County
| County | 2019 summer guests | 2019 summer host revenue |
| Orleans | 1,400 | $145,000 |
| Genesee | 380 | $37,000 |
| Livingston | 3,800 | $442,000 |
| Monroe | 16,500 | $2.2 million |
| Ontario | 11,800 | $1.9 million |
| Seneca | 5,900 | $999,000 |
| Wayne | 2,600 | $280,000 |
| Wyoming | 1,200 | $155,000 |
Source: Airbnb
Carl Zava
HOLLEY – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in finding a missing 77-year-old man from Holley. Carl Zava has Alzheimer’s disease and may be in need of medical attention, deputies said.
Zava was last seen on Hall Road at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. He was driving a 2001 white Chevrolet Blazer with New York license plate GKK-5202.
Zava is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighs 110 lbs. He has gray hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue t-shirt and blue jeans.
Deputies believe he may have traveled to Erie County. The Sheriff’s Office has issued a New York State Missing Vulnerable Adult Alert.
Anyone with information on Zava’s whereabouts is asked to call 585-589-5527 or 911.
Press Release, Genesee & Orleans Health Departments
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and to celebrate the achievements of immunization programs in promoting healthy communities throughout the United States. This year marks the 25th anniversary of this significant observance!
Paul Pettit, Public Health Director of Genesee and Orleans Counties, proclaims the many benefits and accomplishments vaccines have on our communities. “Vaccines are among the most successful and cost-effective public health tools available for preventing disease and death,” he said. “When you get vaccinated, you not only protect yourself but you also help protect the people around you who might be too young or too sick to get vaccinated themselves. This is called ‘community immunity’ or ‘herd immunity.’ If enough people stop getting vaccinated, more outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, will occur.”
Most parents choose the safe, proven protection of vaccines. Giving babies the recommended vaccinations by age 2 is the best way to protect them from 14 serious childhood diseases, like whooping cough and measles. These diseases can be especially serious for infants and young children. Parents are encouraged to talk to their child’s doctor to ensure that their baby is up-to-date on vaccinations. It is important to follow the recommended immunization schedule to protect infants and children by providing immunity early in life, before they encounter potentially life-threatening diseases.
The recent outbreak of measles in our country has reached the highest number of cases since the disease was eliminated in 2000. Most recent data shows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed 695 cases of measles from 22 states. The return of the disease occurs when an unvaccinated traveler visits a country where there is widespread measles transmission, gets infected with measles, and returns to the United States and exposes people in a community who are not vaccinated.
Once measles enters an under-vaccinated community, it becomes difficult to control the spread of the disease. When measles enters a highly vaccinated community, outbreaks either don’t happen or are usually small. This is why taking proper precautions and receiving the vaccine is so important to the health of our community.
Below is a summary of the vaccines children should receive by 2 years of age:
ore throat, mild fever, weakness, and swollen glands in neck. Complications of these diseases include
swelling of the heart muscle, heart failure, coma, paralysis, death.
Children need
5 doses of DTaP vaccine.
first dose at 2 months, the second at 4 months, the third at 6 months, the fourth between
15–18 months, and the fifth between 4–6 years.
Protecting your baby from vaccine-preventable diseases begins even before your baby is born. Brenden Bedard, Director of Community Health Services of Genesee and Orleans Counties, educates on what vaccines mothers should get when they are pregnant. “All pregnant women are recommended to receive the Tdap and influenza (flu) vaccine during each pregnancy. The recommended time to get the Tdap shot is during the 27th through 36th week of pregnancy and the influenza shot can be given at any time during flu season, typically October through May. Pregnant women who receive these vaccines are also helping to protect their babies from diseases for the first several months after their birth, when they are too young to get vaccinated.” In addition to mothers, it is also important for immediate family, such as spouses, grandparents, and anyone who will be in close contact with a new baby to receive the Tdap vaccine and the influenza vaccine during flu season.
The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments participate in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. This federally-funded program will assist families who are uninsured or underinsured receive childhood vaccines at no cost. For more information, please contact your local health department.
DeGraff
HAMLIN – Law enforcement is asking for the public’s help in finding a missing, vulnerable woman.
Law enforcement and firefighters have been trying to locate Margaret DeGraff, 47, of the Town of Sweden since Sunday night.
DeGraff was last seen on Wednesday at her place of employment, Villa of Hope at 3300 Dewey Ave., Rochester.
