Daily News

LeRoy police have identified the body discovered in Oatka Creek Wednesday afternoon as that of 41-year-old Glenn Kanaley, according to the Daily News. No cause of death has been determined, and the body has been taken to the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office where an autopsy will be performed.

LeRoy Police Chief Christopher Hayward dispelled rumors on television that the death was a suicide. "Nothing indicated he was suicidal," writes reporter Scott DeSmit.

In other news, the New York State School for the Blind opened its "Sensory Park" playground Wednesday. The park is designed to"stimulate senses (and) help students with motor skills" and includes an herb garden, slides and a swingset, pedal cars, go-carts and a "spongy carpet, which gets thicker under any areas where students are apt to fall."

The Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park was approved for a $225,000 grant from the Batavia Town Board at its meeting last night.

Consolidation is under way as city police officers begin training on the new computer system they will share with the Genesee County Sheriff's Office. Once the consolidation is complete — should be in September — there will no longer be a dispatcher in police headquarters. Instead, "the city will have a clerk on duty during day-time hours."

Investigation into the fire that scorched Cristina's Restaurant Saturday continues, though "the probe has shifted ... to interviewing people," writes Paul Mrozek. Cristina's owner Charles Brumsted has declined to comment to the Daily News and has not returned messages left by The Batavian.

Pick up your copy of the Daily News at local newsstands — such as Main Street Coffee. Or, better yet, subscribe online at BataviaNews.com.

A severe thunderstorm pounded Batavia and other parts of the county this morning, according to the Daily News. Lightning strikes hit hard and may have caused at least three house fires in Alabama, Stafford and Byron.

Several fire departments responded to reports of a fire at 2634 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road in Alabama around 8:30am. East Pembroke Fire Chief Bob Yungfleisch told The Batavian that the fire was contained to the laundry room and part of a back room that was in the process of being remodeled. While lightning was the cause of the fire, no bolts actually struck the home, he said. Instead, lightning struck outside of the house causing a power surge that shorted an electrical line running to an inside wall. Two children were home at the time, though no one was hurt.

"The fire was contained within about 20 minutes," said Yungfleisch. "There was damage from the fire, but nothing was destroyed, nothing that can't be fixed."

Yungfleisch estimated repairs at about $5,000, though they could be less, he said.

The Batavian has calls in to the other departments to find out more information about the fires in Stafford and Byron, neither of which were believed to have been serious, according to emergency personnel. We will relay any more information as it becomes available.

The Daily News also reports that LeRoy's Village Hall was without power for a spell this morning. The Batavian heard reports, too, that the campus of Genesee Community College was also without power for a time this morning.

Reporter Joanne Beck got a little spitfire and sass out of City Council President Charlie Mallow in an article that turned from good intentions to bad vibrations.

Beck's story opens with the headline: "Mallow's mission: Get city financially solvent in the next 18 months and then call it a day." Mallow tells her that he is "going to take care of the budget ... and then hand off the city in better financial shape for someone else to take care of" — and the article seems to be very much about that: Mallow's plans to save the city from itself.

The story takes a sharp turn, however, when suddenly Councilman Bob Bialkowski shows up and quickly assumes the role of the anti-Mallow.

Mallow's four-year term is up in 2009. Despite his belief that "I'm going to do what's right every single time," he's been accused by at least one councilman of not doing right. After Mallow abruptly shut down Councilman Bob Bialkowski at Monday's conference session, Bialkowski shared his thoughts about the leader-at-large.

Bialkowski told Beck that Mallow is "making up his own rules" and that he "had something other to discuss" but was prohibited to do so by Mallow, who is quoted later in the article as saying: "Sometimes you have to shut your mouth."

Mallow contends that Bialkowski should recuse himself from voting about the mall sign since Bialkowski's wife is the mall manager and stands to gain financially if the city purchases a sign for the Mall Merchants Association. There is no indication that Bialkowski was given a chance to respond.

Instead, Beck quotes more Mallow, who is anything but subtle about his opinion of Bialkowski: "I believe [Bialkowski] wants to put the city in a weakened position to benefit the mall merchants."

