HOLLEY – The school district is dismissing middle/high school early today after a gas leak in the middle-high school.

Those students were evacuated to the elementary school. All staff and students are safe, the district posted on its website.

“The MS/HS students will be dismissed early from the ES, where the buses will pick them up for the departure home,” the district said. “If you plan to pick a MS/HS student up, please pick them up at District Office. Thank you.”

Farmers contribute $400K annually for research to boost profitability, battle pests

Press Release, NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets

Photo by Tom Rivers – This photo from October 2015 shows apples at an Albion orchard. Orleans County is one of the leading apple-growing counties in the state, behind only Wayne and Ulster counties. New York State is the country’s second-leading apple producer, behind only Washington State.

ALBANY – The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced that the state’s apple industry has voted in support of continuing the Apple Research and Development program.

New York apple growers are asked to approve of the program through a referendum vote every six years. The program is administered by Ag & Markets.

“The Apple Research and Development program has been important to funding much-needed research in pest management, potential disease, and other areas that make an impact on our farmers’ crops,” said State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball. “We thank our growers for participating in the referendum vote and look forward to continuing to support the program moving forward.”

The Apple Research and Development program was first established in 1990 by New York’s apple industry to fund research activities. In recent years, the program has been collecting nearly $400,000 in grower assessments annually, which are used to fund research critical to increasing the profitability of New York’s apple growers.

Research is conducted in the areas of pest management, bacterial infection, proper storage, product research, and overall best practices for growing and harvesting apples. The ARDP Advisory Board makes recommendations on the projects and establishes priorities based on the regions they represent.

For additional information on all current Marketing Order programs, including the ARDP, click here.

Library announces extended hours, including on Saturday

Press Release, Hoag Library

ALBION – The Hoag Library of the Swan Library Association has two open positions on the Board of Trustees.

Interested candidates should submit a petition, available at the library circulation desk, signed by at least 20 adults residing in the library service area by 7 p.m. on April 5. Elections will be held May 3 from noon to 7 p.m. with results announced at the Annual Meeting immediately following. All library service area residents are eligible to vote and attend the Annual Meeting.

Also, effective Saturday, March 27, Hoag Library will no longer limit visits to 15 minutes and updated building hours will be as follows:

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday:10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The building is open for browsing, copy/fax/print/scan, and computer lab use (please note that the computer lab closes 15 minutes before the building).

Exciting plans are underway for this year’s 2021 Summer Reading Program ‘Tails and Tales.’ Stay tuned to our website and social media outlets for updates.

Orleans/Niagara BOCES allocated $277K

Photo by Tom Rivers: Genesee Community College’s main campus in Batavia is shown in this photo. GCC also operates campus centers in Orleans, Wyoming and Livingston counties.

The newly passed $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan includes $2.6 billion for colleges, universities and students in New York, including $9,165,000 for Genesee Community College.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer released a breakdown of the aid today, which also includes $277,000 for the Orleans/Niagara BOCES.

The public and non-profit schools will use half of their award on emergency financial aid grants to students to help them with college costs and basic needs like housing, food, and healthcare, Schumer said.

The other half of the funds will allow institutions to provide additional student support activities, and to cover a variety of institutional costs, including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, technology costs associated with a transition to distance education, faculty and staff trainings, and payroll. Proprietary schools must use their awards exclusively to provide financial aid grants to students.

“As New York’s colleges, universities, and students face over a year of unprecedented hurdles, they do so at a steep cost that it is our responsibility to address and overcome,” Schumer said in a news release. “In prioritizing the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff, New York’s higher education institutions have ripped massive holes in their budgets and are now facing down financial devastation – and we simply can’t let that happen.

Some of the funding allocations include:

• GCC, $9,165,000
• Geneseo SUNY, $11,955,000
• Monroe2-Orleans BOCES, $344,000
• Brockport SUNY, $21,778,000
• Monroe Community College, $34,921,000
• Roberts Wesleyan College, $3,830,000
• Orleans/Niagara BOCES, $277,000
• Niagara County Community College, $12,359,000

This funding announced today is in addition to the $2.4 billion Schumer secured for New York’s institutions of higher education in the past Covid relief bills. In total, Schumer has secured over $5 billion for New York’s colleges and universities in the past year.

“As Majority Leader, I was proud to make funding for New York’s higher education institutions and students a top priority, and the American Rescue Plan will deliver this much needed $2.6 billion in assistance to help our world-class institutions through the crisis, get students safely back to classes, and get campuses across the state back to ‘normal’,” he said.

