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Rams have double winner at Class C meet
Roy-Hart’s Braden Ricker was a double winner in the 100 (:11.22) and 200 (:22.73) at the Section VI Class C track meet held today at Falconer.
Tysen McCaa placed second for the Rams in the Triple Jump.
Newfane’s Liam Betteridge won the boys 800 (2:03.62) and Jayde Jerge took the girls 800 (2:26.83). Betteridge also placed second in the 1600.
Storm delays Kendall’s sectional title quest
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Kendall second baseman Jonny Conte goes airborne after making the tag on a Genesee Valley-Belfast base runner at second base during early inning action of this evening’s storm interrupted Class C title game at Dwyer Stadium.
Kendall’s bid to claim a Section V baseball title was interrupted by thunder and lightning this evening.
Top seeded Kendall held a 5-0 lead over No. 2 Genesee Valley-Belfast in the Class C2 championship game when stormy weather halted play in the top of the third inning at Dwyer Stadium in Batavia.
Kendall scored 4 quick runs in the first inning on a two run error and a two-run double by Nic Cole and one in the second on aground out off the bat of CJ D’Agostino. Jonny Conte, Vinnie D’Agostino and Colby Hughes also all had singles to help key the big first inning uprising.
The game is tentatively scheduled to resume at 10 a.m. Saturday at Dwyer Stadium.
Kendall’s Nic Cole celebrates after banging out a two-run double in the first inning.
Albion has trio of Class B track winners
Photos by Tom Rivers: Hunter Huscher of Albion came from behind on the straightaway to win the 200 (:22.79), edging Marlon Barnaby of Health Sciences. Huscher also was second in the 100 at 11.55 seconds.
Albion had a trio of individual event winners at the Section VI Class B track championships held today at Alden.
Michelle Lauro-Ramirez won the Discus (109-3) for Albion and was second in the Shotput.
Cencere Lowe won the Long Jump (21-11), Hunter Huscher the 200 (:22.79) and Michelle Lauro-Ramirez the Discus (109-3).
Lowe also placed third in the Triple Jump and fifth in the 100 while Huscher took second in the 100.
The Albion boys team also had Luke Bell place 5th in both the Shotput and Discus, Tyler Cody 2nd in the High Jump, Ezra Bloom 4th in the High Jump. Tristian Tilbe 4th in the 3000 Steeplechase, Noah Harrison 5th in the Triple Jump, Omar Trejo 4th in the Pole Vault and Tye Talbot 5th in the Pole Vault.
Tilbe also teamed up with Myles Beach, Nate Wheling and Adrian Figueroa to place 3rd in the 3200 Relay.
The Albion girls also had Mia Standish place 3rd in the 400 Hurdles, Jordan Simmons 3rd in the High Jump and Sophia Wendt third in the Triple Jump.
The Medina boys had Gordon Young place 4th in the High Jump and Ryder Jones 5th in the 400 Hurdles.
Jones also teamed up with Cole Hughes, Aleks Seefeldt and Riley Tompkins to place second in the 3200 Relay.
Aurora Owczarczak placed 5th in both the 100 and 200 for the Medina girls as Talie Rupp took 4th in the 2000 Steeplechase and Penelope Schalck 5th in the Pole Vault.
Cincere Lowe of Albion won the long jump today at Sectionals in Alden with a leap of 21 feet, 11 inches.
Penelope Schalck took fifth in the pole vault for Medina.
County Clerks warn of DMV scams about traffic tickets, unpaid tolls
Press Release, County Clerks in Orleans and Niagara counties
The County Clerks in Orleans and Niagara counties today warned residents that a text scam involving fake Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) notifications has been circulating extensively to residents of both counties in recent weeks.
Orleans County Clerk Nadine Hanlon and Niagara County Clerk Joseph A. Jastrzesmki said while the scam is nothing new, their offices have been inundated with calls from local residents expressing concern.
“Like many of these so-called phishing scams, the texts look very real and are telling people they have outstanding traffic tickets or unpaid tolls and they must take action immediately to avoid consequences like fines and loss of driving privileges,” said Hanlon. “Let me be clear these are fake and should be deleted.”
Phishing texts are fraudulent messages designed to obtain data or sensitive personal information to be used to commit identity theft or trick the recipient into installing malicious software onto a computer or mobile device.
“No DMV office, either locally or from the state, will send you texts looking for personal information,” said Jastrzemski. “And if you are unsure, call our office and ask. It is always better to be safe than sorry.”
The New York State DMV provided some advice on how avoiding these phishing attacks:
- Be cautious about all communications you receive, including those that claim to be from “trusted entities.” Be careful when clicking any links contained within those messages. If in doubt, do not click.
- Do not send your personal information via email. Legitimate businesses will not ask users to send sensitive personal information through email.
