By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 3 February 2026 at 10:42 pm
Albion boosted its Niagara-Orleans League girls basketball record to 7-3 with a 59-46 home court Senior Night victory over Roy-Hart this evening.
Aaliyah Jones scored 21, Leah Pawlak 14, Melia Prince 13 and Madison Muckle 8 to pace Albion.
Millie Owens scored 21 and Adella Dukes 14 to lead Roy-Hart.
Trailing 33-28 at the half, Albion rallied to outscore Roy-Hart 15-6 in the third period and 16-7 in the fourth to claim the win.
Wilson 54, Medina 20
Defending champion Wilson stayed undefeated at 9-0 by downing visiting Medina 54-20 as Rowan Simpson scored 15 and Bella Thrush 14.
Samantha Heschke scored 10 and Caliyah St. Louis 4 for Medina which trailed by only six, 19-13, at the half.
Akron 84, Barker 37
Cheyanne Rouse and Charlotte Haag both scored 9 and Elise Monaco and Kaylee Stoll 8 each for Barker in the loss to Akron.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 3 February 2026 at 10:30 pm
Holley, Kendall and Lyndonville all scored victories in Genesee Region League girls basketball action this evening.
Holley nipped Attica 39-36 in overtime as Hanna Ostrom had 11 points and 10 rebounds, Brynn Thomas 9 points and 4 steals, Mia Thom 9 points and 9 rebounds, Ella Turpyn 3 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals and Kyla Burne 3 points and 4 steals.
Building up a 19-9 half-time advantage, Lyndonville went on to down Wheatland-Chili 32-27.
Isabella Groves led the Lady Tigers with 16 as Alexa Robinson added 4 and Leah Costello, Hannah Fox and Braelynn Dillenbeck each had 3.
Kendall romped past Alexander 73-35 as Mia Price had 23 points, Sophia Picardo 14, Teagan Shaw 11 and Izzy D’Agostino 10.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 3 February 2026 at 10:01 pm
Akron dominated the action at today’s annual Niagara-Orelasn girls All League swim meet at Newfane by taking first place in six of 11 events.
Aurora VanDusen was an individual event double winner for Akron in the 500 Free (5:58.48) and the 100 Breaststroke (1:16.95) as Charlotte Carlson took the 100 Butterfly (1:08.45) and Brooke Milhollen the 100 Backstroke (1:09.98).
Akron also captured the 200 Medley Relay in 2:06.10 with the quartet of Milhollen, VanDusen, Carlson and Eliza Koopman and the 400 Free Relay in 4:14.12 with the foursome of Milhollen, VanDusen, Carlson and Avery Haak.
Albion’s Keira Sidari was a double winner in the 200 Individual Medley (2:22.53) and the 100 Free (:57.98).
Medina’s Madeline Mark won the 200 Free in a time of 2:15.46.
Newfane won the 200 Free Relay in 1:54.02 with the foursome of Eden Hillman, Sara Klinger, Riley Klopfer and Emma Haseley.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 3 February 2026 at 9:26 pm
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Wilson’s Aidan Neumann puts up a shot against Medina defender Christian Moss during the Lakemen’s thrilling double overtime win over the host Mustangs this evening. Moving in on the play are Wilson’s Shamus George (30) and Medina’s Carlos Doval (11).
Rebounding from as much as a 16 point first half deficit, Wilson rallied to outlast Medina 86-80 in a double overtime thriller this evening at Medina to clinch at least a tie for the Niagara-Orleans League boys basketball championship.
Maintaining a two game lead, the Lakemen improve to 10-0 in N-O action with only two games remaining as Medina slips to 6-3 and out of title contention. Akron, which defeated Barker 60-47, is the only other team still in title contention as the Tigers improve to 7-2.
Medina sent the game into overtime deadlocked at 62-62 with a late 5-0 run on two baskets by Christian Moss and a free throw by Preston Woodworth to erase a 62-57 deficit.
The Mustangs then forced a second overtime period as a last second basket by Kolton Fletcher retied the contest at 74-74.
Jerrell Nealy, Woodworth. Moss and Kendrick Russaw also all had baskets in the period for Medina. Aidan Neumann and Chase Martin both hit threes for Wilson during that stretch as Brock Lepsch had two baskets and Ryan Hough one.
