Provided photo – Bill Owens, Praxair Inc.’s senior engineer consultant, met with students at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center in Medina.

Press Release, Orleans-Niagara BOCES

MEDINA – Praxair Senior Engineer Consultant Bill Owens recently stopped in to the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center to talk to students about workplace safety and show how cryogenics will affect them in their chosen career field.

Mr. Owens, who has been at Praxair for 31 years, said that that his company, which is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, has a no-tolerance policy for employees who are lax with their safety. Anyone texting while working and/or driving a car will be automatically terminated from employment.

“We call it DWI, Driving While Intexticated,” he says. “If you are injured you can’t play a sport and it is the same idea with our workplace. Look at the statistics for text-related driving accidents. In 1.3 million crashes, 6,000 deaths can be directly linked to cellphone use. We use the acronym of BVSAFE which stands for Be Very Safe.”

Mr. Owen encouraged students to question what their teachers tell them.

“You have the most powerful computer in the world at your fingertips and that is your brain,” he said. “Challenge what you hear and do research to gain better understanding.”

He talked to the students about the advantages of going into the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. “I guarantee you if you get a STEM education, you’ll have no problem getting a job.”

And then the cryogenics demonstration began. First he told the students about all the uses for the cryogenic process, which is a science domain where super cold materials, like liquid nitrogen and oxygen can change matter.

“It is used in the healthcare field, computers, food and beverages, special effects, aviation and rockets, gasoline, welding, metals, auto production, electronics and firearms,” Owens said.

He then gave a demonstration of how reactive oxygen is by mixing grease and pure oxygen together and hitting them with a spring loaded hammer. The explosion brought cheers and amazement to the audience. He also showed how the cold temperatures can drastically change the properties of certain materials.

“It was a fantastic demonstration,” says Science teacher Peter Jablonski. “He definitely encouraged students to look at the world critically and to make sure they understand the real truth of what they do before they do it. He was also very effective in discussing how important workplace safety is. The students loved it.”

A barn and snowy field are pictured Tuesday on Countyhouse Road near the Albion-Ridgeway town border.

The Weather Channel issued a severe weather alert at 8:12 p.m., warning that a band of lake effect snow will impact southwestern Orleans, northwestern Genesee, northeastern Erie and southern Niagara counties tonight.

“A band of heavy lake effect snow producing snow fall rates of up to 3 inches per hour was located along a line from Kenmore to Amherst, and extending through Clarence Center and Wolcottsville,” the Weather Channel said.

“This band of heavy lake effect snow will continue to slowly drift north this evening.”

With several contentious issues, race for sheriff tops the list

Photos by Tom Rivers – Randy Bower answers a question during a candidate forum on Oct. 20. Bower ran for sheriff against Don Organisciak, center, and Tom Drennan, left. Bower emerged the victor in an upset after Drennan was endorsed by the Republican Party and Organisciak had the backing of the Democratic Party.

There was no shortage of news in Orleans County in 2015. The news was often dominated by three contentious issues.

In January, Medina village residents voted whether or not to dissolve the village. That topic was a big story in 2014. On Jan. 20 it finally went to a vote and it was defeated, 949-527. The village government will stay intact. The issue seemed to fade from the spotlight after the vote.

Two other issues spurned significant citizen involvement throughout the year: the race for a new county sheriff and the proposal for a large-scale wind turbine project in Somerset and Yates.

The wind turbine plan has been met largely with opposition. A citizens’ group, Save Ontario Shores, formed and ran candidates for the Yates Town Board. Two of those candidates, including Jim Simon for town supervisor, were elected in November.

Orleans County generally has quiet elections with most candidates at the county level typically running unopposed. This year three candidates vied to replace Scott Hess, the retiring sheriff. The race was contentious and Randy Bower, a public safety dispatcher the past 30 years, emerged as the winner.

Here are Orleans Hub’s picks for the top 10 stories for 2015 in Orleans County:

1. Sheriff race stirs passions in community

Randy Bower is out in front of his group of supporters on July 4 during the parade at Lyndonville. Bower attended several parades with a big following on supporters on the parade routes.

Scott Hess announced in January he wasn’t seeking re-election as sheriff and would end a 32-year career in law enforcement, including 12 years as sheriff.

Tom Drennan, the chief deputy of the Sheriff’s Department, seemed the likely successor. He was the No. 3 in the Sheriff’s Department, where he worked for 23 years. He also was endorsed by the Orleans County Republican Party in May, gaining the support of the party leaders.

But Randy Bower, a public safety dispatcher, believed he had the vision for the Sheriff’s Department and support of the community to serve as sheriff. Bower mounted a vigorous challenge to Drennan and would defeat him in the Republican Primary, 1,671 to 1,650.

Bower and Drennan both had big groups of supporters in local parades, and they spent a lot of money in the campaign.

