A trio of local high school senior players will be competing in the Chuck Senn Sr. All Star baseball game at 7 this evening at Sweet Home High School.
Medina is represented by Vinny Gray and Roy-Hart by Gavin Heideman and Isaac Smith.
In addition, Roy-Hart mentor Jim Heideman has been selected to be one of the coaches.
Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office
ALBANY – Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that nearly three million New Yorkers across the state will receive over $2 billion in tax relief this summer and fall through New York’s School Tax Relief (STAR) program.
STAR provides property tax relief to eligible homeowners and seniors statewide. While some STAR recipients will receive their benefit in the form of a tax exemption this year, many other recipients will receive a tax credit and will be sent a check in the mail this summer and fall.
“The start of summer is also the start of STAR tax relief season for millions of New Yorkers,” Governor Hochul said. “From tax credits and energy rebates to our expanded child tax credit and middle class tax cuts, we’re continuing to put more money back in New Yorkers’ pockets.”
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “At a time when actions in Washington are increasing costs and reducing support for working families, seniors, and homeowners, New York is continuing to put affordability first. The Senate Majority was proud to work with Governor Hochul to include continued funding for the STAR program in this year’s State Budget, delivering meaningful property tax relief to homeowners across our state.”
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said, “This $2 billion in tax relief is vital to our families and our seniors. As New Yorkers see the high cost of gas and rising prices, the STAR program will put money back into their pockets. We will continue to work with our partners in government to put New York families first and make our state a more affordable place.”
Most homeowners eligible for a STAR credit will receive a check between $350 and $600. Most seniors eligible for an Enhanced STAR credit will receive a check between $700 and $1,500.
Check deliveries have begun and will continue statewide throughout the summer and fall. STAR recipients can visit ny.gov/STAR to track their check delivery or enroll in direct deposit.
Homeowners who are eligible and registered for the STAR credit program will receive their STAR check before the deadline for their school taxes. Some parts of the state — including New York City, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse — have school tax due dates in late June and July and will receive their STAR benefits soon. Benefits across other parts of the state will continue to roll out throughout the summer and fall.
White Birch and Banes both scored wins in Medina Women’s Softball League action Monday evening.
White Birch 21, Mr. Septic 12
Banging out 20 hits, including home runs by Morgan Ralph and Maddy Boyle, White Birch beat Mr. Septic tonight 21-12
Ella Lewis also had 3 triples for the Birch as Anna Lewis had a triple and 2 singles, Ralph and Kenzie Muck both had a triple and single, Rebecca Hoffee a double and single, Stacy Buckland 2 singles and Boyle, Aubrey Lewis, Brianna Panncia and Mallory Albone each a single.
Mr. Septic had 18 hits including Cathy Schmitt and Cami London both with a home run and a single, Kelsey Soule a triple and 2 singles and Randi Tower a double and 2 singles.
Banes 26, Cafora’s 9
Improving to 3-2, Banes downed Cafora’s 26-9 as Morgan Allis had 5 hits including a triple and 4 RBIs, Jami Chatt 4 hits including a triple and 4 RBIs, Kathy Allen 4 hits, Rileigh McCabe 4 hits including a double, Connie Heschke 3 hits including a double and 3 RBIs, and Patti Page and Krissy Scharlau 3 hits each.
Trailing 5-4, Banes moved on top to stay by scoring 5 runs in the second inning as Heschke, Jami Chatt, Lindsay Chatt and Allen all had RBI singles and Allis an RBI double.
Banes later put a lock on the win by erupting for 11 runs in the fifth inning highlighted by two-run doubles by Allis and Heschke and two-run singles by McCabe and Jami Chatt and a pair of RBI singles by Allen.
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Lyndonville’s Genesee Region League All-Stars Austin Fonda, left, and Quincey McClinsey.
Two Lyndonville players – senior second baseman Austin Fonda and junior pitcher/ third baseman Quincey McClinsey – have earned Genesee Region League baseball All-Star honors.
Fonda hit .389 with 1 double, 9 RBIs, 21 runs scored and 14 stolen bases.
McClinsey made 13 starts, pitched 60.1 innings and registered 94 strikeouts. At the plate he hit .319 with 1 double and 13 RBIs.
The Tigers also had senior shortstop Colton Smith earn G-R Honorable Mention. He hit .370 with 5 doubles and 11 RBIs.
HOLLEY – It’s election day for the Village of Holley with three candidates on the ballot with two to be elected trustees to four-year terms.
The polls are open from noon to 9 p.m. at the Holley Village Office, the former high school at 1 Wright St. The new terms start on July 1.