Orleans and Genesee counties today are reporting 26 new Covid-19 cases in the two counties, bringing the total to 6,978 in the two counties since a year ago.

In Orleans County there are 11 new positive cases for a total of 2,498 confirmed cases since last March.

The positive cases reported today reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 70s and 80s.

Orleans is also reporting that 1 more person has recovered from Covid and been removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 3 county residents hospitalized due to Covid.

In Genesee County there are 15 new positive cases of Covid reported today for a total of 4,480 cases since last March.

The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford).

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.

Genesee is reporting 11 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

Genesee currently has 3 county residents hospitalized due to Covid.

More from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:

• Rapid Testing: Pre-registration is required for rapid testing clinics. The next testing clinic, which is open to Orleans and Genesee counties, will be from 2 to 3 p.m. on March 23 at the Genesee County Emergency Management Office/Fire Training Center at 7690 State Street Rd., Batavia.

Use the Rapid Covid-19 Test Intake Form for Genesee County Covid-19 Rapid Test Clinics. You will need one form per person being tested. If you are filling out the form, please complete it, print it out and bring it with you. Click here for the form.

To register for the clinic please go the follow this link.

The clinics will be determined on a week-to-week basis as our focus will be on vaccine moving forward. Please note if you have recently tested positive, please do not come and get tested again at these clinics. These clinics are to identify new cases, not to determine if you are now negative. It is important to understand that you may still test positive for several weeks after initially testing positive.

ALBION – The Orleans County Soil & Water Conservation District has been awarded two state grants for more than $600,000 for conservation projects on farms that will reduce sediment and runoff into local waterways.

The funding is part of $15 million announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to support agricultural water quality conservation projects across the state, benefiting 147 farms. The funding is being provided through the Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control program, which supports projects that address water quality challenges in priority watersheds and protect the environment.

“Through the installations of these projects we are improving the water quality in Orleans County and in Lake Ontario,” said Katie Sommerfeldt, Soil & Water district manager in Orleans County. “Lake Ontario is used not only for recreation purposes, but is our drinking water source. This is just another reason why we need to protect this valuable resource.”

The first grant in Orleans County is for $282,934 for implementing 4,710 total acres of cover crops over three years on six different farms, Sommerfeldt said.

“By installing these cover crops we are reducing sediment and nutrient runoff from bare fields into nearby waterways,” she said.

The second grant is for $324,951 for implementing five Agrichemical Handling Facilities on five separate farms, including three farms in Barre, one in Ridgeway and one based in Hamlin. The Hamlin farm also operates land in Orleans County.

These facilities give the farms a safe place to store and mix pesticides, Sommerfeldt said. These buildings are designed to contain 125% of the volume of the farm’s largest sprayer.

If there is a spill while filling the sprayer, the floor will contain it. The farm would then be able to recover all spilled materials and reuse them for their intended purpose, Sommerfeldt said. “All of these facilities are located 100 feet from any watercourse or well,” she said. “By installing these facilities we are eliminating outdoor mixing sites that are located close to water bodies, thus eliminating any further water quality concerns from agrichemical spills.”

Press Release, Congressman Chris Jacobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) joined with colleagues to ask the United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to uphold agricultural purchase commitments made by China under the Phase One trade deal.

“American farmers and businesses have been cheated for decades by China’s malign trade practices and efforts to artificially bolster their state-run entities,” Jacobs said. “The Phase One trade deal was critical to supporting American farmers and increasing American exports.”

The Phase One trade deal, signed in January 2020, required China to purchase $200 billion worth of American products, goods, and services. In part, China agreed to purchase $12.5 billion in additional agricultural products above the 2017 trade level in 2020.

Current data shows that the Chinese government failed to meet those 2020 purchasing commitments. If needed, the Phase One trade deal has built-in mechanisms that can be used by the United States government to enforce those commitments.

“Ensuring China adheres to purchasing agreements is critical to supporting American farmers, especially as they continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Jacobs said. “I urge the Secretary to work with the U.S. Trade Representative to review the Phase One trade deal and implement necessary enforcement measures to hold China accountable.”

Press Release, Independent Living of the Genesee Region

Betesha Thompson

BATAVIA – Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR), a member of the Western New York Independent Living, Inc. Family of Agencies, welcomes Betesha Thompson to assist people with disabilities in the Genesee, Orleans, and Wyoming County (GOW) Region as a Medicaid Application Assistance Program (MAAP) Facilitated Enroller.

