By Randy LeBaron

Good morning! Grab your favorite cup. Fill it up. And let’s start this week right… TOGETHER!!!

A few weeks ago I wrote about how comforting our pets can be but my love of animals goes way beyond my feline friends. From my first date with my wife at The Seneca Zoo back in 1994 until our anniversary outing to The Cincinnati Zoo last month my family has always loved to spend time looking at, and learning about, animals. When our kids were little and we would take long road trips to see family down south or out west we would always find some sort of animal encounter to stop at to break up the day.

Over the years we have visited zoos in: Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Washington D.C. Tampa, Erie, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Toronto, as well as other animal-centric sites like: Sea World, Marineland, African Lion Safari, Animal Kingdom, Gatorland, Grant’s Farm, County Fairs, Reptile Houses, and Sanctuaries.

We like to find some unique things to do at each place such as petting sharks and stingrays in Indianapolis, watching the Cheetah Run in Cincinnati, feeding the bears at Marineland, or getting to see Pandas in Washington D.C.

The only thing we enjoy more than simply seeing animals though is being able to engage with them. We have ridden horses, camels, and elephants; hand fed tigers, giraffes, and goats; held snakes, alligators, bats, birds, kangaroos, and tarantulas; and petted dolphins, killer whales, beluga whales, sharks, and sting rays. Sheryl and I have gone on snorkeling expeditions around coral reefs in the ocean and my son even caught a shark by accident two summers ago while fishing off a boat in Tampa Bay.

Sometimes the animals get closer than anticipated. We have had monkeys riding on our car ripping off everything that wasn’t bolted down, gone tubing in gator infested water, and one day we got back to our hotel after spending the day at The Tampa Zoo only to turn on the TV and discover that a tiger had escaped it’s cage within minutes of us leaving.

It’s a good reminder that wild animals are just that—wild. That being said, we still prefer to be up close and personal when possible which is why in just a couple weeks our family will be headed down to Orlando, FL where we will have the awesome opportunity to train, and swim with, dolphins for a day.

So what animal encounters have you had? If you are reading this on the Orleans Hub’s FB Page please share a story or photo in the comments or feel free to e-mail me at randylebaron@gmail.com

See you in 2 weeks… Pastor Randy

Memorial flags honoring 2 soldiers from Lyndonville now in display in Village Hall

LYNDONVILLE – The importance of honoring local veterans was made evident Wednesday when the family of two Lyndonville natives, whose banners are among Lyndonville’s Hometown Heroes, came to visit.

Paul Cooper and his wife Linda of Novi, Mich. and Paul’s cousin and husband Lindy Cooper and Ron Biersbach of Hamburg came to Lyndonville to meet with Valerie Wells, who coordinates the Home Town Heroes program in Lyndonville, and Steve Goodrich, commander of the Houseman-Tanner American Legion Post.

Paul brought with him the two flags to donate to the village of Lyndonville, which had been placed on the caskets of his twin brother, Maj. Philip Cooper, and uncle, Cpl. Harry Cooper. Harry was killed in action in September, 1944, when his unit entered Germany and his tank was hit and burned. Philip attended West Point, served in the Army in Vietnam and enjoyed an illustrious career.

Paul wanted his ancestors remembered in the community, he said. The flags, along with all of Harry’s possessions had been stored in Paul’s father’s barn and passed to his brother Claude.

“A year ago, Claude contacted me and asked if I wanted them,” Paul said. “I didn’t want them to end up in somebody’s closet, so I took them.”

Meanwhile, Paul paid for a banner for his uncle Harry,  while Phil’s widow, the former Darlene Pahura of Medina, paid for his. The banners hang just south of the village limits across from one of their father’s three farms. It is the farm Harry would have inherited, Paul said.

Wells was instrumental in starting the Hometown Heroes banners in Lyndonville last year. She presented the idea to the Village Board in 2021 and it was decided the funds would run through the Lyndonville Area Foundation.

