Orleans and Genesee counties have no intention of following Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz with a mask mandate in all indoor, public facilities. That mandate, announced Monday, took effect today.

Poloncarz took the action in response to a surge in Covid cases in Erie County.

Orleans and Genesee have among the highest positivity rates for Covid in the state. In the Erie County the percentage of Covid tests that have been positive the past seven days is 9.4 percent. It’s 10.0 in Genesee and 10.6 in Orleans.

Orleans and Genesee aren’t moving forward with an indoor mask mandate for public places.

“While we remain committed to the health and safety of our communities, Genesee and Orleans County will not be creating or implementing any new mask or vaccine mandates at this time,” according to a statement from Rochelle Stein, Chair of the Genesee County Legislature; Lynne Johnson, Chair of the Orleans County Legislature; Matthew Landers, Genesee County Manager; Jack Welch, Orleans County Chief Administrative Officer; and Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans counties.

“We believe new mandates will only push residents into private settings where spread will still continue but local businesses will suffer. For almost two years, businesses across the region have taken various measures to protect their workplaces and we trust them to do the same at this time.”

The joint statement from the Genesee and Orleans officials continues:

“We recognize and are concerned about rising infection and hospitalization rates, which is why we continue to strongly encourage our businesses and residents to continue to follow CDC recommendations and mitigation strategies such as practicing social distancing, wearing masks, and getting vaccinated, including booster shots. It is also important to note that those who become infected and those who are symptomatic should immediately isolate.”

“Finally, the state needs to provide greater testing resources for our schools and community as a whole, both for symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. This is important as those we can identify as Covid-19 positive can be quickly isolated to help prevent spread. Local governments alone cannot be expected to find and procure all of the test kits needed between the school and community needs.”

Photo courtesy of Assemblyman Hawley’s Office – Pictured from left include Chairwoman of the Genesee County Legislature Shelly Stein, State Sen. Ed Rath and Assemblyman Steve Hawley, who unveil a sign dedicating SP4 C. Jay Hall Memorial Highway in Pembroke.

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

PEMBROKE – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) joined State Sen. Ed Rath and local officials today to unveil a sign designating the section of State Route 77 between Pembroke Town Park and the intersection of Indian Falls Road in the town of Pembroke, county of Genesee, as the “SP4 C. Jay Hall Memorial Highway.”

Hawley and Rath worked throughout the year to get legislation they sponsored passed to make the designation official, and the legislation was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in October.

Specialist Four Clarence “C. Jay” Hall served as a rifleman in the U.S. Army in Binh Duong, Vietnam. On October 7, 1969, Specialist Hall exposed himself to hostile fire with a complete disregard for his personal safety while his comrades were able to obtain cover. During this action, he was mortally wounded. Specialist Hall earned the NYS Conspicuous Service Cross, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with One Bronze Star, Vietnam Campaign Ribbon, Combat Infantryman Badge and the Silver Star, which is the nation’s third-highest award for valor.

“The story of ‘C. Jay’ Hall’s sacrifice and bravery in the face of danger encapsulates the selfless spirit of our service members and is one that should be remembered for generations,” said Hawley. “Seeing the sign honoring his sacrifice unveiled today was a proud moment after working for so long to make it a reality, so I want to thank all of the local and state legislative partners I’ve worked with in the last year who helped make it happen for their dedication to getting this bill passed, as well as our local veteran organizations, who were of tremendous assistance in advocating for its creation. Thanks also goes out to our military service members for their dedicated service to our nation, because we can never take for granted the fact that their service enables us to peacefully gather as we did today.”

“The story of Specialist Four Hall’s bravery and courage is truly awe inspiring and his sacrifice should never be forgotten,” Rath said. “I am honored to have had a role in bringing this proposal to reality and am excited to be here to celebrate the official unveiling of “Specialist Four (SP4) Clarence ‘C. Jay’ Hall Memorial Highway’. I hope this highway will inspire motorists to learn more about this local hero for years to come. This designation is a lasting and appropriate tribute to C. Jay Hall and a reminder of the selfless service that he and so many other veterans have made for our country. The legislation to make this possible will always have a special place in my heart as it was the first piece of legislation of mine to be passed in the Senate. Thank you to everyone involved for sharing Specialist Four Hall’s story with me, especially the Pembroke students who initiated this project several years ago.”

