Press Release, Orleans County Mental Health Department
ALBION – The Orleans County Mental Health Department is partnering with the Genesee County Mental Health Department and research organization NORC at the University at Chicago to conduct listening sessions and surveys to gather additional information from our community members surrounding mental health, suicide, substance use, associated resources, needs, and the associated stigma. Participation is open to any interested residents.
“Many individuals in Genesee and Orleans Counties are affected by substance use, addiction, mental health and suicide, and we are seeking input from residents so that we can better serve our community,” said Danielle Figura, director of the Orleans County Mental Health Department.
Figura said residents are invited to participate in a 60-to-90-minute listening session, via Zoom, which will be conducted by NORC, considered one of the leading, non-partisan research organizations in the country.
Participants will be asked about their views on overdose and suicide in our community, programs and resources, and additional support needed. Sessions will be held for all community members and for specific professional roles (i.e., business owners, school professionals, health or behavioral health professionals, legislators and government officials, faith-based leaders, CARES Alliance members, first responders.)
If interested, click here or use the QR code to complete the interest form.
ALBION – The Orleans County Youth Bureau announced it has extended the deadline for nominations 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. The deadline is now Thursday, May 1.
“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 30th.
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,” said Welch. “Let’s not forget, they are mentoring those who will one day assume leadership roles in our community.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 April 2025 at 10:33 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Orleans County Legislator Fred Miller presents a proclamation on Tuesday to Office for the Aging leaders Melissa Blanar, left, the director; and Meghan Bevins, assistant director.
The County Legislature commemorated the OFA’s 50 years in Orleans County. The office opened in may 1975. It has expanded to 14 employees and now has its fourth director, Melissa Blanar. The OFA has grown through federal and state grants, legislators said.
Some of the services include home-delivered meals, congregate meals, nutrition counseling and education, health promotion and wellness, evidence-based interventions, respite and caregiver support, legal services, NY Connects information and referral, health insurance counseling and assistance programs, and transportation coordination for medical appointments.
The OFA also has many dedicated volunteers giving “countless hours” to support senior citizens.
“The Orleans County Legislature hereby recognizes and commends the Office for the Aging’s exceptional dedication and unwavering commitment over the past five decades,” the proclamation states. “Their tireless efforts have not only enriched the quality of life for countless individuals but have set an enduring standard of compassionate service. As we celebrate this extraordinary milestone, we express our deepest gratitude for their invaluable contributions and congratulate them on 50 years of exemplary service to older adults.”
The OFA welcomes people 60 and older to the Spring Jubilee on May 16 to celebrate “Older American’s Month.”
Call the OFA at (585) 589-3191 for information and tickets.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Carol Culhane, center, presented a painting of the County Courthouse and Clerks Building, and a log cabin, to the County Legislature earlier this week. Legislature Chair Lynne Johnson is at left and Legislator Bill Eick is at right. Culhane created the current scene and imagined how it was when pioneer settlers lived at the now prominent location.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 26 April 2025 at 8:38 am
ALBION – Creating beautiful pictures and giving them away is nothing new to Carol Culhane.
A talented, self-taught artist, Culhane recently painted a poster to commemorate Orleans County’s 200th anniversary.
At the Orleans County Legislature’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, Culhane presented the poster to Legislative chair Lynne Johnson and vice chair Bill Eick.
“It was an honor to accept artist Carol Culhane’s tremendous painting in honor of the Orleans County bicentennial,” Johnson said. “It really is quite beautiful with stunning detail. We look forward to having it on display at the county administration building for the public to enjoy.”
This wasn’t the first time Culhane has donated one of her artworks to the county. In 1990 she painted a poster depicting historical aspects of Orleans County and donated the design to Orleans County Chamber of Commerce for a coverlet.
Culhane has been painting since she was seven years old and came home from school one day and painted her portrait from a wallet-size school picture on a piece of onionskin.
“I’ve had so many blessings in my life, helping people and touching their lives with my art,” she said.
Her first professional attempt was painting a sandwich board in the early 1970s for Charles Nesbitt when he decided to enter politics and ran for town councilman.
