By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 May 2018 at 12:55 pm
CARLTON – Brian Bartlett says he will miss a business dealing with something most people don’t give much thought to – unless their toilet stops flushing.
Bartlett last month sold Bailey’s Septic to Jim Arnold. The business was started by Bartlett’s grandfather, Paul Bailey, who originally had the business focused on drilling wells. As more public waterlines were installed in the county, replacing wells, Bailey shifted to pumping septic systems.
Bartlett, 62, has been part of the operation for 50 years, since he was a kid. Bailey’s started pumping septics in 1977 and that became the focus of the business. For a few years Bailey’s also rented out porta-potties.
Tony Sanders, the owner of Albion Bower’s Plumbing and Heating, often reached out to Bailey’s for a pump truck. Sanders had inquired in recently if Bartlett would be open to selling the business. The time wasn’t right until this spring for Bartlett.
Sanders knew the right person to take over the business. His stepfather, Jim Arnold, was in Oklahoma, working a demanding job for FedEx. Arnold and Sanders’ mother, Angel, wanted to return to the Albion area to be closer to family, including Tony’s three kids.
They moved back on April 1, with Arnold running Bailey’s the past three weeks.
“Family is why we came back,” said Arnold, a Middleport native. “The business is a bonus.”
Arnold was working at St. Gobain in Albion when he was offered a buyout in 2009. He started a new career in Oklahoma.
The transition back to Albion happened quickly, with the Arnolds selling their home within a week on the market and starting in the septic pumping business right away.
“God has blessed us,” Arnold said. “It has been so smooth.”
Arnold spent a week with Bartlett, visiting customers and pumping septic systems. The sewage is the trucked to the Albion sewer plant on Densmore Road.
“People will call me crazy but I’m enjoying it,” Arnold said about the new career. “It’s gratifying to see peoples’ faces when they can flush their toilet again. It’s the little things. I really enjoy serving the community.”
The two businesses will eventually operate out of the same building on Route 98 in Carlton, across from the former Harbor Pointe golf course. Bartlett used that site for the two vacuum trucks.
Sanders praised Bartlett for building up the septic pumping business. Most of the clients have their septic systems pumped every three to four years.
Sanders uses a site behind Crosby’s in Albion as the base for his plumbing operation. He wants to move it to the Carlton site where there is more room.
“The two businesses will work hand in hand,” Sanders said. “It’s a good marriage.”
LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville Central School District is one of 152 school districts and Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in New York State to receive the Utica National Insurance Group’s School Safety Excellence Award for 2018 at the Titanium with Honors level.
The honor is presented annually and recognizes school districts’ safety efforts as they work to help keep students, staff and visitors safe. Lyndonville Central School District received its award at Utica National’s 38th annual school safety seminar.
Lyndonville officials accepted a certificate to commemorate the district’s safety efforts and a $500 award for use in furthering those efforts from Utica National representatives.
Utica National’s School Safety Excellence Award Program has three levels (titanium, platinum, and gold) in which schools can earn a meritorious distinction by meeting specific criteria to enhance overall safety. Through the program, schools with their own transportation, schools with contract transportation, and BOCES are evaluated. Categories covered include bullying prevention programs, playground safety and other areas, and are measured using specific, quantifiable surveys.
“Safety and health concerns continue to be a priority in our school districts,” explained Brian Saville, Resident Senior Vice President in Utica National’s Educational Institutions Unit. “Districts that go ‘above and beyond’ to provide a safe, healthy and focused culture for learning are to be applauded, and we’re pleased to count Lyndonville Central School District among them.”
Saville noted that, beyond the recognition itself, an added benefit of following the safety program is the chance to pinpoint specific threats to safety. “The time to address those threats is before a loss happens, which really helps contribute to the safety culture that districts are working toward.”
BUFFALO – The Tony Hawk Foundation and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation have officially opened applications for the “Built to Play” initiative’s skatepark grants in Western New York and Southeast Michigan. WNY counties that are eligible to apply include Allegany, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming.
