MEDINA – Employee representatives at Orleans Community Health’s Medina Memorial Hospital have called for the intervention of a federal mediator in their ongoing labor negotiations with the facility’s management.
Negotiations for a new contract for 300 staff of OCH began in November. Open issues in the current talks include wages, benefits, and recognition at future locations of the Medina based organization, the union said.
To date, there have been 21 collective bargaining meetings, according to the employees’ union, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. The old contract expired Dec. 31, 2014 but its terms have been extended until the end of this month.
Frustrated with the pace of negotiations, employee members of the union’s negotiating committee have asked for the assistance of a Federal Mediator, union leaders said.
Involvement of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is required under federal labor law when labor negotiations affect the operations of a hospital. Although a federal mediator has been assigned to this negotiation, OCH management has thus far refused to cooperate with his involvement, union leaders said.
In 2012, a strike was narrowly averted in the “11th hour” with the help of a federal mediator.
Employees covered by the union contract include registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and medical technicians, service maintenance and clerical employees.
Photo courtesy of Orleans County Department of History – Members of the Ku Klux Klan met in Albion for a rally in September 1925 at the Fairgrounds on Washington Street.
MEDINA – Lee-Whedon Memorial Library on Monday will host a program that explores the rise of the Ku Klux Klan locally in the early 1900s.
The waves of European immigrants who moved to the United States early in the 20th Century faced hostility and prejudice. The attitudes and fears of the established “old immigrants” brought about a revival of the KKK in the North.
Guest speaker Ray Cianfrini will present a program, “Clash of Cultures: the Rise of the KKK in Genesee County,” at 7 p.m. Monday at library, 620 West Ave.
Cianfrini, an Oakfield attorney and chairman of the Genesee County Legislature, has researched the Klan in Genesee and Orleans counties and unearthed a trove of photographs, newspaper articles and other documents that chronicle the sudden and frightening popularity of this fearful group in this area.
Cianfrini’s program is presented by the Medina Historical Society.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 February 2015 at 2:40 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A section of South Main Street in Albion has been blocked off this afternoon after a minor accident involving three vehicles near the intersection at Beaver Street. Albion firefighters and police have been at the scene since about 2:10 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 February 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Pam Moore
The Moon was visible tonight with Mars and Venus just before the clouds rolled in. Pam Moore of Barre took the photo when it was about 0 degree outside.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 February 2015 at 12:00 am
Editor’s Note: This article was updated from the original version that said the appeal was denied.
ROCHESTER – An Appellate Court justice did not take up a request for an injunction to stop the Squirrel Slam hunting contest run by the Holley Fire Department.
Justice Joseph Valentino in Rochester today declined to issue a ruling for an appeal sought by Lauren Sheive of Williamson in Wayne County. Sheive and Richard Brummel of Long Island didn’t agree with a decision on Thursday by Orleans County Court Judge James Punch in dismissing a case that claimed the Fire Department did not follow state environmental laws with the Squirrel Slam.
Punch said the hunt follows state laws and does not violate environmental regulations.
Brummel appeared in court this afternoon with the appeal but Valentino did not take up the case, and did not set a hearing or schedule a submission for paperwork, Brummel said late this afternoon.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 February 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Chris Busch
MEDINA – The temperature was barely above 0 today, but it was still a good day to get out with the camera. Chris Busch took many photos around Medina, including the cannon at Boxwood Cemetery at the soldier’s plot.
Busch also stopped by Gallagher’s Hill, where he said he saw some very brave tobogganers.
This photo shows the Gallagher Horse Barn on North Gravel Road.
This is the Gatekeeper’s Shack at Railroad Museum.
Busch likes the L’Hommedieu Monument at Boxwood Cemetery.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 February 2015 at 12:00 am
Provided photos
Linda Dale of West Bacon Road has found a bright spot in the brutal cold weather: a frequent visitor she calls “Allie.”
She took this photo of Allie – a spotted deer – on Wednesday. This Piebald deer was eating seeds from the bottom of a bird feeder.
“She’s such a delight!! Just look at that face!!” Dale said in an email.
Jason Smith was driving to work today as superintendent of Lyndonville Central School and took this picture of a sundog on West Countyhouse Road in Albion.
The sundogs resemble rainbows. They appear sometimes in the winter when low-lying sun creates ice halos.
