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Stage is set for Albany Symphony’s concert in Medina
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – A stage has been set up on the north side of the Canal Basin’s parking lot for a concert today by the Albany Symphony.
The orchestra will begin its performance at 8 p.m. The group is shown during a rehearsal this afternoon.
Fireworks will follow after tonight’s concert. People are encouraged to bring their own chair for the concert and fireworks.
The Albany Symphony is in town as part of a celebration of the Erie Canal’s bicentennial. The New York Power Authority and NYS Canal Corp. have set five concerts for the symphony from July 2-6, events that will feature the debut of commissioned compositions.
At Medina, the symphony will perform a new composition by world-renowned, Brazilian American composer Clarice Assad. Her composition is on a “Sound Capture Journey,” as she began crafting a new orchestral work on the theme of the sound of nature and the environment and along the Erie Canal.
Assad visited Medina in March, and she and others recorded sound snippets from around Orleans County, collecting personal stories about local connections to nature, the environment, and individual sense of place.
Jim Hancock, chairman of Medina’s Tourism Committee, welcomes the symphony to Medina today. Hancock organized a day of events with other musicians and historical presentations.
McHenry and Baz performed from noon to about 2 p.m., playing music from the ’60s, ’70s ’80s and ’90s.
Pen pals for 70 years, from Medina and Australia, grateful for enduring friendship
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Kay VanNostrand of Medina, left, and her pen pal of 70 years, Kay Reid of Australia, are all smiles as they met for coffee Saturday at the Coffee Pot Café, during Reid’s visit.
MEDINA – Kay VanNostrand of Medina and Kay Reid, who lives in a suburb of Sydney, Australia, could never have imagined as little girls forming a close friendship with someone half-way across the world.
But that is just what they did.
Last week, Reid arrived in Medina to spend some time visiting VanNostrand.
The girls were both 10 when VanNostrand joined Girl Scouts and Reid joined the Australian equivalent – the Girl Guides.
“I got Kay’s name and wrote my first letter to her on July 1, 1955,” Reid said.
“And I wrote right back,” VanNostrand said. “We wrote back and forth all summer.”
But their friendship didn’t end there, although they drifted apart for a few years. Life got in the way, they said.
VanNostrand went to college and became a teacher, while Reid married and raised four children.
“We always sent Christmas cards and gifts,” VanNostrand said. “When we realized we could talk on the phone, that was how we corresponded.”
“When we got computers, we could correspond with Skype,” Reid said.
When VanNostrand retired in 1997, Reid and her sister Margaret came here to visit.
“I asked if we could come visit, and Kay answered, ‘Yes, yes, yes,’” Reid said.
“It took two weeks for me to get her letter and another two weeks for her to get my reply,” VanNostrand said.
In 2002, VanNostrand’s friend Barb Filipiak went to Australia to visit a fellow teacher and extended her stay to visit Reid.
VanNostrand’s first trip to Australia was in 2004.
In 2006 and again in 2008, the Kays met in Hawaii with Filipiak and spent a week together. In 2011 they all met in Alaska, then spent three days after that in Seattle. Reid flew back to Australia and VanNostrand and Filipiak took the train back to Buffalo.
In 2017 Filipiak and VanNostrand went to New Zealand on a tour, and then flew to Australia and spent a week with Reid.
Reid described her flight here this time as a real challenge. She left Sydney on Quantis Airlines and arrived in Dallas to find long lines and only two employees working. She had a two-hour layover to check in, go through Customs and make the long walk to get to the next gate for her flight to Buffalo.
When it became evident the line wasn’t moving fast enough for her to make connections, she found a security person and relayed her concern. He took her where she had to go and she had a 15-minute wait there. In the end, she missed her flight to Buffalo and had a six-hour wait before she could get another flight.
This week, VanNostrand, who turns 83 today, and Reid, who turns 83 on Sept. 12, shared some of their old memories.
