Provided photos: Students created posters and a display with boots as a fundraiser. Marc Budziszewski is at left and Coleman Sutch is at right.

Press Release, Roy-Hart Agriculture Foundation

MIDDLEPORT – The Royalton-Hartland Agriculture Foundation Farm Boot Drive has begun and will run now until Friday, January 17.

The conclusion of the boot drive will be at our MOO-vie Night Fundraiser on Jan. 17! Farm-themed concessions open at 6 p.m. and the movie begins 6:30 p.m. at Roy-Hart High School. This event is open to all community members.

Roy-Hart Elementary Green Team members’ boots are now on display at local businesses in Middleport, Gasport, Lockport and Medina for the Roy-Hart Agriculture Foundation Farm Boot Drive. If you see a pair around town, please drop your spare change or a few dollars in to help the RHES Green Team and all PreK-12th grade Ag programs at Royalton-Hartland.

We are so grateful to all these local businesses for supporting us by putting out our boots!

The boots are located at each RH school main office as well as these locations:

• Gasport – Chop’s Shop, Ports Pizza & Subs, Hartland Abattoir, Canalside, Stockham Lumber, Schwab’s Farm Market, Drum Oil & Propane, Olear’s, Fort Hyde Kennels, Market on the Ridge, Librock Beef (Saturday only), and Hartland Town Hall.
• Middleport – Village Pizzeria, RH Community Library, Middleport Family Health Center, Darrell’s Place, T+S Crop Services, Alternative Grounds, Amy Hannsen Training Center, X Roo Candy Shop, The Mercantile Royale, and Royalton Town Hall.
• Lockport – Ace Hardware, Scapelliti’s, Half Baked Cookies, Clyde’s Feed & Animal Center, Howell Motors Ford and Somerset Town Hall.
• Medina – Roberts Farm Market and Tractor Supply.

Businesses and organizations in the Roy-Hart community are displaying posters and boots in a fundraiser for the Roy-Hart Agriculture Foundation.

RHES Green Team has 41 members from 3rd and 4th grade. We meet twice a month afterschool to prepare a farm-fresh snack, read an agriculture book, learn and implement hands-on projects. Students help to maintain the Outdoor Learning Lab and other green spaces around the elementary school. We also participate in and promote NY Agriculture in the Classroom programs.

RHES Green Team members listened to a read aloud of “Farm Boots” by Lisl H. Detlefsen, a joyful verse text that takes readers through the seasons and many types of boots that are needed to get all the jobs at the farm done.

Members were asked to write and draw about how they currently use their farm boots for work or play and how they will plan to use farm boots in future.

Advisor of the club and elementary teacher Shelly Budziszewski said, “The story ‘Farm Boots’ was very touching and personal to me because farm boots were always lined up in the back room at my grandparents farm for the grandkids to use to help with chores or play in the mud. I connected this to a boot drive, like my husband’s fire company does to collect donations for our Ag program at RH.”

All funds raised through the Royalton-Hartland Agriculture Foundation will be used for agriculture education Pre-K to 12th grade as well as our extracurricular agriculture clubs, Green Team and FFA.

RHES Green Team will utilize the funds for purchasing local products for snack, gardening supplies, as well as paying for admission and transportation to local agriculture businesses for hands-on learning opportunities. Last year we traveled to McCollum’s Farms in Middleport and Hoover’s Dairy in Sanborn. This year we have visited Becker Farms for a pumpkin harvest which we used to decorate the school for Halloween and have plans to visit WNY Energy in Medina to learn about ethanol as a fuel source.

Provided photo: State Senator Rob Ortt speaks at the DMV office in North Tonawanda today. He is joined by Assembly members Angelo Morinello & Paul Bologna, Niagara County Clerk Joe Jastrzemski, Niagara County Legislator Irene Myers, and Chief Deputy Aaron Schultz from the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office.

Press Release, State Sen. Rob Ortt’s Office

NORTH TONAWANDA – Today, joined by members of the Western New York legislative delegation, law enforcement officials, and county clerks, New York State Senator Rob Ortt blasted New York’s dangerous Green Light Law, which he said hinders law enforcement officers from effectively doing their job.

Senator Ortt and officials present vowed that restoring laws that give our law enforcement the tools and resources to rein in illegal migrants will be a top priority this legislative session for them.

Since becoming a sanctuary state and allowing unvetted illegal immigrants into New York, crime has risen and billions of tax dollars have gone toward housing and feeding individuals from across the world. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation not only allowing these individuals to obtain driver’s licenses, but prohibited federal law enforcement from accessing their information through the DMV database.

