By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A jury acquitted two business owners of arson on Friday in a trial that lasted more than a week in Orleans County Court.
David Wright, 32, and Sara Harris, 31, were charged with third-degree arson and fourth-degree criminal mischief. The Holley residents faced up to 15 years in state prison.
They owned The Shop, a tobacco-related business at 158 Hamilton St. The site burned on Aug. 13, 2012. The building suffered extensive water and fire damage. Wright and Harris were accused of setting the fire for insurance money.
But a jury of their peers decided the fire, which started in the building’s office, wasn’t set by the business owners.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Several downtown Medina businesses are decked out for the holidays with lights, decorations and Santa themes as part of their window displays.
Some businesses, including Della’s Chocolates (below), have even decorated the second floor of their buildings.
The Medina Business Association and Medina Tourism Committee on Saturday will celebrate their seventh annual Old Tyme Medina Christmas Celebration. The events run from 9 a.m. to late in the evening, highlighted by a parade of lights at 6 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am
“I’m very grateful that we have so many public servants and volunteers that do this work. I wanted to come help them do this work that they do everyday.” – U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Photos by Tom Rivers – U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, was in Holley today to help serve lunches and then to pack boxes of food for Thanksgiving. She dished out a macaroni and cheese lunch with peas, salad, a biscuit and fruit cocktail.
HOLLEY – U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand stopped by a community center in Holley today and later in Wellsville, serving food and helping to fill boxes with food to be given to needy families.
Gillibrand said she wanted to highlight soup kitchens and community centers, especially during the holiday season. The senator also wanted to pitch in and help with the tasks.
“I’m very grateful that we have so many public servants and volunteers that do this work,” she said after serving food and packing boxes in Holley. “I wanted to come help them do this work that they do everyday.”
The Eastern Orleans Community Center is run by Community Action. The site in the Public Square serves 9,400 hot meals a year from Monday through Friday. The site initially was only available to senior citizens but that changed less than a decade ago.
It is now open to the entire community, and it serves many young families, especially during the summer, said Ed Fancher, Community Action director.
“There are people who come here for lunch and it’s the only hot meal they get all day,” said Murray resident Leon Randall. “This is a very important site.”
Randall serves as the Murray representative on the Office for the Aging board. He stops at the Community Center once or twice a week for a meal and “to talk with folks.”
Gillibrand packed several boxes today, making sure to include canned fruits and vegetables.
Meals are served on one side of the building, and the other side serves as a youth center. About 50 kids a year stop by to do homework, play Fooseball and use the computers.
The center also is the base for the Thanksgiving outreach effort. Community Action is filling 135 boxes with turkeys, milk, and other food for Holley area families.
She talked with some of the residents, including a young mother. Gillibrand urged the woman to pursue a degree at Genesee Community College, perhaps in early childhood education.
Gillibrand said families need good-paying jobs to break out of poverty. She is pushing for manufacturing tax credits for companies that make products in the United States.
She also is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. A new Farm Bill, now more than a year overdue, is important for farmers. She also wants to keep food stamps in the Farm Bill. That helps farmers have more demand for their goods and increases access to fresh fruits and vegetables to needy residents, she said.
On the way out of the center today she stopped and shook hands with many Community Action staff.
“Thanks for your hard work and God bless,” she said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION A Medina man facing 24 counts, including burglary and grand larceny, was arraigned in Orleans County Court today by Judge James Punch, who set bail at $100,000.
Christopher Hollenbeck, 27, allegedly broke into a residence on Mill Road in Ridgeway in June. He is accused of taking nine guns, including several hand guns.
State police say he scratched off the serial numbers on some of the guns, which he then sold with help from his girlfriend Rebecca Bischoff, 26, of Medina.
Punch assigned the public defender for Hollenbeck, who said he isn’t working but would be interviewing for a job.
The District Attorney’s Office requested bail be set at $10,000, but Punch made it higher because the charges against Hollenbeck “are profoundly serious.”
“It looks like you were preparing for Armageddon,” Punch told Hollenbeck. “That’s why I’m setting bail where I’m setting it.”
