By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 August 2013 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – A Medina resident admitted in court he broke into the Orleans Ford dealership in December, stole a truck and threatened a clerk at a gas station.
George Brown, 36, of Bernzomatic Drive could be sentenced to a maximum 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison on Oct. 21. He pleaded guilty on County Court on Monday to third-degree burglary and third-degree attempted robbery.
Brown on Dec. 15 stole a truck from Orleans Ford. He then attempted to take gas from a gas station by threatening a clerk, the Orleans County District Attorney’s Office said.
After stealing the truck, Brown led Medina Police and state troopers on a multi-county pursuit. He had two children with him. He was stopped after driving over spikes deployed by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 August 2013 at 12:00 am
LOCKPORT – A Medina man could be sentenced to life in prison for sexual abuse of young boys, The Buffalo News is reporting.
Gerald L. Wolter Jr., 37, of Freeman Road, has been charged with predatory sexual assault by the Niagara County District Attorney’s Office for sexually abusing two boys in Somerset between May 2011 and January of this year. Wolter faces similar charges in Orleans County for different sexual abuse incidents, the Orleans County DA’s Office said. Wolter hasn’t been indicted in Orleans yet.
Wolter was sent to Niagara County Jail on $50,000 bail on Wednesday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Neal Muscarella, an Albion stone mason, uses a hammer and chisel to face up the top of the base for a new Mount Albion Cemetery sign.
Muscarella has been working on the sign at the entrance of the historic cemetery on Route 31. He put the capstones on yesterday and worked today on some final touches, dressing up the sandstone pieces.
The village of Albion owns the sign and has been working for about eight months to line up stone and contractors to replace the previous sign that was smashed by a driver last December.
Muscarella was able to create a new base for the sign using pieces from the old sign as well as repurposed sandstone curbs that were once in Albion.
Contributed Story Posted 14 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Michael Karcz
POINT BREEZE – The Old Hippies entertained on Tuesday night during the summer concert series at the Orleans County Marine Park. The Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association organizes the series with support from Orleans County Tourism and the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.
The series concludes on Tuesday with a concert by the Sophisticats from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 August 2013 at 12:00 am
BARRE – The Erie Canal tends to get all the attention as a man-made waterway in these parts, but Orleans County is home to another “big ditch,” the series of drainage improvements used to create the Elba Muck about a century ago.
The Elba Muck covers about 7,000 acres in Genesee and Orleans counties. Many immigrants and woodsman cleared a swamp and built 90 miles of ditches to drain the land. Farmers in the two counties formed a special watershed district and they pay to pump water with sump pumps and other devices and keep the land from becoming waterlogged.
Driving out to the muck is like visiting a different planet with the dark black soil. It’s worth a drive out there to check out the place that brought many hard-working immigrants to our community.
The muck remains highly productive farmland. Two Albion farms, Triple G and Panek, are among the 10 farms that still work the land at the former swamp.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
Gina Sidari, 6, of Albion introduced a line of fashion tonight at the Cabaret at Studio B in Albion, a new venture run by Gina’s mother Amy Sidari.
Gina designed clothes worn during the fashion show by herself and her friends – Isabelle Gray, Julia Fuller, Emily Mergler, and Avery and Willow Gaines.
Proceeds from the fashion were designated for the Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance.
Julia Fuller of Albion models one of the outfits designed by her friend Gina Sidari.
Kyle Sidari shares a joke as part of a stand-up routine during the fashion show. Carlos Burroughs, left, lets out a chuckle.
Marcy Downey sings “You Make Me Feel So Young” during the Gina Line Fashion Show at the Cabaret at Studio B in Albion, part of Gotta Dance by Miss Amy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Mike Fuller, the Shelby highway superintendent, and Town Clerk Darlene Rich stand next to a new town sign made of Medina sandstone. The sign was mounted on the front wall of the town hall last week.
SHELBY – A new sign made of Medina sandstone connects the Shelby Town Hall with the community’s heritage, town officials said.
And the new sign on the Shelby Town Hall looks “beautiful,” a vast improvement over a metal sign that was on the building the previous decade, said Town Councilman Ken Schaal.
“This is history from Medina and it will last forever,” Schaal said.
The town hall, a former Niagara Mohawk building on Salt Works Road, has been used for town officials since about 2000. Town Board members have wanted to use Medina sandstone for a sign, and they had a 4-by-4 piece of stone in storage.
The Town Board and Highway Superintendent Mike Fuller recently decided it was time to use that stone for the sign, rather than have the stone stashed away. The town spent $2,950 to have the stone engraved and then mounted. That price included the cost of adding border stone.
