Page Sponsor
Medina HS taking RSVPs for annual Veterans’ Day Dinner on Nov. 6
MEDINA –The National Honor Society at Medina High School will again be serving dinner to veterans and their families.
The annual Veterans’ Day Dinner will be at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, at the high school cafeteria.
The dinner will be catered and is free to veterans and their families. NHS members collect donations to cover the cost of the meals.
Veterans and their families who want to attend are urged to call the high school office at (585) 798-2700 by Nov. 2. Reservations can also be emailed to NHS advisor Zachary Harris at zwharris@medinacsd.org.
EMS study, discussions don’t reflect financial burden on Village of Medina
Editor:
For the last several years, since re-entering public service, I have tried to address the rising costs of Fire and EMS services in our village, from selling our brand new ladder truck, that this community could not house and could not afford, to negotiating an increase in rates to the townships in the west end for ambulance service.
This endeavor has been a constant struggle to reverse the mindset of those who wish to maintain the status quo and business as usual.
The Village of Medina ambulance service is not a private business venture that earns a profit. The Village of Medina ambulance service is a municipal service funded by village taxpayers and in no way should be providing those services to outside village entities without appropriate compensation.
The cost to run the Village of Medina ambulance over the last few years is from $2.6 to $2.9 million in expenses with an average/stagnated revenue of $1.3 million. These expenditures do not include fire-related expenses and recognize a 90/10 ambulance/fire split for personal services. That leaves an approximately $1.3 million to $1.6 million tab for Village of Medina taxpayers. This is absolutely unacceptable and it is obviously time for a change.
Early negotiations with the towns of Ridgeway, Shelby and Yates brought this fact to the table. A one-year contract was offered with a substantial increase from $35,000 a year to $135,000. This one-year contract is intended to give the four entities time to assess a more viable solution for all and to see the outcome of the Orleans County EMS study.
Deputy Mayor Scott Bieliski and I were extremely disappointed to see that the cost of the ambulance service to Village of Medina taxpayers was not included in the slides shown at the recent Orleans County EMS Shared Services meeting.
They reported a $300,000 contract with Mercy for seven towns in the east and central and a potential $405,000 for the three towns in the west end. This glaring omission was even more ironic since I have heard on numerous occasions that the county should follow the Medina model!
How interesting, since I don’t recall any conversations with any County EMS representatives to discuss the costs involved to provide that service. In fact, just the opposite has occurred.
A county legislator at the previous shared services meeting insinuated that Medina may not cooperate. History proves that Medina has more than provided its fair financial share in cooperating with its neighbors. And then to have a town supervisor report at his budget meeting that Medina has “fabricated their numbers” and the budget crisis they find themselves in is due to “Medina’s shenanigans.”
Let me assure you, Supervisor Simon, the Village of Medina does not fabricate their numbers and we certainly do not engage in “shenanigans.” I, along with my fellow Medina taxpayers, do not consider this a game. We are also facing a fiscal crisis and the failure of this whole county to recognize the elephant in the room – the fact that we are all in the same predicament does not bode well for finding a viable solution.
I hope that everyone takes off their blinders and recognizes that, most definitely, cooperation and open-mindedness is the only way through this. The Village of Medina is open to work with all agencies involved, but this administration’s position will always be – Village of Medina taxpayers first.
Respectfully,
Deborah L. Padoleski
Mayor
Village of Medina
Holley will dedicate new mural on Oct. 21
Photo by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Village officials will be joined by artist Mary Jo Whitman during a dedication and reception at 3 p.m. on Oct. 21 for the new “Holley is Home” mural.
Whitman, a Holley native and graduate, spent about six weeks diligently creating the mural on the Geddes Street side of the Heath and Heath law offices at 66 Public Square.
Whitman, a Batavia resident, used a $7,500 grant through the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council to create the mural. She was approached by Holley mayor Mark Bower about a mural with Holley landmarks.
Whitman painted the Salisbury Fountain, the Holley Waterfalls, the gazebo by the canal, the old Holley High School and the block of storefronts in the Public Square that incudes Sam’s Diner.