They would face each other again on Election Day in November and Bower was the victor getting 47 percent to Drennan’s 42 percent. (Drennan ran under the Indpendence and Reform parties.) Don Organisciak, a retired Medina police investigator, ran as a Democrat and received 10 percent of the vote.

Normally the local election season is pretty quiet and turnout is low. The turnout on Nov. 3 was 38.2 percent.

That compares to a mere 24.5 percent in Erie County, which had a race for county executive in a market with lots of television and radio ads. In Orleans County, the sheriff candidates used door-to-door campaigning, lawn signs and local ads to get the word out.

2. Wind turbine proposal fires up Yates residents

These signs against a wind energy project were distirbuted on April 1 during a meeting at the Barker Firehall.

The Town of Yates generally sees little controversy. But that changed in December 2014 when Apex Clean Energy announced its plan for Lighthouse Wind, a large-scale wind turbine project. Apex wants to build as many as 71 turbines in Yates and Somerset near the Lake Ontario shoreline.

A citizens’ group, Save Ontario Shores, formed in opposition to the project and two of its leaders were elected to the Yates Town Board in November.

The Somerset Town Board and Niagara County Legislature opposed the project after a June survey of town residents showed strong oppisition to the project. State Sen. Rob Ortt, Congressman Chris Collins and the Orleans County Legislature came out against the project in December.

The Town of Yates also surveyed residents about the issue and about two-thirds of the respondents oppose the project.

Apex in November submitted its preliminary scoping statement about the project to the Public Service Commission. Company officials say they will answer concerns and are committed to advancing the project.

3. Dissolution is rejected in Medina

About a year of bitter and divisive debate, village residents went to the polls in droves on Jan. 20 to answer the question, “Shall the Village of Medina, New York be dissolved?”

Dissolution was rejected 949-527 in one of the largest turnouts for a Medina election in recent memory. (There was a village election for trustee position on March 18 and only 311 voters came out to elect Todd Bensley and Owen Toale.)

Dissolution proponents said dissolving the village government would reduce taxes for vllage residents by about 25 percent. But opponents said some of those savings would raise taxes to Shelby and Ridgeway residents outside the village. Resdents also worried the village would lose responsive fire, police and other services.

“We still have a declining tax base, a shrinking population and climbing costs,” said Mayor Andrew Meier, after dissolution was defeated. “Our sustainability predicament remains.”

4. Parents, students opt out of state tests in big numbers

Julie Wantuck, president of the Holley Teachers Association, wore this button in March in protest of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plans and actions about education.In Holley, 40 percent of students would opt out from tests in April.

A movement from parents against standardized testing of students in grades 3 through 8 became a phenomenon this spring with widespread “opting out” of the tests.

About 20 percent of students did not take the grades 3-8 math and ELA tests in April, but the “opt-out” rate was higher in Orleans County.

“This year, there was a significant increase in the number of students refusing the annual assessments,” Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch said in a statement in August. “We must do more to ensure that our parents and teachers understand the value and importance of these tests for our children’s education.”

Gov. Cuomo would later announce the state wouldn’t test students so much and teachers’ evaluations wouldn’t be so closely tied to student performance on the standardized tests. He called Common Core “deeply flawed” in New York.

The opt out rates in Orleans include: Albion – Math, 29 percent; ELA, 22 percent; Holley – Math, 43 percent; ELA, 40 percent; Kendall – Math, 34 percent; ELA, 30 percent; Lyndonville – Math, 26 percent; ELA, 19 percent; Medina – Math, 30 percent; ELA, 21 percent.

Despite the outcry about the tests and the state linking them to teacher evaluations, local school superintendents urged parents to have students take the tests.

“We appreciate and understand parent’s right to refuse the assessments,” said Julie Christensen, Kendall school superintendent. “However, this is an adult political debate that places students in the middle of the discord and that is unfortunate.”

5. December 2015 was warm, but February was coldest ever

This tractor is pictured in a field of snow along Holley Road in Albion last February when about 2 feet of snow were on the ground.

It was never colder in Western New York for an entire month than February 2015, according to National Weather Service. Buffalo averaged a temperature of 10.9 degrees and never once went above freezing. That average temperature broke the previous record-low of 11.6 degrees in February 1934, according to the National Weather Service.

Rochester was a little bit warmer but the 12.2-average temperature was below the previous record of 12.6 degrees also set in February 1934.

It was a punishing winter with long stretches of bitter cold that closed schools and made travel difficult in Orleans County. Holley in particular was plagued with frozen waterlines that burst and needed to fixed in the dead of winter.

When winter came back later in the year, the weather was the opposite extreme. It was in the 50s on Christmas and several days topped 60 and even 70 degrees in December. There was no measurable snow until close to Christmas and that snow quickly vanished.

6. Pride Pak commits to Medina, first tenant lined up for STAMP

Steve Karr (right), chief executive officer for Pride Pak Canada, in October meets village officials and others working on the company’s new 64,000-square-foot vegetable processing facility. He is pictured with Mauro LoRusso, vice president of finance for Pride Pak (center); Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the Orleans Economic Development Agency (far left); and Marguerite Sherman, village trustee (second from left).