There are 135 banners displayed this year. Along with the Cooper banners, several of interest include Col. Rick N. Parsons, USAF 1965-1992, USAF Academy Alumni; Ret. Mjr. Gen. Richard D. Kenyon, U.S. Army, Vietnam; and Lt. Col. Ralph E. Smith, U.S. Army, 1965-1995.

The casket flags have an interesting story, in that Harry’s has gold stars, while Philip’s has white. Paul explained when casualties rose during the early months of World War II, the supply of casket flags dropped, so the government requisitioned a small French garment factory to make flags. They had heard of the Gold Star Mothers and assumed the stars should be gold if they were to be used on a veteran’s casket. It is estimated 500 of them were manufactured before they realized their error. It is thought all the gold star flags were used on caskets of United States soldiers killed in Germany.

Paul wonders if the casket of Sgt. Newell Breed, a graduate of Lyndonville Central School’s class of 1943, also had a gold star flag. Breed was killed in Germany March 18, 1945 and was returned to the United States aboard the US Oglethorpe, along with Harry’s remains. Harry was a 1933 graduate of Lyndonville Central School.

(Left) Paul Cooper of Novi, Mich. and his cousin Lindy Cooper Biersbach of Hamburg hold memorial flags which were placed on the caskets of their relatives, Maj. Philip Cooper, who served with the Army in Vietnam and died Jan. 5, 2008 from cancer, and his uncle Cpl. Harry Cooper, who was killed in action Sept. 18, 1943 in Germany. Cooper brought the flags to the village of Lyndonville on Wednesday. (Right) The memorial flags placed on the graves of Lyndonville natives Cpl. Harry Cooper and Maj. Philip Cooper are on display in a case in the Lyndonville Village Hall.

After being killed, Harry was initially buried in a shallow grave near Bitburg, Germany, where it was pointed out to U.S. troops working there in the spring of 1945. His remains were disinterred and reburied in a military cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg, where they remained until his parents requested they be returned to Lyndonville. His grave is in Hartland Cemetery, Gasport.

The Cooper family have long been pillars of the Lyndonville community. Philip and Paul had an older brother Claude, who all worked on the family’s fruit farm. Philip married the former Darlene Pahura of Medina in the chapel at West Point.

He had graduated from Clarkson College of Technology in Potsdam, majoring in physics, when he was urged by the local U.S. Representative to apply at West Point. He reported to Ranger School at Fort Benning, where he excelled, graduating number one in his class. His first assignment was with the 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. He was scheduled to attend flight school, but because of his outstanding record in Ranger School, the Army assigned him to Vietnam.

Operating with the 4th Infantry Division, Philip led long range foot patrols deep into enemy territory, usually out of range of friendly artillery and often out of radio contact with friendly forces. Later, in the 1st Battalion, 10th Cavalry, he experienced intense combat. On one occasion, his personnel carrier sunk in a rice paddy and his crew died, but his strong survival skills enabled him to pull three other soldiers to safety. For another action taking a hill, Phil received a Bronze Star for Valor.

After Vietnam, Philip completed his flight training earning both fixed wing and helicopter ratings.

In 1972, he completed his master’s degree in industrial engineering with a major in computer science at Arizona State University. Next was an assignment to an Army think tank in Bethesda, Md., where he developed a new computer capability to deploy troops where they were needed. This earned him decoration for meritorious service.

In 1976, he was a commandant’s list graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. This was followed by three years of teaching math at West Point. He headed the advanced calculus program and earned an MBA from Long Island University.  He returned to troop duty in 1979 as executive director of the 1st Battalion, 34th Armor. In his last assignment, Philip coordinated all systems and maintenance activities inside Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, for NORAD.

Paul also explained one of Philip’s accomplishments was developing the plastic bread wrapper for Union Carbide.

When health problems forced his retirement, Philip moved to Hudson, Fla., where he did doctoral work at the University of Florida, obtained his real estate license, trained income tax preparers and managed his real estate holdings.

Information provided by Paul states, “Impressive as Phil’s accomplishments were, there is no doubt he would have accomplished even more had he not suffered from severe post-traumatic stress syndrome, due to his combat experience.”