Press Release, Albion Police Benevolent Association

ALBION – On behalf of the Village of Albion Police Department and the Village of Albion Police Benevolent Association, I would like to invite members of the community to Coffee with Cops.

On Saturday, December 11, from 1 to 4 p.m. members of the Village of Albion Police Department, along with members of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department will be hosting Coffee with Cops at The Coffee Joint at 59 North Main St.

So come join us for coffee and baked goods. All expenses are paid by the Village of Albion Police Benevolent Association. If you have questions, concerns, or requests, feel free to stop in and address them with our officers. Or if you just want to come hang out in a relaxed setting and chat, please don’t hesitate to stop by.

Let’s all take a break from the constant stress of daily life, relax and get to know each other.

We look forward to see you all there.

Thank you,

Daniel Baase, President of Albion Police Benevolent Association

Press Release and photo courtesy of Medina Police Department

MEDINA – The Medina Police Department’s Police Benevolent Association has used donations collected from “No Shave November” to purchase Thanksgiving meals for some local families.

Pictured from left to right are K9 Handler Jacob Reeves, Pastor Rich Damey with his children and School Resource Officer Dustin Meredith.

Members of the Police Department were allowed to grow facial hair during “No Shave November” and collect donations to be given to a good cause.

For the second year in a row, the PBA chose to purchase Thanksgiving dinners for local families. Faith Bible Baptist Church helped to select recipients. The meals were purchased and delivered by MPD police officers to Pastor Damey to be distributed to the selected families for the upcoming holiday.

George Lacey planning several upgrades at site along Oak Orchard River

File photo by Tom Rivers: George Lacey is shown in May 2017 in the former store at Captain’s Cove. The building was emptied and torn down after being flooded from the high waters.

CARLTON – The owner of Captain’s Cove wants to demolish a building that is currently used for a store and replace it with a 60-by-40-foot pole barn that would be set farther away from Route 18.

George Lacey, owner of Captain’s Cove since 2015, said the project would make it safer for customers who wouldn’t be so close to the road and would also provide more parking.

Captain’s Cove used to have the store down by the Oak Orchard River but that building was flooded and badly damaged in 2017 when the water levels were at all-time highs. Lacey took down that building and raised the parking area by the river. He relocated the store to a house that is more than a century old on the upper bank.

The former house isn’t well suited to be the store, Lacey told the Orleans County Planning Board last week.

“It makes no sense to put more money into it,” he said.

Lacey has applied for funding through the Lake Ontario Business Resiliency Program. In addition to the new pole barn for the store, Lacey wants to replace fixed docks with floating docks, elevate the utilities by relocating, and fix destroyed blacktop and ramp and add a fuel station in the parking lot for boats.

He has applied to the Town of Carlton for a use variance, site plan review and special use permit for the pole barn and to relocate the store to that new structure.

Planning Board members said Lacey needed more details in his application to show the project meets the threshold for getting a variance, that the hardship wasn’t self created and the project would be an improvement to the neighborhood. Lacey needs to show an “unnecessary hardship exists” to warrant the variance.

County Legislator Ken DeRoller said the need for a variance is clear. Lacey’s property was inundated from the high waters in 2017, through no fault of the business owner.

That flooding forced him to tear down the original store and relocate it on the upper bank, in a building not intended to be used as a store.

“There have been unusual conditions with the high water and an old building,” DeRoller said. “It would be a hardship to renovate it and bring up to specs.”

Lacey said he would update the application to state the impact from the high waters in 2017 and 2019, and would explain the benefits of the project for the community.

The Planning Board said it expects it will give its support to the project during next month’s meeting when Lacey submits an application with more information.

