MEDINA – The Village of Medina wasn’t picked by the state for one of two $10 million downtown revitalization grants for the Finger Lakes Region.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced the $10 million grants will go to the City of Rochester in Monroe County and the Village of Newark in Wayne County.

Medina was one of five finalists for the grant, just like in 2019, the last time the funding was available.

Medina has a committee that identified residential, commercial and tourism projects that would build on recent successes and investments in the downtown and canal area.

Mayor Mike Sidari is hopeful the state will offer the $10 million again. He said it would have a major impact in the village of about 6,000 people.

Sidari posted this comment to the Orleans Hub Facebook page: “First thing, I would like to thank Chris Busch and Kathy Blackburn for working with me to put this application together with the assistance from the Bergmann Group. Also, thanks to Scott Robinson and Andrew Meier for joining us to present our application to the committee. Yes, this is disappointing for the village. However, we need to look at where we were 10 years ago and where we are now. Our village has been transformed, from our downtown to our recreation areas. We have a lot of hard-working dedicated residents and business owners working to continue to improve our village. Let’s be proud of what we have and continue to make Medina one of the most outstanding communities in WNY and the Finger Lakes.”

The state chose Newark which has a population of about 9,000 people and Rochester, which has about 210,000 residents.

Previous $10 million grant winners in the Finger Lakes region include the City of Geneva in 2016, the City of Batavia in 2017, the Village of Penn Yan in 2018 and Seneca Falls in 2019.

Medina’s application sought funding for streetscape Improvements, multi-use trail along the Medina Railroad from the museum to Main Street, upgrades to Canal Village Farmer’s Market, improved waterfront access and amenities at the Canal Basin Park, enhanced programming at State Street Park (ice skating rink, enhanced lighting, boat tie-ups, benches and bicycle racks, and a construction of a nature trail), boat tie-ups and docking facilities at the Lions Park, viewing platform and at Medina waterfalls, wayfinding signage, small grant fund for local businesses, adaptive reuse of the old Medina High School to turn into apartments, and redeveloping the Snappy facility on Commercial Street by the Erie Canal into a mixed-use commercial and residential space.

“Investing in our downtowns is vital to reigniting New York’s recovery,” Governor Hochul said in announcing the DRI winners. “These awards will enhance Rochester and Newark so that locals and visitors alike can enjoy all these areas have to offer. The Finger Lakes is a region brimming with history and attractions and I look forward to seeing how these winners will use their funds to bring their communities to the next level.”

Here is what Hochul’s Office said about Rochester and Newark in announcing the awards:

Rochester – Rochester’s DRI will focus on the transformation of the long-blighted area in the center of downtown along the north side of Main Street from Clinton Avenue down to the Genesee River.

With a 17% population increase since 2010 and 50% of the population being aged 20-34 years old, Rochester’s downtown has seen significant private and public investment in the last 15 years, including new housing, hotels, updates to the convention center, multiple high-tech business and incubators to boost a burgeoning Downtown Innovation Zone, and a resurgence of the city’s waterfront thanks to dozens of projects that are part of the state supported ROC The Riverway initiative.

However, the Main and Clinton block is in desperate need of redevelopment while progress continues all around it. The winning plan will help to improve streetscapes and public spaces, upgrade the built environment, and increase pedestrian access/connections in order to catalyze further investment in the area, putting the finishing touches on the city’s downtown revitalization, creating a resurgent Rochester where more people will want to live, work and play.

Newark – Downtown Newark is a compact, walkable, well-defined, and concentrated area that the village aims to make the heartbeat of a lively, world-class village and the cultural and commercial center of the Finger Lakes region with the Erie Canal serving as the village’s center of commerce.

With multiple, large anchor institutions and ongoing job growth, Newark has seen nearly $220 million invested in the village in the last 10 years. A robust public engagement process led the village to identify needs for infill mixed-use development, more housing for workforce and seniors, and new space for indoor recreation and wellness with a focus on utilizing space along the Erie Canal.

The Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council conducted a thorough and competitive review process of proposals submitted from communities throughout the region and considered all seven criteria below before recommending Rochester and Newark as the nominees:

• The downtown should be compact, with well-defined boundaries;
• The downtown is able to capitalize on prior or catalyze future private and public investment in the neighborhood and its surrounding areas;
• There should be recent or impending job growth within, or in close proximity to the downtown that can attract workers to the downtown, support redevelopment and make growth sustainable;
• The downtown must be an attractive and livable community for diverse populations of all ages, income, gender, identity, ability, mobility and cultural background;
• The municipality should already embrace or have the ability to create and implement policies that increase livability and quality of life, including the use of local land banks, modern zoning codes and parking standards, complete streets plans, energy efficient projects, green jobs, and transit-oriented development;
• The municipality should have conducted an open and robust community engagement process resulting in a vision for downtown revitalization and a preliminary list of projects and initiatives that may be included in a DRI strategic investment plan;
• The municipality has the local capacity to manage the DRI process; and
• The municipality has identified transformative projects that will be ready for near-term implementation with an infusion of DRI funds.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Aurora Avery portrays Rafiki and holds up a baby lion named Simba during the opening scene of the Lion King. The cast is singing the “Circle of Life.”

Fifth- and sixth-graders at Lyndonville are performing The Lion King Kids. There were performances on Thursday and there is another show today at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

There are about 40 students in the cast, and the production is led by teachers Kelly Follman and Jennifer Trupo.

Lane Woodworth plays the role of Simba, and sings “I just can’t wait to be king.”

Scar, who is brother to Mufasa the king, is jealous of Mufasa and his son Simba. Amir Zimmerman plays the role of Scar, who is shown here plotting with the hyenas and singing, “Be Prepared.”

Mufasa (Jake Gidley) is killed when he attempts to rescue Simba from a stampede of wildebeests. Here Mufasa is mourned by Sarabi (Grace Kenyon) and Nala (Jena Ferguson).

Simba flees the scene in shame and meets new friends in the jungle. Gavyn Draper, left, plays Timon and Logan Fonda is Pumbaa. Timon is a meerkat lacking confidence and Pumbaa is a very sensitive warthog. They are singing “Hakuna Matata” and urging Simba to take it easy and have no worries.

A wise madrill guides Simba on his journey home to reclaim his role as king of the Pridelands.

Scar is confronted for his acts of treachery against Mufasa and Simba.

Photo by Ginny Kropf

MEDINA – WKBW news reporter Mike Randall interviews Brody George Thursday morning at the Medina Railroad Museum for a segment on the upcoming Polar Express trains.

Brody is a conductor on the trains which are expected to bring nearly 20,000 passengers to Medina. The segment on the ABC affiliate will air on the 6 a.m. news Friday morning.

Three people were charged after a high-speed chase on Wednesday. From left include Jason Schmeer, Zachary Hursh and Alexander Scheg.

CLARENDON – A high-speed chase that started in Genesee County ended with a crash on Route 237 near Glidden Road on Wednesday night in Clarendon.

According to a police report issued by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, Conservation Officer F. Fuerch was investigating a conservation violation in the area of Horseshoe Lake Road and Sanders Road in the town of Stafford. When the officer attempted to make contact with the suspect’s vehicle by activation of her emergency lights, the vehicle failed to comply and took off, initiating the motor vehicle pursuit.

Genesee County Sheriff’s deputies in the area joined the chase and successfully deployed a tire deflation device, known as a spike strip, in the area of Route 127 and 33 in the town of Stafford. The vehicle continue to flee at a high rate of speed, failing to yield to emergency vehicles pursuing it. The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office was notified, based upon the direction of travel, and the pursuit continued into Orleans County.

The suspect vehicle failed to negotiate a left turn onto Glidden Road in the town of Clarendon, going off the north shoulder of the road, striking a street sign and utility pole. The vehicle became inoperable and the driver and front seat passenger fled on foot. The rear seat passenger was taken into custody at the vehicle and was identified as Jason R. Schmeer, 41, of Rochester.

Responding Genesee County Sheriff’s deputies, state troopers, Orleans County Sheriff’s deputies, Albion police and Batavia police with their K9 partner set up a perimeter. ENCON officer Fuerch deployed her K9 partner, leading to the apprehension of the passenger, identified as Alexander Scheg, 27, of Byron, in a heavily wooded area.

Meanwhile, a resident in the area heard the sirens, and called a neighbor ask her if she had heard all the commotion. The neighbor decided to go her garage and when she opened the door, she heard moaning. A deputy was in her driveway and discovered the driver in the back of the resident’s pickup truck, apparently injured from the crash.

The driver, identified as Zachary Hursh, 37, of Rochester, was taken into custody.

