The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a special weather statement for Orleans County until 5 p.m. today, warning that areas of snow and blowing snow will reduce visibility across the Niagara Frontier at times through the evening commute.

Scattered moderate to heavy snow showers will continue to traverse across the Niagara Frontier right through the evening commute, the Weather Service said. Visibility will be reduced to a quarter mile at times due to the combination of snow and blowing snow with winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour.

“Drivers are urged to be alert for rapidly changing driving conditions over a very short distance,” the Weather Service said.

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – West Center Street (Route 31) in Medina is littered with potholes. The freeze and thaw cycle is wreaking havoc on the pavement.

I think the stretch of Route 31 in the village of Medina may be the most pothole-plagued in the county.

It’s been too cold for highway crews to get out and effectively patch the potholes.

Nicole Mrzywka advanced to final 8 out of 102 in junior showmanship competition

NEW YORK – A Holley High School senior who competed at the Westminster Dog Show is calling the experience, “a dream come true.”

Nicole Mrzywka, 17, has been showing dogs since she was 9, starting with the Orleans County 4-H program. On Tuesday she was on the biggest stage for dog shows, the prestigious Westminster event that is broadcast on television.

Nicole qualified to be one of 102 youths in the junior showmanship competition. She needed to win seven American Kennel Club sanctioned events to qualify.

The 102 youths in the competition were separated into groups of four with about 25 in each group. The top two from each group advanced to the finals.

Nicole was picked for that exclusive group – the final eight. She and Hughie, her English Springer Spaniel, were able to compete in the main ring at Madison Square Garden. She received a $500 scholarship for making it to the finals.

Nicole Mrzywka and Hughie compete at the Westminster Kennel Club’s Dog Show on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

She was judged on how well she presented her dog in confirmation how Hughie meets the standards of the breed.

“It’s all about smoothness and how you react with your dog and how you handle it if he acts up,” Nicole said by phone this morning.

She has competed at big dog shows before in Philadelphia and in Florida at the national championship for the American Kennel Club. The Westminster show is considered the Super Bowl of dog shows, she said.

She expects to be back next year in her final year as a junior. She has already won six events this year and only needs one more to qualify for Westminster in 2020.

Nicole said she is grateful for the friendships she has made at the dog shows, from the local 4-H club to the bigger national events.

“Getting into the dog show world, you meet so many people who really become a second family,” she said.

The Holley senior wants to be an elementary school teacher. She is planning to major in early childhood education in college.

Two benefits of being a teacher: “I’d get weekends and summers off for dog shows,” Nicole said.

Company says its committed to projects in Orleans, Niagara counties

Apex Clean Energy has withdrawn its application for a large-scale wind energy project in northern New York.

The company, however, said it remains committed to the projects proposed locally, including Heritage Wind in Barre and Lighthouse Wind in Yates and Somerset.

“Apex is currently planning to submit its Article 10 applications for Heritage Wind and Lighthouse Wind in 2019,” said Cat Mosley, public engagement manager for Apex, which is based in Virginia.

Apex had been working on a 108-megawatt project on Galloo Island in Jefferson County. The company’s attorney, James A. Muscato II, on Friday notified the State Siting Board and Public Service Commission that Apex was formally withdrawing its application.

The company also withdrew its application for a 30-mile transmission line from Galloo Island to a substation in Oswego.

Apex officials told reporters the company is “open to reinitiating the permitting process for Galloo Island Wind with the expectation of delivering the project when the time is right.”

Locally, Apex is working to build 33 turbines in Barre as part of Heritage Wind. The company also is committed to Lighthouse Wind, a project that proposes 47 turbines with 8 in Yates and 39 in Somerset.

If Apex submits applications for those projects this year, it could take 18 months to 2 years to review them and the proposals will be subject to public hearings. The company also has to provide intervenor funds for the local municipalities and citizens groups to hire experts to review the application.

Photo courtesy of Roger Allis: A fire engulfs a home on Bates Road in Ridgeway on Monday evening.

RIDGEWAY – Fire investigators have been unable to pinpoint the cause of a fire that destroyed a house on Bates Road in Ridgeway on Monday.

Firefighters were dispatched to 3358 Bates Rd. at 6:18 p.m. for reports of a structure fire. Larry and Corina Sword lived at the house and weren’t injured.

The house is a total loss and was knocked down later that night. It’s now a pile of rubble.

The extensive damage to the house has prevented fire investigators from determining a specific cause of the blaze. However, the fire started on the back side of the house, said Justin Niederhofer, an Orleans County fire investigator.

Firefighters from the western battalion – Ridgeway, Lyndonville, Shelby, East Shelby and Medina – all responded to the scene.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Fire investigators say the blaze started at the back side of the house.