Medina man sentenced to 3 years in prison in sex abuse case
ALBION – A Medina man was sentenced to 3 years in state prison today by Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church.
Jeffrey Fitzsimmons, 34, of West Oak Orchard Street also will get 10 years of post-release supervision. The judge also issued an order of protection for the victim for up to 10 years when Fitzsimmons is released from prison.
Fitzsimmons was charged in April with first-degree sexual abuse, forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a children for inappropriately touching a 15-year-old girl.
He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted sexual abuse in the first degree and admitted in court previously to committing the crime. However, during a pre-sentence investigation with probation staff, Fitzsimmons wouldn’t admit to the crime, District Attorney Susan Howard said.
Judge Church faulted Fitzsimmons for not taking responsibility for the crime.
“You pleaded guilty but now you deny it happened?” Judge Church said.
The mother of the alleged victim spoke in court this morning and said Fitzsimmons caused emotional trauma to her daughter by allegedly forcing himself on her and violating her trust.
“My child deserves justice,” the mother said. “Watching your child go through this is the most horrible thing in the world.”
She asked for the maximum possible sentence in the plea and for the highest level on the sex offender registry. That level on the registry will be determined in a separate hearing when Fitzsimmons is close to his release date from prison.
Barker/Roy-Hart seeks win at Alden Friday to clinch a tie for C North Division title
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Barker/Roy-Hart quarterback Max Townsend meets here with Head Coach Bill Bruning. The Bulls will visit Alden Friday.
Looking to clinch at least a tie for the division title, defending champion Barker/Roy-Hart will visit Alden for a C North game at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Barker/Roy-Hart is currently 5-0 in the division and a game ahead of runner-up Springville (4-1) with two division games remaining.
The Bulls, after visiting Alden, will close out the season with a home game against Cleveland Hill (3-2) on Thursday October 22 while the Griffins will wind up the season with games against Tonawanda (0-6) Thursday evening and Alden on Friday Oct. 23. The Bulls handed the Griffins their only division loss 29-24 in week 4.
Barker/Roy-Hart is coming off a 51-18 victory over Akron and Alden a 28-7 win over Tonawanda.
Alden has been sparked offensively by the trio of Aidan Phillips (795 yards rushing, 11 touchdowns), Brody Peresan (649 yards passing, 4 TDs) and Trent Hoffman (18 receptions for 268 yards and 4 TDs).
The Barker/Roy-Hart ground oriented offense has been led by Carter DerSarkissian with 1,164 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns. Aaron Bowerman has added 495 yards rushing and 4 TDs and Owen Maedl 288 yards and 5 TDs.
Bulls quarterback Max Townsend has passed for 237 yards and 6 touchdowns. Ashton Ark has 122 yards receiving and 4 TDs and DerSarkissian 65 yards and 2 TDs.
The other C North Division games will have Akron (1-4) at Eden/North Collins (2-4) at 7 p.m. Friday and JFK (3-2) at Cleveland Hill on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Medina robbery suspect under arrest in hospital after crashing vehicle in Batavia
Photo courtesy of The Batavian: The alleged perpetrator of an armed robbery in Medina on Tuesday morning then drove to Batavia in a red SUV, and crashed near the of intersection of Richmond Avenue and State Street.
MEDINA – A man who allegedly robbed the Family Dollar in medina on Tuesday morning, putting a gun to the head of an employee, has been arrested but is currently in Strong Memorial Hospital recovering from injuries after crashing an SUV in Batavia.
The alleged robber will be arraigned and likely remanded to the Orleans County Jail soon after being discharged by Strong, said Corey Black, the Medina police chief.
The man drove off from Family Dollar and his SUV was detected by a Flock camera. Law enforcement were alerted when the SUV was in Batavia.
The driver of the SUV collided with another vehicle near the intersection of Richmond Avenue and State Street. The SUV driver was unconscious and taken to Strong Memorial Hospital.
Black said he will release the man’s name and more details from the crime once the man has been arraigned and is out of the hospital. Orleans County Sheriff’s deputies are staying at Strong, keeping the man under arrest.
