Dr. Heather Lyon meets with school staff and stakeholders to identify strengths and challenges

Photos by Tom Rivers: Dr. Heather Lyon goes over Lyndonville students’ results on the recent state tests in grades 3-8 for ELA, math and science. Lyon said she will do a monthly focus on student performance for the Board of Education.

Dr. Heather Lyon attended her first Board of Education meeting as Lyndonville superintendent last week.

LYNDONVILLE – The school district’s new superintendent thanked the staff and community for a warm welcome.

Dr. Heather Lyon started on Aug. 1 as the new district leader, following the retirement of Sharon Smith.

“I couldn’t feel more welcomed to Lyndonville,” Lyon told the Board of Education last week. “Everyone has been so kind and I feel like the red carpet was rolled out. This makes me even more excited for students and teachers to return.”

Lyon has classroom teacher, staff developer, principal and school district leader. She most recently was coordinator of Assessment and Data at Gates Chili Central School District.

She said she looks forward to working with the board, administration and staff on building on student successes and also improving on challenges.

She said she will present data each month to the board on student performance and participation. This month she focused on the state assessment tests for grades 3 to 8. She said next month will likely be a close look at results of the Regents tests.

Lyon went over the state testing results which generally shows Lyndonville about on par with the state-wide scores.

To be considered proficient, students need to score at levels 3 or 4.

Charts from Lyndonville Central School: Lyndonville is very close to the state-wide proficiency rates for ELA, math and science.

State-wide assessments for students in grades 3-8 show:

• ELA – 53 percent of students statewide are proficient, up by 7 percent
• Math – 55 percent are proficient went, up by 3 percent
• Science – 44 percent are proficient (up by 9 percent)

Lyndonville results:

• ELA – 51 percent are proficient, down from 54 percent in 2024. The district had 13 percent of students at the lowest level of 1 (down from 17 percent in 2024). There were 36 percent at level 2, up from 30 percent, with 35 at level 3 (compared to 41 percent in 2024) and 16 percent at level 4 (compared to 13 percent in 2024).
• Math – 56 proficient in 2025, up 7 percent from the 49 percent in 2024. Lyndonville had 17 percent ent at level 1 (down from 20 percent), 28 percent at level 2 (down from 31 percent), 45 percent at level 3 (up from 38 percent) and 11 percent at level 4 in both 2024 and 2025.
• Science – 43 percent proficient in 2025 (up from 29 percent in 2024). Lyndonville reports that 8 percent were at the lowest level of 1 in 2025 (up from 18 percent in 2024), 51 percent at level 2 (40 percent in 2024), 38 percent at level 3 (20 percent a year earlier) and 5 percent at level 4 (down from 9 percent).

Lyon presented this summary of findings which show a drop in proficiency in ELA and math as students move into middle school years.

Lyon said she and district staff are analyzing cohort data, and other factors in the results, which became available on Aug. 11.

Lyndonville administrators and teachers will be looking at students “on the bubble” of being considered proficient and try to get them to move from level 2 to 3, she said.

The superintendent looked back at Lyndonville’s ELA results over several years and noted the district has better scores now than before the Covid pandemic in 2020. “Not many school districts can say that,” she said.

The science scores only reflected students in grades 5 and 8. Dr. Aaron Slack, the junior-senior high school principal, said many of the top students in eighth grade don’t take the science or math assessment tests because they are already taking advanced courses. The state doesn’t “double test” students in eighth grade.

Board was deadlocked in July on electing a president, VP

Photos by Tom Rivers: Patrick Whipple led the Board of Education meeting last week in Lyndonville after he was elected to be the group’s president in a 4-3 vote.

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Board of Education picked a president and vice president to lead the group for the 2025-26 school year.

The election happened about a month later than usual after the board was tied in 3-3 votes on July 15.

Last week the board had all seven members in attendance and Patrick Whipple was elected the president and George Avery is the vice president. They each received four votes.

Whipple will succeed Jerod Thurber as president. Thurber didn’t seek to continue as the board leader due to increased commitments in his professional life. Avery succeeds Megan Bruning as VP.

On July 15, the president’s position was between Whipple and board newcomer, Joanne Suhr. They each received three votes.

