By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2018 at 11:58 am
Medina will push back event to May 4, while Albion does tree-planting Friday at Mount Albion
The villages of Albion and Medina are both getting ready for Arbor Day events.
Medina was planning a tree-planting celebration this Friday at Butts Park, but the event has been pushed back a week “due to the tragic and unexpected passing of Mrs. Andrea Lonnen,” said Chris Busch, chairman of Medina’s Tree Board.
Andrea Lonnen
Lonnen, a kindergarten teacher, passed away on Sunday at age 45. She was a big supporter of Arbor Day and had her classes help plant trees. Her calling hours will be on Friday and Busch said many teachers and members of the school community want to pay their respects to Lonnen.
Arbor Day in Medina will instead be celebrated the following Friday on May 4.
“Each year, hundreds of students from Oak Orchard School attend Medina’s Arbor Day Celebration. Mrs. Lonnen and her kindergarten class were always in attendance,” Busch said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lonnen family and the students of Oak Orchard Elementary School at this time. Mrs. Lonnen will be greatly missed in our schools, our community and especially at Arbor Day.”
The Arbor Day celebration will start at 9 a.m. at Butts Park. This year’s celebration will be in honor of Wilson Southworth, who passed away at age 70 on Dec. 8. Southworth was a long-time member of the Tree Board, its vice chairman and a staunch proponent of reforesting the Village of Medina.
Albion will also hold an Arbor Day celebration this Friday at 1 p.m. at Mount Albion Cemetery (near the Watson Mausoleum). Tim Archer, a seventh-grade service learning teacher, and his students will be part of the program that includes remarks from Mayor Eileen Banker and County Historian Matt Ballard.
KENDALL – Attention all parents and caregivers in Orleans County: Sheriff Randall Bower announced Kendall Elementary School will host one of our many Child Car Seat Check Point Events during PTSA Fun Night on Friday.
The Sheriff’s Office will be at the Elementary School on Friday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
According to data, vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ranging from 1 to 13 years of age. Preventative measures, such as proper installation of car seats, boosters and seat belts can lower many deaths and injuries. Informing and instructing parents and caregivers on child safety and proper installation of car seats is critical to saving young lives.
Our Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will share information and inspect your car/booster seats to assure that your child is in the correct seat for their size and age. If you have any questions, please contact Sgt. Kevin Colonna at 585-589-5527 or Kevin.Colonna@orleanscountyny.gov.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2018 at 8:08 am
Budget includes money for playground equipment, new ambulance, other projects
MEDINA – The Medina Village Board approved a $5,947,932 budget on Monday evening that increases taxes by 1.8 percent, and also includes funds for playground upgrades, a new ambulance, a police car and other projects.
The budget increases the tax levy by $52,954, from $2,923,001 to $2,975,955. The tax rate will increase by 1.57 percent or 28 cents from $17.72 to $18.00 ($17.9991) per $1,000 of assessed property.
The 1.8 percent tax levy increase is more than the 1.0 percent allowed for the village as part of the state-imposed tax cap. The formula for the tax cap this year only allows Medina a 1.0 percent tax increase, instead of 2 percent. The Village Board voted to override the cap.
“It’s been discussed heavily,” Mayor Mike Sidari said about the budget. “We’re very happy with the outcome of the budget this year.”
The budget includes $40,000 for new playground equipment at Butts Park, a new police car, roof repairs on City Hall, a new roof on the Village Clerk’s Office, and a new zero-turn mower for the village parks.
The village will also spend about $150,000 for a new ambulance with the towns of Shelby, Ridgeway and Yates contributing $64,000 towards the purchase.
The Department of Public Works also wants to pave West Avenue and Park Avenue, said Joe Perry, the DPW superintendent. If the village can stretch its money for paving, Perry said he would like to pave some of the side streets, too.
The village’s tax base only grew by 0.2 percent or $386,497, from $164.95 million to $165.34 million.
The 2019-20 budget should show a bigger increase in the tax base. There will be property reassessments that take effect in the 2019-20 budget and they should reflect recent upgrades in the downtown and village houses, as well as some projects in the Medina Business Park, Mayor Sidari said.
“Budgets are never fun but we were able to work together with what I think is a fair assessment of what we want to accomplish this year,” said Trustee Todd Bensley.
The village’s new fiscal year starts June 1.
