Photos by Tom Rivers

MIDDLEPORT – Father Mark Noonan, pastor of the St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in the ONE Catholic family of churches, walks down the center aisle of St. Stephen’s at the beginning of Mass today. The 8:30 a.m. Mass was the final Catholic service at the church.

Joe Gagne greets attendees at St. Stephen’s this morning. Gagne was at the welcoming people for the service at 21 Vernon St.

The church was an emotional finale for many of the attendees.

“It’s sad, but we will move to a new building,” said David Monti, a lector who has attended St. Stephen’s since 1986. “We are one parish and a community.”

Next Sunday on Jan. 19 the 8:30 a.m. Mass will move to St. Mary’s in Medina.

There was a large crowd in the sanctuary of about 200 people. The Sunday service typically has about 75 people. This photo shows people kneeling in prayer during the service.

Bishop Michael Fisher of the Diocese of Buffalo announced in September that St. Stephen’s would close as part of a restructuring of churches in the 8-county Diocese. The Diocese is closing some churches due to a declining number of priests and attendance.

Some candles are lit in the sanctuary of the church during the final Mass at St. Stephen’s this morning.

St. Stephen’s is part of ONE Catholic that includes churches in eastern Niagara and Orleans counties. The bishop also announced St. Mark’s in Kendall would close but a final Mass date hasn’t been announced for St. Mark’s.

St. Joseph’s in Lyndonville also is in ONE Catholic but that church was badly damaged in a fire on Feb. 28, 2023 and later razed. Barker’s church also is in ONE Catholic but that one will be aligned with a family of churches closer to Lockport.

ONE Catholic said the music crew from St. Stephen’s will continue to provide music at St. Mary’s, and others from St. Stephen’s will be lectors, eucharistic ministers, greeters and ushers at St. Mary’s.

The St. Stephen’s building will be sold and the religious sacred items will be deconsecrated, Father Noonan said after the service today.

Father Mark Noonan acknowledged today is an emotional and difficult day for parishioners in the church. He said many in the parish and community no doubt are feeling “a sense of bewilderment and loss,” with the closing of St. Stephen’s.

“We recall the great many blessings that have come into our lives and community from this church,” Father Noonan said.

The church was the site for more than a century for baptisms, weddings, funerals, communions and confessions.

Noonan urged today’s attendees to feel appreciation for the church’s long home for Catholics.

“We give thanks to God for all of the many wonderful blessings,” Father Noonan said. “Gratitude is a good way to live, to move our heart ina  world that is imperfect to see the beautiful things that God has given us.”

He shared home his own home church, St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Cheektowaga, also will be closed by the Diocese.

“It is sorrowful when a religious order or a parish comes to an end,” Father Noonan said. “It came into existence for a purpose and maybe it has fulfilled its purpose.”

After the service today Chris Horgan took photos of the stained-glass windows at the altar. Horgan, a Medina resident, grew up in the church at St. Stephen’s and was an altar boy, and as an adult taught confirmation classes. He said he has fond memories serving as altar boy during midnight Mass. He later went to St. Bonaventure University.

“It was an essential part of my life growing up,” Horgan said about St. Stephen’s. “It is a beautiful church inside and out.”

This stained-glass window in honor of Stephen, the first martyr for Christianity. He was stoned to death after angering Jewish authorities in synagogues, according to the Book of Acts. The window depicts Stephen holding rocks.

The cornerstone block acknowledges an earlier building before the Medina Sandstone edifice was constructed in 1908.

This photo is looking from the altar to the back of the church after Mass this morning. The religious artifacts will be inventoried and deconsecrated.

The Catholic church building on Vernon Street has been a landmark in Middleport for more than a century.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 5, Number 2

This genial looking gentleman, Nehemiah Ingersoll, 1788-1868 is credited with the naming of Orleans County.

ALBION – Imagine that you are a new settler in this area. What would you name the town you live in, or this county?

We take the place names where we live for granted, but two hundred years ago these names were purposefully selected and had resonance for the people who lived here.

We can see why the early settlers were so conscious of their role in history – not only did they purchase the land, stake their claims here with hard labor and make the land productive, but they also had the opportunity to name the land.

On September 14, 1824, a petition was presented to “the Honorable, the Representative of Genesee County” requesting the creation of this county from the north part of Genesee County. The petition refers to the new county as “Adams,” referring to John Quincy Adams, a leading Presidential candidate at the time.