Medina then grabbed a 76-74 lead at the outset of the second overtime period on a layup by Moss.
Wilson though answered with a key 6-0 run on two free throws each by Hough and Lepsch and a layup by Neumann to regain the lead for good at 80-76.
A three by Neumann then off set a basket by Fletcher to keep Wilson up 83-78. The Lakemen then put a lock on the win on two free throws by Neumann and one by Shamus George.
Medina’s Jerrell Nealy goes up for a shot against Wilson defenders Shamus George (30) and Ryan Hough (14).
Neumann finished with a game high 34 points as Hough had 23, George 14, Lepsch 10 and Martin 5.
Woodworth led Medina with 22 as Nealy and Moss both had 18, Fletcher 7, Russaw and Carlos Doval 6 each, Jayzon Wills 2 and Avion Johnson 1.
Medina grabbed a narrow 14-13 lead at the end of a sea-saw first quarter which saw 4 ties and 5 lead changes. Nealy had 8 to lead the Mustangs in the early going.
The Mustangs then opened the second quarter with a big 18-3 run to race out to a 16 point, 32-16, advantage. Doval had two threes, Woodworth a three and a three point play and Nealy a pair of baskets to lead that uprising.
However, the Lakemen got back in the game by closing the period with an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 10 at 34-24. Neumann had a three to cap off that rally.
Keeping the momentum, Wilson outscored Medina 19-14 in the third period to slice the deficit to five, 48-43. George and Hough both scored 6 and Neumann 5 to key that rally.
Medina maintained a four point, 57-53 lead with three minutes to go in the final period after a three by Woodworth and a jumper by Nealy.
However, Wilson answered back from long range as two threes by Hough and one by Neumann rallied the Lakemen into the lead for the first time since late in the opening quarter at 62-57 with 1:50 remaining.
The Mustangs though in turn answered back with a clutch 6-0 run on two layups by Moss and a free throw by Woodworth to send the tense contest into overtime deadlocked at 62-62.
There were three ties and two lead changes in the sea-saw first four minute overtime period which ended deadlocked at 74-74.
The Lakemen then pulled out the marathon title tie clinching victory by outscoring the Mustangs 12-6 in the second overtime period including 7 by Neumann.
Medina next visits rival Albion at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Wilson’s next N-O contest will be at home next Tuesday also against Albion.
Wilson’s Brock Lepsch grabs a rebound away from the Medina duo of Carlos Doval (11) an Kolton Fletcher (4).
‘Job Corps is one of the best bang-for-your-buck programs we have to boost our local economies’
Press Release, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer
Photo by Tom Rivers: This sign on Route 63 in Shelby notes the Iroquois Job Corps. This center has space for up to 225 students who are served by 104 full-time equivalent employees.
After Schumer stood at Job Corps centers across Upstate NY to lead the fight to protect one of the nation’s largest and most effective workforce training programs from Trump’s effort to eliminate it, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today announced he has successfully preserved funding for Job Corps and helping students across America, including thousands in New York, get the skills they need to enter in-demand careers.
“Job Corps is one of the best bang-for-your-buck programs we have to boost our local economies, which is why I fought hard to protect it from Trump’s proposed cuts,” said Senator Schumer. “I’m proud to announce that, following my advocacy, we have preserved funding for Job Corps, ensuring the continuation of one of America’s largest and most effective workforce training programs.”
The just-passed Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education funding bill rejects Trump’s call to eliminate Job Corps and instead provides $1.76 billion in federal funding to keep them open. Schumer also secured language that blocks the closure of Job Corps Centers unless such closures meet specific requirements.
Anand Vimalassery, National Job Corps Association Interim President & CEO said, “Job Corps faced unprecedented disruption and uncertainty over the last year. Through it all, Senator Schumer stood by our students and staff in Calicoon, Cassadaga, Glenmont, Medina, New York City, and Oneonta. His leadership is helping ensure young adults in New York continue to have a pathway into the skilled workforce through Job Corps and we’re grateful for his support.”
In May 2025, Trump paused operations at Job Corps centers nationwide. Afterward, a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump from shutting down Job Corps centers, and another federal judge said operations must resume until the previous case is resolved. Schumer explained that the Trump administration not only attempted to shut down Job Corps centers, but in his budget request, Trump said he wanted to totally zero out funding for the program, effectively killing the program without needing the approval of federal courts.
