By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 September 2026 at 11:15 am
ALBION – Two people were arraigned in Orleans County Court on Wednesday for felony drug possession and weapons charges.
Daniel Busch, 34, and Kayli Burrows, 28, both of Albion, were arraigned on two different indictments.
They both face charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree and criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree after being charged on April 30 for allegedly having 690 milligrams of cocaine as well as scales and baggies.
In a separate indictment, they face criminal possession of a weapon in the third and fourth degrees, as well as criminal possession of a controlled in the third degree allegedly for having on Sept. 14, 2025 a loaded handgun and 14-round large capacity magazine. Busch faces an additional charge of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree due to a prior conviction.
Both have been released on their own recognizance with conditions that they attend UConnectCare appointments and not break the law.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 September 2026 at 9:34 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Construction has started on a new pedestrian bridge in Medina that will cross the Oak Orchard Creek.
RJT Construction Services in Rochester is the contractor for the project on Maple Ridge Road (Route 31A) in Medina. This area also will get about 2,000 feet of new sidewalks on the north side of the road.
The Medina Village Board on March 23 approved the $837,448 bid by RJT Construction Services to install the bridge and sidewalks. RJT was the lowest of four bidders when the bids were opened on Feb. 18.
The section of Maple Ridge Road by the creek has become busier with a housing development, several new businesses and also the GCC campus center. There are also about 200 available acres in the area being promoted for development by the EDA. (In this photo, the Mariachi de Oro Mexican restaurant is shown in the background.)
The new bridge and sidewalks have been several years in the waiting. The village in 2021 was awarded a $1,094,196 grant to construct the bridge and sidewalks as part of a multi-use path for pedestrians and bicycles. The funding was awarded by the state through a federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant.
That is covering 80 percent of the project. The remaining 20 percent will be paid locally from the village ($55,000), Town of Shelby ($130,000) and Orleans County ($97,500).
In addition to the construction bid, the village has approved paying Barton & Loguidice $166,300 for construction services and inspections.
Crosby’s is the first business west side of the creek on the north side, near the approach to the new bridge.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 September 2026 at 8:13 am
The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-1 tornado, with estimated winds of 105 miles per hour, hit East Shelby on Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service reported on Thursday.
Tornados from the powerful Wednesday evening storms also hit in Olcott, Niagara County, and in Alexander, Genesee County.
The East Shelby tornado started at 6:45 and ended at 6:47 p.m. The tornado had a path length of 1.2 miles and a path width of 200 yards.
This supercell thunderstorm snapped multiple trees with significant damage to trees across several residences, but only minor structural damage, the Weather Service said.
The agency said a severe supercell thunderstorm moved into western Orleans County, circulation tightened and a tornado touched down in a field east of Bigford Road and south of Martin Road.
“Several trees were toppled on the edges of this field before the tornado crossed over East Shelby Road causing significant tree damage across several residences on the east side of the road, along with minor structural damage to a home,” the Weather Service said. “The tornado then continued eastward through a forested area with numerous trees uprooted and few snapped. The tornado then lifted over an open field west of Townline Road.”
• Olcott tornado – The National Weather Service confirmed tornados in the hamlet of Olcott from 6:07 to 6:08 p.m., with a path length of 0.67 mile, with a maximum path width of 70 wards. The estimated wind speed was 105 miles per hour.
“A supercell thunderstorm, that previously produced a waterspout moved onshore producing damage from the shoreline inland.”
• Alexander tornado – The east Alexander tornado last six minutes, from 7:29 to 7:35 p.m. It had a path length of 3.78 miles and a width of 150 yards with maximum wind speeds of 110 miles per hour. It flattened a corn field and snapped multiple trees.
There were also confirmed tornados in Waterloo and Fayette in Seneca County in the Finger Lakes.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 3 September 2026 at 9:34 pm
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Elijah Doxey scores the Albion/Medina OC Rivals historic first touchdown during this evening’s debut victory at Akron.
Making a sparkling debut, Albion/Medina romped to a 32-0 lightning shortened victory over host Akron this evening kicking off the OC Rivals inaugural football season.
