Photo courtesy of Owen Toale: Medina Police Chief Kenward (left), Tyler Draper and Lt. Todd Draper are pictured with Kye at the Village Board meeting on Monday. Kye has retired as Medina’s K9 and will be staying with Draper’s family.

MEDINA – Kye, Medina Police Department’s K9 for 8 ½ years, has officially transitioned to civilian life.

Kye, a Belgian Malinois, had his last day on the job on Nov. 13. He worked with Lt. Todd Draper since 2012.

Phoenix, the Medina PD’s new K9, has taken over for Kye. Phoenix works with handler and Medina police officer Jacob Reeves.

The Medina Village Board declared Kye “surplus” on Monday and agreed to sell him for $1 to Lt. Draper. Kye will continue to live with the Draper family.

Draper was joined at Monday’s meeting by his 8-year-old son, Tyler, who has spent his entire life with Kye in the Draper household.

Tyler actually paid the $1 for Kye and did a small demonstration for the Village Board on Monday, showing the trustees and Mayor Mike Sidari some of the commands he has learned while Kye has been a member of the family.

Photo courtesy of Medina Police Department

MEDINA – The Medina Police Department’s Police Benevolent Association has used donations collected from “No Shave November” to purchase Thanksgiving meals for some local family.

Pictured from left are PBA Union President Greg Fraser, First Presbyterian Pastor William Wilkinson and Police Chief Chad Kenward.

Members of the Police Department were allowed to grow facial hair during “No Shave November” and collect donations to be giving to a good cause.

This year the PBA chose to purchase Thanksgiving dinners for local families. The Medina Area Association of Churches helped to select recipients. Today the meals were purchased and delivered by MPD police officers.

Student population will be reduced during Covid pandemic with strict protocols in place

MEDINA – When the Covid pandemic hit in March, 36,000 students nationwide were sent home from Job Corps centers.

With the announcement that students are slowly being phased back to the Iroquois Job Corps comes the news the center will again be under the management of Education and Training Resources (ETR), headquartered in Bowling Green, Ky., effective Dec. 1.

ETR’s CEO Brian Fox made the announcement via Zoom at the Orleans County Legislature meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

ETR was the former manager of Job Corps for 12 1/2 years through 2017, Fox said. He said ETR is transitioning the center, with the current incumbent operator still having responsibility and operational authority, so ETR is not authorized at this point to speak on any specific matters involving Iroquois Job Corps.

“I can, however, provide an overview of what to expect following Dec. 1,” Fox said.

“We are no stranger to the Iroquois Job Corps Center,” Fox said. “We are proud to be back and be part of the Medina, Orleans County, GLOW and Western New York communities. We thank you for the opportunity to be your manager again. We will strive to be good partners to Western New York.”

Fox added, under ETR’s new contract, they will be focusing a lot of the Center’s outreach and recruitment of new students from within the nine-county Western New York area.

Fox added this is obviously a change from the past, but a positive one in that it focuses heavily on enrolling and serving Job Corps eligible students from Western New York and less on sending larger number of students from New York City. He said the credit for this new local and regional focus goes to the United States Department of Labor, which recently implemented a National Enrollee Assignment Plan for all Job Corps centers across the nation.

“Our goal is to enroll about 300 new students per year from the counties of Orleans, Genesee, Livingston, Wyoming, Monroe, Wayne, Ontario, Yates and Seneca,” Fox said. “Additionally, the Iroquois Center will receive about 150 students per year from within the five counties of Niagara, Erie, Allegheny, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus, through applicant referrals from the Cassadaga Job Corps Center. Lastly, the Iroquois Center may also receive up to 100 students from the New York City area.”

According to Fox, the USDOL has begun selecting centers to reopen, with very strict protocols, testing and quarantine requirements in place. Before arrival, 100 percent of staff are tested for Covid and required to be negative. Upon arrival, all students are tested and required to be negative. Any student testing positive will be isolated and returned home.

Students testing negative are quarantined for 14 days in a dorm room with virtual learning resources in place; and then retested again. If negative, their cohort group can move to in-person training in classrooms, but will not mix with other cohort groups until all protocols are completed.

The Iroquois center’s director will be Dennis Essom of Cheektowaga, who said he was excited to be working for ETR at the Iroquois Job Corps.

“This is the first Job Corps I went to when I started, and I know these gentlemen there,” he said. “I love the community, this center and the staff.”

