By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 March 2021 at 11:53 am
Benefit scheduled on March 27 for Sara Secore
MEDINA – Sara Secore was feeling dizzy and lightheaded just by walking around her house in September 2019.
She went to the doctor’s and had her blood tested. She was in her early 20s and didn’t think too much of it.
Sara Secore
But the results and additional tests showed she had a serious kidney disease. She was put on dialysis due to her failing kidneys.
“This just happened out of nowhere,” Secore said about the kidney disease.
Secore, now 25, and a mother of a 3-year-old son has tried to find an organ donor. A stranger from Albion heard about her situation and offered his kidney. He went through several months of tests, which showed he would be a good match until he was ruled out about two weeks ago. The surgery was supposed to happen next month.
Secore was “devastated” by the news, but she remains hopeful someone will step forward who proves to be the right match. That person needs to have the O-positive blood type.
Until she has a new kidney, Secore is doing nightly dialysis from her home.
“It’s very hard on your body,” she said about the dialysis. “But I have no other option.”
Anyone interested in seeing if they would be a good fit as a living donor for Secore is encouraged to call Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester at (585) 275-7753. Secore asks that they mention Sara Secore, her birthdate of March 13, 1996, and O-positive for the blood type.
Secore’s friends and family also are planning a basket raffle and spaghetti dinner to help her with expenses. That event will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 27 at the Community Fellowship Church, 3146 Johnson Creek Road, Middleport. Drive-through dinners also will be available.
For more information and for tickets contact Holly at (585) 205-5795, Monica at (585) 298-6264 and Cara at (585) 469-9493.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 March 2021 at 5:01 pm
District tries to be ready if state follows CDC and allows desks to be spaced closer
MEDINA – The school district is surveying families to see their intentions if Medina is able to bring back more students for in-person learning.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today updated its guidance for school districts with the spacing of desks in the Covid-19 pandemic. The CDC reduced the minimum distance for desks to be apart from 6 to 3 feet, as long as students are wearing masks.
Before local districts can move desks closer, which would allow for more students in classrooms, the NYS Department of Health would be to accept that guidance from the CDC.
Medina Central School is trying to be ready for the anticipated change and wants to give more students the option of more in-person days of school.
Medina is asking families if they would send their students to school for more in-person days or if they would go remote all school days.
“Our hope is that by being proactive with this survey, we will be able to implement any changes to the NYSDOH school regulations as quickly as possible,” district officials stated on the survey.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 March 2021 at 7:29 am
Village residents will go to the polls today to vote for trustees on the Village Board in Albion and Medina.
In Albion there are two candidates running for one open seat on the board, a three-year term. Voting is from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Office, 35 East Bank St.
The Democratic Party nominated Zachary Burgess of Hamilton Street, and the Republican Party nominated Joe Martillotta of North Main Street. They are seeking to fill a vacancy created when Kevin Sheehan resigned as trustee to become the village code enforcement officer.
The election is back on the schedule for the third Tuesday in March. Last year’s election was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and was finally held on Sept. 15.
Burgess, 31, works for Bentley Brothers as a sales representative. He also has been very active in the Rock the Park music festival at Bullard Park. He serves as co-chairman of the event which has been renamed as the Albion Summer Festival. Last year’s event was cancelled due to Covid-19. Burgess and the organizers are hoping this year’s festival with many bands can happen the first Saturday in August.
Through that event, Burgess said he has worked with many village officials and community members. He also is a member of the Albion Lions Club.
Martillotta, 69, retired in 2009 after 36 years as a high school social studies and economics teacher. He and his wife Debbie did extensive renovations of 469 East State St. and opened the Crooked Door Tavern on Jan. 31, 2011. It was his dream of owning a restaurant and bar. They operated the business for more than three years, selling it in April 2014.
Martillotta owns other properties in the village.
“I’ve been paying taxes for years in the village – lots of them,” he said.
He has long advocated for shrinking the size of local government through consolidation. That is an issue he wants to explore.
In Medina there are two candidates for two trustees. Owen Toale is seeking re-election. He is joined on the “Accountability Party” by Jessica Marciano, a member of the Parks Committee. Todd Bensley, who has been on the board for six years, isn’t seeking re-election.
Voting is from noon to 9 p.m. at Senior Center on West Avenue.
Toale has 10 years experience on the board and is the current deputy mayor. Marciano is making her first run for the Village Board. Toale is retired as the publisher of the former Journal-Register in Medina.
“I’m privileged to serve with a board that understands the needs of the village and has no hidden agendas other than to make Medina a better place to live,” Toale posted on his Facebook page. “I think the progress that has been made in the village with the cooperation of village residents has been nothing short of remarkable.”
Toale noted the trustees each have departments to oversee, and are involved in different committees in the village government. He also has been the chief negotiator for union and department contracts for the past five years.
“Previous administrations have hired labor attorneys at the cost of $150 an hour to negotiate their contracts,” Toale said. “Working with another trustee I have managed to get the contracts done and save the village thousands of dollars in lawyer fees while being fair to the unions and the village.”
He said he works on village budgets that maintain services without an “excessive tax load.” He said he is pleased to see Marciano step up and run for the board.
