By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2025 at 9:19 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature on Tuesday presented a proclamation declaring May as “Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month in Orleans County.”
County Legislator Skip Draper, right, presents the proclamation to Don Sloper, president of the Orleans County chapter of American Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE); Steve Rosenberg, vice president of ABATE (second from left); and Becky Persons, member of ABATE.
There will be a motorcycle safety and awareness rally at 2 p.m. on May 4 outside the Orleans County Courthouse. The motorcyclists will then go on a 50-mile in the county that ends at the V.F.W. Post 1463 on East Center Street in Medina. Participants can begin to assemble outside the courthouse on East State Street at 1 p.m. on May 4.
Motorcyclists want the public to know they are back on the roadways. The motorcyclists urge drivers to “look twice” and use extra caution when making a left turn or pulling out onto the roadway.
ABATE is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving the rights, safety and freedoms of all motorcyclists. ABATE’s position is to support all efforts and initiatives that will lead to accident prevention and rider safety.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2025 at 8:55 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Ryan Flaherty, center, was recognized during Tuesday’s Orleans County Legislature for his local career in law enforcement. He is presented a “Special Recognition Award” from County Legislator Skip Draper, right, and Undersheriff Don Draper.
Flaherty started his career with the Holley Sheriff’s Department in 2002. In 2005, he joined the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy on road patrol. He later worked in the courthouse for security and with the Marine Patrol Division.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2025 at 8:05 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The dome at the Orleans County Courthouse was lighted up in red on Tuesday evening as part of “Light Up NY Red” campaign around the state this week, drawing attention to a volunteer firefighter shortage.
Over the last two decades, New York’s volunteer firefighter ranks have plunged by 33 percent, said the Firefighters Association of the State of New York.
FASNY President Eugene Perry encouraged all firehouses statewide to glow red this week. He also urged firefighters to light their homes and businesses with red lights.
“The lights symbolize their commitment to a tradition of neighborly help and the need for more volunteers,” FASNY said.
Additionally, Perry called on residents to join the effort by switching on red porch lights in support of their local fire departments.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 19 April 2025 at 9:10 am
Provided photo: Nick Mroz, director of Orleans County Veterans Service Agency, hands out Easter hams to veterans in front of the office on Friday.
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Nick Mroz, director of Orleans County Veterans Services Agency, holds a poster he distributed advertising free Easter hams for veterans.
ALBION – Since taking over last fall as director of Orleans County Veterans Service Agency, Nick Mroz has been busy planning various events to benefit veterans, the latest being giving free hams to veterans for Easter.
On Friday, Mroz and assistant Jackie Lonnen handed out hams to 100 Orleans County veterans.
The hams were purchased from Tops with a grant Mroz received from the Dwyer Peer to Peer program started by Earl Schmidt when he was director of Veterans Services several years ago.
Mroz said he advertised the hams on social media, by e-mails to Post commanders and with flyers in Tops.
The purpose of these programs is to get veterans in the community together and talking with one another, Mroz said.
“We are trying to promote healing and encourage veterans to share experiences and network with one another,” he said. “A lot of veterans in the county don’t know each other, and our goal is to get them together and talking about their experiences.”
Mroz has already arranged an afternoon of bowling for veterans in February and is planning a barbecue in the summer and a golf outing in August.
Provided photo: A grant from the Dwyer Peer to Peer program covered the cost of the 100 hams which were given out Friday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 April 2025 at 8:11 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson welcomes a crowd of about 125 people to today’s bicentennial celebration for Orleans County.
The county for its first 165 years was run by a Board of Supervisors with the town supervisors from the towns also overseeing the county.
This gavel was carved from a walnut tree planted in 1856.
The government structure changed to a seven-member County Legislature in 1980. The Legislature’s seats have always been arranged in a semi-circular pattern, Johnson said. She quoted Stan Dudek, who was chairman of the new Legislature in 1980 and the first chief administrative officer beginning in 1982.
“That we all share equally in the rights, responsibilities and power vested in us as legislators; the side-by-side arrangement symbolic of our duty and desire to work together, with one common purpose, not to run, but to serve the County of Orleans; and facing the public, indicating our desire for clear and complete communication with the public we represent.”
Johnson also noted a gavel made from a walnut tree planted in 1856. Cary W. lattin, father of retired County Historian Bill Lattin, carved the gavel and presented it to Dudek at the first meeting of the Legislature in 1980.
“That means the wood from this gavel is almost as old as Orleans County itself,” Johnson said. “And just like this gavel, our county is as strong as ever.”
