Provided photo
HOLLEY – Four members of the Holley Class of 2014 were each awarded $500 scholarships by the Holley Rotary Club. The scholarship winners attended Monday’s Rotary Club meeting to meet the Rotarians.
Pictured in the photo, from left, include: Claudia Passarell, Jeff Martin (Rotary Club’s President Elect), Nicole Blackburn, Teresa Nicoletti, John Pedley (Club President) and Nicole Mauro.
ALBION – Orleans County Court Judge James Punch sentenced three Orleans County residents to state prison today.
Brenton Poole, 28, faced the stiffest sentence, five years in state prison. He pleaded guilty on April 7 to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree. He faced a maximum of 1 1/3 to 8 years in state prison, but his plea deal set the maximum punishment at five years.
During sentencing this afternoon, Poole accepted responsibility for having crack cocaine and marijuana in his closet at his home on 746 Church St.
He was arrested on Feb. 12 along with two other Medina residents after a year-long investigation into the sale and distribution of crack cocaine and marijuana in the villages of Medina and Albion, according to the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force.
Poole is a second felony offender. His attorney, Robert Fogg, said Poole quickly took responsibility in the case without any delays. Fogg asked for a sentence less than the maximum, and noted that Poole has struggled with a substance abuse problem.
Judge Punch insisted on the maximum of five years.
“You profited from the chaos you’ve been spreading,” the judge told Poole. “You’ve been a drug dealer and I think you have been for a long time.”
The judge also sentenced an Albion man to four years in state prison. Kyle Depoty, 23, of Albion faced charges of third-degree robbery and petit larceny for allegedly taking items from the Albion Wal-Mart on Dec. 8 and then threatening to harm a store employee.
Depoty also has been charged with second-degree burglary and petit larceny for allegedly stealing a camera, camcorder and cigarettes from an Eagle Harbor home on Dec. 4. He also faced probation violation charges.
He pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted burglary, petty larceny and violation of probation, which could have resulted in a maximum sentence of 3 to 7 years in state prison. The judge gave him four years.
A 19-year-old from Holley was sentenced to 2 to 6 years in state prison for disseminating indecent material to a minor.
Damien Jost of Ridge Road was called “a very dangerous individual” by the judge.
Jost was charged in September with endangering the welfare of a child, use of a child in a sexual performance and disseminating indecent material to a minor. An investigation showed he was allegedly sending and receiving photos of a victim who was 13 years old that he was messaging on-line. Jost also allegedly sent the 13-year-old images of him having sex with his girlfriend.
“I learned from this,” Jost said during sentencing. “I learned from this whole ordeal.”
The judge was asked to consider Youthful Offender status for Jost, but Punch refused, “based on your history and predatory nature of your conduct.”
ALBION – Two men from Albion, facing numerous drug-related charges, were arraigned in Orleans County Court last week and sent to jail on $200,000 bail.
Both Lee Tisdale and Dennis Calkins pleaded not guilty to their alleged crimes.
Tisdale, 43, of 2822 Lattin Rd. was arrested in March following a six-month investigation into the sale and distribution of cocaine, ecstasy and methylone “bath salts” in Orleans County.
He was arraigned in County Court last week on charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third and fifth degrees, and criminal sale of controlled substance in the third and fifth degrees.
County Court Judge James Punch also arraigned an Albion man last week after he was arrested on Feb. 13 following a vehicle stop on Route 31 near the Save-A-Lot grocery store.
Dennis Calkins, 34, of Hamilton Street and his wife Tammy A. Kuhns-Calkins, 44, of Elba were both arraigned.
Mr. Calkins on Feb. 13 allegedly jumped from the car while it was in motion and fled to a wooded area behind the grocery store. The Sheriff’s Department K-9 unit helped to track down Calkins.
He and his wife were arraigned on charges of unlawful manufacture of methamphetamine, unlawful fleeing of a police officer in the third degree, criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument and reckless driving.
Mr. Calkins also faces charges of resisting arrest.
The judge set bail at $200,000 for Mr. Calkins and $10,000 for his wife.
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory from 1 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday for several western and central NY counties, including Orleans.
The temperature is forecast to peak at 93 degrees and the heat index values will range from 100 to 104.
“If proper precautions are not taken, heat exhaustion or other heat-related symptoms could develop in those exposed to the hot and humid conditions,” the Weather Service advised.
Very young children and the elderly are most at risk. Residents are urged to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room and out of the sun.
