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Kent resident sentenced to prison for probation violations

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 November 2015 at 12:00 am

ALBION – A Kent resident who admitted to several probation violations was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in state prison on Monday.

Luke G. Sorta, 23, could have been sentenced to a maximum of 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison. Orleans County Court Judge James Punch gave him less than the maximum.

Sorta during a Sept. 14 court appearance admitted to violating his probation by abandoning his job at Brunner, failing to get his General Equivalency Diploma, admitted to smoking marijuana several times, as well as consuming alcohol and circumventing the drug testing policy. He also left the area without telling probation.

Sorta was recently arrested in Idaho on a warrant for violating probation. He was returned to Orleans County and has been in the county jail.

In other cases in County Court:

A Medina man pleaded guilty to felony driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Bradley Dunaway, 52, of Oak Orchard River Road could face up to 4 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 8. This is his fifth alcohol-related offense.

Dunaway admitted in court on Monday he had been drinking prior to an accident on June 20 at Ridge Road and Culvert Road in Ridgeway. He registered a 0.18 blood alcohol content, more than double the legal limit. He has been free on $50,000 bail.

An Albion man pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, which has a maximum of 2 ½ years in state prison.

Brandon A. Honore, 30, of East Park Street admitted to selling cocaine. He was arrested in July when 20 people were charged a seven-month investigation into the sale and distribution of drugs in Orleans County.

Honore has been in jail on $100,000 bail. He has two prior felonies and has already been to state prison.

His attorney, Kevin McKain, asked that jail be reduced, given that Honore was working full-time and committed no crimes for six years. Judge Punch agreed to lower bail to $25,000.

Honore will be sentenced on Feb. 8.

A 19-year-old Bergen woman pleaded guilty to seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. That charge normally carries a maximum of a year in jail, but Kuyanna Kuyal won’t spend time in jail as part of a plea deal on Monday.

Kuyal has no prior criminal record. She could be sentenced to probation on Feb. 8.

She admitted in court that she was in a car on May 7 when cocaine was sold. Kuyal allegedly assisted in cocaine sales, but did not possess the drug, District Attorney Joe Cardone said.

She faces a six-month suspension of her license. If she can’t obey the law while on probation, Judge Punch said she would be put in jail for a year.

Tentative budget keeps county tax rate at $9.89

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 November 2015 at 12:00 am

ALBION – After several months of effort, Orleans County officials have put together a tentative budget for 2016 that keeps the tax rate at $9.89 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The $64,435,941 budget plan filed Friday reduces spending by $579,325 from the $65,015,266 in 2015. In 2014, the last year the county owned a nursing home, the budget was $79.8 million. That year the tax rate was $10.11.

The county’s workforce has shrunk from 416 full-time and 164 part-time positions in 2014 to 318 full-time and 89 part-time for 2016.

County officials have pared other departments, and negotiated health insurance deals where employees pay more towards insurance. That has resulted in costs for salaries and benefits below what the county was paying in 2012 for non-nursing home departments, said Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer.

He is also the budget officer and filed the tentative budget on Friday, before the Nov. 15 deadline. The County Legislature is expected to discuss the budget during its 4:30 p.m. meeting on Wednesday. The Legislature will also set a public hearing on Wednesday for the budget.

The tax rate will be unchanged, but the county will take in a slight increase in taxes. The tax levy will increase by 0.7 percent from $16,209,165 to $16,323,150. Property taxes represent about 25 percent of the revenue for funding the budget.

Sales tax also represents about a quarter of the revenue for the budget. After budgeting for no increases in 2014 and 2015, county officials are going to recommend another $250,000 in sales tax to $14,035,000.

“Weak gas prices and continued economic uncertainty causes us to look at this number with a great deal of caution,” Nesbitt says in his message with the tentative budget.

State reimbursements are also big revenue sources for the budget, but Nesbitt said the state has been slow with its share of the money, which often forces the county to use its reserve funds.

With the nursing home’s “enterprise fund” being closed out last month, some of those funds (over $2 million) will likely stay in the county’s fund balance to provide a bigger cash flow cushion. Some of the enterprise fund will also be set aside for workers’ compensation claims and a self-insurance fund.

