By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2021 at 8:13 am
ALBION – A $200,000 grant for the Microenterprise Assistance Program would offer funding for graduates of the small business class run by the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
An article last week on the Orleans Hub said the $200,000 grant would be to extend the program another two years to 2023.
But the Orleans EDA isn’t seeking the grant for the costs of operating the MAP class. Instead, the grant would allow the EDA to make grants available to graduates of MAP, ranging from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $35,000, said Diane Blanchard, manager of MAP.
That funding would be available to graduates of the spring and fall classes this year and in 2022. The grants to the small business owners would be for working capital, advertising, marketing and needed equipment.
More than 500 people have graduated from the Microenterprise Assistance Program since it started in 1999. The 10-week program is offered in the spring and fall and gives small business owners tips in marketing, handling stress, computers, legal issues, bookkeeping and taxes – all factors that are key to running successful businesses. They also must complete a business plan.
The spring class that starts April 6 is already full. The class sessions are held at the Arnold Gregory Office Complex in Albion.
The Orleans County Legislature is applying for the grant on behalf of the Orleans Economic Development Agency from the New York State Community Development Block Grant Program.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2021 at 7:40 am
The average price for a gallon of gas went up another 8 cents last week to $2.72 for the national average and $2.78 in New York, according to AAA Western and Central New York.
“The national average continues to increase as crude prices march higher,” AAA said. “Gas prices have also increased from longer-than-expected refinery outages due to last week’s winter storm that impacted the Gulf Coast.”
The 8-cent rise comes after a week when the price jumped 13 cents following the storm in the Gulf Coast region.
“As refineries restart and resume normal operations, supply is expected to increase in impacted areas and should bring stability to pump prices,” AAA said. “Until then, most drivers should expect pump prices to continue increasing.”
The average price in the country is up 40 cents since the beginning of January and it’s up an average of 39 cents in the state.
The average price today for the counties in Western New York includes:
Press Release, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced a new cooperative agreement with the State Comptroller’s Office, Niagara County, Orleans County, the cities of Lockport, Niagara Falls, and North Tonawanda, and the Niagara Orleans Regional Land Improvement Corp.
The entities will work to promote the redevelopment of dozens of potentially contaminated properties in Niagara and Orleans counties. The agreement is designed to remove contaminated properties from tax foreclosure lists and put these sites back into productive use while addressing any potential contamination.
“For families like mine in Western New York who witnessed factories fall to industrial decline and decay, this announcement represents a long overdue sign of revitalization,” Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul said. “This agreement is how we turnaround Western New York and further reimagine the region as an economic powerhouse for the post-pandemic future.”
“This state-local partnership will help reverse blight, turn delinquent properties into new businesses, and clean up brownfields to create healthier communities in Niagara and Orleans counties,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “Governor Andrew Cuomo is committed to providing local governments with resources to grow economies and revitalize neighborhoods, and DEC will continue using tools like this agreement to promote redevelopment across the State.”
The Niagara Orleans Regional Land Improvement Corp. works with city and county officials in Niagara and Orleans counties to help address problems stemming from vacant, abandoned, tax delinquent, and underutilized properties by taking title to properties. Once acquired, the properties are repurposed, redeveloped, resold, and ultimately restored to the tax rolls. The foreclosure process and resale can be complicated by the potential presence of contamination from prior uses or historical spills on these tax delinquent properties.
“In the past, the NORLIC has enabled us to address environmental concerns in the Village of Albion,” said Lynne M. Johnson, Chairperson, Orleans County Legislature. “I am pleased the flexibility of this new agreement provides for amendments which gives us the ability to direct attention to properties in Orleans County that could pose potential risks to public health in the future.”
To address concerns such as liability, cost recovery, and access to potentially contaminated sites, the agreement helps remove these and other obstacles that prevent the economic development of vacant and underused properties. The agreement allows entities such as cities, counties, and land banks to foreclose or take title of properties that are contaminated or potentially contaminated without becoming immediately liable for that contamination or past cleanup costs expended by the Spill Fund or DEC. In addition, the agreement provides a mechanism for sharing future sale proceeds from properties to help recover past costs incurred by the State for the cleanup of contamination.
If a site requires a cleanup, the agreement requires the developer and/or new property owner to enter one of DEC’s remedial programs, such as the Brownfield Cleanup Program or the Spill Response program funded by the New York Environmental Protection and Spill Compensation Fund.
