Provided photo – Holley junior Madison Pritchard, center, pours coffee for guests at this year’s annual Senior Citizen appreciation breakfast.
Press release
Holley Central School
HOLLEY – About 130 senior citizens from Holley turned out to enjoy the ninth annual Senior Citizen Appreciation Breakfast at the Holley Elementary School on May 1.
The Holley Central School District hosts the event each year as a way to recognize the significant contributions area senior citizens make to the community and in support of Holley schools.
The breakfast menu was prepared and provided by the district’s food service vendor, Personal Touch. High school seniors greeted guests, served coffee and presented each with a long stem rose. For entertainment, kindergarten and high school music students performed.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 May 2014 at 12:00 am
State Convention returns to Orleans County
Photos by Tom Rivers – Medina FFA leaders have been busy preparing for this week’s state convention. Some of the leaders include, from left: Cassidy Albone, President Ben Martin and Hayden Allis. About 1,200 students, and 200 advisors and ag teachers are expected in town from May 8-10.
MEDINA – A few hundred wooden folding chairs were delivered this morning. They are stacked in the hallway at Medina High School. They will be moved to the gymnasium on Thursday.
The chairs are just one of numerous details that have been tended to for the FFA State Convention this Thursday through Saturday at Medina. The Medina FFA Chapter is hosting the event for the first time since 2001. About 1,200 students from FFA chapters throughout the state will be at Medina for competitions, fun and inspiration. Most of the students will be staying at hotels in either Batavia or Lockport.
The event has been a lot of work the past year for the Medina chapter.
“We couldn’t have done this without a lot of help,” said Ben Martin, Medina’s FFA president.
The local farm community, FFA alumni and many others have pitched in to prepare for the convention.
About 200 people, many of them Medina teachers, will volunteer to judge more than 30 different competitions at the convention. Local ag businesses – Forrestel Farms, SK Herefords, Western New York Energy and Lamb Farms – will provide tours to students.
Medina’s downtown will also be featured on wagon tours. Todd Bensley, a Medina teacher and local historian, will discuss the downtown’s Medina sandstone heritage. Students will be able to tour the Bent’s Opera House and the downtown business district.
“We want to give them a taste of a small town,” Martin said. “We want to show that we have a huge historical background.”
The convention includes a Friday night concert at 9 p.m. at Vets Park. Savage Cabbage, a rock band that includes farmers John and Frank Starowitz, will perform. That concert also will include a carnival at the park.
The state officers for the FFA rehearse on stage this morning for a skit as part of the FFA State Convention. This year’s theme is “Harvest.”
The state officers for FFA arrived in Medina on Monday and they are polishing the three-day program that includes skits, inspirational messages and recognition for the FFA students. The officers picked the convention theme of “Harvest.”
“Harvest is more than just agriculture,” said Ashley Willits of Lowville, the state FFA president. “It could be succeeding at public speaking or climbing a ropes course for the first time.”
The officers are planning six sessions on the “Harvest” theme, with components on traditions and celebrations.
“Harvest is a process,” Willits said. “It doesn’t happen overnight.”
There are about 4,000 FFA students in the state. The program is growing. Five new chapters will be welcomed during the convention.
“The goal of the convention is to recognize everything the members do,” said Kaylin Broadwell, a past state officer who is volunteering this week. “FFA students are so focused on giving back to others. Convention is our time to recognize them.”
Albion hosted the convention last year. Next year it will be at Morrisville State College.
(Medina will have a half day of school for all students on Thursday and will be closed on Friday for the convention.)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 May 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – A Medina woman who sold a prescription narcotic and a Medina man who stole a kayak and sold it online were both sentenced to state prison.
Lori Martinez, 46, of Park Avenue in Medina was sentenced to 1 ½ years in state prison by Orleans County Court Judge James Punch.
Martinez pleaded guilty on Feb. 24 to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree. She is accused of selling hydrocodone and another prescription narcotic on May 18. The prescriptions were prescribed to her. She received $25 for the sale.
