Provided photos: Jake Kuhman of Medina and Jason Stanton of Albion are pictured with their teacher Bill Rakonczay and Dale Pearce, program coordinator for Monroe Community College.
Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – Two Precision Machine Technology students took home scholarships at the end of the year ceremonies at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center.
Jake Kuhman, a senior from Medina, and Jason Stanton, a senior from Albion, received a Monroe Community College scholarship from Dale Pearce, who is the Monroe Community College Program Coordinator. Mr. Pearce is a graduate from the BOCES program.
Jake also received the Bill Rakonczay, Sr. Scholarship for $300 which is given out to the Outstanding Senior.
Rakonczay, Sr. was a former teacher of the program and the scholarship was set up to honor his memory by his son Bill Rakonczay, Jr. who now teaches the program.
Teacher Bill Rakonczay, Jake Kuhman of Medina and Tim Sauls from E/R Machine are shown together. Kuhman was named outstanding senior in the program.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 July 2018 at 1:17 pm
File photo: Medina held its first Farm-to-Table dinner event on a closed off Main Street on Aug. 4, 2016. There were 137 people at that dinner, a five-course meal featuring locally grown food and wine.
MEDINA – It’s a sellout. The third annual Farm-To-Table dinner was capped at 200 tickets at $100 each. It took less than an hour to sell them all.
The five-course meal on Aug. 2 will be at a closed-off section of Medina’s historic Main Street. The event is hosted by the Orleans Renaissance Group, with proceeds to benefit the Canal Village Farmers’ Market, which is also sponsored by the ORG.
This is the third year of the dinner. The first year was planned for 100 people, but was expanded to 137 due to demand. Last year was capped at 200 and it took a few days to sell all of the tickets.
This time the tickets were all gone within an hour of being available online and at the English Rose Tea Shoppe.
Chirs Busch, chairman of the ORG, said the dinner is the highly anticipated.
“It is an incredible event in a beautiful downtown,” he said.
Organizers use the event to showcase Medina’s thriving downtown, and also to highlight local foods, restaurants and wineries.
Arriving guests will be treated to a complimentary Chef’s Course paired with award-winning Tiny Bubbles sparkling wine, courtesy of Schulze Vineyard & Winery of Burt. The dinner will deliver a sensational locally-sourced, five-course meal with Zambistro once again collaborating with local culinary colleagues.
Among those joining Zambistro in preparing the dinner will be Mariachi De Oro, Mile 303, Sourced Market & Eatery and the Shirt Factory. All ingredients used in the meal will be locally sourced and farm-fresh, provided almost entirely from the vendors at Canal Village Farmers’ Market.
This year’s event will feature a couple of new elements. In addition to a 200-seat table, guests will hear live music provided by The Road to Azure and Dark Road Duo.
Proceeds from the event will go towards operational costs of the farmers’ market, Busch said. The ORG is working on plans to make the farmers’ market year-round.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 July 2018 at 11:25 am
Elissa Nesbitt signs the oath of office. She is a new member of the Board of Education.
ALBION – Margy Brown was unanimously elected as president of the Albion Board of Education on Monday, a role she has served in since 2011.
However, Brown said this will be her final year as president. She was re-elected to a five-year term in May as a member of the Board of Education. She intends to stay on the board after this year, but not as president.
The board also unanimously backed Steve LaLonde as vice president. Brown said she will work with him this year so he could take the reins and become president after her term ends June 30.
Brown said the district has pushed for excellence in academics and extracurricular activities while insisting on a program that is affordable to district taxpayers. In the past 12 years, Albion has either reduced school taxes or kept them in check 10 times.
“We have a great board and I look forward to working with all of you,” Brown said.
Brown is a certified registered nurse anesthetist. She co-owns and serves as managing partner of Anesthesia Care Associates, which provides anesthesia services for cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries.
She and her husband Eric have two sons in the district: Harrison and Jeffrey.
LaLonde was elected to the board two years ago. He has a doctoral degree in statistics, measurement and evaluation from Syracuse Univeristy. He is recently retired as a professor at Rochester Institute of Technology. He and his late wife, Kathy, raised three children who graduated from Albion.
The Board also welcomed one new member, Elissa Nesbitt. She was elected to a five-year term in May. She works as director of community relations for Xerox. She and her husband Chuck have two children in the district.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 July 2018 at 9:47 am
File photo: Xavier Byrd, then 9, of Albion gets a football painted on his cheek by Gabriell Struble, one of the park supervisors at Bullard Park, during a children’s carnival in July 2016.
