2,000 COs who remain on strike terminated

Jackie Bray (left), commissioner of the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, and Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Daniel Martuscello speak during an online news conference this evening.

ALBANY – A three-week strike among corrections officers in state prisons is over, the commissioner of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner announced this evening.

Daniel Martuscello, the DOCCS commissioner, said 10,000 security staff – corrections officers and sergeants – are on the job today. That compares with 13,500 the day before the strike started. Martuscello said 2,000 COs have been terminated. They had until 6:45 a.m. today to report to work.

“The strike is over,” Martuscello said in an online news conference this evening. “After 22 days of this illegal strike, the governor and I are happy to report it is now ended.”

Martuscello and Gov. Kathy Hochul set a threshold for 85 percent of the workforce to report to duty today to meet conditions of a memorandum of understanding. The workforce is below the 85 percent, but Martuscello said he and Hochul will agree to the terms of that agreement.

“It’s time to recover, rebuild and recruit,” he said.

Some of the terms include a committee to review the HALT Act, which focuses on dealing with inmates in solitary confinement. The striking officers wanted the HALT Act rescinded, saying it has made prisons far less safe for staff and incarcerated people. The HALT Act has made it more difficult to punish inmates for breaking prison rules and harming staff and other incarcerated people, striking COs said.

The committee will include representations of the COs’ union, DOCCS and other parties and will make recommendations to the State Legislature about the HALT Act – Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act.

The HALT Act will be suspended for the next 90 days for programs within the prison, Martuscello said.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Many of the corrections officers and sergeants were on strike at Orleans Correctional Facility and Albion Correctional Facility. These signs shown Feb. 28 outside the Orleans Correctional Facility stated the COs’ displeasure with the working conditions and Gov. Kathy Hochul.

DOCCS also will commit to 12-hour shifts as it works to rebuild staffing. Corrections officers on strike said there was too much mandated overtime, with some officers required to work 16 to 24 hours. The goal is to avoid 24-hour shifts, Martuscello said. Officers will be paid an additional $100 if they volunteer to work overtime on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

COs and sergeants will be paid a 2.5 overtime for 30 days from March 6.

DOCCS will be working on a better system to screen mail for contraband.

Officers and sergeants who returned to work by today’s deadline will not face discipline for being on strike. Because of the Taylor Law, the staff were not legally allowed to go on strike.

The commissioner thanked the 6,000 National Guard members for their work in the prisons during the strike. They will continue in a “security posture” and will be drawn down as staff return to work.

DOCCS will launch an ambitious recruiting effort. Part of that includes a $1,500 referral bonus to staff for recruits who complete the academy and on-the-job training and then another $1,500 if they complete a 52-week probationary period.

“I want you to know I heard you,” Martuscello said in comments addressed to the COs and sergeants. “Your safety, your family, your work-life balance are important to me. I’m committed to continuing to listening to your voices as we move forward.”

Photos and information courtesy of Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) visited T.J. Connor Elementary in Scottsville, Wolcott Street School in Le Roy and Dorothy B. Bunce Elementary in Pavilion on Friday for Read Across America Day.

Hawley read “There’s No Place Like Space” to students as they learned about topics such as the solar system. This event has been a longstanding tradition for Hawley and his office, and he is proud to be able to host it for another year.

“Read Across America Day highlights the important role books have in our classrooms,” Hawley said. “Through reading, our students are able to expand their minds and create a passion for learning. I want to thank all of the schools, teachers and staff members for making this event possible and for putting their time, talent and energy into educating the next generation.”

Coalition led by a new coordinator, Sue Gagne

Press Release

BATAVIA – The tri-county coalition dedicated to community health and well-being is back in the public eye – with a new name and a new coordinator.

Formerly the GOW Opioid Task Force, the GOW CARES Alliance has scheduled its first quarterly meeting of the year for 12:30 p.m. April 1 at Grace Baptist Church, 238 Vine St., Batavia.

The session is open to the public at no charge. Lunch will be provided.

Sue Gagne, who was honored in 2024 by state Sen. George Borrello as a New York State “Woman of Distinction” for the 57th District, has assumed the role of coordinator of the organization. Gagne, a registered nurse, has been active in the mental health and suicide prevention fields for more than two decades.