She has never had an art lesson, she said, yet she can paint portraits (even Elvis), landscapes or animals.
The late Capurso, who was president of the Orleans County Historical Association, had the idea for the poster. Capurso often spoke of how a pioneer lived on the Courthouse Square. He pushed to have a historical marker on the lawn in 2013 for William McAllister and his wife, who were Albion’s first settlers in 1811.
Culhane’s father was a decorated Rochester policeman, and her first husband, now deceased was a Vietnam veteran, as is her current husband, Jerry Culhane. This has resulted in her having tremendous respect for police officers, military people and the injured or ill.
She has painted signs for extra money and names on boats. She has created commemorative coins and painted vehicles for members of Ducks Unlimited. Designing and painting Wounded Warrior ornaments for patients at Walter Reed Hospital and traveling there to present them became a passion for a number of years. Twenty-seven years ago, she began buying, painting and donating ornaments to raise money for Hospice of Orleans County.
In Rochester, a memorial paying tribute to Rochester area veterans lost in Vietnam is lined with their portraits painted by Culhane. She also has designed a Challenge commemorative coin for Lockheed Martin.
In spite of all the honors accorded her through the years, she is particularly proud of the poster she recently presented to the Orleans County Legislature. She explained the idea was the result of a meeting she attended in 2017 of the Orleans County Historical Association. Al Capurso was president and distributed his end-of-the-year annual report. On the cover was a simple image of a log cabin, dense forest, the Courthouse and the clerk’s building.
“He explained that before the county buildings were built there was just a cabin in the woods,” Culhane recalled. “After the meeting he approached me and said, ‘Some day I wish you could do a painting that shows the pioneer’s cabin to the present time.’”
Carol Culhane is hugged by Lynne Johnson after Culhane donated the painting to the county. It will be displayed in the County Administration Building.
In 2013, Capurso commissioned a historical marker for the courthouse lawn to commemorate the first settlers of Albion – pioneers William McAllister and his wife, who built the cabin in 1811, situated where the clerks’ building now stands. I kept his design all these years in hopes I would have the opportunity to recreate Al’s vision.”
Culhane explained Capurso was a kind and giving man who devoted his time and efforts to serve his community. Although he has passed away, his influence and love for history of this county lives on, she said.
Last fall Culhane learned there was a committee tasked with planning the county bicentennial.
“I thought this would be a great opportunity to share Al’s vision and finally fulfill his request,” Culhane said. “I presented the story to the committee and showed them the cover of the report. I suggested how fitting it would be to commemorate the bicentennial and Al’s legacy. The committee saw Al’s vision and agreed to allow me to do the painting.”
In creating the design, Culhane said it was obvious the majestic county courthouse and the fireproof clerk’s office would be perfect to spotlight the architecture displayed in many parts of our county. The cabin is the style built by the pioneers in the early 1800s, which includes the oxen. The animals were used by the settlers to pull their wagons as they traveled here to settle, and they were strong enough to use to build their cabins and work the land. The buildings are painted on a background of a streetscape of Albion in the mid 1800s, facing north.
Proceeds from the sale of prints of the painting will be donated to the Orleans County Historical Association to continue preserving the county’s history, Culhane said.
Culhane has 500 prints of the posters at 18 inches by 24 inches. They are $10 each. For more information about acquiring one, contact her at (585) 738-3016 or by email, cecjcculhane@gmail.com.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 April 2025 at 11:10 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature approved $83,349 in youth programs. The money comes from the state through the Office of Children and Family Services under the Child and Family Services Planning Guideline.
The Orleans County Youth Bureau and Department of Social Services developed a joint plan for how to spend the money in the county.
The funding for Orleans is in three categories: Youth Development Program – $44,768; Youth Sports & Education Opportunity Funding – $20,000; and Youth Team Sports – $18,581.
