Editor:

As a Carlton resident I write this letter because the residents of Albion, Barre, Carlton and Gaines need to know that COVA ambulance, the ambulance that each of us rely on as a staple to our community, is in danger of closing their doors.

We recently learned that for the last few years COVA has been meeting with county and town officials. They have explained this crisis in hopes that our elected officials would understand the dire situation that they are in, and the fact that after three years there is no resolution is truly alarming. These officials are elected by the community to serve us and to act in the best interest of their constituents.

We are truly fortunate to have a community-based ambulance service that has survived the last 40 years on their own with no tax or public funding. COVA has survived on billing and donations alone. Times have changed and clearly the ambulance crisis is a huge areawide problem. Let’s not make this another Orleans County problem.

COVA has asked for financial help from our community leaders and there has been no resolve. The residents of Orleans County need to understand that if COVA closes its doors the residents will be left with no ambulance service or waiting who knows how long for an ambulance from out of town to show up.

As the wife of someone whose life was saved by COVA 7 years ago I pray that as a community we can get them the help they need. The seriousness of this needs to be known and we the people deserve a say.

Call our town offices, write letters! The town boards will make the final decision on whether an ambulance shows up to save your life or the life of your loved one.

Julie Rheinwald

Carlton

Editor:

In the past few weeks Democrats have passed major legislation that will improve the local economy, help families afford needed medication and expand health care for veterans. That is how you make America Great Again; that is how you put America First.

The CHIPS-Plus bill will help companies throughout western New York. At present there is a relatively small percentage of computer chips manufactured in the U.S. and virtually none of the most sophisticated chips used in military equipment and smartphones.

This legislation will incentivize private-sector investments in research and manufacturing capabilities in the manufacturing of micro-chips here in the United States, including local companies. Furthermore, since the micro-chips will be manufactured in the U.S. there will be fewer supply chain issues to interfere with manufacturing of other goods such as cars and medical equipment.

Republican leadership opposed this legislation. They want corporate America dependent on Asia including China. They want America dependent on foreign governments. Democrats passed legislation that will make America Great Again and keep America First.

Democrats also passed legislation to lower the cost of medications such as insulin. This will help families throughout the region. Insulin is a life-giving medication, without which people will die. Pharmaceutical companies have increased the cost of this needed medication to whatever the market will bear, making insulin barely affordable. Republicans voted against helping struggling families. Helping families with needed medical expenses is what America First means.

Democrats have also passed legislation to help care for veterans, sent overseas to fight for the U.S. and were exposed to toxic burn pits. Our soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen defend the U.S. and it is the government’s responsibility to care for their health care.

Republicans voted reluctantly for this bill after being shamed for voting against it. Taking care of our military personnel and veterans is what will make America Great Again.

Democrats support our local economy, provide solutions for working families and defend our veterans. Democrats make America Great Again.

William Fine

Brockport

Photo by Tom Rivers: An Orleans County Sheriff’s office patrol car leads the third annual “Ride for the Blue” on Sunday. The group is shown here on Route 31 in Holley. They went on a 52-mile ride in Orleans County.

Editor:

I just watched an odd display and I feel compelled to comment. For another year there was a loud procession of police cars and fire trucks intermixed with a collection of motorcycles, cars, pickups, a propane truck, dump trucks, and other large vehicles.

There were a lot of large flags including: Ultra Maga, Trump 2020, Trump 2024, Mario Fratto, and Let’s Go Brandon. Apparently, they were taking a loop around the county and then going to listen to Andrew Giuliani and a couple Republican candidates.

I’m not sure what the purpose of the dump trucks was. Perhaps if I was flying a Joe Biden flag today, one of those trucks would have lost control for a few seconds and it would have accidently been taken out? Maybe my front porch too? Would I have been able to call the police to complain, or would I have been ignored? Would the fire department have put out any resulting fire or would I have been stuck using my garden hose?

