Taking a look back at 2025’s sports highlights

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 31 December 2025 at 10:13 am

Just hours from the start of the new year here is a photographic look back at some of the top local sports stories of 2025. The photos are by Cheryl Wertman.

A SPECIAL ON THE LINKS – It was a spectacular debut year for Medina’s Melanie Green on the Epson Pro Golf Tour. She earned both the tour’s Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors as well as a coveted LPGA Tour card for the 2026 season. Highlighting her season were two tournament victories and a total of ten top 10 finishes. Her tournament victories came at Michigan and Alabama where her win came on the fifth playoff hole. She finished the season as the tour’s points leader. She is shown here teeing off at the Epson Tour’s tournament at Guilderland, N.Y. near Albany.

BULLS CAPTURE DIVISION FOOTBALL TITLE – Compiling a perfect 6-0 record Barker/Roy-Hart captured the Section VI C North Division football championship. The Bulls, which also posted a 46-30 win over Salamanca in the Section VI Class C quarterfinals, finished with an 8-2 record. Here Carter DerSarkissian picks up yardage for the Bulls in the sectional win over Salamanca. In fact, the Bulls only two losses were to teams which advanced to the state semifinals – 34-15 to Newfane in the season opener and 30-13 to Chautauqua Lake in the Class C semifinals.

SPARKLING DIAMOND SEASON FOR MUSTANGS – Medina sucessfully defended both its Niagara-Orleans League and Section VI Class B baseball championships to earn a return trip to the state playoffs. Medina posted a 12-0 record to retain the N-O title. The Mustangs then scored narrow wins of 3-2 over rival Roy-Hart in the quarterfinals and 2-1 over Fredonia in nine innings in the semifinals before blanking Southwestern 4-0 in the Section VI Class B final as Brody Fry hurled a no hitter. Fry is shown here being congratulated by teammates Preston Woodworth and Cam Fike. Medina opened state playoff competition by downing Wellsville 6-2 in the sub regional but then dropped a narrow 2-1 decision to Oneonta in the Regional. The Mustangs finished with a 22-2 overall record.

KENDALL ‘9’ CLAIMS LEAGUE, SECTIONAL TITLES – Compiling a perfect 12-0 record, Kendall captured the Genesee Region League baseball title. Keeping the momentum, the Eagles went on to claim the Section V Class C2 championship with a 6-0 win over Genesee Valley-Belfast. Kendall then earned a berth in the Class C state playoffs by nipping Geneseo 5-4 in the Section V state qualifier. Here Sammy Conte is hoisted onto the shoulders of teammate Vinnie D’Agostino after driving in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning to nip Geneseo. Kendall, which finished the season with a 23-2 overall record, dropped an 8-1 decision to Section VI champion Gowanda in the Far West Regional.

LADY HAWKS WIN SOCCER SECTIONAL TITLE – The Holley girls soccer team captured the Section V Class C1 championship with a 2-1 overtime victory over Canisteo-Greenwood which avenged a 1-0 regular season loss. The Lady Hawks advanced to the finals by upending top seeded Geneseo 1-0 in the semifinals. Byron-Bergen downed Holley 4-0 in the Section V Class C state qualifier contest. Here Ava Mosier advances the ball up field for the Lady Hawks.

KENDALL SOCCER TEAMS CLAIM LEAGUE TITLES – The Kendall boys and girls soccer teams both captured Genesee Region League soccer titles. The Eagles boys team went 12-0 to claim the G-R title and finished the season with an 18-1 record bowing to Naples 2-0 in the Section V Class C2 title contest. The girls claimed the G-R Division 2 title with an 11-0 record. The Lady Eagles finished the season with a 17-2 record dropping a narrow 1-0 decision to Byron-Bergen in the Class C2 final. Shown here in action are team goal scoring leaders Ryleigh Denning and Pablo Rosario Reyes.

