By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 27 January 2026 at 9:56 pm
Medina split with visiting Akron this evening to close out the dual meet portion of the Niagara-Orleans League swim season.
The Seahorses won the boys’ meet 86-61 and the TigerSharks took the girls’ competition 94-65.
Bryson Ford doubled in the 50 Free and 100 Butterfly and Bradley Goyette in the 500 Free and 100 Breaststroke for the Medina boys as Brandon Bruecker took the 200 Individual Medley.
For Akron, Aron Gehl won the 200 Free, Quinn O’Malley the 100 Free and Carson Flanders the 100 Backstroke.
Medina finishes at 6-2 and Akron at 3-5.
Charlotte Carlson doubled in the IM and Butterfly and Aurora VanDusen in the 500 Free and Breaststroke for the Akron girls as Eliza Koopman took the 50 Free and Brooke Milhollen the Backstroke.
For Medina, Madeline Mark won the 200 Free and Lily Hungerford in 100 Free.
Akron finishes at 6-1-1 and Medina at 2-6.
Newfane sweeps Roy-Hart/Barker
The Newfane boys and girls teams both closed out N-O title seasons with wins over visiting Roy-Hart/Barker.
The Newfane boys won 92-55 to finish at 8-0 and the girls took a 95-63 victory to wind up at 7-0-1.
Noah Kneeland doubled in the IM and 100 Free and Dylan Lamont in the Butterfly and Backstroke for the Newfane boys as Robert Hathaway took the 500 Free.
For the Roy-Hart/Barker boys, Noah Corraine won the 200 Free, Oscar Dergel the 50 Free and Jackson Brauen the Breaststroke.
Emma Haseley doubled in the IM and Butterfly and Riley Klopfer in the 200 Free and 500 Free for the Newfane girls as Sara Klinger took the 100 Free, Eliana Reis the Backstroke and Kimberly Schmitt the Breaststoke.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 27 January 2026 at 9:13 pm
Albion swept to a home and away basketball doubleheader victory over Newfane in Niagara-Orleans League action this evening.
Albion defeated host Newfane 69-54 in the boys game as Tyler Cody scored 24, Elijah Doxey 20, Nate Gibson 13 and Wesley Olles 8.
Kasey Wheat scored 16, Camlo Flowers 12, Camryn Stover 9 and Mac Capen 8 for Newfane.
Albion led 17-10 after one quarter, 35-29 at the half and 50-42 at the three-quarter mark.
The Purple Eagles and Panthers are now both 3-5 in N-O action.
In the girls contest, Albion downed visiting Newfane 50-40 as Melia Prince scored 14, Aaliyah Jones 11 and Leah Pawlak 10.
Albion is now 5-3 and Newfane 1-7 in N-O action.
Wilson sweeps Barker
Front-running Wilson likewise scored a home and away doubleheader sweep over Barker.
The Wilson boys topped Barker 76-44 to stay unbeaten at 8-0 in N-O action as Aidan Neumann scored 32, Ryan Hough 10 and Brock Lepsch and Shamus George 9 each.
Donovan Hefferon scored 11, JJ Prynn and Carter DerSarkissian 9 each and Anthony Taliaferro 8 for Barker which slips to 1-5.
The Wilson girls improved to 7-0 in N-O action as Kylee Elia scored 18 and Rowan Simpson and Abbie Faery 12 each.
Elise Monaco scored 9 for Barker.
Non League Boys Perry 75, Holley 45
Josh Silpoch scored 20 and Avante Walker 11 for Holley in the 75-45 non league loss to Perry.
G-R Girls Oakfield-Alabama 47, Kendall 25
Oakfield-Alabama downed Kendall 47-25 in a Genesee Region League game as Hadley Hicks led the way with 22.
Mia Price scored 10 and Izzy D’Agostio 6 for Kendall.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 January 2026 at 8:54 pm
Retired DA Joe Cardone pitches his property in Shelby for massive project
File photo by Tom Rivers: A massive data center, totaling 2.2 million square feet, could be headed to the STAMP site off Route 63 in the town of Alabama.