After hearing about Trump’s proposed cuts, Schumer last year traveled to Job Corps centers across Upstate New York, from the Iroquois Job Corps center in Orleans County to the Cassadaga Job Corps center in Chautauqua County and the Otsego Job Corps Center, to stand with students, staff, and small business owners and demand we protect this vital pipeline for skilled workers to fill jobs.
In addition to fighting back on Trump’s proposed elimination of funds for Jobs Corps in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill, Schumer led efforts in the Senate to oppose the Trump administration’s destructive and potentially illegal actions like pausing existing funds for the Job Corps centers.
Schumer called on U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to protect Job Corps and demanded answers on these destructive efforts. Thanks to Schumer’s leadership, the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education funding bill rejects Trump’s call to eliminate Job Corps and instead provides $1.76 billion in federal funding – which is consistent with the previous year – to keep them open and includes language to protect against Trump’s efforts to illegally shut down specific centers.
“The Iroquois Job Corps Center has been a cornerstone of opportunity in Orleans County for more than sixty years, helping young people gain the skills and credentials they need to succeed while strengthening our local economy,” said Lynne Johnson, Chairman of the Orleans County Legislature. “Preserving funding for Job Corps is critical for our students, our workforce, and our community. Thanks to Senator Schumer, the Iroquois Job Corps Center can continue delivering real pathways to good-paying careers and supporting the next generation of skilled workers.”
Schumer said Job Corps centers have helped millions of young people ages 16 to 24 finish high school, learn technical skills, and get jobs in in-demand fields such as healthcare and construction. Low-income and at-risk young people have received stable housing and healthcare while developing the skills they need to get good-paying jobs after graduation. Across Upstate NY, centers in Albany, Sullivan, Orleans, Otsego, and Chautauqua Counties serve thousands of young New Yorkers and employ over 500 staff.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 February 2026 at 11:17 am
Genesee would receive $285 million in revenue over 30 years, plus an estimated $18 million in sales tax annually to be split by county and state
Photos by Tom Rivers: Stream U.S. Data Centers held an open house at the Alabama Fire Hall on Monday evening for people to meet members of the development team for the data center. Many of the attendees are concerned about the environmental impacts on the community, including the nearby wildlife refuge and Tonawanda Indian Nation.
ALABAMA – A massive data center proposed for the STAMP site in Alabama, just a few miles south of Orleans County, would bring a major influx of revenue for Genesee County, said officials at the Genesee County Economic Development Center.
Stream U.S. Data Centers would pay $285 million over 30 years to Genesee County, the Town of Alabama and Oakfield-Alabama Center School. (The project also would receive $744 million in tax incentives. The GCEDC board is expected to accept an application from Stream during its board meeting on Thursday. There will be public hearings about the incentives and the site plan for the data center.)
Bradley Wells, site selection and development manager for Stream U.S. Data Centers, speaks to reporters at Monday’s meeting. He said the project uses a relatively small footprint of the STAMP site and won’t generate much traffic after construction. The data center would have 125 employees working different shifts. There would be about 1,000 people working on construction of the data center’s three buildings, each over 700,000 square feet.
The company also will have to pay sales tax on its electricity usage and that is expected to be about $18 million a year to be split by Genesee County and the state.
Stream U.S. Data Centers is proposing to invest over $11 billion in the data center at STAMP. GCEDC gets a fee when it facilitates a project, usually 1.25 percent of the development costs.
With the data center, the fee would be 0.75 percent or about $83 million. That money would help build out public water in Genesee County and with infrastructure at other GCEDC business parks, said Mark Masse, GCEDC president and CEO. Five of the eight GCEDC parks are currently fully occupied but there is space at STAMP, Le Roy and in the Pembroke parks.
“This whole program is generational revenue for Genesee County,” Masse said during an interview on Monday during an informational meeting by Stream at the Alabama fire hall.
The project is outside Orleans County, but Masse and GCEDC officials expect Orleans would see significant benefit for employment and other services for the data center, as well as people looking to move into the community.
