By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 March 2018 at 10:16 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: A tree stump sticks out of the snow by Sandy Creek in Albion in a spot just west of the Brown Street bridge in this photo from March 6.
MURRAY – Several officials from local municipalities attended a meeting last week in Brockport with the State Canal Corp., which detailed the next steps of the tree clearing. That meeting was largely focused on what the Canal Corp. plans to do in Brockport.
A contingent from Orleans County asked the Canal Corp. to hold a similar presentation in Orleans. Paul Hendel, a Murray town councilman, said the Canal Corp. is willing to hold a similar session, which would likely be in Albion.
Hendel attended the Brockport meeting along with Holley Mayor Brian Sorochty, Albion Deputy Mayor Eileen Banker, Medina Mayor Mike Sidari and County Legislators Ken DeRoller and John DeFilipps.
Hendel said Orleans County deserves to know the next steps in the project. Residents want to know how the canal banks will be remediated.
The Canal Corp. told Brockport residents the state agency would hire arborists to consult with Brockport homeowners about appropriate property lines to provide privacy, with the Canal Corp. paying the cost.
The Canal Corp. also will do low-growing vegetation on the cleared embankment, and will work with Brockport to identify and develop several public access points along the canal path.
The Canal Corp. hired a contractor to remove trees on canal-owned land beginning last fall. The clearing started in Medina and headed east. The tree removal upset many local residents.
The Canal Corp. said the clear cutting was necessary because the trees and their roots threaten the integrity of the canal banks, and make them vulnerable to leaks.
The stumps will be removed and the banks will become grassy slopes that will be mowed, the Canal Corp. said.
Kerri Neale, a Holley resident, said the loss of the trees by his property has eliminated a wind break. Two trees toppled on his property last month due to the loss of the buffer of trees by the canal. He told the Murray Town Board on Tuesday that he worries the tree cutters will take down many of the trees by Holley’s Canal Park, a popular spot that includes the Holley Waterfalls.
He said the community needs to be vigilant and know the Canal Corp.’s plans on whether there will be additional tree clearing.
He noted that three Monroe County towns – Pittsford, Perinton and Brighton – won an injunction to halt the tree clearing in their towns until the Canal Corp. and New York Power Authority complete an environmental review of the work.
Neale said the canal banks needed maintenance, but he questioned why so many trees were removed in Orleans and western Monroe.
“They didn’t give us the same respect as the people to the east,” he told the Murray Town Board. “They did it with such speed that the people couldn’t react to it.”
Bob Miller, the Murray town supervisor, said the three Monroe towns who filed the lawsuit were able to take action after seeing a “denuded” canal in Orleans and western Monroe.
“The rate at which they went through Orleans County was rather rapid,” he said.
Hendel said he is hopeful a public information meeting will soon be announced in Orleans County to detail the next steps of the canal bank maintenance plan.
Press Release, New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association
ALBION – Officers and medical staff at Orleans Correctional Facility performed lifesaving measures on an inmate that was discovered unresponsive in the mess hall on Sunday, the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association said today.
Officers discovered the inmate at approximately 12:40 p.m. on March 11. When they approached him, the inmate was unresponsive on the floor. Officers immediately performed Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on the inmate and notified medical staff at the facility.
The officers continued CPR efforts until medical staff arrived on the scene. Medical staff determined that the inmate had possibly suffered an overdose and administered Narcan, which is used as an emergency treatment for known or suspected opioid overdose.
The inmate became responsive after several doses of the Narcan. He was immediately taken by ambulance to a local hospital for additional treatment.
Officers conducting an investigation into the incident, located 24 packets of heroin in one of the dorms near the mess hall. The investigation is ongoing.
“I would like to commend the officers and medical staff at Orleans Correctional Facility for their quick and alert actions as they responded to a suspected inmate overdose,” said Joe Miano, Western Region union official for NYSCOPBA. “They put their training and experience into action and it certainly was instrumental in saving the inmate’s life. Unfortunately, over the past several years, there have been numerous drug overdoses in correctional facilities as illegal drug contraband continues to make its way into the hands of inmates.”
KENDALL – Kendall Central School District is currently accepting registrations for its Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) and kindergarten programs for the 2018-19 school year.
