TOWN OF ALABAMA – An Olcott man was discovered dead in the Town of Alabama, an apparent homicide victim, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office said today.

Michael G. Poole, 59, of Olcott was located Tuesday afternoon during the investigation into a missing person out of Niagara County.

The preliminary investigation indicates that this appears to be an isolated incident and that there is no threat to the public, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office said.

Anyone who may have information related to this incident is asked to contact the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office at 585-343-5000.

This investigation is ongoing, with no further details released at this time.

Renee Hungerford of Community Action, Karen Kinter of Oak Orchard Health join intensive program lasting 18 months

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Renee Hungerford, left, and Karen Kinter have both been accepted into the prestigious Health Leadership Fellows program by the Health Foundation for WNY.

ALBION – Two women in leadership positions in Orleans County have been chosen for a very prestigious honor by the Health Foundation of WNY.

Karen Kinter, CEO of Oak Orchard Health, and Renee Hungerford, CEO of Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, recently learned they had been accepted into the Health Leadership Fellows program for Cohort 11.

Both women said applying for that honor had been on their minds for a long time, and without the other knowing about it, they each applied this year.

The application is followed by an extensive interview process, in which the accepted individuals are chosen. Kinter and Hungerford learned of each other’s selection when the list was published.

The Fellows program’s goal is to strengthen collaboration among hundreds of nonprofit professionals who serve young children and older adults in western and central New York.

Their belief is, “When leaders at local nonprofits collaborate and share a sense of purpose, they can work together to solve the region’s toughest health issues.”

Hungerford noted she and Kinter already have a working relationship.

“We have already partnered with each other through my Axis of Care, and I used to work at Oak Orchard Health,” Hungerford said. “Healthcare is a frustrating system, and I want to help fix it.”

Kinter was amazed that two people from Orleans County would be accepted into the program at the same time.

“Both Renee’s and my organization are quite large here in this area, but they don’t compare with the size of city organizations,” Kinter said.

Two others from Orleans County also completed the program recently: Paul Pettit from the Orleans and Genesee County Health Departments and Dean Bellack of Medina, the former United Way director in Orleans County.

Bellack earned the honor because of relationships he developed with outside foundations while director of United Way of Orleans County and weekly phone and Zoom calls with non-profit agencies.

“We are going to be with a bunch of people who want to do innovative projects,” Hungerford said. “We will be asked to come up with a project based on solving healthcare issues in our area.”

The program lasts 18 months, during which time participants will be asked to attend four sessions of two or three days each in a residential setting, away from their jobs.

“They want to be sure our full focus is on this,” Hungerford said.

“I’m very excited that Renee and I will go through this highly regarded program together,” Kinter said. “It will allow us to strengthen both our organizations and communities. Through our collaboration along with many other regional healthcare leaders, we’ll be able to improve the care and services we provide. The recent opening of the Warming Center in Albion was a great example of community collaboration. Oak Orchard Health was happy to be part of that effort.”

“The Health Leadership Fellows Program is important for our community and the people we serve,” Hungerford said. “I look forward to learning and collaborating with Karen and all the other regional health leaders. The issues we face in healthcare are complex and this program gives us the tools to develop initiatives to help.”

Topics addressed will include personal leadership, leading change, communicating as a leader and results-based leadership and collaboration. Each cohort of fellows is made up of about 40 professionals from health-related and safety net organizations throughout western and central New York.

Their graduation is scheduled for November 2025.

The Health Foundation of WNY has been funding community health since its inception in 2002. Since awarding its first grants in 2004, the Foundation has awarded more than $30 million to fund programs in 16 counties in western and central New York. Funding has been focused on programs that improve health outcomes for two of the most vulnerable and underserved populations in the region – older adults and children from birth to age 5 who are impacted by poverty.

Voters turnout was up in two out of the three villages that held elections in Orleans County compared to their most recent elections.

Lyndonville had the highest percentage of voters cast ballots at 25.4 percent, followed by 14.3 percent in Medina and only 3.3 percent in Albion. (Holley, the other village in Orleans County, has its election in June.)

