Provided photo: Albion Police Officer Dan Baase, left, and Sgt. David Mogle are pictured with Sarah Bassinett after she stopped by the police station today.
Posted 13 October 2016 at 5:14 pm
Press Release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni
ALBION – The Albion Police Department was honored today to be visited by Sarah Bassinett of Girl Scout Troop 82259. Sarah dropped off “Survival Kits for Law Enforcement Officers.”
In the white bags, that were closed with a cut out of a badge and blue ribbon, were various candies. On the bag was a list of the candies with its specific meaning towards law enforcement.
For example, the Life Saver in the bag was to remind law enforcement officers of how many times they have saved a life.
The Laffy Taffy in the bag was to remind officers that laughter is a great stress reliever.
The Albion Police Department would like to thank Sarah for the thoughtfulness of bringing the bags to the police departments.
Police officers do their jobs day in and day out with the understanding that they do not need or want recognition. However, when someone like Sarah makes a point to come to the police station and show police officers that she cares it means a great deal to us.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 October 2016 at 3:43 pm
Jim Babcock
ALBION – Jim Babcock said he has thick skin and can handle the jokes coming Saturday, at his expense.
“They definitely have a lot to talk about with me,” Babcock said. “I think it will be a good time for everyone else, I don’t know about me.”
Babcock will be “roasted” during a benefit at Tillman’s Village Inn. Proceeds for the roast go to the The Salmon Children’s Foundation, which has directed nearly $15,000 to a scholarship for Albion students in memory of Nicholas Kovaleski.
The Foundation also supports other causes, including The Open Door Mission in Rochester, Camp Good Days, Holy Childhood in Rochester and other children fighting illnesses.
Jim Salmon of Barre is host of the roast, as well as a home repair clinic on WHAM 1180. Salmon works as a home inspector.
He started the roast last year with Doug Bower, an Albion plumber and guest on the Home Repair Clinic, the first target of an evening of jokes.
File photo by Tom Rivers: Doug Bower lets out a big laugh last Oct. 24 when he was roasted by Jim Salmon during a benefit at Tillman’s Village Inn. Bower, a plumber in Albion, is co-host of the WHAM Home Repair Clinic with Salmon. Saturday the roast will feature local contractor, Jim Babcock.
Babcock has worked as a local contractor for nearly 40 years. He has owned his own business, Jim Babcock Construction, since 1996.
He has appeared in variety shows at the Cabaret at Studio B run by Amy Sidari, and helped with the annual Hometown Christmas show to benefit the scholarship fund in memory of Nicholas Kovaleski.
Salmon said roasting Bower last October drew a capacity crowd to the Village Inn and proved a fun evening of entertainment. He said several people eagerly offered to help roast Babcock.
The public has already purchased 90 tickets for the Babcock roast and more are spots are available by calling the Village Inn at (585) 589-9151.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Salmon said. “Everyone agreed there is enough good material on Jimmy.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 October 2016 at 10:20 pm
ALBION – The Albion boys varsity soccer team recognized three teachers and the middle school librarian as honorary captains during today’s home finale against Medina. The four all have battled breast cancer.
This photo shows from left: Jodi Shaffer, middle school librarian; senior Joe Madejski; Kelly Wadhams, elementary school teacher; senior Owen Foos (in back); Dawn Arnold, elementary school teacher; senior Donato Rosario; Kim Toombs, middle school teacher; and senior Nick Reed.
The Albion boys varsity soccer team is wearing pink socks for home games this month to highlight breast cancer awareness month.
The team also sold cookies with a pink ribbon design in the frosting, and pink ribbons to raise funds for breast cancer research during today’s home game. There were also informational displays at the field.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 October 2016 at 5:55 pm
Photo courtesy of Bruce Landis: Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes in Albion and Holley has four full-time funeral directors, from left: Josh Mitchell, Scott Schmidt, Paula Fuller and David Mitchell.