Black said the Flock camera system was paramount in the quick response by law enforcement in an adjoining county.
A member of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office was able to put the red SUV and the last three digits of the license plate into the Flock system.
Medina Police were then assisted by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, Albion Police, State Police, Batavia Police, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force.
“This is a very dangerous person,” Black said about the alleged robber. “At the end of the day, the cooperation of the law enforcement agencies working together was huge.”
Knights Kaderli 5K and basket raffle raised $26,000
Provided photos: Walkers and runners head up the hill toward the East Shelby Community Bible Church on the first leg of the Knights Kaderli Run/Walk on Oct. 3.
EAST SHELBY – The Knights Kaderli Memorial Walk/Run on Oct. 3 has raised $26,000 to date, with donations still coming in, according to Melissa Knights Bertrand, an organizer of the event.
The fundraiser was started when the families of Richard Knights and Sue Kaderli merged their fundraisers into one, and since then have given away $2 million to cancer patients and their families in Orleans County.
“We are so grateful to the Orleans County communities for their continued generous support and participation at our events,” said Bertrand. “We know there are many activities and charitable events to choose from on a beautiful fall Saturday, and we are humbled that so many made an effort to join us.”
The most popular items at the Knights Kaderli fundraiser Oct. 3 were a Josh Allen jersey and a collection of merchandise in memory of Dave Green. The event has raised $26,000 to date, and donations are still coming in.
The annual event takes place at East Shelby Fire Hall, where a walk/run begins the day, followed by a huge basket raffle.
Two special raffle items which were popular were a Josh Allen jersey and an assortment of items in memory of Dave Green. The walk/run was dedicated to the memory of Green, a retired Orleans County sheriff and a longtime member of the East Shelby Fire Company. He also was a supporter of the Knights Kaderli Fund. Green passed away at age 83 on May 22. In his honor, walkers and runners wore green shirts with the initial “D” on them.
Anyone may donate to the fund on Venmo@KnightsKaderli or by sending a check to Richard Knights and Sue Kaderli Fund, P.O. Box 684, Medina, or on the Knights Kaderli website by credit card.
Lyndonville Lions will celebrate Oktoberfest with German band on Saturday
Provided photos: The Bergholz German Band will be performing Saturday in Lyndonville at the White Birch Golf Course.
Press Release, Lyndonville Lions Club
LYNDONVILLE – At their first September meeting the Lyndonville Lions hosted Janice Infantino the lions District Governor. She was on hand to inform the lions of the present programs and services available to regional clubs through Lions Club International.
She reviewed agendas and plans from the local club for future events and offered several resources that might be able to assist the Lyndonville Lions in upcoming events.
As District Governor she will visit all the regional district clubs in the next few months to continue to gain information on regional clubs and offer resources to assist local clubs to better serve their residents. As the Regional Governor she recognized several Lyndonville Lions for milestones in service as she presented Chevron awards to Nicole Spohr with a 15-year service pin, Dr. Tom Wenhold with a 30-year service pin and Roger Wolfe with a 45-year service pin.
District Governor Janice Infantino presents Nicole Spohr with an award recognizing her 15 years of service to the Lyndonville Lions.
The Lions were happy to announce that they will be participating in the Village of Lyndonville “Trunk and Treat” to be held on October 31 at 5 p.m. in the Village of Lyndonville. I
n further activities the club finalized the details of their upcoming 3rd annual Oktoberfest on October 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the White Birch Golf Resort. The Bergholz German Band is a traditional German Oompah and Brass Band based out of Tonawanda. They are scheduled to perform their traditional German polkas, waltzes and various Bavarian songs during their performance.
The club is excited to welcome the Bergholz Band to Lyndonville and want to congratulate them on their recent induction into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. For presale tickets and reservations please call 585-733-6423. Individual seats are available for $50 or tables of 8 for $360. All tickets include hot German pretzels with mustard, a German buffet of sauerkraut, bratwurst and various sausages with German potato salad and schnitzel just to mention some of the item included.