• Albion: 3,160 registered voters, 105 voters – 3.3% turnout
• Lyndonville: 552 registered voters, 140 voters – 25.4% turnout
• Medina: 3,419 registered voters, 488 voters – 14.3% turnout

Medina in recent years has had unopposed candidates and typically drew less than 100 voters on election day.

In Medina, the turnout was only 1.2 percent in 2022 with 39 voters out of 3,389. The three candidates were all unopposed.

Last March’s election two trustee candidates were unopposed with Jess Marciano getting 53 votes and Diana Baker, 49.

Judy Szulis, one of Medina’s election inspectors, was pleased to see a steady flow of people during the nine hours of voting on Tuesday. She said she saw many new people at the polls, including younger adults.

Medina had seven candidates on Tuesday for three positions. Marguerite Sherman was elected mayor with 330 votes, and new trustees were elected with Debbie Padoleski receiving 267 votes and Mark Prawel, 198.

Medina’s biggest turnout in recent memory remains Jan. 20, 2015 when nearly 1,500 people voted to determine whether the village should be dissolved. There were 949 “no” votes that day and 527 that said “yes.”

Voters who ventured to the polls on Tuesday were battered with chilly weather and some blasts of snow.

A year ago in Lyndonville, two candidates ran unopposed with Kimberly Kenyon receiving 19 votes and Terry Stinson, 23.

Tuesday there were only two names on the ballot for three positions on the Village Board. But write-in campaigns helped bring out 140 voters. John Belson was re-elected mayor with 66 write-in votes. Danny Woodward Jr. was on the ballot and was re-elected trustee with 94 votes. He also got 33 for mayor. Anne Marie Holland also was re-elected as trustee with 62 as a write-in.

The election was quieter in Albion on Tuesday compared to two years ago when the village had three people running for mayor and four candidates for two trustee positions. More than 700 people voted in that election.

Albion only had two names on the ballot on Tuesday for trustee, but two people mounted write-in campaigns, and one was successful in getting elected.

Greg Bennett, was endorsed by both the Democratic and Republican parties. He led all candidates with 87 votes. William Gabalski also was elected with 44 votes as a write-in, nipping Jeff Holler, who had the line Republican line and received 38 votes. Faith Smith was close with 36 write-in votes.

ALBION – Three people were sentenced to incarceration in Orleans County today by Judge Sanford Church.

Cody Scharlau, 34, of Medina was sentenced to six months in the county jail, plus five years of probation for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree.

Public defender Joanne Best asked that Scharlau just be given probation. She said he has struggled with drug addiction, and will benefit from programs required to be on probation.

Judge Church said jail was needed due to the crime.

“Possessing cocaine and drug paraphernalia is not acceptable in our community,” Church said during sentencing.

In other cases:

•  Angel Marrero, 46, of Rochester was sentenced to two years in state prison and three years of post-release supervision for three burglaries in Orleans County. He also has to pay $7,253 in restitution to State Farm.

Marrero didn’t have any criminal conviction since 2009, but a recent relapse into drug addiction led to the crimes in Orleans County, Best told Judge Church.

“He admits he has severely fallen off the wagon,” Best said. “He has a pretty serious drug addiction problem.”

Marrero in June 2023 stole tools and electronics from a Ridge Road site in Murray, and then in July burglarized two sites on South Holley Road in Clarendon, stealing a generator, shotgun, jewelry and copper piping.

• Alexander Blount, 34, of Medina was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in state prison for violating his probation.

Blount was on probation for reckless endangerment in the first degree. He started a fire inside an apartment on Telegraph Road in Ridgeway that put people in danger who lived in other apartments in the building.

• Jayah Osby, 24, of Albion pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree. He faces six months in the county jail and five years of probation when he is sentenced on May 22.

Osby was charged on Aug. 21 after being searched by Albion police officers who located cocaine, marijuana and distribution bags for sale as well as $600 in cash. There was an active arrest warrant for Osby at the time.

