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2 plead guilty in Orleans County Court and face jail/prison

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2016 at 12:00 am

ALBION – Two people pleaded guilty to felonies in Orleans County Court on Monday and could be sentenced to either the county jail or state prison.

A Cheektowaga man pleaded guilty to third-degree rape and faces a maximum of 1 ½ years in state prison as part of a plea deal.

Carson Cavers, 21, allegedly had sex with a 16-year-old girl in Shelby four times between April 19 and July 4. He also is facing rape charges in Ontario County and an unrelated charge of second-degree assault in Erie County.

The Orleans County charge is independent of the other charges. The third-degree rape charge would normally carry a maximum of 4 years in state prison.

Cavers could also be sentenced to post-release supervision when he is sentenced on March 14.

In another case, an Albion man pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a firearm and could face up to a year in the county jail when he is sentenced on May 23.

Christopher D. Rivers Jr., 19, faced kidnapping, robbery, grand larceny, criminal use of a firearm, unlawful imprisonment and menacing charges after being arrested in January for allegedly holding adult male and female victims against their will and forcing a woman to withdraw money from her ATM.

Rivers, in a plea deal on Monday, admitted he had a Remington shotgun with a shortened barrel. Rivers said he didn’t have a license for the modified shotgun.

The charge of criminal possession of a firearm normally carries a maximum sentence of 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison. If County Court Judge James Punch sentences Rivers to more than a year in county jail, he can withdraw his plea and go to trial. Rivers will be sentenced on May 23.

RTS Orleans wants to hear from public about local bus service

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2016 at 12:00 am

ALBION – A public transportation provider in Orleans County will meet with agencies, stakeholders and the public on Wednesday afternoon during two sessions at Hoag Library, 134 S. Main St., Albion.

RTS Orleans transported about 40,000 riders in 2015. The agency wants to hear from customers and agencies on how the service can best serve the public, said Mike Ryan, manager of operations for RTS Orleans, which is based on West Academy Street at the Orleans County Highway Department.

RTS, the parent organization for the service in Orleans and several other counties, has launched a regional service efficiency study to identify service improvements and connections across the seven counties served by RTS.

Some of agencies served by RTS Orleans will meet at Hoag at 2 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss the service’s strengths and weaknesses.

The public is then invited to a 4 p.m. meeting at Hoag to discuss the local bus service.

The public can also fill out an online survey by clicking here. (Editor’s Note: The survey has been closed. This link to Survey Monkey has been removed.)

For more information, contact RTS Orleans at (585) 589-0707.

2 arrested for allegedly selling crack cocaine in Medina, including taxi driver

Staff Reports Posted 29 February 2016 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – Two people have been charged, including a taxi driver, for allegedly selling crack cocaine in the Village of Medina, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force is reporting today.

The Task Force says a driver for Medina Transport used the taxi to sell crack cocaine and transport a drug dealer to customers, and also transport customers to the drug dealer. The owner of Medina Transport didn’t know the taxi driver was using the taxi for the crimes, the Task Force reported today.

The following were arrested on Friday:

Reginald A. Kendrick

Reginald A. Kendrick, 40, of 703 Church St., Apt. 2, in Medina was charged with eight counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree (Class B felonies), eight counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (Class B felonies), and four counts of conspiracy in the fourth degree (Class E felonies).

Kendrick was arraigned in Ridgeway Town Court by Town Justice Joseph Kujawa. Kendrick was remanded to the Orleans County Jail without bail due to his previous criminal history, the Task Force reported.

Kendrick is to return to Town Court at 6 p.m. on March 3. He also is wanted on a drug charge out of the State of Georgia.

Roy W. Bishop

Roy W. Bishop, 42, of 11345 Main St., in the Town of Shelby was arraigned on three counts of both criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (Class B felonies) and five counts of conspiracy in the fourth degree (Class E felonies).

Bishop works for Medina Transport as a driver. He was using his job to facilitate the drug crimes, said Joseph Sacco, supervising investigator for the Task Force.

Bishop was arraigned by Ridgeway Town Justice Joseph Kujawa and remanded to the county jail on $50,000 bail. Bishop is to return to Town Court at 6 p.m. on March 3.

Further arrests and charges are pending in the investigation, Sacco said.

Leap Day babies enjoy special birthday once every 4 years

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Provided photos – Dell Stork is 84 today, or 21 if measured by Leap Day birthdays every four years. This photo was taken on June 17, 2012.

MEDINA – Most people can celebrate the anniversary of their birth every year. But for a few local residents that birthday anniversary comes every four years.

Dell Stork is one of the Leap Day babies. The former Medina fire chief was born 84 years ago today. He joked today he is actually only 21.

