MEDINA – The Medina Lions Club is participating for the first time with five other Lions clubs from Niagara County in a dice run to benefit local food pantries.

This is the fourth year Lions clubs in Olcott, Lewiston, Lockport, Wheatfield and Wilson have taken part in the dice run, but it is the first year Medina Lions have joined them, said Don Colquhoun, a member of Medina Lions.

The dice run will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at Bob Weaver’s Motorsports in Wilson. Their next stop will be Lockport and then Medina, where they expect to be at the gazebo in the canal basin at 1 p.m. After stops in Wheatfield and Lewiston, the run will end in Olcott about 3 p.m.

Colquhoun said there are many Lions members who enjoy motorcycling and this is a wonderful way to raise money for food pantries.

Riders pay a registration fee for each cyclist and passenger. At each stop, they roll four dice and at the end of the run, the top two riders who rolled the most points win part of the money and the rest is donated to the food pantries, along with any donations received along the way.

The public is invited to visit the canal basin in Medina and make a donation.

Photos by Tom Rivers

WATERPORT – Harrison Brown on Wednesday was presented with a $5,000 Rotary 7090 District Scholarship. Harrison is entering his sophomore year at Cornell University. He also is in the Army ROTC program.

He is presented the scholarship by Dick Remley, left, who was the Albion Rotary Club president in 2019-20, and Bob Artis, the 7090 District Governor in 2019-20.

Harrison, a member of Albion’s Class of 2019, was picked out of about 25 applicants for the scholarship. The Rotary district includes about 70 Rotary clubs in Western New York and Southern Ontario.

Harrison is the first person from the Albion community to receive the district scholarship. It is based on academic merit, demonstration of “Service Above Self” and an essay about the ideals of Rotary. The scholarship is for the second year of college.

Harrison is majoring in agricultural science at Cornell University. His family owns Orchard Dale Fruit Company, which was founded in 1804. After he graduates from Cornell, Harrison has an eight-year commitment to the Army.

Harrison, an Eagle Scout, in one of his essays for the scholarship cited the example of his grandfather, Edward Krause. He left his senior year at Auburn during November to join the military to help the country during World War II. He would later earn his GED diploma.

That example of “Service Above Self” has long inspired Harrison. Krause is the father of Margy Brown, Harrison’s mother.

Harrison Brown, second from left, is pictured with Dick Remley, past Albion Rotary Club president; Bob Artis, past district governor (and former Holley resident); and Marlee Diehl, the current Albion Rotary Club president and past district governor.

Press Release, GCASA

BATAVIA – The Recovery Station, an innovative program of Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, is presenting an Overdose Awareness Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 28 at its 5256 Clinton St. Rd. location (formerly Bohn’s Restaurant).

“The event is all about raising the public’s knowledge of the opioid epidemic and the dangers of overdose, and reducing the stigma of drug-related deaths,” said Sue Gagne, coordinator of the agency’s recovery center.

Gagne added that the GCASA Prevention Department will conduct Naloxone training and members of the GOW Opioid Task Force will be in attendance to answer questions and share information about the group’s mission.

A “memory tree” will be on site for those who wish to add a friend or loved one’s name in remembrance, and tours of The Recovery Station will be available.

Additionally, Genesee County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Erion and his K-9 partner, Frankie, are expected to conduct a demonstration at 1 p.m.

“All are welcome to attend – those in recovery, family members and area residents,” Gagne said, reminding everyone that face coverings must be worn during the tour and all social distancing and other Covid-19-related protocols must be observed.

For more information about GCASA’s recovery services or The Recovery Station, call Gagne at 585-815-5248.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: The Class of 1956 at Medina High School has met regularly since graduation. On Tuesday, 10 classmates met for a picnic lunch at State Street Park, where they spent most of the afternoon sharing memories. Seated from left are Barbara Boyle Schreiber of Clarence, Irene Siwirski Dunn of Medina and Mary Hood Sheeder of Williamsville. At rear are Larry Boyle of Medina, Jack Wasnock and his wife Carol of Medina, Dennis Seekins of Lyndonville, Bill Allport and his wife Nancy of Hilton and Fred Cavers and his wife Sherrill of Medina. Absent from the photo are Teresa Mondo Poler of Lyndonville and Carol Gotts O’Brien and her husband Tom of Medina.

