A good deal of our attention has been happily distracted from March Mayhem to March Madness. Thank goodness for basketball. It temporarily shifts our focus away from the mayhem on local roads and bridges once the spring thaw is in full swing.

Winter's fury and the relentless beating our infrastructure has taken from ice, snow, sand, salt and heavy equipment are obvious to anyone who ventures out before the patching crews have been out in full force.

Erie County Legislators John J. Mills, 13th District, Edward A. Rath III, 15th District, and Raymond W. Walter, 4th District, were prevented from voicing their opposition to the proposed 2009 New York State Budget at session today. In a procedural move, an item expressing disapproval of the budget was referred to the Legislature's Finance and Management committee.

The Erie County Legislature is looking into possible ethics violations involving the pending approval approve a $90,000 contract from Volland Electric, a company in which County Executive Chris Collins is part owner.

"As far as we know, any contract over $10,000 needs to come through the legislature.