It gets me to wondering how people are hired into the local government departments. Do they recruit from our whole community in an apolitical process or do you have to be carrying a Trump card these days? I really have no idea. I wonder, the way things are going, if in another 5 years there will still be a single 911 number to call in an emergency. Perhaps that will be the number to call for the Republican police and there will be another number to call for the Democratic police. If I would prefer the Democratic police, will I have to wait for them to drive in from Monroe County?

At least I didn’t see any Confederate flags – well, not today at least.

Jason Dragon

Albion

Editor:

To the residents of Albion, Carlton, Gaines and Barre, I am a lifelong resident of the Town of Gaines and current President of the COVA Ambulance Board of Directors. I am writing this letter partly as President but most importantly, as a resident. You can either choose to read and ignore, or share and take action…but you need to know.

COVA is critically close to closing its doors permanently.

As with all EMS agencies nationwide, insurance payments are at an all-time low and relying on donations is simply not feasible. With insurance claims paying on average 20% of what is billed, the days of a nonprofit community-based ambulance company surviving off of insurance payments, fund raising and donations are over.

If we do not get help, COVA will be gone.

Over the past 3.5 years we have contacted every town in our service area, the Village of Albion, and the County Legislators as well our NYS Assemblyman and Senator. We have met with their attorneys, spoken at board meetings, written letters, begged, turned in power point presentations (only to be asked months later to “please give them a power point presentation”) and made innumerable phone calls. We are grateful for the support from Assemblyman Hawley as well as County Legislator Don Allport, Barre Town Supervisor Sean Pogue and County Legislator Skip Draper, but most of the others have shown little to no response, and these four men can not help us alone.

We have been discouraged at the lack of urgency and interest seen in some of our community leaders, some of whom actually slept through our presentation. There has been an EMS task force meeting since January and we have been told by members on that task force that there has been no progression whatsoever.

Every meeting we have attended has ended with “we will talk this over and get back to you.” There is currently “tens of millions of dollars” of Covid relief money available for areas of need. In April I presented a letter to the County Legislators asking for some of the available Covid relief money to help purchase a new ambulance as two of ours are very old and cost thousands per year in repairs and maintenance. COVA was on the front line of Covid servicing the people of Orleans County every, single day. We never got a response to the letter.

We have tried to be polite and professional as we hear rumors of a “county funded” agency coming in to take over. If these rumors are true please be aware that it will cost you!!! It will cost millions to get started and to maintain yearly and this cost will be passed on to the taxpayers.

We have presented figures showing that with as little as $50 per year per household, COVA would survive and would actually be able to pay decent wages, have reliable rigs and update aging equipment. We are not asking for much when you figure most of us are paying at least 3 times that much for a library tax! Yet we hear nothing…no help.

Let me answer the naysayers before you can complain about ambulance costs. Our doors are always open. We would be happy to sit down with any concerned citizen or patient who wants to understand the cost of running an ambulance service. With equipment costs, insurance, fuel, wages, medical supplies and medications always on the rise it is a sad reality that it is expensive to operate an ambulance service that provides all levels of care. We welcome anyone, anytime to stop by and we will gladly show you why we bill what we do.

As a person with older parents the thought of possibly having no ambulance company in our district is terrifying. Listening to the calls on the monitor and knowing that one day soon those calls may go unanswered and thinking about the people who will have to race their own loved one to the hospital emergency room in order to save their life keeps me awake at night.

For the sake of our community we need to be taken seriously and we need to be taken seriously NOW. We do not have time to wait until the next budget meeting or board meeting. We have been waiting for 3.5 years and time is running out quickly. Those tens of millions of dollars sitting in Covid relief need to be disbursed to the companies who were there for us during Covid.

And COVA was there for us as it has been for 41 years. If our elected officials choose to sit on this and ignore this, COVA WILL BE GONE. I cannot make it any clearer than that.

Again, you can choose to read this and ignore it, or you can choose to read it and take action. For the safety of our residents, our families, your families we plead with you for a final time to take action now.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Stilwell

President of Board of Directors for COVA EMS Ambulance

Editor:

The law surrounding documents at Trump’s home is being misstated by MAGA acolytes. Facts are being made up.

