The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday for Orleans and other counties including Genesee, Niagara, Monroe, Wayne, northern Cayuga, Oswego, northern Erie, Livingston and Ontario.

The heat index values are expected to be in the mid to upper 90s. The hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur, the Weather Service said.

People are encouraged drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances, the Weather Service said.

The high temperature on Wednesday is forecast to hit 91, followed by highs of 82 on Thursday, 86 on Friday and 87 on Saturday.

POINT BREEZE – This evening’s concert with the Who Dats has been cancelled at the Orleans County Marine Park due to an impending storm.

The Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association will try to reschedule with the band.

MEDINA – The Medina Area Partnership has compiled a 20-question scavenger hunt where participants will develop a deeper understanding of the community and also have a chance to win prizes.

Tim Elliott of MAP put together the scavenger hunt where people earn tickets for prizes for every correct answer. Three of the 20 questions are particularly challenging and those ones are worth 10 tickets for the right answers.

Each correct answer gets a ticket with a name put in a hat where the family prizes include items from Case-Nic Cookies and Della’s Chocolates. The adult prize is a night on the town, Elliott said.

An example of a regular question: “Who is buried to right of one of Medina’s most famous residents who survived the Titanic at age 27?” Clue: May Howard is buried in the Kenyon family plot at Boxwood.

“It’s not something you can Google,” Elliott said about the questions.

His goal is to get people out exploring and learning about the community.

“You don’t have to do all in one sitting,” he said. “It’s not meant to be super easy. The concept is to get people out of the house and see more of Medina.”

Elliott is the former owner of the Into the Enigma escape room. He currently runs the axe range at 810 Meadworks and is a village trustee.

Elliott and Scott Robinson, MAP president, want to make the scavenger hunt an annual summer challenge in Medina.

With the challenge, when people locate the area of the clue, they will be asked an additional question to confirm it’s the correct place. For every question answered correctly, participants earn a ticket towards the grand prize. The three bonus questions are worth 10 tickets each.

“Tim has been working on this event for years and I’m thrilled to see it coming to fruition,” Robinson said. “Whether you’re approaching this as a family event, an afternoon date, or just something to do, we think you’ll have a great time. It’s a great opportunity to couple an activity with visiting our shops and other establishments.”

The clue sheet is available for $10. The hunt can be attempted in a couple of hours, or it can completed over multiple days during July and August.

Completed scavenger hunt forms must be submitted by Sept. 1 to be entered into a drawing for either a family prize pack or an adult night out. Each prize is valued at $150.

For more information or to purchase the clue sheet, click here.

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul announced that SUNY and CUNY community colleges will receive $5 million in funding to support the creation or enhancement of short-term credential programs or course offerings that provide pathways to employment in the cannabis industry.

The funding supports programs that will create or enhance non-degree and degree-eligible courses and programs, stackable credentials, and/or microcredentials that quickly address local employer skill needs within the cannabis sector, a projected multi-billion dollar industry with tens of thousands jobs. Selected campuses must also partner with local employers in the cannabis industry and receive their input on curriculum development.

“New York’s new cannabis industry is creating exciting opportunities, and we will ensure that New Yorkers who want careers in this growing sector have the quality training they need to be successful,” Hochul said. “Diversity and inclusion are what makes New York’s workforce a competitive, powerful asset, and we will continue to take concrete steps to help ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate in the cannabis industry.”

This cannabis credentialing program aligns with Hochul’s continued commitment to delivering new employment opportunities to New Yorkers, especially those from historically underserved communities, while also supplying local employers with a highly skilled, locally sourced talent pool. Colleges will serve social equity candidates as defined by the Office of Cannabis Management in their local communities.

Awards have been made on a competitive basis within the SUNY and CUNY systems, with multiple campuses partnering with one college which assumes the lead role.

