Tree-clearing to start next week for wind turbine project in Barre

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 January 2026 at 10:11 am

Apex will focus on site work in 2026 before 28 turbines constructed next year

BARRE – The first phase of construction is expected to start next week for a high-profile project that has been 10 years in the making.

Apex Clean Energy will start clearing about 30 acres of trees next week in Barre. Apex has hired Ironwood Heavy Highway in Rochester for the job of clearing trees. Ironwood is expected to start cutting down trees on Jan. 19. The job should take a few weeks with work limited to between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., said Carmen O’Keefe, the director of development, and Brian O’Shea, director of public of public engagement for Apex Clean Energy.

Apex is owner and developer of the Heritage Wind project in Barre, which will have the capacity to produce 126 megawatts of electricity.

The tree clearing is limited to no later than March 31 due to the presence of federally listed bats.

There will be a full mobilization of about 200 construction workers in the community in May or June to work on installing access roads, turbine foundations and other site work, including construction of turn radiuses for the delivering of the turbine components.

The Heritage Wind project will have 28 turbines, and the turbines will be constructed in 2027 with the project expected to be operational in late 2027, O’Shea said. The turbines will be more than 600 feet high.

The project also includes 10.5 miles of access roads, one permanent meteorological tower, 25.2 miles of collection lines, a temporary construction laydown yard of approximately 13.9 acres, a temporary concrete batch plant (if needed), parking for construction workers, an operations and maintenance facility with two buildings totaling about 4,000 square feet, and one aircraft detection lighting system tower.

For maps and more details of the project, click here.

Once the project is operational, Apex will pay $9,000 per megawatt to local municipalities or $1,134,000 in the first year, with a 2 percent increase after that over 25 years.

Barre gets 75 percent of the money as part of a Host Community Agreement. The $6,750 per megawatt totals $850,000.

The remaining 25 percent or $2,250 per megawatt is evenly split by the school district and county. That is $140,175 each.

In addition, Heritage Wind will be paying $4.575 million administrative fees to the Orleans Economic Development Agency for administering the PILOT with the school district and county.

The project also will save the average Barre household $150 annually in energy bills through the first ten years of the project’s operations through NYSERDA’s Host Community Benefit Program, O’Shea said.

Flu cases are up in Orleans, especially among those 60 and older

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 January 2026 at 9:01 am

State-wide the number of new cases dropped 43 percent

The number of new confirmed cases has decreased in New York State during the week ending Jan. 3, but the cases went up in Orleans County during that week, especially among those 60 and older.

State-wide, there were 28,554 laboratory-confirmed cases in the week ending Jan. 3, which is down 43 percent from 49,850 cases the previous week. This season there have been 269,433 laboratory-confirmed cases, according to the state Department of Health.

Flu hospitalizations is at 4,228 in the week ending Jan. 3, down 7 percent from 4,546 in previous week. So far this flu season 17,833 people have been hospitalized in New York State.

In Orleans County, the rate of cases is at 353.8 per 100,000 people, according to the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments. That is up from 181.7 per 100,000 from the previous week, and 76.5 the week ending Dec. 20.

The rate for people ages 0-19 is at 226.1 in the week ending Jan. 3, which is down from 440.4 the previous week and 571.3 the week ending Dec. 20.

Overall, the rate of new confirmed cases in Orleans County is at 204.1 per 100,000 people. (The county’s population is the 2020 census was 40,343.) That 204.1 rate is up from the 196.5 in both the previous two weeks.

While the cases was up slightly in Orleans County, Genesee had a rate of new confirmed cases at 146.7 for the week ending Jan. 3. That was down significantly from the rate of 252 new cases the previous week and 239.9 from the week ending Dec. 20.

While the new cases were down statewide, in Genesee and Orleans counties the new cases increased from 217 for the week ending Dec. 20 to 224 in the week ending Dec. 27, according to the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

In Genesee and Orleans counties the new confirmed cases was 166 for the week ending Jan. 3. That is down from 224 the previous week and 217 for the week ending Dec. 20, according to the local health departments.

Lady Tigers post win over Lady Bees

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 9 January 2026 at 9:28 pm

Improving to 4-3 overall, Lyndonville posted a 32-21 victory over visiting Byron-Bergen this evening in a Genesee Region League girls basketball game.

Alexa Robinson scored 13, Isabella Groves 9 Hannah Fox 5, Braelynn Dillenbeck 4 and Leah Kenyon 1 for the Lady Tigers which led 16-15 at half-time. Robinson scored 5 in the third period.

