Polling site open today and Sunday, and then sites open throughout county for general election on Tuesday

ALBION – The first seven days of early voting 322 ballots were cast. The county has one early voting polling site – the Orleans County Board of Elections Office, 14016 State Route 31 in Albion.

That site is open today and Sunday for early voting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The site is available for all 10 towns in Orleans County.

On the general election on Tuesday, each town will have their own polling location.

The early voting numbers so far include 44 on Oct. 28, 39 on Oct. 29, 52 on Oct. 30, 56 on Oct. 31, 42 on Nov. 1, 41 on Nov. 2 and 48 on Nov. 3.

To see a list of all the candidates for all 10 towns and the county positions, click here.

Orleans Hub has also posted many letters to the editor about the election. Click here to be directed to the letters to the editor section.

MEDINA – The Butts-Clark American Legion Post is planning two events this month in support of veterans.

The first is a Veterans’ Appreciation scheduled from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Nov. 10 at the post, 305 North Main St.

Veterans will receive a free drink and appetizers will be available. All veterans are welcome to attend.

The second event is operation SAVE, a suicide prevention training program from 6 to 7 p.m. Nov. 28. The reason for this training is due to the high rate of suicide among veterans, said Jim Wells, commander of the Butts-Clark American Legion Post.

Plans for this training were developed as the result of a conversation when Sara Andrew with the Veterans Administration in Batavia stopped at the Orleans County American Legions’ booth at the Orleans County 4-H Fair.

Wells, his wife Valerie and Kathy Kage from the Lyndonville American Legion Post coordinated the training. They had tried to have it in October, which is “Buddy Month,” but no date was available.

“Buddy Month” is a program of the National American Legion urging people to check on their veteran buddies.

“The idea is to ‘be the one who reports a veteran’s illness or suicidal thoughts,’” Jim Wells said.

SAVE stands for Signs of suicide; Asking about suicide; Validating feelings; Encouraging help and expediting treatment.

Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP to Valerie Wells by texting (585) 339-8500 or e-mailing medinaaux204@gmail.com.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Ella Trupo plays the lead role of Captain Louie in the high school drama department’s production of Captain Louie Jr. The first show was Friday. There are performances today at noon and 7 p.m. in the middle school auditorium. Tickets are $5 at the door.

In the show, Louie is lonely after his family moved to a new neighborhood. He plays with a toy airplane he calls Red. Here, Trupo is singing, “Big Red Plane.”

The show is the directing debut in Albion for Kailey Winans, a third grade special education teacher, and Elliott Michki, the high school chorus teacher. Kailey’s mother, Kathy Winans, also is a co-director for the show. She has been helping to lead the production for more than three decades.

Kailey Winans said the show sends a message about welcoming change.

“We should be open to new opportunities,” Winans said. “Change can be hard but we should embrace it because you never know what is on the other side of that change.”

Louie gets transported to his old neighborhood, but finds none of his friends are there. Instead he is met by a sinister gang, including a flower (Mallory Kozody), a mouse (Mallory Ashbery), a broom (Danielle Wyant) and a cat (Neveya Barnes).

Louie eventually realizes the characters are his old friends in Halloween costumes.

Alexis Hand is the “Monster” and Zackary Baron plays the role of Jack, who is dressed as a baseball.

Clocks should be turned back an hour tonight with the with the end of Daylight Savings Time and a return to standard time at 2 a.m.

AAA is advising drivers that although they can get an extra hour of sleep tonight with clocks going back an hour, the time change can cause potential distractions to their normal routine.

An earlier sunset and darkness can lead to an increase in the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured by vehicles, AAA said.

Drivers, pedestrians, joggers, walkers and bicyclists are advised to take added safety measures so they are seen on the roads.