The candidates include:
Current Trustee Jim DeFilipps isn’t seeking another term after 10 years on the board.
Vendetti previously served as a village trustee and also was Holley’s coordinator and DPW superintendent. He said the village taxes and water rates continue to climb putting a strain on property owners. The current village government spends too much time on festivals and parks, and not enough focus on infrastructure and reducing costs.
Mayor Mark Bower, in a letter on the village website on Monday, backed Moroz, a current trustee, and Bedard, who is the assistant director of the Genesee & Orleans Public Health Departments.
Bower praised Moroz for “paying attention to the little things that need work, as well as keeping her eye on the bigger picture.” She works to help the village “in countless ways for which she wants no credit.”
Bedard has deep roots in Holley with his mother a long-time elementary school teacher and his father a former village trustee.
“He has reached out to us on many occasions with opportunities for us to apply for grants,” Bower said about Brenden Bedard. “He will bring a fresh perspective to our board.”
The mayor cited the following accomplishments by the Village Board:
The Friends of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge invites the public to pick among three name options for an eaglet that hatched on April 3.
Photo and announcement from Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
BASOM – Cayuga and Seneca’s beautiful eaglet is growing strong, and is almost ready to take flight! We’re excited to be launching a small naming fundraiser. Every vote supports the continued protection, monitoring, and storytelling of this remarkable eagle family.
Name choices are Inspired by the Land and Its legacy:
To cast your vote visit our website donation page (click here) make a suggested $5 donation and write your choice for the name into the “specific cause” box.
Together, we honor the land, the culture, and the future, taking wing right before our eyes!
A link to the bald eagle nest camera can be found at the Friends website, FINWR.org.
In 2004, the Oak Orchard Harbor Light Committee reprinted the marketing booklet originally produced by the Oak Orchard-on-the-Lake Committee.
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 6, No. 17
CARLTON – “Here we escape the Summer’s heat
And gain new life and strength”
Around the turn of the last century, the lucrative potential of Orleans County’s assets attracted a variety of speculators. In 1911, a group of New York city investors who had incorporated as the Western New York Farm Company, acquired a large swath of swamp land in the southern end of the county and developed it for agricultural purposes.
Prior to that, in 1891, a group of Buffalo area businessmen incorporated as the Oak Orchard-on -the-Lake Company and purchased four hundred acres of land located on the west bank of Oak Orchard Harbor and along the south shore of Lake Ontario.
With a General Office at 39 Chapin Block in Buffalo, the Officers and Directors of the company were: Edwards D. Emerson, President; George T. Wardwell, Vice-President; Frank E. Sickels, Secretary and Charles H. Robinson, Treasurer. Emerson was a Standard Oil manager in Buffalo, Wardwell and Sickels were Buffalo attorneys, while Robinson was chairman of the J.L. Hudson Company, Buffalo clothiers.
As they described it “the land gently slopes toward the lake and for nearly a mile is bounded by a beautiful unbroken sandy beach that allows unobstructed access to the water of the lake.” The property also included water frontage of three quarters of a mile on Oak Orchard Creek “one of the most picturesque streams in Western New York.”
“The lake and creek fronts of this property will be offered for summer homes, while the remaining land will be so worked as to be a never-failing source from which cottagers can draw those necessities which are required for the refreshing of ‘the inner man.’”
The promotional booklet’s flowery prose extols the joys of cottage life, “the unexcelled advantages which it offers for sports, boating and bathing; of the pure air and cool breezes which it furnishes its cottagers; of its healthfulness, freedom from dangers for children; of the social life, refined and yet jolly, which characterizes the place…”
The company had a local office at 2 Swan’s Block in Albion. Dwight C. Beckwith, a wholesale apple shipper and lumber merchant was the local General Manger.
The lake and creek frontage was subdivided into building lots, each with a minimum of fifty feet of frontage. Lot prices ranged from $100 upwards. Generous terms were offered: “We shall be content with a small cash payment and the balance in small weekly or monthly installments.”
Recognizing the desirability of a water view, the company produced a layout which set the streets at right angles from the shoreline. This, combined with a gradual rise from the water’s edge, assured each cottage an unobstructed view.
A promotional article in the Times-Union, May 23, 1892, claimed that “the special feature which will render this a most desirable summer resort is that no beer or liquors may be sold on any part of this property.” In the summer of 1897, the Buffalo News reported that the cottages at Oak Orchard-on-the-Lake are filled to overflowing.”
AAA reported today that the national average for regular unleaded gasoline was at $4.07, which is down from 9 cents a week ago. AAA says the average price has now declined three straight weeks. A year ago the average price was $3.14.