“No one wants to see a tax increase – I’d love to lower the tax rate by 50 cents – but the reality is things cost more money,” said Trustee Owen Toale.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2018 at 11:01 pm
Marcia Tuohey
MEDINA – The Medina Village Board approved a unanimous resolution this evening to name a road in honor of the late mayor, Marcia Tuohey.
She was instrumental in creating the Business Park on Bates Road and Maple Ridge Road in the 1980s. The main road off Bates Road, heading west into the park, will be known as Marcia Tuohey Way. This road is across from the ethanol plant, Western New York Energy.
“She worked very hard to get the Business Park up and running,” said Medina Mayor Mike Sidari.
Tuohey was the first woman to serve as Medina mayor. She was also the first woman elected an Orleans County legislator. She served as chairwoman of the Legislature for eight years.
After she retired as an elected official, she served on the Village Planning Board and was the county’s representative on the Board of Directors for the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. She passed away on Aug. 7, 2014.
Her son, Cal Tuohey, attended the Village Board meeting this evening. He thanked the board for honoring his mother. He joked about his mother’s strong will. He said the road should perhaps say, “Marcia Tuohey’s Way” with the apostrophe.
Mrs. Tuohey pushed to bring infrastructure to the Business Park and also welcomed its first tenants.
“My mother would be very proud to receive this recognition,” Cal Tuohey said about the road naming.
The Business Park is growing. Pride Pak opened a new vegetable processing facility in November 2016. Takeform Architectural Graphics is doing an addition and Cobblestone Suites looking to build a 58-room hotel.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2018 at 6:34 pm
ALBION – Two people pleaded guilty in Orleans County Court today to drug crimes and will likely be sentenced to state prison.
Jonathan Agosto, 31, of Rochester pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree. He could be sentenced up to 8 years in prison on July 9.
Agosto was charged in February with 10 counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, which are Class B felonies. He is suspected to providing heroin/fentanyl that caused several overdoses in early 2018.
Another Rochester resident, Lamar Nelson, 29, pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree. He faces up to 2 ½ years in prison when he is sentenced on June 25.
He admitted he had cocaine with the intent to sell on May 1, 2017.
A Holley man who has been in prison for 4 years will be released on June 2 from Collins Correctional Facility. Damien Jost, 23, pleaded guilty in 2014 to disseminating indecent material to a minor. Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church assessed Jost as a Level 2 sex offender.
Judge Sara Sheldon presided over other cases this afternoon. She set June 18 as the beginning of a trial for Gerardo Quiros, 31, of Medina, who allegedly held a woman against her will for several weeks, while physically and sexually assaulting her.
Susan Howard, the assistant district attorney, told the judge the trial would likely last about two weeks.
Quiros is facing 24 counts, including seven counts of first-degree rape, 10 counts of criminal sexual act in the first degree, one count of third-degree assault, one count of both criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third and fifth degrees, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief in the fourth degree, and unlawful possession of marijuana.
Quiros remains in the county jail after his bail was revoked in January by Judge Sheldon. The judge said she wouldn’t consider releasing him from jail.
‘The blight of plastic bags takes a devastating toll on our streets, our water and our natural resources, and we need to take action to protect our environment.’ – Governor Cuomo
Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today introduced a program bill that would ban all single-use, plastic carryout bags at any point of sale in New York State. This action follows the release of the New York State Plastic Bags Task Force report in January, which outlined the environmental impact of plastic bags, single-use bag reduction measures, and proposed actions that the state could take to reduce pollution and protect New York’s natural resources, including a ban on single-use plastic bags.
“The blight of plastic bags takes a devastating toll on our streets, our water and our natural resources, and we need to take action to protect our environment,” Governor Cuomo said. “As the old proverb goes: ‘We did not inherit the earth, we are merely borrowing it from our children,’ and with this action we are helping to leave a stronger, cleaner and greener New York for all.”
As communities and states across the country continue to struggle with the ecological and financial costs associated with the use of plastic bags, New York is taking action to implement legislation that will ban plastic bags statewide. The Governor launched the New York State Plastic Bag Task Force in March 2017 to conduct a study and develop a comprehensive solution to the use and disposal of plastic bags and how best to deter their environmental impact. The Task Force is led by State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos along with co-chairs Senator Thomas O’Mara and Assemblyman Steve Englebright.