“If it wasn’t for Kay, I’d have never done international travel,” Reid said. “It is remarkable because neither of us liked writing letters.”
In previous years, the Kays would open their Christmas gifts together on Skype, but recently they have decided instead of buying each other gifts, they will send something to a charity in the other’s name.
During Reid’s week-long visit, they have done a lot of catching up, they said. They visited Sarah’s Greenhouse and friends in Brockport. They still want to go to Holley Falls and the Western New York National Cemetery in Pembroke.
Reid will leave July 4 to return home to Australia.
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Public urged to enter Flower and Plant Exhibition at upcoming County Fair
Photos courtesy of CCE Master Gardeners: Exhibitors really showed their creativity in the “Unique Container” category of the 2024 Exhibition.
Press Release, Orleans CCE Master Gardeners
KNOWLESVILLE – Orleans County Master Gardeners are seeking exhibitors from the community for their annual Flower and Plant Exhibition at fair.
The Exhibition, also called the Fair Flower Show in the past, is a chance for the general public to showcase some of their favorite horticultural pieces from home. Anyone in the community can enter up to three exhibits per class. The classes are – Fairy Garden, Fresh Floral Arrangement, Dried/Artificial Floral Arrangement, Houseplant, Succulent, Unique Container, Hanging Basket/Urn/Pot, Garden Accent, and Miscellaneous.
This Fairy Farm was a big hit at the 2024 Flower and Plant Exhibition.
Master Gardeners changed the name of this event from “Fair Flower Show” to “ Blooms and Beyond – A Flower and Plant Exhibition at Fair” because they wanted to better reflect the true nature of the event.
Instead of a judged flower show like ones featured in larger fairs, this event is more of a showcase of horticulture projects submitted by the community members. The event will not be formally judged, but rather the public is invited to vote on their favorite entries by paper ballot during the first 4 days of fair.
There are ribbons awarded for the favorites in each category, and larger prizes for the overall “Fan Favorites.” But the real goal of the event is to showcase unique and different projects in horticulture.
“We want to make sure people realize that the Flower and Plant Exhibition is not a formal competition,” said Master Gardener and Exhibition Committee Chairperson Nancy Halstead. “The focus of the program is less about competition and more about sharing of ideas.”
The broad range of classes means that almost any garden-related project can be entered. The “Miscellaneous” category covers entries like garden photography, art, or anything that doesn’t quite fit in any of the other classes. There are restrictions on content and sizes, so all exhibitors should refer to the Flower and Plant Exhibition General Rules and Information sheets found on the link below.
The Flower and Plant Exhibition is the only program at fair that is open to public exhibitors of all ages– all other exhibits at fair are limited to 4-H youth.
“The Flower and Plant Exhibition is just a fun way for our community members to show some of their horticultural skills,” said Katie Oakes, Master Gardener Coordinator at Orleans CCE, “It’s really neat to see all of the different entries and it adds a pop of beauty and nature to the Lartz Building at fair.”
Exhibitors must submit pre-registration paperwork for all entries by Monday, July 14, and entries must be dropped off at the Lartz Building of the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds by Monday, July 21.
Each exhibitor will receive a coupon for half-price week-long fair admission. The Flower and Plant Exhibition will be on display adjacent to the Master Gardener tables in the Lartz Building of the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds the entire length of fair, July 21-26.
Voting by the public will take place Monday through Thursday of fair, with ribbons and prizes awarded Friday. Full rules, guidelines, and entry paperwork can be found by clicking here.
Please contact Master Gardener Coordinator Katie Oakes at 585-798-4265 ext. 125 or klo54@cornell.edu with any questions.
An example of some of the “Miscellaneous” entries from the 2024 Exhibition.
NY launches website to assist schools with upcoming Smartphone restrictions
Districts need to post their distraction-free policy by Aug. 1
Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office
Governor Kathy Hochul today launched a website that provides resources for New York school districts as they prepare to implement bell-to-bell restrictions on smartphones for the coming school year.
