Photo from Assemblyman Hawley’s office: Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) visits students at Jackson Primary in Batavia for his annual Valentines for Veterans program.

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

BATAVIA – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) on Thursday hosted his annual Valentines for Veterans program. Hawley teamed up with Jackson Primary and Robert Morris School to deliver over 150 handmade valentines from students to the residents at The New York State Veterans Home at Batavia.

During this time, Hawley spoke to students about the importance of veterans and their service to our nation. Hawley hopes this event will raise awareness of veterans’ issues and show the community’s appreciation for their service and sacrifice for our country.

“As a veteran myself, I understand the sacrifices our veterans have made to keep our country free,” said Hawley. “This is why every year I put on our Valentines for Veterans program to get our community involved in supporting our veterans. I’m thankful to the faculty and students at Jackson Primary and Robert Morris School for partnering with us this year and I hope to continue to put this event on for years to come.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

MIDDLEPORT – Mason Allee-Castro of Barker is out in front at today’s Mr. Ed’s Super Bowl Warm-Up in Middleport. Allee-Castro won the race in 19:04. He is a past Niagara-Orleans champ in cross country and the long-distance events in track.

He now runs for Canisius College as a freshman. He didn’t mind the temperatures in the high 30s for the race today.

Kimberly Mills of Oakfield was the fastest female with a time of 21:27.

Runners go by a Middleport fire truck at the intersection of Townline Road and Carmen Road.

There were 230 finishers in the 35th annual 5k race. There was also a 1-mile fun run and 5k walk. Proceeds from the race go to scholarships for Roy-Hart students and alumni entering the criminal justice or medical fields, with some funds also going to other community causes.

Don Heschke continues the race tradition by firing a mini-cannon which lets out a big boom near the Erie Canal. The runners gathered on Mill Street for the start of the race. The cannon is featured on race shirts and is one of the unique parts of the Mr. Ed’s experience.

Medina’s varsity winterguard performs on Saturday in Victor.

Photos and information from Medina Band Boosters

VICTOR – The Victor school district held a winterguard competition on Saturday with 24 guards in competition.

Medina’s Varsity guard  performed in the Scholastic A class and came in 4th place with a score of 61.02.

Winners in the other classes were Greece Cadets with a score of 56.85; Corning Painted Post in Regional A with 63.78; Greece in A1 class with 68.38; Victor in Scholastic A with 72.81;  Gates Chili in Independent A with 76.48;  and Luminosa in Senior class with 75.48.

This was the first time the Medina JV guard performed in competition. This guard consists of 13 students in grades 5-7 and their show “Sing w/a Swing,” which takes you back to the Benny Goodman era. The JV guard performed in the cadet class and came in 5th place with a score of 47.79.

Medina’s next competition is in Lancaster on March 2, followed by our home show on March 9.

ALBION – A State Supreme Court judge has set 10 a.m. on March 7 for a hearing in a court case between Orleans and Genesee counties, where Orleans is trying to block a sewer main from being built on Route 63 in Shelby.

Hearings have been cancelled or delayed the past few months. The hearing on March 7 will be at the Orleans County Courthouse before Judge Frank Caruso.

Orleans is represented by Lippes Mathias LLP in Buffalo and contends Genesee didn’t have the county’s permission to install the sewer main in Orleans County. The sewer, at full buildout of the STAMP manufacturing site in the Town of Alabama, would direct 6 million gallons of treated water to the Oak Orchard Creek.

Orleans states the sewer discharge would have a negative impact on the county’s fishing industry, which is a nearly $30 million economic boost to Orleans County. The additional water from STAMP could also hurt the economic development efforts in Medina by overtaxing the creek, Orleans attorneys say in the lawsuit. (The Town of Shelby has since joined the lawsuit as an intervenor.)

Genesee County in its court filings contend Orleans gave consent to the project, which was years in the making, by never objecting to it – until the very last moment. Its years of silence should be viewed as support of the project, say attorneys from Phillips Lytle LLP, which are representing the Genesee County Economic Development Center and others named in the lawsuit – G. DeVincentis & Son Construction Co., Inc., Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation, and STAMP Sewer Works, Inc.

The attorneys called the lawsuit from Orleans “a baseless attempt … to obstruct or delay construction of a long-planned, duly-approved infrastructure project.”