Any child who is 4 years old by December 1, 2018 is eligible to enroll in UPK. Any child who is 5 years old by December 1, 2018 is eligible to enroll in kindergarten. Eligible students must be a resident of the Kendall Central School District.
Kindergarten follows the Elementary School calendar and schedule of 8:40 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Kindergarten screenings will occur on July 31 and August 1-2. You will receive a phone call in June to schedule an appointment.
The Kendall UPK program is held five days per week. The morning session is held from 8:40-11:30 a.m. and the afternoon session is from 12:50-3:30 p.m. The district offers transportation for children enrolled in the Kendall UPK program who are 4 years old. You are also welcome to transport your child on your own. Placement in the UPK morning or afternoon class will be determined by the transportation department and your address. Parents will be informed which UPK session their child has been assigned to in July.
Both the kindergarten and UPK programs follow the school district’s calendar and adhere to the district’s Board of Education student attendance policy.
Kendall Central School District has established a collaborative partnership with Head Start of Orleans County. The Head Start program is held at Kendall Elementary five days per week, following the district calendar and providing transportation for students. The main difference is the Head Start program is held Mondays through Thursdays from 11:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and on Fridays from 11:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. To enroll your child in this program, you may contact Head Start at 585-659-8916.
If you would like to enroll your child in the Kendall UPK or kindergarten programs, please contact Tammie Miller at 585-659-8317, extension 1402, to have a registration packet and a list of required documents mailed to you. The completed packet and a copy of the required documents must be returned no later than May 4. The mailing address is Kendall Elementary School, Attention: Registration, 1932 Kendall Rd, Kendall, NY 14476.
If you have any questions about the kindergarten or UPK programs, please feel free to contact the Elementary Principal, Sharon Smith, at 585-659-8317, extension 1401.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 March 2018 at 8:16 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Albion Middle School drama program will be performing Anne of Green Gables with shows at 7 p.m. Friday, and noon and 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Leah Kania plays the lead role of Anne Shirley. Myleigh Miller is in the role Marilla Cuthbert. In this photo, Anne is upset after being teased about her red hair and freckles.
She comes to live with Marilla and her brother Matthew at their farm. Initially they sent for a boy to come live with them and help with farm chores because Matthew has a weak heart. Matthew and Marilla both accept Anne and love her.
Corleone Plain portrays Gilbert Blythe, who is a top student along with Anne at school. Gilbert is a self-assured charmer and often the recipient of Anne’s ire.
Anne Of Green Gables: The Musical is based on the novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The musical has been performed annually ever since 1965, making it Canada’s longest-running musical.
This is the 42nd musical led by Albion teachers Carrie Kozody, the director, and Kevin Feder, the assistant director. Kozody said Anne of Green Gables was her favorite story to read when she was a child.
She thinks the story has powerful lessons.
“Realize it takes a village to raise a child,” she said. “And never take someone for granted.”
Marilla, for example, didn’t tell Matthew how much she loved him.
William Trembley plays Matthew Cuthbert while Nia Rodriguez is in the role of Mrs. Rachel Lynde, a nosy neighbor.
Anne (Leah Kania) finds a close friend in Diana Barry, played by Zoe Cusson. Here they are singing, “Kindred Spirits.”
There are 41 students in the cast and 30 in the stage crew.
“I am extremely proud of the cast and crew and how they pulled together,” Kozody said. “I hope everyone comes out to see them.”
Nicholas Andrews plays Moody McPherson (second from right) and is called in front of the class by his teacher, Mr. Philipps, who is played by Dallas Ecker.
S’koi Sanders-Smith (center) plays the role of Mrs. Thomas.
Sarah Thom jumps in the arms of Meganne Moore to conclude one of the songs.
This trio includes, from left: Danielle Wyant, Audrey Pask and Emily Graham.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 March 2018 at 7:31 pm
Doherty blames Vendetti for ‘smug bullying’
ALBION – A planned meet and greet with Kevin Doherty, a candidate for Albion mayor, will not go forward on Sunday at the former Swan Library.
Ron Vendetti, the village code enforcement officer, told the building owner, Chad Fabry, that a public assembly wasn’t allowed at the site. In fact, Vendetti said Fabry doesn’t have a certificate of occupancy for the former library at 4 North Main St.