Orly the Ox enters the main courtroom in the Orleans County Courthouse during today’s bicentennial celebration for the county. About 125 people attended the ceremony.
The county has embraced the ox as a mascot for the bicentennial. Oxen were critical for the pioneers to travel on rough paths and settle the untamed land 200 years ago. The oxen were also needed to clear land and plow fields.
Orly (Isabella Zasa in costume) is lifting weights in his entrance to show the oxen’s brawn in helping the pioneer settlers.
The ceremony began with the ringing of the bell in the courthouse dome and the bells at the churches around the county, including the Courthouse Square.
Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson, right, accepts proclamations for Orleans County’s 200thanniversary today from Andrew Dugan, district director for State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, and Jayleen Carney, executive assistant for Assemblyman Steve Hawley. The two state legislators were in Albany for budget negotiations but secured a state legislative proclamation for the county’s bicentennial.
Ortt and Hawley’s proclamation noted Orleans County was officially established as a separate entity from Genesee County on Nov. 12, 1824 and commenced its operations on April 15, 1825. The county’s name may honor either Andrew Jackson’s victory in the Battle of New Orleans or the French Duc d’Orleans. It symbolizes a compromise among the county’s early leaders, the proclamation states.
The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 played a “transformative role in the county’s development,” Ortt and Hawley stated. The inexpensive transportation fueled the local economy and supported Orleans County’s early agricultural success, he stated.
Orleans County today prides itself on in diverse farms that cultivate vineyards and orchards, grow vegetables, raise livestock and produce milk.
“The county is also known for its competitive sports fishing and diligent workforce for manufacturing agriculture and commerce,” the proclamation states.
Johnson also accepted proclamations from U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney’s Office, the Office of the Governor Kathy Hochul (presented by State Canal Commissioner Brian Stratton) and the County Legislature.
Mackenzie Poynter, a Medina High School student, sang the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Tara Thom, owner of the Town and Country Quilt Shop, spearheaded the creation of the bicentennial quilt. She speaks at the podium. She is joined by quilters Carrie Standish, Catherine Hooker and Brenda Radzinski.
Others who helped make the quilt include Kathryn DeMarco, Gayle Ashbery, Irene Henion and Susan Landis.
The quilt includes the 10 towns and when they were established and three foundational blocks of Farming, Faith and Family.
Carol Culhane also presented a painting for the bicentennial that she says honors the pioneers who tamed the land and lived modestly in log cabins. In her painting, she shows Main Street in Albion in the 1800s, and has images of a log cabin with livestock, and paintings of the County Courthouse and the Clerks’ Building.
Decades before the courthouse (built in 1858) and Clerks’ Building (constructed in 1888) were erected on the Courthouse Square, there was a log cabin there. A historical marker at the courthouse lawn notes the first settlers in Albion in 1811 built a log cabin where the Clerks’ Building stands. The late Al Capurso had that marker installed in 2013 to honor those pioneers – William McAllister and his wife.
A cake made by Peggy Bropst included a map of the county with the 10 towns: Albion, Barre, Carlton, Clarendon, Gaines, Kendall, Murray, Ridgeway, Shelby and Yates.
Holley Mayor Mark Bower served as master of ceremonies and gave a welcome address and the closing remarks.
“Like many other places in our country, we have seen many challenges and successes, overcome adversity, and marched on due to the founders of our county and those who have followed since,” Bower said.
Four county legislators stand and present a proclamation from the County Legislature. From left include Ed Morgan, John Fitzak, Fred Miller and Lynne Johnson.
The proclamation notes the 10 towns in the county and four villages of Albion, Holley, Lyndonville and Medina.
The county is “richly endowed with natural resources from shores of Lake Ontario to the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.”
The county has benefited from the Erie Canal, which opened in 1825, and continues to be a vibrant agricultural producer.
“Immigrants from many countries have found opportunity in Orleans County and made their homes here,” the proclamation states.
Many of those immigrants first cleared the land, dug the canal, quarried Medina sandstone, and labored in fields and factories.
Catherine Cooper, the current county historian, shared her admiration for the courage and heartiness of the pioneers who often suffered great hardship, losing young children to illness and enduring extreme financial stress.
“One wonders how they survived those early years,” said Cooper, who also heads the county’s bicentennial committee.
This display of portraits honors people who have served as Orleans County historian. County historians from left include Katherine Rowley, 1934-1938; Theta Hakes Brown, 1938-1944; Joseph Achilles, 1944-1957; Cary Lattin, 1958-1975; Arden McAllister, 1975-1978; C.W. “Bill” Lattin, 1979-2014; and Matt Ballard, 2015-2020.