As part of its recently launched Built to Play initiative, the two foundations are seeking applications to create free, high-quality, public skateparks in underserved areas of Western New York and Southeast Michigan.
The Built to Play Skatepark Program supports community groups and municipal entities seeking to create free, public skateparks that serve low-income communities. In addition to grant funding, the program also provides advisory services and advocacy training to assist groups in organizing and managing their efforts to build skateparks in their communities.
Through Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation funding, the Tony Hawk Foundation will offer matching grant funds of up to $250,000 to assist in the construction of public, non-profit skateparks, giving youth the opportunity to be active whether they’re riding on skateboards, BMX bikes, scooters or rollerblades, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation said today. The grant funding will result in the creation of up to 20 skateparks over the next several years, with up to five being constructed with this first phase of grants.
“We’re very excited about our partnership with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation,” said Tony Hawk. “Having helped create eight skateparks in the region over the past fifteen years, we believe the Built to Play Skatepark Program offers unprecedented resources for eligible communities to build new skateparks for their youth.”
As part of the Built to Play initiative, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation is also working with KaBOOM!, the national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids great, safe places to play. KaBOOM!’s Play Everywhere Challenge, a design competition which encourages installations constructed to integrate play into everyday life and unexpected places, is accepting applications until May 11, 2018.
The deadline for Built to Play Skatepark grant applications is June 13, 2018. For more information and eligibility requirements, click here.
The New York State Senate on Monday passed a package of measures that strengthen laws to stop drug dealers and others who are profiting from the heroin epidemic that continues to grip the state.
The bills include stronger penalties for big-time drug dealers selling heroin, as well as for fraudulent medication prescriptions that fuel opioid addictions; measures to protect dealers from preying on children; and legislation that expands the types of dangerous controlled substances regulated by the state, among others.
State Sen. Rob Ortt, R-North Tonawanda, voted in favor of the legislation.
“Today’s passage of heroin epidemic relief legislation further illustrates the senate’s commitment to finding a solution to a disease that has devastated families and communities across our entire state,” Ortt said in a statement on Monday. “As a former co-chair, and current member of the New York State Senate’s Heroin Task Force, I have seen first-hand the destructive impact and consequences associated with this disease, and am proud of the effort our state has put forth. Our approach must be one of balance and coordination, addressing treatment, recovery and prevention. We must also be unafraid to hold the criminals that peddle these narcotics accountable for their crimes and treat them as the murderers they are.”
The bills passed include:
• Making it Easier to Prosecute Heroin Dealers: S638, sponsored by Senator Phil Boyle (R-C-I, Bay Shore), assists in the prosecution of heroin dealers by creating a presumption that the possession of 50 or more individual packages containing heroin and/or having an aggregate value of $300 is possession with intent to sell. Currently, dealers can carry large quantities of the drug before triggering a felony charge of possession.
• Establishing New Penalties for Heroin Sales: S880, sponsored by Senator Robert Ortt (R-C-I, North Tonawanda), creates appropriate-level penalties for heroin sales, taking into account the lighter weight of heroin. Heroin weighs less than other drugs and therefore more doses of heroin are needed to trigger various existing criminal offenses.
• Creating Drug Free Zones Around Drug or Alcohol Treatment Centers: S1127, sponsored by Senator Akshar, criminalizes the sale of a controlled substance on the grounds of a drug or alcohol treatment center, or within 1,000 feet of such facilities. Statistics show that drug dealers often prey on individuals with addictions by sitting in the immediate vicinity of a drug or alcohol treatment center or methadone clinic waiting for people to come out so they can sell them drugs.
• Cracking Down on Black Market Prescription Drugs: S2814, sponsored by Senator Kemp Hannon (R, Nassau), establishes the offense of fraudulent prescription, dispensing, and procurement of non-controlled substance prescription medications and devices, and establish the offense of unlawful possession of non-controlled substance prescription medications and devices. The gaps in existing law and the growth of a black market make it self-evident that change is necessary. This bill will address the problem by increasing or establishing criminal penalties that better fit these crimes.
