Photo courtesy of Orleans County Sheriff’s Office

ALBION – Before the Christmas holiday corrections officers at the Orleans County Jail delivered presents from the jail staff to students at Albion Central School.

The photo shows from left: corrections officer Nick Issac, Middle School Principal Brad Pritchard and corrections officer Doug Ashbery.

Stephanie Volpe, a nurse at the school, teamed with counselors and social workers at the school to direct the presents to several local families.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature opened up the county wallet last week and approved some funding for the Cobblestone Museum and the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum.

The Cobblestone Museum will receive $3,000 and the Lighthouse $1,500 with the funds coming from the county’s bed tax, the 4 percent tax on lodging.

The county has used the bed tax to fund tourism efforts, with the thinking that would bring more visitors to the county who would spend more at local businesses.

County Legislator Bill Eick of Shelby, who moved the resolution for money for the two organizations, said they both welcome visitors to the county and are key assets to the community.

The Cobblestone Museum has received $3,000 before in contingency funds from the county during a year-end meeting. This is the first time the Oak Orchard Ligththouse is getting money directly from the county since soon after the 35-foot-high structure was built in 2010.

Editor’s Note: Peg Wiley, one of the leaders of the effort to build the lighthouse, said the county provided $5,000 soon after it was built to help cover some of the contingencies related to the project.

The Cobblestone Museum has asked to be a line item in the county budget with an annual commitment from the county but that hasn’t happened.

The museum is working on developing a new visitors’ center at the corner of routes 98 and 104 that will be used to promote sites throughout the county.

The museum has raised $800,000 towards the project. Legislator Don Allport of Gaines cast the lone vote against county funding for the two organizations. He said he sees the Cobblestone Museum’s fundraising success as a sign it doesn’t need any help from the county.

He also said the county helped with the lighthouse at Point Breeze when it constructed in 2010.

“They’ve raised close to a million dollars,” he said about the Cobblestone Museum. “The $3,000 was supposed to be one time and it’s become a permanent part of the county budget.”

Eick said the Cobblestone Museum and Lighthouse are both iconic sites in the county, and are attractions.

“This is just to help them out,” Eick said.

The Cobblestone Museum, a National Historic Landmark, is working to development a visitors’ center at the corner of routes 104 and 98 in Gaines. The project would include a new addition to the historic brick house, and will give year-round access to the museum.

The Lighthouse hasn’t been able to raise its usual funding to help with the costs of operating the site.

“They have bills that have to be taken care of,” Eick said.

Chris Manaseri, vice president of the Lighthouse Museum’s board of directors, said the organization also is receiving $1,500 from the Town of Carlton and $600 from the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association. This is the first time the Lighthouse organization has asked for financial assistance from the town and county since soon after the site was constructed.

“Our organization has operated for a dozen years entirely on donations and grants,” he said.

The organization has about $5,500 in annual expenses with insurance, accounting, reporting and WiFi access.

“We’re very thankful to the town, the county and the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association for supporting this icon in the community,” Manaseri said. “This will help us to use this year to adjust some things.”

For many years Dick Anderson spearheaded successful fundraisers.

“He was the face of the lighthouse for many years,” Manaseri said.

Anderson passed away on Oct. 3 at age 84. Many of the fundraisers since 2020 were cancelled because of the Covid pandemic.

Manaseri said the Lighthouse Museum doesn’t want to seek annual funding from the town and county, but finds itself in need of some assistance right now.

The group has a dedicated core of volunteers who keep the site open on the weekends during warm-weather months.

“We draw a lot of attention on weekends,” he said. “Often we have 50 people on the weekends who climb the ladder inside the lighthouse and ring the bell.”

The Oak Orchard Lighthouse is a landmark at Point Breeze.

The Cobblestone Museum welcomes the $3,000 from the county, said Doug Farley, the museum’s director.

“I am very pleased that Orleans County is providing a $3,000 tourism appropriation for the Cobblestone Museum,” Farley said. “For our part, we are very committed to increasing tourism in the county as demonstrated by our recent purchase of our Visitors Center which will provide year-round tourism promotion and provide important tourism services to the traveling public.”

The Cobblestone Museum is a caretaker of artifacts from throughout the county. The site is the only National Historic Landmark in Orleans County.

The Holland Land Office Museum, a National Historic Landmark in Batavia, receives $38,554 in direct support from Genesee County.

