ALBION – A third boy in an alleged plot against the Albion Middle School pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the sixth degree in Orleans County Family Court on Tuesday.

His guilty plea came a week after two other boys pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the second degree. One of those boys also pleaded guilty to aggravated harassment for sending a “disturbing image” to a female classmate, said Joe Cardone, the district attorney.

The three were charged on Nov. 7 after an alleged plot to bring weapons to the middle school and harm classmates.

The boys will be sentenced next month by Judge Sanford Church. There are no sentencing promises as part of the plea agreements. The judge could decide the boys need to be detained at a juvenile detention facility, or he could give them a lesser punishment of perhaps probation.

The boys are currently not allowed back in school. They are being tutored off site.

Because the three boys are all juveniles age 13 their names aren’t to be publicized by the media.

Cardone said the boys remain suspended from school and are under adult supervision. They also need to continue their mental health appointments, and are not to communicate with each other or use electronic media devices.

The students allegedly used Discord, a social media platform for gamers, to make grave physical threats to at least one other student. The threats spread to other social media platforms as the threads were shared, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni said during a Nov. 8 press conference.

The school district this evening will host a social media and safe networking program for parents and community. That session begins at 7 p.m. in the Middle School Auditorium.

New York State Trooper John Campanella will be the guest speaker. He is the Troop A (Batavia) School and Community Outreach Coordinator and a former School Resource Officer.

He will discuss various social media sites often used by teens; how businesses target teens through social media; how metadata and geo coding are used and misused; and will discuss the legalities and consequences of sexting and cyber bullying.

(Editor’s Note: This article was updated from an earlier version that said the third boy pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the sixth degree, which is a misdemeanor.)

ALBION – The Village Board last week approved a construction bid for $739,931 to replace 8-inch waterlines on South Clinton and West Academy streets.

The project will replace 4,200 feet of waterlines on the two streets between Route 31 and Allen Road and should resolve issues with low water pressure, village officials said.

The low bid for the project was submitted by 716 Site Contracting from North Boston, NY.

Albion didn’t receive a grant to help pay for the project. The Village Board last week approved a $975,000 bond to cover the full costs of the project, including engineering and legal fees.

In addition to the waterlines, the project includes hydrants, gate valves and and service connections. The contractor also needs to do pressure testing and disinfection of new main, and surface restoration work.

Three villages in Orleans County will have their village elections on March 18. The election is normally the third Tuesday in March but has been pushed back a day due to the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.

Medina and Lyndonville both have the mayor’s position and two trustee posts up for election, while Albion has two trustee spots on the ballot. Holley is the other village in the county and holds its elections in June.

• In Albion, the Republican and Democratic parties hold caucuses to pick candidates. Those caucuses need to happen between Jan. 21 and Jan. 28. Neither party has turned in a required notice yet to Village Clerk Linda Babcock about the caucuses.

Albion has two four-year seats open on the Village Board, the positions currently filled by Mattea Navarra-Molisani and incumbent Peter Sidari.

Voting during the election will be from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Hall.

• Lyndonville has three four-year positions open on the Village Board, including the mayor’s position, currently held by John Belson.

Trustee seats currently held by Danny Woodward  and Andrew Cousins will also be on the ballot.

To be eligible to run, candidates need to submit petitions to the village clerk by Feb. 11. The petitions need to be signed by at least 25 registered voters in the village.

Voting during the March 18 election will be at the Village Hall on 2 South Main St.

• Medina also has three positions up for elections, including the mayor’s position currently held by Michael Sidari and the trustee positions currently filled by Marguerite Sherman and Tim Elliott.

Candidates need to submit petitions signed by at least 100 registered voters. They are due at the village clerk’s office by Feb. 11.

Voting in Medina is from noon to 9 p.m. at the Senior Center, the former railroad depot on West Avenue.

Contractors have started work on four new radio towers that soon go up in Orleans County to enhance the emergency communications system.

The towers are part of a $6 million project to upgrade the system in the county. The state awarded Orleans a $5,897,141 grant for four new towers, accompanying communication shelters, technology to connect separate radio systems and new radio channels. The project will strengthen communications between multiple jurisdictions and agencies.

The base for a new radio tower is in place next to the Orleans County Public Safety Building in Albion.