• Toughening Penalties for Sale of a Controlled Substance to Minors: S3845, sponsored by Senator Kathy Marchione (R-C-I-Reform, Halfmoon), helps curb rising drug abuse among high school students and other youth by making the sale of a controlled substance by an adult to a minor under the age of 14 a class A-II felony.
• Cracking Down on The Sale of Carfentanil: S623, sponsored by Senator Boyle, makes the sale of 2 milligrams or more of Carfentanil a Class A-II felony and the sale of 10 milligrams or more of Carfentanil a Class A-I felony. Carfentanil is synthetic opioid and a schedule II controlled substance, which is 100 times deadlier than fentanyl, and 10,000 times stronger than morphine.
• Criminalizing Alpha-PVP / “Flakka”: S816, sponsored by Senator Rich Funke (R-C-I, Fairport), designates Alpha-PVP, also known as “Flakka” or “Gravel” as a controlled substance. Similar to bath salts and methamphetamine, use of this designer drug has been known to cause violent behavior, with side effects including nausea, vomiting, paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, suicidal thoughts, seizures, chest pains, and increased blood pressure and heart rate.
Two other bills were recently amended and will be voted upon as soon as they are eligible:
• Outlawing Lethal Fentanyl: S933B, sponsored by Senator Thomas Croci (R, Sayville), adds new derivatives of fentanyl to the controlled substance schedule and increases criminal penalties for the sale of an opiate containing a fentanyl derivative. Fentanyl is a strong pain medication that is often combined with anesthesia to prevent surgery-related pain. However, it is increasingly being mixed with heroin and other drugs to produce a cheaper and more lethal product. The other bill, S5884A, sponsored by Senator Jacobs, adds new derivatives of fentanyl to the controlled substance schedule regulated by the state Department of Health.
In addition, the Senate passed legislation to increase prevention, treatment, and recovery as part of the multi-pronged approach to help those impacted by heroin and opioid addiction, including:
• Limiting Children’s Opioid Exposure: S5949, sponsored by Senator Akshar, helps address the increasing risk of children becoming addicted to opioids and heroin after being prescribed painkillers for medical procedures or illegally sharing extra prescriptions. The bill requires a health practitioner to receive written consent from a minor’s parent or legal guardian in order to prescribe a medical treatment containing opioids, as well as to discuss the risks of addiction and dangers of overdose associated with the medication. The bill also limits the prescription for a controlled substance containing an opioid to a seven-day duration unless there is a medical emergency that puts the child’s health or safety at risk.
• Coordination of Prescriptions Following an Overdose: S2639, sponsored by Senator Andrew Lanza (R-C-I, Staten Island), requires hospital and emergency room physicians to notify a patient’s prescriber when a patient is being treated for a controlled substance overdose. The measure enhances the effectiveness of the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) Registry when prescribing controlled substances by ensuring that vital medical information is shared among health care practitioners. The bill requires an emergency room or hospital practitioner treating a patient with an opioid overdose to consult the PMP registry and notify the patient’s prescriber of the overdose. Without such notification of the overdose, it is very possible that the prescriber/practitioner would not know that the patient had suffered an overdose of the opioid.
