By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – John Grimes believes Curvin’s News on Main Street in Medina can be a profitable business. He wants to retire and sell the business after operating it the past 19 years.
MEDINA – It looked like Curvin’s News was closing about a month ago, but owner John Grimes is giving the store more life – but not for long.
Grimes has owned and operated the business the past 19 years. He wants to retire and is looking for a buyer for the business.
“I’m old and out of ideas,” he said. “If someone has an idea they could make a decent amount of business. I think things could be done to make it more profitable.”
Grines is asking $50,000 “or reasonable offer” for Curvin’s, which has been a part of Medina for nearly a century.
Grimes thought he had a buyer for the business but that didn’t come to fruition. He is also trying to sell the next-door video store.
Grimes ran the businesses with his wife Barb. She died on Feb. 12, 2012 at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. Grimes said he has struggled to run the businesses without his wife.
He nearly shut down the business two years ago after a former employee stole about $65,000 worth of lottery tickets.
Curvin’s has long been a popular gathering place for residents. Grimes is hopeful a buyer will step forward and there will be a new generation of Curvin’s for the community.
He welcomes prospective buyers to give him a call at 798-4745 or stop by the store at 540 Main St.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Provided photo – Three of the five museum leaders are pictured for the Museum Crawl from Batavia to Point Breeze on Saturday. Pictured, from left, include Amy Vlack from the Elba Historical Society Museum, Jeff Donahue from the Holland Land Office Museum in Batavia, and Sarah Karas from The Cobblestone Museum.
Five historic sites along Route 98, from Batavia to Point Breeze, are joining for their first “Museum Crawl” on Saturday. Participants can buy one ticket for $5 and get access to all five sites.
The museums all tell an American story, from the birthplace of Western New York at the Holland Land Office Museum in Batavia to sites that showcase architecture, home life, agriculture, a schoolhouse and even outhouses from more than a century ago.
“I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to partner with some of the local historical organizations in our community,” said Sarah Karas, co-director of the Cobblestone Museum. “It is a great way to support each other.”
The Cobblestone Museum includes several historic structures. The museum has been declared a National Historic Landmark. The Holland Land Office Museum also has that lofty designation.
The DAR House in Albion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That site will be included on the Museum Crawl, and so will the Elba Historical Society Museum and Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum.
Karas highlighted some of the features from each site:
The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum, completed in 2010, is the first lighthouse built on the Great Lakes in 100 years.
The Cobblestone Museum preserves the unique cobblestone masonry style and life during the 1800s.
The Orleans County Chapter DAR House is a Greek revival building with period furnishings and contains early Orleans County artifacts.
The Elba Historical Society Museum is full of local artifacts and information, including the designation as the location of the first rural mail route in the country.
The Holland Land Office Museum, which occupies the historic Holland Land Office Company Building, contains a rich history of how Western New York was settled.
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Cobblestone Museum is a National Historic Landmark, the only site in Orleans County with that status from the U.S. Departent of the Interior.
“Each museum brings their own unique charm to the tour,” Karas said. “None of them are the same, so you will be learning something new at each one.”
The crawl runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, with the exception of the DAR House, which will be open from 12:30 to 5 p.m. for the event. (The DAR House will be open at 11:30 a.m. for a presentation on the Clarendon Historical Society and Cobblestone Museum’s efforts to restore a red fox that was stuffed 134 years ago by famed taxidermist Carl Akeley when he was only 16. The Cobblestone Museum owns the Akeley fox.)
“This will be a great opportunity to learn about local history,” said Diane Palmer, vice regent for the DAR and also a board member for the Cobblestone Museum. “People can stop by places they may have intended to visit but haven’t taken the time.”
The Cobblestone Museum is also hosting children’s author Cynthia Cotten for a book signing. Her book “Window Across Time” will be available for purchase at the museum. Cotton lives along the canal in Lockport. Her book spans almost two centuries, and consists of eight stories linked together by a cobblestone house in a fictional small town on the Erie Canal. Through the eyes of the young people who live there, readers get a look inside (or a window to) both large and small moments in the history of the house, Western New York and the United States.