The three selected SUNY campuses which will each receive $1 million are:

• Schenectady County Community College: serve as lead campus with partners Adirondack Community College, Columbia-Greene Community College, and Fulton-Montgomery Community College. It is estimated to include over 300 participants.
• Niagara County Community College: serve as lead campus with partners Erie Community College, Genesee Community College, and Jamestown Community College. It is estimated to include over 4,000 participants.
• Orange County Community College: serve as lead campus with partners Dutchess Community College, Rockland Community College, Sullivan County Community College, Ulster County Community College, and Westchester Community College. It is estimated to include over 200 participants.

The selected CUNY campus which will receive $2 million is:

• Borough of Manhattan Community College: serve as lead campus with partner Lehman College. It is estimated to include over 360 participants.

Additionally, the New York State Department of Labor and the Office of Cannabis Management will support efforts to expand learning opportunities by helping to connect businesses and job seekers to these essential training programs. Upon completion, the Department will help candidates complete resumes, prepare for job interviews and provide regional job leads.

Each awarded campus or consortium of campuses will be supported by start-up funds for a three-year period.

Cannabis Control Board Chair Tremaine Wright said, “I am thankful to Governor Hochul and our partners at SUNY and CUNY community colleges for developing programs that will help develop a diverse, equitable and accessible New York cannabis industry. As our cannabis industry grows, so does our need for skilled workers, and this is a wonderful way to create opportunities for New Yorkers.”

‘For desserts, there are many things, but beware of articles that will not bear traveling without looking dejected and sullen. Candied fruits with macaroons, sponge or pound cakes are about the most agreeable of all the sweets which are adapted to journeys.’

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 2, No. 25

This menu is from “Queen of the Household” – a popular household guide published in 1891.

A Summer Picnic! It sounds so carefree and restful. However, arranging a summer picnic in the 1890s was far from carefree or restful by our standards.

A copy of “Queen of the Household”, a popular household guidebook by Mrs. E.M. Ellsworth published in 1891, was recently donated to the Orleans County Dept. of History.  It includes the following directives on picnics:

On location:

There should be a stream or spring of pure water, materials for a fire, shade intermingled with sunshine, and a reasonable freedom from tormenting insect life.

On clothing:

A woolen dress that is not too heavy nor yet too new, or a cotton one that is not too thin, with short trim skirts, solid easy shoes that have a friendliness with the feet because of prolonged intimacy with them, pretty, but not too fine or thin stockings, a hat with a broad brim, a large sun-shade, at least two fresh handkerchiefs, some pins and needle and thread, easy gloves with ample wrists, a jacket to wear when returning home.

On equipment:

Two or three hammocks, a few folding camp chairs, a rug to spread on the ground, two or three books that have brief, bright poems in them. Forget not the napkins, forks, spoons, and the luncheon cloth. Also carry tumblers, plates, salt, pepper, sugar and a bottle of cream or can of condensed milk. Cups with handles, but no saucers, are desirable for tea or coffee.

On food:

Supply at least double the quantity which would be served at home for the same number of people and then be sure to add a little more.

When the appetite is appeased at mid-day, it frequently renews its strength and comes back again around 4’o’clock in the afternoon and is as exacting as if it had not been appeased for a whole week.

The best and most convenient of all out of door edibles is the sandwich. The best of all sandwiches are made ready when they are wanted. To make sandwiches that leave none but pleasant memories, always grind the meat or chop it up to very near a pulp when cold. Make a thick mayonnaise and mix it with the meat until it is about the consistency of marmalade. Store or carry in a covered dish or closed jar.

For desserts, there are many things, but beware of articles that will not bear traveling without looking dejected and sullen. Candied fruits with macaroons, sponge or pound cakes are about the most agreeable of all the sweets which are adapted to journeys.

For drinking, tea that has been made, seasoned while hot and then bottled directly is delicious, as is coffee.

If ice must be carried, select a clear, solid piece, and wrap it in a heavy flannel. Carry an ice pick with it, so that it may be broken up when needed, with as little waste as possible.

Despite the effort involved in organizing this picnic, Mrs. Ellsworth advised the housekeeper or housemother to arrange a picnic once a week during the summer, to escape the burdens of the formalities and paraphernalia that consumed their energy every day of their lives.

