MEDINA – This year, for the first time, Orleans Community Health will launch a virtual, on-you-honor fundraising challenge that highlights the dedication and physical demands of nursing.

“Walk a Month in a Nurse’s Shoes” will coincide with National Nurses Week and Hospital Week throughout May. Participants will commit to walking 105 miles – the average distance a nurse walks in a month during their shifts.

Supporters can register, track their progress and rally donations from friends and family to celebrate and support the nursing staff, said Scott Robinson, director of Marketing at Orleans Community Health.

“Join us in honoring nurses, while raising vital funds for healthcare in our community,” he said.

Registration for the challenge is $5 and participants are asked to commit to raising $105 from family and friends.

Packets can be picked up later in April, to be sure they have enough T-shirts and everything printed with sponsor logos. They will also mail packets for anyone 20 miles or more away from the hospital, to encourage out-of-towners to participate.

Participants will receive a T-shirt, water bottle (for which they already have a sponsor), and hopefully a pedometer. They are still looking for a $500 sponsor for this.

Robinson reminds everyone this is intended to be a mission-focused event which focuses on the benefits of walking, highlights the hospital’s nursing teams and gives participants an opportunity to compete against others.

“That’s right,” Robinson added. “Find a friend, business or hospital department to challenge during the month of May.”

MEDINA – The Medina Dog Park opened in September 2020 at a fenced-in area on North Gravel Road, next to the village’s former compost plant, just south of Boxwood Cemetery.

The site has been a big success, drawing hundreds of regular users, with many form outside Medina, said Cindy Davis, vice president of Friends of Medina Dog Park.

Zavitz made this portrait of her brother’s Bassett Hound, Hazel, in a tutu. This dog would tap her feet when she walked.

The site has added features since its opening, with agility equipment, a water station and a gazebo.

Soon the park will add  large mural of local beloved dogs. Brandi Zavitz, a retired art teacher, will paint 50 portraits of dogs on the mural. She wants to show them with personalities, wearing super-hero capes, princess crowns, and other accessories to help shown when they are so loved.

Zavitz is backed by a grant from GO Art! to create the mural. She also painted the mural under the Glenwood Avenue canal bridge. She is teaming with the Friends of the Dog Park for an additional $100 fee to have a dog painted on the mural. Those proceeds will go towards the Dog Park which would like to add another water station, a second gazebo, another fenced-in area for smaller dogs and include more agility equipment, Davis said.

The mural will make a popular place even more special, she said, with all the portraits of dogs.

“In Medina you see so many people walking their dogs,” Zavitz said. “They love them like they are their children.”

She welcomes people interested in having their dogs in the mural to email her two photos of the dogs. She wants details about the dog’s personality (affectionate, goofy, etc.), whether or not it is living, if it is male or female, and some of the activities the dog enjoys.

If a dog has passed away, Zavitz will paint angel wings on that portrait.

For more information, contact Zavitz at brandizavitz@gmail.com or by text (585) 798-9780, or Davis at (585) 590-6543. Click here to see the Facebook page for the Friends of Medina Dog Park.

The mural will be 24 feet long. Zavitz said she will paint the portraits on site and expects the project to be done in the summer.

A retired Holley art teacher, Zavitz said she has been painting dog portraits for many years.

“This will be very spontaneous,” she said about the mural. “It’s going to be very exciting with a lot of movement.”

It’s almost time to turn the clocks ahead for Daylight Savings Time. The clocks officially spring forward at 2 a.m. tonight.

Local fire departments also urge people to replace smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries, and recommend families discuss home emergency plans.

AAA warns that as Americans “spring forward” and set their clocks ahead one hour, they will be losing an hour of sleep. The change in daylight hours means motorists could experience drowsy driving and added distractions behind the wheel.

AAA urged motorists to take precautions against drowsy driving and be alert for kids walking home from school or playing outside.

Dr. Clark Godshall

ALBANY – Dr. Clark Godshall, who retired June 30 after 53 years as an educator and 43 years as a school administrator, received a Distinguished Service Award this week from the New York State Council of School Superintendents.

The organization met at the Albany Capital Center for its Winter Institute & Lobby Day. Godshall was honored by the group for an “exemplary commitment to public education.” The Distinguished Service award is the organization’s highest honor.

Godshall recently retired as the Orleans-Niagara BOCES after 24 years as the district superintendent. While leading the Orleans/Niagara BOCES, he was a member of the NYS Council of School Superintendents and was one of the group’s youngest presidents and led the NY Commissioner’s Advisory Council. He also was past president of NYS Association of School Business Officials and ASBO International Associations.

He was previously named a New York State Superintendent of the Year and represented New York State on the national stage of the American Association  of School Superintendents.

