By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2019 at 8:17 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Medina Fire Chief Tom Lupo intended to retire April 30, but has rescinded his retirement and will continue to lead the department.
MEDINA – The Fire Department’s chief for the past three years was to retire on April 30. However, Tom Lupo has agreed to stay longer, likely for another 15 to 18 months to give more time for others to get the training needed to lead the department.
Lupo has worked as Medina’s part-time chief since March 28, 2016. He also is the assistant fire chief in Lockport. In Medina, he is paid $30,000 a year for up to 30 hours of work each week.
The state passed new legislation that took effect in January, requiring more training hours for fire chiefs leading departments with at least five paid firefighters. The chiefs now need at least 229 hours of approved training classes.
Those classes are offered on a sporadic schedule, said Medina Mayor Mike Sidari.
The mayor said he is grateful Lupo is postponing his retirement to give Medina more time to have a qualified successor.
“The state made the requirements more stringent,” Sidari said at Monday’s board meeting. “Right now no one is eligible.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2019 at 9:45 pm
Earl Schmidt, director of the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency, said the exemption would increase the tax rate by 1 cent for the other taxpayers in the village. He said Medina is the only village in the county that doesn’t currently have the exemption in place.
MEDINA – The Village Board was asked to approve a tax exemption for Cold War veterans that would save the 20 eligible veterans up to about $75 in their village taxes annually.
The exemption is for up to 10 percent off the taxes or $4,000 off the assessed value of a property.
The village has a tax rate of $18.32 per $1,000 of assessed property for 2019-20, according to a budget approved this evening. If the exemption were in place, eligible veterans would get $73.28 off their taxes if the taxable value was reduced by $4,000.
Earl Schmidt, director of the Veterans Service Agency in Orleans County, asked for the minimum exemption, which is the $4,000 off in taxable value. That is the level that the County Legislature approved in December 2017 for eligible veterans with their county taxes.
Schmidt said the exemption would include 12 veterans in Ridgeway’s portion of the village, and eight in the part of the village in Shelby.
If approved, he said the exemption would cause the other taxpayers to see a 1 cent increase in their tax rate.
“For a penny, I believe that it is worth saying thank you to our veterans,” he said.
Schmidt also said Medina is the only village in the county that doesn’t have the exemption in place. The Albion Village Board last year approved the Cold War exemption at a maximum of $6,000 off the assessment.
Schmidt was joined by the Medina meeting by several local veterans. David Barhite, a former village trustee, asked the board to consider the tax discount for the Cold War veterans.
“We’re talking about a penny to say thank you to the veterans for what they went through to give us our freedoms,” he said.
It’s too late for the exemption to be in place for the 2019-20 village budget. The Village Board said they would discuss whether to offer it in the future.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2019 at 6:12 pm
ALBION – The New York State Canal Corporation will begin re-watering the Erie Canal on May 3. The canal will open for its navigational season on May 17.
The tolls for recreational vessels have once again been waived for 2019. The state started that in 2017 and the toll-free travel boosted canal traffic, the Canal Corp. said in December when it announced the tolls have been waived through 2021.
The tolls are usually $25 to $100, depending on the size of the boat. The tolls were waived in 2017 and 2018 to celebrate the Erie Canal bicentennial and the 100-year anniversary of the New York State Barge Canal, now known as the New York State Canal System.
Motorized pleasure boat traffic on the state Canal System in 2018 increased 3 percent over the previous year as boaters took advantage of tolls being waived, the Canal Corp. said. Such vessels—the most-common type on the canals—were recorded traveling through Canal System locks and lift bridges 71,529 times during the 2018 navigation season, compared to 69,362 lockings in 2017.
The figures account for each time a boat goes through a lock or under a lift bridge, not the actual number of boats. If a boat travels through several locks it would be counted as locking through each time.
This year the boating season on the canal will run from May 17 to Oct. 16.
The new concrete wall for the waste weir is next to a century-old wall of sandstone.
‘We’re putting an end to this blight on our environment.’ – Gov. Cuomo
Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation on today on Earth Day that bans the sale of single-use plastic bags in New York starting in March 2020, a significant step to reduce pollution and protect fish and wildlife.
“Single-use” plastic bags do not degrade and often wind up as litter on lands and in waters, harming birds or wildlife that ingest the plastic. It is estimated that New Yorkers use 23 billion plastic bags annually, and nationwide studies show that approximately 50 percent of single-use plastic bags end up as litter. In addition to preventing plastic bag litter in our environment, this ban will also help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastic bag production and disposal, from petroleum used to produce the bags to emissions from the transportation of bags to landfills.
