By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 August 2025 at 11:36 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Jay Grasso, owner of G&G Municipal Consulting and Grant Writing in Spencerport, goes over the state’s Vacant Rental Rehabilitation Program Grant which has a maximum award of $2.5 million per application.
MEDINA – The villages of Albion and Medina are joining in a combined effort to secure $2.5 million from the state to rehabilitate vacant rental units for housing.
The state started offering the Vacant Rental Rehabilitation Program Grant last year, said Jay Grasso, owner of G&G Municipal Consulting and Grant Writing in Spencerport. G&G is the grantwriter for both Albion and Medina.
The state is offering the program to boost housing opportunities. Grasso said both villages have units that could use the funding to help make them more inviting for prospective tenants.
Orleans County also has a shortage of residential units, according to a housing study commissioned by the Orleans County United Way.
The Village of Albion will be the lead agency for the grant. Medina on Monday agreed to have Mayor Marguerite Sherman send a letter of support. The Albion Village Board backed the application on Aug. 13.
Grasso said the two villages working together improves the chances of a successful grant application.
“If Medina were to apply for $2.5 million on their own you wouldn’t get it,” Grasso told the Medina Village Board. “For a village alone it’s too big of a chunk of money.”
If Albion and Medina are approved for the funding, Grasso anticipates each village would get about $1.1 million. The other $300,000 would go towards lead and asbestos remediation, and administration of the grant, Grasso said.
G&G currently is administering a Vacant Rental Rehabilitation Program Grant in Ontario County that includes several communities.
The grant can pay up to $75,000 to rehab each unit. That could be a single-family house or apartments. No match is needed from the landlord.
The goal is to turn space that is currently uninhabitable or unmarketable into safe, quality, and affordable rental units.
Eligible projects could include health and safety improvements, correction of code violations, plumbing, electrical, roof and windows, environmental cleanup (lead/asbestos), accessibility upgrades and general improvements to make habitable.
Grasso said the grant would be a big boost for housing opportunities in both Albion and Medina.
“This is a much stronger application doing it jointly,” he said. “My goal is to keep it fair. You both have similar needs.”
The grant is due by 4 p.m. on Sept. 9. The program is not available for rental units in New York City.
The program is funded by the state through the Office of Community Renewal.
For more on the Vacant Rental Rehabilitation Program Grant, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 August 2025 at 9:07 am
Retiring chief will join Major Felony Crime Task Force
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Mayor Marguerite Sherman presents a plaque to Todd Draper in appreciation for a 21-year career with the Medina Police Department.
Draper is retiring on Friday as Medina police chief. He has been in that role for about two years. He was previously a lieutenant and the department’s K9 handler.
“We appreciate all that you’ve done,” Mayor Sherman told Draper during Monday’s Village Board meeting. “It’s not an easy job.”
Draper will be joining the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force as an investigator. Sherman said she is happy he will continue to be working in law enforcement within the county.
The Village Board will interview six candidates for police chief with three interviews on Sept. 2 and then three more on Sept.9.
“Twenty one years is a long time,” Trustee Jess Marciano said about Draper’s career with the Medina PD. “He’s been a dedicated department head. He’ll be missed.”
Medina Police Chief Todd Draper accepts a plaque in appreciation of his service to the Medina Police Department the past 21 years.
Photo from Medina PD: This Glock-style pistol with 21 bullets was discovered by Medina police officers on Nasir Shine on Monday.
MEDINA – A Medina man is facing multiple weapons charges as well as resisting arrest after police officers responded to a menacing complaint on Monday afternoon.
Police were dispatched to 751 Church St. at 12:25 p.m. A caller reported a man had pulled a gun and threatened multiple individuals, Medina Police Chief Todd Draper said in a news release.
While officers were in the area responding to the incident they located a man leaving the residence who matched the description of the suspect. When officers attempted to detain him, he resisted, Draper said.
