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Albion man breaks world record for trip in electric car

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Nearly 35,000 miles and counting for Brian Kent

Provided photos – Brian Kent, right, lets a man sign the map on top of Kent’s electric-powered vehicle, a Nissan Leaf. Kent is travelling the country in the vehicle to promote the cars as a viable option for long-range trips.

For nearly six months Brian Kent has been traveling the country, spreading a message that electric cars are reliable long-range vehicles.

Since he left Albion on Aug. 24, Kent has driven a 2013 Nissan LEAF nearly 35,000 miles. He was at 34,260 miles on Thursday when he was in South Lake, Texas.

When he left Albion in late August, Kent intended a 100-day trip that would cover 26,000 miles. He wanted to drive through 48 states (all but Alaska and Hawaii).

Kent scrapped the plan, preferring not to stick to a strict schedule. He estimates he has talked with more than 2,000 people on the trip, often when he is charging his car.

Kent’s car is pictured in Cheyenne, WY, on Nov. 12 next to an 8-foot-high boot.

He has made numerous new friends and has emerged as a bit of a celebrity of the electric car movement. He received a hero’s welcome when he visited a Tesla sales site in Dallas-Fort Worth.

He has been featured in blogs and news sites that promote and explore electric cars and the green energy movement.

Kent plans to come home in April. He wants to be in New Jersey on March 31 when the new Tesla Model 3 is introduced.

Kent has planted a tree in almost all of the states he has visited on the trip. He is pictured in Arizona last month.

Kent set out to shatter myths about the electric vehicles. They are capable of long-range trips. He wanted to show the network of charge stations throughout the country and also meet other electric vehicle drivers.

“I wanted to show that a car like mine could do it,” he said by phone. “I wanted to demonstrate the viability of limited range, affordable electric vehicles.”

Kent parked next to a holiday light display in December.

He also wanted to break the world record for longest trip in an electric vehicle (non solar). Norman Hajjar set the mark in Tesla Model S with 12,183 miles from March 28 to April 21, 2014 in a trip that started in Portand, Oregon and ended in Venice, Calif.

Kent smashed that record. But another driver, Steve Sasman, also took a big trip in 2015. Sasman covered 27,615 miles last year in the US and Canada. News of his trip came out in December. Kent faced a dilemma in late December. He could set the 133-day record but he would have to really push his Leaf.

He wasn’t going to do it, but some of his key supporters urged him to break the record. On the last day he drove 650 miles in his Leaf, a trip from San Diego to Canada, breaking the record for the entire trip by 5 miles at 27,620 miles.

Kent has been visiting the state capitals. Here is his car in Indianapolis on Sept. 20.

He has been at a more leisurely pace the past two months since breaking the record. He has been spending time with one of his supporters, a family in the Dallas, Texas area. But he will soon be heading to Little Rock, Ark, as he works his way to New Jersey for the new Tesla unveiling.

Kampgrounds of America is one of Kent’s sponsors. They have charging stations and they have also let his stay in cabins. He spends about half of his nights sleeping in the car. He has it set up with a feather bed in back. He took out the back seats.

“The best part: no exhaust,” he said.

Besides Kampgrounds of America, Kent is partnering with Michelin, Plug in America, National Drive Electric Week, EV Charge Hub, Clean Technica, Inside EVs, and The Green Optimistic for the educational trip.

A woman in Texas signs the map on Kent’s car, one of the keepsakes from the trip.

Kent said the car has only ran out of power once. The first day of the trip when he was in the Catskills and took a wrong turn, resulting in an 18-mile detour. He needed to be towed. He said driver error, and not the car, is at fault for that incident.

Otherwise, the car has been able to go all over the country without missing a charge.

Kent also has planted a tree in nearly every state he has visited. That is 35 in 39 states. Four times he didn’t have someone lined up who would care for the tree, ensuring it was watered and cared for in the critical few weeks after a tree is planted.

He tries to see the capital in each state. He also stops at the popular tourist attractions, trying to get his car in photos with famous scenes, including mountains in the background or public art or war memorials.

Kent’s car has accumulated messages since the trip started about six months ago.

His car is covered in decals of sponsors and messages from supporters. He has wrap on top of the car that shows a map of the U.S. In each state he asks at least one person to sign their state.

