ALBION – Angie Wolfe, a kindergarten teacher at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School, has been recognized by the Albion Fire Department for her dedication to Fire Safety Week at the school
On Monday, AFD’s Fire Chief Jeremy Graham, Second Lieutenant Fred Piano, and former Fire Chief Robert Conner presented Wolfe with the Friend of Fire Prevention Award for her dedication to keeping students and their families safe.
As a kindergarten intervention teacher, Wolfe feels that it is important for students to be introduced to these skills beginning at a young age.
“I feel like this [the program] is very important thing that we need to cover with our students because really it could happen at any time,” she said. “I really appreciate these guys and what they do, we’ve got it [the program] down to a science.”
Piano has been working on this program with Wolfe for the last decade.
“I’ve been helping with this Fire Prevention program for at least 10 years and she’s always been all in,” Piano said. “[Angie] does a great job and really puts a lot into it.”
Fire Safety/ Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of Oct. 9 to commemorate the devastation of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. During this week, firefighters partner with schools to help provide our youngest students with the tools they need to stay safe.
File photo by Tom Rivers: Fred Piano of the Albion Fire Department gives students a tour of the ladder truck on Oct. 10, 2019. The students were able to climb inside the truck. The Carlton rescue boat is in back. Barre, Albion and Carlton firefighters team up during the fire prevention week, going into classrooms and then having several stations outside to learn about the different equipment, tools and apparatus firefighters use to respond to emergency calls.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 December 2023 at 8:49 am
ALBION – Orleans County legislators are looking to upgrade the roof at the Public Safety Building on Route 31 near Gaines Basin Road.
Legislators on Tuesday approved a contract for up to $47,700 with Wendel Companies of Williamsville for professional services for the design, bidding and construction support services for the project.
The roof reinforcement project will likely include strengthening the joists and other work on a large flat roof.
The county acquired the building in 1998. The former Marquart Furniture building allowed the county to move in dispatch, the Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Probation and the Major Felony Crime Task Force.
But the building is cramped, county officials said. The Legislature on Oct. 24 approved spending $975,000 for the former GCC building at 456 West Ave. The county paid Herring Enterprises of Holley for the building, which hasn’t been used for classes for several years.
The county will move the Probation Department and District Attorney’s office out of the Public Safety Building and into the former GCC site. Once Probation and the DA’s Office move to the site, the Public Safety Building will be reconfigured for the Sheriff’s Office to allow for a more efficient operation, said Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 December 2023 at 6:22 pm
MURRAY – A business that was a mainstay in Murray for about 45 years will reopen on Friday with a new owner.
Joe and Heather Tomasino are taking over the Transit Tires Sales business. They will rename it Joe’s Tires.
Phil and Lenora Portnoy opened the business in 1978. It first operated on Transit Road in Albion before going to 15753 Ridge Road about 30 years ago. They retired from the business and closed in June.
“The Portnoys put their blood, sweat and tears in this business,” said Heather Tomasino, who is a special education teacher at Kendall. “They provided a service to the community. It’s been a staple.”
Joe Tomasino is eager to open Joe’s Tires at the Transit Tire site at 15753 Ridge Road. He will soon have a new inventory of tires.
The Tomasinos said the locally owned tire business has been missed in the community the past six months. Joe was a long-time customer at Transit Tire, especially since he opened his used car business about 2 ½ years ago on Route 104 in Spencerport. He will continue to operate Joe’s Cars in Spencerport while upgrading the Transit Tire site.
“We got a lot coming,” he said today. “We have high hopes.”
Tomasino, 44, has been fixing cars since he was 13. He was a corrections officer for 10 years while working for different dealerships. The Kendall native and resident said he is grateful to have his own business close to home.
Some familiar faces will be part of Joe’s Tires. Curtis Russell worked for Transit Tire for 29 years. He is back at the site working for Tomasino. So is Matt Eden.
Russell said the business has an easy recipe for repeat customers and success: “provide a really great service at an affordable price.”
He said the Portnoys were always upfront on prices “with no hidden costs.”
Tomasino said the business will be open Monday through Saturday. For more information, contact Joe’s Tires at (585) 283-4028.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 December 2023 at 5:03 pm
ALBION – A Medina woman was sentenced to six months in the Orleans County Jail today by Judge Sanford Church for violating her probation.
Erica Davis, 35, also faces a new charge of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree. She is next to appear in County Court on Jan. 3.
She was on probation for criminal contempt in the first degree for intimidating a witness and also for resisting arrest. She admitted today in court to possessing crack cocaine, drug paraphernalia and to resisting arrest.
Judge Church found those to be significant violations of her terms of probation and sentenced her to six months in the county jail.