Enjoying the advantages of portable coolers, ice that does not require an icepick, paper plates, store-bought mayonnaise, not to mention less restrictive clothing, we should certainly take her advice. Pass the bottled tea please!

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) is sponsoring a series of blood drives hosted by the Red Cross throughout the month of July, and is encouraging all residents able to attend to help hospitals save lives.

There is currently an especially strong need for blood in Western New York, especially Type-O blood. These donations are needed to prevent a future shortage, which would jeopardize the ability of local hospitals to conduct critical procedures.

Those over the age of 18 who are feeling healthy and eligible are encouraged to download the free Red Cross Blood Donor app, visit www.RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to schedule their appointments.

Hawley is sponsoring these upcoming blood drives:

• Friday, July 22, at the Clarendon Fire Company, from noon to 4 p.m. at 16169 East Lee Rd (Rt 31A).
• Thursday, July 28, and Friday, July 29, at the Orleans County Fair Education Center from 2 to 5 p.m. 12690 State Hwy 31 in Albion (Orleans County fairgrounds).

MEDINA – The Medina school district announced it has been approved for a federal grant to continue providing free breakfast and lunch to all students.

Medina has been offering free breakfast and lunch to all students the past four years through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the National School Breakfast/Lunch Program.

“This program has been a tremendous help to our students,” said Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent. “It’s harder to learn when you’re hungry. We know that all of our kids will have a breakfast and lunch each day.”

The CEP program provides the opportunity for schools in high poverty areas to provide two nutritious meals every school day, while eliminating the stigma for those students previously identified as “low income.”

The CEP began in 2011 with three states piloting the program and then became a nationwide program in 2014. To be eligible for CEP at least 40 percent of students must be identified as “directly certified” for free meals without a meal application through programs such as SNAP, TANF and Medicaid. Medina school district has met this eligibility guideline.

For additional information about the program, contact the following:

• Medina Jr.-Sr. High School, Principal Michael Cavanagh, at (585) 798-2700 ext. 1
• Clifford Wise Intermediate School, Co-Principal Daniel Doctor, at (585) 798-2700 ext. 2
• Oak Orchard Primary School, Principal Jennifer Stearns, at (585) 798-2700 ext. 3

ALBION – A youth fishing derby will be back in Albion on Aug. 13 after being cancelled the previous two years.

This will be the 26^th Daniel Spierdowis Memorial Fishing Derby. It will be at the Albion Sportmen’s Association on Keitel Road. There are two former quarries at the site where there are good chances of catching large-mouth bass, crappy, bluegills and bullheads.

The derby is named in honor of Danny Spierdowis, who loved the outdoors, especially fishing in the former Peck quarries at the Sportsmen’s Association.

Spierdowis was killed in a car accident at age 19 on Jan. 20, 1990. His mother Linda remains active at the Sportsmen’s Association, tending to the flowers at the clubhouse.

The derby is open to Orleans County residents 16 and younger. Participants are encouraged to bring their own poles but there will also be some available at the derby.

The derby goes from 9 a.m. to noon, with registration starting at 8 a.m. Prizes go for the biggest fish caught, and also the heaviest cumulated weight of all the fish caught.

Winners will get a fishing pole and tackle box with some tackle. Everyone who participates is welcome to stay for lunch.

There is no charge to the participants. Preregistration is urged by calling Scott DeSmit at 585-815-5150. People can leave the participants’ name, their age and if an adult will be available to help during the derby. Or they can call Dan Conrad with the same information at 585-590-1148. People can also stop by Conrad’s store, Toyz n Kandy, on East Bank Street in Albion to preregister. Preregistration is urged by Aug. 10.

Conrad ran a fishing derby in 2019 with DC Outdoors that had 76 participants. He said he is pleased to assist DeSmit and the Sportsmen’s Association with this year’s derby. He is hoping for 100 participants.

“We need to get more kids in the outdoors,” he said.

He urged first responders – police officers, deputies, firefighters, medics and others – as well as any military and veterans to volunteer that day to help some of the kids who have never fished before and could use pointers getting worms on a hook and taking the hook out of a fish’s mouth.