Her attorney, Michael O’Keefe, asked that the judge not sentence her to jail or prison. Martinez takes care of two grandchildren and has been volunteering in the community.
“She has learned from her mistakes,” O’Keefe said in court on Monday.
Martinez apologized for committing the crime.
“I know I made a bad mistake and I’m working on making myself a better person,” she told Judge Punch.
The judge said Martinez has a criminal history and she was profiting by selling drugs. He sentenced her to 1 ½ years in state prison, plus another year of post-release supervision. She also has to pay back $970.68 in welfare benefits.
Justin Tillinghast, 19, of 167 North St. was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in state prison for grand larceny and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.
Tillinghast allegedly took a kayak from a neighbor and sold it on eBay. His lawyer asked for no state prison for Tillinghast, especially because he was only 18 when he committed the crime.
But Tillinghast has a criminal history, Punch said during sentencing.
“It’s clear to me you’re out of control and you don’t seem to take responsibility for this crime,” Punch said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Hoag may reduce number of trustees; 5 candidates are running for board
ALBION – There is election today in Albion for trustees for the Hoag Library, and also an amendment to the library association by-laws that would reduce the number of elected positions from nine to seven.
If the amendment passes and the board shrinks, the three candidates with the most votes today will be elected to four-year terms.
If the amendment fails and the board stays at the same size, the three candidates with the most votes would get four-year terms, while the fourth-place candidate gets a three-year term and the last candidate receives a one-year term.
The following are running for the unpaid positions: Carol Miller, John Andrews, Natalie McCue, Sandra Walter and Karie Deegan. Voting is from noon to 7 p.m. at the library.
The library currently has 11 trustees. In addition to the nine elected spots, the mayor of Albion and president of the Albion Board of Education each appoint a member to the board.
Following the election today, the library will have its annual meeting at 7 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Program will highlight Carl Akeley, famed taxidermist, on his 150th birthday
Provided photos – Carl Akeley is pictured with a leopard in Africa that he killed with his bare hands after it attacked him.
CLARENDON – The Clarendon Historical Society is planning one of its biggest events ever in honor of the 150th birthday of the town’s most famous son.
Carl Akeley, a world renown taxidermist and inventor, will be the focus of a May 21 event at the Clarendon Recreation Hall. The event starts at 7 p.m. and will include Jay Kirk, author of a book about Akeley called “Kingdom Under Glass.” Copies of the book will be for sale.
The cover of Kirk’s book: “Kingdom Under Glass.” The Clarendon Historical Society will be selling copies of the book on May 21.
Akeley grew up on Hinds Road. He made many safaris to Africa and became an advocate for preserving Africa’s wildlife.
“He is considered the Father of Taxidermy,” said Historical Society member Erin Anheier. “He made it an artform.”
The Cobblestone Society Museum has a fox stuffed by a young Carl Akeley, which will be displayed as part of the May 21 event.
Jay Kirk, author of the Carl Akeley biography “Kingdom Under Glass,” will be the featured speaker on May 21st during a program about Akeley, a Clarendon native.
Kirk, the author, chronicles Akeley’s life during the golden age of safaris in the early 20th Century. Akeley created the famed African Hall at New York’s Museum of Natural History.
“He was concerned about saving animals, especially the giant gorillas in Africa,” Anheier said. “He collected and stuffed the animals for scientific purposes.”
Akeley’s adventures connected him with Theodore Roosevelt, P.T. Barnum and George Eastman. Akeley died in 1926 and is buried in Africa.
“We were talking about programs for the year at the Historical Society, looking at what’s unique about Clarendon,” Anheier said. “Carl Akeley is the most famous person ever from Clarendon.”
A historical marker on Hinds Road notes that Carl Akeley grew up in Clarendon.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 May 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – The leaders of Orleans Community Health say the sentencing of a former payroll clerk, who stole about $500,000 from the organization, will help the healthcare system move on from the issue.
“There are no winners here,” said Bruce Krenning, chairman of the board for OCH, the parent organization of Medina Memorial Hospital. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but it starts to bring closure although there won’t be full closure until she pays back all of the money.”
