Press Release, State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt

NORTH TONAWANDA – Today Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt spoke out in opposition to a proposed rule change by the New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council  that would change the 2020 Residential Code of New York State to mandate automatic sprinkler systems in new construction.

The changes proposed would adjust the automatic sprinkler system code to require that automatic sprinkler systems be installed in newly constructed one and two-family homes. In addition, sprinkler systems will be required if an addition is made to the home that creates a third story or if an attic is finished and made habitable. The sprinkler system will be required in all areas of the dwelling with exceptions for small closets, bathrooms, attics, and crawl spaces, and would need to have a temperature sensitivity range of 135 degrees to 225 degrees depending on the distance from a potential heat source such as an oven.

“Don’t forget this state is in a housing affordability crisis,” Ortt said. “Yet rather than search for common sense solutions that work for New Yorkers, unelected Albany bureaucrats are pushing another mandate that will put the opportunity of homeownership in this state even further out of reach. There is already an option to include sprinklers in homes, but the truth is most homeowners opt against it because it breaks their budget. This mandate serves no purpose other than to drive up costs and remove consumer choice.”

The New York State Builders Association estimates this mandate could increase the cost of building a home by up to $20,000-$30,000 at a time when skyrocketing construction costs continue to make it more difficult to build and drive up the costs for homebuyers.

“We need to tell Democrats in Albany enough is enough, I am calling on taxpayers to make their voices heard and sign this petition, calling on the state to strongly reconsider this mandate and the effect it will have on New Yorkers and new construction,” Ortt said.

White House photo: President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned two turkeys in a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. He was joined in the annual ceremony by John Zimmerman, chairman of the National Turkey Federation, and his son Grant.

The average cost for a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 has declined from $61.17 a year ago to $58.08, the American Farm Bureau Federation reported in its annual Thanksgiving dinner survey. In 2022, the cost was an average of $64.05.

The cost for this year is still up significantly from the $53.31 average in 2021. The cost jumped nearly $12 from 2021 to 2022, but has been coming down since then.

“Two years of declines don’t erase dramatic increases that led to a record high cost of $64.06 in 2022,” American Farm Bureau stated in a news release. “Despite the encouraging momentum, a Thanksgiving meal is still 19% higher than it was in 2019, which highlights the impact inflation has had on food prices – and farmers’ costs – since the pandemic.”

The average price for a 16-pound turkey is $25.67, which $1.60 per pound, down 6% from last year, the organization reported.

Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers checked prices Nov. 1-7, before most grocery store chains began featuring whole frozen turkeys at sharply lower prices. This year’s national average cost was calculated using surveys completed with pricing data from all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers checked prices in person and online using grocery store apps and websites. They looked for the best possible prices without taking advantage of special promotional coupons or combined purchase deals, American Farm Bureau stated.

The Thanksgiving dinner survey was first conducted by American Farm Bureau in 1986.

Individual Prices

• 16-pound turkey: $25.67 or $1.60 per pound (down 6.1%)
• 14-ounces of cubed stuffing mix: $4.08 (up 8.2%)
• 2 frozen pie crusts: $3.40 (down 2.9%)
• Half pint of whipping cream: $1.81 (up 4.7%)
• 1 pound of frozen peas: $1.73 (down 8.1%)
• 1 dozen dinner rolls: $4.16 (up 8.4%)
• Misc. ingredients to prepare the meal: $3.75 (down 5.1%)
• 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix: $4.15 (down 6.5%)
• 1 gallon of whole milk: $3.21 (down 14.3%)
• 3 pounds of sweet potatoes: $2.93 (down 26.2%)
• 1-pound veggie tray (carrots & celery): $.84 (down 6.4%)
• 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries: $2.35 (up 11.8%)

MEDINA – Russ Peters, pastor of Alabama Full Gospel Fellowship, is currently in intensive care at a hospital in Guatemala City.

Peters went to Guatemala on Nov. 11 to visit churches Alabama Full Gospel has partnered with for about 40 years, starting when Russ’s dad Terry was the pastor of the local church on Route 63 in Shelby.

One of the long-time church leaders in Guatemala recently passed away and Russ went to see that church and others in a mountainous region. It was his first trip there since the Covid pandemic. He used to go every 3-4 years, said Mike Zaidel, Alabama Full Gospel church coordinator and head elder.