AAA recommends the following:

Drivers

• Always watch out for pedestrians when backing up in parking lots or driveways. Use headlights to be visible.
• Leave more following room. In the morning, when the sun is in your eyes it can be hard to see what the car ahead is doing. Use sunglasses and your sun visor.
• Be mindful of children and others who are outdoors in the afternoon and evening as it gets dark earlier.
• Pay attention and eliminate all distractions including cell phones and car clocks that are off by an hour.
• Scan the road for wild animals, mainly deer. There were 36,743 animal-related crashes in New York in 2022 – up 7% from 2021 – that’s equivalent to one animal-related crash every 15 minutes, often outside of daylight hours.

Pedestrians

• Be visible. This is especially important in dark places or poor weather. Remember to stay in well-lit areas and to wear light or reflective clothing. Never assume drivers see you just because you see them.
• Use sidewalks and pathways. If a sidewalk is not available, stay to the far side of the road and always face traffic.

Headlights

• With 50% of crashes occurring at night, drivers should check their headlights for signs of deterioration and invest in new headlights or, at a minimum, try a low-cost headlight cleaning and restoration to boost the safety of driving after dark. Headlights can show signs of deterioration after three years but most commonly by year five.
• AAA suggests drivers check their headlights for changes in appearance such as yellowing or clouding. If the bulb is difficult to see, it is time to have the lens replaced or restored as soon as possible. Replacement and restoration services are available at most repair shops.

School Safety

• Moving clocks back one hour means it will be darker in the late afternoon. It is important to remember that children will be on their way home from school during this time, so drivers must remain vigilant.
• Slow Down. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 mph is nearly two-thirds less likely to be killed than a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling just 10 mph faster.

“Daylight saving time begins on March 10, 2024,” AAA said in a news release. “The Sunshine Protection Act that passed the Senate in March 2022 was not approved by the House of Representatives, so the effort to eliminate clock changes has been stalled for now.”

CARLTON – State Police have charged a Carlton man with numerous felony firearms charges.

Benjamin T. Hayes, 25, was charged on Thursday by the State Police out of Albion with 25 counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd degree (D felony), two counts of Criminal Possession of a Firearm (E Felony), Unlawful Purchase of Body Armor (E Felony) and 5 counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4th degree (A Misdemeanor).

The State Police said its Bureau of Criminal Investigation on Oct. 30 received a report of a possible illegal weapons possession. Investigation determined after a search warrant was executed on the suspect’s residence that Hayes was in possession of numerous illegal weapons including a privately manufactured ghost gun, 3-D printed pistol receivers, pistols, unregistered Safe Act rifles, high-capacity magazines, body armor, ammunition and electronics involved in private manufacturing of gun parts.

Hayes was arrested and transported to Orleans County Jail for centralized arraignment.

The State Police Forensic Identification Unit, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and the Orleans County District Attorney’s Office assisted in this investigation, State Police said.

Hayes was working as a county employee in the Information Technology Department and is no longer with the county.

Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer, issued this statement:

 “Yesterday, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation out of State Police in Batavia arrested Benjamin Hayes of Carlton on 20 felony gun charges.  Mr. Hayes had been a probationary employee with Orleans County in our IT Department. He has since been terminated.”

Ofrenda, crafts among activities as school welcomes Mexican tradition

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Albion eighth-grader Tra’Monie Walker and Spanish teacher Casey Flynn pause and reflect at an ofrenda during a Day of the Dead family night at the Albion Middle School.

The school hosted its first Day of the Dead observance. The Mexican Day of the Dead Celebration is a time of joyful remembrance of deceased loved ones, filled with an array of colors, scents, sounds and stories.

Josefino Paz (right), an ESL teacher at Albion, created the ofrenda in the school library. Paz made the display in memory of his late siblings, Felipe and Vicente.

An ofrenda is an altar created in Mexican homes to welcome the returning souls. An ofrenda typically features candles, wild marigolds, incense, photographs, mementos and loved ones’ favorite foods like fruit, tortillas, tamales, chocolate and bread.

Alondra Hernandez Rodriguez painted her face like a skull, a common tradition on the Day of the Dead. The face-painting represents a deceased loved one.