Linda Rakonczay, 58, of Middleport was sentenced to two years in prison this morning. She was ordered to pay back $499,563 in restitution to the hospital and $93,999 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
“Patient care was never jeopardized because of this,” Krenning said. “But certainly it hurt our bottom line. Every hospital could use every bit of money it can get.”
Some of Rakonczay’s assets have been seized to help pay the restitution and Krenning said insurance will cover a small portion of the stolen money. Krenning said, realistically, that some of the money may not be recouped.
Rakonczay worked as a payroll coordinator for Orleans Community Health. Beginning in 2001 and continuing through 2012, Rakonczay prepared and submitted reports to the organization’s bank instructing the bank to electronically transfer money from the corporate bank account to her personal bank account, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Hospital officials say she misappropriated money through the hospital’s payroll savings deduction program for employees. Rakonczay oversaw an account where employees put a portion of their paycheck to a savings account. Rakonczay directed about $3,000 extra to herself every two weeks for more than six years. She inflated the hospital’s health insurance bills to make sure the hospital’s overall bills balanced.
The scheme was discovered after Rakonczay went on disability leave in November 2012. She was terminated two months later.
If Rakonczay hadn’t gone on disability, the crime may have continued undetected. Orleans Community Health now has internal controls in place to make sure “it will never happen again,” Krenning said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Jonathan Banks could face up to 15 years in state prison
ALBION – One of the four people charged with a rash of burglaries last summer in Albion and Medina pleaded guilty today to second-degree burglary.
Jonathan Banks could be sentenced to as much as 15 years in state prison on Aug. 25. However, as part of a plea deal today, he can withdraw his guilty plea if the sentence exceeds 10 years.
Banks, 21, is suspected in 32 break-ins burglaries in August and September, with crimes committed in Albion, Medina, Oakfield and Lockport.
He has been in Niagara County Jail. His attorney Mark Deal asked that bail be reduced to $10,000 for Banks, who Deal said may be given youthful offender status.
Banks also is recently married with family in Albion and Medina, and isn’t a flight risk, Deal said.
Orleans County Court Judge James Punch refused to set bail that low. He put it at $150,000.
“This is quite frankly a disturbing crime spree that he went on,” the judge said in court today.
Banks and three other men from Orleans County were arrested and charged with the burglaries in December. Banks was arrested by Lockport police in September. After his arrest, there weren’t additional burglaries.
Banks admitted to one of the burglaries today. He said he broke into one of the Sandy Creek apartments in the town of Gaines on Aug. 13. He entered through a window and took a television. He acted alone, Banks told the court.
Banks faced 10 counts of second-degree burglary, one count of attempted burglary and attempted robbery in the second degree, six counts of grand larceny, seven counts of petit larceny, three counts of attempted petit larceny, and four counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief.
As part of the plea deal today, his sentence in Niagara County would be added to the Orleans sentence if the two together do not exceed 10 years. Banks faces a minimum sentence of 3 ½ years in Orleans. If he gets that, he could face up to 6 ½ years from Niagara.
If he is sentenced to 10 years by Judge Punch, the Niagara sentence would be concurrent or at the same time as the sentence from the Orleans court.
He also faces a fine of double the value of items he stole in the burglaries or the fine could be set as high as $5,000.
ALBION – Our snapshot taken during World War I shows Co. N. 74 Reg. NYS Guard parading up South Main Street in Albion.
Appearing in this 1917 picture are Capt. John Beckwith, Rev. Ford of the First Baptist Church, First Lt. Lynn Burrows, Bert Bidelman and George Houghton.
Note the vintage autos parked along the street. The house in the background (upper right) was the Waterman residence, which was torn down in 1956. This is now the site of Tim Hortons.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 May 2014 at 12:00 am
BUFFALO – A former Medina Memorial Hospital payroll clerk was sentenced to two years in state prison this morning and ordered to pay back nearly $500,000 she stole from the hospital.
Linda Rakonczay, 58, of Middleport, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and filing false tax returns in January when she appeared before Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.
