‘This could be devastating if they are not allowed,’ Dale Banker, Orleans County emergency management coordinator

ALBION – Orleans County legislators passed a formal resolution this afternoon opposing a proposal in the State Assembly to ban gun raffles as fundraisers.

Those gun raffles typically raise $10,000 or more for fire departments. Eight of the 11 departments in Orleans County do gun raffles each year. Shelby and Ridgeway do two of them a year.

Those raffles help pay for turn-out gear and other equipment for the fire departments, and also mean less money is needed in property taxes to support the fire departments.

“This could be very devastating if they are not allowed,” said Dale Banker, Orleans County emergency management coordinator and an Albion firefighter. “Without them it would raise taxes.”

Howard Watts, a member of the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company, said the gun raffles are an important fundraiser for the fire company.

“Tens of thousands of dollars would be lost if this goes through,” Watts said at the Legislature meeting.

Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon, D-Brooklyn, has proposed a ban on using guns as a prize for games of chance. About 25 Assembly members, mostly from the New York City area, have signed on as co-sponsors of Bill A1413. The bill doesn’t have a sponsor yet in the Senate.

The bill’s memorandum says the legislation is appropriate because “firearm related violence is a significant public health and safety problem and weapons should not be given away in games of chance.”

Orleans County legislators said Bill A1413 is “tyranny” and “amounts to anecdotal grandstanding at the expense of real people carrying out real service to the community.”

Legislators said the State Legislature, with both the Assembly and Senate now under Democrat control, have joined Gov. Andrew Cuomo on an “assault on the rights and culture of upstate New York” at a “breakneck pace.”

Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson, R-Lyndonville, said she believes Orleans County is the first county to formally oppose Bill A1413.

“We want our firemen to know we support them 100 percent,” she said.

‘I have an absolute fascination for when things were made with quality and love.’ – Laura Kemler, owner of Laura Loxley

ALBION – A business that has grown too big for an Albion woman’s home will celebrate its grand opening Saturday at a downtown storefront.

Laura Kemler is owner of Laura Loxley. She makes vintage style baskets and other gift items.

The past three months Kemler and her husband Kevin have worked on the storefront at 45 North Main St. They wanted to create a space with a 1930s-’40s theme.

Mrs. Kemler wants her shop to take people back to an era when products weren’t mass produced.

“I have an absolute fascination for when things were made with quality and love,” Kemler said today at her business.

This basket was made in pink with a theme of breast cancer awareness.

She will open the doors to the public at 10 a.m. on Saturday. That day she is one of the host sites for the Sip & Stroll by the Albion Merchants Association. Laura Loxleys will host Circle B Winery from Elba.

Kemler didn’t plan to run a business creating rope baskets and vintage goods. She was teaching an art class over a summer a few years ago at Forrestel Farm in Medina. She dabbled with tie-dye and fabric manipulation. Kemler wanted to do more than the typical tie-dyed T-shirts for the students.

She started experimenting with different fabrics. She found she enjoyed tie-dying cotton ropes, and turning them into colorful baskets.

The baskets have proven popular to store envelopes and stationary. Kemler makes them in a variety of colors and themes. She turned it into a business about three years ago and made the products out of her home, selling most of them online through Etsy.

Kemler also makes magnets. This one has an anchor that she tried to make look like it had been submerged for years in a lake. These magnets are mostly made of egg shells.

Her baskets were featured in a national magazine in October, the 45th anniversary issue of Old House Journal. The magazine did a spread on “clever” American-made items used for storage. That writeup gave her business a boost.

Kemler named her business, Laura Loxley, because she likes the English-sounding name of Loxley. She has visited the country several times.

Kemler believes Albion’s downtown is headed in the right director. Her friend Tara Thom opened a quilt business, Town and Country Quilter, on East Bank Street in October 2017. Earlier this month Kylie Hughson opened Adara Fashion at 101 North Main St.

Kemler also thinks her business will benefit by its location next to the 39 Problems restaurant, which opened last year.

She would like to see more awnings and projecting signs in the downtown. She is a fan of the show, Small Business Revolution, which highlights flourishing small towns. She thinks Albion could be one of those towns with a business district full of energy and entrepreneurs.

“As more shops open Albion will start to flourish again,” she said. “The shops will create a destination, but we need to keep the ball rolling.”

MEDINA – The Medina Board of Education on Tuesday was unanimous in approving intermunicipal agreements with Lyndonville to continue shared sports, as well as the musical program.