“Jess is a newcomer to the process but has spent time on the Parks Committee along with attending board meetings for quite some time,” Toale said. “She is learning the role of trustee and will become an asset to the village.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 March 2021 at 5:59 pm
Mark Kruzynski worries about mental health toll on students
Photos by Tom Rivers: Mark Kruzynski is pictured at his office on Friday. He has switched to wearing contact lenses because his glasses kept fogging up while wearing a mask.
MEDINA – It was one year ago today when superintendents in Orleans County’s five districts announced the schools were closed for in-person learning due to concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mark Kruzynski, Medina’s district superintendent, thought Medina would be shut down for two weeks. But the schools wouldn’t reopen to students until early September.
Medina has 1,410 students. Kruzynski has been the superintendent four more than four years. Prior to that he was Medina’s business administrator, the high school principal, and middle school principal. He started at Medina as a social studies teacher.
“None of that prepared me for a pandemic,” he said Friday during an interview at his office.
Question: So, going back to last year on March 13, were you surprised how quickly it escalated?
Answer: It escalated very quickly. Earlier that week we had just started spring sports. Earlier that week the big debate going around among the school superintendents was should we allow fans at our exceptional senior basketball game, which was between the Niagara-Orleans League and the GR League.
We were debating whether or not fans should be allowed. And school musicals were going on and should we be allowing musicals to go that weekend. And that was the feeling early in the week. At that time the guidance at the time was if you just wash your hands everything will be OK. The CDC wasn’t saying wear masks at the time, just good hygiene. It looked like it was in the cities and not here yet, but you were hearing all of these horror stories that it was spreading.
By the middle of the week I started to think something was going to change. By the end of the week, that Friday morning, I remember calling all of the administrators to come into by office and we’re going to talk. We sat at this table here and figured out what we needed to do if schools were shut down. We still thought we had some time, but we knew if things were going to happen it was going to happen quickly and we needed to be prepared.
That day we sent an email out to all the staff to prepare lesson plans for Monday, and be ready to work from home. In hindsight, I wish we had told all of the kids on Friday to make sure you take everything out of your locker because that was a big challenge to get everybody in and get all of their belongings back. We weren’t really expecting it that Monday.
We knew something was coming. I actually was helping with softball practice. I remember going out to practice that Thursday or Friday and we were wondering if we would ever get to a game because it was a really warm week at the time.
That Saturday I remember waking up on the 14th and there was a positive case confirmed in Rochester. And just like that Monroe County declared a state of emergency. And then all of the schools were shutting down. At the time if you recall it was for two weeks at a time because it was two weeks to flatten the curve.
‘We have seen an incredible rise in mental health. People are social. They are not meant to be sitting at home all day, kids especially. This pandemic has definitely caused anxiety issues. We’re seeing much more of that and depression. We’re seeing kids who normally on the outward appear fine who are really, really struggling with this.’
Q: Was it in late April, when the governor finally said no (in-person) school for the rest of the year?
A: It was late April or May 1. For a while it was in two-week increments. The way this panned out we were learning what was happening at his press conferences. Everybody would watch his press conferences to see what is going to happen today.
But back to that Saturday morning on March 14th, we had seen that there was a case in Monroe County. In Orleans County, one third of Kendall school district is in Monroe County. So immediately Julie Christensen (Kendall superintendent) has a problem whether she can open school or not.
And we also have a lot of people who work here who live in Monroe County. We figure it’s just a matter of time before it’s coming.
Paul Pettit (public health director in Orleans and Genesee counties) and Lynne Johnson (Orleans County Legislature chairwoman), we all had a conference call that day. Lynne issued the state of emergency, because remember at that time the states of emergency were all issued by county.
Lynne, knowing the situation with the schools, she declared the county as a state of emergency. And then Paul Pettit, with the state of emergency, he gave us the advice that it was still our decision – it was the superintendent’s decision – but he gave us the advice that based on the pandemic I’m not recommending you stay open.
We had all announced by 12 o’clock or 1 that day.
The sign at Medina Central School announced on March 14, 2020 that schools would be closed until further notice.
Q: How long were you thinking this would go on with schools closed?
A: I was thinking a couple weeks. This had started earlier in the year and you had seen all of these stories of China barring people in their homes and having these mass sprayers where they would go around and disinfect everything. There was so much truth and not truth. The internet and social media is never a good source for truth, but there was all sorts of stuff out there that this was just a flu or virus.
But we knew at the time there was the fear that nobody really knew how this spread. So we shut down. That night Niagara County shut down. Before too long Erie County closed. A few days later I think the governor officially shut down schools in New York State. There were still some pretty big cities that were open.
Then it was scrambling. We had to put together a meal delivery plan.
Q: That first week were you totally off or did you have to do the meals right away?
A: We started the meals pretty quickly.
Q: With the remote learning, was there a week or two breather with no education from the school?
A: That first week was just kind of review work. Honestly, in our area we weren’t allowed to do new learning because of the way the rules were set up. If we couldn’t provide the same education for everybody we couldn’t provide new content.
We had the broadband gap. Now this year we are at 100 percent with our one-to-one devices. Last year only 60 percent of the students had school-owned devices.
Q: So people were picking up a lot of paper packets?