ALBION – The carnival returns on Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Orleans Community Action sponsors and helps organize the event, which usually is attended by about 300 kids. There will be several games, events, and activities featured through the day.
The Albion Parks program this week is also running a baseball camp at Bullard from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. for children in grades 4 to 12.
On Wednesday, the park children will be bused to Oak Orchard Lanes for a day of bowling.
Hamlin Recreation Department will visit Albion on Thursday and the two departments will be having fun playing games with each other.
The Village of Albion Recreation Department run a free USTA Tennis Camp on July 23 to 27 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Albion High School Tennis Courts. Tennis balls will be provided. Participants are encouraged to bring your own tennis racquet. Walk up registration will be on Mondays at the beginning of the session. An adult needs to be at registration.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 July 2018 at 8:42 am
Photos by Tom Rivers: Nate McMurray, the Grand Island town supervisor, is challenging Chris Collins in the 27th Congressional District. McMurray spoke at Sunday’s Orleans County Democratic Party picnic at Bullard Park. Jeanne Crane, the party chairwoman, is in back.
ALBION – A candidate for Congress is asking voters to stand against Donald Trump in the next election by electing a Democrat to Congress against Chris Collins, who was the first member of Congress to endorse Trump for president and remains an outspoken supporter.
Nate McMurray said Trump has betrayed American values and alienated long-time allies. The separation of children from their families at the border not only was morally wrong, but has hurt the country’s standing in the world, McMurray said Sunday at the Orleans County Democratic Party picnic.
“It’s un-American what’s happening to those kids and their families,” McMurray told about 60 people at the Democratic picnic.
Trump also has befriended dictators in North Korea and Russia, while criticizing long-time friends, including Canada and members of NATO.
The president also has unnecessarily started trade wars with other countries that are harming agriculture and other U.S. industries, said McMurray.
Collins hasn’t provided any pushback to the president.
“People want my opponent to stand up and say this isn’t right,” McMurray said.
Trump’s rallies are also “vile” displays, with verbal attacks on immigrants and the press, McMurray said.
“How can you condone the things he’s saying,” McMurray said.
McMurray is the Grand Island town supervisor. Collins has criticized him for living outside of the 27th District.
Nate McMurray chats with Ken Capurso, who is active in the Young Democrats of Orleans County.
McMurray grew up in North Tonawanda which is in the district. McMurray’s campaign noted that Chris Collins lived outside the district when he challenged John LaFalce for Congress in 1998. LaFalce was re-elected.
McMurray said Collins has shown he looks out for his friends and the wealthy. Collins was investigated by the House ethics committee for potentially violating federal law and House rules regarding insider trading.
Collins as a board member of an Australian biotechnology company called Innate Immunotherapeutics discussed Innate at a meeting at the National Institutes of Health in November 2013 and requested that an NIH employee meet with Innate employees to discuss clinical trial designs, according to a House Ethics report.
McMurray said he would push for healthcare for everyone, which he said would ultimately be a big benefit to employers.
He would also push to better promote Western New York agriculture.
“Western New York is one of the most beautiful places on earth,” he said, “and it’s because of the farms. We have blessed land.”
McMurray said his humble upbringing makes him sensitive to Americans struggling to survive. McMurray’s father died of cancer when McMurray was 4, leaving behind seven children. McMurray praised the public school system for giving him a chance to eventually become a lawyer. He graduated from North Tonawanda Senior High, and then took night classes at Erie Community College. He graduated from SUNY Buffalo, and then Hastings College of Law in California, cleaning toilets to help pay his bills. A Fulbright Scholar, he earned a Master’s Degree in Law from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.
“Christopher Collins and I are about as different as it gets,” McMurray said. “I’m certainly not in the Silver Spoon Group like Christopher Collins. We need someone to represent us who cares about us.”
Joe DiPasquale of Lockport also addressed the Orleans Democrats on Sunday. DiPasquale is challenging Michael Norris in the 144th Assembly District, which includes Shelby in Orleans County and parts of Erie and Niagara counties.
DiPasquale said the State Assembly and local area needs new progressive leadership, especially with fighting for the environment and pushing for more resources in public education.
DiPasquale has been active in theater and television production, including more than a decade of work in Los Angeles.