Ms. Thompson comes to ILGR after having gained experience as a Heath Care Coordinator at East House in Rochester; a Children’s Behavior Health Service Provider at the Hillside Family of Agencies in Rochester; a Residential Living Specialist at Eagle Star Housing in East Pembroke; a Residential Advisor at Iroquois Job Care Center in Medina; and a Direct Support Professional at The Arc of Monroe in Rochester. She holds a Regents Diploma from Albion High School.

Looking forward to assisting persons in need, Ms. Thompson states, “I intend to use all of my skills to make sure every individual I work with has that person-centered experience.”

In this position, Ms. Thompson will assist individuals who are over 65 years of age, legally blind, or receiving Social Security Disability in applying for Medicaid insurance by determining the type of Medicaid coverage that is best for them, and even assist in completing the application and collecting necessary documentation to submit with the Medicaid application. Additionally, she will conduct outreach activities to educate, engage and enroll qualified individuals who live in the GOW Region.

ILGR is delighted that Betesha Thompson is bringing her vast experience to serve the GOW region in her new capacity.

Independent Living of the Genesee Region is a member of the Western New York Independent Living, Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives. The organization has an office in Batavia that serves residents in the three GOW counties.

Department sending police reform plan to state by April 1

Photo by Tom Rivers: Albion Police Department Sgt. Brandon Annable, left, and Lt. David Mogle are pictured outside the Albion police station on Platt Street.

ALBION – The Albion Police Department is working on a police reform plan and wants to hear from the community how the department can better serve local residents and business owners.

The department has a five-question survey online for people to offer feedback and rate the department’s services. Click here to see the survey.

The Police Department has compiled a police reform and reinvention plan (click here) that needs to be sent to the state by April 1. The plan is expected to be voted on by the Village Board next week.

David Mogle, lieutenant with the Albion PD, said the plan will be a working document that can be modified in the future.

“We expect to build on this,” he said.

Mogle and Sgt. Brandon Annable have been meeting with a committee to discuss Albion PD policies and ways to help the department better connect with the community. One of the survey questions asks if residents would like to see officers at more events in the community.

The committee working with the Police Department already has ideas to help officers connect with the community. The committee has suggested the PD not have tinted windows on the Chevrolet Tahoes driven by officers. Mogle said as those vehicles are rotated out the replacements won’t have tinted windows in the future.

The committee also suggested the Albion PD have more officers spend time in school buildings. The department currently has a dedicated school resource officer, Chris Glogowski. He has worked at the school district since February 2019, with the district contributing $81,250 annually to the village to have the officer dedicated to the schools.

More officers could spend time in the schools with the district’s approval and if it works with the Police Department’s staffing, Mogle said. Those officers could spend part of a shift with the school resource officer, Mogle said.

The Albion PD responds to about 4,000 to 5,000 calls annually. The department at full staffing has 13 full-time officers. It currently is down one officer, and will be at 11 when Police Chief Roland Nenni retires on March 31. The PD runs two 12-hour shifts, the first platoon from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and second platoon, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Nenni has led a department that far exceeds the annual state requirements for training. Albion officers do annual training with firearms, use of force, updates in laws such as bail reform and “Raise the Age,” Emergency Vehicle Operation Course, Stinger Spike Strips (vehicle pursuit termination efforts), administering Narcan, using tourniquets and other First Aid, and defensive tactics, Taser and use of less lethal bean bag shotgun, reality-based training focused on de-escalation, Bloodborne pathogens, and active shooter training.

The department has long banned the use of chokeholds. It has a policy against racial-based profiling. The Albion PD also is looking to add a Racial Justice training, the department states in its reform and reinvention plan.

Even after the plan is submitting to the state, Mogle said the Albion PD intends to meet frequently with the committee to hear if there are community concerns and how they can be best addressed.

The schedule is set for food distributions through late April.  Those events have been held most weeks since last April due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

At each distribution, held on Fridays, about 300 boxes of food will be given away in the “Families Food Box Program” which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The distributions are scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m.