A: We were mailing out packets left and right. Dan Doctor (the school’s community liaison) was delivering them to people. It was like copy central here. Teachers would email us work and we would put it on the website, each area every Friday, we would put new work up for kids to do.
Paper packets is not the way to learn.
Q: Has it gone better this year with not having the sudden change thrown at you?
A: Yes. We’re better prepared and we’re pushing out new learning everyday. Last year we were kind of hamstrung in the fact we weren’t technologically available to push out new learning and if you couldn’t push out new learning to everybody, then there would be equity problems.
This year we’ve pared down the curriculum to the point where teachers are selecting what they feel are the most important things to teach. We’re moving forward.
This year we’re in a much better spot because at the elementary, which is open five days a week. If your kid is coming to school from grades K through 6, they are here everyday. Or if the parents selected virtual, we have dedicated virtual teachers who work just with those kids during the day.
Q: For K to 6, do you know what percent is remote only?
A: I’d say about 30 percent. We have a waiting list of people who want to come back full time. We’ve been pretty much able to accommodate.
High school there is a bigger social aspect, not that there isn’t in the elementary. In high school we had a lot of people back but then when they realized they’re on Monday-Thursday or Tuesday-Friday and some of their friends are on the opposite schedule and other friends are on virtual. High school has been tough because we’re on the hybrid model. We have brought some kids back four days a week. We’re trying to accommodate as much as our capacity will allow.
Q: So 7 through 12 is hybrid. How many are remote-only?
A: I’d say about one third. That varies from day to day. Thankfully the quarantines are down.
Q: That must have been a nightmare to deal with that?
A: It was very much a logistical nightmare, especially around the holidays. When we had to shut down the high school it wasn’t because of so many students, it was because so many of our staff members had to quarantine. At one point half of our district cleaning staff and all of the high school staff was in quarantine. We just couldn’t clean the buildings.
That was when we shut down for about a week before Thanksgiving until they all came out of quarantine. Now the rules have relaxed a little bit. When it first started if you were in a room with someone for more than an hour, even if you were wearing a mask and social distancing, everybody in that room would be quarantined.
At the elementary level that would knock out an entire class. At the high school we would have to go through every kid’s schedule to see who they had multiple classes with and where they were on a bus. So we had a lot of quarantines there for a while.
Now they have relaxed that if you are wearing a mask and are six feet apart they won’t quarantine the whole room. They will look at it on a case-by-case basis.
Q: What have been some of the hardest parts about this past year for you as a school superintendent?
A: It’s hard to play for one week down the road when you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Last year there was a lot of “What are we going to do about graduation?”, “What are we going to do about prom?” We as a district decided we were just going to wait because we knew things were going to change. A lot of announced their graduation plans on April 1 or May 1 but we knew the guidance was changing on a daily basis so we held off knowing that things might change. We lucked out there. We were able to host in-person graduation when some schools weren’t able to do that. We also have a huge facility where we can adequately social distance people.
But it’s hard to plan. The nature of this job is you’re always thinking six months ahead. We’ve been planning next year’s budget for the last three months. The stimulus changes a lot of those numbers with where you’re going to go.
With the pandemic it was literally changing from press conference to press conference.
Medina split last year’s graduation into three different ceremonies to stay under a 150-maximum set by the state. The service was moved from the auditorium to Vets Park. Mark Kruzynski said the district expects the entire class will be able to graduate together in the same service this June.
Q: Right now the outdoor size limit is 200, and I tend to think it will be more in June.
A: Honestly we’re planning for a full graduation this year. If it’s 200 on March 1, then by June we’ll be in a better spot. If we have to scale it back, then we’ll scale it back. We’re planning on prom. The high school is working on a prom location. It may be limited in capacity but there are a lot of places that have outdoor tents, pavilions, things like that that you can use.
To me that’s the hardest stuff: you just don’t know what the next day is going to be.
We fully did not expect winter sports to start when they did. All of a sudden on a Friday we get a one-week lead time that says here’s winter sports. Well that puts us in a tough spot.
And OK we can have kids running up and down a basketball court but we can’t have kids standing feet six feet apart singing in a choir. Sometimes it’s just illogical.
I don’t know how you explain to a parent that this activity is allowed and this activity isn’t.
Q: What about the marching band, which is outside?
A: We’re hoping by the spring we can put something together. I mean if you think about it with marching band we could be 12 feet apart. We could be six feet apart. It’s outdoors. Is that safer than wrestling?
So there is so much illogic through this whole thing.
Q: I think that’s where the governor and some of the public health officials have lost some people when things don’t make sense.
A: I will say Paul Pettit (local public health director) has been fantastic for us in this county. He basically worked with all five of us (school superintendents). Every teacher who has wanted a vaccine has gotten one. We’re halfway through. March 25 is our last big day and then two weeks after the 25th anybody who wanted a vaccine in the district and that’s across the county. That hasn’t happened in every other county.
Q: How many staff work here?
A: We have about 200 full-time and another 100 part-time. So 300 staff members total.
Q: And they will all be vaccinated?
A: I would say about 70 percent of the total of the staff who has requested it has gotten it (with more to be done through March 25). Some we don’t know if they are going on their own. There is no requirement that we ask people.
Q: There is a lot of concern about the isolation for a lot of the students and their mental health.
