Medina reschedules basketball, swim contests

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 20 January 2026 at 1:41 pm

Today’s frigid temperatures, which caused most area schools to close, wiped out this evening’s scheduled slate of Niagara-Orleans League boys and girls basketball games and swim meets.

The Newfane at Medina boys basketball game has been rescheduled for Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

The Roy-Hart/Barker at Medina swim meet has been rescheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m.

Today’s other scheduled N-O contests which have been postponed include Barker vs. Roy-Hart and Akron vs. Wilson boys basketball; Roy-Hart vs. Barker and Wilson vs. Akron girls basketball and the Albion vs. Akron swim meet.

Also postponed are the Lyndonville at Kendall and Notre Dame at Holley Genesee Region League boys basketball games.

Orleans unemployment relatively low but sees one of highest increases from previous November – 3.4 to 4.1%

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 January 2026 at 11:58 am

Chart information from NYS Department of Labor. October’s date was combined with November’s due to federal government shutdown in October.

The unemployment rate in Orleans County was at 4.1 percent in November, according to the New York State Department of Labor.

The rate started at 5.1 percent in January and generally decreased until June at 3.3 percent and was then up and down through November. December’s data hasn’t been released yet.

The 4.1 percent is close to neighboring counties:

Orleans, 4.1 percent
Genesee, 3.4 percent
Wyoming, 3.8 percent
Livingston, 3.6 percent
Monroe, 3.9 percent
Niagara, 4.4 percent
Erie, 4.0 percent

Compared to a year earlier n November 2024, Orleans County has 400 more people working – 17,400 in November 2025 versus 17,000 in November 2024. The unemployed is up by 100 from 600 to 700. The unemployment rate increased by 0.7 percent from 3.4 to 4.1 percent.

That 0.7 increase is among highest in state. Six other counties went up by 0.7 percent: Niagara (from 3.7 to 4.4 percent), Chautauqua (3.8 to 4.5 percent), Chenango (3.0 to 3.7 percent), Greene (3.3 to 4.0 percent), Otsego (3.6 to 4.3 percent) and Greene (3.3 to 4.0).

There were two counties at a 0.8 percent increase: Lewis (from 3.3 to 4.1 percent) and Yates (from 2.9 to 3.7 percent).

Delaware County saw the highest at 0.9 percent (3.4 to 4.3 percent). There are 62 counties in the state.

Medina grad on SUNY Cortland baseball team that is on a special trip to the Dominican

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 20 January 2026 at 10:29 am

Contributed Photo – Xander Payne

The SUNY Cortland baseball team, whose roster includes Medina High graduate Xander Payne, is spending this winter break week in the Dominican Republic for a combination of preseason diamond work and community service projects.

Payne is a junior pitcher for the Red Dragons majoring in Sports Management.

This is the third time the Cortland baseball team has made the preseason trip to the Dominican.

In addition to practicing and playing exibition games against Dominican teams, the Cortland players will be holding youth baseball clinics, donating baseball equipment such as shoes and pants and doing community service work by helping with local housing projects.

The players will also be learning about the country’s culture by visiting some historic sites and also get the opportunity to learn a little Spanish.

The Red Dragons will open the season at the D3 Showcase in Greensboro, North Carolina February 19-22.

Jimmer Szatkowski and his family have raised more than $500K for ALS

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 January 2026 at 10:20 am

Jimmer’s brother Andrew will attempt 50-mile ‘Beast of Burden’ run in Lockport as fundraiser

Jimmer Szatkowski and his brother Andrew of Medina are shown at Fenway Park when the two went to a Pearl Jam concert in September 2024.

A Medina native who was diagnosed with ALS about five years ago has now raised more than $500,000 for ALS research.

Jimmer Szatkowski, 53, was diagnosed in March 2021. He has raised $532,633, which has been directed to the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital. To donate to ALS research through Jimmer Szatkowski’s fundraising page, click here.