“In a common-sense effort to keep New Yorkers safe, my conference will re-introduce legislation such as Laken’s Law and Green Light Law repealers that uncuffs law enforcement and allows local and federal partners to work together again,” Ortt said. “This past November, New Yorkers and people across the nation overwhelmingly voted in favor of making America safe again, and it’s time we as lawmakers get to work doing so – these bills are just the beginning of those efforts.”

“The NYS Green Light Law has severely restricted our ability to work with our federal partners to keep our borders secure,” said Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti. “I fully support any legislation that reverses this law and enables us to keep our communities safe.  The fact that this law threatens local law enforcement with a felony level crime for sharing information should raise the eyebrows of our residents,”.

“As Sheriff, my priority is quality public safety,” said Erie County Sheriff John Garcia. “Collaboration among our law enforcement partners is a critical component of keeping Erie County’s residents safe. Unfortunately, the Green Light Law as it was enacted in 2019 severely impedes our ability to do that. We oppose any hindrance on sharing information with our federal law enforcement partners.”

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion Exempts presented a certificate of commendation to John Grillo, the Albion recreation director, on Thursday evening.

Exempts member Dan Conrad, left, and President Stritzinger, right, presented the certificate to Grillo. He also received a complimentary membership to the exempts, which serves food to the public at its headquarters on South Clinton Street. Membership in the Exempts is open to the community at $20.

The club also presented Grillo with $75 which he said he will direct to a fireworks fund at the Village of Albion. Grillo is trying to raise money for fireworks at Bullard Park on July 3. He said many donations have come in for fireworks.

“We are very close to our goal,” he said.

Grillo has led the Albion recreation program for about 50 years. The program has partnered with Foodlink and community organizations to provide many meals for children at the park during the summer rec program.

Grillo also has taken the lead in planning the summer concert series at the park.

“He’s out there doing a lot of extra stuff,” Stritzinger said.

Grillo said he has been able to do more for the recreation program since he retired as a teacher and coach at Holley.

“I’ve been able to pick up more,” Grillo said. “I do it because I love Albion.”

Provided photo: The Exempts last month also presented a certificate of commendation to Al Wilson, pastor of the Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries.

Wilson was praised for leading an effort to serve 2,000 free chicken dinners the second Saturday in December, and organizing an Easter egg hunt with 12,000 plastic eggs with treats as well as other prizes, and even free haircuts.

The church has other ministries in Albion, filling backpacks with school supplies, offering a breakfast with Santa, running Bingo for adults and giving to the summer recreation program.

ALBION – A new group of entrepreneurs has completed the 10-week Microenterprise Assistance Program offered by the Orleans Economic Development Agency.

The class included 14 graduates, which brings the total to 558 people who have completed MAP since it started in 2002. More than 200 have started a variety of businesses in the county.

The 10-week program covers topics such as legal requirements for starting a business, forms of ownership, business plan development, taxation for sole proprietors, marketing and advertising strategies, bookkeeping and record keeping, banking essentials, pricing goods and services, and cost analysis.

The graduates for fall 2024 include:

• Brent Dahlhaus, restaurant/ property management
• Haley Black, owner of Rise and Grind coffee shop in Albion
• Lionel Heydel, owner of I-Chef NY in the restaurant and catering sector
• Chad Pike, owner of Tavern on the Ridge on Route 104 in Gaines
• Shannon Fair, owner of OMNI Construction
• Vanessa & Jasser Cervantes, J&V Agrotech in Agriculture (Hydroponics)
• Donnie Rench, New York Skies, a photography and events business
• Clarissa Gallup, floriculture agriculture
• Kelsie and Benjamin Stahl, craft items
• Katie Sommerfeldt, KT Drainage Consulting
• Mark Hungerford, maintenance construction
• Molly Preston, Preston’s Farms
• Nyan Kaminski, Cedar Hill Farms – agriculture and animal feed

A new class will start in the spring. MAP coordinator Matt Holland said he expects applications will open next month.

He told the EDA board of directors this morning there will be some tweaks in the program, including more local entrepreneurs as guest speakers.

The class size of 14 seemed ideal, allowing each person personalized attention and a manageable group size to network with each other, Holland said.

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

As her fifth proposal as part of her affordability agenda for the 2025 State of the State, Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a historic initiative to ensure every single one of New York’s over 2.7 million students can receive breakfast and lunch for free at school.