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office   

Photo by Don Pollard/Office of Governor: Kathy Hochul visits the Long Island Farm Brewery today as part of her first stop on a tour and roundtable discussion the future of farming in New York.

Governor Kathy Hochul today launched a statewide listening tour on the future of farming in New York State. A series of listening sessions will allow the State to hear directly from farmers about their priorities in addressing climate, workforce, and economic challenges, and will help inform the State’s federal priorities for critical funding and policy changes in the areas of agriculture, nutrition, and the environment.

Kicking off the listening tour, Governor Hochul visited Bruno Farm in Suffolk County and held a roundtable session with stakeholders at Long Island Farm Brewery/Water Drinker Family Farm to hear from farmers about their successes and concerns. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor will be continuing the tours across the state in the coming months, in conjunction with listening sessions held by Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball, with several stops scheduled to ensure that the farming community statewide has a chance to make their voices heard.

“New York’s agricultural industry is essential to our economy, our communities, and our way of life, and we want to make sure we put a special emphasis on farms as we continue to recover from the pandemic,” Hochul said. “Our farms have always been here for us, and we need to be there for them, and these listening sessions will help us navigate the challenges and opportunities in the agricultural community.”

The statewide listening tour provides an opportunity for state officials and agricultural industry leaders to engage with and hear from constituents about the importance of the 2023 Farm Bill to New York State, and how it will help to grow and sustain New York farms.

Hosted jointly by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) and fellow state agencies, the tour began in Riverhead, Suffolk County today at Suffolk County Community College. Commissioner Ball was joined by New York State Department of Health Executive Deputy Commissioner Dr. Eugene Heslin and New York Farm Bureau representatives.

The second session is scheduled for Binghamton, Broome County on Monday, July 25 at 1 p.m. at Cornell Cooperative Extension Broome County. Commissioner Ball will be joined by state partners, Assembly Agriculture Committee Chair Donna Lupardo, and representatives from New York Farm Bureau. Participants can RSVP for the Binghamton session by emailing FarmBill@agriculture.ny.gov.

Additional sessions held across the state will be announced in the coming weeks. Written comments can be submitted to FarmBill@agriculture.ny.gov.

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “The Farm Bill has a tremendous impact on all sectors of our agricultural community here in New York State, and we want to hear from our partners and stakeholders about what is important to them. As we in Albany prepare to advocate for our farmers during this upcoming Farm Bill season, we take the comments we hear very seriously and will use them to inform our policy priorities. I encourage everyone to join us at one of the sessions announced today or join us for the remainder of the summer and into the fall as we travel across our great state to hear from you.”

Feedback gathered during the tour will be provided to help develop New York State’s policy agenda on the future of farming as well as the state’s priorities for critical funding and policy changes during the 2023 Farm Bill renewal conversations.

The Farm Bill is an omnibus, multi-year law that governs an array of agricultural and food programs. The most recent Farm Bill, the Agricultural Act of 2018, expires at the beginning of 2023.

Key areas impacted by the Farm Bill and to be discussed during the listening sessions include agriculture research, animal disease, conservation and climate resilience, cyber security, food safety, hemp, invasive species, local food systems, Specialty Crop Block Grants, and trade promotion.

New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher said, “The Farm Bill provides critical funding for a number of essential programs that farmers depend on, including risk management support, conservation assistance, and needed research. We encourage farmers to attend the listening sessions to help the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets prioritize the needs of our diverse agricultural community. New York Farm Bureau thanks Commissioner Richard Ball and his team for hosting the listening tour to hear first-hand what our farmers value in the Farm Bill.”

Agriculture is a major driver of the New York State economy and just over a quarter of New York State’s land mass, or 7 million acres, is dedicated to farmland. Nearly 33,000 family farms produce some of the world’s best food with the State ranking in the top 10 in 30 different commodities that support its communities.