If we just look at the container containing “Top Secret/SCI”  (Secure Compartmentalized Information) there are laws and regulations that they can only be read in a special intrusion free room called a scif. Moreover when anything is declassified there is a process for it. The classification markings must immediately be stricken from them before they leave the special vaults where they are held.

Saying all he has to do is say something is declassified is nonsense. Trump once tweeted he declassified something only to later argue in Court, when the press wanted to see it, that that is inadequate. There is a formal process and he knows that. MAGA Congressmen know that too.

As to what was taken there are other markings after the “SCI” which we are not allowed to know. I would guess there may things like whose approvals are needed to look at the documents.  There could be project identification like “hydrogen bomb plans” or “state department spy information on Russian nuclear warheads.” Who knows. This class has had specialists from affected agencies agree that any release endangers the national safety and its collection technics.

You have read about classification disagreements but it’s always about documents two levels of classification down. Not the “eyes only” stuff.

One of the charges being considered against the target is that they “illegally retained” the documents. (Trump foolishly admitted he had them and we now know he did not turn them over when they were subpoenaed.) The claim they were “planted” fell when one of his attorneys admitted on FOX TV that Trump was watching the whole seizure from New York via CCTV. Plus a receipt was provided and signed by his on-site representative.

“Espionage” is a huge statute so we cannot read much into it other than it is much more serious than the violation Sec. 1924 and mere improper “possession” which was the crux of possible  “confidential” material in H. Clinton’s email. The judge in Trump’s case clearly thinks there is evidence of wrongful taking, criminal avoidance,  and possible criminal use going on.

Espionage is so serious the “document” in question does not even need to be formally classified before we are protected  by this law. Garland at DOJ has always been  by the book so I am positive anything he thinks is a stretch will never see the light of day.  He brought down the Oklahoma City bombers with dogged detail work to be sure everything stuck. He was that way as a Federal Judge too. All we know now – and all we may ever know –  is that “eyes only”  material was illegally and dangerously mishandled over an extended period of time.

Consider the other MAGA excuses whipping up frenzy. If these were boxes with no strategic value there was no reason to have worthless stuff at Trump’s home.  On the other hand there was no reason to fail to produce worthless documents when subpoenaed. Neither excuse works. Completely contradictory, they are nothing more than people throwing any excuse that might float someone’s boat against the wall in order to misdirect us and feed hatred.

Handling secrets cavalierly drew rebukes from Israel when Trump was in office. Now, possible espionage is not a political issue. It is a safety issue which affects you and me! (Was the Saudi 2 billion consulting fee for a file??? Who knows at this point. But any possibility of leaks had to be stopped.)

We just have to wait to see where this goes. It’s inexcusable, no matter. But the MAGA reaction to hide that once again shows it knows no limits and at heart despises the police and everything else associated with law and order which gets in its way.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

On behalf of OCALS (Orleans County Accredited Learning Services) I would like to thank the public and local businesses for supporting our first-ever basket raffle fund raiser that was held this past July.

OCALS is accredited by Pro Literacy and is a non-profit agency that provides free confidential tutoring services for adults, families and children in need of improving their literacy skills (including digital literacy). We provide services to all individuals within Orleans County.

During the month of July, a total of 44 separate items were on display at Case-Nic Cookies in Medina for the public to purchase tickets in hopes of winning one (or more) of these prizes.

A special thanks goes out to the following businesses and individuals who donated these items:  Medina businesses – A Kut Above, Ashlee’s Place, Tompkins Bank of Castile, Blissett’s Specialty Shop, BMP America, Inc., Case Nic Cookies, Celebrity Day Spa, Creekside Floral, Della’s Chocolates, Downtown Browsery, ellen j goods, Evan Ace Hardware, Herbalty Cottage, Modern Mercantile, Orleans YMCA, Rosenkrans Pharmacy Inc., Rudy’s, Supercuts, Tops Friendly Market, Tractor Supply Company, Valu Home Center; individuals – Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Cathy Hooker, Cindy Parada, Carolyn Wagner and Ginny Kropf.

