Today is forecast to partly sunny with a high of 59 and a chance for showers after 2 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
That will be followed by a mostly sunny Tuesday with a high of 67.
Wednesday, showers are likely between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. with a high near 66.
The forecast then is a mostly sunny Thursday with a high near 56, followed by a sunny Friday with a high near 61.
Saturday should reach 71 and be mostly sunny, according to the Weather Service.
ALBION – Registered voters in Orleans County will have the option to cast their ballots in early voting again this year.
The county will accept ballots at the Board of Elections from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1. The county will have election inspectors on site and residents can vote as in any other election.
The option is part of a state mandate to allow greater access to the polls. The county offered early voting for the first time a year ago and then again during the June primary.
Voters can cast their ballots at the Board of Elections in the County Administration Building, located behind the nursing home at 14016 Route 31.
The county will have four election inspectors on duty – 2 Republicans and 2 Democrats – for early voting.
The hours the polls will be open include:
• Oct. 24-25 (Saturday and Sunday) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Oct. 26 (Monday) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Oct. 27-28 (Tuesday and Wednesday) from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Oct. 29-30 (Thursday and Friday) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Oct. 31-Nov. 1 (Saturday and Sunday) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The general election is Nov. 3 with polls in the 10 towns in Orleans County open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Those polling sites will all be the same as in the last election except in Carlton, which is shifting from the Town Hall to the Carlton Rec Hall on Route 98.
The unemployment rate in Orleans County was at 9.8 percent in August, nearly double what is was in August 2019 when the rate was 5.1 percent, according to the NYS Department of Labor.
The number of people working in Orleans dropped from 16,800 to 15,600 during the 12-month period, while the number of unemployed increased from 900 to 1,700.
The 9.8 percent unemployment rate in Orleans County is the first time it is under 10 percent since April when it was 15.9 percent. Since then the rate has been 11.5 percent in May, 10.8 percent in June and 12.7 percent in July.
The unemployment rates nationally increased from 3.8 percent in August 2019 to 8.5 percent in August 2020. In New York, the rate is up from 4.1 percent to 12.6 percent.
The unemployment rates for other nearby counties include:
The highest rates in the state are 21.1 percent in the Bronx and 16.4 percent in Queens. Hamilton at 5.5 percent and Yates at 6.9 percent have the lowest rates in the state.
Nationally, the number of people working dropped by 10.6 million from August 2019 to August 2020, from 157.8 million to 147.2 million. The number of unemployed in the U.S. increased by 7.5 million.
State-wide, the number of people working is down 824,000 from 9.14 million to 8.32 million. The number of unemployed increased in the state by 806,000 from August 2019 to August 2020.
The fall high school sports season will swing into high gear over the next couple of days as soccer, field hockey and cross-country competition gets underway.
Monday’s boys soccer openers will have Roy-Hart at Akron (4:30 p.m.) and Newfane at Albion (6:30 p.m.) in Niagara-Orleans League games, Kendall at rival Holley (7 p.m.) in a Genesee Region League contest and Medina/Lyndonville facing Cardinal O’Hara in a non league game at Lyndonville (5 p.m.). Medina/Lyndonville is the defending N-O champion.
Tuesday’s girls soccer openers will have Wilson at Barker (4:30 p.m.), Akron at Roy-Hart (6:45 p.m.) and Newfane at Albion (6:30 p.m.) in N-O games; Attica vs. Lyndonville/Medina in Medina (7 p.m.) and Notre Dame at Holley (7 p.m.) in G-R contests. Akron is the defending N-O champion.
The N-O field hockey openers on Tuesday will have Medina at Barker (4:30 p.m.), Roy-Hart at Wilson (5 p.m.) and Newfane at Kenmore (6 p.m.). Barker is the defending N-O champion.
Tuesday’s N-O cross-country openers will have Medina at Akron, Barker at Newfane and Albion and Roy-Hart at Wilson with the varsity races at 5 p.m. Newfane is the defending N-O boys and girls champion.
Weekly Schedule
Monday
Boys Soccer: Roy-Hart at Akron, 4:30 p.m.; Cardinal O’Hara vs. Medina/Lyndnville 5 p.m. at Lyndonville, Newfane at Albion, 6:45 p.m.; Kendall at Holley, 7 p.m.
Golf: Roy-Hart and Wilson at Albion, Akron at Barker, Newfane at Medina, 4 p.m.
