By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 October 2026 at 9:18 am
Photo courtesy of Scott Bieliski, Medina village trustee
MEDINA – A nearly new ladder truck left Medina last week, taking a 600-mile journey to Wilmette near Chicago, Illinois.
The truck was loaded on a trailer and hauled away last Wednesday. The truck was being kept in Medina’s former compost facility on North Gravel Road, next to the dog park and just south of Boxwood Cemetery.
The Village Board on Sept. 8 accepted a $2.1 million offer from Wilmette for the ladder truck. Medina received the truck last December but never put it into service. It was declared surplus by the Village Board in February, with the majority of the board saying the truck, with a $1.8 million bond, was too costly.
It also needed a new bay at the fire station to accommodate it. The current fire hall is too small for the truck. The truck is about 13 feet high where the fire station bays only have a clearance of 10 feet, 6 inches. A one-bay addition would have been about $1.3 million more.
The Village of Wilmette has more resources than Medina. The Illinois community has about 28,000 people with a median household income of $190,662.
Medina has a population of 5,855, according to the 2025 population estimates from the Census Bureau. Medina’s median household income is $59,231, just a fraction’s of Wilmette’s.
Wilmette officials were in Medina on Oct. 5 and hand-delivered a check for $2.1 million. They also gave the truck a final inspection.
Wilmette wanted a new ladder truck, but ordering one now would cost about $2.5 million with a wait time of more than three years.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 October 2026 at 3:27 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Medina Marching Band performed during halftime of the Orleans County Rivals football game on Friday night at Vets Park and culminated the show with a large patriotic banner. The merged Albion-Medina football team won its game, 56-6, against Amherst. The marching band performed its show, “We The People.”
Information courtesy of Medina Band Boosters
The Medina Mustang Marching Band traveled to Webster on Saturday for their fifth competition this season. It was a chilly night but a huge crowd turned out for 11 bands in competition in various classes.
Medina is in class in SS2 and finished in 1st place with a score of 81.45 followed by Le Roy in 2nd with 80.55 and Horseheads in 3rd with 78.15.
LS2 class had three competitors and Greece took 1st with 84.60, Lancaster 2nd wih 83.35 & Orchard Park in 3rd with 81.82.
East Irondequoit was the only competitor in SS1 & Webster the only National band.
Pioneer was the only SS3 band with 70.05. LS3 included Hilton in 1st with 72.75 and Rochester in 2nd with 70.30.
Medina’s next competition is Oct. 24th in Greece followed by the NYSFBC championships on Sunday, Nov. 1st in Syracuse.
The Medina band performs during Friday’s halftime show at Vets Park and its show celebrated the nation’s 250th anniversary with the music of Aaron Copeland.
The band consists of 90 students and is directed by Kyla Leno-Denise and Andrea Busch. The band is performing in new uniforms this year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 October 2026 at 3:10 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – A crane from Trimble Services LLC in Fulton lifts a 33,000-pound steel bridge over the Oak Orchard Creek today at about 11:25 a.m.
The pedestrian bridge was manufactured by Bridge Brothers Inc. from Pickens, South Carolina.
The bridge is 100 feet long and 8 feet wide. It was delivered in Medina on a truck in two 50-foot sections.
Kevin Foster and his son Jack, owners of RJT Construction Services, are the first to walk across the bridge.
RJT is the general contractor on the project after submitting the low bid of $837,448. Barton & Loguidice also provided engineering services for $166,300.
The project also includes about 2,000 feet of sidewalks along Maple Ridge Road.
The bridge is on Maple Ridge Road over the creek awaiting to be lifted and set in place on its new concrete abutments.
The new bridge and sidewalks have been several years in the waiting. The village in 2021 was awarded a $1,094,196 grant to construct the bridge and sidewalks as part of a multi-use path for pedestrians and bicycles. The funding was awarded by the state through a federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant.
That is covering 80 percent of the project. The remaining 20 percent will be paid locally from the village ($55,000), Town of Shelby ($130,000) and Orleans County ($97,500) using their share of funds from a now closed revolving loan fund through the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
Workers put bolts in place where two 50-foot sections were put together.
The thick straps are put in place to hoist the bridge.
Kevin Foster, co-owner of RJT Construction Services in white hard hat, checks the work before the bridge was lifted.
