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.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 September 2016 at 2:24 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Students in Kim Toombs’ Introduction to Technology and Careers class, including Alexa Grandy in yellow shirt, made 90 ponchos for breast cancer patients.
The eighth-graders at Albion Middle School also are working on 100 post-surgery pillows, and 50 smaller pillows. They will be delivered by the class of 22 students next Friday on a field trip to the Pluta Cancer Center through Strong Memorial Hospital, the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, and Highland Hospital in Rochester.
Kim Toombs, right, gives pointers for making a poncho to student Leeanna Montanarella. Toombs is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed in July 2014. After surgery, she completed chemotherapy and radiation in January 2015.
“This is a service-learning project where kids give to the community and not always be on the receiving end,” Toombs said.
It’s also a chance for the teacher to give back to the Pluta Cancer Center, the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, and Highland Hospital, where she received care.
Annalise Steier works on one of the ponchos. Students in Toombs’ class last year made 70 ponchos. But this year the students have been fast learners and eager to work on the projects. That allowed Toombs to boost the number of ponchos to 90.
Maurice Taylor Jr. shows two of the pillows and Quinn McCue wears one of the ponchos made by the class.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2016 at 6:51 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Town of Albion Highway Department is running a 160-foot-long 8-inch water main that will link Water District #6 with districts #2 and #3.
The town ran a waterline that connected with a 12-inch main that was a dead end on Route 31, just east of Gaines Basin Road. Water District #6 also stopped on the other side of Gaines Basin. The town spent three days with help from other municipalities to run an 8-inch water line, connecting the districts.
Albion had to cut across Gaines Basin and that section will be repaved to Route 31 next month, Town Highway Superintendent Michael Neidert said. (This photo was taken on Wednesday afternoon when the section of Gaines Basin Road near 31 was put back together and cleaned up.)
The waterline will also be tested and should be activated next week after tests from the Health Department.
The line provides a backup source of water for the nursing home and other users on Route 31 from near the village line heading west to near Wal-Mart.
Besides the Albion town crews, highway workers from Carlton and the Orleans County Highway Department assisted with the project.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2016 at 7:07 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Brandon Annable, a new sergeant for the Albion Police Department, takes the office on Wednesday evening during the Albion Village Board meeting. Village Clerk Linda Babcock, left, administers the oath while Annable’s wife Tracy holds the Bible. Police Chief Roland Nenni is second from right and Lt. David Mogle is at right. Deputy Mayor Eileen Banker is in back.
Annable has worked for the Albion PD for five years as a patrolman. He started his career as a part-time officer in Middleport and Barker eight years ago and then worked for the Transit Police in Buffalo. He welcomed the chance to return to a village police force.
Brandon Annable said he enjoys working in a small town, compared to a bigger city.
“I wanted to work in a small town where you’re not just a number,” he said Wednesday after the swearing-in.
Annable has proven an asset to the Albion police, providing leadership and serving as one of the field training officers for younger officers who join the department, said Police Chief Roland Nenni.
Albion’s Police Department has become younger recently with several retirements of long-time officers. Nathaniel Staines, Guy Burke and Daryl Robb are all new hires, and the department has one more opening to fill.
The department has 13 officers when it’s at full strength. Annable said he likes that his promotion isn’t an administrative-only job. He will still be out doing patrols.
Nenni said the union for the police officers and Village Board recently amended the officers’ contract where they work 12-hour shifts. That has cut down on overtime while boosting their base pay.
“It’s had zero impact on the budget and it allows officers to have more time off,” Nenni said.
Sgt. Brandon Annable’s parents, Audrey and Ross, were part of the swearing-in. Annable’s mother pinned on the collar brass and his father pinned on his son’s badge.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 September 2016 at 8:51 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Workers at Kast Farms on Zig-Zag Road wait to be treated by medical personnel after they were exposed to an insecticide this afternoon at the farm.
Kast Farms had sprayed the chemical on a field, and some of the insecticide drifted over to an orchard where workers were picking apples.
Some of them complained of numbness and nauseous. The farm they called for medical attention at about 2:30 p.m.
Jeremy Graham, Albion’s deputy fire chief, was among the firefighters who responded to the call. He arrived to find two or three of the farmworkers vomiting.
Firefighters used soap and water to decontaminate the workers, who were transported by ambulance to United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, and Rochester General and Strong Memorial in Rochester.
The workers changed out of their clothes into Tyvek suits so they wouldn’t bring clothes with chemicals to the hospital.
Graham said the protocol for hazardous materials calls for the workers to be observed in a hospital for 12 hours in case there are any late onset symptoms.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is expected at the scene on Thursday to remove water used in the decontamination of the workers.
Graham said Kast Farms managers and owners were at the scene and showed concern for the workers, calling for medical attention when there were signs of possible illness.
There were several first responders on scene, including three ambulances from Monroe Ambulance, two from Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance and one from Medina Fire Department.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 September 2016 at 3:22 pm
Benefit for Chris Caldwell set for Sunday at Ridgeway Fire Hall
Photos by Tom Rivers: Chris Caldwell does a push-up on Tuesday. He works hard in physical therapy and doing daily exercises to regain strength and mobility. His left leg was amputated from just above the knee.
ALBION – Chris Caldwell greets people with a smile and a firm handshake. He is upbeat despite a painful path to recovery after being critically injured about a year ago.
