By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2022 at 6:31 pm
Orleans and Genesee counties continue to see Covid-19 cases fall from the peak of the Omicron surge.
The two counties reported 216 new cases over seven days, Feb. 9-15, which is down 92 percent from the 2,703 cases in the two counties from the peak of the Omicron surge from Jan. 5-11.
Each of the counties reported a death from Covid in the past week. Orleans has now had 110 residents pass away from Covid while Genesee has had 182 deaths from Covid during the nearly two years if the Covid, according to the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.
Statewide the daily new cases are at the lowest levels since Oct. 25, and hospitalizations are down 72 percent since Jan. 11, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Tuesday..
“We have very promising numbers on Covid,” Hochul said. “We are in a good place.”
In Orleans County, the Covid cases the past 8 weeks include:
159 – Dec. 22-28
379 – Dec. 29-Jan. 4
855 – Jan. 5-11
645 – Jan. 12-18
521 – Jan. 19-25
255 – Jan. 26-Feb. 1
157 – Feb. 2-8
84 – Feb. 9-15
In Genesee County, the Covid cases the past 8 weeks include:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) introduced the School Resource Officer Act of 2022 to provide additional funds to support School Resource Officers.
The legislation was originally cosponsored by Representatives Stefanik (NY-21), Newhouse (WA-04), Bacon (NE-02), and Bost (IL-12).
“School Resource Officers play an integral role in building strong relationships between our students and police, as well keeping kids safe,” Jacobs said. “I am proud to introduce this legislation to provide additional funds to support school Resource Officers, and I will always stand with the men and women of our law enforcement and work to keep our children safe.”
The School Resource Officer Act notably has the following provisions:
Authorization of Appropriations: Authorizes the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program in the Department of Justice at $500 million for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2026.
Reserves Funding Specifically for School Resource Officers: Not less than 30 percent of funding for hiring programs within the COPS program will be used to pay the salaries and benefits of school resource officers.
Awarded Grant Terms: Federal funds may provide up to 75 percent of salary and benefits of full-time officers with a 25 percent minimum local cash match requirement. Maximum federal share cap is increased to $125,000 per officer position.
“Our North Country families should always have peace of mind when dropping their children off at school,” Elise Stefanik said. “I am proud to support this legislation that supports our law enforcement officers that protect our children, teachers, and schools.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2022 at 1:23 pm
ALBION – An Albion man was sentenced today to 1 ½ to 3 years in state prison for breaking into a home and then waving a knife towards a resident inside.
Joshua Biaselli, 38, allegedly broke into the home on May 3, 2021. He faced charges of second-degree burglary and criminal possession of a weapon.
Biaselli pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. He was sentenced today in Orleans County Court by Judge Sanford Church.
Biaselli is a second felony offender. He was sentenced in Febraury 2018 in County Court to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison after driving intoxicated and crashing into a garage with a stolen car.
In other cases in County Court today:
• Paul Gulczewski, 28, pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. Gulczewski, formerly of Ridgeway but now an Albion resident, was charged on Sept. 1 after police were called with reports of gunshots from a Ridgeway residence.
He had a loaded 9 mm handgun, a large capacity ammunition feeding device which held 30 bullets, and was in possession of cocaine.
He faces up to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison when he is sentenced on May 4.
• Leo Woodrich Jr., 58, of Medina pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree. He could spend up to 1 to 3 years in prison when he is sentenced on May 4.
He was driving in an erratic manner and under the influence on Oct. 22, 2021, said District Attorney Joe Cardone. Woodrich was going about 30 miles per hour when he rear-ended another vehicle that was stopped, causing extensive damage to that vehicle, Cardone said.
Woodrich acknowledged he was driving with a license that had been suspended the previous day after he pleaded guilty in Barre Town Court to driving while ability impaired.
• Luis Sanchez, 32, of Albion was arraigned on charges of criminal contempt in the first degree, assault in the second degree, tampering with a witness and robbery in the third degree.
Sanchez allegedly took a person’s phone, violated an order of protection and injured the person who was ordered to stay away from.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2022 at 9:56 am
MEDINA – Austin Mosher said it’s a dream come true to work as a career firefighter/EMT in his hometown.
