MEDINA – A big turbine blade that had been parked in Medina at the former Ames plaza since Dec. 5 was back on the move today.
Cassandra Poole sent in these photos taken from the Rite Aid parking lot. The blade looks to be more than 100 feet long. It was headed east down Maple Ridge Road.
Provided photo
KENDALL – The Dollar General store opened today in Kendall. The 9,100-square-foot structure is on Route 18, just west of the Kendall Road (Route 237) intersection.
This is the fifth Dollar General in Orleans County. Other stores are located on West Avenue in Albion, Route 31 in Holley, Maple Ridge Road in Medina and Ridge Road in Medina (just south of Lyndonville).
Nicholas L. Preston
ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office has charged an Albion man with sex offenses and endangering the welfare of a child.
Nicholas L. Preston, 22, of West County House Road has been charged with rape in the second degree, criminal sexual act in the third degree, and endangering the welfare of a child. Preston allegedly had unlawful contact with a 14-year-old female victim in the Town of Ridgeway, Undersheriff Chris Bourke said.
Preston was charged on Dec. 13 and arraigned before Town of Ridgeway Justice Joseph Kujawa. Preston was remanded to the Orleans County Jail in lieu of $2,500 cash or $2,500 bond for bail.
Preston was scheduled to return to the Ridgeway Town Court today at 3 p.m.
This investigation was conducted by investigator S. Brett and K. Strickland, and Sgt J. Doyle.
Press Release, Gov. Cuomo’s Office
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the launch of the nation’s strongest, most progressive and most comprehensive Paid Family Leave policy. Starting January 1, 2018, New Yorkers will have job-protected paid time off to bond with a new child, care for a loved one with a serious health condition or help relieve family pressures when a loved one is called to active military service abroad. When fully phased in, New Yorkers will be eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid time off.
“Our strongest-in-the-nation Paid Family Leave policy will ensure that no one has to choose between losing a job and missing the birth of a child or being able to spend time with a loved one in their final days,” Governor Cuomo said. “This will help improve the lives of workers across this great state and I am proud to enact this landmark legislation to help move New York forward.”
Those eligible for Paid Family Leave include:
• Parents during the first 12 months following the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child;
• Caretakers for a sick spouse, domestic partner, child, stepchild, parent, stepparent, parent-in-law, grandparent or grandchild;
• Employees with a spouse, child, domestic partner or parent who has been notified of an order of active military service abroad.
Full-time employees with a regular schedule of 20 or more hours a week will be eligible for Paid Family Leave after 26 consecutive weeks of employment. Part-time employees with a regular schedule of less than 20 hours a week can apply for Paid Family Leave after working 175 days for their employer.
Insurance Coverage: Paid Family Leave coverage will typically be included as a rider to an employer’s existing disability insurance policy, and will be fully funded by employees through payroll deductions. In 2018, the employee contribution is 0.126 percent of an employee’s weekly wage, capped at 0.126 percent of the New York State Average Weekly Wage. The program is mandatory for nearly all private employers. Public employers may opt into the program.
Phase-in Schedule: Paid Family Leave will be phased in over four years, beginning January 1, 2018. In 2018, employees may take up to eight weeks of paid leave at 50 percent of their average weekly wage up to 50 percent of the New York State Average Weekly Wage. That increases to 12 weeks of paid leave in 2021 paid at 67 percent of an employee’s average weekly wage up to 67 percent of the New York State Average Weekly Wage.
“New York’s Paid Family Leave program will provide critical support to New Yorkers caring for older loved ones,” said Beth Finkel, State Director of AARP New York. “No one should ever be forced to choose between caring for a family member and risking their economic security. AARP will continue our hard work to educate New Yorkers about this important new benefit.”
The United States is far behind other countries when it comes to paid family leave, Cuomo said. Currently, just 14 percent of the U.S. workforce has access to employer-sponsored paid family leave. The numbers are even worse for low-wage workers, 94 percent of whom have no access to paid family leave. In New York, they now will.
