, its menacing teeth evident.  In the clearness of the undisturbed water we could see it was all of five feet long.  And he was persistent, following us, refusing to leave. About this time I turned to look at Regan. His eyes were big as saucers – and who could blame him.  Unlike big sharks, barracuda are not capable of biting off human arms or legs – but their razor sharp teeth can sever arteries in a heartbeat. And I was responsible for the 12 year old alongside me.

After a few minutes the barracuda came close – too close. I literally tapped the barracuda on it’s snout with the barbed end of my Hawaiian sling, hoping he would get the hint.  It did not, but rather turned slightly, staying close. Unwilling to yield its hunting ground, the menacing-looking fish wasn’t backing down. “Don’t shoot him” said Regan. The youngster was obviously reading my mind. “If I shoot this thing is it going to swim off or turn on me - or us?”  I wondered. With Regan beside me it was a gamble I would not take. 

Swimming backward all the while to keep an eye on the feisty fish, we were finally in knee-deep water. I signaled to Regan to head for shore. I don’t remember whether or not he took off his fins, but he made a B-line for the beach, the ‘cuda in hot pursuit. The toothy fish could have easily overtaken Regan, but it didn’t. Had it merely been curious? Or had it sensed the erratic heart beat of a frightened 12 year-old?  Perhaps it had been attracted by the flash of the stainless steel shaft of my Hawaiian sling?   Numerous documented reports of barracuda attacks show many of the victims had been wearing shiny jewelry. 

Two days later, we were swimming not too far from shore off a small point on the opposite side of the bay, and by this time, Regan had a negative outlook on barracuda in general.  It goes without saying there would be more barracuda. Though they were smaller in size, it didn’t matter to Regan. The teeth protruding from their mouth and menacing appearance were enough to make my young dive partner leery.  It was while looking to the limit of our visibility, expecting larger specimens to show up, we saw a pair of brown objects lying on the sandy bottom directly below us in less than six feet of water.  They were nurse sharks, so close we could see their gill slits opening and closing. 

The week wasn’t without its sublime moments. We were snorkeling off Sandy Cay, part of the Pelican Cays Underwater Marine Park when five spotted eagle rays swam past. They were some 12 – 15 feet beneath the surface, swimming in single file, the movement of their wings slow and deliberate, yet graceful. I dove to get pictures, frantically snapping and rewinding the underwater disposable. Its times like this I long for a Nikonos with a strobe flash.  On the way home we anchored the boat to dive for sand dollars when a pair of bottlenose dolphins swam past. 

One afternoon Regan and I were walking the north shore of the island at low tide. Walking carefully along an outcropping of dead coral, we saw a variety of smaller marine life in tidal pools. Then Regan, never ceasing to amaze me, asked, “Isn’t that an octopus?”  Sure enough, at the bottom of one of the tidal pools was a small, cave-like opening in the coral formation. And just inside that opening one could see a small octopus with its tentacles withdrawn. Directly in front of its lair were three conch shells. The shells were empty, their interior pink-orange. They had no doubt been the octopus’ dinner.  That same day it was time to depart and Regan had a seat next to the pilot. As we circled the island, I saw him gazing out the window at the turquoise blue water, no doubt thinking about the big barracuda.

This autumn Regan will be a sophomore at Batavia High where he plays football and basketball for the Blue Devils. Since our Abaco adventure he has grown at least a foot and filled out considerably. Not so surprisingly Regan says he’d like to return to the island, adding that next time he’d like to try his hand at actually hunting with a Hawaiian sling.  My question to Regan is this: armed with a sling, are you willing to swim back to the barracuda’s lair beneath the pier?    

I work for a college, it'll remain unnamed. In the office where I work our students are primarily adults. We offer different degree options, and full-time status so that our students qualify for financial aid. On top of my normal office duties, I also tutor students in writing.