After quoting Mallow as saying that Bialkowski should "shut his mouth," Beck moves on:

[Mallow] would like to see that kind of silence more often from Bialkowski and Bill Cox. Both councilmen brought up — or attempted to discuss — issues that had nothing to do with city business, Mallow said.

Bialkowski and Cox brought up two issues: excessive bird droppings on the City Centre roof and legal fees for the city attorney. Cox said that he tried to get both items included on the agenda but was refused.

City Manager Jason Molino said the bird droppings were an issue for the mall. As for the legal fees, Mallow said: "A majority of council" already said it didn't want to discuss such costs.

Cox is never quoted in the article. Nor does Beck indicate that she made any attempt to give Cox a chance to respond.

Also in today's Daily News:

• Mother's Chicken-n-Fish plans to add a dining patio and spruce up the landscaping around its Ellicott Street restaurant.
• The May 19 house fire in Byron that was responsible for the death of Cheryl Reis, her son, Timothy, and her two daughters, Emily and Virginia, has been ruled "undetermined." Byron Fire Chief John Durand told the Daily News: "If we haven't determined a cause by now, I doubt it will become anything other than undetermined."
• Officials in the towns of Batavia, Elba and Oakfield have agreed to look further into the possibility of sharing court facilities. Step one: get state approval.
• A pair of fun features can be found on the front page and in the local section today. Matt Surtel writes about the 4-H Fashion Show that was held yesterday at the Genesee County Fair. And Virginia Kropf is back for another Around the Towns, this one about the Buffalo Transportation Pierce Arrow Museum. Kropf vows to write more articles on museum's in the area, so we can look forward to more.

As always, we encourage folks to pick up their own copy of the Daily News at area newsstands. Or, better yet, subscribe online at BataviaNews.com.

Agricultural reporter Tom Rivers is back in the fields — blueberry and raspberry patches in Point Breeze, this time. His article, something of a fruit-picker epic, sprawls off the front page to fill the entire back page of today's Daily News.

It's chock full of the expected Rivers-isms, such as, say... "I could barely stand the smell of myself, an unpleasant brew of sweat and sunscreen." A long piece, for sure, but as the rest of the series has been, quite readable.

Joanne Beck's coverage of the City Council's meeting last night can be found on the front page. Or... you can find it on The Batavian yesterday and this morning.

Reporter Paul Mrozek rounds out today's front page with a preview of the Genesee County Fair that opens today and runs through the weekend.

PIECES Gallery on Main Street will close "as of Monday." The gallery opened in Batavia in 2003. The article by Joanne Beck related the news that was left in a "voicemail message" by co-owner April Stringham.

Investigation into the fire Saturday at Cristina's Restaurant continues. Fire crews will raze most of the structure so that investigators can "sift through the wreckage" and better determine the cause of the fire. The banquet hall portion of the facility should remain intact. Cristina's owner Charles Brumsted was on the scene when reporter Paul Mrozek was there, but Brumsted refused to comment.

The Muckdogs won one and lost one during last night's doubleheader with Aberdeen. They improve to 15-12 for the season. They are tied for second place in their division.

Today's Daily News opens on the front page with coverage by Paul Mrozek of the Cristina's fire from over the weekend. Not much new information that was not already available in our post Saturday and WBTA's report this morning that the investigation continues.

Mrozek was also in LeRoy this weekend for the Oatka Festival. Thanks to the camera lens of Russ Stresing, The Batavian hopes to have some video of the parade up on the site tomorrow.

A brief preview of the Genesee County Fair schedule for Tuesday includes these highlights:

• Pancake breakfast from 7:00 to 10:00am.
• Horse shows at 10:00am and 5:00pm.
• Fashion show from noon to 1:30pm.
• Midway opens at 6:00pm, following the opening ceremony at 5:00pm.
• Talent show at 6:00pm.
• Karaoke at 8:00pm.

Congratulations are in order for 16-year-old Batavia High School student Avery Cruz who was honored with the Assembly Republican Excelsior Award June 20. State Assemblyman Steve Hawley presented the award granted to "individuals who have overcome physical or other personal challenges to acheive great accomplishments and serve others in the community." Cruz has Asperger's Syndrome, a type of Autism.