Austin Mosher
Mosher, 18, was hired on Monday as a new member of the Medina Fire Department. He has been a volunteer firefighter for the past 18 months at the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company. His goal has been to work as firefighter.
He recently passed the test to be an emergency medical technician. Matt Jackson, Medina’s fire chief, said Mosher stood out among the applicants for the position.
“He has a passion for EMS,” Jackson told the Village Boar don Monday. “He will be beneficial to our community and the surrounding areas for years to come.”
Mosher turns 19 in April. He was the catcher on Medina’s Sectional champion baseball team in 2021.
He starts with the Medina FD next week. He is expected to attend the state’s fire academy in the summer.
“The fire service is my passion,” Mosher said. “It will be a great honor to work in Medina.”
In other action, the Village Board:
• Made permanent the appointment of Jason Watts as Medina Department of Public Works superintendent. Watts has been serving in the role on a probationary basis for at least the past 26 weeks.
“He’s been doing a bang-up job for us,” said Deputy Mayor Owen Toale.
Watts assumed the leadership of the DPW following the unexpected death of Joe Perry, the previous DPW superintendent, on Nov. 30, 2020.
• Agreed to accept sludge from Sun Environmental Corp. at 6 cents a gallon. The company will bring 2,800 gallons of sludge per truck load to Medina’s sewer plant. The agreement could last a few weeks or months, village officials said.
Sun Environmental also will pay to have the loads tested.
Village officials said the sewer plant can easily handle the material, and the agreement will be a money-maker for the village.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2022 at 9:07 am
Ag advocates urge governor, DOL commissioner to keep overtime at 60 hours a week
Provided photo: Assemblyman Steve Hawley of Batavia speaks at a press conference with farmers, agricultural advocates and other Republican members of the Assembly in Albany on Tuesday.
It may be months before there is a decision from the Department of Labor and Gov. Kathy Hochul on whether the overtime threshold in agriculture will be reduced from the current 60 hours a week.
The New York Farm Bureau, an agricultural coalition called Grow NY Farms and many Republican state legislators on Tuesday again tried to rally support against lowering the OT threshold.
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said she met with Farm Bureau leaders and heard their concerns. The group has said lowering the OT threshold from 60 to 40 hours would dramatically increase farms’ operating costs. It would likely force them to cut hours for employees, which would upset workers and could push that workforce to other states where they could earn more by working more hours.
Many farms would likely be forced to move away from intensive hand labor – fruit, vegetables and dairy – and go with crops like corn and soybeans where machines do most of the work. Already many dairies are switching to robotic milkers. Ag advocates say an OT change will push many farms out of business.
“We are looking at it closely,” Hochul said in a news conference, responding to a question from a reporter. “Agriculture is an essential industry for us. We need to have industry be strong and viable.”
A three-person Farm Labor Wage Board voted on Jan. 28 to gradually reduce the overtime threshold in agriculture from 60 hours a week to 40 hours. The reduction in the OT threshold would be phased in from Jan. 1, 2024 to Jan. 1, 2032.
“It will be a long roll out,” Hochul said. “There will be plenty of time to adapt to it.”
The Wage Board called for a phase in with overtime threshold dropping to 56 hours a week beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, then down to 52 hours on Jan. 1, 2026; 48 hours on Jan. 1, 2028; 44 hours on Jan. 1, 2030, and then a 40-hour threshold to take effect Jan. 1, 2032.
If the threshold is reduced, Hochul said the state should consider offering tax relief to help farmers with the added labor costs.
The Wage Board hasn’t yet submitted an official report to Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. When the report is submitted, the commissioner has 45 days to review the recommendations and announce a decision.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley of Batavia, a former farmer and Genesee County Farm Bureau president, spoke at a news conference in Albany at the state capitol. Hawley worries that the increases in labor costs will force many farmers out of business.
“The end of farming as we know it in New York would be one of the greatest tragedies our state has ever seen, but it is one that would be entirely preventable,” Hawley said. “Gov. Hochul and Commissioner Reardon have been made very aware of the consequences the decision to lower the overtime threshold would have, and the power now rests in their hands to decide whether they stand with our farmers and rural communities or the special interests who’ve worked to advance this proposal.”
