Press Release

BATAVIA – State Senator Kristen Gonzalez will bring her “NY Fights AI Data Centers” Statewide Tour to Genesee County today at 2 p.m. at Eden Cafe in Batavia, 242 Ellicott St Batavia.

The event is hosted by local residents of Genesee County who are concerned about the proposed STREAM US Data Center at the Western New York Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing (STAMP) mega-industrial site in the town of Alabama.

Senator Gonzalez sponsored the Responsible Data Center Development Act (S.10642), which the NYS Legislature passed earlier this year. This event is one stop on the Senator’s statewide tour to learn from communities fighting existing and proposed data centers.

Residents plan to address a wide range of issues, including their experiences with local governments, the potentially detrimental consequences of a data center at STAMP, concerns about PILOT payments, transparency and accountability issues associated with the GCEDC, the public health and environmental impacts, and alternative visions for the future of the site.

The event  will also include time for additional audience comments and discussion with the Senator. The event is open to the public, although in-person attendance is limited and requires an RSVP. The organizers will also livestream the event on zoom.

Governor Kathy Hochul signed Executive Order No. 62 on July 14, 2026, making New York the first state in the country to enact a statewide pause on new hyperscale data center construction. While the Executive Order marks a step toward protecting New Yorkers from the impacts of large-scale data centers, organizers of Sunday’s event hope that this listening session and the Senator’s tour will bolster advocacy efforts towards creating long-term regulations on future data center developments.

Senator Gonzalez’s legislation, the Responsible Data Center Development Act (S.10642), which passed both chambers of the Legislature with bipartisan support in June, codifies important regulations missing from the current Executive Order and ensures public engagement, labor agreements, and energy efficiency standards.

Local residents join advocates around NYS in urging Governor Hochul to sign the Responsible Data Center Development Act to protect New Yorkers after the current Executive Order – which is in effect for up to one year only – has expired.

Today’s listening session represents an opportunity for the downstate-based Senator, Chair of the Senate Committee on Internet and Technology, to hear firsthand how these projects affect rural communities.

People who wish to attend the event in person may RSVP using this link (click here). Those who prefer to watch the proceedings live may join via the Zoom link –https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84465170895.

This headline was gladly welcomed in the Albion Advertiser on August 16, 1945.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 6, No. 23

ALBION – President Truman officially announced Japan’s unconditional surrender to the Allied Forces at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 13, 1945.

The announcement of the ending of this war which had begun on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, was a welcome one. In Albion, factory whistles and bells sounded out the celebration.

Events on the world stage invariably have a local impact.

In that same issue of the Albion Advertiser, an article titled “Medina Man Gives Life in Pacific War” told of the death of Sgt. Stanley W. Dunn, killed in action over the Ryukyus Islands in the Pacific on July 18, 1945. He had served as a top turret gunner on a B-25 with the 405th Bomber Squadron, Fifth Air Force.

The son of Mr. & Mrs. William Dunn of Fletcher Chapel Road in Shelby, Sgt. Dunn was awarded the Purple Heart Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. His monument is in the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines, the largest of the American overseas military cemeteries, it honors over 17,000 American servicemen

An unusual event, which occurred at the First Methodist Church in Medina on Sunday, August 12, just days before the announcement of the end of the war, was also reported in that issue of the Albion Advertiser. During a service which was being led by Rev. Webb Ayres, the congregation was startled by the sudden appearance of a white dove flying through the church. It perched on an organ pipe at the front of the church and later flew to another part of the church where it remained for the duration of the service. A white dove is generally recognized as the symbol of peace.

Garrett Knaak sent in this photo from 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday of a shelf cloud on Clarendon Road in Albion. This cloud is a low and a horizontal, wedge-shaped cloud that appears at the leading edge of a thunderstorm’s gust front. It signals sudden strong winds and a dramatic drop in temperature.

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch until 9 p.m. for Orleans County and much of Western New York.