Tuesday
Girls Soccer: Wilson at Barker, 4:30 p.m.; Newfane at Albion, 6:30 p.m.; Akron at Roy-Hart, 6:45 p.m.; Notre Dame at Holley, 7 p.m.; Attica vs. Lyndonville/Medina, 7 p.m. at Medina.
Field Hockey: Medina at Barker, 4:30 p.m.; Roy-Hart at Wilson, 5 p.m.; Newfane at Kenmore, 6 pm.
Cross-Country: Medina at Akron, Barker at Newfane, Albion and Roy-Hart at Wilson, 5 p.m.
Golf: Newfane at Roy-Hart, 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Boys Soccer: Akron at Wilson, 4:30 p.m.; Albion at Roy-Hart, 6:30 p.m.; Newfane at Medina, 6:30 p.m.; Wheatland-Chili at Kendall, 7 p.m.; Attica at Holley, 7 p.m.
Golf: Newfane and Wilson at Barker, 4 p.m.; Roy-Hart at Akron, 4 p.m.
Thursday
Girls Soccer: Akron at Wilson, 4:30 p.m.; Newfane at Barker, 4:30 p.m.; Albion at Roy-Hart, 6:30 p.m.; Kendall at Byron-Bergen, 7 p.m.; Holley at Wheatland-Chili, 7 p.m.; Lyndonville/Medina at Oakfield-Alabama/Elba, 7 p.m.
Field Hockey: Roy-Hart at Newfane, Akron at Medina, Wilson at Barker, 4:30 p.m.
Golf: Newfane and Barker at Akron, Wilson at Roy-Hart, 4 p.m.
Friday
Boys Soccer: Wilson at Newfane, 4:30 p.m.; Akron at Albion, 6:30 p.m.; Byron-Bergen at Kendall, 5 p.m.; Holley at Pembroke, 7 p.m.
Golf: Roy-Hart at Medina, Albion at Wilson, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Boys Soccer: Medina at Roy-Hart, 12 p.m.
Girls Soccer: Lyndonville/Medina at Alexander, 11 a.m.; Holley at Kendall 12 p.m.
Field Hockey: Roy-Hart at Akron, 10 a.m.
Photos by Tom Rivers
CASTILE – The Middle Falls at Letchworth State Park drew a crowd of people on Saturday to see the plunging water from the falls and the changing foliage of the forests.
The leaves in Orleans County are just starting to change while they are further along about an hour away in Wyoming County, home to Letchworth which was voted the best state park in the country in 2015 in the USA Today Readers’ Choice Award. Letchworth beat out 19 other state parks that were nominated in the United States.
This group enjoys being up close to the Middle Falls.
There was a hot air balloon giving rides over Letchworth on Saturday afternoon.
The hot air balloon added to the spectacle of color and nature at the park.
The Upper Falls isn’t too far from the Middle Falls. The Genesee River runs through Letchworth State Park.
This group with several RIT students showed up with their cameras.
The Portage High Bridge opened in December 2017, replacing a railroad bridge built in 1875. The bridge is 235 feet above the waterfalls, and stretches nearly 1,000 feet across the gorge. The new bridge cost $75 million and serves the Norfolk Southern Railway.
CORFU – Scott Schmidt, Orleans County’s chief coroner, is among a group trying to recover the remains of two people who died Friday in an airplane crash in Corfu.
Schmidt is assisting the Genesee County Coroner’s Office in what Jeff McIntire, Genesee’s chief coroner, said will be a long process. So far, no remains have been recovered, McIntire said in a message to the media.
“I am unsure as to how long this will take, as the plane buried itself fairly deep in mud,” McIntire said.
The crash killed well known Buffalo attorney Steve Barnes of the Cellino & Barnes law firm and his niece Elizabeth Barnes, who was also an attorney.
The plane crashed in a wooded area near Route 33 and Boyce Road in Corfu. The Genesee County Coroner’s Office arrived on scene Friday at 2 p.m. along with an aircraft recovery and salvage company contracted by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Genesee has three coroners at the scene as well as Schmidt from Orleans County, the Forensic Anthropologist from Wyoming County, and countless volunteers from the East Pembroke and Corfu Fire Departments, the Genesee County Emergency Management Office and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office at the crash site.
They are “working nonstop to attempt to recover the remains, get them positively identified with the help of the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office, and finally returned to their families,” McIntire said.
“My thoughts and prayers go to the Barnes family during this tragic time,” McIntire said.
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Justin Suarez of Rochester works on painting a reindeer on the north side of the building for the Lake Country Pennysaver and Orleans Hub at 170 North Main Street.