Lacey said he is very optimistic about the Point Breeze area. He said his lodging at his motel has seen increased demand the past two years.

His planned upgrades at Captain’s Cove would bring more people to the community, he said.

“It would improve the area,” he said. “It will improve the county and the town.”

The Orleans County Soil & Water Conservation District has been awarded a $276,271 state grant to assist five farms in the Oak Orchard River, Sandy Creek and Johnson Creek Watersheds.

The projects include the following conservation initiatives:

• Focus on building healthy soils and promoting reduced tillage practices
• Implement over 3,600 acres of cover crops throughout the watersheds
• Reduce excessive runoff of nutrients and soil erosion to positively impact water quality

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the grant as part of $14 million for 91 agricultural projects to help farmers address water quality challenges in priority watersheds.

“New York continues to take decisive action to protect access to clean water across the state,” Hochul said in a news release. “This money will go towards fulfilling both those goals by encouraging the implementation of cost-effective waterway protection and reducing our carbon footprint.”

Over the past 25 years, New York State has supported projects covering 500 separate watersheds across the State, including 1,300 manure storage projects to help farms actively balance nutrient supply and crop nutrient demand, Hochul said.

More than 800 acres of riparian buffer have been created to filter nutrients and sediment, protecting surface water, stabilizing streambanks, improving aquatic habitat, and reducing impacts from flooding.

In addition, more than 80,000 acres of cover crops have been planted to help prevent erosion, improve soil health, and increase organic matter in the soil, which retains more moisture for crop demand through the growing season.

Cover crops also sequester carbon, helping New York’s farmers combat climate change, Hochul said. Through Round 27of this program, approximately 20,000 acres of cover crop will be implemented.

Dale Stein, a dairy farmer from Le Roy, is chairman of the New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee. “The awards announced today will have a far-reaching impact, helping these farms, and their county Soil and Water Conservation Districts, to improve soil health and preserve our water quality for years to come,” he said. “The Ag Non Point program has long been an important tool in our work to protect our natural resources, and even more so now, as we work to combat climate change.”

Other nearby projects funded include:

• $64,040 was awarded to the Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation District to work with one farm in the Oak Orchard Creek/Spring Creek Watersheds: sub- watersheds of Lake Ontario.
• $140,640 was awarded to the Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation District to work with one farm in the Tonawanda Creek Watershed.
• $535,925 was awarded to the Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation District to work with one farm in the Oatka Creek/Black Creek Watersheds.

United Way will screen and identify households for grant in towns of Albion, Gaines and Shelby, as well as villages of Albion, Holley and Medina

ALBION – State and federal funds for about $600,000 will pay the expense of hooking low-to-moderate income households to a new wireless internet system that soon will be installed by RTO Wireless of Wellesley, Mass.

The grant will pay for the household equipment to connect to the system. That wireless internet service receiver equipment is about $650 per household. That grant will pay the costs for 920 households that are in the villages of Albion, Holley and Medina, as well as the towns of Albion, Gaines and Shelby. Those communities were eligible because at least 51 percent of households met the criteria for being low to moderate income.

The grant is part of funding package for $1,999,833 from the state Housing Trust Fund Corporation, the state Office of Community Renewal and the state Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) funds. Those funds will pay for the wireless internet expansion for the low to moderate income municipalities, covering the household equipment and also part of the expense from RTO for installing the system on towers.

County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson praised County Chief Administrative Officer Jack Welch for modifying the county’s grant application, which increased the number of households eligible for the funding from about 500 to 920.

The Legislature last week also awarded a $92,902 contract that is covered with the grant to the United Way of Orleans County. That agency will coordinate a screening process for the low to moderate income households.

The United Way already is leading a digital literacy initiative in the county and will be assisting many of the eligible households in learning how to use the technology.

Work should start soon from RTO Wireless, which will co-locate equipment on existing county-owned communication towers and also build three new towers for the equipment. The county-owned towers include the Emergency Management Office on West County House Road in Albion, Route 31A in Clarendon, Maple Ridge Road in Medina, Route 31 in Albion next to Public Safety Building, West Avenue in Lyndonville, Route 237 in Kendall, Route 237 in Holley by the water tank.