On Aug. 19, it was Whipple and Megan Bruning vying for the top spot. Whipple received votes from himself, Thurber, Vern Fonda and George Avery, while Bruning was backed by herself, James Houseman and Suhr.

Whipple thanked the board for backing him. He also welcomed the district’s new superintendent, Dr. Heather Lyon, and said he supports her push for data-driven analysis. The new superintendent said she will do a deep dive each month on statistics measuring student performance. Last week she went over Lyndonville’s most recent grades 3-8 state testing results.

Whipple works as the director of professional learning services for the Genesee Valley BOCES. Two of his children are Lyndonville graduates.

For vice president, Whipple’s supporters all backed Avery. Joanne Suhr was backed for vice president with three votes – from herself, Bruning and Houseman.

Suhr is a retired teacher from Lyndonville. Her husband Harold served on the board for 21 years. His term ended on June 30.

Bruning said Mrs. Suhr would bring a new balance to the board’s leadership with perspective as a long-time teacher at Lyndonville.

Mrs. Suhr said the board leadership needs to consider the opinions of all board members and strive to be transparent in its decision-making for the full board.

Avery said he is honored to serve as vice president.

“I will try to ensure the best team possible and that we’re doing the right things for the district,” he said.

Vern Fonda takes the oath of office as a member of the Board of Education. The oath was administered by Megan Bruning, a member of the board.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman: The Lyndonville community celebrated Mark Hughes’ 50 years as a Tigers baseball coach on May 20, 2022. Hughes was a much-loved Lyndonville coach and teacher who passed away at age 75 on June 4.

LYNDONVILLE – The donations keep coming in for a memorial scholarship in honor of Mark Hughes, a Lyndonville teacher and coach.

Hughes died on June 4 at age 75. Since then, nearly $40,000 has been donated to a memorial scholarship in his name.

The district received 98 donations towards the Mark Hughes Memorial Scholarship, totaling $17,215, in the first month after he passed away. Then another $21,742 came to the district office for the scholarship.

It’s an unusual situation to have money pouring in before the parameters of a scholarship have been set up, school officials. Lyndonville will work with Hughes family on criteria and the process for awarding the scholarships in the future.

The scholarship funds could be managed by the Lyndonville Area Foundation, which oversees several scholarships in the community.

Megan Bruning, a Lyndonville Board of Education member, said the numerous donations are tribute to Hughes and the a generous community.

“This will provide some amazing opportunities for our students for years to come,” she said during last week’s Board of Education meeting.

Hughes was hired in 1972 as a teacher and coach. During that time, Hughes was an integral part of seven sectional titles, 17 league titles and two trips to the state tournament as part of the baseball program.

Hughes was involved in many community efforts, including the Lyndonville Lions Club, where he played key roles with the Fourth of July fireworks, chicken barbecue and parade.

Donations may be made to the Mark Hughes Memorial Scholarship, payable to the Lyndonville Central School District, 25 Housel Ave. Lyndonville, NY 14098.

Photo by Tom Rivers: A swan makes its way down Otter Creek on Tuesday in this photo from Callard Drive in Carlton.

The area will get a cool down this week with the temperatures feeling a bit more autumnal.

After today’s high of 78, the highs will be 73 on Monday, 69 on Tuesday, 71 on Wednesday, 75 on Thursday, 70 on Friday and 74 on Saturday.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo said the overnight lows this week will be in the 50s.

Photos courtesy of Richard Moss: NY State Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt, left, presents a state Senate Commendation Award to Carl Zenger of Lockport. At right are Julie Hain and Dave Zenger, two of Zenger’s children who came from out of state to witness the presentation.

By Richard Moss, President of the Friends of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

LOCKPORT – Carl Zenger of Lockport has received a New York state Senate commendation from Minority Leader Sen. Robert G. Ortt in recognition of Zenger’s volunteer work at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

Zenger, a retired mechanical engineer, has been recognized by peers, staff and the community for his unparalleled dedication to conservation. Since starting his volunteer journey in 1997, Zenger, 87, has invested over 45,000 hours — equivalent to over 22 years of a full-time employee. This all occurred after his full-time career.