More congratulations for Elizabeth Bonarigo, Mark Houseknecht and William "Rusty" Griffin, Notre Dame's Woman and Men of the Year, respectively.

In sports news, Batavia Minor League Baseball recorded the first tie game in its history. Pamela Sivret does a good job covering the match and the mood of the game, and Nick Serrata's photograph is just as great. Not only was it the first tie, it was the first time the Minor League played a night game. The All-Star match pitted the Nationals versus the Americans, writes Sivret. And after a lengthy "big lead" held by the Nationals for most of the match, the Americans tied it up (10-10) in the 8th, and that was where it would remain as both teams struck out in the 9th.

It wasn't until page three of today's Daily Fly Swat that I got to what seemed to me pretty big news — although Correspondent Susan J. Conrad's account of Oakfield's sesquicentennial on the front page was a lot of fun. In big, bold type, the headline at the top of the Local section reads: "County may ground Boogie."

Most folks may have already heard that this year's Batavia Boogie skydiving festival began with a fatal fall last Thursday when a diver's chute did not open. The story was covered extensively, and the Boogie continued through Sunday.

Itr turns out, that fatality may have more lasting repercussions for the annual festival.

County Manager Jay Gsell told Reporter Paul Mrozek that the county may "not allow the Batavia Boogie to continue" because "if an event increases the county's risk of liability, the county does not automatically approve the activity." Nothing concrete has been established. No one has yet said 'No' definitively. In fact, that's all the news there is: the county may not allow it. I put in a call to the county manager to see what exactly it would take for the county to deny the Boogie its permits for next year. I was told that he should call back later this afternoon.

UPDATE: I spoke with the county manager, who got back to me within the hour. He told me that there would not be anything specific that would make the county deny the Boogie its permits. Rather, the county will consider the Boogie more of a "secondary liability." In other words, the county does not want to get sued as a result of something happening at the Boogie, since it would be happening on county grounds.

Gsell also made clear that the county cannot "ground" the Boogie at all, so the Daily News headline is slightly misleading. The only activities the county can deny the festival goers are: camping, the use of the grounds for overnight stay and conduct of any business. If the FAA grants the skydivers permission to jump, there is nothing the county can say to the contrary.

In other news...

Target's new store in the shopping center off Veteran's Memorial Drive is slated to open July 27 — and everything seems to be on schedule. The center's other residents — Bed Bath & Beyond, Petco, Michael's and Famous Footwear — should open throughout the fall.

Reporter Kristen Kotz looks into the popularity of roadside fruit and vegetable stands. Neat article.

Remember: you can pick up your very own copy of the Daily Fly Swat wherever newspapers are sold — like, say, Main Street Coffee. Or, better yet, go subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

It's disappointing to learn today that the Daily News thinks of itself as serving no other higher public good than acting as a fly swat.

Well, I suppose it could also be used to line a bird cage, wrap a fish, clean a window or mulch a garden.

At The Batavian, we're pretty proud of the fact that we're here to serve the community by helping people become better informed and giving all residents a chance to have a voice in their community.

You can subscribe to the Daily Fly Swat at BataviaNews.com.

Not much Batavia news on the front page of today's Daily News that wasn't already featured on The Batavian. In fact, both Batavia stories — one about GCC's $4 million capital project and the other about LeRoy's Oatka Festival — were on our site this morning and yesterday, respectively. (Check out the link on the right to the Buffalo News coverage of the Legislature meeting for more details.)

Inside, the Youth Page features a pair of articles on summer parks programs run by the Batavia Youth Bureau: the 2008 Batavia Summer Youth Program, which features weekly tennis activities. Call (585) 345-6420 for more information.

Tom Rivers has a nice column on today's opinion page about a local man's ties to an Olympic coach, and the wonders of the pole vault.

As always, we encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstands — Main Street Coffee has some, plus they have coffee. Or, better yet, visit BataviaNews.com and subscribe.

So... the whole back page of the A-section in today's Daily News is devoted to coverage of two out-of-town festivals happening this weekend: a Taste of Buffalo and the Sterling Renaissance Fest. Both are fine guarantees of a good time, I'm sure. I know I plan to head down to Sterling later this summer. Probably for the Pirate Revel. Argh!

But we're here to say that you don't have to go that far.

