Press Release, Genesee County Health Department

BATAVIA – The Genesee County Health Department has received 7 positive Covid-19 tests from individuals who attended funeral service arrangements on the following dates and locations:

• November 11^th, Gilmartin Funeral Home (333 W. Main Street, Batavia) between the hours of 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• November 12^th, Resurrection Roman Catholic Church (303 E. Main Street, Batavia) between the hours of 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
• November 12^th, Saint Joseph’s Mausoleum (Ellicott Street, Batavia) between 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
• November 12^th, Polish Falcons of America (123 S. Swan Street, Batavia) between the hours of noon and 6 p.m.

Contact tracing is in progress. However, unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive cases.

We advise all individuals who were at the locations listed to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms of Covid-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

Symptoms of Covid-19 include but are not limited to fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.

Photos by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – A Hamlin firefighter walks through a garage that was destroyed by a fire this morning. Firefighters were dispatched at about 11 a.m. to 1759 Kendall Rd.

The garage is owned by William Ireland. No one was injured in the fire.

Firefighters spray water on the smoldering fire. Firefighters kept the blaze from spreading to the family’s residence.

Kendall was assisted in responding to the fire by Carlton, Hamlin, Holley and Fancher-Hulberton-Murray.

Albion also filled in and was sent to a call on Center Road for the Kendall FD.

No information on the cause is available. Fire investigators were called to the scene.

Fire Chief Jason Hardenbrook communicates to other firefighters by radio. Several tankers carrying water were needed to help douse the fire at the garage, which was set back far from the road.

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board supported several projects on Thursday evening including a home business in Yates selling firearms, and a new monopole in Clarendon for Verizon.

In Yates, Steve Boring Jr. wants to open “Patriot Arms” at his home 12177 Platten Road in Agricultural- Residential Zone. Boring, in his application to the Planning Board, said he wants to sell firearms and ammunition to hunters and target shooters.

Boring will need a federal firearms license to open the business. Before he gets that license, he needs the local approval from the Yates town officials for a permit to operate the business and site plan approval.

The County Planning Board makes recommendations on referrals from towns and villages. The county suggested Yates approve the site plan and issue a permit, as long as Boring has adequate security measures in place and has a turnaround on the driveway.

• In Clarendon, county planners recommended the town give Verizon a permit and approve the site plan for a 149-foot-high telecommunications tower at 4514 Holley-Byron Rd. in a Rural Agricultural Zone.

The monopole for Verizon will be built on land owned by Albert Schnabel Jr.

• County planners also recommended the Town of Barre approve the site plan and issue a permit for Marissa and Patrick Olles, who want to open automotive repair shop at 13299 West Lee Road, west of Eagle Harbor Rd. This is the site of the former Jordan River Logging business.

Patrick Olles opened Pat’s Long Bridge Repair in 2015 on Long Bridge Road in Albion, doing car and light truck repairs.

Request for a Site Plan Review and Special Use Permit for an Automotive Repair Facility at 13299 West Lee Road in Agricultural-Residential (AR) Zone. They are in the process of acquiring the site from Virginia Van Apeldoorn.

• In Shelby, county planners supported amendments to the town’s zoning amendments for regulating solar energy systems.

Michelle Billington, an environmental attorney for Bond, Schoeneck & King, discussed the changes with the County Planning Board on Thursday.

The amendments will require utility-scale solar systems to have a decommissioning plan with site restoration. The solar energy companies also need to provide a cost estimate with an annual review for decommissioning and removing a non-operational or abandoned systems.

The zoning amendments also allow utility-scale projects to do a host community agreement with the town.

Provided photo: Josmar Hernandez (second from left), is pictured with his teacher Crystal Gurney, Weson, Animal Control Officer Airel Ambrose, and Undersheriff Mike Mele.

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office

HOLLEY – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Animal shelter received a large donation from a Holley Elementary student.

Josmar Hernandez, a sixth-grader, has been collecting donations for the past three weeks from staff and students in Holley to give to the Orleans County Animal Shelter.

Josmar’s love for animals, especially dogs, prompted him to start collecting items that the shelter could use. Over 300 items including dog and cat food, toys, bedding, and cat litter are just some of the items that were collected.

Josmar wanted to come to the shelter to visit the animals but due to Covid-19 that currently isn’t allowed.

