Photo courtesy of Orleans Community Connects: Kids in the summer camp at the YMCA were able to be on field at a Buffalo Bisons game with their names announced on the public address system.

Press Release, Orleans Community Connects

MEDINA – Orleans Community Connects is proud to announce its recent funding support for the Orleans County YMCA Summer Camp Program, helping provide a memorable and enriching experience for local youth.

The Orleans County YMCA operates an eight-week, full-day summer camp program that offers a safe and engaging environment for children throughout the summer. Camp participants take part in a variety of activities, including STEM projects, gym activities, walking field trips, and swimming lessons.

Funding provided by Orleans Community Connects enabled camp participants to attend a Buffalo Bisons baseball game as part of the Dream Team Package, creating a unique opportunity many children may not otherwise have experienced.

“Our Summer Camp is a full-day, child drop-off, eight-week program. Each day they have activities ranging from STEM to gym activities. They also go outside of our location for things such as walking field trips and swimming lessons,” said Andrew Houseman, executive director of the Orleans County YMCA. “With funding from Orleans Community Connects, we were able to send our camp kids to a Buffalo Bisons baseball game through the Dream Team Package. They had an absolute blast. The funds were used to cover tickets which included an on-field experience with their names announced, food and drink, a baseball, as well as third-party transportation. This summer we had 16 kids attend.”

Orleans Community Connects is dedicated to strengthening Orleans County by supporting nonprofit organizations and programs that improve the quality of life for residents. By investing in youth programs such as the YMCA Summer Camp, the organization helps create meaningful experiences that foster learning, personal growth, and community connection.

“We are pleased to support the Orleans County YMCA and the outstanding work they do for local children and families,” said Nyla Gaylord, executive director of Orleans Community Connects. “Opportunities like this baseball outing create lasting memories while encouraging young people to explore new experiences, build friendships, and remain engaged in their community.”

Through partnerships with local nonprofits, Orleans Community Connects continues to invest in programs that make a positive and lasting impact throughout Orleans County.

Press Release, US Attorney Michael DiGiacomo of Western District of New York

BUFFALO – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Alexey Aleksandrovich Moskalyuk, 27, of Brooklyn, NY, with production and distribution of child pornography, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.

According to the indictment and a previously filed complaint, on August 3, the Albion Police Department received a report from the mother of a missing minor female, who left home unexpectedly.

The mother turned over multiple electronic devices belonging to her daughter and consented to forensic reviews of the devices. She told investigators that the minor victim frequently communicated with adult males online through Discord and Snapchat. Albion Police located the minor victim the following day, on August 4, at a hotel in Niagara Falls, NY, accompanied by the defendant, who had traveled from Brooklyn to meet her.

The minor victim told investigators that she met Moskalyuk in an online group called “Cultist,” a group largely comprised of adult males and minor females. She stated that when she was 15 years old, she began video chats with Moskalyuk, which became sexually explicit in nature with Moskalyuk routinely requesting nude images.

Editor’s Note: The U.S. Attorney’s Office also said Moskalyuk met with the victim when she was 16 and engaged in sexual acts that were recorded on video. Investigators also recovered Moskalyuk actively engaged in “Cultist” group chats promoting harmful and coercive interactions with minor females.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sasha Mascarenhas. The indictment is the result of an investigation by the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Allen D. Davis, II and the Albion Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Mogle. Additional assistance was provided by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and the Honolulu FBI Office.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Shirley Verrico, Triennial operations manager; director and co-curator Kari Conte; and community engagement and programs coordinator Federico Rosario organize items from the Triennial for a cash and carry sale on Saturday at the Triennial Hub headquarters, 345 Main St.

MEDINA – Folks wanting a permanent souvenir from the recent Triennial, which ran for three months this summer throughout the village, can find a variety of merchandise at a Cash and Carry Sale on Saturday at the Triennial Hub headquarters at 345 North Main Street.

The sale will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Credit cards will be accepted.

Triennial merchandise available at the sale will include appliances (refrigerator, freezer, small microwave, coffee pot), furniture (wood stools), coat racks, shelving, an office desk, things for gardens, a pond pump and liners, work items, wine glasses and other Triennial merchandise, according to Kari Conte, executive director and co-curator of the Triennial.

The Triennial ran from June 6 to Sept. 7 and drew about 30,000 people to see the art installations at 10 locations in Medina.