LeRoy, everybody's favorite world capital of Jell-O, will be hosting its annual Oatka Festival this Saturday and Sunday. Buffalo and Sterling are both Thruway stops away. heck, you can almost throw a stone from Batavia and hit LeRoy.

LeRoy's Oatka Festival, held on the banks of the lovely Oatka Creek, began in 1989. Its organizers did all they could to ensure the event would be "an old fashioned community gathering" — and they've kept it that way ever since.

You could say the festivities kick off at 11:00am Saturday with a parade down Main Street in LeRoy. That same day, you can expect no less than a backyard family circus, a chicken barbecue, brass bands and "cookie song writing for kids" — not sure what that means but it sounds fun.

And that's just Saturday.

Sunday will keep the music going — including a high school talent show under the tent. For the readers out there, the Woodward Memorial Library will continue its used book sale throughout the weekend. Then, of course, there are the crafts, the food, the 5K Walk/Run and the Vietnam Veteran's Duck Derby.

Click here to download the full schedule of events as it was printed in the LeRoy Pennysaver, or check it out on the Web site.

A story in the local section of today's Daily News about the logo design contest for the New York-Penn League was missing one very important element. In a story all about designs, it would have been nice to see them.

So I went online and found them.

First things first, make sure you visit the Web site and vote for your favorite. There are six altogether from five finalists — Matthew Steinberg of Corfu got two submissions into the finals. Unfortunately, you can't tell which two are his. (This one to the left here is the current logo.)

Here are some more details about the contest from the Minor League Baseball Web site:

At the beginning of April, the New York-Penn League announced their current logo would be retired at the completion of the 2008 season. In an effort to find a new mark, the league announced a contest to help design the new logo. The league received over 80 designs from talented artists as far away as Paris, France, as well as designers from throughout the New York-Penn League community. After narrowing the competition to the top five designs, the contest will now be turned over to you, the fans, to select the league’s new logo.

And here are the final six. I kind of like Option Nos. 4 and 5.

Now, go vote!

What's going on in today's Daily News? Let's take a look...

A former Orleans County resident, who is considered a "person of interest" in the shooting death of Oakfield man William Fickel in 2005, was jailed in West Virginia a couple weeks ago. James M. Nichols, 55, was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for possessing firearms that he should not have had since he's a convicted felon. While the charges do not relate to the murder, they were discovered as a result of its investigation. Read the article by Scott DeSmit for the full details of Fickel's unsolved homicide and the $100,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.

Reporter Tom Rivers takes a look at some changes in store for the poorly attended Genesee County Fair. Fair organizers hope the changes will bring in more bodies. Genesee has had the second poorest attendance out of eight upstate counties over the past several years, second only to Livingston. Changes this year will include:

• Charging admission by the carload rather than per person: $5.
• Offering an "Everything Pass" for $12 that gets you admission, rides and events.

In addition to the typical fair events, folks should expect live music daily and fireworks Friday and Saturday. The fair opens Tuesday and runs through Sunday.

A public hearing in Oakfield tonight will be the first to get input into a potential merger of the courts in Oakfield, Elba and Batavia.

A story in today's local section about a Genesee Community College $4 million capital project was featured in the WBTA news roundup on The Batavian this morning.

God's Helping Hands and Project Hope are looking for more volunteers for another neighborhood cleanup that runs from 10:00am to 1:00pm Saturday on South Spruce, Prune and Jerome Streets. Call (585) 344-2997 to join up.

Nothing local in sports news today.

WBTA reported this morning:

• Billionaire businessman Tom Golisano of Rochester may form a PAC, enabling him to spend vast amounts of money in support of favored political candidates.
• U.S. Parachute Association is also looking into the death during the holiday weekend of Joseph Schickler.  The FAA has already launched an official investigation.
• A tractor trailer hauling brand new Dodge Chargers caught fire along Route 63 near Geneseo.

Tune into WBTA 1490-AM for these and other news updates throughout the day. 