Lightning stopped the game with 7 minutes to go in the third quarter after Albion/Medina had built up a commanding 32-0 half-time advantage.
Albion/Medina took an 8-0 lead in the first quarter as Elijah Doxey scored the OC Rivals historic first touchdown on a 7 yard run. Quarterback Preston Woodworth hooked up with Noah Harrison for the two-point conversion pass.
The OC Rivals then broke the contest wide open by exploding for three touchdowns in the second quarter on runs of 5 yards by Jayzon Wills, 15 yards by Doxey and a 55 yard pass interception return by Jaxon Lynch. Harrison had a pair of two-point conversion runs and Wills one during that stretch.
Runs of 18 and 10 yards by Woodworth and 10 by Doxey highlighted the first TD drive and a big 45 yard run by Wills keyed the second.
Much of the quarter was played in a torrential downpour.
The defense also came up big in the opening half as Wills, Ryan Frentz and Matthew Jacobs all had sacks and Wills a tackle for loss.
“We’re very pleased with the way things went,” said Head Coach Eric Valley. “The field conditions slowed the game down for sure but our kids played great defense and we were able to move the ball using multiple backs.”
Albion/Medina next faces Lake Shore next Friday night at 7 at Medina’s Vets Park.
Jaxon Lynch heads to the endzone on a 55 yard pass interception return for the OC Rivals.
Jayzon Wills picks up yardage for the OC Rivals behind a block by Noah Harrison.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 3 September 2026 at 9:24 pm
The host Purple Eagles edged Barker/Lyndonville 2-1 this evening in the opening round of the Albion girls soccer tournament.
Ava Woolston and Madison Frasier each scored a goal for Albion.
Alexa Robinson netted the Barker/Lyndonville goal.
The tournament will conclude on Saturday evening.
Boys Soccer Pembroke 5, Albion 1
Pembroke downed visiting Albion 5-1 in a non league game.
Garret Jones scored the Albion goal off an assist from Anakin Bowman.
Volleyball Holley d. Wheatland-Chili
Holley downed Wheatland-Chili in three sets as Averie Johnson had 8 aces and 2 kills and Brianna Pellegrino 7 aces.
Oakfield-Alabama d. Roy-Hart
Oakfield-Alabama downed Roy-Hart in four sets 25-21, 21-25, 25-22, 25-17
Lauren Snyder had 8 kills, Tessa Degenhardt 5 kills and Zoe Healey 4 kills for Roy-Hart.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 September 2026 at 8:07 pm
‘The president should stop the political games, get back to the negotiation table, and make a deal that lowers costs for New York families.’
File photo by Tom Rivers: Kayakers were out on Lake Ontario during a sunset on Aug. 4, 2018 in Barker.
Another bill will soon be introduced in Congress about the official name for Lake Ontario, as recognized by the federal government.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, announced she will be presenting legislation to nullify President Donald Trump’s executive order from a week ago that called for Lake Ontario to now be known as “Lake America.”
Trump’s executive order gave the Interior Department 30 days to update the federal Geographic Names Information System. It also directs federal agencies to use the new name on maps, contracts, documents and other communications.
“President Trump’s inane executive order is a weak attempt to distract from the fact that the Trump administration has raised costs on hardworking families, caused gas prices to skyrocket, and cut the programs that Americans rely on to get healthcare and put food on the table,” Gillibrand said in a news release. “Instead of renaming Great Lakes for no good reason, the president should stop the political games, get back to the negotiation table, and make a deal that lowers costs for New York families. I am proud to announce this legislation to restore Lake Ontario’s original name, and I look forward to getting it passed.”
Congressman Joe Morelle, a Democrat from Rochester, introduced legislation in the House of Representatives on Monday to ban the name change to Lake America.
A Florida congressman also introduced legislation in the House to change Lake Ontario’s name to “Lake America.” Jimmy Patronis Jr., a Republican, represents Florida’s 1st congressional district in the Western Panhandle.
