By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 September 2025 at 8:22 am
Photos courtesy of Melissa Ierlan
CARLTON – A historical marker highlighting the “Ancient Mound” built by the Algonkian Indians in Carlton has been refurbished with fresh paint.
Dave and Dar Krull are shown with the marker at their home on Oak Orchard River Road. They are with niece Kailah, and great-nieces Sidney, Shelby and Rylee Ierlan.
Melissa Ierlan of Clarendon recently stripped the marker down and repainted it. The marker notes Algonkian Indians built this Ancient Mound in the second period or Polished Stone Age. It was excavated in 1932-’33 by Charles Wyman Palmer. The marker was installed by State Education Department in 1932.
Located on Oak Orchard River Road about 1 ½ miles west of The Bridges. It’s at the south end of a long private driveway and not visible from the road.
Ierlan has refurbished about 40 historical markers in recent years.
These photos show some of the marker’s transformation before it received its final coat of blue and yellow paint.
Image courtesy of GO Art! – Bryan White created this sculpture of an owl.
BATAVIA – GO ART! is thrilled to announce an open call for submissions for the upcoming Art of the Rural exhibition, celebrating the creativity and perspectives of rural life.
This juried exhibition will take place at GO ART! Seymour Place, located at 201 E Main St., Batavia, from Oct. 8 to Nov. 29. The opening reception will take place on Oct. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m., at which time cash prizes will be awarded to selected artists.
Eligibility: This exhibition is open to all artists. All submitted works must be original and created by the submitting artist. Previous submissions are not permitted. All media are accepted, but works must not exceed 26” x 30” in size. (Very limited space for sculptures, call for info.)
Theme: The theme of the exhibition is Art of the Rural, inviting artists to explore and express the essence of rural life through their creations.
Submission Details: Artists may drop off their works at GO ART! between Oct. 1-4 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. All entries must be accompanied by a completed submission form and the required fees.
GO ART! members may submit up to 5 works for $30.
Non members may submit up to 3 works for $30, with an additional $5 fee for each extra work (maximum of 5 works).
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 September 2025 at 1:21 pm
Board needs to tackle budget, expects to appoint acting town supervisor next week
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Shelby Town Board met on Tuesday for the first time since July 8. Pictured from left include new town councilman John Misiti, town attorney Kathleen Bennett, and board members Linda Limina and Ed Zelazny.
SHELBY – For the first time in about two months, the Shelby Town Board was able to convene and hold a meeting on Tuesday.
The board wasn’t able to function after three of the five members resigned in mid-July, leaving the board without a quorum to conduct business.
John Misiti takes his spot on the Town Board. He was appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sept. 5 and gives the Town Board a needed third member to conduct town business and hold a board meeting.
It took a special appointment by Gov. Kathy Hochul to fill a seat and give the board a needed third member to vote to pay bills and tend to other town business.
The governor appointed John Misiti, a retired sales manager who also is chairman of the board for the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
Misiti, in his comments at the meeting on Tuesday, said he wants to put aside any in-fighting at town hall, and focus on the town’s finances while ensuring there isn’t a hostile work environment for the board members and employees.
“We’ve been in a state of paralysis here since essentially July 15,” Misiti said. “The acrimoniousness has to end.”
The board was unable to function following the resignations of Town Supervisor Scott Wengewicz and board members Jeff Schiffer and Stephen Seitz Sr., who was also the deputy town supervisor. (The Town Board on Tuesday voted to accept those resignations. The board also approved a resolution to change the locks on the town supervisor’s office.)
Misiti joins Linda Limina and Ed Zelazny on the board. They said they would pick an acting town supervisor at their meeting on Sept.16, and that person wouldn’t be one of the current board members.
An acting supervisor is needed to certify the town’s budget for 2026, a document that needs to be finalized by Nov. 20.
The board met for 56 minutes on Tuesday, and there wasn’t a cross word exchanged the whole time. Residents commented they appreciated a shorter meeting focused on the issues facing the town.
John Parada spoke at the meeting and he said most of the previous board meetings often stretched past two hours.