“This is the best life experience I’ve ever had,” Kent said. “I’ve met an amazing array of people along the way,” he said.

Kent is pictured at a beach in California. He is calling the journey, “The Negative Carbon Road Trip.” The trees planted will more than offset the carbon dioxide for running his vehicle.

3 counties read same book

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Community reading project continues for 14th year

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Many residents in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties are reading the same book, Black River, as part of the 14th annual “A Tale for Three Counties.”

Hoag Library in Albion held a book discussion on Thursday evening. Some of the participants in the discussion are pictured with a poster of the book cover, including, from left: Bindings Bookstore owner Carolyn Ricker, Kim Pritt, Library Director Betty Sue Miller and Linda Weller.

The author of the book, S. M. Hulse of Spokane, Wa., will visit the three counties for book talks from March 10-12, including a 7 p.m. visit at Hoag Library on March 11.

Many libraries in the three counties are holding book discussions. Yates Community Library held its discussion on Feb. 8. Lee-Whedon Memorial Library will discuss the book at 1 p.m. on March 7, with Community Free Library in Holley discussing Black River at 7 p.m. on March 7.

The story centers on Wes Carver, a retired corrections officer who is coping with the loss of his wife to cancer. Carver also returns to the Black River community for the parole hearing of an inmate who tortured Carver during a prison riot two decades earlier. That inmate badly broke Carver’s fingers, preventing him from playing the fiddle, one of his passions.

The novel explores faith, forgiveness, fatherhood and revenge.

For more on A Tale for Three Counties, visit http://taleforthreecounties.org.

Snow-covered landscape brings out photographers

Staff Reports Posted 19 February 2016 at 12:00 am

The snow this week, which blanketed the area with at least a foot of snow, created a landscape covered in white. Several people sent photos to the Orleans Hub of the winter wonderland.

Pamela Moore sent in the top photo from Tuesday of a barn on Gillette Road in Barre. “You can always find some sort of beauty even through a storm,” she said.

Kristina Gabalski, an Orleans Hub correspondent, took this photo of a snowman on Wednesday morning in front of a home on South Main Street in the Village of Holley.

Gabrielle Davis took this picture on Tuesday of a snow-covered Kenyonville Road in Gaines. She said the road with all of the snow was “so peaceful.”

Robyn Ottaviano of Medina sent in these photos of the Medina Waterfalls taken on Monday.

Donna Erneweintook this picture on Sunday of Lake Ontario from the Shadigee in Yates.

Gary Wood of Allen Road in Albion took this picture of the sunrise on Monday.

Rick Baase of Kent snapped this photo of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse at Point Breeze just before sunset on Feb. 15.

DEC schedules hearing on proposed quarry in Shelby

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2016 at 12:00 am

SHELBY – Nearly two years after the last public hearing for a proposed quarry in Shelby near a wildlife refuge, the issue will again come before the community.

Frontier Stone LLC is proposing a limestone quarry on 215 acres, which the company wants to excavate on 172 acres in four phases over 75 years. The new quarry would be on Fletcher Chapel Road, several hundred feet east of Sour Springs Road.

During a public hearing on April 30, 2014, residents expressed concern about the impact on the wildlife refuge, property values, roads and a peaceful rural life, among many issues.

Frontier Stone has been working for nearly two years to respond to those concerns raised at the hearing as well as written comments.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation will have a legislative/public comment hearing at 6:30 p.m. on March 8 at Medina High School, 2 Mustang Drive.

The community is invited to comment on the draft environmental impact statement, the mined land reclamation and water withdrawal permit, and the draft combined permit.

Frontier, which is based in Wilson, is proposing that quarrying would be conducted by standard drill and blast technology with front-end loaders and excavators feeding a primary crusher with shot rock, the DEC said in a notice.

Frontier is proposing to use an on-site processing plant and to mine below the water table. The project includes dewatering of the quarry area with a maximum water withdrawal for mine at 554,264 gallons per day, which would be discharged at the southwest corner of the site to an existing agricultural drainage ditch.

The reclamation objective will be to create open space with two lakes for recreation or wildlife habitat. The two lakes, separated by an existing utility line, would be approximately 35 and 156 acres, the DEC said in the notice.

DEC Administrative Law Judge D. Scott Bassinson will conduct the hearing on March 8.