MEDINA – Medina High School’s Class of 1956 has been keeping in touch regularly since they graduated 64 years ago. Even with the pandemic, this year has been no exception.

On Tuesday, 10 members of the class, several with their spouses, met at State Street Park for a picnic lunch and an afternoon of reminiscing.

Those who attended were Larry Boyle, Jack Wasnock and his wife Carol, Fred Cavers and his wife Sherrill, Carol Gotts O’Brien and her husband Tom and Irene Siwirski Dunn, all of Medina; Barbara Boyle Schreiber of Clarence; Mary Hood Sheeder of Williamsville; Bill Allport and his wife Nancy of Hilton; and Teresa Mondo Poler and Dennis Seekins of Lyndonville.

For the first few years after graduation, the class had a reunion every five years, then they started losing classmates and realized the importance of keeping in touch. They began getting together twice a year, once at Sacred Heart Club and usually at Shelby Fire Hall’s pancake breakfast in the spring.

Now that Sacred Heart Club is closed due to the pandemic, they decided to meet outside at State Street Park. Schreiber said many of them don’t like to drive at night any more, so getting together in the daytime is preferable.

The class graduated 100 in 1956, and classmate Loretta Crane Tomasino of Albion estimates they have lost 37. She and another classmate Donna Stahl Laubacher of Albion were unable to attend Tuesday. Tomasino tries to keep classmates informed by computer, while Laubacher calls those who don’t have a computer.

It has become a tradition for the class to donate a book to Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in memory of a classmate who dies.

Schreiber said after lunch most of them stuck around and chatted until 4 p.m.

“We talked about everything and anything, including our old teachers,” said Larry Boyle.

“We just had such a good time,” he said.

2 counties pass 30,000 tests for coronavirus

Orleans and Genesee counties both don’t have any new confirmed cases to report today, the local health departments are reporting.

In Orleans, there are two new individuals on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.

In Genesee County, 15 more people are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states. Genesee also has two residents hospitalized with Covid-19.

• Testing Milestone: The report from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments also shows the two counties combined have reached a milestone, passing 30,000 tests.

In Orleans, there have been 10,348 tests, with 285 people testing positive for a positive rate of 2.75 percent. The county has 40,352 residents, according to the 2019 estimate from the Census Bureau.

In Genesee, there have been 19,837 test results reported, with 273 positives for a positive rate of 1.38 percent. Genesee has 57,280 residents, according to the 2019 estimate from the Census Bureau.

Combined, there have been 558 positives in the two counties out of 30,185 tests for a positive rate of 1.85 percent.

More from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:

• Gyms & Fitness Centers:  In order for these centers to prepare for potential reopening by Aug. 24, it is important for owners and managers to review the guidelines, develop their business safety plan and read and affirm the detailed guidelines (click here).

The local health departments have not received the specific guidance required for inspections.  We will notify these businesses via our briefings, websites and social media platforms as soon as we receive it to contact the health departments to set up appointments as soon as we are able.

This guidance includes but is not limited to standalone fitness facility/gym; facility/gym associated to a hotel, residential community, office building/business, higher education establishment; yoga/Pilates/barre studio; dance studio; boxing/kick boxing facility, martial arts facility; fitness boot camp; cross fit or other plyometric boxes; group fitness class facility; spin center/facility; rowing, etc.

• Bowling Centers: Governor Cuomo announced bowling alleys (with 50% capacity) throughout New York will be allowed to reopen starting Aug. 17 with strict protocols in place. Face coverings and social distancing will be required at all times.

Every other lane must be closed; patrons need to stay with the party at their assigned lane; thorough cleaning and disinfection of shared or rented equipment between each use is required. Read the governor’s press release by clicking here. The link for guidance will be posted as soon as it is available.

Continue to check the NY Forward site (click here) for updated guidance.  Click this link for Sports And Recreation Summary Guidance. Remember you have to have your Business Safety Plan and attestations completed prior to opening.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Alexandra Peracciny, left, and her daughter Emilia stand in Alexandra’s new photography studio above the Book Shoppe in Medina. Gloria and Fred Fierch, the new owners of the Book Shoppe, are Alexandra’s parents.

MEDINA – Being in business in the Medina area is nothing new for Alexandra Peracciny and her family.