About 40 people attended the Town Board meeting on Tuesday. The meeting ended after 56 minutes, far shorter than many of the meetings so far this year that often topped 2 hours.
Besides appointing an acting town supervisor on Sept. 16, the board also will work on the town budget for 2026.
Misiti said the board needs to get a handle on the town finances.
“The financial standing is the first priority to make sure we have money to finish the year out,” he said.
Town Justice Ed Grabowski thanked Misiti for agreeing to be on the board until Dec. 31 to allow town business to move forward.
Garbowski also shared with the board that Shelby has armed security officers for court nights. Three of those officers will be getting recertified next week for firearms.
The town pays the COPS security firm $56 per hour for security for a minimum of a four-hour shift plus mileage for the security officers.
Mark Wambach, left, and John Pratt III speak during Tuesday’s meeting. The two will face each other during the Nov. 4 election to fill one of the vacancies on the Town Board.
Wambach is backed by the Conservative Party while Pratt has the Republican line. The winner will get the final two years of Jeff Schiffer’s term.
Wambach asked the board if it would be presenting a list of priorities. Misiti responded that the finances are the immediate concern, and also accepting new flood maps for the town that were prepared by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). The board needs to finalize those so people in town are eligible for flood insurance.
The town will have a hearing on the flood maps at 6 p.m. on Sept. 16.
Pratt thanked the three current board members for their willingness to serve the town.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 September 2025 at 10:04 am
Photos by Tom Rivers: Trey Lewis, a development manager with the Broadway Group in Huntsville, Ala., speaks during a public hearing Tuesday about the company’s request for a variance for parking at a proposed new store in Albion. Behind him are members of the Albion Zoning Board of Appeals, from left: Jeannette Riley, Tony Wynn, Chairman Craig Tuohey and Trellis Pore.
ALBION – The Village of Albion Zoning Board of Appeals approved a variance for a proposed Dollar General that would allow the company to have fewer parking spaces require din the village code.
The Broadway Group wants to build a new 10,640-square-foot Dollar General across from the high school. The building would be required to have at least 53 parking spaces as a retail business.
Broadway is proposing to have 35, which the company said is more than enough parking and would also allow for more green space on the site.
The village code requires one parking spot for every 200 square feet of building space.
The ZBA held a public hearing about the variance request on Tuesday afternoon. Many of the speakers said they didn’t think a Dollar General across from the school was a good fit. They also questioned if there was enough room on the lot for tractor trailers to make deliveries and then turnaround without backing out onto Route 31.
Craig Tuohey, the ZBA chairman, said the Zoning Board of Appeals was only dealing with the variance request for parking. The Village Planning Board will consider the traffic flow issues and truck turnaround as part of the site plan.
Now that the variance has been approved, the Broadway Group can work on detailed drawings for the site plan. That plan could be before the Village Planning Board in October or November.
Fred Piano and his wife Annette live two houses from the proposed location for the Dollar General. They questioned if there is enough space on the lot for tractor trailers to safely turn in and out of the site. Mrs. Piano also said the 4 p.m. public hearing wasn’t an ideal time to have a meeting for public input.
She said the variance sets a precedent for other projects where developers could seek a reduction in parking.
Trey Lewis, a development manager for the Broadway Group, said the state Department of Transportation has approved similar size driveways for Dollar General stores in New York, including some that are smaller than the proposed 36-foot-wide driveway for the Albion store.
The company works with Fagan Engineers in Elmira on many of its New York projects. Brian Grose from Fagan was on the phone for the hearing and noted the DOT approval for similar Dollar General stores. He said the site is big enough to accommodate tractor trailers in turning around on site.
Lewis said there would typically be two deliveries a week to the store.
The Broadway Group wants to knock down this building at 327 East Ave. and build a new 10,640-square-foot Dollar General across from the high school.
Mike Neidert, the Albion highway superintendent and a resident of East Avenue, urged the Broadway Group to consider another site in the village, rather than across from the school.
“Although it’s zoned commercial, this is a more neighborhood setting,” he said. “It might be zoned for it, but I don’t think it’s a good fit for it. The location isn’t the best.”
