Nadine Hanlon

ALBION – Nadine Hanlon has won the Republican primary for Orleans County clerk.

She started the day behind Diane Shampine, 1,083 to 1,029. But the Orleans County Board of Elections counted the absentee ballots today. Hanlon had 673 to 514 for Shampine.

The combined votes put Hanlon ahead, 1,702 to 1,597.

Hanlon is the current clerk of the County Legislature. She also just ended a 10-year stint on the Kendall Board of Education, where she was president for seven years.

Shampine is the current acting county clerk. She was the deputy for 14 years to Karen Lake-Maynard, who retired on Jan. 30. Shampine has the Conservative Party endorsement in the November general election.

The Board of Elections will certify the primary results next week.

Albion grads accept diplomas in virtual ceremony and then celebrate with parade

Provided photos from Sue Starkweather Miller: Paige and Kendall Derisley, twin sisters, have fun during a parade for graduates on Friday evening. Kendall is going to Fredonia and Paige is headed to GCC.

ALBION – The Class of 2020 held a virtual graduation ceremony with seniors receiving their diplomas in prerecorded personal ceremonies spread over 10 days. A compilation of those ceremonies was presented Friday evening at 20:20 (8:20 p.m.)

Click here to see the 1 hour, 47-minute video on the school district’s YouTube page.

The video includes student speeches by Valedictorian Ashlyn LeBaron, Salutatorian Katelyn Spierdowis and Class President Angel Rosario Soto. High School Principal Jennifer Ashbery, Board of Education President Kathy Harling and Superintendent Michael Bonnewell also addressed the graduates.

Students were also able to celebrate on Friday evening with a parade in vehicles around the campus and community.

Screenshot from YouTube video: Angel Rosario Soto, the class president, will be majoring in nursing at Brockport State College. He plans to finish his studies at the University of Buffalo and become a registered nurse anesthetist.

He played on Albion’s soccer, wrestling, tennis and track teams and was involved in the National Honor Society, Masterminds and other clubs.

Rosario Soto thanked his parents for their sacrifice and hard work. He said teachers really stepped up during the pandemic and “didn’t let us give up.”

He regretted the class hasn’t been together since March 13, the last day of in-school learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rosario Soto said the class has faced other challenges, besides the pandemic. The class members were born right after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. They grew up in era of the War of Terror.

The era included frequent school shootings across the country. The Albion students had drill to respond to an active shooter.

Rosario Soto said the class experienced other history, including the election of the first black president – Barack Obama.

The class president also praised the varsity football team for making it to a Sectional game at New Era Field, the home of the Buffalo Bills.

The class is ready for a new chapter.

“If you start to strive for something, don’t give up,” Rosario Soto said. “You pick yourself up and bust your butt off until you get there. Don’t let the negativity override the positivity.”

He urged the class to live their lives with purpose.

“Starting today our job is to show up wide-eyed, willing and ready for what, I don’t know, for anything, for everything,” he said. “To take on life, to take on love, and to take on the responsibility and the possibility. Today my friends our lives begin and I for one can not wait.”

Salutatorian Katelynn Spierdowis is headed to Clarkson University to major in civil engineering. At Albion, she was involved in the drama program, the orchestra and chorus. She played on the volleyball and tennis teams.

Spierdowis thanked the community for supporting the class, especially during the pandemic, when students were adopted by community members and showered with gifts.

“Your love and compassion has made us all feel truly special,” she said.

The graduating during the Black Lives Matter movement, a national push to fight systemic racism. Spierdowis said she is biracial and she shared about the challenges of acceptance.

“My friendships have been diverse,” she said. “I won’t label them as black or white. They were just my friends.”

She urged her classmates to “pursue a cause that is important to you.”

She concluded with a message of gratitude for the school district and community.

“Thank you Albion for giving me such a great start,” Spierdowis said.

Photo courtesy of Randy LeBaron: Ashlyn LeBaron gives the valedictory address. She will be majoring in nursing at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester. She was active on volleyball and track teams, as well as band, jazz band, pit orchestra, Bible study club, Rotary interact, history club and the National Honor Society.

LeBaron thanked teachers, coaches, administrators and family “for investing in our lives.”

She said the pandemic disrupted the senior year. The pandemic prevented the seniors from having their own in-person ceremony with all of their classmates.