“I’m going to try to have one beer,” he said. “I can drink legally after all of those years.”

Stork typically celebrates his birthday on Feb. 28 or March 1. As a kid, his family would stretch out the birthday over a couple days when it wasn’t a Leap Year.

Several people called him today to wish him a happy birthday, which he appreciated.

File photo by Tom Rivers – Amy Sidari is pictured at the Cabaret at Studio B where friends and family celebrated her birthday on Saturday.

Amy Sidari is 48 today, but she said she is calling it her twelfth birthday, the same as her son Kyle. Sidari, owner of Gotta Dance by Miss Amy and the Cabaret at Studio B, welcomed her friends and family to a birthday gathering on Saturday. About 100 people showed up at the dance studio on West Bank Street in Albion.

“It was so great,” she said about the party. “It was so full of energy and it was a loving time.”

Sidari has a 9-year-old daughter who will be 13 in four years. That has Sidari thinking she will have a 13th Leap Day Party in four years, when she said she and her daughter will both be 13.

Sidari said her family through the years has made her feel special for about a week near her birthday, including on non-Leap Day years.

Brian Bentley of Barre is 20 today, celebrating his fifth Leap Day birthday. Brian graduated from Albion in 2014 and then finished from Ohio Technical College with a degree in heavy diesel in December 2015.

He now works at Milton CAT in Batavia and is an active volunteer with the Barre Fire Company. He is an assistant mechanic at the Fire Company. His mother Terry Bentley sent in this photo and wished him a happy birthday.

National Grid provides $15,800 grant for Dobbins expansion in Lyndonville

Staff Reports Posted 29 February 2016 at 12:00 am

LYNDONVILLE – National Grid has approved a $15,800 grant to support the expansion and upgrade of cold storage facilities in Lyndonville for H.H. Dobbins Inc.

Dobbins has invested $3.4 million to construct a new, state-of-the-art controlled atmosphere for its affiliate that stores, packs and ships apples around the world. The new technology allows Dobbins to improve its storage capabilities while reducing its energy costs.

“It has been an honor to continue a business started by my great grandfather and make the updates necessary to stay competitive in the 21st century,” said Ward Dobbins, owner and managing member. “We are grateful for partners like National Grid who embrace our vision and our dedicated employees who are integral to our continued progress.”

National Grid announced today it is also providing $50,000 to D.A. Tufts Co. to support its renovation of a key building in Batavia’s downtown area. D.A. Tufts is investing more than $400,000 for a mixed-use renovation of the 5,200-square-foot building that anchors the corner of East Main Street and Harvester Avenue.

The adaptive reuse of the structure will include both commercial and market-rate residential space. The grant is from National Grid’s Main Street Revitalization program. The grant helped make possible the upgrades needed to convert the structure to have highly efficient mechanical systems and a fresh and stylish new look.

National Grid’s Economic Development Grant Program maintains a strong focus on site development, urban revitalization, strategic marketing, and facilitating customer growth through infrastructure assistance, energy efficiency and productivity improvement. The program reflects an increasing emphasis on sustainable development, the efficient use of existing energy infrastructure, and the strategic deployment of renewable generation technologies.

Lyndonville high schoolers join community reading effort

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 February 2016 at 12:00 am

3 students win essay contest about ‘Black River’

Provided photos – Three Lyndonville High School seniors – Jenna Doran, Jasmine Plummer and Amanda Blackburn – read “Black River” and were picked as essay contest winners, earning a chance to have lunch with author S. M. Hulse of Spokane, Wa. Hulse will visit Lyndonville on March 11 as part of a three-day stint in the area for “A Tale for Three Counties.”

LYNDONVILLE – The three-county reading effort “A Tale for Three Counties” continues to grow each year from its initial effort that was focused among libraries in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties.

The effort in recent years has expanded to Genesee Community College, with students reading and discussing the book, and the college planning lectures to address themes in the novel.

The 14th annual event for the first time includes a local high school reading the book and discussing it in classes. Lyndonville High School is using the book Grade 11 Pre-Advanced Placement English, Grade 12 AP English, and Grade 12 English.

About 45 Lyndonville students read the book and discussed the writing style, character development and themes in their classes. The students also entered an essay contest through “Tale” and three students – Jenna Doran, Jasmine Plummer and Amanda Blackburn – were picked as contest winners, a prize that includes lunch with the author.

S. M. Hulse of Spokane, Wa., author of “Black River,” will visit the three counties March 10-12. She also will be at Lyndonville to meet with students on March 11.

Lyndonville’s 11th grade pre-AP class discusses Black River during a recent class.

“We wanted to promote reading in general and connect to a larger community project,” said Jason Smith, superintendent of Lyndonvlle Central School.