Naturally, the supporters of his opponent, Andrew Jackson, protested and wanted the county to be named “Jackson.” We can well relate to this dilemma.

Nehemiah Ingersoll is credited with championing the name “Orleans” as a compromise, though one source credits Oran Follett, a Genesee County legislator, with this honor. “Orleans” could be construed as an honor to the Duc D’Orleans – or, more likely, a compliment to General Jackson on his victory against the British in New Orleans in 1815.

Incidentally, John Quincy Adams was elected President in 1825, Andrew Jackson won the following Presidential election in 1829.

By the time the name of the county came to be selected, several naming rights decisions had already been made. Eight of the ten towns had been formed and named:

1803 – Town of Murray: named for John Murray, a large landowner in the area.

1812 – Town of Ridgeway: named for Ridge Road

1816 – Town of Gaines: named for General Edmund Gaines who defended the area in the War of 1812

1818  – Town of Barre: named by Judge John Lee (Lee Rd.) for his birthplace, Barre, Massachusetts.

1818 – Town of Shelby: named for Gov. Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary war soldier.

1821 – Town of Clarendon: originally named Farwell’s Mills for Eldredge Farwell, an early settler, named for Clarendon Vt., hometown of Farwell’s wife.

1822 – Town of Carlton: at first named Oak Orchard, it was changed to Carlton in 1825, for Governor Guy Carlton of Quebec.

1822 – Town of Yates: originally called Northton, the name was changed in 1823 to honor Hon. Joseph C. Yates, Governor of New York State.

The towns formed following the formation of the county were:

1837 – Town of Kendall: named for Amos Kendall, Postmaster General of the United States.

1875 – Town of Albion: set off from the town of Barre and named for Albion, the county seat.

Basically, the names selected were chosen to honor a hometown, a prominent businessman or an elected politician.

Just as a matter of speculation, which name would you prefer: Adams County, Jackson County or Orleans County? Would the selection of either Adams or Jackson have changed the course of history here?

After a bitterly cold week the temperatures will be a little higher this week, but will remain below freezing most of the time, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Today is forecast for a high of 35 with an overnight low of 28, followed by a high neaqr 34 on Monday with an overnight low of 15.

On Tuesday, the high temperature is forecast for 24 with a low of 16, followed by a high of 24 on Wednesday with a low of 15.

Thursday will be another cold day with a high of 27 and an overnight low of 20, followed by a high of 31 on Friday and a high of 37 on Saturday.

This is the view on the steel bridge on Gaines Basin Road.

ALBION – A new class of the Leadership Orleans program kicked off a year of learning about the county and themselves with a two-day opening retreat on Thursday and Friday.

There are 28 members of the class representing several sectors in the community, including agriculture, education, human services, government, business and volunteerism

The program aims to build the “citizen capital” of the community, helping develop leaders who are educated on the many facets of the community.

The class in the opening retreat at Hoag Library did many ice-breaker activities to get to know each other. They also learned about their individual strengths and weaknesses, their personality types and how that shapes their decision-making and tendencies.

Skip Helfrich, executive director of Leadership Orleans since the program started in 2018, discusses different leadership styles during the opening retreat on Thursday. Some of those styles include dominant controller, cautious analytical, influencing promoter, and steadfast supporter.

The class meets monthly, building leadership skills and gaining knowledge, experiences and meeting people from many different sectors in the community. The class will spend different days focused on agriculture, non-profit organizations, government services, small and larger businesses, law enforcement, tourism, arts and culture, community health and economic development.

The group typically visits about 40 sites around the county and hears from about 50 presenters.

The program receives a stipend from the county, and there are many sponsors of programs throughout the years. The class members also pay tuition to be in Leadership Orleans.