“These times that we are in have changed our world and they have also changed us,” she said. “I believe each of us will rise out the situation stronger than how we went into it. These trials have shown we have the work ethic and determination to triumph over any situation. And we made it. ”

The class demonstrated perseverance and diligence to overcome obstacles that no other graduating class has faced. She said.

“It’s because of that I believe our class will go on to change the world,” LeBaron said. “The class of 2020 will serve as an example of resilience to all.”

Michael DiCureia gets a ride in the parade from his mother Bridget DiCureia.

District Superintendent Michael Bonnewell said the class has needed to adapt to unforeseen changes. The superintendent said he appreciated the chance to see the students individually during their personal graduation ceremonies spread out over about 40 hours and 10 days. They were spaced out in 15-mnute intervals.

That was the first time the students had been inside the high school in three months.

Bonnewell said he wished there could have been a large ceremony. Commencement usually has about 2,000 people inside the gym. The state capped the ceremonies to no more than 150 people and that was if they were outdoors. Indoor gatherings were limited to 25 people.

“Class of 2020, this is certainly not the graduation and indeed the senior year any of us wanted or had imagined for you,” Bonnewell said.

The class succeeded in the last stretch of their school experience, despite the challenges, he said.

“You persevered, grew and prospered in spite of the pandemic,” he said.

They can go into the next stage of life knowing they have overcome a great challenge.

“I miss you already and always,” Bonnewell told them.

High School Principal Jennifer Ashbery waves to graduating senior Deyonci Farley during the parade. Deyonci and his family are headed down Route 31.

Jennifer Ashbery, the high school principal, praised a class of “accomplishment, resilience and perseverance.”

There were 135 students in the class. Friday’s graduation was the 142^nd commencement for Albion.

Kathy Harling, the board president, said the Covid-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented shutdown of schools.

“No one asked for a global pandemic,” Harling said. “No one asked to be confined to their homes for weeks and months on end.”

She said she hoped the pandemic gave students spend more time with their families and also by themselves – “You can be at peace for yourself and enjoy your own company.”

She urged the graduates to take a cooperate approach in their role as citizens.

“The community functions better when we all work together,” Harling said.

Aggeliki Alexandris, who is headed to GCC, rides in the parade with her mother, Shelcy Plueckhahn.

Kyle Pappalardo gets a ride from his brother Liam Ward at the parade. They are both members of the Class of 2020.

Ryan Krenning is joined in the graduate parade by his mom, Amanda Krenning-Muoio.

Connor Hollenbeck, who is going to Rochester Institute of Technology, is joined by his parents, Dawn and Brian, at Friday’s parade.

Click here to see more photos of the parade on the school district’s website.

In Orleans, the hotspots are going at most town and village hall locations

An innovative collaboration with several partners will increase internet access by means of public Wi-Fi hotspots for dozens of rural towns in Niagara and Orleans counties in New York, according to David Godfrey, the Niagara County Legislator and Lynne Johnson, the Orleans County Legislature chairwoman. They are co-chairs of the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance (NORA).

Deployment is already underway. In Orleans County, the hot spots will be at three village hall locations – Albion, Holley and Medina – and nine out of the 10 town halls. Those town sites include Albion, Barre, Carlton, Clarendon, Gaines, Kendall, Murray, Shelby and Yates.

(Ridgeway opted out because there parking lot is too small and the location on West Avenue is somewhat hidden for a hotspot. The Ridgeway Town Hall also is about two blocks from the Medina Village Office which will have a hot spot. The Lyndonville village office also is right next to the Yates Town Hall. They share a parking lot so they only needed one hotspot.)

“Working with RTO Wireless, our goal is to have high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband available to every home and business across our two counties, and we won’t stop until we achieve that goal,” says Lynne Johnson. “But today with record numbers of people working from home, and our children trying to advance their education, RTO and Microsoft have ‘stepped to the plate’ to immediately help provide the internet service that is so desperately needed in times of crisis. A simple ‘Thank You’ can hardly express our gratitude for the commitment they have made.”

In Niagara County, the hot spots will be in Middleport, Porter and two each in Wheatfield and Wilson.

“The technology being installed, is undeniably top shelf, which reflects on RTO as one of the top technology companies in this part of the country,” Godfrey said. “From the time they first presented their proposal, to working together to develop a deployment plan, RTO’s CEO Steve Hubbard and his staff have been absolutely wonderful to work with. With Microsoft’s support, these public Wi-Fi hotspots will provide secure, robust internet connections, at no cost to the municipalities, not only during the current crisis, but also into the future.”