He has read many of the 14 books through “Tale” and participates in the book discussion at Yates Community Library. He also was asked to read a couple books under consideration for “Tale” this year.

Smith likes how the “Tale” books are set in small towns, and include up-and-coming authors who visit the area.

“It’s an authentic learning experience where you can interact with the author,” he said. “The books are rich with dialogue, setting, themes and memorable characters.”

Black River includes some mature themes, but they weren’t too challenging for Lyndonville students, Smith said.

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, click here.

Brockport man sentenced to 7 years in prison after rape conviction

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 February 2016 at 12:00 am

ALBION – A Brockport man, 29, was sentenced to seven years in state prison today after a jury convicted him on Dec. 7 of second-degree rape.

Matthew M. Edwards of West Ridge Road continued to profess his innocence today during sentencing. Edwards was found guilty by a jury of 13 counts of second-degree rape, 13 counts of second-degree criminal sexual act and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

Edwards allegedly had sex with a 13-year-old girl in the Village of Holley between July 4 and Aug. 30, 2014.

District Attorney Joe Cardone asked Orleans County Court Judge James Punch to sentence Edwards to state prison. Cardone said Edwards has extensive criminal history, including other sex crimes.

Larry Koss, attorney for Edwards, said Edwards in past cases has admitted his crimes and pleaded guilty. If Edwards had pleaded guilty to the more recent charges, he could have reduced his prison sentence in a plea deal, Koss said. But Edwards has been consistent in denying the charges.

“I’ve done a lot of things in my life that I’m not proud of,” Edwards said during sentencing this afternoon. “I’ve made a lot of bad choices. But I didn’t do this. I didn’t do these crimes. I deserve to go to prison but not for this crime.”

Edwards said he has struggled with drug and mental health issues. He said he would use his time in prison to work on those problems.

“I’m tired,” Edwards said. “This isn’t the life I want to lead.”

Judge Punch said a jury found Edwards guilty.

“I have no quarrel with the jury’s verdict,” Punch told Edwards. “You need to come to grips with what you did in this case.”

The judge also said there would be 15 years of post-release supervision for Edwards, and ordered that he pay a $1,000 victim fee, $325 court surcharge, $50 DNA fee, and $50 sex offender registry fee. The judge also issued an order of protection for the victim.

Storm will bring snow and ice on Tuesday, Wednesday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 February 2016 at 12:00 am

The waterfalls in Clarendon along South Holley Road and Pumping Station Road near Holley is pictured last week. The east branch of Sandy Creek runs by here near the Holley Rod and Gun Club.

A storm will hit the area on Tuesday, bringing 5 to 10 inches of snow in Orleans County by 10 a.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Buffalo is reporting.

The Weather Service says snow and ice will make travel difficult, especially for the morning commute on Wednesday.

Icicles hang from a limb in the waterfalls along South Holley Road.

Little protest at latest Squirrel Slam

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Only one protestor was in Holley on Saturday to publicly denounce the Squirrel Slam, a hunting contest that is a fund-raiser for the Holley Fire Department.

The event in the previous three years drew national and international attention from animal rights activists. But this time Holley wasn’t in the Bull’s Eye of activists. Only Richard Brummel, an environmental activist from Long Island, was in town with placards against the event.

Brummel chatted with people holding signs in support of the hunters. It was a friendly conversation and Brummel shook their hands before leaving around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Brummel was in Orleans County Court in February 2015, trying to get Judge James Punch to stop the contest. Brummel tried to make the case an environmental impact study should have been done to determine if the contest had a detrimental effect on the local squirrel population. Punch dismissed the case.

Brummel said he is optimistic the case will be taken up by the Fourth Appellate Court in Rochester. Brummel wants the Holley Fire Department to do an environmental impact study on the squirrel population.

“We want an analysis,” Brummel said.

Laura Knab, right, of Albion was across the street from Brummel. She arrived at 9 a.m. by the Holley Hotel and held signs in support of hunters. She was joined by Ahmad Asci, center, and Joe Kellenberger.

Knab, 23, said she has been hunting since she was 12.

“People don’t understand our way of life,” she said.

Pride Pak building takes shape in Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 February 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos courtesy of Chris Busch

MEDINA – Contractors started last week installing steel for the new 62,000-square-foot vegetable processing facility for Pride Pak. The building is taking shape on Route 31A (Maple Ridge Road) across from Genesee Community College.

Pride Pak has been eyeing a June opening for the facility that will have 85-100 employees in phase one of the project. Pride Pak expects it will expand from the 62,000-square-foot building in the future and employ 200 people.

These photos were taken today by Medina resident Chris Busch.

Here is a rendering of how the building will look when it is completed.