His brother Andrew Szatkowski of Medina has helped with several of the fundraisers and is planning another one when he attempts running the Beast of Burden 50-mile run on Feb. 7 from Lockport to Middleport, running the loop twice that day. That race is known as one of the most challenging in Western New York.

Jimmer graduated from Medina in 1990. He now lives in Central New York and opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Upstate New York in 2018 in Cicero. He continues to be a part of the restaurant’s daily operations.

Jimmer responded to a few questions about living with ALS. He said he is most grateful for being able to see his daughter Samantha and son Jack graduate from college. He also watched Jack become an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. Jimmer also is grateful to see younger son Hunter grow up.

He is very thankful to have experience five more Christmases and see so many more thrilling Buffalo Bills games since his diagnosis. ALS has taken his mobility and ability to verbally speak.

He remains deeply motivated to remain active and present for his wife, Betty, and their children, and to continue “fulfilling my purpose as a Chick-Fil-A operator.”

ALS has taught him valuable lessons in patience and humility, Jimmer said.

His experiences growing up in Medina, helped make him strong to withstand the battle with ALS.

“Dying is easy, Living is Hard,” he responded when asked about a life lesson from living with ALS.

Trump has made America worse in many ways in his first year back in office

Posted 20 January 2026 at 9:55 am

Editor:

Ms. Mager in her 13 January letter to the editor seems mighty upset over criticisms of Donald Trump, but then does little to defend him, instead diverting our attention to Minnesota, which, while a real scandal, does not affect you or me in the way that most of Trump’s specific policies do.

So I will address the general criticisms of Trump’s policies, and provide reliable, verifiable statistics to back up my points. It is easier to trust facts rather than emotional comments.

Here are some of Ms. Mager’s claims that I most strongly refute:

1. That Trump boosted manufacturing jobs: No. The 2024 data showed an average monthly gain of 168,000 jobs. That was already one of the weakest years outside of recessions. Then, in 2025, under Trump, the average job gain averaged only 49,000 a month, which included negative growth in June, August and October. Data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2. That Trump secured the border: Better, with only 10,000 crossings per month. But not secure. That’s still some 120,000 people this year.

3. That Trump disrupted criminal networks: I was unable to research this, because it is not clear what she means by this statement.

4. That Trump expanded addiction care access: With cuts to health care nationwide, it is hard to see how health care in any area could have improved. According to Congressional Budget Office analysis, Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” aims to cut health care spending.Medicaid cuts will push 5 million to 7.8 million people off Medicaid.

The Affordable Care Act tax credits will expire; up to 4.8 million more people could lose their insurance in 2026, with 7.3 million losing ACA coverage overall. Did you know they have cut the budget for the National Institutes of Health? They do our medical research. This does not improve health care. On January 15, the Trump administration cut thousands of federal grants for mental health and addiction. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said the grants had been cut off because the programs “no longer effectuate” the agencies’ priorities. These cuts amount to nearly $2 billion.

5. That Trump raised public safety and industry standards: In 2025 the Environmental Protection Agency proposed to repeal or weaken greenhouse gas standards for power plants and vehicles (which increases air pollution). They plan to extend compliance deadlines for oil and gas industries to clean up their sewage and emissions. This causes more air pollution and rivers and waterways filled with industrial poisons. Any fishermen out there who care?

They will no longer assign dollar values to health benefits—for example, air pollution causes emphysema, which causes hospital visits, surgeries and medication, which costs money. They will no longer keep track of the harm to human health in terms of dollars. The Big Beautiful Bill makes steep cuts to investments in solar energy and wind energy, both of which make a cleaner environment and can also create more jobs to build those systems.

Now let’s talk about the Minnesota mess. It is truly a case of gross mismanagement. It will cost Governor Tim Walz his job. But Trump did not send ICE to clean up the fraud in Minnesota, as Ms. Mager claims. ICE was sent to arrest immigrants. It has arrested 2,400 as of this writing. Only 85 are Somalis. Actually, ICE does not deal with crime. The FBI does. ICE finds and arrests foreign-looking people, whether they are citizens or not.