Her vehicle was located Sunday in the Hamlin Beach State Park area, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is reporting.
The Sheriff’s Office teamed with State Police and other first responders in a search of the park and the surrounding area. Many firefighters from eastern Orleans County were part of the effort today.
The search will resume on Tuesday morning.
If anyone has seen or heard from DeGraff or has information about her whereabouts, please call 911.
(UPDATED at 2:17 p.m.)
LYNDONVILLE – All after-school activities are cancelled at Albion, Lyndonville and Medina. All Lyndonville students will be released at 2:35. There will be no late bus run.
All evening events are also cancelled at Albion Central School. There won’t be a 4:15 p.m. bus.
The icy road conditions have resulted in several accidents around the county today. A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 1 a.m. tonight.
ALBION – The Albion school district has cancelled the afternoon prekindergarten program due to the icy road conditions.
The morning PreK students will stay at school until the 3:30 p.m. dismissal. Those students will also be fed lunch at school.
Parents also can pick up the PreK students before 3:30 if they call the school office.
The afternoon BOCES also is cancelled today. Parents can call the school office if they want to dismiss their child before the end of the school day.
The freezing rain and ice has made the roads slippery for motorists. Joe Perry, Medina DPW superintendent, is urging motorists not to drive if they have that option the next few hours.
“We have 4 trucks out salting and are having a hard time keeping up with the ice,” Medina Mayor Mike Sidari posted on Facebook. “We are expected to receive up to a half inch of ice. Watch for low hanging tree limbs and wires.”
If there is a wire hanging or down on the ground, Sidari said people shouldn’t try to move it. They should call 911.
Orleans County is under a winter weather advisory until 1 a.m. tonight due to the freezing rain.
ALBION – Albion Mayor Eileen Banker has cancelled a meeting at 6:30 this evening, which was set for the Village Board to discuss a personnel issue and an employee contract, Banker said.
Press Release, Albion Police Department
ALBION – The Albion Police Department is currently investigating a missing person case involving Jennifer Lauro-Ramierez, 12, and Raul S. Cruz, 14.
Both were last scene at approximately 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12, in the 100 block of South Main Street in the Village of Albion. It is believed the Cruz and Lauro-Ramierez are together.
Jennifer Lauro-Ramierez
Jennifer Lauro-Ramierez is described as follows:
Age: 12
Hispanic Female, Black Hair, Brown Eyes, 5’01” 123 lbs.
Clothing: Black or Gray Hoodie.
Raul S. Cruz
Raul S. Cruz is described as follows:
Age: 14
Hispanic Male, Black Hair, Brown Eyes, 5’06” Slender Build
Clothing: Unknown
Vehicle: None
If anyone has information as to Jennifer Lauro-Ramierez or Raul S. Cruz location, please contact your local 911 center or the Albion Police at 585-589-5627.
Courtesy of Medina Police Department
MEDINA — A Medina man’s family hasn’t seen him for about a month and a half, and has filed a missing person’s report.
Heriberto “Roberto” Torres, 57, was living on West Avenue. He attended school at Medina, was in the Army for a decade and was living in the community before moving to Buffalo. About three or four years ago, he moved back to Medina, said his sister, Iris Torres.
The family is concerned because he hasn’t returned to his residence, and left his clothes and medication behind. His phone and wallet have not been found, his sister said.
She lives in Puerto Rico. Anyone with information about her brother can contact her at (787) 391-3801 or jenshejos@gmail.com.
The Medina Police Department posted a missing person’s report for Torres on Sunday. Anyone with information about Torres can contact the Police Department at (585) 798-5602.
Kamerie Elliot
BYRON – An Amber Alert has been cancelled for a 14-year-old Byron girl who was allegedly abducted this morning from a location on West Bergen Road.
Kamerie Elliot was located and is safe, State Police said.
She was allegedly taken by a 22-year-old Batavia man driving a blue Dodge Journey.
She was considered in “imminent danger or serious harm and/or death.”
Guillermo Torres-Acevedo
The suspect is Guillermo Torres-Acevedo, who has black hair and brown eyes. The license plates of the Dodge Journey are New York HHP5458.
“They were located together by Pennsylvania State Police in Mansfield, Pa,” the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Kamerie was unharmed and will be transported back to Genesee County. Guillermo Torres-Acevedo was taken into custody on warrants from New York State and will be held in Pennsylvania pending extradition proceedings.”
