By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Victoria Ramos-Perez, 4, of Albion gets ready to throw a ball at the target on the dunk tank. She was able to knock Kirsten Struble into the water. Kirsten’s mother, Nicole Struble, is the children’s librarian at the Hoag Library in Albion.
Hoag kicked off its summer reading challenge today with games and snacks for children. The reading challenge actually starts next week and runs from July 6 to Aug. 13.
Zeke Yohe, 9, of Albion helps his sister Maggie, 1, down an inflatable slide as part of today’s summer reading kick off.
Betty Sue Miller, the library director, watches children having fun outside the library this afternoon.
Charity Garrow, a Hoag Library employee, makes snow cones for children. The treats were popular, drawing a long line of kids.
These friends, Kearston Brennan, left, and Lily Brigham, are happy after getting a snow cone. The two girls, both 7, are from Albion.
Hoag will have several games for children to play in different age groups during the summer, including Plinko (ages 3-9), Tic Tac Toe (ages 10-12), and a punch card for teens and adults.
Hoag will award prizes for participants in the program, including an Amazon Kindle and gift cards for Amazon and the The Book Shoppe in Medina.
Other local libraries also start the reading challenge next week.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Four people were taken by ambulance after an accident involving three vehicles late this afternoon on Route 31, just west of the village line near Frank’s Auto.
The driver of this red vehicle, a Ford Windstar, was headed west when she crossed the center line and hit a Chevy Equinox, said Chris Bourke, the county’s undersheriff. Bourke was on the scene along with Orleans County deputies, the Albion Fire Department, COVA and an ambulance from the Medina Fire Department.
Albion firefighters needed to extricate people from the Windstar, including a grandmother. The three people in the vehicle were taken by ambulance to Medina Memorial Hospital.
The Windstar hit this Equinox head-on. The driver of the Equinox had lacerations and was taken by ambulance to Medina Memorial Hospital. The truck at left also was damaged. It was following the Equinox. The driver wasn’t injured, Bourke said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos courtesy of Marlene Seielstad
ALBION – Josh Metzler accepts his high school diploma on Friday from Margy Brown, president of the Albion Board of Education. Metzler was one of 140 members of the Class of 2016 to graduate during the ceremony at the high school gym.
Meredith Patterson delivers the valedictory address. She spoke about a phoenix, a bird that is cyclically reborn after bursting into flames.
“Associated with the sun and deep wisdom, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor,” Patterson said. “At the conclusion of our educational career at Charles D’Amico High School, our former selves are falling away and bursting into flames, leaving in their wake new, fresh, refined selves with lives full of possibility and hope.”
She urged her classmates to “smolder brightly wherever your flames are carried- whether that be college, the military, or the workforce.”
Family and friends have been the tinder, the initial kindling, that provided a strong base for the graduates. “Without these people and their influence, without our initial kindling, we would be nothing, and even our strongest sparks would not catch,” she said.
Teachers, mentors and coaches fanned the oxygen and graduates provided the heat by pulling from within themselves. “And finally, our education here at Charles D’Amico High School has provided us with the fuel, the schooling that we need to maintain our blaze and the knowledge to recognize when it is time to add more to the fire,” Patterson said.
The graduates may be small sparks now, but their collective blaze can make a big difference in the community and world.
“You are the torchbearers in a world that craves light,” Patterson said. “Other generations were matches, they were flashlights and flickers of candlelight, but we must be the roaring flames that this world needs.”
Daniel Beam, the class salutatorian, delivers his speech as a rap with help from Scott Daniels, left, and Kyle Thaine. Beam went through the alphabet in describing the school experience. Here is the last part of the rap.
understanding being a undergraduate underdog
vortex of violent votes
variety of various vacations
working for a wage for a wallet
who what where when why
x marks the spot
xylophone tones hotter than a boiling pot
yesterday you were in the prime of your youth
yet today be proud of yourself
zero regrets as you zig zag to the zenith
be zealous in your work and proud of your achievements
Albion school officials on stage include, from left: Michael Bonnewell, district superintendent; Kathy Winans, special education teacher; Margy Brown, BOE president; and Matthew Peterson, high school principal.
Katelyn Perry accepts her diploma from Margy Brown.
Juniors who rank high in their class served as escorts. The front students include Mackenzie Luft and Donato Rosario.
