Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke
ALBION – In the month of August, the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch Center processed 2,082 police incidents, including 803 events for Sheriff’s Road Patrol, 258 for the New York State Police and 1,460 calls for the village police agencies of Lyndonville, Medina, Albion and Holley.
There were 519 Fire/EMS-related calls dispatched countywide with 377 of those calls emergency medical in nature and 3 drug overdoses.
Road Patrol Deputies handled 40 automobile accidents, including 16 with injury and 14 car-deer collisions. Road patrol also made 83 service attempts and successfully served 57 subpoenas, civil or court papers.
The Sheriff’s Animal Control Division handled 110 incidents including 31 stray or loose animals, 3 animal bite complaints, 10 neighbor dog problems and several other miscellaneous animal calls. In addition, 7 animals were taken in to shelter on a voluntary surrender.
The Orleans County Jail processed in 33 inmates and handled 9 prisoner transports to court appearances, medical treatments or other correctional facilities.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Some of the profits from Batavia Downs are distributed to Orleans County as well as 14 other counties in Western New York, and the cities of Rochester and Buffalo.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced casinos and video lottery terminal facilities, including Batavia Downs, will be allowed to reopen starting Sept. 9 with a 25 percent occupancy limit.
All venues that choose to reopen will be subject to strict safety protocols, including strict enforcement of face coverings except when eating or drinking, social distancing, additional staff to control occupancy, traffic flow and seating to avoid crowding, and enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols. Casinos must also have enhanced air filtration, ventilation and purification standards in place in order to open.
“New Yorkers have done an extraordinary job – we flattened the curve in a way that no expert thought was possible,” Governor Cuomo said. “We’ve made the determination that we can safely reopen casinos with enhanced air filtration and strict safety protocols including mandatory masks and social distancing. This is good news and the right next step in our data-driven, phased reopening which is working.”
Casinos must leave six feet of distance between operating machines. No table games will be allowed unless and until casinos put in place physical barriers between players and the Gaming Commission approves those barriers.
No beverage or food service will be allowed on the gaming floor. The State Gaming Commission will be deployed to monitor casinos and ensure strict enforcement of these measures.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 September 2020 at 11:42 am
Provided photo
LYNDONVILLE – This bench was added to the Lyndonville school campus last Thursday by the Lyndonville Sports Boosters. It is in memory of Brooke Allen and Richard Forder.
They passed in a car accident on Oct. 10, 2019 on their way to work at Lake Ridge Fruit, an apple packing facility on Route 104 in Gaines.
Brooke’s mother Mandi Howell is seated at left next to Brooke’s name on the bench. Christine McIntyre Miller (Richy’s mom) is sitting to the right next to his name.
Others pictured are family members and Lyndonville Sports Boosters members. The Boosters wanted the bench to remind the two families of the everlasting love and support the school and community has for them. The bench is also a visual reminder for Lyndonville students that life is precious and that Brooke and Richy will live on in our hearts forever.
Allen, 21, was a 2016 Lyndonville graduate. She loved the outdoors. She was in band and chorus, played volleyball and attended Orleans-Niagara BOCES for cosmetology. She was a devoted mother to her son, River.
Forder, 20, a 2018 Lyndonville graduate, enjoyed fishing and spending time with his nephews. He was a key player on Lyndonville’s playoff basketball teams.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 September 2020 at 10:51 am
ALBION – Two inmates at local state prisons were sentenced to more time of incarceration on Wednesday in Orleans County Court.
Angela Tuitt, 33, was an inmate at the Albion Correctional Facility when she allegedly threw fecal matter at a corrections officer.
She was sentenced to 1 ½ to 3 years in prison for aggravated harassment of an employee by inmate. She was sentenced by County Court Judge Sanford Church.
The judge also sentenced Michael T. Hawkins, a former inmate at the Orleans Correctional Facility in Albion to 1 ½ to 3 years in state prison.
Hawkins allegedly struck a corrections officer in the face, causing a laceration with blood. He was sentenced for attempted assault in the second degree.