This year’s class members include:

• Trisha Allen, project director for UConnectCare Behavioral Health Services in Albion
• Jami Allport, executive director of the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern
• Tyler Baker, technical resource manager for Lake Ontario Fruit in Albion
• Marissa Bell, social scientist for U.S. Department of Energy
• Marcy Boyce, office manager for Arc GLOW in Albion
• Candace Casey, coordinator of work-based learning at Iroquois Job Corps in Shelby
• Aeddon Cayea, deputy director of United Way of Orleans County
• Wendy Cruz, manager of ACT, a program of Community Action of Orleans & Genesee
• Jodi Fisher, program director for GO Art!
• Alishia Foss, resource specialist for Community Action of Orleans & Genesee
• Randy Heslor, production supervisor for The Print Shop in Medina
• Tim Ingrassia, operational excellence manager for Baxter Healthcare
• Riki Lake, logistics/finance for CHPC in Medina
• Ryan Lasal, director of programming for Community Action of Orleans & Genesee
• Becky Manfreda, assistant superintendent of instruction for Albion Central School
• Kristine Mostyn, director of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina
• Amanda Nash, transportation director for Western New York Energy
• Kevin Neureuter Jr., director of IT for Orleans County
• Alana Palone, clinic administrator for Orleans Community Health
• Jillian Peracciny, public information assistant for Orleans/Niagara BOCES
• Abby Smith, literacy director for Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County
• Alyssa Thomas, clinic/SPOA coordinator for Orleans County Mental Health Clinic
• Quinton VerCruysee, equipment operations manager for Orchard Dale Fruit Company in Carlton
• Michael Weller, library assistant at Hoag Library in Albion
• Valerie Wells, volunteer in Lyndonville community
• Nick Wetherwax, senior director technical solutions at Info Advantage Inc. in Rochester
• Bryce Wilson, farmer with Panek Farms in Albion
• Corey Winters, director of Orleans County Department of Planning and Development

MEDINA – GLOW YMCA has embarked on its annual campaign to raise funds for scholarships to help those with financial strains afford a membership.

The Strong Communities Campaign is undertaken by all YMCAs in the United States.

“One thing most people don’t realize is YMCA is a 501c3 charity whose mission is Christian based,” Bellack said. “Each year our goal is to raise nearly $30,000 to help families in need. This year we are hoping to raise $29,500.”

The campaign began Jan. 1 and will run through May 31.

Donations can be made by picking up a flyer at the YMCA with a link on which to click, or by dropping a check off at the front desk.

“Y” director Jesse Cudzillo echoed Bellack’s words about the importance of supporting the YMCA.

Amber Regling of Albion works out on an elliptical machine at the YMCA in Medina, where she was able to become a member with aid from a scholarship.

“This is a charity, and our policy is we will never turn anyone away for their inability to pay,” he said. “I fear many people don’t know about our scholarships.”

Even a small gift can make a significant impact on someone else’s life, he said.

Contributions directly support free or reduced-cost programs, scholarships for memberships and vital community services which make Orleans County a better place for everyone, according to Cudzillo.

One local resident who was able to join the Y in September with help from a scholarship was Amber Regling of Albion, a single mom of three kids, all of whom have high needs.

“A girlfriend who is a member here invited me as a guest one day,” Regling said. “I used to go to the gym a lot in college and I loved it. With three special needs children, I haven’t been able to think about exercising, but now that the children are all in school, I finally had some free time for myself.”

She had recently suffered a breakup in a relationship, so she was looking for a diversion.

“I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to afford a membership,” Regling said. “I knew scholarships were available and I applied for one and got it. Now I find enough time to be an hour and a half every couple of days.”

She said she sets goals for herself, but tries to keep them low enough to be able to achieve them. She likes the elliptical machines, treadmills and the yoga and pilates sessions upstairs.

“The Y has a special place in my heart, as I attended Head Start here as a child,” she said. “I have a lot of anxiety and found of all the things I’ve done, nothing helps like exercise. I’ve come in here 100% not OK and walked out 100% OK.”

Cudzillo said when determining eligibility for scholarships, they use the same guidelines as the school. A family of five making less than $50,000 is eligible for a 50% discount on membership and all programs.

Bellack added their goal is that every dollar raised goes to the community to help members use all the programs the YMCA offers.

GLOW YMCA has 695 member units, representing 1,541 individuals, Cudzillo said.

Press Release, Niagara County Sheriff’s Office

WHEATFIELD –  The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received a 911 call at 11:47 p.m. Friday reporting heavy smoke and flames observed from Baisch Drive in the Town of Wheatfield.

Niagara County Sheriff deputies and a North Tonawanda police officer responded and confirmed a working structure fire. The caller reported no response from the elderly female that resides at said address.