I attended a traditional (private) four-year instutition in New York State. I have a BA and I consider myself pretty intelligent. I could probably teach some social studies courses and have a healthy experience teaching high school, if I so desired.

I'm attending graduate school to get my Master's in Educational Leadership, I want to work with college students, specifically (eventually) adult students at a traditional 4-year institution.

Through these experiences I am always amazed at the lack of reading and writing comprhension. Even at the Master-level, students do not read or comprehend the reading. They do not engage with the reading. They have no questions or comments about the reading. It's sad. The students I work with have no idea how to form an academic argument or even write the traditional 5-paragraph essays.

Here on the boards I'm amazed at what is considered fact and reliable. It's not that there are "bad" sources out there (well, there are, but pretend for a moment there aren't any) but what we use to back up our arguments here on the internet (all over the internet) would never be accepted academically. They wouldn't be accepted in the high school curriculum in NYS. But, my main point is, here on the internet are "real" people, those that actually exist in this world without the help of an academic sitting on their shoulder. It amazes me how our education system has failed so many people.

Here's an article that really sums up my feelings, and frustrations, as a student and educational leader (you may or may not be able to read the whole thing, I'm at work so I'm not sure what's private on the site). http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2009/06/2009063001c.htm (and I realize this post might make me sound high-and-mighty, but it's really just about observations I've had through my experiences)

Emergency crews are being dispatched to a one-car accident on the Thruway with a reported minor injury. 

A first responder reports that the accident is in the median near Bank Street with one person complaining of chest and knee pain.

Ted Hawley, right, pays a $10 fine for not wearing the proper name badge during today's Batavia Rotary Club meeting.  Hawley started his term as president today and his badge didn't have the year of his presidency printed on it. Outgoing president Ray Chaya gave Hawley a new badge and collected the fine.

Dietrich Williams is accused of shaking the baby of a Batavia woman so violently, even hitting the infant's head against a hard service, that the baby is now in grave condition. Today Williams pleaded not guilty to charges of assault in the first degree and reckless assault of a child.

After the hearing, District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said the baby is not doing well.

"There's a lot of uncertainty right now," Friedman said. "It doesn't look good."

He said doctors fear brain damage, vision damage, whether the baby will be able to feed herself and whether she will be able to breath on her own.

Williams was reportedly living with a co-worker from a nursing home in Le Roy and was charged with watching the woman's four children while she worked a double shift.

On the night of June 20 or early morning of June 21, Williams allegedly assaulted the 15-month-old child.

The child and the mother have not been identified.

Defense Attorney Jerry Ader argued for reduced bail, stating that Williams is an employed resident of Genesee County and had only one prior misdemeanor conviction -- for unauthorized use of rental car that was returned late.

Friedman asked that Williams be held without bail, because there is a warrant for his arrest in Florida (reportedly for a bounced $100 check related to the car rental), and he has changed residence and jobs a few times over the past several months.  Friedman said he didn't believe Williams had lived in Genesee County for more than 4 1/2 months.

Since Williams hasn't appeared on a charged related to $100 check, Friedman told Judge Robert Noonan that he doubted he would appear on a felony charge where he potentially faces a 25-year prison term.

Noonan kept Williams bail at $50,000.

Daryl Jenkins of Rochester today admitted to sending threatening text messages and photos to an Oakfield woman and plead guilty to stalking in the second degree.

Judge Robert Noonan did not allow Jenkins out of jail pending sentencing. He is being held on $10,000 bail or $20,000 bond.  Noonan said he took into consideration the report of Jenkins two convictions for contempt of court as well as the nature of the messages, which Noonan characterized as showing a disregard for the authority of the court.

"I've just read a series to text messages that flaunt the law more than anything I've ever seen," Noonan said.

Among the messages, Noonan said, were those that read "I'm above the law," which Noonan said Jenkins wrote several times.

Jenkins sent messages to the Oakfield woman threatening to kill her. In one e-mail message he included a picture of a gun and threatened to use it on her.