Kamerie and Torres-Acevedo knew each other and Torres-Acevedo had been arrested by State Police on Monday in connection with that an incident involving the girl, the Sheriff’s Office said
Law enforcement say Kamerie got into his Dodge willingly at about 8 a.m. The vehicle was seen traveling northbound on West Bergen Road.
This rendering shows the bronze statue mounted by the former Armory, which is now a YMCA on Pearl Street in Medina.
MEDINA – The Parade of Lights this Saturday will lead off with a very special float.
Those who attend the spectacular parade will get the first glimpse of a statue which will be erected atop the monument in front of Medina Armory (YMCA).
The existing monument was an idea of Medina native Bill Menz and pays tribute to the 550 men from Orleans County and the surrounding area who were members of Company F and trained there.
The final piece of the monument, the life-size bronze statue of an infantryman, is to be delivered to Medina Monday afternoon by a family friend, John Brown of Batavia, accompanied by Menz’ daughter Lynne Menz, Cathy Fox (whose father was a member of Company F) and Ginny Kropf, who has covered the story for the media from day one.
Sadly, Menz, at the age of 86, died in July, four months short of seeing completion of his dream.
A veteran himself, Menz first pitched his idea in 2006 to a local World War II veterans’ reunion.
He thought there should be a monument in front of the Medina Armory which would pay tribute, not only to the men who trained there for four world conflicts from 1898 to 1945, but to veterans from all wars. This also included Company C, which trained there from 1947 through 1977, when the National Guard stopped using the building.
With the support of the Sandstone Society, of which Bill was a member, and two years of fundraising, in 2008 the five-sided monument was dedicated, with several World War II veterans and their families in attendance.
Bill’s vision didn’t end there, however, and he began planning for the next phase of his monument – the bronze statue.
More fundraising ensued to raise an additional $65,000 and on Jan. 16, 2017, sculptor Brian Porter of Pendleton was commissioned to do the statue.
In the following months, Bill, Lynne, Fox and Kropf made visits to Porter’s home to view his progress.
Menz, in a wheelchair, also got to visit the foundry at UB were the firing was done, just 11 days before he died.
The Company F soldier will be the first where Porter incorporated 3-D imaging to create molds for the cast bronze statue. In the new process, a miniature clay model was scanned with the 3-D technology and data sent to a CNC machine, which cut out thin plywood slices which were then glued together. This wood structure became a subframe on which clay was applied.
Porter is also an assistant professor of art at Erie Community College, and has created such masterpieces as the United States Seabees Memorial in North Tonawanda. He has also worked with the University of Buffalo to create two statues of graduates to be installed at their North Campus.
The statue’s unveiling at the Parade of Lights will be in front of a crowd anticipated to be 10,000 people.
It is interesting to note the parade route is the exact opposite of that taken by those troops when they marched from the armory to the train station all those years ago.
The statue will be placed in storage after the parade, to await installation in the spring. The Medina Department of Public Works will help erect the 1,500-pound statue on the float and return it to storage.
Editor:
A 15-year-old girl formerly from Albion has been charged with two counts of capital murder following the deaths of her sister and mother.
The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama announced the charges on Friday. Because the teen is being charged as a juvenile her name is not being released.
She is accused of fatally stabbing her mother, 44-year-old Rosa Aminta Maldonado, and older sister, 19-year-old Rosa Lee Maldonado, who graduated from Albion in 2017. The Maldonados moved to Alabama about a year ago.
Many of the family’s friends in the Albion community had a vigil of remembrance on Friday evening at Bullard Park in Albion.
Rosa Lee Maldonado and her mother were found deceased by deputies at about 1 a.m. Wednesday, after someone in the house made a 911 call.
The 15-year-old had stabbed herself in the head and neck, the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office said. She was treated at a hospital in Huntsville and released on Friday.
The family has established a fundraiser on Facebook. (Click here for more information)
“We’d appreciate any help that we can receive,” according to the post. “We are trying to bury two loved ones who recently passed away. We’d appreciate anything, even the small is big.”
Rosa Aminta Maldonado was the mother of Katie Sanchez, who was 15 in January 2011 when she strangled to death by her brother-in-law, Carlos Cardenas. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Rosa Lee Maldonado was Katie’s younger sister at the time.