Two big economic development projects were announced within a day of each other in October.

Pride Pak officials attended a Medina Village Board meeting on Oct. 6 and presented the company’s plan to build a 64,000-square-foot vegetable processing plant on Route 31A, across from the GCC campus. Pride Pak is from Canada, and the Medina site will be its first U.S.-based facility.

The company is spending about $15 million for the new facility in Medina and expects to hire 85 to 100 people in 2016. The site could be expand to up to 200 workers.

Just south of Orleans County, for years Genesee County officials have been working to develop a high-tech business park known as STAMP. The first tenant for the site was unveiled on Oct. 7, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo joining leader of 1366 Technologies at the annoucement in Batavia.

1366 Technologies Inc. of New Bedford, Mass., committed to an initial $100 million manufacturing plant at STAMP, which is about 2 miles south of the Orleans County line.

The company has revolutionized manufacturing silicon carbon wafers – considered “the heart” of solar panels. It looked at 300 sites for its new factory and picked the site in the Town of Alabama.

1366 Technologies expects to expand and make a $700 million investment in the area, starting with 600 full-time workers and growing to 1,000. The company will use about 100 acres of STAMP, a 1,250-acre site.

Cuomo said the project will be a “game changer” for the area by providing hundreds of high-paying jobs.

7. Wyoming County man opens fire on police in Clarendon

A vehicle driven by James Ellis hit a telephone pole on Route 31A at about 3 a.m. on March 21 and the vehicle came to a rest in front yard of Christopher and Denise Wing.

In the dark, early morning hours of March 21, James Ellis of Wyoming County went to an ex-girlfriend’s house in Shelby. Ellis had a gun and a friend of Ellis’s ex-girlfriend called 911.

Ellis fled from the property and was chased by police. He would crash into a telephone pole on Route 31 in Clarendon. His vehicle was in a resident’s front yard and Ellis fled to the nearby woods.

When police arrived, he opened fire, hitting Deputy James DeFilipps twice in the abdomen. DeFilipps was wearing a bullet-proof vest. He fatally shot Ellis, ending the threat. DeFilipps was found to have acted with justifiable force by a grand jury.

It was an unusual to have a shootout for law enforcement in Orleans County. DeFilipps, who works the night shift, recovered from a wound to his stomach and returned to work.

Pastor sentenced to 15 years in prison for sex abuse

Roy Harriger is led to the courtroom on April 6 when he was sentenced to state prison.

There were other high-profile incidents in the county this year. The sex abuse trial of Roy Harriger, a former local pastor, attracted media attention from Rochester and Buffalo.

Harriger was convicted by a jury after testimony from family members, including grandchildren, who claimed he sexually abused them.

During his sentencing on April 6, Harriger, 71, was called “a wolf in shepherd’s clothing,” by Orleans County Court Judge James Punch.

Harriger maintained his innocence and many parishioners sent letters to the judge in support of Harriger and his work as a church leader.

The judge sentenced Harriger to 15 years in state prison.

“One could say you were a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but you are a wolf in shepherd’s clothing and that’s much worse,” Punch said.

“The bullying, the use of charisma, the power of your personality were all brought forward to victimize these children and keep them quiet.”

8. Organizations merge to preserve services

Mike Woodward, a member of the Self Advocate All Stars at The Arc of Orleans County, is pictured on the group’s float during a parade in Holley in June. The All Stars won a first place award in the parade.

It was a big year for organizations merging with others. The Arc of Orleans County and Genesee County ARC announced the groups would merge into a single agency serving people with disabilities in two counties. Both have operated independently for about 50 years.

The merger will reduce administration expenses and better ensure services and programs for people with disabilities and their families, said Donna Saskowski, executive director for both agencies.

“We are rural, neighboring, agricultural communities, roughly the same size in area and among New York’s smallest in terms of population,” Saskowski said. “Looking ahead, we feel our similar cultures will allow for a smooth transition.”

The Mental Health Associations in Orleans and Genesee also merged. The Boards of Health in the two counties also formed a single joint board, a first for two counties in the state. Genesee and Orleans share the same ublic health director and other staff.

Leaders from the two counties say they are looking for more cooperation and perhaps consolidation of services. Orleans and Niagara counties have formed the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance to advocate for shared issues such as broadband Internet access.

9. Kendall schools transformed with renovation project

Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Kendall Junior-Senior High School students check out new lockers during an open house in September for the community to tour the renovated school campus.

Kendall Jr./Sr. High School Librarian Sara Baglioni stands in the newly renovated, tech-savy library. Upgrades include a smart board and wired tables for laptops and other electronic devices. New upholstered seating offers space to relax, read and study. “I was completely taken aback with the change and how wonderful it is,” she said.