“Over the past several months, we have been working on the transition from the opioid task force into a more comprehensive group, broadening our focus to not only substance use but mental health, trauma and suicide prevention in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties and the surround area,” Gagne said.

She said the GOW CARES Alliance is dedicated to improving the quality of life in rural communities through broad-based, inclusive partnerships that support overall wellness.

GOW CARES Alliance members are from various sectors of the community, including public health, mental health, human services, local government, substance use disorder treatment and recovery agencies, law enforcement, EMS, faith-based groups, health systems and medical practitioners, education, businesses, concerned individuals, families, and individuals in recovery.

Gagne said representative from human services’ agencies are invited to set up resource tables at the April 1st meeting. This can be done by sending an email to Sherri Bensley, the group’s education workgroup co-chair, at sherri.bensley@geneseeny.gov by March 28th.

“All are welcome to support the effort to make our community a healthier place to live,” Gagne added.

Click here for more information to register, also by that date.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Clarice Assad collects sound near the Medina Waterfalls on Saturday afternoon. Assad, a Grammy-nominated composer, is working on a piece for the Albany Symphony to debut during a July 2 concert in Medina, celebrating the 200^th anniversary of the Erie Canal.

Several community members joined Assad in a walk along the towpath and around the Canal Basin. She wanted to hear their insights about the community.

Clarice Assad walks along the towpath with Daniel Rosentreter on the north side of the Canal Basin. Rosentreter, co-owner of the Coffee Pot Café, also developed a bluebird trail in Medina including several bird boxes along the canal.

Assad walked with the group on Saturday and also was out on her own earlier in the morning. She was collecting sounds of nature, wildlife and other environmental noise, including church bells in the distance.

Assad has been a professional performer since she was 7. She was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2009 and a Grammy in 2022. She has more than 90 compositions to her credit, including many commissions for Carnegie Hall, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Orquestra Sinfônica de São Paulo, ROCO, LA Philharmonic, Grand Teton Music Festival, Santa Rosa Symphony,  Metropolis ensemble, the Bravo! Vail Music Festival and the La Jolla Music Festival.

The group stops by the Big Apple along the canal. Assad also ventured over to the first quarry site for Medina Sandstone, John Ryan’s first commercial quarry in 1837. The quarry industry would bring thousands of immigrants to the community in the following century from Italy, Ireland, Poland and Britain.

Assad said she will take in what she heard and experienced in Medina as she works on the new piece.

People are also welcome to record their favorite sounds from Medina – a spot in the woods, birds singing outside their window, or other places that bring them comfort. Those sound files can be emailed to MedinaSoundArchive@gmail.com. Files can be in any format and should be under 5 minutes.

Clarice Assad welcomes a group of about a dozen people on the sound-gathering expedition. Stephen Shewan, a composer from Shelby, is next to Assad.

The Albany Symphony will be doing a concert with 35 musicians for the debut of Assad’s piece on July 2. The project is funded by the New York Power Authority and NYS Canal Corp. The Albany Symphony is planning five concerts which will all debut new compositions as part of the bicentennial.

The group walks along the towpath. While on their expedition, a bald eagle flew by.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The sun sets in a wooded area behind Medina High School on Saturday.

Warmer temperatures are headed to Orleans County this week.

The forecast from the National Weather Service for Orleans includes highs of 54 on Monday, 57 on Tuesday and 40 on Wednesday.

The highs will then be 55 on Thursday, 64 on Friday and 67 on Saturday.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 5, No. 10

KUCKVILLE – A visual puzzle!

The scene shown in this photograph from the late 1890’s does not resemble the Kuckville you are familiar with as you breeze through on Route 18, unaware that you are even crossing a creek, and, unless you are driving north on Lakeside Road, perhaps even unaware of the hamlet.

The barn and bridge shown in the photograph no longer exist, and the area is wooded now, but the bridge abutments are still visible. Writing in 1981, Betsy Hoffman, a former Town of Carlton Historian, explained the changes:

“Prior to 1933, the road now known as Church Street came into the hamlet of Kuckville from the west, continued on to the east across the old bridge with the Kuck estate on the left and Joe Nicholson’s house on the right sitting on what is now the middle of what now is Route 18. The house was moved from that position to where Townsends store is now. The store as we know it in 1981 is part of the old Joe Nicholson house”

Detail of Kuckville from the 1913 Atlas of Niagara and Monroe counties which shows the original road configuration.