The middle school cafeteria hosted several activities to celebrate Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.

Brad Pritchard, the middle school principal, the school district has an increasing number of ELL students or English language learners who are learning to be fluent in English. The school wanted to make those students and their families feel welcome, and also host a fun family activity that was open to the entire school community.

“We want everyone to feel comfortable coming into the school,” Pritchard said.

Daisy Brave-Lopez, a seventh-grader, works on a flag in the middle school cafeteria. About 60 people attended the day of the Dead celebration in the evening.

Sophie Kozody , seventh-grader, decorates a sugar skull.

Provided photos: Katie Oakes, facilitator of the Master Gardener Training program, shows students how to conduct a soil pH test.

Press Release, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County

KNOWLESVILLE – The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County is gearing up to offer the Master Gardener Training course again in early 2024. Applications are being accepted now until Dec. 1st.

The Master Gardener program is a nation-wide volunteer service program, started in 1973 in Washington state. Each state has a land-grant university that offers extension offices in each of their counties.

Master Gardener volunteers support the mission of Cornell Cooperative Extension by “extending” the research-based information and guidelines put forth by Cornell University to their county residents.

The Master Gardener Training Course is offered every other year and is the first step for those who are interested in becoming a Master Gardener Volunteer with Cornell Cooperative Extension.

The course in 2024 will once again be a hybrid course with a large part of the lessons taking place online. The online part of the course is broken down into “modules” – different sections with “Read,” “Watch,” and “Do” portions to guide students through various horticultural subject matter.

The online course is self-paced, meaning students are given a time frame within which to complete each module and they can choose when to complete the coursework based on their personal schedule.

“I learned so much from taking MG training about ways to garden that support the environment,” said Deb Roberts, a 2022 MG graduate, “It gave me a good basis of science-based knowledge that I can build on and gives me hope.”

In addition to the online portion, students will meet once a week with CCE Horticulture Educator Katie Oakes, who is the coordinator of the Master Gardener programs as well as the facilitator and main instructor for the Master Gardener Training Course.

Sue Starkweather Miller shows a dahlia tuber during her Final Project presentation for 2022 Master Gardener Training.

“The feedback I heard most often following that first run of the hybrid training course is that the students wished they had been able to meet more frequently in person,” Oakes explained the change this year. “Everyone agreed that it was so valuable to have the in-person meetings to really drive home key points in each module, and to have that hands-on learning that so many students appreciate.”

This coming year, the course will start Feb. 1 and will run through May 2,  with in-person classes occurring every Thursday evening at the Extension office’s “Buzz” Hill Education Center from 6 to 8 p.m.

“The Master Gardener program was an excellent experience; it changed the way I garden and look at my environment. The research based educational materials were thorough, interesting, and challenged me to think differently,” explained Sue Starkweather Miller, who completed the Master Gardener Training Course in 2022. “There was a lot of new information for me to learn, so I would have preferred to have had the weekly group sessions Katie is planning for this coming training session.  It will give the new students more time to reinforce what they learn in the online modules.”

Once students complete the training program, they serve 50 hours with the MG program to become official Master Gardener volunteers.  Those service hours can include attending monthly Master Gardener meetings, helping out at various Master Gardener educational programs, tabling at public events like the Home and Garden Show and the Orleans County 4-H Fair, or finding answers to gardening questions that come in from county residents.

“The best part about the program is finding a group of people who care about the same things that I do, and who are excited to share what they know,” said Peggy Thomas, another graduate of the 2022 MG training. “I learn something new every time we meet.”

Orleans County CCE will close the application process on Dec. 1, after which participants for the course will be selected and notified of acceptance into the program. Preference will be given to Orleans County residents and those who are interested in becoming long-term volunteers with the Master Gardener Program.

The cost of the course is $250. If you are interested in the course, but require financial assistance, please contact Katie Oakes directly at 585-798-4265 ext. 125 or by email at klo54@cornell.edu.