Three of the towers will be 180 feet high and they will be located by the Public Safety Building on Route 31 in Albion, Millers Road in Yates near the water tank, and at the Kendall Central School near the bus garage.

The other tower will be 150 feet high and will be near the Holley water tank on Route 237.

The Orleans County Department of Public Works is putting in all stone access roads and electrical trenching and conduit.

Upstate Tower is doing the site work and concrete foundations, and will be installing the towers that were constructed by Nudd Tower in Ontario, NY.

Once the towers are up, the radio tower shelters and emergency standby generators will be installed.

After that the radio system equipment will be installed in late winter or early spring. This project is administrated by the Orleans County Emergency Management Office.

The emergency communications system serves firefighters, law enforcement, highway employees, probation and some other municipal workers in the county.

The system currently has poor coverage in the Holley area, along Lake Ontario and some other isolated locations in the county, especially in buildings with thick walls.

Apartments expected to ready in February at ‘Holley Gardens’

New windows go into the former Holley High School.

HOLLEY – The village offices will move over to the former Holley High School on March 16, Mayor Brian Sorochty said Tuesday during the Village Board meeting.

That is about a month later than planned. The school is undergoing a $17 million renovation. Home Leasing in Rochester is doing a major overhaul of the building that was largely dormant for more than three decades.

“In a project this size there are bound to be some delays,” Sorochty said on Tuesday.

Pushing back the move-in date by a month really doesn’t affect the village offices, the mayor said. The village will continue operating out of 72 Public Square.

Home Leasing started construction in November 2018 on the $17 million transformation of the former Holley High School, turning it into 41 apartments and the village offices for Holley. The apartments will include one studio, 35 one-bedrooms, and five two-bedroom apartments. Those apartments for senior citizens are expected to be ready next month.

The village offices will be in the former auditorium space. Sorochty said the project will be a major uplift for the community, offering affordable housing and a stunning makeover of one of Holley’s most prominent buildings at the corner of routes 31 and 237.

For more information about the apartments, click here.

The Holley Village Board met Tuesday evening on the second floor meeting room of the Village Office, 72 Public Square. Holley will have its village offices at the site for about two more months. Pictured from left include village trustees Rochelle Moroz, Connie Nenni, Mayor Brian Sorochty, Deputy Mayor Kevin Lynch and Trustee Jim DeFilipps.

Police station could move to current Village Office

Holley Police Chief Roland Nenni suggested the Police Department move from 8 Thomas St. to the current Village Office after the village offices move to the former high school.

The Thomas Street site needs a new roof and windows, as well as brick repairs. Nenni said the Village Office could be repurposed at far less cost than it would take to update Thomas Street.

The police chief and Dave Nenni, the DPW superintendent, are going to present the Village Board with cost estimates for the project.

The Public Square site has a back door to a parking lot where Holley police cars could be kept. The front door might need some alterations to be fully handicapped accessible.

The village put a new roof on 72 Public Square about five years ago, and also recently put in a new furnace.

The building would work well for offices for police officers, with space for record keeping and storing evidence, Roland Nenni said.

Holley has only original section remaining west of Rochester

File photos from October 2015 by Tom Rivers: A small sign on a tree in a ditch in Holley notes that this was part of the original Erie Canal loop that meandered to the Public Square area of Holley.

HOLLEY – For several years it’s been talked about as a hidden gem in Holley, a potential tourism draw that can also enhance Holley’s trail system.

Today, the Orleans County Highway Department brought an excavator to Holley and started to clear out the only remaining original canal loop west of Rochester. The remaining original section of the canal is about 1,000 feet long. Trees have sprouted in the canal bed, as well as other heavy vegetation, including invasive plants.

Mayor Brian Sorochty credited former County Legislator George Bower of Holley for pressing the issue. Bower the past two years has urged Sorochty and the village to clear out the trees, brush and weeds from the canal bed, and make it a bigger asset for the community.

The Holley mayor thanked the county crew for working on the project as part of a shared service with the village.

Sorochty said the first goal is to get the canal bed cleaned out and the banks reformed. Longer-term he could see a pedestrian bridge with a display about the original canal loop. Perhaps the section could be rewatered with the canal supplying the water, Sorochty said.