The Lady Bees were led by Simone Scharvogel with 10.

Purple Eagles top Rams to even N-O record

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 9 January 2026 at 9:15 pm

Albion evened its Niagara-Orleans League boys basketball record at 2-2 by posting a 58-53 home court victory over Roy-Hart this evening.

Elijah Doxey scored 19 and Tyler Cody 11 to lead the way for Albion s Nate Gibson added 8, Wesley Olles 7, Elliot Trapiss 6, Josh Schoeberlein 3 and Adam Burgio and Ezra Bloom 2 each.

Matt Aquilina scored 18 and Jakob West 13 to spark Roy-Hat as Vinny Fazzio added 8, Tysen McCaa and Owen Madel 5 each and Tyler Rothwell and John Brigham 2 each.

Albion grabbed a slender 15-11 lead at the end of the first period as Cody had seven, including a three, and Gibson a three.

The Purple Eagles then put together a 19-9 second period scoring surge to hike the lead to 14, 34-20, at the half. Doxey scored 8 and Trapiss 6 on two threes to lead that uprising.

Albion maintained 13 point, 50-37, advantage at the end of the third period which saw Doxey score 9 and Cody 4.

Roy-Hart answered with a 16-8 scoring edge in the final period but could get no closer than four.

The Rams slip to 0-3 in N-O action.

Akron 91, Barker 53
Akron go back onto the winning track by downing visiting Barker 91-53 to improve to 2-1 in N-O action.

Derren Brooks scored 24, Ben Gerstung 17, Brodie Hill 17 and Blake Gerstung 15 to spearhead the Akron offense.

Carter DerSarkissian scored 20 and Anthony Taliaferro 15 for Barker which slips to 1-3 in league competition.

Lakewomen top Mustangs to take N-O lead as Lady Rams down Purple Eagles

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 9 January 2026 at 9:02 pm

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Wilson’s Abbie Faery puts up a shot as Medina’s Roswyn Oakes tries for the block during the Mustangs home court loss to the Lakewomen this evening.

Defending champion Wilson took over sole possession of the Niagara-Orleans League girls basketball lead at 4-0 by combining a 47-28 victory over host Medina with Roy-Hart’s 56-50 win over visiting Albion.

Abbie Faery scored 15, Lucy Madden 13 and Rowan Simpson 8 to lead the way for Wilson which led 25-15 at the half.

Caliyah St. Louis scored 11 and Sam Heschke 9 for Medina which is 1-2 in N-O action.

Roy-Hart 56. Albion 50
Roy-Hart knocked Albion from the N-O ranks of the unbeaten 56-50 to improve to 2-1 in league play while the Purple Eagles slip to 3-1.

Adella Dukes scored 22, including 7 of 8 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, to lead Roy-Hart. Millie Owens added 14, Brooke Corser 8, Kylie McOmber 6, Courtney Aquilina 4 and Peyton May 2.

Aaliyah Jones scored 21 and Melia Prince 16 to lead Albion.

Akron 56, Barker 35
Akron improvedto 2-1 in N-O action by posting a 56-35 win over Barker which slips to 0-4.

Charlotte Haag scored 16 and Hailey Dodge 12 for Barker.

Medina’s Caliyah St. Louis drives in for a shot over Wilson’s Kylee Elia.

Lakemen put together a huge second half rally to post a key home court win over Mustangs

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 9 January 2026 at 8:19 pm

Coming from way back, Wilson put together a huge second half scoring surge to defeat visiting Medina 66-45 in a key early season Niagara-Orleans League clash of unbeatens this evening.

Trailing by a many as 19 late in the second quarter and by 14 early in the third period Wilson came storming back to outscore Medina 43-8 over the last quarter and a half to improve to 3-0 in N-O competition as the Mustangs slip to 2-1.

Aidan Neumann scored 28 of his game high 35 points and Ryan Hough 8 of his 14 to lead Wilson’s decisive second half rally.

Christian Moss finished with 16 and Preston Woodworth 12 for Medina which had a season long nine game winning streak snapped.

Medina jumped out to a 17-10 first quarter lead as Woodworth hit two threes, Hadrian Batista one and Moss added a pair of baskets.

The Mustangs boosted the advantage to 19, 31-12, by opening the second period with a 14-2 run which included two baskets each by Jerrell Nealy and Moss along with threes by Woodworth and Avion Johnson.

However, Wilson, which had been ice cold from the field, closed the period with a 6-0 run, including four by Hough, to trim the deficit to 13, 31-18 at the half.