The Task Force conducted a survey of more than a dozen municipalities in New York State that currently have plastic bag laws. The Task Force also encouraged public comment on the issue and received 558 responses between March and December 2017. The full report is available by clicking here.
Based on recommendations included in the report, the Governor is introducing a program bill that would ban the provision of single-use, plastic carryout bags at any point of sale, and would provide the Department of Environmental Conservation with exclusive jurisdiction over all matters related to plastic bags and film plastic recycling. The bill exempts garment bags, trash bags and any bags used to wrap or contain certain foods, such as fruits and sliced meats. The bill would go into effect on January 1, 2019.
In addition to the legislation, the state will undertake an education and outreach campaign to increase consumer awareness of single-use bags and their harmful impact on the environment. Education efforts will also seek to educate consumers of the impact plastic bags have on the environment and the waste stream, and promote use of reusable bags.
Plastic Bag Environmental Impacts
A ban on single-use plastic carryout bags will significantly reduce waste and environmental impacts. New York City alone estimates a savings of $12.5 million in disposal costs by reducing the number of single-use plastic bags. These costs do not include the significant cleanup costs to remove plastic through litter collection programs and beach and ocean cleanup efforts. In addition, the ban will reduce the raw materials and natural resources used to make, transport, and recycle these bags. Fewer carryout bags given away at checkout could result in decreased recycling and disposal costs for municipalities and municipal recycling facilities.
Currently, 10 cities, towns, and villages in New York have enacted plastic bag bans. One municipality has a plastic bag ban with a fee on single-use paper bags and bags that qualify as reusable, including 2.25 mil flexible plastic bags. The City of Long Beach has a single-use plastic bag fee in place and Suffolk County’s single-use plastic bag fee took effect on January 1, 2018.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 80 percent of plastic pollution in the ocean originated on land, which includes plastic bags, and in New York, residents use 23 billion plastic bags annually, which contributes to pollution both on and off land. These bags do not biodegrade and they persist for years.
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “Governor Cuomo is taking real, enforceable action today to reduce the scourge of plastic bag waste blighting our communities, state lands, and waters. From Buffalo to the Adirondack Park, and from the Catskills to the Long Island Sound, plastic bag waste is degrading our natural resources and forcing municipalities to spend precious resources to address it. Today’s announcement reinforces the Governor’s standing as an innovative, forward-thinking environmental leader.”
Citizens Campaign for the Environment Executive Director Adrienne Esposito said, “Plastic pollution has become a serious threat to our lakes, rivers and marine environment as well as public health. Scientists are finding plastic pollution in shellfish and finfish, making its way to our dinner plates. Giving up plastic bags and using reusable bags is one easy, reasonable step each member of the public can take to help combat the plastic pollution epidemic. It is time for everyone to get on the plastic bag ‘ban wagon.’ We are thrilled Governor Cuomo has introduced this bill and is providing national leadership to address plastic pollution.”
Provided photo: Mika Vazquez-Pulcino, a GCC student artist, is one of the students who will be exhibiting artwork at GCC’s Albion Campus Center.
Press Release, GCC
ALBION – Genesee Community College invites the community to the Albion Campus Center on Wednesday, April 25, from 4 to 5 p.m. to enjoy an art reception for a GCC student exhibit.
Since the beginning of this spring semester, Adjunct Professor Karen Flack’s ART 114 painting students have been creatively and colorfully painting canvasses that are a must see. If you can’t make the reception, you may stop by some other time – the art work will be on display until May 9.
This reception is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served. The Albion Campus Center is located at 456 West Ave., Albion, NY 14411. For more information, contact the Albion Campus Center at (585) 589-4936.
MEDINA – The Medina Central School District has released the following statement:
“Yesterday, Mrs. Andrea Lonnen, a beloved kindergarten teacher at Oak Orchard Elementary passed away, suddenly. While we are absolutely devastated as a district, please know that the entire Medina Central School District is here to offer support to any of our students who may need assistance as they learn about this horrible news.
“All of our counselors are available to help students. If you feel that your child may need additional help, please have your child talk to a teacher, counselor, or feel free to call your child’s principal.
“As the days progress, please know that we all are here to help your student cope with this tragedy. Please see our website for resources to help your child cope with this loss.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2018 at 12:06 pm
BARRE – A citizens’ group has formed to oppose to the proposed Heritage Wind project in Barre. Clear Skies Above Barre, Inc. will be meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Hoag Library in Albion.
