By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 31 January 2022 at 7:15 am
Medina will face rival Albion in a key home and home Niagara-Orleans League basketball series this coming week.
Looking to stay in the thick of the N-O boys title race, defending champion Medina will visit Albion on Wednesday in a make-up game and then host the Purple Eagles on Friday. Before that, the Mustangs also face a key contest at Akron (3-2) on Tuesday.
The Mustangs are currently 4-2 and a game behind front-running 5-1 Roy-Hart in the N-O title race while Albion is looking to snap an 0-5 league record.
The Medina girls will host Albion on Wednesday and then visit the Purple Eagles on Friday.
Albion has won two in a row after an 0-3 start to the N-O campaign while Medina is 1-5.
Weekly Schedule Today Girls Basketball – Roy-Hart at Akron, 6:30 p.m.; Albion at Pembroke, 7 p.m.
Tuesday Boys Basketball – Wilson at Barker, 6 p.m.; Medina at Akron, Newfane at Roy-Hart, 6:30 p.m. Girls Basketball – Akron at Medina, Roy-Hart at Newfane, 6:30 p.m; Wheatland-Chili at Lyndonville, Oakfield-Alabama at Holley, Kendall at Pembroke, 7 p.m. Wrestling – Albion at Lyndonville, 5 p.m.
Wednesday Boys Basketball – Medina at Albion, 6:30 p.m.; Lyndonville at Wheatland-Chili, Holley at Oakfield-Alabama, Pembroke at Kendall, 7 p.m. Girls Basketball – Barker at Wilson, 6 p.m.; Albion at Medina, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday Girls Basketball – Lyndonville at Notre Dame, Holley at Pembroke, Attica at Kendall, 7 p.m.
Friday Boys Basketball – Roy-Hart at Barker, Akron at Wilson, 6 p.m.; Albion at Medina, 6:30 p.m.; Lyndonville at Notre Dame, Kendall at Attica, 7 p.m. Girls Basketball – Medina at Albion, Barker at Roy-Hart, Wilson at Akron, 6:30 p.m. Swimming – N-O vs. G-R meet at Gates-Chili, 6 p.m.
Saturday Girls Basketball – Kendall at Albion, 1:30 p.m.; Lyndonville at Oakfield-Alabama, 7 p.m.
ORCHARD PARK – Medina opened its winter guard season on Saturday, competing in Orchard Park.
The guards performing now have not performed in the past two years. Therefore they haven’t had the opportunity to deal with the stress of competition despite now being involved in higher, more skilled divisions.
Medina’s varsity guard consists of 18 students in grades 9-12. This year their show is “Wake Up.” The group asks, have you ever considered that the dreams you dream and the passing thoughts that you think are not all your own?
The show at Orchard Park consisted of 16 guard units in seven different classifications. Medina performed in the SA (scholastic A) class with three other guards and came in 4th place with a score of 54.96. Victor and Orchard Park tied for 1st place with 59.98 while Jamestown came in 3rd at 56.86.
Winners in the other classes were Hinsdale Starliners in Novice with 35.89; Victor Cadet in cadet class with 45.39; Gates Chili RA at 48.32; Lancaster in A1 class with 53.09; Gates Chili 1A with 59.34 and Luminosa in SR class at 55.35.
Medina’s next competition is Feb. 12 at Victor followed by Batavia on Feb. 19, Lancaster on March 5 and Medina’s home show on March 12.
Winter guard is a hybrid art form that combines elements of music, dance and military-like precision marching in a competitive arena into a total entertainment package.
Winter guard started about 30 years ago and involves the manipulation (spins, tosses, flips) of equipment (rifles, flags, sabers) while moving around the performance space.
CARLTON – We have had the privilege of becoming acquainted with the daily lives of Hosea and Sarah Ballou on their farm on the Oak Orchard River Road in Carlton from Hosea’s diary entries, beginning in January 1851.