ORCHARD PARK – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) submitted a comment to the New York State Department of Health in opposition to the proposed rule I.D. No. HLT-50-21-0002-EP, pertaining to Investigation, Isolation, and Quarantine for communicable diseases.
“As this proposed rule is written, it could give local health officials the power to remove individuals from their homes and place them in a government-controlled quarantine facility if they are simply exposed to Covid-19 or other communicable diseases,” Jacobs said. “Not only is this blatantly authoritarian, but it is an affront to the individual freedoms and liberties of each and every New Yorker. As other states move to end Covid-19 restrictions, New York State is actively working to assume more power over residents’ lives and implement policies that violate their constitutional rights – I strongly oppose any such measure.”
Jacobs submitted this full comment to the New York State Department of Health – Bureau of Program Counsel, Regulatory Affairs:
“Dear Ms. Ceroalo,
“I urge you to not to adopt the above-referenced proposed regulation relating to investigation, isolation and quarantine in response to an outbreak of communicable disease. This proposed regulation is both unnecessary and contrary to the established laws of New York State.
“The regulation as currently drafted gives state and local health officials the power to remove residents from their homes and place them in a government-controlled facility. It includes not only people who are confirmed infected with COVID-19, but also covers people simply exposed to COVID-19.
“We are almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic and there are very few instances of New York State, or any state for that matter, forcibly quarantining people outside their homes. Circumstances have not changed so that they must do so now. There is no evidence that this policy if implemented would even have any effect on the spread of communicable diseases. The notice of rulemaking does not cite any scientific evidence to support this policy, and only refers generally to the spread of COVID-19 as justification for the regulation’s necessity.
“The regulation is also a plain violation of New Yorkers’ freedoms and New York State law. Because the rulemaking covers people who are even only potentially exposed, the regulation can affect almost every New Yorker. The notice of rulemaking cites Section 225 of the Public Health Law. This is an extremely broad reading of the law. Under the State’s interpretation, there is virtually no limit to what the Department of Health can do. Furthermore, it is simply wrong for the government to remove individuals from their homes based on a temporary medical condition. We are a country and a state that prizes individual freedom and respects due process. This regulation flouts both of those values.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 February 2022 at 5:25 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers: Volunteers and staff at Community Action of Orleans County distribute food on Monday morning at the parking lot for the Main Street Store. A long line of people in cars and trunks showed up for the event in 10-degree weather.
The schedule is in place for pop-up food distributions through June in Orleans County.
The events tend to be three times a month in the Village of Albion, the west end of the Town of Albion at Fairgrounds and in Lyndonville.
The food is delivered by Foodlink and is available for free to residents.
The upcoming food distributions include:
Albion Main Street Store, 131 Main St.
March 21 (Monday) at 9 a.m.
April 18 (Monday) at 9 a.m.
May 16 (Monday) at 9 a.m.
June 13 (Monday) at 9 a.m.
Community partner: Community Action of Orleans & Genesee
Lyndonville Presbyterian Church, 107 North Main St.
Feb. 25 (Friday) at 9 a.m.
March 11 (Friday) at 9 a.m.
April 1 (Friday) ay 9 a.m.
April 29 (Friday) at 9 a.m.
May 13 (Friday) at 9 a.m.
Community partner: Lyndonville Presbyterian Church
Orleans County Fairgrounds, 12690 Route 31, Albion address but close to Knowlesville
Feb. 28 (Monday) at noon
March 28 (Monday) at noon
April 25 (Monday) at noon
May 23 (Monday) at noon
June 27 (Monday) at noon
Community partner: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County
Note from organizer: Upon arrival you may check in with staff who will be in the Trolley Building, or staff will greet you at your car in the parking lot to give you a pass for a specific time slot.
A variety of food was given away on Monday outside the Main Street Store in Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 February 2022 at 3:08 pm
The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a flood watch for Orleans County and Western New York from 7 p.m. on Wednesday until 7 p.m. on Friday.
Warming temperatures that will melt snow plus a half inch to 1 ½ inches of rainfall is expected to cause flooding.
“Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations,” the Weather Service said. “The combination of the significant rainfall and extensive snow melt will result in at least major rises on area tributaries.”
