High winds, slippery roads and freezing temperatures aren’t a good combination for safe traveling.

Those conditions were likely factors in several accidents in Orleans County today. A dispatcher said none of the accidents resulted in serious injuries.

Some of the accidents include: A car into a tree on Ridge Road in Gaines at about 5:15 p.m. between Kent and Transit roads; accident on Main Street in Albion near railroad tracks around 2:30 p.m.; accident on Quaker Hill Road in Barre at about 2 p.m.; and 2-car accident in Medina around noon on South Avenue.

Dorothy Morgan new deputy elections commissioner

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature set salaries for some appointed positions, including for Chris Bourke, the new undersheriff in the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.

Bourke will be paid $63,814 as the No. 2 leader in the Sheriff’s Department. Bourke, a long-time lieutenant for the department, started as undersheriff on Jan. 1 when the new sheriff, Randy Bower, took office.

The Legislature last week also reappointed Nadine Hanlon of Kendall as clerk of the Legislature at a salary of $55,535. David Schubel of Medina also was reappointed county attorney at $84,273.

The Legislature authorized filling a deputy elections commissioner position. That position was vacated when Clara Martin left to become Bower’s confidential secretary in the Sheriff’s Department.

Dennis Piedimonte, the Republican elections commissioner, makes the appointment for his deputy and he appointed Dorothy Morgan of Murray at a salary of $39,776. She had been working at the Orleans County Health Department. Her husband, Ed Morgan, is chairman of the Orleans County Republican Party and also the Murray highway superintendent.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Orleans County Courthouse and First Presbyterian Church are pictured recently after a coating of snow fell.

More snow is expected on Tuesday. The National Weather Service has issued a lake effect snow advisory from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday for Orleans County, when 2 to 3 inches of snow is expected in the morning and another inch to 2 inches in the evening.

There will be southwest winds from 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 45 mph, producing significant blowing and drifting snow. Visibility could be as low as a quarter mile at times.

Photo by Tom Rivers

This photo shows Log City Road in Elba on Saturday afternoon. The weekend has been warm, including high temperatures near 50 today.

But the temperatures will take a big drop later tonight, falling to 19 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The Weather Service warns of black ice tonight due to the rapidly falling temperatures.

It has issued a wind advisory from 2 p.m. today to 4 a.m. Monday with winds at 30 to 40 miles per hour and gusts up to 50 mph. The winds could take down trees and cause power outages. The wind advisory applies to Orleans and much of Western New York and northern NY.

The Weather Service says blowing snow could hit before 9 tonight. There is a chance for snow showers on Monday with a high near 23. That will be followed by more snow likely on Tuesday with a high near 31. The forecast includes highs of 22 on Wednesday, 25 on Thursday and 27 on Friday.

ALBION – Orleans County officials have been working for four years to identify locations in the county without high-speed Internet and to lay the groundwork for bringing the service to rural homes and businesses.

County officials believe those efforts put the county in a good position to receive some of the $500 million in state funds that Gov. Andrew Cuomo says will expand the service throughout the state by 2018.

“We’ve proven the need,” said Lynne Johnson, an Orleans County legislator who has headed local efforts to expand broadband. “(Today’s announcement) is a positive shot in the arm.”

Orleans and Niagara counties have worked together mapping areas of need, and developing requests for proposals from companies. The state today said it will seek RFPs from companies to bring the service to 10 regions.

Johnson was part of the conference call today with Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. The state will seek bids from companies with a goal to serve the most homes at the lowest cost.

Johnson said she is optimistic Orleans County will be in the first round of the funding. However, she said many areas have been pressing the state and Internet providers for better coverage.

“Other counties have as dire need as we do,” she said.

In addition to the $500 million in state funding, a merger between Time Warner and Charter Communications comes with a directive from the state Public Service Commission to install line extensions that will bring high-speed broadband to 145,000-plus unserved and underserved homes and businesses. The merged company also needs to upgrade the system to increase service speeds.

Johnson and Chuck Nesbitt, the county chief administrative officer, say they are grateful the issue is on the governor’s agenda.

“We applaud the governor for making money available,” Nesbitt said.

