We are again seeing the confluence of forces which resulted in significant social, economic and racial progress in the ’60s.
Tennessee, the home of the KKK, ousted just the two involved Black state legislators due their “temper tantrums” while outside and in the gallery children were begging for their safety – for action.
Morning will come again for these “uppity blacks”.
Democracy solves problems. It does not make them worse by resurrecting hate, racism and shopworn simplistic ideas that derail progress.
The scene on the floor of Tennessee Legislature – shown in real time – was as gripping as the photos of confrontation at segregated lunch counters in the ’60s of the photos on the bridge showing the great John Lewis being beaten senseless, and photos of blacks left hanging in trees as a warning to all.
The only ones who do not see this do not read history and content themselves to watch TV stations and read sources who pedal propaganda.
Editor, an entire younger generation now also clearly sees the issues. The losers will again win. The shame in Tennessee will not be ignored in the cities, the suburbs or the country. With contraception under attack and voters being suppressed, the majority is being stirred to act – to again focus all on the principles on which democracy is based.
Progress can not be denied.
The Tennessee Three’s ouster was not a solution. it was a call to action for all who love democracy.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Medina firefighter Austin Mosher is up high in the Medina ladder truck directing water to the back side of 613 Main St., which was engulfed in a blaze on Friday.
Posted 9 April 2023 at 6:21 pm
Editor:
Main Street Medina suffered a blow this weekend with the devastating fire at 613 Main Street. However, some good did come out of it. The fire department made a successful rescue of the building’s owner from the second-floor window. Village residents came together to bring water and snacks to the scene for the firefighters. Many of our food establishment businesses donated food and drinks not only throughout the day but over the weekend. Medina Strong!
There are many thanks to go out – the Medina Fire Department, Medina Police Department, DPW, Code Enforcement, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department deputies and 911 center personnel, Orleans County Emergency Management Office, NYS Fire investigators, NYS Department of Corrections and Communities Services and Lyons Collision.
We had mutual aid departments from four counties involved in this operation both on scene and those filling in other firehouses in the area. I am sure I missed someone, for that I am sorry. Without the dedicated help with all involved we may have had a different outcome
As of 8 a.m. this morning (Sunday) the fire has been extinguished. A structural engineer was brought in to evaluate the structure. It was determined that there is no imminent danger of collapse. The Village has an agreement going forward with the property owner for the future of the property. The property has been fenced off and Main Street will be open Sunday evening. Fire department personnel will be on scene for the near future to maintain control of the property.
The Medina Village Board would like to thank village residents and business owners for their support and patience throughout the weekend.
Two thousand years ago a Roman governor asked an angry mob a question. The mob demanded that Jesus be put to death. They thought that would be the end of Jesus but they were wrong.
Jesus was put to death and buried, but three days later He rose from the grave and proved He was indeed the Son of God. His bloody sacrifice on that Roman cross and His resurrection from the dead provided the means for every person to be forgiven of sin, washed clean and be restored to a right relationship with God.
Today, each one of us is asked the same question: What will you do with Jesus who is called Christ? We can either accept His sacrifice for us personally, repent and be forgiven for all of our sins and follow Him for the rest of our lives, or like the angry mob reject Him and push Him out of our lives dooming us to eternal torment when we die. There is no neutral ground. If we make no choice, we are rejecting His offer of eternal life with Him in Heaven.
Satan is real, and he is always trying to get us to follow his sin-filled way of life and keep us from the blessing of salvation through Jesus Christ. Satan may also try to convince us we can always make a choice later, but then it will be too late.
Today, during this sacred season celebrating the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, make the life-changing decision to follow Jesus! He died for you personally.
I have followed Trump since ’75 when he got $886 million in tax breaks to convert the Commodore Hotel into a Hyatt. After 12 years or so the Industrial Development suit for misuse of the money got dropped when all the records were mysteriously lost.
Then Hyatt sued claiming he did not put in the $100 million he promised. That second suit settled with Hyatt buying him out. But then Hyatt got stuck redoing bad materials and work by scab labor which Trump had sourced from the mob.