Kendall Central School received some radical changes to the elementary and junior-senior high schools this year.

The improvements are part of a $25 million capital project.

The work included a new cafeteria in the junior-senior high school, new roofs for both school buildings, as well as energy efficient improvements, heating and ventilation work, and updated security measures.

Contractors also made improvements to parking lots and sidewalks.

“People are walking in and saying ‘Wow,'” Kendall Superintendent Julie Christensen said during the open house.

“They say it is beautiful and amazing. People who went to school here are shocked at the transformation.

“The kids are beaming.”

Community members have gushed about the improvements.

“I haven’t been here in 16 years,” former Kendall student Kate Czeh said.

“I’m getting lost. It’s so different. It’s beautiful. I don’t even recognize it as Kendall.”

10. Orleans County grapples with decline

Photo by Tom Rivers – Wargo Enterprises, an Akron company specializing in demolition, takes down the Clarendon Street bridge in Albion on April 7. The Albion Village Board opted not to replace the bridge due to the costs of the project. The street is now closed off by the railroad tracks.

It was a tough year for Orleans County with decline. One bridge was demolished and wasn’t replaced. The Lake Ontario State Parkway continued to fall into disrepair, making for a bumpy ride that many motoroists are choosing to avoid.

Local officials worry about infrastructure in the county. They have pressed state officials to better maintain canal bridges, in particular. The closed bridges or ones with weight reductions limit school buses, fire trucks and farm equipment from crossing the canal.

Some Medina village officials pushed dissolution of the village government due falling tax assessments and rising tax rates. Some organizations and government services have merged with neighboring counties.

School districts have shrinking enrollments and some districts are sharing athletic teams and extracurricular programs.

The 50 members of the First United Methodist Church in Albion held their final Sunday service at its historic church at the corner of Platt and East State streets on March 29.

The church left the building due to the expense of fixing the roof and building at a cost of about $1 million. The church building has been for sale for seven months with no buyers. The United Methodist congregation has been meeting since Easter at Christ Episcopal Church.

Other churches have small congregations faced with the upkeep of large, historic buildings.

Pat Davis has been coming to the United Methodist since she moved to Albion 25 years ago. She marvels about the architecture of the building from 1860. It’s one of seven churches that are part of the Courthouse Square, which is included on the National Register of Historic Places.

“It’s a beautiful church,” Davis said on March 29. “We have to remind ourselves it’s a building and the people make the church.”

File photo by Tom Rivers – Kevin Colonna, an Orleans County deputy sheriff, looks for information from dispatcher Bill Oliver in this photo from April 2015.

ALBANY – Orleans County will receive $133,385 from the state for the county’s dispatch center. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced $10 million in grants today for 57 counties and New York City.

The “Public Safety Answering Points” operations grants are administered by the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, will improve 9-1-1 response and emergency dispatching.

“In an emergency, every second counts,” Cuomo said. “With these investments we’re helping to ensure our first responders have resources they need and access to the most-up-to-date technology available in order to better respond to New Yorkers in their moment of need.”

The grant funding is administered by DHSES through the Public Safety Answering Points Operations Grant. PSAPs are public safety facilities where incoming calls for help are received and the process for emergency services dispatching is initiated.

Throughout New York State, counties provide the majority of 9-1-1 answering and dispatching operations, and coordinate services among municipal, county and state responders. The annual grant allows for state reimbursement to counties for eligible public safety call-taking and dispatching expenses. All counties and the City of New York are eligible to apply.

The grant not only helps county operators offset their day-to-day expenses, but can also foster upgrades in call-taking and dispatching technology and investing in new services such as text messaging, data communication and improved geo-location for emergency response. Funding is non-competitive and formula-based.

Orleans received the third smallest of the grants. Only Putnam County at $126,883 and Hamilton County at $127,582 received less. Albany County received the biggest grant for a county at $233,382.

Monies are distributed among participating counties based on statistics reflective of a county’s operational scope, demographic factors, and emergency services call metrics. By participating in the program, counties affirm their adherence to state and national guidelines for emergency communications.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – After getting hit with sleet and snow on Monday night, much of the precipitation melted on Tuesday, leaving big puddles. This one on East Park Street shows the reflection of the First Baptist Church and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

Today the National Weather Service in Buffalo is forecasting a high near 39 in Orleans County. There will be a high near 36 on New Year’s Eve with a chance of snow showers around midnight, the start of the new year. Friday, Jan. 1, is forecast for a high of 33 with a chance of showers, mainly after 11 a.m., according to the Weather Service.

Seagulls take off in flight along the Erie Canal in Albion near the Gaines Basin Road bridge on Tuesday.

Big crowd fills courtroom for swearing-in

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Randy Bower is sworn in as the new sheriff of Orleans County this afternoon. Orleans County Court Judge James Punch, right, administers the oath and Bower’s wife, Robin, holds The Bible. The Bowers’ children, Jacob and Jessica, join their parents for the swearing-in.