The Legislature on July 28 voted to accept a $3,608,435 bid from ROT to make high-speed internet available for the current 1,351 address points that can’t connect to the service.

County officials say the project will be done by this time next year, and could be complete in as soon as seven months.

The system will gradually be turned on tower by tower, Welch said.

The total of unserved addresses in the county includes 74 in Albion, 302 in Barre, 35 in Carlton, 57 in Clarendon, 39 in Gaines, 16 in Kendall, 41 in Murray, 287 in Ridgeway, 206 in Shelby, and 294 in Yates for 1,351 total.

The county is using federal American Rescue Plan Act funds as well as the state grant for the project.

This Journal-Register photo shows the founding members of the Medina Historical Society. From left: Frank R. Berger, Treasurer; Miss Margaret Shannon, President-elect; Ciel White, President; and Miss Marian Perry, Secretary.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans – Vol. 1, No. 30

MEDINA – On November 30, 1971, a group of twenty people attended a meeting at Oak Orchard School in Medina and officially organized the foundation of the Medina Historical Society.

Ciel White, Village of Medina Historian, was named President, with Miss Margaret Shannon as President-elect, Clifford Wise as Vice-President, Miss Marian Perry as Secretary and Frank Berger as Treasurer. A constitution was adopted.

The purpose of the newly formed society was to: “discover, procure and preserve whatever may relate to the history of Western New York and particularly the Village of Medina and Townships of Ridgeway and Shelby, to gather statistics of commerce, manufacture and business, publish reports, essays and other historical material, maintain lectures and studies, engage speakers, raise funds, buy or lease property or construct buildings for future historical society uses, and other related activities.”

The Society can justly be proud of its steady accomplishments over the past 50 years. Following several years of fundraising and searching for a suitable location, the Society achieved its long-term goal of securing a suitable location for a museum in 1979, when members reached an agreement with the Town of Ridgeway for the use of 406 West Ave., Medina. This sturdy red brick building built in 1841 by LeVan Merritt had been used as offices by the Town of Ridgeway since 1960.

Board members and volunteers worked to renovate the building. Members of the community generously donated cherished items. The Monitor Clock in the entryway belonged to Ciel White, as did two glass lamps. The Victorian furniture in the parlor was given by Louise Brownell. The Estey parlor organ has Shelby connections. The G.E. refrigerator and early stove were donated by Ward Bramer. Agricultural tools, a wooden sewer pipe, a WWII POW bed, military uniforms, the list goes on. The most recent donation is a voting booth from the Medina Central School District. Indeed, each item in the collection has a local connection and resonance.

In addition to establishing a fine museum and hosting visits and group tours, the Society also began a quarterly publication, The Bugle, which features articles on topics of local interest. Annual calendars showcasing some of the collection’s unique photographs have helped raise funds.

The Society has presented a varied slate of programs each spring and fall. Recent offerings include the Orphan Trains and the History of Polio. Character reenactors have brought Mary Jemison, Surly Sal, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to life. The January “Show and Tell” is an annual favorite.

Members have organized elaborate Old Home Days with artisans demonstrating traditional skills such as weaving and chair caning. The “stone soup” cooked over an open fire on that day was always popular. Fashion shows, wedding dress galas, parades, floats, afternoon teas, Victorian mourning customs, Santa Claus – are some of the imaginative events presented.

This wealth of activity was all organized, promoted and provided by volunteers. The yearly membership in 1971 was $2. Fifty years later, it is a modest $15. Residents of the Village of Medina, the Townships of Ridgeway and Shelby have been well served for 50 years by the dedication of the Medina Historical Society and its stewardship of their memories.

Hospitalizations are on the rise from Covid locally

The number of active Covid cases in Genesee and Orleans counties is more than 600 for the first time during the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are currently 396 active cases in Genesee and 237 in Orleans for 633 total in the two counties.