“This agreement removes a significant impediment associated with returning brownfield properties to productive use while at the same time adding to the local tax rolls and working to ensure public health and the environment are protected by addressing any contamination,” said DEC Region 9 Acting Director Chad Staniszewski. “We look forward to continuing our work together using the tools available to create healthier and more prosperous cities and counties in our region.”
“Niagara County has simply not been able to foreclose on properties that were delinquent on their taxes if those sites had potential contamination because it put taxpayers on the hook for the cost of cleanup,” said Becky Wydysh, Chair of the Niagara County Legislature. “This allowed some landowners to simply stop paying their taxes and kept strategic parcels of land from being repurposed for future development. With this agreement, we can finally begin to aggressively move forward in pursuing economic development opportunities for these sites. I thank DEC for their partnership in reaching this agreement as we believe it will have significant benefit for communities across Niagara County.”
There are currently 81 properties identified in the agreement, including 21 properties in the town of Wheatfield and city of Niagara Falls. Sites also include vacant industrial properties in the town of Royalton, village of Middleport, and town of Niagara, as well as properties in the city of Lockport, and the towns of Cambria, Lewiston, Lockport, Newfane, and Pendleton. Properties range in size from less than one acre to 73 acres. The agreement provides flexibility to amend the list in the future.
The Niagara-Orleans agreement is similar to agreements DEC signed last year with Onondaga County to address 138 properties and with Wayne County to address 26 properties. In addition, the 2016 DEC agreement with Suffolk County and the Suffolk County Land Bank helped remediate 12 properties with a combined tax delinquency of 195 years, and some properties had been tax delinquent for as long as 28 years.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 February 2021 at 6:40 pm
Governor asks AG for independent review of allegations
Photo from Governor’s Office: Andrew Cuomo presents his executive budget last month in Albany.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, facing a backlash after two former aides accused him of sexual harassment, supports having Attorney General Tish James select a qualified private lawyer to do an independent review of the allegations against the governor.
The independent lawyer would be legally designated as a Special Independent Deputy Attorney General and granted all powers provided under Section 63(8) of the Executive Law, said Beth Garvey, special counsel and senior advisor to the governor.
She issued a statement at 5:31 p.m. after growing calls for at least an independent review of the allegations. Rob Ortt, the Sate Senate Republican leader, is urging Cuomo to resign.
Cuomo at 5:37 p.m. issued this statement:
“Questions have been raised about some of my past interactions with people in the office.
“I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm. I spend most of my life at work and colleagues are often also personal friends.
“At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way. I do it in public and in private. You have seen me do it at briefings hundreds of times. I have teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married. I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business.
“I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.
“To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but these are allegations that New Yorkers deserve answers to.
“That’s why I have asked for an outside, independent review that looks at these allegations.
“Separately, my office has heard anecdotally that some people have reached out to Ms. Bennett to express displeasure about her coming forward. My message to anyone doing that is you have misjudged what matters to me and my administration and you should stop now – period.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James released this statement at about 6:30 p.m., saying her office will hire an outside firm to do an independent investigation:
“We expect to receive a 63(8) referral with subpoena power to investigate allegations of sexual harassment against the governor, in line with our demands and New York state law. The referral would be made solely to the attorney general’s office. This is not a responsibility we take lightly. We will hire a law firm, deputize them as attorneys of our office, and oversee a rigorous and independent investigation.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 February 2021 at 1:46 pm
State Sen. Robert Ortt, R-North Tonawanda, said Gov. Andrew Cuomo “must resign” for repeatedly breaking the public’s trust, demonstrating “toxic leadership qualities,” and for irreparably compromising his dealings with his co-equal partners in the Legislature.
Rob Ortt
Ortt, who is the leader of the Republican conference in the State Senate, issued a statement today after the governor faces a second accusation of sexual harassment from a former aide, who is 25.
Ortt issued this statement:
“For months, our conference has been calling for an independent, top to bottom investigation of Governor Cuomo and his administration because of their disturbing disinformation efforts regarding Covid-19 in our nursing homes.
“This past week, when additional disturbing information came to light regarding allegations of sexual harassment made against the Governor, members of our conference called on Attorney General Letitia James to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate. With more women coming forward to share their experience, we are reiterating that call and demanding an independent, through investigation that must commence immediately.
“This is the story of a failing administration. Week by week, Governor Cuomo’s credibility has fallen apart as additional chapters of this saga unfold. We learned recently about the criminal investigation into this administration being conducted by the Department of Justice related to a cover-up of nursing home deaths.
