Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Batavia bested host Albion 4-1 in a Rochester District Youth Soccer League girls U18 Division game Sunday evening. Here Lena Grillo works to get the ball away from a pair of Batavia defenders. Ava Woolston scored the Albion goal.
Albion’s Alayna Flugel advances the ball up field.
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A group of cyclists are reflected in the Erie Canal in Albion this morning. About 600 cyclists left Medina this morning and are headed east, going 62 miles to Fairport.
Today is day 2 of an 8-day journey from Buffalo to Albion.
This is the 28th annual Cycle the Erie Canal bike tour. There are riders ages 8 to 86, and they hail from 37 states and Canada. The ride is organized by Parks & Trails New York.
The cyclists met Santa, portrayed by Joe Martillotta, a member of the Albion Betterment Committee. The committee is working to open a Santa School museum on Main Street to highlight Albion’s home to the Charles W. Howard Santa School from 1937 to 1966.
This rider wanted a photo with Santa. Many of the cyclists make frequent stops to get photos of local landmarks.
Kay Ecker was up early to welcome the cyclists. Ecker, Anita Finley and Natasha Wasuck were up early and had orange slices, bananas, granola bars and water for the riders. Albion isn’t an official rest stop for the waters, but the Albion trio wants to welcome the cyclists. Holley is an official rest stop with snacks 10 miles farther in the journey today.
“It’s fun,” Ecker said about greeting the cyclists. “You meet a lot of nice people.”
Natsha Wasuck, second from right, and Anita Finley, right, chat with some of the cyclists. Wasuck owns Tinsel next door while Finley owns Oak Orchard Canoe and Kayak.
“We want to introduce them to Albion and Santa,” Wasuck said.
Finley said the cyclists appreciate the unofficial rest stop in Albion.
Wasuck’s daughter Ephy served complimentary ice cream from Tinsel for the cyclists.
A rider checks traffic on the Main Street lift bridge before crossing Route 98/Main Street.
These cyclists approach the tugboat tied up in Albion.
Going 2-1 on the weekend, Holley placed second at the Niagara U17 girls soccer tournament.
Holley opened with a pair of victories on Saturday by scores of 6-2 over Hamburg and 3-0 over Grand Island.
Elise Faix scored 3 goals, Addyson Ewing 2 and Hannah Dill 1 against Hamburg. Faix also had 2 assists as Ewing, Kyla Burne and Carsyn Mogle each had 1.
Faix then had 2 goals and Dill 1 in the win over Grand Island.
The defense was sparked in both games by Brianna Tomasino, Riley Sweet, Burne, Aiyana Stevens and Eden Payne.
In the championship game on Sunday Holley dropped a 6-3 decision to Niagara.
Faix scored 2 goals and Mogle 1.
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Peter Martillotta drives the ball up field for the Medina Mustangs FC during Sunday evening’s key league win over Mes Que FC at Vets Park.
Staying in the hunt for a playoff berth, the Medina Mustangs FC downed Mes Que FC 6-2 in a Buffalo District Soccer League Championship Division game at Vets Park Sunday evening.
Cole Callard scored three goals, off assists from Peter Martillotta, Jameson Eisenhauer and Aidan Bligh to lead the way for Medina.
The Mustangs also got goals by Greg Hughson from Callard, Eisenhauer from Noah Stern and Martillotta from Callard.
Improving to 4-4-1, Medina will now close out the regular season with a key game against undefeated (8-0) division leading Buffalo Italia at 6 p.m. Sunday at Vets Park.
Editor:
Let’s face the facts and simultaneously not reference any politician. Perhaps then we can just analyze the truth, devoid of any emotional sentiment.
Is New York safe?
As a lifetime New Yorker, I say, “No”.
One reason is the failure of bail reform. What started out as an intent to give fairer treatment to defendants and improve public safety has backfired immensely. The crime rates have not decreased, and the jurisdictions implementing the bail reform have experienced rising crime. A lack of accountability for repeat offenders has threatened community safety. Many repeat offenders commit ensuing property or felony attack crimes while awaiting trial.
