By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 January 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – There are a lot of frosted windows in Orleans County today. I took this picture this morning looking out one of the windows in my house in Albion. The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory through Saturday at 7 p.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Orleans County and Western New York through 7 p.m. Saturday. There will be blowing snow with visibility as low as a quarter-mile at times.
The advisory begins at 2 p.m. today for Orleans, and the following counties: Wyoming, Genesee, Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.
Southwest winds are expected to reach 20 to 30 miles per hour Friday afternoon with gusts to 45 mph possible. As much as 2 to 4 inches of snow is possible through Saturday, the Weather Service said.
The temperature is forecast to peak at 16 degrees today and reach a high of 25 on Saturday. It will drop to 4 degrees on Saturday night.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 January 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Orleans County Legislator Don Allport said he is fully behind the push to sell the county-owned nursing home, saying the site will be better run by a private company and will spare county taxpayers an annual deficit in the millions. He is speaking at a Legislative Luncheon today at The Village Inn.
GAINES – Orleans County Legislator Don Allport didn’t mince words today when asked questions during a Legislative Luncheon organized by the Chamber of Commerce.
About the push to sell the county nursing home, a sale that could be acted on next month: “I am completely in support of this sale,” he told about 75 people at the luncheon. “I’m adamantly against government being involved in the healthcare system. The private sector does it better.”
Allport said the nursing home could ring up a $3.4 million deficit this year. The 120-bed facility is a burden on taxpayers, he said.
If a three-person local development corporation votes next month to accept a purchase offer for the nursing home, the deal isn’t done. The sale needs to be reviewed by the state Department of Health, and that could take a year or more.
Once the sale is final, Allport said county taxpayers “will see a significant cut in taxes.”
The Villages of Orleans will also go on the tax rolls, perhaps boosting the village, town, county and school district assessments by $5 to $10 million, Allport said.
The switch to a private owner should ensure the site stays opens for years to come, he said. The county can’t afford the steep losses. He expects the service will improve under a private operator that is focused on nursing home care.
“Give it to someone who knows what they’re doing,” Allport said. “Because government doesn’t.”
Allport of Gaines was the county’s representative during the Legislative Luncheon that included state legislators George Maziarz and Steve Hawley. (They’ll be featured in a separate article.)
‘Oh Lord, help us if we go down the road and a New Yorker ever becomes president.’ – Legislator Don Allport
Allport was critical of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature for enacting a property tax cap about three years ago that did not provide significant mandate relief for local governments. Mediciad and eight other state mandated programs account for more than 100 percent of the county property tax bill, Allport said.
He was asked about whether Cuomo is jockeying to run for president, and whether that would be good or bad for the county.
“I don’t think America is foolish enough to put someone in that position who lied about mandate relief,” Allport said.
He also said the governor took an oath to uphold the Constitution and violated it by pushing through the SAFE Act, which Allport said infringes on Second Amendment rights.
In New York, Democrats have a major enrollment edge over Republicans for state-wide offices. New York is still a high-profile state, and many of the political talking heads speculate Cuomo’s policy pushes are aimed for a higher office.
Allport said he worries for the country if Cuomo or another liberal Democrat was elected U.S. president.
“Oh Lord, help us if we go down the road and a New Yorker ever becomes president.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 January 2014 at 12:00 am
Jamie Dimon closed the doors on Albion in September
A company that dismissed more than 400 workers when it shut down its site in Albion last year paid its chief executive officer $20 million in 2013.
Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase’s CEO, has been paid $70 million the past five years, The New York Times is reporting today.
Chase took over the former Washington Mutual in 2008 and ran a call center for about five years before the company decided to close the Albion site in September. Chase received a generous tax incentive plan that largely spared the company from paying local property taxes during that time.
Village officials have reached out to Chase to provide some community development money. Nothing is official yet, but I’m told the village leaders are optimistic Chase may send some money to Albion.
If the company sent $500,000, or 2.5 percent of what it paid Dimon, it could make an impact in this village of about 6,000 people.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 January 2014 at 12:00 am
The late Susan Reynolds dropped off quilts, pillow cases and gas money for shelter residents
Photos by Tom Rivers – A reading room at a domestic violence shelter in Orleans County has been dedicated to Susan Reynolds, a volunteer and supporter of the shelter and its residents. Reynolds died on Oct. 27.