The Weather Service also issued a beach hazards statement from Sunday morning through Tuesday evening, warning that strong currents will create dangerous swimming conditions at beaches in Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, northern Cayuga, Oswego and Jefferson counties.

Photo by Alexandra Peracciny: Youth are shown in an activity during one of the youth programs held during the summer as part of the Medina Triennial. Here, they are building structures out of toothpicks and marshmallows to see how different materials hold up. They practiced using a variety of foraged and repurposed materials to see what was most sustainable. The final two programs are this Sunday and Aug. 30.

MEDINA – As the Medina Triennial enters into its final weeks, focus is being given to a series of youth programs, led by Medina School teacher and local photographer Alexandra Peracciny.

Peracciny has been leading the free programs throughout the summer, in which children and teenagers were introduced to the ideas behind the Triennial’s artworks through conversations, close looking and hands-on creative activities, said Kari Conte, creative director of the Medina Triennial.

Each workshop offered separate sessions for ages 5-10 and 11-18, allowing activities and discussions to be tailored to different age groups.

The programs encourage young people to think about art in relation to everyday life, community, local history, food, storytelling and the environment.

Participants received Triennial passports to use while visiting the exhibition’s 10 sites throughout Medina. The passports encourage families to experience the full exhibition and connect the individual artworks.

The Medina Triennial is a contemporary art exhibition presented across multiple sites in Medina. Its programs invite residents and visitors of all ages to engage with art and with ideas that relate to the region, its communities and the wider world.

The next program, titled “Nourishing Connection: A Workshop on food and Where it Comes From,”  is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Medina Triennial Hub on North Main Street. The sessions for ages 5-10 begin at 2 p.m., followed by the program for ages 11-18 at 3 p.m.

Inspired by the works of Mary Mattingly and Michael Wang, participants will discuss where food comes from and how caring for their communities can encourage healthier habits. Each participant will then plant seeds to take home.

The final youth program of the summer on Aug. 30 is called “Reflection:” Who We Are and What We’ve Learned.” Sessions begin at noon for ages 5-10 and at 1 p.m. for ages 11-18. Participants will receive the Triennial passports they completed over the summer and reflect on their favorite artworks and the projects they created during the youth program. The closing activity will invite participants to make self-portraits and write descriptions expressing who they are as artists and who they hope to become.

Past programs, which began June 14 with “Everyday Stories,” introduced participants to works by Jean Shin and Tania Candiani. Young people considered how art can celebrate ordinary experiences and make space for many voices. They then created projects inspired by the discussion.

Future Forests on Aug. 9 explored sustainability and deforestation through works by James Beckett, Harun Farocki and FIBRA. Participants used recycled materials to construct structures of their own.

Collective Memory on Aug. 16 drew upon works by Futurefarmers and Gregory Halpern. Participants discussed how one place can contain many stories and perspectives, then created drawings through which they shared their own stories.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Marti’s on Main art gallery in Albion held a reception on Friday for a new art show featuring Jan Kisiel, Jenna Papponetti, Paul Facklam and Sharon Stewart. The top photo shows Harriet Symons, 10, taking a photo of paintings by her grandmother, Sharon Stewart of Albion.

Sharon Stewart is shown with some of her acrylic landscape paintings. Some of them are from trips she went on to Italy and Greece.

Stewart is a retired math professor from a community college in Kentucky. She and her husband Brian moved to Albion to be close to their daughters and their families, including six grandchildren.

Stewart, 79, was an art minor at Houghton College. She has 21 paintings featured in the new show at Marti’s, which is located at 20 South Main St.

Jenna Papponetti, 26, of Albion has seven charcoal landscape drawings on display featuring the Erie Canal. Papponetti also has written and illustrated three books. For more information on her books and artwork, click here.

Paul Facklam is recently retired as an art teacher at Roy-Hart, working in the elementary, middle and high schools. Before his 27-year teaching career, Facklam worked 20 years as an illustrator.