Threes by Moss and Kolton Fletcher hiked the Medina advantage back to 14, 37-23, early in the third period but it was all Wilson after that.

The Lakemen erupted for a decisive 16-0 run, to move on top for the first time at 39-37. Neumann hit three threes to highlight that big uprising.

Medina did pull even at 39-39 at the end of the third period on a basket by Moss and then regained the lead for what proved to be the last time at 42-41 at the outset of the final period on a three by Woodworth.

Wilson though answered in decisive fashion with a whopping 25-0 scoring run to coast to the 21 point, 66-45 victory. Neumann scored 11, including 9 for 9 from the free throw line, and Hough had 8 to spearhead that surge.

Wind takes down more trees, knocks out power to about 750 in Orleans

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 January 2026 at 7:38 pm

Powerful winds have again taking down more trees in Orleans County today, about 10 days after the county endured strong winds that took out electricity.

National Grid is reporting 747 of its customers in Orleans County are without electricity at about 7:30 p.m. Most of those outages were in Barre and Clarendon, as well as the Brockville hamlet of Murray. The electricity is expected to be restored by 11 p.m. today.

Genesee County has 1,826 National Grid customers without power, National Grid reported.

Hawley will seek another term in State Assembly

Posted 9 January 2026 at 1:35 pm

Local assemblyman seeks to split NYS into three autonomous regions

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) is announcing his re-election bid for State Assembly in the 139th District, which includes Orleans, Genesee and part of western Monroe County.

First elected in 2006, Hawley has an extensive record of delivering results for Western New York. As part of his platform, Hawley is reaffirming his long-standing support for granting Western New York greater autonomy from Albany’s downstate-driven agenda.

He has backed legislation to divide New York into three autonomous regions known as the New Amsterdam Region, the New York Region and the Montauk Region. Each region would have its own governor and legislature to better address local needs.

Hawley has also supported legislation to allow voters to weigh in directly through a statewide referendum asking, “Do you support the division of New York into two separate states?” Hawley is grateful for the continued support of Western New Yorkers and looks forward to continuing the fight for common-sense policies in Albany this November.

“At a time when the cost of living is at an all-time high and public safety is at an all-time low, Albany is in desperate need of common-sense voices,” said Hawley. “For too long, Western New York has been ignored by a downstate-driven agenda that does not reflect our values or priorities. That is why I have supported legislation to give our region real autonomy and allow voters to decide our future for themselves. With socialism gaining ground in this state and radical policies coming out of New York City, we need to act now to protect our freedoms and ensure Western New York has a real voice in its own governance.”

High wind warning in effect for Orleans today; high temps near 60

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 January 2026 at 9:03 am

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a high wind warning for Orleans County today from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. There will be southwest winds from 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph expected. The strongest gusts will likely be between 3 and 7 p.m., the Weather Service said.

The high temperatures are forecast to reach 58 degrees today with showers. The overnight low will be 31.

The Weather Service said the high temps then include 41 with some rain on Saturday, 34 with some snow showers on Sunday, 34 on Monday and 40 on Tuesday.

Medina Memorial sees growth in rehab unit

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 9 January 2026 at 8:54 am

Provided photo: The Transitional Care Unit team at Medina Memorial Hospital is celebrating a substantial increase in admissions during the past year.

MEDINA – With a nationwide health care crisis, Medina Memorial Hospital has seen the impacts first-hand right here in Medina, according to Scott Robinson, director of marketing.

As the aging population continues to grow, there are an increasing number of challenges for the community, according to Robinson.

Among them is providing needed care and more services in the immediate area. One of those is the ability for members of the community to have access to rehab close to home. During the last year, the Transitional Care Unit at Medina Memorial hospital has seen admissions increase from 244 in 2024 to 308 in 2025, an increase of 26 percent, while referrals for subacute rehab have increased by 37 percent.

“I think it goes to show the reputation our TCU team has achieved with other hospitals and within the community,” Robinson said.

The hospital’s TCU program supports patients referred from other hospitals, as well as those admitted through Medina hospital’s Emergency Department for acute care or observation, who require subacute rehabilitation. Once a patient is medically stable for subacute rehab, they can be converted to the TCU services.

“We have been able to create relationships with more specialty groups, such as infectious disease and orthopedic physicians, which results in higher referral volumes,” Robinson said.

Robinson added they have a robust team at Orleans Community Health that is working to make sure the care being provided is top notch. The team includes care management, physical therapy, infection control, PCUII (Progressive Care Unit 2nd floor), housekeeping, dietary, finance and others.