If the current indictment sticks, it will mean Trump got careless 1) with records, and 2) recharacterizing his payments in a way to isolate them from scrutiny – as in his huge bankruptcies. I assume using the National Enquirer to hide his sex life was just penny-ante stuff to him.
Getting jammed criminally where he can not outspend and threaten the other side into submission is a new experience. Some people are attracted to strong men who act like capos. It angers prosecutors. It will be interesting to see if they made any legal errors or missed any details Trump can jimmy up into reasonable doubt.
Of all the pending cases this seems the most likely for Trump to convince his tribe to stick by him, Rule of Law be damned. Top Security documents has national implications and are harder to turn a blind eye to.
Trump’s biggest problem is the National Enquirer and he was insane enough to try it not once but three times. The pattern could be a huge problem. Also having a judge who used to audit much-larger corporations is also a big problem as smoke screens will not work.
I finally have to guess NYC has a few more small surprises that were not spelled out is this rather bare bones indictment. When lawyers get lied to defendants get trapped.
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney’s hysterical response to the indictment of former president Donald Trump is beyond the pale.
She writes: “Alvin Bragg’s witch-hunt targeting President Donald Trump is a political persecution.”
First, Mr. Trump is not the President. Second, Mr. Bragg presented evidence to a grand jury which found sufficient evidence of a crime and then the grand jury voted to indict the former president. Mr. Trump can now present his evidence of his innocence, (if he has any). That is how our justice system works.
That is the system Ms. Tenney swore an oath to defend and protect. Her remarks are an attempt to discredit the justice system, and the rule of law. Her claiming that Mr. Trump, because of his former position, exempts him from the rule of law, undermines our justice system and our democracy.
What I find most disturbing is her racist and anti-Semitic dog whistle: “Soros-backed District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s witch-hunt.”
George Soros conspiracy theories follow the centuries-old pattern that Jews are running an evil international cabal. There is no evidence that Mr. Soros donated directly to Mr. Bragg’s campaign or in any other way supported Mr. Bragg.
Is Claudia Tenney a racist and an anti-Semitic? Her paroxysm response to Mr. Trump’s indictment would indicate that she is both.
At the very least her frantic agitated response shows how little she understands or respects the rule of law.
Medina residents, thank you so much for electing us to the Village Board. We’re grateful for your vote of confidence and we are looking forward to the next two years.
As always, please reach out to us if there’s anything we can do to help make our village a better place.
A special thank you must be extended to Owen Toale for his countless contributions to the village, including his offers to continue to support us with his wisdom going forward. We’re all better off because of his willingness to share his experience.
Photos by Tom Rivers: The steeple of the Lyndonville United Methodist Church is in the foreground during the finale of the Lyndonville fireworks show on July 4, 2022. The fireworks show in Lyndonville is one of the best in Western New York, and even more amazing up close on the Lyndonville athletic fields behind the school.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 April 2023 at 9:56 am
The Orleans Hub is 10 years old today. We started with the mission of connecting people to community news.
We are grateful for the first decade, and that we’ve become a part of the peoples’ lives here, and those who have moved away and like to check in on their hometown.
Many people like to exclaim on social media – “I made the Hub!” – when they are featured in a photo or article. Thousands of people have now made the Hub in the past 10 years.
We’ve been posting an average of about 10 articles a day since April 1, 2013. This is the 34,707th article since we started.
We are based out of the Lake Country Pennysaver in Albion. We try to cover all corners of the county. We try to cover all sorts of news. Many of the smaller news sites tend to be crime-heavy with lots of police blotter and not much else. We’ve tried to offer a more well-rounded report of the county.
We hope people feel better about our Orleans County, seeing a lot of the good news, and people pushing through challenges. We do report on crime and many of the rough edges.
The Orleans Hub has been operating at a time when many news organizations have endured round after round of staff cuts. Some newspapers – the former Albion Advertiser and The Journal-Register in Medina – have closed in the past decade. The two newspapers in Orleans County were limping along when The Hub started and actually were operating out of Niagara County.
The local news business is a tough business. We thank our advertisers and other supporters for keeping the Hub going.
The Hub is owned by Karen Sawicz, who also is the publisher of the Pennysaver. I appreciate that she took a chance on an on-line news site and has navigated many pitfalls that could have sunk us.