Peters became gravely ill when he couldn’t hold down food or his diabetic medicines and his blood sugar rose to 500, his wife Jodi stated on social media and in a GoFundMe page. Click here to see the GoFundMe.

Peters has gall stones which caused vomiting and severe pain, leading to pancreatitis, his wife said.

Her husband was so stricken he couldn’t walk or move on his own. He was in San Cristobal, about four hours from proper medical care. Once moved to a hospital in Guatemala City, he received IV fluids, antibiotics, pain medicines and insulin.

Peters has been in the ICU for about a week. He is now walking with some assistance.

“Our faith is strong, but we are walking through a nightmare,” Mrs. Peters said. “We have limited, spotty communication and we are beside ourselves that he does not have family with him and that he is suffering.”

Russ Peters has been diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis and pancreatitis. He has inflammation in the abdomen and is in a lot of pain from the pancreatitis, his wife said.

The family’s health insurance was not accepted and they have spent $13,000 so far out-of-pocket. Mrs. Peters said there will be more medical bills and travel expenses.

Photos by Tom Rivers: The Hart Hotel is one of the lodging businesses in Medina. Hart Hotel includes five rooms and two lofts on the third floor of 113 West Center St. This photo was taken on Monday evening with the village holiday decorations in the background.

MEDINA – Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed legislation allowing the Village of Medina to collect a 2 percent “bed tax” on hotels, motels, boarding houses and short-term rentals in the village.

Hochul signed the bill on Nov. 22, culminated a process that started in 2018 with village officials looking to generate some additional money to work on infrastructure projects at the Medina Business Park and in the village to promote economic development.

The Bent’s Opera House has 10 hotel rooms available on the second floor.

The village tried for several years since 2018 to get the tax through the Legislature. State Sen. Rob Ortt had been reluctant to support a new tax, but on May 22 he sponsored the bill that passed in the Senate. Assemblyman Steve Hawley backed the legislation in the Assembly.

The legislation passed both houses of the Legislature and on Nov. 15 it was delivered to the governor’s desk. She signed it on Friday.

Village officials are awaiting more details on when it can start imposing the tax. The legislation says it takes effect “immediately” and goes until Dec. 31, 2025. The village will need the State Legislature’s and governor’s approval to renew the tax every two years.

Medina village officials will reach out to the County Treasurer and County Tourism Department for a list of Medina sites that are currently collecting a 4 percent occupancy tax for the county.

The county’s 4 percent occupancy tax generates about $100,000 a year and is used solely by the county for its tourism promotion efforts. The Medina tax would be another 2 percent on top of the county’s occupancy tax, but for hotels, motels and other lodging establishments in the village only.

The top finishers in the race included Jose Miguel Silva for males and Heather Mundion for the females.

MEDINA – Operation Honor, a local organization that assists veterans, held its 7th Annual 5K on Saturday, Nov. 9, with 50 participants and raised $5,000.

The first male finisher was Jose Miguel Silva with a time of 17:33 and the first female finisher was Heather Mundion with a time of 27:22.

The annual 5K starts and ends at the Junior Wilson Sportsman Club on Bates Road.

Operation Honor is a 501(c)3 non-profit that supports veterans in Orleans County, helping to cover utility bills, car payments, or purchasing heating pellets for veterans in need. Operation Honor has assisted one veteran with the cost of registering a wheelchair-adapted van.

The organization this year is joining in Wreaths Across America, where remembrance wreaths will be placed at the newer veterans’ section at Mount Albion Cemetery. The wreaths are $17 each and can be purchased online (click here). There will be a ceremony at the cemetery on Route 31 in Albion at noon on Dec. 14. Volunteers are welcome to help place the wreaths.

Jenn Thom, Operation Honor director, also said Salon de Coiffeur recently held a basket raffle with Operation Honor the designated beneficiary.  Salon de Coiffeur raised $2,170 for Operation Honor.

Provided photo

ALBION – Nikolas Mroz and Nancy Traxler of the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency are presented with a $1,000 check from Scott Carlton, squadron commander of the Sons of the American Legion in Medina. The donation goes toward the van service that takes veterans to medical appointments.