Hollenbeck faces numerous charges, including one count of second-degree burglary, one count of fourth-degree grand larceny for stealing firearms, three counts of defacing weapons, three counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, nine counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree and five counts of criminal sale of a firearm in the second degree.
Bischoff was arraigned in County Court last week on four counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree and two counts of criminal sale of a firearm in the second degree.
By Nola Goodrich-Kresse, Public Health Educator for the Orleans County Health Department
Did you know being thankful is healthy? When you are optimistic or hopeful, you are also generally thankful for what you have. Thankful people also tend to think of what they can do for their community. They are generally healthier and they tend to heal quicker if they become ill or are injured.
If you tend to be pessimistic or negative, try to choose one thing to be thankful about and each day add something new. Being thankful and optimistic is your choice.
When dealing with the stresses or loneliness of the holidays, find a way to turn those feelings into something positive.
Consider the following tips to choose to be more thankful each day:
Talk with your family about what the holidays mean to you. Be honest about what you can afford and encourage everyone to give the more meaningful giftthe gift of their time.
Consider sharing stories about how thankful you were when someone helped you out, or when you helped someone out.
Share your gratitude with others by sharing your time with them. Take turns reading a favorite holiday story together, play board games or just enjoy one another’s company.
Volunteerthere are many options to volunteer. Ring the bells for the Salvation Army, volunteer at a soup kitchen, visit folks in a nursing home or who are shut-in. Helping others takes the focus off of yourself and you may make new friends.
Also, consider volunteering all year round, not just during the holidays as there are always folks who need help and it will make you feel good and more positive too!
Consider sending cards to members of our armed forces or to VA hospitals to thank them for their service.
Listen to and share joyful laughter.
Don’t forget to get in regular exercise – it helps keep the extra pounds from adding up and also relieves stress and gives you a brighter outlook. Some ways to help get more exercise: park further away and walk, take stairs instead of escalators and elevators, and/or take time to play.
Finding ways to keep active 30 minutes each day for most days of the week helps with your appetite / digestion; you sleep better; and it helps keep you mentally focused.
Another way to consider being thankful is to participate in the 1st Annual Holiday Spirit 5 K Fun Run/Walk held on Saturday, Dec. 7. The course starts at the Albion Fire Hall on Platt Street. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and is $25. Race time is 9:30.
All proceeds from the race will benefit MHA of Orleans County to continue to provide a safe, drug/alcohol free drop-in center and peer-driven support groups for adults 18 and older.
For more information or to register, call Nola Goodrich-Kresse at the Orleans County Health Department at 589-3162 or e-mail Nola.Goodrich-Kresse@orleansny.com.
To get the ball rolling on being thankful, I would like to thank each of you for reading this column, for your comments and your column suggestions. You are much appreciated! Thank you! So, what are you thankful for?
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – The red kettles came out in Holley today, and two members of the American Legion stood in the freezing cold, seeking donations.
Legion Commander Chuck Eberhardt, left, and Al Pulcino (top photo) were outside the Eastern Orleans Community Center in the Public Square on the first day of the fund-raising drive in Holley.
The money raised stays in Orleans County and goes to local agencies, including Community Action, which sets the schedule for the volunteers.
Community Action needs more volunteers for red kettle sites in Holley, Albion and Medina. The agency has set a $23,000 fund-raising goal for this holiday season.
To volunteer, call 589-5605 and ask for Annette Finch.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand steps outside the Eastern Orleans Community Center in Holley this afternoon after serving lunch and packing Thanksgiving food baskets. Gillibrand spotted the volunteers at the red kettle and made a donation.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am
26 Christmas trees will be lighted at Veterans Park
LYNDONVILLE – Residents, community organizations and the village are teaming for a debut “Christmas in Lyndonville” celebration on Dec. 7.
Several events are planned for that day. In addition, Veterans Park by the library will be decorated with 26 Christmas trees that are sponsored by residents and businesses. Some of the trees have been sponsored as memorials. Those trees will be decorated from Nov. 28 to Dec. 5 and will be displayed during the holiday season.