People no longer feel safe in malls, shopping centers, concerts and even on hikes. Public awareness has been heightened and yes, people are afraid. Neighborhood surveillance has increased because of porch theft, residential burglaries and car theft. Public anxiety has resulted in Amazon ring cameras being a staple in many households.
The crime rate in downstate New York is significantly higher than upstate. Violent crime in NYC is between 630-650 offenses per 100,000; Upstate 220-249 per 100,000, so NYC is nearly triple that of upstate. However, upstate urban centers such as Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany rank high for per capital violent or property offenses.
Smeared across our screens post July 4th, we witnessed the surge of crime in both Rochester and Buffalo. The communities involved were negatively affected and without a doubt public safety was compromised.
In Buffalo a street party, which gained momentum, via social media, resulted in 11 people being shot. Two deaths were cited across Niagara Falls, Rochester and Buffalo. The police were stretched to their limit, as they had to deal not only with the planned events but the unexpected violence.
ECMC reported treating 29 trauma patients. Several were gunshot victims. Strong Memorial Hospital, on Independence Day, recorded up to 8 victims within minutes. Typical weekend stats at both Strong and Rochester General bring in 1-4 victims.
In NYC a massive 5,000 officer hiring surge has been cancelled and the NYPD budget has been suppressed to help close the previous $5.4 billion deficit. Aid from Albany helped close this deficit. Does this make sense when the crime rates in urban centers are notably higher?
I commend DA Susan Howard for her window to the truth and how the judges’ ability to detain repeat offenders has been limited, which ultimately poses a threat to our communities. Judges have to regain specific powers to address each offender and apply the appropriate restrictions, instead of just the minimum ones.
Cases should be scrutinized closely to justify pretrial release or mandatory jail time. Likewise judges must be allowed to consider public safety and how a defendant on bail may jeopardize this.
Mary Mager
Fairport, formerly of Albion
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Cyclists head down Main Street in Medina this afternoon. They left Buffalo this morning and headed 49 miles east to Medina.
This is the 28th annual Cycle the Erie Canal bike tour. There are riders ages 8 to 86. More than 600 cyclists from 37 states and Canada on the journey, which is Parks & Trails New York.
A cyclist signals he will be turning right from main Street to Park Avenue. The cyclists were headed to “tent city” at the Medina Central School campus.
A cyclist from Pittsburgh, Pa. visits the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame inside City Hall. Craig Lacy, right, from the Medina Sandstone Society gave tours of the Hall of Fame, which includes 46 sites.
The Medina school campus has been turned into “Tent City.” The cyclists will camp in tents overnight while having access to the Clifford Wise Intermediate School for showers.
Barb and Jim Hancock from the medina Tourism Committee welcomed cyclists and shared points of interest they might want to check out. A shuttle bus took the riders into the downtown.
The Medina Tourism Committee has welcomed the cyclists all 28 of the event.
“We couldn’t do it without the school,” Hancock, the Tourism Committee chairman, said about Medina serving as a host site. “They are incredible opening up the school and the grounds.”
Dave Stockton and the band Pocket Change also performed an evening concert for the cyclists.
Zambistro also will be catering breakfasts for the riders in the morning, and they give rave reviews about the food.
The cyclists will head east 62 miles on Monday to Fairport, and will be greeted with refreshments in Albion and Holley as they head across Orleans County, and then more welcome centers in Monroe County.
Medina 15U has dropped a pair of games to complete competition in a Niagara Falls area baseball tournament.
Medina dropped a narrow 10-8 decision to 5T on Saturday and was then downed 11-2 today by Smash It.
Against 5T, Medina got an RBI single from Mason Berry in the third inning, an RBI double by Jaden Luxon and an RBI single by Jackson Daigler in the fourth and a two-run single by Shawn Robertson in the fifth.
The 5T team pulled out the win by scoring three times with two outs in the sixth inning on a double, an error and a single.
Today Medina managed only 3 hits in the loss to Smash It as Viktor Snyder, Jacob Duffina and Robertson all had singles.
Smash It scored twice in both the first and second innings and then four times in the third to key the win.
Medina is next scheduled to compete in a Cooperstown area tournament next weekend.