The Medina Daily Journal of March 27, 1930 noted that “Work has begun on the bridge at Kuckville.” The new road bypassed the hamlet. Identified on maps as the Roosevelt Highway and the Great Lakes Seaway trail, the road is locally referred to as “Route 18.” The “old” bridge across Johnson Creek was dismantled in the 1940s.

Hoffman’s notes continue with details on “who lived where” that delight residents and their descendants, fodder for after-dinner discussions and ramblings:

“Prior to 1933, Kuckville remained much the same as it did in years previous with John Cann’ s store setting next to the church on the northwest corner of the road. To the south of Cann’s  store set the coopershop…To the west was a large building that stored the barrels, and west of that was Howard Miller’s garage which set next to his house which is now owned by Jack Szyikowski”

Local history at its finest. Should any readers be interested in these specific accounts, please contact me at Catherine.cooper@orleanscountyny.gov.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Elks Lodge #1006 in Albion on Saturday teamed with WIC representatives to distribute baby food, diapers, clothes and others supplies to new parents. Pictured from left include Donna Boland, WIC nutritionist at Oak Orchard Health; April Flesch, trustee for the Elks in Albion; Lynda Standish, secretary for the Elks; and Linda Johnson, WIC outreach coordinator for Oak Orchard Health.

The Elks in Albion used a $4,000 grant from the grand lodge to assist 15 households in a community baby shower. Elks volunteers and teamed with representatives from WIC to buy supplies needed for new mothers.

The expectant moms received a diaper bag, sippy cups, onesies, crib sheet, stroller, portable crib, bottles, diapers, books, rattles, soothing baby noise machines, a baby bath tub, pack and play and other materials.

The WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program provides free, healthy foods and personalized nutrition education, breastfeeding support and referrals to other services. WIC staff were able to refer expectant mothers in Albion to Saturday’s community baby shower.

“It’s beautiful,” Donna Boland of WIC said about the Elks effort on Saturday. “It’s nice to be able to help people when they need it.”

A baby doll is in a portable crib. In the background, Betty Sue Miller from Hoag Library met with some of the mothers about the importance of reading to young children.

Photo by Tom Rivers: David Beach and his wife Debbie were celebrated last Sunday at the Gaines Carlton Community Church on Route 104. Beach led the church the past 16 years as the pastor.

GAINES – David Beach can relate to his congregation when delivering messages from the pulpit.

Becoming a pastor has been a second career for Beach. He worked at the former Lipton’s in Albion for nearly 10 years until it closed in 1980. He then worked at Ames in Medina for 2 ½ years before spending a long tenure at Ontario Food and later Associated Brands in Medina.

Through it all, Beach was active at his church as a youth leader, a church moderator and very involved member. Church leaders – Bob Mowatt at the First Baptist Church in Albion and Karen Allamon at the Barre Center Presbyterian Church – would encourage him to consider becoming a pastor. Beach said he felt that call and pursued a certificate in ministry at Northeastern Seminary in Rochester at Roberts Wesleyan.

At age 61 he retired from Associated Brands and began a life dedicated to ministry. At that time 16 years ago, there was an opening at the Gaines Carlton Community Church. It was an ideal situation with the church close to home and affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA.

File photos: (Left) David Beach speaks during a service on Nov. 17, 2019 for the 50th anniversary of the church. The congregation at 14585 Ridge Rd. was formed as part of a merger of three churches in East Gaines, the Bridges and Kent. (Right) During a baccalaureate service on June 5 for Albion’s Class of 2022, Beach prayed for some of the soon-to-be grads, including his grandson, James Beach.

Beach has retired as pastor at age 77. His wife Debbie has been a key part of the ministry, going back to when they were volunteer youth leaders. Gaines Carlton honored the couple last Sunday with a reception.

“They made a good team,” said long-time member Peggy Bropst. “They live their faith. They are kind, gentle people.”

Pastor Dave said many people, including some of the local clergy, had seen him as a church leader long before he made it official as a pastor.

