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County will put hitching post on courthouse lawn

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 July 2014 at 12:00 am

Provided photo – This undated photo, provided by Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin, shows the Courthouse Square in its pre-automobile days with hitching posts to tie up horses.

Photo by Tom Rivers – A hitching post will be installed sometime soon near the historical marker at the southwest corner of the courthouse lawn.

This hitching post is next to the home where Grace Bedell grew up on West State Street in Albion. Bedell is the girl who wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln, encouraging him to grow a beard.

ALBION – The historic Courthouse Square will soon add an artifact from a bygone era.

The County Legislature has agreed to accept a hitching post from the Albion Main Street Alliance. The post will be added to the southeast corner of the courthouse lawn, likely in August, said Legislature Chairman David Callard.

The post will be located near a historical marker that was installed last July. That marker, with a log cabin logo, honors the pioneering spirit of Albion’s first residents. The marker recognizes William McAllister.

In December 1810, McAllister bought 368 acres in Albion, the east side of the village, from the Holland Land Company. The following year he built a log cabin where the current County Clerks’ Building stands next the county courthouse.

McAllister and his wife, known only in historical information as “Mrs. McAllister,” were Albion’s first settlers. The hitching post adds to that spirit of honoring the pioneers and early residents in the community. That was part of my message last week when I addressed the Legislature.

I showed them pictures of the many hitching posts and carriage steps in the community. I think Albion and Gaines have more of these survivors from the horse-and-buggy era than anywhere else. (I don’t think an inventory has ever been done to see which community has the most of these historical relics.)

Most of Albion’s hitching posts and carriage are on side streets. We don’t have too many along the state roads. AMSA is working with the village and now the county to have four hitching posts put back on Main Street. They will be set back off the state right of way. By having four in more prominent places on Main Street, we’ll be better able to promote the other sites that have hitching posts and carriage steps.

Many of them are in front of grand old houses from the 1800s or other historical sites, including the Cobblestone Society Museum and Mount Albion Cemetery.

I encouraged the Legislature to consider putting six to eight hitching posts along Main Street in front of the courthouse lawn, replicating the setup from the 1800s. I think we could find that many hitching posts or have them made.

I think the county could negotiate the placement with the state Department of Transportation, as long as the county assumes liability. I just wanted to put that idea out there for the county officials to mull over. For now I’m happy the Legislature will allow the one to go by the historical marker.

Zoo comes to Albion library

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 July 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Youngsters at Hoag Library this afternoon look over a ferret, one of seven animals brought to the library from seven continents.

Robin Sanecki of the Buffalo Zoo holds a screech owl during the “World Safari” program at the library. About 200 people attended the event.

Sanecki holds an armadillo, which showed its ability to curl up into a ball.

Police make arrest in July 18 gunshot in Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 July 2014 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – A Rochester man has been arrested for a July 18 incident in the village of Medina when he allegedly fired one shot from a rifle at two people fleeing after an altercation. The gunshot missed the two men and also an elderly woman who was working in her garden along South Main Street.

Nathaniel Harvey, 21, of Rochester has been charged with attempted murder in the second degree and reckless endangerment in the first degree. He was arraigned in Shelby Town Court and placed in Orleans County Jail on $250,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in Shelby Town Court on Tuesday.

Harvey was arrested on Thursday by the Medina Police Department and Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force. The arrest was made following an investigation with assistance from the State Police and Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.

The two men who fled on foot on July 18 were not injured. A verbal altercation started on Church Street and moved near the corner of South Main and Oak Orchard streets.

Heavy rains saturate fields

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 July 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

It’s been raining hard since about 11 last night, and many of the local farm fields, including this one on Brown Road in Albion, are flooded.

The rain also have swollen local creeks, including Sandy Creek in Kendall. This picture was taken from Route 272, looking west.

This field on Route 18 in Kendall, just east of the Kendall Junior-Senior High School, also is full of water.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo says there is a chance of rain each of the next four days.

Candidate would welcome working immigrants, revise tax code

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 July 2014 at 12:00 am

Jim O’Donnell faces uphill fight against Collins

Photo by Tom Rivers – Jim O’Donnell, a candidate for Congress, poses for a picture with Jeanne Crane, chairwoman of the Orleans County Democratic Party, during the party’s annual summer picnic at Bullard Park on Sunday.

ALBION – He has little money to spend on his campaign, and no staff to help get out his message in a near iron-clad Republican District.

But Jim O’Donnell likes his chances to pull off a big upset victory against Chris Collins, the Republican congressman in the 27th Congressional District, which covers eight counties, including Orleans.

O’Donnell, 29, is a police officer in Buffalo. He’s also an attorney with a master’s in economics.

“I’m tired of this mentality that Washington is this impossible minefield that you can’t get through unless you play to every little interest,” O’Donnell said in Albion on Sunday. “I want to be the guy that proves you can go to Washington with a purpose and you can get those purposes done.”