He continued the diary through the year, but his entries became more perfunctory, brief descriptions of the major tasks of the day:
August 29: Plowed in forenoon. Prepared for threshing.
He harvested wheat in July, sowed wheat in September (14 acres, 22 bushels seed), then threshed in October. As the year went on, he logged, butchered hogs, husked corn, buried turnips, dug carrots, On November 1, he went to Eagle Harbor with wheat which he sold for 87 ½ cents. That price must have been acceptable, because he went again the next day with two loads, 156 bushels. He then paid bills:
November 7: Paid up Kuck and Co. 28 dollars and 88 cents due. Paid up Mr. Thompson for land.
George Kuck, for whom Kuckville is named, operated a grist mill, a sawmill, a warehouse, an ashery and a general store there. On December 30, Hosea paid $3.03 for taxes at The Bridges. He did not elaborate, but money must have been a concern, for on December 6 he wrote:
Went to Kendall to see Mr. Reed about money. Got none, hard times.
1852 – Another Point of View
Tiring of the chore of daily record-keeping, Hosea turned the task over to his wife, Sarah, in 1852. In his diary entries, Hosea would refer to Sarah’s visitors and where she went visiting, but he rarely referred to what she did. Her entries were more detailed and give a better insight into the daily life of a woman at that time. In addition to the regular housekeeping chores of the day, she made clothes for many family members:
January 1: Snowed a little in the morning. Hosea went to Mr. Stillwells in the afternoon to get his boots mended. I began Ashbel’s shirts.
January 2: I finished one shirt. I began my dress. Hosea to work for VanRiper.
January 3: Finished my dress. Hosea went to The Bridges with butter, got 14c per pound. Got 14 lbs. of tallow of D.V. Simpson.
January 5: More pleasant, washed and put candle wicks in the rods.
Tuesday 6: Dipped 12 doz. Candles, snows all day. Hosea went to the P.O. I finished a shirt.
Sarah was a busy seamstress throughout the year, sewing pants, shirts, skirts and dresses for relatives and neighbors. She noted whom each garment was made for: “a skirt for Belinda, a shirt for Andrew,” and may have used the diary entries as a ledger. She does not refer to cash payment for her work.
She got some flax to spin in March and went to a quilting. She went to the store in May – a rare occurrence – and bought a lawn dress and some gingham for a sunbonnet. In October, she “brought home cloth to make six shirts for Frank Jones, 4 fine ones & 2 coarse.”
In December, she and Hosea went to Albion – also a rare occurrence. She bought a shawl, $4.75, a delane dress, a calico dress and a sieve. (A “delaine” dress was made of high-grade wool, while a calico dress was a work dress.)
Sarah’s entries also included some brief references to health. She had two teeth pulled in May though she had not referred to toothache issues prior to that and did not indicate where she went for the extractions. She complained of “a sick headache” in November. A very matter of fact entry for May 14 read: “Pleasant. Hosea helped Ralph plant corn. I went down home. I was weighed. Weighed 123 and three quarters.”
Hosea froze one ear coming home from Mr. Stillwell’s one cold January day. He had his finger caught in the threshing machine in August, “he had to have it cut off at the first joint.” It was very painful for some time, he had to go to the doctor’s to get it dressed and later to have stiches removed but was able to go berrying in September.
In October, Sarah wrote that she “sat up with George Miller’s child,” inferring that she took her turn helping a neighbor who had a sick child, as was the custom. Several days later, she wrote: “Geo. Miller’s child buried today.”
She did not mention the child’s name or age, or the mother’s name. Other entries also point to women’s secondary status at that time: Hosea went to town meetings and to funerals, he attended debates at The Bridges. In October, he went to hear Governor Church lecture at Waterport and several days later, he heard him lecture at The Bridges. On November 2, Hosea “went to Election” (presumably to vote) while Sarah stayed at home and “made a pair of drawers.”