The man, Nasir Shine, was taken into custody and transported to the Medina police station. A search of his backpack revealed a black Glock-style pistol with an extended magazine. This firearm didn’t have a serial number and was loaded with twenty-one 9mm bullets, Draper said. A search warrant followed at 751 Church St. and a BB gun also was located.
Shine, age 23, was charged with resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration, Class A misdemeanors; criminal possession of a weapon in the 3rd degree, an E felony; criminal possession of a weapon in the 3rd degree, previously convicted of a crime, D felony; and criminal possession of a weapon in the 3rd degree, large capacity ammunition feeding device, a D felony.
A 17-year-old also was charged with menacing in the 2nd degree, reckless endangerment 2nd degree, and endangering the welfare of a child, all Class A misdemeanors.
Shine was transported to the Orleans County Jail for centralized arraignment while the 17-year-old was issued a juvenile appearance ticket.
The investigating officers from Medina PD include Lt. Christian Navas, and officers Dustin Meredith, Miles Erickson and Tanner Ferris. Investigator Brian Marsceill from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the investigation.
MEDINA – Two teens, one 17 and the other 13, are facing multiple charges after they allegedly displayed handguns and robbed someone of $300.
The Medina Police Department reports it was dispatched to a robbery on Aug. 21 at 3:57 p.m. on the sidewalk at 729 Church St.
The victim told police that two people displayed guns, one a Glock 17 while the other did not appear to be a real firearm.
Following an investigation, the Medina PD today charged the 17-year-old and 13-year-old both with robbery in the second degree, aided by another, a Class C felony; robbery 2nd, displaying what appears to be a firearm, a Class C felony; conspiracy 4th, a Class E felony; endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor; reckless endangerment 2nd, a Class A misdemeanor; and menacing 2nd with a weapon, a Class A misdemeanor.
Per state law, the 13-year-old was released on a juvenile appearance ticket while the 17-year-old was transported to arraignment through youth court.
The investigating officers included Brandon Brown, Dustin Meredith, Tanner Ferris and Nick Joy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 August 2025 at 2:29 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: Terry Buchwald portrays Elvis and rides a motorcycle down Main Street in Medina on Aug. 28, 2024 for the Super Cruise. The big cruise-in is back Wednesday in Medina with Elvis.
MEDINA – The super cruise will be back on Wednesday with perennial Elvis impersonator, Terry Buchwald. About 250 classic vehicles are expected for the special cruise-in on a Main Street in Medina.
The section of Main Street north of Center Street will be closed off to traffic. Classic cars are asked not to arrive before 5 p.m. They should enter the street from the north entrance by the American Legion or the west entrance by Zambistro off Pearl Street.
All makes and models are welcome, said Rollin Hellner, who has helped coordinate the cruise-in this year. Most of the events have been on Friday evenings at 615 West Ave., the parking lot for the senior center across from The Walsh.
Hellner owns The Walsh, which is the sponsor of the cruise-ins for the second year.
There will be awards in 20 categories including:
Best Custom Truck – All years
Best Custom Car – All years
Best Modern American Car – Post 1985
Best Original/Stock – All years
Best Muscle Car – All years
Best Drift Build – All years
Best 4×4 – All years
Best Lowrider – All years
Best Motorcycle – All years
Best Street/Hot Rod – All years
Best Ford/Mercury – All years
Best Mopar – All years
Best GM – All years
Best Jeep – All years
Best European – All years
Best JDM – All years
Best Sports Car – All years
Sponsor’s Choice (The Walsh) – All years
Judge’s Choice – All years
Best In Show – All years
It cost $10 to enter a vehicle for the judging. There is no charge for the public to come check out the cars and listen to the music.
Photo by Isabella Zasa: Orly the Ox rides a hydro-bike on the Erie Canal in Medina on July 18. Orly has been highlighting fun things to do and local history and heritage this year as the Orleans County bicentennial mascot.
Provided photo: Derek Maxfield, GCC associate professor of History, will be presenting “Dr. Benjamin Rush, America’s Forgotten Founding Father” during a lecture on Sept. 3.