John Wolski, Lyndonville’s business administrator, was driving in Pembroke last evening when his son Michael, a fifth-grader, took this picture of a sundog.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 February 2015 at 12:00 am
ROCHESTER – Richard Brummel is making another push in court to stop the Squirrel Slam hunting contest in Holley.
He said he will seek an injunction in the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court in Rochester this afternoon. Brummel disagrees with a decision by Orleans County Court Judge James Punch to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Lauren Sheive of Williamson in Wayne County.
Sheive and Brummel, an environmental activist from Long Island, argue that the Squirrel Slam has an environmental impact by wiping out thousands of squirrels.
Punch dismissed the case on Thursday and said the hunters in the contest are doing nothing illegal. They are hunting during the squirrel season. The Holley event is capped at 600 tickets or 300 two-person teams, said Fran Gaylord, president of the Holley Fire Company. He said less than half actually hunt in the contest.
The hunting season for gray, black and fox squirrel runs from Sept. 1 to Feb. 28 and there is a daily bag limit of 6. Red squirrels may be hunted anytime and there is no limit, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Brummel said the Holley Fire Department neglected to do an environmental impact study detailing the hunt’s impact on the squirrel population.
Brummel said an attorney from Buffalo has taken on the case and prepared the appeal that will be filed this afternoon. Brummel said he hopes the court will take action and stop the Squirrel Slam, which is scheduled for Feb. 28 and raises about $4,000 for the Fire Department.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 February 2015 at 10:31 am
ALBION – Orleans County Court Judge James Punch ruled today the 9th annual Holley “Squirrel Slam” hunting contest can continue on Feb. 28.
The judge said the Holley Fire Department isn’t breaking any environmental laws with the contest, which he compared to a fishing derby that awards prizes for the heaviest fish.
Richard Brummel, an environmental activist from Long Island, filed an injunction on Tuesday on behalf of Lauren Sheive of Williamson in Wayne County. Brummel argued in the court papers that the Holley Fire Department failed to comply with the State Environmental Quality Review Act with the hunting contest by concentrating hundreds of hunters in a narrow geographic area, and killing squirrels when many are likely to be pregnant.
Judge Punch said that SEQRA, the environment law, typically is used when buildings are constructed or if the landscape is changed in some way. The squirrel hunting contest does not violate SEQRA or the state environmental laws, the judge said.
He said the argument in the case seems to “oppose hunting and a festive atmosphere of hunting.”
The judge dismissed the case “in its entirety.”
“It’s no different than a fishing derby where trophies are handed out to whoever catches the biggest fish,” Judge Punch said this morning.
Orleans Hub will have more on the case, with reaction from Brummel and the Fire Department.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 February 2015 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – Workers at Intergrow Greenhouses on Route 98 in Gaines are shown in this photo from June 2014.
Press Release, National Grid
GAINES – National Grid is providing economic development and energy efficiency grants to support the 7.5-acre expansion and new jobs at Intergrow Greenhouses along Route 98 in the Town of Gaines.
The $15.2 million expansion by Intergrow will allow for the year-round production of tomatoes on approximately 55.5 acres of greenhouses. The grants, worth more than $500,000 in total, are from National Grid’s extensive programs in economic development and energy efficiency, the company said today.
A significant component of Intergrow’s $15.2 million investment is for electric upgrades. The lighting system for year-round tomato production requires approximately 9.5 megawatts of electricity supply.
About 7 megawatts will be supplied through the extension of a 34.5 kilovolt service line by National Grid at a cost of $1.5 million. The design, construction, testing and commission of the service line to the system substation and the transformers to power the greenhouse lighting system is approximately $3.5 million. This work is supported by a $250,000 grant from National Grid’s electric capital investment incentive program.
Additionally, Intergrow is seeking to increase its overall production of tomatoes through the installation of an advanced control system for the nearly 8,600 light fixtures in its expanded greenhouses. The control system will allow Intergrow to increase crop yield while reducing lighting costs by 30 percent. National Grid is providing an energy efficiency grant of approximately $292,000 in support.
“Intergrow’s expansion presented a unique challenge, and the combined work of our engineering, field operations and economic development teams allowed us to meet the customer’s needs in a timely fashion,” said Dennis Elsenbeck, regional executive for National Grid in Western New York. “If we are going to build a smart, efficient and reliable electric system then we need to be listening to the needs of our customers and developing solutions together.”
The expansion will create 10 to 15 new jobs while retaining approximately 100 current jobs. It will also increase the company’s tomato production by 600,000 boxes. Intergrow grows beefsteak tomatoes and tomatoes on the vine that are grown from non-GMO seeds.