Residents are also urged to avoid strenuous activity in the afternoon. Those outside should wear light weight and loose-fitting clothing.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Niagara County Legislature Chairman William Ross addresses the Orleans County Legislature last week with Niagara County Legislature David Godfrey.
ALBION – Initially, leaders from the Orleans and Niagara counties formed an alliance about two years ago to try to get Broadband Internet into rural pockets of the two lakeshore counties.
But the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance has become much more than that. The group has fought a binational plan for regulating levels of Lake Ontario, joined forces to pressure the federal government to dredge harbors in the two counties, and now is looking to share services with purchasing.
“It’s been a tremendous marriage and I only see it getting better in the future,” William Ross, Niagara County Legislature chairman, told the Orleans legislators during their meeting last week.
Niagara had an alliance with Erie County, but Ross said that fell apart. Orleans officials have been far more receptive and the two counties seem to have more in common as southshore Lake Ontario counties with lots of rural landscape.
“This is just the beginning of NORA,” Ross said about the alliance. “It’s been successful and it will be successful because of the people involved in it.”
The two counties are close to releasing a request for proposals for companies to provide high-speed Internet to “unserved rural access points,” said David Godfrey, a legislator from Niagara County.
The two counties see Internet service as “absolutely essential” for their residents to run businesses, fill out job applications, do homework and have a 21st Century quality of life.
Godfrey and Orleans County Legislator Lynne Johnson of Lyndonville represented NORA during a June 16 public hearing at the University of Buffalo about the proposed merger of Comcast and Time Warner.
“We are here today as a unified voice of our two counties who are desperately in need of high-speed internet service at every address point in our rural towns,” Godfrey and Johnson told the Public Service Commission. “Today’s agricultural enterprises leverage cutting edge bio-technology, renewable energy, and hi-tech heavy equipment which depend on the Internet.”
Godfrey and Johnson said a bigger “Comcast plus Time Warner” will be less responsive to rural areas. They said the merged company should include a board member representing customers and another seat representing “the voice of the government.”
They noted the companies are highly profitable and could spend some of those profits to expand their network in rural counties.
“Instead, you apply for federal and state grant funds and expand only into areas where there is ‘low hanging fruit’ of higher population densities leaving our rural residents, recreational areas and agri-businesses behind,” they said. “This further damages our rural economies.”
Godfrey and Johnson plan to go to Washington, D.C. next week to speak out against a lake level regulation plan that could cause significant erosion damage to the south shore. That plan was approved by the binational International Joint Commission and needs approval from the federal governments in the U.S. and Canada.
The two counties also will continue to speak out against unfunded mandates, programs approved by the state but paid for at the local level.
“Both of our counties have developed a new synergy that can only help us move forward,” said David Callard, Orleans County Legislature chairman.
Photo by Tom Rivers – The former Bernie’s Laundromat and a neighboring building were sold for $14,000 last week to Ken Daluisio, who plans to expand his print business to the property.
MEDINA – Orleans County sold more than 50 properties last week that had been in limbo due to years of unpaid taxes.
Two of the properties – 128 East Center St. and 132-134 East Center St. – were sold to Ken Daluisio in a negotiated transaction. Daluisio will pay $14,000 for the two commercial properties. They are next door to his business, The Print Shop.
The properties, which includes the former Bernie’s Laundromat, accumulated $50,406 in back taxes and interest, according to the County Treasurer’s Office.
Daluisio wants to expand his print business next door, and renovate the sites for additional retail and business space. Daluisio is planning to add four awnings to the store fronts.
The County Legislature approved the sale on Wednesday, when the body also approved the sale of 51 lots at the annual tax foreclosure sale. The 51 properties sold for a combined $343,050. That was $43,151 short of the $386,201 owed in back taxes and interest.
Some of the properties sold well above the amount due in taxes, and others sold for far less.
The tax auctions usually are money losers for the county. Last year, the county took in about $140,000 for 43 properties with about $375,000 in unpaid taxes.
“It’s in the negative, but it’s not as bad as in the past,” County Treasurer Susan Heard told legislators last week.
Some of the property owners paid the taxes just before the auction to take them out of the sale.
The county is happy to see the properties return to the tax rolls. Heard said the owners may improve the sites, boosting the tax base.
BROCKPORT – A former Walmart store on Route 19 is no longer under consideration as a temporary shelter for migrant children who crossed the southern border illegally, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley said.
“The decision to not have the facility in our community is ultimately the right one,” Hawley said in a statement. “Brockport residents and upstate New York taxpayers can’t afford to be paying for the housing, healthcare and education of illegal immigrant children. It’s important that we do everything to help these children, but Brockport is ill equipped for such an undertaking long term.”