Philip died Jan. 5, 2008 from cancer (which Paul explained was due to Agent Orange) and was interred at West Point on June 9, 2008, the 43rd anniversary of his graduation.

Provided photo: Leonard Oakes Estate Winery has announced the availability of their Steampunk Cider in four-packs. This is the first time any of the brand’s cider has been available to customers in anything less than a 750 ML bottle.

RIDGEWAY – Leonard Oakes Estate Winery has announced the inaugural launch of its flagship cider brand in four-packs of 12-ounce bottles.

The official launch will take place today at the Steampunk Carnivale. That event will feature live music, burlesque, sideshows, tarot and more. It runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on www.oakeswinerylocal.com.

Until this four-pack bottle release, Steampunk Cider has been primarily available in local breweries, liquor stores and online via shipping by Leonard Oakes Estate Winery. With the launch of 12-ounce four-packs, this will mark the first time the cider will be seen on the shelves of local supermarkets.

Initially the four-packs will be exclusive to the tasting room at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, before its distribution is expanded in the coming months.

“The decision to move Steampunk into this new 12-ounce bottle format is about maintaining the integrity of the product and providing more access to consumers and our partners in the restaurant/bar business,” said Jonathan Oakes, head cider maker and creator of Steampunk Cider. “The terroir in our region is one we’re very proud of. Couple that with our many cider apple varieties and we’ve been able to develop products that truly reflect our area and the craft cider industry. We’re hoping this step is just another way we can promote our region to a larger audience.”

Oakes came up with the idea of Steampunk in 2007, just before the doors of Leonard Oakes Estate Winery opened on Ridge Road in Medina. It took a few years before it was officially named “Steampunk” cider, said Alix Gilman, who does marketing for the winery.

Gilman explained the idea of Steampunk as a concept was forged out of the 1980s – when science fiction writers imagined a world that never found the gasoline engine, staying true to the Victorian era and aesthetic and steam-driven technology.

Steampunk fits with cider because at the time of the industrial revolution and the turn of the century, the cider mills that populated the East coast were steam-powered, Gilman said. Steampunk Cider is a throwback to a time when cider was a key beverage in this country. After nearly a century, cider is seeing its resurgence.

Steampunk as a concept is wildly popular as a subgenre of science fiction, and the marriage of that with the burgeoning cider industry has seen remarkable growth for the brand. In 2010, Steampunk Cider produced about 100 cases, and now Leonard Oakes produces between 6,000 to 8,000 gallons a year, Gilman said.

Prior to Covid, the annual Steampunk Festival would garner more than 1,200 attendees. It is scheduled this year on Sept. 2.

Steampunk Cider is part of the Oakes family brands that also include Leonard Oakes Estate Wintery and LynOaken Farms.

Photos by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – The Grinch waves to people along the parade route Friday evening in Kendall for the Kendall Fire Department’s annual carnival. The Grinch was part of a float created by local Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts.

The annual carnival welcomed big crowds on Thursday and Friday. The event culminates today.

The schedule today includes:

• Corn Hole Tournament at noon
• Lawn Mower Tractor Pull at noon
• Ride Special from 1 to 5 p.m.
• Cruise-in at 4 p.m.
• Ride Special from 6 to 10 p.m.
• Band: Shotgun Pauly
• Fireworks at 10 p.m.

Clifford “C.J.” Provost, a Kendall native who now lives in Brockport, takes pictures of the parade on Friday. Provost said he doesn’t miss the carnival. He looks forward to seeing old friends and seeing the community come together.

“Every year I got to come back,” he said. “It’s a small town. I just love it.”

Nora Rasmusson, 4, of Kendall has fun on the Sky Fighter ride in the midway.

Max Martin, 5, and his sister Alice, 8, of Kendall zoom on the swing ride.

Jeff Partyka holds his granddaughter McKenna, 15 months old, on the merry-go-round.