“You see plastic bags hanging in trees, blowing down the streets, in landfills and in our waterways, and there is no doubt they are doing tremendous damage,” Governor Cuomo said. “Twelve million barrels of oil are used to make the plastic bags we use every year and by 2050 there will be more plastic by weight in the oceans than fish. We need to stop using plastic bags, and today we’re putting an end to this blight on our environment.”
The state Department of Environmental Conservation will work with stakeholders and community leaders to ensure the roll-out of this initiative does not disproportionately impact low and moderate income and environmental justice communities through the distribution of reusable bags.
The legislation signed today bans the provision of single-use, plastic carryout bags at any point of sale, and provides DEC exclusive jurisdiction over all matters related to plastic bags. Under the new law, garment bags, trash bags and any bags used to wrap or contain certain foods, such as fruits and sliced meats are exempt from the ban.
Counties or cities will also be permitted to charge a 5-cent fee for single-use paper bags. Three cents from the fee will go to the Environmental Protection Fund, while the other two cents will go to the locality to pay for distribution of reusable bags.
New York joins California and Hawaii as the only states where single-use plastic bags are banned.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2019 at 2:23 pm
ALBION – Keitel Road will reopen to motorists on mid-day Thursday, following work the past month with masonry and steel repairs to the bridge on the railroad.
Genesee Valley Transportation Company, based in Batavia, is working on the bridge. The company will then shift to the railroad bridge on Butts Road in Albion for repairs. A section of that road, between Route 31 and East State Street, will be closed Thursday until mid-May.
GVT owns the Falls Road Railroad, which goes from Lockport through Orleans County to Brockport.
CLARENDON – A man has been charged with two counts of second-degree assault after allegedly stabbing a father and son on Sunday at about 8 p.m., the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office is reporting.
Kevin J. Compton, 57, of East Bethany was helping the father and son with work on a house at Mansfield Road on Sunday. There was a fire at the house last month.
A verbal altercation occurred inside the house, and the father, son and Compton took the argument outside, going across the street to a cornfield, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The argument turned physical, with both the father and son stabbed in the chest. They both sustained non-life threatening injuries and were transported by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Deputies responded to the scene at about 8 p.m. after a call to dispatch about a stabbing. When deputies arrived, Compton was standing in the cornfield.
He was arraigned in Clarendon Town Court and jailed on $20,000 bail. He will return to court on May 13 at 6 p.m.
The incident is being investigated by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the State Police.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2019 at 11:27 am
KENDALL – The CH-47 Chinook whch made a precautionary landing in a Kendall farm field on Thursday night returned to Rochester at about noon on Friday.
The large helicopter is based at the Army Aviation Support Facility at Rochester International Airport. The CH-47 was conducting a routine training flight on Thursday evening, said Eric Durr, director of public affairs for the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs.
“Shortly before 8 p.m. the crew noticed that a transmission warning light had come on,” he said. “This indicated that metal shavings could be in the transmission. The crew followed the correct emergency procedures for this situation, which required them to land as soon as possible. The crew made a precautionary landing near Kenmore Road in the Town of Kendall.”
None of the four soldiers on board were injured and nobody on the ground was ever in any danger, he said.
A CH-47 from Rochester flew to the site and transported three crew members back to Rochester. One stayed with the aircraft.
On Friday morning, maintenance personnel inspected the helicopter and conducted tests which indicated that the aircraft could safely conduct a flight back to Rochester for additional inspections and maintenance, Durr said.
That was completed before noon on Friday and the aircraft returned to the Army Aviation Support Facility by 12:15.
One of the crew members wrote on the Orleans Hub Facebook page, thanking local residents for stopping by with coffee and food.
The CH-47 created a stir in Kendall, with many residents stopping by to get a close look. The crew even gave some tours of the large aircraft.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2019 at 11:02 am
Provided photo: Medina Boy Scout Troop 35 and Cub Scout Pack 35 are pictured last April by the Canal Culvert as part of the “Canal Clean Sweep.” The Scouts will be back at the site on Saturday picking up trash and litter.
Several groups will be part of the annual “Canal Clean Sweep” this weekend in Orleans County. The state-wide effort is promoted by the NYS Canal Corp. and Parks & Trails NY. The annual event happens near Earth Day, which is actually today.