ALABAMA – The leader of the Orleans County Legislature is asking the state Department of Environmental Conservation to be the lead agency for an environmental review of a proposed data center at the STAMP site in Alabama, just south of Orleans County.
Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the County Legislature, said in her Jan. 16 letter that the Genesee County Economic Development Center would be “biased” in the review of Project Double Reed and it would be better to have the environmental impact review conducted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, not the GCEDC. Johnson sent the letter to DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton.
GCEDC has fired back with its own letter to the commissioner and also Regional Director Timothy Walsh, claiming the Orleans opposition is based on “sour grapes” because Orleans wanted the project in Shelby, not Genesee County.
GCEDC also said Orleans has been unable to secure larger-scale projects and tried to thwart Genesee County from running a sewer transmission line from STAMP to Oak Orchard Creek in Shelby to derail development of STAMP. GCEDC has decided to use the sewer plant in Oakfield, with the discharged water still ultimately going into the Oak Orchard.
Adam S. Walters of the Phillips Lytle LLP law firm sent the letter on behalf of the GCEDC on Monday, and cited several procedural errors in Johnson’s letter that should make it invalid. Among the five cited: the letter wasn’t sent by certified mail or other form of receipted delivery (instead by email).
The letter also didn’t have the backing of the full legislature because there was no formal resolution from the County Legislature, Walters said.
Orleans County also isn’t an “involved agency” for for the proposed data center as it “will not fund, approve or directly undertake Project Double Reed,” Wash writes. GCEDC considers Orleans County as an “interested agency” due to STAMP’s proximity to the Orleans/Genesee County line and sewer infrastructure planned to run from STAMP into Orleans County.
Walters said that Johnson’s letter “has no effect” since the GCEDC staked its claim to serve as lead agency more than 30 days ago and that “the NYSDEC itself did not challenge GCEDC’s declaration of intent.”
“It appears that the objections in the Johnson Letter do not stem from any legitimate environmental concerns but rather result from GCEDC refusing to push Project Double Reed to locate in Orleans County rather than at STAMP,” Walters said.
GCEDC first stated it would be lead agency for Project Double Read about a year ago. At the time the $6.3 billion project was proposed at 900,000 square feet and it would have paid $218.4 million to municipalities in revenue over 20 years. The data center now is proposed to be more than double that initial plan.
The initial declaration by GCEDC to be lead agency in the environmental review was rescinded when the project changed to a 2.2 million-square-foot data center consisting of three two-story buildings. It would be on approximately 90 acres at STAMP with another 40 acres to be utilized as temporary construction/logistics areas.
Johnson, in her letter, said no businesses are currently operating at STAMP despite years of public investment in the site. (Edwards Vacuum is building a 250,000-square-foot manufacturing site at STAMP, a $319 million project that is part of the semi-conductor industry.)
“Under GCEDC’s stewardship, STAMP has been nothing more than a series of unfulfilled promises, questionable allocation of resources and a series of environmental pollution events so significant that this Agency and the Federal government revoked its permits,” Johnson said.
GCEDC holds a “biased position,” Johnson said, to “justify the fact that it has spent almost $500 million of taxpayer dollars is to jump start a project — any project — regardless of its environmental impact.”
Her letter said the data center would have a negative impact on air quality, energy usage, water usage and wastewater disposal.
GCEDC responded that Johnson is way off on claiming $500 million in taxpayer dollars for STAMP. The number represents the total investment so far at the site, and most of that has been private contributions, GCEDC said.
“Accordingly, the motivations for Orleans County’s objection appear to be based on so called ‘sour grapes’ regarding failed efforts to secure a multi-billion dollar project and past litigation defeats rather than an honest concern about GCEDC serving as lead agency,” Walters wrote in his letter.
