‘You could spend tens of thousands of dollars testing for hundreds of things. But you may never get that aha moment where we know why this happening.’

ALBION – The leader of numerous studies on elevated breast cancer rates addressed Albion teachers and the community on Thursday, and said it’s possible that the elementary school teachers and staff have a high rate of breast cancer.

Angie Wolfe, who has battled breast cancer the past year, said many staff members at the school have been diagnosed with breast cancer recently, including 9 in the past 5 years, and 15 in the past 10 years.

Nellie Brown, director of the Workplace Health and Safety Program for Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, spoke for more than an hour, outlining numerous chemicals that can be potential causes of breast cancer or “endocrine disrupters.” She helped develop the database of chemicals known to cause cancer and worked for the Program on Breast cancer and Environmental Factors at Cornell from 1995 to 2009.

Brown said Americans have been bombarded with chemicals since they were in the womb, and tracing a specific impact on a person may be impossible to determine, given the exposures may have been decades ago at an unknown amount.

“We are surrounded by synthetics and dust,” she said.

There could be a study of the elementary school environment to rule out potential causes, such as the ventilation systems, cleaning products, and chemicals used at science labs, art classes and woodshop. There could be a chemical analysis of air contaminants, measuring particulates.

(Nearby industry, groundwater and soil contamination have been factors in elevated rates in other locations, she said.)

There is emerging science that shows endocrine disrupters play a role in developing cancer, Brown told about 50 people on Thursday evening during a 2-hour meeting in the middle school auditorium.

James Bowers, an epidemiologist who studies diseases for the state Department of Health, speaks at Thursday’s meeting in the middle school auditorium.

There are more than 100 chemicals that have adverse impacts on humans and the world is seeing the impact, not only with elevated cancer rates, but with earlier puberty, lower sperm counts and higher rates of obesity, Brown said.

“We are being inundated with endocrine disrupters,” she said.

This is one of the slides shared by Nellie Brown during her presentation on Thursday.

Brown was the featured speaker during Thursday’s meeting, and was brought in by the district after the Albion Teachers Association raised concerns during the Jan. 7 Board of Education meeting, saying 22 teachers and staff at the school have been diagnosed with breast cancer in recent years, including nine in the past five years.

Brown said determining the causes of elevated breast cancer rates is challenging due to the complexity of the disease and many risk factors involved. It also takes a long time for breast tumors to develop, at least a decade after an exposure to a carcinogen.

If someone at the school has been diagnosed with breast cancer within a decade of working there, that person can rule out the school environment as a cause, said James Bowers, an epidemiologist who studies diseases for the state Department of Health.

He has done many studies on elevated cancer rates in communities including four at other schools this year.

To determine if there is a cancer cluster, Bowers looks to see if the cancer is the same type of the disease, the age of people when they were diagnosed (are there unusual age groups such as 20 to 30 years old instead of ages 50 to 70?), how long have worked there, where they live (many don’t live in the community where they work). He also wants to know how many people also worked in the building over five years, 10 years and longer, to determine the rates of cancer in the building.

“Twenty (diagnoses of cancer) in 10 years is a lot different than 20 in 30 years,” he said.

He would compare the incidence rate at the school with the rate in the community.

Chris Keller, president of the Albion Teachers Association, asks the Board of Education to pursue testing air quality in the elementary school.

Brown, the Cornell specialist, said breast cancer rates have been rising slightly in the United States. She shared data that shows the Orleans County rate is lower than in the average in Western New York, the state and nationally.

The Orleans County breast cancer rate of 114.4 per 100,000 women compared to the US average of 119.8, the NYS average of 131.3, and Niagara County, 133.9; Erie County, 147.9; and Genesee County, 141.2.

Sometimes in a smaller community when a teacher gets breast cancer, it is a “thunderclap” and spurs other teachers and staff to get checked, sometimes leading to early detections and a spike in diagnoses, Bowers said.