Photos by Tom Rivers
KENDALL – Fireworks burst in the sky at the Kendall Firemen’s Carnival on Saturday night next to the Gondola Wheel, one of 12 rides at the carnival from Knox’s Great American Midways in Franklinville.
The fireworks show was bigger than in recent years with the Town of Kendall raising money for the show as part of a 250th anniversary celebration for the United States of America.
Henry Tomasino and Kourtney Marion both volunteered selling waffles for the Kendall Ladies Auxiliary on Saturday night. They did it as part of the 15-hour community service requirement needed to graduate from Kendall.
The food vendors for the fire department said they were busy all three nights, and ran out of some of the items.
The band Tryst closed out the carnival on Saturday, performing in front of several hundred people in and outside the beer tent. Here the band sings, “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith.
The game “I Got It” was busy on Saturday night.
This goose figurine was dressed up in patriotic red, white and blue near the waffle booth.
here are more photos from the fireworks:
Plagued by a big rash of bogeys, Medina’s Melanie Green had a rough 5 over par 76 on today’s final round at the LPGA Tour’s Amundi-Evian Championship being held at Evian-les-Bains, France.
Green had six bogeys, on 6, 8, 12, 13, 16 and 18, as well as a double bogey on 3. It was a rash of trouble that three birdies on 3, 9 and 15 could not overcome.
Green entered the final round at 4 under par after rounds of even par 71 on Thursday, 1 under 70 on Friday and 3 under 68 on Saturday.
She finishes the tournament with a 1 over par total of 285.
Next up on the LPGA Tour is the Scottish Open July 23-26.
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Starting on the mound at Saturday’s Albion Midget League 12U championship game were Giovanni LaMartina for Sandstone, left, and Remi Ebbs for Elks/Rotary.
Elks/Rotary captured the Albion Midget League 12U Division playoff championship by edging Sandstone 3-0 Saturday afternoon at Sandstone.
A big two-run single by Remi Ebbs in the third inning proved to be the game winning hit for Elks/Rotary.
Elks/Rotary added an insurance run in the fifth frame on a fielders choice play off the bat of Kayden Donnelly.
Ebbs also had a big day on the mound as he struck out 15.
Giovanni LaMartina and Nikko Russo shared the pitching duties for Sandstone registering a total of 11 strikeouts.
No. 3 seed Elks Rotary advanced to the chsmpionship game by downing No. 6 Holley 14-2 in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Barre 11-10 in the semifinals.
Top seeded Sandstone, which went 13-0 during the regular season, advanced by defeating No. 8 Vets 12-5 in the quarterfinals and No. 5 Elba 1 14-2 in the semifinals.
By Natalie Baron, correspondent
KENDALL – The Kendall Firemen’s Carnival included a Kiddie Parade today at 11:30 a.m., a procession in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
It started at the Methodist Church and concluded at the carnival grounds, which is celebrating the country’s anniversary. The Kiddie Parade was sponsored by The Tree House School of Play at Albion.
Chase Kludt trails a wagon in full costume. William Hardenbrook was Uncle Sam and enthusiastically showed off his sign.
After the parade, the children who appeared most patriotic were announced as winners. The competition was separated into age brackets, with one boy and girl victor per age group. The brackets were toddler, pre-k-kindergarten, 1st-2nd grade, and grades 3-6. Winners received ride bands for free entry onto carnival rides. The other parade participants retrieved ice cream coupons. All of the children were given freeze pops.
The winners of the toddler age bracket were Callie Burch and Caleb Partyka. The pre-k to kindergarten group’s were Jacob Mathes and Makenna Partyka. For 1st-2nd grade, the winners were Evelyn Robinson and William Hardenbrook. 3rd-6th grade victors were Chase Kludt and Travis Manners.
Makenna Partyka, right, and another girl pose for their photo. Caleb Partyka rides on the John Deere tractor in the background.
Before the parade kicked off, Katie Spohr of Kendall’s Happy 250th Birthday America Committee stated, “We’re hoping to have a great day. Looks like we’re starting to have a good turnout. I love it! This parade is just part of the fun. Our theme is patriotic, and we see a lot of red, white, and blue here today, so it’s great.”