From the Daily News (Monday):

• Today's paper is predictably dominated by coverage of Saturday's Ramble Music & Arts Fest — as it should be: the festival saw a great turnout of both musicians and concertgoers. Fine coverage, but be sure to check out, as well, The Batavian's photos and video from the event, posted today.
• Monsignore Leo McCarthy spoke to parishioners at Resurrection Parish in Batavia for the last time Sunday. McCarthy will "assume new duties at Blessed Sacrament parish in Tonawanda," following his 12 years in Batavia.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

From the Daily News (Wednesday):

• Graham Corporation's Chief Finanicial Officer J. Ronald Hansen will reture August 1. Hansen has been with the company since 1993. The Batavia-based manufacturer of "vacuum-and-heat exchangers" has seen tremendous financial growth over the past few years.
• For commentary on the article about Youth Football and the school board, see our earlier post.
• Construction of the shopping plaza off Veterans Memorial Drive in the town of Batavia resumed after a delay to get the plans for the plaza in accord with state environmental regulations. No mention in the article of the length of the delay.
• The city's Neighborhood Improvement Committee will meet tonight at 6:30pm in the Council Board Room at City Hall.
• Virginia Kropf's "Around the Towns" column in today's paper addresses her membership in the "crazy group of older women called 'Red Hatters.'" It's a delight. I look forward to Kropf's columns.
• Well, I'm sure at least Sen. Chuck Schumer would be pleased with the front page of today's Daily News. In a huge photo that dominates the top half of the paper, the senator almost seems lifesize, a giant among the puny windmills in the distance behind him — yikes! Apparently, he was in Wetherfield looking for support for a windmill bill he's excited about.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

From the Daily News (Tuesday):

• O glorious day! Today's Daily News features the third installment of Tom Rivers' adventures in agriculture series — cherry picking. Rivers begins the article with a confession of his rampant fear of heights, ladders in particular, which makes for a tense and funny start to what proves another gem in a great series. Go read it.
• United Memorial Medical Center received a $2.2 million state grant that will help finance the renovation of the Jerome Center on Bank Street. Reporter Paul Mrozek writes: "The project will provide 37 condominium-style apartments for low-income senior citizens, ages 55 or older. Rent will be from $475 per month to $575 per month, depending on the person's income." The total cost of the project is about $8.2 million. No date has yet been set for the start of the project, but UMMC spokeswoman Colleen Flynn said that they hope to start soon.
• The Genesee County Nursing Home was told it will get $800,000 in "retroactive Medicaid reimbursements," money that was supposed to be granted by the state as reimbursement for Medicaid patient care provided by the nursing home. Also, the state will start to pay more for Medicaid services and the county should see an added $600,000 "in unanticipated revenue," writes Paul Mrozek, which means more good news for an institution that hasn't heard much of it in recent months.
• And the money just keeps flowing... The city of Batavia received a check for nearly $630,000 from the state thanks to Batavia Downs video gaming facility. An article in the Daily News Friday made mention of the state funds — some went to the county and some to the town, as well. After reading today's article, I still don't quite understand why the state gives money to community's for hosting video gaming centers, which I believe are no more than video slot machines. Reporters Tom Rivers and Joanne Beck explain how it came about: "The state last year approved legislation allowing host communities to receive payments for having video gaming centers within their municipal borders. They share 3.5 percent of the total net revenue generated by the video gaming centers." I assume that "they" here refers to the "host communities." But then the next sentence says that the "money comes from the state and not the tracks that operate the gambling centers." I'm confused. Whose money is this? Is it the state's or does it belong to the Downs? Why do municipalities get a share? Anyone know how this works?
• A fire at a home in Corfu Monday morning resulted in the death of two cats and caused about $50,000 in damage. No one was home at the time, and the Corfu fire chief said the house is not habitable.
• The owner of BrightLine, a television marketing company, was honored as the Batavia High School Graduate of Disctinction Sunday. Jacqueline Corbelli Modzelewski graduated from the school in 1982.
• Brian Hillabush reports on the NFL-sponsored football camp at Batavia High School. More than 400 kids are enrolled in the camp, and they come from schools all over the area. It's an interesting article, worth reading.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

From the Daily News (Monday):