He suggested the other end of the village where there already are many retail businesses.
Putting a store across from the school spreads out the business district, encroaching on homes, he said.
“We’re losing our village to businesses that have more money than we do,” he said.
He noted Crosby’s knocked down a house recently next to its store at the intersection of routes 98 and 31, saying it would be used to add parking.
Another East Avenue resident, Jan Erakare, also questioned whether the site for a new Dollar General was a good fit for the community. He said there are already similar-type stores in Albion, but at least those are farther away from the school campus.
“It’s very dangerous to put these in front of a school,” he said.
Jason Dragon, an East Avenue resident, said the Dollar General will introduce more traffic delays on an already busy stretch. Allowing the variance for reduced parking will stay with the site long term, and there could be a different use at the site in the future.
“You should stick to the codes because future uses may very well need those parking spaces,” he said.
Tuohey, the ZBA chairman, said the village’s requirement of one space every 200 square feet may be too onerous. He would like the village to evaluate that threshold as part of a review of its comprehensive plan.
BATAVIA – Genesee Community College is proud to announce that it has been awarded a grant for the 2025 First-Generation College Celebration initiative.
GCC is the only school in New York State to receive this national recognition. The grant, provided by the Council for Opportunity in Education and FirstGen Forward with support from TIAA and the Strada Education Foundation, will enable GCC to further its commitment to supporting first-generation college students in our community.
“First-generation students embody determination, resilience, and the courage to pursue new paths for themselves and their families,” said Christina Mortellaro, director of the TRIO Adult Educational Opportunity Center at GCC. “This grant allows us to celebrate their accomplishments while expanding the support and resources they need to succeed, both in college and beyond.”
The First-Generation College Celebration, observed annually on November 8, highlights the experiences and achievements of first-generation students while addressing the systemic barriers they face in higher education. By receiving this grant, GCC reaffirms its dedication to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students.
COE President Kimberly Jones emphasized the significance of this initiative, stating, “First-generation college students bring unique perspectives and resilience to our campuses. This grant empowers institutions like GCC to continue providing the necessary resources and support for these students to thrive.”
Maurice Jones, CEO of FirstGen Forward, formerly the Center for First-generation Student Success, echoed these sentiments: “We are thrilled to partner with GCC and other institutions across the country to advance the success of first-generation college students. We’re especially grateful to TIAA and the Strada Education Foundation for their generous sponsorship of this grant, which represents an opportunity to catalyze innovative solutions and create lasting impact within our communities.”
Launched by COE and FirstGen Forward in 2017, the First-Generation College Celebration has united hundreds of college campuses across the country for an often-overlooked population through numerous events, including student rallies, faculty-led panel discussions, artistic performances, and more in recognition of first-generation students, administrators, faculty, and alumni.
GCC will host its First-Generation College Celebration on Wednesday, November 5, from 3 to 6 p.m. The event, presented in the style of a resource carnival, will be open to the public. Additional details will be available in the coming weeks.
For more information about GCC’s initiatives for first-generation college students, please contact Christina Mortellaro, director of the TRIO Adult Educational Opportunity Center at csmortellaro@genesee.edu or by calling 585-343-0055 x6491.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 September 2025 at 1:12 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – A garage was destroyed by a fast-moving fire late Tuesday night at 2806 Lattin Rd. in Gaines.
The fire melted some siding and the soffits on the house next to the garage, but the house was spared from serious damage.
There were no injuries to the three people and their two dogs at the house.
The fire badly damaged a pickup truck and also melted part of the front of a SUV.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 11:42 p.m. Firefighters from Albion, Carlton, Medina and Murray responded as well as Orleans County Emergency Management and fire investigators.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 September 2025 at 9:20 pm
‘It’s been great catching up with everybody.’
Photos by Tom Rivers: Lauren Ault serves a group of Holley girls food this afternoon at Sam’s Diner. Ault started at the diner about a decade ago. She and many other employees were grateful to be back at Sam’s for its reopening today. The restaurant had been closed since March 1, 2024 when the back wall collapsed at the historic building.
HOLLEY – It was a glorious, much anticipated day in Holley today. The village’s beloved diner reopened after being closed more than 18 months.