This map displayed in the office of Dr. Dan Schiavone, shows the Holley Loop. It linked back to the canal just west of Bennetts Corners Road.

The original loop was created when the state veered the canal from a relatively straight line in 1823 due to the high banks and engineering challenge in dealing with Sandy Creek.

There was an unusually deep ravine formed by the east branch of Sandy Creek, which presented a difficult engineering problem for builders of the original Erie Canal in the early 1820s, according to display on the north side of the canal by the Holley lift bridge. The State Canal Corp. put up that display about “The Holley Loop.”

Rather than try to build the canal on the ravine, engineers opted to take a sharp turn near the current lift bridge and cross over a relatively narrow section of the creek.

“The sharp curve required boaters to slow down, which made a promising location for canal-oriented businesses,” according to the state display. “The Village of Holley grew at this bend in the canal.”

The canal was widened throughout the 363-mile-long system from 1905 to 1918 and much of the original canal was replaced by the wider and deeper canal.

But in Holley, some of the original remained because it wasn’t touched as part of the Barge Canal widening in the early 1900s.

The state in 1854-61, decided the original loop needed to be straightened out in Holley to create a shorter, more navigable waterway. A new section of the canal was built over a very high and long embankment.

“Because state law did not allow canal sections to be abandoned in villages or cities, the old loop was still used for several decades to serve local businesses,” according to the state display about the Holley Loop. “Canal traffic no longer stopped in the village, however, and eventually the loop was drained and eliminated. Traces of the original canal can still be seen east of the Public Square.”

The original canal bed has trees and lots of thick vegetation that will be cleared out.

Provided photos from Catholic Charities: June Seager speaks last week at East Pembroke during a kickoff event for the 2020 Catholic Charities appeal. Next to her is Kelly Grimaldi, Catholic Charities Tri-County district director.

EAST PEMBROKE – An Orleans County woman was honored last week by Catholic Charities for her “unwavering commitment to helping those in need in the community.”

June Seager received the “Hero of Hope Partner Award.” She works as the coordinator for the Orleans County Office of Children and Family Services. In 2018 she was named the Orleans County Employee of the Year.

She has worked the 16 years as a caseworker for the county. She was recognized in 2018 as the county employee of the year for her work as an adult protective caseworker with residents 18 and older. Most of the cases involved elderly residents at risk. They may be financially exploited, or suffer from a physical disability or mental health issue.

This photo includes, from left: Deacon Steve Schumer, Catholic Charities president and CEO; June Seager, county coordinator for the Orleans County Office of Children and Family Services; and Kelly Grimaldi, Catholic Charities Tri-County district director.

“June really goes above and beyond the call of duty for her clients,” said Kelly Grimaldi, Tri-County district director for Catholic Charities. “She truly cares about them, not just as clients, but as individuals, and it continuously shows in her work. When we try to reach her at her office, more times than not she isn’t there because she is out taking care of someone. She genuinely cares.”

About 40 Catholic Charities appeal parish volunteers, clergy, and staff attended a volunteer training workshop on Jan. 8 at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church at East Pembroke. The event helped kick off the $10 million Catholic Charities and the Fund for the Faith in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties.

The patron saint for Appeal 2020 is Saint Joseph. Working under the theme “Think of Me,” Appeal volunteers from Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties will begin reaching out to individuals and businesses in the community to encourage their support of the Appeal, which helps fund Catholic Charities’ 51 programs and services across 43 sites in Western New York, along with a number of programs and ministries through the Fund for the Faith.

“Funding is vital not only for Catholic Charities to continue its robust mission of serving those most in need in Western New York, but for the Fund for the Faith to provide its important ministries for parishioners in our diocese,” said Rick Cronin, chair of Appeal 2020. “This marks our 96th Appeal, and we know that we couldn’t have come this far without prayers, dedicated volunteers and generous donors. As we begin our climb to $10 million, we will once again rely on this combination, and will remain committed to ensuring that Catholic Charities is a beacon of hope for those in need in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties.”

Catholic Charities provided assistance which impacted more than 160,000 individuals, Catholics and non-Catholics alike during the past year, including more than 3,600 individuals in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. Donors from these three counties contributed $418,727 to the 2019 Appeal.