The initiative is a public-private partnership that will bring “last-mile” broadband services to New Yorkers and significantly expand connectivity in the most remote regions of the state.

Central components of the program include:

New access to broadband at speeds of at least 100 Mbps; 25 Mbps in the most remote areas of the state.

Public-private partnership with a required 50 percent match in private sector investment targeted across the program.

High priority for projects that most improve broadband Internet access in underserved areas, including libraries and educational opportunity centers.

Applications will be chosen through a “reverse-auction” process, which will award funding to projects bidders seeking the lowest state investment.

Auctions to be held within each Regional Economic Development Council region to ensure statewide allocations of funding.

For more on the state’s broadband program, click here.

ALBION – The Orleans Economic Development Agency already has received several phone calls from businesses interested in the downtown rental subsidy program.

The agency is developing guidelines for the program and expects to have it ready by the end of the month, said Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the EDA.

The state approved $200,000 for the EDA last month in small business programs. The money comes from the federal government through the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation.

That includes $60,000 for downtown rental subsidies. The EDA wants to target start-ups or businesses doing expansions for the program. To be eligible, the businesses need to move into a downtown business district in one of the four villages.

The EDA ran a downtown subsidy program before and about $20,000 was directed to businesses in the four village downtowns. The EDA started that program in 2009 and offered a maximum of $3,000 a year to help small business owners with their rent if they locate in the Albion, Medina, Holley or Lyndonville business districts.

The EDA hasn’t settled on a maximum amount for each business in the program. The specifics of the downtown subsidy program are being developed.

The grant also includes $100,000 for microenterprise grants/low-interest loans. That money will be available to qualifying small business owners who complete the 10-week small business training program through the EDA. Barone said the qualifying criteria is being reviewed. When the details are finalized, the program will be presented to the public, she said.

More than 400 entrepreneurs have completed the Microenterprise Assistance Program since 1999. The 10-week program gives an overview on taxes, record keeping, marketing, organizational skills, accounting and insurance, leadership and assists participants in developing a business plan.

The $200,000 overall grant also includes $30,000 for program delivery costs and $10,000 for grant administration expenses.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Henry, the dog formerly known as Tiny Tim, is pictured outside his home in Buffalo on Saturday. The dog was shot on Dec. 2, 2014 and had his back left leg amputated. These days he is full of spunk and loves going to the dog parks.

BUFFALO – Kathy Smith got the call on Dec. 2, 2014. A dog, a small beagle, had been shot. He had been on the loose and a family in Yates had been leaving out food and water for him.

Smith, the animal control officer for Orleans County, found the dog on Countyline Road. His back left leg was blown off and bleeding.

Smith still doesn’t know if the dog was purposely shot or if it was accidental. Despite his injury, he seemed to be doing OK. He also was a young dog, only about 2 years old. Smith believed he could survive. She drove him to a veterinarian in Henrietta that night and the dog’s wound was cleaned and he was stabilized.

“He was definitely reaching out to us for comfort,” Smith recalled. “He had a wonderful sweet attitude.”

Smith knew emergency surgery would be costly so she opted against it that night. The next day she called Joette McHugh, president of the Friends of the Orleans County Animal Shelter. McHugh was vacationing with her husband Bill at Disney World in Florida.

McHugh was optimistic several hundred dollars could be raised for the surgery. McHugh made a plea on her Facebook page for assistance for the dog. She said the people that had been feeding him in Yates called him Jack. But McHugh didn’t think “Jack” would stir people to give during the holidays when money is tight.

Her husband suggested the name, Tiny Tim, the popular character from “A Christmas Carol.”

“It was Christmastime, and if we were going to ask for donations, Jack wasn’t going to do it,” McHugh recalled. “So he became Tiny Tim.”

‘Tiny Tim’ has endured much in his short life.

Tiny Tim would go viral on social media, and the donations started to pour in. There was far more than was needed for his surgery. There was money for post-op care, to be neutered and other expenses for the dog.

“His care wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the community and the volunteers,” Smith said. “The community was a great helping raising money for the operation and his post-operative care.”