Peracciny’s parents, Fred and Gloria Fierch, recently purchased the Book Shoppe, while other relatives, including aunts and uncles, are involved in Lyons Collision, McCauley Canvas and Rudy’s, to name a few. Peracciny’s grandparents were owners of the former Silver Dollar on Main Street. Alexandra’s sister Robin Cramer is a hairdresser next door in the new Revival Beauty Salon.

That is one of the reasons being in business for herself is so special for Peracciny, who just opened a photography studio above the Book Shoppe.

Peracciny was born in Medina and grew up in Middleport. She loves to travel and has had the opportunity to take pictures of such things as the Eiffel Tower and open air markets of Spain. So becoming a photographer was a natural fit.

She was looking for a summer job when she opened her first business, Alexandra Peracciny Photography, in 2007, specializing in wedding photography in the Western New York area. She had completed a program of study in film/digital photography and thought weddings were a great place to start.

She soon realized there was a need for family, senior, maternity, sports and special event photography.

She often brought her young daughter Emilia Peracciny along to help, and later Emilia, a fourth-generation member of the Medina business community, joined her mother working at weddings and sometimes booking her own clients.

Sunflower field sessions and lavender field photos, taken near Sanborn, and other mini sessions became very popular, Alexandra said. She also soon realized there was a need for an indoor studio.

When the family purchased the Book Shoppe in December 2019, they saw the space above the store as a perfect fit for an indoor studio, and Alexandra opened for business in February.

Then the pandemic hit and she was forced to close down temporarily. The studio has reopened and appointments are being taken for fall/winter shoots, newborn photos, and holiday time sessions, along with any outdoor or on-location photos, such as senior portraits and family portraits. Headshots are also done in the studio for professional portfolios and social networking. Appointments are available evenings, weekends and throughout the summer.

Alexandra Peracciny Photography is a full service studio that offers not only digital services, but also professional prints and other photo merchandise.

In addition to her photography business, Alexandra is a full-time teacher of Spanish and French at Medina High School. However, she stresses she is very serious about her dedication to both professions and is careful to keep them separate.

Emilia is also a student at the University of Buffalo, studying marketing, and is employed at Aldi’s and TJ Maxx.

Alexandra said they are thrilled to be vested in the Medina community. They can be contacted at (716) 735-7381 or aperacciny@yahoo.com. They are on Facebook and further information is available at www.alexandraperaccinyphotography.com.

The winning ladies team includes, from left: Sherry Palmeri, Mary Guzik, Lynn Evans and Joan Weatherwax.

MEDINA – A sunny day, record turnout and the highest profit in the history of United Way of Orleans County’s annual golf tournament made for a very successful event Friday at Shelridge Country Club.

There were 32 teams in the tournament to benefit United Way, with the team of Brandon Grzywacz, Jim Grzywacz, Duane Dunlap and Shane Dobesh ending up at overall winners.

The top mixed team was Doug Clark, Chelsie Clark, Raymount Daniels and Patrick Hinkson. They were 14 under par.

Top ladies team was Mary Guzik, Sherry Palmeri, Lynn Evans and Joan Weatherwax. They were 4 under par.

Turnout was almost double that of other years, said United Way’s director Dean Bellack.

“We had to operate under the ‘new norm,’ but everything went off without a hitch,” Bellack said.

Major sponsors annually have been Baxter and Takeform and this year they were joined by new sponsors, Bidleman Chevrolet, Orleans Ford and Hartway Motors, Twin Apple Properties and Curbell Plastics.

“We received a ton of compliments from golfers and from our board members,” Bellack said. “I attribute that to United Way being on the upswing in Orleans County. Also there have been less charitable events this year, so people were looking for something to do.”

This year’s tournament grossed $26,000, compared to last year’s gross of $20,000. Bellack expects the profit this year to net close to $20,000, compared to $12,300 last year.

Dean Bellack, director of United Way of Orleans County, has lots of reasons to enjoy the day as he takes part in the annual golf tournament last Friday to benefit United Way. He not only got to take part in his favorite sport, but the tournament had a record turnout and realized the highest profit in the history of the agency.

Bellack also said United Way of Orleans County gave away twice as much money this year as in previous years, counting grants we received, such as the Buffalo Community Grant and several micro grants.