BATAVIA – The “Historical Horizons” lecture series at Genesee Community College will feature a forgotten founding father and also a bicentennial mascot.
The GCC History Club has announced the Fall 2025 Historical Horizons Lecture Series. There are two speakers and both events on Sept. 3 and Nov. 5 begin at 7 p.m. They are free and open to the public.
Derek Maxfield, GCC associate professor of History, will be presenting “Dr. Benjamin Rush, America’s Forgotten Founding Father” on Sept. 3 in room T119 in the Conable Technology Building.
One of the most fascinating men to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Dr. Benjamin Rush, nevertheless is often the forgotten founding father. Educated in Europe, Rush was one of the most educated men in America.
His medical practice would be one of the most robust in Philadelphia – though his practices have been controversial. One of his greatest contributions was pioneering treatment for mental illness. Come hear about this remarkable man.
Tom Rivers
Tom Rivers, editor of Orleans Hub, will be presenting “The Tale of Orly: How a Historic Ox Walked, Talked & Charmed a County into Learning its History” on Nov. 5 in room T102 in the Conable Technology Building.
Orleans County’s new mascot, Orly the Ox, has made a splash during anniversary celebrations and has been a visible reminder of the county’s birthday. Rivers will discuss the origins of Orly and the anniversary of Orleans County.
Rivers has been part of the Orleans County Bicentennial Committee for the county’s 200th anniversary this year. Rivers also is part of the “Orly Team” where Orly the Ox has an active social media presence and also attends many events in the community as the bicentennial mascot and a county ambassador.
Isabella Zasa of the Orleans County Tourism Department also often portrays Orly, photographs him and creates many of his social media posts and videos.
Orly has helped present Orleans County history in a new and fun way. Click here to see some of his adventures on the Orleans County Tourism Facebook page.
Tom lives in Albion with his wife Marsha. They have four children. The Rivers family has embraced the Orly character and worn the outfit for some of the different events.
Photo by Tom Rivers: In May, Orly stopped by the original canal loop in Holley. This is a rare section of the canal remaining from when the original was complete. Most of the original was widened several times. In Holley, the original loop was near the Public Square, but was later straightened out from 1854 to1861 to create a shorter, more navigable waterway. A new section of the canal was built over a very high and long embankment.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 August 2025 at 10:53 am
Dr. Heather Lyon meets with school staff and stakeholders to identify strengths and challenges
Photos by Tom Rivers: Dr. Heather Lyon goes over Lyndonville students’ results on the recent state tests in grades 3-8 for ELA, math and science. Lyon said she will do a monthly focus on student performance for the Board of Education.
Dr. Heather Lyon attended her first Board of Education meeting as Lyndonville superintendent last week.
LYNDONVILLE – The school district’s new superintendent thanked the staff and community for a warm welcome.
Dr. Heather Lyon started on Aug. 1 as the new district leader, following the retirement of Sharon Smith.
“I couldn’t feel more welcomed to Lyndonville,” Lyon told the Board of Education last week. “Everyone has been so kind and I feel like the red carpet was rolled out. This makes me even more excited for students and teachers to return.”
Lyon has classroom teacher, staff developer, principal and school district leader. She most recently was coordinator of Assessment and Data at Gates Chili Central School District.
She said she looks forward to working with the board, administration and staff on building on student successes and also improving on challenges.
She said she will present data each month to the board on student performance and participation. This month she focused on the state assessment tests for grades 3 to 8. She said next month will likely be a close look at results of the Regents tests.
Lyon went over the state testing results which generally shows Lyndonville about on par with the state-wide scores.
To be considered proficient, students need to score at levels 3 or 4.
Charts from Lyndonville Central School: Lyndonville is very close to the state-wide proficiency rates for ELA, math and science.