“President Trump put America back on the map. Now we’re putting America on Lake Ontario,” Congressman Patronis stated in a press release. “Canada can call it whatever they want, but here in America, I say we call it Lake America.”
Morelle, in a statement today, said the naming controversy has created uncertainty for businesses.
“Communities like ours are asking Washington to focus on the challenges that actually affect people’s lives,” Morelle said. “Here in Rochester, we’ll keep calling it Lake Ontario. And in Congress, I’m working with my colleagues to make sure it stays that way.”
Gillibrand said she will introduce a bill in the next Senate working period that would prevent the executive branch from renaming any of the five Great Lakes. It would also nullify and prohibit the implementation and use of funds for the executive order that renamed Lake Ontario to Lake America.
Gillibrand also announced legislation to repeal all tariffs levied under Section 338 of the Tariff Act and refund Americans for all duties paid under this authority. This includes President Trump’s most recent 50% tariffs on Canada, which Gillibrand said will raise prices for New York families and hurt the local economy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 September 2026 at 6:41 pm
145 remaining without electricity; Yates has most without power
Photos by Tom Rivers
SHELBY – Crews work to restore power to a home on Oak Street in Shelby at about 6 p.m. The crew had the power back on and was headed to its next assignment.
During the peak of Wednesday’s power outages, there were 2,150 National Grid customers in Orleans County without electricity.
As of 6:29 p.m. today, there were 155 waiting for electricity to be restored. National Grid reports those remaining outages by municipality include: 38 in Barre, 4 in Clarendon, 1 in village of Medina, 24 in Ridgeway, 24 in Shelby, and 54 in Yates.
There were two different crews working in Shelby near the intersection of Chestnut Street and Oak Street. The Town of Shelby Highway Department also was busy in this neighborhood today cleaning up fallen branches.
Promoting public safety is the goal of all public servants, regardless of Democratic, Republican, or Independent. Since crime is a complex phenomenon, promoting public safety requires serious, thoughtful analysis grounded in data and fairness for the communities and the victims.
That is why after years of studies, Bail Reform, Raise the Age, and other criminal justice reforms were passed by New York State Legislature and signed into law by the Governor. But that is not the end. These programs are constantly evaluated and tweaked to make them better.
Crime statistics are one important way to evaluate these programs. In Western New York, including in the GLOW region, violent crimes (including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) have dropped. In 2021 and 2022, there were approximately 6,000 incidents of violent crime while in 2024 and 2025 there were only about 4,000 incidents, according to New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) data.
Still, far too many, but the trend is improving. Studies by the Brennan Center, the University at Albany, John Jay College, and Loyola University have all confirmed that bail reform and other criminal justice reforms have had little or no effect on crime. The benefit to society is reduced incarceration and cost, while providing a more equitable system of justice for all. Other researchers have shown that long prison sentences do not reduce crime or improve public safety.
Both experience and research shows that the “lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key” approach to crime isn’t working. However, it won’t stop politicians like Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Senator Rob Ortt from telling their constituents that criminal justice reforms, like bail reform, contribute to increase in crime despite the factual evidence.
I suspect that is because crime is a complex issue that is not easy to address in a campaign slogan; to claim that you are tough on crime. It is much easier to claim your opponent is to blame, or immigrants are to blame for crime.
Regardless of what I think, the “tough-on-crime” approach shows a lack of understanding and an indifference to reducing crime. As I stated above, promoting public safety requires serious, thoughtful analysis.
Politicians like Mr. Hawley and Mr. Ortt are not serious about addressing the issues of crime. I urge voters to support candidates that support criminal justice reforms backed by the evidence that these reforms benefit all of society.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 3 September 2026 at 9:29 am
Initiative showcases work by 39 artists at multiple sites
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Cora Goyette, left, and Bea Young of Medina inspect an exhibit on the bank of the Erie Canal in State Street Park created by Korean artist Anne Duk Hee Jordan for the Medina Triennial.
MEDINA – As the Medina Triennial goes into its final week, executive and creative director Kari Conte reflects with immense gratitude on the artists, partners, supporters, volunteers, residents and visitors who have brought the ambitious project to life.
