Photos by Tom Rivers: Corey Black takes the oath of office as Medina’s new police chief during the Village Board meeting this evening in the Shelby Town Hall. Mayor Debbie Padoleski administers the oath while Black’s wife Marilyn holds the Bible.

MEDINA – The Medina Police Department has a new police chief is a veteran local law enforcement officer.

Corey Black started as Medina police chief today. He retired about a year ago as an investigator with the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force after 10 ½ years in that role. Before that he worked 20 years in the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy, sergeant and investigator.

Corey Black smiles after being sworn in as Medina police chief. He is joined by his wife Marilyn during the swearing in.

He has been part of the marine patrol for the Sheriff’s Office since July 2025.

He was appointed to lead the Medina Police Department, which has seen an exodus of officers and leadership to other departments that are much higher-paying. The Medina Police Department has been without a new contract for over three years. Mayor Debbie Padoleski said she wants an arbitrator to make a ruling seen on the contract. She said the village is currently stuck with the old contract with the low pay that makes recruitment and retention very diffiult.

Another officer, Dustin Meredith, submitted his resignation, effective today. The department is only about half strength and has lost its previous chief, Christian Navas, and a sergeant, Jacob Reeves, to the Sheriff’s Office. Other officers have also joined other departments.

Black said he welcomes the chance to rebuild and lead the Medina PD.

“There is a need and I feel I have a lot to offer,” Black said after this evening’s swearing in ceremony. “I still have a lot of gas in the tank.”

Black, 54, will be paid a $95,000 salary as Medina police chief. Mayor Padoleski said the board interviewed five candidates for the job. She is impressed by Black’s experience.

Black said he believes working at Medina PD will be enticing to officers.

“It’s a young department so there is room for growth,” he said. “The community here is great.”

The board this evening also cancelled a contract with Flock safety for three mounted license plate readers in the village. The board in November approved Flock setting up the plate readers at three locations in the village. The cameras never were installed and the board has since had concerns about surveillance and how the data would be used.

Padoleski and Trustee Scott Bieliski both said the board is committed to hiring more police officers. They said Medina is currently hamstrung with the contract in arbitration.

“This board wants to work with our police department,” Bieliski said during this evening’s meeting. “We want to build the police department back to where it should be. We want to work with our officers.”

The Medina PD currently is at half strength. The department should have 12 officers, but currently has six with the police chief, two sergeants and three other officers.

Corey Black has family and friends in law enforcement. Pictured form left include George barton, an Orleans County deputy and Kendall school resource officer who is dating Black’s daughter Haley; Black’s son Dillon Black, a sergeant at the Albion Police Department; Corey Black; and Devon Pahuta, Black’s stepson and an investigator with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

Photo by Alexandra Peracciny: Youth are shown in an activity during one of the youth programs held during the summer as part of the Medina Triennial. Here, they are building structures out of toothpicks and marshmallows to see how different materials hold up. They practiced using a variety of foraged and repurposed materials to see what was most sustainable. The final two programs are this Sunday and Aug. 30.

MEDINA – As the Medina Triennial enters into its final weeks, focus is being given to a series of youth programs, led by Medina School teacher and local photographer Alexandra Peracciny.

Peracciny has been leading the free programs throughout the summer, in which children and teenagers were introduced to the ideas behind the Triennial’s artworks through conversations, close looking and hands-on creative activities, said Kari Conte, creative director of the Medina Triennial.

Each workshop offered separate sessions for ages 5-10 and 11-18, allowing activities and discussions to be tailored to different age groups.

The programs encourage young people to think about art in relation to everyday life, community, local history, food, storytelling and the environment.

Participants received Triennial passports to use while visiting the exhibition’s 10 sites throughout Medina. The passports encourage families to experience the full exhibition and connect the individual artworks.

The Medina Triennial is a contemporary art exhibition presented across multiple sites in Medina. Its programs invite residents and visitors of all ages to engage with art and with ideas that relate to the region, its communities and the wider world.

The next program, titled “Nourishing Connection: A Workshop on food and Where it Comes From,”  is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Medina Triennial Hub on North Main Street. The sessions for ages 5-10 begin at 2 p.m., followed by the program for ages 11-18 at 3 p.m.