The Genesee attorneys claim Orleans is making “obstructionist proceeding” in a last-ditch attempt to stop the project as part of an “extortionate” demand from Genesee for money to get the Orleans blessing.

At full build-out STAMP can accommodate up to 6.1 million square feet of advanced technology manufacturing, office and retail space. GCEDC projects direct employment of up to 9,330 full-time jobs with a regional economic impact for support companies serving the site.

The first two tenants at STAMP – Plug Power and Edwards Vacuum – would have a daily discharge of 50,000 gallons of treated wastewater, GCEDC said.

By Randy LeBaron

Good morning! Grab your favorite cup. Fill it up.

Believe it or not that young couple in the photo is my wife Sheryl and I leading worship at our church in Niagara Falls in the fall of 2003. Little did we know then that our lives were about to change as we were asked by my Conference Superintendent to consider transferring to Albion, NY to pastor the First Free Methodist Church there. We had many questions like, “Was God calling us to go somewhere new?”, “Did we really want to move when we had a not quite 2-year-old, Ashlyn, and another baby on the way?”, and first and foremost… “Where in the world was Albion?”

I had been a youth pastor at a Christian Camp in Cattaraugus for a number of years and I remembered that New Albion was in the vicinity so I figured “old” Albion wasn’t too far from there. Ironically enough, my church in The Falls was on Rt. 31 and our new home would turn out to be just one hour away down that same road. More than that I realized that I had actually been to Albion three times previously; in 1991 when I took 1st Place at a Bible Quiz Meet (I still have the trophy ), in 1996 for my friends Tom and Marsha Rivers wedding, and in 2002 at a reunion for the Staines’ Family who were distant relatives of my wife’s. Whatever the reason though Albion just had not stuck in my mind.

We found Albion all over again though as we traveled out the weekend before Thanksgiving 2003. I remember that it was a dark and gloomy kind of day and there was a lot of construction going on so many of the road signs were down making it tough to navigate. Nevertheless, after meeting with the church leadership God answered our first question and we agreed to start that following March.

From there it was a bit of a whirlwind as we had our baby boy, Brendan, at the end of January and then just two weeks later we bought and moved into our first home. I should also note that we left a place where we had a Walmart, K-Mart, Target, Tops, Wegmans, two malls, and any restaurant we could want within 2 miles of us and moved to a town where there would not even be a Walmart within 20 miles until a couple of years later. Needless to say we experienced a lot of change and it continued as I moved my father to Albion to care for him that very next year.

Now though, after calling Orleans County home for 20 years this week, I can’t think of any place else where I would rather be. Since moving in on that cold February day we have added two more beautiful girls, Madison and Jillian, to our family, I had the privilege of becoming the longest tenured pastor at the oldest Free Methodist Church, more than fifteen years, and Sheryl has found joy in her work as a teacher at Albion Elementary.

Our kids grew up engrained in music and sports, our oldest graduated valedictorian in spite of finishing her final year online due to the pandemic, and, after stepping away as Lead Pastor at AFMC and starting Go Scatter Ministries, I was able to connect with so many more throughout the County by speaking at several local churches, counseling at Care-Net, helping out with Hands 4 Hope, becoming an Orleans County Volunteer Sheriff’s Chaplain, coming beside both patients and families through my work at Hospice, and even serving coffee and ice cream for a while at Hebrews 5:9 and Lugia’s on Wheels respectively.

And now, as I finish up my first year as pastor at First Baptist in Medina, I think back to when my Bishop read my original appointment to AFMC in 2004. He made sure to highlight the fact that I was being appointed not to a church building but rather to a community—one that I still feel very much called to. One of the reasons why I wanted to start writing this column last February (It’s Refill with Randy’s one-year anniversary too ) was because over these past couple decades of meeting so many amazing people and experiencing so many of the good, though often overlooked, aspects of Orleans County I wanted to shine a light for all to see.

So, I will plan to continue sharing about the people, places, and things that inspire me in hope that they might inspire you as well. And, as always, if you see me out and about please don’t hesitate to say stop me and say hello. Better yet, let’s sit down with a cup of coffee so that you can tell me some of your story.         

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Rose Allen calls out the winning ticket for one of 84 baskets up for raffle today during a benefit at the QWL building on Washington Street.

Crystal Hand

The community turned out to support Crystal Hand and her family. She suffered serious injuries in Nov. 21 accident when another driver crossed the center line and hit her car on Route 31A in Clarendon.