The Gates Keystone Club Police Pipes and Drums performed in the parade. The band formed in 1998 to honor public safety and military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Dave Smith, assistant chief of the Murray Joint Fire District, marches with other firefighters in the parade. There was a big turnout from departments in Orleans and western Monroe counties.

A lineup of fire trucks joined the procession down Kendall’s main road from the elementary school to past the town hall and fire hall.

Horses and riders from Lone Oak Stables in Kendall remain a big part of the parade. This year the group welcome Before the Last Call, an equine therapy program for first responders and veterans. That program tries to help people with post traumatic stress disorder.

The crowd salutes and gives a standing ovation to the Vietnam Veterans of American, Chapter 20 out of Rochester. These veterans led the parade down Kendall Road.

Sparky the Firedog from Holley waves to the crowd.

State Sen. Rob Ortt greets a person along the parade route. Several local and state officials and candidates were in the parade.

Margaret Buell rides in the parade and is celebrated as Kendall’s oldest resident who was born in the town and continued to live in Kendall. Buell is 91.

“It’s a great town,” she said before the parade. “I have lived here all of my life.”

Betty Wilson rides in the parade with her great-grandchildren, Carson and Finn Carbonel in back. Wilson is Kendall’s oldest resident at age 103. Many on the parade route gave her an enthusiastic greeting.

These kids in the Kendall Rec program ride on a trailer pulled by Partyka Farms. Partyka has been pulling the trailer for more than 30 years in the parade.

ALBION – Oak Orchard Community Health is on a mission to provide health care to many rural Western New York communities.

Toward that goal, they are making their mobile medical unit open to the community to visit, make appointments and learn about services.

On Thursday, Karen Kinter, CEO of Oak Orchard Community Health; Julie Carasone, mobile medical unit coordinator; and Estelle Sanchez-Cacique were at the unit parked at Hoag Library. OOCH worked with Hoag and Community Action to advertise the visit from 10 a.m. to noon. The unit will be there again on July 27 and once a month after that from 10 a.m. to noon..

One visitor to the unit Thursday was Assemblyman Steve Hawley, who heard about the unit from State Senator George Borrello, whose district touches five counties including Genesee. He visited the unit when it was in Batavia.

Hawley was very impressed with what he learned.

“Any time as a society we can make health care accessible and available it is a great thing, especially when it comes to rural counties, where agriculture is our number one business,” Hawley said. “It is often difficult for farm workers to get health care and we all know when you can catch a problem early, you can save lives.”

Hawley also met nurse practitioner Minnie Clark at the mobile unit and said she was great. He tried out the cot in back and said it felt just like a doctor’s office.

“Any time you can do something like this to make the community better, it’s a wonderful thing, especially bringing health care to those who work in agriculture on our farms,” Carasone said. “We are very proud of this unit.”

Oak Orchard Community Health has always had mobile medical services in some form since it started in 1966 in Albion, Kinter said. Oak Orchard was able to purchase the new medical unit a year ago with a grant.

(Left) Estelle Sanchez-Cacique, left, manager of patient engagement services at Oak Orchard Community Health, and Julie Carasone, mobile medical unit coordinator, sit in the unit to greet visitors Thursday. (Right) Karen Kinter, CEO of Oak Orchard Community Health, gave Assemblyman Steve Hawley a tour of the mobile medical unit parked Thursday at Hoag Library.

OOCH has offices in Albion, Alexander, Batavia, Pembroke, Lyndonville, Medina, Brockport, Warsaw and Hornell.

Carasone said the mobile unit was specifically designed to go out to farms and serve migrant workers and their families who might not have the ability to get to medical appointments.

“When we see these people we can do basic checkups, take blood pressure, etc., but we can also set up appointments with their doctors, if necessary,” Carasone said.

Kinter said the medical unit is convenient for farm workers who can just walk up to the unit, where we can help with a quick problem or get them into one of their offices if needed.

“A lot of our patients have transportation issues, and walk to our units,” she said. “We have several small vans at each of offices to transport these who need it. Those who are Medicaid eligible can be set up with Medicaid transport.”