In other cases in County Court:
• Benith White of Albion was sentenced to 364 days in jail for violating an order of protection which is criminal contempt in the second degree.
• The judge arraigned Amanda Bieber, 32, of Batavia and Tony Graber, 41, of Corfu for criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree. In May, they allegedly possessed stolen parts from a 1959 Corvette in Barre. Those parts are valued at $9,960.
• The judge issued a warrant for Dennis Biaselli, who didn’t appear in court the past two weeks. Biaselli, 45, of Albion faces charges of felony driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of motor vehicle.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 September 2020 at 9:54 am
Fruit grower was key leader for many local organizations
Photo by Tom Rivers; Bruce Krenning accepts an award for Lifetime Achievement in September 2014 from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.
ALBION – The Albion Board of Education on Monday began its meeting by observing a moment of silence for Bruce Krenning, who served on the board from 1990 to 1995, with four of those years as board president.
Kathy Harling, the current BOE president, said Krenning left a legacy of community service. He was “a lifelong advocate for agriculture, education and cultural issues,” Harling said.
Krenning, 76, passed away on Aug. 24. He was fruit grower and hog farmer in Knowlesville. He began his public service at age 30, when he joined the Lyndonville Board of Education.
He moved from Lyndonville, where he was an orchard manager, to Knowlesville to start his own farm. Krenning Orchards was decimated by a hail storm on Labor Day in 1998. Krenning was forced to go out of business.
But he remained a strong leader for agriculture, and was elected vice president of the New York Farm Bureau, an organization with more than 30,000 members.
Locally, he was chairman of the board for Orleans Community Health, seeing the organization through some difficult financial challenges. He also served on the board for the Orleans Renaissance Group, which started the restoration of Bent’s Hall in Medina and continues to run a farmers’ market and welcome musicians to the community, including renown tenor Ronan Tynan.
The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce in 2014 honored Krenning with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his many years as a community leader.
Krenning, during an interview with the Orleans Hub six years ago, said he struggled with self worth after the Labor Day storm and the loss of his business.
“I thought after the hail storm that life was over and nobody would want me,” Krenning said. “But that’s not true. I’ve had opportunities with great boards.”
Many of the local organizations reached out to him, wanting his wisdom and ability to build consensus. He was also battle-tested and didn’t shrink from a challenge. Those boards would often they pick him to serve as their leader.
Krenning found a new career as an insurance agent with the Southcott Agency. (When he was VP with Farm Bureau, he helped to get crop insurance approved at the federal level for fruit and vegetable farms.)
“I’ve been fortunate that people trusted me and with that trust I can build relationships and with those relationships you can get things done,” Krenning told the Orleans Hub in September 2014.
He and his wife of 54 years, Diane, have four grown children and 14 grandchildren. Their son Adam was the agriculture teacher and FFA advisor for Albion Central School. He is now the school’s athletic director and varsity football coach.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 September 2020 at 9:03 pm
RIDGEWAY – The Town Planning Board held a public hearing this evening by phone conference for a 3.19 Megawatt solar energy project at 2800 Swett Rd.
Next Era will need a special use permit for the project. The company also needs to have the site plan approved by the town.
The company expects to hear at the next Planning Board meeting on Sept. 9 whether Ridgeway deems the project won’t have a negative environmental impact or if it could have an environmental impact and more studies are needed.
Some local residents have expressed concern about the project.
One neighbor who called in for the public hearing said it would be an “eyesore” and detriment to the community.
“It’s no different than having a junkyard next to your house,” the resident said.
He also said the town should detail the revenue from the project for the town, county and school district.
Bridget O’Toole, an attorney with Zoghlin Law, represents Ridgeway Residents Against Industrial Solar. She has asked the Planning Board to make positive declaration of environmental significance, which would require additional environmental studies from the company. She also has asked the town to deny the application outright.
