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Medina business will welcome authors for independent bookstore celebration on April 25

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 17 April 2026 at 11:41 am

Provided images: Local author Wendi Pencille and her dog Crush will be at Author’s Note Bookstore on April 25, where she will join several other artists in signing books to celebrate the store’s fifth annual Independent Bookstore Day.

MEDINA – Medina’s independent bookstore, Author’s Note, will join more than 2,000 bookstores around the country in celebrating Independent Bookstore Day on April 25.

In addition to games, activities and giveaways, the day’s festivities between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. will include visiting authors, Ed Ashton, Kate Hosford, David Neth and Wendi Pencille, who will sign books and greet readers.

Children’s author Kate Hosford of Brooklyn will sign books between noon and 1:30 p.m. She is author of seven picture books and two poetry collections, garnering awards such as an American Library Association Notable Book, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, a Junior Library Guild Selection and a New York Times Best Illustrated Book.

Children’s author Kate Hosford will sign books at Author’s Note.

Her books have been published in eight languages. Her newest title, You and I are Stars and Night, celebrates the love between children and their caregivers through a magical bedtime adventure. In addition to her appearance at Author’s Note, Hosford will do a presentation at Royalton Hartland Community Library at 6 p.m. April 23, and at 5 p.m. April 24 at Author’s Note, following visits to Oak Orchard Primary School in Medina and DeSales Lower School in Lockport.

Ed Ashton has written several novels, including The Fourth Consort.

Ed Ashton, a celebrated speculative fiction author of Mickey 7, the novel on which the movie Mickey 17 was based, will sign books from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Ashton is also the author of the novels Three Days in April, The End of Ordinary, Antimatter Blues, Mal Goes to War and The Fourth Consort, as well as short stories which have appeared in venues ranging from the newsletter of an Italian sausage company to Escape Pod, Analog and Fireside Fiction. He lives in a cabin on the shore of an inland sea, where he enjoys cancer research, teaching quantum physics to sullen graduate students and whittling. His newest novels, After the Fall and the Fourth Consort released earlier this year.

David Neth has a new book out, This Time Around.

Author D. Allen, aka David Neth, is a local school librarian who will sign books at the bookstore between 10:30 and noon. D. Allen writes heartfelt small-town romance, such as the Montana Beach and Small Town Christmas series.  He also writes urban fantasy and superhero fiction under his own name. A school librarian with more than a decade in the book world, he lives in Western New York with his family. His newest novel, This Time Around, released this week.

Wendi Pencille is a local author who will sign books with her dog Crush from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Crush is the main character, cover model and inspiration for Pencille’s new book Crush Finds His Place. P

encille has spent the past 25 years as a therapy dog volunteer, working with children and adults with special needs. As the human sidekick to Crush, a remarkable St. Bernard and certified therapy dog, Pencille will admit he is the star of the team, while she is primarily the chauffer and treat dispenser.

Over the years, her eight therapy dogs have formed very special bonds with the people they visit. It is one of those relationships that was the inspiration for her first children’s book, Crush Finds His Place. Pencille shares her home in Medina with her family, four dogs, a cat and usually a foster dog or cat as well.

All of the visiting author’s books are available now for purchase or online order from Author’s Note. Reserving copies in advance is strongly recommended.

Independent Bookstore Day spotlights the vitality and creative richness that locally-owned independent bookstores bring to readers, authors and neighborhoods in ways chains and e-commerce sites cannot replicate, said owner and author Julie Berry.

This will be the fifth annual Independent Bookstore Day for Author’s Note and the 13th anniversary of the event sponsored by the American Booksellers Association. In 2025, more than 1,600 bookstores celebrated Independent Bookstore Day. This year, the number jumps to more than 2,000, signifying the ongoing flourishing of independent bookstores nationwide, Berry said.

“Every year, Independent Bookstore Day gets bigger and better,” said American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill. “It feels more meaningful than ever this year to celebrate what indie bookstores represent – human connection, diversity and inclusivity, independent thought and independence and the power of community and truth.”

Author’s Note self-chosen theme for the day is “Bookstore Joy,” celebrating the genuine happiness bookstores infuse into the life of their communities by sharing stories and fostering real connection and community.

“The love people feel for Author’s Note and the way they light up when they walk through the door is the beautiful surprise I couldn’t have predicted before I owned a bookstore,” Berry said. “Every day I see anew how deeply our customers care for us. They’re glad we’re here. They feel at home here. They add so much joy to our lives. We hope, on this day especially, to reflect even more of that love and joy back to them.”