Mary Neilans, a veterinarian in Albion, did the surgery on Dec. 3. Tiny Tim was at the Orleans County Animal Shelter on Route 98 in Barre later that day. McHugh said the dog was able to walk and run. He didn’t show too many ill effects.

Buffalo CARES Animal Rescue reached out to McHugh after seeing her Facebook posts about Tiny Tim. The organization provides longer-term care for animals with injuries.

Tiny Tim spent a few days in the “cat room” at the animal shelter. He would go to a foster home for about five weeks in the Buffalo area while he healed from the surgery. He was in a home with a woman who had two other beagles.

Tiny Tim was listed for adoption by the Buffalo CARES. “I am a very sweet and fun little guy,” according to Tiny Tim’s entry on Buffalo CARES. “I am a spunky beagle around 2 years old. I was found right before Christmas and had to have my back left leg amputated but it hasn’t slowed me down. I run, jump and am able to go up and down stairs just fine!”

Marisa Bartolotta, a recent college graduate working in New Orleans, was checking Buffalo CARES website in January, looking for dogs with disabilities. Her parents, Carmen and Renee Bartolotta, had to say goodbye to their long-time dog, Buddy, the day after Christmas. That dog was blind.

Mrs. Bartolotta didn’t think she was ready for another dog so soon after Buddy’s death.

“My heart was broken,” she said. “I didn’t think I could go through that again.”

But Renee and Carmen watched a video of Tiny Tim. He looked very mobile despite missing his back leg. The family has long loved beagles and they responded to the notice on Buffalo CARES.

Carmen Bartolotta takes Tiny Tim, now called Henry, for a walk on Saturday by the family’s home on Villa Drive in Buffalo near Kenmore.

Buffalo CARES wanted a home where the dog would have someone around 24-7. Both of the Bartolottas work full-time: Carmen is a machine operator for Steuben Foods and Renee works as a secretary for the Erie County Health Department in downtown Buffalo.

But Carmen’s parents live close by and they could watch the dog during the day.

Tiny Tim came by for a home visit and the Bartolottas felt a connection. Tiny Tim even got along well with the two cats: Walter Knoncat and Teddy Roosevelt. Tiny Tim snuggled up to Mr. and Mrs. Bartolotta.

On Jan. 22 last year, the dog joined the family. He was named Henry.

The next day, Mr. Bartolotta was bringing in the garbage and had Henry on a leash. Mr. Bartolotta bumped the garbage can and it let out a racket. Henry was startled. He slipped his collar, and to Bartolotta’s surprise, bolted.

Bartolotta couldn’t catch up to the three-legged dog. The family drove looking for Henry, and Facebook posts soon went up seeking help in finding the dog. Those Facebook posts would be shared hundreds of times and soon dozens of volunteers were combing neighborhoods and posting Henry sightings.

“He ran from people, not towards people,” Bartolotta said.

For two days, Henry was out on the streets. He was remarkably fast and fleeting.

But finally he was cornered near Lincoln Parkway by the railroad tracks. He ran into a truck bay and was scooped up. He was brought to his new home and promptly went to sleep for about two days straight.

The Bartolottas got a harness for taking Henry outside for walks. He most enjoys going to dog parks where he has freedom to run. He keeps up with the other dogs, and goes up and down steep embankments. Most people can’t tell he is missing a leg because he moves so fast.

“He stands up for himself, even against the boxers and pit bulls,” Mr. Bartolotta said. “He gets mad if the other dogs knock him over.”

Henry has a fully fenced in back yard at the Bartolotta home. When he wants to go out, he goes to a sliding door and rings a bell.

He enjoys lounging on the couch. During the workdays, the Bartolottas drop Henry at Mr. Bartolotta’s parents. They have a special chair for Henry by the window. They open the curtains and let him watch the neighborhood. One family member is a Buffalo City School bus driver. She will pull up by the house, with a bus full of students, and the kids will wave to Henry.

The dog has become a star in the neighborhood. The Bartolottas are grateful he found a way to their home.

“He’s so lovable and so sweet,” Mrs. Bartolotta said. “He came into our lives at a very difficult time for us (with the loss of Buddy).”