The website, linked here, includes a policy FAQ, toolkit and examples that school districts can use to design their distraction-free policy, which must be published by Aug. 1 as noted under State law.
Many districts across the state have already developed and finalized distraction-free policies that benefit students, teachers, and parents – and by highlighting these new resources, Governor Hochul continues the State’s ongoing efforts to support all schools throughout the summer, in time for the 2025-26 school year.
“School districts across New York are already showing us that bell-to-bell smartphone restrictions help deliver the best possible learning environments for our kids,” Governor Hochul said. “As we prepare for the coming school year, my team is continuing to provide the necessary resources and tools to ensure school districts finalize and publish their distraction-free policy by the August 1 deadline.”
This new requirement will take place in the 2025-26 School Year and applies to all schools in public school districts, as well as charter schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). Under this law, all school districts must publish their distraction-free policy by August 1, so it is visible to the district’s community of students, parents and other key stakeholders.
Governor Hochul’s cellphone policy creates a statewide standard for distraction-free schools in New York including:
- Prohibits unsanctioned use of smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices on school grounds in K-12 schools for the entire school day (from “bell to bell”), including classroom time and other settings like lunch and study hall periods
- Allows schools to develop their own plans for storing smartphones during the day — giving administrators and teachers the flexibility to do what works best for their buildings and students
- Secures $13.5 million in funding to be made available for schools that need assistance in purchasing storage solutions to help them go distraction-free
- Requires schools to give parents a way to contact their kids during the day when necessary
- Requires teachers, parents and students to be consulted in developing the local policy
- Prevents inequitable discipline
Governor Hochul’s policy clarifies that students will have authorized access to simple cellphones without internet capability, as well as internet-enabled devices officially provided by their school for classroom instruction, such as laptops or tablets used as part of lesson plans.
Additionally, the Governor’s policy includes several exemptions to smartphone restrictions, including for students who require access to an internet-enabled device to manage a medical condition, where required by a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), for academic purposes, or for other legitimate purposes, such as translation, family caregiving and emergencies.
Medina grad quarterbacking GC Spartans
Contributed Photo – Medina High graduate Aiden Pitts is playing quarterback for the Batavia based Genesee County Spartans of the Northeastern Football Alliance. He is shown here in action during this past weekend’s game against the Lockport Wildcats in which he threw two touchdown passes in a narrow 18-14 loss. The Spartans roster also includes Albion High graduate Deyonci Farley.. The Spartans next game is against the Southern Tier Stallions on July 12 at 5 p.m. at the Pembroke Town Park.
5 East Shelby firefighters complete interior training
Photo and information courtesy of Debbie Taylor, East Shelby fire chief
EAST SHELBY – The East Shelby Volunteer Fire Company recently five members complete roughly 50-hour Interior Firefighting Operations class this year.
Pictured from left include Josh Fuller, Logan Gardner (in truck), Nathan Fuller and Dylan Taylor. Victor Jefferd is missing from the photo. Jared Zinkievich also completed his training last year.
These gentlemen participated in a class that included firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE), self-contained breathing apparatus donning, doffing and use, SCBA air management and SCBA emergencies, basic firefighter survival techniques, modern fire control methods, building fire search and victim removal techniques, firefighter survival skills, tactical ventilation techniques and basic power saw operation, forcible entry techniques, hose line advancement, vehicle and wildland firefighting theory, vehicle firefighting techniques, coordinated structure fire interior attack and transitional fire attack, and coordinated initial company operations.
“As the chief of this fire department, I’m very proud of these guys for their time and effort and dedication they have put in to complete these classes,” said Debbie Taylor, chief of East Shelby. “It’s not easy balancing personal life around these classes. And it’s great for East Shelby for the kick up of more interior firefighters.”
East Shelby welcomes the public and prospective members in stopping by the fire hall at 5021 East Shelby Rd. More information is available on the East Shelby Facebook page.