The MRB Group is reviewing the project on behalf of the town. An MRB representative told the Planning Board that Next Era has diligent in working to address concerns. The company will have plans for landscaping, decommissioning and drainage, among other issues.
Press Release, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County
Provided photos: Master Food Preserver volunteers Kevin Bedard and Karen Desjardin during a past Sourdough MFP workshop.
KNOWLESVILLE – As the state begins to reopen, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension has re-scheduled several in-person classes for this fall.
“We really are so excited to be able to offer some in-person options for educational programming,” said Katie Oakes, Horticulture Educator at Orleans County CCE and coordinator of both the Master Gardener and Master Food Preserver volunteer groups. “I think that the public as well as our volunteers have been craving some human interaction and opportunities to learn and teach that take them out of their homes for a brief time.”
• The first in-person opportunity offered at Orleans County CCE will be a Botany Basics class at 6 p.m. on Sept. 14. The class will be taught by Scott Russo, president of the Buffalo Bonsai Society, and will cover the basics of getting started in Bonsai gardening.
Bonsai is the ancient Japanese art of manipulating trees to enable them to reach maturity while staying small (often under two feet tall). This class will be held outdoors under the Curtis Pavilion. Cost is $5, masks and social distancing will be required.
• There will also be a 3-part series of Master Food Preserver workshops, re-scheduled from earlier in the summer. The Master Food Preserver program is a group of local volunteers who go through an extensive 3-day food preservation training through Cornell Cooperative Extension, then lead classes themselves to the public using the research-based and trial-tested preserving techniques.
The shutdown put a pause on the entire MFP workshops series this year, but the volunteers are excited to get back to educating the public on food preservation. Each of the three classes below will be offered demonstration-style in the Trolley Building. Masks and social distancing will be required as well.
Fresh pasta is made during a previous Master Food Preserver workshop.
• Home Beer Brewing will be the first in the 3-part series on Saturday, Sept. 26, 9 a.m. to noon. Led by Master Food Preserver and home brewing enthusiast Kevin Bedard, the class will cover topics such as necessary equipment, basic steps, brewing timelines and more. Unfortunately, a beer tasting is not included in the class, but you will leave with lots of inspiration! Cost: $10.
• MFP volunteer Julie Baker will teach a Garlic class on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. Learn all about how to grow and preserve this versatile vegetable! There will be some hands-on activities and take-home products made in class. Cost: $15.
• And finally, MFP volunteer Eileen Sorochty will lead her always popular pasta-making class on Wednesday, November 4 at 6 p.m. Eileen will teach basic techniques in making your own pasta from scratch, including unique recipe variations and best methods preserving the fresh pasta. Cost: $10.
And for those who still prefer to learn online, Master Gardener Erica Joan Wanecski has planned a Zoom presentation entitled “Finding Respite with Olmsted Gardens in WNY” on Monday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. Frederick Law Olmsted designed one of the world’s most famous parks – Central Park in NYC, but many are not aware that he had a hand in designing several parks and gardens across Western New York! Click here to register.
Please contact klo54@cornell.edu or call (585) 798-4265 with any questions.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 September 2020 at 4:20 pm
With new recovery, no active cases in Orleans County
There are no new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Genesee and Orleans counties today.
Orleans has one more recovery from Covid-19 and now currently has no active Covid-19 cases while Genesee has four, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments is reporting.
Orleans has four more people on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states while Genesee has six more on precautionary quarantine.
To see an online map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, click here.
• State-wide Data: Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the 26th straight day that the state’s Covid-19 infection rate has remained below 1 percent. On Tuesday, 0.80 percent of tests reported to the state were positive. That’s 708 positive cases out 88,447 test results.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 September 2020 at 1:56 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
HULBERTON – Volunteers have been busy the past two days making eggplant parmesan for the annual St. Rocco’s Italian Festival in the Hulberton hamlet. The top photo shows Donna Lavender and Jean Felice who are the “assemblers” put the fried eggplant in pans with meat sauce.