State-wide assessments for students in grades 3-8 show:
ELA – 53 percent of students statewide are proficient, up by 7 percent
Math – 55 percent are proficient went, up by 3 percent
Science – 44 percent are proficient (up by 9 percent)
Lyndonville results:
ELA – 51 percent are proficient, down from 54 percent in 2024. The district had 13 percent of students at the lowest level of 1 (down from 17 percent in 2024). There were 36 percent at level 2, up from 30 percent, with 35 at level 3 (compared to 41 percent in 2024) and 16 percent at level 4 (compared to 13 percent in 2024).
Math – 56 proficient in 2025, up 7 percent from the 49 percent in 2024. Lyndonville had 17 percent ent at level 1 (down from 20 percent), 28 percent at level 2 (down from 31 percent), 45 percent at level 3 (up from 38 percent) and 11 percent at level 4 in both 2024 and 2025.
Science – 43 percent proficient in 2025 (up from 29 percent in 2024). Lyndonville reports that 8 percent were at the lowest level of 1 in 2025 (up from 18 percent in 2024), 51 percent at level 2 (40 percent in 2024), 38 percent at level 3 (20 percent a year earlier) and 5 percent at level 4 (down from 9 percent).
Lyon presented this summary of findings which show a drop in proficiency in ELA and math as students move into middle school years.
Lyon said she and district staff are analyzing cohort data, and other factors in the results, which became available on Aug. 11.
Lyndonville administrators and teachers will be looking at students “on the bubble” of being considered proficient and try to get them to move from level 2 to 3, she said.
The superintendent looked back at Lyndonville’s ELA results over several years and noted the district has better scores now than before the Covid pandemic in 2020. “Not many school districts can say that,” she said.
The science scores only reflected students in grades 5 and 8. Dr. Aaron Slack, the junior-senior high school principal, said many of the top students in eighth grade don’t take the science or math assessment tests because they are already taking advanced courses. The state doesn’t “double test” students in eighth grade.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 August 2025 at 9:02 am
Board was deadlocked in July on electing a president, VP
Photos by Tom Rivers: Patrick Whipple led the Board of Education meeting last week in Lyndonville after he was elected to be the group’s president in a 4-3 vote.
LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Board of Education picked a president and vice president to lead the group for the 2025-26 school year.
The election happened about a month later than usual after the board was tied in 3-3 votes on July 15.
Last week the board had all seven members in attendance and Patrick Whipple was elected the president and George Avery is the vice president. They each received four votes.
Whipple will succeed Jerod Thurber as president. Thurber didn’t seek to continue as the board leader due to increased commitments in his professional life. Avery succeeds Megan Bruning as VP.
On July 15, the president’s position was between Whipple and board newcomer, Joanne Suhr. They each received three votes.
On Aug. 19, it was Whipple and Megan Bruning vying for the top spot. Whipple received votes from himself, Thurber, Vern Fonda and George Avery, while Bruning was backed by herself, James Houseman and Suhr.
Whipple thanked the board for backing him. He also welcomed the district’s new superintendent, Dr. Heather Lyon, and said he supports her push for data-driven analysis. The new superintendent said she will do a deep dive each month on statistics measuring student performance. Last week she went over Lyndonville’s most recent grades 3-8 state testing results.
Whipple works as the director of professional learning services for the Genesee Valley BOCES. Two of his children are Lyndonville graduates.
For vice president, Whipple’s supporters all backed Avery. Joanne Suhr was backed for vice president with three votes – from herself, Bruning and Houseman.
Suhr is a retired teacher from Lyndonville. Her husband Harold served on the board for 21 years. His term ended on June 30.
Bruning said Mrs. Suhr would bring a new balance to the board’s leadership with perspective as a long-time teacher at Lyndonville.
Mrs. Suhr said the board leadership needs to consider the opinions of all board members and strive to be transparent in its decision-making for the full board.
Avery said he is honored to serve as vice president.
“I will try to ensure the best team possible and that we’re doing the right things for the district,” he said.