Undersheriff Michael Mele and Animal Control Officer Airel Ambrose along with friendly dog Weson visited Josmar at the school.

All items donated will be used at the shelter to make the animals have a happy stay while they are waiting to be adopted to a loving family.

RIDGEWAY – The Orleans County Planning Board has recommended the Town of Ridgeway approve the site plans and give a permit for two solar projects on the south side of Ridge Road near North Gravel Road (Route 63).

The projects, west of North Gravel Road, would total 8 megawatts, and both are on land owned by Richard Fisher. TJA Clean Energy in New Bedford, Mass. is the developer of the project. The company split it into two separate projects because it is limited to 5 megawatts on a parcel, Mike Frateschi, TJA Clean Energy engineer, told the Orleans County Planning Board during its monthly meeting on Thursday evening.

One of the projects at 11074 Ridge Rd. is for 3 megawatts and would use 16 acres of a 70-acre site.

There will be 40 125kW string inverters and 10,946 solar panels for the 3-megawatt project. There will be 158 racks that are 8 feet high, 3 ½ feet wide and 6 ½ feet in length.

The project will have screening, a decommissioning plan and an access road going south that is 5,330 feet long. The planners said TJA needs to get an opinion from the county’s Emergency Management Office on the width of the access road. TJA is planning for the gravel road to be 16 feet wide, but Dan Strong of the Planning Board said 20 feet wide may be needed.

The 5-megawatt solar production facility would be at 11074 Ridge Rd. This project would use 23 acres on a 98-acre site.

It will have 17,524 solar panels on 241 racks. The site will have screening. There is already a natural tree forest buffer. Like the 3-megawatt project, planners put a condition on the project for an opinion on the width of the access road from Emergency Management.

Both projects are for land that is zoned Agricultural-Residential.

Senator is pleased Rochester will be Triple AAA team for Washington Nationals after Twins departure

Photos by Tom Rivers: U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer spoke in Medina today about the need for the federal government to release $9 billion in funding already designated for Covid testing and contact tracing. Schumer took questions from the media and said a new federal relief package is needed for small businesses and local governments. Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature, also attended the press conference.

MEDINA – U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer was at Medina Memorial Hospital today to show his support for releasing $9 billion in federal funds for free Covid testing and more tracing. He highlighted Orleans County as a community without free Covid testing for residents.

The senator said he also is determined to get another Covid relief bill passed, and very soon. He said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seemed open today to negotiating a deal.

Schumer said he wants the $2.2 billion HEROES Act already passed by the House of Representatives to be the framework for the package. That includes funding for schools and other local governments.

The state has warned schools they could be facing a 20 percent cut in aid. That would be about $5 million for Albion and Medina.

“We have to get aid, not just testing aid, we need aid for businesses, we need aid for unemployment, we need aid for local governments, we need aid for many things,” Schumer said.

The senator said the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provided a lifeline to small businesses and he favors expanding that program in the new relief package.

“We need something very similar and strong,” he said about the PPP. “That is what we’re trying to do.”

A previous proposal from McConnell didn’t include local government aid, which stalled discussions. Schumer said he is more optimistic today that McConnell is open to the aid to local governments.

“We need state and local aid,” Schumer said. “It affects our governments and the schools. It is at the top of our list.”

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer arrives at Medina Memorial Hospital for a press conference this morning about the need for a free Covid testing site in Orleans County.

Schumer acknowledged there is a shortage of PPE for hospitals and businesses and the relief package needs to help organizations have PPE for their employees.

The senator also responded to criticism Gov. Andrew Cuomo has faced about wanting to ensure the vaccine is safe and fairly distributed to people throughout the state. Cuomo has been criticized for slowing down the vaccine’s distribution in the state.

“The governor was simply trying to make sure the vaccine is distributed effectively to all parts of the state and efficiently,” Schumer said. “For him to request that is just fine. We need vaccines and I’ll be on top of that working with the governor to make sure New York gets its fair share.”

The senator from Brooklyn said he was happy to share some good news at press conference outside Medina Memorial Hospital this morning.

The senator confirmed the Washington Nationals are bringing their Triple AAA baseball team to Rochester and leaving Fresno, Ca. The Minnesota Twins announced last week they were ending an 18-year agreement with Rochester for Triple AAA.

