Press release, Orleans County Undersheriff Steven Smith
MEDINA – A Medina woman is hospitalized after being struck by a car this afternoon in the Town of Ridgeway.
The incident occurred at about 2:45 p.m., in the 10800 block of Telegraph Road (State Route 31-E). Marilyn E. Bell, 85, was crossing the highway in front of her residence, to retrieve the mail, when she was struck. She was transported by Medina Fire Department ambulance to Medina Memorial Hospital.
Bell was struck by a westbound 2012 Chevrolet sedan was operated by Jean P. Bruning, 79, of Middleport. Bruning was the sole occupant of her vehicle and she was not injured.
The on-scene investigation was conducted by Deputy J.W. Halstead, assisted by Deputy T.C. Marano, Lieutenant C.M. Bourke, Investigator D.E. Foeller Jr., and Chief Deputy T.L. Drennan. The Ridgeway Fire Department also assisted at the scene.
The investigation by the Sheriff’s Office is continuing.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – There was a lot of honking and hollering around 7:30 p.m. today when the Albion varsity baseball team returned after claiming the Sectional title.
Albion defeated Springville 8-3 in the Section VI Class A2 championship game at Lewiston-Porter.
A processional of fire trucks led the school bus along Route 31 in Albion before the team returned to the school campus.
Photos by Sue Cook – Lisa Beam, 8, tells Jellybean “over” to get him to hop over the obstacle. Instructor Sue Meier helps Lisa learn the technique for the leash.
The senior group lines up their dogs as if presenting them for a judge.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
KNOWLESVILLE – Today 21 4-H’ers and their dogs attended a first-time Dog Camp at the 4-H Fairgrounds and the handlers worked with their dogs to be more agile and obedient while learnig other skills.
The morning lessons were agility, competition, grooming and handling. The afternoon included emergency care, rally, basic care and fly ball.
Cornell Cooperative Extension organized the Dog Camp. The Extension works to create programs in the community to provide education, including programs for other 4-H groups that train or raise other animals.
Garrett May, 15, has his Siberian husky, Cruise, walk up a plank under instructor Susan Meier’s instruction. Cruise was reluctant to complete the walk, but with each practice run the dog would become more successful.
4-H’ers from ages 8 to 18 enrolled in the camp for the opportunity to learn more about the care and training of their dogs. Most of those enrolled in the program are working to show their dogs in shows and competition. A benefit of showing a dog through 4-H is that participants build friendships with others who share the same interests and may live outside of the area in other counties.
“It’s all about improving their relationship with their dogs, learning correct training, learning basic dog care and some of these kids do go on to compete in fairs,” said Pat Leight, leader for Canine Companions, one of the county’s three dog groups. “It’s our first year doing it, and next year we’d like to have it as an overnight camp.”
Rachel Muller, 15, trots her corgi, Teddy, to a cone and back. It requires controlling with the leash to make sure the dog keeps its head up and trots straight.
Lilianna Hanning, 12, has been in a 4-H dog group for one year. She brought her black lab with her who has won Reserve Champion at the state fair.
“We had trained Jack, but he wasn’t very good and we didn’t do competition. I went to a 4-H open house and I saw that other kids had their dogs and I thought this would be really fun. I’m glad that I joined. Today, we have to work on our agility,” said Hanning, who was excited for the day’s events.
The morning began with the kids breaking into groups based on skill level. Dog Camp students with very little experience with their dogs were put in the junior group, regardless of age.
Instructor Kathy Zipkin assisted the 4-H’ers with obedience training. “I like to try and teach kids the correct way to start obedience and hopefully build enthusiasm to stick with it.”
Jordan Crowley (front), 15, rewards Goldie for focusing her attention where he wants.
Zipkin explained that dogs are often trained with food until the behavior is established, then they are weaned off of requiring treats to perform the desired command.
Melanie Uderitz brought her son Andrew to dog camp today to work with Tank, their yellow lab.
During obedience training, Tank sat like a good boy for Andrew Uderitz, 9.
“He really wanted to join and do agility especially, so he joined the Canine Companions 4-H club. Tank gets excited to come and Andrew gets excited to come. Tank is a fast learner,” she said.
Patrick Macaluso, 14, has his terrier-mix, Zoe, show her teeth. Instructor Joanne Dohr explains how dogs need to be comfortable having their faces touched so that their teeth can be presented to a judge.
Instructor Sue Meier guided 4-H’ers on the agility course.
“There are a lot of new kids. They’ve never been acclimated to agility. They’re doing very well,” she said. “The handlers are handling them great and usually the dogs pick up on it really quick. Today, I’m teaching them how to make their dogs focus because agility is all about focusing and listening to the handler.”