Inspired by the works of Mary Mattingly and Michael Wang, participants will discuss where food comes from and how caring for their communities can encourage healthier habits. Each participant will then plant seeds to take home.

The final youth program of the summer on Aug. 30 is called “Reflection:” Who We Are and What We’ve Learned.” Sessions begin at noon for ages 5-10 and at 1 p.m. for ages 11-18. Participants will receive the Triennial passports they completed over the summer and reflect on their favorite artworks and the projects they created during the youth program. The closing activity will invite participants to make self-portraits and write descriptions expressing who they are as artists and who they hope to become.

Past programs, which began June 14 with “Everyday Stories,” introduced participants to works by Jean Shin and Tania Candiani. Young people considered how art can celebrate ordinary experiences and make space for many voices. They then created projects inspired by the discussion.

Future Forests on Aug. 9 explored sustainability and deforestation through works by James Beckett, Harun Farocki and FIBRA. Participants used recycled materials to construct structures of their own.

Collective Memory on Aug. 16 drew upon works by Futurefarmers and Gregory Halpern. Participants discussed how one place can contain many stories and perspectives, then created drawings through which they shared their own stories.

Provided photo: Retired Channel 7 personality Mike Randall will open a celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday with his puppetry. The Medina Tourism Committee is sponsoring the event Sept. 6 in State Street Park, which will include entertainment for the entire family. Randall also will do a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence.

MEDINA – The Medina Tourism Committee has announced plans for an afternoon of entertainment to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary.

According to Tourism Committee chairman Jim Hancock, on Sept. 6, beginning at 3 p.m. in State Street Park, the Salute to America’s 250th Anniversary will take place, featuring entertainment for the entire family.

Hancock said they chose to wait until Labor Day to celebrate the birth of our country because there is always so much going on in summer, especially around the Fourth of July

First on the Sept. 6 program will be retired local television personality Mike Randall, who will entertain with his puppetry.

“He is remarkable,” Hancock said of Randall’s talent. “He will start our program, which will be enjoyed by kids, parents and grandparents.”

This will be followed by retired Medina High School band director Jim Steele and his band, the MRJ Big Band, who will play jazz and patriotic music.

Next, Randall will do a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence.

“This is a wonderful document which outlines why the colonies broke away from England,” Hancock said. “Many don’t know what it says. This is something everybody needs to know.”

Following a break, another 45 minutes of music will take place by the Jazz Band.

During the afternoon, there will be food trucks on site, offering food and drinks. One will be Hazel and Honey with their baked goods and lemonade.

Hancock said the Sons of the American Legion contributed money toward the event, which provided cupcakes for the crowd.

Hans’s Bakery will make 250 red, white and blue cupcakes, which will be handed out to the crowd, along with miniature flags.

Also participating in the celebration will be members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, whose Honor Guard will present Colors, fire a salute and play echo taps.

Hancock expects the program to last until about 7 p.m. In case of rain, the event will take place at the Medina Theater.

In addition to Hancock, members of the Medina Tourism Committee include Jan Smith, Barb Gorham, Kelly Kiebala, Kathy Blackburn, Ann Fisher-Bale, Debbie Padoleski and Dawn Borchet.

Photos courtesy of Mary Fellios: (Left) Part of the towpath is shown between Medina and Middleport, similar to the walk planned on Saturday, as part of the Medina Triennial. (Right) Mary Miss is the founding director of City as Living laboratory. She will lead a conversation at the Triennial Hub’s headquarters after Saturday’s walk.

MEDINA – The Medina Triennial, which has focused on local exhibits by world-renown artists, will take a new path this weekend with a walk along the Erie Canal Towpath.

Presented by City as Living Laboratory, or CALL, and artist Mary Miss, the program invites participants to experience the historic towpath as a “living laboratory,” shaped by ecology, infrastructure, labor and community.

Participants must register in advance by logging on to the Triennial’s website at www.medinatriennial.org. They will meet at 10 a.m. at the Medina Triennial Hub at 346 Main St. for orientation, coffee and light refreshments. At 10:15 a.m., complimentary shuttles will transport the group to Middleport, where the walk will begin.