But while we are on the subject of ICE: These ICE people have been sent mainly to liberal cities. They come in unmarked cars, without uniforms, without search warrants, with face coverings (are they ashamed?), armed with more assault weapons than our regular combat troops in a war zone, and they refuse to provide any identification.

You know all this is illegal! You know this is unAmerican! We don’t behave this way! We don’t tear people out of their cars after breaking their car windows, and throw folks on the ground. You know five armed masked guys against one lone man or woman face down on the cement is not a fair fight. You know that they do this even if the person says they are an American citizen. You are an American citizen… it could happen to you. In fact, they arrested and took away three Oglala Sioux Indians. Who’s the immigrant now?

Some ICE statistics: Over 73% of those arrested had no criminal record and many of the rest had only traffic violations. Many were not border arrests, but inside the country away from any border. According to TRAC Immigration, 41,624 were booked into detention centers in October 2015; 68,440 people were in detention as of mid-December 2025. 622,000 have been deported; 1,900,000 self-deported. There have been 34 deaths in custody. 4,250 are reported missing, just plain gone.

Trump gave permission for ICE to raid schools, hospitals, places of worship. This isn’t the America that I grew up in.

Let’s talk about economics. Trump said prices would come down dramatically on day one of his administration. We all know when we go to the store that everything is much more expensive now that it was before Trump. He says higher prices are a “con job” made by fake news, a “scam.” We know different. Some statistics to consider:

The Tax Foundation has studied the impact of the Trump tariffs on American households. Here are some of their findings. The tariffs amount to an average tax increase per US household of $1,000 in 2025 and $1,500 in 2026.

The Trump tariffs are the largest US tax increase as a percent of GDP since 1993. Historical evidence and recent studies show that tariffs are taxes that raise prices and reduce available quantities of goods and services for US businesses and consumers, resulting in lower income, reduced employment, and lower economic output.

The tariffs have caused other countries to retaliate. China has changed from buying our soy beans to buying them from Brazil and Argentina. They are buying more beef from South America. US sales to China decreased significantly due to tariffs; some reports show a decrease of 38%. Our farmers can’t find a buyer for their products now.

The US is Canada’s largest trading partner in goods and services. Now Canada is seeking trade relations with China due to Trump’s tariffs and Trump’s statements about taking over Canada and making it our 51st state. According to USMCA statistics, before, Canada exported between 75-80% of its products to the US but now seeks to diversify due to tension between the two countries. Almost all of Canada’s oil came here, according to the Canada Energy Regulator, but is now being diverted to China.

Let’s get back to corruption. We can agree that the Minnesota situation is very shameful. The Somalis and the Americans who worked with them should go to jail.

On the subject of corruption, here is a very small sample of what Trump has done:

He has terminated criminal investigations into companies that have donated to him.

He has pardoned or rolled back sanctions for known bad actors that have provided financial support for his ventures.

He has dismantled anti-corruption laws so that criminals can go free. He has pardoned President Juan Orlando Hernandez of Honduras, who was let out of prison after being granted a full pardon by Trump. Hernandez had been convicted in an American court of major drug trafficking and weapons dealing and sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s private equity firm has received significant investments from Qatar—amounting to billions of dollars— which have bought Qatar direct access to Trump and the White House.

Qatar has invested $5.5 billion in a Trump golf resort. Qatar will be allowed to build a Qatari Air Force facility in Idaho. You scratch my back, I scratch yours…

Qatar gave Trump as a present a huge plane costing $400 million. They called it a “flying palace.” Not only is it illegal for Trump to accept this gift (please look up the “emoluments clause” in the Constitution, which forbids our officials from accepting gifts, which could be bribes) but the taxpayers (that’s you and me) are paying to have the plane retrofitted with security systems etc. that a president must have. This will cost at least an extra $1billion. And with the luxury, and the security, it won’t be finished until after Trump leaves the Presidency. Now, that’s corruption.

These actions by Trump affect you and me. They make our lives poorer in terms of money, health, safety, and security, and peace of mind. There are things that make American great, like honesty and fairness for all of us, and they are going away day by day, not coming back again unless we demand a change.