N-O HAS SOFTBALL CO-CHAMPS – Roy-Hart and Barker shared the Niagara-Orleans League softball championship with identical 10-2 records. The teams split their two meetings with Roy-Hart winning the first 2-1 and Barker the second 3-0. Shown here in action are pitchers Madyson Flint, left, and Abby Fox. Barker went on to drop a narrow 2-0 decision to Chautauqua Lake in the Section VI Class C final.

LADY TIGERS WIN LEAGUE SOFTBALL TITLE – Lyndonville captured the Genesee Region League Division 2 softball championship with a 12-1 record. The Lady Tigers finished the season with a 19-3 overall record after dropping a narrow 2-1 decision to Fillmore in the Section V Class D semifinals. Here Hannah Fox slides into third base for the Lady Tigers.

LADY RAMS RETAIN N-O VOLLEYBALL TITLE – Making a successful title defense, Roy-Hart captured the Niagara-Orleans League volleyball championship by compiling a perfect 10-0 record. Here Zoe Healey spikes a return for the Lady Rams as Ryleigh Capen (2) and Raegan Kern (9) back up the play. Roy-Hart also captured the N-O golf title and shared the N-O girls swim championship with Newfane. Albion claimed N-O titles in tennis and boys track. Akron captured the N-O field hockey and boys basketball titles. Wilson captured N-O titles in boys and girls soccer, girls basketball and girls track. Newfane claimed the N-O girls cross-country, wrestling and boys swim championships and shared the girls swim title with Roy-Hart. Barker claimed the N-O boys cross-country title.

MEDINA MUSTANGS FC WINS TITLE – Successfully moving up a division for the third year in a row, the Medina Mustangs FC captured the Buffalo District Soccer League’s 1st Division regular season championship with a 9-0-1 record. Here Peter Martillotta advances the ball up field for the Mustangs which dropped a narrow 1-0 decision to Ukraine in the playoff semifinals.

Country needs more like Marjorie Taylor Greene to reject lies, seek truth and decency

Posted 31 December 2025 at 9:01 am

Editor:

When Charlie Kirk died and his wife forgave the killer, according to the New York Times, Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG) heard all the angry words striking out right and left which surrounded her and learned what it was to forgive again. She was reminded of the teachings of her faith. Leading with a spear and living in a state of constant hate is not normal.

I know that I’m a normal person because I do a lot of grocery shopping. I’ve been saying for a long time that prices are going to be going up with tariffs and putting more of the cost on the backs of ordinary people. Someone who installs gold toilets in the White House and tries to shout people like me down – saying everything is more affordable can’t persuade me that my eyes deceive me.

Things are only more affordable for the rapidly expanding cohort of the very rich billionaires this administration has now proven it actually serves. That is not normal. It’s normal in a real Democracy like ours was for our American government to look out for all of us.

I see bullies all the time, and those gold toilets don’t make a darn bit of difference when it comes to the truth. It’s little different than when normal people in ancient Israel listened and learned it was wrong to bow down to golden idols. Sometimes you just know it. Sometimes you have to see it yourself first.

Another thing that was reported about Margaret Taylor Green is that she and staff were on speakerphone with the White House when she was told that the Epstein files were being slow walked because it would hurt “my friends.”

I wrote till I was blue in the face that the Rule of Law was being ignored. She apparently also came to realize that excuses which pass the blame or are good for friends are not the same as justice for the victims of pedophiles. Very good sounding-off-the-cuff excuses are not the same as carefully considered application of the Rule of Law to dispense justice.

In the end it appears MTG remembered what America is about when she heard the unvarnished truth shouted in anger over that speakerphone. For her it was a good example of the proverb we learned as kids: “the truth will out.”

Recently a person wrote: “Somewhere in America, a young Hispanic girl is hiding in an attic, writing a diary.” I think it’s clear that there are a lot of good people in this country who are now taking mental notes out of concern or fear. Obviously all of us concerned about higher prices. For that Hispanic girl maybe getting her day in Court. But mental notes are being made by voting poll workers, National Guardsmen illegally deployed to do police work, parents whose infants can not get measle shots, people denied the cancer vaccine which was in late stage approvals, people with 2X medical premiums (a senior, mine were 4x), farmers with lost sales. In fact by all whose lives Project 2025 said would be displaced or destroyed. Whether or not the White House read it, the primary author of that tome is in the cabinet and it’s clear every cabinet member is aware of its marching orders.