At least once a month for two years, Susan Reynolds arrived with gifts – gas money, toiletries, quilts, pillow cases and hand-stitched bags.
Reynolds, a retired school counselor from Hilton, had a heart for the residents at a domestic violence shelter in Orleans County. She was active in two quilting guilds and she convinced the members to donate gifts to the shelter in Orleans. (The Hub isn’t disclosing the location.)
“No one was as dedicated as Sue,” said Margie Aldaco, the shelter’s administrator.
Reynolds died on Oct. 23. Last Saturday Aldaco and PathStone dedicated the reading room in the shelter in memory of Reynolds.
“What a loss,” Aldaco said about Reynolds. “We’re so sad. She never wanted recognition for anything. She wouldn’t even take a tax receipt. I just felt an overwhelming need to recognize her.”
Reynolds considered volunteering and giving to shelters in Monroe County. But the Brockport resident turned to Orleans County.
“She felt the larger cities have more resources and get more help,” Aldaco said.
Margie Aldaco, administrator of the safe dwelling in Orleans County, stands by a room dedicated in memory of Susan Reynolds.
Aldaco has worked there for 10 years. When she started there were three employees at the site. Now it’s just Aldaco. PathStone has been forced to cut back due to budget constraints.
The shelter has three apartment units for families to stay up to 90 days until longer-term housing can be secured. The safe dwelling provides privacy, court advocacy, Internet computer access, a support group, transportation and other services.
Aldaco works with battle-scarred residents, connecting them to support in the community. Many of the residents in the shelter have suffered physical, emotional and mental abuse.
“Sometimes they are more broken from the verbal abuse than the physical after so many years of being told you’re worthless,” Aldaco said.
Aldaco secured a new grant that pays for pet care. Often women and families in abusive situations will not leave because they worry about their pets. PathStone has a grant that will pay for pet boarding at the Olde Dogge Inn.
Aldaco welcomes “serious, committed volunteers” for the safe dwelling. For more information, contact her at 589-8733 or 1-866-314-SAFE.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 January 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Darien Town Justice Gary Graber speaks with the Albion Rotary Club on Thursday. A past president of the New York Magistrates Association, Graber said current state laws don’t give the court system power to enforce sentences for underage drinking.
GAINES – Gary Graber is the town justice in Darien. It’s a busy job, especially during the summer concert season.
He arraigns many teen-agers for underage drinking and fines them, and sentences them to community service and an alcohol awareness class.
However, about 30 percent of the offenders never show up for court.
“There is nothing we can do about it,” Graber told the Albion Rotary Club on Thursday. “There is no statutory authority to enforce the sentence.”
He is a past president of the New York Magistrates Association, a group representing 3,100 judges in the state. The association has pressed the State Legislature the past six years to approve legislation, giving the court system more authority to enforce the judges’ sentences.
But the legislation – Alcohol Beverage Control Law, 65-C – is being held up in the State Assembly, Graber said.
“It seems like a no-brainer, especially from the prevention side,” he said.
The association wants to have sentences for underage drinking to include a two-hour alcohol awareness class, a fine and community service.
Graber said the Magistrates may go directly to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, seeking his help in the legislation.
“The big thing for us is the underage drinking,” Graber said.
Many communities in the state see a lot of underage drinking cases, Graber said, noting Darien, the Long Island beaches and college towns.
Graber has served as Darien justice for 34 years. He started at age 24 and only had 135 cases in 1980.
“Now it’s 15 times that,” he said.
He is on call 24-7, and does arraignments at all hours of the day. He juggles the demands of the position with his full-time job as a terminal manager for a trucking company in Buffalo.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 January 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Todd Audsley, a project manager with smartDesign architecture in Batavia, discusses the site plan for a healthcare site in Medina. He was at Thursday’s Orleans County Planning Board meeting in Albion.
ALBION – Orleans County Planning Board members supported plans for a new Dollar General in the town of Ridgeway on Route 104 and a women’s healthcare facility on Maple Ridge Road in Medina.