The backbone of our community is our local businesses and individuals who reside in the community. Your continued support (by donating items or purchasing tickets to the basket raffle) is truly amazing! We are grateful and humbled by the community support.

Thanks to all for making this fund raiser a great success! We look forward to continuing this new tradition next year!

Carolyn Wagner

Middleport

OCALS Board of Trustees

Editor:

The court-ordered search of Donald Trump’s home is a tempest in a teapot so far.

1. Trump-appointed FBI director, Christopher Wray, was responsible for the investigation and conviction of Clinton’s Secretary of State, Sandy Berger, for illegally possessing far less classified documents when he was no longer in office. He is not partisan.

2. Trump’s lawyers haven’t made motions against the search warrants at this time, so we don’t know what their legal basis for complaining is. They will if Trump’s litigation history is any guide.  DOJ will have to disclose something even if the motion, as has been his wont, is bogus.

3. Trump is free at any time to release the warrant so we can know what’s suspected and what was being looked for. That would settle a lot of guessing that’s going on.

4. We’ve known for over a year that representatives of the National Archives at DOJ have been going there asking for “eyes only” documents which were believed to be there and not in the 15 boxes he turned over.

5. The Trump-appointed judge who was satisfied the application met the requirements of the Fourth Amendment which must at some point open everything. When is a guess depending on what’s found and any other pending cases. If there are “eyes only” classified materials they will not be described, just noted. The fact the National Archives had to piece torn and shredded documents back together with tape last spring suggests there were some there at some time.  We know some staffers have testified documents plugged the toilet so the toilet bowl will cloud the accuracy of any inventory when it’s finally released.

Until we know about the about these four things all we are seeing is political posturing. But historically these document cases go away unless the person with the documents has passed the information on to our enemies or used it to profit themselves. Of course this could be the first “eyes only” case not charged as treason which is a different animal.

We just do not know yet but that warrant, which Trump can release, would tell us a lot. Is this a mole hill made out to be a mountain by him or is he actually being accused of something unforgivably serious?

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

Our great nation was founded on tools of survival, and currently ruled by politically controlled opinions and political tolerance, as our laws don’t dictate the feelings police, where a village board and code enforcement officer get to decide the life of one based on the life of another

True, a complaint could stem from noise, uncleanliness, and even the concern of bird flu, but who is the town council to decide such endeavors of change?

Across social media, specifically YouTube, journalists will audit American public service persons, and it ultimately comes back to the town council, feeling that they have the power to run the show, be it requesting the name of a police officer and badge when requested to do so, who refuses to identify, and the far greater issues at hand, that knowledge is being taken away from our children, such as classic literature, and our local public schools and libraries are being filled with raunchy material while refraining from defining to a child what a man or a woman is, and indirectly inviting them into the LGBTQIA culture.

If our political leaders cared for the future of the status of us as a society as a whole, they’d take a look at themselves and ask: “Who are we to evict a resident of Medina?”

If a chicken has to go, then hunger, famine, and cannibalism are here to stay.

Since the start of the year 2022, over 100 mass food production facilities in the U.S. alone, with over 600 abroad, have all burned to the ground. Product freezers have stopped working, having to throw away hundreds of thousands of tons of food. Cattle ranchers have had to kill off and/or sell over 91% of their stock to maintain a profit. Nitrogen rich fertilizer hasn’t been able to be shipped abroad to produce for the winter. With the price of diesel fuel, tractors can’t harvest and cargo trucks won’t run to supply the local food market shelf. The trains and freighter ships are docked, and at least according to the World Health Organization, there are over 49 nations in starvation and bankruptcy.

We’re all globally embedded in World War 3, but I’d reference the great winter of 1846 to site the example of cannibalism during the heavy snowstorms in California in which the Donner Party were forced to eat each other for supper.

Famine by itself is a disease albeit a slowly killing one.

