Belgian Malinois served in Medina PD for 8 1/2 years; meets with residents in farewell

Photos by Ginny Kropf: These children –Chloe Moreland, 9, (left) and Kinsley, 5 – pet Kye at the Medina Senior Center today, where Lt. Todd Draper took the dog so residents could say goodbye to him.

MEDINA – Kye, the Village of Medina Police Department’s K-9 until retiring in November 2020, bid goodbye to handful of residents, Medina police officers and firefighters this afternoon.

Kye’s handler, Lt. Todd Draper, brought the Belgian Malinois to the Senior Center this afternoon, so residents and children could come and say goodbye to the dog, who has been diagnosed with bone cancer.

Lt. Todd Draper waits with Kye to meet the public this afternoon.

Draper knew many children had interacted with Kye at school and public events during his 8 ½ years on the police force, and he wanted to give them a chance to say a final farewell.

When the village decided to have a K-9 on the police force, Draper was named K-9 officer and Kye was imported from Holland when he was a year old. That was in 2012. He had some basic training in Holland, and for a year after arriving in Medina he continued to train in narcotics detection, building searches, criminal apprehension and handler protection.

He served the village well until being retired at the age of 10 1/2. That was little more than a year ago and the village now has a new dog of the same breed, Phoenix. His handler is Officer Jake Reeves.

The first visitors to come and greet Kye on Tuesday were Ashley Moreland of Medina and her children Jaden, 10, Chloe, 9 and Kinsley, 5.

“The children had seen Kye in school and wanted to come and say goodbye,” their mother said.

Draper set up a display with pictures of Kye during his years on the police force, newspaper clippings of arrests he had a part in and posters drawn by children. Many had messages which said, “We will miss you.”

Kye has become part of the Draper family. About 2 1/2 months ago, the lieutenant said they noticed Kye was having difficulty moving. They knew he has undergone a lot of sprains and strains during his police work, but when he got worse, they gave him some medicine. It didn’t help, so they took him to the vet, who also gave him medication, then ordered some tests.

It was confirmed Kye had  bone cancer on his right shoulder. Already the tumor is the size of two grapefruit.

Draper said Kye isn’t in any pain, but he knows the day will soon come when the decision will have to be made to put him down.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has approved the 2022 sales tax apportionment with the 10 towns and four villages in Orleans County.

The annual apportionment shifts some of the sales tax given to the towns and villages. The county divides the village taxable value by the town taxable value to determine the percentages due to the town and village.

If a town’s tax base grows at a greater percentage than the village within that town’s borders, the town gets more of the sales tax and vice versa. The four towns without a village – Barre, Carlton, Clarendon and Kendall – stay unchanged for a decade because the sales tax apportionment once every 10 years is set based on population. For towns with villages the shares are then modified each year after based on changes in the tax base.

The apportionment in 2021 broke a trend in previous years where the village share grew – at the expense of the towns. But 2022 shifts more sales tax to the towns.

The county receives about $20 million in sales tax annually, and shares $1,366,671 with the four villages and 10 towns. They have been frozen at that level since 2001.

The sales tax has been on a big growth swing the past two years with more online sales tax being captured. This year’s growth also is fueled by the higher gas prices.

Once a decade the town and village amounts are set based on local population. However, each year after that the share is modified based on the assessed values of towns with villages.

The villages have seen their share take a hit by nearly $30,000 from 2013 to 2022, falling from $404,661 in 2013 to $375,620 in 2022.

In Albion, the village hit a high of $211,669 in 2004. In 2022, it will receive $165,688, which is $45,981 less than in 2004.

In Holley, the village hit a high of $62,549 in 2002 – 20 years later it’s down to $45,051, a cut of $17,498.

Lyndonville was at $18,592 in 2002 and has dropped to $15,243 in 2022.

In Medina, the village received a high of $173,592 in 2002 and will be at $149,638 in 2021, a decline of $23,954.

The county is using some of the local sales tax to pay $290,000 in AIM payments to towns and villages that were funded by the state. The state also takes $190,274 in the county sales tax and diverts it to “financially distressed health facilities.”