Carasone said there is no cost for their transportation.

She also explained OOCH runs a Migrant Education Program, based in Brockport, but is working with farmworkers’ children at Barker Central School in Niagara County. The unit will be there July 18, 25 and Aug. 1. The staff perform physicals and immunizations, as well as provide dental, optical and medical services.

ALBION – Five streets in the Village of Albion have been milled and are scheduled to get a new layer of asphalt from July 24-26.

Jay Pahura, the village’s superintendent of the Department of Public Works, said Keeler Construction in Barre will have its paver in the village for those three days, paving Liberty Street (north and south), Crimson Drive, Goodrich Street, North Street and Clarendon Street.

Pahura said Ingersoll and East Bank streets are showing more wear and tear from the added traffic with the Main Street lift bridge closed. Those streets will likely get some patching but Pahura said the traffic demands while the bridge is closed makes it impossible to mill the streets and then repave them.

ALBION – A Medina man was sentenced to eight years in state prison by Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church.

Jakob Bishop, 25, pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted burglary. He entered a home without permission and cut two people with a knife in a scuffle inside the house.

Bishop has a previous violent felony conviction. He was sentenced by the judge during court last week.

In other cases:

• Mark Bennett, 35, of Albion was sentenced to 1 ½ to 3 years in state prison after pleading guilty to possessing a sexual performance by a child. Bennett was charged by state police on March 5 after police determined he had possessed child pornography.

• Trey Hart, 25, of Albion was sentenced to five years of probation and no jail time for aggravated criminal contempt in the first degree. Hart during a May 10 court appearance admitted to violating an order of protection and having physical contact with a woman he was supposed to stay away from. Hart allegedly struck a woman, causing severe bruising on her eye and putting her in pain for weeks, said Susan Howard, the county’s first assistant district attorney.

• Brandon Baker, 32, of Kendall pleaded guilty to criminal mischief in the third degree and intimidating a witness in the third degree. He faces up to 1 to 3 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 13.

Press Release, Orleans Renaissance Group

MEDINA – Despite threatening skies, an enthusiastic crowd of 500 came out to hear the Growlers Blues Band at the fourth installment of the ’23 Blue Thursdays series. There are eight shows in all running through Aug. 10.

The Growlers are one of Buffalo’s most popular blues bands and were rained out last year at Blue Thursdays. They were very excited to be back and hope to come again.

Band members said they thought Medina was a great village and “they’d be very excited to come back.”

Chris Busch of ORG and co-promoter of the series with Ken Daluisio of The Print Shop said they love hearing that kind of feedback from the bands.

“Comments from the band were so great as well as from around the crowd! They’d love to see them here again and the band would love to come back. That says a lot about Medina and the series.” said Busch. “Had the skies been sunnier I think we would’ve had 200-300 more for this band. Nonetheless, the gig was incredible.”

Daluisio agreed, “These guys were great. We love bringing in top talent for the series and the crowd really appreciates it. (The series) is a lot of hard work, but it’s so worth it when concert night rolls around and hundreds of people have a great time in Medina, including the band.”

The Print Shop is the primary underwriter of the series.

Next week, July 20, the Jeremy Keyes Band returns and the promoters are pumped for his return.

“Keyes lit up the crowd last year,” said Daluisio, “He’s a crowd favorite wherever he goes and we’re really excited to have him back in Medina.”

From Buffalo, the Jeremy Keyes Band delivers heavy hitting Chicago-style blues, led by harp-player and vocalist, Jermey Keyes.

Keyes is widely known for his harmonica precision and has been featured on numerous chart-topping albums in recent years.

Up to date Blue Thursdays information can be found at “Blue Thursdays Medina” on Facebook or at bluethursdays.com.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Brian Hellner, captain of the North Star Cruises, is out on a 20-foot-long pontoon boat on Thursday afternoon. Hellner started the new business about two weeks ago. He leases dock space from the village in the Canal Basin.

Hellner is a licensed charter captain the past 12 years and an avid boater the past 50 years. He also is a former vice president of the Buffalo Maritime Center.