Responding officers attempted to make entry but were unable due to heavy smoke and fire. Fire personnel arrived on scene and made entry into the residence. Fire personnel located the 82-year-old female on the first floor of the structure.

Fire personnel extricated the elderly female and attempted life-saving measures. The elderly female succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The name of the deceased female is being held until notification of family can be made.

The fire was subsequently extinguished by members of Adams, St. Johnsburg, Bergholz, Shawnee Volunteer fire companies and The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Fire Department. An estimate of the damage was not available.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Niagara County Fire Investigation Unit.

Provided photos: Students created posters and a display with boots as a fundraiser. Marc Budziszewski is at left and Coleman Sutch is at right.

Press Release, Roy-Hart Agriculture Foundation

MIDDLEPORT – The Royalton-Hartland Agriculture Foundation Farm Boot Drive has begun and will run now until Friday, January 17.

The conclusion of the boot drive will be at our MOO-vie Night Fundraiser on Jan. 17! Farm-themed concessions open at 6 p.m. and the movie begins 6:30 p.m. at Roy-Hart High School. This event is open to all community members.

Roy-Hart Elementary Green Team members’ boots are now on display at local businesses in Middleport, Gasport, Lockport and Medina for the Roy-Hart Agriculture Foundation Farm Boot Drive. If you see a pair around town, please drop your spare change or a few dollars in to help the RHES Green Team and all PreK-12th grade Ag programs at Royalton-Hartland.

We are so grateful to all these local businesses for supporting us by putting out our boots!

The boots are located at each RH school main office as well as these locations:

• Gasport – Chop’s Shop, Ports Pizza & Subs, Hartland Abattoir, Canalside, Stockham Lumber, Schwab’s Farm Market, Drum Oil & Propane, Olear’s, Fort Hyde Kennels, Market on the Ridge, Librock Beef (Saturday only), and Hartland Town Hall.
• Middleport – Village Pizzeria, RH Community Library, Middleport Family Health Center, Darrell’s Place, T+S Crop Services, Alternative Grounds, Amy Hannsen Training Center, X Roo Candy Shop, The Mercantile Royale, and Royalton Town Hall.
• Lockport – Ace Hardware, Scapelliti’s, Half Baked Cookies, Clyde’s Feed & Animal Center, Howell Motors Ford and Somerset Town Hall.
• Medina – Roberts Farm Market and Tractor Supply.

Businesses and organizations in the Roy-Hart community are displaying posters and boots in a fundraiser for the Roy-Hart Agriculture Foundation.

RHES Green Team has 41 members from 3rd and 4th grade. We meet twice a month afterschool to prepare a farm-fresh snack, read an agriculture book, learn and implement hands-on projects. Students help to maintain the Outdoor Learning Lab and other green spaces around the elementary school. We also participate in and promote NY Agriculture in the Classroom programs.

RHES Green Team members listened to a read aloud of “Farm Boots” by Lisl H. Detlefsen, a joyful verse text that takes readers through the seasons and many types of boots that are needed to get all the jobs at the farm done.

Members were asked to write and draw about how they currently use their farm boots for work or play and how they will plan to use farm boots in future.

Advisor of the club and elementary teacher Shelly Budziszewski said, “The story ‘Farm Boots’ was very touching and personal to me because farm boots were always lined up in the back room at my grandparents farm for the grandkids to use to help with chores or play in the mud. I connected this to a boot drive, like my husband’s fire company does to collect donations for our Ag program at RH.”

All funds raised through the Royalton-Hartland Agriculture Foundation will be used for agriculture education Pre-K to 12th grade as well as our extracurricular agriculture clubs, Green Team and FFA.

RHES Green Team will utilize the funds for purchasing local products for snack, gardening supplies, as well as paying for admission and transportation to local agriculture businesses for hands-on learning opportunities. Last year we traveled to McCollum’s Farms in Middleport and Hoover’s Dairy in Sanborn. This year we have visited Becker Farms for a pumpkin harvest which we used to decorate the school for Halloween and have plans to visit WNY Energy in Medina to learn about ethanol as a fuel source.

Provided photo: State Senator Rob Ortt speaks at the DMV office in North Tonawanda today. He is joined by Assembly members Angelo Morinello & Paul Bologna, Niagara County Clerk Joe Jastrzemski, Niagara County Legislator Irene Myers, and Chief Deputy Aaron Schultz from the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office.