A: We have seen an incredible rise in mental health. People are social. They are not meant to be sitting at home all day, kids especially.
We’re reaching out to the kids everyday. This pandemic has definitely caused anxiety issues. We’re seeing much more of that and depression.
Q: When you say you see it, is that an observation or do kids somehow get served for those issues?
A: We have kids check in regularly. Then have a check-in. We ask them, “How are you feeling?” “Is this a drawback or a problem?” If any of those come up our counselors reach out to them and try to find out what is going on so we can help. It has definitely, definitely been made more difficult.
One thing we have done this year: Our counselors go into all of the classrooms. Then try to get in at least weekly to check in on everybody because we’re seeing kids who normally on the outward appear fine who are really, really struggling with this. It’s tough – the uncertainty with when is this going to end. We have dealt a lot with that.
‘I’m thinking the first Christmas concert we have together there probably won’t be a dry eye in the house. The first homecoming rally, nobody is going to take that for granted anymore when we have 2,000 people at Vets Park cheering. Once we fully reopen there is going to be a lot said for people really embracing things.’
Q: Is it difficult because we can’t say when it will end. It does seem like there is more optimism now with fighting Covid.
A: There is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. We’re getting closer. I fully expect, barring any new variants or if it turns out the vaccine didn’t work or something, I fully expect we’ll be back to in-person five days a week by fall.
Right now the vaccine is only approved for adults. We got trials going on with kids. Even though the kids don’t tend to have severe cases of Covid, they are transmitters. We have to make sure people are safe.
Do I think we’ll be there by the fall, yeah. Would I like it to be tomorrow? Absolutely.
When this first started we thought maybe it would be Easter at the latest that we would be back. Who knew it would be this long.
Q: Are there any positives through this, maybe speeding up technology?
A: Yes. For better or worse, it’s forced everybody to learn the latest technology. We just did a superintendent’s conference day a week ago on technology training based on topics the teachers had said they wanted to learn. It turns out by the time we had scheduled it for the conference day they had forced themselves to learn it and move on to more advanced technologies. So that has been an improvement.
There has been more connections made with some kids normally in in-person school. And that’s been a positive.
The community has been fantastic in supporting the schools. I have four kids so I understand how tough it can be when we announced on a Monday night we have to go virtual on Tuesday. But everybody just adjusts and I know how tough that is for parents to arrange for daycare and figure things out like that. But the community has been fantastic in working with us on that and understanding that sometimes our hands are tied.
Q: Let’s say there are 500 people or more at graduation, it will be quite a moment. One of the benefits of this past year will be not taking that for granted.
A: I’m thinking the first Christmas concert we have together there probably won’t be a dry eye in the house. Sports have kind of been coming back but they haven’t had full fans. The first homecoming rally, nobody is going to take that for granted anymore when we have 2,000 people at Vets Park cheering.
The things you always took for granted before and now you realize you can’t have. Once we fully reopen there is going to be a lot said for people really embracing things.
Photo from Medina Central School: Pictured from left include Sofia Lopez, teacher Leah Gates and Natalia Olsen.
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – Two sixth grade students at Medina’s Clifford Wise Intermediate School have won awards for writing from the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) Aurora Women’s Club.
GFWC (Aurora Branch) is a volunteer organization that offers a wide range of programs for community service, while providing members with opportunities for education, personal development and social interaction. The group’s purpose is to promote education at all levels, support partition in the arts, preserve natural resources, stress good citizenship and leadership development, and serve the needs of the community.
Every year the GFWC sponsors creative writing contests for poetry and short story to provide an avenue for students to freely express themselves, as well as draw upon their experiences through writing.
English Language Arts teacher Leah Gates worked with her students on submissions. She was thrilled to hear that Natalia Olsen (sixth grade) won second place in Category 3 for Poetry for her poem “The Tornado” and that Sofia Lopez (sixth grade) won an honorable mention in Category 3 for her short story “Rain”.
Both students received certificates and ribbons and Natalia also received a monetary award for her second place finish.
“We are so proud of these talented young students,” say Principal Christopher Hughes and Assistant Principal Jennifer Stearns.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 March 2021 at 10:05 am
MEDINA – Mayor Mike Sidari is concerned that redirected traffic from Route 104 through the village will result in damage to village streets.
The state Department of Transportation has hired a contractor, Union Concrete and Construction Corp. of West Seneca, to replace a bridge on Route 104 over Oak Orchard Creek. The bridge will be closed to traffic beginning April 26 and the new bridge is expected to open in early September.
Traffic will be re-routed to routes 63 in Medina and 98 in Albion and then to Route 31.
Sidari on Friday sent a letter to the DOT and the contractor, saying he is concerned the additional large vehicles, such as tractor trailers and farm tractors pulling implements, that will be using Route 63 heading north through the village. He worries the larger vehicles may go over a curb and onto grass and a sidewalk at the intersection West Avenue and Prospect.
“Also, with the extra several hundred cars and trucks a day driving on Rout 63 which is owed and maintained by the Village I believe there may be damage to our village streets,” Sidari wrote in his letter.
He asked for the DOT to record the portion of Rt. 63 that is owned maintained by the village of Medina, as well as the intersection of West Avenue and Prospect, to show the condition before the detour.