“What took you so long?” he recalled some of the pastors telling him.

Beach said he has enjoyed giving the Sunday sermons to the congregation, welcoming children in the services, doing visitations and offering some guidance to church and community members.

“I didn’t do counseling,” he said. “I did listening.”

Beach has some advice for people considering a role in ministry: find a mentor and pursue that desire.

But, ultimately, he said God needs to direct their path.

“I felt this calling,” he said.

He is grateful to have been able to serve at Gaines Carlton Community Church for 16 years, where he said many are long-time members with roots going back several generations.

“I have enjoyed getting to know the people better,” he said. “I enjoyed relating to the children, and trying to inspire and teach the congregation.”

David and Debbie raised three sons – Mike, Darryll and Matt. They are all married. The Beaches have five grandchildren and a great-grandson. They all attended the reception last Sunday.

The church is looking for a pastor. Right now, two local church pastors are alternating in delivering the sermons on Sunday: Susan Boring from the Eagle Harbor Methodist Church and Marsha Rivers from the First Baptist Church in Albion.

Press Release, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney

DANSVILLE – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today hosted a Welcome Home Ceremony to celebrate the safe return of Ryan Corbett, a Dansville native who was wrongfully detained by the Taliban from Aug. 10, 2022, to Jan. 21, 2025.

Ryan Corbett, a husband, father, and native of Western New York, was wrongfully detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan on August 10, 2022, and held without charge for 893 days.

After learning of Ryan’s case in 2023, Rep. Tenney became a leading advocate for his release and well-being.

“Our family is deeply grateful for Congresswoman Tenney’s help in bringing Ryan home after 893 days of wrongful detention by the Taliban in Afghanistan,” said Anna Corbett, Ryan’s wife. “She not only showed personal concern for Ryan’s health and safety, offering encouraging words to the children and I but also put her words to action by pushing for the Wrongful Detainee designation, introducing a House Resolution asking for Ryan’s immediate release, inviting me as her personal guest to the State of the Union Address and setting up a meeting with the incoming National Security Advisor during my trip to Florida. We will be forever grateful for her support.”

Tenney successfully pushed for his official designation as a wrongful detainee by the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2023.

Additionally, Rep. Tenney introduced H.Res. 965, a resolution calling for Ryan’s immediate release, which passed the House in June 2024. Rep Tenney also played a key role in arranging a January 2025 meeting between the Corbett family and the Trump administration’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

“After nearly 900 extremely challenging days for the Corbett Family, NY-24 and the nation are thrilled to welcome Ryan Corbett home,” Tenney said. “The strength and courage displayed by Anna, Ketsia, Miriam, and Caleb has been truly astonishing, and it has been a privilege to work alongside them in this fight to get Ryan home. Today’s event celebrated Ryan’s safe return to our community and demonstrated our profound gratitude to all, including President Trump and National Security Advisory Waltz, who made Ryan’s return possible.”

MEDINA – Orleans Community Health has announced the date for its annual spring wellness fair.

“The 2025 Spring Wellness Fair at Medina Memorial Hospital is an excellent opportunity for the community to prioritize their health and well-being,” said Scott Robinson, director of marketing.

The free event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 5. Attendees can access a variety of health screenings and services at no cost, including three informative clinics – Lumps and Bumps, hearing tests at the Eye, Nose and Throat Clinic, and Pediatrics.

In addition to these clinics, there will be several crucial health screenings available, such as ultrasounds for the aorta (to detect aneurysms), carotid arteries screenings (to check for potential stroke risks due to occlusions), ankle-brachial index (ABI) which helps to identify peripheral vascular disease and Echo screenings which provide valuable insight into heart health.

Laboratory testings include Hemoglobin A1c (for diabetes management), Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA), Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and cholesterol screenings. The cholesterol screenings are new this year, Robinson said.

Thanks to a sponsorship by the Greater Rochester Health Foundation, the event is entirely free. This means there will not be a $10 fee for tests, and the pediatric clinic will be distributing bicycle helmets as part of child safety efforts.

This event is designed to give the community easy access to important health assessments and resources. Whether one is due for a routine check-up or seeking specific tests, the Spring Wellness Fair is a great way to take charge of your health this season, Robinson said.