New York will follow the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is shortening the isolation period for those with Covid from 10 to 5 days as long as they don’t have symptoms.

The CDC on Monday updated its guidance after research showed the virus is most contagious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop. People with symptoms after five days should to continue to remain at home and avoid contact with others.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday announced the state would reduce the isolation window from 10 to 5 days for asymptomatic essential workers – employees in healthcare, transportation, grocery stores and others. The state will follow the CDC in the 5-day isolation for everyone as long as they don’t have symptoms.

“As we battle this winter surge, we will keep following the data and science-based public health policies to protect New Yorkers,” Hochul said on Monday in backing the new CDC guidance. “This is a critical step to support our small businesses, critical industries, and essential services as we get through this new variant.”

Lynn-Ette & Sons also awarded $148K in state funding

HOLLEY/LYNDONVILLE – The state has awarded grants to upgrade the sewer or wastewater treatment plants for both Holley and Lyndonville.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the awards earlier this month as part of $196 million for 488 projects identified through Round XI of the Regional Economic Development Council initiative.

The Village of Holley was awarded $783,016 to install ultraviolet effluent disinfection at the village’s wastewater treatment plant. This project will improve water quality by reducing pathogens in the plant’s discharge to East Branch Sandy Creek.

The Village of Lyndonville was approved for $483,460 to install an effluent disinfection system at the village’s wastewater treatment plant. This project will improve the quality of treated effluent entering the Johnson Creek.

Gov. Hochul also announced $148,050 to assist Lynn-Ette & Sons, a vegetable, produce and grain farm in Carlton. Lynn-Ette will invest in a new snap bean processing line and will add cold storage capacity to increase the amount of cabbage that can be stored for sale later into the season.

The number of active Covid cases and hospitalizations is down significantly after hitting a pandemic high for cases earlier this month.

Orleans County today has 130 active cases, which is down from 211 on Thursday and 334 on Dec. 9. The 130 active cases today is 61 percent of the record high of 334 only 18 days ago.

Genesee County also is seeing a decline, at 218 today which is down from 231 on Dec. 23 and 275 on Dec. 20.

The number of people hospitalized due to Covid also is on the decline. Orleans has four hospitalized today due to Covid, which is down from nine on Dec. 23, 12 on Dec. 20 and 17 on Dec. 2.

Genesee County has 27 people hospitalized from Covid, which is down from 29 on Dec. 23, 35 on Dec. 20 and 39 on Dec. 2.

State-wide hospitalizations due to Covid was at 5,526 on Sunday, up by 635 in two days, and up from the 3,909 on Dec. 17.

The active cases are going down because new positive cases are less than people recovering or completing their 10-day isolation and being removed from mandatory isolation.

Orleans County has 50 new cases since Thursday, and 126 more recoveries.

Genesee County has 92 new cases since Thursday and 105 more people who completed their 10-day isolation and have been removed from mandatory isolation.

New York State is seeing a surge in new cases with 26,737 more positive tests on Sunday and a positivity rate of 16.04 percent. The seven-day average for positive tests is at 12.41 percent in the state. That is higher than the 7.8 percent in Orleans and 9.1 percent in Genesee.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature is asking state officials to establish solar panel recycling regulations.

The County Legislature last week passed a resolution that stated there is a rise in the use of solar panels, which has led to an accumulation of waste at the end of the life of the panels.

The solar panels contain recyclable aluminum, glass and plastic, as well as photovoltaic cells, which contain various valuable materials and rare metals, legislators said.

“Proper recycling of the solar panels will ensure that these materials and metals are able to be reused, but also ensures that the panels do not prematurely enter the waste stream where they can have potential negative environmental effects,” county legislators stated in their resolution.

Legislators are urging the state to develop “a convenient, safe and environmentally sound system for the recycling of photovoltaic modules, the minimization of hazard waste, and the recovery of commercially valuable materials.”