Since Paid Family Leave became law in 2016, the state has focused on getting the word out so New Yorkers can take full advantage of the benefits heading into 2018, with outreach efforts reaching millions of people including 1.1 million unique visitors to New York’s dedicated website; 27,000 calls have been handled by NYS’s toll-free PFL Helpline; 1.7 million people have been reached via social media; and 500,000 businesses have been contacted via U.S. Mail.
Additional information on New York State’s Paid Family Leave law, along with numerous resources for employers and workers, can be found on the Paid Family Leave website by clicking here. The public is also encouraged to call the Paid Family Leave helpline at (844) 337-6303 with any questions.
Leonel Lopez-Sanchez
ALBION – A Rochester man who was arrested in February for allegedly selling heroin in Albion pleaded guilty in Orleans County Court this morning.
Leonel Lopez-Sanchez, 45, faces 3 ½ years in state prison, two years of post-release supervision and possible deportation to Cuba after pleading guilty to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree with intent to sell.
Lopez-Sanchez was arrested on Feb. 16 after an investigation by the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force and a the execution of a search warrant on North Main Street by the Albion Police Department. He has been in the county jail since then on $300,000 bail.
Lopez-Sanchez has no prior felonies, but was convicted of misdemeanor crimes in Miami, the District Attorney’s Office said in a previous court appearance.
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Gaines Town Hall has new siding, a front enclosure and handicapped accessibility ramp and door on the front of the building.
GAINES – Town officials were joined by State Sen. Robert Ortt this morning in celebrating a series of improvements to the Town Hall that will improve the security and energy efficiency of the building on Route 104.
Photo from Town of Gaines: Here is how the Town Hall looked before the front enclosure and new siding.
Ortt secured a $75,000 state grant that covered most of the recent improvements – new insulation, siding, windows and doors, an enclosed front entrance, and a handicapped accessibility ramp and door on the front side of the building.
The funding came through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York. (The grant was applied through the the State and Municipal Facilities Capital Funding Program or SAM.)
“We get a certain amount of money every year and we have to fight for it,” Ortt said about the funds for municipal projects.
He supports the program because it allows municipalities to tackle needed projects without burdening the local taxpayer. Many of the projects, such as town hall improvements, would be difficult to do with the state funding due to the state-imposed tax cap, which limits local tax increases to about 2 percent.
“It’s always tough on the local level to set aside tax dollars to fix up your town hall because there are so many other things we have to spend money on,” said Ortt, a former mayor of North Tonawanda.
Klips Construction submitted the low bid of $83,445 for the town hall improvements.
State Sen. Robert Ortt and Town Supervisor Carol Culhane cut the ribbon on the town hall upgrade.
Photo by Tom Rivers
A red bow on the front of a Barre fire truck is lightly covered in snow on Saturday.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory this morning from 9 to 11 for Orleans and Niagara counties due to light freezing rain.
The Weather Service warns that untreated roads may be very slippery in spots this morning until temperatures rise above freezing.
Photos by Tom Rivers
BARRE – The Barre Volunteer Fire Company made Stephen Karas a lifetime social member of the fire company in appreciation for joining firefighters in delivering presents to children the past three years.
Ben Flansburg, assistant chief for Barre, presents the certificate to Karas on Saturday. The certificate thanks Karas, “For your dedication helping the Fire Company during the holidays. We couldn’t do it without you!”
Stephen Karas is happy to portray Santa in the Town of Barre when the Fire Company delivers presents dropped off by parents at the firehall. Karas is joined on the deliveries by firefighters Ben Flansburg and Brian Neal, right.
Provided photos: More than 30 people attended a recent event at the Community Free Library to make Christmas cards to send to veterans at the Batavia VA.
HOLLEY – The Holley Community Free Library has offered numerous opportunities recently for residents to give back to their community. Library Director Sandra Shaw says the past few months have been busy.
On Oct. 28, more than 35 people came to the library to paint rocks for soliders serving in Kuwait. Small rocks were colorfully painted to brighten the lives of service men and women serving in Kuwait. The library provided materials and sent finished rocks to the troops.
Santa and Mrs. Claus visited the library on Dec. 2.
The Food for Fines program collected two boxes of food for the Community Center in November, and nearly 200 people attended the annual Community Christmas Party on Dec. 2. The event coincided with this year’s tree lighting and holiday parade celebration in the village. The library event featured carols, snacks, movies and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.