The agencies will be allocated Municipal Youth Development
ARC GLOW Camp Rainbow – $5,000
GLOW Works, Inc. (GWYH: Healthcare) – $1,000
GLOW Works, Inc. (GWYH: Manufacturing) – $1,000
Hoag Library Summer Reading – $1,000
Lyndonville school district – ROAR Program – $2,500
Medina Joint Recreation Committee – $2,000
OC Cornell Cooperative Extension – $1,000
Orleans County Juvenile Adjustment Services – $16,000
Village of Albion Recreation – $4,553
Orleans County Youth Bureau Annual Awards – $2,000
Orleans County Youth Bureau Family Game Night – $ 2,000
Orleans County Youth Bureau – $ 6,715
The following agencies will be allocated Municipal Sports & Education Opportunity Funding:
Purple Eagles Wrestling Academy – $ 1,250
Town of Kendall Recreation Program – $ 2,500
Village of Albion Recreation – $16,250
The following agencies will be allocated Municipal Youth Teams Sports Funding:
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Orleans County Legislature celebrated the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments for earning a national accreditation. County Legislator Don Allport, second from right, holds the plaque showing the accreditation. He is joined at Tuesday’s Legislature meeting by, from left: Carie Doty, senior account clerk; Kristine Voos, epidemiology coordinator for the two counties; and Paul Pettit, public health director.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 April 2025 at 9:06 am
ALBION – The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments have joined an exclusive group for earning national accreditation.
The local health departments, GO Health, are among 17 of the 58 in the state with national accreditation. The local department also is now among 400 in the country out of 3,000 with the distinction.
The Orleans County Legislature this week commended public health director Paul Pettit and the staff for pushing for the accreditation, a process that started in 2019. He highlighted the efforts of Carie Doty and Kristine Voos for serving as co-coordinators for the accreditation process.
Accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board is awarded to health departments that meet or exceed a comprehensive set of quality standards and measures, Pettit said. As accredited health departments, GO Health will continue to prioritize evidence-based practices, innovative solutions, and strong partnerships to ensure a healthier future for the residents of Genesee and Orleans counties, he said.
“We’ve been able to provide and efficient and quality service to the residents of Genesee and Orleans counties,” Pettit said.
GO Health earned the accreditation on Feb. 27. The two counties worked together as a health department for 13 years now, with a joint board of health and other shared staff.
The two counties combined employ about 50 employees in public health. Each county has its own health department, but they share seven department heads, including Paul Pettit as the public health director.
One county can also pull from another county if there is a staffing need, such as a vaccination clinic. Working as integrated departments has allowed the two departments to better balance surges during the Covid pandemic with Covid testing, vaccinations and providing communications in a cohesive manner, county officials said.
The Genesee and Orleans Health Departments also have received joint county grants for public health initiatives in the two counties. The partnership has allowed the two counties to fill workforce gaps, drive efficiencies and look for innovative ways to advance the two-county collaboration, according to county officials.
Press Release, Orleans County Job Development Agency
ALBION – The Orleans County Job Development Agency is now accepting applications for the department’s 2025 Summer Youth Employment Program.
In order to be considered for the program, an applicant must be a county resident between 14 to 20 years old (must be 14 at the time of application), coming from a household that meets certain income guidelines. Applicants in foster care or households that receive cash assistance, Medicaid, HEAP, SSI or SNAP are automatically eligible.
“Through this program, we strive to provide young people with the opportunity to earn money and gain meaningful work experience,” said Kelly Kiebala, director of the Orleans County Career Center in the Job Development Agency. “Participants are able to gain exposure to various career pathways while exploring their interests and developing their workplace skills that better prepare them for future job opportunities.”
Applications, income guidelines and additional information for the program are available from the Job Development Agency website (click here).
Priority for job placements will be given to applications received by April 30. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis until May 31 or until all spots have been filled. Those with questions can call or text Peter Anderson at (716) 387-4081 or email OCSYEP@orleanscountyny.gov. Please note that submitting a completed application does not guarantee selection into the program or work site placement.
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.
ALBION – The Orleans County Mental Health Department is partnering with the Genesee County Mental Health Department and research organization NORC at the University at Chicago to conduct listening sessions and surveys to gather additional information from our community members surrounding mental health, suicide, substance use, associated resources, needs, and the associated stigma. Participation is open to any interested residents.