Joe Cardone has proposed his 284 acres of land off Route 63 in Shelby be considered for a large-scale data center.
Walters, the GCEDC attorney, said Johnson’s letter may be an effort to steer the data center into Orleans County. Joe Cardone, the retired district attorney for Orleans, met with the GCEDC on December 18 to pitch his property for the data center. Walters said Cardone is trying to “poach” the project so it can be on his property.
GCEDC, in its letter to the DEC officials, included information provided by Cardone to the GCEDC on why he sees his site as a superior location.
Cardone said it would be away from the Tonawanda Indian Reservation and the wildlife management areas, sensitive sites that many detractors say make STAMP a bad fit for such a large development project.
Cardone, in his presentation to GCEDC, cited other benefits of the site in Shelby:
“downstream” from all environmentally concerning areas
not bordered by sensitive Native American properties
only 5 miles due north of STAMP and 11 miles north of NYS Thruway
closer to Niagara Falls hydropower plant
close proximity to major utilities in Medina, including sewage disposal plant
within 2 miles of industrial development facility in Orleans County (Medina Business Park)
seismically stable property
existing 100-acre excavated stone quarry to serve as cooling station for “closed loop” system
located in sparsely population area
limestone material ad concrete plant at location for construction
access to facility on four roads (Route 63, Ryan, Blair and Salt Works roads)
noise less of a factor with currently operating stone quarry
minimal impact on environmental concerns or farming
more amenities available with the village of Medina just comfortably 3 miles to the north
results of reclamation of existing stone quarry
elimination of disposal into Oak orchard Creek
GCEDC said Cardone’s land would be years away from securing the needed infrastructure and approvals to make the site a possibility for such a development.
Johnson spoke about the letter and response from GCEDC after today’s Legislature meeting. She said she supports the development of STAMP but doesn’t want the sewer discharges harming the Oak Orchard Creek, which is a valuable asset in the county, particularly for fishing, the county’s top tourism draw.
The buildout of STAMP would have many positive ripple effects for Orleans County, she said, bringing more residents to the area for housing, businesses and other economic activity.
She said she was aware Cardone was presenting his land as an option for the data center and she said that is his right as a landowner, but it hasn’t formally been presented to the board of the Orleans Economic Development Agency as an option.
Cardone said the land is Shelby is a better location for the data center than STAMP, which borders a wildlife refuge and wildlife management areas.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 27 January 2026 at 8:51 pm
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Avion Johnson drives in for a layup against Roy-Hart defenders Matt Aquilina and Tysen McCaa during the Mustangs win over te host Rams this evening.
Combining a stingy, aggressive defense with a balanced offense, Medina posted a 50-34 win over Roy-Hart in a Niagara-Orleans League boys basketball game this evening at Middleport.
Preston Woodworth scored 11 and Christian Moss 9 to lead the way for Medina as Carlos Doval added 8, Kendrick Russaw and Jimmy Dieter 6 each, Kolton Fletcher and Hadrian Batista 4 each and Avion Johnson 2.
Vinny Fazzio took game high honors with 22 for Roy-Hart as Jakob West and Matt Aquilina both had 4 and Tyler Rothwell and Tysen McCaa 2 each.
Steadily pulling away, the Mustangs led 13-12 at the end of the first period, 23-16 at the half and 39-25 after three quarters. Dieter and Doval both hit threes in the third period and Moss scored 6 in the final period.
Medina is now 5-2 and Roy-Hart 0-6 in N-O action.
Medina’s Christian Moss grabs a rebound away from Roy-Hart’s Tyler Rothwell.
Roy-Hart’s Vinny Fazzio goes in for a layup ahead of Medina defender Hadrian Batista.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 27 January 2026 at 8:38 pm
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Alexa Demmer puts up a shot as Courtney Aquilina (20) and Kylie McOmber (21) defend for Roy-Hart. The action took place during the Mustangs home court win over the Lady Rams this evening.
