Provided photo

VICTOR – Representatives from Arc GLOW stopped by the Golisano Foundation in Victor last week to deliver a giant thank you card to Tom Golisano, right, in appreciation for his $5 million donation to the agency.

Golisano on Sept. 17 announced he is giving $360 million to 82 non-profit organizations in the Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse regions.

Of those donations, $104 million is going to 26 organizations serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Arc GLOW serves people in the four local rural counties of Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming.

The Golisano Foundation last week posted its appreciation for the thank you card from Arc GLOW: “What a surprise! Thank you Arc GLOW for coming to share your gratitude and present Tom with the biggest thank you card we’ve ever seen! It made everyone’s day!”

Jack Welch

ALBION – Orleans County officials are trying to close a $6 million budget gap for 2025, with six factors causing $5.97 million in increases.

The 2024 budget, approved last November, totaled $92,494,994 budget, and that resulted in a tax levy increase of 3.25 percent or $607,000 to $19,264,000.

Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer and budget officer, will file a tentative budget by Nov. 15. The spending plan faces some tough challenges, he said during Tuesday’s Legislature meeting.

He listed six main culprits:

• Health insurance is estimated to increase 20%, by another $1.4 million.
• NYS retirement is estimated to increase 12%, by another $360,000
• Public Safety Building roof repair at $1.2 million
• Social services up by 12%, another $1.7 million. That include $688,000 more for temporary homelessness in Safety Net, a 42% increase
• Mental Health Law expense (Section 730.30 – when a defendant is unfit for trial) is estimated to increase by 1,000% or $500,000
• Public Safety Dispatch consoles to be replaced at $810,000

Welch said he is particularly worried about the continued rise in costs for the temporarily homeless.

“The Public Assistance/Safety Net expense is related to our Emergency Declaration for Temporary Homelessness we have had since May 2023,” Welch said. “For last month, our out-of-county placement is 357 percent over July 2022. Total temporary homeless placements are 169 percent over July 2022. This trend does not show any sign of subsiding and is not unique to Orleans County.”

Rising sales tax revenue have helped the county in recent years to offset some rising expenses, but so far in 2024 the sales tax is behind the 2023 year-to-date levels.

 “We were concerned about a flattening of sales tax revenue, but a decrease in alarming,” Welch said. “The last time the county experienced sales tax revenue below the prior year was in 2016.”

Press Release, Genesee Community College

Photos courtesy of GCC: Pictured form left include Christa Palmer, Corinne Saluste and Maria Velazquez de Machado.

BATAVIA – Genesee Community College is pleased to announce the GCC Business and Employee Skills Training (BEST) Center recently welcomed three new staff members to its team with the addition of Christa Palmer, Corinne Saluste, and Maria Velazquez de Machado in the roles of assistant director, coordinator of community education, and coordinator of technical programs, respectively.

Palmer began her new role on July 1, 2024. Saluste and Velazquez de Machado began their new roles with the college in September 2024.

“The BEST Center is extremely pleased to welcome Christa, Corinne and Maria,” Jennifer Wakefield, executive director of workforce development and The BEST Center said. “All three individuals bring outstanding professional credentials to our team, including new program development and training design experiences, and creative and innovative ideas to further expand our presence in the GLOW area.”

Palmer, a Batavia native, is the assistant director of workforce development. She has over 26 years’ experience in education and in her former role at GCC, developed programming for the new technical programs in HVAC, Refrigeration, Industrial Electric and Computer Numerical Controls (CNC). In her new role as assistant director, she will oversee corporate training contracts for The BEST Center. Palmer holds a bachelor’s degree in communications, master’s degree in elementary education and educational administrative certification from SUNY Brockport.

Saluste, also from Batavia, is the coordinator of community education, specializing in courses designed for personal and professional growth. She collaborates closely with the GLOW community to provide courses that promote both personal and professional advancement to strengthen the workforce. Her programs cater to a wide range of learners, offering everything from driving courses for new drivers to leadership, healthcare, and public safety courses for emerging professionals. Saluste, also a GCC alumna, has an associate degree in Business Administration.

Velazquez de Machado, originally from Venezuela, is the coordinator of technical programs. She oversees the development and management of various technical courses and training programs. Her role includes increasing non-credit enrollment and expanding program offerings to meet the needs of the regional economy.

She brings extensive experience in program management, strategic communications and content creation. Velazquez de Machado holds Social Communications and Business Administration degrees and is bilingual in Spanish and English. Her commitment to serving underrepresented communities and proficiency in digital tools makes her an asset to The BEST Center.