“Medina Memorial Hospital continues to build a reputation – it’s the place to go for subacute rehab and the place to go to get better,” said Randi Ingersoll, director of Care Management at Orleans Community Health. “It has been a privilege to provide TCU services to more than 300 community members in 2025, and we are eager to see continued growth here at OCH.”

“The entire team deserves a great deal of credit, as Randi shared,” Robinson said. “She highlights the strong support being provided across teams. Although growth of this nature can challenge operations, departments remain closely aligned to keep things running seamlessly. It speaks volumes about the dedication of everyone involved in providing exceptional care.”

The team celebrated the gains on Wednesday and are coordinating to determine ways they can continue to improve the patient experience for those receiving care at Medina Memorial Hospital’s TCU.

Kendall tops Elba in G-R contest

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 8 January 2026 at 10:25 pm

Kendall downed visiting Elba 60-53 in a Genesee Region League boys basketball game this evening.

Vinnie D’Agostino scored 19 and CJ D’Agostino 12 to lead the way for Kendall as Jonny Conte added 8, Sammy Conte and Ryan Gaesser 6 each, Noah Morehouse 5 and Jonas Rhodes 4. CJ D’Agostino also had 12 rebounds.

Ryan Marscoll scored 17 and Nick Scott 15 for Elba.

Byron-Bergen 74, Lyndonville 50

Colton Smith scored 18, Lane Woodworth 13 and Lyric Raduns 10 to lead Lyndonville in the 74-50 G-R loss to Byron-Bergen. Devon Babcock and Atticus Mank both added 4 and Quincy McClinsey 1 for the Tigers.

New class of Leadership Orleans begins year

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 January 2026 at 8:31 pm

26 class members will learn about different sectors of county throughout 2026

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Leadership Orleans Class of 2026 kicked off its year of exploration in Orleans County with an opening day retreat today at Fairhaven Inn.

Pictured, front row, from left: Patti Doyle, Ashley Sutherland, Meghan Bevins, Jenai Walker, Krista Dhow and Will Gregoire.

Second row: Pam Wadhams, Ciara Silversmith, Hana Robinson, Rachel Frasier, Darelyn Songer and Brandon Smith.

Third row: Brett Sobieraski, Geen Henry, Lisa Elschker, Susan Thaine and Dr. Taweepon Farrar.

Back row: Sara Flansburg, Jake Weller, Terry Kingdollar, Tim Smith, Gabriella Bottorff, Timothy Dunham, Craig Lane and Chris Hughes. (Missing from photo: Valerie Wells and Amy Crandall.)

Skip Helfrich, executive director of Leadership Orleans since the program started in 2018, discusses different leadership styles during the opening retreat today.

Some of those styles in the “DISC” profile include dominant controller, cautious analytical, influencing promoter, and steadfast supporter.

The “dominant controller” tend to be very determined and decisive, and “results oriented,” Helfrich said, and are often CEOs, entrepreneurs and people who excel at sales.

The “cautious analytical” are very thorough and organized and are often engineers and accountants.

The “influencing promoter” bring lots of ideas and energy and are often politicians, artists and debaters, Helfrich said.

A “steadfast supporter” is a team player and collaborator, often people who excel in human resources, service jobs and as union reps.

Each of the class members did a DISC profile to see where they landed. Helfrich discussed how the different types of people can often clash, and often help each other when they appreciate their different skill sets and styles.

Fairhaven Inn hosted the opening retreat which continues on Friday. This is the ninth class of Leadership Orleans. In the first eight years, 203 people graduated from the program.

The new class of 26 members will spend a year learning about the county and themselves.

The class represents several sectors in the community, including agriculture, education, human services, government, business, a church and volunteerism.

The program aims to build the “citizen capital” of the community, helping develop leaders who are educated on the many facets of the community.

The class will meet monthly, building leadership skills and gaining knowledge, experiences and meeting people from many different sectors in the community. The class will spend different days focused on agriculture, non-profit organizations, government services, small and larger businesses, law enforcement, tourism, arts and culture, community health and economic development.

The group typically visits about 40 sites around the county and hears from about 50 presenters.

The program receives a stipend from the county, and there are many sponsors of programs throughout the years. The class members also pay tuition to be in Leadership Orleans.