The Italian Festival has been an annual tradition in Hulberton since 1976. It is typically the Sunday before Labor Day. This year, however, is different due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The festival grounds won’t be open and there won’t be a bocce tournament.
People can pick up pre-ordered food for takeout only on Saturday at the St. Rocco Festival grounds from noon to 4 p.m. on 3514 Hulberton Rd. The deadline for preordering has passed, but there may be some additional food available on Saturday.
The volunteers are preparing 162 pans of eggplant parmesan, and perhaps a few extra. The 162 have all been preordered.
Ron Vendetti, back left, is the organizer of the eggplant parmesan and also for about 100 meatball subs that have been preordered.
The eggplant needs to be peeled and then sliced.
The “Taste of Italy” this Saturday also includes pasta fagioli, shells, pizza frita, fried dough and Italian ice. The event is a fundraiser for the St. Mary’s-St. Mark’s Parish in Holley and Kendall.
Mark Spychalski puts oil in a pan that will be heated up to fry the batter on the eggplant.
Kathleen Smith puts the flour on the eggplant. Vendetti Farms donated 12 bushels of eggplant for the parmesan.
The Eggplant Parmesan is one the hottest sellers at the annual festival.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 September 2020 at 10:21 am
Photos by Tom Rivers: Dee Robinson, a reference librarian at Hoag Library in Albion, meets with Albion teacher Tim Archer for a YouTube video on some important local artifacts at the library, including a letter from George Washington, a sword from Civil War and a brick with the name “Newport.” That was Albion’s name before it was Albion.
ALBION – Tim Archer, an Albion Middle School service learning teacher, likes to take groups of students on field trips in the community each year.
They stop at historic sites, such as the Courthouse Square and Civil War Memorial (Mount Albion Tower) at Mount Albion Cemetery. They visit with historians to learn about local history and other interesting artifacts.
But there won’t be any field trips to start this school year, or guest speakers to classrooms.
Archer still wants his sixth- and seventh-grade students to feel a deeper connection to the community, learning about its history and some notable leaders and characters from the past.
He decided to bring the field trips to the class. He plans to visit many of the sites that would normally be on the outings, and make videos of the locations with short clips from historians and other speakers.
Tuesday was the first stop. Archer met with Dee Robinson, the reference librarian at Hoag Library and a long-time Gaines town historian. Robinson has been the caretaker of the archive room at the library.
She often will host Archer’s students on field trips. On Tuesday, she made a video on the library’s YouTube channel, showing some of the interesting artifacts in the collection.
Archer will share the video in the his classes, and students will need to answer questions from the presentation.
The two highlighted maps from Orleans County in 1852 and the village in 1857. In the county, map, there is no Town of Albion. At that time, the Town of Albion was part of Barre. The village, however, was Albion.
Albion, however, almost wasn’t “Albion.” The village officials initially were pushing to name the community “Newport.” Robinson has a brick with the Newport name. But state officials rejected that name because the U.S. Postal Service didn’t want two places with the same name in the state. There was already a Newport.
Robinson isn’t sure which building or site the Newport brick is from. The state government nixed the idea of naming Albion “Newport” because there was already a Newport in Herkimer County and the U.S. Postal Service balked at having two in the state.
Albion was also derisively referred to as “Mudport” by many people in Gaines. The village streets tended to get muddy, especially down the hill on Main Street near Bank Street, before the Erie Canal.
Robinson, in her YouTube talk, also showed a sword given to Albion man as he was departing to fight in the Civil War in 1862. The sword was presented to George Hutchinson by the local Masonic Lodge.
Robinson also discussed Grace Bedell, an Albion girl who wrote to Lincoln during the presidential campaign of 1860. She suggested that he grow whiskers “because his face was so scrawny,” Robinson said.
Bedell thought a beard would increase his chances for election. Lincoln took her advice and won. Bedell wrote that letter when she briefly lived in Westfield. Lincoln would meet her on the train in Westfield when he headed to Washington, D.C.