In court today, Osby admitted he had 29 grams of cocaine.

• Jonathan Dodson, 38, ofHolley was arraigned for felony driving while intxciated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the 1^st degree. He was charged in Barre on Dec. 29.

• Lawrence Miller, 31, of Medina was arraigned for DWI, AUO in the 1^st degree and resisting arrest for a rollover accident on June 25, 2023 on Maple Ridge Road.

Miller allegedly walked away from the scene of the accident, and didn’t comply with law enforcement officers near the scene.

The National Weather Service is advising that moderately heavy snow squalls could hit this afternoon with winds at 30 to 40 miles per hour, resulting in possible whiteout conditions.

The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement for Orleans, Niagara, Monroe, Wayne, northern Erie, Genesee, Livingston and Ontario counties.

“Motorists today and early evening should be wary of quickly changing weather conditions, including dramatic reductions in visibility and possibly roadways that could experience a quick glazing of ice,” the Weather Service said.

Orleans could get 1 to 2 inches of snow today during the day, and then another 1 to 2 inches at night.

The high will reach 36 today followed by highs of 30 on Thursday, 32 on Friday, and 36 on Saturday.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Sharon Narburgh, owner of Narby’s Superette and Tackle, is shown in October 2020 for a news article about how local fishing-related businesses adapted during the Covid pandemic.  Narburgh said Narby’s was busy during Covid. “We’re getting more people who were stuck at home and haven’t fished for years,” she said then. “They want to be out of the house.”

CARLTON – Narby’s Superette & Tackle, a mainstay for more than a half century in Carlton, is now closed.

Sharon Narburgh, Narby’s owner, made the announcement on Facebook on Tuesday. For 58 years she was dedicated to Narby’s, which was a gas station with groceries and a tackle shop at 1292 Oak Orchard Rd.

“Your loyalty and support have meant the world to me and I am truly humbled by the relationships we have built over the years,” Narburgh stated. “Although Narby’s Superette & Tackle may be closed, the memories and friendships forged within its walls will always remain cherished.”

Narburgh said she is closing due to unforeseen circumstances and for the good of her well-being.

“Thank you once again for your kindness, your loyalty, and your friendship,” she said. “You have made this journey unforgettable and I am forever grateful.”

Narburgh was one of the Point Breeze area’s biggest proponents for many years. She was instrumental in promoting the local fishing industry and often urged the community to see even more potential for the area.

She tried to get a covered wooden bridge at “The Bridges” to replace one of the spans that was taken out about a decade ago.

She was honored by the Orleans County Legislature in October 2010 after she retired from a volunteer role of running a fishing hotline. Every day for nearly 30 years she listened to the fishing stories from her customers and local charter boat captains, and managed to compile their observations in a fishing report that became a go-to for local and out-of-town anglers.

County legislators praised her “for providing a long and familiar voice” and for her dedication to the fishing and tourism industries in the county.

Narburgh and her late husband Bill were the first business to sell fishing licenses in the state. Before, only municipalities sold the licenses. The Narburghs became active in promoting the industry, attending many sportsfishing trade shows on behalf of Orleans County, promoting Lake Ontario and the tributary fishing.

The Albion Rotary Club in 2016 honored Sharon Narburgh as a Paul Harris Fellow, the club’s highest award. She is shown with Dick Pilon, left, and Bill Downey of the Rotary Club.

Narburgh was recognized by the Albion Rotary Club for her long-time commitment to the club’s fishing derby. Narburgh sold more than half of the tickets for the fishing derby, which was last held in 2019.

Narburgh also was a key leader in the 2013 community effort when Point Breeze was named “The Ultimate Fishing Town” by the World Fishing Network.

Medina voters today elected Marguerite Sherman as mayor, with Debbie Padoleski and Mark Prawel as village trustees.

MEDINA – Village residents today elected Marguerite Sherman to be Medina’s next mayor. Sherman received 330 votes to the 158 for Mike Maak.