Fabry believes he has a certificate of occupancy because it has never been revoked. He said he needs to modify an upstairs bathroom to be handicapped accessible to have full use of the building. He received a building permit for that in November 2015. The permit is to widen the door by an inch and move a toilet another inch away from a wall.
Fabry, who is the Clarkson code enforcement officer, said he has been delayed on the bathroom changes but wants to get it done soon.
Fabry believed a meet and greet would be permissible for the building which is now zoned for office use.
Vendetti said the building doesn’t have a certificate of occupancy and he couldn’t allow a public assembly at the site.
“I had no choice to do what I did,” Vendetti said. “I can’t let them go in without certificate of occupancy. We’re not going to put a bunch of people in a building without a certificate of occupancy.”
Fabry spoke with Doherty on Thursday and the event planned for Sunday was cancelled. Doherty took out an ad on the Orleans Hub today notifying the public that the event was cancelled “by the village codes officer.”
Vendetti said Doherty had many options in the community for hosting the meet and greet. Just last weekend he held an event at Hoag Library.
“It’s typical of the smug bullying that has virtually eliminated new development in the Village of Albion,” Doherty writes. “Why would anyone invest their own time and money for the privilege of being both bullied and prevented from marketing their properties? The incumbent trustees own this attitude and its consequences.”
Vendetti said he has helped bring development to the village. KeyBank is planning a $180,000 renovation, and a new Save-A-Lot operator will be renovating the site at the plaza on Route 31, Vendetti said about two upcoming projects. He also said four business owners have recently utilized a downtown rental subsidy program run by the village.
Vendetti admitted he is a frequent target of criticism, which he sees as unfair.
“This propagates a myth that has nothing to do with the facts,” he said. “In only serves to divide the community.”
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that for the third consecutive week since being categorized as geographically widespread, the number of laboratory confirmed influenza cases has decreased across New York.
There has been a 42 percent decrease in lab confirmed flu cases and 35 percent decrease in hospitalizations since last week.
Last week, 3,692 laboratory confirmed influenza cases were reported to the New York State Department of Health. The number of weekly hospitalizations decreased for the fifth consecutive week since influenza was declared prevalent in December, with 694 New Yorkers hospitalized for lab confirmed influenza.
“I am encouraged to see yet another decrease in the number of flu cases across the state, but we must remain vigilant against the spread of the virus,” Governor Cuomo said. “If you haven’t already been vaccinated, I urge you to do so and to please stay home if you are sick to avoid spreading the illness.”
Influenza has been categorized as geographically widespread for the last 14 weeks in New York State. As of March 10, 111,410 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza have been reported and 20,114 people have been hospitalized with influenza in New York State this season. There have been 5 pediatric influenza-associated deaths this flu season, and 18,432 children under the age of five have been diagnosed with lab confirmed influenza and 1,341 have been hospitalized. During last year’s flu season, there were 12,912 flu-related hospitalizations and 8 pediatric deaths in New York. Over the previous four years, there were a total of 25 pediatric flu deaths in New York State and an average of 10,571 flu-related hospitalizations a year.
In addition to getting a flu shot and staying home when sick, it’s essential to practice good hand-hygiene. Unlike some viruses, influenza is easily killed by soap and hot water.
Photo by Tom Rivers: National Grid crews work to remove a tree and restore power on West Avenue in Medina on March 9, 2017, after a powerful wind storm knocked out power to about 11,000 National Grid customers in Orleans County.
Press Release, National Grid
New York regulators today approved a multi-party agreement to reset electricity and natural gas delivery prices for National Grid’s upstate New York customers over the next three years. The new delivery prices will take effect April 1.
The approved plan calls for increased investment in the company’s electricity and natural gas delivery networks, system hardening against increasingly frequent and severe weather, enhancements to energy efficiency and low-income support programs, and continuation of the company’s successful programs to support economic development in the communities it serves.
“After more than a decade of bill stability, we are pleased that our discussions with parties representing our customers and other key stakeholders have resulted in an agreement that will phase in delivery price increases,” said Ken Daly, National Grid’s New York President. “This plan allows us to invest $2.5 billion over the next three years in our energy infrastructure, while reducing the short-term impact on bills and providing customers a level of delivery price assurance.”