The high temperatures are forecast for 51 on Wednesday and 56 on Thursday. A cold front then moves in with Friday’s high at 22.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 February 2022 at 12:25 pm
Provided photos
ALBION – Mark Tillman, center, is pictured with Community Action employees Ernie Gursslin an Katrina Chaffee last week after Tillman’s Village Inn donated $1,500 of food to the agency.
The pasta, sauce, vegetables, crackers, ketchup and other food will go the Community Action’s center in Holley, where meals and lunches are served each weekday.
The Village Inn closed on Dec. 30 after the Tillman family operated the restaurant and bar for 70 years.
Some of the food items are shown that were donated last Thursday and Friday by Tillman’s Village Inn.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 February 2022 at 10:51 am
File photo: The Barker village hall and public library was destroyed by a fire on Jan. 21, 2019.
BARKER – The Village Board in Barker has accepted the construction bid for phase one of a new village hall/library to replace the shared building that burned down about three years ago on Jan. 21, 2019.
The $1.2 million project is covered with insurance funding and also grants, said Seanna Bradley, the village’s deputy mayor.
Mulvey Construction Inc. of Lockport has been awarded the contract to construct phase one of the Barker Village Hall and Public Library.
Construction of the new building is in phases. Phase one consists of the slab foundation and shell of the building. As phase one concludes, open bidding will be announced for phase two which includes installing utilities, walls and finishes.
“The Village Board looks forward to working with Mulvey Construction and we are thrilled to be moving forward with a new Village Hall and Public Library for the Barker community,” Bradley said.
The project has been delayed due to rising construction costs. The project was rebid when construction proposals were higher than expected.
The project was modified to eliminate a concrete basement and the exterior design was altered to lower costs.
The Village Board has been determined to keep the cost from exceeding $1.2 million so the village wouldn’t have to finance any part of the project, Bradley said.
The new facility will be constructed on the site of the former village hall/library on Main Street.
“The building is designed to look as close to our original building as possible, but with ADA compliant entrances and a more user-friendly layout,” Bradley said. “It will also allow for some shared areas for village and library employees, which the previous building did not have.”
The project has been awarded $400,000 in a state Local Government Efficiency Grant with $200,000 for both the village and the library. The library also has been approved for $450,000 in grant funding and the insurance payment totaled $678,422, Bradley said.
There isn’t a set timetable for when the new site will open. Until it does, the Village Hall is operating out of Barker’s former police building on East Avenue. The library has a temporary location on Church Street.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 February 2022 at 9:28 am
Mike Norris’s Assembly district shifts out of Orleans County
The Orleans County Republican Committee has endorsed, from left: Congressman Chris Jacobs, State Sen. Rob Ortt and Assemblyman Steve Hawley.
ALBION – The Orleans County Republican Committee has endorsed the incumbent congressman and incumbent state legislators for new terms.
The Republican Committee met last week and backed Chris Jacobs for Congress in a newly drawn 24th Congressional District. The boundaries have shifted east and go from 8 counties to 13.
Jacobs was first elected in a special election in July 2020 and then won a full term in November 2020.
Skip Draper, Orleans County Republican chairman, said Jacobs has connected with local officials and community leaders in Orleans County since Jacobs was elected to Congress.
Draper said he hasn’t heard from potential challengers to Jacobs, including on the eastern side of the newly drawn district.
“No one else called me from there,” Draper said. “Chris Jacobs has worked well with us. We’re in wonderful shape. There would be no reason to make a change.”
The local Republicans also backed Rob Ortt for another term as state senator. Ortt, a former mayor of North Tonawanda, is leader of the Republican conference in the State Senate. Despite those demands, he is frequently in Orleans County and is very responsive to local officials, Draper said.
“He has done nothing but serve us well,” Draper said about Ortt, who has been a state senator for just over seven years. “He is great to work with. He serves his district, particularly Orleans County, very well. He is out in Orleans County all the time.”
The Republicans also endorsed Steve Hawley for another two -year term. Hawley, a Batavia resident, has been in the Assembly for 16 years. With redistricting, his 139th district would include all of Orleans County, as well parts of Genesee, western Monroe and Akron in Erie County. The Town of Shelby is currently in a district represented by Mike Norris of Lockport. But redistricting takes Shelby out of Norris’s 144th district.