Suarez and his friend Jon Finlayson worked on the mural today. The project is led by Natasha Wasuck, owner of Tinsel and the Lockstone, next to the Pennysaver. She solicited donations in the community for the project and reached out to Suarez through Instagram.
Jon Finlayson, left, and Justin Suarez worked on the mural today that proclaims Albion as home of the original Santa School. The late Charles Howard ran the school from 1937 to 1966. The school continues in his name today and is located in Midland, Mich.
Jon Finlayson works of the lettering for the Santa School.
Justin Suarez, 36, specializes in wildlife. He has completed many murals in the Rochester area in the past 10 years.
“It’s a great thing for towns,” Suarez said about murals. “This will be a very welcoming sight coming into town. For not much money you can have a big visual impact.”
Besides a large reindeer and an owl, Suarez said he will be painting many trees and snowflakes as part of the scene. He expects to complete the project next week after several days of more work.
Provided photos: Emma Klaver competes in barrel racing.
Four girls from Orleans County are competing in the rodeo. They race with their horse, weaving through barrels and poles. They also doing roping and have to scamper off the horse in a goat-tying event.
“It’s a passion,” said Amanda Kroening, 15, of Medina. “It’s so worth it.”
This is the first year the four from Orleans County are in the New York State High School Rodeo Association. They are competing this weekend in the Adirondacks at Lake Luzerne. This is the third rodeo of four this fall, with four more planned in the spring.
They accumulate points throughout the season to determine placement for the year.
The group from Orleans County includes Emma Klaver, 17, of Barre in the senior division; Olivia Kroening, 15, of Medina in senior division; Maci Manicki, 10, of Albion in future stars; and Harlow Ashton, 9, of Holley in future stars.
They heard about the rodeo from Madison Bale of Medina, who graduated last June. She was in the 4-H horse program with some of the girls now in the rodeo program.
Olivia Kroening competes in the rodeo association. There are four rodeos this fall and four more in the spring. The participants accumulate points throughout the year.
Emma Klaver, a senior at Albion, rides a horse named “Looker” in barrel racing. She is sponsored by Gillette Farms, Spirit Acres, Domoy Farms and Hu-Lane Farms.
Olivia Kroening, a sophomore at Medina, rides “Bandit” and competes in barrel racing, pole bending and goat tying. She is sponsored by Marks Pizzeria, Baker Farms and Bentley Brothers.
Maci Manicki, a fifth-grader at Albion, rides “Abby” and competes in four events: roping, goat tying, barrel racing and pole bending. She is sponsored by Reynolds and Sons, and Lynn-Ette and Sons.
Harlow Ashton, a fourth grader at Holley, rides “Sly” and competes in roping, goat tying, barrel racing and pole bending. She is sponsored by Sam’s Diner.
Maci Manicki is fast with her horse, Abby.
The four from Orleans are on a team based out of Wilson, the MK Quarter Horse Rodeo Team. Melissa Koser, a horse trainer, is the coach and leader of the team. There are also six girls from Niagara County on the team.
They practice horse riding and horsemanship twice a week at MK Quarter Horses. They can also practice their roping skills.
The senior boys in the rodeo compete in bull riding, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, steer wrestling and other events.
Harlow Ashton competes in the future stars division with fourth- and fifth-graders.
The four from Orleans are on a team that includes six from Niagara County. The entire team includes back row, left to right: Leia Natalino, Emma Klaver, Olivia Kroening and Michaila Raby. Second row: Reese Kepner, Payton Smith and Isabella Behnke. Front row: Harlow Ashton, Emilia Prezioso and Maci Manicki.
The girls from Orleans County and their families are grateful for the opportunity to compete in the rodeo, especially with so many school activities either cancelled or with restrictions.
In the rodeo, it’s easy to social distance on a horse, maintaining at least 6 feet apart.
The families have become close, spending the weekends together, sharing snacks and supplies.
“Everything is a team event,” said Emma Klaver’s mother, Kathy Klein. “It’s camaraderie.”
All of the rodeos will be in the Adirondacks this fall. The schedule hasn’t been announced for the spring. They would like to see at least one event in Western New York.
In the past, there have been rodeos in Southern Ontario. But the Canadian border is closed right now due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For more information on the NYS High School Rodeo Association, click here.
Photos courtesy of Cobblestone Museum: The Ward House on Ridge Road in Gaines, is next door to the Cobblestone Universalist Church. The Ward House, the church and a cobblestone schoolhouse are listed as a National Historic Landmark.