This book by Fred Trump in 1977 highlights Grace Bedell, a girl from Albion who urged Abraham Lincoln to grow a beard in 1860, when he was running for president.
Robinson also discussed other library treasures, including a letter written in May 1784 from George Washington. He wrote to Jacob Morris, who delivered a package for the general to Marquis de Lafayette, a French military officer who fought with Washington in the American Revolutionary War.
An Albion native, Noah Davis, received the letter from a friend who won it in a poker game, Robinson said.
The library also has the pen used in 1867 to sign bail bond for Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy. The pen was given to Rufus Bullock, the governor of Georgia and an Albion native.
Davis was captured in Georgia on May 10, 1865. He was taken to Fort Monroe, Virginia. Although he was accused of treason and plotting in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, he was never brought to trial.
After two years in prison, he was released and lived out the rest of his life in relative peace in Biloxi, Mississippi, at the Beauvoir plantation. He died in 1889.
Bullock donated the pen to the Swan Library, which opened in 1900 and soon was taken in important artifacts because there wasn’t a museum in the county to be serve as caretaker of the items.
“It’s cool that these things that are so significant to our national history are right here,” Archer said.
To see the YouTube video of Robinson’s presentation, click here.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) recently testified in a virtual Zoom New York State Department of Labor public hearing regarding an upcoming decision on resetting the overtime threshold for farm laborers.
Concerned with the rashness of the actions attempted to be taken on this issue, during a pandemic, Hawley suggested that a delay in the decision-making would be most advantageous for farmers and their farms, and that the state should be doing as little as possible to interfere with their already modest margins.
“As someone with farming experience myself, I can tell you that however well-intentioned the lowering of the overtime threshold is for the farm workers, the actual farm employers themselves won’t be able to sustain these changes; certainly not in the economic world we’re living in right now,” Hawley said. “The last thing New York needs to be looking to do is strangle our farms and our farmers into submission.”
Hawley said during his testimony on Monday, “Why would we want to increase costs for our agricultural producers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic economic calamity? Workers are considered family; average wages are $13/hour. In many cases, housing and food are provided. Even during good economic times, implementing mandatory increased labor costs for agriculture is a bad idea. Farmers have little to no control over prices they receive for their product, and with variations in factors like weather, long hours are necessary.”
In a closing note, Hawley said, “We need to protect New York state’s number one industry: Agriculture. [We should] delay the implementation of lowering the overtime threshold.”
LYNDONVILLE – It has been almost six months since the staff from Lyndonville Central School District have been all together on campus.
Donned with masks and sitting an acceptable distance apart, staff members listened to the new procedures and policies that are in place for the 2020-21 school year.
Superintendent Jason Smith welcomed new and returning staff during today’s staff development day. The district nurse discussed the importance of proper handwashing, mask wearing and overall hygiene reminders.
Signs have also been placed throughout the building to remind staff and students of these policies and to encourage social distancing whenever possible. While Covid-19 continues to be a concern and the district will maintain ongoing health and safety precautions, Smith encouraged staff to not change their focus.
“Our focus will continue to be our students and our mission, values and core beliefs,” he said.
Christine Merle spoke about the importance of social and emotional learning.
Smith presented staff with a small bag of coffee beans. He explained that when an egg is added to boiling water it will harden. A carrot will do the opposite and become soft.
The coffee beans, however, will make coffee. Each of these items faced the same adversity, the boiling water, but each reacted differently. He encouraged everyone to be like the coffee bean; when things are at their worst, get better and change the situation. This year may be difficult but with the right attitude, 2020-21 can be great.
During the meeting many new staff members were welcomed to the district, including Kevin Czaja, the district’s new Director of Facilities. Staff awards were given to eight employees for earning tenure, and Years of Service awards were given, including an award of 35 years to Sandra Kosiorek.
This year’s keynote speaker, Christine Merle, focused on building resilience through self-care and discussed the importance of social and emotional learning. After lunch, staff members attended breakout sessions to continue learning with Merle and had additional training on remote learning practices.