National Grid filed a one-year plan last April as required by law, but sought to reach a multi-year agreement that would provide longer-term delivery price stability for customers. The three-year plan approved today was developed and agreed to after months of negotiations among parties to the case.
In the first year, a typical residential customer’s total electricity bill will increase by about 3 percent, or $2 a month, compared to an increase of 11 percent requested in the one-year rate case. A typical residential natural gas customer will see a total monthly bill increase of less than 2 percent, or $1, in the first year, compared to a 12.5 percent increase requested in the one-year rate case. Subsequently, increases in residential customers’ total monthly gas and electricity bills will range from $3 to $3.25 for each commodity in year two and year three of the agreement.
The new delivery prices reflect more than $75 million of savings resulting from recent changes in federal tax law, with a provision to ensure that all tax savings are passed on to customers over the three-year rate plan. Today’s approval impacts only delivery prices. National Grid does not control or profit from energy supply prices, which are set by the market.
The plan also enhances National Grid’s new Energy Affordability Program, which has the potential to provide more than $70 million in annual low-income benefits. As a result, the majority of income-eligible customers will see a decrease in their typical average bill beginning in January 2018.The company also expects to increase enrollment in affordability, efficiency and gas safety programs by more than 50,000 customers.
The approved rate plan will allow National Grid to invest $2.5 billion over three years to modernize electricity and natural gas networks, including programs specifically designed to address and respond to the increasing frequency and severity of storms. The proposal also calls for 250 new National Grid jobs in upstate New York over the next three years to support electricity and gas operations, grid modernization and customer programs. The company also will continue and add new natural gas and electricity training academies through Erie, Hudson Valley and Onondaga community colleges. Additionally, National Grid will continue to support the state’s REV clean energy programs.
Signatories to the agreement include: New York Department of Public Service Staff, Multiple Intervenors, IBEW Local 97, PACE Energy & Climate Center, Environmental Defense Fund, NY-Geothermal Energy Organization, Tesla, ChargePoint, Great Eastern Energy, Mirabito Natural Gas, Blue Rock Energy, Direct Energy, New York State Office of General Services, the New York Power Authority, Wal-Mart East, Sam’s East, and the cities of Albany, Buffalo, and Syracuse.
National Grid’s upstate New York customers have experienced more than a decade of stable energy bills. Adjusted for inflation, natural gas delivery prices have held steady and electricity delivery prices are lower than they were in 2004. Over that same period, the company has invested more than $6 billion in upgrading and expanding its delivery infrastructure.
(Editor’s Note: The Syracuse Post-Standard is reporting the rates will increase 11 percent over three years.)
Sen. Rob Ortt (R-North Tonawanda) and his colleagues in the New York State Senate Majority unveiled their plan to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic that has devastated families and communities across the state.
Rob Ortt
As part of the Senate’s 2018-19 Budget proposal, Sen. Ortt and his colleagues on Wednesday committed to providing a record level of state funding to combat opioid abuse and targeted preemptive safety measures to reduce the possibility of future addiction.
“This plan put forth by me and my colleagues is a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach aimed at helping those addicted end the cycle and recover, while also focusing on prevention with our youth before addiction has the opportunity to begin,” said Sen. Ortt. “Our plan also ensures we enable law enforcement to take a firm approach toward those who seek to infect our communities with these illegal narcotics. An update to our state’s controlled substances penalties will help properly punish these perpetrators. ”
The Senate proposal increases the state’s support for opioid use disorder-related services to a new record of $265 million – going beyond the 2018-19 Executive Budget proposal of $228 million.
“Much will be discussed over the next few weeks as the budget deadline approaches, however, my commitment to those suffering from this epidemic remains a steadfast priority,” said Ortt.
Ortt and his colleagues proposed measures to reduce addiction; establish preventative measures and increase criminal punishment can be found below:
Supporting Prevention
• Enact the Drug Take Back Act to get unused and unneeded medications out of medicine cabinets.
• Ensure labels on opioid prescriptions warn of the highly addictive potential of controlled substance medications.
Reform prescribing practices to:
• Limit initial prescriptions from a seven-day to a three-day supply;
• Require patients prescribed opioids for 30 days or longer to have a pain management plan with their prescriber;
• Require written consent from parents or guardians for the prescription of opioids to minors;
• Require the Department of Health to develop guidance on the administration of opioid antagonists; and
• Establish a demonstration program to reduce opioid prescribing by utilizing emergency department physician collaboration to control pain through alternative means, including non-opioid medications.