The new sign went up on the building last week. It’s been drawing rave reviews from the public.
“It looks really nice,” County Legislator Bill Eick, a former Shelby town councilman, told the Town Board on Tuesday. “I really appreciate you getting that up.”
The town hall is named for former councilman Lorne McMurray, who pushed the town to acquire and renovate the former NiMo building about 13 years ago. The old town hall has been razed to make room for Aldi’s.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 August 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The village of Albion is raising the water rates by 8 cents per 1,000 gallons to six towns that buy water from the village for water districts.
The new rate will increase 2.8 percent from $2.86 to $2.94. Albion hasn’t raised the rates to the towns in 11 years, Mayor Dean Theodorakos said.
The increase was intended to take effect Oct. 1, but the town of Barre said that didn’t meet the requirement of providing three months notice before a rate increase. Barre Town Supervisor Mark Chamberlain also asked for a meeting with village officials for an explanation about the rate hike.
“At this time, it does not seem feasible for the town to agree to the rate increase without more information and discussion,” Chamberlain wrote to the Village Board on Aug. 8.
The village faces equipment and facility upgrades at the water plant, which is prompting Albion to raise the rates by a modest amount, Trustee Kevin Sheehan said.
The board agreed to delay the rate increase until Jan. 1 for all of the towns it supplies with water. Theodorakos said the village will try to schedule a meeting with the officials from the towns to provide the village’s rationale for the increase. The village supplies water for districts in Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre, Ridgeway and Murray.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Band has won last four state titles in small school division
Photos by Tom Rivers – Victoria Rice practices with the Colorguard today during band camp at Medina.
MEDINA – You don’t become a four-time defending state champion by taking it easy, even during the summer.
The Medina Mustang Marching Band has been studying their music all summer. The drum line, pit and Colorguard have been practicing on Tuesdays and Thursdays since July 8.
This week, the entire 130-member Marching Band joined together for Band Camp, which includes eight hours of practice each day except for Friday, which runs for four hours.
Michael Busch, a freshman, has been looking forward to band camp all summer, even though he admitted it’s a big commitment.
“We’re learning a lot of new techniques,” said Michael, a third-year band member who plays the bells in the front ensemble.
Hannah Pask plays the xylophone with the front ensemble during Medina’s band camp today.
Marching band directors Jim Steele and Cheri Pritchard had a parking lot full of chalk markings, to let band members know their spots.
“It’s a lot of work,” said Steele, the high school band director. “But it’s very beneficial. We want to give the kids the opportunity to do something that not a lot of kids are afforded.”
Medina is one of only 58 districts in the state (out of about 700) that competes in the field band program. It’s the only district in Orleans County with a field band, which competes in the fall. Medina is the sixth smallest district in the state with a field band. But Medina has more participation in the program than many larger districts, Pritchard said.
“We attribute the size to the band being such a strong tradition at the school,” she said. “A lot of the parents of our students were in the band, too.”
The band is bigger this year. Steele said the numbers tend to go in cycles.
“We’re on an upswing in the cycle, which is great,” he said.
This year’s program is called “The Pursuit Of Gold,” and features a tribute to the Olympics. The band will show their parents what they learned with a preview of the show 7 p.m. Thursday.
Medina will host its annual Fall Festival of Bands on Sept. 21 when 12 bands will perform at Vets Park, including the band from University at Buffalo. About 1,000 spectators are expected for that event.
Vinnie Monacelli, the Colorguard instructor and drill designer, calls out instructions to students today.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 August 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION A 58-year-old Medina man was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in state prison for driving while intoxicated.
Earl Anderson of 11089 Maple Ridge Rd. has been charged with DWI five times since 1978, with 2005 the most recent case until he was charged Dec. 9 on Dunlap Road in Shelby.
“You’ve had an incredible amount of DWIs in your life,” County Court Judge James Punch told Anderson during his sentencing on Monday. “I have to protect the people of the county from you.”
Anderson also was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.
In another DWI case, Felix Onofre-Rojas, 61, of 14691 Zig-Zag Rd., Albion, pleaded guilty to DWI on May 4, when he was stopped with a BAC of 0.21 percent. Onofre-Rojas has a prior DWI on June 24, 2008 in Hamlin.
He could be sentenced to up to four years in state prison on Oct. 28.
Onofre-Rojas also faces several drug charges for the sale and distribution of cocaine in the Albion area. He could be sentenced to up to 5.5 years in state prison, time that would run concurrent with the DWI offense.
