MEDINA – Members of the Western New York Flash, a women’s professional soccer team, will visit the Oak Orchard Elementary School in Medina on Thursday afternoon to promote fitness.
The Flash are one of nine teams of the National Women’s Soccer League. The club won the inaugural NWSL Shield after finishing the 2013 with the best regular-season record.
The team has partnered with Athletes For Hope as a part of the Let’s Move! Active Schools Campaign.
The Flash will speak with Medina students about the importance of staying active, healthy eating and working toward goals. The assembly will begin at 1 p.m. and will feature 450 students from grades kindergarten to 3rd grade.
The assembly will feature a short presentation from Flash players who will discuss their story, how physical activity is important to them and how it has helped them become a professional athlete.
Afterwards, the team will lead the students in fitness and soccer-related activities.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – The dominant church tower in Holley’s Public Square hasn’t told time for many years. But that changed last week when the four clocks where fixed.
The clock faces had been bare in recent years, but Glenn Hughson, owner of the former United Methodist church building, put back the clocks and their mechanical systems.
“People are real happy,” said Mary Ellen Ridley, Holley’s deputy village clerk. “Many residents really missed the clock.”
Hughson used a state Main Street grant to help pay for the $17,310 project, which included new front doors for the former church, which is now used for apartments. The state funds covered 75 percent of the costs.
Jonathan Ross, owner of Jonathan’s in the Public Square, has one of the best views of the church tower and clock from his bakery and coffee shop.
Ross said many of the long-time residents appreciate seeing the functioning clock tower.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 27 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Cooking with the sun, erosion control, conserving electricity among the learning stations at 47th annual event
Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Orleans County Deputy Sheriff Erin Fuller discusses staying safe this summer in and around water with local 6th graders at the “Water, boats and being safe” station at this year’s Annual Orleans County Conservation Field Days.
KNOWLESVILLE – Hundreds of sixth-graders from Orleans County this week are learning about environmental, wildlife, safety and conservation issues during the 47th Annual Orleans County Conservation Field Days at the 4-H Fairgrounds.
The program ran on Tuesday and continues today. It is hosted by Orleans County 4-H youth development. Robert Batt, 4-H youth development educator, says about 450 students from Albion, Kendall, Holley, Medina and Lyndonville Central School Districts are taking part.
Batt works to organize the event which includes more than a dozen learning/activity “stations” set up around the fairgrounds and which cover such topics as erosion control tillage, composting, wildlife habitat walk, cooking with the sun, rabies, and “conserve electricity – turn off Xbox and play with a dog.”
“We are so thankful for the diversity of wonderful instructors who come to share their knowledge with the students,” Batt says.
Various professionals and volunteers, including Orleans County 4-Hers, take part in presenting topics and also highlight potential career opportunities in the areas discussed. The event additionally gives students a chance to see some of the programming that is available to them through the local 4-H program.
Nola Goodrich-Kreese of the Orleans County Health Department discusses rabies, including its symptoms and how to keep safe, with 6th graders in Mr. Englert’s class at Albion Central School on Tuesday, the first day of the Annual Conservation Field Days which continues today.
Local 6th graders prepare to test their knowledge of conservation during the “Conservation Trivia Contest” Tuesday afternoon.
Kate, a Lincoln Longwool sheep (left), and a Navajo-Churro lamb are owned by the Dreschel family of Holley. The animals are part of the Heritage Sheep station at this year’s Conservation Field Days.
Local 6th graders take part in “Conservation Relays” during the 47th Annual Orleans County Conservation Field Days. Two classes at a time faced-off in a competition that tested their knowledge of wildlife, including animal tracks.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 May 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A 27-year-old man, who had sex with a 15-year-old girl who became pregnant, will be listed as a Level 2 sex offender in a public registry, Orleans County Judge James Punch ruled.
Jairo Chavez, 27, was in Orleans County as a migrant farm worker when he had sex with the 15-year-old girl. He was convicted of two counts of third-degree rape and sentenced to two years in state prison, plus 15 years of post-release supervision.
Chavez was 26 at the time of the crime. He also is a prior felon, the District Attorney’s Office reported.