Photo by Annette Mrzywka: Nicole Mrzywka rides the subway with her English Springer Spaniel this afternoon. They will be in the showring at 7 p.m. at the Westminster Dog Show.

NEW YORK – A Holley High School senior is competing with her dog at one of the most prestigious dog shows.

Nicole Mrzywka, 17, advanced this morning to the finals of the junior showmanship competition at the Westminster Kennel Club. She will be back in the show ring 7 p.m. today at Madison Square Garden. She is wearing arm band No. 63.

Nicole is showing Hughie, an English Springer Spaniel. The competition can be viewed on the Westminster Kennel Club app.

“It’s always a big thing when someone from Orleans County competes on the national stage, and not only competes but excels,” said Robert Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County.

He has known Nicole for about a decade. She is a member of the Orleans County 4-H Heelers Dog Cub.

Batt said Nicole is well regarded for her skills in showing dogs.

“It’s her dedication and her practice,” he said, explaining why she is so successful.

Nicole last July was named queen of the Orleans County 4-H Fair. She shows more than dogs. The past four years she has been the reserve champion in the grand master showman competition, which features the top showman in several breeds of livestock.

At Holley, she plays on the volleyball team and was a Genesee-Region league all-star this past season.

Press Release, Congressman Chris Collins

Rep. Chris Collins (NY-27), Rep. Joseph Morelle (NY-25), Rep. Brian Higgins (NY-26), Rep. Tom Reed (NY-23) released the following statements after sending a letter to the Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao urging the Pilot Records Database (PRD) be taken out of beta testing and implemented as a requirement for all pilots to input data so that it may be used by all commercial airlines.

Section 203 of P.L. 111-216 of the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010 requires the Federal Aviation Administrations (FAA) to create a database that would provide air carriers with information regarding the pilots’ training, certifications, qualifications, and other information relating to employment history. This database is important for commercial airliners to make informed hiring decisions. In December 2017, the FAA released its PRD beta test online, 7 years after they were supposed to.

“Ten years later, the crash of Flight 3407 still weighs heavily on our community,” said Congressman Collins. “The families have worked tirelessly to make our skies safe. The Pilot Record Database is one of the last pieces of the puzzle and it is time for it to be fully implemented.”

“On the 10th anniversary of the Flight 3407 tragedy, the best way to honor the memories of the innocent lives lost is to ensure we make permanent these critical and essential aviation safety standards,” said Congressman Joe Morelle.  “I join my colleagues, and the Families of Flight 3407, in urging Secretary Chao to put the safety and well-being of passengers first by implementing the Pilot Records Database to ensure only qualified, responsible pilots are navigating our skies.”

“The National Transportation Safety Board’s study of the crash of Flight 3407 provided direction for how to improve flight safety based on the lessons learned from this tragedy,” said Congressman Brian Higgins. “A number of changes have led to safer skies for the travelling public but we aren’t done. Creation of a Pilot Records Database was one of the measures driven by the Families of Flight 3407 and implemented by Congress years ago.  Finalization of this component that brings transparency to who’s flying our plane is long overdue.”

“As we honor those whole tragically lost their lives on Flight 3407, we continue to look for ways that we can work together to ensure the safety of the American people,” said Tom Reed. “The creation of the PRD was an encouraging step. Today we sincerely ask that it be implemented as a requirement to be used by all commercial airlines throughout the United States.”

This provision was included in the legislation after an investigation revealed that Colgan Air hired the captain of Flight 3407, without full knowledge of his complete training record which showed that he failed three “check rides” prior to operating the aircraft.

The bi-partisan letter signed by the four members of Congress adds pressure to Secretary Chao to implement the PRD, which is vital for commercial airliners to determine the qualifications of a pilot prior to hiring. Since August of 2017, the implementation of this provision has been pushed back four times and currently slated for May of this year.

LYNDONVILLE – The Board of Education sees the benefit of having a student representative on the board, to hear directly from a member of the student body about school activities and the impact of some board decisions.

Medina has a student on the board, although in a non-voting capacity. The student also can’t sit in on executive sessions where personnel and possible litigation are discussed.

The Medina student representative was approved last May in a public vote by the community.

If Lyndonville wants a student representative, it also needs the public’s support in a vote. The Lyndonville BOE can decide up until April whether it wants to put the matter up for a vote in May 21.

“It would be a benefit for the board to hear from the students and for them to see the interworkings of the board,” said Ted Lewis, BOE president.

In Medina, the High School Student Association president serves as the student representative. Medina also has an alternate.

Harold Suhr, a Lyndonville BOE member, said he would support having several students on the board, to increase the student viewpoints. He said it’s impossible for one student to represent all students.

The state law limits districts to one student representative on the board, said Jason Smith, Lyndonville school superintendent.