Bill Lattin, retired Orleans County historian, shares how the County Courthouse was built in 1858 with the county committing to spend $20,000 on the building. It came in $153 under budget.
The ornate Greek Revival building was modelled after one in Wayne County. The Orleans County Courthouse remains in use as a courthouse.
Canal Commissioner Brian Stratton, left, is joined by JW Cook, Gov. Hochul’s Finger Lakes regional representative, in presenting a proclamation to Lynne Johnson.
Stratton said the Erie Canal, also celebrating its bicentennial this year, will continue to be an important resource for Orleans County for many years to come.
Sue Starkweather Miller, the Village of Albion historian and bicentennial committee member, said the community is fortunate to have so many first-hand accounts from the pioneers.
The Orleans County Pioneer Association formed in 1859 and a book of their experiences settling in Orleans County was published by Arad Thomas in 1871.
The county historians also have written many columns on local history, and the community has a deep database of older newspapers with local history.
Starkweather noted the Pioneer Association met in the same courthouse building in 1859.
Orleans County Court Judge Sanford A. Church speaks at the celebration today. Church comes from a lineage of lawyers and judges, including the portrait of the second man from left.
Church can trace his family ties to Orleans County back to 1835, when Sanford E. Church moved to Albion. Sanford E. later became county district attorney, assemblyman, state comptroller and lieutenant governor. His career culminated in service as chief judge of the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 April 2025 at 7:26 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Orly the Ox, the Orleans County bicentennial mascot, poses by a banner celebrating the county’s 200th anniversary. Orly visited the banner on the courthouse lawn on Monday evening.
The courthouse dome also was lit in red, white and blue for the county bicentennial.
Orleans County will have a bicentennial celebration at the courthouse today beginning at 11:45 a.m. with the bell in the courthouse to be rung for a minute beginning at noon. Churches around the county are urged to ring their bells at 12 p.m. to celebrate the county’s 200th birthday.
The county was officially formed on April 15, 1825 when it was recognized by the State Legislature. Orleans split from Genesee County. A swamp made a long journey from Orleans to Genesee even more challenging 200 years ago. The newly established Orleans had the economic prospects of a new Erie Canal which was complete in October 1825.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 April 2025 at 6:53 pm
An executive order from Gov. Kathy Hochul prevented fired corrections officers on strike from seeking jobs with local municipalities.
That order from March 10 sparked widespread opposition from counties around the state, including Orleans County, which wanted to interview the COs for vacancies in local government.
But the counties, towns, villages and school districts weren’t able to hire the fired COs, based on Hochul’s order. Orleans County officials passed a resolution on March 20, calling for Hochul to rescind her executive order.
County legislators said the terminated COs should be considered to help fill vacancies in the county government.
“The governor’s executive order does a disservice to the public by taking away a pool of highly qualified applicants from jobs we need filled,” Legislator John Fitzak, a retired CO at Orleans Correctional, said on March 20. “It is mean-spirited, revengeful, and immoral and, as such, should be immediately repealed.”
The governor has allowed that executive order to expire on Wednesday.
The ban on the 2,000 fired COs from jobs in state government remains in effect.
The state fired the officers after they refused to meet a deadline for reporting to work on March 10 after a strike at state prisons that lasted 22 days.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 April 2025 at 8:30 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A banner celebrating Orleans County’s 200th anniversary is on the courthouse lawn. The bicentennial celebration will be at noon on April 15 at the County Courthouse, beginning with the ringing of the bell in the courthouse dome. Churches throughout Orleans County are encouraged to ring their bells at noon for a minute on April 15.
The county will celebrate its bicentennial throughout 2025. Orleans officially separated from Genesee County on April 15, 1825.
The ceremony on April 15 will be livestreamed on the Orleans County Tourism Facebook page.
The courthouse dome will be illuminated in red, white and blue on April 14 and 15 in celebration of the county’s bicentennial.
The banner includes an ox, which was critical to helping bring the pioneer settlers to Orleans County, and then helping to clear the land and plant crops.
File photo by Tom Rivers: The Orleans County Courthouse dome is lit up in red and blue on Jan. 5, 2023 in honor of Damar Hamlin, a Buffalo Bills player who suffered cardiac arrest on Jan. 2, 2023 during a game versus the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin was revived and was a starter for the Bills the past season.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 April 2025 at 8:10 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Courthouse dome will be illuminated in red, white and blue on April 14 and 15 in celebration of the county’s bicentennial.
Orleans was officially recognized as a county on April 15, 1825 by the State Legislature, separating from Genesee County.
Orleans will have a bicentennial ceremony beginning at 11:45 a.m. on April 15 in the courthouse.
