Editor:

My name is Mary Lou Tuohey, and I am a parent of a child with an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD). My daughter Nicole, has been receiving services from Arc GLOW for over 35 years.

Nicole was born with Triple X Syndrome and the doctors told us at her three-week checkup that she may never walk, talk, read, write, do math or ride a bike. At 3 months of age, we enrolled her in the Arc’s Rainbow Preschool, which was her stepping stone to a full life.

Nicole is 35 years old now, and attends the day habilitation program through Arc GLOW. She does everything the doctors said she wouldn’t do, plus more. The early intervention and her current involvement with Arc GLOW has helped make her the woman she is today!

Every March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, which raises awareness about the inclusion of people with IDD in all facets of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers people with disabilities still sometimes face in connecting to the communities in which they live.

If you want to help advocate for people with IDD, the best way to do so is join Arc GLOW’s membership drive. Doing so says you are an advocate for people with IDD, want positive changes in our society for people with IDD, and want Arc GLOW to continue providing high quality supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in our community.

Taking a stand only costs $1, and the money stays right in the GLOW region supporting Arc GLOW’s many programs. Additionally, your membership is an incredibly important step toward society-wide acceptance of children and adults with intellectual and other developmental disabilities.

Remember, until you have walked in the shoes of those with a disability, don’t judge them by the way they look, the way they do something or the way they might communicate their needs. They are a person, just like you. They have feelings, they deserve respect and deserve to be included.

Sincerely,

Mary Lou Tuohey

Medina

Editor:

President Trump started a war with Iran without consulting our allies or members of Congress. Oil prices shot up to over $100 per barrel, and the economy, which was already slowing down, started to tailspin out of control.

In an attempt to slow rising oil prices, Mr. Trump allowed Iran to bring about 140 million barrels of oil to the global market. What that means is that the President gave Iran about $14 billion to our enemy to kill U.S. service members; $14 billion in aid and comfort.

Furthermore, the President is easing sanctions against Russia. It is well known that Russia is assisting Iran by providing satellite targeting and drone technology to kill Americans in a war the President started.  Again, aid and comfort to the enemy.

When Mr. Trump left office in 2021, he took with him classified documents and refused to turn them over, even after he was subpoenaed. Some of these documents were so sensitive that only six people in the entire U.S. government had access to them. It never made any sense to me why Mr. Trump would blatantly break the law and risk jail time. Now, newly released documents reveal a motive for Mr. Trump’s actions. The documents strongly suggest that Mr. Trump was selling out our national security to enrich himself.

On Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22^nd, Mr. Trump threatened Iran with dire consequences if they did not open the Strait of Hormuz. Suddenly, on Monday, March 23rd, Mr. Trump announced, at 7:05 a.m., that he was delaying his threatened action for five days, claiming that they were in productive negotiations with Iran.

But 15 minutes before Mr. Trump’s announcement, at 6:50 a.m., someone or several people bought a large amount of stock market futures and sold large quantities of oil futures, making about $580 million, according to the Financial Times. This was such a sudden and isolated jump in volume that the evidence suggests that those close to Mr. Trump are trading based on our national secrets. The word for this is traitor.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

First of all, I’d like to thank a recent letter writer, for his many years of service in criminal justice.

Hey Bob, where did you find a recent episode of Gunsmoke. I’m not a big fan of old westerns, but I believe some of the cast, have moved on to that cattle ranch in the sky.

I’m an older guy, too. I remember the St. George Floyd riots. How many of those protesters were thrown in solitary? How about the BLM riots, many of their leaders got rich, not jail time? I could name many more, like Antifa who get paid to riot..

We have a constitutional right to protest. That does not mean burning down buildings, throwing rocks or frozen water bottles at police. I can remember a reporter, standing in front of burning building, saying it was mostly peaceful.

Rioting is wrong no matter who does it. Democrats only remember the one time people on the right did it.

I read you folks are planning a No Kings protest. Please don’t destroy police cars, or block traffic. You cost taxpayers a lot of money.

Rich Zielinski

Buffalo

Editor:

To the residents of the Village of Albion, I would like to sincerely thank the people of our village for your votes, your confidence, and the opportunity to serve you as Village Trustee.

I do not take this responsibility lightly, and I am truly grateful for the trust you have placed in me. I am committed to serving our community with honesty, respect, and a genuine desire to do what is best for all residents.

I would also like to congratulate Tim McMurray on his election as Mayor and Kevin Sheehan on his election as Village Trustee. I look forward to working together in service to our village.

In addition, I am excited for the opportunity to work alongside William Gabalski, Greg Bennett, our village employees, and the residents of Albion as we move forward together. I believe that meaningful progress happens when people are willing to listen, collaborate, and work toward the common good of the community.