The responsibility for the reduction of solar panels in the waste stream should be shared among all stakeholders, with manufacturers financing the takeback and recycling system, county legislators said.

The county said the State Legislature should develop regulations utilizing the state’s own Sustainable Materials Management Model (so that the social, economic and environmental consequences of the choices made today do not adversely impact future generations.

The solar panel recycling regulations also should consistent for all counties in the state, the County Legislature said.

State paying for 17,600 masks for Orleans County

ALBION – Orleans County residents can pick up free KN95 masks at three locations on Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m.

Firefighters and EMTs will be handing out the masks at the following locations:

• Murray Joint Fire District Station 1 (7 Thomas St, Holley)
• County Administration Building (14016 Rt 31, Albion)
• Ridgeway Fire Company Station 1 (11392 Ridge Rd, Medina)

The state is paying for 17,600 of the masks to be distributed in the county. Until supplies are depleted, the KN95 masks will also be available to the public during normal county business hours at the County Clerks Office, County Admin Building, Veterans Office, Public Safety Building, and Treasurer’s Office.

Some of the masks are going to local municipalities for essential workers and first responders. Any business in the county in need of the masks should call the county Emergency Management Officer at (585) 589-4414.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has doubled the size of a medical scholarship, from $36,000 to $72,000 over four years.

The county started offering the scholarship in 1966 to entice young physicians to work as doctors in the county.

The Orleans County Medical Scholarship Board recommended the scholarship be increased due to the increased costs involved in medical training.

“The Orleans County Legislature wishes to ensure that Orleans County is meeting the needs of our residents by securing physicians for our future health care needs,” the Legislature said last week in voting to increase the scholarship.

Orleans shows largest percentage decline in WNY in 2020 Census count

Photos by Tom Rivers – Albion Correctional Facility looms large at the end of Washington Street in Albion. The site is the largest women’s prison in the state. In 2020, Albion Correctional had 759 female inmates out of the 1,315 women incarcerated in the state prisons.

When the Census population counts came out in mid-August, the data showed Orleans County had the largest percentage decline in Western New York.

Countywide the population went down 5.9 percent, or by 2,540 people from 42,883 in 2010 to 40,343 in 2020.

Among the 10 towns in the county, Albion had the biggest percentage loss, down 829 residents or a 9.8 percent drop – from 8,468 in 2010 to 7,639 in 2020.

The two state prisons are in the town of Albion and there has been much news attention about the shrinking inmate population with bail reform and a push to reduce the inmate population due to Covid-19 concerns.

Orleans Hub submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in August.

Today we were given answers to our questions about how the local and state-wide inmate population changed from 2010 to 2020.

The number of inmates is down at the two prisons, but not at the rate experienced statewide among the incarcerated population.

Statewide the number of inmates declined 39.9 percent from 2010 to 2020, down by 22,824 from 57,229 in 2010 to 34,405 in 2020.

The inmate population saw its biggest decline from 2019 to 2020, decreasing by 22.3 percent in one year, or by 9,871 inmates – from 44,276 to 34,405.

State-wide, here is how the inmate population changed each year from 2010 to 2020:

• 2010 – 57,229
• 2011 – 55,979, down 1,250 or 2.2%
• 2012 – 54,865, down 1,114 or 2.0%
• 2013 – 54,142, down 723 or 1.3%
• 2014 – 53,103, down 1,039 or 1.9%
• 2015 – 52,344, down 759 or 1.4%
• 2016 – 51,466, down 878 or 1.7%
• 2017 – 50,271, down 1,195 or 2.3%
• 2018 – 47,459, down 2,812 or 5.6%
• 2019 – 44,276, down 3,183 or 6.7%
• 2020 – 34,405, down 9,871 or 22.3%

The Orleans Correctional Facility is lined with a razor-wire fence. The facility was built on Gaines Basin Road about four decades ago.

The two local state prisons include the Albion Correctional Facility, a women’s prison, and Orleans Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison for men.

Albion Correctional is down 147 inmates over the 10 years from 906 to 759, a 16.2 percent decline. Orleans Correctional is down 212 inmates in the 10 years from 985 to 773, a 21.5 percent drop.