The fact is teachers do have elevated rates of breast cancer, Brown and Bowers said. That is a reality around the world. California, for example, has studied 133,000 teachers. That state has an elevated rate of breast cancer in teachers. After years of exhaustive study, there isn’t a definitive cause for the elevated cancer rates.

Margy Brown, president of the Board of Education, said the board has safety as a top priority.

“You could spend tens of thousands of dollars testing for hundreds of things,” Bowers said. “But you may never get that aha moment where we know why this happening.”

Brown highlighted some risks related to breast cancer: advancing age, late menopause, lack of exercise, overweight, alcohol, diet, smoking, genetics, close relative, light exposure at night, and chemicals at work, home, garden and recreation.

There is also some evidence of higher breast cancer risk if exposure to acid mists, benzene, carbon tetrachloride, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, lead oxide, methylene chloride and styrene.

Brown again said it is challenging to determine the cause of breast cancer. It is difficult to measure low-level exposures to multiple chemicals from the distant past, Brown said.

The levels of exposure at critical periods of breast development (in utero through puberty) also is largely unknown. And exposures to many chemicals in the home and workplace are not well characterized.

“The number of items is so dang ubiquitous it can be hard to avoid them,” she said.

The chemicals can be disrupt the endocrine glands, which control the body processes of growth, development, reproduction, homeostasis and metabolism – from conception through adulthood into old age.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals can mimic hormones and interfere with delicate hormonal balances that control or affect the development of cancer, reproduction, neurobehavioral and the immune system, Brown said.

“Endocrine disruption has turned our views upside down,” she said. “Even a small dose can cause damage.”

After the presentations from Brown and Bowers, Chris Keller, president of the Teachers Association, asked that the school district study the air quality and ventilation in the buildings.

Nellie Brown said she could do a test in about a day with cooperation from the buildings and grounds, checking ventilation and air quality.

Margy Brown, president of the Albion Board of Education, said the board and school officials will discuss the next step. The board has a meeting on Monday.

“I assure you we are looking at this,” Brown told the group at the meeting. “We have brought the experts in and we will formulate a plan based on what they tell us.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: The bridge on Route 18 over Oak Orchard Creek is pictured last week. The bridge was limited to alternating one-lane traffic.

CARLTON –  The New York State Department of Transportation today advised motorists of a short-term closure for the bridge on Route 18 over Oak Orchard Creek.

Earlier this month, traffic was reduced to a one-way alternating pattern using a signal at each end of the bridge. The repairs, which will begin on Friday, are expected to last approximately one week and will restore traffic over the bridge to two lanes.

A detour will be posted for motorists while the bridge is closed for repairs. The stretch of Lake Ontario State Parkway west of Route 98, which is currently closed for the winter, will re-open temporarily to accommodate traffic during the bridge closure.

MEDINA – The Medina school district will be closed on Friday for the third straight day as bitter cold persists.

Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent, said Medina will close “due to the wind chill advisory and the amount of walkers that we have.”

The forecast calls for the temperature to only be 3 degrees at 8 a.m., 6 degrees at 10 a.m. and 10 degrees at noon.

The All County Festival will go on as scheduled for Saturday at Medina. All students participating will need to report to the high school at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.

State Police, the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies will increase their patrols on Super Bowl weekend beginning this Saturday through 4 a.m. Monday.

Law enforcement agencies across the state will crack down on impaired driving during Super Bowl weekend. The STOP-DWI campaign will include underage drinking enforcement, increased patrols and sobriety checkpoints to deter, identify and arrest impaired drivers.

While STOP-DWI efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the number of drinking and driving fatalities, too many lives continue to be lost due to crashes caused by impaired drivers. During the 2018 Super Bowl campaign, State Police arrested 120 people for impaired driving and issued 7,733 tickets.