Orly the Ox, the bicentennial mascot for Orleans County, made an appearance in the parade. The trailer features signs stating that there will be fireworks at 10 p.m. today at the carnival.
The path of the parade went from the Methodist Church to the 250th Birthday America booth. The booth featured multiple fun and patriotic stations.
Dave Bentley, part of Kendall’s Happy 250th Birthday America Committee, worked a raffle for a quilt. The Victorian Thimble & Petals was present, wearing historical reenactment garb. Black’s Mercantile showed off Civil War Weapons from 1861-1865, also in reenactment costumes. Jeff Kinne, one of the sponsors of the Happy 250th Anniversary America carnival, provided entertainment, singing patriotic country songs at the booth after the winners were announced.
The children had fun in the parade. Here, a boy celebrates.
Daughters of the American Revolution had multiple items to pick up when passing by. Its station had educational and fun activity bags, crayon packs, heart stickers, America 250 bracelets, and coloring books containing primarily Revolutionary War pages as well as a 4th of July page. Additionally, it contained four pamphlets for adults, each explaining a different facet of American history. One told the tale of the Pledge of Allegiance, and another provided fun facts about the Constitution.
Maggie Culmone of The ROC MUA paints a burger on Peytyn Green’s face. Peytyn is from Henrietta and participated in the parade.
Peytyn’s sister, Ophelia Martinez, posed for a photograph. She was also in the parade.
Robin Schepler, aka Gramma Robin, made balloon animals and figures. The options were many including a puppy, penguin, donkey, elephant, mosquito, daisy with a stem, flower, rainbow headband, jester hat, wand in superhero or heart variety, sword in two varieties, flag on a heart, historical gun, and patriotic hat. Maggie Culmone, a makeup artist for The ROC MUA, did face painting.
Tanner Rinas of Kendall is all smiles as he awaits his patriotic balloon sword. Gramma Robin is hard at work tying its pieces together.
The children were very excited to show off their patriotic spirit. Some even made custom signs.
Eden Lamay, one of the judges for the Kiddie Parade, said, “This is the first year we’ve done it in a long time.” Melissa Shultz, another judge, voiced to those who attended, “Thank you for coming out.” She added to those who couldn’t make it, “Make sure to check for next year’s kiddie parade. We’d love to see more.”
Korra Palumbo from Kendall, a carnival attendee, was all dressed up as Abigail Adams. Here, she carries an America 250 flag as she poses in front of the Victorian Thimble & Petals station.
Scoring in every inning but the first, Albion downed host Dansville 13-4 this morning in a GLOW League 14U Division baseball game.
Brysen Potter had 3 hits and Brody Furness and Kyler Bennett 2 each for Albion which stays undefeated at 6-0.
Furness and Potter also combined on the mound to hurl a 4 hitter with 9 strikeouts.
A single by Hudson Armer, an RBI single by Bennett and a wild pitch plated two quick second inning runs for Albion.
Albion tacked on two more runs in the third on an error, a single by Jace DiMatteo, a wild pitch and an RBI single by Potter.
Furness then banged out a two-run double to highlight a 4 run fourth inning, Bennett had an RBI single to spark a three run fifth and Potter an RBI double to key a two-run sixth.
Photos courtesy of Albion Alumni Foundation: Ingrid Lamont congratulates Nisi Beltran Roblero as she receives the Lamont Family Scholarship. It is awarded to a student who demonstrates high academic enthusiasm, involvement in their community and a strong sense of personal integrity.
Press Release, Albion Alumni Foundation
ALBION – The Alumni High School Alumni Foundation awarded $208,350 in scholarships to Albion High School Class of 2026 graduates during their annual Class Night ceremony. These awards provide financial assistance to seniors as they continue to pursue their educational goals after high school graduation.
The Foundation’s scholarship committee and some donors chose recipients for 59 academic, vocational, service, leadership, arts and athletics scholarships. The donors and scholarship committee reviewed numerous applications and chose students that they felt best fit each scholarship’s criteria.
Two new annual scholarships were awarded for the first time this year in the areas of art and theater. Established by her family and friends, both of these scholarships are in memory of Kim Marie Nesbitt, a beloved high school art teacher who passed away in October, 2025.