Bower officially takes over as sheriff on midnight Jan. 1. He replaces Scott Hess, who is retiring after 12 years as sheriff.

Bower was joined for a group photo by many members of the Sheriff’s Department. Chris Bourke, right of Bower, will serve as undersheriff. Bourke started his 31-year career in law enforcement as a corrections officer in the county jail and has worked as a deputy on road patrol. He has been a lieutenant the past 18 years and is the department’s K-9 handler.

Bower also introduced Michael Mele as the new chief deputy. Mele has worked 18 years as a police officer with the first two years at the Holley Police Department and the past 16 years as a deputy with the Sheriff’s Department.

“He is challenge-driven and goal-oriented,” Bower said about Mele.

Clara Martin, standing behind Bower, will serve as his secretary. She has worked in the Board of Elections as a deputy elections commissioner.

Bower has worked the past 30 years as a public safety dispatcher. He was seriosuly injured in a car accident when he was 18 and has been paralyzed from the waist down.

Judge Punch told about 125 people at the swearing-in ceremony that Bower has been an inspiration to many in the community.

“He’s an unstoppable force,” Punch said.

Bower will take over a demanding job, that Punch said has become more difficult in recent years.

“It’s helping and protecting the people of the county and giving justice,” Punch said.

There was a big turnout for the swearing in at the main courtroom of the Orleans County Courthouse.

If a rainbow emerges in the sky or if there is a dazzling sunset, Orleans Hub readers will often send in photos of the spectacles.

Readers also will spot snowy owls, bald eagles and other wildlife and share those images.

The top photo shows two bald eagles pictured in early March at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Pamela Moore took the picture.

Here are some of my favorite images captured by readers during 2015.

Linda Dale of West Bacon Road has found a bright spot in the brutal cold weather on Feb. 18: a frequent visitor she calls “Allie.” She took this photo of Allie – a spotted deer. This Piebald deer was eating seeds from the bottom of a bird feeder.

“She’s such a delight!! Just look at that face!!” Dale said in an email.

Jason Smith was driving to work on Feb. 20 as superintendent of Lyndonville Central School and took this picture of a sundog on West Countyhouse Road in Albion.

The sundogs resemble rainbows. They appear sometimes in the winter when low-lying sun creates ice halos.

Matilda Erakare took this photo at about 6:50 a.m. on May 5 while she was walking along East Avenue on her way to school. She was a freshman at Albion last year when she took the photo.

Doug Boyer took this picture of an osprey with its catch on May 16 at Lake Alice in Carlton.

Joe Martillotta was out mowing his lawn on North Main Street in Albion on May 22 when he discovered a fawn nestled in the bushes. Martillotta said he was tempted to pet the baby deer but he didn’t want its mother to reject it. The fawn eventually got up and took off running.

These baby swans were out on Lake Alice for their first day on the water on May 29. Doug Boyer was there for the milestone moment.

Mike Beach of Albion snapped this photo of geese crossing Gaines Basin Road by Wal-Mart on June 14.

Peggy Barringer of Albion took this photo of people in in Amphicar on Sept. 6 at Point Breeze.

A blood moon was out on Sept. 27 and Heather Kuepper took this picture of the total supermoon lunar eclipse, also known as a blood moon.

A double rainbow appeared on Oct. 16 and Chris Busch took this photo of the rainbow as seen from South Main Street and Crosby’s in Medina.

Michelle Restivo joined her grandfather Richard Heard of Albion on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. on Oct. 24 to see war memorials. Heard enlisted during World War II and was a radar mechanic. In February of 1943, he was called to active service from reserve status. He was stationed in six states. Here he is pictured by the Korean War Memorial, sitting near a wall inscribed with the words,” Freedom is not free.”

Curtis Beecher, an employee at the Lynn-Ette and Sons farm in Kent, took a picture on Nov. 25 of a snowy owl on some of Lynn-Ette’s farm equipment. The owls returned for another winter in Orleans County.

It was a dramatic sunset on Dec. 6 and Eric Conn captured this scene at Point Breeze.

It was shockingly warm for much of December, including a 72-degree day on Dec. 14. Jennifer Orr of Albion took her kids to the lake at Point Breeze. They made this snowman in the sand.

Photos by Tom Rivers

These are some of my favorite “people pictures” from 2015, showing Orleans County residents at work and play, and sometimes in mourning.

The top photo shows Medina Fire Chief Todd Zinkievich hustling down Eagle Harbor Road in Gaines to help at the scene of a fire on April 13. Zinkievich retired from the position, effective Sept. 28.

Greg Martillotta, the middle school band teacher at Albion, leads seventh- and eighth-grade band members during a March 4 All-District Concert.

The Albion music program has been honored the past seven years with national awards through the North American Music Merchants. NAMM has named Albion a “Best Communities for Music Education.”