The new graduates toss their caps at the end of the ceremony.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Marlee Diehl will lead 2,300 Rotarians in 69 clubs
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Marlee Diehl, a member of the Albion Rotary Club, was installed as the new District Governor for Rotary on Sunday, leading 69 clubs in Western New York and Southern Ontario.
About 100 people from the two countries attended the District Governor changeover celebration on Sunday at Tillman’s Village Inn. Diehl succeeds Kevin Crosby, a Lockport resident and member of the Buffalo Sunrise Club.
There are about 2,300 Rotarians in the district known as the “Best of Friends” District, the first district that included Rotary clubs in two countries.
Crosby said membership in the district held steady overall in 2015-16. The district is losing the Rotary Club in the Tonawandas after 99 years but is adding one in Hamliton.
Diehl said all of the clubs are different with their own strengths. She and Crosby unveiled the theme for Rotary in 2016-17: “Serving Humanity.”
Diehl addresses the crowd Sunday at the Village Inn, where the Albion Rotary Club has its regular weekly meetings on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m.
Diehl and her husband attended the Rotary International Convention in Seoul, Korea, on May 27 to June 1. She said she is honored to be District Governor on the centennial of the Rotary Foundation, which directs money to international aid efforts.
Diehl, a Waterport resident, has been active in many district events and committees, helping to plan and lead district conferences and training sessions. She served as assistant district governor for three years.
She has been active in Rotary since 1994, when she joined a club in Hamilton, Ontario. Diehl’s husband Bill is twice a past president of the Albion Rotary Club. They met at a Rotary conference in Toronto in 2009, when they were both at a training session for incoming Rotary presidents.
As district governor, Diehl said her focus will be celebrating Rotarians, especially those with a long commitment to helping their communities.
For about 35 years she worked as a recruiter, helping companies find executives and leaders in management. While connecting with business leaders, she noticed many wore Rotary pins or had Rotary posters on their walls.
When she was looking for an outlet for community service, she turned to Rotary and joined the Hamilton club in 1994. She is also active at the First Presbyterian Church in Albion and the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Marty Hobbs plays the guitar with The Who Dats during Thursday’s concert by the canal in Albion. A big crowd came out for the popular local band as part of Albion’s Thursday concert series.
The concert series started last Thursday and continues until Aug. 4. The bands play beginning at 6 p.m. by the fire hall. The Albion Fire Department has refreshments available during the concerts.
Aaron Robinson is the drummer for The Who Dats.
Lonnie Froman is the lead singer for the band, and he had people up dancing.
Upcoming concerts include:
June 30, Old Hippies; July 7, The Dady Brothers; July 14, The Lonely Ones; July 21, Triple Play Band; July 28, Don Newcomb Band; Aug. 4, The Legendary Jonesie & the Cruisers.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Kenai kept a watchful eye on Tyler Schnepf
Photos by Tom Rivers – Tyler Schnepf, 11, climbs the stairs in the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School this morning with Kenai, a service dog trained to detect changes in Tyler’s blood sugar levels. Kenai spent the entire school year with Tyler.
ALBION – The Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School welcomed a popular addition this school year: a service dog named Kenai.
The dog stayed close to fifth-grader Tyler Schnepf throughout the year, even riding the bus with him and joining him at school concerts. Kenai, a 2-year-old English Cream Golden Retriever, spent most of the school days sitting on the carpet next to Tyler in Mrs. Mindy Kenward’s class.
“It was a very smooth transition,” Mrs. Kenward said today. “Some days we didn’t even know Kenai was here.”
Kenai joins Mrs. Kenward’s fifth-grade class today on the last day of school. The dog will join Tyler and the other fifth-graders in moving up to the middle school in September.
Tyler’s mother Jennifer Orr praised the school administrators, teachers, staff and students for welcoming Kenai this year. The family raised $20,000 through raffles, a spaghetti dinner and other fund-raisers to buy the dog that was trained to detect drops or spikes in Tyler’s blood sugar levels.
“We wouldn’t have been able to get Kenai without the community support,” Orr said today.
Kenai received his puppy and obedience training from a breeder in Alaska. Then he was trained in California to detect diabetic levels. Tyler’s family sent swabs of Tyler’s saliva at different blood sugar levels for Kenai to train.