“At the end of the project any damages done because of the detour (should) be repaired to the specs of the Village of Medina DPW Superintendent,” Sidari wrote.
The mayor a portion of the state-owned section of 63 in the village – from the Oak Orchard Bridge to Village line east – “is in deplorable condition.”
“With the extra heavy traffic the pavement will break down considerably more which can result in vehicles going out of control,” Sidari wrote. “The NYSDOT must come out and inspect that section and make temporary repairs (before and during bridge work) as well as milling and paving once the bridge project is completed.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 March 2021 at 3:37 pm
Rollators, wheelchairs, walkers with 4 wheels, and knee scooters all needed
MEDINA – The medical loan closet in Medina, which stopped taking items in December when Covid-19 cases were on the rise locally, is once again accepting donations.
The Medina Lions Club manages the medical loan closet, and items are stored at the Olde Picke Factory.
There is a need for more Rollators, wheelchairs, walkers with four wheels and knee scooters, said Jim Punch, the closet’s coordinator.
The closet currently has an abundance of aluminum collapsible walkers, he said.
The closet loaned out more than 120 items from October through December. Some of the equipment includes hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches, commodes, shower chairs and other medical items.
The program was run by Lyndonville Lions Club and shifted to the Medina Lions Club this past fall. A small portion of the program remains in Lyndonville, with a student group, the Leos from the high school, overseeing it.
Anyone in Orleans County and eastern Niagara County may borrow equipment from the loan closet. For more information, call (585) 205-3502.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 4 March 2021 at 10:41 am
Medina business raising funds during Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Nicole Tuohey, right, and her mom Mary Lou stand in front of the store window at Case-Nic Cookies in Medina, which advertises a promotion they are doing during March to benefit the Arc of Genesee Orleans.
MEDINA – Mary Lou Tuohey and her daughter Nicole are taking advantage of March as “Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month” to raise money for the Arc of Genesee Orleans, while urging people not to judge people with disabilities.
Nicole, who will be 31 in May, was born with Triple X Syndrome. Doctors told her parents at her three-week checkup that she may never walk, talk, read, write or do math.
“As of that moment, we were determined (and she has been determined) not to be labeled because of a disability,” Mary Lou said. “Labels are for soup cans, not for people.”
Nicole has done all of what the doctors said she wouldn’t do – and more. She has danced with Miss Stephanie for 25 years. She plays baseball, bowls, rides a horse, swims and rides a bike. She volunteers for events at the Arc and in the fall of the year, she makes paper links, which she sells and hooks together to form a chain down Main Street – all to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. She has walked in all 21 of the Arc runs in Medina.
This is third year Nicole and her mom have sponsored their “Have a Heart” campaign to benefit the Arc. To promote their campaign, Mary Lou, who owns Case-Nic Cookies, baked two heart-shaped cookies – one with red frosting and the other frosted pink with a bite taken out of it. The object is to show, that while the cookies look different, they are the same – they are made with the same ingredients, rolled out the same, cut the same and taste the same.
Such is the case of a person with a disability. They may not do things the way other people do, but that doesn’t mean it is wrong. It means there are other ways to accomplish the same goal.
Nicole, who attended the Arc’s Rainbow Preschool from age three months to five years, currently attends Day Hab at the Arc.
To show their support for the Arc, the heart-shaped cookies are for sale at Case-Nic Cookies for $1 each through the end of March. All the money raised will be donated directly to the Arc for programs assisting individuals who are part of the Arc. Cookies can be purchased at the store or ordered by calling (585) 798-1676.
Case-Nic Cookies is also sponsoring a basket raffle through March 16. Mary Lou has designed the event to adhere to Covid restrictions. Baskets are on display in Case-Nic’s window. A table outside the door has a box of envelopes in which there is a form listing all the baskets and a plastic bag with a pen and ticket stub from a sheet of raffle tickets. Each sheet has 26 tickets and after indicating on the form how many tickets the buyer wants placed in each basket, they include their $10 per sheet with the form in the envelope and drop in through the mail slot in the door.
As a reminder, Mary Lou asks everyone to remember, “Until you have walked in the shoes of those with a disability, don’t judge them by the way they look, the way do something or the way they might communicate their needs. They are a person, just like you. They have feelings, they deserve respect and they deserve to be included.”
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 3 March 2021 at 11:27 am
MEDINA – After being closed for several months due to Covid concerns, the Senior Center of Western Orleans in Medina is again reopen on a limited basis, starting today.
Volunteers will run the Center, which will be open for euchre and pinochle on Wednesdays and Thursdays and euchre on Fridays.
Doors will open at noon each day, with card playing beginning at 1 p.m.
Masks will be required when entering the building or moving about the room. Hand sanitizer will be available on every table. Beverages will be allowed if they are in a covered container.
The Center is also open to the public from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. every Monday for free bread and pastries from Tops.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 February 2021 at 10:00 am
Todd Eick among 11 finalists for NY agricultural educator of the year
Provided photo: Todd Eick, Medina FFA advisor and agriculture teacher, is shown with some of his students while visiting a fruit orchard. Eick has been named the Golden Owl winner for District 9, which includes about a dozen FFA chapters in Orleans, Genesee, Niagara, Wyoming and Erie counties. He is one of 11 finalists for NY agricultural educator of the year, which will be announced in May at the State FFA Convention.