(Editor’s Note: This is the eighth article in a series about historic Childs in the Town of Gaines. The hamlet of Childs lies just north of Albion at the intersection of Routes 104 and 98. In 2019, Childs was selected to be on the Landmark Society of Western New York’s “Five to Revive” list. In 1993, the federal U.S. Department of the Interior declared the Cobblestone Museum in Childs a National Historic Landmark, the first site in Orleans County with that distinction.)
By Doug Farley, Cobblestone Society & Museum Director
GAINES – John Proctor pushed the development of his pioneer village that he called Fair Haven (present day Hamlet of Childs.) Proctor owned the land next to his Cobblestone Church from 1811 until he sold it for the first time in 1861.
The building is now part of the Cobblestone Museum and is known today as the Ward House in honor and memory of Inez Ward, the last resident. The cobblestone house is believed to have been built by John Simmons in about 1836 as a parsonage for the church. The Medina sandstone carriage block and hitching posts shown above were moved here from the Bacon Homestead in Albion.
The original cobblestone house was a small 18′ x 24′ “cottage” built of fieldstones set in the Gaines Pattern; the quoins were cut locally from Medina sandstone. The original kitchen and two bedrooms were located in the basement.
Horace Greeley
The Ward House is included in the Cobblestone National Historic Landmark District created in 1993.
Following John Proctor’s ownership, the cobblestone house was sold to Benjamin and Mary Ann Dwinnell. Mary Ann was the aunt of New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley, who held the mortgage on the property until 1863.
Financial misfortunes caused the Dwinnells to default on their mortgage. Greeley was forced to sell the home at auction while visiting Albion in the mid-1860s.
Greeley is perhaps best known for his Gold Rush era admonition, “Go west young man, go west!” He later waged an unsuccessful bid for President of the United States in 1872. Incumbent U. S. Grant won the election in a landslide.
The political portrait of Greeley is part of the Cobblestone Museum collection and is displayed in the Ward House.
The small cobblestone house was enlarged in 1929 when a wooden extension was added to the north side of the house. It was sided with vertical tongue and groove, and featured a porch with lathed column and spindles.
The kitchen, originally located in the basement, was moved to the wooden wing when the addition was completed. A wood stove was used for cooking.
The front door in the Italianate style with frosted etched glass windows is not original to the house. This door was added in the 1880s.
Just prior to World War II, a thick blanket of ivy covered the front of the home as shown here in 1941.
The cobblestone home functioned as a private residence until 1975, when the property was purchased by the Museum from Mrs. Inez Martyn Ward, shown above standing on the steps to the Cobblestone Church in the mid-1900s prior to its restoration.
Today, the interior of the home is decorated to reflect the 1880s. Here the Victorian dining room table is set with Wildflower American Pattern Glass, c.1885, bone dishes, celery vase, butter dish with hanging cover, and pickle castor with fork.
Seasonal tours are conducted by the Cobblestone Museum throughout the summer and fall.
ELBA – Elba Central School will go remote-only for instruction next week after another student tested positive for Covid-19.
“The individual has been placed under mandatory isolation where they will remain until they are fully recovered,” said Paul Pettit, public health director in Genesee County.
Elba had three students test positive on Monday and didn’t have in-person classes the rest of the week.
“Students and staff who are symptomatic will be tested for Covid-19 in collaboration with the Genesee County Health Department,” said Ned Dale, superintendent of Elba Central School. “The school will be conducting 100 percent remote learning though Monday, October 12, 2020. In-person learning through the hybrid model is scheduled to resume on Tuesday, October 13, 2020.”
The Genesee County Department of Health is conducting contact tracing that is in process. Students and staff will be notified and placed under quarantine if they were identified as a close contact.
“As mentioned earlier in the week, individuals identified by the health department as being close contacts will be expected to follow the New York State Department of Health quarantine guidelines,” Pettit said.
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.
Press Release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni III
ALBION – The Albion Police Department is investigating several phone scams that have been attempted and completed within the Village of Albion.
The scam involves the victim receiving a phone call from an unknown out-of-state phone number and the caller advising the victim that one of their family members has been arrested and taken into custody by “the Drug Task Force.” The caller then advises that bail money is needed to get the family member released from custody.
The caller, identifying themselves as law enforcement, then instructs the victim to send cash inside a random book that is placed into a box and shipped via UPS to an out-of-state address. The victim is advised to send the package with the money via next-day delivery and to call back with the tracking number provided with the shipment.
