By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Sing ‘We Are The World’ in video they hope goes viral
Mike Whiting of Albion sings a segment of “We Are The World,” in a version that targets bullying.
Many of the stars in the local music scene have joined their voices to the classic song, “We Are The World.” Except this time instead of raising awareness for hunger in Africa, the local singers are trying to raise awareness about the dangers of bullying.
The video (click here) was produced by John Wragg of Middleport. He finished the 12-minute video over the weekend, in time for World Anti-Bullying Day today. October is also Anti-Bullying Month.
Wragg said he was bullied as a child. He was so distraught he slashed himself in the right wrist when he was 14. The scar remains 46 years after that incident.
Wragg, in the video, challenges viewers to take a stand against bullying. He wants the video to go viral and challenges people to take a video of themselves with an anti-bullying challenge for three other people.
The video opens with the Rodemeyer family from near Buffalo. Tracy and Tim’s son Jamey was 14 when he committed suicide on Sept. 18, 2011, after years of relentless bullying for being gay.
Mrs. Rodemeyer said the family, including Jamey’s sister Alyssa, spreads the message that bullying is destructive.
“We want them to know the dangers that are out there,” Mrs. Rodemeyer says in the beginning of the video. “Bullying not only affects the victim but it also affects the family, friends, teachers and other loved ones.”
MEDINA United Way of Orleans County is again accepting applications from new non-profit agencies.
“United Way has great momentum right now,” said Marsha Rivers, who started as executive director Sept. 22. “Since the merger of our eastern and western chapters, our organization is stronger than ever, which means more giving power to help more agency programs, which in turn improve and enrich the community in so many ways. It’s a wonderful time to be part of all this.”
Rivers spoke after her first United Way Board meeting Wednesday night. It was the final meeting for outgoing Executive Director Lisa Ireland, who accepted a position as an Advancement Officer at Rochester Institute of Technology.
United Way, which currently funds programs of 20 agencies in the county, has opened the allocations process to new agencies for the past two years.
Any 501(c)3 agency is welcome to apply for funding by contacting Rivers at 585-355-7373 or mrivers@orleansunitedway.org.
New agencies must be prepared to undergo an extensive review process of the last five years, including budgets and program outcomes. Grant applications are due to the United Way office, 534 Main St., Medina, no later than 5 p.m. on Nov. 7.
This year’s United Way fundraising goal will be announced at a kick-off celebration on Thursday at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery on Route 104. About 60 attendees are expected, representing the agricultural, corporate, educational, health, non-profit and public sectors.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Clarendon’s first cemetery is located off Route 31A on Hibbard Road and includes the sign, “Christian Graveyard.” The town’s founder, Eldredge Farwell, is buried there.
CLARENDON – The town last month erected a historical marker for Hillside Cemetery, a sign that notes the cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Leaders of the Clarendon Historical Society are working to get more markers up, so the community and visitors can better understand and appreciate some of the town’s notable historic sites.
The markers cost about $1,200 each. The William Pomeroy Foundation paid the cost for the Hillside marker, but only after extensive research for the site.
Some of those details can be difficult to track down and pinpoint from the 1800s, making it a challenge to satisfy the Pomeroy Foundation, said Erin Anheier, a member of the Historical Society. The group may need to consider raising the funds and doing a marker each year.
“The Pomeroy Foundation wants documentation and some of these events are so old it’s hard to get documentation,” she said.
A historical marker could note the Old Stone Store, at the corner of routes 31A and 237, is built in 1836 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Anheier would like to see the community put its next historical marker by the Old Stone Store, a building the Historical Society saved from demolition about three years ago. The Historical Society teamed with the Landmark Society of Western New York and the Town of Clarendon to find a buyer and developer for the building from 1836.
Joe and Sue Fertitta are renovating the site, which was named to the National Register of Historical Places. It’s one of the oldest Medina Sandstone structures in the county.
The building was used as a general store, and also at different points housed the post office and town court functions.
George Copeland was one of the operators of the store. He lived on Church Street near Route 237. The Historical Society would live to see a historical marker by his former home, a white Greek Revival house.
The society also believes two cemeteries are deserving of markers. A cemetery on Hibbard Road, just off Route 31A, was the first in Clarendon. It bears the grave of Eldredge Farwell, the town founder.
Eldredge Farwell is buried in the cemetery on Hibbard Road. He died in 1843. Farwell discovered Clarendon in 1810 while looking for his brother Isaac’s lost horse. He traced Isaac’s footprints along the border of Sandy Creek and was impressed with the town waterfalls.