Sherman has been a village trustee the past 10 years and is the current deputy mayor. She is a retired special education teacher.

Voters also elected Debbie Padoleski and Mark Prawel as village trustees. Padoleski received the most votes for trustee with 267 followed by 198 for Prawel, 195 for Jeff Pasnik, 185 for Tim Elliott and 91 for Mat Mosher.

Sherman was pleased to see the interest in several candidates for the board. Many of the recent village elections have been uncontested for the incumbents.

“I’m excited for a new beginning,” Sherman said after the results were announced at about 10:30 p.m. “I’m grateful to the village residents for putting their faith in me.”

Sherman said all seven candidates have a lot to offer the village. She urged the candidates who came up short for election to stay involved in the village and perhaps volunteer to be on a village committee.

Padoleski is retired from the village as clerk/treasurer. She said the new trustees and board will be busy working to get the budget adopted by the end of April. She looks forward to digging into the budget details to see if there are possible cost savings for taxpayers.

“I’m anxious to get to work,” she said at the Senior Center, after waiting 90 minutes for the paper ballots to be counted.

Prawel is a retired Medina police officer and owner of an auto repair business. He said the village’s rising tax levy is pressuring many residents, making the community unaffordable.

Sherman will replace Mike Sidari as mayor after his eight years in the role. Sidari didn’t seek re-election.

He was at the Senior Center after the polls closed and waited to hear the results. Like most residents he said he is concerned about the tax burden in the village, and the need to put an addition on the fire hall. The board should continue to work with the Economic Development Agency to help businesses expand in Medina and entice new ones to choose the village.

Medina also has land that could be developed for housing which would boost the tax base, Sidari said.

“I wish the new board the best,” Sidari said.

The terms for the new mayor and trustees start on April 1.

ALBION – Village residents elected Greg Bennett and William Gabalski to the Village Board today.

Bennett received the most votes with 87 for a four-year term as a village trustee. He was endorsed by both the Republican and Democratic Party for the election. He works as a locksmith at the Albion Correctional Facility. He also has been a long-time youth baseball coach.

Jeff Holler was backed by the Republicans, but he was edged for a seat on the board by William Gabalski who ran as a write-in candidate.

Gabalski received 44 votes, with Holler at 38. Faith Smith also ran as a write-in and received 36 votes. (Kevin Doherty received a vote, too, as a write-in.)

Bennett and Gabalski will take the spots of Chris Barry and Dave Buczek, who didn’t seek election this time.

Gabalski ran a campaign saying Albion is becoming increasingly unaffordable due to rising taxes.

Bennett wants to build a strong Albion team, pushing people to put aside differences and animosity for the good of the community.

The new four-year terms start on April 1 with the most pressing task to have the village budget adopted by the end of April.

LYNDONVILLE – John Belson will be back for another term as Lyndonville mayor after being elected today with 66 write-in votes.

John Belson

No candidate for mayor appeared on the ballot with the election determined by write-in votes. After Belson’s 66 votes, Danny Woodward Jr. received 33, with Steve Vann at 10, and Patrick Whipple and Larry Wolfe at 1 each.

Belson had the signatures needed to file a petition to be on the ballot but he thought the deadline was Feb. 13, not Feb. 12. He was a day late in filing the petition.

Ann Marie Holland, a current trustee, also made a mistake in filing the petition a day late. She was elected as a write-in with 62 votes.

Danny Woodward Jr., a current trustee was on the ballot, and received the most votes with 94.

There were two trustees up for election.

Steve Colon was on the ballot and received 38 votes. Justin Edwards received 26 write-in votes, with Roy Holland and Steve Grabowski each receiving 1.

The new terms start April 1.

Belson, in an interview last month, said the village has made big strides recently, with investments on Main Street, from a new Dollar General to Robert Smith’s transformation of three buildings in the downtown which are used for a hotel, the Webber Kitchen Collaborative and additional office space. Belson also said the village has upgraded its sewer system, and now should look to replace some of the 100-year-old water mains.

