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Albion business owner had a heart for the needy

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Linda Reed died in crash Saturday near Mobile, Ala.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Linda Reed in August became owner of the Clothesline at 18 East Bank St.

ALBION – Linda Reed was known among the downtown Albion merchants for her big heart. She especially took time for needy residents.

“She was a really nice person who looked out for others,” said Lisa Stratton, owner of the Hazy Jade.

Reed died on Saturday in a car accident in Poarch, Ala., near Mobile. She was down south visiting family, including two new grandsons she met for the first time in Texas, her daughter Lisa LaRose said.

Reed stopped and saw other family and friends in Louisiana. She was on her way home Saturday when her 2003 Ford Explorer left the road and struck a tree at 11:55 a.m. on I-65 in Escambia County. (Click here to see news article from al.com.)

Reed, 65, had been volunteering at The Clothesline, a consignment and gift shop. She became owner of the business in August and took pride in the site, changing the decorations in the front window several times.

Reed in a photo on her Facebook page

“I had just talked with her and was excited about decorating for Christmas,” Stratton said.

Reed, a cancer survivor, may have been best known in the community for her passionate fund-raising for cancer research. She sought donations and participants for a Relay for Life team in Lockport. She put purple ribbons on her home on East Park Street.

She also had purple toilets that she put in people’s front yards and in front of businesses as a fund-raiser for cancer research.

“She was relentless,” Stratton said smiling about Reed and her creative and persistent fund-raising.

Reed closed the store for a couple weeks so she could go see her family. A sign in the front window says she intended to be back at the store on Nov. 29.

She is the second East Bank Street merchant to die in a car accident in less than a week.

Joshua Lunn, 25, owned the Grease Lightning business at 102 East Bank St. He died in a Nov. 20 accident in Kendall. He was traveling westbound on Route 18 when he attempted to pass a westbound vehicle. Lunn lost control of his pickup truck and left the south shoulder striking several trees.

Medina demolishes two run-down houses

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 November 2013 at 12:00 am

File photo by Tom Rivers – The village of Medina knocked down these two houses on Genesee Street last week. This photo was taken in April.

MEDINA – Two boarded-up houses that have long been eyesores and targets of vandalism were torn down by the village of Medina last week.

“It’s great to see them down and the lots cleared,” Marty Busch, the village code enforcement officer, told the Village Board on Monday.

The houses at 613-615 and 617 Genesee Street have depressed the neighborhood, Busch said.

The village in recent years has been taking down one or two houses a year. Busch said many more should come down because of their poor condition and negative impact on the neighborhood.

Medina Fire Chief Todd Zinkievich said firefighters were able to practice drills and other valuable training on the houses before they were demolished.

Busch said he will soon have a report on the final costs of the demolition.

In other action on Monday:

The board is looking to fill a vacant captain position in the Fire Department. That spot has been open since R.J. Morgan retired about two years ago.

The department typically has two captains who each lead a platoon of six firefighters. Mike Maak, the current senior captain, heads the EMS training and responsibilities. The new captain will help head up the firefighting efforts.

Three internal candidates are seeking the captain’s position. The candidates will all be interviewed Monday by the Village Board, Zinkievich and Maak.

Approved an agreement with the Medina School District allowing the school to use the village’s fueling station. The school district will pay the state contract price per gallon, plus another 5 percent, which will help the village with maintenance and other costs of the fueling station, said Mayor Andrew Meier.

Discussed a letter from Stop Polluting Orleans County, a citizens group in the Albion area that is opposed to more landfill operations in Albion. The group is seeking a resolution from Medina, stating its opposition to another landfill.

Meier said the board will consider the request at an upcoming meeting. The board usually doesn’t weigh in on issues in other communities, but Meier said the Village Board may want to go on the record against another landfill in Albion.

“There would be a significant impact on the quality of life and the truck traffic through our village,” Meier said.

Holley man needs to pay $100K-plus restitution or go back to jail

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Jeffrey Paul also pleads guilty and will be sentenced Jan. 27

ALBION – David Paul, a construction company owner who was jailed for a year after stealing equipment from another company, needs to pay restitution or he could face another year in jail, Orleans County Court Judge James Punch said on Monday.

