YATES – Last winter there were numerous sightings of Snowy Owls in Orleans County. At least one has already been sighted with a new winter looming.
Henrietta Helsdon took this photo of a Snowy Owl today in the Town of Yates on Route 63 in the area known as the Shadigee.
The owl has a wingspan of five feet. It nests in the Arctic tundra and winters south through Canada. Usually there aren’t too many sightings in the United States.
KENDALL – Kendall students and school counselor Mirjam Bauer are pictured last Thursday inside the Crosby’s store in Kendall. Students placed stickers on alcohol at the store.
Medina students are scheduled to do the same with Medina area stores on Friday, and Albion youth will be hitting the stores in Albion, Holley and Clarendon area on Saturday.
The Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse began Project Sticker Shock in 2008 to combat the sale of alcohol to minors in Orleans County. The basic concept involves local students from the five school districts placing orange stickers on a variety of alcoholic beverages in grocery stores, convenient stores and gas stations.
“This community awareness campaign is intended to address youth access to alcohol and community norms that support not providing alcohol to minors,” said Pat Crowley, project director for Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition.
These stickers warn purchasers of the ramifications of buying and distributing alcohol to minors.
“The sticker’s bright orange color immediately draws the purchaser’s attention to its warning stating ‘Know The Law,'” Crowley said.
With the assistance of GCASA staff, school students, teachers and local stores thousands of stickers have been placed on alcoholic beverages.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 November 2014 at 12:00 am
3 to 5 inches of snow could fall in season’s first storm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Orleans County is seeing its first significant snowfall of the season today. About 3 to 5 inches of snow is expected by late afternoon. The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a Winter Weather Advisory until 5 p.m.
In the top photo, a motorist heads north on Butts Road, preparing to cross the bridge over the Erie Canal. This photo was taken at about 9:30 a.m.
A leaf in an Albion backyard is coated in snow.
Some of the apples left on the trees in an orchard along Butts Road now have a layer of snow on top.
The railroad tracks have gone from leaf-covered to snow-covered since Sunday. This photo was taken in Albion over Butts Road, looking east.
The chapel at St. Joseph’s Cemetery on Route 31 stands strong against the elements.
More snow is in the forecast for the rest of the week with temperatures in the 20s and low 30s.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 November 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A husband and wife were both sentenced in Orleans County Court today with the husband getting a year in prison and his wife three years on Probation.
Christopher A. Saddler, 30, of 304 West State St. pleaded guilty on Aug. 19 to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree. He faced a maximum of 2 ½ years in state prison. He admitted in court he possessed a prescription narcotic with the intent to sell it.
His attorney sought leniency in court, asking that Saddler avoid jail or prison. If he was going to be incarcerated, his lawyer asked that the sentence start after Dec. 17 when Saddler was due to take final exams for coursework.
Saddler apologized in court to his family, Judge James Punch and the community.
“I never thought I was capable of using such bad judgment,” Saddler said during sentencing. “I know I deserve to be punished.”
Punch said Saddler had multiple sales of drugs. He also has two prior misdemeanors. Punch said he needs to punish people who spread drugs, which he called a “poison” in the community.
“It’s toxic,” Punch said about drugs. “It causes damage to people. They become addicted to it and it could kill them.”
He gave Saddler a year in prison with the sentence to start today. Saddler can tend to his coursework when he gets out of prison, the judge said, calling the sentence Saddler’s immediate priority.
The judge noted he didn’t give Saddler the maximum sentence of 2 ½ years in prison because Saddler admitted his role in the crime.
“If you weren’t honest and hadn’t owned up to it you would be looking at more state time,” Punch said.
Saddler’s wife, Jessica Saddler, 24, was spared jail. She was sentenced to three years on Probation.
She admitted she had more than 2 ounces of marijuana in her upstairs closet on April 14.
She pleaded guilty on Aug. 19 to misdemeanor criminal possession of marijuana in the fourth degree. She could have been sentenced to up to a year in jail.
Mrs. Saddler has no prior criminal history. Punch said she was brought into drug activity by her husband.
In another case, a Lockport woman was sentenced to five years of Probation for being part of a cocaine sale in Albion on June 2. Amanda Brosius, 33, pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, which carries a maximum sentence of 2 ½ years in state prison.
As part of her plea deal, she agreed to assist the district attorney with prosecution of the codefendant in the case. Judge Punch said if Brosius is involved in another drug case she will surely be sentenced to state prison in the future.
“This is serious stuff,” the judge told Brosius. “I take your involvement in the spread of this very seriously.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
With temperatures warming up this afternoon, the National Weather Service has cancelled a Winter Weather Advisory for Orleans County. That advisory was issued for 5 p.m.
The warmer weather should keep snow accumulations to under an inch, NWS said.