Following the investigation, it was determined the vehicle they were operating, a 2017 Honda Civic, was reported stolen out of the city of Rochester. A search of the vehicle revealed drug paraphernalia and cocaine.

All three suspects were arraigned in the town of Stafford court by Honorable Judge R. Penepent. Hursh was charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree, unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, obstructing governmental administration in the second degree and reckless driving and various other vehicle and traffic violations.

Scheg was charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree and obstructing governmental administration in the second degree.

Schmeer was charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree.

Both Hursh and Shmeer were remanded to Genesee County Jail, based on having two or more previous felony convictions. Scheg was released on the arraigned charges and held in Genesee County jail on an active city of Batavia warrant.

The Genesee County Sheriff’s office and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation were assisted in the investigation by members of the Orleans County Sheriff’s office, Albion Police Department, New York state police and Batavia Police Department.

County also at new pandemic high for active cases

Orleans County is again at the top of the state for percent of positive Covid tests with 15.1 percent coming back positive in the past seven days. That is well ahead of the state’s 4.61 percent positive rate in the previous 7 days.

The four GLOW counties are all over 10 percent in positivity rate over the 7 days with Genesee at 14.0 percent, Livingston at 10.6 percent, Orleans at 15.1 percent and Wyoming at 14.5 percent.

Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming are the three highest positive test rates in the state.

Orleans also had the highest Covid positivity rate in the state with a 7-day average of 11.9 percent on Nov. 22. The state’s 7-day rate was 3.30 percent on Nov. 22.

Orleans County also is reporting 174 new positive Covid cases since Monday, and 79 more recoveries or people who completed their 10-day isolation and have been removed from mandatory isolation.

The county has 315 active Covid cases, a new pandemic record. It’s previous high was 281 on Nov. 12.

Orleans also has 17 residents hospitalized due to Covid, up from 15 on Monday, according to the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

Genesee County is reporting 140 new cases since Monday and 138 more recoveries. The county has 39 people hospitalized due to Covid, up from 30 on Monday.

The county also had another person die from Covid, a resident over age 65. This is the 145^th Genesee resident to pass away from Covid during the pandemic since March 2020.

Parker served as one of General Grant’s secretaries and rendered surrender documents at Appomattox to end Civil War

US Mint: Ely Parker will be featured on the back of the 2022 Native American $1 Coin.

Ely Parker, a Union officer who was born on the Tonawanda Seneca Reservation in Indian Falls, will be featured on the 2022 Native American $1 Coin, the U.S. Mint announced.

The coin commemorates Parker, a U.S. Army officer, engineer, and tribal diplomat, who served as military secretary to Ulysses S. Grant during the U.S. Civil War.

When Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia, on the morning of April 9, 1865, Parker rendered the formal surrender documents in his own hand.

The front of the coin will continue to feature the central figure “Sacagawea” carrying her infant son, Jean Baptiste.

The reverse side features Parker depicted in Army uniform, with a quill pen and book, along with a likeness of his graceful signature, as symbols of his experience as an expert communicator, the U.S. Mint said.

The inscriptions “TONAWANDA SENECA” and “HA-SA-NO-AN-DA” recognize his tribe and the name given to him at birth. Additional inscriptions include “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “$1.”

The Native American $1 Coin Program is authorized by Public Law 110-82 to recognize the important contributions made by Native American tribes and individual Native Americans to the history and development of the United States. The public law mandates a new reverse design with an image emblematic of one important Native American or Native American contribution each year.

Photo and information courtesy of Orleans/Niagara BOCES

MEDINA – The Health Occupations Technician students received clinical hours for helping out the Red Cross with their recent blood drive at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center.

Teacher Courtney Slack says her students enjoyed helping out for a worthy cause.

Mrs. Slack is pictured with Keira Wass (Barker), Gracelin Mahnke (Medina), Jovany Trejo (Albion), Antinina Sikora (Lockport) and Seana Hamilton (Royalton-Hartland).

There is a wind advisory in effect today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Orleans County and much of Western New York.

There will be westerly winds from 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 45 to 50 mph expected.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo said the gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

Provided photo

MEDINA – The 5th annual Parade of Lights Toy Drive resulted in eight big bags filled with donated toys and $1,852 in donations. Canalside Tattoo was the collection point for the donations this past Saturday.

Pictured from left include Shawn Ramsey, owner Canalside Tattoo; Andrew Szatkowski, organizer of the effort; Ronnie Barhite, representing Medina Area Association of Churches; Michelle Figueroa of Community Action; Sherry Touhey of MAAC; and Melinda Daniels of Community Action.