United Memorial Medical Center and developer Chad La Civita of Buffalo want to tear down the former Pizza Hut next to McDonalds and construct a new 4,300-square-foot building.
The Batavia hospital has been providing women’s health services at 100 Ohio St., space owned by Medina Memorial Hospital. Medina closed its birthing wing in July 2011. UMMC now delivers more than 100 babies a year to Orleans County women.
The site at 100 Ohio St. is cramped for space, said Colleen Flynn, UMMC’s director of community relations.
United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia is proposing to tear down the former Pizza Hut in Medina and construct a 4,300-square-foot building.
The new site will have more space for doctors, patients and staff. UMMC provides obstetrics, gynecological care and other health services.
Courtesy of smartDESIGN architecture PLLC
The project includes 28 parking spaces. County planners recommended the Village of Medina Planning Board, which has final approval for the project, work with the site architects to ensure there is adequate vehicular flow for a turning circle in front of the building.
The village code requires a 20-foot side setback for the parking area. UMMC is proposing a 12-foot side setback. Planners recommended Medina give the project a variance. The building will be set back an additional 20 feet from Maple Ridge Road compared to the Pizza Hut building location.
Pizza Hut’s building was in the middle of the lot, while the UMMC building will be on the east side of the property.
Planners on Thursday also approved a new Dollar General store in Ridgeway at the corner of route 63 and 104. That is the northeast corner heading towards Lyndonville.
The new store will be owned by Development Unlimited of WNY LLC of Buffalo. The company wants to build a 9,100-square-foot store at 11349 Ridge Rd.
The company is buying a 6.4 acre lot in an area with a lot of nearby farmland. The company will split the lot, using 1.49 acres of the property. The driveway will be on Route 63. There will be 30 parking spaces.
The County Planning Board recommended the Town of Ridgeway approve a permit for the Development Unlimited to construct and operate the store as a neighborhood business in a zoned hamlet district. The store is allowed as long as it’s less than 10,000 square feet.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 January 2014 at 12:00 am
Charles Nesbitt
ALBION – Charlie Nesbitt, the area’s State Assemblyman for 13 years, will return to the Assembly chambers on Monday to receive an award.
Nesbitt, a Barre resident, was elected in 1992 and served until late 2005. He left Albany as leader of the Republicans in the Assembly. He resigned and was appointed president and commissioner of the state Tax Appeals Tribunal.
Long before he joined the Assembly, Nesbitt was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. In August, 45 years after he served in Vietnam, Nesbitt was awarded a “Distinguished Flying Cross.”
On Monday, the Assembly will recognize him for the distinctive honor. Speaker Sheldon Silver and Minority Conference Leader Brian Kolb both insisted on carrying the bill that will honor Nesbitt, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley said today during a Legislative Luncheon at The Village Inn.
Nesbitt received the “Distinguished Flying Cross” based on his actions on Nov. 14, 1968. That day Nesbitt and his crew members were told an American soldier was stranded in enemy territory in the jungles of Laos, across the border from Vietnam.
Another helicopter had been hit with a rocket and crashed. The crew needed to be rescued. Nesbitt flew a helicopter in and got out everyone, except one gunman, John Grimaldi, who was separated from his crew.
Nesbitt took the recovered crew members back to safety, and then returned to enemy territory to find Grimaldi.
“Charlie took it upon himself to say, ‘We’re gonna go back and get him,’” Jim McKenzie, Nesbitt’s copilot, said on Aug. 24, when Nesbitt received the award at the Clarion in Batavia.
The crew spent 9.2 hours in the air, including 3.5 hours exposed to enemy fire.
“He was in the jungle and we could see him, but we couldn’t get down to get him,” Nesbitt said on Aug. 24.
An onslaught of enemy fire and tiny landing areas made the task difficult. Nesbitt and his crew refueled twice, and the group finally was able to rescue Grimaldi.
The medal citation notes that Nesbitt “flew aircraft in hostile enemy territory on three separate occasions while drawing enemy fire to accomplish the rescue of soldiers and crew members downed by enemy fire. His valorous actions were an inspiration to the officers and men of his unit.”