“Without this investment it would be very difficult for us to compete in the marketplace as retailers want a guaranteed year-round supply of tomatoes,” said Dirk Biemans co-owner of Intergrow Greenhouses. “We have an optimal location where we can get our products overnight to our customers in major markets.”
Intergrow supplies tomatoes on the vine and beefsteak tomatoes to major grocery chains including Hannaford, Aldi, Wegmans and Whole Foods, as well as others.
“This is another example of the public and private sectors working together to bring new jobs and investment to our region,” said James Whipple, CEO and CFO of the County Orleans Industrial Development Agency. “It’s great to see that locally grown products from Orleans County will remain on the shelves of major supermarkets throughout the country.”
In addition to the grant from National Grid, incentives were provided to Intergrow by Empire State Development Corporation, the Excelsior Jobs Tax Credit program and NYSERDA.
National Grid’s economic development and energy efficiency grant programs are designed to help companies grow their business efficiently, while supporting job retention and expansion. Information about National Grid’s suite of economic programs is available at www.shovelready.com.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 February 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has gone on the record several times the past two years, stating its opposition to the SAFE Act, a controversial gun control measure approved by the State Legislature and Gov. Cuomo in January 2013.
With a new legislative season beginning in the state capital, and with Gov. Cuomo starting his second term, county legislators plan on again stating their support for repeal of the “Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement” Act. Two state senators, Michael Nozzolio and Katherine Marchione, have already introduced legislation in the State Senate to repeal all of the legislation or parts of it.
The County Legislature will meet at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the County Clerks Building at 3 South Main St. An agenda for the meeting includes a resolution that supports repeal of the SAFE Act.
The resolution states the County Legislature supports the Second Amendment and the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
Other reasons the Legislature cites for supporting the repeal of the SAFE Act include:
The lawful ownership of firearms is a recreational benefit to residents through hunting and target shooting, along with an economic and environmental benefit for the region with several locally owned and operated gun/sporting businesses.
SAFE Act legislation was “rushed” into passage in January 2013 and the legislation will have a detrimental effect on hunters, sportsmen and legal gun owners, creating a hostile environment both for them and for the sale and manufacture of legal firearms.
The legislation prohibits the sale of firearm magazines with a capacity larger than seven rounds and few or no low-capacity magazines currently exist for many firearms commonly used by law-abiding citizens.
“The legislation fails to offer little meaningful solutions to gun violence and places undue burdens where they don’t belong, squarely on the backs of law-abiding citizens.”
Many parts of the SAFE Act place an unfunded mandate on the local Sheriff Departments, County Clerk’s Office and County Judges.
There will be significant financial impact on the county due to the approximately 4,850 Orleans County pistol permits that will have to be renewed requiring additional manpower and computer systems.
Requiring gun owners to verify ownership of certain types of firearms every five years, in addition to registering them on permits that also must be renewed every five years, is “unnecessarily burdensome” to the residents.
“This legislation effectively treats countless New York State law abiding gun owners as criminals.”
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Chris Collins, R-Clarence, today released the following statement regarding his opposition to President Obama’s request for fast track trade promotion authority.
“I am a firm believer in free trade, but it must also be fair trade,” said Congressman Collins. “The secret executive branch negotiations on massive trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership will hurt American workers and businesses by excluding important provisions to combat currency manipulation.
“It is because of the hardworking Western New Yorkers struggling for a fair chance at the American Dream that I will oppose granting the president fast track authority to negotiate free trade agreements.”
Photos by Tom Rivers – An Orleans County employee clears the sidewalk on Platt Street in front of the county jail this morning after another bout of snow.
The stretch of snow and brutal cold will continue on Friday when the National Weather Service has issued both a lake effect snow advisory until 1 p.m. and also a wind chill warning until 10 a.m.
Orleans, Niagara, Monroe and northern Genesee counties could see 3 to 5 inches of snow tonight and another inch during the day on Friday, according to the Weather Service.
The wind chill could fall to minus 30 degrees. The Weather Service says there will be 15 to 25 mile per hour westerly winds, combined with temperatures that will peak at 4 degrees on Friday. The overnight low tonight will fall to minus 7 degrees.
The conditions will result in dangerously cold temperatures, which could lead to frostbite and hypothermia if people are not dressed properly.
The weather will finally warm up this weekend, with high temperatures in the upper 20s on both Saturday and Sunday.