The photo above shows the railroad tracks in Albion at about 9:30 a.m. when there was a lot of snow falling.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 November 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Four people accused of crimes in Orleans County were arraigned in court today. Orleans County Court Judge set bail for all four.
Matthew Mudge, 24, of Albion faces charges of third-degree and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Mudge was charged on Aug. 16 following investigation of a “suspicious person” complaint on Bass Road in the Town of Carlton.
Mudge was allegedly found in possession of a loaded .380 caliber automatic pistol which he didn’t have a permit for. He also has a previous conviction for criminal possession of a weapon, according to the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.
He has been in jail on $5,000 bail. Orleans County Court Judge James Punch continued to keep bail at $5,000 during Mudge’s arraignment today.
Mudge is a past youthful offender and also has “a series of misdemeanor offenses,” District Attorney Joe Cardone said.
In other cases:
An Elba resident was arraigned for violating Probation. Mark Gregori, 52, of Oak Orchard Road was remanded to jail on $5,000 bail.
Ivy E. Schell, 19, of Buffalo was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fourth degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree. The former Albion resident allegedly sold Hydrocodone and Acetaminophen in Albion in April.
She has been in the county jail on $1,000 bail. Judge Punch kept bail at $1,000.
A Holley resident was arraigned on second-degree burglary. Dylan DiPlato, 26, allegedly was found uninvited in a Holley resident’s home on Sept. 21 when the resident returned.
Judge Punch set $5,000 bail for DiPlato. He has a prior offense of driving while ability impaired, Cardone said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 November 2014 at 12:00 am
County plans work on 6 more bridges next 3 years
Photos by Tom Rivers
WATERPORT – Pictured in a ribbon cutting this morning for the reopening of the Waterport Bridge on Route 279 include, from left: Kathy Blackburn, executive director of Orleans County Chamber of Commerce; Gayle Ashbery, Carlton town supervisor; Jackie Tarricone, secretary to county highway superintendent; County Legislator Ken DeRoller; Legislature Chairman David Callard, County Legislator Bill Eick, Highway Superintendent Jerry Gray (with scissors); Legislator John DeFillipps; Legislator Fred Miller; John Papponetti, project manager for LaBella Associates; Chris Bayer, structural engineer with LaBella; Scott Scharping, chief engineer and project manager for Keeler Construction; Tom Keeler, vice president at Keeler Construction; Lucinda Mayer, resident engineer for LaBella; and Tracy Sheffer, project supervisor for Keeler.
The bridge was closed for five months while it received $1.5 million in upgrades, including new railings, repairs to concrete piers, a new deck, asphalt top, two new fascia beams and drainage improvements.
With proper maintenance, the bridge should last another 50 years, said John Papponetti, project manager for Labella Associates, a Rochester engineering firm.
The bridge is the longest county-owned span at 700 feet, crossing Lake Alice and the Oak Orchard River.
“It was inconvenient while it was closed,” said Gayle Ashbery, Carlton town supervisor. “We’re glad it’s back open.”
David Callard (center), chairman of the Orleans County Legislature, praised county employees, Labella Associates and Keeler Construction for their efforts with the project.
The federal government paid 80 percent of the costs, with the state contributing 15 percent and the county the remaining 5 percent. The county opened another bridge last week on Hulberton Road after a new bridge was completed. Federal and state funds paid 95 percent of that project’s cost.
Those state and federal dollars for bridges will be hard to come by for rural counties in the next few years.
The county has opted to borrow $8 million for capital projects, including about $5 million to repair or replace six bridges, with two being tackled annually from 2015 to 2017. The two targeted next year include a bridge from 1934 over Beardsley Creek on Waterport-Carlton Road in Carlton, and a bridge from 1968 in Barre over Manning Muckland Creek on Oak Orchard Road.
“We’re continue with our efforts,” Callard said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony today.
Other bridges identified for improvements include a 1959 bridge in Kendall on Carton Road over Sandy Creek, a bridge from 1936 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on East Scott Road, one from 1928 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on Culvert Road, and a bridge from 1956 in Kendall over Sandy Creek on Norway Road.
Photo by Tom Rivers – These bird houses appear along Oak Orchard Ridge Road, the road leading to the Iroquois Job Corps in the Town of Shelby. This photo was taken on Friday. The landscape will be covered in snow, according to a weather forecast for Monday.
Orleans County could be hit with 3 to 5 inches of snow by Monday afternoon. The National Weather Service is forecasting 1 to 2 inches tonight in Orleans County and another 2 to 3 inches on Monday, leading to 3 to 5 inches overall in the storm.
The Weather Service called it a light to moderate snow with visibility as low as a quarter mile at times. The Weather Service issued as winter weather advisory, meaning severe weather isn’t expected.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Club is second oldest in region behind only Rochester
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Bill Robinson, president of the Albion Lions Club, and Dan Parker, the vice president emeritus, greet people at the club’s 90th anniversary celebration on Saturday at the Hickory Ridge Country Club.