David Paul, 69, of 3823 Monroe-Orleans Countyline Rd., owes more than $100,000 in restitution, and only has paid an “insignificant amount,” said District Attorney Joe Cardone.

Paul said he is only earning about $150 a week. He lost about 80 percent of his business due to his time in jail, he told Judge Punch.

Paul also said he has few assets. The judge assigned the public defender to work with Paul. Punch said he wants a restitution plan the next time Paul appears in court, 2 p.m. on Dec. 9.

Paul and his son Jeffrey were accused of stealing two backhoes, a box truck and a car from a Wayne County business. They buried some of it on David Paul’s property on the Monroe-Orleans Countyline Road.

David Paul already served a jail sentence for the crime. His son’s case was delayed in court after Jeffrey claimed he had difficulty concentrating and couldn’t help with his defense. Judge Punch declared Jeffrey Paul, 40, mentally incompetent to stand trial in August.

Paul was sent to a psychiatric facility. He was there until October. During a Nov. 4 court date, Paul announced he was changing attorneys, which Punch saw as a stalling tactic. Punch set Nov. 13 for the start of a trial.

A day before that Paul pleaded guilty to criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree. He will be sentenced Jan. 27 and faces a maximum of one to three years in state prison.

Holiday spirit near a hitching post

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – I couldn’t help but stop and take a photo of this hitching post and carriage step last night in Medina, with a historic home as a backdrop with its Christmas lights.

This house is located at 801 West Center St., at the Erie Street intersection. For the next month or so Orleans Hub will feature properties decked out in the holiday spirit.

Medina had a big year for unkempt lawn violators

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 November 2013 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – The village may have had a record-breaking year in 2013 for issuing violation notices for properties with unmowed lawns.

Code Enforcement Officer Marty Busch sent out 234 violation notices, which he said was up from the previous year.

“More and more houses are sitting empty,” Busch told the Village Board on Monday. “We’re cutting more.”

If the property owner doesn’t cut the grass soon after the notice, the village imposes a $100 fine for tall grass and wild weeds. Medina will also have a contractor cut the grass. The $100, plus $65 fee for the grass cutting, is then charged to the property owner. If the bill isn’t paid, it is put on the village tax bill.

The village billed $15,569 for grass and weed violations in 2013, Busch said. A lawn-mowing contractor was paid $4,437. The net of $11,132 goes to the village.

Busch said he spends a lot of time on the issue, inspecting lawns throughout the village and then checking on them after the notices go out.

He wants to keep the fine at $100.

“We want to provide an incentive for people to take care of the problem,” Busch said.

Gillibrand serves at Holley community center

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am

“I’m very grateful that we have so many public servants and volunteers that do this work. I wanted to come help them do this work that they do everyday.” – U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Photos by Tom Rivers – U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, was in Holley today to help serve lunches and then to pack boxes of food for Thanksgiving. She dished out a macaroni and cheese lunch with peas, salad, a biscuit and fruit cocktail.

HOLLEY – U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand stopped by a community center in Holley today and later in Wellsville, serving food and helping to fill boxes with food to be given to needy families.

Gillibrand said she wanted to highlight soup kitchens and community centers, especially during the holiday season. The senator also wanted to pitch in and help with the tasks.

“I’m very grateful that we have so many public servants and volunteers that do this work,” she said after serving food and packing boxes in Holley. “I wanted to come help them do this work that they do everyday.”

The Eastern Orleans Community Center is run by Community Action. The site in the Public Square serves 9,400 hot meals a year from Monday through Friday. The site initially was only available to senior citizens but that changed less than a decade ago.

It is now open to the entire community, and it serves many young families, especially during the summer, said Ed Fancher, Community Action director.

“There are people who come here for lunch and it’s the only hot meal they get all day,” said Murray resident Leon Randall. “This is a very important site.”

Randall serves as the Murray representative on the Office for the Aging board. He stops at the Community Center once or twice a week for a meal and “to talk with folks.”

Gillibrand packed several boxes today, making sure to include canned fruits and vegetables.

Meals are served on one side of the building, and the other side serves as a youth center. About 50 kids a year stop by to do homework, play Fooseball and use the computers.