Many of the familiar friendly faces were back working at Sam’s, and customers were very happy to see them and settle in the cushioned seats in one of the booths.
Some of the staff at Sam’s Diner pose for a photo this afternoon on the reopening of the popular restaurant in Holley’s Public Square. In front from left include Dena Torcello from Skytab, Brittany Dearcap, Lauren Ault and Angela Gitsis. Back row: Jennifer Tardge, owner George Gitsis, Kim Hodom and Dave DiSalvo.
Sam’s was forced to close on the morning of March 1, 2024 when the back wall collapsed. That brick wall towered three stories and fell into a pile of rubble. No one was injured in the incident.
George Gitsis thanked contractors for making the necessary repairs to the wall of the historic building at 55 Public Square. He appreciates the community’s patience and their love for the diner established by his late father Sam Gitsis in 1978.
Sam’s had a soft reopening today without advertising, but it didn’t take long for word to spread it was back.
The community gave about $35,000 in a GoFundMe that Gitsis gave to his employees who were out of jobs after the restaurant had to close more than 18 months ago.
The back wall has been rebuilt, a new kitchen and register system put in and some cosmetic improvements. But to the delight of the customers coming in, Sam’s still feels very much like the last time they stepped inside.
Many of the employees are back. They stayed in touch with Gitsis and were eager to return to Sam’s.
Kim Hodom has worked as a waitress at Sam’s for 25 years. She was happy to reconnect with so many people today.
“It’s been great seeing all the past customers,” she said. “We missed them. It’s been great catching up with everybody.”
These high schoolers from Holley gathered at Sam’s this afternoon. They said they had fond memories of Sam’s and are grateful to have a place to meet in Holley and have a bite to eat.
“It’s very cozy,” said Haidynn Mullins.
From left include Mia Thom, Ava Moiser, Mya Brown, Angellina Church, Haidynn Mullins and Philomena Arnold.
The back brick wall collapsed on March 1, 2024 putting the future of Sam’s Diner in doubt. The wall has been repaired and other improvements have been made to the diner.
Sam’s reopened at 11 a.m. today. It will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Sam’s wanted a soft opening to get staff a chance to get back in the groove of serving the public.
George Gitsis has been a presence at Sam’s since he was a kid with his father running the diner.
George highlighted the work of contractors Joe Penna, Steve Morgan, Sub-Zero and J&J Electric in getting Sam’s Diner repaired and upgraded.
He knows the diner is important in the heart of Holley, and he is happy to reopen for the customers.
“I’ve been here pretty much my whole life,” he said. “We appreciate the support of this community.”
Angela Gitsis, George’s wife, also was happy to see so many customers back in the diner.
“They all came in with huge smiles,” she said. “They were very happy and excited. Everyone feels at home when they walk in here.”
50 artists to be featured at a dozen locations next year in Medina
Photo by Dawson Andrews for Medina Triennial – The former NAPA building at 345 North Main St. will serve as the headquarters for the Medina Triennial.
Press Release, Medina Triennial
MEDINA – The Medina Triennial, a new, site-responsive contemporary art triennial taking place in Medina from June 6 to September 7, 2026, announces the opening of the Medina Triennial Hub on Sept. 13–14, alongside the launch of Floating Garden, its first commission from ecological art pioneer Mary Mattingly.
The event marks the start of the Triennial’s community engagement leading up to its inaugural edition in 2026, which will feature over 50 artworks at approximately 12 indoor and outdoor locations in Medina, located on the historic Erie Canal waterfront in Western New York.
Located in a former sandstone hotel building at the heart of the village, the Hub will serve as the home of the Medina Triennial’s residency program and its education and welcome center.
From September 2025 until the Triennial’s closing in September 2026, the Hub will host public programs and events around themes of community, ecology, and place, in collaboration with art institutions across Western New York, and act as a platform for visitors to engage directly with the Triennial’s conceptual framework.
The Hub’s pre-Triennial programming includes 15 weekends of artist talks, workshops, screenings and panels, continuing the Triennial’s mission of fostering and promoting education in the arts, culture, regional history and ecology. The Fall program is available on the Triennial’s website.