The enforcement crackdown is funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

“Unlike the Super Bowl, there are no winners when someone makes the choice to get behind the wheel of a vehicle impaired,” said Acting State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett. “If you are going to be drinking, have a game plan to get home safely. Safety is our top priority and we will be increasing patrols and expanding sobriety checkpoints to identify dangerous and impaired drivers and prevent them from causing senseless tragedies. If you’re celebrating, do your part and celebrate responsibly. Don’t drive impaired. Together, we can save lives and prevent serious injuries.”

During this enforcement period, drivers can expect a number of sobriety checkpoints and DWI patrols. Law enforcement will also be looking for motorists who are using their phones and other electronic devices while behind the wheel. Drivers should also remember to “move over” for stopped emergency and hazard vehicles stopped on the side of the road when they travel New York roadways.

If people are drinking, Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower urges them to plan a safe way to get home. They should call for a ride from a sober friend, family member, taxi or Uber, he said.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Snow blows across Fancher Road in Murray today when it was 7 degrees outside.

It may seem hard to believe but the high temperature on Monday is forecast to reach 53 degrees.

It is currently 7 outside and Friday will only get up to 13 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

But Saturday the temperatures will go above freezing to 37, followed by a high of 39 on Sunday. Orleans County on Monday goes over the 50-degree barrier.

The warmup has the Weather Service urging people to be ready for flooding next week from melting snow and ice jams.

ALBION – A Lyndonville man was sentenced to four years in state prison today for first-degree sex abuse for allegedly having sexual contact with a victim under the age of 11.

Jason Dusett

Jason A. Dusett, 43, also was sentenced for second-degree sex abuse.

There are two victims in the case, and Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church issued orders of protection for 8 years, the maximum allowed.

Susan Howard, assistant district attorney, said Dusett has been diagnosed with pedophilia disorder and is considered a high risk to reoffend.

Joanne Best, the public defender, asked for probation for Dusett, saying it would provide supervision. She said Dusett has no prior criminal history except for a driving while intoxicated charge.

Judge Church acknowledged a limited criminal history with Dusett, but the judge said there were other uncharged sex crimes with underaged girls involving Dusett.

The judge also said Dusett has not taken full responsibility for the crime.

Dusett declined to speak at sentencing.

In addition to the four years in state prison, Dusett will be on post-release supervision for 10 years. He also has to pay a sex offender victim fee of $1,000, a mandatory court surcharge of $300, another sex offender fee of $50, a DNA database fee of $50 and a crime victim’s fee of $25.

In another case in court today, a Syracuse woman pleaded guilty to attempted promoting prison contraband in the first degree.

Angela Fields of Syracuse allegedly brought Suboxone (buprenorphine) to the Albion Correctional Facility. The pills are considered a controlled substance. They are used to reduce symptoms of opiate addiction and withdrawal.

Fields admitted in court today to bringing the pills in bag when she visited the prison on Sept. 1, 2018.

She is a second-felony offender and faces a maximum of 1 ½ to 3 years in prison when she is sentenced on May 9.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MURRAY – Firefighters from several departments are on the scene of a garage fire at 15833 Brockville Rd., which is off Fancher Road in the Town of Murray.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 10:40 a.m.

Firefighters from Albion, Clarendon, Fancher-Hulberton-Murray, Holley and Kendall fire departments are at the scene, as well as the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and Orleans County Emergency Management Office.

The current temperature is 7 degrees and there is blowing snow.

Jerry Bentley (in red), deputy fire coordinator for the county, joins firefighters at the scene.

No other information is available.

File photo by Tom Rivers: One of the rooms in the Hart House Hotel includes a picture of Bob Hope, one of the prominent customers of the former Newell company. The room is one of four hotel rooms and two extended stay loft apartments in the former Robert H. Newell Building at 113 West Center St., which for 86 years was home to the Robert H. Newell Shirt Factory. That company manufactured custom-made shirts, including for many famous customers, including Hope and Winston Churchill.

MEDINA – The Village Board has approved a 2 percent occupancy tax and will use the funds to promote economic development and tourism in the village.

Medina needs the State Legislature to approve the new tax, and Assemblyman Michael Norris, R-Lockport, has offered to take the lead in getting the legislation through Albany.