Avenging an early season 33 point (65-32) road loss, Medina bested visiting Roy-Hart 57-44 in a Niagara-Orleans League girls basketball game this evening.
Caliyah St. Louis scored a game high 22 points, Alexa Demmer 17, Samantha Heschke 16 and Tatianna Maxon 2 to lead the way for Medina.
Courtney Aquilina scored 19, Millie Owens 11, Adella Dukes 8, Kylie McOmber 4 and Brooke Corser 2 to pace Roy-Hart.
Medina led 12-9 at the end of the first period as St. Louis tallied 8 in the early going.
The Mustangs maintained leads of 29-17 at the half and 40-29 at the end of the third period.
Heschke hit two threes and St. Louis had 6 points in the second period. Heschke then had a two and a three and St. Louis a pair of baskets in the third period. Demmer tallied 9 in the final stanza to help cap off the win.
Medina is now 3-4 and Roy-Hart 4-3 in N-O action.
Roy-Hart’s Courtney Aquilina goes up for a rebound against the Medina duo of Samantha Heschke (5) and Madison Zeiner (52).
Medina’s Caliyah St. Louis puts up a shot as Kylie McOmber (21) and Peyton May (23) defend for Roy-Hart.
Honoree to be recognized on ‘Older New Yorker’s Day’ in May
Press Release, Orleans County Office for the Aging
ALBION – The Orleans County Office of the Aging (OFA) is currently accepting nominations to honor an older resident who has made outstanding contributions to our community through their volunteer work.
The honoree will be part the statewide Older New Yorker’s Day of Recognition which will be held this May.
“The Orleans County OFA is thankful that we have so many older adults who are committed to service and to helping others,” said Melissa Blanar, director of Orleans County OFA. “This statewide program is a chance to celebrate their talents and achievements and say thank you for their efforts. I hope we receive several nominations.”
Blanar said the Office for the Aging Advisory Council will select the awardee, who will be also be recognized locally in addition to the state event. Nominees must be older adults residing in Orleans County who have achieved something extraordinary or performed exceptional service to the community since the age of 60.
To nominate someone for this award, there is a short application form that can be found by clicking here.
Nomination forms should then be sent to: Melissa Blanar, Director, Orleans County Office for the Aging, 14016 Route 31 W., Albion, NY 14411, or emailed to Melissa.Blanar@orleanscountyny.gov.
Nominations are due by Feb. 15. Please call OFA at 585-589-3191 if you have any questions.
Photos courtesy of Kendall Fire Department: More than 40 kids took the challenge on Monday to shovel snow away from fire hydrants in the Kendall community or to help shovel a neighbor’s driveway.
Press Release, Kendall Fire Department
KENDALL – During Monday’s snow day with kids getting the day off from school, the Kendall Fire Department set out to create a simple and fun way to keep kids engaged while also helping the community.
What began as a small idea quickly turned into an inspiring display of community pride, service and teamwork.
The department announced a contest inviting children to shovel out a fire hydrant or a neighbor’s driveway for a chance to win a ride to school on a Kendall fire truck. While firefighters anticipated just a handful of participants, the response far exceeded expectations, with over 40 submissions from children across the Kendall community.
“Helping others is at the core of what we do,” Capt. James Fox shared. “But watching these young kids brave the cold, take initiative, and help ensure fire hydrants were accessible was truly special. Clearing hydrants means that if a home or a neighbor’s house were to catch fire, firefighters can access water quickly when every second matters. That level of awareness and selflessness at such a young age was one of our proudest moments.”
To thank everyone who participated, the Kendall Fire Department will be hosting a pizza party on Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. at the firehouse for all contest participants. During the event, the department will also draw the name of the winner who will receive a memorable ride to school on a Kendall fire truck. The drawing will also be done live on Facebook.
The department would also like to recognize Partyka Farms for their generous donation of ice cream for each child who participated in the contest, helping make the experience even more rewarding.