Davis also was charged in October for allegedly selling crack cocaine in Medina along with codefendant Demarques “Dutch” Underwood. He pleaded guilty on Nov. 15 to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and could face up to six years in prison when he is sentenced on March 6.
In other cases in County Court today:
• District Attorney Joe Cardone made a plea offer to Erika Poole, 43, of Medina to plead guilty to criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree and face up to eight years in state prison as a second felony offender.
Cardone said Poole is facing her fourth felony drug charge. She is accused of allegedly selling more than a half ounce of cocaine.
Her attorney asked for time to consider the offer. Poole is next scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 3.
• A Rochester man who allegedly tried to bring cocaine and fentanyl into the Orleans Correctional Facility had his sentencing pushed back until Jan. 10.
Lavar Green, 46, faces 2 to 4 years in prison for attempted promoting prison contraband in the first degree. He allegedly brought the drugs to the state prison in Albion on Nov. 12, 2022.
Green is a second-felony offender and previously served 15 years in prison for first-degree robbery, from 2004 to 2019.
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24), a member of the Ways and Means Committee, sent a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul urging her to prioritize repayment of the state’s billions of dollars in outstanding federal Unemployment Insurance (UI) loans.
The Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) imposes a 6.0 percent gross federal unemployment tax rate on the first $7,000 paid annually by employers to each employee, resulting in a maximum federal tax of $420 per employee per year.
Employers in certain states may credit up to 5.4 percentage points of state unemployment taxes paid against the 6.0 percent tax rate, meaning that the typical FUTA tax is $42 per worker per year.
However, employers in states whose unemployment insurance funds have outstanding federal advances for two or more consecutive years, like New York, could have their FUTA credit reduced by an additional 0.3 percent for each year the outstanding balance is not repaid in full. This means that New York small businesses, through increased employer taxes, will bear the brunt of Governor Hochul’s irresponsibility and inaction in paying back the state’s federal UI loans.
“Governor Hochul’s inaction in paying back New York’s outstanding federal UI loans in a timely manner irresponsibly places that burden on our small businesses and hardworking families,” Tenney said. “At a time of skyrocketing inflation due to President Biden and Governor Hochul’s far-left fiscal policies, Main Street businesses across New York are struggling and are now facing even higher taxes as a result of New York failing to repay its outstanding federal UI loans.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, far-left officials in New York forced businesses to shut down, causing disastrous effects on our economy. Now, these same businesses will be forced to help repay the state’s federal UI loans despite the fact that the state had other means to repay the debt. This is reckless management from Governor Hochul and only serves to further hurt New York businesses while they’re already reeling from many other pressures. Today, I sent a letter to Governor Hochul urging New York to prioritize repayment of the outstanding federal UI loans to prevent additional harm to our small, local businesses and workers in New York.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 December 2023 at 1:04 pm
ALBION – A committee that includes leaders from village, town and the county governments have begun meeting to look for more ways to share services and reduce costs of local government.
The Orleans County Shared Services Committee met for the first time on Dec. 7. The group includes County Legislature chairman, the town supervisors from the 10 towns, and the four village mayors.
The group in the initial meeting put out some ideas to potentially explore, including code enforcement, assessing and the fire service.
Right now there isn’t a uniform approach for code enforcement across the county. Some towns also are concerned about having an assessor with the extensive training required for the position.
The town and village leaders expressed their concern about the not-too-distant future for the fire service, whether there will be enough volunteers to respond to emergencies and other calls.
“We are having a very organic conversation regarding shared services,” said Jack Welch, the county chief administrative officer who is working with the committee. “Shared services cannot be forced down upon the towns and villages. This process requires willing partners to be creative in changing the means of a service to allow for a same or similar end product of a service for our residents.”
County Legislator Skip Draper said one possibility in looking at the fire service may be to reconsider how the battalions are structured. Right now the western battalion is the west end of the county and includes fire companies that serve the towns of Yates, Ridgeway and Shelby, and villages of Lyndonville and Medina. The central battalion includes Carlton, Gaines, Albion and Barre, and the eastern battalion is Clarendon, Murray/Holley and Kendall.
Draper said it may make more sense to group the battalions by northern, central and southern parts of the county. The northern towns are all along Lake Ontario and fire departments could perhaps share equipment and training with water rescues. The central area from west to east include the larger villages of Medina, Albion and Holley, which tend to be more densely populated with larger and taller buildings, Draper said. There could be opportunities to share equipment and resources among those communities.
The southern part of the county – Shelby, Barre and Clarendon – tends to be the most rural with farmland.
The local leaders say they are concerned about enough personnel for the departments. They are interested in seeing if the local BOCES and schools, as well as community colleges, can help train or at least steer students to service with the fire departments.
