By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Lori Passarell, mother of Holley senior Nick Passarell, grieves after seeing her son on a stretcher today during a simulation at Holley Central School. Passarell is comforted by Deputy Jeff Cole.
County Coroner Scott Schmidt and David Mitchell, left, from Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes took Nick Passarell to a hearse owned by the funeral home.
Holley area firefighters and law enforcement put organized the simulation on the day of Holley’s prom, which is tonight at Deerfield Country Club in Brockport. Students were urged to not drink and drive, and to make smart choices behind the wheel, avoiding texting, drinking, drugs or drowsiness.
DK Autobody in Albion donated these two banged-up vehicles that were set by each other to simulate an accident.
Five Holley students wore makeup to simulate blood and injuries from the accident. One Holley student was also “arrested” for driving drunk and led away in a police car.
Firefighters used extrication equipment to free student Delilah Grathouse from the wreck. She is pictured at left on the stretcher. This is the first time in 10 years Holley area firefighters and police worked with the school district to do the DWI simulation.
Delilah Grathouse is led by stretcher to a Mercy Flight helicopter on the school campus.
A sign by the main driveway to the school urges students to be safe and responsible, especially during a season of prom and many graduation parties.
Nick Passarell is under the wreckage in this vehicle. He would be pronounced dead in front of his classmates by a coroner. Firefighters from Holley, Clarendon and Fancher-Hulberton-Murray were part of the simulation.
Although it was role playing, Nick’s mother Lori Passarell was overcome seeing her son bloodied in the wreckage.
Roland Nenni, Holley police chief, urges students to avoid drugs and alcohol. However, if they make that bad decision, he told the students to call a parent or friend if they ever need a ride.
Mercy Flight takes off from Holley Central School.
Nick Passarell hugs his mother Lori. Nick said he hopes today’s simulation sent a strong message to his classmates and community to be safe while driving.
Lyndonville is planning a similar DWI simulation on June 8 and Albion will have one on June 10.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Michael Santoro, an inmate in the Orleans County Jail, has been drug-free for about nine months after four years of using cocaine and heroin. He is pictured with Jail Superintendent Scott Wilson, left, and Sheriff Randy Bower.
ALBION – Scott Wilson has worked 20 years in the Orleans County Jail. The jail superintendent has seen the repetitive cycle with many inmates coming in for drug offenses, or drug-fueled crimes such as burglaries. They are in jail often for a few months to a year, and then are released only to commit new crimes because of the strong pull of their addictions.
Wilson said these residents never quite get control of their drug demons, leading to years of criminal conduct and time in the county jail at taxpayer expense.
“Right now there is a very high recidivism,” Wilson said Thursday at the jail on Platt Street.
A new program has started this week in the county jail to help break that pattern of drug addiction and crime. The jail will offer Vivitrol, an injection that blocks the effects of opioids, a powerful narcotic. (The drug manufacturer is making the first injection available for free at the jail.)
The Sheriff’s Office has teamed with the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to have Vivitrol available for six months after an inmate leaves the jail. The monthly injections when an inmate is released from jail will likely be covered by health insurance programs at $800 per injection, Wilson said.
GCASA also will have counselors to help released inmates transition into the community. GCASA recently opened transitional housing for residents fighting addictions. That transitional shelter is next to the GCASA offices on Route 31 in Albion. That site puts addicts in a supportive community where they are urged to stay drug-free.
Sheriff Randy Bower, Wilson and GCASA staff will screen soon-to-be released inmates to determine if they will be in the new Sheriff’s Transitional Addiction Management Program or STAMP.
The Orleans County Mental Health Department also is part of the new effort. Wilson and Bower said three other counties in the state offer transitional programs for addicts. Bower believes Orleans is the first to have both addiction and mental health services available for inmates.
“These are people who made a mistake and can’t quit,” Bower said. “These are people from our community that come to our jail. We need to give them the best opportunity to not come back to us.”