Rochester didn’t have to wait long for a new team. The Nationals won the World Series in 2019. Schumer said he spoke with the Nationals owners on Wednesday, and urged them to commit to Rochester.

Binghamton also will have a minor league team in 2021. Schumer said he wants to press now for Batavia and Auburn to keep their professional teams in the future.

“We’re trying to convince Major League baseball that these teams are vital,” Schumer said.

The baseball games bring several hundred people to downtown Batavia, with many going to restaurants and other businesses before or after games.

These protestors stood along Ohio Street near the hospital and said Democrats are trying to steal the presidential election from Donald J. Trump. “Lying, Cheating Democrats,” the man holding the “Trump 2024” sign shouted several times. Schumer’s conference was moved from near the road to farther down the driveway away from the protestors.

The protestors also heckled members of the media. “You couldn’t tell the truth if it bit you in the a–,” one of the demonstrators yelled to the journalists.

Press Release, New York State Association of Counties

County health departments said today they are prepared to help our state and federal partners distribute the Covid-19 vaccine as soon as it is ready to deploy.

That pledge came out of webinar hosted by the New York State Association of Counties and included federal, state and local public health experts who discussed how the vaccine will be distributed across the state. View a recording of the webinar here.

“As the level of government closest to the people, New York’s counties will once again be the boots on the ground, doing the vital work of turning a vaccine into vaccinations,” said Jack Marren, NYSAC President and Ontario County Chairman. “But we can’t do this alone. We’re going to work in close collaboration with our partners in the state Executive branch, the state legislature as well as the new administration in Washington to ensure we have the resources we need to support our dedicated county public health workforce and to carry out this mission.”

The webinar featured presentations from Dr. Nancy Messonnier, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Loretta Santilli, Director of the Office of Public Health Practice at the NYSDOH and Sarah Ravenhall, Executive Director of the New York State Association of County Health Officials.

“Make no mistake, this may be the most important thing that we as counties ever do,” said Marc Molinaro, President of the New York State County Executives Association and Dutchess County Executive. “Counties are the backbone of public health in their communities, with decades of experience in providing large-scale vaccinations for diseases like the flu. We have the experience and the insight that is needed to reach vulnerable and underserved populations, we just need the resources to do it. New York State is one of the few states that has not suballocated CARES Act funding to counties with populations under 500,000. This is one area where you could strongly argue that those funds should be passed on to the county so we can do the essential work of educating the public about a vaccine and deploying it across our communities.”

“Today’s webinar provided invaluable insight into the state and federal government’s plans for vaccine distribution, but it’s important that we have a continued dialog with state,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario. “The prospect of a vaccine is providing all our county leaders and frontline workers with welcome glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel, but we still have miles to go before this is over. We look forward to working with state and federal leaders to develop plans and secure the resources we need to fully empower our county workforces and help defeat this terrible pandemic.”

Orleans also has 3 new confirmed Covid cases, while Genesee has 20 more today

Orleans County today is reporting a death from someone who had Covid-19. This is the second death this month in county from someone who contracted the coronavirus.

The death reported today is a person over age 65 who lives in the community. The county has now had 57 Covid-related deaths during the pandemic, with 54 of those at two nursing homes in the county.

“Due to privacy issues, we are not releasing further details about this individual,” the Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments said in a news briefing today. “We would like to express our sincerest sympathy for this individual’s family and friends.”

Orleans also has three new confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, bringing the total to 541 cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in Albion and Barre with the individuals in the age groups of 0-19, 40s and 50s. None of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

The county is reporting 4 more recoveries and have been removed from the isolation list.

Three from the county are currently hospitalized due to Covid-19.

• An Albion elementary student tests positive for Covid: The Albion school district also notified the community this afternoon that a hybrid learner in the elementary school has tested positive for Covid. The student is in school twice a week.

Since the student was last in school on Friday, Nov. 13, the Health Department determined there is no need to do further contact tracing due to the 48-hour look-back period, the school district said.

Genesee County received 20 new positive cases of Covid-19 today and has now had 635 test positive for Covid since March.

The new positive cases reside in Alexander, Batavia, Elba, LeRoy, Pembroke and Stafford. Four of the new positive individuals are residents at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. None of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

The Health Departments are reporting that 26 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

Genesee also has 8 residents hospitalized due to Covid.