That is up from 581 a week ago, the previous high for the two counties when there were 326 cases in Genesee and 255 in Orleans.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported 237 new Covid cases in Genesee since Thursday, and 134 more recoveries or previously positive individuals who completed their 10-day isolation and have been removed from mandatory isolation.

Genesee also has 19 residents hospitalized due to Covid, which is up from nine who were hospitalized on Thursday.

Orleans has 104 more new Covid cases since Thursday and 137 more recoveries. The county currently has 12 residents hospitalized due to Covid, which is up from four on Thursday.

The county also is reporting a death from Covid, an individual over age 65. This is the 95^th death in Orleans County from Covid since March 2020, according to the NYS Department of Health (click here).

The seven-day positive test rate in Orleans is at 10.9 percent and in Genesee it is at 9.9 percent, which is about three times the positivity rate in the state at 3.8 percent.

ALBION – With the recent graduation class, Orleans Economic Development Agency’s Microenterprise Assistance Program has catapulted 544 prospective individuals on their path to success.

Tuesday night at Lockstone in Albion, seven more graduates celebrated completing the class, managed by Diane Blanchard.

Lindsey O’Connor of Kendall presents her business plan to the Microenterprise Assistance Program graduating class on Tuesday night at Lockstone in Albion.

As usual, the class represents a unique number of innovative business ideas by these budding entrepreneurs.

Those who presented their business plans were Ryan Jenks, who plans to start a machine shop; Sada Mills, who runs a quilting and crafts business out of her home in Medina; Lindsay O’Connor of Kendall, who does furniture refurbishing; Danial Conrad, who has opened Toyz N Kandy in Albion; Elizabeth Miller of Albion, who plans a bakery and deli; Deloris Mosher of Kent, who plans Deez’s Cupz, which will sell printed signs and clothing with her designs; and Steve Thomas, who has a catering business.

Ryan Jenks of Holley works as a mechatronics engineer for Zweigles. He took the MAP class to help him with his desire to open a machine shop. Perspective customers can reach him at jnxengineering@gmail.com.

Sada Mills of Medina is calling her new business Sadas Spirited Stitches and Such. She does quilting and crafts and makes quilts from jeans scraps. Her target market is women between the ages of 30 and 65 and she is gearing up for the holiday season.

Everything is hand made using repurposed materials, including jeans and sweaters. She said key chains are a big seller and her porch signs made with chalk are unique. Her e-mail is sadasspiritedstitchesandsuch@yahoo.com.

She strives to retire from her full time job by 2025.

Sada Mills of Medina receives her graduation diploma from the Microenterprise Assistance Program class Tuesday night at Lockstone. Mills plans to open a quilting and crafts business in Medina.

Elizabeth Miller had been living in the Adirondacks when she made the decision to move back home to Albion. She had a job working in a restaurant, when it closed due to Covid and she was out of a job.

She plans to open a bakery and deli, where she eventually will have meats and cheeses which she will slice to order. She has acquired space in the former Albanese’s Restaurant.

“This is more than a bakery,” Miller said. “I make all my own mayonnaise and dressings from scratch.”

Favorites are her maple mayo and pepper mayo. Her deli menu will change daily, with items such as white bean chicken chili, clam chowder and special sandwiches.

She said the support from her boyfriend, family and friends has been incredible.

Deloris Mosher of Kent does printing of textiles and linens at her home. She specializes in sports teams, such as the Buffalo Bills, using designs she has created herself. She will also do printing from designs her customers provide.

“I still work full time at Walmart, and this was a hobby which I really liked,” Mosher said. “I now want to do it for other people.”

She can be reached at jd@deezcupz.com.

Lindsay O’Connor and her husband James love restoring old furniture and want to make a business out of it, transforming old furniture into quality and value-oriented pieces. They currently work out of their home, but hope to have a physical location by March 2022 with a grant from Orleans County EDA. That way customers can view furniture in a gallery setting, as if it were in their own home.