Slow down and take more time to enjoy life and your surroundings
Editor:
Wouldn’t it be a good idea for many of us to slow down?
Take driving as an example. Do we really need to get to the store at 9:23 a.m.? Might it make more sense to get there at 9:26 and enjoy well-kept properties with flowers and flowering trees and shrubs that we pass along the way? We might even give nesting native birds a better chance to raise their hatchlings and get them on their way.
Of course lawyers, funeral home owners, car-makers and those who run collision shops might fret. But insurance companies would be better off if there were fewer collisions. And we might as well.
Engaging another person with whom we may have something in common can result in a happier day for more than just you. Or smile and say “hello” even if you cannot recall the person’s name but know for certain that you probably should.
This piece is along the same line as another I sent recently. Initially, thinking it through takes more time but saves us time over the long haul.
Recently I spoke with a Californian who was biking to Albany along the canal. He turned out to be an architect interested in sandstone, brick and cobblestone buildings. Our conversation provided me with some excellent insight into a matter our non-profit is investigating.
As my high-school students heard now and then, “Once it’s over, it’s over. We won’t get an opportunity to do it right.”
Sincerely yours,
Gary Kent
Albion
Lightning tops Roy-Hart with big 2nd half
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Roy-Hart goalie Courtney Aquilina goes high to knock away a shot during Tuesday’s home game against the Lockport Lightning.
Pulling away in the second half, the Lockport Lightning downed the host Roy-Hart Lady Rams 6-2 in a Buffalo District Youth Soccer League girls U19 Division game Tuesday evening.
Roy-Hart trailed by a narrow 3-2 margin at the half as Maria Trombley scored a pair of goals for the Lady Rams.
However, the Lightning scored three unanswered goals in the second half to claim the win. All of those goals ironically were scored by June Roy-Hart graduates, two by Kaitlin Mettler and one by Allie Trombley.
The Lightning improve to 4-1-0 while Roy-Hart is 1-2-1.
Kendall/Orleans FC wins
The Kendall Crossfires/Orleans FC U19 girls team evened its Rochester District Youth Soccer League record at 2-2-1 with a 7-1 win over Livonia on Monday.
Roy-Hart’s Julia Verratti works to keep the ball away from Lockport’s Anna Chunco.
Maria Trombley, who scored both Roy-Hart goals, advances the ball up field.
2 performers in today’s concert in Medina with Albany Symphony have local connection
MEDINA – Two members of a local family will be performing with the Albany Symphony Orchestra in Medina’s Canal Basin tonight.
Dana Oakes, brother of Wendy Oakes Wilson and Darrel Oakes of Lyndonville, is a member of the orchestra with his wife Paula.
Attempts to reach the couple before tonight’s concert were unsuccessful, but information about both musicians was available online.
Dana Oakes is a trumpet player with the orchestra. A site for the Boston Landmarks Orchestra says Oakes began playing the trumpet at the age of 9. It says he came from a small town in upstate New York, undoubtedly, Lyndonville, where it was his junior high teacher who sparked his interest in a musical career.
He first experience in an orchestra was participating in the All-State competition as a junior. After that, he knew it was what he wanted to do, the article says.
He went on to study at the New England Conservatory, where he ended up in the top orchestra in his second year there.
He played at the opening of the JFK Library and after completing his studies, joined the Opera Company in Boston under director Sarah Caldewell. That was when he discovered his love of opera, he said. The story continues to say Oakes has done a wide array of work since then, from performances with international orchestras to gigs with Barnum and Bailey’s Circus.
He has also been part of a live performance with Pavarotti for a movie.
Information on the Albany Symphony’s website reported Oakes’ wife Paula has been a member of the Orchestra’s first violin section since 1986. In 2006, she was awarded a stationary position and has been a recipient of a Vanguard scholarship in 1987, 1990, 1994, 1996, 2004 and 2023.
Currently living in Boston, she performs regularly with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the Pro-Arte Chamber Orchestra, and is principal second of the Boston Landmarks Orchestra.