“We are in the infancy stage in this process of developing a list of potential areas of shared services,” Welch said. “We left the meeting asking for the participants to follow up on some of their ideas and to bring back more possibilities of sharing services to the next meeting early in 2024.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 December 2023 at 11:56 am
David Hull has now written stories for 28 different books in the series
(Left) This is the cover of the latest Chicken Soup for the Soul book, featuring 101 tales about the Christmas holiday, including two written by David Hull of Holley. (Right) File photo from 2018 shows David Hull holding two of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books that include a story he wrote.
HOLLEY – David Hull is a prolific contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. He has written stories that are featured in 28 of the books.
The latest book with a Christmas theme include two of his stories. “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Time for Christmas! 101 Tales of Holiday Joy, Love and Gratitude” totals 339 pages. There are now more than 300 Chicken Soup for the Soul tiles that combined have sold more than 110 million copies and been translated into nearly 50 languages.
Hull, 64, is a retired preschool teacher. He has a story in the Christmas book in a section about Holiday Hijinks. In “The Separation,” he writes about his mother not being happy that Hull and sister weren’t visiting for the holidays. She tricked them into thinking she and her husband were getting a separation, which prompted her children to make an emergency trip home – for the holidays.
In a section about Gratitude and Grace, Hull has a story, “Gramma’s Good China.” Hull shares how his father tried to reconnect with him after leaving the family for 16 years. Hull wasn’t happy about seeing his dad and refused to shake his hand or converse with him in that first meeting.
Hull’s grandmother urged him to let go of the bitterness and anger. Hull reached out to his father, invited him for Thanksgiving and they ate on Grandma’s good China, dishes that were only used on special occasions. Hull said the dinner and reconnection with his father helped to soothe his hard feelings.
Hull grew up in Brockport. He did a reading at the Lift Bridge Book Shop in Brockport on Dec. 9, sharing some of his stories from the Chicken Soup series.
Hull said he checks the Chicken Soup website for future book themes and also gets emails from them about topics. He sends in submissions and said he is accepted about 50 percent of the time.
“If you get rejected you have to try again,” he said.
The most popular Chicken Soup books tend to be humorous ones, and books about pets, Hull said.
“At heart I’m really a writer,” he said. “I write quite a bit. I really enjoy seeing my stories get in print.”
Hull studied English in college and earned a degree in education. He worked 28 years as a teacher at the Brockport Child Development Center at Brockport State College. He retired about a decade ago.
The latest Chicken Soup book is one of several in the series earmarked to raise funds for nonprofits. Royalties from this book go to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program.
Free tuition available in exchange for public service
Press Release, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a video press conference on Tuesday to announce the expansion of her Cyber Service Academy scholarship program in the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Senator Gillibrand created this program to address a widespread shortage in government cyber personnel, which leaves the U.S. vulnerable to cyber-attacks by foreign adversaries. The program will help develop a talented cyber workforce by granting successful applicants a free college education – including the full cost of tuition, select books and fees, a stipend, purchase of a laptop, and more – in return for public service in a cyber-related discipline in the Department of Defense (DoD) or the Intelligence Community (IC) after graduating.
The expanded program mandates that the DoD provide 1,000 scholarships by the 2025-26 school year and allow up to 10% of Cyber Service Academy graduates to serve in the IC after graduation.
“My Cyber Service Academy scholarship addresses a dangerous shortage in cyber personnel in the public sector while also targeting the skyrocketing cost of higher education,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The program will help train a new generation of cyber professionals, allow them to graduate debt free, and provide them the opportunity to serve in the Department of Defense or the Intelligence Community after graduating. There are 20 eligible institutions in New York State alone and I encourage all interested high schoolers to apply at gillibrand.senate.gov/cyberacademy on or before February 1st.”
The Cyber Service Academy scholarship covers the full cost of tuition, required textbooks, fees (including health care), a one-time computer purchase, travel to attend cyber conferences, and room and board. The room and board stipend ranges from $22,000/year for community college students, and up to $32,000/year for graduate students. Applicants need to be either enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an eligible institution to be eligible for the Cyber Service Academy program. The deadline to apply for the next academic year is February 1, 2024.
Academy students will be required to serve in the DoD or in the Intelligence Community for one year per year of scholarship, up to five years. They are also expected to serve in internships during school breaks.
The nearby Rochester Institute of Technology and University at Buffalo are among the 20 colleges in Cyber Service Academy program.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 December 2023 at 9:12 am
YATES – The Orleans County Legislature on Tuesday accepted a $1,580,192 bid to replace the bridge over Johnson Creek on Angling Road in the Town of Yates.
CATCO, a construction company from Alden, submitted the low bid for the project. Construction is expected to start in the spring, said John Papponetti, the county’s commissioner of public works.