The BEST Center at GCC is the recognized regional leader in developing the skilled workforce that powers local economic growth. The Center serves individual employees as well as businesses large and small with seminars, workshops and trainings designed to improve the performance of people and processes.

ALBION – Scott Wilson has retired from leading the Orleans County Jail after 12 years as superintendent, a time when the facility added programs for people being held in the facility.

Wilson also helped oversee a $1 million construction project at the jail in 2013. That project staved off pressure from the state for the county to build a new jail. The current jail was constructed in two stages around 1970, and was falling into disrepair mainly due to water infiltration.

“I tried to keep costs down and extend the life of the building,” Wilson said on Tuesday after being presented with a “Special Recognition Award” from the County Legislature.

Wilson started working at the Orleans County Jail as a correction officer in 1998, and worked his way up as a sergeant and lieutenant, and then was appointed superintendent in 2012.

The jail on Platt Street has about 45 employees and a capacity for 72 inmates. Wilson said there have been fewer inmates in recent years due to the state’s bail reform laws.

He has been praised in his career for bringing more services to the jail for inmates, including mental health and addiction treatment services.

The jail is now used for Centralized Arraignment Parts (CAP Court) for morning and evening arraignments for arrests made in the county.

Wilson also has helped spearhead the county’s prescription drug take-back events, which netted about 1,000 pounds of pills each year since 2012.

He also serves on the boards of the Genesee-Orleans Mental Health Association and the Suicide Prevention Coalition.

Wilson was named the jail’s officer the year in 2003 and in 2014 was named the county’s employee of the year.

Chris Caulfield, a lieutenant at the jail, is the site’s acting leader until the superintendent position is filled.

MEDINA – A Medina student has been charged with making a terrorist threat for allegedly making a threat on social media.

Medina police interviewed witnesses and collected evidence and determined there is no threat to school staff, students of community members, Medina Police Chief Todd Draper and district superintendent Dr. Mark Kruzynski stated in a press release.

The student has been charged with a felony. The police and school district were made aware of the threat on October. 18, and the student was charged on Monday. The name isn’t being released due to the age of the person.

The police department and school district urge community members to report any threats so they can be investigated.

“The Medina Police Department and Medina Central School District recognize and take very seriously any mention of violence or threats made against our school district or community,” Draper and Kruzynski stated in the press release.

ALBION – Orleans County has been awarded an $11,562,698 state grant to upgrade wireless internet service throughout the county.

The Orleans County Department of Planning and Development applied for the grant through Empire State Development’s ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Program. This will allow the county to increase wireless internet speeds from the current 25 Mega Bit Per Seconds (Mbps) to 100 (Mbps).

The county recently completed a build-out of a wireless internet system. There are now 19 towers and the county will add two or three more, likely near Lake Ontario where there are gaps in internet coverage, county officials said.

Orleans has two years to complete the project, upgrading the internet infrastructure on all the towers so 100 Mbps is available in download and upload speeds. The grant also will include a digital literacy component to help people learn about the technology.

County legislators accepted the grant on Tuesday and accepted a bid of $11,216,500 from North Shore Networks LLC in Medina to implement the faster internet service.

That company is led by Duston Ellis, who worked over a decade in Kentucky for Broadlinc, helping run a high-speed internet service in a rural area.

Ellis moved to Medina to be near his wife’s family. He expects to hire a project manager and two technicians as part of the effort in Orleans County.

Press Release, Tops Friendly Markets

WILLIAMSVILLE – Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont, announced today that the company will once again offer military personnel and their immediate families an 11 percent discount off of their grocery bill this Veterans Day.  (Tops has stores in Orleans County in Albion and Medina.)

This marks the 12th year Tops has been extending this discount to military personnel and their families.

On Monday, November 11, Tops Markets will honor an 11 percent discount off of a total order to all veterans and immediate family members in the same household, who shop at any Tops location.

Customers should present proof of service that they, or an immediate family member are a U.S. Veteran, active duty, reserve or retired military personnel to automatically receive an 11 percent discount off of their total purchase that day.

“The respect and gratitude we feel for those who serve or have served in the military is beyond measure, and for that, we are eternally thankful,” said Ron Ferri, president of Tops Friendly Markets. “This annual savings is just one of the many ways we wanted to give back to our local military community by honoring the associates and customers who have bravely defended our nation and made countless sacrifices through their service.”

Additionally select Tops locations will be selling 4×6 US flags with a portion of its proceeds being donated back to Buffalo Niagara Honor Flight. Flags will be on sale through Veterans Day.