“We are just trying to get all of the information out to the public and make sure the community is well informed,” said Kerri Richardson.
She is a member of the board of directors for the new group, which has been recognized by the state. Richardson said Clear Skies Above Barre will soon be picking officers for the group.
Clear Skies was able to extend the comment period until May 4 for the preliminary scoping statement with the state Department of Public Service.
Heritage Wind (Apex Clean Energy) has proposed building a 200-megawatt project in Barre.
The company will compile and respond to the PSS comments, “and will make any necessary adjustments to the studies it proposes in connection with the project,” Project Development Manager Ben Yazman said in letter March 12 to the Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary of the Public Service Commission.
Apex has been working in Barre for about two years. It has held several public meetings and has secured leases for 30 of the turbine sites. The company continues to discuss leases with landowners. Apex wants to have 47 sites under contract, Yazman told Orleans Hub last month.
The project would generate about $1.5 million in annual tax revenue for the town, county, school district and other public services, in addition to about $1 million annually to the landowners, Yazman said.
Richardson, 28, said the revenue-sharing deals for landowners and municipalities vary with the projects. She worries Barre may not get the promised revenue, especially because some of the deals she has seen show the county and school district getting more of the revenue than the host town.
“I don’t think this is as lucrative as it’s being made out to be,” she said.
Clear Skies will likely seek some of the intervenor funds that Apex will have to provide to the town and other recognized parties so they can hire experts or legal counsel to review the application.
Richardson urges residents to be involved in scrutinizing the project.
“My concern is for our community and what’s in the best interest for Barre,” she said.
She welcomed community members to attend Wednesday’s meeting at the library.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2018 at 8:48 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
BARRE – Five members of the Orleans County Clay Crushers take turns on Sunday afternoon at one of the two traps at the Barre Sportsmen’s Club on Gray Road. Bryce Wilson, center, readies the shot. The Clay Crushers started 12 years ago with six youths. It has grown to 57 kids ages 12 to 18.
The Clay Crushers are hoping to have its members who live in the Albion school district be part of a new trap shooting team. That would follow Holley and Kendall, which have formed teams, with Holley starting last year and Kendall’s team formed this year. The Clay Crushers and Albion school district weren’t able to work out all the details in time for a team this year, but the Clay Crushers are hopeful there will be an Albion team next school year.
The Clay Crushers compete in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP)/Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP).
Tommy Fox, right, takes aim at a target. Jeff Atwell, back, is one of the five coaches for the program. The youths pay $5 each week to shoot at 50 of the targets.
Chris Rice is the lead administrator and one of five coaches for the program. He shows the machine that sends out the targets at about 43 miles per hour. The machine is unpredictable for the shooters, sending the targets in different directions. The shooters are 16 yards away from the machine.
“I just enjoy and love to see the kids shooting,” said Chris Rice, who helped start the Clay Crushers. “It’s better than playing a video game. It’s something the kids can do with their father and grandfather.”
Ryan Krenning fires at a target. The students use shotguns for the target shooting.
There are two trap fields at the Barre Sportsmen’s Club. With 57 kids in the program, it takes about five hours on Sunday afternoon for all of them to get in their 50 shots. The microphones are voice activated. When the shooter yells “pull,” a target is released.
Jeff Atwell, president of the Barre Sportsmen’s Club, gives Austin Furness, 15, of Albion some advice. Atwell is one of five coaches for the team. The others include Chris Rice, Ryan Uderitz, Tim Brien and Mike Donahue.
Some of the shooters hit about 90 percent of the targets. Atwell said the beginners typically pick up the sport quickly. The key to hitting the targets: “focus” and “practice, practice, practice,” Atwell said.
Andrew Uderitz of Albion takes a shot at the trap target. The ammunition is donated by local sportsmen’s clubs and the Friends of the NRA.
Mike Donahue keeps track of the shooters’ scores. In many of the school competitions, teams don’t travel to compete, except for the state competition. They shoot at their home team trap fields. They then submit their scores online and compare with the other teams’. If Albion has a school team, they would compete at the Barre Sportsmen’s Club.
Atwell said competing with the school would give the Clay Crushers more events to compete in.
Jason Conn, 12, of Albion lets out a smile during target shooting on Sunday. He joined the Clay Crushers last month. He looks forward to going hunting.