Launched in 2017, the Microsoft Airband Initiative seeks to close the rural broadband gap in America and around the world, with the goal of bringing broadband access to 3 million unserved people living in rural America by 2022.

“Microsoft approached RTO Wireless about teaming up on deploying free public Wi-Fi at venues located in rural communities that lack sufficient broadband coverage,” says RTO’s CEO Steve Hubbard.

Microsoft offered to support the purchase and installation of the hotspot devices. Hubbard says he was already in discussions with NORA about deploying fixed wireless broadband to the rural communities that currently lack service. The conversation evolved to an immediate measure to address the lack of broadband by identifying town buildings and schools that can support public Wi-Fi services.

Public host institutions need to have existing broadband service and agree to host the equipment. RTO Wireless procured the equipment and coordinated with two local firms to install the Cisco Meraki equipment.

ALBION – The Board of Elections has begun counting about 5,000 absentee ballots. Those ballots are more than the 3,607 ballots cast in person through early voting and then during the primary and special election on June 23.

The governor pushed early voting to keep people safer during the Covid-19 pandemic. There was a big response in the county with absentees, with more than 20 percent of the county’s 23,111 active voters using an absentee ballot.

It may take a few days for the Board of Elections to count them all.

• The absentees will give clarity in the special election for the 27^th Congressional District. Chris Jacobs has a big lead over Nate McMurray in a district that includes eight counties.

Jacobs also has a lead in a Republican primary with Beth Parlato and Stefan Mychajliw.

• There are also absentees for the Democratic presidential primary. Joe Biden has a lock on the nomination after his main competitor, Bernie Sanders, conceded in April.

Only 484 voted in person for the primary out of 5,167 registered Democrats in the county. The Board of Elections received 1,276 requests for absentee ballots from Democrats.

Biden so far has 338 votes to 67 for Sanders. There are nine other names on the ballot and with Elizabeth Warren having the most votes, 18, of those nine.

• In Orleans County races, there is a close contest for Orleans County clerk, with Diane Shampine holding a slight lead over Nadine Hanlon in the Republican primary. Shampine has 1,083 votes to Hanlon’s 1,029 with in-person voting. There are at least 1,270 absentee ballots to be counted for that race.

Locally, there are contested races for Republican committees in Ridgeway and Murray.

• In Ridgeway, there are three candidates for two positions with District 2 on the Ridgeway Republican Committee. The candidates include Virginia Nicholson, David Stalker and Ayesha Kreutz.

Nicholson leads with 24 votes, followed by 22 for Stalker, and 16 for Kreutz.

• In Murray, there are primaries for three of the districts, with three candidates seeking two positions in District 3, District 5 and District 6.

In District 3, the candidates include Kathleen Case, Anthony Peone and Kerri Neale. Neale leads with 28 votes, followed by 18 for Peone and 17 for Case.

In District 5, the candidates include Lynn Wood, Cynthia Oliver and Ronald Vendetti. Oliver has 42, followed by 41 for Wood and 12 for Vendetti.

In District 6, the candidates include Kellie Gregoire, Robert Miller and Adam R. Moore. Moore leads with 47, followed by 35 for Gregoire and 25 for Miller.

Contributed Photos – During the late 1960’s harness racing fans enjoyed the excitement of pony races on Sunday afternoons in the summer at Shelby Downs which was later renamed Medina Downs.

Western New York has two major harness racing tracks – Batavia Downs and Buffalo Raceway – but in the late 1960’s Orleans County had its own harness track in Shelby Downs which held pony races.

Located on Route 63 just south of Shelby Center, Shelby Downs was the brainchild of Sylvester Falk who at the time worked as the superintendent of the nearby Forrestel Farms.

Sylvester Falk founded the track.

Falk leased 10 acres of land on the west side of Route 63 from Richard Cook and with the help of his wife Maria and a friend, Raymond Hill, began preparing a quarter-mile oval dirt track in April 1966. Aged 61 at the time he had been interested in pony racing since he took part in the sport as a youth in Little Valley, New York.

Sanctioned by the United States Pony Trotter Association, Shelby Downs operated from 1966 to 1969 on Sunday afternoons.

Opening Day was on July 4th 1966 and over 200 spectators were on hand to watch the card of four races for ponies which were less than 50 inches high.

The honor of winning the very first race went to Walter Crutts of Gasport who drove his pony “Mickey” home to victory in a time of 2:35 for two laps around the oval.

Opening day at Shelby Downs on July 4, 1966.

