By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 May 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – A Medina woman who sold a prescription narcotic and a Medina man who stole a kayak and sold it online were both sentenced to state prison.
Lori Martinez, 46, of Park Avenue in Medina was sentenced to 1 ½ years in state prison by Orleans County Court Judge James Punch.
Martinez pleaded guilty on Feb. 24 to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree. She is accused of selling hydrocodone and another prescription narcotic on May 18. The prescriptions were prescribed to her. She received $25 for the sale.
Her attorney, Michael O’Keefe, asked that the judge not sentence her to jail or prison. Martinez takes care of two grandchildren and has been volunteering in the community.
“She has learned from her mistakes,” O’Keefe said in court on Monday.
Martinez apologized for committing the crime.
“I know I made a bad mistake and I’m working on making myself a better person,” she told Judge Punch.
The judge said Martinez has a criminal history and she was profiting by selling drugs. He sentenced her to 1 ½ years in state prison, plus another year of post-release supervision. She also has to pay back $970.68 in welfare benefits.
Justin Tillinghast, 19, of 167 North St. was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in state prison for grand larceny and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.
Tillinghast allegedly took a kayak from a neighbor and sold it on eBay. His lawyer asked for no state prison for Tillinghast, especially because he was only 18 when he committed the crime.
But Tillinghast has a criminal history, Punch said during sentencing.
“It’s clear to me you’re out of control and you don’t seem to take responsibility for this crime,” Punch said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Hoag circulation jumps 30 percent in first full year
ALBION – Voters on Monday approved eliminating two trustees positions for the Hoag Library of the Swan Library Association. The board now has nine members, down from 11.
Voters also elected three trustees – John Andrews, Karie Deegan and Carol Miller – to four-year positions. There were five candidates in the election and 123 voters. Andrews and Deegan each received 77 votes and Miller, 68. The other candidates included Sandra Walter, 62 votes, and Natalie McCue, 54.
The library added two seats about a decade ago when it was working on a new building. The board at the time thought two additional seats would help with the workload for the volunteer organization. The new library opened in July 2012.
The board has had some vacancies since then and needed to appoint people due to openings and a lack of candidates at elections, including the election a year ago.
The board now includes seven elected trustees and two who are appointed, one by the mayor of the village of Albion and the other by the president of the Board of Education. The board members on Monday re-elected Kevin Doherty to serve as board president.
The Library Association had its annual meeting on Monday. The new library led to a record-breaking year for circulation with 120,957 in 2013. That was up by 30 percent from 93,089 in 2012, when Hoag was open six months of the year. In 2011, the last full year at the former Swan Library, circulation was 77,019.
The library budget totals $685,260 in 2014, which is up 0.9 percent from the $678,978 in 2013. The library is proposing to receive $667,070 in taxes, which is a 2.0 percent increase from the $654,000 in 2013. Voters in Albion Central School will vote on $667,070 during the May 20 budget vote from noon to 8 p.m. at the elementary school conference room.
The Library Association will step up its efforts to sell the former library building, a historic site and former mansion at the corner of East State and Main streets. It plans to first work with a real estate firm specializing in historic sites. Doherty said keeping the building costs the library about $25,000 a year for maintenance, utilities and insurance.
The library also needs to fill a vacancy with its executive director. Doherty and the board said a new director should be in place this summer.
By Nola Goodrich-Kresse, Public Health Educator for the Orleans County Health Department
We all know about the importance about taking care of our health – eating right, getting enough sleep, exercising. Healthy habits positively influence how a person feels and how their body functions.
But good health involves not only caring for our body, but also our mind.
The fact is our mental health is vital to our overall health. Far too many Americans fail to incorporate a principal component into their health choices. Yet overall health and wellness are not possible without it.
What is mental health? If you were to ask your office mate, spouse or neighbor, they may respond that it is a “state of mind,” “being content with life” or “feeling good about yourself.” Simply put, mental health is the ability to cope with daily life and the challenges it brings.
When a person has “good” mental health, they deal better with what comes their way. By contrast, “poor” mental health – such as feeling overwhelmed by stress – can make even day-to-day life difficult.
Poor mental health can also significantly harm a person’s physical health. For instance, research shows that stress is closely linked to high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity. It also shows that people who feel depressed or chronically stressed may have a greater risk of physical illnesses.