Press Release, State Sen. Rob Ortt’s Office

NORTH TONAWANDA – Today, joined by members of the Western New York legislative delegation, law enforcement officials, and county clerks, New York State Senator Rob Ortt blasted New York’s dangerous Green Light Law, which he said hinders law enforcement officers from effectively doing their job.

Senator Ortt and officials present vowed that restoring laws that give our law enforcement the tools and resources to rein in illegal migrants will be a top priority this legislative session for them.

Since becoming a sanctuary state and allowing unvetted illegal immigrants into New York, crime has risen and billions of tax dollars have gone toward housing and feeding individuals from across the world. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation not only allowing these individuals to obtain driver’s licenses, but prohibited federal law enforcement from accessing their information through the DMV database.

“In a common-sense effort to keep New Yorkers safe, my conference will re-introduce legislation such as Laken’s Law and Green Light Law repealers that uncuffs law enforcement and allows local and federal partners to work together again,” Ortt said. “This past November, New Yorkers and people across the nation overwhelmingly voted in favor of making America safe again, and it’s time we as lawmakers get to work doing so – these bills are just the beginning of those efforts.”

“The NYS Green Light Law has severely restricted our ability to work with our federal partners to keep our borders secure,” said Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti. “I fully support any legislation that reverses this law and enables us to keep our communities safe.  The fact that this law threatens local law enforcement with a felony level crime for sharing information should raise the eyebrows of our residents,”.

“As Sheriff, my priority is quality public safety,” said Erie County Sheriff John Garcia. “Collaboration among our law enforcement partners is a critical component of keeping Erie County’s residents safe. Unfortunately, the Green Light Law as it was enacted in 2019 severely impedes our ability to do that. We oppose any hindrance on sharing information with our federal law enforcement partners.”

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion Exempts presented a certificate of commendation to John Grillo, the Albion recreation director, on Thursday evening.

Exempts member Dan Conrad, left, and President Stritzinger, right, presented the certificate to Grillo. He also received a complimentary membership to the exempts, which serves food to the public at its headquarters on South Clinton Street. Membership in the Exempts is open to the community at $20.

The club also presented Grillo with $75 which he said he will direct to a fireworks fund at the Village of Albion. Grillo is trying to raise money for fireworks at Bullard Park on July 3. He said many donations have come in for fireworks.

“We are very close to our goal,” he said.

Grillo has led the Albion recreation program for about 50 years. The program has partnered with Foodlink and community organizations to provide many meals for children at the park during the summer rec program.

Grillo also has taken the lead in planning the summer concert series at the park.

“He’s out there doing a lot of extra stuff,” Stritzinger said.

Grillo said he has been able to do more for the recreation program since he retired as a teacher and coach at Holley.

“I’ve been able to pick up more,” Grillo said. “I do it because I love Albion.”

Provided photo: The Exempts last month also presented a certificate of commendation to Al Wilson, pastor of the Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries.

Wilson was praised for leading an effort to serve 2,000 free chicken dinners the second Saturday in December, and organizing an Easter egg hunt with 12,000 plastic eggs with treats as well as other prizes, and even free haircuts.

The church has other ministries in Albion, filling backpacks with school supplies, offering a breakfast with Santa, running Bingo for adults and giving to the summer recreation program.

ALBION – A new group of entrepreneurs has completed the 10-week Microenterprise Assistance Program offered by the Orleans Economic Development Agency.

The class included 14 graduates, which brings the total to 558 people who have completed MAP since it started in 2002. More than 200 have started a variety of businesses in the county.

The 10-week program covers topics such as legal requirements for starting a business, forms of ownership, business plan development, taxation for sole proprietors, marketing and advertising strategies, bookkeeping and record keeping, banking essentials, pricing goods and services, and cost analysis.