China raises pigs because they’ll birth an average yield litter of 14 piglets, and amongst other things consume cats, of which Medina was equally wanting to remove, euthanizing the stray and feral ones, and who’s to say of which are they, when hunting for prey between community homes and when an owner in a time of hardship can’t afford the identification marks, save for our political leaders?

Store food and bottled water en mass.

If our political leaders don’t listen, and this goes all the way up to The White House, they may be the next ones to be evicted, with only the crows of their belly able to satiate their hunger

Daniel Zimmerman

Albion

Editor:

Since my husband and I have owned our home we have grown a garden nearly every year. Our garden is not to grow produce, our garden is to grow our children.

We are so blessed to live in a community that grows fresh delicious produce that we can buy at a roadside stand or in the grocery store; where we know most of the producers or have heard of them, for an incredibly reasonable price pretty much anytime we want. Our garden reminds me to be so grateful to our local farmers who produce our food and also how incredibly reasonably we are able to purchase such great produce.

It also makes me very grateful to a couple from our church, Glen and Linda, who grow beautiful produce in abundance that they graciously share with our church family. Watching the kids run to the playground, each with a cucumber in their hand eating it like an apple, or with cups of blueberries and cherries is such a blessing.

I would like to take this opportunity to share with all of you a few lessons that my children have learned so far this season.

1. It only takes one time of leaving the gate open for the rabbits to enjoy our plants.
2. Little brothers can not tell the difference between a weed that needs to be pulled and one of our pepper plants.
3. Bugs can consume large quantities of leaves and hinder the growth of our plants.
4. If you are asked to go out and harvest the kale and you aren’t positive that you are picking kale, maybe come in and ask Mommy before picking a bag full of cauliflower leaves.
5. The legs of the rain catching basin should be aligned or it will tip over, and dragging the hose out is a lot harder than getting water from the basin.

Yes, we have had a few challenges this growing season; but what they learned this summer and will continue learning will benefit them so much in their future. Learning that despite challenges, if you don’t give up, you can still grow delicious produce. Learning that mistakes and setbacks happen, but that they can still smile and know that God designed plants with the ability to overcome those challenges, just like our beautiful children can overcome obstacles they may face in their life. That weeds may grow beside them and try to block out the Sun (or Son) but that they can dig in their roots (to the Bible) and grow bigger and stronger despite those challenges.

The garden provides so many opportunities for great conversations, and learning lessons for our children. Plus the joy on my children’s faces as they see the peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes ripening! The excitement when they come running into the house with a cucumber that they put so much work towards warms my soul!

I would encourage anyone to start a small garden and allow this garden to grow your children, not just some fresh produce!

Also, August 6 and 7, is a local farm market hop. Where you can go to a few farm markets and get to see the abundance of local produce and treasures from a few of our local producers. There are 6 farm markets participating and you can purchase a basket for $10 at your first stop and then at each subsequent stop specific free produce will be added. Plus get your ticket stamped at each location and you can be entered for a chance to win a farm market hop basket filled with goodies from each market.  Enjoy local and family-run farm markets, collect great produce, discover what makes each farm market unique, and what we all have in common – amazing homegrown fruits and veggies!

How to participate:

1. Start at the farm of your choice

• Partyka Farms – 1420 County Line Road, Kendall NY 14476
• Kirby’s Farm Market – 9739 W Ridge Rd, Brockport, NY 14420
• Navarra’s Farm and Greenhouse – 3272 Eagle Harbor Waterport Rd, Albion, NY 14411
• Robert’s Farm Market – 11170 Maple Ridge Rd, Medina, NY 14103
• Brightly’s Farm Market – 525 Drake Rd, Hamlin, NY 14464
• Circle R Fruit Farm – 13490 Roosevelt Hwy, Waterport, NY 14571

2. Purchase a Farm Market Hop basket for $10 at your first stop.

3. Travel to all participating markets to fill your basket with free produce.

4. Each farm will contribute a different item to your basket, and in the end you’ll have a basket full of beautiful fruits and veggies.