Finally Greene observed war is always a way to hold onto power. International law has always been clear that boarding another country’s ships is an act of war. But more than that as a normal person it scares me stiff when I hear Putin’s twisted claims being repeated by our White House, fully expecting that free people will ever surrender on Putin’s terms. MTG is right to think this is an administration that invites more war on several fronts.

I hope this is a year when more people like MTG demand normalcy. A year when all realize what’s good and decent and speak out and act – hopefully with every one joining together to throw slings like David used to kill Goliath. A year all step up each day all the way to the ballot box in November. And a year which ends with some rest, renewed friendship and a real start of our return to normalcy in 2028.

Respectfully,

Conrad F. Cropsey

Barre

National Grid has restored power to all but 90 in Orleans County

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 December 2025 at 8:28 am

National Grid has the power back on for nearly all of its customers.

As of 8:18 a.m. today, there were still 90 National Grid customers without electricity, and 89 of those were in Carlton. The power is expected to be restored by noon today.

The powerful winds on Monday at one point had nearly 4,000 customers without electricity in Orleans County. National Grid has 19,724 customers in the county.

National Grid had 150,100 customers affected by an outage in Upstate New York from the wind. As of this morning, there are 482 customers left to be restored with power.

The company deployed nearly 3,400 line, tree, public safety and damage assessment specialists beginning Sunday to remove broken tree limbs and uprooted trees, and repair downed lines, broken poles, and other infrastructure damaged by the storm.

Tenney unveils 2025 report showing her efforts for 24th Congressional District

Posted 30 December 2025 at 6:29 pm

Press Release, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney

OSWEGO – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today released her 2025 Annual Report, showcasing how her office delivered for working families, farmers, small businesses, veterans and seniors across the district.

The report (click here) highlights expanded constituent services, strong legislative action, and a continued commitment to transparency and accountability.

“Serving NY-24 in 2025 has been a privilege, and this year delivered meaningful progress for families and small businesses,” Tenney said. “My office returned $27.5 million to constituents who were owed benefits, resolved 2,600 constituent cases, and responded to tens of thousands of calls and messages from those seeking help.

“On the legislative front, I supported the Trump Tax Cuts to deliver permanent relief for working families, seniors, farmers, and small businesses, and backed dozens of bills that advanced through the House. This annual report outlines how these efforts delivered real results for Upstate New York and where the focus remains as we head into the new year.”

Constituent Services

Returned over $27.5 million in benefits or back pay to residents of NY-24.
Completed 2,600 constituent cases, helping people cut through federal red tape.
Answered more than 16,000 constituent calls and messages.
Provided over 850 commendations and proclamations to veterans, first responders, students, and community leaders.
Wrote 110 grant letters to support local community projects and economic growth.
Attended over 130 community events across the district.

Accessibility and Transparency

Explained every vote cast in Congress, surpassing 1,000 detailed vote explanations on the website.
Responded to more than 78,000 constituent messages seeking answers and accountability.
Continued to provide clear breakdowns of Washington actions that affect costs, security, and local priorities.

Delivering Results for NY-24

Introduced 67 bills and cosponsored 472 bills on critical issues like economic growth, national security, and election integrity.
Supported 45 bills that passed the House of Representatives.
Helped advance 11 bills that became law, including measures enacted in the Trump Tax Cuts that deliver permanent relief.
Secured wins that support local priorities: tax credits for advanced manufacturing, stronger protections for family farms, and rural hospital support.
Advocated for energy affordability and reliability, including preserving nuclear credits important to Upstate New York.

Highlights for the District

Backed efforts that helped secure the release of an American held abroad.
Passed H.R. 323, Renaming a Post Office to Honor Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz
Pressed for stronger border security and enforcement to protect public safety and stop illegal trafficking.
Supported workforce development initiatives and small business outreach efforts across NY-24.