Throughout the day, in addition to meeting the authors, customers will share in games, including hunting for a Libro.fm Golden Ticket that will entitle the winner to a year of free audiobooks; crafts with children’s author Kate Hosford and a chance to pet Crush, Pencille’s therapy dog. Customers can win gift cards Author’s Note T-shirts and gift baskets. Several IBD-exclusive items supplied by the ABA will be available for sale or giveaway that day only.

Independent Bookstore Day isn’t only about the intangible benefits indie bookstores bring, but about tangible economic benefits, Berry explained. Local bookstores return two and a half to four times as much revenue to their local economies as chains do, while keeping jobs and revenue local and boosting local sales tax volumes.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the rise in online bookselling, chain stores and e-readers caused many people to predict the death of the independent bookstore, Berry reported. Yet, between 2009 and 2018, the number of independent bookstores rose nearly 50 percent. Harvard Business School researcher Ryan Rafaelli, in a landmark 2020 entitled “The Novel Resurgence of Independent Bookstores,” explained that indie bookstores thrive in an online-heavy book market by differentiating themselves along three lines: Community, Curation and Convening.

Berry continued to explain, “Community” refers to how local bookstores strengthen local economies and add vitality to shopping districts. “Curation” underscores how local book-buyers can select inventory that reflects the tastes and preferences of local shoppers, while “Convening” emphasizes the ways bookstores foster a shared sense of community amongst book-lovers by creating book-friendly spaces and hosting events, such as book clubs, story times and author readings to draw readers together.

For more information about Independent Bookstore Day festivities at Author’s Note, 519 Main St., or to reserve copies of the visiting authors’ books, visit AuthorsNote.com, e-mail info@authorsnote.com or call (585) 798-3642.

Care Net unselfishly has served the community for past 35 years

Posted 17 April 2026 at 10:20 am

Editor:

Every community has its rays of light – people and organizations that unselfishly serve its citizens for good.

The Care Net Pregnancy Center in Albion is one such group. It has been a stalwart fixture in Orleans County for thirty-five years, providing comfort and counseling to women and families through fertility care, pregnancy confirmation, testing for sexually transmitted infections, ultrasounds, parenting classes, and pregnancy education and support.

Its mission statement is clear: “The Gospel message is freely presented, human life valued, marriage and family celebrated, and every child, made in the image of God, welcomed with unconditional love.”

In our culture, life and death issues, from abortion to euthanasia, even definitions of family and gender, stir up strong feelings and societal division. Amidst these conflicting worldviews, Care Net, without hesitation, says all human life matters, from conception to death. No exceptions.

Gratefully, Care Net stands for something concrete and lasting: for ultimately our community’s well-being is not found in a politician or philanthropist or new idea, but in something perfect—God Himself. Only He can lead us to an enduring “culture of life” that values, protects, and serves us all.

With that, and our community, Care Net proudly stands.

Tim Archer

Albion

Albion student will graduate a year early and with college degree

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2026 at 8:12 am

Bradley Pierce started taking college classes in the 6th grade

Photos by Tom Rivers: Bradley Pierce will graduate from Albion High School on June 26, a year ahead of schedule. He will receive his degree from Genesee Community College on May 16.

ALBION – Bradley Pierce was in sixth grade when he took his first college class. He earned an A in computer information systems at Genesee Community College.

In the past five years, he has completed 63 college credits and will graduate from GCC on May 16. About six weeks later on June 26, he will graduate from Albion High School. The 16-year-old is headed to Rochester Institute of Technology to major in software engineering with a minor in AI.

Bradley is pulling off a rare feat of graduating a year early and having an associate’s degree before his high school commencement.

He has been precocious since a young age, even reading his father’s old college textbooks about computer science when Bradley was in elementary school.

During the Covid pandemic in 2020, schools turned to online learning due to the restrictions on having students in person at school. Bradley didn’t find the assignments challenging. He was bored and frustrated.

His parents, Kandace and Nick Pierce, shared their concerns with the Albion Middle School leadership. The principal suggested Bradley audit a college class.

The Pierce family talked to GCC, which was willing to try Bradley in the ACE program (Accelerated College Enrollment), which allows high school students to enroll in college-level courses and to earn college credits. GCC let Bradley try one course, not wanting to overwhelm him. Bradley had no problems, attaining a very high A in that first class, which was in the spring semester of sixth grade.