James is a truck driver and brings home pieces of furniture he may spot along the road, and family and friends bring furniture items to them.

Lindsay said they like to combine the old with the new, the classic with the contemporary. Since going into business in March last year, they have sold 300 pieces out of their home. They can be contacted at ravenmoonrevival.com.

Steve Thomas of Albion previously had a food truck, and through trial and error he found out what worked and what didn’t. He hopes his new venture will be more successful – running Hot Spot Catering from his location on West Avenue in Albion. He had set up a tent and grill in front of Ace Hardware and did very well, he said, making him hopeful for his new venture.

Dan Conrad receives his graduation diploma from Dorothy Daniels and Michelle Gallo, program mentors and instructors. At right is MAP coordinator Diane Blanchard.

Daniel Conrad’s new business Toyz N Kandy sprung out of his experiences in the local candy store as a kid.

He has rented space on East Bank Street in downtown Albion, where he has set up a Foosball table and air hockey. He sells retro candy, including penny candy, and even quarter candy. He said Gary Withey who ran Fischer’s Newsstand has been an inspiration to him.

The program concluded with a success story by Lynn Palmer, who took the MAP class two years ago and has since grown a very successful overstock business in Albion.

Also in attendance at the graduation were Jon Costello and Sam Campanella, class mentors with SCORE, who have since retired, and Paul Hendel, chairman of Orleans County Economic Development. New mentors and instructors are Michelle Gallo, who took the class in 2018, and Dorothy Daniels.

Gallo has returned to speak to several classes since she graduated with her husband. They started out with a junk yard and towing business. She said they will clear more than $1.5 million this year in the junk yard. She has repeatedly told the MAP classes how the course has helped her and her husband succeed. They recently purchased a third business, the former Hamlin Station, which they opened two weeks ago as Gallo’s Bar.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion Rotary Club presented Jessica Capurso with a plaque and pin for her service as president and also named her a Paul Harris Fellow, the highest distinction in the club.

Capurso, right, is shown at Hoag Library on Thursday with incoming president Alex Krebs (left) and Don Bishop, the club’s Rotary Foundation director.

Capurso is moving out of the area. She works as director of Outreach, Education and Marketing at Community Partners for Orleans Community Health.

She was praised for leading the club during a time of Covid restrictions. She helped the Rotary members gear up the club’s 100^th anniversary celebration in 2022. The club is planning more community service projects in 2022 for the centennial celebration, including a return of the Strawberry Festival in June.

The Albion club also donated $1,000 to Rotary International in Capurso’s name in honor of her being a Paul Harris Fellow.

‘I am outraged by the former Governor’s pattern of deceit, manipulation and mistrust to fulfill his own personal gain and ego.’ – Assemblyman Norris

The local state legislators have all issued statements after a report was released today by the State Assembly into actions by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The investigation concluded Cuomo sexually harassed at least a dozen women, was not fully transparent about the number of nursing home residents who died as a result of Covid-19 and used taxpayer resources to help write and promote his 2020 book on leadership during early weeks of the pandemic.

State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt, R-North Tonawanda, issued this statement:

“After nine months of slow-walking, starts and stops, and one of the least transparent political processes in New York history, it is a great relief for taxpayers that the Assembly has finally concluded their sham Cuomo impeachment “investigation.”

This report is no profile in courage – it’s a profile in cowardice. For months, the Democrat-led Judiciary Committee was content to let our state Attorney General and law enforcement agencies do their job for them. At the same time, Democrats in the Senate repeatedly protected and covered-up for New York’s disgraced ex-governor by refusing to use their subpoena power.

Democrats in the Legislature completely failed in their duty to hold ex-Governor Cuomo accountable. To be clear, it is only because of intense public pressure that these findings were finally made available.

I will continue to advocate the passage of Senate Bill No. 7336 by my colleague Senator Dan Stec, which would clarify the Legislature’s constitutional right to impeach and convict a former public official.  It is only through the impeachment process that we can be assured Andrew Cuomo never holds public office again.

