By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 September 2024 at 1:01 pm
The Albion and Medina school districts said today there is no credible threat to the schools of a shooting.
Albion said that rumor was investigated by the district’s school resource officer and other area law enforcement agencies, the district posted on social media and its website at about noon.
Albion and multiple area schools were informed of a potential threat, but it proved to be unfounded.
“Safety is always our main concern, and we will update you with any information if necessary,” district officials stated in a post to the community.
The Medina Police Department said it would have an increased presence at the Medina school campus today “out of an abundance of caution.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 September 2024 at 10:11 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Two members of the federal Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team pause and reflect in front of the Sept. 11 memorial on the courthouse lawn.
They attended a 9-11 memorial service on Wednesday evening, which was the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000 others when four airplanes were hijacked and crashed – with two into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and the other into a field in rural Shanksville, Pa.
Firefighters stand under a giant American flag that was hoisted above Main Street by the ladder trucks from Medina and Murray.
Scott Schmidt, Orleans County chief coroner and a local funeral director, served as the keynote speaker at the observance which was attended by about 100 people.
Schmidt spent three weeks with the federal DMORT team and assisted in collecting and identifying remains, and interviewing family members searching for loved ones.
He left for New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. He was there for 20 days, including a week at Ground Zero. Two of his colleagues on DMORT attended the service in Albion on Monday.
Schmidt said Americans showed “strength and resilience” following the attack, and showed a great spirit of patriotism and unity following the attack.
He urged people to remember the victims in the attack and he praised the service of first responders and those in the military.
Brad Nudd served as the bugler for the playing of Taps near the end of the service.
Local law enforcement officers, including Sheriff Chris Bourke, stand next to the Honor Guard, which includes Jim Wells at left in white uniform of the Honor Guard.
Brandon Carmichael, a chaplain with the Sheriff’s Office and pastor of Victory Baptist Church in Albion, shares a prayer and later the benediction at the service. Carmichael said many families remain in mourning from that day.
About 20 firefighters from fire departments and companies in Orleans County stand during the service.
In New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, there were 343 firefighters killed responding to assist people in the World Trade Center.
There were 60 police officers killed in New York City that day.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 September 2024 at 8:38 am
Board will discuss with school district whether ACS can help with expense in future
Photo by Tom Rivers: Sgt. Will Francis of the Albion Police Department stops traffic on East Avenue this morning so a student could get across the street. The Albion PD has been filling the role of crossing guard since the school year started last week.
ALBION – The Village Board agreed on Wednesday to fund a crossing guard after the position was cut from the village budget for 2024-25.
The school year started last week with no one as a crossing guard. Some of the board members wanted the school district to assume the responsibility but the district said state law requires the local village, town or city to fund the position. A school district can pay for a second crossing guard, but not the first one.
John Gavenda, the village attorney, said he has discussed the issue with the school attorney and the district is willing to negotiate helping to fund the position, but it is a question of how to do it legally or if it can direct any money to cost. Deputy Mayor Joyce Riley said there may a “legal loophole” where the district could help with the exepense.
Trustees Tim McMurray and Greg Bennett for the Village Board said it is a small price to pay for making East Avenue safer for kids to cross in the morning.
Having a crossing guard for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon would cost about $6,200 for the school year at $17 an hour, spread over 182 days.
Trustee William Gabalski didn’t want to commit to the cost for the full school year yet. He made a motion that the village pay the expense for the first semester, and try to get some help from the school district for the second semester, which begins Jan. 27.
District officials told the village the crossing guard may only be needed for a half hour in the morning and then the afternoon, from 7:15 to 7:45 a.m., and 2:15 to 2:45 p.m. That would reduce the cost to about $3,100 a year.
The board will have the police department reach out to the crossing guard from last year to see if she is still willing to serve in the role, and if she would do it in the half hour increments. The board, however, said it would pay for the one-hour shifts in the morning and afternoon if that is needed.
McMurray said he can understand why the burden falls on the village for funding the position.
“It’s village residents who are walking to school,” he said.
Bennett said the law clearly states it’s a village responsibility, so he doesn’t want to see any more instances where the position is cut by the village in the future.
“The law says it should be on us,” Bennett said about the village responsibility. “I don’t know why we’re compromising over something that is a law.”
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Rev. Sue Thaine, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Albion, stands outside the church at the corner of Main and East State streets. The church will be celebrating its bicentennial with events this weekend.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 September 2024 at 5:38 pm
ALBION – The First Presbyterian Church of Albion is celebrating its first 200 years this weekend, with excitement about the future.
The congregation was formed by 16 people in 1824. Initially the church met in homes. Those 16 people were part of the Congregational Church in Barre and withdrew to start the new church in Albion.
The Presbyterians built a church on Main Street in 1830, a building they quickly outgrew. Christ Episcopal Church has used that structure for more than 150 years.
The Presbyterians built a brick church on East State, and then an even bigger building made of Medina Sandstone that opened in 1874. That church, with a 175-foot-high spire, is the tallest building in Orleans County.