Photo from findagrave.com: The gravesite for Benjamin Darling on Saturday will add marker signifying he served in the Revolutionary War.

SHELBY – There will be a ceremony at 1 p.m. on Saturday when a marker is dedicated for a Revolutionary War soldier buried at the Maple Ridge Cemetery.

Benjamin Darling served with the 7^th Connecticut Regiment and wintered at Valley Forge. He was born July 6, 1758 at Lunenburg in Worcester County, Massachusetts. He died at age 82 on Feb. 7, 1841. Maple Ridge Cemetery is at 12055 Maple Ridge Rd., just west of Sourced Market & Eatery and Culvert Road.

Brent Downing, president of the Rochester chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, said a contingent from the chapter will be at the dedication service on Saturday, wearing Revolutionary War uniforms, offering a musket salute and playing Taps.

A descendant of Darling’s, who now lives in Pontiac, Mich., also will attend the service, Downing said.

Provided photos: Orleans County Treasurer Kim DeFrank accepts the gavel to serve as president of New York State County Treasurer’s and Finance Officers Association. She succeeds Kevin Gardner, right, the treasurer of Oswego County.

ALBION – Orleans County Treasurer Kim DeFrank is serving as president of the New York State County Treasurer’s and Finance Officers Association.

DeFrank was sworn in as president on Friday at the organization’s annual meeting in Liverpool.

DeFrank has served as the county treasurer since Jan. 1, 2018. She worked in the treasurer’s office for 24 years before that.

She said the statewide association has been very helpful, providing a network of knowledge from other treasurers and finance officers around the state from counties of all sizes.

“I find this group to be extremely helpful in the positions that we hold,” DeFrank said. “There is no ‘employee manual’ to this job. Being involved with this organization is the best networking that exists.”

The association puts on an annual finance school, in conjunction with the State Comptroller’s Office.

“It’s 2 ½ days of informative classes where we can ask questions and obtain current information,” DeFrank said. “To me, there is no other better source of info than a colleague that has held the position for a while. They offer experiences and knowledge that for me far outweigh anything that is written.”

As president, DeFrank will preside over all meetings of the NYSCTFOA, appoint members of standing committees, create special committees, serve on the Finance School committee, and plan the annual summer conference.

Kim DeFrank and the Treasurer’s Office recently relocated the office from East Park Street to Main Street at the former Bank of America next to Subway. DeFrank paid to have a plaque made, listing all 31 treasurers in the county’s history, dating back to 1825.

CAMBRIA – A 21-year-old man carried a replica of a long gun, intending to scare students at the Orleans/Niagara B.O.C.E.S/ Niagara Academy in Sanborn, the Naiagar County Sheriff’s Office said.

Owen Weidenboerner

Owen Weidenboerner, 21, of Cambria was charged with attempted menacing in the 2nd degree.

The Niagara County Communications Center received a 911 phone call today at 1:48 p.m. with report of a male walking down Saunders Settlement Road in the area of Shawnee Road carrying what appeared to be a BB gun and waving it around, the Sheriff’s Office stated in a news release.

Sheriff’s personnel responded to the area and located a male (Weidenboerner) matching the description on Saunders Settlement Road just east of Baer Road. He was carrying what appeared to be a long gun.

Weidenboerner was ordered to drop the weapon, which he complied to, and was quickly detained. The weapon he was carrying was a replica long gun which was not capable of firing, the Sheriff’s Office said.

After Weidenboerner was detained, he told Sheriff’s personnel he intended to walk to the Orleans/Niagara B.O.C.E.S/ Niagara Academy property, gain access to the school and point the weapon at students to instill fear in them, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Weidenboerner was issued an appearance ticket for the charge, returnable for a later date in the Town of Cambria Court. He also was transported to a local facility for a mental health evaluation.

Press Release, U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross, Western District of New York

BUFFALO – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Peter Celentano of Bergen was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with illegal possession of machine guns, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Intravatola, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on September 29, the New York State Police, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, and ATF, executed a search warrant at Celentano’s Rochester Street residence.

During the search, investigators recovered two 3D printed pistol frames, firearm parts and accessories, ammunition reloading equipment, an AR 80% style Jig and drill, a drill press, and various other tools related to the manufacturing of firearms.

In addition, investigators also searched two properties associated with Celentano in Lyndonville and an apartment on East Avenue in Medina, recovering numerous AR-style lower receivers, 3D printed handguns, and additional firearm parts and accessories. Approximately 59 of the AR-style receivers contained a “third pin hole,” qualifying them as machine guns.