The Senate also called for action on four bills strengthening enforcement and addressing challenges the opioid epidemic has created that have already passed this session and await action by the Assembly and Governor to become law:
• “Laree’s Law” (S2761), sponsored by Senator Amedore, allows law enforcement officials to charge a drug dealer with homicide if a death results from the sale of heroin or an opiate-controlled substance. This legislation is intended to target mid- to high-level drug dealers who profit from heroin sales, but does not punish co-users by providing a defense for those who bought and used the opiate with the deceased. New York State’s “Good Samaritan Law,” also shields individuals from charges related to an overdose if they attempt to help the individual and report the incident in a timely manner;
• A bill preventing predatory and deceptive substance abuse treatment (S6544), sponsored by Senator Akshar, makes it a crime to offer to or accept any kickback from an individual or entity that provides substance abuse services in exchange for patient referral and admission. There has been a rise in individuals who aggressively pursue people in need of substance use disorder treatment services and, for a sometimes-extravagant fee, promise admission to treatment programs. For individuals engaging in this predatory behavior, the most desirable patients are those with robust insurance coverage, and out-of-network benefit packages. Patient brokers refer these clients to programs offering the highest rate of “return” to the patient broker, with little or no regard for the patient’s specific needs. This predatory practice capitalizes on, and exploits, families’ fears while putting patients at risk of inappropriate treatment;
• The creation of a Sober Living Task Force (S902), sponsored by Senator Croci, would identify and promote alcohol and drug free living environments across the state for persons in recovery from a chemical dependency; and
• The Drug Take Back Act (S7354), sponsored by Senator Hannon and Senator Tom O’Mara, creates a unified, statewide drug take-back program that will save government and taxpayer money and reduce medication misuse. In addition, the program would protect New York State’s water supplies by preventing drugs from being improperly disposed of by flushing or other means that result in contamination of water bodies and negatively impact aquatic life.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 April 2018 at 10:32 pm
HOLLEY – The Village Board approved a budget this evening for the 2018-19 that keeps the tax rate at$15.65 per $1,000 of assessed property.
The $1,120,521 budget includes $268,190 for office, $360,200 in the DPW, $294,700 for the police department, $140,279 for employee benefits and $64,652 for general debt.
There also is $410,634 budgeted for the water department and $167,429 for the sewer department. Those departments are funded by user fees.
“I’m extremely pleased with the budget,” said Brian Sorochty, the Holley mayor. “The board the last two years has done a good job managing spending, and holding the tax rate.”
He also praised the village department heads for working to pare down their expenses to keep the tax rate from increasing.
Although the tax rate will remain the same, the village will collect 1.27 percent more in taxes, from $836,965 to $847,596.
The village’s tax base is up by 0.59 percent or $319,274, from $53,846,841 to $54,166,115.
The village is working on three large grants that will address new sidewalks and water infrastructure. Construction could start in late fall or spring.
Holley also was approved for a $165,600 state grant on Feb. 1 to develop a brownfield opportunities area program.
The Holley grant will complete a Brownfield Opportunity Area Nomination for 813 acres with 55 potential sites, according to the state announcement. The objectives include identifying opportunities surrounding the former high school in the downtown core; improved housing and income opportunities for residents; identifying strategies to reduce commercial vacancies; identifying opportunities at the Diaz Chemical site remediation; leveraging the Erie Canal; improving wayfinding in the Village; preparing design guidelines for the Public Square; and improving the village’s vitality.
Sorochty said the village clerk and code enforcement officer will be working extra hours for the village to implement this grant, which is part of Holley’s 15 percent local share for the project.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 April 2018 at 7:32 pm
Photos courtesy of David Klafehn
KENDALL – Jeremy Browe drives the new STOP DWI Driving Simulator on Friday at Kendall during the Senior Bash.
Sheriff Randy Bower, front left, Chief Deputy Michael Mele and other Kendall students and parents get a close look at the simulator.
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office used a grant from the New York State STOP DWI Committee to purchase a driving simulator where students and other users can see the effects of driving while texting, drowsy or if they are impaired or intoxicated.
The simulator changes the landscapes to resemble driving in a city or in a rural area.
Dylan Spellan gives the simulator a try.
“It was a huge hit and a great learning experience for the kids to experience what it’s like to text and drive, drive when drowsy and what it would be like if you drink and drive,” Sheriff Bower said. “They learned a lot from it.”
The sheriff would like to take the simulator to other school districts, community events including the Orleans County 4-H Fair and also make it available for drivers’ education classes.
High School Principal Carol D’Agostino also got behind the wheel of the simulator. Deputy Torry Tooley offers some tips.
Kendall seniors gathered for a photo and urged each other not to drink and drive, especially in the upcoming prom and graduation party season.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced more than $100 million in state funding to repave and enhance roadways impacted by the harsh weather this past winter.
One of the projects is in Orleans County and includes $1.0 million to resurface Route 31 in the Village of Albion.
The state funding will support 84 projects and the renewal of nearly 1,000 lane miles of pavement across the state, including at least one project in every county and New York City, according to the governor’s announcement.