Allen coordinated today’s spaghetti dinner, basket raffle and 50/50 drawing. Allen said Hand is an active volunteer in the community as PTA president in the elementary school, treasurer of the Music Boosters and a Girl Scout leader.

Hand attended the benefit in a wheelchair while she recovers from a broken leg. She also broke her left arm, suffered a concussion and has nerve damage. She was joined at the benefit by her husband Matt and their three daughters: Samantha, Al and Rianne.

“I’m just overwhelmed,” Hand said after the benefit. “This town never ceases to amaze me, how it comes together to help a family in need.”

Samantha Croft cooks spaghetti in the kitchen. There were 250 spaghetti dinners served today.

Angie Wolfe, an Albion elementary teacher, was among the many volunteers for the event. Wolfe is a breast cancer survivor and said a benefit to help her in September 2018 made a big difference in her fight with cancer.

“The emotional support is the biggest thing,” Wolfe said. “To know you have all these people behind you is wonderful.”

Wolfe said Hand has been a key supporter of children in the community through the PTA, Music Boosters and Girl Scouts.

“Crystal goes above and beyond for everyone else,” Wolfe said. “We just want to help her family.”

Jeff Andrews and his dad Chuck are in line for spaghetti. They are served by, in front, Paul Bachorski, followed by Rhonda Grammatico, Rhiannon Moody and Matt Grammatico.

There were 84 baskets donated for the raffle. This photo was taken after the bigger crowds were at the QWL. The event was from noon to 3 p.m.

Crystal Hand posted this message on Facebook this evening: “Words cannot express how thankful, humbled and overwhelmed I am by this amazing community. I cannot thank everyone enough for the love and support I have received the last three months since the accident.

“The outpouring of love my family has received has been a godsend. I am brought to tears just thinking of all the people who have helped, prayed, reached out, donated, brought food, flowers, cards and the amazing spaghetti dinner benefit.

“I have so many heroes in this community. I will not name them all because it will be a huge list. You all are forever in my heart. The only way I know how to repay all of you is to pay it forward as soon as I am back on my feet. My family and I thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. We love our community and we are grateful.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – Rob Fagan, left, and Steve Barrett flip chickens today in the fire pits behind the Kendall Methodist Church.

The Kendall Lions Club with help the Kendall Leos and other volunteers served 672 chicken barbecue dinners today in annual tradition the Saturday before the Super Bowl. The Lion Club has been organizing the dinner for nearly 20 years and picks a different recipient of the proceeds each year.

The money from today’s dinner will go towards the Amy Laureano Memorial Fund, which has been started for a much-loved Kendall first grade teacher. Amy Laureano passed away on July 30.

Lucas Jones of the Kendall Leos Club scoops cole slaw in a take-out container in the fellowship hall of the church. Ken DeRoller, a Kendall Lions Club member for 40 years, assists in the line of volunteers.

Debbie Ryan of the Lions Club gets a takeout dinner ready to go. Many of the Leos at the Kendall school served as runners, taking the meals out to a lineup of cars.

Elizabeth Pratt, left, puts cole slaw in a take-out container held by Destiny Blosenhauer. The Kendall students volunteered in serving today’s meal. The students liked the fast pace of the operation.

Lions Club members Douglas Urquhart, left, and Cary Wright keep a close eye on the chickens, taking the temperature. The chickens took a little longer to cook today than usual. The Lions Club worked on the cole slaw on Friday and cooked the chickens and potatoes this morning right up until the meals were served after noon.

The club expects the benefit raised about $5,000 for the memorial fund.

There will also be a faculty basketball game on March 7, with teachers from Holley playing Kendall, to raise money for the Amy Laureano Memorial Fund to assist students at Kendall.

MIDDLEPORT – Before eating snacks at the big game on Sunday, the Middleport community welcomes participants for the 35^th annual Mr. Ed’s Super Bowl Warm-up.

The event includes a 5k walk, run and 1-mile fun run.

Race organizers have raised more than $115,000 in scholarships for Roy-Hart seniors and alumni  entering the criminal justice or medical fields.

Proceeds have also gone to people in the community who lost their homes to a fire, or are battling serious illnesses such as cancer.

The event also has raised money for the Village of Middleport Hometown Heroes program, and the Beautification Committee.  Most recently some of the proceeds went to help the Middleport Fire Company purchase the LUCAS Device (automatic CPR).