During this past year, United Way of Orleans County gave money to Medina Area Association of Churches for the first time. Bellack also formed a committee to manage micro grants, which consisted of Darren Wilson of Lyndonville, Bruce Schmidt of Albion and board member Jody Gaines.

United Way supported Project Stork for the first time, as well as Medina’s two food pantries.

Bellack said it was a big decision whether to have the golf tournament or not. But the board discussed it with staff at Shelridge Country Club and decided they could pull it off.

One of the biggest changes was canceling the sit-down dinner and awards ceremony, opting instead for a take-home chicken barbecue. All safety rules were discussed with golfers prior to teeing off, Bellack said.

“We’ve had very positive feedback, and we’re glad we were able to have a fundraising event for the community, even though we had to make some changes to conform to the new regulations,” Bellack said.

He added his appreciation to volunteers from Baxter, Velocity, YMCA, Praising Kids, Bellack’s wife Carol, and United Way board members Jackie Gardner, Melinda Rhim, Kaitlyn Delamarter and Jerome Pawlak.

Provided photo: This safe was left in a farm field last week. It will be donated to the Barre Historical Committee to be displayed in a future town museum.

BARRE – A safe left in a farm field on East Barre Road will be donated to the Barre Historical Committee and will likely be displayed in a future Barre museum.

The safe was left in a field owned by Kirk Mathes last Thursday. Many have tried to get the safe opened to no avail. Mathes will give the closed safe to the Historical Committee.

That group would like to have the note returned that was attached to safe: “If you can open you can have what’s inside.”

That note was removed when the safe was in the field, and so was a dial that was knocked off the safe. The Barre Historical Committee would like the note and dial to be part of a display with the safe.

That message was shared this morning on the Town of Barre community Facebook page.

The Barre Historical Committee has had a barn donated to display Barre relics. Many of artifacts are currently displayed in the Town Hall but there isn’t enough space for the items, especially as there are more donations to the Historical Committee.

News about the mysterious safe quickly spread through town by word of mouth and social media last week. A group showed up with crowbars and sledgehammers and tried to pry it open in the field, but was unsuccessful.

The safe, which weighs about 500 to 600 pounds, was brought to the Mathes farm, but owner Kirk Mathes has since put it in an undisclosed location.

Photos by Tom Rivers: The Canalligator mural on a cinder block building on Proctor Place was approved to stay in the historic district. The Form Foundation, led by Tim Hungerford and his wife Teresa Misiti, is leading the effort to have more modern art publicly displayed in Medina.

MEDINA – The Village Planning Board on Tuesday evening approved three murals in the historic district.

All three are on the back sides of buildings along Proctor Place, a one-way street a block from Main Street.

One of the murals, the Canalligator, was finished last month at 428-436 S. Main Street. Another one with a floral pattern would be on the other side of the same cinder block building as the Canalligator on Proctor Place.

Another project, “Fake It Til You Make It” – will be on the back of 410 Main Street. The mural would go from the floor to the top of the cinder block wall. The mural sends a message of the importance of self-confidence in relation to the pursuit of one’s dreams.

Tim Hungerford and his wife Teresa Misiti are leaders of the non-profit Form Foundation that is spearheading the projects, raising funding, connecting with artists and securing permission from building owners for the projects.

They were faulted for not getting a certificate of appropriateness for the Canalligator mural before it was painted. Hungerford apologized for that. He said he didn’t think the backs of the buildings, with cinder block walls, were considered in the historic district and needed a certificate of appropriateness.

The village was concerned about holding a traditional public hearing with a large crowd in the main meeting room of City Hall. So the Planning Board gave the community the option to email comments about the murals.

John Dieter, Planning Board chairman, said he consulted with officials from the State Historic Preservation Office who told him murals with modern art are compatible in historic district as long as they aren’t painted on main thoroughfares, aren’t painted on historic stone or prominent architectural features.

The village also received 118 emails about the murals with nearly all in support of the projects. The Form Foundation offered a Canalligator T-shirt for $1 if people showed support for the project. Hungerford said he was copied on 101 emails that were “overwhelmingly positive.”

In a letter from David and Gail Miller, they suggested creating an “art alley” that gives a modern feel to Medina without impacting the traditional beauty of Main Street and the rest of the historic district.

“These projects might be considered a ‘trial run’ to kick off a much larger discussion about the place of art in developing a unique identity of our village,” the Millers wrote in their letter on Aug. 16.