(“Governor Church” was Sanford Elias Church (1815-1880) of Albion, a Democrat, who had served as Lieutenant Governor for Washington Hunt and was re-elected to that position in 1852, with Horatio Seymour as Governor)
Sarah noted her birthday on November 30: “I am 26 today,” their anniversary on December 16: “It is five years ago today that we were married.”
She noted Christmas in passing: “December 25 Christmas. Moderate. Hosea and I went to his mother’s.”
On December 30, they went to a wedding (Edwin and Elizabeth’s) and “it was two o’ clock this morning before we got home from the wedding.” A good way to end the year.
GAINES – For our forth image in this series we have selected the print entitled, “Alice Blue Gown,” which hangs in the Vagg House at the Cobblestone Museum campus.
The print measures 11 by 14 inches and is a portrait of Alice Roosevelt Longworth, eldest child of President Theodore Roosevelt. She was born in 1884 and died in 1980. During her early lifetime, she became very popular as a trendsetter and remained a Washington, D.C. socialite most of her life.
This picture became immensely popular in the 1920s and it was widely published in various sizes. The original painting which this print was copied from was created by English painter, Arthur Paine Garratt. However, during the 1920s, Garratt spent several years in New York. He is best remembered as a fine portrait artist, with considerable success during his lifetime.
Arthur Paine Garratt (1873-1955)
Many of Garratt’s female subjects were elegant, high-society ladies who expected a high degree of finish and detail in their portraits. Lavish gowns of exotic textiles were usually a feature. This painting of Alice was no exception. She was a beautiful young girl who was the equivalent of a princess and whose style signature were her azure blue gowns.
The press constantly followed her around to record many of her escapades. Her portrait would suggest a demure young woman but quite the contrary was true. Her father, the President, once said, “I can run the country, or I can control my daughter, but I cannot do both.” She often smoked in public which was a “no-no” for women at the time. She had a pillow in her salon embroidered with the statement, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit by me.”
In the portrait above, we note that it is signed in the lower left corner, “Arthur Garratt.” It is entitled, “An Old Sweetheart of Mine.” No publisher is noted on this print which measures 11 by 15 inches.
“Alice Blue Gown” is purposely displayed in the Vagg House (shown above) which represents the Teens, ’20s, and ’30s through its furnishings. Our print appears to be in the original frame which we believe is circa 1930. Framing of this time period is much more simplistic than picture frames of earlier decades.
It is not unusual to find “Alice Blue Gown” in antique malls today, because it was once so popular. This small 5 by 7 inch copy was framed in an octagonal frame.
The painting likely partly inspired the song “Alice Blue Gown” written by Harry Tierney with lyrics by Joseph McCarthy. It was sung by Edith Day in the 1919 play “Irene.” It became a top seller in 1920 and was revived several times in the following decades. You can listen to the 1920 recording by clicking here.
We end this story with a portrait of Alice Roosevelt Longworth done by Peter Hurd in 1965. This is a Tempura on Masonite and hangs in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution.
‘I sincerely hope that Governor Hochul will be able to put aside her partisanship and stop this policy’s implementation for the sake of our farmers, families, and rural economies throughout the state.’ – Steve Hawley
Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley
Steve Hawley
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia), a former farmer and member of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture, is expressing grave concern following a 2-1 decision by the Farm Laborers Wage Board to implement a 40-hour overtime threshold for farm laborers in New York state.
Hawley has joined farmers and advocates from across the state throughout the last several months to speak out against this proposal, arguing that since farms operate on schedules that are at the mercy of the weather and other unpredictable factors, that lowering the threshold would prove fatal for farms which barely turn a profit when paying their laborers under the existing 60-hour threshold.
“Farm operators and farm laborers alike have been more united than ever in opposing this mandate, but sadly it seems their voices were ignored, and I now fear the decision will come at the cost of countless multi-generational family businesses who will now have no choice but to cease operations,” Hawley said. “Being someone with origins in upstate New York, I sincerely hope that Governor Hochul will be able to put aside her partisanship and stop this policy’s implementation for the sake of our farmers, families, and rural economies throughout the state.
