Bill Meland, owner of Arby’s in Batavia, holds a check for $14,500 which he donated to the Warrior House.

MEDINA – A Batavia businessman with roots in Lyndonville has made a generous donation to the Warrior House on Salt Works Road.

Bill Meland, owner of the Arby’s franchise in Batavia, has golfed on a four-man team for the Knights of Columbus in Medina for several years. Meland is no stranger to the Medina area, so when he learned of the Knights’ support of the Warrior House on Salt Works Road, he stepped up to help.

During the month of October, Meland agreed to donate 10 percent of his restaurant’s proceeds to the Warrior House. On Sunday morning, the Knights’ members presented a check for $14,500 on behalf of Arby’s to Pete Zeliff and his family.

Zeliff donated a farmhouse on land he had purchased to be used as a retreat for veterans. He outfitted the rooms with six cots and collaborated with Operation Injured Soldier to bring veterans to the location for four hunting weekends a year – two deer (one bow and arrow and one firearm), a goose and a turkey hunt. Pete’s mother Kathy comes and cooks meals for the veterans.

The Knights became involved with the Warrior House as a result of their golf tournament. They had established a scholarship fund years ago, but it had become well-funded, said golf chairman Dave Bellucci. Several years ago, they had been asked to sponsor a veteran on Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s patriotic trip to Washington, D.C., and they thought that was a good cause.

“However, we realized that would help only one veteran, and we wondered if there wasn’t something we could do to help more veterans,” Bellucci said.

They learned of the Warrior House and chose to donate the profit from their golf tournament for the veterans. While playing golf, Meland learned what the Knights were doing and wondered what he could do to help.

Pete Zeliff, right, who donated a farmhouse on his property as a retreat for veterans, looks at a check for $14,500, just presented to him for the Warrior House by Archie Washak of Medina Knights of Columbus on behalf of Arby’s in Batavia.

Zeliff said this is the largest single donation the Warrior House has received since it has been in existence.

“Meland is a very generous man,” he said.

Zeliff said the money will be used to fund new programs they are developing for the veterans next year.

Any veteran is welcome to apply to take part in a hunting weekend at the Warrior House. They can find information on the Warrior House website.

In the past, veterans have come from Florida, Louisiana and all across New York, with several from Watertown, Zeliff said. The Warrior House also offers to pay for travel expenses, if needed.

The last hunt of 2021 will be Dec. 4 and 5.

Provided photos: Scouts and leaders from Troop 35 in Medina assemble at St. Mary’s church parking lot to get their assignments routes for the village.

MEDINA – Scouts from Troop 35 and Troop 28 on Saturday held their annual Scouting For Food Event.

Cub Scouts from Pack 35 and Pack 28 walked through the Village of Medina on the previous week putting door hangers for the Scouting For Food event.

Then the scouts from both Troop 35 & Troop 28 went this past Saturday door to door to pick up any donated food from the community and delivered the donated food to the local area food pantries.

St. Peter’s Lutheran Medina Emergency Food Pantry and Calvary Tabernacle split this year’s donation. Historically the Troops would switch off every other year between the two food pantries but with last year, not being able to do this event due to the pandemic it was decided to share between the two organizations.

Troop 35 Scouts Mason Cook and Steven Gobeli are pictured collecting food from residences in the Village of Medina.

Scouts for Troop 35 deliver collected food to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church.  Scouts left to right are Joseph Reese, River Jones and Ryder Jones.

Estimated 25,000 letters a week sent from soldiers with YMCA stationery

Letter from Fort Dix, NJ, 1917

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Vol. 1, No. 29

MEDINA – While reading the World War 1 letters of Dan Burns, (Ill. Orl. V.1, No. 28) it was intriguing to note the stationery he used. Almost all his letters were written on paper provided by the YMCA. The envelopes also carried the YMCA logo. The design of the letterhead confidently aligns the YMCA with the war cause.

Formed in London in 1844 to strengthen Christian principles by developing “mind, body and spirit,” the YMCA had rapidly grown into a worldwide welfare organization. The first version of the Y’s visual identity was a circle, with multi-layered words and images.

The simpler and more striking red triangle was proposed in 1891 by a Dr. Gulick. Some of the early versions include the words “Mind, Body, Spirit” engraved on the sides of the triangle. The triangle image was so powerful that YMCA personnel were sometimes referred to as “triangle people.”

Letters from Fort Dix, NJ, 1918.