ALBION – A local funeral home has been recognized with a national award for excellence and customer service.
Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes is one of 160 funeral homes in the country that will receive the “Pursuit of Excellence Award” from the National Funeral Directors Association, which represents about 10,000 funeral homes.
The award is presented by the association to funeral homes that have demonstrated a commitment to raising the bar on funeral service excellence by adhering to strict ethical and professional standards and providing outstanding service to families and communities.
“The staff of these funeral homes demonstrate their commitment to the highest professional and ethical standards every single day,” said NFDA President Bob Arrington. “They have truly earned this award and we are proud to count them as members of NFDA.”
To earn an NFDA Pursuit of Excellence Award, a funeral home must demonstrate proficiency in key areas of funeral service, such as compliance with state and federal regulations; providing ongoing education and professional development opportunities for staff; offering outstanding programs and resources to bereaved families; maintaining an active level of involvement in the community; participating and actively serving in the funeral service profession; and promoting funeral home services through a variety of marketing, advertising and public relations programs.
Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes started in 1957, and has remained a locally owned business, donating many thousands of dollars to numerous local causes each year.
“Our staff all live and work in the communities we serve and we believe it is our obligation to not only be a part of those communities, but to give back to them as well,” said David Mitchell, who joined the funeral home in 1984, following his father, co-founder Rho Mitchell. “Whether giving back is in the form of volunteering time, talent or providing financial assistance, we all give back as we are grateful and proud to be part of the community.”
David’s son, Josh, is a third generation funeral director. He joined the family business in 2012. Josh, 26, also is a certified celebrant. He can officiate services for people who did not have an affiliation with a church. Josh sits down with family members of the deceased and he gives a eulogy at the funeral.
Josh also oversees the grounds at both Albion and Holley funeral homes. The Albion Betterment Committee recently presented Christopher Mitchell with a “Landscape Award” for the efforts to maintain flowers and keep up the high-profile sites.
“We try to make it feel cozy like a home,” Josh said. “It’s not a facility.”
Christopher Mitchell does about 180 funerals a year from its sites in Albion and Holley. All four funeral directors said they look forward to each day, working with their colleagues and members of the community.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The funeral directors at Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes are pictured this morning outside the funeral home on Route 31.
Scott Schmidt, Orleans County’s chief coroner, has worked at Christopher Mitchell since 1997. He said the staff are like a family. Schmidt said listening, empathy and understanding are the most crucial skills to the job.
“You have the ability to make someone’s worse day a little bit better,” he said.
Paula Fuller grew up in Macedon across the street from a funeral home. She said she wanted to be a funeral director since she was 12. She did a one-year internship with Christopher Mitchell and stayed after David Mitchell offered her a job in 1994.
“I liked Albion,” she said. “I met some really nice people. It’s a small town and it’s a nice place to raise a family.”
The funeral directors coordinate with local clergy, churches, cemeteries, military honor guards, media outlets, casket and vault companies, flower shops and other service providers to assist families.
David Mitchell said the funeral directors are committed to providing the best possible service. He wants to pursue the award of excellence annually through the National Funeral Directors Association.
“We’re very, very honored to receive this award,” he said. “It will keep us striving to serve our local families.”
The award will be presented in Philadelphia during the NFDA annual convention on Oct. 24.
For more on the National Funeral Directors Association, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 October 2016 at 11:55 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: This home on West State Street, behind the Post Office, is one of 43 houses in the Village of Albion considered a “zombie” property.
ALBION – The Village of Albion has been awarded a $75,000 state grant to address “zombie homes” – abandoned homes that are not maintained during prolonged foreclosure proceedings.
Albion has identified 43 zombie homes in the village, Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti said today.
“We want them to be assets,” Vendetti said. “We will do anything we can to get people in these houses.”
The state funding will help Albion implement a plan for researching which bank owns the vacant houses, market the sites to prospective homeowners, provide financial counseling for potential homeowners, and pay for legal work to possibly acquire the houses through Albion’s local development corporation (LDC) and then seek requests for proposals (RFPs) for the sites.