We are fortunate to have long-time sports editor Mike Wertman and sports photographer Cheryl Wertman offering daily sports coverage. Ginny Kropf also has been an asset since she joined the Hub in a part-time role. I’ve been with the Hub since the beginning after working 16 years at The Daily News in Batavia.
Brad London and Bob Stilwell work in advertising and have been creative working with local businesses and organizations on getting their message out.
We look to the future and keeping you connected to the community news.
A massive fire on Oct. 17, 2013 engulfed the sandstone warehouse at Orleans Pallet in Albion. It is one of the largest fires in recent history.
In addressing one (and more) issues left unaddressed due to partisan paralysis, Pastor Barry C. Black, Chaplin to the United States Senate, said it perfectly.
“Lord, when babies die at a church school, it is time for us to move beyond thoughts and prayers”….. “Remind our lawmakers of the words of the British statesman Edmund Burke: ‘All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.’”
“Lord, deliver our senators from the paralysis of analysis that waits for the miraculous. Use them to battle the demonic forces that seek to engulf us. We pray, in your powerful name, amen.”
Other western countries’ citizens have guns. But the US stands alone with its rates of murder and mass murder – particularly apparent in the slaughter of our children.
Of the different approaches found elsewhere there are three sure differences that work in concert to prevent the gun plague. 1. They have uniform background checks nationwide. 2. They do not permit hobbyist and hunters to have military-style assault weapons. 3. Violators are delt with severely.
Pastor Black sees our country being dragged down by “demonic forces” behind the current paralysis. Spelled out these are the forces of hate, conspiracy fantasies, lies, easy answers and the wages of greed – and to him the very conception of God. All pollute minds and feed extreme positions.
On the gun issue the manufactures, leaders and followers have blood on their hands, share and share alike.
Honor, goodwill, respect for law, respect for each other, respect for real evidence-based knowledge and a willingness to cooperate with all reasonable people(s) are the hallmarks of true (godly) Patriots who can solve this problem and more.
With a mass murder a day no candidate should be nominated who will not commit to tackle the problem with evidence-based solutions.
Photos by Tom Rivers: The cast of The Addams Family sings the opening number of “When You’re An Addams” during Friday’s show in the middle school auditorium. Zack Baron is in the lead role of Gomez and Mallory Ashbery plays his wife Morticia. The famously ghoulish family embraces being true to themselves and decries being “normal.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 March 2023 at 3:26 pm
It has been a busy theatrical season for the five local school districts. They all put on full-length musicals. Albion did two – the Jungle Book by middles schoolers and The Addams Family by the high school.
This is the first time in at least 11 years all five districts have staged musicals. Lyndonville and Medina had a combined program hosted by Lyndonville for 11 years, until Medina decided to bring the program back to its own district.
Medina and Lyndonville both had crowd-pleasing shows and I expect they will be recognized by the Stars of Tomorrow, which honors the productions in the Rochester region – highlighting acting, dancing, singing, the sets and crews and overall production of the shows.
But the local districts don’t need to be validated by the Stars of Tomorrow to know they put on a good show. I attended all of the musicals in the county, and they all made their school districts and community proud.
Gabe Lindsay showed lots of exuberance in the lead role of the Willy Wonka in Holley Junior-Senior High School’s production of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka last Friday and Saturday. This is from the opening scene of “Pure Imagination” with Willy Wonka joined by Oompa-Loompas. Holley always puts on a fun show. The school brought back the musical last year under new director Dustin Gardner following the retirement of Dan Burke. There wasn’t a show in 2021, and 2020 had all of the local musicals sidelined by Covid restrictions.
It’s no small feat to put on a musical – shows that can run two to three hours. These small districts have the talent in the students, and teams of teachers to lead the productions. The shows also tap into expertise outside the school walls for people to make costumes, build sets, play instruments in the pit orchestra, and cover other needs to make the shows so entertaining and well done.
These shows bring together cast crew members of about 50 to 100 people. The musicals unite them for a common purpose. The theater departments are places of acceptance and inclusion, finding spots for people regardless of their singing and dancing abilities, or where they stand on the social hierarchy.