The village’s new 2 percent tax is on top of the 4 percent occupancy tax imposed by the county. The 4 percent occupancy tax generates about $35,000 a year and is used solely by the county for its tourism promotion efforts.

Medina has been looking for ways to boost revenue for the village without relying on property taxes. Mayor Mike Sidari isn’t sure how much the 2 percent tax will generate for the village.

It will be applied to hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and other lodging establishments within the village.

Medina will see an increase in rooms with the renovation of the Bent’s Opera House to be partly used as a hotel. A new chain hotel, Cobblestone Inn & Suites, also is expected to be built on Maple Ridge Road.

In passing the occupancy tax, the Village Board stated in a resolution there would be the following advantages for Medina:

• Promote economic development throughout the Village of Medina and its historic Business District;

• Increase promotion and use of the Erie Barge Canal for economic growth to locally owned businesses;

• Help promote a stable property tax base.

The board said many events and businesses draw people to the community throughout the year, including the wine and beer tasting events, Thomas the Train at the Medina Railroad Museum, Farm-to-Table dinner, fishing derbies, the Parade of Lights, and the many businesses in a vibrant downtown.

The Village Board wants to help promote those businesses and attractions. It also wants to have more resources to promote economic development at the business parks in Medina.

The village can use the money from the bed tax. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed wiping out the village’s AIM funding of $45,523, which hadn’t been increased in many years. The Aid and Incentives to Municipalities for Medina has been a tiny fraction of what the state gives a city.

Medina also has seen its shares of the local sales tax fall because of a formula tied to assessed value. As the assessed value in Ridgeway and Shelby has increased faster than the rate of growth in the village, the two towns have taken some of the village’s sales tax under the county formula.

The board couldn’t say when it expects the State Legislature will approve the new tax in Medina.

Treasurer’s Office will be open and some county employees will report for work

ALBION – Most Orleans County government offices will be closed again on Thursday with bitterly cold temperatures in the forecast.

Although most of the county buildings will be closed, some employees should report to work including county dispatchers, jail employees, deputies on the road patrol, highway department workers and buildings and grounds.

In addition, the Treasurer’s Office will be open for people to pay delinquent taxes.

The County Courthouse also is planned to be open on Thursday.

With bitter cold temperatures in the forecast for Thursday, including 1 degree at 8 a.m. with a 20-below wind chill, all five school districts in Orleans County have announced they will be closed.

Albion, Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina have announced that school is cancelled for Thursday, including extracurricular and after-school activities.

Albion Central School will have a 6 p.m. Board of Education meeting in the Middle School Auditorium. Cornell University personnel will give a presentation about the Albion Teachers’ Association health concerns at the elementary school.  This special presentation is open to staff and the community.

File photo: This picture shows a body camera on an Albion police officer. Albion started using the cameras on Oct. 1, 2016.

MEDINA – The Police Department will be adding body cameras to the 13 members of the department, likely in March, Police Chief Chad Kenward said.

The department has purchased 13 body cameras for about $12,000. State funding from Sen. Robert Ortt and money from a state forfeiture program from a drug arrest in medina are covering 76 percent of the cost, Kenward told the Village Board on Monday.

The remainder of the cost, about $3,000, is from the Police Department budget.

“Each officer has been assigned a body cam and will be wearing it when on duty,” Kenward said today. “We are still in the initial stages of the project. The cameras just came in the other day.  We are currently working on installing the software into the system and I am working on the policies and procedures for the camera program for the department.”

Albion started using body cams on officers on Oct. 1, 2016 and the Holley Police Department added four body cameras in October 2017. The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t have body cams.

Kenward said the cameras have reduced personnel complaints for other departments, and also provide evidence during an arrest or incident.

Kenward also notified the board a new vehicle for the K9 and Lt. Todd Draper, the dog’s handler, is now in service.