From approximately 10:30 a.m. until 12:45 p.m., the group will travel slowly along 4.7 miles of the Erie Canalway Trail, pausing for guided observations and discussions with the walk leaders. Participants should bring water, a hat and wear comfortable shoes.

Rather than follow a conventional guided tour format, participants will encounter a series of stops, questions and conversations led by artists and environmental specialists. These include pioneering environmental artist Mary Miss, curator and arts leader Olivia Georgia, University at Buffalo environmental scholars Nick Henshue and Sanford Geffner and Western New York landscape designer Zuzanna Drozdz.

Henshue will contribute expertise in soil, restoration, earthworms and urban ecology, while Geffner will offer perspectives on natural history, environmental education and the regional landscape. Drozdz will discuss approaches to landscape design that bring together biodiversity, nourishment, beauty and community, according to Kari Conte, co-creative director of the Triennial.

The event connects the Erie Canal’s 200-year history with current questions about environmental responsibility, Conte explained.

 “The canal and its towpath are not simple historic landmarks – they are forms of public infrastructure that require continuing care,” Conte said.

The walk will conclude in Medina near the Floating Garden in the Canal Basin. Participants will then return to the Triennial Hub for a complimentary lunch. The day will close with a presentation by Mary Miss and Olivia Georgia, followed by a group conversation in which participants and walk leaders can share observations and reflect on the canal corridor together.

Canalside Tattoo has now raised more than $100K in 5 years for Cat by Cat Inc.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Dawn Dyson, left, of Middleport gets a Buffalo Bills tattoo on Sunday by Melissa Freebern as part of the Caturday fundraiser at Canalside Tattoo in Medina.

The fifth annual event raised just over $30,000, topping the $29,000 from last year. In five years, Caturday has now raised over $100,000 for the Medina team of Cat by Cat Inc.

The organization is trying to rein in the feral or community cat problem in Orleans County. Cat by Cat seeks to humanely “TNVR” cats through targeted trapping. Cat by Cat focuses on a TNVR model – Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return.

Dawn Dyson, 58, got her first tattoo 11 years ago. She said a Buffalo Bills tattoo has been on her list.

Freebern traveled from lake George to be part of Caturday where 14 tattoo artists donated their time and talent. The tattoos were $100 each and the artists did about 100 altogether.

Ellen Blanc, front left, and Kim Desantis greeted people at the gift basket auction where 180 baskets were available.

Shannon Blount, leader of the local Cat by Cat, thanked the community for donating so many quality baskets. She also appreciated the big crowd of people that bought tickets for the gift baskets.

Shannon Blount checks in on some cats that were available for adoption.

The fundraiser will pay for veterinarian costs, cat food, litter and other supplies.

Cat by Cat’s Medina team last year was able to TNVR 150 cats in the community. The organization took in 130 cats and adopted out 90 cats last year.

So far this year Cat by Cat has taken in 107 cats and adopted out 56, Blount said.

“The need is great but the resources are scarce,” she said.

The local group has about 10 volunteers who drive cats to vet’s appointments in Blasdell and Hamburg for spay and neutering services, which is done at a discount. There also is a network of about 10 foster homes for the cats while they are waiting to be adopted.

Shawn Ramsey, owner of Canalside Tattoo, puts a Buffalo Bills tattoo on Marissa Stanley of Gasport. She went to her first Bills game on Saturday, a preseason win over the Carolina Panthers, 29-14, which was the first home game in the new Highmark Stadium.

Stanley said she adopted a cat “Opie” through Cat by Cat. She wanted to support the organization at the fundraiser and also get a new tattoo.

Ramsey and five of the Canalside tattoo artists were joined by eight visiting tattoo artists for Caturday. The 14 in total was up from the 13 last year.

Ramsey said he appreciated the big response from the community to support Cat by Cat.

Shannon Blount and Shawn Ramsey, who are engaged, turned Canalside Tattoo into a festive atmosphere for Sunday’s fundraiser.