“For the millions of people who love everything about agriculture as we know it here in upstate New York, it would be truly tragic if our local farms became nothing more than memories of a better time.”
Press Release, International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board
The average Lake Ontario outflow for January 2022 is currently the 4th highest on record since 1900 (following 2020, 2021, and 1987), and the January mean Lake Ontario level is the 15th highest on record since 1918.
Although flows have been reduced, the outflows remain relatively high compared to the historical record.
Ice conditions continue to be closely monitored. The Board will make outflow adjustments as necessary and share updates and information. The operational outflow adjustments are consistent with and accounted for in the design of the regulation plan
Ice has formed in the critical sections of the St. Lawrence River in the Beauharnois Canal and on Lake St. Lawrence. Ice began to form in early January along the St. Lawrence River as air temperatures remained consistently well-below freezing for several days.
This year since January 10, 2022, outflows from Lake Ontario have been adjusted (decreased and increased), as conditions have required to manage ice cover formation.
Outflow adjustments to support stable ice cover formation occurs most every year. Several ice booms are also used in the river to assist in ice cover formation. A stable ice cover is important to reduce the likelihood of ice jams that can damage shorelines and cause flooding.
A stable ice cover also prevents unconsolidated ice from flowing into and clogging hydropower intakes; ice jams or blockages of hydropower intakes could result in prolonged outflow decreases leading to higher Lake Ontario levels. As ice conditions stabilize, outflows from Lake Ontario will be increased in accordance with the rules of the plan.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 January 2022 at 9:19 am
Database lists local products and services from Orleans County contractors, vendors and suppliers
Photo by Tom Rivers: Art Hill Excavating did the site work for the new hotel in on Maple Ridge Road in medina. That hotel will be a Comfort Inn & Suites and is expected to open in March.
ALBION – The Orleans Economic Development Agency is urging local businesses to register or renew their listing with the “Only in Orleans” database.
The EDA created the site in 2017 as a database of available products and services from Orleans County contractors, vendors and suppliers. Companies doing projects in the county could then easily see options for working with local businesses for new construction or other projects. There is no charge to be included on Only in Orleans.
“The Only in Orleans database gives us an overview of the local products and services that might be available for projects coming down the pipeline,” said Michael Dobell, chief executive officer of the Orleans EDA. “A reliable list of local companies that can be plugged in to new development or expansion projects gives us a competitive strength.”
General, electrical and mechanical contractors and those who perform site work, masonry, roofing, paving, excavating, survey, engineering and landscaping services can review the criteria and registration form at Only in Orleans.
Vendors that also supply equipment or materials for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing or excavation projects or have lumber, computers, fixtures, furniture or greenhouses in Orleans County are also encouraged to register on the website.
The Only in Orleans database is a resource for companies doing construction in the county that are looking to hire locally for the work.
The Orleans Economic Development Agency cannot advocate for one business over another. There are no guarantees or incentives tied to anything related to registration or listing in the local database, the EDA said.
The “Register” page of “Only in Orleans” contains a link to the registration form which is submitted to the portal upon completion. The database is simply a way for the agency to maintain active contractor and vendor information.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 January 2022 at 10:00 pm
Overtime changes to gradually be phased in from 2024 to 2032
Photo by Tom Rivers: A farmer plows a field on March 26 to get the land on Gaines Basin Road in Albion ready for spring planting.
A three-person Farm Labor Wage Board voted today 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.
Many in the farming community testified at hearings this month the decision would actually hurt workers, who would see smaller paychecks due to working less hours each work. Many farmers said they would be looking to grow less labor-intensive crops.
The decision this afternoon from the Wage Board was called a “disastrous policy” by State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt, whose district includes many farm and agricultural operations in Orleans, Niagara and Monroe counties.