• 3-county data: Click here to see an online map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. The number of active cases in the three counties is down today with more recoveries than new cases. There were 268 active cases in the three counties on Wednesday. Today there are 256 with 131 in Genesee, 72 in Orleans and 53 in Wyoming.

Supportive Care of Orleans also unveiled a new logo.

ALBION – Hospice of Orleans has announced a name change, designed to better reflect the services offered by the organization.

Hospice will now be known as Supportive Care of Orleans, according to a press release issued today by Kellie Spychalski, CEO.

The organization had planned an event for the public to make the announcement, but due to the pandemic and concerns about increased cases of Covid-19 in Orleans County, the new name was launched with a virtual presentation today through Facebook Live.

The organization, which provides expert medical care, symptom management and emotional and spiritual support tailored to the needs of the patient and their families, made the change in order to increase awareness of its various services.

The new name better reflects the broad range of supportive services, which go beyond what traditional hospice care encompasses, and includes supportive care for a variety of illnesses, not only those that are terminal, Spychalski said.

‘We support people throughout their illness. We provide care at every turn. No matter the illness. No matter the need. Supportive Care of Orleans is here to help those who are struggling with serious, chronic or life limiting illnesses, and we’re here for their loved ones, too.’ – Kellie Spychalski, CEO for Supportive Care of Orleans

Hospice of Orleans has a long history of providing supportive care to the community, and the name change to Supportive Care of Orleans is the next step in building on a legacy of compassionate care, she added.

Kellie Spychalski

“We’ve grown as an organization and we want to build on the tremendous bond we have built with our community,” Spychalski said. “We’ve responded to the growing needs of the community, and it made sense for us to align our identity with our evolved mission and expanded reach.”

The name change is also timely, Spychalski said, as November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, a month-long opportunity for engagement, outreach and education. It is the organization’s hope that the event will raise awareness of the important role hospice and palliative care have in increasing quality of life.

The new name and logo highlight the patient-centered care that is the hallmark of palliative and hospice programs, as well as how the organization is strongly rooted in the Orleans community. It will also help begin conversations about the comprehensive services and program the organization provides and the benefits to patients and families, such as the Martin-Linsin Residence, caregiver and bereavement support, complementary therapies and advanced care planning.

“We support people throughout their illness,” Spychalski said. “We provide care at every turn. No matter the illness. No matter the need. Supportive Care of Orleans is here to help those who are struggling with serious, chronic or life limiting illnesses, and we’re here for their loved ones, too.”

While the name has changed, patients and families can still count on the same level of service and quality of care, according to Supportive Care of Orleans’ leadership.

“Our mission is not changing,” Spychalski added. “We’re making life easier for patients and families facing serious illness and end of life, by providing choice, dignity and compassionate care with our umbrella of comprehensive services.”

More can be learned about Supportive Care of Orleans by visiting their website at www.supportivecareorleans.org.

Photos by Tom Rivers: U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer speaks outside the Medina Memorial Hospital this morning, saying he supports releasing $9 billion in federal aid for more Covid testing sites. Schumer said Orleans County, which doesn’t have a site offering free Covid testing, is hampered in quickly identifying cases. Paul Pettit, public health director of Genesee and Orleans counties, is in back. Schumer wore mask except when he was speaking at the podium.

MEDINA – U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer was in Medina this morning for a news conference outside Medina Memorial Hospital, highlighting the need for more Covid testing, including free options.

Right now, Orleans County residents have to travel outside the county for a free testing site in either Rochester, Buffalo or Niagara Community College in Sanborn.

That hampers the county’s ability to quickly identify a Covid outbreak, and is an inconvenience to residents who have to travel for the testing.

Schumer said there is $9 billion in federal funding already designated for Covid testing and contact tracing that hasn’t been released.

Schumer said he is pressing the Department of Health and Human Services to stop sitting on the money. A second wave of Covid is hitting the country hard, including in Orleans County and rural New York where more Covid testing is needed, Schumer said.

“Increasing Covid testing capacity is vital to keep our community safe and avoid other restrictive measures that can disrupt our businesses, in-school instruction and families,” said County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson. “I applaud Sen. Schumer’s efforts to free up existing federal testing funding now so that communities like Orleans County can have more access to testing.”

