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Editor:

The Village of Albion took a step forward when they determined that the towns of Albionand Gaines as well as the village must join together and create a fire district.  I commend all of the board members for having the vision and the initiative to put forward a plan that will, in the end,  best serve the needs of the residents of all three communities.

It is important that we have the best people serving as the initial Board of Fire Commissioners.  We need people who have experience in not just understanding how a fire department works, and the needs of firefighters, but also have the necessary skills and abilities to work together.

The five people appointed by the boards of the towns of Gaines and Albion as well as the village all appear to have the experience needed to accomplish the goal of getting the district off to a solid start. While some may not have a background in the fire department they each bring a great set of skills.

Al Cheverie and Jeremy Babcock have been long-term firefighters in the Albion Fire Department. Gary Mufford has been a Fire Commissioner for the Town of Barre for 15 years.  Chuck Nesbitt, former Chief Administrative Officer for Orleans County, has the expertise needed to secure the necessary funding for the district (through grants, etc.) and will understand how the district itself will fit within the county.  Dave Buczek brings experience and knowledge in dealing with emergency situations and handling people during such situations. All are great choices to handle the creation of this fire district.

Town of Albion Supervisor Richard Remley was quoted saying, “The quality of the person is more important to me than the residence” and I agree.

It would be a disservice to the communities to appoint people to these positions who do not have the necessary skills or who are unwilling to listen to any voice but their own.

The boards have given the communities a great opportunity, let’s not throw it away.

Sandra Walter

Village of Albion

Editor:

On April 21st, Governor Noem of South Dakota, who apparently believes President Biden is trying to destroy America, demonstrated conclusively that being clueless doesn’t disqualify a person from becoming that state’s governor.

She seems to think we need America’s answer to Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega to save our nation.  Governor Noem was being interviewed by Dana Bash on CNN.

Fortunately a significant number of Republican members of the House of Representatives thought for themselves and joined Speaker of the House Johnson and most Democrats in approving funding for Ukraine.  That—to me—was an encouraging sign that Johnson isn’t the only member of the Republican majority with a mind of his/her own.

Hopefully it is not too late to give the Ukrainian defenders of their country some of what they need to rein in Putin, an autocrat who suggests we are not done having to deal with Hitler-types today.

Sincerely,

Gary F. Kent

Albion

Editor:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney voted against aid for Ukraine. In defending her vote she wrote: “Further, we must address the underlying policies that led to this war by the United States and our European partners.”

This statement is right out of Russian propaganda. That claim is based on the fact that Ukraine was moving closer to NATO and Western countries including the United States. Ukraine was moving closer to the West because Russia had invaded and took control of Crimea and was threatening to take over more of Ukraine.

It is not an exaggeration to say allowing Vladimir Putin to take over Ukraine is similar to allowing Hitler take over the Sudetenland. Appeasement does not work. Showing weakness in the face of overt aggression will encourage more aggression, not only by Russia but also China and their aligned governments.

It is not really surprising that Ms. Tenney is spreading Russian propaganda. She has endorsed for President a man who gave classified documents to Russians and said he takes the word of Vladimir Putin over U.S. intelligence agencies.

Ms. Tenney voted against the PACT act which supports veterans injured during their time protecting our way of life and our Constitution. Ms. Tenney’s vote against aid to Ukraine shows her appeasement of Russia. Her giving voice to Russian propaganda and her votes and endorsements show her loyalty is not to this country.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

A lot of people are criticizing the conservatives on the Supreme Court for stalling on the Trump immunity issue.  But if you listen to Justice Alito – with whom I seldom agree due to his hubris  overreaching to impose his opinions on us rather than apply settled law –  he did say, “I am not concerned about the circumstances of the Trump case; I am concerned about the long term.”  That may concede Trump trampled over the line.

He and I come from it from opposite sides of the spectrum but he could be saying that he sees democracy in decline. I see that’s a decline because of the radical right. He sees it in decline because of change that he doesn’t like.