Farwell saw the waterfalls as a potential source of power for business. He moved his family to Clarendon in 1811 and built saw and grist mills. The town was originally named Farwell’s Mills but was renamed to Clarendon. Farwell was from Clarendon, Vermont.
The cemetery on Hibbard Road has a sign that says, “Christian Graveyard.”
The Historical Society would also like to put a marker by Cook Cemetery on Munger Road. That cemetery is the final resting place for Lemuel Cook.
When he died in 1866, he was 106. He is believed to be the last living Revolutionary War veteran.
Melissa Ierlan, the Clarendon town historian, unveils a historical marker on Sept. 21 for Hillside Cemetery, which last year was named to National Register of Historic Places.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A field of corn is close to harvest at a spot where the towns of Albion, Barre, Shelby and Ridgeway all nearly touch. The barn is on West Countyhouse Road in Albion, close to Townline Road that separates Barre and Shelby.
The weather will be fall-like the next few days with a high forecast at 68 degrees on Tuesday, followed by 58 on both Wednesday and Thursday and a high of 57 on Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am
New highs for visitors and pageviews
Photo by Tom Rivers – A fire engulfs a truck outside Pawlak’s Save-A-Lot in Albion on Sept. 24. The truck’s owner, Timothy Martin, escaped without being injured. Albion firefighters were quickly on scene to put out the fire, one of several breaking news stories reported last month on Orleans Hub.
Orleans Hub saw a significant jump in traffic in September, a month with high-profile crimes, breaking news and tragedy.
While many Hub readers thank us for lots of positive news on the site, crime and tragedy seem to be the most viewed stories at the site.
We averaged 5,600 unique visitors daily in September, which broke the previous high of 4,757 in June by 17.7 percent. Our pageviews for the month totaled 519,161, which was up by 64,639 or 14.2 percent from the record in August. The September average was 17,305 pageviews each day.
Orleans Hub went live about 18 months ago April 2, 2013. We didn’t hit 5,000 unique visitors for a day until Oct. 17, 2013. That was the day of the huge fire in Albion at Orleans Pallet. The 5,898 visitors to the site that day was a record high for the Hub about a year ago. Now it’s close to the daily average.
The most viewed story last month was an article on Sept. 24 about a standoff in Ridgeway that closed a section of Route 104 for about six hours (Section of 104 closed in Ridgeway after suspect barricades self inside). A man wanted in the incident, Gerardo Quiros, turned himself in to state police two days later on Sept. 26.
The Hub’s local sports articles and photos also saw a big jump in traffic, up 33.4 percent from a May high of 19,530 to 26,062 in September.
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Mike and Cheryl Wertman are drawing a following for their coverage of local sports. In this photo, Medina’s Brett Pecoraro picks up yardage in a 60-8 victory over Newfane on Sept. 6.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Orleans County Court Judge James Punch sentenced three people to state prison today, including two teenagers, despite pleas for leniency for all three.
The judge acknowledged he gets some criticism for the prison sentences he often gives people with drug offenses. He makes no apologies and said he will continue to punish people for selling drugs, a “poison” in the community.
Punch sentenced Jesse Boldt, 38, of Medina to 1 ½ years in state prison, the maximum the judge said he could do because of state sentencing requirements.
Boldt pleaded guilty to criminal possession of controlled substance in the fifth degree.
He admitted he possessed LSD with the intent to sell on Dec. 30, 2013. He has a criminal history in the states of Alabama, Texas and Pennsylvania, District Attorney Joe Cardone said.
Boldt has difficulty walking and has metal rods in his legs after a car accident. His attorney Dominic Saraceno asked that Boldt avoid jail because of his health problems and also because of his upbringing, which included his mother giving him marijuana at age 5 because he was hyperactive.
“I realize I broke the law and messed up,” Boldt said in court today. “I’m sorry.”
Boldt was sentenced after the judge put two teenagers in state prison for crimes Punch said were fueled by drugs.
The judge it was “painful” he could only give Boldt the maximum of 1 ½ in state prison.
“You’re a habitual drug dealer,” Punch said. “It’s people like you that start these chain reactions of misery I have to deal with every day for a few bucks in your pocket.”
“It’s a ripple of misery in our community. Thank God we’re trying to do something about it.” – Judge James Punch
The two teens were each sentenced to 1 to 3 years in state prison for their role in multiple burglaries. The two broke into houses and stole others’ belongings to fuel their drug use, Punch said during sentencing.