“The Hub will be just the beginning of the astounding series of art installations, educational programs and cultural discussions that the Triennial will bring to Medina” says Mayor Marguerite Sherman. “We hope that these programs and this Triennial will strengthen the love and appreciation we have for this beautiful village, and unite Western New York over our shared passion of arts and culture.”
The design for the building’s furniture and renovated interiors was developed by the multidisciplinary design practice Serweta Peck, in collaboration with students, faculty, and staff from the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning.
Supported by the Sydney Gross Fund, this project titled Objects of Affection reflects a commitment to sustainability, site specificity, and resilience through the recovery and reuse of materials, including reclaimed wood from the New York State Canal system. Over the course of the spring and summer of 2025, the team developed, tested, and fabricated each piece as an original design object. Serweta Peck reflects: “We hope this work invites and encourages all of us to take material steps to take care of the spaces and objects that we visit, share and love.”
Mary Mattingly (b. 1978 Rockville, Connecticut) is an artist known for exploring urban ecology and interdependence through sculptural installations and participatory public artwork that address issues around water, food systems and climate adaptation.
Floating Garden is Mattingly’s most ambitious project to date. Continuing her research into food supply chains from celebrated past projects such as Swale (2016–ongoing), Mattingly’s new commission for the Medina Triennial will repurpose an industrial barge docked on the Erie Canal in Medina, where she will collaborate with local groups to build a mobile sanctuary featuring medicinal gardens, fruit orchards, and biochar-based water filtration systems intended to improve access to fresh food and local waterways.
Entering production in September 2025 and unveiled in its entirety on June 6, 2026, this project is deeply rooted in the natural landscape of Western New York and the rhythms of civic life, creating a functional artwork designed to enrich the surrounding community while reimagining the Erie Canal’s history as a vital foodway.
Beginning in September 2025, Floating Garden will serve as a living public artwork and educational resource, offering hands-on educational programs around soil health, food production, ecology and climate adaptation. This Fall’s programming will include a workshop on collecting and utilizing rainwater, a guided foraging walk, and a roundtable discussion with the curatorial team. The project’s programming is developed in partnership with Creative Time and Toronto Biennial of Art.
“I’m thrilled to begin building ‘Floating Garden’ with people in Medina, a place deeply connected to the waterways and foodways that have inspired this project,” said Mary Mattingly. “Building the piece here allows for important collaboration with the region’s ecologies and communities. It’s a chance to imagine, together, how floating infrastructure can support forms of public care and resilience, and how it can be a form of shared abundance and sanctuary within the climate crisis.”
Mattingly’s project is one of five Triennial commissions produced under the Medina Triennial Fieldwork Residency, a new initiative that allows artists to work directly on-site in Medina ahead of the Triennial’s opening. Artist James Beckett will join Mattingly as a resident this Fall. Beckett’s practice engages questions around the built environment, particularly how systems of production and distribution shape cultural identities.
Residents will be given time, space and resources within Medina, including a dedicated group of local experts—scientists, architects, artists, biologists, farmers, and small business owners from across Western New York—to support research, foster collaboration, and deepen community connections.
The model is designed to further tailor the Triennial’s commissions to the area through total immersion within the village and its environs. Additional residents will be announced later in 2025.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 9 September 2025 at 12:27 pm
(Left) Provided photo: The Rev. Randy LeBaron kneels with a sign along the path showing his parents during a previous Memory Walk in Holley. (Right) Brittany Dix, community outreach specialist at Hospice of Orleans and the Rev. Randy LeBaron, spiritual care/bereavement counselor, look over a flyer promoting Hospice of Orleans annual Memory Walk Sept. 21.
HOLLEY – Hospice of Orleans is giving the community a beautiful way to remember and honor loved ones, while enjoying refreshments and a leisurely walk to Holley Falls.
It was in 2019 when Community Outreach Specialist Brittany Dix came up with the idea for a Memory Walk as a good way to involve the community and promote their mission focus that they are there to support folks beyond the death of a loved one.