His accomplishments included his 34 years at the BOCES including five interim BOCES superintendencies, completing over 76 superintendent searches, mentoring  hundreds of school administrators and providing training to school board members and his peers.

During his acceptance speech, Dr. Godshall credited his success to the great teams that he had been associated with at the Orleans/Niagara BOCES, specifically, the Board of Education, component districts, New York State Education Department, the community and O/N BOCES employees.

“A great educational staff with community support is the foundation to a great education!” he declared.

A former high school science teacher, Godshall instructed biology, chemistry and earth science in the Hilton Central School District and started his administrative career as the assistant superintendent for the Penn Yan Central School District.

DOCCS sets today as deadline for staff to return to work and have health insurance reinstated and not face disciplinary action

Photo by Tom Rivers: Corrections officers on strike are shown Feb. 19 on Gaines Basin Road in Albion across the road from the Orleans Correctional Facility. Officers said they were working too much mandatory overtime, keeping them away from their families.

ALBION – Correction officers are not outside in a demonstration today across from the Orleans Correctional Facility.

They had been out there on Gaines Basin Road since Feb. 18, typically with about 100 current or retired officers gathered near burn barrels.

The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision on Thursday evening announced it wouldn’t take disciplinary action against striking corrections officers if they returned to work today. DOCCS would also immediately reinstate their health insurance if they were back to work today.

Daniel Martuscello, the DOCCS commissioner, also vowed to create a committee focused on safety dealing directly with effects of the HALT Act. Corrections officers said the HALT Act was their primary motivation in going on strike. COs wanted it rescinded, saying that legislation, dealing with solitary confinement, had made prisons less safe for staff and inmates.

The commissioner also said DOCCS would continue a 2.5 overtime rate for 30 days from day employees return to work. Each prison will allow staff to transition from 12 to 8 hour shifts once normal operations return, and that will be determined facility by facility, Martuscello said. DOCCS will move away from 24-hour shifts, he said, to restore a life-work balance, he said.

DOCCS also will work with contractors to better screen mail to keep out contraband to better protect staff and the incarcerated population.

“I’m here to say that I heard my workforce,” Martuscello said in an on-line news conference. “I want to support them and continue to support them and continue to work on the safety issues that they’ve raised while out on the line. I want to end this illegal strike. We need to get back to some form of normalcy. and this delivers the things that they’ve asked for. I am determined to make sure that I deliver for them. They deserve it. We’ve heard them. We need them. They play an important role in public safety.”

The National Guard will remain in “a support posture” and will draw down their presence as staff return to prisons, he said.

Jackie Bray (left), commissioner of the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, and Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Daniel Martuscello speak during an online news conference on Thursday.

Commissioner Bray said corrections officers and sergeants need to return today and won’t get another offer to return without discipline.

The state is prepared to remedy all of its rights, criminal and civil, to end the “illegal” strike, Bray said.

“We want you back, we need you back,” Bray said.

Those who have been terminated due to the strike will have their termination notices rescinded if they show up today at work, she said.

Some of the local corrections officers have returned to work, others have resigned and some are remaining on strike but are just staying home rather than being outside, a retired sergeant from Orleans Correctional told the Orleans Hub.

“Sadly it appears that this was all for naught,” the retired sergeant said about the strike that stretched 2 ½ weeks so far.

DOCCS appealed to corrections officers directly yesterday after the union declined to signa  memorandum of understanding with terms to end the strike. The New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association represents about 13,000 corrections officers.

“NYSCOPBA was not appropriately engaged in the development of the currently circulating agreement,” union spokesman James Miller said in a statement Thursday. “This agreement was not negotiated with NYSCOPBA—the legally recognized entity through which all negotiations must be conducted. There are substantial legal issues that must be addressed, and as presented, this agreement does not represent the best interests of our membership.”

Press Release, Medina Central School

MEDINA – The application for Medina’s Full Day Universal Pre-K (UPK) program is now available on the Primary School’s website or by going to oak.medinacsd.org and looking under “News and Announcements.”

Parents of children not already enrolled in UPK who are interested in enrolling their child in Kindergarten for the 25-26 school year are also asked to complete the application form.

To be eligible for UPK, children must be 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2025. To be eligible for Kindergarten, children must be 5 years old by Dec. 1, 2025.

For any families looking to learn more about the full-day UPK program, the Medina School District will be hosting an Information Night on Thursday, March 13th from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., held at Oak Orchard Primary School. Childcare will be provided for any children eligible to attend school in the 2025-’26 school year.

Doors will open at 5:15 p.m. and the evening will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. There will be a brief general session for adults in the auditorium, and then participants will visit scheduled locations throughout the building. Please plan to arrive by 5:30 and stay for the duration, in order to receive all the information prepared.