The Orleans County Legislature on Nov. 30 passed a $93.7 million county budget for 2023. That budget provides funding for the following agencies or organizations in the county: $240,000 for the Cornell Cooperative Extension; $200,000 for the Orleans Economic Development; $95,000 for Soil & Water Conservation District; $10,000 to be shared among four public libraries; $5,000 for Mercy Flight; $4,000 for the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council; and $1,000 for the Sportsman’s Federation.

MEDINA – Medina’s Comfort Inn and Suites proved to be a refuge for nearly 100 people during the Christmas blizzard.

Employees who reported for work on Christmas Day are still there, working 12-hour shifts. Two front desk employees, two housekeepers and hotel manager Steve Nichols have been running the hotel. Other employees could not make it into work because of the rough road conditions in the blizzard.

The hotel’s 56 hotel rooms were full during the blizzard, with eight other people staying on cots in in the conference room. About 80 others stayed inside at times to get warm until they could be moved to the shelter at the Oak Orchard Primary School.

“After learning how many hotels were closed in the area, including in Pembroke, I’m just glad we were able to help as many people as we could,” Nichols said.

About 15 people from the Iroquois Job Corps were dropped off at the hotel, after the Job Corps’ pipes froze and broke, and the facility was evacuated Saturday with no heat. The Job Corps students and staff have been helping wherever they could, said a hotel employee.

On Saturday morning, the Salvation Army brought an emergency supply of food and Medina Central School gave food from their kitchens to feed those stranded at the hotel.

The hotel usually provides breakfast for its guests, and upped that to three meals a day during the blizzard with the extra food brought from the school.

Nichols said Mayor Mike Sidari and his family lost power at their home and stayed at the hotel. Sidari was instrumental in getting cots and extra food at the hotel, as well as asking the fire department to help transport some of the people to the school, Nichols said.

“The mayor is now an honorary team member,” Nichols said. “He acted as an ambassador for Medina and the hotel. He was awesome.”

MEDINA – Western New York’s Christmas blizzard is one that won’t be forgotten by many people, especially Medina Fire Department personnel, staff at Medina Memorial Hospital and one Medina family.

Medina Fire Chief Matt Jackson shared one of his department’s most heroic rescues on the department’s Facebook page.

He describes how the storm started on Dec. 23 and increased in vengeance overnight. The crew kept the department clear of snow, and continued to respond to emergencies. In his words, here is what transpired in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve:

“One of these emergencies was for a woman in labor, with contractions only minutes apart. With zero visibility and up to seven-foot snowdrifts in the middle of the roads, this crew determined it was unsafe and next to impossible to transport to a hospital with an OB unit,” Jackson wrote. “After consulting with the professionals at Medina Memorial Hospital, it was determined the best thing was to transport the woman there, where the knowledge and experience of their staff would take over. A short time later, a baby was born and both baby and mama were happy and healthy.”

This is the first baby born at Medina Memorial Hospital in more than 10 years.

In a phone call to the fire hall today, Captain Jonathan Higgins explained the father, with their three children in the back seat, was taking his wife to United Memorial Hospital, when they got stuck in a snow bank on Route 63 in Shelby. After getting the mother to Medina hospital, Higgins and a crew returned to the van and rescued the rest of the family, taking them all to the hospital.

Shortly after that, before dawn, another crew responded to a call and needed a plow to escort them to the scene. There was no way the ambulance would have made it without that plow escort, due to the size of the drifts building up in the streets and roads.

“After conferring with the director of Emergency Management before sunrise, we knew that a storm of this magnitude had the potential for serious and even deadly consequences,” Jackson said about Justin Niederhofer, EMO director. “His coordination and communication with all county entities played an important role in getting out of this thing unscathed. After navigating the streets in the village, I began to wonder if we would even be able to respond anymore without getting stuck and needing to abandon our vehicles. Fortunately, due to the dedication of the members of our team, we were able to continue responding throughout the day as needed.”

Around noon on Dec. 24, a county-wide driving ban was put into place. The only people who should have been on the roads were essential workers, Jackson said. Even in this case, he said many public safety and nursing staff were unable to get to and from work because travel was unsafe. Many people were stranded in the village and some at the Comfort Inn in Medina.

The fire department transported some of the workers to the hospital and nursing homes to ensure they had adequate staffing, Jackson said.

He commended a local woman and her daughter who offered to stay in a warming center at Oak Orchard Elementary School and was there for hours. Another village resident volunteered for multiple hours to oversee the warming center, so the mother and daughter could go home to check things there.

Jackson praised the concern of the mayor, Mike Sidari, and the firefighters and police officers who slept overnight at the firehouse to make sure the next shifts were covered.