Karen Galeano

Ashburn, VA

Oppose data center at STAMP that would consume enormous resources with little job creation

Posted 20 January 2026 at 9:20 am

Editor:

Hey neighbors! Let’s come together to stop the monster that threatens us and our way of life.

Local residents of Genesee County are outraged and horrified by the new plan from STREAM US Data Centers and their corporate backer, private equity firm Apollo Global Management, to ruin our quality of life to make a profit.

Our community strongly opposed the siting of a data center at STAMP one year ago when GCEDC first tried this scheme. The Tonawanda Seneca Nation and the Sierra Club sued to challenge the environmental approvals and they succeeded in getting GCEDC to withdraw the approvals for a 900,000 square foot / 250 MW data center being proposed by STREAM.

Now, STREAM has been bought out by one of the world’s largest private equity firms, Apollo Global Management, and they are coming back to try with an even more outrageous plan. They have proposed to build a 2.2-million-square-foot data center that would guzzle 500 megawatts of power per year – enough to power roughly 400,700 households total – or the equivalent of nearly every home in Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties combined.

The data center would raise our power bills, increase air pollution, and would make 24/7 noise that would affect the physical and mental health of local residents and harm wildlife. We also can expect that the data center developers will ask for all of us to subsidize this monster data center – possibly up to 750 million dollars (they asked for $472 million the first time around).

And for what? Data centers don’t create many permanent jobs – STREAM is claiming around 100 for this project. They have a short lifespan – 15 to 20 years before they get mothballed. The AI-based economy is heading for a crash. This is not a good investment for our region.

Across the country, communities are saying no to data centers that are trying to steal their resources – and they are winning! This is not a partisan issue. This is an issue about local control over our shared environmental resources, our tax dollars, and our quality of life.

So join us in telling GCEDC, STREAM, and Apollo to go away: No Data Centers in Genesee County. Together, we can stop this monster.

Come to our next meeting: Desserts and Data Center Discussions: 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27 at The Goose Community Center, 33 South Main St. in Oakfield. We will share more info about the data center plans, answer questions, and talk about

next steps to stop this monster from invading our community!

Here are a few other dates to keep in mind: 1) The Town of Alabama Planning Board will meet on Monday, February 2 at 7 p.m. They are responsible for reviewing the data center site plan, which so far hasn’t been shared. And 2) The GCEDC Board of Directors meets on Thursday, February 5 at 4 p.m. at the MedTech Center in Batavia. Their meetings are open to the public, but they won’t let you speak or ask questions! We will be there with signs.

For more info, call or text (585) 300-4925 or email alliesoftsn@gmail.com.

Alyssa Beuler

Oakfield

Northern lights are visible tonight

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 January 2026 at 9:12 pm

Courtney dePaula sent in these photos of the northern lights in Kent this evening at about 7:45.

The G4 conditions are favorable for an active night sky with the northern lights visible, although there is some cloud cover.

Albion, Lyndonville, Medina announce school will be closed on Tuesday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 January 2026 at 7:36 pm

Albion, Lyndonville and Medina have both announced that school will be closed on Tuesday. It will be bitterly cold on Tuesday, especially in the morning with temperatures in the single digits. The high is forecast to be 13 degrees.

The wind chill could drop to 10 degrees below 0.

Albion said the Regents scheduled for Tuesday will be rescheduled.

Medina said the impact on regional travel also is a factor in the decision to close.

Daughter of Holley native focus of fundraiser by 26 Shirts in Buffalo

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 January 2026 at 6:43 pm

Chelsea Campbell, 8, is fighting Acute Myeloid Leukemia

26 Shirts of Buffalo unveiled a new shirt design today showing a buffalo in the four seasons on Western New York. The shirt will be for sale the next two weeks and $8 from every sale will go to help Chelsea Campbell and her family.