He has paintings with marshmallows, which he said represent “that soft, sensitive part out us.”

The paintings by Facklam shows marshmallows with fishing lures, billiard balls, and a hammer and nails.

“The hammer and nails represent the difficult or painful things that happen to us,” he said. “The fishing lures symbolize the things that we can be drawn to that are not particularly healthy for us.”

Jan Kisiel, a retired event planner who lives in Holley, has 12 pieces in the art show. She uses egg tempera painting, mixing dry pigment, egg yolk and some water.

The top painting shows a lamb sticking out its tongue. It was inspired from the ‘Good Shepherd” stained-glass window at the Canalside Community Church in Albion, a former United Methodist church. That window shows Jesus as a shepherd with lambs. In the window, one of the lambs is sticking out its tongue.

Kisiel said being an artist and an event planner are similar in that both need a strong attention to details.

For information on Marti’s, click here or call 585-590-9211.

CLARKSON – A Holley man died on Thursday morning after an accident with a farm tractor on Route 19 in Clarkson.

Daniel Kernan, 60, of Holley collided with a tractor just before 6 a.m. on Lake Road in Clarkson. Kernan was driving a SUV.

Kernan was headed northbound near Lawton Road when he collided with a tractor towing a set of 17-foot discs, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Karnan was pronounced dead at the scene. The tractor driver wasn’t injured or impaired, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

BROCKPORT – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) will host a series of town hall meetings in the Village of Brockport & Town of Sweden, Clarkson and Hamlin on Saturday, Aug. 22.

The meetings provide residents with an opportunity to hear updates on state and local issues, ask questions and share concerns directly with their state representative. All members of the community are welcome to attend.

• Village of Brockport and Town of Sweden from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at Sweden Town Hall, 18 State St., Brockport, NY 14420
• Town of Clarkson from 11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. at Clarkson Town Hall, 3710 Lake Rd. N., Clarkson, NY 14430
• Town of Hamlin from noon to 12:45 p.m. at Hamlin Town Hall, 1658 Lake Rd. N., Hamlin, NY 14464

Press Release, Holley Central School

HOLLEY – The Holley school district will host Homecoming Weekend on Oct. 2-3, and registration is now open until Sept. 8 for the annual Alumni Soccer and Alumni Football games.

The games are open to all Holley alumni who graduated from the district on or before 2023. Participants do not need to have played the sport while attending Holley to take part.

The Alumni Soccer Game will be held on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at Sander Soccer Field at The Woodlands. To register to play in the game, complete the registration form: Holley Alumni Soccer Game Registration.

Alumni cheerleaders are also invited to participate during the soccer game. To register to cheer for the game, complete the registration form: Holley Alumni Soccer Game – Cheerleading Registration.

The Alumni Flag Football Game will take place on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 4:30 p.m. at Hawk Stadium. To register to play in the game, complete the registration form: Holley Alumni Football Game Registration.

The Alumni Soccer Game will benefit the Interact Club and the Eighth Grade Washington, D.C., Trip Scholarship Fund. The Alumni Football Game will benefit the Holley JV/Varsity Wrestling teams.

ALBION – A man pleaded guilty for his role as  one of three co-defendants in a series of burglaries at Brockport-Clarendon Self-Storage at 4510 Hall Rd. in Clarendon.

Antonio Suarez, 38, admitted in Orleans County Court on Wednesday that he entered Unit 7 at the self-storage on Jan. 3 to steal property. He acknowledged he was committing the crime with the two other defendants, Erin Starkweather and Phillip Martinez.

Suarez pleaded guilty burglary in the third degree. As part of a plea agreement, he faces a maximum of 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Nov. 18. Without a plea agreement, the charge would carry a sentence of 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison.

Suarez and the codefendants need to repay restitution of $11,178 to cover the costs of damages and for items not recovered.

In other cases in court on Wednesday,

• Michael Savage, 38, of Murray was sentenced to three years of probation for endangering the welfare of a child. He also will pay $750 in court fees and fines.