I also want to extend my sincere thanks to Joyce Riley and Angel Javier Jr. for their time and service on the board. Public service is not always easy, and I appreciate the time and effort they have dedicated to our village. I wish them both continued success in whatever comes next.

As we begin this next chapter, I encourage any and all residents to attend the next Village Board meeting on Monday, April 6, at 6 p.m. when the newly elected officials will be sworn in at Village Hall with the regular board meeting taking place right after. Community involvement matters, and I would love to see residents there as we continue working toward a stronger future for Albion together.

Thank you again for this opportunity to serve.

Sincerely,

Jami Allport

Village of Albion Trustee-Elect

Editor:

In a recent Gunsmoke episode, a powerful cattleman attempts to take control of a water supply for a town of about 1,000 people. The Town Board passed regulations preventing this.

The cattleman threatens to overrun the village with thousands of cattle and his 30 cowboys. The village leaders call on their sheriff and their deputy to prevent this. “This is what we pay you for.”

US Marshall Matt Dillon points out to the village leaders that that’s impossible.

“They will need your backup.” Dillon helped them set up an ambush with many of the village men and some women, all with guns, helping the Sheriff, Deputy and Dillon.

The cattleman sent a thousand rampaging cattle through town to soften them up. He and his 30 cowboys followed, guns blazing. They we met by many villagers, armed and firing at them from behind barriers. They realized they were defeated and retreated.

* * * * * * * *

January 6, 2021: 185 US Capitol policemen were charged by approximately 1,500 rioters or more, some armed. They were urged on by the defeated, but then sitting President of the United States.

At least 140 policeman were injured. They tried to control things without using their weapons. One person, who’d broken through a door window and was starting to crawl through, was shot and killed.

About 15 policeman were hospitalized. Two died by suicide within 2 weeks; 2 more within 6 months. How were they to respond to violently protesting, but rioting American citizens? Urged on by the President? At least one of the rioters was so enraged they defecated on a Senator’s desk.

Over 1,300 of the rioters were convicted. So many hours were devoted to reviewing tapes, identifying perpetrators, assembling evidence, presenting it to the courts and sentencing in over 1,300 cases. Most of this work was wiped out by Trump pardons. The police, prosecutors and courts and all that work was disrespected and wiped out.

Trump gave $5 million to the family of the defendant that actually broke through a door window and was entering Congress chamber. But Trump awarded nothing to the injured police and their families.

He praised the rioters, but no mention of the police.

Assaulting policemen is OK, he seems to think.

I saw Trump recently complaining about making problems in the home “criminal matters.” To the contrary, domestic violence calls are among the most dangerous to police. Further, the NYS Legislature Republicans found that domestic violence is at the base of 50%+ of mass murders in our country. Many include police injuries and deaths. Again, Trump shows a disrespect for the police and women, the frequent victims.

We disrespect police when we expect them to enforce the law against the poor and minorities and women, but not against middle and upper class men. We unfairly expect police to show understanding and mercy toward them (not giving them a criminal record), but not so toward poor and minorities.

We show disrespect to the police, when we enjoy TV programs that present them as corrupt, rigid, buffoons or cruel. (Police are human and have the same problems that clergy, teachers, boy scout leaders, bank executives and employees have, about the same percentage as the average population, but most police are sincere and helpful and concerned about controlling crime, particularly violent crime. They need our respect and support.) I recommend Law & Order as a television show that represents police realistically and fairly.

Let’s be realistic and honest about what we want the police to do and support them.

Bob Golden

Waterport

Bob Golden worked 43 years in criminal justice, locally, state and private mental health, including 24 years as the Orleans County Probation director. His father was a police chief who was named the top chief in New York State in 1962.

Editor:

On Saturday, March 28, the third incarnation of the “No Kings” protest will take place in the US and in places all over the world. The movement is dedicated to the premise that citizens have the right to determine their own destinies, and the destiny of their country, while exercising the rights and responsibilities accorded them by the US Constitution.

Perhaps the hardest responsibility of living in a democracy rests in preserving it. “A republic, if you can keep it….” said Benjamin Franklin in 1787. Those words foreshadow the place we find ourselves now, where corruptive forces on all sides strain the seams of our laboriously constructed institutions and carefully protected freedoms. Ironically, those who attempt to bring our system down do so with the very liberties afforded by the Constitution and, unfortunately, the inattention of many citizens.

I urge all freedom-loving individuals to attend a “No Kings” rally this coming Saturday and future demonstrations as they occur. In Albion, we the people will meet at the intersection of Routes 31 and 98, at noon until 2 p.m.

At the time of this writing, the weather forecast for the event looks difficult, to say the least. But to paraphrase JFK: we should do this thing not because it is easy, but because it is hard.

David Vanderlaan

Albion

Editor:

I would like to publicly thank Dan Rosentreter for taking a chance on Medina when he opened The Coffee Pot. It has been a warm, comforting place where people can meet and socialize, or quietly sit and enjoy a cup — just what the village needed coming out of the pandemic.