Families interested in learning more about Medina’s UPK program are encouraged to attend the Information Night. If you are unable to attend, information will be shared afterward on Oak Orchard Primary School’s website.

Timeline for UPK Application, Acceptance, Registration and Screening:

February 26 – April 7: UPK applications accepted by calling the Oak Orchard Main Office, or through our website, starting on 2/26

Thursday, March 13: UPK Information Night 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at Oak Orchard Primary

April 8: Families notified of acceptance into UPK Program or if program capacity is reached, that lottery is to be held.

Week of April 7: Lottery held, if needed, and registration packets mailed.

Week of May 19 – May 23: UPK Student Screening, applicants should bring all registration materials to the screening. A parent and the child are expected to attend the screening. Applicants will be contacted by phone to schedule their screening time.

Any questions can be directed to the Oak Orchard Main Office by calling (585) 798-2700, option 3 and then 0, between 7:30 to 3:30, Monday through Friday.

MEDINA – It is ironic the idea to pay tribute to Medina’s female business owners should come from a man.

The idea to observe International Women’s Day came from Scott Robinson, a member of the marketing committee and past president of the Medina Area Partnership.

Information online indicates National Women’s Day was first observed in the United States on Feb. 28, 1909, stating the Socialist Party of America designated the day to honor the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested poor working conditions.

An initial observance occurred in 1975, however, the day wasn’t officially designated until March 8, 1977.

March was declared as Women’s History Month by Barack Obama’s administration in 2011.

One of Medina’s many women business owners is Mary Lewis, who opened her first flower shop on Maple Ridge Road after Muchow’s closed in 2006. A year later she moved her business, Creekside Floral, to 422 Main St., and then in 2018 to her current address at 509 Main St.

“A woman brings everything to a business, especially mothers who are used to multi-tasking,” Lewis said.

Of more than 100 businesses who are members of Medina Area Partnership, more than 40 are owned or co-owned by women.

Some of those business owners came to Rotary Park earlier this week. Those business owners represented Creekside Floral, A lily and a sparrow, Bent’s Opera House, Hometown Wellness, Vintage Cigar, English Rose Tea Shoppe, Hans’s Bakery on Main, Ontario Shores Credit Union, Law Office of Katherine Bogan, Premier Cleaning Services, The Willows, RLW Cattle Co., KG Rentals and Author’s Note.

“I was thrilled with the turnout,” Robinson said. “Mary Lewis did the legwork of getting people there, even minutes before, making sure everyone had an opportunity. It’s a great testament to the business community and many of the powerful women helping it thrive.”

MEDINA – The Medina Historical Society’s first meeting of 2025 took place Feb. 24 at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library and featured a program on the pioneer history of Orleans County.

In honor of the county’s bicentennial this year, Orleans County historian and Medina Historical Society board member Catherine Cooper suggested a program focusing on stories of the early pioneer settlers and the hardships they faced. She got the idea from Amanda Burris of Texas, who reached out to her over a year ago, explaining her connection to one of the early settlers. Burris’s ancestor is Aretas Pierce, whose stories she heard while growing up. Burris runs a recording studio and was interested in re-issuing the stories and also creating an audio version.

“With the upcoming bicentennial, the timing was perfect,” Cooper said. “Her book became available Jan. 1, so I proposed we devote the February program to a presentation on the pioneers and their stories.”

Board member Georgia Thomas took the reins and organized the entire event, Cooper added.

Historical Society president Reinhard Rogowski welcomed guests and described Orleans County in the early years.

“It was heavily wooded north of the woods, resulting in its being called the Black North,” Rogowski said. “Pioneers had to deal with bears, beavers, panthers, rattlesnakes and malaria, along with starvation.”

Rogowski then introduced board members, each of whom gave a presentation on a different town in Orleans County.

Barb Filipiak talked about Barre; Gail Miller, Clarendon, Carlton and Yates; Shane Sia, Ridgeway and Shelby; Georgia Thomas, Gaines; Erica Wanecski, Knowlesville; Catherine Cooper, Eagle Harbor, Kendall and Murray; Kay VanNostrand, Medina, Holley, Hulberton and Hindsburg.

In the late 1860s, the early pioneers of Orleans County were encouraged to write about their experiences, their journey here, how they settled the land and their hardships.

“Early pioneers were very conscious of their place in history. Their heart-felt stories provide a unique insight into the early history of the county,” Cooper said. “Their accounts were beautifully written, and then along came Arad Thomas and put them into a book.”

At this time, Pierce’s Pioneers of Orleans County is available as a set of three titles, including a pioneer cookbook, on Amazon.com. One volume may be purchased, or the entire set. T-Shirts, like the board members wore during their presentations, will soon be available on Burris’ site – https://folk.studio/blog/

In honor of the county’s bicentennial, the Medina Historical Society is planning to devote a future meeting to the history of Medina and how it was laid out by Ebenezer Mix, in a program by former Medina mayor Adam Tabelski.