Spiritual Care and Bereavement Counselor the Rev. Randy LeBaron joined Hospice in 2022 and has been involved with the walks every year since.
“We try to have events which involve the entire county,” Dix said. “Holley Falls is such a great venue.”
This year’s Memory Walk is scheduled Sept. 21 with opening remarks at 1:30 p.m. at the Pond Pavilion, followed by the Memory Walk down to Holley Falls, where refreshments will be served at the Falls Pavilion. Attendees are asked to park at the Holley Pharmacy.
Registration will be outside the Historical Society in the train depot.
There is no cost to walk, however, Hospice requests each person RSVP by Sept. 15 for the event by visiting www.hospiceoforleans.org.
Hospice will also have registration forms available at the office or anyone can call Hospice at (585) 589-0809. Opportunities will be available to purchase memory signs, which will line the walk, and/or T-shirts.
“This is a ‘friendraising,’ event, rather than a fundraiser,” Dix said. “Randy has great support groups that many community members utilize, and this is just another way to demonstrate to the community, ‘We’re here for you.’ The event is open to anyone, whether they have been served by Hospice or not.”
“That also goes for our bereavement groups, as well,” the Rev. LeBaron said.
After registration, the Rev. LeBaron said the group will gather at the pavilion for a short prayer, where he will ask for those who would like their loved ones named. Several people will have golf carts to shuttle those who have difficulty walking.
After the Rev. LeBaron speaks, the walk will go to the first pavilion, where rock painting will be available. The walk will be lined with signs which have a picture and name of a lost loved one.
“There are whole families for which this has become an annual tribute to their loved ones,” the Rev. LeBaron said.
While there is no entrance fee, there are several levels of participation available for those who wish to support Hospice. A Memory Walk T-shirt can be purchased for $20; a sign with a picture of a loved one and a message costs $25; and $45 will buy a Memory Walk T-shirt and a sign with a picture of the loved one and a message, placed along the Memory Walk path.
Last year’s walk was attended by 75 community members, not counting volunteers, Dix said.
“This is a great time of year – a nice time to get out in nature,” Dix said.
“Everyone is there for the same reason,” the Rev. LeBaron added.
When Dix said the walk has never been rained out, LeBaron said, “We pray a lot.”
He also reminds the public grief support groups for Orleans County meet at 4 p.m. at the Albion First Baptist Church, 30 West Park St. in Albion. Parking is available at a lot off Beaver Street. Sessions are scheduled Sept. 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9.
Photos by Tavi Moss: (Left) A bee hovers around a stuff goldenrod bloom at the Iroquois refuge’s new pollinator meadow. (Center) For the Pollinator Meadow dedication on Saturday, a group of UB students helped plant more native plantings and weeded the meadow pathways. (Right) UB sophomore Maddie Kennedy works an augur to dig a hole for a new ironweed planting under the supervision of Dave O’Donnell.
Press Release, Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
BASOM – Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge celebrated its new pollinator garden on Saturday at the Cayuga Overlook.
The meadow was mostly the work of Dave O’Donnell, president of the Eastern Monarch Butterly Farm in Clarence.
“This was a wonderful team effort, and we will continue to enhance this area to benefit pollinators and other wildlife,” said O’Donnell. “The vision was to create a minimal, maintenance, meadow. With funding from FINWR (Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge), and the support of USFW (US Fish & Wildlife Service) staff and volunteers, we have accomplished this.”
A group of students from the University at Buffalo attended and saw a butterfly banding — it’s really more of a sticker applied to a wing — planted some native plants, including ironweed, and contributed some much needed weeding to the path area.
FINWR President Richard Moss of Medina thanked the students for their efforts and O’Donnell for all his hard work on the project, which has been under way for at least three years. Moss also encourages the community at large to visit and make use of this new feature.
Dave O’Donnell, second from right, president of the Eastern Monarch Butterfly Farm in Clarence, tells a group of University at Buffalo students about some of the native plants he used in the refuge’s new pollinator garden.