This year’s class members include:

Meghan Bevins, assistant director of Orleans County Office for the Aging in Albion
Gabriella Bottorff, food safety coordinator for Lake Ontario Fruit in Albion
Amy Crandall, assistant vice president Generations Bank in Medina
Patti Doyle, art engagement director for GO Art! in Batavia
Krista Duhow, learning coordinator at Medina Central School
Timothy Dunham, executive director of human resources at Orleans/Niagara BOCES
Lisa Elschker, human resource generalist at Community Action of Orleans and Genesee
Dr. Taweepon Farrar, district superintendent for Niagara/Orleans BOCES
Sara Flansburg, owner of Blissett’s Specialty Shop in Medina
Rachel Frasier, executive assistant for Western New Energy in Medina
Will Gregoire, mechanical engineer for Udderways in Albion
Geen Henry, assistant director of prevention for UConnectCare in Albion
Chris Hughes, director of district wellness at Medina Central School
Terry Kingdollar, family support specialist at Arc GLOW in Albion
Craig Lane, commissioner of public works for Orleans County
Hana Robinson, founder of World Life Adventures in Albion
Ciarra Silversmith, clinic manager at Orleans Community Health in Albion
Brandon Smith, loan officer at Farm Credit East in Batavia
Tim Smith, senior principal engineer at Baxter Medical in Medina
Brett Sobieraski, investigator for District Attorney’s Office in Albion
Darelyn Songer, secretary to Orleans County chief administrative officer
Ashley Sutherland, branch manager for M&T Bank in Lyndonville
Susan Thaine, pastor for First Presbyterian Church of Albion
Pam Wadhams, director of Headstart for Community Action of Orleans & Genesee
Janei Walker, HR manager at Baxter Healthcare in Medina
Jake Weller, network engineer for Info Advantage in Rochester
Valerie Wells, volunteer in Lyndonville

Seahorses earn split with TigerSharks

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 8 January 2026 at 7:58 pm

Medina earned a split with host Akron in a Niagara-Orleans League swim meet this evening.

Medina won the boys’ meet 83-60 and Akron took the girls’ competition 98-58.

Bradley Goyette doubled in the 200 Freestyle and 500 Free and Bryson Ford took both the 100 Butterfly and 100 Breaststroke to lead the Seahorses which improve to 3-1 as Brandon Brueckner added a win in the 100 Backstroke.

Quinn O’Malley was a double winner for the TigerSharks in the 50 Free and 100 Free.

The Akron girls were led by a trio of individual event double winners including Charlotte Carlson (Butterfly and Breaststroke), Brooke Milhollen (100 Free and Backstroke) and Aurora VanDusen (200 Free and 500 Free). Avery Haak added a win in the IM for the TigerSharks.

Madison Watts won the 50 Free for Medina.

Newfane sweeps Roy-Hart/Barker
Newfane bested Roy-Hart/Barker winning the boys’ meet 90-47 and the girls’ competition 93-63.

Dylan Lamont doubled in the IM and 100 Free and Noah Kneeland in the Butterfly and Backstroke to lead the Newfane boys squad as Eli Kneeland added a win in the Breaststoke.

Roy-Hart/Barker had Noah Corraine win the 200 Free, Jackson Braun the 50 Free and Hendrick Trombley the 500 Free.

The Newfane girls were led by individual event double winners Riley Klopfer (200 Free and 500 Free) and Eden Hillman (50 Free and 100 Free). Emma Haseley also took the Butterfly, Eliana Reis the Backstroke and Kimberly Schmitt the Breaststroke.

Samantha Fox won the IM for Roy-Hart/Barker.

Holley-Kendall wrestlers down Medina

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 8 January 2026 at 7:44 pm

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Aiden McGrain works toward a pin for Holley-Kendall over Medina’s Cole Herman during this evening’s non league match at Medina.

Improving to 11-1 overall, Holley-Kendall scored a 58-18 victory over Medina in a non league wrestling match this evening at Medina.

Pins by Immanuel Cornell (285), Jacob Abrams (150), Tyler Davenport (190) and Aiden McGrain (215) highlighted the victory for Holley-Kendall which also got a major decision win by Brayden Mack (157) as well as five forfeit wins which were good for a total of 30 points.

Luke Duffina (132) and Tyler Raduns (165) both registered pins for Medina as Jacob Duffina (118) and Davi Mucoucah (144) both scored decision wins.

Medina’s Davi Mucoucah in route to earning a decision win over Holley-Kendall’s Michael Williams.

Brayden Mack works toward a major decision win for Holley-Kendall over Medina’s Roaman Maksimchak.

Medina’s Luke Duffina nears earning a pin victory over Holley-Kendall’s Dominic Heirigs.