“In a time when there can be so much division, the Kendall community once again showed what makes our town special,” Fox added. “This event was a powerful reminder that we are one school, one community, and one family.”
The Kendall Fire Department thanks all the children, parents, and neighbors who helped turn a snow day into an unforgettable demonstration of community spirit.
Once again, someone is killed by immigration officers in Minnesota. Once again, the official account of what happened is not supported by video evidence.
According to the government, Alex Jeffrey Pretti “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun,” and Border Patrol tried to disarm him. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, has issued a statement claiming that Mr. Pretti intended to “kill law enforcement” and calling him a “domestic terrorist.”
Video of the incident shows a completely different story. In the video, Mr. Pretti is directing traffic in an area with agents around. Then he tries to help another protester who federal agents pushed to the ground. Mr. Pretti is then surrounded by six or seven heavily armed agents in full military gear and body armor; he puts his hands up, showing a phone in one hand and the other hand is empty.
The federal agents spray Mr. Pretti in the face with pepper then they pull him to the ground. An agent appears to take a legal firearm out of the back of Mr. Pretti’s waistband. It is important to note that Mr. Pretti had a legal permit to carry that firearm.
Then shots are fired and Mr. Pretti stops moving. So, it appears that Mr. Pretti is disarmed, on the ground with at least six agents in full combat gear on top of him when he is killed. It appears to be an execution.
It appears, at the very least, that federal agents violated Mr. Pretti’s First Amendment rights to protest, his Second Amendment rights to legally carry a firearm, and his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and other organizations have analyzed the video and concluded that it contradicts what the Trump administration is telling us. Is the administration lying to us? Mr. Trump and his Republican enablers have demonstrated a willingness to lie when it is in their interest.
Normally, the FBI investigates these types of shootings. But once again neither the FBI nor local law enforcement officials will be allowed to investigate the incident. The Department of Homeland Security, which has already passed judgment that Mr. Pretti was a terrorist and the killing was justified, will investigate. Why won’t they allow independent investigations? What are they afraid of? What are they hiding?
Once again there is no accountability and no transparency from this administration or the Republican enablers. Finally, I want to remind everyone that Representatives Claudia Tenney and Nick Langworthy are silently acquiescing to this administration’s violation of our Constitutional rights and the lack of accountability.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 January 2026 at 9:34 am
Albion and Lyndonville have perfect “0” scores with no indicators of fiscal stress
The state comptroller’s office report has put out a report of the nearly 700 school districts in the state, assessing their fiscal stress.
In Orleans County, the five districts Orleans – Albion, Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina – all have no designation for fiscal stress.
The comptroller has a ranking system where points are assigned to financial indicators showing fiscal stress. The more points for a district, the more signs of fiscal stress.
The comptroller rates the districts by four levels: no designation (fiscal stress points from 0-24.9), susceptible (25 to 44.9 points), moderate (45 to 64.9) and significant (65 to 100).
Statewide there are two districts rated in “significant stress” with Mount Vernon in Westchester County at 85.0 points and Harrisville in Lewis County at 73.3.
Four others are in moderate stress: West Canada Valley in Herkimer County, Fulton in Oswego County, South Country in Suffolk County and Marathon in Cortland County.
There are 25 others, including Newfane in Niagara County, that are considered to be “susceptible.”
• Albion had a perfect score of 0, showing no signs of fiscal stress. Albion had $35,023,445 in gross expenditures in 2025, and a total fund balance of $52,566,362 with no operating deficits, according to the comptroller’s report.
• Holley is in “no designation” but its fiscal stress score has risen from 13.3 in 2023 to 20.0 in both 2024 and 2025.
Holley scored some fiscal stress points for cash ratio (cash and investments as percentage of current liabilities) and cash as a percentage of monthly gross expenditures.
Holley had $26,692,070 in gross expenditures for 2025 and a total fund balance of $12,385,393.