Caldwell was hit by a car on Harrison Road in Shelby on Sept. 7, 2015. The vehicle may have been going 45 miles per hour. Caldwell, 38, was hit from behind while walking on the road. His head hit the windshield and his body went flying.
First responders weren’t optimistic he would survive after he was struck that day. He was flown by Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center, where doctors also were grim in predicting Caldwell’s future.
His left leg was shattered and became infected. Doctors tried to save the leg but were forced to amputate it from below the knee on Sept. 25.
Caldwell, who had worked a decade as a heavy equipment operator for C.P. Ward in Rochester, was clinging for his life. He suffered a traumatic brain injury. His ribs on the left side were all broken. He had a collapsed lung. His left arm was also shattered, and he suffered other injuries, including fractured vertebrae.
His mother remembers seeing him the first time at ECMC, looking lifeless with tubes and bandages, and a worry permeating his hospital room.
She knelt by her son and told him to keep fighting, to stay alive for his two sons: Christopher, now 13; and Jackson, 9.
Caldwell’s eyes flickered open at his mother’s words. She prayed for him then, asking God for healing and for strength for the family in the days ahead.
Chris Caldwell is pictured with his mother, Ida Caldwell. She said it is a miracle her son survived and has recovered as much as he has.
Caldwell has rebounded, although he has a ways to go. He left the hospital on Dec.17, about 3 ½ months after the accident. He attends physical therapy three times a week in Brockport. He does daily stretches and exercises.
He remembers when he couldn’t hold a glass of water with his left hand. Now he can do push-ups.
“He’s so motivated to make progress,” said his mother, who works as a program coordinator for the advocacy program at The Arc of Orleans.
Caldwell fell twice on Monday. He was frustrated and he said it’s hard to get back up when he falls.
“It’s easier to walk standing up,” he said with a smile.
His recovery has been slowed by the brain injury. The blow to the head damaged the area of the brain that controls mobility. Caldwell is learning to walk all over again, with only one leg this time.
Caldwell grew up in Albion. He was living in his own home in Shelby when he was hit by Danielle Conrad, who was driving drunk on Sept. 7. She was sentenced in April to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison for vehicular assault.
In April, Caldwell suffered sepsis, a potentially life-threatening infection.
In February he was denied Social Security short-term disability benefits because officials there believed he could recover in time to be working within a year, his mother said.
She is hopeful her son will continue to make progress. She is thankful for his recovery so far.
“God has carried us,” Ida Caldwell said. “He answered our prayers. He got us through it.”
Caldwell’s friends and family have planned a fund-raiser for this Sunday from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company, 11392 Ridge Rd., Medina.
There will be a basket raffle, silent auction, music and food. The benefit will go towards Caldwell’s continued medical care.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 September 2016 at 7:32 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
Local officials joined Ben DeGeorge of the DeGeorge Property Group on Friday for a ribbon-cutting and open house for the Orleans Business Center, a new business incubator at the Arnold Gregory Office Complex, a former hospital on South Main Street in Albion.
The following are pictured, from left: Jamaal Stevens, vice president of operations for DeGeorge; Ben DeGeorge; Donna Saskowski, executive director of The Arc of Orleans and Genesee ARC (a tenant at Arnold Gregory); State Assemblyman Steve Hawley; Diane Blanchard, manager of the Microenterprise Assistance Program in Orleans County; State Sen. Robert Ortt; and Michael Kracker, deputy chief of staff for Congressman Chris Collins.
DeGeorge bought the building from Ray Lissow in December 2014. DeGeorge said Lissow was creative in redeveloping the former hospital hospital, a 56,000-square-foot building that closed in the late 1980s.
The building is now home to 16 different tenants, including six that have moved to Arnold Gregory in the past year. The new incubator is in the suite that was used by Dr. John Thompson, a family physician who has moved out of the area.
The Orleans Business Center has 4,000 square feet. There are rooms for 10 to 12 units who can share a copier, signage, WiFi, a conference room and a gym.
Samantha Marchincin, left, is the first tenant in the Orleans Business Center. She is pictured with Diana Blanchard, manager of the Microenterprise Assistance Program.
Marchincin took the 10-week small business training program run by MAP last spring. She has started a business, Muze, that offers social media services for musicians.
The 200 square feet of space in the incubator “is just perfect for me,” she said. She wanted a low-cost physical space for the business. If Muze grows, she said she would like for a bigger location.
That is the goal of the incubator, to offer professional space to a new business. DeGeorge and economic development officials hope the business will outgrow the incubator and settle into a storefront or bigger office space.
“This is an affordable business startup,” Blanchard said.
She is also using the Arnold Gregory for weekly classes for the MAP class after meeting in the Hoag Library in Albion. Arnold Gregory is more of a business setting and the MAP class has access to a bigger classroom space, with a bathroom and kitchenette, Blanchard said.
Some of the other tenants at Arnold Gregory include The Arc of Orleans Rainbow Preschool, Catholic Charities, Dr. Rumble (dentist), Lake Plains Medical (doctor’s office), Restore, Neil Lewis (chiropractor), Different Strokes Massage, utility company field office, Miracle Ear, Pathstone, Northpoint Chapel, Mental Health Association of Genesee and Orleans Counties, Keeler Construction, Venture Forth (home care agency) and New Direction Youth and Family Services.
The Arc also opened a coffee and snack shop in the the lobby by the main entrance last year. DeGeorge said about 275 people visit the building each day.