He took one or two GCC classes every semester after that, from seventh to 11th grade, with a couple classes also last summer. (Bradley was considered a junior to start this high school year.) All of the college classes have been online, except for five that were taught by Albion teachers in person at the high school, allowing Bradley and his classmates to earn dual credits.

“I preferred the online classes because they are more intense,” he said. “I can go at my own pace.”

Bradley Pierce has used an accelerated schedule to complete a course load through high school and also Genesee Community College. He will attend Rochester Institute of Technology to major software engineering.

Bradley is finishing up his last GCC class this semester in discrete math, which is about theories, proofs, logical math and their applications to computer programming.

He has managed his academic demands while also working three or four days a week at Save-A-Lot in Albion. He also had a job with the Village of Albion last year digitizing old public records. He is in the National Honor Society, Student Council and Yearbook Club at Albion.

“Bradley is a renaissance man,” said Tina Burgett, one of his teachers at Albion. “He is interested in many things and he is excellent at many things.”

Burgett first taught Bradley in fourth grade as his art teacher. She has also led his art classes in the middle and high schools.

She praised him for bringing a passion for learning in all of his subjects, including a pottery class were he made an exceptional bust.

“Art can be scary for someone who is focused on math and computers,” she said. “But he cares about the end product. I think he has an infectious excitement for the things he cares about. It’s been a blessing to be his teacher.”

Nick and Kandace Pierce knew their son Bradley was precocious when he was a little kid. He started cracking the Wi-Fi signal at age 8. He was reading college-level computer science textbooks in elementary school, and was writing his own computer programs. He also found security gaps in some on the popular online computer games, and he let operators know about those vulnerabilities, which he said were resolved.

Bradley made his own computer programming language, Scrybe. He created games on his graphing calculator in high school, including Tetris. He developed a Spanish conjugation program that is now available for other students.

Bradley’s father has a computer degree and is a self-described “electronics nerd.” He does electronics repair and works at Ace Hardware. Bradley’s mother is an intensive care nurse at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia.

Bradley has a brother Jacob who is in fifth grade and also enjoys computer programming, and loves chess.

The Pierces are from Oklahoma City. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce were on a vacation to Niagara Falls when they fell in love with Western New York. They moved to WNY in 2016, impressed with the quality of schools, the relatively low-cost living and the many healthcare options.

“We liked the old Victorian homes,” Mr. Pierce said. “There are no tornadoes and we like the agricultural landscape.”

Strong start for Green at L.A. Championship

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 16 April 2026 at 10:39 pm

File Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Melanie Green

Getting off to a strong start, Medina’s Melanie Green fired a sizzling 5 under par round of 67 today on the opening round of the LPGA Tour’s LA Championship Tournament at Los Angeles.

Starting on the back nine, Green rebounded strongly from her only bogey of the day on No. 12.

She registered birdies on 14 and 16 to make the turn at one under par.

Keeping the momentum, Green then put together a key run of birdies on the front nine.

She registered a birdie on No.3 to go 2 under and then finished strong notching three straight birdies on 6, 7 and 8 to improve to 5 under.

Her round of 67 has her four shots back of the leader.

The tourney’s second round will be held on Friday after which the field will be cut.

Barker completes diamond sweep of Wilson

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 16 April 2026 at 8:49 pm

Barker completed a sweep of Wilson by downing the visiting Lakemen 13-8 in a Niagara-Orleans League baseball game this afternoon.

Trailing 5-2, Barker took the lead for good by erupting for 6 runs in the fourth inning on doubles by JJ Prynn and Carson Schwab, 4 errors and a wild pitch.

Prynn, Logan Flint and Drew LeGreca each had a pair of hits.

Barker also downed Wilson 6-5 in the N-O season opener on Monday.

N-O Softball
Akron 18, Newfane 16 (9)
Akron outlasted Newfane 18-16 on a two-run single by Ashley Koziej in the ninth inning.

Akron is now 2-0 and Newfane 0-2 in N-O action.

Albion begins defense of its N-O boys track title with a rainy victory at Akron

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 16 April 2026 at 8:33 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers: Hunter Huscher runs the final leg of Albion’s winning 4-by-100 relay team in today’s meet at Akron. Huscher also won the 100 meter and 200 meter races for Albion.