Following the race there is a post-race party at the Middleport Fire Hall.

Sign up is available the day of the race at the fire hall, with the walk starting at 10 a.m., fun run at 11 a.m. with the 5K race at 11:30 am.

For more information, click here.

MEDINA – Orleans Community Health has announced its North Wing (long term care) has been recognized with the prestigious five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Out of 134 skilled nursing homes in the Western New York region, it is one of only five who received a five-star overall rating and a five-star staffing rating. The overall rating is based on three measures – health inspections, quality measures and staffing levels.

The skilled nursing home commonly referred to as the North Wing is located within Medina Memorial Hospital. Its 30 beds are always occupied, and its stellar reputation has resulted in a waiting list to get in, according to Scott Robinson, director of Marketing, Communication and Outreach at Orleans Community Health.

“The persistent staffing hurdles confronting healthcare institutions continue to exist,” said Thomas Bloomer, vice president of Human Resources at Orleans Community Health. “Ensuring sufficient staffing to deliver essential care to our most vulnerable is no small feat. This recognition for our five-star staffing levels is a source of immense pride, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our entire caregiving team in the North Wing.”

Rebecca Mannella, a longtime nurse at Medina Memorial Hospital, is the director of nursing for the North Wing.

Marc Shurtz, chief executive officer at Orleans Community Health, expressed his pride in the North Wing and its award.

“Building and maintaining a high-functioning team to care for our most vulnerable is our daily mission,” Shurtz said. “We are extremely proud of the North Wing team for what they have accomplished and for the care and compassion they provide to our residents each and every day.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – These singers from Ephesus Ministries in Buffalo perform “Ride On King Jesus” during a Black History Month celebration on Friday evening at the Clifford Wise Intermediate School Auditorium.

Pictured from left include Renee Mapp, Char Hamilton, Shannon Louise Carter and Daniel Doctor. Carter is a pastor at Ephesus and Doctor, an elder at that church, is the Medina school district’s director of Community Partnerships. Doctor also leads the West Side Academy of Visual and Performing Arts in Medina.

He organized the first Black History celebration for the community this month.

Upcoming programs that are free at the middle school auditorium include:

• On Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. the film Hidden Figures will be shown. Hidden Figures tells the story about an amazing team of African American women mathematicians who played an important role in the U.S. space race at NASA.
• Feb. 29 at 6:30 p.m. will feature a keynote speaker who has 15 years of experience working as an educator and administrator in Texas. Patrick Briggs is passionate about ensuring that all students achieve high levels of academic success, thereby enabling them to be prepared for college and career opportunities after completing high school.

Students from the West Side Academy of Visual and Performing Arts opened Friday’s program with a dance. Daniel Doctor, leader of West Side, joined his students in the presentation.

Char Hamilton sings the Black National Anthem.

“Lift every voice and sing,

‘Til earth and heaven ring,

Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;

Let our rejoicing rise

High as the list’ning skies,

Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,

Let us march on ’til victory is won.”

Daniel Doctor, right, interviews Matthew Clark during Friday’s program. Clark runs a dance academy in Buffalo and has coached American and Canadian national teams to world championships.

Clark suffered a massive stroke 10 years ago, and has defied doctor’s expectations by regaining the ability to walk and dance. He said “perseverance and prayer” have brought him through those trials.

He told about 30 people at the event at Medina that God has worked a miracle in his life. He urged parents and teachers to support kids in pursuing their dreams.

“Never discourage your children from doing what they love,” he said.

Christian “CJ” Jones dances to tap. He won a gold medal at the World Tap Dance Championship in 2007 in Riesa, Germany, where more than 1,000 dancers from 17 countries competed.

Jones is the nephew of Matthew Clark. Jones credited his uncle with teaching him to dance when Jones was only 2. Jones said he puts his passion into his dances, and emerges as a crowd favorite at competitions.

Doctor said Jones is an example of the power of a teacher inspiring and believing in a student.

The program on Friday featured several performers who have won accolades. Shannon Louise Carter, who joined Doctor in two others in singing “Rise On King Jesus,” is an author of seven books.

Doctor said people often overlook the talents of their neighbors and other community members.

“See the greatness around you,” Doctor implored the audience. “You never know who you’re sitting next to.”