New York is the largest producer of cottage cheese, sour cream, and yogurt in the United States; The State ranks second in maple syrup, apples, and cabbage; third in grapes; and fourth in floriculture. It also ranks fifth in green peas, squash, and milk production, which is the largest segment of the state’s agricultural sector. Nearly 3,500 dairy farmers produce 15.5 billion pounds of milk annually in New York State.

Mayor pushes for money to be paid back: Union files grievance

ALBION – A forensic accounting firm has revealed the Village of Albion overpaid police officers $236,000 over five years, a situation that continues every pay period.

A clerical error has resulted in officers being paid at a higher rate, Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said. Representatives from The Bonadio Group – Brian LaFountain and Melissa Bucukoviski – presented their findings on July 12 to the Village Board.

Angel Javier Jr.

Most of the village employees are on 40-hour week schedules. But the police officers are on an 84-hour schedule every two weeks.

The officers in 2017 were switched from three 8-hour shifts a day to two 12-hour shifts. That change was made to reduce overtime in the department and give officers more days off. They would also be paid four more hours of straight every pay period, from 80 to 84 hours.

With the 12-hour shifts, sometimes officers work three in one week and four in others.

To determine the hourly pay in the salaries, the village should have divided the annual salaries by 2,184 hours. That’s 84 hours multiplied by 26 weeks.

However, the village used the hours in a 40-hour week or 2,080 for the year. When the salary was divided by 2,080, instead of 2,184, the hourly rate was about 5 percent higher than it should have been.

Bonadio said 15 officers were overpaid ranging from $650 to a maximum of $27,000, Bonadio said in a report to the village.

Javier said the village needs to recoup the overpayments, especially now that the overpayments have been detailed by a professional firm.

He made a decision last month to have the officers paid at what should be the correct rates, about a 5 percent pay reduction from what the officers had been receiving. That only lasted one pay period.

Three board members – Zack Burgess, Chris Barry and Tim McMurray – voted to have the officers paid at the rates they had been receiving. At that time the forensic audit from Bonadio wasn’t completed.

The village is asking the State Comptroller’s Office for an opinion on how to best remedy the situation.

The union for the police officers also has filed a grievance. The union, led by Dan Baase as president and Robert Wagner as vice president, said the pay reduction in the paychecks from June 16 violated a new labor contract that started June 1. Officers had their pay cut about 60 cents an hour in that pay period.

Baase filed the grievance on June 17 and sought that the pay rate be based on 2,080 hours in a year, which he said had been in place since July 2016. The grievance seeks to have officers made whole for “any losses incurred because of the employer’s unilateral change in the method of calculation.”

Javier, in an interview on Sunday, said the overpayments are a bad situation for everyone. But he said the village will need to be paid back despite it being the village’s error.

“We can’t just ignore it,” he said. “We have to do right by the taxpayers.”

Javier started as mayor on April 4 and right away the Village Board needed to get to work and complete the village’s budget by April 30 for the 2022-23 fiscal year. During that budget process Javier said he wanted to know how all village employee salaries were calculated.

The village’s deputy treasurer at the time told Javier she believed the village had been overpaying officers because the hourly pay rates weren’t changed when the village implemented the new shift schedule in 2017.

Javier requested an independent analysis be done in April and retained The Bonadio Group. Bonadio studied the village pay records and found the pay rates in the system were not adjusted in accordance with the 84-hour pay period, leading to incorrect hourly rates and overpayments.

The Bonadio Group went through the pay records for each officer since February 2017 and determined what the pay should have been at the correct hourly rates, and then subtracted that from the higher rate to determine the overpayment.

Javier said he is pushing to have the situation rectified. He has been joined by Trustee Joyce Riley in voting yes for officers to be paid at a lower rate, with the annual salaries divided by 2,184 hours instead of 2,080.

“The overpayment continues every single day,” he said. “I respect the good work done by all village employees, especially the ones that protect our community. However, I believe they should adhere to the terms of the contract they signed and should not be overpaid.”

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas dropped 16 cents nationally in the past week to $4.52 and 11 cents in New York to $4.69.

However, in Orleans County the price only decreased by 2 cents from $4.89 to $4.87 a gallon, according to AAA.