On Dec. 9, Assemblyman Steve Hawley and more than 30 people came to the library to write Christmas cards for veterans. The library provided a selection of cards from which to choose and participants wrote messages of thanks as well as holiday wishes for local veterans. The cards were delivered to the VA Hospital in Batavia.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley joined Library Director Sandra Shaw and other patrons in writing Christmas cards.
BUFFALO – One of three men charged with fraud last January at the Albion Wal-Mart has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and could face a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
Yordani Ramirez Salgado, 28, of Miami, Florida, on Friday pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno, who is handling the case, stated that on January 18, 2017, the defendant and co-conspirators –Ernesto Alvarez Santos and Abel Garcia Fernandez – flew from Miami, Florida to Hartford, Connecticut.
After arriving in Connecticut, Salgado and Santos rented a car and drove to Hamburg, NY where they re-united with Fernandez. In Hamburg, Fernandez provided the defendant and Santos with numerous counterfeit access devices including gift cards re-encoded with account numbers for actual credit card or debit card accounts at various financial institutions, Bonanno said.
Between Jan. 23 and Jan. 24, 2017, Salgado and Santos used 129 different counterfeit access devices to purchase gift cards at various Wal-Mart stores in Erie, Niagara, and Orleans counties. Upon purchasing the legitimate Wal-Mart gift cards, the defendants transmitted the legitimate gift card numbers by cellular telephone to another co-conspirator, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In addition, Salgado and Santos possessed an additional 102 different counterfeit access devices, which consisted of gift cards re-encoded with account numbers for actual credit card or debit card accounts at various financial institutions. The account holders of these credit card or debit card accounts did not authorize use of their credit card or debit card account information. The total estimated loss amount is $120,689.02, the U.S. Attorney said.
The scam by the trio was discovered at the Wal-Mart in Albion on Jan. 24. When police approached Salgado, he attempted to flee and resisted arrest.
Salgado was transported to the State Police barracks in Albion for processing on Jan. 24. The other suspects fled the scene in a red Nissan Versa which was given out by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office. This vehicle was later located by an off-duty county dispatcher traveling on State Route 98. With the assistance of an Orleans County deputy that vehicle was stopped and Fernandez and Santos were detained and transported to the State Police in Albion.
The case was transferred to U.S. District Court. Santos has previously been convicted and sentenced. The case against Fernandez remains pending.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Lewis Robinson.
Sentencing for Salgado is scheduled for March 5, 2018, before Chief Judge Geraci.
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – FFA students including Natalie DiCureia, a senior, were at the school at 7 this morning to load 50-pound bags of cabbage and other heavy boxes of produce on to a tractor trailer.
The FFA collected 35,000 pounds of food that was delivered to Community Action on East State Street in Albion.
The 35,000 pounds is a new record for the FFA, passing the 33,000 pounds in 2016.
Since the first drive in 2010 with 3,000, the food drive has grown each year to 9,000 pounds in 2011, 17,000 the following year and 19,000 in December 2013. The FFA reached 27,000 pounds in 2014 and reached 30,000 for the first time in 2015.
Squash awaits being packed in smaller boxes during this morning’s food drive. FFA students reached out to farmers and they responded with donations.
FFA members Harrison Brown and Rylie Lear took the lead in contacting farmers.
Barry Flansburg, a member of the FFA Alumni, was among several graduates to pitch in this morning.
FFA students Bryce Pritchard, left, and Justin Robinson stack the produce on the tractor trailer outside the ag shop at Charles D’Amico High School.
FFA students Alexis Bentley and Melissa Robinson sort apples into crates.
These Albion graduates from 2017 – Emilie Barleben, left, and Emily Blanchard – returned to help with the big effort this morning.
Photos by Tom Rivers
BARRE – Santa visits families and children in Barre today while riding a Barre fire truck. Santa is pictured with Barre firefighters and the grandchildren of past fire chief Jesse Babcock.
The Barre firefighters include, from left: Ben Flansburg, Brian Neal, Brianna Caldwell, Austin Zobel and Chris Flansburg, back right.