He earned a Master of Arts and Doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and taught at the Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts, Buffalo State College, Daemen College and the University at Buffalo where I helped to create the Film Studies program as well as the Buffalo Niagara Film Office. He continues to teach and work on television, film and stage projects.
Joe DiPasquale addresses the crowd at Bullard Park, where Democrats held their summer picnic on Sunday.
LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Lions Club is happy to announce the parade winners from the 44th Annual Independence Day Celebration Parade “One Flag, One Land.”
The Lyndonville Girl Scouts Troop 82040, top photo, won the award for “Most Colorful Float.”
Most Original Float – West Somerset Baptist Church
Best Theme Float – St. Joan of Arc of Orleans & Knights of Columbus
Best Appearing Fire Department – Middleport FD
Best Appearing Rescue – Fancher, Hulberton, Murray FD (photo unavailable)
Best Appearing Apparatus – Barker FD
The Lyndonville Lions wish to thank everyone who participated in the parade and we hope to see you in 2019. A special thank you to Senator Robert Ortt for sponsoring the awards.
Lyndonville Lions Community Appreciation Concert
The Lyndonville Lions Club will present its 10th Annual Community Appreciation Concert. The concert will be held at the Town of Yates Park located at the end of Morrison Road. The concert will be held on Thursday, July 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. and feature Crash Cadillac.
The concert is free to the public. The Lions will be selling hot dogs and soda for a $1 each. Please bring a lawn chair.
The concert is in appreciation of the communities support of Lions activities such as The 4th of July Celebration, our Sight Campaign, the donation of used eye glasses, the Lions Toy Drive and donations to our Medical Loan Closet.
This will be the 10th year that Crash Cadillac has performed. Crash Cadillac performs rock’n roll sounds from the ’50’s, ’60’s, ’70’s, ’80’s, and ’90’s. The band features Don Vaccaro (Guitar and Vocals), Linda Giancarlo (Lead Vocals), Bob Steff (Bass Guitar and Vocals), Frank Marini (Keyboards and Vocals), and Jim Mercurio (Drums).
The concert is funded by a grant from GO Art! and the Lyndonville Lions Club. Reminder alcohol is not allowed in the park.
Press Release, Undersheriff Chris Bourke of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office
Brandon Foster
ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office today arrested Brandon Foster, 17, of Albion following a violent incident at his grandmother’s house on Oak Orchard Road in the Town of Albion.
Undersheriff Christopher M. Bourke reports that shortly before midnight on July 8, Foster allegedly went to home of his grandmother, Rachael Spearance, located just outside the Village of Albion. Foster entered the residence by climbing on a chair and forcing a rear window open. Upon climbing through a window, Foster proceeded to the bedroom and began attacking his grandmother with a knife as she slept in bed.
Spearance began fighting back. Foster then placed her in a choke hold. Spearance was able to get away from Foster’s grasp and confront him about what he was doing. Foster then stole $23 cash and the victim’s cell phone and climbed out a different window and fled the scene.
Spearance, while bleeding profusely, was able to leave the residence and drive to Medina Memorial Hospital. Spearance was then transported to the Erie County Medical Center by Mercy Flight where she remains in serious but stable condition.
Orleans County Sheriff’s deputies and the Albion police officers arrived at the scene. The manhunt for the suspect took place in the Village of Albion throughout the night involving several agencies including the Sheriff’s Office, Albion Police, N.Y.S Police, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Bloodhound and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit.
Several interviews were conducted and several houses and buildings were searched. K-9 units tracked the suspect for hours through the Village of Albion. Around 6 a.m., K9 teams were able to locate the suspect hiding in the bushes behind Burger King. The suspect surrendered peacefully at that time.
Foster is charged with attempted murder in the 1st degree, burglary in the 1st degree, assault in the 1st degree (all felonies), criminal obstruction of breathing and petit larceny.
Foster was arraigned before Albion Town Justice Joseph Fuller. Bail was set at $50,000 cash, $100,000 bond. Foster is scheduled to return to the Town of Albion Court at 9 a.m. on July 11.
The investigation into this incident is continuing and further charges are pending.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2018 at 5:12 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Arc of Genesee Orleans planted a rose bush in a memorial garden on Washington Street this morning in honor of the 70th anniversary of Ann Greenberg placing an ad in the New York Post.
Greenberg wanted to start a day nursery for children with developmental disabilities. Ten people initially responded to the ad, which started the momentum to form Arc chapters throughout the state. Genesee County’s chapter would start in 1966 with Orleans County’s chapter in 1970. The two have recently merged.