KENDALL – Three people were transported to the hospital this morning following a two-vehicle crash in the town of Kendall.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:45 a.m. in the 16800 block of Roosevelt Highway (State Route 18).
William A. Ireland, 85, of Kendall was operating a 2001 Ford Ranger Pick-Up truck eastbound on Route 18. He attempted to make a left turn into Crosby’s Mini-Mart and crossed into the path of a westbound 2005 Ford F-150 Pick-Up truck operated by Thomas Johnson, 50, of Waterport.
Ireland’s daughter, Denise M. Norton, 53, of Kendall was a passenger in her father’s vehicle. She was trapped for about 30 minutes before being extricated by Kendall firefighters. Both she and her father were transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
Thomas Johnson, who was the sole occupant of his vehicle, was transported to Unity Park-Ridge Hospital in Greece.
The incident was investigated by Deputy T.C. Marano.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 January 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Village and county officials agree that the Orleans County Major Felonies Crime Task Force is a success in deploying a team of officers with specialized training to target drugs and major crimes.
The Task Force includes an officer from Albion, Medina and Holley police departments and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.
Since the Task Force formed about a decade ago, a reoccurring issue has been how to best fund the operation. The county pays $50,000 towards the salaries of the Albion and Medina officers, and Holley receives $25,000 for its part-time officer assigned to the Task Force.
Albion and Medina have asked for either more funding for its officer or assurances that the officers’ overtime can be contained.
A new year has started for the task force and the Medina and Albion village boards have yet to sign off on the contract with the county.
The contract proposal says the two villages will receive $50,000 towards the officer. The contract then asks each village to commit to $2,500 in overtime.
Albion Mayor Dean Theodorakos said he would be thrilled if Albion only had to pay $2,500 towards the officer overtime, which village officials said often reaches $8,000 to $10,000 or more annually.
Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni said he thinks the contract is asking the village to commit to at least $2,500 in overtime, as well as any OT costs that exceed that. He said the contract hasn’t always been clear and is interpreted differently among the Task Force’s board of directors.
The Task Force board includes the police chiefs, sheriff, mayors of the three villages, some county legislators and District Attorney Joe Cardone. The group meets Jan. 31 to talk about the funding issue.
“It all comes down to money,” Nenni said Wednesday after the Village Board discussed the issue.
Nenni said it costs about $80,000 annually to have a full-time officer on the Task Force. That includes the salary, overtime and benefits.
The county’s $50,000 to Albion and Medina for a dedicated officer on the Task Force has not changed in a decade. The county tried to drop that to $25,000 last year, but the villages protested.
Medina would like to see the $50,000 increased because the officer is working on issues county-wide, and sometimes works outside the county. Assigning an officer from the village police departments also takes an officer away from those departments, sometimes leading to increased overtime costs for the village police.
Medina assigns an officer to the school district for about 10 months a year and the district pays $60,000 to the village for that officer. The district tries to cover the full cost of having an officer there for 10 months.
The Task Force arrangement right now pays about 63 percent of the Albion costs. Albion Trustee Kevin Sheehan said the county should at least cap the overtime to the villages at perhaps $7,500. If the officer exceeds that cap, the county should pick up the difference, Sheehan said.
Sheehan would also like to see funds from the forfeiture account be used to help reduce the villages’ overtime costs for officers on the Task Force.
Some of those funds are paying for a $20,000 renovation to the Task Force’s headquarters at the Public Safety Building.
Nenni urged the Village Board members to attend the Jan. 31 meeting and state their case.
“If you want it, go there and ask for it,” Nenni said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 January 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – I took the above photo through the frosted front window of my house when the Albion school bus stopped to pick up elementary school children this morning.
The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory for several Western New York counties, including Orleans, from 10 p.m. today until noon on Friday.
The overnight low is forecast at 0 degrees, but the 10 to 20 mile an hour winds could make it feel like 20-below.
It’s cold out today with a high forecast at 10 degrees.
The wind chill advisory was issued for the following counties: Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Erie, Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, Ontario, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany.