O’Donnell was in town for the Orleans County Democratic Party picnic at Bullard Park. He is juggling the demands of a full-time job as a police officer with the campaign. As a police officer, he can’t solicit campaign donations, according to the state election law. Some have encouraged him to quit his job to focus on the campaign, but O’Donnell has declined.

“That is one of the strengths of my campaign, that I have a full-time job working in the community with the people,” he said.

O’Donnell lives in Orchard Park. He said there is a strong anti-Chris Collins sentiment in the Congressional district. In the last election, Collins won a close race against Kathy Hochul, a Democrat. The district was reconfigured about two years ago to make it even more Republican friendly.

The gerrymandered district stretches through rural areas of Western New York. O’Donnell said agriculture is big in the district, and many of the farms rely on foreign workers to milk cows, and plant and harvest crops.

However, many of their workers are not in country legally, making the farms vulnerable to losing their workers.

“I don’t think it should ever be a crime for someone to want to come here and work,” O’Donnell said. “If someone is willing to cross the desert, to cross the cartels, to cross oceans to get here, in order to work an be productive members of society, those are the people who we want. We want to figure out a system to make those people legal citizens and start adding them to our tax base. It’s something everyone should be trying to do.”

Immigration reform is needed in our region, and not only for agriculture, O’Donnell said. Welcoming hard-working young adults would add vitality to communities suffering from population losses, he said.

“We need to be fostering a very strong immigration policy that grows our population, that does so in a way that promotes the success of our country,” he said. “If you’re coming across for the right reasons we should want you here.”

Efforts to reform immigration laws have stalled in the past 20 years. O’Donnell thinks Congress sometimes tries to do too much with a proposal, leading to the legislation’s demise.

“It’s a complex issue because there are a whole bunch of different side issues that go along with it,” he said about immigration. “Whenever you try to do these big wide scope legislative things it ends up either not getting passed at all or it misses a lot of the important things should have been handled on an individual basis.”

He said he agreed with Collins that the U.S. shouldn’t house migrant children in our region who have recently crossed the southern U.S. border illegally, fleeing violence and poverty. Many of those children came across without their parents.

“It sends the wrong message to those parents,” he said. “I don’t want them sending their kids here alone, risking dying in a desert. That isn’t good policy. The border should be secured. It doesn’t make sense to allow just anyone to come in.”

O’Donnell said simplifying the tax code, which totals more than 70,000 pages, would also be a goal in Congress. A streamlined tax code would foster business growth and boost the economy, he said.

“The tax code is one of the few things government can do to help the economy,” he said.

O’Donnell urged Democrats in Orleans to rally behind his campaign, and not let the odds discourage them.

“He’s not a popular Republican,” O’Donnell said about Collins. “He’s not out there doing things for the community. Hopefully people will recognize that and the vote will go my way.”

Small Lyndonville building served as doctor’s office

Posted 28 July 2014 at 12:00 am

By Matt Ballard
Cobblestone Society Museum co-director

LYNDONVILLE – This small building, standing on the east side of Main Street in the Village of Lyndonville, once served as the office of Dr. John D. Warren.

Later, this same building was used by Dr. Warren’s son-in-law, Dr. Charles E. Fairman. It was common practice for a physician to have a smaller building located near their home for use as an office. Many homes had separate wings or extensions that served as the location for their practice.

Dr. Warren was well known for his interest in fruit and vegetable drying. Around 1880, he submitted a patent for “Warren’s Vegetable Soup Package,” the precursor to the instant soup packets we currently use today. Later that same year, Gaines farmer A. J. Palmer assigned half of the patent for his fruit dryer to Dr. Warren. The Cobblestone Museum has the patent model of Palmer’s fruit dryer on display in the Farmer’s Hall.

Editor’s Note: The Cobblestone Museum is hosting an exhibit, “Medicine at the Museum,” through Oct. 13, The exhibit displays a collection of medical artifacts from the Rexall Drug Store in Albion and features over 20 local physicians and pharmaceutical giants.

The museum in August and September also will have a four-part lecture series about the development of the medical profession in Western New York. The series starts with the development of Buffalo’s Medical College in the 1840s, and goes through the progression of 19th century medicine from the establishment of WNY health spas and sanitariums to the trivial and candid stories of Orleans County physicians. The series will conclude with a look into the Victorian culture surrounding death and illness in the 19th century.

For more information about the museum and its events, click here.

Morris Taylor admits selling cocaine

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 July 2014 at 12:00 am

Former track star could get up to 6 months in jail

ALBION – Morris Taylor, 24, admitted in Orleans County Court today that he sold cocaine on State Street in the village of Albion last Sept. 4.

Taylor has no prior felony convictions and has never served on Probation. District Attorney Joe Cardone presented a plea deal to Taylor where he would face no more than 6 months in Orleans County Jail and 5 years on Probation. Taylor accepted the plea offer in court today.