“By lowering the overtime threshold from 60 hours to 40, unelected bureaucrats – empowered by Albany Democrats – are jeopardizing the future of New York’s agriculture industry,” Ortt said. “This decision is the result of the 2019 passage of the so-called Farm Labor Act, sponsored by a New York City Senate Democrat who doesn’t have a single farm in her district.
“Everyone agrees that family farmers and farmworkers deserve to be treated fairly,” Ortt said. “With this new burdensome mandate, they will be added to the exodus of people leaving our state. Today will be remembered as the day that family farming died a slow death in our state – and it was radical, out-of-touch Senate Democrats who killed it.”
Grow NY Farms issued the following statement:
“The Farm Laborers Wage Board voted two-to-one to recommend lowering the overtime threshold to 40 hours a week over the next decade, despite 70% of the testimony made by farmers and farmworkers who asked for overtime to stay at 60. It is disingenuous and irresponsible that the data, research, and comments made from those who know agriculture best were cast aside by the majority of the Wage Board. Changing the overtime threshold to 40 hours a week for farmworkers in New York means that these workers will be limited to 40 hours, due to simple farm economics. This is not a win for farmworkers that self-proclaimed worker advocates will claim.
“Agricultural production, diversification, and job availability will suffer. That is no scare tactic. We have already seen farmworkers leave the state for more hours of work and production shift to less labor-intensive crops since the farm labor legislation was enacted in January 2020. Further collapse of New York agriculture is on the hands of those who spread falsehoods and look to destroy the livelihoods of farmworkers they say they represent. This is also a loss for New Yorkers who enjoy and depend on access to local food, something that was highlighted during the pandemic.
“New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher voted against lowering the threshold, simply asking for more time to study the economic impacts of a lower threshold. Governor Hochul and Commissioner Reardon must now do what is right and let the facts be their guide. If this administration cares about the future of upstate New York, Long Island and urban access to locally produced food, they must put a stop to the constant regulatory assault on agriculture.
“Grow NY Farms would like to thank everyone who testified this year. The care and respect they have for their employees were clear from the beginning. No wage board decision can take that away. We all value essential farm work and want the very best for farm employees, that includes the ability to earn a livelihood in the profession they have chosen.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 January 2022 at 9:17 pm
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced today that an indoor mask mandate at public places would be extended from Feb. 1 to Feb. 10, and would be re-evaluated close before Feb. 10.
Gov. Kathy Hochul
Hochul said she is encouraged be the recent data on Covid-19 cases.
On Thursday there were 13,592 new Covid cases with 6.15 percent positive. That compares to Jan. 7 when the state hit an all-time high for Covid cases with The 90,132 cases in one day. The percentage of positive tests that day was 21.17.
Statewide the hospitalizations dropped by more than 2,800 over the past week, Hochul said.
“New Yorkers are doing what is necessary to combat the spread of Covid-19 and the progress is evident in our numbers,” Hochul said.
Hochul first mandated face coverings to be worn in all indoor public places on Dec. 13, unless the business or venue implements a vaccine requirement.
She said the mask mandate has been a key in driving the Covid numbers down.
“I want to thank all the businesses and the people who follow these policies,” she said. “You are the reason our state is going to come out of this far sooner than other states.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 January 2022 at 4:07 pm
File photo by Tom Rivers: The Medina Fire Department heads down East Center Street on an ambulance call Friday that was outside the village.
An advisory council looking for answers to improving EMS service in Orleans County will meet for the first time on Feb. 16 at the Orleans County Office Building.
The council will have 35 members with a representative from each of the 12 local fire departments, 10 towns, four villages, four ambulance providers and county officials.
The group will likely break into subgroups to brainstorm ways to improve staffing or volunteers, response times, and help the ambulance providers be stronger financially.
Local officials say the local EMS is in crisis locally with too few responders and not enough ambulances, often resulting in delayed responses.
Recent data shows increased dropped calls and slower responses, especially in eastern and central Orleans.