Donna Saskowski is the director of the Arc of Genesee Orleans. She said Greenberg’s ad inspired the movement to better serve people with disabilities and their families.
“She was very important to our organization and the other organizations in our state,” Saskowski said. “People with developmental disabilities didn’t have anywhere to go. Her movement was the beginning of the Arc of New York.””
People served by the Arc each added a cup full of soil to help plant rose bush.
The garden next to Orleans Enterprises is named in honor of Terri Carr Krieger, a beloved Arc staff member who passed away in 1997.
Craig and Meg LeBeau of Spencerport finish their breakfast at Wise Middle School, Medina, before hopping on their bikes for the next leg of Cycle the Erie Canal. They will pass through their home town today, en route to Pittsford to spend tonight.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent
MEDINA – What was dubbed “Tent City” on Sunday was pretty much all cleaned up by 8 a.m. this morning, as the 650 cyclists and 90 volunteers began the second day of the Cycle the Erie Canal tour.
After a night camped out on the grounds of Medina’s Wise Middle School and Medina High School, the bikers headed for Pittsford, where they will spend tonight, after making brief stops in Albion and Holley.
The cyclists range in ages from 6 to 82.
Jeremy Schall and Tracy Magallen of Miami were participating in the ride with their 8-month-old son Sebastian.
Schall is riding, while Magallen follows in the car with Sebastian, joining him on the campgrounds each night.
“She’s road-tripping and meeting us to camp,” Schall said.
They said Sebastian slept well in the tent Sunday night. The family has relatives in Pittsford and Albany, which played a role in their decision to make the trip.
“I’m into cycling and had gotten a flyer on this trip,” Schall said. “We pieced it all together and said, ‘We can do this.’”
It turned out to be very doable, he said. He shipped his bike and they flew up and rented a car.
The trip was also memorable for Craig and Meg LeBeau of Spencerport, who did the ride last year in memory of her sister who had done the ride, but since passed away.
Butterflies have a special meaning for the family, and Meg said Sunday she was taken aback when a Monarch butterfly followed her for a mile.
“That was real special,” she said.
The LeBeaus were enjoying breakfast this morning, catered by Zambistro. Sunday night’s menu was meatloaf, which they said was awesome.
They are looking forward to the trip today, which will take them through their home town. They live only a stone’s throw from the canal, they said.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Barre firefighter Chris Flansburg is pictured June 8 when bales caught on fire at a beef farm on Mathes Road.
Press Release, Congressman Chris Collins
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressmen Chris Collins (NY-27) and Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09) today celebrated President Trump signing H.R. 931, the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act, into law. The legislation they authored together will require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop and maintain a voluntary registry to collect data regarding the incidence of certain cancers in firefighters.
This registry will allow researchers to have a greater understanding of the impacts that smoke inhalation and other occupational hazards have on a firefighter’s health, and lead to better treatment options.
“The brave men and women who selflessly keep our communities safe while fighting fires deserve for us to do everything in our power to also keep them out of harm’s way while they are on duty,” said Collins. “We currently have a lack of information about how being exposed to certain fires will impact a firefighter’s health, and this is a common sense way to collect that data to improve protocols and equipment. I express my deepest gratitude for our nation’s firefighters and first responders, and take pride in knowing that this registry could lead to reforms that will save lives.”
The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act authorizes $2 million in federal funds to the CDC from FY2018 to FY2022. Data gathered would include a number of potential risk factors, including but not limited to the status of the firefighter (volunteer, paid-on-call, or career), number of years on the job, the number of incidents attended, and the type of incidence. The collection of this data would allow for improved equipment, enhanced safety protocols and preventative techniques for our firefighters.
The House of Representatives passed H.R. 931, the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2017, by unanimous consent on June 22, 2018. H.R. 931 first passed the House in September 2017, by voice vote. The Senate passed the bill, with an amendment, in May by unanimous consent. H.R. 931 was signed into law today by President Donald Trump.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2018 at 1:27 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Cyclists cross Main Street in front of the lift bridge in Albion at about 8:30 this morning.
About 650 cyclists left Medina this morning and headed east through Orleans County with Fairport the final destination for the day, as part of an eight-day Cycling the Erie Canal.