Cindy Robinson, a Main Street business owner and long-time leader of the former Medina Business Association, said the rules weren’t followed in securing a certificate of appropriateness before the Canalligator.

“I’m opposed to the way it was gone about,” she said. “This is about following the regulations like everyone else does.”

The votes to give the murals certificates of appropriateness passed unanimously, 5-0.  Planning Board Chairman John Dieter said he consulted with the State Historic Preservation Office. That group said the murals and modern art would be OK in a historic district because they weren’t on a main thoroughfare. Proctor Place is a one-way street.

The murals also aren’t being painted on Medina sandstone or other original historic building materials for the structures. The murals also don’t alter prominent architectural features of the sites.

Chris Goyette, a member of the Medina Planning Board, states his support for bringing art to Medina, including in the historic district. Kathy Blackburn, left, and LaRissa DeGraw also are on the board. “We need to make the regulations more progressive and friendly,” Goyette said.

Dieter spoke after hearing from the other Planning Board members. Earlier in the meeting, Planning Board members Mary Lewis and Kathy Blackburn both said they believed sections of the village zoning ordinance made approval of the projects difficult.

“You have to look at is this compatible with the surrounding properties?” Blackburn said. “That is the law.”

Lewis said she supports public art and she thanked Hungerford and Misiti for working on the initiative. But she felt the wording in regulations said any murals or art should be done to be compatible with the historic district.

Planning Board member LaRissa DeGraw said the regulations doesn’t clearly ban modern art in the historic district. She said there are many examples of modern art and murals in historic districts in other communities.

She said the regulations in the historic district are focused on the front facades of buildings and the historic architectural features – not the backs of buildings and cinder blocks.

“The regulations are vague enough that we don’t have grounds to deny it,” DeGraw said.

She said the Form Foundation has found a way to improve the historic district, by focusing art on the back sides of a few select buildings.

“They are creating a new thing in Medina,” DeGraw said.

She sees the art projects as infusing energy and money into the historic district. That ultimately could give the buildings owners in the historic district more revenue to maintain the properties.

Chris Goyette, another Planning Board member, said the village regulations don’t fully address modern art. That language – or lack – shouldn’t derail the current projects, Goyette said.

“We are a little bit hamstrung but I don’t think it should stop it,” he said about the projects.

The Form Foundation is proposing this mural behind 428-436 Main Street on the opposite wall of the Canalligator. Chris Piontkowski has proposed this design using local, native species of pollinator flowers.

Medina should “become more progressive and think outside the box a little bit,” Goyette said.

He appreciates the effort by the Form Foundation to bring attention to the back of buildings, which Goyette said are often neglected and in some cases, “downright embarrassing.”

“We need to make the regulations more progressive and friendly,” he said.

Hungerford said the three murals, plus another one on a cinder block building at the corner of Pearl Street and West Avenue, all feed off each other. He expects the three new murals will be done by October.

His goal is to have new murals painted over the four sites every two years.

Mayor Mike Sidari said the Village Board will be looking to update the regulations to clearly address modern art. The village may create a Public Arts Commission to help review projects.

Sidari said other artists also are interested in projects in Medina, including under the canal bridges.

He commended the Form Foundation leaders for pushing the projects in Medina.

“Tim and Teresa, thank you for what you’re doing in the village,” Sidari said.

Mayor Mike Sidari thanked the Planning Board for working through a challenging issue. Sidari said the Village Board will be looking to revise regulations and perhaps create a Public Arts Commission to help review and site modern art projects.

Orleans County doesn’t have any new confirmed Covid-19 cases today after there were three new cases reported on Monday.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments is reporting seven more people in Orleans are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.

Genesee County is reporting one new Covid-19 case, a Pembroke resident in the 60s. That person wasn’t on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Genesee also is reporting 25 more individuals on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states. Two Genesee residents are hospitalized with Covid-19.

More from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:

• Gyms & Fitness Centers: In order for these centers to prepare for potential reopening by Aug. 24, it is important for owners and managers to review the guidelines, develop their business safety plan and read and affirm the detailed guidelines located on the NY Forward website (click here).

The local health departments have not received the specific guidance required for inspections.  We will notify these businesses via our briefings, websites and social media platforms as soon as we receive it to contact the health departments to set up appointments as soon as we are able.

