By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – American flags have been placed on the graves of veterans at Lynhaven Cemetery in Lyndonville.
The community will honor veterans with parades and services throughout Orleans County on Monday.
In Albion, a parade begins at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Main and State streets. The parade will go south on Main Street before turning east on Route 31 and ending at the front lawn of the Albion Middle School, where a service will follow the parade.
In Holley, a ceremony begins at 9 a.m. at the American Legion with a parade then starting at 10 a.m. It will go from the Legion and continue to the VFW on Veterans Drive. After the VFW, veterans will lay wreaths at Holley cemeteries.
In Lyndonville, a parade begins at 9 a.m. on Lake Avenue at the parking lot of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and continues to Main Street where it ends by the library at the Village Park.
In Medina, a parade begins at 11 a.m. on Park Avenue by the Olde Pickle Factory. It continues to State Street Park where a ceremony will follow. Both the VFW and American Legion will serve lunch following the ceremony.
File photo by Tom Rivers – Genesee Community College’s main campus is pictured here in Batavia.
BATAVIA – Genesee Community College will raise tuition by $75 per semester as part of a $38.70 million budget approved last week by the college’s Board of Trustees.
Full-time college students would see their tuition rise from $1,850 per semester to $1,925. Tuition for part-time students will increase by $5 per credit hour, from $150 to $155. The college’s technology fee also will increase from $25 to $50 per semester for full-time students, and a new Academic Support Fee will be $25 per semester for full-time students.
Both fees help the College maintain the quality of academic technology and instructional support services to students, said President James Sunser. The majority of Genesee students will see the increases covered by their financial assistance packages, and Genesee remains one of the most affordable colleges in the SUNY system, Sunser said.
GCC operates campus centers in Albion and Medina, as well as the main campus in Batavia and centers in Wyoming and Livingston counties.
The college’s budget maintains staffing at current levels and provides for anticipated increases in the cost of heating and lighting, other building-related costs, and contractually obligated salary and wage increases.
The budget also assumes New York State “base aid” at $2,497 per full-time-equivalent student. While the New York State Legislature and Governor approved this figure for 2014-2015, it is almost 7 percent less than the $2,675 GCC received five years ago.
The college is asking Genesee County, the host county, to increase its sponsorship support by $500,000 to $2.53 million. Sunser said that there is increased interest throughout the SUNY system in creating “regional” community colleges instead of locally-sponsored colleges, and that increasing sponsor support may help preserve local sponsorship as well as saving Genesee County money over the long term.
“We are committed to maintaining our position as one of the nation’s great community colleges, but we face declining state support, increased inflation, and a tighter regulatory environment,” Sunser said. “Putting together a budget that combines programmatic excellence, fiscal conservatism, and affordability for students is indeed a challenge.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 May 2014 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – A state arts grant will provide $2,500 to the Lake Plains Players to help with the costs of putting on a musical in the fall. The group last October performed Les Miserables. One of the classic songs from the musical includes ‘The Innkeeper’s Song’ (Master of the House).
BATAVIA – The new round of state grants for concerts and art projects includes funding for a new canal concert series in Albion and other projects in the county.
The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council announced the Decentralization Regrant recipients for 2014 in Genesee and Orleans Counties, funded by the New York State Council on the Arts.
GO ART! received 27 applications for the Reach Grant Program for total requests of $65,696. With $41,600 available, 26 of the applicants were awarded grants.
In Orleans County, the awards include:
$2,000 to Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in medina for the Finally Fridays Music Series.
$1,500 for Yates Community Library for More Than Just Books Music Series.
$1,200 to the Lyndonville Lions Club for Concert Fun for the Summer.
$4,000 to World Life Institute for Voices from the Earth – pottery program.
$2,500 to Lake Plains Players for its production of “Follies” in October.
$1,510 for the “A Tale for Three Counties” community reading project.
$800 to the Village of Albion for a new concert series by the canal.
$775 to Hoag Library for Art for Youth: Acrylics.
$500 to the Cobblestone Society Museum for “Stories at the Cobblestone.”
GO ART! also approved a $2,000 grant for artist Stacey Kirby to work with Holley first graders to create a mural for the school.
LYNDONVILLE – Students were given a sobering message this morning at Lyndonville Central School, a day before the prom.
Some Lyndonville students teamed with local firefighters and police to simulate a crash in the parking lot due to a drunk driver. Firefighters, police and the school district wanted to remind students of the deadly dangers of drunk driving with prom season and graduation parties just around the corner.
Lyndonville students in the simulated crash wore makeup so their faces and shirts appeared bloodied. Firefighters tore apart the vehicles to get access to the students, who were then removed by stretcher and taken away in an ambulance.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 May 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – There is no foul play in the death of a woman who was discovered today on property near the Orleans-Niagara BOCES in Medina. The woman resided on the property where she was found.