Applications can be found online by clicking here.

Students in a past Master Gardener Training class learning about diagnosing plant problems.

Photos and information courtesy of Albion Central School

ALBION — Some Albion eighth-grade art enrichment students went to Chautauqua Institution recently to see the Washed Ashore sculptures and participate in a few activities.

The students on the trip had learned about Washed Ashore when they took art with Mrs. Kamie Feder last year.

“Once we learned the sculptures were being displayed nearby, I knew we had to go see them,” Mrs. Feder said.

Washed Ashore is “Art to Save the Ocean.” Volunteers collect junk that has washed ashore on beaches and turn the collection into beautiful sculptures.

During the visit, students participated in a recycled self-portrait and STEAM poetry activity, involving exploring lake water through microscopes. The group also took an interactive tour around the grounds to view all of the pieces. Students were allowed to touch all of the sculptures and see the scale of these creations up close.

Now, the students are working on brainstorming, designing and creating an art piece that raises awareness about an issue in our building, district or community.

MEDINA – You know Christmas is on the way when the MAAC red Christmas barrels start appearing in local stores, churches and the library.

On Wednesday, in keeping with a decades-old tradition, members of the Medina Fire Department picked up 40 barrels at the Grove United Methodist Church and delivered them to locations throughout Medina.

Hundreds of children living in the Medina School District and their families are assured gifts and a holiday dinner through the MAAC Christmas Program.

Fire Chief Matt Jackson and firefighters Tim Miller, Paul Urquhart, Lt. Steve Cooley, Nick Lee and Bob Urtel were those who volunteered for what has become an annual tradition, dating as far back as 40 years, when the firefighters used to collect old and broken toys, repair them and give them to children.

Sherry Tuohey, who coordinates the MAAC Christmas barrels, stands by the wagons which Bob Harrold of Lyndonville refurbishes and donates every year.

Cooley has been volunteering for 14 years. He remembers when the firefighters collected old toys, painted them and fixed them up.

“But you can’t do that any more because they are all plastic,” he said. “So this is a way we can help the community and maintain a tradition.”

Miller has been volunteering to deliver the barrels for eight years and this is Urtel’s seventh year.

People are asked to donate new or good toys, books, crafts and gift items. Gifts are especially in need for teenagers, said Sherry Tuohey, who coordinates the MAAC Christmas barrel program.

Tuohey heads a committee which includes former coordinator Sue Metzo, Norma Jean Foster, Judy Holbrook, Barb Vreeland and Kathie McMoil.

They also welcome donations of hats, gloves and socks, as well as food items for Christmas dinner.

The Medina High School Student Association under co-advisers Sara Cinquino and Kayla Rosenbeck, annually packs bags of personal care items.

Another much appreciation contribution to the MAAC Christmas program is the donation of red wagons by Bob Harrold of Lyndonville. For several years, Harrold has sought out children’s wagons throughout the year, refurbished them and donated them to MAAC.

Tuohey said the wagons are a big hit with parents and children, as often the parents use them to transport young children, or in some instances, where there is no car in the family, the wagons provide a way to transport groceries home from the store.

Harrold said it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the historic little red wagons. This year he was able to donate three red wagons and two wooden wagons.

The public is reminded that income guidelines have increased this year, comparable to those established by HEAP.

To qualify for a holiday box, families must live in the Medina School District, with Knowlesville and Medina zip codes (14479 or 14103), and comply with income guidelines. The program benefits children up to 18 years of age, their parents/guardians and seniors 62 and older.

Sign-ups must be completed during the second and third weeks of November by visiting St. Peter Evangelical Church at 1355 West Ave. from 10 a.m. to noon or 5 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 7 or 14; or Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God Church, 11031 Maple Ridge Rd., from 10 a.m. to noon on Nov. 9 or 16.

Medina firefighters who volunteered to deliver the MAAC Christmas barrels are, from left, Chief Matt Jackson, paramedic/firefighter Tim Miller, Paul Urquhart, Lt. Steve Cooley, Nick Lee and Bob Urtel.