Photo and press release courtesy of Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – Congratulations go to five graduates of the Orleans/Niagara BOCES’ GED class at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Medina.
Their Literacy Zone teachers, family and friends are so proud of their achievement. Well done, Alex Hain, Marty Spencer, Jade Trautman, Jennifer Nichols and Sherry Burgher!
To learn more about Literacy Zone program, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2026 at 9:20 am
Photo courtesy of The Batavian: The alleged perpetrator of an armed robbery in Medina on Tuesday morning then drove to Batavia in a red SUV, and crashed near the of intersection of Richmond Avenue and State Street.
MEDINA – A man who allegedly robbed the Family Dollar in medina on Tuesday morning, putting a gun to the head of an employee, has been arrested but is currently in Strong Memorial Hospital recovering from injuries after crashing an SUV in Batavia.
The alleged robber will be arraigned and likely remanded to the Orleans County Jail soon after being discharged by Strong, said Corey Black, the Medina police chief.
The man drove off from Family Dollar and his SUV was detected by a Flock camera. Law enforcement were alerted when the SUV was in Batavia.
The driver of the SUV collided with another vehicle near the intersection of Richmond Avenue and State Street. The SUV driver was unconscious and taken to Strong Memorial Hospital.
Black said he will release the man’s name and more details from the crime once the man has been arraigned and is out of the hospital. Orleans County Sheriff’s deputies are staying at Strong, keeping the man under arrest.
Black said the Flock camera system was paramount in the quick response by law enforcement in an adjoining county.
A member of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office was able to put the red SUV and the last three digits of the license plate into the Flock system.
Medina Police were then assisted by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, Albion Police, State Police, Batavia Police, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force.
“This is a very dangerous person,” Black said about the alleged robber. “At the end of the day, the cooperation of the law enforcement agencies working together was huge.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2026 at 8:32 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – New sidewalks are in along Maple Ridge Road in Medina. This photo from Monday shows the sidewalks looking east from Ricky Place.
About 2,000 feet of new sidewalks are going in along the north side of Maple Ridge as part of a project that is adding a pedestrian bridge over Oak Orchard Creek.
RJT Construction Services is the general contractor on the project after submitting the low bid of $837,448. Barton & Loguidice also provided engineering services for $166,300.
This section of Maple Ridge Road is looking west from Ricky Place. This section of Maple Ridge near the creek has become busier with a housing development, several new businesses and also the GCC campus center.
There are also about 200 available acres in the area being promoted for development by the EDA. (The sign for Mariachi de Oro Mexican restaurant can be seen in the distance.)
The new bridge and sidewalks have been several years in the waiting. The village in 2021 was awarded a $1,094,196 grant to construct the bridge and sidewalks as part of a multi-use path for pedestrians and bicycles. The funding was awarded by the state through a federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant.
That is covering 80 percent of the project. The remaining 20 percent will be paid locally from the village ($55,000), Town of Shelby ($130,000) and Orleans County ($97,500) using their share of funds from a now closed revolving loan fund through the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 October 2026 at 12:35 pm
Heritage Award for Village of Medina, Western Orleans Senior Citizens for efforts maintaining railroad depot
Photos by Tom Rivers: Belhurst Castle in Geneva will be inducted into the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame on Oct. 22.
MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Society will be inducting three more sites into its Hall of Fame on Oct. 22, bringing the total to 49 exceptional structures made of Medina Sandstone. The Hall of Fame started in 2013 and is located at City Hall in Medina.
The induction ceremony will be at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 22 in the meeting chambers of City Hall at 600 Main St.
The new inductees include the Belhurst Castle in Geneva, the Genesee County Jail in Batavia and the Titusville Presbyterian Church in Titusville, Pa. The Sandstone Society also will be presenting a Heritage Award to the Medina Village Board and Western Orleans Senor Center for their ongoing commitment to maintain the New York Central railroad depot, a Medina Sandstone building constructed in 1908.
Belhurst Castle – Geneva, NY
The inside of Belhurst Castle has thick walls made of Medina Sandstone. The site offers lodging, dining and event spaces.
Belhurst Castle in Geneva was built as a private three-story, nine-bay-wide mansion over four years from 1885 to 1889. It sits along the shores of Seneca Lake.
It was built with a rich brown Medina Sandstone. The site was a speakeasy and illegal gambling casino during the 1930s.