The junior group learns about “stacking” their dogs from Joanne Dohr. Stacking means the dog stands straight. Their trainer adjusts their legs if needed to make them stand in a natural, squared-off position.
Dogs in 4-H shows are not required to be purebred or owned by the person training, which allows any child with any dog to participate, even with a borrowed one.
Enrollment is encouraged by the 4-H leaders because they feel it brings a stronger bond with the dog, but also provides an outlet to find new friends. It also raises confidence as kids are able to get the dog to listen to commands better over time.
4-H accepts new members throughout the year. To ask about joining 4-H, call the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension at 585-798-4265 or e-mail orleans@cornell.edu.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Mass casualty drill trains responders to limit chaos as much as possible
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – About 25 police officers and 25 firefighters and medics spent several hours this morning at Medina Central School, training for an active shooter drill with mass casualties.
Members of a multi-agency SWAT team are pictured outside the Clifford Wise Intermediate/Middle School before the start of a drill this morning. It was the largest mass casualty drill in the county’s history.
Tom Drennan, chief deputy for the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, gives firefighters some last-minute instructions about the drill, where 10 people were role playing as victims.
Drennan has been working with police and firefighters for more than a year on mass casualty and active shooter training. Drennan said recent school shootings in the country prompted local law enforcement to press for training to improve their response to try to minimize any chaos and casualties.
Corey Black, an investigator with the Sheriff’s Department, talks with police officers before the drill began. Black said the training will be helpful for responders at any larger location in the country with dozens of people, including schools, factories and government buildings.
“Denial is what gets people hurt,” Black said.
Police officers enter Medina High School and put the building in lock down.
School officials from several districts in the county observed the drill. Michael Cavanagh, Medina High School co-principal, role plays with an injury near the front entrance to the high school.
Drennan, the chief deputy, said the drill will be critiqued.
“We’ll see what we’re strong at and what we need to improve,” he said.
Mercy Flight flew in with a helicopter as part of the drill that included many medics and firefighters. (This photo was taken by Valerie Childs.)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Editorial
MEDINA – It was nearly 18 years ago when I debuted as a professional journalist. My first story appeared in The Journal-Register in Medina. It was the first Tuesday in July back in 1996. I covered an Albion Board of Education meeting from the previous night.
It felt good to be in print, right on the front page of the community newspaper. Not long after the paper was printed and delivered, JR editor Owen Toale got a call from a School Board member, saying he needed “to do something about his reporter.” The Board member didn’t like how a few disagreements among board members were highlighted, and other less contentious news was glossed over.
That was my introduction to the business. Owen had my back and stood up for his staff. Back then in mid-1996, there were five news reporters at the JR.
Today is the final edition for The Journal after 111 years of chronicling life in Orleans County. It’s a sad day for those of us in the news business and for former JR staffers. (Two of the JR reporters I worked with went on to become lawyers. Another became a government planner and another a college professor.)
I actually started my journalism career with the Albion Advertiser, which was a weekly newspaper that shared the same owner and some of the same staff as the Journal. (That paper ceased publication a year ago.) The Journal used some of my stories from the Advertiser.
I had to go to The Journal offices on Mondays to drop off my film from a week’s worth of photos. I was back the next day to lay out the paper using X-Acto knives, wax on the back on paper and pica rulers. It was tedious, with a lot of hunching over. When I was done with the Tuesday morning ordeal I liked to treat myself to a doughnut at Corky’s Bakery.
Besides the five news reporters, the JR back then also had Mike Wertman. I marveled at his work ethic, and his amazing productivity in covering local sports. Mike also wrote the editorials and determined how the news pages would be designed with the placement of the stories.
Many of the community’s power brokers stopped in the downtown building that backed up to the Canal Basin. If people didn’t like stories, the phone rang or they showed up in person. It was all very exciting – and a little scary and overwhelming for a 22-year-old.
I was part of The Journal culture for about a year before joining The Daily News in Batavia. I was there 16 years before leaving on March 1, 2013 to help start the Orleans Hub.
I don’t regret the move, but I do miss seeing the articles and photos in print. The news stories feel more permanent when they’re in print. But clearly the Hub has an audience. We average over 4,000 unique visitors and about 12,000 page views each day. The Journal’s circulation has fallen from a high of over 5,000 to about 1,500.
The Hub has been growing. Mike Wertman joined us in late August and continues his relentless pace in covering local sports. The Hub has also been a showcase for Cheryl Wertman’s sports photography. Sue Cook also has been working part-time as a reporter.
The Hub is based out of The Lake Country Pennysaver in Albion. We get phone calls and people show up at the office when they don’t like things. We get letters to the editor and some folks have threatened to sue.
We’ve tried to fill some of the gap in local news coverage. We have a lot of news you don’t see in The Journal or The Daily News in Batavia, and they get some scoops that we don’t always have.