Savage faced more serious charges of course of conduct against a child, two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, and forcible touching. The crimes allegedly occurred between 2020 and March 2025, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

The victim’s father said the crimes left his daughter suicidal and traumatized.

Frederick Rarick, Savage’s attorney, said the sexual abuse allegations were never brought up when the victim was interviewed by teachers, a therapist and physician.

“Cases like this are very difficult to defend,” Rarick said.

Judge Sanford Church issued an order of protection for five years for the victim in the case.

• Madison Desso of Lockport pleaded guilty to felony DWI on March 30 while in Murray. He faces a split sentence of six months in jail and five years on probation when he is sentenced on Nov. 18. He has a prior charge of driving while under the influence of alcohol in Syracuse in 2016.

• James Kaiser, 51, an inmate at the Orleans Correctional Facility, was arraigned on three counts of promoting prison contraband in the first degree and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.

Kaiser on Nov. 22 is accused of knowingly introducing dangerous contraband into the men’s prison in Albion. He allegedly had the precursors to make methamphetamine and also allegedly possessed 5.25 grams of meth.

Kaiser is currently at Orleans Correctional Facility, serving a sentence of 3 years, 6 months for attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.

Photos courtesy of Marlene Seielstad

ALBION – The Albion Rotary Club on Thursday presented a ceremonial check for $5,000 to the Office for the Aging in Orleans County. Rotary held its annual golf tournament last month at Shelridge Country Club in Medina and most of the proceeds will go towards the OFA’s volunteer transportation program, which provides rides for local senior citizens to medical appointments and essential errands.

Pictured from left include tournament committee leader Cindy Perry-Follman, OFA director Melissa Blanar, OFA employee and golf tournament committee member Becky Karls, and OFA employees Jackie Taylor and Kathleen Bates.

For information about senior rides and volunteer driving, contact the Office for the Aging at (585) 589-3191

Kathleen Bates also was honored and welcomed as a “Friend of Rotary.” Bates has volunteered at many Rotary community events, including the golf tournament, dinners and by selling light-up toys at Albion’s July 3^rd celebration at Bullard Park.

She was presented with the honor by Becky Karls and Rotary President Mike Bonnewell, left.

The Rotary Club meets the first and third Thursdays at Tavern on the Ridge with the first meeting at noon and the second meeting at dinner time.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Joanne Suhr leads the Lyndonville Board of Education meeting on Tuesday.

LYNDONVILLE – When Joanne Suhr was elected to serve as president of the Lyndonville Board of Education last month, school officials thought she might be making history as the first woman to serve in the role.

After digging deep in district history, it turns out Suhr is the second woman to serve as board president. Elaine Wilson was the first back in 1958-’59.

Suhr was elected by the other board members on July 14 to serve as board president this school year. She joined the board about a year ago. She was elected as a board member on May 20, 2025.

Suhr retired in June 2022 after working 30 years as an elementary school teacher. Her final year she was honored as the district’s “Educator of the Year” when she was a third grade teacher who specialized in teaching math.

She also has served on the Town of Yates Planning Board and the Town of Yates Bicentennial Committee.

During this past Tuesday’s meeting, she said the district is getting ready for the new school year, with contractors working long hours on a capital project. Some of that construction work will extend into the school year with crews working after the school day is over, Suhr said.

Some of the work includes new ADA-compliant bathrooms, new HVAC and air conditioning, and new windows for the upstairs of the schools.

Suhr succeeds Patrick Whipple as the board president.

Joanne Suhr leads the meeting on Tuesday in the school cafeteria. Next to her are Dr. Heather Lyon, the district superintendent at left, and Tanya Marek, administrative assistant to the superintendent at right.

Provided photo: Oak Orchard Health dedicated the Alexander Health Center to board member Cynda Watroba. Pictured, from left, include: Jerry Archibald, Marco Altieri, Gloria Crittenden, Cynda Watroba, Matthew Fernaays and John Slenker.