This monumental program will help save parents money, address food insecurity among New York kids, and create more opportunities for students to succeed.

“The research is clear: good food in the lunchroom creates good grades in the classroom,” Governor Hochul said. “I’m proposing free school meals for every student in New York – giving kids the sustenance they need and putting more money back in parents’ pockets.”

Offering free school meals is an effective way to help keep kids in school and able to focus in the classroom. By eliminating any financial requirements to receive this benefit, New York State will level the playing field and give parents back the money they would be spending. Free school meals are estimated to save families $165 per child in grocery spending each month and have been shown to support learning, boost test scores, and improve attendance and classroom behavior.

Such an ambitious proposal has not been attempted by New York State before now, and Governor Hochul has continued to prioritize free school meals throughout her time in office. The FY 2025 Enacted Budget included $180 million to help incentivize eligible schools to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, allowing all students in participating schools to eat breakfast and lunch at no charge regardless of their families’ income.

This new State of the State initiative will cover the cost of free lunch and breakfast for every student at every school in New York State regardless of their participation in the program, which will expand eligibility to nearly 300,000 additional students.

NYSUT President Melinda Person said, “Every day in our schools, educators see hungry children who would likely qualify for existing free meal programs, but fall through the cracks due to stigma or bureaucracy. Nearly one in six New York children faces food insecurity, and this critical initiative to provide universal free meals for all students — regardless of their ZIP code or family income — will reduce food anxiety, improve mental and physical health, and support students’ ability to thrive. Every child, no matter their circumstances, deserves the nutrition they need to grow and learn.”

ALBION – The swearing in of Dr. Julie Woodworth of Lyndonville as coroner makes her only the second woman to serve as coroner in Orleans County.

Woodworth took the oath of office on Wednesday from county clerk Nadine Hanlon. Woodworth was elected in November. She succeeds Charlie Smith, who retired after 30 years in the position. She serves with chief coroner Scott Schmidt, Rocco Sidari and Dr. Tom Madejski, the coroners’ physician.

A woman serving as coroner is not that unusual, according to Schmidt.

“Dr. Ruth Barrett, a pathologist at Arnold Gregory Memorial Hospital in Albion, was a former deputy medical examiner in New York City before coming to Albion, way before my arrival here in 1982,” Schmidt said. “She assumed the duties of coroner and also acted as the unofficial medical examiner for the county, often doing her own autopsies at the hospital to determine the cause and manner of death.”

Schmidt said he is excited to have Woodworth joining their team of coroners in Orleans County.

“She brings a vast amount of experience as a registered nurse to the position, which will be helpful in determining whether or not a cause of death is of a natural nature, along with the understanding of underlying mechanisms of disease and illnesses,” Schmidt said. “That knowledge, along with her personal skills from dealing with people in crisis is a perfect fit for understanding what this job is all about and for being a voice of calm and reason during an emotionally charged and most difficult time in peoples’ lives.”

Woodworth has been a nurse since 1987, obtaining her PhD from NOVA Southeastern University in Florida in 2019. She has worked at DeGraff Hospital in Tonawanda, in Newfane, Medina Memorial and most recently has been teaching at Niagara County Community College, now SUNY Niagara. She has held positions in all departments, including supervision.

She is the first nursing faculty member of SUNY Niagara to get a PhD and the only person there who ever got the Distinguished Teaching Professorship Award. This is the highest award given by SUNY and is based on teaching competence consistently demonstrated over multiple years at the graduate, undergraduate or professional levels. Contributing to her selection were articles she published in the Peer Review Journal on her service in the college community and teaching skills.

Julie Woodworth, center, is congratulated by Charlie Smith, left, who retired as coroner after 30 years, and her husband Mark, after she was sworn in as coroner on Wednesday.

Three years ago Charlie Smith, a nurse at Medina Memorial Hospital and an Orleans County coroner, asked her if she would be interested in running for his position when he retired at the end of 2024. He explained intently what was required and she decided she could run for the position and retire from college if she won.

“I started going on calls with Charlie, and he gave me great mentoring,” Woodworth said. “I also received information from Scott and Rocco.”

She has given up her position as a professor of nursing, but will stay on as an adjunct professor, and she continues at Medina Hospital per diem.

In addition, Woodworth has joined the company her husband Mark works for, Schaeffer Manufacturing, where she will be an independent sales person selling grease, oil and hydraulic fluid.