5. Get your ticket stamped at each market. (Visit all 6 Farm Markets and drop off your stamp tag at your final destination to be entered for a chance to win the Market Hop Gift Basket, full of goodies donated by each farm.)

6. Head home after a day of touring your local farm markets, to enjoy all of those delicious fruits and veggies!

Kerri Richardson

Barre

Editor:

I am a lifelong resident of Albion who graduated from high school in 2007. I have lived on Butts Road for about five years, near where GCASA wants to build a 25-bed women and children’s recovery center.

We had no knowledge of this center being proposed to be built other than a brief announcement in the Orleans Hub in 2021. That was very short and brief and easy to miss. The town also recently posted a public hearing sign at the property on June 1.

I attended the public hearing on August 3rd on this issue. My fiancé and I were the only ones of the public in attendance.  We brought up a concern about the proposed addition of the entrance  on Butts Road would cause an already high traffic flow to increase due to the constant traffic coming and going from Saint Gobain’s near the corner of Butts Road and Route 31. This entrance sees traffic 24 hours a day/7 days a week with employees and semi trucks delivering supplies or waste management trucks coming and going.

Then there is also Orleans Community Health located on the opposite side of the road from this entrance that also sees a high number of traffic during their operating hours. Our concern is the GCASA site and its entrance will result in a higher risk of a serious accidents due to the blind hill with the railroad underpass. A higher risk of vehicles not knowing there is a 7 foot, 2 inch clearance to go under the underpass.

There’s also the threat of accidents with speeding. It’s a 40 MPH speed zone and many people treat it like a drag strip. We have seen at least 3 to 6 incidents of vehicles hitting the bridge per year, either damaging the bridge or causing damage to vehicles. Recently an Amazon prime delivery truck hit the bridge and tore the top of the truck right off.

This doesn’t include the multiple vehicles as in cars/trucks/semi trucks not seeing the underpass or the misunderstanding the signs and they try to take a chance to go under the underpass. When this happens vehicles have to either turn around in our driveway or they back all the way back down to Saint Gobain.

We have witnessed so many near-misses in the last 5 years were worried the added traffic flow would raise the risk of a serious accident that could lead to be fatal. We asked if there could be any considerations in the possibility of relocating the entrance to Route 31. We asked the Town Planning Board, the director of GCASA and also to the code enforcer that was present at the Aug. 3 meeting.

We were told by said officials that they would “recommend” vendors bringing supplies not to come south on Butts Road and risk any incidents around the underpass. A recommendation isn’t going to stop an accident.

I have 4 children – ages 3, 11, 14 and 16 – all either in school or starting school in September. We were also told that the other 6 acres of land that was purchased by GCASA had not gone thru the historical and archeology impact study that if said study was done could be used to consider relocating the entrance to route 31 that would alleviate the traffic and simply solve a simple concern.

I simply want the time taken to take this into consideration to be looked into for my family’s safety. The director of GCASA said he’s not considering relocating the entrance or does not want to take the time to and my emails to the town planning board have gone unanswered.

I am in 100% support of this center being built, it is needed and it is what’s best to fight addiction.

I just want my simple concern be addressed and looked into possibly relocating the purposed entrance of this center off of Butts Road to Route 31.

Aaron Vosburgh

Albion

Editor:

August 7th is designated “Purple Heart Day.” The Purple Heart medal is presented to service members who have been wounded or killed as a result of enemy action while serving in the U.S. military.

Those of us who serve our country are often asked to serve in unfamiliar places away from families and friends under extreme stressful and dangerous situations for months and sometimes years at a time.

Purple Heart recipients have shown a willingness to bear any burden to defend freedoms under the U.S. Constitution. My Purple Heart came while defending a village in Vietnam from enemy activity.

A Purple Heart is a solemn distinction and means the service member has greatly sacrificed themselves, or paid the ultimate price, while in the line of duty.

Purple Heart Day, is a time for Americans to pause to remember and honor those brave men and women.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

A big thank you to the Murray/Holley Historical Society (MHHS) for supporting the 24th annual Cycle the Canal Bike Tour.  There were 750 bikers registered to participate, ranging in age from 10 to 83.