Orleans County’s neighbor to the south, Genesee, is getting pounded with wind and snow today. The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning until 1 a.m. Thursday for Genesee, which could get another 5 to 10 inches of snow. Winds are gusting as high as 40 mph with  wind chills as low as 25 below zero. Erie and Wyoming counties are included in the blizzard warning.

Orleans County hasn’t faced those harsh conditions today. It has been brutally cold with temperatures in the low single digits.

A wind chill warning remains in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday for Orleans. Winds will be gusting as high as 35 mph and wind chills as low as 30 below zero are expected.

UPDATED 3:48: Genesee County has issued a travel ban. Blowing and drifting snow have created poor visibility and unsafe/hazardous traveling conditions for motorists.

A travel ban means no travel for anyone except emergency vehicles which includes police, ambulance, snow plows, etc.

HOLLEY – Many school districts closed today in Western New York, including Albion, Medina and Lyndonville in Orleans County. Holley and Kendall both stayed open. (Kendall has cancelled all afternoon and evening activities at the school today.)

(UPDATED at 2:36 p.m.: Holley has also cancelled after-school activities today and school on Thursday.)

Brian Bartalo, Holley’s Superintendent of Schools, posted on the district website his rationale for keeping school open today. Here is his explanation:

“I want to assure you that the decision to close school is taken very seriously and with the safety of all in mind. If any one reason, or combination of them, suggests that we should close school, I will do so.

“Here are some of the factors I consider when deciding to keep the district open or closed based on weather conditions: visibility, road conditions, temperatures (including wind chill), and the pending forecast. I consult with a number of people inside and outside of our district and monitor these factors continuously. I also make sure the heat in all our buildings is functioning and busses are able to run. Once I’ve been assured we are within a safe range to open, school remains open.

“Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower issued a ‘travel advisory’ for today (Jan. 30), not a ‘ban,’ based on the weather conditions in the western parts of Orleans County. If there had been a travel ban declared, we would be closed.

“Some area districts elected to close today, due to a high number of students who walk to school. All our students have the opportunity to be transported to school. While we have some that chose to walk to school, they can all board a district bus to get to and from school. Most of our students are picked up at their home (driveway). At dismissal time, no students are “out waiting” for a bus. They are picked up right near our buildings and then let out to go directly into their homes.

“School is an important place for our students to be. I want them to know and understand that. Some students are warmer and have more nutritious meals in school. Some parents can’t provide adequate supervision at home when we close and they have to go to work. Some parents have to choose to miss work and forfeit pay if they have to stay home to provide care for their children on emergency closing days.

“In the end, my decision is to do what’s best for our students, staff and community.

“If weather conditions worsen, I will get the message out ASAP if we need to cancel any activities or close school.”

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Erica Chutko, director of Radiology and Cardiac Services at Medina Memorial Hospital, and radiologist Dr. Dale Sponaugle are shown with the hospital’s 64-slice CT scanner, one of the most advanced in the industry.

MEDINA – Staff of Orleans Community Health are determined to dispel myths that people have to go to the big cities to find the latest advancements in X-ray technology.

Some of the scanning and X-ray equipment at Medina Memorial Hospital are comparable to those found in many bigger hospitals, according to Erica Chutko, director of Radiology and Cardiac services at the hospital.

One of their latest advancements is having digital capability on all X-ray equipment.

“We previously had to take X-rays using film, then wait while the film was developed,” Chutko said. “Now we take an X-ray and the results are available within seconds on a computer.”

Another new service at the hospital is walk-in service 24/7 for general X-ray. There is no need to make an appointment any more, other than for special X-rays.

The hospital is also fortunate to have a highly trained radiologist, Dr. Dale Sponaugle. The doctor graduated from medical school in 1985 at the University of Buffalo; did his internship in general surgery from 1985 to 1987 at the University at Buffalo; did his residency from 1987 to 1991 in diagnostic radiology at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine; did his fellowship from 1991 to 1992 in body MRI at the University at Buffalo; and is board certified by the American Board of Radiology in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

He has been at Orleans Community Health since February 1991.