- Keep an eye out for telltale signs: poor spelling or grammar, the use of threats, or the URL does not match that of the legitimate site.
- Be wary of how much information you post online. The less information you post, the less data you make available to a cybercriminal for use in developing a potential attack or scam.
To learn more about these phishing scams, visit https://dmv.ny.gov/more-info/phishing-attacks.
Barker bows in Class C softball title contest
Limited to only two hits top seeded Barker dropped a narrow 2-0 decision to No. 2 Chautauqua Lake in the championship game of the Section VI Class C softball playoffs this afternoon at Olean.
Chautauqua Lake scored solo runs in third and seventh innings both on errors.
Chautauqua Lake pitcher Cayzlee Johnson hurled the 2 hitter and registered 11 strikeouts.
In the circle for Barker Madyson Flint scattered 6 hits and stuck out 10.
Madelina Pavlock and Aine Davis each had a single to account for Barker’s hits.
Chautauqua Lake advances to next week’s Far West Regional with a 17-3 record while Barker finishes with a 17-6 mark.
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Artist begins work on mural of beloved canines at Medina Dog Park
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MEDINA – Brandi Zavitz, an artist from Medina, has been at the Medina Dog Park working on a mural that will feature about 70 beloved canines in the community.
Zavitz and the Friends of the Medina Dog Park had set a cap of 50 dogs for the mural. People pay $100 to have their dog painted on the mural with those proceeds going to the Friends for improvements at the park on North Gravel Road, just south of Boxwood Cemetery.
Due to the strong interest, the mural was expanded to 70 dogs as well as Orly the Ox, the county’s bicentennial mascot.
The mural initially was planned to be 24 feet long but Zavitz made it 8 feet longer to fit in more dogs.
Her artist fee and the cost of the materials are being covered with a grant administered by the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.
Cindy Davis, vice president of Friends of Medina Dog Park, is thrilled to see the outlines of all the pets that Zavitz has sketched out on the mural.
“I’m so excited,” Davis said. “It’s going to be awesome. I truly think it’s going to bring more people to the park. We have kind of become a family here. We all take care of each other. So seeing these dogs painted will always keep these fur babies in our hearts.”
The Friends of the Dog Park would like to add another water station, a second gazebo, another fenced-in area for smaller dogs and include more agility equipment, Davis said.
New time for Medina sectional game
The time for the Medina vs. Southwestern Section VI Class B championship baseball game has been changed.
The game will now be played at 10 a.m. Saturday at Frontier High School. It was originally scheduled for 4 p.m.
To get tickets in advance, click here.
Heritage Wind accepting applications for community grant program
Press Release, Heritage Wind
BARRE – The Heritage Wind Community Grant Program is now accepting applications for its Spring 2025 grant cycle.
Since its inception in 2020, the grant program has awarded nearly $140,000 to Orleans County community causes and non-profit organizations working to build healthy communities, increase environmental sustainability, foster economic development, and promote education.
The Fall/Winter Grant Cycle included awards to the following community organizations:
- Town of Barre Fire Department
- Village of Albion Summer Youth Park Program
- The United Way of Orleans County
Local organizations working in the Town of Barre and the broader Orleans County community are encouraged to apply. Grants are typically awarded in the $1,000 to $5,000 range, with priority given to proposals that demonstrate meaningful impacts to the greatest number of area residents.
We will be accepting applications until June 15. Please apply at www.heritagewindpower.com/grant.
The four focus areas for the Community Grant Program are:
- Building Healthy Communities – Programs that support public health or enhance the quality of life in the community.
- Economic Development – Programs that support the economic wellbeing of the community.
- Environmental Sustainability – Programs that support environmental revitalization, sustainability, or empower residents to be stewards of the environment.
- Promoting Education – Programs that support educational institutions, especially the advancement of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This may include curriculum development, vocational training, or literacy support.
If you have any questions about the program, please contact Anna Mathes at (585) 563-5137 or anna.mathes@apexcleanenergy.com.
Job Corps told to send students home by June 4 after ‘pause’ announced by DOL
Department of Labor says program costs too much with dismal results
File photos: (Left) In these photos from February 2024, Iroquois Job Corps’ carpentry student Jeremiah Caldwell works on one of the buddy benches which will be placed in four local Medina parks as a way to spread goodwill. (Right) Students in the carpentry program at Iroquois Job Corps Center work on Adirondack chairs, which the Medina Rotary Club will sell to raise money for the community.
MEDINA – The Iroquois Job Corps has been ordered by Department of Labor to have its students sent home by June 4 as part of a “pause” announced by the DOL on Thursday.
Center officials believe the DOL is moving to close the centers, and not put them on pause. The DOL announced it has halted contracts with 99 contract-operated centers. The Iroquois center, with a capacity for 225 students, is run by ETR, Education and Training Resources. ETR operates 11 Job Corps in states. In New York, it runs the Job Corps in Medina and Oneonta.