Kenai joined the family last summer. He is a working service dog so students were urged not to pet the dog and to try to draw his attention. That proved difficult for some students, especially the kids in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. Even Mrs. Kenward, an admitted “dog lover,” said she was tempted to pet the dog.
The new yearbook includes a headshot of Kenai and Tyler.
Tyler’s family pushed to get a service dog because Tyler has juvenile diabetes. He was diagnosed when he was 7. He was checking his sugar levels 10 times a day. He and his family learned to live with the frequent checks and the insulin shots.
But the situation became more worrisome in the summer of 2014 when Tyler’s mother heard him thrashing on his bedroom floor. It was 6:30 in the morning and Tyler was having a seizure. The next day he was walking and talking, when he sensed something wasn’t quite right. He had another seizure, falling into his mother’s arms. She administered an emergency glucagon shot.
Tyler’s parents kept a continuous glucose monitor on him, and installed a video monitor to watch him at night. But they fear that wouldn’t be enough to alert them if their son is having a seizure.
A diabetic alert dog, however, can detect a drop or spike in blood sugar levels before there is a seizure. With Kenai, Tyler’s average blood sugar readings have been 119. Before that they were in the high 200s.
“The dog will alert us when Tyler’s blood sugar starts to go high or low,” Mrs. Orr said. “We haven’t had real highs or lows because Kenai catches them sooner.”
If the dog senses a change in Tyler’s blood sugar, the dog will scratch at Tyler’s leg or go wake up his parents if it’s at night.
Kenai wears a service dog vest. He is usually tethered to Tyler during the school day. Today he took a break while Tyler stopped in the nurse’s office. The dog was trained to go potty before school and not again until the afternoon when Kenai was home.
Mrs. Kenward asked the fifth-graders today how they thought the year went with Kenai. The students were positive and said they were amazed the dog adjusted to the class routine, and didn’t mind some of the surprises, such as fire drills and the loud clanging during band. (Tyler plays the trumpet.)
Tyler said this school year went by fast. He said Kenai fit in well with his classmates.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Cole London, left, and Mekhi Rivera were among the many kids playing dodgeball today at Bullard Park, the opening day of the Village of Albion’s Summer Parks Program.
Albion has Bullard and Pee Wee Park (which is within Bullard) on Route 31 staffed with 12 supervisors. There are other parks with in the village but they are not staffed with supervisors.
This year all activities will take place at Bullard Park. All children who attend Veteran’s Park in the past are encouraged to attend Bullard Park and Pee Wee Park on the east side of the village on Route 31. The village shifted all of the park supervisors to Bullard in a budget-saving move.
Anthony Freeman, 13, fires the ball during dodgeball today at Bullard.
The parks will have supervisors from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. All of the supervisors are certified in First Aid and CPR.
The first three days will be orientation and getting familiar with the parks and supervisors. Activities will also be conducted. The supervisors are working hard on the bulletin boards and setting up for the summer season. The children will have an opportunity to play team and individual games and activities throughout the summer.
Field trips and special events are also planned for the children’s enjoyment, said John Grillo, the village’s recreation director.
The Parks Program will also offer week-long camps in tennis, baseball, wrestling, a second week of tennis, and volleyball. Check with the park supervisors for more information.
When parents arrive at the park, they should register their child, and fill out an emergency form with immunization records.
The Parks Program is free to children in the Albion Central School District.
Mike Brewer, 13, eyes a target during dodgeball. The parks run many games for children, including crafts at Pee Wee Park.
Scott Baker, owner of Park & Play in Cazenovia, installs new playground equipment at Bullard.
The new playground equipment enhances Bullard, the village’s most popular park.
Photos courtesy of Kim Pritt – Adam Burlison and his mother, Lisa Burlison, present the Wayne A. Burlison Memorial Scholarship to Zachary Shaffer. This scholarship honors Adam’s father, Wayne Burlison, a former elementary school music teacher at Albion. Meredith Patterson also was awarded a Burlison scholarship.
Press Release, Albion High School Alumni Foundation
ALBION – The Albion High School Alumni Foundation takes great pride in making a difference for a lifetime for the Albion Central School District community – alumni, students, teachers, and friends. The main focus of the Foundation is a Scholarship Program that continues to grow and benefit more students each and every year.
Each year at the Class Night celebration, the Foundation presents scholarships to graduating seniors who meet the criteria of each specific scholarship. These awards provide financial assistance so that our bright young scholars may continue their educational goals and be successful in their future endeavors.