“This news was followed by damning revelations from current and former members of the Legislature revealing a pattern of bullying, arm twisting and threats by the Governor and his team. Now, this administration faces calls for independent investigations into multiple harassment allegations by former members of the Governor’s staff.
“This past week’s disturbing details on sexual harassment allegedly committed by the Governor against two brave women further expose the toxic leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo.
“This is an exceedingly difficult time in state government. Leaders in Albany must not only lead our state through historic global pandemic, but negotiate a state budget in the midst of a fiscal and economic crisis. These tasks require leaders who have the trust of the public and level of focus to tackle the difficult tasks ahead. At this time, Governor Cuomo provides neither.
“I have been vocal in calling for end to the Governor’s emergency powers, something I still strongly support. But in light of the news of the past few weeks, it has become increasingly clear that does not go far enough.
“The Governor has repeatedly broken the public’s trust, he has demonstrated toxic leadership qualities, and he is irreparably compromised in his dealings with his co-equal partners in the Legislature. For these reasons, I believe Governor Cuomo must resign.”
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, a Democrat, said the allegations of sexual harassment by Cuomo “are very serious.” On Twitter this afternoon, he urged Attorney General Letitia James to use subpoena power to do “a thorough and independent investigation.”
Beth Garvey, special counsel and senior advisor to the governor, said the Governor’s Office wants a review of the sexual harassment claims made against the Governor “to be done in a manner beyond reproach.”
The Governor’s Office is asking the Attorney General of New York State and the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals to jointly select an independent and qualified lawyer in private practice without political affiliation to conduct a thorough review of the matter and issue a public report, Garvey said in a statement.
“The work product will be solely controlled by that independent lawyer personally selected by the Attorney General and Chief Judge,” Garvey said. “All members of the Governor’s Office will cooperate fully. We will have no further comment until the report is issued.”
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 28 February 2021 at 10:56 am
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Kendall’s Alezya Brown and Lyndonville’s Noah Poler will help lead their teams into the key final week of the Genesee Region League season.
Because of the differences in the end date for the winter sports season between neighboring Section V (March 14) and Section VI (March 27) this coming week will see Genesee Region League basketball teams wrapping up their regular season while Niagara-Orleans League teams will be just reaching the midway point of the campaign.
Since the sectionals will be limited to just the top eight teams in each classification because of the Pandemic shortened nature of the season the final week of Genesee Region League competition is especially important to both the Lyndonville boys and Kendall girls teams which are still in the running for spots in the Section V Class C2 playoffs.
Lyndonville is currently at 5-3 and in 8th place in the C2 standings. Heading into the final week there are no less than six teams within a game of the Tigers in the third through ninth seeds. That group includes Oakfield-Alabama, Geneseo and York, all at 5-2 and currently seeded 3-4-5 along with Clyde-Savannah (6th) and Dundee (7th), both at 5-3 and Byron-Bergen (9th) at 4-3.
The Tigers will close out the regular season with a busy schedule of four home games including vs. Kendall on Monday, Oakfield-Alabama on Wednesday, Akron on Thursday and Holley on Saturday.
Now at 3-5, the Kendall girls are currently seeded 12th in the C2 standings. The Lady Eagles are chasing no less than four teams in the quest to move up to that 8th and final spot including Byron-Bergen and HAC both at 3-4, Cal-Mum at 4-4 and Red Creek at 3-5.
The Lady Eagles have three games remaining this week including home contests against Lyndonville (1-7) on Monday and Alexander (6-1) on Wednesday and a road game at Attica (4-4) on Friday.
The Niagara-Orleans League teams will hit the halfway point of the season on Tuesday.
The boys games will have Albion (3-2) at Roy-Hart (1-4), Medina (4-1) at Wilson (1-4) and Newfane (5-0) at Akron (3-2) as Barker (1-5) draws the bye.
Looking to stay within a game of front-running Newfane, Medina will also visit Barker on Thursday and host Akron on Saturday.
Tuesday’s girls contests will have Roy-Hart (2-2) at Albion (3-2), Wilson (4-0) at Medina (0-4) and Akron (3-2) at Newfane (1-0) as Barker (1-5) draws the bye. Newfane will be playing its first game since February 12 after being on a Covid related pause.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 February 2021 at 9:31 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: The moon is reflected over a frozen Erie Canal in photo Friday evening taken from the Brown Street bridge in Albion.