The toys and money were given to MAAC and Community Action, which then distribute the toys to many local children and families for Christmas.

“We are grateful to the community for stepping up and making sure there are more kids that will experience a better Christmas this year,” Szatkowski said. “I would also remind people of the very simple and true fact: a kid will be unwrapping your gift, and in that moment they will smile, feel the magic of Christmas, and that’s something they will have forever. No matter how many toys we get, when you look at it like that, one is enough.”

Jimmy Mazz  belts out a song at United Way’s gala at Maison Albion.

ALBION – The dust has settled. The money has been counted and the bills are paid. The result is United Way of Orleans County’s first gala ever was a resounding success.

The event Nov. 19 at Maison Albion drew a crowd and, at the end of the evening, a profit of $33,976 was realized, all of which will stay in Orleans County to help those people and agencies United Way supports.

United Way’s director Dean Bellack said this is an example of how United Way of Orleans County is evolving.

During the past year, United Way has been responsible for securing more than a million dollars in grants for Orleans County – the majority of which is promoting digital literacy education to 3,000 people and paying for a grant writer who will benefit all non-profit organizations in the county, as well as several who are also connected with Genesee County.

The gala received extraordinary support from the community, from corporate sponsors to companies and individuals who donated items for a silent and live auction. Other donations paid for catering by Zambistro and the venue.

Bellack said the tremendous success of this gala insures United Way will be planning more such events in the future.

From left, United Way treasurer Chris Cappetta chats with Suzanne and Judge Jim Punch at the United Way gala at Maison Albion.

Press Release, Albion Central School

ALBION – The Purple Eagles varsity swim team will take part in Laps for Life, a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House, this Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Webster Aquatic Center.

The annual event will feature eight local swim teams as the high school winter sports season begins. T-shirts and concessions will be available for purchase with all proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester. The charity supports the health and wellness of children and their families through innovative programming, supportive services and community partnerships.

The Laps for Life meet has existed for more than a decade. It began when money was raised for former Albion swimmer Nicholas Kovaleski, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010 and passed away from the disease the following year. Nicholas’ parents are both teachers at Albion and his dad, Jay, is the varsity swimming head coach.

For more information on the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester, visit rmhcrochester.org. Follow @ACSDAthletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for coverage of the event.

Press Release, Congressman Chris Jacobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) has cosponsored the Parents of Bill of Rights Act to codify the rights each parent has to be involved in their child’s education.

“As a former school board member and career-long advocate for quality education, I understand the inherent need for parents to be involved in their child’s education,” Jacobs said. “Parents have the right to know what is being taught in the classroom, they have the right to question what is being taught, and they have the right to raise concerns when they feel inappropriate or inaccurate materials are being taught.”

The Parents Bill of Rights Act codifies five essential rights each parent has:

• The right to know what’s being taught.
• The right to be heard.
• The right to see the school budget and spending.
• The right to protect their child’s privacy.
• The right to be updated on any violent activity at school.

To accomplish this, the Parents Bill of Rights Act makes changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, creates new protections under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and updates and clarifies provisions in the Protection of Pupil Rights Act (PPRA).

“A year of online learning exposed parents to the content being taught in their children’s classrooms, and many parents rightfully raised concerns,” Jacobs said. “Parents, first and foremost, are the primary party engaged with the emotional, developmental, and social well-being of their children. As such, they have every right to know what is being taught in the classroom, and they deserve to have transparent school administrations. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation and I will continue to fight for parents, students, and quality education.”

Press Release, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County

Master Gardener Eileen Sorochty teaches a class on Hypertufa in 2019.  Educational classes for the public are just one of the ways that Master Gardeners volunteer their time.

KNOWLESVILLE – Orleans County CCE is hosting a new hybrid Master Gardener training starting in January of 2022. The training is the first step towards becoming a Master Gardener volunteer with Cornell Cooperative Extension. This is the first year the training is being offered as an online/in-person hybrid course.

Master Gardener training has been offered for decades across NY state, but the core coursework has been in need of an update for some time. With the help of grant funding and input from volunteers and staff across the state, senior extension educators at Cornell spent the better part of 2019 curating the online content to offer thorough and in-depth lessons geared toward the adult learner.