“Peanuts”, driven by Wilbert Fuller of Shelby Center was second and “Star Dust”, driven by Charles Quackenbush, also of Shelby Center, was third in the historic opening event whose field also included “Spark Plug”, driven by Glenn Fuller of Shelby Center, “Pixie Girl” driven by Art Wilkins of Albion and “George M”, driven by Frank Behl of Shelby.

Falk himself earned a spot in the winners circle late in the season with a pony named “Black Magic”.

Interestingly, the leading driver at the track that summer was a lady – Vera Gibbons.

The track operated for three more seasons and was renamed “Medina Downs” in 1969 when Mr. and Mrs. Horace Riches of Shelby took over as managers when Falk moved from the area.

Today nothing remains of the track as the land on which the ponies raced around the quarter-mile dirt oval, has returned to being farm fields.

‘New York is by no means out of the woods with the coronavirus, especially given the upticks we are seeing in other states’ – Sen. Schumer

Press Release, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer

Noting that the clock is ticking, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer called on the Trump Administration to extend the nation’s public health emergency declaration first issued this past winter to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schumer warned that the declaration will expire on July 25th unless the feds soon act, and reminded that executive branch delay on the emergency declaration this past winter set us back in the COVID fight.  Schumer said Health and Human Services (HHS) should announce an extension ASAP and give locals across New York the reassurances they need to keep the COVID fight going.

Schumer cautioned, that without action, New York stands to lose collective billions in state and local healthcare funds, FEMA disaster dollars and even tele-health services, like those for Hospice and everyday healthcare.

“If we have learned anything from COVID-19 it is that a ‘stitch in time saves nine,’ and the more we can do to be proactive, the better off the public will be,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. “This past winter there was delay and dismissal towards those urging HHS to officially declare a public health emergency as it relates to the coronavirus. Well, we cannot – and we must not – have that kind of inaction and uncertainly now, especially with what we know and with the sustaining needs of New York.”

Schumer said, aside from the very clear public health consequences, New York would lose billions of dollars collectively if the Trump administration fails to extend the public health emergency declaration. Just last week, more than $300 million in federal healthcare dollars were dispersed across New York State. Those funds are part of a combined $2.5 billion in the pipeline and already secured for New York as part of the Families First Coronavirus stimulus package, which are tethered to the emergency declaration.

In addition, as of June 1, FEMA had obligated over $1.1 billion to New York under the state’s COVID Major Disaster Declaration and the agency is looking to the public health emergency declaration to define how much longer it will continue reimbursing New York, and in particular New York City, for related expenses. Should the public health emergency end, FEMA has indicated that the funds flowing from the Disaster Relief Fund will also stop.

“New York is by no means out of the woods with the coronavirus, especially given the upticks we are seeing in other states and the risk those upticks pose here when you take travel into account,” Schumer added. “Extending this declaration will keep New York positioned to both respond and to keep fighting.”

In addition, Schumer also detailed the CDC’s Infectious Disease Rapid Response Reserve Fund, which without an emergency extension would be locked up like it was before the first declaration was made at the beginning of the year. The account’s funds are being used to support local health departments and increased staffing across the city and on Long Island.

Schumer explained that these dollars could also be used by the CDC for, amongst other things:

• Epidemiological activities, such as contact tracing and monitoring of cases
• Additional or enhanced screenings, like at airports
• Support for state and local health departments
• Public awareness campaigns
• Increased staffing

Schumer also explained how the emergency declaration has allowed vulnerable and high-risk patients to avoid potential exposure to the coronavirus at hospitals and health centers by expanding federal eligibility to receive routine care through telehealth and digital care.

Schumer says the federal support and coverage for this type of medical care has saved countless lives because clinicians can use telehealth to fulfill many face-to-face visit requirements to see patients. Schumer says this has been one of the main requests of in inpatient rehabilitation facilities, hospice and home health professionals who are now using apps with audio and video capabilities to have patients visit with their doctors or practitioners.

Finally, Schumer listed other necessities that would cease should the public health emergency not be extended:

• Nutrition assistance for kids who would normally receive free or reduced lunch in school would cease
• Access to SNAP would be restricted
• Seniors who rely on Meals on Wheels would see their access to food restricted
• A massive restriction on assistance hospitals and doctors rely on to keep their doors open during the crisis
• Reduced access for out of work individuals to receive Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
• Reduced access to prescription drugs for seniors on Medicare

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) announced today that his district office is continuing to distribute hand sanitizer to local businesses in need.