Districts may be able to have a bigger pool of alternates. That’s something the district will research.

“I see it as a positive,” said Susan Hrovat, a Lyndonville BOE member. “I don’t see a negative.”

District will consider if it should hire own bus drivers for service

LYNDONVILLE – The school district may be looking at a significant increase in the costs of transporting students.

The district’s current transportation provider, Student Transportation of America (Ridge Road Express), notified Lyndonville it won’t accept a renewal of the contract at a cost-of-living rate.

STA wants to keep providing service to Lyndonville, but said the contract needs to be rebid to reflect higher operating costs.

STA also has provided the service to Albion the past 30 years and that contract was rebid, with STA the low bidder – at a 30 percent increase.

The company has told school leaders the rising minimum wage is pushing up operational costs with bus drivers and aides getting paid more money.

Under Andrew Cuomo, who is starting his ninth year as governor, the minimum wage in Orleans County has gone from $7.25 to $11.10 this year. In 2020 it will be $11.80 and then $12.50 in 2021.

Joe DiPassio Jr., Lyndonville’s school business administrator, has tentatively budgeted for a 44 percent increase in transportation costs or $308,064. That would go from $701,300 to $1,009,364.

“I’m hoping it won’t be that high,” he told the Board of Education on Monday.

Lyndonville is rebidding the bus contract and it may be a joint bid with Barker and Roy-Hart. The economies of scale could get the three districts a better deal, said Jason Smith, Lyndonville’s district superintendent.

The districts will use a consultant to try to reach out to more transportation companies. Albion only had two bidders. STA’s bid was actually about half the cost of the other company’s proposal.

Lyndonville’s low bid for the service may be less than the $308,000 increase DiPassio put in the budget. He didn’t want to underestimate the cost and have the district scrambling to find the money. State aid will cover about 90 percent of the cost, but there is a lag of about a year in that reimbursement, DiPassio said.

He is putting together a tentative budget by March 1, because Lyndonville’s projected budget for spending and the tax levy need to be submitted to the state. The budget can be modified before it goes to a public vote on May 21.

Lyndonville’s budget right now calls for a 2 percent tax increase, which stays under the tax cap.

Transportation is the biggest increase facing the district. Given the big hike, Board of Education members said a better option might be for the district to provide the service with its own employees.

Lyndonville owns the buses, with STA providing drivers, a manager and a mechanic.

Bus drivers are in short supply. STA guarantees the district won’t be left without a driver for a bus run.

“We’ll look at every option given the cost increases,” said Ted Lewis, the BOE president. “We’ll look at all options to try to minimize the impact to taxpayers.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: The front entrance of the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School is pictured this morning with tough weather conditions.

The dramatic extremes of winter weather continue today, this time with blowing snow and ice. It was about 60 outside a week ago.

The past two weeks Orleans County has experienced bitter cold, near blizzard conditions, an ice storm, flooding, temperatures below zero and two different warm-ups in the 50s to 60s.

Today it’s cold in the 20s. A winter weather advisory is in effect until 10 p.m. today with 2 to 4 inches of snow expected, about a tenth of an inch of ice, and winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour.

A wind advisory also is in effect from 1 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday. There will be southwest winds from 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.

Although numbers for team, district doesn’t want to jeopardize other shared programs with Medina

LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville varsity boys soccer players will continue to play on a merged team with Medina for at least the next four years, the Lyndonville Board of Education decided on Monday during a contentious board meeting.

Many Lyndonville parents have urged the district to bring back its own boys soccer team. Lyndonville has played with Medina the past six years with Medina hosting the team. Both districts have an upcoming varsity cohort with nearly 20 players from each school. There are 11 players on the field at once and each team should have some substitutes.

Some Lyndonville parents said a combined team will mean many good players will be cut and won’t play, or will be on the bench when they could be playing for their own school.

Susan Hrovat said the merged programs boost opportunities for Lyndonville students.

The board admitted it has been a difficult decision.

“I’m so torn on this it’s painful,” said board member Steven Vann. “To bring soccer back isn’t worth losing all the rest of it.”

Vann said the agreements are “an all or nothing deal.”

Richard Mufford, Lyndonville’s board vice president, disputed that, saying the eight shared programs are intended to be looked at individually.

Medina wouldn’t drop Lyndonville from the other agreements because Medina would otherwise struggle to field their own teams and their programs would be diminished.

“They’re in as much need of us as we are of them,” Mufford said.

He said the intermunicipal agreements were supposed to be temporary and evaluated on a frequent basis, looking at student numbers and other issues.

Lyndonville and Medina have eight shared programs with Lyndonville hosting the boys volleyball, girls varsity soccer and the musical program. Medina hosts a merged boys varsity soccer, varsity football, cross country, the marching band and swimming.