After an overnight stay in Medina, the riders headed for a scheduled breakfast stop at the Village of Holley park along the Erie Canal. The MHHS has supported this event for 20 of those years and look forward to doing so every year.

The MHHS started setting up at 8 a.m. and provided danish, ice water, Gatorade and coffee which was generously provided by Tim Hortons to complement the much appreciated snacks and fruit provided by the Canal Bike Tour sponsors. The SAG wagon set up near the gazebo was busy assisting riders with minor fixes to their bicycles.

Our members manned the gazebo from 8 a.m. until almost noon when the sweeper came through signaling that the last of the bikers had come through as more than 200 bikers had signed our register. The riders came from all over the United States and Canada. One rider from Denver Colorado, Chris Wilkin, texted a friend and said Holley was “one of the best stops on the bike ride.”

The riders were all very appreciative of the extra rest rooms that were available and many lingered awhile in the shade of the trees and rode down to view the famous Holley Falls.

Again, thank you for coming out and supporting this annual event.  See you at next year’s event on July 9-16, 2023.

Rochelle Moroz

Holley

Village Trustee and Historical Society member

Editor:

In the wake of Albany Democrats’ most recent trampling of New Yorker’s second amendments rights, we witnessed a heroic act in Greenwood, Indiana, that highlighted just how disastrous and nonsensical the latest anti-constitutional gun laws passed really are. Thanks to the bravery, skill, and quick actions of a concealed carry permit holder, several lives inside the Greenwood Mall were saved on July 17th.

While we pray for the families of those who lost loved ones on that day, we also recognize the lives that were saved due to a civilian’s ability to respond quickly and neutralize a threat, thanks to his ability to use a concealed pistol.

Unfortunately, because of the recently passed laws in New York, the hero who saved lives would be considered a felon if an incident such as this happened later this year. Not only will these new laws make it more difficult for law-abiding pistol permit holders to exercise their constitutional right, but they would criminalize the right to self-defense.

America is home to over 18 million concealed carry permit holders. Yet over the last 18 years, less than 0.8% of all firearm-related homicides in the U.S. have involved law-abiding concealed carry permit holders.

Law-abiding pistol permit holders are not the ones committing crimes. An overwhelming majority of the gun violence and gun-related homicides we witness daily are perpetrated by criminals with illegal firearms. These are the same criminals who are being arrested and quickly released back on our streets thanks to Albany Democrats’ pro-criminal policies like bail reform.

In New York, these lawbreakers are re-committing violent crimes at over four times the rate of law-abiding pistol permit holders. After SCOTUS ruled New York’s existing pistol permit process unconstitutional, Governor Kathy Hochul and her anti-protection allies in the State Legislature were quick to orchestrate a “Special Session” to condemn and harass law-abiding pistol permit holders. Yet it’s these same politicians who continue to sit idly by as violent crime skyrockets; there is no accountability for those criminals breaking the law.

Instead of doubling down on their unconstitutional policies of the past and passing unconstitutional laws that will do absolutely nothing to address gun violence, New York State should instead be empowering all New Yorkers, regardless of sex, race, religion, or political persuasion, to exercise their constitutional rights to self-defense and self-preservation.

The right to self-defense and the second amendment is not limited to an individual’s home. I hope the court system in New York sees these new pistol permit laws for what they are, a mockery of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, and strikes down this nonsensical legislation.

Multiple lawsuits have already been filed in New York to do just that. I pray, God forbid we see a horrible tragedy such as the one we witnessed in Indiana here in New York, that a brave, upstanding citizen with a concealed carry permit will be there to protect and save innocent lives.

Sincerely,

Robert G. Ortt

North Tonawanda

NYS Senate Republican Leader

Editor:

This is in response to Andrew Remley’s letter to the editor entitled “Albion mayor did the right thing in disclosing apparent overpayments to Albion PD.”