Vern Fonda takes the oath of office as a member of the Board of Education. The oath was administered by Megan Bruning, a member of the board.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 August 2025 at 7:54 am
Photo by Cheryl Wertman: The Lyndonville community celebrated Mark Hughes’ 50 years as a Tigers baseball coach on May 20, 2022. Hughes was a much-loved Lyndonville coach and teacher who passed away at age 75 on June 4.
LYNDONVILLE – The donations keep coming in for a memorial scholarship in honor of Mark Hughes, a Lyndonville teacher and coach.
Hughes died on June 4 at age 75. Since then, nearly $40,000 has been donated to a memorial scholarship in his name.
The district received 98 donations towards the Mark Hughes Memorial Scholarship, totaling $17,215, in the first month after he passed away. Then another $21,742 came to the district office for the scholarship.
It’s an unusual situation to have money pouring in before the parameters of a scholarship have been set up, school officials. Lyndonville will work with Hughes family on criteria and the process for awarding the scholarships in the future.
The scholarship funds could be managed by the Lyndonville Area Foundation, which oversees several scholarships in the community.
Megan Bruning, a Lyndonville Board of Education member, said the numerous donations are tribute to Hughes and the a generous community.
“This will provide some amazing opportunities for our students for years to come,” she said during last week’s Board of Education meeting.
Hughes was hired in 1972 as a teacher and coach. During that time, Hughes was an integral part of seven sectional titles, 17 league titles and two trips to the state tournament as part of the baseball program.
Hughes was involved in many community efforts, including the Lyndonville Lions Club, where he played key roles with the Fourth of July fireworks, chicken barbecue and parade.
Donations may be made to the Mark Hughes Memorial Scholarship, payable to the Lyndonville Central School District, 25 Housel Ave. Lyndonville, NY 14098.
Photos courtesy of Richard Moss: NY State Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt, left, presents a state Senate Commendation Award to Carl Zenger of Lockport. At right are Julie Hain and Dave Zenger, two of Zenger’s children who came from out of state to witness the presentation.
By Richard Moss, President of the Friends of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
LOCKPORT – Carl Zenger of Lockport has received a New York state Senate commendation from Minority Leader Sen. Robert G. Ortt in recognition of Zenger’s volunteer work at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.
Zenger, a retired mechanical engineer, has been recognized by peers, staff and the community for his unparalleled dedication to conservation. Since starting his volunteer journey in 1997, Zenger, 87, has invested over 45,000 hours — equivalent to over 22 years of a full-time employee. This all occurred after his full-time career.
Zenger also served as a volunteer firefighter for most of his adult life. So volunteering is in his blood, as Ortt put it Friday, when he presented the award at his Lockport offices.
“If everyone gave 45,000 hours – heck, if everyone gave 5,000 hours – we’d be in a much better place,” Ortt said in citing Zenger’s achievement.
(Left) Carl Zenger displays his state Senate Commendation Certificate. (Center) The state Senate Commendation coin. (Right) State Senate Commendation Award desk plaque presented to Carl Zenger.
Ortt presented Zenger with a certificate, a state Senate commendation coin, and a desk plaque he can display.
“I counted it up and I’ve woken up at 5:30 a.m. to go to the refuge 5,000 times,” said Zenger, who is usually the first one at the refuge in the morning.
Zenger said he is extremely proud of the purple martin nesting program he helped start at the refuge. He also has been heavily involved in the bluebird and kestrel nesting programs at the refuge. But he also does a lot of maintenance work, mowing and plowing, and servicing the tractors. He also has built hundreds of bluebird houses over the years.
Among the accolades Zenger has been receiving is being named Refuge Volunteer of the Year in the 2025 National Wildlife Refuge Awards by the National Wildlife Refuge Association. That national award will be formally presented on Oct. 15 during an invitation-only luncheon at Bent’s Opera House in Medina, said Richard Moss, president of the Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, who is helping organize that event.
Zenger was also named 2024 Volunteer of the Year for the Northeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and has been recognized by Congresswoman Claudia Tenney for his commitment to the community.