• Kendall in 2025 had gross expenditures of $21,077,261 and total fund balance of $15,068,835.
The district’s fiscal stress points have dropped from 13.3 in 2023 to 10.0 in 2024 to 6.7 in 2025. Kendall had 6.7 points in 2025 for “operating deficits.”
• Lyndonville also had a perfect score of 0 points. The district had $15,877,658 in expenditures and total fund balance of $11,275,775 in 2025.
• Medina had 0 fiscal stress points in 2023 and 2024, but has 10 for 2025 with 3.33 for cash as a percentage of monthly gross expenditure and 6.67 for operating deficits.
Medina totaled $44,922,233 in expenditures and $6,863,209 in total fund balance for 2025.
Click here to see the full comptroller’s report on fiscal stress for school districts.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 January 2026 at 6:51 pm
The flu was rampant locally and statewide about a month ago but the confirmed cases have dropped significantly.
State-wide there were 71,123 flu cases during the week ending Dec. 20, the most since the state started doing a weekly tracker of the cases in 2004.
Since then the cases dropped to 49,153 the week ending Dec. 27; 28,554 for the week of Jan. 3; 22,558 the week of Jan. 10; and 12,049 for the week ending Jan. 17.
Locally the cases also have been declining. Orleans County reported an average of 71.4 cases per 100,000 people the week ending Jan. 17. That is down from 126.0 the week of Jan. 10; 204.1 the week of Jan. 3; and 196.5 in the weeks ending Dec. 27 and Dec. 20. (The county’s population is the 2020 census was 40,343.)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 January 2026 at 4:47 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: Main Street in Albion was covered in snow on Sunday afternoon, creating difficult driving conditions.
ALBION – A travel advisory for Orleans County will be lifted at 6 p.m. today, Sheriff Chris Bourke said. The advisory went into effect at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
“We continue to experience snow, creating winter driving conditions across Orleans County and Western NY so please use caution,” the sheriff said.
The area faces continued bitter cold conditions in the coming days. Tonight the temperature will drop to 5 degrees with wind chill values as low as 15 below zero.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 January 2026 at 1:52 pm
Orleans County Legislature, Tonawanda Nation want DEC to be lead agency for environmental reviews
ALABAMA – An open house at the Alabama Fire Hall for the proposed data center at STAMP has been cancelled for today and will be rescheduled.
The meeting was focused on a proposal from STREAM US Data Centers. That company is planning a sprawling complex at the Western New York Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing (STAMP), a manufacturing park being developed by the Genesee County Economic Development Center.
STREAM’s plan for “Project Double Reed” envisions three structures more than 100 feet tall, occupying more than 2.2 million square feet and using more than 500 megawatts of electricity per year.
Orleans Legislature says GCEDC would be biased in assessing environmental impacts
The Orleans County Legislature on Jan. 16 sent a letter to Amanda Lefton, commissioner of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, asking the DEC to be lead agency for reviewing the environmental impacts of the proposed project.
The Genesee County Economic Development Center wants to be the lead agency and conduct the SEQRA (State Environmental Quality Review Act).
“Under GCEDC’s stewardship, STAMP has been nothing more than a series of unfulfilled promises, questionable allocation of resources and a series of environmental pollution events so significant that this Agency and the Federal government revoked its permits,” Lynne Johnson, Legislature chairwoman, wrote to the DEC commissioner.
Johnson said the GCEDC “biased position” will compromise its objectivity in a SEQRA review where the lead agency needs to compile data and facts and evaluate them.
“The only way GCEDC can justify the fact that it has spent almost $500 million of taxpayer dollars is to jump start a project – any project – regardless of its environmental impact,” Johnson states in her letter.
While there is limited information currently available about the data center, Johnson said the project “will likely have significant inter-county and regional impacts, including on air quality, energy usage, water usage, and waste water disposal that are ill-suited for a single county IDA to oversee as part of the SEQRA review.”