These shows often bring powerful messages about friendship, love for community and what it means to be in a family.
There is Daddy Warbucks whose heart is melted by the orphan Annie. There is Dorothy who wants desperately to leave Oz and get back to her small town home in Kansas. And Willy Wonka teaches many lessons about greed.
Adriana Schiavone performs the lead role in Kendall Junior-Senior High School’s production of Annie. Kendall put on the show from March 10-11.
I was encouraged, too, that many of the musical cast and crew members tried to attend the shows by the other districts, offering support and loud applause, especially in Medina and Lyndonville, where those students had a strong bond for years doing shows together.
I heard many people from the older generation say the school plays have come a long way with the music, choreography, costumes, sound and lighting. Lyndonville even had five characters take flight to add to the magic of the story on the stage.
Next year I encourage everyone to check out the show at their school district, and see the ones at neighboring districts, too. The cast and crew deserve to perform in front of a full house.
Medina performed Little Mermaid from March 17-18 and they deserve applause for a great new beginning for the drama program. Elaina Huntington plays the role of Ursula, a sea witch/sorceress at left, and Seagan Majchrzak starred as Ariel.
Greyson Romano plays the role of the Great Oz who takes off too early in a hot air balloon near the end of the Wizard of Oz, which was performed Friday through Sunday in Lyndonville. Oz was one of five characters who took flight in the show. The characters wore a harness and they went airborne through wires and a tracking system. It was an element that added to the sense of awe and wonder of the show, which included 108 students from first grade to seniors.
Albion middle schoolers performed the Jungle Book on March 10-11. In this photo Ayme Vallejo Morales is Kaa, a python that sings “Trust in Me.” The snake has powers to hypnotize. The middle schoolers put on a full-length show every spring.
Drug ads should be removed from television. Almost every other commercial on TV is an advertisement for a new drug.
The integrity of drug ads has long been questioned. The only two countries in the world that allow drug ads on television are the United States and New Zealand.
Other countries such as the U.K., France and Germany have banned them due to high pharmaceutical spending and negative health outcomes. Additionally, the advertising companies that create the pharmaceutical ads are only required to state at least one approved use for a drug, the generic name of the drug, and any potential side effects.
Therefore, advertisers can leave out the cost, how the drug works, and whether a condition is treatable with a change in behavior.
Drug ads also cause distrust in doctors. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine conducted a survey of 1,744 adults, which found that 16% of the adults questioned their doctor’s advice after asking for a drug and could not receive it. This can cause people to stop visiting their doctor, which may cause more health issues.
Pharmaceutical ads have a negative impact on the public and should not be legal in the United States. We must speak to our representatives and advocate for the removal of drug ads on TV.
Sarah Kelly
Holley High School student
Editor’s note: Nick D’Amuro, Holley social studies teacher, said the student essay is completed by a student seeking the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness. The Seal of Civic Readiness is a formal recognition that a student has attained a high level of proficiency in terms of civic knowledge, civic skills, civic mindset, and civic experiences.
The Holley Central School District is an institution that offers students the opportunity to earn this designation on their diploma upon graduation. Students must complete a variety of tasks surrounding a particular research topic that is of interest to them. A crucial element of this project requires students to inform citizens in their community about their topic and call for citizens to take action. This article serves as the basis for this requirement, D’Amuro said.
The Hoag Library and Community Coalition for Justice last month reviewed “The Burning,” where in 1921 Tulsa 300-plus Blacks were killed and 1,130 houses, 12 churches, doctors’ and dentists’ offices and numerous businesses were burned to the ground. Blacks were executed in the streets, with one Black woman hung from a lamppost.
The ferocity of the dark of the night attack and its aftermath were incredible. (Denial, the lack of appearance in history books and even current electronic Tulsa history is shocking.)
The flip side: restraint of Tulsan Blacks.
Two times, caravans of cars full of many Black World War I veterans drove to the jail, where a Black man, accused of accosting a white women, was being held. One Tulsa newspaper had headlined “Lynching Tonight.” The black caravan leaders met with Sheriff McCullough, who assured there would be no lynching. They returned home.