Catholic Charities provides a range of services in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. These services include basic assistance; counseling for individuals, couples and families; Domestic Violence program for men; Our Kids: Parent Education and Awareness Program; and outreach to homebound seniors through Friendly Phones in Orleans County and Friendly Phones and Home Visitation in Genesee County.

Catholic Charities’ offices are located at 25 Liberty St., Suite 7, Batavia, 243 South Main St., Albion, and 6470 State Rt. 20A Bldg. 1, Perry.

This year’s Appeal Week will take place March 28-April 5 throughout the eight counties of Western New York to celebrate the support of those who have made contributions to the Appeal, and to encourage those who have not already donated to do so. Volunteers will continue to work to achieve the final goal until the conclusion of Appeal 2020 on June 30.

To make a donation to Appeal 2020 or for more information contact Catholic Charities at (716) 218-1400 or go to ccwny.org, or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MEDINA — The Medina Police Department had a busier year in 2019 compared to the previous year, according to an annual report by Police Chief Chad Kenward.

Last year the Police Department received 7,637 calls, compared to 7,138 in 2018, 6,790 in 2017 and 6,197 in 2016.

Medina police officers made 542 arrests in 2019, compared to 454 in 2018, 551 in 2018 and 466 in 2016.

Last year, the Medina PD made 30 arrests for driving while intoxicated, which was up from 20 in 2018. The department made 43 DWI arrests in 2017, and 26 in 2016.

In terms of vehicle and traffic infractions, the Medina PD issued 1,029 tickets in 2019, 988 in 2018, 1,046 in 2017 and 807 in 2016.

Medina officers also made 110 drug-related arrests (unlawful possession of marijuana, criminal possession of a controlled substance) in 2019, compared to 57 in 2018, 71 in 2017 and 47 in 2016.

Kenward said the department is responding to new state laws for discovery and bail reform which will likely reduce the amount of time officers are on patrol. Kenward said just last week an officer had to wait with a defendant for an hour and half to be arraigned while an attorney from the Public Defender’s Office was located and needed to travel from Brockport.

Officers are also spending more time downloading body cam video and working with records as part of the discovery requirements, Kenward said.

MEDINA – The Village of Medina was encouraged by an Orleans Economic Development Agency official to improve signage and the gateways leading into the village.

Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the EDA, spoke at Monday’s Village Board meeting. She presented board members with photos showing faded signs or signs leaning in odd directions.

She also said several prominent properties along Route 63 are rundown.

The signage near the Medina Business Park on Maple Ridge Road and Bates Road needs attention, Barone told the Village Board.

“It looks terrible and I don’t see any of them being worked on,” she told the board.

Barone said businesses are looking at the Business Park and the signs and gateways are important in selling the community to prospective companies. The signs and entrances make important first impressions on people considering Medina as a place to live and work.

“We have to look at it or we can’t get people in,” Barone said.

Medina Mayor Michael Sidari and Joe Perry, the DPW superintendent, said the village will be replacing some signs. Perry said they can be costly with 9 stop signs at about $800.

Sidari said the board will look to increase the spending for signs in the 2020-21 village budget.

The board also discussed signage in the downtown with some building owners out of compliance with the regulations and design standards in the historic downtown.

The board voted to back the Planning Board’s decision to oppose a new sign for the back entrance at Ashlee’s Place.

ALBION – The electricity was out for about an hour this morning with 377 National Grid customers affected, including Albion Central School and CRFS.

The school and CRFS, an Albion business on East Avenue, both have generators.

National Grid estimated power would be restored by 11 a.m., but it was back on at about 9:45.

No information is available on the cause of the outage.

Turkey Vultures were an unusual sight for the bird count

By Celeste Morien, Count Compiler

Photo by Celeste Morien: This Turkey Vulture is shown in the Oak Orchard Swamps, but not on the Christmas Bird Count day of Dec. 27. 

SHELBY – On December 27, 21 volunteers participated in the 52nd annual Oak Orchard Swamp Christmas Bird Count.

The National Audubon Society, in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, sponsor Christmas Bird Counts annually throughout the country and beyond in the Americas. Each count consists of a tally of all birds seen within a 15-mile diameter circle on one day that falls within a 15-day period at the end of December and the beginning of January. Audubon Christmas Counts have been taking place for 119 years and provide valuable information on the range expansion or narrowing of wintering bird populations.