Albion opened defense of its Niagara-Orleans League boys track championship by posting a rainy 99-18 victory over host Akron this afternoon.

The Purple Eagles were led by a trio of individual event double winners including Tristian Tilbe (1600 and 3200), Adam Burgio (110 Hurdles and 400) and Hunter Huscher (100 and 200)

Akron earned a split on the day by winning the girls meet 83-22 as Madison Reagan doubled in the 100 and 400 and Abby Bower in the 1500 and 3000.

Newfane and Wilson split
Rivals Newfane and Wilson split as the Panthers won the boys meet 71-66 and the Lakewomen took the girls meet 82-57.

Payton Wrightman was a double winner for the Newfane boys in the Pole Vault and High Jump.

Wilson’s Ryan Hough was a quadruple winner in the 100, 200, 110 Hurdles and Long Jump while his teammate Brock Lepsch was a triple winner in the Shotput, Discus and Triple Jump.

In the girls competition, Sophia Jones was a double winner for Wilson in the 100 and 200 while Eden Hillman was a quadruple winner for Newfane in the 800, 1500, 3000 and Pole Vault.

Barker sweeps Medina
Host Barker downed Medina 43-31 in a girls meet as Julia Kalyaycz doubled in the Shotput and Discus and Jordyn Kinne in the Long Jump and 100 Hurdles.

Talia Rupp was a double winner for Medina in the 1500 and 3000.

Barker also won the boys meet 78-62 as Luke Fay doubled in the 800 and 1600 and Anthony Taliaferro in the Long Jump and Triple Jump.

Bryson Ford won both the 110 Hurdles and 400 Hurdles for Medina.

(Left) Adam Burgio is shown sprinting in the 400 meter race, which he won for Albion. Burgio also was first in 110 meter hurdles. Most of the hurdles and the pole vault were cancelled due to the slippery and wet conditions. (Right) Cierra Johnson carries the baton as the first leg of the 4-by-100 for Albion’s girls track team.

Charles Warren runs the 1,600 meter race for Albion in a major downpour at Akron.

Salamanca stickmen shutout Medina

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 16 April 2026 at 8:18 pm

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Building up a huge 13-0 half-time advantage, Salamanca went on to shutout Medina 17-0 in a D Division lacrosse game at Vets Park this evening. Here Medina’s Teagan Meland works to get around a Salamanca defender. Medina is now 1-2 in the division and Salamanca 2-1.

Gillibrand introduces legislation to ban sitting presidents from putting their likeness on federal property, currency

Posted 16 April 2026 at 3:41 pm

Press Release, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Treasury United States Mint: The Commission of Fine Arts on March 19 approved a design of a commemorative coin for the country’s 250th anniversary with an image of President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, with 1776 on one side and 2026 on the other.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) formally introduced new legislation to stop President Trump’s absurd practice of putting his face and name all over government property.

The Halting Unilateral Money and Building Labeling by Egotistical (HUMBLE) Presidents Act would bar the use of a sitting U.S. president’s name, image, likeness, or signature to decorate or designate federal property, assets, or currency. Gillibrand initially announced that she would be introducing this legislation on last month’s No Kings Day of Nonviolent Action.

“The president of the United States serves the people, not the other way around,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Right now, working families are struggling to afford groceries and sky-high health care bills. They want their president bringing down costs and putting money back in their pockets, not spending time and taxpayer dollars on self-promotion. The HUMBLE Presidents Act would force our leaders to focus on the issues that truly matter to American families, not their own personal brand, and I will work to get it passed through Congress.”

The HUMBLE Presidents Act would include prohibitions on actions such as hanging banners with a sitting president’s face on the side of federal buildings; naming a class of warships after a sitting president; tacking the sitting president’s name onto the name of an existing federal building; depicting a sitting president on a federally issued commemorative coin; or placing a sitting president’s signature on U.S. paper currency.

Specifically, the bill would:

• Prohibit the name, image, likeness, and signature of a sitting president to be used to designate or name any federal property or buildings, U.S. currency, and other federal assets.

• Prohibit the name, image, likeness, and signature of a sitting president to be used to decorate the exterior of any federal property or buildings, U.S. currency, and other federal assets.

• Prohibit federal funds from being used for either of the above activities.