MEDINA – New York Lottery is reporting that a winning $50,000 Powerball ticket was sold at the Crosby’s in Medina for Wednesday night’s drawing.

It was one of five third-prize-winning tickets were sold for the Aug. 12 Powerball drawing. Besides the Medina ticket, there were three purchased at 1619 SRS in Brooklyn and one at Millenium Smoke and News in Manhattan.

All five winners were worth $50,000.

The winning numbers for the Powerball game are drawn from a field of one to 69. The red Power Ball is drawn from a separate field of one to 26. The Powerball drawing is televised every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Brandon Brown is sworn in as a new sergeant for the Medina Police Department on Monday evening. His wife Diana Brown holds the Bible while he takes the oath of office.

Brown joined the Medina PD in Feb. 25, 2025. Before that he worked about two years for the Le Roy Police Department.

Diana Brown pins the chevrons on her husband’s collar after a swearing-in ceremony on Monday evening. Medina Mayor Debbie Padoleski is in back.

Sgt. Brown, an Albion graduate, said he enjoys working with the Medina community and is excited to be part of the leadership working to rebuild the Medina Police Department. The Medina PD is currently at about half strength after several officers left to join other nearby higher-paying departments.

The Medina PD has been without a new contract for more than three years and is in arbitration.

Brown said the police department and Village Board support training for the officers and want them to forge strong relationships in the community. He cited a recent outing at the YMCA where he and other officers played dodgeball against YMCA staff.

“Medina is a like a hometown to me,” he said about the community policing efforts. “I’m happy here. The communication is positive with the board.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Village Historian Todd Bensley led a tour of Boxwood Cemetery in Medina on Sunday evening for about 30 people. The group is shown near the grave for Robert H. Newell who ran a high-end shirt business in Medina on West Center Street. The business at one time had 100 employees on three floors.

The tour was part of a series of cemetery tours on Sunday evenings in a fundraiser for the Orleans County Historical Association. The tours starts at 6 p.m.

Upcoming tours include:

• August 16 – Beechwood Cemetery, Kendall with Dave Gaudiso, Lydia Richardson and Former Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin (1523 W. Kendall Road & Woodchuck Alley, Kendall)
• August 23 – Otter Creek Cemetery with Town of Gaines Historian Adrienne Kirby (13252 Ridge Road, Gaines)
• August 30 – Mt. Albion Cemetery with former Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin and Village of Albion Historian Sue Starkweather Miller (Rt. 31, Albion, NY 14411)

Bensley and the group at Boxwood stop by the monument for the L’Hommedieu family. It marks the resting place for former New York State Senator Irving L’Hommedieu and family members. L’Hommedieu as state senator originated the idea of registering cars.

This monument is in the “white bronze” style with a distinctive blue-gray color. It has a high resistance to moss and lichen growth.

The group is by the Skinner monument for LeRoy Skinner who served in the Spanish-American War and was a commanding officer in World War I, Bensley said. Skinner was one of the first people to own an automobile in medina, and helped start the Medina Automobile Club.

The tour went on the top of the cemetery. Boxwood opened in 1850 on a hill north of the village of Medina. A year earlier, David Card expressed a dying wish to be buried on the hill. It was the inspiration for Boxwood Cemetery, which now has about 5,000 burials.

A Revolutionary War solider is buried at Boxwood. Daniel Samson is buried on the hill. The gravestone is in pieces. He is the only known Revolutionary War soldier at Boxwood.

Bensley highlighted Edmund Fuller who served three years in the War of 1812. He was from Massachusetts and was headed west to claim land in Illinois. But Fuller stopped in Medina while traveling along the Erie Canal.

He liked the community and stayed, and several generations of the Fuller family have since been contributors to Medina.

Photos from Hart House: These screen shots from a  video show the new retractable roof in the courtyard for the Hart House at 115 West Center St. in Medina. Roll-A-Cover, International from Bethany, Connecticut manufactured and installed the retractable roof. Watson Construction Group in Albion did all the steel work and the roof around the skylight.

MEDINA – An outdoor courtyard in Medina has a feature that will be sure to wow the community. A new retractable roof has been installed in the courtyard by the Hart House at 115 West Center St.