Hawley, State Sen. George Maziarz and U.S. Rep. Chris Collins also spoke against the proposal last week when the Department of Health and Human Services said the site was under consideration.
Brockport came under consideration after the Lexington Commerce Center in the town of Greece was ruled out as a possible housing site, Hawley said. Other locations under consideration have not yet been announced, he said.
Collins said Health and Human Resources also is considering a former convent in Clifton Park for some of the children.
The U.S. border has been overwhelmed with minors coming from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico, children fleeing gang violence and poverty.
File photos by Tom Rivers – John Robinson of Albion leads caravan of bike riders to a reception last June outside the former Albion Grammar School, which is now used for senior apartments and services for The Arc of Orleans County and senior citizens.
ALBION – A year ago John Robinson inspired communities along the Erie Canal by riding an adaptive bicycle more than 350 miles.
Robinson will begin the 12-day trip again on Monday in Tonawanda and will be stopping in Albion at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. He will visit consumers of the Arc of Orleans County at the former Albion Grammar School on East Academy Street. The Arc runs the Meals on Wheels and Nutri-Fair program from the former school, which also has apartments for senior citizens.
Robinson was born without full arms and legs. He founded an organization, Our Ability, with his friend Doug Hamlin, a 28-year veteran of the software industry who is a quadriplegic as a result of an accident. Our Ability tries to inspire people with disabilities through positive video stories. Robinson mentors, connects and inspires people with disabilities toward education and employment.
John Robinson addresses about 50 people at a reception organized by The Arc of Orleans County. Robinson last year was presented proclamations by Orleans County Legislator Bill Eick, a representative for State Sen. George Maziarz and State Assemblyman Steve Hawley.
The state Canal Corporation is partnering with Robinson and Our Ability for the journey along the canal.
“Last year, the message of inclusion and inner strength that is at the heart of this great trek was met with an outpouring of support at each stop along the historic Erie Canal,” said Brian U. Stratton, State Canal Corp. director. “Through our partnership with Our Ability, NYSARC and our other sponsors, we will ensure 2014’s Journey will be even larger and its message is spread even further.”
Other partners for the canal trip include the Disability Education Forum of New York, Inc., the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc. (NYSID), and NYSARC, Inc.
The Journey will conclude on July 11 at the Capitol steps in Albany coinciding with NYSARC’s 65th anniversary celebration.
For more information about Our Ability, click here.
By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian
ALBION – This picture was taken on Sept.10, 1885 at the laying of the cornerstone of Bruen Memorial Chapel. This is now the parish house of Christ Episcopal Church in Albion.
Dignitaries in the photo include, seated, from left: William J. Hannington, clerk of the Vestry; Rev. C.T. Seibt, S.T.D.; Rev. W.W. Walsh; Rev. S.H. Cook; Rev. G.W. Southwell; Rev. W. D’Orville Doty, D.D.; Rev. Noble Palmer; Rev. Sidney Wilbur and Zephaniah Clarke, senior warden.
Standing, from left: Howard Abeel; W. Crawford Ramsdale, junior warden; W.S. Danolds; R.C. Tobias; John Hull White; Rev. Francis S. Dunham, rector of Christ Church; Joseph A. Wall and George H. Thatcher.
MEDINA – A dentist is proposing to build a new 3,325-square-foot building at 11065 West Center St.
Dr. Peter Igoe currently works out of 511 West Ave. He is proposing to build a new office with a studio and five examination rooms on the north side of Route 31E. Salt Works Road is the closest intersection.
The Orleans County Planning Board on Thursday voted to support the project, which needs final approval from the Town of Ridgeway.
The site is located in a Light Industrial District. Planners said the project fits in with the character of the neighborhood, a mix of residential and commercial uses.
In other referrals, the County Planning Board:
• Recommended the Village of Albion support amended regulations for signs in the Residential/Commercial District. The amendments would allow monument signs to stand a maximum of 5 feet high, with a maximum of 32 square feet or 16 square feet per side if it’s a two-sided sign. The signs also must be a minimum of 15 feet from the curb.
Planners said the amendments are more restrictive than existing regulations for General Commercial, Light Industrial and some other districts. That makes sense, planners said, because the R-C District needs to strike more of a balance between residential and commercial uses.
• Recommended the Town of Kendall reclassify four adjoining parcels at 1750 Kendall Rd. from Residential/Agricultural and General Business to Light Industrial.
The parcels are part of the former Ho-Jack railroad right-of-way on the northern edge of the Kendall hamlet.