The good news is there are many healthy choices and steps that individuals can adopt to promote and strengthen mental health – and overall health and well-being.
A healthy lifestyle can help to prevent the onset or worsening of depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions, as well as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other chronic health problems. It can also help people recover from these conditions.
This May is Mental Health Month, and the Orleans County Health Department is raising awareness of the role mental health plays in our lives and providing tips and resources so anyone can take steps to promote good mental health.
These include building social support, eating with your mental health in mind, recognizing the signs of stress, and knowing when to reach out for help.
Just as Americans have learned there are things they can do to reduce their risk of heart disease and other illnesses, the Health Department wants to help people learn what they can do both to protect their mental health in tough times and also to improve their mental well-being throughout their lives.
We need to care for both our body and mind. Talk to your health care provider about your mental health at your next visit. You can also learn about mental health services through your county mental health department or the local Mental Health Associations (MHA).
The Orleans County Mental Health can be reached at 589-7066. In Orleans County, the Mental Health Association number is 589-1158. If you are having a mental health emergency, please call 911 or the RAP line at 800-889-1903 (Orleans County).
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 May 2014 at 12:00 am
BUFFALO – A former Medina Memorial Hospital payroll clerk was sentenced to two years in state prison this morning and ordered to pay back nearly $500,000 she stole from the hospital.
Linda Rakonczay, 58, of Middleport, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and filing false tax returns in January when she appeared before Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny.
This morning she was given a prison sentence and ordered to pay $93,999 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and $499,563 in restitution to Orleans Community Health, the hospital’s parent organization.
Rakonczay worked as a payroll coordinator for Orleans Community Health in Medina. Beginning in 2001 and continuing through 2012, Rakonczay prepared and submitted reports to the organization’s bank instructing the bank to electronically transfer money from the corporate bank account to her personal bank account, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The amount transferred from the organization’s bank account to the defendant’s account totaled $499,563.00. For tax years 2007 through 2012, Rakonczay failed to report such income and failed to pay federal taxes to the Internal Revenue Service totaling nearly $94,000.
The conviction is the result of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Federal Bureau of Investigation under the direction of Special Agent-In-Charge Brian P. Boetig and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Division, under the direction of Toni M. Weirauch, Special Agent in Charge.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Hoag may reduce number of trustees; 5 candidates are running for board
ALBION – There is election today in Albion for trustees for the Hoag Library, and also an amendment to the library association by-laws that would reduce the number of elected positions from nine to seven.
If the amendment passes and the board shrinks, the three candidates with the most votes today will be elected to four-year terms.
If the amendment fails and the board stays at the same size, the three candidates with the most votes would get four-year terms, while the fourth-place candidate gets a three-year term and the last candidate receives a one-year term.
The following are running for the unpaid positions: Carol Miller, John Andrews, Natalie McCue, Sandra Walter and Karie Deegan. Voting is from noon to 7 p.m. at the library.
The library currently has 11 trustees. In addition to the nine elected spots, the mayor of Albion and president of the Albion Board of Education each appoint a member to the board.
Following the election today, the library will have its annual meeting at 7 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Program will highlight Carl Akeley, famed taxidermist, on his 150th birthday
Provided photos – Carl Akeley is pictured with a leopard in Africa that he killed with his bare hands after it attacked him.
CLARENDON – The Clarendon Historical Society is planning one of its biggest events ever in honor of the 150th birthday of the town’s most famous son.
Carl Akeley, a world renown taxidermist and inventor, will be the focus of a May 21 event at the Clarendon Recreation Hall. The event starts at 7 p.m. and will include Jay Kirk, author of a book about Akeley called “Kingdom Under Glass.” Copies of the book will be for sale.
The cover of Kirk’s book: “Kingdom Under Glass.” The Clarendon Historical Society will be selling copies of the book on May 21.
Akeley grew up on Hinds Road. He made many safaris to Africa and became an advocate for preserving Africa’s wildlife.
“He is considered the Father of Taxidermy,” said Historical Society member Erin Anheier. “He made it an artform.”
The Cobblestone Society Museum has a fox stuffed by a young Carl Akeley, which will be displayed as part of the May 21 event.
Jay Kirk, author of the Carl Akeley biography “Kingdom Under Glass,” will be the featured speaker on May 21st during a program about Akeley, a Clarendon native.