Skip Draper of Medina, who has worked at the Job Corps for 20 years and has been Corporate Business Community liaison, said he is happy ETR is back.

The Iroquois Job Corps Center had a pre-Covid capacity of 275, but with Covid restrictions, the student population won’t be anywhere near that, Draper said.

All dormitories will be switched to accommodate one or two students, and will be thoroughly sanitized according to CDC guidelines. Additionally, the USDOL has invested significant resources in the Covid-specific retrofitting of all physical areas on centers across the nation, including dorms, cafeterias, offices, classrooms and all other areas on the campus.

Students will not be allowed to travel back and forth to their home and no weekend passes will be issued. Fox said, following Dec. 1, if any local public health officials would like to contact the Center and review the Covid protocols in place, that transparency and support would be welcomed and important.

Fox said the center will be interested in expanding relationships with schools, colleges and other organizations in the community.

“We are pleased to be back and look forward to working with all the partners in the area,” Fox said.

Iroquois Job Center will continue to provide Health Occupations Career Technical Training programs for employment of students in the areas of clinical medical assistant and certified nurse assistant. They will also provide four pre-apprenticeship CTT program with union partners in the skilled area of electrician, bricklaying, carpentry and painting.

Fox added the Iroquois Center is always interested in hearing from local residents and professionals who are interested in serving on the Center’s Community Relations Council and Workforce Council. Also, recognizing there are many other workforce development providers in Western New York, Iroquois Job Corps Center is always interested in how they can adjust the Center’s CTT programs to better meet the needs of the employers in the region.

Legislature chairwoman Lynne Johnson welcomed Fox and ETR back.

“You are a huge contributor to our county and we are proud to have you back on site,” Johnson said.

Senator is pleased Rochester will be Triple AAA team for Washington Nationals after Twins departure

Photos by Tom Rivers: U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer spoke in Medina today about the need for the federal government to release $9 billion in funding already designated for Covid testing and contact tracing. Schumer took questions from the media and said a new federal relief package is needed for small businesses and local governments. Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature, also attended the press conference.

MEDINA – U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer was at Medina Memorial Hospital today to show his support for releasing $9 billion in federal funds for free Covid testing and more tracing. He highlighted Orleans County as a community without free Covid testing for residents.

The senator said he also is determined to get another Covid relief bill passed, and very soon. He said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seemed open today to negotiating a deal.

Schumer said he wants the $2.2 billion HEROES Act already passed by the House of Representatives to be the framework for the package. That includes funding for schools and other local governments.

The state has warned schools they could be facing a 20 percent cut in aid. That would be about $5 million for Albion and Medina.

“We have to get aid, not just testing aid, we need aid for businesses, we need aid for unemployment, we need aid for local governments, we need aid for many things,” Schumer said.

The senator said the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provided a lifeline to small businesses and he favors expanding that program in the new relief package.

“We need something very similar and strong,” he said about the PPP. “That is what we’re trying to do.”

A previous proposal from McConnell didn’t include local government aid, which stalled discussions. Schumer said he is more optimistic today that McConnell is open to the aid to local governments.

“We need state and local aid,” Schumer said. “It affects our governments and the schools. It is at the top of our list.”

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer arrives at Medina Memorial Hospital for a press conference this morning about the need for a free Covid testing site in Orleans County.

Schumer acknowledged there is a shortage of PPE for hospitals and businesses and the relief package needs to help organizations have PPE for their employees.

The senator also responded to criticism Gov. Andrew Cuomo has faced about wanting to ensure the vaccine is safe and fairly distributed to people throughout the state. Cuomo has been criticized for slowing down the vaccine’s distribution in the state.

“The governor was simply trying to make sure the vaccine is distributed effectively to all parts of the state and efficiently,” Schumer said. “For him to request that is just fine. We need vaccines and I’ll be on top of that working with the governor to make sure New York gets its fair share.”

The senator from Brooklyn said he was happy to share some good news at press conference outside Medina Memorial Hospital this morning.

The senator confirmed the Washington Nationals are bringing their Triple AAA baseball team to Rochester and leaving Fresno, Ca. The Minnesota Twins announced last week they were ending an 18-year agreement with Rochester for Triple AAA.

Rochester didn’t have to wait long for a new team. The Nationals won the World Series in 2019. Schumer said he spoke with the Nationals owners on Wednesday, and urged them to commit to Rochester.

Binghamton also will have a minor league team in 2021. Schumer said he wants to press now for Batavia and Auburn to keep their professional teams in the future.