“This allows me to be flexible to go to cases when I’m called during the work day,” Woodworth said. “I feel a path has been laid for me. I’ve worked in surgery, so that has prepared me. And to be offered this opportunity to serve as coroner came at the right time to allow me to retire. There must have been a reason.”

Schmidt said Woodworth joins several other women coroners in the area, including Karen Lang, a registered nurse and long-time coroner in Genesee County; Laura Goodlander, a Niagara County coroner; and Dr. Nadia Granger, chief medical examiner in Monroe County.

Schmidt was first elected to the position in 1990 and immediately joined the New York State Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners. He has attended all but three bi-annual educational conferences of the Association and just completed 16 years as their president. He is one of the instructors for the mandatory Coroner 101 Class, which Woodworth will be attending in the spring in Glen Falls.

“I’m proud to say I am author of the bill which became law in 2017 making the class mandatory for all newly elected and appointed coroners,” Schmidt said. “I am now working on a continuing education bill for coroners, which is currently getting some language revisions.”

Schmidt concluded he is looking forward to working with Woodworth, as she already has a wealth of knowledge from having worked with Charlie Smith, who Schmidt called “a great colleague, friend and public servant.”

“Charlie’s overall experience as an RN, Mercy flight nurse and a firefighter made him a well-rounded coroner, with access to many assets to help him with his investigations,” Schmidt said. “Julie has some of that experience and she also has my 34-plus years of experience as coroner, as well as the eight-plus years of Rocky Sidari to assist her in the proper technique of medicolegal death investigations, which she will have to follow as a coroner, and to also properly fill out the new electronic death certificates in tandem with Dr. Thomas Madejski, Orleans County’s coroners’ physician. I’m confident she’ll do a stellar job with it all and I welcome her to the team.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Frank Babcock, 89, presented more canes to Assemblyman Steve Hawley today to be given to veterans.

Pictured from left include Babcock’s sons Steve and Jim Babcock, Frank Babcock, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Legion commander Brad Rouse, and Nick Mroz, the Veterans Service Agency director in Orleans County.

Babcock last month gave Hawley about a dozen canes that Hawley said he would give to veterans, perhaps at the NYS Veterans Home in Batavia, the National Cemetery in Pembroke or through the Patriot Trip that Hawley leads each September to monuments in the Washington, D.C. area.

Babcock made about a dozen more than he presented to Hawley today at the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency. Those canes will be given to veterans through the Veterans Service Agency offices in Orleans, Genesee and Monroe counties.

Babcock was in the Albion Walmart about three months when he saw a man walking with a cane. Babcock complimented the man, a fellow veteran, on the quality of the cane.

The man said the cane made a big difference for him, and he received it for free from Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

Babcock got to thinking that he could make canes to be given to local veterans. Babcock served in the Army from 1955-’56 and was based at Fort Hancock, N.J. Many know him locally for his long career with NAPA Auto Parts in Albion and Medina.

Babcock made the canes from small trees in the woods. The raw materials were cut off from part of the roots with a slight angle. The handles of the canes are the roots from the trees.

Babcock sands down the small trees and puts shellack on them, as well as stickers of American flags.

Frank Babcock shares another group of canes he made in the past month to be given out to veterans for free from the Veterans Service Agency offices in Orleans, Genesee and Monroe counties.

Press Release, Medina Fire Department

Photo courtesy of Medina Fire Department: Medina firefighters helped bring a male ashore who was stranded on a small island on the Oak Orchard Creek this morning.

MEDINA – Today at 9:46 a.m., the Village of Medina Fire Department was dispatched to Butts Park for a male stranded on a small island in the middle of Oak Orchard Creek.

Medina Police arrived on scene prior to the Fire Department and they kept the male calm. Medina Engine 11 and a Medina ambulance arrived on scene within three minutes with rescuers already suited up in surface ice/cold water rescue suits.

Due to extremely cold temperatures and a fast current, the Shelby and Ridgeway Fire Departments were dispatched to the scene for manpower and cold water rescue gear.

Under the command of Medina Fire Chief Matt Jackson, following all safety precautions, including safety lines, two rescuers entered the water. Upon reaching the island, a rescue ring was firmly secured around the patient’s chest.

After a few minutes of calming and reassuring the patient, the rescuers and patient were pulled safely to shore 25 minutes after the time of dispatch. Subsequently, the patient was transported to a hospital to be treated for probable hypothermia.

Thanks to our dispatchers, Medina Police, and the Shelby and Ridgeway Fire Departments for all their assistance this morning.