The budget also accounts for a drop in welfare expenses as caseloads decrease and the county has more success with welfare fraud. There will also be a slight drop in community college expenses from $1,740,000 to $1,700,000 (county pays a third of tuition costs for residents from Orleans County).

Funding for agencies includes:

$232,500 for Cornell Cooperative Extension (requested $254,966) – $225,000 in 2015;

$166,500 for Economic Development Agency (requested $166,500) – $170,000 in 2015;

$77,500 for Soil and Water Conservation District (requested $85,000) – $75,000 in 2015;

$10,000 for four public libraries (requested $42,883) – $10,000 in 2015;

$5,000 for Mercy Flight (requested $5,000) – $5,000 in 2015;

* $5,000 for Friends of Mental Health (requested $5,000) – $0 in 2015;

* $3,000 for GO Art! (requested $5,000) – $3,000 in 2015;

* $1,000 for Sportsmen’s Federation (requested $1,000) – $1,000 in 2015.

Radio show host discussed WWI songs during Cobblestone annual meeting

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

GAINES – Michael Lasser signs a copy of a book for Georgia Thomas, a member of the Cobblestone Society Museum board of trustees.

The Cobblestone Society had its annual meeting on Thursday at Tillman’s Village Inn. The museum just completed its 55th season.

Michael Lasser is host of the nationally syndicated Fascinatin’ Rhythm radio show on National Public Radio. He discussed World War I music, and provided background on some of the popular songs of the war, including “We Take Our Hats Off To You, Mr. Wilson,” “I Didn’t Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier,” “When The Lusitania Went Down,” “Over There,” “Till We Meet Again,” and “Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning.”

Lasser discussed how the songs of World War I revealed the attitudes, values and beliefs of the era. Many Americans didn’t want to get involved in the war.

The Cobblestone Museum has commemorated the 100th anniversary of the start of the war with exhibits this year.

Lasser is co-author of America’s Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley (2006) and the writer of America’s Songs II: From the 1890s to the Post-War Years (2013). He is working on a third book, City Songs: The American Popular Song, 1900-1950.

Donut-eating contest at fair recognized by international association

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 16 November 2015 at 12:00 am

File photos by Tom Rivers – Ken Strickland, an investigator with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, competes in a new donut-eating contest at the fair last July. He competed against 4-H’ers and 4-H volunteers. Every contestant ate more donuts than Strickland. Deputy Jeff Cole also competed in one of the heats.

KNOWLESVILLE – The Orleans County 4-H Fair is getting some international attention for its first-ever donut-eating contest held during the fair in late July.

The International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) has awarded the contest first place (fairs under 100,000 in attendance division) in the Competitive Exhibits (participatory contest) category of its annual contest program.

“This is the first time our fair has been recognized with an IAFE award and we’re all very excited,” says Robert Batt, Orleans County 4-H Youth Development Educator.

The award will be presented at the IAFE Convention in Las Vegas Nov. 29-Dec. 2.

“Brandon Johnson will attend to represent our fair as he has for the last three years while looking for new exciting entertainment,” Batt said. “Our entry will also be put on a flash drive and shared along with all other winners with all member fairs in attendance at the IAFE annual convention.”

According to the IAFE website, the contest program awards, “display the level of professionalism we strive to uphold in the industry.”

The IAFE represents more than 1,000 fairs around the world.

Jason Clark, center, and Morgan Seielstad compete in a donut-eating contest. Contestants were challenged to eat six doughnuts.

The Donut Eating Contest was sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts, which provided the donuts for the event. The event included heats involving three participants at a time who went head to head with a local law enforcement officer from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department to see who could consume the most donuts during a set period of time.

Participant and audience reactions were excellent, fair officials reported in their entry form for the award.

“Many people have already commented that they plan to participate again next year and we have a small number of sheriff’s deputies working on plans and strategies for next year,” the entry states.

The awards and convention bring recognition to the Orleans County 4-H Fair, and also help local fair planners make the Orleans County 4-H Fair an even better event.

“These awards allow our fair members to not only compete for top honors in the respective division, contest, and categories, but also give fair representatives the opportunity to network,” the IAFE website states. “Having the ability to learn from one another in the fair industry is priceless.”

Robert Batt agrees. “Hopefully Brandon (Johnson) comes back with some more news about potential acts and a thumb drive full of great ideas for us to think about.”