The new funding, awarded through the Harsh Winter Paving Initiative, is in addition to nearly $300 million previously committed for projects that repave approximately 1,600 lane miles of road across New York State. The unprecedented infrastructure investment will make state highways safer and more efficient, while encouraging local commerce and tourism. The projects will take place throughout the summer and into fall, and will be completed this year, Cuomo said.
“These investments are critical to our transportation system and essential for community growth and regional economic competitiveness,” the governor said. “By infusing more than $100 million in state funds to revitalize our roads, we are enhancing the quality of life for all New Yorkers while ensuring every traveler remains safe throughout the Empire State.”
The State Budget included $65 million in Extreme Weather Recovery funds for locally-owned roadways, and this additional $100 million investment will support the renewal of state-owned roadways. This critical funding is supported through the New York State Department of Transportation’s five-year capital plan and is in addition to the $743 million provided in this year’s budget in direct state aid to local governments for road and bridge repair and modernization.
Orleans County is in the Finger Lakes Region, where the state approved $12.3 million to pave 155 lane miles of the roads in Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, Monroe, Wayne, Ontario, Yates, Seneca counties. The projects in the Finger Lakes include:
• $1.1 million to resurface Route 89 from Canoga to Routes 5 and 20 in Seneca County.
• $1.0 million to resurface Route 31 in the Village of Albion in Orleans County.
• $1.0 million to resurface Route 36 from Route 31 to Route 531 in Monroe County.
• $430,000 to resurface Route 65 from Erie Canal to Route 31 in Monroe County.
• $957,000 to resurface Route 20 from Route 36 to Route 5 in Livingston County.
• $1.5 million to resurface Route 89 from Route 31 to Route 104 in Wayne County.
• $1.5 million to resurface Route 245 from Route 247 to Route 14A in Ontario County.
• $1.0 million to resurface Route 19 from Randall Road to Route 33 in Genesee County.
• $1.0 million to resurface Route 78 from Route 19 to Route 362 in Wyoming County.
• $763,000 to resurface Route 260 from Route 104 to Route 18 in Monroe County.
• $1.3 million to resurface Route 15 from Spring Water to County Route 71 in Livingston County.
• $652,000 to resurface on Routes 414, 79 and 54 in Schuyler and Yates counties.
HOLLEY – The Orleans County Youth Board will sponsor its 36th annual Youth Recognition Dinner on May 10 at Hickory Ridge Golf and Country Club when 14 youths will be honored for their commitment to community service and/or their impressive role in their family.
Additionally, the dinner will recognize an adult youth worker and an adult volunteer.
The following young people will be recognized for their outstanding service in the community and/or family: Emily Bibby, Jeremy Browe, Cody Crane, Hannah Duhow, Christian Hahn, Michela Hanlon, Carrie Janas, Emma Lonnen, Alexis Penna, Reese Raduns, Jessica Sedore, Riley Seielstad, Salvador Solis and Kaitlin Zwifka.
Douglas Egling is receiving the Helen R. Brinsmaid Memorial Youth Worker Award. Egling is a caseworker at Orleans County Department of Social Services and continuously is going above and beyond for local youths.
Sal DeLuca is receiving the Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Award. He volunteers his time with the Holley Sports Boosters and the Holley school district. He has been giving back to the Holley community for over 30 years.
The keynote speaker for the evening will be, Dr. Daniel Doctor, Medina Central School’s director of community outreach.
Registration and refreshments will begin at 6 p.m. The program and dinner will commence at 6:30. Seating is limited. If you are interested in attending the banquet, contact the Orleans County Youth Bureau at (585) 344-3960 by May 1.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 April 2018 at 12:30 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Albion seventh-graders Tommy Fox, left, and Bryce Wilson help plant a tree – a maple red autumn blaze – at Mount Albion Cemetery on Friday as part of an Arbor Day celebration, the first in many years at Albion. Other students in back include, from left: Ashleigh Mowatt, Jillian Ray, Dallas Ecker and Lauren Brooks.