The contract with Albion PD, as written (which is easily accessed online without a FOIL request) is confusing and does not specifically address how the hourly rate was to be calculated for overtime purposes. If there was a verbal agreement or “understanding” then that needed to be fully fleshed out in the written agreement in language that was not subject to misinterpretation.

Article XXI, which is solely dedicated to overtime, says “payment shall be made at the rate of time and one-half the employee’s normal hourly rate for all hours worked over twelve hours in one day.”

“Hourly rate” and “salary” are referenced in the contract multiple times, but there is nowhere in the document that actually says how the hourly rate is to be calculated. The police were to be “scheduled” 84 hours bi-weekly, but again, there is zero indication that 84 hours was to be paid at straight time, or used to establish an hourly rate for overtime purposes.

For comparison, here is the wording in Medina PDs contract: “ARTICLE 26 OVERTIME The standard work week shall consist of 40 hours. The standard work day shall consist of eight hours.”

There is little room for misinterpretation in Medina’s contract. Even the verbiage in the Albion contract related to the work week can be open to interpretation, because rather than use the term “work week” they use the term “The number of hours actually scheduled to be worked in the work week shall be.”

“Number of hours actually scheduled” doesn’t even imply they have to work those hours to get paid their base salary, it just means they have to be “scheduled” to work those hours.

Now if you take the term “normal hourly rate,” most hourly rates are based on a 40-hour work week, so this is an easy mistake to make, if it is not clearly addressed in the contract.

Regardless, the contract, as written, should have included an addendum or some language that specified what was meant by “normal hourly rate.”

Nevertheless, if there was an alleged error of this magnitude in handling the police department’s payroll, why not run an audit of the entire payroll for all the departments in the Village over the same time period?  In focusing on the Albion PD, it creates the impression, real or not, that the police are being targeted.

Where the real confusion lies is in the fact that nobody seems to want to answer who was responsible for the implementation of the policy that was supposed to reduce overtime? Also, in reviewing the annual budgets didn’t anyone notice that overtime costs were not being reduced as a result of the policy? You had at least four budgets passed over the period the alleged error occurred.

Ultimately we all have to realize that police officers and all government employees are individuals, and are just as fallible as everyone else. Thus, it is important to handle sensitive issues with dignity and to make sure all the facts are gathered before making a decision that could have a long-term impact on the morale of the police department.

Thom Jennings

Oakfield, formerly of Albion

Editor:

After being denied permission to place 6 wind turbines near the wildlife refuge as previously requested, Heritage Wind is now going to submit a 94-C Major Modification Request to the Office of Renewable Energy on or about July 27th, which I might add, I was just notified of on July 25, by a postcard in my mail.

Once again, Heritage Wind wants to place more of their 680-foot giant turbines on the east side of Route 98, bringing a total of 31 turbines placed around the surrounding homes in area, with no regard for the residents who reside near them. Compounded with their tremendous height and the distance between them, how will these enormous turbines be able to keep the decibels of audible noise allowed in check?

As a lifelong resident of the Town of Barre, I want to know who is going to protect the rights of the people here who have put their hearts, souls and future investments in their home properties that will be surrounded by 680-foot wind turbines?

Again, I do not believe that these turbines are going to draw people to want to buy or build homes in the Town of Barre, which would add revenue to our town, when they can go anywhere else and not be surrounded by structures that are taller than the Statue of Liberty (which stands at 305 feet).

Will the Town of Barre and the State of New York lower our home assessments if our values fall?  If so, how does that benefit the town? Who is going to subsidize people whose homes may not possibly sell? Is New York State, the Town of Barre, or better yet, Heritage Wind, willing to offer buy outs for these properties should the need arise?

As soon as possible, write to the Town of Barre Board at 14317 West Barre Road, Albion, NY, attend the Barre town meetings, write to the Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York State, NYS State Capitol Building, Albany, NY or call her office at 1-518-474-8390.

Also be sure to contact and write your concerns to ORES at https://ores.ny.gov/permit-applications under Matter 21-00026.

Now is the time to stand up for your rights as a resident of Barre and Orleans County and say no more!

Sincerely,

Susan Webster

Barre