Barre Scouts collect nearly 500 items in food drive

Posted 16 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Provided photo, Heidi Pask

BARRE – Scouts in Troop and Pack 175 in Barre collected 478 food items on Saturday in the annual Scouting for Food campaign. Scouts are pictured at the food pantry of Community Action of Orleans & Genesee.

The group includes front row, from left: Guideon Pask and Owen Rush.

Second row: Dillon DiGiulio, Brett Schreiner, Willem DeRuysscher, Matthew Mathes and Isaac Hickman.

Third row: Mr. Schreiner, John Schreiner, Dominic DiGiulio, Eli Pask, Ben Hickman, Mr. DiGiulio, Aiden Rush, Mr. Hickman and Sadie Pask.

Scouts not pictured include Nicholas Luft, Ivan Barry, Tristan Lusk and Nicholas Andrews.

Other local Scouts also participated in Scouting for Food.

Syracuse awards degree to Lyndonville native who received Medal of Honor in WWII

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 November 2015 at 12:00 am

(Includes reporting from Syracuse University)

After war, Forrest Vosler attended classes at Syracuse

Provided photos, Syracuse University – Technical Sergeant Forrest Lee Vosler was born on July 29, 1923, in Lyndonville. He was presented the Medal of Honor on Aug. 31, 1944 in a ceremony in the Oval Office with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

SYRACUSE – A Lyndonville native who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his valor in World War II has another accomplishment: a college degree.

Forrest Vosler was posthumously awarded the degree during a ceremony at Syracuse University on Friday. Vosler attended classes at Syracuse following the war.

Vosler, a technical sergeant and U.S. Army Air Force radio operator, sustained serious injuries to his eyes, legs, and arms when the plane he was in was shot down and crashed in the North Sea.

Vosler was unable to complete his baccalaureate degree due to his combat injuries. He persisted for 17 years, dropping in and out of school, trying to earn the degree he dearly wanted, said Ray Toenniessen, an Albion native who is managing director of Development and External Relations for the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University.

“Despite being named the Army Air Force’s ‘Greatest Hero’ of World War II, Vosler’s combat injuries to his eyes made it difficult for him to study,” Toenniessen said. “He had trouble reading because he could only see shapes and shades, and required additional surgeries.”

Vosler died on Feb. 17, 1992 with his dream of a college degree not fulfilled. On Friday he joined Syracuse University’s Class of 2015.

Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud presents a diploma to Steve Vosler, son of Forrest Vosler, during a special Degree Conferral Ceremony on Friday. Dr. Karin Ruhlandt (left), dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; and Dr. Mike Haynie, Vice Chancellor for Veteran and Military Affairs also were part of the ceremony.

A committee through the Institute for Veterans and Military Families reviewed Vosler’s transcript and military service. The committee recommended the university award him an Associate of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts. On Friday, Chancellor Kent Syverud presented the degree to Vosler’s son, Steve Vosler.

Forrest Vosler also was recognized as this week’s “Hometown Hero” for Syracuse University and Steve and his wife Karen were recognized on the field at the football game.

Vosler was born on July 29, 1923, in Lyndonville. After graduating from Livonia High School, he enlisted in the Army Air Force where he became a radio operator. Vosler was assigned to the 358th Bombardment Squadron, 303rd Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, in England. He was a crewmember of a B-17 Flying Fortress called the “Jersey Bounce, Jr.”

Provided photo – This World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. includes the name of Lyndonville native, Forrest L. Vosler, a technical sergeant who is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt awarded the Medal of Honor to Vosler in the Oval Office on August 31, 1944, for his actions over Bremen, Germany.

Vosler was hit twice by 20 mm shrapnel after taking the place of one of the plane’s gunners. Despite many injuries to his legs, arms and eyes, he managed to tend to the wounded tail gunner, repair the damaged radio equipment, and send a distress signal before the aircraft crashed into the North Sea, Syracuse University said.

Vosler was discharged from the Army Air Force following numerous surgeries and extended stays in nine hospitals. He matriculated at Syracuse University in the spring of 1945. While at Syracuse, he met and married his wife, Virginia Slacka Kappa Delta and a Liberal Arts graduate of the Class of 1945. They raised four children in Central New York: two sonsStephen and Jeffrey, and two daughters Sondra Fields-England and Susan Snow Bass.