“If you will be outdoors use common sense and dress warmly, making sure that all exposed skin is covered,” the Weather Service advised. “If possible avoid prolonged exposure to the cold to prevent frostbite and hypothermia.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 January 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The Albion Village Board will see a change a leadership on April 1. Mayor Dean Theodorakos isn’t seeking re-election in March, and Kevin Sheehan, a trustee the past eight years, also isn’t running.
Another Village Board member, Fred Miller, resigned last month so he could serve as an Orleans County legislator. Another trustee, Eileen Banker, is seeking re-election in March, but she could have a challenger from the Democratic Party.
There will be changes on the board, and the current members don’t want to be lame ducks, going easy their final 10 weeks or so in office.
Theodorakos identified the upcoming village budget as a priority. The current budget totals $6.3 million and runs until May 31. A new budget needs to be approved by April 30.
It would be a lot to ask a new board to do all of the budget work in one month, when the new members take office on April 1.
Theodorakos wants the current board to have the bulk of the budget work done by March 31, with the new members having a say in the process and finishing up the spending plan.
Village department heads are scheduled to submit their preliminary budgets by Jan. 31. The board will then meet with the departments to set priorities for the departments and perhaps trim the initial requests.
The board also has two union contracts that expire on May 31. The police officers and Department of Public Works both need to negotiate new labor deals with the board.
Theodorakos wants to leave those contracts to the next board.
“It’s silly for us to start it and leave it for somebody else to finish,” he said at Wednesday’s board meeting.
The DPW union sent a letter to the board, asking for an initial meeting about the contract. Theodorakos said the first meeting will be after March 31, when the new administration takes office.
“Realistically it should be the new board,” the mayor said about the contract negotiations. “We want to make the budget the priority.”
ALBION – This portrait is of John G. Sawyer, 1825-1898. He was the last person from Orleans County to be elected to Congress.
Sawyer was first elected Orleans County district attorney in 1862 and then county judge in 1863. In 1884, he was elected to Congress on the Republican ticket and served three consecutive terms ending in 1891.
He and his wife Eliza lived in a large house on South Main Street in Albion. This house was torn down in the early 1960s for the A & P store that is now the Sheret Post for the American Legion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 January 2014 at 12:00 am
Dean London gains unanimous backing at GOP caucus
Dean London
ALBION – Republicans tonight gave unanimous support at the party caucus for Dean London, the retired police chief, to serve as the next village mayor.
London retired from the Police Department in April 2011 after a 20-year career, including the last seven years as police chief.
“I’m not afraid of challenges,” London said after the caucus. “I really believe in this community. There’s a lot that can be done.”
Republicans at the caucus also endorsed incumbent Trustee Eileen Banker for another four-year term. The party also backed Stan Farone for a four-year term and Gary Katsanis for a two-year term.
The Democratic Party will have its caucus on Jan. 28. The election is March 18.
London, 48, ran for town clerk in November 2011, losing to Sarah Basinait. He has been working at Baxter Healthcare in Medina in the service department. He said he is eager to return to public service.
“I took a break from that and I’ve missed it,” he said. “I’m not one to sit on the sidelines.”
Banker
London, a resident of Goodrich Street, has served a five-year term on the Albion Board of Education. He also served 14 years on the board of directors for Community Action of Orleans and Genesee, and was involved in the Albion Business Association.
As police chief he was active in the Neighborhood Watch program and worked to secure grants for the police department to outfit police cars with laptops, license plate readers, and a digital fingerprint scanning machine.
Dean Theodorakos, the current mayor, worked closely with London at the end of his career as police chief. Theodorakos said he is confident London can step in at Day 1 and do the job for the community. The village operates on a $6.3 million budget with about 50 employees.
“We had a good working relationship,” Theodorakos said. “He is a great administrator. He’s level-headed and analytical. He thinks things through.”
London and the GOP team said a priority will be working with the state Department of Transportation on a $2 million-plus replacement of the Clarendon Street bridge, a project that has been more on the drawing board for more than a decade. The village has secured 80 percent of project funds through the federal government. The state is expected to pay another 15 percent.
Farone
“The funding is there and we need to see it through,” London said.
He also wants to work towards upgrading the sewer and water plants.
Banker, 50, has served about four years on the board. She works as chief of staff for State Assemblyman Steve Hawley. She said that position shows her how many state policies hurt small communities like Albion, driving up operating costs and taxes.