Kirk, the author, chronicles Akeley’s life during the golden age of safaris in the early 20th Century. Akeley created the famed African Hall at New York’s Museum of Natural History.
“He was concerned about saving animals, especially the giant gorillas in Africa,” Anheier said. “He collected and stuffed the animals for scientific purposes.”
Akeley’s adventures connected him with Theodore Roosevelt, P.T. Barnum and George Eastman. Akeley died in 1926 and is buried in Africa.
“We were talking about programs for the year at the Historical Society, looking at what’s unique about Clarendon,” Anheier said. “Carl Akeley is the most famous person ever from Clarendon.”
A historical marker on Hinds Road notes that Carl Akeley grew up in Clarendon.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 May 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – The leaders of Orleans Community Health say the sentencing of a former payroll clerk, who stole about $500,000 from the organization, will help the healthcare system move on from the issue.
“There are no winners here,” said Bruce Krenning, chairman of the board for OCH, the parent organization of Medina Memorial Hospital. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but it starts to bring closure although there won’t be full closure until she pays back all of the money.”
Linda Rakonczay, 58, of Middleport was sentenced to two years in prison this morning. She was ordered to pay back $499,563 in restitution to the hospital and $93,999 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
“Patient care was never jeopardized because of this,” Krenning said. “But certainly it hurt our bottom line. Every hospital could use every bit of money it can get.”
Some of Rakonczay’s assets have been seized to help pay the restitution and Krenning said insurance will cover a small portion of the stolen money. Krenning said, realistically, that some of the money may not be recouped.
Rakonczay worked as a payroll coordinator for Orleans Community Health. Beginning in 2001 and continuing through 2012, Rakonczay prepared and submitted reports to the organization’s bank instructing the bank to electronically transfer money from the corporate bank account to her personal bank account, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Hospital officials say she misappropriated money through the hospital’s payroll savings deduction program for employees. Rakonczay oversaw an account where employees put a portion of their paycheck to a savings account. Rakonczay directed about $3,000 extra to herself every two weeks for more than six years. She inflated the hospital’s health insurance bills to make sure the hospital’s overall bills balanced.
The scheme was discovered after Rakonczay went on disability leave in November 2012. She was terminated two months later.
If Rakonczay hadn’t gone on disability, the crime may have continued undetected. Orleans Community Health now has internal controls in place to make sure “it will never happen again,” Krenning said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 May 2014 at 12:00 am
Jonathan Banks could face up to 15 years in state prison
ALBION – One of the four people charged with a rash of burglaries last summer in Albion and Medina pleaded guilty today to second-degree burglary.
Jonathan Banks could be sentenced to as much as 15 years in state prison on Aug. 25. However, as part of a plea deal today, he can withdraw his guilty plea if the sentence exceeds 10 years.
Banks, 21, is suspected in 32 break-ins burglaries in August and September, with crimes committed in Albion, Medina, Oakfield and Lockport.
He has been in Niagara County Jail. His attorney Mark Deal asked that bail be reduced to $10,000 for Banks, who Deal said may be given youthful offender status.
Banks also is recently married with family in Albion and Medina, and isn’t a flight risk, Deal said.
Orleans County Court Judge James Punch refused to set bail that low. He put it at $150,000.
“This is quite frankly a disturbing crime spree that he went on,” the judge said in court today.
Banks and three other men from Orleans County were arrested and charged with the burglaries in December. Banks was arrested by Lockport police in September. After his arrest, there weren’t additional burglaries.
Banks admitted to one of the burglaries today. He said he broke into one of the Sandy Creek apartments in the town of Gaines on Aug. 13. He entered through a window and took a television. He acted alone, Banks told the court.
Banks faced 10 counts of second-degree burglary, one count of attempted burglary and attempted robbery in the second degree, six counts of grand larceny, seven counts of petit larceny, three counts of attempted petit larceny, and four counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief.
As part of the plea deal today, his sentence in Niagara County would be added to the Orleans sentence if the two together do not exceed 10 years. Banks faces a minimum sentence of 3 ½ years in Orleans. If he gets that, he could face up to 6 ½ years from Niagara.
If he is sentenced to 10 years by Judge Punch, the Niagara sentence would be concurrent or at the same time as the sentence from the Orleans court.
He also faces a fine of double the value of items he stole in the burglaries or the fine could be set as high as $5,000.