But were the two may meet is with a need for guardrails to make sure that something like Trump and partisan prosecution and use of the courts cannot be used to accelerate the process or completely undue democracy in one swoop as proposed by Trump.

As Nicole Wallace, former White House Bush administration official put it during her show on MSNBC, we know if Trump says it the most extreme hypothetical is going to happen.  That includes prosecution and death of political opponents. Before the Supreme Court, Trump’s  attorneys discussed that that a coup overthrowing the government could be and protected official act.

Obviously we have to wait for what the decision is. However, if the conservatives on SCOTUS install guardrails rather than creating an avenue authorizing decline, the wait may be understandable and worth it even if Trump never answers for some of his crimes.

We’ll have to see.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

With millions of New Yorkers working harder than ever to make ends meet, state lawmakers enacted a $237 billion budget nearly three weeks past the constitutional deadline. This budget deal reflects the increasing divide between the priorities of Albany Democrats and the needs of average New York families.

 This fiscally irresponsible budget, which hikes spending by nearly $8 billion over last year’s spending plan, is filled with radical policies pushed by the socialist wings of the Democrat Party. It does nothing to make New York more affordable, safer or more free.

In a clear sign that the socialists have taken charge of the Democratic Conferences, this budget includes a radical housing policy that will eliminate the rights of small business landlords to control their private property. The housing agreement that Governor Hochul is trumpeting, which includes “Good Cause” eviction, is a giveaway to the socialist tenant advocates who believe in eroding private property rights.  This will ultimately lead to less construction of new housing and less rental units coming online which will only exacerbate the current housing crisis.

This brazenly out-of-touch budget also includes a whopping $2.4 billion in giveaways to migrants who continue to enter our country illegally. With families across the state grappling with the effects of rising inflation, Democrats rejected Senate Republican efforts to provide any budget relief to middle-class families. Instead, they sent billions of taxpayer dollars to New York City to hand out prepaid gift cards to illegal immigrants.

As this budget seeks to make our state more comfortable for illegal immigrants, it fails to do anything to protect the safety of New Yorkers. In the past month, our state has had to deal with the tragic deaths of three police officers killed in the line of duty. Yet, Albany Democrats continue to push policies and spew rhetoric that makes our state more hostile to law enforcement and less safe for New Yorkers.

Governor Hochul’s strategy to tackle retail theft is to establish a task force and throw money at the problem but criminals still are not held accountable. The real solution is to empower police officers to throw these criminals in jail and give our judicial system the discretion to keep them there.

The Democrats’ obsession with catering to the needs of criminals is the driving force behind the rise in violence against police, minority and religious groups, and everyday New Yorkers. This chaos will continue until Albany makes it clear that they stand shoulder to shoulder with law enforcement to keep the people of this state safe.

New Yorkers have made it clear they believe our state is heading in the wrong direction, and this budget will only turbo-charge our decline. I proudly voted no on this disastrous budget agreement and want to assure my constituents and the people of this state that I will continue to champion public safety, affordability, and freedom in New York.

State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt

North Tonawanda

Editor:

Last month, five New Yorkers had the privilege of attending the Citizen’s Climate Lobby Day for conservatives in Washington, DC.

We visited Congresswoman Claudia Tenney’s office to let her know that conservatives care about the environment as conservation is conservative! We asked the Congresswoman to cosponsor the Big Wires Act and thanked her for her support of nuclear energy.

The Big Wires Act is needed to enable NY to connect to clean energy in the mid-west and nuclear energy is needed to provide carbon-free constant power.

These are important steps, but more needs to be done. We are hoping Congresswoman Tenney will support us in our journey towards a carbon-free future.

Rob Johnson

Medina

Editor:

Lakewide Action and Management Plan (LAMP)s are programs used to assess, restore, protect and monitor the health of each Great Lake and its connecting river system. The Lake Ontario LAMP is reevaluated every five years, and priority objectives are decided upon, along with a plan of action created by New York State government and non-governmental organizations.