The land is owned by the same owner, Michael Crupi, and comprises 14.7 acres. The land runs from Kendall Road to Center Road, about 5,200 feet. The rezoning would help facilitate a woodworking operation, county planners said.
Press release, Orleans County Undersheriff Steve Smith
KENDALL – A Holley teen-ager is hospitalized in satisfactory condition after crashing her car this morning in the Town of Kendall.
The incident occurred shortly after 6 a.m. in the 1000 block of Monroe-Orleans County Line Rd., just north of Kenmore Rd.
Lauren A. Hennekey, 18, was traveling north when she lost control of the 1997 Honda sedan she was operating. The vehicle crossed the center line and ran off the west side of the roadway at which point it struck a ditch and became airborne.
Upon re-impacting the ground, the vehicle overturned several times, ejecting Hennekey, who was the sole occupant. The car came to rest on its roof.
Hennekey was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester by Hamlin Ambulance Corps. Kendall Fire Department and Monroe Ambulance personnel assisted at the scene as well as Morton firefighters. A Monroe County Sheriff’s K-9 team also assisted Orleans deputies in checking the area for any other potential victims.
The incident was investigated by Deputy J.J. Cole, assisted by Deputy M.C. Mele. While that investigation is continuing, it does appear that excessive speed was a contributing factor. Charge(s) against Hennekey are pending her recovery.
Provided photos – Kendall High School graduates Caelan Welch and Tessa Vick are pictured at Commencement on Friday.
The auditorium was at capacity to see 72 students graduate from Kendall.
Press release Kendall Central School
KENDALL – Friends, family, faculty and staff filled the auditorium of the David J. Doyle Kendall Junior-Senior High School on Friday evening to celebrate the graduation of 72 Kendall high school seniors.
District Superintendent Julie Christensen was the master of ceremonies. Valedictorian Kari Hurlbutt and Salutatorian Tyler Smith addressed the class.
Kendall junior Marisa Hanlon, center, is pictured with two members of the Class of 2014 – Nicole Browe, left, and Kari Hurlbutt.
Featured speaker was Kendall graduate and celebrated athlete Roosevelt Bouie. The Royal Blue Band, led by Band Ensemble Director Ashlea Strouse, also performed.
Of this year’s class, 80 percent plan to pursue higher education degrees while 16 percent plan to enter the workforce. Four percent will be entering military service.
Earlier this month, Kendall also celebrated Kindergarten graduation and the sixth graders were honored at a “moving up” ceremony in which they mark their transition from elementary students to the junior high school.
Kendall students celebrate completing kindergarten.
The Top 10 Kendall sixth-graders were recognized during a moving-up ceremony.
Photos by Sue Cook – Patrick Hinkson shakes hands with school superintendent Jason Smith. Behind him, Regina Corser receives her degree from Theodore Lewis, president of the Board of Education.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Class of 2014 walked the auditorium stage Friday night for the district’s 74th commencement, which happened to be the 50th anniversary of the school on Housel Avenue.
The Class of 1964 was invited to the ceremony to signify the importance of the event. The 1964 valedictorian, John Woodworth, and salutatorian, Constance Maines, were given an opportunity to address students.
Maines delivers her speech to the students and reminds them their excellence is a foundation for the rest of their lives.
“To anybody out there who might think they’re average,” said Maines, addressing the students, “you’re average in a school that is in the top 6 percent of schools in the country. So don’t let anything hold you back. The average here is superlative in many places.”
Forty two students earned their diplomas and walked the stage. Many of the students earned scholarships and awards with some receiving multiple accolades. Forty five scholarships were awarded in total.
Heather Mufford tells her classmates about how they are still working to complete their lives.
Salutatorian Heather Mufford told the students how their lives were like puzzles. High school had completed part of the puzzle.
“The moment we move our tassels from the right to the left, we’ll earn that last connecting puzzle piece,” said Mufford. “We’ll have successfully completed the border to the puzzle that represents our life. High school was only the border to the puzzle, the foundation for the rest. There are still plenty of pieces to be sorted out of the box, which represents the future.”
Graduate Brennan O’Connor directs the band in playing the Lyndonville alma mater.
Valedictorian Abigail Feldman was unable to attend the ceremony. She is attending a Distinguished Young Women scholarship event in Mobile, Alabama. Feldman made a recording of her speech, which was played for the audience.
“You have to take responsibility for you actions. Growing up means being able to say ‘I lost it,’ instead of ‘it got lost,'” Feldman said.
She continued with other life lessons. “Honesty is always the best policy. When you do the right thing, the majority of the time life will reward you.”