The graduates for fall 2024 include:

• Brent Dahlhaus, restaurant/ property management
• Haley Black, owner of Rise and Grind coffee shop in Albion
• Lionel Heydel, owner of I-Chef NY in the restaurant and catering sector
• Chad Pike, owner of Tavern on the Ridge on Route 104 in Gaines
• Shannon Fair, owner of OMNI Construction
• Vanessa & Jasser Cervantes, J&V Agrotech in Agriculture (Hydroponics)
• Donnie Rench, New York Skies, a photography and events business
• Clarissa Gallup, floriculture agriculture
• Kelsie and Benjamin Stahl, craft items
• Katie Sommerfeldt, KT Drainage Consulting
• Mark Hungerford, maintenance construction
• Molly Preston, Preston’s Farms
• Nyan Kaminski, Cedar Hill Farms – agriculture and animal feed

A new class will start in the spring. MAP coordinator Matt Holland said he expects applications will open next month.

He told the EDA board of directors this morning there will be some tweaks in the program, including more local entrepreneurs as guest speakers.

The class size of 14 seemed ideal, allowing each person personalized attention and a manageable group size to network with each other, Holland said.

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

As her fifth proposal as part of her affordability agenda for the 2025 State of the State, Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a historic initiative to ensure every single one of New York’s over 2.7 million students can receive breakfast and lunch for free at school.

This monumental program will help save parents money, address food insecurity among New York kids, and create more opportunities for students to succeed.

“The research is clear: good food in the lunchroom creates good grades in the classroom,” Governor Hochul said. “I’m proposing free school meals for every student in New York – giving kids the sustenance they need and putting more money back in parents’ pockets.”

Offering free school meals is an effective way to help keep kids in school and able to focus in the classroom. By eliminating any financial requirements to receive this benefit, New York State will level the playing field and give parents back the money they would be spending. Free school meals are estimated to save families $165 per child in grocery spending each month and have been shown to support learning, boost test scores, and improve attendance and classroom behavior.

Such an ambitious proposal has not been attempted by New York State before now, and Governor Hochul has continued to prioritize free school meals throughout her time in office. The FY 2025 Enacted Budget included $180 million to help incentivize eligible schools to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, allowing all students in participating schools to eat breakfast and lunch at no charge regardless of their families’ income.

This new State of the State initiative will cover the cost of free lunch and breakfast for every student at every school in New York State regardless of their participation in the program, which will expand eligibility to nearly 300,000 additional students.

NYSUT President Melinda Person said, “Every day in our schools, educators see hungry children who would likely qualify for existing free meal programs, but fall through the cracks due to stigma or bureaucracy. Nearly one in six New York children faces food insecurity, and this critical initiative to provide universal free meals for all students — regardless of their ZIP code or family income — will reduce food anxiety, improve mental and physical health, and support students’ ability to thrive. Every child, no matter their circumstances, deserves the nutrition they need to grow and learn.”

ALBION – The swearing in of Dr. Julie Woodworth of Lyndonville as coroner makes her only the second woman to serve as coroner in Orleans County.

Woodworth took the oath of office on Wednesday from county clerk Nadine Hanlon. Woodworth was elected in November. She succeeds Charlie Smith, who retired after 30 years in the position. She serves with chief coroner Scott Schmidt, Rocco Sidari and Dr. Tom Madejski, the coroners’ physician.

A woman serving as coroner is not that unusual, according to Schmidt.

“Dr. Ruth Barrett, a pathologist at Arnold Gregory Memorial Hospital in Albion, was a former deputy medical examiner in New York City before coming to Albion, way before my arrival here in 1982,” Schmidt said. “She assumed the duties of coroner and also acted as the unofficial medical examiner for the county, often doing her own autopsies at the hospital to determine the cause and manner of death.”

Schmidt said he is excited to have Woodworth joining their team of coroners in Orleans County.

“She brings a vast amount of experience as a registered nurse to the position, which will be helpful in determining whether or not a cause of death is of a natural nature, along with the understanding of underlying mechanisms of disease and illnesses,” Schmidt said. “That knowledge, along with her personal skills from dealing with people in crisis is a perfect fit for understanding what this job is all about and for being a voice of calm and reason during an emotionally charged and most difficult time in peoples’ lives.”

Woodworth has been a nurse since 1987, obtaining her PhD from NOVA Southeastern University in Florida in 2019. She has worked at DeGraff Hospital in Tonawanda, in Newfane, Medina Memorial and most recently has been teaching at Niagara County Community College, now SUNY Niagara. She has held positions in all departments, including supervision.