In New York State, the average price is at $4.36, which is down 9 cents from a week ago but up by $1.25 from a year ago, AAA reported.
“Drivers are seeing some relief at the pump as the national average for regular gasoline continues its three week slide, dropping to $4.07,” AAA said in a news release. “The downward trend, driven in part by crude oil prices staying below $100 per barrel, now coincides with a breakthrough agreement between the U.S. and Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“Crude prices briefly dipped to $80 per barrel when the deal was announced, but with the situation still evolving and the Strait not expected to reopen until at least Friday, uncertainty around global oil flows continues to make this summer’s price outlook less predictable than usual.”
Here are the average prices in counties in Western New York:
Manhattan is highest at $4.630, according to AAA, while the lowest price of $4.139 is in Nassau County.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Mary Moffet, cheese maker, and Ella Sosik, sales and marketing, were promoting Oakfield Artisanal Cheese on June 6 as new vendors at the Canal Village Farmers’ Market.
MEDINA – The corner of West Center Street and West Avenue is again a beehive of activity with the move of the Canal Village Farmers’ Market back to its summer home. The market is on a mission to grow its vendor base and dedicated customer base, said market manager Gail Miller.
“The vendors won’t stay with the market if they do not have good sales, and attracting customers is not easy if there is not enough variety,” she said. “The market this week had a great selection, with several new vendors, and we will be adding more new vendors this season.”
This will include another vegetable farm, flowers, crafts and more. Baker Farms, in addition to their own raised beef and pork, garlic, eggs and scapes, will be selling Heartland Organics mushrooms.
“We are looking for a soap vendors, wineries and other unique items,” Miller said. ”Watch the farmers’ market Facebook and Instagram pages to see all the wonderful products available each week.”
One new vendor is Oakfield Artisanal Cheese, a farm which started making cheese three and one-half years ago. They will return to the market one day a month.
Peggy Schreck helps a young child choose a book at Kids Activity Tent at the Canal Village Farmers’ Market on June 6.
Another new vendor with a new craft is Aimee Cummings of Lyndonville. She paints watercolor greeting cards. She has also gone to the Akron Farmers’ Market. She said Gail was happy to have her at this market.
“I love doing the cards,” she said. “I’m not an artist, but rather think of myself as a crafter.”
Other crafts will include crocheted and handsewn items.
At another table, volunteer Rosann Russo sold plants which had been donated to the Canal Village Farmers’ Market.
Starting soon, Kimbrel Farm will be a regular, selling lettuce, spinach, peas, carrots, beets, basil and dill, and Rosario Farm will be here with fruits and vegetables.
They join regulars, Bower Family Farm and Greenhouse (microgreens, maple syrup and jam); Hazel and Honey Bakes (scones, cookies, sourdough); LockRidge Apiary (honey, bees wax); a variety of crafts; and Flower Fields Forever.
Melinda Cervantes arranges flowers in Human Farms and Greenhouse’s booth at the Canal Village Farmers’ Market. They also have Stone Hollow Farms bread.
The market will be participating in Medina Area Partnership’s upcoming Faery Festival this Saturday, and in July, the third annual Zucchini 500 will return.
Chef Caitlin from Shelridge Country made her first appearance last week, making a dish from local seasonal vegetables and fruit. She will return once a month throughout the summer. Miller said they are looking for additional chefs to do demonstrations.
On Aug. 15, the market will sponsor a Dog Days of Summer photo competition.
As Miller pointed out, running and participating in a farmers’ market does not come without its challenges.
“The most difficult situations for everyone to hand are when it is very windy,” Miller said about a recent Saturday. “All of us started out with tents up and a good amount of weight holding each one down. Strong winds came up and three of the market tents’ frames were bent or just totally collapsed on themselves.”
When a strong gust comes through, tents will either collapse or fly into the air. And often vendors lose some of their products, Miller said. Finally, all tents were taken down before the market closed.
The Royalton-Hartland Community Library took the opportunity to promote their summer activities at a booth at the Canal Village Farmers’ Market. At left is librarian Angelina Dimascio with Liz Winters, chair of Friends of the Library.
A state grant announced last year will result in enhanced facilities and the end of weather-related problems for the market.
“The reinvented building will allow the market to operate in the same space year round,” Miller said. “Our customers will no longer need to hunt for us during the winter, and they will be able to enjoy green space to sit and enjoy music and conversation. Artists would be more willing to attend, as their art would be protected from the elements. The farmers will have an upgraded area to sell from – warm in winter and shelter from the wind and rain in the summer. It also opens opportunities for farmers to perhaps offer their products for sale at additional times during the week.”