This morning she was given a prison sentence and ordered to pay $93,999 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and $499,563 in restitution to Orleans Community Health, the hospital’s parent organization.
Rakonczay worked as a payroll coordinator for Orleans Community Health in Medina. Beginning in 2001 and continuing through 2012, Rakonczay prepared and submitted reports to the organization’s bank instructing the bank to electronically transfer money from the corporate bank account to her personal bank account, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The amount transferred from the organization’s bank account to the defendant’s account totaled $499,563.00. For tax years 2007 through 2012, Rakonczay failed to report such income and failed to pay federal taxes to the Internal Revenue Service totaling nearly $94,000.
The conviction is the result of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Federal Bureau of Investigation under the direction of Special Agent-In-Charge Brian P. Boetig and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Division, under the direction of Toni M. Weirauch, Special Agent in Charge.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 May 2014 at 12:00 am
After 18 months of work, Ray and Linda Burke open new business
Photos by Tom Rivers – Linda and Ray Burke are pictured inside Fair Haven Treasures on the business’s opening day on Saturday.
The big brick house was vacant for about five years before being fixed up the past 18 months.
GAINES – Ray and Linda Burke drove by the big brick house many times. They admired the site at the corner of routes 98 and 104, but worried about its decline. For about five years the property was vacant until the Burkes bought it in November 2012.
It was a daunting task, but they renovated the house with a corps of volunteers, determined to breathe new life in a 3,000-square-foot house built in 1834, the same year the Cobblestone Universalist Church was erected across the street.
The Burkes opened Fair Haven Treasures on Saturday. They have high-end artisans and crafters at the site, and they want to make the building available for workshops, concerts, book-signings and other events.
“It just sat here with not much going on,” Mr. Burke said about the building. “It was getting run down.”
The Burkes met Carol Culhane as part of the planning for the town’s bicentennial bash in 2009. Mr. Burke and Culhane also served on the Zoning Board of Appeals together. Culhane is now the town supervisor and she saw potential in the old brick house.
She saw the site as a hub for artists and culture. She shared that vision with the Burkes, and offered to help with the cleaning and painting needed to get the site ready for the public.
Culhane’s husband Gerry also volunteered. The group removed plywood and linoleum from the floors, and discovered hardwood floors underneath. They took out one wall to make a bigger room that can be used for performances, book-signings and public events.
Fair Haven would like to hosts concerts, book-signings, and other events in the 3,000-square-foot building at the corner of routes 98 and 104.
Culhane is managing the site, lining up vendors and events. She said the site is ideally located along historic Ridge Road. The eight-building Cobblestone Society Museum is across the street on both 104 and 98. Other businesses that sell antiques also have opened nearby.
“There is a lot of potential here,” Culhane said. “We could be another Lewiston.”
Culhane is working to have an International Peace Garden established in Fair Haven’s front lawn. The site was once owned by John Proctor, who is considered the Paul Revere of Ridge Road. He warned residents the British were coming during the War of 1812. Proctor also gave the hamlet the name Fair Haven.
Burke has connected with classic car owners and there will be cruise-ins on Sundays beginning June 8 from 4 to 7 p.m.
This fall Culhane wants to bring in teachers who will lead workshops on canning, quilting, sewing and knitting. “People don’t do it anymore but there’s a hunger for it,” Culhane said.
She grew up in the “Dutchtown” neighborhood in Rochester. That area in Jay, Childs and Ames streets has been overwhelmed with crime, and so many of the houses, even her old high school, have been torn down, Culhane said.
When she saw the brick house deteriorating, she worried it would meet the same fate as some of the beloved buildings of her youth.
“I lost my community from when I was growing up,” she said. “I lived through this.”
Culhane, as town supervisor, said the decline of the brick house was hurting the community. She worried if the site fell into more disrepair.
“It’s the centerpiece of Gaines and Childs,” Culhane said. “Repurposing this old house, what else would have happened to it?”
Ted Hicks of Oakfield did a wood turning demonstration on Saturday at Fair Haven Treasures. He also is a vendor at the site.