“The Sons salute the Joint Veterans Council, it’s staff and volunteers for providing veterans an indispensable means of access to needed medical care,” Carlton said. “We’re proud to continue funding this program as part of our advocacy for veterans.”

This is the 13th donation Squadron 204 has given, totaling $6,600.

The Sons of the American Legion was founded in 1932 as an organization within The American Legion, dedicated to preserving American traditions and values, improving the quality of life for our nation’s children, caring for veterans and their families, and teaching the fundamentals of good citizenship.

All male descendants, adopted sons, and stepsons of members of The American Legion, and such male descendants of veterans who died in service during the period of April 6, 1917, through Nov. 11, 1918, or any time from Dec. 7, 1941, to date, who served honorably, or who died subsequent to their honorable discharge from such service, are eligible for membership in the Sons of The American Legion.

‘I don’t think enough people, in the immediate area or across Western New York, know what a gem this place is’

Press Release, Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

BASOM – Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge held its annual meeting Saturday, Nov. 23, to elect officers and several new board members.

Elected to a two-year term as president was Richard Moss of Medina. Emma DeLeon of Williamsville was elected vice president; Betsy Black of Lockport was elected treasurer; and Kim Mansfield of Newfane and Joe Fell of Buffalo were elected to the nominating committee.

Members also voted for five new board members and re-elected one board member, Seneca Wolf Clan Elder Marve in Jacobs of Cheektowaga. The newly added board members are Chris Hollister of Cheektowaga, Bernadette Clabeaux of Orchard Park, Tim Elliot of Medina, and Pamela Reed Sanchez of Rochester.

Moss replaces Garner Light of Gasport, who led the group through the lean pandemic years and was instrumental in developing and installing the refuge’s new eagle nest camera (click here), among his numerous accomplishments while president.

“The last four years were challenging and invigorating at the same time,” Light said. “The first two years of my term were during the pandemic. Everything changed. In the time since, we have worked hard as an organization to revitalize, reconnect and become even more active and relevant. I am greatly encouraged to pass the reigns onto Dick Moss, who I’m confident will be an excellent president for FINWR.”

Moss said he is looking forward to working with the board and the group’s volunteers.

“I’ve been walking the refuge trails for more than 30 years,” Moss said. “I don’t think enough people, in the immediate area or across Western New York, know what a gem this place is. I hope to be part of changing that.”

Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, Inc. (click here) has about 150 members and is a not-for-profit corporation organized by volunteers dedicated to supporting the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (INWR) via fundraising, education, enhancement and preservation of the refuge and its wildlife.

“Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge  have been an intricate part in accomplishments at the refuge, both in funding for projects but also their volunteerism,” said Tom Roster, refuge manager. “I look forward to working with the newly elected officers and board members to continue this partnership.”

Press Release, Orleans County government

ALBION – Two brothers who own local businesses in Medina are stepping up to provide Thanksgiving meals for first responders who are required to work on the holiday.  Nate Sanders, owner of Elite Meal Prep and his brother Logan Callara, owner of Logan Landscaping, wanted to do something during these holidays to say thank you to first responders serving our community.

“While families across Orleans County will be celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends, there are many first responders who will miss the holiday because they are on duty,” Sanders said.  “So my brother and I thought a great way to show our appreciation was to provide them with a full Thanksgiving dinner.”

Meals will be provided to the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, Orleans County Sheriff’s Jail, Orleans County Sheriff’s Dispatch, New York State Police, Medina Police & Fire Department, Albion Police Department, Holley Police Department, and Monroe Ambulance for their personnel working those days. It’s expected roughly 150 meals will be provided.

“It’s not easy for first responders to miss holidays and family events, but we all know that is the nature of the job,” said Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke. “This wonderful gesture by Logan and Nate will be very much appreciated by our first responders who are on duty this Thanksgiving.”

The brothers said they also intend to provide meals for first responders working Christmas Eve and Day.

About the businesses

Logan’s Landscaping was started by Logan when he was 13 years old. He started mowing the neighbor’s lawn using a 3-wheeled bicycle with a homemade trailer attached to haul his lawnmower. Then he rented a storage unit at Lakewood Village to store his equipment and started mowing several more lawns at Lakewood Village. After obtaining his driver’s license Logan got an LLC for his business and started doing commercial work as well. His business has grown to approximately 500 regular customers and he is maintaining over 100 properties weekly. His business consists of several trucks, trailers, machinery and smaller equipment.