BUFFALO – A company that makes creative T-shirts about the Buffalo Bills and Western New York has a new design out today with some of the proceeds going to an 8-year-old girl battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Provided photo: Chelsea Campbell, the daughter of Holley native JoAnnah Piedmonte, is in the hospital and being treated for Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

26 Shirts has raised more than $2 million to assist families facing a health crisis. 26 Shirts unveils a design that is only available for two weeks. During that time, $8 from each shirt sale goes to a beneficiary.

26 Shirts is backing 8-year-old Chelsea Campbell with the proceeds from the sale of a shirt showing a buffalo during WNY’s four seasons of distinct weather. 26 Shirts also is pulling some merchandise out of its vault to help raise money for Chelsea and her family. Click here for more information.

Chelsea is the daughter of JoAnnah Piedmonte, a 1993 Holley graduate. The family lives in Buffalo. Chelsea, who has Down Syndrome, has two other siblings, carter and Chelsea’s twin, Charlotte.

The fundraiser will help take some financial pressure off Chelsea’s parents, JoAnnah and Twan, who need someone to provide care at home while the parents in the hospital, said Sam Zelent, a Holley school social worker and one of JoAnnah’s best friends.

Zelent also has started a GoFundMe for Chelsea and her family. Click here for more information.

“If you have ever had the privilege of knowing JoAnnah Piedmonte, you know she is the most caring and generous human being. Ever,” Zelent writes in the GoFundMe. “Now she, Twan, and her adorable family could use our help.”

Zelent shares how Chelsea was diagnosed with cancer, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, after going to the emergency room last June 6.

“Truly this is a ‘it takes a village’ moment,” Zelent said. “Every single dollar helps and the family is truly grateful for all the support.”

Winter storm warning cancelled for Orleans

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 January 2026 at 5:54 pm

The National Weather Service has cancelled a winter storm warning for Orleans County. The Weather Service was forecasting 12 to 20 inches of snow for Orleans County through Wednesday, but now expects there to only be a few inches.

The winter storm warning is still in effect for Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Wyoming and Cattaraugus counties where those counties could get 10 to 20 inches of snow and will face whiteout conditions.

It will still be bitterly cold in Orleans the next few days. Today the high is forecast for 24 with an overnight low of 8 degrees, followed by a high of 15 on Tuesday and an overnight low of 11.

The Weather Service then forecasts daytime highs of 33 on Wednesday, 28 on Thursday and 15 on Friday.

Seed Swap planned for January 31 at Cooperative Extension

Posted 19 January 2026 at 11:30 am

Provided photos: Tables were set up in alphabetical order, with seeds of all types displayed for participants to take during the Seed Swap in 2025. Throughout the event, amounts of seed fluctuated as participants donated and selected seeds to take home.

Press Release, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County

KNOWLESVILLE – The Orleans Community Seed Share will host its annual seed swap on Saturday, January 31, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the CCE Orleans “Buzz” Hill Education Center, 12690 State Route 31, Albion. The free event is open to gardeners of all experience levels.

Participants are encouraged to bring seeds to share, including open-pollinated varieties, locally saved seeds, and excess seeds from orders or donations. All contributed seeds will be displayed on tables alongside seeds from the Orleans Community Seed Share collection. Attendees may browse and select seeds to take home for their 2026 gardens.

A sampling of the vegetable seed packets available through the Orleans Community Seed Share.

The event will feature seed and gardening demonstrations, activities, and information about two new 2026 Seed Share initiatives:

One Seed, One Community: Working with the CCE Orleans Food Distribution program to teach participants how to grow nutritious food and save seeds.
Grow a Row: Partnering with the Master Gardener Vegetable Variety Trial Gardens to encourage community members to dedicate garden space to specific crops, gathering data about variety performance and seed-saving techniques.

Seeds not accepted at the swap include F1 hybrids, patented varieties, poisonous, noxious or controlled seeds, and seeds from unknown volunteer plants.

No registration is required for this event. Contributors may remain with their donated seeds during the event to provide growing advice and information, but it is not necessary.

The Orleans Community Seed Share cultivates community resilience and biodiversity by preserving, sharing, educating, and celebrating the heritage of seeds and plant propagation.