This emergency reminds us that frigid water is unsafe water. A person falling into frigid water can be quickly incapacitated by the effects of hypothermia and drown.

MEDINA – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce announced the Legislative Luncheon will be Jan. 31 and will be held for the first time at the Bent’s Opera House at 444 Main St., Medina.

The event the past two years was held at the White Birch in Lyndonville, and previously was at the former Tillman’s Village Inn.

The luncheon includes presentations from county and state officials, and gives the audience a chance to ask questions.

The luncheon will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $28 for Chamber members and $32 for those who aren’t currently members.

RSVPs are due by Jan. 25 to the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 501 Medina, NY 14103. Or email director@orleanscountychamberofcommerce.com, call (585) 201-8676. Tickets are also available online through Event Brite. Click here for more information.

Press Release, Catholic Charities

BUFFALO – Officials and volunteers have launched Appeal 2025 in support of Catholic Charities of Buffalo and the Fund for the Faith, with a goal of raising $8.5 million by June 30.

“While some sectors of our economy are doing well, there are too many on the margins who are struggling, and Catholic Charities continues to see an increasing need for the services that offer them hope for a better tomorrow,” said Daniel Mecca, Appeal 2025 vice chair. “Funds raised during the annual Appeal help to provide hope through a variety of crucial programs and services.”

Catholic Charities assisted more than 147,000 individuals, families, and children across all faiths and throughout all eight counties of Western New York last year.

Editor’s Note: The Appeal 2024 for Catholic Charities raised a total of $8,002,705 in cash and pledges, representing 84% of its $9.5 million goal. The 8-county Diocese includes Orleans County.

The annual Appeal helps fund more than 50 programs and services administered by Catholic Charities along with several ministries through the Fund for the Faith. As Western New York’s most comprehensive human services provider, Catholic Charities’ programs and services include behavioral health services, basic emergency assistance, food pantries, education and workforce training, family safety and stabilization programs, and immigration and refugee assistance.

The Fund for the Faith provides needed funding for programs that support the faith experience across all parish communities, including hospital chaplaincy, and training for ordained and lay ministers, among others.

“For more than 100 years, Catholic Charities has provided support to the most vulnerable in our community,” said Bishop Michael W. Fisher. “Its mission is to serve all, and we need the support of all of us to continue Catholic Charities and Fund for the Faith’s vitally important work.”

This year’s Appeal patron is St. Vincent de Paul. To donate to Appeal 2025, visit ccwny.org/donate or call 716-218-1400. In addition, donors can give by texting HOPE4WNY to 44321 or scanning the QR code found on Appeal materials.

Press Release, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a virtual press conference on Wednesday to share her legislative priorities and goals for the 119th Congress.

Gillibrand was recently named to the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee for the 119th Congress. She will also serve as the ranking member of the Senate Aging Committee and as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

“As we enter a new Congress, I am firstly focused on the economy – delivering funds for infrastructure projects that create and support good-paying jobs; securing federal support for nonprofits and other organizations that help working class New Yorkers; and working across the aisle to make 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave available for every American who needs it,” said Senator Gillibrand.

Gillibrand’s priorities for the 119th Congress include:

• Securing federal funding for New York’s roads, bridges, and public transit projects.
• Passing the FAMILY Act to make 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave available to everyone who needs it.
• Bringing down the cost of prescription drugs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, and protecting seniors from financial scams as ranking member of the Senate Aging Committee.
• Fighting age discrimination in the workplace by passing the Protecting Older Americans Act, legislation that would invalidate forced arbitration clauses that prevent age discrimination victims from seeking justice and public accountability.
• Expanding the Cyber Academy program to help young people get an affordable college education while simultaneously filling critical national security positions in the federal government.
• Mandating government transparency and accountability by passing bipartisan legislation to ban members of Congress, the president, vice president, senior executive branch members, and their spouses and dependents from holding or trading stocks.
• Continuing to fight for 9/11 first responders and survivors by passing the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act, which would provide permanent and mandatory funding for the World Trade Center Health Program.

“I will fight to expand my Cyber Academy program to help young people afford a college education and secure stable employment,” Gillibrand said. “As ranking member of the Senate Aging Committee, I will continue my work to protect Social Security and Medicare and bring down the cost of prescription drugs.

“I also plan to reintroduce my bipartisan legislation to fight age discrimination in the workplace. And finally, as a champion for accountability and transparency in government, I will work to pass legislation to ban stock trading by members of Congress, senior executive branch officials, and their spouses and dependents. I look forward to a productive 119th Congress delivering for New Yorkers.”