“We’re trying to convince Major League baseball that these teams are vital,” Schumer said.

The baseball games bring several hundred people to downtown Batavia, with many going to restaurants and other businesses before or after games.

These protestors stood along Ohio Street near the hospital and said Democrats are trying to steal the presidential election from Donald J. Trump. “Lying, Cheating Democrats,” the man holding the “Trump 2024” sign shouted several times. Schumer’s conference was moved from near the road to farther down the driveway away from the protestors.

The protestors also heckled members of the media. “You couldn’t tell the truth if it bit you in the a–,” one of the demonstrators yelled to the journalists.

MEDINA – The high school won’t be returning to in-person learning until Nov. 30, after the Thanksgiving break, the school district announced today.

The high school has been remote-only the first three days this week and that will continue the rest of this week and next week.

“Given the amount of staff members currently out at the high school due to mandatory quarantine and/or waiting for COVID test results, Medina High School will remain 100% virtual through Wednesday, November 25,” district superintendent Mark Kruzynski said in a letter to parents and the community.

The district plans to reopen for in-person learning on Nov. 30. High School students in the BOCES program will also be virtual through Nov. 25.

The Oak Orchard Elementary and Wise Intermediate/Middle School will continue to hold in-person instruction as scheduled.

Public welcome to fill out online survey, email comments

MEDINA – The Medina Committee on Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative was planning a second public meeting on Wednesday to take comments from the community.

But the recent spike in Covid-19 cases locally prompted the committee to cancel the in-person meeting.

“With new restrictions being put in place, we want to make sure we’re taking the public health of the community into account with all of our actions,” said Scott Robinson, a member of the committee.

The committee has been reviewing current Medina Police Department policies and procedures, while also reviewing new additions and modifications for consideration.

Following the public comment received on September 23, the committee launched an email address and survey to increase participation in the process. Comments can be emailed to medinaprrc@gmail.com.

Click here for a link to the survey in English and click here for the survey in Spanish.

Through the remainder of 2020, the committee will be reviewing public comments, policy and procedure recommendations, and additional recommendations being offered by stakeholders from the community and committee.

On June 12, Governor Andrew Cuomo initiated an executive order entitled the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative. The core objective was that each local government with a police department needed to review the policies, procedures, and strategies of the police department.

To achieve this, each head of government must work with the leader of the police department to compile a group of community stakeholders who will review these activities. In medina’s case, Mayor Mike Sidari and Police Chief Chad Kenward worked to form a committee.

The committee includes faith-based leaders, business owners, the district attorney, public defender, a representative of the public schools, and others.

Consistent with the Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order, after receiving community input, a plan will be submitted for acceptance to the Medina Village Board and provided to the state by April 1.

Provided photo: This is the Memorial Tree in the lobby of Medina Memorial Hospital last year. OCH Foundation has decided to put the tree up this year.

MEDINA – A longtime tradition of honoring loved ones will continue this year at Orleans Community Health.

The hospital Foundation has announced it will be able to put up the annual memorial tree in the lobby of Medina Memorial Hospital, according to Foundation director Heather Smith.

“This is a tradition I look forward to every year, and I am especially excited to do it this year,” Smith said. “It is a special opportunity to hang an ornament in memory and honor of family, friends and other loved ones.”

Smith said the tree has been a tradition for many years, but she isn’t sure how long they’ve been doing it. She does remember the first one had apple ornaments.

This year’s ornament is a copper-colored angel, which is similar in design to one of the ornaments last year, Smith said. The price remains at $10 per ornament.

The Foundation is offering an option this year of having the ornament mailed, so purchasers won’t have to come into the hospital to pick it up after the holidays.

The ornaments may be ordered online or by mailing in an order with the name of who the ornament is in memory of, and a check payable to OCH Foundation, 200 Ohio St., Medina. Ornaments are $10 each, plus $5 for mailing or $8 for mailing two.

Ornaments will be available for mailing or pick up at the hospital after Jan. 8.

Anyone wishing more information may call Smith at (585) 798-8426.

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Donations will be shared with MAAC, Community Action for their Christmas efforts with local families

MEDINA – The annual Parade of Lights in downtown Medina has also been a chance for a one-day toy drive, with community members dropping off gifts and donations at Canalside Tattoo on Main Street in Medina.

Those gifts and donations are then shared with Medina Area Association of Churches for its Christmas Box Program and also to Community Action of Orleans & Genesee.