Expanding Treatment
• Authorize the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (OASAS) to provide funding to substance use disorder programs operated by for-profit agencies.
• Establish a jail-based substance use disorder treatment program.
• Require testing of newborns for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.
• Establish a program on screening expectant mothers for opioid addiction and linking them with care.
• Establish a workgroup and provide education for healthcare providers on screening and caring for mothers with an opioid addiction.
• Prohibit prior authorization for outpatient substance abuse treatment.
• Establish an OASAS ombudsman to assist consumers and providers with insurance issues, including network adequacy.
• Require hospitals and Emergency Room physicians to notify a patient’s prescriber that the patient has been treated for a controlled substance overdose.
Encouraging Recovery
• Establish a voluntary certification process for sober homes.
• Codify the Peer Engagement Program, connecting individuals with substance use disorders to treatment and recovery services.
• Establish an infant recovery pilot program with at least four infant recovery centers in areas of need for infants suffering from drug withdrawal resulting from in utero exposure.
• Establish the Family Support and Recovery Services Program to provide recovery services and support to individuals exiting treatment and their families for up to 12 months after leaving a treatment program.
Enhancing Enforcement
• Criminalize the sale of a controlled substance on the grounds of a drug or alcohol treatment center, or within 1,000 feet of such facilities.
• Make it a crime to offer or accept any kickback from an individual or entity that provides substance abuse services in exchange for patient referral and admission.
• Establishes appropriate level penalties as it relates to heroin sales.
• 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.
• Update controlled substances penalties to reflect emerging issues.
Addressing Fentanyl and other Synthetic Drugs
• Update the controlled substances schedule to promote consistency with the federal controlled substances schedules.
• Add new derivatives of fentanyl to the controlled substances schedule.
• Increase the criminal penalties for the sale of an opiate containing a fentanyl derivative.
Provided photo: Bryan VanWycke (Albion), Connor Miller (Medina), Damien Mault (Lockport), Mr. Browning, Hayley Farwell(Orleans (Orleans County Christian School), Travis Wells (Albion), Amaya Beach (Albion), Katelin Corra (Royalton Hartland), Samantha Pozzobon (Albion), Ariane Wachob (Lyndonville), Deseree Brewer (Lockport), Victoria Brunning (Lockport), Andrea Spink (Lockport), Colon McMullen (Albion), Mr. Gilbert, Sage Reed (Medina), Brandon Orlikowski (Lockport), RedMan Suit (Left) Ayden Fentes (Lockport), RedMan Suit (Right) and Mason Pecoraro (Medina).
Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – The Security and Law Enforcement students at the Orleans Career and Technical Center have been receiving training on how to defend themselves using some new equipment.
Steve Browning and Dudley Gilbert, the class’s teachers, had two of their students suit up in a RedMan instructor suit so that the rest of the class could practice defensive tactics. The suits enable the volunteers to sustain blows, without injury, from a plastic baton or with hands as they engage with their classmates in the use of force exercises.
Some of the students were timid about striking back at the students in RedMan suits, but with the encouragement of their teachers and classmates discovered the best way to defend themselves and keep the upper hand in case of an attack.
Mr. Browning and Mr. Gilbert demonstrated using batons and verbal commands on how to reduce the chance of escalation during an arrest or confrontation. They stressed how important it is to practice fast decision making and being aware of what maneuvers their opponent is making so they can counteract against aggressive behavior.
“If our students pursue a law enforcement career they most likely will encounter this type of scenario on the job,” said Mr. Browning. “As officers they will not only have to protect themselves, but those they serve.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 March 2018 at 8:03 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: A tree on West County House Road in Albion is pictured on Wednesday afternoon. The tree is next to the Poverty Hill Dairy Farm owned by the Neal family.
Spring is less than a week away. Winter will be over on Tuesday, however the temperatures in the 20s and 30s will persist with more snow showers likely in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
Today is forecast for a high of 36 degrees with scattered flurries and a low of 22 overnight.