An active chamber musician, Paula just completed an 18-year tenure with the Lavazza Chamber Ensemble and currently performs with the Landmarks Principles String Quartet. The Quartet has garnered a reputation in the greater Boston area for its Music and Memory initiative, performing especially designed programs that foster connections with the memory impaired at retirement communities and nursing home facilities.
When not performing, Paula devotes her time to her extensive flower gardens, which not include more than 200 different varieties of daylilies. She is currently working toward a bachelor’s degree in political science at Southern New Hampshire University.
Tonight’s concert in the Canal Basin will begin at 8 p.m.
Riley family invites public to see extensive garden in benefit for Cobblestone Museum
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Not even a hot day can keep Jeanette Riley from spending time in her garden. She will host the Cobblestone Society’s annual mid-summer celebration there on July 17.
ALBION – The Cobblestone Society’s annual mid-summer celebration on July 17 this year is titled “On the Bank of the Erie Canal,” and will take place at the extensive and elaborate gardens of Jeanette Riley.
Co-chaired by Shirley Bright-Neeper of Medina and Joyce Chiczek of Lyndonville, the event will feature music by the E-Yah-Pah-Hah Quintet, wine and light refreshments provided by Chiczek.
The gardens are located at 1960 Riley Place, off Moore Street, next to the Erie Canal.
Elaborate statuary, opulent blooms and winding paths will greet visitors to the Riley Family garden on the Cobblestone Society’s mid-summer celebration July 17. Here, Jeanette Riley and Shirley Bright-Neeper are partially hidden in the shade as they take a break while touring the garden.
Cobblestone director Doug Farley says no one will want to miss this tour.
“In recognition of the bicentennial of the Erie Canal, this magnificent garden is the perfect choice, as it is on the north bank of the Erie Canal,” Farley said.
Parking is limited near the garden, so it is recommended passengers be dropped off at the driveway to the Riley home and drivers can park at Light of Victory Church (formerly St. Mary’s Church) at 47 Brown St., where they will be shuttled to the Riley home.
The event will start at 4 p.m. and continue until dark. This is an ongoing, informal event, with activities scattered throughout the garden. It is a large garden and there are many places for visitors to sit as they wander at their own pace. Guests may also bring their own lawn chair.
Lush plants welcome visitors to the elaborate garden where Jeanette Riley will host the annual garden tour July 17 to benefit the Cobblestone Museum.
E-Yah-Pah-Hah, a quintet of music educators, will present their featured musical performance beginning at 5 p.m.
The history of the Riley gardens goes back to 1960 when Jeanette’s parents, Henry and Alma, lived there as renters. The original home, owned by an uncle, had five rooms with an outhouse. The family paid $35 to $40 a month to live there, Jeanette said. Her parents later bought the property for $2,000 around 1980, then bought three lots from Curtis Lyman to extend their property.
“Dad was a brick mason by trade, and he started fixing things up,” Jeanette said. “The house now has five bedrooms and two baths.”
Jeanette moved home with her mother when her father got sick in 1995. He died in 1997, and Jeanette said her mother started planting flowers to keep busy. She had hedges pulled out and began planting flowers, hit and miss, Jeanette said.
Shirley Bright-Neeper, left, and Jeanette Riley enjoy conversation on a hot day in the shade of a giant maple at the entrance to the Riley family garden, which will be the site for the Cobblestone Society’s annual garden tour on July 17. The elaborate garden is located at 1960 Riley Place, on the bank of the Erie Canal.
Jeanette, 74, worked at the Probation Department, and after work her mom would tell her what she had done that day.
“Every day mom was out here, and I helped on Saturdays and Sundays,” Jeanette said. “We would talk about plants and flowers we wanted. She was very creative.”
When another house burned, the Riley’s took the bricks and made a patio. They had truckloads of sandy loam brought it for flower beds, and planted a lot of bulbs. Then a harsh winter hit and the weight of the snow killed all their bulbs.