“It keeps the kids’ away from video games,” said his mother Kelly Furness. “He likes being outside and he has great role models with the kids next to him.”
Clay Crushers are on the line at the trap field. This group includes, right to left: Sawyer Braley, Andrew Uderitz, Gage Brannon, Sarah Kingdollar and Brad Kingdollar.
MEDINA – Medina Boy Scout Troop 35 and Cub Scout Pack 35 sponsored “Canal Clean Sweep” location at Culvert Road tunnel this past Saturday.
Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts along with leaders and parents performed garbage and debris clean up under and around the tunnel, as well as the towpath above the tunnel, both east and west for a half mile. The group removed several bags full of garbage and debris from the area.
KENDALL – The Kendall Lions Club celebrated Earth Day with two events. On Friday, members of the Lions Club presented the 53 fourth-graders in Kendall Elementary School with their own tree for planting.
The presentation of trees enhances the ecology lessons and activities done in the classroom. Before receiving their trees, Superintendent and Kendall Lion Julie Christensen spoke with students about Earth Day and the work of the Kendall Lions. The Lions Club has been participating in the 4th grade foresters program since 2012.
The Kendall Lions on Saturday sponsored the Kendall Community Environmental Cleanup Day, a long-standing tradition in Kendall. About 40 Lions, Leos, Scouts and community members joined forces to clean up the roadsides in the Town of Kendall. Kendall Lions provide safety vests to participants as well as refreshments following.
Thank you to the Town of Kendall Highway Department for their support in this endeavor and Lions Ken DeRoller and Eric Maxon for chairing the event.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2018 at 9:25 am
File photo: Jason Barnum, a school resource officer for Lyndonville Central School for the last two months of the 2016-17 school year, visits the school’s health classes in May 2017 to teach drug prevention education. Barnum is a deputy with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.
LYNDONVILLE – The Board of Education has approved a budget for 2018-19 that includes $100,000 for a full-time school resource officer.
The district had a school resource officer the last two months of the 2016-17 school year, but didn’t include the position this past school year due to budget concerns.
The district has received a boost in state aid and school leaders want to have the officer working out of the district next school year. Lyndonville would contract with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office to have a deputy assigned to the district throughout the school year. (Kendall also is proposing to contract with the Sheriff’s Office for a deputy to work as a school resource officer.)
The Lyndonville Board of Education has approved a $14,006,982 proposed budget that will go before district voters on May 15. The vote will be from noon to 8 p.m. at Stroyan Auditorium.
The budget represents a 3 percent spending increase. Taxes, however, would increase by 1 percent. Lyndonville has reduced taxes in recent years. In 2014-15 the tax rate was $18.34 per $1,000 of assessed property. The rate then went to $17.26 in 2015-16, $16.36 in 2016-17, $16.41 in 2017-18 and now an estimated $16.57 in 2018-19.
The vote on May 15 also includes:
• A proposition to collect $100,888 for Yates Community Free Library, which is up by 3.5 percent;
• Authorization to build the transportation reserve fund up to $700,000 over eight years;
• Authorization to purchase two 64-seat passenger buses to replace ones from 2007, not to exceed $250,000. Money already in transportation reserve;
• The community will elect four school board members, three for 3-year terms and one for a 2-year term.
There are eight candidates including three incumbents – Ted Lewis (board president), Kelly Cousins and Susan Hrovat. Russ Martino, who was recently appointed to the board to fill a vacancy when Penny Barry resigned, also is running for a board seat. Other candidates include Stephanie Hargrave, Bill Jurinich, Tara Neace and Steven Vann.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 22 April 2018 at 8:49 am
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Roy-Hart’s Al Xapsos and his defending champion Ram teammates face a key meeting with Akron to begin the upcoming week.
Despite all of the recent inclement weather the Niagara-Orleans League baseball and softball title races reaches the halfway point early this coming week which will be especially busy with several makeup contests.
The N-O baseball action will feature a matchup of unbeatens as defending champion Roy-Hart (3-0) visits Akron (3-0) on Monday. Akron then faces a pair of key game against Albion, which is off to a 3-1 start, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then on Friday Akron will host Medina, which is currently 3-2.
The diamond week will also be capped off in a special way with the holding of the second annual Jeff Evoy Memorial Scholarship games at Vets Park on Saturday. Albion will face Pembroke at 4 p.m. and Medina will take on Wilson at 7 p.m.