This plan of action should be promoted and followed by individuals in Niagara County because water pollution is a major problem for the Great Lakes, especially Lake Ontario. The Lake Ontario LAMP is an all-inclusive plan that addresses issues from the public and over twenty agencies, which means it has the public’s best interest at heart. It also conducts extensive research to guide its plan to restore the Great Lakes ecosystem, making it an effective plan to restore Lake Ontario’s polluted water.

There are many reasons why we should make cleaning up Lake Ontario a priority and follow the guidelines of this plan:

1.) Lake Ontario provides drinking water for over nine million people, making it an important resource for residents that live nearby.

2.) Lake Ontario provides services to support other ecosystems. It provides a habitat for several species of fish and plants. The lake also cycles nutrients and gas through

the soil, which provides plants with the food they need to thrive.

3.) Lake Ontario is a popular place for boating, fishing, swimming, wildlife viewing, for locals and tourists alike. Tourism contributes tremendous value to the basin economy,

 but also enhances the quality of life for residents.

4.) Lake Ontario is important for industries such as agriculture, transportation, shipping, and manufacturing. Hydroelectric power is also prevalent in the Lake and St. Lawrence River, and produces 25% of the energy in the surrounding area. These industries together generate 226,933 jobs in the US and Canada and generate billions of dollars in revenue, personal income, and direct spending in the regional economy.

The plans for improving water quality in Lake Ontario have been laid out based on scientific evidence, but everyone has to play their part to ensure our lake is prosperous.

Individuals can take part in the Adopt-A-Beach Program, which is organized by the Alliance for The Great Lakes Program. Teams of volunteers go to their local beaches, collect data and pick up litter, and then submit it to the database for experts to analyze pollution in the Great Lakes.

Another option is to donate or help out with the Buffalo Niagara WaterKeeper. This group has eight long-term projects in the Buffalo Area aimed at protecting freshwater quality in the Great Lakes region. To learn more, click here.

Sincerely,

Emma Evans

Twelfth Grade

Barker Central School

Editor:

The Orleans County Legislature is proposing a district court to all but replace the local courts in the towns of Orleans County.

The Legislature convened a committee that produced a 36-page proposal in favor of a district court.  The Legislature has been holding meetings to present this document in its various forms.  The document has been edited, I believe, three times and will continue to do so up to the election.  In reading the document there are several issues that need to be addressed before voting on the measure.

The Legislature has not come up with a price tag for a district court. What I’ve seen in emails from Legislators and the Chairwoman of the Legislature, the project, if approved, is still 3-4 years down the road. A lot can happen in 3-4 years. How can the legislators expect the public to vote for the measure without knowing what it will cost the taxpayers.

Second, for many years, all of our local courts have taken advantage of state-funded grant opportunities, securing funding through the Justice Court Assistance Program (JCAP). JCAP grants are exclusive to courts and are used to make both interior and exterior capital improvements that benefit both the court and the town buildings that host them, with a focus on ADA compliance.

The improvement projects funded by JCAP benefit not only the courts, but also anyone working in the town halls or residents who visit them. Many of the projects approved for state-funded JCAP dollars would not have been possible without the efforts of the local courts in securing these state grants.

Some examples of projects funded by JCAP include major interior and exterior building renovations, replacement generators and septic systems, new doors, renovation of office space, computer servers, security cameras, metal detectors, defibrillators, updated furniture including courtroom/boardroom seating, hearing assistive devices, and televisions for the courtroom that are also used for board meetings, just to name a few.

JCAP funds are available to towns with local courts. What happens to those funds to the towns if the County takes the courts out of local hands? Will they be taking those funds from each town as well? These, and several other questions, need to be answered before anyone should consider voting for a district court.

Sincerely,

Wendi Pencille

Shelby

Editor:

The Community Coalition for Social Justice met Tuesday, April16th and heard an impassioned presentation from Nyla Gaylord about homelessness in Orleans County.

An important factor in this largely unrecognized issue is that people on fixed incomes have little recourse for dealing with the reality of ever-increasing rents. Lower income tenants expect rents to increase and experience anxiety in anticipation of it happening.