The precedent of civilian aid to wartime soldiers was established during the Civil War when the YMCA provided physical and spiritual aid through a group named the United States Christian Coalition. They distributed food, clothing, medical supplies, and books. Volunteers wrote letters for the sick and wounded and provided postage for mailing correspondence.

This service was continued during the Spanish-American War, when they also began providing stationery. In fact, early letters from Roosevelt’s Rough Riders were written on YMCA stationery.

President Wilson quickly accepted the Y’s offer of service when war was declared in 1917. The logistics of mobilizing, training, and securing essential supplies and equipment for over one million soldiers in a short time were daunting.

This letterhead from France shows that the YMCA was actively associated with the war effort abroad. Indeed, the Y’s contributions during the war were considerable:

• 26,000 YMCA staff and 35,000 volunteers served in the US, Europe, Africa, Asia.

• 1,500 canteens provided hot drinks, personal supplies

• 4,000 “huts,” the only places of respite for soldiers on the front lines

• 26 leave centers in France offered wholesome activities

• 286 YMCA personnel were injured, 6 died while serving

The morale and welfare services provided to the military by the YMCA were vital to the success of the campaign. Writing in a fundraising pamphlet in 1918, General Pershing observed that:

 “Nine men who are happy and entertained can outfight ten who are homesick and lonesome. It is the business of the “Y” to add this extra ten per cent to the fighting efficiency of our armies; to maintain that indefinable quality which wins wars – morale.”

Sometimes a hot drink, a smile, a quiet place to sit, some words of understanding, made all the difference between going on and giving up.

At that time, letters were the only form of contact between soldiers and their families. It is estimated that some 25,000 letters on YMCA stationery were written each day. One can imagine that the arrival of an envelope with the red triangle logo on an envelope was a welcome sight for worried families. No doubt, they too positively associated the “triangle people” with ministry and concern for the minds, bodies, and spirits of their loved ones.

Far better the red triangle of the YMCA than the Red Cross – or the dreaded telegram.

MEDINA – Sherry Tuohey, coordinator of the MAAC Christmas program, has announced there are new income guidelines for families applying for food and gifts at Christmas time.

The guidelines are higher than in previous years, meaning more people will be eligible to receive holiday assistance.

The guidelines for monthly income are as follows:

• Family of 1 – $2,729.
• Family of 2 – $3,569.
• Family of 3 – $4,409.
• Family of 4 – $5,249.
• Family of 5 – $6,088.
• Family of 6 – $6,928.
• Family of 7 – $7,086.
• Family of 8 – $7,243.

These new guidelines are based on income eligibility for HEAP, Tuohey said.

Eligible families must live in the Medina School District with zip codes of 14103 and 14479.

Sign-up will be from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday at St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1355 West Ave., Medina; 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Senior Center, 615 West Ave.; and 10 a.m. to noon Thursday at Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God Church, at their new location at 11031 Maple Ridge Rd.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A blanket of leaves is on the ground by a tree at Mount Albion Cemetery. While there are still many leaves with complete color change on the trees, the area has moved past peak fall foliage.

The state’s I Love NY fall foliage report says that the foliage is past peak in the Greater Niagara and Finger Lakes regions with an increasing number of bare trees.

It will be Medina vs. East Rochester/Gananda in the quarterfinal round of the state Class C football playoffs at noon next Saturday at Williamsville South High School.

The East Rochester/Gananda Bombers captured the Section V Class C title by outlasting the Bath Haverling Rams 18-12 in double overtime this evening.

Medina earned a second straight Section VI Class C championship by downing Fredonia 58-6 this afternoon.

The Mustangs and Bombers will bring identical 11-0 records into the Far West Regional.

The winner will advance to the state semifinals at Cicero North Syracuse on November 27.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – With heavy snow falling Medina running back Noah Skinner bulldozes his way for good yardage during the Mustangs 58-6 Section VI Class C championship game win over Fredonia at Highmark Stadium this afternoon.

Playing in a wintry wonderland, defending champion Medina romped to a 58-6 victory over Fredonia in the Section VI Class C championship game at very snowy Highmark Stadium this afternoon earning the Mustangs their first ever trip to the state playoffs.

It feels fantastic,” exclaimed Medina Coach Eric Valley. “Our line and our defense did a great job and I’m just real proud of the kids.”

“It’s amazing,” said Chris Johnson, who along with Roosevelt Mitchell, Josh Wilson, Ollie Wilson and Colvin Stalker, anchored the offensive line for the Mustangs which dominated the line of scrimmage all afternoon.