Job Corps is an employment and training system for young adults aged 16-24 throughout the United States with over 120 campuses. The center in Medina is located on the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.
It has 104 full-time equivalents working there with a $8.9 million budget serving up to 225 students. The center says it has a $17 million economic impact on the community.
The Department of Labor, in its announcement on Thursday, said the Job Corps are not cost-effective and the sites often have violence and other infractions, with a dismal graduation rate.
“Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training and community,” DOL Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. “However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve. We remain committed to ensuring all participants are supported through this transition and connected with the resources they need to succeed as we evaluate the program’s possibilities.”
The DOL said the graduation rate nationwide at the centers is at 38.6 percent, with the average cost per student a year at $80,284. The average cost per graduate is $155,600, according to the DOL.
The program also doesn’t tend to be a pathway to a career. On average, participants earn $16,695 annually on average when they leave the program, the DOL said.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Orleans County Legislature on July 20, 2024 recognized the Iroquois Job Corps on its 60th anniversary. Pictured from left include Luke Kantor (Admissions and Career Transition Services manager for the Iroquois Job Corps), Deshawn Knights, Logan Abeyta, Unique Weeks, Janissa Legister, County Legislator Fred Miller and Job Corps operations director JT Thomas.
For the Iroquois Job Corps, the DOL reports there were 247 students at a $12,281,990 “prorated yearly center cost” or $8,858,261 yearly center cost.
The DOL reports Iroquois is at $49,724 cost per enrollee with 28.4 percent graduation rate.
The cost per graduate is at $211,758. The DOL reports there are 225 in the program for contract, but only 111 actual.
There were also 121 infractions in 2023 at Iroquois, and 14,913 “serious incident reports” at all the Job Corps centers, according to the DOL report.
Those serious incidents at all Job Corps included 372 sexual assaults and inappropriate sexual behavior, 1,764 acts of violence, 1,167 breaches of safety or security, and 2,702 reported uses of drugs.
The Iroquois campus can serve 225 students who are ages 16 to 24. They receive training in six main programs: brick masonry, carpentry, electrical, commercial painting, clinical medical assistant, and certified nursing assistant.
Students stay on campus and receive other education. Some of those programs include work towards an equivalency diploma and driver’s education.
The DOL announced on Thursday it will be suspending program at 99 contract-operated centers. Those centers need to mobilize students to safely return to their home of record. Funds will be used to pause program operations, which includes managing facilities, maintaining student records, and ensuring students are connected with necessary employment and program resources, the DOL said.
The announcement is a major shock to the local center, which sees its program as a success, helping at-risk youth to receive employment training and often do community service projects in Orleans, Genesee and Niagara counties, said Skip Draper, a government liaison for Job Corps. He has worked for the program for 25 years. Draper is also an Orleans County legislator and chairman of the Orleans County Republican Party.
He said he and others are reaching out to elected officials, including Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, to stop the closure of the Job Corps centers. Draper said Congress has already approved funding to operate the centers through June 20, 2026.
The centers offer residential programs for students at or below the poverty line, who often struggled in a traditional school setting.
He is hopeful the DOL and the Trump Administration will reverse the decision when they see the many successes of Job Corps, connecting people to trades, health services and other careers.
“Job Corps is open to reform,” Draper said this morning. “The centers are well positioned to advance President Trump’s skilled-worker initiative. We have been able to get young adults in programs to take training initiatives.”
Draper said the enrollments are at about 60 percent capacity because the DOL isn’t letting the centers do background checks on students who seek to enroll in the program. The DOL took over that responsibility but hasn’t been doing the background checks. That has led to smaller enrollments, which inflates the cost-per-student, he said.
The Job Corps program has broad support in Congress, Draper said. Tenney and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have both visited the local site to meet students and learn about the programs offered there.
Born out of the War on Poverty and signed into law as the Economic Opportunity Act on August 20, 1964, Job Corps has provided safe housing, education, career and technical training opportunities, and support services for deserving young people, Job Corps officials said.
Mustangs will face Trojans for Class B title
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Carter Woodworth, shown here banging out the winning hit in Thursday’s semifinal win, and his Mustangs teammates will next face Southwestern for the Class B title at 4 p.m. Saturday at Frontier High School.
Just as was the case in both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, Medina will face a familiar foe in Saturday’s title contest as the top seeded Mustangs will take on No. 6 Southwestern for the Section VI Class B baseball championship at 4 p.m. at Frontier High School.
It will be the fourth time in five years that the Mustangs and Trojans have met in the sectionals.
Medina defeated Southwestern 10-0 in the 2021 Class B2 quarterfinals and 5-4 in the 2022 Class B2 semifinals.