The average price for regular unleaded gas is higher in Orleans than any other county in Western New York. Here are the prices per gallon among WNY counties:

• Orleans, $4.874
• Genesee, $4.616
• Wyoming, $4.759
• Livingston, $4.787
• Niagara, $4.599
• Erie, $4.706
• Monroe, $4.765
• Allegany, $4.749
• Chautauqua, $4.586
• Cattaraugus, $4.699

The current average price for a regular gallon of unleaded gas is $4.694 in the state today, down from $4.802 a week ago, $5.020 a month ago and up from $3.199 a year ago, according to AAA.

The average price for diesel is at $5.936 today, down from $6.057 a week ago, $6.288 a month ago and $3.345 a year ago.

AAA issued a news release this morning about the gas prices:

“According to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand tapered off over the past two weeks following the Independence Day holiday, while total domestic gas stocks increased.

“The lower demand, alongside cheaper oil prices, has helped to push pump prices down. If these supply/demand dynamics hold, drivers will likely continue to see price relief at the pump. This morning, oil prices are hovering around the $100 per barrel mark, which is down slightly compared to one week ago though prices did drop below $100 at one point last week.”

Provided photo and information from John Dieter, Scout Master for Troop 35

MEDINA – Troop 35 spent a week at Camp Mountain Run in Pennfield, Pa. There were 20 Scouts and three leaders from the troop there from July 10 through July 16.

During that time the scouts worked on merit badges and scout skills towards rank advancement. Nine first-year scouts were involved in the “Trailblazer Program” designed to learn skills in order to become a First Class scout.

The remaining members of the troop worked on merit badges towards there next rank advancement several working towards Eagle Scout.

The Medina scouts worked on a variety of badges from welding, swimming, astronomy, pioneering, wilderness survival, climbing, rifle, archery, first aid and others. Troop 35 scouts completed 81 merit badges during the week.

Photo by Tom Rivers: These bales of straw are on East Shelby Road in Shelby near the Millville Cemetery.

The area is getting much-needed rain this morning after very little precipitation the past month. All of Western New York and much of the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes Region are either abnormally dry or in moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The conditions have turned many lawns and fields yellow.

The Drought Monitor releases a map every Thursday, using data from two days earlier. The map uses five classifications: abnormally dry, showing areas that may be going into or are coming out of drought, and four levels of drought: moderate, severe, extreme and exceptional. Orleans County is in the yellow area for abnormally dry.

Today there are showers and thunderstorms before 1 p.m. with more showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1 p.m. The high will be near 78.

Tuesday there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms. It will be mostly sunny with a high near 85.

On Wednesday, the high will be near 90 with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.

The map from the Drought Monitor shows areas in yellow as abnormally dry and the pale color in part of WNY as in moderate drought.

Photos by Tom Rivers

EAST SHELBY – Evan Manson, 8, of Clarence aims a sling shot with a gumball at a target of Goliath. It was one of many activities today during Old Tyme Day at the East Shelby Community Bible Church.

The Goliath target made many pings throughout the day as it was pelted by gumballs.

Rose Baker serves hot dogs for only a penny. The church expected to go through 2,400 hot dogs on the day. They were already at about 2,000 served at 3 o’clock with two more hours to go.

The pie stand was a busy place. The church prepared 300 pies for the big day.

Norm Atwater of Barker brought a team of horses for carriage rides.

Ellen Eaton serves cups of lemonade and iced tea on a hot day. About 2,000 people usually attend the event.

Erik Olsen, the church pastor at right, leads the choir in singing church songs, including the spiritual, “Wade in the Water.”

Becca Nigro, left, leads this group in making corn husk dolls. She is joined by Susanne Keryk (second from left), and Brittany Dix, right, and her daughter Lilah.

The church created the hamlet of West Jackson Corners, across from the church. Among the many buildings included a general store.

Charlie Silvernail serves as the honorary mayor of West Jackson Corners. He also dispensed advice and words of wisdom. Sid Eick is in back doing a woodworking exhibition.