Bower said he is pleased to see the support for the program from jail staff, GCASA, Mental Health and other county officials. Bower said more services have been needed in the jail to help drug-addicted residents. Bower said it will ultimately save taxpayer money, should reduce crime, and improve the lives of addicts and their loved ones.
Michael Santoro will be released from the jail in two months. He is serving a six-month sentence for attempted burglary in the second degree. Santoro, 23, grew up in Medina.
He said he was addicted to heroin and cocaine for four years. He tried to quit by using prescription narcotics such as Methadone and Suboxone, which are used as painkillers. Santoro said he still had powerful drug cravings when he used Methadone and Suboxone.
He was constantly thinking about his next drug fix until he entered a drug treatment late last year and received a Vivitrol injection. Vivitrol took the cravings away by blocking the pull of opioids. Santoro said Vivitrol has been a key in helping him stay off drugs.
“I would recommend it to anyone who wants to be clean,” Santoro said Thursday while in the jail. “But you have to want it.”
Santoro admits he was a mess last August when he entered the jail after being arrested for a break-in in Ridgeway. Santoro was down to 140 pounds.
“Addiction, it destroys you mentally, physically and spiritually,” he said.
He went through withdrawal in jail, spending 55 days behind bars before entering a 28-day drug treatment program in Buffalo. That was when he was given Vivitrol to help fight the addictions.
“It was the first time in four years I didn’t go mentally insane,” Santoro said. “I could go all month without thinking about drugs. It worked wonders for me.”
Santoro now weighs about 180 pounds, up 40 pounds from last August. He is enrolled at Erie Community College and wants to be a drug abuse counselor. He moved to Cheektowaga because he said he needed to change his surroundings to not fall back into the trap of addiction. (Last month he was sentenced for the attempted burglary and has two months left in jail.)
Wilson and Bower see Santoro as a success story. They want to him to be an example to other addicts, to show the turnaround that is possible in fighting addictions.
Bower said an addict needs to hit rock bottom, and want to change. He will personally interview people who want to be in new program through the jail.
The sheriff and Wilson, the jail superintendent, said the program will be modified as they see what works and what needs improvement. Bower said the addicts now have the support services in place to help them when they are released from jail.
“The big thing is the hand-off from when they leave the jail,” Bower said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Paula Shipe is the first in line this afternoon to try out the Frosty Bucket at 43 North Main St. Hilary Clark is the second customer.
ALBION – Downtown Albion has new place for a cool dessert. The Frosty Bucket opened today at 2 p.m. at 43 North Main St.
The business is owned by Adam and Tina Johnson. They are also working to renovate a site next door, hoping to turn that space into a restaurant and bar. Mr. Johnson said the family is working to have that open in the fall.
The Frosty Bucket was more do-able, and should provide revenue to help the Johnsons tackle some of the other projects in the building. Johnson is also president of the Albion Merchants Association. He expects The Frosty Bucket will draw people to the downtown business district.
“We want to make use of the building, and get more people downtown and on the sidewalk,” Johnson said just before the business opened this afternoon.
Adam and Tina Johnson are pictured with their son Tyler when The Frosty Bucket opened this afternoon.
Johnson and his employees worked a month to gut the building and put in new floors, walls, a front window, and all the kitchen equipment, which required new electrical work. He also added outdoor tables and chairs. The tables should have umbrellas soon.
Johnson pushed to have the business open in time for the Strawberry Festival, which is June 10-11.
The Frosty Bucket will have a full-time employee and a team of part-timers. The business will initially be open 2 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Johnson said a take-out menu will be added soon and lunch hours will then be included.
For now, the Frosty Bucket has several flavors of ice cream cones, milk shakes and sundaes, as well as cold beverages.
“We just want to make an impact in the downtown,” Johnson said.
Paula Shipe placed the first order, an ice cream cone with a scoop each of Cannoli and Deep Sea Treasure. Employee Kim Fisher, left, hands the cone to Shipe.
Shipe’s son Phil works for Johnson and has been busy for several months on renovations inside the building, with the past month focused on the ice cream shop.