Vitality Village will have 18 upscale one-bedroom and studio apartments

Photo by Ginny Kropf: The former Applegate Manor at left and medical building at right are being repurposed by new owners, Joe and Jacquie Morgante. Applegate will reopen this summer as upscale one-bedroom and studio apartments, while the other building will house medical professional offices.

MEDINA – A former assisted living complex on Ohio Street is seeing new life, as renovations progress to turn it into high-end apartments.

Applegate Manor closed after Covid-19 in 2020 and was sold to Eric Watson Enterprises, whose intentions were to develop it, until Joe and Jacquie Morgante of Clarence made an offer to buy it.

The Morgantes had already bought The Willows, which they run with her niece Jordan.

“Jacquie and I have been investing in real estate in Niagara, Orleans and Genesee counties for the past five or six years, including The Willows,” Joe said.

The Morgantes purchased Applegate in August 2023, and spent six months planning a design. Relentless Construction of Holley was hired to do the work.

As an assisted living complex, Applegate had 24 rooms. The new space will be called Vitality Village and offer 18 upscale one-bedroom and studio apartments.

Courtesy of Vitality Village: This rendering shows the design for Vitality Village, which is expected to open in July.

The interior has now been gutted down to the studs, Joe said. Each apartment will be named after a Medina landmark, such as the Sandstone Suite, Oak Orchard Retreat and Boxwood Garden Loft.

An artist’s rendering of the rooms and prices can be found on the website www.vitalityvillagemedina.com.

A separate commercial building next to the residential unit, nearer the street, will be called Vital Village Feel Your Best Center and will house medical offices. Joe hopes to fill it with medical professionals, such as a chiropractor, physical therapist, dentist, etc.

The plan is to open the residence first, hopefully by July, followed by the office complex in September.

“It has been great so far being in business in Medina,” Joe said. “The town has been very supportive, helping us with construction.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

PEMBROKE – A large American flag is lowered at the Western New York National Cemetery in Pembroke this evening.

The flag is at half-staff in honor of Jimmy carter who passed away at age 100 on Dec. 29.

Thursday is a National day of Mourning for Carter, who was the 39^th U.S. president from Jan. 20, 1977 to Jan. 20, 1981. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

There won’t be regular mail delivery on Thursday and all Post Offices will be closed, but there will be limited package delivery from the U.S. Postal Service.

The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq also will close for the day.

Carter will be honored in a state funeral in Washington, D.C. at Washington National Cathedral. The service begins at 10 a.m.

The Western New York National Cemetery opened in November 2020. Wreaths Across America was observed at the cemetery on Dec. 14.

ALFRED – The fall 2024 Dean’s List features 804 Alfred State College students, including several from Orleans County. To be named to the Dean’s List, students had to take a minimum of 12 credit hours of course work and earn a minimum 3.5 grade point average (GPA) out of a possible 4.0.

For the most recent semester, 142 of the students on the Dean’s List achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA. Students represented five different countries, 15 different states, and 57 different New York counties.

The following students from Orleans County were named to the 2024 fall dean’s list:

• Julia Buck: Holley graduate, Financial Planning
• Lorelei Dillenbeck: Lyndonville graduate, Diagnostic Medical Sonography
• Owen Hirschman: Kendall graduate, Welding Technology
• Xavier King: Medina graduate, Welding Technology
• Ethan Kuhn: Kendall graduate, Health Sciences
• James Salvatore: Albion graduate, Motorsports Technology
• Jacob Wilson: Lyndonville graduate, Elec Cons & Maintenance Electrician

“I am proud of the hard work that our students consistently display in the classroom and labs,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs Carrie Cokely, PhD. “Congratulations on this accomplishment and I encourage you to continue to strive for academic excellence.”

Other college and university achievers include:

Lillian Wilson of Medina named a Presidential Scholar at Clarkson

POTSDAM – Lillian Wilson of Medina who has been named a Presidential Scholar at Clarkson University in Potsdam.

Wilson is  a sophomore majoring in biology. Presidential Scholars must achieve a minimum 3.80 grade-point average and carry at least 14 credit hours.

Carola Boza-Meade of Holley earns Dean’s List honors at SUNY Canton

CANTON – Carola T. Boza-Meade, a SUNY Canton Forensic Criminology major from Holley, earned Dean’s List honors during the fall 2024 semester.

Dean’s List recognizes full-time students who earned a GPA between 3.25 and 3.74.