The judge gave them youthful offender status, meaning their record would be sealed and they shouldn’t be publicly identified by the press.
Their attorneys asked the two avoid jail or prison and be sentenced to Probation. But the judge said the multiple burglaries violated homeowners’ sense of security.
“This was not a youthful discretion,” the judge said. “This was not painting your name on the water tower. This is a drug-fueled crime.”
The two teens were ordered to pay restitution to the victims at about $3,300 total. Both teens were joined in the courtroom by their families and several community members submitted letters to the court, saying the boys had good character.
The judge said the pull of drugs causes a “disconnect,” leading some people astray and to a life of crime. He said the teens were victims of the drug activity in the community.
“It’s a ripple of misery in our community,” the judge said. “Thank God we’re trying to do something about it.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Elizabeth Pearson earns Gold Award
Photos by Peggy Barringer – Elizabeth Pearson is pictured with the new sign she made for the Kendall Community Park located across from the Kendall Elementary School.
KENDALL – The Kendall community opened a new park a few years ago with a gazebo as the centerpiece of the site. That park never had a sign and the gazebo was lacking enough places to sit down.
A local Girl Scout has met those needs for the site, building two benches and a sign for the park along Kendall Road across from the elementary school.
Elizabeth Pearson, 19, completed the projects for her Gold Award, the top honor that can be attained by a Girl Scout. She is one of only 5 percent of Scouts to earn the Gold Award.
Elizabeth worked closely with a mentor, Elizabeth Pensgen of Pittsford, to assemble the benches and sign, sanding them and then either staining or painting them.
Elizabeth was joined at a celebration Saturday for completion of the project by Ed Gaesser, a past president of the Kendall Board of Education, and Nadine Hanlon, current BOE president. The board in January supported the project.
Elizabeth Pearson also made these benches for the gazebo on Kendall Road. Each gazebo also has an etching of an eagle, the school mascot.
Elizabeth then worked to line up donations for the materials and complete the projects. She thanked Lowe’s for donating the wood and Lakeshore Luxuries in Hamlin for donating the decking screws.
She did the bulk of the work over the summer and last month. She graduated from Kendall last June and is a freshman at Monroe Community College, majoring in liberal arts.
She juggled her school work with the projects, which required a minimum of 80 hours of work to be eligible for the Gold Award.
Elizabeth lives just across the county line in Hamlin. She has been active in Troop 82089 for 10 years. She is grateful for the Scouting experiences.
“You get to be with your friends and do things you wouldn’t normally be able to do including horseback riding, whitewater rafting, camping and Christmas caroling,” she said.
She said the Gold Award projects were fun – and a lot of work.
“A lot of girls will back off from a Gold Award because it is so much work,” she said. “I wanted to be one of the few to get the Gold Award.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 October 2014 at 12:00 am
The Jan. 4, 1920 issue of The Buffalo Express details the fatal fire.
Edward O’Brien
MEDINA – It was bitterly cold on Jan. 3, 1920 when a fire broke out of a South Main Street house owned by Walter Crisp.
Edward O’Brien was the village’s street and water superintendent. He worried the cold temperatures would crimp water pressure, making it harder for firefighters to put out the blaze.
O’Brien was on the scene, helping a firefighter place a ladder on the house when the roof caved in. The chimney then toppled and landed on O’Brien, killing him. His 9-year-old son Francis was there for his father’s last breath before running home to get his mother, according to the Jan. 4, 1920 edition of The Buffalo Express.
File photo by Tom Rivers – Medina firefighters Josh Wolck, left, and Matt Jackson served as the honor guard for a new firefighters’ memorial in front of City Hall that was dedicated Sept. 28, 2013. There will be another memorial service at 10 a.m. today and Edward O’Brien’s name will be added to a brick by the memorial.
About a year ago the Fire Department dedicated a new memorial outside City Hall for firefighters who died in the line of duty and also unveiled memorial bricks in honor of past firefighters who have since died.
Today, O’Brien will be recognized with a memorial brick as part of a memorial service at 10 a.m. outside City Hall.
Jonathan Higgins, a captain with the Medina FD, said the department wants to honor O’Brien for his heroic efforts.
The department learned about O’Brien’s tragic death after the memorial was erected about a year ago. Some of O’Brien’s family are expected for today’s service.
The memorial service will precede the department’s annual open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. That will include a chicken barbecue, an opportunity to meet firefighters and tour fire trucks, experience a rollover simulator and give in a blood drive.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Classes decorate floats and parade down Main Street
Photos by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – After a hiatus for several years, class-decorated floats returned for homecoming this week at Lyndonville.