• Travel Advisory: The following states with high coronavirus rates will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia,  Virgin Islands, and Wisconsin.

Those violating could be subject to a judicial order and mandatory quarantine and potential fines. These states may change at any time. Click here for more information.

• Traveler Health Form: For all out-of-state travelers from NYS restricted states, whether arriving by land or air, must self-identify by completing a traveler health form or be subject to a $2,000 fine. Click here for the traveler health form.

• Communication Survey: We need your help! Please consider taking a few minutes to complete a survey (click here) to measure our Genesee-Orleans (GO Health) Health Departments communication efforts in response to our Covid-19. Your response is appreciated! The survey will be available for your input until Aug. 24.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: This Victorian home at 512 West Avenue is being converted into a ceramics studio by owner Tim Elliott.

MEDINA – The owner of a Medina business is taking a leap of faith and moving off Main Street.

“It was time to grow as a business, and that meant owning my own place,” said Tim Elliott, owner of Brushstrokes.

Elliott has purchased a 3,000 square-foot Victorian home at 512 West Ave., which he is in the process of converting into his for the business.

It will be set up roughly the same as his Main Street store, Elliott said. The living room is now a painting room, a parlor is filled with fired pottery for customers to choose, and a sun room off the kitchen holds his kilns. Two bedrooms upstairs will be private paint rooms for parties of 15 to 20 people.

Elliott was thrilled with the charm of the old home, which boasts stained glass windows in the front doors and stairway landing, 10-foot windows with shutters in the living room, pocket doors, tin ceilings, and push button light switches. The radiator in the kitchen has a built-in bread box.

Elliott first opened his own business after he was laid off from his job in finance.

“I was looking for something to do that was affordable, and came up with an escape room or a ceramics studio,” Elliott said. “A ceramics studio was something affordable I could offer the community and which people could do as a family or date night.”

Elliott said kids are his biggest customers.

He has also partnered with several wineries to hold popular paint nights. At a Gust of Sun Winery in Ransomville, three events sold out in a day, Elliott said. Customers visit the wintery, have a drink and paint, while practicing safe distancing, he said. Then they can pick up their fired piece in a week. They painted garden gnomes and mason jar lanterns.

Tim Elliott, owner of Brushstokes in Medina, stands with a room full of pottery in the house on West Avenue, where he is moving his business.

Elliott said he has partnered with several Medina businesses in an effort to help them during this pandemic. Near Mother’s Day, he bought planters from Creekside Floral and gave flowers to customers with their ceramic piece.

He bought chocolates from Della’s a gave them away with every order.

He has also partnered with 810 Meadworks, which can accommodate up to 25 people who come and paint outside.

“We have been busy during the pandemic,” Elliott said. “When kids were home and had nothing to do, their parents brought them in to paint.”

He just finished an art academy, following guidelines for summer camps. There was a maximum of 15 kids who wore masks and maintained safe distances. They did glass work, rock painting, oil/pastels and ceramics.

Elliott has had to adapt during the pandemic, and developed to-go kits. He also bought acrylic paint, which he never carried before. He has from 500 to 600 fired pieces for customers to choose from.

Elliott was born in Germany, and admits to being a “military brat.” He graduated from Elba Central School, but is proud to call Medina “home.” He has been on the Village Board for four years and is owner of a new axe-throwing business, 810 Axes, with Bryan DeGraw.

Elliott plans to have his new West Avenue location for Brushstrokes open by Nov. 1. In the meantime, he is encouraging online sales.

Tim Elliott, owner of Brushstrokes in Medina, stands by the pocket doors in the 3,000-square-foot Victorian home on West Avenue.

ALBION – A former corrections officer at the Albion Correctional Facility pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal sex act against two different female inmates.

James W. Castonguay, 30, of Amherst pleaded guilty in Orleans County Court on Aug. 6 and could spend time in the county jail and on probation when he is sentenced on Oct. 28.

He admitted in court to forcing two inmates to give him oral sex while he was working at the women’s prison.

He was charged last September by the State Police with third-degree criminal sexual act, official misconduct and third-degree rape.

Castonguay also is one of several corrections officers named in a $25 million federal lawsuit that alleges cover-ups of rape and sexual assault reports at Albion Correctional, Bedford Hills, Lakeview Shock Correctional and Taconic Correctional.