“They’ve worked so hard on this,” Shipe said. “It’s beautiful. They did a great job.”
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 2 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Holley will be the site of a number of special events this Saturday, even though the annual June Fest, which typically occurs the first Saturday in June, has been postponed until next year while it is re-organized. This photo shows the Salisbury Fountain and some of the buildings in Public Square.
HOLLEY – Despite the fact there will be no June Fest celebration in the Village of Holley this weekend, many activities and events are still planned for Saturday, and community leaders are welcoming all to come and, “enjoy a day in the Village of Holley.”
The annual Village Wide Yard Sale is planned all day at the Community Center and throughout the village.
Additionally, the Murray-Holley Historical Society has a bake sale planned at the Depot beginning at 9 a.m. until gone. The Holley Community Library will hold a book sale from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. and the Holley Garden Club will be holding their plant sale at the Presbyterian Church from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Garden Club members recently worked to beautify the Public Square for the summer season with plantings and containers of annual flowers. The flowers are purchased by the village and Garden Club members plant and maintain them throughout the growing season.
The Annual Village Wide Yard Sale will be held this Saturday in Holley. A number of other events will also be occurring.
St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church is holding a chicken barbecue and basket raffle from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The baskets will be raffled off at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Additionally, St. Mary’s is holding its first-ever reunion for anyone who ever attended or worked at St. Mary’s School on Sunday, June 5. If the school was still open, it would celebrate it’s 65th anniversary this year and the parish is holding the reunion as part of the celebration of St. Mary’s parish’s 150th anniversary.
A 2 p.m. Mass is planned on Sunday with a reception to follow at 3:30 p.m. Food and beverages will be provided and those attending will be able to get “re-acquainted” with old friends.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – No one was injured in a two-car accident this morning after 9 a.m. at the 5 corners on Route 98, north of the Village of Albion.
The driver of the car pictured above drove from East Bacon Road onto Route 98, and was struck by a car headed north, an Albion police officer said at the scene.
The air bags in this car deployed in the accident. The police officer said a boy in this car bit his tongue in the accident, but was doing fine.
Albion firefighters, Albion police and Orleans County deputies were at the scene, as well as Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance, although COVA wasn’t needed for transport.
Dan Morrow, a member of the Albion Fire Department, directs traffic near the accident. Debris was strewn onto 98 on the east bound lane near Bacon Road.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The 30th anniversary of the Albion Strawberry Festival, set for next week on June 10-11, will again have royalty. The festival committee picked student ambassadors to represent the festival.
The group includes, from left: Prince Garric Winterkorn, King DeClan McCue, Queen Melissa Barnosky, and Princess Ashleigh Mowatt.
To be considered for the royalty, Albion students had to write an essay about this year’s festival theme which celebrates the historic Erie Canal. The students wrote how the canal gave birth to many canal towns, including Albion, which was originally called Newport. The canal was built from 1817-1825 in one of the country’s biggest public works projects ever. The ease of transporting goods turned New York into the Empire State, Barnosky wrote in her essay.
The royalty will be included in the parade at 10 a.m. on June 11. They will also help drop the plastic turtles into the canal during the Turtle Race at 2 p.m. on June 11.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) today announced he has signed on as a cosponsor of new legislation, coined the Charitable Gaming Act of 2016 (click here), which would allow charitable organizations and raffle holders to accept credit and legal tender for raffles as well as advertise and sell tickets online.
Hawley has also introduced his own legislation, A.10516 (click here), which he said will remedy New York’s archaic and detrimental gaming laws by allowing credit or debit cards for payment. Raffle tickets can also be purchased via the Internet or mobile application with a credit or debit card upon the account holder’s direct consent.
Current gaming regulations do not allow charitable groups and non-profits to collect raffle fees using check or credit cards and do not allow the sale of tickets outside of the county which the event will be taking place. The Stafford Fire Department previously sold tickets nation-wide for its annual car raffle and used the proceeds for charitable donations and to fund the department.