Medina school officials wanted stability and a long-term commitment from Lyndonville. Normally the agreements between the districts are for one or two years for each program. This time the agreements will be for four years.

“We’re trying to be creative and innovative by doing things,” said board member Susan Hrovat. “We’ve provided more opportunities than I ever remember.”

Ted Lewis, the Lyndonville BOE president, said the merged programs have given Lyndonville students new opportunities with football, swimming, cross country and the marching band, which aren’t offered at Lyndonville. The merged teams also ensure other programs will continue.

“That speaks to adding and maximizing opportunities,” he said.

Lyndonville in recent years has typically only had five to 8 players on the boys soccer team. This past season it had 12. Lewis said the district has a declining student enrollment.

“Yes, for a few years we have the numbers,” he said. “But with the current demographics we’ll go back to a number of five or six players.”

Ted Lewis, the BOE president, wants stability in the merged programs.

The merged team passed with a 5-2 vote. Mufford and Terry Stinson both voted against the merged boys soccer, but backed the other seven intermunicipal agreements.

Mufford is a Medina graduate. He said both schools are great communities. He wants to see more support for the merged teams. Right now, only the family members of the players tend to go to games.

That differs from Lyndonville basketball games and other sports where Lyndonville has its own team. Those games are big community events, he said.

Mufford would also like to see more games played in Lyndonville with the merged team. Medina is in Section 6 and Lyndonville is in Section 5. The Section 6 referees by contract can’t work on a field in Section 5 for league games, Lyndonville school officials said. That has limited Lyndonville to hosting a few non-league games and exhibitions.

Stinson also said the community needs to embrace the merged teams as a Lyndonville team, and show support for the athletes from both schools.

Katie Whipple has a son on the team. She said the Lyndonville and Medina kids each play on their own modified and JV teams, and then some players are left out with the merged varsity team. She said Lyndonville should be focused on trying to have as many kids opportunities to play as possible. Some who have played since seventh grade will see their soccer careers end by the time they are juniors and seniors, she said.

When the board was voting, Whipple’s husband Patrick interjected and told the board it wasn’t following its policies for decision-making.

“You are being negligent in your duty,” Whipple yelled.

He was told to “stand down” and leave the room by board members. Whipple obliged and left the meeting after back-and-forth shouting.

Board member Kelly Cousins acknowledged the issue has stirred passion from parents. She said that participation from the community is an asset for the school district, she said.

Cousins said she spoke with a Medina board member who told her Medina didn’t want Lyndonville to leave the merged boys soccer.

Cousins said Medina isn’t dictating the decision-making at Lyndonville. However, Medina would see Lyndonville’s departure from a merged boys soccer as hurting the relationship between the two districts, Cousins said the Medina board member told her.

“I’m not willing to take that risk,” Cousins said about straining the partnership between the two districts.

Board member Sue Hrovat of Lyndonville said she had a similar conversation with a Medina board member, who told Hrovat Lyndonville’s exit from that agreement would be viewed unfavorably with the other shared agreements. Hrovat supports staying with Medina, for all of the programs.

“I know that this is the best thing for our school long-term,” she said.

Photos by Tom Rivers

RIDGEWAY – A Ridgeway home was engulfed in flames and destroyed this evening. Firefighters were dispatched to 3358 Bates Rd. at 6:18 p.m. for reports of a structure fire.

Larry and Corina Sword live at the house and weren’t injured.

Firefighters from the western battalion – Ridgeway, Lyndonville, Shelby, East Shelby and Medina – all responded to the scene.

Fire investigators were called in to try to determine the cause of the fire.

Medina brought its ladder truck to try to put out the flames upstairs in the house while other firefighters worked to put out the fire below.

Firefighters try to get the fire under control. It was in the low 20s outside.

MEDINA – The Village of Medina will be getting $55,000 from the Orleans Economic Development Agency to build a new pedestrian bridge over Oak Orchard Creek on Maple Ridge Road.

The EDA’s board of directors approved the allocation on Friday. The money comes from a revolving loan fund that needs to be phased out.

Medina also will use $130,000 from the Town of Shelby for the bridge. That $130,000 also is from the revolving loan fund through the EDA.

The state is making the economic development agencies around the state close out the funds. The remaining funds can stay local if there is a project identified by March 31. The projects need to serve low-to-moderate income residents, or improve handicapped accessibility at a public space.

If a project isn’t identified that meets the state criteria, the funds need to be sent back to Albany.

The section of Maple Ridge by the creek has become busier with a housing development, several new businesses and also the GCC campus center. There are also about 200 available acres in the area being promoted for development by the EDA.

The pedestrian bridge and sidewalks on Maple Ridge have been sought by the village for several years but Medina didn’t receive grants for the project.