As the white crowds and tumult at the jail grew, they went back a second time. A white man, incensed at a Black man having a gun, tried to wrestle it away. The gun went off, killing a white bystander. Both sides began firing, with some people killed. The Blacks, better armed and battle-ready by their WWI service, again, reassured by the Sheriff, returned to their neighborhood.
A white man was employed as projectionist in the Black movie theater. He got caught there as the whites massed into Greenwood at 5 a.m. At great risk to himself, a Black theater employee, drove this man to an area south of the attack, so he could safely get back to the his home in the white area
By midday, some Blacks had assembled in a new stone church and were defending themselves. But a white man came forward, waving a white “truce” flag. They ceased fire, and let him approach. He lit a kerosene fire bomb, threw it through a window, catching drapes and wood interior on fire. The Blacks fled and were fired upon.
By Christmas time, 7 months later, some Blacks had returned, and living in tents, began to rebuild. They gathered for a Christmas celebration. A Black minister climbed onto a truck. “Let us remember an old Negro tradition,” he preached. “There is no room in our hearts for hatred.”
Sheriff McCollough, who successfully prevented the lynching, was motivated by a personal incident 2 years before. A 19-year-old Black lad had been accused of accosting a white woman. McCullough questioned it. The Sheriff got to know the young man and believed he was innocent. He sadly presided over the public hanging.
The young lad asked to speak to the crowd. He cleared his throat and spoke in a loud voice, “Now I want to say that all people should tell the truth when they come to the courthouse. And I hope God Almighty blesses each and every one of you.”
For more on such incidents and business and government policies that restrain Black middle class, come Tuesday, March 28, at 6:30 p.m. to the Hoag Library to see the film, Against All Odds, The Fight for a Black Middle Class.
Happy Birthday to the Orleans Hub. Newspapers are an integral part of the community; they inform the public about important issues, encourage political participation and social cohesion.
Local journalism, like the Orleans Hub, provide trusted independent reporting to hold government officials and public policy makers accountable through necessary oversight. Local journalists, like at the Orleans Hub, in a real sense roll away the stones of societal sins, and let the sunshine in.
Furthermore, local journalists provide social and cultural content of hard-to-reach audiences which helps our understanding of our neighbors. Newspapers also provide a place for readers to express opinions in a respectful manner.
While social media sites allow for rude, demeaning, bullying and intimidation with little facts or evidence to advance a policy or argument; newspapers offer opportunity for thoughtful arguments.
It is appropriate that we celebrated the Orleans Hub’s birthday the same month we celebrate Easter, a spiritual rebirth. I encourage readers to donate and support the Orleans Hub.
William Fine
Brockport
(Editor’s Note: The Orleans Hub will be 10 years old on April 1.)
Residents of the Village of Medina: Diana Baker and Jess Marciano ask for your vote on March 21st.
From Diana Baker:
I have lived in Medina most of my life; I’ve grown up here, I’ve worked here, and I’ve been fortunate to raise my daughter here. I hold the position of AVP Project Manager at M&T Bank, and I am the Assistant Director/ Color Guard Caption Head for the Medina High School Marching Band.
I have worked with this group for 14 years, designing routines and coordinating students at practices that develop into bigger shows for both performances and competitions. I strive to help students find their passion and develop skills to allow them to grow, learn, and overcome obstacles they may encounter.
My goal as a Trustee is to encourage the involvement of the younger generation – to learn, to understand in order to contribute to the continued growth of our village. Our community has been blessed to have many positive contributors.
From Jess Marciano:
Having moved to Medina after years of living in urban areas, I am energized by living in a community where a resident can be so closely involved in decisions impacting our daily lives. During my incumbent term on the Village Board, I’ve had the opportunity to work hard at balancing much needed services with the cost it requires to facilitate them and to lead a few initiatives to bring residents closer to the decision making process.
Some of those measures include helping to implement a mass notification system (click here) and creating a public Facebook page (search MedinaJessMarciano) with frequent updates and ways to get involved.
We love this community and the collaborative process working in this village entails. We look forward to serving this village with honesty and respect, and to be a voice for all residents. Thank you for your support.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has allocated $52 million dollars of taxpayer money to establish twelve Regional Clean Energy Hubs.