Zenger also served as a volunteer firefighter for most of his adult life. So volunteering is in his blood, as Ortt put it Friday, when he presented the award at his Lockport offices.

“If everyone gave 45,000 hours – heck, if everyone gave 5,000 hours – we’d be in a much better place,” Ortt said in citing Zenger’s achievement.

(Left) Carl Zenger displays his state Senate Commendation Certificate. (Center) The state Senate Commendation coin. (Right) State Senate Commendation Award desk plaque presented to Carl Zenger.

Ortt presented Zenger with a certificate, a state Senate commendation coin, and a desk plaque he can display.

“I counted it up and I’ve woken up at 5:30 a.m. to go to the refuge 5,000 times,” said Zenger, who is usually the first one at the refuge in the morning.

Zenger said he is extremely proud of the purple martin nesting program he helped start at the refuge. He also has been heavily involved in the bluebird and kestrel nesting programs at the refuge. But he also does a lot of maintenance work, mowing and plowing, and servicing the tractors. He also has built hundreds of bluebird houses over the years.

Among the accolades Zenger has been receiving is being named Refuge Volunteer of the Year in the 2025 National Wildlife Refuge Awards by the National Wildlife Refuge Association. That national award will be formally presented on Oct. 15 during an invitation-only luncheon at Bent’s Opera House in Medina, said Richard Moss, president of the Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, who is helping organize that event.

Zenger was also named 2024 Volunteer of the Year for the Northeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and has been recognized by Congresswoman Claudia Tenney for his commitment to the community.

Photo from Medina Police Department

SANBORN – Medina police officer Alex Villegas was among the graduates on Friday of the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy. He will next complete supervised field training prior  to working on his own at the Medina Police Department.

Pictured from left include Lt. Christian Navas, Alex Villegas and Police Chief Todd Draper.

Law enforcement officers from Niagara, Orleans and Genesee counties were part of the 84th Basic Course for Police at the academy, which was about 6 months of education and training.

Photos courtesy of Orleans County Sheriff’s Office: Orleans County Sheriff’s Deputy Cuyler Hoke accepts the award for “Top Gun” during the graduation of the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy.

Press Release, Sheriff Chris Bourke

ALBION – Sheriff Christopher M. Bourke is proud to announce that Deputy Cuyler Hoke has successfully graduated from the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy.

During the academy, Deputy Hoke distinguished himself by earning the “Top Gun” Award for his outstanding performance in firearms training.

Deputy Hoke carries on a strong family tradition of service in law enforcement, and we are pleased that he will continue that tradition with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office. He will now continue our comprehensive field training program under the supervision and guidance of experienced Field Training Officers before being assigned to solo patrol.

Please join us in congratulating Deputy Hoke on this significant achievement!

Sheriff Chris Bourke congratulates Deputy Cuyler Hoke on completing the law enforcement academy.

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke

MURRAY – Sheriff Chris Bourke announced that on Aug. 19 the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office arrested Brianna R. Button, 29, of Holley on two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child following an investigation into an incident that occurred on July 7 at Newport Drive in the Town of Murray.

The investigation determined that two 15-year-old males became unresponsive after smoking an unknown substance allegedly provided by Ms. Button. Although Ms. Button attempted life-saving measures on one of the juveniles, she left the scene prior to the arrival of emergency medical responders.

A NYS parole officer in the area provided medical assistance upon being waved down by area residents who became aware of the situation. The Murray Joint Fire District responded to the scene and were assisted by Hamlin Ambulance and Mercy Ambulance.

Both juveniles were transported to area hospitals for treatment and have since made a full recovery.

Endangering the Welfare of a Child is a Class A misdemeanor punishable of up to 1 year of incarceration and $1,000 fine.

This case was investigated by investigators Brian Marsceill and Kevin Colonna of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

Photo courtesy of Medina Fire Department: Medina is using a fire engine from the Murray Joint Fire District.

MEDINA – With two of its fire trucks out of service, the Medina Fire Department is borrowing a fire engine from the Murray Joint Fire District.

Medina’s ladder truck has been out of service since June and won’t be returning to operation. A new ladder truck is expected to be delivered in December.