“We called it ‘Death Valley Days,’” Jeanette said.
Their second big project was getting a second load of loam and framing off a patio.
“We learned we had to fluff the soil,” Jeanette said. “We called it our ‘shovel garden.’ My brother and his son had to do a lot of shoveling.”
A row of unique planters line a walkway through the Riley family garden on the bank of the Erie Canal in Albion.
Alma, who is in her 90s, still tries to help with the gardens, as does Jeanette’s brother. Jeanette does the majority of gardening, but her brother does the heavy lifting and digging. His son and fiancée help with planting. Sister Wanda helps on weekends.
Jeanette said when the buy new things to plant, she always gets two. She has had the Amish build several outbuildings on the property.
“I try to plant things so I don’t have a lot of weeds,” she said.
The garden is opulent with plants and bushes, some rare, like the yellow wood magnolia. One of Jeanette’s favorite places in the garden is what they call the “Gray area,” an area dedicated to Henry and Alma, with angels and a wrought iron sign with their names on it.
This section of the Riley family garden pays tribute to Henry and Anna Riley, who first bought the property.
A grape arbor, numerous statuary and wrought iron decorations create a magical place to stroll or sit in one of the many areas provided along the way.
A donation of $10 is suggested, and reservations are strongly recommended by logging on to CobblestoneMuseum.org or calling (585) 589-9013. The event will take place rain or shine.
This event may be canceled on the day it is scheduled due to rain or other weather conditions that could interfere with the performance.
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Tonawanda Seneca Nation, Sierra Club sue to stop massive data center at STAMP
They allege environmental reviews not properly followed by GCEDC
Press Release, Allies of Tonawanda Seneca Nation
BATAVIA – The Tonawanda Seneca Nation and the Sierra Club filed suit today in State Supreme Court in Genesee County, challenging two resolutions issued by the Genesee County Economic Development Center for the development of a massive data center at the WNY Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) in the Twon of Alabama.
The petition states that GCEDC violated both procedural and substantive requirements of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) when it issued decisions that awarded subsidies of $472 million to Stream U.S. Data Centers for the development of the data center and concluded environmental review without project specifics or site plan review. The litigation names GCEDC, Stream U.S. Data Centers LLC and the Town of Alabama as defendants.
The data center would be built within 300 feet of the nearest residence and roughly one half mile from the Reservation Territory of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, which has strongly opposed the siting of a data center at STAMP. According to Chief Kenith Dale Jonathan, “Our reservation Territory is protected by federal treaty and it is our duty to protect our Territory – the land, plants, animals, waters – for future generations… The Territory and its natural resources is all that the Nation’s citizens have – if the Territory is damaged, we will have no place to go.”
The petition shows that GCEDC failed to follow the requirement that its review of environmental impacts be based on actual plans, not mere concepts. In addition, GCEDC failed to ensure that its SEQRA review was coordinated with the Town of Alabama site plan review as required by the FGEIS it issued for STAMP. Moreover, the petition shows that GCEDC made mistakes in its review and failed to provide the careful analysis of environmental impacts required by SEQRA.
The suit aims to invalidate GCEDC’s decisions and force it to carry out a new environmental review that complies with SEQRA’s requirements. The Tonawanda Seneca Nation and the Sierra Club have also sought a Temporary Restraining Order to prevent the defendants from taking further action to advance the data center project. To date, Stream U.S. Data Centers has not completed a purchase and sale agreement for the land and the Town of Alabama Planning Board has not conducted site plan review.
If ultimately built, Stream’s data center would cover 900,000 square feet – the size of 15 football fields – and would use 250 megawatts of power per year, store and burn 60,000 gallons of diesel per year, and guzzle 10,000 gallons of water per day. Taxpayers would subsidize Stream at a cost of $472 million dollars, equivalent to $3.9 million per job.