The funding for the scholarships are made possible through memberships and gifts from AHS Alumni, as well as individuals or organizations that contact the Foundation to establish a scholarship. The Foundation manages the funds and awards the scholarships annually during the Class Night event, along with other scholarships that are awarded that evening.
This year, the Foundation awarded 24 scholarships to 32 students, totaling $51,650.
Elizabeth Goff accepts the A.B. “Dick” Eddy “Service Above Self” Scholarship presented by Foundation President Chris Haines.
Here are the results of the 2016 scholarships managed and awarded by the Albion HS Alumni Foundation.
Albion High School Alumni Foundation Scholarships ($1,500 each): This year’s recipients are Daniel Beam, McKayla Hastings, Kyle Thaine, and Mikayla Yaskulski.
Paul R. Haines Memorial Scholarship ($1,500): This year’s recipient is Meredith Patterson.
Smith Foundation Challenge ($1,000): These scholarships are awarded annually by the Foundation to students entering the second year of college. This year’s recipients are Charlyne Olick and Brittany Francis.
Saint-Gobain Technical Fabrics Scholarship ($1,000): This year’s recipient is Randal Eblacker.
Elizabeth Balcom Smith Scholarship ($500): This year’s recipient is Matthew DeCarlo.
Golden Performance Award ($500): This year’s recipient is Elijah VanEpps.
Jim and Susie Fraser Health Careers Scholarship ($500): This year’s recipient is Kassidy Hastings.
Dr. Lee Minier Science Scholarship ($500): This year’s recipient is Miranda Allen.
Albion Alumni Foundation Performing Arts Scholarship ($1,000): This year’s recipient is Zachary Shaffer.
Madeline Gibbs receives her award and a hug from Mrs. Karen Sodoma, retired Albion teacher and wife of Ronald Sodoma, retired Superintendant of Albion Central Schools. The Ronald L. Sodoma Memorial Scholarship is one of four scholarships added to the Foundation’s Scholarship Program in 2016 and honors Sodoma, who passed away in April 2015.
Coach Richard Diminuco Scholarship for Athletic Excellence ($1,500): This year’s recipient is Kyle Smith.
Harry W. Salchak Science Scholarship ($2,500): This year’s recipient is Miranda Allen.
A.B. “Dick” Eddy “Service Above Self” Scholarship ($1,250): This year’s recipient is Elizabeth Goff.
The Nancy Elaine LaGamba Scholarship ($1,000): This year’s recipient is Bethany Bowman.
The Dr. Paul Mahany Family Scholarships ($2,500 each): This year’s recipients are Cheyenna Eagle, Meghan Hurley, Chlow Weis, and Raven White.
Hoag Scholarships ($10,000 each): This year’s recipient for the Engineering Scholarship is Matthew Flanagan. The Chemical Engineering Scholarship was not awarded this year.
Panek Family Farm Agriculture Scholarship ($1,000): This year’s recipient is Sarah Kuehne.
The Rex and Marilyn Horton Scholarship ($500): This year’s recipient is Allyson Irwin.
The Wayne A. Burlison Memorial Scholarship ($500 each): This year’s recipients are Meredith Patterson and Zachary Shaffer.
Glassner Family Scholarship ($1,400): This year’s recipient is Sarah Graham.
John Panek Scholarship ($2,000): This year’s recipient is Kelsee Soule.
The next four scholarships are new to the Foundation’s Scholarship Program in 2016.
Ronald L. Sodoma Memorial Scholarship ($1,500): This year’s recipient is Madeline Gibbs.
Masonic Renovation Lodge # 97 Scholarship ($750): This year’s recipient is Jason Downs.
Edward B. Archbald Memorial Scholarship ($1,250): This year’s recipient is Kyle Smith.
David R. Long Agricultural Scholarship ($2,500): This year’s recipient is Kelsee Soule.
To view more photos and to learn how you can be a part of making a difference for a lifetime for Albion students, visit www.AlbionAlumni.org.
Provided Photos – Linda Glantz starts her ministry on July 1 as pastor of the Albion First United Methodist Church and the Disciples United Methodist Church in Holley.
ALBION/HOLLEY – The United Methodist churches in Albion and Holley welcome Pastor Linda Glantz, who comes to the congregations from her assignment with the United Methodist churches in Dalton and Gainesville.