MEDINA – The school’s FFA advisor has received one of the inaugural “Golden Owl” awards given to top agricultural educators in the state.
Todd Eick won the award for District 9 and is one of 11 finalists for the state-wide award that will be announced during the FFA state convention in May.
The New York FFA Association offered the award for the first time this year to recognize ag educators. Community members, students and the district nominate the honoree.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Todd Eick talks with students in this photo from October 2014. They are inside a new barn built for the FFA program.
“Mr. Eick is such an amazing teacher,” Monica Silversmith, a Medina parent, wrote in her nomination for Eick. “He is compassionate and is such a great leader for these young people. He teaches them the importance of Agriculture. Our young people and children need this so much! He is such a great instructor and for being from such a small school, I don’t think he gets the recognition that he deserves!”
Eick has led the Medina FFA program since 2010. He teaches classes on animal sciences, plant and food sciences, Ag engineering and production, youth leadership, and other introduction courses. He also is the varsity lacrosse coach.
Eick said he appreciates the support for the FFA and agriculture programs from the community, the school district and the students. The Golden Owl award is a nice surprise.
“I’m very humbled and honored,” he said this morning. “It means a lot. As teachers we always wonder how we’re doing. It’s the kids you’re affecting and effecting that matter the most. With FFA, it’s not plows and cows anymore. It’s also beakers and speakers.”
During Eick’s tenure, the FFA program has grown. In 2014, the district used a $25,000 grant to add a “living laboratory” for the FFA with a small barn, pasture and a hydroponic system that produces about 80 pounds of a feed a day.
When people drive down Mustang Drive in recent years, they would often see llamas, sheep, a goat and a calf out munching on grass in the fenced-in pasture.
Eick’s students would tend to the animals and do the farm chores, hauling feed and water. He wanted take students out of the classroom for more direct hands-on learning and less PowerPoint presentations.
Todd Eick leads the Medina FFA in the Parade of Lights in this photo from Nov. 28, 2015. The FFA chapter is a frequent participant in medina’s big parade the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
With the Covid restrictions keeping students off campus after mid-March last year, Eick brought the FFA animals to his home so they would be cared for. This year, with a hybrid schedule and many students fully remote, the animals – 6 alpacas, a llama and about a dozen rabbits – have stayed at the Eick home with Eick doing many of the chores. His son Mason has also been a big help, Eick said.
The Medina FFA in recent years also has hosted a big animal appreciation day with more than 1,000 students stopping by the FFA in the high school. That event has been sidelined due to Covid.
The FFA also has been a part of the Medina Parade of Lights and worked on community projects, including restoring a 13-foot-fish used by the Tourism Department to promote the local fishery. The FFA also has built several little libraries that are placed around the community.
Evie Schultz, a Medina FFA member, was among the nominators who wrote to the state FFA in support of Eick for the award.
“Mr. Eick is an inspiration to our chapter and his wisdom spreads throughout our school district,” she wrote. “I speak for many of my peers when I say that we would not be the people we are today without his guidance, patience, and kind heart.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 February 2021 at 8:17 am
Medina urged to have more diversity on police force
MEDINA – The Village Board heard from two residents that its proposed police reform plan needs to do more to ensure Medina police officers are respecting everyone and not violating constitutional rights.
Michael O’Keefe, an attorney in Medina, said he sees body camera video from some of his clients that show officers are infringing on peoples’ rights.
He said videos posted on YouTube by local resident Ken Ortiz show some officers violating Ortiz’s rights. O’Keefe said officers broke down the door of Ortiz’s room at midnight about nine months ago and still haven’t repaired it. O’Keefe said breaking down the door on a harassment charge against Ortiz was too much of a reaction from police.
“Things right in front of us are being ignored,” O’Keefe said during a public hearing through Zoom videoconferencing on Monday.
He would like to see citizen review board to help oversee the Police Department. O’Keefe said the complaint process for the public about officers also should include a way for people to share concerns about the police chief. Mayor Mike Sidari said any complaints about the police chief can be addressed to the mayor and Village Board.
Ortiz, who is a frequent critic of the police on social media and through YouTube, said the Police Department needs to more quickly make body camera video available to the public and the police chief should also wear a body camera when interacting with the public. Ortiz said the mayor often isn’t responsive to his requests for information.
Ortiz said he continues to speak out because he said not all residents are being treated fairly by the Police Department.
“We need to have more ethical police officers,” he said during Monday’s hearing which was held through Zoom video conferencing. “There is never an officer who is held to the standard.”
He urged Medina to have a more diverse police force with women and Black officers. Ortiz also said Medina should have a drop box for people to dispose of weapons.
The comments from O’Keefe and Ortiz were made during a public hearing on Monday about a “Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative Plan” due the state by April 1.
Medina formed a committee led by local business owner Scott Robinson that has updated and reviewed policies on use of force, mental health, body worn cameras, community relations, civilian personnel complaints, performance evaluations, handling deadly force incidents, use of firearms including taser and less lethal shotgun.
The committee has recommended establishing a Community Policing Board that would include a cross-section of the community and meet regularly. That community policing board would work towards forming better relations between law enforcement and the community.