The total decline of 359 inmates at the two prisons accounts for 14.1 percent of the county’s 2,540-resident reduction in the 10 years.

The data from the Census Bureau shows a population drop in nearly every Orleans County municipality. Yates was the only municipality to avoid a loss in residents, but just barely. The town grew by 8 people or by 0.3 percent.

One basketball and two wrestling tournaments will highlight the action for this holiday week of area high school sports action.

The lone basketball tournament is at Genesee Community College where Roy-Hart will take on LeRoy in the semifinals of the Large School Division at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. Attica will face Batavia in the other semi.

The consolation and championship games in the Large School Division are scheduled for Thursday.

Lyndonville will be competing in the 10 team Bolivar-Richburg Wrestling Tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Albion, Medina and Roy-Hart/Barker will all be competing in the Akron Wrestling Tournament. The JV competition is scheduled for Tuesday and the varsity matches for Wednesday.

Two non league basketball games are also on tap. Lyndonville is scheduled to visit Medina in a girls game at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday and Medina is slated to host Bennett in a non league boys contest at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

Positivity rate dropping in Orleans, Genesee

New York State set a new pandemic record for most new Covid cases in one day with 49,708 positive tests on Dec. 24. That passed the record set the day before with 44,431 new positive Covid cases.

The state also had 36,454 new cases reported on Saturday, which was Christmas. Those new cases included 7 in Orleans and 14 in Genesee.

Although the total number of new cases was down, the percent of positive tests increased from 12.4 percent on Friday to 14.2 percent on Saturday.

The percentage of positive tests in the past 7 days is 11.70 percent state-wide. Orleans and Genesee, which were near the top for highest positivity rates only two weeks ago, now are below the state rate. In Orleans, the 7-day positivity rate ending Dec. 24, is 8.9 percent and Genesee is at 9.7 percent.

“As we come home from holiday gatherings, it is as important as ever to take precautions to limit the spread of Covid-19 this season,” Governor Hochul said in a statement today. “Wear your mask, wash your hands, and if you haven’t yet, get vaccinated and boosted. The vaccine is the best tool we have to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe as we head into the new year. Take advantage of having it readily available and get yours today.”

The state will be running a Covid testing clinic this week from Monday through Saturday at the GCC campus center on Route 31 in Albion. The GCC site will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday through Saturday.

The site will offer tests by appointment, as well as walk-ins. Upon launch, all sites will offer RT-PCR testing. Rapid antigen and rapid PCR tests will also be available within a few days of opening, Hochul’s office said.

Starting on Monday, New Yorkers can make an appointment for a Covid-19 test by clicking here.

The unemployment rate in Orleans County was at a pandemic low in November – 3.7 percent.

The unemployment rate was down from 5.7 percent in November 2020 in Orleans County. The number employed in Orleans is up from 16,200 in November 2020 to 16,300 last month, while the number unemployed has dropped from 1,000 to 600 in the same 12 months.

State-wide the unemployment rate has dropped from 8.3 percent in November 2020 to 5.5 percent in November 2021.

Orleans County hit an unemployment high of 16.8 percent in April 2020, when many businesses were closed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The rate has been trending down most of the year in Orleans County from 7.3% in January, 7.6% in February, 7.1% in March, 5.6% in April, 5.1% in May, 5.5% in June, 5.7% in July, 5.6% in August, 4.2% in September, 4.1% in October and 3.7% in November.

Among the metro areas, New York City has the highest unemployment rate at 8.0 percent, while Ithaca is the lowest at 2.9 percent.

The rate among the rural GLOW counties include Genesee, 3.3 percent; Livingston, 3.1 percent; Orleans, 3.7 percent; and Wyoming, 3.6 percent.

File photo: Adam Kirby holds the trophy for winning the 2019 corn yield contest in New York.

ALBION – An Albion farmer has again topped other corn growers in the state for the highest yield.