Hellner sees an opportunity to grow tourism in the village through the canal cruises.

He lives in Newfane but has been to Medina frequently to see his son, Rollin, who lives in Medina and is a real estate developer.

Village officials and Assemblyman Steve Hawley joined Hellner and his family for a ribbon-cutting celebration on Thursday.

Pictured from left on boat include Village Trustee Jess Marciano, Trustee Tim Elliott, Brian Hellner, his son Rollin Hellner, County Legislator Skip Draper, Assemblyman Hawley, Village Trustee Marguerite Sherman, and Trustee Diana Baker.

Brian Hellner and his wife Janet are pictured next to their boat in the Canal Basin on the Erie Canal.

They offer rides on the boat from Thursday through Sunday beginning at 5 p.m. The boat holds up to six passengers who are charged $25 each for an hour-long ride on the canal.

The trip goes from the basin to the Culvert in Ridgeway and then back to the basin. Hellner shares historical snippets about Medina.

He said the trip shows historical architecture, wildlife and lush farm fields, as well as just offering a relaxing ride.

He is open to giving rides off his set hours of operation. For more information contact North Star Cruises at (716) 514-9378.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The new Taco Bell is under construction at 118 West Ave. Contractors have been working on the project for about three months.

The new 2,600-foot restaurant is expected to open in mid-August, said Anne Podolak, a Village of Albion code enforcement officer. She updated the Village Board on the project during the board meeting on Wednesday evening.

Hospitality Syracuse is the developer for the project on vacant land owned by Landsman Development of Rochester.

The new Taco Bell will go next to McDonalds and across from Freeze-Dry Foods. Hospitality Syracuse will make about 40 percent of the 1.33-acre lot green space with grass. The company has removed a water tank in the back corner of the lot and is replacing chain-link fences with ones made of wood.

Amenities intended to provide shade for people visiting park with their canines

Provided photos

MEDINA – The Medina Dog Park on North Gravel Road added some features on Wednesday to make the site more appealing – to people.

A gazebo and four small shades will provide some shade for people bringing their dogs to the county’s only dog park. It opened in September 2020.

The top photo shows Charlie Troutman, left, and Scott Davis helping to set the gazebo in place. Scott’s wife Cindy, owner of the Pet Nanny and vice president of Friends of Medina Dog Park, said donations and fundraisers for the dog park covered the cost for the gazebo.

It was built by Lakeview Storage Sheds in Lyndonville and brought to the dog park by Albright Transport.

Four smaller trees were planted at the park. Katie Rich, one of the volunteers, is in the photo at right. The trees were donated by Dr. Steven Kratoville. Larger shade trees will be planted in September, Davis said.

Charlie Troutman, left, and Scott Davis like the new gazebo.

The Friends of the Medina Dog Park is planning a “Bark in the Park” fundraiser to help fund more improvements at the park – additional fencing and dog agility equipment.

The raffle tickets are $20 each with 750 available. There will be $3,750 in prizes, including $1,250 to the grand prize winner. Tickets are sold at the Canal Village Farmers’ Market or contact Cindy Davis at (585) 590-6543. The drawing will be Sept. 7.

Press Release, Orleans County Clerk Nadine Hanlon

ALBION – Nadine Hanlon, Orleans County Clerk, wants travelers to be aware of the processing delays one may face when it comes to obtaining passports for travel plans.

Since March of this year, the U.S Department of State extended the standard processing time for a new or renewed passport to 10 to 13 weeks for routine service, or 7 to 9 weeks for those who pay a $60 fee for expedited service. However, many people are finding that the wait times are exceeding these time frames.

Hanlon urges travelers to plan ahead if travel plans require a passport. Passport information is available on the Orleans County website which provides details on passport fees, processing times, renewing passports and documents needed to apply. You can visit the Orleans County Passports page by clicking here.

The Orleans County Clerk’s Office employees are all acceptance agents who can accept new passport applications and prepare them to be sent in to the US Department of State for processing.