These hubs are to act as Centers of Outreach Awareness and Education. They are to promote New York State’s efforts to move to clean energy. Apparently NYSERDA has come to the realization that there is public resistance to the New York State clean energy program, hence the necessity for a propaganda barrage to “educate” the public. There are many reasons to be wary of State energy policy as actions have consequences.
The Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) created under the Climate Leadership And Community Protection Act (CLCPA) has the authority to suspend local laws they deem “excessively burdensome.” This law does not protect our communities and is a threat and a power grab by unelected officials appointed by the Governor to push a political agenda.
Renewable energy programs, Solar and Wind, are absurdly called “ farms” and are having a devastating effect on local communities. Disruption of traditional farming and destruction of farmland forests and wetlands is commonplace and counterproductive. Noise and visual pollution are ever present. Health issues persist. Only a select few benefit at the expense of many. Without heavy subsidies (handouts) renewable Wind and Solar energy programs would not exist.
Viability of Electric Vehicles (EVs) comes into question as the State pushes for zero-emission vehicles by 2035 and effectively bans the sale of Internal Combustion Engine-powered vehicles.
EVs have attractive features such as quietness and smooth riding. However, they are costly, expensive to produce, extremely impractical for average use, suffer for lack of charging stations, are heavier than their Internal Combustion Engine vehicle counterparts and pose a fire threat.
Ford has recently suspended delivery of its lightning pickup truck because of “battery problems.” Also note the 2021 recall of all General Motors Chevy Bolt’s some twice, for “battery problems.”
Further, EVs require less labor to assemble and will result in a net job loss in the automobile industry. Without direct government subsidies (bribes) to the buyer and numerous other subsidies for charging stations and battery development there would be no market for electric vehicles.
In addition, the electrification of our transportation system will seriously impact suburban and rural residents as they rely heavily on practical reliable transportation.
Lithium ion storage batteries are being used to supply power when the wind does not blow, and the sun does not shine. Lithium Ion Batteries have a long history of unexplained fires.
The electrical grid is experiencing instability as reliable base load power from coal, clean burning natural gas and nuclear sources are shuttered, and solar and wind energy installations are ramped up. This is due to the unpredictable and intermittent nature of Solar and Wind. Rolling blackouts occurred during this past Christmas Holiday in the Carolinas and a Tennessee Titans football game was postponed for an hour in a rolling blackout. The grid in New York may be next. A single source of energy is a high risk policy to pursue. National defense is at stake. Mr. Zelensky is not pleading for wind turbines or solar panels as the Russians invade Ukraine. When hurricanes and severe weather occur fossil fuels come to the rescue. Nuclear energy, clean burning natural gas and the pursuit of clean coal must all be in our energy mix. Diversity is needed most in our energy portfolio.
The earth is warming at the present time and humans are having an effect. How much and what can be done is debatable. Steven E. Koonin’s book “Unsettled” is an excellent resource to put climate change into perspective. Dr. Koonin is currently a professor at New York University. His qualifications include serving as Under Secretary for Science in the Obama Administration and much more. This book is well worth reading.
For future generations the outlook is problematic. Erosion of our individual freedoms will continue. Executive orders will proliferate, extremists will persist in confusing weather and climate. The government will dictate the kind of cars we drive, how we heat our homes, how we cook our food and much more. Rolling blackouts will be the norm. Subsidies will abound, public debt will continue to skyrocket and the attack on the fossil fuel industry will continue. Mountains of unrecyclable trash will litter the landscape as discarded turbine blades, solar panels and batteries outlive their useful life.
In short, socialism on the march with all its downsides.
A redirection of our State and Federal energy policies are overdue! Let us start with an overhaul of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. New York can lead the way.
NY Route 279 once ran from 5-Corners through Gaines to Route 18 in Carlton. New York turned 279 north of Ridge Road (Route 104) over to Orleans County and removed State signage.
This creates a “Kuckville Triangle” for visitors and fisherpeople lost in the Black North country. Solution: County Tourism and / or Highway can make small “Old Rte 279” markers with arrows sending outsiders down the correct roads. This is especially important before coming fishing derbies and the April 2024 eclipse.