File photo by Tom Rivers: These farmworkers pick cucumbers in August 2019 along Townline Road in Barre.

Press Release, Community Coalition for Justice

ALBION – “What Does a Welcoming Farm Community Look Like?” That’s the topic Father Joseph Marcoux and other speakers will address, Monday, September 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hoag Library in Albion.

Father Joseph Marcoux

Father Joseph Marcoux is pastor of Blessed Virgin Mary Nativity Church in Brockport as well as Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Hamlin.  Nativity has had an Hispanic ministry for farmworkers for several generations. The church has a Hispanic Deacon and Hispanic Coordinator on staff.

Father Joe is also a major in the Army National Guard, with whom he recently served six months in the Near East during the Iran War.  He’s been the pastor at Seton and Nativity churches for the past three years.

He previously served as pastor of Saint Catherine of Siena Church in Geneva from 2010 to 2023.  During his stay there, he became known for his sermons and a selection of these are available under his name. Several are applicable to Father Joe’s topic on Sept. 28: exclusivity and the acceptance of immigrants.  Copies will be available on the 28th.

Other speakers:

Dr. James Goetz, long-time medical director of Oak Orchard Medical Center, which serves the general public and farmworkers and their children and families through Brockport and branch offices in Orleans and Genesee counties and western Monroe.

Dr. Goetz is a graduate of Notre Dame University and received his medical degree from Ohio State. He subsequently got a Master’s in Public Health from Harvard.

Dr. Goetz tells that he’s a fan of St. Francis, who encourages us to spread Christ’s teachings, especially in service to the “poor,” “persecuted” and “least of these” through actions, “using words only as a last resort.”  He practiced for three years in Africa, before becoming the Medical Director of Oak Orchard, where he served for 45 years. Dr. Goetz is also the chair of Nativity’s Human Resources Committee.

Karen Watt, local farmer, is active and office holder in the local, state and national Farm Bureaus. She also is a board member and was president of the Oak Orchard Community Health Center and the Albion office bears her name commemoratively. Ms. Watt has also been named a  “Citizen of the year” by the Orleans Hub.

She currently serves on the National Advisory Commission on Migrant/Immigrant Farmworkers’ Health. It’s the second time she’s been chosen. She has served as its Chair.  (Interestingly, Bob Golden, also of the Community Coalition for Justice, has served as chair of the National Advisory Commission some time ago, under the President Reagan  administration.)

Also, Tom Rivers, editor of Orleans Hub, will have copies of his book, Farm Hands, available to buy. Tom tells of his experiences working for many weeks on several Orleans County farms and the difficulty of the work.  He tells of working side by side with immigrant workers and their hard work and kindnesses to him.

The Community Coalition for Justice includes a Catholic Nun, two ministers, a deacon, a physician, three nurses (two mental health nurses), two farmers, three office holders, including a former Legislature chair, four teachers,  five social workers and three criminal justice workers.

Several have served on state and national committees and have been named teacher, volunteer or citizen of the year. The CCJ has put on 26 programs over the last six years on racial and economic justice, including four on Native Americans.

Press Release, U.S Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) held a virtual press conference to demand that the Trump administration release funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) ahead of the cold winter months.

“New Yorkers are already feeling the pain of President Trump’s economy at the grocery store, the gas pump, and the pharmacy. Now, as temperatures begin to drop, they’re getting hit again: this time at the thermostat,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Fuel prices are soaring because of President Trump’s war with Iran, and New Yorkers need help heating their homes as temperatures drop. I’m calling on the Trump administration to immediately release LIHEAP funding to help low-income New Yorkers afford their energy bills.”

Last week, the price of crude oil rose to $100 per barrel for the first time since July—a direct result of President Trump’s war with Iran. That has driven up the average cost of heating oil in New York up to $6.14 per gallon, which is a 66% increase from this time last year.

At the same time, President Trump’s administration has yet to release the LIHEAP funding that helps New Yorkers heat their homes in the fall and winter, which was appropriated by Congress in the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 earlier this month. Under this bill, New York is slated to receive an estimated $360 million in LIHEAP funds.

With temperatures beginning to drop and fuel prices continuing to rise, Senator Gillibrand sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanding that the administration immediately release this funding.

The full text of the letter can be found by clicking here.