The 20th annual trip is organized by Parks & Trails New York. The cyclists started in Buffalo on Sunday and will complete the trip this Sunday in Albany.
The cyclists cover about 40 to 60 miles per day. There are participants from ages 6 to 82 from 37 states and several Canadian provinces, as well as Australia and the United Kingdom.
Stan Farone (pictured), an Albion village trustee, is cycling the Erie Canal for the second year. The trip is showcase of the many canal towns in New York.
“There is a lot to see,” he said.
He praised the Albion Merchants Association and other volunteers for the welcome stop this morning. Farone said there aren’t too many stops with a warm welcome for the cyclists on the canal east of Rochester.
Mayor Eileen Banker and Trustee Gary Katsanis were among the contingent greeting cyclists in Albion this morning.
“Albion is one of the biggest and the best,” Farone, 68, said about the welcome stop. “It’s a long ride and when you see a welcome stop, it helps.”
One cyclist from Kentucky enjoyed seeing the big Medina sandstone churches and downtown buildings.
“When you think of New York, you think of the city,” she said. “People are very polite here, maybe even more polite than in Kentucky.”
Martin Frahme is a volunteer on the ride – “on call for bicycle and people breakdowns,” he said. He is shown at the top of the stairs to the lift bridge tower taking a photo.
His wife is one of the cyclists. She enjoys the 50 miles or more on her bike. The couple is from Morristown, NJ.
“We love these towns and the reception we get,” Frahme said. “New York State is a pretty nice place in the summer.”
Two Canal employees – Larry Marling (top left), a bridge operator, and Mark Standish, a bank walker – chat with two of the cyclists today on the stairs of the Main Street lift bridge.
These cyclists are headed east with the Ingersoll Street lift bridge in the background. There is another rest stop in Holley.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2018 at 11:10 am
HAMLIN – An Albion teacher’s home was destroyed by fire on Saturday night, two weeks after she and her family moved in.
Deanna Richardson, a first grade teacher at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School, had just settled into a new home on Monroe-Orleans County Line Road. She lives with her fiancé Ben Moore and their two children.
Richardson told WHAM she suspects sparklers that the kids were playing with likely started the fire. The family thought the sparklers had been completely extinguished. A fire broke out about 10 p.m.
Everyone was able to get outside safely, including two dogs. However, they lost their possessions, including Moore’s military memorabilia and their daughter Hannah’s medication for type 1 diabetes.
A GoFundMe has been established to assist the family. In addition, there will be a fundraiser today at Jimmy Z’s restaurant in Brockport from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with 20 percent of a food order going directly toward the family. There will also be a jar for people to make donations.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Cyclists put up their tents on the grounds of Wise Middle School Sunday afternoon. The 650 cyclists and 90 volunteers with Cycle the Erie Canal will leave Monday morning for a stop in Albion as they make their way to Albany.
By Ginny Kropf, corrrespondent
MEDINA – If Medina wanted to impress the cyclists who descended on the village Sunday as part of the 20th annual Cycle the Erie Canal, it would appear the community succeeded.
“Medina certainly rolled out the red carpet,” said Jack Luftman of Bridgewater, N.J., as he peddled into the Canal Basin during a concert Sunday afternoon by The Foolz Band of Rochester.
Trucks carrying the cyclists’ gear and tents began arriving early Sunday morning on the grounds of Wise Middle School and Medina High School.
Jack Luftman of Bridgewater, N.J. rode his bike to the canal basin where the band the Foolz was playing. Luftman is one of the 650 cyclists who spent the night in Medina Sunday on the 20th annual Cycle the Erie Canal ride. Riders came from 36 states and Australia to participate in the event.
About a third of the 650 cyclists had arranged to have their tents put up for them, while the rest had to set up their own when they arrived.
“There could easily be 300 tents on the grounds,” said Kaden Smith of Grand Island, who was taking part in the ride with his parents George and Amy.
This was the family’s first year participating in the ride and it was Kaden’s 13th birthday.
The family will ride every other day and share volunteer duties the other days.
“We are very excited to be ‘newbies’ to this event,” Amy said. “We’ve already met many new people, some who have done this ride for 15 or 16 years.”
“They all say they’ll come back again,” Kaden said.
Cyclists from 36 states and Australia started the tour in Buffalo.
“There are riders from California, Oregon, North Carolina, Washington and all over the country,” said Ken Thomas of Amherst, who was also a first time rider/volunteer.