Those states were previously on the list, then removed, but now return with Covid infections on the rise

Gov. Andrew Cuomo today announced that two states, Alaska and Delaware, are back on the state’s travel advisory.

Delaware was previously on the list but was removed on Aug. 4. Alaska also was on the list but was removed on Aug. 11.

The travel advisory now includes 33 states and two territories. Travelers coming to New York from those places should quarantine for two weeks. These are areas with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or an area with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.

The full, updated travel advisory list includes: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Virgin Islands and Wisconsin.

The governor also announced that for the 11th straight day, New York State’s rate of positive tests was below 1 percent.

There were 655 positive Covid-19 tests on Monday out of 66,891 test results reported or 0.98 percent that were positive.

“Our success in this fight is determined, more than anything, by the actions each of us takes in daily life—washing our hands, properly social distancing and wearing masks—and by the willingness of local governments to be competent partners and to enforce state guidance,” Cuomo said. “We continue to move in the right direction, but it’s up to all of us to slow the spread and stay safe.”

ALBION – The school district announced today that it will not be offering in-person learning all five days to start the school for grades Pre-K to 6.

The district was planning to have in-person schooling be an option at those grade levels each school day, with grades 7 to 12 on a hybrid schedule, with in-person learning two days a week and remote learning the other three.

Now the district is looking at a hybrid schedule for all students. Families can also choose to do remote learning every day with no in-person learning.

“We will reassess the structure for grades PK-6 after the first five weeks of school to see if it would be possible to have students here for more than two days, but will need to start in the two-day-a-week model,” interim superintendent Scott Bishoping said in a letter to families. “We had hoped that we could manage having elementary students each day but we cannot be certain we can provide enough space to start the school year in that format.”

The needs to ensure that students are distanced by at least 6 feet so that face coverings can be removed while in the classroom, he said.

The district will discuss the reopening plan during three virtual parent forums on Wednesday. Those sessions will be at 10 a.m., 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Click here for more on the forums, including the links to the session which will be on YouTube.

Public health director says more testing still needed locally

ALBION – Orleans County hit a milestone on Monday with its 10,000^th test for Covid-19.

The local health department puts out a daily update on Covid-19 cases, testing and other news each weekday. The report on Monday showed the county passed 10,000 tests. So far there have been 285 that were positive and 9,753 were negative for 10,038 total. That is a positive rate of 2.84 percent.

“That is a milestone number and 10,000 tests in a county of 40,000 people is a significant number,” said Paul Pettit, public health director for Orleans and Genesee counties.

However, he said that doesn’t mean 10,000 people have been tested because many people – hair stylists, first responders, nursing home and healthcare workers – have been tested multiple times.

“A lot of those are repeats,” Pettit said about the tests.

He would like to see more people be tested in the county. It’s harder to get tested in Orleans and the rural counties, compared to more populous areas of the state.

Orleans County officials have pressed the state to at least offer a mobile testing option in the county, even if only once a week where people could be tested for free. Right now they have to drive out of county to a state-sponsored testing site. That isn’t an option for many residents due to transportation issues, Pettit said.

It also isn’t fair to them to have to drive 45 minutes to an hour each way when larger counties have the test sites close by, he said.

Some healthcare providers in the county do Covid-19 testing, and Oak Orchard Health in Albion has been offering testing by appointment only if people have symptoms for Covid-19. (Call Oak Orchard at 585-589-5613 to be screened and to schedule an appointment.)

Pettit also said there is an issue with a delay in the test results. It often takes 7 to 10 days to get the results because the labs nationwide are being inundated with samples.

“That isn’t reasonable,” Pettit said about the wait for the test results. “It is very concerning.”

The people who are tested should self-quarantine until they get the results, even if they don’t have symptoms.

Pettit is pleased to see more people are being tested – and so few are testing positive. There were about 800 tests from the previous Monday with 3 testing positive (3 out of 793 for a positive rate of 0.38 percent.)

In Genesee County, 272 people have tested positive out of 18,809 tests for a positive rate of 1.44 percent.

Although the positive testing rate has dropped recently with only a few new cases, Pettit urged the community to not lower its guard against the virus.

“As schools as getting ready to reopen, it’s more important now than ever to stay vigilant,” Pettit said.