“It’s been seamless between Medina and Lyndonville students,” said David Sevenski, president of the Medina BOE. “It’s been a natural fit. It’s opened up more opportunities for kids.”

Lyndonville’s Board of Education also approved the eight agreements last week. There was some debate at Lyndonville over the shared boys varsity soccer team. Some Lyndonville community members and two board members wanted Lyndonville and Medina to go back to having their own varsity boys’ soccer teams. Both communities have about 20 boys interested in playing varsity soccer next fall, more than enough for their own teams.

However, both school boards decided to keep the shared team and avoid “uncertainty from year to year,” Sevenski said.

The numbers for both schools might not be there long-term for each district to support their own varsity boys soccer team, he said.

Lyndonville and Medina both have now approved four-year agreements for eight shared programs. Lyndonville hosts the boys volleyball, girls varsity soccer and the musical program. Medina hosts a boys varsity soccer, varsity football, cross country, the marching band and swimming.

The districts don’t bill each other for students who participate in the programs. That differs with Medina’s agreement with Barker, where that district pays Medina for each Barker student on the Mustang football team.

The 4-year agreements are longer than the one- to two-year agreements that were in place since the district first started sharing programs about six years ago.

Sevenski said the agreements are often hotly debated each year and can “burn up a lot of time.” He said the longer time period allows the districts, students and parents to have set expectations for the programs in the next few years.

Even with the longer agreements, Sevenski said school administrators from both districts will continue to discuss the agreements on a frequent basis.

“We talk about it ad nauseum, looking at all of the different angles and how it is affecting everyone,” Sevenski said.

The agreements also allow volunteers from both districts to participate in the programs, assisting coaches and program leaders.

Both Medina and Lyndonville face declining student enrollments. The shared programs have allowed the districts to offer strong programs, Sevenski said.

Some Lyndonville board members last week said Medina wanted “all or nothing” with the agreements, that Lyndonville needed to do a shared boys soccer team or risk the other merged teams and programs.

Sevenski said Medina didn’t put that pressure on Lyndonville.

“There was no edict from Medina that it had to be all or nothing,” he said. “We went to great lengths to not twist anybody’s arm.”

The two districts are open to expanding their partnership to other programs. Sevenski said they are discussing a shared part-time grant writer for next school year.

Press Release, NYS Association of Counties

In the New York State Capitol next month, lawmakers will be debating whether to legalize adult-use marijuana, which was proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo as part of the 2019-20 Executive State Budget.

While 10 other states and the District of Columbia have already legalized cannabis for adult use, New York would be the first to do so through the legislative process rather than by voter referendum. State lawmakers, therefore, have a unique opportunity to craft legislation that anticipates the consequences of legalization and provides local governments with the resources and flexibility to respond to local needs.

Local Impact Fees

The governor proposes to impose three taxes on recreational marijuana. The first tax is on the cultivation of cannabis; the second on the sale by a wholesaler to a retail dispensary; and the third is a local 2 percent sales tax.

However, the governor’s proposed 2 percent local revenue share is insufficient for counties to deliver the services their residents rely on to ensure public health and safety. Under the existing legislation, counties would be expected to provide education, traffic safety enforcement, addiction services, and other programs that have been proven to reduce the adverse effects of other legal psychoactive substances (like alcohol), but with less funding to do so.

The New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) urges the state to increase the local sales tax to 4 percent, following the existing sales tax model in most counties. Revenue from this marijuana sales tax would be used to offset county costs associated with legalization.

“It is crucial that the state provide local governments with adequate resources to manage the impacts of adult-use cannabis legalization,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen Acquario. “Only with sufficient funding will local governments be able to work in partnership with the state to oversee public health, public safety, criminal justice, consumer protection and economic development.”

LYNDONVILLE – Orleans County Undersheriff Christopher Bourke announced Lyndonville Central School is sponsoring a Child Car Seat Check Point Event at the school bus garage, 77 Housel Ave., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

According to data, vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ranging from 1 to 13 years of age. Preventative measures, such as proper installation of car seats, boosters and seat belts can lower many deaths and injuries. Informing and instructing parents and caregivers on child safety and proper installation of car seats is critical to saving young lives.

The Sheriff’s Office will have certified child passenger safety technicians available to inspect car/booster seats to assure that children are in the correct seat for their size and age. For any questions, please contact Sgt. Kevin Colonna at 585-589-5527 or Kevin.Colonna@orleanscountyny.gov.