The project has faced resistance from Orleans County, including Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson who doesn’t want any wastewater from STAMP to go into the Oak Orchard Creek, which is a major tourism draw for fishing in the county.
STAMP will be using the Village of Oakfield sewer plant for treatment, and Masse said the plant will be upgraded to treat phosphorus.
The Allies of Tonawanda Seneca Nation have been vocal in opposition of the data center, saying it uses enormous amounts of electricity – 500 megawatts – that could impact electricity rates for other customers.
The Allies passed out flyers listing concerns with noise, impacts to wildlife, water usage and pollution, air pollution, e-waste, and other environmental impacts.
Arthur Barnes of Shelby was among the attendees at Monday’s meeting. He wore a “Stop STAMP” button. Barnes would have preferred to hear a presentation from the developer to the group, but instead Stream had people meet one on one or in small groups. Barnes said the presentation was “too slick” and didn’t consider the impacts of the project on the community.
Bradley Wells, site selection and development manager for Stream, said the meeting format was a chance to “have one on one time with developer.”
The new data center would be “unique and premium in the market,” he told reporters at the meeting.
The data center helps meet a need with the “growth of internet, growth of interconnectivity, subscription streaming and artificial intelligence,” he said.
The STAMP site is attractive for Stream because it offers all of the existing infrastructure –with electricity, water and waste water. Wells said the facility would use “very minimal water” and would operate on a closed loop air cooling system.
There are very restrictive noise requirements, and Wells said the site would operate at 65 decibels at day and 45 decibels at night from the Stream property lines. The noise would be quieter farther away from the site. Wells said 65 decibels is similar to the sound when talking in a room and 45 decibels is the sound of a quiet office environment.
Stream U.S. Data Centers showed renderings of how a vacant field at STAMP could be turned into a large data center.
The company, based in Dallas, Texas, will need to get through an environmental review with the GCEDC the lead agency. The Allies of the Seneca Nation, Orleans County and others wanted the state Department of Environmental Conservation to lead that review. Barnes said the GCEDC role “is like the fox guarding the hen house.”
Wells said Stream strives to build a long-lasting partnership with the community. The company is hopeful construction could start in 2026 with the facility to begin operations in 2027, although a full buildout is expected to take until 2030.
He foresees “1,000 continuous trade jobs” during the construction. Once that is complete, the traffic impact from the data center would be “extremely low,” Wells said, with 125 employees working different shifts, many of them software specialists and engineering technicians.
Other manufacturing at STAMP could see many more employees and deliveries, with a much bigger impact on traffic in the community, he said.
Stream would operate on 90 acres out the 1,250 acres at STAMP.
“We think it’s one of the most dense, best uses of the park right now,” Wells said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 February 2026 at 8:29 am
‘The Smallest of Joys’ invites people to slow down and ‘create your own magic’
Diane Shiffer’s book is published by Hay House LLC. The book was pre-launched on Monday with customers able to order it through Amazon and other book sellers. The book will be released in hardcover on April 14. Diane Shiffer is shown outside her Albion home in this screenshot from her Instagram account. She has more than 2 million followers on social media.
ALBION – An Albion woman with a massive following on social media has written a book, The Smallest of Joys, that is available for pre-ordering. The 256-page book will be out in hardcover on April 14.
Diane Shiffer has a devoted following @shifferdiane, and uses the hashtag: “YourChubbyVintageNana.”
“I never sent out to write a book,” Shiffer said in a video posted on her social media on Monday, the day of the book’s pre-launch. “Honestly, I never even thought it was something I could do. For years I was just writing things down to understand my own small life, to make sense of the days and to notice what was still good, and somehow, somehow those quiet thoughts became my book, the smallest of joys.”
The book is published by Hay House LLC. “The Smallest of Joys” is an invitation to slow down and embrace yourself. Shiffer brings messages about:
Embrace your inner weirdo
Be patient with yourself through life’s changes
Keep a tidy home without overwhelm
Develop a positive body image
Heal from heartbreak
Connect with others through gratitude
Find everyday magic in the simplest moments
“Whether you’ve been following Diane for years or are just meeting her now, this book is like a warm teacup in your hands and a soft blanket around your shoulders,” Amazon states in promoting the book. “A modern antidote to hustle culture and self-criticism, it’s a reminder that kindness—especially toward yourself—can be a powerful way to live.”