“All persons, organizations, corporations or government agencies that may be affected by the proposed project are invited to attend the hearing and to submit oral or written comments on the Draft EIS, the mined land reclamation and water withdrawal permit applications and the draft combined permit,” the DEC said. “While it is not necessary to file in advance to speak at the hearing, lengthy comments should be submitted in writing and summarized for oral presentation. Equal weight will be given to both oral and written comments. Reasonable time limits may be set for each speaker as necessary to afford all attendees an opportunity to be heard.”

The DEC also has scheduled an issues conference for Bassinson, as administrative law judge, to determine if issues need additional work and explanation from Frontier. The conference will be begin 10 a.m. on April 26 at Ridgeway Town Hall, 410 West Ave., Medina and will continue throughout the day and on April 27 if necessary.

“The purpose of the issues conference is to determine party status for any person or organization that has properly filed a petition (as indicated below), and to narrow and define those issues, if any, that will require adjudication in this matter,” the DEC said. “Participation in the issues conference shall be limited to DEC staff, applicant, and those persons or organizations requesting party status.”

For more on the public hearing and issues conference, click here to see the notice from the DEC.

Slavery existed in Orleans County and NY

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Albion historian shares about effort to honor 50 black pioneers

Photos by Tom Rivers – In 2000, the Orleans Community Mass Choir teamed with the Albion school district and Village of Albion to put this monument at Mount Albion Cemetery for at least 50 pioneer black residents in the county.

ALBION – Nearly 200 years after slavery was banned in New York State, people may think New York was always a land of freedom for black residents. But that is far from the truth, said Neil Johnson, the Albion village historian.

“A lot of people think New York didn’t have slavery,” Johnson said Wednesday during his monthly historical lecture at Hoag Library. “New York definitely did have slavery.”

New York City was actually a center for the slave trade. It had the second biggest slave presence in the country, behind only Charleston, South Carolina. In the colonial era, 41 percent of New York City households had slaves, far more than the 6 percent in Philadelphia and 2 percent in Boston.

Slaves in New York worked as servants in households, bringing in firewood, cooking and cleaning, and removing wastes. They were instrumental in building the nation’s largest city, putting in the heavy infrastructure, and roads, docks and many buildings of the early New York.

New York didn’t ban slavery outright until 1827, 50 years after Vermont outlawed slavery.

Neil Johnson

Johnson dug through old Census records to learn about early black residents in Orleans County. The Census in 1850 began to note the race of people in the Census. Johnson researched the issue in the late 1990s as part of effort to honor early black pioneers in the county.

He was able to document about 50 residents and families. Their names are carved on a monument at Mount Albion Cemetery. That marker was installed in 2000.

He spoke about Richard Gordineer, who was listed as being born in 1798, but Johnson said that date is unclear. Gordineer lived and worked in Shelby Center, which was a bustling commercial district before the Erie Canal. When the canal was opened in 1825, “it changed everything,” Johnson said.

Medina, Albion and other canal towns emerged after 1825 and became the new focus for commerce. Gordineer took a job in Medina working on canal boats, first as a cook and then as a drywasher. Gordineer lived to be approximately 92, and died at the Alms House, the Orleans County home.

Richard Gordineer’s name and others are noted on a monument for pioneer black residents of Orleans County.

Samuel Tomkins also died at the Orleans County Home, the former “Poor House” on West County House Road. He died in 1863, and Johnson said the superintendent of the Poor House estimated Tomkins was 127 years old. He was a hard worker with a friendly disposition, according to a newspaper report that said Tomkins “trod the shores of time for over a century.”

Johnson said many freed slaves moved north from the Confederate states following the Civil War. The freed slaves found work in the north as house servants and field workers.

Although slavery ended in the United States in 1865, Johnson said people in the country remain enslaved or trapped.

“Human trafficking is still a problem,” Johnson said.

The New York Historical Society in New York City in 2005 put together an exhibit on slavery in New York. The NY Historical Society has an on-line site devoted to the issue. Click here for more information.

Former Monro Muffler site in Albion will become Verizon store

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Crews are painting the former Monro Muffler Break and Service site in Albion, giving it the black and red colors for Verizon.

The phone and telecommunications company will open a store in Albion at 214 West Ave. Verizon had a small store in downtown Albion about seven years ago. It will have a new presence in Albion in a setup comparable to the one in Brockport.