Orleans County will get a break from snow for most of this week, according to the forecast from the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
Today the high temperature will be near 50 with some showers before 4 p.m.
There is potential for snow squalls with locally heavy snow and gusty winds Monday afternoon into Monday evening. The temperature will drop from a daytime high of 33 to an overnight low of 13, the Weather Service said.
Tuesday there is a chance for snow showers before 1 p.m. It will be mostly sunny with a high near 30.
The forecast for the rest of the week include sunny with a high near 44 on Wednesday, mostly dunny with a high near 38 on Thursday, mostly sunny with a high near 31 on Friday and mostly sunny with a high near 29 on Saturday.
Drawing by Stephen Burgoon, coloring by me! Joy, such a tiny word for such a big emotion! Love this word. Defined as feelings of great pleasure or happiness. The fact the thesaurus claims a good synonym for joy is jubilation makes this word feel even more warm and sparkly.
Do you ever lay in bed at night and the craziest things pop into your head? Well that is what inspired this post. In the middle of the night, the band Three Dog Night pops into my head singing “Joy to the World.” What a perfect way to start a day. This song was considered an unlikely hit in it’s day because it was just a “grins and giggles” kind of song. The creators were more inspired by the melody than the words, so they put together some random fun lyrics and created this song around Jeramiah. The Songster literally didn’t even understand Jeremiah. However being in his presence made him so joyful.
Some believe that Jeremiah was a prophet and “The Bullfrog” in the song was simply a metaphor with its distinct sound in nature. This distinct Bullfrog sound was thought by some to be God’s voice heralding the world to be joyful and come together. It was 1971 when it hit #1 on the song charts and stayed there for six weeks. No matter the true meaning of the lyrics, it has brought joy and harmony to so many, even this almost 53-year-old in the middle of a cold winter night in Western NY. Curious what things always bring you joy? Perhaps it is sports or a good comedy or ice cream or playing with your four-legged friends, or feeling the sun on your face, or bourbon. For me it has to be music, and maybe a little bourbon, too. My Ipod is full of 70s and Country. It is a go-to for a pick-me-up.
The standout joy moment for me happened this fall at my Positivity Party at The Positivity Pen in my backyard. I was handed a black garbage bag with an item in it. As I took the bag into my hand, “Joy” sparked and I knew right away it was a banjo. My father-in-law gifted it to me. Someone snapped a photo and I was surprised how the joy translated in the photo. Truly the feelings inside beamed from my body. Since then banjo practice has been slow. I have found that my brain does not play music as well as it can enjoy listening to it. So I pick and grin slowly. No doubt I am the only one with joy during this painful practice.
As we continue on in this earthly world, I pray for joy in the world, too. “The boys and girls, fishes in the deep blue sea, you and me” and every creature in between! Give this a listen for a joyous way to start your day. The wardrobe and attitude only adds to the joy. Anytime a bunch of young men can pull off yellow bell bottom pants, long hair with a stash, chaps and/or a hip fanny pack while performing, it is both a musical and visual treat. (Watch here). What is your joy song and 2020 moment?
Head back to the home page to Join My Blog and receive new post updates and visit the main menu to read past posts of positivity! To see my 2020 Joy Moment, visit My Blog live online (click here) and catch up on Weekly Photo Perks and past Sunday Posts. Like and share your comments.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 February 2021 at 4:53 pm
Orleans County is a little higher at 2.8%
Courtesy of the Governor’s Office: This is the 7-day average percentage of positive test results over the last three days in each of the 10 regions of the state.
The Finger Lakes Region hit a milestone with the positive rate of Covid tests falling below 2 percent over 7 days.
The 7-day average ending on Friday was 1.92 percent for the nine-county region that includes Orleans. The Finger Lakes is lower than the statewide 7-day average of 3.18 percent.
Less than two months ago, the Finger Lakes Region had a 7-day positivity rate of 10.29 percent on Jan. 5, among the highest in the state.
The number of people hospitalized in the region due to Covid has also dropped from a pandemic high with 964 on Dec. 28 to 210 on Friday.
The positivity rate in Orleans County is above the region’s average but it is going down. The 7-day average for positive tests in Orleans is currently 2.8 percent. Orleans County’s had the highest 7-day positivity rate in the nine-county Finger Lakes Region on Feb. 6 with a rate of 7.2 percent.