“We are going to develop a template for how to deal with this,” Vendetti said.
The zombie houses have troubled Albion and communities in New York for nearly a decade.
State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced grants for $12.6 million to help 76 cities, towns, and villages across the state with “zombie homes.” The grants were awarded under the Zombie Remediation and Prevention Initiative, which the Office of the Attorney General established in July with funds drawn from the $3.2 billion settlement agreement with Morgan Stanley.
“Too many homeowners across New York are still struggling to rebuild their communities in the wake of the housing crisis caused by major banks,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “I’m proud that the funding obtained by my office’s settlement with Morgan Stanley will now help cities and towns across the state reverse the proliferation of zombie properties, which invite crime and threaten the value of surrounding homes. These grants will help rebuild, revitalize, and stabilize communities across the state.”
The money will address housing vacancy and blight by bolstering municipalities’ capacity for housing code enforcement, for tracking and monitoring vacant properties, and for legal enforcement capacity to ensure banks and mortgage companies comply with local and state law.
The initiative coincides with the June 2016 passage of the Abandoned Property Neighborhood Relief Act, a bill that the Attorney General wrote.
Among other provisions, that law requires banks to register any properties abandoned by their owners with the Department of Financial Services and to maintain those properties during the foreclosure process, and not just once the process has been completed. Banks face significant fines for non-compliance.
The state will share the registry with localities and will run a toll-free hotline for individuals to report such properties. While accurate numbers have been hard to come by, Schneiderman’s office said it has been estimated, based on data released by Realty Trac in 2015, that there are some 16,000 zombie homes across the state.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 October 2016 at 7:24 pm
ALBION – “Mrs. Rosa the Scarecrow” is attached to a light pole on Main Street in Albion by the downtown clock.
Organizers of a first-time Scarecrow Fest in downtown Albion weren’t sure what to expect on Saturday when the the event kicked off. Kim Remley of Energize Albion and one of the event coordinators hoped for at least six scarecrows.
There are more than a dozen so far and participants can still enter by Oct. 15.
This scarecrow is decorated to highlight breast cancer awareness month.
Three dancing scarecrows are set up by the First Presbyterian Church of Albion.
Prizes will be awarded for cutest, scariest, funniest and most traditional scarecrows. Contest ballots will be available throughout the downtown shops. Ballot boxes will be located at Krantz Furniture and the Downtown Browsery.
Only one vote per person is permitted. The last day for voting is Oct. 26. Winners will be announced at “Beggar’s Night” on Oct. 28.
Kelsey and Ella Froman created this scarecrow.
This scarecrow is attached to the light pole in front of the Main Street lift bridge.
This scarecrow, named “Marge Simpson,” sits by Gurney’s Olde Coach Inn.
“Mateo” is a pleasant personality in the downtown.
Xpress Fitness made a scarecrow in workout clothes.
This pirate scarecrow is outside the Uptown Browsery and Pratt Works.
Grace and Casey Thompson made this scarecrow for the the contest.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 October 2016 at 3:50 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – This witch scarecrow was created by Matt Hand of United Structural LLC. It is hanging sideways from a light pole on Main Street in Albion. It is one of the entries in a Scarecrow Fest put on by the Albion Merchants Association and the Energize Albion group.
The competition is open to Albion businesses and other community members, who are urged to display scarecrows on Main Street from Route 31 to the canal, and also on Bank Street.
Kelsey Froman (right), 10, and her sister Ella, 8, work on a scarecrow at the village parking lot on Main Street by the Presbyterian Church.
Scarecrows need to be at least 5 feet tall. Businesses and other community members are welcome to enter the contest by Oct. 15.