Improving to a school record 11-0, the Mustangs broke this one wide open with a huge explosion of 32 straight points in the second quarter.

A big 71 yard run by quarterback Xander Payne down to the Fredonia 20 yard line on the final play of the first quarter ignited the offense.

Medina’s Joe Cecchini tackles Fredonia quarterback Nick Whitfield for a loss.

Three plays later Payne scored on a 5 yard touchdown run with 10:40 to go in the second quarter. Noah Skinner tacked on the two point conversion and the Mustangs were off an rolling amidst a heavy snowfall.

“It was interesting playing in the snow.” said Skinner. “It was a different and kind of a cool experience to be in.”

The Mustangs got the ball right back as Skinner recovered a Fredonia fumble near midfield.

With the line opening big holes the Mustangs quickly drove in for a second score as Payne scored on a 28 yard run and Greg Thompson added the two-point conversion to make it 16-0.

“I owe it all to the line,” said Payne. “I just found the hole and took it.”

Keeping the momentum, the Mustangs quickly tacked on two more touchdowns late in the quarter on runs of 31 yards by Thompson and 46 yards by Payne and a pair of two-point conversions by Skinner to race away to a commanding 32-0 lead.

“We were a little concerned at the beginning with the snowy field as our line does a lot of pulling but our linemen got feet underneath them and made their blocks and just did a great job,” said Valley.

“It was snowing pretty good but your adrenaline gets going and it was the same out there for both teams,” said Payne. We were able to execute and play our game.”

Fredonia finally broke onto the scoreboard when quarterback Nick Whitfield scored on a 62 yard run with just 37 seconds to go in the half but the Hillbillies could not find the endzone again.

“Against a team that has the explosiveness that they do our defense did just a great job,” said Valley. “They only had that one big play so I’m just very proud of what our kids did defensively.”

Medina got that Fredonia touchdown back midway through the third quarter when Skinner broke clean for a 39 yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion upping the lead to 40-6.

Highlighting the Mustangs shutout defensive effort in the second half was a sack by Joe Cecchini and a pass interception by Cayden Lilleby late in the third quarter.

The Mustangs then closed out the victory with a flurry of three fourth quarter touchdowns by Thompson on runs of 44, 82 and 45 yards.

“Communication is everything,” said Johnson of the solid blocking by his offensive line unit. “We communicate very well. We’ve very competitive and we’re physical.”

The lopsided win keeps Medina undefeated at 4-0 in championship games at the stadium with other other wins coming during the 1980, 1982 and 1988 seasons.

The victory sends Medina to the state quarterfinals at noon next Saturday at Williamsville South against the Section V championship (either East Rocheser/Gananda or Bath Haverling).

Click here to view a video of highlights from today’s game. Check our Facebook and Twitter platforms later today for more pictures from the game.

Medina’s Greg Thompson sprints away for one of his four touchdowns.

Mustang quarterback Xander Payne breaks loose for one of his three touchdowns as his teammate Jarin Rhim (4) signals a TD.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Alden Cayea heads to the finish line in today’s Operation Honor 5K. The race started and ended on Bates Road by the Junior Wilson Sportsman Club.

Cayea, 21, finished the race in 17:24. He is a student in the ROTC program at Brockport State College.

The runners take off at the start of the race. There were 65 participants, the most for the race which is now in its fourth year.

Jennifer Thom, second from right, sends the runners off at the start of the race. Thom and Sarah Strudel organize the race. The proceeds, which is estimated at $3,000 to $4,000, will be used to assist local veterans.

A nomination form for friends and families of veterans will be available on the Operation Honor Facebook page. People can nominate a veteran to have assistance with rent or other bills paid from the race proceeds. Thom said the amount per veteran will depend on how many applications are received.

Sarah Strudel, wearing red and blue coat, thanks the participants for turning out on a chilly day.

Dana Goetze, 29, of Lyndonville was the first woman to cross the finish line in a time of 21:27. Goetze and Cayea received American flags and a $50 gift certificate to the Made in America Store.

District Attorney Joe Cardone was among the finishers who covered the 3.1-mile distance.

MEDINA – The Orleans Economic Development Agency on Friday approved spending $13,500 for a traffic study in the area near the Medina Business Park.

LaBella Associates will do the study. The company will reach out the state Department of Transportation for traffic counts and other input.

LaBella will be asked to determine if turning lanes, stop signs or traffic devices are needed, as well as possibly widening roads and looking at potential traffic flow at the Keppler site, which has about 125 acres south of Maple Ridge Road near Waterworks Road.