The Village of Albion is planting seven new trees in the cemetery this week as part of Arbor Day.
The village is taking steps to become a Tree City USA Community. Albion received a $950 grant from the NYS Urban Forestry Council. The matching funds will help the village get started on becoming an official Tree City. The village also has established a Tree Advisory Board to help plan tree plantings in the future.
The students are pictured with the teacher, Tim Archer, who leads the service learning class for seventh graders.
Ashleigh Mowatt discusses the history of Mount Albion Cemetery, which opened in 1843. The cemetery is home to numerous varieties of trees. The site has been maintained with a park-like setting over the years and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The students shared reflections on the value of trees and the history of Arbor Day.
Albion Mayor Eileen Banker said the village is making a commitment to plant more trees in the community in the coming years, with a goal of becoming a Tree City USA.
County Historian Matt Ballard praised Albion and the students for planting trees on Arbor Day.
“Each tree is unique, crafted by Mother Nature as an individual like no other, just as each of us standing here today,” Ballard said. “A tree’s natural beauty is derived from the shape of its leaves, the colors they show, the texture of their bark, the arrangement of their branches, the way in which their roots creep across the earth, the knots on their trunk, and the rings that show their age.”
Ballard quoted from Theodore Roosevelt, the former U.S. president who was a determined conservationist: “To exist as a nation, to prosper as a State, and to live as a people, we must have trees.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 April 2018 at 11:06 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Michael Miano of Middleport takes a photo of the First Presbyterian Church of Albion on Sunday as part of the first bus tour of local sites that are in the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame.
The Medina Sandstone Society organized the tour and had a sell-out with 30 people riding the bus through My Cowboy Transportation in Medina.
The Sandstone Society established the Hall of Fame in 2013. There are plaques of the inductees hanging inside the main meeting room at City Hall in Medina.
The group heads into Pullman Memorial Universalist Church in Albion which was included in the debut Hall of Fame Class in 2013.
The tour started in Medina and included Holy Trinity Parish (St. Mary’s Catholic Church), the former Armory (now the Orleans County YMCA) and then St. John’s Episcopal Church.
The bus then headed to Albion for stops at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, First Presbyterian Church and Mount Albion Cemetery. The group then went to Holley to see St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Hillside Cemetery, where the chapel has the only flying buttress in the county.
Bill Lattin, the retired Orleans County historian, welcomes the group into the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church. Lattin described architectural features and the local efforts behind creating the landmark buildings.
The Pullman church was built in a Gothic Revival style to resemble an 11th century rural England church. George Pullman, the famed railroad industrialist, provided about $67,000 to build the church in Albion in honor of his parents. The church opened in January 1895 after some anxiety in waiting for the large Tiffany stained glass window of Christ the Consoler.
The church has always been electrified, with power coming from the hydroelectric dam in Waterport, Lattin said.
Dave Miller of the Sandstone Society welcomed nominations for the 2018 Hall of Fame Class. For more information, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 April 2018 at 7:59 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Darrell Dyke (right), a member of the board of trustees for the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, presents the church’s Humanitarian Award to Al Capurso during a service on Sunday.
Capurso, a retired county social worker, was thanked for dedicating himself to others in his career and with his many historic preservation projects in retirement. He also has been active in environmental and social justice causes for many years.
Capurso sings the “Whole World Round,” a song that is a tribute to the pioneer settlers who came to the area about two centuries ago.
Pullman Memorial in recent years has presented a humanitarian award to a local community member.
“Without their dedicated efforts to help improve and preserve what’s best, without the sacrifice of time, talent and some treasure, too, this place simply wouldn’t be what it is,” Dyke said.
Capurso is the former Gaines town historian. He is active as president of the Orleans County Historical Association, which recently saved the former cobblestone schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road. That building is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Caourso is also on the board of directors for the Cobblestone Museum.
Al Capurso cuts the cake while joined by several of his grandchildren. Capurso and his wife Chris have four grown children and seven grandchildren.