The area where the pollinator meadow now exists had been part of the Cayuga Overlook parking lot, but the USFWS — which runs the refuge — decided that the lot was too big and let grass and hardpan take over a large section between the lot and Route 77. Using native plants and a lot of sweat, the area has been transformed into a small meadow with a path and benches where you can sit and watch the pollinators flit about.
Depending on conditions, the area is now abuzz with bees and other insects, and a walk through will send frogs and toads scurrying out of your way.
One of the cool events Saturday was O’Donnell’s demonstration of butterfly banding. O’Donnell, using a butterfly net, caught a pair of monarchs that were flying around the garden and showed how a tiny sticker with contact information can be applied to the wing of a butterfly so its journey can be traced if it is found in the future. These monarchs will be headed off to Mexico soon, one of nature’s epic migrations.
O’Donnell encouraged everyone to get involved in similar efforts to improve the environment.
“Now more than ever, with recent cuts to vital programs and services, we need to increase our presence and protect our environment for future generations,” O’Donnell said. “I encourage everyone to lend a hand and support these organizations however you can.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 September 2025 at 8:55 am
New chief brings 37 years of experience in fire and emergency medical services
Photos by Tom Rivers: Steve Cooley salutes retired Medina fire chief Tom Lupo after Cooley was sworn in as new fire chief on Monday. Cooley’s wife Becky is at wife and held the Bible for the oath of office.
Provided photo: Steve Cooley is the new fire chief for Medina.
MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department has a new fire chief to lead the only career fire department in Orleans County.
Steve Cooley has served the Medina FD for 15 years and has 37 years of experience in fire and emergency medical services. Cooley has been the officer in charge at the department since Matt Jackson stepped down as chief in June. Jackson now works as a firefighter in Batavia.
Cooley has been a lieutenant with Medina since January 2019. He thanked his family for their sacrifices in a career that has often kept him from family celebrations.
Cooley started his career as a junior firefighter with the Middleport Volunteer Fire Company in 1988. He rose through the ranks at Middleport and served as chief there from 2007 to 2010. He joined Medina as a firefighter/paramedic in 2010.
Cooley was sworn in as the new chief after being appointed by the Village Board on Monday evening.
He thanked his parents and siblings for “believing in me and letting me chase my dreams.” He has wanted to be a firefighter since he was a little kid.
Cooley said he has been very fortunate to have many mentors, instructors and officers who have been influential in his career. Tom Lupo, who served as Medina fire chief from 2016 to 2019, attended Cooley’s swearing in. Cooley said the retired chief is at the “head of the list” of mentors for the new chief.
Cooley leads a career department with 16 other full-time staff. That is down by four from the spring when the Village Board reduced four positions in the department. The board said it needs to reduce the operating costs for the department, which responds to about 2,500 calls a year, the vast majority of which are EMS.
Cooley said he will strive to give the department the tools and training it needs to serve the community.
And for people in the Medina community, “rest assured we will meet your needs in times of emergency,” Cooley said in remarks after his swearing in.
Steve Cooley’s son Steven pins the collar brass on Medina’s new fire chief during a ceremony on Monday at the Ridgeway Town Hall after the Medina Village Board appointed Cooley as the fire chief. Cooley’s daughter Andrea is at right and his wife Becky is at left.
Cooley will be paid $77,000 as the fire chief. In addition to serving at Middleport and Medina, he worked for Lasalle/Rural Metro Ambulance from 1992-2005, becoming a paramedic in 1997. He later worked for Mercy Flight as a flight paramedic from 2005-2010.
In Medina as lieutenant, he oversaw the EMS operations. He also was the Medina Fire Department representative to Orleans County EMS Council (currently vice chairman), the Big Lakes Council, representative for Orleans County Crisis intervention team steering committee, and current vice chairman of the Orleans County Local Emergency Planning Committee.
He has been a fire investigator since 2018 for Orleans County and the senior investigator for the Medina Fire Investigation Unit. Cooley also has been municipal fire instructor, youth fire setter interventionalist, past president of Medina Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2161 and past president of the Medina Firefighters Benevolent Association.
Steve Cooley is congratulated by Village Trustee Scott Bieliski after Cooley was appointed Medina’s fire chief on Monday.