The center for the Oak Orchard count is the point at which the Genesee-Orleans County line crosses Route 63. The 15-mile diameter circle includes the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, Oak Orchard and Tonawanda State Wildlife Management Areas, the Tonawanda Native American Reservation, the townships of Alabama and Shelby, the villages of Indian Falls, Medina and Wolcottsville and portions of Middleport and Oakfield.

Count hours were warm and mild, with a low of 39F and high of 57F, both above the average daily temperature for the date of 34F. Both morning and afternoon were essentially precipitation free.

Our observers were afield in 14 parties from 6:30 a.m. until 5:50 p.m., and in 322.5 total hours covered 35 miles on foot and 504 miles by car! One observer counted birds at home feeders. Participants also clocked 4 nocturnal hours and 37 miles searching for owls. In total, these observers tallied 62 species. 13,248 individual birds were counted, which is an improvement over last year. Despite this year’s open water, because of a hard freeze in November most waterfowl had left the region by count day.

For the second year in a row, counters commented on difficulty finding sparrow species including low numbers of wintering Dark-eyed Juncos, American Tree Sparrows and other common sparrows. With the lack of snow, participants reported that birds were difficult to see in fields and were not present at the roadsides.

No irruptive species (those that visit in winter from the boreal forest when cone crops there are low) were noted this year, except for a few Red-breasted Nuthatches. Two notable highest counts ever were of 20 Bald Eagles (!) and 493 Herring Gulls. Turkey Vulture was the one “new to the count” species this year.

This female Ruby-crowned Kinglet was photographed by Jennifer Rycenga of San Mateo, CA. It was seen on Waterworks Road.

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a Hermit Thrush, and a Yellow-rumped Warbler were all found lingering in the count area by our sharp-eyed participants. Count week birds seen in the three days before or after the count date were Tundra Swan, Hooded Merganser, Short-eared Owl, Savannah Sparrow and Turkey Vulture.

The Friends of Iroquois, Inc. sponsored evening refreshments at the refuge. The INWR Staff contribute time and effort in covering the refuge areas. The NYS DEC staff volunteered to report birds while on duty and conducted their winter raptor survey on count afternoon. Many thanks go out to everyone who participated! We rely on volunteer support every year to continue this important tradition.

A list of species follows:

• Canada Goose, 4,447; European Starling, 4,105; House Sparrow, 690; Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon), 499; Herring Gull, 493; Mallard, 327;

• Ring-billed Gull, 307; Black-capped Chickadee; 287; American Crow, 270; Mourning Dove, 173; Red-winged Blackbird, 151; American Tree Sparrow, 142;

• Dark-eyed Junco, 140; Brown-headed Cowbird, 139; American Goldfinch, 127; Northern Cardinal, 109; Blue Jay, 102; Cedar Waxwing, 85; Downy Woodpecker, 83;

• White-Breasted Nuthatch, 73; House Finch, 62; Eastern Bluebird, 48; Wild Turkey, 48; Red-tailed Hawk, 47; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 46; American Black Duck, 31;

• Hairy Woodpecker, 30; Northern Flicker, 29; American Robin, 22; White-throated Sparrow, 21; Bald Eagle, 20; Tufted Titmouse, 17; Horned Lark, 10; Song Sparrow, 9;

• Brown Creeper, 9; Pileated Woodpecker, 8; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 5; Eastern Screech Owl, 5; Cooper’s Hawk, 5; Northern Harrier, 4; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 3; American Kestral, 3; Sharp-shinned Hawk, 3; Great Blue Heron, 3; Ring-necked Pheasant, 3;

• Carolina Wren, 2; Common Raven, 2; Merlin, 2; Great Horned Owl, 2; Common Merganser, 2;

• Yellow-Romped Warbler, 1; Hermit Thrush, 1; Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 1; Northern Shrike, 1; and Barred Owl, 1.

MEDINA – Medina appointed a new fire chief today who is no stranger to the Medina Fire Department.

Matthew Jackson, 42, has been a full-time firefighter in Medina the past 13 ½ years, including the past 2 ½ years as a captain, the department’s second highest leadership post.

Jackson was appointed by the Village Board to succeed Tom Lupo, who is retiring after four years as chief. Lupo has served in the role for 30 hours a week while also working at the Lockport Fire Department.