Shiffer is a retired educator and social worker. She started to go viral on social media during the pandemic in 2020 when she posted short videos of her in daily life – baking, sewing, doing household chores, sharing words about kindness, and showcasing some of her vintage finds, such as potholders.
She speaks directly to her followers in her videos, calling them “my sweeties” and “my dears.”
Shiffer was featured by CBS Sunday Morning last April. CBS correspondent Faith Salie said Shiffer’s “soothing voice and infectious laugh” are a big part of her appeal. Salie said about Shiffer, “spending time with her feels like a warm hug.”
Shiffer shares heartfelt advice on discovering joy and beauty in everyday life.
“This book exists because of you, my dear internet friends, the people who taught me that small gentle things matter,” Shiffer said in a social media post on Monday. “I also know that we are living in a heavy moment. There is real grief and real fear and real injustice in the world right now, and joy doesn’t erase that but it can help us stay human inside of it.”
“I’m holding both, gratitude and perspective, hope and responsibility. If this book finds its way to you I hope it brings a little calm, a little steadiness, a reminder that tending to your spirit is not a distraction from the world. It is part of how we keep showing up for it.”
For more information on “The Smallest of Joys,” click here.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 2 February 2026 at 9:31 pm
Jumping out to a 26-8 first quarter lead, Kendall went on to defeat visiting Attica 72-55 in a Genesee Region League boys basketball game this evening.
CJ D’Agostino poured in 28 points to lead the way for Kendall including 14 in the decisive opening quarter.
The Eagles also had Vinnie D’Agostino with 14, Jonny Conte 13, Noah Morehouse 8, Sammy Conte 7 and Ryan Gaesser 2.
C.J. D’Agostino also had 9 rebounds Jonny Conte 8 assists and 6 steals and Vinnie D’Agostino 6 assists.
Kendall went on to lead by margins of 43-20 at the half and 58-41 at the end of the third quarter.
Improving to 7-2 in the league and 9-4 overall, Kendall next hosts Alexander in a G-R contest at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 2 February 2026 at 9:13 pm
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Lane Woodworth puts up a shot for Lyndonville against Pembroke defenders Gage Baker and Nolan Peterson during the Tigers home court loss to the Dragons this evening.
A barrage of ten first half threes sparked Pembroke to a 73-48 win over host Lyndonville in a Genesee Region League boys basketball game this evening.
Nolan Peterson made five threes, Owen Shultz three and Lenix Kohorst two in the opening half to key the Dragons out to a commanding 23 point, 40-17 lead.
Pembroke went on to lead by 25, 56-31, at the end of the third quarter.
Kohorst finished with 20, Peterson 19 and Shultz 12 to lead the Dragons which improve to 11-2.
Lane Woodworth scored 19, including three threes, to lead the way for Lyndonville.
The Tigers also had Lyric Raduns with 10, Atticus Mank 7, Colton Smith 6, Devon Babcock 4 and Quincy McClinsey 2..
Notre Dame 82, Holley 56
In another G-R contest Avante Walker scored 28, Tarek Garrett 7 and Josh Silpoch 6 for Holley in an 82-56 loss to Notre Dame.
Girls Basketball
Lyndonville won by forfeit over Global Concept which did not have enough players for the non league game.
Lyndonville’s Devon Babcock drives to the basket ahead of Pembroke’s Lenix Kohorst.
This 1913 map of Lyndonville shows a concentration of food processing plants adjacent to railway line and open area advertised by H.A. & A.A. Housel. (New Century Atlas of Orleans County, 1913)
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County History
“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 6, No. 3
An ad from Lyndonville Enterprise on January 27, 1910
“LYNDONVILLE – HER PROGRESSIVE HEALTHY GROWTH,
“AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE FUTURE –
“REAL ESTATE MARKET IS ACTIVE”
“Put me off at Lyndonville” (station)
“Why?”
“Oh! Lyndonville is such an enterprising little town that it has become a desirable place in which to settle and invest money. It is wonderful how prices are soaring and if you want to be “in it” you must “get there” right quick.