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer speaks to reporters at a news conference this morning outside Medina Memorial Hospital. He said Covid has been “awful” for families, businesses and school children. Increased Covid testing is critical to help the country slow the spread of the coronavirus, he said.

Paul Pettit, the public health director in Orleans and Genesee counties, said a lack of adequate Covid testing has been an issue in the rural counties since the pandemic hit in March.

There is testing available at Orleans Community Health’s Albion site and at Oak Orchard Health in Albion. But Pettit said there aren’t free testing sites in Orleans. Residents need to travel at least 45 minutes to Rochester, Buffalo or NCCC.

A free testing site would be helpful for asymptomatic people who are required by the state to be tested because they work at nursing homes, as barbers or hair stylists. People need to get Covid tests if they face a surgery or if they want to visit a loved one in a nursing home.

If Orleans is designated as a yellow micro-cluster, local school districts would have to test 20 percent of students and staff a week.

“If the state is going to have testing requirements they should make sure there is testing in place,” Pettit said.

At a minimum, Pettit would support a mobile testing site that could rotate different days in be in a different rural county each day of the week.

With the demands for more testing, Pettit said the local healthcare providers also should be given funding to hire staff to administer the tests.

Marc Shurtz, CEO of Orleans Community Health, said the community needs more testing right now, and could see a big increase in demand if the county is designated a yellow micro-cluster, where 20 percent of students and school staff would need to be tested weekly. Shurtz thanked Schumer for supporting the CARES Act, which provided $3.8 million for the hospital in Medina.

Orleans County is currently testing about 300 residents each day. Schumer noted the positivity rate has jumped from less than 1 percent in early October to about 6 percent now.

More testing would likely identify more people who are Covid positive and then have then be isolated where they aren’t spreading Covid.

Marc Shurtz, CEO of Orleans Community Health, said the two local testing sites in Albion are busy. He anticipates a greater demand, especially if the county is designated as a yellow micro-cluster.

He backed Pettit’s statement that more staff will be needed to administer the tests.

“We not only need more testing, but free testing,” Shurtz said. “That is the ultimate goal here today (with Schumer’s news conference.)”

Schumer said the $9 billion funding through HHS could be used for rapid testing machines and test kits. Right now there are two rapid testing machines in the county. Schumer would like to see seven or eight for Orleans, and thousands of the rapid testing kits.

Shurtz said more rapid tests would make a difference “in heading off Covid in the community.” Quickly identifying cases would also likely result in fewer Covid-related hospitalizations, Shurtz said.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer expresses his condolences to Diane Krenning on the death of her husband Bruce Krenning. He was 76 when he passed away on Aug. 24. Krenning was the chairman of the board of directors for Orleans Community Health. Krenning also was a fruit grower in Knowlesville who worked with Schumer to develop crop insurance for specialty fruit growers. Mrs. Krenning thanked Schumer at the news conference for that crop insurance program, saying it has saved hundreds of farms.

Sheehan resigns as village trustee to take part-time position

Kevin Sheehan

ALBION – A village trustee has resigned from the Village Board to take a job as the village’s code enforcement officer.

Kevin Sheehan was elected to a four-year term as trustee on Sept. 15. He previously served eight years on the board through 2014.

He and trustee Gary Katsanis were filling in at code enforcement in October following the resignation of Tracy Vanskiver. Katsanis was handling complaints about property maintenance with Sheehan doing inspections and building permits.

Sheehan was a union plumber for 27 years before working six years with the federal VA in Batavia. He was the maintenance mechanic work lead.

After retiring from the VA, he worked the past 1 ½ years as a safety compliance consultant for Safety York Solutions.

Sheehan applied for the code position with the village and was offered the job. He resigned as trustee on Nov. 1 and last week was appointed by the Village Board to the part-time code enforcement position.

Sheehan said he wants to be a resource to village residents, with property maintenance and construction projects. He said he plans to take classes to be a fully certified code enforcement officer.

His position on the Village Board will likely remain vacant until the village elections in March. The elections are usually the third Tuesday in March but this year was pushed back due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Orleans and Genesee so far avoid micro-cluster designation

Gov. Andrew Cuomo today announced the yellow micro-cluster zone designated in Erie County last week will become a more restrictive orange zone beginning on Friday, while the rest of the county is on the precautionary yellow zone.