Travel advisory rescinded; 62 trees toppled from fierce wind

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 December 2025 at 5:31 pm

Photo courtesy of Marsha Rivers: A fallen tree lies on a road at the Carlton Town Park this morning. Many trees were knocked down from the powerful winds.

ALBION – Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke rescinded a travel advisory, effective at 3 p.m. today. That advisory had been in place more than 24 hours since early Monday afternoon.

An advisory isn’t a ban but discourages from unnecessary driving.

“We continue to experience some wind and snow creating winter driving conditions,” Bourke said. “National Grid would like residents to know that they continue to restore power in treacherous conditions and to stay safe and avoid any downed wires. Please report an outage to National Grid.”

The sheriff said the 911 center has been very busy with storm-related calls since Monday morning.

From 5 a.m. Monday to 12:30 p.m. today, dispatchers handled 159 weather-related calls included 62 for trees down; 23 for wires down; 4 for wires arcing; 1 for pole down; 13 for water problems; 32 to notify highway departments for tree removal; and 24 to utility companies when a fire department wasn’t needed.

There were 19 additional medical calls during this time, Bourke said.

Winter weather advisory for Orleans with 3 to 5 inches of snow today, 2 to 4 inches on Wednesday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 December 2025 at 2:38 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers: These electric utility vehicles are at the Save-A-Lot parking lot around 1:30 p.m. There were about 15 of the vehicles staging there. National Grid has brought in reinforcements to try to get the power back on for customers in Orleans County.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a winter weather advisory for Orleans County from today through 1 a.m. on Thursday.

The Weather Service said Orleans County can expect 3 to 5 inches of snow today and another 2 to 4 inches on Wednesday. Winds will also be gusting as high as 45 miles per hour.

The advisory also includes Niagara, Monroe and Genesee counties.

“During lake effect snow, the weather can vary from bands of locally heavy snow with greatly reduced visibilities to dry conditions just a few miles away,” The Weather Service said. “Be prepared for rapid changes in weather, visibility and road conditions.”

About 800 National Grid customers in Orleans County also remain without electricity as of 2:25 p.m.

Weather again delays Kendall Tournament

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 30 December 2025 at 11:48 am

For the second day in a row stormy weather has caused the postponement of the two opening round varsity games of the Kendall boys basketball Holiday Tournament.

The first round varsity games are now scheduled for Friday with Kendall to face Roy-Hart at 11:30 a.m.. followed by Livonia vs. Northstar at 1 p.m.

Kendall is now 3-1 on the season and Roy-Hart 3-2.

The Kendall and Roy-Hart JV teams will play at 10 a.m. Friday.

The tournament is scheduled to conclude on Saturday with the JV consolation game at 10 a.m., the JV championship game at 11:30 a.m., the varsity consolation game at 1 p.m. and the varsity championship game at 2:30 p.m.

Girls Basketball

The Lyndonville at Alexander and Medina at Maryvale girls games have also both been postponed.

5 stayed at warming center in Albion last night

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 December 2025 at 11:26 am

Site has seen increase so far this winter

Photo by Tom Rivers: Julie Carasone, warming center coordinator for Oak Orchard Health, is shown this morning inside Christ Episcopal Church in Albion, where five people stayed last night. Three were people without a place to stay and two others didn’t have electricity.

ALBION – The warming center at Christ Episcopal Church welcomed five people last night, another bitter cold day.

Three of those people are unhoused without a place to stay and two others lost their electricity from the powerful winds yesterday and wanted a warm place for the night.

The Clarendon fire station also opened as a warming center, but no one chose to stay there overnight, said Justin Niederhofer, the county’s emergency management director.

Oak Orchard Health is now in its third season of running the warming center at Christ Church, 26 S. Main St., Albion.

The site has 12 cots, coffee, tea, soup and hygiene kits when the temperature drops below 32 degrees at night. Oak Orchard also has the ability through the Emergency Management Office to have up to 90 cots set up.

Oak Orchard was ready with additional supplies and cots if needed last night, said Julie Carasone, warming center coordinator for Oak Orchard Health.