Dan is selling the business so he can pursue a different dream, and I wish him and Hans (now running Hans’s Bakery on Main) all the best in whatever they pursue in the future.

One of Medina’s greatest assets is no shortage of people who are willing to invest in its business district.

The Coffee Pot will likely change under its new owners, whoever they may be, but I hope whoever it is tries to maintain some of the magic Dan and Hans created in that space.

Richard Moss

Medina

Editor:

New York’s most vulnerable residents – including many right here in Orleans and Genesee counties – are at risk because of a quiet but deeply concerning budget decision.

Across the state, Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) providers are raising the alarm about proposed funding cuts, and Community Action of Orleans and Genesee is no exception.

Weatherization is far more than insulation and air sealing. Our team of eight walks into homes every day and finds serious safety issues that don’t show up on spreadsheets—homes without ceilings, exposed electrical hazards, kitchens without ventilation that force families to disconnect smoke detectors just to get through the day. The work we do prevents tragedies, reduces energy costs permanently, and helps neighbors live in safe, healthy homes.

Yet the Governor’s budget removes 10% of the HEAP funding traditionally dedicated to WAP. For agencies like ours, that 10% represents up to 60% of the operating budget that keeps these programs running. The impact would be immediate and painful: fewer homes served, fewer families able to afford heat, and potential layoffs for the skilled workers who deliver these essential services.

Our Weatherization team assists between 50 and 100 families each year, and we currently have a waitlist of 200 households—200 families who are already waiting for help. In a climate like ours, where winter hits hard and heating costs keep climbing, we simply cannot turn our backs on them.

WAP is one of New York’s most effective tools for lowering energy costs while improving health and safety. Cutting it undermines affordability, community stability, and long term energy goals.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve taken this message directly to Albany and Washington, D.C., because our families deserve to be heard. Now we need your voice too. Please contact your elected officials before the April 1 budget deadline and urge them to restore this critical funding.

Our communities cannot afford to lose a program that delivers real savings, real safety, and real impact.

Renee M. Hungerford

Executive Director/CEO

Community Action of Orleans and Genesee

Editor:

On March 19, as I listened to 5 ½ hours of testimony during GCEDC’s public hearing on its proposal to award $1.46 billion in financial incentives to a data center complex at STAMP, I felt a new sense of community with my fellow Genesee County residents.

I learned that they share my concerns about this plan. I learned they too fear the air and water pollution, 24/7 noise, impacts on our precious wildlife and birds.

They also see the proposed tax abatements to STREAM US Data Centers, their financial backer Apollo Global Management, and an undisclosed Big Tech firm operator as a bad investment for our County.

We all think 125 jobs – at $11.7 million per job in incentives – is just not worth the harms. That Big Tech and Private Equity will put their own profits before the well-being of our County.

That GCEDC needs to justify why it wants to invite a company – Apollo – whose former and current execs have extensive ties to Jeffrey Epstein, into our community.

That GCEDC must reject this harmful proposal. We can do better.

So, join me on March 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. for Desserts and Data Centers with Allies of TSN at the Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia or Zoom video conferencing. Go to GCEDC’s Board Meeting on March 26 at 4 p.m. at the MedTech Center.

Submit a comment to GCEDC at streampublichearing@gcedc.com by March 31. Call/text (585) 300-4925 or “No Monster Data Center at STAMP” Facebook group for more info.

Alyssa Beuler

Oakfield

Editor:

A “No Kings” demonstration will be in Albion on Saturday, March 28, from 12 to 2 p.m. at the corners of Rt. 98 and Rt. 31.

How can people not be concerned about what this current administration is doing to solidify unaccountable power?

A war and a gold-plated ballroom, neither with Congressional authorization celebrate an inflated ego; trial balloons about an unconstitutional third term; Undermining voting integrity on the basis of election irregularities that have never been proven in court case after court case; Promoting our nation’s 250th Anniversary in ways that only a dictator could love; Changing government departments for personal gain as evidenced by appointment of leaders without expertise in these areas; Pardoning convicted criminals following massive business deals or donations to campaigns – These are the things we protest today.

The No Kings Movement has been accused of over-dramatizing its case, but everything we have warned about has come true as democracy is being squeezed and squeezed until there will be nothing left.

It’s time to take a stand in every village and town. The basic tenets of democracy are evaporating before our eyes, but we who are participating in this No Kings event, one of thousands of such gatherings across the country, are hopeful, deeply committed, and not afraid to speak truth to power. Join us, stand with us, and add your voice.

“No Kings” is a nonviolent national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration. It is non-partisan in nature.

Although this event is being hosting by your Orleans County Democratic Committee, all are welcome. Municipal and street parking are available, and we ask participants to respect the needs of businesses.

Beth Wood

Orleans County Democratic Committee Secretary