The bells in the courthouse will be rung for a minute beginning at noon at April 15. Churches across the county are encouraged to ring their church bells for a minute beginning at noon as part of the bicentennial.
Photos by Tom Rivers: A historical marker is at 180 South St. in Auburn, where Harriet Tubman lived and established a nursing home for “Aged and Indigent Negroes.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 March 2025 at 8:52 am
Proposed Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway would stretch 550 miles in New York State
A statue of a younger Harriet Tubman as a conductor on the Underground Railroad stands in the City of Auburn next to the Equal Rights Heritage Center. The statue, 7.5 feet tall, was created by sculptor Bria Hanlon and dedicated in 2018 during the bicentennial year of Tubman’s birth.
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature and several municipalities in the county are backing the New York Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway.
The proposed byway stretches 550 miles in New York, from New York City north to Albany and then about 350 miles across the state to Niagara Falls. Orleans is one of 22 counties in the byway, which highlights triumphant stories of freedom seekers and abolitionists.
The Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State has sought support from the municipalities along the proposed byway, and wants to have the route recognized in 2026, a year before the 200th anniversary of the state abolishing slavery. (The County Legislature, Shelby Town Board, Clarendon Town Board, and Albion, Holley and Medina village boards are among several local municipalities to officially back the byway.)
The byway recognizes Harriet Tubman, who was born enslaved in Dorchester County, Maryland in 1822. She seized her freedom at age 27. In the next 10 years she led about 70 people to freedom, making 13 trips from Maryland to Philadelphia; St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada; and Auburn, New York.
She was the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad. She also was a nurse, spy and scout for the Union Army during the Civil War. Tubman settled in Auburn in central New York and stayed there until her death in 1913.
There are three sites in Orleans County identified by the consortium with historical sites with connections to the Underground Railroad.
The proposed Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway includes 22 of the 62 counties in New York State.
Dawn Borchert, Orleans County tourism director, said the byway would be a boost to the county, bringing in some visitors and highlighting the county’s role in Underground Railroad, which was a secret network of trails and homes. Many of the houses and sites that were part of the Underground Railroad are unknown.
But there is documentation about one house in Holley that helped Freedom Seekers on their journey. A historical marker was erected in October 2020 at 35 South Main St. to highlight the home of Chauncey Robinson as a “Safe House.” Robinson was an Orleans County pioneer and an abolitionist. He sheltered escaped slaves at this site as part of the Underground Railroad.
The consortium also lists the cemetery where Robinson is buried as a historical site in Orleans County on the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad New York Proposed Byway. Robinson Cemetery is on Route 237 in Clarendon at the intersection of Glidden Road. The cemetery sign notes Chauncey Robinson was a veteran of the War of 1812 and a prominent abolitionist in the community.
The consortium also highlights a historical marker on Main Street in Medina. The Orleans Renaissance Group in April 2015 unveiled the marker in recognition of two speeches delivered in the community by Frederick Douglass, a leading abolitionist.
The byway will recognize many historical sites that were part of the Underground Railroad and the Freedom Seekers, who were African Americans who left enslavement. At the time they often were deemed “fugitives,” “runaways” or “escapees.”
The Orleans County Legislature, in a resolution approved last week, said it will work in partnership with the other municipalities along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad New York Scenic Byway and local and regional stakeholders “in order to support future Byway program development and collaborate with these interested entities to explore opportunities for cooperation and methods to advance the Scenic Byway.”
This stretch of the proposed byway goes from Rochester to Lockport. The byway goes along Route 31 in Orleans County.
ALBION – The Orleans County Youth Bureau today announced that nominations are now open for its 43rd Annual Youth Recognition awards.
The purpose of these awards is to recognize those youth who have performed outstanding service for our community and/or have assumed an extraordinary role within their families by helping to support themselves.
“Many older adults often hold negative perceptions of today’s youth, when in fact, there are some young people doing some very extraordinary things in service of others,” said Jack Welch, chief administrative officer for Orleans County. “Our youth awards want to shine the spotlight on these young men and women and let the community know of their great work.”
Anyone is welcome to nominate a candidate, but nominations from family members must be accompanied by a supporting recommendation from a non-family member. Nominees must reside in an Orleans County school district and be a minimum of 14 years of age and under the age of 21 before June 30.
In addition to the youth recognition awards, the Youth Bureau is also accepting nominations for the Helen Brinsmaid Award, given to an Orleans County youth-serving professional, in a paid position, whose work surpasses normal expectations, and the Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Recognition Award, presented to an adult who serves the youth of Orleans County in a volunteer setting.