The Rev. Sue Thaine sits inside the sanctuary of the historic church. Thaine, an Albion native, has served as pastor since 2018 in her hometown.
The congregation will celebrate its history, and a commitment to ministry in the community during this weekend’s events.
“This church started with 16 people, and those 16 people formed a church that is still here today,” said the Rev. Susan Thaine, the church’s pastor since 2018.
The 200 years of the First Presbyterian Church are a year older than the formation of Orleans County and the completion of the original Erie Canal – both from 1825, Thaine noted.
Those 200 years are a long time, but she notes many of the churches and buildings in Europe are far older.
“We’re babies compared to Europe,” she said. “We’re celebrating our first 200 years with a focus on the next 200 years.”
If the weather cooperates on Saturday, there will be a dinner for 100 on a closed-off section of East State Street. 39 Problems, a Main Street restaurant, will cater the meal. After the dinner, there will be two hours of music from the Batavia Swing Band, with dancing in the street.
If it’s too rainy, the meal and music will be inside. The dancing is open to the community.
On Sunday at 11 a.m. there will be a celebration worship service with an ice cream social and basket raffle to follow. Thaine said at least five people will be welcomed as new members into the church on Sunday.
Thaine is the ninth-longest tenured pastor in the church’s history. One of the church’s longest-serving pastors, the Rev. Gary Saunders, will attend Sunday’s service with his wife, Mary Jane, who also was a pastor at the church. Mr. Saunders served as pastor in Albion for 24 years while his wife was a pastor for nine years. Mrs. Saunders also led a church in Bergen while in Albion.
Thaine said she is grateful for the chance to serve in ministry in her hometown. Prior to Albion, she led a Presbyterian Church in Penfield for seven years.
She and First Presbyterian are active members of the Albion Ministerium, including an advent lunch, service of remembrance and Hope/Blue Christmas, baccalaureate service for high school seniors, Lenten lunches and Holy Week worship services.
The church also runs English as Second Language classes in the spring through fall for local farmworkers, and offers an after-school “play and pray” program for students in pre-k through junior high. Earlier this year, First Presbyterian leased space to the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern.
The church also runs “Ben’s Backpacks” which provide school supplies and educational support for a school in Oaxca, Mexico.
Thaine also is pleased to see a growing church choir, and other faith development and outreach programs.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Firefighters lined up for the Sept. 11, 2001 memorial observance last year at the Courthouse Square.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 September 2024 at 3:53 pm
ALBION/BROCKPORT – Albion and Brockport will both be hosting 9-11 memorial services on Wednesday
On September 11, 2001, terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000 others when four airplanes were hijacked and crashed – with two into the World Trade Center towers in new York City, one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and the other into a field in rural Shanksville, Pa.
In New York City, 343 firefighters were killed responding to assist people in the World Trade Center. There were 60 police officers killed in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.
A 23rd annual memorial service will be in Albion at 6 p.m. on the courthouse lawn near the Sept. 11 memorial. The service is expected to last about a half hour and will include many local firefighters and law enforcement personnel.
Scott Schmidt will again serve as the keynote speaker at the observance. Schmidt spent three weeks with a federal team – U.S. Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) – and assisted in collecting and identifying remains, and interviewing family members searching for loved ones. He left for New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. He was there for 20 days, including a week at Ground Zero.
The Brockport Firefighters’ Memorial Monument is shown on Wednesday evening at 237 South Main St.
The location will be the setting for a day of reflection and remembrance on Sept. 11, the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The schedule in Brockport incudes an opening ceremony at 8:30 a.m., ringing of the bell at 8:47 a.m., a “Ring of Gold” observance at 6 p.m. and a closing ceremony at 6:30 p.m.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The north side of Albion Main Street lift bridge is shown this morning. The bridge has been closed to traffic since Nov. 14, 2022.
Posted 6 September 2024 at 12:08 pm
Press Release, Village of Albion
ALBION – Village of Albion officials were informed on Thursday that a double-shift crew will be in operations on the Main Street lift bridge next week. Nighttime work is scheduled to begin on Monday and go from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
The anticipated completion date of the night-time work is next Friday, but it may be done sooner.
Light plants will be used to illuminate the work area on the north side of the bridge. This double-shift operation is for the setting of the lifting post. A crane will also be employed in these operations.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 September 2024 at 8:18 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Elks Lodge on Thursday evening gave the Albion Fire Department an old sign from back when the AFD held a carnival.
Pictured from left include former fire chief Harry Papponetti; AFD President Nathan Bloom; Carl Phillips, chairman of the trustees for the Elks; Lynda Standish, secretary for the Elks; Jim Peruzzini, assistant chief for AFD; Mike Jenks, exalted ruler for the Elks; Jen Stephenson, riders chaplain for the Elks; Richard Robb Sr., leading knight for the Elks; Al Cheverie, past AFD president and current chairman for the Albion-Gaines Joint Fire District; and Scott Papponetti, vice president of the AFD.