The board also promoted Lieutenant Michael Young to captain, and firefighter Jacob Crooks lieutenant.

“This place is poised to do great things,” Lupo said after this evening’s Village Board meeting, when the promotions were approved. “These guys are the backbone of a great fire and EMS system here.”

A crowd gathered inside the Medina Village Office to watch Matt Jackson take the oath of office as Medina’s new fire chief. Tom Lupo administers the oath. Lupo has served as the department’s chief the past four years.

Lupo, who officially retires on Jan. 18, said Jackson has pushed himself to be the fire chief for a department that includes 21 full-time firefighters who also respond to EMS calls through the fire department’s ambulance service. There are also callmen who respond to fire calls.

Jackson will be working alongside Lupo during his final week at the Medina Fire Department. Lupo had planned to retire about a year ago but agreed to postpone his retirement. Due to changes in state law regarding qualifications for fire chiefs, Jackson needed a fire officer level 3 training course to be eligible for the position. He completed the class last month.

He also completed a month-long supervisor school with the City of New York Fire Department for first line officers. At the New York State Academy of Fire Science in Montour Falls, Jackson completed level 1 and 2 courses for fire officers and instructors.

The three newly promoted leaders in the Medina Fire Department are pictured inside the fire hall after taking their oaths of office. From left include Captain Michael Young, Fire Chief Matt Jackson and Lt. Jacob Crooks.

Lupo said Jackson has the respect of the department and treats everyone fairly.

“He leads by example,” Lupo said. “He leads from the front, and he’s so level headed.”

Jackson, a Lyndonville native, was a volunteer firefighter in Lyndonville for 11 years before he made firefighting his career in Medina. He said he is grateful for the chance to lead a department that responds to about 3,000 calls annually.

“I’ve had an opportunity to move up,” Jackson said. “It’s a chance to serve these guys. I look forward to empowering them. This is a good department where everybody works hard and everyone is continuously training.”

(Click here to see a video of Jackson taking the oath of office.)

Medina Fire Chief Matt Jackson puts the captain’s pin on Michael Young, who was a lieutenant in the department.

Young joins Jonathan Higgins as one of the department’s captains. Young has been a member of the Medina FD for 13 years, including the past year as a lieutenant. Jacob Crooks joined the Medina FD eight years ago as a career firefighter.

The department operates with four platoons of five firefighters, plus the chief.

In addition to the promotions approved this evening, the Village Board hired two probationary firefighters: Tyler Harrington and Matthew Reddy. Harrington will be assigned to the 1st Platoon and Reddy will work with the 3rd Platoon.

One firefighter is filling the vacancy created by Lupo’s retirement and the second firefighter is being hired to fill another vacant spot on the roster.

Fire Chief Matt Jackson administers the oath of office to new Medina FD Lt. Jacob Crooks.

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Press Release, Department of Environmental Conservation

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation invites the public to check out its Bureau of Fisheries’ expanded angler outreach programs at the upcoming Greater Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo, Jan. 17 to 19, at the Niagara Falls Conference and Event Center, 101 Old Falls St.

“DEC is pleased to increase our outreach efforts at this year’s Niagara Fishing and Outdoor Expo,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “This event provides an excellent opportunity for anglers to interact directly with the biologists who study and manage our Great Lakes and inland fisheries, and to talk one-on-one with fisheries managers about a variety of topics. New York offers numerous world-class fishing opportunities, and we invite anyone interested to come and learn more about the incredible sportfishing in New York’s Great Lakes region and beyond.”

Freshwater fishing in New York State is thriving and generates significant economic benefits to local economies. In 2017, anglers fished more than 3.1 million days on New York’s open Great Lakes waters, and an additional 850,000 days on Great Lakes tributaries. The combined economic impact exceeded $152 million in angler expenditures en route to and at fishing destinations. Anglers fished more than 1.3 million days on the Finger Lakes in 2017, generating a combined $29.9 million in expenditures.

In addition to its annual informational booth at the event, DEC will host abbreviated versions of the fisheries “State of the Lake” meetings for Lake Erie and Lake Ontario that are typically held in March and May. Meetings will feature emerging results about walleye movement, creel survey results, habitat work, prey base, and record catch rates.