As a low-income renter you may be forced to decide between spending your limited resources on food, clothing, transportation, or heat—on the one hand—and shelter on the other.

Property owners attempting to meet the expectations of a code enforcement officer, as well as satisfy people interested in making their community more attractive to prospective residents and business people, are up against it as well. If they put effort and money into addressing problems, and need a short-term payback, their rents and selling prices must rise. Homeowners who take good care of their properties also have their hands full.

The Community Coalition for Social Justice believes that viewing such matters as a short-term issue jeopardizes our community’s prosperity and health long-term. We believe showing restraint whenever possible and taking the long view is ordinarily better for all concerned.

In short, the Community Coalition is convinced that what happens to the less fortunate does make a difference to all of us.

Sincerely,

Gary Kent – on behalf of the Community Coalition for Social Justice Committee

Albion

Editor:

Photo from Aaron Vosburgh: A FedEx hit the underpass on Butts Road in Albion today.

There was another impact accident involving the Butts Road railroad underpass this afternoon in Albion.

A driver of a FedEx truck either did not understand the height of his vehicle, or missed the road signs  that clearly show 7 feet, 2 inch clearance to go under the bridge, or was just simply not paying attention. The truck hit the railroad underpass about 2:45 this afternoon and got wedged under the underpass. It shut the road down for almost an hour.

It’s just another case of someone hitting the underpass. It happens frequently every year.

Those are the impact accidents. But don’t forget there are even more near-misses of people realizing that there attempting fate and they turn around in my driveway.

I tried to voice my concerns about the situation on this road, that the underpass is hit frequently, and that people have to turn around to avoid fate of hitting it.

Also that underpass is on a blind hill. I have watched my neighbor while getting my son off the bus after school pull out of her driveway heading south and almost get rear-ended numerous times by people flying from the underpass in the same direction.

Many people have  commented that UConnectCare’s recovery center on Butts Road is going to be great. I agree it will be good for the community, but how are you going to feel when the next accident could involve you?

The reason I say that is during today’s accident involving the FedEx truck I was out waving down traffic to avoid them crashing into the FedEx truck before the police arrived. I was almost clipped by numerous vehicles flying to the underpass from 31 heading north.

The recovery center being built here on Butts Road was built in a very bad location because now it’s like adding fuel to a fire.

You go from simple impact accidents with an underpass to the possibility of it involving more vehicles, and that in turn is people, children and property.

I tried to mention that to the town planning board during a hearing about the recovery center and simply got told you will be fine.

Aaron Vosburgh

Albion

Editor:

For those who are interested in saving the lives of mothers and babies as well as the unborn, there will be an exciting opportunity on Saturday, May 4,  to participate in the 2024 2xWalk for Life, either as walkers or those who would rather pledge financial support and watch the progress of family and friends.

This Walk for Life is sponsored by Compass Care of New York State, an organization devoted to providing pregnancy counseling, prenatal healthcare services, emotional support as well as providing food, formula, clothes and follow up ministry to mothers following the birth of their precious babies.

Compass Care has facilities in Rochester, Buffalo, Albany and New York City, as well as Tele-Health conferencing services offering total confidentiality and professional medical care through registered nurses and doctors at absolutely no cost to clients seeking assistance with unplanned  or difficult pregnancy situations.

For more information about their services simply go to 2xWalkforLife or CompassCare.org These sites will have full information on how to participate in the walk, pledging financial support for local walkers, organizing a local walk group or learning of the many services offered to mothers and babies through Compass Care’s  free programs. You will also learn of an online pre-walk rally on Friday evening, May  3.

Remember, every service is free and confidential.

Please support this very worthy cause as your heart directs. Every life is precious!

Wayne and Belinda Lemcke

Waterport

Editor:

With the large number of charges against Trump, it is likely he will be found guilty of a number of them.  After his appeals, which will likely fail, he will go to jail.

Where to send him will become a problem. Once in jail it is logical Trump will continue to incite his followers-perhaps to the point where they would try to free him.

Any effort to forcibly free Trump from jail would be resisted by his Secret Service detail which could result in casualties. I recommend the US Bureau of Prisons send Trump to the US military base at Guantánamo Bay (GITMO) Cuba.