Hawley has confirmed the sanitizer comes by the gallon or in 2-ounce bottles for employee and employer use. This initiative is part of a continued effort to assist local businesses with keeping up their health standards in conjunction with CDC and Department of Health regulations following the COVID-19 outbreak in New York.

“I’m happy to help the community any way I can, and while this gesture is small, I know it goes a long way,” Hawley said. “This is just one of the ways I’m showing the rest of the state that we can uphold health standards on our own while reopening the economy and supporting our communities at the same time.”

Hawley and his district office are also working on acquiring more face masks for personal and business use. Anyone looking to acquire hand sanitizer in the future may reach out to Hawley’s district office to coordinate a pick-up. Anyone looking to acquire masks may reach out to their county EMO office.

(In Orleans County, the Emergency Management Office can be reached at (585) 589-4414.)

Orleans and Genesee counties both don’t have any new confirmed cases of Covid-19, according to the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

Orleans has also had one more recovery in the community for 112 total, while Genesee has two more recoveries for 161 total.

Click here to see an online map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. There are currently only five active cases in three counties, with four in Orleans, 1 in Genesee and 0 in Wyoming.

More from Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:

• Take personal responsibility to protect yourself and others. Avoid public places when traveling, if possible.

Wear a mask if you are within six feet of distance (indoors or out) from non-household individuals, in a situation where you can’t maintain six feet of distance from others, in public or private transportation carrier or for-hire vehicle.

Wash your hands often with soap and water at least 20 seconds, especially before eating.  Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Cover your cough and sneezes with a tissue (or the inside of your elbow) and discard the tissue in a closed container.  Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.

• Now that summer is in full swing and with the Independence Day holiday and graduation parties picking up it is important to limit the number of contacts people have. Make sure you are practicing social distancing especially if you have underlying health conditions or are over 65 years old.

The most important thing to remember is if you are having any type of symptoms to STAY HOME! Some of the symptoms people have been reporting are fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle or body aches, new loss of taste and/or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, headaches, fatigue nausea or vomiting and/or diarrhea.

• Travel Advisory: New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut announced that as of 12:01 a.m. on June 25, travelers from states with high coronavirus rates will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days.

As of today the states include: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Texas.

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

• Community Testing: Oak Orchard Health is now able to provide expanded Covid-19 swabbing to the public at their Albion location (future locations may be added later). Anyone needing testing and meeting the criteria (being symptomatic or required for profession) can call Oak Orchard Health at 585-589-5613 for an appointment, no walk-ins.

Oak Orchard Health will do their best to accommodate scheduling demands, but be aware appointments may fill up quickly. The current testing schedule is Monday 3:40 to 4:40 p.m., Tuesday 4 to 5 p.m., Wednesday 2:20 to 3:20 p.m., Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m., and Friday from 3:20 to 4:20 p.m.

• Antibody Testing: This is a current snapshot of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody test results both departments have received and will be updated periodically, but not daily.

• Genesee County: Of the 1,589 antibody test results received there were 46 who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) antibodies.
• Orleans County: Of the 687 antibody test results received there were 17 who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) antibodies.

LYNDONVILLE – The school district held its gradually virtually for the first time on Friday. The district recorded students accepting their diplomas and compiled those videos that were presented online on Friday. (Click here to see the video.)

The video also included student speeches by Class President Faith Chaffee, Valedictorian Oskar Heinsler and Salutatorian Evan Horn.

District Superintendent Jason Smith and High School Principal Aaron Slack also addressed the 45 graduates. Dan Thurber, pastor of Oak Orchard Assembly of God Church, gave the invocation and benediction in the service.

The district also announced many of the scholarship winners during the commencement program.

Class President Faith Chaffee said the class has persevered during a stressful few months. She thanked her parents and said teachers at Lyndonville went “above and beyond” for students during the pandemic.

She also praised class advisor, Dan Dragula, for helping the class during an unforgettable year.

“We still made some amazing memories together,” Chaffee said in her speech. “Not only are you guys my classmates but you are my family.”

Evan Horn, the salutatorian, said the Lyndonville class is very close and connected. He said online learning was a challenge, but the Lyndonville students pushed through it.

“No matter what seems to happen, how good or bad, we always have each other,” Horn said.

He thanked the teachers and coaches for their influence.

