By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 June 2014 at 6:10 am
ALBION – Albion closed schools and there are no Regents exams today after a powerful storm hit the area Tuesday night, knocking out power, taking down trees and leaving downed power lines.
The severe thunderstorm hit at about 7:45 p.m. and was particularly hard on areas north of Route 104. Some roads were impassable due to downed trees and wires, including Route 279 in Gaines and Route 98 in Carlton near Ho-Jack’s.
Carlton suffered the most damage with trees on houses and in the road, county dispatch said this morning. Route 98 remains closed in Carlton, north of the Waterport-Carlton Road. Much of the center of the county, between Culvert Road and Transit Road, was without power overnight.
KENDALL – During its Flag Day celebration last week, Kendall elementary students posed in a formation of a big “USA” by the school. The school’s music teachers took the lead for the USA tribute.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 June 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA No arrests have been made from an early Sunday morning brawl when a patron outside O’Brien’s Tavern was stabbed and three gun shots were fired up in the air.
Medina Police Chief Jose Avila said an investigation is continuing.
The person who was stabbed suffered minor injuries. The shots that were fired don’t appear to have been directed at anyone, Avila said.
The incident occurred on the south side of O’Brien’s. The bar was packed with the band Zero performing on Saturday night and into early Sunday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 June 2014 at 12:00 am
Provided photos – Several telephone poles fell down along Route 98 in Carlton after fierce winds hit around 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
CARLTON – It felt like a tornado hit on Tuesday evening for Matt and Sharon Sugar. They were driving back towards Albion after visiting Point Breeze with their two sons and one of their friends.
They were on Route 98 in Carlton when the wind picked up and the rain turned into a torrential downpour.
“We were driving and I couldn’t see because of wind and rain,” Mr. Sugar said. “I never experienced anything like that. We couldn’t see two feet in front of us. It was like a whiteout in June.”
He decided to pull over, about a quarter mile north of Ho-Jack’s. Then a row of telephone poles snapped. Six or seven fell with the Sugars between two of them. Some of the live wires landed on their van, a Chrysler Town and Country.
“It was very scary,” he said.
The Sugars, their two sons and a family friend were trapped in the vehicle for the next two hours. When National Grid was assured the power was cut, the wires were removed, including one on the passenger side mirror, not far from where Mrs. Sugar was sitting. Carlton firefighter Ed Cooper then helped Mr. Sugar navigate the van through the maze of debris.
Mr. Sugar said he is thankful he stopped where he did. If he was 20 feet ahead, a pole would have landed on the vehicle. Their van only had a scratch on it.
“The Lord was with us,” he said. “It could have been much more serious.”
The Sugars were joined in their van by sons Isaac, 5, and Eli, 12, and their friend Cody Wilson, 12.
“It’s a miracle,” Sugar said about their escape from the storm. “Thank God we’re here to tell about it.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 June 2014 at 12:00 am
HOLLEY – Village residents voted Tuesday to keep John Kenney as mayor. Kenney topped challenger, former mayor and current trustee Skip Carpenter, in the village election with 174 votes to Carpenter’s 142.
Kenney gets another two-year term, but two incumbent trustees, David Dill and Donald Penna, weren’t re-elected.
Former village clerk Connie Nenni led all five candidates with 165 votes. She was elected along with Kevin Lynch, 126 votes. Penna received 101 votes, followed by Shawn O’Mara with 95, and Dill with 90.
Tuesday’s election was not disrupted by the power outage, Village Clerk Jane Murray said.
“The village does not use electronic voting machines,” she said. “Even with the loss of power last evening at 8:15 p.m., we were still able to light the office with kerosene lanterns and emergency backup generated lighting. Voting continued without a hiccup.”
The results were tabulated by 10:30 p.m. and announced to the crowd standing outside the Village Office.
“The polls never closed last evening due to the weather and the doors remained open throughout the storm,” she said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 June 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – A maple tree was knocked down at the corner of Eagle and Main streets in Lyndonville during the storm last night.
CARLTON – Orleans County residents have been out picking up lawns littered with limbs and power crews are out trying to bring the electricity back.
About 2,000 National Grid customers in the Carlton area remain without electricity, and National Grid estimates it should be back on at 6 p.m. today.
A portion of Route 98 in Carlton Station remains blocked off while crews work to restore power and clean up from the fierce thunderstorm that hit the area at about 8 p.m. last night. Several power lines and poles were knocked down just north of Ho-Jack’s Bar and Grill.
In Lyndonville, Barbara Tice was out trying to pick up branches and assess the damage from a fallen maple tree. She also lost two trees during the December ice storm.