The temperatures through Wednesday show highs in the 30s with lows in 20s with a chance for snow showers most days, according to the Weather Service.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 March 2018 at 10:51 pm
Devin Hogan shared brief descriptions about the 17 people killed in the Florida school shooting. Gina Montalto, 14, was an artist who also participated in the winterguard.
MEDINA – The high school student body gathered for an assembly this afternoon, one month after 17 people were killed in a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
Students across the country walked out of school in a protest over the series of mass school shootings for nearly two decades now.
Medina students stayed inside the school and remembered the lives lost in Florida. The students viewed a slide show in the auditorium with photos of the 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
Devin Hogan, a Medina student, read descriptions of the people who were killed, which included three adults and 14 children. The students were on the swim team, in the winter guard, the marching band. They danced and were college bound. Others were in the Junior ROTC and planned to serve in the military.
“Some of these children described may remind you of someone you know,” Hogan said. “Maybe it even reminds you of yourself. It’s been 18 years since Columbine. Things have to change. I feel this is the first step.”
Shelby Green, president of the Medina Student Association, addressed her classmates during an assembly. She wanted to mourn the 17 people killed in the Florida school shooting a month ago, but also wanted her classmates to become politically involved and press politicians for solutions to the shootings.
Shelby Green, president of the Medina Student Association, shared her disappointment that school shootings have become “ a weekly headline in our society.”
Columbine in Colorado was the first mass school shooting nearly 20 years ago. Most of the students in Medina school district weren’t even born when two students killed 12 of their classmates and a teacher at Columbine on April 20, 1999.
“Somehow things have gotten worse,” Green said. “Schools are supposed to be places of learning and growth and somehow, they’ve been twisted into battlefields.”
The assembly’s first goal was to honor and mourn the victims in the school shooting in Florida. But Green also said the community and country need to take steps to ensure “that such acts are no longer a weekly headline in our society.”
The national walkout today represents students exercising their voice.
“Shame on our politicians who cannot set aside their differences and come together to fix this problem,” Green said. “This is not a matter of party or politics, it’s a matter of action. The days of noting red flags after the fact have to be over. There needs to be more funding for counseling, more help for at-risk students, more awareness of potential threats. All parts of government must work together so that people are no longer falling through the cracks.”
Jalin Cooper, a Student Association member, said there are hats with the logos from the schools in Medina and Marjory Stoneman Douglas, with “NeverAgain” embroidered on the back.
For every hat purchased in Medina, one hat will be donated to Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
The school resource officer also addressed the students. Corey Ambrose is a Medina police officer who works with students at the school district.
Corey Ambrose is the school resource officer at Medina.
“I am here for you,” he told the students in grades 8 to 12. “Please be sure to come and report any issue big or small, legal or illegal. I am here to work with you to also show that there is a human side to police officers. We are not robots. We all have families and like to have fun as well, but when there is a job to be done, it needs to be done.”
Ambrose said schools have become much safer in recent years. Schools have made significant upgrades in security with ID card key passes for staff to unlock doors. Visitors are only allowed to enter at a main entrance, and there stronger outside doors and windows that are impact resistant.
“This means it is increasingly difficult for someone to enter any of our school buildings,” Ambrose said. “All of these advancements make this building a safer place to get your education.”
School leaders also work with law enforcement on lockdown drills, fire drills and mass casualty drills (when school is out of session).
Ambrose said everyone should slow down and pay attention to their surroundings. “This is not one person’s job, but the responsibility of everybody.”
He urged the students to first control their own actions and decisions, and to also be vigilant in reaching out to others.
“The message that you can take away from today’s assembly is that safety is the responsibility of everyone,” Ambrose said. “If you see something, say something. When we all work together, great things will happen.”
Pictured, from left: Ritajane Isaacson (Alternate), Carly-Grace Woodworth (Citizen), Lillian Strickland (Citizen), and Cathy Fox, Orleans County Chairperson for the American Legion Auxiliary Empire Girls State. Missing from photo: Joyce Stamp (Alternate).
LYNDONVILLE – Carly-Grace Woodworth and Lillian Strickland, juniors at Lyndonville High School, were recently selected to represent the Orleans County American Legion Auxiliaries this summer at Empire Girls State to be held at The College at Brockport, July 1–7.