He had a hearing in Albion at county court last week to determine his risk level as a sex offender. Judge Punch deemed Chavez a Level 2 offender, considered a moderate risk for a repeat offense.
Chavez is currently an inmate at Gouverneur Correctional Facility in St. Lawrence County. He is eligible for release as early as July 6.
Photo by Tom Rivers – This field on Brown Road in the Town of Gaines was saturated with water after a lot of rain last July 28, 2014.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Farm Bureau Federation and Congressman Chris Collins are among the many to react strongly against an announcement today by President Barack Obama for clean water regulations.
The president, despite opposition from Farm Bureau, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and many Republicans in Congress, announced he would use executive authority to impose a rule known as “Waters of the United States.”
The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers jointly proposed the rule. Farm groups say the rule could result in higher new costs and burdens, forcing farmers to pay for environmental assessments and to obtain permits to till the soil near gullies, ditches or dry streambeds where water flows only when it rains, The New York Times reported.
A federal government will require a permit for any activity, such as farming or construction, that creates a discharge into a body of water covered under the Clean Water Act or affects the health of it, like filling in a wetland or blocking a stream, according to The New York Times.
Congressman Chris Collins (R-Clarence) issued the following statement after the Obama Administration finalized its Clean Water Act Waters of the United States Rule.
“The Obama Administration’s ruling today is a continuation of their regulatory assault on our nation’s farmers. The EPA’s overreach is causing real harm for local farmers and stalling business development. When I visit with local farmers, the heavy burdens under the Clean Water Act come up each and every time. When the bureaucrats at the EPA decide to call a divot in the ground that fills with rain a ‘navigable waterway’ under the CWA, we know our federal government has run amuck. I will continue to do all I can to fight this burdensome and business crushing ruling.”
Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, issued this statement today:
“We are undertaking a thorough analysis of the final WOTUS rule to determine whether the Environmental Protection Agency listened to the substantive comments farmers and ranchers submitted during the comment period. Based on EPA’s aggressive advocacy campaign in support of its original proposed rule – and the agency’s numerous misstatements about the content and impact of that proposal – we find little comfort in the agency’s assurances that our concerns have been addressed in any meaningful way.
“The process used to produce this rule was flawed. The EPA’s proposal transgressed clear legal boundaries set for it by Congress and the Courts and dealt more with regulating land use than protecting our nation’s valuable water resources. EPA’s decision to mount an aggressive advocacy campaign during the comment period has tainted what should have been an open and thoughtful deliberative process. While we know that farmers and ranchers were dedicated to calling for substantial changes to the rule, we have serious concerns about whether their comments were given full consideration.
“We expect to complete our review in the next few days. We are looking in particular at how the rule treats so-called ephemeral streams, ditches, small ponds and isolated wetlands. We will decide on an appropriate course of action once that review is complete.”
ALBION – Several Rotary Interact members recently visited East High School in Rochester as part of an “urban/rural cultural exchange.” The Albion students visited classes, toured the school, and discussed life in an urban setting.
The students all agreed that despite the many outward differences, they were alike in many ways. East High students will visit Albion next fall. Albion students included Kyle Smith, Dom Dicureia, Emily Blanchard, Mariah Elsenheimer, Desiree Barber, Matilda Erakare, Ally Graham, Clara Stilwell, Makenzie Donahue and MacKenzie Luft.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 May 2015 at 9:46 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Firefighters were called to Fischer’s News Stand this morning after glass shattered from one of the second-floor windows and fell on the sidewalk.
The building was inspected for electrical problems, but none were found.
Firefighters are pictured at about 9 a.m. this morning at Fischer’s.
After speculation the building may have shifted, causing the window to break and fall out, Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti said the building may need to be inspected by an engineer to make sure it is structurally sound.
Vendetti said it may just have been a tight window or a bird could have caused the problem.
Fischer’s owner Gary Withey had a new roof and other building repairs made in 2009. The building at 105-107 North Main St. was built in 1828 and is one of the oldest on Main Street.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – It’s tranquil on the Erie Canal this evening, but the National Weather Service warns of thunderstorms that could hit around 5 this morning with more thunderstorms on Wednesday night between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for western and central New York due to a chance of flooding from the storms.