Today's Deals:

South Main Country Gifts, 3356 S. Main St. Road, Batavia, N.Y.: I happened to be in South Main yesterday. Julie has a bunch of great new items in stock, and said she's adding new items to her large inventory regularly.  We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Center Street Smoke House, 20 Center St., Batavia, N.Y.: Just in time for this weekend's Ramble in Jackson Street Square.  We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

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 certificate for $7.50.

Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern, 107 Evans Street, Batavia, N.Y.: From sandwiches to ribs, Delavan's has a thoroughly worthwhile menu. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

A $1 PayPal service fee applies on items more than $10 and .50 cents on items below $10.

Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value.  People who have won a certificate in the past 30 days are not eligible to win a certificate from the same business as before.  By state law, gift certificates cannot be used for alcohol purchase.

How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Ideally, the winner will arrange to stop by my office on Main Street to pick up gift certificate. Mail is an option, but it would be better to hand you the gift certificate. 

If you want to be notified via e-mail of future Deals of the Day, sign up for the Deals of the Day e-mail list by clicking here.

Merchants: If you would like your business featured in Deal of the Day, call Howard Owens at 260-6970.

We also still have available these gift certificates:

Sport of Kings Family Restaurant

SOLD

Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern

SOLD

South Main Country Gifts

SOLD

Center Street Smoke House

We also have these gift certificates still available:

The Enchanted Florist

Eclectic Creations

Gene Douglas Swede, 61, of 11295 Perry Road, Pavilion, is charged with harassment. Swede is accused of jumping a fence into a neighbor's yard, yelling and cussing at the neighbor and threatening to beat up the neighbor. An order of protection was issued for Swede protecting his neighbors.

Porscha Mohogani Woods, 26, of 305 Oak St., Syracuse is charged with disorderly conduct. Woods is accused of pushing Darien Lake security guards and using vulgar language while attempting to break free of the guards following an altercation at the park on July 4 at 8:11 p.m.

A 16-year-old from Rochester was issued a ticket by Sheriff's deputies in the Town of Batavia for unlawful possession of marijuana.  The youth was walking on a road in Batavia when he was allegedly found to be in possession of marijuana.

Batavia's (11-8) pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts on the night while Auburn had two costly errors to get the Muckdogs back on the winning track after a three game slide.

Batavia's big inning came in the 4th as they scored three runs to go up 3-2.  Devin Goodwin singled and advanced to second on a throwing error and was moved to third when Alan Ahmady reached on a base hit.  Two batters later, Ryde rodriguez reached safely on a force attempt while another error allowed Goodwin to come home and Ahmady to advance to second. Another single by Niko Vazquez loaded the bases before Ivan Castro hit a two RBI base hit to center field.

Justin Edwards started the game out right on the mound going three innings with two runs, four hits, one walk and five strikeouts. Kevin Siegrist followed him to get the win in three innings with two runs, four hits, one walk and three strikeouts. After that, Josh Squatrito picked up his first hold and LaCurtis Mayes picked up his first save on the season.

Goodwin, Vazquez, Castro and Scruggs all went 2-for-4 on the night with Scruggs sending one over the fence for his third homerun on the season.

The Pinckney Division remains the same with all the top teams getting wins tonight.  Batavia sits tied in 2nd place with Williamsport one game behind Mahoning Valley.  They head to State College Tuesday to take on the Spikes who are close behind in 3rd place, just two games behind the leader.

SafeRoads.org has a searchable map of all the U.S. pinpointing fatal traffic accidents, and showing the density of such accidents.  Looking over the Genesee County area, it doesn't look like there is any one roadway or intersection that is more prone toward fatal accidents.

Lt. Eugene Jankowski, of the Batavia Police Department, participated in the 250th Anniversary re-enactment of the Siege of Fort Niagara and sent along these pictures. Jankowski is pictured above on the far right.