Tonawanda Seneca Nation calls project: ‘terrible threat to our people, our Territory, and future generations’
Chief Roger Hill of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation has also asked the DEC to be the lead agency in the environmental impact review. In a letter Dec. 15, 2025, to Commissioner Lefton he said the proposal for the data center, doubling its size from an earlier submission by Stream U.S. Data Centers “threatens far greater harms to the Nation and the surrounding environment than the earlier, discredited application.”
Hill said the latest proposal will be much closer to the Nation’s Big Woods.
“As we review the details of this terrible threat to our people, our Territory, and future generations, the Nation reiterates the call we made to you when we met in November: DEC must take lead agency status for SEQR review of this hulking data center facility,” Hill wrote. “GCEDC cannot be entrusted with this vital role.”
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 26 January 2026 at 11:18 am
Contributed Photo – Aidan Paul
Coming off two very successful years on the diamond at SUNY Niagara, Medina High graduate Aidan Paul is now set to begin his first year playing Division 1 college baseball at High Point University in North Carolina.
Paul will be a junior pitcher on the High Point squad.
Last year Paul helped hurl SUNY Niagara to the Region III championship and a fourth place finish at the national tournament as the Thunderwolves finished with a school record total of 52 wins.
Paul went 7-1 on the mound with 62 strikeouts and a 1.21 earned run average.
He earned first team All Region 3 honors and was a second team All Western New York Conference selection.
During his scholastic days at Medina he was a two time first time Niagara-Orleans All League honoree.
High Point, which competes in the Big South Conference, is scheduled to open the season at home on February 13 against St. Joseph’s.
The High Point schedule is highlighted by a series of games at the University of Florida in early March.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 January 2026 at 10:31 am
MEDINA – The Medina Village Board has rescheduled this evening’s board meeting to Thursday at 6 p.m. The meeting will be at the Medina High School auditorium due to a big crowd expected.
The Village Board is trying to determine its next steps with accepting a new ladder truck and finding a place to house it. The current Medina fire hall is too small to accommodate the truck. Some of the board members would prefer to sell the new truck and not put an addition on the fire hall, saying the truck and addition are too costly for village taxpayers.
Mayor Marguerite Sherman wants to move forward with the ladder truck and addition, saying they are critical to the Medina Fire Department to provide fire protection services to the community.
Other items on Thursday’s agenda include:
Discussion/resolution on locations for Medina Triennial art projects
Discussion/resolution to accept the donation of tables to be placed by the Sydney Gross Memorial
Discussion/resolution on Medina Community Garden location
Resolution to approve Hospice banner request at Rotary Park
Resolution to approve MAP’s request for Wine About Winter
Resolution to appoint of election inspectors for March 18 election
Resolution to accept Wreaths Across America donations and a resolution to accept Hometown Hero donations
Resolution on furnace replacement at the Department of Public Works
Resolution to purchase an Allison 4000 RDS Series Dump Truck utilizing CHIPS funding
Resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign an annual agreement between the Village of Medina and Matthew Brooks, Esq.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 January 2026 at 8:46 am
Orleans facing week of bitterly cold temperatures
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Orleans County Courthouse and County Clerks’ Building in Albion are shown at about 7 p.m. on Jan. 25, 2026 after a big snowfall throughout the day.
A winter storm warning remains in effect until 7 p.m. today for Orleans County. Another 1 to 2 inches of snow are expected to fall today in the county.
“Plan on snow-covered and slippery road conditions,” stated the National Weather Service in Buffalo. “The hazardous conditions will impact the Monday morning and evening commutes.”
It will remain bitterly cold the next few days. Today’s high is forecast for 18 degrees with an overnight low of 5 degrees and a wind chill as low as minus 10.
Tuesday is forecast for a high of 17 and overnight low of 7, followed by a high of 15 on Wednesday with an overnight low of 6 degrees.
The highs are then 11 on Thursday, 14 on Friday and 17 on Saturday.