“I am grateful and proud of our fire department and I am thankful for every agency and every person who stepped up during these 48 hours that we will all remember,” Jackson said.

During that 48-hour period, during which Medina recorded 15.4 inches of snow, 54-mile per hour winds, zero visibility and sub-zero wind chills, the Medina Fire Department crews handled 58 recorded calls for service, which does not include well over 200 check welfare and civilian assist calls.

Captain Higgins added his gratitude to fellow first responders and hospital staff, who worked throughout the whole storm.

“This was some of the worse weather I’ve ever seen,” Higgins said.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Caleb Beltran, 7, of Albion walks up the sledding hill at Bullard park today. He was there with his father Eladio and three sisters.

They were among about 30 people from Harvest Christian Fellowship who went sledding at Bullard, and then had hot cocoa and snacks at the church across from the park on Route 31.

Hady Belton, 16, of Albion (left) leads a group headed down the sledding hill. Next to her is Christine Tapp, 46, of Albion who said today was her first time sledding in about 20 years.

“It’s awesome,” Tapp said.

The snow won’t last too long because the temperatures will be well above freezing in the coming days with a high of 39 on Wednesday, 45 on Thursday and 53 on Friday.

Jayem Beltran, 7, of Albion made it to the deeper snow on some of her sledding treks.

BARRE – The Barre Town hall reopened to the public today, but the site doesn’t have internet or phone service, Town Supervisor Sean Pogue said.

He said Spectrum is working to restore service soon.

LOCKPORT – Niagara County Sheriff Michael J. Filicetti has released the name of the man from Lockport who died from carbon monoxide poisoning on Christmas.

Timothy M. Murphy of the Town of Lockport succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning. Kathy D. Murphy of the Town of Lockport remains hospitalized in the ICU at St. Mary’s hospital, Filicetti said in a news release.

The Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to Dogwood Drive at 9:13 a.m. on Sunday after a report that two people were unconscious at the residence.

Responding units found the residence overcome with carbon monoxide. Mr. Murphy was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The sheriff said that heavy snow covered the external furnace causing carbon monoxide to enter the residence.

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the full reopening of the New York State Thruway (I-90), I-290, I-190 (Niagara County section and Erie County section north of I-290), I-990, State Routes 400 and 219 this morning in the wake of one of the most consequential snowstorms in New York State history.

Department of Transportation and Thruway maintenance forces, in coordination with first responders and local governments, have worked feverishly over the last few days to clear the roads of snow and abandoned vehicles to ensure that these highways could reopen as quickly as possible. Work remains to be done on the remaining Erie County sections of I-190 and State Routes 5, 33, and 198, with expectations of reopening by tomorrow if not sooner.

All border crossings including the Peace Bridge, Rainbow Bridge and the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge have been reopened. Inbound traffic on the Peace Bridge will be directed to I-190 northbound and I-290 eastbound to access the New York State Thruway.

Inbound traffic from the Rainbow Bridge and Lewiston-Queenston Bridge can take I-190 southbound and I-290 eastbound to access the Thruway.

“With today’s reopening of major highways across Western New York, we are finally turning the corner on this once-in-a-generation storm,” Governor Hochul said. “That doesn’t mean we can let our guards down as it will take many more days for the region to dig out. But this is still good news and I urge motorists to drive carefully and cautiously, follow the rules of the road and be safe behind the wheel.”

Press Release, Orleans County government

Even though the weather has improved in Orleans County, the workers for Modern Disposal Services who live in Erie and Niagara counties are unable to get to work as they are still digging out from the weekend storm.

Therefore, Modern Disposal has suspended solid waste collection for Monday and Tuesday.

Modern Disposal will perform double collection beginning this Friday, and then next Monday and Tuesday for those scheduled routes.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this creates for our residents along the affected routes,” said Jack Welch, the Orleans County chief administrative officer. “We are very fortunate that Orleans County has been able to recover quicker than our neighboring counties where Modern Disposal employees live.”

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) announced that his office will be distributing free fuel weatherization kits courtesy of National Fuel Gas at select libraries in Orleans, Genesee, Monroe and Erie counties.

These kits will help New Yorkers to better afford the costs of heating their homes this winter.

“I am pleased to assist the constituents of my district to be better prepared for the winter this season,” said Hawley. “Living in this region for many years, I understand how difficult it can be to escape the temperatures of Western New York. I hope that these kits will help to protect families from the long winter to come.”