In addition to painting the building, Verizon will take out the garage doors and do interior furnishings, said Ron Vendetti, the village’s code enforcement officer.

Verizon also will put new signs on the building.

Verizon’s black and red are replacing the yellow and blue from Monro Muffler.

Freezing rain advisory in effect for Friday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

GAINES – Icicles hang from Tillman’s Village Inn at around noon today.

The National Weather Service has issued a freezing rain advisory for Friday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The advisory includes Orleans County and much of Western New York.

The Weather Service warns that roadways will likely be slick especially on elevated surfaces, including bridges and overpasses.

3 more historical markers getting makeover

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Provided photos

CLARENDON – Tuesday’s big snowstorm kept Melissa Ierlan homebound for most of the day. She didn’t sit idle. She used the day to paint three historic markers that sorely needed a makeover.

The top photo shows the marker by the Ashwood Wesleyan Church on Platten Road, just west of the Yates-Carlton Townline Road.

The other marker is for the Five Mile House in Barre, which was later knwon as Ball’s Tavern. The house was built in 1816 by John Huff and was an overnight stop for mail carriers between Lewiston and Canandaigua.

This photo shows the marker a few weeks ago when it was stripped of paint. Ierlan noted the misspelling of Canandaigua. This marker was originally put up in 1932 by the NYS Education Department.

Ierlan has now worked on 11 markers. She first tackled four in Clarendon that needed to be repainted. Other historians have reached out to her to work on markers in other towns.

The marker for Five Mile House was in rough shape. It needed to be rewelded. Gerry Bradt of Clarendon put the marker back together. He has rewelded two others.

After the marker is stripped of paint, Ierlan puts on a coat of blue paint. Then she adds the yellow for the letters and the outer border.

This marker is for Elisha Wright. It also needed to be rewelded.

Ierlan said the three markers will be reinstalled in the spring. She is willing to work on other ones in the community. Ierlan works as the Clarendon code enforcement officer and town historian. She said people can reach out to her on her phone at Town Hall, (585) 638-6371, ext. 104.

Kids turn out for Kendall’s first Lego Camp

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 17 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Participants in this morning’s Lego Camp at Kendall Elementary school prepare Lego “vehicles” which will run down a “zipline.”

KENDALL – Dozens of Kendall Elementary students and their parents enjoyed a fun morning of creativity today at the first ever Lego Camp organized by the Kendall Recreation Department and hosted by Kendall Elementary School.

Kendall Recreation Director Michelle Werth said the first-time event is the brain-child of parent Alicia Charland, who wanted to offer something fun and creative for kids who might not have an interest in the Recreation Department’s many sports programs.

“We have 55 kids registered,” Werth said. “It was offered for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.”

Appropriately enough, kindergartener Cooper Hughes makes a Lego snowplow guy with Mrs. Colucci.

The morning started off with the construction of a Lego “worm” – a simple block structure in which participants tried to create the longest and most creative “worm” on a small Lego board.

Participants were then free to visit a number of stations where they could make Lego vehicles, Hexabug habitats, play Pictionary with Legos, make Lego constructions from bagged sets, make free form Lego figures and constructions, race cars with Mega Blocks, create Legos to run down a “zipline,” and more.

Large Mega Blocks were used in the Elementary School hallway to create a racetrack/obstacle course for toy cars.

Refreshments were provided and The Lego Movie and other videos featuring Legos were shown.

Alicia Charland said her sons love Legos and she knew they would really enjoy the Lego Camp. “We decided we would make it happen,” she said.

Legos were both donated and collected from garage sales and will be stored for use at future Lego events.

“We are thinking about a four-day camp in the summer that would likely be held in the mornings,” Charland said. She noted Legos fit well with the STEM-based school curriculum and are a great way for children to express their creativity.

Third-grader Stephen Elliott made a Lego speed boat during this morning’s Lego Camp at Kendall Elementary School.

Participants wore lanyards with their name and received a star to place on the lanyard each time they completed a project, or cleaned up after their snack.

“When they get five stars they become a Master Builder in Training,” Charland said.

She commended the many volunteers who helped make the event possible, including Kendall High School students. Charland was also impressed by the number of fathers who came to enjoy the event.