But this year, the parade won’t pass through the downtown and there won’t be several thousand people gathered for a holiday celebration.

Instead, Medina is doing a “reverse parade” at the school campus on Nov. 28, with the floats stationary and people driving by to see them decorated displays.

Andrew Szatkowski, chairman of the annual toy drive, decided to instead do a “Santa Hat Drive” at the parade where people can donate money, in a similar manner that they give to boot drives by firefighters.

“We didn’t want to give up because we have been gaining momentum,” Szatkowski said about the annual toy drive. “We want to give people a chance to chip in.”

The money from the Santa Hat Drive will be used to supplement the toys and clothing given by MAAC to Medina families. Some of the proceeds will also go to Community Action, which this year is shifting from giving presents to gift cards. The agency will continue to give families food baskets with a turkey or ham in a sealed package.

Szatkowski in the first three toy drives offered an incentive where people could win one of 20 packages donated by local businesses. For every $5 spent, people would get a chance to win a package.

But Szatkowski didn’t want to ask local businesses to donate to a package this year, given the difficult economic climate in the Covid-19 pandemic.

There is more information about the “Santa Hat Drive” on a Facebook event page, including an option to use Venmo to send money for the effort.

Canalside Tattoo also is selling some whimsical calendars of their staff as a benefit for the toy fund drive. Erin Townsend took the photos. Click here for more information.

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District expects many staff to be quarantined

MEDINA – The high school will be going fully remote on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, district superintendent Mark Kruzynski advised the school community this afternoon.

The district was notified there have been two confirmed Covid-19 cases in the high school.

“Because of the nature of the job of one of these positive cases, we are anticipating a significant amount of mandatory quarantines amongst our staff when contact tracing occurs,” Kruzynski said. “These expected quarantines will significantly impact our ability to keep Medina High School clean and disinfected during the day.”

Oak Orchard Elementary and Wise Middle School will both be open as scheduled on Monday.

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Provided photos: Bob Hale receives his certificate of appreciation from Laurie Seager, Activities Assistant, and Martin MacKenzie, Administrator, for his service in the US Navy.

MEDINA – Veterans Day was celebrated a bit differently this year at Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

Due to the pandemic, the site was unable to have the usual gun salute ceremony by local VFW and American Legion members.

Instead, the 18 veterans were recognized with certificates of appreciation to commend them for their efforts in support of our United States Armed Forces.

Each veteran also received a button to wear donated by The Print Shop. Residents also enjoyed coffee and Case-Nic cookies while listening to patriotic music.

Sharon Laskett, Physical Therapy Aide, presents a certificate to Charles Kellogg, her step-father, for his service in the US Marines.

Frank Ranallo accepts his plaque for service in the US Marines from Jamie Murphy, Activities Director.

Flag cookies and veterans’ pins were available to the 18 veterans at Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing.

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MEDINA – Medina High School will resume in-person classes on Tuesday. The school was remote-only today after the school district was notified on Sunday that a high school student tested positive for Covid-19.

The student was last on campus on Nov. 2. The Orleans County Health Department has worked with the district to identify any close contacts of the student.

If the Health Department feels a child is at increased risk, the child’s family will be contacted directly. Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent, asks parents to contact the school nurse at (585) 798-3843 if a child is placed on quarantine. If that happens, the district will work to ensure virtual learning is arranged for the child.

The district remains committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all students and staff, Kruzynski said.

“Our buildings will continue to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected each and every day,” Kruzynski said in a letter to the community. “Our busses will continue to be cleaned and disinfected after every bus run. Our cleaning regimen, social distancing, barriers and mask requirements are working in helping to fight the spread of the coronavirus on our campus.”

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MEDINA – Medina High School will be doing classes remote only on Monday with no in-person classes after the school district was notified today that a high school student tested positive for Covid-19.

This is the first Medina student to test positive for Covid-19 this school year.

Having no in-person classes in the school will allow the Orleans County Health Department to do conduct contact tracing with close contacts who may have been exposed to the virus.

Medina High School students should log in to Google classroom for each of their classes on Monday, said Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent.

Students who attend BOCES will also be virtual on Monday.

The Oak Orchard and Wise schools will conduct in-person classes on Monday, as normally scheduled, Kruzynski said.

Lyndonville also is shifting to remote learning for grades 9-12 on Monday after the district was notified today that a high school student tested positive for Covid-19.

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