The Babcock grandchildren include Lance Babcock, in back; Kallan Babcock, left; and Patrick Babcock, front right.
Santa is pictured with Jesse Babcock and Babcock’s grandchildren on Eagle Harbor Road.
Santa made 14 stops today and has 18 scheduled for Sunday. The Barre Volunteer Fire Company sends out letters to the Barre community, asking if they wanted Santa to stop by this weekend.
Barre firefighter Austin Zobel hands out candy canes provided by the Ladies Auxiliary.
The fire truck carrying Santa arrives at Jerry and Terry Bentley’s house on Route 98. The Bentleys had several young nieces and nephews as well as other family there to meet Santa.
Santa gets a big greeting from the children at the Bentley home.
Santa gives each kid a toy. (Those presents were dropped off at the Barre Fire Hall by parents or grandparents a few days ago.)
Teagan Bisig gives Santa a hug during one of his stops in Barre today.
Each kid is invited to go inside the fire truck and blow the horn.
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Karli Henchen of the Albion FFA passes cans of sweet corn this morning when the FFA and community members unloaded 35,000 pounds of food donated by local farmers.
The Albion FFA has been organizing the food drive for about a decade and the 35,000 pounds set a new record.
FFA members were up early today packing up the produce, which was stacked on a tractor trailer owned by Panek Farms.
The food was delivered to Community Action on East State Street. The food was divvied up among eight food pantries in the county.
“This means the world to us,” said Annette Finch, director of community services for the agency. “I don’t have enough words to say what these young people have done for our community.”
Adam Krenning, the Albion FFA advisor, tosses a bag of potatoes to volunteers. Kenning said farmers continue to be generous to the annual drive.
The following donated to the effort:
Triple G Farms – Potatoes
Root Brothers – Cabbage
Kludt Brothers – Squash
Nesbitt Fruit Farm – Apples
Orchard Dale Fruit Farm – Apples
Kreher’s – Eggs
Martin Farms – Squash
Jeff Partyka – Apples
CY Farms – Onions
Starowitz Farms – Cabbage
Torrey Farms – Onions and Potatoes
Panek Family Farm – Green Beans and Corn
Robert Colby/ Colby Farms – Potatoes and Cabbage
Bittner Singer Orchards – Apples
Orleans County Farm Bureau- Hams
Mortellaro and Sons – Onions
Costanzo’s Bakery/ Dale Root – Bread
Adam Kirby – Apples
Navarra’s Greenhouses – Crates
Call Farms – Potatoes
Barry Flansburg, left, assists the FFA this morning. Garrett Derisley, the FFA president (center), passes a box of apples to Emilie Barleben, last year’s president. She is home on break from college and wanted to help this morning.
A line of volunteers, including Assemblyman Steve Hawley, unload the boxes.
Orleans Hub will post more pictures later today of the food drive.
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Members of the Medina Area Association of Churches are pictured at the United Methodist Church this morning with some of the toys and food that were headed to local families and senior citizens.
Sylvia Riviere, front left, has led the drive the past seven years. Sue Metzo, front right, also is a long-time leader of the effort. MAAC has been leading the annual drive for about four decades.
In back are Pastor Tony Hipes of the United Methodist Church, Donna Johnson, Pat Howell and David Riviere.
Local firefighters put out about 30 red barrels about a month ago in the community and residents and businesses donated toys, food and clothes. The MAAC put together packages for 112 families including 150 children. There were also 43 senior citizens that received meals, including a ham. (Last year the holiday drive served 107 families.)
Firefighters from Medina, Ridgeway, Shelby and East Shelby delivered the gifts and food this morning. Mike Fuller from East Shelby carries one of the big boxes. The United Methodist Church, the former Apple Grove, served as the packing and distribution headquarters for the drive.
Medina firefighter Jacob Crooks checks the list for his deliveries. Firefighters said they welcomed the chance to deliver the packages to local families and senior citizens.
Medina firefighters Bob Urtel, left, and Jonathan Higgins carry boxes to an ambulance. The Medina Fire Department delivered the boxes from three ambulances.
Ridgeway, Shelby and East Shelby brought rescue trucks to carry the boxes to local families.