Of course apple strudel will be served at the end of the evening. German beer will be available along with a cash bar for “Besucher’s,” German for visitors to the Oktoberfest event. The evening will feature a large basket raffle, steinholding or “Masskrugstemmen” contest and the coronation of the royal court of the 2026 Oktoberfest. The Masskrugstemmen is a traditional contest in Germany where participants hold a full one-liter beer stein straight out in front of them with one arm. You lose if you bend your elbow, lean backwards, switch hands or spill any beer from your stein. The traditional and very popular “shot ski” will make its second appearance this year. The Lyndonville Lions would like to invite all to attend this cultural Autumn event.
In preparation for their free eye exam and glasses clinic this spring the Lyndonville Lions donated over 1,000 pairs of glasses to the regional Lions collection effort. Glasses that are deemed unusable are collected and transported to a recycling center. Some donated glasses can be refitted and used at the Eye Exam Clinic. Those that are deemed unusable are sent to a recycling center where they are broken down to metal, glass and plastic for recycling.
The Lions would like to express their appreciation to the Hilton-Spencerport Express trucking company for their assistance in transporting these glasses. Glasses from all the regional Lions Clubs are collected at their facility and then transported free of charge to area recycling complexes. The Lyndonville Lions want to thank the Medina Lions in their assistance with this collection process.
Medina Lions Club member and First Vice District Governor Peter Kaiser assists the Lyndonville Lions with collect and transportation of donated glasses.
The Lions would like to thank all those who have supported the Lions over the years and wish all a safe and happy fall season. May God continue to bless all and keep a special watch over the men and women of our United States military during this turbulent period.
Please see the Lyndonville Lions web page for details Lyndonvillelionsclub.org or contact us via email at lyndonvillelionsclub@aol.com for information on upcoming events. Prost to all!
Recruitment event on Nov. 6 for jobs in county government
Press Release, Orleans County Personnel Department
ALBION – The Orleans County Personnel Department today announced the county will be hosting a recruitment event on Friday, November 6, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Orleans County Administration Building for those interested in county employment.
Attendees will learn about available positions, meet with representatives from various departments and participate in on-the-spot interviews.
“Working for Orleans County is an opportunity to build a rewarding career while making a difference in the community where you live,” said Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson. “And given the wide range of services provided by county government, there may be several different areas of interest for a person to consider.”
Orleans County offers a competitive benefits package that includes health, vision and dental insurance, participation in the New York State Retirement System, paid holidays, annual pay increases and opportunities for professional advancement. County employment may also qualify for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
“One of the things we want people to understand is that county government offers tremendous opportunities for professional growth and long-term career stability,” said Johnson. “We have employees with a wide variety of educational backgrounds, skills and experiences. You may be surprised to learn just how many different opportunities exist within county government.”
Walk-ins are welcome, although attendees are encouraged to register in advance by completing the recruitment survey available through the event’s promotional materials. The survey will help county staff identify positions that may be a good match for each applicant’s skills, education and interests.
The recruitment event will take place in Conference Room C at the Orleans County Administration Building, located at 14016 Route 31 West in Albion. For more information, contact Orleans County at (585) 589-3108 or email careers@orleanscountyny.gov.
Medina posts volleyball win over Lyndonville
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Maddy Watts and Maya Anderson go for a service return during the Mustangs non league win over visiting Lyndonville this evening.
Medina downed visiting Lyndonville 25-17, 25-18, 26-24 in a non league volleyball match this evening.
Sam Heschke had 7 aces and 3 kills, Maddy Watts 6 aces and Maya Anderson 4 kills and 3 aces to lead the way for the Mustangs.
Hannah Fox had 5 aces, 1 kill and 1 block, Leah Kenyon 2 kills and 1 ace, Isabella Bresett 5 aces and 1 kills, Sarah Corser 1 ace and Destinee Holmes 1 kill for the Lady Tigers.
Lyndonville’s Grace Kenyon with a spike as Medina’s Sam Heschke (8) and Payton Denniston and (33) Jenna Cecchini defend.