Photo by Tom Rivers – The DAR House, at the corner of Route 98 and Linwood Avenue, will be open to the public from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the Museum Crawl.
Passbooks for the Crawl are $5 per person or $10 per family. They can be purchased pre-sale or day of the event at each museum and two local participating businesses: Bindings Bookstore in Albion and Chap’s Diner in Elba.
Participants will have their passbook stamped at each museum. Once all five stamps are collected, a certificate will be given that can be redeemed at one of the five local restaurants offering special promotions for Crawl participants. The restaurants participating this year include Oliver’s Candies, Chap’s Diner, The Crooked Door, Tillman’s Village Inn and the Black North. Crawl finishers will also be entered to win a souvenir basket from each museum.
The museums can be visited in any order at any time throughout the day. However, organizers suggest starting at either the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum or the Holland Land Office Museum and working your way through the museums in a linear fashion.
“It is a great way to get out and support your local museums, culture, and history while also having a good time.,” Karas said. “We hope to expand it out next year to make it even bigger and better.”
Staff Reports Posted 29 September 2014 at 12:00 am
“Friends Don’t Let Friends Date Friends” aims for November release
File photo by Sue Cook – “Friends Don’t Let Friends Date Friends” main characters Della (Amelia Favata) and Kyle (Adam Dixson) look at the art during a scene shot in June at Marti’s on Main in Albion. The scene is meant to be reminiscent of ’80s teen movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
ALBION – The trailer is out for an independent film produced by an Albion woman. The trailer for “Friends Don’t Let Friends Date Friends” debuted on Saturday at the Aurora Theater in East Aurora, showing before the film “Mostly Dead.”
Rhonda Parker has been working on “Friends Don’t Let Friends Date Friends.” She is targeting a November release for the film. Click here to see the trailer.
The film is her honors project at Genesee Community College. Parker has produced and directed the romantic comedy that includes a cast of about 35 people, not counting extras.
“Friends Don’t Let Friends Date Friends” is the story of Della Regal, an emotionally unavailable young woman full of sarcastic humor. She watches her friends fall in and out of love around her. As the film progresses, she finds herself conflicted over feelings for two different male friends. She is both happy for them and the girls they are with, but also feels irritated and annoyed about the situation.
Parker is earning degrees at GCC for paralegal and Communication Media Arts. The movie has been shot entirely in Orleans County. Parker and her husband Mark, the cameraman for the film, live in the village of Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Legislature also weighs expanding senior tax exemptions
ALBION – The new Orleans County tax bills that come out in January will no longer list taxpayer costs for the nursing home, state-mandated programs and other general services.
The Legislature voted last week to go back to one line item for the tax bills. The break-out was confusing to residents, said Legislator Lynne Johnson.
The county also expects to close on the sale of the nursing home by the end of the year, meaning there shouldn’t be county taxpayer subsidies for The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in the future.
The Legislature in 2011 voted to have “Truth in Taxation” on the tax bills, trying to highlight key cost drivers in the county tax bill. Legislators say they will continue to raise awareness on the impact of state mandated programs on the county budget. State programs such as Medicaid, indigent defense and several others account for more than the county’s total tax levy of about $15 million.
The Legislature also is considering expanding the tax discounts for lower-income senior citizens. Seniors who earn less than $19,200 are eligible for discounts on their county taxes. That level hasn’t been changed since 2007. The new level would be increased by $2,000.
The Legislature held a public hearing on the issue last Wednesday and set a second hearing for 4:25 p.m. on Oct. 8.
Paul Lauricella, vice chairman of the Orleans County Conservative Party, said the county should work to giving every resident a tax break, not just a select group.
“I feel for the seniors,” Lauricella said during the public hearing. “But when you do these target groups everybody else pays the difference.”
Right now the county offers 50 percent off for seniors with household incomes up to $13,500. The sliding scale exemption drops to 20 percent off for seniors with annual incomes between $18,300 and $19,199. It’s 0 percent for seniors with incomes at $19,200 or above.