She was thankful the maple tree didn’t land on her house or take down other trees. She and her husband Julio Tice have lived in a historic house for 25 years. That house at the corner of Eagle and Main streets was built in 1857.
“The whole house shook when it hit the ground,” Mrs. Tice said. “We were lucky it missed the house by about 4 feet.”
Barbara Tice, left, was out this morning picking up branches from a fallen tree. She was joined by friend Jocelyn Munn.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 June 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
This tree toppled after fierce winds hit Tuesday after 7:30 p.m. The tree landed next to the Gaines Town Hall. Orleans Hub editor Tom Rivers was at the Gaines Town Hall for a board meeting when a neighboring tree was uprooted and came falling down, scraping against the Town Hall.
The parking lot behind the Gaines Town Hall was littered with leaves and branches from some of the nearby trees after a severe thunderstorm rolled through the area.
The wind knocked down this tree on Route 279, north of Route 104, making the road impassable.
The storm turned the sky dark. The Main Street traffic lights in Albion stopped working at about 8:30 p.m. due to the power outage that lasted overnight.
The storm also flooded local farm fields, including this one along Route 279 in Gaines.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 June 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
RIDGEWAY – An old barn that collapsed months ago has been removed from near the northeast corner of routes 104 and 63 in Ridgeway, with the demolition of a house at the corner imminent.
Ledge Creek Development in Clarence was doing site work at the property today.
Development Unlimited of WNY LLC of Buffalo is building a new 9,100-square-foot Dollar General store at the corner of routes 63 and 104. The driveway will be about 200 feet north of 104 on Route 63. The store will have 30 parking spaces.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 June 2014 at 12:00 am
Volunteers will have rebuilt 3 of 4 walls
Photos by Tom Rivers – Volunteers work on removing a wall at a log cabin at the 4-H Fairgrounds. A new wooden wall will be built in a tongue and groove style.
KNOWLESVILLE – A team of volunteers are at the 4-H Fairgrounds today, chipping away mortar and removing sections of large logs in a 40-year-old cabin.
The Orleans County Sportsmen Federation has worked the past three years to save the cabin. Two of the four walls were torn out and replaced about three years ago after the wood had rotted. The west wall is now the group’s focus and it should be removed and replaced in time for the opening of the annual 4-H Fair, which starts July 21.
The Sportsmen Federation wants the site to be a showcase of local wildlife resources and conservation practices. But the group worried that the cabin, with many rotted logs, might become unsafe and unsightly.
The cabin was first completed in 1976 and is used for many hunter safety classes, and conservation programs. A new wall is at left while the wall at right will be removed with a new one to be erected by the opening of the fair.
“We want it to continue on,” said Mike Donahue, the group’s president and long-time member. He helped with the construction of the original cabin. “We don’t want the thing to fall into total disrepair and be an eyesore up here.”
The Federation has raised money to help replace the walls and also has received $5,000 in county dollars to bolster the site.
Legislature Chairman David Callard supported the county contribution. He also was at the site today, helping to remove mortar from the west wall.
“This log cabin gives a unique taste to the fairgrounds,” he said. “It serves a good purpose. It really is a living history.”
Bob Fox chips away mortar in the log cabin. He is one of several volunteers working on the project. David Callard is behind him.
The cabin was originally built with logs from Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area. They were sawed at Ed Egloff’s mill in Barre. The cabin was built from 1974 to 1976 mostly by members of the local conservation clubs. The idea for the cabin was proposed by Gene Tuohey, the local conservation officer at the time.
Donahue said many groups use the cabin, including the Sportsmen Federation, Soil and Water Conservation District, Orleans County Bluebird Society, the Clay Crushers and other conservation groups.
When the west wall is done that will give the cabin three new walls. Donahue said the front wall seems to be fine. The other walls had rotted logs. Donahue said the new logs are in a tongue and groove style that is more “weather tight” and should keep out water.
Mike Donahue, president of the Sportsmen Federation, shared these photos from the dedication program for the log cabin in 1976. Don Cook, who was an active local conservationist, took these photos.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 June 2014 at 12:00 am
HOLLEY – Village residents will elect a mayor and two trustees to the Village Board today. The election is from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Office, 72 Public Square.
Skip Carpenter, a former Holley mayor and current village trustee, is challenging John Kenney, the incumbent, for a two-year term as mayor. Carpenter is running under the Independent Party and Kenney is on the ballot under the Family Party.
There are also five candidates seeking two trustee positions. The incumbents – David Dill under Citizens Party and Don Penna under Justice Party – face challengers Connie Nenni (Peoples Party), Kevin Lynch (Happy Party) and Shawn O’Mara (Taxpayer Party).
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 June 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Police have charged a second juvenile with criminal possession of a weapon after an investigation into an accidental shooting last Thursday in the village.