If Judge James Punch gives Taylor more than 6 months in jail, Taylor can rescind his plea and go to trial. He has been charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, which carries a maximum of 2 ½ years in state prison.

Taylor, a former state track champion and football star for Albion, was accused of robbing Mark’s Pizzeria in February 2013. That case went to trial and Taylor was found not guilty.

Taylor on Dec. 2 also was arraigned on first-degree rape and forcible compulsion rape. Those crimes allegedly occurred on Thanksgiving morning. Those charges are now in a lower court and will be prosecuted separate from the drug case. Cardone said in court today there are some “issues” with the rape case. It may be handled as a misdemeanor.

“Some are questioning her motives with coming forward,” Cardone told the judge about the alleged victim.

Punch set Oct. 20 for sentencing for the drug charge.

Kendall teen in guarded condition after accident on Sunday

Posted 28 July 2014 at 12:00 am

Press release, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess

KENDALL – A Kendall teen-ager remains hospitalized in guarded condition this morning after crashing his pick-up truck late Sunday afternoon in the Town of Kendall.

The incident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. in the 16100 block of Woodchuck Alley, near West Kendall Road. Ryan D. Clay, 17, was operating a ’96 Chevrolet pick-up, travelling west on gravel road surface when he lost control of the vehicle.

The truck ran off the north side of the roadway, turned sideways, and slammed driver’s side into a tree. Clay was extricated by Kendall firefighters and transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester by Kendall FD ambulance.

A front seat passenger is identified as Andrew A. Eden, 17, of Kent. Eden was treated at the scene for minor injuries. He was not transported by ambulance.

The incident was investigated by Deputy T.N. Tooley, assisted by Deputy K.J. Colonna and Sergeant G.T. Gunkler. It appears that excessive speed was a contributing factor in the crash.

Medina, 2 towns meet tonight to talk shared services, perhaps more

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 July 2014 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – A joint session among the Medina Village Board and Town Boards for Shelby and Ridgeway will finally happen at 7 tonight at the Shelby Town Hall.

The meeting nearly didn’t happen after officials from the towns contested an agenda by Medina Mayor Andrew Meier. He wanted the village’s dissolution to be a topic but was rebuffed by Ridgeway Town Supervisor Brian Napoli and Shelby Town Supervisor Skip Draper.

The two town supervisors also insisted on an outside mediator and stenographer. The three governments will share the costs.

The bulk of the agenda will be geared to shared services among the three entities and perhaps some consolidation of functions. The meeting at 4062 Salt Works Rd. is open to public.

Drechsel named Grand Master Showman of Small Animals

Posted 27 July 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Sue Cook – Claudia Drechsel explains to judge Linda Wilbur how to check rabbits for ear mites.

By Sue Cook, staff reporter

KNOWLESVILLE – The Grand Master Showman of Small Animals competition tested participants’ skills in showing chickens, rabbits and dogs.

Competitors were chosen for their excellence at earlier shows in the week for the small animals. Six competed for Grand Master Showman including Jordyn Smith and Rachel Gregoire, representing rabbits; Andrew Moore and Claudia Drechsel, representing poultry; and Brooke Kiefer and Bailey Jackson, representing dogs.

Judges were brought from outside the area so that they would not have a bias or prior knowledge of any of the competitors.

Rachel Gregoire shows the Australian cattle dog.

Jordyn Smith went into the chicken portion of the show with great confidence.

During each portion of the show, the 4-H’ers had to demonstrate the correct care and handling of the animal. During the dog portion, they also had to run the dog around the show ring and make the animal perform patterns for the judge. They also had to know the nomenclature and what each of the body parts did or how it should be cared for.

Brooke Kiefer shows the dog to judge Toni Garcia.

Claudia Drechsel of Holley was named the Grand Master Showman for her competence of all three species of animals. Brooke Kiefer was named the Reserve Champion.

“This is my third year participating in small animal grand master and I really enjoy learning about all the different breeds,” said Drechsel. “I like that they switch up what we use (each year). It’s really cool to learn about all the different breeds.”

Dreschel also competed in the Grand Master Showman competition on Friday for large animals, qualifying for her prowess in showing sheep.

Kiefer (left) and Drechsel received trophies for their hard work.

Poultry judge Bill Ziehm found the 4-H’ers impressive. He said that when they weren’t sure about an answer or gave a wrong answer “they maintained their composure and moved on to the next question with a positive attitude.”

“You have to study. You really do,” said Drechsel. “Small animals are lots of knowledge. Large animals are more how you present the animal and present yourself. It’s a really good experience and a good thing to have fun with. It’s not all about winning. From a personal standpoint, I’d rather lose and have fun, than win and not have fun.”

Andrew Moore answers questions for Bill Ziehm.

Bailey Jackson talks to the judge while the audience looks on.