This is the 7-day average among the nine counties in the Finer Lakes Region.
Genesee, 3.3 percent
Livingston, 1.4 percent
Monroe, 1.8 percent
Ontario, 2.0 percent
Orleans, 2.8 percent
Seneca, 4.6 percent
Wayne, 2.1 percent
Wyoming, 3.1 percent
Yates. 0.8 percent
Governor Andrew Cuomo reported today there were 5,445 People hospitalized on Friday statewide due to Covid, the lowest since Dec. 12.
There were 8,141 new confirmed Covid cases on Friday out of 285,307 tests for a positivity rate of 2.85%. The state’s 7-day average for positive tests at 3.18 percent is the lowest since Nov. 26
“The footrace between the positivity rate and the vaccination rate is progressing in our favor and we’ve been able to reopen different sectors of our economy, but we still need more vaccines to propel us over the finish line,” Cuomo said in a statement. “We have continuously opened more vaccination sites as our supply allows, and we’re ready to get shots in arms as quickly and fairly as possible as our allocations increase. We can get to the light at the end of the tunnel, but we’re going to need to stay safe and vigilant and care for our fellow New Yorkers.”
By Kim Pritt, Contributor Posted 27 February 2021 at 3:00 pm
This beautiful waterfall is located in a gorge they call Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon on the Yellowstone River.
Let’s go on an adventure together… to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons!
In early October, 2018, a friend and I took a Caravan bus tour that covered five states (South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah) over 8 days. We had a BLAST! It was a wonderful trip and we saw so many amazing things. This article will focus on Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons.
Yellowstone National Park is the first national park in the United States and widely held to be the first national park in the world. Established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, Yellowstone National Park is located mostly in Wyoming, but also extends into portions of Montana and Idaho. Yellowstone’s most famous attraction is Old Faithful – a cone geyser that erupts faithfully every 45 minutes or so.
The most popular attraction in Yellowstone National Park is Old Faithful – a cone geyser that erupts about every 45 minutes.
We stayed in the Yellowstone area for three days, traveling along the Yellowstone River and the Louis and Clark Trail – locations for movies, such as, “A River Runs Through It” and “The Horse Whisperer”. Our hotel for two nights in Yellowstone was the Old Faithful Inn, just steps from – you guessed – Old Faithful! So, we were able to watch the predictable eruption a few times while we were there – even from the balcony off the upper lobby of the inn. The inn was beautiful and very rustic and is the oldest inn in the park. When I say “rustic”, I don’t just mean the décor! There is NO internet and very limited cell reception, no air conditioning (luckily, we were there in October and not mid-summer), and no TV in the rooms. They really want you to get out and enjoy the park. Also, the rooms in the original part of the lodge don’t have private bathrooms in the rooms. We were fortunate to have a room in the newer wings, so we did have the luxury of a private bath. It was actually a great experience staying at the lodge, even though we missed access to the outside world.
We covered a lot of Yellowstone Park while we were there. We spent time at Mammoth Hot Springs – that was totally amazing – and made stops at a few other hot springs and geysers. We also visited a gorge they call Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon with stunning views and an incredible waterfall, Fishing Bridge at Norris Geyser Basin, and Yellowstone Lake.
While in the park, we saw lots of wild life – bison, elk, bear, and pronghorn – even had sightings of bison right near the entrance to the lodge we were staying at and elk lounging by the Visitor’s Center when we visited Mammoth Hot Springs. All the wildlife sightings – especially the semi up close and personal ones – made this animal lover just a little over-the-top excited, for sure.
Then, we left Yellowstone and entered Grand Teton National Park and on to Jackson Hole, WY, where we spent our third night in the area. I actually thought Grand Teton National Park was more beautiful and awe inspiring than Yellowstone was. We saw the amazing jagged Teton mountain range and scenes where the movie “Shane” was filmed. We stopped for a photo op at the Continental Divide and a little chapel that was used in the movie “Spencer’s Mountain” (which the TV series the “Waltons” was based on). The chapel is still in use, today and behind the altar, instead of a stained glass window, there is a clear pane glass window framing an amazing view of the Grand Tetons – a truly religious experience.
This is the stunning Jenny Lake with a back drop of the Grand Teton mountain range in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
One of my favorite stops was at Jenny Lake. The views there were so breathtaking I was brought to tears and felt overwhelmed by the peace, quiet, and beauty. I remember giving my friend a little hug and saying, “I’m so glad we came here”.