“Showers and thunderstorms during the morning and midday will have the potential to produce very heavy slow moving downpours that could result in localized flooding,” the Weather Service stated. “A second round of thunderstorms Wednesday evening could contain the risk of strong to damaging wind gusts.”
Wednesday is forecast for a high of 85, followed by a high of 75 on Thursday and a high of 82 on Friday.
These photos show the canal in Albion looking west towards the Gaines Basin Road bridge. This photo was taken from a bridge on Albion-Eagle Harbor Road.
MEDINA – Cassidy Oliver sees how low she can go at the limbo competition, one of the events at the Orchard Manor Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Medina during National Nursing Home Week.
This year’s theme for the event from May 10-16 at Orchard Manor was “Bring on the Fiesta!”
Leonel and Lola Rosario, co-owners of Mariachi De Oro, a Mexican restaurant in Medina, performed Mexican dances with audience participation. The Rosarios also brought refried beans for sampling.
Other events included music, a book fair, ice cream social and a line dancing performance by the Hot Country Liners
Service awards were also presented to staff members for years of service. Dave Denny, administrator, presented the awards. The following are pictured, front row, from left: Vicki Boyd and Roxanne Rhodes. Middle row: Carolyn Dix, Lynn Goodrich, LuAnn Thompson, Jackie Wheatley, Sarah Drier and Laura Bruton. Back row: Administrator Dave Denny and Jim Young.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Capuano family, which is riding the entire Erie Canal to promote foster parenting, passed through Orleans County on Monday. They are pictured in Albion.
Renee and John Capuano and their two oldest children – Paul and Priscilla – want to encourage families to give foster parenting a try.
“Even if a child spends one night in your home and they are safe, you’ve made a difference in their life,” Mrs. Capuano said.
Paul Capuano, 16, came up with the idea of riding the canal length, hoping to inspire more people to try adoption and foster care. His family has recently adopted five children they were fostering: Edgar, 5; Vinny, 5; Nico, 6; Emilio, 6; and Franny, 8.
Paul has been pedaling a cargo bike with room for the four youngest to ride together. His sister Priscilla, 14, is riding a tandem bike with room for a sibling.
Priscilla leads the pack coming into Albion on Monday followed by her brother Paul and mother Renee.
There are 2,000 children in need of foster homes throughout the state, including 35 in Orleans County.
“We need foster homes desperately,” said Holli Nenni, deputy commissioner of Department of Social Services in Orleans County.
She met with the Capuanos in Albion on Monday. The family kept going to Lockport on Monday and today will complete the trip to Buffalo.
They are wearing bright orange shirts that urge people to try foster care.
“If we can do it, so can you,” reads the shirts.
Mrs. Capuano said the family considered adopting a child from another country before they pursued becoming foster parents.
“It seemed monumental but the county works with you,” Mrs. Capuano said.
Her oldest children have been welcoming to the adopted kids.
“Our message is give it a try,” Mr. Capuano said.
For more on the foster care program in Orleans County, call DSS at (585) 589-7000.
Paul Capuano crosses the Main Street lift bridge with four of his young siblings in tow on a cargo bike.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 May 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature and Albion Village Board are both pressing state officials to update a law for recycling TVs and other electronic waste.
The state on Jan. 1 began banning curbside disposal of older TVs with cathode-ray technology. Many residents have upgraded from those televisions, switching to popular flat screens. Many of the older TVs have been dumped in ditches along rural roads, local officials said.
Municipalities would like to help residents properly get rid of the older televisions without it being an expensive burden. The state said manufacturers were supposed to take back older TVs, but the state capped the amount of discarded material companies have to accept each year.
Manufacturers have been hitting that cap midway through the year, Orleans County legislators said. Once the cap is hit, “cash-strapped” local governments are left to bear the burden, county legislators said.
“The issue is exacerbated by the fact that electronics currently sold today are much lighter than the obsolete CRT devices that make up about 70 percent of the weight of e-scrap generated, which are cost intensive to responsibly manage,” according to a resolution passed by the County Legislature and also the Albion Village Board.
“As a result, may local governments across the state have grappled with the burden to fund or cease e-scrap collection, which has been particularly difficult in rural communities that do not benefit from retail collectors or economies of scale,” according to the resolution.