“These relationships can be beneficial to convey information in both directions,” according to the report from Committee on Police Reform Collaborative. “This Board may also be tasked with aiding in community relations events.”
Some other highlights of the plan include:
• MENTAL HEALTH and PROCEDURAL JUSTICE – The committee in Medina also is recommending increased training for Medina police officers in mental health and procedural justice.
The regular mental health training schedule should seek out opportunities for crisis intervention training and mental health first aid.
Medina has already sent an instructor for certification in “Principled Policing.” That program covers areas such as History of Policing, Communication, Racial Bias, Decision Making, Trust Building and Core Values.
“Regular training in this area may help officers deal with the difficulties of modern-day policing,” the committee report states. “All of these training areas can be reinforced through reality based training, including interactive scenarios involving use of communication skills.”
• COMMUNITY POLICING/RELATIONS: The Committee recommends that the Medina Police Department take efforts to increase community policing and relations. The committee recommended the Medina Village Board put $10,000 in the next budget to assist with these community policing initiatives.
The committee recommended open community meetings hosted by the Medina Police Department. These meetings can be used to relay relevant information, and hear public concerns.
The Medina PD should also do an annual public survey to gather input from local citizens on police activities.
Some other ways to strengthen community interaction with the department could be more officers on foot patrol, bike patrol and community activities. The committee recommended an annual gathering open to the public where police officers can have positive interactions with the community.
Medina might also consider assigning a Community Policing Officer to focus on creating opportunities for positive interactions with the community.
• ACCREDITATION: The Committee recommends that the Medina PD attempt to obtain NYS accreditation status. The NYS Accreditation Program provides outside guidance and oversight to law enforcement to ensure performance in areas such as policies, procedures and training.
• FUNDING: The committee said funding should be increased at the local and state levels for law enforcement and mental health services. The Medina PD could pursue state grant funding for mental health, training and equipment.
The committee also said Medina should fund an investigator position in the Medina PD. “A designated position should result in a higher rate of case closures, which it is assumed will also increase public confidence,” the committee stated in the report.
Medina needs to submit a report to the state by April 1. Gov. Andrew Cuomo last June approved an executive order requiring all 500 municipal police agencies in the state to have the public involved in studying current police policies, with possible recommendations for changes. Those reports need to be submitted to the state by April 1 or Cuomo said the state will withhold funding from communities that don’t do the report, which needs to include public meetings.
Cuomo, in his executive order, said the communities with police departments need to go over their policies on use of force by police officers, crowd management, community policing, implicit bias awareness training, de-escalation training and practices, restorative justice practices, community-based outreach and citizen complaint procedures. The communities may find no changes are needed, Cuomo said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 February 2021 at 5:43 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Firefighters from the Medina area were dispatched at 4:30 p.m. to the Country Club Family Restaurant at 535 Main St. for reports of a structure fire.
The fire was limited to an office in the back of the restaurant. Steve Cooley, Medina Fire Department lieutenant, said an alert bystander at the restaurant used a fire extinguisher on the flames and smokes and then shut the door.
“That was the perfect thing to do,” Cooley said.
That action contained the fire until firefighters arrived and sprayed water in the room. They encountered high heat and smoke in the office, Cooley said.
Medina Fire Chief Matt Jackson said there is minimal damage from the fire, which didn’t spread beyond the room.
He expects the Country Club will be closed the rest of today and will have to do a “deep cleaning” tonight. The Orleans County Health Department is expected to have to give the OK for the restaurant to open.
Fire investigators from the Medina Fire Department and Orleans County Emergency Management Office are on the scene to determine the cause.
Firefighters entered the back of the Country Club Restaurant to get at the fire. They are shown getting ready to put away the hoses.
Photographs and historical information courtesy of Glad Tidings Baptist Church: This photograph shows the first members of Glad Tidings Baptist Church.
Posted 24 February 2021 at 3:22 pm
Illuminating Orleans, Volume 1, No. 7
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
MEDINA – In 1925, Sister Mary Johnson, a member of the Baptist Church of Rochester, felt called to assist the Black people of Medina who had been searching for a spiritual haven. With the assistance of Elder Caldwell and Rev. Henry Young of East Rochester, Sunday services were held at 811 Genesee Street, Medina, the home of Sister Johnson. At first, attendance ranged from five to 12 people.
They were given the use of a 12- by 18-foot building at 404 West Oak Orchard Street, which had been purchased for $20. The first service was held in this building on December 15, 1926. There were nine members: Sister Mary Johnson, Brother Thomas and Sister Martha Chambers, Brother John Royal, Brother Arthur and Sister Lydia Johnson, Sister Grace Schyler and Sister Alice Jones. The first offering was 10 cents a week, with special offerings on Sundays and holidays. Church history records that the location was “tried by fire and water”, once flooded and once almost destroyed by fire.
In 1929, the community purchased the lot at 404 West Oak Orchard Street from Charles Gilbert for $500. The cornerstone for the new wood frame building was laid in the winter of 1930 and it was erected by Brother Robert Johnson and Deaconess Sister Mary Johnson with the help of others who donated their time and labor.
Deaconess Mary Johnson gave her first lesson in the new Glad Tidings Baptist Church building on Dec. 11, 1931.