“There is no connection to the school,” said Orleans County Undersheriff Steve Smith. “It was an unattended death. Nothing suspicious.”
MEDINA – In 1914, when our picture was taken, William Gallagher of Medina owned this stone building where he rented wagons and carriages.
Likewise he did moving for hire as the signage indicates “moving vans.” This building which backs up to the canal now serves as the Butts-Clark American Legion Post in Medina.
Provided photo – The Medina Mustang Band poses in the nation’s capital after performing there last weekend.
Press release
Medina Mustang Band
The Medina Mustang Band traveled to Washington, DC from May 15-18 and competed in the Music in the Parks Festival.
Instead of numerical scores the band received ratings. Medina was rated “superior” in parade and wind ensemble and “excellent” in jazz. Jenna Brien was rated “best” jazz soloist. There were approximately 20 schools performing in this festival.
Band Directors Jim Steele and Cheri Pritchard stated that the students performed well and represented their school and community very well. The trip was a huge success and everyone had a wonderful time.
The directors want to publicly thank the chaperones and staff that made this trip a success. Without the chaperones, the Band Boosters, school administrators and staff, the band would not have been able to pull off this monumental trip.
The Mustangs look forward to performing their street show, “Crossing Abbey Road,” for the Medina community on Memorial Day. The next and last competition for the band will be at the Gorham Pageant of Bands on May 30-31.
Provided photo – Ben Miller and the Albion Marching Band perform last Saturday at Seneca Falls.
Press release
Albion Marching Band
ALBION – Mike Thaine has been involved with the high school marching band activity for his entire teaching career, but he says that in those 23 years he’s never experienced a spring like this one.
“The wet weather has been just impossible,” said the Albion High School band director. “Typically we like to move practices outdoors in late March, but this year, because of the seemingly constant rain, we actually had just one outside practice prior to the Lilac Parade.”
The students had the book (music) learned by the beginning of March, and the staff had taught each of the individual sections of drill in the gym prior to Spring Break. Thaine said that by the middle of April, they’d pretty much tapped-out the usefulness of the indoor facilities.
“There’s only so much you can with a marching band in the band room and gym, eventually you need to practice in a regulation-sized judging area. The rain really set us back.”
Luckily for the Purple Eagles, the May 10 Rochester Lilac Festival parade was just a “straight-through” performance, meaning that bands aren’t allowed to perform any kind of drill or formation changes and must maintain forward motion. And, it was an exhibition, rather than a competition. Those factors made that performance much easier to manage given the limited outdoor practice time.
Albion marches in the Lilac Festival parade each year, and uses it mainly as conditioning for their competitions and hometown performances. The Purple Eagles’ normal marching band program utilizes the “open class” or “5-minute rule.” This competition format allows for any formation and direction changes within the judging area, the only stipulation being a 5-minute time limit between the first note of music or movement and the last.
“It’s almost like a field show on the street, except you have the added element of making an entrance 150 feet down-street, developing the show left to right, progressing toward a logical exit from the 300’ judging area,” Thaine explained. “It’s not intended to be a ‘Park and Play,’ where bands simply march into the area, stop and play a song, then march away. There’s more to it than that. Judges look for a development of the whole show, from beginning to end, with drill that complements the musical program.”
Bands are judged on music performance, visual design and execution, and general effect.
The Albion Marching Band started their competition season off on the right foot by posting a win at the Seneca Falls Pageant of Bands this past Saturday. The Purple Eagles’ score of 93 was tops in the seven-band field, earning them the first place award in Open Class by more than 8 points. Also in competition were bands from Baldwinsville, Marcus Whitman, Moravia, Dundee, Marathon, and Mexico (NY).
The band’s 2014 program is titled “Heartbeats” and features loved-themed music. It opens with Queen’s “Can Anybody Find Me Somebody to Love?” before transitioning into “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi. The ballad is Phil Collins’ “You’ll Be In My Heart” from the Walt Disney motion picture “Tarzan.” This season’s closer is “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” by Elvis Presley.
Apparently the crowd at Seneca Falls approved of the band’s performance as much as the judges did. Sophomore band member Zach Shaffer talked about a situation that happened to him after the competition.
“After the parade I went into the cafeteria to buy some pizza and the lady accepting money noticed my Albion Marching Band shirt and told me that we brought her to tears…so must be doing something right!”
The AHS Indoor Drumline also captured first place in their division. Albion next marches in Albion Memorial Day parade on Monday.
LOCKPORT -The New York State Police in Lockport is requesting the assistance of the public in locating Catherine F. Ribbeck, 70, of Barker.
She is a white female, white hair, glasses, approximately 95 lbs, 4’6″ with a tattoo on her chest and is suffering from dementia. She left the Lockport area approximately 3 a.m. today.
She is operating a gold 2011 Chevrolet Malibu with Florida registration 030MCW. She recently moved from Mulberry, Florida in Polk County.
If located, contact New York State Police Lockport at (716) 434-5589.