Horn said Gov. Cuomo’s daily news briefings proved the value of learning statistics, block graphs and numbers. The governor held daily briefings for 96 straight days to update New Yorkers on the coronavirus and had a powerpoint with slides of data about Covid-19 cases.

Horn urged his classmates to continue preparing for the future.

“This is the century we go to Mars,” he said. “Stay dedicated, work hard and help change this world forever.”

Oskar Heinsler gave the valedictory address. He said his classmates hold the record for most senior skip days. They have been out of the school building since March 13 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

While he had the highest grades in his class, Heinsler said there are other types of intelligence, including the ability to give public speeches. That is a skill that he said he lacks.

Heinsler thanked his classmates, teachers and coaches for having such a good impact on him.

“I thank God for letting me be born to my parents and for letting me grow up in such a wonderful place,” Heinsler said.

Trey VerCruysse rides in the parade through the town.

Jason Smith, the district superintendent, thanked healthcare workers and first responders for their services during the pandemic.

Teachers and staff also should be commended for their work with students during the pandemic, Smith said.

“Now to our seniors, your senior year was not what it was meant to be as it was cut short due to this pandemic,” Smith said.

The graduates had 2,341 days of school during their 13 years. He highlighted some of their experiences through elementary, middle and high school.

“All of those days mattered and were special,” the superintendent said.

Shantel Benedict gets a ride on a motorcycle during the parade.

Dr. Aaron Slack, the high school principal, said the past three-plus months were “an educational odyssey most of us never could have imagined.”

The graduates deserve praise, Slack said, “for their incredible dedication to learning.”

The limited high-speed internet access in the community “created a double whammy for a huge numbers of students,” he said.

“I’m incredibly proud of you for defying the threats to your learning,” Slack said in his address to the graduates.

The procession of vehicles with graduates makes its way through town.

Sawyer Wilson, president of the Student Council, also announced that this year’s yearbook is dedicated to two recent Lyndonville graduates who were killed in a car accident on Oct. 10, 2019. Brooke Allen, 21, and Ricky Forder, 20, were on their way to work at Lake Ridge Fruit, an apple packing facility on Route 104 in Gaines.

Brooke Allen was a devoted mother to her son, River. Brooke, a 2016 Lyndonville graduate, loved the outdoors. She was in band and chorus, played volleyball and attended Orleans-Niagara BOCES for cosmetology.

Richard Forder, a 2018 Lyndonville graduate, enjoyed fishing and spending time with his nephews. He was a key player on Lyndonville’s playoff basketball teams.

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Courtesy of NYS Department of Transportation: This is the project map of the maintenance resurfacing project.

HOLLEY – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) announced today, in partnership with the New York State Department of Transportation, that a maintenance resurfacing project for Route 237 will commence in spring 2021 and be completed in the fall of the same year.

The route repair, which is within the Village of Holley, is going to be coordinated to follow the village’s sidewalk reconstruction and waterline improvements project, which is projected to be completed in 2020.

“I am glad to see our tax dollars doing good work for our communities, as the improvement and maintenance of roads is something I think we can all appreciate,” Hawley said. “The men and women of the NYSDOT are hard-working and dedicated, and I look forward to seeing the fruits of their labor by the end of 2021.”

This project will improve the existing pavement condition through milling and resurfacing Route 237 from the south village line to the Erie Canal Bridge, just north of the village. The project also includes new pavement markings and new signs. In addition, extra signage will be installed to advise truck drivers of the low clearance at the railroad bridge.

As part of this project, the pavement markings on Route 237 will be modified from South Holley Road to Geddes Street and from Route 31 to the north village line to provide two 15-foot-wide travel lanes with no provision for parking.

The existing pavement markings and on-street parking will remain from Geddes Street to Route 31. This striping change was done in consultation with local village officials to address safety concerns and to better provide on-street bicycle accommodations.

Route 237 will remain open to traffic during construction with a minimum of one lane of traffic maintained in each direction. Short-term daily lane closures will be utilized during paving operations.

Drivers will be informed of construction work areas with variable message boards and temporary work zone traffic control signs.

If you have any questions, please contact Joshua Brasacchio, Project Design Engineer at (585) 371-9246 or by e-mail at joshua.brasacchio@dot.ny.gov.

Provided photo: Madison Nardi and about 400 other students will be part of the first virtual Girl State program. The program runs from June 28 to July 12.

KENDALL – Madison Nardi, who will be a senior at Kendall in 2020-21, will be attending the first ever virtual American Legion Auxiliary Girls State.