The western end of the county, which is primarily served by the Medina Fire Department with career firefighters, isn’t plagued by the issues.
Justin Niederhofer, deputy director of Emergency Management Office in Orleans County, met with local municipal officials in October and they outlined some of the challenges in providing EMS services.
Some of the challenges include:
Many of the paramedic and EMT positions require extensive training, but don’t pay very well with little fringe benefits. The pay isn’t much better than working in fast food or minimum wage jobs, without the training and responsibilities.
The ambulance providers are fiscally challenged with low reimbursement rates from Medicare and Medicaid, and many patients who keep the insurance checks rather than turning them to the ambulance companies, Niederhofer said. There are also many patients without insurance resulting in little revenue for COVA, Monroe Ambulance and other providers.
Dale Banker, the county’s emergency management director, wants to see the state change a law to allow the ambulance providers to directly be paid by insurance companies, rather than the checks going to patients who often keep them. The companies also need higher reimbursement rates to better cover their costs and pay their staff more.
Allen Turner, communications director at the dispatch center for the county, said many people call for an ambulance when they don’t need one, which stresses the EMS system.
In Orleans County, only the Kendall Fire Department continues to run an all-volunteer ambulance. Albion, Clarendon, Holley and Carlton all have taken their ambulances out of service. Kendall isn’t able to bill for its services because it’s all-volunteer. With only Kendall running a volunteer ambulance that puts more pressure on COVA in central Orleans and Monroe Ambulance for eastern Orleans to respond to calls.
The fewer ambulances in the county also are tend to be more unavailable with the closing of Lakeside Memorial Hospital in Brockport. Those ambulances have to drive farther towards Rochester to hospitals. Although the Brockport site is now Strong West, the ambulances still are often sent to Rochester hospitals and that ties up crews for longer times. Niederhofer said the short-staffed hospitals also are slower in being able to accept patients. What used to be one or two hour call is often four hours or more. That longer time commitment also is leading to increased burnout, especially for the volunteers, Niederhofer said.
County Legislator Skip Draper, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said the advisory council will be looking for solutions for all the issues, and will study options for funding.
According to the Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention, about 100,000 Americans have died from drug overdoses in a year’s time through May 2021 and that number only will increase unless treatment providers emphasize the human aspect of substance use disorder.
That was the message conveyed from Haymarket, Va., by Rob Kent, general counsel for the White House Office of National Drug Policy, during last week’s GOW Opioid Task Force quarterly meeting via Zoom videoconferencing.
“We need to understand in that 100,000 number … that’s 100,000 people who have brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, grandparents and kids themselves. It’s human,” said Kent, who previously served in a similar position for the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports and frequently worked with personnel at Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.
Kent said that when people view addiction beyond the human element, “we just we lose the opportunity to do what we need to do – which is to help people stay alive.”
During his time with OASAS, Kent was instrumental in creating the Certified Recovery Peer Advocate program that enlists people, primarily, who are in recovery and can relate to those in need.
“That’s one of the things I’m most proud of,” he said. “We mandate that insurance – both Medicaid and private insurance – pay for them because they help engage people and they’re even more critical right now.
“People respond positively to others who can come to them and say, ‘I know what you’re going through, I walked that walk before — I know what it’s like.’ I’m not saying they’re the end-all, but they’re certainly a key component of what needs to be done.”
GCASA has woven CRPAs into its recovery policy, utilizing peers at The Recovery Station on Clinton Street Road and in other programs in both counties.
Kent pointed out that illegal fentanyl has become a major problem.
“I know there’s an uptick with meth (methamphetamine), but illegal fentanyl is being mixed into everything,” he said. “And I think it’s important for us to understand that it is lethal; it kills people easily. And it it’s changed the ballgame.”
Of that 100,000 number, more than 5,000 are dying in New York State, Kent said.
Kent said the federal government has sent billions of dollars to the states in supplemental block grant funding. In March 2021, New York received $104 million from the stimulus package and, a few months later, received another $90 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.