Robinson joined the Lions two years ago at age 69.
“I wish I had joined 30 years ago,” he said. “You can’t measure the amount of pleasure and camaraderie I’ve had since I joined.”
The Albion High School Jazz Ensemble, including drummer Cody Osborne, perform for about 50 people during the anniversary party. Mike Thaine is the group’s conductor and director.
The Lions have 20 members. Robinson said the group funds $3,500 in scholarships each year. The Lions also give to community projects. They is pushing for upgrades at Bullard Park.
It also sponsors a youth baseball team and works on other community projects, raising money with a sausage booth at the Strawberry Festival, and by selling roses on Mother’s Day and geraniums during Memorial Day.
A board with a list of past presidents includes the name of John Keding. He joined the club in 1968 and was president in 1976. Keding remains an active member of the club.
Robinson said the group is stepping up efforts to grow its membership and offering personal invitations. It also will unveil a Website in January.
“There’s so many things going on today that it’s hard for people to commit,” Robinson said. “We’re best kept secret as an organization in Albion. You see the sign but you don’t always hear about it or know who to contact.”
Robinson said prospective members are welcome to call him at 585-589-4355. The club meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge on Platt Street.
The Rev. Wilfred Moss, a past president of the Lions Club and a member since 1997, leads the group prayer on Saturday.
Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin was the featured speaker during the 90th anniversary celebration. He spoke about the Lions founder, Melvin Jones, who was in insurance business in Chicago and pushed to start a humanitarian organization in 1917. Jones had a motto: “You can’t get very far until you start doing something for somebody else.”
“He had initiative and imagination,” Lattin said. “He was a self-starter and that’s how you get places in the world.”
Several of the Albion club members have won the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award, the highest honor given by Lions. John Keding, Daniel Parker, Dr. Satya Sahukar and Lloyd Wright have all won the award.
The Albion club was the first in the region between Niagara Falls and Rochester. It was chartered on Aug. 25, 1924. The orginal charter and the signatures of the initial 22 members was on display on Saturday during the anniversary celebration.
Charles Howard, who would later start a world famous Santa Claus School in Albion, was a founding member of the Albion Lions Club. His signature is at the bottom right of the club’s charter.
Lattin spoke about some of those club founders, a dentist, grocer, high school gym teacher, farmer, doctor, cold storage operator, druggist, funeral director and other merchants.
“These are all people who were self starters,” Lattin said. “They had imagination and initiative.”
Lattin said the club has moved to about a dozen different locations during its history, but has kept community service at the forefront of its mission.
“Over these nine decades you certainly have some great accomplishments you can be proud of,” he said.
Community Action volunteers last week packed 60 boxes of personal care products, packaged food, magazines, games and other activity items for soldiers.
Kristen Ostrander of Kendall led the “Treats for Troops” effort. Many local families will miss close holiday interactions this season because a member of their family is serving with the military overseas.
Besides the items, each solider also will receive a thank you note from Kendall fifth and sixth graders.
SHELBY – In this picture from 1915 or 1916 we see the students of Millville School Dist. No. 7 of Shelby. Teachers standing in the back are Miss Florence Farley and Miss Verna Smith.
Front row, from left: Dorothy Hey, Raymond Eckerson, Francis Hargrave, Avis Wilson, Beulah Sharman, unidentified, Wm. Arnett, and unidentified.
Second row: Unidentified, unidentified, Fern Cross, Ruth Boyle, unidentified, Mabel Brunning, and Fay Arnett.
Third row: Chas. Carlin, a Hargrave (first name unknown), unidentified, Everett Howell, unidentified, unidentified, Charlotte Pike, Ed Hargrave, Alta Armos, Claude Pask, and unidentified.
Back row: Unidentified, Larena Wheeler, Marian Boyle, Glenn Pask, unidentified, Raymond Rowe, unidentified, Olive Arnett, unidentified, unidentified, unidentified.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
CHURCHVILLE – They built Lego robots that threw a ball into a net, moved Lego people, and completed several other tasks in a 2 ½ minute round.
(In the top photo Brian Shaw of Kendall lines up the Lego robot for the MiRiFiCi team, which means “Awesomeness” in Latin.)
MiRiFiCi and three other teams from the Orleans County 4-H program competed in a qualifying event at the Churchville-Chili today, with one of the teams advancing to a regional completion on Dec. 7 at the University of Rochester.
Prehistoric Robots was the only team from Orleans to advance to the UR event. In today’s competition at the Churchville-Chili, 17 teams competed with six advancing to the UR. Will Gregoire from Prehistoric Robots also won a “Hero Award” for exhibiting outstanding sportsmanship.