“It was three hours in the morning, something local and something affordable,” she noted.

Kendall Elementary Principal Sharon Smith attended and lent a helping hand. She said the camp was a great winter activity.

“We hope it is the first of many activities as part of a partnership between the school and the town,” Smith said. “Our doors will always be open for Kendall Recreation Department activities.”

The first-ever Kendall Recreation Lego Camp proved to be a popular activity during Winter Break week. The event was held in the Kendall Elementary School cafeteria.

Kendall High School students volunteered to help participants during the Lego Camp event, including 10th-graders, from left: Caleb Henion, Megan Hardenbrook and Michela Hanlon. They are at the Hexabug Habitats station.

Parents learn about computer safety, early childhood literacy

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Megan McDonald, a computer literacy teacher at Albion, leads a workshop for parents last week. The four-part program with other specialists will continue until March 31.

ALBION – Parents were urged to think twice about posting and identifying pictures of their children on Facebook and social media sites, especially pictures that the children could some day see as embarrassing.

“Think about the pictures you are posting of kids,” Megan McDonald, a computer literacy teacher at Albion, said during a workshop last week. “Don’t overshare.”

Pictures that “tagged” and identify children can be accessible for years to come, McDonald said.

“You are creating a digital footprint for them,” she said.

The Albion Rotary Club is teaming with the school district and Head Start at Community Action to put on a four-part literacy program for parents of children from birth to age 5.

McDonald led a session on Internet safety. She urged parents to learn about the many different social media sites used by children, and to keep kids from signing up until at least 13 for Facebook.

Parents shouldn’t view social media as a dangerous activity, McDonald said, but they should show some caution. She said the sites can help strengthen relationships.

Parents should put privacy controls on social media accounts so kids’ posts and pictures can only be seen by friends and family.

She said there are other sites that allow children to code and build technology skills.
She urged parents, especially with young children, to limit their screen time and have them away from computers and gadgets with breaks after 20 minutes.

She also tells her students to keep a media log to track how much time each day they spend on cell phones, TV, video consoles, tablets and computers.

“I’m all for digital media, but we want them up and moving,” McDonald told parents. “Manage kids’ screen time and have other alternatives.”

The four-part literacy program will give parents of children from birth to age 5 tips on helping their children excel at school. Besides McDonald’s presentation, a speech pathologist addressed parents last week.

Other upcoming sessions include Feb. 25 on story telling (will help parents tell their own stories) and will focus on making reading fun; March 10 will focus on prekindergarten and kindergarten readiness with the parents’ role. That workshop will include classroom visits.

The program will conclude on March 31 with a family fun night that includes children’s author Josie Waverly, professional storyteller Gretchen Murray Sepik, and other games, stories, prizes, refreshments and a book fair.

The program is free and open to parents in the Albion school district. Child care will be provided. Parents should enter at about 5:45 p.m. through the community entrance in the back of the school.

For more information, contact Community Action at 589-5683.

Only 1 company bids on bus services for Albion school district

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Higher minimum wage talk has service provider cautious

Photo by Tom Rivers – Buses at Ridge Road Express are parked on West State Street on Tuesday after about a foot of snow fell in Albion.

ALBION – Albion Central School sent out nine bid packages to transportation companies for busing services in 2016-17.

Only one company responded to the request for proposals. The Board of Education approved the contract with Student Transportation of America (Ridge Road Express), the district’s current provider.

Ridge Road Express will be paid 9 percent more for the three contracts, which include $958,680 for the main contract (2 bus runs in mornings and 2 in afternoons); $583,120 for out-of-district transportation; and $103,000 for the student charter contract.

The district had the same contract with Ridge Road Express for 15 years, a deal that allowed for inflationary increases.

The district expected more than one bidder for the new contract. However, some transportation providers are reluctant to commit to new clients because of the uncertainty with the minimum wage, said Shawn Liddle, Albion’s assistant superintendent for business.

“They are leery about extending themselves too far out,” he said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pushing to raise the minimum wage from $9 to $15. The minimum wage was $7.25 about three years ago.

Liddle was asked why only one company would bid on a bus contract for about $1.5 million at a recent Albion Board of Education meeting.

“The governor is saber-rattling with the minimum wage,” Liddle responded.