Onofre-Rojas was prepared to plead guilty to the drug charges on Monday, but he disagreed with District Attorney Joe Cardone’s time frame of when the crimes occurred. Cardone said the crimes occurred February 2013, but Onofre-Rojas refuted that in court. Onofre-Rojas acknowledged he sold the drugs, but he told Judge Punch it wasn’t in February.
Cardone said Onofre-Rojas sold cocaine “repeatedly.” Cardone and Onofre-Rojas will discuss the plea in an upcoming court date, when Cardone checks with staff and law enforcement about the time frame of the crimes.
Onofre-Rojas was arrested on June 20 and charged with two counts of a criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, four counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree.
In another case in county court on Monday, two Jamaican nationals were arraigned on charges of first-degree criminal possession of marijuana. Calvin Bennett, 37, of the Bronx and Roderick Johnson, 29, of Rochester were stopped by law enforcement in February in Clarendon. They allegedly possessed 450 pounds of marijuana.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Stephen Rutledge of Albion scrapes off old paint this afternoon on one of the doors facing Main Street at the First Presbyterian Church in Albion. Rutledge will also scrape off the paint on the alcove over the door. He will prime and repaint the doors and alcove on the historic church built with Medina sandstone.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 August 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Here is another photo from last night’s sunset photographic excursion by the Erie Canal in Albion.
Orleans Hub posted several photos of the canal last night. This one shows the staircase for the lift bridge. I’ve been told the bridge used to be an upright position back when it was built a century ago. The bridge was lowered for the occasional horse and buggy.
A hundred years ago there were a lot of boats passing through Albion. Now there are a lot of cars, but only an occasional boater so the bridge stays down most of the time.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 August 2013 at 12:00 am
State will also double-line section of road in Shelby
Photo by Tom Rivers – The intersection at Salt Works Road and Route 31 in Shelby will be safer after the DOT posts a speed limit reduction, town officials said on Tuesday.
SHELBY – Motorists will soon have to drive slower on Route 31 on a section of the road just west of the village. Drivers also won’t be allowed to pass another vehicle on a portion of the state highway near the Salt Works Road intersection.
Town of Shelby officials and Orleans County Legislator Bill Eick announced Route 31 will soon have the posted speed limit reduced from 55 to 45 miles per hour about 50 yards west of Salt Works Road to the beginning of the 40 mph zone at the village line. The state Department of Transportation will also double-stripe the road near the intersection.
“We’re hoping it will be taken care of in the next month to month in a half,” Eick said during Tuesday’s Town Board meeting.
He has been pressing the state DOT to improve the safety of the Route 31 and Salt Works Road intersection for a year. He said he was nearly “clipped” about a year ago at the intersection. Town officials said the intersection is currently dangerous because of fast drivers on Route 31 who often pass other vehicles.
“We’ve been trying to do something with that intersection for the last 25 to 30 years,” said Ken Schaal, a Shelby town councilman.
He said a concerted effort by several businesses near the intersection, requesting a speed reduction, helped sway the state to lower the speed limit.
State is doing annual mandated check of canal system
Photo courtesy of Canal Corporation – The Tug Syracuse is docked in Buffalo’s Erie Canal Harbor this morning awaiting the start of the annual Canal Inspection Tour. Canal official will be in Orleans County later this week.
Press release, NYS Canal Corporation
The annual inspection of the New York State canal system began today in Buffalo when the Tug Syracuse departed from the Erie Canal Harbor to assess the historic waterway, the New York State Canal Corporation announced.
Canal Corporation officials will inspect the seven lift bridges in Orleans County on Wednesday and Thursday, starting with Medina’s bridge at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday and then working east to check more lift bridges in the county. The maintenance inspections in Orleans are scheduled to end in Holley at 10:50 a.m. Thursday, when crews will depart to Brockport.
The legally mandated inspection will take place over the next two months in two- and three-day segments. It is one of the most critical tools the Canal Corporation has to make a comprehensive and in-depth assessment of the overall condition and capital needs of the nearly 200-year-old canal system, which generates $380 million in tourism-based economic activity and provides drinking water for thousands New Yorkers of as well as water resources for agriculture, industry and hydroelectric power generation.
“For nearly two centuries, the canal system has remained vital to the prosperity of the Empire State, both commercially and recreationally,” said New York State Thruway Authority and Canal Corporation Chairman Howard P. Milstein. “This inspection is an important opportunity to gauge the overall condition of the canals first-hand, but also to recognize the excellence of our staff for their maintenance of this national treasure. It is this commitment that has allowed this modern marvel to continue to flourish over the years.”