My Republican colleagues and I will never stop fighting for true and transparent justice, for the sake of Cuomo’s nursing home victims, his harassment victims, and every other one of his victims. We remain hopeful that the findings of the multiple ongoing criminal investigations will finally bring about true accountability – New Yorkers deserve nothing less.

State Assemblyman Mike Norris, R-Lockport, issued this statement:

“The impeachment report speaks for itself and finds that the former Governor Andrew Cuomo betrayed the public’s trust. Based on substantial evidence, this investigation determined that the former Governor engaged in multiple instances of sexual harassment, utilized state resources and property to write, publish and promote his book which gained him $5.2M in guaranteed personal profit, and was not fully transparent regarding the number of nursing home residents who died as a result of Covid-19.

I am outraged by the former Governor’s pattern of deceit, manipulation and mistrust to fulfill his own personal gain and ego; including the former chief executive of our state indicating that he and his staff worked around the clock on the Covid-19 response, while they were in fact spending significant time and state resources and influencing data reports for the publication and promotion of this book for his own personal profit. This is completely egregious and troubling, especially considering that our schools, businesses and families needed the full attention of the former Governor and his administration on guidance and assistance for critical Covid-19 issues.

However, I still find it most telling that the former Governor himself chose to announce his resignation the day following the Judiciary Committee’s meeting and press conference held by the Speaker and Judiciary Committee Chair on August 9th when it became abundantly clear that impeachment was coming instead of facing an impeachment trial. His resignation also speaks for itself.

I remain frustrated that the impeachment investigation did not move more quickly and that impeachment appears to no longer be an option based upon legislative history. Regardless, the former Governor must be held accountable for his actions and the next step now rests in the hands of professional law enforcement officials who are handling multiple investigations into his conduct. The Committee, through Polk Davis, will continue cooperating with these investigations, and this report was prepared understandably with those interests in mind.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley, R-Batavia, issued this statement:

“The actions described in the Assembly Judiciary’s report are unbefitting of any elected official, let alone the governor of New York state. I am thankful appropriate law enforcement agencies have been forwarded relevant materials from the investigation and thank the Judiciary Committee for their dedicated, meticulous work putting together this report. Additionally, the witnesses and victims who came forward to share their stories are to be commended for their bravery in speaking up when facing threats of retaliation.”

Local law enforcement agencies will have increased patrols for drunk driving from Nov. 22 through Nov. 28, Sheriff Chris Bourke said.

“As Thanksgiving Eve is one of the biggest drinking nights of the year, it is vital that law enforcement presence be at its peak on this night to bring awareness to the dangers of impaired driving, reminding drivers to have a Sober Plan while traveling to prevent injuries and save lives,” said Bourke, who is also the county’s STOP-DWI Coordinator.

Although STOP-DWI efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the numbers of alcohol related fatalities, there are still too many lives lost due to DWI crashes, Bourke said.

He urges people to plan a safe way to get home, which could include calling for a ride from a sober friend or family member, taxi or Uber.

TeacherGeek makes kits for students to use to build STEM skills

ALBION – A company the creates and sells educational kits is planning an expansion on Ridge Road in Murray.

Darren Coon, owner of TeacherGeek, presented his plans last week to the Orleans County Planning Board for two additions at 16551 Ridge Rd.

Coon wants a side addition that’s 4,960 square feet and a rear addition at 3,348 square feet.

“His business is expanding and growing,” Dave Knapp, a member of the Murray Plannign Board, told the county Planning Board.

He praised Coon for cleaning up a property that had been damaged in a fire and was an eyesore. The expansion will allow Coon to bring in more equipment to manufacture the hands-on kits require students to use STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

The site doesn’t draw much car traffic because most of the products are sold on-line, Knapp said.

TeacherGeek in 2017 did a 9,225-square-foot warehouse expansion to the location in Murray.

Coon, the company’s chief executive officer, founded the company in 2006.

The County Planning Board recommended Murray approve the site plan and issue a permit for the additions.