It was converted into a hotel, winery and spa in 1952, and offers overnight lodgings, dining, and event spaces. It has two restaurants, including one named the Stonecutters Tavern.
This historic 3-story Romanesque Revival stone mansion now hosts weddings and other major events. It has been named a “World’s Best Wine Hotel” by Wine Enthusiast, voted number three in USA TODAY’s Top 10 Wine Country Hotels, and voted one of the “Most Romantic Places” in New York State.
Belhurst was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Genesee County Jail – Batavia, NY
The Genesee County Jail in Batavia was built from 1902-1903 in a Victorian Gothic and fortress-like structure made of Medina Sandstone. In the early days it served as the sheriff’s residence. It later was the offices for the Sheriff’s Department.
The jail on West Main Street features five turrets, quoins, and rusticated sandstone. The building was designed by Poughkeepsie architect William J. Beardsley, who also designed Attica State Prison.
The Genesee County Jail sits as a focal point in the Genesee County Courthouse Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The county sheriff and his family used to live in the front portion of the jail building until the 1970s. The jail originally had 10 to 15 cells. The county put a brick addition on the jail in 1985, increasing the capacity for 97 inmates.
The county built a new jail in 2024 at 3839 West Main Street Rd., but hasn’t neglected the sandstone site. The county in 2022-23 did a $2 million restoration on the old jail with lots of repointing and work on the sandstone and brick. The county repaired crumbling and deteriorated sandstone blocks, which were meticulously deconstructed, labeled and safely restored.
Workers then rebuilt the underlying foundation, concrete slab, and front porch walls before placing the historic sandstone back in position.
Titusville First Presbyterian Church – Titusville, Pennsylvania
Photo courtesy of David Miller
Titusville is the birthplace of modern American petroleum industry. Edwin Drake successfully struck oil on Aug. 27, 1859. The city’s population surged after the world’s first commercial oil well was drilled.
The earliest religious association in the Titus settlement was begun by the Presbyterians, and the congregation increased over the years, outgrowing four buildings before the current one was built of Medina red sandstone from 1887 to 1888 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.
Rather than the conventional spire, the design called for a distinctive main tower topped by a belfry and dome. The wood of the interior is oak, and the pews are in a semicircular arrangement. The south-facing Emerson Chapel was added in 1907. The church contains a pipe organ and historic art glass windows designed by J & R Lamb Studios of New York City.
This church at 216 N. Franklin Street in Titusville is part of the Titusville Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Heritage Award – Village of Medina, Western Orleans Senior Citizens
The Sandstone Society is honoring the Village of Medina and the Senior Citizens of Western Orleans for their stewardship of the NY Central Depot, a Medina Sandstone building constructed in 1908, a site that continues as a social hub for older adults and other community events.
The site has been used as the Senior Citizens of Western Orleans since 1968. It started when a group of seniors got to thinking there should be a place in Medina for seniors to gather and enjoy camaraderie.
The village was approached about using the New York Central railroad depot on West Avenue, and an agreement was reached to allow use of the building.
The group at one time had 600 members. The Senior Center of Western Orleans now has about 250 members, and the center is still very active with euchre games, pinochle and luncheons.
There also are exercise classes on Wednesday mornings and one can expect to find a jigsaw puzzle in the works any time.
The center has a gift shop which is always full of unique gift items, puzzles, clothing, jewelry and hand-knitted and crocheted items.
The building has seen recent improvements with a new air-conditioner, exterior painting, and other upgrades.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 12 October 2026 at 8:08 am
Photos by Ginny Kropf: A group of students from Brockport Cheer Club volunteered at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday at State Street Park in Medina. The students cheered on the participants as they finished the 2-mile walk.
MEDINA – The annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Orleans County took place Saturday, starting and ending in State Street Park in Medina.
Donna Bushover places a flower in memory of her mother Izara Bauer in the Promise Garden which was part of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Saturday in State Street Park.
Prior to the walk, emcee Randy Bushover welcomed the crowd and shared facts relating to Alzheimer’s. A poignant feature of the event is the Promise Garden, in which loved ones plant a flower they have purchased to support the fight to end Alzheimer’s.