She believes the site’s use for art and culture will be an asset for the community, possibly leading to a growing trail of venues for artists. She noted the efforts to bring back the Pratt Opera House in Albion and also the Bent’s Opera House in Medina.
Ted Hicks of Oakfield is one of the vendors at Fair Haven. He sells wooden bowls and furniture he makes from reclaimed wood. Hicks typically sells his work at shows. He is grateful to have a permanent site for his products.
“They’ve been very enthusiastic about what this place can become,” Hicks said. “It is a great venue with the historic value of this building and the buildings around it.”
Fair Haven is open Fridays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
These bowls and a table were created by Ted Hicks of Oakfield. He has other wooden furniture for sale that he made from reclaimed wood.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Friends of Scott Whittier put up a new backstop and safety fence at the St,. Mary’s Little League field today. The field is located behind the St. Mary’s Athletic Club on Moore Street. Whittier was a coach for the team. Some of the volunteers include Joe Furness, carrying the ladder, and Bob Coots, up on the ladder.
ALBION – Scott Whittier’s friends and family are working to keep his memory alive by upgrading some of the local Little League fields where Whittier was a coach.
Last year, they installed a new backstop for the Carlton Clippers at the team’s field behind the Carlton Recreation hall on Route 98.
Whittier also coached the St. Mary’s team, and today volunteers tore off an old backstop and put on a new one. They put up a safety fence in front of the dugouts and stands.
“He was always willing to help somebody, no matter how busy he was,” said his friend, Joe Furness. “He was very energetic and that would inspire you. His energy was infectious to everybody around him.”
It’s been nearly two years since Whittier, a popular youth baseball coach, died following complications from surgery. Whittier was only 44 when he died May 13, 2012.
St. Mary’s Athletic Club volunteers also helped with the upgraded backstop. Here, Scott Whittier’s friend Billy Hickman, left, works with St. Mary’s member Rick Ebbs to secure the new backstop.
Whittier’s friends and family organized a bowling tournament in January. More than 200 bowlers raised about $2,000 at the event at Oak Orchard Lanes. That money paid for the new backstop, fencing and also new metal roofs over the dugouts.
Whittier’s fiancée, Donna Hess, thanked Oak Orchard owner Randy Hanks and his family for their efforts with the bowling tournament. She said Whittier poured his heart into youth sports and enjoyed coaching the kids.
Whittier’s friends were thankful for the chance today to remember their friend and improve the ball field at St. Mary’s.
“If you had to design a friend, Scott would be the one,” said Bob Coots.
The new field will host the home opener for the St. Mary’s team on Saturday.
Joe Furness, right, drills the top section of the backstop into a row of wood. Other volunteers include Craig Wright, center, and Bob Coots.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – About 75 bikers gathered by the Orleans County Courthouse this afternoon and then left on a 50-mile motorcycle safety and awareness ride. The event was orgranized by the Orleans County chapter of American Bikers Aimed Toward Education.
Chuck Persons, president of ABATE in Orleans County, urges bikers to be safe on the roadways. He is speaking from the top of the courthouse steps.
Murray Highway Superintendent Ed Morgan, one of the speakers at the rally, said local roads are in “deplorable shape” after a brutal winter. Morgan was representing State Assemblyman Steve Hawley at the rally. Morgan credited Hawley and State Sen. George Maziarz for a state funding boost to help fill potholes.
Chuck Persons addresses a crowd of about 75 bikers before their 50-mile ride through the county today. The ride ends at the VFW in Medina.
Adam Tabelski, a representative for State Sen. George Maziarz, spoke at the rally and praised the ABATE chapter for its push for safety. Tabelski urged other motorists to take extra care for the motorcycles on the highway. “Look twice, save a life,” Tabelski said, quoting a popular ABATE sign.
Motorcyclists listen to speakers in front of the courthouse.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Kyle Hapeman of Albion and bandmates sign with InVogue Records and start tour later this month
Photos by Tom Rivers – Band members of Until We Are Ghosts are pictured by their van which they will take on a three-month tour beginning later this month. The group includes, from left: Kevin Dickes on bass, Jordan Blankenberg on drums, Kyle Hapeman on guitar, James Blackenberg on guitar and Rob Anders on vocals. They are pictured outside the St. Mary’s Athletic Club in Albion, where they performed on Sunday.