Casey Costello, a tenor and recent graduate of Nazareth College in Rochester, sings “Danny Boy” during a Celtic celebration of music and dance on March 15 at First Baptist Church in Albion, part of the Eastman at Albion concert series. Costello was given a standing ovation from the crowd after the song.

Frank Sidari of Albion has his photo taken with Boy Scouts in Troop 164 on March 15, during a celebration of his 90th birthday at St. Mary’s Athletic Club. About 200 people attended the party for Sidari, a long-time volunteer with the troop. Mr. Sidari, a World War II veteran, would die about a month later on April 18.

Some teens shoot hoops at dusk on the basketball courts by the Lyndonville Central School on March 24.

Michael Stephenson, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Medina, leads a sunrise service on April 5 in Boxwood Cemetery next to Glenwood Lake. About 25 Christians from Medina churches attended the service on Easter morning. Stephenson spoke of the power of Christ’s resurrection and the hope that provides for the world.

An employee with Genesee Valley Transportation watches the demolition of the Clarendon Street bridge in Albion on April 7. GVT owns the railroad that passes through Albion. The bridge was built 40 years ago and came down in April after being ripped apart from the shears on heavy equipment from Wargo Enterprises, an Akron company specializing in demolition.

About 200 Santas were in Albion in mid-April for the Charles W. Howard Legendary Santa Claus Conference. Many of the conference participants gathered on the steps of the Orleans County Courthouse for a group photo on April 18. They also sang some Christmas carols from the Courthouse steps. Howard started the first Santa Claus School, which he ran in Albion from 1937 until his death in 1966.

Teams of powerful draft horses, with participants from eight states, get ready to compete at 4-H Fairgrounds in the “Pull of Champions.” This team from Michigan waits its turn to pull on April 25. The teams compete in either the lightweight division (3,425 pounds or less for two horses), or the heavyweights for teams that exceed 3,425 pounds.

Union soldiers make a charge on the Confederates during a mock battle April 26 at the GCC’s Medina campus center on Maple Ridge Road. The campus hosted Civil War Encampments the past three years.

John Deere tractors are parked outside St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Albion on May 12 during the funeral for John Panek, who helped start one of the area’s largest local farms.

Samuel Glushefski, 8, and his brother Jesse Glushefski, 19, finish the Jim Ferris Memorial Race together in a time of 24:57. Holley hosted the race for the 19th time on June 6. The brothers are from Clarence and attend the Old Paths Bible Baptist Church in Clarendon, where several members ran the race and volunteered at a water stop.

The Turtle (Nikolas Greean, 15, of Albion) and Michael Bonnewell, Albion Central School superintendent, watch the Turtle Race on June 13 from their vantage point on the Main Street lift bridge. Volunteers sold more than 900 turtles for the Turtle Race. Proceeds from the race are used to help pay for the two-day Strawberry Festival.

The bishop of the Western New York Diocese for the Episcopal Church spent several hours in Orleans County on June 17, visiting sites in Albion and Medina. The Right Rev. R. William Franklin is pictured with Robert Waters, a member of the St. John’s Episcopal Church in Medina. They are pictured at City Hall in Medina after Waters showed Franklin the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame. Several Episcopal churches in WNY were built with Medina Sandstone, some nearly 200 years ago. Mr. Waters, a long-time community booster, would die at age 90 on July 29.

Emily Shabazz is excited as she goes to get her diploma during Albion’s commencement on June 26.

Lucas Silvis holds his Holley diploma on June 27 with his mother Robin Silvis, who is a member of the Holley Board of Education.

Bennie Blount, 11, of Medina twirls a sparkler on July 4 before the fireworks went off in Lyndonville.

Ayman Huzair, 21, of Waterport captured first place during the karaoke competition on July 30 at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Huzair won a $500 prize for his performance, which was a medley of songs from Michael Montgomery, Bruno Mars and Cupid. Huzair welcomed the crowd to join him on stage for the “Cupid Shuffle.” His sisters Salma, 16, and Tamara, 13, both performed, and so did their brother Qasim, 11. The siblings took three of the top 5 spots.

Ed Hilfiker, a member of the Who Dats, performs with the band on July 31 at the main stage of the Orleans County 4-H Fair in Knowlesville.

Phoebe Kirby, left, and Kasey Neal of Albion are delighted with the ride on the Midway on Aug. 1, the last day of the Orleans County 4-H Fair for 2015. About 25,000 people attended the fair during the week.

Jackie Sponaugle of Holley serves as the base for a team called Lyntucky Hicks. Kevin Ginger of Albion is climbing on Sponaugle, trying to be the second person up during grease pole competition at the fair on Aug. 1.

Gary Withey, owner of Fischer’s Newsstand in Albion since 1995, takes care of customer Amanda Harmer on Aug. 17. Withey closed the business on Aug. 30. Fischer’s was part of the community for about a century.