A highlight of our time in the Grand Tetons was a float trip down the Snake River. What an awesome experience that was! Getting in and out of the oval inner-tube-like raft was a challenge, but the ride and the scenery was incredible. Our guide was a young man with super human strength – he operated the raft while standing with two big oars and a smile that would melt an iceberg. The river has a few spots that are somewhat rough, but is mostly fairly calm – not like riding the rapids of some rivers. So, it was exciting, yet relaxing, and the views were stunning. And, we got to see a mama bear and three cubs off the parking area on our way to the raft. Of course, wherever we saw wild life, we were kept at a safe distance by park rangers. It is never wise to try to get too close to wild life.
Photo taken from a float raft down the Snake River through the valley at the foot of the Grand Tetons in Wyoming.
We ended this three day segment of the trip at Jackson Hole, WY, where we were able to wander around a bit before checking into our hotel. Jackson is a sweet little cowboy town with large antler arches marking the entrances to the center square, the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar with saddles on the stools at the bar, and lots of statues and cute shops. While enjoying a beautiful morning waiting for our bus after breakfast, I saw these really cool birds I’d never seen before. They were white and black with bright blue tail feathers – they looked like they were wearing a tuxedo. I asked our guide about them and was told they were Rocky Mountain Magpies. So cool!
We left Jackson and headed toward Idaho and Utah. I was hesitant in taking a bus tour, like that, for so long. The tour itself was one I really wanted to do, but the thought of doing it on a bus didn’t appeal to me. But, I am so very glad I did it. Caravan is a great company – their bus was comfortable, the accommodations and attractions that were included along the way were top notch, and the guides were amazing. I would do another Caravan tour in a heartbeat! In fact, I’m seriously considering doing their Canadian Rockies tour and their Panama Canal tour – which includes both a bus portion through the country surrounding the canal and a ship portion for the ride down the canal. Both are on my list of places to go and things to see once we get past all this Covid stuff and can travel, again.
GAINES – The history of the Liberty Pole in the Hamlet of Childs is interesting and unique. The pole is dedicated to the “People of Gaines,” and is located next to Farmers Hall on the Cobblestone Museum’s Route 98 artisan campus.
The Liberty Pole at the Museum is a replica of one that was located at the Mansion House Hotel on the north bank of the Erie Canal in Albion during the 1800s. The hotel, located on this 1852 map of Albion shown above, burned to the ground in 1882. Before that, in 1859, the Mansion House played a role in the Erie Canal bridge collapse tragedy that killed 15 people. The infamous tightrope walker that attracted the ill- fated crowd, strung his slack line across the Erie Canal with one end attached to the Mansion House. Today, the Mansion House site is occupied by Tinsel/Lockstone.
Colonists Erecting a Liberty Pole – Courtesy Library of Congress
The first Liberty Poles, sometimes called Liberty Trees, were erected by the American colonists to display their assertion of independence from England. A famous Liberty Tree was found in Boston and was the site of many rallies to denounce British oppression. In hopes of dispersing the Sons of Liberty from these rallies, the British cut the tree down. The colonists were not to be driven away, so they put up a pole in its place, thus the first Liberty Pole. Later, Liberty Poles were also seen in the 1800s when political parties crafted their own poles to serve as rallying points to deliver their individual platforms.
Cobblestone Director/Curator Bill Lattin received inspiration for the Liberty Pole project from an Orleans Republican newspaper column of reminiscences from 1922 that was written by the paper’s editor, Lafayette H. Beach. Mr. Beach posed the question, “Do you remember the tall Liberty Pole (that) stood on the north side of the canal near the Mansion House, with a perch half way up on which rested a big wooden eagle?”
In 1982, Bill Lattin rallied the local “troops” to create and erect a community Liberty Pole, complete with a carved eagle, to celebrate the Bicentennial Year of the American Bald Eagle. Larry Baun of Lyndonville started with a 4-foot tall 1/10 scale model of the pole (shown above) to provide a visual perspective for the size of the eagle. He then very graciously carved a 3-foot tall eagle from a single piece of cedar, to be mounted on a 40-foot “decommissioned” power pole donated by Niagara Mohawk, the precursor of National Grid.
Milford Heye assisted by creating a similarly impressive round wooden sphere to be attached over the top of the pole. Bill Lattin remembers helping volunteers paint the pole the patriotic colors of red, white and blue. Niagara Mohawk again came to the rescue by erecting the completed Liberty Pole next to Farmers Hall. Leo LaCroix of Brigden Memorials in Waterport engraved a large stone marker donated by Cary Lattin to be placed next to the pole.