Mobile mammography unit will be at Hoag Library on June 5

Posted 16 April 2026 at 3:23 pm

Roswell mobile lung screening unit will be at Hoag on April 20, 21

Press Release, Hoag Library

ALBION – We’re pleased to share that the UR Medicine Mobile Mammography Unit will be returning to Hoag Library on June 5 (and March 30, 2027).

Appointments and registration are handled directly through UR Medicine. Additionally, the Roswell mobile lung screening unit will be at Hoag Library on Monday, April 20 and Tuesday, April 21, and the Red Cross will have a Blood Drive on June 13.

The mammography unit will be available from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on June 5 at the library, 134 South Main St.

Call 1-844-870-0002 or email mammovan@urmc.rochester.edu for more information.

For information on the lung cancer screening unit, click here or call 1-800-ROSWELL (767-9355).

Hoag also will be hosting the blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 13. To make an appointment call 1-800 RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or go to redcrossblood.org.

Medina man pleads guilty to weapons possession, could get up to 5 years in prison

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 April 2026 at 12:23 pm

ALBION – A Medina man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and could face up to five years in state prison when he is sentenced on July 1.

Reginald Kendrick, 50, was charged after law enforcement on Nov. 12 seized a loaded unbranded polymer “ghost” semi-automatic 9 mm pistol with an extended 30-round magazine.

He initially faced charges of second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in Orleans County Court.

Kendrick is a prior felon after being convicted of selling cocaine in October 2016. Kendrick, in court on Wednesday, admitted he had a loaded pistol.

District Attorney Susan Howard said the gun was tested by a Niagara County lab and determined to be operable.

In another case in County Court on Wednesday,

• Corey Wilson Jr., 19, of Albion was arraigned on four counts of drug charges, including three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree.

He was charged by law enforcement after a traffic stop on July 21, 2025 in the town of Gaines. He allegedly had two containers of cocaine, including one with 2.17 ounces of cocaine.

Wilson pleaded not guilty to the charges on Wednesday.

Community sends clear message that data center not wanted at STAMP site

Posted 16 April 2026 at 11:51 am

Editor:

Over the last few months, our community has united in shared opposition to the proposed STAMP data center complex from STREAM US Data Centers and Apollo Global Management.

At this point, the concerns of GLOW Region residents are well-known: air and water pollution, noise, harm to our wildlife and birds, increased electricity rates and decreased property values, a loss of the rural and peaceful way of life that we so value here, and the threat of bad corporate actors – deeply tied to the Epstein files – that do not care about us.

The propaganda and spin from STAMP developer GCEDC and STREAM are well-known too. They dismiss our fears and try to sweet talk us with promises of jobs and tax revenues. When we point out all the ways that this data center complex would clearly not be a good deal for Genesee County, they say we don’t understand what we’re talking about.

Now a third-party expert has weighed in, and what do they say? The Applied Economics Center, a non-profit consulting group that offers expert services in the areas of energy, environment, and consumer protection, reviewed the financial incentives applications from STREAM and produced a report that addresses the claimed costs and benefits for the local community. The data center would not be a good deal for Genesee County or the GLOW Region. Here are some of their key findings:

• STREAM does not provide any supporting materials for its cost-benefit analysis (CBA), which fails to meet standards expected in a public decision-making process and is insufficient to determine whether the proposed project would provide net benefits for the local community.

• STREAM failed to address potential costs associated with the project, including: effects on property values, effects on tourism and recreation, utility bill impacts, public health impacts, the cost of public infrastructure required for the project, or the local disturbances associated with project development such as placing cables and fiber optic lines.

• STREAM’s job creation estimates exceed values found in publicly available data and information, average publicly available estimates indicate that the proposed project would create about 4,100 fewer direct temporary jobs than the company claims, and 1,300 fewer indirect temporary jobs than the company claims.

• STREAM has requested a local sales tax abatement and mortgage recording tax abatement, which – taken together – are worth 25 times more than the benefits provided by the proposed PILOT/Host payments. In other words: STREAM has requested tax abatements worth 25 times more than the promised benefits.

• STREAM’s proposed data center may negatively impact local tourism and recreation, which are an integral part of the community and economy.

Mic drop. Thank you, AEC, for validating what we already knew.

Genesee County has said “No” and will continue to say “No” to this terrible deal. We’re still in a critical decision-making phase. Join me to voice your opinion: I’ll be at the Supplemental Public Hearing on April 16 at 4 p.m. and the Site Plan Hearing on April 20 at 6pm, both at the Alabama Fire Hall. (The April 20 hearing has been postponed.)