There will be cleanup efforts in Holley, Albion, Knowlesville and Medina this weekend for the 14th annual Canal Clean Sweep.
This weekend there will be cleanup events at the following locations in Orleans County:
• ALBION – The Lockstone, a business planned on Natasha Wasuck at 160 North Main St., is sponsoring a cleanup at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Volunteers are asked to show up at the Lockstone and then head east and west to pick up trash along the canal.
• HOLLEY – On Saturday, the Masonic Lodge No. 713 in Kendall will start at 9 a.m. at the Holley Canal Park on East Avenue.
Masons will clean the towpath on both sides of the canal from the Canal Park eastward to Countyline Road.
• RIDGEWAY – Boy Scouts from Troop 35 and Cub Scouts from Troop 35 will meet at the Canal Culvert at 9 a.m. Saturday on Culvert Road to pick up garbage in the culvert tunnel and also up on the towpath.
• MEDINA – On Saturday, the Sons of the American Legion will start at 9 a.m. at the Legion Post on North Main Street. They will pick up trash from the Post, heading east to the Bates Road canal launch ramp. The Sons will also work on landscaping at Glenwood Avenue bridge over the Erie Canal.
• MEDINA – The Medina Lions Club also will do its annual environmental cleanup day on May 27, starting at Lions Park on North Gravel Road (Route 63) at 9 a.m.
• MIDDLEPORT – Volunteers are welcome Saturday beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Carmen Bridge parking area and then head west to clean to the former Peet Street parking area.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2019 at 10:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Evan Valentine returned to Holley Junior-Senior High School today for the first time since being diagnosed with leukemia on Oct. 19.
Evan, 16, completed four rounds of chemotherapy. He is greeted by Susan Cory, the school principal, and about 450 of his classmates in grades 7-12.
Cory gives Evan a hug. “It’s been a long time and we’ve missed him,” she said.
Many of the teachers and students wore orange “Evan Strong” shirts to celebrate Evan’s return.
Four of Evan’s close friends hold a big banner welcoming him back to school. They include, from left: Karl Biedlingmaier, Chuck Turpyn, Nathan Nothnagle and Kohl Morgan.
Sue Cory, the school principal, tells students Evan is about to enter the school gym. This photo was taken a little after 7:30 this morning.
“We are very happy to have him back,” Cory told the student body. “Our family is all back together.”
Evan Valentine received a standing ovation from students and teachers this morning. He endured five months in the hospital for his chemo and recovery.
“I just want to say thank you to the community,” he said.
He was visited by many students and residents during his time at the hospital, and had a wall of get well cards in his hospital room.
About 600 people attended a benefit dinner at the Clarendon Rec Hall on Nov. 18 in his honor. The Kingdollar family also made 800 of the orange “Evan Strong” T-shirts to show support for Evan and raise some money for his family.
A monitor in the hallway displays a welcome back message for Evan Valentine.
“Everybody has been incredible,” said Evan’s father, Neil Valentine. “He is one of those miracle kids.”
Evan, a sophomore, was diagnosed right before a Sectional soccer game. He was moved to varsity this fall. He is eager to join the golf team this spring.
He kept up with his school work at Golisano Children’s Center in Rochester.
“He was ready,” his mother Diane said about his return to Holley. “He was missing all of his friends and the environment.”
The nurses at Golisano were impressed by the many visitors from Holley, who often checked in on Evan.
“The hospital staff was amazed by all of the support from this school and community,” Mrs. Valentine said.
Brian Bartalo, Holley school district superintendent, takes a group photo of the student body with Evan. Bartalo said the school district is a caring community.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 21 April 2019 at 4:49 pm
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Lyndonville’s Gracie Johnson and her Lady Tiger teammates face a busy upcoming week.
While the Niagara-Orleans League schedule will be on a holiday break, the Genesee Region League has a busy week on the diamond upcoming as locally the Lyndonville, Holley and Kendall baseball and softball teams each have at least three games slated.
Highlighting the week will have rivals Holley and Kendall meeting in baseball on Tuesday and softball on Thursday.
The Kendall softball squad will also visit Lyndonville on Saturday. The Lady Tigers will host Albion in a non league contest on Monday.
Weekly Schedule Monday Baseball: Notre Dame at Holley, Kendall at Pembroke, 4:30 p.m. Softball: Albion at Lyndonville 11 a.m.; Holley at Alexander, 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday Baseball: Pembroke at Lyndonville, Holley at Kendall, 4:30 p.m.; Aquinas at Albion, 4:45 Softball: Lockport at Albion, 11 a.m. Tennis: Holley at Pembroke, 4 pm.