Steve and Karen Vosler, center, were recognized during Saturday’s football game in Syracuse.

Albion middle schoolers have successful food drive for Community Action

Posted 16 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Provided photo, Albion Central School

ALBION – Community Action of Orleans & Genesee representative Andy Ebbs receives goods from Albion Middle School students Abby Tucker, Ashlyn LeBaron, Cody Wilson and James Salvatore.

Students in grades 6-8 collected boxes and bags of canned food to help needy families in the community. The project was organized by the Albion Middle School National Junior Honor Society and the Grade 7 Service Learning classes. A special thanks to all who contributed.

Collins urges Cuomo not to accept Syrian refugees in NY

Posted 16 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Congressman Chris Collins

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Collins (R-Clarence) today released the following statement demanding Governor Andrew Cuomo stop his plans to accept Syrian refugees into New York.

“Ensuring the safety and security of our country and Western New Yorkers is my central focus,” said Congressman Collins. “At this point, we cannot guarantee with 100 percent certainty that the refugees we are accepting from Syria don’t pose a threat to our community. Until we have a process in place that achieves that goal, I am calling on Governor Cuomo to stop plans to accept Syrian refugees.”

Holley Scouts have good collection in food drive

Posted 16 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Provided photo, Erika Thorn

HOLLEY – Holley Cub Scout Pack 3062 collected 559 items of food on Saturday during the annual Scouting for Food campaign in the Village of Holley. All of the food was donated to the Eastern Orleans County Community Center. This food will be used to fill the Thanksgiving Holiday food baskets for needy families in our area.

Scouts pictured include, from left: Front row – Dawson Arnold; Middle row – Aro Krueger, Hunter Sommerfeldt and Noah Patten; Back row – Destin Brown, Miguel Vasquez-Pulcino, Aaiden Smith, Ronald Thorn, Grant Smith and Marshall Rubens. Not pictured – Tyler Moore, Kaden Rheinwald, Steven Hein and Zachary Mrzywka.

NY Farm Bureau says $15 minimum wage would raise costs by $500 million in state

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2015 at 12:00 am

File photo by Tom Rivers – Jim Kirby runs a planter on Zig-Zag Road in Gaines in May during corn planting season.

If New York raises the minimum wage to $15, farmers in the state would see their operating costs increase by $500 million, and that would likely put many farmers out of business, New York Farm Bureau said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to bring the minimum wage from $8.75 to $15 an hour in a phased-in approach.

Farmers are in New York already face higher operating costs than competitors in other states, said Dean Norton, NYFB president.

“No other state in the nation comes close to having a $15 minimum wage,” Norton said in November issue of Grassroots, Farm Bureau’s monthly publication. “In fact, our main farm competitor states, like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Florida will have minimum wages about 30 percent lower than New York’s.”

The American Farm Bureau Federation did an economic analysis of the $15 minimum wage in New York. A 300-acre vegetable farm in central New York would see its costs rise by $600,000 annually. A large dairy farm in the North Country would pay out about $1 million more a year while a smaller dairy in Schoharie County would pay $200,000 more, Farm Bureau said.

The organization said many farms already are at slim profit margins. Some farms, due to price swings in the dairy cycle, are making little or no money.

“This proposal is extremely disappointing and dangerous to the farm business owners that struggle to run financially viable businesses in upstate and rural New York,” said Jeff Williams, director of public policy for NY Farm Bureau.

Norton said most farmers already pay more than the minimum. The current average wage on a farm in New York is $12.15 an hour, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Upping the minimum wage would lift all farm wages,” Norton said. “A worker who already earns a higher hourly rate based on experience and time on the farm would still expect a higher salary than those who are newly hired.”

A $15 minimum wage would force farmers to pay even more than that to keep skilled and experienced workers, Norton said.

If the governor’s proposal goes through, Norton said more farms will turn to automation to reduce labor costs, and consumers can expect to pay more for produce and food.

“The wage hike will also be a bigger barrier for smaller farms who are interested in hiring new employees to grow their businesses,” Norton said. “This will ultimately be bad news for the rural economy that depends on agriculture as its bread and butter.”