Hawley is the deputy minority leader of the Assembly. Draper said Orleans if fortunate to be represented by two Republican leaders in the Legislature with Ortt and Hawley.
“We’ve been working with Steve for several years,” Draper said. “He is a great representative.”
Draper also commended Norris for being a strong advocate for the county, even with only one town from Orleans in his district, which is mostly in Niagara and Erie counties.
“Mike Norris has served part of Orleans County well and we’re sorry to see Mike lose part of Orleans County,” Draper said.
The local Republican chairman said he expects a big year for Republicans with the elections in 2022. The state-wide races include the governor, U.S. Senate seat held by Charles Schumer, lieutenant governor and attorney general.
The Republicans in New York have a convention Feb. 28 through March 1 in Nassau County and will officially back their candidates.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 15 February 2022 at 7:59 am
Photo contributed: Staff at Medina Memorial Hospital pose for a photo on Wear Red Day to celebrate Heart Month to highlight the importance of heart health and preventing heart disease.
MEDINA – Orleans Community Health and Medina Memorial Hospital are continuing to celebrate February as Heart Month, with different events throughout the month.
According to information from Scott Robinson, director of Marketing, Communications and Outreach, February was declared as American Heart Month by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, nine years after his own heart attack. Orleans Community is taking the opportunity this month to highlight the importance of heart health and that heart disease is largely preventable.
In addition to focusing on heart health for the entire month, the topic is being highlighted in different ways throughout February.
Feb. 4 was recognized as Wear Red Day, bringing awareness to the fact that heart disease is the number one killer of women. In addition, the week of Feb. 13 to 19 is Cardiac Rehab Week, which highlights the role rehabilitation plays in reducing further the devastating effects of heart disease.
According to the Center for Disease Control, some important statistics on heart disease are:
Heart disease is the number one killer of women, men and many ethnic groups within the United States.
One in every four deaths is due to heart disease.
Every year approximately 805,000 people have a heart attack, 200,000 of which happen to people have already had one.
On a positive note, heart disease is largely preventable by following these basic tips:
Eat foods that promote heart health.
Avoid smoking tobacco products.
Make sure to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity for five days a week.
Talk with your doctor to make sure you’re keeping track of your blood pressure and other potential warning signs.
Orleans Community Health urges everyone in the community to take heart disease seriously.
Medina Memorial Health offers several services in the Cardiac Department that can help.
Electrocardiograms, or EKG, are an innovative diagnostic tool. An EKG records the electric signal from the heart and is useful in detecting arrhythmias, heart attack and heart failure.
An Echocardiogram is a type of ultrasound that uses two-dimensional, three-dimensional and Doppler ultrasound waves to create a clear image of the heart. This image can then be used to diagnose conditions that affect the heart’s valves and chambers.
Vascular Ultrasounds use similar techniques as an echocardiogram to form images of blood vessels. At Medina Memorial Hospital, this tool is used to diagnose blood clots, blockages and other sources of congestion.
Cardiac Stress Tests are used to measure the heart’s ability to respond to stress, such as exercise or other stimulation. A stress test is an essential tool for identifying problems with blood flow, like blockages or arrhythmias aggravated by stress.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) cosponsored the Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act to make the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent.
“Following the implementation of President Trump’s tax cuts, our nation witnessed an extraordinary period of economic expansion, wage growth, and job creation,” Jacobs said. “Businesses were bringing manufacturing back from overseas, employers were using savings from the federal government to hire additional employees, and our nation saw our output and productivity increase.”
The legislation cosponsored by Jacobs most notably:
Make permanent the doubled standard deduction of $12K for those filing single and $24K for jointly filed returns
Make permanent the doubled child tax credit of $2K including full refundability of $1,400
Maintains the mortgage interest deduction at $750K
Maintains the Medical Expense Deduction to allow the deduction of qualified expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of an individual’s AGI
Provides a 20 percent tax deduction for small businesses
“Since taking the White House and majority, Democrats have made clear they want to undo these successful policies and force through policies that waste trillions of dollars and raise taxes on Americans,” Jacobs said. “We have already seen the disastrous impact of their policies on our economy. I am proud to join this legislation to ensure a successful Trump policy is made permanent so it can continue to help families and small businesses in the future.”