• Batavia High School's Class of '08 walked the stage Sunday at Genesee Community College for the school's 126th commencement ceremony. The school's new principal, Christopher Dailey, officiated most of the ceremony and gave the class advice courtesy of Dr. Seuss (seriously): "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the one who will decide where to go."
• A guest article from Anne Marie Starowitz of the Holland Land Office Museum takes a look at the history of the Wind Plow Company in Batavia. An interesting bit of history, the article is part of a monthly series called: "History on Display at HLOM."
• The annual Safe Summer Children's Carnival is slated for July 17 at Fellti Ice Arena at 22 Evans St. Cheap pizza, sno-cones and soda will be available, along with "carnival games, balloon sculptures, charactures (sic), face painting, bounce house and educational booths." The festivities start at 10:30am and wrap up at 2:00pm. Call Jennifer Waldron at the Genesee County Youth Bureau at (585) 344-3960 for more information.
• Threats of hail storms scared away "many participants" at the Rotary Rods and Rock & Roll car show and beer festival fundraiser Saturday, writes reporter Joanne Beck. Great quote from the owner of a 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix who did come out for the event. He says of the car: "It's our all-weather car. But it doesn't get driven in the winter." Funny... While the car show — usually the big hit — only drew 350 people, Batavia's Beer Festival brought in 400. More than just a beer tent with a couple kegs of Genny Light, the festival had a slew of fine beers on tap to sample.
• The Batavia Muckdogs and Jamestown Jammers game that was rained out yesterday will be played tonight instead at 7:05pm at Dwyer Stadium. Tune in to WBTA for the full broadcast.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

From the Daily News (Friday):

• Genesee County "officials" told reporter Paul Mrozek that the investigation into the murder of Janet Kirkup will focus on Darien or Pembroke. Robert Kirkup recently confessed to the murder of his wife, Janet, during a cross-country trip in 1992, and it is believed that her body is buried somewhere near a campsite in Darien. Genesee County District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said that the cause of death "may be strangulation." The search for the body has not yet begun.
• Batavia Downs celebrated the grand opening of its new restaurant, Grandstands, on Thursday. Reporter Tom Rivers was there to get some color and chat with the officials about the Downs' continued success. In a sidebar to the story, it's reported that the Downs recently warranted a check from the state for $286,274, "money that will be used to offset some proerty taxes." It sounds as if the money goes to the communities: to the county, the city and the town. The city is supposed to get nearly $500,000, and the town should receive a little more than $175,000. I wonder how that works. Where does that money come from? Tom Rivers and Paul Mrozek write that the state gives money to "host communities with video gaming centers." Doesn't that sound strange? Hey, community, good job promoting gambling, here's some cash to do with what you please. Am I being too cynical or misunderstanding this?
• "Officials" from Genesee and Orleans counties had "the beginning of a discussion" about potentially creating a regional jail. It seems people are interested in talking about it, but little else is really decided at this point.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

From the Daily News (Thursday):

• A 68-year-old California man who confessed June 17 to the murder of his wife back in 1992 was extradited to Genesee County Jail on murder charges. Robert Kirkup's wife, Janet, went missing in 1992 when the couple was traveling across country in a mobile home, and an investigation into her disappearance went "cold" in 1999. Detectives in San Bernardino County in California reopened the case on June 10 and took Robert Kirkup into custody following his confession. It is now believed that Janet Kirkup's body is buried somewhere in Genesee County.
• A story on the front page about United Memorial Medical Center potentially losing IDA funding was reported yesterday on The Batavian — including a link to full coverage of the issue by the Buffalo News.
• The New York State School for the Blind held its graduation and student awards ceremony yesterday. Amanda Benoit, David Roberts, Andrew Hershelman, Amy Mae Snyder and Catherine Truesdale got their diplomas, and dozens of others were honored with awards.
• Reporter Roger Muehlig does a good job writing up the current exhibit at GO ART! in Batavia. The show is titled Artitude and features works in pen and ink, watercolor, colored pencil and crayon by members of the Genesee County Mental Health Association's Social Club. You can see the show at the cultural center at 201 E. Main St., Batavia. The gallery is open from 9:00am to 4:00pm daily.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

Daily News reporter Joanne Beck paid a visit to Dwyer Stadium yesterday, but she wasn't there for a ball game. She was there to get a closer look at the outfield turf, a plot of grass that has been the center of a controversy over the past week here in Batavia.