The district looks forward to welcoming students back next week. Students will have a staggered start but by the end of the week all grades will be on campus together five days a week.
Although the majority of students will be on-campus for learning, some families have selected to go fully remote.
“We look forward to working with all of our students again,” Smith said. “Whether on campus or learning remote, we will provide a high standard of education for each of our students.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 September 2020 at 4:12 pm
There are no new Covid-19 cases to report in Orleans County, the fifth straight day without a new confirmed case.
The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments is reporting one more recovery from Covid-19 in Orleans (for 134 total in the community), and 13 more people on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
Genesee County received 2 new positive cases of Covid-19 today, bringing the county’s total to 281 people who have tested positive.
The new positive cases reside in Batavia and Byron, and both of the positive individuals are in their 50s. The individuals were not on quarantine prior to testing positive, the Health Departments reported.
There are also eight new individuals in Genesee are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
Click here to see an online map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. That map shows there are four active cases in Genesee, 1 in Orleans and 1 in Wyoming.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 September 2020 at 3:30 pm
MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Trust is making several thousand dollars available in grants to community organizations and projects.
The grants generally range from $200 to $500 and are awarded to qualifying not-for-profit organizations and/or programs in the Medina, Ridgeway and Shelby region.
Funding is intended to help programs that clearly benefit this community and that have favorable tax and regulatory status.
The Trust has distributed nearly $40,000 to local programs and scholarships since 2010. The most recent grants went to The Arc of Genesee/Orleans to rebuild the nature trail at Camp Rainbow to make it wheelchair accessible. St. John’s Episcopal Church’s grant will assist in the restoration of a stained glass window sill and frame.
Orleans Recovery Hope Begins Here assisted in the purchase of a pop-up shelter, table and chairs for community education programs. Boxwood Cemetery Commission’s grant will help with the rehab the tombstone of the first Medina resident. And the Medina Historical Society were funded for a monthly speaker series.
In addition, the grants contributed to some larger programs. Orleans County Adult Learning Services (OCALS) grant partially funded a new community outreach program. Orleans County YMCA’s grant helped with the cost of their Before and After School Enrichment Program, while P.Raising Kids Child Care Center was assisted with an upgrade to the group’s kitchen.
To apply for a grant, organization leaders need to fill out a Sandstone Trust Application form and mail to Sandstone Trust, Post Office Box 25, Medina, by the application deadline, Oct. 31.
Application forms can be obtained as follows: In person at Medina Parts Co. (NAPA) 345 N. Main St. or Michael Zelazny, CPA 511 Main St.; By regular mail request sent to Sandstone Trust, PO Box 25, Medina, NY 14103; or online from the Sandstone Trust web page, www.sandstonesociety.org.
Questions may be sent by email at sandstonesociety@gmail.com or calling Michael Zelazny, CPA at 585-798-1006.
Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) was endorsed by the New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association at a press conference on Monday.
“Throughout his entire public career, Chris Jacobs has been a vocal advocate for the men and women of our law enforcement,” said Jack Moretti, NYSTPBA Retiree Legislative Liaison.
“As a retired member of the New York State Troopers, I know firsthand that our police officers need more resources, which is why it is critically important we have elected officials who will tirelessly support our forces. We are proud to endorse Chris Jacobs for Congress, and we are more than confident that he will continue his strong defense of our police officers and be a true fighter for our needs and the safety of our communities.”
Moretti was joined by John Clark, Second Vice Chairman and Ryan Hadsall, Troop A Delegate, to deliver the endorsement of Jacobs. The NYSTPBA represents over 6,000 active and retired New York State Police.
“At a time when there are growing calls to defund our police forces around our nation, it is essential that we support our law enforcement and elect leaders who are willing to stand by them,” Jacobs said. “I am truly honored to be endorsed by the New York State Troopers PBA, and I am proud of my strong record fighting for our law enforcement’s needs. I have profound respect for anyone who puts on the uniform and bravely serves their community, and I promise to continue fighting for our great police in Congress.”