“I am eager to see this bill come to the floor for a vote,” Hawley said. “It is scheduled to pass through committee today, and being authored by a Majority member gives it that much more potential to move through the legislative process. As I’ve said before, this is an issue that affects communities and benevolent organizations all across the state. Our statutes need to catch up with technology before more damage is done, and that is exactly what this legislation aims to do.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Elizabeth Carpenter
LYNDONVILLE – This swan was out early on Memorial Day, enjoying the water by the dam on Johnson Creek. Elizabeth Carpenter was up just after sunrise to get these photos that include the patriotic display of flags on the grounds of Lyndonville Central School. “Small town with big heart!” Carpenter said in an email.
The forecast calls for sunshine and 70s the next few days. The National Weather Service in Buffalo is forecasting a high near 79 on Thursday with showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 2 p.m.
Friday is forecast to be mostly sunny with a high near 77, followed by sunny and a high near 79 on Saturday. Sunday will be a high near 75 with showers likely, according to the NWS in Buffalo.
Provided photos
MEDINA – About 20 men, including Medina police officer Jason Barnum, participated in the “Real Men Read” event at the Head Start in Medina on April 28.
The Head Start program promotes literacy, with the emphasis that parents are their children’s first and primary teacher.
Ryan and Jackson Lucas read a book together as part of “Real Men Read” at the Head Start center on Ensign Avenue.
Joe and Chloe Luxon read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle.
Medina firefighters Ashton Lang, left, and Dillon Parker were among the volunteer readers from the community.
Kyle McMullen reads to his daughter, Kylee, during the event on April 28 at Head Start.
Provided photos – Medina’s Destination Imagination teams includes, from left: Margaret Klotzbach, Elle Gross, Jack Masse, Mary Flores, Nathan Sherman, Layna Valoria and Abigail Neuman.
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – Students from all around the world, including Medina, participated in a three-day event known as Destination Imagination in Knoxville, Tenn. More than 17,000 people attended the competition, which is billed as the largest creativity gathering of its kind.
Destination Imagination works with educators and industry experts to develop seven new academic challenges in the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Students work in teams to research, design and build a solution to their challenge.
Students had the opportunity to compete, attend workshops, and develop science and space-related skills. Destination Imagination organizers say the participants are some of the most creative and innovative students in the world.
“We have students from China, we have students from Turkey, we have students from Qatar, they’re from all over the world. In fact our international participation has been growing phenomenally over the past few years and we’re really excited to give our students here in the United States a chance to interact with global participants,” says Andrew Whitmire, Associate Program Director.
Whitmire says each team spends two to four months coming up with a solution to a problem. They later present their solution at local tournaments. The teams with the highest scores compete at the state and country level. The Global Finals event is the international competition.
Medina team members are pictured in their ’60s style outfits. They include, from left: Jack Masse, Mary Flores, Layna Valoria, Elle Gross, Nathan Sherman, Margaret Klotzbach and in front: Abigail Neuman.
Seven 8th grade students from Medina High School comprised The ’60s Team. They competed in the long-term challenge, Get a Clue. The team had a few months to solve and prepare a solution where they had to present a mystery story, which was set on Earth, and chose a time period before 1990.
While on a live on stage, they discovered which of the three suspects is responsible for the mystery, and they had to quickly come up with an ending on the spot. The performance, which was presented in traverse staging, also had to include a TechniClue that helped to solve the mystery.
Luckily the team had the help of the Medina Village Police before they left for competition to learn the art of fingerprinting to crack their case in the eight-minute solution. The team also competed in the instant challenge portion of the competition that involved walking into a room where they are presented with a handful of materials. They were given about five to seven minutes to solve the problem given to them.
The Medina team is pictured with members of a team from Korea.
In addition to the competition, the students also enjoyed fabulous events hosted by the University at Tennessee. They attended an expo with hands-on exhibits from NASA and other leaders in the scientific world, a workshop on scriptwriting and had fun attending a Duct tape costume ball with the band The Exchange. They also attended a passport party, outdoor recreational activities, and met students from all over the world while pin trading.