6 local farms highlighted on tour for International Fruit Tree Association

Photos by Tom Rivers

KENT – Roger Bannister, owner of Excelsior Farms in Kent, gives a tour of a block of apple trees on Route 98 near Lake Ontario.

Excelsior was one of six apple farms in Orleans County on a tour Tuesday by the International Tree Fruit Association. There were 350 people on the tour with apple growers from Washington, Michigan and other states as well as growers from Australia, Israel, Canada, China and New Zealand.

“We have a lot of cutting-edge growers,” said Craig Kahlke, a fruit specialist with Cornell’s Lake Ontario Fruit Program. “They each are featuring something different. The goal is to help put more money in growers’ pockets.”

The IFTA is having its annual conference in Rochester. The conference was in New Zealand last year. The four-day conference is offering growers tips on reducing costs and increasing efficiencies.

Rod Farrow, co-owner of Fish Creek Orchards (formerly known as Lamont Fruit Farm) in Waterport, is the current president of the International Tree Fruit Association.

Tour buses stopped at Excelsior Farms and five other apple orchards in Orleans County on Tuesday. There were 350 people on the tour.

Excelsior Farms has a high-density orchard with multi-leader trees. Using multi-leader trees saves farms from planting more trees, compared to ones that are one leader. Excelsior also spaces the rows at 8.5 feet. That distance allows for lots of sunshine on the trees.

Other farms on the tour included:

• Kast Farms in Albion, which showcased a Geneva rootstock trial.

• Sandy Knoll Farms in Lyndonville, which demonstrated three-dimensional to two-dimensional tree architecture conversion.

• Fish Creek Orchards, formerly known as Lamont Fruit Farm in Waterport, which discussed a robot-ready fruiting wall and bloom thinning trials, where a robot takes images of a tree and helps to quickly identify how many apples need to be removed for an optimum crop.

• Zingler Farms in Kendall, which featured for an organized vertical canopy. The trees are very similar and that increases predictability, making it easier for workers to thin and prune trees.

• Orchard Dale Farms in Carlton demonstrated grafted blocks using beaver and side grafts.

Photo courtesy of Molly Zingler: Mike Zingler, right, and his son James were featured speakers on the tour of Zingler Farms in Kendall.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman

BATAVIA – A packed gymnasium watches Lyndonville and York play basketball at Batavia High School. York defeated Lyndonville 67-50 in the Section V Class C3 semifinals.

The loss ends Lyndonville’s season at 18 wins and 4 losses. The 18 victories are a new school record.

Click here to see more photos and a recap of the game.

Lyndonville’s Matt Hess puts up a shot over York defenders James Kennedy and Lucas Maggio.

Press Release, Orleans County 4-H program

Allison Mathes and Emma Mathes engage in an activity to help them envision how their work as 4-H Tech Changemakers/Digital Ambassadors will benefit residents of Orleans County.

Two Orleans County 4-Hers travelled to Washington, D.C. Feb. 21-23 to attend regional training for the 4-H Tech Changemakers/Digital Ambassadors program, which was presented by National 4-H Council and Microsoft.

Orleans County is one of seven counties in New York State sharing an $84,403 grant through the National 4-H Council and Microsoft to help address digital literacy issues through empowering youth to help close the broadband internet gap.

Allison Mathes and Emma Mathes, both students at Albion High School (and cousins), went on the trip with Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Program Coordinator Kristina Gabalski and adult volunteer Kayla Sucy. The teens are now prepared to lead a group of additional Orleans County 4-Hers and adult volunteers to implement the program in Orleans County.

“We will be setting up between six and ten workshops around the county to help residents truly adopt and use technology to improve their opportunities and outcomes,” Kristina Gabalski said.  “The program seeks to address the lack of broadband internet access as well as help adults feel secure and knowledgeable enough to adopt and use technology. This partnership will elevate teens as teachers to provide training and communication to assist adults in our community with increasing their comfort level in utilizing new technology.”

The regional training in Washington D.C. helped to give Allison and Emma a better understanding of the initiative as well as the curriculum and tools we have at our disposal to facilitate trainings in Orleans County, Gabalski said.

“Microsoft and National 4-H Council will also facilitate meetings with Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) we might partner with here,” she said.  “Microsoft has been working with ISP’s in 13 states across the country to expand ‘air band’ or ‘white TV’ wireless broadband internet access which utilizes portions of the broadcast spectrum no longer used by television. This can enable broadband to go places it has been difficult to reach with wires and cables.”