The kits are available at the following libraries:

• Community Free Library, 86 Public Square, Holley
• Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, 620 West Ave., Medina
• Hoag Library, 134 South Main St., Albion
• Yates Community Library, 15 North Main St., Lyndonville
• Byron Bergen Public Library, 13 South Lake Ave., Bergen
• Corfu Free Library, 7 Maple Ave., Corfu
• Haxton Memorial Library, 3 North Pearl St., Oakfield
• Richmond Memorial Library, 19 Ross St., Batavia
• Woodward Memorial Library, 7 Wolcott St., Le Roy
• Hollwedel Memorial Library, 5 Woodrow Dr., Pavilion
• Hamlin Public Library, 1680 Lake Rd N, Hamlin
• Seymour Library, 161 East Ave., Brockport
• Newstead Public Library, 33 Main St., Akron

National Grid has restored electricity to all of its customers in Orleans County who lost power during the blizzard.

The county had more than 5,000 customers without electricity during the storm. The last customer without power in Orleans was in Murray on Lake Road. National Grid has 19,624 customers in Orleans.

National Grid is reporting this morning that all of its Genesee County customers also have their power back, while 5,179 in Erie County and 86 in Niagara County are still to be restored.

MEDINA – The senior living community at Lakewood Village in Medina is very relieved to have the electricity back on. It went out around noon on Friday from powerful winds, with the temperature then plunging below freezing.

At the park a majority of residents use Spectrum for television, internet and phone. When the power went out, Spectrum also went down, leaving most of the residents without a way to communicate.

It wasn’t until Saturday afternoon when an ambulance call came in from Lakewood Village that officials learned the elderly residents of the park were getting desperate, without power or communication for more than 24 hours.

When the ambulance driver realized the seriousness of the situation, it was reported to Medina Fire Department, and firefighters started going door-to-door and evacuating the residents to Oak Orchard Elementary School, where a warming center had been set up.

Firefighter Steve Miller coordinated efforts and Tim Miller, Nick Lee, Lt. Steve Cooley, Dustin Pahura and Lt. Jacob Crooks knocked on nearly every door of the more than 100 residential units in the park. They were at the last house on Saturday when the power finally came on.

Miller has worked at the fire department since 2005, and this is the first time he has seen a situation like this, he said.

Shelby Fire Department also assisted in transporting people, after rescuing students and staff of the Job Corps.

One couple who lives in Lakewood Village chose to weather the storm at home. Hal and Carol Goodwin have a gas stove, which gives a minimal amount of heat with the oven door left open. Their water heater is gas, so they had hot water.

“We layered on the clothes, heated soup and other simple foods, and kept adding on the layers,” Hal said. “We had a small battery charger we use to charge the car and a small light we could charge, so we played games. Our house phone was out, but our cell phone was fully charged. We have a Dynamo radio, which we can crank up and it will run for a few minutes. We were not comfortable, but we were safe and content.”

On Saturday morning, their house was down to 42 degrees, and they began to consider going to the recreation hall in the park, which had heat and lights, Hal said. But first, he wanted to shovel out one of their cars they had left in the driveway, in case they had to leave.

When a firefighter stopped at his house Saturday afternoon, Hal told him they were considering going to the recreation hall, but he wanted to free his car first. The firefighter said if Hal called, they would come back and get them.

Hal shoveled his drive, then went next door to clear the drive of his neighbor, who lives alone.

“We decided to have a warm bowl of soup before we went to the hall,” Hal said. “As is customary before every meal, I always pray. Because I worked 30 years for the Postal Service, I always include a prayer for first responders and every worker who has to be out in the weather. I ended my prayer on Saturday with, ‘If at all possible, Lord, could we please get our power back.’ In less than a minute, there was a flicker and the lights came on. That was the quickest answer to a prayer I ever witnessed.”

The Goodwins have lived in Lakewood Village for 10 years and this is the first time they have endured a situation like this, Hal said.

“Another 12 hours and it might have been a different story,” he said.

Provided photo: Medina staff of Orleans Community Action and Head Start of Batavia pose with North Wing staff after donating snacks and personal care items for the residents. From left rear are Anna Lewis from the North Wing; Marguerite Davies from Head Start; Adrienne Belson, North Wing Activities Director; and Margaret Dix, daughter of resident Charlie Goetz. In front, Goetze gets a hug from his other daughter, Christine Schuster, an employee of Head Start, who is standing next to Nicole Struble, Site and Education Specialist for Medina Head Start.

MEDINA – In years past, Medina staff from Community Action of Orleans and Genesee, and Genesee Head Start have always pitched in to donate food to local food banks and/or churches.