ALBION – Our snapshot taken during World War I shows Co. N. 74 Reg. NYS Guard parading up South Main Street in Albion.
Appearing in this 1917 picture are Capt. John Beckwith, Rev. Ford of the First Baptist Church, First Lt. Lynn Burrows, Bert Bidelman and George Houghton.
Note the vintage autos parked along the street. The house in the background (upper right) was the Waterman residence, which was torn down in 1956. This is now the site of Tim Hortons.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 May 2014 at 12:00 am
After 18 months of work, Ray and Linda Burke open new business
Photos by Tom Rivers – Linda and Ray Burke are pictured inside Fair Haven Treasures on the business’s opening day on Saturday.
The big brick house was vacant for about five years before being fixed up the past 18 months.
GAINES – Ray and Linda Burke drove by the big brick house many times. They admired the site at the corner of routes 98 and 104, but worried about its decline. For about five years the property was vacant until the Burkes bought it in November 2012.
It was a daunting task, but they renovated the house with a corps of volunteers, determined to breathe new life in a 3,000-square-foot house built in 1834, the same year the Cobblestone Universalist Church was erected across the street.
The Burkes opened Fair Haven Treasures on Saturday. They have high-end artisans and crafters at the site, and they want to make the building available for workshops, concerts, book-signings and other events.
“It just sat here with not much going on,” Mr. Burke said about the building. “It was getting run down.”
The Burkes met Carol Culhane as part of the planning for the town’s bicentennial bash in 2009. Mr. Burke and Culhane also served on the Zoning Board of Appeals together. Culhane is now the town supervisor and she saw potential in the old brick house.
She saw the site as a hub for artists and culture. She shared that vision with the Burkes, and offered to help with the cleaning and painting needed to get the site ready for the public.
Culhane’s husband Gerry also volunteered. The group removed plywood and linoleum from the floors, and discovered hardwood floors underneath. They took out one wall to make a bigger room that can be used for performances, book-signings and public events.
Fair Haven would like to hosts concerts, book-signings, and other events in the 3,000-square-foot building at the corner of routes 98 and 104.
Culhane is managing the site, lining up vendors and events. She said the site is ideally located along historic Ridge Road. The eight-building Cobblestone Society Museum is across the street on both 104 and 98. Other businesses that sell antiques also have opened nearby.
“There is a lot of potential here,” Culhane said. “We could be another Lewiston.”
Culhane is working to have an International Peace Garden established in Fair Haven’s front lawn. The site was once owned by John Proctor, who is considered the Paul Revere of Ridge Road. He warned residents the British were coming during the War of 1812. Proctor also gave the hamlet the name Fair Haven.
Burke has connected with classic car owners and there will be cruise-ins on Sundays beginning June 8 from 4 to 7 p.m.
This fall Culhane wants to bring in teachers who will lead workshops on canning, quilting, sewing and knitting. “People don’t do it anymore but there’s a hunger for it,” Culhane said.
She grew up in the “Dutchtown” neighborhood in Rochester. That area in Jay, Childs and Ames streets has been overwhelmed with crime, and so many of the houses, even her old high school, have been torn down, Culhane said.
When she saw the brick house deteriorating, she worried it would meet the same fate as some of the beloved buildings of her youth.
“I lost my community from when I was growing up,” she said. “I lived through this.”
Culhane, as town supervisor, said the decline of the brick house was hurting the community. She worried if the site fell into more disrepair.
“It’s the centerpiece of Gaines and Childs,” Culhane said. “Repurposing this old house, what else would have happened to it?”
Ted Hicks of Oakfield did a wood turning demonstration on Saturday at Fair Haven Treasures. He also is a vendor at the site.
She believes the site’s use for art and culture will be an asset for the community, possibly leading to a growing trail of venues for artists. She noted the efforts to bring back the Pratt Opera House in Albion and also the Bent’s Opera House in Medina.
Ted Hicks of Oakfield is one of the vendors at Fair Haven. He sells wooden bowls and furniture he makes from reclaimed wood. Hicks typically sells his work at shows. He is grateful to have a permanent site for his products.
“They’ve been very enthusiastic about what this place can become,” Hicks said. “It is a great venue with the historic value of this building and the buildings around it.”
Fair Haven is open Fridays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
These bowls and a table were created by Ted Hicks of Oakfield. He has other wooden furniture for sale that he made from reclaimed wood.