Prizes will be awarded for cutest, scariest, funniest and most traditional scarecrows. Contest ballots will be available throughout the downtown shops. Ballot boxes will be located at Krantz Furniture and the Downtown Browsery. Only one vote per person is permitted. The last day for voting is Oct. 26. Winners will be announced at “Beggar’s Night” on Oct. 28.
Village Trustee Stan Farone, one of the leaders of Energize Albion, is pictured through a scarecrow cutout.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 7 October 2016 at 7:25 pm
Photo by Cheryl Wertman
ALBION – Members of the Albion football team are pictured with long-time coach Wayne Wadhams (behind No. 7 to the right) before the kickoff of tonight’s game vs. Akron. Both teams are 1-4 and are playing each other for the first time since 1990.
Wadhams is retiring as a high school technology education teacher, effective Feb. 28, 2017. He has served more than 30 years as a football coach at Albion. He played on the school’s 1979 team that won Albion’s first Sectional title.
Wadhams and the senior football players were honored tonight during the last home game of the season for the Purple Eagles.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 October 2016 at 2:21 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Travis Crowley, coordinator of the furniture program at the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, puts a temporary GOMOC sign on a moving truck.
The Ministry of Concern’s previous truck, a 2004 GMC Savana van, had about 160,000 miles, and needed another engine and other repairs totaling $8,000. The Ministry of Concern was given a good deal on a 2000 GMC box truck with only 12,000 miles. That truck was owned by the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Volunteer Fire Company.
The truck will get professional detailing with the GOMOC name on Oct. 26. Crowley and the Ministry of Concern wanted a temporary sign until then. The truck is expected on the road soon. GOMOC is waiting on the title to be sent from Albany.
Laverne Bates, Ministry of Concern executive director, said the title is expected any day. As soon as it arrives, GOMOC will head to the Department of Motor Vehicles to have the truck on the road.
He thanked the community for stepping forward and donating towards the truck.
“We’re very grateful from the wonderful response,” Bates said today. “It was overwhelming. It was inspiration when we needed it.”
The Ministry of Concern picks up used appliances and furniture and matches them with people in need in Orleans and Genesee counties. There are about 100 people on a waiting list for furniture and appliances – refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers.
Two part-time employees run the furniture program, which on average makes deliveries to 23 families each month or nearly 300 a year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2016 at 10:03 pm
ALBION – The Albion Merchants Association and the Energize Albion group are kicking off a first-time Scarecrow Fest this Saturday.
The competition is open to Albion businesses, which are urged to display scarecrows on Main Street from Route 31 to the canal, and also on Bank Street. The competition is also open to the community, with some scarecrows to be displayed on light poles in the downtown.
Some Albion businesses will have recycled clothing and parts to make scarecrows, with assembly available from noon to 4 p.m. this Saturday by U-Need-O Burrito at the village parking lot. (here will be donated hay and wood at the assembly site.)
Scarecrows need to be at least 5 feet tall. Businesses and other community members are welcome to enter the contest by Oct. 15. (They can work on the scarecrows at home or offsite if this Saturday is too busy.)
“We don’t expect extravagance the first year,” said Kim Remley, a member of Energize Albion.
The committee working on the Scarecrow Fest hopes it will become an annual fall tradition in Albion, promoting the downtown and community, Remley said.
Prizes will be awarded for cutest, scariest, funniest and most traditional scarecrows. Contest ballots will be available throughout the downtown shops. Ballot boxes will be located at Krantz Furniture and the Downtown Browsery.
Only one vote per person is permitted. The last day for voting is Oct. 26. Winners will be announced at “Beggar’s Night” on Oct. 28.
“We are all hopeful that this will prove to be a fun event for families and have tried to create it in a way that encourages visits to local businesses,” said Adam Johnson, the Merchants Association president.
There is no fee to participate, but the committee welcomes donations to help offset advertising and supplies cost.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2016 at 6:59 am
Dan Monacelli says he’s thankful for career in hometown
Photos by Tom Rivers: This photo from October 2014 shows Monacelli portraying “Forgetful Frank,” a character in a mystery where students tried to determine who robbed the Pig E. Bank. It was an exercise to help students with Common Core tests, making them observe, have deductive reasoning and make a compelling case in their writing.