For any questions or more details, contact Katie Oakes, Master Gardener Coordinator and Horticulture Educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension Orleans County at (585) 798-4265 ext. 125 or klo54@cornell.edu.

Medina Lanes hosts 60-And-Over tourney

Contributed Story Posted 19 January 2026 at 10:30 am

Three Genesee Region USBC bowlers cashed at Sunday’s 60-and-Over Tour presented by Batavia Downs Gaming tournament at Medina Lanes.

Roger Allis of Medina, Mike Pettinella of Batavia and Scott Gibson of Oakfield were among the 24 bowlers who earned prize money out of the 73 entrants in the tour’s fifth of eight events this season.

Allis, who qualified with a 694 series, advanced to the semifinal round by winning two eliminator-style matches with games of 258 and 246. In the semis, he posted 186 – not enough to make it to the four-bowler finals but still good enough to win $190.

Pettinella qualified fourth with a 725 series, earning a first-round bye. He posted a 233 game in the second round but missed advancing by five pins. In cashing for the fourth time this season, he earned $145.

Gibson rolled 675 in the qualifying round but failed to advance after a 187 game. He won $80.

Robert Day placed first in the all-Rochester finals, rolling a 279 game in the finals for the $495 top prize.

In second through fourth place were Bill Hasiotis, $375; Roger Barclay, $270, and Don Galiotti, $230.

The next 60-and-Over Tour stop is set for 11 a.m. Feb. 22 at Transit Lanes in Williamsville.

Purple Eagles Academy hosts Novice Tourney

Contributed Story Posted 19 January 2026 at 10:20 am

Contributed Photo – The Albion High gym was packed Sunday as the Purple Eagles Wrestling Academy held its second annual Novice Tournament.

The Purple Eagles Wrestling Academy held its 2nd annual novice tournament yesterday. The tournament welcomed around 220 wrestlers to Albion High School. The Albion youth wrestlers finished as follows:

1st Place
Asher Dix, Jayce Rivera, Jagger Bourne, Jai’heem Drisdom, Jaxon Francis, Landon Stalker, Owen Whiting,

2nd Place
Carter Hall, Connor Murphy, Steele Sanders, Jaxson Stefaniak, Jordan Button, Storm Sanders, Lexington Pridgen, Major Dixon, Roman Pridgen

3rd Place
Chase Armer, Gaven Jackson, James Mahoney, Levi Purnell, Maelanni Rivera, Sam Conde, Zayden Leflore

4th Place
Josh Parkot, Melissa Mengs, Max Rivera, Mayson Vosburgh, Thomas Colmenero, Wayne Kent, Xavier Weiss

5th Place
Alex McAdoo, Apollo Chuddy, Artaevion Lewis, Atlas Chuddy, Blake Dawley, Caleb Martin, Isaiah Hewitt, Noah Button, Parker Dawley

“The Purple Eagles Wrestling Academy will be hosting a double-elimination tournament on February 1st to help prepare the youth wrestlers for their post-season,” added Purple Eagles Academy Director Mike Sanders.

N-O League wrestling tournament champions

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 19 January 2026 at 9:52 am

Contributed Photo – Saturday’s annual Niagara-Orleans All-League Wrestling Tournament at Albion saw all six schools share in earning individual weight class championships. Those champions include, in front, Jonah Morello (103 lbs, Newfane), Justin Mengs (110 lbs, Albion) Stryker Sanders (118 lbs., Albion), Rian Czaja (126 lbs., Newfane), Luke Duffina (132 lbs., Medina), Luke Fay (138 lbs., Roy-Hart/Barker) and Alexander Parisi (144 lbs., Akron). In back are Jaxon Lynch (150 lbs., Albion), Victor Cusatis (157 lbs., Wilson), Joey Burg (165 lbs., Akron), Colin Doxey (175 lbs., Newfane), Tristian Smith (190 lbs., Newfane), Weston Henning (215 lbs., Newfane) and RJ Townsend (285 lbs., Roy-Hart/Barker). Newfane, which finished first during the dual match portion of the team completed a season sweep by winning the tournament’s team title.