Elite Meal Prep (EMP) just celebrated its first anniversary. EMP was an idea of Nick Joy and Nate Sanders who wanted to offer healthy, affordable and high-quality meal options to patrons of Nick Joy’s gyms and other local businesses. Nick has since moved on to become a first responder and Nate is running the business on his own. Nate is currently providing anywhere from 200-500 meals a week to his customers, many of whom are first responders.

Press Release, Orleans County government

ALBION – Kelly Kiebala, Director of the Orleans County Career Center, today reminded residents the county will be hosting a workshop tomorrow, November 26, called “It’s Easier than ever to get a Job with New York State!”

The workshop will be conducted by the Center for Careers in Government, part of the New York State Department of Civil Service.  Kiebala said Orleans County Civil Service will also be presenting about job openings with the county.

“I know many people who would be interested in working for the state or county have shied away from applying due to civil service requirements,” Kiebala said.  “But a lot has changed in recent years to make the process more efficient, and as the title of the workshop says, it’s never been easier.”

This free event will be held Tuesday from 2 to 3 p.m. in Conference Room C at the Orleans County Administration Building, 14016 Route 31 West in Albion. No pre-registration is required.

The unemployment rate in Orleans has seen a steady drop for much of 2024.

The county’s unemployment rate for October was 3.3 percent, below the state average of 4.1 percent, according to data from the State Department of Labor.

The unemployment rate in Orleans was 5.3 percent in January and has generally dipped most of the months since then.

Here are the unemployment rates in the county each month of 2024:

• January, 5.3 percent
• February, 5.2 percent
• March, 4.9 percent
• April, 4.0 percent
• May, 3.7 percent
• June, 3.8 percent
• July, 4.4 percent
• August, 4.4 percent
• September, 3.2 percent
• October, 3.3 percent

The DOL reports the county had a labor for of 17,300 in October, with 600 unemployed, 16,700 employed.

In October 2023, the unemployment rate in Orleans County was 3.7 percent – labor force of 17,200 with 600 unemployed and 16,600 employed.

In October 2022, the unemployment rate in Orleans County was 2.9 percent – labor force 16,900 with 500 unemployed and 16,400 employed.

In October 2021, the unemployment rate in Orleans County was 5.6 percent – labor force of 16,900 with 600 unemployed and 16,300 employed.

In October 2020, the unemployment rate in Orleans County was October 2020 was 5.2 percent – a labor force of 17,100 with 900 unemployed and 16,200 employed.

Among Western New York counties, the unemployment rates for October 2024 include:

• Orleans, 3.3 percent
• Genesee, 2.7 percent
• Wyoming, 2.9 percent
• Livingston, 2.9 percent
• Monroe, 3.4 percent
• Niagara, 3.6 percent
• Erie, 3.6 percent
• Chautauqua, 3.5 percent
• Cattaraugus, 3.4 percent
• Allegany, 3.2 percent

Gas prices slid down a penny for the average national price to $3.06 today, while the state average is $3.15, with no change from a  week ago, AAA reported today. A year ago the average national price was $3.26, while the state average was $3.58.

AAA says the average national price today matches the low for 2024 back in January.

Here are the average prices in Western New York counties:

• Orleans, $3.242
• Genesee, $3.259
• Wyoming, $3.232
• Livingston, $3.350
• Monroe, $3.227
• Niagara, $3.142
• Erie, $3.202
• Chautauqua, $3.405
• Cattaraugus, $3.365
• Allegany, $3.328

“Oil, the primary ingredient in the production of gasoline, is trading in the low $70s per barrel this morning – similar to last week – and that’s helping keep prices down as demand for gas is expected to rise for the holiday,” AAA stated in a news release.

For drivers who use diesel fuel, the national average price for diesel is $3.53, no change from last Monday. The New York average is $3.86, down one cent from last Monday, AAA reported.

“AAA is forecasting nearly 72 million Americans will drive 50 miles or more from their home over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (Tuesday to Monday),” AAA stated. “That’s a new record and an additional 1.3 million compared to last year.”