The name “Glad Tidings Missionary Baptist Church” was formally adopted in May 1937. Membership increased from 65 members in 1952 to 125 in 1956. A basement was completed in 1954 and an addition to accommodate the growing congregation was completed in 1957. A flood in 1968 destroyed church records and the basement kitchen. The church was also incorporated in this year.
By 1973, the condition of the 1930s building had deteriorated and a decision was made to replace it with a new Barden pre-structured building at an estimated cost of $50,000.
This ambitious project was completed under the leadership of Pastor Oscar Amos, and the new church, with the distinctive cross in front, was dedicated May 23, 1973.
The Mission has been served by many dedicated pastors including Rev. Willis Eavens who served from 1932 to 1954.
Dr. Rev. Lambert Duncan is the current and longest serving Pastor of the church, having served for 35 years. He has been New York Chaplain for six years. Originally from New York City, he lives in Rochester and is retired from Kodak. He holds three Doctorates from the Carolina University of Theology. His wife, Sister Elaine, holds a Doctorate in Christian Counseling and is also active in the church. Pastor Duncan’s focus is on outreach to the entire community.
Elder Neil Samborski and his wife, Kathy, have been associated with Glad Tidings for ten years. This Lyndonville couple are actively involved with the food ministry, distributing food from the Open Door Ministry in Rochester. Elder Samborski is also actively involved with the Medina Area Association of Churches.
In keeping with the church’s missionary goal, the Samborskis have undertaken several missionary trips to Malawi in South Africa, through the African Mission for Christ Worldwide. Elder Samborski is also a bishop of the newly founded church at Ntaja, Malawi.
Current officers of the church are: Elders: Elder Nathan Little and Elder Neil Samborski, Mothers of the Church: Sister Mattie Jackson and Sister Glennis Chinn, Deacons of Ministry: Deacon Gregg Boose and Deacon Jack Byrd. The Deaconesses of Ministry are: Mother Mattie Jackson, Sister Kathy Samborski and Sister Easter Boose. Sister Elaine Boose is President of Usher Ministry.
The church takes as its motto the words of Matthew 28: 19-20, urging members to spread the Christian message. Glad Tidings Missionary Baptist Church has been the “Mother Church” for the establishment of several other churches locally. The legacy of Sister Mary Johnson and the original founding members flourishes.
The Glad Tidings congregation has gathered in prayer at this 404 West Oak Orchard St., Medina, location for 95 years.
Photos by Josh Puit: Amber Hofmeister of Medina got her first tattoo when she turned 18. She has advanced through the first three rounds to be the next cover model for Inked Magazine.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2021 at 1:39 pm
Amber Hofmeister said she likes how tattoos are a way to express oneself and highlight important personal events and passions.
MEDINA – A Medina woman has emerged as a contender to be a cover model for Inked Magazine, a popular publication highlighting people with tattoos.
Amber Hofmeister, 33, entered the contest after being encouraged by a friend to submit some photos. Inked Magazine puts the potential models in groups of five, with the first place winner advancing to then be in new groups of five with others who advanced.
Hofmeister has won three rounds and is currently in first place in the latest grouping. Click here to vote online for her. Voting ends at 10 p.m. today. If she is in first place, she advances to the next round. She would have to win two more rounds to make it to the finals.
Hofmeister said many in the Medina community have shared the contest on social media, helping her to pick up votes.
“The support has been incredible,” she said. “Never did I think I would have that much support from the community.”
Hofmeister, a mother of three boys, has worked the past four years at Velocitii in Medina. She has a side photography business and has preferred being the one behind the camera.
She got her first tattoo when she turned 18. That tattoo on her leg is of Jack and Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas.
She has added many more highlighting interests and paying tribute to loved ones. Her left arm, for example, has many nautical-themed tattoos in homage to her grandparents, who loved to go fishing. She has a tattoo of a camera to represent her interest in photography. She has tattoos showing a microphone and piano keys because she enjoys music.
“It’s self expression,” she said about the tattoos.
If Hofmeister wins first in the Inked Magazine contest, she gets $25,000, in addition to being featured on the cover of the magazine.
“This is something that would really help me and my family,” she said about the top prize. “I would love to be able to win for my family and to draw attention to Medina. And if I win I will treat myself to a tattoo.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 February 2021 at 6:20 pm
Provided photo from Cynthia Kiebala
MEDINA – Rev. Nancy Guenther of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Medina, hands “ashes-to-go” to parishioner Roland Howell as Ash Wednesday was observed today.
The Rev. Guenther distributed at St. John’s in Medina and Rev. Colleen O’Connor did the same at Christ Church in Albion.
The parishioners were given a small bag with ashes, a prayer card and a Touch Stone made of clay and ashes that was imprinted with the sign of the cross.
Ash Wednesday is the start of the Lenten season, which is about six weeks with fasting and prayer for many Christians.
Q: Are there any positives through this, maybe speeding up technology?
MEDINA – In 1925, Sister Mary Johnson, a member of the Baptist Church of Rochester, felt called to assist the Black people of Medina who had been searching for a spiritual haven. With the assistance of Elder Caldwell and Rev. Henry Young of East Rochester, Sunday services were held at 811 Genesee Street, Medina, the home of Sister Johnson. At first, attendance ranged from five to 12 people.