Belson is a Kodak retiree who has a part-time job delivering auto parts for Carquest in Medina. He previously was the Yates town supervisor.

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HOLLEY – School officials are putting together the budget for the 2024-25 school year, and the spending plan is expected to be well under the district’s authorized tax cap.

Sharon Zacher, the assistant superintendent, said the budget is currently projected at a 1.99 percent tax increase. Holley’s tax cap cushion allows for up to a 3.972 percent tax increase, with the district’s carrying over some tax cap room from prior years, Zacher told the Board of Education on Monday.

While some school districts are slated for a decrease in state aid in the governor’s executive budget, Holley’s total state aid would increase by about $600,000, from $20,095,541 to $20,665,520.

However, Zacher said an on-time state budget seems unlikely by April 1, with some disagreements to be resolved among the State Legislature and governor.

Zacher feels comfortable forecasting a budget at $29,115,000, which represents a 2.4 percent spending increase, or up $695,000 from $28,420,000 in 2023-24.

Holley’s preliminary budget would maintain its existing programs and add one full-time elementary teacher, a 0.4 part-time Spanish teacher, and 0.2 part-time science teacher.

The budget with a 1.99 percent tax increase would raise the tax levy by $155,926 – from $7,835,466 to $7,991,392.

Zacher said the budget will be finalized next month by the board of education and then go for a public vote on May 21.

Press Release, Community Coalition for Justice

ALBION – On Thursday, April 4, at 6:30 p.m. the Community Coalition for Justice is bringing Sister Barbara Lum to the Hoag Library.

Sister Barbara is a nurse practitioner and belongs to the Sisters of St. Joseph order. Included in the communities that Sr. Barbara has served the underserved are Selma, Alabama, and for 59 years, Elmira and Rochester, New York.

During Sister Barbara’s nine-year stint in Selma, the infamous march that came to be known as “Bloody Sunday” racked the city. Sister Barbara was a participant in events that led up to, and surrounded, the march and will talk about her experiences.

“Bloody Sunday” occurred on March 7, 1965. An estimated 525 to 600 civil rights marchers left Selma and headed on a 54-mile journey to the state capital in Montgomery, Alabama. The march was organized by the Selma Voting Rights Campaign (in Selma, voting rolls were 99% White and 1% African American) and led by John Lewis (who later became an esteemed member of the U.S. House of Representatives) and the Reverend Hosea Williams.

The peaceful protest went according to plan until the marchers tried to cross Montgomery’s Edmund Pettus Bridge. There they were confronted by a cadre of state troopers and posse of white men who were deputized that morning in anticipation of the march.

State troopers began shoving the unarmed demonstrators, knocking many to the ground and beating them with batons. Another detachment of troopers fired tear gas and mounted troopers charged the crowd on horseback. Many of the demonstrators sustained injuries – one of the injured was John Lewis, who suffered lacerations as well as a skull fracture. He later credited the nurses who tended to him, including Sister Barbara, for saving his life. There were 17 marchers hospitalized and 50 marchers were treated for lesser injuries.

The televised images of the attack reached American and international audiences and roused support for the Selma Voting Rights Campaign. The persistence of the protesters and the public support associated with the marches (including “Bloody Sunday”) led Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965.

Sister Barbara remembers a young friend and patient by the name of Jimmie Jackson. He was admitted to the hospital February 18, 1965 after being beaten and shot by police while he was defending his mother at a lunch counter. “Each day he’d say, ‘Sister, don’t you think this is a high price to pay for freedom?’”

He died a few days later, in part, sparking the march of March 7, 1965. “I think that the high price for freedom (that Jimmie Jackson spoke of 59 years ago) isn’t finished (being paid) yet,” said Sister Barbara.

She has two local connections. She had grandparents who lived in Waterport.  And, she was in the Nazareth College Class of ’58 with Margaret Furino Golden, past member and president of the Swan (now the Hoag Library) Library Board.