ALBION – Dan Monacelli has announced he will retire after this school year, ending a decade as principal at the Albion Middle School. Monacelli started his career in the building as a health teacher.
He served as a vice principal for a year at the Niagara Academy for the Orleans/Niagara BOCES in Sanborn for his first job in school administration. Then he served six years as a vice principal, athletic director and football coach for Pembroke.
He was hired back to Albion to serve as high school principal. He was in that role for four years before returning to the middle school in 2007. He said serving as principal for grades 6-8 has been “a dream job.”
“Middle School kids are fun,” he said. “They’re also at a point where you can change them. They’re on the fence. You can put programs in place to help them make the right decisions.”
Monacelli notified the board last month of his intention to retire. He wanted to give the school district plenty of time to find his successor.
Dan Monacelli, left, chats with Wayne Wadhams during the modified football game in Albion on Wednesday when seventh- and eighth-graders from Albion played a team from Cheektowaga.
He said he is grateful he had the opportunity to teach in Albion and then serve as principal. Monacelli grew up in Albion and continues to live in the village.
He was a star for Albion’s football team. In 1979, he was named first team all-state and was player of the year.
His wife Joyce is a teacher in the elementary school.
“I’m very thankful to Albion,” Monacelli said. “Everything I have I owe to the community.”
Other teachers have notified the district of their intentions to retire, including Wayne Wadhams, high school technology education teacher, effective Feb. 28, 2017; Janet Husung, elementary classroom teacher, effective June 30, 2017; Irene Henion, Latin teacher, effective June 30, 2017; Keith Piccirilli, middle school social studies teacher, effective June 30, 2017;
Kimberly Toombs, middle school family and consumer science teacher, effective June 30, 2018; Ralph Englert, middle school teacher, effective June 30, 2018; Douglas Mergler, middle school technology teacher, effective June 30, 2018;
Carlos Burroughs, middle school physical education teacher, effective June 30, 2019; Judy Azzolino, elementary school AIS teacher, effective June 30, 2019; Randy Knaak, athletic director, effective July 1, 2019;
Elizabeth Werner, elementary teacher, effective June 30, 2020; and Mary Ann Jablonski, sixth grade teacher, effective June 30, 2020.
Provided photo: National Grid donated $500 to United Way of Orleans County/Albion Christ Community Kitchen. Pictured, from left: Larry Martin, business manager, National Grid; Faith Smith, director for Christ Church Community Kitchen; and Jessica Downey, executive director of United Way of Orleans County.
National Grid donated $12,500 towards hunger relief efforts throughout Western New York during September, which was Hunger Action Month.
The company donated to 10 food banks and hunger relief organizations throughout the eight counties of Western New York. One of the donations included $500 for the Community Kitchen at Christ Church in Albion.
Other recipients include: Food Bank of Western New York, Friends of the Night People (Buffalo), Buffalo City Mission, St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy (Buffalo), Heart Love and Soul Food Pantry (Niagara Falls), North Tonawanda Inter-Church Food Pantry, Rural Ministries “Friendly Kitchen” (Dunkirk), Community Action (Salamanca) and United Way of Genesee County.
“There are too many in our local community who worry where their next meal will come from,” said Kenneth Kujawa, regional manager for National Grid. “While the fight against hunger is year round, September’s Hunger Action Month provides an opportunity to bring the issue top of mind and encourage donations and assistance to help food banks and pantries prior to the holiday season. Every little bit helps and National Grid is proud to play a role in local hunger relief efforts.”
Last year, National Grid launched a companywide campaign to support Hunger Action Month. Locally, a total of 343 pounds of food, enough to feed 285 families, was collected and donated to the Food Bank of Western New York.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 October 2016 at 4:34 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Members of the Albion varsity boys soccer team line up for the national anthem before today’s game vs. Byron-Bergen at home.