Madison is one of 400 young women selected to attend the 79th American Legion Auxiliary Girls State session.  As part of the annual program, outstanding students are chosen from their local high schools to spend a week learning about the inner workings of state, local and county government. Madison is sponsored by the Jewell Buckman Auxiliary Unit in Holley.

This premier leadership conference is designed to provide practical insight into the workings of the government, promote youth civic engagement, instill a sense of pride in America, and empower the next generation of women leaders, providing them with a network that lasts a lifetime.

Madison Nardi is a rising senior at Kendall High School. She is active in many ways in her school and community, including varsity volleyball and various other clubs.

The program included workshops lead by a political instructor, presentations on women in leadership, Activities that inspired patriotism and pride, as well as information on the American Legion Auxiliary.

“The ALA Girls State experience is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for young women across our state and while we couldn’t hold the program in person, our team worked hard to ensure that this cohort of High School Juniors get to learn some of the important principles of democracy and about the American Legion Auxiliary ” said Jennifer Farley, American Legion Auxiliary Girls State chairman. “Our hope is that after attending the virtual ALA Girls State, the girls will be inspired to participate in the democratic process, volunteer in their communities and be filled with patriotism and pride.”

ALA Girls State:​ The American Legion Auxiliary’s marquee Girls State program, first presented in 1937, is one of the most respected and coveted experiential learning programs presented in the United States.

The program epitomizes the ALA’s mission to honor those who have brought us our freedom through our enduring commitment to develop young women as future leaders grounded in patriotism and Americanism. The young women become knowledgeable of the democratic process and how our republic form of government works at the state and national levels.

To learn more about the Auxiliary’s mission, visit www.ALAforVeterans.org​.

For more on the Girl State program, click here.

People coming to NY from California, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada and Tennessee must quarantine for 14 days

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that eight additional states meet the metrics to qualify for the travel advisory requiring individuals who have traveled to New York from those states, all of which have significant community spread, to quarantine for 14 days.

The newly-added states are California, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada and Tennessee.

The quarantine applies to any person arriving from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.

“As an increasing number of states around the country fight significant community spread, New York is taking action to maintain the precarious safety of its phased, data-driven reopening,” Governor Cuomo said. “We’ve set metrics for community spread just as we’ve set metrics for everything the state does to fight COVID-19, and eight more states have reached the level of spread required to qualify for New York’s travel advisory, meaning we will now require individuals traveling to New York from those states to quarantine for 14 days.”

The full, updated list of states on the travel advisory, includes: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

Today’s data is summarized briefly below:

• Patient Hospitalization: 891 (+38)
• Patients Newly Admitted: 72 (+20)
• Number ICU: 217 (+1)
• Number ICU that are intubated: 137 (+1)
• Total Discharges: 70,487 (+52)
• Deaths: 13
• Total Deaths to Covid during pandemic in NYS: 24,855
• Of the 52,025 tests conducted in New York State yesterday, 524, or 1 percent, were positive.

Press Release, New York State Association of Counties

The New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) and the New York State County Executive’s Association (NYS CEA) on Monday announced they are joining with dozens of national and statewide organizations representing states, counties and cities to call on the United States Senate to act immediately to support a federal coronavirus relief package that provides funding to state and local governments.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated our economies and without federal funding for states and local governments, that impact will go on for months and years,” said Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, president of the New York State County Executive’s Association and the National Association of Counties. “Between our employees, our contracts, and the purchases we make, counties, states, and local governments have a tremendous impact on the national economy. We need federal funding to keep these parts of our economy moving.”

According to the sign-on letter sent by the group to Senate Leaders, state and local governments employ “nearly 15 million Americans…and also purchase goods and services which add to the nation’s output,” accounting for 11 percent of the nation’s GDP in 2019.

“Counties are facing fiscal pressures worse than what we experienced in the great recession,” said NYSAC President John F. Marren, chair of the Ontario County Board of Supervisors. “The best way to help our economy right now and in the near future is to inject federal funds that will protect the jobs and services that we provide at the county and local government levels.”

The letter, which was transmitted to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, says that furloughs and job cuts are on the table for many states and localities, particularly as many local governments face new fiscal years on July 1st.

“Our budgets at that state and local governments have to be balanced and enacted on time,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario. “That means that our local leaders right now are closing substantial budget gaps. Now is the time for federal action on direct and flexible funding for states and local governments, before painful cuts to jobs and services have to be made.”