Ridgeway Fire Company swears in officers, presents awards during annual banquet

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 19 January 2026 at 9:18 am

Austin Seefeldt named Firefighter of the Year

Provided photos: Austin Seefeldt was named Firefighter of the Year at Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company’s banquet. From left are assistant chief Jerry Lewis; deputy chief Kristin McAdoo; Seefeldt; his father and life member Christopher Seelfeldt; and chief Tyler Luckman.

RIDGEWAY – The Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company and Ladies Auxiliary held their 74th annual installation banquet Saturday night.

A welcome was given by secretary Marisa Gilbert and chief Tyler Luckman, followed by introduction of guests by master of ceremonies Justin Niederhofer. After the invocation by Pastor Dan Thurber, guests enjoyed dinner catered by Donna Eick.

The program began with special recognitions of firefighters and installation of officers.

Chief Tyler Luckman gave the Firefighter of the Year award to Austin Seefeldt.

Outgoing president Marisa Gilbert named Patrick Kelly as recipient of the President’s Award. Kelly, a 35-year member, was unable to attend because of work.

Ridgeway Fire Captain Jason Bessel was presented with a special award at the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company’s installation banquet Saturday night. With him are, from left, assistant chief, Jerry Lewis, Bessel; deputy chief Kristin McAdoo and chief Tyler Luckman.

A special presentation was made to Jason Bessel for the great amount of work he did on the fire company’s Truck Committee.

“He has been involved with all our truck purchases for the last decade,” said Kristin McAdoo, deputy chief.

Fire company officers for 2026 were sworn in by Niederhofer, as follows: Chief, Tyler Luckman; deputy chief, Kristin McAdoo; assistant chief, Jerry Lewis; firematic captain, Jason Bessel; firematic lieutenants, Austin Mosher and Justin McAdoo; safety officer, Don Marchner; fire police captain, Paul Wengrzycki; fire police lieutenant, Kyle Brakenbury; EMS captain, Morgan Austin and EMS lieutenant, Page Smith.

Justin Niederhofer, Orleans 1 (the county’s emergency management coordinator), is at the podium and swears in officers for 2026 in the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department during their banquet Saturday night.

Executive officers sworn in were president, Greg Gilbert; vice president, Madison Austin; secretary, Marisa Gilbert; treasurer, Jennifer Thom; sergeant-at-arms, Justin McAdoo; director for 3 years, Morgan Austin; director for two years, James Ryan; and director for one year, Austin Mosher.

Members of the Ladies Auxiliary sworn in by Ridgeway Town Clerk Hannah Hill were president, Tracey Hendrick; vice president, Melissa Hansler; secretary/treasurer, Joelle Brown; and chaplain, Harriet Petrie.

It was announced that Ridgeway responded to a record number of calls in 2025 – 376, of which 218 were EMS. Other calls were for mutual aid – 19 (which included one water rescue; 12 fill-ins and nine working structure fires); automatic alarms – 10; structure fires – nine; good intent calls – eight; brush/grass fires – eight; water problems – five; vehicle fires – five; miscellaneous fire at a power substation – one; water rescue for kayakers stranded on the creek – one; and other calls, 12.

Top 10 responders in 2025 were Don Marchner – 283; his grandson Justin McAdoo – 273; Kyle Brakenbury – 186; Austin Seefeldt – 177; Greg Gilbert – 130; Andrew Austin – 127; Jerry Lewis – 125; Morgan Austin – 120; Kristin McAdoo – 105; and Mike Blue – 91.

The evening concluded with benediction by Pastor Thurber and music by disc jockey JT.

Hannah Hill, town of Ridgeway clerk, right, swears in Ridgeway Ladies Auxiliary officers at their banquet Saturday night. Officers are, from left, Harriet Petrie, chaplain; Joelle Brown, secretary/treasurer; and Tracey Hendrick, president. Absent is Melissa Hansler, vice president.