“The experience was very rewarding,” said Medina coach Marguerite Sherman. “The enrichment the students received is something that they will grow from and treasure for the rest of their lives.”
The students and coaches would like to thank everyone who supported and helped them to have this experience.
Provided photo – Tim Moriarity, left, of Roy-Hart and and Jon Lambert of Newfane helped get the popper working at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina.
Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – When the popcorn machine at Medina’s Lee-Whedon Memorial Library stopped working, one of the employees suggested calling Orleans/Niagara BOCES to see if students could fix it.
“I guess her husband went to the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center to the Electricity program and thought we could help out,” said teacher Bill Leggett.
The students learn electronics and PLC programming their junior year and then residential and electrical construction their senior year so they were able to use their skills to fix the problem.
Luckily the students found the problem quickly and were able to get it back into operation that day.
“Of course we had to test it to make sure it worked properly,” laughed Mr. Leggett.
CALEDONIA – Adam Eick, an agricultural business development major at Morrisville State College, is a participant in this year’s Growmark summer internship program. Eick is the son of Ken and Kelly Eick of Medina.
As an intern, Eick will spend 12 weeks working for Growmark FS in Caledonia. He will complete a special project coordinated through the company. Eick and 60 other interns will meet in August at Growmark headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois to discuss their experiences and present a summary of their projects.
“Our internship program prepares students for real-world experiences in the workforce,” said Amie Hasselbring, Growmark university relations manager. “We provide them hands-on experience working on projects with professionals in their career field of interest. It also allows them to gain professional skills and gives them networking opportunities to prepare them for their future career.”
The Growmark internship program began in 1959 with three interns. Since then, over 1,000 students have been involved in the program. This year’s interns represent 22 universities and will work at FS member cooperatives in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Ontario, Canada; as well as Growmark FS, MID-CO Commodities, and the Growmark corporate office in Bloomington, Illinois.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Della Morales, library media specialist at Albion High School, helps first-grader Drayson Shonerd put on a hat he made in the Popcorn and Paperbacks program at Hoag Library.
Morales and students in the middle and high school multicultural clubs have been reading and doing craft projects on Wednesday afternoons the past eight weeks. The program concluded its first series today, but Morales said it will return in the fall with a Popcorn, Paperbacks and Pumpkins theme.
There were about 15 regular elementary student attendees in the program. Students in the multicultural clubs would read books to the younger kids and help them with weekly craft projects.
Morales said the idea for the program popped into her head. She thanked Hoag Library and the school district for backing the effort. Tina Burgett, multicultural club advisor in the middle school and an art teacher, also was a big help, Morales said.
“It’s been a real cool program,” she said.
Participants in the program hold a banner they created that says Popcorn and Paperbacks. They are pictured by a garden outside the children’s library, where students planted flowers this afternoon.
ALBION – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) today announced new summer hours for his district office in Albion. The office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday from June 1 to Labor Day (Monday, September 5). Hawley’s office is located at 121 N. Main Street, Suite 100 in Albion.
“With summer on its way I have made the decision to change my district office hours slightly,” Hawley said. “I will still remain very accessible as your representative and encourage my constituents to stop by my office or my bi-weekly office hours to discuss issues or questions they may have about state government. The summer is an important period for legislators to spend time in their home districts gathering input, talking with residents and bringing those experiences back to Albany when the legislative session reconvenes.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 May 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Janell Slomba, a sophomore at Roy-Hart, holds artwork she created free hand that won the High School Patriotic Art Contest at the Post and District level for the VFW. She was recognized during Monday’s Memorial Day service at State Street Park in Medina.
Janell’s artwork now advances to the state competition through the VFW. Janell thanked her art teacher Cristine Lucas for encouraging her to develop her talent.
The VFW this fall will have writing contests open to middle and high schoolers. For more information, stop by the Post at 216 East Center St. or check the organization’s Facebook page by clicking here.