The County Legislature and Village Board are asking Gov. Cuomo, the State Legislature and State Department of Environmental Conservation to work towards a long-term solution for electronic waste recycling for both urban and rural areas.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Mike Dreyfus, a Medina Mustang Band booster for nearly 20 years, leads the band while it plays patriotic songs on Memorial Day at State Street Park. Dreyfus also led the band on the parade route from the Olde Pickle Factory on Park Avenue to the park on East Center Street.
He won a contest to be guest conductor for the parade. People paid $1 to vote for one of five guest conductors and Dreyfus was the winner.
“They march real fast,” Dreyfus said after the parade.
Dreyfus joined drum major Chris Keller (pictured at right) in keeping the band on pace.
“He did a good job,” sophomore Kristian Snyder said about Dreyfus. “He kept in time very well and he made his commands very clear.”
Snyder said Dreyfus is popular among the 130-plus kids in the band. He is a vocal supporter at their many parades and events, and works hard to raise money for the Mustangs.
“He’s been one of the biggest boosters,” Snyder said. “He’s a very nice man.”
Chris Keller, left, and Mike Dreyfus lead the band while it plays the National Anthem and other patriotic songs at State Street Park.
Dreyfus became active with the band when his son Kip, Class of 2003, joined as an eighth-grader. Dreyfus has been impressed by the band members’ dedication and accomplishment, and the pride they bring to the community.
He worked 20 years in probation and then 20 years as a substance abuse counselor. He said the band is a great prevention program, helping the kids to connect to the community, learn discipline and resist temptations with drugs and alcohol.
Dreyfus, 68, said he doesn’t have too much musical ability. But it was a thrill to join the band on Memorial Day, with an enthusiastic crowd along the way.
“This is something I can cross off my bucket list,” he said.
Provided photos – Holley has a variety of exercise equipment in the Family Fitness Center.
HOLLEY – The school district has been notified that the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant has been approved for a second year for $214,601.
Holley received this continuance of the grant because they have “good performance of the grant’s goals and objectives and have improved on all three Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) measures,” the school district announced.
Those measures Holley must meet include:
1. Students completing 60 minutes of daily physical activity, measured with pedometers and activity logs;
2. Students meeting the standard of a healthy fitness zone in at least five of the six fitness areas of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program;
3. Students consuming two fruits and three vegetables per day, measured with surveys.
Holley students wore movable bands to record their physical activity, participated in fitness and nutrition activities through physical education classes and FIT4U! sessions throughout the year, and were provided with fruits and vegetables through the cafeteria services program during and after school.
Holley received $438,430 in the first year of the PEP grant, which made the creation of the Family Fitness Center in the Elementary School possible, along with the programs mentioned above.
Physical Education teacher Lisa Campbell has been the administrator of the grant.
“I wish to commend Lisa Campbell on her efforts to help secure the grant,” said District Superintendent Robert D’Angelo.
“I also commend her for her hard work with the Family Fitness Center and all of the activities associated with educating students, staff, parents and the community about the importance of good nutrition and physical activity. I look forward to the second year of this grant and the good things to come from it.”
If Holley shows further improvement in the GPRA measures in its second year, the district can receive a continuance award of $128,612.
“Our physical education staff has worked diligently to ensure that we not only meet, but exceed, the standards of the grant requirements,” Campbell said. “Their support and fine efforts are sincerely appreciated.”
Cora Bennage, a Holley fifth grader, is pictured on the elliptical machine in the Holley Family Fitness Center.
Holley recently added more state-of-the-art equipment to its Family Fitness Center. An abdominal machine, leg press, rowing machine and lateral elliptical machine have been added.
This is in addition to the treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines, iDance system, cross trainer, upper body ergometer, adaptive motion trainer, weight bench and free weights that the center currently has. Some pieces of equipment are youth-sized to enable children ages 10 and older to exercise alongside their family members.
The Family Fitness Center is open Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. when school is in session. The Family Fitness Center is available for use by residents of the Holley Central School District free of charge. Children age 10 and older may use the center with their families in the evening.
The Family Fitness Center is available for use by classes during the school day and by staff when not in use by classes. Trained supervisors are on duty during family fitness times to assist participants and to promote a safe and orderly environment in which to work out.