The African American Cultural Center in Buffalo – African Dance and Drum performed and then discussed the influence of African American pioneers in dance and music.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Gregg and Danny Sansone, brothers from Amherst, performed as “Two of Us” this evening at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. The brothers sang “ I Saw Her Standing There” and other Beatles songs for about 150 people at the library.

They sang as part of the library’s “Finally Fridays” concert series.

A crowd watches the Sansone brothers at Lee-Whedon.

The concert series started on Jan. 5 with the Creek Bend Band, followed by Dark Horse Run on Jan. 12, DSP Jazz on Jan. 19, Cool Club & Lipker Sisters on Jan. 26, and 2nd Time Around on Feb. 2.

The remaining schedules includes: Pocket Change on Feb. 16, Tom Keefer & Celtic Cross on Feb. 23, and A Girl Named Ginny on March 1. The concerts start at 7 p.m. The events are funded through a the Statewide Community Regrant Program and administered by GO Art!

This group of friends puts together a puzzle during the concert.

Gregg and Danny Sansone cover all the Beatles hits from 1962 to 1970.

Press Release, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley

BATAVIA – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) today hosted his annual “Pizza for Police” event to show his appreciation for the work of local police departments.

Hawley ordered pizzas from local shops for numerous departments around his district and personally made deliveries to three locations in Batavia, including the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, State Police Troop A headquarters in Batavia, and City of Batavia Police Department.

Hawley is proud to put this event on for yet another year and is thankful to all the law enforcement officers who are working around the clock to keep our community safe.

The departments to which Hawley sent pizzas include:

• Albion Police Department
• Batavia Police Department
• Brockport Police Department
• Corfu Village Police Department
• Genesee County Sheriff’s Office
• Holley Police Department
• Le Roy Police Department
• Medina Police Department
• NYSP – Troop A Albion Barracks
• NYSP – Troop A Batavia HQ
• Orleans County Sheriff’s Office

“From the state troopers to local departments, our police officers are a vital part of our community’s safety,” said Hawley. “Far too often we take their service for granted but events like this are a small way to help give back and show our appreciation for their hard work.”

Local and state law enforcement agencies will have increased patrols for drunk drivers starting today through Sunday night.

Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke urges people who are drinking to think ahead and have a plan so they are not driving drunk.

Gov. Kathy Hochul also announced State Police and local law enforcement will be giving extra attention to impaired and reckless driving during Super Bowl weekend. The enforcement initiative is funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

“As we celebrate the Super Bowl with friends and family, State Police and local law enforcement are taking steps to protect New Yorkers from the dangers of impaired and reckless driving,” Governor Hochul said this afternoon. “Proper planning and responsible decision making are critical to keeping our communities safe, and we’re stepping up our enforcement as part of that effort.”

During the 2023 Super Bowl campaign, State Police arrested 183 people for impaired driving and issued 11,865 total tickets. According to New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, statewide, 1,028 tickets were given out for alcohol- or drug-impaired driving, part of a total of 35,437 tickets issued.

Press Release, Orleans County Youth Bureau

ALBION – The Orleans County Youth Bureau today announced that nominations are now open for its 42nd Annual Youth Recognition awards.

The purpose of these awards is to recognize those youth who have performed outstanding service for our community and/or have assumed an extraordinary role within their families by helping to support themselves.

“These awards are a great opportunity to highlight the many young people who are doing some extraordinary things in service of others,” said Jack Welch, chief administrative officer for Orleans County.  “Every year, I am amazed at the nominations we receive and it makes me very happy to realize these are the folks who will one day assume leadership roles in our community.”

Anyone is welcome to nominate a candidate, but nominations from family members must be accompanied by a supporting recommendation from a non-family member. Nominees must reside in Orleans County and be a minimum of 14 years of age and under the age of 21 before June 30 of the current award year.

In addition to the youth recognition awards, the Youth Bureau is also accepting nominations for the Helen Brinsmaid Award, given to an Orleans County youth-serving professional, in a paid position, whose work surpasses normal expectations, and the Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Recognition Award, presented to an adult who serves the youth of Orleans County in a volunteer setting.

All nomination forms can be found by clicking here. Nominations must be submitted to the Youth Bureau by March 31.

For information about the awards, contact the Youth Bureau at 585-589-7053 or OrleansCountyYouthBureau@OrleanscountyNY.gov.