“We also want to honor the wonderful adults who are really making a difference in working with our young people,” Welch said. “Let’s not forget, they are mentoring those who will one day assume leadership roles in our community.”
All nomination forms can be found by clicking here. Nominations must be submitted to the Youth Bureau by April 15.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 March 2025 at 1:09 pm
ALBION – The Walmart Foundation has given the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office a $5,000 grant to continue the “Shop with a Cop” program.
Walmart has funded the effort since 2019 in Orleans County. The Sheriff’s Office typically assists about a dozen kids in picking out presents for their family members. The cost of the presents is paid for with the grant.
The County Legislature on Tuesday approved accepting the grant from the Walmart Foundation with the funds to be spent by Dec. 31, 2025.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 March 2025 at 9:45 pm
Provided photo: Orleans County Legislator Skip Draper, center, on Tuesday presents “life saver” awards to corrections officers Danny Woodward, second from left, and Brandi Brege, second from right. They are joined by Lt. Chris Caulfield of the Orleans County Jail, left, and Sheriff Chris Bourke, right.
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature presented special recognition awards for life-saving action by two corrections officers for their efforts to prevent the death of an Orleans County Jail inmate who was found hanging in his cell.
Corrections officers Brandi Brege and Danny Woodward were alerted to the inmate in his cell on Feb. 10.
“Following the notification by inmates in the block, Orleans County Sheriff’s correction officers immediately responded, entered the area and cut the person down,” said Sheriff Chris Bourke. “Officers began life-saving measures as EMS was called. The actions of our officers saved the life of a human being that day and we are very thankful for that.”
The corrections officers were presented awards on Tuesday from the Legislature and praised for their “quick thought and immediate action.” They were commended for helping someone in a time of need.
“I’m proud to be part of the same team as these guys,” Jail Lt. Chris Caulfield said. “We train for incidents life this, and we hope they don’t happen.”
Others who assisted include Talee Kehlenbeck, and corrections officers Divere Brown, Furious Robinson, Todd Riemer, Tammy Kendrick and Robert Cary III.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 March 2025 at 8:38 pm
Provided photos
ALBION – The Orleans County Department of Social Services’ Safe Harbour Program recognized the top three entries in its poster contest to raise awareness about human trafficking. The theme is “Spot the Signs – Stop the Traffick.”
Inez Stangler of Kendall holds her winning poster.
Pictured from left include Teresa Elam-Zwifka, director of Child & Family Services; Logan Hammons of Albion, 3rd place; Kelli Dingle of Albion, 2nd Place; Inez Stangler of Kendall, 1st Place; and Heather Jackson, caseworker and Safe Harbour/Human Trafficking liaison.
The contest was open for students in grades 7-12. They were asked to submit 8.5 by 11-inch posters that included red flags, vulnerabilities, warning signs and myths about human trafficking.
The first prize winner receives a VR Headset; second prize is a bin full of multiple items; and third prize is a pair of Beats Solo 4 headphones.
The Safe Harbour program is designed to be a safe place for young people between 12-18 years of age. In addition to providing education and awareness, Safe Harbour provides lessons in life skills to promote a strong foundation to help children launch into their future.
For more information on the poster contest or the Safe Harbour program, contact Heather Jackson at 585-589-2837 or email heather.jackson@orleanscountyny.gov.
Courthouse Dome to be lit in blue from April 20 to May 3
Press Release, Orleans County Department of Social Services
ALBION – The staff of the Orleans County Department of Social Services will join with others across the country to wear blue on Friday, April 4, as the start of Child Abuse Prevention Month.
“Go Blue Day” is always celebrated on the first Friday in April. The Orleans County Courthouse dome will be lit blue in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month from April 20 to May 3.
“While our commitment to creating positive childhood experiences and preventing child abuse and neglect is year-round effort, Child Abuse Prevention month is an opportunity raise public awareness on the need to support, strengthen and celebrate families,” said Cyndi Stumer, Deputy Commissioner of DSS. “Simple actions can make a big difference in preventing child abuse.”
Stumer said as part of this year’s event, families are encouraged to do an activity together every day and spend time together to promote healthy family relationships. The county has provided a calendar filled with daily suggestions to encourage families to participate in a different activities that can be viewed by clicking here.
“Just a little time each day playing a board game or going to the library or taking a walk can have a really big impact,” Stumer said.
If you have suspicions of child abuse or neglect to report or you are concerned about the health or safety of a child, please immediately call the NYS Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-342-3720. In 2024, Orleans County DSS received approximately 700 referrals for investigation through the NYS State Central Registry.