I’ve already submitted written comments to GCEDC and I will submit more before the April 17 midnight deadline. For more info, see STOP the STAMP Monster Data Center on Facebook and follow Allies of TSN on Facebook and Instagram.

Alyssa Beuler

Oakfield

Holley facing $150K in repairs to back wall of building connected to police station

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 April 2026 at 10:16 am

Mayor seeks assistance from state and federal governments

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Village of Holley has made several improvements to its police station in recent years but the back wall of the village-owned building next door is in grave condition, and faces $150,000 in emergency repairs, Mayor Mark Bower said.

HOLLEY – Village officials are facing an unexpected emergency repair on the back wall of the building that is connected to the police station on Thomas Street.

Mayor Mark Bower said the entire back wall of the building that is part of the police station needs to be replaced. The village had a structural engineer and contractor look at the back brick wall and the damage was worse than expected. The extensive water damage was revealed when the beadboard and paneling were removed.

The Village Board was expecting to spend $17,000 to $20,000 on the project, but now it will take an estimated $150,000 to fix the problem.

Bower said he has reached out to offices of Congresswoman Claudia Tenney and Assemblyman Steve Hawley to see if the state and federal governments have any funding to help with an emergency repair. He also is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development office in Batavia for financial assistance.

“Significant fractures in the brick wall and even the lintels themselves were so much worse than ever anticipated,” Bower wrote in an April 9 letter to Tenney’s office. “While we had nominally budgeted for labor and materials for the job, we are now facing more extensive repairs likely exceeding 150K.”

The police station is right next to the crumbling wall, but Bower said there is a stable wall separating the two sites and the police department should be able to continue to function at the site in the near future. However, he said the code enforcement officer would be justified in requiring the police department to vacant the premises giving the condition of the back wall to the adjoining property.

Bower said there isn’t an alternative site in the village for the police station if it was forced to leave its police station.

He would like the wall to be repaired as soon as possible. The building is from 1900, Bower said.

The village has made several improvements to the police station since 2022, Bower noted, including a new roof, gutters and downspouts, new fascia, doors and windows. The front of the building was repainted and the back one third of the property also has been repaired, Bower said.

“This is essential to the village operations due to the police station,” Bower said in stating his case for state and federal support for the repairs.

People should continue to show up to work, even if facing harassment

Posted 16 April 2026 at 9:51 am

Editor:

 Did you ever go to work and get harassed? Did you ever go to work  and get harassed even before you made it to the employee entrance, and right under a security camera.

Did you ever go to work and get harassed, right in front of management? Did you ever go to work and get harassed, by management right in front of a human resource representative? If you have had any of these experiences, did anything really become of it?

Perhaps you got over it and played the role of the bigger person. Maybe filed a complaint with management, HR, or the union? Documentation is important. Another possibility is that you just talked some about it to other like-minded team members?

 But, if sadly you have ever had any of this happen to you, let me ask you this: Was any of that, according to your boss, a valid excuse to get out of work, or even not report to work? My guess is probably not. And while many of us often have opinions about our bosses, maybe Mr. Hawley shouldn’t forget who his real boss is, and go to work.

James Pasnik

Medina

Medina grad is off to a strong start on the mound for High Point University

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 16 April 2026 at 9:40 am

Contributed Photo – Aidan Paul

Medina High graduate Aidan Paul is off to a strong start on the mound for the High Point University baseball team.

Paul, who is a junior at High Point, has made 9 starts to date for the Panthers and has posted a 4-1 record with a total of 35 strikeouts in 42 innings of work. His won-loss record is second best among Panther pitchers.

In his most recent start, a 4-1 win over Radford, Paul allowed 3 hits and 1 walk with 4 strikeouts in 6 innings of work.

“An incredible job on the mound by Aidan, he did such a great job. He ran into a little bit of trouble in the second inning, ended up making a big pitch and getting out of that. All of a sudden he started to cruise for the next four innings. We played good defense behind him, and that was impressive,” said High Point Coach Joey Hammond in his post game comments.

His biggest strikeout total to date has been 6 in a 9-3 win over Presbyterian.

Paul had pitched for SUNY Niagara the past two years. He earned first team All-Region III honors his sophomore year as he helped hurl the Thunderwolves to a fourth place finish in the national tournament and a school record 52 victories.

High Point has compiled a 24-12 record to date including a 9-3 mark in the Big South Conference.