Her appointment to the Albion First United Methodist Church and the Disciples United Methodist Church in Holley will begin on July 1.
Pastor Linda is not new to the area. She previously lived in Holley, and owned a quilt shop there. She still has family nearby, including her mother and two adult children, Patrick and Rachael. She will reside in the Albion church parsonage on Hazard Parkway.
Pastor Jack Laskowski and his wife, Debbie cooking the sauce at the church’s 2014 spaghetti supper.
At the same time, the Albion and Holley churches will say farewell to Pastor Jack Laskowski. Pastor Jack has been leading the churches in worship since July 2012. He has made a positive impact and was well liked among the congregations. He and his wife, Debbie, will be missed dearly. Thechurches wishes them luck at the United Methodist churches in Spencerport and Adams Basin.
The Albion First United Methodist Church holds worship services at the Christ Episcopal Church at 26 South Main St. Services begin at 9:30 am on Sundays with a coffee hour immediately following the service.
The Disciples United Methodist Church in Holley has church at 11 a.m. on Sundays at 4410 Holley Byron Rd.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 June 2016 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – Albion firefighter Darryl Szklany checks the back of structures at the Par-Me Golf Course on Feb. 5. The site is on Brown Road in the Town of Gaines.
GAINES – The Gaines Town Board today agreed to pay much more for fire contract in a new three-year deal with the Village of Albion.
The Village Board notified Gaines in April that it was terminating the fire contract on Aug. 31, at 11:59 p.m. The contract between the town and village expired on Dec. 31, 2015.
Village officials wanted Gaines to pay $100,000 for fire protection outside the village, the same as the Town of Albion pays for property outside the village.
The new agreement, approved today, will have Gaines pay $75,000 in 2016, $90,000 in 2017 and $100,000 in 2018.
Gaines paid $33,860 in 2015. That was a fire protection rate of 32 cents per $1,000 of assessed property, by far the lowest in the county. The Town of Yates is next lowest at 49 cents with Carlton at 75 cents. Every other town pays at least $1 per $1,000 for fire protection.
Gaines Town Board members asked for a four-year deal with $60,000 for 2016, $80,000 in 2017, $90,000 in 2018, and $100,000 in 2019.
But Village Board members wanted Gaines at $100,000. Mayor Dean London said the board gave Gaines a $35,000 break from the $100,000 by agreeing to $75,000 for 2016 and $90,000 in 2017.
Gaines has had a discount on its fire protection rate since 1995 when the Town Board then and Village Board agreed to a 20-year discounted fire protection rate in exchange for Gaines making the sewer plant on Densmore Street tax exempt.
Gaines officials had proposed making the new contract based on call volume, but the village resisted that. London said the board was unified in demanding $100,000 for providing fire protection to the town.
Village Trustee Pete Sidari has been a long-time member of the Albion Fire Department. He said costs are climbing for volunteer fire departments, especially with equipment and fire trucks.
The Fire Department just received a new truck that costs $668,796. The vehicle from Churchville Fire Equipment is a new triple combination pumping engine. It will replace two vehicles for the Albion Fire Department: a pumper from 1974 and a smaller truck used to respond to motor vehicle accidents. That truck from 2004 has extrication equipment.
“The equipment is more expensive than it used to be,” Sidari said after the meeting today at the Gaines Town Hall.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Albion firefighters, including Nathan Bloom (left) and Marty Stirk, have been out today at the routes 98 and 31 intersection, seeking donations for the Boot Drive.
Kolton Barry, 2, his and dad Chris Barry chat with Bloom after making a donation.
The Boot Drive is an annual fund-raiser for the Fire Department.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Kim Pritt
ALBION – The band Grand Canyon Rescue Episode kicked off a new season on the concerts on the Erie Canal in Albion on Thursday.
The bands will perform every Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the gazebo behind the Albion Fire Department, between the two lift bridges.
Music fans listen to the band play on a sunny Thursday evening.
The concerts are sponsored by the Village of Albion and CRFS, with additional funding from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council and the State Council on the Arts.
The schedule includes:
June 23, The Who Dats; June 30, Old Hippies; July 7, The Dady Brothers; July 14, The Lonely Ones; July 21, Triple Play Band; July 28, Don Newcomb Band; Aug. 4, The Legendary Jonesie & the Cruisers.