The N-O softball slate will feature undefeated Roy-Hart (4-0) visiting Akron (1-1) on Monday.
On the tennis courts, defending champion Medina will visit Akron on Wednesday in a matchup of 2-0 teams.
Weekly Schedule Monday Baseball: Notre Dame at Holley, Pembroke at Kendall, Alexander at Lyndonville, 4:30 p.m.; Newfane at Barker, Roy-Hart at Akron, 4:45 p.m. Softball: Byron-Bergen at Holley, Lyndonville at Kendall, 4:30 p.m.; Medina at Wilson, Barker at Newfane, Roy-Hart at Akron, 4:45 p.m. Tennis: Kendall at Holley, Medina at Barker, Wilson at Albion, Akron at Newfnae, 4 p.m.
Tuesday Baseball: Kendall at Holley, Lyndonville at Pembroke, 4:30 p.m.; Albion at Akron, 4:45 p.m. Softball: Holley at Elba, Kendall at Byron-Bergen, Oakfield-Alabama at Lyndonville, 4:30 p.m.; Medina at Newfane, Aquinas at Albion, 4:45 p.m. Tennis: Roy-Hart at Medina, 4 p.m. Track: Barker at Medina, Albion at Akron, 4:15 p.m. Lacrosse: Medina at Gowanda, 5 p.m.
Wednesday Baseball: Attica at Holley, 4:30 p.m.; Albion at Akron, Roy-Hart at Barker, Wilson at Newfane, 4:45 p.m. Softball: Holley at Attica, 4:30 p.m.; Roy-Hart at Barker, Newfane at Wilson, 4:45 p.m. Tennis: Medina at Akron, Roy-Hart at Barker, Wilson at Newfane, Holley at Elba, Kendall at Byron-Bergen, 4 p.m. Track: Holley at Wheatland-Chili, Lyndonville at Byron-Bergen, 4:30 p.m.
Thursday Baseball: Byron-Bergen at Lyndonville, Notre Dame at Kendall, 4:30 p.m. Softball: Holley at Kendall, Lyndonville at Notre Dame, 4:30 p.m.; Wilson at Albion, 4:45 p.m.; Medina at Maryvale, 5 p.m. Tennis: Kendall at Wheatland-Chili, 4 p.m. Track: Medina at Wilson, Barker at Akron, 4:15 p.m. Lacrosse: Medina at Salamanca, 5 p.m.
Friday Baseball: Medina at Akron, Barker at Albion, Newfane at Roy-Hart, 4:45 p.m. Softball: Lima Christian at Kendall, 4:30 p.m.; Albion at Barker, Roy-Hart at Newfane, 4:45 p.m. Tennis: Holley at Notre Dame, Kendall at Attica, Roy-Hart at Newfane, Wilson at Akron, 4 p.m.
Saturday Baseball: Jeff Evoy Memorial Scholarship games at Vets Park (Albion vs. Pembroke, 4 p.m., Wilson vs. Medina, 7 p.m.) Softball: Barker at Kendall, 11 a.m.; Medina at Depew Tournament Lacrosse: Medina at Amherst, 1 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2018 at 8:22 am
Provided photo: Richard “RJ” Gilman Jr. and his mother Joan are shown together in this photo.
The First Baptist Church in Albion will host calling hours and a funeral on Saturday (April 28) for Joan Gilman and her son Richard “RJ” Gilman Jr.
The mother and son were found deceased on Wednesday in a bedroom at their home on Center Road. The electricity had been turned off recently.
They likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning from fumes from a generator or a heater that used propane gas, the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office said. The office is continuing to investigate.
Calling hours are from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the church at the corner of West Park and Liberty streets in Albion. A service will follow at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes is handling arrangements for Joan and RJ Gilman. An obituary about Joan describes her as an avid reader, who loved to go bowling and was someone that all the children in the family could come to if they needed a reliable confidant. She was truly devoted to her family, especially to her son.
RJ, a ninth-grader at Kendall, was in the school chorus and performed in “Seussical the Musical” at Kendall. He enjoyed fishing, video games, hanging with his cousins and collecting Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic The Gathering cards.
“RJ had a fabulous, twisted sense of humor!” according to his obituary.
A GoFundMe has been established to assist the family. Click here for more information.