Why, within this past year, 15 new dwelling houses, at a cost of from $2,500 to $3,000 have been erected and more are to be built by spring and these mostly by retired farmers in our town who have so prospered by big crops and good prices that they have been able to pay off their mortgages and still have money enough to buy a village lot at a cost of $300 to $400 and erect an elegant house with all modern improvements from a furnace to electric lights.
Small wonder then that Lyndonville was the subject of postcards such as this 1910 era card from the Balls-McComb collection.
In addition, this past year, the Lyndonville Ice and Cold Storage plant was built at a cost of $125.000; Barnum’s brick hotel at a cost of $4,500; the Lyndonville cement Automobile Garage; N.J. Barry’s cola building with an electric elevator. F.D. Langdon’s new drive barn is in progress, as are plans for a new general store and opera house.”
This article was originally published as a centerpiece on page one of the Lyndonville Enterprise of January 27, 1910. The Housel ad. appeared in the same issue.
Lyndonville’s prosperity referred to can be attributed to the transportation service provided by the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad. The first train passed through on June 12, 1876. For the next 70 years, freight and refrigerated trains transported the area’s fine produce to market while passenger trains carried passengers to Rochester and Buffalo.
While Yates Center was the site of the first settlement in the Town of Yates, it was soon eclipsed by the growth of Lyndonville just a short distance south. The Johnson Creek waterfall provided a source of power, essential at that time for operating mills. A grist mill was built in 1836. Other businesses soon followed.
The village was incorporated in 1903. In 1908, the village contracted with the Swett Electric Light and Power Company to provide electric lamp posts on Main St. Electric power was also available for the newly built “elegant houses.”
Almost two hundred years ago the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said, “He who fights the future has a dangerous enemy.” The future, he said, takes shape within us, from our individual and collective fears, and then appears outside of us as an enemy.
Those of us with legitimate fears about issues like the mad proliferation of data centers in our country can be so easily dismissed as prisoners of our fears (or NIMBY’s, or Luddites), regardless of the validity of our concerns. We have to keep the philosopher’s words in mind, and be careful and thorough in our arguments.
The proliferation of data centers is a growing national concern. It’s all over the internet; you can’t swing a digital cat without hitting an anti-data center article. There’s a growing demand for a national data center moratorium. It’s interesting that the list of national concerns is mirrored almost perfectly by our local concerns about the proposed data center at the STAMP site in Genesee County.
We are facing a proposal for an $11.2 billion, 2.2 million square foot behemoth using 500 megawatts of electrical power, enough to power all the homes in the city of Rochester, plus all the homes in the 4-county GLOW region.
The proposed tax abatements: an unbelievable $774 million. That’s tax money that New Yorkers will never see. All this for 125 permanent jobs (“permanent” being a relative term, since the lifetime of data centers is typically in the 10-15 year range.). That works out to $6.2 million in tax breaks per job, a ridiculously high number. Add to this the expectation that the data center will likely get cut-rate hydropower from Niagara Falls, and financially this looks like the mother of all one-sided deals.
As if all the above were not bad enough, the location of the data center, surrounded by protected, environmentally sensitive lands and abutting the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, is very problematic. Air, water, and noise pollution are the risks that the local population must bear (along with higher electric bills).
The fundamental problem is that data centers are extractive entities, sucking up resources (land, electricity), generating almost zero permanent employment, channeling the wealth from their operations away from New York State to some of the world’s richest corporations, and offloading the risks onto the locals.
There is a bigger picture. Data center madness is itself driven by the mad race by tech companies to develop AGI, or artificial general intelligence, a technology that has the potential to radically disrupt modern society. Fantastic riches and fantastic power await the corporate winner of this race.
Right now there’s an AI financial bubble, a mismatch between the level of investment (enormous) and the financial returns (tiny so far). The bubble may burst, which would be terrible for the US economy, or it may not burst and we will be thrust into a new, very different future. In either case, the technology will still be there and will eventually be adopted.
AGI offers fantastic upsides as well as terrible risks. It will lead to massive increases in productivity in areas like the service sector that currently dominates our economy. This could lead to massive white collar unemployment.
It will likely be instrumental in developing cures for terrible diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer. It could also lead to a massive surveillance state, a precursor to a totalitarian state. It may revolutionize education, especially in underserved areas. Over the next five to fifteen years it will hit our society like a freight train.