The center also is the base for the Thanksgiving outreach effort. Community Action is filling 135 boxes with turkeys, milk, and other food for Holley area families.

She talked with some of the residents, including a young mother. Gillibrand urged the woman to pursue a degree at Genesee Community College, perhaps in early childhood education.

Gillibrand said families need good-paying jobs to break out of poverty. She is pushing for manufacturing tax credits for companies that make products in the United States.

She also is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. A new Farm Bill, now more than a year overdue, is important for farmers. She also wants to keep food stamps in the Farm Bill. That helps farmers have more demand for their goods and increases access to fresh fruits and vegetables to needy residents, she said.

On the way out of the center today she stopped and shook hands with many Community Action staff.

“Thanks for your hard work and God bless,” she said.

$100K bail for Medina man accused of stealing, defacing guns

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am

ALBION A Medina man facing 24 counts, including burglary and grand larceny, was arraigned in Orleans County Court today by Judge James Punch, who set bail at $100,000.

Christopher Hollenbeck, 27, allegedly broke into a residence on Mill Road in Ridgeway in June. He is accused of taking nine guns, including several hand guns.

State police say he scratched off the serial numbers on some of the guns, which he then sold with help from his girlfriend Rebecca Bischoff, 26, of Medina.

Punch assigned the public defender for Hollenbeck, who said he isn’t working but would be interviewing for a job.

The District Attorney’s Office requested bail be set at $10,000, but Punch made it higher because the charges against Hollenbeck “are profoundly serious.”

“It looks like you were preparing for Armageddon,” Punch told Hollenbeck. “That’s why I’m setting bail where I’m setting it.”

Hollenbeck faces numerous charges, including one count of second-degree burglary, one count of fourth-degree grand larceny for stealing firearms, three counts of defacing weapons, three counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, nine counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree and five counts of criminal sale of a firearm in the second degree.

Bischoff was arraigned in County Court last week on four counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree and two counts of criminal sale of a firearm in the second degree.

Being thankful is good for your health

Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am

By Nola Goodrich-Kresse, Public Health Educator for the Orleans County Health Department

Did you know being thankful is healthy? When you are optimistic or hopeful, you are also generally thankful for what you have. Thankful people also tend to think of what they can do for their community. They are generally healthier and they tend to heal quicker if they become ill or are injured.

If you tend to be pessimistic or negative, try to choose one thing to be thankful about and each day add something new. Being thankful and optimistic is your choice.

When dealing with the stresses or loneliness of the holidays, find a way to turn those feelings into something positive.

Consider the following tips to choose to be more thankful each day:

Talk with your family about what the holidays mean to you. Be honest about what you can afford and encourage everyone to give the more meaningful giftthe gift of their time.

Consider sharing stories about how thankful you were when someone helped you out, or when you helped someone out.

Share your gratitude with others by sharing your time with them. Take turns reading a favorite holiday story together, play board games or just enjoy one another’s company.

Volunteerthere are many options to volunteer. Ring the bells for the Salvation Army, volunteer at a soup kitchen, visit folks in a nursing home or who are shut-in. Helping others takes the focus off of yourself and you may make new friends.

Also, consider volunteering all year round, not just during the holidays as there are always folks who need help and it will make you feel good and more positive too!

Consider sending cards to members of our armed forces or to VA hospitals to thank them for their service.

Listen to and share joyful laughter.

Don’t forget to get in regular exercise – it helps keep the extra pounds from adding up and also relieves stress and gives you a brighter outlook. Some ways to help get more exercise: park further away and walk, take stairs instead of escalators and elevators, and/or take time to play.

Finding ways to keep active 30 minutes each day for most days of the week helps with your appetite / digestion; you sleep better; and it helps keep you mentally focused.

Another way to consider being thankful is to participate in the 1^st Annual Holiday Spirit 5 K Fun Run/Walk held on Saturday, Dec. 7. The course starts at the Albion Fire Hall on Platt Street. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and is $25. Race time is 9:30.

All proceeds from the race will benefit MHA of Orleans County to continue to provide a safe, drug/alcohol free drop-in center and peer-driven support groups for adults 18 and older.