Library in Medina considering 2 options for addition, including meeting rooms, tutoring space and expanded children’s area

Passero Associates, an engineering and architectural firm in Rochester, has proposed an addition on the back side of the building on two lots recently acquired by the library along North Avenue. An arch and courtyard also are part of the proposal. A construction project at the library includes two large meeting rooms, two restrooms, three tutoring rooms, large programming area, teen room, Friends of the Library room, expanded children’s area, additional parking, expanded adult collection space, and a local history room.

MEDINA – Leaders of the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library want to push forward with a 3,844 addition on the library on West Avenue.

The building was constructed in 1966 at 11,000 square feet. The addition is planned for the back side of the building along North Avenue.

Estimates for the project range from $7 million to $9 million, depending on the scope of the work. A courtyard with an arch on the North Avenue side of the building could be eliminated to cut the costs.

The library is reaching out to some community members to get their feedback on the project, and whether it should be scaled back or not.

Passero Associates: The front side of the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library facing West venue would get a new entryway and bigger windows.

The 3,844-square-foot addition would add two much-needed meeting rooms, space for tutoring and more room for the collection and programs.

“We have a lot of organizations with no place to go,” said Cynthia Kiebala, president of the board of trustees for Lee-Whedon.

Right now there is a small meeting room that is also serves as a local history space and a “quiet room.”

The library was built in 1966 in an open style that was somewhat sterile and “blah” – a big, long room all painted in the same color of beige-yellow. A remodeling project in 2013 added “warmth” and technology. The walls were painted green, blue and yellow. The carpet has circles and other designs to help delineate spaces in the library. The library also added many pedant lights that hang from the ceiling.

The project also replaced the ceiling, and added many new high-speed Internet access points and upgraded computer technology.

Lee-Whedon has been feeling a space crunch and acquired two properties next door on North Avenue. The addition would add meeting rooms and tutoring space to make the site even more of an asset for the community, said Kristine Mostyn, the library director.

“This will certainly improve our ability to offer programming and educational services,” she said. “The meeting rooms could be used for organizations that have no other place to meet.”

Photos by Tom Rivers: Here is how the entrance of the Lee-Whedon  Memorial Library currently looks. The 11,000-square-foot building was constructed in 1966. The library’s leaders would like to put on a 3,844-square-foot addition.

Kiebala said the big open space in the current setup doesn’t allow much privacy, especially for tutoring. Students come in for tutoring through BOCES, local school districts and the Orleans County Adult Learning Services (OCALS).

“We have tutoring going on all the time,” Kiebala said. “They have to sit out in the liobrary now.”

The capital project would make the building mor aesthetically appealing by putting an arch with pillars in the front entryway. Some of the solid brick walls would be changed for larger windows to allow in more existing light.

Lee-Whedon has applied for $4.125 million in grants and government aid so far. It has been approved for $625,000 in state library construction funding. Lee-Whedon also was the top vote-getter in a community survey for the $4.5 million NY Forward money. Lee-Whedon is seeking $500,000 through that $4.5 million. An announcement on how the money will be divvied up among Medina projects is expected in the spring 2024.

This photo from Jan. 13, 2017 shows a crowd watching the Don Newcomb Country Band for the “Finally Fridays” concert series.

The library also will be doing a capital campaign, seeking donations from the community. The are many naming opportunities that will be available, including for the different rooms, the addition, and the courtyard. The library, however, will not change from being known as the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. A capital campaign is expected to start in early 2024. Kiebala is hopeful construction could start in the fall 2024.

“We want to make it happen,” she said.

The project would add more room for children’s programs and the overall collection. There also would be two more restrooms in the addition, and more parking on the North Avenue side of the building.

The scope of the project may be determined by a feasibility study currently under way. Lee-Whedon is working with Ivy Partners, the same group that helped Albion build the new Hoag Library that opened in 2012.