Kayla Sucy (with back to camera) and Allison Mathes, right, work with regional training leaders and members of a county 4-H team from Maine to practice lesson plans for potential digital literacy workshops.

Microsoft turned to 4-H to help them in their efforts to bridge the “digital divide” in the United States because, “4-Hers serve as a trusted voice and have many long-standing relationships within their communities, which create an effective training environment and builds a compelling movement throughout the community,” Gabalski says.  “This work will have profound effects in education, workforce development and community sustainability.”

Another workshop during the regional training involved creating empathy for those Allison and Emma may teach who have sight and hearing challenges.

Allison and Emma had never been to visited Washington, D.C. The trip enabled them to visit the national monuments. Their favorite monument was the Lincoln Memorial. They also were able to work directly with 4-H youth from other states involved in the regional training including teams from Maine, Maryland and West Virginia.

The Tech Changemakers/Digital Ambassadors youth leaders will be spokespeople to lift up and expand the youth voice in this critical conversation, Gablaski noted.

“This will ensure their experiences as well as hopes and dreams for their community are heard,” she said. “We will be working to schedule our workshops around Orleans County through the summer of 2020, and also hope to have a strong presence at community events including the Orleans County 4-H Fair in July and National Night Out in Albion in August.”

She will be reaching out to community organizations and municipal and county leaders to offer programming. She encourages any groups who are interested in having a workshop to contact her at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension at 585-798-4265.

A range of topics are addressed including information literacy (credible sources of digital information, website evaluation criteria, etc.), parental roles in the use of social media, online shopping, and online job searches/job applications.

“We are here to give basic help and guidance for anyone who would like to make better use of their personal digital devices and the positive opportunities the internet provides,” Gabalski said.

This is a group shot of all 4-H youth and adult leaders who took part in the regional 4-H Tech Changemakers/Digital Ambassadors training in Washington, D.C. Feb. 22 and 23.  Emma and Allison Mathes are to the left of center in the front row.

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a comprehensive proposal to build upon the state’s efforts to keep the School Tax Relief program free from fraud and abuse, including a six-year ban imposed on those who knowingly provide false information on a STAR credit application, precluding them from receiving STAR benefits during that timeframe.

The provisions would also expand the STAR Income Verification Program and permit the Commissioner of the Department of Taxation and Finance to seek repayment in cases where a STAR check is inadvertently sent to someone whose primary residence was receiving a STAR exemption for the same year, helping to recover improperly granted benefits.

“The STAR program provides a substantial benefit to property owners, and those who seek to profit at the expense of honest New Yorkers must be held accountable,” Governor Cuomo said. “This aggressive policy to combat fraud once again sends a clear message that New York has zero tolerance for anyone who cheats the system.”

In 2013, Governor Cuomo enacted reforms to the STAR program to crack down on delinquent taxpayers, including barring property owners who made a material misstatement on a STAR exemption application from receiving the exemption for six years. In 2015, the State Department of Taxation and Finance was authorized to recoup STAR benefits from property owners who unlawfully received those state benefits in past years, a power that previously resided with local assessors only.

The STAR program provides $3.4 billion in relief from school property taxes. It includes the Basic STAR benefit for homeowners with incomes under $500,000, and the Enhanced STAR benefit for seniors with income of $86,300 or less.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a winter weather advisory on Wednesday for Orleans County and Western New York, with snow accumulations of 4 to 7 inches.

The advisory is in effect from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m., with snow-covered roads and limited visibility expected

“Travel could be difficult,” the Weather Service said. “The hazardous conditions could impact the morning, but and more so the evening commute.”

The powerful winds and cold weather have coated the western pier of the Oak Orchard Harbor in ice.

Vegetative screening next phase of project which took out many big trees on canal embankment

Tree stumps were removed last week from this section near the towpath in Albion, between Brown Street and Ingersoll Street.

ALBION – The State Canal Corp. said the towpath will look much better later this year, following a tree-clearing last year and the current removal of the tree stumps.

The Canal Corp. will be planting shrubs near the top of the towpath, grass and wildflowers on the slope of the embankments and small trees about 25 feet from the slope of the towpath.

After a tree clearing started in late 2017 through early 2018, many residents and elected officials in Orleans and Monroe counties complained about the loss of shade from the trees and privacy for the homeowners. The canal also looked unsightly with the tree stumps remaining for about a year. Two contractors have been hired and have been taking out the stumps this winter.