Press Release, Oak Orchard Health

ALEXANDER – Oak Orchard Health, a leading healthcare provider serving rural communities in upstate New York, its health center in Alexander to Board Vice Chair and Secretary Cynda Watroba in recognition of her leadership and commitment to the organization’s mission.

Watroba first supported Oak Orchard Health during the Covid-19 pandemic by creating high-quality cloth masks for staff, their families, and the neighborhood. Her hands-on service reflected a deep commitment to community health and made joining Oak Orchard’s Board of Directors a natural next step in her ongoing advocacy.

She has served on the Board of Directors since 2022 and is committed to assuring equitable access to care for all members of our community. Dedicated to her board role, Watroba serves on the Board Human Resources, Finance, Special Populations, Governance, Strategic Planning, Corporate Compliance and Executive Committees.

The dedication ceremony took place on Thursday, August 6th, during the agency’s National Health Center Week celebrations. The ceremony included a speech from President and CEO Marco Altieri, where he emphasized Watroba’s tireless commitment to the organization and thanked her for her service.

“Cynda, you have given us your brain, and most importantly, your heart,” Altieri said. “You have given us what we needed at the right time… some stories are meant to go untold, but this one isn’t.”

John Slenker, board chairman and friend of Watroba, presented the plaque and attested to the long hours that she dedicates to Oak Orchard Health.

Cynda shared the story of her journey with the organization, which started with a visit to the Alexander office, when her wife, Gloria, pointed out the board of directors’ sign in the lobby and encouraged her to join. Both Cynda and Gloria are long-time patients of the Alexander Office.

“Cynda sets the standard for the board of directors, and we are incredibly grateful for her leadership and dedication,” Slenker said. “Her tireless commitment to Oak Orchard Health is unmatched.”

Oak Orchard Health is proud to introduce the Alexander Office as “The Cynda Watroba Health Center.”

Provided photo: Retired Channel 7 personality Mike Randall will open a celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday with his puppetry. The Medina Tourism Committee is sponsoring the event Sept. 6 in State Street Park, which will include entertainment for the entire family. Randall also will do a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence.

MEDINA – The Medina Tourism Committee has announced plans for an afternoon of entertainment to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary.

According to Tourism Committee chairman Jim Hancock, on Sept. 6, beginning at 3 p.m. in State Street Park, the Salute to America’s 250th Anniversary will take place, featuring entertainment for the entire family.

Hancock said they chose to wait until Labor Day to celebrate the birth of our country because there is always so much going on in summer, especially around the Fourth of July

First on the Sept. 6 program will be retired local television personality Mike Randall, who will entertain with his puppetry.

“He is remarkable,” Hancock said of Randall’s talent. “He will start our program, which will be enjoyed by kids, parents and grandparents.”

This will be followed by retired Medina High School band director Jim Steele and his band, the MRJ Big Band, who will play jazz and patriotic music.

Next, Randall will do a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence.

“This is a wonderful document which outlines why the colonies broke away from England,” Hancock said. “Many don’t know what it says. This is something everybody needs to know.”

Following a break, another 45 minutes of music will take place by the Jazz Band.

During the afternoon, there will be food trucks on site, offering food and drinks. One will be Hazel and Honey with their baked goods and lemonade.

Hancock said the Sons of the American Legion contributed money toward the event, which provided cupcakes for the crowd.

Hans’s Bakery will make 250 red, white and blue cupcakes, which will be handed out to the crowd, along with miniature flags.

Also participating in the celebration will be members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, whose Honor Guard will present Colors, fire a salute and play echo taps.

Hancock expects the program to last until about 7 p.m. In case of rain, the event will take place at the Medina Theater.

In addition to Hancock, members of the Medina Tourism Committee include Jan Smith, Barb Gorham, Kelly Kiebala, Kathy Blackburn, Ann Fisher-Bale, Debbie Padoleski and Dawn Borchet.