The Albion team wore pink socks today and also will for the Oct. 11 home finale vs. Medina. The team will also be selling pink ribbons and cookies on Oct. 11 with proceeds donated to the Knights-Kaderli Memorial Fund that assists cancer patients and their families in Orleans County.
Keith Akers, the team’s coach and a high school health teacher, said the Albion players wanted to raise money and awareness about breast cancer after three Albion teachers recently fought the disease. He urged the crowd on Oct. 11 to wear pink for the Albion-Medina game.
Provided photos: The Albion Police Department will begin using body cameras on Saturday.
Posted 30 September 2016 at 5:43 pm
Press Release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni
ALBION – The Albion Police Department is proud to announce that beginning Oct. 1, the last component to our Video Recording Program will be operational.
The Albion Police Department has had video systems, commonly known as “Dash Cams,” in police vehicles, as well as a video system monitoring the police station on Platt Street for several years.
Body cameras will now be worn by Albion police officers. A policy is in place which outlines when the video systems are to be used.
Video and audio recording devices are designed to assist and compliment officers in the performance of their duties. Video and audio recordings are used to record certain duty-related activities, thereby creating a visual and/or audio record of the incident as a supplement to the officer’s observations and reports.
The policy that has been developed is not intended to describe every possible situation where the system may be used; however, there are many situations where the use of the video and audio recording is recommended and required.
The use of video recordings by police officers are not intended, expected or designed to capture every aspect of police contact or operations. However, they are used as a tool to capture portions of events and to give better insight to an incident or contact.
The Albion Police Department tested eight different body cameras before a selection was made. The camera that was selected was found to more closely meet the needs of the department over the others that were tested.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Brenda Richardson, the front end manager at Save-On Beverage Center and Pawlak’s Save-A-Lot, is pictured by a self-service machine for people to place bets on horse racing at the Save-On Beverage Center.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 September 2016 at 3:43 pm
ALBION – A long-time Off-Track Betting parlor closed on Feb. 27 after about four decades in Albion.
The Albion area still had many dedicated horse-racing fans, but not enough to justify the expense of keeping a betting parlor in the small town, Western Regional Off-Track Betting officials said at the time.
However, OTB has partnered with a local business to bring back a betting site. It’s not an official OTB parlor, but the new EZ-Bet at Save-On Beverage Center gives racing fans a place to bet by using a self-service terminal.
OTB also installed four TV screens for customers to watch the action.
The EZ-Bet opened on Sept. 24 (last Saturday) at Save-On Beverage Center, 320 West Ave. There will be a grand opening on Oct. 14 from 1 to 3 p.m. with some prizes.
There were 72 OTB parlors about 30 years in the Western New York, but that has been pared down to 25. However, the EZ-Bets are a way for OTB to offer a betting option in person without high overhead costs. WROTB now has 28 EZ-Bets. The one at the Save-On site, just across the street from the former OTB location, is the first in Orleans County.
“It’s a way to get into smaller markets,” said Sean Schiano, director of branch operations for WROTB, which is based in Batavia. “We can’t have all of the brick and mortar locations. This is a way to be in small towns and smaller cities.”
Schiano said the sites give a boost to the host businesses. They give up a little bit of space, and get added foot traffic to their sites. Most of the EZ-Bets are at restaurants or bars. There are some in bowling alleys and convenience stores. Those businesses typically are open later than OTB parlors, which benefits many customers, Schiano said.
One customer at the EZ-Bet in Albion today said he is grateful for the local place to wager. He didn’t like having to drive to Batavia to bet since the OTB closed in Albion about seven months ago. Although OTBs have seen a drop in betting in recent years, the customer, who asked that his name not be used, said there are still many local OTB diehards who enjoy betting on the horses.
To see a list of OTB and EZ-Bet locations in WNY, click here.