The Tonawanda Seneca Nation, a federally recognized Indigenous Nation and part of the Haudenosaunee, has raised concerns about the STAMP mega industrial site since its inception. STAMP poses an existential threat to the people and culture of the Nation, as well as to birds, fish, deer, water, and medicinal plants in the Nation’s Big Woods, which are located adjacent to the proposed data parcel site.
In an affidavit, Chief Jonathan addressed likely impacts of the data center on the Nation’s way of life: “The construction and operation of the Project will diminish the Big Woods as a pristine hunting ground and forever change the character of the area with the additional noise, lights, pollution, and surrounding human development… Any spill or pollution event at the Project site that results in contamination to either ground or surface waters threatens the drinking water resources for the Nation and its Citizens.”
The 1,263-acre STAMP site is being constructed in the middle of a rural, agricultural area and is surrounded by a network of public protected lands that are visited each year by thousands of nature enthusiasts, who are drawn to the area by ecologically rich wetlands and forests that provide critical habitat for a diversity of birds, plants, and animals, including threatened and endangered species such as the Short Eared Owl.
The Sierra Club stands with the Tonawanda Seneca Nation to oppose GCEDC’s plans to turn this pristine and ecologically sensitive area into an ill-conceived and recklessly planned industrial mega-site. The data center industry is notorious around the world for its excessive noise, air pollution, excessive water use and the consumption of massive amounts of energy.
If GCEDC’s plans are effected, the diversion of 250 megawatts of renewable electricity to the data center will undermine New York’s ability to meet our climate change goals and add massive amounts of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants to the atmosphere. This environmentally precious area needs to be protected and expanded under New York’s 30 by 30 Initiative, not degraded by environmentally damaging industries.
Despite nearly twenty years of effort and more than $410 million in taxpayer subsidies, GCEDC has struggled to attract viable advanced manufacturing tenants or to construct basic infrastructure at the rural site proposed to become a “mega industrial park.”
Currently, Edwards Vacuum is the only tenant under construction at STAMP. Plug Power paused construction on its green hydrogen manufacturing facility in 2023, leaving a gap in financing for the onsite electrical substation; Stream U.S. Data Centers committed to covering $50 million of this gap as part of their data center proposal. According to the petition, “To fast track the development of a data center and jump start the stalled STAMP Site, the GCEDC resorted to taking shortcuts around the very environmental review standards and procedures” put in place under SEQRA.
Major Felony Crime Task Force honored for work keeping community safe, often behind the scenes
Task Force to receive ‘2025 Achievement Award’ from National Association of Counties
Photo by Tom Rivers: District Attorney Susan Howard speaks during last week’s County Legislature meeting about a National Association of Counties award for the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force. Legislator Skip Draper is at right.
ALBION – The Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force will receive a national award for its collaborative efforts with local and regional law enforcement agencies.
The Task Force has made over 1,250 arrests and participated in 2,800 investigations since 2007, and has a near 100 percent conviction rate, said District Attorney Susan Howard. The Task Force operates under supervision of the District Attorney in Orleans County.
“The specialized unit is especially adept in the application and execution of search warrants, and is poised to assist other local law enforcement agencies in the effort to ensure successful prosecutions at all levels,” she said.
The National Association of Counties will present Orleans County with a “2025 Achievement Award” during its national meeting July 11-14 in Philadelphia, Pa.
Howard praised the task force, led by supervising investigator Joe Sacco, for its work with local state and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as the State Police, Drug Enforcement Agency, Immigration and Custom Enforcement, the Office of Special Investigations, the Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“They kind of work in the dark but they need to be recognized,” Howard said. “They work so hard behind the scenes keeping on community safe.”
The Task Force also includes investigators Corey Black and Brett Sobieraski. Black has just retired from the Task Force after several years.
“Members are experienced investigators that have worked in law enforcement an average of 20 to 30 years prior to joining, thus bringing with them a high level of experience,” Howard said. “The Task Force focuses on the war against drugs, but also handles homicides, assaults and any other type of criminal investigation.”