ALBION – By day he is a mild-mannered employee at Baxter Healthcare in Medina, training workers to make medical pumps and devices.
For 4 ½ years Kyle Hapeman has worked that job. His last day at Baxter is May 21. Hapeman and his fellow band members have been signed by a record company and they are going on tour. The debut CD for Until We Are Ghosts will be out on May 27.
“We never expected a record deal or a tour,” Hapeman, 22, said today before the band played at St. Mary’s Athletic Club. “We just like to play music.”
Hapeman plays guitar and provides some vocals for the band, a five-piece melodic hardcore band. Hapeman is from Albion while the other band members are from the Rochester area.
The band’s music is intense, and some might say lead singer Rob Anders of Greece is a screamer.
“It’s a mixture of screaming and yelling,” Anders said. “You’re letting yourself go.”
Kyle Hapeman, right, and Kevin Dickes perform with Until We Are Ghosts during a concert at St. Mary’s. The band’s debut album, “Bitterseed,” is out on May 27.
The band members made their first music video, “Hourglass,” and Hapeman thinks that got the attention of InVogue Records, which has signed Until We Are Ghosts to three records.
Despite the intensity of Anders’s singing, Hapeman said the band’s songs strike an emotional cord with the audience. In one song, Anders sings about losing his grandmother. In another song, he sings about strained father-son relationships.
“When we play, you feel every word,” Hapeman said. “We’re really personal about our lyrics.”
Hapeman likes to move around the performance area while he plays guitar. He strums away even while doing jump kicks during a concert.
Hapeman didn’t sing in the school chorus or play in Albion’s marching band. He taught himself to play guitar.
His mother, Denise London, said her son is shy. But during a concert, he lets out a different side.
Kyle Hapeman, in back, jumps and kicks while playing the guitar at the same time.
Hapeman put together the band, reaching out to hardcore musicians through Facebook.
“Kyle is the leader of the pack,” Anders said. “He is someone you can work with. You can feel his determination.”
Anders is giving up a job as assistant manager at Taco Bell to go on tour. Anders said Hapeman came up with the band’s name.
“It fits us because you don’t know what you’re going to get,” Anders said. “With the band Metallica, you know you can expect heavy metal.”
The band is eager for the chance to play full-time and see the country. Hapeman said he willing to give up his job to follow his passion.
“I’m only 22 and I figure I have to work until I’m 65 or 70,” he said. “I may not have another opportunity like this.”
ALBION – Perchance this photo was taken on Flag Day during the 1940s in downtown Albion.
Walter’s dress shop shows to the left before it moved up the street. This is now Fischer’s Newsroom.
In the middle we see Harris Freemans Drug Store, which later was owned by Marvin and Alice Sayles. On the corner is the Charles Tibbits Jewelry Store. We also note DeLuca’s Shoe Repair sign above Walter’s dress shop.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Evelina Alexandris, 12, of Albion sprints at the beginning of a 5-kilometer race this morning. Evelina has the lead over her mother, Shelcy Plueckhahn, in this photo.
About 25 walkers and runners participated in the 5K this morning that went from Brown Street to Keitel Road and back along the towpath. This is the third annual 5K organized by The Light of Victory Church.
The congregation at 47 Brown St. uses proceeds from the race to help pay for holiday baskets distributed during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Cindy Mordino, race organizer, is pictured facing the camera at right. “It’s been a blessing every year,” she said about the race. “We have never had rain.”
There is another 5K later today in Medina. The Arc of Orleans County is having the 20th annual Terri Krieger Memorial 5K walk/run. The walk begins at 1:30 p.m. with the run at 2 p.m. It starts at the Sacred Heart Club on North Gravel Road.
Other upcoming races include the Jim Ferris 5K at 9 a.m. on June 7 in Holley and the Strawberry Festival 5K and 8K at 8 a.m. on June 14 in Albion.