“Overlooked Orleans” – Volume 3, Issue 51
ALBION – Around this time last year, I authored a piece about Charles Howard and the founding of the Santa Claus School (v.2, no.52). As Christmas approaches, I thought it appropriate to once again recall the life of an influential and beloved man who left a lasting impression on many Orleans County residents.
Starting in the mid-1950s, Howard started the process of converting his farm and barns to a Christmas Park. On Saturday, September 22, 1956, this “entertainment, education, gift, and amusement center,” opened for a short, 13-week season. Mrs. Henry Greene of Medina provided “Christmas Village,” a collection of 20 small houses, schools, churches, and other structures, fully furnished and lighted – an endeavor that required 25 years of collecting to complete. Also included was “Toy Lane,” a collection of 23 window scenes aimed at simulating store fronts. Children had opportunities to visit with Santa Claus, see reindeer in the stables, and visit Mrs. Santa’s Kitchen for a bite to eat.
In the files of the Department of History is a five-page Director’s Report prepared by Charles Howard for Christmas Park’s Board of Directors in February of 1960. Howard noted that extensive efforts were underway to rebuild the south end of the big barn, as the timbers were rotting away – they gutted the section and a steel beam was installed. To prepare the miniature train for visitors, the cars were touched up and the engine sent to Buffalo where it would be examined, putting it “up in first class condition.” The business was in full swing and seeing considerable success after four years of operation. Howard noted that he sold the most merchandise in the history of the business during the current season, shipping out nearly 150 wigs and beards for cleaning and selling a large quantity of new merchandise.
The question of opening day was directed to the board members, noting that previous suggestions included opening the Saturday before Decoration Day (Memorial Day) all the way through the end of June. Howard mentioned the importance of shortening hours after Labor Day, but proposed extended hours over the summer, despite the need for added labor to do so. The biggest issue brought forth was the question of admission rates. He writes that 1959 was the first year since the Park opened in 1956 that complaints about the ticket prices were minimal; $.75 for adults and $.10 for children.
The surprising success of the Park was attributed to word-of-mouth advertising, but Howard recognized the importance of advertising outside of Orleans County to attract visitors. In a detailed breakdown of marketing ideas, he suggested that 24 sheet billboards be leased at $40 per month in Rochester and $50 per month in Buffalo. Should they want to light those billboards up at night, each would cost an additional $10 per month; he placed considerable emphasis on the point that this effort “must be done now.” Road signs were also proposed for a more local approach. In 1960, the business had approximately 10 signs along Rt. 98 through to Batavia and Howard suggested adding a minimum of 40 more at $40 per sign. The previous year, Christmas Park handed out 41,600 brochures, a little more than half of the total visitors to the park, and a minimum of 70,000 was the proposed number for 1960. That year the Park attracted over 80,000 visitors.
After several years of operating Christmas Park as Executive Director, the operation grew to a point where he could no longer oversee it alone and resigned his position to a corporation of businessmen. On June 25, 1964, Howard wrote a letter asking for his name to be removed from all printed material and the sign at the entrance to the park. The Buffalo Courier Express published a short article about the impending financial troubles of Santa Claus School, Inc., quoting Howard as saying, “They put in merry-go-rounds and ferris wheels. I have nothing against these things, but in Christmas Park a ferris wheel should be in the form of a Christmas wreath, and a merry-go-round should have reindeer to ride on.” He also claimed that the directors “lost the spirit of Christmas,” which resulted in financial losses.
In 1965, the operation filed for bankruptcy with debts totaling $95,324.00 ($748,836.81 today). Two months later the operation, consisting of Christmas Park and Santa School Inc., was sold at public auction and purchased by Vincent Cardone for the sum of $31,000. Elizabeth Babcock, who was acting as caretaker for the park and school after closing, acquired the Santa suit and equipment portion of the operation for $2,000. Newspapers reported an attendance of over 100 bidders at the auction, some coming from as far as Florida.
Unfortunately, the world lost one of its most beloved men the following year on May 1, 1966. Howard suffered a fatal heart attack, and as Bill Lattin so eloquently wrote, “guided his sleigh into the limitless great beyond.”