The site typically had 1 or 2 people each night the first winter it opened in 2023-’24, and then 2 or 3 on most days last winter.

This year there are more people, usually 3 to 8 each night, Carasone said.

“This year we have a significant increase in the number of people who are un-homed or unhoused,” she said. “We’ve been very busy this season.”

The warming center is activated on “Cold Blue” nights when the temperature falls to 32 degrees or below. That started early this year – on Nov. 3, Carasone said.

She said some of the people who stay at the warming center are only there for a couple weeks and they are able to get housing and a job. Others struggle to come up with the money for a security deposit and down payment and are there more long-term.

“In Orleans County there is a limited housing supply,” Carasone said. “And rent has become expensive.”

She praised the collaboration among Oak Orchard Health, the Orleans County DSS, Genesee Orleans Ministry of Concern and Community Action in trying to keep people safe from the cold and headed towards more secure housing.

The warming center is paid for through a state grant to operate the “Code Blue” centers. Oak Orchard Health has two staff that work at the site, one in a six-hour shift from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., and then another coming in from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m.

When the temperature is above 32 degrees, the warming center is not available. Carasone said she hears from the people that they will stay in tents, or by the canal park in Albion, or with family and friends.

They often stay in public libraries, fast food restaurants, laundromats and other businesses during the day, Carasone said.

She also thanked other agencies and the community for helping keep the warming center stocked with supplies for the people staying overnight. The Medina Area Association of Churches, Hands 4 Hope, Community Action and Zonta Club all have helped with materials at the site.

The warming center will likely be available into April when the temperature usually gets over 32 degrees at night.

2,000 still without power in Orleans County

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 December 2025 at 7:50 am

Provided photo: A big tree fell across Route 31 in Albion on Monday evening. This tree was on the north side of Route 31 and fell near Mount Albion Cemetery.

About 10 percent of the National Grid customers in Orleans County are without electricity this morning.

National Grid reports that as of 7:35 this morning 1,973 of its customers in Orleans County (out of 19,724) are without electricity. The power was knocked out on Monday from the high winds taking down wires, trees and branches.

In Western New York, Orleans is one of the hardest hit by outages.

Other counties with outages served by National Grid include:

Cattaraugus: 830 without power out of 32,268 customers
Chautauqua: 73 out of 41,420
Erie: 2,248 out of 288,213
Genesee: 628 out of 27,513
Monroe: 399 out of 21,809
Niagara: 1,573 out of 83,683
Wyoming: 114 out of 3,608

Travel advisories are in effect for Orleans, Genesee, Erie and Wyoming counties with the sheriffs in those counties recommending no unnecessary travel.

High winds postpone Kendall basketball tournament games until Tuesday

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 29 December 2025 at 9:48 pm

Due to today’s high winds the two opening round varsity games of the Kendall boys basketball Holiday Tournament have been postponed until tomorrow.

Kendall is now scheduled to face Roy-Hart at 3:30 p.m. followed by Livonia vs. Northstar.

The Kendall and Roy-Hart JV teams will play at 2 p.m.

The tournament is scheduled to conclude on Friday with the JV consolation game at 10 a.m., the JV championship game at 11:30 a.m., the varsity consolation game at 1 p.m. and the varsity championship game at 2:30 p.m.

Clarendon fire station added as warming center

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 December 2025 at 7:31 pm

More than 2,600 still without power in Orleans County

The Clarendon fire station on Route 31A has opened as a warming center for people to stay and warm up and charge their devices. The fire station at 16169 East Lee Rd. will be open all night for people to stay or stop by.

Christ Episcopal Church in Albion at 26 S. Main St. will also be available as a warming center. Anyone that needs access to the warming center at Christ Church is asked to call (585) 340-1355 to make arrangements prior to going.

UPDATE at 7:50 p.m.: The Pullman Memorial Universalist Church at 10 East Park St. in Albion also announced it will be open as a warming center until 10 tonight.

There will be snacks and beverages available, as well as the chance to charge phones.