The new proposed schedule includes the following percentage exemptions:
50 percent off for incomes up to $15,500
45 percent off for incomes between $15,500 and $16,499
40 percent between $16,500 and $17,499
35 percent between $17,500 and $18,499
30 percent between $18,500 and $19,399
25 percent between $19,400 and $20,299
20 percent between $20,300 and $21,199
0 percent after $21,200
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Kim Remley, leader of Stop Polluting Orleans County, speaks during a public hearing on Sept. 16 about a landfill in Albion.
ALBION – Kim Remley has long been active in the Albion community, pushing for park upgrades, youth activities and health care.
She also has led a citizens group in a fight against additional landfills in the community. Remley is chairwoman of Stop Polluting Orleans County.
She is being recognized with the 2014 Pullman Memorial Humanitarian Award. Lee Richards, pastor of the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, said Remley is primarily being recognized for her volunteer work leading SPOC and the organization’s commitment to protecting the local environment. But he said Remley has been a dynamo in the community, devoted to many causes.
“She is an inspiration to others to get involved,” Richards said.
Remley will be honored at 11 a.m. on Oct. 12 at Pullman, with a reception to follow at noon. The public is invited to the event at 10 East Park St., Albion.
Remley is also a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Albion and is active with Vacation Bible School and a youth group, TGIF. She is spearheading the church’s efforts to erect a Peace Pole.
She is a member of Rebuild Bullard, a committee working on upgrading Bullard Park. She also is a vendor of the Downtown Browsery Co-Op and serves as vice chairwoman of the group’s board.
She has been active with the Albion Main Street Alliance, local political campaigns, Friends of the (Swan) Library, Oak Orchard Lighthouse Committee and was a volunteer for the Lakeside Health System Foundation.
In 2010 she was recognized by the Orleans County Youth Board with the Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Award.
During the event honoring Remley, Richards said he plans to share a quote Henry David Thoreau: “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
Richards said he is impressed with Remley’s community service, especially the years of devotion to fighting landfills.
“She has shown she can stick to it,” Richards said. “She’s worked long and hard on it.”
Staff Reports Posted 29 September 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – The school district lost a beloved teacher this morning when Barbara Barnes was killed in a car accident in the Town of Newfane.
Jeff Evoy, Medina Central School superintendent, issued the following statement:
“Those of us at the Medina Central School District grieve with the entire community over the tragic accident this morning that claimed the life of one our one of our teachers, Mrs. Barbara Barnes.
“Mrs. Barnes was a long-time teacher at Wise Intermediate/Middle School. She was beloved by students and staff and was extremely dedicated to her students. We ask that you please keep the Barnes family in your thoughts and prayers.
“On behalf of our school community, I want to thank everyone for their support of our students and faculty, as they are also struggling with tremendous sorrow.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A federal grant will provide funding over the next five years to help prevent youth substance abuse in Orleans County.
The Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse was awarded funding from The Drug Free Communities Support Program. GCASA previously received a grant to target substance abuse for children in grades 6 through 12. But that five-year grant expired last year and the GCASA’s grant wasn’t renewed.
The agency applied again and was notified on Sept. 19 that its funding is back for another five-year cycle, said Patricia Crowley, project director for the Orleans County United Against Substance Abuse Coalition.
“With increased funding for five years through the Drug Free Communities grant, continuing communication with the community and key organizations and leaders, the Coalition is well-placed to generate meaningful and lasting change in the community in order to solve its youth substance use problem,” Crowley said.
The grant will pay for staff, prevention programs, surveys of students on their drug activities and attitudes, and support other Coalition activities. Crowley said the Coalition, which formed in 2003, has stayed together the past year and intends to be sustainable after the grant expires in five years.
The Coalition has about 100 community members. The group has targeted alcohol, drug and tobacco use by youths, but Crowley said other substances are out in community, including prescription narcotics, that could entice teens.
“It’s constantly changing,” she said. “Who knows what will be out there in 2 to 3 years.”
To learn more about Orleans County United Against Substance Abuse Coalition, contact Crowley at 585-331-8732 or email pcrowley@gcasa.org.
Staff Reports Posted 29 September 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department will have its annual open house this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event for the first time will include a blood drive.