Due to emergency repairs, a Medina fire engine is out of service until next week. Medina fire officials reached out to Murray about using a fire engine until Medina 11 is back in service. Murray Fire Chief Rick Cary and the Murray Joint Fire District agreed. The Murray truck will supplement fire responses with Medina’s other fire engine – Medina Engine 10.

“If you see a Murray Joint Fire District engine responding in the Village of Medina, rest assured, it is supposed to be there,” the Medina FD posted on its Facebook page. “Thank you Murray Joint Fire District.”

Cary said fire departments will sometimes share a truck while one is out of service. Murray borrowed Clarendon’s ladder truck, for example, for about a week recently while Murray’s was getting tested.

Murray won’t be paid for loaning out its fire engine from 2007. Cary said it is a truck in reserve for Murray.

“They’re an extremely busy department,” Cary said about Medina. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Carol Culhane holds the special poster she created for St. Rocco’s 50th annual Italian Festival, scheduled for Aug. 31. She presented it on Friday to Amy Engert, left, chair of the festival’s Legacy Tent, and Jeanne Maxon, right, who chairs the festival with her husband Chuck.

HULBERTON – St. Rocco’s Italian Fest scheduled Aug. 31 is shaping up to be one for the record books.

This will be the 50th anniversary of the event, which will not only feature the traditional Italian foods and famous bocce tournament, but will focus on the legacy of St. Rocco’s and the quarrymen who immigrated to Orleans County.

“The Local Legacies Project was the cornerstone of the Library of Congress bicentennial celebration in 2000, which was an unprecedented collaboration of the U.S. Congress, the Library and people from all walks of life, who have documented America’s cultural and historical heritage in every state, trust, territory and the District of Columbia,” said Jeanne Maxon, who chairs this year’s festival with her husband, Chuck

In honor of this special year, a Legacy Tent chaired by Amy Engert will be set up, where videographer Christine Zinni of Batavia will be available all day showing a video she created on the immigrants and quarries. Zinni, whose grandfather worked in the quarries, was involved with the original documentation for the Library of Congress.

In honor of the 50th anniversary, Jeanne Maxon contacted local artist Carol Culhane in May and asked if she could create a design to be used on commemorate ornaments, clothing and glassware.

Realizing the possibility they would not know what souvenirs would be most popular and having a lot of merchandise left over, Culhane suggested a commemorative poster. The Maxons agreed and Culhane set about designing an appropriate poster, which was backed with a grant from Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.

“I am honored I could paint a lasting tribute to this event,” Culhane said. “My first husband’s grandfather immigrated from Italy to work here in the stone quarries, so I was familiar with their history. I knew I wanted St. Rocco to be a focal point.”

She incorporated an area in Italy famous for its wine and where many immigrants came from, quarrymen, the nine young men from Holley who died in the Vietnam War, the St. Rocco’s church, the tarantella dance and traditional Italian food.

On Friday morning, Culhane met Jeanne Maxon and Amy Engert at the Print Shop where she presented them with the posters, which will be sold at the festival.

“In essence, the St. Rocco’s Festival represents a lasting legacy of Italian heritage, community spirit and a commitment to preserving local traditions and supporting the St. Mark’s and St. Mary’s Catholic Parish,” Culhane said.

The festival on Aug. 31 will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the festival grounds at 3415 Hulberton Rd.

Traditional Italian foods will include eggplant parmesan, meatball subs, pizza fritta, pasta fagioli and more.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Last year’s bocce tournament had 10 teams. The goal is to be the closest to the small ball. The winning team is the first one to 16 points, and the team has to win by at least 2 points.

Events featured will be a bocce tournament, which attracts teams from across Western New York; a basket raffle, vendor booths, live entertainment and more.

St. Rocco’s Festival first began in 1976 to celebrate the American bicentennial and the reopening of St. Rocco’s Church, after being closed for 15 years. The festival soon became a community tradition.

“Although there were concerns about sale of the property by the Diocese, the festival remains a ‘labor of love’ for volunteers and a beloved homecoming event that draws many former residents back to the area each year,” Culhane said. “The festival reflects the community’s strong ties to the church and its heritage.”

Some of St. Rocco’s parishioners have been involved in the festival for all 50 years, according to Maxon.