Henry is much loved by Carmen and Renee Bartolotta and is very popular in his Buffalo neighborhood.

When the Bartolotta daughters, both in their 20s, are home on break, Henry is very excited to see them. The daughters will take him on jogs in the neighborhood, and Henry dictates a fast pace.

“He’s super active,” Mrs. Bartolotta said. “He doesn’t want to go for a walk, he wants to go for a run.”

Henry – Tiny Tim – remains a special dog for Kathy Smith and Joette McHugh. He is featured as the March dog in a calendar to benefit the animal shelter.

“It was so heartwarming to see so many people come together for this little dog,” McHugh said. “It makes you feel good.”

She has become friends with the Bartolottas and they share frequent updates on Henry.

McHugh and Smith said there are other “extreme cases” where animals are abused or injured and need lots of care. McHugh recalled a cat that was stepped on by a cow and needed a leg amputated.

The county shelter will try to save the animals when possible, Smith said.

“We have a lot of wonderful dogs like Tiny Tim that have sad stories and then have wonderful outcomes,” Smith said.

Joette McHugh holds a calender to benefit the Orleans County Animal Shelter. Tiny Tim is featured for March.

Photos by Tom Rivers – David Callard of Medina and Lynne Johnson of Lyndonville were both backed by the seven-member Orleans County Legislature to continue as the group’s leaders. Callard will serve as chairman with Johnson in the role of vice chairwoman.

ALBION David Callard received unanimous support this morning for a fourth term as chairman of the Orleans County Legislature.

Callard, a retired banking executive, has served 22 years on the Legislature, including the past six years as chairman.

The seven-member Legislature also supported Lynne Johnson for another term as vice chairwoman.

Callard said the Legislature would be “aggressive” this year pursuing state funding for broadband Internet, road and bridge infrastructure, job training programs and economic development. Callard said he would present a more detailed blueprint in April during a “state of the county” address.

David Callard has been a member of the Orleans County Legislature for more than 20 years.

Callard was praised by the other legislators for his commitment to the job.

“He is quite organized and he’s on top of everything,” said Fred Miller of Albion, the lone Democrat on the Legislature. “He’s a good manager and he takes it on as a full-time job.”

Bill Eick, the Republican majority leader, said Callard is an effective leader.

“He is the head of the ship,” Eick said after the organizational meeting this morning. “We all have a good working relationship and we keep each other all informed.”

The Legislature chairman will be paid $17,087 in 2016, with the vice chairwoman at $12,920 and the other five legislators each at $11,390. That represents 2 percent raises from 2015.

Bill Eick and the other legislators take the oath of office which was administered by County Clerk Karen Lake-Maynard.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Fireworks go off in Lyndonville on July 4 in the biggest fireworks show ever at Lyndonville. This photo was taken looking through a row of trees by the soccer field near the school. Orleans Hub covered numerous community events in 2015.

Orleans Hub saw a big jump in traffic in 2015 with total pageviews reaching 7,811,345.

That is up 48.3 percent or by 2,543,847 from the 5,267,498 pageviews in 2014.

Orleans Hub went live on April 1, 2013. We had 1,697,887 pageviews for nine months in 2013.

Our monthly average of pageviews has increased from 141,490 in 2013, to 438,958 in 2014 and to 650,945 in 2015.

Another industry statistic is average daily users.

We were at 6,739 for 2015, and topped a 6,000 daily average for each of all 12 months.

The 6,739 average for each day is up from the 4,700 in 2014 and 2,100 for nine months in 2013.

September was our biggest month with the contentious primary season drawing a surge of traffic to the site.

That month we had an average of 7,671 daily users and the total pageviews reached 765,677.

The Hub operates out of The Lake Country Pennysaver in Albion.

We have an office at the Pennysaver building, 170 North Main St.

Photo by Cherl Wertman – Kendall’s Taylor Rutland, right, goes high for the ball against Emily Lavarnway of South Seneca on Oct. 30 when the Lady Eagles won their second straight Sectional title, defeating South Seneca 4-1. Orleans Hub has a daily sports report of local high school athletes.