The department also takes in many student interns, said Cindy Perry, director of Education, Wellness and Marketing at the hospital’s Community Partners.

“Dr. Sponaugle does a lot of educational things with them,” Perry said.

Chutko said they also allow high school students to shadow them for a day to decide if a career in radiology is what they want to do.

Perry reinforced the fact that people sometimes think they have to go to the big cities for their diagnostic testing, when the same opportunities are available right in Medina.

“We have great equipment here,” Chutko said. “Someone can even come in after work at midnight. Our Nuclear Department has taken clients on Saturday when they can’t get here any other time. Our equipment is all state-of-the-art.”

The hospital’s ultimate goal would be to have 3-D mammography, something which is only available now in the big university hospitals.

“We can provide a lot of quality services close to home,” Perry said.

For instance, one of the newest pieces of equipment is a 64-slice CT scanner. The more slices, the more information it provides, Dr. Sponaugle said.

Chutko said Sponaugle is an amazing radiologist.

“He is scary smart,” she said.

Also a benefit to the hospital is the fact the majority of people in the Radiology Department have been there 10 years or more. She has been there 25 years.

Chutko said she practically grew up there. Her mother started as an aide at 16 and worked 30 years in Obstetrics, two years as manager. Her aunt worked almost 35 years in various departments, including two years as manager of the ER.

“We are always up on the latest technology, and we cross train, giving us an edge on other facilities,” Chutko said. “This enables us to offer all our services all the time.”

Press Release, American Red Cross

Photo by Tom Rivers: Icicles are hanging near the door of the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church at about 11 a.m. when the temperature was 4 degrees.

A winter storm is bringing several inches of snow, high winds, and dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills to the Western and Central New York Region. The American Red Cross has steps you should take to stay safe if you are in the path of winter storms.

“Winter weather poses unique challenges to people faced with bitter cold, snow and ice,” said Alan H. Turner II, American Red Cross, Western and Central New York Regional CEO. “Whether trying to keep your home warm or having to be outside in the cold, you can follow these steps to get through the storm.”

HEAT YOUR HOME SAFELY

It’s that time of year when many people resort to space heaters and other sources to keep their homes warm. Home heating is the second leading cause of fires in this country.

To reduce the risk of heating related fires, the Red Cross recommends these steps:

• All heaters need space. Keep children, pets and things that can burn (paper, matches, bedding, furniture, clothing, carpets, and rugs) at least three feet away from heating equipment.

• If you must use a space heater, place it on a level, hard and nonflammable surface (such as ceramic tile floor), not on rugs, carpets or near bedding or drapes. Plug power cords directly into outlets – never into an extension cord.

• Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended, and use a glass or metal fire screen to keep fire and embers in the fireplace.

• Never use a cooking range or oven to heat your home.

• Turn off portable space heaters every time you leave the room or go to sleep.

STAY SAFE DURING WINTER WEATHER

• Wear layers of clothing, a hat, mittens and waterproof, insulated boots.

• Be careful when tackling strenuous tasks like shoveling snow in cold temperatures.

• Check on your neighbors, especially elderly people living alone, people with disabilities and children.

• Bring pets indoors. If they can’t come inside, make sure they have enough shelter to keep them warm and that they can get to unfrozen water.

• Watch for hypothermia and frostbite. Hypothermia symptoms include confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering. Frostbite symptoms include numbness, flushed gray, white, blue or yellow skin discoloration, numbness, or waxy feeling skin.

WINTER TRAVEL SAFETY

Stay off the road if possible during severe weather. If you must drive in winter weather, follow these tips:

• Make sure everyone has their seat belts on and give your full attention to the road.

• Don’t follow other vehicles too closely. Sudden stops are difficult on snowy roadways.

• Don’t use cruise control when driving in winter weather.

• Don’t pass snow plows.

• Ramps, bridges and overpasses freeze before roadways.