For more information or to register, call Nola Goodrich-Kresse at the Orleans County Health Department at 589-3162 or e-mail Nola.Goodrich-Kresse@orleansny.com.

To get the ball rolling on being thankful, I would like to thank each of you for reading this column, for your comments and your column suggestions. You are much appreciated! Thank you! So, what are you thankful for?

Bell-ringers start season, meet U.S. senator

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – The red kettles came out in Holley today, and two members of the American Legion stood in the freezing cold, seeking donations.

Legion Commander Chuck Eberhardt, left, and Al Pulcino (top photo) were outside the Eastern Orleans Community Center in the Public Square on the first day of the fund-raising drive in Holley.

The money raised stays in Orleans County and goes to local agencies, including Community Action, which sets the schedule for the volunteers.

Community Action needs more volunteers for red kettle sites in Holley, Albion and Medina. The agency has set a $23,000 fund-raising goal for this holiday season.

To volunteer, call 589-5605 and ask for Annette Finch.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand steps outside the Eastern Orleans Community Center in Holley this afternoon after serving lunch and packing Thanksgiving food baskets. Gillibrand spotted the volunteers at the red kettle and made a donation.

2 from Rochester arrested after heroin, crack cocaine seized in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Holmes

ALBION – Two Rochester men face numerous drug charges after they were arrested on Friday in the village of Albion during a vehicle stop at 167 South Main St.

The charges followed a month-long investigation into the sale and distribution of heroin and crack cocaine in the village of Albion, during which police seized 40 bags of heroin. They also confiscated more than a quarter ounce of crack cocaine, with a street value of over $1,000, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force reported this morning.

Terry L. Holmes, 31 of 380 Calm Lake Circle in Rochester was charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree, and one count of aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree.

Holmes is currently under parole supervision with the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

He was arraigned by Albion Town Justice Kevin Howard and committed to county jail on no bail, due to Holmes’s previous criminal history, according to the Task Force.

Burroughs

Law enforcement also arrested Kamerin D. Burroughs, 23, of 126 Normandy Ave. in Rochester. He was charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree.

Burroughs was arraigned by Justice Howard and committed to the county jail on $25,000 bail. Both Holmes and Burroughs are to return to town court at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

The Major Felony Crime Task Force teamed with the Albion Police Department and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department to conduct the vehicle stop on Friday. The investigation is ongoing and further charges and arrests are pending, the Task Force said.

Lyndonville plans first community holiday celebration

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am

26 Christmas trees will be lighted at Veterans Park

LYNDONVILLE – Residents, community organizations and the village are teaming for a debut “Christmas in Lyndonville” celebration on Dec. 7.

Several events are planned for that day. In addition, Veterans Park by the library will be decorated with 26 Christmas trees that are sponsored by residents and businesses. Some of the trees have been sponsored as memorials. Those trees will be decorated from Nov. 28 to Dec. 5 and will be displayed during the holiday season.

“A lot of people have pitched in,” said Village Clerk Teri Woodworth. “We think it will be a nice event.”

The lineup of events on Dec. 7 includes a community breakfast buffet at the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church from 8 to 11 a.m.; a mini mall at the United Methodist Church from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; games at the Yates Community Library from 3 to 4 p.m.; and caroling at Vets Park from 4 to 5 p.m.

Santa will arrive at 5 p.m. and flip the switch to light the trees. Santa will then be at the Village Hall from 5 to 6:30 p.m. to visit with children and their families. Hot chocolate and cookies will be available at the Village Hall.

There will be a Christmas Choir “LaLaPalooza” at the Presbyterian Church at 7 p.m.

The downtown decorations for the holidays have been upgraded thanks to funds from the Lyndonville Lions Club and the Lyndonville Area Foundation.

The Dec. 7 event is sponsored by the village, the Lyndonville Fire Department/Auxilary and the Lions Club.

Medina businesses dress up storefronts for the holidays

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Several downtown Medina businesses are decked out for the holidays with lights, decorations and Santa themes as part of their window displays.

Some businesses, including Della’s Chocolates (below), have even decorated the second floor of their buildings.