Meetings are at 7 p.m. the fourth Monday of the month through May, with programs resuming in September at Lee-Whedon Library.

Orleans County Historian Catherine Cooper provided this photograph of the Pioneers of Orleans County, taken by George P. Hopkins at their 11th annual meeting June 19, 1869 in Albion.

MEDINA – An increase in need and decline in donations has prompted Medina’s Emergency Food Pantry at St. Lutheran Church to embark on a community-wide fund appeal.

According to Jim Hancock, who has been involved with the food pantry since its inception in 1982, the number of people they are serving is increasing greatly, while donations are declining.

“The amount of food we are having to buy is depleting our reserves,” Hancock said. “We are spending $600 to $700 a month purchasing food.”

While he said they do receive a lot of donations from places like the library, school and postal workers, they still have a great need for cereal, pasta and spaghetti sauce.

“These things are not being received in the quantity we need,” Hancock said.  “If we don’t get help, it won’t be long until our resources will be depleted.”

In 2024, the Emergency Food Pantry served 898 adults, 343 seniors and 374 children, for a total of 1,615 individuals.

This represents an increase of 15% over the previous year, Hancock said. To receive food from the pantry, people must reside within the 14103 zip code area. There is no income criteria, however, an individual may only receive food from the pantry once a month.

Monetary donations may be sent to St. Peter’s Emergency Food Pantry, 1355 West Ave., Medina, 14103. Checks or donations of food may be brought to St. Peter’s when the food pantry is open, from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or dropped off at sites, such as the library, or food drives conducted by organizations like the library and schools.

They are sending letters to groups and organizations asking for financial donations.

Press Release, Genesee Community College

BATAVIA – Every solid business venture starts with one thing – a pitch! Whether making a sale or convincing an investor, your business idea pitch has to be organized, well-thought out, powerful and convincing! GCC is here to help get you prepared!

If you have a passion you would like to turn into a business, but you aren’t sure if anyone else will think it’s a good idea, consider participating in GCC’s 7th Annual Business Idea Pitch Competition on Thursday, April 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in room T102 of the Conable Technology Building at GCC’s Batavia Campus.

The competition is free and open to the public and prizes of $100 for first place and $75 for second place will be awarded to the most outstanding competitors in the “most likely to succeed” and “most creative” categories. Pitches will be judged by local business leaders.

“A solid business idea pitch is essential for every startup,” said Dr. Lina LaMattina, director of Business Programs at GCC. “This competition offers participants a valuable opportunity to acquire the skills needed to structure, refine, and present a compelling and persuasive business pitch.”

To participate in this event, please register for our Business Idea Pitch Competition by emailing Dr. LaMattina at lmlamattina@genesee.edu no later than Friday, April 4.

Among the leading causes for a new business startup failure is a lack of basic business experience. In lieu of losing thousands of investment dollars, today’s entrepreneurs have found another way to gain that experience before launching their startup – education. Genesee Community College offers degree, certificate and micro-credential programs in Entrepreneurship to prepare emerging business owners and investors for success.

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Steve Hawley

March is American Red Cross Month, a time to recognize the vital role the Red Cross plays in our communities.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) is demonstrating his commitment to this important cause by sponsoring a series of blood drives throughout the month. Hawley is hosting seven drives total, four in Genesee County and three in Orleans County.

The blood drives are as follows:

• Friday, March 7, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. – Genesee County Social Services Building., 5130 E. Main St., Batavia, NY 14020
• Monday, March 10, 1:30 to 7 p.m. – Pavilion Fire Department Recreation Hall, 11302 S. Lake Rd., Pavilion, NY 14525
• Friday, March 14, 1 to 6 p.m. – Lyndonville Presbyterian Church, 107 N Main St., Lyndonville, NY 14098
• Tuesday, March 18, 12:30 to 7 p.m. – Albion Elks Lodge 1006, 428 W State St., Albion, NY 14411
• Tuesday, March 18, 1 to 6 p.m. – First United Methodist Church, 8221 Lewiston Rd., Batavia, NY 14020
• Thursday, March 20, 1 to 6 p.m. – Holy Name of Mary, 2707 Angling Rd., East Pembroke, NY 14056
• Saturday, March 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Hoag Library- Albion, 134 S. Main St., Albion, NY 14411

Schedule an appointment by going to RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

“Red Cross Month is an important time to honor the mission of saving lives through giving blood,” Hawley said. “I encourage everyone who is able to take the time to give blood and make a lifesaving difference. Your generosity can provide hope and healing to patients in need.”