A truck heads south on Gaines Basin Road this afternoon to cross the canal bridge. There was lots of blowing snow out today.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 February 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Richard Brummel, an environmental activist from Long Island, said he will continue to fight the Holley Fire Department on its squirrel hunting contest, which he compared to a “slaughter.”
ALBION – Richard Brummel had a tough morning in court in front of Orleans County Court Judge James Punch.
Brummel was told he didn’t file paperwork properly, and may have committed a crime by not having the proper power of attorney documents to represent Lauren Sheive of Williamson in Wayne County.
Brummel, in environmental activist from Long Island, had to be told to step back from the table normally reserved for the attorneys or defendant.
Judge James Punch said he didn’t believe Brummel intended the paperwork mistakes and judge said he wouldn’t sanction Brummel. But Punch said Brummel would not be allowed to appear on Sheive’s behalf in court.
The judge, however, ruled on the arguments presented in a court filing on Tuesday that sought to stop the Squirrel Slam hunting contest scheduled for Feb. 28. The judge determined the event doesn’t break any environmental laws and can go on as scheduled. The judge dismissed the case.
Many reporters from Rochester and Buffalo were in the courtroom for the proceedings. The Squirrel Slam has national and international attention from animal rights’ activists.
A squirrel walks on wires up high in this photo take last fall in Albion.
Brummel said he was able to raise enough money, with another $1,500 donation on Wednesday, to hire an attorney and pursue the case again.
“We hope this case will be properly back on the court’s calendar,” Brummel said.
He strongly disagreed with the judge’s decision today.
“I’ve dealt with a lot of judges and these judges do not apply the law,” Brummel told reporters after the court proceedings. “They apply their own opinion and that’s what happened today.”
Brummel believes there is an environmental impact with the hunt because so many squirrels are wiped out.
The Holley event is capped at 600 tickets or 300 two-person teams, said Fran Gaylord, president of the Holley Fire Company. The hunting season for gray, black and fox squirrel runs from Sept. 1 to Feb. 28 and there is a daily bag limit of 6. Red squirrels may be hunted anytime and there is no limit, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Brummel said the Holley hunt happens at a time when many squirrels are pregnant. He said thousands of squirrels are eliminated with the Squirrel Slam. That kind of environmental impact should be addressed by the Fire Department.
“It’s really important that these issues be fought,” Brummel told reporters. “I couldn’t turn my back on what I thought was an attack on these lovely animals.”
Brummel drove 700 miles round trip to file the legal challenge to the case, only to have it dismissed in its entirety by the judge.
“It was worth it for the chance that we might win,” Brummel said. “It’s always worth fighting for the environment.”
Brummel said Orleans County residents are fortunate to live in an area with open spaces and lots of wildlife. He said Long Island is congested with lots of traffic and not much wildlife.
He didn’t like how Judge Punch compared the squirrel-hunting contest to a fishing derby.
“We have a huge problem with overfishing,” he said. “This isn’t frivolous. We are acting as if we have unlimited resources, whether it’s squirrels, fish, trees or whales.”
Fran Gaylord is interviewed by reporters inside the Orleans County Courthouse.
Gaylord, president of the fire company, said none of the hunters are breaking any laws. Although 600 tickets are sold, Gaylord said only about 120 to 140 of the two-person teams compete. Many people buy tickets to support the fire department and don’t hunt, he said.
The fire department used to only sell about 200 tickets for the fund-raiser, but it could easily sell 1,000 due to the publicity around the Squirrel Slam. The event is capped at 600 because that is how many people can fit in the fire hall for refreshments when the hunt is over.
“We haven’t paid one dime for advertising in three years because you guys do it for us,” Gaylord told reporters.
Gaylord said the opponents of the hunting contest tend to be downstate residents.
“This is a way of life up here,” he said about the contest. “It’s really no different than a fishing derby. You need a license and it has to get weighed.”
The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a special weather statement, warning that a band of heavy snow will drop off Lake Ontario into Niagara and Orleans counties between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
A band of heavy snow is just off the Lake Ontario shoreline and is expected to drop south this evening and reach the Lake Ontario shoreline from Youngstown to Point Breeze between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., the Weather Service said in a statement issued at 5:59 p.m.
This band will then drop further south later this evening, and will produce snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches an hour.
“Driving within this snow band will be very difficult with snow-covered roads and very poor visibility,” the Weather Service said. “If traveling across the area, allow for plenty of extra time to reach your destination.”