Other activities planned include fire prevention material, equipment on display and an antique fire truck exhibit. The State Police will have its rollover simulator on site for anyone to try.
The Fire Department will also have Chiavetta’s Chicken BBQ from 11 a.m. until sold out. Tickets can be purchased by calling the fire station at (585) 798-1661.
Contributed Story Posted 29 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Provided photos
ALBION – Albion FFA students and about 150 fourth-graders ventured out to the Land Lab on district property today to harvest squash. Last spring, FFA members and all of the then third-graders planted a squash seed in the Land Lab with the goal to harvest the squash the following school year when they were in fourth grade.
Anni Skowneski, case manager for Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, talks with students about how some of the produce will go to a food pantry for needy families in the community. Some of the students will go to the food pantry to help distribute the produce.
“This gives the kids a chance to give back to the community and show them that even though we only planted a seed and harvested the crop that it can make all the difference in someone’s life who doesn’t have much,” said Sara Millspaugh, FFA president. “This was a great experience for the students to take part in. This is something that they will always remember.”
Adam Krenning, FFA advisor and agricultural teacher, talks with students about growing food.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – The Medina school community is mourning the loss of teacher Barbara Barnes, who taught at the middle school and died in a car accident this morning.
She was killed an accident at 7:16 a.m. on the way to work. The accident occurred on Lake Road in the Town of Newfane.
School district officials met with her students at 1 p.m. to tell them about the fatal accident. The district also sent a note home with students to inform parents of the news, one of the parents told Orleans Hub.
The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t officially released the names of two people who died in the morning accident. The Sheriff’s Office reports that two vehicles collided in a head-on crash. The westbound vehicle, for unknown reasons, crossed the center lane and struck the eastbound vehicle head on.
Both drivers were pronounced dead. The driver in the westbound vehicle had a dog in her vehicle and that dog perished in the crash, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
The Niagara County Accident Investigation Unit is investigating the accident.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A Batavia man admitted in Orleans County Court that he had sex with a 14-year-old girl on Dec. 28, 2013.
Christopher Bucci, 35, of Galloway Road pleaded guilty to attempted rape in the second degree. The crime carries a maximum sentence of 1 ½ to 4 years in state prison.
Bucci will be sentenced at 2 p.m. on Jan. 5.
In another case in County Court today, Debra Unell, 52, of Medina pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, which carries a maximum sentence of 2 ½ years in state.
She admitted in court to trying to sell cocaine in Medina. She will be sentenced at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 22.
NEWFANE – The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate a fatal head-on crash which occurred this morning in the 6700 block of Lake Road in the Town of Newfane.
Early information indicates the westbound car, driven by Georgia Vaughn, 50, of Olcott crossed the centerline for unknown reasons into the path of an eastbound vehicle operated by Barbara Barnes, 51, of Newfane.
Ms. Vaughn died on the scene. Mrs. Barnes, a middle school teacher in Medina, was transported to Eastern-Niagara Hospital in Newfane where she died a short time later. A dog in Ms. Vaughn’s vehicle also died on the scene.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Medina man, 74, gets a year in county jail
ALBION – Orleans County Court Judge James Punch sentenced several drug criminals to either county jail or state prison today, including a 74-year-old Medina man.
Angel Gonzalez of Ricky Place pleaded guilty to criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fifth degree. He faced a maximum of 2 ½ years in state prison. His attorney, Nathan Pace, asked the judge to keep Gonzalez out of jail or prison due to his age and declining health.
Punch said he doesn’t like to use a defendant’s illness as a reason for avoiding jail. If a defendant is well enough to commit a crime, the judge said the defendant should be able to serve time behind bars.
Gonzalez admitted to selling hydrocodone, his prescribed medication for pain relief, to make money. He has a “disturbing criminal history,” Punch said.
“I don’t think probation is appropriate,” the judge said in handing down a sentence of one year in jail and one year of post-release supervision.
In other cases:
A former resident of West Park Street in Albion was sentenced to a year in state prison with a recommendation from Judge Punch for shock camp.