On October 9, a dive team searched the Erie Canal beneath the Beals Road bridge in Medina. A cardboard box was located and retrieved from the bottom of the canal. Inside were 10 AR-style receivers, an unmarked handgun, magazines, and additional firearm parts.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Stanley Edwards, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff William A. Sheron, Jr., and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Gotta Dance by Miss Amy will have 3 cabaret shows, basket raffle to help Merklinger family

Provided photo: From left in front include Gabrielle and Luke Merklinger with their son Dean. In back are Denise, Todd, Lauren and Jordan Thomas. The family has been a part of Gotta dance by Miss Amy for about 15 years as dancers and instructors, with Denise teaching piano.

ALBION – For many years Gabrielle Thomas danced and led classes at Gotta Dance by Miss Amy. Many of the young dancers called her Cinderella when Gabrielle, with her flowing blond hair, was an instructor.

Gabrielle’s sisters – Lauren and Jordan also have been dancers and instructors at Gotta Dance – and their mother, Denise, is a piano teacher at the studio on West Bank Street.

Gabrielle is now married to Luke Merklinger, a Rochester police officer. They met at the First Baptist Church in Holley. Gabrielle works as a dental hygienist. The family lives in Irondequoit.

The Marklingers have a 2-year-old son Dean and are expecting a second baby with a due date of Nov. 3.

The soon-to-be born baby will be named Grant. A congenital heart defect has been detected. Gabrielle will leave on Wednesday to travel Philadelphia to give birth at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She will be there ahead of the due date in case the baby is born early.

Grant will have surgery soon after birth. He has a condition called Double Outlet Right Ventricle with malposed great arteries as well as a hypoplastic aorta. He will likely need multiple surgeries to help him survive and improve his quality of life.

To help the family with the costs of travel and care, Gotta Dance by Miss Amy will be hosting three cabaret shows from 1, 3 and 5 p.m. on Nov. 2. There also will be a basket raffle that day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gotta Dance is located at 28 West Bank St., Albion.

“There are many great things about our community and one of the proudest moments is when we unite to help others,” said Amy Sidari, Miss Amy owner. “Thank you for your love and support.”

She welcomes basket donations for the raffle. Call her or text at (585) 354-232o or email GottaDanceAlbion@gmail.com to arrange a drop off.

The cabaret shows each have about 15 different performers from dance, singing, skits and piano. The three shows are not the same. Some of the performers include comedian Phyl Contestable, the Rev. Mother.

Jack Civiletto and April Mazzone, professional musicians from Buffalo, also will perform at the cabaret shows. Civiletto sings many Sinatra songs while Mazzone covers Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Linda Ronstadt and Patsy Cline.

There is also a GoFundMe fundraising page set up for the Merklinger family.

Photo by Tom Rivers: From left include Gotta Dance owner Amy Sidari, Lauren Thomas and Denise Thomas. Gotta Dance will host a benefit on Nov. 2 with a basket raffle and shows at 1, 3 and 5 p.m. Lauren is a dance instructor at Gotta Dance and her mother Denise is a piano teacher at the studio.

Press Release, Barker Lions Club

BARKER – Diabetes is one of Lions International eight causes. The original cause, preventing blindness, was inspired by Helen Keller. Because diabetes is a cause of blindness, Lions adopted that as a mission. Educating people about diabetes is one way to prevent blindness.

To support this, Barker Lions are sponsoring four events in November.

A 5K race for wellness will be on Nov. 2. Race Management Solutions is organizing a 5K race through the orchards next to The Winery at Marjim Manor. Included for all runners will be an after race snack and beverage. Preregistration is open at RaceManagementSolutions.com.  Same day registration begins at 9 a.m., with the race at 10 a.m.

Following the fitness theme, there will be six yoga classes at the Winery at Marjim Manor. Inner Luminary Yoga will have classes on Nov. 5, 7, 12, 14, 19 and 21 beginning at 7 p.m. Classes are $10 each. The other fitness event will be Step classes at Perfect Images Salon, Main Street in Barker. Classes will be Nov. 8, 15 and 22 at 7 p.m. Those classes are $10 each.

Finally, Catering By Jen will provide a diabetes friendly holiday dinner on Nov. 13. Dinner begins at 7 p.m. at The Winery at Marjim Manor.  The cost is $20.  Reservations are required for that.

Each event will have an educational component. The display will include our poster Rethink Your Drink. Lion Kalena Britt will do a presentation on diabetes at the dinner.

For more information email Roar@BarkerLions.org or contact Lion Kalena Britt at 585-733-8961.