GITMO is an isolated American base with only a few military flights in each week. It has room for Trump’s Secret Service detail, excellent medical facilities, good housing and a McDonalds. The only way his MAGA followers could try to free him would be via amphibious assault.

Keeping him free from harm is important.

Jack Capurso

Ashburn, Va. – formerly of Albion

Editor:

As a resident of the Town of Barre community, and former Town Board Member, I have been trying to keep informed about the Heritage Wind project for our family and for our neighbors.

In reviewing the daunting modified application, I learned that my home is one of the non-participating receptors that will potentially be receiving above the 30 hours of shadow flicker and possibly up to 100 hours according to the Heritage Wind Shadow Flicker report.

We are located at Heritage Wind identified receptor 327 Tax parcel 107.-1-12.1. The report states that we could have a maximum of 1 hour and 9 minutes of shadow flicker at our home for 131 days of the year for a total of 114:05 hours “worse case scenario.”

I know that there are 52 of my non-participating “receptors” (aka people) that are predicted even after taking all other considerations into place in phase II and 43 even after taking into account passed wind speeds etc. that are predicted by Heritage Wind to receive over 30 hours of shadow flicker.

I would like to just note that the local ordinance for the Town of Barre states a maximum of 25 hours of shadow flicker, and the states has already deemed that to be unduly burdensome and overruled to a maximum of 30 hours. With this significant, and I believe major modification, that is being proposed by Heritage Wind, more people, myself and my neighbors will be negatively impacted.

My husband and I understand that the applicant is saying that there will be new technology, shadow flicker detection software in the wind turbines. However, this use of technology leads to many more questions, especially because of the significant number of homes, residents, receptors that will be impacted. Questions like:

• How does this shadow flicker detection software work on homes or buildings that are receiving flicker from multiple turbines?
• Where will the light sensors be located?
• How will the light sensors be maintained and ensure proper function?
• In the winter will snow cover deem them useless?
• How long has this technology been used? How has this technology been proven to be effective and actually work as they suggest?
• Where else in New York State is this sort of technology being relied on so heavily?
• Where else in the United States is this technology being used?
• Where is the supporting documentation for the effectiveness of this technology?
• What happens if a light sensor is not working and shadow flicker is greater than 30 hours annually? How will a resident be able to ensure that they, their property, their quality of life is protected?
• Majority of Appendix F is redacted and does not provide any proof of operation, how can this be relied upon? And why is this critical public health information being withheld from the public in the first place?

Table 4 is alarming because it shows some homes will receive over 3 times the maximum shadow flicker at their property with the other considerations already taken into place. For the 42 receptors listed in table 4 on average there are 22.5 hours over the annual maximum per receptor. The applicant’s “conservative assumptions”, still show a significant and major 967 hours of shadow flicker for residents that are non-participating of Barre that will need to be monitored with unproven technology.

The information above seems eerily similar to the information that the applicant (Heritage Wind) presented in regard to the proximity to the Iroquois wildlife refuge. In public comment #31 David Stillwell, Field Supervisor for the United States Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Services stated the following:

“We believe that the closer the turbines are to these unique biological habitats, the greater the impact is to species which frequent them. We recommend ORES deny the draft permit for the project and direct Heritage to design a project with less risk to wildlife.”

In response, ORES required the elimination or relocation of a handful of turbines. My question for ORES is, shouldn’t health risks to actual people require the same response? Does our health matter, or is ORES only concerned about impacts to birds? Does New York State’s energy policy demand that we be driven from our homes by incessant flashing light lasting over an hour a day, for a significant portion of the year!

Through the proceeding of this case, the applicant argued for unproven technology to be used to evaluate the impact of the industrial wind turbines on the unique biological habitats of the Iroquois Wildlife Refuge, and ORES ruled that this was not practicable and that those turbines would need to be removed or much more stringent environmental monitoring would occur.