This year, their giving took a new direction when they contacted the North Wing at Medina Memorial Hospital to see if there were items they might need for their residents.

As a result, the Community Action and Head Start employees collected multiple items, which they donated to the North Wing. These included snacks, candy bars, lotions, deodorants, toothbrushes, toothpaste and more. Many of the items will be used as prizes when they play Bingo, said Nicole Struble, Site and Education Specialist for Medina Head Start.

The donation hit a personal note with one Head Start employee, Christine Schuster, who is the daughter of North Wing resident Charlie Goetz.

Press Release, Niagara County Farm Bureau

Provided photo: Assemblyman Angelo Morinello (left), R-Niagara Falls, accepts his award from Niagara County Farm Bureau President Kevin Bittner

Niagara County Farm Bureau is recognizing three state legislators with its Circle of Friends award. Formally given by New York Farm Bureau, it recognizes state elected officials who support the legislation it promotes.

Niagara County Farm Bureau President Kevin Bittner explained it this way. “At our recent board meeting we looked at a number of factors. The voting record was important. However, we also took into consideration other efforts our elected officials made. Our concern with the various newly imposed labor regulations was part of the discussion. In addition, we wanted to acknowledge the willingness of our local representatives to meet with us and discuss these issues. They were always just a phone call away.”

Bittner then presented a certificate to Assemblyman Angelo Morinello. Senator Rob Ortt and Assemblyman Mike Norris could not attend. They will receive their certificates at lobbying days in Albany.

“This has been a stressful year for the agricultural industry,” said Morinello when he accepted the award. “I appreciate your taking the time to teach me about it. There are so many challenges. People from other areas of the state who have no concept of what farming is. The Farm Labor Bill that was meant to appease some people, but then offer farmers a tax credit to lessen the impact. Farm preservation is important. I am concerned about the number of solar farms taking land away from agriculture. I don’t want to rely on foreign countries for food.  I have deep routed support for your industry. I know what it takes to get up before dawn and face the many issues whether planting, harvesting or caring for your farm. I will stand by you and continue to fight to overcome these challenges.”

Membership in Farm Bureau is open to all who are involved in agriculture. Whether you are active in production agriculture, support it through a business that provides resources or sells the products from the farms or consume the products, you are eligible to join.

Check www.NYFB.org for more information about Farm Bureau and its member benefits.

Photos courtesy of Albion Police Department

ALBION – The Albion Police Department’s armored vehicle was used to make several rescues during the blizzard from Friday night through Sunday.

The Albion PD acquired the vehicle for free in 2020. It is primarily utilized by the SWAT team, but can be deployed in other emergencies. This was the first time it was brought out in a massive snowstorm.

“It’s intent is for anything we need it for,” said Albion Police Chief David Mogle. “It went through snow that no other vehicle could have gone through.”

Mogle drove the MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) all night Friday. It took 2 ½ hours to go down Route 98 through Elba, and then west on Route 262 in Elba. The MRAP was able to pick up 5 people on 262, and bring them to a warming station in Oakfield, and then joined a convoy rescuing about 15 to 20 more stranded people in the Oakfield.

Mogle said the heavy vehicle with thick tires wouldn’t be stopped from the deep snow, except when the visibility was so poor the drivers couldn’t see anything from the whiteout conditions.

The drivers kept the MRAP on the road, using mailboxes and telephone poles as guides.

Saturday morning the armored vehicles was deployed to the Iroquois Job Corps in Shelby was brought back 8 people who had been without electricity for a day in sub-freezing temperatures. The Shelby and East Shelby volunteer fire departments also transported students and staff to the Comfort Inn and Suites in Medina, with the Town of Shelby helping to plow a path for the vehicles.

The MRAP is equipped with different modes and settings that allow it to navigate through large amounts of snow and different terrain, allowing officers to travel through the low visibility snow conditions and reach those in need of help, Mogle said.

“This is the first time it went through snow like this,” he said today. “We knew it could pretty much go through anything.”

The police chief was advised the officers in the vehicle might find people who perished in their vehicles from the cold. But Mogle said law enforcement isn’t aware of any deaths from the blizzard in Genesee or Orleans. There are 27 deaths in Erie and Niagara counties from the blizzard, including 20 in Buffalo.

“The Albion Police Department would like to commend all law enforcement agencies, fire departments, highway departments and the Orleans County Dispatch Center for their involvement and tireless efforts performed throughout the recent snow storm,” Mogle said.