“It is quite shocking,” Eileen Banker, Albion mayor, said during a meeting about the next phase of the project at Hoag Library on Monday evening. “It looks like a war zone in some places.”

She urged residents to connect with the Canal Corp. and express what they want for shrubs and trees near their property line. She thanked the Canal Corp. for bringing a team to Albion to update the community on the project and next phase.

The Canal Corp. wants to hear from property owners along the canal about their preferences for trees, shrubs and grass as a screen for their property. The Canal Corp. also will consider input from elected officials for other screening on the canal where a property owner doesn’t make a request, said John Callaghan, deputy director of the Canal Corp.

Property owners can request a meeting with Canal Corp. officials about the landscaping by calling 518-449-6061 or sending an email to embankment.restoration@canals.ny.gov.

The Canal Corp. wants to develop the vegetative screening plans in March, working with arborists to determine trees that would thrive at the bottom of the embankments, as well as a variety of grasses and wildflowers for the slope.

The Canal Corp. presented some options for trees and shrubs, including red osier dogwoods, sugar maples, winterberry shrubs and green junipers. The Canal Corp. is open to other species as long as they have the potential to thrive.

Callaghan said the slope will be maintained for appearance and also so canal inspectors can easily check the embankments for leaks or other problems. The Canal Corp. and its landscape consultant will meet with property owners in April and May to develop specific plans near those sites.

The vegetative screening – shrubs, grasses and trees – are scheduled to be planted from June through October this year.

Doug Kucmerowski of Brockport, a member of Erie Canal Neighbors Association, initially opposed the tree-clearing but said he is very appreciative of the Canal Corp. for removing the trees and making the canal safer for residents who were at risk of a flood if the embankments leaked.

The Canal Corp. hired a contractor to take down numerous trees on the canal embankments in Orleans and Monroe. In October 2017, Mohawk Valley Materials from Utica started to remove trees on 146 acres of canal-owned land from Medina to Fairport.

The tree clearing made it to Spencerport until being halted in early February 2018 after a lawsuit from the towns of Brighton, Pittsford and Perinton.

The Canal Corp. pushed to have trees removed from the embankments because the root systems can cause seepage and potentially lead to erosion and potential embankment failure that can cause catastrophic damage and loss of life, the Canal Corp. said.

Some residents at the meeting Monday said the project has diminished the beauty of the canal and towpath, making it less of an attraction. Cyclists, walkers and joggers miss the shade and the view of a tree-lined towpath, residents said.

“I’m still appalled you cut down all of the trees,” said Anita McCarthy of Albion. “This is just ridiculous.”

Doug Kucmerowski of Brockport, a member of Erie Canal Neighbors Association, said he initially opposed the tree-clearing, and then did some research on why the project was needed. He said homeowners along the canal have been vulnerable to an embankment blowout due to the trees.

If an embankment failed, millions of gallons of water would be unleashed on properties, he said.

“I for one want to be safe,” he said. “These people are helping us. This is a safety project.”

The Canal Corp. will discuss the project today in Brockport during a meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the A.D. Oliver Middle School, 40 Allen St.

Local residents and officials met with State Canal Corp. employees and their consultants to see renderings of vegetative screening along the canal where trees have been taken down.

Press Release, Gov. Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, joined by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on Monday fulfilled his promise to sign the Red Flag Bill, a key component of his 2019 Justice Agenda, within the first 100 days of the new legislative session.

The Red Flag Bill, also known as the extreme risk protection order bill, prevents individuals who show signs of being a threat to themselves or others from purchasing or possessing any kind of firearm. This legislation builds on New York’s strongest in the nation gun laws and makes New York the first in the United States to empower its teachers and school administrators to prevent school shootings by pursuing court intervention.

“The United States loses more people to gun deaths than most developed nations. The first year of President Trump’s administration, we lost 40,000 people to gun deaths – the highest number in 50 years,” Cuomo said. “New York led the way by passing the strongest gun safety laws in the nation, but more must be done to end this carnage.”

No law currently exists in New York State that enables a court to issue an order to temporarily seize firearms from a person who is showing red flags, like violent behavior, or is believed to pose a severe threat of harm to himself, herself, or others unless that person has also been accused of a crime or family offense. In addition, no state in the nation currently empowers its teachers and school administrators to prevent school shootings by pursuing court intervention.