As the unique biological habitats that are being more drastically and negatively impacted because of this new redesign are my neighbors, their children, their families, I ask you that you please protect them, as you did for the migratory birds and inhabitants of the Iroquois Wildlife Refuge.

Our residence is our home, our place of rest, and where we are raising and homeschooling our 4 children. The timing of the anticipated shadow flicker for homes that would need to be monitored by the sensors and everyone else is in the morning and evening, important gathering and activity time for our young family. These are times we often try to be outside enjoying the wonderful rural property that we have chosen to invest in.

We ask that ORES please maintain that the applicant has to keep the design of the project to have shadow flickers under the 30 hour maximum for non-participating receptors. This requirement was/ is a known requirement, and the modification of the project should meet this requirement; without the use of unproven technology.

Should the developer want to add this technology as a secondary measure to ensure that all non-participating receptors do not receive over the 30-hour maximum of shadow flicker, that could be beneficial. However, to use this unproven technology to ensure the maximum shadow flicker is not exceeded puts many Barre families like us at risk. What are our options if this latest technology goes awry? You are talking about our home, our biggest investment, and where we are schooling and raising our children.

We recommend ORES deem the modifications to be a major modification and work to ensure that the 30 hour maximum shadow flicker is maintained without the reliance on unproven technology and that Heritage Wind look to design a project within the scope of the law.

Kerri Richardson (former Barre town councilwoman)

Barre

Editor:

Is Mr. Trump acting in the interest of the United States or in the interest of Russia?

Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign accepted help from Russia. The Republican-controlled Senate investigation, (Select Committee on Intelligence on Russian Active Measures Campaign and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Elections), in 2020, determined that the Russian government disrupted an American election to benefit Mr. Trump.

Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, owed a Russian oligarch millions of dollars and he shared information with Konstantin Kilimnik, identified as a Russian intelligence officer.

Mr. Trump refused to allow U.S. reporters to cover a meeting in the Oval Office in 2017 but he did allow Russian state-run media to cover the event.

In Helsinki, Finland, Mr. Trump told the world that he took the word of Vladimir Putin over U.S. intelligence.

Mr. Trump shared classified intelligence with Russia in the Oval Office which put a close ally of the U.S. in harm’s way.

In 2018, President Trump saluted a North Korean General, (an ally of Russia), while he refused to visit the WW l grave site of American Heroes at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France. He called those heroes, “losers and suckers.”

Indeed, when U.S. troops were injured by an Iranian missile attack at Al Assad Air Base in Iraq, Mr. Trump dismissed those injuries as mere headaches, even though over a dozen soldiers were injured badly enough that they had to be flown to Germany for treatment. These soldiers were injured in the line of duty defending the U.S. Constitution, something Mr. Trump seems dismissive of.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars called for a Presidential apology, which never came. These are some of the ways Mr. Trump demonstrated, on a daily basis, how unfit he is to be Commander in Chief.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

The need today is real and Catholic Charities is, as it has been for the last century, here to meet the challenge. HOPE is central to the work we do every day. HOPE for our neighbors when they are homeless, hungry, in need or troubled. Everything starts with HOPE, thanks to the generosity and support of those who give through the annual Appeal.

Now underway through June 30, Appeal 2024, the agency’s 100th campaign, helps fund many programs and services administered by Catholic Charities along with several ministries through the Fund for the Faith.

In just the past year, nearly 1,900 neighbors of all ages, faiths or no faith throughout Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties were given HOPE by the programs and services offered by Catholic Charities. These include basic emergency assistance such as support for food and finding housing resources, working with domestic violence offenders for systemic social change, and parents who want to reduce conflict and parent effectively for their children. In Genesee and Orleans counties, our home visitation and friendly phones programs bring a sense of connectivity and quality of life to homebound seniors.

Thank you for choosing to give HOPE by supporting this year’s Appeal. Please visit ccwny.org/donation.

And if you or someone you know needs HOPE in Genesee, Orleans or Wyoming counties, call us at 585-343-0614. We have offices in Batavia, Albion and Perry.

Katelyn DiSalvo

Tri-County District Director, Catholic Charities