He and another first-timer, Greg Kaladjian of Schenectady, took time Sunday afternoon to enjoy a drink and some camaraderie with riders Mike and Kathy Eudy of Concord, N.C., and Sasha Eisenstein of Albany. Eisenstein, who was also cycling with the others, is the trails manager for the New York State Canal Association.
“I’ve only been on the job for five months, so I thought this would be a great way to get familiar with the canal,” she said.
The Foolz Band from Rochester entertained cyclists and community members in Medina’s canal basin Sunday afternoon. The band was one of the events planned by Medina’s Tourism Committee to welcome the 650 cyclists and 90 volunteers to the village.
Eisenstein said the Governor last year committed $200 million to complete trails from New York City harbor, past Lake Champlain to the Canadian border, and from Albany west to Buffalo. It is the governor’s vision for the Empire State Trails Initiative to be the longest multi-use trail in the country, and be completed by 2020.
Ground was broken in May on a two-mile stretch of the trail across from the Buffalo/Niagara Heritage Village near Lockport, making the trail 85 percent complete. This will enable cyclists to ride the 135 miles from Buffalo to east of Rochester on an uninterrupted trail, Eisenstein said.
As part of their welcome to Medina, the Medina Tourism Committee, headed by Jim Hancock, arranged for the afternoon concert in the Canal Basin and another in the evening at the school campgrounds by the band Pocket Change.
Kaden Smith of Grand Island constructs a makeshift sign out of cardboard at Wise Middle School in Medina to identify which truck which brought these bags to the campsite for the 650 cyclists who are spending the night in Medina on the 20th Cycle the Erie Canal event.
There was also a shuttle running from 3 to 7 from the school through downtown to the canal basin and back. Dinner Sunday night was catered by Zambistro’s and breakfast Monday morning was provided by the school.
One of the highlights of the day was a talk at 7 p.m. in the Middle School Auditorium by Tom Grasso, past president of the New York Canalways Organization.
Gary and Susan Cotton of Amherst, Ohio, have been biking for 15 years, but this was their first time in the Cycle the Erie Canal ride. Gary was amazed at the information Grasso provided on the Erie Canal.
“I couldn’t believe all the alterations it has gone through in its history,” Gary said. “And it was so interesting how they use it now. I didn’t know about the culvert and will be looking for it when we ride over it tomorrow.”
Suzanne Erbes of Detroit said she didn’t know anything about the canal before attending the talk.
“I’ve seen it when I’ve driven through New York, but I didn’t know anything else, like about the mules,” she said. “Tom’s knowledge and details were incredible. His talk was inspirational and instructional and I look forward to seeing the things he talked about.”
The cyclists will make short stops in Albion and Holley on Monday, before heading to Pittsford to spend the night.
Taking time to relax in the shade of Medina High School on Maple Ridge Road are cyclists and volunteers with Cycle the Erie Canal. From left is Ken Thomas from Amherst, a first-year volunteer and rider; Sasha Eisenstein of Albany, New York State Canal Association trails manager; cyclists Mike and Kathy Eudy of Concord, N.C.; and Greg Kaladjian of Schenectady, a first-year volunteer and rider.
As the sun went down Sunday night, cyclists with Cycle the Erie Canal bedded down in their tents on the grounds of Wise Middle School and Medina High School, ending the first leg of their journey to Albany.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 July 2018 at 4:30 pm
Nicholas Clark
Three members of the Albion Police Department attended the funeral this morning for Nicholas Clark, a state trooper killed on Monday in Steuben County.
Clark responded early in the morning on Monday to a 911 call about a domestic incident. He was shot by Steven Kiley, the principal at Bradford Central School. Clark served as a state trooper for nearly three years.
Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni, Lt. David Mogle and officer Karol Hughes attended the service at Alfred University today for Clark.
“Law Enforcement is a family and no matter what agency you work for or where you patrol area is located,” Nenni said. “We are all a member of the same family. It was important that we attended to show the Clark family and Trooper Clark’s fellow Troopers that we are there with them in their time of grief.
“Trooper Clark’s tragic death is a reminder of how dangerous law enforcement is and we are reminded of that far too often. The incident that Trooper Clark responded to was in a rural area, much like most of Orleans County. It is easy to get complacent and let your guard down; unfortunately the loss of a fellow law enforcement officer reminds us that we are not immune to deadly violence.
“Our hearts are grieving yet we will continue to serve and protect every minute of every day.”