In their most recent meeting, the Trojans blanked the Mustangs 3-0 in the 2023 Class B2 opening round.
Medina, which brings a 20-1 record into the finals, has advanced with a pair of narrow nail bitter victories where both times the winning run scored in the final inning.
Medina first nipped Niagara-Orleans League foe No. 9 seed Roy-Hart 3-2 in the quarterfinals by scoring a run with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Mustangs then needed nine innings to edge No. 4 Fredonia 2-1 in the semis scoring the tying run in the bottom of the seventh and the game winner in the bottom of the ninth.
Southwestern, which is 13-6, likewise had a close call in the quarterfinals rallying for four runs in the top of the seventh inning to post a narrow 6-5 win over No. 3 Akron which left the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh. The Trojans then romped to a 17-6 win over No. 2 JFK in the semifinals sparked by a trio of four run scoring innings.
Saturday’s winner will advance to the new Sub Regional contest which is scheduled for Thursday at Dwyer Stadium against the Section V champion (either No. 1 seed Wellsville or No. 2 LeRoy). The winner will advance to next Saturday’s Regional against the Section IV champion (either Oneonta or Lansing). That winner will then advance to the state semifinals on June 13 in Binghamton.
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Kendall ‘9’ will play in C2 title game Friday
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Kendall’s Mikey Colucci and his Eagle teammates will face Genesee Valley/Belfast for the Section V Class C2 title on Friday evening at 7:30 at Dwyer Stadium.
Top seeded Kendall will face No. 2 Genesee Valley/Belfast in the Section V Class C2 baseball championship game at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Dwyer Stadium in Batavia.
Both teams bring 21-1 records into the title contest.
Genesee Valley/Belfast advanced by downing No. 3 Gananda 4-3 in the semifinals this evening.
Kendall topped Genesee Region League foe Oakfield-Alabama 3-2 in the other semifinal on Wednesday.
Medina FC nipped in Wood Cup soccer contest
The Medina Mustangs FC dropped a narrow 4-3 decision on penalty kicks to LaSalle this evening in a Buffalo District Soccer League Wood Cup contest.
Medina tied the game at 2-2 on a penalty kick goal by Cole Callard.
Nate Dillenbeck also had a penalty kick goal for Medina whose other tally was scored by Aiden Prince off a corner by Elian Gonzalez.
Medina will open the home portion of its BDSL 1st Division season by hosting Great White Buffalo at 6 p.m. Sunday at Vets Park.
The Mustangs are off to a 3-0 start in 1st Division competition.
Mustangs rally late to win a 9 inning Section VI Class B semifinal thriller over Fredonia
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina catcher Ryleigh Culver gets the force out at home on Fredonia’ Ashton Putney during the Mustangs extra inning sectional semifinal win over the Hillbillies at Vets Park this evening,.
In an extra inning thriller, top seeded defending champion Medina edged past No. 4 Fredonia 2-1 in 9 innings in the semifinal round of the Section VI Class B baseball playoffs this evening at Vets Park.
The Mustangs scored the game winner in the bottom of the ninth as Aidan Papaj walked, stole second, went to third on a sacrifice fly by winning pitcher Preston Woodworth and came home on an infield single by Carter Woodworth.
Trailing 1-0, Medina rallied for a run on an error in the bottom of the seventh to send the contest into extra innings. Pinch runner Kolton Fletcher scored the tying run on the error after stealing second and third.
Fredonia’s run came in the fifth inning on a double by Brady Crawford.
The Hillbillies then got the bases loaded in the sixth inning on an error, a hit batter and a bunt single but Preston Woodworth bore down to get out of the big jam by registering two clutch inning ending strikeouts.
Preston Woodworth, who allowed only 3 hits and struck out 13 on the evening, also notched a clutch inning ending strikeout in the seventh as Fredonia left a runner stranded at third.
Medina left fielder Brody Fry then made a spectacular diving catch for the first out in the eighth which included another strikeout by Preston Woodworth who also had a pair of strikeouts in the top of the ninth.
Fredonia pitcher Ashton Putney likewise went the distance on the mound giving up just 2 hits and striking out 10.
Improving to to 20-1, Medina will next face No. 6 seed Southwestern in the Class B championship game at 4 p.m. Saturday at Frontier High School. Southwestern downed No. 2 JFK 17-6 in the other semifinal.
Medina second baseman Tyler Kroening gets set to put the tag on Fredonia’ Brady Crawford during a run down play which also involved Carter Woodworth (1) and Vinny Gray.
Medina’s Kolton Fletcher steals third as Fredonia’s AJ Kinney goes high to try and get the throw. Fletcher came home on the overthrow with the tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
In the pitching dual, both Fredonia’s Ashton Putney and Medina’s Preston Woodworth went the distance on the mound of the 9 inning thriller.