He said another $50 million to $100 million is expected to flow to the states over the next few years.
While the money is vital, spending it properly is just as important, Kent said.
“I’m not paying enough attention to New York to know how much has been spent, but they should be spending it because people are dying right now,” he said. “I’m very optimistic with the new (OASAS) commissioner (Chinazo Cunningham) that she gets what’s going on. She has a heart; she cares, and she will try her best to do the right thing.”
Kent said the Biden Administration has made harm reduction a key element of its comprehensive approach to addressing substance use disorders through prevention, treatment, and recovery where individuals who use substances set their own goals. Federal funds are being used to purchase fentanyl test strips and other testing equipment, sponsor syringe service programs, expand access to Naloxone and create guidelines for streamlined and expanded buprenorphine prescribing.
“I know there’s reactions (from people) to harm reduction generally into the services I just talked about,” he said. “Some folks will tell you that you’re enabling the drug use. I say that when we don’t do those things, we’re ignoring that it’s happening.”
Connecting with those dealing with substance use disorder in genuine and meaningful ways ultimately will make the biggest difference, Kent said.
“We need to understand that we can continue to sit here and talk about drug use as a failure of will – a lack of personal strength, whatever you want to call it – and we can continue to do that and watch more and more people in this country die from drug use, or we could embrace people,” he said. “We could understand they’re human beings. They have families, they have loved ones, and when we focus on it from that perspective, everything then becomes possible.”
Provided photo: Pictured from left, fruit farm operator Jim Bittner, vegetable and dairy farm operator Maureen Torrey Marshall, Sen. Ed Rath (R,C,I-Amherst), Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) and Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) discuss the impact of vaccine mandates on farms and agriculture on Thursday.
Press Release, Congress Chris Jacobs
GENESEE COUNTY – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27), State Senator Ed Rath (R-Amherst), and State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) met with local farmers and agricultural leaders on Thursday to discuss the impact of President Biden’s vaccine mandate at the Northern border, and the current supply chain issues and labor shortages facing the agricultural industry.
“Representing our farmers on the House Agriculture Committee is a job I take very seriously, and right now their livelihoods are at stake as a direct result of President Biden’s vaccine mandates,” Jacobs said. “Farming is a round the clock industry that has no room for delays or logistical blockades, yet that is exactly what the President has created. His mandate that just recently went into effect is causing trucking delays, which seriously impacts our farmers and hurts our ag-focused economy in New York’s 27th District. I have fought against these mandates, and I will continue to do so to ensure our supply chains remain intact and our farmers are supported.”
Jacobs is a member of the House Agriculture Committee. In December, he sent a letter with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to President Biden warning of the disruption his vaccine mandate at the border would cause in the supply chain. The President ignored this warning.
“Our New York farmers have been taking hit after hit,” Rath said. “Many are already struggling with staffing shortages and supply chain issues, at no fault of their own. Jeopardizing their available workforce is irresponsible and inconsiderate of the overwhelming pressures that farmers are facing. I have advocated for simplifying the countless mandates to help our farms and businesses. I will continue to fight for our agriculture community.”
“Vaccine mandates issued at any level of government only serve to cripple our response to the very pandemic such mandates seek to improve,” Hawley said. “For farmers in particular, disruptions in the supply chain could mean the loss of crop yields, the death of livestock animals and critical equipment remaining in a state of disrepair for long periods of time when out of order. When the operations of our farms slow down, the economies of our rural communities slow as well. And across our nation, the restocking of grocery store shelves will continue to be a spotty process. Mandates that stifle the efficacy of our supply chain will only prolong the suffering brought about by this pandemic, and I remain committed to combating their implementation in any broad capacity.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 January 2022 at 8:37 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Albion Rotary Club members fill goodie bags for merchants in downtown Albion on Thursday afternoon. Pictured from left include Bonnie Malakie, Richard Remley, Don Bishop, Robert batt and Doug Farley. They are shown at Hoag Library.