Hanlon asks that appointments be made for those that need their first-time issued passport by calling the office at (585) 589-5334.  Current passport holders are responsible for renewing their passports on their own through the mail. The Orleans County Clerk’s Office does offer to take passport photos at a cost of $10 per person.

Press Release, Western District of New York U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross

ROCHESTER – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Ebony Shine, 37, of Rochester pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, which carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $10 million fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Marangola, who is handling the case, stated that Shine was arrested on November 15, 2022, after investigators executed federal search warrants at her residence on Post Avenue in Rochester and several other locations.

During the search of Shine’s residence, approximately $4,506.00 in U.S. currency, drug paraphernalia, three firearms, and over 100 rounds of ammunition, were recovered. On 12 occasions between October 2021, and November 15, 2022, at locations in Medina and Rochester, Shine sold over 440 grams of fentanyl, 119 grams of cocaine, and a 9mm pistol to an individual working with law enforcement. Shine supervised the distribution of quantities of fentanyl by her sons and co-conspirators, Emmanual Taylor, and Nasir Shine.

Taylor and Nasir Shine were previously convicted and are awaiting sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov. 2 at 9:15 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force, under the direction of the Orleans County District Attorney’s Office and District Attorney Joseph Cardone, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino, the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division, the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Christopher Bourke, the Medina Police Department, under the direction of Chief Chad Kenward, the Niagara County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti, and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith.

Sidonio allegedly drove vehicle towards town employee, swerving at last second

Joe Sidonio

MURRAY – Town Supervisor Joe Sidonio has been charged with second-degree reckless endangerment after allegedly driving his vehicle at a high rate of speed and swerving at the last second to avoid a town highway worker in the town parking lot.

Sidonio, 65, was charged at 4:35 p.m. on Wednesday by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office. The incident allegedly occurred on June 12 at 4:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Murray Highway Department.

The Sheriff’s Office in a news release said Sidonio  drove his truck at a high rate of speed towards the employee who was getting into his vehicle after a day of work.

“Sidonio then swerved at the last second to avoid a collision that could have resulted in serious physical injury to this individual,” according to the press release from Chief Deputy Rob Riemer.

Sidonio was processed at the county jail, released on his own recognizance and given an appearance ticket to appear in Murray Town Court at 5 p.m. on Aug. 9.

An order of protection was issued for the worker.

Sidonio last month lost a Republican primary for another term as town supervisor to Gerry Rightmyer, 350-237.

UPDATED AT 5:56 P.M.: Joe Sidonio’s attorney Robert C. Singer issued this statement and press release on behalf of Sidonio:

Joseph Sidonio of Holley, New York, pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of reckless engagement filed against him by a Town of Murray Highway Department employee. The charge alleges that Mr. Sidonio, the current Murray Town Supervisor, recklessly swerved his truck, at a high rate of speed, towards a town employee who was driving out of the town parking lot on June 12, 2023.

Mr. Sidonio entered his plea of not guilty last night in Murray Town Court. At the arraignment, both the sitting justice and the Orleans County District Attorney’s Office indicated that they were moving to recuse themselves from the case due to a conflict of interest. The case was transferred to the 8th Judicial District for reassignment to a different court. The recusal of the Orleans County District Attorney’s Office will require the appointment of an independent Special Prosecutor.

Sidonio’s attorney, Robert C. Singer, Esq., of Singer Legal PLLC, stated, “Joe Sidonio pleaded not guilty because this allegation is categorically false and completely unsupported by the evidence. We look forward to challenging this spurious accusation, brought by a disgruntled town employee, for the purpose of a politically motivated attack.”

Attorney Singer added: “I am puzzled by the fact that the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office saw fit to investigate this allegation and, later, issue a press release about it, when everyone else involved in this matter – the Judge and the DA’s Office included – believed it was appropriate to recuse themselves so that an independent person can evaluate this case on its merits. My hope is that the Sheriff’s Office will reconsider its further involvement in this case and recuse itself from the investigation.”