Nicole Rose, a Holley graduate, has been coming to the Family Fitness Center for the last couple of months.
“It saves me on gym membership if I come here,” said Rose.
Scott Allen, who lives nearby, also echoes that sentiment. “I like being able to come here four nights a week and it’s easy to get here,” said Allen.
Holley parent Kevin McGuire agrees. “I can work out here when I drop off my kids to play a sport – it’s really convenient,” said McGuire. “It’s never crowded and they have brand new equipment.”
The district qualified for almost $800,000 of federal funding to promote good nutrition and physical exercise among the students, staff and district families.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
CASTILE – This community in Wyoming County last June rededicated a bronze statue of a doughboy, a memorial for soldiers from the Castile community who served in World War I. (I drove by this site on Sunday when coming back home from Letchworth State Park.)
The weather will cooperate for today’s Memorial Day holiday with temperatures reaching a high of 83. It will be partly sunny, according to the National Weather Service.
The statue in Castile was in need of refurbishing and was sent to Illinois for repairs before being rededicated last June 14 as part of a Flag Day ceremony. The statue is now 89 years old.
The statute was first erected in 1926. It was designed by sculptor Ernest M. Visquey.
Some Medina community members are working to have a bronze statue of a World War I solider placed atop the monument by the former Armory, which is now the Orleans County YMCA on Pearl Street. For more information on that project, visit companyfmemorial.com.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – John Butts and his family treasure the dog tag and diary from John E. Butts, the only Medal of Honor recipient in Medina’s history.
However, the Butts family didn’t want to just store the diary and dog tag in a drawer or in a display at one of the relative’s. The family decided to give the identification and diary to the Medina community.
The top photo shows the dog tag with the name Anna Butts, the mother of the soldier. The dog tag was covered in blood, and that blood corroded the metal, causing it to split in half, Butts family members said today.
John Butts, nephew to Medina’s famed soldier from World War II, presented the dog tag and diary to Steve Johnson, commander of the American Legion, during a Memorial Day service today at State Street Park.
Steve Johnson, right, accepts the dog tag and diary from John Butts, nephew of the Medal of Honor recipient from Medina.
Johnson then presented the dog tag and diary to Catherine Cooper, director of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, which already has a display about Butts with his medals, Medal of Honor citation and photographs.
“They are better served here than being locked in a closet or drawer,” said John Butts, who travelled to Medina from Portland, Maine. “It is more proper here. Medina is the origin.”
Butts and 10 other family members have been in Medina the past few days, learning more about John E. Butts.
The village named a park for Butts and the American Legion post also bears his name. He died in World War II in Normandy. Butts had already been wounded when he led a charge to distract the enemy. He was fatally wounded, but his battalion was able to advance.
Butts had five brothers serve in the war. The family is now spread around the country. They met for a reunion in Medina the past few days with Butts family members traveling from Portland, Maine; San Diego, Calif; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Rock Hill, South Carolina; and Virginia.
The Butts family is pictured with Catherine Cooper, back right, following the Memorial Day service today at State Street Park.
The family came together to give the treasured items from John E. Butts to Medina.
“I’m very appreciative and proud of Medina,” John Butts told a crowd gathered at State Street Park. “I’m very proud of the town of Medina and the kindness and generosity of the people.”
Butts said the big crowds of people that turned out for Memorial Day is unusual in America today. He said his uncle was like many from the community who heeded the call to serve the country.
The family started talking more in the past year when Tim Butts was contacted by a documentary filmmaker about John E. Butts. The family worked to assemble information. They discussed the diary and the dog tag and where those artifacts should go. They decided they wanted back in the community where Butts grew up.
This diary, held by Catherine Cooper, details the boot camp experiences by John E. Butts.
Catherine Cooper, the library director and also Ridgeway town historian, thanked the family for their generosity. She said the diary, with the family’s blessing, would be reproduced for the public.
Doug Butts, a family member from Grand Rapids, Mich., thanked the community for keeping up the park, Legion Post and grave for John E. Butts. Doug Butts said the family is impressed by the small-town charm in Medina.
“It’s a beautiful town with a Rockwellian Main Street,” he said.