Press Release, State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt
ALBANY – Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt and members of the Senate Republican Conference today called for an end to unconstitutional mandates promulgated by Governor Kathy Hochul and her Department of Health.
The Republicans announced they would force a vote on the New York Senate floor today to end the mandates.
This vote comes in the wake of the so-called vax or mask business mandate being lifted, but with the mask mandate in schools and childcare centers remaining in place. Children are the least vulnerable individuals with regard to Covid-19, but the most susceptible to psychological damage due to their lives being upended for the past two years.
“School children and toddlers are suffering emotionally,” Ortt said. “Parents and families are at their wit’s end. New Yorkers are just sick and tired of these one-size-fits-all Albany mandates. I vowed to my constituents that I would fight these unconstitutional mandates until every single one is lifted. I intend to keep that promise, and I am proud to stand alongside my fellow Republicans today to force our Democrat colleagues to explain where they stand. It’s time to end the mandates now.”
The Senate Republicans’ proposed amendment will be brought forth by Senator Mike Martucci on the floor of the Senate later this afternoon. The measure would force a vote on unmasking our kids, and dismantling the Governor’s overreaching mandates and restoring checks and balances. This vote is an opportunity to put legislators on the record on how they feel about masking kids while mask mandates almost everywhere else in New York and the nation are being lifted. Every member of the Senate Republican Conference has committed to voting yes on the much-needed measure.
“When Governor Hochul substituted her judgment on masks for the judgment of parents she awakened a sleeping giant,” Martucci said. “Let’s be clear – all the data shows school-age kids are at far less risk than any other group when it comes to Covid. There is absolutely no reason any child should be forced to wear a mask for seven hours a day in school, especially when that same kid can get a pizza, go to a movie or watch a basketball game mask-free. What makes schools such a hotbed for Covid risk but not an arena? Nothing. This is about control, not about public health. All mask mandates must end now. Let’s restore choice and individual judgment and stop baseless political fear mongering.”
Senate Republicans have been a steadfast voice calling for more checks and balances in state government, and putting an end to the Cuomo-Hochul era of governance by mandates. Last month, the conference called on Governor Hochul to end her one-size-fits-all Albany mandates, and return to fact-based, collaborative governing. Additionally, Leader Ortt has called on the Governor multiple times to unmask our kids.
Last week, Leader Ortt and Senate Republicans penned a letter to the Governor blasting the decision to keep kids masked and calling for metrics for an off-ramp. A representative from the Department of Health later confirmed that they have no “data targets” for ending school masking. On Saturday, Leader Ortt stood with educators and parents in Niagara Falls to reiterate his calls for an end to the child mask mandate.
A key plan in the Senate Republicans “Take Back New York” 2022 agenda – which the Conference has been unveiling since January – is restoring accountability to state government. One of the policies within the plan is to restore checks and balances to the state government.
The amendment will be presented, debated, and voted on in today’s Senate Session.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 February 2022 at 1:48 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers: Medina Lt. Todd Draper and Kye, the department’s K9 for 9 years, walk down the driveway at Oak Orchard Elementary School during a retirement sendoff for Kye on Oct. 28, 2020. Kye was a frequent visitor at the school.
MEDINA – The Medina Police Department’s popular K9, Kye, has passed away after a battle with bone cancer.
The Medina PD announced Kye’s death on Sunday.
“Kye put up a very strong fight over the last few months against bone cancer,” the Medina PD stated on its Facebook page. “Kye was an 11 year old Belgian Malinois that served the Medina PD from 2012-2021.”
Lt. Todd Draper served as Kye’s handler. After the dog retired about a year ago it continued to stay with Draper’s family.
Draper made special cards and stuffed animals of Kye when the dog first joined the department about a decade ago.
Kye’s main duties were tracking, drug detection, building searches and criminal apprehension. Kye and Draper attended many public events and visited local schools, doing many demonstrations for the community.
Kye has been succeeded at the Medina PD by a K9 named Phoenix, and the handler is Medina police officer Jacob Reeves.