Wednesday Baseball: Kendall at Notre Dame, 4:30 p.m. Softball: Lockport at Medina, 2:30 p.m.; Lyndonville at Pembroke, Kendall at Oakfield-Alabama, 4:30 p.m. Tennis: Notre Dame at Holley, Attica at Kendall, 4 p.m. Track: Holley at Wheatland-Chili, 4:30 p.m.
Thursday Baseball: Kenmore East at Albion, 12 p.m.; Lyndonville at Attica, Holley at Northstar, 4:30 p.m. Softball: Holley at Kendall, 4:30 p.m.
Friday Baseball: Roy-Hart at JFK, 12 p.m.; Lyndonville at Byron-Bergen, Elba at Holley, Oakfield-Alabama at Kendall, 4:30 p.m. Softball: Attica at Lyndonville, Wheatland-Chili at Holley, Alexander at Kendall, 4:30 p.m. Tennis: Holley at Wheatland-Chili, Kendall at Pembroke, 4 p.m.
Saturday Baseball: Notre Dame at Albion, 10 a.m. Softball: Kendall at Lyndonville, 10 a.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 April 2019 at 12:34 pm
Orleans County has scheduled three public meetings next month to discuss the county’s switch to a new residential recycling program.
Beginning in June, county residents will start to receive a 95-gallon wheeled cart for recycling which will replace the smaller 18-gallon bin residents currently use.
The recycling will be picked up every two weeks, instead of weekly, by Modern Disposal Services, Inc.
“The move to a cart-based recycling program is designed to increase participation, add convenience to participants, better containment of material between collection and improve the efficiencies of collection,” the county states on its website.
The public information meetings about the new program have been scheduled for the following locations:
• Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Town of Murray building, 3840 Fancher Rd, Holley
• Saturday, May 4, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Town of Shelby building, 4062 Salt Works Rd., Medina
• Saturday, May 25, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds, 12690 Route 31, Knowlesville
The change to every other week recycling will start July 1. The change with recycling does not impact trash collection which will remain weekly.
“Your day of collection will not change and for example, if your day is Monday it will remain Monday,” the county states on the website. “The difference will be that a portion of Mondays recycling customers will be collected on an ‘A’ week and the balance of the Monday customer will be collected the following week or on the ‘B’ week. This alternating cycle continues week after week, month after month.”
Residents will receive a newsletter in April with maps indicating the week recycling will be collected in different areas of the county.
“This is an exciting change for Orleans County and we ask for everyone’s cooperation and patience’s during the transitions,” the county stated. “Modern will be taking your calls and happy to answer any questions you have. Moderns Customer Service Department can be reached locally by calling 800-330-7107.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 April 2019 at 8:24 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
RIDGEWAY – Terry Weaver and his sister Kim Lockwood are in good spirits during a benefit on Saturday in his honor at the Ridgeway Fire Hall.
Weaver, a US Air Force veteran, has worked 30 years in corrections, including as a sergeant at the Orleans County Jail. He is fighting stage 4 lung cancer and also had a brain tumor removed in January.
Weaver was a in great spirits on Saturday, and shocked by the big crowd at the fire hall.
“I’m kind of a loner,” he said. “I’m not the most outgoing guy in the room.”
His family and friends wanted to raise money to help with co-pays for medical bills and other expenses. Lockwood said the benefit raised $14,000.
There were 200 baskets up for raffle, and other big ticket items. Lockwood said the community was generous in helping her brother.
Weaver, 54, lives in Shelby. He has never smoked and said he has been a “workout junkie.” He started having bad headaches and would blackout late last year, when he was diagnosed with the brain tumor.
He had two surgeries in January to remove that mass and he feels fortunate he didn’t lose his memory or suffer ill-effects from that surgery. He is currently taking chemo to fight the lung cancer.
Members of McAdoo family and Ridgeway Ladies Auxiliary served up more than 300 spaghetti dinners on Saturday. Michelle Lechner serves the salads while Donna Lockwood, Bonnie Gill and Nick McAdoo work on the spaghetti.
Lynn Starr works as a cook at the jail. She has known Weaver for several years. She helped secure many of the food donations for the meal on Saturday. She said Weaver is well liked by his coworkers at the jail.
“Terry is a top-of-the-line guy,” Starr said. “He is always good natured.”