National Grid is reporting at 7:06 p.m. that 2,683 of its customers are currently without electricity.

Those totals by municipality include:

Albion – 183
Albion village – 539
Barre – 367
Carlton – 178
Clarendon – 524
Gaines – 157
Holley village – 1
Kendall – 82
Lyndonville village – 2
Medina village – 7
Murray – 259
Ridgeway – 173
Shelby – 166
Yates – 45

Gold Star Family license plates now available in NY

Posted 29 December 2025 at 6:57 pm

NYS Department of Motor Vehicles

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C–Batavia) today commented on the Department of Motor Vehicles’ (DMV) announcement of new Gold Star Family license plates.

The new plates will give qualifying family members a meaningful way to honor the service and sacrifice of their fallen loved ones and will be offered alongside the existing Gold Star Mothers license plate.

Assemblyman Hawley’s bill, A.2334, has long supported efforts to waive registration fees for Gold Star parents and family members who apply for commemorative plates. He welcomed the unveiling of the new plates and thanked DMV Commissioner and former state Assembly colleague Mark Schroeder for his work in making them available to Gold Star Families across New York. Hawley also said he plans to amend his bill to ensure the DMV includes this new plate when waiving registration fees for eligible Gold Star Families.

Qualifying family members can order the new plates now by visiting the DMV’s website.

“I’m proud to see the DMV take this important step supporting our state’s Gold Star Families and my legislation and providing them with another way to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Hawley said. “One of my goals as an assemblyman has been to ensure these plates are accessible and affordable for qualifying families. This announcement marks real progress, and I look forward to continuing to work with Commissioner Schroeder and my colleagues in Albany to make sure Gold Star Families will be able to obtain these plates for no registration fee.”

Orleans teams earn Scholar-Athlete Awards

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 29 December 2025 at 6:51 pm

Some two dozen Orleans County varsity teams have earned New York State Public High School Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete awards for the Fall season.

To qualify as a Scholar-Athlete team, the average of 75% of the roster must be 90.00 or higher for the marking period.

Albion has five honored teams including Boys and Girls Cross-Country, Boys and Girls Soccer and Volleyball.

Holley has a quartet of honored teams including Boys and Girls Soccer, Volleyball and Cheerleading.

Kendall has a trio of honored teams including Boys and Girls Soccer and Volleyball.

Lyndonville also has three honored teams including Boys and Girls Soccer and Volleyball.

Medina has nine honored squads including Boys and Girls Cross-Country, Boys and Girls Soccer, Field Hockey, Volleyball, Football, Golf and Cheerleading.

Neighboring Roy-Hart has three honored teams Field Hockey, Volleyball and Girls Soccer while Barker has six including Boys and Girls Cross-Country, Girls Soccer, Field Hockey, Football and Golf.

Akron and Wilson both have nine honorees including Boys and Girls Cross-Country, Boys and Girls Soccer, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Football, Golf and Cheerleading.

Newfane has eight honored squads including Boys and Girls Soccer, Girls Cross-Country, Field Hockey, Volleyball, Football, Golf and Cheerleading.

“The Scholar-Athlete program remains one of the most meaningful recognitions we provide as an Association,” said Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director. “The dedication shown by these student-athletes, balancing rigorous academic responsibilities with their commitments to interscholastic athletics, is truly remarkable.”

Barre reschedules year-end meeting to noon on Tuesday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 December 2025 at 6:45 pm

OK Kitchen cancels Thursday dinner due to frigid forecast

The Barre Town Board has rescheduled the year-end board meeting from 6 p.m. today until noon on Tuesday due the rough weather, including a travel advisory. The meeting will be at the Town Hall on West Barre Road.

The Orleans Koinonia Kitchen’s board of directors also has canceled the meal scheduled for Thursday on New Year’s Day due to the forecast of very cold weather.

“We want everyone to stay home and stay safe and warm,” said Faith Smith, the kitchen’s director. “It will be very cold and there will be ice everywhere. Our only concern is for everyone’s safety. We will be back open Thursday, January 7.”