The result is an online course packed with information on key topics such as Plant Biology, Food Gardening, Entomology and more, as well as options for more detailed content on specific topics under the “Explore and Learn More” link under each general section.

“I’m so impressed with this new hybrid format” said Katie Oakes, Horticulture Educator at Orleans CCE and coordinator of the Master Gardener program. “There is so much to learn within the training program, and an online format really allows participants to work at their own pace, on their own schedule.”

The training this coming winter will start January 13th and go until April 7th. Participants will be given access to the online portion of the course on the Moodle educational platform where they complete lessons on their own. The group will then meet every other week (dates vary) to reinforce key concepts and to complete several hands-on activities designed to put into practice what they learned on the Moodle course the weeks before.

“I think it’s really important to still have the in-person aspect,” explained Oakes, “Meeting in person builds that sense of community that might come a little less naturally in an online forum setting. Having the hands-on activities is really crucial, too, because people retain so much more knowledge by actually doing rather than simply observing.”

Past Master Gardener Trainings have consisted of sixteen 3-hour long lecture style classes covering a range of topics. The schedule was often difficult for participants with young families at home, full-time jobs, or other obligations. This new online course will give all participants the opportunity to gain knowledge and participate fully with a distance-learning perspective.  The online course also includes extensive additional information that a fully in-person training just could not accommodate time-wise.

“This new online format makes it so much easier to access valuable resources – and there are a lot! There’s so much excellent information included in this training, several of the videos and links to articles I can’t wait to re-visit and look at again!” said Nancy Halstead, an Orleans County Master Gardener who took the piloted online course as a trial last winter.

After completion of the training, participants can complete 40 hours of volunteer service through the various programs at Orleans CCE to become a full-fledged Master Gardener Volunteer. Becoming a Master Gardener allows participants to become a part of a nation-wide volunteer association focused on extending land-grant university’s research and expertise to the public in their own local communities.

Current MG Volunteers in Orleans County serve the community in many different ways – offering educational classes to the public, hosting informational tables at local events, speaking at area garden clubs, displaying at farmers markets and the 4-H Fair, collaborating with other CCE programs like 4-H and Master Food Preservers and more! There are about 20 active MG Volunteers in Orleans County, and in addition to monthly meetings, the volunteers get together for field trips, gardening conferences, and social outings as well.

“I really love the camaraderie that comes with being a part of this group!” said long-time MG Volunteer Eileen Sorochty “It’s so wonderful to be around like-minded people caring about our environment and each other’s well-being.  Being a Master Gardener has enriched my life in so many ways.”

The deadline to register for the upcoming Master Gardener training (with a $50 non-refundable deposit) is December 22. Cost for the training is typically $200 per person, but there is a 50% discount for the first ten people to register (a $100 value). Reduced rate tuition is also available for additional participants as needed.  If internet accessibility is an issue, participants can utilize office hours at the Orleans County CCE Education Center M-F 8:30-4:30 to access the course using CCE wifi and computers.

For more information on the Master Gardener program in Orleans County, or to register for the upcoming Master Gardener Training, contact Horticulture Educator and MG Coordinator Katie Oakes at 585-798-4265 ext. 125 or email klo54@cornell.edu.

Horticulture educator and MG Training Instructor Katie Oakes demonstrates a grafting technique during a past Master Gardener Training.

Courtesy of Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor: This year’s Erie Canalway Calendar cover features Cliff Oram’s photo of Lil’ Diamond III on the Erie Canal in Herkimer.

The annual Erie Canalway calendars are available at many libraries and welcome centers throughout the canal system, including Hoag Library in Albion, Community Free library in Holley and Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina .

The calendars also are available for free at the nearby Royalton Hartland Community Library in Middleport, Seymour Library in Brockport and Brockport Welcome Center.

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is distributing 19,500 of calendars throughout canal communities. The calendar features winning images from this year’s Erie Canalway photo contest.

“The calendar showcases the unique beauty, history, and character of New York’s canals and canal communities,” said Bob Radliff, Erie Canalway Executive Director. “We hope it inspires people to preserve and celebrate our incredible canal heritage.”

Calendars will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, thanks to generous sponsorship by the NYS Canal Corporation.

“The 2022 calendar celebrates our iconic Canal System by displaying brilliant photographs as captured by many of our canalside neighbors, and I encourage everyone to retrieve one while supplies last, so that they too can enjoy these spectacular scenes all year long,” said Brian U. Stratton, director of New York State Canal Corporation.