This 1,500-square-foot space is being turned into an event center to accommodate 80 to 120 people. The new skylight is 22 by 45 feet. It can open up and retract on nice weather days and slide shut during the cold or rainy weather.

It will allow the space to be used year-round, said Andrew Meier, owner of the site with his partner Richard Sarrero.

The courtyard is a new venture for Meier and  Sarrero and will be called the Atria. They also own and run the Hart House hotel, Factory Espresso at Hart (serving espresso, breakfast and lunch) and the Shirt Factory, which serves coffee and cocktails. The businesses are part of the historic Newell building, which Meier acquired in 2005. His law practice with David Schubel is on the second floor of the building, which was built in 1876. Robert H. Newell operated a high-end shirt business at the site for many decades.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The team from Roll-A-Cover in Connecticut checks the new roof on Thursday after it was installed by crane earlier in the week.

The courtyard gives the site a new venture and energy, with year-round available for weddings, graduation and birthday parties, retirement celebrations, performances, concerts and other events.

The space was used for concerts when it was the “BeeGarten” about a decade ago in space that actually was the boiler room for the shirt factory.

The courtyard project also includes new cementitious siding with battens, new windows, doors and masonry to complement the existing brick.

Watson Construction Group of Albion served as general contractor and did all the steel work and the roof around the skylight. Watson will be assisting with the interior work as well. The total cost of the project is about $1 million.

The courtyard at Hart House is one of eight projects in Medina approved for funding as part of the $4.5 million NY Forward grant in Medina. The state approved the projects last year and the Hart House was awarded $500,000 from the $4.5 million total.

Meier said he expects the Atria will be ready by the end of the year and is accepting bookings for 2027.

The new retractable roof took four months to manufacture in Bethany, CT, and each bay weighs about 1,200 pounds.

The retractable skylight is one of 4,000 enclosures worldwide, Meier said.

“Medina has our first retractable roof event space similar to the several hundred located on rooftops in NYC, Chicago, London, Dallas, California and others worldwide,” he posted on social media. “Pinch us. Our glass retractable roof arrived this week and it’s all too surreal – every step has been exciting as this space unfolds, but this is just another level. We can’t wait to watch people dance under the stars.”

Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Roland Martin, seated, sits with his daughter Margaret and son Bill during a recent reception at the First Presbyterian Church of Medina in honor of his 100th birthday Aug. 9. (Right) Roland Martin will celebrate his 100th birthday on Sunday with family, including granddaughter Sarah Hanssen and great-granddaughter Lainey, pictured here.

MEDINA – Roland Martin never thought much about getting old. He just took one day at a time he said at a reception last Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church to celebrate his 100th birthday.  Looking much younger than his years, he greeted well-wishers at the church, where he is a lifetime member.

A son of the late Charles and Ethel Martin, Roland was born in the family home on Martin Road, along with three brothers and a sister.

“In winter, we were born downstairs where it was warmer, but in summer births took place upstairs,” Roland said.

Roland married the former Alice Knights and together they raised two children, son Bill and daughter Margaret. Roland is the fourth generation of Martin family farmers, and today son Bill is the fifth generation, grandson Ben is the sixth generation and Ben’s son will be the seventh.

Roland attended Medina High School, but got permission to quit during the last semester of his senior year to join the Army.

“We were on our way from the Philippines to Japan, and if that bomb hadn’t been dropped, I would probably not be here today,” Roland said.

He remembers driving their Model T down the country roads before they were paved and working the fields behind a team of horses.

He never got tangled up with computers, he said.

He contributes his longevity to good healthy living, keeping busy and having family.

Roland lives alone and does his own cooking, which he learned by cooking for 30 in his platoon in the Army.

Until recently, he kept busy in his woodworking shop.

“He still mows his lawn and has a garden,” daughter Margaret Martin said.

Roland has three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He will celebrate his birthday at a gathering with family on Sunday.

(Left) Trudi Schwert of Medina, a member of the First Presbyterian Church, gets a hug from Roland Martin, during a reception at church in honor of his 100th birthday. (Right) Longtime member of the First Presbyterian Church of Medina, John Williams, greets Roland Martin of Medina.