There will be a questions and answer period after the presentation. Light refreshments will be provided.

The Community Coalition for Justice includes the Albion Betterment Committee, Pullman Universalist Church, Hoag Library, People Embracing Diversity and the Social Justice Committee.

Local schools, county discussing how to offer services for preschoolers with disabilities

HOLLEY – It’s been nearly four years since Rainbow Preschool closed, ending a program that served children ages 2 ½ to 5 with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Rainbow Preschool shut down sites in Albion and Batavia, leaving no similar programs in Orleans or Genesee counties.

Officials at Holley Central School said children with disabilities now are either not getting early intervention services before age 5, on waiting lists or have to travel much farther away.

“There is no center-based program in Orleans County serving children with special needs,” Brian Bartalo, Holley school superintendent, told the Board of Education on Monday. “We’re worried about kids coming to our PreK and kindergarten who are struggling and not as prepared.”

It is county government’s responsibility to provide services for young children with disabilities before they enroll in a public school.

Rainbow Preschool for about 50 years used to provide special education, physical therapy, occupational therapy, assistive technology, counseling, parent training, music therapy, and speech/language therapy for students to prepare them for kindergarten.

The school was run by the Arc of Genesee Orleans. At its peak, the school served 300 children. The enrollment for 2020-21 was at 26 students.

The school in Albion was located at the Arnold Gregory Complex at 243 S. Main St. In Batavia, Rainbow Preschool was at the former Robert Morris school on Union Street.

Bartalo said county officials will have a meeting later this month with representatives from the five school districts in Orleans County to brainstorm how the services could be provided locally.

“They are leaning into the school districts about how to solve this,” Bartalo said.

In a related issue, Stephanie Sanchez, director of special programs for Holley Central School, said the district recently received surveys from 145 parents of students with IEPs (Individualized Education Plan). The district has a 98.6 percent positive response rate from parents of students with disabilities, well above the state target of 94 percent.

“I’m glad our parents feel supported,” Sanchez told the Board of Education.

Voters will choose Village Board members in Albion, Lyndonville and Medina

Photo by Tom Rivers: Candidates for Medina Village Board speak at forum last week at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. The candidates include from left: Marguerite Sherman and Mike Maak for mayor; and Austin “Mat” Mosher, Tim Elliott, Debbie Padoleski, Jeff Pasnik and Mark Prawel for trustee.

Voters in three Orleans County villages today will elect members to the Village Board.

Medina has the most candidates, with seven seeking three positions, including mayor.

In Albion, two candidates will appear on the ballot, but two others are mounting write-in campaigns.

In Lyndonville, only two candidates will be on the ballot for three positions. The mayor’s post won’t have a candidate on the ballot, but incumbent John Belson is running again – as a write-in. Two others also have announced write-in campaigns for trustee.

Holley, the other village in Orleans County, has its election in June.

MEDINA – In Medina voting is from noon to 9 p.m. at the Senior Center, 615 West Ave.

Recent elections in the village have been quiet, with candidates typically unopposed.

But this time there are a lineup of seven candidates for three positions.

Medina will have a new mayor on April 1 because Mike Sidari isn’t seeking re-election after 8 years. He was elected in 2016, running with Marguerite Sherman and Tim Elliott.

This time, Sherman is running for mayor with Elliott again seeking trustee. Sherman is recently retired as a special education teacher and Elliott is an entrepreneur who currently works for LynOaken Farms.

They are joined on “The Village Party” by Debbie Padoleski for a trustee position. Padoleski retired in June 2021 after 41 years in Medina’s clerk’s office, including the final eight years as clerk/treasurer.

Three other candidates are running as a team with “Roots of the Past, Eyes on the Future Party.” Michael Maak, a retired captain in the Medina Fire Department, is running for mayor. He works as a paramedic for the Gates Ambulance.

He is joined by Austin “Mat” Mosher and Jeffrey Pasnik who want to be trustees. Pasnik is a council rep for North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters in Cheektowaga. Mosher is a former Medina firefighter who now works as regional safety manager for United Refining Company and Kwik Fill as safety and compliance officer.