She is the first nursing faculty member of SUNY Niagara to get a PhD and the only person there who ever got the Distinguished Teaching Professorship Award. This is the highest award given by SUNY and is based on teaching competence consistently demonstrated over multiple years at the graduate, undergraduate or professional levels. Contributing to her selection were articles she published in the Peer Review Journal on her service in the college community and teaching skills.

Julie Woodworth, center, is congratulated by Charlie Smith, left, who retired as coroner after 30 years, and her husband Mark, after she was sworn in as coroner on Wednesday.

Three years ago Charlie Smith, a nurse at Medina Memorial Hospital and an Orleans County coroner, asked her if she would be interested in running for his position when he retired at the end of 2024. He explained intently what was required and she decided she could run for the position and retire from college if she won.

“I started going on calls with Charlie, and he gave me great mentoring,” Woodworth said. “I also received information from Scott and Rocco.”

She has given up her position as a professor of nursing, but will stay on as an adjunct professor, and she continues at Medina Hospital per diem.

In addition, Woodworth has joined the company her husband Mark works for, Schaeffer Manufacturing, where she will be an independent sales person selling grease, oil and hydraulic fluid.

“This allows me to be flexible to go to cases when I’m called during the work day,” Woodworth said. “I feel a path has been laid for me. I’ve worked in surgery, so that has prepared me. And to be offered this opportunity to serve as coroner came at the right time to allow me to retire. There must have been a reason.”

Schmidt said Woodworth joins several other women coroners in the area, including Karen Lang, a registered nurse and long-time coroner in Genesee County; Laura Goodlander, a Niagara County coroner; and Dr. Nadia Granger, chief medical examiner in Monroe County.

Schmidt was first elected to the position in 1990 and immediately joined the New York State Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners. He has attended all but three bi-annual educational conferences of the Association and just completed 16 years as their president. He is one of the instructors for the mandatory Coroner 101 Class, which Woodworth will be attending in the spring in Glen Falls.

“I’m proud to say I am author of the bill which became law in 2017 making the class mandatory for all newly elected and appointed coroners,” Schmidt said. “I am now working on a continuing education bill for coroners, which is currently getting some language revisions.”

Schmidt concluded he is looking forward to working with Woodworth, as she already has a wealth of knowledge from having worked with Charlie Smith, who Schmidt called “a great colleague, friend and public servant.”

“Charlie’s overall experience as an RN, Mercy flight nurse and a firefighter made him a well-rounded coroner, with access to many assets to help him with his investigations,” Schmidt said. “Julie has some of that experience and she also has my 34-plus years of experience as coroner, as well as the eight-plus years of Rocky Sidari to assist her in the proper technique of medicolegal death investigations, which she will have to follow as a coroner, and to also properly fill out the new electronic death certificates in tandem with Dr. Thomas Madejski, Orleans County’s coroners’ physician. I’m confident she’ll do a stellar job with it all and I welcome her to the team.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Frank Babcock, 89, presented more canes to Assemblyman Steve Hawley today to be given to veterans.

Pictured from left include Babcock’s sons Steve and Jim Babcock, Frank Babcock, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Legion commander Brad Rouse, and Nick Mroz, the Veterans Service Agency director in Orleans County.

Babcock last month gave Hawley about a dozen canes that Hawley said he would give to veterans, perhaps at the NYS Veterans Home in Batavia, the National Cemetery in Pembroke or through the Patriot Trip that Hawley leads each September to monuments in the Washington, D.C. area.

Babcock made about a dozen more than he presented to Hawley today at the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency. Those canes will be given to veterans through the Veterans Service Agency offices in Orleans, Genesee and Monroe counties.

Babcock was in the Albion Walmart about three months when he saw a man walking with a cane. Babcock complimented the man, a fellow veteran, on the quality of the cane.

The man said the cane made a big difference for him, and he received it for free from Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

Babcock got to thinking that he could make canes to be given to local veterans. Babcock served in the Army from 1955-’56 and was based at Fort Hancock, N.J. Many know him locally for his long career with NAPA Auto Parts in Albion and Medina.

Babcock made the canes from small trees in the woods. The raw materials were cut off from part of the roots with a slight angle. The handles of the canes are the roots from the trees.

Babcock sands down the small trees and puts shellack on them, as well as stickers of American flags.

Frank Babcock shares another group of canes he made in the past month to be given out to veterans for free from the Veterans Service Agency offices in Orleans, Genesee and Monroe counties.