The drivers of this grand game (Musk, Altman, Cook, Bezos, Pichai, and others), all brilliantly intelligent people, seem to lack the will, motivation, or wisdom to provide a coherent vision of a decent future for all human beings. They apparently cannot escape our current economic culture, where amassing riches and power is the only goal.
Capitalism is the greatest system ever invented for generating wealth, but it is truly bad at distributing wealth. Uncontrolled, it breeds savage inequalities. We’re on that road right now, and it’s safe to say that the lives and livelihoods of Western New Yorkers are of little to no concern to the cash – and power-hungry tech bros running the show.
Returning to Kierkegaard, we need not fear the future, but we do need to act in ways to ease the shock. We need to build a society that places more value on all human beings, a society with greater empathy.
Some time ago Bruce Springsteen was on tour, and he sang the Woody Guthrie song, “This Land is Your Land.” He said that he wasn’t sure if the message of the song was still true, but he knew that it ought to be true. Then he said the song reminded him “…with countries, just like with people, it’s easy to let the best of yourself slip away.”
Don’t let the best of yourself slip away. The proposed local data center is a bad idea. Oppose it.
Also attack the root of the problem: Do what you can – read, learn, discuss, argue, and make your voice heard – to help shift the inevitable but currently aimless AI paradigm onto a more humane path. Easy? No. Doable? Maybe.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 February 2026 at 12:58 pm
Sarah Wolcott
BATAVIA – A Batavia woman who organized protests against Donald Trump last year, which attracted several hundred people, announced today she will be running against Steve Hawley for the 139th Assembly District, which includes all of Orleans, Genesee and small portions of Monroe and Erie counties.
“I’m running to serve my community by protecting what’s good and fixing what’s broken,” said Sarah Wolcott, in her campaign announcement today. “It’s time for leadership that’s earned, not inherited, and I’m here to fight for everyday people like myself.”
Hawley runs an insurance company in Batavia. He has been the assemblyman for nearly 20 years, seldom with any opposition. He was first elected to the position in a special election on February 28, 2006. His father, the late R. Stephen Hawley, also served as assembly from 1973 to 1993.
Wolcott, 42, will be seeking Democratic Party support in the election. She has been endorsed by the Genesee County Democratic Party.
She is lifelong Batavian and blue-collar community advocate. She works on the assembly line for a manufacturing company in Alden. She said her focus will be on uplifting working families, strengthening rural communities, and bringing authentic, earned leadership back to Albany.
Wolcott said she represents “the grit, compassion, and determination that define Western New York.” The Genesee Community College graduate credits both her education and her lived experience for shaping her commitment to public service.
She has organized food drives, led local protests, and donates plasma weekly to help neighbors. Through these efforts, she said she has seen firsthand the challenges facing working families and the limits of what can be changed without a seat at the table.
“It’s time for workers, not career politicians to lead,” Wolcott stated in a news release. “We need leaders who have struggled and sweat to represent us. I want to bridge divides and build a future where neighbors work together, not against each other.”
Her campaign priorities include:
Accessible healthcare that every New Yorker can afford
Ensuring Western NY remains affordable for local residents
Protecting rural communities from development like at STAMP
Building unity, not division, across Genesee County and beyond
The Orleans County Democratic Party Committee hasn’t endorsed a candidate yet for this year’s Assembly election. Wolcott met with the Orleans committee last month.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 February 2026 at 9:53 am
File photo by Tom Rivers: Holli Nenni announced she is retiring in May after 38 years with the Orleans County DSS.
ALBION – A long-time employee in the Orleans County Department of Social Services will be retiring on May 26.
Holli Nenni of Albion has worked 28 years with DSS, including the past five years as DSS commissioner. Prior to that she was the deputy DSS commissioner the past 11 years.
Nenni first worked as a caseworker for 12 years before being promoted child support coordinator and then director of temporary assistance.
She has been leading a department with 70 employees. The DSS divisions include temporary assistance, child & family services, domestic violence services, and the child support and enforcement unit.
DSS partners with many local agencies and county departments – UConnectCare, Mental Health, Job Development and others – to help people overcome barriers and become self sufficient, Nenni has said.
Photos courtesy of Patti Singer: Paul Hess, a wildlife biologist with the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, points out the leaves still on a beech tree. Beeches and some oaks hold their leaves all winter, until new growth pushes them off in the spring.