Students in recent years decorated halls with class themes during homecoming. This year, students and the school decided to decorate floats and have a parade down Main Street this morning. The floats and student participation will factor in the winner of the Spirit Stick, which will be presented during the Homecoming Dance this evening.
“It took a lot of work but it was worth it,” sophomore Aubrey Lewis said about her class float. The sophomores picked a “Monsters Inc.” theme.
Seniors decorated their float with a theme from “The Jungle Book.”
The Junior Class had a “Toy Story” theme with Tom Follman dressed as Buzz Lightyear, Riley Starr as the Barbie in the box and Samantha Raduns as the other Barbie (in green dress).
The sophomore class had a “Monsters, Inc.” float.
Freshmen decorated with a “Little Mermaid” theme.
The junior high – the seventh- and eighth-graders – went with a “Finding Nemo” theme for their float.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Sue Metzo (center), president of the Medina Area Association of Churches, joins 60 others in a poverty simulation Friday through Community Action of Orleans & Genesee. The “luck of the draw” gave participants a mix of good and bad surprises. Metzo’s family would be evicted in the simulation.
BATAVIA – Sue Metzo on Friday had a chance to role play as a single mother, deserted by the father of her two children. Metzo, playing a 34-year-old high school dropout named Emily Epperman, had to figure out how to keep her household going with very limited funds.
It proved a heart-pounding experience, running from appointment to appointment, trying to reverse shut-off and eviction notices.
In doing that, and enduring the long lines for assistance, Metzo was given a warning she hadn’t provided food for her family.
A participant in the poverty simulation waits in line at the utility company to discuss a shut-off notice. Freddie K. Stewart, the training and development manager for Head Start, portrays the utility company worker. Stewart said the power would be turned back on in 72 hours. Someone would need to be home that day, but Stewart couldn’t say when the utility worker would be there, whether in the morning or afternoon.
Metzo (Epperman) sold several of the assets in the house, including the microwave, for some cash while waiting for benefits to kick in.
“I’m feeling very frantic,” said Metzo, who is president of the Medina Area Association of Churches.
She joined 60 other participants in a poverty simulation at the United Methodist Church in Batavia. The event was organized by Community Action or Orleans & Genesee and the NYS Community Action Association.
With every stop in the simulation – from going to the grocery store, pawn shop, utility company and bank – participants had to use transportation passes. Their limited cash, already a challenge to stretch out for a month, could be depleted with an unexpected bill for broken refrigerator, a teen-age child needing to go to the doctor or to get bailed out of jail.
Mary Zangerle, role playing as a 17-year-old high school dropout, is in line to pay a bill.
Sylvia Riviere, another member of the MAAC church group in Medina, portrayed Metzo’s 14-year-old daughter. Riviere used bus passes applying for jobs, but couldn’t get one.
Mary Zangerle, a retired library director in Medina, was assigned the role of a 17-year-old boy who recently dropped out of school and got a girl pregnant. She tried to help Metzo brainstorm for ways to money their money last and to coordinate trips so they didn’t run out of bus passes.
When the Epperman family was given an eviction notice, they were able to keep their apartment as long as they paid a $50 late fee.
Participants went through the simulation for four weeks, which included one week of school vacation. The adults in the group had to figure out how to provide child care for kids 12 and under for that week.
Karla Digirolamo, CEO of the NYS Community Action Association, tries to destroy myths about poverty, urging more compassion from the community.
Digirolamo leads the poverty simulation on Friday for community members in Orleans and Genesee counties. The state-wide association has been doing a poverty tour throughout the state this year, leading the simulations so local officials “can confront the myths about poverty.”
She wants to see more compassion from government officials and community members towards people struggling in poverty.
In Orleans County, 13.8 percent of residents live in poverty, including 19.7 percent of children under 18. For households headed by a woman, the poverty rate jumps to 38.6 percent in Orleans County.
Some of the participants in the simulation said they considered breaking the law, either through selling themselves or drugs, for extra money to get through the month and keep their utilities on and children fed.
The family members in the poverty simulation were often scrambling, trying to get to different appointments and find ways to boost their income.
“Whether you’re a kid or parent or grandparent, everyone feels the stress of being able to stay in your home,” said Kim McMann, training coordinator for the NYS Community Action Association
People in poverty often confront unexpected bills that can deplete their cash, making them unable to pay other bills. That can result in late fees and a feeling of desperation.