The first time such an event has taken place in a small town, the Medina Triennial has brought thousands of visitors to Medina since the opening June 8. It’s final day is Sept. 7, Labor Day.
At the heart of the Medina Triennia is a vital commitment to accessibility, said Conte. The exhibition is free and open to everyone.
“We believe access to art should not depend on the ability to purchase a ticket,” Conte said. “Keeping the Triennial free allows people to visit spontaneously, return with friends and family, encounter new ideas and experience contemporary art within Medina’s distinctive cultural, architectural and ecological landscape.”
During the past three months, the Triennial has welcomed guests from 32 states and several foreign countries to experience more than 100 artworks by 39 artists across sites throughout the village. The response from critics and visitors alike has affirmed our belief that ambitious contemporary art can thrive outside usual cultural centers and create meaningful connections across generations and ideas, according to Conte.
In a recent Hyperallergic review, “Art as Infrastructure at the Medina Triennial,” Sue Reisman described the Triennial as “sprawling yet rigorously organized” and “beautifully curated,” highlighting the exhibition’s engagement with the systems that sustain our shared lives, Conte shared.
The theme of the Triennial is “All That Sustains Us.”
Also, to sustain the Medina Triennial and assure its return in three years as a free event, donations are imperative, Conte stressed. Donors may log on the Medina Triennial website and choose to make a one-time donation or monthly donations.
In addition, the Triennial may be supported by purchasing one of several limited edition artistic items.
Conte also shared a letter from former Medina resident Burton Thomas, who wrote, “Medina is my hometown, and it was a wonderful place to be as a kid. I returned today to visit the Medina Triennial, a truly wonderful world-class art exhibition. I have never been prouder of this charming village, and I am grateful to the organizers and curators of this wonderful exhibition. I could have spent several days viewing the beautiful and thought-provoking works of so many amazing artists. If you value art, history and the environment, you must experience the Triennial. My only regret is I did not visit it more this summer.”
The final weekend of the Medina Triennial features a talk by Buffalo-based artist Matt Kenyon at 4 p.m. Saturday; a curatorial tour with Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo at 2 p.m. Sunday in the historic Medina High School on Catherine St.; a conversation on James Beckett’s A Good Wall with Nicholas Bruscia, assistant professor of architecture at the University of Buffalo, at 4 p.m. Sunday on the front lawn of Medina High School; and a walk and talk with artists Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens at 2 p.m. Monday in Rotary Park on Main Street.
All 10 exhibition sites will be open from noon to 6 p.m. the last weekend, Thursday through Labor Day, including the YMCA.
Conte’s invitation is, “We hope you will join us during this final week and continue to be part of what comes next.”
The Triennial is scheduled to return to Medina in three years.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 3 September 2026 at 9:01 am
Scoring a straight set victory, Lyndonville bested host CSAT 25-14, 25-15, 25-20 in a season opening non league volleyball match Wednesday evening.
The Lady Tigers had plenty of contributors both at the service line and at the net as Leah Kenyon had 4 aces, 4 kills, 3 blocks; Hannah Fox 3 aces, 3 kills, 8 assists; Isabella Bresett 3 aces, 1 kill; Sarah Corser 2 aces, 1 kill; Destinee Holmes 3 aces, 1 kill; Grace Fox 1 ace, 1 kill; Elizabeth Gonzalez Moore 1 kill and Andrea Garza 2 kills.
Lyndonville will open the Genesee Region League season at home on September 8 against Wheatland-Chili.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 September 2026 at 8:40 am
MEDINA – The Medina emergency food pantry will be closed today due to flooding in the basement.
“We have some water in the food pantry area as well as other parts of the church basement,” said Michelle Capstick of the food pantry. “All the food is safe but the floors are wet.”
The food pantry is at St. Peter Lutheran Church on West Avenue. The pantry is usually open on Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon.
Medina was hit with two powerful storms on Wednesday, in the morning and then the evening that are requiring some cleanup at the church.