Prehistoric Robots members in photo include from left: Elaina Reese of Medina, Anna Reese of Medina, Sharbell Simon of Lyndonville, Michael Reese of Medina and JohnPaul Simon of Lyndonville. They lined up the robot, pressed the desired program and put on the attachments.
Zachary Neal of Albion is a member of the KOWZ (Kids Only Work Zone). The team needed to research a project, present their findings to judges, and also design a robot and have it complete tasks on a board. Zachary’s family owns a dairy farm in Albion.
His hat has buttons from other teams in the FIRST Lego League. For its project, KOWZ researched and developed a keyboard that can make it easier for people to learn how to type.
The Red Folders team takes a turn in the robot challenge. Tsali Garland-Standing, with head down, is shown working on the robot. Garland-Standing is from Spencerport. Deegan Bragg, in glasses, is from Medina.
There are about 40 kids in the Orleans 4-H Legos program. Most are from Orleans County, but a few are from outside the county borders. The Red Folders won a “Hero Award” for sportsmanship and enthusiasm during the competition.
Mike Beach, one of the mentors for MiRiFiCi, gives the team a pep talk before they send their robot out to complete challenges. The team’s outfits mimic the character from the Monopoly game. Beach’s son, James Michael, is on the team.
Jacob Velesko of Middleport has a hat adorned with buttons from other FLL teams.He is a member of the Red Folders.
The Hippie Pandas, a team from a Girl Scout troop in Churchville, was today’s overall champion. The Hippie Pandas also designed the best robot. They advanced to the national event last year.
Marlene Seielstad of Albion won a “Special Recognition Award,” the only one given to a mentor today for her dedication to the program as a volunteer. She and her husband Erik have served as coordinators and mentors of the FLL program in Orleans County since it started in 2012 with one team. Last year it jumped tp three teams and now there are four.
Benjamin Williams of Albion, a member of the KOWZ team, assembles a Lego model during a drill in today’s competition.
The Prehistoric Robots team advanced to the First Lego League championships on Dec. 7 at the University of Rochester. The team also moved on the the UR competition in 2013. The team includes, from left: Anna Reese, Jacques Gregoire, Michael Reese (in back), Elaina Reese, Nathaniel Scott-Avery, Lucas Wilkins, JohnPaul Simon, Sharbell Simon and Will Gregoire.
HARTLAND – The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office received numerous 911 calls reporting an accident at 9209 Ridge Rd., where a vehicle hit a house and the gas line was ruptured at approximately 10:39 p.m.
Upon arrival, deputies were advised that the driver had fled the scene on foot. After requesting Hartland Fire Company and NYSEG to respond for the natural gas leak, houses in close proximity were evacuated as a precaution.
Deputies then began searching the immediate area for the driver. Joseph M. Childs, 49, of Albion was located a short distance from the accident scene. Childs was then transported to Eastern Niagara Hospital-Lockport for treatment of minor injuries.
He was charged at the hospital with Driving While Intoxicated, Leaving the Scene of a Property Damage Accident, Driving on the Shoulder, Speeding, and several other traffic infractions.
He is due in Town of Hartland Court on Nov. 18.
Investigation by deputies revealed that Childs was westbound on Ridge Road, struck a parked vehicle on the north shoulder, which then caused the parked vehicle to strike the residence at 9209, rupturing the natural gas line. No other injuries were reported and the investigation is continuing by the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
BYRON – It was a fine sunrise this morning. This photo was taken of trees at the North Byron Cemetery along Route 237, just south of the Town of Clarendon.
Temperatures are forecast for a high of 35 today, 36 on Sunday and 37 on Monday, with a chance for snow each day, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
BASOM – Leaders of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge have brought some of the creatures and habitat of the refuge inside for visitors to experience as part of a $4.5 million upgrade to its headquarters and visitor center.
Tanya Preisch, an administrative assistant for the refuge and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Fisheries, holds a racoon pelt that is part of a new visitor center with many wildlife exhibits.
The entrance of the visitor center includes flocks of birds, suspended high near the ceiling. The birds have a reflective material, giving off changing colors.
Refuge leaders celebrated the new center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday. Today the grand opening celebration continues with demonstrations of live birds of prey from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and other games and crafts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the refuge on Casey Road.
The exhibits mimic some of the habitat in the refuge. The new headquarters and visitor center gutted and upgraded the previous building and added 5,000 square feet of space.
The project was driven by the co-location of the refuge staff with employees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Fisheries. The 18 to 20 employees from Fisheries moved from East Amherst to work out of the refuge.
This exhibit shows a muskrat in its marshy habitat.
This display notes that Native Americans were once prominent at the refuge, a 10,808-acre site in the towns of Shelby and Alabama.
A large fish tank highlights fish in the Great Lakes.