Kim had a passion for art and she loved teaching. She could always bring out the best in her students and helped them to build confidence and find their artistic talent. She also played a role in the drama department shows as the set design coordinator. For many years she worked with students to design and construct sets for the fall and spring shows. It is our hope that these scholarships will help Albion graduates dream big and succeed in their endeavors.
Roger Hungerford meets with Albion High School Alumni Foundation board member Charles Nesbitt and President Steve Hicks before Class Night. Hungerford funded the Kim Marie Nesbitt Excellence in Art Award and Scholarship and was on hand for the inaugural presentation.
The new scholarships are:
The Kim Marie Nesbitt Excellence in Art Award and Scholarship – This annual award and scholarship was established in 2026 and presented to a high school student who has had an outstanding high school art career. It consists of a $500 Excellence in Art award and a $4,500 scholarship, which is renewable in the amount of $5,000 for up to three additional years.This scholarship is funded by Roger Hungerford, a dear friend of the Nesbitt family.
Hanna Kumalac accepts the inaugural Kim Marie Nesbitt Excellence in Art Award and Scholarship from Charles Nesbitt.
The Kim Marie Nesbitt and Gary Simboli Excellence in Theater Scholarship – This annual scholarship is given to a student who demonstrates exceptional commitment and outstanding achievement in high school theater arts. It consists of a $5,000 scholarship. This scholarship is funded by the Nesbitt family and friends.
Charles Nesbitt congratulates Julia Button on receiving the Kim Marie Nesbitt and Gary Simboli Excellence in Theater Scholarship.
The Albion High School Alumni Foundation Scholarships are made possible through the generosity of our Albion Alumni members and the local community. We are grateful to them for their willingness to support so many Albion graduates through our scholarship program.
If you are interested in starting a scholarship or want to learn more about the Albion High School Alumni Foundation, please contact Steve Hicks, Albion Alumni Foundation President, at steve@albionalumni.org.
Congratulations to all 2026 scholarship recipients!
2026 scholarship recipients:
(Left) Aubrey Gannon accepts the Moore Family Scholarship from board member Mollie Radzinski. Established by Ann R. Moore and Robert H. Moore, this scholarship recognizes academic achievement, school and community activities and potential for future accomplishment. (Right) Christine Fancher congratulates Gideon Pask on receiving the Edward Fancher Memorial Scholarship. Ed was a very active Alumni Foundation board member and exemplified a life of service to his community. This award recognizes a student who exhibits traits of exceptional service and involvement in his community.
Contributed Photo – Melanie Green
Putting together her best round of the tournament to date, Medina’s Melanie Green fired a solid 3 under par 68 today on day three of the LPGA Tour’s Amundi-Evian Championship being held at Evian-les-Bains, France.
That score boosted Green’s total to 4 under par 219 for the tournament and into a tie for 33rd place.
Starting on the back 9, Green had birdies on 12 and 15 to more than offset a bogey on 13.
Green then played bogey free on the front nine registering birdies on 3 and 9 to finish the day at 3 under and improve to 4 under heading into Sunday’s final round.
Green opened the tourney with rounds of even par 71 on Thursday and 1 under 70 on Friday.
The Medina 15U baseball split a pair of games at a Niagara Falls area tournament on Friday defeating Central Amherst Orange 11-6 and losing to Lou Gehrig 3-0.
The tournament continues today.
Medina 15U 11, Central Amherst Orange 6
A four run first inning sparked Medina 15U to an 11-6 win over Central Amherst Orange.
Jacob Duffina had an RBI double and Mason Berry and Shawn Robertson RBI singles in the opening frame which also included hits by Viktor Snyder and Evan Collins.
Medina later put a lock on the win by scoring six times in the fifth frame highlighted by a two-run triple by Zachary Graham, a two-run double by Snyder and an RBI single by Duffina.
Snyder had a total of 3 hits as Duffina and Brayden Calabro both had 2.
Lou Gehrig 3, Medina 0
Medina was stymied on only 4 hits in the 3-0 loss to Lou Gehrig which scored twice in the first inning on 3 singles.