The fire department used to own the Elks Lodge at 428 West State St. It was sold to the Elks about 20 years ago.
The Elks were cleaning out a building it refers to as the “doghouse” in July behind the bathrooms when it found the old sign highlighting the refreshment stand for the Albion Emergency Squad. Hot dogs and hamburgers were 50 cents, and pop was 25 cents.
One mystery with the sign, who made it? The AFD and Elks wonder who “CN’s” represents.
The doghouse building had been storage for the Elks, but the lodge is going to use it as a garage to keep lawn mowers, weedwackers and other maintenance equipment.
Mike Jenks, the exalted ruler for the Elks, said the sign was facing backwards and for many years the Elks didn’t realize it was from when the AFD operated the carnival. The fire department ran that event until about 1990. The carnival used to be near the fire hall on Platt Street and moved to the West State Street in the early 1960s.
Harry Papponetti, a member of the AFD for 54 years, said the department not only sold hamburgers, hot dogs and pop, but also served French fries and Italian sausage. Many of the local fire departments used to have carnivals, but only Kendall still does it, although this year it was a field days because a company couldn’t be secured for the amusement rides.
The Albion Fire Department hung up the sign inside the fire hall after the Elks presented it on Thursday evening. The sign is near other memorabilia in the department, including photos of older fire trucks and parade banners from the former Dye Hose, Active and Hart companies.
The Active Hose Company No. 2, Hart Protective Hose Company No. 3 and Dye Hose Company No. 5 consolidated in 1976 into the Albion Fire Department.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 September 2024 at 8:30 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Chuck Persons, center, presented a $500 check to the Albion Fire Department this evening on behalf of the Orleans County chapter of ABATE (Americans Bikers Aimed Toward Education).
Accepting on behalf of the AFD includes Al Cheverie, left, the chairman of the newly formed Albion Joint Fire District and a past president of the AFD, and Nathan Bloom, current president of the Albion Fire Department.
ABATE also donated $500 to the Barre Volunteer Fire Company and the Carlton Volunteer Fire Company. Albion, Barre and Carlton represent the central battalion. Last year ABATE donated to the departments in the west battalion and next year plans to give to the east battalion.
“If God forbid something happens to one of us on our bikes, they’re the first ones there for us,” Persons said about the local firefighters.
The donations are the result of a fundraising ride and a basket raffle last month.
Photos courtesy of Becky Persons
Chuck Persons, left, presents a $500 check on Aug. 27 for the Carlton Volunteer Fire Company to long-time Carlton firefighter Andrew Niederhofer.
Chuck Persons presented the $500 to Barre firefighters on Aug. 20.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 September 2024 at 8:02 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The school starts today in Albion and there is a redesigned middle school loop. Contractors removed the island of grass that was in between the driveway and the school.
The district said the goal of reconstructing the Middle School’s front loop was three-fold: to improve the overall flow of traffic, to move more cars off of Route 31 and onto campus (especially during the busy morning drop off when a line of cars would often back up on East Avenue), and to help improve the drop off and pick-up process.
Here is a photo from Aug. 4 that shows the building of the new driveway and loop at the middle school.
The school district posted this map of the loop, which school leaders say should help with traffic flow.
The district reminded motorists to be especially vigilant of students on foot with the start of the school year. Pedestrians will be crossing streets, and buses frequently stopping when school begins.
“It can be easy to be distracted, especially if you’re in a rush,” said Mickey Edwards, the district superintendent. “But please take an extra second and check your surroundings.”
Hospice of Orleans Photo: The Martin-Linsin Residence, which has eight residential, temporarily closed last week. The 8,500-square-foot building opened on Route 31 in Albion in 2012 following a $2.3 million capital campaign.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 September 2024 at 9:25 pm
ALBION – The Martin-Linsin Residence has temporarily closed or is on “pause” following a thorough analysis that showed “significant financial losses due to the increasing operational costs” at the residence, according to a statement this evening from Niagara Hospice, which is running Hospice of Orleans.
Hospice of Orleans is expanding and enhancing the home-care model for hospice care, Niagara Hospice officials said in the news release.
The eight-unit residence opened in 2012 following a $2.3 million capital campaign.
Martin-Linsin used to have a waiting list, but was down to one resident last week. No new residents had been admitted for about three weeks. The clinical staff also was laid off last week after the death of the remaining resident at Martin-Linsin, a Hospice employee said.
Niagara Hospice, in its statement, said it is dedicated to caring for the local community, and hospice care “continues to be delivered throughout Orleans County without interruption.”
Hospice care is provided in patient homes, nursing homes or assisted-living facilities.
“Hospice of Orleans is committed to building and cultivating community partnerships to further develop and enrich its already exceptional hospice care model,” according to the statement.
Anyone interested in learning more about hospice care, or to make a referral for care, can call the Hospice of Orleans at (585) 589-0809.