The governor also announced that North Tonawanda in Niagara County is now designated in a yellow micro-cluster zone.

Orleans and Genesee counties, which have seen Covid cases surge in recent weeks so far have not been declared micro-cluster zones which have more restrictions from the state to try to slow the Covid spread.

The Orange Zone in Erie County includes the City of Buffalo, City of Lackawanna, City on Tonawanda, and towns of Amherst, Aurora, Cheektowaga, Clarence, Eden, Elma, Evans, Grand Island, Hamburg, Lancaster, Orchard Park, Tonawanda and West Seneca.

The rest of Erie County is in a Yellow Zone, which includes Alden, Boston, Brant, Colden, Collins, Concord, Holland, Marilla, Newstead, North Collins, Sardinia and Wales.

The new restrictions in the zones are effective on Friday for businesses and on Monday for schools.

Cuomo said Western New York is currently “the worst situation in the State of New York.” The Finger Lakes Region, which includes Orleans and Genesee, also is seeing a big rise in Covid cases and hospitalizations.

Cuomo said the micro-cluster approach has worked, restricted activities in targeted areas with high Covid spread, rather than blanketing an entire region with the more severe restrictions.

Cuomo cited Broome County and Orange County as yellow zones that have gone back to normal. Brooklyn was an orange zone that is going to a less-restrictive yellow zone.

Yellow Zone restrictions

• Non-residential gatherings limited to 25 people, inside and outdoors.
• Residential gatherings capped at 10 people, inside and outside.
• Houses of worship, limited to 50 percent of maximum capacity.
• Businesses all open.
• Dining limited to 4 people per table, inside and outside, with bars and restaurants closing at 10 p.m. for on-premises consumption.
• Schools remain open with 20 percent of in-person students and staff tested each week.

Orange Zone restrictions

• Non-essential gatherings are limited to 10 people.
• Certain non-essential businesses need to reduce in-person by 100 percent. Those businesses with a higher risk for transmitting Covid-19 include gyms, fitness centers or classes, barbers, hair salons, spas, tattoos or piercing parlors, nail technicians and nail salons, cosmetologists, estheticians, and all other personal care services.
• Houses of worship are limited to a maximum capacity of 33 percent maximum occupancy or 25 people, whichever is fewer
• Any restaurant or tavern won’t be allowed to serve patrons food or beverage on premises but may be open for takeout or delivery, and provide outdoor service (as long as no seated group exceeds four people).
• Schools are remote-only and closed for in-person classes

Red Zone restrictions

• Non-residential gatherings prohibited.
• Residential gatherings prohibited.
• Houses of worship will be the lesser of a 10-person maximum or 25 percent of maximum occupancy.
• Non-essential businesses are closed.
• Dining is limited to takeout or delivery only.
• Schools are closed except for remote only.

BUFFALO – A Medina man was sentenced to 12 ½ years in prison today by a federal judge.

Anthony Allee, 29, was convicted of possessing with intent to distribute, and distributing, cocaine, and unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun in furtherance of drug trafficking. Allee was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John J. Sinatra, Jr.

The office of U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. said that Allee and his wife, Tashira, used their Ridge Road residence in Medina to store, sell, and use marijuana, hydrocodone, and cocaine between April 2019 and July 22, 2019.

Anthony Allee also possessed various firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking in order to protect himself, his drugs, and his drug proceeds, said Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin G. Bish and Jeremiah E. Lenihan.

On July 22, 2019, a state search warrant was executed at the residence. Investigators seized multiple firearms, ammunition, numerous articles of stolen property, approximately 73 grams of marijuana, 247 hydrocodone pills, cocaine residue located on a working digital scale with a razor blade, two additional digital scales, a vacuum sealer with bags, and knotted baggies.

Tashira Allee was previously convicted and sentenced to three years probation and 100 hours of community service.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office; Homeland Security Investigations; the Niagara County Drug Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the New York State Police; and the Orleans County District Attorney’s Office.

County approves 4-year contract with deputies, 2% annual raises

ALBION — Deputies at the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office will get 2 percent annual raises in a new four-year contract approved today by the County Legislature.

The contract runs from Jan. 1, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2024. The 2 percent raises are the same level for at least the past five years.

The contract includes a change to hospitalizations, dental and medical benefits, with any new hires responsible for 20 percent of the cost of the premiums.