Tyriek Johnson, 26, now lives in Fairport. He is a first-time offender. He could have been sentenced to up to 9 years in state prison after he pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third and fifth degrees.
Johnson has his own business and has been respectful in court, his attorney Matthew Parrinello told the judge.
In a previous court appearance, Johnson said he was trying to sell cocaine in Albion on March 14, 2013. He said he was driving on Platt and Ingersoll streets, looking to sell the drug.
Johnson apologized to his family for getting into trouble with the law. He asked the judge for leniency.
“You were heavily involved in the drug trade around here,” Punch told Johnson. “You need to learn some discipline. You made the community a worse place by spreading these toxic substances around here.”
Michael Nellist, 35, of East Center Street in Medina was sentenced to the maximum 1 ½ years in state prison for selling marijuana. He has prior drug and driving while intoxicated charges, the District Attorney’s Office noted.
Nellist has twice been on probation. He was also ordered to pay $1,020 in restitution to the Orleans County Major Felony Crime task Force, money it used for drug buys.
“You have a long record,” Punch said. “You’ve been given breaks in the past but did not take advantage of them.”
A Rochester man was sentenced to three years in state prison. Luke Lawhorn, 27, was arrested on March 6 following a year-long investigation in the sale and distribution of crack cocaine from Rochester to Orleans County.
Lawhorn was only days away from graduating from the Monroe County Drug Court when he was arrested in March.
He apologized to his family and to the community during his sentencing today.
The district attorney requested state prison for Lawhorn, who continued to sell drugs even while in Drug Court, Cardone said.
The judge also ordered Lawhorn to pay back $480 to the Task Force.
A Medina resident was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in state prison for burglary. Levy Hill, 42, admitted he used a brick to break a window at the Kwik Fill in Medina on Sept. 7, 2013. After he broke the window, he reached his hand in and grabbed some merchandise from the business on Pearl Street.
He is a second felony offender. He was also ordered to pay $1,353 in restitution.
Provided photo – The Medina Mustang Band placed second in its division during a competition Saturday at West Genesee High School.
Press release
Medina Mustang Band
MEDINA – The Medina Mustang Band traveled to the West Genesee High School on Saturday for the band’s third competition this season.
Ten bands in total performed, three of which were in the Small School 1 class. Medina took second place with a score of 79.85 with East Syracuse Minoa in first with 81.45. Oswego took third place with 77.35.
There are three more shows before the state championships at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. The Mustangs will be at Orchard Park on Oct. 4, Victor on Oct. 11 and at Webster on Oct. 18.
Even though you may have seen Medina perform once before, each week the show is a little different as the co-directors make little changes. The students are able to pick up and learn these changes and perform as expected.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Zach Shaffer portrays Noah Davis, who grew up poor but was later an esteemed judge. He was elected to Congress in 1869 and appointed US District Attorney by President Grant. David was elected a State Supreme Court justice and presided over the trial of William “Boss” Tweed.
Davis was one of 13 prominent Albion residents highlighted on the sixth annual Ghost Walk on Saturday at Mount Albion Cemetery. There were 66 students involved, serving as “ghosts,” tour guides, singers and on the tech crew.
Shannon Broda portrays Laura Ward, who was married to Judge Alexis Ward, who was instrumental in the development of the Rochester-Lockport-Niagara Falls Railroad. He was elected to the State Assembly in 1854, but died before taking office.
Kyle Thaine portrays Rufus Bullock, who grew up in Albion, was a railroad official in George and was elected that state’s governor in 1868. He was instrumental in the reconstruction of Georgia after the Civil War.
The steps leading up to the Civil War memorial at the cemetery were aglow for the Ghost Walk, which was attended by about 500 people.
William Pecorella portrays Starr Chester, a shoemaker from Gaines. He operated his shoe shop on Ridge Road. That shop was later moved to the Cobblestone Museum, where the building was restored as the John G. Peters Harness Shop.
Evan Steier portrays Judge Arad Thomas who served as county judge from 1860 to 1864. He wrote a book about pioneers in Orleans County. That book published in 1871 – “Pioneer History of Orleans County” – has been a valuable resource for the Ghost Walk.