The inspection team grades individual components at locks and lift bridge locations statewide and will then give awards for top performance later this year.
The inspection tour is a tradition that dates from October 26, 1825, when Gov. DeWitt Clinton departed from Buffalo aboard the Seneca Chief to mark the opening of the Erie Canal after eight years of construction.
The effect of the canal was both immediate and dramatic, and settlers poured west. Trade exploded with freight rates from Buffalo to New York at $10 per ton by canal, compared with $100 per ton by road. Within nine years, canal tolls more than recouped the entire cost of construction and New York City was the busiest port in America.
“We are excited to embark on the 2013 Canal Inspection, a time-honored tradition that is central to our maintenance, rehabilitation, and strategic planning efforts,” said Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton. “With the canals playing such an important role in the livelihood of the communities that line its shores, it is essential that we ensure the facilities and equipment of the Canal Corporation are in good working order and acknowledge our dedicated staff for their tireless efforts year-round.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 August 2013 at 12:00 am
‘This is a very serious weed problem.’- Christy Hoepting, Cornell vegetable specialist
Photos by Tom Rivers – Christy Hoepting, a vegetable researcher and specialist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension, holds a sowthistle plant that she dug up from the muck today. The sowthistle grows taller than onions, and the weed has stems that stretch horizontally, competing with onions.
BARRE – The enemy grows tall – and sideways. It blocks light from onion plants and encroaches on their space.
Perennial Sowthistle is a new muck menace and it has onion growers and researchers worried. Growers don’t have herbicides in their arsenal that can kill it without hurting the onions. Some trials are showing some chemical sprays can slow the weed. The only proven way to take out the plants within an onion field is to dig them up. But plucking the weeds could multiply the plants if the underground stems are ripped.
“This is a very serious new weed problem,” said onion researcher Christy Hoepting, a specialist with the Cornell Vegetable Program.
She is working to develop tactics to take out the plant that can tower 4 or 5 feet high. She is starting at the beginning because the powerful weed hasn’t been studied in onion regions outside of New York. Some fields in Oswego and Livingston County also are contending with the problem.
“We’ve seen it before in New York, but this year it has just exploded,” Hoepting said on the muck today.
Onion growers and researchers met today for “donut hour” on the muck, a weekly gathering when they share about challenges and successes in raising the annual onion crop. Pictured, clockwise from bottom left, include: Chuck Barie of CY Farms; Guy Smith of Triple G Farms; Elizabeth Buck, a program assistant with the Cornell Vegetable Program; Courtney Hill, a technician with the Cornell Vegetable Program; and Christy Hoepting, a vegetable specialist for Cornell.
Some crops such as corn are fighters and can compete with weeds for nutrients in the soil. But onions aren’t in that category. Weeds can overpower them, hogging nutrients.
Growers worry the sowthistle will result in smaller yields because of the weed’s suffocating underground stems that can reach 6 feet sideways. Those stems are called rhizones and Hoepting said they have “explosive reproductive capabilities.”
The plant also towers over onions, shielding sunlight that the onions need to grow.
The muck farmers have spent more time hand weeding their fields this year, only to see the sowthistle pop back. The weed is a perennial and it can easily survive a brutal Western New York winter.
Farmers plan to fight the sowthistle once the onions are done. Some of the growers are planning a chemical burn-down of the weed after the harvest. Growers will let the sowthistle grow back until it has enough critical mass to absorb an herbicide that will burn back all the top growth. The herbicide will move underground where it will kill the roots, Hoepting said. Those herbicides will also kill onions, so they must be applied after the onions are harvested.
Hoepting and Cornell researchers also are experimenting with herbicides, varying applications at different stages of the sowthistle’s development to figure out the right strategy to kill the weed within an onion crop and also after harvest.
One grower rotated onions this year from his field in Livingston County. Corn was able to better compete with sowthistle, said Matt Mortellaro who also grows onions on the Elba muck. He doesn’t want to rotate the onions in the Elba muck because they are a high-value crop. But the persistence and strength of the sowthistle may force him to switch to corn.
The Elba muck includes the towns of Barre and Clarendon in Orleans County. Most of the onions are grown in the Orleans part of the muck, where the muck is deeper.
Despite the struggles with the sowthistle, and a very rainy spring, growers say they expect a decent crop this year.
“Early in the year we had wind damage and then all the rain,” said Guy Smith, co-owner of Triple G Farms. “But we’ve had good weather in July and August. It looks like it will be a good year, but we still have a ways to go.”