Mark Prawel, a retired Medina police officer and owner of an auto repair business, is running as a trustee under the “United Party.”

Click here to see a nearly two-hour candidate forum last week at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.

LYNDONVILLE – Voting will be from noon to 9 p.m. at the village office, 2 South Main St.

There are three positions on the ballot and all are for four-year terms.

No names appear for mayor, but Belson is running a write-in campaign. Belson, the mayor the past eight years, missed the deadline to file petitions by one day. He is retired from Kodak and also served as Yates town supervisor.

Anne Marie Holland, a current trustee, also missed the petition deadline and is running as a write-in. She is retired from Lyndonville as a special education teacher and director of special education.

Justin Edwards, a Marine Corps veteran and highway worker for the Town of Yates, is also running as a write-in for trustee.

Two candidates turned in petitions in will appear on the ballot.

Steve Colon of North Main Street is running under the “Tax Payers Party” and Danny Woodward Jr. is running under “The Voice of the People Party.”

Woodward has been on the Village Board the past 12 years. He has been an active firefighter for 31 years, including as fire chief.

Colon is active in the Conservative Party and has run for the Yates Town Board.

ALBION – Voting will be from noon to 9 p.m. at the village office, 35 East Bank St.

There are two trustee positions up for election and two candidates will be on the ballot, although two others are running write-in campaigns. The positions have four-year terms.

The write-in candidates include Faith Smith, director of the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen, and William Gabalski, who said steep tax increases in the Albion community are making the community less affordable.

Greg Bennett has been endorsed by both the Republican and Democratic Party for the election. He works as a locksmith at the Albion Correctional Facility. He has been there nearly five years. Previously, he worked a decade for Baxter Healthcare in Medina. He also has been a long-time youth baseball coach.

Jeff Holler is running with the Republican line. Holler worked as an executive chef for 25 years, and then head cook for 13 years at the Orleans Correctional Facility. Since he retired in 2014, he has been a very active member at the Masonic Lodge.

There are several letters to editor about the election on the Orleans Hub. Click here to be directed to the letters to the editor.

Press Release, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After helping successfully deliver the long-desired visa waiver program for physicians last year, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Monday announced the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) will expand its new J-1 Visa Waiver Program to include physicians practicing specialty medicine, helping bring doctors in critically needed medical fields to Upstate New York.

Schumer said the new and expanded program can help address the healthcare worker in critically needed specialty fields for Upstate NY communities like anesthesiologists, cardiologists and cancer specialists by easing the visa requirements for these doctors, who are trained in the U.S. and agree to practice in underserved areas of the Northern Border region like Upstate NY.

“The new and expanded visa-waiver program for specialty physicians, like anesthesiologists and cancer specialists, is a major shot in the arm for recruiting doctors to address the national healthcare worker shortage in rural communities across Upstate NY,” Schumer said. “I am proud we secured these vital visas to help tackle the healthcare worker shortage in Upstate NY head on, and to ensure New York rural communities have access to the quality medical care they need.”

Schumer explained that currently NBRC’s waiver program is only open to physicians offered primary care positions in the Northern Border region. However, as of April 1, 2024, with this new expansion waiver requests for physicians practicing specialty medicine will also be begin being accepted. The program is modeled, in part, after the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) successful J-1 Visa waiver program.

Schumer is currently leading the charge in the Senate to renew the Northern Border Regional Commission’s economic development programs. Established in 2008, the NBRC is a federal-state partnership focused on the economic revitalization of communities across the Northern Border region, which includes New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

The Commission is composed of the governors of the four Northern Border states and a federal co-chair, and provides financial and technical assistance to communities in the region to support entrepreneurs, improve water, broadband, and transportation infrastructure, and promote other initiatives to improve the region’s economy.

The northern border region of New York State includes 28 counties: Cayuga, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Orleans, Oswego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Sullivan, Washington, Warren, Wayne and Yates.