On July 4, 1982, a formal dedication for the Liberty Pole took place, with festivities beginning in at the Village Inn where a Continental Breakfast of juice, coffee and Danish pastries were served at 10am. Proceeding to the Cobblestone Church at 11 a.m., the Liberty Pole was officially dedicated to the “People of Gaines,” by NYS Assemblyman R. Stephen Hawley, father of current assemblyman, Stephen M. Hawley.
Mary Ann Janus Spychalski sang patriotic songs, accompanied by Kate Echanez on piano. The Orleans Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution conducted a flag ceremony. Other presenters included Mrs. Gerald (Janice) Thaine, Mrs. E. Kirke (Marcia) Hart, Mr. C. W. Lattin, and Mr. Theodore Swiercznski. Mr. Philip Greaser served as organist, and Bill Robinson and Make Thaine were ushers.
Those assembled in the photo include: (Seated far left) American Legion Color Guard. (Seated Front Row-Left to Right) Ronald Radzinski (R), Town of Gaines Supervisor; James Hubbell (D), Councilman; David Vagg (R), Councilman; Roger Rush (R), Councilman; David Vagg (R), Councilman; Richard Cook, Chairman Cobblestone Museum Buildings & Grounds Committee; Arthur “Dick” Eddy (R), Chairman Orleans County Legislature; Janice Thaine, Cobblestone Society Board; and Marcia Hart, Vice President Cobblestone Society. (On Platform-Left to Right) Charlett D’Andrea, Orleans Chapter DAR; Myrtle Marsielje, Regent DAR; and Marge Radzinski, Chaplain DAR.
Following the patriotic service in the Cobblestone Church, the Sheret American Legion Post Color Guard led a procession to the site of the Liberty Pole next to Farmers Hall. From there, Town of Gaines Supervisor Ronald Radzinski cut the ribbon, officially recognizing the tribute to the people of Gaines. Pictured above at the dedication are: (Left to Right) Richard Cook, chairman of buildings and grounds for the museum; Arthur “Dick” Eddy, Orleans County legislator; Steve Hawley, state assemblyman; James Hubbell, Gaines town councilman; Roger Rush, Gaines town councilman; Ronald “Butch” Radzinski, Gaines town supervisor; and David Vagg, Gaines town councilman. Sheret Post No. 35 Color Guard stands in the background.
The block of stone is inscribed as follows: “To the people of Gaines this Liberty Pole Replica was erected in the ‘Year of the Eagle’ 1982 by the Cobblestone Society.”
In more recent years the Liberty Pole has provided the backdrop for other community gatherings. Seen here is a cadre of youth in 19th century attire depicting a scene for the Cobblestone Museum’s Ghost Walk in 2018. The girls include, from left, Liana Flugel, Autumn Flugel, Ella Trupo, Julia Knight, Madalyn Ashbery and Mallory Ashbery.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 February 2021 at 8:18 am
‘We didn’t vote on a focused, fiscally responsible or targeted Covid-19 relief bill.’ – Congressman Jacobs
Congressman Chris Jacobs, R-Orchard Park, voted against the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package that barely passed in the House early Saturday morning, 219-212.
No Republicans voted in favor of the funding package, and two Democrats also opposed it. The legislation now goes to Senate.
Jacobs issued this statement about the “$1.9 trillion Democrat budget reconciliation package.”
“Today, we didn’t vote on a focused, fiscally responsible or targeted Covid-19 relief bill. The bill before the House today was a partisan package designed to advance an agenda, not the needs of the American people. Sadly, Democrats have rejected over 200 attempts at bipartisan consensus to cut costs and improve this legislation.
“More support is needed to defeat Covid -19, and I would have supported a targeted measure that bolstered vaccine distribution, aided struggling local governments, and reopened schools. Yet only 9% of the total funding of this package goes to public health measures to defeat Covid -19, and only 5% of the $130 billion in school funding will be used this year. In fact, $670 billion of this total package will not even be spent in 2021.
“This bill should have focused on the immediate needs to protect Americans and reopen our country. However, with over $1 trillion still left unspent from previous aid packages and no bipartisan input to craft this legislation – the result can only be described as a disservice to the American people. While there are provisions in this bill I support, it contained numerous provisions that I could not in good faith support or justify.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 February 2021 at 4:16 pm
Orleans and Genesee counties combined are reporting 22 more cases of Covid-19, which brings the total in the two counties to 6,646 since last March.