Key members of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario fisheries management and research community will present information on management and assessment activities for prominent lake and tributary sport fisheries. Meeting times are:

State of Lake Ontario Fisheries meeting – Friday, Jan. 17, 6 to 7 p.m.

State of Lake Erie Fisheries meeting – Friday, Jan. 17, 7 to 8 p.m.

Billed as a top attraction at this year’s expo, DEC will host a unique “Open House” program on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., during which expo attendees can talk one-on-one with subject matter experts on a variety of the State’s fisheries management topics, including: Lake Ontario – open lake; Lake Ontario tributaries and Salmon River; Lake Erie and tributaries; Niagara River; St. Lawrence River; Great Lakes fish production and stocking; Finger Lakes; Recruiting more women to fishing; Trout stream management; and Environmental Law Enforcement.

To learn more about this event, visit the Niagara Fishing Expo website.

ALBION – Orleans County Clerk Karen Lake-Maynard has announced she is retiring on Jan. 30 after 14 years as the county clerk and 30 years in the clerk’s office.

She started as an index clerk and was promoted to deputy county clerk under Carol Lonnen. When Lonnen retired, Lake-Maynard was elected to succeed her.

“It’s been a dream job,” Lake-Maynard said today from her office at the County Clerk’s Building next to the County Courthouse. “It’s been a pleasure to serve Orleans County.”

Lake-Maynard will be leaving with two years on her term. Diane Shampine, the deputy county clerk, will serve as acting county clerk until the position is up for election in November (unless the governor calls for a special election before then).

Karen Lake-Maynard is shown with some of the index books that list records going back nearly two centuries.

Lake-Maynard of Medina said she was inspired by her father, the late Howard Lake, to pursue a career in public service. Her father was an Orleans County undersheriff and later a Medina village and Ridgeway town justice. Her brother Howard also was Medina’s mayor.

The county clerk oversees 10 employees, including six at the Department of Motor Vehicles at the County Administration Building on Route 31 and four employees at the County Clerk’s Building on Main Street.

Shampine is the deputy county clerk at the Clerk’s Building while Pamela Boyer is deputy county clerk for DMV.

Lake-Maynard said Shampine has the experience to “hit the ground running” without any disruption in the office.

“The county is in good hands with her,” Lake-Maynard said.

The next clerk will have to go through the political process. The Orleans County Republican Party Committee will meet this Thursday to hear from candidates for the position. Nadine Hanlon, clerk of the County Legislature, also is interested in succeeding Lake-Maynard.

The current county clerk said she has strived to lead a user-friendly DMV and clerk’s office. The DMV staff will try to make an extra phone call or offer assistance to fill out forms so people don’t have to make multiple trips to the office, Lake-Maynard said.

The Clerk’s Building has records going back nearly two centuries, including property deeds since 1830. The office is the keeper of filing deeds, mortgages, leases, assignments, discharges, maps, census records, ag districts, business certificates, judgments, federal tax liens, military discharges, naturalization records, inquests, separation agreements and divorce decrees for the entire county.

Those records have all been digitized, and the office has made records increasingly available online.

Lake-Maynard often is at the front counter at the clerk’s office, responding to people’s requests. In recent years, she said many people exploring their genealogy visit the office or send emails looking for information on their families.

Since July 2017, the County Clerk’s Office also has handled pistol permit applications and recertifications. That process was handled by the county judge’s chambers before the change 2 1/2 years ago.

Lake-Maynard said she is proud of the “Thank A Vet” program that she and the office started in 2011. Many local businesses agreed to be in the program offering discounts to local veterans. Lake-Maynard said 400 to 500 veterans have signed up for the program.

“It’s bittersweet,” Lake-Maynard said about her impending retirement. “It’s been a great ride and I’ve had a staff that is second to none.”

Press Release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni

ALBION – In early December 2019, the Albion Police Department investigated an altercation inside a downtown business. This was an isolated incident and there has not been any other reports of incidents or violence in the downtown area.

If anyone witnesses any suspicious activity, regardless of the location, we ask that the activity immediately be reported to the police.

Editor’s Note: Chief Nenni said 911 is the best number for people to call if they see anything suspicious. “That is not meant to be for downtown alone, but for anywhere that you see anything no matter where you are,” he said.