They will also be offering spots for community groups to join in as well.

“We’re holding this event on a Saturday in hopes that will accommodate those who have not been able to attend during a week night,” Robinson added.

Clinics are all walk-ins and no appointment is needed, however, patients still need to register for radiology and laboratory procedures by logging on to https://app.10to8.com/book/ujlltdlinupxwqtekv/.

MEDINA – This year, for the first time, Orleans Community Health will launch a virtual, on-you-honor fundraising challenge that highlights the dedication and physical demands of nursing.

“Walk a Month in a Nurse’s Shoes” will coincide with National Nurses Week and Hospital Week throughout May. Participants will commit to walking 105 miles – the average distance a nurse walks in a month during their shifts.

Supporters can register, track their progress and rally donations from friends and family to celebrate and support the nursing staff, said Scott Robinson, director of Marketing at Orleans Community Health.

“Join us in honoring nurses, while raising vital funds for healthcare in our community,” he said.

Registration for the challenge is $5 and participants are asked to commit to raising $105 from family and friends.

Packets can be picked up later in April, to be sure they have enough T-shirts and everything printed with sponsor logos. They will also mail packets for anyone 20 miles or more away from the hospital, to encourage out-of-towners to participate.

Participants will receive a T-shirt, water bottle (for which they already have a sponsor), and hopefully a pedometer. They are still looking for a $500 sponsor for this.

Robinson reminds everyone this is intended to be a mission-focused event which focuses on the benefits of walking, highlights the hospital’s nursing teams and gives participants an opportunity to compete against others.

“That’s right,” Robinson added. “Find a friend, business or hospital department to challenge during the month of May.”

MEDINA – The Medina Dog Park opened in September 2020 at a fenced-in area on North Gravel Road, next to the village’s former compost plant, just south of Boxwood Cemetery.

The site has been a big success, drawing hundreds of regular users, with many form outside Medina, said Cindy Davis, vice president of Friends of Medina Dog Park.

Zavitz made this portrait of her brother’s Bassett Hound, Hazel, in a tutu. This dog would tap her feet when she walked.

The site has added features since its opening, with agility equipment, a water station and a gazebo.

Soon the park will add  large mural of local beloved dogs. Brandi Zavitz, a retired art teacher, will paint 50 portraits of dogs on the mural. She wants to show them with personalities, wearing super-hero capes, princess crowns, and other accessories to help shown when they are so loved.

Zavitz is backed by a grant from GO Art! to create the mural. She also painted the mural under the Glenwood Avenue canal bridge. She is teaming with the Friends of the Dog Park for an additional $100 fee to have a dog painted on the mural. Those proceeds will go towards the Dog Park which would like to add another water station, a second gazebo, another fenced-in area for smaller dogs and include more agility equipment, Davis said.

The mural will make a popular place even more special, she said, with all the portraits of dogs.

“In Medina you see so many people walking their dogs,” Zavitz said. “They love them like they are their children.”

She welcomes people interested in having their dogs in the mural to email her two photos of the dogs. She wants details about the dog’s personality (affectionate, goofy, etc.), whether or not it is living, if it is male or female, and some of the activities the dog enjoys.

If a dog has passed away, Zavitz will paint angel wings on that portrait.

For more information, contact Zavitz at brandizavitz@gmail.com or by text (585) 798-9780, or Davis at (585) 590-6543. Click here to see the Facebook page for the Friends of Medina Dog Park.

The mural will be 24 feet long. Zavitz said she will paint the portraits on site and expects the project to be done in the summer.

A retired Holley art teacher, Zavitz said she has been painting dog portraits for many years.

“This will be very spontaneous,” she said about the mural. “It’s going to be very exciting with a lot of movement.”

It’s almost time to turn the clocks ahead for Daylight Savings Time. The clocks officially spring forward at 2 a.m. tonight.

Local fire departments also urge people to replace smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries, and recommend families discuss home emergency plans.

AAA warns that as Americans “spring forward” and set their clocks ahead one hour, they will be losing an hour of sleep. The change in daylight hours means motorists could experience drowsy driving and added distractions behind the wheel.

AAA urged motorists to take precautions against drowsy driving and be alert for kids walking home from school or playing outside.