Other districts are seeing similar responses to busing proposals, where companies are reluctant to negotiate contracts based on the unknowns with their salary costs, he said.

Clarendon cancels tonights Town Board meeting, public hearings

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 16 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Clarendon cancels tonight’s Town Board meeting, public hearings

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent
CLARENDON – Town Supervisor Dick Moy announced that tonight’s regular meeting of the Clarendon Town Board has been cancelled due to the snowy weather. Additionally, two public hearings, which were scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. this evening, have also been cancelled.

The first public hearing was in regards to amendments to Town Zoning Ordinance Sec. 301 which pertains to building permits for building/structures 64 square feet and larger.

The public hearing scheduled for 6:30 p.m. was in regards to Local Law #1 of 2016 to amend Local Law #1 of 2007. The proposed law would change the size of structures requiring a building permit.

Moy said town officials will have more information regarding the rescheduling of the public hearings once a decision has been made.

OTB closing Albion branch on Feb. 27

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – The Off-Track Betting site in Albion will close later this month after revenue from the branch plummeted in recent years. OTB will put the building up for sale.

ALBION – The Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. will close its OTB parlor at 317 West Ave. on Feb. 27.

The decision follows a big drop in revenue at the site. The amount of bets has declined from $1.3 million in 2010 to $517,000 last year. It’s down another 24 percent this year, said Sean Schiano, director of branch operations for WROTB.

WROTB has closed many betting parlors in recent years. There are currently 27 in operation, down from 72 in 15 Western New York counties about 30 years ago.

The OTB branch in Albion is in a commercial district in a busy part of Albion on Route 31.

WROTB runs a lean operation in Albion with a full-time branch supervisor and a cleaner who works about 15 hours a week. The site still has been operating in the red.

“The bottom line is it takes away revenue we send to Orleans County,” Schiano said.

WROTB is owned by 15 counties plus the cities of Rochester and Buffalo. They share in profits from the overall operation. The video gaming center at Batavia Downs has proven a money-maker for WROTB, more than offsetting losses at OTB branches.

The success at Batavia Downs allowed WROTB to boost its revenue to Orleans County from $39,000 in 2014 to $52,000 last year.

However, WROTB doesn’t want to keep betting parlors that operate at a loss. The organization has partnered with restaurants and bowling alleys to have EZ-Bets, where people can bet on horses without WROTB staff.

WROTB would like to have EZ Bets in Orleans County, perhaps at more than one location.

The site at 317 West Ave. will be put up for sale. It is located across from the Pawlak’s Save-A-Lot plaza. The OTB is off the tax rolls. Schiano said once it is sold the community will get the benefit of the property generating taxes.

Snow will taper off on Wednesday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Ryan Collins, 18, of Albion uses a snowblower to clear out a driveway on East State Street late this afternoon after about a foot of snow fell in the area.

Orleans County remains under a winter storm warning until 7 p.m. today. There won’t be much new snow on Wednesday. The National Weather Service in Buffalo is forecasting a half inch of possible snow accumulation and a high of 32 degrees.

Several accidents were reported today in the county, including one involving a bus from Community Action of Orleans & Genesee and another vehicle on Route 31 near Wal-Mart. Three ambulances – 2 from COVA and one from Medina Fire Department – transported people to hospitals. No additional information is available.

Robyn Ottaviano of Lyndonville sent in this photo taken today of a cardinal in Medina.

Area digs out from big snow

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Tyler Johnson, 14, shovels on Main Street in Albion this morning after several inches of snow fell overnight and this morning. Most of the county could get 8 to 12 inches of snow today, with southeastern Orleans in Holley and Clarendon getting up to 18 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Kevin Doherty clears the sidewalk and walkways in front of the Christ Church Outreach Center in Albion at 20 South Main St.

A member of the Orleans County Buildings and Grounds department works on clearing the sidewalk by the County Courthouse and County Clerks’ Building.

Dan Morrow, a member of the Albion Fire Department, directs traffic after a two-car accident with minor injuries on Route 98, north of the lift bridge.

A state Department of Transportation plow truck works to keep the road open on Route 98 by the canal.

A shopping cart in the canal, just west of Main Street, is partially buried in snow.

At least one agency decided to close due to the rough roads. The Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse won’t be open in Orleans County or at its Batavia office today.