Photos by Tom Rivers: Marty Zwifka (left), fair manager, and Robert Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, are pictured by one of the food stands that will be set up at the fairgrounds from Friday through Sunday.

KNOWLESVILLE – There will be a taste of the fair this weekend at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.

The fair, scheduled for late a week in late July, has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, some of the food vendors will be at the fairgrounds from Friday through Sunday during the Fourth of July weekend.

The take-out only event will include some fair favorites: taffy, fudge, corn dogs, a gourmet grilled cheeseburger, pizza, and barbecued and smoked pork. There could also be a vendor with funnel cakes and fried Oreos.

“We wanted to give everybody a taste of the fair,” said Marty Zwifka, the fair manager.

The event will run from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Nearly all of the fairs and festivals have been cancelled for the food vendors. Some of those businesses have been in families for generations.

“They are hurting a lot,” said Robert Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, which owns the fairgrounds. “They’ve lost the whole summer.”

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Lauren, Jack and Scott Kolassa of Churchville work in the family’s taffy, fudge and candy apple booth at the Orleans County 4-H Fair in this photo from July 2018. The family will be serving fair food this weekend at the fairgrounds. In this photo, Scott holds a chunk of taffy, which he is ready to pull.

Scott Kolassa of Churchville runs a taffy, candy apple and fudge booth, as well as a lemonade stand. He reached out to Batt about allowing some of the vendors to set up for the weekend at the fairgrounds.

He did a similar event in Clarence, and there was a big response from the community. Scott’s dad started the business about 65 years ago.

Batt said many of the vendors aren’t available because they have shut down for the season. Many of those vendors can’t secure employees or insurance for a one-time event.

Batt said there will be six or seven booths at the fairgrounds and they will be spaced apart about 10 feet. Customers need to wear masks and practice social distancing. They also need to eat the food in their vehicles and dispose of their own garbage.

Although the fair is cancelled in July, the Cooperative Extension will be doing a drive-through chicken barbecue on July 23. Batt said the Extension will be preparing 1,200 dinners for that event.

Some of the food vendors are shown during the fair last year while fireworks go off. The booths will be spaced apart about 10 feet during this weekend’s event.

Provided photo: This team from Drum Oil in Gasport is shown at last year’s United Way golf tournament. After postponing this year’s event originally scheduled in June, United Way has decided to go ahead with the tournament on Aug. 14 at Shelridge Country Club.

MEDINA – It is a decision made with a lot of consideration, but United Way of Orleans County is going ahead with its annual golf tournament.

Originally scheduled in early June, the event was postponed due to the pandemic, but has been rescheduled for Aug. 14 at Shelridge Country Club.

The golf tournament is a major fundraiser for United Way, and with its partner agencies all experiencing increased requests for assistance due to the coronavirus, United Way’s board felt it was imperative to try and have the tournament.

Initial response to the tournament has been very strong, said executive director Dean Bellack. As far as he knows, this is one of the few local charity outings still taking place scheduled this summer.

“I am an optimist and I’m confident we can safely pull it off,” Bellack said.

The county is in Phase 4 of the state’s reopening. This means the tournament will be able to have a buffet, and two people will be allowed to share a cart if they both agree. Country club manager Brett Decker will rent extra carts if necessary.

Bellack said he expects a record number of golfers to sign up for this year’s tournament. He said if there is a foursome, two can walk but will be able to put their clubs on the cart.

Bellack has been a member of Shelridge Country Club and he said it is in the best shape he’s ever seen it.

The tournament will begin with registration at 7:30 p.m., followed by a 9 a.m. tee-off. The day will include a light breakfast, lunch at the turn and dinner about 2:30 p.m. with suitable accommodations for social distancing. Anyone who feels safer alone will also be accommodated. The tournament is a traditional scramble with prizes for closest to the pin, long drives and men’s, women’s and mixed teams.

“We are in need of baskets to raffle, prizes to raffle and giveaways,” Bellack said.

“We hope everyone is anxious to get out and do something for themselves and the community we serve,” Bellack said.  “Most of all, we need golfers.”

Early bird registration by July 1 is $90 or $360 for a foursome. Regular registration will be $100 per individual or $400 for a foursome. For a dinner guest only, the cost will be $30.

Opportunities are available for sponsorships, ads in the program or donations.

Registration forms are available on the United Way website, or by contacting Bellack at Director@OrleansUnitedWay.org. Information is available by calling (585) 283-4224.

Rain date is Aug. 28.