They are now accepting pre-sale orders for pans of eggplant parmesan, meatball subs and pizzelles by e-mailing https://www.onecatholic.org/about-3.

Teams wishing to register for the bocci tournament may also do so at the above web site.

Spaghetti and eggplant parmesan dinners will be served in the dining hall, while the Italian pavilion will serve up meatball subs, eggplant parmesan, shells in meat sauce and pasta fagioli.

Offerings from the grill will include Italian sausage with peppers and onions, chicken parm sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, fried ravioli and mozzarella sticks.

Joe Morlino was among many volunteers cooking food at St. Rocco’s Italian Festival in Hulberton last year on Sept. 1. The event has been a big fundraiser for the St. Mark’s and St. Mary’s Catholic Parish. Morlino has been volunteering at the festival for 20 years. He is cooking French fries, ravioli and mozzarella sticks.

Dessert options will include pizza fritta, fried dough, cannolis, Italian ice and popcorn.

In the baked food booth, pizzelles, meatball cookies, Grandma’s lemon drop cookies and more will be for sale.

The fenced-in beer tent will be open from noon to 5 p.m.

Basket and cash raffles and a silent auction will take place, with drawings starting at 4:30 p.m.

In the Boutique Booth at the entrance to the grounds t-shirts, aprons commemorative prints and homemade craft items will be for sale. Cash or checks will be needed for purchases.

A new feature this year will be Bocce for beginners and families on regulation courts six and seven. Participants are encouraged to challenge friends and neighbors to this classic Italian sport.

Roxy’s Accordion Band from Batavia will play Italian style music at 1 p.m. in the Legacy Tent.

Also in the Legacy Tent, Christine Zinni will present a program documenting Italian festivals, community traditions and musicians. The program will include local Italian-American cultural heritage throughout the region, with a special emphasis on quarrying sandstone, local families’ ancestors who came to America and preserving the legacy.

Culhane will be available in the Legacy Tent to meet and greet visitors. Her commemorative print, which she donated for this special festival, is a beautiful tribute and accurate reflection of the local Italian heritage, Maxon said.

Festival events go on, rain or shine, with activities protected from the elements in a dining hall and four tents for visitors’ comfort.

Admission is free and there is plenty of free parking, with a large handicapped section near the entrance. Shuttles will run throughout the day to avoid long walks. Pets are not allowed on the festival grounds.

Mecate serving food, alcohol in former KFC location

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A new Mexican restaurant, mecate, has opened in Albion at the former KFC location, 172 South Main St. The top shows two of the owners, Fabricio Palma, left, and Omar Garcia. Abigail Ramirez also is a co-owner.

The group also owns Mecate restaurants in Henrietta, Webster and Macedon. They opened their first Mecate in 2022.

“We feel like it will be a great addition,” Garcia said. “We are bringing something new to Albion.”

The Mecate is managed by Lucy Ramirez of Albion. She had been working out of the Mecate in Henrietta. About a dozen people work at the Albion location.

Mecate is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurant had a soft opening on Thursday.

The owners worked about three months remodeling the restaurant. They installed a new bar, booths and kitchen equipment.

The wide-ranging menu of Mexican food also includes lunch specials and soups. The most popular items are birrias, which are slow-simmered beef.

“You’ll find a little bit of every style,” Garcia said about the menu of Mexican food.

The Mecate is at the former KFC, which was open in Albion from 2012 to 2019.

From left include Fabricio Palma, Ofelia Ramirez, Lucy Ramirez, Omar Garcia and Abigail Ramirez. Abigail, Lucy and Ofelia are sisters, and Fabricio Palma and Ofelia Ramirez are married.

Ofelia Ramirez gets ready to serve a drink made by Mekhi Rivera, the bartender. Rivera, 21, of Albion said he enjoys the fast pace in the restaurant business. He said Mecate has brought in people from other locations to help train him as a bartender.

Mekhi Rivera, left, and Mayner Rodriguez are working as bartenders today at Mecate. Rodriguez works at another Mecate and has been training Rivera.

The bar includes televisions, and Mecate has the package for showing NFL games.

The owners picked “Mecate” as a name because they said it sounded catchy. The term mecate means a rope made of hair or maguey fibre commonly used for tying horses.