The school principal, Dr. Aaron Slack, told the students about how they should always do the right things when other people are not monitoring their lives and actions.
“I would say that many of your greatest successes as a class have come when you’ve taken the lead,” he said.
Chelsey Silversmith, Dalton Cerbone and Cheyenne Button look on with their classmates during Slack’s speech.
As each student crossed the stage, their names were announced loud and proud as if they were being called onto the field at a sporting event. It gave great importance to each name and the audience joined in by cheering.
“These kids are awesome,” Jennifer Trupo, vocal music teacher, said after the ceremony. “In one capacity or another I worked almost every single kid on that stage in the short time I’ve been here. The school is going to miss them a lot. We celebrate these kids. For every single one of them it is a major accomplishment. I love that Mark Hughes shouts their names and everyone cheers for them because they really should be celebrated.”
After the ceremony, Musa Mansur shows off an orange golf ball that reads LCS, which was a gift to each student.
Photos by Sue Cook – Zackery Alan Kates throws his arms up as teacher Michael Crissman announces him across the stage.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
HOLLEY – This morning 81 Holley graduates walked the stage in the Woodlands Soccer Field behind the high school. It was the school’s 65th annual commencement.
The graduates have already completed 500 college credit hours and earned $17,000 in local and community scholarships. They are eligible for up to $380,000 in specific college scholarships.
Of the 81 grads, 47 will be going on to higher education. Nine will be entering the military. Seventeen will be going into the workforce. One foreign exchange student will be returning to Thailand and seven graduates remain undecided about their future.
Monica Rose Merlau shakes hands with members of the Board of Education. Savanna Marie Merriam stands on stage getting her diploma from Brenda Swanger, President of the Board of Education, Principal Susan Cory and Superintendent Robert D’Angelo. Toni Meyers waits to be called on stage.
Corey Patrick Winter sings the beginning of “No Day But Today” from the musical “Rent” to lead the Holley High School Women’s Choir into the song.
Salutatorian Daniel Flanagan recommended the current class of juniors cherish the memories they will be creating at Holley in the next year.
“What will really be remembered are the memories that you make and the people that you bond with,” Flanagan said. “Those are the moments that a person lives for in high school and we’ll tell our kids about later down the road. Be proud to say you graduated a Holley Hawk.”
Shelby Lynn Kunker delivers her valedictory address to her classmates.
Shelby Kunker, the valedictorian, said, “Your choices and how you act are going to make a difference throughout the rest of your time on this planet. Whether your decisions are good, or not so good, they matter. Make the most of your life. Through our actions, we impact many untold people. Never think you aren’t significant.”
John Heise spends a few moments delivering pieces of wisdom he has learned throughout his life. Heise is a former Holley principal and president of the Board of Education.
Retired Holley Administrator John Heise offered advice through his address to the graduates.
“No matter what your path, you have an opportunity to reinvent yourself,” Heise said. “Keep what is good, get rid of what is not, and move forward. There will always be new skills to learn. Listen to others. Choose your friends wisely. Anything you achieve will come from hard work.”
Heise also said to recognize the importance of family and community. He explained that he moved to Holley from Rochester because it was a great thing to know your neighbors and have people around you who will support you.
Paul Michael Pfeiffer pumps his fist in the air as he hops onto the stage to receive his diploma.
Lauren Ann Hennekey stands as she is recognized for a scholarship for her vocational excellence through BOCES for cosmetology.
Lauren Ann Hennekey needs to earn 200 more instructional hours to gain her cosmetology license.
Hennekey explained her plans after graduation. “I’m going to the Empire School of Beauty in Greece, I’ve always been interested in hair and makeup. I will miss everyone. I’ll especially miss Penny Cole, my cheerleading coach. I will definitely miss all my friends.”
Hennekey’s mother, Mary Beth, added, “I’m very excited. She’ll do wonderful things no matter what.”
As is tradition during their outdoor commencement, the graduates gather in the corner of the soccer field and throw their caps in the air surrounded by family and friends.
By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian
ALBION – In this photo from the mid-1940s we see Walt Disney looking over the shoulder of one of his chief illustrators, Henry L. Porter (1901-1951).
Porter was a native of Albion where he attended Albion High School. From there he studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and became a commercial artist. After working at his own business in Buffalo, he then joined the Disney Studio in 1936, working on cartoon films. He created many of the characters in Disney’s 1941 film “Fantasia.”
In fact it was Henry Porter who created the cartoon character Donald Duck. Because he worked for Disney, all credit went to the studio.