Interviews were held at the Jewell Buckman American Legion Post #529 in Holley. Candidates were interviewed by members of the American Legion Auxiliaries from Orleans County which resulted in Carly-Grace and Lillian being selected as Citizens; Ritajane Isaacson and Joyce Stamp as Alternates in the event a Citizen is unable to attend. All candidates interviewed were from the Lyndonville school district.
Empire Girls State is an American Legion Auxiliary-sponsored program. Empire Girls State is a week-long, educational experience with hands-on workshops on the political process designed to create a government from the county to the state level. This mythical 51st state allows the participants to learn the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship in a democratic society.
Annually, high school principals with the help of teachers and guidance counselors, identify girls who are juniors in high school who are in the upper third of their class academically and who possess outstanding qualities of leadership, character, honesty, scholarship, cooperation and maturity. Those girls identified and who are interested will then submit their name and resume to the Auxiliary Unit for consideration.
Final selection is made by the local American Legion Auxiliary Units. Cathy Fox serves as the Orleans County chairperson for the American Legion Auxiliary Empire Girls State.
Genesee, however, ranks 19th healthiest county out of 62
By Nola Goodrich-Kresse, Health Educator and Public Information Officer for Orleans County Health Department
According to the ninth annual County Health Rankings, released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, Orleans County ranks 48th respectively in overall Health Outcomes out of 62 counties.
Neighboring Genesee County ranks far higher at 19th. The lower the number, the better the county is doing with its health indicators. The Rankings are available at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
“The County Health Rankings help us identify factors that are important for residents to live long and healthy lives and understand how we compare to other counties in the state,” said Paul Pettit, director of the public health departments in Genesee and Orleans counties. “With this knowledge, we can take steps to improve the health of our residents.”
The Rankings are broken into to two main categories. Health Outcomes includes length of life and quality of life and Health Factors includes health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment.
Genesee County ranked 19th out of 62 counties for Health Outcomes and 27th in Health Factors. Orleans County ranked 48th in Health Outcomes and 56th in Health Factors.
“The County Health Rankings show us that where people live plays a key role in how long and how well they live,” Pettit said. “The Rankings allow local leaders to clearly see and prioritize the challenges they face – whether it’s rising premature death rates or the growing drug overdose epidemic – so they can bring community leaders and residents together to find solutions.”
According to the 2018 Rankings, the five healthiest counties in New York State starting with most healthy are Rockland, followed by Saratoga, Westchester, Nassau and Putnam. The five counties in the poorest health, starting with least healthy are Bronx, Sullivan, Cattaraugus, Niagara, and Chautauqua.
This year’s Rankings are looking at the differences in health by place and by race. These differences are largely the result of gaps in opportunity – education, jobs and affordable housing in our communities. These gaps overly affect people of color.
“The County Health Rankings show how Genesee and Orleans counties rank on factors that influence their overall health ranking,” Pettit said. “For example Genesee County has some strengths in making sure the percentage of population under the age of 65 have health insurance, showing 12 percent uninsured in 2014 and 6 percent in 2018 as well as decreasing the number of hospital stays for ambulatory-care sensitive conditions per 1,000 Medicare enrollees, from 84 in 2014 to 48 in the 2018 rankings. In Orleans County, strengths include going from 12 percent uninsured in 2014 to 7 percent in 2018 and 32 percent in 2014 to 0 percent alcohol-impaired driving deaths in the 2018 rankings.”
Even with the above mentioned positive trends, both counties continue to have challenge areas and are still struggling with health factors specifically with adult smoking (Genesee – 20 percent / Orleans – 22 percent), obesity (Genesee – 27 percent / Orleans – 31 percent) and local access to clinical care, providing local access to clinical care for primary care physicians, dentists and mental health providers.
The Rankings have become an important tool for communities that want to improve health for all. Working collaboratively with community partners, Genesee and Orleans counties have a number of initiatives underway to expand health opportunities for residents, including providing the National Diabetes Prevention Program (Prevent T2), a lifestyle change program to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes; coordinating the tri-county Opioid Task Force; decrease smoking/nicotine usage through referrals and increase cancer screenings.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are working with others to build a national Culture of Health enabling everyone in America to live longer, healthier lives. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.