A 13-year-old boy was playing with a stolen gun when he accidentally shot his brother, 9, who was lying down in bed at 341 Caroline St. The boy was treated and released from the hospital with injuries to his arm.
Police quickly recovered two stolen guns from the 13-year-old, who allegedly took them from an elderly neighbor. The boy actually stole three guns, police said, and handed one of the guns off to a teen-age friend.
The second teen-ager was issued an appearance ticket with the Orleans County Probation Department. The case has been turned over to the District Attorney’s Office and could stay in Family Court.
The elderly man hasn’t been charged with any crimes. Nenni said the man was a victim in the case.
Kelley S. Glena, mother of the boy who took the guns, was often in the elderly man’s house with her children. She helped the man with basic household chores, Nenni said.
Her son was looking through the man’s possessions and discovered the guns.
“The man didn’t have the guns out in the open,” Nenni said. “The kid had to go looking for them. He didn’t just give them to him.”
Orleans County Court Judge James Punch will decide if the guns are returned to the man and if his pistol permit will be revoked.
The 13-year-old’s parents – John H. Glena, 46, and Kelley S. Glena, 43 – have both been charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The two weren’t arrested because of the firearms incident but because of the condition of the deplorable dwelling where their children lived, Nenni said.
The police chief urged gun owners to keep their weapons in a secure spot.
“If you have weapons, make sure they’re safe and accounted for,” he said.
Press release, Albion High School Alumni Foundation
ALBION – The historic First Presbyterian Church of Albion will open its doors to the community as Albion’s own Steven Olick IV comes home to perform a concert entitled “An Afternoon of Song.”
The concert is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Olick, a senior vocal major at SUNY Fredonia, will perform selections from art song and opera including music from composers Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Ives, Schumann and Smetana.
Partnering with the Albion High School Alumni Foundation, all proceeds from the concert will fund a study abroad to the Italian Scuola at Sant’Angelo, where Olick will participate in an once-in-a-lifetime experience studying opera in Vado, Italy.
“For Steve, this is more than just an honor,” said Gary Simboli, Olick’s high school choral director. “It will be an experience of epic proportions. Studying and performing with opera’s best, making connections for future opportunities and living abroad in this amazing location will make a lasting impact on his life.”
During this intensive month-long program, Olick will receive 45 hours of language training by teachers from the Italian Scuola, two voice lessons a week, two private coaching sessions, two acting lessons a week and two master classes. The program will culminate with Steven performing four concerts. He will study with college professors from around the U.S. as well as baritone from the Met, David Malis.
“I have always been intrigued by traveling abroad and following in the footsteps of my Uncle Steve, my namesake,” Olick said. “Now having received this opportunity not only to travel, but to experience opera in its homeland is a dream come true. I cannot begin to express the gratitude I have for the support being shown by my Alma Mater and community.”
Olick is a 2010 Albion High School graduate. While attending Albion he was heavily involved in music department programs. He was the marching band drum major and participated in jazz and concert band. He was a member of the mixed chorus and men’s select groups and participated in the theater department’s musicals.
He was the very first recipient of the Albion High School Alumni Foundation’s Performing Arts Scholarship. This $1,000 scholarship assists students who attend college for performing arts.
“The Foundation is pleased to support Steven in this important venture,” said Susan Starkweather Miller, Albion High School Alumni Foundation Vice-President. “He has a unique talent and a promising career ahead of him. It is opportunities like these that can truly make a difference for a lifetime, which is what the Foundation strives to do for Albion Alumni.”
General admission ticket prices are available for purchase at ATB Staffing Services, 534 Main St., Medina (318-4218) and Fisher’s Newsroom, 105 N. Main St., Albion (589-7283). Tickets can also be purchased at the door on June 22.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 June 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A crew from State Department of Transportation is out today patching pavement along Route 31 in Albion. The DOT workers are pictured at the intersection of 31 and Old Telegraph Road, across from Bentley Brothers.
The brutally cold winter has left an abundance of potholes on local roadways.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 June 2014 at 12:00 am
1 farmworker earns citizenship, others improve English
Photos by Tom Rivers – Octaviano Gomez holds an American flag while being recognized for becoming a U.S. citizen on Monday when he and other students were praised for their efforts to learn English and other skills.
Claudio Fernandes of Brazil smiles while holding a certificate in recognition of his efforts to learn English. Fernandes works at Intergrow Greenhouses in the town of Gaines. Linda Redfield, program director, is at left. Students took classes who were from Brazil, Mexico, China, Bulgaria and Indonesia.
WATERPORT Every Monday and Wednesday evening, often after hours of work in local fields or dairy barns, farmworkers will learn English, computer skills and some even study U.S. Civics in preparation for the citizenship test.