The goodie bags included frosted cookies and some other treats, as well as a thank you letter from Rotary Club President Alex Krebs.
“We are so grateful for our local businesses, and are aware of how difficult it is to operate a business in a small community like Albion, especially through the past couple of years,” Krebs wrote in her letter. “We’re glad you are here!!”
The Cobblestone Museum donated 40 bags for the items.
The Albion Rotary Club is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The Rotary motto is “Service Above Self.” Krebs said the club this year is putting an emphasis on service to the community.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 January 2022 at 7:07 pm
MEDINA – A new hotel on Maple Ridge Road, which has been years in the making, is expected to open in early March, one of the owners said today.
The hotel also will open as a franchise of Comfort Inn & Suites. That is a change from Cobblestone Suites. The 58-room hotel was going to be under the Cobblestone umbrella but the owners recently made a change to align with Comfort Inn, which operates about 9,000 hotels.
“That gives us a much bigger footprint,” said Todd “Booka” Hanes, one of the owners. “There is more buying power and access to Comfort Inn’s choice rewards program for customers.”
Hanes will be applying to the Village of Medina Planning Board and code enforcement office to change the signs to Comfort Inn.
The hotel otherwise is nearly completely done except for some “punch-list” items, Hanes said today at the site.
The rooms are all nearly furnished except for some bedding and the mini shampoos for the bathrooms. The mini shampoo bottles have been hard to come by due to supply chain issues, Hanes said.
Todd “Booka” Hanes said Covid restrictions slowed construction of the site, but he is very eager for the hotel to open in March. The hotel was originally going to be part of the Cobblestone Suites, which has about 125 hotels in smaller towns. Hanes and the other owners recently switched to make the site a franchise through Comfort Inn & Suites. The signage will be changed.
The Covid-19 pandemic has proven a difficult challenge the past two years. Construction started in May 2019. Restrictions on construction in 2020 stopped work on the three-story site for many months. Building supplies and furnishings were delayed.
Hanes and his ownership team have been determined to get the project done and the 39,000-square-foot hotel open. He is pleased with the interest from the community in 18 to 22 jobs at the Comfort Inn and interviews will soon start to fill the positions.
The Orleans Economic Development Agency has been pursuing a brand hotel for more than a decade. Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development, connected with Hanes about six years ago at a conference. She pitched Medina as a site for a hotel, and Hanes and his partners saw the community as a good fit for a smaller hotel.
Barone praised Hanes and his partners for their tenacity and ability to overcome building a new hotel during the Covid pandemic.
Hanes and his partners own a Cobblestone Suites hotel in St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania. That 58-room hotel opened in April 2016. The top customer base there has been connected to the local hospital, with family members in town to see loved ones at the hospital. Visiting nurses and doctors also often stay at that hospital.
Hanes sees a strong tourism scene in the Medina area, many strong nearby industries, and wedding and events venues. He is very confident the Medina hotel will be in demand.
The hotel is nearly done. There are three stories and 58 rooms total.
The motel tax from the hotel will be used to support local tourism efforts, which should bring more visitors to the community. The hotel on Maple Ridge Road also will keep visitors in the community longer, and local businesses should feel that impact, Barone said.
Hanes said industry studies show the average hotel guest spends about $125 in the community, on top of their hotel bill.
The new hotel also includes a covered outdoor patio area. It has a conference room that will be available to the community.
The 58 rooms include 7 larger rooms for extended stays. Those rooms have refrigerators, a dishwasher and a stove.
The rooms all include ceramic tiles, carpet and granite countertops. The project cost $7 million to build. Hanes said the owners wanted to bring a high-quality hotel to the community.
CARLTON – We have had the privilege of becoming acquainted with the daily lives of Hosea and Sarah Ballou on their farm on the Oak Orchard River Road in Carlton from Hosea’s diary entries, beginning in January 1851.