The EDA has pressed the DOT in the recent past for a left turning lane on Maple Ridge at the Bates Road intersection, but that hasn’t been approved.

The area will see more traffic with an expansion by Western New York Energy and the soon-to-open Cobblestone Suites hotel with 58 rooms on Maple Ridge. BOMET Recovery also has purchased 10 acres of land from the EDA for a new 37,000-square foot facility at 100 Marcia Tuohey Way, the northside of the road facing Bates Road.

The EDA also is promoting about 300 vacant acres of certified shovel-ready land at the business park.

The EDA expects those acres will have businesses with several hundred employees and many truck deliveries in the future.

The traffic study will look at the current situation and projections for the future, and what will be needed to ease traffic flow and make it safer.

County Legislator John DeFilipps, a member of the EDA board, said the study should be able to help the EDA and local governments with funding for some of the possible improvements to help accommodate the traffic.

2 counties pass 500 active cases for first time during pandemic; Orleans goes past 5,000 cases total since March 2020

Orleans and Genesee counties combined have passed 500 active Covid cases today for the first time since the pandemic.

Each county also has set a new record high for active cases. Orleans is at 281. It previously peaked at 279 on Jan. 7, 2021.

Genesee is at 298 today, past its previous high of 269 on Dec. 7, 2020.

The 579 active cases in the two counties is up from 481 on Monday, the last update from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments and the previous high for active cases.

Both Genesee and Orleans have Covid positivity rates well above the state average of 3.0 percent over the past seven days. Orleans is at 11.1 percent over the seven days, the second highest percentage in the state, only behind the 11.5 percent at Cattaraugus County. Genesee, at 8.9 percent, is at nearly three times the state positivity rate.

Orleans has 177 new positive cases since Monday, and now is at 5,006 positive cases since March 2020.

The county currently has three people hospitalized due to Covid, and is reporting 125 more of the previous positive individuals have completed their 10-day isolation and been removed from mandatory isolation.

Orleans has also had three people die due to Covid since Nov. 4, going from 90 deaths to 93.

Genesee is reporting 118 new positive Covid cases since Monday, and 62 more recoveries. The county currently has 22 residents hospitalized due to Covid, and also has had three people die from Covid since Nov. 4, bringing the total deaths from 135 to 138 during the pandemic.

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) is celebrating a new law (A.7685) signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul today that will give free college tuition to members of Gold Star families.

The signing came over two years after Hawley himself proposed a bill to provide Gold Star families with free tuition, though that bill (A.2991 of 2019) was blocked in the Higher Education Committee by the Assembly Majority and never brought to the floor for a vote.

“This legislation provides the opportunity to pursue higher education for the families whose loved ones paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving our nation in the military. For 13 years I sought to get this legislation passed, so I am truly elated to finally see it become a reality,” said Hawley. “I thank the chair of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee Didi Barrett for her work ensuring the bill made it across the finish line.

“While I had hoped this law would come to fruition earlier to begin helping families more quickly, I am relieved that New York’s Gold Star families will soon be receiving much-deserved educational assistance,” Hawley concluded.

Photo by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – Traffic moves along Route 31 today near the bridge over the railroad tracks in Knowlesville near the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. This photo was taken at about 2:45 p.m.

The bridge reopened today after being closed May 11 for what was expected to be a six-week project for bridge deck repairs, joint replacement and slab reconstruction.

But unexpected delays led to the bridge being closed for about six months. Once construction started, the bridge needed additional materials to ensure the project’s success, officials from the state Department of Transportation said back in July. Those materials needed to be manufactured.

Photo and information courtesy of Orleans/Niagara BOCES

MEDINA – Security and Law Enforcement teachers Dudley Gilbert and Gene Newman want to extend their gratitude to the Medina Police Department and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

Their students at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center have been practicing felony traffic stops and the two law enforcement agencies had an officer and a vehicle available to the classes for a morning to help with the exercises.

“We are so grateful to the Medina Police Department and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, who sent us two fine police officers, Officer Dustin Meredith (Medina Police Department) and Deputy Jason Barnum (Orleans County Sheriff’s Office) and their patrol cars for the graded practical in felony traffic stops,” says Mr. Newman. “Each of the officers spoke to and encouraged our students before, during and after their successful completion on the exercise.  Mr. Gilbert and I want to thank them for their continued support of our Security and Law Enforcement program here at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center.”