CLEVELAND – About 60 members of the Albion Marching Band played the National Anthem on Friday at Progressive Field before the start of Seattle Mariners vs. Cleveland Indians. Playing the anthem was among the highlights of the band trip. The students and their chaperones left Friday and returned this evening.
The Indians are the long-time favorite team of Michael Thaine, Albion’s high school band director.
Some of the Cleveland Indians players join Slider the mascot in observing the anthem.
In addition to playing the National Anthem and seeing the Indians win 6-5, the band played in the cold at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday. They also toured the site and met Gene Simmons, star of the band Kiss, and were able to say hello to Jarvis Landry, the new coveted wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns.
Students also visited the Cleveland Zoo and went on a dinner cruise.
Cassie Serafin, left, Kaitlin Zwifka and the band walk off the field after playing the anthem.
Noah Wadhams plays the sousaphone for the marching band.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 April 2018 at 6:28 pm
Photos courtesy of Chris Rice: Neil Newton, left, is presented with his plaque by Steve Wowelco, president of the NYS Outdoorsman Hall of Fame.
Neil Newton, a long-time sportsmen in Orleans County, was inducted into the New York State Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame on Saturday during a banquet at Theodore’s Restaurant in Canastota. Newton’s plaque will be displayed at the Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame Museum in Vail Mills, NY.
Newton is one of 10 new inductees in the Hall of Fame. The NYSOHOF is an organization dedicated to honoring those individuals who have spent many years preserving outdoor heritage, working for conservation, or enhancing our outdoor sports for future generations.
Newton has been past president and a member of the Finger Lakes Conservation Council for 35 years. He has been active in St. Mary’s Archery Club, Black North Rod & Gun Club, and Orleans County Federation of Sportsmen for 63 years.
Newton also has been active in Orleans County Federation of Sportsmen for 63 years. He also took the lead in getting centerfire rifle hunting allowed in Orleans County last year.
He has been a hunter safety instructor and served on the Hunter Education Committee of the NYS Conservation Council for many years. Newton was a co-founder of the DEC Walleye Cooperator rearing project and made arrangements necessary for the project in addition being involved with rearing and stocking the walleye fingerlings.”
Neil Newton, front row at right, joins the other inductees for a photo.
BATAVIA – Two people from Orleans County received inaugural Genean Awards on Saturday during a celebration by the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.
Lisa Roeseler (pictured above), a music teacher and director of Medina High School’s A’Cappella Choir, was recognzied with the individual artist award.
Roeseler started at her career in Medina as a music teacher Towne Primary School in September 1986 and moved to the High School in September 1987. She has been a popular teacher at Medina, with her vocal ensembles performing in the community, especially the annual holiday concert by the A‘Capella Choir at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
When she started, she had 17 students in Mixed Chorus and 43 in A’Cappella. The Mixed Chorus now averages 85 to 90 students and A’Cappella now averages 92 to 100.
Bryan DeGraw received the Supporter of the Year for his efforts to boost the local cultural scene. DeGraw is co-owner of 810 Meadworks with his wife LaRissa. The DeGraws opened 810 Meadworks in downtown Medina on Nov. 30, 2014. They make mead products and have a tasting room. The DeGraws also have run a concert series at the “beegarten” in the back of the building at 113 West Center St.
GO Art! created its own unique awards “like the Oscars or Tony awards for GENesee and OrlEANs Counties, to recognize a few of the amazing people and organizations we have within our counties,” said Gregory Hallock, executive director.
The Genesee Chorale also was honored as the “Organization of the Year.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 April 2018 at 1:32 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Pastor Rich Allis, right, of the Light of Victory Church on Brown Street in Albion says a prayer on Saturday morning before a group of runners and walkers ventured out on a 5K. The church has organized the event the past seven years and proceeds go towards community baskets.
Kathy Jurs was the first woman to hit the finish line. She is cheered on by Cyndi Mardino, the race organizer. Evan Valentine, 15, of Holley was the overall winner. Some of the Run for God participants, who meet at the Free Methodist Church, ran the race on Saturday.
Steve LaLonde of Albion nears the finish. The runners and walkers were hit with hard rain in the race.