“I see how it all trickles down to Albion,” said the Clarendon Street resident.
She wants to keep the Village Board committed to several big projects, including the Clarendon Street bridge and sewer plant upgrades.
Farone, 64, is making his first run for elected office. He is a long-time member of the Albion Fire Department, serving as a past president. He was a co-founder of the Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance about four decades ago and remains on the group’s board of directors.
Farone worked 33 years for Kodak. He served in the Navy for four years, and also has six years in the Army Reserve. He is a member of the Orleans County Suicide Prevention Coalition.
Katsanis
He would like to see the Village Board establish better working relationships with neighboring town boards. The different boards should get together often and brainstorm ways to bring more tourism dollars to the community, Farone said.
“We need to see what we can do to build up the village and the towns, working together,” he said.
Farone, an East Park Street resident, also would like to see the village push for better sidewalks.
Katsanis, 55, was endorsed to fill the last two years of Fred Miller’s term. Miller resigned last month. He is now a county legislator.
Katsanis lives on North Main Street. He worked in medical data analysis for Strong and then Blue Cross. He managed a staff that stretched from Buffalo to Utica.
“We need to look past the surface issues,” Katsanis said. “We need to be careful and put thought into all of our decisions.”
He has served on a committee helping with recent the $477,000 grant for the downtown.
Katsanis said a “scarcity of money” is a problem for the village and other local governments. He said he wants to talk to stakeholders in the community, to get their ideas and their priorities.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 January 2014 at 12:00 am
File photos by Tom Rivers – Firefighters respond to a fire on Nov. 12 at a former carriage barn on the Walsh Alley off Prospect Street.
MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department responded to a record number of calls in 2013 – 370 fire and 2,385 EMS calls. That is about four times the call volume as in 2006, the last year before Medina took over the ambulance service in western Orleans from Rural Metro.
In 2006, prior to taking over EMS transport services, the Fire Department answered about 700 calls for service. At that time, department had seven career firefighters and 20 call firefighters. Currently, the Fire Department operates with 13 career firefighters and 25 call firefighters.
The Village of Medina Board of Trustees commissioned Emergency Services Consulting Inc. to conduct a Fire Based EMS Feasibility Study in 2006, said firefighter Steve Cooley, the department’s public information officer. The study estimated that there would be approximately 1,500 annual calls for service. That is far below the 2,755 calls in 2013. The department is seeking a federal grant to cover the costs of adding two paid firefighters.
Medina firefighters Josh Wolck, left, and Matt Jackson serve as the honor guard for a new firefighters’ memorial in front of City Hall. The memorial was dedicated on Sept. 28.
The ambulance service revenue received to date for 2013 is $913,000, making the average monthly revenue about $76,000. The department’s budget for 2013 was approximately $1.2 million. Village of Medina taxpayers made up the difference for the fire and EMS services.
The department is on pace to top the 2013 numbers. As of Jan. 21, the Fire Department responded to 208 calls for service, which is up from the 135 calls for service during the same time frame in 2013.
Photo courtesy of Tim Jaccard – The Medina Fire Department in June was honored with “Torch of Life Awards” for the department’s role in accepting a surrendered baby on May 25. Pictured, form left: Medina Fire Chief Todd Zinkievich; Tim Jaccard, president and director of the AMT Children of Hope Foundation – Baby Safe Haven; and Medina firefighter Dennis Pollock. Pollock accepted a newborn baby from a mother in crisis. The baby was then transported to United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 January 2014 at 12:00 am
GAINES – The plunging temperatures and snow-covered landscape may be a harsh reality of winter. The past month has been particularly brutal, with an ice storm followed by many very cold days.
The photo on the top shows the Erie Canal with a barn just north of the historic waterway. He picture was taken from canal bridge.
I took this picture about two months ago on Nov. 16. It was a warm fall day back then.
Those of us in Orleans County have the pleasure of experiencing a variety of weather, from sub-zero temperatures to 90-degree summer days.
I think the changing seasons is one of the appeals of this area. I wouldn’t want to live in Florida with all of their insects and alligators. Their constant warm days would get a little boring after a while.