Weaver would typically work major holidays so his co-workers with young families could be home with their children.
“He is a wonderful man,” said his sister, Debra Regan. “He is a special human being who doesn’t deserve this – nobody does.”
Eagle Creek was one of the three bands to perform during the benefit. From left include Nick Salvatore, Gary Tarr and Dick Brant. The Dave Viterna Group and The Who Dats also performed.
Eagle Creek entertains the crowd at the Ridgeway Fire Hall.
A large contingent from the Orleans County Sheriff’s office attended the benefit to support Weaver.
“As you can see everybody loves Terry,” said Sheriff Randy Bower. “To see this support is just overwhelming.”
The benefit on Saturday was from 2 to 7 p.m. Weaver appeared at 2:30 p.m. and stayed the entire time, despite fighting exhaustion from his chemo. The room was energized by Weaver’s presence, Bower said.
“When he showed up, it lifted everybody up,” Bower said. “Hopefully we lifted him up, too.”
Photo courtesy of Albion Central School – Pictured include from left: Jillian LeBaron, Victoria Ramos Perez and Grace Nesbitt.
Press Release, Albion Central School
ALBION – The Elementary School’s Student Leadership Council (SLC) conducted a “Pennies for Patients” fundraising drive for the WNY Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This organization works with cancer patients in the Western New York area to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.
SLC collected $2,153 in pennies and loose change from students, staff, parents and community members. SLC members Jillian LeBaron and Grace Nesbitt stood out as going “above and beyond” to make the program a success. They could be counted on every day to make announcements, give classroom reminders about the collection, and make the rounds picking up change from classrooms.
Victoria Ramos Perez, a second grade student, reached out to the community for support. With her mother by her side, she stood outside Save-A-Lot and asked for donations in memory of her grandfather, who passed away from cancer. Victoria said, “I want to find a cure for cancer and saw this as a way to help.” Victoria surpassed her $100 goal and raised almost $120 thanks to the generosity of our community.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 April 2019 at 10:08 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature on Wednesday is expected to oppose legislation in the State Legislature that would provide overtime wages for farmworkers and driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants.
The proposed Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act would allow undocumented persons who are present in the United States illegally under federal law to obtain a driver’s license.
A resolution on the agenda for the County Legislature said the state legislation would “create unacceptable security risks” because the state can’t verify the identity of the individuals when the federal government hasn’t issued a green card or visa. The resolution also says the state legislation includes privacy protections that may frustrate federal immigration enforcement efforts.
The resolution also states local DMV offices “do not have the considerable expertise needed to determine the authenticity of foreign birth certificates, foreign passports, or consular cards, nor to verify evidence of undocumented individual’s residency in the state.”
The resolution states “driving is a privilege, not a right.”
County legislators also have a resolution on the agenda opposing the “Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act” which calls for collective bargaining rights for farmworkers and would require farms to pay overtime wages.
The county resolution states agriculture is the county’s leading industry, providing direct and indirect jobs and supporting other local businesses.
“Farms must compete for workers in a tight labor market,” the resolution states. “They value and respect their employees and pay over minimum wage to retain their skilled workforce, and H2A employees have a choice to work in less restrictive states, increasing stress on a shrinking labor pool.”
The Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act has been introduced in the State Legislature by Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan. The state legislation would put New York farmers at a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace with agricultural products from other states and Canada, the county resolution states.
Dairy farming is often a 24-hour-a-day demand to milk cows and care for animals, and fruit, vegetable and crop farming “requires seasonal, climate sensitive and time sensitive planting and harvesting where the effects of a labor strike on a farm could destroy an entire year’s worth of crops, render perishable food not edible and adversely affect the health and care of animals,” the resolution states.
The county also says New York’s minimum wage ranks among the top five in the country, with the minimum wage in upstate currently $3.85 higher than federal minimum wage.
Farm Credit East did a study of the impact of the legislation on the farms in NY and estimated farms’ costs would rise by $300 million annually, and reduce net farm income by 23 percent.
The county resolution states that family farming is on the decline and overtime wages will further strain farms struggling to make ends meet.
The county resolution also says the state law will have a negative impact on farmworkers who likely will be given less hours to work. The prices for milk and many crops are set by market conditions outside of farmers’ control. Farmers will have no way to recoup the extra costs, and likely will be forced to cut back on employee hours, the resolution states.
Both resolutions from County Legislature, if approved, will be sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislative leaders.
The Legislature meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. at the County Clerks’ Building, 3 South Main St. Albion.