Kirsten Struble, a member of the Albion Cross Country team, and her teammates are enthusiastic boosters on Aug. 22 at Mile 9 in the Metro 10 race in Albion, a 10-mile trek on foot where runners squared off from Rochester versus Buffalo. The cross country team also manned a water stop at the ninth mile on Butts Road. There were about 400 runners in Albion for the debut race, which was won by Rochester.

Susan Rudnicky of Waterport has 40 paintings in watercolors and acrylics in the last show at Marti’s on Main, an Albion art gallery. Rudnicky is pictured on Oct. 1. Kim Muscarella, owner of the gallery, gave artists a place to display their work for the past seven years. She has opted against another season in 2016.

Doug Bower lets out a big laugh on Oct. 24 when he was roasted by Jim Salmon during a benefit at Tillman’s Village Inn. Bower, a plumber in Albion, is co-host of the WHAM Home Repair Clinic with Salmon. Bower provided plenty of material for the sold-out roast, which was a benefit for The Salmon Children’s Foundation. That foundation has donated more than $7,000 to Albion High School graduates in scholarships in memory of Nicholas Kovaleski.

With the sun shining and temperatures at about 70 degrees, many folks were out enjoying the Great Outdoors on Nov. 3. John Paul Simon, 12, (left) and his brother Sharbel, 13, fish in Johnson Creek behind the Yates Community Free Library. They spent much of the day in Lyndonville, fishing and reading at the library while their father, Jim Simon, campaigned for Yates town supervisor.

Photos by Tom Rivers The ground was covered in frost on Saturday morning following a cold night. This leaf was on the lawn of the Orleans County Courthouse in Albion.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Orleans County from 6 p.m. Monday until 10 a.m. Tuesday, when the area could get hit with freezing rain and snow.

The Weather Service says up to 2 inches of snow could fall Monday night, with another inch on Tuesday morning. Untreated roads could be extremely slippery, the Weather Service said.

The advisory was issued for Orleans, Niagara, northern Erie, Genesee, Wyoming and Livingston counties.

The frost on Saturday morning left its mark on lawns in Albion.

Provided photo – Orleans County Legislature Chairman David Callard, left, spoke at a Niagara County Legislature meeting earlier this month when Bill Ross, right, was recognized for a long career in public service, including a record 12 years as chairman of the Niagara County Legislature.

LOCKPORT – Niagara County may be much bigger than its neighbor to the east, Orleans County, but Niagara leaders have proven to be great friends to Orleans, said David Callard, chairman of the Orleans County Legislature.

A two-county partnership, the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance, has helped both counties advance projects, including a push for broadband Internet coverage in rural pockets of the counties, a joint effort to collect e-waste (household electronics) and also fight a plan for regulating the Lake Ontario water levels.

Callard said Bill Ross, the Niagara County Legislature chairman, was a strong supporter of the two-county effort. Ross, 82, is retiring on Dec. 31 after a 30-year career in elective office. He also worked nearly a half century as a teacher and coach.

“He was able to work with anybody and everybody,” Callard said about Ross. “He has such a dynamicism.”

Ross has been to Albion several times to address the Orleans County Legislature. In April, Callard and the Orleans legislators presented Ross with a “Special Recognition Award” for his efforts with NORA, the two-county alliance.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Niagara County Legislature Chairman Bill Ross accepts a “Special Recognition Award” in April from David Callard and the Orleans County Legislature.

Niagara County has 216,469 residents, compared to 42,883 in Orleans, according to the 2010 Census.

Ross during a June 2014 visit to the Orleans County Legislature meeting said he sees the two-county partnership paying dividends for Niagara and Orleans.

“It’s been a tremendous marriage and I only see it getting better in the future,” Ross said during that meeting.

Niagara had an alliance with Erie County, but Ross said that fell apart. Orleans officials have been far more receptive and the two counties seem to have more in common as southshore Lake Ontario counties with lots of rural landscape.

“This is just the beginning of NORA,” Ross said about the alliance. “It’s been successful and it will be successful because of the people involved in it.”

Callard attended a Niagara County Legislature session on Dec. 1 and spoke during the meeting about his appreciation for Ross and his inclusive leadership style.

“We can share the problems and solve the problems,” Ross said during an April meeting of the Orleans County Legislature. “I can’t see a better partnership than with Orleans County.”

The unemployment rate in Orleans County was 5.5 percent last month, which was down from 6.8 percent in November 2014.

The state Department of Labor released the data on Tuesday. The report shows that 17,000 people were working in the county last month, compared to 16,800 the previous November. There were also 1,000 people listed as unemployed, compared to 1,200 in November 2014.

State-wide the unemployment rate was 4.8 percent in November, the lowest since November 2007, according to the Department of Labor.

Columbia County has the lowest rate at 3.5 percent and Hamilton County is the highest at 9.1 percent.

Other unemployment rates for nearby counties include Genesee, 4.6; Wyoming, 5.0; Erie, 4.8; Livingston, 4.5; Monroe, 4.6; and Niagara, 5.5.