The band Grand Canyon Rescue Episode includes guitarists Tom Mahoney and Miles McHugh, Steve Day on dobro, Jim Howe on banjo, bassist Ron Permoda and drummer Jimmy McAvaney.
Albion firefighters were selling refreshments during the concert. Pictured, from left, includes Bill Francis, Fire Chief Harry Papponetti, Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti and firefighter Jeremy Graham.
BARRE – Scouts from Troop 175 in Barre retired the American flag on the Barre Fire Hall during a ceremony on Monday.
These Scouts make sure the flag doesn’t touch the ground. On the left is Eli Pask and Dominic DiGuilio is at right. Ivan Barry, second from left, and Nicholas Andrews are in the middle.
Scouts retired the flag a day before Flag Day, which was celebrated on Tuesday.
Scouts are pictured outside the Barre Fire Hall while the flag was lowered from the building. The Scouts and their leaders include Tony DiGiulio, Steve Hickman, Karl Driesel, Pat Lamka, Mike Schreiner, Ben Hickman, John Schreiner, Eli Pask, Nicholas Andrews, Aiden Rush, Alex Zaczek, Dominic DiGuilio, Ivan Barry, Bryan Loney, Noah Kowalski, Adam Burgio, Nicholas Luft, Gideon Pask, Colin Coyle, Ethan Dunn, Liam Coyle, Tristan Lusk, Willem DeRuysscher, Isaac Hickman, Dillon DiGiulio, Dennis Mathes and Matthew Mathes.
The flag is brought down from the Barre Fire Hall on Route 98.
The flag was then cut by colored fields, with the Scouts saluting and burning all of the blue fields, red fields and white fields separately. This photo shows Jess Markel (center), senior district executive for the Iroquois Trail Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and Eileen Banker, right, who is chief of staff for State Assemblyman Steve Hawley.
Photo by Cathy Legacy – Neveya Barnes from Troop 82007 of the Girl Scouts puts one of the stripes into the fire with help from Brad Driesel.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Police believe Raymond L. Kingdollar, 17, died from an accidental drowning in the Erie Canal on Thursday night.
GAINES – A preliminary autopsy report for a teen-ager shows no trauma, marks or injuries to his body, Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower said in a news release this afternoon.
The Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office is waiting for toxicology results and has listed the cause of death as “Pending” at this time.
Investigators that Raymond L. Kingdollar, 17, of Barre was riding his bike on a dark section of the canal towpath between Gaines Basin Road and the Eagle Harbor lift bridge. Kingdollar was out riding on Thursday at about 10 p.m. when it was dark. He left the Village of Albion to go see his girlfriend in Eagle Harbor.
Investigators believe that Kingdollar accidentally left the canal towpath and entered the water.
“People interviewed also told investigators that Kingdollar could not swim,” Bower said.
Kingdollar’s body was recovered from the canal at about 8:30 p.m. on Monday following a call to 911 after a civilian saw the body in the water.
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, together with the Major Felony Crime Task Force and the District Attorney’s Office, conducted an extensive investigation into the events leading up to this tragic event, Bower said.
“Investigators followed up on numerous leads that came into the Sheriff’s Office including many stories that evolved out of social media,” Bower said. “Dozens of people were interviewed. The Orleans County Sheriff’s Marine Division and the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office Underwater Response Team scoured the area for two days searching for evidence.”
A GoFundMe account has been started to help Kingdollar’s family with funeral expenses.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 June 2016 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Law enforcement officials believe a teen-ager died of an accidental drowning in the Erie Canal.
District Attorney Joe Cardone said law enforcement continues to investigate the death of Raymond L. Kingdollar, 17. He lived in Barre and Holley, but was last staying with a friend in Oak Orchard Estates in the Village of Albion, Cardone said.
Kingdollar also had a girlfriend in Eagle Harbor and he was on his way to see her Thursday at night. It was dark and police believe he went into the canal in a spot just east of Eagle Harbor where there is a sudden drop off.
A civilian called 911 on Monday to report seeing a body in the water about a half mile east of Eagle Harbor lift bridge. The Sheriff’s Marine Unit officers and volunteer firefighters from Albion recovered the body.
Law enforcement officials are awaiting results of an autopsy at Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine as cause of death.
Cardone said there is no indication of foul play. Anyone with information should contact the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office at 589-5527.