The schedule includes:

• March 19, Community Action Main Street Store, 113 South Main St., Albion
• March 26, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4-H Fairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville
• April 2, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4-H Fairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville
• April 9, Medina High School, Mustang Drive, Medina
• April 16, Community Action Main Street Store, 113 South Main St., Albion
• April 23, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4-H Fairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville
• April 30, Community Action Main Street Store, 113 South Main St., Albion

“We remind people not to block driveways,” said Melissa Blanar, director of the Office for the Aging, which helps organize the events. “We want to thank all the volunteers. Without them there would be no events. Please be patient and kind.”

Press Release, Orleans County Health Department

ALBION – The Orleans County Health Department has been awarded a grant to provide the Hepatitis A vaccine to food service workers at no cost to them or the employer.

In Western New York and across the United States, foodborne outbreaks of Hepatitis A have occurred as a result of infected food service workers. Brenden Bedard, Director of Community Health Services for Genesee and Orleans Counties, understands the severity of Hepatitis A and the effect it can have on a business and community.

“Hepatitis A is a serious issue because most food service workers will spread the infection before even knowing they have the disease,” Bedard said. “A food service worker can spread the virus to customers or other staff by contaminating surfaces, utensils and/or food, which can make unvaccinated individuals very sick. By offering the vaccine to food services workers, we can prevent unnecessary illness from spreading in the community.”

Hepatitis A is a contagious liver infection that is caused by the Hepatitis A Virus. It is typically spread through the feces of infected individuals. Someone can become infected by consuming food or drink that has been contaminated by feces as well as having close personal contact with a person who is infected, or use of injection and non-injection drugs.

The symptoms of Hepatitis A may include sudden onset of fever, loss of appetite, nausea/vomiting, stomach pain, dark-colored urine and jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes). HAV usually does not have signs or symptoms until the second week of infection and is the most infectious during this time.

The good news is that Hepatitis A can be prevented through vaccination! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vaccine has a 94% – 100% efficacy rate. The Hepatitis A vaccine is a two-dose series that is administered 6 months apart. As the vaccine is not required to attend school or daycare, many people have not received it.

Any food service worker living or working in Orleans County can receive the vaccine. By receiving the vaccine, you are also protecting yourself from getting the virus if you come in contact with dishes and/or utensils that may have been contaminated by a customer or co- worker.

Restaurants who have participated in this opportunity will receive a certificate honoring their commitment to protecting the health and safety of their workers and customers.

Restaurants or food services workers who are interested in receiving the Hepatitis A vaccine should contact the Orleans County Health Department immediately as this opportunity is ending on April 1. The supply is on a first-come, first serve basis.

For more information, please call the Orleans County Health Department at 585-589-3278. The department is open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information on the hepatitis A virus, click here.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The VFW Post in Albion reached its 75^th anniversary on Nov. 19, 2020. The Post hasn’t been able to have a celebration for the milestone due to Covid-19 restrictions and concerns. However, the Post’s leaders on Wednesday acknowledged the 75 years during its monthly meeting.

Pictured outside the Post on Platt Street include from left: Orville Preston, chaplain; Mike Donahue, trustee; Mark Roberts, past commander; Matt Passarell, current commander; Joe Gehl, trustee; Kevin Christy, quartermaster; and Gary Befus, trustee.

The VFW Post works with the American Legion on setting flags on about 2,000 veterans’ graves annually. The VFW also provides scholarships and helps organize the annual Memorial Day observance.

Matt Passarell, the current commander, praised the efforts of the VFW members since the post’s founding. He thanked the current members for continuing to serve at the post and serve the community.

“The 75^th anniversary is an impressive milestone,” Passarell said during Wednesday’s monthly board meeting. “A lot of this can be attributed to people from long ago who wanted a VFW post in Albion.”

The Veterans of Foreign Wars national office recognized the local VFW with a Diamond Jubilee Award on Nov. 19, which was the 75th anniversary of the post’s founding.

“In special commemoration and grateful recognition of its seventy-five years of exceptional service to the nation and its veterans throughout its seven and one-half decades of dedicated support for the programs and purposes of the Veterans of Foreign Wars,” the citation read.

Harold “Hal” Roesch, II, commander-in-chief of the national VFW, sent a letter of congratulations to the VFW.

“The members of VFW Post 4635 are a pillar of support for Albion, New York,” Roesch wrote in his letter. “Year after year, you have provided superb public service to others. You provide an invaluable network of service to those who have borne the battle, as well as to their families, and you advance the health and well-being of those who bear the burden of defending our nation and our way of life.”

VFW leaders pause for a prayer during Wednesday’s monthly board meeting.