The Medina Business Association and Medina Tourism Committee on Saturday will celebrate their seventh annual Old Tyme Medina Christmas Celebration. The events run from 9 a.m. to late in the evening, highlighted by a parade of lights at 6 p.m.

To see the schedule, click here.

Jury acquits business owners of arson in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am

ALBION – A jury acquitted two business owners of arson on Friday in a trial that lasted more than a week in Orleans County Court.

David Wright, 32, and Sara Harris, 31, were charged with third-degree arson and fourth-degree criminal mischief. The Holley residents faced up to 15 years in state prison.

They owned The Shop, a tobacco-related business at 158 Hamilton St. The site burned on Aug. 13, 2012. The building suffered extensive water and fire damage. Wright and Harris were accused of setting the fire for insurance money.

But a jury of their peers decided the fire, which started in the building’s office, wasn’t set by the business owners.

21 birds raised by 4-H’ers are sold at first turkey auction

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Lynn Hill served as auctioneer Saturday during the first ever turkey auction, featuring birds raised by 4-H’ers. The 21 turkeys sold for a combined $1,585. Skip Lear, left, helped Hill with the auction.

Claudia Dreschel of Holley created a display at the auction, showing pictures of herself with her turkeys.

KNOWLESVILLE – The debut turkey auction by the Orleans County 4-H program resulted in $1,585 in sales for 21 turkeys, and many happy buyers who will have locally raised meat for Thanksgiving.

Twelve 4-H’ers raised the turkeys over four months. The birds at the auction ranged from 17 to 34 pounds. They all sold for at least $60 with three at $100 or more.

The 4-H Market Auction Committee pushed to start the auction this year. The committee hoped the turkeys would sell for an average of $75. The average price on Saturday: $75.48.

The 4-H program would like to make the turkey auction an annual tradition, and would like to see more bidders buy turkeys from local 4-H’ers.

Alan and Guin Panek of Albion bought three turkeys at the auction. They will have 60 people over for Thanksgiving.

“We wanted to support the 4-H program,” said Mrs. Panek, a former 4-H educator. “We know these turkeys are locally raised, they’re healthy and fresh.”

The Paneks bid the highest amount at the auction, $150 for a 34-pound turkey raised by Nicole Mrzywka of Holley.

Dona Scharping, in front of Lynn Hill, holds up a yellow card to show she is bidding on a turkey. She bought one for $65 that was raised by Zachary Moore of Albion.

The Orleans County Fair Committee bought one of the turkeys to be donated to a local food pantry. Barb Kurzowski also bought a turkey and donated it a food pantry.

Many of the 4-H’ers have been raising animals for years, but typically they are larger livestock.

“They’re really nice when they are babies,” Janie Schutz, 17, of Waterport said about the turkeys.

But birds became more aggressive as they get older. She and her sister Rylie Lear, 13, prefer working with beef cattle.

“You bond more with your cows than your turkeys,” Schutz said.

The 4-H’ers fed the turkeys at least 2 pounds of a grain-based feed a day. They needed lots of water and clean conditions.

Claudia Dreschel, 14, of Holley and her brother Andrew raised eight turkeys, with four sold at the auction. They estimated it cost $50 in feed for each turkey over four months.

“It’s definitely been a learning experience,” Claudia said. “They eat a lot and they can make a mess very fast.”

Guin and Alan Panek of Albion bid on a turkey during the auction on Saturday. They bought three birds, including the highest bid of the night, $150 for a turkey raised by Nicole Mrzywka of Holley.

Albion woman killed in car accident in state of Alabama

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Linda Reed owned The Clothesline on Bank Street

Linda Reed, owner of a downtown Albion business and a cancer survivor who rallied her neighbors to join her Relay for Life team, died in a car accident on Saturday.

Reed was in the state of Alabama, visiting friends. Orleans Hub doesn’t have the details about the accident.

Reed lived on East Park Street in Albion. She held frequent yard sales to raise money for cancer research. She went door to door, seeking donations for the cause and enlisted neighbors in a Relay for Life walk in Lockport.

Reed in August became owner of The Clothesline, a consignment and gift shop on East Bank Street.

Reed’s Facebook page includes many tributes from family and friends.