In many ways it’s felt like an old-fashioned newspaper war around here the past 14 months since the Hub debuted. There have been three publications with reporters covering the county, vying to be first and the most aggressive.
Orleans County is fortunate, in that way. Some communities don’t have a newspaper anymore. There isn’t an on-line news site, either.
Although many may think the Orleans Hub is a competitor to The Journal, we certainly didn’t want to see them go. The paper has been an institution for more than a century and many of its readers rely on The Journal for news.
The Journal has also been a force in recent months, especially with reports by Howard Balaban about the possible dissolution of the village of Medina. Balaban has looked at how dissolution has succeeded and failed in other communities. He has pressed local officials for their views on the topic, and has been tenacious in trying to track down Ridgeway and Shelby expenses in opposing dissolution. When the newspaper announced last month it would be closing, Balaban didn’t just coast to the finish line.
JR sports reporter Corey Desiderio also showed he is a hard-working journalist, capturing the action in local youth and high sports.
I was impressed the JR staff worked so hard, right up until the end.
This isn’t an easy time to be in the news business. Many newspapers have shut down in the past five years, including some in big cities. Many of the papers are a shell of themselves, with reduced staffs, pages and impact in the community. That’s not the fault of the reporters and editors. Many are putting in long hours, working hard and connecting with readers.
The community will miss The Journal. Through the years the staff has been committed. They deserve to take a bow.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 May 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – Residents shouldn’t be alarmed to see emergency vehicles and police at Medina Central School on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.
The school is hosting a multi-agency emergency response drill.
“This drill will include emergency services from the area and school officials from Orleans County will also be on hand,” Medina school officials posted on the district’s Facebook page. “This collaborative drill is the culmination of months of planning. Thank you for your continued support.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Final issue of newspaper is more than a commemorative piece
The final issue of The Journal-Register includes a picture of former Publisher Alonzo L. Waters, left, and pressman Bill Knuth, shown here in the 1950s.
MEDINA – The final issue of The Journal-Register is more than souvenir or nostalgic piece as the newspaper printed its final edition on Friday after 113 years.
The paper issued a call to action to residents, urging them to “exercise your right to know.”
Managing Editor Joyce Miles expressed her disappointment with Shelby and Ridgeway town officials for missing a deadline to fulfill a Freedom of Information Act request from J-R reporter Howard Balaban.
He sought information on the towns’ expenses for a PR firm and attorney in the towns’ push to fight an effort to dissolve the village of Medina and shift some services to the towns. That would push up the tax burden in the towns, while cutting the cost for village residents.
Balaban sought all expenses from the two towns for a “Cares and Concerns” hotline, and other print, electronic advertising for the hotline. He also sought the expenses for three mailers that were sent to residents in Shelby and Ridgeway from the two Town Boards.
His FOIA request also sought copies of written and email correspondence from the town officials as it relates to dissolution, consolidation or political campaign.
The towns missed the legal deadline for providing the information. The final issue of the J-R and the newspaper’s website includes the full FOIA request. Miles urges residents to submit their own requests for the information. Orleans Hub hand-delivered its request for the information at both Town Halls on Friday.
“I feel personal outrage at the way Howie has been treated,” Miles said on Friday.
The final issue of the paper is mostly a commemorative edition with reflections from readers, current and former staff about the publication and its role in community life. Miles said she wanted to honor the paper’s long history in the community, and its faithful readers and dedicated employees.
Miles started as a reporter with The Journal on Sept. 4, 2001. That was the day a Medina police officer, Mike Russell, was shot and wounded while on duty. A week later, the country was under attack by terrorists.
She would later shift to the Lockport Union Sun & Journal. Last September she filled the dual role of managing editor for both the Lockport and Medina newspapers.
Miles said she is a “public policy nerd” and enjoyed the dissolution issue. She supports further discussion of the issue and would like to see village residents have a vote about the issue.
“I’m sorry we’re leaving just when things are starting to get interesting,” she said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Four years ago “Frank” was introduced to the Medina community. He has been popular from Day 1, with people posing for photos with him.
Frank is about 6 feet high. He stands outside Rudy’s at 118 West Center St. The giant hot dog was a gift to Rudy’s owner, Kelly Duffied, from her father Joe Russo. Joe and Debbie Russo started Rudy’s, a diner, in 1988.
Their daughter now runs the business. She keeps Frank in the back behind the business over the winter. He recently came out front next to the Post Office for a new season.
LYNDONVILLE – A double rainbow appeared at about 6:30 p.m. today after it rained in Lyndonville. Guin Panek took this photo at Oak Hill Farms owned by Bentley family on the north side of Route 63.
The weather will be sunny with a high of 73 on Saturday with more sunshine on Sunday with a high of 80, according to the National Weather Service.