Courtesy of Patti Singer, contributor to Friends of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
BASOM – The sun was out and the temperature on this early January day was in the 40s. Along the Kanyoo Trail at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, a light breeze stirred branches of trees that were waiting for a few more months to pass.
James Ianni examines a black cherry tree.
“They’re just trying to survive and protect themselves,” says James Ianni, a biological science technician. “They already have their buds ready for spring. Their job right now is to stay alive so those buds are usable as rapidly as possible in the spring.”
Trees spend the end of one summer preparing for the next, and they need to protect that work.
“They do a lot of things in the fall to get ready for winter,” says Paul Hess, wildlife biologist. “They’ve got a lot of mechanics to prepare themselves for a New York winter.”
Deciduous trees drop their leaves so they don’t lose water and dehydrate. Hess said the trees also increase their sugar content, which acts like antifreeze for their cells. Beeches and some oaks keep their leaves through winter, a protective mechanism for those species.
“All the active growth in a tree is around the outside, near the bark,” he said. “What they try to do is keep those cells alive.”
Paul Hess shows a swollen area on an ash tree where emerald ash borers may have gotten into the trunk.
Trees enter a dormant phase the way some animals hibernate, is how Dave Shepherd, a volunteer at the refuge and a member of Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, explains the process on his Walks in the Woods programs. He give talks on identifying trees and the forest ecosystem. When he leads a walk in the fall, he talks about what trees do so they don’t freeze over the next few months.
“I ask people to think about a bear hibernating and what you know about how that works,” says Shepherd, who is certified as a New York State master naturalist through a program administered by Cornell University. “They bulk up in the summertime so they live off their fat reserves. The heart rate goes down.”
Trees break down chlorophyll and also store their energy, so “in a very broad sense, they are analogous,” Shepherd said.
Once temperatures get consistently warmer in March, the tree’s energy comes back through the trunk to the branches and into the buds.
Even though this January day seemed to catch the trees in a slumber, they offered plenty to Hess and Ianni as the two walked the Kanyoo Trail.
“There’s a bunch of stories to trees,” said Ianni, whose interest in photographing birds led him to appreciate trees.
“I thought they were cool because they’re weird and they don’t talk, and how do you understand things that don’t make sounds or talk. … They don’t move, so they’re easy to look for. You can walk right up to a tree … and stare at it and study it for a long time.”
He can tell by looking whether a tree is stressed, such as a cherry tree with tattered and broken limbs. Trees with wide, umbrella-shaped canopies grew when there was little competition for sunlight, unlike a tall, narrow tree.
(Right) James Ianni, biological services tech, describes the curled cups on the bark of a black cherry as looking like black potato chips. (Left) James Ianni points out larvae tracks near sapsucker holes on a dead tree.
Bark, besides being used to identify the species, can tell about the health of the tree.
Hess pointed out an ash tree that looked swollen in one spot where the bark was split and said that the invasive emerald ash borer might be killing the tree. He pointed out another tree with a gaping hole, which he said could be housing wildlife either in the cavity or elsewhere in the trunk.
Ianni walked up to a trunk stripped of its bark and studied insect holes. “You’ve got some sapsucker holes, probably from when it was alive.” Sapsuckers pop holes into a living tree to allow the sap to flow, which attracts insects, and come back to eat the insects and sap.
The direction of downed trees can indicate prevailing winds or a storm.
“If you’re out in the woods and wondering where the really strong winds come from, just look at the direction that the trees are lying down,” Ianni said. “And the growth habit of the branches. If you’re up hiking in the Adirondacks and you look at the trees and the right side of the tree doesn’t look as happy as the left side of the tree, then the right side of the tree probably gets more wind.”
The clues from individual trees tell the bigger story of the forest.
“They make the forest what it is and provide habitat and food for all kinds of other creatures that wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them,” says Hess, a birder who had his ear out for nuthatches and his eye on old nests. “You can look at individual trees as you’re walking around and see what you need about that individual tree. … But then also it’s kind of forest-for-the-tree sort of thing. You step back and you look at it as part of a whole system. There’s a whole lot more going on when you look at it that way.”
Patti Singer is a freelance writer and a retired reporter from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