The project will be funded 80 percent by the federal government, 15 percent by the state through Marchiselli funds and the remaining 5 percent from the county.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 20 December 2023 at 8:58 am
United Way of Orleans County is accepting applications for funding for 2024. Applications are due Dec. 29.
Executive director Nyla Gaylord points out the new applications are simplified and do not ask about program performance, but rather what the applicant proposes to do in 2024.
“At the end of January, we will be sending a report form requesting information on your program performance in 2023,” Gaylord said. “Your performance report will be included with your request for funding and be reviewed by the Allocations Committee.”
United Way of Orleans County currently provides funding to 16 non-profit agencies in the county, which touch the lives of every segment of the population – from infants to seniors and the disabled.
Donors are also reminded that every dollar given in Orleans County stays in Orleans County, unless otherwise designated by the donor.
Anyone wishing to make a donation to United Way may do so online (click here), by mailing a check to United Way of Orleans County, 12690 State Route 31, Albion, 14411, or dropping it off at the office at Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Education Center at the 4-H Fairgrounds.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 December 2023 at 8:42 am
ALBION – Operation Honor, a non-profit organization that serves veterans in Orleans County, has given $10,000 to the Orleans County Joint Veterans Council to go towards a van.
The council operates a van service where volunteer drivers take veterans to medical appointments. The van service usually has five vans on the road but currently is down to three. One van is no longer able to be fixed and must be taken off the road.
“Operation Honor heard of their need and was more than happy to help,” said Jennifer Thom, director of Operation Honor.
Thom presented a check on Tuesday for $10,000 to Nancy Traxler, director of the Veterans Service Agency in Orleans County. Operation Honor previously gave $4,000 towards the van service in 2019.
The Orleans County Joint Veterans Council is looking for more volunteer drivers. For more information about volunteering, contact Traxler at (585) 589-3219.
Operation Honor is a 501(c)3 non-profit that supports veterans in Orleans County, Thom said. The organization will assist any veteran in any way possible, whether covering utility bills, car payments, or purchasing heating pellets for veterans in need, she said. Operation Honor assisted one veteran with the cost of registering a wheelchair-adapted van.
If you know of a veteran in need please contact Jenn Thom at (585) 532-6900.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 December 2023 at 9:09 pm
‘Have Fun, Return When Done’
Provided photos
ALBION – A new “Sled Library” is now available at Bullard Park where people can borrow a sled to go down the big hill. There is a rack to hold the sleds when people are done.
Susan Oschmann presented the idea to the Albion Village Board about a year ago after Erin Smith of Albion saw a Facebook post about one in Buffalo.
The rack was made by the Albion DPW with the Lake Country Pennysaver and Orleans Hub providing the signage. The Albion Recreation Department also supported the effort. The first sleds have been donated by Brad London, Mike Schuck and Dan DeCarlo.
The sign urges people to “Have Fun, Return When Done.”
Susan Oschmann is happy with the new sled library. She said the sleds should allow more kids and families to enjoy sledding on the hill this winter.
Press Release, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments
While the holidays can be a time for joy and celebration for many, it can be a time that is lonely, sad and stressful for others. This can be particularly true for people living with mental health and substance use conditions.
“It is important for folks to focus on self-care and seek support,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). “We encourage individuals to prioritize their mental well-being and connect with the resources available in our communities.”
Here are some strategies to support your mental health:
Connect with others for support. Meaningful connections are critical to our mental health. Make time for the important relationships in your life. Connect with yourself through self-care. When you are ready for help, reach out and ask for help. Help is available.
Take care of your body. Eat healthy. Be physically active. Get enough sleep. Avoid alcohol and drugs. Spend time outside. These things may help to keep your mental health on track.
Take care of your mind. Write down your feelings. Take deep breaths to calm your mind and slow your heart rate. Celebrate your small accomplishments, which can lead to larger goals.
“It is okay to not be okay,” stated Lynda Battaglia, director of Mental Health and Community Services for Genesee County. “Help is always available if you or someone you know is having a hard time around the holiday, or those struggling with mental health, substance use or feeling overwhelmed.”
“There are people in the community that are available to help,” stated Danielle Figura, director of the Orleans County Mental Health Department. “If you or someone you know is feeling lonely or missing someone, reach out to your local mental health department or someone you trust.”
The following are some mental health and substance use resources available:
Genesee County Mental Health: (585) 344-1421
Orleans County Mental Health: (585) 589-7066
Genesee and Orleans County Care & Crisis Line: (585) 283-5200
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Dial 988 or visit 988Lifeline.org.
Veterans Crisis Line: Dial 988 (press 1)
SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) – A confidential, free 24-hour that can provide referrals to local treatment facilities and support groups.
While the holidays can be a time for joy and celebration for many, it can be a time that is lonely, sad and stressful for others. This can be particularly true for people living with mental health and substance use conditions.