“A lot of people have pitched in,” said Village Clerk Teri Woodworth. “We think it will be a nice event.”
The lineup of events on Dec. 7 includes a community breakfast buffet at the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church from 8 to 11 a.m.; a mini mall at the United Methodist Church from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; games at the Yates Community Library from 3 to 4 p.m.; and caroling at Vets Park from 4 to 5 p.m.
Santa will arrive at 5 p.m. and flip the switch to light the trees. Santa will then be at the Village Hall from 5 to 6:30 p.m. to visit with children and their families. Hot chocolate and cookies will be available at the Village Hall.
There will be a Christmas Choir “LaLaPalooza” at the Presbyterian Church at 7 p.m.
The downtown decorations for the holidays have been upgraded thanks to funds from the Lyndonville Lions Club and the Lyndonville Area Foundation.
The Dec. 7 event is sponsored by the village, the Lyndonville Fire Department/Auxilary and the Lions Club.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Holmes
ALBION – Two Rochester men face numerous drug charges after they were arrested on Friday in the village of Albion during a vehicle stop at 167 South Main St.
The charges followed a month-long investigation into the sale and distribution of heroin and crack cocaine in the village of Albion, during which police seized 40 bags of heroin. They also confiscated more than a quarter ounce of crack cocaine, with a street value of over $1,000, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force reported this morning.
Terry L. Holmes, 31 of 380 Calm Lake Circle in Rochester was charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree, and one count of aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree.
Holmes is currently under parole supervision with the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
He was arraigned by Albion Town Justice Kevin Howard and committed to county jail on no bail, due to Holmes’s previous criminal history, according to the Task Force.
Burroughs
Law enforcement also arrested Kamerin D. Burroughs, 23, of 126 Normandy Ave. in Rochester. He was charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree.
Burroughs was arraigned by Justice Howard and committed to the county jail on $25,000 bail. Both Holmes and Burroughs are to return to town court at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
The Major Felony Crime Task Force teamed with the Albion Police Department and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department to conduct the vehicle stop on Friday. The investigation is ongoing and further charges and arrests are pending, the Task Force said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Linda Reed owned The Clothesline on Bank Street
Linda Reed, owner of a downtown Albion business and a cancer survivor who rallied her neighbors to join her Relay for Life team, died in a car accident on Saturday.
Reed was in the state of Alabama, visiting friends. Orleans Hub doesn’t have the details about the accident.
Reed lived on East Park Street in Albion. She held frequent yard sales to raise money for cancer research. She went door to door, seeking donations for the cause and enlisted neighbors in a Relay for Life walk in Lockport.
Reed in August became owner of The Clothesline, a consignment and gift shop on East Bank Street.
Reed’s Facebook page includes many tributes from family and friends.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 November 2013 at 12:00 am
A deal announced Saturday night that eases economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for freezes in key parts of Iran’s nuclear program is drawing criticism from many Republicans in Congress, including Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence.
President Barack Obama says the agreement with the support of close U.S. allies is “an important first step toward a comprehensive solution that addresses our concerns with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear program.”
Collins issued a statement this afternoon about the agreement.
“This deal, on its face, is a troubling, dangerous recognition of Iran’s right to enrich uranium and potentially endangers our strongest Middle East ally in Israel.
“I am especially skeptical that a regime which has prided itself on secrecy and deception will suddenly embrace transparency and openness.
“America should be strengthening sanctions, in line with the bipartisan bill the House passed this summer which toughens our stance against Iran.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel, called the act with Iran “a historic mistake.”
Obama, in an address to Americans last night, said Iran’s nuclear program is halted for the first time in a decade as part of the deal.
“Ultimately, only diplomacy can bring about a durable solution to the challenge posed by Iran’s nuclear program,” Obama said in his speech. “As President and Commander-in-Chief, I will do what is necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But I have a profound responsibility to try to resolve our differences peacefully, rather than rush towards conflict. Today, we have a real opportunity to achieve a comprehensive, peaceful settlement, and I believe we must test it.”