Flowers come in assorted colors, which each representing a different stage of the dreaded disease. A blue flower is carried by individuals currently living with the disease. A purple flower means they have lost someone to Alzheimer’s. Yellow means they are supporting or caring for some with Alzheimer’s. An orange flower signifies that person is supporting the cause and vision of a world without Alzheimer’s.
The white flower represents the hope for a future without Alzheimer’s disease. It is the symbol of the first person to survive Alzheimer’s.
Another feature of the day is the annual basket raffle sponsored by Mary Lou Tuohey, who lost both her parents to Alzheimer’s. When she owned Case-Nic Cookies, she displayed the baskets in her store window, and new owner Hans Rosentreter is continuing that. This year, tables were set up in front of the store with pictures of each numbered basket, to allow last minute supporters and walk/run participants to stop during their route to buy tickets.
Mary Lou’s daughter Nicole also continued her annual effort of making elephant links to join together and stretch down the block of Main Street. On Saturday, they were strung out on the lawn of State Street Park.
It takes a lot of volunteers to make the event successful, and this year they were fortunate to have students from Brockport State College come to help. The students in the Brockport Cheer Club attends sports and other community events, including Camp Good Days.
DJ Tom Shuh of Cheektowaga played music throughout the morning.
The Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Medina raised at least $12,000.
Volunteers put up props for the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 October 2026 at 3:58 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Kyle Webb of Albion and his twin sons, Wyatt (in sunglasses) and Elias, near the finish line in today’s 2-mile walk in Medina to end Alzheimer’s. Webb’s older children, Colin and Keara Webb, also were part of the walk.
There were about 200 participants in the walk who raised at least $12,000 for the Alzeimer’s Association of Western New York.
Hayley Schmidt and her mother Beth Schmidt of Albion completed the walk. Beth is the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Committee for Orleans Committee. Hayley and Beth raised $2,175 for the Alzeimer’s Association. Nicole Tuophey was the top individual for fundraising, at $2,037.
The SUNY Brockport Cheer Club congratulated the participants for completing the 2-mile walk.
The Brockport Cheer Club formed a “Thank You Brigade” for the first time at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The walk started and ended at State Street Park.
There were about 30 Cheer Club members near the finish with signs, bells and loud cheers for the participants.
One of the last stretches of the walk was along East Center Street before a final turn at State Street Park.
Lynn Hughes, the staff walk manager for the Alzheimer’s Association of WNY, rang bells and thanked the participants for their efforts.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 10 October 2026 at 9:56 am
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Officials and personnel of the Downtown Browsery in Medina gathered for a ribbon cutting on Friday morning to celebrate the store’s expansion. From left are Sharon and store manager Erik Sinkora; vendor Ruth Higgins; Medina mayor Deb Padoleski; vendor Julie Sanford; Dave Sevenski, member of the board and vendor; building owner, Tom Snyder; and Marlene Seielstad, candidate-at-large for County Legislature.
MEDINA – The Downtown Browsery at 413 Main St. celebrated the store’s expansion into an adjoining space with a ribbon cutting on Friday morning. Taking part were store manager Erik Sinkora and his wife Sharon; board member and vendor Dave Sevenski; Ruth Higgins and Julie Sanford, vendors; Deb Padoleski, Medina mayor; Tom Snyder, owner of the building; and Marlene Seielstad, candidate-at-large for county legislature.
Padoleski cut the ribbon, thanking Tom Snyder for his support and saying she and the Village Board are pleased with business in Medina.
“I am happy to see that the Browsery was able to add on to their business,” Padoleski said. “This establishment is a gem for our downtown – a favorite of Medina residents and visitors. This neat little shop is chock full of goodies – literally something for everything. Congratulations on your expansion.”
One happy vendor is Julie Sanford of Albion, who sells industrial lighting made by her husband, and vintage items.
“I like the community, the people of the town and the visitors,” Sanford said. “And I enjoy rescuing and repurposing items that would otherwise end up in a landfill.”
Tom Snyder, who also owns Medina Lumber, added his appreciation of business in Medina.
“It’s exciting that a local downtown business is expanding,” he said. “It’s a feather in our cap that we have a bustling Main Street.”
The expansion brings the number of vendors to the Medina location to 36, according to Sinkora. The Downtown Browsery started in Albion in 2004. The Browsery now occupies three store fronts in Albion. Between Albion and Medina, the stores now accommodate 75 vendors.