Adam Kirby finished first with a yield of 293.1075 in the strip, min, mulch, ridge – till non-irrigated category. Kirby used Pioneer seed PO947Q.

Some other nearby farmers won in the New York contest. Henry Everman of Dansville won conventional non-irrigated with a yield of 290.3780 and Tom Jeffres of Wyoming had the top yield, 263.4521, in strip, min, mulch, ridge-till irrigated

Kirby has now won the past three years. In 2019, he finished first with a 277.0 bushel yield in the strip till, non-irrigated category.

He won another category in 2020 with a 271.8 bushel yield in the conventional irrigated category. In 2020, he also was second in the strip, min, mulch, ridge-till non-irrigated category with a 273.6 yield.

Kirby and other winners around the country will be honored in March 2022 during Commodity Classic in New Orleans, La.

ALBION – The Hands 4 Hope ministry has been bringing food and taking prayer requests the past six years.

The group alternates going to four locations the first four Saturdays each month. Today was the first time in the ministry’s history that the fourth Saturday fell on Dec. 25.

Jack Burris, leader of hands 4 Hope, considered taking the day off because it’s Christmas, not sure if there would be volunteers or people in the community who would stop by. He reached out to volunteers with Hands 4 Hope and they wanted to be out today at Lydun Drive Extension.

They were there from 10:30 a.m. to noon. A group of about 15 people quickly formed around the Hands 4 Hope truck at 10:30, with some of the local residents helping to unload the truck and set up totes with clothing and tables with food.

Hands 4 Hope also gave toys to children. The wrapped gifts were donated by the Albion Lions Club.

Photos by Tom Rivers: The Hands 4 Hope volunteer team today includes in front: Kellie Mata and Jack Burris. Back row: Randy LeBaron, Kevin Lemcke, Kathy Samborski, Aggie Recco and Neil Samborski.

Kevin Lemcke has been a steady volunteer with Jack Burris since the ministry started. Lemcke is there nearly every Saturday. He also helps clean the truck on Mondays and fill the bags with food. Hands 4 Hope gives out about 30 “shares” of food each week with bags of rice, pasta, spaghetti sauce, green beans, corn, soap, toilet paper, crackers and peanut butter.

Hands 4 Hope was able to give out eggs, milk and veegtables that were donated by the Open Door mission in Rochester. Neil Samborski drove to Rochester to get those items.

Christine Bannister also stopped by this morning and donated Bannister beef from the livestock farm in Carlton.

The youth group at Grace Baptist Church in Brockport also filled 25 stockings for Hands 4 Hope to give to community members this morning.

“It’s a blessing,” Lemcke said about being in the ministry. “I love doing this and giving back. Every day I feel blessed.”

Kellie Mata drove from Batavia to volunteer today at Hands 4 Hope. She enjoys being part of the team of volunteers.

“They’re great people,” she said about the Hands 4 Hope volunteers. “It makes me have a smile on my face being around these guys.”

Signs on Lyndun Drive directed people to Hands 4 Hope.

The ministry also makes stops on Wednesdays from April through September.

Jack Burris said the truck today was hard to miss due to its loud exhaust. One local resident donated $60 to help fix the exhaust.

He thanked his understanding and supportive wife for her blessing in being out in the morning with Hands 4 Hope.

The Rev. Randy LeBaron, leader of Go Scatter Ministries, met with many residents, taking prayer requests.

He was impressed that so many of the people, despite the struggles in their own lives with poverty and health issues, were more focused on other people.

“They want to pray for others and help others,” LeBaron said.

For more on Hands 4 Hope, click here.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – There is sparse traffic today on Main Street in Albion with rain and fog on Christmas morning. Today is forecast for a high of 46.

The First Presbyterian Church of Albion wishes people a Merry Christmas.

It looked like Orleans County would get a White Christmas after several inches of snow fell on Wednesday and Thursday. This photo shows downtown Albion on Thursday.

Much of that snow has since melted.

The forecast the next few days includes a mostly cloudy Sunday with a high of 38, followed by a high near 35 on Monday, and a high near 40 on Tuesday.