The students were all praised and given certificates during a recognition program on Monday at the World Life Institute. The organization partners with the Orleans-Niagara BOCES to run the English, computer and civics classes.
“You’ve become a model for your children,” Becky Albright, BOCES board president, told the students. “It takes a lot of courage to be in a foreign country and to go back to school after you’ve been working.”
Officials from the Orleans-Niagara BOCES attended Monday’s recognition program. The trio includes, from left: Dr. Clark Godshall, superintendent for BOCES; Susan Diemert, adult literacy coordinator for BOCES; and Becky Albright, BOCES board president.
Dr. Clark Godshall, superintendent of BOCES, attended the recognition ceremony and praised the 44 students and their teachers for their work.
“We’ve been hearing about your story and it is a story of success,” Godshall told them. “You’re paving the way for the future of your children.”
Manuel Torres smiles after singing a song and playing his guitar during the recognition program.
Manuel Torres, 30, started taking classes in the program about five months ago. He works at a dairy farm in Middleport, feeding calves.
He said he often felt shy at work and in the community because he didn’t have a good grasp of English.
“I only knew a few words before, but now I can introduce myself and communicate with people,” he said Monday after the recognition program. “I don’t need somebody else to interpret for me.”
Torres said he is doing better at work, too, because he can better understand the boss’s expectations.
He played a guitar and sang a Garth Brooks song, “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” during the recognition program.
“You have to let the people you love know that you love them,” Torres told the group before he started singing.
Octaviano Gomez became a U.S. citizen on May 14.
Octaviano Gomez was the first student to be recognized on Monday. He passed the U.S. citizenship test on Jan. 9 and took the Oath of Citizenship on May 14. Gomez lives in Medina with his wife and four children. He has been taking English classes at WLI for two years.
“The teachers helped me a lot, every time I came,” said Gomez, who has worked for several local fruit farms.
By becoming a citizen, he said he hopes to create more opportunities for his family.
Many of the students taking the classes have young children. The parents were praised for taking English classes and working hard to create opportunities for their families.
The WLI school on Stillwater Road also offers pottery classes on Wednesday nights for women who work in local agriculture. The pottery classes started in 2004 as an expanded family literacy program so more women and children could learn with their husbands and fathers. The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council helps to support that program. The participants learn English while creating art.
Deborah Wilson leads the pottery classes. She also handed out recognition certificates to participants.
The students’ colorful bowls, cups, platters, trays and other works were on display at the WLI school on Monday.
“They never had a chance to see what they can do themselves,” Wilson said about her students and their art. “It’s exciting to make your own things that are functional.”
Francesca Colon is congratulated by Deborah Wilson for completing English and pottery classes. Colon has an essay published in a literacy magazine in Rhode Island.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 June 2014 at 12:00 am
East Bank Street will be closed off for concerts
ALBION – The village of Albion will kick off its new “Concerts by the Canal” series this Thursday with two bands performing on a closed off East Bank Street. There is no admission charge.
The Dady Brothers, a well-known group that performs in Western New York and beyond, will sing beginning at 6:30 in the debut concert of the new series. The Dady Brothers play many folk instruments with their music. They have recorded 10 CDs.
Provided photo – The Dady Brothers will be the featured performers on Thursday.
A local band will play first for a half hour. The band called Pedestrians will play at 6 p.m., just before the Dady Brothers. That is the format the village of Albion is striving for in the series, which runs every Thursday until July 24. (July 3 will be off). A newer band will play for a half hour before the featured performer takes the stage.
“We want to give people another reason to come and explore the downtown,” said Sid Beaty, program coordinator for the village.
The village, Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council and the Albion Rotary Club are all sponsoring the series. The bands will play on Thursday evenings when many downtown stores have extended hours until 7 p.m.
The bands will perform on a mobile stage created by Eagle Scout Allen Sanford. He is a member of Route 98, which is the featured band on June 26.
The series coincides with extended hours by many businesses in the downtown on Thursdays until 7 p.m. The village also wants to have a farmers’ market on Thursdays on East Bank Street from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Farmers are urged to call the village at 589-9176 to inquire about being a vendor.
The lineup for the concert series includes:
June 19: The Pedestrians open followed by featured performers, The Dady Brothers
June 26: Whiskey Rebellion opening followed by Route 98
July 10: Sophisticats
July 17: The Who Dats
July 24: Dirty White Boys
The Albion Merchants Association also is planning a wine-tasting – “Sip and Stroll Through History” – from 3 to 7 p.m. on Aug. 9. Presale tickets are available at Bindings Bookstore, Hazy Jade Gift Shop and Xpress Fitness and Tanning.