The caller informs the victim that they and their family member are in danger if they tell anyone about the arrest. On one occasion the victim was allowed to talk to the “family member in custody.” The victim stated that the voice was muffled and hard to hear, thus making a recognition of the voice impossible.
On one occasion the caller requested more money on a second call and gave a different out-of-state address to ship to. The money was sent to addresses that were vacant homes that were for sale or otherwise unoccupied.
One of these cases involved the loss of $15,000 from the victim.
Law enforcement never solicits bail money and never requests money or funds to be sent via mail or other means of delivery.
The Albion Police Department is working with our Federal partners in this investigation. These types of phone scams are almost impossible to trace and are very common.
Orleans County has one new confirmed case of Covid-19 to report today, the first new case since Monday.
The new positive case is a Shelby resident in the 60s. The individual was not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported this afternoon.
Orleans has now had 318 people test for Covid-19 since March. The county had four people test positive in the past week, which compares to nine new cases the previous week.
In Genesee County, there are three new cases to report today. They are residents in Alabama, Elba and LeRoy. The individuals are in the 20s, 30s and 70s. The individuals were not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
Genesee has now had 314 people test positive for Covid-19 since March, including 15 in the past week.
Genesee also has six more people on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states, while Orleans has three more.
Genesee also has one resident hospitalized due to Covid-19.
To see an online map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, click here.
More from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:
• Flu Season: With flu season quickly approaching it is important to get flu shots now to build up immunity.It generally takes 2 weeks before immunity is built up after getting the shot.
Once you have the flu vaccine, if you do get the flu, research shows that the vaccination reduces the risk of severe illness. Getting a flu vaccine can save healthcare resources for the care of patients with Covid-19 and other illnesses. Check with a primary care provider for more information.
Photos by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – Mary Lee Knights stands with some of the bigger pumpkins for sale at Knights Giant Pumpkins on Knowlesville Road. Some of the big ones are about 80 pounds.
Knights and her husband Ken started selling pumpkins 48 years ago from their home. Initially they sold eight that Mrs. Knights decorated with hair.
“It was a joke,” she said.
But the pumpkins sold fast.
The following year, Mr. Knights planted an acre of pumpkins. They have been hot sellers every fall since then.
The pumpkin sales helped their three kids pay for college.
Mary Lee Knights holds a pumpkin near hay bales that are decorated for the season.
The Knights family needed to modify this year’s setup due to Covid-19 guidelines from the state. They still have a corn maze and many “goofy” gourds, but there is no petting zoo, bounce house, wagon rides or bake sale and gift shop.
Knights said she continues to look forward each year to the pumpkin season. Many of the customers have been coming back for years – even decades.
Knights Giant Pumpkins is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 3246 Knowlesville Rd. Customers are urged to wear masks.
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Andrew Dreschel, a senior at Holley, volunteered this morning in Albion with a food distribution at the Main Street Store parking lot.
Today the number of boxes per vehicle was reduced from three to 1, with each vehicle also given additional bags of peppers and romaine lettuce.
The boxes contained about 30-40 pounds with 10-12 pounds of produce, 5-6 pounds of dairy, 5-6 pounds of meat and a gallon of milk.
There was a long line of vehicles down Main Street. The line started on Chamberlain Street, went down McKinstry Street, East Park and then on Main Street. The next distribution in Albion on Oct. 30 may be moved to Bullard Park to help with the traffic congestion on Main Street.
The schedule for the rest of October includes:
Danielle Figura, interim mental health director in Orleans County, volunteered this morning.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump both have tested positive for Covid-19. The president made the announcement through Twitter at 12:54 a.m.
“We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately,” Trump tweeted. “We will get through this TOGETHER!”
One of Trump’s senior aides, Hope Hicks, tested positive, too.
The news comes in the final stretch of the presidential campaign.
Trump is reportedly feeling “well,” according to the New York Times, and he will stay isolated in the White House.
On Wednesday night he attended a campaign rally in Duluth, Minn.
Joe Biden, Trump’s rival in the 2020 presidential race, tweeted this response this morning: “Jill and I send our thoughts to President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for a swift recovery. We will continue to pray for the health and safety of the president and his family.”
U.S. Rep Chris Jacobs (NY-27) issued this statement: “My thoughts are with the First Family, and I pray for a swift and full recovery for the President and First Lady.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo tweeted this statement: “My thoughts are with President Trump and the First Lady and I wish them a full and speedy recovery. This virus is vicious and spreads easily. Wear a mask. Let’s all look out for each other.”