About the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute advances health and well-being for all by developing and evaluating interventions and promoting evidence-based approaches to policy and practice at the local, state, and national levels.
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By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 March 2018 at 1:29 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Students at Holley Junior-Senior High School held a 17-minute memorial observance this morning in the auditorium. The Humanities class in the high school created 17 posters of the victims from the shooting a month ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
Members of the class made the posters, and included the victims’ photographs, age, and information about their hobbies and activities at school.
“They’re not just names,” said Matt DeSimone, a member of the Humanities class and also the senior class president.
He read the names of each of the victims during the observance. There was 45 seconds of silence after each name was read.
Alaina Petty, 14, and Meadow Pollack, 18, were two of the victims in the shooting at the Florida school. Other victims include:
Alyssa Alhadeff, 14
Scott Beigel, 35, geography teacher
Martin Duque Anguiano, 14
Nicholas Dworet, 17
Aaron Feis, 37, assistant football coach
Jaime Guttenberg, 14
Chris Hixon, 49, athletic director
Luke Hoyer, 15
Cara Loughran, 14
Gina Montalto, 14
Joaquin Oliver, 17
Helena Ramsay, 17
Alex Schachter, 14
Carmen Schentrup, 16
Peter Wang, 15
Ricky Hodge holds a folded American flag in honor of Chris Hixon, the athletic director at Marjory Stoneman Douglas who was also a veteran.
The Humanities class worked on the program for the past two weeks, researching the victims and created the posters. DeSimone said the class didn’t want the observance to be a political stand about gun control.
“We just wanted to honor the victims,” DeSimone said.
He did the research on Alaina Petty, 14. She was a member of the Junior ROTC. She had strong faith and loved her family and friends, DeSimone said.
“She was just a 14-year-old kid who was going to school,” he said after the program in the auditorium.
Students weren’t required to attend the observance. Susan Cory, the school principal, said about 85 percent of the students in grades 7 through 12 attended the ceremony. Some students chose not to attend because they felt the service might be more against gun rights rather than remembering the victims.
Cory discussed the program with the Humanities class. She didn’t want students to walk out of the school, like so many have done today throughout the country. She worried about the students’ safety if hundreds went outside.
She was impressed with the power of the 17-minute program this morning. Many of the students in the crowd had tears.
“I got choked up,” she said. “It was hard not to.”
Dan Courtney (pictured at right) is Holley’s assistant principal and athletic director. He held the poster for Chris Hixon, the athletic director at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Every 45 seconds, a different poster representing a victim in the school shooting was turned around, with the face of the victim showing.
“It definitely made it more real,” Courtney said about the service.
After the service, the 17 members of the school held the posters in the hallway.
DeSimone said he appreciated the respect shown by the student body.
“We want to thank you for coming and honoring these victims of school violence,” he said at the close of the program. “Please remember that we as students have a strong voice and that positive change can and will come from our efforts.”
Briana Colucci, a student in the Humanities class, said the Holley students were focused on honoring the victims from the shooting.
“Their lives were lost, but their memory lives on through our unity as a school, as a community, and as a nation,” she said in an opening message to start the program.
Wrist bands are being sold for $1 with proceeds to be sent to Marjory Stonemason Douglas.
Other schools in Orleans County also planned memorial observances inside the schools and team-building exercises to help students connect with their classmates.
Two women from Albion are among the 14 volunteers from the American Red Cross, Western and Central New York Region, who are helping with the winter storm relief efforts currently underway in Massachusetts.
Stacie Barnett and Heather Holley of Albion are assisting with disaster assessment.
The third nor’easter in 10 days is affecting the East Coast, and much of the Western and Central New York Region is experiencing winter weather this week. The Red Cross is urging people to stay safe and is monitoring the storm to respond if needed.
The Red Cross also is urging people to donate blood. Large winter storm systems like these nor’easters can cancel Red Cross blood drives needed to collect lifesaving blood donations for patients in need, the Red Cross said.
In fact, approximately 250 Red Cross blood drives have been cancelled this month due to severe winter weather, resulting in thousands of uncollected blood and platelet donations. Blood and platelets are needed for accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease.
Donors in areas unaffected by the weather may be helping patients close to home or patients in areas where donors are unable to give because of inclement weather.
Eligible individuals can make an appointment to give by using the Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