Unfortunately, there is no timeline when construction of that new facility will begin, as more fundraising has to take place.
The Canal Village Farners’ Market is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
A representative from the NYS Division of Veterans’ Affairs will be at the Canal Village Farmers’ Market this Saturday with farmers’ market coupons available for veterans and eligible family members.
They are part of the FreshConnect Check Program used to buy produce and food goods at local farmers’ markets and farm stands.
Photo by Ginny Kropf: A worker smooths out the cement on a new section of sidewalk on West Center Street. An anonymous donor has offered to pay half the cost for eligible homeowners to replace their sidewalks.
MEDINA – Thanks to an anonymous benefactor in Medina, residents of West Center Street will be able to have much needed repairs made to their sidewalks this year.
“This program was privately created to help homeowners to improve their sidewalks,” said Robert Sanderson, who is administering the program on behalf of Orleans Renaissance Group and the Medina Sidewalk Review Committee.
The Sidewalk Grant Program was created primarily to increase the safety of sidewalks, but it will also increase the beauty and value of homes.
Eligible homeowners on West Center Street are the first focus of this program, and work has already begun.
A total of $200,000 has been made available for the 2026 year. This grant award will be for a maximum of 50% of the project cost.
The village of Medina will take away the old, removed sidewalk at no charge to the homeowner.
If applications from West Center Street residents do not exceed funding available, the offer will be extended to residents of West Avenue.
All applications and funding are on a first-come, first-served basis, with approval of the Medina Sidewalk Review Committee. The committee reserves the right to reject any application for any reason.
Applications are available at the village clerk’s office on Park Avenue.
Completed applications should be returned to Robert Sanderson Jr., 10780D Telegraph Rd., Medina, 14103. Residents are reminded this program will end Dec. 31.
Photo and information courtesy of Orleans County government
ALBION – July 4, 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the foundational document of the American Revolution, which took place between 1774 and 1783 and led to the creation of the United States of America.
What is now the State of New York played a crucial and enduring role not only during the Revolutionary Era but also throughout the subsequent 250 years of the nation’s history.
Sunday was Flag Day and to celebrate that day in conjunction with our nation’s 250th birthday, we have added a special commemorative flag to fly under the official United States flag at our county administration building in Albion.
Throughout the year, Orleans County will celebrate America 250 with history lectures, themed events, reenactments, parades, and more. Learn more at https://www.orleanscountytourism.com/america-250.
Editor:
On June 23, I am asking for Shelby residents support electing me to represent them in District 1 on the Shelby Republican Committee.
Shelby deserves steady, informed, and accountable representation. That starts with showing up, listening, and paying attention to the decisions being made on behalf of residents. For that reason, attending town and other local municipal meetings has become a regular priority for me. Staying informed is the best way I can understand local issues and how decisions affect my family, my neighbors, other taxpayers, and businesses.
Orleans County has always been home to me, and Shelby has been home for more than 20 years. My family’s long business ties in the area have also shaped a deep respect for the people, values, and traditions that make this community strong.
Community involvement has always mattered to me. That includes being a member of and supporting local organizations such as the American Legion, Jr. Wilsons Club, VFW, Sacred Heart Club, and Knights of Columbus. These groups bring people together and reflect the kind of service, respect, and commitment that help keep our community strong.
Local government works best when it is open, accountable, and responsive to the people it serves. Shelby residents deserve to know how decisions are made and who is being recommended for elected positions that affect how the Town of Shelby functions.
If elected, I will take accountability for the individuals I recommend for Town positions. I believe Shelby needs more leaders with professional skills and real-life experience that can help the Town get ahead.
Candidates endorsed by the committee should be chosen for their skills, merit, integrity, and accountability, not by the “good old boys” mentality.
Shelby needs more independent thinkers who ask questions, review the facts, and make decisions that are best for the community. And voters should also have more information and a better understanding of the Shelby Republican Committee’s work.
That is why I am running for the District 1seat.
I respectfully ask for your support on June 23rd and for the opportunity to serve Shelby residents on the Shelby Republican Committee.
Sincerely,
John “Yonic” Parada
Shelby resident, District 1
Contributed Photo – Ryan Hough
Wilson senior Ryan Hough scored a pair of victories at the state Class C track and field championships held over the weekend at Webster Schroeder near Rochester.
Hough won the Long Jump (23-4) and the High Jump (6-6).
He also placed second in the Triple Jump (47-8) and third in the 110 High Hurdles (:14.79).
Hough won all four events at the recent Section VI Class C championship meet.
Albion’s Sophia Wendt placed 13th in the Class B Triple Jump competition.