At Monday's City Council meeting, Ben Bonarigo stood up and asked the city to let youth football play one more season at Dwyer before it relocated to Kibbe Park at a cost to the city that would not exceed about $19,000. His recommendation was immediately followed by a heated, hour-long debate among Council members, none of whom seemed to agree on even a single detail. (For more details about the meeting and the recommendation by City Manager Jason Molino to relocate the program to Austin Park, check out our two earlier posts.)

At the core of the debate is a simple disagreement between Bonarigo, who is a member of youth football's board of directors, and Council President Charlie Mallow. Bonarigo says that if youth football stays another season at Dwyer, the outfield will suffer no great hurt. Mallow says just the opposite.

Beck writes that if Council approves youth football's request to stay at Dwyer for one more season, "Mallow has no doubt the city will pay another $10,000 next year for field repairs."

We asked Charlie to explain a little more his choice of $10,000 for the city's share of field repair costs. Why that much? He wrote to us in an e-mail:

The city is responsible for the first $10,000. From what I remember it cost the Red Wings $40,000 plus for this season's patch repairs. I expect the city's liabilities to be at least what they were last year. In talking to the baseball people, anything less would not be believable. We can not open ourselves up to escalating costs of field repairs any longer.

Bonarigo countered at the meeting Monday that there is no way youth football would cause so much damage that the city would need to spend that kind of money and that even after the repairs, the field is in the same shape this year as it was last year.

And really, that's what it has come down to: Charlie says this, Bonarigo says that. My question — and I would hope it would be everyone else's question, too — is: Who do we believe?

In Beck's article today, she quotes Muckdogs General Manager Dave Wellenzohn and Red Wings General Manager both saying that Bonarigo is wrong. Wellenzohn says flat out that the "overuse" of the field from youth football "will bring us back to square one," and square one would mean an investment by the city of at least $10,000.

With the quotes from Wellezohn, Mason and Red Wings CEO Naomi Silver, the overall tenor of the article seems very much in support of Charlie's view that: "Council is wasting taxpayer dollars." And it's an argument that should warrant some credence.

Why pay $10,000, $20,000 or even $10 for youth football when that money is not spent on other youth programs, Charlie asks? Why does youth football get special treatment? Or is it special treatment? WBTA seemed to ask the opposite question in their next-day coverage of the meeting Monday: Would one more year of youth football really be that bad?

Unfortunately, Beck also writes that "Bonarigo was unavailable for comment." The Batavian put in a call to Bonarigo's office this morning to take up some of these questions, but he was not in. He should be back later, so we hope to get a comment from him then.

From the Daily News (Wednesday):

• Onion fields in Elba that looked ravaged by the hail storms that tore through the region early last week seem to be recovering nicely. Reporter Tom Rivers writes: "A week later and the onion growers say they couldn't be happier with the turnaround. Many of the plants have shed bruised and battered leaves and grown new ones, with some already a foot high."
• Incoming Batavia City School Superintendent Margart Puzio told reporter Joanne Beck that she wants to be accessible to all who need her services. "I have an open door," she said. "If there are ever any problems, please, please, please contact me." Puzio takes over as superintendent tomorrow.
• Another great article by Tom Rivers on the front page today. This one is about a group of onion growers that meets for coffee once a week to chat about their farms, their lives and whatever else. But they don't meet at a coffee shop. Or anywhere else indoors. Instead, this crew gathers beside a frog-filled drainage ditch along Transit Road in Elba. Fun read!
• Traco Manufacturing, a retail display manufacturer, may soon move into a 24,000-square-foot plant in Gateway I Industrial Park in the town of Batavia. That means a move out of the city, where it currently resides on Mill Street. And, since the plot in the town is categorized as an Empire Zone, that also means Traco will be eligible for tax breaks. For more about last night's meeting of the Genesee County Economic Development Center Board, check out the article by Paul Mrozek.
• Today's editorial takes up the issue of the upcoming public hearing July 2 on potential changes to the state rules on open burning. The Batavian posted about the hearing about three weeks ago.
• Brian Hillabush previews the fall lacrosse season at Genesee Community College on the front page of today's sports section. Worth checking out.

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