In Orleans County there are 4 new confirmed cases of Covid for a total of 2,409 positive cases during the pandemic, according to today’s update from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.
The new positive cases 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 and 80s. Orleans is reporting 3 of the new positive individuals were under mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
The county also has 4 more recoveries from Covid. There is currently one person from the county hospitalized due to Covid.
In Genesee County there are 18 new cases of Covid-19 for a total of 4,237 positive cases during the pandemic.
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, 60s, 70s and 80s.
Genesee is reporting 18 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
There are currently 14 county residents hospitalized due to Covid.
The G-O Health Departments reported one positive resident was retracted after a case at the Batavia VA Medical Center was determined to be a duplicate.
These charts from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments show the recent data is mostly trending downward in the two counties.
BATAVIA – Genesee Community College has proudly named Deborah Penoyer, MS, RN as the new Nursing Program Director at its Antoinette Marchese Clancy School of Nursing. Penoyer, of Rochester, took on the position after her predecessor Laurel Sanger retired in late 2020.
Deborah Penoyer
Having graduated its 50th class of nurses in 2020, the Nursing Program at GCC has been a flagship program for the College since its inception. With constantly evolving demands in the healthcare field, this high-tech and high-demand program accepts an exclusive group of just 96 students every year and boasts a 95% job placement rate upon graduation.
“I truly appreciate the quality of pedagogies I saw at GCC and am excited to be part of them,” said Penoyer. “It’s always been my priority to promote respect for differences and to embrace cultural competence for the value they bring to the learning experience. In the face of uncertainty, it is ever more important to be agile, provide flexible learning opportunities and to remain steadfast in ensuring student success. I have already seen those practices succeeding at GCC and look forward to building upon them.”
The Nursing Program at GCC is designed to benefit students of all ages and all stages of life. With programs to bridge Licensed Practical Nurses into Registered Nurses and a traditional RN track, students can learn, apply skills, and grow into their careers. These elite programs require students to participate in an information session before beginning. Such sessions are held online and those interested in a rewarding career in nursing or healthcare are encouraged to sign up now (click now).
Penoyer dedicated 17 years to child and adolescent care at Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong Memorial Hospital. Following her passion for educating and uniting others, she took on the additional role of Nurse Educator and Training Center Coordinator where she got to develop nursing practice policies, procedures and protocols as well as onboard new nurses and technicians at Strong.
In 2010, Penoyer’s desire to lead and to contribute to the future of the nursing industry led her to SUNY Geneseo where she served as Nurse Manager in College Health for ten years before returning to a large health system, Rochester Regional Health’s Primary Care and Ambulatory Specialty Institute where she was responsible for Operational Excellence and Compliance for Adult and Geriatric Services.
Penoyer earned a Master of Science, Leadership in Health Care Systems, Health Promotion, Education and Technology from the University of Rochester’s School of Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Roberts Wesleyan College and an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing from Monroe Community College.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 February 2021 at 2:35 pm
New schedule starts week of March 15
ELBA – The school district will be returning to five days of in-person learning beginning the week of March 15, district superintendent Ned Dale said in a letter to the community today.
The district in northern Genesee County includes some parts of Orleans County.
Elba started the year with a hybrid model, with students in school some days and doing remote education the other days. Some students opted to do remote education all of the days.
“Our hybrid model was successful, but we recognized that students needed more in-person learning,” Dale said in his letter. “Based on a generous donation from Traco Manufacturing, barriers were added to every desk and learning station that allowed the number of students to increase within a classroom.”
Elba was able to move to a four-day-a-week model while continuing to support students that chose a distance learning model. The district hasn’t had any in-school transmission of Covid-19, and that convinced some families that were doing remote learning to return their children to in-person education on the hybrid model, Dale said.
Even with the return to in-person education all five days, Elba will continue to work with those students who stay on remote learning.
“I am pleased with our plans and look forward to having our students here every day on campus,” Dale said.
The return to five days of in-person learning comes almost exactly a year after school districts were closed to in-person learning last school year.
Dale, with his announcement today, said he wanted to give families and staff adequate time to plan for the change accordingly.
“In addition, we may need to adjust the district calendar later this year pending the use of snow days,” he said.
Joy