“New York is proud to pass the first-in-the-nation Red Flag Bill that empowers school teachers to do something when they believe something bad is going to happen,” Cuomo said. “We are empowering teachers not by giving them guns like the President wants – but by arming and empowering them with the law, so when a teacher or family member sees there is a problem, they can go to a judge and get a court-ordered evaluation. The Red Flag Bill will save lives and doesn’t infringe on anybody’s rights and it is common sense.”

The governor was joined in the signing by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“It is a great honor to join Governor Cuomo, survivors and advocates as New York makes history by enacting this landmark gun violence prevention legislation,” Pelosi said. “These bills are bold and far-reaching, containing strong, comprehensive solutions to save lives and end the crisis of senseless gun violence in America. Leaders in the State House and in the U.S. House must continue to work together to ensure that no other family is forced to endure the tragedy and heartbreak of gun violence, whether in our schools, in our places of worship, on our streets or in any place.”

The Red Flag Bill provides all necessary procedural safeguards to ensure that no firearm is removed without due process while ensuring that tragedies, like the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, are not repeated. In this mass shooting, the shooter was reported by multiple sources to be disturbed and dangerous yet was allowed to purchase and possess deadly firearms. In fact, more than half of all perpetrators of mass shootings exhibit warning signs before the shooting, according to a recent analysis. In these cases, an extreme risk protection order could have prevented countless, needless deaths.

The scourge of gun violence throughout the nation is one of the most pressing issues of our time. Currently, the U.S. has the highest homicide-by-firearm rate among the world’s most developed nations. In the most recent year of data, gun deaths rose to their highest level in fifty years.

National Grid has restored electricity for nearly all of its customers in Orleans County. The power company this morning is reporting that 27 customers are still awaiting restoration.

As of 4:30 on Monday, there were 1,906 customers without electricity in Orleans, out of 19,416 customers.

National Grid has about 1.6 million customers in upstate and 88,000 lost power during the windstorm. This morning, there are 3,981 waiting to get their electricity back on. Erie County, with 1,469, has the most customers without power, as of 7:01 a.m. Next-door Niagara County has 45 customers without power.

National Grid said it has made progress restoring electricity to more than 80 percent of the 84,000 customers Western New York who lost power from the fierce winds since Sunday.

However, some customers will have to wait until Wednesday before their electricity is back on.

“This storm has been extremely damaging to our electricity system,” said Ken Kujawa, National Grid’s WNY regional director. “We’re seeing hundreds of cases of downed wires in addition to broken poles and uprooted trees on our power lines. Cleanup, reconstruction and restoration will be labor-intensive and time consuming.”

There are 1,906 National Grid customers without electricity in Orleans County, as of 4:30 p.m. Many are small outages. However, in the Kendall area there are 1,209 customers without power and National Grid is estimating they won’t have the power back on until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

National Grid estimates 90 percent of customers who lost electricity will have their power back on by midnight tomorrow.

“Remaining customers, primarily in the hardest hit neighborhoods of Buffalo, Niagara Falls and surrounding areas, will be restored Wednesday,” National Grid said in a news release. “Crews continue to work around the clock to restore power as quickly and safely as possible in challenging conditions.”

Provided photos

MEDINA –  The Orleans County PFC. Joseph P. Dwyer Peer to Peer Program celebrated a busy day Saturday at the Orleans County YMCA in Medina. There were about 75 veterans and their family members at the Y.

The Orleans County PFC. Joseph P. Dwyer Volunteer Program Coordinator Catherine Schmidt joins YMCA Director Greg Reed and many local veterans and their families in this photo at the YMCA on Pearl Street.

The Peer to Peer program committed $3,200 to the Y with $1,000 going towards monthly memberships at a reduced price for veterans and their families. Another $1,500 will purchase a new obstacle bounce house to be used by not only the veterans and families, but all residents that use the Y in Orleans County. The remaining $700 goes towards two special days for veterans and their families at the Y. Saturday was the first day, and another one will be planned in the fall at a date to be determined.

The climbing wall was popular on Saturday with veterans and their family members. They also participated in board games, coloring, cards, face painting, corn hole, basketball and tours of the facility. There was coffee, water and donuts provided in the morning and pizza in the afternoon for lunch.

The new bounce house is available to everyone who uses the YMCA at the Medina location.

Several community partners attended the event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to assist veterans and families. Orleans County Office of the Aging, Rochester Health and the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency were there to provide information and referrals to assist veterans and their families.