ALBION – Orleans County has passed a local law requiring pawn shops and other secondhand dealers to hang on to merchandise for at least 5 days before a sale.

The county had considered the local law to require businesses to hold merchandise for at least 14 days but trimmed that wait to 5 days instead. Erie County last week voted to pass similar legislation and it requires a 14-day hold.

The law in Orleans applies to pawnbrokers, swap shop operators, stamp dealers, coin dealers, jewelers and auction houses that purchase and resell items from people other than dealers and suppliers. There are some exemptions, including garage sales, antique dealers and sales by governmental, civic and religious organizations.

Law enforcement officials requested the law, saying stolen merchandise is often taken to pawn shops and jewelry stores.

The new lawn requires secondhand dealers to not buy from anyone under age 18, and cannot purchase items where the original manufacturer’s serial number no longer legibly exists.

Sellers to the secondhand shops also need to present identification at the time of sale.

The owners of the secondhand businesses need to keep records of what was purchased and from which sellers, and those records need to be filled out on forms provided or approved by the district attorney. The person who made the acquisition, whether the owner of the business or an employee, also needs to be recorded for each item.

All entries of sales and transactions need to be kept for a year and open for inspection by police officers, according to the local law. (Erie County is requiring the records be kept for five years.)

Owners of the secondhand businesses also need to allow law enforcement officers to examine, during normal business hours, any goods, articles, pledges, pawns, books or other records relating to secondhand property.

Officers are also allowed to seize items they have “reasonable grounds to believe to have been stolen.” Property seized will be receipted and shall be returned within 10 days if determined not to have been stolen.

Secondhand dealers who break this law could be fined a minimum of $50 and maximum of $500 on the first offense.

Paul Lauricella of Lyndonville was critical of the law during last week’s Legislature session. Lauricella said police shouldn’t be allowed to search businesses without warrants.

“Our Founding Fathers went to war over this,” Lauricella said.

The law was unanimously passed by the seven county legislators. Legislature Chairman David Callard said the law went through “numerous revisions” before the vote last Wednesday.

Reducing expressway to 2 lanes may ensure better maintenance

File photos by Tom Rivers – The Lake Ontario State Parkway runs along the lakeshore from Carlton into Rochester.

ALBION – Orleans County officials, increasing worried about the deteriorating conditions on the Lake Ontario State Parkway, think a long-term answer to the route’s maintenance may be reducing some of the lanes.

The expressway currently has two westbound and eastbound lanes. The road is bumpy in spots with cracks and pockmarks, especially just across the Orleans County line in Hamlin. The off-ramps are in bad shape and the state also seems to be reducing roadside mowing, county officials said.

“They are not maintaining the roadway or mowing much,” Jim Bensley, director of the Orleans County Planning Department, told the County Planning Board last Thursday.

He advised the board the county has applied to the Genesee Transportation Council for a feasibility study to reduce lanes of the Parkway, which extends 12.7 miles into Orleans County, ending near the Lakeside Beach State Park. The Parkway includes bridges that go over the Oak Orchard River.

The bridges over Oak Orchard River were built for the Lake Ontario State Parkway, which ends abruptly 2 miles west of the river.

The county is seeking $55,000 from the Transportation Council for the study, with the county providing an additional $9,000 in in-kind services.

The county would only support repurposing or decommissioning the west- or east-bound lanes if that resulted in the state better maintaining the remaining lanes, according to the county application with the Transportation Council.

The state Department of Transportation and Genesee Transportation Council have been directed state and federal highway resources to higher-volume routes. That doesn’t well for the continued maintenance of the Parkway, Bensley told the Planning Board.

One Planning Board member, Andrew Kludt of Kendall, said the Parkway has become so jarring that ambulance drivers don’t want to take patients on it. They look for alternative routes which take longer to get to the hospital.

“The Parkway is a huge time-saver if it’s operational,” Kludt said.

If the west- or eastbound lanes were closed to traffic, the closed lanes could perhaps be opened as a recreational route for walkers or snowmobilers, according to the county application. The remaining west- or eastbound lanes would stay open to traffic with steady maintenance from the state.

If the Transportation Council approves the study there will be public meetings and opportunities for residents and businesses to provide input about the Parkway and its future.

The study will take an inventory of the transportation assets on the Parkway and project the remaining useful life of the bridges, pavement, etc., and an anticipated maintenance schedule.

The study will also look at the most feasible route for repurposing the Parkway.

The study should weigh the conversion costs of a repurposed Parkway with its ongoing maintenance. Bensley said it’s possible a study could show it will cost too much to close lanes on the Parkway when conversion costs are tallied.

The project would be unprecedented, certainly for Orleans County, because it seeks to downsize a limited access state roadway. The route isn’t available to commercial traffic.

The goal of the study is a continuous highway corridor on the parkway from the Orleans-Monroe County border to Lakeside Beach State Park, Bensley said.